South Africa: Cabinet welcomes new appointments in the NPA and State Security

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A partnership between the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and pharmaceutical company, Aspen Pharmacare, will see the return of 10 South African students from the conflict-ridden Ukraine. The students, many of whom have limited resources, were forced to flee the Ukraine into neighbouring countries in the wak... See more
Is Obama Fast-tracking Mosul Offensive to Save His Legacy?

(AINA) -- Whenever a sitting President of the United States leaves office after his term of office whether its four or eight years the media starts talking about what will their legacy be? There are separate listings for both domestic and foreign policy.

In January 2017 Barack Obama leaves office. So there are several issues in Foreign Policy that will be scrutinized by both Candidates. But there is one situation that seems to be the focus of this Administration to be resolved before the incumbent leaves office. What is a concern is this was an issue that many feel that Obama dropped the ball on.

When Obama took office He sought to shift the focus from Iraq to Afghanistan. He felt that the fighting in Central Asia was more justified than was was occurring in the cradle of civilization. But what has happened in Iraq during his term of office has been a detriment not only to the people of Iraq but has also led to problems not only in the Middle East but can also be viewed as a source of some of the issues now affecting Europe.

Considering what has happened in the Country since major US Combat Forces left the Country the Administration made a great error in Judgement with the timing of their withdrawal. Even though there was a functioning Government in Baghdad events were manipulated so that there were a couple of power vacuums in the Country. This would lead to a situation that certain elements were to exploit successfully for their own agendas.

In 2014 Sunni Elements including former member of the Saddam Hussein Baathist Party merged with Al-Qaeda Fighters to form what some refer to as Daesh or the Islamic State. They also moved into Syria taking advantage of the Civil War raging there to take over roughly one third of the Country which is roughly the same size of Iraqi territory that they were able to capture as well. Shia Militias emboldened by Iranian Support were actually able to control other parts of the Country.

Some of these actions have placed some of the Religious Minorities such as the Assyrians and the Turkmen in the position of being seen as pawns. They have suffered atrocities at the hands of ISIS and indifference at the hands of Baghdad. So they have some room to be skeptics.

One of the goals that the Obama Administration does have is the liberation of Mosul. The planners in Washington and Baghdad are beginning to fast track this effort. The goal of having the city be liberated before Obama leaves office is crystal clear. That way some issues of having a safe haven for the Religious Minorities be addressed by the next Administration.

It is also clear that President Obama feels that what has taken place in Iraq may have a negative impact on his legacy. Some of his actions do indicate that this is a valid concern.
By Azernews





By Vugar Khalilov

Illegal Armenian armed groups have shelled Azerbaijani military positions located in liberated Aghdam 28 times, the Defence Ministry reported on March 10.

Starting from the night of March 9 to the morning of March 10, members of the illegal Armenian armed detachment on Azerbaijani territory, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, fired on Azerbaijan army positions in the direction of Aghdam region's Chukhurmehle, Gurdlar, Khidirli, Garadaghli, and Gasimli settlements, the ministry said in a statement.

The Azerbaijani army units took appropriate retaliatory measures to suppress the opposite side. They have complete command of the operational situation, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry denied media reports of tensions on Azerbaijani territory, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed.

"Information spread in Armenian social networks about alleged tensions on Azerbaijani territory, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed, is baseless and provocative," Trend reported, citing the ministry.

"We declare that the situation in all directions is stable and under the control of Azerbaijani army units," the ministry added.

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed for five years in Karabakh under the trilateral cease-fire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on November 10, 2020. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw all its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The trilateral ceasefire deal signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, ended the three-decade conflict over Azerbaijans Karabakh region which along with the seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

The deal also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city that had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.

On January 11, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed the second statement since the end of the 44-day war. The newly-signed statement was set to implement clause 9 of the November 2020 statement related to the unblocking of all economic and transport communications in the region.

On November 26, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed a statement and agreed on a number of issues, including the demarcation and delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border by late 2021, some points related to humanitarian issues and the issue of unblocking of transport corridors which applies to the railway and to automobile communications.

On December 14, 2021, during the Brussels meeting, organized between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders at the initiative of European Council President Charles Michel, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the conditions agreed in the Sochi meeting.

Both sides agreed to establish a temporary working group on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The issue of demining the liberated territories of Azerbaijan was also brought up on the agenda, and the European Union's readiness to provide technical assistance to Azerbaijan in this regard was underlined at the meeting.
More than 150 vendors will be featured at the National Money Show at The Broadmoor, where you can see rare coins and other numismatic pieces, and attend lectures, live auctions and a book sale. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own old coins or collections for appraisal. The event begins Thursday and runs through Saturday. Admission is free on Saturday.
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By Trend

The visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Turkey will serve to further strengthen relations between the two fraternal countries, Azerbaijani MP Javid Osmanov told Trend.

According to Osmanov, the fraternal relations between the countries are an example for the whole world.

"At the same time, the union between fraternal Turkey and Azerbaijan was formalized by the signing of the Shusha Declaration on June 15, 2021. There are very close relations between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey, and this plays an important role in bringing relations between the two countries to the highest level, he said.

Recently, a number of mutual visits have been carried out between the two fraternal countries. The planned visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Turkey is another historic event," the MP noted.

Political expert Shabnam Hasanova said that this visit is also important against the backdrop of current political processes.

"The ratification of the Shusha Declaration indicates the existence of a legal basis for the simultaneous implementation of current and future steps by the Azerbaijan and Turkey. The main thing is that there is full support and understanding of the significance of this declaration by the peoples of both countries, that is, we are natural allies, Hasanova pointed out.

Against the backdrop of Armenia's recent statements on the signing of a peace treaty [with Azerbaijan], the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey will consider this issue in more detail and specifically, because work is also underway on the process of normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations, and this issue is unambiguously being implemented in coordination with Azerbaijan, she further said.

Since both Turkey and Azerbaijan react to the political process and take synchronous steps, if decisions are made during consultations, in the same way both countries are primarily committed to establishing peace and stability in the region, the functioning of international law in global processes, added the expert.
Tortas Ahogadas

Tortas Ahogadas

Yield: 6 servings

For the Braised Pork Butt:

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork butt, fat trimmed, cut into 3 or 4 large pieces

1/4 cup canola oil

One 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer

For the Tomato Sauce:

6 to 8 dried chile de arbol

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 white onion, diced

1 jalapeno, cored, seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

One 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Sandwich:

6 bolillo rolls

Olive oil, for brushing

2 cups shredded green cabbage, optional

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Pico de gallo, recipe follows, optional

Pickled Red Onions, recipe follows, optional

Procedure:

For the braised pork butt: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, garlic, paprika, mustard, coriander, salt and pepper. Pat the pork dry, then coat it with the rub.

In a large cast-iron pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Sear the pork until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes.

Pour in the beer, cover the pan tightly with foil and transfer it to the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Let the pork cool a bit before shredding.

For the tomato sauce: Soak the chile de arbol for 20 minutes in warm water. Once rehydrated, remove the stems and seeds and roughly chop.

Heat the canola in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chile de arbol, jalapeno, garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the vinegar, tomatoes and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring often.

When done, puree the sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the sandwich: Slice the bolillos in half, leaving them hinged at one end. Brush the insides with olive oil.

Place the bolillos cut side up on a baking sheet; transfer to the oven and toast until crispy, about 5 minutes. Fill each bolillo with some shredded pork, topped with some tomato sauce, shredded cabbage, cilantro, pico de gallo and pickled red onions. Serve.

Source: foodnetwork.com
The Polis administration said Colorado is sending hundreds of ballistic helmets and scores of body armor to Ukraine, which is ferociously fighting the Russian invasion. The Polis administration also asked other law enforcement agencies to donate their surplus body armor and ballistic helmets
By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

The Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers has sent a letter to a number of organizations and foreign state bodies over Armenia's attempts to use the Lachin corridor for military purposes rather than its intended purpose.

The letter was sent to the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and NATO secretaries-general, as well as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

It should be noted that this appeal was made against the background of the fact that destructive forces in Armenia and illegal Armenian armed formations on Azerbaijani territory under Russian peacekeepers' control have been increasingly shelling Azerbaijani military positions over the past few days.

The passage zone, called the Lachin corridor, which is the only road between Azerbaijan's Karabakh and Armenia, is currently under the control of Russian peacekeepers on temporary duty in the region for five years in line with a trilateral ceasefire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on November 10, 2020.

Armenian forces occupying Azerbaijan's Lachin region during the first Karabakh war in the early 1990s obtained a direct link between Armenia and Karabakh, and thanks to the road, they occupied the entire Karabakh and surrounding provinces.

For many years, the Lachin corridor was the lifeblood of the separatist Armenian administration of Karabakh, and they used it for military reinforcement, infrastructure, and commercial needs.

In Brussels, during his joint press conference with NATO General-Secretary Jens Stoltenberg in December 2021, President Ilham Aliyev reiterated Azerbaijan's unwavering commitment to the Zangazur corridor project and said if Armenia refuses to provide an uninterrupted connection through its Syunik province, it will have implications for the Lachin corridor. In diplomatic and analytical circles, the parallels have long been drawn between the two, but the idea had hitherto never been voiced officially.

The Zangazur corridor is pivotal to Bakus vision of the future of the South Caucasus, and it is being pushed through assertive diplomacy. President Aliyev expressed Azerbaijan's readiness to accept both options, in other words, either there could be customs checks both on the Lachin and Zangazur corridors or none on either. This appears to be a very wise and calculated move to force Yerevans hand towards agreeing to the legal regime suggested by Baku.

In his Facebook post, Pashinyan confirmed that the sides agreed on the opening of the railway, where border and customs rules will be applicable on the principle of reciprocity. This shows, at least on an official level, that Yerevan is not yet ready to acquiesce to Bakus proposal.

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed for five years in Karabakh under the trilateral cease-fire deal signed on November 10, 2020. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw all its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The trilateral agreement brought an end to the three-decade conflict over Azerbaijan's Karabakh region, which, along with seven adjacent districts, was occupied by Armenian armed forces during the war in the early 1990s.

It also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Prior to the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city that had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.
By Azernews





By Sabina Mammadli

Japan and the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) acting as the beneficiary organization have signed a grant agreement to allocate $88,224 in financial aid to purchase equipment for demining Azerbaijani lands liberated from the Armenian occupation.

According to Junichi Wada, Japan's ambassador to Azerbaijan, the main goal of this agreement is to speed up the process of clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in liberated areas by providing 11 mine detectors, 11 sets of protective clothing, and one pickup truck manufactured by Japans Mitsubishi company.

Japan seeks to support Azerbaijan in demining its lands liberated from Armenian occupation, he said.

During the same event, President of the International Eurasia Press Fund Umud Mirzayev stressed that Azerbaijan greatly appreciates Japan's support in the humanitarian sphere.

Mirzoyev noted that today one of Azerbaijans biggest problems is the process of demining the liberated lands.

"Japan and Azerbaijan are closely cooperating in this sphere," he added.

It should be noted that the IEPF has been supporting activities in the field of clearing mines and unexploded ordnances on Azerbaijani territory for more than 20 years. The project under which the agreement was signed on March 9 is the third project to help the fund under the Japanese embassy's grant program after projects implemented in 2001 and 2004.

Within the framework of this program, including the above agreement, a total of 278 grant agreements were signed. The total amount of grants exceeds $23.4 million. The economic assistance program aims to implement relatively small projects to improve the social welfare of the population.

Currently, the priority task of this program is to promote the development of healthcare, education, and agriculture. In connection with the mentioned financial assistance, its possible to apply to local municipal and executive authorities, non-governmental organizations, educational, health and other non-profit organizations.

It should be also noted that 2022 will be the year of friendship between Azerbaijan and Japan.

Additionally, earlier this year, Azerbaijans Energy Ministry and Japans TEPSCO company signed an agreement on the establishment of the green energy zone in the newly-liberated lands.

The agreement envisages the effective use of renewable energy potential such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and bioenergy on the liberated territories. It considers the establishment of a green energy zone based on modern energy management approaches to supply the region with energy.




From bears and mountain lions to the soon-to-be reintroduced gray wolf, Colorado is home to some pretty fierce wildlife. Soon, another predator could be making its way back to the Centennial State: the wolverine.

Wolverines once had a viable population in Colorado, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, but disappeared from the state in 1919.

"Twelve survey efforts from 1979-1996 yielded no confirmed sightings. Colorados high elevation and rugged terrain were and are good wolverine habitat, but because the species naturally exists in extremely low numbers wherever it is found, the species was never numerous here," the CPW website said.

In 2009, a GPS-tagged wolverine was tracked traveling into north-central Colorado by researchers from Grand Teton National Park. The wolverine, known as M56, traveled nearly 2,000 miles and was last tracked to North Dakota, where it was shot by a rancher.

In a Facebook post earlier this year, Marlon Reis, an animal-rights supporter and Gov. Jared Polis' husband, announced that CPW is revisiting reintroduction efforts in the state.

"Unfortunately, wolverines have been extirpated from Colorado, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife is in discussion with partners and stakeholders about the potential to restore this species to Colorados high country," Reis said.

CPW estimates that Colorado has the capacity to support around 100 wolverines.

"The animal needs large areas of cold, rocky habitat. The vast majority of land where the animal would live occurs on high-elevation public lands," CPW said.
Dr. Fagin is Senior Fellow at the Independence Institute in Denver. His views are his alone.
LETTERS: Editorial educated the public; what you can't do on your property
Lawmakers worked overnight and into early Thursday morning on legislation that seeks to enshrine the right to an abortion in Colorado law.

The House Health and Insurance Committee approved House Bill 1279 along a 7-4 party-line vote just after 3:40 a.m.

More than 300 people signed up to testify on the bill, also known as the Reproductive Health Equity Act.

Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Greenwood Village, one of the co-sponsors of HB 1279, told the committee the bill would establish a fundamental right to choose to continue a pregnancy and give birth, or to have an abortion. Fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses do not have independent rights under the law, she told the committee. But womens rights are under attack on this issue, she said.

This is about our right to make private medical decisions, Froelich said. This is ensuring access and affirms that people have the right to control their own bodies.

Nineteen states have enacted restrictions on abortion, including a 2021 law in Texas that bans the procedure once cardiac activity is detected, which has resulted in copycat legislation in other states.

As House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, began to explain the bill, she was interrupted by a woman who started yelling about killing babies. The woman was removed from the room by Colorado State Patrol officer. A half-dozen officers were on hand for the hearing.

I wish we didnt have to bring this bill forward, Esgar told the committee, adding that the most personal medical decisions should not be controlled by politicians like us. But with the U.S. Supreme Court taking up two challenges to Roe v. Wade, it is critical to protect abortion rights, she said.

Since 2008, Colorado voters have four times, and by wide margins, rejected restrictions or outright bans on abortions. At the state Capitol, 44 bills have been introduced to do the same, including three in the 2022 session, all defeated.

Esgar said the voters' decisions make it clear that they trust individuals to make their own reproductive health care decisions free from political interference.

Rep. Stephanie Luck, R-Penrose, asked why the sponsors chose a statutory change rather than seek a constitutional ballot measure.

Sponsors said the U.S. Supreme Courts pending decision, which is expected in June, makes it necessary for Colorado to act now. But they also noted an effort underway by a reproductive health rights coalition to launch a constitutional ballot measure for the 2024 election.

If HB 1279 is not passed and Roe v. Wade is overturned, Esgar said, Colorado could end up with municipalities passing abortion laws piecemeal, another reason for the urgency of the bill.

Our job is to look out for the entire state, she said.

Dozens of abortion-rights advocates have so far testified on behalf of the bill, including COBALT, Planned Parenthood, obstetricians and gynecologists and people from the faith community. They also included women who have had abortions.

Katherine Riley of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights spoke about the effects that restricting abortions would have on women of color. Those restrictions fall hard on people of color who already struggle with access to quality health care, Riley said, and Latinas are twice as likely as white women to experience an unintended pregnancy.

Women of color also experience more harm and inequities during the pregnancy and birth cycle, which includes higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, Riley said.

Riley, who is five weeks from giving birth, noted she underwent an abortion about 10 years ago. She was able to finish school, go on to graduate school, and achieve personal goals.

I know I will be a better mom because of that decision. Every person deserves the right to make that decision for themselves.

Rabbi Joseph Black told the committee he and his wife are carriers of Tay Sachs disease, a fatal genetic disorder. Those babies endure a painful and gruesome death, Black said. He and his wife have two healthy children but also had to abort one.

When government puts itself in a position to legislate how people care for their bodies, unless that decision impacts the health of the general population, we cross a dangerous line, said Black, who supports HB 1279.

Doctors also argue the bill is needed.

Dr. Donald Aptekar, an OB-GYN at the University of Colorado, said he has cared for 15,000 happily pregnant women and has personally delivered over 5,000 desired babies. Aptekar said he has also counseled women on their personal reproductive decisions, free from any governmental restriction or limitation. HB 1279 is necessary to allow women to control their bodies and their reproductive choices, he said.

Dr. Nancy Fang, also an OB-GYN, spoke of a patient who left a hospital in Texas to come to Colorado for an abortion. Her water broke at four months, and her only options were to wait until she became septic or get an abortion. She flew to Colorado for the procedure and is now fine, Fang said, adding: Patients count us to help them in their worst moments."

Those who opposed HB 1279 included the mother of a son with Down syndrome. Voting for this bill means her son's life is not worth living, she told the committee. Some prayed, others read Bible verses, and still others warned that those who vote for the bill would face God's wrath.

Dr. Thomas Perille, a retired internist with Democrats for Life, said the bill allows discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race and disability. Even North Korea and China don't have laws like this, he said. Contrary to what many of the people on the committee might believe, he said, while most Coloradans are pro-choice, they are not pro-unrestricted abortion.

Others testifying against the bill included included a man who signed up to speak in support of HB 1279, but instead launched into a speech on eugenics. Another man, who wasnt identified, said the bill is immoral and called the sponsors and backers murderers and hypocrites. William Duffy of Colorado Right to Life said HB 1279 is the worst bill in the history of the country.

Several former Republican lawmakers also appealed to the committee to reject the bill.

Former House Majority Leader Amy Stephens, R-Colorado Springs, told the committee that while she was a lawmaker, she had never seen a bill as "callous or barbaric toward the unborn" as HB 1279. "There are holes" in this legislation that makes it ripe for lawsuits, she said, such as whether the state has the right to deny rights to the unborn, when she said the U.S. Constitution says rights are granted by God.

She also claimed the bill would tie the hands of district attorneys on domestic violence cases since the unborn have no rights.

Former Rep. Lori Saine, R-Firestone, now a Weld County commissioner and candidate for the 8th Congressional District House seat, said her heart breaks when she hears of women having abortions for financial reasons or because "the time isn't right." A government that does not recognize life cannot secure anyone's rights, she said.

HB 1279 now heads to the full House.
Legislation that intends to address the unprecedented rise in thefts of catalytic converters cleared the Senate on Wednesday, moving on to the House for consideration.

Senate Bill 9 would require auto part recyclers to consult with the national motor vehicle title information system to determine whether a catalytic converter has been stolen and would allow additional law enforcement resources and agencies to investigate the thefts, including the Commodity Metals Theft Task Force.

In 2019, it was a concern. In 2022, it is a crisis, said bill sponsor Sen. Joann Ginal, D-Fort Collins. As it increases, so does the harm to businesses as well as to ordinary citizens that are the victims. These cars become inoperable or noncompliant with emissions laws, meaning people cant go to work, cant go to school or do simple errands.

Colorado legislature OKs bill to address online sale of stolen products

Catalytic converters contain precious metals trading at record prices. Catalytic converter thefts increased by more than 5,000% in Colorado from 2019 to 2021, going from 189 to 9,811 reported thefts annually, according to the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority. In Denver, the thefts rose by 15,000% in the same time frame  from 15 to 2,359, according to data from the Denver Police Department.

Senators passed the bill Wednesday, 33-1, with only Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg voting no. The Sterling Republican said the bill would only increase unnecessary personal data collection.

It wont reduce the thefts of catalytic converters. The bigger problem that needs to be dealt with is more cars are stolen in Colorado than anywhere else in the country. I opposed previous legislation that forced the taking of personal information and pictures of me doing regular business.

In 2021, an Uswitch report found that Colorado had the most vehicle thefts per 100,000 vehicle owners at 524.3. However, Ginal said the bill would take away the incentives to steal catalytic converters by cutting off the ability to resell them.

As a result of the national rise in thefts and supply chain issues, it is very difficult to replace catalytic converters, leading to weeks- or months-long waits for parts that can cost $1,000 to $5,000. Sen. Chris Holbert, R-Douglas County, said his son has been waiting seven weeks to replace the catalytic converters stolen out of his pickup truck in January.

If you had asked me in early January of this year if I thought that having catalytic converters stolen was a significant life event, I would have said no. ... I was wrong, Holbert said. Hes still making payments on his truck but for seven weeks its been sitting in a collision shop in Parker.

Holbert said the bill is a step in the right direction, even if it does not address all aspects of the issue.

A second bill regarding catalytic converter theft, House Bill 1217, would create a grant program to raise awareness of the thefts by funding public information campaigns, theft prevention, victim assistance and catalytic converter identification and tracking efforts. Holbert said he also intends to sponsor his own bill that would increase penalties for catalytic converter theft.
By Azernews





By Sabina Mammadli

The UN General Assembly and Security Council have circulated a letter from Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the discovery of mass graves in liberated Khojavand region's Edilli village and Fuzuli city as an official document.

In the letter, dated March 2, 2022, Bayramov drew attention to the plight of about 4,000 Azerbaijanis, who went missing in the first Karabakh war in the early 1990s.

He stated that as a result of the search operation and investigative measures, new mass graves have been identified in the Edilli village of Azerbaijan's Khojavand region and on the territory of Fuzuli city based on eyewitness testimony. According to him, the remains, which are thought to be those of six or seven Azerbaijanis who have been missing since the early 1990s, have been exhumed and collected by the investigation team for further medical examination and genetic testing.

The letter added that Azerbaijani civilians and servicemen who managed to escape Armenian captivity confirmed in their testimonies that the bodies of dozens of Azerbaijanis were transferred in military trucks and buried in mass graves in the aforementioned areas after being subjected to torture, degrading, and other inhumane treatment, as well as subsequent arbitrary and extrajudicial killings.

According to eyewitness accounts and investigative materials, the discovered remains are only a small portion of the area's mass graves, and as a result, search operations are currently underway to locate the other burial sites.

"The fact that Azerbaijani prisoners of war and civilian captives have themselves been forced to the transfer and mass burial of the bodies itself speaks of the gravity and brutality of crimes committed by the armed forces of Armenia, its agents, and subordinates," the letter stated.

Furthermore, the letter stated that, in addition to cruel treatment and torture that resulted in the deaths of dozens of prisoners of war and civilian hostages, the perpetrators committed other serious war crimes by failing to ensure that the dead were interred honorably, their graves respected and properly maintained, and marked in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Bayramov emphasized that despite growing evidence, the perpetrators remain unpunished because Armenia has taken no steps to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by its agents and subordinates.

He also expressed concern that, despite ongoing calls from Azerbaijan, including high-level discussions with Armenia, the latter will not clarify the location of burial sites, mass graves, or the fate of missing Azerbaijanis.

"Given the extreme importance of addressing the issue of missing persons for the rule of law, justice, as well as post-conflict normalization and reconciliation, the strong engagement of the international community is therefore vital," continued the letter.

It also urged the UN Secretary-General to compel Armenia to provide all available information in order to determine the fate of thousands of Azerbaijanis who disappeared in the early 1990s.

"Bringing clarity to the whereabouts of all missing persons and full accountability for the grave international humanitarian law violations committed against them are essential elements for achieving lasting reconciliation after a bloody conflict, stated the letter.

Baku earlier stated that the plight of missing Azerbaijanis is a top priority on its agenda.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva made the remarks in response to a query about why Armenia had waited 30 years to share any information about 4,000 missing Azerbaijanis.

"I would like to emphasize that the Azerbaijani side prioritizes the issue of missing people and will not allow the Armenian side, which is directly responsible for this issue, to remain silent for another 30 years about the fate of over 3,700 missing Azerbaijanis and the location of their mass burial places," Abdullayeva said.

Azerbaijan handed over the remains of over 1,700 servicemen to Armenia immediately after the 44-day second Karabakh war, without expecting any reciprocal action and without receiving any information from Yerevan about thousands of Azerbaijanis who went missing during the first Karabakh war, the spokesperson added.

Abdullayeva said that the discovery of massive graves of Azerbaijanis on the liberated territories and the provision of the international community with evidence resulted in Armenia transferring the remains of 108 of thousands of missing people after 30 years.

She stressed that Armenia had yet to make a statement on the abovementioned subject.

On February 8, the Foreign Ministry stated that humanitarian issues were one of the main topics of a virtual meeting attended by French President Emanuel Macron, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, European Council President Charles Michel and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on February 4.

At the meeting, Aliyev underlined that Armenia had to provide information about the mass graves of 3,890 missing Azerbaijani citizens (including 71 children, 267 women and 326 elderly people). The presidents of France and the European Council both supported this issue.

Armenia, which is responsible for determining the fate of about 4,000 missing Azerbaijani citizens, promised to cooperate in this matter.

The ministry stated that Armenia's later denial of its international humanitarian obligations, as well as promises made during the abovementioned meeting, is completely outside the moral, ethical, and legal framework in light of Azerbaijan's discovery and return of the bodies of 1,708 Armenian servicemen.

It should be mentioned that in the 20th century, Armenians perpetrated systematic crimes and atrocities against Azerbaijanis to break the spirit of the nation and annihilate the Azerbaijani people of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Khojaly genocide is regarded as the culmination of Armenian mass murders.

Some 613 Azerbaijanis, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 elders were brutally murdered on the ground of national identity in Khojaly in 1992.

This heinous act was preceded by a slew of others. Armenians set fire to around 20 buildings in the Baghanis-Ayrim village of Gazakh region, killing eight Azerbaijanis. A family of five, including a 39-day-old newborn, were all burnt alive.

Between June and December 1991, Armenian troops murdered 12 and wounded 15 Azerbaijanis in Khojavand region's Garadaghli and Asgaran region's Meshali villages.

Armenian military detachments bombed buses on the Shusha-Jamilli, Aghdam-Khojavand, and Aghdam-Garadaghli routes in August and September of the same year, killing 17 Azerbaijanis and injuring over 90 others.

In October and November 1991, Armenians burned, destroyed, and plundered over 30 settlements in the mountainous area of Karabakh, including Tugh, Imarat-Garvand, Sirkhavand, Meshali, Jamilli, Umudlu, Garadaghli, Karkijahan, and other significant villages.
A North Iowa man is looking at felony charges in connection to a string of thefts in the area.

Cole Arthur Pearce, 30, was arrested on March 9 and is being held on multiple bonds totaling $23,300 and is facing eight charges related to a Feb. 27 incident.

Pearce was seen on surveillance cameras in Mason City, Clive and Garner in a stolen 2006 Buick Rendezvous, according to court documents. The vehicle was recovered in Mason City. Inside the vehicle were two Milwaukee electric tools that had been reported stolen on Nov. 12, 2021.

Authorities say Pearce was also seen on security video cutting off a catalytic converter from a blue Kia.

Pearce has been charged with three counts of tampering with a motor vehicle, attempted burglary in the third degree  non-vehicle, conspiracy to commit a nonforcible felony, two counts of trespassing with over $300 damage, operating a motor vehicle without owners consent, and theft in the third degree.

Pearce is scheduled to make his appearance at his preliminary hearing March 18 at 1:15 p.m.

Rae Burnette is a GA and Crime & Courts Reporter at the Globe Gazette. You can reach her by phone at 641.421.0523 or at Rae.Burnette@GlobeGazette.com

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Hello from the GMAT Club BumpBot!Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email._________________
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has left for Turkey to take part in Antalya Diplomacy Forum, the Foreign Ministry has reported.

Numerous bilateral meetings will also be held, the ministry added.
gmat blows wrote:

Unlike psychiatrists, who are trained as medical doctors, psychologists have historically been forbidden from prescribing their patient drugs, but in 2002 New Mexico began to grant the privilege of prescribing to licensed, doctoral level psychologists who complete an additional training and certification program.



A. psychologists have historically been forbidden from prescribing their patient drugs, but in 2002 New Mexico began to grant the privilege of prescribing



B. psychologists have historically been forbidden to prescribe drugs for their patients, but in 2002 New Mexico began granting prescribing privileges



C. psychologists have historically been forbidden to prescribe their patients drugs, but in 2002 in New Mexico, the privilege to prescribe began to be granted



D. historically psychologists have been forbidden from prescribing their patients drugs, but in 2002 New Mexico began to grant the privilege of prescribing



E. historically psychologists have been forbidden from prescribing drugs for their patients, but in 2002 in New Mexico, they began granting prescribing privileges





Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:

Concepts tested here: Meaning +Pronouns + Verb Forms + Awkwardness/Redundancy

A:

B:

Correct.

C:

D:

E:

in

itself

Hence, B is the best answer choice.
Graham Nash, the musician-songwriter who wrote Teach Your Children on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Youngs landmark Deja Vu album in 1970, says hes not done learning.

I want to stay curious, Nash, 80, said in a telephone interview with the Miami Herald.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee for his work with The Hollies in the 1960s and subsequent Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young collectives, is touring an Evening of Songs and Stories. The show features Nash singing from his catalog of group and solo releases and sharing stories on the songs origins.

The tour also highlights the release of Nashs recent collection of his photography, A Life In Focus: The Photography Of Graham Nash.

Ive lived a long and very interesting life, said Nash. Ive seen and taken pictures of incredible moments and I want to share them. And thats what I want to do with my music, too. People that dont write music are fascinated with the process of how you do write music.

For instance, Nash wrote the 1970 CSN&Y classic, Our House, about his 1968-1969 romance with songwriter Joni Mitchell.

Mitchell really did Place the flowers in the vase/That you bought today for their house with two cats in the yard that Nash detailed in his lyrics for Our House.

Mitchell, in turn, shared details about their near marriage and the breakup on songs from her iconic Blue album in 1971. Now Ive gone and lost the best baby that I ever had, she wrote and sang of Nash on that albums melancholic River.

The two remain friends.

All these years later, Nash reflects that being the muse for a talent like Mitchells, and having a muse like Mitchell and other individuals that populated his songs is a gift, he said. Im incredibly, incredibly fortunate to be a musician.

One Nash song with a famous connection to Miamis history is Mutiny, a track Nash wrote for a duo album he made with David Crosby, Whistling Down the Wire, in 1976.

The Mutiny Hotel, on South Bayshore Drive in Coconut Grove, was the notorious hot spot where Cocaine Cowboys, celebrities and the power elite got their buzz on in the 1970s and 80s  a Studio 54 meets the 305, and then some.

The Mutiny Hotel. It was a song that I wrote. David didnt write that. And it was basically, well, Ill be honest with you, it was 16 stories of coke dealers. There was a tremendous amount of cocaine in those times, Nash said.

And what happened is I used to get up for breakfast, and Id have breakfast with Neil occasionally. I called his room one day to go to breakfast and there was no answer. I called down, and I said, Is Mr. Young down there? And they go, No. He checked out and left for Los Angeles yesterday. I said, Really? Were in the middle of doing ... really? Neil had disappeared, and he left, so thats what I remember about the Mutiny Hotel.

One song that Nash says he likely will do, however, is about another building. Half Your Angels is a song he wrote in 1995 for another Crosby-Nash album about the domestic terror bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The bombing, by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, killed 168 people, including 19 children.

I was playing it last night at rehearsals, and I think Im going to do it when I get down there. And Ill tell them why I wrote it and how I wrote it, Nash said.

Meantime, the tour, which should prove a learning experience for both artist and his audience, should have happened two years ago but for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Im really pleased that some of the people have kept their tickets from two years ago. That shows hope, Nash said.

As part of that learning process Nash remains active. His last solo album was This Path Tonight in 2016. He is also about 10 songs deep into a new album hes writing with his boyhood friend Allan Clarke  the man he co-founded The Hollies with in 1962.

Clarke, 79, and Nash, have been friends since the two met while going to school in Manchester, England. The pairs new album should be out around August, Nash said.

For 74 years, hes been my friend, Nash said. We love to sing together and we have since we first started singing together when we were 6. And were singing together now.

Of course, given the recording reunion with his old Hollies partner on the way, one has to ask if there will be a reunion with Crosby, Stills or Young either in the studio or on the concert stage.

No, not at all. Never, Nash said.

That relationship, particularly between Crosby and Nash, would seem to be irretrievably broken given public statements on both of their parts.

About the only thing they can all agree on is backing their partner Young on his decision to pull his music off the streaming service Spotify. Young fired the first shot in January, announcing that he did not want his music on the same platform as Joe Rogan whose podcast aired dangerous disinformation about COVID-19. Joni Mitchell was the first to join Young in solidarity and had her music removed from Spotify, too.

The distaste for the streaming service began before the Rogan controversy, however, Nash said.

Crosby, basically on our behalf, has been rallying against Spotify because of the amount of money that they dont pay musicians. As a several-billion-dollar company, all they do is play other peoples music and pay them very little. And then when Neal came upon Joe Rogan letting people express opinions saying that the vaccinations dont work and masks dont work, and all that stuff that Neil has been upset with Joe Rogan and we totally agree. And thats why we took our music from Spotify also. But it started out with Crosby talking about how much they didnt pay musicians.

Nashs evening of songs and stories, by design, is nostalgic. But a recent performance by Elton John at Hard Rock Live also proves illustrative of the way some pop-rock veterans can continue to challenge themselves to grow as artists.

When told how Elton, at 75 this March, had tweaked his vocal phrasing to put a richer emphasis on the meaning of the lyrics he sings, Nash felt he could relate. Here was a peer who could easily coast on his celebrated history but instead opted to learn more about his craft and work to develop his delivery more than 55 years into a career.

(Nash and Elton actually go way back. In 1965, a publishing company Nash and Clarke had formed, signed a young Reg Dwight, before he changed his name to Elton John. Elton, in turn played piano and organ as a session musician on some Hollies songs, including He Aint Heavy, Hes My Brother in 1969.)

Thats one reason Nash still writes and releases new music and continues to work on his instruments  which include the voice and the brain. He shared an example.

I put out an autobiography a couple of years ago and I was doing a book signing in Manchester where I come from. This kid came up to me and he gave me a like an 8-and-a-half by 10-inch manila envelope, and he said, You need this. I said, What is it? He said, Im not going to tell you but dont open it until you get back to the hotel. So I was curious. So I got back to the hotel and I opened up this thing and it was my report card from when I was 11. One of the first things one of the teachers wrote on the report card was, This boy wants to know everything, Nash recalled.

And I guess Im still curious, Nash said of his outlook. What can I say? I live my life. I get up in the morning and Im glad to be alive and I check the news. I check my friends. I check the world. You know, Im curious. I want to know whats going on here.
HIGH POINT  The late Sara Davis Welborn, the firstborn of High Points much-celebrated Davis triplets, never shied away from the attention she and her two nearest siblings received for their unusual entry into the world.

She never grew weary of the flashbulbs popping in their faces or the curiosity-seekers popping questions. Never lamented the fact that no matter what she did in her own life, her identity was forever inextricably linked to the brother and sister born with her in 1938, the first triplets ever delivered at High Points old Burris Memorial Hospital.

No, she actually embraced her triplet status, swaddling herself in it like a newborn in a blanket.

We were a show, she often told family and friends  and even strangers and newspaper reporters  describing the triplets fishbowl existence when they were young.

She was so proud of it, recalls Welborns daughter, Delane Buck, who lives in Lake Mary, Florida. She would tell people, Im a triplet, all the time.

Even in the final months of Welborns life, as her health deteriorated and a rotating roster of hospice workers looked after her, each new caregiver would hear the same question: Did you know Im a triplet?

So when Welborn  the last surviving Davis triplet  died Monday at age 83 following a battle against brain cancer, it seemed only fitting that her family would agree to tell her story one last time.

She wouldve loved it, Buck says.

The Davis triplets  Sara Lane, Martha Zane and Thomas Rhyne  were born on Aug. 28, 1938, to Jesse and Annie Davis, who lived on a Kernersville farm just outside the High Point city limits.

In those days, because doctors didnt have sonograms available, twins and triplets arrived as total surprises to both parents and medical personnel. According to family lore, after Dr. W.K. McCain delivered Sara, he calmly said, Theres another one, and out came Tom. Shortly after that, he repeated, Theres another one, and out came Martha.

They weighed about 5 pounds each, though Martha was about half a pound smaller, and they were healthy.

Sadly, the childrens mother died only five days after their birth. Their widowed father, having two other children and a farm to tend, turned to Evie Thornton, the sweet, nurturing proprietor of Mama Thorntons Baby Boarding House in High Point.

Extended family members had offered to help raise the triplets in their respective homes, but Jesse didnt want the newborns separated, so he took them to the boarding house in a big wicker basket. The triplets lived with Mama Thornton for five years before returning to their fathers farm, joining older siblings Paul and Betty.

According to Buck and her brother, Darrell Welborn of High Point, their mother always spoke positively of her childhood, harboring a special place in her heart for Mama Thornton but also relishing life with her father on the farm. She often shared some of her fondest memories: Playing ball with a tied-up tow sack. Sharing a bicycle with her two fellow triplets. Helping her father with chores on the farm. Playing with the family dog, Groucho.

Although triplets were not unheard of  even in 1938, before the onset of fertility drugs  the Davis triplets were a bit of a novelty. The High Point Enterprise published a photo of the triplets before they were a month old  plastering them on the front page of the local news section, above the fold  and at other times as they grew. The Enterprise even published stories as the triplets celebrated milestones such as their 50th and 60th birthdays.

According to Sara Welborns children, the triplets remained close throughout their lives. They all raised their families on parcels of the Davis family land, living on the same road their entire lives, and getting together often for family celebrations.

An anecdote about the triplets 70th birthday party reveals just how close the three were.

Martha was sick and could not come to the party, recalls Lynn Welborn, Saras daughter-in-law. Tom refused to be in a birthday picture with just Sara and not Martha. He would not be in a triplet picture with only two of them. They were very, very close.

Tom and Martha died in 2014, within five months of each other, leaving only Sara.

Its not lost on us that Sara was the first of the three to enter the world and the last of the three to leave the world, Lynn Welborn says. And she was the strongest of the three at birth.
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Tackling Difficult-to-Treat Depression

Mar 09, 2022 9:00 AM

Psychiatry Ground Rounds, March 16, 2022

Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) is pleased to welcome A. John Rush, MD, FACP, as the Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds speaker on Wednesday, March 16. His presentation is titled "Difficult-to-Treat Depression (DTD): Clinical value and research challenges."

Dr. A. John Rush is Professor Emeritus of the National University of Singapore, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry Duke School of Medicine North Carolina. His research has focused on the development and testing of innovative treatments for mood disorders, including medications, medication combinations, somatic treatments, psychotherapy, and disease management protocols. As the author of over 800 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books, his work has received international recognition with awards from many professional organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Psychiatrists, the American Psychopathological Association, the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, and the Society for Biological Psychiatry.

In 2014, Thomson Reuters recognized Dr. Rush as one of the Worlds Most Influential Scientific Minds. As CEO of Curbstone Consultant LLC, he provides research and organizational consultation to commercial, governmental, academic, and not-for-profit organizations as well individual career mentoring.

Watch his presentation virtually via Zoom (https://utah.zoom.us/j/99254043980) on Wednesday, March 16 at Noon, MST.

About Psychiatry Grand Rounds

The Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds series presents local and nationally-renowned clinicians, researchers, and educators. Grand Rounds typically occur on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Lectures are presented in-person, virtually, or both - presentation availability is noted in the schedule online. Presentations recordings will be made available at the discretion of the presenters.

Grand Rounds presentations are intended for behavioral/mental health professionals and clinical providers. Continuing education (CE) credit is available. The University of Utah School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
F?rst Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has met with the UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan Baroness Emma Nicholson, Azertag reported on March 10.

Prior to the meeting, they posed together for photos.

The sides hailed the fact that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and the UK.

Then they discussed the issues related to the expansion of bilateral ties between the two countries in a number of areas.














Former Helena police Chief Steve Hagen reeled in a state record Utah chub, weighing 2.39 pounds, on March 7 from Canyon Ferry Reservoir and besting a 30-year-old record, state wildlife officials said.

The fish measured 15.9 inches in length and 10.4 inches in girth, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported. The previous record Utah chub, caught at Canyon Ferry in 1992, weighed 1.81 pounds.

Hagen retired as Helenas police chief late last year.

The East Helena residents catch adds to the list of Montana record fish caught in the last year and a half including a walleye, a chinook salmon, a smallmouth bass, a yellow bullhead, a brown trout, a longnose sucker, and a largemouth.

With a total of 91 native and introduced fish species found in Montana, interest in fish records has increased in recent years. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks maintains the list of record fish, and it is available on FWPs website at https://fwp.mt.gov/fish/anglingData/records.

FWP officials say that anglers who think they caught a state record fish should keep the following things in mind:

 To prevent loss of weight, do not clean or freeze the fish. Keep the fish cool  preferably on ice.

 Take a picture of the fish.

 The fish must be weighed on a certified scale (found in grocery stores or hardware stores, etc.) and witnessed by a store employee or other observer. Obtain a weight receipt and an affidavit from the store personnel if no FWP official is present. Measure the length and girth.

 Contact the nearest FWP office to have the fish positively identified by a fisheries biologist.

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St. Peters Health Cancer Care on Wednesday welcomed oncologist Dr. Elizabeth Bigger to the hospital, filling a full-time position that has been vacant since late 2020.

Bigger has 15 years of clinical experience providing oncology and hematology care. She earned her doctorate of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, and her bachelor of science in molecular, cellular and developmental biology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

"My top priority is to build meaningful relationships with you  my patients," Bigger states to patients in a handout still being developed by the hospital. "By working together alongside the incredible team at St. Peters, Im committed to delivering the high-quality, individualized cancer care you deserve.

Bigger said: "Our patients trust us with their lives, and we must honor that trust by making sure their therapy is delivered in the safest way possible, based on scientific evidence and only offered when its beneficial. I also feel strongly that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for cancer care."

She said she will ask a lot of questions.

"I want to deeply understand your medical history, your goals and your outlook on life," the handout states. "I take a collaborative approach to patient care, and want us to work together to achieve your health goals."

She explains what drew her to Helena.

"My husband Pete is a snowboarder, and Im a skier," she states. "We fell in love with the area during a recent trip to Wyoming ... We felt a strong pull to come West."

She is accepting new patients at 406-444-2381.

In December, Bigger dropped as plaintiff in a lawsuit against her former employer, Mass General Brigham Inc., over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. St. Peter's officials said Bigger assured them that she fully endorses the COVID-19 vaccine, believing it is safe, effective and represents the very best medical science has to offer today in protection against the COVID-19 virus.

Bigger replaces Dr. Thomas Weiner, who was fired from the hospital in November 2020 and is now embroiled in a wrongful termination lawsuit with the health center over his dismissal. In his lawsuit, Weiner, who had been with St. Peter's nearly 25 years, stated he had seen as many as 1,500 patients a month.

He also argues hospital officials wanted to harm his reputation to prevent him from competing with them.

The hospital said Weiner had incorrectly treated a patient for lung cancer for 11 years and said it had learned of alarming narcotic prescribing practices by Weiner. The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard in a Helena courtroom on Nov. 14.

St. Peters had hired temporary oncologists, known as locum tenens, to work at the hospitals Cancer Treatment Center. Hospital officials said Wednesday that some of the locums will remain as Bigger makes her transition to the hospital.

Officials announced Biggers hiring in November.

"This is a huge step forward in rebuilding our cancer care program and delivering on our promise to be the gold standard for cancer and hematology care in Helena," St. Peter's Health Medical Group President Dr. Todd Wampler said in a news release at the time.

Bigger completed her internal medicine internship and residency at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee and her hematology/oncology fellowship at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. She is a board-certified member of the American Board of Internal Medicine in hematology and oncology.

St. Peter's officials said last year the hospital will affiliate with Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, saying this will give patients undergoing cancer and hematology care access to more options for treatment and provide top cancer experts.

Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021.

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Lewistown math teacher Matt Donaldson was on his way to work Wednesday morning when he spotted what he thought was a dog near the middle school.

It was running through the snow and I said, Thats definitely not a dog, he said. I pulled out my phone and took a photo and my first reaction was, Thats a wolverine. Its definitely crazy  Ive never seen one before.

The wolverine made a circle through a small patch of trees before running down the road in the opposite direction Donaldson was headed.

Fellow teacher Brett Shelagowski joined him outside. While he didnt get to see the animal in person, just checking out the tracks and snapping a few photos was an experience, he said.

It was pretty awesome  like theyre saying its the unicorn (to see one) just how secretive they are, he said.

In Montana they are typically found in remote mountainous areas such as Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and the Greater Yellowstone region. Sightings are rare, and outside of core areas, very rare, but do happen as wolverines have large home ranges and are known to cover long distances.

"They're in low densities but they travel a lot of country," said regional wildlife manager Cory Loecker with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. "They will hop between those island mountain ranges so if they're in the Little Belts I guarantee they're going into the Snowies, maybe not all the time but their home ranges are so big."

But seeing one traveling through a town the size of Lewistown came as quite a surprise.

Its definitely a once-in-a-lifetime deal, said Assistant Police Chief Jon Polich. Officers responded to reports of the wolverine but did not end up spotting it, he said. Reports indicated the animal seemed to be minding his own business but that folks got pretty excited.

Lewistown city employee Nick Nowak was out checking roads for plowing Wednesday morning when he saw a small dark animal out in a field. He recalled seeing some photos and video posted recently of a wolverine spotted in Yellowstone National Park, and suddenly realized what he was seeing. Nowak approached the wolverine in his truck and managed to capture a few seconds of video.

I locked up the brakes and he went into this small little coulee, Nowak said. Then I looked up and he was running down the road so I grabbed my phone and got the whole video. Its pretty crazy.

The wolverine was larger than he expected and many who have seen the video thought it might be a small black bear.

"Without a doubt it's not a bear," Nowak said.

Nowak knew it was a rare sighting but a friend of his that is an experienced hunter emphasized just how rare. The video drew amazement as it quickly spread across social media and Nowak reported the sighting to Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

FWP spokesman Dave Hagengruber said area game wardens were in Great Falls for a meeting Wednesday but the video and photos got plenty of attention. FWP communicated with authorities in Lewistown, he said, who put a veterinarian on standby should the animal have needed to be tranquilized. Ultimately they were happy to hear the wolverine jaunted out of town.

Yeah it was a shock to see, but it reacted the way wed hope itd react and got the heck out of there quickly, he said. We hope it found its way into a creek bottom and headed back up into the hills.

Tom Kuglin is the deputy editor for the Lee Newspapers State Bureau. His coverage focuses on outdoors, recreation and natural resources.

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Root, who has served with the sheriff's office for 25 years, was only sworn in as sheriff in June 2021 after a prolonged legal battle over the 2018 election. Democrat Tony Brown was judged to have beaten him by one vote until a judge ruled that result had been wrong and Root had in fact been the winner by 16 votes.

Brown accepted the judge's ruling and retired. There are currently no Democrats who have filed to run for the office.

For other countywide offices, Tanner, a Republican, has filed to run for reelection. And John Jackson, a Republican appointed treasurer in 2021, has filed to run for a full term.

Nine candidates, all Republicans besides one, have filed thus far for the Macon County Board, which will reduce in size from 21 to 15 seats next year.

Macon County Democratic Party Chair Karl Coleman said he plans to file his petitions to run for reelection to the county board in District 1 on Friday.

He said that more Democrats will be filing by Monday, which is the last day.
Will Pritzker be held accountable for being Madigans No. 1 supporter?

The biggest political news since the arrest and indictment of former Governor Rod Blagojevich landed last week when federal investigators announced charges of racketeering and bribery against Ex-Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan. After four decades of amassing more and more power at the expense of Illinois taxpayers, the man at the top of the Democrat political machine is inching closer and closer to seeing the inside of a prison cell.

Democrats through the decades - up and down the ballot and across Illinois - can be blamed for supporting and enabling Madigans corrupt reign. But one man in particular stands above the rest for being Madigans #1 supporter and chief enabler.

That man is Governor J.B. Pritzker.

Here are some key questions for the Governor in light of Madigans indictment:

 Does the governor regret personally funding Madigans corrupt political operation to the tune of more than $10 million dollars?

 Does the governor regret hiring into his administration 35 people personally recommended by Speaker Madigan for patronage jobs?

 As the federal investigators swirled in and around the Madigan orbit for two years, indicting several close confidants, it was obvious who the main target was. And yet, Pritzker never asked for Madigan to step down as Speaker or Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois when others did. Why not?

 When Madigan resigned his seat in the Illinois House, Pritzker issued a statement saying, The people of Illinois have much to be grateful for thanks to his dedicated public service, and the many sacrifices he and his family made to make a difference in our lives. Why did Pritzker issue that statement and doesnt that tell us everything we need to know about his support for Madigan?

Joe Hackler,

Communications Director,

Illinois Republican Party

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March is a good month to prepare for flooding. Floodwaters endanger lives, create hazardous roadways, and cause significant property damage. The Illinois Insurance Association and its member companies encourage residents to recognize the threat, have a response plan, and secure proper insurance.

First, review key flood terms. A flood advisory means forecasters anticipate a weather event that may result in flooding. Stay tuned for more information. A flood or flash flood watch indicates threatening conditions may cause flooding. Keep an eye out for changing weather. A flood warning signals an event is imminent or already occurring. Implement safety measures.

Some good flood safety practices to adopt:

 Drive cautiously. Turn around rather than drive through water rushing over the roadway. A few inches of fast-moving water can carry off a small car. Stay off bridges compromised by rushing flood water.

 Do not approach high-water areas on foot. Adults can lose balance in only six inches of floodwater. Children are even more vulnerable.

 Move people and affected property to higher ground as floodwaters rise.

 Turn off electricity and gas if your home is in danger.

 Evacuate if authorities recommend it.

Appropriate insurance protection must be in place before flood damage occurs. For vehicles, the auto insurance policy must include comprehensive coverage. Home and property owners need a stand-alone, single-peril flood insurance policy in place 30 days before the event. Traditional homeowners policies exclude flood-related damage.

Awareness and advance preparation are essential to getting through a flood emergency.

Kevin J. Martin,

Executive Director,

Illinois Insurance Association

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New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
By Trend

The United Arab Emirates and Israel will sign a trade and investment pact during March, the Gulf state's Ambassador to Israel said on Wednesday, while Israel gave a more cautious timetable, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.

"The #UAE and #Israel are looking forward to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement "CEPA" before the end of the month," Mohamed Al Khaja wrote on Twitter.

"The UAE remains confident that the CEPA with Israel will serve as a catalyst for even greater economic prosperity."

The UAE and Israel formally established ties in 2020.

Asked when the deal might be finalised, Israel's Economy Ministry said it was expected to be signed "in the coming months." It gave no other details.
A small bonfire crackled as notecards with written prayers for Ukraine slowly burned. As the smoke from each burning card rose, the scent filled the cold rainy air in Hickory on Tuesday evening.

Around 40 people from congregations of various denominations, including Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, Baptist and Jewish, gathered in front of St. Andrews Lutheran Church to say prayers of hope, peace and love for the people of Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and for others suffering around the world.

I just want us as both religious individuals and as Americans to be behind them (the people of Ukraine) as fully as possible, Rabbi Dennis Jones, from Temple Beth Shalom in Hickory, said before the vigil. In 1939, we didnt realize how bad 1939 was. It wasnt until the early 40s that we realized what we were dealing with. I hope we dont make that same mistake again. I hope we get involved as much as possible sooner, rather than later.

An altar was set up with a white candle and bouquet of bright yellow sunflowers, peacock feathers and deep blue flowers, representing the colors of the Ukrainian flag. In front of the altar, a fire burned throughout the vigil. After each religious leader took a turn saying prayers, the attendees were encouraged to write their own prayers on notecards to place in the fire.

Our prayers rise like incense to God, the Rev. Christy Lohr Sapp, of St. Andrews Lutheran Church, said.

The vigil was held outside in the rain instead of being moved inside because Ukrainian refugees are pushing through the snow and cold to get to safety, Sapp said. The rain pattered steadily throughout the service, adding to the somber tone as religious leaders spoke.

The Rev. David E. Roberts II, of Morning Star First Baptist Church in Hickory, prayed for wisdom and understanding for leaders across the world.

We pray, right now, for our brothers and sisters, Father God, Roberts said. We pray, right now, that they realize and recognize that we come together in unity. Realizing that we are asking for the peace from our lord and savior.

Bill Morgan, a reader from the Archangel Gabriel Orthodox Church in Hickory, said the church has members from eastern European countries around Ukraine. The churchs denomination has historical ties to Russia, but it condemns the violence, he said.

Our church, as a church around the country, is seeking donations that go directly to help the refugee crisis in Poland. A lot of Ukrainians are fleeing there, Morgan said after the vigil. Theres not only a war crisis but theres a refugee crisis to feed and house those people. Thats really what we can do here.

During the service, a list of organizations collecting donations for Ukraine was handed out. It includes the Orthodox Church in America, American Jewish Committee, Lutheran Disaster Response and United Methodist Global Ministries.

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My father always says theres no reason to go to the movies to be entertained. Instead, just go somewhere and observe people. He makes a good point.

Recently, after dropping my dog off at the groomers for a shower and a shave, I dropped myself off at the cafe in Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Hickory. I ordered coffee, grabbed a few books and opened my Chromebook to draft a newspaper story.

The cafe is wonderful. The service is pretty efficient and kind, too. Ive been there many times. I observed people as they observed me. Some plugged into their laptops and iPads, others sat around the smaller tables with family members. Couples chatted. One gentleman even brought his dog in to sit on his lap while he read. A family with small children ordered some drinks and a kind of breakfast spinach dish.

It was good to see everyone out enjoying the great weather and one another.

There are many, many reasons why we need bookstores. Fellowship with each other is one. Communion between a reader and a book is another. I observed people talking to each other, but I bet the books were talking to them, too. American astronomer Carl Sagan said, To read is to voyage through time. Yes.

After a while, I grabbed more books to look through. I sampled one on communication, several regarding different periods of history, and a couple about science and leadership.

Sure, I have things to do around the house. There are trees that need my attention, clothes to fold, a new semester of classes to start planning for, and many things to complete as my son graduates high school in a few months. But, sometimes, you just need a book day.

There are qualities to reading. The great sense of having an adventure. The thrill of learning something new and being able to apply and share it. A good book connects a person to almost every other learning discipline in some way. To read something written well is exhilarating. Reading also might calm our souls and make us feel better. The opposite is true as well. Good reading and writing might stir us to action, give us a fresh perspective, and press us into the future.

True, sometimes the stories might not end the way we might want them to, but such gives one perspective. In this way, books imitate life. Being able to learn and adjust to conditions  to strike out in a new way  is often hard but incredibly meaningful.

When I think about books, I think about two very different men who shared their love of books and ideas. Thomas Jefferson read profusely, even inventing a book turner for his study so he could read multiple books at about the same time. It was said that one could find Jefferson reading while surrounded by books detailing all kinds of subjects. Jeffersons contemporary, John Adams, loved to argue with the authors of the books he read by writing notes in the margins of books while reading. Jefferson thought the practice absurd.

Yet, both men interacted with their books in a way which helped them grow intellectually. Books are worth interacting with. Adams is even rumored to have said, You will never be alone with a poet in your pocket.

Sen. Robert Kennedy was rumored to keep a book of Greek tragedies near him after the death of his brother. Books helped the man grieve. I bet many of us can develop a timeline from the books that influenced us during particular times in our lives.

Books can provide a great balm and teach us much, but they also can be dangerous. Historians still think about why one of the greatest countries in the world participated in book burnings before World War II. The Germans were great authors, but the Nazi Party burned those books.

There are movements in our current culture to ban certain books from libraries and schools. This is nothing new. The American Library Associations Office of Intellectual Freedom has compiled a list of 100 titles which constitute the most banned and challenged books over the last decade. To Kill A Mockingbird still makes the list. The Holy Bible, too. Steinbeck is there along with Captain Underpants.

As parents and school boards continue to argue, no doubt they also will be discussing books.

Im not a fan of banning books. A free discussion of ideas remains important, even if we are offended by certain things.

We owe it to ourselves to be offended once in a while.

Brent Tomberlin is a social studies instructor at South Caldwell High School and Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Email him at coachtomberlin@gmail.com .
The careless disregard for national sovereignty and human life by Vladimir Putin does not surprise me.

The former Soviet KGB officer would love to restore the Iron Curtain. He does not support democratic freedom and is continuing the Soviet-Communist penchant for repression and violence.

I thought about saying Putin makes Nikita Khrushchev look good, but thats not true. Khrushchev ordered the devastating put down of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. At first, Khrushchev wanted a diplomatic solution in Hungary, but when the revolutionary leadership insisted on personal freedoms and a parliamentary government, he sent in the tanks.

We saw what happened on TV. The Iron Curtain, a monument to the Warsaw Pact that forced free states under Soviet domination into a mutual defense organization, was saved from liberty.

The Soviet Union undertook a de-Stalinization program after Josef Stalin died in 1953 to present a better portrait of the USSR to the world and the countries under its heel. Stalin, feared and reviled in his own country, killed more Russians with his brutal domestic purges than Adolf Hitler did in World War II.

Putin is doing what comes naturally to Soviet despots. Soviet leaders served at the pleasure of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, but they were given the power of czars as long as they did not embarrass the committee as Khrushchev did with Cuba.

The Prague Spring occurred in 1968 when the Czech government attempted to advance some liberties. For a short time, there was even freedom of the press. That was no more successful than the Hungarian Revolution.

The Soviet Politburo  the USSRs sham parliament that never opposed the Central Committee  unanimously passed a resolution to provide help to the Communist Party and people of Czechoslovakia through military force. Well, now that righteous, violent retribution against the Czech government is official, here come the tanks.

Leonid Brezhnev announced that the intervention would include the fraternal support of Bulgaria, East Germany, Poland and, yes, Hungary.

Whereas the United States sent aid to Hungary, it ignored the Czech revolution. We were too busy confronting communism in Vietnam.

Hungary and Czechoslovakia exemplify how the Soviet Union operated, and that spirit lives on in Vladimir Putin, blessed by the Russian hierarchy. Hes as ruthless as Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev and the czarism the communist revolution was supposed to supplant.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, democracy flourished in most eastern European nations. There are despotic democracies, though. Belarus is one.

Putin is feeding the Russian people outright lies about Ukraine and responding to Russian war protesters with the customary brutality of his Soviet heroes. Thats what happens when free speech collides with government policy and power is concentrated in one office.

There are too many people who have too much to gain to eradicate outright lies. Thats a universal affliction, but in countries like Russia, you really can disappear or die for speaking out.

The bottom line is that Putin and other USSR leftovers miss the old empire. They want it back regardless of the means or cost.

Russia, at the time of this writing, has reportedly offered peace terms to Ukraine. The terms seem like that same ones offered to Eastern Bloc nations with the Warsaw Pact. We saw how that turned out.

History is what it is and cannot be rewritten. There have been many nations that chose violence over peace. But this is not about those other nations. This is about Putins place.

Russia is filled with graves of good people who despised violence and wanted to live in peace  killed by their own rulers for the public good, internal harmony and security.

A professor told me one time that history does not repeat itself. Try to sell that notion to the people of Ukraine.

Reach Larry Clark at wryturlc@yahoo.com
The author and her husband, Duane, own and operate a 550-cow dairy in Cochranville, Pa.

I recently had the opportunity to judge the extemporaneous speaking contest at the Pennsylvania Junior Holstein Club annual convention. When I received the invitation, I almost declined as my schedule tends to fill up this time of year, but this particular opportunity tugged at my soul.

Junior Holstein Club (JHC) events are deeply embedded in my past  not as a participant but as an adult. At one point, our county had nearly 25 enthusiastic members attending JHC activities. Myself and a handful of other parents were the club leaders that joined them for the activities.

There are a wide variety of youth represented at these events. Some come from farms; some are friends, neighbors, or relatives of farmers; and some of the juniors just want to be involved in a fun program.

The cream-of-the-crop event for us is the Junior Holstein Club Convention. This event gathers juniors from across Pennsylvania for a weekend of contests, banquets, awards, and a ton of fun. The energy is infectious, and the skills learned are life changing.

The first year we took a team to the Dairy Bowl contest will forever be a great memory. Our juniors were at the younger end of the age bracket. I distinctly remember our first match was against a group of young men who were at the older end of the age bracket, making this a seemingly uneven match.

Our young participants did not recognize what they were up against, and for a while, neither did the opposing team, as our novice gang was beating them to the buzzer and putting points on the board. After several questions, they took a time out, regrouped, and put us back into the position I would expect.



If I remember correctly, the young men went on to win the division, and we went home knowing we had more to study. Without a doubt, the fun outscored the exhaustion and the loss by a long shot.

I always encouraged our youth to take part in the extemporaneous speech contest as it is a strong test of skill. The contest is impromptu, takes a ton of courage, and develops your craft for public speaking.

There are three divisions  junior, intermediate, and senior  and they pick three topics from a hat. The contestant can decide which one to present, and they have 30 minutes to do research and prepare. The time of the presentation varies by division, and accuracy matters on the scorecard. The session ends with a few questions that dive deeper into the topic, giving the judges a snapshot of understanding.

This years questions varied, and the topics were more controversial as we got into the senior division. We heard several presentations on how to handle unethical behavior in the showring, dairy exports and the global market, how to explain the difference between real milk and plant-based to consumers, technology in the dairy industry, the impact of sexed semen and genomics, and mentors in our lives.



The topic selection was relevant to our dairy industry, and I have to be honest, there were times that I was so engaged in listening to the speech that I was not taking notes or jotting down questions. One particular young man gave a very heartfelt presentation about his grandfather and how much he has learned and is learning from both him and his father. The speech was full of respect, examples of strong character, and a deep passion for farming. This young man had us fully engaged in his talk.

Another junior member that stood out to me was a young lady who tackled the invaluable topic of farm safety. She spoke from personal experience as their farm holds a farm safety day every year to help youth work more safely and carefully around animals and equipment.

The tough part about judging the contest is that I wanted all of the juniors to win; however, that does not teach them about real life. One of the strong values in this event is knowing that these young people are developing skills that will help them later in life. They are awarded for their hard work, and they are also challenged to improve themselves, strengthen their speaking skills, and be strategic in organizing their thoughts and talking points.



I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that I was judging with my dear friend, Diane. The surprise of spending a day beside her was an added bonus to an already stimulating day. I first got to know Diane at Holstein conventions, and it has been a friendship that deepens over time.

No matter how you fit into the dairy industry, if you want to be inspired and see hope in the future, I would encourage you to take time to participate in your respective junior breed program. You will be enlightened.

I was the true winner that day. I appreciated the opportunity to interact with an outstanding selection of juniors in the dairy industry, learn from their young, influential experiences, and be inspired by this generation of future leaders.


To mark International Womens Day 2022, Information Age is publishing a special series, Women in IT Leadership. We speak with 15 women in various tech roles across Australia about how they got their start in the IT industry, their approach to leadership, and how to encourage more females into technology careers.

This week, we speak with Kate Gubbins, CEO and founder of Simpology.

#iwd2022 #breakthebias

***

Kate Gubbins was fortunate to have business role models around her when inspiration hit.

I've been lucky that even in my own family, I have good role models in regard to business development and business ownership.

As CEO and founder of Simpology, Kate knows that seeing how its done played a part in her decision to strike out on her own.

I'm sure it has played a big role in feeling that I can step forward. I do have a lot of people I've worked with in the industry as well, who absolutely have shown me good ways to manage business and people, she notes.

Kate spotted a gap in the mortgage space and went on to create something new  that led her into technology.

I wanted to build something that would digitise all of the knowledge and capability around different lenders requirements for mortgage brokers.

As a young woman, shed never considered a career in technology. I absolutely didn't. Perhaps those opportunities weren't made apparent to me or my interest wasnt there, she says. As a younger me, I didn't have the compelling interest in using technology to solve things, perhaps, and so I didn't go down that road.

Now shes fully immersed in technology and is in awe of its many applications.

It's fascinating and a joy to see a solution be created for a real-world problem, to see that come to life. It's also enjoyable from the point of view of our customers when you can see you're helping them and creating efficiencies and solutions and making their lives easier.

It's exciting and we get a kick out of helping people. That is definitely what I enjoy most about being involved in technology.

Endless possibilities

For Kate, one of the things about technology is the prospect of endless possibilities.

That's actually one of the really exciting things about technology in that more and more is becoming possible all the time, she declares.

Definitely with APIs and the way that systems can talk to each other and the benefits that come from that. There's so much that we can achieve now in being able to hook into other systems that have source of truth data, or services that can make your own system better.

And it doesnt always mean you have to be a coder or a technical expert from the outset.

You don't have to be the best at everything. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, you can instead link to services already doing things, thats their strength, and there are professional service providers for any particular element.

A model of leadership

Kates role is managing high-level stakeholders to understand what's important to the business and to its customers.

Managing priorities well and communicating what the grand vision of the business is and why we're going down new roads is important, as is keeping everyone on the same page in our organisation, having focus, supporting all of our team in regard to the tools, education and equipment they need in order to do the best job that they possibly can."

In her own life, Kate is creating another model of leadership, both to other women and closer to home in her own family.

With my daughters, I hope they will give themselves all of the schooling that will give them an opportunity to get into tech if they want to at a more grass roots level than I came into it at, she notes.

Her advice to women is to keep an open mind. And delve into it a bit deeper because tech is a fabulous industry. As more technology becomes available, there are more ways to do things on a daily basis. But that's actually one of the really exciting things about technology  that more and more is becoming possible all the time.

Time with the family and at the beach are always high on the agenda too. Spending time outdoors on the weekends is a must, as is attending to the kids sporting events.

Down time is best spent reading, says Kate. I love reading. I've always got my nose in the book.
'Putin set for cancer surgery, will hand over temporary power to ex-KGB chief'

Moscow, May 1 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin may be forced to give up control of the war in Ukraine for days as he is set for cancer surgery, and will reportedly nominate hardline former FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev to take temporary control of the invasion while he is under the knife, a Kremlin insider has claimed.
CONCORD  The Chamber, Leading Business in Cabarrus hosted its sold-out annual meeting March 4 at Great Wolf Lodge with over 300 members and guests attending.

The meeting recognized 2021 Chamber Chair Dana Ritchie, vice president, Pinnacle Financial Partners, for her service, and she recapped The Chambers accomplishments. She passed the gavel to 2022 Chamber Chair Chad Tarlton, vice president, Uwharrie Bank.

In 2022, The Chamber welcomed 80 new members, held 26 ribbon-cuttings, hosted 30 events and graduated 36 Leadership Cabarrus alumni. Additionally, through its public policy work, it led a coalition of 40 chambers in North Carolina to advocate for the deductibility of expenses paid for with Paycheck Protection Program loans at the state level, resulting in substantial state tax savings that passed in this years budget. The Chamber also led that coalition to advocate for additional federal stimulus to aid businesses dealing with lingering pandemic impacts, and the U.S. Congress passed it. It supported energy legislation that became law to control carbon emissions, modernize the grid and keep energy prices as affordable as ever.

The Chambers new strategic plan centers on workforce development, diversity and inclusion and member engagement.

As I know all businesses did following impacts from the pandemic, The Chamber needed to assess where we were as an organization, where we wanted to go, and the best path forward, said Barbi Jones, executive director, The Chamber. We knew going through COVID, our primary driver was to provide information and resources to keep businesses open and employees safe. We worked closely with our great partners at Cabarrus Health Alliance and Atrium Health to ensure businesses knew what was going on and where to go to get the resources they needed.

The Chamber began an arduous strategic planning process in June 2021 that was completed and approved by its board of directors in December. Its new mission statement is To connect, convene and champion a thriving business community in Cabarrus County. The new vision statement is A Chamber that catalyzes a growing, diverse business community to create economic opportunity for all.

Goal pillars are:

Drive policy change and community investment in workforce development.

Grow our membership to better reflect the breadth and diversity of Cabarrus County.

Increase member connection and engagement.

Strengthen our organizational and financial capacity.

We gained great insight into the needs of our members and community through the stakeholder research that informed our strategic plan, said Charlton. We have countless current and future opportunities with the development at The Grounds at Concord and growth within our own existing industries. Our strategic plan addresses the pain points that our members see in their businesses of all sizes, as well as helping to ensure that this rising tide lifts all ships.

As a first step to help address workforce challenges, The Chamber began a Workforce Development Committee earlier this month that represents 45 businesses of all sizes and industries with the goal of convening partners to help address short-term and long-term workforce opportunities. The committees first initiative is to help educate and support FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completion by high school students to help them recognize the financial resources available to them to complete postsecondary education.

Last year, over $7 million was left on the table for federal financial aid, said Jones. We need our families to understand that in addition to traditional four-year college programs, there are many other options from certifications, credentials, and short-term learning programs that can be paid for through this federal aid and state money. These studies can greatly impact the career trajectory and long-term earnings of students, and there are people who can help them complete these applications.

The annual meeting also serves as a time for The Chamber to honor five businesses and individuals in various categories. This years winners are:

Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by F&M Bank: CK Select Realty

Nonprofit of the Year Award, sponsored by Uwharrie Bank: Present Age Ministries

New Business of the Year, sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners: Tastebuds Popcorn of Concord

Community Impact Award, sponsored by Atrium Health: Market Street Studios

Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award: Dr. Allen Dobson

To make the day even more special for the award recipients, Congressman Richard Hudson presented each of them with printed and framed copies of his Extension of Remarks that he had made earlier in the week on the House of Representatives floor. Those remarks were entered into the official Congressional Record and kept in the Archives forever.
By Azernews





By News Center

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts  Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy  to Turkey for peace talks, Yeni Shafak has reported.

Erdogan made the remarks while speaking to the AK Party's Central Executive Board (MYK).

Erdogan stated that he had invited both leaders to Turkey for the tripartite leaders' summit.

"We want to meet with Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy in Ankara or Istanbul. We are not a political party; we support peace," he said.

The most important agenda item on President Erdogan's AK Party Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting was the Ukraine-Russia conflict and a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking about the backstage of the tripartite summit to be held in Turkeys Antalya region, Erdogan noted that Ukraine first agreed to attend the summit but then canceled it.

Later we intervened and both sides agreed to sit at the table in Antalya. We do not know what decision will come out of the table, but the point reached is very important, Erdogan underlined.

Describing his phone conversation with Putin, which lasted for about an hour, Erdogan said: "We had a long, good conversation with Mr. Putin. I explained our theses and thoughts, as well as the correct and incorrect points. I stated that we do not support the occupation, but we are also opposed to sanctions. I stated that we support peace and that a cease-fire should be established."

Turkey's diplomatic efforts yielded results. Russia and Ukraine agreed to meet in Antalya. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba are visiting Turkey on March 10 to negotiate a ceasefire and peace. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will also participate in the historic meeting as a "mediator."

On March 7, at the Turkish Foreign Ministrys Coordination Center, where the evacuations from Ukraine were carried out, Cavusoglu stated that after the efforts, the parties agreed to meet within the scope of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Our President brought this issue to the agenda in a phone call with Putin... Subsequently, Lavrov said that he was ready to join this meeting. Likewise, Dmytro Kuleba informed us that he would attend the meeting. Both ministers especially wanted me to take part in this meeting in Antalya and to do it as a trio. Therefore, we will hold this meeting in a tripartite format. We hope that this meeting will be a turning point in particular. And we want this meeting to be an important step towards peace and stability, Cavusoglu said.

Antalya will also host the International Mediation Conference on the same day. The meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers within the scope of the Antalya Diplomacy Form (ADF) under the mediation of Turkey stands out as an effort that prioritizes diplomacy in easing conflicts. Lavrov and Kuleba are expected to attend the ADF to be held on March 11-13 after the meeting.
LUMBERTON  Nine American Indian tribes have sent a letter to the U.S. Senate opposing a bill that would grant federal recognition to the Lumbee.

North Carolinas largest tribe, with more than 50,000 members centered in Robeson County, the Lumbee have sought recognition for decades  a status enjoyed only by the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina.

In a hearing last fall, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr counted 29 bills for recognition filed in the past 33 years  15 by Democrats and 14 by Republicans.

The Cherokee have long stood in the Lumbees path, partly because of fears federal dollars granted to recognized tribes would shrink.

But the letter, sent late last week, shows the opposition runs deeper than North Carolina or just along money lines.

Along with Cherokee Principal Chief Richard Sneed, the letter is signed by leaders from eight other tribes from across the country.

They argue that the U.S. Department of Interior, not Congress, should decide on tribal recognition, guaranteeing that such decisions are based on connection to historic tribes and not just politics.

Oftentimes, the letter said, groups seeking federal acknowledgment claim tribal identities that do not belong to them. Even more often, the people claiming to be descendants of known historic tribes cannot demonstrate tribal ancestry, or any Native ancestry at all.

The Lumbees chances are considered closer this year with the bill having passed the House and gotten support from both their home senators, who are Republican. Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden also backed the Lumbee fight during the presidential election.

The Lumbees history has complicated their fight for recognition. The tribe did not exist before Europeans arrived in North Carolina, when a variety of Indians clustered together in the swamps around Robeson County, fleeing war and disease.

They mingled with tribes who had already hunkered down there, combining several languages. Unlike other tribes, many Lumbee adopted Christianity they had learned from White settlers.

Two years ago, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Eastern Band of Cherokee argued in a letter to Congress that the Lumbee have never been able to demonstrate any historical or genealogical tie to any historic tribe.

In a letter to Congress last year, the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas asked how the Lumbee could have 55,000 members and avoid detection from federal authorities when they were rounding up tribes from the Southeast and forcing them along trails of removal.

The Lumbee should get a fair chance at federal acknowledgment as a tribe through the (Department of Interior) process, the letter read. The (department) has the genealogists, historians, anthropologists and other experts who can properly evaluate whether a group is an historical tribe or confederation of historical tribes comprised of persons of descent from the historic tribe or tribes.

James Locklear, editor and publisher of Native Visions Magazine in Pembroke, said the other tribes opposition, while disappointing, will not sink the bill.

This bill has a lot of momentum now and its been a long time coming, he said. Our people have always been native. Our people have been here from the beginning. There have been people in Robeson County and the surrounding county for 10,000 years.
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows registered to vote in 2020 using the address of a North Carolina mobile home where he has never lived, a move scrutinized as potential voter fraud.

According to The New Yorker, Meadows filed his voter registration in September 2020  three weeks before North Carolinas deadline for the general election  listing his residential address as a mobile home in the Macon County community of Scaly Mountain.

Neither the home nor the address have belonged to him, according to the magazine.

It is unclear if Meadows has spent even one night at that address. The small mobile home belongs to a Lowes retail manager, who bought it last summer from a widow living in Florida. The woman, whom The New Yorker did not identify by name, told the magazine that she had no idea Meadows had listed the home as his address in his voter registration form.

Ben Williamson, a spokesman for Meadows, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Meadows, who served as a congressman for North Carolinas 11th District from 2013 to 2020, sold his official residence in Sapphire shortly before becoming President Donald Trumps chief of staff in March 2020.

After the election, Meadows pushed Trumps false claims that widespread voter fraud cost him the election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Meadows did not purchase a new home in North Carolina after that, nor did he register as a voter for the general election until Sept. 19, 2020  when he filed his registration using the address of the mobile home, The New Yorker reported. In his form, he wrote that he would move into the mobile home the next day.

But Meadows did not come. Hes never spent a night in there, the former owner told The New Yorker.

It is illegal to provide false information on a voter registration and, while Americans can have multiple residences, they can only have one official domicile, which is tied to their voter registration. To register to vote in North Carolina, a citizen must have lived in the county where they are registering and have resided there for at least 30 days before the date of the election, according to the state.

Steven Greene, a professor of political science at N.C. State, said that, after reading The New Yorkers reporting, he found it honestly hard to see how this is not a clear violation of federal law.

There is, however, no real system to check a residents credentials when they sign up to vote. Melanie D. Thibault, the director of Macon Countys Board of Elections, told The New Yorker that, while she was dumbfounded by Meadowss registration and address, she said he registered by mail and was sent a voter-registration card to a post office box that Meadows had listed as his mailing address.

If that card makes it to the voter and its not sent back undeliverable, then the voter goes onto the system as a good voter, she told The New Yorker.

At the time Meadows was filling out his voter form, he was also pressuring FBI Director Christopher Wray to pursue voter fraud. On Sept. 25, 2020  just six days after sending in his North Carolina registration form  Meadows criticized Wray after Wray told a congressional panel that he had seen no evidence of widespread voter fraud as early voting was underway in some states.

After the election, Meadows continued pushing the false narrative of widespread voter fraud.
Ukrainian passports say "Ukraine" with no "the." On the Polish border, March 5, 2022. Enrico Mattia Del Punta/NurPhoto via Getty Images

For most of the 20th century, English speakers referred to the Ukraine, following Soviet practice. Thats not the case now. Ukraines official name in English does not include the, and for good reason.

So let me try. Im a linguistic anthropologist and an expert on language politics in Russia. Im also bilingual in Russian and English, so I understand the subtleties of the distinction.

What is at stake? Nothing less than the political sovereignty of Ukraine. Yet in their coverage of the current crisis, some journalists and commentators still refer to events unfolding in the Ukraine.

It might seem innocent, but its not.

Its Russian and English too

Both the Russian and English languages make subtle distinctions between territories that are politically delimited and territories that are not. In Russian, people refer to events happening na Ukraine or v Ukraine. Russian language teachers usually explain the difference between na and v as the respective difference between on and in. One places the ketchup na the table and puts it away v the refrigerator.

Things get a little more complicated when describing larger spaces. In Russian, a person is na an unbounded territory, such as a hill, but v a bounded territory that is defined politically or institutionally, such as a nation-state. This distinction between unbounded and bounded territories holds even when English speakers would universally use in. So a person is na the Caucasus (in the Caucasus) but v Germany (in Germany).

English makes this distinction not with different prepositions but with the definite article the. English speakers use in before the name of a politically defined unit such as a nation or a state, and in the for a territory that is not politically defined. Hence, Last week I was in Kentucky, or, Last week I was in the Bluegrass region.

Last week I was in Ohio is fine, but if I turn to a friend and say, Last week I was in the Ohio, she might reasonably think I was in the waters of the Ohio River, on a cold swim.

There are exceptions, but these are the general principles that bind speakers of Russian and English.

The distinction is critically important for the sovereignty of the Ukrainian nation-state, suggesting as it does that Ukraine is either a bounded nation-state  like Germany  or a region of Russia with amorphous borders  like the Caucasus. This is why, in 1993, Ukraines government asked Russias government to abandon the Soviet-era practice of referring to Ukraine as na Ukraine and use only v Ukraine. The na construction is, however, still widely used in Russia.

To a Ukrainian worried about the nation-states territorial integrity, that little word the might suggest that the speaker does not much care whether Ukraine is an independent state. Like it or not, and intentionally or not, the language a person uses reflects their political positions, including their position on Ukraines territorial sovereignty.

Even Putins translators see the benefit of sticking with the official English-language name of Ukraine. Perhaps they hope it will make the content more palatable to a Western Anglophone audience. But make no mistake: Putin is arguing that Ukraines sovereignty is a historical fiction, and he is underscoring his point by referring to events happening na, not v, Ukraine. English speakers dont have to follow him by saying the.

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Kathryn E. Graber has previously received funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, and the Social Science Research Council for field research in the Russian Federation.

Youre smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversations authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.

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They drove 64 miles in a circle.

Thats the length of the Capital Beltway, the ribbon of asphalt that loops around Washington, D.C. For more than four hours on Sunday, the so-called Peoples Convoy, estimated at about a thousand trucks, RVs and cars, drove that circle in protest.

In protest of what? Well, take your pick. Many drivers  nearly all white, nearly all men  flew flags supporting Donald Trump or opposing Joe Biden. Some displayed Confederate battle flags and placards against vaccine and mask mandates, even though those mandates have largely been lifted. One lady told The Good Liars, an online comedy platform, that shes protesting because she doesnt want them to digitile us, a word that does not appear in Merriam-Websters dictionary. The drivers uniformly claim to be fighting against tyranny.

Meantime, another convoy of trucks rumbles out of Berlin, bound for Ukraine. It carries donated toilet paper, batteries, medicine, pet food, baby food and other necessities of everyday life impossible to find in Ukraine since Russia began mauling that country almost two weeks ago. Somebody has to do this, Vadim Pashkiuskiy, a 29-year-old Ukrainian driver, told The Washington Post. My war is to deliver goods. It may be dangerous, but its my responsibility to my country. Im not hiding. Im doing whatever I can to help.

The contrast between the convoys is painful. And telling.

In the almost 15 years since Barack Obamas election panicked a certain subset of Americans, many of us have become inured to their performative displays of supposed patriotism. Weve seen them don tricorner hats and wave Dont tread on me signs, storm the Michigan statehouse, carry long guns to make a Starbucks run, and, yes, ransack the U.S. Capitol. Now theres this.

Such behavior has always seemed absurd, delusional and pathetic. But never so much as it does now, as Ukraine fights for its life.

Towns and lives reduced to rubble. Walls sheared off buildings, bedrooms and kitchens left open to the sky. Streets littered with chunks of masonry and blackened husks of cars. Parents weeping over their toddlers corpse. And yet, defiance reigns. A man hops atop a Russian military vehicle waving a Ukrainian flag. An unarmed crowd advances on armed Russian troops, forcing them back. In a bomb shelter, a little girl sings in Ukrainian that favorite anthem of little girls, Let It Go from Disneys Frozen, and her thin, sweet, childs voice brings a world watching via social media to tears.

But were supposed to think refusal to wear a mask in a pandemic is fighting for freedom?

If these people had even a molecule of decency, theyd be ashamed. But they dont, so they wont.

For those of us who do, Ukraine is a reminder that resisting tyranny is not a performance, not something you cosplay. That reminder is vital, given that American democracy is fast eroding  not because of medical mandates, mind you, but because of attacks on the right to vote, protest and speak freely. Against that troubling confluence of threats, the truckers who descended on D.C. provide vivid illustration that even at this dangerous extremity, the American capacity for blithe idiocy remains intact.

One would happily trade the thousand drivers of the Peoples Convoy for one Vadim Pashkiuskiy. In the name of freedom, hes driving his truck into a war zone.

Meanwhile, theyre driving theirs in circles.

Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for the Miami Herald, 3511 NW 91st Ave., Miami, FL 33172. Readers can contact him via email at lpitts@miamiherald.com.
Losses among civilians since February 24, 2022, when Russia started the war against Ukraine, until 00:00 on March 8, 2022, amounted to 1,424 civilians (some 1,335in the report a day earlier), including 516 killed (474), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

"OHCHR believes that the real figures are considerably higher, especially in Government-controlled territory and especially in recent days, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration," the office said in the document.

According to him, this applies, for example, to Volnovakha, Mariupol, Izyum, where hundreds of civilians were reportedly killed or wounded. They are subject to further verification and are not included in the above statistics.

"Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes," the OHCHR said in the statement.

According to confirmed UN data, some 98 men, some 60 women, nine boys and five girls killed, while the gender of 23 children and 321 adults has not yet been determined.

Among the 908 wounded, some 12 girls and four boys, as well as 34 children, whose gender has not yet been determined.

Compared with the previous day, according to the UN, the number of dead children increased by ten, wounded by six.

OHCHR says that in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as of midnight on March 9, there were 87 (72) killed and some 349 (337) injured in government-controlled territory, and 24 (24) killed and 113 (112) injured in territory controlled by self-proclaimed "republics."

In other regions of Ukraine under government control (Kyiv, as well as in Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions), the UN recorded 405 (378) dead and 446 (412) wounded.

According to the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation, as of 00:00 on March 8, some 41 children killed and 76 were wounded in government-controlled territory.

In addition, OHCHR said the report of the National Police of Kharkiv region, according to which, as of 18:00 on March 8, some 170 civilians were killed in the region, including five children, and 368 people were wounded.

The increase in figures in this report compared to the figures in the previous report should not be attributed only to new cases that occurred on March 8, since OHCHR also verified a number of cases that occurred in previous days during the day, according to the document.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has discussed countering Russian aggression with the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and Croatia, as well as the Chancellor of Austria, on Wednesday.

"During a conversation with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, he thanked for comprehensive support. Today, increasing pressure on Russia is of decisive importance  stopping shelling and attacks on peaceful Ukrainians. We also count on the support of Ukraine's EU membership," Shmyhal wrote on Twitter.

He also said that he had spoken with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and thanked for the support of Ukraine's integration into the EU and humanitarian assistance.

In addition, the parties discussed ways to counter Russian aggression and protect people.

"Croatia supports Ukraine on its way to the EU. Once again, I was convinced of this during a conversation with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. We discussed tougher sanctions against Russia. I thanked the Ukrainians for their support," the prime minister wrote on the social network.
Six civilians killed, 12 wounded by Russian bombs in Zhytomyr region over last 24 hours  National Police

Six people were killed and 12 injured in airstrikes in Zhytomyr region in the past 24 hours, Ukraine's National Police has said.

"During the day on March 9, air raid signals were almost continuously heard in the region. As a result of air attacks, up to a dozen settlements of the region suffered losses, including human ones. The police are documenting the circumstances of the war crimes of the Russian aggressor," the National Police said in a statement.

In Zhytomyr after 19:00, a rocket hit a private house and it was destroyed, a gas station located nearby, a heating station and the main heating pipe network were damaged. Windows were broken in two city hospitals. Two Zhytomyr residents have been injured, according to the report.

After midnight, already on March 10, a rocket hit the road in the village of Stara Kotelnia of the Volytsia amalgamated territorial community, causing the death of five people, wounding six more.

After 23:00 on March 9, it became known about the shelling of the crew of the patrol police response group of the Korosten District Police Department by unknown persons. Two law enforcement officers received gunshot wounds and were taken to medical facilities.

In addition, two more citizens were wounded in Korosten during a rocket attack and taken to medical institutions.

Police received a message about the death of a man in Novopil, Olevsk amalgamated territorial community.

"According to the available information, a number of other settlements of the region were also shelled, including the village of Bystri and others. So far, there have been no reports of casualties. At the same time, destruction of residential buildings of local residents was reported," the National Police said.
Humanitarian aid arrive in Kharkiv region from other regions of Ukraine, Switzerland, Poland  Syniehubov

Kharkiv Regional Logistics Headquarters continues to collect and distribute humanitarian aid, Head of the regional military-civilian administration Oleh Syniehubov said.

"Six trucks, 12 wagons were unloaded yesterday. The cargo came from Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Kremenchuk and Lviv. Foreign partners are Switzerland, and Poland. We are waiting for aid from Greece. These are food products, including children's ones, clothes, and medicines," Syniehubov wrote on his Telegram channel.

According to him, part of the cargo is taken by territorial communities. The collected humanitarian aid is sent to the points of Nova Poshta, as well as to the branches of Ukrposhta.

"This will greatly facilitate the receipt of the most necessary aid," Syniehubov said.
SPRINGFIELD  Following the indictment of former House Speaker Michael Madigan last week, the 19 House Democrats who stood firm last year to deny the longest-serving state House speaker in American history another term took a victory lap of sorts.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, deemed it a watershed moment that validated the stand that the bloc  mostly lakefront liberal and suburban members  had taken.

The possibility that this day was coming and would distract us from our work on behalf of the people we serve was top of mind for many of us as we took this position, even as we faced intense pressure to maintain the status quo, Cassidy said.

The pressure was immense. Madigan, until the end, maintained heavy support from key Democratic constituencies, such as organized labor. And he had sustained significant support among House Democrats, especially with members of the Black and Latinx caucuses and white moderates.

So much so, 51 House Democrats supported Madigan on the first ballot in 2021, well below the 60 needed to win a record 19th term as speaker but still nearly 70% of the caucus.

This just months after Madigans right-hand man Mike McClain and three others with ties to utility giant Commonwealth Edison were charged in a bribery scheme that alleged that the utility awarded jobs and contracts to associates of a top state official  identified as Madigan  with intent to influence and reward the official.

This was enough for enough Democrats to say enough of Madigan, who pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal racketeering and bribery charges.

But the support of Madigan until the very end among most House Democrats invites an inquiry as to how the speaker maintained an iron grip on his chamber for as long as he did and what the implications might be for the party at the polls in November.

According to Illinois political operatives and experts, Madigans hold on his caucus was the result of his near-unilateral control over the legislative process and a dominant political organization with a tried-and-true method for getting Democrats elected across the state.

He was just really, really good at that, said Chris Mooney, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, adding that the most fundamental task of a legislative leader is to gain or maintain a majority.

He raised money like a maniac, he basically took all of the things that the legislators in his caucus had to do to to maintain their reelection  he basically did it for them, Mooney said. He raised the money (and got them) campaign people as needed.

After winning the speakership in 1983, Madigan would only lose it once. In 1994, Republicans won the majority by taking advantage of a national midterm wave and legislative districts they had drawn after winning control of the redistricting process a few years prior.

But just two years later, Madigans House Democrats won six seats in the rapidly-changing south suburbs of Chicago, allowing the man known as The Velvet Hammer to reclaim his gavel. By contrast, the Illinois Senate would remain in Republican hands until 2003.

At the center of this electoral success was a multi-layered political operation that at its most basic level emulated the ward-based politics of Chicagos Democratic political machine, which was led for more than two decades by former Mayor Richard J. Daley, who was Madigans political mentor.

Madigans organization was based out of Chicagos 13th Ward, where he has served as Democratic committeeman for more than 50 years. The 13th Ward has included a roster of professional precinct captains and political operatives over the years that have helped run Democratic campaigns across the state.

If he's provided people that helped you pass petitions and financed your campaign, you've got reason to be grateful and loyal to the speaker, said Kent Redfield, a retired professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield.

There was a name for this effort to get Democrats  especially those in swing districts  elected: The Program.

So the program is essentially knocking on doors, said Alaina Hampton, a Democratic political operative who worked for Madigan for nearly five years. Madigan and the 13th Ward Organization really prioritized knocking on doors, constituent services-type stuff. The program works on the legislative side and the political side.

And essentially, you're building relationships by actually talking to people while knocking on doors, Hampton said. And then maybe you'll send a follow-up letter in the mail. And then they'll see that logo again. It takes approximately seven times for someone to remember their name. So it's like constantly about follow-up. The candidate knocks on the door and then maybe two or three weeks later, a volunteer knocks on the door. And then the next week a mail piece hits the mailbox.

Though much of this could be described as "Campaigning 101," Madigans program stood out for its meticulous and relentless nature. Candidates would often be required to knock on a certain amount of doors in their district every day. And staffers would ultimately report back to Madigan on the candidates progress.

They were meticulous about record-keeping, about setting goals and hitting them, said an Illinois Democratic operative. And that's what Madigan did really well.

A Republican political operative who has run campaigns against Democratic House candidates added that Madigan's operation was organized, it was methodical, it was thoughtful.

And it extended beyond door-knocking. It also meant protecting members from difficult votes in the House, whether that be blocking unfavorable bills from being considered, allowing targeted members to vote against Democratic bills if it went against their district or temporarily replacing them on a committee to avoid a politically tough vote.

In his role as speaker, Madigan held control over what bills were considered in the House. Every bill filed is first assigned to the gatekeeping Rules Committee, whose members were handpicked by Madigan.

Redfield said timing was on Madigans side. Bill Redmond, the previous Democratic speaker who served from 1975 to 1981, had presided over an unruly House where nearly every bill got out of committee and received a floor vote, chaos in terms of organization that Madigan was determined not to repeat.

And though members complained over the years about centralized control, they appreciated the order it brought to the process.

Madigan also became speaker after the implementation of the Cutback Amendment, which reduced the size of the Illinois House from 177 to 118 and eliminated the states unique system of cumulative voting with multi-member House districts. This change is generally believed to have centralized power among the four legislative leaders.

In addition, Madigan centralized control of House staffing in the speakers office, limiting the independence of committee chairs and individual members.

The committee chairman has a staffer that's assigned to him in the committee by the speaker, Redfield said. And so that control over staff limits the ability of committee chairman, but also individual members, to use staff to build their organizations that surround them to empower themselves.

But at a higher level, Madigan maintained control over Democratic members because he controlled one of the most important resources in politics: money.

In addition to his role as state representative, House speaker and 13th Ward committeeman, Madigan from 1998 to 2021 was chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.

Madigan controlled separate campaign committees through these different roles, which allowed him to collect high-dollar donations from key Democratic constituencies like labor unions and trial lawyers and move the money seamlessly to races where it was needed.

On political campaigns outside of the Democratic Party of Illinois, you normally have your candidate ... doing the fundraising themselves, Hampton said. But inside the Democratic Party of Illinois when they're working on these House races, many of these candidates aren't raising their own funds. Madigan was directing funds to their campaigns.

So if those candidates weren't doing what they were supposed to do, they could potentially have their funds for their campaigns cut off and lose that support, she said. And I think money was used as a way to control them.

Many members were content with this arrangement as it meant less work for them. But it made Madigan absolutely vital to their political survival, Mooney said.

Just like a fish that lives in a cave loses their eyes and their skin, a lot of them lost their ability to do these things over the years  to fundraise, to campaign, to figure these things out, because they were just sort of spoon fed, Mooney said.

Since Madigans departure, things have started to change as House Democrats look to rebuild their muscle memory. Several members have started to fundraise on their own.

And all but one Democratic House member seeking reelection has filed their petitions for the 2022 campaign, putting aside concerns by some that the departure of Madigan would lead to structural problems for the party.

State Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, one of the 19 who opposed Madigan last year, said this has been a welcome change for many newer members, who hail from the suburbs and inherently desire more freedom to control their destiny.

You're representing a different demographic who are used to operating in a political system that is different than Chicago and different than suburban Cook, Yingling said. I think it's more of an independent political structure and I think that that lends to suburban members wanting to have greater autonomy so they have more flexibility to be able to to represent the political realities of their districts.

Despite being free from Madigans iron grip, its an open question as to whether voters will punish Democrats at the polls for their longstanding backing of their longtime leader.

When youre explaining youre losing, said the GOP political operative, who predicted that Democrats, especially in the swing suburban and downstate seats, would be hit with ads and mailers pointing out all the money they have taken from Madigan over the years along with any other ties.

However, the Democratic operative dismissed this, pointing out that Republicans have for years tried unsuccessfully to make Madigan a campaign issue for House Democrats largely without success.

I would just be very surprised if high gas prices and some of what is aggravating the country nationally isn't more of a subject matter in the fall, the Democratic operative said.

Redfield said he doubted that the issue would be enough to cause the Democrats to lose their majorities in the legislature or cause problems to statewide elected Democrats like Gov. J.B. Pritzker, but said that it strengthens one of the parts of the narrative being weaved by Republicans about crime and corruption.

It feeds into the narrative, Redfield said. It's not just 'corrupt Madigan and his cronies under indictment,' it's now 'Madigan under indictment.' So this makes it a much more serious political issue.

He said that Pritzker has a solid record for an incumbent to run on in a Democratic state, but he's going to be playing more defense and doing more explaining than he otherwise would have if Madigan had not been indicted.

Hampton, whose allegations of sexual harassment against a Madigan operative in 2018 was viewed as one of the first chinks in the armor of his vaunted political organization, said it has been like night and day in terms of how shes been treated by Democrats since Madigan left.

But even as Democrats try to move on, Madigans shadow will be hard to outrun.

I think it can be a new day in some ways and an old day in other ways, Hampton said.

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By Trend

Visa and MasterCard will suspend their operations in Russia on March 10. All cards of these payment systems issued earlier by Russian banks will continue to be in service on the Russian territory as before but it will not be possible to make payments with their use overseas, Trend reports citing TASS.

Furthermore, cross-border operations will not be available, specifically payments for purchases in foreign online stores. It will not be possible to use Visa and MasterCard cards in Apple Pay and Google Pay services.

Japans payment system JCB also announced plans to suspend its operations in Russia. All JCB cards issued in Russia will not be supported abroad and cards issued in other countries will have no support in Russia. Measures will come into effect from March 14, Japans Nikkei newspaper said earlier.
Less than two weeks into Russia's invasion, 2 million Ukrainians have fled their country. The stunning number includes 1 million children  "a dark historical first," according to a tweet from UNICEF spokesman James Elder  underscoring the severity of the crisis unfolding from Russian President Vladimir Putin's illegal, immoral war.

This number does not include those displaced by the Russian bombardment who remain in Ukraine. In fact, the refugee exodus would be bigger if more Ukrainians were granted safe passage from the indiscriminate attacks. But for the most part, few humanitarian corridors have been safely established, with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine bogged down on many issues, including on some of Russia's suggested routes: east, into Russia itself, or north, into Belarus, Russia's partner in (possible war) crime.

That goes beyond cynical. It's sinister. Refugees could become prisoners or pawns in Putin's homicidal game of geopolitical chess.

"Why would a Ukrainian who has experienced freedom, who lives in a democracy, give that up to live in an autocratic system?" Melinda Haring, the deputy director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, rhetorically asked an editorial writer. "That's not a legitimate offer."

Instead, the only legitimate refugee route is west, to relatively safer cities like Lviv that have not yet faced Russian bombardment, or to neighboring nations that have without reservation or condition accepted Ukrainians in an inspiring display of compassion and comradeship to fellow Europeans.

Poland, in particular, has been exemplary, becoming the top destination for Ukrainian refugees, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Other bordering countries like Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and even the small nation of Moldova have come up big, too. From there, many Ukrainians have and will continue to stream to other European nations, including Germany, which was so generous in its response to refugees fleeing war-torn Mideast nations  unlike some neighboring nations that were far less welcoming than they are being with Ukrainians.

The IOM reports that among the 2 million refugees are more than 103,000 third-country nationals. Disturbing reports persist, however, of refugees of color denied equal treatment by some Ukrainians desperate to get ethnic nationals out. To the degree this unacceptable practice still exists, it should stop immediately.

Overall, however, "The welcome from the European Union, the neighboring European countries, has been unbelievable; there's been an outpouring of generosity," said Haring, who previously edited the Atlantic Council's "UkraineAlert" blog. "I think it represents the best of Europe. This is an opportunity for Europe to stand up and restate that democracy and human dignity matter."

Russia is part of Europe, too. But its tactics are "reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance," said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine's legal team pressing the country's case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

For its part, Russia said nothing. It didn't show up, unwilling to defend its brutality, which is creating not just Europe's fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II, but a humanitarian crisis  soon to be a catastrophe  for civilians still trapped in Ukraine without water, heat, medicine, food and often basic shelter.

The West is showing up, however, in an admirable rediscovery of its shared values. Not just in its welcome to refugees, but in its isolation of Putin's regime. On Tuesday, that strategy evolved to include the U.S. banning Russian oil and other energy imports. That necessary decision will inevitably be felt by consumers. But it's a relatively limited wartime sacrifice in the broader struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. And it's a small sacrifice compared to what Ukrainians are going through.

As impressive as the West's response has been, it can always be better. It was encouraging to hear President Joe Biden say Tuesday, "I've made it clear that the United States will share in the responsibility of caring for the refugees so the costs do not fall entirely on the European countries bordering Ukraine."

That's the kind of solidarity needed to respond to a humanitarian crisis  and to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia's invasion.

Minneapolis StarTribune

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In observance of National Womens Month we bring you the story of Dr. Mary Martin Sloop. She and her husband, Eustace, were medical missionaries in the mountains of North Carolina in the early to mid 20th century. This story first appeared May 28, 2000, in the Journal.

Dr. Mary Martin Sloop never expected to carry out major surgery when she set out as a newlywed with her doctor husband to the mountains of North Carolina.

It was 1908, and they were going to be medical missionaries. Sloop and her husband, Dr. Eustace H. Sloop, whom she always referred to as Doctor, settled in a place named Plumtree, a mining hamlet on the Estatoe River.

She expected hardship and loneliness.

But not surgery. That changed when a young blacksmith, writhing in pain, showed up at the door of the Sloops makeshift medical office.

Hes got somethin awful wrong in his belly, and Ive seen lots of them die with that, the mans father told her. But I blieve you could cut him open and take it out, whatever it is. So I brung him to you. Just open him up.

Sloop knew immediately that her patient had a ruptured appendix.

She described what she did next in her autobiography, Miracle in the Hills, published in 1953. She walked across the river to the general store and got an empty lard can and a 10-cent tin pan, and with the pan and the can she made a sterilizer.

She spent the night sterilizing bandages and instruments, and the next day she helped her husband remove the mans appendix.

So began a life of improvisation, courage and faith. She and her husband moved across the mountain to Crossnore, where they made house-calls on horseback and operated outdoors under an apple tree or by lantern light on kitchen tables.

In her book, she describes how she had to keep the neighbors away from the kitchen table during an operation on a 13-year-old girl.

I thought it was just too trying, too hopeless, to do an abdominal operation in such an infected atmosphere. But I had about gotten them where theyd stand back just a little so that we could get light, when all at once there was an awful squawk. An old hen had come in to see what was happening. . . .

Somebody thought she ought to get out, and so kicked her. She rose in the air with a frightening squawk, and she settled down right on the little girls abdomen and cocked her head to one side and looked down into the wound. And then she flew off.

The girl survived. Mary Sloop went on to become world famous for her work as the reformer of Avery County.

She founded the Crossnore School, which still runs as a school for children from broken homes throughout the state, including in Winston-Salem.

Sloop raised money for the school by selling used clothes, and she campaigned against child marriages and moonshine. In 1951, she was named American Mother of the Year.

Sloop died in 1962 at 88, having lived the life she set out for. We wanted to be missionaries, Doctor and I, and what could be better than to spend our lives helping to bring to these people of the mountains, these fine, high-principled men and women so capable of great things, a more fruitful, happier manner of living?

Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101

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HIGH POINT  High Point University plans to add four new schools to its campus, President Nido Qubein announced on Wednesday.

Those include schools of law, optometry, nursing and entrepreneurship. All will need to seek accreditation to provide graduate-level degrees.

Qubein said he thought the private university could begin serving law students as soon as 2024. He sees a longer timeline for the opening of the other schools, possibly 2026 or 2027.

He said the university has financial support for the law school and will be talking with potential donors about the other projects.

In his announcement Wednesday at High Point University, Qubein also shared that there are plans for $400 million in campus construction, including a new library. He added that the university had recently secured $100 million in donations from three families within the space of a month.

The gifts will support the law school, new library and a facility for the universitys School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health.

Qubein said the schools Board of Trustees had approved earlier Wednesday morning a commitment to spend the $400 million by 2025, adding that not one cent will be borrowed to pay for the projects. While the university has $100 million in debt, its pushing $800 million in net assets and hasnt borrowed any money since 2010, he said.

Qubein pledged that all the companies used by the university for construction will be from the Triad.

The announcements Wednesday came on the heels of other recent milestones for the university, such as this school years record enrollment of 1,550 students and the opening of an arena and conference center in September. The universitys endowment has also tripled in the time since Qubein became president in 2005, according to the university.

We believe that God wants this university to succeed, Qubein told the crowd of students, staff, local officials, community members and media who packed the schools Callicutt Life Skills Theater on Wednesday. We tell everybody that we are a God, family, country school and if that bothers you, we respect that, but this may not be the school for you. The more I say that, the more families just beat a path to this institution.

Qubein even joked that there would be an announcement next week about plans to buy Wake Forest University.

This campus has been able to go to the moon, he said. Forgive me if I am boasting.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Qubein said he expects a law school will expand the universitys brand and serve as a springboard for future initiatives. He said that the law school will focus on preparing graduates for a variety of opportunities, whether thats starting their own practice or entering government service.

The law school would be the second one operating in Guilford County; the other is Elon Law, located in downtown Greensboro.

A founding dean has already been hired for the law school, according to Qubein. He said an official announcement will be made in May.

The university is also searching for a founding dean for the optometry school, which would be the only one in North Carolina.

If launched, the four new additions would bring the university up to 14 academic schools. In 2005, there were three.

Contact Jessie Pounds at 336-373-7002 and follow @JessiePounds on Twitter.
State treasurer Dale Folwell wants Congress to make it easier for states to file lawsuits to seize Russian assets.

Folwells request, submitted Wednesday, would allow state treasurers to go through the U.S. court system to seek approval for seizing select Russian assets and properties.

Folwell said he wants Congress to amend the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) of 1976 to provide direct recourse for the North Carolina pension fund and other institutional investors and state pension funds to hold corrupt regimes and foreign state-owned corporations accountable for losses stemming from their deadly misdeeds.

Securities held by the state Treasury Department that are in Russia represent just 0.07% of the state plans total holdings of $118.2 billion.

The Supplemental Retirement Plan portfolio has about $12 million in exposure, or 0.08% of that plans $15.5 billion in holdings.

Folwells request comes after Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order that directed state government agencies and departments to review all existing contracts and operations and to terminate any agreements or operations that directly benefit Russian entities.

Coopers order urged local governments to adopt similar policies, including divesting from Russian assets, to ensure that public dollars and operations do not benefit Russia and avoiding new contracts with Russian entities.

Folwell also asked that the Republican-controlled General Assembly pass a resolution strongly condemning Russian President Vladimir Putins murderous military invasion of Ukraine.

On Thursday, the state House approved House Bill 981 by a 112-0 vote, a resolution "expressing support for Ukraine as its people fight for freedom, and urging Congress to increase domestic energy production."

We need to punish Putin and his cronies for pension and investment losses, Folwell said. North Carolina taxpayers and those who teach, protect and otherwise serve should not suffer that burden.

The appeal to Congress is likely necessary to navigate through international legal barriers.

While sanctions freeze Russian assets, the power to confiscate them through private lawsuits based on economic harm is not an easy or well-defined process due to international law, bilateral investment treaties and principles of sovereign immunity, according to the state treasurers news release.

There are exceptions in the law with respect to sovereign immunity defenses.

Amending the FSIA to create additional exceptions could allow economically injured parties to file additional court actions. Victims rights against state-sponsored terrorism might be a good model for this initiative.

According to USA Today, more than 200 statewide and 3,000 local pension funds could become (the) next economic tool for sanctions on Russia for its invasion.

State treasurers from blue and red states have taken steps to suspend or divest from Russian assets. According to local media reports, those include in California, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin.

Folwells also wants state legislators to support his initiative to amend the FSIA.

Cooper said his executive order addressing Russia sends a strong message and helps ensure no public dollars or operations from North Carolina will benefit Russia and its unjustified aggression.

The focus of the executive order has been on sales of Russian-produced alcohol beverages through N.C. ABC Commission, and other products and contracts with Russian entities.

Currently available information from the commission suggests three alcohol brands  Hammer & Sickle, Beluga, and Russian Standard  would be subject to this executive order.

Folwell said he believes heightened economic pressure can help bring an end to the atrocities and loss of life.

We stand with the Ukrainian people in their desperate hour of need, and demand that Putin be punished severely for his war crimes.

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The Genocide of Assyrians and Yazidis and the Next American President

St. Barbara Assyrian church in Karemlis, Iraq was bombed by ISIS on Sunday, October 10. (AINA) -- In November Americans will head to the polls to vote for his or her preferred presidential candidate. Meanwhile, the persecuted Assyrian Christians and Yazidis both here and in Iraq will be trembling at the mere thought of another four years of a silent administration allowing a modern day holocaust to continue. This election will determine the fate of the Assyrians, who have lived in Iraq for 6766 years, and for the Yazidis, who have lived in Iraq for 1000 years.

If the next president simply continues the current administration's foreign policy, these stateless people continue to suffer atrocities of ISIS. When will the international community stand with the Assyrians to end the genocide?

Assyrians are the only indigenous people of Iraq. They are the people who originated civilization and most of the things we take for granted now, such as libraries, postal service, paved roads, the wheel, iron, lenses, batteries, plumbing, and dozens of other incredible inventions.

As of now, the world is quietly watching a modern day Assyrian Christian holocaust take place and its victims are asking why is this world doing nothing?

Personally, I have lived under Sharia Law and have watched my people live as second class citizens. I was a child, but I still remember it and it was unbearable. In first grade, I was slapped by my teacher simply because I was an Assyrian Christian, and she demanded that I stop identifying myself as an Assyrian Christian. I refused and ran out of the school, because I knew even at such a young age that she had violated both my ethnic and religious rights. These are the most basic of human rights. Having been raised by parents who are both devout believers in God and our Assyrian nation, I was motivated to make the cry of our most vulnerable heard across the world. I had always known that the situation for the native Assyrians was a ticking bomb. Especially, since the Assyrian Christians were living on lands worth trillions of dollars in oil, gold and uranium.

The Assyrian people are the indigenous people of Iraq. We are the descendants of Assyrians. In 2003, the population of Assyrians in Iraq was 1.5 million. Today, we are less than 300,000. The instability of the region has given a green light to radical Islamic groups to commit genocide against our people because we are the natives of those lands, ethnically, linguistically and religious distinct. Political persecution by both the Iraqi and Kurdish governments have also fueled the current mass exodus.

The threat of AQI (Al-Qaeda in Iraq) was practically eliminated in 2011. Then President Obama took office and his decisions paved the way for ISIS in 2014. ISIS gave the indigenous Assyrians the option to convert, pay the jizya, or die. The jizya was so high, that the real option was to either convert or die. Overnight, in Mosul alone nearly 100,000 Assyrians fled for safety; many were not so lucky and faced the sword of radical Islamists. It should be noted that just two weeks prior to the ISIS invasion Kurdistan's Regional Government had disarmed both the Assyrian Christians and the Yazidis of the Nineveh Plain and Sinjar (AINA 2014-08-14). With no means to defend themselves, over 200,000 Christians fled the Nineveh Plain. Numerous more are still missing and many were executed by ISIS.

We are living through a modern day Assyrian genocide or as some have labeled it -- a Christian holocaust. This is a genocide in which five-year-old boys are being chopped in half by ISIS. When the genocide began at the hands of ISIS, I was determined to expose it. I remember the day in which my relatives from Iraq had called my family in the United States. They asked why isn't anyone stopping these horrible terrorists? Shortly thereafter, our community came together and we decided to descend upon both the White House and Congress in order to protest. And protest we did. We protested until we lost our ability to speak. I remember the tears rolling down my face as I dropped to my knees front of the White House in order to write my first sign. It simply read, "Christian Holocaust." This is where I was determined to speak to the media to expose the genocide on national media for the first time. Numerous national and international media outlets invited me to speak about the story of my people at the hands of ISIS. Fox News was the first national media outlet who took our desperate cries for help and allowed for us expose the detailed atrocities of ISIS. It is hard to comprehend that ISIS still has yet to be destroyed.

This particular genocide began in June of 2014. However, we have suffered another two horrendous genocides just in the last 100 years, the Turkish genocide of 1915-1918, in which 750,000 Assyrians were killed (75%) and the Simmele genocide of 1933, in which 3,000 Assyrians were killed. These two genocides alone nearly wiped out our population. It has not stopped. The latest genocide, which is ongoing, began in June, 2004, when an Assyrian church was bombed.

Despites protests and lobbying, the genocide has not been brought to an end by the international leaders. This mysterious creation known as ISIS have targeted us through strategies of economic, religious, archaeological and ethnic attacks. Why is this being allowed? This is a question that people are asking throughout the world and especially by the victims. Remember when the Jews were being wiped out by the Nazis and so many people claimed that they did not know that there was a holocaust occurring? What is the excuse today? The genocide of both Assyrian Christians and Yazidis has been covered by national and international media outlets.

Yet, ISIS is still roaming free on the streets of Iraq. They continue to behead women and children. They continue to destroy our priceless artifacts. They destroyed the Assyrian artifacts at Mosul's museum. They have destroyed the Tomb of Jonah, the Walls of Nineveh, the city of Nimrod, the churches in Khabour, Mar Elian Monastery, Dura-Europos, Mari, Nimrud, Khorsabad, the Mar Behnam Monastery and hundreds of other churches and religious/historical sites that trace their origins to the beginnings of Christianity and civilization. And that's not all of it. Once again, this modern day Christian holocaust began in 2004 and is yet to be taken seriously by our government. ISIS was initially labeled as a "junior varsity team" by Obama.

It is a horrible fate to become a refugee within one's own homeland. Every invader and non indigenous person are claiming our native lands as their new "Islamic lands" while slowly purging and annihilating us. These are the same people that many nations are supporting by continuing to purchase oil from them and allowing them to expand their caliphate.

The world is populated by more than 1,600 stateless nations. Many of these stateless nations are in one way or another engaged in national movements in order to help preserve their endangered historic identities. Many of these stateless nations have been persecuted and continue to be persecuted at the hands of their host countries.

A perfect example of a stateless nation that has suffered, but that eventually regained its historical homeland, is the Jewish people. They suffered from the lack of a homeland until 1948. It was made possible by them people unifying and setting aside its differences. It was also made possible by the relentless lobbying of the world's superpowers. Both the Assyrian Christians and the Yazidis need to also be helped in a similar fashion.

You may be thinking what can be done? The only solution for the indigenous Assyrians is to establish an internationally protected safe haven in the Nineveh Plains in north Iraq, until stability and security has been restored. Article 125 of the Iraqi constitution explicitly guarantees the administrative, political, cultural, and educational rights of the native Assyrians. The Iraqi constitution also enables us to have our very own province. The Nineveh Plains is the preferred area to implement this solution. Why? Because, the Nineveh Plains is the home to a significant portion of the Assyrian people and it is historically our native homeland.

The United States needs to also support the right people within the region, such as the Assyrians and their security forces. Many of the countries that the U.S. currently believes to be its allies cannot be trusted. But we the Assyrian people in fact can be trusted. We are peace loving and our principles and interests are fully compatible and conducive to the principles and goals of the United States of America. Together, we would forge a long lasting relationship that would not only help shape the future of Iraq for the better, but the entire Middle East as a whole.

Assyrians and Yazidis cannot withstand another genocide as it would extinguish them. A young Assyrian girl from Iraq asked me why have we not stopped ISIS yet and why is God not stopping this from happening? I said, God tests his strongest soldiers and our American brothers and sisters will rescue you soon. I hope the American people understand that true stability can only be achieved with a new strategy and firm leadership. Empowering the wrong people as we continue to do is will only create new Muslim groups. It is time to empower the Assyrian and Yazidis, who simply cannot be infiltrated by Islam.

As many have warned, the prime target for ISIS, at least for now, is the United States of America. Looking at the current 2016 presidential contenders, it appears that Mrs. Hillary Clinton will continue the status quo of blindly supporting countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, who propagate terrorism. Mrs. Clinton, through the Clinton Foundation, has received millions from such nations as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Time is running out. Both Secretary of State John Kerry and the Pope have labeled what ISIS is doing as genocide. What are we waiting for?
By Trend

President of Russia Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have had a telephone conversation, the press service of Russia's Kremlin said, Trend reports citing TASS.

During the phone talk, the sides discussed options for political and diplomatic efforts in the context of the situation in Ukraine.

They also addressed the results of the third round of negotiations between the Russian delegation and representatives of the Kyiv authorities.

Particular attention was paid to the humanitarian aspects of the situation in Ukraine.
DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Lee Enterprises reelected three directors despite attempts by Alden Global Capital, a Wall Street hedge fund, to install its own directors in ongoing attempts to takeover the newspaper publishing company.

Chairman Mary Junck, CEO Kevin Mowbray and director Herbert Moloney were retained with more than 70% of the vote each, with more than 75% of shareholders casting votes.

Mowbray said the final results are expected to be completed in a few days.

"The results represent a resounding rejection of Alden Global Capitals campaign against Lee," the company said in a news release.

The Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha World-Herald and nearly every other newspaper in Nebraska are part of Lee Enterprises, which also published the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Buffalo News and Wisconsin State Journal.

Prior to the meeting, Lee sent an email to shareholders urging them to vote only for the board's proposed nominees and asking them to disregard any promotional materials sent to them by Alden.

Alden, which Lee has called a vulture hedge fund, had urged shareholders to vote against Junck and Moloney after a judge blocked its effort to nominate its own directors, but the rules of the election had made no votes symbolic.

Lee decided to use a plurality standard in the elections, which meant that the directors only had to get one yes vote to hold their seat because they were running unopposed.

Junck said after the meeting that no one from Alden was present at the annual meeting. Alden affiliates currently own about 6.3% of Lee stock.

"Our shareholders supported the candidates for reelection and importantly, the company is focused on driving our digital transformation strategy, delivering strong local journalism as well as providing value to all of our shareholders," Junck said.

Mowbray said the company's Three Pillar Digital Growth Strategy is succeeding, as evidenced by growth in digital-only subscribers.

"We've made really good progress; our digital-only subscriber growth has exceeded the industry exceptionally for the last 12 quarters, beating both Gannett and the New York Times," Mowbray said. "Our digital agency revenue growth is also industry-leading and that revenue is up about 45% to the prior year. We are really excited about our future."

Lee Enterprises rejected Alden's $141 million takeover offer in December because officials said the $24 per share bid grossly undervalued the company. Two other hedge funds that own larger stakes in Lee than Alden have said they believed the company is worth significantly more than Alden offered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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At a time when airports were like deserts, Jack Douglas and his wife, Vince, found themselves flying to Nebraska in the middle of a pandemic.

September 2020 was the first time the couple had ever set foot in the state.

But after several interviews over Zoom, Douglas wanted to see what Assurity  and Lincoln  had to offer. After some convincing from Assuritys then-CEO Tom Henning, Douglas accepted a position as the company's vice president of worksite sales.

I told my dad I was taking my talents to Nebraska, and he was shocked," Douglas recalled this month. Nebraska?

Although Douglas and his wife were recent empty-nesters, it was still difficult to leave their families behind in South Carolina, where they had lived their entire lives and raised two boys.

But what sold them was learning everything Assurity does for the Lincoln community.

One example Douglas pointed to was the company's plan to build an apartment complex that will include some affordable housing near its headquarters at 21st and Q streets, adjacent to Union Plaza.

"As a business we not only have a responsibility to our consumers but also to those around us," he said. "I think it's critical that businesses really provide a reasonable number of resources to the community to uplift it."

Douglas hadnt even been searching for a job when he received a call from an employment recruiting company about the position with Assurity.

He initially asked whether the position could be remote, but as a company that prides itself on being involved in the community, Assurity wanted Douglas and his wife to be a part of it.

When he first arrived in October 2020, there were only 40 colleagues working in person at the Lincoln headquarters built for 300.

Although he wasnt able to immediately meet everyone he was working with, Douglas said he's still managed to form meaningful connections with his colleagues.

"The company motto of 'helping people through difficult times' permeates through everybody," he said. "And not just in our work but with each other as well."

Douglas' latest role comes after nearly 30 years working in marketing and sales.

Shortly after graduating with a degree in actuarial science from The Citadel in South Carolina in 1992, Douglas began working with Colonial Life Insurance as its southeast regional development manager. After 18 years at Colonial, he was the regional director at Allstate for nearly 10 years.

Throughout his decades in sales and marketing, hes learned that cultivating meaningful relationships is just as important as the work itself.

You want to hire great people that push you to learn, Douglas said.

His days at Assurity typically involve lots of meetings, most via Zoom, as the majority of his sales team works remotely.

Although navigating a new role and environment hasnt been easy during a pandemic, Douglas has still gotten to know his new community more and more every day.

"The food here is different than what we're used to back home, so we're trying as many food places here as we can," he said.

He said he and his wife are still working on adjusting to Nebraska winters, too.

Reach the writer at emejia@journalstar.com

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Lincoln Police Officer Cole Jennings didn't hear the gunshots.

He heard glass breaking, then saw the gun.

"It appeared to be pointed at me," Jennings testified Wednesday at Felipe Vazquez's trial for the first-degree murder of Investigator Mario Herrera, the attempted assault of an officer, escape and four gun charges.

He didn't see who was holding it. Just the gun. And the smashed window within feet of the tree Jennings, Herrera and Capt. Danny Reitan had been using for cover outside the home at 3225 Vine St., where Vazquez, who they'd come to arrest, had been holed up on Aug. 26, 2020.

Jennings was watching the front yard. The main door was in back. Vazquez kept telling officers inside he was coming out of the locked door. But he didn't. Instead he burst through the window, crouched down.

Jennings moved to his right around the tree and felt debris spray up on his legs.

"And I start thinking that I was just shot at," he told the jury.

Jennings said he tried to track the person with the firearm.

"At one point I realize that Mario gets hit with a shot and he goes down," he said.

He said he doesn't remember hearing the shots before Herrera fell. Jennings fired four shots from his 9mm Smith & Wesson service weapon at the person with the gun running in the street along Vine Street toward 33rd.

It all happened within seconds, police later finding three .45-caliber casings fired from a stolen gun dumped on a back porch where Vazquez would be arrested soon after.

On Wednesday afternoon in Columbus, where the trial has been moved due to pretrial publicity, jurors heard the gut-wrenching audio captured on a digital recorder in Herrera's pocket.

The quiet suddenly is interrupted by the sharp sound of smashing glass. Then yells.

"Get down on the ground."

Followed soon after by agonizing screams.

"I can't breathe. I can't breathe," Herrera can be heard saying.

A cop calls in "officer down" on the radio.

"Stay with me, stay with me," Jennings tells him.

Herrera said it hurts really bad. "Tell my wife and my kids I love them."

Herrera would die of the injury 12 days later, on Sept. 7.

Lancaster County Sheriff's Sgt. Ryan Schmuecker, who had been near the back door when he heard the glass and shots, came out to see two people running away, one with a gun in his left hand, holding it by the slide.

He chased after, yelling to Officer Wendy Fisher, who was blocking traffic at 34th and Vine, to "shoot him, he just shot a cop."

Fisher didn't fire.

"My backdrop if I would have to shoot was Hartley Elementary," she said.

Schmuecker told her to get in her cruiser and run him down. But they both lost him when he ran between houses.

Police ultimately arrested Vazquez a few blocks away.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger

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The city will award grants totaling $12 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to six businesses or organizations to help train workers for jobs in health care, manufacturing, information technology, youth employment and child care over the next three years.

Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced the grants Thursday. Along with loans to small businesses, the program represents about half of the $46 million the city received from the federal stimulus plan that sent $350 billion to states and local governments to help them address the economic impact of the pandemic.

Ensuring workers have access to rewarding and financially secure careers that enable them to provide for themselves and their families is a top priority, she said. Ensuring businesses and organizations can secure the workforce they need to be successful and grow our local economy is an equally important priority.

Lancaster County received $62 million and city and county officials worked together to decide how to use the money to avoid duplicating recovery efforts.

Contracts on the grants are still being finalized but they include:

* More than $1 million to Bryan Health to train 125 participants a year as certified nurse assistants and phlebotomists.

* Nearly $600,000 to the Center for People in Need to train 40 students a year in the Google Career Certificate Program.

* About $1 million to Community Action, which serves 493 children in its Head Start programs, to provide child development associate credential training to 30 participants a year.

* About $2 million to Lincoln Manufacturing Council to provide classes for two types of manufacturing certification. One certification class will be offered to 225 participants over three years and the second certification class to 200 participants.

* About $2 million to Rabble Mill, a Nebraska-based nonprofit providing alternative youth programming, to create a youth-focused workforce development program at The Bay. The money also will pay for building improvements to support the new program.

* About $4.5 million to Southeast Community College for a new STEM center to provide training in information technology, manufacturing and welding and to develop an innovative approach to rapid retraining of the communitys workforce.

The announcement comes on the one-year anniversary of passage of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Nearly $7 million of that money has gone to support more than 250 small businesses and more than 2,800 employees most disproportionately affected by the pandemic, especially microbusinesses, Gaylor Baird said. Of the grants, which helped pay rent or mortgage costs, 42% were microbusinesses.

County and city stimulus funds also have gone to bolster public health efforts, offered grants to 30 nonprofits and will be used to enhance rural water service, and rural broadband development.

Gaylor Baird said workforce development was identified as a key need by an economic recovery task force she convened in the early days of the pandemic, and its a need the city feels even more acutely today.

The grants were among 19 applications received and reviewed by a committee that included co-chairs of the task force.

Whenever possible, training participants will be co-enrolled with Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act programs for other services, including job placement, making the stimulus funds more effective, Gaylor Baird said.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSreist

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Ukrainian passports say "Ukraine" with no "the." On the Polish border, March 5, 2022. Enrico Mattia Del Punta/NurPhoto via Getty Images

For most of the 20th century, English speakers referred to the Ukraine, following Soviet practice. Thats not the case now. Ukraines official name in English does not include the, and for good reason.

So let me try. Im a linguistic anthropologist and an expert on language politics in Russia. Im also bilingual in Russian and English, so I understand the subtleties of the distinction.

What is at stake? Nothing less than the political sovereignty of Ukraine. Yet in their coverage of the current crisis, some journalists and commentators still refer to events unfolding in the Ukraine.

It might seem innocent, but its not.

Its Russian and English too

Both the Russian and English languages make subtle distinctions between territories that are politically delimited and territories that are not. In Russian, people refer to events happening na Ukraine or v Ukraine. Russian language teachers usually explain the difference between na and v as the respective difference between on and in. One places the ketchup na the table and puts it away v the refrigerator.

Things get a little more complicated when describing larger spaces. In Russian, a person is na an unbounded territory, such as a hill, but v a bounded territory that is defined politically or institutionally, such as a nation-state. This distinction between unbounded and bounded territories holds even when English speakers would universally use in. So a person is na the Caucasus (in the Caucasus) but v Germany (in Germany).

English makes this distinction not with different prepositions but with the definite article the. English speakers use in before the name of a politically defined unit such as a nation or a state, and in the for a territory that is not politically defined. Hence, Last week I was in Kentucky, or, Last week I was in the Bluegrass region.

Last week I was in Ohio is fine, but if I turn to a friend and say, Last week I was in the Ohio, she might reasonably think I was in the waters of the Ohio River, on a cold swim.

There are exceptions, but these are the general principles that bind speakers of Russian and English.

The distinction is critically important for the sovereignty of the Ukrainian nation-state, suggesting as it does that Ukraine is either a bounded nation-state  like Germany  or a region of Russia with amorphous borders  like the Caucasus. This is why, in 1993, Ukraines government asked Russias government to abandon the Soviet-era practice of referring to Ukraine as na Ukraine and use only v Ukraine. The na construction is, however, still widely used in Russia.

To a Ukrainian worried about the nation-states territorial integrity, that little word the might suggest that the speaker does not much care whether Ukraine is an independent state. Like it or not, and intentionally or not, the language a person uses reflects their political positions, including their position on Ukraines territorial sovereignty.

Even Putins translators see the benefit of sticking with the official English-language name of Ukraine. Perhaps they hope it will make the content more palatable to a Western Anglophone audience. But make no mistake: Putin is arguing that Ukraines sovereignty is a historical fiction, and he is underscoring his point by referring to events happening na, not v, Ukraine. English speakers dont have to follow him by saying the.

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Kathryn E. Graber has previously received funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, and the Social Science Research Council for field research in the Russian Federation.

Youre smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversations authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.

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It was 5 a.m. on Feb. 24 when Igor Tymoshenko woke up to the blaring of air raid sirens in Poltava, Ukraine. He ran to the basement of his apartment.

We were all saying, Whats going on? Whats happening? "

Like a lot of Ukrainians, the 32 year old didnt actually believe the war would happen, that President Vladimir Putin would actually launch a mass invasion from Russia into Ukraine.

The worldwide response in support of Ukraine is a sign of unity not seen in recent history.

A local couple is among the millions stepping up to support Ukrainians in different ways.

Quote "There is no time to think about gas prices, if its $5 or $6 per gallon, theres someone elses life (in danger) on the other side of the world." Igor Tymoshenko, who spent a year in Racine now living in Poltava, Ukraine

Helping their kids

For the better part of the past two decades, Caledonia residents Kam and William Buhler have kept in touch with former orphans from Ukraine. The Buhlers also are close with Tymoshenko, who spent the 2005-2006 school year with the Buhlers in Racine as a foreign exchange student.

For the past 15 years, when the Buhlers talk to their Ukrainian kids, as Kam calls them, theyd chat about their families, their jobs, their lives. Just catching up.

Now? We talk about the situation: Where are you now? Are you safe? said Kam, a native of Hong Kong who has lived in the Racine area since the 1970s. We are very close. Every day, once you know the news, youre concerned. Its very close to home to me.

Kam said she feels fortunate that she can connect with her kids. The phone really help to shorten the distance a lot.

Starting an overseas connection

In 2006, after visiting an orphanage in Odessa in southern Ukraine, Kam set up her bank account to wire money overseas in order to sponsor five children: Vitalii Potsurai, Mikhail Misha Pozhar, Vyacheslav Slava Koval, Andrei Yudin and Olga Korotnyan.

Korotnyan has since lost touch. Potsurai, Pozhar and Yudin are still staying in Odessa, which borders the Black Sea. Koval has moved to a village outside of the city. He did not disclose exactly where he is now living for safety reasons, other than to say he is staying at his wifes grandfathers home with family.

From start of war, they are 24 hours on the line, on the phone, each hours they write me, call me, Koval said of the Buhlers continued presence, noting the only times they dont talk are when they are sleeping. Each evening we call each other, try to speak and support each other.

Tymoshenko said he still considers the Buhlers to be part of his family.

Theyre very dear to me. Theyre worried about the situation, Tymoshenko said.

Quote The human life is big valuable, much valuable, than money, than house, than apartment ... I can do anything, I can give all what they need, if war stop. The money, human life and child life is much valuable, it doesnt have a price. Life is non material valuables. Slava Koval, of Odessa, Ukraine

Cutting ties with regular life

Koval, 34, reported he is safe and OK, thanks to God and Kam.

Hes been working as a lawyer from home because a lot of in-person court processes stopped due to the war.

Most Ukraine residents are not allowed to leave their homes or turn on lights from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Some people have been gathering wood to burn inside their homes as heat. Food shortages are becoming a larger problem nationwide. More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled the country in the last three weeks; its the fastest-growing European refugee crisis since World War II.

Tymoshenko works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Hes mainly lived in Ukraine as a citizen but has spoken Russian his whole life. Hes always had friend and family ties in Russia  sometimes relationships lasting 20 or more years. Tymoshenko went to school with some Russians during his exchange year.

Now we dont have friends in Russia, Tymoshenko said. We all consider them to be enemies. They support what Putin is doing to Ukraine. We have this soul connection between us, and you support what your president is doing to Ukraine. Now we are all patriots of Ukraine, ready to fight till the end, it is unbelievable.

One silver lining to it all, though, Koval said, is every Ukrainian is supporting each other. They are cooking food or making clothes for soldiers.

People in Poltava made explosive Molotov cocktails to greet Russian soldiers if they invade on foot or in vehicles.

Koval has noticed more people praying and going to church, and criminal activity seems way down  excluding the invasion that has been rife with war crimes, including the bombings of hospitals and orphanages.

Everybody united for the resistance against Russian aggression, against Russian military soldier and the invasion in Ukraine, Koval said. Ukraine change to better  now everybody wake up, everybody change inside, change to better, change to kindness. We are together and we are like one people, we are complete, we are a team, we are family and we are a good country and we will fight this enemy together.

Empty shops, bombings

Ever since the invasions started Feb. 24, stores have been empty.

A lot of people go to the shop and buy everything, Koval said. Shop is empty, no produce, nothing.

As major cities have been bombed, Poltava doesnt have anywhere to get supplies from, Tymoshenko said.

Tymoshenko said his city is running out of medicine. His grandmother has asthma and needs an inhaler to breathe. The two went to 20 pharmacies around the city looking for the product, but couldnt find any.

His grandmothers breathing issues also dont allow her to stay in a bomb shelter for very long, putting them both in danger.

Tymoshenko has heard sirens all around the city. Refugees from other cities have also come to Poltava.

The situation is getting worse and worse, Tymoshenko said. But comparing to other cities, Poltava, which had a pre-war population of about 284,000, is still safer. But it cannot accept any more refugees. Poltava is too small to accept this amount of people coming from other cities.

Koval said he heard two bombs in the air Monday evening right by his apartment. They hit within 10 minutes of each other. They were so loud, his ears stopped working, he said.

It was very, very, big, loud and high noise like explosion, Koval said.

Three people in Odessa died because a rocket destroyed an apartment, Koval said. However, he said his No. 1 focus is not the safety of his apartment.

The human life is big valuable, much valuable, than money, than house, than apartment, he said. I can do anything, I can give all what they need, if war stop. The money, human life and child life is much valuable, it doesnt have a price. Life is non material valuables.

A helping hand

Kam has been following the news very closely, watching for Ukraine updates.

The situation is getting worse than I thought actually, she said.

Bill called the Russian war on Ukraine a terrible, terrible situation.

Before, I had a rough idea where Ukraine is. Now I know its boundaries very well, Bill said. Its a situation thats very difficult to figure out what you should do as a country to step in and protect other countries.

Kam has been continuing to wire money to some of her Ukraine connections, especially as the war is ongoing. Kam helped Koval pay for produce last week.

They could always use some extra financial help, Kam said.

Kams been to Ukraine a few times, the last time being in 2012, and noticed its peacefulness.

I dont know how to imagine, I dont know what it look like now, Kam said. Talking to my kids, it sound terrible because of the bombing.

Kam said the only thing she wants for Ukraine right now is peace and that everything goes back to normal.

U.S. joining in?

Tymoshenko said a lot of locals hope the war wont be long  most are hoping itll be another month or so before its over.

Were hoping its going to end as soon as possible, Tymoshenko said. We are actually hoping our western partners are going to help us to pressure Russia to stop this thing.

He watches U.S. news and sees that most Americans concerns lie with the skyrocketing gas prices.

There is no time to think about gas prices, if its $5 or $6 per gallon, theres someone elses life (in danger) on the other side of the world, Tymoshenko said. It will not stop. There is no time to argue whether you do it or you dont do it.

Koval also hopes the U.S. joins in on the efforts to protect Ukraines borders. He said he believes if other countries dont join in against Russia, they might be the next victims.

This is stupid war and this war is dead end, Koval said. Ukraine can get victory, Ukraine can win. This is destiny of Ukraine, to be forced avengers.

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Wisconsin liberals on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and two other GOP congressmen are insurrectionists in violation of the U.S. Constitution for their words and actions in support of Donald Trump leading up to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The lawsuit, alleging a violation of the Disqualification Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, says Johnson, R-Oshkosh, and U.S. Reps. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, and Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, conspired to undermine President Joe Bidens victory and sow public distrust of the outcome.

That clause was enacted after the Civil War to prevent congressmen who had fought on the Confederate side from returning to Congress. It prohibits anyone from holding federal office who has taken an oath to protect the Constitution but has also engaged in insurrection against the United States or given aid or comfort to its enemies.

Its unclear what would happen if a court ruled that a sitting member of Congress had violated the amendment. The lawsuit doesnt seek a specific remedy, but in a statement announcing its filing, the plaintiffs said the men are no longer qualified to seek reelection.

Biden beat Trump by just under 21,000 votes in Wisconsin, an outcome that has withstood multiple lawsuits, recounts and reviews. Republicans who control the state Legislature have rejected calls from Trump and his backers to decertify Bidens win, a move that nonpartisan attorneys have said would be illegal.

Johnson, Tiffany and Fitzgerald did not return messages sent to their spokespeople seeking reaction to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Milwaukee.

Tiffany and Fitzgerald were among 121 House Republicans who voted to object to counting Bidens presidential electors from Arizona on Jan. 6, 2021. Tiffany and Fitzgerald also were among 138 Republicans who voted to object to Bidens Pennsylvania electors.

Johnson was one of eight U.S. senators who signed an objection to counting Arizonas electors, but he ultimately voted to accept them after the Capitol riot.

The lawsuit accuses the three Republicans of being part of a conspiracy theory and spreading their malicious falsehoods about a rigged election through regular and social media and at public appearances. It also notes Fitzgeralds role in reserving a room at the state Capitol for fake Republican electors to meet on Dec. 14, 2020, and cast their ballots for Trump, even though Biden had won Wisconsin and his electors were meeting that same day elsewhere in the building.

The falsehoods of Johnson, Fitzgerald and Tiffany about the integrity of Wisconsins election procedures began even before citizens were allowed to cast their ballots in the 2020 Presidential Election and continued long after their lies were disproven, the lawsuit said. The Defendants, along with hundreds or even thousands of President Trumps surrogates, and most prominently President Trump himself, repeatedly proclaimed lies about the election and its results, and those lies increased in frequency and intensity as January 6, 2021 approached.

The lawsuit was filed by 10 Wisconsin citizens and funded by the liberal Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC.

It is similar to one rejected by a federal judge last week seeking to keep U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-North Carolina, from seeking reelection this fall.

The case against Cawthorn alleged he wasnt eligible for the ballot because of his involvement in the rally that preceded the riot on the Capitol. A federal judge in Washington ruled on March 4 that North Carolinas candidate challenge process didnt apply to the 14th Amendments Disqualification Clause.

Cawthorn, a fervent backer of Trump who voted against certifying Bidens presidential victory, says he never participated in an insurrection against the U.S., and the amendment didnt apply to him.

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A Dane County judge on Thursday ordered Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to produce deleted records related to the GOP-ordered review of the 2020 election.

Circuit Court Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn ordered Vos to produce the deleted emails from his government accounts by March 23. She also told Vos attorney Ronald Stadler to investigate the possibility of producing deleted records from private email accounts or text messages  records Stadler said he cannot produce. Vos, R-Rochester, said in a recent deposition he regularly deletes emails and text messages.

If they cant be produced, I want an expert or somebody to explain why they cant be produced, Bailey-Rihn said. Theyre certainly relevant.

The case is one of three records-related lawsuits filed by liberal watchdog group American Oversight against Vos, the Assembly and former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who was hired by Vos last year to review the election at a cost of $676,000 to taxpayers.

American Oversight has issued several requests for records from Vos, Gableman and other state officials seeking documents related to Gablemans ongoing review of the 2020 election. The groups attorney Christa Westerberg said those requests cover late May through mid-September of last year.

Westerberg added that state officials have not yet responded to four other records requests issued in August and September of last year. Stadler said responses to those requests will be provided in the coming days.

American Oversight has also asked to interview a former Vos employee who was in charge of the speakers emails for a period of time before leaving the office.

Bailey-Rihn ordered Stadler to either have the employee sit for a deposition or find someone to answer questions on her behalf regarding the records.

We need to start moving this along and wrapping this up, Bailey-Rihn said of the ongoing case.

In a separate American Overisght case, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Frank Remington recently ordered the release of hundreds of pages of documents related to Gablemans review.

Remington ordered Vos, Gableman and the Assembly to each pay $1,000 in damages to American Oversight and cover the groups legal fees  costs that could very well fall on taxpayers. Remingtons ruling is likely to be appealed.

Remington said the documents were much to-do about nothing and showed little evidence of a formal investigation.

Despite that, and bipartisan calls for Gablemans review to conclude, Vos earlier this week signed a new contract extending the probe through April 30.

The new contract maintains Gablemans existing budget, but does allow for the possibility of added funds to cover the costs of multiple lawsuits related to the probe, according to the agreement filed with the court. The contract also stipulates that Gableman consult with Vos after the lawsuits are concluded to determine if the review should end or if additional investigation is warranted.

A recount and court decisions have affirmed that President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin by almost 21,000 votes.

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By Trend

Tajikistan is expected to evacuate from Poland its nationals who have moved there from Ukraine, Trend reports with reference to Asia-Plus.

Tajikistan Ambassador to Germany Imomuddin Sattorov told Asia-Plus in an interview Wednesday afternoon that Tajikistan has planned two flights on March 10 and March 11 to evacuate from Poland its nationals who have moved there from Ukraine.

According to the latest data, more than 350 Tajik nationals, who have moved to Poland from Ukraine, want to return to Tajikistan. Among them are women, children, elderly people and students. They will be carried to Tajikistan free of charge, Ambassador Sattorov said.

He further noted that those citizens who want to stay in European countries must issue their documents at the request of these countries within 30 days."

According to Sattorov, the government has instructed Tajikistans embassies in Germany, Austria and Ukraine to draw up lists of Tajik citizens staying in Ukraine and those who have moved from there to Poland for their return to the homeland.

Tajikistan Ambassador to Ukraine Davlat Nazrizoda had earlier told Asia-Plus that about 4,000 Tajik nationals live in Ukraine.

Most Tajiks living in Ukraine are labor migrants working in the agrarian and construction sectors as well as in commerce, Ambassador Nazrizoda told Asia-Plus on February 28.

A total number of Tajik students studying in Ukraine is 101 people. They are studying at universities in Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov, Dnepr, Poltava and some other cities, Ambassador Nazrizoda added.




The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in the case of an environmental regulator who refuses to step down nearly a year after his term ended.

In a case that tests the balance of power between the governor and Legislature and could influence environmental policy for years to come, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul asked the courts to remove Fred Prehn from the Natural Resources Board.

Prehn, a Wausau dentist and cranberry grower, was appointed to the policy board in 2015 by former Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican. His six-year term expired May 1, and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed Sandra Naas to replace him.

Prehn maintains he does not have to leave until Naas is confirmed by the Senate, but Republicans who control the chamber adjourned the two-year session this week without holding a hearing, cementing the boards conservative majority.

At the heart of the case is a power struggle between the Legislative and executive branches. Under state law, the governor appoints members of the board, which oversees the Department of Natural Resources, while its up to the Senate to confirm.

The state argues Prehn and the Legislature fail to fully embrace the century-old common law rule, which says an appointee whose term has ended may hold over, but once the term expires there is a vacancy that the governor is entitled to fill.

He has no authority to be in office now, said Assistant Attorney General Gabe Johnson-Karp. We hear much about the common law, but the common law only gets him partway.

The courts conservative justices pointed out there is no language in state statutes defining when offices are vacant and questioned the governors authority to appoint people to offices.

The governor cant really make an appointment into a position thats not vacant, said Justice Patience Roggensack. Even if you kick him out you cant get the governors appointee in unless theres a vacancy.

The courts three liberal justices questioned whether appointees can simply serve indefinitely.

Whos to say hes not going to serve on that board for the rest of his life? asked Justice Rebecca Dallet.

Prehns attorney Mark Maciolek said in theory Prehn could do just that.

That supposes that the governor and Senate will continue to give each other the cold shoulder, Maciolek said. It just doesnt seem like that will continue in perpetuity.

Justice Brian Hagedorn, a conservative who has at times sided with the three liberal justices, noted the state Constitution gave the governor very little authority when it came to appointments, noting the first UW Board of Regents was appointed by the Legislature.

The governors powers were very, very limited, Hagedorn said.

Kaul sued in August asking the courts to force Prehn to step down, arguing his seat became vacant when his term ended, and the law allows the governor to temporarily fill vacancies even without Senate approval.

Citing a 1964 Supreme Court ruling, Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn dismissed the case but faulted lawmakers for refusing to hold a confirmation hearing.

Both Kaul and Prehn asked the Supreme Court to hear the case, bypassing the court of appeals.

Though no longer chair, Prehn has remained on the board, where he voted last month to reject regulations of PFAS compounds and dozens of other toxic substances in groundwater and to weaken the agencys proposed drinking water standards for the so-called forever chemicals.

If allowed to remain, Prehn could also cast a deciding vote this spring on the DNRs new wolf management plan, which could set population goals and help determine hunting quotas if the gray wolf is again removed from the federal endangered species list.

Republican lawmakers have sided with Prehn, saying Kaul, egged on by disgruntled special-interest groups, is misrepresenting the law.

The Humane Society, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wisconsin chapter of the American Federation of Teachers both filed friend of the court briefs arguing Prehn is violating state law and subverting democracy.

Midwest Environmental Advocates has filed a separate court case in an effort to obtain Prehns text messages about his decision to remain on the board, which other records have shown he discussed with lawmakers.

Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell this week declined to dismiss the case, ruling that Prehn is a public official and his texts are subject to open records laws.

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In the first such case in Wisconsin, a Platteville fish dealer has been convicted of selling Asian carp, a pervasive and destructive invasive species.

Ping Li, 38, pleaded guilty last month in Grant County and Dane County circuit courts to two misdemeanors and 17 non-criminal violations, according to court records, and was fined more than $13,000.

The violations included possession of illegal fish and using an unmarked van to transport fish as well as failure to maintain records of who caught the fish and where they were sold.

The charges, filed in 2020, stemmed from a two-year investigation by Department of Natural Resources wardens, who used undercover work, surveillance and GPS trackers to crack the case.

The types of carp involved in this case  bighead, silver and grass  are different from German or common carp, which have lived in Wisconsin since the mid-1800s.

Lt. Robert Stroess, a DNR warden who heads trade enforcement for commercial fishing, said in a statement the species are on top of the states Least Wanted list because they destroy the habitats of native fish.

Wisconsin and neighboring state laws require these invasive carp, which can survive for more than a day out of water, to be gutted or have the gill coverings severed to ensure they are dead.

The laws around the Great Lakes states are in place to minimize the threat of these species finding their way into new waterways at the hands of humans, Stroess said. The laws serve as important protections for our native Wisconsin fish.

The DNR began investigating Li, owner of Li Fish Farm LLC, based on a complaint that Asian Midway Foods in Madison was selling live carp.

According to the complaint, Li illegally sold more than 9,000 pounds of carp  much of it intact  in 2018 alone. Stroess said his use of an unmarked van made it more difficult to identify it as a wholesale fish delivery vehicle.

Invasive carp have been advancing north since escaping into the Mississippi River from southern fish farms in the 1970s. In some fisheries they account for more than 90% of the living organisms.

Bighead carp are considered a threat to the $7 billion Great Lakes fishing industry. Silver carp, which can weigh up to 60 pounds, are known for leaping out of the water, creating a hazard for boaters.

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The core idea of democracy is simple: We each get one vote, and each vote counts.

Thats why the Wisconsin Supreme Courts recent decision blocking the use of drop boxes in local elections this spring was so disappointing. No matter our background, zip code, or the color of our skin, we all want the freedom to vote in the way that works best for us so that we can have a say in the key decisions that impact our lives  from the jobs we can get to the health care we receive and the roads we drive on. But now, some Republican politicians, with the help of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, have banned us from returning our ballots at drop boxes in Wisconsin, making it harder for us to have our voices heard, and removing a safe and secure way to cast a ballot.

While some might argue that ballot drop boxes were a pandemic era change that we can now simply do away with as cases recede, the truth is ballot drop boxes have been utilized by voters for decades. Not only that, we all know that the pandemic brought some changes worth keeping around. From outdoor dining, to more delivery options, to more jobs that can be done at home, we should welcome the way that ingenuity during the pandemic helped us find new uses for old concepts to make life a little easier. Ballot drop boxes should be no different. Voters deserve options when carrying out their civic duty of casting a ballot, so that Wisconsinites are able to vote in a way that works best for them, their schedule, and their health and safety.

The truth is that nothing in state law prohibits the use of ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin. Dont take it from me  take it from Misha Tseytlin, an attorney representing Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and then-Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald in 2020, who wrote in a letter to Madison city officials that drop boxes were one of several convenient, secure, and expressly authorized absentee-ballot-return methods. According to Tseytlin, Vos and Fitzgerald didnt just support drop boxes, they wholeheartedly supported them.

But that was all before the 2020 election  and former President Trumps loss. When voters chose Biden over Trump, Republican politicians like Robin Vos fed lies and conspiracy theories about the election  an election that multiple courts, a recount, and a nonpartisan audit have found to be free, fair and secure.

Robin Vos knows better. So do most Republicans in power. After all, theyre in office thanks to the exact same election in which voters rejected Donald Trump. But, Vos and other Republican politicians believe that the phantom of fraud is a useful pretext to crack down on methods of voting that they think Democrats are more likely to use. A refusal to acknowledge a truth that may be painful to some of their supporters to hear then becomes a cynical pretext for voter suppression. Voters that came to rely on safe and easy access to drop boxes to return their ballots amid the pandemic  especially seniors and voters with disabilities  bear the cost of this cynicism, leaving our whole democracy diminished.

The good news is there are still many easy ways to exercise your right to vote in our state. The most important thing voters can do in April is make their plan to vote. If you relied on a drop box to cast your ballot and are now wondering what to do, call your local clerk. There are many ways to vote  clerks and their staff are often amazing resources and want to help you cast your ballot safely. Or call the Democratic Party of Wisconsins voter protection hotline at 608-336-3232. We want everyone to know how to safely cast a ballot!

As Democrats, democracy is in our very name. Well keep fighting to ensure every eligible Wisconsinite is able to exercise their freedom to vote. Too many have sacrificed too much for us to simply sit back as this cornerstone American freedom is undermined by politicians upset about an election they didnt win and grasping at ways to tilt the playing field for the next one. We all get one vote, and everybodys vote counts. Thats the principle. Lets live up to it.

Ben Wikler is the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

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1. Yes. Raising the bar for future developments will boost the citys housing market.

2. Yes. It will help in newer areas, but more needs to be done to change Killeens image.

3. No. The new standards will just slow down homebuilding and drive away developers.

4.No. The ordinance will do little more than drive up the price of new homes in the city.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say what the effect will be until they have been in place for a while.

Vote

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By Trend





The European Union (EU) strives to maintain cultural ties with Azerbaijan, EU Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan Peter Michalko said at the Bridges of Europe photo exhibition within the framework of the FantazEU festival, Trend reports.

According to him, the purpose of this festival is to develop cultural partnerships among the EU, Azerbaijan, and other countries.

Michalko noted the great importance of establishing ties between people at a time when military actions are being conducted in one of the European countries.

The exhibition also included photographs of the Khudaferin Bridge, which connected the northern and southern banks of the Araz River in the Jabrayil district.
The Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce is partnering with Sparta High Point Charter School to host a Sparta School Board candidates forum Thursday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sparta High School auditorium.

The forum will air live via Youtube. All eight candidates for the four open seats are expected to attend.

Candidates will be given a list of topics in advance. They will each get time to answer questions provided by High Point students with community input. Anyone with ideas for questions can visit the High Point School Facebook page.

The public is invited but wont be allowed to speak during the event.

High Point students will play a significant role in organizing the forum.

This project represents my vision for High Point in that it is meant to offer a service to our community, and our students are learning to be self-led, curious citizens, said High Point principal Dr. Wendy Bernett. I am excited for this opportunity for our kids.

Sparta Chamber executive director Heidi Prestwood added, The fact that we can turn this into a learning experience as well as a community initiative speaks volumes for what Dr. Bernett is trying to accomplish.

The eight candidates are Amy Lopez, Pat McKenna, Tanya Morene, Anthony Scholze, Todd Wells, Marla Leverich, John Hendricks and Jason Perry. The top four vote-getters will be elected to the board.

The election is April 5.

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MADISON, Wis.  The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting nominations through March 31 for eight seats on the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) board of directors.

The eight districts up for election are:

District 3  Lincoln, Oneida, Price, and Taylor counties

District 6  Chippewa and Eau Claire counties

District 9  Shawano and Waupaca counties

District 12  Portage, Waushara, and Wood counties

District 15  Adam, Juneau, and Monroe counties

District 18  Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Washington, and Waukesha counties

District 21  Crawford and Vernon counties

District 24  Dane and Jefferson counties

DFW directors guide the organization's finances, formulate and set policies, develop long-range business plans, and maintain its mission. DFW aims to be an advocate, marketer, and promoter for Wisconsin dairy farmers and drive demand for Wisconsin's dairy products. Through these initiatives, DFW directors have the opportunity to represent Wisconsin dairy producers and products as well as be involved in activities that inform consumers about the dairy industry and its economic impact.

Eligible nominees must be an active dairy producer who sells milk into commercial channels and lives in one of the affected districts. Producers must sign, notarize, and postmark completed nomination forms by March 31, 2022 and include signatures from at least five eligible producers other than the nominee.

Nomination materials are available at http://www.wisconsindairy.org/board-of-directors/elections. To request a printed copy, contact DATCP Market Orders Program Manager Debbie Gegare at (608) 224-5116 or debbie.gegare@wisconsin.gov.

DATCP will conduct the DFW board of directors election from May 2 to May 25. Elected producers will serve three-year terms beginning July 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2025.

DATCP administers elections for Wisconsin commodity marketing boards. To learn more about the market order boards, visit https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/About_Us/MarketingBoards.aspx.

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While flooding continues to be an issue that we deal with in the Coulee Region, I wanted to work with stakeholders to help mitigate flooding, and improve the response to future flood events. Throughout the course of 2021, and early on in 2022, I have started a very important discussion on what we can do to help with these issues.

During the summer of 2021 I visited multiple flood sites, and met with town, village, county and state officials to start a dialogue on what we can do to mitigate flood events, and improve responses when a flood event does occur.

The first on-site visit was in the Town of Coon, Vernon County, near the end of August 2021. I met with town officials, the land-owner, county officials, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This site visit started a conversation about a bridge that washes out almost every time there is a large rain event. This meeting allowed stakeholders to discuss what they could do to help respond quicker, and have the repairs completed faster, should there be another flood event.

At the beginning of September 2021, I held another meeting in the Village of Coon Valley to discuss concerns that residents and business owners have with the Highway 14 Bridge. The Department of Transportation (DOT), DNR, village officials, and emergency responders attended this meeting. We discussed ways that water could flow more easily under the bridge, and the reasoning behind the design of the bridge. Those who attended the meeting left with an understanding of what could be done to help improve flooding in the Village of Coon Valley.

Following these on-site visits I held a meeting at the Wisconsin State Capitol, and invited several stakeholders. Staff from the DOT, DNR, Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Trout Unlimited, Wisconsin Land and Water Association, Wisconsin Counties Association, and Wisconsin Towns Association all attended a meeting at the Capitol in the fall. This was a great time for everyone to discuss the issues they see with flood mitigation, disaster response, and how we could collaborate to work toward flooding solutions. When this meeting was ending I asked each group to work together to find what solutions they could provide.

The first of these flood meetings was a great way to start a discussion around flood events, but we did not stop there. In February, I held a follow up meeting at the Capitol to discuss what had transpired after our first meeting. For this follow-up meeting, we were able to work with the same groups from before, but also the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporations Office of Rural Prosperity.

I was amazed by the collaborations that were already underway between these state agencies, and conservation organizations. The DOT is working to create a Disaster Damage Aids Program presentation. This explains how the DOT works before, during, and after a rain event. They also included an explanation on how Wisconsin emergency highway aid works. The DNR explained how they are working on taking an inventory of culverts. They are also working to improve the flow of streambeds with ecologically designed culverts. Trout Unlimited mentioned that they could help with these efforts through their summer internship program. The Wisconsin Towns Association was happy to see all of this information, and discussed the possibility of presenting it to their members. The Wisconsin Wetlands Association never comes to our meetings unprepared, they had information on grant programs, pilot projects, and ways that current practices could be communicated to best improve disaster response, and mitigate future flooding.

You couldnt help but leave these meetings excited, everyone at the table was willing to work together, and has great ideas on how Wisconsin can be more flood resilient. I am looking forward to continuing working on flood mitigation tactics, and what we can do to improve disaster response, as well how to best communicate the way that current practices work.

Loren Oldenburg (R-Viroqua) represents the 96th Assembly District, which includes Vernon County, Crawford County and the southern half of Monroe County.

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Turning Red may be the most tween-centric animated film in Pixar history.

It takes a deep dive into the mood swings of a young girl and the changes that occur when she decides to defy her mother and face puberty on her own terms.

Directed by Oscar winner Domee Shi, Turning Red breaks other barriers, too. Its set in 2002, dabbles in tradition and lets Toronto (not New York?) take the lead.

Shi is so willing to address things others wouldnt, she even throws in a sexy sketchbook and a boy band. (Wait until you see who provide the voices.)

That makes 13-year-old Meis ability to morph into a giant red panda among the least surprising aspects of the film.

When Mei (Rosalie Chiang) starts to rebel against mom (Sandra Oh), theres a Freaky Friday kind of divide that finds each testing new waters without consulting the other.

Shi provides lots of background (listen closely and youll learn plenty about Asian culture) and presses against the tiger mom stereotypes other films have dealt.

When Mei turns red, theres plenty to consider  not the least of which is loneliness. She keeps the secret as long as possible, then realizes this new identity isnt as bad as she feared, particularly when others are there to help her. Shi won the Oscar for her short subject, Bao, and its easy to see the connection. Because theres more time here, Turning Red can venture into more areas of adolescent angst.

It doesnt become a gender identity lesson but there are openings for discussions. While it isnt as funny as last years Mitchells vs. the Machines, it does have a similar vibe  and that big transformation.

Mei as a panda is a merchandising windfall. Because you can practically feel the fur (and because the character isnt all that different from Kung Fu Pandas Po), theres a desire to keep her around. Mei learns plenty and pulls us along for the ride.

Look at the character design and youll see a tip of the hat to Wallace and Gromit as well. Shis ability to pay homage and forge new trails is admirable. Had she done more with one of the male characters, "Turning Red could have been a smart film for boys, too.

As is, its an awakening for an audience that isnt always considered. With this, Pixar is turning a corner and suggesting it can go where all those French and Japanese animated films have already been.

Its not quite Hayao Miyazaki, but its a start.

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La Crosse police have identified a suspect in the Jan. 16 robbery at a Citgo gas station on 1914 State Road.

Daniel L.C. Abston Jr., of Madison, was charged Wednesday in La Crosse County Circuit Court with felony counts of armed robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He is being charged as a repeater on all three offenses.

Abston has been in custody in the Dane County Jail since Jan. 23 on unrelated charges.

Police say the investigation remains active and encourages anyone with information to contact the police department at 608-789-7218 or La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers at 608-784-TIPS.

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Yousef Gilali, 53, was on three felony bonds and one misdemeanor bond when he pulled a fire alarm on the Market Square parking ramp on March 8. Gilali refused to leave the ramp when officers arrived, and was in possession of a 12-inch table saw blade on a rope, according to the criminal complaint. Police assisted around 15 unsheltered individuals in leaving the ramp after the alarm was set off.
In the two weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine on the orders of Vladimir Putin, thousands have died, and the attacks reached a new level of horror when a Russian airstrike targeted a maternity and childrens hospital in the city of Mariupol Wednesday.

As Ukrainians scramble to evacuate and find refuge in neighboring countries, Ukraine native Olena Belka of La Crosse is working tirelessly to bring her own family to the U.S., fearful for the lives of her siblings and their children.

While the exact death toll is unknown, reports estimate some 600 to 800 civilians, at least 50 of them children, and 2,000 to 4,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed. When Belka was visiting family in Ukraine last month, residents were not anticipating an attack, with Belka saying officials stated, Do not worry about it. Belkas flight home had just landed when she learned the bombing had started.

The Tribune talked to Belka the day after she arrived back in La Crosse, and now some 12 days later Belka says, We view this conflict completely differently being the second week into it. It is clearly a war against the Ukrainian people as the free European nation. And they fight for all of us with remarkable heroism.

Belka interviewed with the Tribune this week, sharing her thoughts on government responses, local support, and her fight to get her relatives out of Ukraine  her brothers, she says, are still in high spirit to resist but also very scared  None of us believe anymore that the Russian government is rationalizing their actions at all.

How has your view of the crisis in Ukraine changed since we last spoke?

Belka: I am watching Russian news almost every day. They see this war as a defensive act, calling soldiers to become national heroes by killing so called Nazis among Ukrainians. (There is no) common sense  Russians bombing suburbs and downtowns of the big cities where no military bases are present or despite the fact that President (Volodymyr) Zelensky is Jewish and gained 73% of all votes. Then suddenly threatening nuclear power?

Our nation performs a great resistance but we dont know how long we can stand without help that President Zelensky (is requesting from) the U.S. and allies. What are Ukrainians supposed to do? (Must) we give up and let Putin take over our land because Ukraine is outside of the NATO bloc and has no real help? Wouldnt it be a green light to invade non-members of NATO such as Moldova, Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta, Sweden and Switzerland? Would NATO refuse to help if tomorrow the Russian army invades Sweden or Finland? Would Finland withstand this aggression on its own like Ukraine now does? (The) message (that) we send Putin may just be what we receive.

How do you feel about the response from the U.S. government? What actions would you like to see from President Biden or local legislators?

Belka: We all, as Ukrainian Americans and many American born-citizens, are ready to accept our brothers and sisters as refugees. We have the ability to help them to learn English, provide them with shelter, food and jobs. Most of the Ukrainians have bachelors and master degrees and helping these people will (benefit) our economy and international politics.

The U.S. cares and this is the message we should immediately send to the world. We are endlessly thankful to all European countries for opening borders to Ukrainians. But shame on us! I called two senators in Wisconsin and was told there is nothing they can do to bring refugees (here)  even for those Ukrainian Americans who live and have businesses in the States. If the U.S. government doesnt acknowledge the refugees, it doesnt acknowledge the fact that Russia has declared war on a European country. Would you vote for leaders of the greatest nation who dont take responsibility for their actions and guarantees of peace in the war time? If Biden and the administration cant make those executive decisions to accept refugees, people will make them for the U.S government.

How are your efforts to help your family come to the U.S. going? What obstacles are you facing?

Belka: So far, we hit the wall. I spoke to an immigration officer from Milwaukee and I explained that I would like to take full responsibility for two families, provide them with housing and sponsor them so they dont burden the government (with those responsibilities). Unfortunately, the officer said with the current policies on this crisis it will take me from five to 10 years to reunite with my sisters and brothers. We dont have 10 years  we have days that usually start with the bombing on Ukrainian citizens and cost them lives.

Do you feel U.S. residents, and the La Crosse community, are showing support for Ukraine?

Belka: (Its been the) greatest support I have ever experienced. I am being (flooded) with messages (about) How can we help your family?

Recently I was invited by my Danish friend Lisbeth Reynertson to the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center (for a concert which was adapted in response to the crisis) and dedicated to Ukrainian music. I sent my family a video of the choir singing a song in the Ukrainian language right from the middle of the deep Midwest: La Crosse. I also keep in contact with (family) every single day and send them messages (from) people who they dont know, who speak a different language (English) and who deeply care about them. I want them to be inspired  and stay alive.

Belka requests anyone who is able to assist with bringing her family to the states, or direct her to resources, to email her at lemsbelka@gmail.com.

Any help would be highly appreciated, Belka says.

Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.

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Tomah nurse midwife Kathy Kett is excited about returning to Uganda for a medical mission to help expecting moms and teach staff about childbirth.

The widely known local provider is leaving March 16 for a monthlong mission to Africa through Loving One by One ministries at the organizations 23-bed hospital in Graceland in the village of Luwunga in Central Uganda, southwest of the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

Im looking forward to getting back with the people who are really positive about what they were doing for the health of their community and being able to do what I love to do which is to be with birthing mothers, Kett said.

Last April, Kett spent about five weeks at the hospital delivering 20 babies and instructing nurses at the facility.

Its a great opportunity to be able to go and give and share, she said.

Kett said a highlight will be a planned groundbreaking for a birthing unit.

Its a big step to increase the size and the capabilities of the whole hospital because now they will have other rooms for other patients where they were doing birthing, she said.

Kett said the plans include two to three birthing rooms, laboring suites as well as a surgical suite and recovery area.

While communicable diseases, which account for over 50% of morbidity and mortality, dominate health conditions in Uganda, Kett said the COVID-19 pandemic has been declining.

Nutrition is still an issue; getting enough nutrients to provide for growing a healthy baby, she said.

As was the case with her previous trip, Kett will take with her various donations, including a supply of infant resuscitators and mask airways donated by Tomah Health.

The supplies that support infant resuscitation are very important because they have a limited supply that they reuse things that we look at as disposable and once you keep cleaning them they disintegrate quite rapidly, she said.

Kett said the supplies will also be used to provide the hands-on teaching to hospital staff.

After a 23-hour flight, Kett will meet up with Ken and Sherry Roberts who founded Loving One by One ministries in 2004. The ministry serves impoverished children and their families in Uganda by facilitating Christ-inspired physical, spiritual and educational changes in their lives.

Its so different when you can go and do something that is just out of your heart. ... Kett said. It fills me up.

Even though her airfare to Uganda has nearly doubled since last year, Kett said the trip is much more than money.

I dont mind paying for myself to go, but I would really love to see the people there get the support, especially with building the new birthing unit, Kett explained.

She encouraged anyone interested in learning how to help the mission to visit the Loving One by One website at lovingonebyone.org.

They really appreciate whats being done, she said. Money that seems a little bit here goes a long way there.

Kett said she would like to continue making the trip an annual event.

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By Trend

Former head of Housing and Utilities Department of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Fikrat Mirzayev, has been detained within a criminal case opened by the State Security Service, Trend reports.

Mirzayev was charged under Article 179.4 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

His dismissal took place in 2020.
When a second Amtrak train comes through Winona in 2024, it will roll into $19 million worth of local rail improvements.

Minnesota, Wisconsin and federal government officials met Wednesday at the La Crosse Amtrak station to promote a second Amtrak route between Chicago and St. Paul and announce a $31.8 million grant to improve passenger and freight service along the 411-mile route.

Plans in Winona call for improved track and switching and ADA compliance at the Winona Amtrak depot.

This is a great benefit not just for passengers but for freight rail in the region, said Winona County Commissioner Chris Meyer in an email prior to the event. This has the potential to reduce delays on our major Winona city street crossings for trains.

Grant money also will fund improvements to the La Crosse Amtrak Depot and rail improvements in La Crescent.

Craig Thompson, Wisconsin Department of Transportation secretary, said the Chicago-to-St. Paul route is one of the most traveled corridors in the Midwest. He said the second train will double service levels and provide additional morning and midday departures to an estimated 124,000 passengers.

This is the first additional passenger rail service in Wisconsin in many years, Thompson said. This will provide more choices for regional travelers and make it possible for more of them to make the trip by rail.

Acting Minnesota Department of Transportation commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said the route will provide an economic boost to the region.

The addition of a daily round-trip route from the Twin Cities to Chicago is vital to create and maintain a thriving economy from the larger cities to the smaller towns, Daubenberger said.

The trip from St. Paul to Chicago is expected to take 7 hours and make the same stops as the Empire Builder, including Wisconsin stops in Tomah and Portage.

The Coulee Region is already served by the Empire Builder route, which travels daily from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest. The second route wont extend west of the Twin Cities.

Transportation officials dont expect a second daily train to increase traffic congestion in areas where there are at-grade crossings. Francis E. Loetterle, Minnesota DOT planning director for rail and freight, said the second route will have fewer train cars.

The Empire Builder is an 11-car train; this is going to be a three or four-car train, Loetterle said. Its going to take, at most, five or six seconds to go through. There wont be noticeable changes in the amount of time people have to wait at train crossings.

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Dr. Serena M. Aunon-Chancellor (1976-present) was selected by NASA in 2009. Board certified in Internal and Aerospace Medicine. She recently served as Flight Engineer on the International Space Station for Expeditions 56 and 57 (June 6 through Dec. 19, 2018).

During her 197 days in space, she carried out numerous experiments that helped the scientific understanding of the world grow. She is also certified as an International Space Station CAPCOM and served as the lead Capcom for the SpaceX-4 and SpaceX-8 cargo resupply missions.

In June 2012, Dr. Aunon-Chancellor piloted a DeepWorker 2000 submersible as part of the NASA/NOAA NEEMO 16 underwater exploration mission off Key Largo, Florida. In July 2015, she participated as an aquanaut in the NEEMO 20 crew.

Dr. Aunon-Chancellors research is concerned with the medical implications of space radiation exposure, including computer modelling of the radiation environment of a crewed orbiting spacecraft. Now, Dr. Aunon-Chancellor spends most of her time handling medical issues for both the ISS Operations branch and Commercial Crew Branch.

Born April 9, 1976, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Aunons father is Dr. Jorge Aunon, a Cuban exile who arrived in the United States in 1960; her mother is Margaret Aunon, who writes murder mysteries. Dr. Serena Aunon-Chancellor stands out as a remarkable woman who contributes to the scientific community as both a surgeon and an astronaut.

Sponsored by AAUW La Crosse; researched by Erica Koonmen.

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Mass grave in Mariupol, Ukraine Dead bodies are placed into a mass grave Wednesday on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine. People are struggling to bury their dead because of 

Russia's war on Ukraine sees no hope of winding down. Here's a selection of stories from Thursday that provide a closer look at what's happening.

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RUSSIA CONDEMNED: A Russian airstrike on a Mariupol maternity hospital that killed three people brought condemnation down on Moscow on Thursday, with Ukrainian and Western officials branding it a war crime. The latest negotiations made no progress. Click on the link below to read more:

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POWERFUL WITNESSES: As more than 2 million refugees from Ukraine begin to scatter throughout Europe and beyond, some are carrying valuable witness evidence to build a case for potential war crimes. Click on the link below to read more:

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ECONOMIC PRESSURE: Western sanctions are dealing a severe blow to Russia's economy. The ruble is plunging, foreign businesses are fleeing and sharply higher prices are in the offing. Russia's economy will likely see a deepening of stagnation, but a total collapse is unlikely, several economists say. Click on the link below to read more:

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VOLUNTEERS FOR UKRAINE: Russia's invasion of Ukraine has given the smaller nation's embassy in Washington an unexpected role: recruitment center for Americans who want to join the fight. Click on the link below to read more:

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OUTREACH FOR OIL: Three checkered oil regimes that President Joe Biden and past U.S. leaders have spectacularly snubbed  Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran  are now targets of U.S. outreach as global fuel prices reach jarring levels during the Ukraine crisis. Click on the link below to read more:

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RESPITE FROM WAR: A gentle tune from a violin played by a musician who has been dubbed Ukraine's "cellar violinist" is a lullaby for a child sheltered in the dark basement of an apartment building in the besieged Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Click on the link below to read more:

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RELIGIOUS DIVIDE: Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, leader of Russias dominant religious group, has sent his strongest signal yet justifying his country's invasion of Ukraine  describing the conflict as part of a struggle against sin and pressure from liberal foreigners to hold gay parades.Click on the link below to read more:

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NEW YORK (AP)  Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it.

Some tried to be forgiving  and some definitely didn't  as for nearly three hours they addressed three members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin.

I hope that every single victims face haunts your every waking moment and your sleeping ones, too," said Ryan Hampton, of Las Vegas, who has been in recovery for seven years after an addiction that began with an OxyContin prescription to treat knee pain led to overdoses and periods of homelessness.

You poisoned our lives and had the audacity to blame us for dying," he said. I hope you hear our names in your dreams. I hope you hear the screams of the families who find their loved ones dead on the bathroom floor. I hope you hear the sirens. I hope you hear the heart monitor as it beats along with a failing pulse."

The unusual hearing was conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court at the suggestion of a mediator who helped broker a deal that could settle thousands of lawsuits against Purdue over the toll of opioids, generating billions for the fight against the addiction and overdose crisis and giving Sackler family members protection from lawsuits.

Appearing via audio was Richard Sackler, the former Purdue president and board chair who has said the company and family bear no responsibility for the opioid crisis; he is a son of Raymond Sackler, one of the three brothers who in the 1950s bought the company that became Purdue Pharma. Attending on video were Theresa Sackler, a British dame and wife of the late Mortimer D. Sackler, another of the brothers; and David Sackler, Richard Sackler's son.

Theresa's and David's expressions remained largely neutral as people spoke on video about the pain of losing children after years of trying to get them adequate treatment, about their own journeys through addiction, and about caring for babies born into withdrawal and screaming in pain.

Under court rules, the Sacklers were not allowed to respond to the victims, who were selected by lawyers for creditors in the case. Some victims addressed the Sacklers from a law office in New York; others were at their homes around the country.

Jannette Adams told of her late husband, Dr. Thomas Adams, who was a physician and church deacon in Mississippi and a missionary in Africa and Haiti. He became addicted to opioids after pharmaceutical representatives pitched them, she said. After a terrible decline, he died in 2015.

"I'm angry, I'm pissed, but I move on," Adams said. "Because our society lost a person who could have made so many more contributions. ... You took so much from us, but we plan to, through our faith in God, move forward."

Kristy Nelson played for the Sacklers a tense recording of a 911 call in which she summoned police to her home the day her son Bryan died of an opioid overdose. The dispatcher asked whether his skin had gone blue; she said it was white. She said she replays the call in her mind daily.

Thursday was Richard Sackler's 77th birthday, according to public records. Later this month, Nelson said, she and her husband will visit the cemetery on what would have been Bryan's 34th birthday.

"I understand today's your birthday, Richard, how will you be celebrating?" she said. "I guarantee it won't be in the cemetery. ... You have truly benefitted from the death of children. You are scum of the earth."

Her husband, Bill, a judge in Indianapolis, added: "I seriously doubt that anything any of us say today to these people will have any effect whatsoever. When we are done, David and Theresa will do whatever billionaires and dames do. Richard will hang up his phone and go do whatever greedy billionaire cowards do on their birthdays."

Jenny Scully, a nurse in New York, gave birth in 2014 while on OxyContin and other opioids prescribed years earlier when she was dealing with both breast cancer and injuries from an accident. She was told her baby would be healthy, Scully said, but the little girl has had a lifetime of physical, developmental and emotional difficulties.

"You have destroyed so many lives,' she said, pulling her daughter into view. "Take a good look at this beautiful little girl your robbed of the person she could have been."

The forum was unconventional for the White Plains, New York, courtroom of Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain, who on Wednesday gave tentative approval to key elements of a plan to settle thousands of lawsuits against the company.

"The nature of today's proceedings are unique and important," Drain said to open the hearing. "The past and ongoing impact of OxyContin on individual people has always been of critical importance in this case."

The settlement agreement is estimated to be worth at least $10 billion over time. It calls for members of the Sackler family to contribute $5.5 billion to $6 billion over 17 years to fight the opioid crisis. That's an increase of more than $1 billion over a previous version that was rejected by another judge on appeal. Most of the money would be used for efforts to combat the crisis, but $750 million would go directly to victims or their survivors.

The overall settlement, which still requires actions by multiple courts to take effect, provides more than $150 million for Native American tribes and over $100 million for medical monitoring and payments for children born in withdrawal from opioids.

The plan also calls for family members to give up ownership of the company so it could become a new entity with its profits dedicated to stemming the epidemic. In exchange, Sackler family members would get protection from lawsuits over opioids.

The family also agreed not to oppose any efforts to remove the Sackler name from cultural and educational institutions they have supported and to make public a larger cache of company documents.

Thursday's hearing may be the closest thing to a trial for Sackler family members, who victims say helped spark and prolong the epidemic.

Purdue Pharma starting selling OxyContin, a pioneering extended-release prescription painkiller, in 1996. At the same time, Purdue and other drug companies funded efforts to get doctors and other prescribers to think differently about opioids  suggesting they be used for some pain conditions for which the potent drugs were previously considered off limits.

Over the decades, there were waves of fatal overdoses, first associated with prescription drugs and then, as prescriptions became harder to obtain and some drugs became harder to manipulate for a quick high, from heroin. More recently, fentanyl and similar drugs have become the biggest killer.

Purdue has twice pleaded guilty to criminal charges, but no members of the Sackler family have been charged with crimes. There are no indications that any such charges are forthcoming, although seven U.S. senators last month asked the Department of Justice to consider charges.

Sackler family members have expressed regret for the crisis but have never unequivocally apologized.

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WASHINGTON  Three checkered oil regimes that President Joe Biden and past U.S. leaders have spectacularly snubbed  Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran  are now targets of U.S. outreach as global fuel prices reach jarring levels during the Ukraine crisis.

But its not clear any U.S. diplomacy could get more crude oil on the market fast enough to help the current supply crunch, or tear once-shunned oil states away from what  for Saudi Arabia in particular  are profitable alliances with Russia.

For the Biden administration, the U.S. overtures to three problematic oil giants at best could lead to stabilizing rising oil and gas prices and draw those governments closer to the West and away from Russia and China. At worst, Biden risks humiliating rebuffs and condemnation for outreach to governments accused of rights abuses and violence.

We have an interest globally in maintaining a ... steady supply of energy, including through diplomatic effort, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on the moves toward countries that have been out of U.S. or Biden administration favor, and in the case of Iran an armed threat.

The phrasing, as Russias war raises the stakes in many areas, was a change from Bidens pointing, at the outset of his presidency, to democratic values as Americas abiding advantage in diplomacy.

Saudi Arabia has profited richly in recent years from teaming with fellow top petroleum producer Russia to keep the global oil and natural gas supply modest and prices high.

And Biden came to office vowing to isolate the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the rest of the Saudi royal family over abuses that include the 2018 killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Biden and the young crown prince are not known to have ever talked.

I dont know whether hes up to eating that much crow, Saudi Arabia analyst David Ottaway said of attempts now by Biden to improve his administrations relations with Prince Mohammed and Saudi Arabia, the country that could most easily end the global supply crunch.

As for Iran and Venezuela, the U.S. would welcome positive diplomatic outcomes that bring back oil from those nations, but the problem is that in that situation, their negotiation power increases dramatically, said Claudio Galimberti, senior vice president of analysis at Rystad Energy.

So Iran will make a lot of very steep requests in order to rejoin the deal and so would Venezuela, the energy analyst said. Plus, it could take time to ramp up their production.

Russias devastating military invasion of Ukraine, and resulting market disruptions and sanctions hitting Russias petroleum exports, helped drive the U.S. average gasoline price to $4.25 on Wednesday.

Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports the day before, compounding high prices from the OPEC production cap engineered by Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC member Russia.

The Biden administration is making cautious overtures to all three oil giants, Venezuela, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In the case of Iran, administration officials are not publicly linking their diplomacy to oil, although they are pursuing a deal on Irans nuclear program that could see international sanctions on that country lifted and Irans oil quickly back on the market legally.

For Biden, failure in the high-profile oil diplomacy risks humiliating treatment from unfriendly rulers abroad, potentially re-election-damaging condemnation at home.

And success? Potentially, likewise.

Our response to (Russian President Vladimir) Putins war shouldnt be to strengthen our relationship with the Saudis, tweeted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, citing Saudi Arabias years-long war in neighboring Yemen.

Others in Bidens Democratic Party have made clear their objections to any abrupt U.S. embrace of Saudi Arabia and its crown prince for the sake of oil.

The GOP is scathing in its criticism of high oil prices, and any possible thaw with Iran in particular.

Effectively, said Richard Goldberg, a former National Security Council official under the Trump administration, the Biden administration is saying, They will still be financing terrorism, but lets go ahead and buy their oil.

In Venezuela, a high-level U.S. delegation visited last weekend for the first time since relations unraveled under socialist leader Hugo Chavez in the 1990s.

The trip appeared to be met receptively by President Nicolas Maduro. It was followed Tuesday by Venezuela releasing two jailed Americans.

The apparent warming raised the possibility of a lifting of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and eventual return of its oil to markets.

But even if that breakthrough occurs, Venezuelas oil industry might not be ready to ramp up production in time to help the current price spike.

Removing direct and secondary U.S. restrictions on Venezuelas state-owned oil company, if it happens, could boost production by 400,000 barrels per day within a few months, said Paul Sheldon, chief geopolitical adviser at S&P Global Commodity Insights.

For Iran, leading countries are in the possible closing days  one way or the other  of talks with the Iranians in Vienna aimed at reimposing limits on Irans nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, including those that keep Iranian oil off the market.

The Trump administration had taken the U.S. out of the nuclear deal.

Iran could supply oil quickly, and has the ability to put more than 1 million barrels per day on the market, according to energy analysts.

However, Irans oil is more likely to go to other buyers than the U.S. And if the U.S. allows Russia to freely trade with Tehran, it could create an opening for Moscow to launder oil sales through Iran, which could export the oil it might have refined and instead refine Russian oil in its place, according to Clearview Energy Partners.

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JOB FAIR: Adamstown Area Library will host a job fair from 2-4 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at 110 W. Market St., Adamstown. PA CareerLink Lancaster County as well as employers from Denver and Ephrata will participate in this event. Participating employers include Gage Personnel, Spring Glen Fresh Foods, Acme, Kalas Manufacturing and DenTech Industrial. For more information or assistance, call the library at 717-484-4200.

OPEN HOUSE: Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue will host its open house from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 12, at its Golden Gateway campus, 60 Vera Cruz Road, Reinholds. Open to the public. Attendees will be able to meet the dogs available for adoption, take a tour of the facility and shop at the retail store. For more information, visit dvgrr.org/adopt/monthlyopenhouse.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY: The Millersville Area Historical Society will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 12, in the Millersville Borough Municipal Center, 100 Municipal Drive, Millersville. The meeting will feature a slideshow presentation titled Mining History of Lancaster County. The speaker is geologist Jeri Jones, a Messiah University faculty member and owner of Jones Geologist Services. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. and lock at 9:15 a.m. Face masks are required to be worn by all attending. Free admission, but donations are appreciated. For more information, contact Phil Gerber, 717-872-8837, before 5 p.m.; or email pge8507@aol.com.

FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATION: Penn State Extension will offer ServSafe Food Safety Manager Courses at the Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road. The daytime course will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, March 21, and from 9-11 a.m. Monday, March 28, with an exam from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The evening course will be held from 5-9 p.m. Thursdays, March 31 and April 7, with an exam from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, April 14. Register by March 14 for the daytime course; March 24 for evening. These in-person training sessions, taught by certified ServSafe instructors, will help participants learn how to prevent contamination of food by properly receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, cooling and serving the food, as well as proper methods of sanitizing food service facilities. Cost is $165. For more information or to register, visit extension.psu.edu/servsafe; call 877-345-0691; or contact Stacy Reed at 717-394-6851 or sls374@psu.edu.

Community Calendar runs as space is available. Three weeks notice of an event is appreciated. Please place the date of the event or the deadline date to register at the top of the press release. Email your information to news@lnpnews.com.
When: Ephrata Borough Council meeting, March 7.

What happened: Borough Council discussed a proposal by the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority to place a mobile hygiene unit for homeless people at Ephrata Public Library. Council took no action, as votes are generally not taken at workshop meetings the first Monday of each month.

Why its important: The hygiene unit would take up four or five parking spaces and provide needy and homeless people with medical and mental health services, housing resources and shower facilities. It would operate on Thursdays 911:30 a.m. The redevelopment authority operates mobile showers at four other locations around Lancaster County; however, none are at libraries.

Reaction: Council members were quick to say they are not against the idea of a mobile shower unit in Ephrata, but they said the library is not the proper spot. Council suggested the authority look at land next to the library owned by the Northern Lancaster Hub.

Quotable: The concept of it? Absolutely, said committee Chair Gregory Zimmerman. But not at the library.

Background: Borough Councils Development Activities Committee reported its recommendation that council reject the proposal. Earlier this month committee members voted 2-1 to recommend that council reject the mobile shower unit because of its location. Councilman Tim Barr was the only committee member who favors the unit at the library. He said he will support the proposal when it comes up for a full council vote. He likes the site because the library has other resources for those who might need a leg-up with things like childrens hygiene and looking for work. It would also help build up personal well-being, so I really dont see a problem with it being at the library, Barr said. He added that he will vote affirmative even if it is placed elsewhere in the borough.

Whats next: Council could take a formal vote on the mobile shower proposal when it meets again March 14.

In other business: Council addressed Pennsylvania Department of Transportations request to replace tubular aluminum railings that line both sides of the Oak Street Bridge. Borough officials are miffed that PennDOT, which owns a bridge on West Main and Fulton streets with the same railings, has no plans to address the railings on that bridge. The boroughs cost to replace railings would exceed $400,000  more than the entire amount for all street repairs in the borough budget. They want us to fix ours, but they wont fix theirs, said council President Thomas Reinhold. Borough officials said the amount of traffic passing over the Oak Street bridge is considerably less than the one on West Main and moves across at slower speeds. Its ludicrous, Mayor Ralph Mowen said of PennDOTs request.
A Conestoga Township man was arrested after stabbing a person at an Akron house party last month, according to West Earl Township police.

Kaleb James Carroll, 21, was arrested at his residence Wednesday after stabbing a man in the leg at a party in the first block of Main Street around 2 a.m. Feb. 26, police said in a news release.

Carroll was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and one count of recklessly endangering another person.

An attorney was not listed for Carroll in court documents.

Multiple witnesses at the party provided a physical description of Carroll, who was seen on surveillance footage entering an Ephrata-area Sheetz store to purchase alcohol earlier in the evening. Carroll then returned to the party, stabbing the man following a fight inside the residence, police said.

Investigators asked the public for help in identifying Carroll on Monday, sharing images of him inside the Sheetz store. Police thanked the public in the news release for all the phone calls, emails and tips submitted with helping to identify Carroll.

Officers had initially been dispatched to Miller Road and Main Street at 2:09 a.m. following a report of a suspicious vehicle. While investigating, two officers were quickly flagged down by witnesses who told them their friend was stabbed during a large house party.

An officer found a 21-year-old Mount Joy man lying in the yard of the residence with a stab wound in his left calf. The officer helped stop the mans bleeding with a tourniquet before he was transported to Lancaster General Hospital to be treated for his wounds.

Detective Jordan Byrnes said the man sustained some complications from his wounds and was in the hospital longer than expected, but was unsure if he remained a patient. Chief Eric Higgins said the man had not been discharged from the hospital as of Monday, but was unsure of his current status.

Judge David Miller set Carrolls bail at $50,000 during a preliminary arraignment Wednesday. He was released from Lancaster County Prison later that day after posting that amount, court records show.

Carroll will face a preliminary hearing before Judge Tony Russell on March 21.
Looking for a succinct way to describe the work done at Advanced Cooling Technologies Inc., Richard Bonner found the words right in the Lancaster-based companys name.

We are a cooling company, said Bonner, the firms vice president of research and development.

That may be an oversimplification, he said, emphasizing that Advanced Cooling Technologies isnt an average heating ventilation and air conditioning company. Its focus is on providing thermal engineering services from its base inside Burle Business Park in Lancaster city.

We are more like a company that comes in to cool a satellite or a military radar system, so its cooling but applied to very advanced  systems, he said.

Bonner shared that description just weeks after the U.S. Department of Energy awarded the company a $3.3 million grant to support the development of improved flaring equipment.

These flares are designed to burn excess gas when its released as waste from sites like oil and natural gas wells. With the three-year grant, an ACT research and development team is working to create improved combustion components, with the goal of producing higher temperatures to more completely burn the methane that often leaks from drilling sites.

Thats important in the larger fight against climate change, company officials noted, because methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. And the flares can be put to use right here in Pennsylvania, where a boom in hydraulic fracking has spawned a multi-billion-dollar natural gas industry stretching from the states southwestern corner to the former anthracite coal region in the northeast corner.

The research on better flares is just one of multiple projects related to environmental protection in development at Advanced Cooling Technologies, according to Bryan Muzyka, sales and marketing manager. However, he said the companys focus extends well beyond just the environment, specifically noting work related to COVID-19 testing equipment and the design of thermal components for a NASA rover that will be used to explore the moon.

At a given time, Advanced Cooling Technologies research and development teams are working on two to three dozen projects, competing with similar companies to develop and manufacture thermal solutions for both government, defense and private-sector clients, Bonner said.

Bonner compared the company to a university, explaining how teams evaluate each project, pitching ideas and prospective solutions before the best concepts are selected, researched and potentially developed. Not all projects pan out, but thats common in the field of research and development, he said, proud of the companys success rate.

The vast majority of that work, he said, takes place within the companys Burle location, where its operations occupy more than 83,000 square feet. According to officials, Advanced Cooling Technologies has expanded five times since 2003, when it was founded as a research and development company by President and Chief Technical Officer Jon Zuo and Vice President Scott Garner.

Last year, the company acquired Tekgard, a York-based engineering and manufacturing company, which added about 60,000 square feet to the Advanced Cooling Technologies footprint, Bonner said.

Early this year, Bonner and Muzyka celebrated the companys location in central Pennsylvania, touting the number of qualified workers graduating from nearby colleges and universities, as well as a wealth of talented and experienced machinists and manufacturers.

Job listings on the Advanced Cooling Technologies website sought engineers, a quality inspector, a West Coast sales manager and a spacecraft thermal analyst among others.

The privately held company has 217 employees, 164 in Lancaster and 53 in York, according to an Advanced Cooling Technologies spokesperson.

All of them have unique backgrounds in thermal management, Bonner said. The workforce, he added, has gotten more professional and certainly larger as time goes on.
A month ago, a federal judge appointed an expert to work with Upper Leacock farmer Amos Miller to make sure he complied with food safety laws and court orders  something hes shown an unwillingness to do for years.

The arrangement hasnt gotten off to a good start.

Three times, the expert visited Millers Organic Farm, but he never was able to inspect it, despite a court order.

The first time  one week after U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smiths appointed George Lapsley as expert  Lapsley said an employee told him Miller wasnt there and refused him entrance. Even so, he said he was able to see workers packaging meat and poultry, which isnt permitted until Miller is in compliance.

On a March 4 visit, Lapsley said Miller handed him a note that read, What are the compelling public interests to be here? Please respond by paper.

When Lapsley asked to talk with him, Miller asked about his Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination. When Lapsley told Miller the right concerned law enforcement, he said Miller shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

And so on Wednesday afternoon Miller, government representatives and a frustrated defense attorney whos been trying to steer Miller in the right direction, dialed in to a status conference call with the judge for a course-correction.

You appear to be simply refusing to acknowledge the authority and the jurisdiction of this court in this matter, Smith told Miller.

Miller tried to ask the judge if he read a recent filing he made. The largely unintelligible filing espoused sovereign citizen rhetoric.

Sovereign citizens believe in the baseless assertion that individuals, and not courts or lawmakers, can decide what laws to follow.

Smith said he wouldnt recognize the sovereign citizen organization that Miller has been relying on for advice.

Miller tried another tack.

If I may address the court, what is the compelling public interest in this case? Miller asked. He said because he only sells his nutrient dense food to private buying club members in his buying club, he isnt engaging in public commerce.

You're concerned about what the public interest is in protecting food safety? Smith replied, sounding exasperated.

Millers attorney, Steven Lafuente, of Dallas, Texas, said he was at my wits end trying to reason with Miller.

He said Miller was a nice man, but impressionable.

He has lent his ear to people who are sovereign citizens who have no idea what they are doing. And hes going to get himself in a lot of trouble, Lafuente told the judge.

That will be seen in about a month. Smith asked Miller if he would cooperate with Lapsley. Miller said he would.

Smith also directed Miller to come up with $50,000 by March 18 as a good-faith showing toward paying more than $250,000 in fines and costs Smith already levied. Some of the money will be used to pay Lapsley.

If Miller isnt showing cooperation in an April 12 status conference, Smith warned Miller, it could turn into a contempt hearing.

A possible outcome of that could be jail. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerald Sullivan told Smith that already, other government entities were urging jail time for Millers noncompliance.

Millers first came to the attention of federal authorities in 2016, when the Food and Drug Administration said it identified Listeria in samples of Millers raw milk; the agency found the Listeria to be genetically similar to the bacteria found in two people who developed listeriosis  one of whom died  after consuming raw milk.
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the region, will continue to work with clients from the industry to shape the future of insurance, said Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority.

With the support of our clients, the insurance industry continues to grow here and during 2021, Gross Written Premiums (GWP) in DIFC were valued at $1.8 billion, said Amiri. DIFC successfully hosted the Dubai World Insurance Congress (DWIC) along with Global Reinsurance.

The event, which took place on March 9 and 10, attracted 800 delegates from 51 countries, making it the largest in-person event DIFC has hosted since the pandemic started and signifying optimism that the world is back to business.

It was attended by insurance leaders, reinsurance professionals, FinTech start-ups and InsurTech pioneers, who discussed opportunities that will shape the future of the industry. The themes included areas for industry growth, innovation, digitisation and talent.

The turnout of industry professionals at DWIC is a testament to the resilience shown in the past two years during the pandemic and the need to discuss common areas for driving the sector forward. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), artificial intelligence (AI) and the use of data are all areas that will create growth and development within the sector.

Amiri said: DWIC has now become a leading global event for insurance and forms part of DIFCs commitment to further build our position as the regions insurance and reinsurance hub, and more broadly, our reputation as the leading global financial centre in the Measa region.

Since its launch in 2017, DWIC has focused on providing senior insurance executives a platform to meet and do business, while working with brokers, insurers, and reinsurers.

The event is also a great place for cedants, brokers and reinsurers to meet up, face to face, post-renewals to develop new business and build partnerships.-- TradeArabia News Service
A man who sold undercover officers pure fentanyl months before a woman fatally overdosed on his drugs will spend the next nine to 18 years in prison, according to the Lancaster District Attorney's Office.

Emilio Perralta, 21, of Newark, New Jersey, was found guilty by a jury in December of two charges of delivery of fentanyl, one charge of possession with intent to deliver and one charge of drug delivery resulting in death.

Perralta sold pure fentanyl to undercover officers in August and September of 2019 on two separate occasions, the district attorney's office said.

Perralta delivered fentanyl that resulted in the Nov. 8, 2019 overdose death of a woman on Williamsburg Road in Manor Township. Police found that the fentanyl she used came from a dealer who stamped the bags with a blue paper sleeve labeled "DIABLO," the district attorney's office said. A man who called 911 for the overdose told police the fentanyl came from a man that went by "Rooster" and "Bucks."

Police arrested Perralta in November 2019, found him with 68 bags of fentanyl that also contained the blue wax paper sleeves stamped with "DIABLO."

"This was not a case where the defendant has shown any remorse," said Assistant District Attorney Chris Miller, who prosecuted the case. "He's preying on the weakest members of our society."

Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright sentenced Perralta to six to 12 years in prison for the drug delivery resulting in death conviction and three to six years for the possession with intent to deliver conviction, the district attorney's office said. The sentences will run consecutively.

"You may not be happy with the sentence, but you have the luxury of a daughter to come home to eventually, something (the victim) no longer has," Wright said.

Perralta is currently in Lancaster County Prison.
A little more than two weeks ago, Inna Kozyar and her two daughters were working and studying near their home just south of Kyiv in Ukraine.

Today, they are living in the Lititz area, safe from the Russian invasion but worried about their loved ones left behind in their native country.

Inna Kozyars brother, Igor Kuzmenko, and his wife, Sarah, helped make arrangements for his sister and nieces Anya, 20, and Sophia, 16, to leave Ukraine and get to the United States. The Kuzmenkos have lived in Lititz since 2013.

We are very grateful to be here, Inna Kozyar said. Thank goodness for my brother and his family. We are safe now.

On Feb. 26, the Kuzmenkos drove to JFK Airport in New York to pick up Inna, Anya and Sophia and bring them to Lititz to be with their family, which includes son Nikolas, 13, and daughter Oksana, 11.

The Kozyar familys ordeal began early Feb. 24, the morning of the invasion. They were asleep at 5 a.m. in their home, when Anya was awakened by the sound of bombs. There were flashes of light outside her window; the house shook with each explosion.

At first I thought it was a bad dream. The windows were shaking. I was so scared, said Anya, who ran to her mothers bedroom.

Still half asleep, Inna calmed her daughter and assured her it was most likely training drills at the nearby military base. By then, Sophia was awake, and when they looked out the window toward Kyiv, the sky was bright red.

It was not OK. We all knew that, Sophia said. Very quickly, the Kozyar family had to figure out what to do.

Innas husband, Serhiy, knew he would stay in Ukraine to defend his country. They wanted to get Anya and Sophia to safety.

Getting out of Ukraine

As it happened, both girls were already booked on flights from Kyiv to Warsaw, Poland, to New York.

As tensions were building in Ukraine, Sarah Kuzmenko had suggested her nieces come to Lititz. They were planning to leave that Friday and had already started to pack for their trip.

Sarah had no idea how fortuitous her suggestion was. The challenge was for Inna to get Anya and Sophia to Kyiv so they could catch their flights, and possibly get a flight for herself.

In a matter of minutes, the three had to pack their belongings, grabbing passports, paperwork, plane tickets, a few items of clothing and whatever else they could. They could pack only small bags and backpacks they could carry. There was no time to think. They had to act quickly.

I kept saying hurry, hurry, hurry, Anya recalled, as they all jumped in the car.

Inna intended to drive to Kyiv, but the blazing sky ahead made her realize that was too dangerous. She decided to get the girls to Warsaw, so they could catch the second leg of their flight. Normally, driving to the border of Poland takes about six to seven hours. It took almost 12 hours, and all the while, they saw tanks heading toward Kyiv.

About 6 miles from the border with Poland, traffic was so jammed they sat in their car for hours without moving. With a growing sense of panic, Inna and her daughters did the only thing they could think to do  they abandoned their car by the side of the road, as others were doing, and they walked.

We didnt have warm coats, and it was cold, Inna said, as Anya kept urging her mother to hurry and Sophia felt like she couldnt breathe.

At the border, they found that only people in vehicles were being allowed in. Another family offered them a ride across the border. Jammed into their car, they made it into Poland.

Then they managed to get a ride to Warsaw. Their flights were delayed, and Inna was able to book her flight with her very last paycheck that had just been deposited in her account.

They were on their way to America.

On the day before the bombing, we had a good life. It was a happy life, Inna said. We kept hearing that Russia was surrounding Ukraine, but we didnt believe they would attack.

Whats left behind

Inna had worked at her job as a pharmaceutical sales representative the previous day. Anya had been at her classes at university, where she was studying theater, and teaching children at a local arts studio. Sophia was a high school student.

Now our lives are ruined, Inna said. We have nothing but what we could carry.

Inna Kozyar is also worried about her husband, who stayed in Ukraine to fight. Her parents, Volodymir and Maria, wanted to remain in Ukraine.

It is their home, Igor Kuzmenko said. My father is 85 and wanted to sign up to join the defense of Ukraine.

Then there are other family members and friends who are still in Ukraine.

Igor and Sarah Kuzmenko, who met at college in Michigan, lived and worked in Ukraine and Russia after they were married. In Lititz, Igor Kuzmenko is the owner of Christian Brothers Auto-motive and president of the Lititz Rotary Club.

Worry lingers

Sophia just enrolled as a junior in high school in Manheim Township, while Anya is considering what she will do next, possibly an internship.

Their visas do not allow them to work. They are all worried about their homeland and think President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is doing a good job trying to hold the country together.

Ukraine has been an independent democracy for only 30 years.

We only knew President Zelenskyy as an actor and comedian, but he is pulling Ukraine together and stepping up, Igor Kuzmenko said.

In the hallway of the Kuzmenko home in Lititz, the yellow-and-blue flag of Ukraine is on the wall. It is a reminder of where they come from and the place they hope to see again one day.

Ukraine is so beautiful, so peaceful, so safe. The people are so kind and humane. They have been living in a democracy and in prosperity, Sarah Kuzmenko said. It is heartbreaking to see what has happened in just a few days.
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An earlier version of this story misidentified a future Zoning Hearing Board meeting set for March 28.

A Baltimore-based developer group is preparing to present more detailed plans of its $90 million residential conversion of the former St. Joseph Hospital to Lancaster city officials later this month.

Washington Place Equities, which is behind the market-rate side of the major redevelopment of the area around the former hospital, expects to present plans to the citys Historical Commission and Zoning Hearing Board March 21 and 28, respectively, according to Dominic Wiker, vice president and director of development at Washington Place.

The meetings come after the developer group completed its $5 million purchase of the former hospital site from UPMC Pinnacle, a central Pennsylvania wing of the Pittsburgh-based health care system UPMC. The UPMC Pinnacle location closed in 2019.

It's a significant milestone, but there's lots of work (still) to do, Wiker said.

The group also bought a lot at 217 College Ave., across the street from St. Joseph Hospital for $384,000. That would become a parking garage, according to the developers plan.

Wiker said the firm is still on track to finish construction by the middle of 2025.

In tandem, Lancaster-based HDC MidAtlantic is leading four affordable housing projects in and around the former St. Joseph campus. The first, at 213 College Ave., calls for 64 income-restricted units, 12 of which will be reserved for people with physical disabilities. HDC MidAtlantic staff have said the income limits will be for people making less than $40,000.

The second phase would include about 30 new income-restricted apartments in the hospitals former Delp Wing on the corner of College and Marietta avenues. A portion of those units will be owned and managed by the Lancaster-based nonprofit Milagro House serving homeless women and children.

A third phase is HDCs partnership with the city to build about 50 apartments at 838 Marietta. Lancaster city devoted $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds for HDC to buy the lot for development. That purchase occurred in November.

The nonprofit developer is also pursuing a fourth site at 913 Wheatland Ave., north of the St. Joseph campus, but HDC has not yet released new details for that site. It was originally paired with the 213 College Ave. Development to bring in 50 to 60 affordable units.

The larger 213 College Ave. plan, a five-story building, has angered nearby residents, who say the 64-unit structure and adjoining parking garage is too big and imposing against their smaller townhomes on Elm and West Chestnut and West Walnut streets.

The basic specifications of the project remain unchanged since Washington Place presented a preliminary plan to the citys Planning Commission in July. The Baltimore groups proposal calls for roughly 160 multifamily units retrofitted into the main hospital building, and a 50 or so-townhome development behind the main hospital building on what is currently a surface parking lot.

All of those units will be leased at market rates, according to the plan.

The developer nixed pre-pandemic plans to build office space at the 6.4-acre site.
An Upper Leacock Township man used a gasoline-filled bottle of Mountain Dew to set a van on fire, causing flames to damage multiple nearby vehicles and a garage, according to East Lampeter Township police.

Drew Paige Losch, 56, used the bottle to intentionally light a 2002 Dodge Caravan on fire in the 200 block of West Main Street in Upper Leacock Township at 3:11 a.m. on Dec. 24, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The fire engulfed the vans entire engine compartment, also quickly spreading to an adjacent 2017 Ford Focus and 1995 Buick LaSabre as well as damaging a nearby detached garage, police said.

The owners of the Caravan and LaSabre told police they believed Losch had set the vehicles on fire due to an ongoing dispute with him. The affidavit did not state the nature of the dispute.

Losch admitted to police that he filled the Mountain Dew bottle with gasoline and walked from his home to the Caravan to set it on fire with a match. Losch said he lit the fire underneath the vehicles engine because he was upset with the vehicles owner.

Police charged Losch on Friday with two felony counts of reckless burning.

Court documents did not list an attorney for Losch.

Judge Denise Commins set Loschs bail at $5,000 during a preliminary hearing Tuesday. He remains in Lancaster County Prison, unable to post that amount, court records show.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled before Commins on March 25.

Losch has previously been charged with numerous misdemeanor offenses since at least 2006 including recklessly endangering another person, simple assault, resisting arrest and terroristic threats, according to court records. He was most recently sentenced to 60 days of confinement and three years of probation after pleading guilty to terroristic threats, criminal mischief and a summary offense in 2020.
Pennsylvania ranked fifth in the nation for the number of active hate groups operating within its borders in 2021, according to a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The SPLCs annual Year in Hate report listed 30 groups as active in the state last year. The report is the third issued recently showing Pennsylvania is a major hub for bias-based hate. Last week, the Anti-Defamation League reported that more instances of hateful propaganda were recorded in the state in 2021 than in any other state.

And according to data maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police, the state saw a nearly 130% increase in hate crimes last year.

The organizations we have designated on our hate group list vilify others because of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity,  said Susan Corke, the SPLCs intelligence project director. These are prejudices that strike at the heart of our democratic values.

The SPLC, based in Montgomery, Alabama, was formed in 1971 to ensure civil rights gains for African Americans in the American South were protected. It also tracks and reports on extremist and racist organizations.

The centers new report identified new hate groups operating in Pennsylvania, including Fuhrernet, a neo-Nazi social networking site, and Evergreen, a white nationalist organization based in Bedford.

"I'm appalled by the quantity of hate groups in Pennsylvania, as well as the growing number of hate crimes and acts of ethnic intimidation," said Pennsylvania Senate Minority leader Jay Costa (D-Pittsburgh)."No one should be treated differently based on their race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation."

Costa currently has a package of bills stalled in the senate which are aimed at addressing bias-based hate, including one which would create a hate group database which he hopes law enforcement could use to monitor for potential violence.

The SPLC report also found several groups were no longer active, including the Revolutionary Black Panther Party and Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Also no longer listed was the H.L. Mencken Club, which was founded by Elizabethtown College Adjunct professor Paul Gottfried. While Gottfried had disputed the SPLCs characterization of his group as a white nationalist organization, over the years it counted among its speakers and members a number of prominent white nationalists, including Richard Spencer, one of the organizers of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The report also listed Pennsylvania as the home of the National Justice Party, a white nationalist political party whose members openly express their disdain for Jews and minorities and extol Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany as aspirational political models.

The NJP held its formative meeting in 2020 in Lancaster Township, and until recently listed Butler as its mailing address. As of late 2021 several members were still living in Pennsylvania, including Warren Balogh, Michael Mckevitt, Greg Conte and Norman Garrison, according to an analysis of public records and social media by LNP. Garrison was the anonymous editor of a conservative blog covering Lancaster and, until his identity and his white nationalist beliefs were exposed by LNP.

While Pennsylvanias ranking as the state with the fifth highest amount of active hate groups didnt change since the previous years report, the SPLC recorded six fewer groups operating here than in 2020.

Nationally, the SPLC found roughly 100 less active hate groups in 2021 than 2020, which it attributed to extremist movements becoming more decentralized and people opting-out of being open members of a particular group to avoid scrutiny.

A key finding this year is that hate and extrem(ist) ideas are operating more openly in the mainstream, Corke said. What we see evolving is a continuum from the mainstream to the hard right that is undermining our democracy. It is converging around a willingness to engage in political violence.

This reporters work is funded by the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund. For more information, or to make a contribution, please visit lanc.news/supportlocaljournalism.
East Earl Township police

SIMPLE ASSAULT

EAST EARL TWP.: John F. Armstrong, 50, of Reading, was charged with simple assault after punching a person in the 100 block of Rancks Church Road at 6:20 p.m. on Feb. 24, police said.

East Lampeter Township police

THEFT

EAST LAMPETER TWP.: Monica Vanessa Padilla, 24, of Lancaster, was charged with retail theft after concealing an item and failing to scan several other items at a self-checkout register at a Walmart at 2034 Lincoln Highway East at 2:01 p.m. on March 4, police said.

Lancaster city police

THEFT

LANCASTER: An unidentified man was seen on surveillance footage stealing a purse containing a large amount of cash and other items from an unoccupied shopping cart just outside C-Town Grocery at 451 East King Street around 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 21, police said. The man then walked out of the cameras view and discarded the contents of the purse before entering the store, police said.

Lititz Borough police

HARASSMENT

LITITZ: Ciara Young, 40, of Manheim, was charged with harassment after kicking a man in the groin during an argument at a residence in the 600 block of South Broad Street at 7:12 p.m. on March 6, police said.

THEFT

LITITZ: An unidentified woman was seen concealing numerous items in a bag at a Weis Markets at 740 South Broad Street and then leaving the store without paying at 5:27 p.m. on March 4, police said. The woman was then picked up outside the store by a man in a black SUV, police said.

Manheim Township police

THEFT

MANHEIM TWP.: A large cast iron gargoyle statue, weighing about 175 pounds, was stolen from a residence in the 300 block of Butler Avenue sometime between Feb. 16 and 17, police said.

Manor Township police

FALSE IMPRISONMENT

MANOR TWP.: Orosman Rojas-Mayea, 29, of Lancaster, was charged with false imprisonment and harassment after he was seen on video grabbing a person and pulling them inside a residence in the 2500 block of Valley Drive at 6:11 p.m. on Feb. 23, police said. The person struggled to break free, and was able to get away after bystanders intervened, police said.

FRAUD

MANOR TWP.: Joe W. Pour Jr., 19, of Glenside, was charged with access device fraud after manipulating a resident in the 100 block of South Easton Avenue in order to gain access to their debit card and banking information, then withdrawing $500 from their account without their consent at 11:18 a.m. on March 7, police said.

HARASSMENT

MANOR TWP.: Rodney C. Warner Jr., 45, of Lancaster, was charged with harassment after sending a threatening text message to a person in the 2900 block of Charlestown Road at 7:47 p.m. on Feb. 15, police said. The message threatening bodily injury toward the person, police said.

Pennsylvania State police

CRASH

PROVIDENCE TWP.: A vehicle crashed into a tree along Lancaster Pike, just south of Miller Road, at 2:33 p.m. on March 5, police said. The driver of the vehicle then fled the scene on foot, leaving the vehicle to be towed away, police said.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

PARADISE TWP.: Rocks and bricks were thrown through the windows of multiple occupied homes in the 200 block of Wolfrock Road as well as Sadsbury, Little Britain and Providence townships, causing about $2,000 in damage, around 12:40 a.m. on March 6, police said.

THEFT

PEQUEA TWP.: A vehicle was stolen from Carriage House Drive at 5:07 a.m. on Feb. 27, police said. While searching the neighborhood, officers discovered that three vehicles in the area had also been unlawfully entered, police said.
The top Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate and a leading contender for his partys nomination for governor said during a Lancaster city campaign stop Wednesday he will push to lower the states gas tax by the beginning of April.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Cormans plan would cut the state gas tax by one-third, which he estimated would save drivers about 20 cents per gallon through the end of the year. Pennsylvanias gas tax is currently 58.7 cents per gallon.

Corman said revenue to replace the gas taxes  which fund both transportation projects and the Pennsylvania State Police  would come from tapping more than $1.1 billion in federal pandemic relief funds that lawmakers declined to use last year. But that plan potentially would violate the terms of the federal relief program, which says states cant use the money to offset revenue losses incurred as a result of passing new laws.

Its what we can control, Corman said in an interview during a lunchtime visit to greet potential voters at Neptune Diner just a few hours after announcing his bill. Its not going to alleviate all of it by any stretch of the imagination, but we can at least do our part and jump in and try to help.

Corman, who supported a 2013 law that raised gas taxes as a way of fixing Pennsylvanias crumbling infrastructure, called the skyrocketing gas prices an emergency worthy of using the federal funding.

Thats exactly why we didnt spend it all. I know the Democrats all wanted to spend it immediately, Corman said, referring to plans from Gov. Tom Wolf and legislative Democrats to put the money toward areas like education, health care, small businesses and conservation.

This is a way that helps the economy because it puts more disposable income in peoples pockets, Corman said.

Corman joined Wolf in also calling for a suspension of the 18.4-cents-per-gallon federal gas tax. So far, the White House has said President Biden is considering a range of options for reducing prices at the pump but has not committed to the tax holiday. But if the federal tax was suspended and his state-level cut was enacted, Corman said Pennsylvania consumers would see gas taxes cut in half overall.

Corman said he hasnt spoken to Wolf about the bill but is hoping to pass it during three session days scheduled for the last week of March. A spokesperson for Wolf, who would have to sign the bill, said his office would review the legislation when its formally introduced.

A Centre County Republican, Corman made two Lancaster County pit stops Wednesday while on a statewide bus tour to gather signatures so he can get on the May 17 primary ballot. Before heading to a farm in Mount Joy, he walked around the city diner gathering signatures, chatting with voters, and sharing a moment with Neptune Diner owner Tony Mountis 4-year-old grandson, Nickolas.

About a dozen others are competing for the GOP gubernatorial nomination and Corman is pitching himself as an experienced legislator whos been in Harrisburg for more than two decades.

Addressing a potentially major disturbance in the two months before the primary, Corman also said he hopes the Pennsylvania Supreme Court throws out the states mail-in voting law in a case being heard this week.

A small group of Republican lawmakers are challenging the constitutionality of the 2019 law, Act 77, that allowed for widespread no-excuse mail-in voting. Corman, like nearly every other Republican lawmaker, supported the law in 2019. He, along with many of his colleagues, began calling for it to be dismantled after the 2020 presidential election.

Corman said he doesnt believe throwing out the law two months before the primary would have a major impact on Republicans. Asked whether hes encouraging people not to vote by mail, he said he does not encourage people either way.

Whatevers convenient for people to vote, he said. Thats their decision, and if its in the law they should do it that way.
Marr Contracting International (The Men From Marrs), has appointed Steve Ryder as General Manager of its growing international operations.

Based in Marrs London Office, Ryder will assume responsibility for managing the business UK-based team in transitioning pipeline international projects from contract negotiation through to operational workstreams for delivery.

An industry veteran, Ryder joins Marr after more than 30 years working predominantly across the petrochemical and thermal sectors.

As a project manager, he has succesfully managed the delivery of multi-disciplined new build and retrofit projects at some of the UKs biggest power stations including Drax Power Station (North Yorkshire), the Lynemouth Power Station Biomass Conversion (Newcastle), the Ratcliffe Power Station Environment Upgrade Project (Nottinghamshire) and Eggborough Power Station (North Yorkshire).

"Ryders in-depth understanding of the UK construction sector will be important in the adaptation of a successful and accepted technical and logistical model in the Australian domestic market for the UK and European markets," said Managing Director Tom Batley.

"His extensive experience across new build, service, repair and maintenance on large-scale projects in the UK means he understands what is required to deliver in this market," remarked Batley.

"With Marrs innovative approach to tower crane solutions now available in the UK, its about introducing Marrs way of thinking into the UKs construction culture as well as the benefits of engaging at the planning stage of a Project through an ECI arrangement," Ryder said.

"Essentially its about challenging the industry mindset to ask; What is the best crane solution for the project? and "How does the crane solution bring added value to the wider project?, to deliver safer, faster, and more cost-effective solutions to support the desired construction methodology and schedule," Ryder said.

Highlighting the appeal of working for a third-generation, family-owned business, Ryder said, On a personal and professional level this is a fantastic challenge to grow Marrs international business.

Marr Contracting are world leaders in the design and delivery of heavy lift luffing tower cranes and heavy lifting services.

With more than 90 years experience working on large-scale construction projects in Australia and around the world, their expertise spans the large-scale construction, mining, oil and gas, power, nuclear, major transport infrastructure, technology and marine sectors.

Not just a crew and cranes for hire, theyre big thinkers and problem solvers who love a challenge with a string of world firsts to their name  including the design of the worlds largest capacity tower crane, the Marr 2480D Heavy Lift Luffing (HLL) crane.
When: Penn Township supervisors meeting, Feb. 28.

What happened: Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Chief David Steffen delivered the annual report for 2021, followed by a question-and-answer session for Penn Township residents and officials.

Background: The police department also patrols Clay Township, Warwick Township and East Petersburg Borough. Of the four municipalities, Penn Township contributed 32% of the departments activity last year. Steffen, who serves as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Chiefs of Police, said the township has the highest growth rate among Lancaster County municipalities.

Statistics: In 2021 in Penn Township alone, there were 5,311 calls for service, 127 criminal arrests and 200 crash reports.

The cost: The departments $5.8 million budget for 2022 is the lowest per capita compared to East Lampeter, Lititz Borough, East Hempfield, Ephrata Borough, Manheim Township and Manheim Borough.

Key points: Steffen outlined the departments success in the areas of pandemic response, policy implementation, fuel savings and budgeting. He answered a residents question about how officers distinguish their own gun from a taser. Another resident asked about training to keep on top of illicit drugs  from bath salts to over-prescribed opiates. Steffen said drug trends were a moving target. Board member Gary Stevens commended Steffen for doing more with less in his handling of the departments budget. That includes virtual reality training and the purchase of body-worn cameras with a matching grant.

Quotable: We have enough available funding that if we have a grant opportunity, we can run for it, Steffen said.

Other happenings: Supervisors approved a $15,598 sewer bill credit to the Meadows East Apartments. The community had a big leak and incurred a $56,000 bill. Supervisors approved the reduction based on information that none of the water went in the creek. Supervisors also approved a repair of $2,018 for damage caused by squirrels to the salt shed and also discussed installation of squirrel guards. Finally, the board approved a request by the Penryn Special Fire Police to work an annual mud sale March 18 and March 19.
AN OPEN LETTER FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS OF CD 10

Dear Editor:

Concerned Citizens of the 10th District have been absolutely compromised when every district in the City of Los Angeles has a representative on the City Council except for us. Yes, 14 out of 15 leaves a mathematical answer to the question that many people in the city have been asking. How many districts are excluded from voting in the city? The answer is One district- and that district is the 10th District.

It is unfair and unjust, and Ray Charles could have seen this if he were here. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said after his campaign in Birmingham that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. This statement best represents the position we find ourselves in. The 10th District concerned citizens know what discrimination is and when we experience it, we resist it. We need to have a representative at the City Council table. We want to have the same representation that every other council district and every other business and resident is afforded in the City of Los Angeles.

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We need an appointed representative that has the power to speak and vote and represent us until the removed Councilman Mark Ridley Thomas has resolved his legal case with the federal government. We understand that to take away his right to prove his innocence is unacceptable. Yet, we need to have a vote at the table to register our influence on voting on citywide issues before the city council. This appointment will not violate the position of people who voted for the suspended Councilman of the 10th District who is waiting for his trial. An appointment will allow the Concerned Citizens of the 10th District to be made whole, while waiting for the suspended Councilman of our 10th District to prove his innocence.

When we receive a temporary representative, it reflects our best effort to be treated fairly by having a vote on citywide issues, like the budget, in the city where we live. We cannot imagine this occurring in any of the other areas of our city. We should not wait another week for this delay of justice. The world of delayed court dates should not adversely affect one of Los Angeles most vibrant multicultural communities. A strong diverse contingent of this very community came out in support of the city councils decision to appoint Wesson.

We applaud Council President Nury Martinez, for her efforts in securing us a representative and we hope that President Martinez and the other concerned Councilmembers will advocate for representation for the 10th District. We trust these leaders will not ignore the 10th District, nor do we believe they will shy away from the challenge of fairness and justice to people they represent either directly or indirectly. We believe the courts already know the disadvantage the residents of the 10th District experience everyday by not being represented on the council. We often wonder if the City Attorneys Office can represent our needs before the courts in the way they represent the other 14 districts in the city. Therefore, we demand representation and restoration of former Councilman Herb Wesson as the appointed temporary 10th District representative as was voted on by Los Angeles City Council. As the former representative of the 10th District, I cannot think of anyone who better knows the district than Councilman Wesson. His appointment as the interim councilmember would give us a voice and the vote we deserve right now, while insuring that when Councilman Ridley-Thomas resolves his legal issues there is no confusion about who is our council representative. This appears to be an easy fix and all the legal wrangling and political jockeying that has been going on over the past several months does nothing to help our district but continues to leave us unrepresented, and silent on the very issues that impact our district and that we as the residents of the 10th District care about the most.

Sincerely,

CONCERNED CITIZENS FOR THE 10TH DISTRICT
Aunt Louies Backbone

Discussing Snowfall with Actress Angela Lewis

FX Network premiered season five of their hit show Snowfall on February 23rd, 2022. A drug-drama set in Los Angeles in the 1980s, the fifth season takes its audience to 1986 for the return of Franklin Saints and his families crack cocaine embassy.

Behind every strong Black man is a strong Black woman, and this is something heavily proved through the shows dynamic relationship between Franklin Saints and his Aunt Louie, played by actress Angela Lewis.

The wife of Franklins biological uncle, Aunt Louie, originally came into the show during the first season as the first person that opens the door of his first sell. After introducing Saints to Claudia, a nightclub owner with enough financial stability to fund the cocaine, Aunt Louie joins the family business first as the crack cooker and then climbs her way up throughout the shows various seasons.

In the show, family dynamics change as each character evolves, and this is something Lewis portrays heavily while playing the role of Aunt Louie. A woman who worked her way to the top of Saints business, Aunt Louie is a loyal family member and employee who actually gets shot and almost killed at the end of the fourth season.

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That kind of allowed her to shift her focus, and allowed her to come to decisions on whats really important to her, Angela Lewis told the Los Angeles Sentinel. Before Jerome [her husband], she didnt have people in her life who really loved and supported her, but now shes realized she has a ride-or-die. This is the mentality she goes into during the start of season five.

Lewis did not get the role of Aunt Louie when she first auditioned, but after a year, she was called to do it again and got the part. It was during this time, when she realized the connection she had to this character.

When I got the callback for Snowfall I had to ask myself Can I play this character? We dont have similar lives, but I did a deep dive of who she might be and how she got to the place she was in in season one. After deeply meditating on it, I really loved her, and knew that if I said no shed go into the hands of someone that couldnt love her and protect her and bring out her humanity the way I could.

Aunt Louie is a woman who could easily get lost in the background of her familys business. Lewis made this her mission for it not to happen.

Even to this day my job is to protect her and love her. I want to bring her humanity to the screen.

A character who also suffers from drug addiction herself, Lewis admitted that Aunt Louie is not always an easy character to portray.

We are talking about drugs, and dealing drugs in our own community, and thats complex. But when we talk about how black people are seen in the media, we usually get a few shades. Black people are often seen as criminals, and thats sometimes hard for me. I never would have expected my first breakout show to be something like this, but I felt like Louie was too important to not be done with integrity and love.

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As for the fun parts of playing Louie, Lewis mentioned that her fun and big personality allows for me to step into my own personal power. I love the freedom in which she expresses herself, and I love the intelligence in which she navigates her world.

Lewis is a Detroit-native, and when asked how she was able to pull the authenticity of a Black Los Angeles women so well, she explained the history of her family. Aunt Louie is originally from the South, while Angela Lewis family migrated from the South to Detroit before her birth. She said she was able to pull this connection in order to create her character.

Theres a lot of similarities between black people everywhere, especially when you go back in time. I didnt need to do much to my speech but felt like I could use my experience and my DNA and my familial landmarks to lean into her character and how she moved because all black people come from common experience. However, we also had Dub C [Damson Idris] to help us make things more L.A. specific, said Lewis. I kind of lucked out that the shoe wasnt that hard to fit.

While Lewis makes acting the part of her character look effortless in the show, the actress mentioned that the two have many differences in personality.

Aunt Louie leads from a different space energetically, and fundamentally Ive been more loved and supported so I dont need as hard of a shell. Ive had many opportunities to explore different things and opportunities, but I think when you first meet Louie shes in a space of desperation that makes her do certain things. Louie comes from a very certain place of survival.

With this, Lewis says that both her and Louie do come from a similar place of pushing to be seen and to be their best selves. They also both strongly value family, leaning on people who want to protect them in various ways. The two also share a big heart.

Lewis strives that in this season people recognize Aunt Louie intelligence.

She has been the see-er and the reasoning behind a lot of Franklins moves. It gets lost that Louie has had a lot, if not most, of the good ideas. If Franklin takes her advice or not is always up to be seen throughout the show. I hope that people see, in the dynamic between them, that she aint wrong.

You can catch Angela Lewis on Snowfall on FX Network every Wednesday at 10 pm ET. New episodes are also available on Hulu for streaming.
California Black Clergy, Political Leaders Condemn Racism in Ukraine

There were many persons of color living in the Ukraine, enjoying, working and going to school. The Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, made a major change, read a letter the Rev. Steven Shepard, pastor of St. Paul African Methodist Church in San Bernardino, shared with parishioners and friends of his church via e-mail.

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For those persons of color, an additional crisis has emerged, the added burden of racism. As these people flee to the bordering countries, they are being met with open hostility, the letter continued

Shepard forwarded the letter, which called on AME Church members around the globe to support a student from the Ivory Coast who was seeking asylum in Ukraine until the war broke out. Shepard encouraged church members to stand with our African brothers and sisters and to condemn the racism in Ukraine.

The asylee in Ukraine, a young woman, had to wait for nearly 24 hours in frigid weather, hungry and cold, before crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border.

The letter Shepard shared was among hundreds of thousands, perhaps more, of videos, letters, memes, photos, and other media sent around the world highlighting racism in Ukraine on two fronts.

First, the way Ukrainian citizens were treating people from Africa, the Caribbean, and other people of African descent as people clamored to board trains and busses escaping the specter of the advancing Russian military.

We write with concern regarding the treatment of people of African and Asian descent who are trying to flee Ukraine, members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) wrote to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, asking for her to push back on the discriminatory incidents being reported.

CBC members Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations; Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-05); chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations; and Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett (VI-At Large) signed the letter.

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Thank you for clarifying that the borders of the European Union are open to everyone fleeing the war in Ukraine, the lawmakers continued. Nonetheless, numerous press and social media reports indicate that many Black families, immigrants from the African diaspora and other people of color are subject to discriminatory or inhumane treatment as they seek to flee Ukraine for the safety of other European countries.

Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari said the racist actions of Ukrainian citizens violated international treaties.

All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under UN convention and the color of their passport or their skin should make no difference, he said.

African leaders, commentators, civil rights leaders, public figures, and mass media personalities also spoke out against racist coverage of the war in the media as well.

This isnt a place, with all due respect like Iraq or Afghanistan. This is a relatively civilized, relatively European  I have to choose those words carefully, too  the city where you wouldnt expect that or hope that its going to happen, said CBS News correspondent Charlie DAgata, reporting from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

DAgata, who has since apologized for that comment, has been widely criticized for his bias.

Heres the thing. Beyond the racism. You do realize, until recently, fighting crazy wars was Europes thing. That is all of European history. They even had something called the Hundred Years War, said comedian Trevor Noah, reacting to DAgatas comments.

I dont know about you, but I was shocked to see how many reporters around the world, by the way, seem to think its more of a tragedy when White People have to flee their countries, Noah pointed out.
CDU Receives $20 Million Donation from Philanthropist Scott

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made a $20 million donation to Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) in South Los Angeles, one of the nations four historically Black medical schools and a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

This one-time gift represents the largest private donation in the history of the University, which was founded in 1966 in the wake of the Watts Uprising to address inequities in healthcare.

CDU has been on a tireless pursuit to cultivate diverse health professional leaders dedicated to social justice and health equity for underserved populations, noted Dr. David M. Carlisle, CEO and president of CDU.

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This investment will advance that goal by providing resources to support and enhance our outstanding education, research, clinical service, and community engagement. We are truly grateful for MacKenzie Scotts generosity and dedication to important issues around social justice.

Scott has personally donated more than half a billion dollars to public and private historically Black colleges and universities. CDU has been recognized as an HBCU by the State of California and is also a federally-designated Historically Black Graduate Institution.

The university provides undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs to approximately one-thousand current students looking to start or accelerate careers in healthcare. The university also seeks to address several areas of health disparities through a multi-pronged translational research approach.

The mission of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is noble, and it takes noble people like MacKenzie Scott to help bring it to fruition, stated Benjamin Quillian, Ph.D., chair of CDUs Board of Trustees.

This kind act will have a ripple effect that starts with our students and ends with improved health outcomes in under-resourced neighborhoods.

CDU is ranked as the #2 school in America for student and faculty diversity and is the only historically Black university west of Texas. CDU has been repeatedly cited as a top school in the nation for its graduates early career salaries and for providing high-income careers for previously low-income students.

Last year, CDU also received its largest ever single appropriation when the State of California made a one-time allocation of $50 million in the state budget to support the University in its quest to establish a four-year medical degree program and a building to house it.

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Learn more about Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science at cdrewu.edu.
Deon Kipping Releases Sound of the Believer

Gospel recording artist, songwriter and producer Deon Kipping released a brand new single Sound of the Believer,  and available on all digital providers. Released on his independent record label, The Underestimated Group, which provide recordings in a variety of genres including gospel, contemporary christian, and urban music, the label announces the next phase of their growth by securing a digital distribution partnership with the global music platform, Vydia.

The partnership with Vydia allows The Underestimated Group to expand its catalog of new music from Deon Kipping and Christian collective The Huddle Worship to its fans and consumers abroad.

Download or stream Sound of the Believer now: https://vydia.lnk.to/SoundOfTheBeliever

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Written by Deon and produced by GRAMMY-nominee and Dove Award winner Dana Sorey (Tye Tribbett, Marvin Sapp, Anthony Brown and group therAPy), Sound of the Believer is the follow-up to 2021s God Is Working. As a highly regarded songwriter in the Gospel industry, Deon Kipping consistently manages to identify the sound that is making the biggest impact in the hearts of listeners today, which is why Sound of the Believer is in line to bring Kipping repeated success as many of his previous offerings have.

As a songwriter Kipping penned his first radio hit Incredible God, Incredible Praise for JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise followed by an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award win for Praise Him in Advanceand countless genre hits such as Immediately for Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Better for The Showers, and Let Your Power Fall for James Fortune to name a few. As an artist he released Real Life, Real Worship (2006), I Just Want to Hear You (2012), an EP A Place Called Victory (2016), and Something To Talk About (2016).

In 2017, he was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Several gospel artists responded with prayer and support on their own social media pages, including Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin tweeting Please stop for a moment and pray for my homie @thatdudedeon who has stage 3 cancer. Less than a year later, Deon Kipping took to his Instagram social page and declared that he was cancer-free. Kipping resides in Greenville, South Carolina and serves as a Worship Leader for Redemption East.
Ed Lara, Legendary Businessman and Philanthropist, Passes Away

Noted businessman and philanthropist Ed Lara passed away recently at the age of 91. A well-known community leader and entrepreneur, Lara and his wife, Genevieve, were owner-operators of Westside Distributors in Los Angeles for nearly 30 years.

Their company was part of Anheuser-Busch Wholesaler network. By all accounts, Ed and Gen served with distinction and made many contributions to organizations throughout South L.A. until they both retired in 2000.

Ed Lara was often saluted for his giving spirit and fundraising skills. St. Timothys Episcopal Church Day School in Compton was a frequent recipient of his talents as well as other civic and community groups. In fact, his 80th birthday celebration doubled as a fundraiser for St. Timothys School.

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According to a November 2010 Sentinel article, Lara stressed that the most important focus that day were the children of St. Timothys Day school. He said, This events fundraising would help the school continue its 48-year journey of providing a quality education right in the heart of Compton. Also, many of the schools alumni have become doctors and lawyers while others have obtained similar esteemed professional careers.

More than 250 people attended the event including elected officials such as Congresswoman Maxine Waters, corporate executives like Kenneth Bentley of Nestle USA Foundation and business owners such as Deloria Jones of Djones Marketing Enterprises. Also, he received written and video tributes from President Barack Obama and retired Anheuser-Busch Western Region Manager John T. Stevens, respectively.

Ed Laras celebration of life services were pending at press time.
Gipson Pushes for Health Equity at MLK Community Hospital

AB 2426, co-authored by Senator Steven Bradford, will address funding shortfall hospital faces caring for over 100,000 patients per year in its emergency department

Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) introduced AB 2426, to address health equity in the South Los Angeles community. This bill would build off of AB 2599 (Bass, 2009) and cover hospital-based outpatient services provided in the emergency department.

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH) plans to use the additional funding to cover its significant shortfall in emergency department costs. Resources freed by filling this gap will be used to continue to invest in the community, expanding community-based prevention and disease management and ultimately reducing reliance on emergency services.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on communities of color has shined a light on the vulnerability of our most medically underserved and the critical role that MLKCH plays in the heart of South LA, said Gipson.

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Current streams are insufficient in helping MLKCH maintain and because 87% percent of emergency room visits here are Medi-Cal or uninsured, our effort makes sense. This legislation is putting healthcare equity at the forefront and creating long-lasting investments to improve the lives of our families.

South LA has been a COVID hot spot and the hospital consistently ranked among the top two in the region for number of COVID patients (8,000) relative to size of facility during the pandemic. The situation is similar post-pandemic.

Lacking access to community-based providers (South LA has a deficit of 1,300 doctors), patients rely on the emergency department and hospital as their primary source of care, while diseases are left to run their course. The rate of diabetes in South LA is three times the rest of the state, diabetes mortality is 72% higher, and life expectancy is 10 years shorter.

We applaud Assemblymember Gipson and Senator Bradford for introducing AB 2426 to help make our hospital financially secure, said Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital.

The hospitals emergency department, initially projected to care for 40,000 patients a year, cares for over 100,000 patients annually. The hospital receives no supplemental funding for emergency room visits because they are outpatient services. In fact, MLKCH loses approximately $25 million annually on emergency department care.

AB 2426 would create an expansion of supplemental funding, as provided for in AB 2599, to cover hospital-based outpatient services provided in the emergency department. The bill would allow MLKCH to use the additional funding to expand community-based prevention and disease management and ultimately reduce reliance on emergency services.

The bill will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee later this month.
Grant Funds Now Available for South LA Community Organizations

Los Angeles Council District Eight has officially launched the CD8 Community Based Organization Grant Fund. The first granting program of its kind, this fun is fully funded by the reinvestment of monies redirected from the Los Angeles Police Department to impacted communities in South Los Angeles.

Existing and new organization who provide preventative and intervention services, business growth or support, as well as mental health services will benefit from this funding opportunity. The Jemmott Rollins Group will manage the fund and use a grant process to disperse the $4.2 million reinvestment to the Districts nonprofit sector.

Most organizations within Council District Eight are small organizations who support their families and community through service. The district is made up of people with a shared love of togetherness. The community makes a strong effort to help their homeless neighbors, social clubs organize community clean ups and paint over graffiti, and groups outreach to their youth and seniors. Council District Eight has created a grant specifically for the helping people, and believes that they can help small and larger nonprofit organizations, surface them, support them, and recognize them for enhancing the quality of life in the neighborhood.

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The CD8 Community Based Organization Grant Fund awards will range from $5,000 to $75,000. To determine if your organization is eligible for a grant, you can find eligibility information and registration details on their website: www.cd8communitygrant.org.
Cerberus Capital Management, a global leader in alternative investing, has announced that Rabih Sfeir has joined as a Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Capital Formation for the Middle East, based in Dubai.

Sfeir brings nearly 15 years of experience in capital fundraising and corporate development across real estate strategies.

He most recently served as Head of Capital Formation for Real Estate at DigitalBridge, where he managed and grew the firms relationships with limited partners in the Middle East.

Sfeir previously held senior financial and managerial positions at multinational groups, including Kingdom Hotel Investments and LCH Holding.

"His appointment underscores our commitment to building long-term relationships with investors around the world," said Lee Millstein, President of Cerberus Global Investments and Global Head of Real Estate for Cerberus.

"We have consistently delivered solutions to investors across our established, multi-strategy real estate platform and look forward to extending our reputation as a trusted partner with Rabihs leadership," he added.

Grant Berlin, Global Head of Real Estate Fundraising for Cerberus, said: "Were thrilled to welcome Sfeir to the team. His extensive sector knowledge and strong background of cultivating partnerships will further deepen our engagement with investors in this important region."

Since 1993, Cerberus has been a leading investor in real estate and real estate-related assets. The firm is one of the largest and most experienced investors in non-performing loan portfolios, partnering with top financial institutions around the world.

Cerberus real estate platform manages approximately $27 billion of real estate-related assets supported by a team of more than 150 professionals across the Firm located in the US, Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Australia.

On his new role, Sfeir said: "Cerberus has built a world-class real estate franchise. For nearly three decades, the team has created a distinct edge for investors by integrating its investment and operating capabilities."

"With compelling opportunities across the platform, Im excited to help meet the evolving needs of institutional investors in the Middle East," he added.
New Report: Recovery Far From Over for So Cals Black Workers, Who Detail Economic and Social Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

Essentials Stories Report Uncovers Challenges Faced by Black Workers During the Pandemic; Recommends Solutions for State Officials to Turn Around This Crisis

A report released today by the Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity (CARE) at Work, at the UCLA Labor Center, is the first large-scale study of Black workers in Southern California, which is home to 60% of the Black population in the state. The report documents the challenges faced by nearly 2,000 Black workers in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego counties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the report, Essential Stories: Black Worker COVID-19 Economic Health Impact Survey, workers sound the alarm on the economic restructuring being felt on the ground as a result of the pandemic that emerged in Southern California. With heightened unemployment, underemployment, and unsafe conditions for a workforce plagued by a long history of systemic racism, researchers find that it will take a decade to address these critical issues if state officials do not intervene promptly.

According to the study, close to 70% of Black workers who lost their jobs or were furloughed during the pandemic have not been called back to work. More than half of Black workers surveyed worked in essential or frontline sectors pre-pandemic. Through their stories shared in the report, Black workers conveyed essential needs that will allow them and their communities to weather this crisis.

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Disproportionate health, economic, and housing discrimination have converged into a restructuring that will cause further unemployment and underemployment for Black workers, unless Californias recovery plans specifically address their needs, said Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Director of CARE at Work. It is important to remember that after the Great Recession, it took 13 years for Black unemployment to lower back to pre-recession levels. To have a prompt and meaningful economic recovery this time, Black workers need relief, resources, and programming tailored to their needs.

The report finds that as Black workers have navigated overlapping economic and health crises during the pandemic, there has been insufficient systemic support available and accessible to them. 71% of on-site workers were concerned about COVID-19 exposure on the job. A third of workers reported uncertainty that they could afford food in the next month.

Most workers reported low compliance with COVID-19 safety regulations at work, and only 20% were aware of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Healths (Cal/OSHA) COVID-19 notification requirements, said Deja Thomas, Program Manager at CARE at Work. On top of that, almost half of workers who experienced prejudice or discrimination at work during the pandemic were pushed out of their jobs.

Meriel Anderson-McDade, who works as an employment placement coordinator for a community college, expressed her frustration about workplace discrimination that she experienced when she received an unwarranted poor performance evaluation by her supervisor during the pandemic. My white colleagues, evaluated by the same supervisor, said they got a perfectly fine evaluation, said Anderson-McDade. A lot of times, youre not valued because of the color of your skin.

Researchers note that inadequate care infrastructure  both in the workplace and within local, state, and federal emergency support  has created a state of emergency for Black workers. A total of 90% percent of Black women surveyed had an increase in at-home and financial responsibilities during the pandemic, and many of their employers were inflexible in accommodating their needs.

The Black workers we surveyed are facing high levels of stress, said report author Demetria Murphy. 80% of Black workers rated their stress level as three or more on a scale of one to five. And what is even more concerning is that most Black women rated their stress level at a four or five.

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One Black worker who experienced undue stress from an inflexible employer is Shekinah Pitts, who shared her experience with erratic employment as an area manager for a food service company. During the pandemic, I was furloughed  four months on, two months off. And then I was furloughed again for another four months, said Pitts. And [we] were forced to use our paid time off as opposed to being allowed to file for unemployment. So all my time that I had saved up, I had to use that first.

In response to the concerns of Black workers surveyed in the report and a subsequent exhaustive research analysis, the report offers the following key recommendations:

Long-term quality jobs, economic support, and COVID-19 recovery programming

Black worker wellness support through targeted programming

Direct workforce rights training and development programming

In order for the current economic restructure to lead to an equitable recovery, researchers emphasize the importance of amplifying the voices of Black workers. These recommendations have been further summarized in the report in context of regional, state, and federal labor policies.
Pilgrims Hope Bible Church Plans 59th Anniversary

The Rev. Dr. Melvin Von Wade will be the guest preacher at the 59th anniversary celebration of Pilgrims Hope Bible Church.

According to Pastor C. Lamar Simmons, the service will be held on Sunday, March 13, at 10:30 a.m. in the edifice located at 7016 Compton Avenue in Los Angeles. The theme is Lord, Revive Us Again.

We are imminently excited as a move of God is on the horizon and we await it with great expectation as Dr. Wade, leads us into the next chapter of history, said Pastor Simmons. We look forward to celebrating this occasion with our community as the family of God. So, come out and join us.

Dr. Wade served 42 years as the spiritual leader of Mount Moriah Baptist Church before retiring in 2017. Nationally known for his powerful sermons, Wades preaching ministry exceeds 50 years.

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He has delivered sermons at 10 U.S. colleges and universities including his alma mater, Bishop College and to nearly 7,000 people at Hampton University. Also, he previously served as president of the 300,000-member National Missionary Baptist Convention and on the National Board of Directors of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.

For information about the anniversary service, call the Pilgrims Hope church office at 323.581.7672.
Ukraine's foreign minister says peace talks with Russian officials have yet to produce an agreement in negotiations supported by Turkey. In South Korea, President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol says he will build up the U.S. alliance and deal firmly with North Korea after winning the country's presidential election. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Polish officials including President Andrzej Duda to support members of the NATO military alliance. And in Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta urges the lifting of international restrictions on Zimbabwe in a meeting with that country's president.
Since Russias invasion of Ukraine, China has attempted to balance its position on the conflict.

President Xi Jinpings government has tried to distance itself from the Russian offensive. But it has also avoided direct criticism of Russia.

In addition, China has offered to act as a negotiator in the conflict. But, it has denounced trade and financial restrictions put on Russia by Western nations.

Public support in China for the governments position has appeared in comments published on social media, The Associated Press reported.

The ruling Communist Partys control of all Chinese media and heavy internet censorship make it hard to know the publics opinion. But the things the government permits media to report and the online material it chooses not to censor suggest what it might want the public to think.

Expressions of sympathy for Ukraine appear in Chinese websites and on social media, along with support for Russia. But direct criticism of Russia or its activities in Ukraine is not easily found.

One message published by a user of Chinas Weibo social media service expressed an opinion about the victims of war. When a war begins, is it not the children of ordinary people who serve as cannon fodder? the message said. The statement was published under the name Da Ke Ming Yi. Those who died were the children of ordinary people, the user added.

Recently, a letter signed by five university professors criticized Russia for attacking a weaker neighbor, the AP reported. We stand against unjust wars, said the letter, which appeared briefly on social media before it was removed. The group included professors at Beijings Tsinghua University, where many ruling party leaders studied.

Critics published comments on social media denouncing the professors for failing to represent the ruling partys official position of neutrality.

The ruling party has spent many years using its school system and the state-controlled media to present a sense of national grievance. In other words, to support the feeling that one nation is mistreating another. The government efforts center on accusations that the United States has tried to block Chinas rise as a world leader.

Chinese state media repeat the ruling partys position that the U.S. and its European allies are responsible for the war in Ukraine. China has argued that the West did not react favorably to Russias demand that Ukraine be barred from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

China has also long accused the U.S. and its allies of interfering in its national affairs. This includes issues such as Chinas claim over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. U.S. officials have also criticized Chinese government policies in the far western area of Xinjiang. That is where China is accused of detaining over a million ethnic Uyghurs.

Zheng Bowen, a 38-year-old Chinese engineer, told the AP that Russias attack, as a historical event is not a good one. But, the engineer added, People think the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is because the United States stirred up trouble.

The state-run newspaper Capital News urged the public to back the ruling partys positions on the Ukraine conflict. The nations attitude is our attitude, it said.

However, the newspaper appeared to support the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It states that Ukraine should become a neutral territory between Russia and Europe and should give up the possibility of joining NATO. It said Ukraine should be a bridge between East and West, rather than a frontier of confrontation between major powers.

Some online comments have urged China to support Russia by buying its exports of oil, gas and other goods. Let the Russian Embassy sell their goods on livestream. Lets show them Chinas buying power, said a comment signed Bao Zou Guang Xiao Pang on Weibo. It received 42,000 likes.

A separate comment called on Chinas leaders to continue normal trade with Russia. That would be an indirect rejection of economic restrictions placed on Russia by Western nations. That comment received nearly 80,000 likes.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

censorship  n. the system or practice of censoring books, movies, letters, etc.

ordinary  adj. not special, different or unusual in any way

cannon fodder  n. when soldiers are described as cannon fodder, it means military officers do not consider them important when they are sent into war

grievance  n. a complaint or strong feeling that a person or group has been treated unfairly

stir up  phrasal v. to cause an unpleasant emotion or problem to begin or grow

attitude  n. a feeling or opinion about something or someone

frontier  n. a border between two countries

confrontation  n. a fight or argument

livestream  n. a broadcast of video and sound of an event over the internet as it happens
South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday he will build a powerful military and take a hard line against North Korean actions. He also promised to rebuild the countrys alliance with the United States.

Yoon is a member of the conservative People Power Party. He won a five-year term beginning in May following a hard-fought election.

During the campaign, Yoon accused outgoing liberal President Moon Jae-in of being more friendly toward North Korea and China than the U.S. He also wanted to have better relations with Japan, even though the countries have been opponents in the past.

Firm against North Korea

Ill rebuild the South Korea-U.S. alliance, Yoon said in a televised news conference on Thursday. He promised to establish a strong military capacity and to firmly deal with illicit, unreasonable behavior by North Korea.

However, he said, "I'll always leave open the door for South-North talks."

After his victory, the new South Korean leader spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden. The White House said in a statement Biden congratulated Yoon and the two agreed to work together in dealing with threats from North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. In recent weeks, North Korea has tested several new missile and satellite systems.

Yoon said South Korea and Japan should work on building future relationships. The two countries are closely linked economically and culturally. But relations worsened under Moons presidency over disputes related to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday he wants to improve ties between the countries. But he said Japan will not pay any more money to South Korea than it agreed to in a 1965 treaty.

Hard-fought campaign

Yoon won the election with a very small number of votes over Lee Jae-Myung, the liberal governing party candidate.

The victory was partly seen as a rejection of Moon's liberal government. Moons popularity suffered in recent years over failures to deal with economic inequalities, weak job markets and rising house prices. These problems affected many people in their 20s and 30s.

Yoon now has to control South Koreas record-breaking COVID-19 cases and deal with economic issues. He also faces a nation sharply divided by areas of the country, political views, age and gender.

During the campaign, Yoon promised to end the country's Gender Equality and Family Ministry, saying its policies are unfair toward men. Opinion studies released after Wednesday's election showed that his gains in male votes were largely canceled out by young women who voted for Lee.

During Thursday's news conference, Yoon repeated a view that the country no longer has structural barriers to women's success. He said dealing with the pandemic would be of the highest importance for his team.

Im Jill Robbins.

Hyung-Jin Kim And Kim Tong-Hyung reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

capacity  n. the ability to contain, absorb, or receive and hold

illicit - adj. disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons

gender  n. the state of being male or female in relation to the social and cultural roles that are considered appropriate for men and women

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Thailand is encouraging its people to have more babies to stop a decrease in the national birth rate.

The Southeast Asian country plans to open more fertility centers and offer childcare services to parents. It also plans to use social media influencers to spread the message about the joys of family life.

The number of births in Thailand has dropped nearly one third since 2013. Last year there were 544,000 births. That represents the lowest birth rate in at least 60 years. Coronavirus-related deaths added to the total of 563,000 deaths.

Thailands decreasing population is similar to other Asian countries like Japan or Singapore. But the nation is still developing. That means the effects of a falling birth rate are an even bigger problem.

Teera Sindecharak is an expert on demography, or changes in population numbers, at Thammasat University in Bangkok. He said the numbers show a population crisiswhere the mindset towards having children has changed.

Senior health official Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai told Reuters the government recognized a need to intervene.

He commented on the governments plans to introduce policies so that newborns get the full support of the state. He said it is trying to slow down the reduction in births by getting families that are ready to have children faster.

Officials said the plans include opening fertility centers all over the country and also using social media influencers to support bigger families.

Such policies came too late for some. Chinthathip Nantavong, 44, decided with her partner of 14 years not to have children.

"Raising one child costs a lot, she said. She added that several months of care for a young child is already 50,000 to 60,000 baht ($1,520 to $1,850) and then it reaches millions later. She said that other countries have better care centers and social support policies.

Aging nation

Sindecharak said Thailand is heading towards becoming a super-aged society where the number of people over 60 is more than one fifth of the population. About 18 percent of Thailands population is now over 60.

Last year, there were 3.4 working-aged people for every retired person. But officials predict that number could fall to 1.7 by 2040.

Danucha Pichayanan is the head of the state-planning agency. He said the productivity of manufacturing will decrease.

He also said a decreasing growth rate could weaken government finances. Experts have said government retirement payments already are not considered enough.

"We have a cat

"It's become more difficult in deciding to have children," said Sindecharak. He said, in the last 10 years, the economy has slowed. At the same time, living costs increased but income growth slowed.

Political division, rising debt and education costs were also major influences in peoples opinions about having children. Experts say short-term fixes may not be enough.

Information from the Bank of Thailand shows that household debt has grown to nearly 90 percent of the countrys GDP. That is a measure used for the size of a countrys economy. Debt was 59 percent of GDP in 2010.

But for many like Nantavong, who has chosen to not have children, costs are the biggest problem.

"The middle class, office workers or people that are trying make ends meet think the same way," she said.

"Right now we have a cat and it's not as costly as a child," she said.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

encourage  v. to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident

province  n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

society  n. the people of a particular country, area, or time thought of especially as an organized community

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A second suspect has been arrested in connection to the 2021 murder of an Albany man, according to a news release from the Linn County Sheriff
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The UAE and Seychelles discussed strengthening the economic partnership between the two nations by exploring new areas of cooperation and agreeing on new frameworks of coordination on the sidelines of Expo 2020 Dubai.



The meeting between Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, the UAE Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs and Devika Vidot, Minister for Investment, Industry, Entrepreneurship and Industry in Seychelles also focused on facilitating mutual access to their markets for investors and entrepreneurs, capitalising on promising opportunities, and increasing trade and investment flows by focusing on the tourism and clean energy sectors, reported Emirates News Agency WAM.



Al Falasi said the UAE has adopted an ambitious vision for the next 50 years based on improving economic and commercial openness to the rest of the world and establishing international partnerships and evolving cooperation programmes in priority sectors.



The non-oil trade exchange between the two countries grew 27.3 percent compared to 2020, with non-oil exports up 35.1 percent, re-exports 25 percent, and imports 16.7 percent.
An Oxnard man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Sunday after he drove the wrong way on Highway 101 near Los Alamos, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Late last year, due to a glitch or practical joke, Uber Eats had the Crystal Corner Bar on the Near East Side offering lobster ravioli, seared Long Island duck breast, Norwegian salmon and other haute cuisine.

Normally, what passes for food at the Crystal is frozen pizza and hot nuts.

Now, starting March 18, the tavern, which dates to 1947, will offer salads, tacos, burgers, sandwiches and pizza, all courtesy of the nearby Marquette Hotel Cafe.

Were just helping give it that vibe and blend in with old Wisconsin, said James Montgomery, owner of the Marquette Hotel Cafe. The Crystal Corner is such a pillar of this neighborhood. Its been here forever.

The cafe, which opened last May in the four-year-old self-check-in hotel on South Baldwin Street, is less than 100 yards from the bar, 1302 Williamson St., and Montgomery and his employees plan to run the food across Williamson Street from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Well obviously grow the hours as we figure out what works and what doesnt work, Montgomery said.

Customers will order and pay through an iPad kiosk on the table near the door of the bar. Montgomery said its the same kiosk he uses at the hotel, just with a bigger frame around it. He said he carefully decorated it with old-school Wisconsin stickers.

The cafe itself wont be open for dinner service, but in the future Montgomery plans to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner and become a full-blown restaurant. Once that happens, Montgomery said he might need to change the name to the Marquette Hotel Restaurant. So far, its just breakfast from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. Friday through Tuesday.

Were doing slow growth and trying to work within the parameters of staffing and then also COVID, Montgomery said. You cant really push the pedal down full force and go as fast as you want to. Its almost like you have your training wheels on.

Business was strong in the summer, but slowed with the omicron variant surge, he said. The 11-room hotel is doing well, and Montgomery said he feels lucky to have established it before the pandemic.

Cafe customers have enjoyed ordering from the iPad, even people who are his grandmothers age, Montgomery, 46, said. They just click away and theyre very familiar with it.

Customers who order from the Crystal wont be charged for delivery, Montgomery said.

These delivery companies are just pillaging restaurants by charging them upwards of 30% and theyre already struggling, he said. So, you can place your order, play pool, listen to music, socialize, and then well make the food here and bring it over and drop it off to you.

The cafes kitchen manager, Chris Stephens, will handle dinner and breakfast. From 2001 to 2005, Stephens managed the kitchen at Manna Cafe, and went back to Manna in 2018 and managed its bakery until the restaurant closed in 2020.

The dinner menu will have salads; three types of tacos; smash burgers; a spicy chicken sandwich; deep fried cod; Neapolitan-inspired pizza; pad Thai, which will include a deep-fried spring roll; banh mi; and two deli sandwiches.

Well start there, then well add other fun stuff, like cheese curds and bratwurst, Montgomery said.

The dinner menu will be available exclusively at the Crystal. We want to see how our staffing goes and we also dont want to be overwhelmed and have too much going on. I think its a great opportunity to work with the Crystal Corner because everybodys been to the Crystal, at least around here.

If the model works, Montgomery said he would be happy to place a kiosk in other interested businesses nearby.

Read more restaurant news at go.madison.com/restaurants.

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Someone defaced the sign in the window of Mirch Masala, so instead of it saying Indian-Nepali cuisine, the Nepali is crossed out and underneath it says not Nepali.

Owner Gokul Silwal said it was vandalism and acknowledges that his momo dumplings are the main nod to his Nepali roots. There are a few other Nepali dishes, like the chicken secuwa, lamb secuwa and lamb curries, but the majority of the enormous menu consists of Indian fare.

Silwal said that in an attempt to appeal to UW-Madison students, he tries to make his food healthier by using less oil. He said his dishes also use less spice.

That appealed to my 16-year-old daughter who eats healthfully and likes her food on the mild side. The food tasted almost as good to me as it did when I first had it in 2014, after Silwal moved the restaurant into the unnamed two-story mall on the 400 block of State Street.

Mirch Masala is on the second floor in the space some longtime Madisonians may remember as La Bamba, with burritos as big as your head.

For 12 years, Silwal was head chef at the former Chautara on State Street with its Americanized mix of Nepali, Tibetan and Indian food. He opened Mirch Masala in late 2011 on Capitol Square, but was one of three businesses that lost leases to make room for Rare Steakhouse.

The pandemic, Silwal said, has been hard on the restaurant, and he hates to pass rising food prices on to his college customers.

So, unsurprisingly, what I found was that the proteins in the dishes I ordered were in short supply, but the flavors were all excellent, and we were given plenty of rice.

The chicken tikka masala ($14.99) could have used a bit more chicken breast, but the creamy, tomatoey goodness of the slightly sweet sauce was undeniable.

My daughters tofu tonic ($13.95) made up for a dearth of tofu by including a wonderful variety of vegetables: green beans, peas, zucchini, and green and red peppers. The narrow pieces of soft, smooth tofu were bathed in a lighter, creamy, tomato-based sauce that was more subtle than the chicken tikka masala sauce. The dish was better enjoyed without rice to truly appreciate its delicate flavor.

The baingan bhartha ($12.95), an eggplant dish with roasted eggplant, mashed and sauteed with onions, garlic, ginger, and other spices, was fantastic. It was a nice way to introduce my daughter to eggplant, which shes rejected in the past. She adored this dish.

The paneer, or homemade cheese, in our spinach favorite, palak paneer ($13.95), was lacking. It was also rather bland. This was the weakest of the meals we ordered, but still delicious.

The naan bread ($2.99) was fresh and puffy and went with it well.

The restaurant used to have a daily lunch buffet, which isnt operating now. Silwal said he hopes to bring it back once he gets more help in the kitchen.

Mirch Masala offers a simple heat scale: mild, medium and hot, and I ordered the chicken tikka masala at medium, which was perfect. My daughter was able to eat the other dishes, which were mild.

The dinner was the high point of a week when my daughter and I were stuck inside with COVID-19. And the contactless delivery with the driver leaving the bag at our door was key.

It was only the second time Ive used EatStreet, or any delivery service. I dont normally even get pizza delivered and have no problem picking up carryout food myself. The exorbitant fees are certainly a disincentive.

Silwal said his landlord and management company havent been the most cooperative, so hes looking for a new location when his lease runs out in August.

A spokesperson for Opitz Management confirmed that Mirch Masala will be leaving its spot, but said she wasnt able to talk about the situation. Im not allowed to discuss anything with regard to tenants, she said.

Mirch Masala is one of only two Indian restaurants Downtown and the closest one to campus. Heres hoping Silwal can find a suitable new spot nearby.

Diner's scorecard Restaurant: Mirch Masala Location: 449 State St. Phone: 608-665-3667 Website: Through EatStreet Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Prices: Appetizers $1.99 to $10.95; soup $2.95 to $3.95; salads $8.95 to $10.95; bread $2.99 to $4.50; entrees $10.95 to $20.95, desserts $3.50 to $4.95. Credit cards: Accepted Accessibility: By elevator, but it's not always working Outdoor dining: No Delivery: EatStreet, DoorDash, delivery.com Drinks: Beer and wine Gluten-free: Most of the menu is GF. Can also accommodate by request. Vegetarian offerings: Lots Kids menu: No, but can accommodate Reservations: Yes Parking: Street parking and nearby ramp Bottom line: Gokul Silwal has been serving up delicious Indian food in Downtown Madison for 10 years.

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Four Dane County men have been charged with drug and gun crimes in federal grand jury indictments returned Wednesday, the office of U.S. Attorney Timothy M. OShea said.

Sylvester Ray Gavins, Jr., 31, of Madison, was charged with possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, possessing a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, OShea said in a statement.

The indictment alleges that on March 26, 2021, Gavins possessed cocaine and heroin for distribution and a loaded .40 caliber firearm and .40 caliber ammunition.

Alexander Jefferson-Cooper, 28, and Zendel Rolack, 26, both of Oregon, were charged with being felons in possession of firearms, OShea said.

The indictment alleges that from Sept. 7 through Oct. 5, Jefferson-Cooper possessed a Walther handgun, and that on Oct. 5, Rolack possessed a Smith and Wesson revolver, a Cobra handgun, and a Walther handgun.

And Raymond Poore, 29, of DeForest, Wisconsin, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, OShea said.

The indictment alleges that he possessed a loaded 9mm handgun and 9mm ammunition on Nov. 18.

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More than a year after a crash that killed a man who was walking across a street in Sun Prairie, a woman was charged Wednesday with homicide by negligent driving, after a crash reconstruction expert estimated she was driving at nearly twice the speed limit before the crash.

Ruth Varkey, 24, of Sun Prairie, is alleged to have been going between 52 and 57 mph on West Main Street in Sun Prairie the night of Feb. 24, 2021, before she struck Jacob A. Jacobson, 45, who was crossing the street in a marked pedestrian crossing. The speed limit in that area was 30 mph, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court.

The complaint indicates another car that was turning left from Ruby Lane onto West Main Street paused moments before the crash to let Jacobson, who was already in the crosswalk, finish crossing the street.

Varkey is scheduled to appear in court on March 21. The charge she faces carries up to 10 years of combined prison and extended supervision.

According to Jacobsons obituary, published in a newspaper in Fairbanks, Alaska, where Jacobson was from, he grew up in Fairbanks and came to Madison to attend UW-Madison and ended up staying in the area.

Jacob liked Wisconsin and the people he met there and stayed on until his accidental death, his obituary states. He loved cats and made sure his pets were treated well.

An autopsy found Jacobson died from blunt force injuries to his head, torso and right leg, the complaint states.

According to the complaint:

The crash was witnessed by Sun Prairie police Officer Adem Hadji, who said he was driving west on West Main Street approaching the intersection with Ruby Lane when he saw someone cross the street at Ruby Lane. Hadji said he saw the person silhouetted against the headlights of an eastbound vehicle, then get struck and go airborne.

Hadji said it appeared Varkey, the driver of the vehicle traveling east, tried to maneuver around the pedestrian, Jacobson, but was not successful.

Varkey told police she was on her way to a friends house, driving about 45 mph, when she struck Jacobson. She said it was dark and she did not see him until he was right in front of her vehicle. She said he was fast walking across the street in the crosswalk before she struck him.

Another driver, who came out of the Kwik Trip at the corner and stopped at the stores Ruby Lane exit, said he noticed Jacobson because he was wearing a red coat. He said Jacobson was walking quickly and was nearly to the south edge of West Main when he was struck.

Video from the nearby Varsity Bar and Grill showed Jacobson enter the crosswalk, and another car attempting to turn east from Ruby Lane to West Main, but stopping mid-turn to let Jacobson cross the street. Five seconds later, Varkeys vehicle struck Jacobson. After striking him, her vehicle swerves slightly to the left then re-corrects before it stops.

State Patrol Trooper Peter Moe, a member of the agencys Technical Reconstruction Unit, used the video evidence to calculate the speed of Varkeys vehicle at between 52 and 57 mph.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said his office received the referral for the case in June, then reviewed it with his offices traffic team before a charging decision was made.

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Having fuelled more than AED6 billion ($1.63 billion) in business across 125 companies in the UAE and the wider region, the Entrepreneurs' Organisation (EO) UAE has celebrated 25 years of operations in the UAE.

The chapter has built a vibrant and prominent community of 149 entrepreneurs across the seven emirates. EO UAE members drive job creation across 25 sectors and employ over 15,000 people in the country  reflecting growth in alignment with that of the nation's progress.

Since 1997, EO UAE has worked alongside partners in government, industry, academia and community groups, to achieve the ambitious goals of the country.

The organisation hosts exclusive executive learning events each month to help its business members gain insight on taking their business to the next level.

The chapter also features inspirational talks from globally renowned experts and facilitates peer-to-peer exchanges both locally and across the EO's network of 211 chapters in 60 countries.

This year, the organisation will host a Masterclass on Evolutionary Entrepreneurship with Bill Aulet (Award Winning MIT Professor & Best-Selling Author) from March 11 to 13 on Disciplined Entrepreneurship and building muscles to be anti-fragile.

Mazen Omair- EO UAE President for 2021/2022, said: EO UAE members have worked on some of the most prestigious projects in the country and contributed toward fuelling billions worth of business to drive economic growth and job creation, demonstrating our commitment to supporting the nation's ambition to have an internationally competitive and knowledge-based economy.

He added: Our success reinforces the fundamental elements needed in to drive entrepreneurship  that we are part of a network that enables us to leverage the strengths of different members from every corner of the globe, have honest conversations, and learn from one another by sharing experiences, successes and failures.

Our members thrive and grow because of the connections they make and the relationships they develop, and we are invested in one anothers growth and success. Looking ahead, we remain dedicated to continue deepening our network's connections and progressing entrepreneurship in the UAE.-- TradeArabia News Service
State investigators have turned over their findings related to a Jan. 11 shooting involving Madison police officers to the Dane County District Attorneys Office, a state Department of Justice spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Gillian Drummond said the findings of the state Division of Criminal Investigation were turned over on Feb. 23 to District Attorney Ismael Ozanne for charging decisions. She declined to comment further.

Ozanne said he has been reviewing DCIs reports but does not have a timeline for a decision.

The apparent shootout outside an apartment building near Dryden and Northport drives on Madisons North Side wounded one man, identified by court records and in a court appearance a month ago as Syngleton J. Smith-Harston, 24, of Madison, who was being sought for two armed robberies on the North Side.

State Department of Corrections records indicate Smith-Harston was on DOC supervision but had absconded, and was also wanted on active bench warrants for failing to appear in court for six earlier felony and misdemeanor cases.

At the time that Smith-Harston appeared in court on Feb. 11 to face the armed robbery charges, Deputy District Attorney William Brown said Smith-Harston would likely face more charges once the investigation into the shooting by DCI is finished.

Hes now being charged in these robberies, Brown told Court Commissioner Brian Asmus at Smith-Harstons court appearance. And the subsequent actions, which arent being charged today, of jumping off this balcony and taking shots at police officers, firing a gun in the direction of police officers, he almost certainly is going to be charged in those actions.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said on the afternoon of the shooting that as officers approached the apartment building, a man opened a second-story sliding glass door and jumped off a balcony. When police began to chase the man, Barnes said, he turned and fired shots at the officers. Officers returned fire.

According to Dane County Jail records, Smith-Harston was booked into the jail on Jan. 14, just three days after the shooting. He appeared in court on Jan. 27 on the six earlier cases before making an appearance on Feb. 11 in the robbery case. During his appearance, he wore a head wrap.

Along with Smith-Harston, Cameron X. Smith, 23, of Madison, was also charged with armed robbery following his arrest on Jan. 11.

A criminal complaint alleges Smith-Harston and Smith robbed a cab driver on Jan. 9 after the driver had picked them up and took them to 1810 Northport Drive, the apartment building where the shooting involving police would occur two days later.

They are also charged with robbing a Mobil gas station at 3101 N. Sherman Ave. on Jan. 10.

The case is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 23. Both remain in jail on DOC holds, and on $35,000 bail for Smith and $60,000 bail for Smith-Harston.

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Beloved Madison bartender Mary Reed was killed while trying to cross a highway in Fort Myers, Florida, Wednesday night, a friend confirmed.

Reed, 55, who bartended at the Crystal Corner Bar, Ale Asylum, Brothers Three, and most recently the Dive Inn, wrote on Facebook that it was her first vacation in 15 years.

A story by ABC-TV station WWSB in Sarasota didn't name Reed in a story Thursday, but said a Wisconsin woman was killed after being hit by two vehicles while walking in the lane of traffic, trying to cross San Carlos Boulevard.

It said a pedestrian was hit by a white sedan heading south. "A second car just behind them swerved to avoid her but also hit the woman, who died at the scene," it said.

The report said the driver of the white sedan fled the scene and is being sought by the Florida Highway Patrol.

A story in the Fort Myers News-Press said the crash happened shortly after 7 p.m.

It said the second car was driven by a 58-year-old Fort Myers woman and was southbound on San Carlos behind the first vehicle.

A patrol report said the second driver swerved to avoid the pedestrian but hit the woman with the right front of the vehicle. It also said that a local business surveillance video showed the suspected vehicle moments after the crash going south on San Carlos.

The report said the pedestrian was from Cottage Grove.

Reed's friend, Gene Cook, said Reed was with her sister, Laura Reed Blew, when she was struck.

"Mary cherished her daughters and family, was a loyal friend, lit up the room with her candid sense of humor," Cook said.

Josh Wacker, who co-owns the Dive Inn, 521 Cottage Grove Road, said he was in "rough shape" Thursday morning.

Wacker said Reed was the first person he hired when the bar opened last June. He said she worked one day a week and had hip surgery, so she recently resumed work at the bar.

"It was fun to have her around," he said. "She was always helpful getting shifts covered and had a good following. A good crowd always came in to see her."

The bar does a once-a-month noon meat raffle to benefit local elementary schools and this month, on March 19, the money raised will go to Reed's family, Wacker said.

He said he's planning with Reed's boyfriend to close the bar next week during Reed's regular Wednesday shift and get a group together to pay tribute to her.

Reed leaves behind two daughters.

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Federal regulators are taking a fresh look at plans to keep Wisconsins only remaining nuclear power plant operating through mid-century.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has suspended its review of NextEra Energys application to extend the operating licenses for its Point Beach Nuclear Plant in Two Rivers while the agency completes a new review of the environmental impacts.

The original 40-year licenses for the two units were renewed in 2005 and are set to expire in 2030 and 2033. NextEra has applied for a 20-year extension, known as subsequent license renewal.

The NRC last month suspended all subsequent license renewals after concluding a generic environmental impact statement completed in 2013 did not meet requirements of federal law.

Instead the agency will complete site-specific environmental impact reviews for Point Beach and half a dozen other plants seeking license extensions.

Nature Conservancy buys 3,200 acres of Adams County forest for restoration, public use The largest tract -- more than 1,900 acres -- adjoins the Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area, a 6,600-acre preserve just east of Castle Rock Lake.

NRC spokesperson Scott Burnell said the public will have opportunities to comment on the scope of the new reviews as well as the contents once they are completed. Burnell said a timeline for the reviews has not been determined.

Its a little win in this long battle, said Hannah Mortensen, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibilitys Wisconsin chapter.

The anti-nuclear group, which says the plant is unsafe, will again push the NRC to include fresh data on climate change and the benefits of renewable energy and conservation in its consideration of alternatives.

The NRC has a redo opportunity, and they should seize it, said organization president Amy Schulz.

Judge allows competitor to join case in sale of Kewaunee nuke plant; customer funds at stake NorthStar Group Services of New York says it could do the job for just $550 million, returning the rest of that money to ratepayers.

Situated on Lake Michigan between Manitowoc and Green Bay, the 1,200-megawatt plant is Wisconsins single largest source of energy and a cornerstone of utility efforts to produce carbon-free electricity by 2050.

We Energies, the original owner, sold the plant in 2007 and agreed to purchase most of its output under a long-term contract that will nearly double the price of electricity over the next decade.

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In the first such case in Wisconsin, a Platteville fish dealer has been convicted of selling Asian carp, a pervasive and destructive invasive species.

Ping Li, 38, pleaded guilty last month in Grant County and Dane County circuit courts to two misdemeanors and 17 non-criminal violations, according to court records, and was fined more than $13,000.

The violations included possession of illegal fish and using an unmarked van to transport fish as well as failure to maintain records of who caught the fish and where they were sold.

Nature Conservancy buys 3,200 acres of Adams County forest for restoration, public use The largest tract -- more than 1,900 acres -- adjoins the Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area, a 6,600-acre preserve just east of Castle Rock Lake.

The charges, filed in 2020, stemmed from a two-year investigation by Department of Natural Resources wardens, who used undercover work, surveillance and GPS trackers to crack the case.

The types of carp involved in this case  bighead, silver and grass  are different from German or common carp, which have lived in Wisconsin since the mid-1800s.

Lt. Robert Stroess, a DNR warden who heads trade enforcement for commercial fishing, said in a statement the species are on top of the states Least Wanted list because they destroy the habitats of native fish.

Wisconsin and neighboring state laws require these invasive carp, which can survive for more than a day out of water, to be gutted or have the gill coverings severed to ensure they are dead.

The laws around the Great Lakes states are in place to minimize the threat of these species finding their way into new waterways at the hands of humans, Stroess said. The laws serve as important protections for our native Wisconsin fish.

The DNR began investigating Li, owner of Li Fish Farm LLC, based on a complaint that Asian Midway Foods in Madison was selling live carp.

Judge: Wisconsin Natural Resources Board holdover subject to open records law Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell declined to dismiss the case, ruling that Prehn is in fact a government authority and his communications are subject to public records law.

According to the complaint, Li illegally sold more than 9,000 pounds of carp  much of it intact  in 2018 alone. Stroess said his use of an unmarked van made it more difficult to identify it as a wholesale fish delivery vehicle.

Invasive carp have been advancing north since escaping into the Mississippi River from southern fish farms in the 1970s. In some fisheries they account for more than 90% of the living organisms.

Bighead carp are considered a threat to the $7 billion Great Lakes fishing industry. Silver carp, which can weigh up to 60 pounds, are known for leaping out of the water, creating a hazard for boaters.

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Congressional leaders stripped from an omnibus budget bill that the House passed Wednesday night a provision that would have cut an estimated $225 million from Wisconsins federal coronavirus funding after the measure faced considerable backlash from state leaders, including Gov. Tony Evers.

The House approved the $1.5 trillion spending bill that would rush $13.6 billion in U.S. aid to battered Ukraine and its European allies. The measures security programs were overwhelmingly approved 361-69 while the rest passed 260-171, with most Republicans opposed.

How each member of Wisconsins delegation voted was not available at press time.

Passage of the Ukraine aid and the $1.5 trillion government-wide legislation that carried it let both parties lay claim to election-year victories for their priorities. Democrats won treasured domestic initiatives, Republicans achieved defense boosts, and both got their imprint on funds to counter Russias brutal invasion of its western neighbor.

Senate approval was assured by weeks end or perhaps slightly longer. though the House passed another measure delaying a potential government shutdown from Saturday to Tuesday if the Senate were to delay passage.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday, hours after the more than 2,700-page Consolidated Appropriations Act was unveiled, that a provision to provide about $15.6 billion in coronavirus aid  funding that would have been partially offset by taking back unspent state aid from previous federal allocations  had been cut from the bill.

Glad we could help protect Wisconsins $225 million and the work (Evers) is doing to aid our states recovery, Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, tweeted Wednesday.

Pelosis announcement came hours after Evers, a Democrat, blasted the proposal. A year ago state officials were told by the U.S. Treasury Department that the states original $3.2 billion allocation of federal funds would be reduced to $2.5 billion and split into two payments.

Evers said a reduction in funds would unfairly penalize states like Wisconsin that were told last year they would receive reduced funding, a decision that was based largely on state unemployment rates.

When the American Rescue Plan was signed, Americans  including Wisconsinites  heard the message from federal leaders loud and clear: help is on the way, Evers wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. On behalf of the people of Wisconsin, I urge you to reconsider. Further downsizing these investments would impede our states recovery and would needlessly create uncertainty, potentially putting at risk the progress we have made.

Evers indicated in the letter that the second tranche of Wisconsins federal funding has not yet been received, but his office has begun obligating those dollars.

To date, nearly $1.37 billion  an amount greater than Wisconsins first split payment  has already been obligated or expended for programs that fund local public health efforts, assist small businesses, enable services provided by nonprofits, and invest in broadband infrastructure, Evers wrote. Hundreds of millions in additional funds have been awarded to organizations that are working through contract agreements or directed to programs in active development, totaling hundreds of millions of additional dollars for specific uses.

Pelosi said the provision was ultimately removed from the bill after it faced resistance from both Republicans, who wanted the COVID-19 funding to be entirely offset by previously allocated dollars, and Democrats, who fought to keep those funds in their respective states.

Pelosi said the bill includes emergency funding for Ukraine and urgent funding to meet the needs of Americas families.

It is heartbreaking to remove the COVID funding, and we must continue to fight for urgently needed COVID assistance, but unfortunately that will not be included in this bill, Pelosi said in a statement.

Evers tweeted that the removal of the measure from the budget bill was great news for the people of our state.

The use of federal COVID-19 funds has become a recurring point of pressure between Evers and the GOP-controlled Legislature, primarily in recent years as the federal government pumped billions of stimulus dollars into the state to help address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Republicans have made multiple failed efforts to secure control over those dollars or dictate the use of the federal funds. Currently, the governor has sole discretion over how the federal COVID funds are spent.

Legislative Republicans earlier this year passed a constitutional amendment, SJR 84, that would prohibit the governor from allocating any federal dollars without first securing legislative approval.

Such a measure would need to pass the Senate and Assembly in two successive sessions before going to voters in a referendum. The governor cannot veto a constitutional amendment.

Federal bill

The $1.5 trillion measure would keep agencies functioning through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Since it began Oct. 1, the government has functioned on short-term measures that prevented federal shutdowns but held programs to levels agreed to under President Donald Trump.

Democrats won a 6.7% increase over last year in domestic programs, to a total of $730 billion. Republicans were able to boost defense programs to $782 billion, a 5.6% increase.

Last spring, Biden proposed increases of 16% for domestic and just 2% for defense programs for this year. Neither was realistic because of Democrats tiny congressional majorities.

Since then, Russias pummeling of Ukraine made it impossible for Democrats to resist defense increases. And the relentless pandemic, families growing costs from inflation and collapse of Bidens huge social and environment bill made it harder to stop Democrats domestic boosts.

The bill would increase spending for child nutrition and child care, local law enforcement, improving broadband in rural areas, and education aid for disabled students and historically black colleges and universities.

The IRS would get an infusion to whittle down a big backlog of tax returns. There would be boosts for veterans medical care, biomedical research and processing migrants entering the U.S. at the southwestern border.

The measure retains strict decades-old curbs against using federal money for nearly all abortions. It has $300 million in military assistance for Ukraine and $300 million to help nearby countries like the Baltic nations and Poland. Service members would get 2.7% pay raises, and Navy shipbuilding would get a boost in a counter to China.

Helping propel the bill to approval were thousands of hometown projects for both parties lawmakers. In the House alone, there were 2,021 such projects for Democrats worth $2.5 billion, and 706 worth $1.7 billion for Republicans, according to figures from that chamber. Totals for Senate projects were not immediately available.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The plan by Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Dane County Executive Joe Parisi to locate a new, permanent homeless mens shelter on a vacant, city-owned site on the Far East Side surprised some but drew a mostly positive initial reaction.

At a news conference Wednesday, Rhodes-Conway and Parisi proposed the city and county create the shelter on the 2-acre site at 1902 Bartillon Drive, just off Highway 51 roughly between East Towne Mall and Madison Area Technical College.

The city, and perhaps the state, have not seen a homeless shelter built from scratch for this exact purpose, Rhodes-Conway said, adding, This is a big deal. Its a badly needed resource for our community. Its been a long time coming.

They also announced the city will spend the coming months creating a temporary shelter at a city-owned, 31,500-square-foot building at 2002 Zeier Road near East Towne that formerly held a Savers and Gander Mountain store. That site was once considered for the permanent shelter but faced opposition due to its distance from Downtown and proximity to the mall and many businesses.

Im thrilled this is finally moving forward, said Brenda Konkel, executive director of MACH OneHealth and president of the Dane County Homeless Services Consortium board.

I hope they have a robust community process and they reach out to people who will be using the shelter and people who will be operating it to make sure that it is designed in a way that works for them.

Karla Thennes, executive director of Porchlight, which operated shelters in Downtown church basements for 35 years and then temporary spaces at the Warner Park Community Center on the North Side and the citys former Fleet Services building at 200 N. First St. on the East Side, said shes excited a permanent site has finally been identified.

Were just ready, she said. The whole program is just ready to move into the future. Theres so much more we can do for the men.

Feeling left out

But City Council President Syed Abbas, whose 12th District includes the Bartillon Drive site, and Ald. Gary Halverson, whose 17th District includes the Zeier Road property, both voiced disappointment that they hadnt been part of the selection and werent notified about the choice until shortly before the news conference, or invited to the event.

Im disappointed in the mayor, Abbas said, adding that other community voices were not included in the decision. Its concerning to me.

I found out about this at the same time everyone else did, at the press conference, Halverson said on his council blog. This is the third time the mayor has surprised District 17 with yet another proposed location for a permanent mens shelter without any public input.

Abbas said he prefers a permanent shelter closer to Downtown and the services the men would need. But he said he doesnt oppose the proposed site and pledged to involve the neighborhood in the design and development process. I do think the site is a huge improvement over Zeier Road, he said.

City Council members were briefed during closed sessions of the Finance Committee on progress on the site search, and discussion favored the Bartillon Drive site among those under final consideration, city community development director Jim OKeefe said. The mayors announcement begins the public discussion, he said.

Other options

The city and county have been aggressively seeking a site for a permanent mens shelter ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of cramped, makeshift shelters in Downtown church basements in March 2020.

The city created temporary shelters with more space, first at the Warner Park Community Center before moving the shelter to the citys former Fleet Services building on First Street, which the city will begin to repurpose into the $16.5 million Madison Public Market this fall.

In the past two years, the city and county have proposed three permanent sites for the mens shelter: a two-story, 22,584-square-foot former day care center at 4111 East Towne Blvd., which failed because the seller pulled out of a tentative deal; the former big box store on Zeier Road; and now at 1902 Bartillon Drive.

This site has access to amenities, including transit, but more importantly, it is large enough to build a facility that will provide safety, dignity and opportunity for people experiencing homelessness, Rhodes-Conway said.

Dozens of sites were considered, including properties in the central city and on the East and West sides, OKeefe said.

The city has authorized $9 million for construction, including $3 million already committed from the county, $4 million from the city, and $2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding. Precise cost estimates will emerge as design work progresses.

The city will issue a request for proposals from potential operators, and the selected operator will help refine the shelter design, mix of services and budget, OKeefe said.

I like the possibility of what can be if done correctly  low barrier for entry, sufficient money for increased staffing and case management, accommodating couples, pets and car campers and providing medical services, mental health-friendly design, pay-to-stay options, a place to sleep during the day if people work second or third shift and 24-7 services, Konkel said.

Access to services

But Halverson said the mayor and county executive didnt listen to those who will actually use the facility.

We have heard repeatedly from current and former homeless individuals that this community gravitates to the Downtown area where they have had support from many organizations, he said. We have repeatedly heard that locations out near the edge of the city are not preferred and would add additional burdens to this community.

Konkel said she prefers a more centrally located site so its not such a long bus ride to get to the Social Security office or health care options on the West Side, but added, I understand there arent a lot of options in the current real estate market.

Porchlight initially thought it would be difficult to provide shelter away from Downtown at the temporary sites at Warner Park and First Street, but found that such locations can work, Thennes said. Two years ago, we didnt think we could deliver service outside the Downtown, she said. Its worked. It will be fine.

The city surveyed shelter users about their willingness to use shelter facilities that were not Downtown, and staff were surprised by the degree of openness to a location elsewhere, OKeefe said.

Some preferred it, he said. The important qualifier is the availability of transportation/transit. Outreach staff expressed similar sentiments.

Design critical

The key, many say, will be the design and services offered at the center, which will serve 200 to 250 men nightly.

Rhodes-Conway will soon introduce a resolution to the City Council seeking approval of the site, directing the Engineering Division to choose architectural and engineering consultants, and directing the Community Development Division to start a process to pick an operator, who would help refine the design, budget and mix of services.

The resolution will be considered by three city committees before returning to the council for final action on April 19, OKeefe said. City staff, ideally with the participation of council members, also plan to schedule community meetings around both the Bartillon and Zeier Road projects prior to that date, he said.

The permanent shelters operating hours are undecided, but may go beyond the current 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. at the temporary site on First Street, OKeefe said. For example, hours could be extended so guests dont have to leave during inclement weather. Or the building could be available up to 24 hours a day, depending on services and funding, he said.

The new shelter will likely have spaces where men who are experiencing physical or mental health problems, are under the influence or are unruly could be sheltered yet separate from others, he said. There will be space for services, especially to find other housing, as well as ways to connect residents with other services such as mental health or substance abuse counseling.

The design should accommodate men with children and provide safe spaces, especially for LGBTQ guests, Abbas said, adding that services should be on site.

Hopefully, it means a more supportive, inclusive and understanding environment that leads to permanent housing and people attaining their goals, Konkel said.

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The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission deadlocked Wednesday on whether municipal election clerks should continue to be able to fill in missing information on envelopes containing absentee ballots.

Republicans have been targeting guidance issued by the commission since President Joe Bidens defeat of Donald Trump in 2020 by just under 21,000 votes. There have been calls from Republican lawmakers, candidates for governor and Republican election investigator Michael Gableman to dissolve the commission, a move opposed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

Trump on Tuesday endorsed Gablemans recommendation for dissolving the commission.

One of the Republicans biggest targets is guidance the commission first issued in 2016 that allows election clerks to correct witness address omissions and mistakes on absentee ballot envelopes without contacting the witness or the voter.

The commission in January agreed on a 4-2 vote to adopt a temporary rule, good for six months, that followed that existing guidance. The commission on Wednesday deadlocked on whether to make that rule permanent.

All three Democrats on the commission voted in support, while the three Republicans voted against. They also deadlocked in pursuing a rule that would have required clerks to contact voters before filling in missing information. All Republicans voted in support, while Democrats were against it.

Democratic commissioners argued that allowing clerks to fill in missing information would ensure that peoples ballots are not discarded for minor errors. But Republicans said voting absentee is a privilege, not a right, and comes with risks.

Democratic Commissioner Julie Glancey said voters who are homebound due to disability or age would be put at a greater disadvantage for having their ballots not counted.

Thats just wrong, she said.

Republican Commissioner Marge Bostelmann said voters should be notified first and that should ensure they dont repeat the error.

I dont think its that hard, she said of correctly filling out the ballot certificate envelope, which requires the signature and address of a witness.

Democratic Commissioner Mark Thomsen accused the commission of punting the issue when it instead should be making it as easy as possible for people to vote.

Republican Commissioner Bob Spindell said it made sense to have the commission wait for further guidance from the Legislature.

People have to be careful, he said of voting absentee. I dont believe that people arent capable of following directions.

The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau last year reviewed 14,710 absentee ballot certificates in 29 municipalities and found that 1,022 certificates (6.9%) were missing parts of witness addresses, 15 (0.1%) did not have any witness address at all, eight (less than 0.1%) did not have a witness signature, and three (less than 0.1%) did not have a voter signature.

A Wisconsin State Journal review of thousands of ballot certificates in Democratic Madison and areas of Dodge County that went heavily for Trump turned up a number of small but predictable mistakes by witnesses and voters, such as listing addresses but no ZIP codes, city or state, or putting the address on the wrong line. In many cases, clerks fixed the errors and approved the ballots.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in the case of an environmental regulator who refuses to step down nearly a year after his term ended.

In a case that tests the balance of power between the governor and Legislature and could influence environmental policy for years to come, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul asked the courts to remove Fred Prehn from the Natural Resources Board.

Prehn, a Wausau dentist and cranberry grower, was appointed to the policy board in 2015 by former Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican. His six-year term expired May 1, and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed Sandra Naas to replace him.

Black Earth Creek trout contaminated with PFOS; DNR warns anglers to limit consumption The state Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health Services are advising anglers to limit consumption of brown trout from the popular stream in western Dane County.

Prehn maintains he does not have to leave until Naas is confirmed by the Senate, but Republicans who control the chamber adjourned the two-year session this week without holding a hearing, cementing the boards conservative majority.

At the heart of the case is a power struggle between the Legislative and executive branches. Under state law, the governor appoints members of the board, which oversees the Department of Natural Resources, while its up to the Senate to confirm.

The state argues Prehn and the Legislature fail to fully embrace the century-old common law rule, which says an appointee whose term has ended may hold over, but once the term expires there is a vacancy that the governor is entitled to fill.

He has no authority to be in office now, said Assistant Attorney General Gabe Johnson-Karp. We hear much about the common law, but the common law only gets him partway.

The courts conservative justices pointed out there is no language in state statutes defining when offices are vacant and questioned the governors authority to appoint people to offices.

The governor cant really make an appointment into a position thats not vacant, said Justice Patience Roggensack. Even if you kick him out you cant get the governors appointee in unless theres a vacancy.

The courts three liberal justices questioned whether appointees can simply serve indefinitely.

Whos to say hes not going to serve on that board for the rest of his life? asked Justice Rebecca Dallet.

Prehns attorney Mark Maciolek said in theory Prehn could do just that.

That supposes that the governor and Senate will continue to give each other the cold shoulder, Maciolek said. It just doesnt seem like that will continue in perpetuity.

Justice Brian Hagedorn, a conservative who has at times sided with the three liberal justices, noted the state Constitution gave the governor very little authority when it came to appointments, noting the first UW Board of Regents was appointed by the Legislature.

The governors powers were very, very limited, Hagedorn said.

Kaul sued in August asking the courts to force Prehn to step down, arguing his seat became vacant when his term ended, and the law allows the governor to temporarily fill vacancies even without Senate approval.

Citing a 1964 Supreme Court ruling, Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn dismissed the case but faulted lawmakers for refusing to hold a confirmation hearing.

Platteville fish dealer convicted in Wisconsin's first invasive carp bust Wardens used undercover work, surveillance and GPS trackers to crack the case, which they say stemmed from the sale of thousands of pounds of fish that can survive for days out of water.

Both Kaul and Prehn asked the Supreme Court to hear the case, bypassing the court of appeals.

Though no longer chair, Prehn has remained on the board, where he voted last month to reject regulations of PFAS compounds and dozens of other toxic substances in groundwater and to weaken the agencys proposed drinking water standards for the so-called forever chemicals.

Not just PFAS: DNR board vote scrapped years of work on 2 dozen other groundwater contaminants There was no discussion of new or modified limits for about two dozen other substances, including Trichloroethylene, a common dry cleaning chemical known as TCE, and chromium-6, a carcinogen made famous by Erin Brockovich.

If allowed to remain, Prehn could also cast a deciding vote this spring on the DNRs new wolf management plan, which could set population goals and help determine hunting quotas if the gray wolf is again removed from the federal endangered species list.

Republican lawmakers have sided with Prehn, saying Kaul, egged on by disgruntled special-interest groups, is misrepresenting the law.

The Humane Society, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wisconsin chapter of the American Federation of Teachers both filed friend of the court briefs arguing Prehn is violating state law and subverting democracy.

Wisconsin Supreme Court hears arguments in regulator bias case spawned by power line The court is being asked to decide if a former utility regulators personal relationships could invalidate a power-line permit.

Midwest Environmental Advocates has filed a separate court case in an effort to obtain Prehns text messages about his decision to remain on the board, which other records have shown he discussed with lawmakers.

Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell this week declined to dismiss the case, ruling that Prehn is a public official and his texts are subject to open records laws.

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The tornado and 80-mph winds that tore through the Stoughton area on Saturday damaged nearly 200 private buildings and left a 5-mile path of debris, according to a damage report released Wednesday.

Theres damage to every single building. If its not totaled its pretty heavily damaged, town of Dunkirk resident Callie Amera said of her and her husbands farm, which had about a dozen structures on it. Its pretty devastating to look outside.

The destruction to public areas alone is estimated to cost roughly $216,000, the Dane County Department of Emergency Management said Wednesday. The cost includes clearing debris and repairing roads, public buildings and public utilities in the town of Dunkirk and city of Stoughton.

A total of 184 homes and 14 businesses sustained damage from either the tornado or straight-line winds, the department said. No one was injured, although Amera said her family experienced a few close calls.

A warning wasnt issued, so Amera, 27, and her husband, James, 28, didnt think the storm would be bad. The internet went out, and then the power, so they huddled in the bedroom together with their almost 2-year-old daughter, who was afraid of the dark.

Amera said she opened the window to watch the storm roll in. She loves to watch the lightning. But then a strong wind started to make a horrible, howling sound, she said.

Im looking at him like, holy crap, do we need to go to the basement?, Amera said. Thats when we started to move, and the windows are shattering in the front of our house. And were running to the inside closet and duck down there. Thankfully, we were safe.

Across the street, her brother-in-law was sitting on the couch when the storm came through, Amera said. He didnt have time to move out of the living room before the storm toppled a nearby silo, sending concrete blocks and a metal chute flying into the room. Her brother-in-law was OK, but the debris was 2 to 3 feet away from him, Amera said.

He curled up in a ball and was praying, Amera said. We had no warning or anything.

Sirens did not go off to warn residents of the tornado because the storm came on too quickly, the National Weather Service has said. Tim Halbach, a warning coordination meteorologist with the Weather Service, said Tuesday that the radar wasnt picking up the tornado so the Weather Service wasnt able to identify the storm until reports of damage started coming in.

The 80-mph winds snapped power poles, blew out windows and flipped a camper in Stoughton, while a tornado touched down in the nearby town of Dunkirk and damaged two farms just before 10 p.m. Saturday.

The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado was an EF-1, the second-weakest on a scale of 0 to 5.

Dane County said it has submitted the damage estimates to Wisconsin Emergency Management, which will allow Stoughton and the town of Dunkirk to apply for disaster assistance funds if they become available.

Residents are being encouraged to report their storm damage to the town or city, take photos of the damage and document all cleanup and repair expenses with receipts and emails.

Amera said she and James are planning to rebuild, but they have no idea how much its going to cost. And some more sentimental buildings  such as a rustic, L-shaped tobacco shed that they got married in front of  cant be replaced.

Shes grateful that the barn that holds their cows is largely intact because farming and raising cattle is their livelihood. For now, theyve been able to milk their cows at their neighbors farm, Amera said, noting that shes really thankful for the support from her friends and family.

Its upsetting. But you know, you gotta move on. Its not our fault. Nobody planned it, Amera said. You just gotta keep going.

State Journal reporter Lucas Robinson contributed to this report.

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Just listen to the rhetorical gymnastics Republicans in the Florida Legislature have employed to defend what opponents call the Dont say gay bill.

We have nothing against LGBTQ kids, they argued. Were just protecting parental rights, they said, trying  and failing  to defend themselves against charges that they are homophobic.

But it took a debate on the Florida Senate floor on Monday for the true views of at least one of the politicians behind House Bill 1557 to emerge: There are just too many gay kids nowadays.

That, apparently, is why bill sponsor Sen. Dennis Baxley, a Republican from Ocala, thought it was appropriate to legislate against his discomfort with what he called a real trend change in society.

My sons a psychiatrist and I said, Why is everybody now all about coming out when youre in school? Baxley told his fellow senators. And there really is a dynamic of concern of how much of this are genuine-type of experiences and how many of them are just kids trying on different kinds of things.

So my question is, simply, are we encouraging this or eliminating it by putting emphasis on it? Baxley said.

If kids are too comfortable experimenting with their sexuality, it must be because they know too much, the thinking seems to be. Blame those deviant teachers for turning our kids gay through what Baxley called social engineering.

HB 1557 seeks, among other things, to ban classroom instructions about sexuality and gender identity from kindergarten to third grade, or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards. The Legislature passed it Tuesday and Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he supports it.

(Note: if you dont want your children to learn sexuality or gender identity, consider banning the internet from your home.)

Because when you dont talk about it, people dont turn out to be gay.

Baxley believes that when kids come out, overnight, theyre a celebrity. That doesnt jibe with statistics that show LGBTQ youth are more likely to commit suicide.

LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society, according to the Trevor Project.

A simple Google search would have educated Baxley and other supporters of HB 1557 on that point, but it seems they would rather rely on a static notion of sexuality  even as they legislate what is said in classrooms.

Baxley called his public musings the reminiscing of a father, a grandfather trying to figure out what makes sense and that is part of why Im attracted to this bill.

The reminiscing of a father, a grandfather should be relegated to the Thanksgiving table. Somehow, in Florida, they become a legislative priority.
Dubal Holding (DH), the government's investment arm in the commodities and mining, power and energy, and industrial sectors, has registered solid results for 2021 with a net profit of AED2.7 billion ($734 million) compared to AED217 million ($59 million) for the prior year.

Announcing the record high financial results for 2021, DH said a combination of good operational performance and record profits made by its 50% subsidiary - Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) due to soaring global prices of aluminium, made 2021 an exceptional year.

The annual general meeting was attended by the shareholder representatives from Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), with participation from DH Board and management, and its auditors.

DH Chairman Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said: "We strive to achieve the directives of our wise leadership to strengthen the UAE and Dubais position in the global economy. Our wise leadership with its vision that shapes the future made an early investment in the aluminium industry."

"This sector witnesses today a strong demand and is powering new emerging industries, and assuming a bigger role in sustainable development. This strategic direction contributes to enhancing the competitiveness of the UAE in the global aluminum markets in the future," he stated.

Al Tayer also praised DH for its diligence and operational performance throughout 2021.

He was briefed on the status of various ongoing projects at DH, including the progress being made on the implementation of Dubai Waste Management Centre at Warsan  one of the worlds largest Waste-to-Energy plants  which will treat about 1.9 million tonnes of solid municipal waste per year and provide electricity to around 100,000 households.

DH Vice Chairman Abdulla Jassem Kalban said: "We continues to play its vital two-fold role by investing in high-yield, long-term projects that serve the national economy, on the one hand, and contribute to the UAEs sustainability goals."

The landmark project, which is a joint venture with multiple partners, is on track for completion by mid-2024.

Dubal Holding CEO Ahmad bin Fahad said: "2021 was an excellent year for the aluminium market, with demand forecasted to remain robust in coming years. However, while continuing to build on a national aluminium downstream cluster, we are planning for strategic acquisitions for further expansion in the global market."

Bin Fahad also highlighted a number of projects in the planning stage, which include a plant for electronic waste management, and another facility to transform plant residues and food waste to emission-free biofuel.
The convoy of rebels without a cause driving laps around the Capital Beltway is a metaphor for a nation spinning its wheels.

Like so much of the take-back-our-country vitriol, this movement is awash with nostalgia for a time and place where the lamented lost freedoms did not exist for a wide swath of American citizens. But what better vehicle of nostalgia than a gas-guzzling big-rig truck barreling along a federal interstate highway system whose roots date back to the 1950s?

As a kid, I was not immune to such charms, tugging my arm in a trucker salute in hopes that hed blast his horn. The 1970s were a peak time for trucker love, with a hit song  C.W. McCalls Convoy  and a same-name movie about truckers protesting government regulation and law enforcement. The epitome of cool among my teenage peers was to have a citizens band radio, or CB, as a companion to your cars 8-track tape player.

Weve always romanticized truckers, says University of Richmond historian Julian Maxwell Hayter, whose dads best friend drove a truck. Hayter has fond memories of sitting in that truck cab as a child. Truckers embody Americas nostalgia for independence and its love affair with the open road, he said.

Hayter calls the national interstate highway system one of the greatest feats of American engineering. But the highway, in connecting urban, suburban and rural America, had the effect of breaking up American cities, as we know all too well in Richmond with Jackson Ward. That legacy is the subtext of a gerrymandered, hopelessly divided nation in which truckers  rather than protesting a reduced national speed limit  have become a fulcrum for all sorts of strange but strident grievances that are the hallmark of U.S. politics.

In that vein, the American Freedom Convoy trek is the epitome of ill timing, tactics and public support in its effort to build off the Canadian trucker protests of January and February that led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to declare a national public order emergency.

In an America transfixed by the subsequent Russian invasion of Ukraine, this protest barely moved the needle.

When I heard that U.S. truckers were staging their protest on the perpetually gridlocked beltway surrounding Washington, I thought: How would anyone know the difference?

Peaceful civil rights marches changed many hearts and minds. Blocking traffic never won any sympathy or support, said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University in Fairfax County.

A lot has happened between the Canadian protest and today, not the least being the unthinkable threat of World War III. But vaccine and mask mandates have been widely rolled back, including in Virginia.

The most effective time to protest is when policy is still being formulated, not after-the-fact when the issues largely are being settled, Rozell said. Who did they think they were persuading, after two years of this pandemic and most of the public long ago decided on their positions?

Protest works best when there is a public that is receptive to the message. Even with COVID numbers in rapid decline in much of the country, especially in the Mid-Atlantic region, there remains strong public support for continued safety measures to limit the spread of the virus.

So what were left with was a protest out of Seinfeld  a show about nothing. But too often nowadays, the noise is the point.

These cries of government overreach ring hollow with inconsistency. The most pervasive government overreach going on nowadays is among conservative jurists who once decried judicial activism but now appear to be making it up as they go along on issues such as voting and abortion rights. Or among Virginian Republicans intent on stifling classroom instruction.

In our cynical political moment, metadata is being employed to manufacture crises that galvanize the aggrieved, Hayter said. Do you think CRT came out of nowhere? he asked, adding: Any issue is fair game now, because its not about the issue at all.

Decades spent on the right discrediting credible media has shoved a considerable chunk of the nation into the embrace of propaganda. In America, propaganda translates into the credulous belief in the lie of the stolen election; elsewhere, a brainwashed Russian mom refuses to believe that her daughters Ukrainian city is under bombardment.

We co-exist in a similar alternate reality as our fellow citizens travel in circles, railing about phantom problems. As long as anger and disruption remain the vehicle of choice, were destined to crash.

Michael Paul Williams is a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist with the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Va.; read more of his columns on Richmond.com.
Serving on the Madison School Board requires a lot of backbone, given the harassment members have had to endure at public meetings and outside their homes.

But Laura Simkin is up to the challenge.

Early childhood people are not intimidated, she told our State Journal editorial board recently. We go into classrooms with 16 3-year-olds.

Thats funny, but it also rings true. If you can keep more than a dozen youngsters learning and on track with clear communication and strong priorities for eight hours a day, you can probably handle just about anything.

And Simkin, 47, has done more than teach preschool classes at the highly regarded Waisman Early Childhood Program at UW-Madison. She directed a child care center for 14 years in Janesville. She coordinated services for members of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association for five years. More recently, Simkin has managed the Satellite Family Child Care System for Reach Dane, which accredits in-home providers serving about 450 children.

The mother of an East High School senior, Simkin brings far more experience, knowledge and specifics to the race for Seat 3 on the Madison School Board than her opponent, Shepherd Janeway (whose name will appear as Shepherd Joyner on the ballot).

The State Journal editorial board strongly endorses Simkin in the April 5 election.

Simkin exudes optimism for Madisons schools, students and teachers. Shes also a pragmatist, looking for smart ways to improve public education, and willing to defend whats best for kids.

On the School Boards controversial decision to remove a single police officer from each of the citys four main high schools, for example, Simkin understands that police are still going to Madisons high schools pretty much every day for emergency calls. They just dont know the students anymore because they arent assigned to get to know them the way school resource officers did.

Simkin wants to restore those close relationships between school resource officers, students, teachers and administrators. That way, school resource officers (SROs) can serve as a buffer between their school communities and outside police who respond to problems with little knowledge about who is involved or what the dynamics are.

Keeping schools safe is a top priority for Simkin, following scary fights and weapons at city high schools, especially East, where her son is a student. Teachers need more support, she says, because disruptions make it impossible to learn. Teachers and students need the freedom to get excited about learning, rather than worrying about reporting trouble.

The districts behavior education plan is well written, Simkin says, but its policy is disconnected from its implementation. More staff on call to help with classroom crises makes sense. She also will be an advocate for diversifying staff to better relate to the districts diverse student body and serve as role models.

Simkin wants the district to address learning and behavioral problems early, knowing that disparities around suspensions and expulsions occur before many children reach kindergarten. Every child must be able to access quality early childhood care, she stresses. Young children need to feel appreciated for who they are, she says, and too many in Madison dont feel like school is built for them.

With a bachelors degree in child and family studies, and a masters in early care and education leadership and policy, Simkin has studied the social and emotional as well as brain development of children. She promises to use that knowledge in a respectful and open-minded way to help the board find consensus around responsible and effective public policy decisions.

Clear communication and more transparency with the public will be key, she says. So will addressing mental health needs as the pandemic subsides.

Instead of eliminating honors classes, Simkin wants to encourage more students to give them a try. Shes not a fan of charter schools outside the control of the district. But Simkin told the State Journal editorial board she hopes the district can learn from One City Schools, which is overseen by the University of Wisconsin System as it strives to help more students of color reach college.

Joyner, 26, is likeable and joined the Seat 3 race to counter a candidate who made dismissive comments about transgender students. That candidate has since dropped out.

We admire Joyners determination to advocate for transgender students. Joyner works as a part-time art teacher. We thank Joyner for running and giving voters a choice.

But Simkins well-informed and spirited campaign is the better choice  by far  for Madison voters. Shes much more prepared for the job.

Two other seats on the board are mostly uncontested. Nichelle Nichols, a former Madison School District administrator whom weve endorsed in the past for School Board, will do a fine job filling Seat 5.

For Seat 4, incumbent Ali Muldrow is the only name on the ballot, with conservative agitator David Blaska making a late write-in challenge. Blaska says he wants to provide an outlet for a protest vote. Blaska lost by a wide margin to Muldrow three years ago, when our board passed on endorsing either candidate. This time around, Blaskas name wont even be on the ballot. So Muldrows reelection is all but assured.

We urge more candidates to run for School Board in future elections. For now, the best choice on the April ballot for the only truly competitive race is Simkin for Seat 3.

Wisconsin State Journal editorial board The views expressed in the editorials are shaped by the board, independent of news coverage decisions elsewhere in the newspaper. STAFF MEMBERS SCOTT MILFRED, Editorial page editor PHIL HANDS, Editorial cartoonist COMMUNITY MEMBERS JANINE GESKE SUSAN SCHMITZ WAYNE STRONG
BURLEY  A Burley woman who is charged with attempted first-degree murder after police said she tried to kill her husband by suffocating him with a garbage bag has agreed to a plea deal.

Court documents previously named the woman as Mildred Nineth Hope. New filing said her name is now Mildred Nineth Rivero and that she was formerly known as Mildred Nineth Hope.

Under a plea agreement that came after court mediation, Rivero has agreed to plead guilty to attempted first degree murder and in exchange Cassia County Prosecutor McCord Larsen will dismiss felony charges of attempted strangulation and evidence destruction, alteration or concealment.

A change of plea hearing is set at 1:30 p.m. March 14 in Cassia County District Court.

Under the agreement the prosecutor will not recommend a sentence of more than 12 years, with four years fixed in prison. The state is free to recommend imposition of the sentence and the defense can argue for other dispositions.

In Riveros guilty plea advisory form she wrote that she was pleading guilty to attempted first degree murder because, It is the way to go.

She also wrote that she is guilty of the crime because she tried to suffocate her husband.

Rivero was arrested in September after police said she placed a plastic garbage bag over her husbands head while he took a nap in a reclining chair in their living room.

Riveros husband is partially paralyzed from a stroke.

Police said as he struggled to free himself he made a hole in the bag and Rivero repositioned it and continued to try to suffocate him.

He was able to roll out of the chair after he dug his heels into the footrest and the chair broke.

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BOISE  Gas prices have surpassed $4 for the first time since 2008. Though the war in Ukraine may seem far away, that hasnt stopped prices from being affected in Idaho.

In just one week, Boise prices have jumped from an average $3.61 to $4.14, according to AAA Idaho. Thats close to the July 19, 2008, record when Idaho hit its highest average of $4.16.

Boise gas stations are selling at higher than the $3.96 state average. Idahos average is 42 cents more than a week ago, 44 cents more than a month ago, and $1.24 more than a year ago, according to AAA.

The driving factor behind the price increase is the conflict in Ukraine. Prices could climb even higher if other countries begin placing sanctions on Russian oil.

There are still a lot of unknowns, AAA Idaho spokesperson Matthew Conde told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview. We have not only the continued issues with Russia and Ukraine, but theres of course, speculation about whether or not Russian oil will be boycotted at some point, and how Russia would react to that. Theres matters of whether or not OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) will get involved and try to replace product that gets pulled out of Russia if nations boycott Russian goods.

Its possible Idaho will soon see its highest gas prices ever. Conde said gas prices normally peak sometime between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, so its likely well see prices continue to rise.

It would have seemed ridiculous to talk about $4.50 a gallon, but its definitely something we have to be thinking about at this point, Conde said. Im not sure where it all ends.

The price of West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil, which is used as the benchmark for crude oil across the country, is trading near $117 per barrel, according to AAA. Thats $19 more than a week ago and $52 more than a year ago.

The rest of Idaho is still below $4 per gallon, which Conde attributes to smaller population sizes and lower numbers of tourists passing through. As of Monday, Idaho Falls was the city with the lowest prices, averaging $3.79. But Conde is predicting that the rest of Idaho will see $4 price tags by the end of the week.

As we edge closer to warmer weather, these prices may mean people begin to change travel plans. Some may stick to destinations closer to home or, depending on the price increase, cancel trips altogether.

As people start thinking about spring break and getting over into maybe Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons or other places, college kids leaving and coming in, you could certainly see some traction there, Conde said.

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BOISE  Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law legislation prompted by the deaths of three Idaho Army National Guard pilots killed in a helicopter crash during a training exercise last year.

The Republican governor on Tuesday signed the measure in a private ceremony with the families of those killed in the crash.

The measure sponsored by Democratic Rep. Chris Mathias changes the law to make the spouses and children of Idaho military personnel or public safety officers killed during training eligible for college scholarships.

Mathias is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who sought the change after attending a memorial service last year for the pilots who died and finding out the Idaho scholarship didnt apply to those killed in training.

Its important that we make sure that we continue to give back to the military families that have paid the ultimate sacrifice, Mathias said Wednesday. This scholarship, the freedom scholarship, is a really generous package.

Idahos Armed Forces and Public Safety Officer Dependent Scholarship was previously only available to survivors of those imprisoned, missing, killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.

The scholarship recipients get free tuition and on-campus living including housing and food at Idaho public colleges and universities plus $500 per semester for books, according to the Idaho State Board of Education.

The state board has previously said that 27 students received the scholarships over the last six years at a cost of just under $1 million. Each scholarship is good for up to eight semesters of study, enough to earn a four-year degree.

The Idaho National Guard said fog and precipitation caused the helicopter crew to lose visual sight of the ground and surrounding mountainous terrain. Officials said the crew had completed the training mission and was on its way back to the Gowen Field Air National Guard Base at the Boise Airport when the crash happened south of Lucky Peak.

Killed in the Black Hawk helicopter crash were 43-year-old Jesse Anderson, 39-year-old George Geoffrey Geoff Laubhan and 40-year-old Matthew Peltzer. All three lived in southwestern Idaho.

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BOISE  A House panel of Idaho lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill that would ban abortions after cardiac activity is detected in an embryo  at about six weeks of pregnancy  by allowing extended family members of the patient to sue a doctor who performs one.

The House State Affairs Committee voted to send the measure to the full House where it is expected to pass. It has already passed the Senate. Backers see it as the states best opportunity to severely restrict abortions in the state after years of trying.

Like many of our pro-life actions in the past almost 50 years, we say good things and then we dont quite save a baby in the end, and thats been frustrating, said Republican Rep. Steven Harris.

Republican Gov. Brad Little last year signed a similar so-called fetal heartbeat measure into law. But that one would be enforced by the state and included a trigger provision requiring a favorable federal court ruling somewhere in the country, and that hasnt happened.

The new proposed law has a private enforcement mechanism allowing civil lawsuits. Its modeled after a Texas law that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to remain in place until a court challenge is decided on its merits.

When the state is the enforcer, then the state can be enjoined by the courts, Harris said. With a private cause of action, it doesnt happen.

The proposed Idaho law allows the father, grandparents, siblings and aunts and uncles to sue an abortion provider for a minimum of $20,000 in damages within four years of the abortion. The law has exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.

Opponents of the Idaho measure said its unconstitutional, and six weeks is before many people know theyre pregnant.

No ones most personal medical decisions should be controlled by politicians, family members or anyone else, Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, the state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, told lawmakers. This bill is modeled after a flagrantly unconstitutional Texas abortion ban.

Republican Rep. Vito Barbieri also questioned the potential legal costs involved in what will almost certainly be a lawsuit against the state. Past lawsuits challenging Idaho-approved abortion laws have resulted in Idaho taxpayers paying attorney fees to the winning side after losing in court.

I dont relish giving the attorneys for Planned Parenthood another payday, and Im certain that were going to be in a legal challenges with this, Barbieri said. But any thing that will help save babies lives, I need to support.

Opponents also said it would affect poorer Idaho residents, perhaps most those in abusive relationships, while wealthier residents would be able to travel out of state to exercise their constitutional rights.

Im thinking about what its going to be like for these women in these households to have their abuser and now their families hanging this threat over these women, said Democratic Rep. Chris Mathias. I cant even imagine what its going to be like for them.

Republican Rep. Heather Scott voted against the bill because it allowed exceptions for rape and incest.

Idaho has another abortion law already in place that would be triggered if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that declared a nationwide right to abortion. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority following three appointments by then-President Donald Trump.

If triggered, the Idaho law passed in 2020 would ban all abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother. That law would take effect in Idaho 30 days after the Supreme Court decision.

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Editors note: This feature first ran July 16, 2015, in the Times-News and at Magicvalley.com.

In the Twin Falls Cemetery lies a headstone that reveals little about the man commonly known as Rock Creek Jim.

Jim Lewis was a Shoshoni chief, born in the Duck Valley area only a dozen years after white explorers first came through the region. He lived out much of his life in the Magic Valley before Idaho became a state.

Jim said he was 100 years old just before the time of his death in September 1924, as his headstone attests, but theres no way to confirm or deny his claim.

Lulu Lough knew Jim and his family, and she recorded her childhood memories of him for Idahos territorial centennial celebration in 1963.

Jim grew tired of the way of the Indian, Lulu wrote, and tried most of his life to emulate the white mans way of living.

He built a cabin on Rock Creek and lived there for years before moving to Whisky Slough, west of Salmon Falls Creek. When he became unhappy in his marriage, he burned down his cabin and left his wife behind, Lulu said.

He rebuilt at Antelope Springs.

When the springs went dry, he packed his horses and moved to the foothills in Cedar Creek Valley, built a cabin and furnished it with a table and chairs, a cook stove and a bed.

Jim traveled to Duck Valley and found an Indian woman called Susie. The couple had three children before Susie died.

After she died, Jim tore down his cabin and turned it around so that evil spirits couldnt find the door, Lulu said.

Jim was a good neighbor and always reassured us when rumors of Indian uprisings drifted in, she wrote in the book.

Jims sister, Mary, would weave willow baskets for Lulus mother and would take Lulu and her brother into the hills to dig what she called joyic bulbs. Mary taught the children how to eat red ants without getting bitten.

They are as sour as the sourest pickle, Lulu said.

As was the custom, Jims 16-year-old daughter, Maggie, married the tribes medicine man, an old man known as Jack.

Members of the tribe would visit Jim on their way home from fishing along the Wood River. On one trip, 40 Indians with some 75 paint horses camped near Lulus home on Cedar Creek on their way to see their chief. Maggie and Jack accompanied the travelers.

Early the next morning, Lulus Uncle John heard a shot and when he investigated, he was told Jack had killed himself.

John found Jacks body with a string tied between his finger and the trigger, but there were no powder burns. Maggie had killed Jack, Lulu said.

Jim feared that Maggie would be killed in retaliation if she returned to Duck Valley, so he asked Lulus father to take her in. Maggie lived with Lulus family for a year before she remarried.

Jim gave the tribe five steers and seven ponies each year to pay for the death of their medicine man, Lulu said.

Rock Creek Jim died in 1924 at the old Twin Falls Hospital. Soon after, the Seventy Niners Association, a group of old-timers who came to the area before 1880, donated a simple headstone to his grave.

Mychel Matthews reports on rural issues and agriculture for the Times-News. The Hidden History feature runs every Thursday in the Times-News and on Magicvalley.com. If you have a question about something that may have historical significance, email Matthews at mmatthews@magicvalley.com.

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The Patrick County Sheriffs Department arrested two men within three hours of each other on unrelated narcotics violations.

The first incident occurred around 5 p.m. on March 2 when police say they arrested Johnny Miranda, 24, of Morrow, Georgia, for allegedly attempting to deliver over one and a half pounds of methamphetamine in the Ararat community.

The methamphetamine seized has a street value of approximately $40,000 and is typically sold to street-level dealers at $60 to $80 dollars per gram, a release said.

This is how dozens of drug addicts are infected, poisoning our community with thefts and other unwanted bi-products caused by the methamphetamine epidemic, Sheriff Dan Smith said in the release.

Miranda was arrested without incident and charged with possession with intent to distribute more than 227 grams of methamphetamine and is being held in the Patrick County jail without bond, a release stated.

In a separate narcotic take-down operation on the same day, at about 8 p.m. Joshua David Sawyers, 38, of 1455 Simpson Mill Road in Mount Airy, North Carolina, was arrested for allegedly attempting to deliver an ounce of methamphetamine in the Ararat community, the release said.

Police say that Sawyers was also allegedly found to be in possession of a stolen rifle and a hand gun.

As a tactical response team tried to apprehend Sawyers, he attempted to run, the release said.

A Sheriffs K9, Crash, captured Sawyers, and the man was treated for minor injuries, the release said.

Sawyers was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and is being held in the Patrick County jail without bond.

Smith said in the release that a multitude of narcotics and firearms charges would be added against Sawyers as the investigation continues.

Although the two incidents happened within close proximity to each other and on the same day, they were unrelated and Miranda and Sawyers do not know each other, the release said.
Rose Yates would rarely go more than a few days without knocking on a door or visiting a Bible student as part of her volunteer ministry.

That abruptly changed in the spring of 2020 when Jehovahs Witnesses suspended their in-person public ministry, meetings and large conventions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two years later, the Asheville resident is busier than ever, according to a news release.

We talk to many more people than we used to, said Yates, a retired Department of Education administrator.

I have a lot of conversations on how the Bible can help reduce anxiety and stress. One woman told me she never felt worthy and has come to see how God loves and cares for her as an individual.

With this historic change, the number of Jehovahs Witnesses grew 3% in the United States in 2021 alone, matching the most significant increase for the organization over the past decade and the second-largest percentage increase since 1990.

Staying active in our ministry while remaining safe has had a powerful preserving effect on our congregants and communities, said Robert Hendriks, the U.S. spokesman for Jehovahs Witnesses. The wise decision not to prematurely resume in-person activities has united us and protected lives while comforting many people in great need. The results speak for themselves.

For congregants like Yates, the virtual pivot has meant trading her bookbag for a landline, laptop, iPad and smartphone and her walking shoes for slippers. Her tools have changed, but her message is the same. She regularly shares scriptures with dozens of community members and conducts free Bible courses via telephone and Zoom with upward of 20 people a month.

Last year, the international organization reported all-time peaks in the number of people participating in their volunteer preaching work, increased attendance in Zoom meetings and more than 171,000 new believers baptized. In the past two years, more than 400,000 have been baptized worldwide, according to the news release.

Some whose ministry or attendance at religious services had slowed because of age and poor health said they feel reenergized with the convenience of virtual meetings and a home-based ministry.

I have had the opportunity to work with older ones on Zoom that I never worked with before because they were not able to get out, said Tracy Hutchinson. There is such a connection that if we didnt have this, I think it would definitely be more challenging to stay positive like we have been.

The Hutchinsons use Zoom to worship twice a week with their Franklin, North Carolina, congregation and regularly join online ministry groups to comfort neighbors and family through phone calls, letters, texts and email.

To think, if we were just dialing up and listening, how disconnected we would feel, said Coby Hutchinson. With Zoom we can see expressions on faces and share our feelings. This helps us show love and concern for one another.

The official website of Jehovahs Witnesses, translated into more than 1,000 languages, has also leveraged the organizations outreach.

After starting a free self-paced Bible course on jw.org in December 2019, Lisa Owen requested a free, interactive Bible study over Zoom. She was one of nearly 20,000 baptized as one of Jehovahs Witnesses last year in the United States in private settings, including backyard swimming pools, tubs and even rivers.

JW.ORG gave me somewhere to learn, somewhere to land, and to start living the way God wants me to. It taught me so much, said Owen of Moriarty, New Mexico.

To start an online Bible study course, receive a visit or attend a virtual meeting locally, visit jw.org.
On Monday, the Old Fort Board of Aldermen talked about the rising costs for fireworks on the Fourth of July and mowing the grass at the town cemetery.

The regular March meeting of the Old Fort Board of Alderman was held in the boardroom of the Old Fort Town Hall on Monday. The aldermen didnt meet in February because some of the board members tested positive for COVID-19 at that time.

During the meeting, Alderman Melvin Lytle informed the board that the cost of the Fourth of July fireworks show has increased dramatically.

Lytle asked the company that puts on the show to give him a fireworks shell count if the town stayed at the same cost as last year. This would be compared with the number of shells if the town put a similar show this year but at the higher cost. After discussion of the difference in the number of shells shot, Lytle made the motion to stay at the same cost and just see how that show turns out. If its not a good show, then the town can increase it for the next years fireworks. This motion was approved unanimously, according to town officials.

In a similar summertime matter, Lytle made a motion to take bids for the mowing at the Old Fort Cemetery. The person who is currently doing the mowing has let the town know the cost will go up for each mowing. After a discussion, the aldermen agreed to take bids for the work.

In other business, the Old Fort board heard a request from Amanda Elledge Finn, the new executive director of the Friends of the Fonta Flora State Trail. She asked the Board of Alderman to renew the towns support for the next three years.

The Fonta Flora State Trail is a 5013 non-profit whose mission is to build and maintain 100 miles of trail that is proposed to connect Buncombe, McDowell, and Burke counties. Representing a significant economic opportunity for western North Carolina, F3ST will work with existing partner organizations in the region to expand the outdoor recreational offerings to the community.

The town was paying $1,000 a year for this effort but Finn asked for $2,000 a year to support and continue her job. Lytle made the motion to approve the support for the next three years at $2,000 a year. It was approved unanimously, according to town officials.

Finn also asked the Board of Aldermen for support of $5,000 a year for the next three years for another trails position in conjunction with the city of Marion and McDowell County. After discussion from the board, they decided to table this until the new budget can be looked at further.

Also, RoAnn Bishop with the Mountain Gateway Museum asked the board if she can help with the upcoming 150-year anniversary celebration. Next year in February, Old Fort will celebrate its 150th anniversary as a town. She has several ideas and would like to help with planning. All board members agreed for her and her staff to help.

The Board of Aldermen also heard from business and property owner Jeff Parker, who has petitioned the town to close a portion of Polly Noblitt Drive. He has purchased the property the drive goes through and wants to make a development of homes that will connect with other homes on Harmon Drive. Alderman Jamie Grindstaff made the motion to accept the petition and set the public hearing for the April 4 meeting. The motion was approved unanimously, according to town officials.

In other business, the Old Fort Board of Aldermen:

Heard a report from Mayor Rick Hensley about the bids for putting a fence behind the Rockett building so people cannot access the roof of the building. The town got only one bid, G&S Fence Company in the amount of $3,200. Alderman Wayne Stafford made the motion to accept the bid and get the job done. This motion passed unanimously.

Accepted the contract with the firm of Lowdermilk Church & Co. for the 2021-2022 audit.

Talked about the 2022 Gold Festival, which is the first weekend in June. The board agreed to talk with the organizers of the Old Fort New Years Eve celebration to see if they could help get vendors for the Gold Festival.

Alderman Wayne Stafford made a motion to look at other neighboring towns for any ordinances prohibiting homeless people from residing inside the town limits. This motion passed unanimously.

Talked about the cost of repairs for the street washer truck. The aldermen agreed to put the cost for repairs in the budget for next fiscal year.

Held a closed session about an economic development matter. No action was taken about the matter following the closed session.
Erdogan's Gambit for Mosul

( Karhan Ozer/Presidential Palace/Reuters) (AINA) -- Earlier this week it was revealed that U.S. President Obama held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The topic of the conversation was the Operation to liberate Mosul and a role that Turkey wants to play.

Let's ponder this for a second. Ever since the abortive putsch that appears to have been orchestrated by Erdogan himself to consolidate power in July the Turks have taken on a more aggressive and ambitious policy towards the Syria conflict. They have even been cracking down against the PKK in Southeastern Turkey as well as the YPG, who operate within anarchic state known as Syria.

So why does Erdogan want a role for Turkey in the Liberation of Mosul? The most cynical view is that Erdogan is doing this in his effort to reestablish the Ottoman Empire and remove the stains of Sykes-Picot and other treaties. It cannot be denied that Ankara is a rising power in the region and is looking for opportunities to assert its influence. This presents a classic opportunity for Ankara to do something along this line.

Another view could be that He wishes to set up a buffer zone to guard against either an independent or autonomous Kurdish State. Looking at the topography of the region this idea has some merit. This region is where the Kurdish provinces of Iraq, Syria and Turkey come together. Turkish Policy has been to support the Iraqi Kurds, repress the Turkish Kurds and to recently launch airstrikes against the Syrians as they fight both Assad and ISIS.

So what of the Assyrians and Turkmen? It appears that once again their safety is being used as bargaining chips for outside actors. The Iraqi National Army along with Shia Militia and Peshmerga units are already in combat missions. Most of the action has the tribal forces opening a line so that government forces can exploit any opportunity. Meanwhile the efforts by the Assyrian Nineveh Plain Units have gone by unnoticed by most media outlets for the reason of the PR machines that the Kurds and Iraqi military currently employ and their willing acolytes in the Western Media.

The question of why Erdogan is willing to sabotage these efforts does not have either an easy or openly visible answer. This could be another form of blow-back from the failure of the putsch of July 15 by making sure that his border is protected from any external threats. Or it may be his wish to ensure there are no threats to the Islamic Order that he is imposing on the Turkish People.

A failure in the Mosul Operation or a marginal success that leaves a vacuum for Sunnis or other actors to exploit will only make regional tensions worse in the long term. It appears that various actors are already jockeying for position for such a scenario. This will be seen as the ultimate failure for Washington: a wrecked Iraq, Syria destroyed by a bellicose Iran and an emboldened Turkey at the expense of the Gulf States. This is not a pretty picture.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced the closing of 23 deals worth more than SR13 billion ($3.46 billion) with local and international companies on the fourth day of the World Defense Show (WDS) 2022.



The MoD signed five deals with the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), two of which were closed with the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) and three with the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF), reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA).



The SR6 billion deal with SAMI includes providing advanced communication systems, armoured vehicles, ammunition, and maritime systems. The contracts with SAMI were signed by Assistant Defense Minister for Executive Affairs Dr. Khaled Al-Biyari and SAMIs CEO Walid Abu Khaled. The signing ceremony was attended by the Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) Mr. Ahmed Al-Ohali.



The Ministry also signed an SR1 billion contract with Military Industries Corporation (MIC) to acquire defence systems, technical and logistic support, as well as training for the Royal Saudi Air Forces (RSAF). Dr. Al-Biyari and MIC President Eng. Mohamed Al-Mady signed the contract.



The four-day WDS 2022, which began on March 6 in Riyadh, also witnessed the signing of two contracts worth SR2 billion between MoD and Raytheon to support the defence capabilities of the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces (RSADF). The contract was signed by Dr. Al-Biyari and Chief Executive of Raytheon MENA group Dave Hanley.



The MoD signed an SR1 billion contract with Lockheed Martin Global Inc., which will allow RSAF to acquire sensing systems, including localization and sustainment programs. The deal was signed by Dr. Al-Biyari and Lockheed Martins Chief Executive for Lockheed Martine KSA and Africa BG (Ret.) Joseph Rank.



The MoD signed another SR370 million contract with Poly Technologies to obtain air defence systems for the RSADF. Dr. Al-Biyari and Poly Technologies President Huang Geming inked the deal.



The Ministry signed SR1.5 billion worth of two contracts with Thales International, a French company, for the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces (RSADF). The contracts allow the RSADF to obtain defence systems and technical support. These contracts were signed by Deputy Defense Minister for Procurement and Armament Ibrahim bin Ahmed Al Suwayed and Thales Saudi Arabia CEO Pascal Lesaulnier.

The Ministry signed three contracts worth SR250 million for the Royal Saudi Air Forces (RSAF) with the Advanced Electronics Company (AEC). The contracts will benefit RSAF in further development, technical support, and maintenance of training systems for the F15 simulators. Al Suwayed and AEC Chief Executive Officer Eng. Ziad Al-Musallam signed the agreements.



Furthermore, the MoD signed two contracts worth SR400 million with Aircraft Accessories and Components Company (AAC) to provide supply chain services to the RSAF. The contracts were signed by Deputy Defense Minister for Procurement and Armament Ibrahim bin Ahmed Al Suwayed and AAC Chief Executive Officer Mazin Jawhar.



The Ministry signed another SR260 million contract with the Swiss company Rheinmetall to provide the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces (RAFF) with support supply services and technical support for air defence systems. The deal was signed by Al Suwayed and Rheinmetall Vice President Zeno Hurt.



Additionally, the MoD signed four contracts worth SR100 million for the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) with the National Company for Mechanical Systems (NCMS). These contracts will provide RSLF with state-of-the-art electro-optical systems, including localization and sustainability services. The agreements were signed by the Director of the General Administration of Projects at the Ministry of Defense Deputyship for Procurement and Armament Khalid Al-Jawini and Armament and NCMS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mohammad Al-Sahlawi.



Finally, the Ministry signed an SR100 million contract with Aerovision International to provide support services for B707 aircraft. The agreement was signed by Major General Eng. Attiyah Al-Attiyah and Aerovision International CEO Ibrahim Al-Qahtani.




Senegalese Head of state Macky Sall, current chairman of the African Union (AU), met Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to seek a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine, he announced in a tweet.

I welcome my meeting this morning with President Putin in my capacity as chairman of the African Union to seek a sustainable ceasefire in Ukraine, Sall wrote on his Twitter account.

I welcome his listening and his willingness to maintain the dialogue for a negotiated outcome of the conflict, he continued.

The African Union had, in a communique published on February 24, called on Russia and any other regional or international actor to imperatively respect international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine. It had urged Russia and Ukraine for an immediate cease-fire and the opening of negotiations under the aegis of the UN.

On the 28th, it expressed its concern in another communique about reports that African nationals fleeing the fighting were being prevented from crossing the border, and judged that such refusals would be shocking and racist, and would violate international law.

Since then, Senegal, which has strong relations with Western countries, surprised the international community on March 2 by abstaining in a UN General Assembly vote in favour of a resolution that demands that Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine.

Dakar also signaled its displeasure with Kiev on Thursday, urging it to withdraw a call to fight in Ukraine and stop all recruitment from Senegal, after the announcement that 36 people had been enlisted to help in the war against the Russians.
Gunmen killed 13 soldiers, five policemen and a local militiaman in a pitched battle in northwestern Nigeria, where gangs of bandits have been terrorizing the population for months, security officials said Wednesday.

The attack took place on Tuesday in the village of Kanya, in the state of Kebbi bordering Niger. On Monday, at least 57 members of a self-defense militia were killed a few kilometers away, near the village of Sakaba, in the Zuru district.

According to witnesses, hundreds of bandits invaded Kanya on Tuesday night in Danko-Wasagu District and clashed with a contingent of police and soldiers for more than three hours. They came on about 200 motorcycles, three to a motorcycle, said resident Musa Arkiza.

There were 19 dead  13 soldiers, five policemen and one militiaman, a security official said on condition of anonymity, adding that eight others, including four soldiers, were injured and taken to hospital. The pitched battle was very intense and lasted more than three hours, the terrorists had the upper hand thanks to their numbers, he added.

For several years, northwestern and central Nigeria have been prey to multiple gangs of bandits who loot villages, kidnap people for ransom and sow terror among the population. But recently the attacks have intensified despite attempts by the military to dislodge the bandits from their bases.
Will President Musevenis son succeed his father? Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced on Tuesday March 8 his departure from the army, of which he was one of the main leaders. This has reignited speculation about a family succession at the head of the country.

After 28 years of service in my glorious army, the greatest army in the world, I am happy to announce my retirement. This is what Muhoozi Kainerugaba wrote on twitter.

He holds the rank of general and has led the army since June 2021, after commanding the special forces. Muhoozi Kainerugaba is 48 years old and has been presented for several years as a potential successor to his father Yoweri Museveni, in power in Kampala since 1986.

A sitting president who, even though he likes to show off his good physical shape  he was seen doing push-ups during the last presidential campaign  is 77 years old.

On social networks, those close to the government are pushing the hash word #MK2026 in reference to the year of the next election.

On his Twitter feed, he has recently put a lot of emphasis on the reopening of the border with Rwanda, and expressed his admiration for Paul Kagame, whom he met in Kigali in late January. He has also shown his support for Russia, saying on the subject of Ukraine that Putin is absolutely right.

The subject of succession is a delicate one in Uganda. Writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija recently had to flee the country after making derogatory comments. He was previously arrested and tortured for mocking the presidents son on social media.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A real-time electronic decision support system helped clinicians at community hospitals provide best practice care for emergency department patients with pneumonia, resulting in decreased intensive care unit admission, more appropriate antibiotic use, and 38% lower overall mortality according to a new study by researchers at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

Results of the study are published today in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"Treating pneumonia in emergency departments is challenging, especially in community hospitals that don't see severe pneumonia as often as urban academic medical centers," said Nathan Dean, MD, section chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Intermountain Medical Center and principal investigator of this study.

Pneumonia was the leading cause of death from infectious diseases in the United States, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to be a leading cause of death.

In the study, researchers at Intermountain Healthcare deployed the health system's electronic, open loop, clinical decision support (ePNa) system to 16 of its community hospitals between December 2017 to June 2019.

In that time, those hospitals had 6,848 pneumonia cases, and ePNa was used by a bedside clinician in 67% of eligible patients.

The Intermountain decision support tool gathers key patient indicators including age, fever, oxygen saturation, laboratory and chest imaging results, and vital signs to made recommendations on care, including appropriate antibiotic therapy, microbiology studies, and care setting recommendations (i.e., whether a patient should be sent to the ICU, admitted to the hospital, or is safe to go home).

Using the tool, Intermountain researchers found a range of positive outcomes for patients, including:

38% relative reduction in mortality 30 days after being diagnosed with pneumonia, with the largest reduction in mortality in patients admitted directly from the emergency department to the ICU

17% increase in outpatient disposition

decreased intensive care unit admission without safety concerns

lowered mean time from emergency department admission to start of first antibiotic

Researchers say results of the study are consistent with a prior study deploying ePNa in Intermountain's larger hospitals.

"In giving clinicians a real-time assessment tool that pulls together over 50 factors that can determine how a patient will do with pneumonia, our study found that clinicians were able to make better treatment decisions with this resource," noted Dr. Dean. "Some of our community hospitals have as little as 20 beds. We wanted to validate the effectiveness of ePNa in very different healthcare settings."

During the time of this study, U.S. News and World Report also ranked Intermountain as high performing in pneumonia care with excellent outcomes.

Dr. Dean added that not only did ePNa make recommendations that helped clinicians, but it also enabled clinicians to be more structured and consistent in making decisions about patients with pneumonia.

"Even if they don't follow the recommendation, decision-making is more consistent with best practices," he said.

For example, ePNa might recommend a patient be admitted to the intensive care unit, but a clinician knows that it's not the right care setting for an elderly, stage IV cancer patient.

Explore further AI system accurately detects key findings in chest X-rays of pneumonia patients within 10 seconds

More information: Nathan C Dean et al, A Pragmatic Stepped-wedge, Cluster-controlled Trial of Real-time Pneumonia Clinical Decision Support, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2022). Journal information: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Nathan C Dean et al, A Pragmatic Stepped-wedge, Cluster-controlled Trial of Real-time Pneumonia Clinical Decision Support,(2022). DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202109-2092OC

Provided by Intermountain Healthcare
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine, in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and five other institutions, are investigating novel regenerative medicine approaches to better manage vascular health complications from type 2 diabetes that could someday support blood vessel repair in the eye among diabetic patients with early retinal vascular dysfunction. These research strategies include identifying and using new methods to differentiate or mature human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into the specific mesoderm subset of cells that display vascular reparative properties.

"Vascular diseases afflict hundreds of millions of people in the world," said Chang-Hyun Gil, MS, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Surgery and co-first author of the study. "In this study, we focused on the retinal vessel in type 2 diabetes. Our results demonstrate the safe, efficient and robust derivation of hiPSC-derived specific mesoderm subset for use as a novel therapy to rescue ischemic tissues and repair blood vessels in individuals with vascular diseases. The results provide a foundation for an early phase clinical trial."

In the multi-site, early phase study recently published in Science Advances, investigators genetically reprogrammed diabetic and non-diabetic peripheral blood cells into hiPSCs and matured the cells into special blood vessel reparative cells. Upon injection into animal models with type 2 diabetic murine (T2D) retinal dysfunction, results showed significant improvement in visual acuity and electroretinograms with restoration of vascular perfusion. They hypothesized hiPSC-derived vascular reparative cells may serve as a source of endothelial precursors that will display in vivo vessel reparative properties in these diabetic subjects.

"Unlike the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), genetically engineered hiPSCs do not carry the ethical challenges ESCs possess that limit their possible usage, and hiPSCs are being increasingly recognized as a viable alternative in study design and application as a cell therapy for human disorders," Gil said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 37 million people in the United States have diabetesmore than 11 percent of the U.S. population. What's more, diabetes-related complications have risen among both young adults ages 18 to 44 years of age and adults ages 45 to 64. These complications cause major metabolic disturbances that damage the cardiovascular, visual, peripheral nerve and renal systems through harming small and large microvessels that feed these tissues. In 2019, more than 11 percent of adults ages 18 and older reported severe vision issues or blindness and more than 1.87 million adults were diagnosed with major cardiovascular disease.

"This work by Dr. Gil represents a monumental step forward in the application of induced pluripotent stem cells in treating the complications of diabetes," said Michael P. Murphy, MD, the Cryptic Medical Research Foundation Professor of Vascular Biology Research at IU School of Medicine, a vascular surgeon at IU Health and Eskenazi Health and a coauthor of the study.

Researchers converted hiPSC into a specific mesoderm subset that was enriched to generate endothelial cells with vessel reparative properties similar to endothelial colony forming cells (ECFC). Endothelial cells are cells found in the inner lining of blood vessels, lymph vessels and the heart and are a major component in regulating vascular function and inflammatory reactions. Endothelial cells control blood flow and regulate the transfer of proteins from blood into tissues.

Gil said the specific mesoderm subset expressing KDR, NCAM1 and APLNR (KNA+ mesoderm) exhibits enhanced capacity to differentiate into ECFC and form functional blood vessels in vivo and that mesoderm populations correct vasodegeneration of injured retinal vessels. Electroretinograms indicate enhanced function of neural retina and optokinetic nystagmus studies show improved vision.

"The next translational step of the work is to transfer the research protocols reported for differentiation of the hiPSC into to S-KNA+ cells into large scale manufacturing processes," said Mervin C. Yoder, MD, distinguished professor emeritus and research advisor for the Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering. Yoder is another co-author of the study and is the scientific founder of Vascugen, a company driven to advance treatments for life-threatening conditions caused by microvascular conditions. Selected aspects of this work have been licensed by Vascugen, Inc., through the Indiana University Innovation and Commercialization Office, who are focused on developing vascular reparative cells from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Another study coauthor is Maria B. Grant, MD, the former Marilyn Glick Professor of Ophthalmology at the IU School of Medicine Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute and current endowed chair of ophthalmology at UAB. Grant said this is a highly translational study that is a continuation of a grant she and Yoder have been working on for the last 20 years regarding stems cells and how they can be used to repair blood vessels in the eye. While hiPSCs can take a long time to grow, the study team simplified the process to shorten the time to grow them and make them more feasible to translate into a human therapy to repair blood vessels in the eye.

"At UAB, we took the stem cells and hiPSC cells and studied them," she said. "Science is really team science. I bring all the eye experience and some stem cell experience, and Dr. Yoder brings a lot of stem cell experience. It's a complementary collaboration."

"I want to express my greatest thanks to Dr. Yoder, Dr. Grant and Dr. Murphy for their support," Gil said. He will remember Yoder for "his dedication, passion, patience and kindness" and Murphy for supporting him in completing the study.

Other participating sites included Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Ansary Stem Cell Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science University and the School of Medicine at Konkuk University.

Explore further Retinal immune cells may hold key to preventing diabetes-related vision loss

More information: Chang-Hyun Gil et al, Specific mesoderm subset derived from human pluripotent stem cells ameliorates microvascular pathology in type 2 diabetic mice, Science Advances (2022). Journal information: Science Advances Chang-Hyun Gil et al, Specific mesoderm subset derived from human pluripotent stem cells ameliorates microvascular pathology in type 2 diabetic mice,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm5559
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Compared to US-born individuals, immigrants to the United States have increased financial worriesespecially related to things like retirement and medical costs, reports a study in the March issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice.

However, immigrants have lower overall rates of psychological distress, compared to US-born Americans, according to the new research, led by medical students Melaku Arega and Danny W. Linggonegoro of Harvard Medical School. However, they write, "serious psychological distress in non-US-born individuals was associated with increased financial worry relative to US-born individuals with a similar level of psychological distress."

New insights on associations between financial worries and mental health

The researchers analyzed data on a nationally representative sample of nearly 158,000 US residents, drawn from an ongoing US health population study (National Health Interview Survey). Of these, approximately 26,000 participants were immigrants to the United States while 132,000 were US-born.

Participants answered questions about eight different categories of financial worries and completed a standard mental health assessment (the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, or K6). The researchers assessed the rates and categories of financial worries, and compared their impact on mental health for immigrants versus US-born respondents.

The overall rate of "serious psychological distress"based on a K6 score of 13 or higherwas 2.25% in immigrants, compared to 3.0% in US-born participants. Some type of financial worry was reported by 80% of all participants. Of these, more than one-third had at least seven of the eight categories of financial worries.

After accounting for other factors, non-US-born respondents were about 50% more likely to report financial worries. Immigrants had increased financial worries in several areas, including retirement, medical costs due to illness, standard of living, and medical costs due to routine healthcare. Many other factors were linked to higher rates of financial worries, including female sex, younger age, poorer health, and not having health insurance.

As financial worries increased, so did the likelihood of serious psychological distress. For each additional point on a 24-point scale of financial worries, the likelihood of serious psychological distress increased by 13.5%.

However, even though immigrants had higher worry scores, at each level of financial worries they were less likely to have serious psychological distress, compared to US-born participants. In contrast, immigrants with serious psychological distress had greater financial worries. That suggests that immigrant patients with psychological distress should be screened for financial worries, according to the authors.

"Financial worry regarding medical costs due to illness or accident was among the greatest concerns in non-US-born individuals," the researchers note. They suggest that immigrants may be less familiar with the US medical system and healthcare costs, or have greater difficulty navigating the US healthcare system.

The impact of COVID-19 on economic stability and health may be more pronounced in the immigrant population, the researchers suggest. Arega, Linggonegoro and coauthors conclude, "Further research is needed to evaluate the role physicians can play in mitigating psychological distress in patients with increased financial worry."

Explore further Psychological distress may lead to more care and high medical costs for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors

More information: Melaku Arega et al, Financial Worry and Psychological Distress Among Immigrants in the United States, 2013-2018, Journal of Psychiatric Practice (2022). Melaku Arega et al, Financial Worry and Psychological Distress Among Immigrants in the United States, 2013-2018,(2022). DOI: 10.1097/PRA.0000000000000612
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Ohio University researcher Berkeley Franz has published a new study examining the relationship between systemic racism, residential segregation and racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

The study, published in Ethnicity & Disease, found that death rates among both Black and white individuals were higher in areas with more residential segregation, with Black individuals' death rates being almost twice as high.

Franz, an associate professor in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Ralph S. Licklider, D.O., Endowed Faculty Fellow in Population Health Science, conducted the study with Ben Parker, senior lecturer in statistics at Brunel University London; Adrienne Milner, senior lecturer in public health at Brunel University London; and Jomills H. Braddock II, professor of sociology at the University of Miami in Florida. Together, the researchers tested the hypothesis that social factors were at the heart of health disparities with COVID.

"We were interested in doing this study because racial and ethnic disparities have been apparent amid COVID-19, and for some Americans, this may have been one of the first times they've learned about disparities," Franz said. "Health disparities are present with almost every illness and have persisted for years, and the gap isn't closing, especially between Black and white Americans. We wanted to understand what was driving those disparities to find better ways to reduce them."

For the study, Franz and her team analyzed data from every state, looking at systemic racism measures, as well as socioeconomic factors between Black and white residents. Using data on deaths through December 2020, they assessed whether state-level systemic racism and residential segregation predicted the probability of COVID-19 deaths among Americans, considering key sociodemographic factors in the process.

Their findings reinforce that the death rate was higher among Black individuals because of different social environments rather than physiology or genetics. The authors hypothesize that in segregated neighborhoods, residents are less likely to have access to good quality schools, employment opportunities, health care and other resources.

"Race doesn't strongly shape if an individual gets infected with COVID-19, as infection rates are similar by race. But race does relate to how severe the disease is and if you die from it," Franz said. "Racial disparities are baked into American institutions, whether that is in education systems, health care or neighborhoods, and we found that the more residential segregation there was in a state, the better [a] predictor it was for how many people were dying of COVID and who was dying."

The results of the study demonstrate that residential segregation is associated with negative outcomes for Black and white Americans, but disproportionately impacts Black residents. The death rate varies considerably by race, with 102.1 of every 100,000 Black residents dying of COVID-19 and 73.1 of every 100,000 white residents dying of COVID-19.

According to Franz, the implications of residential segregation and systemic racism are important when looking at COVID mortality rates since social factors are what shaped these deaths, not individual decisions. Differences in socioeconomic factors, like having health insurance and accessible resources, can contribute to the likelihood of recovering from COVID.

"Health disparities will never go away if we don't get rid of the basic inequalities," Franz said. "Having an unequal society makes everyone vulnerable and leads to bad outcomes. By addressing these social factors, we can help prevent illness and death. Racial equality benefits society all around."

Franz and her team are currently working on a study looking at vaccination rates over time and whether residential segregation predicts whether people are vaccinated. No data have been collected regarding the race of those who have been vaccinated at the local level, however, requiring the researchers to look at state-level trends.

More information: Berkeley Franz et al, The Relationship between Systemic Racism, Residential Segregation, and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Deaths in the United States, Ethnicity & Disease (2022). Journal information: Ethnicity & Disease Berkeley Franz et al, The Relationship between Systemic Racism, Residential Segregation, and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Deaths in the United States,(2022). DOI: 10.18865/ed.32.1.31
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

If a cancer patient tests positive for COVID-19, are they more likely to become hospitalized from the disease?

That depends on certain risk factors, according to a new study by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), who looked to identify cancer-related risks for poor outcomes from COVID-19. Analyzing one of the largest databases of patients with cancer and COVID-19, the team found previously unreported links between a rare type of canceras well as two cancer treatment-related drugsand an increased risk of hospitalization from COVID-19. The findings appear in the journal Cancer Medicine.

"There is still a lot of fear of what the impacts are to the risk of patients with cancer and COVID-19," said LLNL principal investigator Priyadip Ray. "The key to this study was the strength of the dataset, which allowed us to look at this niche sector and was big enough to find some statistically significant cancer-related and medicine-related perspectives. These are potentially actionable items for physicians to let their patients be more aware, take more precautions or even look at alternate treatments."

Using a logistical regression approach, the team examined de-identified Electronic Health Record (EHR) data from the UC Health COVID Research Data Set (UC CORDS) on nearly a half-million patients who underwent COVID-19 testing at all 17 UC-affiliated hospitals. The dataset included nearly 50,000 patients with cancermore than 17,000 of whom also had tested positive for COVIDand contained information on patient demographics, comorbidities, lab work, cancer types and various cancer therapies.

The researchers examined a range of factors and disease outcomes, including hospitalization, ventilation and death, and identified a higher risk from COVID-19 due to a specific group of rarer blood cancers and two medications used to treat cancer: venetoclax (used to treat leukemia) and methotrexate (an immune suppressant used in chemotherapy).

"We found that patients with cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms or receiving specific anti-cancer treatments may be more likely to be hospitalized after SARS-CoV-2 infection," said collaborator Daniel Kwon, an assistant clinical professor in the hematology/oncology division in UCSF's Department of Medicine. "To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify these potential risk factors. Further studies in these populations are needed."

LLNL computer scientist Jose Cadena worked with co-authors Sam Nguyen and former LLNL academic graduate appointee Ryan Chan (currently a Ph.D. student at Johns Hopkins University) on the software tools for extracting and analyzing the data stored in the UCSF system. He said having access to such a large database with detailed medical history for each patient was key to the study.

"It allows us to evaluate the potential risk of many different factors with some reasonable confidence that the findings are statistically significant and relevant to a population beyond the cohort understudy," Cadena said. "One of the reasons I joined LLNL was to conduct research that could have a national or global impact. It would be great if our findings help physicians improve care for cancer patients with COVID."

In addition to cancer-specific risks, the study examined if people with cancer have an increased risk of getting infected with COVID-19. In contrast with previous studies, the team found cancer patients among the UC cohort were less likely to contract COVID-19 than the general population, which they hypothesized could be related to patients with cancer being more likely to take precautions that decrease transmission (e.g., social distancing and mask-wearing), frequent testing practices and having lower thresholds for undergoing testing compared to patients with cancer in other regions.

Cadena said such counterintuitive findings highlight one of the challenges of using EHRs for modeling disease, where there are "numerous confounding factors that muddle the analysis and have to be accounted for." Researchers said more investigation is needed to help explain and confirm the lower risk of COVID-19 test positivity in patients with cancer.

The team found additional risk factors for COVID-19 that have been previously reported, such as Asian and Hispanic/Latino ethnicities (which made up 36 percent of COVID-positive patients with cancer), and comorbidities like old age, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which were associated with increased risk of hospitalization and more severe disease.

The work is part of a pilot study, and researchers are pursuing external funding for further examination. Ray said the team would like to add time-varying, genomic and imaging data and apply more sophisticated AI and other tools to find better ways to treat patients. Going forward, they hope to understand not only the mechanics of the disease, but how socio-economic factors such as income and insurance can play a role.

"All of us are very excited," Ray said. "When you are doing research, you don't always see things that are immediately translatable. The potential that you can immediately impact how you treat a disease, care for patients or give guidance to patients or clinicians in how they can manage their disease, is very satisfying."

Explore further Hospitalized individuals with active cancer more likely to die from COVID-19

More information: Daniel H. Kwon et al, COVID 19 outcomes in patients with cancer: Findings from the University of California health system database, Cancer Medicine (2022). Journal information: Cancer Medicine Daniel H. Kwon et al, COVID 19 outcomes in patients with cancer: Findings from the University of California health system database,(2022). DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4604
Visa, the world's leader in digital payments, and Multi Level Group (MLG), a leading fintech firm will collaborate in the areas of issuing and acquiring contactless digital solutions in North Africa.

For this they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Mena Transport Congress and Exhibition 2022 last month.

Under the MoU, and in light of Visa's global initiative to improve the cashless and digital payment experience, Visa will work with MLG to implement various digital experiences in both the private and public sector.

Transit comes at the forefront of this strategic partnership whereby both organisations would offer transit solutions that would make passenger experience seamless and reduce travel time by allowing passengers to pay for their ride using their everyday contactless Visa prepaid and co-branded cards or wearable devices.

In addition, the initiative will also leverage Visa and MLG technologies to enable and expand digital acceptance solutions for merchants across markets in various markets across North Africa.

Commenting on the MOU signing, Leila Serhan, Visas Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for NALP, said: The adoption of digital payments is becoming a necessity in public and private projects and transportation is a key area where contactless payments will make a difference, especially as we see Egypt and the entire Mena region focus more than ever on digital transformation.

Our MoU with MLG will focus on synergies and knowledge sharing to deliver smart cashless and mobility solutions across key markets in North Africa. Visa already supports more than 450 projects worldwide and we look forward to bringing our expertise in contactless payments and urban mobility to this initiative."

Visa's urban mobility solutions such as the "Visa Known Fare Transit" model, the "Mobility & Transport Transaction" model, and the "Visa Ready for Transit" model are catalysing the transformation of mass transit globally by reducing infrastructure costs (ticket counters and vending machines) and improving the overall customer experience to drive ridership and revenue growth.

Abdul Jabbar AL Sayegh, Group Chairman, MLG, said: Through this MoU, we hope to leverage Visa's advanced diversified solutions as well as MLG experience in digital transformation, which combined will help shape the future of seamless transportation.

We are also glad to promote acceptance of EMV contactless payment to both consumers and merchants through The Platform which is one of existing assets of MLG. Promotion of digital payments has been accorded highest priority by MLG to bring all the segments under the fold of digital payment services and to provide facility of seamless digital payment to all activities in a convenient, easy, affordable, quick and secured manner."

As consumers move towards cashless and low-touch payment methods, this partnership will see both companies sharing best practices to enhance and create greater efficiencies in the transit industry.

-- TradeArabia News Service
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Newly released data synthesizes trends in state laws to increase access to naloxone and sterile syringes. The data, published to the Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System by the Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research, supports the need to accelerate states' adoption of harm reduction strategies, including providing access to sterile syringes, support services, and the overdose reversal drug naloxone, to prevent opioid overdose death and the transmission of blood-borne diseases in the United States.

Amidst an intensifying overdose crisis that claimed over 100,000 lives last year, researchers at the Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research captured more than 20 years of naloxone access laws and two years of laws governing syringe service programs across all 50 states. According to the research, all states now have naloxone access laws, and a significant majority (38 states and the District of Columbia) have laws that permit the operation of syringe service programs.

"Law should reflect the changing needs of communities as well as the best existing evidence on what works to improve health, wellbeing, and equity," said Elizabeth Platt, JD/MA, the director of the Center's Policy Research Technology Program and the lead researcher on this project. "Harm reduction researchers have demonstrated that providing access to clean syringes, supportive services and naloxone saves lives. It's encouraging to see states moving toward laws that support that goalhowever slowlybut there is still room to grow."

To that end, the new data shows:

The number of states to provide prescriptive authority for naloxone increased from seven states and DC on July 1, 2017, to 12 as of January 1, 2022. This includes Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Vermont. Colorado, Minnesota, and Vermont made this change after March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, states increased provider immunity for dispensing naloxone to a layperson: 39 states and DC provide dispensers with immunity from criminal prosecution; 45 states and DC provide immunity from civil liability; and 38 states provide immunity from professional sanctions.

In July 2021, West Virginia became the 33rd state with a law explicitly authorizing syringe service programs.

Beginning July 1, 2020, Virginia became the 34th jurisdiction to allow for the possession of syringes by SSP participants. West Virginia and Virginia now exempt syringe service programs participants from prohibitions on syringe possession.

In states that require SSPs to provide additional services beyond providing syringes, naloxone services were required in eight states and disposal services were required in 17 states as of August 1, 2021.

The policy surveillance was conducted with funding from Vital Strategies, to continue to build the knowledge base for the ongoing work to stem the impact of the overdose crisis in the United States.

"Access to naloxone and syringe services programs are critical strategies to reduce overdose and promote the health of people who use drugs," said Kate Boulton, JD, MPH, Senior Legal Technical Advisor at Vital Strategies. "While this research demonstrates modest progress in state laws on these issues, we urgently need all states to embrace harm reduction strategies to prevent overdose and saves lives."

The longitudinal datasets now capture naloxone access laws from January 1, 2001, through January 1, 2022, and syringe service programs from August 1, 2019, to August 1, 2021, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The naloxone dataset was updated with support from the Opioid Research Workgroup from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.

Explore further Study examines association of naloxone coprescription laws on naloxone Rx dispensing
These images of actual legitimate and counterfeit pills are examples and do not represent the many variations of counterfeit pills. Credit: DEA

Local health experts are warning the public that pills meant to mimic oxycodone tablets may contain illicitly manufactured fentanyl or other harmful contaminants. These counterfeit pills may be difficult to distinguish from legitimate prescription drugs and are especially dangerous because of their unknown contents.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, is used by doctors to treat severe pain. Fentanyl is pressed into pills that are stamped with "M30," "E7" or other markers to mimic real oxycodone tablets. Unlike prescription pills, the amount of fentanyl may vary from pill to pilland the amount in a single pill can be deadly for some people. In addition to fentanyl, these pills may contain a variety of other medicines, including fentanyl analogs, sedatives and anesthetics that may cause overdose. The presence of fentanyl in fake pills is impossible to detect unless it is tested.

The Oregon Poison Center at Oregon Health & Science University is available to provide medical advice and information to the public, and to provide medical consultation for health care workers with patients who may have been exposed to these pills.

Prevent opioid overdoses

The key advice from Oregon Poison Center: Only consume pills and other drugs that have been obtained from a pharmacy and have been prescribed to you. These prescriptions should be taken exactly as prescribed by your doctor. It is not safe to consume someone else's prescription drugs or anything purchased online or on the streets. Pills from these non-prescribed sources may be counterfeit and contain dangerous ingredients like fentanyl.

The center also recommends active communicationtalk with your teens about the risks of substance use. Discuss the risks associated with consuming drugs purchased off the internet, from social media sites or from anyone who is not their health care provider. Look for changes in their behavior, including irregular eating or sleeping patterns, loss of interest in usual activities, or signs of depression or anxiety.

People who use illicit drugs, or whose loved ones use illicit drugs, should take precautions against overdoses, including carrying multiple doses of naloxone, the opioid reversal drug. Naloxone is available at pharmacies in Oregon without a prescription.

Signs that someone is experiencing an opioid overdose include small, constricted "pinpoint" pupils; pale, bluish skin; vomiting or foaming at the mouth; slow, shallow breathing; or, they may appear sleepy or lose consciousness. Call 9-1-1 right away if someone is unconscious, not breathing or if naloxone has been given. Medical experts at the Oregon Poison Center can help if you or a loved one is experiencing unwanted symptoms after taking pills or using illicit substances.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a poison emergency, call the Oregon Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. A trained health care provider is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The call is free and confidential.

Explore further US warns Americans fake pills contain deadly fentanyl

More information: Poison prevention education and other poison safety resources are available at Poison prevention education and other poison safety resources are available at www.ohsu.edu/oregon-poison-center
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Birthing parents risk being financially burdened by the out-of-pocket medical costs of pregnancy and delivery, which cost some low-income parents close to 20 percent of their annual income, according to a Mount Sinai-led study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology on March 10.

The study found that birthing parents were at a higher risk of medical spending that would create a financial burden than similarly situated people who were not pregnant. Birthing parents also reported higher rates of unemployment and high rates of gaining and losing Medicaid in the delivery year. Low-income birthing parents had the highest risk of catastrophic health expenditures, or out-of-pocket payments for health care that exceeded 10 percent of family income in a given year. These families spent as much as about 19 percent of household income on health care expenses, or nearly 30 percent when health insurance premiums were included in spending.

Public health insurance, including Medicaid, was associated with starkly lower risks of burdensome health costs than private insuranceparticularly when health insurance premiums were included in spendingfor birthing parents with low incomes. Implementation of the Affordable Care Act did not significantly change the risk of catastrophic spending for parents.

"Pregnancy and delivery are critical periods of time with high health care utilization. Our study demonstrates that this health care utilization can be a financial burden for expectant parents," said corresponding author Jessica A. Peterson, MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellow in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "This burden primarily affects those at lower incomes, especially if they have private insurance."

The retrospective, cross-sectional study of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2008 to 2016 examined the prevalence, trends, and risk factors for catastrophic health expenditures in the year of delivery among birthing parents. The team of researchers identified more than 4,000 birthing parents of newborns and a 2:1 matched cohort of nearly 8,000 women who were reproductive age but not pregnant. Researchers then assessed for health care spending that was more than 10 percent of the family income during the year.

The study findings will be used to further discussions about significant reform to public health policies and safety net health care. "Given the association between pregnancy, delivery and catastrophic health expenditureas well as the protective effects of public insuranceit is imperative that we create policies that not only ensure insurance coverage for pregnant people, but also make it affordable," Dr. Peterson said. "Possible avenues to improve access to affordable health insurance include Medicaid expansion, as well as regulation of insurance cost-sharing and benefit designs."

Benjamin B. Albright, MD, MS, and Haley A. Moss, MD, MBA, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University Medical Center also contributed to this research.

Explore further When parents get Medicaid, it can benefit the health of their kids

More information: Catastrophic Health Expenditures With Pregnancy and Delivery in the United States, Obstetrics and Gynecology (2022). Journal information: Obstetrics and Gynecology Catastrophic Health Expenditures With Pregnancy and Delivery in the United States,(2022).
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After a year and a half of lockdowns, border closures, mask-wearing and social distancing, and the vaccine rollout, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has shifted to what is essentially a "let it rip" pandemic approach.

This is a push from the government to "open up" and get "back to normal." However, since this approach was taken, it has led to omicron spreading at increased rates across the country.

This shift to "learning to live with the virus" makes life harder and more dangerous for vulnerable groups such as First Nations people, people living with disability, the elderly, those with chronic conditions and those who are immuno-compromised. Refugees and migrants are at also at higher risk of serious illness and death from COVID.

Experts warn: "As the virus moves into vulnerable populations, such as older Australians, people with disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people [] we may see a rise in hospitalizations and death."

This way of thinking was especially prevalent in the discourse around the release of the Australian Bureau of Statistics COVID-19 mortality report. As reported in The Guardian, some media stated or implied COVID doesn't kill enough "healthy" people for it to be considered harmful, thus assigning lower value to certain lives.

For example Joe Hildebrand wrote in an op-ed for news.com.au: "not only did so-called "COVID deaths" account for just 1% of fatalities during the pandemic, but 92% of that 1% were people with pre-existing health problems ranging from pneumonia to heart disease."

'Living with COVID' doesn't include everyone

In Australia, there are people with compromised immune systems who because of a chronic illness, can't be vaccinated. There are also some people whose bodies won't respond to COVID vaccines either because of medications for ongoing treatments, or co-morbidities that impact their immune system.

Even if people with chronic illness do get vaccinated, their compromised immune systems mean there is no certainty they would be protected from COVID.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are impacted by disease 2.3 times more than non-Indigenous Australians.

GP and Epidemiologist Dr. Jason Agostino from Australian National University said: "there are almost 300,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who are at higher risk of getting very sick if they are not vaccinated and get COVID-19."

ADF personnel have been called to assist with the outbreak, which has infected more than 70 residents and staff. Via @hapsterpark https://t.co/XKzKS9gtDF  NITV (@NITV) February 26, 2022

How First Nations communities are still being left behind

Before the pandemic, Aboriginal people faced health disadvantages and inequitable access to health care. This has worsened since the pandemic. One of the significant issues has been access to affordable food during the pandemic, increased vulnerability of homeless Indigenous people during lockdowns, lack of ability to self-isolate at home and lack of access to community healthcare.

The pandemic has also been disruptive to communities not being able to see one another because of public health concerns. This impacts community approaches to health care, cultural practices, and connection to country.

COVID-19 disrupts social fabric in the Kimberley as community transmission grows.https://t.co/i7JkEMfMM5  ABC Indigenous (@ABCIndigenous) February 27, 2022

Some Indigenous communities also have limited access to health services and need to be better informed by health workers from their own communities about testing and vaccination. This was proven successful by stories such as in Arnhem Land, Mala'la Health Service's chairman Uncle Charlie Gunabarra traveled around remote communities sharing information about the COVID-19 vaccine. This led to a significant increase in vaccinations.

What needs to happen

A study by the Australian National University, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Lowitja Institute reinforces that First Nations people "must remain a priority group" for Australia's COVID-19 pandemic response.

In this study, Dr. Tanya Schramm from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said: "Improving access to social determinants such as housing and healthcare will reduce the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 among Aboriginal peoples, and this must occur alongside ongoing care and management of chronic conditions and efforts to increase vaccination coverage."

There have been efforts to overcome access to health services during the pandemic through telehealth and online healthcare options. However, there are challenges accessing these services such as limited access to phone, computer literacy and internet coverage. This also impacts refugee and migrant communities.

Despite Scott Morrision's statement "We're now at a stage of the pandemic where you can't just make everything free," not everyone can afford to buy rapid antigen tests. Although there are recent initiatives in place to make these available to concession card holders and to the WA population, these tests need to be free for all.

Ableism is complex, harmful, and the COVID-19 pandemic response has amplified harm to priority groups. In order to address this, the government needs to better include First Nations communities in their COVID-19 strategies going forward. This can be done by providing resources to Aboriginal community controlled health organizations in regional and remote areas, as recommended by the Australian Department of Health.

Better government support to and communication with First Nations people and their health centers can minimize misinformation and fear around the virus and vaccine. This could also provide much better access to health care, vaccines and rapid antigen tests.

As Western Australia opens up, some remote Indigenous communities and aged care facilities have been placed into lockdown, we need to find better ways to support vulnerable communities when addressing COVID-19 in Australia.

Explore further The first Indigenous COVID death reminds us of the outsized risk NSW communities face

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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mRNA vaccines are highly effective in preventing COVID-19 associated hospital admissions related to the alpha, delta, and omicron variants. But three doses are needed to achieve a similar level of protection against omicron that two doses provide against the delta and alpha variants, finds a large US study published by The BMJ today.

The results also show that, although severity of disease among patients admitted to hospital is lower with the omicron versus delta variant, patients with omicron are still at risk of critical illness and death.

Understanding COVID-19 variants and the effectiveness of vaccines against them are essential to guide vaccination policies and development of new vaccines.

Early studies suggested reduced vaccine effectiveness against infection and hospital admissions for omicron compared with earlier variants, but little is known about the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent the most severe manifestations of COVID-19, including respiratory failure and death, for patients with infection due to the omicron variant.

To address this knowledge gap, researchers assessed the clinical severity of COVID-19 associated with the alpha, delta, and omicron variants among adults admitted to hospital and compared the effectiveness of two and three doses of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) to prevent hospital admissions related to each variant.

Their findings are based on 11,690 adults admitted to 21 hospitals across the United States between March 2021 and January 2022: 5728 with COVID-19 (cases) and 5962 without COVID-19 (controls).

Patients were classified into three variant groups based on viral gene sequencing or by the predominant circulating variant at the time of hospital admission: alpha (11 March to 3 July 2021), delta (4 July to 25 December 2021), and omicron (26 December 2021 to 14 January 2022).

Vaccine effectiveness was then calculated for each variant and disease severity was compared among variants using the World Health Organization's clinical progression scale, which evaluates how severely ill a patient becomes in the hospital.

Effectiveness of two doses of an mRNA vaccine to prevent hospital admission with COVID-19 was found to be lower for the omicron variant than alpha and delta variants (65%, 85%, and 85%, respectively), whereas three doses were found to achieve 86% effectiveness against the omicron variant, similar to two doses against the alpha and delta variants.

Among unvaccinated adults admitted to hospital with COVID-19, the delta variant was associated with the most severe disease, followed by the alpha variant and then the omicron variant.

The omicron variant was, however, associated with substantial critical illness and death, with 15% of patients admitted to hospital with the omicron variant (vaccinated and unvaccinated) progressing to invasive mechanical ventilation, and 7% dying in hospital.

Vaccinated patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 had significantly lower disease severity than unvaccinated patients for all the variants.

This is an observational study, so can't establish cause, and the researchers acknowledge that some variant misclassification may have occurred. What's more, they didn't account for potential differences in clinical management during the periods when the alpha, delta, and omicron variants predominated, which may have affected outcomes.

Nevertheless, they say this was a large study with rigorous evaluation of vaccination status and of outcomes beyond hospital admission, suggesting that the results are robust.

As such, they say that mRNA vaccines "were associated with strong protection against hospital admissions with COVID-19 due to the alpha, delta, and omicron variants" and that vaccination against COVID-19, including a third dose of an mRNA vaccine, "is critical for protecting populations against COVID-19-associated morbidity and mortality."

They conclude: "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, routine monitoring of vaccine effectiveness, especially against severe disease, and surveillance programs to identify viral variants will be essential to inform decisions about booster vaccine policies and vaccine strain updates."

Explore further Research shows third vaccine dose key to preventing omicron hospitalization

More information: Clinical severity of, and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against, covid-19 associated with omicron, delta, and alpha SARS-CoV-2 variants in the United States: prospective observational study, BMJ (2022). Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) Clinical severity of, and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against, covid-19 associated with omicron, delta, and alpha SARS-CoV-2 variants in the United States: prospective observational study,(2022). DOI: 10.1136/bmj2021069761
To the surprise of few who live here, Montana saw a surge of high-income, out-of-state newcomers moving from places like California, Washington and Colorado in 2020 and 2021.

When you look at average income levels, the people coming in here have more money on average, explained Sam Schaefer, the lead fiscal analyst for the Montana Legislative Fiscal Division, in a presentation to state legislators this week.

The data doesnt suggest it; this is objectively true," he said. "The average federal adjusted gross income levels are bigger for those coming here than for established people.

There were 18,077 new tax filers who moved to Montana in 2020 and declared residency, compared with 11,416 tax filers who moved away, for a net gain of 6,661 new taxpayers. That represents a big increase over pre-pandemic years, Schaefer noted.

Prior to 2019, Montanas population increased about .9% every year. That number jumped to 1.1% in 2020 and to 1.6% in 2021.

Things really took off in 2021, he said.

Using tax return data, by far the highest number of new taxpayers, about 2,500, came from California. That was followed by about 2,200 from Washington and 1,500 from Colorado, with about 1,000 each coming from Oregon, Idaho, Texas and Arizona.

Sort of what we believe to be true, seems to be the case, Schaefer said, referring to anecdotal evidence that suggests high numbers of Californians have been coming here.

Missoula County saw the third-highest number of new taxpayers at 2,083, behind only Gallatin and Flathead counties.

New resident tax filers in Montana in 2020 had an average federal adjusted gross income of $110,271. Thats 34% higher than the average income of $82,287 earned by Montana residents who had lived in the state for the entire year of 2020.

Thats about $30,000 more across all ages, Schaefer said. Why is this happening? Well, the speculation is there are a significant number of high-income people, or a few high-income people, coming into the state.

The top 10% of new filers, the highest-income 1,800 people, had an average income of $600,000 per year. Thats almost double the average income of $312,759 per year that the top 10% of full-year residents were making.

He gave his presentation to the states Financial Modernization and Risk Assessment Study committee. The reason he looked at the data was to understand state income tax revenue implications for future years as Montanas population ages.

Schaefer also tracked people who moved to Montana in 2019 and filed a tax return for a full year of income in Montana in 2020.

The Montana taxable income was 10% larger in 2020 for those filers who moved to Montana in 2019 compared with 2020 full-year residents.

Working-age individuals, those under 65, saw an average income growth of 5%. People werent moving to Montana to take lower-paying jobs because the cost of living is lower here than in places like California, Schaefer said. Rather, the data suggest that it is likely those tax filers brought their jobs with them or found similar-paying jobs in Montana.

The total incomes of new residents included a higher percentage of capital gains and higher incomes than people who already lived here.

Taxpayers who moved to Montana in 2019 had larger 2020 average incomes than residents as a whole and that was driven by larger capital gains and wage income, Schaefer said.

One interesting data point showed that new residents over age 65 who moved to Gallatin County had average incomes 195% higher than people who already lived there. However, in Missoula County, new residents over age 65 made 21% less than people who live here.

Dwaine Iverson, a certified public accountant who sits on the committee, wanted to know whether the tax cuts enacted by the Republican-led 2021 Montana Legislature had anything to do with attracting people.

Montanas top marginal income-tax rate was reduced from 6.9% to 6.75%, although about 202,000 of the states taxpaying households that have an income of less than $19,000 got no tax cut.

How much is our reduction in rates making the state of Montana competitive? he asked. Is the effect we wanted with those reduced rates whats paying out?

Schaefer said it would be difficult to tell whether people moved here because of the pandemic or because of the reduced tax rates.

Committee member Bill Mercer, a state representative from Billings, said he heard testimony from a state economist at a previous committee meeting that there had been no huge uptick in net in-migration of people during the pandemic.

These data are at a variance from that observation, Mercer said.

Schaefer replied that there was definitely an increase in the number of people moving here in 2020 and 2021 compared with years previous.

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Missoula elementary and middle schoolers will be among dozens of other Montana students to compete in the All-Montana Geography Bee on Sunday at the University of Montana.

As many as 100 Montana students, in fourth through eighth grades, who qualified are expected to compete in the geography quiz competition from 9:15 a.m. until 3:45 p.m.

Sarah Halvorson, a geography professor at UM and coordinator of the Geography Bee, predicted as many as 1,000 students have taken the 50-question qualifying exam. The youngest participants will be fourth graders.

I was thinking, well arent they kind of young? Apparently not, Halvorson said. There are some kids who are total whizzes in geography at a very young age.

The daylong event is one of many regional academic bees going on nationwide between February and May, according to David Madden, the founder and co-executive director of International Academic Competitions.

Students in Montanas geography bee will meet at the Harold C. Urey Lecture Hall for the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. and will participate in competition rounds being held in classrooms across the UM campus.

Students in each category will participate in four rounds. The winners of the Geography Bee in each category will receive a medal and a plaque.

The top Montana participants will qualify to attend the International Round in Burlington, Vermont in July. A smaller group of Montana participants will also qualify for Nationals in Orlando, Florida, in June.

Entrance fee a barrier for some

The $45 entrance fee and travel costs for some eastern Montana schools have proven to be a barrier to participation, Halvorson said.

Medicine Lake School, a rural K-12 school about 10 hours East of Missoula, cannot attend without financial aid, she said. All 85 students attending Medicine Lake School have taken the qualifying geography exam, according to Megan Hoffman, a teacher at Medicine Lake School.

Were pretty isolated up here, Hoffman said. Our town is 300 people and our students crave going places, meeting other people, and having different experiences. Geography and this competition are wonderful outlets for these kids to experience those things.

Halvorson has secured a $500 donation to help cover the costs of registration for eligible students at Medicine Lake School.

Given the costs associated with travel, in addition to the registration fee, Medicine Lake School and many other Montana schools will instead be participating in the online version of the Geography Bee on May 1.

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As Congress prepares to pass a major Ukraine spending package, possibly by Friday, Jon Tester, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense chairman, said its important the funding is accounted for and adequate.

Congress is poised to authorize $13.6 billion in support for Ukraine, this on top of the $1.75 billion spent in the last 12 months. Lawmakers have included the spending in an omnibus bill needed to fund the U.S. Government through September. Barring a short extension, the omnibus needs to pass by midnight Friday to avoid a federal government shutdown.

I can tell you right now, the money that's going into defense is very robust. One of my concerns is making sure that we're going to have the capability to get, from a defense standpoint, the weapons to where they need to go within Ukraine, and making sure that we have the ability to make sure that the money is not wasted, Tester said.

The Montana Democrat recalled that in his first years in office Congress was authorizing trunk loads of money for the Iraq War with little assurance of how the money would be spent. Spending has to be purposeful in Ukraine, Tester said, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine being the largest military action on the European continent since World War II.

Spending for Ukraine is $4 billion more than what the Biden administration requested in a March 2 letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Defense spending included in the supplemental package for Ukraine is $6.25 billion, of which $2.2 billion covers personnel and operations cost for the next seven months.

The accountability is grounded in the inspector general evaluating defense spending no later than 120 days after the bill is passed. The secretary of defense is also required to give congress 30 days notice before drawing on a $3.5 billion fund to replenish DOD stocks of the weaponry, military training and services. Already, there has been $1.75 billion spent on Ukraine using presidential drawdown authority.

The remaining aid is plumbed through government departments ranging from agriculture to energy.

Tester said it is understood that if Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin doesnt back off the Ukraine invasion, then the conflict is likely to continue for years. The longest spending deadlines in the aid package extend into 2024.

The response by the United States and its European allies, grounded in sanctions against Russia, will take the time to play out, said Don Loranger, a retired Air Force major general, and specialist in U.S. national security. The success will depend on the willingness of U.S. citizens to sacrifice for as long as those sanctions last.

I'm very proud of the fact that we have been able to orchestrate, a number of Nations, NATO nations and others, and commercial enterprises, to respond in a very strong way to oppose what Putins trying to do in the Ukraine, Loranger said. The challenge will be our willingness and courage to do it going forward. Every indication is that we can pull this off, but it's not going to be easy.

Loranger, directs the Defense Critical Language and Culture Program at the Mansfield Center on the University of Montana campus. Its an intensive training program for the U.S. military and other Department of Defense personnel. He is a former military fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, a 30-year veteran, a commander of the Iraqi no-fly zone that protected the local population, particularly the Kurds, from Saddam Husseins forces after the Gulf War. Loranger also directed Provide Promise a years-long airlift that delivered supplies to more than 300,000 people in war-isolated Sarajevo and East Bosnia.

Among the challenges the United States will face is the mixing and matching of crises, Loranger said. Conflating the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for example, with security of the U.S. border with Mexico, or pipeline infrastructure.

Americans are going to have to make sacrifices to accommodate supply shortages related to sanctions, Loranger said. It's the kind of sacrifice not seen since World War II.

They went through all kinds of depravations, besides fighting the war," Loranger said. "That took great strength from this country to do. I hope we still get that.

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Last week the Washington Post showed the continued embarrassment that Gov. Greg Gianforte flaunts. Once again he killed an animal that lived its life in Yellowstone and thus was more than innocent to the idea of being hunted. Some call this sport, but for many of us, it is a reminder of the disregard the governor has for Yellowstone and its wildlife, this coming a year after his illegal killing of Max the wolf on Matt Lumley's ranch that borders the park.

While the hunt was legal, it is still shameful. Indications are the lion was treed for several hours before being shot. Questions have also arisen that could shed more light on the killing. Did the governors friend Lumley bait the animal out of Yellowstone for the governor? The radio collar should have tracking data which would indicate where the lion was? Did Lumley clean the data off the collar before returning to the park? Making headlines for less than ethical hunting of a collared Yellowstone lion shows the desire for a trophy, outweighs common sense.

Lumley, a former oil roughneck and trapper for Wildlife Services, is now being investigated for recently illegally killing a grizzly bear on the same Sinclair ranch he manages. Now the case is being handled by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency that is managed by former Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks director Martha Williams. Will Sen. Steve Daines (who supported her confirmation) and others pressure Williams to help Lumley get off? Many are watching. The governor has a history of ignoring the rules when it comes to killing wildlife and Lumley is as he described is a mentor in his life.

With the celebration of the 150th anniversary this year one thing is clear, the governor is ignoring the more than $560 million the park pumps into our Montana economy; in fact it seems clear the governor views national parks as a place to pull trophies. His actions reflect a lack of respect for their sanctity. His legislative agenda, which includes the slaughter of wolves, will only continue to morph into ways to kill grizzly bears, as his friend Lumley has staked his claim to, and the Legislature seems only too happy to push.

As so many from around the world coming to the upcoming celebration of what many consider Americas greatest national park, this celebration will only be marred by the governors presence. He has proven what the park means to him and has ignored the written request by Park Superintendent Cam Sholly to stop the wolf slaughter. To come and act like the 150 anniversary to him is a great day, will only leave many shaking their heads. He should stay far away from any celebrations, his actions have spoken far louder that the likely political stunt his presence would bring.

Hunting may well be an important part of Montanas identity, but the killing of wildlife on the border of the park must be stopped. Animals that have spent their life in the park are being lured out of the park to their torture (trapping) or slaughter.

Footloose Montana has repeatedly called for a 5-mile buffer that bans hunting or trapping on all Forest Service lands around the park, this would stop baiting and calling out wildlife. More than 34 groups and 1,500 individuals signed our request which has yet to garner a single response from Department of Agriculture officials (who manage Forest Service lands) or Forest Service supervisors. Such gross indifference to the fate of innocent wildlife calls for action, not stonewalling.

The citizens and wildlife of Montana deserve far better.

Stephen Capra is executive director of Footloose Montana.

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The UAE and New Zealand have agreed on a seven-pronged economic cooperation programme at the eighth session of the UAE-New Zealand Joint Economic Committee (JEC) held recently on the sidelines of Expo 2020 Dubai.



The seven new tracks aimed at consolidating the economic partnership between the two countries over the next two years include development of trade and mutual investment, advanced technology and innovative industries, agriculture and food security, energy and renewable energy, logistics services, tourism, and entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises.



The session was chaired by Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Damian O'Connor, Minister for Trade and Export Growth of New Zealand.



The session also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Etihad Credit Export Insurance in UAE and the New Zealand Export Credit Agency to enhance the momentum of trade and increase export-related investments between the two countries.



Dr Al Zeyoudi said: "The non-oil trade between the UAE and New Zealand amounted to nearly AED2.8 billion ($762 million) by the end of 2021, reflecting a growth of 14.2% compared to 2020 and a 13.4% increase compared to 2019. The UAE is New Zealands 10th largest trading partner globally, accounting for 2.5% of New Zealand's foreign trade.



We are also New Zealands number one Arab trading partner, accounting for 50% of its trade with the Arab world. Meanwhile, the UAEs direct investments in New Zealand totalled AED625 million by the end of March 2021. Meanwhile, New Zealand has investments worth more than AED272.5 million in the UAE.



Dr Al Zeyoudi invited the New Zealand business community to learn about the many incentives the UAE offers. He highlighted the central role of the Joint Economic Committee in the exploration of promising growth opportunities and as a principal platform for bilateral economic cooperation.



He further noted that the next phase will focus on stimulating investment in future sectors such as advanced technology, as well as sharing experiences in the deployment of innovation in industrial development, economic diversification, production capabilities, modern agricultural technology and food security, renewable energy, logistics, talent attraction and many others.



The minister also called for intensified joint efforts to implement the Committees outputs on the ground and to move to a new level of partnership with a major contribution from the private sector and the full support of the two governments.



Damian O'Connor said that relations between the two countries are based on strong ties, noting that the UAE is a key trade partner for New Zealand. He highlighted the UAEs vital position as an active logistics gateway facilitating the flow of New Zealands exports to the Middle East, Asian, and African markets.



He added: We are keen to strengthen our trade and economic relations with the UAE by forging new partnerships with the public and private sectors, in light of what was discussed during the latest JEC session held in the New Zealand Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. We will work to strengthen our cooperation with the UAE in the areas of agricultural technology, innovation, and trade facilitation.



He further expressed his pleasure at the signing of the MoUs that outline close cooperation efforts between the two countries in the areas of food security and export credit, noting that his country is looking forward to achieving higher levels of economic partnership with the UAE in the next phase.



The eighth JEC session saw the UAE and New Zealand agree on the importance of continuing efforts to explore further opportunities for economic cooperation in priority sectors at the governmental and private levels. The meeting of the Committee also witnessed the signing of an MoU between the Etihad Credit Export Insurance in the UAE and the New Zealand Export Credit Agency to enhance the momentum of trade and increase mutual export investment, as well as cooperate in insurance and re-insurance opportunities and co-insurance services to support commodity exports, investments and services.



The two sides also agreed on encouraging the business communities of both sides to review prominent opportunities, facilities, and benefits available in both markets and explore new aspects of promoting trade and mutual investment, and enter into private joint investments in sectors of common interest.



The UAE side invited its New Zealand counterpart to participate in the upcoming annual trade and investment events hosted by the country such as Gulfood; GITEX Technology Week, and the Investopia Summit, which will launch its first session in Dubai on March 28 alongside Expo 2020 this year.



The meeting also saw the agreement to strengthen cooperation in the areas of tourism, renewable energy, agricultural security, logistics, entrepreneurship, civil aviation, communications, maritime operations, industrial ports, and free zones, thus developing and facilitating trade and improving the efficiency of supply chains between the two countries.



The two sides also agreed to develop a joint plan of action with a promising agenda for cooperation in the areas of modern agriculture and food security in the interest of the economic growth for the two countries.



Moreover, both sides underlined the importance of strengthening research and development partnerships in emerging renewable energy technologies such as battery and solar energy storage and waste conversion, as well as promoting cooperation between companies in the two countries to invest in this sector.



The importance of exploring opportunities to share experiences in the SME policies and programs and driving SMEs digital transformation, and cooperation in the development of an advanced technological environment for startups and entrepreneurships were also discussed.  TradeArabia News Service
Turning Red may be the most tween-centric animated film in Pixar history.

It takes a deep dive into the mood swings of a young girl and the changes that occur when she decides to defy her mother and face puberty on her own terms.

Directed by Oscar winner Domee Shi, Turning Red breaks other barriers, too. Its set in 2002, dabbles in tradition and lets Toronto (not New York?) take the lead.

Shi is so willing to address things others wouldnt, she even throws in a sexy sketchbook and a boy band. (Wait until you see who provide the voices.)

That makes 13-year-old Meis ability to morph into a giant red panda among the least surprising aspects of the film.

When Mei (Rosalie Chiang) starts to rebel against mom (Sandra Oh), theres a Freaky Friday kind of divide that finds each testing new waters without consulting the other.

Shi provides lots of background (listen closely and youll learn plenty about Asian culture) and presses against the tiger mom stereotypes other films have dealt.

When Mei turns red, theres plenty to consider  not the least of which is loneliness. She keeps the secret as long as possible, then realizes this new identity isnt as bad as she feared, particularly when others are there to help her. Shi won the Oscar for her short subject, Bao, and its easy to see the connection. Because theres more time here, Turning Red can venture into more areas of adolescent angst.

It doesnt become a gender identity lesson but there are openings for discussions. While it isnt as funny as last years Mitchells vs. the Machines, it does have a similar vibe  and that big transformation.

Mei as a panda is a merchandising windfall. Because you can practically feel the fur (and because the character isnt all that different from Kung Fu Pandas Po), theres a desire to keep her around. Mei learns plenty and pulls us along for the ride.

Look at the character design and youll see a tip of the hat to Wallace and Gromit as well. Shis ability to pay homage and forge new trails is admirable. Had she done more with one of the male characters, "Turning Red could have been a smart film for boys, too.

As is, its an awakening for an audience that isnt always considered. With this, Pixar is turning a corner and suggesting it can go where all those French and Japanese animated films have already been.

Its not quite Hayao Miyazaki, but its a start.
Nearly 200 new jobs are on the horizon for Morganton after city council members approved incentives for three economic development projects Monday night.

The incentives already were approved by the Burke County Board of Commissioners, and the city held public hearings on the incentives that saw no one give comments.

For Project Highlander, a $5.2 million investment thats expected to create 100 new jobs, the city will grant 50% of the projects new taxable investment over three years starting in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Thats about $14,820 per year for the city at its current 57 cents per $100 of property value tax rate. The city also will be contributing a $5,000 local match for a grant from the Rural Infrastructure Authority.

For Project Bravo, a $4.1 million investment expected to create about 25 new jobs, the city will grant 50% of the projects new taxable investment over three years starting in the 2023-24 fiscal year, or about $11,685 per year at the citys current tax rate. The city also will be contributing a $5,000 local match for a grant from the Rural Infrastructure Authority.

The black sheep of the incentive projects came with Project Its About Time, the codename for the first development coming to the Burke Business Park.

Instead of a grant on the projects new taxable investment, the city, county and other local government stakeholders in the business park have agreed to convey 23 acres of land at the park to the business.

The project is expected to be at least a $25 million investment, though Burke Development Inc. President and CEO Alan Wood said it would likely be closer to the $35-$40 million range. Seventy-two new jobs are expected as a result of the project.

All of the jobs created by the projects meet or exceed the countys average wage.

City begins search for next chief

The search is on for the next chief of the Morganton Department of Public Safety after former Chief Tony Lowdermilk retired March 1.

City council approved an agreement with the North Carolina League of Municipalities MAPS group for a total of up to $14,200 to work with the group to select the next chief.

City Manager Sally Sandy said during the meeting it was typical for municipalities to contract with a consulting group to help select the best candidate for the job because of the importance of the position and the skillset required.

This process is a very comprehensive process and one that is very community oriented, Sandy said. It involves a lot of participation.

She said the city has used MAPS before, and the process will begin in April. Information from the city said it hopes to have the next chief selected in July.

New auditor tapped

The city council voted Monday to start using a new auditor after the previous auditing firm decided to stop serving government clients.

Morganton Finance Director Jessie Parris said Elliott Davis, the firm the city has previously used for audits, made the decision the firm would disengage from all its governmental clients because they couldnt make the profits they wanted with the staffing issues they had plus North Carolina oversight in audit bids.

The city received three proposals for audit services, and at Parris suggestion, went with a bid from Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Co. which proposed $39,000 per fiscal year for the next three fiscal years.

Parris said it was the lowest bid, and the firm was the most qualified based on the proposal and recommendations from current clients.

Council members also approved:

Rezoning 45.76 acres of land on Bost Road from residential low-conditional use to low intensity district

A contract to update the existing GIS data structure

A change to the citys zoning ordinance for buffer yards to include more uses

A contract for upgrades to Public Safetys shooting range

Contracts for marketing CoMMA and its programming

A contract for underground electric work

Chrissy Murphy is a staff writer and can be reached at cmurphy@morganton.com or at 828-432-8941. Follow @cmurphyMNH on Twitter.

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The North Carolina School for the Deaf transformed into Seussville in celebration of the schools Spirit Week last week. Timed to coincide with Read Across America Day, when schools across the nation remember the birthday of iconic childrens author Dr. Seuss, NCSDs Spirit Week featured five days of contests, games, guest readers and special themed snacks and meals.

During the week, students across the grade-levels were divided up into teams, with each team getting a Dr. Seuss-themed name, according to school social worker Melissa Shumate.

Ive done this in the past with other spirit weeks, so I kept the same teams, she said. I had to think about the most popular characters in the Dr. Seuss books. We did the Lorax, the Grinch, Yertle, Wocket and the Sneetches.

Throughout the week, students earned points for their teams by dressing up according to each days theme. For example, Mondays theme was Whoville Hair Day, so students wore their craziest hairstyle to class. On Tuesday, students wore crazy socks, and on Wednesday, they dressed up in red and white for Cat in the Hat day. Thursday was Green Eggs and Ham Day and all the students were encouraged to wear green. Finally, on Friday, students dressed up as what they want to be when they grow up for Oh, The Places Youll Go.

At the end of the week, Shumate said the team with the most points watched a movie and ate popcorn together.

According to Interim Principal Shirley Fore, Spirit Week at NCSD is more than just a week of dressing up and reading childrens stories. Fore said that school officials have worked hard to bring school spirit into every aspect of the students day.

Before the week began, each class participated in a door decorating contest and throughout the week, each grade level participated in a writing or research assignment about what they would like to be when they grow up. Additionally, cafeteria staff worked hard to build menus around each days theme and come up with special themed afternoon snacks for each day of the week.

Fore also said each class has had special guest readers throughout the week from the community and from other parts of campus. She said its always exciting for the students to get to see people they dont normally interact with.

Shumate said that coordinating school spirit weeks is one of the most important and rewarding aspects of her job.

Spirit week is my thing, she said. Im always trying to boost up the spirit of the school and get everybody involved.

She said it is especially important to get students involved at NCSD because they live on campus and because of the communication barriers many NCSD students face at home. She said she is always looking out for new ideas to help students form these close bonds with one another.

One recent idea she tried that turned out to be a massive success took place on Feb. 17 in observance of National Kindness Day.

We decided to pair our high school kids with our elementary and middle school kids, Shumate said. That morning, we all came together and they paired up with the kids and it was amazing to see the young kids faces. They were so excited to hang out with the older kids it was like big brother, big sister.

According to Shumate, the students played games, read books and worked on class assignments together during the 30-minute period.

Once they were finished, everybody, even the high school students, came to me, saying, we want to do this again, she said. So were going to do it every month and continue it with different activities.

Shumate said NCSD is more than just a school for many of its students. She said many NCSD students view the school as their second home and their fellow students are more like brothers and sisters to them than classmates.

Many of our students, they have a home, but they go to a home where the parents cant communicate with them, she said. So, when they come here, they get to have that socialization that they dont have a lot of opportunity for at home.

Shumate, who is deaf, said she understands how many of the students feel because she often felt that way when she was a student at NCSD.

Most of our kids, this is their second home. Its like this is their real home, their true home, she said. I grew up and graduated from NCSD, so this was my second home as well. I felt the same as they do.

Shumate said her ultimate goal as the schools social worker is to foster this sense of belonging at NCSD and encourage those brotherly and sisterly bonds to develop between her students.
COVID-19 transmission in Butte-Silver Bow is low, contrary to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Butte-Silver Bow health board.

At a health board meeting March 9, Butte-Silver Bow health officer Karen Maloughney said that according to numbers the health department has been crunching, the countys transmission levels are low.

The CDCs COVID community level guidelines are based on the number of new COVID admissions per 100,000 people and on the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients in the past epi week. An epi week, short for an epidemiological week, is a standardized method of counting weeks to allow for the comparison of data year after year

For counties with fewer than 200 new COVID cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, less than 10 admissions per 100,000 people and less than 10% staffed inpatient beds is considered low; 10 to 19.9 admissions per 100,000 people and 10% to 14.9% staffed inpatient beds is considered medium; and more than 20 admissions per 100,000 people and more than 15% staffed inpatient beds is considered high. These levels are based on the seven-day average from the previous epi week.

The test positivity is not yet known for this week due to a glitch in the CDC COVID tracker, which Maloughney said theyre looking into.

There were 18 new COVID cases, or 51.42 per 100,000, in Butte-Silver Bow, and the seven-day average is 3.14 or 8.98 per 100,000, according to graphs provided by the Butte-Silver Bow health department.

So our numbers are way down, she said. The department has communicated the number to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, who has communicated with the CDC, she said, but the transmission level for Butte-Silver Bow is still listed as high.

Were not matching up, she said of the difference in community levels.

Butte-Silver Bow is also the third most vaccinated county in Montana with 65% of eligible residents being fully vaccinated, according to health department graphs. The number will move to 71% if all the people who got the first vaccine get the second, Maloughney said at the meeting.

The health department also has various new positions that have either been recently filled, are pending or posted. The filled positions include an environmental health nurse, and there is an STD intervention specialist position and a pandemic preparedness and response coordinator position will be posted soon.

A new behavioral health coordinator position has been posted and the HIV early intervention and Hepatitis C prevention health educator position have both been closed.

The health board also moved to extend the Family Planning Contract between the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department from the end of March to June 30.

The clinic wants to develop a website for the clinic separate from Butte-Silver Bow Countys site that will include a patient portal that will give customers the ability to pay online, said Tina Randall, the Butte- Silver Bow Family Planning Clinics administrator.

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MUSCATINE  A Muscatine County judge set a $100,000 cash-only bond for a West Liberty Middle School guidance counselor arrested and charged with having sexual relations with a student under the age of 14.

Emily Erin Resendiz, 27, of West Liberty, appeared in court Tuesday for an initial appearance. Attorney Shawn Michael Fitzgerald was appointed by the court to represent Resendiz.

A preliminary hearing was set for 9:30 a.m. March 18 at the Muscatine County Courthouse.

Resendiz was arrested Monday and charged with criminal trespass; violating a no-contact order; sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee; and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse. Sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee is a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Second-degree sexual abuse is a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

The West Liberty Police department received a report on Jan. 24 that Resendiz was allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student. During the investigation, evidence was discovered that Resendiz allegedly had sexual contact with a student on at least two separate occasions while she was a guidance counselor at the middle school.

According to a booking sheet, photos of Resendiz kissing the victim were found on the victims phone. An ongoing investigation led officers to discover that sexual abuse had taken place in Resendiz's home. The victim told officers that he had sexual intercourse with Resendiz on two separate occasions  Dec. 6 and Dec. 25, 2021.

The charges of violating a no-contact order and trespassing stem from an incident on Feb. 22. According to police, an eye-witness saw Resendiz in her vehicle at West Liberty High School at 12:25 p.m., where a juvenile got into her vehicle and they drove off together. The juvenile was identified as an immediate family member of a girl who has a no-contact order against Resendiz related to an investigation of sexual exploitation.

Charging documents state Resendiz did not receive and had been told verbally by police and in writing by the school district that she was not to be on any school property without prior permission.

A hearing was scheduled for March 22 at the Muscatine County Courthouse regarding the no-contact order violation.

Resendiz was previously arrested on Feb. 6 on charges of witness tampering, contempt of court and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was released on a $2,300 bond before being arrested on the new charges.

The earlier charges stemmed from January, when West Liberty police interviewed a witness in an ongoing investigation regarding sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee. The girl showed police messages from Resendiz, who asked her to contact the alleged victim to find out what he had told officers about the investigation.

The girl talked to the victim at a sporting event later and inquired of him what he told police, the charging document says. The girl claims she questioned him out of her own curiosity, not because she was asked to do so. The girl's mother requested the no-contact order and told police she worried Resendiz would continue to manipulate the girl to learn more about the investigation.

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MUSCATINE  Teddy Morse, chairman, and CEO of Ed Morse Automotive Group, said the Krieger Motor Company looked like a great addition to the family business on its own, but when he visited Muscatine it was the town and the people who really sold him on the acquisition.

Earlier this week, the Ed Morse group announced it acquired the four dealerships and a parts center in Muscatine and DeWitt. Ed Morse purchased the former Kriegers Ford Lincoln at 3205 North Highway 61 in Muscatine; the former Kriegers Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram at 3205 North Highway 61 in Muscatine; the former Kriegers Chevrolet Buick GMC at 501 West Bypass 61 in Muscatine; the former Kriegers Chevrolet Buick GMC at 2113 11th St., DeWitt; and NAPA Auto parts in Muscatine.

It came about through a broker, Morse said. The dealer, Doug Krieger, was going to retire and he was looking to sell the dealerships and the NAPA franchise. He got with a broker who tries to find prospective buyers and we had done business with that broker in the past. We started looking at it about six or seven months ago and that is how it came about.

On Wednesday, a banner announcing Ed Morse was covering the Krieger sign on the Ford Lincoln building, welcoming the Delray Beach Fla.-based business to the area. The Morse group has been family-owned for over 75 years. The new acquisitions will add nearly 125 employees to the groups over 1,600 employee base and will grow locations to over 31 dealerships, 63 franchises, and 15 automotive brands.

Morse said he was charmed by Muscatine and its people during a recent visit. He thought it was a great place to do business and they are excited to come to the area.

While visiting Muscatine to close the deal, Morse stayed at the Merrill Hotel and checked out the downtown restaurants and shops. He was impressed with HON and GPC. He also enjoyed hearing the great American stories about Muscatine being the pearl button capital of the world.

I got two Pearl City shirts, he said. One purple with yellow writing and the other yellow with purple writing.

As the new owners are coming in, Morse expects few changes to the former Krieger dealerships. He is happy with the people working there and said Mark, John, and Joey Krieger will continue to oversee the operations. Morse said some capital improvement would be offered to the stores. He said the legacy and people Kriegers offered were invaluable to the new business and could never be replaced.

The dealerships would continue to be active in the community, he added, including continuing the Krieger tradition of donating a car to Muscatine's after-prom.

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A Davenport man on parole out of Des Moines County on a methamphetamine conviction and who is awaiting trial in Scott County for violating Iowas sex offender registration statute, was arrested Monday by QCMEG agents on four counts of selling methamphetamine.

Keith Allen Wolf, 53, is charged with four counts of possession with the intent to deliver less than 5 grams of methamphetamine. Each of the charges is a Class C felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 10 years.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by agents with the Quad-City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, agents conducted four purchasing operations during which Wolf sold methamphetamine.

The first buy operation was Jan. 20, when Wolf allegedly sold undercover agents 1.2 grams of meth. The second buy on Jan. 24 involved 1.4 grams of meth, while the buys on Feb. 14 and March 7 each were for 2.5 grams of meth. During each buy the agents gave Wolf cash and the serial numbers had been recorded by agents.

During a first appearance on the charges Tuesday in Scott County District Court, Scott County Magistrate set Wolfs bond at $20,000, cash only, and set a preliminary hearing for Friday in District Court.

Wolf is currently on parole until Feb. 3, 2023, out of Des Moines County for selling methamphetamine.

In that case, Burlington Police arrested him on July 14, 2018, for possessing 10.7 grams of meth. Police have said that one-tenth of a gram is the normal dose for meth, so he had 107 doses to sell. The charge is a Class B felony that carries a prison sentence of 25 years. Wolf pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of possession with the intent to deliver less than 5 grams of meth and was sentenced Jan. 30, 2019, to 10 years in prison.

Wolf was placed on work release on Feb. 22, 2019, less than a month after being sentenced on the meth charge, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections website. He was placed on parole on June 7, 2019.

Wolf has two sex convictions that require him to be registered for life on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.

One of those convictions is out of DeKalb County, Ill., in 1993, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal sexual assault. According to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, Wolf committed the act against a female over the age of 18.

In 2003, he pleaded guilty in Scott County District Court to a charge of third-degree sexual abuse. He had sexually abused a female over the age of 18. On Oct. 2, 2003, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released from the Iowa Department of Corrections in that case on Nov. 17, 2007.

On Jan. 4 of this year, Wolf was arrested by Scott County Sheriffs Deputy Anthony Johnson on three counts of failing to verify his address information. Because he was convicted of a similar offense in 2018 in Des Moines County, each of the counts in Scott County makes it a second offense, which elevates each charge to a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years.

Wolf has a pretrial conference in that case scheduled for April 22 in Scott County District Court and a jury trial scheduled for May 2.

Wolf was being held Tuesday night in the Scott County Jail on the cash-only $20,000 bond.

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UAEs Nimr, a leading maker of combat-proven wheeled military vehicles, has signed a manufacturing licence deal with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami), to transfer technology and build JAIS 4x4 vehicle in Saudi Arabia.

JAIS 4x4 is the next generation of mine resistant, ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, providing critical balance between firepower, survivability, and mobility for modern, conventional, and asymmetric operations.

Crew survivability depends on a crew citadel protection system that has demonstrated proven capabilities against mines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and ballistic threats.

Designed to enable local manufacture of the JAIS vehicle, the defence procurement programme between the two countries testifies the sides utmost commitment to diversifying their economies, developing local talent, and establishing high-technology industries.

Following the signing of the teaming agreement during Idex 2021, Staff Major General Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Nimr Board and Eng Walid Abukhaled, CEO of Sami, signed into the next phase of their partnership at the World Defense Show 2022 held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Staff Major General Al Mazrouei: At Nimr, we feel a fantastic sense of achievement at signing this licensing agreement and moving forward to the next stage of this landmark partnership with our colleagues at Sami. The exceptional performance of the battle-tested JAIS 4x4 vehicle paved the way for this day. We look forward to future cooperation with our trusted partners in Saudi Arabia.

Eng Abukhaled said: We are pleased that the new agreement further solidifies the partnership between Sami and Nimr. With this manufacturing licence agreement, we at Sami are taking a huge step toward our mission to develop world-class defence technologies and systems within Saudi Arabia in line with the Vision 2030 objective to localise 50% of the kingdoms military spending. It will also enable us to contribute to enhancing the readiness of our national armed forces, while creating new direct and indirect employment opportunities for Saudis.

Abri du Plessis, CEO, Nimr said: Building strategic partnerships is at the heart of Nimrs strategy  it is truly a defining moment for us to enter the first major defence procurement programme between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

He added: This momentous deal demonstrates our export capabilities and commitment to delivering cutting-edge products at world-class standards. We look forward to building on this synergy in strengthening the countrys security and prosperity through defence, technology and knowledge transfer programmes.

Edge is an advanced technology group for defence and beyond that ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.-- TradeArabia News Service
TymeBank has partnered with National HealthCare Group to launch a medical insurance product called TymeHealth, priced from R139 per month.

Council for Medical Schemes statistics show that 8.9 million South Africans are covered by medical aid, with the high costs making membership unaffordable for most of the countrys population.

Our country has a population of just over 60-million people, and the dire reality is only one in seven South Africans have access to medical aid, and most people cannot afford private healthcare, said TymeBank CEO Tauriq Keraan.

National HealthCare Group executive chairman Dr Reinder Nauta agreed that medical aid is too expensive for most working people.

Generally, unless it is included as an employment benefit, it is out of reach for the majority, Nauta stated.

Until such time as the private healthcare sector does its part to remove this very real hurdle, accessibility to private healthcare will remain but a pipedream for many individuals.

TymeHealth comprises three plans, each designed to cater for different life stages or needs. They are:

MediClub Connect  R139 per person per month

 R139 per person per month MediClub Premier  R299 per person per month

 R299 per person per month MediClub Elite  R399 per person per month

The plans provide for the needs of underinsured South Africans or those looking for a supplementary day-to-day product to complement their existing hospital plan, TymeBank stated.

TymeBank customers can apply for TymeHealth from the banks mobile app. You must be a TymeBank customer to sign up for the product.

Once membership is activated, clients can access over 12,000 registered healthcare providers, including GPs, pharmacies, dentists, optometrists, specialists, and hospitals countrywide through National HealthCare Groups provider network.

Our partnership with National HealthCare Group  with their 27-year track record  into the healthcare space is one where we believe we can make a real difference to peoples lives,Keraan Keraan said

Radically bringing down the cost of medical insurance is an industry boon and is a natural evolution for our brand; we are committed to offering affordable, accessible and inclusive products  whether that is transactional banking, access to credit or healthcare  to South Africans across the economic spectrum.

Now read: TymeBank launches credit card
MultiChoice Nigeria and the Nigerian Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) have agreed to an amicable resolution of the allegations that the company owes 1.8 trillion nairas (R65 billion) in unpaid taxes.

In a statement on the JSE news service, the company said the dispute led to a series of lawsuits.

In broad terms of the agreement, MultiChoice will withdraw all pending lawsuits, and FIRS resumed a Forensic Systems Audit of MultiChoice accounts on Tuesday, 8 March 2022 to determine the tax liability of the Company, MultiChoice stated.

With the agreement and the resumption of the Forensic Systems Audit, it is anticipated that the matters will be resolved expeditiously and shareholders will be kept informed of progress in this regard.

The Nigerian tax collector froze MultiChoices bank accounts in July last year, alleging that the pay-TV operator had not paid VAT since its launch in the country.

MultiChoice said the matter is based on unfounded allegations that its Nigerian unit had not fully disclosed all existing subscribers to authorities.

It said that it had engaged openly with FIRS and believed the matter would be amicably resolved.

PSG Wealth head of equity research Vaughan Henkel previously said the fine imposed on MultiChoice was excessive and unrealistic, but also not unusual for Nigeria.

Henkel said it would be more prudent for MultiChoice to exit Nigeria. The fine was eight times MultiChoice Nigerias annual revenue and higher than its assets in the country.

He compared MultiChoices fine to the $5.2 billion fine handed to MTN by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in 2015. MTN and the NCC negotiated the fine down to $1.671 billion.

In 2018 the Central Bank of Nigeria also ordered MTN to bring back $8.1 billion it alleged the company had illegally repatriated.

After protracted negotiations, the matter was resolved after MTN agreed to a resolution payment of $53 million.

Henkel expects the same to happen in the MultiChoice tax case.

We believe that the MultiChoice fine is excessive and will eventually be negotiated down, Henkel said.

Given the size of MultiChoices Nigerian assets, we think the fine in a worst-case scenario would be in the region of R4 billion to R5 billion.

He said the market seems to have already priced in a fine of a similar size.
The circulation of newspapers in South Africa plummeted over the last decade, while news websites have shown incredible growth.

The latest Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) of South Africas newspaper circulation figures painted a bleak picture about the future of print publications.

Most prominent newspapers experienced a big year-on-year decline, while the ten-year change was disastrous.

The circulation of one of South Africas biggest daily newspapers, Daily Sun, plummeted by 89% over the last decade.

Other daily newspapers, like The Star, Son, Sowetan, and Beeld, also experienced significant circulation declines between 70% and 81%.

Weekly newspaper circulation numbers followed a similar trend.

South Africas largest newspaper, Sunday Times, saw a 75% decline over the last ten years.

None of the big weekend newspapers were spared. Rapports circulation shrunk by 70%, the Mail & Guardian by 79%, City Press by 86%, and the Saturday Star by 91%.

The table below provides an overview of the change in the circulation of South African newspapers over the last ten years.

Daily Newspapers Newspaper 2011 2021 Change Daily Sun 381,127 40,164 -89% The Star 144,113 27,417 -81% Son 105,486 20,588 -80% Sowetan 120,207 29,252 -76% Beeld 74,105 22,160 -70% The Citizen 70,112 27,492 -61% Business Day 36,087 15,297 -58% Die Burger 61,669 29,800 -52% Weekend Newspapers Newspapers 2011 2021 Change Saturday Star 103,767 9,120 -91% City Press 149,586 20,920 -86% Sunday World 150,925 30,100 -80% Mail & Guardian 48,016 10,265 -79% Sunday Times 463,156 116,012 -75% Sunday Tribune 85,131 22,005 -74% Rapport 241,286 72,184 -70%

Readers moving online

The readers who used to buy newspapers have moved online and are now getting their news from News24, BusinessTech, TimesLive, and IOL.

Over the last decade, South Africas most popular online publications have experienced exceptional growth.

BusinessTech has seen the most explosive growth, increasing its readership by over 10,000%.

TimesLive grew by 982%, News24 increased its readership by 527%, and MyBroadband attracted 441% more readers.

The table below shows the increase in readership of prominent South African online publications from 2012 to 2022.

Top Online Publications Websites 2012 2022 Change BusinessTech 62 409 6 421 183 10189% TimesLive 510 742 5 524 753 982% news24.com 2 049 835 12 861 524 527% MyBroadband 545 155 2 949 203 441% IOL 1 137 288 5 880 000 417% SowetanLive 484 943 2 393 507 394% MSN 1 011 325 2 062 664 104% Supersport 601 300 838 989 40%

The impact on the South African media industry

The decline in newspaper readership and the migration online is not new  but the pandemic has accelerated it.

Many die-hard print fans stopped buying newspapers when the pandemic hit and looked for up-to-the-minute news online.

The sluggish economy also impacted advertising revenue as companies looked for the most affordable ways to reach users.

With print publications declining readership and the higher return on investment online advertising offers, marketing budgets flowing to magazines and newspapers plummeted.

It forced many South African magazines to close down, and newspapers are now struggling to make ends meet.

Although inevitable, the migration from print to online severely impacted the media industry.

Cheaper and more effective online advertising is great for companies looking to reach readers, but media companies are paying the price for this change.

Money that would have previously gone to newspapers are now going to Google and Facebook, and only a small part goes to online publishers.

There is, therefore, less money to invest in journalism  especially investigative journalism, which is expensive and resource-intensive.

Many people in the newspaper business chain, including editors, designers, printers, newspaper sellers, and delivery people, are losing their jobs.

The good news is that online publications have started to offer subscription services to fund their endeavours, which is working well.

Netwerk24 increased its paywall subscription by 13% over the last year to 80,900, while News24 signed up 41,000 subscribers since it implemented a paywall in August 2020.

We are, therefore, going full circle where people are once again paying for their news  like with newspapers  albeit at a much lower price.
Codehesion is South Africas premier mobile app development company, and is the perfect partner for your app development needs.

Founded in 2017 by seasoned software architect and computer engineer Hector Beyers, Codehesion specialises in building world-class apps for Android and iOS.

It produces mobile apps faster and with better results than other companies  thanks to this focus, and its team of highly-skilled software engineers and computer scientists.

This has seen Codehesion build world-class apps for multiple South African companies, and earn two awards at the 2021 Supersonic New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards.

Working with Codehesion

Companies which have app development needs can partner with Codehesion in a way that suits them best.

This includes:

Outsourcing an entire app development project to Codehesion.

Using Codehesions developers for in-house app development projects.

To make it easy for companies to outsource their mobile app development, Codehesion offers a free consultation process.

This consultation will allow Codehesion to provide insights into the scope of work required, the predicted timelines, and expected costs.

After the app is completed, companies then have the option to support the app themselves or use Codehesion on a retainer.

Contact Codehesion
Uber has launched a new on-demand delivery service called Uber Connect Car, allowing users to send packages weighing up to 80kg over short distances.

The e-hailing company previously rolled out Uber Connect Moto in South Africa in 2020, providing a similar delivery service via motorbike for parcels weighing up to 15kg.

Uber claims this service has been very successful, with more than 200,000 unique users across six countries in Sub Saharan Africa using it every month.

Head of core operations at Uber Sub Saharan Africa, Timothy Kiluba, said the service is being used by all types of customers, including small to medium businesses such as restaurants, bakeries, parcel delivery companies and online retail shops.

Given this huge demand, it made sense to launch Uber Connect Car to accommodate larger packages, Kiluba stated.

Uber said the service is exciting for customers and would also help its drivers earn more.

The launch will enable drivers to alternate between picking up riders and making deliveries, unlocking more earning opportunities and choices for drivers, the company stated.

To access Uber Connect, users can follow these steps:

Open the Uber app, tap Where to, and enter your drop-off location.

Select Uber Connect Car in the Uber app, agree to the terms and conditions, confirm that your package does not contain prohibited items, and request a delivery.

Meet the driver outside and load your package into their boot.

Share the trip with your recipient so they can track the journey and meet the driver outside to retrieve the package from the drivers boot.

To get an idea of how much the service costs, we got four fare estimates for Uber Connect services in Gauteng over various distances.

Below are the prices we were offered on Uber Connect Car/Uber Connect Moto:

12.3km  R94/R69

25.6km  R175/R139

43.5km  R273/R228

57.8km  R306/R255

From our fare estimates, we gathered the price per kilometre declined as our distances increased.

New features and limits

Uber has also rolled out two new features for Uber Connect  the ability to send to multiple destinations on the same trip, and a proof of delivery PIN.

The PIN provides users with peace of mind that their package is being delivered to the right person, allowing for ease of reference where there are multiple deliveries, Uber explained.

Uber said aside from the weight limit, packages sent using Uber Connect Car must total less than the equivalent of R1,500 in value per trip and fit comfortably in the boot of a mid-sized sedan.

Some prohibited items that you may not send via the service include medication, recreational drugs, and dangerous or illegal items.

Uber also said it does not offer insurance coverage for package loss, damage, or theft.
After being defeated and cut off from refueling their vehicles, the retreating German army fled from Italy at the end of World War II. Carlo Marchiori and a few of his 15 siblings watched the procession, his younger sister, Emma, sitting idly on her bike.

One of the soldiers ripped the bike out from under Emma and sped away down the road; there was no catching him, Marchiori said. I was 8 when the war ended, and because thats all Id known, I thought living in peace might instantly turn the sky pink.

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But nothing turned pink or changed overnight even though the war was over. Buildings, roads and infrastructure needed to be repaired, a revitalized government needed to emerge and people needed to bury and mourn their dead. For young Marchiori, especially, one thing that didnt change was his love of art.

During the war, when wed go to church I didnt listen too much to the words being said, but instead Id look up at the ceiling or around at the sculptures and paintings, and thats where I learned, he said. When Id get home  to entertain myself  Id make my own art to tell my own stories.

Today, artist Marchiori lives in Calistoga, where he and his partner of nearly three decades  Tony Banthutham own and operate the CaToga Art Gallery and conduct weekly tours of their museum-like home, the Villa CaToga.

The villa is a self-built Palladian-villa- inspired structure on 5 acres of land. Over the years, nearly every inch of the compound has become a sort-of canvas for the artist. Inside the home, each room has taken on a different dramatic theme, with high walls covered in often-whimsical murals, while statues, masks, paintings, ceramics and hand-crafted furniture complete the motif.

Often using the trompe l oeil style of art  French for deceiving the eye, an art technique that uses realistic imagery to craft three-dimensional optical illusions  nearly everything Marchiori creates takes on added meaning when studied for more than a few seconds. Perhaps it's a lifelike person emerging from a wall. Or, a star-covered sky overhead that is actually a ceiling covered with seashells. Look closely at Marchioris art and you will begin to see  almost hear  a story emerge.

Outside the villa, the grounds have been transformed into what Marchiori playfully refers to as his Pompeiian ruins. They may seem like ruins to him, but they strike me as an homage to his growing up in war-torn Europe. Like a half-excavated archeological dig, they are replete with half-buried statuary, ancient-looking shrines and secret alcoves that surprise and delight at nearly every turn.

A rendition of the famous Lion of Venice stands as both guard and greeter just inside the driveway, while a moss-covered statue of a rhinoceros provides additional evidence that Villa CaToga is a place where the unexpected is just, well, expected.

From Italy to Calistoga

Being the second-born in a family of 15 meant that his going to art school and becoming an artist were not on the top of the list for Marchioris parents.

My older brother had become a bookkeeper, so thats what I was expected to do, he said. But I hated numbers  well, not hated, but you know what I mean. I knew art was my path.

Marchiori says that he has always had an immediate facility to do nearly anything he set his mind to  build, draw, paint, sculpt  so he argued, pleaded and cajoled his family into supporting his decision to attend the prestigious Pietro Selvatico Art Institute in Padua, a city that has recently been included on the World Heritage list for having some of the finest 14-century frescos on the planet.

Marchiori lapped up the instruction at school, studying art history, architecture, literature and even mathematics in the mornings and spending the afternoons learning the practical side of the craft  the technique for fresco, watercolors, sculpture, still life and more.

After he graduated in 1956, he wanted to explore the world. His fathers friend, Eugenio Zonta, had moved to Vancouver and was willing to host Marchiori and help get him a job. The young man jumped at the chance, and after 10 days on a ship and a five-day trip traversing Canada, he arrived at Zontas doorstep.

The job waiting for Marchiori was not exactly what hed been training for, however. Instead of making art, he found himself working in a dog-food factory.

It wasnt so bad during the cold winter months, he said, but as soon as it started getting warmer, thats when the stink became too much for me, and I knew I needed to get out.

From Vancouver, Marchiori headed to Toronto, where he worked as an illustrator at the now-defunct Simpsons department store. His talent was being noticed, and by the early 1960s, he had secured a position with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., where he drew cartoons and animated shorts. One of these  The Drag, a story about the dangers of smoking  was nominated for an Academy Award in 1967.

After that, his career took off. A long stint in Japan working for the Lion Corp.  focused on branding for Lion Toothpaste  resulted in their buying the copyright for one of his projects  a cartoonish image hed drawn of a lion that would eventually adorn nearly every tube of toothpaste in the country.

Next, during a period of traveling around the globe, he painted murals and created sculptures for hotels, casinos and individuals. He spent time in New Zealand building a home as a retreat where he might, get back to nature and away from the concrete jungle.

Eventually, in the mid-1980s, Marchiori found his way to San Francisco and Northern California, where he eventually purchased 5 acres of flat land just north of Calistoga. The perfect spot had a small stream (actually the headwaters of the Napa River) meandering through the marshy property as well as views of Mount St. Helena, and the occasional steamy spray of the regions hot-water geyser that was not more than a mile away.

By the time the house was finished many of his neighbors had become curious about the strange structure that had grown from the marshes. Might it be a church? A museum? A mystical montage? No one seemed to know.

To find out, a contingent from the local Sharpsteen Museum approached Marchiori. A few months later nearly 1,200 patrons of the museum toured the home, eager to hear about the inspiration and explore the ornately designed and decorated residence.

They just kept coming, Marchiori said.

After seeing the interest and many on the tour hoping to purchase some of the items in their home, his partner, Tony Bantuthiam, suggested holding weekly tours (Saturday mornings May through October) and also opening a gallery in downtown Calistoga.

Bantuthiam grew up in Thailand and then received his MBA in California. The couple met when they worked on separate projects at the St. Francis hotel in San Francisco. With a mind for business, Bantuthiam observed that nearly everyone on that initial tour was eager to collect something special made by Marchiori.

We opened the shop in 1998, and it has been nice to be a part of this supportive community and culture, Bantuthiam said. The tours provide a great surprise for people, and the shop allows anyone to just stop in and browse around or purchase watercolors, acrylic paintings, small bronzes, ceramic plates, painted furniture or even just gaze up at the mural on our ceiling that depicts the twelve signs of the Zodiac.

In whatever way visitors engage  either by visiting the shop or scheduling a tour at the villa  they are sure to be surprised and delighted.

As for the future

The world suffers from too much information, Marchiori said. There are too few moments to just sit and experience the world. I love the beauty of the past because its like the mountains  just there.

In the room where we talked, murals of stylized humans, animals and plants that seemed almost alive and listening covered every inch of the wall and ceiling around us. They attended the space not as two-dimensional paintings but instead as messengers from some other place and time.

When the war was going on, I could see the fear in my parents eyes, but I wasnt afraid at all, he said. Id look up at the paintings and think about what stories they were trying to tell me and then wonder who else might be listening, too.
This month, the walls of the Napa Library are lined with the original watercolor illustrations of Sometimes Its Bright, a childrens book written and illustrated by Annie Ruygt.

Sometimes Its Bright, published by Boyds Mills & Kane in 2021, was written for children ages 4 to 8, yet it can also be appreciated by art lovers who enjoy reading to children. Through the eyes of a little girl named Ronan, this delightful book explores how being our most creative selves brings joy to us and to the world.

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At the beginning of the book, Ronan, who is walking through a city with her mother, sees only a blue color pallet but then she begins noticing things such as a sparkling brightness flowing in the notes of a street musician and more.

Curious about what makes this brightness, Ronan finds that the magic of the world can be found inside herself through her own creativity. As she discovers this, more and more color splashes appear in her environment. The rhythmic storytelling and the beautiful illustrations make this a bright and joyful book.

Ruygt, who grew up in Napa and lived here until age 20, frequently comes back to visit her parents who still live here. Though she has traveled extensively and lived in New York City and now lives in Northern California, she feels a special connection to the place where her childhood was filled with singing in plays, twirling batons and drawing with the support of encouraging teachers.

I love the Napa library. Exhibiting here is more special than any other art exhibit that Ive been a part of, Ruygt said, during an interview at the library last week after hanging her art.

This is a dream of mine thats finally come true, she said. Since I was a kid, Ive loved looking at the art that was exhibited each month around the Napa Library.

Though her book was published nearly a year ago, this is her first in-person event since the book came out during the pandemic.

I look forward to sharing Sometimes Its Bright and celebrating creativity with my community, she said.

Ruygts earliest artistic influences were Leonardo da Vinci and all the Impressionists.

Later on, in high school, she was influenced by Mary Grand Pre, who did illustrations for the Harry Potter books.

I love Mary Grand Pres work, Ruygt said. Her picture books beyond the Harry Potter books are amazing. She was a huge inspiration for me.

Another contemporary influence is the Australian artist and filmmaker, Shaun Tan, who won an Academy Award for The Lost Thing, a 2011 animated film adaptation of a 2000 picture book he wrote and illustrated.

Ruygt is currently working on her next book about a little girl who gets sick right before her big performance. Before she had a publisher Ruygt self-published a number of her illustrated books.

When she isnt illustrating and writing books Ruygt does branding and imaging projects for various tech companies to create a gorgeous world for their customers.

About six years ago, Ruygt and tarot card reader and writer Carrie Mallon collaborated to launch The Spacious Tarot. The deck features Ruygts earthy, nature-based illustrations, as well as more mystical and cosmic elements. The cards have provided a steady stream of income which allows Ruygt to focus on creating books for children.

Im at a point now where I dont have to worry about the next paycheck. If a book project comes along, I can do it because books dont pay much, she said. I do it for the love of books.

The reward (for me) is making something and being able to share it. It is not about the money, she continued. I need to make money, but it is about putting it out there and having something people can experience. I love books. I love murals  things that can be a little more tangible.

Ruygt painted the mural at the entrance of Pueblo Vista Elementary School. She also created an interactive mural at West Park Elementary School which has this message: Stand here and think about someone you love.

Opening reception at the Napa Library for this Ruygts exhibit is scheduled for Friday, Mar. 11 from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.

If children are present, she will have coloring pages and special activities for them. In addition, Napa Bookmine will be there with copies of her book for sale and Ruygt will be available to sign them. Attendance is limited to 40 people, and registration through Eventbrite is required. annieruygt.eventbrite.com.

Wearing masks is not required but recommended. Wine and food will not be served at the reception.

To see more of Annie Ruygts art go to annieruygtillustration.com.
"I try each day to find the balance in the scales of life and yet this time of war against Ukraine by Russia is breaking my heART," Napa artist Jessel Miller wrote in an email. "I have never understood war ... It seems there are those who battle their way through life and those who choose to paint the battle as a reminder of the history we are living through. If I could wave my magic wand and stop the madness and mayhem I would do it now and yet all I can do is pray that this senseless war ends soon and paint."

Miller is putting together a "Flora and Fauna Fundraiser" for Ukraine during April and May but meanwhile from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 12, she is holding a demonstration day to meet and watch artists at work.

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"The gallery will be a wonderland of creativity including two authors, Barbara Taboni and Lenore Hirsch, signing their books, and 12 artists doing demonstrations throughout the gallery and on the deck."

Among the artists are Janis Adams, Kate Canon, Marta Collings, Sharon Crary, Michael Fitzpatrick, Marcia Garcia, Diane Pope, BJ Thrailkill, Kathy Tranmer, Frank Trozzo, Joy West, Beverly Wilson, plus visiting artist Therese Legere as well, Miller.

Bougetz Cellars will be pouring their Mustard Celebration Red Wine, and Distinctive Tastes will have a tent outside with an olive oil balsamic vinegar seasoned olive tasting and sale.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to bring kids interested in the arts," My husband always called it "Magical" when he watched me paint.

Miller will be offering her originals at half price with part of the proceeds going to Ukraine.

The Jessel Gallery is at 1019 Atlas Peak Road in Napa. For more information, visit the website, jesselgallery.com or call 707-257-2350.

A special show at Lucky Penny

Daniela Innocenti-Beem, Lucky Penny's popular and much-admired associate artist, presents a solo show on March 19 at 7 p.m. and March 20 at 2 p.m.

"Over the River and Through the Woods to Sunset Boulevard I Go!" is a "musical autobiography" filled with songs that highlight her career on the musical theater stage.

Innocenti-Beem will bring her "award-winning voice, star-level personality, and unfailing humor to this unique show full of songs you love," said Barry Martin, Lucky Penny's co-founder and frequent director of shows in which she has lit up the stage. The latest of which was the hit, "Napa Valley Christmas Carol," which gave full scope to Innocenti-Beem's comic talents as well as her memorable voice.

The performances are a fundraising benefit for Lucky Penny Productions made possible by anonymous supporters. Tickets are $50. Make reservations at luckypennynapa.com.
Napa County might consider dipping a toe into the roiled waters involving potential conflict-of-interest allegations some citizens have made against county Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza.

Call it a possible discussion over whether to have a discussion.

Supervisor Diane Dillon isnt calling for the county Board of Supervisors to discuss launching a third-party investigation of the matter with subpoena power, as some citizens have requested. Rather, shed like a look at what investigative powers the county has.

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Dillon depicted the request as managing expectations while waiting for the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) to weigh in on the potential conflict of interest involving Walt Ranch. Pedroza has said he believes he has no conflict of interest.

Im concerned about what people think we might be able to do or might not be able to do, Dillon said.

Dillon would like county counsel to report on the countys investigative powers. County officials said the Board of Supervisors could discuss on March 22 whether it agrees her request should be an agenda item.

The Board of Supervisors last year had a law firm do a third-party investigation of county COVID-19 vaccine practices after Supervisor Belia Ramos received an early vaccine. Dillon said that was investigating a county process and was clearly allowed by state law.

Were being asked to do a different kind of investigation, she said.

Like almost all its powers, the countys subpoena power comes from the state, Dillon said. The power is laid out in the government code.

Can it be delegated to a third party or not? Dillon said.

California government code says a board of supervisors can issue subpoenas to persons as witnesses on any matter within the jurisdiction of the board. It can require the person or county officer to produce books, papers, and documents relating to affairs or interests of the county.

A board of supervisors can delegate this power to a committee it appoints. That happened in Los Angeles County in 2020, when that Board of Supervisors granted its sheriffs Civilian Oversight Commission subpoena power.

A 2016 state law clarifies that a board of supervisors can delegate to a county official the authority to issue subpoenas to enforce local laws or ordinances, including local wage laws.

Where a third-party law firm investigator might figure in all of this is unclear.

The conflict-of-interest allegation involves six parcels totaling 400 acres that Pedrozas extended family owns near Walt Ranch. Walt Ranch vineyard development is an issue before the county. Citizens have raised questions over Pedrozas role in the limited liability company formed for the land deal.

Nine complaints have been filed by citizens with the FPPC. Pedroza after Tuesdays Board of Supervisors meeting said the agency had yet to inform him whether it will investigate.

Five citizens at Tuesday's meeting asked the county to also do a separate, third-party investigation of its own. More citizens had made the same request at the prior meeting.

"I think any inaction on the part of the Board of having this done is going to increase the doubts on every one of you, not just Mr. Pedroza," farmer and Board of Supervisors candidate Cio Perez told supervisors at Tuesday's meeting.

You can reach Barry Eberling at 256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com.

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People can apply to serve on the Napa County Civil Grand Jury for a term that begins in July 2022 and ends in June 2023.

The grand jury is responsible for investigating and reporting on the operations, accounts and records of local government officers and agencies. Grand jurors also have the power to investigate citizen complaints about local government, a Napa County Superior Court press release said.

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Grand jurors receive compensation of $15 for each general meeting attended and any applicable mileage. The grand jury typically meets in Napa, when possible, and meets virtually by video as appropriate.

The Napa County Civil Grand Jury represents a historic and fundamental component of our local government, presiding Judge Cynthia Smith said in the press release. Grand jurors perform a vital civic duty and are rewarded with the knowledge that their efforts make this community a better place to live through transparency and accountability.

To be eligible for selection, a person must be at least 18 years of age, a United States citizen, and a resident of the County of Napa for at least one year prior to appointment.

Other requirements include: sufficient knowledge of the English language, possession of natural faculties, ordinary intelligence, sound judgment and good character; not currently serving as a trial juror; not discharged as a grand juror within one year prior to July 1, 2022 and never convicted of malfeasance in office or any felony or other high crime. Elected public officials are not eligible to serve, the press release said.

Those interested in applying for, or learning more about, the Napa County Civil Grand Jury can go to the grand jurys webpage at http://www.napa.courts.ca.gov/general-info/grand-jury.

Call the Napa Superior Court Executive Office at 299-1110 with questions.

You can reach Barry Eberling at 256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com.

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Logicom, a leading distributor of technology solutions and services in Middle East and North Africa (Mena), has announced a new distribution partnership with Vast Data, the data platform company for the AI-powered world.

This is at a time the regions data storage market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 14.3% in the next three years and predicted to reach a value of $8.3 billion by 2025.

Under the agreement, Logicom will help Vast Data accelerate adoption of its high-performance Universal Data storage platform by broadening reach with key channel partners and markets in Mena.

The distribution agreement seeks to leverage the growth potential of the region supporting Vast Datas aggressive international expansion utilising Logicoms extensive experience and highly sought-after network.

Vast Data works with key companies across the enterprise ecosystem to deliver a high-performance data platform. Vasts disaggregated and shared everything architecture allows customers to scale compute and storage resources independently. Vast Datas Universal Storage ships as a production-ready, integrated appliance.

Channel customers can purchase Universal Storage through Gemini, Vast Datas storage business model that redefines the storage buying experience. Gemini is a software offering, delivered to customers as a simple managed service on pre-defined hardware.

It provides the flexibility for customers to refresh hardware on their own timetable without the need to repurchase software, enabling customers to license as little as 100TB and scale as needed.

We look forward to working with Logicom in the MEA market, operating from our regional office in Dubai with aggressive expansion plans throughout 2022. We are witnessing high customer demand for Vast Datas Universal Storage platform in the region and this agreement will help us accelerate our efforts. This agreement with Logicom underpins our 100% channel driven strategy which will be critical in successfully attracting an even larger number of trusted channel partners in the UAE, KSA, Qatar and the rest of the region as they introduce Universal Storage to their customers, said Haider Aziz, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa at Vast Data.

Spiros Rafailovits, General Manager for UAE & Gulf of Logicom, said: Our more than 20 years presence in the Middle East and our recent expansion in Africa demonstrate the companys growth and success over the years. Vast Data appointing Logicom as its distributors in the region is proof of the value and commitment to a common successful future for both organisations. We are delighted to work with Vast Data and welcome this new opportunity to provide our channel partners with state-of-the-art technology offerings, by helping our partners to differentiate and evolve from their competition.

According to Rafailovits, Logicoms core competence rotates around building a value proposition for its technology vendors, as well as in creating and maximising reach and awareness.

The value we can offer to our partnership with Vast Data will range from financial support to the channel, partners reach, as well as partner recruitment, enablement, development and support. Our established business model and in-country presence throughout the Middle East and Africa guarantee delivering to our channel the best technology available in the market today.-- TradeArabia News Service
Firefighters contained a one-acre wildland fire Thursday morning near Las Posadas State Forest in Angwin, Napa County authorities reported.

The blaze was reported off the 1300 block of Cold Springs Road, the county Office of Emergency Services said in a Nixle alert.

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Cal Fire received the first reports of the fire at 9:53 a.m., according to a spokesperson at the firefighting agencys St. Helena bureau. Crews from Cal Fire and the Pope Valley and Angwin fire departments went to the scene and contained the flames by 10:39 a.m. No damage to homes or buildings was reported.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of 11:40 a.m.

Smoke may be visible, but there was no threat to the Angwin community and no evacuations were ordered, according to the Napa County alert.

Visitors are asked to avoid the area to allow access for emergency vehicles.
According to information published by CNN Philippines on March 8, 2022, the Joint Commander of the French Armed Forces in the Asia-Pacific said that France is ready to supply assets for a Philippine submarine force. Indeed the Philippine Navy is interested in the Scorpene-class attack submarine from Naval Group.

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Chilean Navy Scorpene-class submarine (Picture source: US Navy)

The Scorpene-class submarines are a class of diesel-electric attack submarines jointly developed by the French Company Naval Group (formerly DCNS) and the Spanish company Navantia.

The Scorpene submarine is capable of carrying out all types of missions, such as anti-surface vessel warfare, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strikes, special operations, or intelligence gathering. It is extremely stealthy and fast, and is equipped with a comprehensive range of weapons (torpedoes, missiles, mines).

The Scorpene submarine can carry 18 torpedoes and missiles or 30 mines. It is equipped with six bow-located 21in torpedo tubes providing salvo launch capability.

Positive discharge launching is by an air turbine pump. It can launch anti-ship and anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as anti-surface missiles. The handling and loading of weapons are automated.
According to information published by the U.S. DoD on February 27, 2022, the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783) and the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15) conducted bilateral anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training exercise in the Caribbean Sea with the Colombian navy.

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A Colombian navy Dauphin helicopter flies over the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (Picture source: U.S. DoD)

Minnesota and Billings were joined by Colombian navy Type 209 submarine ARC Pijao (SSK 28), frigates ARC Independiente (FM 54) and ARC Almirante Padilla (FM 51), and Colombian helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft (MPA).

At the start of the exercise, the ships took advantage of their close proximity to conduct maneuvering drills and test communications by conducting a photo exercise (PHOTOEX). Units then dispersed to practice various elements of ASW.

Forces conducted different events to train in detection and tracking, analysis and classification, and simulating attacks of targets at varying depths and conditions.

USS Billings (LCS-15) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[4] She is the first ship in naval service named after Billings, Montana.

The Almirante Padilla-class frigates is a series of frigates operated by the Colombian Navy. The designation of this class is Type FS 1500 and there are four ships in service.

The ships were built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) at Kiel, West Germany in the 1980s, with the first vessel commissioning in 1983 and the last in 1984

Type 209 is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany. The original variant (Type 209/1100) was designed in the late 1960s. The class is exclusively designed for export market.

Despite not being operated by the German Navy, five variants of the class (209/1100, 209/1200, 209/1300, 209/1400 and 209/1500) have been successfully exported to 13 countries, with 61 submarines being built and commissioned between 1971 and 2008.
EU: Poland fines in rule of law dispute now top $170 million

Putin and Lukashenko discuss ongoing situation

Greece and Bulgaria say new LNG terminal will help reduce dependence on Russia

German vice chancellor calls for rapid construction of LNG terminals

Rally of Resistance Movement takes place in France Square

Robert Kocharyan takes part in opposition march

Mario Draghi calls on EU to abandon requirement of unanimity in making foreign policy decisions

Finland and Sweden not yet decided whether to join NATO

Croatian president uses veto power to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO

Slovakia will seek exemption from the EU embargo on Russian oil imports

NEWS.am digest: Blinken meets Mirzoyan in US, people detained during protests in Yerevan

Turkish Foreign Ministry on meeting of special envoys in Vienna

Opposition rally in central Yerevan starts with Sirusho's performance

Italy to face serious issues in winter if Russian gas supplies are cut off now

Johnson announces new military aid to Ukraine in amount of 300 million euros

Resistance Movement rally on France Square in Yerevan

EU hopes to adopt sixth round of sanctions against Russia at next EU Council meeting

Peaceful rallies of disobedience held in Spitak

Spain extends OVID-19 entry restrictions

Vayk joins demand for Nikol Pashinyan's resignation

Putin and Macron discuss Ukraine

Citizens demanding Pashinyan's resignation block road from Vayots Dzor to Yerevan

Peaceful rallies of disobedience held in Vanadzor demanding PM's resignation

Citizens demanding Pashinyan's resignation block Gyumri-Yerevan highway

Sirusho: Today I will join our compatriots in France Square

Third meeting of Armenia and Turkey special representatives held in Vienna

Dollar rises slightly after long decline, euro also goes up in Armenia

Civil disobedience actions in regions: Yerevan-Goris highway blocked

Azerbaijan settling occupied Armenian Hadrut, Shushi cities of Artsakh

New colors and new services: Team Telecom Armenia completes rebranding

Armenia legislature speaker receives France-Armenia Friendship Group delegation

France senator: We are leaving for Armenia with Senate group

Putin signs decree on economic measures against unfriendly countries

Armenia legislature speaker: Authorities have repeatedly proposed dialogue to opposition

Backpack action of protest being held outside Armenia parliament (PHOTOS)

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD statement does not correspond to reality

Armenia defense minister receives Kansas National Guard delegation

Armenia Police: Yerevan-Sevan motorway reopened

Ned Price: Mirzoyan-Blinken meeting will launch US-Armenia strategic dialogue

Mirzoyan, Nuland discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement process

Civil disobedience actions are carried out in some Armenia cities

Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM and now lawmaker Gevorgyan trial to resume

Pashinyan to Morawiecki: This year we mark 30th anniversary of Armenia-Poland diplomatic relations

No new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia Central Bank leaves refinancing rate unchanged at 9.25%

Demonstrators demanding PM Pashinyan's resignation block Sevan-Yerevan motorway

Police: 117 demonstrators apprehended in Yerevan

Kansas National Guard leadership visiting Armenia

Bloomberg: EU new gas partners

Armenian member of Turkey legislature says he was thrown at table of wolves

Italian PM slams Lavrov for his 'Hitler' statements in interview with local television

South Korea and US plan to start air force exercises on May 9

Police special forces apprehend Armenia ex-president Robert Kocharyans son

Police: 70 people apprehended from Yerevan streets

World Press Freedom Index 2022: Journalism as a profession is humiliated in Armenia

Newspaper: Armenia ruling party MPs are worried

Borrell speaks on possible disconnection from SWIFT of new Russian banks

Cyprus becomes first EU country with full 5G coverage

Police apprehending participants of civil disobedience actions in Yerevan

State Department: Deepening US-Armenia cooperation in nuclear energy will strengthen bilateral relations

Peaceful disobedience actions resume in Yerevan early morning

Mirzoyan: Armenia appreciates US support for developing energy sector

Blinken underscores US commitment to help Armenia, Azerbaijan find sustainable peace, prosperity

Eurozone economic sentiment falls much more than expected in April

Apple faces big fine

Armenia ex-president joins discussion in France Square

Poland wants the EU to set a clear date for stopping Russian oil imports

Armenia FM meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Armenia FM meets with Director of USAID Samantha Power

Ann Linde says Finland will almost certainly apply for NATO membership

Police beat reporters, obstruct their work in Yerevan

European Commission may relieve Hungary, Slovakia of embargo on Russian oil purchase

Resistance Movement to continue large-scale civil disobedience actions on 3 May in Yerevan and regions

EU countries to continue to pay in euros or dollars for Russian gas

Resistance Movement participants return to France Square

Russian and Turkish defense ministers discuss current situation in Ukraine

Ukrainian intelligence accuses Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan of helping Russia evade Western sanctions

NEWS.am digest: Turkey says they have agreements with Armenia on border clarification

Toivo Klaar informs about meeting of Armen Grigoryan and Hikmet Hajiyev in Brussels

PACE initiates resolution on threats to journalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan

Diplomat kidnapped in Haiti

Hungarian president asks Orban to form new government

Georgia PM hands over first part of questionnaire answers for accession to EU

Resistance Movement participants march in central Yerevan

Half of Japanese oppose change of peaceful constitution

Resistance movement rally on France Square in Yerevan

Blinken and Armenia FM sign memorandum on strategic cooperation in nuclear energy

Another earthquake registered on Armenian-Georgian border

FLYONE ARMENIA launches regular direct flights between Yerevan and Tbilisi

Georgia abolishes requirement to wear masks in closed spaces

One dollar drops below AMD 450, euro also falls in Armenia

Georgia PM receives Justice Minister of Armenia

Armenia MFA says there is no discussion, agreement on re-demarcating border with Turkey

Cavusoglu claims there is agreement to clarify Armenia-Turkey border

Azerbaijan president receives Brice Roquefeuil

Armenia ex-defense minister: These authorities are able to use force inside the country

Police: 244 people apprehended in Yerevan as of 2pm

Incident involving disobedience march participants occurs at Armenian State Pedagogical University

Yerevan Police apprehend opposition MP

Police: 199 people apprehended in Yerevan as of noon
US and Polish officials have held a series of talks following Warsaw's announcement that it would hand over its fighter jets to Washington. A representative of the US administration spoke about this, adding that the relations between the two countries continue to be strong, despite the disagreements, CNN reports.

According to him, the provision of MiG fighter jets to Ukraine remains a priority for the US administration even after the United States rejected the offer of Poland to transfer them to its base.

Although the White House was surprised when Poland publicly announced its offer, officials do not believe that this episode precludes any agreement to allow these planes to be delivered to Ukraine.

A representative of the US administration said the United States was concerned that Russia could interpret flights from a NATO base to Ukraine as an attack.

Another official said the pressure to bring these planes to Ukraine had risen sharply after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked US lawmakers to do so.

Prior to that, US officials were underestimating the prospect of providing assistance with MiG aircrafts. They said they focused mainly on other aspects of security assistance, including the deployment of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles. The logistical problems of delivering the planes to Ukraine seem unrealistic to some officials, and they wonder how effective those planes will be.

But Zelenskyy's request seems to have changed the calculation. Both Republicans and Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, spoke in support.

This has left the US administration with no choice but to publicly support the idea, even if some officials are skeptical.

A US administration representative noted that relations between the two countries remain strong, and that additional US assistance continues to reach Ukraine via Poland.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia and President Emmanuel Macron of France took part in the final plenary session of the conference entitled "Ambitions: Armenia-France" in Paris.

The forum was attended by a number of representatives of the governments and local governments of Armenia and France, the local Armenian community and the French business community.

In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan particularly said:

Honorable Mr. President, Dear Emmanuel,

Distinguished Members of the Government of France and Armenia,

Dear friends,

It is a great honor to be here today, in Paris, at the final meeting of the "Ambitions: Armenia-France" conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and France, organized by the friendly French government under the auspices of President Emmanuel Macron.

On the occasion of this important anniversary, I would like to confirm that relations between our countries have been and are at the highest level, and this period is characterized as a thirty-year period of continuous growth, unique relations of friendship and close cooperation.

Today in Paris, in the presence of the President of France, representatives of the Armenian community, on behalf of Armenia and the Armenian people, I express my gratitude for the exceptionally warm relations and friendship over these years.

Yes, we, the Armenians, are grateful to brotherly France for the sincere and unselfish support that it has provided to our republic over the past thirty years, as well as for listening to the Armenian people and their just aspirations. We do not forget the fact that France is the first country to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide by law, and the only country that, together with Armenia, has been commemorating April 24 at the state level during the past four years.

One of the most important achievements of the last thirty years is the establishment of close and direct contacts between the local governments of Armenia and France and the implementation of new programs.

One of the important pillars of the Armenian-French relations is educational cooperation, which also contributes to the spread of Francophonie in our country. This is evidenced by the dynamic cooperation between the French University in Armenia, the French-Armenian Professional Educational Center, the French Lyceum named after Anatole France, as well as a number of educational institutions through the close cooperation with the Jean Moulin University Lyon 3. The French Institute in Armenia has also joined these institutions, and we highly appreciate your active participation, Mr. President, in the decision to establish it. Located in the Aznavour Center, this institute provides Armenian youth with a unique opportunity to receive education and upbringing in the spirit of the Great Armenian, the Great Frenchman and the symbol of Armenian-French friendship - Charles Aznavour.

We welcome the idea of an ambitious development program for the French University in Armenia, and I would like to confirm that the Armenian government is ready to support the implementation of this important initiative.

We also thank France for sharing the Armenian success: Tumo centers in Paris and Lyon are a prime example of cooperation in the field of innovative education and an inspiration for Armenia.

We are thankful to France for sharing Armenia's success. The opening of TUMO centers in Paris, and recently in Lyon is a shining example of cooperation in the field of innovative education and it was inspiring for Armenia.

New programs are being outlined in addition to the existing cooperation with Paris and Lyon Hospital Network, Doctors Without Borders, and Armenian medical institutions. Cooperation in this area was best demonstrated during and after the recent Artsakh war, when several dozen doctors arrived in Armenia to treat the wounded Armenians.

As for cooperation within international organizations, I could not fail to mention the Francophonie Summit held in Armenia in 2018, which was the largest international event in our country since Armenia's independence.

Honorable Mr. President,

Dear attendees,

Following the 44-day war in 2020, as well as in the context of the current global challenges, Armenia today has a vital need to strengthen its economy, to bring new breath to its economic policy, including by attracting new investment programs.

We are glad that after the war France expressed political will to support Armenia economically, to foster the Armenian-French economic cooperation in a new way.

Having successful examples of the presence of the French capital in Armenia- "Amundi-Acba", "Veolia", "Pernod Ricard", "Carrefour", as well as a number of programs implemented by the French Development Agency, the five-year roadmap for cooperation signed between Armenia and France in December last year provides a wide range of opportunities and is a strong basis for promoting ambitious cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and high technology.

Today's conference, its rich and impressive agenda, is the logical continuation of the consistent steps taken in recent months, and one of the first steps towards the implementation of the signed roadmap. Therefore, let me express conviction that the discussions that took place during the conference and the contacts between the Armenian and French partners will be really effective, leading to the launch of a fruitful working cooperation and the implementation of new and promising programs. On behalf of the Armenian government, I can assure you that we will spare no effort and energy for the effective implementation of joint programs.

Dear friends,

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, let us not forget that these three decades are only a piece in the rich mosaic of Armenian-French interactions and relations. Since the Middle Ages, the Armenian-French contacts have been permanent and multi-layered. It is enough to mention the close relations and cultural interactions between the French Kingdom and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in the Middle Ages. One of its greatest symbols is the last king of Armenian Cilicia, Levon VI Lusinyan, whose relics are buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis, next to the famous kings of France.

The living symbol of modern Armenian-French relations is the presence of a vibrant Armenian community of 700,000 in France, which is one of the strong driving forces of our effective cooperation, the guarantor of unhindered cooperation and perpetual brotherhood between our peoples.

I cannot but refer to the 44-day war, the solidarity shown by France in those days with the Armenian people. In particular, I would like to remind that President Macron was the first world leader who gave a clear and impartial assessment of the events that were taking place. In the same way, the French society stood with Armenia in the most difficult moment, which was also expressed in the resolutions adopted by the French Senate and the National Assembly in defense of the rights of the Artsakh Armenians.

In this context, I would like to reaffirm Armenia's high appreciation of the important role of France as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair in the process of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] conflict, as well as express the hope that joint mediation efforts with other Co-chairs will help establish peace in the region, foster the opening of communication routes and the development of economic cooperation.

As for this important event, I would like to once again address a word of appreciation to the French Government, in particular, to President Macron, for initiating this conference and bringing together all the actors of the Armenian-French cooperation under one roof. I am glad to welcome the members of the French government, the heads of French public institutions, representatives of French regions, departments and cities, representatives of French-Armenian organizations and civil society, thanking them for their valuable contribution and commitment to the Armenian-French friendship.

Honorable Mr. President,

Dear friends,

In conclusion, I would like to express hope that, despite the losses suffered by Armenia, as well as all the challenges that Europe has faced today in the face of the events in Ukraine, we will overcome all problems and continue to successfully strengthen the friendship between our peoples, together heading to new achievements for the sake of peace and the well-being of our peoples.

Long live Armenia!

Long live France!

Long live the inviolable friendship between our peoples."
The Pentagon said Wednesday that it is bluntly opposed to a Polish plan to provide fighter jets to Ukraine, CNN reported.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told the Polish minister of defense that the US does not support the transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force "at this time," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said, either by Poland transferring them to Ukraine with the US backfilling Poland's fleet or by Poland transferring the MiG-29s to the US to then give to Ukraine.

Austin "stressed that we do not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian air force at this time, and therefore have no desire to see them in our custody either," Kirby said.

His comments come a day after the US rejected a proposal from Poland to send Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine by way of a US-NATO air base in Germany.

The idea proposed by Poland is extremely dangerous, Kirby said, as the US and NATO seek to avoid a direct conflict between the alliance and Russia.

The United States also believes that the "best" way to support Ukraine is to provide weapons and systems they need most to repel Russian aggression, Kirby added.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/09/politics/ukraine-russia-poland-fighter-jets/index.html
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called "the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons" a "bluff." He said this in an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit, UNIAN reported.

"I think the threat of nuclear war is a bluff. It is one thing to be a murderer, it is another to commit suicide," Zelenskyy said, noting that "Putin's nuclear threat is a sign of weakness."

"You threaten to use nuclear weapons only when nothing else works," Zelenskyy said. "Every use of nuclear weapons means an endnot only to all parties, but also to whoever uses them."

On February 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the Russian restraining forces, including the nuclear forces, to be placed on high alert.
Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering services and solutions, will host Tech in Sustainability ideathon laps, as a part of the ongoing Mahindra Racing partnership.



The ideathon laps will crowdsource innovative solutions for a better and sustainable future and will be held across multiple race cities including Riyadh, Mexico City, Berlin, Jakarta, Vancouver, New York, and London. Ideathon laps in Riyadh and Mexico City are already in progress and the registrations for the same are currently open.



These ideathon laps, led by MakersLab, research and development arm of Tech Mahindra, will encourage tech enthusiasts, problem solvers, and students to develop innovative and disruptive solutions that can drive transformational, sustainable change by leveraging next-generation technologies. The Copyright and Idea IP (Intellectual Property) will remain with the ideators primarily, and Tech Mahindra will act as a guiding force to help convert the final winning ideas and bring them to the product stage.



Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra, said, The pandemic has emphasized upon the need to build a sustainable world through collective actions including self-reliance and digital investments across industries. As a forerunner towards delivering innovative solutions to effectively drive towards a greener digital economy, we at Tech Mahindra believe that it is imperative to make it our collective goal to save our environment by leveraging the power of technology.



To help bring sustainable transformation ideas to consequence, we are hosting Tech in Sustainability ideathon laps to spearhead disruptive thinking and provide a platform that can address challenges in this space to build a better world together.



The ideathon laps will be divided into three stages  registration, idea submission, and evaluation. Top three winners of all the ideathon laps will get an opportunity to virtually intern with Tech Mahindras Makers Lab and Mahindra Racing, wherein the ideators will get the opportunity to collaborate and learn from notable industry leaders, technology experts, and innovators of the industry.



The winners of each lap will also stand a chance to meet the Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Racing leadership teams along with MR Formula E team drivers during Season 8.



Dilbagh Gill, CEO & Team Principal, Mahindra Racing, said: Sustainability lies at the heart of our partnership with Tech Mahindra; our shared commitment to develop the next generation mobility solutions whilst being kind to the planet is encapsulated in our Race to ROCE (Return on Climate and Environment). Tech Mahindras Tech in Sustainability Ideathon Laps will help us drive together towards these goals whilst engaging with a new generation of innovators and talent in the digital technology space  we cannot wait to see their ideas.



Tech Mahindras ideathon laps will aim to crowdsource technology-led solutions to drive sustainable digital transformation by leveraging a combination of in-classroom knowledge, real-world experience, digital technologies, and collective strengths. An eminent jury panel consisting of industry leaders, subject matter experts from academia, and business will judge and evaluate ideas.



The winners of each lap will stand a chance to participate for the Ideathon World Finals at London. Top three winners of the world finals will also get to attend a grand event in London  on the sidelines of London E-Prix.  TradeArabia News Service


Turkey is walking a tightrope between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine, as evidenced by its implementation of laws governing the strategic Bosphorus Strait that connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

While the United States has welcomed Turkey's decision to restrict the movement of Russian warships through the straits, it appears that almost all NATO ships will also be banned from passage for the duration of the war, writes Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkish program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former member of the Turkish Parliament, in a Dispatch article.

Four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that the country would restrict the transit of warships, including Russian ones, through the Turkish straits in accordance with the Montreux Convention of 1936, which regulates civilian and military transit to the Black Sea. Minutes later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Cavusoglu for Ankara's continued implementation of the pact.

The Financial Times echoed many other Western observers, calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision a startling move by a leader who forged close ties to Vladimir Putin and questioned whether it represented a recalibration of Turkey's ties to the West.
STEPANAKERT.  During the day on Wednesday and throughout the night, the Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire on a regular basisand using firearms of various calibers, as well as grenade launchers, the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Defense Army informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In particular, between 2pm and 2:30pm, two 60mm grenades were fired at the area near the village of Khnushinak in the Martuni region of Artsakh.

And from 3:50pm on Wednesday to 5:40am on Thursday, the adversary used a 60mm grenade launcher 15 times in the eastern direction, and fired 23 grenades near the village of Khramort.

But no one was affected from the Armenian side.

The Russian military unit carrying out a peacekeeping mission in Artsakh was informed about these gross violations of the ceasefire.
The President of the Philippines is ready to open the country's facilities to US troops in accordance with the 1951 mutual defense treaty if the US becomes embroiled in a war with Russia, said Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel Romualdez, AP reported.

According to him, President Rodrigo Duterte made this statement at a recent meeting in Manila, where the president also expressed concern about the global economic consequences of the unfolding crisis. The Philippines condemned the crisis and voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine.

He says if theyre asking for the support of the Philippines, its very clear that, of course, if push comes to shove, the Philippines will be ready to be part of the effort, especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to the Asian region, Romualdez said in an online briefing with Manila-based journalists. Give them the assurance that if ever needed, the Philippines is ready to offer whatever facilities or whatever things that the United States will need being a major  our number one ally.

Duterte did not specify in his speech which Filipino facilities would be accessed by US troops, but Romualdes said they could include the vast freeports of Clark and Subic Bay northwest of Manila, which used to be one of the largest US air and military bases. naval bases outside the US mainland until US troops abandoned them in the early 1990s.
I am in constant contact with Artsakh Ombudsman and the Prosecutor General of Artsakh. The newly elected Human Rights Defender (Ombudsperson) of Armenia, Kristine Grigoryan, wrote this on Facebook Thursday morning. She added as follows:

Yesterday, there were intensive shootings in the direction of Khramort village of Askeran region and Karmir Shuka and Khnushinak villages of Martuni region. During the day, the shootings in the direction of Khramort were accompanied by the criminal acts of exerting psychological pressure against the civilian population, by giving "warnings" in Armenian language over a loudspeaker for the population to leave the village.

This criminal act against the civilian population intensified overnight in the direction of Khramort village, where the Azerbaijani armed forces implemented the use of mortar. one civilian is wounded. The enemy also demonstratively accumulated heavy equipment (tanks) in the direction of the village. For the purpose of the security of the civilian population, women and children were evacuated overnight to a more secure location, however, according to the information provided by my colleagues, they have returned to the village in the morning.

This is the ongoing criminal policy by the Azerbaijani military-political leadership, which is aimed at violating the life and security of people living in their homeland, terrorizing them, and causing them constant crisis. It is evident that the ultimate goal of such acts is to remove the Armenian communities in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) from their native Armenian population, which is a manifestation of the ongoing policy of Armenophobia and ethnic hatred.

On the other hand, the irresponsible behavior of the Azerbaijani state is aimed at damaging the reputation of the Russian peacekeeping mission and undermining the enormous efforts made to ensure the peaceful life of the civilian population.

Today, I will send the information about these incidents to the relevant international organizations and embassies.
YEREVAN.  Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan is paying a two-day working visit to Doha, Qatar, to discuss the prospects for trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as to attend the ninth Qatar International Agricultural and Environmental Exhibition where Armenia will have its own pavilion.

Kerobyan's first meeting was on Wednesdayand with the chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry (QCCI), Sheikh Khalifa Bin Jassim Al Thani, the Ministry of Economy of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The interlocutors discussed food security, as well as the opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation between Armenia and Qatar.

Separately, Kerobyan presented the main directions of Armenia's economy. Also, he suggested discussing the possible participation of Qatari investment companies in Armenia's infrastructure development programs.

"Qatari business circles are very interested in the processing of Armenias agricultural productsparticularly, dried fruit production, as well as the opportunities for exporting mutton," the minister added.

In addition, Vahan Kerobyan proposed to hold an Armenian-Qatari business forum in Armenia, and on that occasion invited the QCCI chairman to Armenia.
Time will on March 28 reveal the recipients of its inaugural Time100 Impact Awards, recognising extraordinary individuals who are using their influence to build a better future.

The awardsa new expansion of the Time100 list of the worlds most influential peoplewill be revealed during an exclusive, invite-only evening gala at Dubais Museum of the Future, where Time will convene regional leaders, influencers, and visionaries alongside members of the global Time100 community.

The Time100 Gala and Impact Awards is the latest expansion of the Time100 franchise, following the launch of Time100 Most Influential Companies in 2021, Time100 Talks in 2020 and Time100 Next in 2019.

The event comes on the heels of Times highly successful return to in-person programming last year, which included events marking the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and Time Person of the Year reveal in New York.

The Time100 is a community of hundreds of leaders from across the years and around the world, said Dan Macsai, Vice President of Events and Editorial Director of the Time100. Were so excited to grow that community even further in Dubai, and to spotlight the ways they are shaping our future.

World Government Summit and FTX, Exclusive Crypto Partner for the event, are premier sponsors of the Time100 Gala and Impact Awards, which will be the first major event at Dubais Museum of the Future since its opening ceremony on February 22, 2022.

Mohammad Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Museum of the Future, added: Through our partnership with Time to host the Time100 Gala and Impact Awards in Dubai, the Museum of the Future further cements its position as a global platform to shape a better future. The most important aspect about the future is enabling people and celebrating talent to work tirelessly in creating a positive impact for future generations, which is why we are pleased to collaborate with Time on this endeavour.-- TradeArabia News Service
The United Arab Emirates will not act on its own to increase oil production, a UAE source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The Gulf oil producer remains committed to the OPEC+ alliance and the Energy Department is responsible for oil policy, the source said on condition of anonymity.

UAE Ambassador to Washington Yousef Al Otaiba said earlier that Abu Dhabi is in favor of increasing oil production and will urge OPEC to consider increasing production.

But in a later statement, Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrui said the country believes in the value OPEC+ brings to the market.

So far, OPEC+ has resisted calls from the US and its allies to increase production, even as oil prices have soared to more than $120 a barrel.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba in Turkey, RIA Novosti reports.

The ministerial meeting is taking place on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Antalya, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also takes part in the meeting.

The contact between the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine took place after three rounds of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Belarus to find a way out of the conflict against the backdrop of Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

So far, Russia and Ukraine have managed to agree on the organization of humanitarian corridors for the civilian population from a number of cities, the delivery of food and medicine with the announcement of a regime of silence, however, the humanitarian corridors have not fully started working.
In recent days, the active aggressive behavior of the adversary on the Artsakh-Azerbaijani line of contact has been manifested by firing, with firearms, on the Artsakh Defense Army positions located adjacent to various settlements. The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Security Council noted this in a statement it released Thursday. The statement continues as follows, in particular:

"The use of grenade launchers also has already been added to such armed provocations.

We emphasize that the civilian population has been chosen as the target of the inimical acts of ceasefire violationaiming to cause panic.

In order to stop further developments of the provocations, the Security Council office cooperates with the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh. Urgent measures are taken to compel the adversary to adhere to the ceasefire agreements.

At the same time, the information being disseminated on Azerbaijani information platforms, according to which the RF [(Russian Federation)] peacekeeping contingent is removing some of its forces from Artsakh to transfer to Ukraine, does not correspond to reality. The RF peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh continues carrying out its mission in accordance with the provisions of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020.

(). The situation is being fully overseen by the authorities of the Artsakh Republic and the RF peacekeeping contingent."
On March 9 and 10, the Azerbaijani armed forces targeted the civilian population of Martuni regions Khnushinak and Karmir Shuka villages and Askeran regions Khramort village, employing large-caliber firearms, as a result of which one civilian was wounded. The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) noted this in a statement it released Thursday.

In the night of March 8, the only gas pipeline leading to the Republic of Artsakh was damaged, depriving the entire territory of the country of gas supply. The damaged section is in the area under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces. To date, the Azerbaijani side is hindering the repair of the gas pipeline, due to which the entire population of Artsakh is facing a range of humanitarian problems, which are especially severe due to the cold weather conditions.

During the past week, the adversary, through loudspeaker announcements, constantly urged the peaceful population of Khramort to leave the village, threatening the people with physical revenge.

Official Baku's policy is, as always, highly destructive. It grossly violates the principles of international law and humanity, represents in its essence a combination of Armenian-hatred, Nazism and terrorism.

The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemns the provocative actions of Azerbaijan, which are a threat to regional peace and stability, a blow to the Russian peacekeeping mission, a challenge to the civilized world, and should not be left unresponded.

The recent developments once again demonstrate the real intentions of Azerbaijan towards the Armenian people, Artsakh and its future.

The determination of the people of Artsakh to live in their homeland and defend it was, is and will remain unshakable, also reads the Artsakh MFA statement.
Moscow is set for a serious dialogue in negotiations with Kyiv, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba in Antalya, RIA Novosti reports.

Today's conversation is that this track has no alternative, the minister said.

According to Lavrov, the meeting held in Antalya does not replace the main contacts of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Belarus.

We want to have a serious conversation on the Belarusian platform, not to get off with some informal papers, to agree on those things that, by common recognition, should be resolved in the context of a comprehensive settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, the minister said.

According to Lavrov, the meeting held in Antalya does not replace the main contacts of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Belarus.

He noted that Russia presented Ukraine with specific proposals for a settlement. Lavrov said that Ukraine took the Russian project to resolve the conflict into consideration and should give an answer.

According to him, Russia has confirmed that Moscow's initiative to open daily humanitarian corridors in Ukraine remains in force.

Today we mainly spoke on the initiative of our Turkish friends about humanitarian issues. We have explained what measures our military is taking on the ground to help alleviate the plight of civilians who have been largely held hostage. They are used by both the so-called volunteer battalions and the forces of the so-called territorial defense as human shields, the head of the Russian diplomatic department said.

"We have confirmed that the initiative, which was put forward by the Russian side at the time, on the daily opening of humanitarian corridors remains in force," the minister added, TASS reports.
Masses of people have left their jobs in search of more fulfilling roles with greater flexibility, as per findings from LinkedIn.

A powerful draw for the up-and-coming workforce, 77% of Millennials and Generation Z claim to be in search of jobs that allow them to place a stronger focus on work-life balance.

Job postings that offer flexibility to potential candidates also garner an average of 35% more views, spotlighting the increased desire for a balance in professional and personal lives, Linkedin noted at the Nissan Leadership Series held at the Expo 2020 Dubai.

Nissan, the Official Automotive Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, hosted the first session of the series that was developed under the umbrella of its thought leadership participation at Expo and gathers industry innovators and experts to shape discussions on key industry topics.

Hosted by Thierry Sabbagh, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East, guest speaker Arda Atalay, Head of Mena private sector, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, was invited to the inaugural session to share his expert views on the impact of hybrid working models on companies and employees across the region.

A three-part set, the Nissan Leadership Series brings global, regional, and local stakeholders together to discuss crucial topics and provide participating organisations with a platform to showcase achievements.

The first session shed light on the evolving need for flexibility in workplaces across the region as employees place a stronger focus on work-life balance.

While offering employees the freedom to work from home or the office, companies also need to build a strong workplace culture, one that makes employees feel valued and welcomed.

The Nissan Leadership Series, which aims to shape discussions today and for the future, is closely aligned with Expo 2020 Dubais theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.

Sabbagh said: We are proud to launch the Nissan Leadership Series that brings together industry movers and shakers and discusses a topic that companies across the region and the world have had to navigate since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the Official Automotive Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai and a leading automotive manufacturer, we at Nissan have the duty to inspire, discuss, and lead strategic dialogue that shapes and builds a more sustainable future. By supporting our workforce and committing to ongoing investments in employee wellbeing, and proving that we truly care, we continue to thrive under the strong culture built at Nissan.

Arda Atalay, Head of Mena private sector, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, said: We are undoubtedly amidst the biggest transformation the world of work has ever seen, with the global workforce reconsidering not just how they work, but where and why they work. In this rapidly evolving landscape, workplace culture has proven to be one of the most important factors when employees are contemplating their next move. Were seeing employees asking for flexible working conditions: LinkedIn job postings that use the word flexibility are getting 35% more engagement for example. According to our research, globally, work-life balance overtook compensation as employees number one workplace expectation  at 63%  while it is a close second in the region. Its now a jobseekers market and if companies want to attract and retain the best talent, a culture revamp may be the answer.

As hybrid and remote models continue to rise in popularity and the Middle East region continues to serve as a role model for its digitalisation efforts, companies must remain agile and adapt to the varying needs of their workforce.

Working together, employers can ensure a strong, supportive culture is present in workplaces, where employees feel motivated, encouraged, and cared for, with increased flexibility and a strong work-life balance.

Forming part of the esteemed audience at the session were members from Great Places To Work, Lets Work, and University of Manchester among Nissan management and media guest.

Shaping conversations for a better future, the Nissan Leadership Series forms part of the brands activities at Expo 2020 Dubai and is set to run until March 21, 2022.

Upcoming sessions include A Momentous Year for Electrification, and The Middle East: A Region of Opportunity, highlighting Nissans leadership, achievements, and heritage.-- TradeArabia News Service
It is obvious that the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem is trying to do its best to get the most out of the results of this war. Opposition MP Armen Rustamyan, a member of the newly elected Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party, told this to a press conference Thursday.

"Until Armenia regains its combat-readiness, strengthens its security systems, yes, we will witness every day that all these peace-loving wishesto establish peace, to create a field of cooperationare fake. No. They [i.e., Turkey and Azerbaijan] will do what they can snatch away from us. Of course, they will use every opportunity for that.

Today, the main force that maintains security here and maintains peace is the Russian peacekeeping forces. It is bad that Armenia is no longer the guarantor of the security of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] and of the Armenians of Artsakh. And our neighborsTurkey, Azerbaijansee this. They see that Armenia is not taking any steps in that direction to regain its status as a guarantor of security. They consider that today it is possible to take a territory to resolve its geopolitical issues, and put the Armenians of Artsakh in a desperate situation so that they leave those territories as soon as possible. It is obvious that Azerbaijans wish is Artsakh without Armenians, and they will do everything so that the Armenians of Artsakh leave those territories," Rustamyan said.

The Armenian opposition lawmaker added that he does not think that Russia is so entangled in problems that it cannot oversee the situation here either.

"This is, in a sense, a challenge to the Russian peacekeepers as well. But I believe they have so many capabilities that they can prevent Azerbaijan's new 'appetites' in connection with the Russian-Ukrainian war," Armen Rustamyan concluded.
The European Parliament is holding Thursday a debate on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.

A vote on the adoption of the resolution is expected at the end of the meeting.

The draft resolution expresses deep concern about the narrative spread by Azerbaijan, in which Armenian cultural heritage sites are presented as having Albanian origin, and Armenian monuments are renamed as Caucasian-Albanian.

The creation of a new working group in Azerbaijan, which is tasked with erasing inscriptions from religious or historical monuments in the part of Nagorno-Karabakh under its control, is condemned as an unlawful plunder of the cultural heritage of neighboring peoples in order to deprive them of their historical memory.

This decision violates the spirit of the judgments of the International Court of Justice of December 7, 2021, the document says.

The document also expresses concern over the renewed clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which resulted in human casualties, and calls on the parties to refrain from the use of force and continue the recently launched political dialogue.
Sheremetyevo International Airport is suspending the work of Terminal D from Tuesday to optimize operations and due to restrictions on international traffic. The airport will transfer flights from terminal D to terminals B and C.

"Sheremetyevo International Airport, in the face of forced restrictions in the field of international air transportation and in order to optimize and concentrate production activities in the northern terminal complex (terminals B and C), suspends passenger service in terminal D from 00:00 Moscow time on March 15 this year," said in a press release the airport.

For arrival and departure, international flights of Belavia, Armenia, Vietnam Airlines, Corendon Airlines, Korean Air, Mongolian Airlines, Aeroflot, Cham Wings Airlines, Air India, Air Serbia from Terminal D will be transferred to C.

Also, the airport will temporarily close the parking and traffic in the station area of Terminal D.
The Armenian side is still unable to have the tractor damaged by the adversary's shooting in Nakhichevanik yesterday returned. Mayor Samvel Petrosyan of Nakhichevanik village of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am Thursday.

"That tractor is the only agricultural machinery still left in the field. Tomorrow, most likely, we will take [it] out through Russian peacekeepers," Petrosyan added.

He said the farmers were working at the time of the shooting, and therefore they had to leave the field quicklyand without equipment.

"In the morning they went [back] to take out the equipment, and saw that it is in that condition. They could not take [it] out because it is very close to the adversary's position; it is dangerous. In general, now our agricultural work has stopped," said Samvel Petrosyan.

According to him, the situation in Nakhichevanik is calm at the moment, there is no panic among the residents, and no one has been injured as a result of the shooting.

The Artsakh Prosecutor's Office had reported Wednesday that the Azerbaijani side had violated the ceasefire and opened fire on the villages of Khramort and Nakhichevanik in the Askeran region of Artsakh, and on the Khnushinak and Karmir Shuka villages in the Martuni region.

As a result of the shooting, a tractor that was parked in the field by a land user after carrying out agricultural work in Nakhichevanik was damaged.

Separately, the Artsakh Police informed that at 10:35am Thursday, the Askeran regional department of the Artsakh Police reported that Khramort village resident Suren Baghdasaryan (born in 1971) was wounded in the back while doing agricultural work in the yard of their houseand as a result of a shot fired from a grenade launcher by the Azerbaijani side. He was taken to Stepanakert Republican Hospital. He is in satisfactory condition.
The study of pathogens transmitted from bats to humans was carried out by US-controlled Ukrainian laboratories together with a Georgian laboratory and an American institute, TASS reported.

Ther remarks came by Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical and biological protection troops, on Thursday.

"Among the priorities [of the bio laboratories' work in Ukraine] is the study of bacterial and viral pathogens that can be transmitted from bats to humans: plague pathogens, leptospirosis, brucellosis, as well as coronaviruses and filoviruses. The project is implemented with the involvement of not only Ukrainian, but also Pentagon-controlled Georgian bio laboratories in cooperation with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the US Geological Survey," he said.

According to Kirillov, the research is being conducted in the immediate vicinity of Russia's borders - in areas of the Black Sea coast and the Caucasus.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian Armed Forces had found evidence in documents from bio laboratories in Ukraine that the Pentagon had funded research into a mechanism for the covert spread of deadly pathogens.
Villarreal win Liverpool 2-0 (first half)

EU: Poland fines in rule of law dispute now top $170 million

Putin and Lukashenko discuss ongoing situation

Greece and Bulgaria say new LNG terminal will help reduce dependence on Russia

German vice chancellor calls for rapid construction of LNG terminals

Rally of Resistance Movement takes place in France Square

Robert Kocharyan takes part in opposition march

Ararat-Armenia defeat Noravank

Mario Draghi calls on EU to abandon requirement of unanimity in making foreign policy decisions

Finland and Sweden not yet decided whether to join NATO

What habits contribute to gaining excess weight?

50 Cent announces concert in Yerevan

Croatian president uses veto power to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO

Slovakia will seek exemption from the EU embargo on Russian oil imports

NEWS.am digest: Blinken meets Mirzoyan in US, people detained during protests in Yerevan

Sergio Busquets receives offers from MLS clubs

Turkish Foreign Ministry on meeting of special envoys in Vienna

Opposition rally in central Yerevan starts with Sirusho's performance

Scientists create most accurate 3D model of female anatomy in history

Italy to face serious issues in winter if Russian gas supplies are cut off now

Johnson announces new military aid to Ukraine in amount of 300 million euros

Resistance Movement rally on France Square in Yerevan

EU hopes to adopt sixth round of sanctions against Russia at next EU Council meeting

Peaceful rallies of disobedience held in Spitak

Spain extends OVID-19 entry restrictions

Popular TV series screenwriter lies for years about her terminal illness

Alashkert and Urartu play draw

Vayk joins demand for Nikol Pashinyan's resignation

Putin and Macron discuss Ukraine

Citizens demanding Pashinyan's resignation block road from Vayots Dzor to Yerevan

Peaceful rallies of disobedience held in Vanadzor demanding PM's resignation

Citizens demanding Pashinyan's resignation block Gyumri-Yerevan highway

Sirusho: Today I will join our compatriots in France Square

Third meeting of Armenia and Turkey special representatives held in Vienna

Dollar rises slightly after long decline, euro also goes up in Armenia

Antibiotics and childhood vaccinations: what you need to know?

Thomas Muller extends his contract with Bayern

Eurovision producer says Russians will not be able to vote

Civil disobedience actions in regions: Yerevan-Goris highway blocked

Azerbaijan settling occupied Armenian Hadrut, Shushi cities of Artsakh

New colors and new services: Team Telecom Armenia completes rebranding

Armenia legislature speaker receives France-Armenia Friendship Group delegation

France senator: We are leaving for Armenia with Senate group

Putin signs decree on economic measures against unfriendly countries

Armenia legislature speaker: Authorities have repeatedly proposed dialogue to opposition

Backpack action of protest being held outside Armenia parliament (PHOTOS)

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD statement does not correspond to reality

Garnik Cholakyan becomes gold medalist of World Youth Championship

Armenia defense minister receives Kansas National Guard delegation

Armenia Police: Yerevan-Sevan motorway reopened

Ned Price: Mirzoyan-Blinken meeting will launch US-Armenia strategic dialogue

Mirzoyan, Nuland discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement process

COVID-19 situation in Armenia stabilizing: from now on, health ministry will publish data once a week

Civil disobedience actions are carried out in some Armenia cities

Bill Gates wants to marry his ex-wife

Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM and now lawmaker Gevorgyan trial to resume

Pashinyan to Morawiecki: This year we mark 30th anniversary of Armenia-Poland diplomatic relations

No new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Ronaldo leads Premier League for home goals

Met Gala 2022: Best carpet looks you shouldn't miss (PHOTOS)

Armenia Central Bank leaves refinancing rate unchanged at 9.25%

Demonstrators demanding PM Pashinyan's resignation block Sevan-Yerevan motorway

Police: 117 demonstrators apprehended in Yerevan

Kansas National Guard leadership visiting Armenia

Bloomberg: EU new gas partners

Armenian member of Turkey legislature says he was thrown at table of wolves

Italian PM slams Lavrov for his 'Hitler' statements in interview with local television

Artur Azaryan appointed as UEFA delegate for Real Madrid vs Man City match

South Korea and US plan to start air force exercises on May 9

Police special forces apprehend Armenia ex-president Robert Kocharyans son

Police: 70 people apprehended from Yerevan streets

World Press Freedom Index 2022: Journalism as a profession is humiliated in Armenia

Newspaper: Armenia ruling party MPs are worried

Borrell speaks on possible disconnection from SWIFT of new Russian banks

Scientists develop silicon nanochips to fight cancer cells

Cyprus becomes first EU country with full 5G coverage

Police apprehending participants of civil disobedience actions in Yerevan

State Department: Deepening US-Armenia cooperation in nuclear energy will strengthen bilateral relations

Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroes historic dress to Met Gala

Scotland champion to play in group stage instead of Zenit

Peaceful disobedience actions resume in Yerevan early morning

Betis lose points

Manchester United defeat Brentford (video)

Atalanta escape defeat in final minutes (video)

Mirzoyan: Armenia appreciates US support for developing energy sector

Blinken underscores US commitment to help Armenia, Azerbaijan find sustainable peace, prosperity

Eurozone economic sentiment falls much more than expected in April

Apple faces big fine

Armenia ex-president joins discussion in France Square

Symptoms and prevention of avian influenza: is it dangerous for humans?

Poland wants the EU to set a clear date for stopping Russian oil imports

Armenia FM meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Armenia FM meets with Director of USAID Samantha Power

Russian national team excluded from League of Nations

New James Bond might be Jacob Elordi from Euphoria

Ann Linde says Finland will almost certainly apply for NATO membership

Police beat reporters, obstruct their work in Yerevan

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Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of top news as of 10.03.22:

Negotiations mediated by Ankara are the first high-level contacts between the two sides since the escalations.

Before this meeting, officials from Kyiv and Moscow had held several rounds of discussions in Belarus, but the meeting in the southern city of Antalya marked the first time Russia sent a minister for discussions on the crisis.

After the meeting, Ukraines FM said he discussed a 24-hour ceasefire with his Russian counterpart but no progress was made since, as he put it, Moscows representative defended the invasion and said it was going as planned.

Dmytry Kuleba added he secured no promise from Russias Sergey Lavrov to halt firing so that aid could reach civilians, including the main humanitarian priority  evacuating hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Lavrov, meanwhile, said Russia wants to continue talks with Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin would not refuse a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss specific issues.

Russian FM said Russia would not have started the conflict in Ukraine if the West had not rejected our proposal on security guarantees.

Until the end, we wanted to resolve the situation in Ukraine through diplomatic means, he said.

The Russian FM also said he did not believe the standoff with the West over Ukraine would lead to nuclear war.

Meanwhile, Russia had never used its oil and gas as weapons and it will always have markets for its energy exports, added Lavrov.

Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said the aim of the meeting was to pave the way for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, which would be facilitated by Turkeys president.

The Ukrainian war has led to a series of financial sanctions on Russia. As a retaliatory move against the military actions of Russia in Ukraine, the US imposed an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports.

The UK too said that it will phase out its imports by the year-end.

The European Union, however, did not join the bandwagon, due to its heavy dependence on Russian oil and gas supplies. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union and Vice President of EU Commission, confirmed that the EU will not impose a ban on Russian oil and gas because of its heavy dependence. He explained that the import of Russian oil forms a small part for the US and the country almost doesnt need it but thats not the case for the EU as Russia is a big supplier of energy over here.

Borrell clarified that the EU is expressing its displeasure on Russia by imposing sanctions on its financial sector, freezing its assets and reserves but not contemplating a ban on Russian energy as yet.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Russia refused to participate in the Council of Europe session.

The EU and NATO states, unfriendly to Russia, abusing their absolute majority in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe continue the line of destroying the Council of Europe and the common humanitarian and legal space in Europe, Russian MFA noted.

Russia's withdrawal from the Council of Europe will mean a withdrawal from all its mechanisms, said Dmitry Peskov, Russian president's spokesperson.

Today YouTube has completely suspended all monetization features for Russian users, including Premium subscription and Music Premium. The video hosting announced this in letters sent to Russian users.

Earlier, YouTube banned advertising for Russian users, and also blocked the channels of the Russian state TV channel RT and the host of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Vladimir Solovyov, Solovyov Live.

Over several days for now they opened fire and shelled the village of Khramort in Artsakh.

The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) police reported that Khramort village resident Suren Baghdasaryan was wounded in the back while doing agricultural work in the yard of their house as a result of a shot fired from a grenade launcher by the Azerbaijani side.

The mine that was launched exploded in the yard of their house.

Baghdasaryan was immediately taken to a medical facility. His injury is not life-threatening.

The moment of the shelling of the village of Khramort in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by the Azerbaijani armed forces was caught on video camera during the shooting of a report.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan reflected on the situation noting that they are working with the authorities of Karabakh and international partners to normalize the situation.

In recent days, we have a certain tension in the situation, especially in Artsakh, which is emphasized also by the disruption of the pipeline supplying natural gas to Artsakh, he said referring to a cut of gas supplies in the capital of Stepenakart.

Natural gas supply has been disrupted since Tuesday in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

According to Artsakh capital Stepanakert authorities, the pipeline, which originates in Armenia, was damaged near Azerbaijani military positions in the Shushi region.

Negotiations are in progress with the Azerbaijani side so that this section is repaired.

Representatives of the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Artsakh, and members of the Security Council office staff are also engaged in these negotiations

The interlocutors discussed various issues on the agenda of Armenia-European Union cooperation.

The situation around Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) was also touched upon. The Prime Minister presented the current situation in Artsakh and on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and considered unacceptable the continuing provocative actions by Azerbaijan in recent days.

The parties also exchanged views on the processes taking place in the international arena.

Nikol Pashinyan's working visit to France concluded.

Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan will visit Antalya on March 10-12 to participate in the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya, said Armenian MFA spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan.

A number of meetings with colleagues will also take place, the press secretary of the Foreign Ministry added.

The draft resolution expresses deep concern about the narrative spread by Azerbaijan, in which Armenian cultural heritage sites are presented as having Albanian origin, and Armenian monuments are renamed as Caucasian-Albanian.

The creation of a new working group in Azerbaijan, which is tasked with erasing inscriptions from religious or historical monuments in the part of Nagorno-Karabakh under its control, is condemned as an unlawful plunder of the cultural heritage of neighboring peoples in order to deprive them of their historical memory.

This decision violates the spirit of the judgments of the International Court of Justice of December 7, 2021, the document says.

The document also expresses concern over the renewed clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which resulted in human casualties, and calls on the parties to refrain from the use of force and continue the recently launched political dialogue.

Dollars (USD) exchange rate against the dram (AMD) comprised AMD 516.01/$1 in Armenia on Thursday; this is up by AMD 3.60 from Wednesday.

The exchange rate for one euro was AMD 569.42 (up by AMD 7.97), while the rate of one Russian ruble made up AMD 4.37 (up by AMD 0.03) in the country.
Commodity prices are on a tear as Russias invasion of Ukraine roils markets, with foodstuffs skyrocketing, metals setting records and energy in the throes of the largest crisis since the 1973 oil embargo, a report said.



Critically, what stands the current crisis out from that of the 1970s is that it involves every commodity  energy, metals and agricultural subgroups, said MUFG Bank, A member of MUFG, a global nancial group, in its Commodities Weekly.



The stratospheric breadth and velocity of the moves in commodity prices since the Russian invasion of Ukraine is structurally altering the contours of policymaking and corporate strategy. The permanency of such pivots, with entities lining up to exit Russia and Europe now placing energy security above energy transition priorities, is staggering.



Given Russias leviathan role in global commodities, the sheer ambiguity of how this conflict will end, as well as how extreme shortages in energy, metals and the agricultural space will be resolved, we are convicted that the world could be sleepwalking into a recession, MUFG said in the report.



Energy: Oil prices have catapulted to their highest level since 2008, driven by both a deepening in the conflict as well as the rubber stamping of self-sanctioning with the US and UK now banning Russian oil imports (see here). Triangulating Russias lost barrels remains the laser focus. Demand destruction remains the only lever to rebalance the tight market (see here). Oils rally pales in comparison with European natural gas which reached the equivalent of more than $600 per barrel of oil this week.



Base metals: The clearest example of the extreme stress faced in commodity markets today has been the 300% rally in nickel this week  its dislocation will drive down liquidity across base metals with event risk in aluminium, copper and zinc.



Precious metals: Gold has cleared $2,000/oz on safe-haven demand with its traditional positive relationship with oil gaining traction; Platinum and palladium have jumped on supply scares; silver may retreat after surging.



Bulk commodities: Iron ores rally continues on geopolitics, weather disruptions in Australia and Brazil, as well as lower emissions controls in Chinas steel industry.



Agriculture: Wheat and corn prices are skyrocketing on logistical disruptions to shipping, surging input costs and a rising threat to impending Ukrainian planting.  TradeArabia News Service
European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The vote was attended by 679 MPs, of whom 635 were in favor of the resolution, 2 were against and 42 abstained.

The draft resolution expresses deep concern over the narrative disseminated by Azerbaijan, which portrays Armenian cultural heritage sites as having Albanian origins and renames Armenian monuments as "Caucasian-Albanian".

The creation of a new working group in Azerbaijan, which is tasked with erasing inscriptions from religious or historical monuments in the part of Nagorno-Karabakh under its control, is condemned as unlawful plunder of the cultural heritage of neighboring peoples in order to deprive them of their historical memory.

This decision violates the spirit of the judgments of the International Court of Justice of December 7, 2021, the document says.

Furthermore, the resolution requires Azerbaijan to grant relevant bodies, such as UNESCO, Aliph or Iconem, access to heritage sites in territories under its control in order to be able to proceed with their inventory and ensure their protection. It also urges not to interfere with Armenian heritage sites prior to a UNESCO assessment mission, and to consult with Armenian and international cultural heritage experts before and during the intervention on Armenian cultural heritage sites.

The document also expresses concern over the renewed clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which resulted in human casualties, and calls on the parties to refrain from the use of force and continue the recently launched political dialogue.
The National Bank of Ukraine has asked its international partners to refuse to serve cards of the Russian payment system Mir, the National Bank's press service reported.

The National Bank has asked the leadership of central banks of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Turkey and the Kyrgyz Republic to stop any transactions with cards of the Mir payment system in these countries.

"The National Bank is seeking the maximum possible application of all possible sanctions against the Russian financial sector. The financing of the armed aggression against Ukraine must be stopped. That is why we rely very much on the support of our initiatives by international partners," NBU head Kyrylo Shevchenko said.
Provocative actions of the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan are aimed to frighten the people of Artsakh and to undermine the mission of Russian peacekeepers, the statement of the Artsakh parliament said.

It also noted:

"In recent days, tensions in the border regions of Artsakh have taken on a new dimension. Azerbaijan is firing intensive mortars at the villages of Khramort, Nakhichevanik and Parukh of Askeran, and Khnushinak, Karmir Shuka and Tagavard of Martuni region.

The Artsakh Parliament condemns aggressive and terrorist actions of Azerbaijan, shelling of settlements of the Republic of Artsakh, psychological pressure on the peaceful population, obstruction of the repair of the only gas pipeline supplying the Republic with gas. Baku continues its policy of anti-Armenianism, undermining the fragile peace and stability in the region. This once again proves that Azerbaijan is not ready to establish lasting peace in the region. The Artsakh National Assembly calls on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the UN and its structures to give an adequate assessment to the actions of Azerbaijan and to make efforts to put an end to such criminal encroachments.

There is no alternative in this situation but to recognize the right of the people of Artsakh to independence," the statement reads.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan informed his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov of the situation resulting from the continuous violations of the ceasefire and provocative actions by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in Karabakh and on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry informed.

During the meeting on the margins of the Antalya Forum, Mirzoyan noted the importance of taking necessary steps to ease tensions and prevent incidents.

Mirzoyan and Lavrov discussed the process of implementing the agreements reached by the trilateral statements of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on 9 November, 2020, 11 January and 26 November, 2021. The resumption of comprehensive peace talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs was emphasized. The sides also discussed the settlement of relations between Armenia and Turkey.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries also discussed a number of issues related to the Armenian-Russian cooperation. The sides discussed steps to further strengthen allied relations and enhance the effectiveness of interaction within the CSTO, EAEU, CIS and other international platforms.
US President Joe Biden and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation in Ukraine by phone on Thursday.

This was stated in a written statement issued by the White House following the talks between the two heads of state.

The presidents discussed their shared concern about Russias unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. They reaffirmed their strong support for the government and people of Ukraine, underscored the need for an immediate cessation of Russian aggression, and welcomed the coordinated international response to the crisis. President Biden expressed appreciation for Turkeys efforts to support a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, as well as Turkeys recent engagements with regional leaders that help promote peace and stability. In addition, the presidents discussed opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties," the White House statement reads.
Students in Emily Burchfields Environmental Data Science class are there to crunch the numbers. However, in its last iteration  as part of the Arts & Social Justice (ASJ) Fellows program  students were solving for questions that defy a quantitative answer.

A partnership among Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Emory Center for Ethics and Emory Arts, the ASJ program brings Atlanta artists into Emory classrooms to help students translate their learning into creative activism in the name of social justice. This year, seven artists partnered with faculty in Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and Candler School of Theology to co-teach existing courses.

The program is now recruiting for its third cohort, for classes to take place in fall 2022. Faculty applications are open until March 22. Artist applications will open April 1 and close April 15.

Elizabeth Jarrett, an experiential designer who is part of Science Gallery Atlanta, joined Burchfields class and suggested a theme well known to admirers of Alice Walker, who described her writing as the work my soul must have. Jarrett asked the students, What is the work your soul must have?

In answering, they revealed not just an expected facility with data but an equal capacity for reflection. As Burchfield, assistant professor of environmental sciences, notes, With Elizabeths help, we wove together two very different ways of making sense of the world, helping students bring their whole selves to trying to understand these massive global challenges we are grappling with.

The class ultimately created an interactive, multimedia map of four neighborhoods in Atlanta, but the building blocks were the students poems, songs, websites and audio recordings. Before analyzing changes in these neighborhoods during the past 10 to 15 years  especially regarding gentrification, poverty and food access  they first had to challenge their own objectivity by asking themselves, according to Jarrett, What patterns and motifs in my history will influence my findings?

During the Dec. 15 Project Showcase and Community Conversation put on by the ASJ program, which was held at Emorys Performing Arts Studio and livestreamed, Burchfield and Jarrett played one students audio recording. After identifying as Asian American, she continues, Though thankfully not subjected to overt racism, I have definitely been asked too many times to count, Where are you from?, and Pennsylvania is not the answer they are looking for.

Project Showcase and Community Conversation Skip carousel The Emory Arts and Social Justice Fellows program invited Emory and Atlanta community members to an end-of-semester Project Showcase and Community Conversation last December. The Emory Arts and Social Justice Fellows program invited Emory and Atlanta community members to an end-of-semester Project Showcase and Community Conversation last December. The Emory Arts and Social Justice Fellows program invited Emory and Atlanta community members to an end-of-semester Project Showcase and Community Conversation last December. The Emory Arts and Social Justice Fellows program invited Emory and Atlanta community members to an end-of-semester Project Showcase and Community Conversation last December. The Emory Arts and Social Justice Fellows program invited Emory and Atlanta community members to an end-of-semester Project Showcase and Community Conversation last December. The Emory Arts and Social Justice Fellows program invited Emory and Atlanta community members to an end-of-semester Project Showcase and Community Conversation last December. The Emory Arts and Social Justice Fellows program invited Emory and Atlanta community members to an end-of-semester Project Showcase and Community Conversation last December. The Emory Arts and Social Justice Fellows program invited Emory and Atlanta community members to an end-of-semester Project Showcase and Community Conversation last December. Previous Next

Using Google Earth, the students were asked to show their home and describe changes both visible and invisible. In another recording, a student comments, I type an address into Google Earth, and the globe spins until landing comfortably on the maybe 10 blocks where I spent the first 18 years of my life. I think, these are a collection of streets and memories called home. I worry for the future of many Californians, especially for grandparents with no AC as temperatures rise and relief is few and far between.

The class divided into four groups, choosing among Atlantas Kirkwood, West End, Summerhill and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods. They were asked to track their own food access living on campus and then to describe what that access would be if they lived in one of the neighborhoods. The differences were vivid, pointing students to the intersection between environmental justice and economic and racial justice.

Acknowledging her debt to Jarrett, Burchfield concluded, In our department, we spend a lot of time thinking about climate change, about how adaptation to it will be inevitable and necessary. We need these creative moments  this broadening and deepening of spirit  to change broken patterns in order to create new ways of being, doing and living in the world.

Out of deep pain, a means of healing

Addressing the crowd, Carlton Mackey recalled the programs origins. Conceived in the throes of the pandemic and the national racial reckoning of summer 2020, it was birthed out of a time of chaos and deep pain.

For Mackey  co-director/co-founder of the ASJ program, director of the Ethics and the Arts program and associate director of the D. Abbott Turner program in Ethics and Servant Leadership  one silver lining was the universitys willingness to get behind the program, seeing it as a source of inspiration and a means of healing.

This program, noted Mackey, helps the university live into its claims. To be a place of courageous inquiry. To be a place of transformative pedagogy. And to be a place that is deeply engaged in the Atlanta community. What you will see tonight shows that Emory has made good on that commitment.

Mackey was joined by President Gregory L. Fenves and Kevin Karnes, co-director/co-founder of the ASJ program and associate dean for the arts in Emory College.

Already, in its short time, the program has produced powerful collaborations and new connections with Atlanta artists. Artistic expression offers both a snapshot of the times we live in, an understanding of our history and an inspiration and hope for the future. We are a stronger community because of the work you are doing.

Established and emerging artists

With that, emcee Floyd Hall, creative producer of Science Gallery Atlanta, ticked off a whos who of the citys leading artists. In addition to Jarrett, they included documentary photographer Jim Alexander, photographer and interdisciplinary artist Stephanie Brown, dancer and choreographer Indya Childs, comedian Mark Kendall, curator Miranda Kyle and actor and playwright Lee Osorio.

Beyond the environmental science class, the classes were as far-ranging as the artists' talents, encompassing topics such as determinants of human health, diagnosis bias in assessing the conduct of BIPOC children, voices of nonviolence, the work of the Georgia Innocence Project, anticolonial thought and art in the Caribbean and a survey of African American literature to 1900.

The students creative expression crossed many different art forms. But they were not the only creators; faculty answered the call as well. For instance, Shaquita Starks, assistant professor of nursing, in the course on BIPOC children, wrote a poem from the perspective of young Black man, part of which reads:

I am not asking you to walk in my shoes

But I am asking you to understand what Ive been through

. . .

Walking outside to see your dead hommies in the street

Week after week after week

Constantly harassed by the police

As the evening concluded, Karnes looked forward to the next year, acknowledging all the amazing work that everyone at Emory Arts has done to help us continue the program and build it, applying vision behind how it might grow.

For his part, Mackey confessed to running out of words, saying only, It felt like church. My spirit is full.

View the Arts & Social Justice Fellows website

The classes Learn more about each class and view their final projects. Professor Emily Burchfield and experiential designer Elizabeth Jarrett challenged students to consider how their world-view, biases and experiences affect their work as data scientists. As one student concluded, Data can only represent where you fall in the distributions of others, not the emotions that come of understanding your place in that distribution. Learn more about the class School of Nursing professor Rasheeta Chandler, Atlanta artist Stephanie Brown and six nursing PhD students examined social determinants of health, everything from prenatal care to palliative care. For student Karen Molton, what art brought to their inquiries was a beautiful way of distilling things down to a singular message all the while expanding discussion around that. Learn more about the class School of Nursing professor Shaquita Starks and Miranda Kyle, curator, teamed up in this undergraduate mental health course to guide students from self-care to community care, starting with Kyles question: What cultural or artistic elements do you bring from home or your life to get through this nursing program, get through finals, get through the stress of living in what feels like a postapocalyptic universe right now? Learn more about the class Ellen Ott Marshall, Candler School of Theology professor, guided students through an introduction to the theories, theologies and practice of nonviolence, while dancer and choreographer Indya Childs asked them to think about activism and nonviolence not just through their minds but through their bodies, their whole selves. Learn more about the class In this course, Ethics Center faculty members Carlton Mackey and Edward Queen examined how films in particular effect or impede social change. Working with Atlanta comedian Mark Kendall and the Georgia Innocence Project, students created documentaries to chronicle the experiences of those who have been wrongly convicted by the criminal justice system. Learn more about the class Michelle Gordon, professor of African American studies, surveyed early African American literature and print culture from the Revolutionary Era through the turn of the 20th century in league with Jim Alexander, whose photography chronicles more than a half century of Black and American life, culture and social justice struggles. According to Gordon, one course goal was to use Alexanders body of work and the texts as inspiration to use our own voices to advocate for what we believe is right, to defend our own rights, and to stand up for the rights of others. Learn more about the class Sean Meighoo, professor of comparative literature, and Lee Osorio, actor and playwright, asked students to examine the struggles mounted against European colonialism in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the result was a book titled Meditations on Anti-Colonialism conceived, says Osorio, during the pandemic of the coronavirus but deep-diving into the not-so-novel pandemic of racism. Learn more about the class
Leading independent hotel management company, Aleph Hospitality, has signed a management agreement to operate Accors luxury five-star MGallery hotel, as well as all the facilities at the new Century Park Hotel and Residences development in Rwandas capital Kigali.

A signing ceremony took place in Kigali last week between Aleph Hospitality, the international hospitality group Accor, and Century Park Hotel and Residences Ltd, the developers of the project.

Located in the pristine and calm hills of Nyarutarama, Kigalis most esteemed neighbourhood, Century Park Hotel and Residences is an all-in-one mixed-use residential and leisure park. The unique lifestyle destination offers luxury villas, two- and three-bedroom apartments, four- and five-bedroom duplexes and penthouses as well as three restaurants and bars. In addition, the development features the luxurious MGallery Hotel, the first for the brand in Rwanda, featuring beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites, leisure facilities including an outdoor pool as well as conferences and meeting rooms. Century Park Hotel and Residences is ideally situated just 5 minutes from Kigali Convention Centre, 15 minutes from Kigali International Airport and 20 minutes from the capitals central business district.

Billy Cheung, Chairman of Century Park Hotel and Residences, said:  We are delighted to formally launch our hotel and residences with agreements with two leading international organizations  Aleph Hospitality and Accor.

Bani Haddad, Founder and Managing Director of Aleph Hospitality, said: We are very excited to be part of this incredible new mixed-use development in Kigali, which marks our first entry into Rwanda. We are delighted to be entrusted with the operations of the first MGallery hotel in Rwanda, our first Accor branded property, alongside the management of the facilities and restaurants at Century Park Hotel and Residences, including Billys Bistro and Bar, which was voted Best Restaurant of the Year in 2021 by the Consumers Choice Awards. We look forward to building on the success of the incredible food and beverage offerings of Century Park to make it the leading dining, lifestyle and nightlife destination in Kigali.

Aleph Hospitality, which has targeted 50 hotels in the Middle East and Africa by 2026, manages hotels directly for owners, either on a franchise basis for branded properties or as a white label operator for independently branded hotels.  TradeArabia News Service
The Tam Institute for Jewish Studies at Emory University will feature Hava Tirosh-Samuelson of Arizona State University as the speaker for this years Tenenbaum Family Lecture in Judaic Studies.

The lecture on Monday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m., will address Judaism and Climate Change: Environmental Ethics and Social Activism. This free public lecture can be viewed in-person at Emorys Michael C. Carlos Museum (Ackerman Hall) or via Zoom. Registration for both in-person and virtual attendance is required.

Drawing on Tirosh-Samuelsons broader work on the intersection of Judaism and ecology, the lecture will present climate change as the most significant challenge to the future of humanity and other life forms on Earth. It will explore how, along with other world religions, Judaism has recognized the challenges posed by climate change and has inspired its own forms of religious environmentalism. The lecture will identify principles that guide Jewish environmental ethics and the characteristics of Jewish environmental activism, paying special attention to the relationship between religious and secular dimensions of Jewish climate advocacy that links ecological justice to social justice.

Tirosh-Samuelson is Regents Professor, Irving and Miriam Lowe Professor of Modern Judaism, professor of history, and the director of Jewish studies at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. She holds a PhD in Jewish philosophy and mysticism from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her scholarship focuses on a wide array of topics including philosophy and mysticism in premodern Judaism; the interaction among Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the Middle Ages; feminist philosophy; Judaism and ecology; bioethics; and religion and science. Tirosh-Samuelson is especially committed to understanding the complementary relationship between science and religion from a historical perspective. She is the author of more than 50 articles and book chapters and three scholarly monographs including, most recently, Religion and Environment: The Case of Judaism (2020).

This year marks the 25th Tenenbaum Family Lecture in Judaic Studies, which salutes the family of the late Meyer W. Tenenbaum 31C 32L of Savannah, Georgia. Tenenbaum, a native of Poland, arrived in the United States at the age of 13 knowing no English and graduated from the Emory School of Law 11 years later. He went on to head Chatham Steel Corporation, now a major steel service center with headquarters in Savannah.

The lecture is cosponsored by Emory Universitys Center for Ethics, Climate@Emory Initiative, Department of Environmental Studies, Department of Religion, Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, Hightower Fund, Office of Spiritual and Religious Life and Office of Sustainability Initiatives.
Women have been essential to Emory from the beginning. Since the universitys founding, they worked on campus as secretaries, cooks and custodians. A few took classes in the early days, including Eleonore Raoul, a suffragette and the daughter of a railroad magnate who became the first woman to enroll at Emory University School of Law in 1917. Still, the Emory College Board of Trustees did not agree to admit women without exception until 1953. It would be another decade before the first African American women graduated.

As the Emory community celebrates Womens History Month, the focus of events across campus is to acknowledge the past, present and future contributions of those who are leading the way to advance womens rights at Emory and beyond.

We cant talk about Emory without talking about the women who have made this place, says Chanel Craft Tanner, director of the Center for Women. We count our years from March to March.

The Center for Women, which turns 30 this year, is focused on creating a greater sense of belonging for women across campus and combating sexism online. Tanner says that as the metaverse and the universe become more intertwined, finding ways to practice feminism in digital spaces is necessary to protect women from bullying and harassment. This is why the center has developed a student working group, Praxis, with the Department of Womens, Gender and Sexuality Studies, as well as a podcast.

In addition to programs from the Center for Women, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is hosting the Womens History Month keynote with Haben Girma, the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School. Girma is a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice; and she was recognized by President Barack Obama as a White House Champion of Change. She also received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and TIME100 Talks.

Girma will deliver a lecture at Emory on March 17 at noon about the importance of choosing inclusion and seeing disability as an opportunity for innovation. Ahead of the lecture, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion virtual book club will read her biography Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. In the book, she details efforts to remove barriers globally for people living with disabilities. Girma lends her voice to several issues, including taking ableism out of artificial intelligence and increasing access to space exploration.

Nicole Ingram, director of programs and special initiatives in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, says Girma was selected for the Womens History Month keynote because her work aligns with Emorys DEI principles: professional development, education and awareness; climate and culture; and accountability.

Haben is a leader who stands at the forefront of advocacy while educating and building opportunities for inclusion, says Ingram. As a disability law expert, she advocates for historically marginalized individuals beyond the spectrum of race. This keynote will further educate our community and support continued efforts for an accessible and inclusive campus.
During the unprecedented incursion that Russia has unleashed on Ukraine, the interconnectedness and the immediacy and importance of social media have been starkly highlighted.

Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter are full of photos and videos of shootings, explosions, and burned-out Russian tanks and buildings. There are also videos of protests from Berlin to St. Petersburg, abandoned bodies of soldiers, and a stream of Ukrainian refugees flooding into surrounding countries.

The internet has also allowed interaction between Ukrainians and people across the globe. These exchanges have helped the Ukrainians feel less isolated and have empowered many to reveal their personal stories, according to experts at the University of Miami.

Our access through digital media allows us to witness the violence and resistance experienced by people around the world, said Karin Wilkins, dean of the School of Communication and an expert on global media. We are more connected as a global community than ever before.

Although this immediate access to a major conflict is not entirely newsocial media played a role in the uprisings of the Arab Spring, Iraq, and Afghanistan warsthe present conflict in Ukraine seems to put the conflict at our fingertips.

I can't think of any war, not even the 21st century wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where social media has had such an impact, said Heidi Carr, assistant professor of professional practice at the School of Communication. Not everyone fighting has a javelin strapped to their shoulder; some of these battles are being won by those with a keyboard and a cell phone.

Carr has been communicating with an artisan in Kyiv she met via Etsy.

"I sent him a message via the Etsy communication system just asking if he was OK and if there was anything we could do to help, she said. He wrote back within a few hours, talking about the cities that no longer exist and young women giving birth in the bomb shelters.

Victor, the artisan, wrote that he was embarrassed to ask for help but if anyone could contribute funds, the money raised would go for medicine and food for those on the front line.

I posted his message on Facebook, and a number of friends have also contributed via his PayPal account.

And in the midst of this war, he is replying to us via the Etsy message system how much our support means to the Ukrainian nation in this war against darkness for peace,  Carr said.

Indeed, during this conflict, new technologies have facilitated some strategies that had not been used before, including the following.

The billionaire Elon Musk has offered access to his Starlink satellite to the Ukrainians to ensure they have access to the internet.

Anyone can now follow where the Russian oligarchs have fled thanks to a Florida college student who created an algorithm that tracks their private jets, reported CBS News.

Mothers and fathers of Russian soldiers who are searching for their sons can go to a website set up by Ukrainians that provides information about the whereabouts of the soldiers and information about whether they are captured or dead.

The CBS News program Sunday Morning featured a group of young Ukrainians that call themselves a social media resistance group with a mission to send out media posts through TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to disseminate information about the war.

Over the weekend, Russia imposed a 15-year prison sentence for any person or media organization that reports what the country labels as fake news about the incursion. Russian media outlets are forbidden to refer to the conflict as a warinstead they must refer to it as a military operation.

Government controlled Russian media are portraying the invasion as a mission to rescue Ukrainians from a neo-Nazi government that threatens Russia, said Joseph B. Treaster, a professor at the School of Communication and a veteran New York Times correspondent who has covered several wars.

Just how much social media messaging is getting into Russia is not clear. There have been reports of disruptions of the internet and cell phone service in the Ukraine, Treaster said, and Russia has reportedly blocked Twitter and Facebook.

News reports say Russia has also blocked the websites of the BBC and the Voice of America, he said, and they say that Russian television and radio are not showing the shelling of Ukraine towns and cities and protests against the invasion.

Some Ukrainians, he said, told The New York Times that relatives and friends they phoned in Russia didnt believe they were under siege.

On Tuesday, The New York Times pulled its journalists from Ukraine. Meanwhile, the BBC sent its people back to the war-torn country.

Wilkins said that political leaders, such as Vladimir Putin, may attempt to restrict access to specific digital platforms like Facebook, but it is not possible to isolate people entirely from global media sources. And that is a good thing, she said.

Although social media offers an up-close and personal view of the war, some images have been manipulated, experts warn.

Treaster suggested that a critical eye is needed when viewing the war through the lens of social media.

You have ordinary Ukrainians with cell phones sending out raw footage, Treaster said. They are under attack. They see a part of the picture. You have the Ukraine government and Russia with powerful social media skills sending messages. Often the source is unclear. Its difficult to know whats accurate, whats real, and whats manufactured.
Last week, amid a barrage of air raids and gunfire from the Russian army, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a unique appeal to his own cultural community. It is a tiny fraction of people who know the danger of leaving a world leader uncheckedthe Jewish population.

Zelenskyy felt particularly compelled after a Russian bomb fell next to a Holocaust memorial built near the site of Babi Yar, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, where 33,771 Jews were shot and fell into a mass grave within two days during World War II.

I call now on all the Jews of the worlddo you not see what is happening here? This is why it's important for millions of Jews around the world not to stay silent in the face of such sights. Because Nazism was born in silence," Zelenskyy wrote in Hebrew on the messaging service called Telegram, according to news outlets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a ceremony at the monument to Jewish victims of Nazi massacres in Kyiv on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. The ceremony commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Nazi massacre of Jews at the Babi Yar ravine. Photo: The Associated Press

In doing so, Zelenskyy, who is also Ukraines first Jewish president, publicly identified with his background. He did it in a place where, for decades, most forms of religion were barred. And before that, identifying oneself as Jewish meant a person could be targeted by violent anti-Semitic attacks.

University of Miami junior Elizabeth Fridmans Ukrainian parents fled Kyiv in the 1990s because they were tired of hiding their Jewish religion. The tipping point came when they felt forced to baptize their first son in the Orthodox Christian church.

They sought out religious asylum here in the United States, said Fridman. They packed whatever they could and migrated here with a one-way plane ticket and $100.

Zelenskyy represents a growing acceptance of other religious beliefs in Ukraine that comes from the government. And Fridman, like many other Jews, finds comfort in the fact that the Ukrainian president is Jewish because it shows just how far the nation of Ukraine has come.

He understands everything that we have been through in the past, said Fridman. As Jewish people, we are fighters. So, I know he is going to fight for Ukraine.

Ira Sheskin

The nations previous prime minister, Vlodymyr Groysman, also was Jewish. That is why Russian president Vladimir Putins claim that he invaded Ukraine to rid the nation of Neo-Nazis is so puzzling, stated Ira Sheskin, professor of geography and sustainable development, as well as director of the Jewish Demography Project at the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, which tracks the population of Jews locally and internationally.

However, Sheskin and Haim Shaked, founding director of the Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies at the University, said that language was simply used to convince Russians to support Putins decision to take over Ukraine. Shaked, who was born in Israel, said that people use the word Nazi so freely today that, unfortunately, its reference to horrific actions of the German political party perpetrated from 1933 through 1945, is getting lost.

Attaching the term Nazi to everything dilutes what the Nazis were all about, and it takes a very important historical term and deems it meaningless, said Shaked, who is also a professor of international relations. Putins use of it has nothing to do with the current Ukraine, but its a term that resonates with his own people because the horrors of the Second World War are embedded in the Russian collective memory. So, when he says were doing a denazification of Ukraine, it means Russia is good and Ukrainians are evil.

Haim Shaked

Still, to understand this war of wordsand why these opposing leaders are both referring to the Holocaust, when 6 million Jews were killed by the German soldiers and their collaboratorsboth scholars said that the public needs to understand the nations complex religious past.

Painful past

Despite Ukraines current state, where most Jews can live and practice their religion somewhat freely, antisemitism has a long history in Eastern Europe, said Sheskin and Shaked. In the mid-1600s, Cossack leader Bohdan Khmelnytsky came to power, and is still revered because he fought to free Ukraine from Polish rule and establish its independence. However, Khmelnytsky often blamed the Jews for his shortcomings and his regime murdered tens of thousands of them.

Later, in Odessa, a port city in southern Ukraine, the first pogrom occurred in 1820, where Jews were the target of violent attacks from non-Jewish populations in Russia and Ukraine. An increasing number of pogroms across Ukraine and Russia prompted thousands of Jews to flee the region for the United States in the late 1800s.

There were less than 5,000 Jews in the United States before 1840 but starting in the 1880s and through World War I, lots of Jews came from Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and Hungary, Sheskin said. And the vast majority of American Jewswhich is about 7.3 million [people] todaycan trace their roots to the former Soviet Union.

In the 20th century, Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, who ruled over Ukraine starting in 1928, enforced socialism and, later, communism, which discouraged any form of religion in Ukraine and Russia until 1991.

Yet, before World War II began in 1939, Eastern Europe was still home to millions of Jews.

Ukraine and Poland were the two biggest centers of Jewry before the Holocaust, Sheskin said. There are a lot of reasons why American Jews feel a closeness to Ukraine now.

Novel future

Today, Ukraine is home to about 45,000 practicing Jews, according to the latest American Jewish Year Book, which Sheskin edits with Arnold Dashefsky, a professor from the University of Connecticut. However, Sheskin pointed out that if you count the number of Ukrainians with one Jewish parent, the numbers rise to 90,000, and if you count those with one Jewish grandparent, there are 200,000 Jews in the country.

In a nation of 41 million people, Jews still represent a small minority in Ukraine. Its the only other country than Israel to have a Jewish head of state, and since Jews are only 0.2 percent of the worlds population, thats pretty remarkable, Sheskin noted.

Many of the Jews who did survive the Holocaust in Ukraine and Russia later emigrated to Israel, which was declared a state in 1948. But few know that many of those founding members of Israel hailed from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, which still has a vibrant Jewish community, according to Shaked. In addition, Golda Meir, Israels fourth prime minister, was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. And Hasidism, a sect of Orthodox Judaism, regards the Ukrainian city of Uman as a sacred site.

About 15 percent of Israelis today report that they came from the former Soviet Union and that they or their parents arrived in Israel after 1967. Even larger numbers have grandparents or great grandparents from the old Soviet Union, Sheskin said. This may explain the close relationship between the three nations today, and it may be why Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett is trying to foster peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Cities like Kyiv, Dnipro, Odessa, and Kharkiv are home to the largest Jewish communities in Ukraine today, Sheskin indicated. But they are just as vulnerable to the Russian army. The Hillel House in Kharkiv, along with the Or Avner Jewish Day School, was hit with Russian rockets last week. Meanwhile, Ukrainians of all faiths were sheltering in the Synagogue of the Breslover Hasidim in Uman.

The fact that Zelenskyy is leading a nation that has managed to hold some of the Russian troops at bay, while the 44-year-old politician urges the rest of the world to protect Ukrainians so fervently, has prompted an outpouring of support from Jews worldwide who want to help the besieged nation.

It has made Jews really proud that we have a Jewish president of Ukraine, when in fact this was an area of intense antisemitism, and it was practically a Jewish graveyard after World War II, Sheskin said. While Zelenskyy may not be a religious Jew, he is clearly wearing his Jewish identity on his sleeve and is making Jews throughout the world proud.

For those who want to donate toward humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Shaked and Sheskin recommend the Greater Miami Jewish Federations Ukraine Emergency Fund.
Jordan Shuler selected to receive the National Council on Family Relations Honors Graduate Award

Media Contact: Katie Lacey | Communications Specialist | 405-744-9347 | katie.l.lacey@okstate.edu

Jordan Shuler is one of just 13 students from across the country selected to receive the National Council on Family Relations Honors Graduate Award.

Shuler recently completed a masters degree in human development and family science with an option in marriage and family therapy at Oklahoma State University.

I have a passion for learning and teaching and I can get lost in the work of understanding human and family relationships in all the beautiful forms they take, Shuler said.

Shuler said the most rewarding part of his research was working with a team to publish a qualitative research paper, entitled Pornography and Romantic Relationships: A Qualitative Examination of Individual Experiences.

As first author, the paper was a major step into academia for Shuler and he said it was an honor to get a glimpse into the lives and beliefs of participants who had responded to the study.

Shuler said another rewarding part of his research was working to identify and disseminate research on mindfulness and stress management, along with a range of other topics, was a fantastic way to try and give more directly to rural communities who are under so much pressure.

Shuler has served on the student board of the Oklahoma Association for Marriage and Family Therapists and helped coordinate the students and new professionals conference in the Fall of 2020. He helped to orient and mentor new masters students coming into the programs. Shuler was the Department of Human Development and Family Science honorary marshal during Fall 2021 graduation.

I love offering what I have learned to others, particularly if it's in a way that can make some difference in their lives, Shuler said.

Shuler is now pursuing a doctorate in human development and family science at OSU and is preparing for the national exam for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy to become a candidate for licensure.
California Sea Grant has awarded funding to four UC Santa Cruz graduate students for marine science research projects that address the agencys priority themes of resilient coastal communities and economies, sustainable fisheries, and healthy coastal ecosystems.

The UCSC graduate research fellows are taking novel approaches to answer diverse and important questions for Californias coastal communities and ecosystems, from the effects of wildfires on endangered salmon to the effects of sea level rise on critical infrastructure in socioeconomically disadvantaged San Francisco Bay regions.

Genevieve Pugsley, an ocean sciences graduate student working with Professor of Ocean Sciences Matthew McCarthy, won funding for a project to study how marine phytoplankton communities in coastal California change with shifting climate. Climate variation affects the structure and productivity of coastal ecosystems, as well as the risk of dangerous and costly harmful algal blooms. Despite the need for knowledge about likely effects of changing climate on coastal ecosystem productivity and health, scientific understanding is limited by the relatively short duration of recent ecological monitoring efforts.

Pugsleys research team is turning to paleoclimate records stored in deep sea coral skeletons and sediments. The aim is to adapt and validate an innovative new isotope ecology method for quantifying phytoplankton community changes in coastal marine environments, and then apply this isotope fingerprinting method to gain new insight into the influence of past climate change on phytoplankton community composition and algal bloom occurrence in central California.

Katie Kobayashi, a Ph.D. candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) working with EEB Professor Eric Palkovacs, is investigating the effects of wildfires on imperiled populations of salmon and steelhead. With climate change, the frequency and intensity of wildfires are increasing, which may significantly alter physical and ecological processes in stream ecosystems. Kobayashis project leverages data from a heavily-monitored watershed affected by a recent California wildfire to assess the consequences of fire for endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout.

In collaboration with NOAAs Scott Creek Salmonid Research and Monitoring Program, Kobayashi will explore whether fire will tip the balance between the energetic demands of salmonids and the amount of food supplied by the food web. Through its effects on physical habitat, wildfire could simultaneously impact both metabolic demand and food availability for young fish. If increased metabolic demand is accompanied by decreased food availability, then their growth and survival are threatened via a mechanism called metabolic meltdown.

Julia Cheresh, a Ph.D. student advised by Associate Professor of Ocean Sciences Jerome Fiechter, won funding for her research on ocean acidification and hypoxia (low oxygen) in the California Current System. Ocean acidification and global oxygen decline are among the most concerning climate change-related threats to marine life. Their impacts are particularly pronounced in the California Current System due to natural exposure to lower pH and oxygen conditions during seasonal coastal upwelling.

Chereshs project will use global climate projections to characterize the 21st century progression of ocean acidification and hypoxia in the California Current, which is home to highly productive and biodiverse ecosystems with significant ecological, economic, and cultural importance. Projections and analyses will be used to develop an interactive web tool tailored toward the needs of resource managers.

James Jacobs, a Ph.D. student in Earth and planetary sciences, is working with research scientist Adina Paytan to study the effects of sea level rise on critical wastewater and transit infrastructure in two low-income residential developments on the margin of San Francisco Bay. Flooding of wastewater infrastructure will increase with sea level rise, damaging pipes and pumps and causing sanitary sewer overflows and pipe backflows, all of which create human health exposure risks and environmental damage. Regular flooding of roads causes delays and damages transit infrastructure.

Jacobs team will study two areas developed on the San Francisco Bay margin that have higher flood frequencies than similar nearby communities. These locations also reflect the intersection of socioeconomically disadvantaged areas with high flood vulnerability and critical wastewater and transit infrastructure that may be disproportionately impacted by sea level rise. Jacobs will collect field data to identify groundwater flooding, sewer overflows, and road flooding to better understand the short-term impacts. The team aims to provide real-time advance warnings to agencies and residents of impending sewer overflows and road flooding, as well as to identify sources of floodwaters.

California Sea Grant prioritizes supporting the next generation of early career scientists focusing on applied research. The four UCSC projects are among 12 graduate research fellowships awarded for 2022 to expand the number and diversity of researchers who can launch their scientific careers with Sea Grant support. The funded projects will help develop practical scientific results that will inform future management.
Deciphering how species interact with other organisms and their environment is the bread and butter of ecologists. For rare or threatened species, understanding which factors cause populations to boom or bust isnt just academic; the answers can mean the difference between sound population management and species extinction.

These concerns have loomed large regarding the northern tidewater goby. A spotted fish about the size of a thumb drive, this federally endangered species occurs only in California estuaries, often alongside the far more common three-spined stickleback.

Because the two fish are essentially the same size, and eat the same aquatic invertebrates, scientists have worried that the stickleback is literally eating the gobys lunch. One lab study has already shown that when stickleback flourish, goby numbers suffer.

But scientists at UC Santa Cruz suspected the fishes habitat might play an equal if not more important role. These fish dont exist in a vacuum. Theres strong environmental fluctuations where they live, says Ben Wasserman, a former Ph.D. student at UC Santa Cruz and now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Connecticut. That challenges the ability of experiments to properly account for all those other factors that could influence their interactions.

An extreme environment

The only type of habitat the goby occurs in is bar-built estuaries. Separated from the ocean by a sandbar, these estuaries resemble stagnant lagoons for much of the year. But what truly makes these estuaries extreme environments is their propensity to breach. When enough rain has fallen, the water dammed behind the sandbar will shove the barrier aside. What was once a brimming waterway then drains catastrophically into the ocean. This can leave fish and other lagoon residents high and dry for hours to days.

Whenever they breach, its a dramatic shift in the water and oxygen and salinity conditions for the resident organisms, says Eric Palkovacs, a UCSC professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and Wassermans graduate advisor.

As a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz, Wasserman was determined to study the goby and stickleback in their natural environment. He collected data on goby and stickleback numbers from 20142020 and, with a technique called empirical dynamic modeling, he was able to factor in how estuary conditions affected fish populations. He and his collaborators report in the journal Limnology and Oceanography that the state of estuary waters, not competition from another fish species, is the most important predictor of fish numbers at any given time.

I hope this shows the promise of this technique in a wider variety of applications, like population management and conservation, says Wasserman. There are many cases when available population monitoring data should allow us to extract more information.

Perfect spot for a study

Wasserman studied interactions between the two fish at Younger Lagoon Reserve. Located at the western edge of Santa Cruz, it is one of the 41 protected landscapes in the UC Natural Reserve System.

As a textbook example of a bar-built estuary, Younger proved an ideal setting for Wassermans research. The stickleback and the tidewater goby are the lagoons only two fishes. Its small size made it easy to sample comprehensively. Its staff collect a bevy of environmental data, including temperature and rainfall, and even maintains a camera pointed at the lagoon mouth that documents the exact dates of breaches.

Wasserman first needed to track the populations of each fish over time. Once a month over seven years, he and teams of volunteers submerged wire mesh fish traps around the lagoons shore. Roughly the size and shape of a watermelon, the traps had inward-facing funnels on each end.

When fish encounter the mesh, they swim along it, and the funnel drops them off in the middle of the thing. Since they have to make a U-turn to get out, they mostly dont figure out how to escape, Wasserman says.

The researchers also took a snapshot of water conditions on each trip, measuring oxygen, temperature, and salinity readings.

Visiting regularly over seven years, Wasserman developed a feel for the lagoons behavior. I knew Youngers rhythms, to the point where in a storm one day, I said, its going to breach. And I put on my rain gear and went out and waited. I saw that first trickle across the sand, and then as soon as the soft sand got soaking wet it was like a dam blowing out. And in two hours I watched a channel erode probably ten feet deep and drain the water that had taken all fall to accumulate, he says.

Getting to know your estuary

To analyze his field data, Wasserman applied new methods developed to forecast complex systems such as stock markets. Biologists first used empirical dynamic models (EDMs) to manage commercial fisheries. EDMs can also factor in other parameters such as water temperature and chemistry as well as the number of days since the estuary breached.

Older modeling methods also require the scientist to guess at the nature of the relationship between factors. For example, goby numbers could drop linearly as stickleback numbers rise, or rise exponentially at some later date, or curve over time as seasonal temperatures change. The algorithms in empirical dynamic models take that guessing off the table. They can define relationships based on raw data. When theres so many potential influences out in nature on your focal organisms, this helps you follow whatever signal there is in your data, and pulls that to your attention rather than you applying a certain assumption, Wasserman says.

Wasserman applied one type of EDM, convergent cross mapping, to determine whether his time series data could predict influences on population. We asked, what can predict our focal species, the goby? Is it stickleback abundance, or any of those other things, like temperature or salinity or days since breaching? And then we asked the same question for the stickleback.

The one factor that turned out to predict more goby was lots of stickleback.

Wasserman used a second type of EDM, the s-map, to determine whether environmental conditions affect interactions between the two fish. This approach revealed that stickleback numbers only affect goby numbers in spring.

If the stickleback have a good spring, the gobies are going to have a good summer, Wasserman says. He suspects both fishes are responding in the same way to a common environmental driver, such as spring productivity. Here, the additional sunlight from longer days encourages the proliferation of algae, which in turn boosts populations of the aquatic insects both fishes eat.

Influence of environment

Similarly, the one factor that affected stickleback numbers was a recent lagoon breach. We would go out there during severe breaching events, and the stickleback would be really struggling. All or most are dead or struggling to get enough oxygen, Palkovacs says. The gobies were able to survive even when the lagoon had transformed into a mudflat. The gobies might be lying on the sand or in the pickleweed after a breach. But if you were to go up and poke them, they would wiggle away and find a pool.

The difference in the two fishes responses likely stems from their respective ecological niches. Tidewater goby are specialists that have evolved to cope with seasonal breaching. They can tolerate the hypersaline conditions of late fall, extremely low levels of dissolved oxygen, and even the complete drying of the lagoon.

Stickleback, on the other hand, are generalists. They occur in a wide variety of habitats across the Northern Hemisphere, from tidal streams to nearshore coastal waters. In Younger Lagoon, their populations soar when conditions are good, but may crash and sometimes disappear after a breach.

The take-home lesson for wildlife managers? Reducing stickleback numbers are unlikely to help the goby. The most important factor for its survival appears to maintaining the breaching cycle in their estuarine habitats. Unfortunately, many of Californias bar-built estuaries have disappeared as a result of human activities. Their sandbars are often kept open artificially to form harbors, while upland development, culverts, or bridges can disrupt their filling and breaching cycles.

In my previous ecological research, I was looking at the fish or the bird or the bug or the plant. This environment forced me to see the importance of the physical process setting the stage, Wasserman says.

For Palkovacs, the study also underscores the value of field research. These fish have all the characteristics that might lead you to assume theyre competing, and even lab experiments show that. Our point is that you you cant necessarily go from lab experiments to understanding whats happening in the wild. We need to know from actual ecosystems whats happening.
Government officials here said that the Indian students, who were evacuated from Sumy in Ukraine and transported to Poltava on Tuesday, have boarded a special train to reach Lviv from where they will be crossing over to Poland on Wednesday. From Poland, they will be airlifted to New Delhi on Wednesday night or Thursday along with Bangladeshi and Nepalese nationals who were also evacuated from Sumy on Tuesday, the officials said. The Indian Embassy in Ukraine said on Wednesday that the evacuated students, who were brought to Poltava using the humanitarian corridor by bus on Tuesday, have moved westward. The Indian Embassy also said that a special train has been arranged with the assistance of Ukrainian authority to send them on an onward journey. Sumy, which is located in the north-east part of Ukraine close to the Russian border, came under heavy shelling by Russian forces, which began their military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Nearly 700 Indian students were stuck there as it was impossible to get them evacuated under heavy bombing. Even a top Russian military officer had offered buses to evacuate the Indian students, but the Indian officials said that the students couldn't be evacuated until a ceasefire was announced by both the warring sides. The governments of Russia and Ukraine announced a ceasefire and provided a humanitarian corridor on Tuesday from 10 a.m.(Moscow time) onwards after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukrainie President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, requesting them to provide safe passage to evacuate the remaining Indian nationals stuck in the war-torn country. The Indian Embassy arranged buses to shift all 694 Indian students in Sumy along with Bangladeshi and Nepalese nationals to Poltava in central Ukraine on Tuesday. The Embassy also issued an advisory, asking the remaining Indians stranded in the capital city of Kiev to leave by using the humanitarian corridor by any available means of transportation. --IANS ams/arm ( 337 Words) 2022-03-09-19:08:04 (IANS)
The European Union's (EU) High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell has asked citizens to turn down the heating in their homes, as one way for the bloc to cut its dependence on Russian gas amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. "The challenges we face are going to require a very tough stance and we have to be willing to pay the price," Borrell stated, suggesting "European citizens lower the heating of their homes" as part of their "individual effort to cut gas consumption", RT reported. The statement from the EU official comes after the bloc unveiled a new round of sanctions against Russia and Belarus over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The new restrictions cut off a number of Belarusian banks from the SWIFT network, hit the Russian maritime sector, and impose restrictions on 160 Russian lawmakers and business people. The EU currently imports 45 per cent of its coal, 40 per cent of its gas, and 27 per cent of its oil from Russia, with Borrell stating the bloc is taking steps to cut the "umbilical cord that unites our economy and the Russian one" to cut off the "flow that allows (Russia) to accumulate reserves with which to finance" the conflict in Ukraine. The European Commission outlined on Tuesday a proposal to "make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030". The bloc will begin by reducing EU demand by two thirds before the end of the year in response to Russia's military activity. "We simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us. We need to act now to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices, diversify our gas supply for next winter and accelerate the clean energy transition," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, as the plan was unveiled. --IANS san/ ( 313 Words) 2022-03-09-23:12:02 (IANS)
China will protect its companies and people who have come under threat of US sanctions over trading with Russia, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, commenting on Washingtons warnings. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that Beijing "will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals", RT reported. The Chinese official reiterated his government's criticism of unilateral sanctions, saying they have no basis in international law and only cause "serious difficulties to the economy and people's livelihood" in targeted nations instead of fostering peace and security. "Washington should "take China's concerns seriously" when implementing its restrictions against Russia so that they don't "harm China's rights and interests in any way", Zhao warned. The US has imposed a ban on export of advanced semiconductors to Russia in response to Moscow's military attack against Ukraine. The ban targets not only American companies, but also foreign firms which use American software and technologies in production. Nations like South Korea, which want to continue their exports to Russia, have to apply for special exemptions or face Washington's wrath. --IANS san/arm ( 206 Words) 2022-03-09-23:16:04 (IANS)
The Winds of Change Are Blowing in Europe

(AINA) -- If 2015 in Europe was most memorable for the hundreds of thousands of refugees who traipsed across the continent, 2016 will be marked by the dramatic increase in terrorist attacks at different European locations.

Sadly, these two developments are not unconnected. Most of the refugees who arrived in Europe last year were Muslim, while virtually all of the terrorist attacks were carried out by Muslims, with many asylum seekers involved.

Much of the commentary relating to the terrorist attacks has focused on the minutiae. This is as needs be, as information about the date of the attacks, the perpetrators, the identities of the victims, motivations and so forth are all important.

Hence we have learned in graphic detail about the bombing at Brussels airport in March, the murder of a police officer and his wife in France in June, the grisly beheading of a priest in Northern France in July, the murderous truck attack on Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice also in July, the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in December, and a host of other incidents that are almost too numerous to mention.

But attention to detail should not lead us to ignore the big picture and its key features. Let us pause to reflect on what they may be.

First, where minority Muslim populations are found, there also exists problems with integration of those communities. This is less due to lack of acceptance by host communities -- in fact the opposite is true of host community behavior -- but rather a reluctance to integrate on the part of the Muslim newcomers, who maintain a mindset of separation and often hostility to the host community.

Second, when Muslim refugees are involved in terror attacks such as those listed above, political leaders and media commentators are typically quick to dissociate Islam from the events and, in some cases such as BBC reports, studiously avoid using the words "Islam" or "Muslim" when reporting terrorist incidents.

Third, because of the reluctance of governments and other authorities to acknowledge the link between Muslim refugee arrival and increased terrorism, civil society groups are speaking the unspeakable by linking the two in public statements. In response, political and social elites dismiss such civil society groups as being part of the "far right", thereby using a label to avoid having to engage with the arguments of such groups.

Fourth, the absence of any involvement of non-Muslim refugee groups in terror attacks. Of the numerous terror incidents across the European continent in 2016, not a single perpetrator was Christian, Yazidi, Buddhist, Hindu, or Sikh.

The above observations lead to a couple of stark conclusions. If terrorism has increased exponentially with rapid Muslim refugee arrivals, then an obvious way to address the problem of increased terrorism is to reduce Muslim refugee arrivals. This can be done by giving preference to non-Muslim refugees, especially Christians, in refugee processing. Although Europe's Christian foundations may have been severely eroded, Christian refugees will undoubtedly be better prepared to integrate positively and constructively with native European populations. Indeed, they could trigger the kind of revival of Christian identity that Europe desperately needs.

Second, it is clear that the current political leadership in European countries that has allowed the present situation to develop needs to be replaced. The winds of change are sweeping across the West because of widespread discontent with liberal political leadership. This popular discontent has been seen during 2016 in the Brexit vote, the Trump victory in the USA, and in the increasing support for civil society groups that are willing to acknowledge the linkage between Muslim refugee arrivals and increased terrorism. While Angela Merkel and like-minded liberal European political leaders may not see the changes, the worm is turning. It is time for widespread political change across Europe, bringing in a new generation of leaders who are willing to shore up the historic identity of European nations and to affirm their cultures and traditions.
Malta Tourism Authority, the official tourism body of the Republic of Malta, recently held the Bespoke Malta seminar at Shangri La Hotel Dubai for the local travel trade and media.



The seminar saw the presence of over 110 key industry experts and travel professionals from the region, as well as local journalists and influential bloggers. The seminar started with an introductory presentation titled Malta  the Heart of the Mediterranean, by Claude Zammit Trevisan, Senior Manager  Destination Marketing, Malta Tourism Authority.



The presentation was followed by a panel discussion Discovering Maltas lingering links to the Arab world which saw the participation of Maria Camilleri Calleja, Maltese Ambassador to the UAE, Sarah Khan, Editor-in-Chief, Conde Nast Traveller Middle East, Luke Azzopardi, Creative Director of Maltese fashion atelier Luke Azzopardi Studio, and Joseph Cassar, Maltese gastronomy expert and lecturer at the Institute of Tourism Studies.



After a networking lunch at Shangri La, the guests were accompanied to the Malta Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, to enjoy an exclusive, private tour of the pavilion and attend the prize give-away of the pre-organized social media campaign that Malta Tourism Authority had organized.



From the February 20 to 25, MTA ran a social media campaign sponsored by Manchester United FC, in co-operation with 3 leading content creators from the UAE. The three influencers; Hind Alraeesi, Khalid Abbasi and The Cuspers, were all given official Manchester United T-shirts signed by 3-star players of the English club, which were then presented as a give-away prize for the Emirati audience on their social media pages.



The three lucky winners were chosen by each influencer based on a random draw, and the signed T-shirts were given away during the ceremony that was held at the Malta Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai.



The UAE has become an important geographic market for Malta in recent years, with growing relationships between both countries. We were very excited to see the big number of attendees to our seminar, which gives a clear indication of the growing interest and demand for Malta in the region, and we were glad to hear that many industry experts see great potential in Malta throughout the coming period, said Claude Zammit Trevisan, senior marketing manager for the region.



He added: We were very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a group of local content creators to create this exciting social media campaign. Co-operating with the local influencers allows to reach a valuable segment of Emirati travellers which we will not otherwise be able to reach through traditional methods; thus, we are more than happy to develop this relationship further and work towards fruitful goals that satisfy all parties.



MTA is placing more emphasis on the promotion of luxury travel to Malta from the GCC, particularly through bespoke travel experiences with peace of mind and utmost flexibility for the client to explore the beautiful islands of Malta on their own terms, and to their own schedule.



With its great climate, fascinating history, excellent cuisine and beautiful natural scenery, Malta is an ideal vacation choice for travellers at any time of the year, said an MTA statement.  TradeArabia News Service


Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 10 (ANI/PR Newswire): ProTeen, an integrated digital career guidance platform, has expanded its footprints nationwide. With the launch of 15 new ProTeen powered career centres, the company has deepened its presence not only in metro cities but also in smaller towns and regions in its quest to bring accessible career counselling to all. These physical career centres across tier 2 and 3 cities mark a major milestone in the company's expansion plans and ProTeen looks forward to continuing the momentum with a plan to launch upto 100 such career centres in the next 12 months. ProTeen's presence spreads from the north to the south, and east to west. In the north, ProTeen has established franchises in Delhi, Srinagar in J&K; and multiple centres in Kolkata, West Bengal in the east. In the west, ProTeen's footprint can be found in Maharashtra, where a focused effort has led to 6 career centres spread across the state in Mumbai, Indapur, Nagpur, Jalgaon, Talegaon, and Daund. ProTeen's state-of-the-art career centres are also present in South India with centres opening in Tirupati and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. Commenting on the launch of the all-India centres, Paridhi Khaitan, Managing Director, ProTeen states, "While internet penetration and access to digital education and learning have increased over the past few years, there is still a wide gap in the accessibility of career counselling as a solution for students. To address this issue, we believe that a hybrid approach of pairing digital counselling with personalized guidance through physical centres is the best way to guide the students and also spread career awareness amongst students and their parents. This physical presence acts as a bridge to the digital career counselling world and also helps in attaining maximum outreach across all regions." "A severe lack of career awareness is widespread in tier 2/3 cities. Traditionally, students from smaller cities and towns have had limited access to modern and lucrative careers. Due to the changes brought about by the pandemic like remote working, geographical boundary limitations have dissolved, and career opportunities have widened. With ProTeen's holistic and scientific approach to career guidance, we can not only expose students, but also their parents, to the realities of the 21st-century careers, and how they can capitalise on the existing opportunities," quoted Parvaiz Ahmed who heads the Srinagar centre. S Kshirsagar who leads the Nagpur centre highlights the lack of career awareness in students even today. "Students end up restricting themselves to selecting a few options, unaware of the variety of careers available today. But due to ProTeen's integrated digital platform, we can now provide students with all the tools and skills they'll require to be successful today, as well as training our counsellors to keep up with the evolving career world." P Edukondalu who runs ProTeen's franchise in Tirupati notes: "Students from tier 2 cities are no longer left behind in the race for remunerative careers. The modern career market can cater to every location, it is up to the students to grab such chances. ProTeen has recognised the crucial need for new-age counselling in such locations. Our partnership with ProTeen stemmed from the mutual understanding of guiding students to their dream careers, irrespective of their location or background. This hybrid approach of ProTeen's digital counselling combined with a local career centre provides students from a smaller city easy access to proper and quality career guidance." The 21st-century career market can provide equal opportunities to students from tier 2 and 3 cities. Students from Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets require effective and smart career guidance now more than ever to survive. To address the lack of structured guidance in such locations, the ProTeen platform is now also available in major regional languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil etc. By successfully adapting to the local needs of a region and pairing the digital platform with a physical centre, ProTeen provides increased and easy access to new-age career counselling irrespective of barriers like language and location. This hybrid, localised approach enables ProTeen to provide students all over the country with a scientific, holistic, and experiential approach to making smart career decisions in the 21st century. ProTeen was envisioned and founded as an integrated digital platform to guide high school and college students with the awareness and skills they need to make smart academic and career choices for the 21st-Century. ProTeen is the essential first step towards becoming career ready. The platform includes Psychometric Assessment, Career Demos, Top Stream and Career Recommendations, Personalized Report & Analytics, Career Quizzes, One-on-one Career Counselling, and much more. The platform draws inspiration from the leading global body of research in cognitive psychology, development psychology, occupational themes, and most importantly, Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. ProTeen's career centres are a growing network of centres in India that focus on integrated career guidance and development solutions, intending to establish over 1000 centres across major cities and other tier 2, 3 cities. These centres help build a pool of certified and trained counsellors across the country. ProTeen is looking to consistently expand its franchisee network to provide personalised new-age career counselling to millions of students, anytime, anywhere. ProTeen is also a part of NEAT 2.0, an initiative by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), a Ministry of Education agency. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1763897/Centre_Launch.jpgPhoto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1763896/Centre_2.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1763898/Dadar_Centre.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1763899/Indapur_Centre.jpg This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PR Newswire)
New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI/NewsVoir): The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Population Services International (PSI), hosted a virtual discussion through the City-to-City COVID-19 Vaccine Learning Exchange (CoVLEx) initiative. Representatives from cities and countries across the global south gathered to discuss the critical role of the private sector in global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. USAID launched the CoVLEx program in September 2021, in partnership with NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, to share tools and best practices as the world races to vaccinate as many people as possible in order to save lives, jumpstart the global economy, and prevent the threat of new variants. The CoVLEx initiative is a unique platform that shares best practices on COVID-19 vaccination strategies among five Indian cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhubaneswar), 10 Southeast Asian and African cities, Hanoi (Vietnam), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Biratnagar (Nepal), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Kampala (Uganda), Cape Town (South Africa), Lilongwe (Malawi), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Abuja (Nigeria), and Nairobi (Kenya). Through this event, public health experts and private sector companies from cities and countries across the global south convened to share their experience on shared issues such as vaccine research and manufacturing, improving the cold chain to efficiently manage vaccine stocks, and providing innovative solutions such as drones for last mile delivery. In his address as a Chief Guest, Dr R S Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority shared, "As an architect of COWIN, I was very clear about the crucial role public-private partnership can play to roll out our vaccination program. The pandemic is too big to be tackled by one entity alone. We designed COWIN as a multiparty platform wherein all vaccine providers, vaccinators, and hospitals involved in the vaccination program could be both private and public entities. The vaccination program also included all stakeholders during the design process. The technology solution for COWIN ultimately used an open, inclusive, and inter-operable system that could be enabled by any third-party applicator or even within facilities to start vaccination in a very well-defined API and track progress." Highlighting the importance of private sector engagement in strengthening health systems, Sangita Patel, Director, Health Office, USAID/India, said, "The United States, India, and our partners continue to lead efforts to expand the manufacture and distribution of vaccines and diagnostics that benefit people around the world. Global exchanges such as this strengthen our collective actions to vaccinate the world as quickly as possible while harnessing India's expertise in science and technology for the global good. USAID's engagement with the private sector, alongside host-country governments and civil society, addresses gaps and accelerates our efforts. Through private sector collaboration - and the market-based approaches it leverages - USAID and our partners enable self-sustaining local systems and markets. Our combined efforts lead to greater knowledge, improved skills, additional resources, and strong local institutions." In his introductory comments, Shankar Narayanan, Managing Director, PSI stressed the need to apply the learnings to broader areas of public health. "One of the major objectives of the 'City-to-City Learning Exchange' initiative is engagement with the various stakeholders of which the private sector forms an important one. The role of the private sector is growing increasingly important as we look to drive scale the world over for COVID-19 vaccination. The sector has not only contributed to ramping up the vaccination coverage but has also contributed to the various processes of the vaccine introduction such as vaccine research, development, manufacturing, and procurement, vaccine cold chain and logistics, capacity building of health workers, digital innovations, etc. These learnings must be applied to broader areas of routine immunization and urban health," he said. Participants in the event emphasized that the role of the private sector will remain crucial to addressing not just COVID-19, but developing innovative solutions to healthcare challenges, and ultimately strengthening health systems to improve services for vulnerable populations. USAID is the U.S. Government's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID works to help lift lives, build communities, and advance democracy. USAID's work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity; demonstrates American generosity, and helps countries progress along their development journey. In India, USAID is collaborating with the country's growing human and financial resources through partnerships that catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship to solve critical local and global development challenges. To learn more, please visit www.usaid.gov. Population Services International (PSI) is an international non-governmental organization that reimagines how to bring quality healthcare closer to those who need it most. With over 50 years of experience, PSI is committed to getting quality health care in the hands of every woman, man, and child. PSI is locally rooted and globally connected with 8000 experts in 50 countries. Website: www.psi.org This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 10 (ANI/NewsVoir): The Consul General of India, State of Illinois, and Choose DuPage joined Nexdigm to announce the company's first North American office in Oak Brook, Illinois. Nexdigm is an employee-owned, privately held, independent global organization that helps companies across geographies meet the needs of a dynamic business environment in professional and business services. Nexdigm currently serves hundreds of US business clients. Speaking on the occasion from his Oak Brook office, Guljit Singh, Group Executive Chairman, said, "Our expansion is not limited. With this office and our new offices in Poland and UAE, we hope to increase collaboration on a global scale. It will help our customers choose between onsite and offsite services per their requirements. Additionally, we can now service our clients round the clock." For Nexdigm, this is a multimillion-dollar investment in the region and will create several high-paying jobs. This location will initially support several key senior advisers situated in North America who play a significant role in the management and functioning of the company. In addition, 12 new executives and their teams will serve a wide range of industries, with a specific focus in healthcare, food processing, banking and financial sectors. Over the last decade, the company has grown on many continents, employing over 1,300 people in the US, India, UAE, Poland, and Japan, providing transnational support to numerous clients through their 12 offices worldwide. The Oak Brook office grand opening was attended by several government dignitaries along with senior leaders of prominent multinationals and industry associations. "Over the past 18 months, I've gotten to know Nexdigm, and we have organized several activities with them focusing on specific sectors and areas where we can collaborate. They have, of course, a great understanding of India and the US markets, and I'm really excited that they now have a physical presence in the US, and that too in the Chicago area, the heart of the US mid-west, an area that is under my jurisdiction," said Amit Kumar, Consul General of India in Chicago. "We congratulate Nexdigm on choosing Illinois for their first U.S. location," said Margo Markopoulos, Director of Office of Trade at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. "Illinois continues to welcome new companies to our state, thanks to our location, diverse industries, and skilled workforce. Nexdigm joins over 2,000 foreign-based companies that have located in Illinois, and who employ over 300,000 Illinoisans. The Illinois Department of Commerce is excited to work with Nexdigm as they continue to grow their footprint, right here in Illinois." "DuPage County and Choose DuPage is thrilled to welcome Nexdigm to Oak Brook, Illinois," said Greg Bedalov, President and CEO of Choose DuPage. "Nexdigm's choice of DuPage County and Oak Brook for its first North American offices signifies a tremendous commitment to our region. We are dedicated to working with Nexdigm to assure its long-term success and extremely grateful for Nexdigm's investment in DuPage County. The new office marks a significant milestone in Nexdigm's journey." For current and future opportunities, and more information, please visit www.nexdigm.com. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], March 10 (ANI/NewsVoir): The Inter National Institute of Fashion Institute, INIFD Kothrud, Pune celebrated the Annual Convocation Ceremony to acknowledge and applaud the achievements of their design students. The evening was marked with the presence of dignitaries in the likes of Femina Miss India 2020, runner-up Maanya Singh, Honourable Pratap Jadhav Ex-president IIID and the CEO of INIFD, Honourable Anil Khosla along with the Centre Director Mita Agrawal. In a "never done before" style, INIFD Kothrud held a landmark celebration of felicitating the pass-outs of 2019, 2020 and 2021, all together. More than 400 students were part of this magnanimous event. Congratulating the young designers, the 19-year-old Beauty Queen Maanya said, "I am delighted to felicitate the proud INIFDians. She also congratulated INIFD for making India proud by taking design education from India to the entire world. She said when other institutes are seeking collaborations from institutes abroad, this Chandigarh based Institute is spreading its wings to all major fashion capitals of the world." The Ex-president of Institute of Interior Designers, IIID, Pratap Jadhav said, "IIID in collaboration with INIFD takes interior design students a step forward for a higher qualification and offers unique opportunity to the students which prepares them for challenges in the Interior Design industry." Speaking on the occasion the CEO of INIFD, Anil Khosla said, "INIFD - the largest Global network of Fashion and Design Institutes revolutionizes the entire field of Design education in country, keeping in sync with today's rapidly changing dynamics of the Fashion and Interior world. World class education facilities, indigenous curriculums blending theory with practical experience, industry interface, and showcase, helps INIFD to stay leagues ahead in design education." "INIFD designers have always brought laurels to the country. The recent showcase The Indian Fashion Trunk at New York Fashion Week on 12th February 2022 was a huge success," he further added. Congratulating all the INIFDians he said that it is a matter of pride the young INIFD designers for having travelled across the globe from Lakme Fashion Week in India to World's top two Fashion Weeks Fashion Week in London and New York Fashion Week. He also congratulated the management team of INIFD Kothrud for their visionary approach and providing specialized training in Design with practical industry experience to the students making them experts in the field. He also motivated, encouraged, and wished the students all the best in their career ahead. While addressing the audience, Centre Director Mita Agrawal proudly shared that INIFD Kothrud is now approved by the Maharashtra State Board. It is affiliated to the Maharashtra State Board of Skill Development (MSBSD) and, now, offers diploma programs in, both, Interior and Fashion Design. Femina Miss India 2020, runner-up Maanya Singh, the President of IIID Honourable Pratap Jadhav and the CEO of INIFD, Honourable Anil Khosla conferred the Fashion and Interior design students with their pass-out certificates along with other achievement awards. INIFD Kothrud, Pune has been established since the year 2005. The Institute was established with an objective to help the aspiring designers, students and youth to be great designers and be successful in their journey to reach their dreams. It is one of those finest institutes which lets their students explore the interior and fashion design with an expert's viewpoint. INIFD Pune Kothrud has been the ladder to success for so many designs professionals year after year. They have developed and flourished within the walls of Pune's best Interior and Fashion design institute - only to become successful, ethical, disciplined and sought-after professionals in their area of service. Inter National Institute of Fashion Design is the World's Largest Global network of Design Institutes. INIFD and INIFD Academy of Interiors is the only institute offering premium programs in the primary design fields of Fashion Design and Interior Design. Our students and faculty combine curiosity, experimentation, and enthusiasm in the pursuit of learning for over half a million pass-outs and 25000 students passing out every year. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
NLC India Ltd, a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking, has reclaimed 2600 hectares of land from mined-out area and carried out afforestation on a major part of the land as part of its Green Belt creation initiative, the Ministry of Coal said on Thursday. Out of the 2600 hectares reclaimed of land from mined-out area and afforestation has been carried out in 2188 hectares. Various types of native trees have been planted in this area. So far, more than 27.96 lakh saplings have been planted in the reclaimed land and high-tech vegetable cultivation is taking place in 100 hectares of land, the Ministry of Coal said in a statement. "Afforestation and green belt creation projects are being carried out in all mining areas in compliance with the commitment made to the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in accordance with the mine closure plan," the ministry said. NLC India Ltd is a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking, under the Ministry of Coal. Over burden removed from open cast mines is refilled in mined-out areas as part of reclamation of land. This type of soil is unsuitable for cultivation due to the heterogeneous nature, devoid of plant nutrients. Moreover, such type of soil does not have proper texture and structure essential for vegetation growth. NLCL, with dedicated effort, converts such refilled areas into agriculture fields by improving the soil quality to pre-mining level and scientific agriculture methods are used for the same, the ministry said. (ANI)
As per Page Six, Brown's action came after the alleged accuser's lawyers dropped her due to new information that came to light.

Attorneys Ariel Mitchell and George Vrabeck, who previously represented the alleged victim, told the outlet that they "remain 100 per cent committed to representing victims of sexual abuse or assault."

However, the lawyers said the Miami Beach Police Department provided them with "information last Thursday" about their client that "precludes us from representing Jane Doe in the Chris Brown matter."

"We appreciate and are grateful for the Miami Beach PD's good work," the lawyers added.

Meanwhile, Brown recently posted a series of texts and voice messages on his Instagram Stories that he claims to prove the woman continued to pursue a relationship with him despite the alleged sexual assault incident.

Brown added in a separate post on his Instagram Stories, "No more dragging me through the mud. CLEARLY YOU CAN ALL SEE THE (blue cap emoji)."

He added, "Me and my team are taking legal action on this situation. You don't play with people's lives like that."

In the lawsuit, filed on January 27 in Los Angeles, Jane Doe alleged that Brown, drugged and raped her while at a party in Miami in December 2020.

At that time, Brown defended himself on social media by posting a note that read, "Whenever I'm releasing music or projects, 'THEY' try to pull some real bulls-t." (ANI)
A lot has changed in the seven years since Kriti Sanon made her debut on the big screen with 'Heropanti'. A string of blockbusters and her fan following, what remains unchanged is trying her fashion sense with different silhouettes and vibrant colours. Taking to her Instagram handle, Kriti treated her fans with a series of pictures from 'Bachchan Pandey' promotions. In the first picture, Kriti donned a full-sleeved orange mini dress that comes with a round neckline and shimmery embellished sequins. She wore minimal accessories including gold rings and textured gold hoop earrings. The perfectly done minimal makeup look further added to her beauty. As for the hair, she kept a parted sleek ponytail. She captioned the post, "Orange is the new black? Don't know about that, but I'm surely craving orange candy now!" In the second picture, she sported a micro-pleated sunshine yellow jumpsuit featuring a plunging V halter neckline. She left her centre-parted hair open and accessorised up with golden earrings and rings. For makeup, she kept it minimal yet glamorous with some blush, perfect contouring and smokey eye. "When you can't find Sunshine, Be the Sunshine," she wrote with the post. The 'Mimi' actor is presently looking forward to the release of 'Bachchan Pandey' where she stars alongside Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi, and Jacqueline Fernandez among others. The film releases on March 18. Apart from this, Kriti also has the Pan-India film, 'Adipurush', action-flick, 'Ganapath' and the horror-comedy, 'Bhediya' in her pipeline. (ANI)
According to People Magazine, previous reports claiming the Oscar winner, 47, had donated USD 10 million for Ukrainian military use and that DiCaprio has family ties to Ukraine are not true.

"Leo had privately made several donations to humanitarian groups -- CARE, IRC, UNHCR and Save the Children. All directed at Ukraine," a source close to the 'Don't Look Up' actor told People Magazine.

"He had been watching things unfold and wanted to support Ukraine the best he could. He will continue to support the humanitarian groups on the ground which are helping the people of Ukraine. He stands with Ukraine and will continue to support," the source added.

For the unversed, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to "consequences they have never seen." (ANI)
Taking to their respective Instagram handles, the couple penned a brief note and refuted the rumours by terming them untrue.

"We request you'll to not believe in any sort of rumours pertaining to our relationship. There's no truth in this. Love and light to everyone," Shamita and Raqesh wrote.

Alongside the clarification, the two shared a screenshot of the article about their break up on their Instagram story.

Shamita and Raqesh met each other on 'Bigg Boss OTT' last year and soon fell in love during their stint on the reality show. They are fondly called "ShaRa" by their fans. (ANI)
On Thursday, Hrithik took to Instagram and shared the news with his fans and followers.

"September 28th... 2023," he wrote, adding a motion poster of the film.

Actor Anil Kapoor, who is also a part of the film, too announced the release date on his social media handle.

"Get ready to witness India's first aerial action franchise, Fighter in theatres on September 28, 2023," Anil posted.

'Fighter' is helmed by Siddharth Anand. (ANI)


Many independent observers believe that Mayawati may be down but she is not out yet.

Hina Khan | TwoCircles.net

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LUCKNOW  The rout of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by former chief minister Mayawati in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election has put a question mark over the political fate of Mayawati and the BSP movement in the state.

After performing poorly in the elections, questions have been raised about the marginalization of Mayawati and her party, which had won 19 seats in the 2017 elections with around 22 per cent votes.

Should Mayawati be written off right away after the dismal performance of her party? Has she compromised the Dalit interest to stay afloat during UPs most turbulent phase of communal and caste politics? Her poor performance has also raised the question of whether Dalit votes were shifted in large numbers to the BJP.

Her 18 rallies through seven phases of the campaign made for an abysmally low public appearance in a state which installed her in power four times. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi with 209 roadshows and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with 203 were the most visible campaigners in the state. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav with 117 rallies was way ahead of Mayawati.

One of the reasons for BSPs downfall is the rising Dalit support to the BJP due to largesse being handed by that party while in power. BJP has been doing well on the 85 seats reserved for the backwards. In 1991, BJP got 50; in 1993 it got 33; in 1996, 36. But it rode to power with 67 seats in 2017. BSPs best on the other hand was 62 out of 85 in 2007 when it wrested power on its own. The caste and communal equations are dynamic and lead to the shifting of power. Muslims, who stayed put with Mayawati in 2007 had moved to the Samajwadi camp. Mayawatis indifference had cost her their support.

Many other Dalit personalities, who were not badly off economically, felt neglected by the party despite their merit and loyalty. She preferred non-Dalits to be fielded in elections. Dalit bureaucrats did earn her trust but most of them have deserted her for lucrative positions in other parties. They accuse her of deviating from the ideology of Kanshiram, her mentor and founder of the BSP. Fateh Bahadur Singh, former principal secretary to the chief minister during BSP rule, recently joined the Samajwadi Party. He had objected to BSP handing the party leadership in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to Brahmins. Another former IAS officer, PL Punia, is with Congress for quite some time now. Former Director-General of Uttar Pradesh police Brijlal has been conveniently adopted by BJP as its Dalit representative. Mayawati has thus allowed her image to be dented by myopic decisions. Her key strength during peak years in power was a quick uptake on caste equations in most parts of the state and she had all figures on her fingertips. That spark seems to have gone missing.

Though defeated in UP polls, her core constituency of Jatav voters still swear by her. And that forces many independent observers to believe Mayawati may be down but she is not out as yet. She may end up way behind in terms of electoral gains but that doesnt make her irrelevant.
The authorities also decided not to extend the state of alert, which was first enforced in May 2020.

Government spokesperson Dan Carbunaru told journalists on Wednesday that travellers entering Romania still have to complete the Passenger Location Form (PLF), Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca warned that "the virus has not yet been eradicated", calling on people to continue to follow the public health recommendations.

According to Health Minister Alexandru Rafila, people should continue to wear protective face masks in crowded open spaces, enclosed spaces and on public transportation.

The country's health authorities reported 4,176 new infections and 62 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours.

Currently, 4,340 people are hospitalized in Romania with Covid-19, 633 of them in intensive care.

To date, Romania, with a population of 19 million, has registered 2,781,086 coronavirus cases and 64,156 deaths.

--IANS int/pgh

( 184 Words)

2022-03-09-22:32:03 (IANS)
Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV,) an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Ayush will be celebrating its 25th convocation. Union Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal will inaugurate the convocation on March 11, said a press release. As the country is celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav India@75, the theme of this year's convocation is "Ayurveda Aahar-Swasth Bharat ka Aadhar". During the two-day event on March 11 and 12, certificates will be given to 155 students who have successfully completed the Certificate of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (CRAV) course held recently. The commencement of next session of CRAV in a traditional manner of induction which is called Shishyopanayana will also be made on March 12. Nearly 225 students will be inducted for the next session. Every year RAV undertakes the ambitious CRAV programme which follows the traditional method of learning i.e Guru-Shishya parampara. The Guru-Shishya Parampara is a flagship programme of RAV through which the traditional knowledge is transferred from Gurus to Shishyas. RAV through CRAV is trying to revive the system which has gradually vanished with the disappearance of Gurukuls. The Ayush Minister will confer the "Lifetime Achievement Award" to Dr Subhash Ranade and Vaidya Tarachand Sharma for their outstanding contribution throughout their life for promotion and propagation to Ayurveda within and outside the country. Subhash Ranade is a leading academician and physician in the field of Ayurveda. He is the author of 155 books on Ayurveda and Yoga. He has worked as Prof. and Head, Dept. of Interdisciplinary School of Ayurveda and Prof. and Head, Dept. of Ayurveda Pune University and Principal of Ashtang Ayurveda College, Pune, India. Vaidya Tarachand Sharma has been serving Ayurveda since 1967 and had worked in various Ayurveda institutes and has been awarded with various awards. He is an expert in Nadi Viseshagya (Pulse Experts) and has also written about 21 books on Ayurveda. Furthermore, FRAV award will also be given to Vaidyas who are persistently working in reestablishing the glory of Ayurveda amd also serving the society by their professional acumen. RAV has been functioning since 1991 with financial assistance from the Government of India. The objectives of RAV is to promote the knowledge of Ayurveda, undertaking academic works related to Ayurveda, conducting training programmes including Teachers' Training Programmes, Continuing Medical Education, Community Health Officers (CHO) training programmes and other activities. Ayush Ministry has notified RAV as an accrediting body for those courses which are not covered under IMCC Act, 1970 or any other regulations. RAV has formed a body named Ayurveda Training Accreditation Board (ATAB) for the purpose. RAV has also collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology, (IITVaranasi) to start the PhD courses in Dravyaguna, Rasa Shastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana, Samhita and Siddhanta, Shalya, Panchkarma and Kaya chikitsa. (ANI)
Srinagar Deputy Commissioner, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, accompanied by Senior Superintendent of Police, Rakesh Balwal, on Wednesday visited the family of Rafiya Nazir who was killed in a grenade explosion at Amira Kadal on Sunday to provide ex-gratia relief and express solidarity with the bereaved family members, officials said. While interacting with the family members of the deceased girl, Asad expressed sympathies with them and also expressed condolence with the bereaved family who lost their young member in the militancy related incident. The DC assured the family that all possible support shall be provided to them from the government. On the occasion, he handed over Rs 1 lakh cheque as ex-gratia relief to Nazir Ahmad Tinda, father of the girl and said that another relief amount of Rs 5 lakh shall be provided under Central Assistance Scheme. Meanwhile, the SSP Srinagar assured the family of action under the law against the criminals. --IANS zi/vd ( 169 Words) 2022-03-09-20:18:03 (IANS)
Speaking to ANI, Dutta said, "I want to appreciate and thank the Government of India (GoI), particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for helping nine Bangladeshi students stranded in Ukraine. The Indian government brought back the students stuck in the war-hit country. It shows that both countries have strong bondage, our friendship is growing since 1971 and it is a continuing process."

She further said, "There should not have been a war between Russia and Ukraine. They should have solved their issue through bilateral talks."

Dutta also spoke on people from either of the countries crossing the border and entering the other. She said, "The people of both countries are poor and they cross the border unknowingly. It is a big issue and the soldiers of both the countries should be provided training to treat them properly."

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has also thank PM Modi, said Dutta. (ANI)
The Kerala police have taken into custody a 24 year old youth and a 46 year old grandmother for the death of a 18 month old baby girl after it was found that the baby was dipped in a bucket of water by the youth. According to the police the youth John Binoy, who hails from near here, along with the grandmother of the baby along with a four year old boy took a room at a hotel here on Saturday. A hotel official said late on Monday the woman came running with the baby girl on her shoulder and soon Binoy also came with the 4 year old boy. "She said the baby was sick and has vomited and needs medical attention. We told them to take her to the nearby hospital. On Tuesday morning the police came and conducted an inspection and it was then that we were told about what really happened. Today also the police and the forensic experts were there in the room," said the hotel official. The police said that the two children are the woman's son's kids. He is convalescing after an accident, while the kids mother is working abroad. According to the police, late on Monday night there was an argument between the youth and the grandmother and it was after that, that the incident took place. When the baby girl was brought to the hospital in the night, the doctors after finding something amiss informed the police. It was only after the police questioning that the truth came out that the youth held the baby in a bucket of water and she was brought dead to the hospital. "The autopsy revealed that there was water in the lungs," said a Child Welfare Committee member who is now overseeing matters. --IANS sg/bg ( 314 Words) 2022-03-09-20:30:09 (IANS)
As exit polls indicate a hung assembly in Goa, the BJP has opened up multiple channels for talks with regional parties and their candidates separately to ensure adequate numbers to form the next government in the state. The ABP C-Voter Exit Poll has predicted between 13 and 17 seats for the BJP and between 12 and 16 seats for the Congress. The AAP is projected to win 1-5 seats. Goa has 40 Assembly seats with a majority mark of 21. A BJP insider said that separate talks have started with the leadership of regional and smaller parties and their candidates to seek their support to cross the magic number in case of hung assembly. "While talking with top leadership of regional parties, we are also approaching strong candidates of regional parties to seek their support. Separate talks with candidates have been started to get support at individual level in case their party does not agree to support the BJP government in the state," he said. The BJP has started talks with independents and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). It is learnt that the BJP is also identifying Congress candidates who can later on agree to defect from the party to support a BJP government. "We have identified a few Congress candidates who can help us to form the government if we fail to cross the halfway mark," another Goa BJP leader said. Sources said that a scheduled afternoon meeting between Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been postponed due to some unavoidable situation. "Sawant was supposed to meet Shah at around 12 noon but it was postponed. He was supposed to return from Mumbai to meet Shah but he went back to Goa," sources said. As exit polls indicate a hung assembly in Goa, the BJP has started working on its 'plan B' to cross the halfway mark in the state assembly. Meetings of senior BJP leaders have started in the national capital and in Mumbai to secure the majority in case of hung assembly in Goa. Sawant on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about the party's electoral chances. Sources said that later, Sawant went to Mumbai to meet BJP election in-charge for Goa, Devendra Fadnavis and party state in-charge C.T. Ravi. --IANS ssb/pgh ( 398 Words) 2022-03-09-20:56:01 (IANS)
With most exit polls predicting a tough fight between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Goa, the coastal state is bracing for yet another spell of hectic political parleys, with votes polled in the February 14 Assembly elections scheduled to be counted on Thursday. With the polling authorities in the state saying that the results may be out as early as 11 a.m., the two main political parties are already reaching out to all possible quarters for support, in case they fall short of numbers. For the record, while both the BJP and the Congress have expressed confidence of winning a majority, leaders of both parties have started back channel talks with potential allies in case they fall short of the majority mark. "The Congress will win a majority on its own, and we have already reached out to non-BJP parties as well as Independent candidates to join our government formation efforts, because we truly want the new government to belong to the people of Goa," state Congress President Girish Chodankar told reporters. The Congress has started talks with the leaders of Trinamool Congress, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Aam Aadmi Party and several Independent candidates for support in its government formation efforts. The BJP has also expressed confidence of winning a majority, but its party leaders, including former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, are reaching out to "natural ally" MGP for support. The MGP, which exit pollsters claimed could emerge as the kingmaker in the Goa number game, has been in ruling alliances with both the Congress and the BJP in the past. The party was split by the BJP in 2019 before its senior leader Sudin Dhavalikar, a Deputy Chief Minister in Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's cabinet, was sacked. Dhavalikar, however, said that the MGP is in touch with both the Congress as well as the BJP leadership. "I have met P. Chidambaram and Dinesh Gundu Rao. We discussed various issues. We will be having further discussions with our candidates, after which we will meet Trinamool leaders and take a final decision. If BJP calls us, we will go to meet them too," Dhavalikar said. While Chidambaram is the Congress' senior observer for the Goa polls, Gundu Rao is the party's secretary in-charge for Goa affairs. The MGP has contested the polls in alliance with the Trinamool Congress. The AAP is contesting the polls on its own, fielding candidates in 39 out of the 40 Assembly constituencies. In all, 301 candidates are in the fray. --IANS maya/arm ( 433 Words) 2022-03-09-20:58:02 (IANS)
Under attack from chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after the State Election Commission on Wednesday deferred the announcement of dates for the municipal polls, Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said that the party never fears elections and is always prepared for them. Sources said that the announcement of poll dates has been deferred as the Centre is planning to unify the three municipal corporations -- South, East and North. "The BJP never fears elections and our organisation always stands prepared for elections. Ten years ago the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was trifurcated into three municipal corporations but the last decade's experience shows that it has not helped in the betterment of administration and in fact has caused economic crisis in civic bodies," Gupta said. The Delhi BJP president said that the people of Delhi are aware of the Kejriwal government's biased attitude towards the civic bodies which increased the problems. "In the last seven years the Kejriwal Government has withheld Municipal funds to weaken the civic bodies' administration. Now to improve the working of the municipal corporations, the Centre has decided to intervene and it's regrettable that chief minister Kejriwal has reacted with his well-known anarchic language," he said. Gupta claimed that the BJP doesn't fear elections and it is Kejriwal who is actually afraid of elections as there is widespread resentment amongst the people due to his corrupt liquor policy. "Kejriwal's statement is just public posturing while in truth he is very happy today," he added. In a tweet, Kejriwal had said that the BJP conceded defeat by postponing the MCD polls. --IANS ssb/bg ( 280 Words) 2022-03-09-21:00:03 (IANS)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Wednesday that it has arrested 11 persons in connection with a money laundering case for defrauding the Chennai Port Trust to the tune of Rs 45.054 crore. The arrested persons have been identified as P.V. Sudalaimuthu, M. Vijay Heralld, M. Rajesh Singh, S. Siyad, K. Zakir Hussain, Suresh Kumar, Ganesh Natarajan, V. Manimozhi, J. Selvakumar, A. Sermathiraja and Arun Anbu. The ED initiated a money laundering probe on the basis of FIRs registered by the CBI and ACB, Chennai. The ED had recently searched 15 premises across Tamil Nadu, and during the course of the investigation, the suspected persons were examined and it was found that the proceeds of crime, i.e., the money obtained out of liquidation of the fixed deposits pertaining to Chennai Port Trust, were invested in acquiring more than 230 acres of land, several plots, vehicles, gold etc. The ED said that the same were attached in December 2021 and February 2022. During further investigation, it was learnt that the suspected persons had submitted fake fixed deposit receipts to the Chennai Port Trust. "They had fraudulently liquidated the fixed deposits within a couple of days after their opening with the help of original FD receipts retained by them. An amount of Rs 45.40 crore was fraudulently transferred to a fake current account in the name and style of Chennai Port Trust-General Insurance Fund," said an ED official. The official said that around Rs 15.25 crore was withdrawn in cash from the said fake current account by people impersonating as Deputy Director, Finance, Chennai Port Trust. The remaining amount of around Rs 31.65 crore was transferred to several accounts through more than 49 transactions and subsequently withdrawn from those accounts upon luring the account holders in lieu of small commissions. --IANS atk/arm ( 314 Words) 2022-03-09-21:06:02 (IANS)
Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continuously increased the budget for agriculture, which is now Rs 1.32 lakh crore compared to Rs 23,000 crore seven years ago. "More than half of the current budget is being given directly in the bank accounts of farmers in the form of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, showing that the government is sensitive towards farmers' needs," he said after inaugurating the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2022, with the main theme of 'Self-reliant Farmer with Technical Knowledge'. Appreciating the efforts being made by the Pusa Institute for the welfare of farmers, the Minister called upon the farmers to take maximum advantage of new technologies and scientific innovations made available through various sources. "From seeds to the market, the government is providing all kinds of facilities to the farmers. Indian agriculture is progressing due to the hard work of farmers and research of scientists. Enthusiasm towards agriculture is being awakened among the youth," he said. The three-day Krishi Mela is being organized by the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). Choudhary said that the government has not only implemented MSP by increasing the rate on more crops but has also increased the procurement. "Ten thousand new FPOs are being built in the country at an expense of Rs 6,865 crore. "Facilities are being mobilized in villages from the Agriculture Infra Fund of worth Rs one lakh crore. Due to the hard work of the farmers and the efforts of the government, there has been a record increase in the production of food grains including pulses," he added. The major attractions of the fair are smart/digital agriculture, agri startups and farmers producer organisations (FPO), organic and natural farming, protected farming/hydroponic/aeroponic/vertical farming. It will showcase new varieties developed by the institute along with other innovative technologies of IARI, such as the solar powered Pusa-Farm Sun Fridge, Pusa Decomposer, Pusa Complete Bio-Fertilizer (unique liquid formulation providing nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium). Indian Council of Agricultural Research Director General Trilochan Mohapatra, Deputy Director General, Agriculture Extension, A.K. Singh, Deputy Director General, Crop Science, T.R. Sharma and APEDA Chairman, M. Angamuthu were present on the occasion. --IANS niv/vd ( 376 Words) 2022-03-09-21:24:02 (IANS)


The UP polls result shows the failure of strategy followed by the non-BJP parties, especially the Congress, SP and the BSP to soft-pedal secularism and underplay the minority card.

Hina Khan | TwoCircles.net

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UTTAR PRADESH  The stunning saffron surge on Thursday proved political pundits, who believed that UP Assembly election 2022 in Uttar Pradesh was primarily about castes and not about the larger communal polarisation, wrong.

From muscular Hindutva nationalism highlighting how the green virus was a threat to security with CM Yogi going on record saying that it was a 80:20 election (referring to Hindu-Muslim population ratio) and slogans of Ali vs Bajrangbali, BJP leaders used the narrative to arouse religious passions. The strategy seems to have paid off. What we are witnessing is a reverse of 1990s poll verdict when VP Singhs Mandal (reservation) card had triumphed over Kamandal, an attempt by LK Advani, who embarked on a Rath Yatra in an attempt to polarise the electorate on religious lines, Athar Hussein, director of Centre for Objective Research and Development, told TwoCircles.net.

What has also failed is the strategy adopted by the non-BJP parties, especially the Congress, SP and the BSP to soft-pedal secularism, underplay the minority card by keeping Muslims at bay to avoid a Hindu backlash. Muslim Vote Bank is a red herring which is used to consolidate Hindu votes behind BJP. And the presence of parties like AIMIM, which have no base in UP only helps in raising the communal pitch, said Bobby Naqvi, former editor of Gulf News. He said that the vilification and stereotyping of the community as a vote bank led to their increasing marginalisation and has ended up creating a Hindu consolidation in favour of the BJP.

But behind the silence, there is a deep churning, a sense of high anxiety, even fear, that has gripped the minority community over the BJP storming back to power. Are we going to witness another five years of exclusion and isolation is the fear in the minds of Muslims. This for the first time in 35 years that UP has re-elected a sitting chief minister  the pro-incumbency is an indication that to the general voter in the plains of Uttar Pradesh, bijli, paani, roti, rozgar, or any other such mundane things, are irrelevant. If the BJP can win all 8 seats from the Lakhimpur Kheri area where farmers were mowed down by an SUV of a son of Union Minister of the BJP is there even any point in campaigning on issues? said Shilpa Mathur, who runs an NGO. Agreed Athar.

No need for Priyanka and Rahul visiting Hathras, Lakhimpur Kheri, Unnao and standing with every oppressed person. The country has given a clear answer. They dont care about all this anymore. The fact that they won 33,000 votes in Hathras leaves one numb! The election results are a reminder that people are driving change, not political parties. The Opposition should learn to be around for people all through the five years and not just as an opportunity in the last six months before the polls to grab power, he said.

Samajwadi Party and the RLD alliance did work in Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Baghpat- three districts that directly participated in the farmers movement accounting for 12 assembly seats. BJP won only three of the 12. What is more, some of the key Hindutva poster boys of west UP lost convincingly. Sangeet Som, Suresh Rana, Umesh Malik, Late Babu Hukum Singh (his daughter Mriganka Singh contested from Kairana)- all were among the key accused in the 2013 riots. All of them lost. But as the final results show the Samajwadi Party failed to carry forward this momentum in the rest of the phases.
Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and Chief Minister Zoramthanga called on the Vice President at the Raj Bhavan and discussed various issues of the mountainous state.

The Chief Minister brought to his attention about the necessity for Mizoram to have a separate All India Services cadre so as to ensure efficiency in administration, an official of the Chief Minister's Office said.

The Governor hosted a cultural programme in honour of the Vice President on Wednesday evening.

--IANS sc/vd

( 116 Words)

2022-03-09-23:06:02 (IANS)
Lashing out at Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi, said on Wednesday that BJP does not fear 'terrorists' and it is not afraid of 'goons' like them. Talking to mediapersons at the Delhi BJP office after the State Election Commission on Wednesday deferred the announcement of municipal poll dates in Delhi, Lekhi said, "The kind of language Manish Sisodia and others used are inappropriate. I would tell them that the BJP does fear terrorists and is not afraid of goons like you." Taking a dig at AAP, she said that it is most objectionable that those who always violate the law and the Constitution are teaching others lessons about them. "The way the Delhi government commented on the State Election Commission, it shows that they do not understand the functioning of constitutional bodies. Some details were sent by the Centre to the SEC and based on these, the Commission took an independent decision. Such comments are contempt of constitutional authority," she said. She further said that AAP has violated people's mandate. "While the people of Delhi elected AAP for the smooth running of the administration, violating the people's mandate, you (AAP) have opened three to four liquor shops in each ward in violation of excise policy and rules," Lekhi said. Lekhi said in the last seven years since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, not a single poll has been postponed in any state, irrespective of defeat or victory for the BJP. "BJP is always ready for any election, anywhere and anytime," she said. She claimed that those are responsible for mismanagement in Delhi do not want that civic bodies function properly. "The municipal corporations require reforms. I want to ask Arvind Kejriwal if he is against the administrative reforms required in the corporations," she asked. Earlier on Wednesday, the SEC deferred the announcement of dates for municipal polls in Delhi. The move prompted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to question whether the Centre can 'direct' any EC to delay or cancel elections. Sisodia tweeted, "Fearing defeat in MCD, the BJP postponed the elections through the Election Commission. People are saddened by 15 years of corruption in MCD and fearing this, the BJP is running away from elections." --IANS ssb/arm ( 402 Words) 2022-03-09-23:10:05 (IANS)
With exit polls predicting a close race in Uttarakhand, leaders of both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have exuded confidence about emerging victorious during the counting of votes on Thursday.If BJP is able to win the election, it will be the first time that a government will be repeated since the formation of Uttarakhand.Congress is hoping to gain from "anti-incumbency" against the government.The BJP had won 57 out of 70 seats in the last assembly polls, a rise of 26 seats from its 2012 tally.The BJP had secured 46.51 per cent vote share in the 2017 polls. The Congress could win only 11 seats though the party had 33.49 per cent vote share.The BJP changed three chief ministers in about a year in the hill state. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is in the fray from the Khatima constituency in Udham Singh Nagar district.Dhami has said the party's numbers will be more than that predicted by exit polls."Most exit polls have shown the BJP government again forming in Uttarakhand. Our actual numbers will be more than what has been projected by the exit polls, and the party will form a majority government... People have given the certificate of the work done by the BJP in the state," he said. Congress poll effort is led by former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who is in the fray from Lalkuwa seat. He had initially decided to contest from Ramnagar seat in Nainital district. While Rawat is leading the party's campaign, he has not been declared the party's chief ministerial candidate. He is up against BJP candidate Mohan Singh Bisht and Aam Aadmi Party's Chandrashekhar Pandey.Harish Rawat on Wednesday exuded confidence of Congress emerging a full majority in Uttarakhand Assembly elections."We are sure that we are going to get a full majority. We do not have a C-plan. But there are many senior leaders who have not been able to get tickets, we will take their cooperation," he said.The Aam Aadmi Party is also keen to emerge as a big player in the state and projected Col Ajay Kothiyal (retd) as the chief ministerial candidate. He is contesting from the Gangotri seat and will lock horns with BJP's Suresh Chauhan and Congress' Vijaypal Singh Sajwan.In the Tehri seat, Congress' Dhan Singh Negi, who won the seat as BJP candidate in 2017, is up against expelled Congress leader Kishore Upadhyay who later joined the BJP. State BJP president Madan Kaushik is contesting from Haridwar.Anukriti Gusain, daughter-in-law of former Uttarakhand Minister Harak Singh Rawat, has been fielded by the Congress from Lansdowne.Harish Rawat's daughter Anupama is in the fray from Haridwar (Rural). Harish Rawat had lost the seat in 2017. She is against BJP's Swami Yatishwaranand.The exit polls have predicted a tight race in Uttarakhand with many of them giving an edge to the BJP in forming the government. Some exit polls also predicted that Congress would finish ahead and could cross the halfway mark in the 70-member assembly.The polling in the state took place on February 14 in a single-phase election. (ANI)
After a month-long fierce political battle, the much-awaited results of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls will be declared on Thursday.The counting of votes will start at 8 am on Thursday and continue till its completion.The electorally-crucial state witnessed a multi-cornered contest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as prime contenders.Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal (Sonelal) has been part of the BJP's alliance and contested in 18 seats. Sanjay Nishad-led Nishad Party also contested the UP polls in alliance with BJP.On the other hand, SP formed an alliance with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). Further, OP Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), a former BJP ally, also grabbed the hands of SP.In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, the majority mark is 202 and the exit polls predicted that the BJP is poised to comfortably return to power with its allies for an unprecedented second term with most of them stating that the party's tally would be less than that in 2017 elections when it had scored a landslide victory. The SP which fought the polls with RLD and some other parties would improve its performance, the exit polls predicted. Even after the conclusion of voting, UP's poll fever went high on Tuesday with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleging manipulation of electronic voting machines. SP workers staged protests in Varanasi over the issue. Following this, Election Commission ordered action against Varanasi Additional District Magistrate.Looking back to the 2017 Assembly polls, BJP along with its alliance partners garnered 325 seats. Apna Dal and OP Rajbhar's Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) were part of the BJP+ alliance. BJP alone had won 312 seats whereas Apna Dal got nine and SBSP bagged four seats.SP, which held the government then, reduced to 47 seats. Notably, SP and Congress contested the 2017 elections together and Congress could only manage to get seven seats. Further, BSP had bagged just 19 seats in that election while RLD won just one seat.Now, the constituency that garnered most of the limelight in this election is Ayodhya, the reason being the construction of the Ram Mandir. With the development of the temple town and the sentiments of Hindu voters regarding "Ram", BJP finds itself in a relatively comfortable position in this region than its contenders, especially the Samajwadi Party.Further, Karhal turned out to a high-profile seat as SP chief Akhilesh Yadav contested from the constituency. Similarly, Gorakhpur Urban was also caught attention as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath contested from the seat.When it comes to key issues in this election, farmers' protest, job losses among migrant labourers, unemployment and most-importantly stray cattle menace may have hounded the ruling BJP leading to a jerky ride for the party. Further, some sort of anti-incumbency factor was believed to exist that might reflect on the ballot box. However, BJP was banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charismatic image, double-engine rhetoric, free ration during the COVID pandemic and PM Awas Yojana.On the other hand, Akhilesh Yadav-led SP was eying on youth electorates besides its traditional game of consolidation of Yadav and Muslim vote bank. Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM which was also in the fray may prove to be a spoiler in SP's social engineering when it comes to Muslim voters. BSP supremo Mayawati who appeared to be on relatively backfoot in terms of aggressive campaigning was relying on its core Dalit vote bank.As Priyanka Gandhi Vadra steered Congress' power-packed campaigns, the party has hoped that the "Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon" campaign would mobilize women voters bringing a good share of votes.Ahead of the counting of votes, the Additional Director General of Police (law and order) on Wednesday said that Uttar Pradesh police have ramped up the police presence and actions will be taken against those disturbing peace on the day of results."For March 10, we have deployed about 70,000 civil police workers, 245 company - paramilitary forces and 69 company PSE commanders. We have ensured peaceful voting, we will ensure peaceful counting also, said Prashant Kumar, UP ADG (Law and Order).Meanwhile, the state Excise government has prohibited the sale and operation of liquor in the entire state on the day of the result.Assembly elections were held in Uttar Pradesh from February 10 to March 7 in seven phases to elect all 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared on March 10. (ANI)
Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader said, "The people have immense trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The BJP will form the government with a majority in the state. We will win more seats than the 2017 polls. The BJP will win the Sarojini Nagar seat by over one lakh votes."

Rajeshwar Singh is contesting the UP polls from the Sarojini Nagar constituency in Lucknow district.

Earlier also, he exuded confidence for his victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections by "one lakh votes".

The counting of votes will start at 8 am on Thursday and continue till its completion.

The electorally-crucial state witnessed a multi-cornered contest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as prime contenders.

In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, the majority mark is 202 and the exit polls predicted that the BJP is poised to comfortably return to power with its allies for an unprecedented second term with most of them stating that the party's tally would be less than the number after the 2017 elections when the party had bagged a landslide victory. The SP which fought the polls with the RLD and some other parties would improve its performance, the exit polls predicted.

Assembly elections were held in Uttar Pradesh from February 10 to March 7 in seven phases to elect all 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. (ANI)
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place for the counting of votes for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in the state while the police are keeping close eyes in the sensitive areas. A total of 1,000 police officers have been deployed at polling booths for security as the counting of votes in the district is set to begin at 8 am, said Babloo Kumar, Moradabad SSP on Thursday. Speaking to ANI, Moradabad SSP said, "Counting of votes will begin in a short while. A total of 1,000 police officers have been deployed for security. Patrolling is being done in sensitive locations." Meanwhile, the police officials in Lucknow informed that three-tier security has been put in place at the counting centres. He said that the paramilitary forces along with the state police are manning the counting centres. "The three-tier security has been put in place at the counting centers with the deployment of the CAPF, PAC, and civil police. Thorough checking and frisking of polling agents, officials, and others are being done before their entry to the centers," said the ADCP West Lucknow. "Counting agents of various parties are arriving at the counting centers. Postal ballots will be opened at 8 am, followed by counting of votes recorded in EVMs. The counting process is expected to be complete by the evening. Sec 144 has been imposed in Varanasi Commissionerate area," said the district magistrate of Varanasi. The counting of votes will start at 8 am on Thursday and continue till its completion. Ahead of the counting of votes, the Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Prashant Kumar on Wednesday said that Uttar Pradesh police have ramped up the police presence and actions will be taken against those disturbing peace on the day of results. "For March 10, we have deployed about 70,000 civil police workers, 245 company of the paramilitary forces, and 69 company of the PSE commanders. We have ensured peaceful voting, and now we will ensure peaceful counting also," he added. Meanwhile, the state Excise department has prohibited the sale of liquor in the entire state on the day of the result. The electorally-crucial state witnessed a multi-cornered contest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) vying for the popular mandate. In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the magic figure is 202 and the exit polls have predicted the BJP victory, retaining power in the state with its allies, which will be an unprecedented second term. However, pollsters have also predicted that the BJP's tally would be less than its strength after the 2017 elections. The SP which fought the polls in alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and some other parties would improve its performance, the exit polls predicted. Assembly elections were held in Uttar Pradesh from February 10 to March 7 in seven phases to elect 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. (ANI)
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday congratulates the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for sweeping Punjab Assembly polls and said that the voice of people (mandate) is the voice of God. "The voice of the people is the voice of God. Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab. Congratulations to Aap !!!," tweeted Sidhu. Meanwhile, Congress Punjab Incharge Harish Chaudhary took responsibility for the Party's performance in Punjab polls. "I take the responsibility for party's descent in these elections. However, mine or any other's resignation is party's internal matter," said Chaudhary. As per the Election Commission, Aam Aadmi Party is leading in 91 seats on the 117 seat Punjab Assembly by 12:55 pm, followed by Congress (17) and Shiromani Akali Dal (6). Sidhu himself is trailing from the Amritsar East seat. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Jeevan Jyot Kaur is leading with 25,536 votes followed by Congress's Navjot Singh Sidhu on 20,334 votes and Shiromani Akali Dal's candidate Bikram Singh Majithia with 16,154 votes. Shiromani Akali Dal's Sukhbir Singh Badal is also trailing by a margin of 11,165 votes from Aam Aadmi Party's Jagdeep Kamboj. SAD's chief Prakash Singh Badal is also trailing from Lambi seat by a margin of 9,474 votes from Aam Aadmi Party's Gurmeet Singh Khudian. From Patiala constituency, Aam Aadmi Party candidate Ajit Pal Singh Kohli is leading with 39,852 votes, followed by Punjab Lok Congress Party's Amarinder Singh with 25,169 votes. Incumbent Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is also trailing from both the seats he contested-- from Bhadaur seat by a margin of 22,843 votes from AAP's Labh Singh Ugoke and by 2,671 votes from Chamkaur Sahib. As AAP wins Punjab, it will be the party's maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress. Congress went into the polls, battling factionalism and anti-incumbency. The party changed its Chief Minister in September last year even as the party's new state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own Chief Ministerial ambitions. Congress finally declared Charanjit Singh Channi as the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, endorsing him for the Chief Ministerial face days before the polling on February 20. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which had broken off the alliance with the BJP over the three farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the Assembly elections. It is the first time that the BJP fought on over 65 seats in Punjab. It tied up with former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa. Punjab recorded an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on February 20 compared to over 77 per cent in 2017. (ANI)
AAP's Khudian won with a formidable margin of 11,396 votes.

Khudian won the Assembly constituency Lambi constituency by bagging total votes of 66,313 while Badal trailed at second position with a total of 54,917.

Badal was Chief Minister of state from 1970 to 1971, 1977 to 1980, 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017.

Punjab witnessed a multi-cornered contest this time with Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance, and the coalition of Bharatiya Janata Party-former chief minister Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress party as key players.

According to the Election Commission of India, AAP has won 54 seats and is leading on 38 others at 3:57 PM in the 117 seat Punjab assembly.

As AAP is set to win Punjab, it will be the party's maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress.

Congress went into the polls, battling factionalism and anti-incumbency. The party changed its Chief Minister in September last year even as the party's new state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own chief ministerial ambitions. Congress finally declared Charanjit Singh Channi as the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, endorsing him for the chief ministerial face days before the polling on February 20.

The Shiromani Akali Dal, which had broken off the alliance with the BJP over the three farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the Assembly elections.

It is the first time that the BJP fought on over 65 seats in Punjab. It tied up with former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa.

Punjab recorded an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on February 20 compared to over 77 per cent in 2017. (ANI)
Aam Aadmi Party candidate Jeevan Jyot Kaur emerged as the giant killer in the Punjab Assembly elections as she defeated two political heavyweights-- Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shiromani Akali Dal's Bikramjit Majithia from the Amritsar East seat. Speaking to ANI, Kaur said that Punjab has overcome identity politics. Thanking the voters for giving AAP and the "tried and tested Delhi model" of Arvind Kejriwal a chance, she said, "It's the victory of the people of Punjab. My ticket was announced around Dec 30 ...Got positive indication during door-to-door campaigns that Punjab has overcome identity politics." She further added that the party was confident of forming a government with a majority in Punjab "because the people here were already frustrated with other political parties." "These parties (Congress and SAD) have interchangeably ruled Punjab. The people of Punjab felt looted and the youth, since they saw no opportunities here, has been running abroad," Kaur said. Mocking parties over vendetta politics, she said that AAP is not here to do politics "but to change the politics" and therefore, talks about issues and not personal rivalries. "People have voted for a change. I believe that a leader becomes big through their work, but they (big leaders) have not even done the minutest of people's work. When we would go for door-to-door campaigns, people would say that we don't see the large elephants, we just see jhadu," she said. When asked about the greatest challenge Kaur faced during campaigning, Kaur told that it was to come in front of the media. "When I was campaigning and meeting people, they were very warm and welcoming and they would say that I shouldn't worry about these elections as in their eyes, I had already won," she said. Sharing her vision for the constituency, Kaur said that several issues such as cleanliness, water availability and drugs are among the major and initial issues she'd like to deal with. "I consider this as an opportunity to work for the people, and as a social activist, I will help people in whatever way possible, especially the health and education sector," she added while saying that it is good to be a part of good politics. Talking of women's representation in politics, the newly elected MLA said, "This is a big win for the women. I have always said that women need equal representation in politics. While campaigning, I have felt that the ladies were relieved seeing a female candidate." Kaur won the Assembly constituency Amritsar East constituency by bagging total votes of 39,679. Trailing second behind the AAP candidate was Congress' Sidhu with 32,929 votes. Majithia finished at the third spot with 25,188 votes. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the assembly polls in Punjab getting a three-fourths majority in a strong electoral performance that pushed most of its rivals in the state to the margins. According to Election Commission data at 7.26 pm, AAP has won 91 seats and is leading on one more seat in the 117-member assembly. Congress bagged won 18 seats and is leading on three more. The SAD-BSP combine has been able to win only four seats and BJP two in the contest in the state which was being seen as multi-cornered. (ANI)
With Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returning to power for the second consecutive term in Uttar Pradesh, it has also demolished the jinx that is linked to the visit of any incumbent chief minister to Noida. The jinx emerged in 1988 which states that if the sitting chief minister visits Noida then he or she will be staring at the 'probable defeat' in the next Assembly elections. Mayawati who paid visit to the city in 2011 during her tenure as chief minister of UP but failed to return to power in the 2012 Assembly polls. Soon after Yogi was declared chief minister by the party in 2017 following the party's massive victory in the Assembly elections, Yogi along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the 'jinxed' city of Noida for the inauguration of Delhi Metro's Magenta Line in the month of December. The Prime Minister had addressed this jinx in his address and lauded him for "dismissing the superstition". In November last year, Yogi visited Noida for the foundation stone ceremony along with PM Modi. Interestingly, crushing the jinx repeatedly with will and might, Yogi also took a jibe at his political opponent and former chief minister of the state Akhilesh Yadav who during his tenure as a chief minister from 2012 to 2017 refrained from visiting Noida because of the jinx, and said that his own life was more important for him. "His own life and power were more important for him instead of the people's interest and developmental work. They refrained from coming to Noida since they had no agenda for the betterment of the people," he said. Notably, the extent of the impact of the jinx could be analysed from the three instances when in 2013, Akhilesh Yadav as chief minister skipped Asian Development Bank (ADB) summit in Noida during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the chief guest. The other instance that solidifies this jinx was the inauguration of the Yamuna Expressway in 2012 from Lucknow despite the project running from Greater Noida to Agra. This followed the political change that took place in the 2012 Assembly elections when Mayawati had to face defeat. It was aligned with her visit to Noida in 2011 for the inauguration of the Dalit Smarak Sthal. The story of the birth of the jinx goes way back to 1988 when the then chief minister Veer Bahadur Singh had to step down only a few days after his return from Noida. Mayawati losing power in Uttar Pradesh further led to further strengthening of the Noida jinx. Veer's successor Narayan Dutt Tiwari too lost his power in the 1989 Assembly elections after he visited the city during his tenure at the office. However, the BJP led by Yogi has broken this jinx and put it to rest for the rest of the political campaigns in future for all the chief ministers of the state. As per the Election Commission, Pankaj Singh, sitting MLA from the constituency and son of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh won the seat defeating Samajwadi Party's Sunil Choudhary by a margin of 18,1513 votes. (ANI)
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Trinayan Bhuyan, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Sarupathar in Golaghat district said, "Security forces had apprehended the militants from Uriamghat area in Golaghat district along the Assam-Nagaland border and recovered two point 32 pistols, 10 live ammunition, letterhead of APLA."

The SDPO added, "The apprehended militants were identified as Sahil Munda who is the C-in-C of APLA and Jayanta Haok. Self-proclaimed C-in-C of APLA Sahil Munda and Jayanta Haok were involved in various anti-national activities including demanding money and others."

Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)
Terming dynastic politics a problem for democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, said that he is not against any family but is concerned about democracy instead and expressed confidence in the "sunset" of such parties in the future. Addressing the party workers at the BJP headquarters after the party's impressive performance in four states' Assembly elections, PM Modi said, "I am not against any family, neither do I have any personal enmity with anyone. I am concerned about democracy. I told the people how dynastic politics has harmed their states and taking them back. I am glad the people have understood this and voted to strengthen the power of democracy." "There would be one day when the people of this country will make the sunset happen of the dynastic politics. The people have given an indication of what is going to happen with their understanding," he added. PM Modi has been slamming Samajwadi Party and Congress for dynastic politics. Slamming the Opposition for "deteriorating" the level of politics, the Prime Minister said that they misled people on issues of crisis such as vaccination and 'Operation Ganga'. "Some people in our country are deteriorating the level of politics consistently. They have tried to mislead the people. The world is lauding our efforts in the field of vaccination but questions were raised even on this work of humanity. They tried to limit 'Operation Ganga' to the boundaries of states. Attempts to give every scheme and work the colour of castism, statism and regionalism is a matter of concern for the bright future of India," he said. Talking about his party's performance in Punjab the Prime Minister said that the BJP workers would continue to work to keep the state alert from "separatist politics". "I am seeing that the BJP is emerging as a power in Punjab. Punjab, being a bordering state, the work of keeping Punjab alert from separatist politics will continue to be done by the BJP workers with their lives. In the coming five years, every worker of BJP is going to fulfil this responsibility with great enthusiasm, I want to give this confidence to the people of Punjab today," he said. The Prime Minister also mentioned the woman voters in the elections and said that in the places where they have outnumbered the male voters, the BJP has registered a "massive" win. "Where the woman voters have voted more in comparison to the male voters, the BJP has registered a massive win. The women are laying their faith in the BJP consistently. They have faith now that the government keeps even their smallest needs in mind," PM Modi said. BJP is set to form the government in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur while the Aam Aadmi Party bagged majority in Punjab. (ANI)
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Vijay Kumar said "The two terrorists have been killed in an encounter and have been identified as Shahid Ahmed Khan, a resident of Batpora, Pulwama and Fayaz Sheikh resident of Shahpora, Ganderbal."

As per police records both killed were categorized terrorists and were wanted by law in many terror crime cases, the IGP added.

IGP stated that incriminating materials, arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site and all the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation.

Cases under relevant sections of the law have been registered and investigation has been initiated.

A total of two encounters have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar and Pulwama on Thursday and three terrorists, including one Pakistani national, have been neutralised in both encounters. (ANI)
BJP candidate Anjula Singh Mahaur has won the Hathras Assembly seat with a huge margin despite the fact that the opposition gave twists and turns to the Hathras rape incident and even demanded Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's resignation, alleging that the accused was 'shielded' by the ruling party. BJP's Anjula Singh Mahaur won the Hathras seat with a huge margin of 100856 votes as he bagged 154655 votes while Bahujan Samaj Party's Sanjeev Kumar was able to get 53799 votes. The opposition dragged the Hathras matter to Delhi by protesting at Jantar Mantar which was even joined by hundreds of civil society members, women and political leaders of Congress, including Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal demanding justice in the incident. The 19-year-old had succumbed to her injuries at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on September 29, 2020, after being assaulted and allegedly gang-raped in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on September 14. Her body was cremated by the Uttar Pradesh Police and the administration allegedly without the consent or the presence of the victim's family. The Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has continuously attacked the Yogi Adityanath government for the inadequate treatment of the victim in time as she died. "The woman's body was forcibly cremated by the police at night against the wishes of the family," the SP chief had said in Hathras. Speaking about the Hathras rape case, the Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had asserted that the whole police force tried to stop the party leaders from meeting the family of the Dalit woman who was raped in Hathras. "Where were they (BJP) when she was getting raped? The family told us that they didn't get any help, and were instead getting patrolled," Priyanka Gandhi stated. As the counting of votes is still progressing, Bharatiya Janata Party has crossed the majority mark by winning 216 seats in Uttar Pradesh. As per the latest trends, BJP won 216 seats and is leading in 39 seats. BJP's allice partner Apna Dal (Sonelal) got nine seats and have leads in three seats. Samajwadi Party bagged 79 seats while is leading 32 seats. Rashtriya Lok Dal, the alliance partner of SP won 8 seats while the Congress won two seats. Bahujan Samaj Party is still struggling to open its account. With the BJP-led alliance set for a thumping victory in Uttar Pradesh, it will be the first time in over three decades that an incumbent government will return to power in the electorally crucial state. The party had fought the election on the performance of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Yogi Adiyanath government in the state. (ANI)
Yogi Adityanath is the first chief minister of state who returned to power after completing a five-year term. It was after 37 years that a party retained power in Uttar Pradesh.

Yogi Adiyanath is the first Chief Minister in 15 years to have contested an assembly election.

Yogi Adityanath is also the first BJP chief minister to be re-elected for the second term. Party's other three chief ministers - Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh - could not return to power.

Yogi Adityanath also demolished the perceived "jinx" that was linked to the visit of incumbent chief minister to Noida. It was assumed that a chief minister who visits the city is not re-elected.

The state chief minister's were seen to avoid a visit to Noida. Akhilesh Yadav had skipped Asian Development Bank (ADB) summit in Noida during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the chief guest. Akhislesh Yadav had inaugurated Yamuna Expressway in 2012 from Lucknow despite the project running from Greater Noida to Agra.

Yogi Adiyanath, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had visited Noida for the inauguration of Delhi Metro's Magenta Line in 2017. The Prime Minister had lauded Yogi Adiyanath for "dismissing the superstition".

The jinx rumour apparently originated in 1988 after then chief minister Veer Bahadur Singh had to step down a few days after his return from Noida.

The BJP is poised to win 256 seats in the 403 member Uttar Pradesh assembly with its allies also winning over 15 seats. (ANI)
After the spectacular win in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the public has made it clear that he is not a terrorist. He said terrorists are those who have been looting the country. Kejriwal said, "the people of Punjab have now spoken. I love you Punjab. Sukhbir Singh Badal has lost, Captain Sahab has lost, Channi Sahab has lost, Parkash Singh Badal has lost, Navjot Singh Sidhu has lost and Bikram Singh Majithia has lost. This is nothing but a revolution." Kejriwal said the first revolution took place in Delhi, today it has taken place in Punjab, and now this will spread to the whole country. "This was not easy. There were great forces working against us, we are an insignificant player before them. All these forces want to stop the country from progressing. You saw big conspiracies were hatched to stop us. They all ganged up against AAP. They said Kejriwal is a terrorist. But the public has now said that Kejriwal is not a terrorist. Kejriwal is the true son of the soil, a patriot. Terrorists are those who are looting the country," Kejriwal said. On the historic victory in Punjab, Kejriwal congratulated Bhagwant Mann who will soon become the Chief Minister of the state. Kejriwal called upon the people to recognize their strength. He said, this revolution must spread to other parts of the country. "We have wasted 75 years. Don't waste time anymore. AAP is not a party, but a revolution," he said. "Today I want to congratulate my younger brother Bhagwant Singh Mann who will become the CM of Punjab. The public has given such a huge majority to the Aam Aadmi Party, it is overwhelming. People have high hopes from the party. We must not let people down. I want to tell the party workers that we do not have to be proud, we don't have to be arrogant, we don't have to be rude," he said. Kejriwal asked party workers to take a pledge to make a new India. "We will make such an India, where there will be love and no place for hatred. We will make an India where no one will sleep hungry. We will make an India where our mothers and sisters are safe," he added. --IANS gcb/skp/bg ( 402 Words) 2022-03-10-19:20:01 (IANS)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power with impressive victories in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Manipur and was set to retain Goa too as its performance across different parts of the country created new records and gave a big jolt to Congress. In Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) scored a smashing victory by getting over three-fourths seats in a multi-cornered contest. As the counting of votes for five assembly polls began on Thursday, the BJP looked set to retain Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and AAP looked set to create a record in Punjab. The results turned as per the expectations of the party leaders. BJP won Uttarakhand by a two-thirds majority and is poised to reach the mark in Uttar Pradesh also with its allies. The BJP is set to win 254 seats in Uttar Pradesh. It has won 251 and is leading on three seats. The Samajwadi Party is leading on seven seats and has won 105. The Congress has been reduced to two seats and Bahujan Samaj Party is leading on one seat. BJP's ally Apna Dal (Soneylal) has won 12 seats and NISHAD has won five seats and is leading on one seat. SP's ally RLD has won eight seats and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party has won six seats. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has won the Gorakhpur Urban seat by over one lakh votes. SP leader Akhilesh Yadav won from Karhal by a margin of over 67,000 votes. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya lost the Sirathu seat by 7,337 votes. Maurya got 98,941 seats with 43.28 per cent vote share. The Samajwadi Party's winning candidate Pallavi Patel got 1,06,278 votes with 46.49 per cent vote share. Samajwadi Party candidate Swami Prasad Maurya, who was a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government and resigned from BJP weeks ahead of assembly polls, lost in Fazilnagar seat. He lost to BJP's Surendra Kumar Kushwaha by 45,014 votes. Congress candidate Asha Singh, the mother of the Unnao rape victim lost in Unnao constituency. BJP's Pankaj Gupta won the seat by 31,128 seats. With the BJP-led alliance set for a thumping victory in Uttar Pradesh, it will be the first time in over three decades that an incumbent government will return to power in the electorally crucial state. The party had won 312 seats in the 2017 assembly polls. Bharatiya Janata Party won 47 seats in Uttarakhand. Congress won 18 seats and is leading on one. Independents won two seats, BSP won one and is leading on another seat. The biggest setback for the BJP came in the form of the loss of its chief minister Puskar Singh Dhami to Congress' Bhuwan Chandra Kapri by 6,579 votes. Kapri bagged 48,177 votes with a vote share of 51.89 per cent while Dhami got 41,598 votes and 44.8 per cent vote share. Another tall leader who suffered defeat was Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat. He lost to BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht by 17,527 votes. Rawat had initially decided to contest from Ramnagar seat in Nainital district. This is the second consecutive defeat of Rawat in two assembly polls. He had lost in Haridwar (Rural) in the 2017 elections. It is the first time that a party has retained power in Uttarakhand. The BJP is poised for a hat-trick in power in Goa. The party, which fell one seat short of the majority figure in the coastal state, is likely to retain power in the state with the help of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Independent candidates. The BJP won 20 seats in the 40-member state assembly and reduced Congress to 11 seats. Independent candidates bagged three seats while two seats each went to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP). Revolutionary Goans Party and Goa Forward Party (GFP) got one seat each. BJP got a 33.31 per cent vote share in the state followed by Congress (23.46 per cent), MGP (7.60 per cent), Aam Aadmi Party (6.77) and Trinamool Congress (5.21 per cent). Former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal Parrikar, who contested as an independent in the Goa Assembly elections, has lost from the Panaji constituency by 716 votes. He was up against BJP heavyweight Atanasio Monserrate. In Goa's Bicholim, Rajesh Patnekar, BJP candidate and assembly speaker lost his seat to independent candidate Chandrakant Shetye. AAP registered a historic victory in Punjab polls by winning a three-fourths majority with 92 seats - the highest number of seats won by any party in the state in over four decades. It is AAP's maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress. The ruling Congress managed to secure 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended up with two seats. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has bagged three seats and Bahujan Samaj Party has won one. Punjab witnessed a multi-cornered contest. Apart from Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiromani Akali Dal fought the polls in alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party alliance, and Bharatiya Janata Party in alliance with Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt). AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, who won the polls from Dhuri, will be the next Chief Minister of Punjab. Many senior leaders including Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh were among the prominent losers from the state. BJP has secured a majority in Manipur, the first time the party has done so, reducing other parties to single digits. It won 32 of 60 seats in Manipur. Congress bagged five seats and the National People's Party won seven seats. Janata Dal (United) won six seats, the Naga People's Front (5) The Kuki People's Alliance (2) and the Independents bagged three seats. BJP secured 37.83 per cent vote share, Congress 16.83 per cent, National People's Party 17.3 per cent, Janata Dal (United) 10.77 per cent, Naga People's Front 8.1 per cent and the other parties bagged 7.53 per cent vote share. Chief Minister N Biren Singh won by a margin of 24,814 votes from the Heingang constituency, defeating Congress candidate Pangeijam Saratchandra Singh. Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh won by 15,085 votes from the Thoubal constituency seat. He fought against BJP's Leitanthem Basanta Singh. (ANI)
The Gujarat government on Thursday disclosed during the ongoing budget session of the assembly that the state saw over five rapes a day in the last 2 years, with over 60 cases of gang rape during 2020 and 2021. A total of 3,857 cases of rape were registered by the Gujarat police during the two years. Replying to a series of questions by Congress legislators, the Minister of State (MoS), Home, Harsh Sanghavi informed the House that during the period of two years a total of 3,857 cases of rape were registered, including 61 cases of gang rape. The maximum cases were registered in the financial capital of Gujarat, Ahmedabad - 729, followed by 508 in Surat, Vadodara- 183, Chhota Udaipur- 175, Kutch- 166, Rajkot -145. The minister said that out of the 61 gang rapes, the maximum were registered in Ahmedabad 16, 7 were registered in Rajkot, 5 in Surat and 4 each in Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Kutch. The deputy Leader of Opposition Party, Shailesh Parmar asked the Minister, "Despite the so-called safe Gujarat and despite the government carrying out programmes like 'Suraksha Setu' a leading state like Gujarat saw over 5 rapes a day, why is it so? I also want to know how many women, girls were trained in self defence through Suraksha Setu and will the Minister please inform us of one exemplary incident where such trained daughters of the state defended themselves or any other daughter's dignity?" The MoS however, was not able to cite any exemplary case, but said, "In 2020, 43,475 women were trained while in 2021, 58,136 women were trained." --IANS amc/bg ( 284 Words) 2022-03-10-19:36:04 (IANS)
The Gujarat government on Thursday informed the House during the ongoing budget session of the assembly that an average of 20 suicides, 25 thefts, five kidnappings and two murders occurred every day in the state in the last two years. Informing the House in response to the questions raised by Congress MLAs during Question Hour, the Minister of State (MoS), Home, Harsh Sanghavi, said that during the period of two calendar years of 2020 and 2021, 1,893 murders, 1,679 incidents of attempt to murder, 3,911 incidents of abduction and over 15,000 cases of suicide were reported in different parts of the state. Moreover, 18,658 incidents of theft and 1,024 incidents of loot were also reported. While the maximum number of 308 murders took place in Surat district, Ahmedabad topped the charts in loot (288) and theft (5,343), he disclosed. Ahmedabad witnessed the highest number of 536 kidnapping cases in these two years. The home department informed the House that 2,619 accused, named in these complaints during the last two years, are yet to be nabbed. The opposition Congress party alleged that due to various reasons, people are ending their lives but the insensitive government is putting such cases under the head of accidental deaths. "These numbers are worrisome and are increasing. It is failure and mismanagement of the government. The government must take action to bring down the crime figures in the state," said a release from the party. --IANS amc/bg ( 256 Words) 2022-03-10-19:56:05 (IANS)
Muttaqi will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum from March 11 to 13, Afghan broadcaster TOLO News reported.

The forum gathers about 2,000 participants in the Turkish city of Antalya aiming to discuss global issues and address international challenges in course of several meetings.

Since the Taliban (under UN sanctions for terrorism) took over Afghanistan in August, international organizations have repeatedly warned of the worsening humanitarian situation in the country.

The Taliban established an interim government headed by Mohammad Hassan Akhund in early September, but this government has not been internationally recognized. However, some organizations and countries expressed readiness to continue providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. (ANI)
Two-day India visit of Franck Riester, French Minister for Foreign Trade starting from March 10-11, covering Delhi and Bengaluru will consolidate Indo-French economic ties. "The purpose of the Minister's trip is to consolidate the robust bilateral economic ties with India to meet the current challenges of the global economy. Given France and India's common goal to boost their strategic autonomy, this visit seeks to enhance Indo-French cooperation in key industrial sectors," read Franck Riester's press statement. He will also hold talks on France and India's efforts to reform the world trade system post-pandemic. Minister Riester will also reaffirm France's commitment to the Indo-Pacific, and further the positive French and European economic agenda for prosperity in the region. In Delhi, Minister Riester will meet Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, with whom he will review trade and investment, ways of fostering greater ease of doing business between the two countries, and coordination in multilateral fora on economic issues, added the release. Minister Riester will meet Indian investors to highlight the advantages extended to foreign investors under the country's massive recovery plan of Euro 100 billion, "France 2030" investment plan in key industrial sectors, post-Brexit relocation opportunities, as well as showcase France as a perfect gateway to expansive European markets. Minister Riester will also hold discussions with the representatives of French companies and the French network in India that assists French companies in their Indian projects, said the release. On this occasion, the minister will preside over the ceremony of the IFCCI Business Awards 2022 for outstanding accomplishments of Indian and French companies based in India, as well as the Grand Prix VIE South Asia 2022 recognizing young French achievers working in French companies abroad. During his trip, the minister will also visit French business success stories in India in tech and smart solutions. In Delhi-NCR, he will visit the Noida Headquarters, R&D, and Design facility of French company IDEMIA, a global leader in smart solutions for identity security services, added the release. In Bengaluru, he will visit Dassault Systemes, a 3DEXPERIENCE company that provides businesses and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. He will also visit the Indian company CENTUM Electronics, which has offices in France, providing precision microelectronics that are critical for applications in many sectors, including aerospace and defence. Minister Riester will wind up his tour with meeting representatives from French and Indian tech ecosystems, brought together by the French Tech in Bangalore, which creates global connections for innovation. (ANI)
Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians from Ukraine amid Russian military operations is another feather in India's cap regarding the most challenging evacuation operations carried out by New Delhi so far. This comes after more than 18,000 Indians have been safely evacuated back to their home country via special flights over the last week, reported Vietnam times. Under the central government's 'Operation Ganga', 76 flights were sent to Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova to rescue Indian citizens stuck in Ukraine. From 'Operation Sukoon' to 'Operation Safe Homecoming' and 'Operation Rahat', India has successfully evacuated its citizens in war zones over the past three decades. In 1990, the VP Singh government carried out the biggest evacuation of Indians during the Gulf War, with Air India and the Indian Air Force jointly evacuating more than 1.7 lakh stranded citizens, reported Vietnam times. When the war between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, broke out in 2006, 'Operation Sukoon' was carried out to evacuate Indians, Sri Lankans and Nepalese nationals, as well as Lebanese nationals with Indian spouses. According to media reports, this was one of the largest evacuations conducted by the Indian Navy, wherein 2,280 people, including 1,764 Indians, 112 Sri Lankans, 64 Nepalese and 7 Lebanese nationals with Indian spouses, were rescued from the war zone, reported Vietnam times. 'Operation Safe Homecoming' was launched in 2011 to evacuate Indians from Libya when a civil war broke out to oust the country's then-dictator Muammar Gaddafi. More than 15,400 Indian nationals were brought back safely in special flights from Libya's Tripoli and Sabha, and Egypt's Alexandria and Malta. Evacuations also took place through the sea with the help of the Indian Navy, reported Vietnam times. While, 'Operation Rahat' was launched in 2015 to evacuate nearly 4,000 Indians, along with foreign nationals from 26 countries, from war-ravaged Yemen through special flights and Indian Navy vessels. India's evacuation of its citizens was so successful that the US Embassy advised American nationals to also seek assistance from Indian officials to leave Yemen's capital Sanaa, reported Vietnam times. (ANI)
The fifth National Security Adviser-level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave was held here on Wednesday in which the NSAs discussed the significance of close cooperation between member and observer countries in maritime safety and security and countering terrorism and radicalisation, sources said. As maritime nations as well as close maritime neighbours, NSAs agreed that they play the role of the first responders for the region. India's NSA Ajit Doval, in his statement, called for strengthening cooperation amongst maritime neighbours to address shared security challenges, and as first responders. The Colombo Security Conclave comprises India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. At the meeting, Mauritius was included as the fourth member. Bangladesh and Seychelles participated as Observers. The sources said India proposed a meeting of the Heads of respective Coast Guards this year. They said NSAs also discussed countering narcotics trafficking and transnational organised crime and cyber security and emerging technologies. This was the fifth meeting of the conclave. It was earlier called the Trilateral for Maritime Security Cooperation. At the fourth NSA-level meeting of the Trilateral Meeting held in Colombo on November 28, 2020, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives agreed to expand the scope and membership of the group and rename it as the Colombo Security Conclave. A permanent Secretariat was established in Colombo which coordinates all activities of the conclave and is also responsible for the implementation of the decisions take at the NSA level. The next meeting of the Conclave is scheduled to be held in India at the Deputy NSA Level. The next NSA level Dialogue will also be held in India. Sources said there is a possibility of an Oceanographers Conference and a road map is being finalised for activities of the Conclave. (ANI)
Taliban's press office in Ghor province issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that no one was allowed to take a souvenir photo under the new order, according to the Afghan media.

As per the order, no one is allowed to cut or shave their beard and take a souvenir photo.

Taliban reportedly also demanded full observance of the hijab and warns that violators will be dealt with seriously.

Over the past six months, the Taliban's Ministry has imposed harsh restrictions, especially on women, which have provoked strong reactions.

Meanwhile, reports say that killings, kidnappings of businessmen have increased in Afghanistan.

A senior adviser to the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment was killed at his home in the capital city of Kabul. According to reports, unidentified people shot him dead on March 8.

Apart from it, media reports indicate that Taliban have severely tortured a local journalist named Malouf Ashrafi.

The media survey comes as journalists have been accusing the Taliban of censoring, beating, intimidating, and threatening them while covering stories especially outdoor ones, reported The Khaama Press.

According to some media-supporting organizations, over 70 per cent of media outlets halted their operations since the Islamic Emirate swept into power, reported Tolo News. (ANI)
A state-owned Chinese firm registered in Pakistan has expressed concern over delay in their payment and asked the Pakistan Ministry of Energy (power division) to release Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 12.35 billion as Transmission Service Payment. The China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Co Ltd (CET), registered in Pakistan as Pak Matiari-Lahore Transmission Company Private Limited (PMLTC), has expressed their concern at this issue. The companies also asked the ministry to prioritise this issue, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported on Wednesday. But National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC), on other hand, claimed that no payment is pending on its part. In a recent letter to energy minister Hammad Azhar, the company explains that it has received the TSP for September to November 2021 and a partial payment of 19.46 per cent for the month of December 2021. It also informs the minister that in accordance with the Transmission Service Agreement (TSA), by the beginning of March 2022, the companies should have received the TSP from September 2021 to February 2022 along with payment for adjustment of indexation. Moreover, the TSP for the pre-CoD (commercial operation date) period that remained pending is at PKR 21.1 billion, while the payment company received so far is PKR 8.75 billion which amounts to 41.4 per cent of the total amount it billed, according to Dawn. The letter also reads, "We need to stress again that the total amount of invoices we billed NTDC is PKR 21.21bn, out of which, after receipt of PKR 8.75 billion, the unpaid amount is PKR 12.35bn." The company also demanded the clearance of the amount before March 24 since the approval of foreign exchange conversion from the State Bank of Pakistan for making payment to the lender takes time. "This issue emerged before my appointment as Managing Director. However, we always give priority to such payments. And we did," NDTC MD was quoted as saying by Dawn. (ANI)
"The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today approved a disbursement of USD 1.4 billion (SDR 1005,9 million) under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to help meet urgent financing needs and mitigate the economic impact of the war," Russia's Sputnik News Agency reported citing the statement.

On Monday, the World Bank approved a USD 723 million package of loans and grants for Ukraine, providing government budget support amid the all-out conflict with Russia.

The international lender approved a supplemental budget support package for Ukraine, called Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine - or FREE Ukraine - for USD 489 million, the bank said in a statement.

"The package approved by the Board consists of a supplemental loan for USD 350 million and guarantees in the amount of USD 139 million and is also mobilizing grant financing of USD 134 million and parallel financing of USD 100 million, resulting in total mobilized support of USD 723 million," it added.

The bank informed that the initial World Bank support was increased with guarantees from the Netherlands for 80 million euros (USD 89 million equivalent) and Sweden for USD 50 million.

The World Bank has also set up a multi-donor trust fund (MDTF) to facilitate channeling grant resources from donors to Ukraine, with contributions from the UK, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland in the amount of USD 134 million thus far.

The World Bank is calling for further grant contributions to the MDTF. In addition, Japan is linking USD 100 million in parallel financing to the support package. (ANI)
Pakistan's National Assembly Standing Committee on Water Resources expressed serious concern over the delay in rehabilitation of the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBO-D) system and directed the ministry to brief the committee on LBOD in the next meeting. According to reports, the committee is scheduled to take briefings from the relevant authorities on the various water issues including Islamabad Water Conservation Bill-2021, construction of Nai Gaj Dam, Security of Rawal Dam, and issues relating to water distribution by IRSA for the next meeting, The Frontier Post reported. Pakistan has been facing a shortage of water resources since its inception. Following the crisis, Islamabad constructed an alternate irrigation system with the help of the World Bank under the treaty through a network of barrages, canals, and link channels in the Punjab and Sindh for agricultural and domestic use, according to the report. The Frontier Post reported that the issue of Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBO-D) is an old problem that has existed over the last many years, and the people of lower Sindh had been affected by this problem severely. The lawmakers had raised the problem at the highest level which may be helpful in its resolution on a permanent basis, otherwise, the bureaucracy had put the problem on the back burner until it turned into a disaster in the coming years, the local media reported. The Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBO-D) is a project for drainage of saline water, industrial wastage, and Indus River basin floodwater of Shaheed Benazirabad district, Sanghar, Badin, and Mir Pur Districts into the Arabian Sea. According to The Frontier Post, the government of Pakistan started the project with the help of the World Bank during the 1970s, which was completed in 1997. (ANI)
At least six US states have been targeted by hackers linked to China in the last 10 months as part of a persistent information-gathering operation, cybersecurity company Mandiant has said. The wide range of state agencies targeted include "health, transportation, labour (including unemployment benefit systems), higher education, agriculture, and court networks and systems," the FBI and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a separate, private advisory to state governments obtained by CNN. For agencies in two states, the hackers broke into networks using a critical software flaw that was revealed in December, according to CNN. It reported that hundreds of millions of computers around the world ran the vulnerable software, US officials later estimated. For weeks, US officials urged companies to update their software; the White House hosted a meeting in January with tech executives to try to address the root problem of software that is not secure by design. CNN further reported that within hours of the CISA advisory, the Chinese hackers had begun using the Log4J flaw to break into the two US state agencies, according to Mandiant. Agencies in four other states were hacked via other means, it added. As per analysts, Chinese hacking continues to pose a challenge to the Biden administration's efforts to defend government networks. Suspected Chinese hackers compromised at least five US defense and technology firms in an apparent espionage effort, CNN reported in December. "We assess that China presents the broadest, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat to US Government and private sector networks," US intelligence agencies said in their annual assessment of global threats released on Tuesday. (ANI)
The Biden administration publicly warned Wednesday (local time) that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki warned of the potential use of chemical weapons in Ukraine after Moscow alleged the United States was housing biological weapons in Ukrainian territory. Psaki rubbished the claim and said Russia's allegations are "false" and "preposterous." She further warned it could serve as a pretext for the Russians to deploy chemical weapons in their assault on Ukraine. In a series of Tweets, the spokeswoman noted that the false claim that the US has biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development facilities in Ukraine was also echoed by Chinese officials. "This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine. Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. It's a clear pattern," Psaki said. "It's the kind of disinformation operation we've seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries, which have been debunked, and an example of the types of false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent," Psaki wrote. "Also, Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating. In December, Russia falsely accused the US of deploying contractors with chemical weapons in Ukraine," she continued. Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, claimed Russia discovered evidence of a program to develop anthrax and other biological weapons run by the United States in Ukraine. She alleged the program was backed by the Pentagon. "This Russian disinformation is total nonsense and it's not the first time Russia has invented such false claims against another country," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. "Also, these claims have been debunked conclusively and repeatedly over many years." At least 516 civilians have been killed and 908 others injured in Ukraine since Russia launched the war against its neighbour, according to UN figures, with the real toll feared to be higher. More than 2.1 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency. (ANI)
One survivor was "in critical condition," with shots to the head, leg and shoulder, the Puebla Attorney General's Office said.

"Everything points to the fact that this was an inter-gang execution," Puebla Governor Miguel Barbosa said at a press conference.

According to preliminary investigations, the house where the victims were attacked was "a drug distribution and sales location," he said.

The victims have yet to be identified, but "apparently, they were not from Atlixco or Puebla," Barbosa said.

The governor said via social media that federal, regional and local authorities launched a joint operation following the attack. (ANI/Xinhua)
Women in tribal areas of Pakistan are still the victim of Karo-Kari and Vani, a new study of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) revealed. HRCP has concluded a fact-finding mission to southern Punjab, comprising chairperson Hina Jilani, vice-chair Punjab Raja Ashraf, council member Nazir Ahmed, and regional coordinator Faisal Tangwani, a Pakistani newspaper reported on Wednesday. Vani is a custom in parts of rural Pakistan in which girls are forcibly married as part of the punishment for a crime committed by their male relatives, while Karo-Kari is the honour killing, according to Pakistani channel Geo News and newspaper Dawn stated respectively. The team also noted that women in the tribal areas of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur are trapped in practices like Karo-Kari and Vani to such an extent that the Border Military Police also couldn't help to pull them out of that trap. Moreover, many women were denied their basic rights like holding a citizenship document by male members of their families and, as a result, have no political voice. HRCP's study also sees the common use of blasphemy laws to intimidate Hindu, Christian families for land grabbing. The study also stated that the forced conversion against minorities in religion is still the main concern in Pakistan, according to Dawn. The study also revealed that the bonded labourers received less amount than the fixed minimum wages and the case of land acquisition in Cholistan by the military is still pending. The team has also noted that lady health workers have continued to struggle without adequate security during their work, often putting their lives at risk in the line of duty and with negligible benefits to compensate them. (ANI)
China's top political advisory body concluded its annual session on Thursday, calling for tightening supervision and rectification of the live streaming industry, reported local media. The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and was attended by President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders, reported Xinhua. The chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, Wang Yang, delivered a speech at the meeting. A resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, a resolution on a report on how the proposals from political advisors have been handled since the previous annual session, a report on the examination of new proposals, and a political resolution on the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee were approved at the meeting, according to the media outlet. Notably, Chinese political advisors and policymakers, who attended the annual session, have proposed tightening supervision and rectification of the live streaming industry, Global Times reported, adding that some of them also suggested punishment on tax evasion. Punishing live streamers will serve as a wake-up call to the industry practitioners, which is key to healthy and equitable development of the new economic model in transformation, said Ma Jin, deputy chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party and a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC. Xiao Shengfang, National People's Congress (NPC) deputy and president of Guangdong Lawyers Association, proposed that live streamers who provide valueless content and violate laws, regulations and public order should be banned and they, along with platforms, should be held accountable for legal responsibilities, according to the publication. (ANI)
Rejecting the allegations made by Russia about the presence of US-funded chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine, the State Department on Wednesday said the Kremlin is spreading lies about such illegal activities in the eastern European country. This comes after Russia said it has obtained evidence that the regime in Kyiv had urgently eliminated all traces of the US-funded military biological program in Ukraine. Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov on Wednesday said Ukrainian laboratories' staffers testified last month that a number of dangerous pathogens of plague, anthrax, cholera and other deadly diseases were urgently disposed of. "The Kremlin is intentionally spreading outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine. We have also seen PRC (China) officials echo these conspiracy theories," the US State Department said in a statement in response to allegations made by Russia. The State Department responded by saying that "this Russian disinformation is total nonsense" and not the first time Russia has invented such false claims against another country. "Also, these claims have been debunked conclusively and repeatedly over many years." "As we have said all along, Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine. The United States does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine, it is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention, and it does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere," the State Department added. On the contrary, the United States alleged Russia has active chemical and biological weapons programs and is in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention. (ANI)
China has banned all key religious activities in and around Tibet's capital Lhasa during celebrations marking the Tibetan New Year according to media reports. During the Tibetan New Year celebrations, the minority community faced widespread obstruction and interference. The HK Post reported that this sort of intimidation, alongside restrictions on festivities, is part of a broader strategy by the Chinese Communist Party to undermine Tibetan identity. Authorities in Tibetan areas have restricted travel and public gatherings with punishments threatened for those violating the bans, the HK Post reported citing Tibetan sources. The report added that Tibetans working in government jobs were required to report to work during the New Year so that they could not go back to their hometowns to celebrate. "I wanted to celebrate Losar openly," one Lhasa resident told Radio Free Asia (RFA). "But then due to harassment and restrictions put in place by the Chinese authorities, I don't feel like celebrating at all." It's a pity, a person can't even peacefully pray as per his will even on an auspicious day. Last month, Lhasa's Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau had announced a ban on the celebrations of Losar, citing COVID-19 concerns. However, according to RFA, the Tibet Autonomous Region has been free from the COVID, and Chinese media has highlighted the record numbers of visitors to the region in several recent reports. The report further added the order especially applied to different monasteries in and around Lhasa. "The notice bars Tibetans from performing all the major religious activities that are usually observed ahead of and during the New Year," Ngawang Woebar, a former political prisoner now living in Dharamsala, India, said. Experts have raised concerns over the continued violation of human rights inside Tibet. They have highlighted the need for world democracies to join hands towards the cause of Tibet. Criticizing the exploitative nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the experts asked the Western media to drop its indifferent attitude towards China's acts in Tibet. (ANI)
Three prominent US lawmakers have called for a probe in newly-installed Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, for his links with terror outfits and sympathizers. The approval of Khan's appointment generated criticism last month due to reports of his links to Islamist charities that have openly affiliated with terrorists and his praise for terrorist organizations. In a letter sent to US Attorney General, US Reps. Scott Perry, Mary Miller, and Greg Steube asked for a probe of Masood Khan's ties with a number of Islamist groups in Pakistan which the lawmakers say represent a threat to US national security. "On January 27, I wrote a letter to President Biden (attached) raising concerns about Pakistan's newly-installed Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan. In that letter, I requested that President Biden reject any diplomatic credentials presented by [Mr. Khan]' due to Khan's unmitigated sympathy and support for various US-designated terrorist groups in South Asia. While it defies reason that Masood Khan was approved, his close relationships with domestic actors linked with the Pakistani regime remains a critical concern," wrote Congressman Scott Perry along with Congressman W Gregory Steube and Congressman Marry E Miller in a letter dated on March 9. In the letter, US lawmakers highlighted that Pakistan has an exhaustive history of using US actors as agents of their government. They report that Khan met with the leaders of Friends of Kashmir after the organization hosted an event with two operatives with ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is designated by the US State Department as a terrorist organization. The letter said that Masood Khan has also been tied closely to Pakistani efforts to marginalize India in the United States. "Prior to Prime Minister Modi's 2019 visit to America, an organization named Friends of Kashmir - a 501(c)(3) group that works out of the Pakistani consulate in Houston and "frequently collaborates with the Pakistani government"- worked with other groups to organize large-scale protests against the Indian government after Imran Khan compared India's Modi-led government to the Nazis," the lawmakers said. "Even as Friends of Kashmir hosted an event with two operatives with ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2017 (the US-designated terrorist group which carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 were murdered), Masood Khan continued to meet with the head of Friends of Kashmir on a regular basis, with social media posts highlighting several meetings at Mr Khan's residence in Pakistan," they added. Moreover, the letter said Khan has also worked with groups such as the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA), whose subsidiary, has worked closely with Friends of Kashmir. "APPNA itself has been described by Imran Khan as Pakistan's "most powerful" lobbying group in the United States." "In addition, while Masood Khan was President of Azad Kashmir, a registered 501(c)(3) organization called Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) repeatedly enjoyed praise from Khan and his official office, which declared its commitment to "cooperation" with the HHRD11 - even after the U.S. Congress raised concerns about HHRD's open cooperation with designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba," the letter reads. Given the Ambassador's unusual closeness to the Islamist groups, the US lawmakers requested an investigation into the nature of Khan's relationships with them. "It is vital to U.S. National security that our Government investigate any potential Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) violation with regard to Ambassador Khan. He clearly supports terrorists, and if this Administration is happy to provide him with a diplomatic visa, the American People deserve - at the very least - the due diligence from our Government for a thorough investigation and answers," the letter said. (ANI)
Representative Scott Perry has sponsored a bill that seeks "To provide for the designation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, and for other purposes."

This bill has now been referred to the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The four main categories of sanctions resulting from designation under these authorities include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions.

Designation under the category also implicates other sanctions laws that penalize persons and countries engaging in certain trade with state sponsors.

Currently, there are four countries designated by the US under these authorities: Cuba, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), Iran, and Syria. (ANI)
The head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, expressed her horror over the reported destruction of a maternity hospital in the coastal city of Mariupol, which has been reportedly under heavy bombardment for days. In a statement, the UNICEF chief said she was "horrified by the reported attack...an attack which reportedly left young children and women in labour, buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. We do not yet know the number of casualties but fear the worst." "This attack, if confirmed, underscores the horrific toll this war is exacting on Ukraine's children and families" she added. "In less than two weeks, at least 37 children have been killed and 50 injured, while more than one million children have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries. "Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure - including hospitals, water and sanitation systems and schools - are unconscionable and must stop immediately", she added. The UN humanitarians warned the exodus of millions of Ukrainians from their country following the Russian invasion could overwhelm neighbouring countries, UN News reported. More than 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine according to UN refugee agency UNHCR; most have found shelter in Poland and more than 200,000 have reached Hungary. The UN chief "told the President that he will do everything possible to mobilize the whole of the UN system, in coordination with UNHCR, to support Poland's generosity", UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. Latest estimates from UN aid agencies suggest that four million refugees are likely by the end of the war, which represents about 10 per cent of Ukraine's population. The development follows news alerts on Wednesday that a Russian strike on a children's hospital and maternity ward in the stricken city of Mariupol, had left children buried under the rubble, according to Ukrainian officials. The bombing has not been independently verified, but Dujarric said the UN was urgently investigating the "shocking" reports. In a tweet, Guterres described reports of the attack as "horrific", noting that civilians were paying "the highest price, for a war that has nothing to do with them. This senseless violence must stop." (ANI)
The first flight arrived in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province, and the second flight arrived in Jinan of Shandong Province, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier, seven flights bringing Chinese nationals back from war-torn Ukraine have already returned to China.

More than a hundred Chinese students in the Sumy region have safely evacuated from risk-prone areas, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.

"So far, the overwhelming majority of Chinese citizens in Ukraine have evacuated. I once again remind the few remaining in Ukraine to stay safe, strengthen precautions and preparations, and keep in touch with the Chinese Embassy and the Consulate General," Lijian said during a regular press conference.

Our diplomatic and consular missions will continue to provide consular protection and assistance, he added. (ANI)
In a meeting held in Afghanistan, the female Foreign Ministers of at least seventeen countries across the world have expressed deep concerns regarding human rights violations and restrictions against women in Afghanistan, said a media report. Expressing concern on suppression of women in Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministers called on the Taliban to lift all restrictions, especially education barriers, against Afghan women, Tolo News reported. "Ministers expressed deep concern about human rights violations, especially the denial of women and girls from full access and participation in education...It is essential that the Taliban lifts all barriers and prohibitions against the full participation of women and girls in genuine education and schooling," said the statement released after the meeting, which was held virtually and hosted by Australia. The participants of the meeting also decided to continue close monitoring of the Taliban's actions, especially those related to the female population. Notably, this comes as US special envoy for Afghan Women and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, on International Women's Day, stressed the importance of participation of Afghan women for an inclusive, stable and economically viable Afghanistan, reported the media outlet. Meanwhile, Afghan women who lost their jobs after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan asserted that the role of women must not be ignored in society. "Our politicians followed and implemented wrong approaches in Afghanistan which made the country poorer and more desperate," the Afghan news quoted Farah Mustafawee, a women's rights activist, as saying. However, taking to Twitter, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to upholding the Sharia rights of all Afghan women. Notably, the Taliban regime which took over Kabul in August last year has curtailed women's rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions. (ANI)
As China completes 70 years of its rule in Tibet, a former member of the Tibetan parliament in exile has asked what has Beijing got to show after seven decades of occupation of the region. In an editorial published in Taipei Times, Khedroob Thondup said, "Today China is celebrating 70 years of the "peaceful liberation" of Tibet. Over 100,000 Tibetans died defending their country. One million Tibetans perished in the past seventy years." Thondup recalled that China invaded Tibet in 1950 under the pretext of peaceful liberation. The Tibetan people were completely taken by surprise, and we were not prepared to defend ourselves, he added. Even after 70 years of Chinese rule, Thondup said Tibetans in Tibet hate the Chinese. Likewise, he said Tibetan cadres are not trusted by the Chinese and are treated as second-class citizens. "No religious freedom, absolutely no freedom of speech or movement. No Tibetan in the past 10 years has been able to get a Chinese passport. No Tibetan can travel to China without being questioned," he added. Reiterating calls for the liberation of Tibet, the former member of the Tibetan parliament in exile said Tibetans deserve the right to choose their own destiny. "Tibet is now being flooded with Han Chinese settlers making Tibetans a minority in the big cities such as Lhasa and Shigatse." He further asked what China has accomplished is the systematic degradation of Tibetan culture to the point where the Tibetan people are completely subservient to China. Commenting on Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Tibet, Thondup said there was no mention of the 17 Point Agreement during Xi's visit to the region. "However, his visit itself during this tense situation and his high-profile meetings with the military in Tibet certainly showed China's commitment to the defense of their strategic interest in Tibet," he added. Asserting that Beijing has lost the race to control the minds of the Tibetan people, the former member of the Tibetan parliament in exile said the spirit of Dalai Lama lies in the minds of the Tibetan people. "No Tibetan can be coerced to change their strong traditional religious beliefs. Beijing is trying to raise the image of their appointed Panchen Lama in front of the Tibetan people, thinking that one day he will be able to replace the Dalai Lama," he added. (ANI)
Assyrians Sue San Diego County Over Redistricting Map

A nonprofit advocacy group representing the Chaldean community in San Diego is suing the county alleging that a redistricting plan that split a part of East County area where many members of the community live into two supervisorial districts politically disenfranchises them.

The nonprofit Chaldean Coalition sued the County of San Diego, its Independent Redistricting Commission, and Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes in San Diego Superior Court on March 4 to prevent them from using the new voting district maps approved in December by the commission. The new maps are part of the 10-year redistricting required by law to accommodate demographic changes reported by the U.S. Census.

The lawsuit alleges that splitting an area that includes parts of the El Cajon region away from the rest of East County would unlawfully diminish the voting power of Chaldeans, a religious and ethnic minority group.

An estimated 50,000 Chaldeans live in the San Diego region, many in the area of Rancho San Diego and El Cajon, according to the lawsuit. The community, which has historically voted for conservative candidates and causes, was in the conservative-learning 2nd Supervisorial District before redistricting and is represented by Republican Supervisor Joel Anderson.

The new district lines put about 20 percent of the community in District 4, which tends to vote for liberal causes and candidates and is represented by Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, a Democrat.

Lawsuit says new districts disenfranchise Chaldeans

"The district boundaries may not be drawn in a way that splits up a racial minority group -- whether intentionally or otherwise," said the group's attorney, Paul M. Jonna, in a statement Monday. "Yet that is exactly what has happened here. The County of San Diego Redistricting Commission, in drawing the county's new supervisorial district boundaries, split the Chaldean religious and ethnic group living in East County right down the middle."

A county spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The Independent Redistricting Commission spent more than a year redrawing the voting boundary lines for the county's five supervisory districts.

County officials have said in prior statements that the commission maintained substantially equal populations in each district, while complying with the federal Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting. The commission also respected "the geographic integrity of city, local neighborhood or communities of interest, to the extent practicable," county officials said.

Though the commission was legally required to consider such factors as population, contiguity, compactness, local jurisdictions and communities of interest, it was not allowed to consider the effects on political parties or politicians, officials have said.

The California Supreme Court has said in its opinions that district boundaries should not be drawn in a manner that splits up minority groups.

The Chaldeans are a group that comes largely from Iraq, where Chaldeans were persecuted for their language and in more recent years were killed because of their Christian religion.

When the commission was deciding on a redistricting map it heard competing points of view from community groups, including from Black San Diegans, new immigrants, refugees, and Chaldeans. The latest map was a compromise, commissioners said at the time.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the new districts illegal and unconstitutional. It also asks the court to restrain the county and other respondents from using the map until the commission draws new lines that comply with the law, "including, but not limited to, moving Rancho San Diego and Spring Valley, entirely or in part, to District 2."
The bus, en-route to Damak from Madi of Sankhuwasabha, met with an accident at Sat Ghumti in Madi municipality-6 at around 7 am, the Police confirmed.

DSP Lal Dhwaj Subedi, the chief of District Police Office, Sankhuwasabha said the dead bodies of fourteen passengers have been retrieved and their identities have been ascertained.

"The dead bodies of fourteen people have been retrieved. Five others have been injured," said DSP Subedi over the phone.

According to the preliminary investigation of the police, the accident might have taken place due to overspeeding.

Chief District Officer Noor Hari Khatiwada informed that five of the injured were airlifted to Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences for treatment.

Around 19 to 21 people were travelling in the bus, according to a local. The injured are receiving treatment at Chainpur Hospital. The bus had fallen some 300 meters down the road. (ANI)
Beijing's deepening ties with Moscow and its pro-Kremlin approach, especially visible in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis, could push Israel to choose sides between China-Russia and US alliance, writes Sergio Restelli in a local newspaper. In his blog in The Times of Israel, Restelli wrote that the declaration of an eternal friendship between China and Russia when Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Beijing in February was reflected when China abstained from voting on the motion condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine in UN Security Council and the General Assembly. However, China's silence on the Ukraine-Russia crisis goes against its principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations that it advocates while claiming Taiwan and Hong Kong as a part of its mainland. Supporting Russia which is invading Ukraine against all international laws is equal to losing the moral high ground to keep the US interfering in Taiwan or Hong Kong. Notably, China has spent years of goodwill and investment in projects in Ukraine as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project, which might be jeopardized due to its current stance on the situation. China's abstention on Russia as well as more recently, news that it is evaluating the purchase of shares in Russian oil and gas companies, as well as allowing Russian banks to use UnionPay to replace Mastercard and Visa, are costing it its hard-earned credibility in the international fora, wrote Restelli in his blog. Though it has repeatedly challenged the formation of the Quad in the Indo-Pacific, this seems more of an attempt to develop a China-Russia-Pakistan triad against the US and US interests, he added. While choosing the Russian side may cost China its influence on the world community and adversely impact its economic ties with Ukraine as well as the rest of Europe, this new alliance of the "dragon-bear" also poses a challenge for Israel which enjoys close relationships with both countries as well as the US and Ukraine. Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has already made several attempts at mediation as his country's interest is intrinsically tied with the Russia-Ukraine quagmire. Israel needs Russia on Iran, Syria and to address several security issues in the Middle East. However, it cannot turn its back on Ukraine or its all-time ally - the United States, which has been severely condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While Bennett has tried his best to play peacemaker, he might have to be prepared for a new geopolitical era where he has to choose sides between a China-Russia or US alliance, wrote Restelli in his blog. (ANI)
The government's allies are not willing to support the premier anymore, Geo News reported quoting the PDM chief, who added that the fragmentation within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has set in its central and provincial governments.

The PDM has contacts with PTI's allies, namely Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Grand Democratic Alliance, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Balochistan Awami Party, claimed Rehman.

Notably, PTI's allies have also not publicly announced their support to the ruling party but the federal ministers are claiming that PML-Q and MQM-P are with them, according to the media outlet.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan will visit Lahore on Thursday to meet his party lawmakers and garner support against the no-trust move by the Opposition, reported Samaa TV.

The developments come amid the growing voices against the Imran Khan regime over misgovernance and economic mismanagement.

The opposition parties are jettisoning mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted the no-trust motion in the National Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday. However, Imran Khan is confident about the failure of this motion and said that the opposition will face consequences post its failure.

Notably, in order to make the no-confidence motion against the prime minister successful, the joint opposition requires the support of 172 MNAs. (ANI)
To mark the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav on the occasion of 75 years of India's Independence, the Indian Embassy in Madagascar organized a special unveiling ceremony of the plaque of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" on Thursday. The event was attended by members of local government, diplomatic corps, Heads of International Organisations, and members of the Indian Diaspora in Madagascar, read the Embassy of India, Antananarivo press release. The plaque was unveiled through lightning of lamp by the Chief Guest of the event, Minister of Communication and Culture of Madagascar, Andriantogarivo Rakotondrazafy Lalatiana and Ambassador of India to Madagascar, Abhay Kumar along with other Ambassadors, Heads of International Organizations, and members of Indian Diaspora in Madagascar. Addressing the audience at the unveiling ceremony, Indian Ambassador Kumar said "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is one of the core philosophies of the Indian civilization. The concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam originates from Maha Upanishad that is a Vedic Sanskrit text of Indian philosophy. Vasudha means the earth, aiva provides emphasis and Kutumbakam means a family. 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' means 'the whole earth is one family.'" Speaking on the occasion the Minister of Communication and Culture of Lalatiana said, "In these difficult times, two years of a pandemic now, where everything seems to separate us, what could be more fundamental than to speak of unity. In this first quarter of the year 2022, this noble thought was taken from an ancient Indian text that is the 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', the world is one, is therefore totally welcome." The Minister explained the programs of the Ministry of Communication and Culture and said, "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam fits perfectly with one of the great civic education programs initiated by the Ministry of Communication and Culture "Iray ihany isika" (we are one). A program drawn from our ancestral values. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a universal philosophy that we can fully share and propagate." The Minister quoted the speech of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi given at the plenary session of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 23, 2018, "Though there were hardly any means of reaching from one part of the world to another; still, the feeling of oneness existed. This is because the spirit of co-existence was strong enough to overcome any barriers of knowledge or distance. The search for peace in the universe was paramount. This is the reason that our sacred prayers always end with a prayer for peace. Not only that, a meaningful prayer always starts with a prayer for the well-being of all." (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, French Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain said that both the ministers also discussed cooperation on reforming world trade and reshaping supply chains post COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ministers @franckriester & @PiyushGoyal today met in Delhi to review ways of boosting France and India's trade and investment relations. They also discussed cooperation on reforming world trade & reshaping supply chains post pandemic," Lenain tweeted.

Riester is on a two-day India visit from March 10-11.

He is also scheduled to visit Bengaluru.

In Bengaluru, Riester will visit Dassault Systemes, a 3DEXPERIENCE company that provides businesses and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations.

He will also visit the Indian company CENTUM Electronics, which has offices in France, providing precision microelectronics that are critical for applications in many sectors, including aerospace and defence.

Riester will wind up his tour with meeting representatives from French and Indian tech ecosystems, brought together by the French Tech in Bangalore, which creates global connections for innovation. (ANI)
Tibetans at Gothangaon shared the hope that someday their homeland Tibet, the spiritual kingdom, will be free from communist China's occupation on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day today. Sharing the story of Tsering Wangmo from Gothangaon camp in Gondia district, Kartik Lokhande, writing in The Hitavada said that she was seven-year-old when communist China's final invasion of Tibet came in 1959, now 70-year old with teary eyes said, "Tibet should be freed of Chinese occupation. I feel that my end should come in free Tibet..." On March 10, 1959, the Tibetan people revolted against the brutal occupation of their homeland by the communist Chinese forces. For Tibetans in exile, March 10 every year marks the anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising. This year, they observe the 63rd anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising. The 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetans, and scores of his followers had to flee Tibet in 1959. Since then taking refuge in India at Dharamshala and other places, the Dalai Lama has kept the flame of Tibet's Independence alive and a Tibetan Parliament in Exile works in that direction. There are several Tibetan settlements/camps in India where the Tibetans in exile live, keeping alive their dream and preserving their culture and tradition. Gothangaon Tibetan Settlement is the only such camp in Maharashtra, said Lokhande. Karma Gelek, Member of Tibetan Parliament in Exile, tells 'The Hitavada' that his father too had died in Tibet. Like the Tibetans he leads, he strongly wishes to see Lhasa in Tibet before his death. "Chinese have created such conditions there at present that we cannot go visit our homeland Tibet," he lamented. Meanwhile, the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, headquartered in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, issued a statement on Wednesday, on the eve of the 63rd anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising. In the statement, it flayed the communist Chinese Government for persecution and oppression unleashed in Tibet. Also, it reiterated the call to China to enter into 'a substantive dialogue', reported The Hitavada. "In this way, the government of China deprived the Tibetan people, the rightful owners of their national territory, of everything they ever owned, including the most basic of their human freedoms while subjecting them to such degrees of persecution and torture as if they stood condemned to live in hell on this land of the living itself. There is no mistake about the fact that the ultimate objective of the government of China is to turn Tibet into Chinese both in its outer form and internal substance," it added. As per the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, a total of 156 Tibetans have carried out protests accompanied by self-immolation since 2009. It accused the communist Chinese government of persisting on 'misrepresenting the actual situation in Tibet with nothing but outright lies and distorted narratives and concealing the reality from Chinese people and the international community by means of 'employing all sorts of propaganda subterfuge,' said Lokhande. In an effort to 'Sinicize' the Tibetans, it added, China was shutting down privately run Tibetan schools accompanied by Tibetan students being made to study policies of the communist Chinese Government and speeches of its leaders. It also alleged that China had carried out destructions in Drakgo County in the Tibetan province of Kham including that of a 99-feet statue of the Buddha, prayer wheels containing a hundred million rounds of the text of six-syllable Tibetan Buddhist mantra, demolition at Chanang Monastery etc. Besides, it accused China of arresting and beating Tibetan scholars, monks, reported The Hitavada. (ANI)
Some 70 Shia worshippers were killed in the attack claimed by the Islamic State - Khorasan (IS-K) terror group.

The Shia Hussaini Fund, led by Amir Alam Khan, the president of the organization, raised slogans during the protest against Pakistan and terrorism.

The organisation's general secretary Hassan Mehdi said that Pakistan is not an Islamic State or a masculine sultanate, it is a terrorist state, where more than 30,000 Shins have been killed in the last 35 years. For which the governments of Pakistan are solely responsible.

He said, "The United Nations kept sending memorandums, but the governments of Pakistan never made any effort to rein in the terrorists".

Maulana Isarul Hasan, Dr Sirajul Hasan, Maulana Sakhlain Abdi also expressed their views in this demonstration in Lucknow against the killing of Shia Namazis in Peshawar.

Jussain Jamin Naqvi, the media in charge of the organization said, "We are going to hold an international conference soon after consultation with Shia religious leaders in protest against the atrocities on Shia minorities in Pakistan". (ANI)
The people were joined by Tibetan refugees living in Nepal.

Protesters carrying posters condemned Chinese atrocities in Tibet as they walked through Bijuli Bazar to Babarmahal in the capital Kathmandu.

March 10 marks a very important day for Tibetan people all over the world.

It was on this day in 1959, when the Tibetans revolted against the forcible occupation of their motherland by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Tibetan Uprising in 1959 began as a spontaneous act of peaceful protest demonstrations against the Chinese in the capital Lhasa which later turned violent in which thousands of Tibetans were killed by the marauding soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). (ANI)
Delegations of the founding members of Colombo Security Conclave; Maldives, India and Sri Lanka, and the newest member of the Conclave, Mauritius, successfully concluded the 5th National Security Adviser level meeting held on March 9-10 in the Maldives, said the Joint statement of the 5th NSA level meeting of Colombo Security Conclave 2022.

Delegations from Bangladesh and Seychelles participated as Observers.

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval; Maldives Defence Minister, Mariya Ahmed Didi; General Kamal Gunaratne (Retd.), Secretary to the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka; and Kumaresan Ilango, National Security Adviser to Mauritius, identified key areas of cooperation to enhance and strengthen regional security in the following five pillars.

The five pillars include, Maritime Safety and Security, Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation, Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organised Crime, Cyber Security, Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, read the joint statement.

The Member states agreed upon a roadmap for further cooperation and collaboration on these pillars of cooperation. The roadmap will facilitate robust mechanisms for coordinated responses capacity building and strengthening information flow between member states.

The delegation from Bangladesh was led byTarique Ahmed Siddique, Defence and Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Seychelles was represented by Simon Archange Dine, Chief of Staff of Seychelles Defence Forces.

As maritime neighbours, facing similar threats, the Conclave reaffirmed their commitment to engage in consistent joint efforts to achieve regional peace and security, the joint statement added. (ANI)
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday lashed out at the European Union for asking Pakistan to vote against Russia during the recently held special session of the UN General Assembly, asking if they considered Islamabad their "slave".

He made these remarks during a public rally in Punjab province's Vehari district.

Defending Khan's comments, Tarin said that "European Union should not tell Pakistan what to do", Dawn newspaper reported.

Khan "just reacted publicly, which may be, he should not have done," Tarin added.

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution that "demands" Russia "immediately" withdraw from Ukraine. But Pakistan was among the few countries that abstained from taking part in voting against the resolution.

On February 24, Russia started the invasion of Ukraine. Since then, dozens of countries, including Japan, South Korea and Australia, have imposed financial sanctions and travel bans against Russia. (ANI)
Assyrian Caucus Formed in Illinois

State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) and State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) will join advocates to announce the formation of the Illinois Assyrian Caucus on Wednesday.

"Illinois is the most welcoming state in the nation and home to hundreds of diverse ethnic communities," Villivalam said. "Together, we can elevate the voices of our Assyrian-American neighbors and partner in a united effort in addressing the issues their community faces."

The Illinois Assyrian Caucus will bring together members of the General Assembly to advocate for Illinois' Assyrian community by providing a unified platform to educate the public on Assyrian-American identities and issues. Illinois is the first in the nation to establish a statewide caucus on Assyrian issues.

"Assyrian-Americans deserve a voice in state government and the formation of the Illinois Assyrian Caucus is an important step in ensuring that this vibrant, unique community is heard," Gong-Gershowitz said. "I'm proud that Illinois is leading the way with the first statewide caucus on Assyrian issues in the nation."

Assyrians are a transnational ethnic group indigenous to parts of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. They form a distinctive community, united through ethnicity, language and culture. The U.S. is home to more than 600,000 Assyrian-Americans with upwards of 80,000 residing in Illinois.

"We are thrilled to see the formation of the Illinois Assyrian Caucus in the Illinois General Assembly," said Atour Sargon, Village of Lincolnwood Trustee and Vice Chair of the Assyrian Policy Institute. "This caucus will lead to heightened visibility for Assyrian-Americans in Illinois and a better understanding of our community's unique needs. We're grateful that our leaders in Springfield are signaling that the Assyrian-American community is a priority, and we look forward to working with them and other community stakeholders to expand caucus membership and elevate the voices of Assyrian-Americans across Illinois."
US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday (local time) announced nearly USD 53 million in new humanitarian assistance to support civilians affected in Ukraine by Russia's invasion. "During her trip to Warsaw, Poland, today, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced nearly USD 53 million in new humanitarian assistance from the United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to support innocent civilians affected by Russia's unjustified invasion of Ukraine," the White House said in a statement. According to the statement, this additional assistance includes support to the UN World Food Program (WFP) to provide lifesaving emergency food assistance to meet immediate needs of hundreds of thousands affected by the invasion, including people who are displaced from their homes and who are crossing the border out of Ukraine. In addition, it will support WFP's logistics operations to move assistance into Ukraine, including to people in Kyiv. This assistance builds on the United States' announcement less than two weeks ago of nearly USD 54 million in humanitarian assistance to provide critically needed health supplies, food assistance, high thermal blankets, and other relief, the statement said. "The United States is the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and has provided USD 159 million in overall humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since October 2020, including nearly USD 107 million in the past two weeks in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," read the statement. This includes food, safe drinking water, shelter, emergency health care, and winterization services to communities affected by ongoing fighting. To date, two million people have been forced to flee Ukraine due to the conflict, and an estimated one million are displaced inside Ukraine. At least 12 million people are in need of humanitarian aid across Ukraine. The United States continues to stand with the people of Ukraine and will continue to work to meet immediate needs and save lives, the statement added. (ANI)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's persistent anti-West utterances have seriously irked the latter, the latest being the United Kingdom (UK) which has called off two key meetings. His attacks have not gone down well in the West as a whole he is engaged in a major diplomatic crisis over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Khan sent alarm bells ringing when, despite American 'appraising' of the oncoming situation, he landed in Moscow on a visit a day after the latter launched its military operations. At the rally at Vehari in South Punjab on March 6, Imran Khan gave a blistering speech in which he said Western diplomats treated Pakistan like "slaves" by pushing for a tougher stance on Russia (on the Ukraine crisis). He also lashed out at EU envoys over their letter seeking a change in Pakistan's 'neutral' stand on Ukraine. This has also earned disapproval from a key official, the Finance Minister in his government, Shaukat Tarin. He said Wednesday (March 9) that while the premier was "reflecting public sentiments", he should not have done so at a public rally he addressed over the last weekend. Analysts say Khan is building an anti-West sentiment at home to fight off a political crisis where the Opposition has given the notice to move a no-confidence motion against the government in the National Assembly. According to some media reports, Khan and his colleagues have floated a 'conspiracy' theory alleging that the US is behind the move in the National Assembly to remove him from office. London cancelled an invitation to National Security Advisor, Dr Moeed Yusuf and a visit by senior officials to discuss among others, aid to Pakistan and the situation in Afghanistan. The invitation to Moeed was from UK's National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove. Moeed denied the cancellation and claimed to have had a virtual talk with his British counterpart. "After the visit was cancelled, Moeed Yousuf addressed the London event through zoom. During his speech, the Pakistan NSA rejected the news that the UK Government had cancelled the meeting with him as false. He didn't elaborate on why he had not visited the UK. As per his original itinerary, he was scheduled to meet the UK National Security Adviser, senior ministers at the Foreign Office as well as a meeting with a senior official of the British Army during his four-day visit, including an address at the London School of Economics (LSE) annual Pakistan Society event. An unnamed British Government source was quoted (March 9) by The News International newspaper saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan's public condemnation of the European nations "has caused unease amongst the countries, especially Britain, which has often supported Pakistan at various international forums." Khan's anti-West diatribe has irked the United States as well, ever since the latter engaged in a chaotic withdrawal from neighbouring Afghanistan last August. He has blamed the West generally and the US for coercing Pakistan into joining the "war against terror" in Afghanistan after 9/11, two decades ago. Of particular interest to Pakistan is the cancelled discussion on the Afghanistan situation. It was hoping to get some relief, but London has said Afghanistan is off the radar and the focus is fully on Ukraine. Pakistan sees itself as a facilitator and coordinator of the world community's humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. A move to open an international bank account through which the global aid could be funnelled has been rejected by various stakeholders. Through this effort, Pakistan also hopes to get relief for millions of Afghan refugees it has been hosting, some of them for over four decades. All that has halted thanks to the Ukraine war. Media reports say that with Ukrainian refugees spilling across Europe, prospects of Afghans finding refuge in Europe and the US have dampened. (ANI)
"Lt Gen Rick Burr, Chief of @AustralianArmy along with Lt General Rakesh Kapoor, General Officer Commanding #DesertCorps witnessed Integrated Capability Demonstration of #Indigenous Weapon Systems & operational manoeuvre at Pokaran Field Firing Range," Indian Army tweeted.

The Australian army chief is on a two-day visit to India.

Earlier on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Burr paid his respects to the fallen soldiers while laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.

Moreover, he received a Guard of Honour at the South Block. He was received by Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. (ANI)
Raising concern that Afghanistan could revert to being a safe haven for international terrorists who might target European countries after the Taliban takeover, the European Union (EU) prepared an action plan to deal with the threat. Federico Giuliani, writing in Insideover said that the EU action plan calls on EU intelligence networks "to monitor the impact of the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan on the global Islamist extremist and jihadist propaganda scene, including the Afghan diaspora and Muslims in Europe". The briefing, titled "Security situation in Afghanistan implications for Europe", says, "In response to events in Afghanistan, the Council published a counter-terrorism action plan on Afghanistan in September, setting out four clear objectives, and making 22 recommendations for action, said Giuliani. The EU proposes and is implementing, screening Afghan nationals and others evacuated from Afghanistan. Another critical recommendation suggests taking a military manual to tackle terrorism, said Giuliani. "The plan also recommends improvements in information-sharing, so that updated 'battlefield information' collected in Afghanistan - such as 'fingerprints found on explosive devices or biometric data of fighters detained in Afghan prisons and who have been released by the Taliban' - is available to the competent national authorities and Europol. The EU action plan highlights the importance of "assessing the presence and activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and their financing, and of monitoring terrorists' travel between the EU and Afghanistan". The EU will be setting up an EU-level "pool of security-vetted specialists in Afghan languages, including Pashtu, Dari, Urdu and Farsi to monitor social networks and to promote counterterrorism dialogues with countries in the region, reported Insideover. The EU is also mooting the idea of cutting off two sources of Taliban funding: the drugs trade and arms trafficking. The plan also draws attention to the "risk that weaponry seized by the Taliban after the withdrawal of US and allied troops, and taken from Afghan security forces, may be sold." In this context, the EU is implementing the 2020-2025 EU action plan on "firearms trafficking, particularly with respect to the western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine," said Giuliani. (ANI)
"Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla welcomed @USAmbKeshap in his new avatar as President @USIBC. Had an engaging discussion about enhancing India-US trade and investment opportunities," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

US-India Business Council is a premier business advocacy group focused on strengthening commercial ties and promoting investment in the US-India corridor.

Keshap is a retired career Senior Foreign Service Officer who also served as Charge d'Affaires at the United States Embassy in New Delhi, leading the U.S. Mission's engagement with the government and people of India.

Prior to that, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, with policy responsibility for U.S. relations toward eleven countries of Southeast Asia, and helped lead the bureau's domestic and overseas response to the covid-19 pandemic. (ANI)
The Monitoring Team held meetings with senior officials in the relevant Ministries and was briefed on India's counter-terrorism priorities and concerns, particularly in the South Asia region, read the Ministry of External Affairs press release.

Discussions were also held on a range of counter-terrorism related subjects, including threats from misuse of new and emerging technologies and unmanned aerial systems for terrorism, linkages between terrorism and organized crime and narco-trafficking as well as unconventional methods of terror financing.

The Monitoring Team members also called on Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Deputy National Security Advisor Rajinder Khanna, added the release.

The visit was undertaken at the invitation of the Government of India and was in continuation of regular consultations between the UN Monitoring Team with key Member-States relevant to their mandate.

India is currently the Chair of the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) for 2022 and the visit of the Monitoring Team provided a useful opportunity to brief them on India's priorities in the CTC. (ANI)
China has implemented a new strategy to constrain the Uyghur population in the Xinjiang region by shifting from "re-education camps" to prison. Mihray Abdilim and Alim Seytoff, writing in Radio Free Asia (RFA) said that the rise in 'counter-terrorism,' 'stability maintenance' cases indicate repressive judicial tactics. As per two reports released by officials in Xinjiang one by the region's highest court, the other by a group of prosecutors, published on March 3 represent a shift in strategy to prosecute Uyghurs and other members of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. Public prosecutors, who collectively are known as the Procuratorate, detained nearly convicted more than 44,600 people in 28,490 cases involving about 12,900 different crimes, according to a work report read by Li Yongjun, who is the head of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) People's Procuratorate. In a readout of the 2021 work report, Chief Justice Bahargul Semet said that the region's courts handled 668,900 cases. Of those, 606,200 were closed to public review. The top-level Supreme Court, meanwhile, took up 5,820 cases -- 5,271 of which were closed, said Mihray and Alim. German researcher Adrian Zenz, who has documented China's abuses against the Uyghurs, said the number of cases and investigations in Xinjiang courts has nearly doubled since 2018. That, and the fact that Uyghur-language translations are also increasing during trials, shows that "Beijing's oppression in the region is shifting from mainly re-education to sentencing large numbers of Uyghurs to prison terms," Zenz said. "Uyghurs are not released from the camps, but instead shifted into prisons," he said. Teng Biao, an academic lawyer and visiting professor at the University of Chicago, who is an expert on China's judicial and legal systems, told RFA that those courts have become a tool of repression in Xinjiang. In her readout, justice Bahargul said that courts operated by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a state-owned economic and paramilitary organization, handled 80,800 cases, 71,000 of which are now closed, reported RFA. China is believed to have held 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in a network of detention camps in Xinjiang since 2017. Beijing has said that the camps are vocational training centres and has denied widespread and documented allegations that it has mistreated Muslims living in the region. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said that he looks forward to working with him to further expand and strengthen the India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership.

"I warmly congratulate President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on his victory in Presidential elections. I look forward to working with him to further expand and strengthen the India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership," he said.

Yoon Suk-yeol, a candidate from the conservative opposition People Power Party, has been elected the president of South Korea, with all ballots counted, according to the country's national election commission.

The presidential elections in South Korea were held on March 9. The voter turnout was 77.1 per cent; more than 34 million people out of over 44 million voters cast their ballots, Sputnik News Agency reported.

Yoon gained 48.56 per cent of the vote, and his main rival, Lee Jae-myung, a candidate from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, got 47.83 per cent, according to the agency. (ANI)
A group of 50-60 Tibetan carrying flags and posters has criticized the Chinese Communist Party in front of the Chinese embassy of Vienna on Tibetan 63rd Uprising Day.

Demonstrators started a march from the Chinese embassy to the Stephansplatz and raised concern over the human rights violations by Beijing.

During the protest, they also raised the issue of a Tibetan named Choedon who was detained by Chinese authorities on February 13 for teaching the Tibetan language to children.

The diaspora also mourned for musician Tsewang Norbu who did self-immolation in Tibet and blamed the Chinese communist party for it.

They also demand the human rights organization and UN To safeguard the rights of Tibetan and look into the situation in Tibet and said that "Tibet is and will never be part of China."

Meanwhile, at the end of the programme, they enacted a role play where CCP is doing atrocities to Tibetan and other religious minorities.

Tibetan Uprising Day is observed every year on March 10. Chinese forces eventually crushed the uprising and forced the Dalai Lama into exile in India, where he remains to this day. (ANI)
The police on Thursday stormed the Parliament Lodges and arrested several Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MNAs including Salahuddin Ayubi and Maulana Jamal-ud-Din.

Imran Khan's government has been facing backlash on social media for the "extremely shameful and reprehensible" act by the police.

According to the Express Tribune, the police stormed the lodges on a tip-off about the presence of volunteers of JUI-F's subsidiary Ansarul Islam and detained around 10 to 12 workers of the party.

Videos of the brutal arrest of the MNAs have gone viral on social media. #PTIAttacksParliament was trending on Twitter.

According to reports, Pakistan's law enforcement agency broke the door of the MNAs' room to make the arrests.

Videos on Twitter showed police officials conducting a search inside the lodges and looking for "the ones in uniforms". In separate videos, police officials were seen making arrests and forcing JUI-F workers out of the lodges.

Meanwhile, Dawn reported that chief of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance Maulana Fazlur Rahman, after arriving at the lodges, called on his party workers to gather in the Islamabad.

"Our volunteers got here peacefully," he said. "They (police) stormed into our lodges and attacked our MNA.

"I want to tell my party workers to either reach Islamabad or block roads in their cities and resist this incompetent govt," he added.

Justifying the operation, Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said that those who have been arrested by the police were members of a "private militia"

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif condemned the operation and demanded immediate expulsion of police from the Parliament Lodges. (ANI)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday lashed out at the opposition parties for their 'no-confidence motion' and said that his first target would be Pakistan People's Party co-chairperson, Asif Ali Zardari for his involvement in corruption and money laundering. He made these remarks during a public rally of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers at Governor House during his day-long visit to the metropolis. Pakistan PM said that the no-confidence motion against him would turn out to be the 'political demise' of the opposition, Pakistani newspaper Business Recorder reported on Thursday. He said that he was waiting for this moment when the opposition would submit the no-confidence motion and he could launch his war against the corruption that he was pursuing for the last 25 years. Imran said that Zardari was focused on buying loyalties of the members of PTI, adding that a PTI Member National Assembly (MNA) told him that he was offered Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 200 million. Imran Khan also lashed out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President, Shahbaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam's chief Fazlur Rehman for joining Zardari in a bid to save one another. He also accused Shahbaz Sharif of laundering billions of rupees to his son and son-in-law abroad, and Fazal-ur-Rehman for possessing wealth worth billions even without owning any business. Imran said the gang of dacoits had got united against him, adding that the corrupt were not making the move to save the country, but themselves, according to Business Recorder. Citing the letter penned by the EU urging Pakistan to vote against Russia during the UNGA session, Imran said that he had not given any statement against the European Union, but reminded it that Pakistan was its ally in the war against terrorism which cost the country over 80,000 casualties. Imran Khan said Pakistan was in favour of maintaining friendly relations with all countries, but not at the cost of its own integrity. Recently, his persistent anti-west utterances have irked the United Kingdom as the UK called off two key meetings with Pakistan. (ANI)
A top Iranian security official on Thursday slammed the US approach to the ongoing talks in Vienna on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal, saying Washington is not willing to reach a "strong deal" that would satisfy both sides. "The US approach to Iran's principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that the US is not interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties," Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted, Xinhua news agency reported. He stressed that in the absence of a political decision by the US, the negotiations in the Austrian capital get more complicated every hour. Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015. However, former US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA, namely Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, with the US indirectly involved in the talks, in a bid to revive the landmark deal. --IANS int/pgh ( 215 Words) 2022-03-10-20:34:05 (IANS)
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) addresses reporters during press conference on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 to call out Rep. Lauren Boeberts (R-Colo.) anti-Islamic remarks.





On Wednesday, the House passed a bill that allowed a Russian oil ban and approved additional sanctions against the Kremlin for the attack on Ukraine.

The bill received wide bipartisan support with 414 lawmakers voting in favor of the bill.

Both Democratic and Republican leaders in the House supported the ban, with President Biden announcing similar moves against Russian oil on Tuesday.

However, not everyone was on board with the latest measures to hit the Russian economy. Here are the 17 lawmakers, two Democrats and 15 Republicans, who voted against the bill.

Democrats

Cori Bush (Mo.)

Ilhan Omar (Minn.)

Omar said in an appearance on Hill.TV's "Rising" on Tuesday that she would vote against the bill due to the impact it would have on other countries.

"That's not only going to have a devastating impact on the people of Russia, but on Europe as well," Omar said. "When we're having these conversations, they can't be about just the immediate, gratifying response that we want to come up with."

Republicans

Andy Biggs (Ariz.)

Biggs said he supports a Russian oil ban, but not without a guarantee that the U.S. would work towards energy independence.

He also condemned reports that Biden is turning to Iran and Venezuela to make oil deals amid the ban.

Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.)

Louie Gohmert (Texas)

Gohmert said he could not vote "yes" on the bill until the U.S. became more energy independent and Biden committed to not taking oil from dictatorships.

"President Biden's outrageously calloused original decision on his first day to make America and Europe dependent on Russia, Iran and Venezuela for oil while he chases a green new nightmare has made the world dangerous for democracy while funding those who will end our freedom," he said.

Dan Bishop (N.C.)

Glenn Grothman (Wis.)

Lauren Boebert (Colo.)

Tom Tiffany (Wis.)

Matt Gaetz (Fla.)

Gaetz wrote in an op-ed for The National Pulse he would not vote for the bill due to the impacts he believes it would have on Americans.

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"I will not join them. Biden's plan to replace Russian oil with Venezuelan or Iranian oil is needlessly foolish. It will make Americans poorer and less safe. My compassion for Ukrainians won't force my hand to hurt my own people," Gaetz said.

Paul Gosar (Ariz.)

Gosar decried the bill as not putting the needs of the American people first.

"For a year we have been living with an 'America last administration.' This bill is a case in point on how Americans are the last priority and the Democrats will bend over to help anyone but the voters here," he said.

Clay Higgins (La.)

Scott DesJarlais (Tenn.)

Madison Cawthorn (N.C.)

Cawthorn decried the bill as "virtue signaling" by Democrats and declared the U.S. should not depend on any country for oil.

"The House had an opportunity tonight to stand up to Putin with strong legislation blocking Russian oil AND implementing America first energy policies," Cawthorne wrote. "Instead, the 'Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act' was nothing more than virtue signaling by Nancy Pelosi and House Dems."

Bill Posey (Fla.)

Chip Roy (Texas)

Thomas Massie (Ky.)

Massie said he would be voting against the bill on Twitter due to Biden's lack of plans for energy production and to obtain oil from other dictatorships.

"Biden has no plan to enable development of traditional domestic energy sources," he said. "His plan is to buy oil from dictators in other countries, and to use high gas prices to bludgeon American consumers into adopting a leftist energy agenda."
To increase your chances of discovering value opportunities, you may want to look for stocks whose Graham blended multipliers are below 22.5. Created by Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing, the multiplier is equal to the stock's price-earnings ratio multiplied by its price-book ratio.

Therefore, value investors could be interested in the following stocks, as they meet the above criteria and are favored by Wall Street analysts.





Truist Financial

The first stock that meets the criteria is Truist Financial Corp. (NYSE:TFC), a Charlotte, North Carolina-based regional bank serving individuals, small and mid-size businesses as well as private and public organizations in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States.

The stock has a Graham blended multiplier of 15.95 as the price-earnings ratio is 12.97 and the price-book ratio is 1.23.

Truist Financial traded at $58.52 per share at close on Wednesday for a market capitalization of approximately $77.02 billion. The stock was down 2% over the past year, determining a 52-week range of $51.87 to $68.95.

3 Graham-Style Stocks to Consider

GuruFocus assigned a rating of 4 out of 10 to the company's financial strength and 6 out of 10 to its profitability.

Truist Financial pays quarterly dividends. The last distribution of 48 cents per common share was issued on March 1, determining a trailing 12-month dividend yield of 3.29% as of this writing.

On Wall Street, the stock has a median recommendation rating of overweight and an average target price of $70.85 per share.

Bank of Montreal

The second company that makes the cut is Bank of Montreal (NYSE:BMO), a Montreal, Canada-based bank serving consumers and businesses through approximately 1,400 branches and 4,800 automated banking machines across North America.

The stock has a Graham blended multiplier of 19.28 as the price-earnings ratio is 11.34 and the price-book ratio is 1.70.

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Bank of Montreal traded at $114.90 per share at close on Wednesday, determining a market capitalization of $74.55 billion. The stock has risen by 31% over the past year for a 52-week range of $86.04 to $120.865.

3 Graham-Style Stocks to Consider

GuruFocus assigned a rating of 3 out of 10 to the company's financial strength and 7 out of 10 to its profitability.

Currently, the company pays quarterly dividends. On May 26, the company will pay 1.33 Canadian dollars ($1.04) per share. So the stock offers a forward dividend yield of 3.63% as of March 9.

On Wall Street, the stock has a median recommendation rating of buy and an average target price of $155.60 per share.

Ford Motor

The third company that qualifies is Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F), the U.S. auto manufacturing giant.

The stock has a Graham blended multiplier of 4.91 as the price-earnings ratio is 3.61 and the price-book ratio is 1.36.

Ford traded at $16.37 per share at close on Wednesday, determining a market capitalization of $64.26 billion. The stock has risen by 24.20% over the past year for a 52-week range of $11.14 to $25.87.

3 Graham-Style Stocks to Consider

GuruFocus assigned a rating of 4 out of 10 to the company's financial strength and 7 out of 10 to its profitability.

Ford pays quarterly dividends. The last distribution of 10 cents per common share was issued on March 1, determining a trailing 12-month dividend yield of 1.24% as of this writing.

On Wall Street, the stock has a median recommendation rating of overweight and an average target price of $21.75 per share.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


Experts shared the red flags to look out for when you're getting a new piercing. lowk/Getty Images

Insider spoke to experts about red flags to look out for when you're getting a new piercing.

Both experts agreed that it's important to research the piercer before getting anything done.

The professional should open a single-use needle in front of you, according to the experts.

It doesn't matter if you're about to get your first piercing or your third, it's always important to know what to look for when you're going in for a new one in order to make sure it's being done in a sterile environment by real professionals.

Insider spoke with two experts who have both been piercing for about 19 years  Cassi Lopez-March, the owner of So Gold Studios in Brooklyn, New York; and Shannon Freed, the senior manager of piercing operations at Studs  about red flags to look out for when you're getting a piercing.

The cost of the jewelry is included in the piercing price

If the jewelry is included in the piercing price, that likely means that it is low quality, both experts said.

Lopez-March, who is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers, said having separate prices gives the client the ability to purchase extra pieces in case something falls off.

"Most piercing studios will provide you with different options for jewelry that are priced separate from the service fee," she said.

Both experts agreed that getting pierced with high-quality jewelry is crucial. Freed recommends piercing jewelry be made of 14k or 18k gold or high-quality implant-grade titanium because it guarantees a better healing process.

Lopez-March added that you should avoid steel if you're sensitive to nickel.

The piercer's portfolio doesn't have pictures of fresh and healed piercings

Lopez-March told Insider that it's essential to know what a piercer's work looks like from start to finish.

"Piercers should always be able to provide images of healed work. Knowing that someone's work results in successful healing is equally as important as the way things look when they are initially pierced," she said.

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Freed added that she recommends researching the piercing or piercings you are thinking about getting beforehand.

"As a piercer, I appreciate when a 'new to piercing' client has questions prepared during their appointment," she said. "To me, that means they care about the health of their piercing and will more likely look after their piercing once they receive it."

If the piercer doesn't start with an anatomy check, they've already made a mistake

Lopez-March told Insider that one of the first things a piercer should do is check that client's anatomy. Georgy Taktaev/EyeEm/Getty Images

Lopez-March said the anatomy still needs to be checked even if it is a simple ear-lobe piercing.

"Not confirming that someone has the anatomy for a piercing can result in migration, excess scarring, and unnecessary difficulties during healing," she added.

The owner of So Gold Studios also noted that if a piercer is using a pre-bent tool for nostril piercings, that's a sign they are using cheap materials, which is something you want to avoid.

"No one's nostrils are one size fits all," Lopez-March said. "This means that the jewelry should come straight and be custom bent to fit your specific anatomy, or they can use an implant-grade, flat-back style as well."

The professional should open a single-use piercing needle in front of you

A single-use needle is a more effective way of piercing, Freed said. Zelma Brezinska / EyeEm/Getty Images

"This is good practice on the piercer's part, essentially showing the client that they are receiving a safe piercing and that they are aware of the dangers of cross-contamination," Freed said.

She also added that it is crucial the piercer is wearing PPE, whether that means gloves and/or a face mask.

While some studios still use piercing guns, Freed said that using needles is the best practice because they are single-use and can be fully sterilized.

"Needles results in less tissue trauma, shorter healing time, and an overall more hygienic piercing procedure," she said. "Needles also allow for piercers to get a more precise piercing angle."

Read the original article on Insider
Between 5,000 and 6,000 Russian troops may have been killed in just the first two weeks of the invasion of Ukraine, a U.S. official estimated Wednesday. The official stressed, however, that this is a difficult number to assess in real time, and the number could be closer to 3,500.

Still, the official described the number as "very, very significant casualties," comparing the tally to losses from some World War II battles. The official did not give an estimate for the number of wounded Russians, but the figure in most wars is generally around three times as many killed, which would put that number at an estimated 15,000 to 18,000.

Despite the estimated losses, Russian forces are still capable of encircling Kyiv within 1-2 weeks.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers are also believed to have been killed over the past two weeks. The U.S. official said 2,000-4,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed. In the city of Mariupol  where an airstrike hit a maternity hospital on Wednesday  some 1,200 people have died over the course of Russia's nine-day siege of the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said, according to The Associated Press.

The AP reported that the city council said Thursday the attack killed three people, including a child, and wounded 17.

Russia on Thursday denied that it attacked the maternity hospital, calling the assertion "fake news," according to the Reuters news service. Russia's first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, tweeted that Moscow said Monday that the building had been taken over by Ukrainian troops, who were firing from it. "That's how fake news is born," Polyanskiy tweeted.

A Ukrainian serviceman stands on a captured Russian tank amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the north of the Kharkiv region, March 2, 2022. / Credit: Irina Rybakova/Press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces/Handout/Reuters

The Mariupol maternity hospital is one of 18 hospitals and ambulances that have been attacked in Ukraine, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. Those attacks have resulted in at least 10 deaths and 16 injuries, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

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"These attacks deprive all communities of health care," he said, adding that the "only real solution to the situation is peace."

But despite the strike on the hospital, cease-fires in a handful of major Ukrainian cities appeared to be largely holding Wednesday, allowing civilians to flee neighborhoods that have been pounded for days by Russian artillery. However, those still in the country are struggling to gain access to basic supplies, like water, food and medicine, and facing Russian airstrikes.

The U.S. and other Western nations have imposed harsh sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian oligarchs and Russian institutions in response to the invasion. But the Biden administration on Wednesday decided against helping Poland send its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. The U.S. feared that the move could be seen by Russia as escalatory, and did not want to risk sparking a larger war in Europe.

A U.S. official on Wednesday told CBS News that Ukraine does not currently need the MiGs, as its anti-aircraft defenses have been effective at keeping Russia from establishing air superiority. The U.S. will continue to send defensive assistance, like anti-tank weapons and air defense, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a press briefing Wednesday. Kirby also noted that Ukraine still has "several squadrons of fully missions capable aircraft."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki warned Wednesday that everyone should be "on the lookout" for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine. In a statement, Psaki said the Biden administration is taking note of what she called Russia's false claims about biological weapons labs in Ukraine.

"This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine," Psaki wrote.

The U.S. State Department also disputed Russia's claims, writing in a statement, "It is Russia that has active chemical and biological weapons programs and is in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention."

-David Martin contributed reporting.

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Nine people were killed and another person was wounded in a gun-battle in the central Mexican town of Atlixco, the governor of Puebla state said Wednesday.

Authorities suspect that the six men and three women who died belonged to rival criminal organizations, Gov. Miguel Barbosa told a press conference in Puebla city, the state capital.

While the investigation is in the early stages, the violence occurred in what appears to have been a location where illegal drugs were stored, he said.

Everything leads us to think it was an execution between bands of people who came to Atlixco to commit crimes, Barbosa said, vowing that his administration will do all it can to ensure public safety.

Last Thursday, four men and a woman were killed execution-style in Ciudad Serdan, Puebla.

After setting records in 2019 and 2020, homicides in Mexico declined slightly last year to 33,308.

Mexicans were shaken recently by a massacre in San Jose de Gracia, a town in the western state of Michoacan, where gunmen shot at least 11 people, removed the bodies, and cleaned up the scene to hamper investigators.
A massive Russian convoy that had been just outside of the Ukrainian capital has broken up, according to satellite photos cited by The Associated Press. The findings come as Russian forces continued their airstrikes on the port city of Mariupol on Thursday, the AP said.

The images, taken by Maxar Technologies, "showed that 40-mile (64-kilometer) convoy of vehicles, tanks and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, with armored units seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city," the AP reports. The artillery pieces have been moved into firing positions, the AP said.

The convoy had been outside of Kyiv since early last week, the AP reports. But Ukrainian forces, as well as reported food and fuel shortages, slowed the convoy's advance.

Meanwhile, Britain on Thursday accused Russia of a "war crime" for an attack the previous day on a children's and maternity hospital in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Ukrainian officials have said that at least three people, including a young girl, were killed in the strike, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky labelled an "atrocity" soon after it happened.

U.K. armed forces minister James Heappey said Thursday that regardless of whether it was "indiscriminate" fire by Russia into a built-up area or a deliberate targeting of a health facility, "it is a war crime."

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking alongside Poland's president Thursday in Warsaw, noted the attack on the hospital and said the world was witnessing "atrocities of unimaginable proportions in Ukraine."

"We stand with the people of Ukraine," Harris said after reaffirming America's "ironclad" commitment to defend NATO nations.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attends a news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda (not pictured) at Belwelder Palace, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Warsaw, Poland March 10, 2022. / Credit: Saul Loeb/Pool/REUTERS

Asked later if she believed Russia's actions should be investigated as possible war crimes, Harris said "when it comes to crimes and violations of international norms" the U.S. was "clear that any intentional attack on innocent victims is a violation."

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She said the United Nations had an established process to determine whether war crimes had been committed, and "absolutely there should be an investigation. The eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done."

An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs at the bombed maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022. / Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Speaking after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday in Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the claims of a Russian attack on a functioning hospital as lies and propaganda.

"It is not the first time we have seen pathetic outcries concerning the so-called atrocities" by Russia, Lavrov said, claiming the hospital was being used as a base by an "ultra-radical" Ukrainian battalion. He said Russia had submitted data to the United Nations "days ago" to prove its claim, and accused foreign media of manipulating information on the strike.

Lavrov claimed no patients or staff had been at the facility, which he insisted had "long ago become a base for extremists."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a news conference after meeting with his counterparts Ukrainian Dmytro Kuleba and Turkish Mevlut Cavusoglu, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022. / Credit: STRINGER/REUTERS

CBS News' Pamela Falk reported from United Nations headquarters that Russia's U.N. ambassador Vassily Nebenzia did tell Security Council members on March 7 that "locals" in Mariupol had reported "that Ukraine's Armed Forces kicked out personnel of natal hospital #1 of the city of Mariupol and set up a firing site within the facility."

Nebenzia offered no evidence to support the claim, and Russia has been accused for weeks by the West of making false statements to create a pretext for attacks in Ukraine.

Later on Thursday, Russia's Defense Ministry denied having attacked the hospital at all, accusing Ukrainian forces of a "staged provocation" at the facility.

"We lost three people, including a child, a girl. The number of wounded is 17. These are children, women, medical workers," Ukraine's Zelensky said in a video address on Thursday.

"This topic was mentioned on Russian TV," said Zelensky. "But not a word of truth was said. The Russians were lied to that there had been no patients in the hospital and no women or children in the maternity hospital. The Russians were lied to that 'nationalists' had allegedly taken up positions there. They lie confidently, as always."

CBS News senior foreign correspondent Charlie D'Agata said the massive airstrike on the hospital in Mariupol shattered a fragile cease-fire in the southern port city of Mariupol late Wednesday afternoon amid efforts to evacuate civilians from the besieged city.

Emergency teams and soldiers scrambled to evacuate the wounded, including pregnant women, from the hospital. The blast destroyed the complex inside and out, and the size and depth of the crater and the surrounding debris were clear evidence of its ferocity, D'Agata said.

Albania's Ambassador to the United Nations Ferit Hoxha, speaking Thursday to the Security Council, dismissed Russian allegations that the hospital was being used by any armed forces.

"What we saw were women in labor among rubble. We condemn this in the strongest terms. This is a crime which should not remain unpunished and no one should get away with crime," Hoxha said according to Falk.

Mariupol has come under heavy Russian bombardment for days, cutting off power and water to more than 400,000 people trapped in the city. Ukrainian officials say at least 1,200 civilians have been killed there since the war began, and images have shown city workers placing bodies into a mass grave.

A car burns outside the damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol, March 9, 2022. / Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Ukrainian officials said at least seven more civilians were killed in further Russian artillery attacks overnight, and the city council said on Thursday that the rocket fire continued, hitting more civilian infrastructure.

"Bombs are hitting houses," the council said in a social media post.

A video shared on the Telegram social media app by Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs and a former member of the Ukraine's parliament, showed what he said were fresh strikes hitting central Mariupol on Thursday.

An image from video shared on the Telegram social media app by Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs and a former member of the Ukraine's parliament, shows what he said were fresh Russian strikes hitting central Mariupol on March 10, 2022. BBC News said it had confirmed the location of the video as being central Mariupol. / Credit: Telegram/Anton Gerashchenko

"Russian occupiers continue to shell residential areas of Mariupol. The maternity and the children's hospitals are not enough for them, they want more victims among the civilians," Gerashchenko said in his post.

A humanitarian convoy trying to reach Mariupol was forced to turn back on Thursday because of ongoing fighting, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

After his discussion with Lavrov on Thursday, Ukraine's Kuleba said he was prepared to meet his counterpart again to "continue engagement" aimed at first establishing a cease-fire and humanitarian corridor for Mariupol, saying the city was at the epicenter of the humanitarian crisis in his country.

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Mar. 10JUNEAU  Alaska is preparing to join a global movement by corporations and governments to sell their investments in Russia as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine.

On Thursday, a committee of the Alaska House of Representatives is scheduled to consider legislation that would require the state to divest and would block future investments through the start of 2024.

Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, D-Sitka, leads the committee and is formally the author of the bill. He said there is broad support for quick action.

"It's a priority to move it through, but not at the expense of half-assing the policy," he said, explaining that legislators want to make sure that targeted action doesn't have unforeseen effects.

Alaska has no policies or laws that set political, social or moral guidelines for its investments, and the Alaska Permanent Fund has never before sold investments for political reasons, a Permanent Fund Corp. official said earlier this month.

"We want to really aggressively vet this legislation because of the lack of precedent and no prior action to learn from," Kreiss-Tomkins said.

As of Dec. 31, the state's various investment accounts  including the Permanent Fund  held $267 million invested in Russian funds or assets, said state Department of Revenue Commissioner Lucinda Mahoney.

The value of those investments has plummeted since the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this month, and they are a small slice of the state's estimated $130 billion investment portfolio. Elected officials say it's important for the state to join the economic pressure being placed on Russia.

[Russian attack hits Ukraine maternity hospital, injuring mothers and children, officials say]

While Gov. Mike Dunleavy has called for the state to divest from Russia, Mahoney told reporters this week that the Alaska Permanent Fund and state pension fund managers need legislation to take a political act.

"I believe it requires legislation, because both of those organizations are not able to make a social decision," she said.

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"I've been in contact with other states. And there are 27 other states that are currently either evaluating this or have already made decisions to freeze their state money and their pension funds, such that they do not go to Russian companies, Russian investments, or oligarchs," Mahoney said.

In prior divestment discussions, Alaska legislators have debated whether divestment is worthwhile if it costs the state investment earnings. The Alaska Permanent Fund is now the main source of general-purpose revenue for the state, with earnings paying for dividends and state services.

"It becomes a question of how you weigh the moral and political costs against potential economic benefit," Kreiss-Tomkins said.

The key difference between the current debate and prior ones, he said, is the extent of the Russian invasion, which is unprecedented since World War II.

"The scale of evil we're talking about is, in my mind, far greater," he said. "And so is the extent that it warrants action."
By Valerie Volcovici and Nichola Groom

(Reuters) - The U.S. oil industry and President Joe Biden's administration are clashing over who is to blame for tight energy supplies that have driven up U.S. pump prices to record highs.

Big Oil blames the problem on Biden's tighter regulations and push for renewable energy, which it says threaten to constrain output. The White House says the U.S. drilling industry is quick to ask for concessions but slow to open the spigot when consumers need it.

"What permits do they need? I don't think they need an embroidered invitation to drill," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a press briefing on Wednesday.

U.S. oil prices have surged in recent months due to a rebound in demand from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and supply disruptions from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. Even after falling sharply on Wednesday, U.S. crude settled at $108.70 a barrel, compared to about $75 at the end of 2021. [O/R]

On Tuesday, Biden banned U.S. imports from Russia, the worlds third biggest producer. Traders around the globe had already been shunning shipments from the country since it invaded Ukraine, an action Moscow calls a "special operation."

Retail gasoline prices in the United States spiked to a record $4.17 a gallon this week, posing a major problem for the administration as it battles inflation ahead of the November mid-term elections.

The American Petroleum Institute, which represents U.S. oil companies, took the opportunity in a press release on Tuesday to "urge policymakers to advance American energy leadership and expand domestic production to counter Russias influence in global energy markets.

Its time now for the administration to partner with domestic energy producers to leverage Americas ability to produce more oil and gas and focus on pro-growth policies to benefit our economy and the worlds security, said the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a pro-business lobby group.

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Oil executives this week mentioned another factor that has limited production but has nothing to do with government: pressure from shareholders to hold back spending on exploration and drilling and boost investor returns through share buybacks and dividends.

The Biden administration has said it wants to decarbonize the nations economy by 2050, in part by transitioning off fossil fuels. It has sought to suspend issuing new federal oil and gas leases while it studies their climate impacts, an effort that has triggered a legal battle.

It has also said over the last few days that its policies are not hindering the oil industrys production, noting this week that U.S. oil producers have more than 9,100 unused permits to drill on federal acres.

Drilling permits are still being issued for federal lands, according to Interior Department records, and the pace of approvals since Biden took office is faster than it was during the administration of Republican Donald Trump.

The administration noted that 90% of drilling takes place on private land that would be unaffected by delays in new federal leasing. It also said it wants more oil, not less.

"In this moment of crisis we need more supply," U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told attendees at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston on Wednesday. "Right now we need oil and gas production to rise to meet current demand."

Indeed, oil production in the country is on the upswing. The Energy Information Administration has projected U.S. oil production will hit a record over 12.2 million barrels per day in 2023 as drillers ramp up output.

WHERE IS THE CONSTRAINT?

The top five holders of unused leases on federal lands include EOG Resources, Devon Energy, Occidental Petroleum, ConocoPhillips and Matador Resources, according to energy research firm Rystad.

Four of the companies  EOG, Occidental, ConocoPhillips and Devon - declined to comment on whether they will raise production by tapping those unused leases. Matador did not respond to requests for comment.

EOG, the largest holder of unused permits with more than 1,000, said it's "standard practice is to maintain a healthy inventory of the permits necessary to provide flexibility for current and future development plans."

Labor and supply constraints can also make it difficult for companies to boost production beyond what they had previously planned, Occidental Petroleum Chief Executive Vicki Hollub said at the CERAWeek conference.

Occidental has more than 500 unused federal permits.

She added that oil and gas companies have been limiting costs and spending to return more cash to shareholders. "Capital discipline today for oil companies is basically no (production) growth," Hollub said.

Her view was echoed by another executive at the conference.

"As an industry, we can't lose sight of the returns," said ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance, and he also blamed the administration's "poor energy policy, poor regulatory policy" for creating the current squeeze. The company has nearly 400 unused federal permits.

For Jesse Prentice-Dunn, policy director for the Center for Western Priorities, this adds up to an oil industry dragging its feet, rather than an administration clamping down on drilling.

"The constraint is not access to public lands, it's that oil companies are prioritizing shareholders over consumers," he said.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom and Valerie Volcovici, additional reporting by Liz Hampton and Sabrina Valle; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Miguel Lo Bianco and Lucila Sigal

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine protesters burned tires, hurled stones and smashed windows outside the Congress building on Thursday, railing against a $45 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

As lawmakers inside debated the IMF bill, expected to be approved by the lower house in the early hours of Friday, thousands of people marched through the streets of the capital. There were pockets of violence and some clashes with police.

Protesters with drums chanted as others held signs saying "IMF out" and "No to the IMF deal." The staff-level agreement was struck by the government last week after over a year of talks and now needs congressional approval.

A few people set fires in the streets, including burning U.S. flags, while others set up giant letters spelling out "IMF" draped in stars and stripes, a reflection of how many people locally see the global lender and Washington, the IMF's largest shareholder, as intertwined.

"It is a colonization agreement, which can only bring more crisis, more adjustment, more poverty," said Romina Del Pla, a lower house lawmaker for the far-left Workers' Party. "It will herald the conditions for a popular rebellion."

Argentina faces some $18 billion in repayments to the IMF this year which it cannot pay after years of economic crisis, as well as inflation running at 50%, dwindling foreign currency reserves, and a weak peso propped up by currency controls.

Officials say the new deal, which replaces a failed $57 billion program struck in 2018, is key to averting default to the IMF. But it comes with economic targets, including reducing the country's fiscal deficit and cutting energy subsidies.

The IMF has a mottled history in the South American grains producing country, where many still blame it for pushing austerity measures that exacerbated a deep economic crisis in 2001-2002 that dragged millions into poverty.

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Presidential spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti said the deal was the "best possible solution" to the country's crisis and urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to get behind it.

"It is important to have this solution to avoid a catastrophe," ruling party deputy Sergio Massa, president of the lower house, told reporters on Thursday.

(Reporting by Miguel Lo Bianco; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Rosalba O'Brien)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is seeking to reschedule a summit meeting of its leaders with U.S. President Joe Biden, Cambodian and Indonesian officials said Thursday.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry explained in a statement sent Thursday that the proposed March 28-29 dates were not convenient for our leaders due to their respective heavy agenda. Cambodia is this years chair of the regional grouping, known as ASEAN.

The dates, which had been proposed by the U.S. for the special summit in Washington, would not allow all heads of government to attend, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said Thursday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

He said that Indonesia, as coordinator for ASEAN with the United States, is still seeking a suitable date for all parties.

The White House last month had announced the March 28-29 summit as an opportunity to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to the bloc and a chance to mark 45 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations. There was no immediate comment from Washington to the postponement announcements.

ASEANs 10 members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Its members have been at odds with each other over the crisis in Myanmar, which has been wracked by violent unrest since the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February last year.

ASEAN is seeking to implement a five-point plan for Myanmar it reached last year stressing dialogue, humanitarian assistance and an end to violence. But the ruling military council of Myanmar has delayed the plans implementation even as the country has slipped into a situation that some U.N. experts have described as civil war.

Myanmars lack of cooperation led ASEAN last year to bar its leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, from attending its annual summit meeting, an unprecedented step for the body. It has applied a similar policy for subsequent meetings, saying that it would allow Myanmar to send only non-political representatives.

The deadlock over Myanmar is almost unprecedented for the grouping, whose members have traditionally avoided public criticism of each other and operated by consensus.
A brother of Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was fatally shot by an officer during the Capital riot, is accused of yelling racial slurs and assaulting a Latino traffic controller in San Diego.

Roger Stefan Witthoeft Jr. was arraigned last week on charges of committing battery, with a hate crime enhancement, and violating the victims constitutional rights by threat of force, San Diego City Attorney Mara W. Elliott announced.

The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported the relation between Babbitt and Witthoeft, citing public records and a business lawsuit in which they were co-defendants. Witthoeft identified himself as Babbitt's brother to The New York Times last year.

The incident happened in September, when a San Diego Gas & Electric worker told Witthoeft that he would need to take a detour, authorities said.

Witthoeft "exited his pickup truck and verbally and physically confronted the worker, a Latino man," said a statement from Elliott's office.

"Witnesses told police that Witthoeft shouted a number of racial slurs at the worker, as well as variations on, Why dont you talk in English you ... immigrant? and Go back to your country you ... immigrant, the statement said.

Prosecutors said witnesses also told investigators that Witthoeft challenged the worker to fight him and then shoved the worker and swung at him.

Witthoeft's trial is scheduled for next month. The Union-Tribune reported that he is being represented by a public defender. The San Diego County public defender's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was a security forces controller who served multiple Middle East tours from 2004 to 2016, according to Air Force records.

In recent years, she had posted numerous messages on social media indicating she was an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump and a follower and promoter of many well-known radical conservative activists, as well as leaders of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement.

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Syndication: Wilmington News Journal (Adam Monacelli / USA Today Network)

Babbitts death has been promoted as an unjust killing by some on the far right who have sought to downplay the violence at the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and they have demanded that the identity of the shooter be publicly released. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., has said Babbitts death was an execution, and he accused the officer who shot her of lying in wait to shoot her.

The Capitol Police officer, who shot Babbitt as she and a mob of other Trump supporters tried to forcefully enter the Capitol, was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Justice Department.
The Biden administration will extend its travel mask mandate through mid-April as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention crafts new guidance for masking on transportation services.

An administration official told POLITICO on Thursday that the Transportation Security Administration directive  set to expire this month  will stay in effect through April 18 so the CDC can work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor.

This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science, the official said. We will communicate any updates publicly if and/or when they change.

White House spokesperson Kevin Munoz confirmed the news on Twitter.

Earlier this month, Jeffrey Zients, coordinator for the administrations Covid-19 response team, and Rochelle Walensky, head of the CDC, said passengers should still expect to don masks on transportation despite restrictions easing across the country. Regardless of vaccination status, federal guidance currently stipulates masks must be worn while riding on a bus, train, traveling on planes, and at stations or ports.

The mask mandate goes hand-in-hand with the Federal Aviation Administrations zero-tolerance policy. Under the FAA order released last year, as long as the TSA mask order remains in effect, zero-tolerance for unruly passengers  those who verbally or physically assault air crew  is also expected to stay in place.

The airline industry in recent weeks has pushed to drop the mask mandate, citing more sophisticated air filtration systems on board aircraft that help clear airborne particles.

In a letter sent to Zients last month, Airlines for America, which represents major U.S.-based carriers, renewed its petition to ditch a policy requiring predeparture testing for vaccinated individuals traveling to the United States. It also asked the administration to develop benchmarks and timelines for a pathway to the new normal that repeals pandemic-focused travel restrictions by June 1.

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A4A did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest guidance extension.

Other groups from the travel industry, particularly flight attendants, have said an extension of the mask mandate is a logical step until vulnerable populations can get vaccinated  most notably children under the age of 5.

"We have every expectation that the mask mandate will be extended for the near term," the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in February. "The layered approach to safety and security includes masks. Its also critical that we maintain passenger confidence in the safety of air travel."
President Biden is facing intensifying pressure from his own party to stop deporting migrants under a pandemic-era border restriction that top Democrats in Congress on Thursday forcefully denounced as an "inhumane" Trump administration relic that skirts U.S. asylum laws.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined other Democratic lawmakers in urging Mr. Biden to halt the expulsion policy, which has allowed U.S. border agents to expel migrants over 1.6 million times in two years. He called the policy, known as Title 42, an illegal program with "disastrous" consequences for asylum-seekers.

"Now, more than a year since the Biden administration took office, it's unacceptable that this policy continues to be used indiscriminately to remove migrants with valid refugee claims from our southern border," Schumer, a New York Democrat, told reporters during a call hosted by advocates for migrants.

Under Title 42, migrants are rapidly expelled to Mexico or their countries of origin without being allowed to request U.S. protection. Like the Trump administration, the Biden administration has argued the policy is needed to minimize the risk of coronavirus outbreaks inside border detention facilities.

To make his case, Schumer on Thursday cited the story of Sofiia, a Ukrainian mother who was turned back at the U.S. southern border on Wednesday. "This is not who we are," he said.

Sofiia and her three children  ages 14, 12 and 6  left Ukraine after Russian forces attacked late last month, fleeing to Moldova and then to Romania, according to the family's lawyer, Blaine Bookey. The family then flew to Mexico and tried to seek U.S. asylum at the port of entry connecting Tijuana and San Diego.

The family hoped to reunite with relatives in California. But they were turned back by U.S. officials at the port of entry multiple times, said Bookey, who accompanied the family during one of the attempts on Wednesday.

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Ukrainian citizens walk along with an advocate (R) on the Mexican side of the border after being rejected from entering the United States under Title 42 by Customs and Border Protection authorities, at the San Ysidro crossing port, in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on March 9, 2022. / Credit: Guillermo Asias/AFP via Getty Images

"I spoke with the CBP supervisor, who told me Title 42 is in place and there are no exceptions, and unless they are told otherwise from someone on high, she will not be getting in," Bookey, an attorney with the California-based Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, told CBS News.

Sofiia and her children had to return to their Tijuana hotel on Wednesday night. But after lawyers publicized the family's plight and implored administration officials to allow the family to request asylum, Sofiia and her children were allowed to enter the U.S. on Thursday, Bookey said.

Bookey said the way the U.S. initially treated the family contradicted the Biden administration's vocal support for the more than 2.3 million people who have fled the conflict in Ukraine over the last two weeks.

"How can the administration express support for Ukrainians and provide protections to Ukrainians, and then at the same time keep in place this policy that has no basis in public health, violates our laws and puts people in these dangerous conditions?" Bookey asked.

Still, Bookey said Sofiia and her children were relatively lucky, noting that many migrants she recently met in Tijuana, including a Haitian mother with three children, have been blocked from requesting U.S. refuge.

Along with growing Democratic criticism, the Biden administration's continuation of Title 42 has been complicated by two dueling court rulings last week that could prompt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to modify, or even scrap, the public health order authorizing the expulsions.

Last Friday, an appeals court in Washington, D.C., barred U.S. officials from expelling families with children to countries where they could be persecuted or tortured, while a federal judge in Texas ruled that the administration could not continue exempting unaccompanied children from the expulsions.

The first ruling is not set to be binding until next month, but the second one is slated to take effect on Friday and could force the administration to revive the Trump-era practice of expelling unaccompanied minors.

The Justice Department has yet to appeal either ruling or request their suspension. Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees border agents, did not explain how they plan to comply with the rulings or respond to Democratic criticism of Title 42.

Representatives for the CDC, which is supposed to decide whether to keep, change or terminate its Title 42 order by early April, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Asylum seekers wait to be processed by CBP, next to the border wall between Mexico and the USA on February 21, 2022 in Yuma, Arizona, United States. / Credit: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Considering the recent rulings, the Biden administration should end Title 42 altogether and stop defending it in federal court, said New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez has asked the CDC for a briefing on Title 42, but the agency has yet to schedule one, a spokesperson for the senator told CBS News.

"Expelling children is not who we are as a nation," he said during the call with Schumer.

While they have criticized other pandemic restrictions, Republican lawmakers have strongly backed Title 42 and would likely criticize the Biden administration for ending the policy. In fact, they have accused the administration of not using Title 42 broadly enough, criticizing the release of some migrants allowed to stay in the U.S.

But Menendez said Title 42's termination would align with the recent relaxation of other pandemic restrictions, such as mask mandates. He said officials may have had some "space" early on in the administration to enforce Title 42 due to the lack of vaccines and other pandemic conditions. But "that space is now closed," he said.

"That pandemic, by the administration's own actions, is now in a different phase," Menendez said. "In my mind, that also means that Title 42 should be in a different phase, a phase that ends."

Jussie Smollett reacts to jail sentence in hate crime hoax case

Jussie Smollett sentenced to jail time in hate crime hoax

Colombian president discusses meeting with Biden, country's refugee policies
WASHINGTON  Lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled a $13.6 billion Ukraine aid package that took President Joe Bidens request for weapons and training for Ukrainian forces and put it on steroids.

Part of a sweeping $1.5 trillion measure to fund the federal government, the $13.6 billion package would buy $3 billion in new weapons for Ukraine, instead of the $1.5 billion in new weapons included in Bidens $10 billion request. Its a win for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who pleaded with U.S. lawmakers in a Zoom call Saturday for more support as his country fights a Russian invasion.

We are all deeply moved  we cant stay away from the TV and watching what is happening in Ukraine, House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said in a statement. This bill responds to Russias unprovoked ... invasion of Ukraine with $13.6 billion in emergency assistance to support the people of Ukraine and their neighbors.

With the West unifying behind Ukraines fight, the White Houses initial $6.4 billion ask on Feb. 25, the second day of the war, grew with pressure from lawmakers to a $10 billion request on March 3. After lawmakers met virtually with Zelensky on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday the aid would exceed $12 billion.

The next day, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., hailed Schumer for working in good faith to accommodate my request that the funding bill significantly increase the security assistance drawdown fund available to the president and to backfill our DoD stockpiles that are helping our friends in harms way.

By that time, a growing sense of urgency had gripped Capitol Hill.

In the briefings we were getting before this started, we were hearing it would be a matter of days, Kyivs going to fall, said one House Republican aide who was not authorized to speak on the record. The Russians obviously thought that, and we kind of did too, and I think with the bravery of the Ukrainian people, that theyre fighting and the resilience theyre showing, its really inspiring folks.

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At the McAleese and Associates conference Wednesday, Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord expressed gratitude to Congress for augmenting the package. Congresss big move was to increase Bidens presidential drawdown authority to send weapons from U.S. military stocks to Ukraine.

The thing that increased the Ukraine supplemental from the $10 billion that was asked for to the [$13.6 billion] we got was really in presidential drawdown authority, he said, calling it a very hopeful sign of broad bipartisan support.

Beyond funding military aid for Ukraine and NATO allies and the U.S. militarys ongoing troop deployments, theres billions more for federal agencies to provide economic and humanitarian aid and enforce stiff sanctions on Russia.

More broadly, defense-related spending in the omnibus bill would rise by $42 billion over last years level of $782 billion. And Republicans succeeded in making sure the Ukraine package did not eat into the Pentagons share of the omnibus.

The Ukraine package, provides critically needed emergency assistance for our allies that are resisting Russian aggression in Ukraine without decreasing base defense funding by a single dollar, Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said in a statement.

Pentagon revisiting long-term US troop levels in Eastern Europe

The aid package contains $3.5 billion for weapons and training for Ukraine through flexible Pentagon operations and maintenance funds. The account can last through FY24 and be used to backfill stocks of U.S. equipment and training provided to Ukraine (some of which was already sent), provided the Pentagon notifies Congress at least 30 days before, the bill language says.

According to Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis and of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the abnormal amount of discretion Congress would approve speaks to the unpredictability of the crisis.

Theyre not putting tight limits on it, and DoD will have to report back on how its being used, but its a really broad authority, Harrison said. It shouldnt be surprising because its impossible to know what the U.S. is going to need to transfer to Ukraine and then what of these things that we transfer do we have to restock.

Oversight provisions require the Pentagon and State Department to submit a report on U.S. and foreign assistance to Ukraine and plans to replenish U.S. and NATO stocks sent to Ukraine  as well as a classified report describing Ukraines security needs and formal requests for aid.

The U.S. has already committed $1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine over the last year. Since September, thats included Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles, grenade launchers, and more than 2,000 tons of ammunition including mortar and artillery rounds, small arms and machine guns, DoD officials say.

The $13.6 billion package includes $650 million to build up the forces of Ukraine and Eastern European NATO countries through the State Departments foreign military financing program. The idea is that some of those countries, which have sent U.S.-supplied weapons to Ukraine, would be able to use the funding to replace them.

It also authorizes $4 billion in loan guarantees, as a means to help NATO allies replace their Russian-made military equipment.

Other funds would cover Pentagon costs since the U.S. activated some 14,000 troops in support of NATO countries, spread from Estonia to Romania. Americas F-35 joint strike fighters, AH-64 Apache helicopters, KC-135 Stratotankers and RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft have also been deployed as part of the deterrence effort.

Met virtually this morning with President @ZelenskyyUa, who is bravely defending his peoples sovereignty against Putins unprovoked invasion.



As Defense Chairman, Im working hard to get Ukraine more military and humanitarian aid to respond. #StandWithUkraine   Senator Jon Tester (@SenatorTester) March 5, 2022

Along these lines, package met the White Houses request for more than $2 billion in operations and maintenance costs, and $200 million in personnel costs, which have both been largely been borne by the Army.

Lawmakers also met the White Houses request, in procurement accounts, for military cybersecurity and weapon systems upgrades, mostly in the Air Force, totaling about $228 million. More than $100 million in research and development funding corresponded with a White House request for artificial intelligence-algorithm development, cybersecurity, and other information technology requirements, to include classified programs.

The fundings not only a sign the U.S. militarys cyberspace operators are at work, but to Harrison, a sign the budgeting processs spending categories are obsolete in the computer age.

A example of the ridiculousness of it is that you are funding activities to support ongoing conflict, ongoing operations, and you need to put it in the same accounts as funding for basic research going on at a university lab, he said.

The military personnel and operations-and-maintenance funding lines would expire Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year, while some procurement funding runs through FY24 and other research, development test and evaluation funding runs through FY23.
When President Joe Biden decided to withdraw the U.S. military from Afghanistan last year, much of America's news media came down on him like a ton of bricks. Republicans piled on, calling the withdrawal an unmitigated disaster.

But getting out was the right move.

In fact, the real mistake was the opposite: The Biden administration did not end the war, but continued it by other means, which are turning out to be more violent and destabilizing. The economic sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies are causing widespread, severe hunger in this desperately poor country.

$7 billion in central bank reserves

Unless those sanctions are soon reversed, it is estimated that more people will die from the economic impact of sanctions over the next year than the number who died in 20 years of war.

An Afghan child in a hospital malnutrition ward in Kabul on Feb. 24, 2022.

The most destructive economic sanction is the U.S. confiscation of more than $7 billion in international reserves belonging to Afghanistans central bank. The reserves are needed for essential imports such as food and medicine, but also for the central bank to play its normal role in maintaining a functioning financial system and economic stability.

Aid groups trying to distribute food and save peoples lives cannot in many cases move the necessary funds, and the health care system has been collapsing.

Live war: As Putin terrorizes Ukraine, Russians like me flee his totalitarian crackdown at home

World Bank data released last month shows that food prices increased at an estimated 40% annual rate since August, putting food out of reach of many poor Afghans.

Children 'at risk of dying due to severe acute malnutrition'

As a result of all this economic disruption, including the loss of billions of dollars of aid, 22.8 million people  more than half the population  are facing acute food insecurity. They include a million children under 5 "at risk of dying due to severe acute malnutrition," according to UNICEF.

It is not clear why the Biden administration has imposed such devastating sanctions on Afghanistan. The sanctions do not seem to be directed at overthrowing the Taliban. Rather, it could be that the Biden administration, after its bad political experience with the military withdrawal, does not want to take the risk of appearing to be soft on the Taliban.

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Humanitarian aid distribution center for families in need in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Feb. 16, 2022.

This is a political miscalculation as well as a moral one. The lethal effects of U.S. sanctions in other countries have been mostly ignored because the sanctions have been widely misunderstood as punishing governments, rather than whole populations. But the case of Afghanistan is beginning to correct this misunderstanding.

The most influential humanitarian organizations are explaining the grim chain of causality in public.

David Miliband, former British foreign secretary and head of the International Rescue Committee, which has 3,000 staff in Afghanistan, told the U.S. Senate last month: The proximate cause of this starvation crisis is the international economic policy which has been adopted since August, and which has cut off financial flows not just to the public sector, but in the private sector in Afghanistan as well.

At the same hearing, Graeme Smith of the International Crisis Group told senators: You need to address the reason why people are hungry, which is the collapse of the economy mostly due to Western economic restrictions.

Families of the victims of 9/11

On Feb. 11, the Biden administration issued an executive order to allocate Afghanistan's central bank funds: Half of it ($3.5 billion) would be for the benefit of the Afghan people, and the other half would be for families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, pending the outcome of legal claims.

In other words, none of the $7 billion Washington is holding would be returned to the central bank. Therefore, it continues the destruction of the Afghan economy and the resulting mass starvation. No amount of foreign aid will make up for that, and so far, its not clear how the Afghan people will benefit from the $3.5 billion reserved for them.

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As for the pending lawsuits, this appears to be a political distraction. The legal issues are not at all clear and could take years to resolve. How many poor people in Afghanistan should die to protect the U.S. government from the possibility that it could end up with a tiny addition to its budget for this compensation? Some relatives of 9/11 victims who have spoken publicly about these questions have said, emphatically, that they dont want to take any money away from people in Afghanistan.

Fertile ground for terrorists

Human Rights Watch immediately criticized the executive order, noting that the restrictions on the banking system are intensifying the countrys already serious human rights crisis. Other groups and experts concerned with humanitarian issues joined in.

Afghan children at a refugee camp in Herat province on Feb. 20, 2022.

If Afghanistan continues to descend into a nightmare of starvation, suffering and death, the Biden administration will not escape blame for this, as well as for the refugee crisis. More than a million Afghans are estimated to have fled since August.

U.S. Army Col. Vindman: I think about my mothers grave in Kyiv

The Biden administration also will be blamed if the result is a failed state that allows for the establishment of a center for terrorist activity and recruitment, as happened in Syria when the Islamic State emerged there. Nearly 50 members of Congress warned Biden in a letter that economic collapse in Afghanistan due to U.S. sanctions could create ungoverned spaces, and enable resentment against the U.S., producing fertile ground for groups like ISIS to gain strength."

Of course, the most important reason to end this nightmare is that these sanctions are threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions, of innocent people.

But if there are people in the Biden administration looking at this in strictly political terms, the political risks of destroying the Afghan economy are much greater than any potential fallout from Republican complaints about returning these reserves. Which, after all, belong to the central bank and the Afghans.

Mark Weisbrot is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C.

The sooner this is done, along with unfreezing money from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the sooner the economy can recover  as David Beasley, the head of the World Food Program, has noted. And more civilians  especially children, who are disproportionately killed by severe food shortages  will live.

Mark Weisbrot is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. He is also the author of Failed: What the Experts Got Wrong About the Global Economy.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden's economic sanctions on Afghanistan punish starving civilians
Trump's Immigration Order and Christianity

Debate has raged since President Donald Trump announced his executive order temporarily banning entry to the United States of residents from seven Muslim-majority countries. This involves a temporary halt in the United States refugee program.

When it resumes, Christian and other non-Muslim minority groups stand to gain significantly. This represents a stark turnaround from the Obama administration's increasingly liberal approach to the refugee intake which in practical terms ended up favouring Muslim refugees.

There have been mass protests across the United States and around the world against the Trump executive order. Among the protesters have been many Christian individuals and groups, who argue passionately that refugee policy should not discriminate on the basis of religious affiliation.

The arguments offered by such Christian critics of the Trump executive order basically address two themes. First, the Christian call to love our neighbors does not discriminate according to religion, so we should not select those whom we will assist according to religion. Second, the argument is offered that privileging Christian refugees to the United States may well produce a negative backlash against Christian minorities in the Muslim world.

The first argument has a superficial appeal on a biblical basis. The message of the Gospels is indeed one of care and compassion for all, not just for those who share our faith. Nevertheless, the message of the Gospels is also about wisely seeking ways to shape a better world and central to that is the concept of proclamation of the Gospels. That is very difficult to do in areas densely populated by Muslims, whether in Muslim-majority countries or in the West.

One does not need to look very far in the West to find the poisonous fruit of overly-liberal immigration and refugee policies. Muslim communities have grown in northern England, southern Sweden, Denmark, across France, in areas of Germany, Holland and so forth. Where this has happened stories rapidly emerge of ghettos hostile to outsiders (including Christian missionaries), where oppressive cultural practices flourish -- of which women are the most common victims -- which become scenes of intra-Muslim communal rivalry and conflict, sometimes according to ethnicity, other times according to particular Islamic ideological leaning.

Simply put, the arrival of Islamic minority communities in the West has not been a happy story. Muslim minority communities have not settled well in western locations, with a key reason being that there is usually an assumption among these communities that the majority should adapt to them, rather than a reverse process of integration. Indeed, the very word "integration" has come to represent something undesirable.

It might be different if Western governments were willing to engage in a process of social engineering, where integration of newly-arriving Muslim minority communities was achieved, through deliberate policies of dispersal and government-induced interaction with majority society at all levels. But such policies are unlikely to be adopted in our multicultural times. That being the case, then importation of large numbers of Muslim immigrants into Western societies is an unwise move -- Germany will pay a heavy price in terms of social fragmentation in years to come. In short, Christians should show care and compassion for Muslims, but that does not mean that non-Islamic majority countries should become increasingly Islamic in the process.

The second argument is based on the age-old tactic of scaremongering. If we privilege Christians in our immigration program in the West, then Muslims might take it out on Christian minorities in the Muslim world. The problem with this argument is that some Muslims have been doing this to their Christian minorities for the last 1400 years. There have been periods of relative stability and harmony between Christian and Muslim communities in the Middle East. However, history shows that when Muslim-majority societies have fallen on hard times, religious minorities have borne the brunt of Muslim discomfort both through legislated discrimination and community-level intimidation.

Put another way, one should not refuse to assist a relative who is suffering on our doorstep for fear that somebody down the road might be angry if we do provide such assistance. The fact is that Christians from the Middle East are the co-religionists of the majority of most western countries. Christians in the West should not apologize about helping out their religious brothers and sisters who are in need.

President Trump will attract a lot more flak over his executive order in months to come. Perhaps there are ways that it can be more tidily designed and implemented. But he has got the fundamental principles right. Majority Christian nations should adopt immigration policies which preserve and protect their own harmony and social cohesion and they should help out their Christian brothers and sisters. The best way to do this is to prioritize Christians in refugee policy.
The family of the student who was found dead in a Tesla he rented has launched a fundraising campaign to help cover arrangements for his funeral.



Former University of San Francisco student Christopher Liang, 21, made headlines last week after his family declared him missing. According to his older brother Jerry, Christopher had set out on an "erratic" and "impulsive" road trip on Feb. 28 and never returned home.



On Saturday, Christophers body was discovered inside a Tesla he rented that reportedly crashed on Panoche Road near Californias city of Los Banos. It remains unknown how exactly he died.



During the period of several days when Christopher was purportedly missing, Jerry documented the ordeal on Instagram.



"The erratic nature of this trip combined with his mental health issues has made our family extremely concerned for his safety," he wrote.



He also noted that he was concerned about his brothers safety, as this was the first time his brother had driven since he got his license in March, and Christopher had never booked a hotel before.



Christophers family has set up a memorial for him at Saint Ignatius Church in San Francisco on Thursday.



Jerry has since created a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe, asking for financial support reuniting with their parents and sister from China.



"In addition to funeral costs, we hope to raise money to reunite our family soon in the United States," he initially wrote. "The trip will be for my college graduation (delayed until this spring by the pandemic) and my brothers college graduation, during which I will walk for him."



He later lowered the goal amount and updated the campaign to just seek help flying to China instead of flying the rest of his family to the U.S. He also mentioned that he will use a portion of the fund to honor his younger brothers life and legacy.



Chris had an incredibly challenging upbringing, but it didnt stop him from being himself, Jerry wrote. He loved and shared his truth with others wholeheartedly and unapologetically. Unfortunately, he died at a young age before he could see the love and truth he sent out in the world come back to him. My heart shatters and goes up in flames for what could have been.



As of this writing, Jerrys crowdfunding campaign has raised over $16,000 out of its $22,000 goal.



Featured Image via Jerry Liang

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Burnley captain Ben Mee is not fit to return against Brentford at the weekend (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Wire)

Burnley captain Ben Mee is not fit to face Brentford in this weekends crunch relegation clash.

The centre-back missed last Saturdays defeat to Chelsea with a shin injury and has not recovered in time for the trip to London.

Ben Mee is going to need a bit of time, certainly not a few days, but hopefully not too long, said manager Sean Dyche.

The break will benefit him. We thought it was a knock (but it is) a very tiny hairline kind of situation on his fibula, which is non weight-bearing, but it still needs taking care of.

Its a real blow to him and a blow to us because we thought it was just a knock and its ended up being more than that, though its not anything too drastic.

It just needs a little extra time to calm down.
Shattered glass and debris are seen in a hallway of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, 2021, the day after a pro-Trump mob broke in and tried to stop the certification of the presidential election. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

The governing board that oversees security improvements to the U.S. Capitol refused to disclose to a government watchdog what improvements are being made after rioters were able to smash windows and enter the building Jan. 6, 2021, according to a watchdog report released Thursday.

The Los Angeles Times obtained a copy of the report detailing the inspector general's attempts to get information in advance of its release.

In October, a Times investigation found that windows broken Jan. 6 were not reinforced during previous upgrades, making them particularly vulnerable to the mob. Other windows in the building and surrounding office buildings were upgraded to be shatterproof or bulletproof in the years after Sept. 11, 2001, and those survived the melee.

At the request of a member of Congress, Architect of the Capitol Inspector General Christopher P. Failla was investigating why some windows were vulnerable, and what security upgrades had been made since.

Failla was initially told the architect "could not respond to these questions without compromising physical security and classified programs, disregarding the Inspector Generals statutory authorities to receive all requested information regardless of classification," according to the report.

His questions were referred to the three-member Capitol Police Board, made up of the architect of the Capitol, the House sergeant at arms and the Senate sergeant at arms. The board has final say over security changes at the Capitol, and it did allow the architect to provide some information, but Failla maintained that the incomplete answers hindered a more thorough examination of the related subject matter.

"We found that while all windows damaged on January 6, 2021 have been repaired, there are further security enhancements and repairs needed for U.S. Capitol windows," Failla said in a letter to



Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton that accompanied the report.

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The U.S. Capitol should have consistent ballistic protection for all windows and entrances, he recommends in the report. The Capitol Police Board, including the architect, should also consistently upgrade its security strategy to address potential threats, not just respond to incidents that have recently occurred.

A spokesperson for the current chair of the board, House Sergeant at Arms William Walker, said Thursday that he was traveling and unavailable to comment.

Congress oversees the board, though it has operated largely autonomously for years until questions rose about its failures on Jan. 6. Its meetings are not open to the public, and no government inspector general has direct authority to examine its decisions.

A spokesman for the House Administration Committee, one of two committees that oversee the board, indicated that Chair Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) expects the board to comply with the watchdog request.

"Chairperson Lofgren believes every organization should promptly cooperate and assist with all accredited investigations related to improving security at the United States Capitol, spokesman Peter Whippy said.

Government inspectors general are tasked with identifying and investigating fraud, waste and mismanagement within government. Congress created the architect of the Capitol inspector general in 2007. Its reports are often made public and include a list of recommended solutions. Reports containing classified or highly sensitive information are often produced for lawmakers and others in power to review, but are not made available to the public.

The Times investigation found that the majority of the Capitols 658 single-pane windows were quietly upgraded during a 2017-19 renovation. Original wooden frames and glass were covered with a second metal frame containing bomb-resistant glass.

But planners skipped about a dozen ground-floor windows, including some located in doors, because they were deemed to be low risk in the event of implosion, largely due to their discreet or shielded location, or because the building couldnt structurally handle the load of the heavier frames. Some windows on the second and third floors of the building, considered low risk for implosion, were also not reinforced.

Several of the vulnerable ground-floor windows and two glass-paned doors  protected by only a thin ballistic film added after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks  became easy entry points for rioters on Jan. 6.

Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger told reporters in January that windows would be upgraded at the Capitol this spring but provided no details of the location of the windows or to what standard windows would be updated.

Though Blanton, the architect of the Capitol, told House Appropriations Committee members days later that windows would be improved, the three-member Capitol Police Board would not give the architect inspector general any proof of new security measures being included in the new windows, including how the windows being replaced will be reinforced, or if they even will, the report stated.

Failla said that the board also did not provide information about how it would mitigate potential threats during the upgrade process. When he asked the architect to detail what would be considered in deciding whether to upgrade the windows  for example, the frame's ability to hold heavy ballistic, bulletproof or shatterproof glass; or preserving the aesthetics of a historic building  he was told the Capitol Police Board considered "multiple factors" in its assessment.

The board and architect of the Capitol officials also did not answer the inspector general's questions about window security upgrades after Sept. 11, 2001, and a spate of high-profile security incidents on Capitol grounds in 2017.

"They did not disclose this information or identify which windows at the U.S. Capitol were reinforced and to what level they were reinforced before the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021," Failla said in the report.

A fence currently blocks access to the vulnerable windows on the Capitol's West Front, which were replaced with glass of unknown quality after the riot. Scaffolding has been erected against the building behind the fence.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Daily Beast

Claudio Peri/Pool/ReutersROMESince the beginning of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has floated the idea that he wants to take a trip to Kyiv to try to broker a ceasefire. But now he says he would prefer to go to Moscow to try to talk some sense into Vladimir Putin, who he has not outwardly condemned in the now nearly three-month-old war and only did so lightly in a lengthy interview with an Italian newspaper.I feel that before going to Kyiv, I must go to Moscow, he told Corriere D
HAMILTON, N.Y. (AP)  Tournament MVP Jack Ferguson scored 17 points, Nelly Cummings added 15 and Colgate turned away a late Navy push to win the Patriot League championship game 74-58 on Wednesday and return to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

Tucker Richardson scored 12 points as did Jeff Woodward, who grabbed eight rebounds. Oliver Lynch-Daniels added 10 points, all in the first half, for the Raiders (23-11), who won their 15th straight game, the third-longest active win streak in the nation.

Greg Summers had 18 points and eight rebounds, Tyler Nelson added 11 points and John Carter Jr. 10 for the Midshipmen (21-11), who were playing in their first league championship game since 2001.

Colgate led 40-22 at halftime and seemed to have the game well in hand, leading by 22 midway through the second half when Navy went on a 16-0 run led by seven points from Sean Yoder to get within six with six minutes remaining. While the Midshipmen were shooting 5 of 7 the Raiders missed five straight shots and had three turnovers.

Colgate responded by outscoring Navy  which then had its own spate of turnovers plus five straight misses  14-4 over the the final six minutes.

Now its a return trip to the NCAA tournament

"It's what kids grow up dreaming about myself included," said Colgate coach Matt Langel. So these guys work tirelessly for that opportunity. Theyve had a little bit of a taste of it before. Its part of why, you know, a couple of them came back for another run at it and so itll be another tremendous experience.

The teams exchanged baskets to open the game before Colgate went ahead for good. Navy stayed within single digits before Colgate finished the half on a 17-5 run in which five Raiders scored.

Colgate shot 56%, over 20% better than Navy, was 8 of 17 from the arc and had a 19-3 bulge in points off turnovers. The Raiders made 20 of 28 free throws to Navy's 8 of 13. Three Midshipmen fouled out.

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Colgate beat the Midshipmen by 19 in their first meeting this season but by only five in the teams' regular-season finale. The Raiders have won seven straight in the series.

The victory was the third in five straight championship game appearances for Colgate.

__

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Cue the klieg lights  the Baltimore version of Star Search is underway.

Three of the states largest arts institutions are looking for new leaders with a talent for making magic on stage or in a gallery, the charisma to summon donations with the flick of a baton, and the wisdom and humility to strengthen their institutions relationship with the surrounding community.

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The American Visionary Art Museum is almost finished with its search and could announce a new executive director within a month. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is nearly midway through a series of live auditions and has invited several candidates back for a second look. And the Baltimore Museum of Art is at the very beginning of what could be a yearlong quest.

Because all three organizations solicited applications from diverse candidates, theres a chance that once the dust settles, Baltimore will have two or even three new cultural leaders who are people of color. They would join Stephanie Ybarra, artistic director of Baltimore Center Stage and the first Latina head of a major U.S. regional theater company and Julia Marciari-Alexander, the first woman to lead the Walters Art Museum.

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Some arts experts say this particular moment represents a rare opportunity to send a message to Baltimores Black population that they are valued members of the arts community.

[ The replacements: How the search for new leaders is going at three arts organizations in Baltimore ]

It would change the dynamic to show that African Americans have a role to play in museums and symphony orchestras, said Jacqueline Copeland, chairwoman of the Maryland State Arts Council and former executive director of The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture.

Black arts leaders bring a different lens to the experience of attending a concert or visiting a museum, she said. They know which artists of African descent and female composers have been overlooked by history and how to tell their stories. They will be sensitive to the time were living in now and what is going on globally.

Ramping up the stakes, all three groups are seeking replacements for bona fide visionaries: AVAMs Rebecca Hoffberger built a successful museum from the ground up and without the help of the art world establishment. The BSOs Marin Alsop lead the symphony to new artistic heights while pioneering a program to use music to help kids escape poverty. And over a whirlwind six years, Christopher Bedford began transforming the BMA into a tool for advancing racial equality.

Rebecca Hoffberger, Christopher Bedford and Marin Alsop.

Those are three hard acts to follow, Copeland said. Baltimore will be lucky to find new leaders with the same visionary qualities.

Because these are arts groups, what matters more than anything to many search committee members is identifying candidates who can create dazzling art. But thats merely the first threshold applicants must cross.

What someone does on the podium is still the most critical factor, said Tonya McBride Robles, the BSOs chief operating officer. But to become music director of a major American orchestra in 2022, its not enough to be great with a baton. Supporting fundraising is a prerequisite, and so is connecting with an audience.

Eric Conway, chairman of the Morgan State Universitys Fine and Performing Arts Department and director of its renowned choir, doesnt entirely agree.

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He thinks its conductors personal aura, their star quality, that fills seats, even more than the caliber of the music they create. In Baltimore, which is nearly two-thirds Black, a talented and magnetic conductor of color could exert a powerful appeal, he said.

The reason patrons come back week after week is because of the person on the podium, said Conway, who was a pianist for the BSO from 1993 to 2002. If the right charismatic African American conductor were hired, it could energize a new demographic of concertgoers in Baltimore.

AVAM search committee member Peter Bain said that diversity is built into the museums mission to showcase artworks created by self-taught painters and sculptors who operate on societys fringes.

Intuitive and visionary artists very frequently come from challenged and disadvantaged backgrounds, he said. A drive for social justice comes out of visionary art. Diversity is at the very core of what we do.

Even if the groups make it a priority to hire leaders of color, it wont necessarily be easy. The list of diverse candidates who check off all the right boxes  for example, a doctorate in art history or previous experience leading a smaller orchestra  is small. At least two Baltimore groups, the BMA and BSO, will face fierce competition from the glut of high-profile symphonies and museums internationally also searching for new leaders. (AVAM is such an idiosyncratic institution that it doesnt really have rivals.)

Last fall, the online magazine artnet.com documented 22 art museum director openings in the U.S., including at such major institutions as the nearby Philadelphia Museum of Art. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art searched for a director of color for a year before hiring the Scottish-born Bedford, who has an established record of advancing diversity initiatives but does not belong to a racial or ethnic minority.

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Meanwhile, a promising African American music director candidate the BSO was considering, Ryan Bancroft, will become chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in the fall of 2023.

Clair Zamoiski Segal is co-chair of the BMAs search committee with Darius Graham. Shes already thinking about how the BMA can maximize its chances of hiring the candidate of its choice in a job-seekers market.

Were keeping an eye on that situation, she said. Were hoping there will be lots of good candidates interested in putting their credentials forward.

Copeland hopes Baltimore will soon have three new racially diverse leaders. But she cautioned that would just be a first step.

Board members and audiences should not expect the institutions to continue doing exactly the same things theyve always done, except with a person of color in a leadership role, she said.

You will have opened your eyes and invested in change, and you will have invited that person to lead you into the future.

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Acknowledge it and embrace it.
Mar. 10LOS FRESNOS  Nicholas Ruiz is having an incredible year.

His spotted calf "Max" has already won Grand Champion in two livestock shows, and now he's looking forward to the upcoming "Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo" in Mercedes.

Nicholas, 13, and his family have been working with Max for several months, but he wasn't sure how the now-celebrated calf would perform at show.

Max, however, came through for him in a big way.

"I was just really happy about his behavior," said Nicholas, a seventh grader at Liberty Memorial Middle School in Los Fresnos.

Max won his first Grand Champion at the Sonny Brazil Stock Show Feb. 5 in San Antonio.

He quickly followed up with an encore performance Feb. 18 at the Cameron County Fair and Rodeo in Los Fresnos.

Nicholas began participating in livestock shows about three or four years ago in response to his uncle's influence.

"My uncle introduced me to it because it's his favorite thing to do, he raises cattle," Nicholas said.

Quickly, though, Nicholas found a personal joy in the livestock show experience and pursued it in earnest.

"I enjoy the work," he said. "I like the way they change their behavior."

Nicholas did well last year with one breed champion win, but he's having a truly banner year in 2022.

So what changed?

"This year we did a showmanship camp that taught a lot of different techniques for showing," he said. Obviously it worked: Max has performed very well under Nicholas's thorough attention to techniques he learned at the camp.

He's been working with a total of four animals, and Max has outshined the others.

But he and his family exercised considerable disciple in working with them all.

"We have been working with them almost every day," he said. "We have been brushing them, bathing them and clipping them to make sure their hair is nice."

Nicholas recognizes very well the benefit livestock show has had on all aspects of his young life.

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"It's taught me responsibility and work ethics, just being there and taking care of the animals," he said.

Those crucial tools have empowered his academic life and his participation in athletics.

"I am in all honors classes so they have high expectations," he said. "I don't want to disappoint anybody."

He's certainly not disappointing anyone.

He was fourth in his sixth-grade class last year, and this year his lowest grade has been an 83. He's definitely a front runner for the top spot for this year's seventh grade class.

In the midst of all his hard work in class and livestock show, he also played football and basketball this year and he's looking forward to playing golf in the spring.

So, he's managed to succeed in multiple activities and disciplines, and such a regimen is enough to scare many adults by the mere suggestion.

But at age 13 he's doing it and quite well.

He gave special thanks to his parents, extended family and teachers for their support and direction.
MUNCIE, Ind.  The Indiana Court of Appeals has rejected a Delaware County man's bid for a new murder trial.

Jess David Woods  now 70  in 2009 was convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the May 1993 shooting death of 29-year-old Teresa French.

French, the mother of three children, was slain in the garage of her family's Cromer Avenue home. Authorities said the victim's estranged husband, Anthony, had hired Woods to kill his spouse.

Delaware Circuit Court 3 Judge Linda Ralu Wolf sentenced Woods, most recently of the Daleville area, to 100 years in prison.

Wolf last year rejected Woods' bid for post-conviction relief in the form of a new trial.

Woods contended police had not pursued evidence that Anthony French had committed the slaying, and also said hearing problems had prevented him from assisting in his defense at trial.

For subscribers: Ex-Democratic Party chief Phil Nichols strikes deal in federal corruption case

In a 3-0 decision this week, the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected Woods' appeal of Wolf's 2021 ruling.

The court ruled "the depth and breadth of evidence implicating Woods' guilt presented at trial" made it unlikely any changes in defense strategy would have resulted in his acquittal.

The panel also noted Woods had never told Judge Wolf he was unable to hear testimony at his trial, and a defense attorney had testified the defendant commented on the testimony of others during the proceedings.

Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman  who as a deputy prosecutor participated in Woods' trial  on Thursday noted Woods "referred to his female victim and all other women as 'scum.'

"However, his misogynistic, violent and brutal actions show who the 'scum' really is. ... It is comforting to know that the only way Jess David Woods will ever get out of prison is in a pine box."

Woods  incarcerated at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City  has a projected release date in March 2058, when he would be 106 years old.

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Another jury in 2008 found Anthony French guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The Muncie man, now 60, was later sentenced to 80 years in prison by Robert Barnet Jr., Wolf's predecessor on the Circuit Court 3 bench.

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Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Indiana Court of Appeals rejects Delaware County killer's new trial
Delaware State Police are investigating after a 72-year-old Milton man suffered a "medical event" in their custody and later died.

Police went to Old Inlet Bait and Tackle Shop, near the Indian River Inlet at 25012 Coastal Highway, at about 10 a.m. Wednesday after learning Stanley Bradley was there. Bradley was wanted on an outstanding warrant for second-degree rape involving a child and "was very cooperative and was taken into custody without incident," Master Cpl. Heather Pepper said in a news release.

Bradley was placed in the front seat of a police car, with one detective driving and the other in the back seat, according to Pepper. As they drove north on Route 1 to Troop 3 in Camden, around Johnson Road in Lincoln, Bradley requested they pull the car over because "he thought was suffering from a medical event," Pepper said.

The officers "immediately pulled over and both exited the vehicle to check on Bradley, who was now unconscious," Pepper said. One called 911 and the other performed CPR until EMS arrived and took Bradley to Bayhealth Sussex Campus, according to Pepper.

POLICE: 55 people charged in huge Sussex County heroin operation linked to multiple drug overdoses

He died there at about 6 p.m.

"Bradley had a long medical history and had been hospitalized multiple times during the last year for cardiac issues," Pepper said.

His body was turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science and, according to Pepper, the medical examiner ruled Bradley died from natural causes, pending a toxicology examination.

"There was nothing suspicious and no signs of trauma found during the investigation," she said.

Delaware State Police continue to investigate, pending the toxicology results.

MORE: What police say happened outside a Magnolia house party that left 1 dead, 2 charged

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Man wanted in child rape case dies of 'medical event' in police car
Patricia Lorraine Barnes

A cigarette butt left at the scene of an unsolved Kitsap County homicide in 1995 provided the DNA that Kitsap County Sheriff's Office detectives used 27 years later to identify the man they believe shot 61-year-old Patricia Lorraine Barnes multiple times in the head before leaving her body in a ditch in South Kitsap.

The Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday that DNA collected from Barnes' body as well as from the sleeping bag where she was stuffed on Aug. 25, 1995, before her remains were left in a ditch on the 15000 block of Peacock Hill Road in South Kitsap matched that of Douglas Keith Krohne, who died in 2016 in Nogales, Arizona.

The 27-year-old homicide case was reopened by detectives in April 2018, one of 18 unsolved murder cases the office decided to take on.

"The linchpin in this case for me was that a cigarette butt was found at the body dump location with the same DNA (as three items on or within the body)," KCSO Detective Mike Grant said.

Douglas Keith Krohne

On Aug. 25, 1995, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office deputies and detectives responded to the Peacock Hill Road location after a passerby found human remains in a ditch alongside the road.

Kitsap's unsolved murders: Visit our database of cold cases

The body was identified as Barnes, a Seattle resident, a homeless woman who bounced between shelters in Seattle and frequently stayed around the Pioneer Square area, according to Kitsap Sun archives.

Barnes had lived in homeless shelters in Pioneer Square and was known as the "towel lady" because she often wore a towel or bandana around her head, according to an article about her death in The Seattle Times.

Barnes had been shot twice in the head, found without clothing and partially covered by a sleeping bag in the ditch, Grant said. Barnes' pink curlers were found near the body. Her clothes were never recovered.

Patricia Lorraine Barnes

The Kitsap County Coroner's Office determined the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds to the head and the manner of death was homicide.

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About 130 individual evidence items were collected at the scene where Barnes' body was located. Detectives published an artist's drawing of a "person of interest" last seen with the victim, but agencies weren't able to identify a suspect at that time. The investigation eventually stalled.

After deciding to reopen the case in 2018, detectives reviewed the evidence and photographs from the scene, re-interviewed detectives previously assigned to the case, and sent the physical evidence to Washington State Crime Lab as well as two private forensic laboratories in Texas and Florida for DNA testing.

A sketch of the suspect was drawn based on a witness' description of the last known person seen to be with Patricia Lorraine Barnes.

On Dec. 22, 2021, one of those private labs  Othram Labs Inc.  provided the name of a potential candidate for the DNA that KSCO believed to belong to the suspect. The name was discovered after advanced forensic genealogy processes were completed by the private lab, including searching genealogical databases for genetic relatives to a DNA profile for an unknown suspect.

Based on this information, KCSO contacted the Nogales Police Department in Arizona and Pima County Medical Examiner's Office to inquire about the name provided by the lab, and it was determined that the person had died of accidental causes in 2016.

On Feb. 7, the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab concluded that the DNA of the subject who died in Arizona was Douglas Keith Krohne. Krohne was identified as matching the suspect profile in the murder of Barnes.

The relationship of Krohne and Barnes remains unknown, Grant said.

Crimes that haunt community: Unsolved murders cast shadow over past decade

According to Kitsap Sun archives, Barnes was in the downtown Seattle area with a 30- to 35-year-old white man when the two told another man that they planned to eat at Courthouse Park and then go to Federal Way.

Krohne had previous addresses in Seattle and Tacoma. He would have been 33 at the time of the murder in 1995. Krohne has a criminal history in Washington state, including five felony convictions. One was a 1984 conviction for first-degree robbery. He was also arrested in 1994 in Pierce County on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Robert Lee Yates, a serial killer who was previously rumored to have murdered Barnes, was excluded as a suspect in the case. Yates was stationed in Alabama at the time Barnes was murdered, according to the sheriff's office.

Reach breaking news reporter Peiyu Lin at pei-yu.lin@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter @peiyulintw.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to kitsapsun.com today.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Cold case: DNA yields answers in unsolved 1995 Kitsap County murder
Leonardo DiCaprio, SXSL, Barack Obama, Climate Change





Leonardo DiCaprio is giving a boost to several humanitarian aid groups that are working to support Ukraine but denies reports of a $10 million donation.

The 47-year-old Academy Award winner has given money to charitable organizations including CARE, the International Rescue Committee and Save the Children, a source close to the actor told ITK on Wednesday. He's also donated to the U.N. refugee agency, where he serves as a messenger of peace.

Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine beginning last month, DiCaprio has been "watching things unfold and wanted to support Ukraine best he could," the source said.

But the DiCaprio insider denied false reports that claimed the performer had family ties to Ukraine and that he made a $10 million donation to assist the country's military.

The "Don't Look Up" star "will continue to support the humanitarian groups on the ground helping the people of Ukraine," the source said. "He stands with Ukraine."

DiCaprio isn't the first Hollywood figure to support humanitarian work amid the ongoing conflict.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher announced last week that they would match up to $3 million in donations to aid Ukrainian refugees.
Walt Disney Co. on Thursday said it would "pause" all of its businesses in Russia in response to Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"Given the unrelenting assault on Ukraine and the escalating humanitarian crisis, we are taking steps to pause all other businesses in Russia," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement.

The move comes after Disney last week said it would pause the theatrical release of movies planned for Russian cinemas, including Pixar's "Turning Red."

Disney's businesses in Russia include the licensing of content and consumer products, cruises, National Geographic magazine and tours, local productions and television channels, Disney said.

Burbank-based Disney is the latest global company to cease operations in Russia during Putin's war as businesses further isolate the country and governments in the U.S. and Europe impose sanctions. McDonalds and Coca-Cola are among businesses that have shut down in Russia during the backlash against Putin's attack.

Netflix recently said it would not comply with a law that would require the streaming service to carry Russian federal television channels, including Channel One and programming from the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia. Apple said it would end all product sales in Russia and limit Apple Pay and other services in the country. Universal Music Group has also said it would cease operations in Russia.

While some of Disney's business activities immediately shut down, others, including channels and some licensing, will take longer because of contractual issues, the company said. Disney workers in Russia will remain employed.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
And you thought D.J. stood for Donald John.

Appearing on the Full Send podcast, Donald Trump boasted about his ability to pick good music, particularly when its party time at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The former president revealed the go-to single that really gets them rockin is the Village People tune YMCA, which he calls the gay national anthem.

Trumps revelation was served with a word-salad after one of the podcasts hosts asked him if he spins records while entertaining.

I love music, Trump began. I have an aptitude for music, can you believe that? During you know, over our lives, we take tests and aptitude tests and all this  Ive always had a high aptitude for music. But I love great music.

When asked to give examples, Trump rattled off a couple show tunes, then gave a shoutout to the 1978 Village People anthem frequently heard at his rallies.

I love Broadway stuff and you know, Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis, etc., he said. You know what really gets em rockin? YMCA.

Lyrics to that hit song include the lines Young man, theres a place you can go, I said, young man, when youre short on your dough.

Village People singer Victor Willis, who performed the song dressed as a police officer, asked Trump to stop using his music in 2020 when Black Lives Matter protesters outside the White House were tear-gassed by authorities before the former president posed outside a church holding a Bible. That didnt seem to sour Trump on the bands signature song.

YMCA, the gay national anthem, he said on the Thursday podcast. Did you ever hear that? They call it the gay national anthem. But YMCA gets people up and it gets them moving.

Trumps comments got the attention of LGBTQ Nation, which claimed he was telling the truth, then noted that a huge crowd gathered outside the White House when he lost the 2020 election and chanted YMCA.
Pose Bakery in Owings Mills is famous for its cheesecakes. This is the Black Bottom cheesecake. March 8, 2022 (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)

A lot of things we think of as new trends in the food world are really just old ideas, gussied up. Take ghost kitchens, or restaurants that operate without a brick-and-mortar space. With the help of delivery apps, the concept has taken off in recent years, particularly during the pandemic.

Lois Posey Gibbons started a ghost kitchen before ghost kitchens were cool. The founder of Mrs. Poses Bakery in Baltimore, she began selling homemade cheesecakes at Loves, the restaurant where she worked as a waitress in the 1950s.

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Cheesecake was not a common thing in Baltimore restaurants at the time, and Gibbons dessert took off.

Pose Bakery in Owings Mills is famous for its cheesecakes. Here, Mitchell Tobias, a long-time employee, uses a crumb flattening machine to smooth the crumb layer of a Black Bottom cheesecake. March 8, 2022 (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)

It flew out the door, so she started making more, said Susan Harris, Gibbons daughter, 66, who took over the business in 1995. My grandfather bought her a station wagon to do her deliveries in. Her cheesecake was soon on the menu at the Prime Rib and at restaurants in Little Italy. When she was swamped with orders, she paid friends to borrow their ovens, according to her obituary. Gibbons died in 2020 at age 93.

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Mrs. Poses Bakery eventually found its own home in Milford Mill, and over the years expanded to offer several varieties of cheesecakes and black bottom cupcakes. Its been primarily a wholesale business, with a small storefront where people could pick up individual cheesecakes.

Among the customers was Shelbie Wassels mother. Anybody my age who grew up in the area, its a part of our childhood, said Wassel, 66.

Last year, Wassel became one of the new co-owners of Mrs. Poses Bakery when she purchased the business from Harris. Wassel and her team moved the shops operations from the aging facility where it had been located since the 1970s to a newer space in an Owings Mills industrial park. There, staff are hard at work fulfilling orders for clients including Tarks Grill and area Ledo Pizzas, the yummy smells of butter and chocolate filling the air.

Dish Baltimore Weekly Get the scoop on that new restaurant, learn about chef changes and discover your favorite new recipe. All your Baltimore food news is here. >

In addition to the wholesale kitchen, the new owners are adding a cafe space that Wassel hopes will serve customers during the week and host weekend tea parties and bridal showers. Painted bright pink, its decorated with crafts from her home and an assortment of fine tea cups donated from friends. And Wassel, who previously ran a catering company in Owings Mills, is perfecting a new gluten-free cheesecake crust plus some possible additional flavors.

Theyve also changed the name. Now its just Pose Bakery.

Harris, who uses the last name Posey professionally, will stay on to help out with the day-to-day operations, but had some mixed feelings about giving up her role as owner. It was emotional for me. I was happy to be done, but I was also sad to be done, she said. This was a family business since 1961, and I broke it.

But you sold it to such charming people, Wassel said, smiling innocently. Well, most of us.

Milk & Honey shuts Pigtown shop

Vagrant Coffee shut down its Milk & Honey Market in Pigtown last week, in part due to a worker shortage, says events director Christopher Santiago. Its just been a struggle to actually get staffing, he said. At the same time, Vagrant has been expanding its events operations, which include a traveling espresso bar that can be hired for weddings and corporate functions. Were focusing on that.

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What is Baltimore pizza?

Tyler James Williams stars as new teacher Greg Eddie - the character who's favorite pizza is Baltimore pizza - in ABC's 'Abbott Elementary.' (Prashant Gupta / TNS)

There was a bit of chatter on social media last week on the topic of Baltimore pizza, after a character on the popular new ABC comedy Abbott Elementary claimed to only like pizza from Charm City. A well-meaning colleague then surprised him by saying hed gotten a pizza from Baltimore, extra crunchy and wet.

Were not sure what thats all about but we do have some favorite pizza spots in Baltimore. Heres our most recent list of the Top 5. Whats your take on Baltimore pizza? And where can I sample it? Send suggestions to ctkacik@baltsun.com.
Mar. 9Austin Irby's destiny revealed itself when he was just a child watching old movies on television when a black-and-white film from 1957 literally rocked his young world.

"Jailhouse Rock" showcased the talents of a musical icon from Tupelo, Miss., who is known to millions worldwide, but how could a 10-year-old boy have known that?

"We were watching TV and 'Jailhouse Rock' came on. I was just mesmerized," Irby, 26, told The News on Tuesday. "I thought, this guy is just incredible. The whole package  the moves, the voice, the presence. I said, 'I want to do what he's doing.'"

Irby will be the first to tell you that nobody can do what Elvis did. But he and 23 other Elvis tribute artists will be giving it their best beginning Thursday in downtown Brunswick at the Ritz Theatre. The Georgia Tribute Festival runs through Sunday, with matinee and evening Elvis tribute shows daily.

As in past years, Elvis sightings will abound in downtown Brunswick, including free tribute artist concerts in the city's popular downtown squares.

This celebration of all things Elvis has played out in Brunswick since 2013.

The winner of this year's tribute festival contest will go on to represent the Peach State in the 35th Images of the King World Championship in August in Memphis, Tenn.

Alex Mitchell was judged the Georgia Tribute Festival's champ in 2020, but he is more interested in winning the hearts of the Elvis fans who will gather for the shows this week.

"I can count on one hand the overall contests I've won, but more times than I can count I've won the fan favorite (award)," said Mitchell, 27. "At the end of the day, the opinion of the fans means a lot more to me than a judge's decision. If it wasn't for y'all, I would be playing dress-up in the dark."

Like Irby, Mitchell's Elvis calling came at a tender age. The Conway, S.C., native was first introduced to the King's music at an Elvis tribute event when he was 11 years years old.

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"I saw all these tribute artists and from that point on I was hooked," Mitchell said. "I was like, wait, this is a job? You can get paid to do this?"

With singing chops like Mitchell's, plus a respectful and diligent devotion to the legendary man behind the tribute craft's mythical idol, the answer to that last question has been a resounding yes. Mitchell performs Elvis tributes up and down the Eastern Seaboard, on Caribbean cruise ships and even out in Vegas.

"Once you put that suit on, it's like a light switch cuts on, and it's showtime," Mitchell said. "I love it. I've had a blast. Even though it's my job, it's never felt like one."

Mitchell is partial to Elvis's Vegas era of the late 1960s and early '70s, with the flashy suits and martial arts-inspired stage moves. Plus, he said, the latter era broadens the spectrum of the repertoire to everything from 1969's "Suspicious Minds" to early rockers like 1956's "Heartbreak Hotel."

"I like Vegas Elvis because he was just so relaxed and so together," Mitchell said. "And when you do that, in the concerts of that era he's still singing all his early stuff from the 1950s."

A testament to the young leading man in that old black-and-white movie that first hooked him, Irby is a fan of the gritty early Elvis era that shaped a musical genre with hits like "That's All Right" and "Hound Dog."

"My favorite? Man, it's really hard to tell," Irby said. "But if I had to pick a favorite, as far as watching him, I would have to say the early years. Because it was so raw back then. 1956 for sure."

But if it were just a love of Elvis and his music, anybody could be a tribute artist. Growing up in Honea Path, S.C., Irby was singing gospel and playing guitar in the family church by the time he could tie his own shoes. He has been channeling Elvis through that fine-tuned voice since he was a teenager.

He performed in the first Georgia Tribute Festival in Brunswick at 16 years old in 2013 and has returned to participate every year since.

"When I'm on stage, I try to get as close as I can to the real Elvis," Irby said. "It consists of a lot of work between the hairspray and the gels and makeup. But when I'm off stage with my fans, whether I'm in costume or not, I'm just me."

Mitchell takes a similar approach to his craft. In addition to Elvis, he has been known to croon such iconic artists as Tom Jones, Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra.

"I was born entirely in the wrong generation," Mitchell said with a laugh.

Both performers express a genuine regard for Elvis the human being, a man of humble beginnings who always treated his fans with gratitude and generosity.

"I think there's a fine line there," Mitchell said. "It's got to be more than just a novelty. Even when I'm on stage, I don't refer to myself as Elvis. I just refer to myself as Alex Mitchell. But I don't think this is something that's ever going to go away."

Not as long as there are artists like Mitchell and Irby keeping the memory of Elvis Aaron Presley alive for the fans who find his legacy timeless.

"The fans love us for loving Elvis and we love them for loving Elvis," Irby said. "We are, first and foremost, Elvis fans."

For more information, call 888-406-5885 or go to www.tributefestival.rocks/georgia.
By John McCrank

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The euro retreated from its overnight gains on Thursday following the European Central Bank's announcement it will phase out its stimulus in the third quarter, while the dollar strengthened after a strong U.S. inflation report.

The statement from the ECB, which left the door open to an interest rate hike before the end of 2022 as soaring inflation outweighs concerns about the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, briefly sent the euro higher, before market sentiment turned negative.

"The euro got a double whammy, from what is still a relatively dovish ECB - lower growth obviously - and with the higher inflation the market is really starting to price in a rate differential between the dollar and the euro," said Boris Schlossberg, managing director of FX strategy at BK Asset Management.

The ECB is trailing other major central banks such as the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of England in the post-pandemic tightening cycle, which has also weighed on the single currency.

The euro touched a 22-month low of $1.0804 earlier in the week, with investors expecting the crisis in Ukraine to have a sizeable impact on European growth. The single currency is widely seen as a gauge of Europe's biggest security crisis since 1945.

Recent speculation that EU leaders were considering joint bond issuance to finance energy and defense spending have, however, given the euro some support. EU leaders were meeting on Thursday in Versailles, west of Paris.

At 3 p.m. Eastern time, the euro was down 0.83% at $1.0985, after having jumped 1.6% on Wednesday, its best day in nearly six years.

The Fed is expected to raise rates by at least 25 basis points when it meets next week.

"Our base case scenario is still for the Fed to be the most hawkish central bank in the developed world and that should support the dollar at the margin," said Bipan Rai, North American head of FX strategy at CIBC Capital Markets.

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The dollar index was up 0.547% at 98.506, after falling 1.17% on Wednesday.

Data on Thursday showed that U.S. consumer prices surged 7.9% year-over-year in February, culminating in the largest annual increase in 40 years.

Inflation is poised to accelerate further in the months ahead as Russia's war against Ukraine drives up the costs of crude oil and other commodities.

Commodity-linked currencies, such as the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar, and the Canadian dollar, were up on the day, with the Aussie up 0.58%, the Kiwi up 0.49%, and the loonie up 0.37%.

Bitcoin tumbled nearly 6.02% to $39,434, erasing most of its gains from the previous day when an executive order from U.S. President Joe Biden requiring the government to prepare reports on the future of money calmed market fears about an immediate regulatory crackdown on cryptocurrencies.

(Reporting by John McCrank; additional reporting by Julien Ponthus in London; Editing by Sam Holmes, Richard Pullin, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Alex Richardson and Jonathan Oatis)
By Sabrina Valle, Marcy de Luna and Arathy Somasekhar

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine is reviving a debate on whether natural gas is a climate friend or foe, as Europe's energy crisis triggers urgent calls for U.S. and Middle East gas producers to rush new supplies to market.

Once considered the cleaner-burning fuel compared with coal and oil, gas lost its luster over growing recognition of production and transportation leaks that contribute to global warming. However, it has reclaimed some of its allure with major consumers turning back to burning even dirtier coal and oil.

Energy executives and government officials gathered at the CERAWeek conference in Houston this week said global security would be stronger if gas was more readily available, and used Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and Europe's dependence on Russia's gas to press their case.

Gas prices in Europe have spiraled due to concern Moscow will cut supplies in retaliation for sanctions imposed for its actions in Ukraine, which it calls a "special operation".

A year ago, Europe viewed gas as a fossil fuel ready to be phased out in favor of renewables, said Meghan O'Sullivan, director of the Geopolitics of Energy Project at Harvard University's Kennedy School.

"That's changed very much ... this geopolitical earthquake has made the Europeans shift their viewpoint," she said on Wednesday at CERAWeek.

UNCERTAIN TRANSITION

The head of the largest U.S. natural gas producer, EQT Corp, called on the United States to quadruple its gas export processing capacity to 55 billion cubic feet per day to help speed an end to coal use and Russia's grip on Europe's energy supply.

The plan would bolster U.S. energy producers and "provide energy security to the world," EQT Chief Executive Toby Rice told Reuters, referring to the Russia turmoil that has upended stock and energy markets.

His views were echoed by energy ministers and executives, who said at CERAWeek that Europe's energy crisis and uncertainly over supply was forcing some countries to revive oil and coal-fired power plants.

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That shift to dirtier fuels "shows the complexity and uncertainty of the energy transition," said Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hagiuda Koichi. He urged his colleagues not to underestimate the need for gas as renewables are brought into the mainstream.

MOMENT OF CRISIS

"We are on a war footing," said U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who has previously laughed at the notion she should have a plan to encourage U.S. output, "and in this moment of crisis we need more supply."

Environmentalists countered that the latest supply shock and economic hit from high prices highlight the need to accelerate the development of and support for renewables, and rejected efforts to use carbon capture to reclassify gas as a green fuel.

"So-called 'natural' gas releases enormous amounts of climate-disrupting greenhouse gases and puts communities at serious public health risk," said Patrick Grenter, a Sierra Club clean air campaigner. "No industry spin can change the fact that methane gas is a fossil fuel."

Twinning gas with solar and wind offers a way to ensure stable energy supplies and battle climate change, said U.S. officials, including U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency head Michael Regan.

"If we are going to continue to rely on natural gas to supplement renewable energy in the future, we want the technology to ensure that gas is as clean as possible," Regan said on Thursday.

Kerry earlier in the week told the conference natural gas could serve as a "bridge fuel" to a renewables-heavy future.

"Gas is sometimes attacked," added Thomas Maurisse, vice-president for liquefied natural gas (LNG) at France's TotalEnergies . "But we can't forget that energy is needed" and it can be used to complement intermittent solar and wind.

Charif Souki, chairman of U.S. LNG developer Tellurian, which will soon start construction on its first export plant, agreed.

"Natural gas is now considered a green commodity," he said. "That's cool."

(Reporting by Sabrina Valle, Marcy de Luna, Arathy Somasekhar and Liz Hampton in Houston; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Marguerita Choy)
By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former Canadian government official has been extradited to the United States to face criminal charges alleging he deployed ransomware known as "NetWalker" to target companies, municipalities, hospitals and law enforcement during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Justice Department said that Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, 34, of Gatineau, Quebec, was extradited on Wednesday after he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida.

Prosecutors said Vachon-Desjardins is accused of launching a series of ransomware attacks between April and December 2020.

During a search of his home in January 2021, investigators found and seized 719 bitcoin, which is valued to be worth more than $28 million.

Vachon-Desjardins already faced parallel criminal charges in Canada earlier this year, including mischief in relation to computer data, extortion, unauthorized use of a computer and participating in a criminal organization, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

He pleaded guilty to three of those four charges on January 31, 2022. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

According to a LinkedIn profile for a Sebastien Vachon that appears to match his description, he previously worked as an IT consultant for Public Works and Government Services in Canada.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; additional reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By Samuel Shen and Xie Yu

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's securities regulators are gathering information from futures brokerages about their clients' short positions in nickel to prevent spillover risks from rocketing prices this week, three people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

The London Metal Exchange intervened on Tuesday to calm the nickel market after prices hit records of more than $100,000 a tonne as Western sanctions threatened supply from major producer Russia.

In China, the Shanghai Futures Exchange suspended nickel trading on Thursday after the metal surged for three days in a row. The exchange would resume trading of some of its nickel futures contracts from March 11.

As a result of the sharp price swings, local bureaus of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) have asked future brokers to submit information about how many of their clients have short nickel positions, said one of the sources.

The regulators have also asked the futures brokers in their jurisdictions to submit information about their hedging status, and whether they have nickel for delivery, the source said.

It was not immediately clear what action might be taken, if any, after those details are submitted.

"Regulators are worried," because if their clients cannot meet margin calls, brokerages would need to make up for the shortfall, the second source said.

CSRC, which supervises the futures exchange, did not respond to a request for comment.

All the sources declined to be named as they are not authorised to talk to media.

A separate source at a major futures brokerage said the firm was directly approached by the Shanghai Futures Exchange and was asked about risk-management measures, as well as about some of its big clients trading nickel and coal.

CSRC's health check on futures brokerages comes as China's banking regulators also reportedly requested lenders report overseas exposure as part of efforts to contain possible fallout from volatility in global commodity prices.

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In China, "the violent price movements of futures' contracts are likely to expose brokerage companies to losses," said Wang Yunfei, an analyst with ShenYin & WanGuo Futures Co, a Shanghai based futures broker.

"Losses could quickly exceed the deposits held in a broker's account if, say, prices of nickel keep surging. If a client fails to top up the deposits, while the broker fails to close the positions in time, the latter might have to bag losses."

In the most actively traded nickel contracts, Guotai Junan Futures, Citic Futures, and Ruida Futures held the biggest short positions on Shanghai Futures Exchange, according to data on Wednesday.

China's securities regulators have access to market data including daily trading volumes, short and long positions held by each brokerage company for a particular contract.

But they are likely trying to know more about specific betting strategies placed by major investors, as they try to take early actions and avoid concentrated bets burning brokerage companies, industry insiders said.

In developed markets, "futures brokerages would conduct careful credibility check on clients," said the second source.

"In China, opening a futures account is relatively simple," making brokerages more vulnerable, the source added.

(Reporting by Samuel Shen in Shanghai and Xie Yu in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Elaine Hardcastle)
By John Geddie and Poppy McPherson

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has urged Myanmar's former ambassador to leave the official London residence where he has continued to live since he was ousted for criticising last year's military coup, citing pressure from the junta, according to emails seen by Reuters.

Kyaw Zwar Minn was locked out of his embassy last April by his own staff after calling for the release of Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, detained alongside most of her government in the Feb. 1 coup.

The coup sparked international outrage, sanctions against Myanmar's military, including from Britain, and a mass uprising in which hundreds have been killed.

Since his ouster, Kyaw Zwar Minn has stayed at the northwest London residence, a mansion surrounded by razor wire and CCTV cameras, refusing to hand it back to the embassy which he says is now run by representatives of an illegitimate government.

"We are under considerable pressure from the military regime to resolve the issue of your continued presence in the Myanmar Residence," a senior foreign office official said in an email sent to Kyaw Zwar Minn on March 4.

The correspondence, which dates back to October last year, repeatedly urges Kyaw Zwar Minn to leave the house, saying his presence there poses legal problems for Britain and risks to its staff in Myanmar.

Britain's Foreign Office did not directly answer questions on the correspondence. A spokesperson for the ministry said Kyaw Zwar Minn took a "brave stand in support of democracy" and that Britain had provided "significant support" to him to build a life for his family in the UK.

Kyaw Zwar Minn, who was Myanmar's ambassador to London for around seven years, declined to comment on the email exchange but told Reuters he would not leave the house until Suu Kyi was released or a legitimate Myanmar government was established and recognised by the UK.

Myanmar's junta did not respond to a request for comment.

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The battle over the house has "huge diplomatic significance" as Myanmar's junta seeks international recognition, a rights group said.

"It (the house) belongs to the people of Myanmar ... not the illegal junta whose failed coup is destroying the country," said Chris Gunness, director of the Myanmar Accountability Project.

"LEGAL DIFFICULTIES"

Britain is among several Western countries that have called for democracy to be restored in Myanmar and sanctioned members of Myanmar's military and some of its business interests.

Deposed Myanmar politicians who escaped arrest after the coup, and other pro-democracy allies, formed the National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel administration aligned with Suu Kyi.

Most democratic nations, including Britain, have not formally recognised either the NUG or the junta.

In July last year, Myanmar's junta appointed a new temporary head of its London embassy and Britain appointed a new ambassador to Myanmar.

In October, Britain's foreign office wrote to Kyaw Zwar Minn saying his continued presence in the embassy-owned London residence was causing "significant legal difficulties" for Britain. It did not specify the difficulties.

"We do not think it is tenable for you to remain there," the foreign office said.

Kyaw Zwar Minn replied that he would only hand over the property "to the legitimate, elected government of Myanmar, not to the military".

In another exchange in late February, more than a year after the coup, Kyaw Zwar Minn said he would not move out until Suu Kyi, who is facing decades in prison on multiple charges brought by the junta, was released and a "legitimate" government formed.

Alternatively, he said, he would hand it over to the NUG if that government was recognised by the UK. The NUG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Additional reporting by William James; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Over the course of several months, Zobeyda Zoe Esquerras stalker pounded on her door and window in the middle of the night and vandalized her car. He smashed her vehicles window, let the air out of its tires, poured acetone on the paint and, finally, used a road flare to set it on fire.

I feel like I am next, she told a Livingston police officer in October.

On Tuesday night, Esquerra was in the parking lot of the OReilly Auto Parts store on Geer Road in Turlock, waiting to pick up her boyfriend from work, when a man walked up to her and shot her multiple times, killing her.

Juan Francisco Ibarra-Tapia, the same man who was arrested for stalking Esquerra last year, has been charged with her murder.

According to court documents that detail the incidents last year, Esquerra, 22, and Ibarra-Tapia, 23, met working at the OReilly store in Livingston in February 2021.

Esquerra told police they became close friends and she often spent time at his parents home, where he and his siblings lived.

She said she told him from the very beginning she wasnt interested in a romantic relationship with him, but he began persistently pursuing her last summer, according to documents.

She said that he told her that he loved her and she said she didnt want that and it made her feel uncomfortable, court documents read.

She said Ibarra-Tapia would just tell her that it takes time for someone to fall in love with someone and that he couldnt help how he was feeling.

Esquerra told police Ibarra-Tapia began giving her money, although she didnt ask for it. The money was mostly for vehicle repairs like new paint and windows for damage she later learned was allegedly caused by him.

It sounds like he may have been vandalizing her car so that he could save her and pay for the repairs, a Livingston police officer wrote in a report.

Eventually, she began to suspect Ibarra-Tapia was behind the acts of vandalism and stalking. Her suspicions were confirmed Oct. 9, when someone broke a window on her mothers vehicle and threw a lit road flare inside. The same thing had happened to Esquerras vehicle just a few days before.

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Later in the day, some of Esquerras family and friends followed Ibarra-Tapia as he followed Esquerra. When they stopped, the family members confronted Ibarra-Tapia.

According to court documents, Ibarra-Tapia agreed to let them look through his vehicle. They looked in his wallet and found 11 pieces of paper, most of which contained information about Esquerra and her family, including phone numbers and license plate numbers. They called the police.

He gave multiple statements to investigators, first saying that unknown people were making him stalk her and had threatened harm to his family if he didnt. He later admitted to committing the acts on his own. He said he was in love with Esquerra and felt manipulated by her.

Juan told me his intentions were not to hurt anyone, an officer wrote in his report.

Ibarra-Tapia agreed to give the officer the remaining road flares he had at his home and to write Esquerra an apology letter.

According to court documents, he wrote, I will like to apologize for the things Ive done to you but I will not get involve in your life and I will like to help pay for the damages Ive done and go our separate ways.

Ibarra-Tapia was arrested and charged with stalking, vandalism and two counts of arson of property. His parents, who have declined to comment about the case, bailed him out of jail the next day, according to Esquerras sister, Cinthya Venegas.

Esquerra obtained an emergency protective order but it eventually expired.

After that, Ibarra-Tapia still would follow her around town and message mutual acquaintances to get information about her, according to Venegas. She said there were no more acts of vandalism, though, and no sign of violence until Tuesday, when Ibarra-Tapia allegedly followed Esquerra to Turlock and shot her multiple times.

Ibarra-Tapia drove away and was chased by Turlock police. He crashed into the fence of a home and then ran from the vehicle, prompting a multi-agency manhunt. Ibarra-Tapia eventually was found hiding in a bush in a nearby neighborhood.

He is being held at Stanislaus County jail on suspicion of murder, two counts of attempted murder and evading. The Stanislaus County District Attorneys Office reported Thursday morning that Ibarra-Tapias arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Stanislaus Superior Court.
The Florida Highway Patrol on Monday afternoon credited the actions of Trooper Toni Schuck for acting "as the last line of defense" and putting "herself in harm's way to protect others" during a collision near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

A 26-year veteran of the agency, Schuck aimed her patrol vehicle into the path of an oncoming car that had veered around barricades and headed onto the Sunshine Skyway Bridge approach packed with runners Sunday.

The Florida Highway Patrol applauds the actions of Trooper Toni Schuck, a 26 year veteran of the Patrol who, as the last line of defense to the Skyway 10K runners.

Schuck was seriously injured in the ensuing collision and hospitalized Sunday. An FHP statement Monday afternoon said the agency "acknowledges and expresses our appreciation to the many that have expressed their gratitude for the Troopers selfless actions.

"Those wishing to contact Trooper Schuck, who continues to recover from her injuries with her family at home, may send their thoughts to her attention at Florida Highway Patrol, 11305 North McKinley Drive, Tampa, FL 33612 or via our FLHSMV and FHP social media."

Earlier: Sarasota woman plowed through barricades towards hundreds of people on the Skyway Bridge

The Florida Highway Patrol applauds the actions of trooper Toni Schuck, a 26-year veteran of the patrol who was the 'last line of defense' to the Skyway 10K runners.

Kristen Kay Watts, 52, of Sarasota, was arrested by FHP on charges of driving under the influence with serious injury, two counts of DUI with property damage and two counts of reckless driving involving injury and property damage. She was taken to the Manatee County Jail.

Watts was also reported injured from the collision.

The FHP said that there were nearly 7,000 people and scores of support staff on the Skyway for the Armed Forces Skyway 10K Race Sunday morning. According to the agency, at 8:45 a.m., a 2011 BMW 335i driven by Watts northbound on Interstate 275 at an "excessive rate of speed" failed to stop or detour onto U.S. 41 as directed, instead driving through traffic cones and around other barricades with law enforcement officers present.

Recently: FHP investigates fatal pedestrian crash in Bradenton

The state officers tried to stop the vehicle which kept going, toward the Skyway ignoring two Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers guarding the Skyway toll plaza.

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"The BMW then encountered two FHP Troopers who were responding southbound in the northbound lanes" of I-275 from the south Skyway rest area "to intercept the vehicle and protect the thousands afoot on the Skyway Bridge."

The car evaded the first trooper before colliding "nearly head-on" with Schuck's vehicle.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: FHP trooper Toni Schuck saves runners on Sunshine Skyway Bridge with crash
First lady Jill Biden had a smile on her face as she stepped off a government plane Wednesday evening and waved to the dozens of people gathered to greet her at Fort Campbell.

She stopped briefly to speak with military and state leaders and posed for photos as the sun set before being taken to Fort Campbell's Passenger Processing Center, some 1,500 feet away, to deliver remarks to a waiting crowd of about 140 people, most of them family members of deployed soldiers.

"There are moments when we suddenly realize that history is being written in front of us, when we can almost feel ourselves on the line that will divide our world into before and after," Biden said as she took the podium just before 6 p.m.

"And this is one of those moments. You know, its tough to watch the news, isnt it? Im here to tell you today that the president and I are so proud of you ... The Screaming Eagles are there in Europe standing with our allies and welcoming Ukrainian refugees."

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden shakes hands with Command Sgt Maj. Veronica Knapp upon arrival off the her plane Bright Star at Campbell Army Airfield in Fort Campbell, KY., on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

Fort Campbell soldiers deployed to Europe

Several hundred soldiers from the 101st Airborne Air Assault and Fort Campbell deployed Feb. 15 amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia invaded on Feb. 24, and millions of refugees have fled Ukraine for Europe in the days since. Most of them are thought to be women and children because of a decree from Ukraines government prohibiting men aged 18-60 from leaving, though the United Nations doesn't have exact numbers on gender.

Explained: Mapping and tracking Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine's policy is meant to encourage men to sign up and fight against Russian invasion or to keep them available for military conscription, according to prior reporting from USA TODAY.

Among the first Ukrainian territories claimed by Russian military occupation was the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which dredged up new concerns about the stability of the site. The 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl contaminated the area, causing billons in damages and 31 deaths.

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As she was hearing about the events unfolding in Ukraine and the American soldiers who were deploying to Europe, Biden said she couldn't help but think about the soldiers' families back home.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden speaks to and thanks the families of both deployed soldiers and those on base at the Personnel Processing Center in Fort Campbell, KY., on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

"I said ... I want to visit those families. I want to hear how theyre doing, you know, whats on their mind, she said at Fort Campbell. You serve alongside your loved ones. And youre loving and encouraging, and youre praying for them, and youre carrying a heavier share of the childcare and home responsibilities. Youre losing sleep while pride and hope and fear and frustration wrestle in your mind.

"I happen to know that because my son was deployed to Iraq. So I know how that feels, you know, when every morning, you just get up and say a prayer  Youre doing the really hard stuff. Youre keeping it all together for your loved one thats deployed."

Jill Biden speaks with families

After her remarks at the podium, Biden went from table to table, taking time to speak to each family. They had all gathered for a barbecue dinner, provided by the Armed Forces YMCA.

Brenda Sharp and her 10-year-old daughter Molly were among the attendees. Sharp's husband, Kevin, is a colonel with the First Brigade Command at Fort Campbell. He was deployed on Feb. 15.

Molly said Wednesday she was missing her father.

We used to watch movies together, she explained.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden walks around and speaks with the kids of soldiers stationed at Fort Campbell and deployed to Europe at the Personnel Processing Center in Fort Campbell, KY., on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

Brenda Sharp, originally from Connecticut, said she and her husband, an East Tennessee native, had been stationed at Fort Campbell for about two years. Though she didn't share the specifics of what she and the first lady discussed during their brief visit, Brenda Sharp said she appreciated that Biden came by to show her support for the troops.

We have a lot of support with the community and with the friends weve made here, Brenda Sharp said.

Biden had stopped in Reno, Nevada, and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, before visiting Fort Campbell Wednesday to address families and the media. She was expected to return to Washington D.C. Wednesday night.

Troops remain on alert

Fort Campbell has been the home of the 101st Airborne Division, the only Air Assault division in the world, since 1956, according to the U.S. military.

From Kentucky to Europe: A Fort Campbell soldier prepares for his first military deployment

The base lies on the Kentucky/Tennessee border between the towns of Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee.

In light of the recent deployment, remaining troops at Fort Campbell remain on alert for potential deployment to assist NATO forces in Europe as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.

"Each day, we increase the readiness of our units and soldiers, and prepare our families. When the Nation calls, we will be ready," said Karolyn McEwen, lieutenant colonel at Fort Campbell.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. Reach News Director Nicole Young at nyoung@tennessean.com. To support their work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Jill Biden visits Fort Campbell families amid Russia's Ukraine invasion
The Unemployed Workers Union is back in court battling the Maryland Department of Labor to settle unpaid unemployment benefits for a group of people who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The union filed around 20 lawsuits in Baltimore City Circuit Court on Monday asking for the labor department to be reviewed for how its handling unpaid benefits. Plaintiffs are also seeking various remedies, including specifics about why they were denied benefits and in some cases looking for upward of $3,000 in unpaid benefits.

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People have called the Department of Labor hundreds of times and the only way they seem to respond is if we file a lawsuit, attorney Alec Summerfield said. People are so at the end of the rope they dont know what else to do.

This is not the first time the union, which is affiliated with the Baltimore activist group Peoples Power Assembly, has sued the labor department.

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In November, the group filed a class action lawsuit against Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson alleging failure to pay unemployment benefits. The suit was dismissed by a Baltimore Circuit Court judge.

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A Baltimore judge also dismissed a separate lawsuit in November from the group that had filed it in the summer, saying its claims were sitting in purgatory. The judge said the group cant use courts to circumvent the claims and appeal process.

However, in July the group was a part of a lawsuit with other organizations that successfully helped block Gov. Larry Hogans attempt to end enhanced federal unemployment benefits early for tens of thousands of jobless Marylanders.

Summerfield said that despite several of the unions lawsuits being dismissed, many people eventually received their owed benefits. He said that while hed rather solve this directly with the labor department, he has dozens of other people lined up to file a similar lawsuit if its not resolved soon.

These are good people and they deserve the benefits, he said.

A spokesman for the state labor department said the agency has paid out close to $14.5 billion in unemployment benefits since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

Of the millions of claims received during this unprecedented time frame, over 99% of those that were nonfraudulent and properly completed have been processed, spokesman Joseph Farren said. We have nearly cleared our claims backlog and are now just dealing with the final batch of highly complex cases that require thorough review.

Farren said the department has been inundated with fraudulent claims, with more than 1.8 million out of 2.3 million total claims being flagged. He said the department has seen more fake claims than honest and deserving ones. Last week, the Maryland legislature introduced legislation to double the penalties for unemployment insurance fraud, which Farren said has not been updated in more than 35 years.
No. 2 Alabama softball is undefeated with eight run-rule victories, six shutouts and five wins against top-25 opponents through the first four weekends of the 2022 season.

The Crimson Tide (20-0) begins SEC play this weekend at No. 21 LSU (17-6) in a three-game series.

The LSU series is the first of eight against SEC opponents, five of which are nationally ranked. The Crimson Tide has eight remaining midweek games, headlined by a March 16 matchup against No. 3 FSU in Rhoads Stadium.

"There are plenty of us experiencing the SEC for the first time," said fifth-year Kaylee Tow. "(Alabama coach Patrick) Murphy talked to us last Sunday about the second season, and it says it all over the locker room."

CRIMSON CLASSIC RECAP: How Montana Fouts won four games in three days to keep No. 2 Alabama softball undefeated

PRESEASON SEC FAVORITES: Alabama softball named preseason favorite in SEC by league coaches

Here are five things to know as the Crimson Tide begins SEC play:

Alabama pitcher Montana Fouts watches from the dugout as her teammates bat in Rhoads Stadium Sunday, March 6, 2022, in the Crimson Classic.

No better battery in softball

The battery of Montana Fouts and Ally Shipman has lived up to the offseason buzz. Fouts, a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Week and Shipman, who ranks third in the conference in RBIs (26), are the two most valuable players so far.

Fouts (10-0) has allowed one run or fewer in all but one appearance this season. In 54 innings pitched, the 2021 NFCA Pitcher of the Year has allowed six earned runs along with a 94-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio, good for the second-best in the SEC.

Shipman, a Tennessee transfer, leads the Crimson Tide in RBIs and doubles (5); she also ranks second in home runs (4) and batting average (.434). The veteran catcher also leads the team with 10 multi-RBI performances and is on a five-game hit streak.

MARDI GRAS MAMBO SWEEP: No. 2 Alabama softball picks up two mercy rule wins over No. 20 Louisiana in Mardi Gras tourney sweep

Alabama catcher Ally Shipman snags a third strike to record a strikeout from pitcher Montana Fouts in Rhoads Stadium Sunday, March 6, 2022, in the Crimson Classic.

Defensive prowess

The Crimson Tide leads the SEC in fielding percentage (.986%) and ranks last in errors (7).

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The Alabama defense has featured 23 different combinations, but the infield look of Kaylee Tow, Megan Bloodworth, Bailey Dowling and Ashley Prange has started 17 games together. The foursome has turned seven double plays, something the 2021 Crimson Tide accomplished just 11 times.

EASTON BAMA BASH SWEEP: No. 2 Alabama softball is crushing opponents to begin 2022 season

Hitting and pitching

The Alabama offense is hitting .326 as a team and has hit 19 home runs. The pitching staff holds a 1.06 earned-run average, good for the SEC lead. The Crimson Tide has allowed the least amount of earned runs (19) in the conference.

Sophomore Jaala Torrence (4-0, 0.89 ERA) has allowed four earned runs in 31 innings and ranks eighth in the SEC in opponent batting average (.131). Lexi Kilfoyl, who is healthy after a foot injury, holds the ninth-best ERA (0.36) in the SEC and carries a .308 batting average.

The Crimson Tide's hit leaders include Dallis Goodnight (26), Shipman (23) and Prange (16). Tow is on a 17-game reached-base streak.

Quick starts, foot on pedal

The Crimson Tide has scored first in 17 games and in the first inning on nine occasions, 31 runs total.

The Crimson Tide has trailed four times for a total of four innings. The Crimson Tide has scored in back-to-back innings or more 12 times.

2022 SEASON OPNER: No. 2 Alabama softball shows dominance on opening weekend, clobbers No. 9 Arizona

Alabama hitter Kat Grill beats out an infield hit against the Miami Redhawks in Rhoads Stadium Sunday, March 6, 2022, in the Crimson Classic.

She's a freshman?

Murphy welcomed the No. 3 recruiting class per Softball America, including six true freshman.

Goodnight highlights the class with her team lead in batting average (.481), stolen bases (13), multi-hit games (9), runs scored (24) and hits (26). The outfielder ranks fourth in the runs scored, 12th in hits and fourth in stolen bases in the SEC.

"Goodnight uses all three tools and is truly a triple threat for us," said Murphy. "She's just difficult to get out, and I think you'll see better at-bats and more stolen bases as we go forward."

Alabama hitter Dallis Goodnight drops a bunt against Texas in Rhoads Stadium Saturday, March 5, 2022, in the Crimson Classic.

Weekend schedule

Here is a look at the full schedule this weekend. All games are available for stream on SEC Network+.

Saturday at 1 and 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Sunday at noon

Reach Brett Greenberg at bgreenberg@gannett.com or follow @74talk on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama softball opens SEC play at LSU Tigers: Tide are undefeated
Gov. Ron DeSantis presents his State of the State Address during Opening Day of the 2022 Florida Legislative Session Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.

The first African American elected to Congress from Florida was not allowed to take his seat. In 1870, Josiah T. Walls, a former slave from Virginia who relocated to Florida after the Civil War, was elected to Floridas at-large congressional district, but members of the U.S. House of Representatives refused to seat him.

It wasnt until two years later that he could assume his position in Congress. His tenure was short lived as members expelled him in two subsequent occasions following his electoral victories. Walls was later removed from office in 1876 despite his electoral success and never returned to Congress.

It took more than 116 years for Florida to elect its next Black representative to Congress. In 1993, three African American members and two Cuban American members were sworn into office. Not 1893, but 1993. This is recent history.

I was born in Gadsden County, the only majority African American county in the state of Florida. For most of my life, our community was largely ignored, never electing a Black member to represent us in office. After my 18th birthday when I reached voting age, Congress passed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. These laws enabled many of us who felt silenced to have a voice and allowed Americans to realize our founding vision of a nation where all men and women are created equal.

In 2010, Florida voters approved the Fair Districts Amendment, which amended the state Constitution to require nonpartisan congressional and legislative districts that also enabled minority communities, whether they be African American, Hispanic, or other, to elect the representative of their choosing.

The Florida Supreme Court approved the current congressional map that created the district I now represent.

This past January, the Florida Legislature appeared poised to adopt a congressional map that followed federal law and the state constitution, keeping these North Florida communities of interest largely intact. The Florida Senate passed such a map and waited for the House to act.

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Then, Gov. Ron DeSantis got involved.

On Martin Luther King, Jr.s birthday, DeSantis released his own congressional map that cut the number of African American seats in half and eliminated a Cuban American held seat in South Florida. After a brief setback by the Florida Supreme Court, DeSantis continues to push a congressional map that divides communities of interest and reduces minority-held seats to make partisan gains for his political party.

On Friday, the Florida Legislature adopted a plan that includes not one, but two congressional maps. The argument made on the floor is that they wish to give DeSantis the right to sue and get court authorization to remove minority access seats; however, if this scheme is deemed unconstitutional, then a second, constitutional map will take effect.

This two-map proposal has never been done in the history of Florida. The state Legislatures of yesteryear introduced maps they believed to be constitutional. They did not pass an unconstitutional map so the issue could later be resolved by a different branch of government.

US Rep. Al Lawson speaks to a large crowd during a voting rights rally on the steps of the Historic Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022.

Congressional District 5 runs along North Florida from Gadsden County and Tallahassee to Jacksonville. The district is compact in that it is geometrically defined, but it is horizontally long because of the sparsely populated communities it includes.

Congressional districts are required to include a specific number of people. Furthermore, the district includes important communities of interest that vitally need to have a voice in government.

Following the Civil War, Black people in America suddenly found their chains of bondage broken and had individual freedom. Due to the geographic location of their former plantations, many of these freed slaves made North Florida along the I-10 corridor their home.

Today, many of the descendants of those slaves continue to call these communities their home. These are communities of interest due to their unique backgrounds that make their needs distinct from other groups.

Congressional districts should not be about any one person but must put the needs of the people first. No one is surprised that DeSantis put politics ahead of the people. It is sad that the Florida Legislature caved and did his bidding.

The people of Florida deserved better.

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, Jr.

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson Jr. represents Floridas 5th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Legislature should not divide communities of interest | U.S. Rep. Al Lawson Jr..
Gen. James Mattis, a former U.S. secretary of defense under former President Donald Trump, this week spoke at a Palm Beach event and urged Americans to put aside their political differences and present a united front to the world as Russias invasion of Ukraine enters its 14th day.

We gather this afternoon here in Florida at a grim time, a time of peril even as the innocent Ukrainian people find their very existence in doubt, Mattis told more than 470 people at The Society of the Four Arts.

Mattis was Trump's first national-security appointment and, while Trump at first praised Mattis, the long-time Marine eventually resigned because he didn't agree with Trump's policies. The two ended up sparring against each other in the media.

On Tuesday, at The Society of the Four Arts, about three miles north of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Mattis drew a standing ovation after his speech.

We are encouraging our adversaries to exploit our division and threaten us abroad. We are hurting ourselves and scaring our allies with some of the political antics that shame us in front of our children," he said. "We need to recognize the peril if we do not come back together."

Retired U.S. General James Mattis speaks at the Society of the Four Arts, March 8, 2022.

Mattis spent 44 years in the Marines, rising from an 18-year-old reservist to the highest rank of four-star general.

Ambassador Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, who served as U.S. ambassador to Finland from 2001 to 2003 introduced Mattis at the Four Arts.

He is a committed and devout Catholic, McElveen Hunter said. During the Iraqi invasion he also prayed with Gen. John Kelly. The warrior monk nickname was earned because of his bachelorhood and his scholarship and lifelong devotion to the study of war. He is also known for his blunt, sometimes provocative speech including his Mattisisms.

One of those is, If in order to kill the enemy, you have to kill an innocent, dont take the shot. Dont create more enemies than you take out by some immoral act.

Jim Mattis talks about Ukraine in Palm Beach

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Mattis, who returned from a security conference in Munich last week and flew to Palm Beach from his home state of Washington, said he discarded his previously prepared remarks about leadership in crisis, and instead decided to focus on Russian President Vladimir Putins attack on Ukraine.

Courage and wisdom are needed when we are forced to confront the greatest possible issues, Mattis said. We are living in a moment when we must not disguise the ugliness imposed by Putins attack and the brutality, he is bringing to us all.

This earthquake unleashed by Putins recently manufactured crisis is one of those weeks when it seems like a decade of change happens in hours, he said.

Calling Putin an isolated angry old man menacing the world with his talk of nuclear weapons, Mattis said the threats cannot be dismissed and are real, but the chances of nuclear weapons being deployed can be reduced and, hopefully, prevented.

Mattis said that so long as western diplomats come together from a position of strength, eventually economics and diplomacy will prevail, but the approach must be firm, measured and strategic.

We need to put Russia in a box and assure they cannot go further," Mattis said.

Eventually what I call the bleeding ulcer will bleed some more, and he will turn to the diplomats. We may have to wait until we have a new president in Russia, Mattis said. We are going to have to pull together here and try not to let this spread.

Mattis: Zelensky cut from the same cloth as Founding Fathers

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky is a courageous leader who is cut from the same cloth and displays the same righteous fury as America's nations founding fathers, Mattis said.

What an inspiration Zelensky has been. It is such a clear choice between good and evil, Mattis said. This exhausted defiant leader reminded the world of our shared human values, the values his valiant people are defending, and noting as he did, that a Russian speaker in Kyiv has more freedom of speech that a Russian speaker in Moscow.

In Putins world view, countries fall into two categories, either a vassal state that will do whatever he tells them, or enemies who live by the United Nations charter, Mattis said.

Putins contempt for democracy and his unprovoked assault on a country that was no threat has pressed Russia into a debacle, Mattis said.

Putin is being proven wrong on every account  economically, military and diplomatically, he added.

He embarked on a costly adventure that has already become a bleeding ulcer on his countrys future, Mattis said.

Putin wanted a weaker European Union and a fractured North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but instead his actions have strengthened NATO and the EU has implemented economic sanctions against Russia.

The worlds democracies must work together, and no nation alone can secure its borders no matter how many aircraft its navy has, Mattis said.

The words of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who said that peace freedom and security cannot be taken for granted, should be heeded, he added.

Mattis commended U.S. and U.K. intelligence and the CIAs work in sharing what its spies discovered about Russias plans to invade Ukraine, setting the foundation for NATOs unity of purpose.

Putin's control of media has Russians 'hostages to an unacceptable tyrant'

The Russian people, although many of them are brainwashed due to Putins hold over the media, must not be forgotten, Mattis said.

We must keep talking to the Russian people and telling them that we assume they are hostages to an unacceptable tyrant and his coterie of oligarchs and henchmen even as Putin tries to brainwash his people, he said.

We have strength no dictator can have if we keep the faith, Mattis said.

Mattis capped off his military career as head of the U.S. Central Command, where he was in charge of all American forces serving in the Middle East and oversaw operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Syria, Iran and Yemen.

Mattis and Trump, once united, have sparred with each other

Mattis at first was one of Trump's most highly praised Cabinet officials. Trump liked to call him by his nickname "Mad Dog," even claiming he gave him the nickname (he didn't).

But Mattis resigned in December 2019, explaining that his policy views no longer aligned with Trump's, specifically over troop withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan.

While he remained silent about Trump for a while, he eventually spoke out, first after people were forcibly cleared from Lafayette Square in Washington so Trump could have a photoshoot, then later after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American peopledoes not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us, Mattis told The Atlantic, after the Lafayette Square incident.

Mattis also blamed Trump for the riots at the Capitol, saying: Todays violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump." He said Trump uses his role as president to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens.

Trump, for his part, called Mattis the worlds most overrated general.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Former Defense Secretary James Mattis gives speech on Ukraine.
VERSAILLES, France (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said the European Union countries needed to agree on the pace at which the bloc could wean itself off Russian fossil fuels.

On the issue of Ukraine's request for a fast-track accession to the EU, Macron, speaking ahead of a summit of European leaders in France, said he thought it was unrealistic to engage in membership negotiations with a country at war.

(Editing by Richard Lough; Editing by Jon Boyle)
A father and son who were tried on charges of murder were found not guilty on all counts by a Fresno County jury Wednesday.

Jesus Serena Sr., 44, and his son Jesus Jesse Serena Jr., 24, were accused of killing 43-year-old Florentino Higuera on Jan. 11, 2020. The men were also facing a charge of assault with a firearm.

Police said Higuera was shot multiple times while inside a friends home at 3862 E. McKenzie Ave. in southeast Fresno. Witnesses testified that he was trying to help his friend George Castellanos who was having a feud with Jesus Serena Sr. over a woman.

Higuera was a father and iron worker and a lifelong friend of Castellanos. Known by his nickname Plucky, Higuera was staying with Castelllanos while he worked out some marital issues.

He was living in a trailer parked on Castellanos property. The day of the shooting, police said Higuera was trying to help Castellanos as Serena and his son came to his home to try and settle a dispute over the woman they were both dating.

Shots were fired by someone and Higuera, who was standing behind the front door of the home, was shot several times in the upper body and died.

After a nearly four-week trial, it took the jury about two days to reach a decision.

Prosecuting the case was Senior Deputy District Attorney Amy Freeman and representing the Serenas were public defenders Charles Barrett and Elizabeth Morgan.

Barrett, who was Jesus Serena Sr.s lawyer, believes conflicting statements from some of the witnesses and the lack of hard evidence from the prosecution gave the jury plenty to doubt.

No murder weapon was found, or even shell casings. Cell phone data gathered from Jesus Serenas phone was also inconclusive.

Barrett said the phones location data put the father and son within a five mile radius of the shooting.

I think the jury found the evidence insufficient with respect to the surveillance video and cell phone tower evidence, Barrett said. It was so broad and did not give rise to proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
STEWART AIRPORT - Frontier Airlines will begin offering non-stop flights to two new destinations from New York Stewart International Airport in May: Atlanta, and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

The airline announced the new flights Wednesday. Neither destination is currently served by any airline operating at Stewart.

Frontier, a low-cost airline, has been offering flights to Orlando four times a week and Fort Lauderdale and Tampa three times a week since it began service at Stewart last fall.

New York Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, NY on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.

Beginning May 26, Frontier will fly three times a week to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and twice a week to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

"We are excited to announce this expansion of service," said Will Evans, senior manager of sales and distribution for Frontier.

Stewart: Airport welcomes new $37 million arrivals facility

Airport: Stewart to resume international flights

Cold case: Arrest could be close in unsolved Orange County homicide

Currently, Frontier and another low-cost airline, Allegiant, are the only airlines serving the airport. JetBlue, Delta and American suspended their Stewart flights in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic triggered major declines in air travel.

The luxury express coach bus that brings airline passengers from New York Stewart International Airport to Manhattan, right, at New York Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, NY on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.

The Port Authority, which operates Stewart, has repeatedly said it is committed to increasing flights and destinations available from the airport.

Last month, the Port Authority announced international flights will return to Stewart with the June 9 arrival of PLAY Airlines. PLAY will offer daily flights to Reykjavik, Iceland, where it is based.

From there, travelers can get connecting flights to more than 20 European cities.

"The expansion of Frontier's service is an essential part of the Port Authority's overall effort to achieve growth and become more competitive," said Omar Astacio, interim general manager of Stewart.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Stewart Airport in New York to offer new Frontier Airlines flights
WASHINGTON  If its Thursday ... A Russian airstrike on a maternity hospital kills at least three Ukrainians. ... Vice President Harris faces a diplomatic test in Poland. ... President Biden meets at the White House with Colombias president, and then addresses the DNC. ... The House passes government spending bill with nearly $14 billion for Ukraine, but only after Covid funding was stripped from legislation. ... And Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., release new TV ads aimed at the middle of the electorate.

But first: Donald Trump has a lot on the line in Mays upcoming GOP gubernatorial primary in Georgia.

The former president has starred in three different TV ads that challenger David Perdue has aired against incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Brian Kemp let us down, Trump says to camera in one of these ads. We cant let it happen again. David Perdue is an outstanding man. Hes tough, hes smart, he has my complete and total endorsement.

Hes also trailing in the primary, according to a poll Fox News released on Tuesday, with Kemp at 50 percent among GOP primary voters and Perdue at 39 percent.

Trump remains popular among Georgia Republican primary voters, with 79 percent viewing him favorably, versus 19 percent unfavorably, per the poll. But the only significant subgroup that Perdue carries against Kemp are GOP primary voters who have a strongly favorable view of Trump.

Whats more, Kemp is also popular among Republicans (with a favorable/unfavorable rating of 68 percent to 28 percent), while Perdue is equally well-liked (66 percent to 26 percent).

Of course, this is just one poll. And there are still two months to go until the states May 24 primary.

But Perdue  and Trump  have some work to do to avoid losing a primary that the former president has tried to single-handedly turn into a referendum on him and his 2020 election loss in the state.

And right now, the race appears to boil down to a single question: Is Trumps grievance against Kemp enough by itself to fire the states governor?

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Tweet of the day

Horrific scene in Mariupol. Bombing a hospital in a besieged city. https://t.co/883j0mYZhw  Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) March 9, 2022

Data Download: The number of the day is  29.6 percent

Thats the two-week decline in average daily Covid deaths in America, per NBC News, down to 1,385.

Its a mark thats trailing a dramatic decrease in Covid cases over that same period  daily average Covid cases has dropped more than 52 percent over the last two weeks, now averaging just 41,794 a day (down hundreds of thousands since the omicron peak).

Other numbers you need to know today:

$15.6 billion: How much Democrats initially wanted to spend on pandemic relief in their latest spending package, but the spending was eventually cut so the package could pass.

0: The number of Republican Latinas who have represented Texas in Congress (although that could change this election cycle).

2,316,002: The number of refugees who have fled Ukraine since Feb. 24, according to the United Nations.

79,595,303: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (Thats 49,891 more since yesterday morning.)

966,280: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far. (Thats 1,983 more since yesterday morning.)

Midterm roundup

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., wont know their opponents until their states August primaries. In the meantime, Kelly and Johnson are focusing on the general election, releasing ads yesterday aimed at moderate voters.

Kelly's 30-second spot touts his work on the bipartisan infrastructure package, with the Democrat saying These arent Democratic priorities or Republican priorities. Theyre Arizona priorities and were getting it done.

Johnson featured Markeitha Smith in his latest ad. She was married to the late pastor of a Black church in Milwaukee who died after contracting Covid. Smith makes a thinly veiled reference to some of Johnsons controversial comments, saying, The best advice I could ever give a person is before you listen to what somebody else has to say, please get to know a person for yourself.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail:

Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Penn., placed his first TV ad buy in the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary tracked by AdImpact, spending $198,000 on cable. In that race, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has a new bio spot on the air. And in West Virginia, Republican Rep. David McKinley is running a new spot recounting the times fellow GOP Rep. Alex Mooney didnt vote with former President Donald Trump, even though Trump is backing Mooney.

Wyomings legislature failed to take up a bill backed by Trump to prohibit voters from changing their party affiliations the same day as the primary election, effectively killing the legislation, per The Casper Star Tribune.

The Republican State Leadership Committee is out with its roadmap for 2022, per Politico, as it looks to maintain control of legislatures in key states like Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin, while also pressing into states like Colorado and Minnesota.

In redistricting news, Louisiana Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the new congressional map passed by the state legislature. And Wisconsin Republican members of Congress asked the Supreme Court to toss out its new map.

NBCs Allan Smith looks at how a battle over residency requirements has ensnared a Trump-endorsed House candidate in Tennessee.

Ad watch: Villains Anonymous

Republican state Rep. Russell Fry released his first ad in the 2022 cycle online this week. Fry, who is running against incumbent GOP Rep. Tom Rice in South Carolinas 7th District, cast a Rice lookalike in the ad.

The actor attends a Villains Anonymous meeting with some familiar faces like The Joker, Maleficent and Captain Hook.

Im a politician and I said I was for term limits, but Ive been in Washington more than 10 years and I supported raising taxes, and I even voted to impeach Donald Trump, the Rice lookalike tells the group gathered around him before they eject him from the meeting.

Fry has booked over $9,000 worth of airtime and his campaign released the commercial online Wednesday.

ICYMI: What else is happening in the world

Top American officials fear that Russia might mount a false-flag operation with chemical weapons.

The Republican National Committee is suing the Jan. 6 committee over a subpoena to one of its vendors, Salesforce.

And a DC police offices suicide after Jan. 6 attack was declared an line-of-duty death.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, political news website Politico reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The visit comes after talks in Istanbul with a Ukrainian politician who is a member of the country's delegation for peace talks with Russia, the sources told Politico.

Asked about the reports of the visit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters on the sidelines of a summit of European leaders in France that he did not wish to comment on the matter. Scholz has sought to distance himself from his fellow Social Democrat in recent weeks.

The German government has not agreed to any meeting nor been involved in one, two government sources told Reuters.

Schroeder, German chancellor from 1998 to 2005, has been under the microscope over his links to Russian companies.

He is on the board of Russian oil giant Rosneft and is chairman of the shareholders' committee of the company that is in charge of building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and which is being sanctioned by the United States.

He has faced calls from some German government politicians to step down from such roles as the other former leaders announced they were leaving positions on the boards of Russian companies over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(Reporting by Miranda Murray, Sarah Marsh, Sabine Siebold and Andreas Rinke; editing by Emma Thomasson and Alistair Bell)
As Russian troops continue to invade Ukraine in attacks authorized by Russian President Vladimir Putin, members of McDaniel Colleges political science department hosted a panel discussion Tuesday evening to shed light on the worldwide effects of the conflict.

Christianna N. Leahy, professor of comparative politics and chair of the department of political science and international studies, answers questions from the audience during a panel discussion on the Ukranian-Russian conflict presented by the National Security Fellows Program at McDaniel College in Westminster Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (Dylan Slagle / Carroll County Times)

The attacks on Ukraine started on Feb. 24, when Putin launched a full-scale military assault, bombing major cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. The war has shown no signs of ending soon.

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On Tuesday, McDaniel College in Westminster played host to a discussion on the conflict at the Hoover Library. Speakers included Francis Grice, McDaniels program coordinator of the National Security Fellows Program and an associate professor in political science; Anouar Bouhkars, associate professor of political science and international studies; and Christianna N. Leahy, chair of the Department of Political Science and International Studies and professor of comparative politics.

Grice explained the role of NATO in the crisis. NATO is the military alliance established in 1949 by the United States, Canada and several nations in Western Europe to provide collective security to its member states.

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Grice said NATO was founded on the fundamental goal of safeguarding its member states in the event of a political or military attack; however, Ukraine is not a member of NATO and Putin has demanded that NATO deny membership to Ukraine.

During the 1990s what NATO is started to change ... into being a force for good ... that opposes tyranny and brutality for wherever it takes place in the world, Grice said.

The recent attacks on Ukraine have put NATO in a dilemma, he added.

I think the dilemma facing NATO really is boiled down to how can we avoid nuclear war or a potential nuclear war while still exerting a punishment upon Putin and still making NATO a relevant force that is able to exert some kind of order and humanity onto the international system in a way that doesnt descend us back into a Cold War, Grice said.

Bouhkars said Putin is seizing an opportunity to assert his nations position in Eastern Europe at a time when the U.S. is fixated on challenging China.

I think [Putin] saw the U.S as divided at home and distracted by China  his move into Ukraine  I think he miscalculated  [but it] doesnt mean he isnt going to overwhelm the Ukrainians, Bouhkars said.

Bouhkars also weighed in on NATO and the United States role in the conflict.

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They lack the power to deny Russia say over Ukrainians future  because they are not willing to go to war with Russia  this is the challenge here, he said.

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Leahy explained the worldwide economic ramifications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, highlighting the flurry of sanctions in Russia announced by President Joe Biden and several U.S allies.

This has a huge impact on the global economy  economic penalties are the first to start [and] sanctions are devastating to vulnerable people, Leahy said.

Jahan Hosseini, a McDaniel freshman considering majoring in economics, said the panel discussion exceeded his expectations.

It was really well done ... I was hoping [the event] would provide multiple perspectives of the conflict and it was a good way to summarize what was happening, Hosseini said.

Max Engle, a McDaniel junior majoring in political science, said he stands with Ukraine and that he enjoyed the panel discussion.

I was really happy to attend  Dr. Grice, Dr. Leahy and Dr. Bouhkars are extremely qualified professionals and I appreciate the work that they did in the presentation ... I hope coming out of this [conflict] we can learn some ways on how to help our international neighbors.
Vice President Kamala Harris gives remarks in Statuary Hall of the U.S Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, January 6, 2022 to mark the year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol.





Vice President Harris on Thursday announced more than $50 million in additional humanitarian assistance for people displaced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The vice president, during a trip to Warsaw, Poland, announced the U.S. would provide nearly $53 million through U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The funding will specifically go toward the United Nations World Food Program, providing food for those fleeing Ukraine or displaced from their homes.

The additional funding announced by Harris is in addition to nearly $54 million in humanitarian assistance the U.S. has provided for health supplies, blankets and other aid as Ukrainians seek to leave the country or have seen their homes and neighborhoods destroyed by military attacks.

U.S. officials estimate two million people have fled Ukraine due to the Russian invasion, and at least 12 million are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ukraine.

"The United States continues to stand with the people of Ukraine and will continue to work to meet immediate needs and save lives," the vice president's office said in a statement.

Harris is in the middle of a trip to Poland and Romania in a show of support with NATO allies after Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

In a press conference alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda, Harris condemned Russian attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine - calling them "atrocities of unimaginable proportion" - including the strike on a maternity hospital in the city of Mariupol.

Harris affirmed U.S. support for its NATO allies, and she announced that two Patriot missile-defense systems that the U.S. had promised to send to Poland had been delivered.
Vice President Harris speaks during an event with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to sign an executive order regarding project labor agreements at Irownworks Local 5 in Upper Marlboro, Md., on Friday, February 4, 2022.





Vice President Harris on Thursday met with seven displaced people from Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland; over a million people have fled Ukraine since Russia began its invasion of the country.

Harris thanked the participants for "your willingness, your courage and your time to have this important conversation" to start the roundtable discussion in a classroom at the American School of Warsaw.

The participants included a Ukrainian advocate for persons with disabilities, a Moroccan university student, a professional film producer from Odessa, a Senegalese community leader and teacher, a LGBTQIA+ rights activist from Kyiv and a Ukrainian energy expert and her daughter. Two government officials and a translator also joined the discussion.

"The conversation we will have this afternoon will help inform the president of the United States and the American people about what you have experienced so we can best support you and your family," she said.

Her meeting follows an announcement that the U.S. would provide nearly $53 million through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which will specifically go toward the United Nations World Food Program to provide food for those fleeing Ukraine or displaced from their homes.

Harris noted that at least 1.4 million people have fled Ukraine. She met with Polish President Andrzej Duda earlier on Thursday and discussed their commitment to supporting families who have left Ukraine.

"You've been through so much. And the people at this table represent well over a million people," Harris said.

"You are not alone," she added. "You are not alone. People around the world are watching. People around the world and expressing their support and asking how they can help."

U.S. officials estimate that 2 million people have fled Ukraine. The additional funding announced by Harris on Thursday is in addition to nearly $54 million in humanitarian assistance the U.S. has provided for health supplies, blankets and other aid.

Some hope that Harris's meetings in Poland will lead to the Biden administration announcing plans to take in Ukrainian refugees, beyond providing financial support.

This story was updated at 11:07 a.m.
At least five victims went missing or were found killed near the Washington/Idaho border between 1979 and 1982 (Getty/iStock)

It feels like just yesterday that Gloria Bobertz was on a cross-country trip with her cousin Kristina, the two girls bonding and gossiping late at night about boys and life as only adolescents can do.

She was just a beautiful soul, Bobertz tells The Independent, fondly speaking of the cousin just one month older. That summer I spent with her Ill never forget it. She made an impact on my life.

But the treasured memories date back more than four decades, and theres a bittersweet edge to Bobertzs voice as she describes them. Because Kristina Nelson would later vanish in Idaho along with her stepsister, Brandy; their bodies would be discovered 18 months after they were reported missing, about 35 miles away. The case has never been solved.

And the mystery of their deaths has only been deepened by questions surrounding other victims from the area who vanished or were killed around the same time. Five people, ranging in age from 12 to 35, varying in both gender and physical description, went missing in the Lewiston-Clarkston  or Lewis Clark  Valley, which borders northern Idaho and southeastern Washington. Lewiston is in Idaho; Clarkston in Washington.

A schoolgirl, Christina White, vanished in 1979 in Asotin, Washington; two years later, the dismembered body of Kristin David was found by a fisherman on the Snake River, which borders the states.

Then came the murders of Nelson, 21, and Miller, 18, who left a note on a September 1982 night saying they planned to do chores but never returned. An acquaintance a generation older, whom they knew from the local theatre and neighbourhood, also vanished that evening. And Steven Pearsall has never been found.

The 35-year-old was a janitor at the Lewiston Civic Theatre, where Nelson also worked and Miller socialised; police attention, understandably, initially focused on Pearsall as a suspect. His girlfriend said theyd been at a party and she dropped him off to do laundry and practise his clarinet on the night in question. Character references, however  and the discovery of his car and uncashed pay cheques in his home  soon diverted suspicion away from the janitor.

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Friends and family said that he would not have left home and left his clarinet behind, Detective Jackie Nichols of the Asotin County sheriffs department  who has dedicated herself to these regional cold cases  says in the 2018 Investigation Discovery documentary Cold Valley.

Christina White, 12, disappeared after riding her bike home in 1979 near the Washington/Idaho border (Gloria Bobertz)

Theories and suspects abound in the minds of investigators, locals and armchair detectives whove picked up on unsolved and seemingly connected cases over the past four decades. Many believe the victims fell prey to a single man, one who could have been active before and since the spree in the Lewis Clark Valley.

Im sure there are more victims out there, Bobertz, a mental health specialist from California, tells The Independent.

The first known valley case, which prompted investigators to begin connecting dots, dates back to the 1979 disappearance of Christina White.

The 12-year-old was a playful, normal big sister in quintessential small-town America when she grew up in Asotin, just across the Snake River from Idaho. On 2 April 1979, shed attended a town parade but felt unwell; the pre-teen was known to suffer from heat stroke symptoms in severe weather. She called her mother, who told her to go home and apply a wet towel to lessen her discomfort.

Neither Christina nor her bike was ever seen again.

Kristin David disappeared after leaving for a bike ride in June 1981 from Moscow, Idaho, to Lewiston; her dismembered body was found the following week (Facebook)

The community searched and was shaken, but fear deepened two years later when a University of Idaho student, Kristin David, also disappeared. Like young Christina White, the 22-year-old had departed on a bike from Moscow, Idaho  about 40 miles north of Asotin  with the intention of driving to Lewiston on 2 June 1981.

Her family knew something was wrong when she fell out of contact and didnt turn up to work, both developments extremely unusual for the young woman. Her body was found just over a week later by a fisherman, dismembered, tightly wrapped in newspaper and placed in rubbish bags a few miles from the Red Wolf bridge over the Snake River.

Her bicycle, too, remains missing to this day.

Such a case would be alarming even in a big city, but that was really alarming in a small community like ours, Detective Nichols says in Cold Valley.

But then things got even weirder  and scarier for valley communities.

On 12 September 1982, Nelson and Miller headed to buy food and do laundry, according to a note they left behind in the formers Lewiston apartment. They would have passed the Lewiston Civic Theatre on their way; inside, according to his girlfriend, Pearsall was practising his clarinet and also doing laundry on the same night.

The trio knew each other, but none would ever be seen alive again. The female stepsisters were found murdered the following year; Pearsall has never been heard from or found but, according to authorities, is presumed to have fallen victim to the same killer.

Steven Pearsall was a janitor initially considered a person of interest in the case after disappearing on the same 1982 night as two young Idaho girls (Gloria Bobertz)

I really, really believe that Steve is deceased, and his body was placed somewhere else away from where the two girls bodies were recovered  just to throw us off, retired detective Don Schoeffler tells Cold Valley.

Its the thing thats going to break this case open the discovery of Steve Pearsalls body, he says. I think that would do it.

Bobertz, who repeatedly visits Idaho in her quest to achieve justice for her cousin, has her own theory about the night in question  a theory squarely centred on the same suspect who knew the theatre trio as well as Christina White and whose name she initially heard from the 12-year-olds mother.

I think that Brandy went over to Kristinas house. They decided to go to the store; there was a Safeway down from the theatre, she tells The Independent. We have walked  the route they wouldve taken; there was a place called the Red Baron. [The suspect] was down there having a beer.

I think their paths crossed.

Her cousin, she says, knew the man from the theatre, as did Pearsall, whod become a janitor after Nelson gave up the job.

Bobertz believes the suspect, known to all three, convinced the girls to let him give them a lift.

Thats where I think he got them  in the theatre, she says. I think that he probably killed Brandy first to get her out of the way; I think [Kristina] was the main target.

When that was going on, he didnt expect Steven Pearsall to come back, she adds  and when the older janitor showed up, I think [he] was collateral damage.

The suspect mentioned by Bobertz  whose name is infamous locally  had lived in Christina Whites neighbourhood, known the Lewiston Civic Theatre victims and possibly had peripheral associations with David. Hed previously been arrested on the west coast, was questioned by police and now lives across the country.

Brandy Miller was walking to buy food and do laundry with her older stepsister when she vanished in September 1982 and was later found murdered 35 miles away (Gloria Bobertz)

The Independent is withholding his name for legal reasons.

Hes never been the only suspect, however, and investigators have never been entirely sure that all of the victims  particularly David  were killed by the same person or persons.

This case absolutely fascinates me on a number of levels, former FBI agent Bradley Garrett tells Cold Valley.

There is one person that Jackie and other investigators believe are linked at least to four of the cases here, perhaps five  and what I find interesting is that he knew all of them. None of them were strangers, he says. Christina White was a child, basically, who was in his house, Im gonna guess, more than once, just because of proximity.

Nelson, her stepsister and Pearsall had sort of worked around him in some form or fashion, Garrett says, adding that its a little bit unique for serial killers to kill people that they had that sort of relationship with  but clearly not impossible.

Bobertz, however  along with many people who still live in the Lewis Clark Valley  remains convinced that the deaths and disappearances were the work of one man, an individual still free who they fear killed before and after his time in their corner of the northwest.

Hes just living his life, she tells The Independent, adding that shes not afraid of the man  because, if anything ever happened to her, hed probably be the first person police would investigate.

She believes hes responsible for cases as far back and far away as a 1963 murder in Chicago of an eight-year-old girl  and could even be a famous murderer like the as-yet-unmasked Zodiac Killer. Nothing, to Bobertz, is beyond this suspects capability.

Former FBI investigator Garrett, however, is not as convinced that one perpetrator has been responsible for all the Lewis Clark Valley victims, and law enforcement has so far shied away from fully linking them  even seeking to distance the David murder from the others.

So as you look at the cases here in the valley, the one that sort of  [stands] aside from the other ones, in other words doesnt fit in on the surface, the same MO, is Kristin David, Garrett says in Cold Valley. We dont really know how she died  but the key element in that case is the dismemberment.

Kristina Nelson was found dead 18 months after her 1982 disappearance; her cousin, Gloria Bobertz, has dedicated herself to finding justice for the young Idaho woman (Gloria Bobertz)

Ive worked dismembered cases, and the people that are into that is a whole different animal. Think about what you would have to do to dismember a body: you would have to have a location. Youd have to have the time. You have to have the wherewithal. You have to have the equipment. I mean, it really gets gruesome.

I think its realistic that you may, here in the valley, have two killers.

Regardless of the killers identity, however, Bobertz and other advocates are pushing for legislation to broaden authorities DNA database.

So many people think you can plug DNA into CODIS [the FBIs Combined DNA Index System] and, bada bing, bada boom, you have your suspect and all victims and all that  and thats not the way it works, Bobertz tells The Independent, hoping to make DNA records more like those of fingerprints.

She adds: Any time I get a public platform to push this, I do  and what it would be is, if you are linked to a homicide, if you are a suspect or youre linked circumstantially to a crime, you get your DNA taken, and it gets put into CODIS  and this would probably solve a lot of cold cases  youre going to be either guilty or not; [if not,] you move aside.

Her goal, she says, is to bring solace not only to her own relatives but to others struggling with loss in such uncertain, gruesome circumstances.

Its been quite a journey, she tells The Independent. When you start this, you realise how many more victims are out there  not just your family members, but others.

Its kind of like belonging to a family, but its a different kind of family. Youre related by one thing  and thats death. Murder.
Alexander Garnaev worked on MiG-29M prototypes intended to counter the threat of Americas Star Wars programme (Facebook/ Alexander Garnaev)

A highly decorated former Russian test pilot has delivered a dramatic criticism of Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine and his war on brotherly Slavic people.

Over the course of three decades, Alexander Garnaev flew for the airforce of the Soviet Union and then as a test pilot for experimental prototypes of the MiG-29M fighter jet.

In 1998, he was made a Hero of the Russian Federation, one of the countrys highest honours.

This week he dramatically criticised the Russian leader, posting on social media a letter of resignation from his position a chairman of the board of the Club of Heroes, an organisation for creators and testers of aviation and space equipment located in Zhukovsky, a city 30 miles south-east of Moscow.

Due to newly arisen force majeure (or unforeseen) circumstances of the on-going slaughter of the brotherly Slavic people, I do not have a vision of how to proceed forward with operations in these conditions, he says in the handwritten note.

Alexander Garnaev flew for the Soviet Union and Russia over the course of three decades (Facebook/Alexander Garnaev)

Due to the above reasons, effective March 1 2022 I am resigning from the position of the chairman of the Club of Heroes. The newly elected chairman may conduct the clubs treasury management without additional procedures.

Mr Garnaev, 61, told The Independent he did not wish to speak beyond the statements he was making on social media.

Everything that I consider it necessary to say  I state it in the public domain  and I do not give any other private interviews, he said.

     01.03.2022         - . pic.twitter.com/KiJZX6qnND  ALexander GARNAEV (@a_garnaev) March 2, 2022

He included link to a Wikipedia page about his achievements and said he had been awarded the highest title, Hero of Russia, not at all by Vladimir Putin and not at all for bombing his brothers.

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Mr Garnaevs work as a test pilot was part of the Soviet Unions effort to counter the USs so-called Strategic Defence Initiative, better known as Star Wars and which was initiated by Ronald Reagan in 1983 and intended to create a sophisticated air missile defence system that would render nuclear weapons obsolete.

The programme was officially ended in 1993.

Mr Garnaev, who served on a local legislative body for four years from 2002-2006, was a member of the Russian team that helped the South African project to put the first African in space.

Among the projects participants was Mark Shuttleworth, an entrepreneur with British and South African citizenship. In 2002, Mr Shuttleworth did enter space as a space tourist in doing so becoming the first South African to do so.

Mr Shuttleworth, who lives on the Isle of Man in the British Isles, did not immediately respond to questions.

Since Mr Putin launched his attack on Ukraine there have been questions raised about how popular the decision was among his military leaders. Poor morale has been cited as possible cause for the initial delays to the advance of Russian troops on Kyiv.

Mr Garnaev later posted a video on YouTube in which he repeated his comments and spoke in front of his two children.

A few questions have arisen. Is it true that I would abandon all of my positions in all of the Russian companies, organisations, legal entities, because I cant continue my role in the current expanding conditions of the slaughter of Slavic brothers, he says.

Im answering: its true. Here is my letter that I wrote, sent by electronic mail.
By Gustavo Palencia

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran security forces arrested a former police chief Wednesday after he was on the run for several months, wanted by the United States on drug-trafficking charges, a judicial spokesman said.

Juan Carlos "El Tigre" Bonilla was national police chief in the Central American nation between 2012 and 2013 during the administration of right-wing former President Porfirio Lobo.

Bonilla was arrested while driving through a toll booth near capital Tegucigalpa, according to Melvin Duarte, spokesman for the Supreme Court.

"I can confirm that former police chief Juan Carlos Bonilla was arrested by police officers and tomorrow he will be presented before a judge who ordered his capture," Duarte told Reuters.

Bonilla has denied the accusations made by U.S. prosecutors, who have sought his extradition since April of 2020.

Former President Lobo's son, Fabio Lobo, was sentenced in a New York court to 24 years in prison for drug-trafficking in 2017.

Former President Juan Orlando, who left office in January, is also facing a U.S. extradition request over drug-trafficking charges.

(Reporting by Gustavo Palencia, writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The House approved a military and domestic spending package funding the government through September.

The massive bill also contained nearly $14 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine.

Republicans and Democrats each mostly got what they wanted after months of talks.

The House late Wednesday approved a $1.5 trillion spending package that increased funding for swaths of the federal government, helping the US stave off the threat of a shutdown and sending the bill to the Senate after a Democratic clash.

The two-part, mostly bipartisan vote topped off a tumultous day on Capitol Hill that saw House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deal with a rebellion from within her ranks over using past stimulus aid to cover additional pandemic spending.

Republicans and Democrats struck a long-awaited deal to increase both domestic and military spending in the package, made up of 12 separate bills. The legislation contained $730 billion in non-defense funding to boost health, education, and science programs and $782 billion in defense spending. Both represented modest increases from the past fiscal year and the measure would keep the government's doors open through Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

The 2,741 page bill amounted to one of the largest spending bills in history. It was released in the very early hours of Wednesday morning after months of protracted negotiations and last-minute haggling on a range of spending programs. Lawmakers also approved a four-day funding patch to give the Senate more time to process the bill.

But many rank-and-file Democrats squared off with Pelosi after learning the bill clawed back stimulus cash from states to offset around half of $15 billion meant to be spent on new coronavirus aid, mainly vaccines and future pandemic preparedness. The revolt forced her to scrap the funding and push a standalone measure at a later date that's all but doomed in the Senate given GOP resistance to additional spending.

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Pelosi acknowledged that Democrats ultimately didn't get everything they wanted, specifically on coronavirus aid. The Biden administration initially sought $22.5 billion in more funding, only to see their request get dropped in Pelosi's last-ditch efforts to salvage the rest of the package.

"We have a lively negotiation. It has to be bipartisan," Pelosi said earlier Wednesday. "We wanted it to be bipartisan. But in the Senate, you need 60 votes."

The legislation also set aside $13.6 billion in emergency humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine, a top White House and Congressional priority. The amount gradually crept up with many lawmakers in both parties eager to provide financial and military help to Ukraine, especially as the Russian military campaign intensified in recent days.

Roughly $6.5 billion of that pot of money was set aside to help Ukraine prop up its defenses, and another $4 billion would go to the State Department so it could channel funds into migrant aid among other uses.

The bill contained an extra $12 billion for the Internal Revenue Service ahead of a tax season that experts say will further strain the agency. The money was devoted to help the IRS sort through a massive backlog of paper returns and modernize some of its systems. Democrats said it was the largest infusion of federal funding in two decades.

Republicans and Democrats seemed satisfied with the measures secured in the package. Throughout the process, Democrats pushed to step up domestic spending while Republicans pushed for similar increases in Pentagon spending.

Both sides broke the impasse by handing each other some political wins, allowing them to avoid another brief spending patch. "During this time of great uncertainty and change, we are tackling some of our nation's biggest challenges, including making health care more affordable, confronting the climate crisis, and protecting our national security," Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement that Republicans locked in more defense spending than the Biden administration wanted, along with securing the renewal of a ban on federal funding for abortion.

"This compromise is not the bill that Republicans would have written on our own," the Kentucky Republican said. "But I am proud of the major concessions we have extracted from this all-Democrat government."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A photo of two steamboats, the City of Keithsburg and the Northern Line, circa 1865.

On Sept. 4, 1872, a young schoolteacher named Emma Coger boarded the steamboat S.S. Merrill in Keokuk. She asked to purchase stateroom passage to Quincy, Illinois, but the clerk refused and offered her a second-class ticket, with instructions that she should take her meals on the open-air deck or in the pantry. Coger refused the ticket.

I said, Sir, I am no servant and will not eat on the guards or pantry with the servants.

After repeated efforts to purchase a first-class ticket, Coger sought out a gentleman on deck. I said, Sir, will you do me a favor?' He said, Certainly, Miss. Coger gave him her money, and he bought the ticket.

At dinner, Coger took a seat at the ladies table, not in the pantry. The captains wife exclaimed, Why, there is that negro  to which Coger replied, If I am a negro, Madam, I am as white as you are.

What happened next led Emma Coger to file a lawsuit that still echoes through Iowa law today. Ordered to leave, Coger refused. When two crew members wrenched her up, her grip on the tablecloth sent dishes and dinner crashing to the floor. Force-marched to the door, Coger struggled with the captain, bloodying his nose.

A meal ticket for the North Western Union Packet Co.

Coger sued, winning in Keokuk as well as at the Iowa Supreme Court. Chief Justice Joseph Beck wrote, the principle of equality is announced and secured by the very first words of our State constitution ... All men are, by nature, free and equal.

In the 1890s, Homer Plessy and Daniel Desdunes brought anti-segregation lawsuits in Louisiana as part of an organized political effort. In 1872, two decades earlier, Emma Coger did the same. She put her body in harms way as part of an organized political action.

Recognizing that the end of slavery was not the end of injustice, African American men in Illinois called a convention in 1866. They would pursue equal rights both at the ballot box and in the courts of justice. In other words, they called for lawsuits  especially since they had no access, at that time, to the ballot box. Cogers brother-in-law helped draft the conventions eloquent demand for equality ... before the bar of American law!

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Coger also had support from the Prince Hall Masons, an organization devoted to civil rights work. All four successful Iowa civil rights lawsuits between 1867 and 1875 were part of a campaign pressed by the Prince Hall Masons. The regional grand lodges met in Keokuk shortly before Coger boarded the Merrill, and it is likely they planned the lawsuit at that meeting.

Once she arrived home in Quincy, she hired the most prominent attorney in Keokuk, Daniel F. Miller. Only by drawing on her political network and their funds could a 20-year-old schoolteacher have hired such high-powered, sympathetic legal assistance in another state. She was not the first woman to sue a common carrier over race discrimination, but her suit was unusual for being planned in cooperation with organized men.

A steamboat docked at McGregor in the 1860s.

Cogers legal legacy stretched far beyond her own lifetime. The attorneys in Brown v. Board of Education cited her case. In Iowa, Coger v. North Western Union Packet Company remains the bedrock underpinning civil rights. It is cited in Varnum v. Brien (2009), which protected same-sex marriage; in Gartner v. Iowa Dept. of Public Health (2013), which guaranteed a married lesbian couples right to list both parents names on a birth certificate; and in Planned Parenthood of the Heartland v. Reynolds (2018), which held that a 72-hour waiting period for a woman seeking an abortion violated the state constitution.

In claiming the freedom to travel, Emma Coger started down a path whose final destination she could not have imagined.

Sharon E. Wood is a professor of history at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

March is Iowa History Month

To celebrate Iowa History Month, the Register will publish weekly essays from leading state historians.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: An Iowans steamboat scuffle had ripple effects for civil rights
Maryland State Police have arrested a man accused of striking a state trooper with his vehicle Thursday morning in Harford County and then driving away.

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The incident began around 9 a.m. when a Maryland state trooper who has served Maryland for 25 years assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection on the side of Mountain Road south of Interstate 95 in Joppa. The trooper was standing on the shoulder on the drivers side of the vehicle when she was hit by a black GMC Sierra pickup truck, according to news release from the police department.

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A trooper helping with the inspection witnessed the incident and located the GMC Sierra pickup truck about a half mile away from the scene. The trooper conducted a traffic stop and arrested the driver, Lawrence Barnes, 68, of Joppa, for fleeing the scene of a crash that led to injury.

Barnes is charged with failure to remain at the scene of an injury crash and was taken to the Bel Air Barrack for processing. He is facing felony charges, and points will be added to his license.

The trooper who was struck has not been publicly named by police. She was transported by medevac helicopter to Shock Trauma in Baltimore and later released, according to the Maryland State Police.

This case is still under investigation.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iran offered mixed signals Thursday as a deadline loomed in talks over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal with world powers. The Iranian president defended the negotiations while the country's top diplomat and a security official blamed America for the deadlock.

The monthslong, indirect talks in Vienna have sought to both get the United States to return to the accord that Washington unilaterally withdrew from in 2018, and have Iran restore limits on its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Western diplomats have in recent days signaled the talks had reached their conclusion, laying the final decision with Iran. Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the country's powerful Supreme National Security Council, wrote on Twitter early Thursday, trying instead to blame America for the deadlock.

The US approach to Irans principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that US isnt interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties, Shamkhani wrote in multiple languages. Absent US political decision, the talks get knottier by the hour.

Shamkhani and other Iranian officials have repeatedly projected Western complaints about the Islamic Republic's behavior throughout the negotiations back to the West.

Speaking at a press conference in Vienna late Thursday, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was very tight-lipped.

Its no secret that these negotiations  which are not my negotiations, we (the IAEA) are participating and being consulted  that these negotiations are coming to a decisive point, Grossi said.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian spoke Thursday with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell  and also criticized America for what he described as conveying a new and different message to us every day through a coordinator.

If the American side has a public opinion problem, I must say that we also have a public opinion problem in Iran, Amirabdollahian said, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. They monitor developments with great sensitivity and precision and demand that the government respond to and effectively lift sanctions and maintain a peaceful nuclear capability.

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However, Amirabdollahian added: "If realism governs the behavior of all parties, we are still close to reaching a good and strong agreement.

Earlier, hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi's Twitter account appeared to offer Iran's theocracy cover for potentially supporting a possible deal in Vienna.

The government is doing negotiations in the way of the supreme leaders framework and has not and will not retreat from any red lines which were announced, he wrote.

Irans civilian government operates on a narrow bandwidth under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state. However, divisions exist within even the hard-line camp of Iran's theocracy  particularly on the nuclear deal and any interactions with the West.

Khamenei himself also offered rare yet vague remarks about the talks Thursday, vowing that restrictions on Irans ballistic missiles program, nuclear scientific progress and regional military policies remain non-negotiable.

In a speech to Iran's Assembly of Experts, Khamenei said there is no one more naive and clumsy than those who suggest the reduction of the defensive power of Iran.

None of these arms of national power should be cut off, Khamenei added. He warned that without its military capabilities and nuclear progress, Iran would face great dangers and a blow to its national power.

However, he said nothing directly about the looming deadline to restore the nuclear deal.

Russia's ambassador in the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, told journalists in Vienna on Wednesday that maybe it will be finalized tomorrow, maybe  but it's not for sure. Iran's top negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani rejoined the talks Wednesday after a quick trip back to Tehran for consultations and met with EU negotiator Enrique Mora.

Mora this week seemed to suggest whether the talks succeeded or failed now rested with the Islamic Republic.

There are no longer expert level talks. Nor formal meetings, Mora wrote on Twitter, responding to comments by an Iranian analyst. It is time, in the next few days, for political decisions to end the (hashtag)ViennaTalks. The rest is noise.

Moras comments mirror those of British and French negotiators. The latest wrinkle, however, is a demand Saturday from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Blinken offer written guarantees over Moscows ability to continue trade with Iran as it faces sanctions over its war on Ukraine.

Meanwhile amid the talks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard announced Tuesday it had launched a second reconnaissance satellite into space. While not directly acknowledging the launch, a space object catalogue maintained by the U.S. military now lists the Noor-2 satellite as having been launched Tuesday by Iran. Its telemetry shows it in a stable orbit some 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the Earth's surface.

No sanctions or restrictions can stop the great nation of Iran from developing," Amirabdollahian tweeted.

___

Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's and China's foreign ministers agreed that coordination of international community is the only way to reach a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, the Italian foreign minister said in a statement on Thursday.

"I have strongly condemned Russia's aggression and reiterated our support to the Ukrainian people," Italy's Luigi Di Maio said in a statement following talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Maria Pia Quaglia)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday welcomed the election of Yoon Suk-yeol as South Korea's next president and said he hoped to work closely with him to rebuild healthier ties with its neighbour.

"I offer my heartfelt congratulations on his election," Kishida told reporters.

"Especially now as the international community faces major change, healthy Japan-South Korea relations are ... indispensable," he said, adding that current "fraught" ties needed to improve.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
A judge in the North Carolina Superior Court will now consider arguments on motions to dismiss a lawsuit against the New Hanover County Board of Education after a hearing that spanned three days.

Attorneys for the New Hanover County Board of Education and former administrators filed motions to dismiss parts of a lawsuit against them regarding two decades of sexual abuse committed by former teacher Michael Kelly. Those motions included removing 10 plaintiffs from the lawsuit because of a statute of limitations, as well as allegations that the district is liable for Kellys actions.

Kelly pleaded guilty to 59 counts of sexual abuse in 2019. It was also revealed in June 2019 the school district had investigated Kelly because of reports he was acting inappropriately toward students, but failed to take action against the former teacher.

The school boards attorneys have leaned on the argument that a statute of limitations has passed for most of the plaintiffs, who are victims of Kelly, to take action. Some of the abuse dates back as far as 1992, and until a bill passed by the state legislature in 2019, victims of childhood sexual abuse could only take legal action until they turned 21 years old. The 2019 bill, the SAFE Child Act, changed that statute of limitations to 28 years old, and provided a two-year revival period for victims of childhood sexual abuse to take legal action even if they were already time-barred.

Conflict of interest: New Hanover school board hires new attorney in Michael Kelly lawsuit

The boards attorney, Deborah Stagner, argued because the statute of limitations had passed, most of the plaintiffs could not take legal action. She also argued the SAFE Child Act was unconstitutional and defendants had a right to an argument based on a statute of limitations, further impeding 10 of the plaintiffs from taking legal action against the school district.

But attorneys for the plaintiffs said the SAFE Child Act argument was moot because the plaintiffs are suing the district over information that had not yet reached a three-year statute of limitations. The attorneys said the plaintiffs are suing the school district for failing to take action against Kelly when it conducted its investigations over him, a fact that was not made public until June 2019 during Kellys trial. They argued the time constraint in this instance would begin when the plaintiffs could reasonably become aware of the alleged wrongdoing by the school district.

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"Preventing child sex abuse and strengthening the laws to prevent it, to report it, to make defendants liable are for the public good, in fact probably for the most vulnerable members of our public: our children, who are defenseless, attorney Martin Ramey said.

The plaintiffs attorneys motioned to strike the constitutionality argument regarding the SAFE Child Act from the defenses arguments and further asked the judge to deny the motions to dismiss the 10 plaintiffs who had surpassed the age limit.

In addition to the statute of limitations argument, Stagner argued the school district could not be held accountable for Kellys actions because they were not conducted in his official capacity as a teacher.

Attorneys for Kelly victims: New Hanover school board violated students' constitutional rights

Kelly pleaded guilty to sexual abuse involving minors that occurred both on and off school property while he was employed by the school district. Several administrators at Laney High School and Isaac Bear Early College High School were made aware of Kellys conduct by parents and students, including defendant and former-Deputy Superintendent Rick Holliday. Kelly was relinquished from his position as a high school science teacher at Isaac Bear after he was arrested in 2018.

Stagner said the school district does not have a fiduciary duty, or a legal obligation, to protect its students while they are at school. She said the requirement that a staff member report any abuse allegations made aware to them was an administrative duty, but not a safety statute. She said in North Carolina, fiduciary duty is found between identifiable parties," such as spouses, attorneys and clients, or trustees and beneficiaries.

They would have you find that as a whole, public school students have this fiduciary relationship with school employees and that by virtue of that fiduciary relationship, teachers and administrators and school boards are then liable for a much higher standard of care than the ordinary prudence that a reasonable person is held to, Stagner said.

The plaintiffs argued, though, that the defenses position was outrageous and that schools staff assume in loco parentis while students are at school, meaning they take the position of a parent in protect children when the parent is not present.

The motions to dismiss by the defense and the motion to strike by the arguments are being considered by Judge Phyllis Gorham, who said she would have a ruling soon. The lawsuit is set to go to trial this fall.

Reporter Sydney Hoover can be reached at 910-343-2339 or shoover@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Judge to weigh motion to dismiss New Hanover schools sex abuse lawsuit
(Independent)

US vice president Kamala Harris has called for an international war crimes investigation into Russias bombing of civilians in Ukraine.

Ms Harris was speaking on a visit to Poland on Thursday when she said Russian president Vladimir Putin should be held to account for his military invasion of Ukraine and weeks-long assault on civilians.

Her call for an investigation comes after a US National Security Council spokesperson said it was collecting evidence of war crimes and alleged human rights abuses following Russias invasion in an interview with NBC News on Monday.

That was thought to include shelling and bombardment of civilians in Ukraines biggest cities, some of which have been flattened after two weeks of assault by Mr Putins military. Death tolls for both sides meanwhile remain unclear.

Ms Harris will also hold meetings with Polish president Andrzej Duda and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday afternoon, with the Biden administration looking to show its support to Nato members and EU allies.

Poland, which has so far taken some one million refugees who have fled Ukraine, was rebuked by the White House on Wednesday after it said it offered to give Ukraine its fighterjets as part of a deal with Washington DC.

Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor for the international criminal court (ICC), said earlier this week that work would begin as rapidly as possible to look for possible crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine.

The US was among 39 countries who referred Russia to the court, which is based in The Netherlands.

More follows
A 16-year-old New Kent high school student was taken into custody Wednesday after he brought a gun to school, according to the New Kent Sheriffs Office.

The sheriffs office received information at about 9 p.m. Tuesday regarding a student who had been in possession of a firearm during the school day.

As a result, deputies conducted an investigation throughout the night, interviewing several individuals, according to a release issued by the sheriffs office.

The sheriffs office increased its presence at the high school during the arrival of students Wednesday morning. About 6:30 a.m., sheriffs deputies made contact with the student, interviewed him, recovered the firearm and took him into custody.

Deputies took the teenager to the Merrimac Juvenile Detention Center in Williamsburg, the release stated. His name was not released because of his age.

The student faces several charges including possession of a firearm by an individual under the age of 18, possession of a firearm on school property, two counts of brandishing a firearm and removing or altering the serial number on a firearm.

The sheriffs office declined to comment further regarding where the suspect was arrested and whether there was a threat to the school.

Em Holter, emily.holter@virginiamedia.com, 757-256-6657, @EmHolterNews.
Imagine being arrested on Cave Run Lake for fishing without a license. Its a simple paperwork error and you have the proof. All you need is your day in court.

Unfortunately, in Kentucky, you can be locked up indefinitely while lawyers find the time to deal with your case. That is because nothing in the commonwealths statutes defines what constitutes a speedy trial.

The right to a speedy trial goes hand in hand with the right to a fair trial. Holding a trial in a reasonable amount of time forces both prosecutors and the defense to gather and present evidence while it is fresh. It limits their ability to use court delays as a tactic and game an overburdened criminal justice system at the taxpayers expense. And it ensures that innocent people who get caught up in the broad net of the criminal justice system are not kept from their families, jobs and communities one day longer than necessary.

More: How COVID showed us meaningful bail reform is possible in Kentucky | Opinion

Given the importance of a speedy trial, it is no surprise that our Founders included it in both the U.S. and Commonwealth Constitutions. However, without a statute clearly defining what a speedy trial is, the right to one is just a mirage. In practice, it could mean waiting months or even years in jail for a court date  even for minor charges and misdemeanors. There are even cases where people are held awaiting trial longer than the maximum sentence for the charges they face. This hardly looks like the presumption of innocence.

The taxpayers shoulder the costs of this ambiguity, and the expense of a jail cell is not cheap. In 2019, Kentuckys jailers spent nearly $400 million on operations. Like most people, we will pay whatever is necessary to keep our families safe. But paying to lock up people who are waiting for their days in court  when they are not threats to their neighbors  doesnt make any sense.

The commonwealth can cut government spending by requiring judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys to comply with a reasonable standard for a speedy trial. Savings could pay for more effective crime-fighting strategies like hiring more cops, paying for addiction treatment and job training for those behind bars, or funding violent crime task forces. These are the things that cut crime. Or legislators could give hard-working Kentuckians a tax cut. Either way, its better than wasting money filling jail cells when its not necessary.

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Senate Bill 31 is a bipartisan proposal to create a speedy trial guarantee. It would establish reasonable time limits for a trial to take place. Unconvicted Kentuckians would be detained no longer than 90 days on a misdemeanor offense and six months on a felony unless releasing them while they await their day in court would pose a public safety risk. If the court finds that someone is a danger to the community, the judge would merely have to explain why. Otherwise, if the person is released, they will still face charges, and be held accountable if convicted.

More: Sullivan: With U of L case in its 5th year, NCAA's Emmert seeks speedier trials

Benjamin Franklin once quipped, it is better a hundred guilty persons should escape than one innocent person should suffer. While we certainly would not advocate for releasing 100 guilty people, Franklins words present an important truth  punishing innocent people is an incredible tragedy. That is why the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair and speedy trial are so important.

When Kentucky incarcerates people who are presumed innocent merely because lawyers cant schedule a trial within a reasonable time, everybody loses. People wait behind bars while their jobs are given to others. Families suffer from the absence of loved ones. Taxpayers end up paying too much to keep cell blocks full when doing so doesnt benefit public safety. And jails become overcrowded, posing a risk to other prisoners and guards alike. Kentucky can do better.

Placing reasonable time requirements on the legal system to give people their day in court is neither unreasonable nor harmful to safe communities. Its time for Kentuckys justice system to either fish or cut bait.

Brandon Storm is a Republican member of the Kentucky Senate representing Casey, Laurel, Lincoln, and Rockcastle counties. David Safavian is the General Counsel of the American Conservative Union Foundation.

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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'Speedy trial' definition reduces Kentucky taxpayers' burden: Opinion
TAMPA  A sprinkling of stars spells out the word believe. A light bulb frames the word innovative. A butterfly signals freedom and rebirth.

And, in their midst, two young people face each other, wearing masks while having a conversation.

These vividly colored images fill the cinderblock wall between buildings 4 and 5 at Town N Country Elementary School, courtesy of two groups of students in an unusual partnership.

Town N Country and nearby Berkeley Preparatory have been working since October to commemorate their schools responses to COVID-19.

This work is 100 percent done by the students, Town N Country principal Otis Kitchen said as the young artists undertook the finishing touches on Tuesday. The educators really wanted to get involved and engaged in the painting process. But they actually held off, so to speak. It is all student-led and student-driven.

The idea came from Town N Country art teacher Julia Prieto, who heard the two schools were collaborating for peer tutoring.

Prietos students already were working on a pandemic-themed display. Each student and adult had chosen a singular word, and the word cards were interspersed with abstract designs.

Prieto wondered, why not an outdoor mural?

Berkeleys National Art Honor Society took on the project, under the direction of secondary art teacher Carrie ODonoghue. The students raised $1,100 to pay for paints and other supplies.

They shortened the long list of words, settling on those most pertinent to the pandemic experience. Examples included perseverance, determined, and patience.

They discussed numerous design concepts before the first splashes of paint hit the wall.

Now, in the future, when new people come, or the new generation who does not know about the pandemic, they can know about it from this, said Journey Melton, a fifth-grader who was among those painting on Tuesday.

Journey and her classmates were in third grade when the pandemic hit. As they look back on those months, they remember disrupted routines, boredom and isolation at home.

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Returning to school in a mask, Journey said, I forgot what peoples faces looked like.

It was not much different for the Berkeley students, who struggled to keep up with their virtual classes and felt many of the same emotions that the younger children described.

Definitely patience, said Keira Hamilton, 17. Working the system, you know, being creative in how I can spend time with my friends online. I was definitely looking at these words, like they definitely do ring true to me and my experience with COVID.

Kitchen, for his part, was trying to unify a school that was new to him while half his students were learning remotely.

Teaching and learning will not happen if people do not feel valued, and feel as if they are a part of something, he said. There were days, he said, when he was at his students homes, making video calls to their teachers to make sure no one lost contact.

The experience reinforced Kitchens belief in the one-word strategy as a way to get students to focus on central concepts.

The main goal, honestly, is for the students to feel empowered and have a legacy, and also for our school community to be able to come back and really look at how we were able to get through this pandemic together, he said.

Because if you look at those words, all those words have to deal with being driven, being determined and ultimately working together to overcome barriers.
Kristin Cavallari is paying homage to her California roots with a series of steamy ocean pictures.

The Laguna Beach and Very Cavallari alum took to her Instagram on Wednesday to share some ethereal pictures of her emerging from the water in a bustier top and bikini bottoms. "Sun kissed," she captioned the photos, taking note of her bronze skin which stands out among the white pieces. The 35-year-old also showed off a few pieces of jewelry from her line Uncommon James.

One person referred to Cavallari as the "Sun Queen" in her comment section, while others praised her beauty. "You GLOW girl!!!" another wrote.

The photos are part of a series that Cavallari has been posting for her jewelry brand's latest collection. Clearly, the Laguna Beach native was inspired by the beach.

"The best part of owning my own company is having complete creative freedom to do whatever I want," she captioned a previous slideshow of campaign photos. "And with that comes being able to hire the best of the best to make my vision come to life."

The television personality documented her journey as a business owner on the show Very Cavallari, which ended in 2020 alongside her split from ex-husband Jay Cutler. According to her Instagram posts, the mom-of-three is living her very best life.

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WHAT DOES it mean when you hear that a dear friend has had a heart attack and is in the hospital in critical condition? Just how bad is critical? You might call the hospital the next day and be told his condition is stable. Does that mean he is out of danger now?

Perhaps you read about an accident on I-95 in which three local teen-agers are hurt. The paper says one of the passengers was hospitalized in critical condition. The next day you read that the teen's condition is guarded. Does that mean he is getting better or worse?

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People are understandably curious and concerned when someone they know and care about has been admitted to the hospital. They want to be informed about how a patient is doing, and indeed if they are family they deserve as much information as they can get.

Maryland hospitals have cooperated by adopting a rough glossary of terms, devised in cooperation with the Maryland Hospital Association, to describe a patient's condition. These few key adjectives -- released to the public through the media or through hospital information desks-- are intended to satisfy the needs of friends, relatives and the curious public.

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But the terms used to describe a patient's condition can be vague, simplistic and even misleading. And hospital personnel xTC agree that they are not meant to be medically definitive.

"In reality, doctors don't make their rounds saying this patient is now in fair condition, this one is critical and so forth," says Dr. William Davidson, head of the intensive care unit and chief of pulmonary medicine at Mercy Hospital.

In most hospitals, patient conditions are generally reported by nurses in each unit once a day (usually at midnight or 7 a.m.) based on information on the patient's chart, the care and observation of the patient over the last 24 hours and consultation with the physician.

The condition becomes part of a daily census report that eventually is relayed to an information desk, which takes calls from outside the hospital.

Here are the patient conditions generally agreed upon, as outlined in the Maryland Hospital Association handbook, and their definitions:

* Good: Vital signs such as pulse, temperature and blood pressure are stable and within normal limits. The patient is conscious and comfortable. His outlook for recovery is good or excellent.

* Fair (also satisfactory or stable): Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. The patient is conscious, but he is uncomfortable or may have minor complications. His outlook is favorable.

* Serious (also poor or guarded): The patient is acutely ill with questionable outlook. Vital signs may be unstable or not within normal limits. A chance for improved outlook.

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* Critical: Questionable outlook. Vital signs are unstable or not within normal limits. There are major complications. Death may be imminent.

Obviously, some conditions are easier to determine than others, says Kathy McCullough, director of neuroscience nursing and acting director of surgical nursing at University Hospital. A patient in good condition is probably nearly ready for discharge, she says.

On the other hand, a patient in fair condition might be someone who has just gone through elective surgery. "He may be recently in post-op and may be a little uncomfortable or have a minor complication."

A patient in serious condition would be more acutely ill and his vital signs would be unstable, she says. "It might be a post-operative patient with more complications.

"Or it might be someone who has had a stroke in the last 24 hours, and you're not yet able to make a determination about his prognosis." Stroke victims are usually reported in guarded or serious condition for the first 24 hours, she says.

It's in the serious and critical range where definitions as well as interpretations can get fuzzy, medical experts agree.

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Stable, for instance, is used with increasing frequency today, sometimes as a substitute for fair, but more often in conjunction with the terms serious and critical. Technically, stable means that a person's pulse, temperature and blood pressure are unchanged and within a normal range. But it also implies a leveling off, which some people mistakenly interpret as an improved outlook.

"Sometimes you'll hear that a person is in critical but stable condition," says Dr. James Ricely, chief of cardiology at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. "Well, that person could be dying of AIDS," he says. "He might be critical because he's on a respirator, but because he's had no new problems in the last 24 hours, he is stable."

Similarly, he says, "anybody who has a heart attack by definition is critical for the first 24 to 48 hours." Yet a patient's family may be told that he is stable once his vital signs have stabilized.

"But that's not necessarily positive information," says Ricely. "A critical but stable person could drop dead at any time."

Patient conditions are "extremely misleading," he says, but they are used because there is a demand for them. "People want to know something. They want an answer. The family expects one."

The word guarded is another vague description, says Davidson, but it is used for the same reason as critical but stable. A patient with a life-threatening illness whose vital signs have been stabilized and is now well-supported is still in danger, he says. "A nurse might choose to say guarded, knowing the patient is very sick but not knowing which way he will go," he says.

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The thing to remember, doctors and nurses agree, is that these quick takes are not prognostic information. They do not refer to "medical conditions," and they are not meant to be conclusive.
WASHINGTON  As the U.S. Department of Defenses laboratories and testing organizations grapple with a multibillion dollar infrastructure funding gap, lawmakers want to boost fiscal 2022 funding for the most critical projects by nearly $800 million.

The funding  included in the fiscal 2022 compromise defense spending bill released this week  targets key technology development and testing infrastructure like space, hypersonic weapons, directed energy, electromagnetic spectrum and targeting, adding $422.7 million across multiple defense-wide and Navy research and development projects.

The bill also proposes $375.4 million to make DoDs ranges more representative of a fifth-generation threat environment, funding projects at the Nevada Test and Training Range, Point Mugu Sea Range, China Lake and the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Along with the range improvement funding, lawmakers require a report from the Director for Operational Test and Evaluation as well as the Test Resource Management Center that outlines a spending plan and details any outyear funding needs.

It is noted that recent investments in next-generation weapons such [as] hypersonics, directed energy and space technologies have not been accompanied by investments in the associated test infrastructure to demonstrate these capabilities under operationally relevant conditions against realistic threats, lawmakers said in a joint explanatory statement accompanying the bill.

The proposed funding increase is significantly lower than the $1.1 billion recommended by Senate appropriators in an earlier bill. But it comes as DoD and industry leaders raise concerns about the state of lab and testing facilities.

The departments fiscal 2022 unfunded requirements list for lab military construction projects, obtained by Defense News, identifies 81 projects totaling approximately $3.29 billion. Of the 81 projects, 22 come from the Army, 29 from the Navy and 30 from the Air Force; 57 of the projects are deemed major and 24 minor.

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Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu pegged the total shortfall at closer to $5 billion during a Potomac Officers Club event in January. Shyu said at the time the departments Innovation Steering Group was working to understand which projects were most critical as well as the implications of not funding those efforts.

And then in February, during a meeting convened by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to discuss hypersonic technology development, industry executives identified testing infrastructure shortfalls as a major barrier to fielding the capabilities on a faster timeline.

Former DoD officials and analysts told Defense News at the time that the departments fiscal 2023 budget will be a key indicator as to whether the department is serious about improving hypersonic test infrastructure.

Mark Lewis, executive director of the National Defense Industrial Associations Emerging Technology Institute and former acting deputy undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said there needs to be an Office of the Secretary of Defense-level commitment to investing in things like wind tunnels and other facilities that make it easier to flight test.

Under lawmakers proposed fiscal 2022 plus-up, a project to revive a decommissioned synthetic air hypersonic propulsion test facility would receive about $29.5 million in additional funding. The bill would also add $200 million for advanced electronically scanned array radar test infrastructure, $105.4 million for electromagnetic spectrum lab and test upgrades and $40 million to buy new C-band and X-band decoy systems.
ADRIAN  Authorities investigating the disappearance of Dee Warner have formed a task force of county, state and federal agencies.

Dee Warner, 52, of Tecumseh has been missing since the morning hours of April 25, according to a news release from the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information that may be helpful in locating Warner is asked to contact the Lenawee County Sheriffs Office at 517-263-0524.

The task force's members  the Lenawee County Sheriffs Office, Michigan State Police and FBI  met Wednesday with Warner's family to provide an update on the investigation and to announce the formation of a task force, a news release from the sheriff's office said. The goal of the meeting was to have a dialog with members of the family, review the timeline of the investigation and discuss future steps.

The task force started with the execution of further search warrants and will continue to investigate information and tips from the public, the release said.

Lenawee County Sheriff Troy Bevier said he would not release information about the search warrants.

More: Brother of missing Dee Warner criticizes investigation into Tipton woman's disappearance

More: Dee Ann Warner still missing after law enforcement searches her Franklin Township home

More: Crime Stoppers of Lenawee County seeks information on missing Tecumseh woman

Warner has been missing since April 24. Law enforcement conducted searches last spring and returned to the Warner family farm in Franklin Township in October to conduct more searches, including using ground-penetrating sonar to look for underground anomalies. Warner's brother, Gregg Hardy, had a vigil in November at his farm in Franklin Township where he criticized the investigation. Yard signs and billboards seeking "Justice for Dee" have become a common sight in the area.

Having a task force makes more resources available to investigators, Bevier said in an interview. He said the sheriff's office has been working off and on with specialty of units of the state police and FBI on the case, but now they will have a more regular way to bounce ideas off each other and have a second and third set of eyes to review evidence or information.

"We're already seeing the advantages of being able to do that with both the state police and the FBI," he said.

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Why not form a task force sooner?

"I don't have a good answer for that," Bevier said. "Other than there were concerns that the sheriff's office should turn the investigation over to the state police. When I contacted the state police to have them review our investigation  We do that often. We'll contact another agency (and ask), 'Hey, take a look at the investigation. Is there something we missed or something you would do different?'  then when I got to talking with the captain from the state police, that's when we started talking about a task force and the advantages of having it."

The sheriff's office is not turning over the investigation to the state police or FBI, Bevier said.

"There's already a lot of investigation that's been done on the case, and we don't want to lose what we've done already by turning anything over. All of the parties involved kind of felt the same way, that this is the best of both worlds," he said.

Anyone with information about Warner's disappearance is asked to contact Detective Kevin Greca at the sheriff's office at 517-264-5364.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee County Sheriff's Office, MSP, FBI form Dee Warner task force
Gas prices continue to rise around the country and in Maryland, where some people are willing to drive hours out of their way to wait hours in line to get the best price. Another record was set Wednesday for gas prices in Maryland, where the average price for a gallon of regular is now $4.23 -- up 4 cents from Tuesday, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. That's also up almost 80 cents more than last month. But there is a discrepancy on what service stations are offering as 11 News found gas prices as low as just under $4, and in other spots, more than $5.
At least 45 employers will be looking for new workers at a regional hiring event in Prattville this month.

Organizers said the goal is to help people find quality jobs, change careers or just explore the options in health care, manufacturing, hospitality, construction, transportation and more. Confirmed attendees include Baptist Health, Hyundai Power Transformers USA, Autauga County Schools, Wind Creek and State Farm, among others.

The event will be from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on March 21 at Hunter Hills Church, 330 Old Farm Lane North in Prattville. People are being asked to bring along a resume and expect to be interviewed on the spot.

More: Want a stronger workforce? Focus on education, says new report

In other news: No working septic tank in Lowndes County? Here's how to apply for help

The sprawling job fair is a collaboration between chambers of commerce in Chilton County, Millbrook, Prattville and Wetumpka, along with Central Alabama Works and the Prattville Area Industry Council.

What companies will be at the Prattville job fair?

Organizers said the following employers have confirmed plans to attend, but they noted that the list could grow:

Westfraser

Adient

Ascension/St. Vincent's

C&S Canopy

James Hardie

Camelot Properties LLC

NAFL Prattville, LLC

Ivy Creek Healthcare

Larry Puckett

Autauga/Western Elmore Arc

International Paper

Buffalo Rock

Hickory Hill Harbor

Hyundai Power Transformers USA

Eleven 86

Marriott

Bass Pro

Cooks Pest Control

Autauga County Schools

Baptist Health

Kinedyne

Home Helpers Homecare

I AM Roofing

Courtyard by Marriott Prattville

ServPro

US Army

Home Helpers Homecare

YMCA-Grandview

Cutter's Electrical Services, LLC

Max Credit Union

River Bank & Trust

Ram Hotels

City of Millbrook

Window World

Walmart

Air Now

Autauga Elmore Developmental Services

Food Outlet

State Farm

Imperial Mailbox Systems

Diversified Alarm Services, Inc

Insight Construction LLC

Wind Creek Wetumpka

Wind Creek Montgomery

Gray's Tire Center

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at bharper1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Prattville job fair to host dozens of companies want to hire workers
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  A man caught on video killing his estranged wife may leave prison early to live with his sister in Las Vegas, the Louisiana Parole Board has decided.

The board voted unanimously Wednesday to release Anthony Knox, 59, of Leesville even though he denied killing Army Staff Sgt. Angela Knox, 32, in 1997 and said he was coerced into pleading guilty to manslaughter, the American Press reported.

Knox has served 24-and-a-half years of a 40-year sentence. Police said when he was arrested that a security camera showed him knocking her to the ground, then standing over her and shooting her point-blank in the head and chest.

He must keep taking psychiatric medications and regularly see mental health professionals in Nevada, the board said. All three members said they approved Knoxs early release largely because psychiatric professionals testified that he recently had requested a change from a daily pill to a bi-monthly injection.

After his arrest, Knox was placed in the state psychiatric hospital for defendants found mentally incompetent for trial, and later diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was found competent in 2001 and pleaded guilty in 2005 to manslaughter.

Knox said he did not have schizophrenia and had only been diagnosed with delusions.

And, he said, I was abused and forced into a plea agreement under false charges.

Actually Im not guilty of the crime, he told the parole board. He said he was present but did not know what happened. Nobody mentioned the security footage, the newspaper reported.

Mental health professionals testified they considered Knox would do best in a group home in Louisiana, but Knoxs sister said she could care for him.

Board member Tony Marabella asked Knox if he would take his medication as prescribed and listen to mental health professionals as they diagnose and treat him, and Knox answered he would.

Arrest reports said Knox was served with divorce documents and a restraining order July 30, 1997, and followed her to a Walmart in Leesville two days later, waiting in his vehicle while she went in. When she began loading bags into her vehicle at 4:55 a.m., Knox came up from behind and hit her in the face with the pistol, authorities said.

Vernon Parish District Attorney Terry Lambright wrote to the parole board in January, strongly opposing Knoxs request for release.

Our state should not be releasing individuals that intentionally kill another person, except in very exceptional cases. This case is not exceptional. Anthony Knox should have remained in prison to serve his prison sentence, Lambright told the newspaper Wednesday.
Mar. 10If you or someone you know needs resources or support related to sexual violence, contact the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault's 24/7 hotline at 800-871-7741.

The Maine National Guard proposed several steps to improve its handling of sexual assault and harassment, but didn't address how it would prevent them from happening in the first place, or protect soldiers from retaliation.

The plan was outlined in a new report filed with the Legislature in which guard leadership pledged to improve its handling of sexual assault and harassment amid a push in the federal government to implement reforms.

It follows last November's three-part Bangor Daily News investigation that revealed a recent spike in substantiated sexual assault investigations inside the Maine Army National Guard and a culture that is permissive of sexual harassment, improperly handles sexual assault cases and retaliates against women who come forward.

Lawmakers last spring ordered the guard to submit a report outlining how well it follows federal best practices for investigating and preventing sexual abuse. Guard leadership submitted the 22-page report last week and will discuss it with the Legislature's veterans and legal affairs committee Friday.

The guard, which also includes the Maine Air National Guard, is asking lawmakers to give it a seat on Maine's Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse Council. It also plans to create a partnership with the Maine Coaliton Against Sexual Assault, and says it will work with the governor's office to create an advisory council to review its sexual assault and harassment policies to ensure they're working.

The guard has already created two full-time positions to serve as better liaisons with victims and civilian law enforcement, which the guard relies on as the primary way to investigate reports of assault, according to the report. The adjutant general, the guard's chief military official, will also start updating the governor and lawmakers regularly with information and statistics about the problem.

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The organization also suggested legislation to strengthen its power to impose restraining orders on soldiers accused of assault while they are off base and make funds available to pay for women to travel to court proceedings related to their assaults.

Maine has not gone as far as other states whose National Guard units have faced sexual assault scandals. States such Vermont and Wisconsin called for independent investigations to identify the scale of the problem and flaws in the guard's response to it.

Unlike independent evaluations from other states, the guard's report provides no information or statistics about sexual assault and harassment in its ranks. Though the guard said it collects that information and surveyed soldiers last year about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault within the organization, it did not disclose the results of that survey.

Some women who spoke to the BDN last fall about their experiences reporting harassment and assault said the proposed measures seemed more like an attempt to save face than address the systemic cultural problems within the organization. One former staff sergeant who reported a sexual assault in 2019 also criticized lawmakers for relying on the guard to evaluate itself.

Gov. Janet Mills has asked the guard to "promptly" move forward with the changes, according to a spokesperson, and will soon issue an executive order to form the advisory panel and require it to make recommendations by Dec 1.

"The governor considers this report and the forthcoming advisory council as a first step in the effort to support members of the guard who have suffered sexual harassment or assault, and she is committed to working with them and the Legislature to that end," said Lindsay Crete, a spokesperson for the democratic governor.

Following the BDN's reporting last fall, the co-chairs of veterans and legal affairs committee, one of whom has since left office, said they would wait for the organization's leadership to submit the report assessing its performance before commenting on the BDN's findings.

Committee co-chairs Rep. Chris Caiazzo, D-Scarborough and Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, as well as Rep. Morgan Reilly, D-Westbrook, the sponsor of the legislation that required the guard to submit the report, declined to comment on the report Wednesday.
Photo credit: BSIP - Getty Images

The first transplant patient to successfully receive a heart from a (genetically modified) pig has died, just two months after his procedure, the The New York Times reports.

The eight-hour surgery, and others like it in recent months, could disrupt the field of organ transplantation and help to someday save countless human lives.

An ailing transplant patient who received the heart of a genetically modified pig earlier this year has died, according to The New York Times. The patient, David Bennett Sr., was 57. Researchers are still investigating the cause of death and plan to publish their resultswith the familys consentin a peer-reviewed paper later this year.

 Science is on our side. Well help you understand it all.

Bennetts surgery earlier this year is one of the latest in a series of ground-breaking procedures that could transform the field of xenotransplantation, or the transplantation of animal organs, tissues or cells into humans.

There have been numerous unsuccessful attempts throughout history to transplant animal organs into the human body. Throughout the 1960s, doctors attempted to implant the organs of monkeys into human patientsone recipient survived for nine months before their body finally rejected the organ. In 1984, a team of surgeons placed a baboon organ into the body of a baby girl, nicknamed Baby Fae. She lived only 21 days after the procedure.

But as technology has advanced, so has the field of xenotransplantation. For decades, doctors have successfully transplanted parts of other animalssuch as pig heart valves, skin tissues and pancreatic cellsinto humans. And in the last decade, multiple teams of surgeons have successfully transplanted the porcine hearts into the bodies of baboons and other non-human primates. One baboon survived for three years with its brand new beating heart intact.

But until fairly recently, full organ transplant procedures involving pig organsthe most compatible organs in all the animal kingdom thanks to their growth rate and sizehave failed due, in large part, to a sugar that spurs an immune reaction in the human body. Researchers have genetically modified and bred pigs to switch off the gene responsible for generating the sugar, which is called alpha-gal. (Coincidentally, alpha-gal is also behind the meat allergies people who have been bitten by the Lone Star tick sometimes develop.)

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Then, in November of last year, there was a breakthrough. Doctors at N.Y.U. Langone Health successfully transplanted the kidney of one such pig into the body of a brain-dead patient. To the teams surprise, the patients body did not reject the kidney. Instead, the kidney began to produce urine and perform other normal functions. This procedure marked the first time in which the entire organ of another animal survived the transplant process and began performing naturally.

Then, in January, a team of surgeons from the University of Maryland Medical Center transplanted the heart of a genetically modified pig into Bennetts chest. Bennett survived the eight-hour procedure, but remained connected to a heart-lung bypass machine for a period of time after the surgery.

Just 10 days later, a team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted a second kidney transplant, this time attaching both kidneys to the body of a brain-dead patient. Once more, the organs began to properly function, this time for a few days, according to the The New York Times. (The team reported their findings in the American Journal of Transplantation and plans to start clinical trials later this year.)

In the future, procedures like these could save the lives of people who await an organ donation each year. There are currently 106, 164 Americans on the national organ transplant waitlist, according to data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. But organs are in short supply; 17 people die each day waiting for a donation. Some envision a world where genetically modified pigs could be bred specifically for their organs, alleviating the shortage of viable organs. Others shudder at the thought.

Theres still a long way to go before that happens.

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WASHINGTON  WASHINGTON -- The White House and the Pentagon strongly denied a report from Iraq yesterday that allied warplanes had bombed a baby formula factory near Baghdad, saying that the targeted plant was actually a disguised facility for germ warfare.

"That factory is in fact a production facility for biological weapons," said White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater. "The Iraqis have hidden this facility behind a facade of baby milk production as a form of disinformation."

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The Iraqi claim was conveyed by Cable News Network correspondent Peter Arnett, the only Western journalist still reporting from Baghdad. He said Iraqi officials took him to the ruined installation, telling him it was destroyed in bombing raids Sunday and Monday.

"An official said it had been producing 20 tons of powdered milk a day and was the only source of infant formula food for children 1 year and younger in Iraq," Mr. Arnett said in the broadcast, which was cleared by Iraqi censors.

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L "It looked innocent enough from what we could see," he said.

CNN illustrated the report with film footage of the plant in operation, taken in August by one of its camera crews.

The film showed milk being processed and a worker wearing a white shirt emblazoned with the words "Baby Milk Plant Iraq" -- in English, not the official Arabic, prompting Mr. Fitzwater to scoff that the episode was "made for TV."

He said Iraq was using CNN to disseminate propaganda that "hurts our government and plays into the hands of Saddam Hussein."

"We must point out once again that any reports coming out of Baghdad are, in effect, coming from the Iraqi government," he said.

Gen. Colin L. Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that intelligence about the plant was irrefutable: "It is not an infant formula factory. It was a biological weapons facility -- of that we are sure."

Air Force Lt. Col. Mike Gallagher said at a military briefing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that the bombed factory was heavily fortified with "military guards around it, a barbed wire fence."

"It has a military garrison outside, and numerous sources have indicated that the facility is associated with biological warfare production," he said.
PENNSAUKEN - A Merchantville man faces charges in connection with a shooting in a tavern's parking lot here.

Carl Young, 42, allegedly shot a 35-year-old man, also from Merchantville, outside Bryson's Pub on the 3400 block of Cove Road, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

The shooting occurred shortly before 3 a.m. on March 6, when police officers responded to find the victim had been shot in the face during a dispute, the prosecutor's office said. He was admitted to a local hospital in stable condition and has since been released.

Young allegedly ran from the scene but was arrested later that day. A weapon was recovered, the prosecutor's office said.

Crime: Search of Pennsauken home finds guns, drugs and a bulletproof vest

Young is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses.

The charges are only allegations. Young has not been convicted in the case.

Young was being held in Camden County Jail, pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.

Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.

Support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Pennsauken NJ: Merchantville man charged in shooting
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday urged Argentina to accept a new $45 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) instead of defaulting on its debt.

Argentina agreed on a 30-month extended fund facility (EFF) with the IMF late last week, replacing a failed 2018 program, which pushes repayments back until 2026-2034. It needs approval from the IMF board and Argentina's Congress.

"This is a matter for the Argentineans, but if they asked for my opinion, I would say that they accept the payment extension," Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference.

Defaulting on its debt would not "help Argentina or the rest of the world's economies," said Lopez Obrador, an ally of Argentine President Alberto Fernandez.

"Honorable people know you received a bankrupt country because of your predecessor's irresponsible decision for Argentina to take on unlimited debt in complicity with foreign governments and financial organizations," Lopez Obrador said, reading from a letter addressed to Fernandez and dated March 5.

(Reporting by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Lisa Shumaker)
By Krishna N. Das and Saurabh Sharma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party won India's most populous state with a big majority, according to the count on Thursday of a state assembly vote that could offer clues to the national mood before a 2024 general election.

The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won or was leading in 255 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, which it currently rules, according to the Election Commission of India.

Final results were expected to be out in a few hours but were unlikely to change much. Party workers in the state staged impromptu rallies to celebrate and smeared each other in the BJP's saffron colours.

Modi said that some political experts had said the results of polls in five states in 2017 decided the results of the general election in 2019, which the BJP won with a sweeping majority.

"I believe this time also they will say that the results of 2022 have decided the results of 2024," he said.

Uttar Pradesh is home to about a fifth of India's 1.35 billion people and sends the most legislators to parliament of any state.

The victory in the northern state has come despite the state and federal government's much-criticised handling of COVID-19, lack of jobs and anger over farm reforms that Modi cancelled last year after protests.

"The people of the state have rejected the opposition that was building a castle in the air," party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia.

The BJP has long predicted it would retain the state because of policies such as free staples for the poor during the pandemic, a crackdown on crime, and its popularity among the Hindu majority reinforced by the construction of a temple on the site of a razed mosque.

KEY TO MAJORITY

In elections in four smaller states over the past month, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which governs the national capital territory of Delhi, won a landslide victory in Punjab. The BJP retained control of Uttarakhand, and looked set to form governments in Goa and Manipur.

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The AAP, whose name means "common man" in Hindi, emerged in 2012 out of an anti-corruption movement. Party leaders said they were ready to take on Modi nationally.

It has long been assumed in Indian politics that without winning Uttar Pradesh and the neighbouring state of Bihar, no party or coalition has much hope of securing a majority in parliament. The BJP has been in power in both.

For decades, Uttar Pradesh was a stronghold of the main opposition Congress party, but it has been unable to stem a slide in its popularity over recent years.

"Humbly accept the people's verdict," senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty who has overseen the party's decline, said on Twitter.

"We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India."

The win in Uttar Pradesh is a seal of approval for Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, who was surprisingly chosen as chief minister for the state five year ago and is seen as a future prime ministerial candidate for the BJP.

(Additional reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Robert Birsel and Alex Richardson)
Natalia Gavrilita, the Moldovan prime minister, in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, March 2, 2022. (Laetitia Vancon/The New York Times)

Natalia Gavrilita, the Moldovan prime minister, in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, on March 2, 2022. Credit - Laetitia VanconThe New York Times/Redux

Natalia Gavrilita knows she is in a tight spot. It is, after all, the job of Moldovas Prime Minister to project control, an easy calm, the sense that everything will work out fine. But Gavrilita also knows that the humanitarian fallout from Russias invasion of Ukraine is fraying the seams of her nation, which by some metrics is Europes poorest. So as we wrap up our interview in the capital, Chisinau, chatting before her nations tricolor flag with its embossed eagle motif, she double-checks herself.

Perhaps I should have been stronger on the need for help, she muses aloud. Because we need green corridors [taking refugees to third countries], we need assistance, we need expertise, we need help to deal with economic concerns. We are small, and so panic can quickly unbalance the economy.

Read More: How Putin Is Losing at His Own Disinformation Game in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine has done many things: sent 2 million refugees hurrying to neighboring countries, upended Europes security architecture, severed global supply chains, and revived fears of nuclear war. But as with any rowdy neighborhood, the smallest suffer most, and they dont come smaller than landlocked Moldova, whose population of 2.6 million is less than Chicagos.

Still, the plucky nation had already welcomed at least 270,000 refugees from besieged Ukrainewhich envelops Moldova across three compass points, with Romania to the westwhen TIME sat down with Gavrilita in her office March 8. And despite a GDP per capita PPP of $13,000 last yearranking somewhere between Paraguay and Egyptthe warmth of that welcome has been stunning. Ordinary Moldovans opened their hearts and homes to the influx, ferrying soup and medical supplies to the border, or standing ready with a smile and hug.

Story continues

Arrivals with disposable income have crowded into hotels and apartments, children running feral in marble lobbies, and business centers have been transformed into makeshift creches. At Chisinau Arena, hundreds of cots are filed with Ukrainian families with nowhere else to go. It has been a mobilization of the entire society, Gavrilita says proudly. But we are very rapidly reaching our capacities.

Read More: Its Our Duty to Help. Eastern Europe Opens Its Doors and Hearts to People Fleeing Ukraine

To that end, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Moldova March 6 to show support and promise $18 million over the next few years to strengthen and diversify Moldovas energy sector. Energy security is actually critical to maintaining ones sovereignty and independence, Blinken said.

So is keeping Russian tanks and soldiers forces outside ones borders, but on that point Washington is more reticent. President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to vow to defend every inch of NATO territory, but added that our forces are not going to Europe to fight [for] Ukraine. Neither Ukraine nor Moldova are members of NATO.

Moldovans must be very nervous, says Daniel Fried, a former assistant Secretary of State and U.S. ambassador to Poland. Biden drew a hard security line and Moldova is on the wrong side of it.

The anxiety is indeed palpable. On the foggy first morning day of Russias invasion, Feb. 24, locals in Moldovas low-slung capital could hear artillery fire from the street. Moldovan airspace closed as soon as the invasion started. On March 1, a strong Putin ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, gave an extraordinary televised address to his security council detailing the Kremlins invasion plan on a huge map that appeared to include Moldova for occupation. Upon summoning the Belarus Ambassador for an explanation, Gavrilita was told the map was a misunderstanding, she says. Of course, we do not believe this is a satisfactory answer.

As the fighting draws closer, Moldovans across the social and political spectrum are wondering whether they could be next. Ukraines besieged Black Sea city of Odessa lies just 35 mi. from the shared border. For Igor Munteanu, a former Moldovan MP and Ambassador to the U.S., Bidens remarks describing the limits of the U.S. response were almost an invitation for Putin to expand, he says. If Russia feels there is a weakness, they will exploit it. Moldova is on the front line to be the next victim of this war.

A group of refugees at the border of Palanca between Ukraine and Moldova, on March 6, 2022 Sidney Lea Le BourHans Lucas/Reuters

A Country on the Precipice

Staving off conquest would make a vivid, albeit vaguely medieval, addition to Gavrilitas resume. After graduating in law at Moldova State University, she went on to collect a masters in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School before taking various development posts across Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. She served as executive director of the World Banks Education Reform Project before entering politics in her homeland, where she served as Finance Minister.

Development, rather than survival, has been her focus. Moldovas problems have been dominated by a torpid economy. In 2019, around 246,000 Moldovan migrants were working or ready to live abroad on a temporary basis, some 27% of the total labor force and one of the highest rates in the world. Remittances accounted for $1.9 billion, or 16% of GDP, that same year.

At home, industry traditionally tended toward agriculture, particularly wine, which accounted for $80 million in exports in 2019. But thanks in part to a 2014 Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which reduces tariffs and smooths customs procedures with the E.U., the nation is becoming an auto-manufacturing and IT hub. The pandemic, soaring energy prices, and endemic corruption were considerable headwinds, for sure. But the future was getting brighter; GDP expanded 21.5% in the second quarter of last year.

Today, Chisinau is a mix of crumbling Soviet apartment blocks with the odd glass office tower sprouting through cracked streets. The day before Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Gavrilita wrapped up an international conference on national development strategy, including long-term plans for strategic infrastructure and investment projects to boost living standards. But with events moving beyond Moldovas control, her government can no longer concentrate on improving the lives of [our] citizens.

Putins adventurism has cast a pall of uncertainty across the whole of Eastern Europe. Nearly all that Russian oil and gas passes through Ukraine, and fighting at Ukraines nuclear power plants has raised sharp concern. Moldovans who can trace ancestry to neighboring Romania can apply for dual nationality, making a significant number of Moldovans eligible for Romanian E.U. passports and thus able to work across the bloc. (The Prime Minister numbers among them, for which shes received criticism domestically.) Gavrilitas economic plans now face the twin pressures of absorbing hundreds of thousands of refugees whileif instability persiststhe prospect of a domestic workforce seeking jobs elsewhere looms.

On March 3, as war raged next door, Moldova officially applied to join the E.U. Its a risky move, given that Ukraines flirting with the bloc was perhaps a trigger for Putins invasion. Gavrilita says E.U. ascension was a logical next step, but admits the desire was hastened by the crisis: I think this is particularly important during this time.

People fleeing Ukraine arrive at a refugee camp near Palanca Village, some three kilometers from the Moldova-Ukraine border, on March 7, 2022 Dumitru DoruEPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Walking a Tightrope

Moldovas E.U. aspirations were hardly secret. Since 2014, every government building has displayed the national and blue E.U. flag side by side. But gauging Putins reaction in light of recent events is tricky. Moldova spends just 0.4% of GDP on defense, and its Lilliputian security forces, as Mutaneau puts it, consist of just 8,000 soldiers and 18,000 police.

Moldova, like Switzerland, has rooted its security in constitutionally enshrined neutrality. But like Ukraine, it spent half a century as part of the Soviet Union, the breakup of which Putin calls greatest geopolitical catastrophe of our time. In fact, Russian troops are already in Moldovaan estimated 1,700 of them in an unrecognized breakaway province loyal to the Kremlin called Transdniestria.

The history of that breakaway is telling. Moldova, after centuries of assorted forms of independence, began the 20th century administered by Romania. Then, in 1940, Josef Stalinin his Machiavellian thinkingannexed Moldova to the USSR, while adding a slither of territory tracing its border with Ukraine, thus weakening his western neighbor while injecting an ethnically Russian minority into the new state that, he hoped, would guard against any potential reunification. That sliver was Transdniestria.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Transdniestria in 1990 declared its own independence, and a short but bloody conflict ensued. A ceasefire has held since July 21, 1992, though the state remains in limbo, unrecognized by any U.N. member. Still, an imperious statue of Lenin looming over its Brutalist parliament building is an unambiguous indicator of loyalties. It remains propped up by Russia due to a steady supply of free gas that funds energy production and smelting works. (As of 2019, Russian state energy firm Gazprom was owed $8 billion by Transdniestria, though Gazprom has shown no urgency to collect.)

Its lost on few in Moldova that Russian control of southern Ukraine would provide a land bridge to Transdniestria, where theres reported to be Eastern Europes largest munitions dump at Cobasna, containing 20,000 tons of Soviet-era weapons. Gavrilita is first to admit that Moldova would be powerless to prevent Transdniestria from breaking away to join Russia should it, or the Kremlin, wish. As a neutral country, we have not been building any military capacity for war, she says.

So narrow is the tightrope Gavrilita must walk that, while condemning Putins invasion and offering humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians, Moldova has stopped short of joining sanctions on Russia. Our economic, energy, and social resilience does not allow us to undertake such steps, particularly with this war currently going on in our vicinity, the Prime Minister says. (The E.U., bowing to its own hard realities, continues to replenish Putins war chest with $1 billion of oil and gas purchases every day.)

Read More: The World Is Watching Russia Invade Ukraine. But Russian Media Is Telling a Different Story

On another front, however, Gavrilita is battling an intensification of disinformation and fake news, she says. Moscow is filling local media with false reports of Ukrainian refugee misdeeds and offering specious justification for Putins invasion. Since many Moldovans habitually tune in to Russian television channels (mainly for their higher-production soaps), this propaganda filters through, despite the best efforts of the free press.

But along with refugees, words are primarily what that Moldova has at the moment. We expect everybody to respect our neutral status, and for the international community to support this, Gavrilita says. And to help Moldova in this request to remain neutral.
A woman carrying a tray of food at a McDonald's restaurant in Moscow on Wednesday. Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images

Fans of McDonald's in Russia have scrambled to get one last meal at the fast-food chain.

Videos shared online show a long line of cars outside one outlet, while photos show crowds inside another.

McDonald's is temporarily closing its restaurants in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Long queues formed at McDonald's restaurants in Moscow on Wednesday ahead of the iconic fast-food chain's temporary closure of its outlets across Russia.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show cars lined up outside McDonald's outlets in Moscow and Russians wrapped in winter clothing queueing inside the restaurants.

A crowd seen inside a McDonald's outlet in Moscow on Wednesday night. Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images

A day earlier, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski announced in a memo that the company would be closing its nearly 850 restaurants in the country indefinitely, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's first McDonald's outlet opened 32 years ago in Moscow's Pushkin Square, a move that was widely seen as a sign of the Soviet Union's impending collapse and the thawing of Cold War relations, per Reuters.

People seen lining up outside Russia's first McDonald's outlet, located in Moscow's Pushkin Square, on January 31, 1990. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Associated Press file photo

Kempczinski said it was "impossible to predict" at this stage when McDonald's would reopen its restaurants, but said the company would "closely monitor the situation." The chain will continue to pay its 62,000 staff in Russia during the closure.

Several other global food brands such as Starbucks and Coca-Cola also announced on Tuesday that they would suspend their operations in Russia, aligning themselves with heavy sanctions imposed by Western governments in response to the war in Ukraine.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Events occur in the energy market almost too fast to properly catalog these days. The torrent of information is cacophonous as one dire prediction for the direction of the oil price after another rolls across the ticker. Nonetheless, it behooves us to try and ferret out relevant details from this torrent of data. As I applied myself to this task one thing, in particular, became blindly apparent to me. The substance behind most of what I was hearing was pretty thin. As in almost non-existent thin. We will avoid the political side of this debate and focus on the impact on our wallets and the ability to pull up to a gas pump and fill up our F-150s.

The last week and in the early part of this week, one emerging aspect of the energy market struck me. People were now talking about the increasing likelihood of banning Russian imports to the U.S, and one of them was Joe Biden. Sanctions talk for oil began to ramp up in earnest, and the talk had gone from no-how, no-way to it just might happen. On Tuesday, President Biden acted to go it alone and block Russian oil from coming to the U.S. Europe, where winter runs a bit longer, simply can't follow suit and will continue to purchase Russian oil and gas. What is the impact of this decision on Americans?

Now, at first glance, this appears to be just a great idea that helps starve the Russian war machine of capital. We only import about 600K BOPD from Russia, a relatively small amount that picking up about 50 rigs could replace. So whats the problem? It turns out, we need Russian oil, or something like it. And therein lies the rub. We don't produce much of what we need in terms of blending stock, heavy oil that is.

RBN Energy Blog

Now we are looking high and low for replacements in a lot of places with less than savory reputations, and some under U.S. sanctions currently. As I have explained in various places recently, oil companies need blending stock to improve the API gravity of the throughput from their refineries. As the BTU Analytics graph below shows, the major fracking basins that produce most of the ~9 mm BOPD that we rely upon, produce very little of this heavy oil. Thats just life.

Story continues

BTU Analytics

What this means though is that we have to replace like for like in terms of API gravity oil, and once again therein lies the rub. Nations that the president is contacting to ease the strain on American motorists include: Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. What is the likelihood of our "friends" in these far-flung places coming to our rescue?

Related: OPEC Discusses Oil Market With U.S. Shale Executives

Venezuela has been under the thumb of U.S. sanctions for several years now, forcing the country to look for assistance from Russia as this WSJ article notes. Recently a delegation from the U.S. flew to Caracas to discuss relaxing sanctions on that country, so the U.S. could buy more oil. This Reuters article suggests that Nicholas Maduro, the Russian puppet dictator in Caracas, has learned the art of negotiation well from his patron Vladimir Putin over in Moscow. Instead of a big "Nyet, the two parties agreed to a basis for future negotiations. Venezuelan production, most recently at around 800K BOPD, has been heading eastward to China in order to evade the sanctions. Orinoco grade crude is so thick and heavy that it needs a diluent to pump at ambient temps, and our friends in Tehran helped with that, so some 2-mm barrels went to repay Iran. The thought that Venezuela has meaningful excess production to send to the U.S. stretches reality just a hair.

Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are not on the best of terms these days. In days of yore an exhortation by the U.S. president to, "pump more oil," would have had considerable sway. Since we indelicately pinned the murder of Khashoggi on the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salmon has been cultivating other relationships. Specifically with Russia as it happens, including a military cooperation agreement. With the additional de facto membership of Russia in OPEC+, the notion that President Biden was ever going to shake any extra oil loose in Saudi Arabia, is chuckle-worthy. In fact, the trip isnt going to happen at all, I am hearing. Astoundingly, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal, the Saudis didnt take the call from the American president.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the U.A.E.s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan both declined U.S. requests to speak to Mr. Biden in recent weeks, the officials said, as Saudi and Emirati officials have become more vocal in recent weeks in their criticism of American policy in the Gulf.

WSJ

I would be surprised if thats ever happened before.

That brings us to Iran. Iran has also been under U.S. sanctions since time immemorial and basically does just fine. It turns out another 'close-friend' of the U.S. has been helping them evade the full impact of our sanctions. That would be China. You can see from the graph below, only about 1.5 mm BOPD remains unsold thanks to Mr. Xi.

Trading Economics

As if Iran and China's relationship wasn't much closer than we'd like, Putin has been nosing his way into their sphere to expand his influence in the Middle East. It looks as though the only likely opportunity to put more oil on the market, lies with the re-entry of the U.S into the Iran nuclear accord. Its anybodys guess if the leadership in that country will send it our way.

Your takeaway

For good or ill, the president just eliminated about 3% of our oil supply. That doesn't sound like much, but remember how tight supplies are, and as I have established oil quality matters. The loss of these barrels is going to raise prices. One thing the president didn't do is give any sign that he was going to pivot toward U.S. production. That simply is politically unacceptable to his base, which is about what he has left in terms of support.

It is also curious that he didn't mention our two closest trading partners, Canada and Mexico with this address. Canada is supplying most of our imports now - about 3.5 mm BOPD, and could certainly do more. If Biden hadnt canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have been just about finished by now, it would have certainly helped in this regard. There are other ways to get more production from Canada should the administration choose to seek assistance from that source. New production from Mexico might be problematic, as they are focused on their own energy needs from declining fields, but would have way more reason to help than either of the three countries he did mention. Curiosities on energy policy are a hallmark of the current administration. It is difficult to say that one is more notable than another.

For now, Americans should resign themselves to paying more for energy, and consider themselves lucky when they have it. Security of supply is no longer as certain as it once was just a short time ago.

By David Messler for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

Read this article on OilPrice.com
Munir celebrates his goal at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium (AFP/Getty)

West Hams first European knock-out tie in over 40 years ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat by serial Europa League winners Sevilla.

A second-half goal by Moroccan forward Munir, who was only in the starting line-up after Ivan Rakitic was injured in the warm-up, settled the first leg in the Spanish sides favour.

But Hammers boss David Moyes will have seen enough to feel his side are capable of overturning a one-goal deficit at the London Stadium in a weeks time and prolonging their European adventure.

It says a lot about how far West Ham have have come in a short space of time that it was four years ago to the day since they were beaten 3-0 at home by Burnley in a game marred by pitch invasions and protests against the owners.

Now the Hammers are rubbing shoulders with the continents elite and stepping out for the clubs biggest night on the European stage since 1981.

This was probably the toughest draw they could have landed in the round of 16, given Sevilla are the most successful team in the tournaments history as six-time winners  regularly knocking out English clubs along the way  as well as being Real Madrids closest challengers for the LaLiga title.

Julen Lopeteguis side have lost just twice in the league all season and have the best defensive record in the division, conceding just 18 goals in 27 games.

But they have a host of injury absentees and suffered another blow when the dangerous former Barcelona midfielder Rakitic was ruled out on his 34th birthday.

The Hammers were without injured top-scorer Jarrod Bowen, but Declan Rice returned from illness to captain the team at a raucous Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Munir should have opened the scoring inside the first five minutes, but he headed Marcos Acunas cross wide from in front of goal.

West Ham created a glorious chance with 10 minutes gone, Manuel Lanzinis free-kick headed across goal by Rice straight to Nikola Vlasic.

The Croatian had a free header six yards out but planted it too close to Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who stuck out a hand to make a stunning reaction save.

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Sevilla were moving the ball around slickly and Munir got in again after being played through by Oliver Torres but rolled his shot wide, before Alphonse Areola saved a header from Youssef En-Nesyri.

But the Hammers were still giving as good as they got, with Vlasic forcing a low save from Bounou with a near-post drive before half-time.

After the break Michail Antonio laid the ball back to the edge of the area from where Tomas Soucek hit a rising drive which Bonou palmed clear.

But Sevilla remained the clearer threat and Munir volleyed over before En-Nesyri headed another decent opportunity straight at Areola.

The home fans took the noise levels up from loud to deafening and it had its effect when their side took the lead on the hour mark.

After Kurt Zouma was booked for a foul in a dangerous position, Acuna swung over a free-kick which found Munir, who steered a wonderful side-footed volley home at the far post.

West Ham needed to keep their composure and they were relieved to see a Jesus Corona volley deflected wide.

Nevertheless, the visitors still had a punchers chance and substitute Said Benrahma almost set up an equaliser for Pablo Fornals, who was only denied by a last-ditch block from former Manchester City full-back Jesus Navas to preserve Sevillas narrow lead in a tie which West Ham will feel they are still very much in.
A Perry Hall man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the 2019 killing of a former girlfriend, the Baltimore County states attorney said in a news release.

Christopher Engles, 22, was arrested and charged a week after 20-year-old Taylor Webb was found shot to death in a vehicle in Perry Hall. Engles was convicted by a jury in September 2021 of first-degree murder and robbery.

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Lawrence Rosenberg, an attorney for Engles, declined to comment Wednesday.

Prosecutors said in a news release that police determined Webb had been lured by Engles to the area where she was shot. The release adds shed been texting with a friend seconds before the shooting, with one message indicating he was walking up to her car.

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Police also had phone records in which Engles discussed killing her well before the shooting, according to prosecutors.

Ms. Webb was a trusting person who was killed for no reason, Baltimore County States Attorney Scott Shellenberger said in the release.

Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Paul Hanley, who sentenced Engles to life in prison, noted the 22-year-old had showed no remorse for his crimes, according to the news release.




Top Ukrainian and Russian officials failed to agree to a cease-fire on Thursday as Moscow's invasion enters a third week and the humanitarian crisis worsens.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said no progress was made on a cease-fire during discussions with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, according to Reuters. He said that Lavrov did not commit to a humanitarian cease-fire in one of the most critical areas, the southern port city of Mariupol.

"I made a simple proposal to Minister Lavrov: I can call my Ukrainian ministers, authorities, president now and give you 100 percent assurances on security guarantees for humanitarian corridors," he told reporters after their meeting in Turkey.

"I asked him, 'Can you do the same?' And he did not respond," Kuleba added.

While the two sides did not come to an official agreement, Kuleba said they "agreed to continue efforts to seek a solution to the humanitarian issues on the ground," according to The New York Times.

"I will be ready to meet again in this format if there are prospects for a substantial discussion and for seeking solutions," he added.

Lavrov, meanwhile, told reporters that Russia was "not planning to attack other countries," according to the Times.

"We didn't attack Ukraine, either," he added, further pushing Russia's claims that Moscow needed to conduct a "special military operation" in Ukraine for its security.

Lavrov also responded to Ukraine's accusation that Russia bombed a children's hospital and maternity ward in Mariupol. He said that the building was no longer in use and was occupied by Ukrainian forces, Reuters noted, adding, however, that the Kremlin claimed that the bombing is still being investigated

Lavrov repeated Russian demands that Ukraine disarms and take a neutral status and blames the West for escalating the conflict, the news service noted. He added that Kyiv appears to want meetings for the sake of meetings.

Moscow has said that it will only end the attack against Ukraine when all of its demands are met.
A Lakewood police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in 2020 will not face criminal charges.

On Wednesday, Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett sent a 21-page letter to Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro detailing why she believes officer Michael Wiley was justified in killing Said Joquin on May 1, 2020.

The letter discusses Joquins unpredictable and dangerous behavior by running a stop sign on a busy road in front of police, bullet trajectory evidence showing the 26-year-old no longer had his hands on his head when shot by Wiley and a handgun found on the floorboard near Joquins feet.

It also refutes rumors that police planted the gun after the shooting. Investigators had the weapon tested for DNA and determined that none belonging to any officers who responded to the scene were found on the .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Only Joquins DNA was on the pistol.

Joquins name was regularly invoked during recent local protests against racial inequality and police brutality.

Said Joquin, 26, was fatally shot by a Lakewood police officer during a traffic stop on Friday, May 1, 2020.

His mother and sister have filed a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit claiming Wiley is an unnecessarily aggressive officer with a history of previously improperly and unnecessarily escalating an encounter with a young unarmed African-American man into the unjustified use of deadly force.

In 2013, Wiley led a SWAT team that blew open the back door of Leonard Thomas home in Fife and fatally shot the familys dog, Baxter. Thomas was a Black man who prompted a police stand-off when he refused to hand over his son to his mother, who was concerned about his drinking that night. He was killed by a snipers bullet.

A federal jury later found police committed 14 civil rights violations that night and singled out Wiley and Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaros actions for being egregious and leading to Thomas unnecessary death. The city paid Thomas family $13.1 million to settle the wrongful death suit.

Prosecutors considered the Thomas case while weighing charges in the Joquin shooting but said state law would have prevented them from using that information in a prosecution against Wiley.

Story continues

It all comes down to the fact that police tried to de-escalate the situation but Joquin disobeyed orders and suddenly reached for the handgun, according to Robnetts letter.

Because reaching for a loaded handgun during this police encounter posed an imminent threat to both officers, we have determined that the use of deadly force was justified, she wrote.

Lakewood police officer Michael Wiley

Wiley pulled over Joquin after he ran a stop sign at Whitman Avenue Southwest and Steilacoom Boulevard Southwest, forcing the officer to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the 1997 Ford Thunderbird Joquin was driving.

Officer Zachary Schueller, who was in the area, assisted with the traffic stop.

As Joquin was reaching for the cars registration and insurance, Wiley said he spotted a gun on the floorboard. He signaled over the roof of the vehicle to Schueller, mouthing the word gun.

Wiley then removed his gun from the holster and held it against his chest with the barrel pointing down, records say.

If you reach for anything, alright, you will be shot. Do you understand? Put your hands on your head, Wiley told Joquin, according to a transcription of Schuellers microphone.

Both Joquin and his passenger, Angel Vargas, did as they were told.

Joquin allegedly tried to strike up a conversation with Wiley, telling him he needed the gun for protection and asking the officer if he was nervous.

The officers told the men that backup was coming to help them safely deal with the gun in Joquins car.

Seconds later, investigators say Joquin lowered his arms and started to reach for the gun on the floorboard.

Wiley opened fire, striking Joquin four times in the torso. Joquin was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The handgun was within easy reach of Mr. Joquin and he had disobeyed clear, direct orders to keep his hands on his head, according to Robnetts letter. Officer Wiley believed Mr. Joquin was grabbing the handgun to shoot Officer Wiley or Officer Schueller and attempt to flee.

When backup arrived, police found Joquins Thunderbird was in reverse and had rolled backward against a patrol car.

Although Schuellers microphone captured some audio of the encounter, there was no video of the traffic stop or the shooting. There were also no witnesses  neither Vargas nor Schueller were looking when shots rang out.

Medical examiners indicated Joquins left arm was near his abdomen when he was shot, according to a police report.

The autopsy report lists the angle of the bullet wounds but gives no indication on how Joquins body was positioned. It also says Joquin had fentanyl in his system when he died.

A cross marks the spot where Said Joquin was killed in an officer-involved shooting during a traffic stop on May 1. About 100 people marched through the streets as part of the Lakewood March of Solidarity in Lakewood, Wash., on Saturday, June 6, 2020.

In his statement to police, Vargas said Joquin was off and had been driving kinda crazy before running the stop sign. He also allegedly said hed never seen Joquin without a gun.

He told a different story to Joquins family, which prosecutors said brought up a credibility issue.

It is important first to note that a changed story by a key witness represents a weakness in any prosecution, Robnett said in the letter. She also noted Vargas never changed his account in his police statement.

Prosecutors say the officers tried to de-escalate the situation before the shooting by speaking calmly, clearly explaining what was happened and issuing easy-to-follow commands.

Although Mr. Joquin had engaged in unpredictable behavior with respect to driving the car, the officers did not use force of any kind in their initial contact with him, according to the letter. It was the presence of the handgun within easy reach that prompted them to use reasonable, non-deadly force and de-escalation in an effort to keep themselves and others safe.

Mike Wiley, 51, has worked in law enforcement for nearly 20 years and been with Lakewood police for 17 years. An internal investigation has already found his actions in the Joquin shooting to be within policy.

We are grateful that this matter is now completed and that the independence and thoroughness of the investigation will encourage public confidence in the process as required by State law, Lakewood Mayor Jason Whalen said in a statement. Notwithstanding the Citys appreciation for the completion of the independent investigation, we extend our continued sympathies to the Joquin family for the loss of their loved one.
A shrinking number of well-known companies are still doing business in Russia, even as hundreds have announced plans to curtail ties.

Burger King restaurants are open, Eli Lilly is supplying drugs, and PepsiCo is selling milk and baby food, but no more soda.

The pace of businesses exiting Russia accelerated over the past week as the deadly violence and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine worsened, and as Western governments ratcheted up economic sanctions to punish Russia for its two-week-old invasion. Major oil companies BP and Shell walked away from multibillion-dollar investments. McDonald's and Starbucks stopped serving customers.

The companies that still have a presence in Russia say they have franchise owners or employees to consider; they don't want to punish Russians by taking away food or medicine; or they provide software or financial services for Western businesses that aren't easy to replace.

Its a business calculation. On the stay side: How much revenue do they earn in Russia? Do they provide an essential service? said Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. Each day that passes, though, calculations change. Sanctions against Russia are likely to last a long time, along with rising revulsion.

Some companies in lower-profile industries like agriculture have been able to fly under the radar and avoid the type of social media pressure that had been directed at brands such as McDonald's, Uniqlo and Starbucks, before they decided to cut ties this week, if only temporarily.

But in this era of hyper-awareness that some customers and even employees have about the positions companies take on social and moral issues, those still doing business with  or in  Russia are putting their reputations on the line.

Take Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo, which drew negative attention after the CEO of its parent company told the Nikkei newspaper in a story published Tuesday that the reason to keep nearly 50 Russian stores open was that: clothing is a necessity of life. By Thursday, Uniqlo said it would close the stores.

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Theres potentially a big downside of companies to be on the wrong side of this, Lovely said.

Many large multinationals didn't flee Russia at the start of the war. But that changed as the invasion led to increasing violence  and more than 2 million refugees fleeing Ukraine.

There are now more than 300 companies that have curtailed operations in Russia, according to a list maintained by a team at Yale. Apple stopped shipments. Google paused ad sales. Automakers halted production. Hollywood studios ceased releasing films, and Netflix stopped streaming.

Some of these decisions were driven by the need to comply with the sanctions Western governments leveled at Russia; others came because of supply chain issues or the fear of a hit to their reputations. S anctions have already taken a toll on Russia's economy and global trade.

Some companies that plan to sever ties with Russia say it isn't so simple.

Citigroup said Wednesday that selling its 11 Russian bank branches will be difficult because the country's economy has been cut off from the global financial system. Until then, Citi said it is operating the business on a more limited basis and is helping its U.S. and other corporate clients suspend their businesses in Russia.

Likewise, Amazon says its biggest cloud-computing customers in Russia are headquartered elsewhere. The company said Tuesday it has stopped accepting new cloud-computing customers in Russia and that it plans to suspend e-commerce shipments to Russia.

Fast-food companies often have franchising agreements that complicate an exit, because they don't own those locations.

That helps explain why Restaurant Brands International, owner of Burger King, is keeping its 800 restaurants open in Russia. And why Yum Brands, parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, announced the closure of 70 company-owned KFCs across Russia, but not the nearly 1,000 franchisee-owned KFCs, or its 50 Pizza Hut locations.

This sometimes applies to hotels as well: Marriott says its Russian hotels are owned by third parties, and it's evaluating their ability to remain open.

I think a lot of these companies are expecting a backlash if theyre staying, said Susanne Wengle, a political science professor and Russia expert at Notre Dame.

McDonald's action in Russia was easier: it owns most of the 850 restaurants in Russia it will temporarily close.

But there are companies that remain in Russia  whether in whole or in part  and say that it's because they view their products as essential.

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is one of them. "We continue to distribute medicines in Russia as patients with cancer, diabetes and auto-immune diseases everywhere count on us to support them, said spokesperson Tarsis Lopez, noting that EU and U.S. sanctions do not apply to medicine.

PepsiCo said it will stop selling soda, but that it will continue to supply milk, baby formula and baby food in Russia. And Unilever said it will keep selling everyday essential Russian-made food and hygiene products to Russians, but that it will stop exporting and advertising these products.

Tech companies have their own balancing act. Providers of internet-based services like Google, Twitter and Facebook have been mostly reluctant to take actions that could deprive Russian citizens access to information other than what they get from state media. (Russia blocked Facebook and Twitter, however, and then TikTok largely suspended its service in the country.)

The response from industrial food producers has been complicated by Russia's role as a major exporter of wheat and other commodities.

Bunge, which has assets of $121 million in Russia, said Thursday that its Russian oilseed plant will operate and serve the domestic market, but that it has suspended any new export business." Farm equipment maker John Deere said it has stopped machine shipments to Russia; it is monitoring a Russian plant that makes seeding equipment and its dealer network in the country day-by-day. Cargill and ADM, other agriculture companies, have not responded to questions.

These companies don't want the Russian government to seize their assets should they close up shop, said Vincent Smith, an economics professor at Montana State University.

Other companies point to their employees livelihoods in rationalizing decisions to stay, or not completely sever ties.

Starbucks initially expressed concern for its 2,000 Russian employees before reversing course Tuesday. The Kuwaiti company that franchises its 130 Russian stores is closing them, but continuing to pay employees.

British American Tobacco on Wednesday said it would keep making and selling cigarettes in Russia, where it has 2,500 employees, citing a duty of care for employees.

___

Associated Press writers Dee-Ann Durbin, Anne D'Innocenzio, Haleluya Hadero and Barbara Ortutay contributed to this report.
Convicted serial killer John E. Robinson Sr. returned to a Johnson County courtroom this week as part of his years-long fight to overturn his conviction and death sentence.

Robinson, 78, has argued he did not receive effective legal counsel during his historic 2002 trial and that his death sentence violated the Kansas and U.S. constitutions.

Evidentiary hearings in Robinsons appeal began in February in Johnson County District Court and continued throughout this week, court records show. Days-long sessions are scheduled to continue in the first week of each month through June.

Robinson, who lived in Olathe, was arrested and charged in 2000 after police found the remains of two women stored in barrels on rural acreage he owned in Linn County, Kan., south of Kansas City. The remains of three additional women were later found in barrels on another property owned by Robinson in Raymore, Missouri.

Investigators eventually linked Robinson to the deaths of at least eight women who were captured and killed under similar circumstances from 1985 to 2000, including several victims involvement in bondage sex and that they were in master-slave relationships with Robinson.

The salacious case drew national and international attention, and he was ultimately convicted in 2002 of three counts of capital murder in Kansas and later sentenced to life on five counts of murder in Cass County.

Robinson has pursued a series of appeals in the years since but in late 2015, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld his death sentence, even as it dismissed two of his convictions.

The latest appeal, filed as a civil lawsuit in late 2016 in Johnson County, seeks to win Robinson a new trial or at a minimum throw out his remaining capital murder conviction and vacate his death sentence, court records show.

Attempts to reach the Johnson County District Attorneys Office and Robinsons attorneys were unsuccessful Thursday morning.

The hearings are scheduled to continue Friday before a break until the first week of April.
Good morning, Patchogue! Let's get this day started. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening around town today.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 47, low: 39.

Here are the top 5 stories today in Patchogue:

The Patchogue Village Trustees' election is coming up. March 15 is election day, and the voting will take place at the Village Hall located at 380 Bay Ave. from 7 a.m.- 9 p.m. Trustees Joseph Keyes and Susan Brinkman are seeking re-election and candidates Lizbeth Carrillo and Patrick McHeffey will be seeking a two-year and four-year term, respectively. (LI Advance) The big screen is back for summer 2022. Enjoy quality cinema in the heart of Patchogue village! Starting in July, the Plaza Cinema & Media Arts Center will release the schedule of movies and events. The Plaza Cinema is located at 20 Terry St., Patchogue. (LIA) Comedian Rita Rudner, known as the 'the Queen of the one-liners,' is set to play in the Village. Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts will feature Rudner on Saturday, March 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets run from $31 to $71. Click here for details. (Patch) Nearby News: Police investigators are asking the public's help to locate a man who stole merchandise from a gas station in Ronkonkoma. The security camera shows the suspect stealing $325 worth of cigarettes before fleeing in a red sedan. Anyone with information is asked to contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-220-TIPS. (Daily Voice) Breeze Airlines is flying passengers from MacArthur to Louisville, Kentucky. The flights are direct from Long Island to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. The airline is trying to connect underserved airports to Long Island to expand destinations and boost tourism in the area. (Patch)

Today's Patchogue Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community  and to get access to this amazing technology  click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Patchogue!

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Today in Patchogue:

HS  PTSA Vendor Fair  Patchogue-Medford UFSD. (4 p.m.)

Solving the Medicare Puzzle/Medicare Myths Exposed via Zoom. (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

" Suffolk police are seeking the public's help in identifying the man they say swiped a package from a porch in Centereach last month. Detectives say the man stole a package from the porch of a home near Main Avenue on Feb. 24 just before 2 p.m. In an image pulled from a surveillance camera, the suspect can be seen wearing a red, white, and blue puffy winter coat and a light-colored ski hat, as well as a facial covering." (Patch)

" A woman was critically injured after her car was struck by another vehicle while she was attempting to make a left turn on Wednesday in Bohemia, Suffolk County Police said. Lianna Marie Todaro, 26, of Holtsville, was driving a 2017 Nissan Rogue at about 6:50 a.m., police said. Todaro made a left turn to exit a parking lot on Lakeland Avenue north of Church Street when her vehicle was struck by a northbound 2017 Dodge Ram, police said." (Patch)

Suffolk County: Coronavirus case update for March 7. (Press Release Desk)





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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you around!

 Debora Whitehead

About me: Have a story idea? Please contact me! I will love to hear from you!Wife, mom, foodie, traveler, and nature lover.

This article originally appeared on the Patchogue Patch




Former Vice President Mike Pence visited the Ukraine border and met with refugees flooding into Poland amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, as Vice President Harris is also in Poland touting U.S. support for its NATO allies.

Pence, who was accompanied by his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, traveled with the evangelical Christian humanitarian organization Samaritan's Purse and the group's vice president of operations, Edward Graham, the son of the group's president and evangelical pastor Franklin Graham.

In a tweet, Pence called the impact of Russia's invasion "heartbreaking" for refugee families, and encouraged people to donate to Samaritan's Purse and other relief organizations.

"Let's stand together as one with the people of Ukraine," Pence said.

.@KarenPence and I visited the Ukraine border today with @EdwardG1911 and @SamaritansPurse to meet with Ukrainian women and children seeking refuge from war. 2.4 million refugees have already fled Ukraine and nearly 400,000 have already come through the Korczowa border crossing. pic.twitter.com/tFZcC4X7mA - Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 10, 2022

The impact of the Russian invasion on these families is heartbreaking and the need for support is great. We encourage everyone to pray and contribute to @SamaritansPurse and other relief organizations today. Let's stand together as one with the people of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/vWFtiQHMVg - Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 10, 2022

The former vice president, who is said to be considering a 2024 White House bid, has been forcefully condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Last week, he made headlines when he told a group of Republican National Committee donors that there was no room in the GOP for "apologists for Putin," comments that came after former President Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin "savvy" and a "genius" after Moscow's incursion.

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Earlier this week, Pence's group Advancing American Freedom launched a $10 million ad buy urging incumbent Democrats to support American energy production rather than relying on Russian oil.

On Thursday, Harris voiced support for a war crimes investigation into Russia and announced that two Patriot missile-defense systems that the U.S. had promised to send to Poland had been delivered. Additionally, the vice president said that the U.S. would contribute $50 million through the United Nations food program to assist with humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Harris also met with people displaced from Ukraine in Warsaw.

-Updated at 2:29 p.m.
Voters will decide if Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been as effective a prosecutor as her predecessors, who presided when the level of shootings and homicides in the city was much lower. (Amy Davis/Amy Davis)

In March 2020 and again in December 2021, Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby presented data to counter Maryland Gov. Larry Hogans red meat, made-for-Fox assertions that Baltimores incessant violent crime problems lay at her door. Mosby claimed a high conviction rate, about 90%, and she offered a chart showing the conviction rate for violent crimes had been steady at 89% or higher for at least a decade.

Of course, while the conviction rate might have been consistent over that time, the amount of shooting and killing was anything but.

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In 2010, Patricia Jessamys final year as states attorney, there were 224 homicides in the city. Over the next four years, while Gregg Bernstein was the citys top prosecutor, Baltimore averaged 215 homicides annually. Mosby defeated Bernstein in the 2014 Democratic primary, became states attorney in 2015, and the homicide rate has been horrendous ever since, averaging 333 murders a year through 2021. There are already in 2022 more shootings (123 as of Thursday morning) and homicides (61) than at this time last year.

As Mosbys first term came to a close in 2018, a Baltimore Sun analysis found that, in fact, her office had recorded a lower conviction rate than Bernsteins had: 92% compared to Bernsteins 95%, which was achieved during the citys least violent four-year span since the 1980s. Significantly, Bernsteins staff also dropped fewer cases  27%, compared to 38% for Mosbys staff in her first term. In addition, a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health showed that, in Mosbys first term, only 40% of cases involving illegal guns resulted in convictions, guilty pleas or a defendant being placed on probation.

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Conviction rates over time might look similar, but, significantly, the rates do not include cases the states attorney declines to prosecute. (Thats a standard, arguably a biased one, set by the Association for Prosecuting Attorneys; only cases actually adjudicated are considered.)

A lot of what goes on in criminal justice  why cases are dropped, for instance  has never been easily found on the public record, and the Hopkins researchers noted that frustration in their report.

Page Croyder, who spent 21 years as a city prosecutor before leaving the states attorneys office in 2008, keeps an eye on Baltimore criminal justice. Concerned about the continuing violence, she examined 429 felony cases from Baltimore Circuit Court dockets last August and September. She found that prosecutors dropped 116 cases in that period. Nearly half of them involved acts of violence.

In Croyders analysis, she counted the decision to drop cases against the states conviction rate. So, for the period she examined, the rate was only 72%. She found that all but 11 cases ended in plea bargains. (Of the 11 cases that went to trial, prosecutors secured eight convictions.)

When Croyder drilled deeper, she discovered a particularly disturbing case  a convicted felon who, in a plea agreement with the state, received just five years in prison for a home invasion, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. She also found that the prosecutor in the home invasion case had dropped charges against a defendant in a stabbing, two defendants accused of being felons with firearms and a fourth defendant in an attempted murder case.

Why were the cases dropped? Its never obvious from the record, and over the years I have found that, once you ask, the reasons run the gamut  from inadequate police work to reluctant witnesses to inexperienced prosecutors. In a case that I followed closely, Mosbys staff dropped gun charges against a repeat violent offender because police and prosecutors in Baltimore County had a stronger case against him in a 2018 attempted murder. (The defendant pleaded guilty to charges in Towson and is now in prison.)

When Croyder looked at more than 300 plea bargains in the city last August and September, she found that 70% of defendants walked out of court the same day as their plea, meaning they received either no time in prison or credit for the time they had served since arrest. Croyder looked at punishment for the rest and found, on average, that drug dealers arrested with guns received 4.5 years in prison, while defendants who used a gun in an assault, robbery or carjacking received 4.3 years. The average sentence for attempted murder was 12.5 years and for murder it was 18.2 years.

Croyders conclusion as a former prosecutor: Baltimore prosecutors, working in a city rife with violent crime, are extremely lenient.

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I dont know that I would agree on extremely just yet, but I appreciate the perspective Croyders data dive provides.

Its certainly a more informed view than that of Hogan, who went on Fox News Sunday in December and said, We have a prosecutor in Baltimore City that refuses to prosecute violent criminals.

Thats obviously not true. But, at the same time, if Mosby was as effective as her predecessors, would Baltimore be in its eighth year of horrible violence? Voters could have the chance to answer that question in June, assuming Mosby files to run again by the March 22 deadline.

Ivan Bates, an attorney running for states attorney in the Democratic primary, released his prosecution plan last week. Among his proposals is the creation of an interactive map so Baltimoreans can track gun crimes that occur in their neighborhoods and see the outcome of cases. Bates also promises CaseState, to track cases and identify why charges are dropped. Extremely good idea.
PETERSBURG  A Petersburg man who was indicted last year for murder only to see those charges dismissed has once again been charged for that homicide.

Jamar Street, 31, was arrested without incident Wednesday in the 200 block of Terrace Avenue in eastern Petersburg by Petersburg Police and federal marshals, Deputy Police Chief Emanuel Chambliss said. He has been charged with second-degree murder, shooting in the commission of a felony, and a second offense of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

"While it cant bring back my son, it will help my family and I sleep better at night knowing he is where he belongs," said Wanda Tatum, mother of Avery Taylor who was allegedly killed by Street. "Now, our hope is that he receives the punishment he deserves so he cant hurt, harm or murder anyone else."

Street is being held pending a court appearance.

More: 18 homicides, few arrests: Petersburg continues to have Virginia's worst homicide rate in 2021

Jamar Street, 31, of Petersburg, has been charged with second-degree murder in the August 2021 shooting death of Avery Taylor, 24, of Chesterfield.

Street was indicted last year for the Aug. 1, 2021 murder of Taylor, 24, of Chesterfield County. However, the charges were dismissed last November after a witness in a hearing said he could not positively identify Street as the shooter.

Taylor was shot in what his family said was an effort to protect a woman from being assaulted, allegedly by Street.

Avery Taylor, 24, was shot to death Aug. 1, 2021 while reportedly trying to protect a woman and child from an assault in the 700 block of Commerce Street.

In a December 2021 story on the 18 murders committed in Petersburg over the year, Wanda Tatum said her son died when he intervened in an apparent domestic incident between the suspect and another woman who was holding a baby. Tatum said her son was shot at least seven times in the incident.

It turned out that the woman being assaulted was the mother of a girl in whom Taylor had developed a romantic interest. Taylor had allegedly picked up the girl from work and had driven her to her residence in an apartment complex in the 700 block of Commerce Street where the attack took place.

"The last conversation I had with my son was about how much he liked this girl. Because he liked her so much, he had to protect her mother. That was just his character," Tatum told The Progress-Index. "My son gave the ultimate sacrifice to save somebody else. They took a good person for nothing."

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Tatum said she was told later by the girl and her mother that the suspect was the father of the baby who was being held during the assault.

More news from The Progress-Index: He grew up in the foster system. Through it all, he's preserving and finding his footing.

More news from The Progress-Index: Hopewell native Zachary Brown competes in 2022 Special Olympics USA Games: Swimming

More news from The Progress-Index: Major money milestone: The Cameron Foundation in Petersburg passes $100 million grant mark

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg man arrested for August 2021 shooting death in the city
Mar. 10PITTSBURG, Kan.  The victim of a homicide whose body was discovered Monday in Pittsburg has been identified as 44-year-old Misty L. Watson Sorenson.

Sorenson was found deceased inside a residence at 1105 W. Fourth St. by police and emergency medical technicians who went there to check on her welfare after receiving information that she had not been heard from for a couple of days.

Pittsburg police said the body was sent to Kansas City, Kansas, for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Tri-State Major Case Squad and the Crawford County Sheriff's Department are assisting Pittsburg police in the investigation of what has been deemed a homicide.
By Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk

WARSAW (Reuters) - Grzegorz Patyk and nearly two dozen friends started driving Ukrainian refugees between the Polish border and temporary housing a day after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24.

A translator from the southern Polish city of Krakow, he is one of the thousands of Poles who have jumped in to help the swelling wave of people fleeing war, by offering places to stay, transportation, food or even laundry or babysitting services.

But Patyk, 40, is worried that volunteers are becoming overwhelmed, after nearly 1.5 million people have crossed into Poland as Russia continues to shell cities across Ukraine.

"The scale is huge ... and it's not a question of whether the Polish people want to help or not, it's a question of whether they still can. Resources are running out," Patyk said.

The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned Europe's success in absorbing the more than 2 million people who have left Ukraine so far stems largely from the fact that many have found shelter with the big Ukrainian diaspora around the continent.

But the diaspora's capacity to take in new arrivals could run out, leaving many stuck at crowded reception centres that have cropped up along Ukraine's border with central Europe.

Speaking at the crowded main hall of Warsaw central train station, where he had just a brought a family trying to get to northern Poland, Patyk said he believed his hometown of Krakow had run out of accommodation.

"There is no space there anymore," he said, as volunteers handed out sandwiches wrapped in wax paper nearby.

Krakow authorities have said the city still had temporary beds available but more permanent spaces were gone, according to RMF24 radio station.

In Warsaw, which has seen a quarter of a million refugees come through in the last two weeks, the biggest temporary reception centre was about 70% full. People usually stay there a night or two before heading on.

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"NONE OF US ARE READY FOR THIS"

Waiting for the family he brought from the border to buy train tickets for their onward journey and fill paperwork, Patyk spoke about seeing his wife only during the day, while he spent nights helping refugees, and about a growing sense of chaos.

"In the beginning everything was running very smoothly, people took in refugees, they volunteered ... but now (private) accommodation is running out ... and we are looking for spaces and the (local authority) coordinators switch off their phones at night."

The Polish government proposed a law this week allowing people who house refugees to claim 8.3 euros per day per person.

It is also preparing a 1.6 billion euro fund to help refugees, and has mobilised police, fire fighters and other services to distribute aid. But volunteers say private donations are still fuelling a significant part of the immediate support.

Michal Wilczewski, who calls himself a social media influencer, says he's been coordinating food distribution at Warsaw train station, supplying sandwiches and ready-to-eat meals brought by private people and some restaurants.

"We just got a group of friends together ... scheduled three shifts a day," he said. "None of us are ready for this, and we cannot predict if we end up needing 500 or 5,000 meals a day."

He said the government was doing more now than initially to help coordinate support for Ukrainians, like putting up a heated tent close to the station were meals can be served, but he worries the steady of stream of donations could dry up soon.

"People are just cooking, paying for it with their own money, but these funds or their resolve to help will end."

European Union officials have said the bloc could see the arrival of about five million people.

(Writing by Justyna Pawlak; editing by William Maclean)
Mar. 10As President Joe Biden orders a ban on American imports of Russian crude oil, elected officials and experts in the petroleum industry say Alaskans can anticipate higher gasoline and heating fuel prices, but it isn't realistic to expect a surge in crude oil production from Alaska's North Slope to compensate.

Oil development in Alaska is expensive, and production can't increase as quickly as it can in the Lower 48. But if prices stay high, there will be an increased incentive to drill here and elsewhere.

Republican officials in Alaska who have criticized the president for his administration's decisions to restrict oil and gas drilling on federal land have intensified that criticism in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

"People make the claim  and they're right  that you can't turn the spigot on right now," Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Tuesday, snapping his fingers for emphasis. "But we're going to have issues like this going into the future. And the question we all have to ask ourselves is, do we want to be behind the eight ball all the time, talking about what we should do?"

But in Alaska, national investment firms' reluctance to finance North Slope oil and gas drilling is proving a bigger hurdle.

Nikos Tsafos, an energy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said domestic oil production is likely part of the solution to rising oil prices but Alaska is not well-placed to provide immediate relief.

"Alaska is at a structural disadvantage compared to the Lower 48," Tsafos said, noting that oil extraction projects in the state tend to be bigger and take longer to develop, compared to projects in states like Texas. "It's quite clear that the U.S. oil industry can be a big part of the solution to what's happening in Russia. I'm not sure how big of a solution the Alaska oil industry is going to be."

[Spiking gas prices sting drivers nationwide, tapping pocketbooks and patience]

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Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia, The Associated Press reported. Imports from Russia totaled 245 million barrels in 2021, but they had been declining rapidly even before the ban was announced.

In comparison, Canada supplied 52% of imported crude and Mexico supplied 11% in 2020.

In 2020, Alaska produced the sixth-most oil among U.S. states, behind Texas, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado. Globally, the U.S. produced more crude oil than any other country, but it still imported some crude for various reasons.

"Alaska can't respond quite as quickly as other parts of the country, unfortunately, because of the way our industry is made up," said Kara Moriarty, president and CEO of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association.

She said that if prices remain high for months, "there is potential to change the middle- to long-term," but it's too soon to tell.

Information published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the Tesoro refinery near Nikiski has imported Russian crude oil as recently as November. In total, the refinery imported about 1 million barrels of Russian crude in 2021 and 2019. It wasn't immediately clear whether the refinery has imported any Russian oil this year.

Oil is traded globally, and Russian crude imports frequently go to refineries near the Gulf of Mexico. Those refineries must now search for new sources of crude.

"Those barrels will largely be made up from other sources, but it will take time to do that. Gasoline and diesel fuels will reflect that with price increases," said Corri Feige, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

Price increases will have side effects throughout the state. As the cost of aviation gasoline and jet fuel rises, plane tickets will become more expensive.

In Alaska, spring is when rural towns and villages buy fuel in bulk for shipment by barge. Prices at local fuel pumps are set by the cost of those shipments  high prices in the spring may mean high prices for the rest of the year.

[Lawmakers propose $1,300 'relief' checks to Alaskans from unexpected boost in state revenue]

"When the barges arrive, it will generally be good news, but fuel prices this spring will be a shock to the system," said Mike Poston, director of sales for Vitus Energy, a fuel supplier to Western Alaska.

"Higher crude oil costs mean higher prices for gasoline and diesel fuel and higher fuel cost surcharges as well. High inflation rates put pressure on all the other costs of doing business. The market should plan for increases in energy prices well over $1.50 per gallon higher than last fall," he said.

Feige is attending a national energy conference in Houston this week and said Russia-related issues have "dominated" the conversation.

"Alaska crude will be in high demand, and there is certainly a possibility that some will be exported to other places in the world to make up for volumes not coming out of Russia," she said.

For Republican lawmakers, the war in Ukraine has provided an opportunity to double down on calls for increased oil production that began long before the crisis. Now, they are asking for domestic oil extraction to ramp up rather than the U.S. turning to rogue countries like Venezuela or Iran to replace the modest oil imports from Russia.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she recognized that dialing up production in Alaska cannot happen immediately, but with an uncertain time frame for the war in Ukraine, she said there is a possibility for Alaska oil to figure prominently in the country's energy strategy in the future.

"We need to look long-term. This is where Alaska plays a key role, because we have that capacity to bring online so much more," she said in an interview.

Murkowski joined Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia last week to introduce a bill that would prohibit imports of Russia crude oil and petroleum. Now that the Biden administration has taken the step to ban Russian oil, she said the administration should take further action to encourage oil producers to ramp up activity, including by providing financial institutions with the assurances they need to invest in Alaska oil.

"What financial institutions want is certainty," Murkowski said. "This administration needs to send that signal."

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan wrote a letter to Biden last week calling on him to encourage financial institutions to invest in domestic energy production and fast-track oil extraction from the Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, among other steps.

[Explainer: What can the US ban on Russian oil imports accomplish?]

Tsafos expressed cynicism about comments like those.

"It's just like, 'We have a list of things that we think we should be doing anyway. And oh, by the way, there's a crisis. So we're just going to resurface the list,' " he said.

On Wednesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm spoke to energy executives in Houston and said the world is in an "emergency."

"That means releases from the strategic reserves all around the world. And that means you producing more right now if and when you can. I hope your investors are saying this to you as well. In this moment of crisis, we need more supply," Granholm said.

Many banks and investment firms have enacted environmental policies that prohibit them from financing oil and gas projects on the North Slope.

Alaska state officials met with investment banks last week in New York City, urging them to change policies that prevent them from financing oil and gas projects north of the Arctic Circle.

"Everything I've been told by the capital providers and banks  other than the big institutions like Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley or JP Morgan  is that they're looking for good project financials, good compliance records in the companies and projects and locations with good (environmental and social) track records," Feige said. "That's Alaska in spades."

The Dunleavy administration is taking a hard line on the topic. Dunleavy said Tuesday that he intends to introduce legislation that will require the state to end business dealings with companies that refuse to invest in Arctic oil drilling. That legislation will be introduced next week, according to an official with the governor's office.

"We feel that this has reached the point where we can no longer have a relationship with some of them, that their mission is to stop Alaska," Dunleavy said.

For conservationists that have fought oil drilling projects in Alaska, increasing extraction is "a big part of the problem, not the solution," according to Vicki Clark, director of Trustees for Alaska, an environmental law firm.

By using this moment to increase drilling in Alaska, oil companies would be "capitalizing on an invasion and war to say we need to do more to increase their bottom line," Clark said. Instead, the crisis should drive a move away from fossil fuels amid the ongoing climate crisis, she said.

"Right now we've got refugees fleeing Ukraine, but we'll have refugees fleeing a lot of places with the climate crisis continuing," she said.

Bernadette Demientieff is the executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, a voice for 15 Gwich'in communities in Alaska and Canada, which has filed several lawsuits to stop drilling projects in the Arctic.

"We stand firm in protecting sacred lands in the Arctic Refuge and the Porcupine caribou herd essential to our identity and way of life," Demientieff said in a statement. "Extracting more oil and gas in Alaska would only continue to drive the climate crisis and further threaten our food and communities."
EXCLUSIVE: As members of Congress tout the landmark hate crime bill, there are also calls for justice in Emmett Tills murder and accountability for police.

President Joe Biden will soon sign into law the nations first federal anti-lynching legislation that lawmakers have touted as a signal of progress in the centuries-long history of racial violence in the United States.

But even as the bill named after Emmett Till  a 14-year-old Black boy lynched in Mississippi by a white mob in 1955  is set to become law, some say theres more work to be done.

After more than 200 attempts in a little over a century to make lynching a federal hate crime, the United States Congress successfully passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act on Monday, sending the landmark bill to President Bidens desk.

The legislation will by law establish lynching as an offense made by a person conspiring to commit a hate crime that results in someones death or serious bodily injury. Members of Congress, particularly those involved in the drafting of the bill, championed it as a watershed moment for the country after decades of racial violence committed mostly in the post-slavery south.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) speaks during a news conference about hunger and nutrition outside the U.S. Capitol October 26, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

After over 100 years and 200 failed attempts to pass anti-lynching legislation, America is finally about to make this shameful, hateful practice a federal crime and take a critical step towards reckoning with our nations history of racialized violence, U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey said in a statement to theGrio.

This bill will not undo the trauma and pain of the past, but the federal government will finally be saying what it should have done over a century ago. We will not tolerate hatred, violence, and brutality against our fellow Americans.

U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois, who reintroduced the bill in the U.S. House, was instrumental in the drafting of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act and getting it passed  nearly 105 years after U.S. Representative Dyer Leonidas C. Dyer of Missouri introduced H.R. 11279 in 1918.

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The repeated obstruction of antilynching legislation in Congress over decades has been a national embarrassment and a painful affront to the African American community, Rep. Rush said in a statement to theGrio. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act will ensure that anyone who commits the monstrous act of lynching will be prosecuted under federal hate crime laws  as they should have been all along  and will send a clear message that our nation is finally willing to reckon with the gruesome history of lynching in America.

Veteran Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush listens during testimony at a July House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Energy hearing titled Oversight of DOE During the COVID-19 Pandemic. (Photo: Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

While the passing of the lynching bill named in Emmett Tills honor will finally bring federal accountability for hate crimes targeting Black and minority communities, the family of Till says there is still work left to be done in seeking justice for the teens heinous murder.

There is still the unsolved case of Emmett. Theres still no one thats been held accountable for his lynching, said Deborah Watts, a cousin of Emmett Till and executive director of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, told theGrio. We have one last known living accomplice that can be brought to justice, and we are asking for that. That would put the icing on the cake.

Though the Department of Justice closed the cold case of Emmett Tills lynching last year, The Emmett Till Legacy Foundation continues to push a petition seeking to name Carolyn Bryant Donham, the white woman who admitted that she lied about Emmett sexually harassing her, as an accomplice to his murder.

I think its a wonderful way that our country can begin this reckoning with our racial pain and with racial discrimination and the terrorism that was brought upon our people in the past and continuing even today, said Watts, who told theGrio that Rep. Rush and his staff reached out to the family and foundation to get their support and help in amplifying bill.

She added, We cant bring Emmett back or any of the thousands of others whose lives have been stolen by these horrific acts of racial terror. But we can do something this time to turn this page in our history books and also put it on record.

The West Woodlawn-located Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House in Chicago, the home of Till (above), the 14-year-old boy whose brutal murder in Money, Mississippi sparked the civil rights movement, will be converted into a museum. (AP Photo, File)

Dr. Ersula Ore, a professor of African American studies at Arizona State University and author of Lynching: Violence, Rhetoric, and American Identity, told theGrio that while the passing of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act is historically significant it is largely symbolical and doesnt go far enough.

[The bill] operates primarily as a means of virtue signaling as opposed to having the teeth needed to be structurally transformative, said Dr. Ore. She believes the legislation fails to address the broader issue of white supremacy and policing, which she sees as modern-day lynching.

Because this legislation is gutted of the power to hold white supremacy in all its shadesblue includedaccountable, I worry that efforts to apply it in the ritualized murder of Black men and women by police will fail because the legislation does not address the protections of qualified immunity, Ore told theGrio.

As a practice historically enacted as a performance of American citizenship, lynching continues to be enacted as a means of policing the boundaries of American belonging. That this legislation remains silent on the historical and present-day correlation between lynching and anti-Black policing, speaks to the staying power of Americas national crime, added Ore.

Listing examples of high-profile killings of Michael Brown and 12-year-old Tamir Rice (both killed in 2014), Ore noted that lynching of Black young men and boys is not a thing of the past and that in order to truly address racial violence in the United States, the federal government must also address the issue of police violence.

A woman holds a sign in honor of Emmett Till during a protest on June 13, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. Protests erupted across the nation after George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th. (Photo by Natasha Moustache/Getty Images)

It is partly because of this rhetorical campaign to save face that [these] killingsare defined as instances of self-defense, legal shooting, or benign policing as opposed to what they are, which are lynchings, said Ore.

The Biden White House is currently working on executive orders to enact federal police reform after Congress failed to pass the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act. The bill would establish sweeping police accountability measures, including making it more challenging for law enforcement officers to get immunity from prosecutions involving civilian deaths.

Watts of The Emmett Till Legacy Foundation said that while modern-day lynchings are still occurring  citing the murder of Ahmaud Arbery as a glaring example  she told theGrio that she still believes the antilynching bill in her cousins name sends a powerful message.

[It] makes it clear to those that may think about committing these kinds of acts, that the hatred and the terrorism that fueled our country and that fueled Emmetts lynching  that is still alive today  will be prosecuted [and] that people will be made to answer to those disastrous deeds that have been brought upon African Americans.

TheGrio is now on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post President Biden will soon sign Emmett Till Antilynching Act  some say theres more work to be done appeared first on TheGrio.
Prince William was caught in a social media storm today after saying the bloodshed in Ukraine was alien to Europe , but was also wrongly reported as saying it was unlike conflicts in Asia and Africa.

His reported comparison received a barrage of criticism online, but the journalist who filed the original story later retracted any reference to Africa or Asia.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its third week, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met volunteers at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London, who were filling lorries with aid to support humanitarian relief efforts.

Speaking to the volunteers, William, 39, said: For our generation, its very alien to see this in Europe. We are all right behind you, adding that he wanted to do more to help. We feel so useless.

During a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre yesterday, Prince William said: Everyone is horrified by what they are seeing. The news every day, its almost unfathomable. For our generation, its very alien to see this in Europe. Were all right behind you. Watch here pic.twitter.com/kQFbcivgvK  Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV) March 10, 2022

The initial report, including the reference to Africa and Asia, was issued by the Press Association. It sparked outrage on social media with users calling out the second in line to the throne for being racist and not recognising the history of the British colonial empire, as well as recent conflicts in Europe.

However, the following day the news agency reissued its story removing the reference to Africa and Asia.

The reporter who filed the original story, then apologised and said that the comments had been misheard. Richard Palmer wrote: The Duke of Cambridge on war in Europe. He doesnt appear to have compared it to conflicts in Africa and Asia. In the chaos, a remark he made was misheard, starting a social media storm. Apologies for reporting that online.

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The Duke of Cambridge on war in Europe. He doesnt appear to have compared it to conflicts in Africa and Asia. In the chaos, a remark he made was misheard, starting a social media storm. Apologies for reporting that online. https://t.co/zdfaCJFFLf  Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) March 10, 2022

Prince William faced a series of hostile tweets and calls to apologise.

The palace declined to comment and referred to footage of the visit which had been posted on Twitter.

William and Kate are slated to visit the Caribbean for the first time later this month and will visit countries including Jamaica, Bahamas and Belize.

His reported comments come amid criticism that the western media in the US, UK and France has faced in recent weeks over its racially biased coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The article was amended on March 10 2022 to reflect the fact that the journalist who filed the original report to the Press Association subsequently retracted the reference to Africa and Asia.
Turkey's Violation of Human Rights Must Be Challenged

(AINA) -- When speaking about the Ottoman Empire and Turkey today, it is not their contribution to civilization that comes to mind. Instead it is human rights violations, confiscation of land and property, genocide and genocide denials that are most frequently discussed in the public discourse. Today's Turkey is still far from being ruled by democratic principles. Thousands of journalists, human rights activists, and opponents of the government are in jail or in exile. Osman Kavala is only one of these human rights defenders.

Osman Kavala and thousands more journalists, human rights defenders and opponents of the government are in jail because they have committed a crime. Their crime is longing for a different Turkey from Erdogan's Turkey. They wanted to have a democratic Turkey that confronts its history and respects human rights. Therefore, the international community should put all necessary pressure on the Turkish government and stand in solidarity with Osman Kavala and others who are working for a free Turkey.

It is very hard to speak about freedom of speech in Turkey because it doesn't exist. It is free in Turkey to worship and applaud Erdogan, but it is dangerous to criticize him. It is free in Turkey to sympathize with ISIS, but it's forbidden to write about it and the Turkish support of ISIS. The renowned Turkish journalist Can Dundar, who wrote and published photos of the Turkish government delivering weapons to ISIS in Syria, was threatened with death and forced into exile. He now lives in Germany.

It is free in Turkey to confiscate the land of the Assyrian, Armenian and Greek people. It is free to confiscate the land of St. Gabriel Monastery. But it's forbidden to question the Turkish government's stance towards Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and their support to Hamas and Hezbollah. It is free in Turkey to worship and applaud Erdogan, but it is dangerous to criticize him. Under such circumstances Turkey is not a place for critical thinking and free thought.
Baltimore City Hall, seemingly one of the last remaining public buildings shuttered by the COVID pandemic, will reopen the first week of April, city officials announced Thursday.

The public space, closed since March 2020, will open its doors on April 4. A meeting of Baltimore City Council that day will be open to the public as will a Board of Estimates meeting scheduled for April 6, Mayor Brandon Scott said in a news release.

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Public pressure to reopen the building has intensified in recent weeks after the city lifted its indoor mask mandate. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia all reopened their city halls last summer. Boston, however, waited until February.

Scott argued repeatedly during the pandemic that Baltimore City Hall, built in 1875, should remain closed for health reasons because it was not designed with social distancing in mind. Neither, however, were many other regional public buildings such as courthouses or the Maryland State House in Annapolis, both of which reopened last year. Baltimores libraries also reopened in early 2021.

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The exterior of Baltimore City Hall on Wednesday, March 8. (Ulysses Munoz/The Baltimore Sun)

Last year, Scott formed a committee of city officials to discuss plans to have city employees return to the job and eventually reopen the building. A first phase of public-facing employees returned to City Hall and other city buildings in August, followed by a second phase in mid-October.

The full restoration of in-person services, slated for January, was halted by the onset of the omicron variant. Employees who had been working in person were sent home again.

On February 28, the citys finance services again reopened to the public, including bill-paying windows in the Abel Wolman Municipal Building next to City Hall.

The constant throughout the pandemic, however, has been the closure of City Hall, where meetings of Baltimore City Council and the Board of Estimates are held as well as zoning, planning and liquor control board meetings. Those sessions instead have been held virtually, a format that has mixed reviews.

Some, including Scott, felt the virtual meetings increased participation, making daytime sessions more accessible to the citys 9-to-5 working population and those lacking transportation. For others, the lack of face-to-face contact has hampered communication between residents and the lawmakers who represent them, particularly the loss of conversations before and after meetings when business happens informally.

Virtual meetings have been fraught with problems that have lingered despite years of practice. Earlier this week, the absence of a City Council member was not revealed until the end of a meeting, despite a roll call at the start. Last week, a feed of the Board of Estimates abruptly cut off, leaving residents in the dark about how the meeting ended.

In June, the Board of Estimates was forced to conduct a repeat meeting after links to join were incorrectly advertised.

In hopes of maintaining some level of pandemic participation in meetings, officials plan a hybrid meeting format where the public will be able to attend meetings in person or participate virtually, city officials said.

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Supply chain issues have delayed the arrival of some technology needed to make that happen immediately. Until then, the Board of Estimates will offer a temporary solution for remote testimony, according to the mayors news release. Testifying at some public meetings will be limited temporarily to in-person participants only, officials said.

While it is important that we restore in-person access to government meetings and officials, it is just as important that we not deprive people of the virtual access they have come to expect, Comptroller Bill Henry said.

City Council President Nick Mosby, who is responsible for conducting council meetings as well as chairing the Board of Estimates, was not included in Thursdays news release.

In a written statement, Mosby told The Sun this week the council will adhere to the decision of Mayor Scott and be prepared to conduct in-person meetings when City Hall is opened to the public.

We are eager to work with the administration and look forward to building on the progress of legislative openness and transparency made over the past couple of years, he added.

Scott has said consistently that decisions related to the pandemic would be based on the science and made in consultation with the citys health department.

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After new cases surged amid the wave fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant in December and January, theyve dropped off since and spread of the virus is considered low throughout much of Maryland, including Baltimore. The city is averaging about 4.3 new cases a day per 100,000 residents, while the state is averaging about 5.2 new cases, according to state data.

While the citys indoor mask mandate has been lifted, masks will be required during public meetings inside City Hall. Visitors to the building will be subject to a health screening to enter.

Maryland Policy & Politics Weekdays Keep up to date with Maryland politics, elections and important decisions made by federal, state and local government officials. >

Asked why it took nearly two years to announce a reopening plan for City Hall, officials with the mayors office said the time was needed to ensure that reopening will be done safely with the proper protocols and distancing measures in place.

We wanted to give the council, comptroller and city agencies and departments time to bring their staff back into the building and ensure that they are prepared to handle in-person engagement with the public, said James Bentley, spokesman for Scott.

Councilwoman Odette Ramos said the impact of City Halls extended closure on the council has been less of a problem with constituent service and more of an issue communicating with one another. Ramos is one of five first-term council members who were sworn in  outdoors  during the height of the pandemic and have never met in City Council chambers.

The major impact has been, frankly, we have not been able to work as colleagues, she said.

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Roger Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimores College of Public Affairs, said city residents have been patient as the mayor explained a health rationale for the buildings closure. But pressure to reopen City Hall mounted after the mask mandate was lifted, he said.

Theres always concern that City Hall and all the public servants who work for the citizens start to become distanced from the citizens in their inability to see them and get in front of them, Hartley said. All those things, it can lead us to feel isolated. When governments are isolated from citizens, sometimes in history, thats led to bad things happening.

I think most of our public servants want to really interact with people, Hartley added.
Legislation introduced by the L.A. City Council would significantly restrict what kind of information landlords can ask from prospective tenants. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Three Los Angeles City Council members introduced a package of renter-protection measures they say would help promote fair access to housing amid the city's worsening homelessness crisis.

The motions introduced Wednesday by Council Members Mike Bonin, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Nithya Raman would significantly restrict what kind of information landlords can ask from prospective tenants.

The proposed ordinances would prohibit screening prospective tenants on the basis of their criminal, eviction or credit histories. Landlords would also be required to publicly display uniform rental criteria before renters pay application fees.

"It's about making it easier for people to get housed and stay housed" amid the homelessness crisis and evictions that will come if pandemic-era tenant protections are repealed, Bonin said.

Cynthia Strathmann, executive director of the tenant rights organization Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, which consulted on the proposed legislation, said that using credit checks and criminal history to screen potential tenants has discriminatory effects.

"Black and brown folks are much more likely to have low credit and much more likely to be sucked into the criminal justice system, often really unfairly," Strathmann said. "When you use those as proxies for understanding whether or not somebody is going to be a good tenant, you're just compounding that problem."

The California Apartment Assn., a trade group representing rental housing providers, decried the proposed legislation as unnecessary red tape that will increase costs for landlords at a time when some have already been unable to collect rent.

"The people of Los Angeles should be outraged by this proposal which does nothing to get homeless people off the streets or build more homes that Angelenos can afford," Fred Sutton, senior vice president of local public affairs for the group, said in a statement. "Its a continued demonstration that some council members are out of touch."

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But Bonin argued that the proposed legislation would make it easier for homeless people to find housing.

"There are lots of people who are homeless who want to be housed and can't get into an apartment  even if they have a voucher  for a number of reasons," Bonin said, citing criminal histories and prior eviction proceedings.

The so-called fair chance ordinance would prohibit landlords from asking about an applicant's criminal history.

Harris-Dawson said he saw the proposed ordinance as a natural corollary to legislation the city passed in 2016 that prohibits most employers from asking about a job applicants criminal history until after a conditional offer has been made.

"It provides a pathway for people back into the legal economy," Harris-Dawson said, characterizing finding a job and a place to live as necessary for successful reintegration.

The ordinance  which would be modeled after similar legislation in Oakland and Berkeley  would allow for "reasonable" exemptions to the ban on asking prospective tenants about criminal history, such as for owner-occupied units or shared living arrangements.

A separate motion would prohibit asking about a prospective tenant's failure to pay rent or utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. That motion would also prohibit landlords or their agents from using credit checks or asking about someone's credit or eviction history.

It would also prohibit the use of algorithmic or automated tenant screening services to evaluate rental applicants. Landlords or their agents would not to be allowed to ask whether an applicant plans to use or has participated in a rental assistance program.

A third transparency-focused motion would require landlords to disclose the uniform screening criteria that they plan to use to evaluate applicants. That screening criteria would have to be included in any printed or digital advertisements, along with the minimum requirements for eligibility.

Landlords would be required to present a written copy of those requirements and screening criteria during their first interaction with prospective tenants.

That motion would also require landlords to give priority to applicants with mobility disabilities for accessible dwelling units.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.




The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Wednesday said it will sue the U.S. House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot after it subpoenaed Salesforce for information about the party's fundraising efforts.

The RNC, in a press release, said the House committee's subpoena of Salesforce, a customer relationship software company used by the RNC for fundraising efforts, violates the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment and "does not advance a legislative purpose."

Probing fundraising efforts through Salesforce would give "unprecedented access to the RNC's internal political strategies and to private, personal information regarding its supporters," according to the lawsuit, first reported by Axios.

Justin Riemer, the RNC's chief counsel, said the committee was seeking confidential information about the the party and millions of its supporters for something "completely unrelated to the attack on the Capitol."

"The RNC is challenging this unconstitutional overreach so that one of America's two major political parties may not use the force of government to unlawfully seize the private and sensitive information of the other," Riemer said in a statement.

The House committee subpoenaed Salesforce on Feb. 23, seeking documents from the Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform used by the RNC, according to the lawsuit.

A Select Committee spokesperson responded to the lawsuit in a statement, saying the RNC and the Trump campaign solicited donations "pushing false claims that the election was tainted by widespread fraud."

"Claims about a stolen election motivated rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th," said spokesperson Tim Mulvey.

"The Select Committee issued a subpoena to an email fundraising vendor in order to help investigators understand the impact of false, inflammatory messages in the weeks before January 6th, the flow of funds, and whether contributions were actually directed to the purpose indicated. This action has absolutely nothing to do with getting the private information of voters or donors."

In its wide-reaching investigation of the events on and around Jan. 6, the congressional panel has interviewed and subpoenaed dozens of people, including various figures close to former President Trump.

Updated: 9:57 p.m.
The Royal Ascot Dress Code for 2022 has been revealed. (Tung Walsh/Royal Ascot)

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There are dress codes, and then there is the Royal Ascot dress code.

Racegoers have long been accustomed to sticking to the rules that determine what you can and cannot wear to the yearly Berkshire horse races, but this year, the Royal Ascot Style Guide is encouraging guests to be more daring than ever with their outfit choices.

The annual racing event, held this year from 14-18 June, is a highlight of the British summer season for many, and after two years of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022s Royal Ascot is looking to be better than ever for its guests who love to dress up for the occasion.

Now in its 11th edition, the Royal Ascot Style Guide establishes the official Dress Code of the Royal Meeting and offers guidance and inspiration for each of the four enclosures: The Queen Anne Enclosure, the Royal Enclosure, the Windsor Enclosure, and the Village Enclosure.

Trouser suits for women are allowed in the Royal and Queen Anne Enclosures. (Tung Walsh/Royal Ascot)

For 2022, the Royal Ascot dress code has been reimagined by acclaimed stylist Rachel Bakewell and fashion photographer Tung Walsh.

The Style Guide and pays homage to the incredible talent and style from British fashion houses, with designs from established and emerging brands from high end to high street, including Simone Rocha, Erdem, Emilia Wickstead and The Vampires Wife, through to ME+EM, Reiss, LK Bennett and Radley London, help to elevate the iconic Dress Code and set a new standard for occasion dressing.

Read More: How much the Queen has won at Ascot over the years

This year weve really tried to shift the perception of what occasion dressing can be, says stylist Rachel Bakewell, using it as a form of self-expression, and pushing the boundaries in a more fashion forward direction.

The Royal Ascot Style Guide this year appears to encourage more of a casual approach, showing men in Cuban shirts and women in mini dresses for the more relaxed enclosures.

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This year's style guide invites guests to indulge their creative sides, as shown here with a bright pink Bora Aksu top, skirt and boots. (Tung Walsh/Royal Ascot)

The dress code for the horse racing events Royal Enclosure is the most strict of them all, as the name might suggest. Dresses and skirts must be a modest length defined as falling just above the knee or longer and strapless and off-the-shoulder dresses and tops are not permitted.

However, trouser suits are allowed as long as they are of matching material and colour and as of 2017 jumpsuits are also welcome as long as both adhere to the same length requirements as dresses.

Read More: Royal Ascot Ladies Day 2021: the best dressed

For the Windsor and Village Enclosures, the style guide advises to dress in a manner as befits a formal occasion and a fascinator is also permitted.

For gentlemen, black, grey or navy morning suits are permitted inside the Royal Enclosure, with navy suits only introduced to the dress code in 2019. Elsewhere, however, attendees are encouraged to show a little more self expression by wearing summer suits in linen, seersucker, and cotton, and opting for debonair accents of pattern and texture through ties and pocket squares.

The Dress Code for the Village Enclosure is slightly more relaxed. (Tung Walsh/Royal Ascot)

Of course, no Royal Ascot dress code is complete without the mention of headwear; the annual events eye-catching millinery is as well-known as its world-class horse racing. This years style guide features feathered and pearl hats and headpieces from the likes of Edwina Ibbotson, Stephen Jones OBE, Justine Bradley-Hill, Lock & Co, Juliette Botterill, Emily London and Jane Taylor.

Overall, after two years of uncertainty, Royal Ascot looks to invite guests to use their sense of creativity to put together a variety of looks to prove that fun can be had when it comes to occasion dressing and individual style.

Here are 5 dresses perfect for Royal Ascot Style

Floral Empire Line Midaxi Tea Dress | 39.50 from M&S

(Marks & Spencer)

High Neck Seam Detail Maxi Dress | 225 from Ted Baker

(Ted Baker)

Flowy Satin Dress | 69.99 from Mango

(Mango)

Hobbs Lilibelle Silk Polka Dot Dress | 299 from John Lewis

(John Lewis)

Margot Pink Apple Blossom Print Maxi Dress | 499 from LK Bennett




Russia is banning exports of equipment, forestry products and other goods through the end of this year in response to western nations imposing sanctions against the country for its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's export suspension list, announced on Thursday, consists of more than 200 goods, according to Reuters, including telecom, medical, auto, agricultural, electrical and tech equipment. Exports of railway cars, containers and turbines are also on the list.

The Russian economy ministry did not, however, specify which types of forestry and wood products would be banned, according to Reuters.

The ministry said the export prohibitions "are a logical response to those imposed against Russia and are aimed at ensuring uninterrupted functioning of key sectors of the economy," according to the news wire.

The new measures come as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its third week. The offensive began last month after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military operation in Ukraine.

Since then, the U.S. and its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions against Russia, including Putin, top government officials and leading banks.

Most recently on Tuesday, President Biden announced that the U.S. would ban Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports.

The Kremlin on Thursday said Russia's economy was experiencing a "shock" as a result of the west's sanctions.

"Our economy is experiencing a shock impact now and there are negative consequences; they will be minimised," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a call, according to Reuters.
LONDON (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday that a Ukrainian claim that Russian forces had bombed a children's hospital in Mariupol was fake and amounted to "information terrorism".

"This is information terrorism," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Russia of carrying out genocide after Ukrainian officials said Russian aircraft bombed the children's hospital on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)
Shiyu, or Lion Islet, part of Kinmen County, one of Taiwan's offshore islands, is just a few miles from the Chinese city of Xiamen. Carl Court/Getty Images

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues to draw international attention and condemnation.

As Russia presses that attack, US officials in the Pacific have watched China closely, looking for signs it means to attack its neighbor Taiwan.

Experts say China is unlikely to change its calculus based on events in Europe, but it is likely paying close attention to what happens there.

As the US rushes to aid Ukraine and reinforce its neighbors following Russia's attack, US officials have also been watching China closely, looking for signs that Beijing is capitalizing on turmoil in Europe to strike Taiwan.

Beijing regards democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province and has vowed to unify it with the mainland, by force if necessary. Chinese pressure on the island has increased in recent months, most visibly in its military flights into Taiwan's air-defense identification zone, a self-declared area that is not territorial airspace.

In early February, as the Winter Olympics began in Beijing, Taiwan reported that a small civilian aircraft from mainland China flew around one of its islands, which Taipei suspected was a test of its defenses.

That activity declined during the Olympics but increased after it ended on February 20, according to Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, head of US Pacific Air Forces.

A Taiwanese F-16V takes off from a highway during a drill in May 2019. Taiwanese jets often respond to Chinese flights near the island. Patrick Aventurier/Getty Images

"That was all very predictable, that we expected their activity across the straits of Taiwan picked up right after the Olympics, but it essentially went back to historical norms," Wilsbach said told reporters at the Air Force Association symposium on March 3.

On February 24, the day Russia launched its Ukraine war, nine Chinese aircraft flew into Taiwan's ADIZ. Those flights have taken place nearly every day since then, though the number of aircraft each day has been lower.

Between February and March, China has been "pretty quiet," Wilsbach said, "but I'll tell you, I'm watching them like a hawk."

"I haven't seen anything so far, but that doesn't mean they haven't talked about it internally and it doesn't mean that they won't try something," Wilsbach added. Taiwan also hasn't seen any "unusual" military deployments by China, the island's defense minister said this week.

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Watching carefully

A Chinese military honor guard at attention in front of photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, May 20, 2020. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

China's official response to Russia's invasion has been cautious, avoiding criticism of Moscow but not endorsing its actions. Chinese officials also avoid comparisons of Ukraine and Taiwan, which imply a view of Taiwan as sovereign and with a right to territorial integrity, according to Yun Sen, an expert on Chinese foreign policy at the Stimson Center.

Inside and outside of China, however, some of have seized on events in Ukraine to bolster their arguments regarding Taiwan.

Chinese nationalists, Taiwanese advocates of greater investment in self-defense, and proponents of an explicit US security commitment to Taiwan have argued that the US declining to send troops to Ukraine "has set a damaging precedent" for whether the US would defend non-allies, Patricia Kim, an expert on Chinese foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, said this week.

US officials and other experts stress that events in Ukraine don't presage a Chinese attack on Taiwan, citing their distinct geography, the different attitudes toward such action by leaders in Moscow and Beijing, and the differing commitments expressed by the US, where the Biden administration has ruled out sending troops to Ukraine but repeatedly indicated it would respond directly to an attack on Taiwan.

A US Navy sailor aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance investigates a contact during a Taiwan Strait transit, March 1, 2014. Lt. j.g. John Horne/US Navy

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told lawmakers this week that "Taiwan and Ukraine are two different things completely."

During a House Intelligence Committee hearing, Berrier said the US's "deterrence posture in the Pacific puts a very different perspective on all of this" and that Chinese leadership "is watching very, very carefully what happens and how this plays out."

At the same hearing, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and CIA director Bill Burns both said the response to Russia's attack on Ukraine had surprised Beijing and reinforced its perceptions of what Haines described as "the seriousness with which" the US would respond to "an infringement on Taiwan."

Oriana Skylar Mastro, an expert on China's military and foreign policy at Stanford University and the American Enterprise Institute, wrote this month that while Chinese leader Xi Jinping is watching events in Ukraine, "his calculus for whether to use force against Taiwan is shaped primarily by domestic factors, not foreign ones."

Xi's "views about US power and resolve and about the likely international response to an invasion of Taiwan probably remain unchanged," Mastro wrote. "If anything, China's desire not to invite comparisons with Russia at a time when the world is united against Moscow will lengthen its timeline for taking control of Taiwan, not shorten it."

'Wars are hard'

A Taiwanese soldier stands guard overlooking the Taiwan Strait in Matzu on Taiwan's west coast, October 1, 2003. Alberto Buzzola/LightRocket via Getty Images

In hearings this week, Adm. John Aquilino, the head of US Indo-Pacific Command, said his command was "still trying to learn what President Xi Jinping has learned from" events in Ukraine but described Russia's attack on Ukraine as "a real wake-up."

"We have to look at this and say, 'Hey, this could happen,' and I have a sense of urgency to execute the missions the secretary [of defense] has assigned, which is to prevent this conflict," Aquilino said, citing "posture initiatives" that are pursuing a "more forward" and "more robust" position in the region.

The concentration of power and exclusion of dissenting views that Xi and his inner circle have pursued in recent years may influence their assessments of recent events, creating "ideological blinders," said Jacob Stokes, a fellow focused on US-China relations at the Center for a New American Security.

Xi makes a toast during an event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 14, 2017. Reuters

Russia's military struggles in Ukraine should prompt caution in Beijing, Stokes said, as China's military hasn't fought a war since 1979.

"One takeaway should be for Beijing is that wars are hard and that even a country that that gets to start one at a time and place of its choosing doesn't ultimately get to control the outcome," Stokes said this week.

Chinese leaders have studied foreign wars closely, drawing lessons to apply as China's military expands and modernizes. Beijing's study of events around Ukraine will likely affect how it plans for military action against Taiwan and how it prepares for the backlash that would bring.

"The glass half-empty view," Kim said, is that recent events "will simply add more fuel to Beijing's efforts to de-risk its own supply chains, to reduce its reliance on foreign components, and its overall vulnerability to Western sanctions as it prepares for future contingencies and looks toward long-term strategic competition with the United States."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Moscow launched a crackdown against dissent after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" into Ukraine on February 24. In this photo in annexed Crimea, a placard reads: "Russia does not start wars, it ends them." STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images

Russian demand for VPNs is soaring as the Kremlin cracks down on dissent amid its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia is blocking Facebook and Twitter, while other tech firms are withdrawing voluntarily.

One analysis estimates that downloads for the top 10 VPNs in Russia increased by 4,375%.

Russians are thronging this week to online tools that help them skirt internet restrictions as the Kremlin began blocking or limiting access to foreign platforms and social media sites, according to multiple media reports and analyses.

Demand for virtual private networks, or VPNs, has surged in Russia in the weeks after President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" into Ukraine, according to data from Top10VPN released Tuesday. Top10VPN reported that search traffic around the term "VPN" jumped by 1,092% over the previous 30 days.

The VPN analysis site also reported that Russian authorities have now banned 200 websites, including the Russian-language versions of BBC News, German outlet Deutsche Welle, and a plethora of Ukrainian news sites.

As the war in Ukraine rages on, the Kremlin has launched a widespread crackdown on dissent.

On Saturday, Russia blocked both Facebook and Twitter. And just a day before, the Russian government signed a new law that punishes anyone spreading "false information" about its assault on Ukraine with up to 15 years in prison.

As Russia cuts its access to these sites, other platforms such as TikTok, Amazon, and Netflix, have voluntarily withdrawn their services from the country in line with heavy sanctions imposed by the West, further intensifying demand for VPNs.

Analysis website AppFigures reported on Monday that downloads for the top 10 VPNs in Russia surged by 4,375%, from an average of 16,000 per day to more than 700,000 daily since February 24.

"In the 10 days between February 24 and March 5, the top 10 VPN apps on the App Store and on Google Play saw more than 4,600,000 new downloads. And our estimates are very conservative here," the website wrote.

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Similarly, UK-registered ExpressVPN has seen a 330% increase in traffic from Russia on its website, company Vice President Harold Li told Bloomberg on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for another VPN, Surfshark, told the outlet its average weekly sales increased by 35 times since the invasion began.

"The last time we saw a similar increase in sales was when China passed the Hong Kong Security Law in May 2020," they told Bloomberg.

On the other hand, Twitter has started including the Tor onion network on its list of supported browsers as of Wednesday evening, two days after the social media platform told TechCrunch that it was working to "fully restore" access to its services in Russia.

Tor works by routing a user's connection through other users' computers across the globe, effectively making them anonymous and capable of breaking through a country's internet restrictions. The browser is also well-known as a software that allows access to the "Dark Web," or hidden sites that are often used for illegal purposes and the black market.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Feeding Ukrainian refugees Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Oil prices tumbled from recent highs on Wednesday, giving a boost to U.S. stock indexes (if not U.S. drivers), but Russia's invasion of Ukraine isn't just roiling global oil and gas markets  it's threatening global food security. Ukraine and Russia jointly produce about 30 percent of the world's wheat exports, more than half the world's sunflower oil, and 35 percent of its barley, for example. And those are all "now effectively cut off from global markets," Politico's Meredith Lee reports.

"Governments across wide swaths of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East are scrambling for a new source of food for millions of people," Lee writes. "And in a one-two punch, China and other countries are panic-buying to top off their immense grain reserves and are likely to hold back on rice exports, another major source of global nutrition, as food insecurity grows."

The U.N. Food Programme (WFP) has recently "drawn more than half our wheat" from Ukrainian farmers, executive director David Beasley wrote in The Washington Post. Now, the WFP is feeding millions of Ukrainian war refugees, and "if Ukrainian fields lie fallow this year, aid agencies such as ours will be forced to source new markets to compensate for the loss of some of the world's best wheat. Doing so will come at a vastly inflated cost," thanks to climate disasters, COVID-19 supply chain issues, and other global problems.

"The U.S., a major grain exporter, can help fill some of those voids," but not enough to offset the losses of Ukrainian and Russian wheat and corn, Politico's Lee reports. Worldwide, the number of people suffering from acute hunger could double over the next year and a half, according to some estimates, and "the crisis will likely push up already elevated food prices in the U.S., but nowhere near the spikes across other countries."

"It wasn't all gloom just a few weeks ago," the WFP's Beasley wrote. "There were early glimmers that economies were beginning to recover from the pandemic. But Russia's invasion has reminded us that the root cause of hunger around the world is human folly and reckless disregard for human life."

Story continues

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Selma Blair has claimed that her boyfriend Ronald Carlson physically attacked her last month.

The 49-year-old actor reportedly filed a restraining order on 25 February, three days after the alleged assault took place.

As per court documents reviewed by People, Carlson was at Blairs house returning a TV set after the actor had just finished a multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment, leaving her feeling quite weak.

The Legally Blonde star was diagnosed with MS in February 2018.

As soon as Blair told Carlson she wasnt feeling well, the actor alleged that her boyfriend started verbally abusing her by saying shes useless and that he deserves so much better than her.

The actor further claimed that Carlson soon became enraged and physically attacked her by jumping on top of her body while she was lying prone on the sofa.

(Getty Images for The Hollywood R)

As per court documents, Carlson strangled her, throttling her and shaking her head and shoulders aggressively.

In her defence, Blair claims that she stuck her fingers in Carlsons eyes and he responded by covering her mouth and face with his hands leaving her unable to breathe.

In the next moment, Blair briefly lost consciousness when Carlson slapped her and pushed the side of her head, causing her to fall back to the floor and begin to bleed from her nose, the documents said.

After that, Carlson left and Blair called the police when the actors nose started bleeding for the second time as she lost consciousness again.

The same evening, Carlson was arrested by the Los Angeles police for a felony of domestic violence. According to People, some photos taken by LA police show bruising around the actors neck and chin.

On 25 February, a judge granted Blairs request for a restraining order against her former boyfriend.

According to TMZ, Carlson also filed a petition for a restraining order of his own, where he claims he was at Blairs home when she asked him to sit next to her. However, they were both ill so he denied that offer.

Story continues

At that point, Carlson claimed that Blair became angry and antagonistic. He said she got in his face and said: Your daughter is a f****** loser.

According to the legal documents reviewed by TMZ, Carlson also denied attacking his girlfriend and states that he just reached for her defensively. He added that Blairs bleeding nose was a persistent problem and that she had complained about it two days earlier over text messages.

Representatives of Blair and Carlson werent immediately available for comment.

Blair and Carlson first started dating from July 2017 till around January 2018. After a two-year split, they got back together in 2020.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, or visit their website here.
The Senate on Thursday beat back an effort to cancel a $2 billion deal to sell military cargo planes to Egypt over the country's human rights record.

The vote was a whopping 81-18 against advancing a resolution offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to disapprove the sale.

Paul's legislation would have terminated a $2.2 billion sale of a dozen C-130J cargo planes, engines and related equipment.

The Biden administration has walked a fine line on Egypt. The State Department in late January elected to continue withholding $130 million in military aid, but just days earlier had notified lawmakers of the multibillion-dollar aircraft sale.

On the Senate floor, Paul dinged President Joe Biden for emphasizing human rights in U.S. foreign policy but continuing to arm Egypt. The senator criticized the decision to withhold a relatively small amount of military aid as a "slap on the wrist" while continuing larger arms sales.

"We should end military sales to Egypt's criminal masters," Paul said. "Partially taking away some military aid while offering new sales that are 10 times what we've withheld shows weakness in the face of oppression."

The vote saw majorities in both parties oppose Paul's resolution. Top Democrats  including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Armed Services Chair Jack Reed of Rhode Island  opposed the measure.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), an advocate of withholding aid to Egypt over its human rights record, sided with Paul and supported the resolution.

Lawmakers have pressured the Biden administration to reel in military aid for Egypt to force reforms in that country.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in September that $130 million in military aid would be held back unless Egypt made progress on human rights. That aid was part of a tranche of $300 million conditioned by Congress on human rights improvements and strengthening the rule of law. The State Department released the remaining $170 million.

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi released some political prisoners since the U.S. first withheld the funding in the fall. Still, his government has cracked down on political opponents in recent years, and Egypt's lack of progress on improving human rights spurred Blinken to continue withholding the money.

Menendez and the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, led the opposition to Paul on the floor.

Chief among their objections is that the Lockheed Martin-built cargo aircraft aren't offensive weapons systems. Menendez argued that the sale of cargo planes falls "squarely" in the category of non-lethal sales and argued the U.S. can continue to push Egypt to reform while continuing its long-running military relationship.

"These sales that we're talking about here to Egypt present no direct human rights concerns and should be separated from that conversation," Risch added.

The senators also voiced procedural concerns with Paul's resolution, which may have contributed to the overwhelming vote to shelve it.

Menendez and Risch also complained that Paul's resolution falls outside the 30-day statutory window to reject the sale, though the Senate's parliamentarian ruled that the measure could still come to the floor. The ruling, they argued, would render the legislation moot and set a negative precedent for future actions on arms sales.
Sevilla take the lead against West Ham (AFP via Getty Images)

Follow all the action as West Ham travel to Sevilla as they seek to progress through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. David Moyes side finished top of Group H to reach to this stage of the knockout rounds, while Julen Lopeteguis team had to overcome Dinamo Zagreb - one of West Hams group opponents - after dropping out of the Champions League.

Both sides have been in decent form, with the Spanish club second only to Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and the Hammers pushing for a Champions League place in the Premier League. However, both clubs faced weekend setbacks in their domestic leagues as Sevilla were held by Alaves on Friday and West Ham lost to Liverpool despite an encouraging performance last Saturday.

David Moyes is expected to be without Jarrod Bowen this evening after the winger injured his heel against Liverpool, but Declan Rice could return to captain West Ham after a non-Covid illness. The first leg takes place tonight in Seville before next weeks second leg at the London Stadium.

Follow the action and updates as West Ham take on Sevilla:

Sevilla vs West Ham

60: Munir fires Sevilla into lead

Sevilla XI: Bounou, Navas, Gudelj, Kounde, Acuna, Jordan, El Haddadi, Torres, Corona, El-Nesyri, Ocampos

West Ham XI: Areola, Johnson, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell, Soucek, Rice, Lanzini, Fornals, Antonio, Vlasic

Sevilla FC 1 - 0 West Ham United FC

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:31 , Michael Jones

87 mins: Sevilla are undefeated in their previous seven games against English opposition in the UEFA Cup/Europa League with five wins and two draws.

The homse side have shut up shop and seem content to hold to their lead.

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:28 , Michael Jones

84 mins: Munirs strike is the only difference between the teams so far. Sevilla are pressing for a second goal but West Hams last ditch defending is keeping them at bay.

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:25 , Michael Jones

81 mins: Manuel Lanzini pulls his man back to stop Sevilla breaking and picks up a yellow card.

Story continues

The Hammers make it down the other end of the pitch and win a corner. Pablo Fornals swings the set piece into the box, theres a bit of a scramble and the ball loops into the hands of Bounou.

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:21 , Michael Jones

78 mins: Here comes Anthony Martial. He replaces Munir who receives a loud round of applause from the fans as he trundles off. Thats an attacking move from Julen Lopetegui. He wants another goal and Sevilla has just over 10 minutes to get one.

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:17 , Michael Jones

75 mins: Benrahma brings the ball down the right and combines with Fornals to get it into the box. Fornals cross is deflected into the path of Lanzini who hits one on the half-volley but Jesus Navas leaps in front of it and gets in the block!

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:14 , Michael Jones

72 mins: West Ham are starting to look a little tired now. They need a period of possession to settle themselves down.

Chance! Craig Dawson gives the ball away with a poor forward pass and Sevilla quickly work it up to Ocampos. He carries the ball into the box, rolls onto his right foot and curls a shot wide of the back post.

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:12 , Michael Jones

69 mins: Nikola Vlasic is taken off by David Moyes with Said Benrahma replacing him. Thats almost a like-for-like replacement with Benrahma more than capable in front of goal.

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:09 , Michael Jones

66 mins: Close! Navas threads the ball into the box from the right side and picks out Corona. He takes a touch to move the ball onto his right foot and then hits one at goal only for Zouma to dive in front of it and deflect the shot wide of the back post.

Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham

19:08 , Michael Jones

63 mins: Big test for West Ham now. A 1-0 deficit isnt the worse result and they could make that up at the London Stadium next week. Sevilla have their tails up though and are trying to press their advantage. West Ham just need to get control of the game.

GOAL! Sevilla 1 - 0 West Ham (Munir, 60)

19:03 , Michael Jones

60 mins: Great goal! Jesus Corona swings the free kick over to the far side of the box where Munir is wide open. He meets the ball on the half-volley and controls it brilliantly to keep his shot low and hard. Alphonse Areola doesnt move and the ball flies past him into the back of the net.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

19:03 , Michael Jones

59 mins: Sevilla build the pressure on West Hams backline by keeping the ball in the oppositions final third. Lucas Ocampos receives the ball and gets brought down by a lunging Kurt Zouma who picks up the first yellow card of the night. Sevilla win a free kick deep in the Hammers half.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

19:01 , Michael Jones

57 mins: Chance! Navas brings the ball down the right wing and carries as high as the box. He comes up against Aaron Cresswell and decides to slip a pass back to Oliver Torres. Torres floats a decent cross into the middle and picks out Youssef En-Nesyri who nods the ball straight to Alphonse Areola.

West Ham: Why are they not wearing a shirt sponsor in the Europa League against Sevilla?

18:59 , Michael Jones

West Ham are facing Sevilla tonight in the Europa League - but without their shirt sponsors Betway at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Spain.

Instead, the Premier League club lined up with an empty space on the front of their playing shirts where the Betway logo would normally have been.

That is because of gambling sponsorship laws in Spain, which prohibit football clubs from displaying betting companies and logos on their shirts.

Why arent West Ham wearing a shirt sponsor in the Europa League tonight?

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:57 , Michael Jones

54 mins: Navas chips a decent ball over the head of Aaron Cresswell and picks out the run of Ocampos. Those two have been great with their link-up play tonight and this move is no exception. The ball drops to Ocampos who tries to send an effort at goal but scuffs it into the arms of Areola.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:55 , Michael Jones

51 mins: Michail Antonio stays down after coming out worse from a tackle in midfield. There are nervous looks on the faces of the West Ham coaching staff but the forward hobbles to his feet and says hes okay to continue.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:53 , Michael Jones

48 mins: Save! Almost the perfect start for West Ham. Michail Antonio receives the ball on the front edge of the box and sets up Tomas Soucek for a driving effort that is on target but gets palmed by Yassine Bounou.

Second half: Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:51 , Michael Jones

Kick off: Sevilla get the match back underway. Neither manager will be disappointed with how that first 45 minutes went and as such there are no changes in personnel at the break. Yassine Bounou continues in goal for the home side.

Coming up in the Europa League

18:43 , Michael Jones

Following the conclusion of this game, out focus will shift to Barcelonas round of 16 first leg against Galatasaray. Kick off for that one is at 8pm and Barca will be hoping to continue their unbeaten run.

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18:40 , Michael Jones

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Whether you would like a weekly rundown direct from our chief football writer Miguel Delaney or you want weekly sport digest from our sport editor Ben Burrows you can sign up by clicking here and scrolling to the sport section.

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Chelsea face Norwich after Roman Abramovich sanctioned

18:36 , Michael Jones

Its been a big day in the Premier League after Chelseas owner, Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government for his links to Russia and Vladimir Putin. The club were given a special licence allowing them to continue to play and tonights game against Norwich gets underway in around an hour.

Follow all the build-up and reaction to the Abramovich news right here:

Norwich vs Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

Half-time: Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:32 , Michael Jones

45+1 mins: Nothing to separate the teams after 45 minutes in Spain. Its been a close and interesting affair with both teams creating chances.

West Ham should be in front though. Nikola Vlasic has a header saved and Michail Antonio should had turned the follow-up into the back of the net.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:30 , Michael Jones

45 mins: Sevilla appeal for a handball after Jesus Navas cross strikes Pablo Fornals on the arm. Nothing comes of it though and West Ham sweep up the pitch to win a corner.

Fornals takes it but curls the ball out of play before bringing it back into the box. Goal kick.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:28 , Michael Jones

42 mins: The match stopped for a minute or so as Yassine Bounou got some treatment. It looked like a problem with his ankle but hes fine to play on. Will probably get another check up at half-time too.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:24 , Michael Jones

39 mins: Nemanja Gudelj knocks the ball back to his goalkeeper and Yassine Bounou belts it up the pitch. Tomas Soucek keeps his eye on the dropping ball and tries to win it in the air but collides with Jesus Corona and bungles the forward to ground. Free kick Sevilla.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:21 , Michael Jones

36 mins: Jesus Navas gets forward on the right side and combines well with Lucas Ocampos to create enough space for a cross. The ball comes over to the far side of the box where Ben Johnson and Youssef En-Nesyri come together. Theres a slight shove from Johnson and the Sevilla forward falls to ground looking for a penalty that he doesnt get.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:17 , Michael Jones

33 mins: West Ham work the ball quickly down the right wing and give it to Vlasic. He brings the ball inside and rolls it onto his left foot before whipping a low, pacey effort narrowly wide of the near post!

Everytime Sevilla look like theyre getting a dominant foothold in the game, West Ham sweep forward and almost score. Its very impressive from the visitors.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:15 , Michael Jones

30 mins: Half an hour played and David Moyes will be delighted with his teams performance so far. Theyve more than held their own against the five-time Europa League champions.

Munir darts in from the right and lifts the ball into the penalty area. En-Nesyri wins it in the air and nods the ball towards the back post but Areola leaps across and smothers it.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:12 , Michael Jones

27 mins: Acuna swings another cross in from the left side and the ball drops to Ocampos. He passes it over to Joan Jordan but his effort towards goal gets charged down.

Sevilla come at the Hammers again with a pass over to Corona on the left wing. The ball comes over Ben Johnson but he recovers well and blocks the attempted cross into the box.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:10 , Michael Jones

24 mins: West Ham are well drilled. Theyve got a solid shape to their play and are moving over the pitch as a unit. Its not easy for Sevilla to play through them and the home side resort to a long cross field ball that heads straight out for a goal kick.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:08 , Michael Jones

21 mins: Michail Antonio chips a cross into the penalty area and the ball is just out of reach for Tomas Soucek allowing Sevilla to clear.

Fornals then wins a free kick with a smart lean into Kounde who reacts with a slight push and sends the West Ham forward to the deck.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:02 , Michael Jones

18 mins: Lucas Ocampos brings the ball down the left side for Sevilla before knocking a cross into the box. Declan Rice is back to clear it but only boots the ball as far as Jules Kounde. He drives it back into the final third before toe-poking a shot at goal from range and sending it straight at Alphonse Areola.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

18:00 , Michael Jones

15 mins: At the other end of the pitch Sevilla win a corner. It gets whipped into the far side of the box where Oliver Torres is wide open. He attempts a spectacular volley on the turn but scuffs his effort well wide of the back post.

This game isnt going to end goalless.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

17:58 , Michael Jones

12 mins: Huge chance for West Ham! Manuel Lanzini floats a free kick into the box and picks out Declan Rice. He nods it across the six-yard box and finds Nikola Vlasic. Vlasic dives at the ball and heads it towars goal only for Yassine Bounou to stick out a hand and keep it out! The ball comes loose to Michail Antonio who only has to turn it into the goal but misses the ball with his attempted shot!

West Ham should be in front.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

17:55 , Michael Jones

9 mins: Its been a decent start. Sevilla have created more chances - Munir has a shot blocked just inside the West Ham box - but West Ham look dangerous on the counter and have creative players up top.

Lanzini threads the ball up to Antonio who weaves away from Jesus Navas before shipping the ball towards the near post. Nikola Vlasic arrives but Jules Kounde beats him in the air and knocks the ball clear.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

17:51 , Michael Jones

6 mins: Chances! Jesus Corona brings the ball to the byline and pulls it back into the box where Munir meets it with a strong header and sends the effort wide of the far post.

Michail Antonio receives the ball on the turn and spins away from Jules Kounde before driving into the box. Hes closed down from both sides but not before he manages to pump a shot into the side-netting.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

17:49 , Michael Jones

3 mins: Sevilla create the first chance at goal as a cross comes in from the left wing channel. Marcos Acuna floats on into the middle of the box and Kurt Zouma thinks hes got it covered only for Youssef En-Nesyri to leap in front of the defender and nod the ball into the waiting hands of Alphonse Areola.

Sevilla 0 - 0 West Ham

17:47 , Michael Jones

Kick off: Manuel Lanzini gets the match underway for West Ham and they boot it down the left wing towards Pablo Fornals. He doesnt get to the dropping ball and it bounces safely through to Yassine Bounou in Sevillas goal.

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:44 , Michael Jones

Here come the players. Declan Rice is fit again after an illness and he leads out West Ham. His experience in midfield will be crucial if the Hammers hope to get a positive result tonight.

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:42 , Michael Jones

Midfielder Ivan Rakitic has been injured in the warm-up and Munir comes in to replace him for Sevilla.

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:36 , Michael Jones

10 minutes to go until kick off in Spain. Can David Moyes and West Ham pull off a remarkable victory and take a lead back to the London Stadium for the second leg next week?

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:30 , Michael Jones

Sevilla forward Anthony Martial scored six goals against West Ham in all competitions for Manchester United only scoring more against Everton (7) during his time at the club. This includes three goals in five cup matches.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:24 , Michael Jones

David Moyes spoke about West Hams progress in Europe this season and says he wants his team to qualify for the European competitions on a regular basis. Moyes said:

I want this to be the new West Ham. This time last year I felt Europe was a possibility. Prior to that, we were about avoiding relegation, that was the job. "To think of where we have come in one year, from mid-table to challenging for Europe, now were talking in terms of Champions League football. We have moved a big amount in a short space of time. "Weve really enjoyed our European games, which have been great and a big step up for all the players. Weve moved a big mountain already in a really short time, so we have to be careful. And tomorrow is a completely different level football for all the players. Many of boys have played in the Champions League before ... but as a club and as a group, weve got to say this is all completely new."

David Moyes wants European qualification to be regular for new West Ham

17:20 , Michael Jones

David Moyes has vowed to continue proving the doubters wrong by keeping West Ham among Europes elite.

Moyes has upset the odds since returning to the Hammers for a second stint, after his first spell in charge ended when his short-term contract expired.

Since his comeback he has turned West Ham from relegation candidates to top-four challengers, and on Thursday night the club will be on their biggest European stage in 41 years when they face Sevilla in the Europa League last 16.

David Moyes wants European qualification to be regular for new West Ham

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:15 , Michael Jones

West Hams meeting with Sevilla will be their first against Spanish opposition in European competition in over 40 years, since they won 6-4 on aggregate against Real Madrid Castilla in the first round of the 1980-81 Cup Winners Cup.

Sevilla have progressed from 29 of their last 31 knockout stage ties in the UEFA Cup/Europa League (94%), progressing from all three ties against English opponents during this run (2006/07 quarter-final vs Spurs, 2019-20 quarter-final vs Wolves, 2019-20 semi-final vs Manchester United).

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:10 , Michael Jones

Just over 30 minutes to go until kick off at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium. David Moyes has said West Ham are facing the toughest possible opponents this evening. Can they get themselves a victory?

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:06 , Michael Jones

Sevilla have won this competition more that any other team and midfielder, Fernando, spoke about how his side is different to most clubs due to the respect they give the Europa League. He said:

Sevilla is a club that is well established [in the Europa League]; no other club has won more titles. And every time we play, we play differently because the club and the fans convey that [the importance of the Europa League] to the players. Its a trophy that everyone wants to win and Sevilla is different from the other teams.

Sevilla vs West Ham

17:02 , Michael Jones

Julen Lopetegui takes charge of his 50th game in UEFA club competitions today. Will he be celebrating with a win at the end of the match?

(Getty Images)

Sevilla vs West Ham

16:57 , Michael Jones

West Ham will be Sevillas 11th different English opponent in European competition. Sevilla are winless across their last three home matches against such sides, most recently losing 4-0 to Chelsea in the Champions League group stages last season.

Sevilla vs West Ham

16:54 , Michael Jones

West Hams opponents Sevilla know all about the competition having lifted the trophy five times, most recently in 202 when they defeated Manchester United in a penalty shootout. They are also second in La Liga behind Real Madrid.

"Theyve won it six times and have done very well, this season, but I also see it as a great chance to play one of the best teams in European football," said manager David Moyes. "I feel this is where the group of players should be"

Sevilla vs West Ham

16:45 , Michael Jones

David Moyes has made just two changes to the West Ham team that started last Saturdays 1-0 loss at Liverpool. Alphones Areola replaces Lukasz Fabianski in goal with Declan Rice, who missed the Anfield game through illness, coming back in for the injured Jarrod Bowen.

Sevilla vs West Ham: Line-ups

16:40 , Michael Jones

Sevilla XI: Bounou, Jesus Navas, Gudelj, Kounde, Acuna, Jordan, Rakitic, Oliver Torres, Corona, El-Nesyri, Ocampos

West Ham XI: Areola, Johnson, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell, Soucek, Rice, Lanzini, Fornals, Antonio, Vlasic

Sevilla vs West Ham

16:37 , Michael Jones

This is the latest stage West Ham have reached in a major European competition since the 1980-81 Cup Winners Cup, when they were ultimately eliminated by Dinamo Tbilisi in the quarter-finals after beating FC Politehnica Timisoara in the last-16.

Can they defeat the five-time Europa League champions as well tonight?

Sevilla vs West Ham

16:32 , Michael Jones

David Moyes has backed striker Michail Antonio to find his best form again as West Ham take on Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League last-16 tonight. Moyes said:

There have been some good signs from Micky Antonio recently that hes on his way back, and hes so important to how the team plays and how we perform as well, "A good, performing Micky Antonio makes us play better."

Sevilla vs West Ham

16:28 , Michael Jones

David Moyes will be without Jarrod Bowen for tonights Europa League tie with Sevilla after the forward sustained a heel injury in Saturdays defeat at Liverpool.

Declan Rice missed that game through illness and remains doubtful despite travelling with the squad to Seville. It would be a big blow to the Hammers if both Bowen and Rice were missing but Moyes has called on striker Michail Antonio to step up in their absence.

Sevilla vs West Ham

14:36 , Michael Jones

Welcome to The Independents live coverage of the Europa League as West Ham travel to Sevilla in the early kick off before Barcelona welcome Turkish side Galatasaray at 8pm.

David Moyes West Ham side finished top of Group H to reach to this stage of the knockout rounds, while Julen Lopeteguis team dropped out of the Champions League and won a play-off match against Dinamo Zagreb.

It has been 40 years since the Hammers have faced Spanish opposition in European competition and in order to make it through to the quarter-finals they will have to beat the five-time Europa League champions, Sevilla.

West Ham are Sevillas 11th different English opponent in European matches and the Spanish team are winless across their last three home matches against such sides - most recently losing 4-0 to Chelsea in the Champions League group stages last season.

Can the Hammers continue that run and cause a upset by beating Sevilla away from home tonight?
A woman in handcuffs. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  Angered by her landlord's persistent harassment to have sex with him, a sex worker filed a false police report against him for rape.

The opportunity arose when the landlord lay naked on the bed beside Guo Lili as she slept after a night of servicing clients.

Despite no physical contact between Guo and her landlord, she called the police on him.

Guo, 27, was jailed for five months and four weeks on Thursday (10 March), after she pleaded guilty to one count of providing false information to a police officer, knowing that it would lead to investigations against her landlord for an offence of rape.

Guo, a Chinese national, also pleaded guilty to one count of using a remote communication service to offer her sexual services to others, and a count of unlawfully remaining in Singapore even after the expiry of her special pass on 25 December 2020.

Guo arrived in Singapore on 14 April 2019 and worked as a sex worker through a person who helped to arrange for her housing and advertised her services.

She was first arrested on 18 July 2019 and informed by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) that she would have to leave Singapore by 25 December 2020, when a special pass issued to her would expire. Guo booked a return flight on 24 December 2020 and showed the ticket to the ICA, but she had no intention of leaving. She cancelled her flight and remained in Singapore.

Around 15 January last year, Guo moved into a flat at Crescent Building leased out by the landlord, who charged her $160 daily in rent. This landlord began harassing sex workers at the properties he managed, as he wanted sexual services from them. Guo and the person who helped her find the property then hatched a plan to get this landlord in trouble.

On 18 February last year, after servicing her last client at 10pm, Guo undressed herself and went to bed. Her landlord took a shower and lay on the bed naked beside Guo. Guo woke in the morning to find her landlord beside her.

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She then called the police and falsely reported that she suspected she had been raped, in order to have the landlord investigated.

Police officers arrived shortly after Guo's call and she told them that she was an overstayer providing sexual services. She claimed that the landlord and her female friend had come over to have a meal and drink alcohol at around 11.30pm.

Thereafter, she woke up to find herself in bed with (the landlord). Both of them were undressed. She hence suspected that she had been sexually assaulted in the night. Questioned whether (the landlord) had engaged her sexual services, the accused denied, reiterated that she had not consented to any sexual interaction with (the landlord), said the prosecution.

Guo only confessed to lying about three hours later when she was interviewed and realised she would have to undergo medical checks. Guo had overstayed by 56 days by that point.

As court proceedings were ongoing, Guo sought numerous adjournments from 7 September to 9 November 2021, claiming that she was seeking a new lawyer and considering her course of action.

On 9 November 2021, acting on a tip-off, police raided Min Wah Hotel at Geylang and found Guo in a room where she had been staying for the past 20 days.

A prepaid SIM card was seized from Guo, who had been using the card's number to receive bookings for sexual services. The number was found in advertisements on two vice websites, with a person named Ding Dang offering sexual intercourse at $120 for an hour.

From 22 October last year, Guo had been using the number, which she bought from another sex worker to advertise her sexual services. Officers found 12 condoms in Guos hotel room.

Guo had been residing periodically at the hotel for the past two years, paying a monthly rate of $1,800. She was allocated different rooms and would sometimes service her clients there. She had around five to eight clients monthly since her arrival in Singapore, and provided sexual services for $120 for 45 to 60 minute sessions.

John Koh from Populus Law, Guos lawyer, said his client was a dutiful daughter who provided money to her parents in China. Guo gave a monthly allowance of around $622 to her mother and around $415 a month to her father, who was in prison.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The state Senate approved Wednesday a proposal that would add South Carolina to a list of states calling for a convention to propose specific amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Every African American senator voted against the proposal, saying they feared the national meeting could gut protections their ancestors have had to fight for over two centuries.

Nearly 20 states have passed similar measures. The U.S. Constitution requires two-thirds of states, or 34, to call for the convention.

The 27-13 vote by the South Carolina Senate gave key approval to the proposal that supporters said would limit the convention to a few items  spending checks on the federal government, limiting the federal governments jurisdiction and power, and setting term limits for Congress.

Two Republicans nervous the convention could go rouge and take up amendments that could eliminate the right to bear arms joined with all but one Democrat voting against the bill.

Black Sen. Ronnie Sabb had his own worries thinking about the original, and so far only, constitutional convention in 1787. The Founding Fathers did not ban slavery and counted slaves, who made up most African Americans, as three-fifths of a person despite the Declaration of Independence 11 years earlier proclaiming that all men were created equal.

It takes me back to the beginning, when every man wasnt considered a man constitutionally, said Sabb, a Democrat from Greeleyville.

Sabb and other Black lawmakers worried a convention could strip away rights to free speech, the prohibition of slavery and the guarantee of full citizenship and rights to anyone born in the country.

Why are we willing to risk this experiment in a democracy on an experiment in a convention?" Sabb said.

The South Carolina House passed a similar measure 66-42 last month. The Senate made small changes to the proposal, so after one final perfunctory vote, it will return to the House.

Supporters said whatever amendments suggested by the convention would have to be passed by three-fourths of the states  38 legislatures or special conventions.

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Every time the Constitution has been amended since the 1791 passage of the Bill of Rights has been through the other method to change the document: under Article V of the Constitution, adding an amendment can be done via a two-thirds vote of Congress and then ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.

The backers of the convention said Congress would never agree to check its own power by passing term limits or restrictions on spending.

The Framers considered it an important power they gave to the states, said Republican Sen. Chip Campsen of the Isle of Palms. "I don't want to unilaterally disarm and throw away that power and say we'll never use it."

Dozens of supporters, many wearing red, white and blue, filled the Statehouse lobby outside the Senate chamber during the first day of debate Tuesday, cheering arguments they agreed with and booing suggestions the convention could spiral out of control. There was even one person dressed up like Uncle Sam.

Just before the vote late Wednesday afternoon, Sen, Marlon Kimpson suggested a change he said he knew would fail, adding reparations for slavery to the topics to be discussed.

The Black Democrat from Charleston said if his change passed, he thought the extra money and resources should go for helping poorer public schools and historically Black colleges and universities, providing secured loans to businesses in disadvantaged neighborhoods and other help.

Im not talking 40 acres and a mule, although Im not dismissing the idea," Kimpson said.

Most white Democrats backed their Black party members and voted against the bill. Sen Dick Harpootlian said agreeing to a convention without knowing who would be delegates and how many people would attend was dangerous.

The Columbia Democrat suggested minority groups and others without much power could be shut out.

This constitutional convention I'm afraid will be just as white as the one in 1787  maybe whiter, Harpootlian said.

___

Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
SEOUL, South Korea  South Koreas president-elect, Yoon Suk Yeol, said Thursday he would solidify an alliance with the United States, build up a powerful military and sternly cope with North Korean provocations, hours after he won the countrys hard-fought election to become its next leader.

Yoon, whose single five-year term is to begin in May, said during his campaigning he would make a boosted alliance with the United States the center of his foreign policy. Hes accused outgoing liberal President Moon Jae-in of tilting toward Pyongyang and Beijing and away from Washington.

Hes also stressed the need to recognize the strategic importance of repairing ties with Tokyo despite recent bilateral historical disputes.

Some experts say a Yoon government will likely be able to reinforce ties with Washington and improve relations with Tokyo but cant really avoid frictions with Pyongyang and Beijing.

Ill rebuild the South Korea-U.S. alliance. Ill [make] it a strategic comprehensive alliance while sharing key values like a liberal democracy, a market economy and human rights, Yoon told a televised news conference.

Ill establish a strong military capacity to deter any provocation completely, Yoon said. Ill firmly deal with illicit, unreasonable behavior by North Korea in a principled manner, though Ill always leave [the] door for South-North talks open.

After his election win, he spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden on the phone. According to a White House statement, Biden congratulated Yoon on the election and emphasized the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea. The statement said the two also committed to maintain close coordination on addressing the threats posed by North Koreas nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea hasnt commented on Yoons election. In recent weeks, its launched a spate of sophisticated, nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in what experts call an attempt to modernize its weapons arsenal and to pressure the Biden administration to make concessions, like sanctions relief, amid stalled diplomacy.

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Last week, North Korea said it tested cameras and other systems needed to operate a spy satellite. Its state media on Thursday cited leader Kim Jong Un as saying his country needs reconnaissance satellites to monitor the aggression troops of the U.S. imperialism and its vassal forces.

On Japan, Yoon said that Seoul and Tokyo should focus on building future-oriented ties. The focus in South Korea-Japan relations should be finding future paths that would benefit the people of both countries, he said.

The two countries are both key U.S. allies and closely linked to each other economically and culturally, but their relations sank to post-war lows during Moons presidency over disputes related to Japans 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday expressed a desire to communicate with Yoon to bring back good ties. But he still said Tokyo will stick to its position that all compensation issues have been settled by a 1965 bilateral treaty.
Business schools have not been idle as war rages in Eastern Europe. Accrediting agency AACSB reports that six European B-schools are organizing relief efforts for refugees and other war victims, with Kozminski University in Warsaw, Poland  only about 215 miles from the border with Ukraine  leading aid efforts amid the escalating humanitarian crisis. From the earliest days of the now nearly two-week-old war, Kozminski has aided hundreds of Ukrainian families, AACSB reports, with the help of more than 1,300 volunteers, including students.

Students  often but not always of Ukrainian descent  have been in the vanguard in humanitarian efforts at Kozminski, where they have spearheaded blood drives and fundraisers, as well as Riga Business School in Latvia, Budapest Business School in Hungary, ESMT Berlin, ESCP Business School, and Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. But while those in close proximity to the conflict have been especially proactive, they are not alone.

Separated by half the planet but connected by Ukrainian roots, students at Stanford University Graduate School of Business are pitching in, led by a group of first- and second-year MBAs  some with extensive military and logistical experience. The group has procured more than 80 tons of medical supplies valued at over $4 million that they are planning to airlift to Eastern Europe.

IT HELPS TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE NOT HELPLESS

Stanford GSB Class of 2022 MBA student Kate Slunkova: We can actually do some impact and leverage our network

Using the hashtag #StandWithUkraine, the Stanford students have also launched a website that is attracting more than 20,000 unique visitors daily. It offers practical information for Ukrainians in Ukraine and refugees abroad as well as links to ways to help  by giving money, but also by raising public awareness or pressuring governments to take action.

Kate Slunkova, a dual-degree student at GSB and Stanfords graduate School of Education, has family in Ukraine, including her father, grandparents, and cousins, as well as many friends. Shes not always sure where they are or whether they are safe. Working with other Stanford students to send aid has helped to take her mind off the helplessness of such a great distance.

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Its really hard because the situation changes drastically every hour, Slunkova tells Poets&Quants. It helps that we receive a lot of support in the form of messages and people who are offering emotional support to help us. But I dont think any international person or American person could really understand the weight of this. And we have some undergrads at Stanford, we have some Ph.D. students, Ukraine students in Stanford, and it truly helps to come together to debrief on how our day was and work on some initiatives that we are driving. It helps to understand that we are not helpless. We can actually do some impact and leverage our network and resources here to help people back home.

THE UKRAINIAN STUDENTS HERE AT STANFORD ARE HEROES

First-year Stanford student Syed Faraz is not Ukrainian. He is, however, an Air Force veteran with national security credentials who has flown hundreds of combat hours. Faraz has been helping his Ukrainian classmates organize relief efforts and is working with them to handle logistics on transporting the collected medical supplies to Europe.

A Tillman Scholar and Harvard MPA as a Zuckerman Fellow at the Kennedy School, Faraz says when Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago, he was enraged that Putin had started a war of choice which would lead to so much tragedy. I was enraged that the world order which had been so painstakingly built over decades was being unravelled for one mans ego. I was enraged that the rule of law was being replaced by the rule of power. I was enraged that normal people would bear the brunt of suffering.

His thoughts immediately turned to ways to help. He was inspired by his Ukrainian classmates.

The Ukrainian students here at Stanford are heroes, Faraz tells P&Q. As soon as the invasion started, instead of being paralyzed by the risk their families were enduring, they sprang into action. Andrei (Molchynsky, fellow Stanford first-year MBA student) asked if anyone knew satellite imagery providers to help a Ukrainian computer vision startup, which had pivoted from doing consumer entertainment to military detection algorithms. Thankfully, I had some connections from my Air Force experience and we started working together.

SPRINGING INTO ACTION

Syed Faraz

Faraz got to know a few Ukrainians while studying for his MPA at Harvards Kennedy School. He was thrilled to get to know more of them at Stanford.

Im awed by how the Ukrainian community at Stanford has unified and worked closely to raise both awareness and funding to help their compatriots, Faraz says. Their bravery and dedication inspires me. And I promised Andrei that when the war is over and Ukrainians enjoy the peace they so thoroughly deserve, Ill take my family to see the beauty of Ukraine!

The power of their example and the nobility of their purpose is a clarion call which has attracted hundreds of allies across the Bay Area to help them. I had Ann Bordetsky, a leading VC, ping me out of the blue asking for ways to help and how she could activate her network.

There are also many veterans involved in this effort. Personally, I feel terribly guilty Im not flying missions with my former squadron mates who are over in Europe right now. I think this sense of guilt and a duty to help a democratic country under attack by an autocrat is driving veterans to serve our Ukrainian friends.

The Ukraine war effort at Stanford, he adds, really ties into the entrepreneurial spirit that lives here. The group has set an objective  and pivoted from its initial goal  and is hustling at all hours to do whatever it takes to get the job done. They are seriously undertaking Herculean efforts to help Ukraine.

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Visit StandWithUkraine.how to learn more about efforts to help Ukraine. Visit the groups Facebook page to donate to the effort to send medical supplies to Ukraine.

Stanford community members gather in Main Quad, some donning Ukrainian flags, to show support for Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine (Photo: NIKOLAS LIEPINS/The Stanford Daily)

A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT

Stanford MBAs are not alone in uniting to help Ukraine. B-school students around the United States have staged rallies and launched fundraisers, awareness campaigns, and donation drives, including major initiatives at Harvard Business School and elsewhere in the top 25 schools.

But GSB  as a school and a network  has been an incredible place to find and coordinate humanitarian aid for Ukraine, says Stanfords Kate Slunkova. It has also been a great place to find, and give, emotional support.

Im immensely grateful for this network, she says, and for this kind of multidimensional community here, because we have some undergrads who helped us to put together a website, then we had some people in the Ph.D. department and med school helping out, too, because humanitarian help requires some med expertise. So its just an incredible place that brings together people from very different expertise areas.

All help is welcome, she says, inside the school and outside it, noting that Stanford students have coordinated on some efforts with other B-schools  and with people on the ground in Ukraine.

EVERYONE CAN HELP & EVERYONE CAN ENGAGE

The main message that I have been transmitting is that everyone can help, she says. We need to make sure that help beyond private messages go into public spaces, into some proactive outreach, to different stakeholders who can help Ukraine at this difficult time. And it seems like theres going to be tons of work needed to be done even after the active war stops. We will need to rebuild cities, re-educate people, and work with refugees. So the work is just starting.

Everyone can help and everyone can engage. This is the core message. This network is not only helping us to engage here at Stanford, we are in touch with people on the ground in Ukraine. There have been GSB alums who are providing us with firsthand information on what is needed and what is necessary. We have a broader group of different schools working together on multiple initiatives. And it should not be school-specific. We are happy to collaborate. Were now working with Harvard students on putting together every source where people can easily find answers to key questions.

If people in Ukraine on the ground can come together to protect themselves from one of the most powerful armies, we here can also come together and do our work to help them and maximize our skills, our network, to help Ukrainians on the ground.

Visit StandWithUkraine.how to learn more about efforts to help Ukraine. Visit the groups Facebook page to donate to the effort to send medical supplies to Ukraine.

DONT MISS WAR: FROM UKRAINIAN MBAs, HARROWING STORIES & VOWS OF SUPPORT FOR A HOMELAND UNDER ATTACK and UKRAINE WAR PROMPTS GLOBAL NETWORK TO SUSPEND RUSSIAN MEMBER SCHOOL

The post Stanford MBA Students Collect Millions Worth Of Medical Supplies For Ukraine appeared first on Poets&Quants.
By Huw Jones

LONDON (Reuters) - Companies in the United States and elsewhere will voluntarily use new global climate-related disclosures even if making them a mandatory requirement takes longer, the chair of a new standard setter said on Thursday.

The International Sustainability Standards Board was set up in November at the COP26 climate summit to try to give more coherence to disclosures from companies and stop potential "greenwashing" or inflated climate-friendly credentials.

ISSB chair Emmanuel Faber said the Frankfurt-based board's first set of standards would be put to public consultation this month.

ISSB sister body, the International Accounting Standards Board, took over 20 years to persuade 140 countries one-by-one to make its norms mandatory.

"We don't have 25 years to get there, we have a few years," Faber told the London Business School, adding there was an alternative markets-directed pathway.

"If you look at the U.S., probably there will be a lot of adoption directly by market participants. They may well decide to adopt even without their home country being a formal adopter," the former chair of French yoghurt maker Danone said.

The draft disclosures will focus on greenhouse gas emissions from a company itself, emissions related to a company's energy use, and emissions from a company's supply chain and products, such as cars.

The aim is to replace a patchwork of standards with a global baseline called for by investors for countries and regions to build on, if they want to.

For example, the European Union has introduced more ambitious "double materiality", which measures a company's impact on the environment and not just how climate change will affect a company's bottom line.

Faber said that "politically driven noise" over double materiality needs to be "shut down" as it was not opposed to the global baseline approach ISSB is taking - just building on its common starting point.

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also is due on March 21 to propose how companies can disclose the impact of climate change on their business.

"We expect that in the U.S. the SEC baseline it going to be compatible with where we will start with the global baseline, and then it will be up to local companies to voluntarily adopt the global standards," Faber said.

The ISSB's public consultation will last at least three months, with final adoption by year end.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Alison Williams)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told U.S. President Joe Biden in a phone call on Thursday that it was past time to lift all "unjust" sanctions on Turkey's defence industry.

According to a statement from Erdogan's office, he also told Biden that Turkey expected its request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and modernise its existing fleet to be finalised as soon as possible.

Ankara had initially ordered more than 100 F-35 jets, made by Lockheed Martin Corp, but the United States removed Turkey from the programme in 2019 after it acquired Russian S-400 missile defence systems.

Turkey has called the move unjust and demanded reimbursement for its $1.4 billion payment.

Reuters reported last year that Ankara had made a request to Washington to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16s and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.

Turkey's purchase of the S-400s has also triggered U.S. sanctions. In December 2020, Washington blacklisted Turkey's Defence Industry Directorate, its chief, Ismail Demir, and three other employees.

A readout of Thursday's call from the White House did not mention a discussion about sanctions or Turkey's request regarding the F-16s.

But it said Erdogan and Biden had talked about opportunities to strengthen ties, in addition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The decades-old partnership between the NATO allies has gone through unprecedented tumult in recent years over disagreements on Syria policy, Ankara's closer ties with Moscow, U.S. charges against a state-owned Turkish bank and erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey.

Washington has repeatedly warned Turkey against buying further Russian weaponry. Ankara has said it intends to go through with the purchase of a second batch of S-400s from Russia, a move that could worsen the diplomatic rift with the United States.

The request for the jets will likely have a difficult time getting approval from the U.S. Congress, where sentiment towards Turkey has soured deeply over recent years.

Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers urged the Biden administration in October not to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and said they were confident Congress would block any such exports.

(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by David Gregorio and Alistair Bell)
Investors who take an interest in Conduit Holdings Limited (LON:CRE) should definitely note that the Executive Director & CFO, Elaine Whelan, recently paid UK3.71 per share to buy UK99k worth of the stock. That's a very solid buy in our book, and increased their holding by a noteworthy 41%.

See our latest analysis for Conduit Holdings

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Conduit Holdings

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Non-Executive Director Kenneth Randall bought UK249k worth of shares at a price of UK4.52 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being UK3.56). It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.

While Conduit Holdings insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. 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!

Conduit Holdings is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by 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. Our data indicates that Conduit Holdings insiders own about UK4.1m worth of shares (which is 0.7% of the company). Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings.

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So What Does This Data Suggest About Conduit Holdings Insiders?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. We would certainly prefer see higher levels of insider ownership but analysis of the insider transactions suggests that Conduit Holdings insiders are expecting a bright future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 2 warning signs with Conduit Holdings and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Canadian Domee Shi's highly anticipated animated movie Turning Red, starring Sandra Oh, Rosalie Chiang and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (streaming on Disney+ March 11), is the best representation of puberty, mother-daughter relationships and teen friendships you'll see on screen.

Exploring adolescence, Turning Red follows Meilin Lee, or Mei, (voiced by Chiang), growing up in Toronto in 2002, navigating her transition from childhood to her teen years.

The inspiration behind Turning Red just came from my own life growing up in the early-aughts, Chinese-Canadian, dorky, sassy, nerdy girl who thought she had everything under control, Shi told reporters ahead of the movies release.

She was her moms good little girl and then boom, puberty hit, and I was bigger, I was hairier, I was hungry all the time, I was a hormonal mess and I was fighting with my mom, like, every other day.

Part of this growing up process is also the evolution in Meis relationship with her overprotective mother Ming (voiced by Oh), while she works through her desire for more independence.

"I think Pixar has this incredible talent and not having villains in most of their films because there are a lot of come-of-age films where the mother is portrayed as the villain, the bad person and they don't necessarily explore her reasonings and her motivations,...but I think this film does," Chiang told Yahoo Canada, revealing that even just before the interview, her own mother was asking her about what she was wearing for the press junket, a very Ming thing to do.

"My mom's intentions are good and I know that she's doing it in love,...but at the same time I don't want to listen to her."

While going through puberty can be rough for everyone, Mei discovers that whenever she gets too excited, which is frequent for the high-spirited teen, she "poofs" into a giant red panda, which has a mystical connection to her ancestors. Mei has to try to compress her red panda until the next red moon to go through a ceremonial ritual to seal the panda. The thing that keeps Mei calm is the support of her friends Priya (Ramakrishnan), Miriam (Ava Morse) and Abby (Hyein Park).

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But Mei starts to use the red panda transformation to her benefit. With her group of friends being big fans of the boy band 4*Town, the teens try to sell photo ops and red panda merchandise to make enough money to go to the groups concert at the Sky Dome.

(L-R): Meilin and Ming Lee voiced by Rosalie Chiang and Sandra Oh in "Turning Red," which will debut exclusively on Disney+ (where Disney+ is available) on March 11, 2022. (Disney/Pixar)

Making periods, puberty normal

While the characters are witty, endearing and incredibly funny, Turning Red should also be celebrated for its honest and authentic depiction of puberty for women.

When Mei first turns into the red panda and she's hiding from her mom, who believes Mei got her first period, Ming, prepared with boxes of pads, tells her daughter shes a beautiful, strong flower" who must protect [her] delicate petals and clean them regularly.

Especially puberty, its such a messy and weird and awkward time that I literally went throughduring the duration of recording for Pixar, Rosalie Chiang told reporters. I hope people admire what she goes through and how she deals with it.

At a press conference, director and co-writer Domee Shi posed an important question about how we talk about adolescence, particularly for girls, including what we see in films and television - Why was puberty ever not normal?

It feels very timely because I think we are living in this cultural shift where it has gone from being something to be embarrassed and ashamed of, to being really embraced, co-writer Julia Cho said at the press conference.

I love that this movie, basically in a funny and charming way, lets people laugh about it,...and normalize it, and have you cringe in a way that collectively, were all like, Oh, my God, yes, I remember that, producer Lindsey Collins added.

In Disney and Pixar's all-new original feature film "Turning Red," 13-year-old Mei Lee, a confident-but-dorky teenager, is surviving the mayhem of middle school with a little help from her tightknit group of friends. Featuring the voices of (from left to right) Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Priya, Rosalie Chiang as Mei, Ava Morse as Miriam, and Hyein Park as Abby, "Turning Red" will debut exclusively on Disney+ (where Disney+ is available) on March 11, 2022. (Disney/Pixar)

No more 'catty' friendships between girls, women

At the outset of the filmmaking process Domee Shi was very intentional about showing female friendships as positive and supportive, versus what we usually see with girls being competitive, and often bullying each other to climb some sort of hierarchy of popularity, often based on how boys see them.

I feel like that is so rarely seen, frankly, on screen," Collins told Yahoo Canada. Especially I think for girls, for whatever reason, either they're kind of one-note and you don't really get a depth of the friendship or they're kind of not supportive and catty.

So the fact that this is such a great representation of not only super supportive friendship, but a really diverse friendship, each one of those girls is so different They were on their own really fantastic and specific, but just as a collective, it just represented such a strong representation, for that age group especially to have... I wish for my kids, I hope they have friends like that.Lindsey Collins, producer for 'Turning Red'

Actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who voice's Mei's friend Priya, really celebrated the fact that Turning Red moves away from the stereotype of catty friendships between women.

I'm very proud to say that my little cousin will be able to see [the movie] and she'll go to middle school, and then high school thinking, I can't wait to have my own girl gang, Ramakrishnan told Yahoo Canada.

So much of what film and TV is, prior, is toxic female friendships, pitting women against women, which then translates into internalized misogyny, where you have young girls saying, I just have more guy friends because they're less like drama.

I know that because I used to be that girl and I look back and cringe Female friendships, there's something so special about it, especially in the coming-of-age moment of your life with puberty, because you're having all these changes and you're feeling awkward. So who best to be awkward with than your fellow women.

Turning Red is certainly a movie that everyone should watch, but particularly for women and girls. Through Shis story, were finally getting to see an inspirational story about supportive teen friendships and navigating those awkward moments that women have been conditioned to be ashamed of.

Paired with great dialogue, 2000s nostalgia and animated characters with endearing features, Turning Red is an impressive success.
An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs in the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

Twitter on Thursday deleted three tweets from the Russian Embassy in the UK.

The tweets alleged that a pregnant woman injured in a maternity ward bombing was a crisis actor.

Marianna Podgurskaya is a beauty blogger, and multiple pictures on her Instagram show her pregnant.

Twitter on Thursday deleted three tweets from the Russian Embassy in the UK, which alleged without evidence that a Ukrainian woman injured in a Russian bombing of a maternity ward was a crisis actor.

A Twitter spokesperson told Insider the platform removed the tweets for violating the platform's Abusive Behavior policy, specifically those covering the "denial of violent events."

Russia's attack on a maternity ward in the city of Mariupol on Wednesday has drawn international condemnation, as well as attempts from the Kremlin to deny responsibility and spread disinformation regarding the bombing. On Twitter, Russian embassies and diplomats have pushed out a series of unfounded claims to allege images and reports from the attack were somehow faked.

In one now-removed tweet, the embassy alleged without evidence that the maternity ward was "long non-operational" and that it was being used by a "neo-Nazi" Ukrainian military force. Another claimed that the injured woman  Marianna Podgurskaya, a beauty blogger  was pretending to be pregnant in photos taken of her after the incident that showed blood on her face.

In a third tweet that was taken down, the Russian Embassy said "she has some very realistic make-up" and continued to deny without evidence that she was in the maternity facility "at the time of the strike."

These claims were debunked by multiple journalists and fact checking organizations. Podgurskaya's Instagram account has multiple pictures that feature her pregnant and her location is tagged as Mariupol, the city where the bombing occurred. Podgurskaya's photo, taken by Associated Press photographer Mstyslav Chernov, has widely circulated following the bombing and become an emblem of the attack.

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Despite a lack of evidence, unfounded claims about the attack circulated in far-right forums and pro-Russian channels, where users posted images and threads parroting the Kremlin's conspiracy theories.

The attack on the ward left at least three dead, including one child, and injured 17 others, according to the Associated Press which cited city officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday called the attack an "atrocity," and accused Russia of committing genocide in Ukraine.

Read the original article on Insider
North Korean sailors ride in a parade with a Pukguksong ballistic missile in Pyongyang on April 15, 2017. (Wong Maye-E / Associated Press)

The White House plans to impose new sanctions on North Korea on Friday over two recent missile tests that the administration has concluded were clandestine attempts to evaluate Pyongyangs ICBM capabilities.

The two missile tests involved a relatively new intercontinental ballistic missile system, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the sanctions.

The launches, which took place on Feb. 26 and March 4, are believed to be a prelude to North Koreas testing of an ICBM or a nuclear bomb in the coming months, as the two missiles themselves did not demonstrate ICBM range or distance. North Korea in 2017 tested ICBMs that analysts assessed had the capability of theoretically reaching the U.S. mainland.

This is a serious escalation by the DPRK, the official added, noting that, unlike its past tests, DPRK tried to hide these escalatory steps. DPRK is an acronym for Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, which is North Koreas formal name.

The sanctions, which are expected to be imposed on Friday by the Treasury Department, aim to limit North Koreas access to foreign items and technology likely to be utilized in its push to develop and expand its nuclear arsenal.

These actions are intended to make clear to the DPRK that these unlawful and destabilizing activities have consequences, that the international community will not accept these actions as normal, and most importantly, that the only viable path forward for the DPRK is through diplomatic negotiations, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity before the sanctions are made public.

Even before the latest tests, Washington had taken note of North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns renewed determination to bolster his countrys nuclear weapon delivery capacity with ICBMs, intermediate-range ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles.

A Feb. 7 report from the U.S. Directorate of National Intelligence noted that in January, North Korea began laying the groundwork for an increase in tensions that could include ICBM or possibly a nuclear test this year  actions that Pyongyang has not taken since 2017.

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North Korea conducted seven missile tests in January, more than it had in all of 2021. It halted weapons tests for most of February, probably out of deference to China, which was hosting the Olympics. The resumption of tests came on the eve of presidential elections in South Korea.

Kims pursuit of greater nuclear capabilities presents another foreign policy challenge for President Biden as he is focused on Russias unprovoked war in Ukraine and imposing sanctions on the Kremlin in hopes of convincing President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate.

War breaking out in Eastern Europe  the heaviest fighting on the continent since World War II  has also shown the limits of even the most assiduous and coordinated efforts at diplomacy, especially when it comes to deterring an autocrat with a nuclear arsenal. Biden and European leaders spoke with Putin several times, threatening sanctions and further geopolitical isolation, but were not able to forestall an attack.

Although he has not engaged with Putin since the invasion began, Biden has left the door open for talks if Russia is ready to ease its bombardment of Ukraines cities.

The administration signaled it is open to talks with Kim, but not the kind of summit pageantry favored by President Trump, who held two summits with North Koreas leader but made little substantive progress toward disarmament.

President Biden himself has previously made clear that he is open to meeting with Kim Jong Un when there is a serious agreement on the table, which would need to be based on working-level negotiations, the official said. Because as we saw in the past administration, leader-level summits alone are no guarantee of progress.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(Reuters) - The United Kingdom's Defence Ministry said on Thursday the large Russian column northwest of Kyiv has made little progress in over a week and is suffering continued losses.

As casualties mount, President Putin will be forced to draw from across Russian armed forces and other sources to replace the losses, the UK ministry said in a statement.

There has also been a notable decrease in overall Russian air activity over Ukraine in recent days, it said.

(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue)
The UK is toughening up its aviation sanctions against Russia due to the countrys ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Just days after the European Union and the UK closed their airspace to Russian-owned private aircraft, a private jet with suspected links to Russian oligarch Eugene Shvidler has been impounded at an airport in Hampshire under new powers handed to the UKs aviation authorities.

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The Bombardier Global 6500 arrived in Farnborough airport (pictured above) from New Jersey on Friday, March 4, and was detained on the orders of UK transport secretary Grant Shapps just a few hours before it was due to fly to Dubai on Tuesday, March 8, as reported by the BBC.

Under the new measures announced late Tuesday, Shapps gave Britains Civil Aviation Authority the power to detain aircraft suspected of having links with Russia. Its also now a criminal offense for planes owned or chartered by Russian nationals to enter UK airspace.

Bombardiers Global 6500 Business Jet. - Credit: Courtesy of Bombardier

Courtesy of Bombardier

Shapps said the jet, which costs between $44 million and $56 million new, had been detained while an investigation into its connection with Shvidler was carried out. The transport secretary revoked the jets foreign carrier permit to stop it from legally carrying passengers and issued a restriction of flying order to ground the plane. Shvidler has himself not been personally sanctioned by the UK at any stage.

Worth about $2 billion, Shvidler is the chairman of Millhouse Capital, a British-registered company that manages the assets of Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich and his partners.

We will always work to deny [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and his cronies the right to continue as normal while innocent Ukrainians suffer, Shapps said.

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The cabin of Bombardiers Global 6500 Business Jet. - Credit: Courtesy of Bombardier

Courtesy of Bombardier

Although relatively new, the widespread aviation sanctions are already having a major impact on Russias private jet market. In fact, the number of private jets flying out of the country has already nosedived some 25 percent in the past few days.

Its not only private jets the UK is targeting, either. New trade sanctions will prevent the country from exporting aviation or space-related technology to Russia.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is very concerned about the possible use of chemical weapons by Russia in Ukraine, British foreign minister Liz Truss told CNN, warning that it would be a grave mistake for Russian President Vladimir Putin to use them.

"We are very concerned about the potential use of chemical weapons," Truss said.

"We have seen Russia use these weapons before in fields of conflict, but that would be a grave mistake on the part of Russia, adding to the grave mistakes already being made by Putin."

(Reporting by Muvija, editing by William James)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  For some European countries watching Russia's brutal war in Ukraine, there are fears that they could be next.

Western officials say the most vulnerable could be those who aren't members of NATO or the European Union, and thus alone and unprotected  including Ukraines neighbor Moldova and Russia's neighbor Georgia, both of them formerly part of the Soviet Union  along with the Balkan states of Bosnia and Kosovo.

But analysts warn that even NATO members could be at risk, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Russia's doorstep, as well as Montenegro, either from Moscow's direct military intervention or attempts at political destabilization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "has said right from the start that this is not only about Ukraine,'' said Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Funds Warsaw office.

He told us what he wants to do when he was listing his demands, which included the change of the government in Kyiv, but he was also talking about the eastern flank of NATO and the rest of Eastern Europe," Baranowski told The Associated Press in an interview.

As Ukraine puts up stiff resistance to the two-week-old Russian attack, Baranowski said it's now not really clear how he'll carry out his other goals."

But the Biden administration is acutely aware of deep concerns in Eastern and Central Europe that the war in Ukraine may be just a prelude to broader attacks on former Warsaw Pact members in trying to restore Moscows regional dominance.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that Russia is not going to stop in Ukraine.

We are concerned for neighbors Moldova, Georgia, and the Western Balkans, he said. We have to keep an eye on Western Balks, particularly Bosnia, which could face destabilization by Russia.

A look at the regional situation:

MOLDOVA

Like its neighbor Ukraine, the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova has a separatist insurgency in its east in the disputed territory known as Trans-Dniester, where 1,500 Russian troops are stationed. Although Moldova is neutral militarily and has no plans to join NATO, it formally applied for EU membership when the Russian invasion began in a quick bid to bolster its ties with the West.

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The country of 2.6 million people is one of the poorest countries in Europe, and it's hosting tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled the war. The invasion has prompted heightened concerns in Moldova not only over the humanitarian crisis, but also because of fears that Putin might try to link the separatists east of the Dniester River with Ukraine via the latter's strategic port of Odesa.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Moldova last week and pledged: "We stand with Moldova and any other country that may be threatened in the same way.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said there was no indication yet the Russian forces in Trans-Dniester had changed their posture, but stressed that the concern was there.

In this region now there is no possibility for us to feel safe, Sandu said.

___

GEORGIA

War erupted between Russia and Georgia in August 2008 when Georgian government troops tried unsuccessfully to regain control over the Moscow-backed breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia routed the Georgian military in five days of fighting and hundreds were killed. Afterward, Russia recognized South Ossetia and another separatist region, Abkhazia, as independent states and bolstered its military presence there.

The government of West-leaning Georgia condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but hasn't shown the same solidarity that Kyiv displayed during the Georgia-Russia war. Hundreds of Georgian volunteers were stopped by authorities from joining an international brigade fighting Russia in Ukraine.

Georgia's seemingly neutral stance has turned out thousands in nightly rallies in central Tbilisi in solidarity with Ukraine. Last week, Georgia's government applied for EU membership just days after declaring it wouldn't accelerate its application as fears of a Russian invasion grew.

___

THE BALTICS

Memories of Soviet rule are still fresh in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Since the invasion of Ukraine, NATO has moved quickly to boost its troop presence in its eastern flank allies, while Washington has pledged additional support.

To residents of the Baltic nations  particularly those old enough to have lived under Soviet control  the tensions prior to the Feb. 24 invasion recalled the mass deportations and oppression. The three countries were annexed by Josef Stalin during World War II and only regained their independence with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

They joined NATO in 2004, putting themselves under the military protection of the U.S. and its Western allies. They say it is imperative that NATO show resolve not just in words but with boots on the ground.

Russia always measures the military might but also the will of countries to fight, said Janis Garisons, state secretary at Latvias Defense Ministry. Once they see a weakness, they will exploit that weakness.

Blinken, who visited Latvian capital Riga on Monday, said the Baltics have formed a democratic wall that now stands against the tide of autocracy that Russia is pushing in Europe.

___

THE BALKANS

It would be hard for Russian troops to reach the Balkans without engaging NATO forces stationed in all the neighboring countries. But Moscow could destabilize the region, as it already does, with the help of Serbia, its ally which it has been arming with tanks, sophisticated air defense systems and warplanes.

The Kremlin has always considered the region its sphere of influence although it was never part of the Soviet bloc. A devastating civil war in the 1990s left at least 120,000 dead and millions homeless. Serbia, the largest state in the Western Balkans, is generally blamed for starting the war by trying to prevent the breakup of Serb-led Yugoslavia with brutal force  a move resembling Moscow's current effort to pull Ukraine back into its orbit by military force.

There are fears in the West that the pro-Moscow Serbian leadership, which has refused to join international sanctions against Russia, could try to use the attention focused on Ukraine to further destabilize its neighbors, particularly Bosnia, where minority Serbs have been threatening to split their territories from the joint federation to join Serbia. Serbian officials have repeatedly denied they are meddling in the neighboring states, but have given tacit support to the secessionist moves of the Bosnian Serbs and their leader, Milorad Dodik.

The Russian Embassy in Bosnian capital Sarajevo warned last year that should Bosnia take steps towards joining NATO, our country will have to react to this hostile act. Joining NATO will force Bosnia to take a side in the military-political confrontation, it said.

EU peacekeepers in Bosnia have announced the deployment of about 500 additional troops to the country, citing the deterioration of the security internationally (which) has the potential to spread instability.

Kosovo, which split from Serbia 1999 after a NATO air war against Serbian troops, has asked the U.S. to establish a permanent military base in the country and speed up its integration into NATO after Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Accelerating Kosovos membership in NATO and having a permanent base of American forces is an immediate need to guarantee peace, security and stability in the Western Balkans, Kosovo Defense Minister Armend Mehaj said on Facebook.

Serbia said the move is unacceptable.

Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence is recognized by more than 100 countries, mainly Western nations, but not by Russia or Serbia.

Montenegro, a former ally that turned its back on Russia to join NATO in 2017, has imposed sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine and is seen as next in line in the Western Balkans to join the EU. The country is divided between those favoring pro-Western policies and the pro-Serbian and pro-Russian camps, raising tensions.

Russia has repeatedly warned Montenegros pro-Western President Milo Djukanovic, who led the small Adriatic state into NATO, that the move was illegitimate and without the consent of all Montenegrins.

Russia may hope to eventually improve its ties with Montenegro in a bid to strengthen its presence in the Mediterranean.

___

Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania, Matthew Lee in Washington, Sabina Niksic in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Ukraine on Thursday released a list of 50 global brands that have continued to operate in Russia despite mounting pressure to take a stand against Vladimir Putins invasion of the east European country.

Ukraines ministry of foreign affairs called on relevant businesses, governments and consumers around the world to boycott these brands for allegedly aiding the Russian government.

Every Ruble paid in taxes to Russia turns into deaths and tears of Ukrainian children, the ministry said on Twitter.

American burger joint Burger King, Italian luxury goods company Salvatore Ferragamo, Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson, and South Koreas Samsung Electronics were among the list of global brands operating in Russia till 9 March, the ministry said.

Although the list initially mentioned the worlds biggest packaged foods group Nestle, on Wednesday, it joined cigarette company Philip Morris International and Sony to scale down production in Russia.

Caterpillar, the US-based engineering giant, has also announced that it was leaving Russia as operations in the country have become increasingly challenging, including supply chain disruptions and sanctions.

Many businesses are facing difficulty working in Russia due to international sanctions imposed on Moscow after the Ukraine invasion and a hit to the supply chain. The growing anti-Russian sentiment and calls to boycott the country have also led to corporations take steps to decrease business in Russia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reveals the list of companies that have decided to continue working in Russia.



We call on relevant businesses, governments and consumers around the world to boycott such companies and their products. pic.twitter.com/E81w6efbjp  Stratcom Centre UA (@StratcomCentre) March 10, 2022

Earlier this week, dozens of corporations, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Hermes, Chanel and Prada ceased trading in Russia. McDonalds said shutting down 847 stores across the country would cost it $50m (38m) a month.

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Netflix has suspended its operations in Russia, while Spotify has closed its office in the country indefinitely. Spotify has also restricted the discoverability of shows owned and operated by Russian state-affiliated media.

Reacting sharply to the mass exodus, Andrei Turchak, secretary of the ruling United Russia partys general council, warned that Moscow might nationalise idled foreign assets.

United Russia proposes nationalising production plants of the companies that announce their exit and the closure of production in Russia during the special operation in Ukraine, the secretary wrote in a statement.

I spoke to President @ZelenskyyUa to thank him for his address to the @HouseofCommons and to update him on our tough new sanctions against the Putin regime. We will tighten these to impose the maximum economic cost on Russia and are stepping up our military support to Ukraine.  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 9, 2022

As Russias unprovoked invasion entered the third week on Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol an act of genocide. Sergei Orlov, the deputy mayor of Mariupol, said that at least three people, including a six-year-old child, were killed in the attack.

British prime minister Boris Johnson announced that his government will impose tough new sanctions against Russia. We will tighten these to impose the maximum economic cost on Russia and are stepping up our military support to Ukraine, he tweeted.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered.

To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
Amid the coverage of attacks on Ukraine by Russian forces, those with ties to other countries in conflict are raising questions about inequalities in public response.

A series of clips are circulating on social media in which broadcasters and interviewees on major platforms make statements that seemingly paint Ukrainian victims of tragedy as more sympathetic than non-European victims.

6. ITV (UK)



"The unthinkable has happened...This is not a developing, third world nation; this is Europe!" pic.twitter.com/Bot92XT9vN  Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 27, 2022

In one BBC interview , Ukraines Deputy Chief Prosecutor David Sakvarelidze is quoted remarking on how the current tragedy is very emotional because he sees European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed."

Similarly, a Telegraph op-ed by writer and former politician Daniel Hannan begins by stating that what makes the Russian invasion so shocking is that its victims seem so like us. Hannan specifically highlights that these victims are European: War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations.

In response to these statements, members of the public are questioning the increased empathy and public support afforded to European victims, in contrast to the minimizing of atrocities that impact non-European countries.

Matt Duss, a Ukrainian-American foreign policy advisor to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, spoke out on social media about the disparity he witnessed in public response.

As a Ukrainian-American I am immensely proud of the bravery of Ukrainians and of the support being shown by Americans, he wrote on Twitter. As a Middle East analyst I am floored by the blatant double standard on resisting occupation and repression.

Coverage of Ukraine war 'degrading' for other tragedies

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Megan Boler is a professor in the Department of Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto. Her research specialties include the politics of digital and social media, and the role of race, class, and gender in education and media.

To me, its a very shocking contrast to the representation of war in other places, Boler told Yahoo News Canada. Boler said she is acutely aware of how different periods of media representation have changed the publics access to war, and shaped the view of the public.

The people who are saying these things seem to be marked by their own racial identity and privilege. I find it really shocking that commentators would make these kinds of statements that are so utterly degrading to the tragedies of what has happened to people in other war-torn areas, most recently Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.Megan Boler, Professor in the Department of Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto

10. Star UK media personality Matthew Wright on ITV's flagship show, "This Morning":



"The US has used [a thermobaric bomb] before in Afghanistan. But the idea of it being used in Europe is stomach-churning." pic.twitter.com/qcQ2ARUlYq  Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) March 4, 2022

In one such video, a television presenter mentions the use of thermobaric bombs  massively destructive vacuum bombs that can completely annihilate anyone in the area. He acknowledges that these bombs have by the United States in Afghanistan in the past. But, he says, the idea of it being used in Europe is stomach-churning.

Some of Bolers academic research focused on the 2003 American invasion of Iraq, and she noted the favourable attitudes towards this invasion being promoted at the time: The propaganda at the time was just incredible, it was just outrageous.

Anyone who opposed the U.S. invasion was seen as a traitor, she said. The representation of people in Iraq did not represent people as human. We really got very little coverage.

Due to the economic differences between Ukraine and Syria, Boler acknowledged that those on the ground in Ukraine have increased capability to show the public the reality of war. However, she does not believe this is the sole cause of increased public attention.

Even if those in Syria had this capability, she does not necessarily believe there would have been increased empathy.

There wasnt public attention on what was happening to that population. Because they were brown, because many of them were Muslim, and because they were not people who were valued in our society, or in our political landscape.Megan Boler, Professor in the Department of Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto

We have been trained to accept the suffering of communities of color, to accept their killings as natural, to understand their precarious risk to premature death as unfortunate but rational, this is the work of colonialism & racism.These structures train us to expect them to die.  Noura Erakat (@4noura) February 28, 2022

Boler added that the double standard can be seen beyond the headlines. We might even think about how that perception, or that racism, is infusing the global response at the national level, in terms of nations that are stepping up to take action.

Its not just at the level of individuals and individual reporters whose racism is being exposed, but also essentially whose life is valued at the level of international global political discourse, she said.

Boler highlighted that just as social media platforms these perspectives, it also provides an avenue for accountability.

We will begin to see that there is just a profound racism that shapes news coverage, she said. Social media is going to be able to call out the racism in news coverage, and that is an upside of hearing these outrageous comments.
The West must be ready to join the war in Ukraine if Russia uses chemical or nuclear weapons, Tony Blairs former chief of staff says.

Jonathan Powell became the first senior figure to warn that failing to respond robustly after a chemical attack  as happened with Assads regime in Syria in 2012  would be catastrophic appeasement.

No 10 has played down prospects of a military response, even as fears mount that Vladimir Putin will use the weapons, stressing that Boris Johnson considers Nato to be a defensive alliance.

But Mr Powell said a show of weakness could leave the West in a worse situation of having to join the fighting later on.

Referring back to Assads use of chemical weapons with Russian support, Mr Blairs key adviser for 10 years said: We said we were going to act and then we didnt act.

I think that would be catastrophic in terms of appeasement to Putin and ending up in a situation where hell keep taking further action. So, I think we need to be clear about what our red lines are.

Mr Powell stressed he supports not getting dragged into the third world war at present, arguing Putin should be offered a way out in the peace talks.

But he added: If he crosses one of these red lines  a tactical nuclear weapon, or chemical weapons  I think we should think very seriously indeed if that is a red line for us and were going to act.

Because, otherwise, we simply get escalation and more escalation, have him attack other countries and then we are going to have to deal with it when were in a worse situation, he told BBC Radio 4.

The US and UK have said they are seriously concerned that Putin will resort to chemical or biological warfare in Ukraine, amid the slow progress of the invasion he launched two weeks ago.

False claims by Moscow of a US-funded biological weapons programme in Ukraine is seen as a false flag, designed to pave the way for chemical attacks.

This map shows the extent of Russias invasion of Ukraine (Press Association Images)

In the US, Liz Truss echoed the fears about chemical weapon use, but ducked questions about whether that would be a red line for the UK.

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Asked about the UK response, the foreign secretary replied by saying: That would be a grave mistake on the part of Russia adding to the great mistakes are already being made.

Ms Truss also declined to be drawn on how the UK will make its planned delivery of anti-aircraft missiles, given Nato opposition to a no fly zone.

She said the UK is working with our allies and partners, telling CNN: We have been very effective at getting missiles to the Ukrainians.

James Heappey, the armed forces minister, said a chemical attack should trigger an international response, without saying what that might be.
By Olga Vyshnevska

(Reuters) - Halyna and Valeriy, a Ukrainian couple in their 60s, were evacuated from their home near the Chernobyl plant where they worked as engineers when a reactor exploded in 1986, triggering the world's worst nuclear accident.

Now they are trapped, as Russian troops shell towns and bridges around their home near Chernihiv in northern Ukraine and concerns rise in the West over the security of nuclear sites seized by advancing forces.

"God forbid if we had to be evacuated again," Halyna told Reuters during a Zoom interview from their home. The couple declined to give their surname or exact location, fearing it might put them at risk.

The couple, who have been married for 40 years, hide in their basement when air-raid sirens blare several times a day.

They have covered their kitchen windows in blankets so there is no light that might attract air strikes. In the basement they have mats on the floor for beds, a supply of water, a gas cooker and a room full of preserved foods.

"It's mostly mushrooms, homemade jam, pickles," Valeriy said during a tour of the makeshift bomb shelter he filmed on his phone.

Without a connection to other cities, there are no new deliveries to shops or pharmacies, and shelves are empty, they said.

The couple ask their friends in Kharkiv, Kherson and Sumy - all of which have been under heavy bombardment since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24 - to write a text message simply saying "alive" each morning.

"That is how we live," Halyna said.

Moscow launched what it calls a "special operation" in Ukraine to destroy its neighbour's military capabilities and remove what it says are dangerous nationalists in Kyiv. It denies targeting civilians.

Ukraine and its allies call Russia's actions an unprovoked invasion that has killed hundreds of civilians and forced millions to flee abroad.

CUT OFF

Valeriy said installations at nuclear facilities including the now-defunct Chernobyl plant, around 50 miles (80km) west of Chernihiv, were well protected, but if Russian troops struck there could be a "huge catastrophe."

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"Then the radiation would spread all over Europe."

The couple are trying to remain calm despite fighting raging around them.

Bridges and roads surrounding their town have been destroyed or occupied by Russians, they said, so they are cut off from the rest of the country and the outside world.

"We have no hope for any (humanitarian) corridors. We have no road to anywhere. On one side of us is Belarus, and the only way to Kyiv is Chernihiv which is constantly being bombed."

Local people have been trying to survive by sharing what they have.

Halyna bakes around 8-10 loaves of bread each day and Valeriy helps to deliver it to those who need it.

She presses the Ukrainian trident symbol into each loaf before putting them in the oven.

Baking, as well as painting, helps her to keep calm.

"Doing nothing is very hard," Halyna said.

For Valeriy, his main solace is the belief that Ukrainians will win the war and they will have a normal life again.

"We will be visiting our friends in Chernihiv again, we will go to Kyiv, and supplies will resume and everything will be fine."

(Additional reporting by Emily Roe; Writing by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Praying for the safety of Ukraine refugees; thinking of my father

March 8  To the Editor:

For two weeks, as Ive watched the news, I have visualized seeing it on a split screen. On the left it is 1905, as depicted in the film, Fiddler on the Roof, and I imagine the procession of the citizens of Anatevka in Ukraine walking away from their homeland. They carry what possessions then can. They have little or no food or drink. Some are too young or too weak and must be carried. They have done nothing wrong but they have no choice. Staying would be even worse.

On the right side of my split screen it is 2022. It is 115-plus years later than the scene on the left but what has changed? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!

In 1909, my father, then 9 years old, emigrated from Chernigov (then Russia, now Ukraine) with his 11-year-old sister and their mother to join their four older siblings and their father in Bostons West End. I havent the imagination to even begin to sense their courage and stamina. The depth of my gratitude to my forebearers has no bounds nor does my angst for all these innocent people. Godspeed!

Linda Tober

Exeter

Gaps in US history knowledge due to standardized testing focus, not politics

March 7  To the Editor:

In January, New Hampshire lawmakers proposed revisions to a cold-war era teacher loyalty bill. These revisions explicitly bar any negative accounts of the founding and history of the United States of America from public school curricula. Alicia Lekas, the bill's primary sponsor, explained the incentive behind these changes to NPR Too often Im running into students who don't know anything about real historybecause teachers spend too much time indoctrinating students about political things.

Lekas concern regarding students' historical knowledge may be valid, but there is no data to support the claim that any knowledge deficit is the result of political indoctrination efforts by educators. There is, however, a large body of literature documenting the gradual decline of time devoted to social studies curricula and the crucial historical explorations that accompany it. Standardized test-driven pressures sanctioned by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, and Common Core state standards that followed, have been indicated as a more likely culprit. As mandated testing requirements expand, so does the focus on the knowledge and skills they assess; English language arts and math. Increased time requirements for these disciplines has left educators with limited options for integrating historical knowledge into their curricula.

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If the concerns of New Hampshire lawmakers and the Department of Education are sincere, I wonder how they anticipate this law enriching students historical knowledge. Why not focus on legislation intended to support educators? We could provide districts with funding, time and resources to refine cross-disciplinary curricular integration practices or expand professional development opportunities to engage teachers with skills that might encourage their students to be brave in the discomfort of navigating the negative aspects of our nation's history. The story of our country, and our state, is a complex one; what are we communicating to children by threatening and restricting educators who seek to help them understand it?

Marie T. Collins

Portsmouth

Beware of 'demand charges' if you install an electric vehicle charger

March 9 -- To the Editor:

The Rochester electric car charging station article on March 9 reminded me of a similar charging situation I became aware of last fall. A Farmington Road car dealer had installed a solar array and was anxiously awaiting the next electric bill, expecting to see a major reduction from previous bills. The major reduction didn't occur. I am an electrical engineer customer of his so he called me to help him understand what occurred with his billing.

More: Rochester OKs charging station: Owner bets electric vehicles will soar as gas prices surge

He sent me a year's worth of bills. Definitely his charge for energy had gone way down with the addition of solar but the delivery charge had gone way up. (The delivery charge is based on the highest demand recorded in the billing month. The demand charge is based on the greatest taking of electricity in kilowatts during any 30-minute period. The current Eversource demand charge is about $20 per kilowatt after the first five. The cost of the demand is the same for a one time use as for continuous use throughout the month.) I asked him what was different that would have caused his demand to jump. He mentioned that he had installed a fast car charger at the time of the solar array connection and that he had used it to charge one car so far. He said that the charger was rated at 25 kilowatts. I said that was the source of his demand charge increase. He figured that charging that one car cost $300! I pointed out that he could have charged additional cars that month for no additional demand charge or charged at night when the dealership was closed to avoid stacking the charger demand on top of the normal daytime demand. His solution was to turn the breaker off and not use the fast charger.

When a car is charged at home on a residential meter, there is no demand charge, only energy. A commercial meter is subject to demand as well as energy. I just thought I'd share this for people contemplating installing electric car chargers.

James R. Banks

Lee

America gave China its jobs, now it's funding China's military

March 7  To the Editor:

It was disturbing to read in Sundays Fosters how China is vastly increasing its military spending. The last thing this world needs is another nuclear-armed country building up its military and flexing its muscles. It is important to remember, however, that the money to do that came from America.

In their desire to squeeze another dime of profit at the expense of American jobs, and with the enthusiastic support of our political leaders, U.S. corporations have for the past several decades outsourced almost all manufacturing to China. The proof of this is easy to see; just go to any store and look at the tag on almost any merchandise. 99 times out of 100 it will say Made in China. This means every time you buy one of these items, you are sending money to China.

The result is that hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars have been flowing to China, and they are now using that money to build aircraft carriers and warplanes and missiles with which to threaten American interests and American allies. Yes, we paid for it! And we keep sending them more money, making the problem worse!

It was bad enough that corporate greed led to the loss of millions of good paying jobs in America, but now that greed literally threatens our national security. Its a shame our political and corporate leaders were, and continue to be, so shortsighted.

Jim Mastro

Dover

Ranked choice voting is gaining momentum in New Hampshire

March 7  To the Editor:

Ranked choice voting is making headway in New Hampshire! This is exciting and its time for all-hands-on-deck to pass HB 1264. The full House of representatives will vote on this bill as soon as March 17.

HB 1264 is a non-partisan bill that would enable municipalities to use ranked choice voting (RCV) in municipal elections if they opt-in and also enable parties to use RCV in primary elections if they opt-in. If you support voters having more choice and more voice in elections, eliminating the spoiler-effect, encouraging issue based campaigning, and electing candidates with the most support then please call or email your state representatives and ask them to support HB 1264. This bill is a simple enabling opt-in bill that every representative should support. They need to hear from you, their constituents, they do listen to you. Click here to find reps.

Want to do more for ranked choice voting in New Hampshire? Convince your friends and neighbors to contact their representatives too! Want to really make a difference? Contact as many representatives as you can from the state roster! Your own words and your own passion about this issue is the best way to influence them. For more info www.nhrankedchoice.org and www.fairvote.org.

Cheri Bach

Portsmouth

The Kittery Planning Board needs to act on affordable housing

March 8  To the Editor:

A recent Herald article cites a new development proposal for Dennett Road.

Once again the developer ignores the need for low cost housing and omits it from the proposal.

More: Kittery project calls for 900 housing units, brewery, restaurant. Here's what we know

Kittery's director of development advises the town mandate for including low cost housing does will not apply to this new proposal unless it is extended. The Planning Board has the authority. They must act at their Thursday meeting.

Kittery has a chance to lead. Now do it!

David Lincoln

York, Maine

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Ukrainian refugees, teaching US history, EV charging stations: Letters
By Anita Komuves

tBUDAPEST (Reuters) - Thousands of Ukrainians who were on vacation in Egypt when Russia invaded their country have arrived in Budapest in recent days, with most setting off for home even as fighting there grows worse by the day.

Chartered flights organised by the Ukrainian and Egyptian embassies in Hungary have brought 2,600 Ukrainians to Budapest from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since March 5 and would end on Friday, spokesperson for Budapest Airport, Katalin Valentinyi, told Reuters.

Ukraine closed its airspace to commercial flights when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he calls "a special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24. More than 2.3 million people have now fled the country, according to the United Nations.

Some of those arriving in Budapest had already made plans to travel to Poland, Germany or other European countries to stay with relatives. The majority however was determined to go home, boarding buses provided by the police and fire brigade to take them to the next train to Zahony at the Hungary-Ukraine border.

"I am not afraid of anything, I am going home. Those are my people, that is my land," said 72-year-old Ekaterina, who was resting at the airport before continuing on the next leg of her journey to her home city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine.

"People are knitting camouflage nets now... sewing clothes for the military. We will have plenty of work there," she said.

Ukraine said on Thursday Moscow had snubbed its plea for humanitarian access to rescue hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped under bombardment. High-level talks between the two sides held in Turkey yielded nothing.

The Ukrainians arriving at Budapest Airport were greeted by volunteer translators who helped them with their onward journey or to find accommodation for the night while handing out bananas, chocolate bars and water to exhausted children.

Some families decided to split up and were headed to different countries, saying emotional goodbyes at the airport.

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Olga and Aleksandr Martinenko were returning home to Kyiv with their two children. "We have everything there. Our parents, school, friends, and our cat," Olga, 35, told Reuters.

"We will defend (our) land... What else to do? We can't hide now."

(Reporting by Anita Komuves; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
VERO BEACH  For a second time, a jury Thursday convicted a Vero Beach man accused in 2011 of fatally shooting a teenager and nearly killing her cousin in Gifford, according to Assistant State Attorney William Long, who prosecuted the case.

After six hours of deliberations, LeShannon Shelly, 36, was found guilty of killing Shanice Smith, 19, with three bullets to the head and striking Brittany Jackson, then 18, twice in the head during a fit of domestic rage in Gifford on Dec. 14, 2011.

Homicide database: Treasure Coast

Guilty: Port St. Lucie man found guilty in May 2020 stabbing death of his wife, sentenced to prison

Man shoots two people, dogs: Man fatally shoots two people, two dogs, then himself in Port St. Lucie, police said

Both women were shot outside the Orangewood Park Apartments, in the 3800 block of 42nd Lane. Neighbors in the apartment complex heard gunshots about 11 p.m., and the women's bodies were found in a grassy area of the apartment complex, court records show.

Shelly was accused of gunning down both women after he became angry Jackson no longer wanted to date him. He was convicted of one count of first-degree murder with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm.

LeShannon Shelly

During a sentencing hearing Friday, Shelly was was ordered to serve a mandatory punishment of life in prison.

A jury in 2014 convicted Shelly of the same charges but his conviction was later tossed on appeal after a divided Florida Supreme Court ruled detectives violated his Miranda rights to extract a confession.

Double shooting: Trial of Vero Beach man accused of slaying teenager begins

He had been serving a life term since his 2014 sentencing.

Records show the morning after the shooting, Shelly appeared at the Indian River County Sheriff's Office and was questioned for 4 hours by three detectives who took turns interrogating him.

Shelly, 26 at the time, was read his Miranda rights twice, but the Supreme Court in 2018 ruled he was nonetheless coaxed into a confession after asserting his Fifth Amendment rights to silence and an attorney.

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The Florida Supreme Court ordered a new trial and barred the inclusion of all statements made after Shelly invoked his rights.

Florida Supreme Court: Detective violated Miranda rights, orders new murder trial

During questioning, he told investigators he was not at the scene in Gifford, but instead was at a party in West Palm Beach, court filings show.

But electronic tracking from cellphone towers showed Shelly was in Gifford making phone calls before and after the shooting.

During a three-day trial that began Monday before Senior Circuit Judge Robert Makemson in the Indian River County courthouse, prosecutors Long and Assistant State Attorney Felicia Holloman called 11 witnesses before resting their case Wednesday.

Shelly, who testified during his first trial, declined to take the stand before both sides delivered closing arguments Wednesday and the jury began deliberating.

First-degree murder trial: Vero Beach man found guilty, faces life in prison

A verdict was returned Thursday at 2:15 p.m.

I think its a very sad situation for everybody involved and its very unfortunate, what happened, said Shellys lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Dorothy Naumann.

The jury went above and beyond and worked really hard to do their best  and that means a lot to everybody, she said. We fought hard and thats a really important part of the criminal justice system and the prosecutor did a good job too.

Shelly is expected to appeal his conviction, she said.

Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers, and is writer and co-host of Uncertain Terms, a true crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Gifford double shooing: Vero Beach man faces life after jury convicts him
Yolbert Sanchez felt the need to prove to himself that he belonged in November when he saw the talent level in the Arizona Fall League.

The Chicago White Sox prospect went about it one hit at a time.

Sanchez had a .400 average in his 12 Arizona Fall League games, collecting 14  and more confidence to take into 2022.

It was a very good experience because I was surrounded by talent all around, Sanchez said through an interpreter Tuesday during an interview with the Tribune. It was good to prove myself around them. I needed to prove that I belonged there and that I could play against those guys too. It definitely was good. I took advantage of it.

The infielder has been back in the swing at Sox minor-league camp at Camelback Ranch, including lining a single to left during an intrasquad scrimmage Wednesday.

Yolbert had a solid year (in 2021), first full season with us over in the states, Sox assistant general manager/played development Chris Getz said Tuesday. He hit both at (Class A) Winston-Salem, (Double-A) Birmingham and in the Fall League. Thats certainly a feather in his cap. For Yolbert, (its) just completing his game and making it as well rounded as possible. Defensively weve got him moving around playing some second base, third base and certainly focusing on shortstop still. The bat seems to be coming along nicely, and often times with middle infielders sometimes you are waiting for the bat.

But the bat has been productive, and we believe on his skill set on the defensive side of things. We want him to continue to work hard in all aspects of his game, so perhaps he can help us in Chicago in the near future.

Sanchez, 25, had a .286 average with seven doubles, five home runs and 29 RBIs in 60 games at Winston-Salem. He hit .343 with six doubles, four home runs and 13 RBIs in 39 games at Birmingham.

He said the Fall League experience that followed reminded him of 2017, when he participated with the Cuban national team.

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When I got there, I looked around and I realized that everybody was signed, Sanchez said. I said OK, maybe its my time to prove that I can be like those guys too. And I did it. It was a really good experience and definitely a boost of confidence, same as this time (in the Fall League).

I got there with the goal to prove that I belonged to that level and that I can have success against those guys, and it definitely made me feel very good afterward. And the confidence level grew from there.

Defensively, Sanchez said hes comfortable wherever he plays. Last season with Birmingham, Sanchez started 19 games at second, 16 at shortstop and three at third.

Thats something that is very useful, he said of the versatility. I realized when I was young that I was able to play multiple positions and I could do it in a good way. Thats something that definitely increased my value, and I think the team can see that.

Sanchez has also provided leadership. Fellow Cuban Yoelqui Cespedes said Sanchez was one of the players with helpful advice during his first season in the organization last year.

He put me up to speed with all the things that I needed to know, Cespedes said last month. It was good to have Yolbert there.

Sanchez said that approach also came from helpful teammates in Cuba.

I had the other players coming to me and letting me know how to do things and just guiding me through that process, he said. Im taking that same path, and if I can help him (Cespedes) or anybody else, Ill do it. Its something I like to do.

Sanchez tries to take that team-first mindset into every game.

My goal is the same always  just trying to improve in any aspect of the game that I can improve and help the team, Sanchez said. Im that kind of player that I dont pay too much attention to my numbers because I like to play for the team. I like to help the team in whatever aspect of the game I can help it.

That is what matters the most. Numbers are going to be there., Of course I want to do good things, and if you have that mentality, the stats and numbers will take care of themselves. At first youve got to put the team in front of them. And thats what Ive been doing.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Last year, Virginia lawmakers passed one of the most restrictive bans in the country on the use of facial recognition technology, barring local police departments and campus police from purchasing or using the technology unless explicitly authorized by the legislature.

On Thursday, just eight months after the measure took effect, lawmakers approved a bill to lift the blanket ban. The legislation would allow police agencies to use the technology in certain circumstances, including to help identify an individual when they have reasonable suspicion that the person committed a crime. Under the bill, facial recognition also could be used for a variety of other uses, including to help identify crime victims or witnesses, sex trafficking victims and unidentified bodies in morgues.

The legislation explicitly bars the use of facial recognition for surveillance or monitoring. Cities and states around the country moved to limit its use after some law enforcement agencies applied facial recognition technology to images taken from street cameras during racial justice demonstrations in 2021 and used those to make arrests in some cases.

Several lawmakers said they viewed the ban passed last year as a temporary measure to allow the legislature to evaluate facial recognition technology. Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell, whose bill was approved Thursday, said the technology  when used with appropriate restrictions  can be an important investigatory tool for police.

I think it will help police not only solve, but prosecute crime more efficiently, said Surovell.

Some lawmakers were vehemently opposed to ending the ban, citing concerns about privacy, civil rights violations and studies that found higher error rates for facial recognition software used to identify people of color.

This technology can be very important to law enforcement for different types of investigatory situations, but it can also be used for a tremendous amount of bad things ... is is dangerous, said Republican Sen. Ryan McDougle.

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It is not right, it is not as restrictive as it should be," he said.

Democratic Del. Marcia Cia Price cited the case of Robert Williams, a Black man who was arrested by Detroit police when facial recognition technology mistakenly identified him as a shoplifting suspect. Williams said his Michigan driver's license photo  kept in a statewide image repository  was incorrectly flagged as a likely match to the suspect. Investigators had scanned grainy surveillance camera footage of a 2018 theft inside a watch store.

When he said he didn't do it, the officer said, Well, the computer said you did,  Price said.

Why should we allow law enforcement to use it?" she said.

The ban applied to local and campus police departments, but not to Virginia State Police. State police use the Centralized Criminal Image System, which allows them to compare an unknown image of a person to a database of mug shots of people who have been arrested. The software returns images that have a similarity to the subject in question, but police investigators are required to confirm the official identification.

Several lawmakers said the new legislation includes guardrails to ensure that police have to follow clear rules on when and how the technology can be used. Republican Del. Glenn Davis said police already routinely use publicly available photos on social media sites during investigations.

All we're doing here is instead of having law enforcement officers sit there and look through hundreds of photos to try to make that match, we use this technology, Davis said.

Surovell said the legislation prohibits police from including any information obtained through facial recognition when applying for a search warrant or arrest warrant. Police can use the technology to develop leads, but they must have corroborating evidence before they can apply for a warrant, he said.

The bill also requires that the facial technology to be used by police must be evaluated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and have an accuracy rating of at least 98% across all demographic groups. The legislation directs Virginia State Police to develop a model policy on the investigative uses of facial recognition technology. Local local police departments must adopt the state police standards or come up with their own policies that meet or exceed those standards.

Youngkin has not indicated whether he will sign the bill. His spokesperson, Macaulay Porter, declined to comment, saying only that Youngkin will review the legislation when it gets to his desk.
Moet & Chandon bottles lining bars and golf carts taking visitors to and from the slopes were two of the most surprising things about Lech. Maria Noyen/Insider

I spent a night in Lech, Austria, one of Europe's most exclusive ski towns during prime ski season.

Lech has welcomed generations of British and European royalty and was a favorite of Princess Diana.

I expected Lech to be fancy, but I was still surprised at just how luxurious the experience was.

Lech is like Europe's version of Aspen, Colorado  it's a skiing hotspot for high-profile clientele in the winter.

Lech, Austria, is one of Europe's most exclusive ski towns. Maria Noyen/Insider

Lech is a small ski village in Austria with a big reputation for attracting high-profile clientele. From Princess Diana to Formula 1 legends like Niki Lauda, anyone who's anyone seems to have visited.

In a way, it's like Europe's version of Aspen, except with more exclusivity. Whereas billionaires buy into Aspen, even the richest outsider can have a tough time with Lech's real-estate market. Properties for sale are not just rare, but very tricky to purchase because the local government doesn't want foreign-owned chalets being empty most of the year, a property specialist at Lindforth told Insider.

Instead, visitors pay big bucks to stay in five-star hotels. I visited Lech during peak ski season to see how lavish it really is and was surprised by several different things.

The best way to get to Lech is to fly to a small city called Innsbruck and take an hour-long taxi.

Lech is nestled into the Arlberg region of Austria, close to borders with Switzerland and Germany. Maria Noyen/Insider

While I'm sure the rich and the famous have their own ways of getting to Lech (think private jets), the easiest way to get there if you're not based in continental Europe is to fly to the small city of Innsbruck, Austria.

From there you can take an hour-long taxi or a series of local buses and trains to Lech, which is nestled in the mountainous Arlberg region of Austria, close to borders with Germany and Switzerland.

I took a local bus to Lech from a nearby town after a family vacation. The bus was really empty, which signaled to me that most people arrive in private transport.

The local bus to Lech was completely empty besides myself and a family of four. Maria Noyen/Insider

Skiing is an expensive vacation. In St. Anton, a slightly more affordable alternative to Lech, renting a day ski pass still costs 61 euros, or around $67. You can imagine what a week's worth of skiing can do to your bank account.

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But Lech isn't just expensive  it has an air of exclusivity. I took a local bus from St. Anton to Lech and was the only person on board besides a family of four. While a few locals got on and off along the way, I was the only one to actually disembark in Lech, which made me think anyone arriving for a vacation wouldn't dream of taking public transport.

I've been skiing since I was eight, but I'd never seen people using golf carts to ferry their ski equipment around town.

I've never seen people use golf carts to ride around a ski town before. Maria Noyen/Insider

One thing I kept noticing when I got to Lech was how so many people staying in the five-star hotels lining the high street drove around in golf carts. As someone used to lugging ski equipment by hand to chairlifts, I was in awe of this luxury.

But behind how bougie the golf carts looked, it turns out they're eco-friendly alternatives to cars. Hannes Schneider, the owner of the Hotel Arlberg where Princess Diana used to stay in Lech, told Insider the golf carts are electric and are just one example of how "environmentally orientated" the area is.

Staff who had met British and European royals were very casual about them and said they easily blended into the crowd in Lech.

The Dutch royals visit Lech every year. Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

Schneider casually spoke about hosting Princess Diana in the 1990s and said the reason she came back to Lech five years in a row was that "she could be on holiday without anybody paying attention."

Royals blend in with the rich and famous in Lech, and are treated with the same amount of respect as anyone who comes, Schneider said. They get an unmatched sense of privacy, "a huge privilege" for someone like Diana, he added.

This was similar to what a staff member at the Strolz winter-sport rental shop told Insider, nonchalantly mentioning how the Dutch royal family had come by just two days prior. "They come in when the store opens and get fitted like everyone else," they said.

I was impressed by Lech's street style, all of which looked very expensive.

Winter fashion is everything in Lech. Maria Noyen/Insider

I wear the same snow pants, goggles, and gloves I've had since I was a teenager when I ski because buying new gear can be super expensive.

But that's an issue many of Lech's visitors don't have to worry about. When I was walking around, I kept seeing people wearing the most luxurious ski gear, such as fur-lined coats, fluffy boots, and hats.

There were also plenty of perfectly-matching snow outfits and people touting designer brands like Gucci sunglasses or Louis Vuitton handbags.

There were a ton of jewelry stores around town, including a Swarovski outlet.

Shopping in Lech would be out of my budget. Maria Noyen/Insider

I was surprised to see so many luxury brands on Lech's high street. Two stores that caught my eye in particular were the Swarovski jewelry outlet, which happened to be closed midday when I visited on a Sunday, and Huber Fine Watches and Jewelry, which had a window display of Rolex watches.

I'm used to skiing in St. Anton, where the high street is pretty much filled with cafes, wine bars, and small stores selling ski-related items, so this was definitely new to me.

I was expecting all the food options to be pretty expensive, but I did find some affordable options.

Inside the donut was a sticky sweet apricot filling. Maria Noyen/Insider

You won't have trouble finding fine dining experiences in Lech. I ended up having dinner at Die Stube, one of the three restaurants in the Hotel Arlberg, where raclette will set you back 45 euros, or around $50.

But after a few hours walking around Lech, I came across Cafe Gotthard, a well-reviewed bakery on TripAdvisor. Inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find traditional "krapfen" donuts priced at just 1.70 euros, or around $1.90.

It was a relief to know Lech did have at least a few affordable food options among a plethora of five-star restaurants.

I was surprised to hear that no one who isn't a hotel owner or seasonal worker actually lives in central Lech.

Apparently no one actually lives in Lech full-time unless they own a hotel here. Maria Noyen/Insider

Walking around town, I noticed that the main street was pretty much five-star hotels and restaurants, which got me thinking: where do the locals live? When I asked my waiter at Hotel Krone's outdoor bar, she told me that no one besides seasonal workers or hotel owners actually live in town.

Even though the local government wants to stop Lech from becoming a ghost town of empty chalets, it sounds like a lot of Austrians either can't afford to live there or choose to live outside of town, away from the tourist hubs.

Restaurants and bars on the high street were decorated with fancy Champagne bottles.

The bar at Hotel Krone was decorated with hundreds of Champagne bottles. Maria Noyen/Insider

Speaking of Hotel Krone's outdoor bar, it was just one of several that I saw with expensive bottles of Champagne from brands like Moet & Chandon used as decoration.

Literally hundreds of these bottles lined the walls at the bar I went to and there were even more set up on the table I was seated at.

Another thing that surprised me was seeing how cigarettes were sold out of vending machines.

I haven't seen a cigarette vending machine in years. Maria Noyen/Insider

I can't remember the last time I saw one of these in the UK where I live  the British government banned the sale of tobacco products in vending machines back in 2011. This came a year after cigarettes being sold in vending machines was banned in the US, according to Nicotine and Tobacco research in the Oxford Journal.

There were also no health warnings on the machine, which I was surprised about.

The winter-sport shop I rented snowboarding gear from looked like a spa.

The inside of the rental shop felt more like a spa. Maria Noyen/Insider

The worst part about skiing or snowboarding is renting equipment, in my opinion. If you go during peak season, shops are always packed, smell a bit like wet shoes from boots drying overnight, and it's just overall a stressful environment.

But not at Strolz in Lech. When I walked in I saw a glistening chandelier trickling down three flights of stairs, heard soft pop music playing in the background, and was served within seconds of getting to the front desk, which made the experience so relaxing it was almost like I was at a spa.

The ski rental process was unlike any experience I've had renting equipment before.

Everything looked high class. Maria Noyen/Insider

After I got measured, I was told to bring my snowboard and boots down to the depot, where they would be stored for me overnight. I took a lift down to avoid carrying the heavy equipment and found the depot to be just as relaxing as the main floors.

The depot had a fancy seating circular seating area with a fire built in the middle that I could almost picture being in a Kardashian Architectural Digest tour. I also loved the soft leather couches, which had live plants in the center.

Service in Lech was modern, but the town itself had some quaint-looking buildings and chalets.

Lech still felt like I was on the set of a Christmas Hallmark movie. Maria Noyen/Insider

I found Lech to be a contrast between modernity and traditionalism. Modern features included the golf carts, fancy stores, and efficient ski rental.

But in terms of what the town actually looked like, at least from the outside, most of the architecture was traditional. The majority of chalets and hotels had wooden exteriors, colorful window shutters, and no buildings were taller than the steeple of an old church in the center of town.

Lech is generally a cute village that almost feels like you've stepped onto the set of a Christmas Hallmark movie.

I wasn't expecting most of the five-star hotels and fine dining restaurants in Lech to be family-owned.

The Hotel Arlberg summed up Lech: modern luxury with a respect of cultural heritage. Maria Noyen/Insider

On a tour of the Hotel Arlberg, Schneider told Insider most of the hotels and restaurants in Lech, like his own, were family businesses.

"The whole area here is all brothers and sisters. Go back three generations, we are all relatives," he said. I was surprised to hear that so many of the five-star hotels were family-run.

But it's the new generation coming up that Schneider said keeps Lech a hotspot for returning guests.

"When the new generation comes in, new ideas come," he said, as he showed me the outdoor heated pool and the high-tech hotel ski room, which has lockers equipped with heaters to make sure every guest's ski boots are perfectly dry for another day of skiing.

Even though I wasn't staying in a five-star hotel, Lech's less expensive accommodation had touches of luxury.

The sauna was the perfect way to recover from a day of walking in the snow. Maria Noyen/Insider

I was keen to see if I could find a semi-affordable hotel in Lech so I ended up booking Haus Schrofenstein, a small bed and breakfast 12 minutes' walk from the town center, where one night in a single room cost 164.20 euros, or around $180. For full disclosure, Insider paid for the accommodation, according to our reporting standards.

Although the location wasn't ideal, I found the hotel to have unexpected luxurious perks, like an in-house sauna, which was such a treat after a day of walking around in the snow.

It definitely wasn't as big or as fancy as what I saw on my tour of the Hotel Arlberg, but it goes to show that even the more affordable hotels in Lech offer a sense of luxury.

Read the original article on Insider
Gigi Hadid at the Vivienne Westwood A/W 2022 show at Paris Fashion Week (Getty Images)

Social media users have criticised Vogue magazine after it edited a reference to Palestine out of an Instagram post in which model Gigi Hadid pledged to donate all of her Fashion Month earnings to people in Ukraine and Palestine.

The furore has led some readers of the fashion magazine to question its motivation in selecting and removing key words from a recent social media post.

On Sunday, the 26-year-old model, who has Palestinian-Dutch heritage, announced on Instagram that she would give away the entirety of her income from her A/W 2022 shows to aid those suffering from the Ukraine war, as well as continuing to support those experiencing the same in Palestine.

The fashion magazine then dedicated an Instagram post on its official social media page to Hadids pledge quoting the models statement, including the reference to Palestine.

Social media users attacked the post for fanning the flames of anti-Semitism, with StopAntisemitism.org commenting that While Gigi Hadid and crew are appropriating the Russian invasion of Ukraine to push their political agenda vilifying Israel, the Jewish nation instead is negotiating peace between the two nations. Appropriation of another person's suffering is a new low, come on!

The following day, social media users noted that the original photo caption on Vogues Instagram post had been edited to remove the reference to Palestine, including the models declaration at the end of her statement which read: HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE. PEACE. PEACE. PEACE.

Prominent figures and social media users condemned the move and its involvement in the racism against and erasure of Palestinians from their home, culture, history, and heritage.

Mehdi Hassan wrote: So @GiGiHadid pledges to donate her earnings from Fall 2022 to relief efforts for occupied Ukrainians *and* occupied Palestinians and then @voguemagazine magazine just erases the Palestinians from its @instagram post on her pledge?

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So @GiGiHadid pledges to donate her earnings from Fall 2022 to relief efforts for occupied Ukrainians *and* occupied Palestinians and then @voguemagazine magazine just erases the Palestinians from its @instagram post on her pledge? pic.twitter.com/rO7xao87lZ  Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) March 8, 2022

Another wrote: Not only is this totally spineless, it erases someone's identity and ALSO manages to be inaccurate reporting. Gigi is palestinian!!! she donated her money to PALESTINE, while another simply replied to Vogue with: Your white supremacy is showing.

Hadids sister Alana even commented on the edited Instagram post, writing: WOW, you removed Palestine. She is supporting both the crisis in Ukraine and Palestine. Its a sad time when you can be bullied out of factual reporting.

While some users objected to the comparison of the two countries' struggles, another user wrote: What is happening in Palestine, like Ukraine, is fundamentally a story of occupier and occupied. The erasure of Palestinians from these narratives has material consequences - it permits the continued ethnic cleansing of Palestinians - with the media acting as accomplice.

What is happening in Palestine, like Ukraine, is fundamentally a story of occupier and occupied. The erasure of Palestinians from these narratives has material consequence - it permits the continued ethnic cleansing of Palestinians - with the media acting as accomplice. https://t.co/v9BMlceqS2  Iymen Chehade for Congress (@iymen4congress) March 9, 2022

In the last hour, Vogues Instagram post has been amended a third time, with the caption now reading: @GigiHadid announces that she will be donating her fashion month earnings towards relief efforts in Ukraine as well as continuing to support relief efforts in Palestine.

In February, Amnesty International published a damning report stating that Israels discrimination against Palestinians amounted to the to the practice of apartheid under international law.

The leading human rights organisation has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider the crime of apartheid in its current investigation into the situation in Palestine, noting the massive seizures of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forcible transfer, drastic movement restrictions, and the denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians.

The Independent has approached Vogue for comment.
Washington Twp. logo

Highlights of March 7 meeting of Washington Township trustees:

Department reports

Park  New blinds for the Administration Building were installed. Trustees received suggestion to order four more sets of blinds for installation on all the remaining windows in the building. Trustees approved a motion for a purchase order for $250 for Lowes to purchase the remaining blinds. An order will be placed for cleaning supplies and paper products for the upcoming rental season at the park, and park cleanup is underway. Ballfields are not playable at this time.

Zoning  Two permits were issued  one for a new residence valued at $400,000, and one for an addition to a residence valued at $110,000. Attended a training session in February with SCRPC.

Fire  Department had 45 runs in February, with 102 for the year. Runs included 29 medical, four crashes, five trees/wires down, one carbon monoxide call, one lift assist, one water removal, one electrical fire, one false alarm, and one lockout. Trustees handled several motions for gear alterations to MES. Lightbulbs are in for the fire station. The Vassu antenna project will happen when the weather is fit. Department inquired about paying Aultworks $125 to view physical results online (more info is needed). The annual breakfast will be 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 3, with dine-in and carryout available.

Road  Snow and ice control, all road salt has been delivered, at 360.29 tons for the year. Removed a downed tree on Mahoning, fixed yards in Washington Hills, installed a new weight limit sign on Herbster, and hand patched Cenfield and Bayton.

Other action

 Trustees said they will issue a nuisance notice to a homeowner on Beechwood regarding a trash issue on the property.

 Bills were paid for $57,137.05.

 Spring Clean-up is set April 29-30. Kimble will provide rolloffs.

 The township received $488,000 in American Rescue Plan money.

New business

 Motion from Merrit Boyce to pay $250 to SCRPC for annual dues.

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 Motion by Randy Rodgers to reimburse Fiscal Officer Jimmy Jones for $449 for the SAM registration renewal.

 Results of the speed study on Anderson were that it warrants a 40 mph speed limit. After a motion from Trustee Wayne Wallace, the township will send the speed study back to the county for them to submit to the state.

 Jones will participate in virtual seminars to receive his required training hours.

UPCOMING  Trustees next will meet at 6:30 p.m. March 21 at Township Hall.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Washington trustees set cleanup, fire breakfast
By Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU's welcome to people fleeing Russia's war in Ukraine raises hope the bloc might be able to overcome deep disagreements over hosting refugees from elsewhere in the world, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Thursday.

Johansson, the EU's top migration official, spoke as talks between Moscow and Kyiv made no progress towards a ceasefire on Thursday and the EU's 27 national leaders met to discuss their response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

"We have received more than two million refugees from Ukraine," Johansson said. "More bombs are falling and we're going to see more people leaving. We're going to see an increase in the numbers of Ukrainian refugees in all EU countries.

"We have around one million children that have arrived now and it's important to bring some kind of normality to their lives, to put them in schools or childcare."

It is eastern EU countries Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, that previously refused to welcome Muslim immigrants, that have now thrown their borders open to people fleeing Ukraine, a Christian neighbour.

That stands in sharp contrast to 2015 when Warsaw and Budapest refused to allow in any of more than one million Syrians who reached the bloc, overwhelming the Mediterranean states of arrival as well as straining social and security capabilities in wealthy destinations like Germany.

With bitter feuds between the east, the west and the south of the bloc, the EU's migration system collapsed and the 27 members have since tightened their external borders to keep out people fleeing wars and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.

Now, the tables have turned and Poland has said it has already allowed in 1.43 million people from Ukraine. Nearly 350,000 crossed into Romania and over 150,000 reached both Slovakia and Hungary.

It remains to be seen when and how they will be accepted to settle among member states - something Warsaw and Budapest have persistently refused to do to alleviate pressure on their EU peers.

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But Poland has made trains to Germany free and, for the time being, most Ukrainians have travelled on from the border themselves to relatives and friends already set up in the EU.

EU states unanimously agreed to ease access to jobs, schools, healthcare and welfare services, something they never granted Syria since the 2011 uprising against a Russia-backed president there slid into years of brutal war.

"This is unprecedented action and solidarity between member states and towards Ukraine refugees," Johansson said, noting the different response to a distant crisis in 2015.

"I'm not naive, I know it's going to be difficult to agree on the migration pact. But I am slightly optimistic," Johansson said of EU's stalled asylum reform that would require all 27 countries to host some refugees.

So far, the eastern camp led by Poland and Hungary have refused to sign up to that, while the southern and wealthy northern countries said no agreement made sense without such an obligation, a stalemate that has escaped solution for years.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Nick Macfie)




The U.S. on Wednesday congratulated South Korea's new president after his election victory, calling the alliance between the two countries "ironclad."

A spokesperson for the White House told Reuters the Biden administration congratulated Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party and was ready to continue the good relationship between the two countries.

"The alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, our economies and our people is ironclad," the spokesperson said, according to Reuters. "President Biden looks forward to continue working with the new President-elect to further expand our close cooperation."

The news comes as President Biden also spoke by phone with Yoon, Reuters reported, citing South Korea's Yonhap News agency.

Yoon won in a tight race against Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and will assume office in May, replacing outgoing president Moon Jae-in. Yoon will serve a five-year term.

The U.S. and South Korea are allied against North Korea and the authoritarian regime governed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

Moon Jae-in cast himself as a unifier of the Korean peninsula, however after helping broker a meeting between Kim and former President Trump, diplomacy in the region has largely stalled under the Biden administration as North Korea has recently ramped up provocative missile testing.




Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to use nuclear force should the West get involved in the war a "bluff."

The Ukrainian leader has ramped up his calls for the West to impose a no-fly zone over the country as Russian aerial attacks have intensified and amid warnings that Moscow may be prepared to use weapons of mass destruction on its neighbor.

Late last month, Putin ordered that nuclear forces be put on higher alert, earlier warning that "no one should have any doubts that a direct attack on our country will lead to the destruction and horrible consequences for any potential aggressor."

A senior United States Defense official said following Putin's order that it was "escalatory" and "unnecessary," adding that there was "no reason" to doubt Putin's threat.

But in an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit, Zelensky indicated that he did not take Putin's threat seriously.

"I think that the threat of nuclear war is a bluff. It's one thing to be a murderer. It's another to commit suicide. Every use of nuclear weapons means the end for all sides, not just for the person using them," Zelensky said.

"Rather, Putin's threat shows a weakness. You only threaten the use of nuclear weapons when nothing else is working. I am sure that Russia is aware of the catastrophic consequences of any attempt to use nuclear weapons," he added.

The Biden administration is coming under increasing pressure to consider a no-fly zone as Russia bombards civilian targets across Ukraine, including hospitals and schools. However, the president has insisted that the U.S. will avoid direct conflict with Russia out of fear of starting a world war with a nuclear power.

Zelensky also lamented it was a "mistake" that the signatories of a memorandum struck in the 1990s - that guaranteed Ukrainian sovereignty in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons - had violated their agreement. The signatories include Ukraine, Russia, Britain and the United States.

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"Who in the world would still trust the power of treaties? And that's why severely punishing Russia would mean restoring the power of international law," he told Die Zeit. "The West is capable of that."

Zelensky's remarks come as the White House raises alarm that Russia could use biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki hit back against Russia's claims that a military biological program run by the Pentagon had been discovered in Ukraine.

"This is preposterous. It's the kind of disinformation operation we've seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries, which have been debunked, and an example of the types of false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent," Psaki said in a statement.

"Also, Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating. In December, Russia falsely accused the U.S. of deploying contractors with chemical weapons in Ukraine," she continued.

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed it used a Soviet-era thermobaric rocket launching weapon, though Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that the U.S. military had "no indications" it had been used.

Russian forces have also seized several nuclear plants in Ukraine.

After Russian forces attacked the largest power plant in Europe - Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - earlier this month, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that if it blew up, the results would be disastrous.
Hand Up Lodge, an emergency shelter located at 618 5th St., is set to close March 25.

The nonprofit Lynchburg Community Action Group (Lyn-CAG) has been managing the shelter for more than 30 years and had grown to serving up to 28 people daily.

Treney Tweedy, executive director at Lyn-CAG, said the shelter previously served men, women and children who could stay in the evenings and leave in the morning, but during COVID-19 it became a 24/7 operation.

The 3,900-square-foot building dates back to 1850, and while there had been renovations over the years, with the number of people served the space was not conducive and had become tight, Tweedy said.

So with that comes a change in need of the population being served, so you dont have space for partnerships to come on site to deliver services, and staff was really doing a tremendous job with the number they were serving over the years within that space, she said.

Lyn-CAG staff recently had become aware of the needs and necessary updates of the building and found it to be inadequate.

Tweedy said the board looked at the organizations core mission and how resources were appropriated.

Last month, Lyn-CAG notified the Central Virginia Continuum of Care (CVCoC) it would be closing Hand Up Lodge in 30 days.

CVCoC is a coalition of agencies, nonprofits, congregations and individuals working to end homelessness in central Virginia. The CVCoC is responsible for the homeless response system that meets the needs of persons experiencing homelessness in the City of Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell.

Sarah Quarantotto, executive director of Miriams House and a board member for CVCoC, said the agency had no say in the closure and was given a 30-day notice.

An average of 150 people experiencing homelessness in the Lynchburg community seek emergency shelter at the Hand-Up Lodge each year, she said. This closure will have a negative impact on our most vulnerable neighbors and on our community as a whole. The local homeless coalition, the Central Virginia Continuum of Care, is frantically working on a solution to prevent a dramatic increase in unsheltered homelessness in Lynchburg.

Tweedy said Lyn-CAG is focusing its efforts now on education through its Head Start program for ages 3 to 5 and their families, as well as through employment training, career services, homeownership counseling and financial literacy to help advance people out of poverty.

Thats been our responsibility since 1965, and as that agency in the city, we know its important to assess the mission and assess how we have met the goal of our mission over the years. So we will still sit at the seat at the table with our community, and we know that theres a greater opportunity for collaboration because of the evolving and changing needs of the homeless population, she said.

Tweedy said the ultimate goal is to find placement for those individuals, whether its into their own housing or a group home, and the Lyn-CAG staff will continue to connect them with mental health and health resources.

And sometimes its just not enough that one staff or one organization can provide, so they have been continuing to do that and they will continue until March 25, she said.

She said Lynchburg always has been a community that has pulled together to meet the needs of its people.

So I know that going forward there is a greater opportunity to assess the needs of those persons who are living in homeless situations and those who want to be sheltered, she said. We do have that network. And there are some who choose not to be sheltered. So the closing of one lodge doesnt mean that everyone you see was pulled out of that lodge shelter situation.

She said there are some who are chronically homeless and others who come into situational homelessness, but with the right resources and partnerships in place that can meet the needs, they are able to sustain themselves on their own.

So I want everybody, I think, to look at this in a bigger, holistic way on how to you individually look at the concerns and the needs of the population and what are the best avenues and connectivity to put the resources right before them, she said.

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Lynchburg City Council unanimously voted this week to approve a change in one Ward IV precinct location, moving the polling place to St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

The old location, Crosspoint Community Church, informed the city it no longer wished to be a polling place because it intends to operate a day school out of the church, according to Electoral Board Chair David Neumeyer.

Neumeyer called the new location at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, at 3015 Roundelay Road, a "very functional building with lots of parking, handicap access is great," and noted it used to be the location for the precinct until the November 2019 elections.

Registrar Christine Gibbons said the close proximity of the two polling places was the reason for choosing St. Thomas More again, as it's only a three-minute drive from the old location by way of Timberlake Road. The polling place also can be accessed by Old Graves Mill Road.

Gibbons said there currently is not a bus stop that is terribly close; however, there are routes on Timberlake Road for voters to get to the precinct. GLTC's Route 7 drops off riders at the Kroger on Timberlake, a .7 mile walk from St. Thomas More.

She also said GLTC does offer free rides on Election Day for voters.

The precinct change will come at a cost for the city, as it will have to pay nearly $25,000 for postage and other services to effectively notify voters of the precinct change.

The change in location will be effective for the 2022 primary elections in Virginia.

 Bryson Gordon

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After a record-setting number of visitors last summer, Currituck County leaders will vote next week on limiting beach parking permits for the four-wheel drive beaches of the northern Outer Banks.

During a work session Monday night, staff presented the Board of Commissioners a plan for tourist season that would cap the number of parking permits sold each week to 300.

Since 2018, the permits have been required in season for any visitors or non-property owners who want to park on the beach between Corolla and the Virginia line, an area only reachable by four-wheel drive. The stretch of beach is home to the Outer Banks storied wild horse herd and has become overcrowded to the point of causing safety concerns over the last few years.

Like the rest of the Outer Banks, Currituck has seen a surge in visitors since the pandemic began, as evidenced by a 43% spike in occupancy tax on vacation rental homes and hotels since 2019.

The influx of visitors and vehicles means a seashore crowded with drivers and beachgoers, creating hazards for people and the herd of about 100 wild horses that roam the four-wheel drive area.

Earlier this year, a young wild mustang galloped over a dune and was struck and killed by a driver on the beach, while in 2020, another wild horse was fed an apple and eventually died from complications due to choking.

It was so crazy busy last year, it was out of control, Board Vice Chairman Paul Beaumont said during the work session. We need to nip it in the bud.

In the past, parking permits were issued on a 10-day or seasonal basis, but under the new plan would be available only for a weekly period, from Saturday to Saturday.

Last year, the county issued a total of 9,623 seasonal and 10-day permits between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The county has also created an online system to reserve the permits for a designated week ahead of time. After buying online, the permit can be picked up at the Corolla Visitor Center.

The new policy wouldnt change for county residents and property owners, who receive two free permits for each property they own in Currituck County. Property owners in the off-road area north of the North Beach Access ramp are eligible for four free permits.

What would change is that Currituck residents who live anywhere other than the four-wheel drive area will be able to use their county-issued solid waste permit vehicle decal as an acceptable beach parking pass.

Beach parking passes will be required for non-residents from April 30 to Oct. 2 and cost $50.

The board will also consider raising fines for civil infractions such as parking without a permit from $50 to $75 this summer.

The board will vote on the changes at its regularly scheduled meeting Monday.
Those of us who havent been personally touched by a mass shooting can only imagine the horrors that linger for years, haunting those who were there and survived as well as the loved ones of those who did not.

But one neednt live through such terror to be empathetic toward those who have and to support proposals that ease the suffering and hurt survivors carry and help them move forward in life.

State legislators this year considered a $10 million budget amendment to create the Virginia Mass Violence Care Fund. That good idea was passed over by budget writers but deserves consideration in future discussions.

The fund would help survivors of mass shootings or other mass violence, and the families of victims, deal with long-term physical and mental health needs that insurance doesnt cover.

Hampton Roads knows all too well how devastating a mass shooting can be. On May 31, 2019, a gunman killed 12 people and wounded four others at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center before he was killed by police. Survivors and relatives of victims were among those who attended a recent meeting of state lawmakers to urge them to approve the fund.

But this isnt the only Virginia community to experience such tragedy. In 2007, a Virginia Tech student killed 32 classmates and instructors on the Blacksburg campus. Seventeen others were injured before the gunman killed himself. At the time, that massacre was the highest casualty mass shooting, since eclipsed by events in Las Vegas and Orlando.

Who knows how many people might have died in February of this year at Bridgewater College in Virginias peaceful Shenandoah Valley if two campus policemen hadnt gone to investigate reports of a suspicious man on campus? The man who has been charged with murder in the deaths of those campus officers is a former student who has had mental health problems.

Mass shootings get a lot of attention because they affect entire communities and are dramatic, horrific news events. Its a sad truth that gun violence is so pervasive in the United States today that ordinary shooting deaths, when only one or two people die and the violence doesnt happen at a public place or event, go largely unnoticed except by those directly involved.

The proposed Mass Violence Care Fund for Virginia is a worthy idea that could help those already struggling and those who might be affected by any future mass shootings or other violence.

While creating that fund, lets not forget that gun violence has terrible, long-lasting effects on many other people caught up in tragedies that dont make headlines.

In Virginia, as across the United States, we need to step up efforts to prevent gun violence.

We know some of the things we need to do; we just need to devote more energy and resources to the effort. Its important to bolster our mental health care programs and make them more accessible to anyone who might need help. We need to do more to recognize when someone is in an emotional crisis. Too often, only after someone resorts to violence do people come forward to say they knew there was a problem.

We also need to take practical steps to keep guns out of the hands of those who there is reason to believe might be a danger to themselves or others. Every time theres another mass shooting, theres renewed talk about the need for gun control. Once the news moves on to other topics, the gun-control discussion usually fades.

Gun control has become such a politicized issue that its difficult to get strong support even for what ought to be seen as common-sense reforms, such as red-flag laws temporarily barring people displaying dangerous tendencies from having access to firearms.

Shooting deaths are tragic, whether theres one victim or many. Lets help the victims and survivors, certainly. And lets work to keep others from suffering such needless horrors.

 The Virginian-Pilot & Daily Press Editorial Board
Annmarie Martinez is going to get a head start on college thanks to the Council Bluffs Community School Districts Plus One Pathways program.

Martinez, turning 17 at the end of the month, is a native of Council Bluffs. Shes an Abraham Lincoln High School junior who is currently attending Kanesville Alternative Learning Center. She said she wasnt on the path to success before arriving at Kanesville, and she credits a compassionate, understanding staff for helping get her back on track to not just graduate, but start earning college credits before doing so.

Its been a very good experience (at Kanesville), she said. Its definitely changed me, put me on a better path.

Martinez is only four credits away from graduation, and shell be spending her senior year at Iowa Western Community College as a Diploma Plus One Pathways student. She said there are a number of things she can see herself doing in the future, but she definitely wants to take some business courses along with some general education classes to help her form an idea for a career path.

Outside of school, Martinez said she loves spending time with friends and family. She always looks forward to going out on the town with her pals, and they often explore the Old Market in Omaha to find new places to eat or shop. Theres plenty in store for Martinezs future, and shes looking to make the most of a free first year of college as a high school senior.

 Joe Shearer
Lincoln Police Officer Cole Jennings didn't hear the gunshots.

He heard glass breaking, then saw the window and a gun.

"It appeared to be pointed at me," Jennings testified Wednesday at Felipe Vazquez's trial for the first-degree murder of Herrera, the attempted assault of an officer, escape and four gun charges.

He didn't see who was holding it. Just the gun. And the smashed window within feet of the tree Jennings, Officer Mario Herrera and Capt. Danny Reitan had been using for cover in the small front yard at 3225 Vine St., where Vazquez, who they'd come to arrest, had been holed up on Aug. 26, 2020.

Jennings was watching the front yard. The main door was in back. Vazquez kept telling officers inside he was coming out of the locked door. But didn't. Until he burst through the window, crouched down.

Jennings moved to his right around the tree and felt debris spray up on his legs.

"And I start thinking that I was just shot at," he told the jury.

Jennings said he tried to track the person with the firearm.

"At one point I realize that Mario gets hit with a shot and he goes down," he said.

He said he doesn't remember hearing the shots before Herrera fell, and Jennings fired four shots from his 9mm Smith & Wesson service weapon at the person with the gun running toward in the street along Vine Street toward 33rd.

It all happened within seconds, police later finding three .45-caliber casings fired from a stolen gun found dumped on a back porch where Vazquez would be arrested soon after.

On Wednesday afternoon in Columbus, where the trial has been moved due to pretrial publicity, jurors heard the gut-wrenching audio captured on a digital recorder in Herrera's pocket.

The quiet suddenly is interrupted by the sharp sound of smashing glass. Then yells.

"Get down on the ground."

Followed soon after by agonizing screams.

"I can't breathe. I can't breathe," Herrera can be heard saying.

A cop calls in "officer down" on the radio.

"Stay with me, stay with me," Jennings tells him.

Herrera said it hurts really bad. "Tell my wife and my kids I love them."

Herrera would die of the injury 12 days later, on Sept. 7.

Lancaster County Sheriff's Sgt. Ryan Schmuecker, who had been near the back door when he heard the glass and shots, came out to see two people running away, one with a gun in his left hand, holding it by the slide.

He chased after, yelling to Officer Wendy Fisher, who was blocking off traffic at 34th and Vine, to "shoot him, he just shot a cop."

Fisher didn't fire.

"My backdrop if I would have to shoot was Hartley Elementary," she said.

Schmuecker told her to get in her cruiser and run him down. But they both lost him when he ran between houses.

Police ultimately arrested Vazquez a few blocks away.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger
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The Egyptian Finance Ministry has entered into deal with US technology company IBMs consulting arm and German software firm SAP to automate the countrys tax system, as part of the Egyptian governments digital transformation strategy.

The two firms will equip Egypts finance ministry with a comprehensive business operations automation platform, Arab Finance reports.

Ten tax offices in Greater Cairo have already tried the new systems and authorities are expected to expand them to several other offices in the course of the year.

IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation system will integrate artificial intelligence (AI) in the finance ministrys tax-relevant processes.

The deal falls in line with Egypts plans for automation and digitalization of the Egyptian Tax Authority (ETA).

The modernization of the current taxation system is also part of the Unified Tax Law and the national vision to maximize public revenues, Egyptian finance minister Mohamed Maait commented.

Egypts general revenues is largely supported by tax returns that account for 75 per cent.
The lies and fallacious allegations of the pseudo-human rights defender, Sahrawi separatist Sultana Khaya, have been laid bare by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor.

The Irish Mary Lawlor posted on her twitter account on Tuesday March 8, on the occasion of International Womens Day, a picture of Sultana Khaya, who claims to be an advocate of human rights. However, after the Special Rapporteur verified and authenticated a photo of the separatist supporter of the Algeria-backed Polisario, posing in military fatigues with a Kalashnikov slung over her shoulder, she immediately removed the picture from her tweet account.

Mary Lawlor, outraged by the scandalous photo, assured her team that Sultana no longer falls within her mandate.

The truth came to light. This pseudo-human rights activist is actually an agent who serves a separatist and destabilizing agenda fomented by the Algerian military junta and the Polisario against Morocco.

According to well-informed sources, Sultana Khaya receives instructions directly from the Polisario HQ in Rabouni and from the Algerian military intelligence services.

As a reward for her services, the Sahrawi conspirator, Sultana Khaya, receives extravagant presents from the ruling junta in Algeria, including a sumptuous apartment in the upscale neighborhood of Calle Angelita Rodriguez Preciado in Alicante, in southeastern Spain.

Sultana Khaya, who often travels to Algeria and to the Tindouf camps to undergo indoctrination and propaganda training, has made herself known through her multiple calls, inciting violence against civilians in the Moroccan Sahara and acts of vandalism against public and private property.

The pseudo-peaceful activist has thus been unmasked and will certainly find it difficult to conceal any longer that her alleged activism is actually fueled by hatred and violence.
European Union Commissioner for Neighborhood & Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi has voiced the European blocs readiness to support Moroccan small & medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

We are ready to cooperate with you, especially in green energy transition, trade facilitation, digitalization and support for SMEs, said Mr. Varhelyi during a meeting held Wednesday in Rabat with Head of Moroccan employers Union Chakib Alj.

The Commissioner, who is visiting Morocco this March 9-10, recalled in this regard the 1.6 billion funding earmarked by the EU for the promotion of Moroccos green and digital transformation.

For his part, Chakib Alj, President of Confederation generale des entreprises du Maroc (CGEM), said the Moroccan-European business relations can play a key role in developing good neighborly relations.

It is in this framework that the CGEM is working hand in hand with the European peer (Business Europe) in pushing for the modernization of trade and investment relations between EU and Morocco, said Chakib Alj, hailing cooperation between CGEM and the European Commission in the promotion of entrepreneurship.

Our country is now following a liberal, pro-business and pro-EU path, affirmed the CGEM Chief, stressing the importance of the 1.6 billion investment announced by president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Morocco for the development of a green partnership, focused on energy and digital technologies to increase connectivity between Moroccan and European companies and markets.

Means to strengthen economic and financial cooperation between Morocco and the EU were also discussed at a meeting in Rabat, Wednesday between the EU commissioner and Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah Alaoui.

During the meeting, the Moroccan official welcomed the effort made by the EU within the framework of its Economic Investment Plan, while stressing that the areas of cooperation selected for Morocco, fall in line with the governments priorities and programs.

She also recalled the importance of the financial support granted by the European Union to Morocco and invited the European Commission to further strengthen its commitments under the 2021-2027 programming.

Mrs Fettah Alaoui surveyed some of the priority projects undertaken by the government in the social fields, including, in particular, social protection, education and health.

The discussions also focused on the strategies pursued by Morocco in terms of boosting domestic and foreign private investment, public sector reform, as well as in the areas of energy transition and water.

The two interlocutors reaffirmed their shared desire to strengthen further cooperation between Morocco and the European Commission and to accelerate the implementation of the programs selected within this framework.
The Arab summit is a responsibility and not a privilege and must, therefore, bring added value and not be at the service of any agenda.

The remarks were made by Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, at the 157th session of the Council of the Arab League Wednesday in Cairo.

Bourita called for good preparation of the Arab Summit not only in terms of subjects, but also and above all according to well-defined specifications.

Through their adoption in the year 2000 of the appendix on the date, periodicity and regularity of the Arab Summits in the month of March each year, the Arab leaders have shown determination and firmness in the organization of their agendas, as well as an unfailing willingness to give substance to their meetings and to discuss pressing issues for their countries in accordance with the aspirations of the Arab peoples, he said.

The minister added, in this regard, that this spirit has been respected since that date, far from any adaptation to any particular consideration, noting that our attachment to this achievement, which has reinforced the Charter of the League of Arab States and has become one of the prime foundations of our joint action, is matched only by our attachment to the collective will and the consensus that characterize the decisions of the Arab League.

Bourita, on the other hand, said that this meeting is being held in the light of very delicate and sensitive developments, which have occurred at the regional and international levels, and the real challenges they pose to our health, food and energy security.

The Arab region must, more than ever, keep pace with the renewed demands of Arab societies and the increasingly accelerated challenges facing our central Arab issues, on top of which the Palestinian issue which is at the core of our concerns and our priorities, far from any political escalation, he pointed out.

The minister who renewed the attachment of King Mohammed VI to the Palestinian cause and to its defense affirmed that this cause represents, since independence, one of the constants of the foreign policy of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Supporting this cause requires advocating different methods and approaches to make it more effective and compatible with the current developments, he said, assuring that Morocco will spare no effort to support this just cause, until the Palestinian people realize their aspirations to establish their independent State on the borders of June 4, 1967, with Eastern Al-Quds as its capital, in accordance with the two-State solution and the international references in force.

Bourita who recalled that King Mohammed VI is the chairman of the Al-Quds Committee said that everyone knows the importance and the symbolism of the Holy City of Al Quds and the urgency of preserving its legal and historical status and its religious, cultural and civilizational character as a space for the coexistence of the three monotheistic religions and a symbol of peace.

The Moroccan official on the other hand regretted that Arab contribution to the settlement of conflicts in the Arab region has remained limited and, in some cases, dispersed. This situation is not an inevitable destiny that forces us to give up, but rather a factor that should motivate us for more coordination and more efforts in order to be able to control our destiny.

Mr. Bourita noted that several initiatives undertaken by Arab countries in this direction were very useful, recalling in this regard the role played by Morocco, under the leadership of the King, in the Libyan crisis and the efforts to provide the Libyan brothers with the best conditions to motivate them to find appropriate solutions to build and develop their modern State.

He also recalled the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which he said has forced us to completely review the models of our political, economic and social organization, adding that this situation has become more complicated in the light of the deterioration of the situation at the international level, with growing political, economic, social, security and environmental challenges.

Food and energy security, being at the heart of Arab national security, requires a collective reflection that takes into account all these factors that threaten the future and stability of the region, he said.
The Council of the Arab League expressed, Wednesday in Cairo, its rejection of the destabilizing maneuvers of Iran, which arms separatist elements that threaten Moroccos security and stability.

This came in a resolution of the Ministerial Committee of the Arab Quartet in charge of monitoring developments in the crisis with Iran and the means of countering its interference that was adopted by the Leagues ministerial meeting.

The resolution expresses support to Morocco in the face of the interference of the Iranian regime and its ally Hezbollah in the internal affairs of the Kingdom, particularly by arming and training separatists who threaten its territorial integrity, security and stability.

These dangerous and unacceptable practices are an extension of the Iranian regimes actions aimed at undermining regional security and stability, the resolution underlines.

The Arab Quartet Ministerial Committee, chaired by Saudi Arabia, includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and the Secretary General of the Arab League.

Morocco was represented at the Arab League Council meeting by Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita.
State senators generally spoke well of a special committees plans for Lake McConaughy improvements before a bill including them advanced Wednesday.

Lawmakers gave 29-4 first-round approval to Legislative Bill 1023, which would authorize a 100-slip Lake Mac marina among projects headlined by investigation of a possible new lake between Omaha and Lincoln.

Sens. Tom Brewer of Gordon, Dan Hughes of Venango, Mike Jacobson of North Platte and Matt Williams of Gothenburg were among lawmakers voting to advance LB 1023.

Bayard Sen. Steve Erdman, whose District 47 includes Keith County, was one of 10 senators listed as present but not voting.

He spoke skeptically about LB 1023s McConaughy projects and the bills overall costs.

Im not sure exactly why we want to build a marina at McConaughy. That may be of value, Erdman said.

But some of these things they want to do there will have to get approval from the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, which owns the lake and dam.

And Im not so sure that well be able to get that permission as easily as you think it will be, he added. So well have to see.

Erdman also questioned a $1.1 million estimated cost for a formal entrance sign to the Lake Mac area. Thats got to be some kind of sign.

Erdman later told The Telegraph that the would-be 3,600-acre-plus metro-area lake shouldnt be part of LB 1023.

That project will never happen in my lifetime, he said in a text. Getting the necessary permits will be difficult if not impossible.

If the bill was (just) for McConaughy and Niobrara, Im a yes, he added. Because it isnt, I should have voted no.

Besides the metro-area lake and McConaughy projects, LB 1023 includes facilities upgrades at Niobrara State Park and Lewis and Clark Lake in Knox County in northeast Nebraska.

It also calls for a jetty on the Platte River near Schuyler and flood control work on Wahoo Creek, which runs north of Lincoln.

Lawmakers will return to LB 1023s $200 million price tag when debating a separate Appropriations Committee budget bill, said Speaker Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, chairman of the 10-member special water committee.

Created by a 2021 bill (LB 406), that panel  known by the acronym STAR WARS for its lengthy name  held public hearings statewide and spent a week in Ogallala last August.

Its recommended Lake Mac projects also include road improvements near both shores and the formal entrance to the Kingsley Dam area.

LB 1023 specifically mentions only the proposed marina, which would be built at a location yet to be determined.

The Appropriations Committee has recommended funding the bills full $200 million cost, with $150 million from the states general fund and the rest from its cash reserve.

About $140 million would cover LB 1023s non-metro area projects, starting with those at McConaughy and in Knox County, Hilgers said.

They still have some design and permitting (to finish), but otherwise theyre ready to go, the speaker said in response to a question from Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams.

That work would involve choosing a final location for the Lake Mac marina. Local and state leaders have acknowledged it has to be sited and designed to be usable despite seasonal changes in McConaughys elevation.

How to get a marina that can handle that variation in water is a question to me, said Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, who nonetheless voted to advance LB 1023.

Hilgers told lawmakers that $20 million of the $200 million would study feasibility of the metro-area lake, with $40 million set aside for possible next steps.

This body will have to weigh in a second time if studies show the lake can be built, he said.

Most of the rhetorical darts thrown at LB 1023 focused on the metro-area lake. But some critics found virtue in the bills other proposals.

Lake Mac is one of our treasures, said Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson, who voted against the bill. We have not developed those resources there.

Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, Joni Albrecht of Thurston and Mike Moser of Columbus also voted no on LB 1023. Nine lawmakers besides Erdman declined to vote.

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LINCOLN  Nebraska gambling enthusiasts would have to make do with only six casinos at existing horse racing tracks, at least initially, under a bill advanced Tuesday to debate by the full Legislature.

Legislative Bill 876 was advanced by the Legislatures General Affairs Committee on a 7-0 vote, with one member not voting, after weeks of wrangling over several issues, including how many casinos to allow, given voter approval of expanded gambling in November.

Among the issues: Should there be restrictions on new casinos being within 50 miles, or 150 miles, of an existing racetrack, and should there be a moratorium on new racinos (a combination racetrack and casino)? Or should several new casinos be allowed?

For now, legislators struck a middle ground, according to State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, who chairs the General Affairs Committee.

Proponents of locating new racinos in Bellevue, Norfolk, North Platte, Gering and Ogallala would be required to do an extensive study to answer several questions, including whether new locations would help or hurt the existing casinos and whether they would help or hurt the horse racing industry.

We have left the door open to the (new) proposals that early proposals would have shut down, Briese said.

Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne was present but not voting on advancement of the racino bill.

He said he supported allowing free enterprise to dictate how many racinos should be established in the state. Wayne added that he would not fight the bill during floor debate.

North Platte Sen. Mike Jacobson, who was just appointed to the Legislature two weeks ago, questioned whether the western two-thirds of the state was being shut out for casinos.

Briese said it would be up to the State Racing Commission to decide whether new racinos should be added. Under LB 876, the commission would have to conduct a statewide market analysis on horse racing and complete its work as soon as practicable but not later than Jan. 1, 2025.

Briese called that a de facto moratorium on new racinos because it would take some time  he wouldnt predict how long  before the commission and an applicant for a new racino could complete the required studies.

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce had called for no limit on the number of racinos allowed. State horse racing officials, meanwhile, had recommended that casinos be allowed only at existing racetracks in Omaha, Lincoln, Columbus, Grand Island, South Sioux City and Hastings.

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LEXINGTON  Kathleen Jourdan testified in her own defense Wednesday, telling jurors about years of abuse from her husband, Joshua, before she shot him in June 2020.

Jourdan, 33, of Omaha, is charged with second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. She has claimed she acted in self-defense.

Jourdan said she met Joshua in January 2011, while they both volunteered at the same fire district. The two began dating in February 2011 and married March 24, 2011, when Kathleen was pregnant with their first child.

Soon after they were married, Kathleen said, she began to see red flags about his behavior, such as making her feel guilty and pressuring her to do things she did not want to do, such as forcing her to drink alcohol or have sex.

When asked if she had known about Joshuas previous marriage to Jessica Jourdan and his children with her and another woman, Kathleen said yes, but said she had accepted Joshuas claims that they were liars, alcoholics and abusive. She said she now absolutely doubts her past impression of these women.

Joshua began limiting Kathleens contact with her mother and isolating her from friends. He would demand she return home immediately after work or church, and if she was late, he would accuse her of infidelity.

Kathleen said she had an affair in 2017 with someone who was providing emotional support. She also said she had another relationship early on while dating Joshua.

From 2014 on, Kathleen said, Joshua stayed at home with their children and said he was going to be the trophy husband because Kathleen was pursuing a career in medicine.

Kathleen testified that Joshua pressured her for sex during her pregnancies and soon after she gave birth. She said he also forced her to perform sexual acts as punishment for such things as not doing his laundry the right way or messing up an oil change on a car.

During some arguments, Kathleen said, Joshua would begin to record her on his phone. She said his demeanor would switch from angry to calm while recording.

The jury saw a video in which Joshua told Kathleen do not follow me down the stairs, claiming it would be a threat of physical harm and she could be arrested for it.

In another recording shown to the jury, Kathleen was upset because her vehicle wouldnt start and she had to make a 12-hour drive for an interview for a medical residency.

Kathleen testified that the car had been running normally the night before, but after the couple argued, the car would not start the following morning.

Eventually, Joshua went to the garage, telling Kathleen not to follow, and returned telling her the car worked again. She did make it to her interview.

Kathleen said the abuse escalated in 2015, when the family was living in Grenada while she was there for medical classes.

During one incident, she said, he knocked her to the floor and began to strangle her. Their two sons were in the room.

Kathleen said the look in his eye  scared me so much.

Kathleen testified that she yelled for help, but Joshua squeezed harder and she began to black out. She kneed him in the groin and he let go.

She said she grabbed her two sons and made it to another bedroom, where she locked the door. Joshua pounded on the wooden door several times before punching a hole through it. Kathleen said she held the door against him while Joshua struck at her through the opening, trying to find the lock.

Eventually, Joshua stopped and fell asleep. Kathleen sent a photo of the door to her mother and asked her to help arrange a flight home. She also went to a medical clinic, where a medical report showed she had scratches on her neck and bruises on her chest, forearm and legs.

Before Kathleen could fly home with the children, Joshua called her and asked her to talk about what happened. He said it would never happen again and he would go to counseling. She said one reason she stayed was that she didnt want to leave medical school.

The couple moved to Georgia in 2017 so Kathleen could continue her schooling. During a birthday celebration for one of their sons, Kathleen made a joke that made Joshua angry. He went upstairs and lay on the bed.

Kathleen followed him. She said she was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to explain and apologize, when Joshua rolled over and punched her in the face. Joshua said it was an accident.

Soon after, Joshua duct-taped the bedroom door shut. Given the assault, and because a loaded gun was in the room and Joshua had threatened suicide in the past, she called 911.

Joshua was arrested and charged after the assault, but he was able to take a diversion program for anger management.

Kathleen filed for divorce, but the couple decided to reconcile.

Their daughter Amelia was born in 2018. The next year the couple was traveling in Nebraska for a medical residency interview in Omaha. While on Interstate 80 near Grand Island, Kathleen said, she turned around and saw Amelias skin was blue and blood was coming out of her nose.

Kathleen said she immediately attempted CPR and 911 was called, but Amelia died. An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be sudden infant death syndrome.

Kathleen said Joshua blamed her and alleged that her yelling during an argument in the car caused their daughters death.

She began drinking to cope with the loss, she said.

Later, Kathleen was accepted into medical residency in Omaha, but Joshua threatened not to move and said he would keep their sons with him in his native Washington state.

Joshua emailed her a list of conditions that he told her to notarize before he would move. They stated that a legal separation would take place and that he would get 30% of her income while she was in school and 50% while she was working throughout her life.

She said he later emailed another condition to allow him to have unlimited sexual intercourse access with her. The emails were shown to the jury.

Kathleen said she complied with the notarization because I wanted to see my children. Joshua later moved to Omaha, but often threatened to return with the children to Washington, Kathleen said.

Later, after an argument, Kathleen returned home to find Joshua and her children gone. He took them to his parents home in Washington and didnt return until January 2020.

Kathleen said she was in the middle of her residency and couldnt leave to get her children. She said she began complying with Joshua but lived in constant fear that he would leave with the children again.

In 2020, Kathleen was set to move for a two-year residency at the Scottsbluff hospital. In June she was going to see a house the family could rent. At first, she said, Joshua wouldnt allow the children to go.

He later relented but demanded that she keep her phones GPS turned on and that she return the same day.

After leaving at 3 a.m. with the children, she made it to Scottsbluff about 11 a.m., saw the house and signed the lease. She spent several hours in the community with her sons.

On the return trip, 30 minutes outside Scottsbluff, her cars transmission failed. She said she called Joshua, who blamed her for the breakdown but said he would go to her as it was his responsibility.

Joshua brought a pickup and trailer to take the car back, but they couldnt load the car on the trailer. Kathleen said this further upset him.

On June 17, 2020, the family was driving east back to Omaha. Kathleen said another argument broke out and Joshua called Calvin, a mutual friend who acted as a mediator. She said she tried to make her case to Calvin, but eventually Joshua switched the call over to his headset, cutting her off.

She said Joshua began to tell Calvin how bad she was. Kathleen said he rarely put her down in front of other people or on calls with Calvin.

Kathleen said she made a motion to toss Joshuas phone out of the vehicle, but did not ultimately. She then said something in her own defense, and Joshua slammed on the brakes hard enough to throw her against her seat belt.

When the pickup stopped, Kathleen testified, Joshua turned toward her with the same look in his eye that he had when he was strangling her in Grenada, and he raised his hand toward her.

Kathleen said there was no decision, I reacted. She lifted the center console with her left hand and withdrew the handgun that Joshua habitually kept loaded with the safety off.

In the same instant that Joshua said to Calvin on the phone, Shes got the gun, shes got the gun, Kathleen said, she pulled the trigger as quickly as I could and fired two shots.

When asked if she had contemplated this, Kathleen said, I didnt have time, I just thought to protect myself.

She saw Joshua was bleeding from the chest and she applied direct pressure to the wound. She called 911.

When asked what she meant when she told the law enforcement officers on scene Im sorry, Kathleen fought back tears, saying she was sorry the relationship had reached this point; she had wanted to leave out in the past but did not follow through.

Prosecutors cross-examination of Kathleen Jourdan began Thursday morning.
This story has been updated.

SkyWest Airlines said Thursday it plans to drop federally subsidized air service in mid-June to 29 airports in 15 states, including North Platte, Scottsbluff and Kearney.

The news came just over four years after SkyWest began flying between North Platte and Denver International Airport, giving Lee Bird Field its most consistent and popular air service since the original Frontier Airlines left in 1984.

Local leaders immediately vowed to do all they could to encourage another regional air carrier to pick up where SkyWest will be leaving off.

The St. George, Utah, carrier blamed an ongoing lack of pilots due to COVID-19 in filing a 90-day notice of intent to terminate Essential Air Service with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Although SkyWest Airlines would prefer to continue providing scheduled air service to these cities, the pilot staffing challenges across the airline industry preclude us from doing so, the DOT notice said.

In an email to The Telegraph, SkyWest cited its pilot staffing woes but said it wants to help North Platte maintain its air service with as little disruption as possible.

We appreciate our partnerships and the support of the community, and we are committed to delivering a solid, reliable product through this transition, it said.

SkyWests email said Lee Bird ground staff will be offered the chance to transfer to other locations. Customers booked beyond June 10 will be contacted to make alternate arrangements.

The carriers 90-day notice period expires June 10, although North Platte Airport Manager Sam Seafeldt said the DOT likely will order SkyWest to keep up its service while it seeks bids for a new EAS carrier.

Thursdays notice marks the very beginning of a long process to find a replacement airline, Seafeldt said.

But I personally was surprised by this. I thought we could do more adjustments to the schedule and other options. Im basically disappointed.

SkyWest officials said over and over that Thursdays notice isnt about any specific community, he added. This is purely their pilot shortage, and theyre not able to keep going with those 29 EAS routes.

SkyWests online route map touches all of the lower 48 states except Delaware and New Hampshire, as well as Mexico and several Canadian provinces.

The carrier flies under four different banners  United, American, Alaska and Delta  depending on particular markets.

Citing the pilot shortage, SkyWest said in February it was temporarily dropping two of North Plattes 12 weekly Denver round trips starting March 1.

As it happens, Seafeldt said, those two flights will come back in April  although early morning and late-night travelers will have an extra stop to make.

SkyWests overnight flight will leave Lee Bird daily at 6:30 a.m. CT but stop at the Western Nebraska-Scottsbluff Regional Airport before landing at DIA about 7:54 a.m. MT.

The nightly return flight will leave Denver at 5:50 p.m. MT, stop at Scottsbluff and land at North Platte at 9:08 p.m. CT.

SkyWests midday round trip to and from DIA will be offered Thursdays through Mondays starting April 1. It had been cut to Fridays, Sundays and Mondays.

Itll leave Denver at 8:09 a.m. MT, land at North Platte at 10:14 a.m. CT and leave Lee Bird again at 11 a.m. The flight will end at DIA at 11:10 a.m. MT.

SkyWest took over North Plattes EAS service on Feb. 1, 2018, flying 50-seat jets as United Express to and from DIA.

Its service was a near-immediate success, with regional passengers regularly filling its planes after more than three decades of rocky service from a succession of EAS-subsidized carriers.

SkyWests first local takeoff ended a four-month gap in North Plattes passenger service. PenAir, which had taken over the Denver EAS route in November 2016, filed for bankruptcy less than a year later.

SkyWests boardings dipped after COVID-19 arrived in March 2020, but were at pre-pandemic levels again, Seafeldt said.

SkyWest had become a very reliable service that everybody appreciated having in North Platte, said Gary Person, president and CEO of the North Platte Area Chamber & Development Corp.

But COVID changed the world and everything about it, and were starting to pay a price for that along with many other things.

SkyWest has provided an excellent air travel experience, and I was sorry to hear of this announcement, Mayor Brandon Kelliher added.

He, Person and Alan Erickson, vice chairman of the North Platte Airport Authority, said they believe North Platte will be attractive for another carrier.

SkyWest just didnt have a choice, said Erickson, the airport boards temporary leader since Chairman Mike Jacobson resigned after his Feb. 23 appointment to the Legislature.

Its not going to affect the traveling public yet, he added. SkyWests a good company. Theyll do everything they have to for the (EAS) contract. Theyll operate 90 days and even longer if the DOT says they have to.

SkyWest indicated as much in its email Thursday to The Telegraph.

We are eager to work with officials toward solutions that would enable us to reconnect this community to the National Air Transportation System in the future, and we are committed to remaining flexible and adjusting our plans if the situation improves more quickly than currently expected, it said.

Despite his new Unicameral duties, Jacobson said Thursday, hell help North Platte leaders and his former airport board colleagues to the extent he can.

After the work they all put in to land a quality carrier like SkyWest, I cant just walk away from this, he said.

Thanks to SkyWests service, Jacobson said, the North Platte, Scottsbluff and Kearney airports have proved their value to possible replacement carriers.

These are big enough markets that we should get another major carrier coming in as the pandemic continues to cease and things get back to normal, he said.

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Gov. Pete Ricketts plan to revive the 1894 Perkins County Canal won strong legislative support Wednesday, even as some questioned whether it can stop Colorado from siphoning off Nebraskas share of South Platte River water.

All five west central Nebraska senators voted yes as senators gave first-round approval to Legislative Bill 1015 on a 36-3 first-round vote.

Speaker Mike Hilgers introduced the bill on Ricketts behalf that would invoke Nebraskas right under the 1923 South Platte River Compact to complete the abandoned irrigation project from Ovid, Colorado, through Sedgwick County and across the state line.

Perkins County pioneers dug about 16 miles in Colorado before having to give up. The canals 2020s version  should it be built likely would run through southern Keith County instead of into its namesake county.

If it isnt built, Hilgers said, Nebraska has no right to that canals legally promised 500 cubic feet per second of South Platte River water between Oct. 15 and April 1.

If we do this, we are protecting our rights to Nebraskas water, the Lincoln lawmaker said. I really cant put it any more clear than that.

LB 1015 would authorize the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to begin planning the canal and operate it once finished. Its completion could take a decade.

Senators will separately debate an Appropriations Committee plan to provide $53.5 million to start the project, rather than the $500 million Ricketts wants to set aside toward both planning and construction.

That amount, Hilgers said, would cover necessary studies, canal design and securing purchase options for the needed land.

The South Platte River Compact, occasioned by a Keith County-led canal revival plan in 1921, gives Nebraska the right to invoke eminent domain on the Colorado side of the state line.

State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, said tying up $500 million now would be irresponsible given other state needs and the likelihood the states coffers wont keep overflowing forever.

But Stinner, who chose not to vote on advancing LB 1015, joined his western Nebraska colleagues in saying Colorados plans to accelerate South Platte water projects must be taken seriously.

We will tell you in unison how important water is to that part of the state, he said. So when we talk about water, Im all in.

Sen. Dan Hughes, who farms near Venango in Perkins County, made LB 1015 his priority bill in his last session before leaving the Legislature due to term limits.

Let me be clear: This is water that we are already receiving, he said. And if we dont build this canal, that water will go away. It will be lost to us forever.

A 2017 study for the Colorado Legislature contended that 90% of South Platte water entering Nebraska is in excess of the compact.

In addition to upstream Front Range water projects, a pending $1.07 billion project would pipe South Platte water from below Brush back to Parker, southeast of Denver.

Bayard Sen. Steve Erdman and newly appointed Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte echoed their regional neighbors.

Even the lower $53.5 million in startup funding will send a message to Colorado that were serious about invoking the compact, said Erdman, an Appropriations Committee member.

Jacobson, whose predecessor Mike Groene co-sponsored LB 1015 before his Feb. 21 resignation, addressed calls from skeptical lawmakers for less expensive ways to bring Colorado to the negotiating table.

We have negotiated with Colorado in the 1920s, he said. Now its time for action. ... I can tell you that if I have nothing to bring to the table, Im wasting my time.

But Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha noted compact language entitling Colorado to all South Platte water between the Rockies and the Washington-Logan county line between Brush and Sterling.

Im granting the premise that were not doing this as a bargaining position, said Cavanaugh, one of the three senators who voted against LB 1015.

But before spending $500 million or more on a canal, lawmakers need to consider whether or not we will actually get what we are talking about, he added.

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Writer Beer & Society

There is nothing that cannot be discussed and worked out over a beer. Join me as I explore local beer, breweries and how they can civilize us.
This article was featured in One Great Story, New Yorks reading recommendation newsletter. Sign up here to get it nightly. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images; Google Maps

Unit 56D in Three Lincoln Center, a residential tower down the block from the Metropolitan Opera House, is a luxury three-bedroom condo valued at more than $3.2 million. It wraps around one of the towers corners, offering sweeping views of Central Park, the Hudson River, and the lower half of Manhattan. Its empty now, but since 2004, the property has been owned by one of Vladimir Putins most high-profile defenders, Valery Gergiev, the director of Russias state-owned Mariinsky Theater.

Gergiev doesnt quite fit our notion of a Russian oligarch, those titans of industry who command the countrys vast reservoir of natural resources. In spite of being a pretty famous conductor, hes small potatoes in the world of oligarchy, said Gergievs former agent, R. Douglas Sheldon, who confirmed that Gergiev bought the apartment and signed over partial power of attorney to maintain it. But the case of Gergiev does shed light on the difficulties U.S. authorities face in identifying and seizing Russian assets as the Biden administration seeks to put the squeeze on Putins regime.

Gergiev has been friends with Putin since the early days of post-Soviet Russia. As the director of one of the worlds most storied opera and ballet houses  a place that debuted works by Tchaikovsky and presented Mikhail Baryshnikov  he has had a hand in softening Russias reputation in the U.S. and throughout Europe. His role in establishing Russia as a powerhouse of western culture was going well until recently, when Gergiev lost his positions in Munich, in Vienna, and at New Yorks Carnegie Hall after he refused to denounce Putins invasion of Ukraine.

He plays that propaganda role, said Dmitry Valuev, who for the past year has been quietly hunting Russian oligarch money in the U.S. with a group of roughly 25 volunteers. Valuev  who discovered Gergievs apartment in public filings  became interested in the flow of Russian money in 2009, when the global economy was still recovering from the blowup of U.S. subprime mortgages. A surge in the cost of energy prices was filling up the states coffers  or, at least, that was where the revenue was supposed to go. The economy was growing very fast in Russia at the time because of the oil prices, but in the meantime, we didnt see any social change, we didnt see any investment in infrastructure, we didnt see that the government made attempts to make peoples lives better, he said.

The mystery of what happened to all this money pushed him into a career tracking corruption in his home country, working on the Magnitsky Act Initiative to sanction foreign government officials, and organizing groups of emigres in the U.S. for the Free Russia Foundation in Washington, D.C. Russias invasion of Ukraine has amped up his efforts to find the places where Russian elites have parked their cash. Valuev said Gergievs holdings in New York have never been publicized prior to his groups discovery, even as Russian law requires government employees to disclose their foreign holdings.

Russia and its companies, operatives, and citizens have already been the subject of an unprecedented series of global sanctions, but Valuev is pushing not just to freeze Russias assets  he wants to expose the vast amounts of wealth hidden throughout the U.S. economy just as prosecutors are looking to take control of them. Since the start of the invasion on February 24, French and German governments have seized superyachts, while President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have threatened to take the oligarchs property. These efforts have barely made a dent. Estimates of Russian offshore wealth top $1 trillion globally, but getting to any of it involves navigating webs of LLCs, many of which are headquartered in tax shelter states like the Cayman Islands.

Valuev and his militia, as he calls his volunteers, have found more than an estimated $450 million in assets belonging to Russian business and cultural leaders by trawling through public databases, deleted Russian news articles, and other pools of public information that can give clues to where Putins closest confidantes have stashed their money. They still have a long way to go: According to Transparency International, current and former Russian officials have owned 28,000 properties in 85 countries between 2008 and 2020. We have not found everything here in the United States, Valuev said. We just found what was on the surface.

That the worlds wealthiest people are hiding their money isnt really a secret. Since George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act in 2001, the U.S. Treasury has exempted the real-estate industry from the kind of strict money-laundering controls that apply to, say, stock trading, meaning that buying a multimillion-dollar condo on Wall Street undergoes less scrutiny than buying shares on the New York Stock Exchange. While the Treasury has slowly required some disclosures for some real-estate purchases in large cities like New York and Miami, they only apply to all-cash transactions over $300,000 made through shell companies, and only require those disclosures from title companies  not the agents who are actually brokering the deals.

Real-estate agents were expressly exempted from anti-money-laundering program requirements for reasons unknown some years ago, said Ross Delston, an attorney whos worked extensively on anti-money-laundering issues. The National Association of Realtors has one of the best lobbying arms in Washington.

Since the publication of the Panama Papers in 2016, whats come into clearer focus has been how dark money has been used to reward those in power, including people like Sergei Roldugin, one of Putins closest friends. Economists Gabriel Zucman, Filip Novokmet, and Thomas Piketty estimated in a paper that, as of 2015, Russias offshore wealth was roughly equal to what was within the country, a direct cause of widening inequality in the country. Corruption fuels instability, said Shruti Shah, CEO of the Coalition for Integrity, which tracks international corruption. What also has happened is a significant amount of reputation laundering that allows these oligarchs to have this veneer of respectability and allows them to infect democracies.

If finding oligarchs assets is arduous, unleashing the federal government to take control of potentially thousands of properties across the country would require the kind of resources and interagency coordination that hasnt been seen the early days of the war on terror. Already, that plan has begun. The day after President Biden threatened to hunt down oligarchs luxury apartments, yachts, and private jets, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the formation of Task Force KleptoCapture, a joint operation between the Justice Department, the Manhattan U.S. Attorneys office, and the elite criminal-investigation unit of the IRS to find and take control of the oligarchys assets.

Barring a declaration of war, the Feds cant just take ownership of assets without going through a criminal or civil procedure, called a civil forfeiture, that proves funds used to buy them were laundered or came via an illegal source, said Delston  an expensive, labor-intensive process that can take years. Instead, what they can do is just take it and hope the oligarchs dont put up a courtroom fight, which could give the government ownership in as little as six to nine months. In order to seize, they just need a seizure warrant, which is virtually identical to getting a search warrant, said Arnold A. Spencer, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney. Essentially, any prosecutor who has a minimum amount of evidence that an oligarchs money has come from a disreputable source can take control of a condo or a yacht and force him into a yearslong legal process.

The Treasury Department has signaled that, going forward, it could require brokers to do due diligence on where property buyers money comes from  a change that the Realtors lobby is currently fighting. Right now, the real-estate industry is required to do nothing, Delston said. Everyone from corrupt dictators, to Chinese industrialists, to Russian oligarchs are investing their money in the U.S. through real estate.

Valuev hopes that his work will point prosecutors and Treasury officials in the right direction. What this means for Gergievs Lincoln Center apartment is so far unclear. Its just sitting there. He has at times tried to sell it and never pulled the trigger on it, Sheldon said. Whether theres a future depends on what happens to Russian-American relations politically and economically going forward, and the more disastrous the war, the less of a future there is  period.
Vitalhub Corp.

TORONTO, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VitalHub Corp. (the Company or VitalHub) (TSX: VHI) is pleased to announce a licensing agreement of subsidiary Intouch with Healths (Intouch) hardware and software solutions with North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (the Trust or North Middlesex).



This is the 6th Intouch with Health transaction announced this quarter, succeeding the following recently-announced deals:

The Trust is a new customer of the Company, with the transaction resulting from North Middlesex seeking a solution for ongoing operational pressures, and the need to tackle their growing Elective Care backlog. The Trust expressed keen interest in the Companys Patient Flow Management solutions, to enable effective use of their facilitys rooms.

North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust is one of Londons busiest healthcare providers. The Trust provides hospital care and community services to the population living across Enfield, Haringey, and other boroughs in the North London area. Annually, the Trust provides treatment for over 650,000 patients.

The Trust can expect to see improved patient experience, enhanced Trust efficiencies, maximized room utilization, and improved staff utilization through the use of Intouchs products. This contract is a licensing transaction in which the North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust will receive the Companys Flow Manager, Check-in, Calling and Wait Time Manager, Mobile Appointment Manager, Room & Resource Manager, iReception Module, Kiosk Access License (per kiosk), Calling Access License (per calling screen), and cloud hosting software programs. Additionally, the Trust will receive 7 iReceptionist Kiosks and 13 Calling Screens. The expected deployment time is twelve-weeks. The Company is excited to engage in this new relationship, and to continue growing its network of Intouch users across the UK Healthcare space.

Story continues

As the 6th Intouch with Health transaction announced this quarter, this marks the most deals we have announced for Intouch in a comparable period, since acquiring the company, said Dan Matlow, CEO of VitalHub Corp. We are pleased to see the ongoing and growing market demand and penetration for our patient flow solutions, as we continue to execute on our growth strategy.

ABOUT NORTH MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS TRUST

North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Hospital Trust is one of Londons busiest healthcare providers, providing hospital care and community services for the 350,000 people living in Enfield, Haringey and beyond. The Trusts specialist services include HIV, cardiology, blood disorders, diabetes, fertility, sickle cell and thalassaemia. In addition to a full range of cancer diagnosis and treatment services, the Helen Rollason Cancer Support Centre is based on-site and provides services to support cancer patients wellbeing. Moreover, North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust provides a dedicated community service for children and young people, aged 0-19, in Enfield so that they can get the best possible start in life. North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trusts vision is to provide outstanding care to their community.

ABOUT VITALHUB

Software for Health and Human Services providers designed to simplify the user experience & optimize outcomes.

VitalHub provides technology to Health and Human Services providers including; Hospitals, Regional Health Authorities, Mental Health, Long Term Care, Home Health, Community and Social Services. VitalHub solutions span the categories of Electronic Health Record (EHR), Case Management, Care Coordination, Patient Flow & Operational Visibility, and DOCit Mobile Apps. The Company has a robust two-pronged growth strategy, targeting organic growth opportunities within its product suite, and pursuing an aggressive M&A plan. Currently, VitalHub serves 275+ clients across Canada, USA, UK, Australia, Qatar, and Latvia. VitalHub is based in Toronto, Canada, with an offshore development hub in Sri Lanka. The Company is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol VHI.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the Corporation and its business, which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the appointment of a new directors. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "is expected", "expects", "scheduled", "intends", "contemplates", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of each entity and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Although the management of each entity believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release, may not occur by certain specified dates or at all and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting the companies, including risks regarding the technology industry, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals, market conditions, economic factors, the equity markets generally and risks associated with growth and competition. Although the Corporation has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Dan Matlow

Chief Executive Officer, Director

(416) 727-9061

dan.matlow@vitalhub.com




The City of Opelika responded Wednesday to criticism on social media of an apartment complex planned for the corner of 10th Street and Avenue C.

In a letter to the community, Matt Mosley, city planning director, addressed specific concerns raised about The Taylor, a four-building complex to feature 182 one- and two-bedroom units.

There seemed to be a lot of misinformation about where exactly the property was, about whether or not it was in a historic district and whether or not it would be removing historic buildings or homes, Mosley said.

He said The Taylor will not be located within a historic district, and that it would provide somewhat a transition between downtown Opelika and the surrounding properties and would be a gateway from I-85 to the heart of the city.

Mayor Gary Fuller said the development, planned for a few blocks from downtown Opelika, will be within walking distance of restaurants and businesses and improves the economic viability for merchants downtown. He said the site is currently home to a farmer's market, a scrap metal dealer and several vacant buildings.

I think some folks are thinking if The Taylor gets built on Avenue C that the next thing someone would be wanting to build is a five-story apartment complex on North Railroad Avenue, Fuller said. I think the chances of that happening are slim to none. I just dont see it. I would not support that. I dont believe the city council would support it, and I certainly dont think the historic commission would support it.

The project has already been passed by the Planning Commission, and Opelika City Council in its Tuesday meeting will look at three different issues regarding the proposed development including rezoning the property, modification of the residential living requirements and vacating the alleyway within the property.

The property owner is Marsh Real Estate Investment LLC from Opelika and the development company is Sierra Development Group Incorporated from Macon, Ga.

Erica Baker Norris, Opelika Ward 2 City Councilwoman, said she will be hosting a community meeting with Marsh Real Estate Investment to answer questions from the community about affordable housing.

The meeting will be held on March 19 at 9 a.m., and Norris is awaiting confirmation from Opelika Public Library that the meeting can be held there.

We are going to answer a lot of those questions that people have and concerns that people have about the property, Norris said. The Marshes will be there to answer some questions including affordability. They have also mentioned to me that there are plans for some additional affordable housing that they are planning to invest in as well.

Social media complaints

Members of the community have been sharing their opinions about The Taylor project on Facebook, with recurring themes being that the apartment complex would ruin the historic charm of the downtown area, would be too expensive, and would cause traffic issues.

One Facebook post called for citizens to sign a petition titled Dont Ruin Opelika! with a goal of gaining 1,000 supporters. As of Wednesday afternoon the petition had 780 supporters.

Do not let Opelika turn into Auburn," one poster wrote. "Every time one of these apt buildings go up we lose the natural beauty of our city. And then it will be over run (sic) with way to (sic) many people and that takes away our historic charm as well.

Please dont ruin the Opelika we know and love by building these unattractive buildings, another wrote.

Some were concerned about the height of the buildings in the planned complex.

Others speculated about the cost to live in the new apartment complex, which will feature a swimming pool, workout room, grill area and other amenities, while lamenting the lack of affordable housing in the area.

Traffic was another concern.

This area frames our historic district," one individual commented. "We need to keep this area from being run over by development. The proposal would drastically increase the traffic on 10th street, which is already heavy. This street is used often by emergency vehicles. Heavier traffic will make it more problematic to make their way through to emergencies.

City's response

In his letter, Mosley said the goal is to create a downtown where people will live, work and play, and that the missing piece for the downtown area is housing.

Housing can occur while maintaining Opelikas rich inventory of historic structures and the fabric of downtown, he wrote. This includes adding residential units where it is possible above existing structures and behind our historic buildings downtown.

Mosley explained that any growth within the historic downtown area is required to be reviewed and approved by the Historic Preservation Commission.

This safeguard prevents buildings out of character being placed within our designated historic districts, he wrote.

In response to concerns about the height of the building, Mosley said the planned complex will be four stories high, or approximately 48 feet tall. He said The Taylor would be by no means one of the tallest buildings downtown, nor is it out of character, and he pointed out that it would be shorter than the Lee County Courthouse (54 feet) and the first gable of First Baptist Church (58 feet).

Mosley wrote that The Taylor will not be seen from downtown and would mostly be hidden behind the existing trees and other buildings.

The building design uses art deco styles, he said, which is present within the historic district and were relevant from the significant period of Opelikas downtown district."

The use of a flat roof is consistent with both downtown in general and this area," he wrote. "Additionally, the materials on these buildings include primarily brick, stucco and lap siding.

On the subject of affordable housing, Mosley wrote, The Planning Department does not typically know whether a project is intended to be an affordable housing project or what the expected rent will be during our review. We look at the design and impact it could have on the City, neighborhood, and adjacent property owners.

Mosley stated there was a need and desire for residential units downtown.

In a conversation Wednesday afternoon with the Opelika-Auburn News, Fuller said the price of rent is up to the owner of the property to decide and is not something for the city government to determine. He said the developers hadn't shared with him the projected rental fees, and Eddie Smith, the Council president, later said he hadn't seen the rates either.

In response to citizen's worries about traffic, Mosley wrote that the city's engineering department is planning to add space for a center lane to 10th Street to ease traffic congestion.

This might appear to cause traffic concerns, but this location would be considered one of the least likely areas to contribute to sprawl or traffic, he wrote.

Read Mosley's entire letter by going to the city website at www.opelika-al.gov and clicking on the link under "newsflash."
The world is living in a time of exciting technological innovations. Digital technologies are driving transformative change and economic paradigms are shifting. The new technologies are profoundly altering business and work and the latest advances in artificial intelligence and related innovations are expanding the frontiers of the digital revolution. The future is arriving faster than we expected.



Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), which is the governments investment arm and a major player in the financial services industry, is at the cutting edge of how corporate entities are transforming their operations to respond to the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a difficult 2020, characterised by shocks brought about by the outbreak of Covid-19, the prior year proceeded to throw some curve balls to the business community, and 2022 does not appear to be any different.

Many companies have now turned their attention to return and recovery.

Business leaders are now thinking about long-term strategic moves, particularly as the 'next normal' looks dramatically different from the future they had been planning for before 2020. When COVID-19 hit, businesses had to re-think things through the lens of the pandemic and how it was affecting their stakeholders. It was necessary to pivot, refine and veer in an uncharted direction. More reliance has now been placed on data-based decision making.

With COVID-19 having changed the way the economy will function for the foreseeable future, the biggest challenge that will be faced by professionals is failure to pivot and adapt to the direction the world is moving in, doing 'more of the same' and not taking the time to listen to specific consumer needs in various cohorts. Falling into this trap would mean that businesses entirely miss the importance of community in building strategic plans that deliver on what the market is asking for: 'Data First-Human Last' thinking.



There is an increased need to understand and apply technologies that will drive a cohesive digital experience and this will be the differentiating factor between organisations that thrive and those that are constantly in triage. Additionally, the ability to track and report analytics has become critical to showcasing business success during a time of churn.

BDC has made data-driven decision-making, the norm, creating a culture that encourages critical thinking and curiosity. The Corporations strategic business decisions are based on data and facts that will inform management of the direction to take. It is however, worth noting that transforming how a company makes decisions is no easy task but incorporating data and analytics into decision-making will yield a transformative impact on business. This requires a dedicated approach to developing and refining skills in this area. Data-driven decisions have also gone from being a priority goal to being absolutely necessary to survive the unplanned and significant changes to the business environment.



It is therefore important for business leaders to make technology investments, support broader data skills (analytics proficiency) and develop infrastructure that enables wide-scale decision making to reap greater value from data and analytics. BDC is enthusiastic about the new strategic plan it's embarking on that will scale the Corporations leverage on technology and digitisation to improve business efficiencies, align technology and operations with business goals, in order to boost inclusive and sustainable growth.



Boitshwarelo Lebang is BDC Head of Strategy and Corporate Affairs
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Showers in the morning, then cloudy in the afternoon. High 62F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy early with partial clearing expected late. Low 48F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
ugh biochemical warfare now? hes heinous

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He's using the exact same technic he used in Syria 

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Surely the Russians know that it's important to make sure that Chernobyl has power?? Like how did it even lose power? Intentional on Russia's part or some kind of fuck up that they don't know how to fix?



And yeah, I think Russia is absolutely setting the groundwork to use chemical and biological weapons and that scares the fuck out of m.

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They've done it before on Putin's opponents and happily let Syria do it.

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I haven't been commenting much but I just wanted to say thanks for these. I know we're getting less and less comments so soon they'll stop (if Russia doesn't boot us out on the 11th anyway lol) but they were really helpful to have a space where we could all be confused and upset and sad and angry together :)

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Seconded. I hang around and learn.

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i hope they dont stop! these posts feel necessary imo

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Wait what's happening on the 11th? I've seen that mentioned a few times now.

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From what I understand RU is cutting off www. So they'll have their own private internet bubble. It's not really known if it's just gov sites or everything from ru. So LJ could go down.



Edited at 2022-03-10 02:55 am (UTC)

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Hopefully if it goes down, tge mods will tell us the new home via the ontd twitter account.

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Same here. Ive read every post even though Ive never commented. This is important and I appreciate the info and legitimate news resources being linked here.

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I rewatched Chernobyl this weekend and the way the Russian army has been targeting the place (and other nuclear plants) makes me so anxious.



And I just read the whole thing about chemical/biological warfare.......



This is a nightmare.

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I'm curious about Chernobyl too. There was a good documentary I watched years ago about the children affected still today by it and the majority are outside of the exclusion zone and it's one of the Belarussian cities that is still dealing with the after effects. It was a documentary about the orphanages and I wish I could remember the title.



This is a nightmare is the only way to sum this up.

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it's 100% psychological warfare to try to get Europe to back off

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I watched one episode of Chernobyl and was so upset, I had to walk away from it and listen to nature sounds to calm down. Any news about it is setting me off

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I know Chernobyl is good, I trust everyone's opinion on it...I just cannot bring myself to watch it. The few clips I've seen are just fucking heartbreaking and terrifying and brings me back to my 17 yr old anxiety.

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Zelenskyy calls for more sanctions in his



Slava Ukraini. Heroiam slava.  Your summaries are the best, OP.Zelenskyy calls for more sanctions in his daily speech Slava Ukraini. Heroiam slava. 

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Thanks for the summary OP



Ive tried to avoid most news cause of my sanity and work has been a lot lately, but how real are the chances of this evolving into an actual WW3? Only if Ukraine joins the EU and theyre forced to protect it?

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I dont think the EU will affect much as an organization (except with sanctions), its more a question of whether NATO as a whole directly intercedes. I think this is only going to evolve into WW3 if Putin decides to directly attack a NATO country or if he uses tactical nukes or chemical weapons on Ukraine. NATO is being very very careful not to directly interact militarily.





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Joining EU is pretty long and complicated process. There are several parts to the process that should get the country ready for it (reforms mostly) and they cannot be skipped. So i think Ukraine won't join EU for a while.



WWIII would happen if Rus*ia attacked or accidentally hit NATO country or if NATO somehow joined the fight by sending army to Ukraine.

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Have any nuclear scientists said what will happen if the generator power runs out and it's then fully left without power?

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Before we get deep into the details, I want to pump the brakes a little about what this could mean.



A second meltdown/Chernobyl-sized disaster 2.0 is not in the cards. An emergency would likely take some time to develop, if it happens at all.https://t.co/093PoPZ6a6  Tim Mak (@timkmak) March 9, 2022



There's a thread here with some info:

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Tim Mak is an excellent Twitter follow

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Thank you so much!

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Thank you so much for these posts. 



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As a Black man in Ukraine who is risking my life helping Ukrainian refugees reach Europe, I agree with everything @JoyAnnReid said here. She is totally correct about the hypocrisy in how Black and brown refugees are treated by the west vs so-called "white" Ukrainians.



Thread https://t.co/gVe5ymb8Q3  Terrell Jermaine Starr (@terrelljstarr) March 9, 2022



Edited at 2022-03-10 02:18 am (UTC) I really like Terrrell and his takes of being a Black man living in Ukraine. I also really love his perspective on how Black people and Ukrainians can find so much solidarity with one another.

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I'm not sure if the Roma people would fit under the brown category or a category of their own, but I went back to the Day 1 post and watched the videos of the American guy who was - everything is cool nothing to see here- to see if he changed his tune. He did and filmed his leaving process. The last of his getting out of dodge videos were particularly infuriating and ugly, especially from someone with an American passport who could leave the area completely.



There were Roma people at the train station where I think everyone was trying to make their way to Hungary. He complains about "all the tickets" the Roma were buying and how they were using what was happening as an "excuse" to get to an EU country, and it's like everyone at the station is trying to get out of Ukraine why ascribe something shady to them. Then he tried to insert himself into the situation to make sure white Ukraine mothers and children got on the train as though there weren't Roma women and children there as well. Some of the issue was people cutting in line, (also a pet peeve of mine) but his overall attitude was...Nevermind that some of the Roma were already there when he got there.







Edited at 2022-03-10 06:24 am (UTC)

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It's really unfortunate that people will still be racist and discriminatory during a crisis like this.

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Once again, thank you for a comprehensive (and exhaustive), general, and informative post! It's great to come in here and see these posts as a place to kind of "fall back" on when other social media spaces can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. I really appreciate the straightforward clarity in your information - it helps a lot!



I haven't been optimistic/hopeful about any of the ways this current environment and situation in Ukraine could develop, but even less so with the consideration of chemical/biological weapons. And society really tried to spoon-feed us those disingenuous lies* as children that we were "above" warfare and propaganda tactics in our "progressive" day and age.





*ETA: I'm the child of a refugee so I've never fully bought into the lies of Western ideology and belief systems, but damn lmao. Seeing it play out is something else.







Edited at 2022-03-10 02:19 am (UTC)

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Yeah. Im mentally preparing myself for Putin resorting to bio or chemical warfare since things arent going his way. The propaganda in Russia has been ratcheted it up - on a scale of 1 to 10 its at like 1,000. Still very distressing that one person can do this.something has got to change.

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He's already sowing the seeds by accusing Ukraine of manufacturing biological weapons.



Straight from the Nazi playbook of accusing your enemies, of what you yourself are doing/planning.

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Two weeks ago, as Vladimir Putin was declaring his vicious war on Ukraine, he called the West an "Empire of Lies." In fact, the Kremlin's disastrous move was itself rooted in lies, misconceptions and giant lapses of expertise & intelligence. 1/ pic.twitter.com/5vi5J0Begq  Alexander Gabuev  (@AlexGabuev) March 10, 2022 This is a really interesting thread.

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3a/ Side note: given the secrecy, accuracy of  intelligence community's predictions (even the public part of it spread through media and official statements) deserves credit, and explains why USG was so reluctant to share sensitive details that could endanger sources & methods.  Alexander Gabuev  (@AlexGabuev) March 10, 2022

okay, I'm guessing that given the small planning group, the source of US intel will be blamed for the conscripts okay, I'm guessing that given the small planning group, the source of US intel will be blamed for the conscripts

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that table is joke. it always seems like its getting longer

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That's such a large table, his dick must be tiny.

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Real joke seeing China talk about unilateral sanctions when they sanctioned SK over THAAD, while NK is shooting off missiles, and Australia over wanting to investigate the origins of COVID (which Australia has weathered and as a result became more independent from China, so well done.) They've also tried to accuse the US of engineering COVID, so them glomming onto Russia's false accusations to justify slaughtering Ukrainians have an additional level.



So I'm queasy waiting for the inevitable chemical attacks.



Also waiting to see who gets thrown under the bus now that Putin is disclaiming any knowledge of there being doomed conscripts in their invasion force.

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They've also tried to accuse the US of engineering COVID



Is there a source for this? China always said it originated from a market, which was recently re-validated by scientists last week in @NYT

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/world/asia/coronavirus-china-conspiracy-theory.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58273322



these conspiracy theories are targeted at placating a domestic audience because China mishandled their response to the virus. internationally, they admit to it coming from the market



Edited at 2022-03-10 02:51 am (UTC) these conspiracy theories are targeted at placating a domestic audience because China mishandled their response to the virus. internationally, they admit to it coming from the market

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and one more that indicates russian media's involvement in pushing these kinds of stories: https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/09/china-fires-back-at-biden-with-conspiracy-theories-about-maryland-lab/

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Speaking of, since the SK election just happened, the new guy's stance on China and NK is infinitely more concerning given the climate.

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Also waiting to see who gets thrown under the bus now that Putin is disclaiming any knowledge of there being doomed conscripts in their invasion force.



RIP to whatever general or ministry of defense person Putin decides to be the sacrificial lamb.

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China want to invade Taiwan some day. They're playing their own long game and will back Russia's attempt until it's no longer serving China's interests.

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BBC is reporting "Deputy Mayor Orlov said at least 1,170 civilians had been killed in the city since Russia began its bombardment, [ ] although those figures have not been independently verified." re Mariupol.



A friend of a friend is there with her family, and have not been commenting or responding for almost 3 days.



I was very solidly against US transferring all those Polish jets to Ukraine, and against NATO protecting Ukrainian sky. But after seeing Putin openly lie (see conscript solders in Ukraine), seeing him comparing sanctions to an act of war, seeing Russian forces launch mortars at fleeing civilians, and finally seeing endless Russians try to convince the world (and themselves, lbh) that Russian invasion is all Ukraine's/Biden's/NATO's fault, I think that Putin will do whatever he wants to do. He has zero interest in following any basic rules of engagement, so it is pointless to try play by the rules with him.



He can state that helping by providing missles is an "act of war." Or he can say that countries telling him "you can choke on your oil!!!!" commiting an "act of war." Or he can poison his own solders with some toxic gas and call it "an act of war." If NATO protects the sky  at least some civilians may survive.

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I wonder if it wouldnt be better to get some PATRIOT systems over there to basically shoot down missiles and Russian jets.



[Kind of wondering if thats what Zelenskyy has wanted all along.]



Edited at 2022-03-10 02:28 am (UTC)

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I think that the USA is moving some PATRIOT systems in Poland closer to the boarder?

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I hope the friend of a friend is okay and it's because they don't have power (which is still bad enough)

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if NATO agrees to a no fly zone, literally 10s of millions of people worldwide would probably die if/when it escalates to the use of nuclear weapons. NATO would be bombing russian planes from the sky and potentially also bombing russian military airports, russia would certainly retaliate. it's really horrible reality and horrible for Ukrainians but if NATO participates in a no fly zone, we are really looking at a brutal, potentially nuclear global war

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I'm sorry and hope the friend of a friend answers and couldn't do so until now because they don't have power.

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Been on the road for work this week and not really able to stay up on the news. My trip just made me worried about Americans being assholes who dont give a shit about anything but foxnews bullshit and doing the wrong damn things again and again.

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What do you mean re: americans doing the wrong thing?

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Pressuring government to abandon Ukraine. Going full pro-Putin in large numbers. Etc.

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we don't talk about gay bruno

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i mean he is literally in a closet

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beyond the closet....he's behind the walls

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I'm fucking tired of making Disney look good so WHO'S READY FOR ANOTHER CHARITY LIVESTREAM MARCH 13th!!!



More details to come.  #dontsaygay #disneydobetter pic.twitter.com/1MtumvjfB0  Dana Terrace (@DanaTerrace) March 7, 2022 Related, and it might have been posted here already, but the creator of the Owl House spoke out too.

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I remember Dana said TOH wasn't cancelled because of Luz/Amity, but I always thought she was hoping against all hopes or was under an NDA to not say anything. In light of all this I definitely think the show was cancelled because of it and the execs dressed it up as "not fitting the image" or whatever. TOH might get a little intense at times but there's nothing in it especially upsetting.

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ia, I didn't believe anyone saying it wasn't because it was too gay... it was obviously because of that :(

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watching this just made me so sad

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Good for them.



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This can't be a surprise to people that Disney has made an art of fence straddling when it comes to LGBT issues. They have been the top prize winners of the "both sides" argument for years.



Edited at 2022-03-10 05:19 am (UTC)

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Elsas donkey and snowman are quaking @ this hot take. So is the Italian mermaid boy and his luvr!! Disney is very accept

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Live-action Le Fou waltzed with another man for 0.5 seconds of screen time, the gays are thrivinggggg

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Wait lol so their form of equity just seems to be casting Josh Gad in shit and calling it a gay/day



Lmao Im fucking dying the forms were all fucked up on the page/my phone when I made that comment I didnt realize I put my username as the subject lolol I thought I was signing in.. lololol



Edited at 2022-03-10 04:28 pm (UTC)

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100%. Theyre only allies when it benefits them.

Not to mention theyve always said things and then funded politicians on both sides. Florida is a red state and like most large companies theyre going to give money to whoevers in charge to grease the wheels a little. Disney fence straddles about pretty much every political issue.

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fuck disney and bob paycheck! he's awful and needs to go

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Let it go.mp3 starts playing

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The outrageously hideous ogre responsible for this bill makes Shrek look like the sexiest man alive. Curse this scum man and the sorry trash that resulted from him being in office.

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God, I hate whoever it was that introduced right wingers to the word grooming. Ive had to block and report nearly a dozen people for trying to justify harassing lgbt folks.

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Lmao? Are right wingers trying to groom lgbt folk by harassing them on insert platform?

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Nah, its basically any talk of lgbt people and history and words is GROOMING kids

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The one thing they're good at, misusing words until rendered meaningless.



Edited at 2022-03-10 12:55 pm (UTC)

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oop

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In the Disney Shareholder meeting, Bob Chapek just said he talked to Governor Ron DeSantis who assured him that the law would not be used to weaponize against the LGBTQ+ community, and for the first time in a long time I am at a loss for words  Ryan Aguirre (@aguirreryan) March 9, 2022 vile, disgusting, embarrassing, infuriating etc.

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Its not a weapon if its a gun!!! Its a right!!!!!!!!!

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Evil, evil man. 2023 is going to be a nightmare when he starts to campaign early.

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there's no way anyone with half a brain would actually believe desantis about that, so he's clearly choosing willful ignorance in order to...what? idk, not seem too ~political~? what an asshole.

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theyre literally all over fox news calling gay people pedophiles who are grooming children



there is no amount of rainbow princess merch that can make up for that

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then what is it for then motherfucker if not to be weaponized against the LGBTQ+ community????

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So fucking gross.

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I dunno why this is really getting to me even though I am meh on most Disney IPs (save for KH). Really shouldnt be surprised as they are a massive corporation, but having them say it out loud and doubling down just somehow hurts even more.

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bob chapek retire bitch. i know that the problem at disney goes deeper than him but i needed to say that first because i truly hate that man. disney is supporting these politicians not just financially and ideologically because of the way they censor their artists who want to legitimately represent their own lives in their art and instead do shit like that "exclusively gay moment" in the live action BATB (and i'm still rolling my eyes over Josh Gad being so excited about the Le Fou and Gaston Disney+ show and immediately saying the way Disney marketed that moment was fucked up once it was cancelled). it's not just pixar but even back in the mid-2010s Disney fought with the creator and writer of Gravity Falls over the way he wanted to depict queer characters on the show.

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Yeah, I remember him having to change two background characters in The Love God episode into a straight couple. Then finally when the show was ending, they let him confirm the officers were together in the last episode.

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All the Bobs suck. And I appreciate that they went from Bob to another Bob so I can just complain about how awful Bob is and not specify because theyre both awful.

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Make Bob Belcher in charge

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ugh corporations rainbow washing and they own all the american media exported overseas too, go away please.



question, do we know if disney is equally sending large amounts of moneraty donations to politicians against this dont say gay whatever bill?



eta: wow it is really called a dont say gay bill? kids sometimes take things at super face value so they are probably not gonna be dicks about someone with two mums or dads, but they also ask really weird and/or difficult questions bc they genuinely want to know? and how is it indoctrination if a teacher is just gently explaining to jimmy that susan having two dads is the same as he having a mum and a dad or frank having a mum, dad and step mum?



Edited at 2022-03-10 05:51 am (UTC)

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No, the bill is actually called "Parental Rights in Education".

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seems like taking parental rights away from parents who want their kids to go to schools where they can share in a diversity of thought and diverse communities

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desantis can choke on a bowl of rotten dicks.

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im still so bitter they canceled nimona when it was almost completed.

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omg I didn't hear it was cancelled... ;-;

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yeah, when disney shut down blue sky studios, nimona shut down with it. i figured it was a matter of time because i knew disney wouldnt release an animated movie with lbgt lead characters but every time it stayed on their schedule i had a little hope.



goldenloin and blackheart were supposed to kiss and say i love you in the film.

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Alabama Construction Site to Promote Workplace Safety, Health

OSHA has signed a strategic partnership with an Alabama construction company to prevent worker injuries and exposure to hazards.

Brasfield & Gorrie Construction has signed a strategic partership with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in an effort to focus on preventing workplace injuries and exposure to hazards during the construction of the University of Alabamas Medical West project in McCalla, Alabama.

According to a press release, the partnership will seek to promote workplace safety and health during the construction of a nine-story, 413,988-square-foot hospital, central energy plant, medical office building and a five-story parking deck. Once complete, the facility is expected to include 260 beds on a 26-acre site.

The initiative is said to encourage contractors to develop and implement safety and health programs, and provide safety and health training to employees, employers and supervisors. Training is said to be focused on personal protective equipment, heat illness prevention, hazards related to falls, struck-by and caught-in objects, electrical equipment and work practices, fire protection and prevention, safe use of hand and power tools and silica and noice exposure.

Public-private sector partnerships focused on worker safety and health training at all levels are a proven method to enhance worker safety during major construction projects, said OSHA Area Office Director Ramona Morris in Birmingham, Alabama in a press release. Partnerships like these make a significant difference in ensuring workers finish their days work safely.
The need to develop a variety of energy sources has never been so evident. As the global reliance on a few specific oil and gas sources becomes clear, it seems obvious that we should be investing in diversifying our energy mix. But while governments are looking to expand their solar and wind power, is enough being done to develop other options that could help boost the global energy supply? Geothermal energy is one such energy source that needs significantly more funding for it to be better understood and developed so it can become a commercial source of energy. While geothermal energy has been around for decades, a few small startups are finally drawing attention to the little-talked-about green energy source, largely thanks to new technologies making it a more viable source of power. Geothermal energy comes from the conversion of heat energy from under the earths crust. To access this energy, producers dig wells of around one mile deep to underground reservoirs to find steam and hot water that can power turbines connected to electricity generators. There are three types of geothermal energy operations: dry steam, flash and binary. The potential of this green geothermal energy is huge, but it has been largely untapped due to the limitations of the technologies from previous decades.

This month Baker Hughes announced an investment in San Francisco-based GreenFire Energy Inc, a geothermal technology company. GreenFire has previously received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission. The firm creates Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS), closed-loop systems that require no liquids to be input or extracted from the earth, meaning there is no fracking. The system allows fluids to circulate in sealed pipes and boreholes underground which pick up heat and transport it to the surface.

Executive Vice President of oilfield services at Baker Hughes, Maria Claudia Borras, stated: The combined efforts of Baker Hughes and GreenFire Energy will bring a disruptive presence to the geothermal market, while also introducing new technologies to access geothermal energy from non-producing resources.

While the CEO of GreenFire Energy, Joseph Scherer, highlighted the potential for global expansion, This investment by Baker Hughes represents a fantastic endorsement of our technology, the promise for its global scalability and the progress we have made to date.

Related: Russia Halts Exports Of Over 200 Products But Excludes Energy

As some energy majors begin to invest in the energy source, several U.S. universities are also exploring how they might harness geothermal power through the introduction of new technologies that could help develop the green energy source. In February, Quaise Energy, a startup with researchers from MIT, raised $40 million in funding to support its mission to access some of the worlds most hard-to-reach heat sources.

Quaise plans to drill down into the earth using high-frequency beams to melt and vaporize rocks. The funding will allow Quaise to apply its research to a real-world scenario, drilling holes in some of the U.S.s largest untapped geothermal sources to see whether its machinery can withstand the heat needed to access this resource.

And Quaise isnt the only research-led startup trying to develop new geothermal technologies. Several small U.S. colleges and universities are seeking new ways to develop green energies, such as Carleton College in Minnesota. The college completed a $41 million geothermal project last year, having drilled around 300 boreholes and installed 60 miles of piping over five years. The project creators also built an energy station with an 800-ton heat pump. Carleton now expects its energy use to fall by 40 percent and its emissions to decrease by 15 percent.

In other parts of the world, several countries and energy firms are also looking to develop their geothermal energy sectors. In Greece, the Ministry of Environment and Energy introduced a new policy this month allowing for the exploration, management, and exploitation of the countrys geothermal potential. Minister Alexandra Sdoukou, stated, Today we are laying the foundations for the development of the rich geothermal potential of the country, which to date has not been used effectively.

European energy firm E.ON is investing over $5.9 million to develop a geothermal project in Malmo, Sweden, looking to expand its energy portfolio. The firm will drill five to seven kilometers underground to tap into maximum temperatures of 160 degrees Celsius, which will be used to supply the citys heating network. It is also partnering on geothermal projects in the U.K. and Germany.

While some governments and larger energy firms are investing in geothermal energy, it appears to be mainly research centers and startups that are investing in revisiting existing machinery and exploring new technologies to access the earths heat source. If one of these startups can create a drill that can withstand massive amounts of heat or find an alternative drilling technology, it could be a game-changer. Although largely overlooked due to difficulties in accessibility, geothermal energy could potentially power the world for generations to come, making greater investment and research into geothermal technologies a vital part of renewables development.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Turkey's National Pride is Based on Genocide Denial

During the years of World War I 75% (750,000) of the Assyrian population in the Ottoman Empire was systematically murdered. That genocide of Assyrians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 is a fact, but it has largely been forgotten by the world. The pain of the genocide continues in the collective memory of the Assyrians as Turkey continues to deny and publicly denounce responsibility for this largely forgotten crime against humanity against Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks.

The Turkish republic, as the lawful successor of the Ottoman Empire, has a policy of denial and refuses to acknowledge the genocide despite overwhelming evidence. The Republic of Turkey was founded on the genocide of 1915 and even after 104 years the genocidal mentality remains. President Erdogan maintains that "Muslims cannot commit genocide."

Kemal Yalcin is a Turkish author living in Germany. Yalcin has published many books about the Assyrian, Armenian and Greek genocide. He has done interviews on the genocide with many Armenians and Assyrians. One of his books contains a passage of an old man that aptly summarizes the emotions and thoughts of many Assyrians:

Few of us have witnessed that great, horrible catastrophe. But its wounds have shaped our memories. I suffer even from its memory! Even though we didn't experience those frightful days, those caravans of death, we bear their scars on us. And what did those that experienced those days do? In our region the killing of the Armenians was delegated to the Kurds. Everybody knows this. The Kurds use the term "The infidel massacre." I have to point out that the term "infidel" gavur is a condescending term to depict Christians. I'm by no means accusing all Kurds or Turks. My anger is directed to those that planned this catastrophe in detail. I will be relieved when all this is brought to light and is acknowledged. I don't hate the Turks or the Kurds. They should be ashamed of themselves! But I prey that God will have them punished.

These are the emotions and thoughts of the Assyrians as well. Our issue is with those that planned and implemented this genocide. Perhaps you will think that this is odd because the perpetrators are all dead. Yes they are. But it is on their heritage that a country was founded. The modern Republic of Turkey was founded in this manner. Turkey was homogenized, and this was solely due to the perpetrators. It is not an exaggeration to claim that the economic prosperity of successive political elites in Turkey could only be attained by the genocide of the Christians. And I'm not aware of any serious research on this topic in Turkey so far.

The effects of the genocide of 1915 were both economic and political. The present political elite are still denying the genocide by asserting the following thesis: "the event is a historical event, leave it to the historians". This thesis emanates from Turkeys wish to pacify and forget the whole issue. If it really wanted to leave it to the historians, they would have been more tolerant of dissenting academics. But we know that it is impossible for any historian to freely speak and write on the genocide.

In this regard Turkey is far from being a democratic society.

The descendants of Assyrian, Armenian and Greek victims of 1915 request acknowledgement and apologies for the atrocity within the framework of international law.

Acknowledgement and apology is the required step to be taken with reference to the genocide. Turkey will benefit greatly from critically scrutinizing its history because it will receive more international respect. Denial will only bring the opposite.

Acknowledgement of the genocide does not only imply social maturity, but also prevents future outbreaks of violence and persecution. Turkey's reckoning with its past, a growth of respect for human rights and an increase of democratization will prove to be a great asset for the entire world.

Is there a difference between the mentality of the perpetrators of genocide, and those that deny one? The mentality I am talking about is in power today. We have no intention to foster hostility or hatred against Turkey or the Turkish people. Let us be aware that Turkey's sordid past cannot be cleaned away with threats and denials by Turkish leaders. The Turkish state, which carries on its shoulder the historic responsibility of the Assyrian, Greek and Armenian genocide, owes the victims, their descendants and the world an apology.

I believe that the initial condition for eliminating these problems is not to compromise with history's brutality. Every great nation has its disgraceful pages written in history. What is important is what the nation learns, and embraces the chance to take responsibility, not just for the past, but also for the future generations.

Willy Brandt was the Prime Minister of Germany. Whilst visiting Poland he visited a monument to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. He approached the monument, knelt and apologized. This gesture, from an honorable statesman, opened the way to improve the relations between the German and Jewish peoples. It is well known that Willy Brandt actively struggled against the Nazi regime and that he lived in exile as a result. As an individual he bore no responsibility for the Nazi brutality. But as a German, he realized this was about collective responsibility and that his nation must apologize to the Jews. Willy Brandt showed the first step on how a nation can take responsibility.

As for the Turkish Prime minister Tayip Erdogan and his foreigner minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, they have not demonstrated the same great statesmanship as Willy Brandt.

In reference to France and Italy's recognition of the 1915 killings of Armenians as genocide, Minister Cavusoglu said "We are proud of our history because our history has never had any genocides. And no colonialism exists in our history," at an event at Selcuk University in Konya on April 15.

The true democratization of Turkey is impossible without acknowledgment of the genocide.
Botswana will in the near future implement a new strategy that will help in simplifying science language in research. Work for formulating the strategy was made possible by the fact that Botswana is a member of the Science Granting Council Initiative, an initiative for Science Granting Councils in sub-Saharan Africa whose main focus is on strengthening the capacities of SGCs in order to support research and evidence-based policies that will contribute to economic and social development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Science Communication and Public Engagement Strategy for Botswana has been finalised and handed to the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology for approval, Deputy Director at the Department of Research Science and Technology, Oabona Monngakgotla says. He said the document was submitted to the parent ministry last year December. Documents have to go through a consultative stage, before they become national documents. Government has to endorse, he said.

Emphasising on the need for Botswana to have a Science Communication and Public Engagement Strategy, Monngakgotla said there is a realisation that information about science is not very easy to communicate. Its either you communicate it as a scientist and leave out quite a number of people who dont understand science terminology, or you dont share with the public entirely, he said. The purpose of the Communication Strategy is therefore to look at ways at which to engage the public with science communication fairly well and easily for the communities to understand what we want understood about science in the barest and most simplistic way an ordinary man in the street would understand, Monngakgotla said.

This strategy really looks at ways in which we could engage; those with the scientific knowledge will engage those that need to understand the scientific knowledge and create a kind of relation between the scientific community and the society at large in terms of understanding science and understanding the importance of science and see how they can take science further in terms of understanding and application, he noted. Once the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology approve the strategy the next stage is to present it back to the private sector for implementation.

We were doing this strategy with the private sector, we consulted them. The industry is playing a critical role and government has provided a conducive environment at policy level, explained Monngakgotla. Responding to a question on whether being a member of the SGCI has given the department any opportunities to inform/influence policy processes in Botswana, Director in the Department of Research Science and Technology, Lesego Thamae said the Science Communication and Public Engagement Strategy is one of the Departments contributions to policy processes.

The other document, which the department worked on, is the Private Sector Engagement Strategy for Research, Science, Technology and Innovation. The two strategies are quite critical for us as a country, Thamae said. The Private Sector Engagement Strategy for Research, Science, Technology and Innovation is also with the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology for approval.

Thamae, who praised the handholding by the SGCI throughout the processes, said the strategy will help the country in having research and innovation being better coordinated and funded. Having that also as part of SGCI, participat- ing in capacity building sessions helped us as we developed the documents, she said.
The UAE has taken a step back from assurances it would encourage fellow OPEC members to boost their production above their agreed quotas to help rein in runaway oil prices.

In a tweet quoted by media, the Emirati energy minister, Suhail al Mazrouei, said that "The UAE believes in the value OPEC+ brings to the oil market," and the country remains committed to the OPEC agreement for the gradual increase of oil production.

The minister's statement follows another one, made by the UAE's ambassador to the United States, saying that "We favour production increases and will be encouraging Opec to consider higher production levels."

Shared with the Financial Times, the statement also said that "The UAE has been a reliable and responsible supplier of energy to global markets for more than 50 years and believes that stability in energy markets is critical to the global economy."

Yet it seems Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba's statement was not coordinated with the energy ministry, which prompted the tweet by al Mazrouei.

Oil prices reacted positively to the Minister's tweet, with Brent crude trading 5.97% higher at $117.8 per barrel, while WTI crude traded 5.23% higher on the day at $114.4 per barrel.

The UAE is Saudi Arabia's closes Gulf ally and one of the biggest OPEC oil producers. The United States has approached both countries with requests to reconsider the gradual boost strategy to output growth, but both have been markedly reluctant to do so.

According to media reports, the White House had tried to organize phone calls with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, but both had declined to speak with President Biden.

"There was some expectation of a phone call, but it didn't happen," a Washington official told the Wall Street Journal about Crown Prince Mohammed. "It was part of turning on the spigot [of Saudi oil."

Washington has called on all global oil producers to boost production after it imposed a unilateral ban on Russian crude oil and oil product imports following the Ukraine incursion.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
To replace this heavy oil, the U.S. is now looking to Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, not countries that the U.S. would want to rely on in a crisis.

While the volume of oil imported from Russia wasnt significant, the quality of the oil was as it was used to improve the API gravity of the throughput from U.S. refineries.

Events occur in the energy market almost too fast to properly catalog these days. The torrent of information is cacophonous as one dire prediction for the direction of the oil price after another rolls across the ticker. Nonetheless, it behooves us to try and ferret out relevant details from this torrent of data. As I applied myself to this task one thing, in particular, became blindly apparent to me. The substance behind most of what I was hearing was pretty thin. As in almost non-existent thin. We will avoid the political side of this debate and focus on the impact on our wallets and the ability to pull up to a gas pump and fill up our F-150s.

The last week and in the early part of this week, one emerging aspect of the energy market struck me. People were now talking about the increasing likelihood of banning Russian imports to the U.S, and one of them was Joe Biden. Sanctions talk for oil began to ramp up in earnest, and the talk had gone from no-how, no-way to it just might happen. On Tuesday, President Biden acted to go it alone and block Russian oil from coming to the U.S. Europe, where winter runs a bit longer, simply can't follow suit and will continue to purchase Russian oil and gas. What is the impact of this decision on Americans?

Now, at first glance, this appears to be just a great idea that helps starve the Russian war machine of capital. We only import about 600K BOPD from Russia, a relatively small amount that picking up about 50 rigs could replace. So whats the problem? It turns out, we need Russian oil, or something like it. And therein lies the rub. We don't produce much of what we need in terms of blending stock, heavy oil that is.

RBN Energy Blog

Now we are looking high and low for replacements in a lot of places with less than savory reputations, and some under U.S. sanctions currently. As I have explained in various places recently, oil companies need blending stock to improve the API gravity of the throughput from their refineries. As the BTU Analytics graph below shows, the major fracking basins that produce most of the ~9 mm BOPD that we rely upon, produce very little of this heavy oil. Thats just life.

BTU Analytics

What this means though is that we have to replace like for like in terms of API gravity oil, and once again therein lies the rub. Nations that the president is contacting to ease the strain on American motorists include: Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. What is the likelihood of our "friends" in these far-flung places coming to our rescue?

Related: OPEC Discusses Oil Market With U.S. Shale Executives

Venezuela has been under the thumb of U.S. sanctions for several years now, forcing the country to look for assistance from Russia as this WSJ article notes. Recently a delegation from the U.S. flew to Caracas to discuss relaxing sanctions on that country, so the U.S. could buy more oil. This Reuters article suggests that Nicholas Maduro, the Russian puppet dictator in Caracas, has learned the art of negotiation well from his patron Vladimir Putin over in Moscow. Instead of a big "Nyet, the two parties agreed to a basis for future negotiations. Venezuelan production, most recently at around 800K BOPD, has been heading eastward to China in order to evade the sanctions. Orinoco grade crude is so thick and heavy that it needs a diluent to pump at ambient temps, and our friends in Tehran helped with that, so some 2-mm barrels went to repay Iran. The thought that Venezuela has meaningful excess production to send to the U.S. stretches reality just a hair.

Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are not on the best of terms these days. In days of yore an exhortation by the U.S. president to, "pump more oil," would have had considerable sway. Since we indelicately pinned the murder of Khashoggi on the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salmon has been cultivating other relationships. Specifically with Russia as it happens, including a military cooperation agreement. With the additional de facto membership of Russia in OPEC+, the notion that President Biden was ever going to shake any extra oil loose in Saudi Arabia, is chuckle-worthy. In fact, the trip isnt going to happen at all, I am hearing. Astoundingly, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal, the Saudis didnt take the call from the American president.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the U.A.E.s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan both declined U.S. requests to speak to Mr. Biden in recent weeks, the officials said, as Saudi and Emirati officials have become more vocal in recent weeks in their criticism of American policy in the Gulf.

WSJ

I would be surprised if thats ever happened before.

That brings us to Iran. Iran has also been under U.S. sanctions since time immemorial and basically does just fine. It turns out another 'close-friend' of the U.S. has been helping them evade the full impact of our sanctions. That would be China. You can see from the graph below, only about 1.5 mm BOPD remains unsold thanks to Mr. Xi.

Trading Economics

As if Iran and China's relationship wasn't much closer than we'd like, Putin has been nosing his way into their sphere to expand his influence in the Middle East. It looks as though the only likely opportunity to put more oil on the market, lies with the re-entry of the U.S into the Iran nuclear accord. Its anybodys guess if the leadership in that country will send it our way.

Your takeaway

For good or ill, the president just eliminated about 3% of our oil supply. That doesn't sound like much, but remember how tight supplies are, and as I have established oil quality matters. The loss of these barrels is going to raise prices. One thing the president didn't do is give any sign that he was going to pivot toward U.S. production. That simply is politically unacceptable to his base, which is about what he has left in terms of support.

It is also curious that he didn't mention our two closest trading partners, Canada and Mexico with this address. Canada is supplying most of our imports now - about 3.5 mm BOPD, and could certainly do more. If Biden hadnt canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have been just about finished by now, it would have certainly helped in this regard. There are other ways to get more production from Canada should the administration choose to seek assistance from that source. New production from Mexico might be problematic, as they are focused on their own energy needs from declining fields, but would have way more reason to help than either of the three countries he did mention. Curiosities on energy policy are a hallmark of the current administration. It is difficult to say that one is more notable than another.

For now, Americans should resign themselves to paying more for energy, and consider themselves lucky when they have it. Security of supply is no longer as certain as it once was just a short time ago.

By David Messler for Oilprice.com

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On the demand front, Biden could look for inspiration from the pandemic, when demand fell due to a large portion of the population working from home.

The historical tensions between the Democratic party and the U.S. oil industry are well documented, but they need to be put aside with oil prices well above $100.

While President Biden has reached out to Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran in an attempt to bring down oil prices, there are actors at home he has yet to engage with.

If you have ever wondered what it would be like if a major oil-producing country suddenly went offline, you are getting a preview of that now. I am sometimes asked whether there are any potential scenarios in which crude oil rises to $200 a barrel (bbl) and I typically say That could happen if war broke out in Saudi Arabia and it took that countrys oil production offline. Well, that also applies to Russia, which was producing more oil than Saudi Arabia when the 2021 BP Statistical Review of World Energy was released.

To be clear, Russian oil production isnt being impacted directly by the war. Rather, the oil market is responding to the idea that Russian oil might be boycotted in places like Europe and the U.S. The idea that a substantial chunk of global oil production might go offline is what has rapidly driven oil prices above $100/bbl. In reality, China will gladly buy oil that is rejected by the West. What a boycott really means is that oil flows around the world will shift.

As I documented in Russia Is A Major Supplier Of Oil To The U.S., Russia was the 3rd largest supplier of crude oil and oil products (e.g., gasoline) to the U.S. For the entire year of 2021, the U.S. averaged 670,000 barrels per day (BPD) of imports from Russia (per the Energy Information Administration). That represented 7.9% of total U.S. imports for the year  a significant number given our large appetite for oil.

In response to the potential loss of this oil  as well as oil prices that are rising unabated  the Biden Administration has sent a team to Venezuela to try to improve relations there. They are discussing a trip to Saudi Arabia to try to patch up that relationship as well.

I have another idea regarding a relationship they should work on patching. It is true that the U.S. oil industry is quite conservative. Its also true that Democratic administrations tend to be hostile toward the U.S. oil and gas industry. I dont know which came first, the conservatism of the oil industry, or the hostility of Democrats, but that dynamic has existed for a long time.

Related: Some Much Needed Substance On The Russian Oil Debate

But I cant get over the terrible optics of having a hostile relationship with the U.S. oil industry while reaching out to Venezuela and Saudi Arabia in the hope that they can provide us with more oil.

I think one of the first things the Biden Administration should have done is convene a high-profile summit of U.S. oil producers. Invite the CEOs of ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, EOG Resources  all of the major players to the White House. Ask them what needs to be done to get U.S. oil production back to pre-pandemic levels.

Although U.S. oil production has risen over the past year  and is now 2 million BPD above the pandemic lows  it is still 1 million BPD below the pre-pandemic levels. So, before making concessions to Venezuela or Saudi Arabia, isnt it worth gaining a better understanding of what could be done in the U.S. to boost production? U.S. producers are certainly highly incentivized to produce at these levels, but the Biden Administration should take the time to listen and understand what other factors are holding them back  and address them if possible.

Meanwhile, the Biden Administration should also look into whether there are mechanisms to quickly reduce U.S. oil consumption. One example could be to incentivize more four-day workweeks. We saw oil consumption plummet in 2020 when stay-at-home orders were put in place. It is certainly reasonable to believe that wider adoption of this strategy could take a bite out of U.S. oil consumption and help close the supply/demand gap.

By Robert Rapier

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Just as oil prices soared above $115 per barrel and European gas prices moved up to $60 per mmBtu, coal markets have been suffering through some turmoil of their own. Global coal prices surged some 30% in one week, primarily triggered by fears of Russias coal supply not hitting the market as several rounds of US/EU/UK sanctions made it complicated to arrange financial lines with Russian sellers. The Asian Newcastle benchmark futures contract rose to $440 per metric tonne, with Europes API2 March 22 contract trading at the same levels. Moreover, Europes futures prices point to a prolonged period of high prices, with the H2 2022 average currently trending above $350 per metric tonne, i.e. triple pre-pandemic levels.

In early February, it seemed as if Europe could weather this winter without the supply catastrophe that many analysts had predicted  gas inventories remain low by any historical standard, but warm weather and above-average wind generation kept the overall mood upbeat. Storm Eunice, bringing record-breaking winds bordering on hurricane speed to Northwest Europe, also ramped up wind generation across the continent. At its peak, Eunice was instrumental in producing almost 50% of the United Kingdoms total electricity generation. Amidst doubling wind generation in Germany, power prices in Continental Europe dropped to their lowest this year, losing some two-thirds of their pre-Eunice strength. Yet the risk of a Russian coal embargo emerged at arguably the worst time imaginable, just as winds were slowing down (this week, in particular, is expected to be weak) and cold weather kicked in again. Against this background, with gas being exorbitantly high and limited by the availabilities of US LNG, power generators need to start buying coal, with banking sanctions pushing Russian coal out of bounds.

Even the most Russia-friendly market of late, China, has been having difficulties buying Russian coal. State-owned banks have been informing coal buyers that they cannot issue USD-denominated letters of credit due to the ongoing sanctions squeeze, hampering trading activity in general. This, however, does not mean that Chinese banks could not finance the transaction via yuan-denominated LCs, even though these might take a bit longer to iron out and agree on. The Asian coal market felt the heat immediately, with the regional Newcastle pricing benchmark shooting up to levels above $400 per metric tonne, an all-time high for the Asia-Pacific, too. Provided Chinese state banks maintain their reluctance to deal with dollars, the future of Russias coal exports will to a large extent depend on yuan-based transactions  after all, only a little less than a quarter of Russias coal exports went to China, more than 50 million tons in total.

In the long run, it might be that Russias coal flows to China would avoid Western sanctions but, ironically enough, would start to decline on the back of Beijings tinkering with coal prices. Chinas National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) mandated late February that domestic thermal coal prices should stay within a reasonable price range which it set at 570-770 per metric tonne, i.e. $90-120/mt. Domestically, this should be something of a mutually acceptable variant for both the countrys vast coal mining industry and its plentiful coal-based power generator companies, as much as any of those would object against government interference in pricing. The given price range, however, largely invalidates the profitability of coal imports, meaning that if Russia wants to maintain the current volumes of exports, it needs to settle for a price that is right now a third of the global.

China has maintained its ban on Australian coal and is yet to see a full revamp of Indonesian supplies, but robust domestic production has essentially kept the East Asian powerhouse from having a coal price run. Bouncing back from the power crunch of August-September, Beijing relaxed regulatory oversight over the coal industry by fall of last year  the end result is a record high of coal output (4.07 billion) in 2021, output trending above 12 million tons per day, and nationwide coal stocks back at early 2019 levels despite high levels consumption. As a consequence, the Chinese Qinhuangdao price benchmark stands at $150 per metric tonne right now, which  while above the pricing bandwidth set by NDRC  is well below global prices, either in the Asia Pacific region or globally.



Source: Argus.

Europe, on the other hand, is in an antithetical position. With Europes thermal coal imports reaching their post-pandemic peak last October, at 7.5 million tons, inflows of coal have gone down as the overwhelming expectation was that the continent could still replenish its gas inventories and ramp up electricity generation from renewables. Thus, thermal coal departures to Europe lingered, bringing total coal inventories in Northwest Europe to the lowest point in many years, roughly half of what they used to be in the pre-pandemic era. Half of Europes thermal coal imports come from Russia  some 2.3-2.4 million tons per month  implying that should coal-powered generation be more profitable than gas, supply would become a huge issue. In fact, that has been the case for almost a year already and Europe will be hard-pressed to find alternative supply routes should Russian imports drop off.

At the same time, with there being no major new gas source, European countries have softened their rhetoric vis-a-vis coal. Arguing that pragmatism should trump every political commitment, Germany is now officially mulling the slowing down of its coal phase-out  a mere four months ago, the same Scholz government agreed to accelerate the phaseout and finalize it by 2030 instead of the initial goal of 2038. France has seen a higher share of coal burning, too, after the Ministry of Environment raised the cap of running coal-fired power stations amidst protracted issues with nuclear generation. Italy, too, is moving in the same direction  lambasting the imprudence of not having its own energy sources - the Italian government is working to reopen recently closed coal plants, looking primarily into the three plants that were shut in 2020-2021. All this may accelerate the pace of renewables penetration in Europe, in many cases irrespective of their profitability, so the proliferation of coal now might be detrimental to its prospects in the longer term.

By Gerald Jansen for Oilprice.com

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Oil prices then crashed by $15 on Wednesday after the UAE, a key OPEC member, suggested it would support an increase in oil production from the cartel.

Oil prices soared past $130 at the start of the week after Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that the U.S. and its European allies were considering a Russian oil ban.

In what is sure to be one of the wildest weeks ever in oil markets, Brent has traded in a record-breaking $33 range as uncertainty reigns.

Oil prices have continued their wild ride this week, with Brent swinging up and down in a $33 a barrel range after ending the wildest week on record last week amid twists and turns in the international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Last week saw Brent Crude trading a massive $20 a barrel range, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked concerns about supply amid an exodus of buyers of Russian commodities. That was the highest ever trading range for a week since the Brent benchmark was launched in 1988.

This week is on track to beat the volatility from last week after prices spiked to over $130 a barrel on Monday on comments from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the U.S. was in very active discussions with allies about an import ban on Russian oil. Prices cooled to below $110 per barrel after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said later on Monday that Germany was not favoring an import ban because there is no other way to secure Europes supply of energy for heat generation, mobility, power supply, and industry.

Oil prices then jumped again on Tuesday after U.S. President Biden announced a ban on imports of Russian energy without the participation of European allies.

On Wednesday, Brent oil crashed by 12%, or by $15 to $110 a barrel after the UAE, one of OPECs most influential members, signaled it favors production increases and will be encouraging Opec to consider higher production levels.

Early on Thursday, oil rebounded, with Brent Crude rallying more than 4% to $116 a barrel and WTI Crude up 3% at $112, after the UAE took a step back from assurances it would encourage fellow OPEC members to boost their production above their agreed quotas to help rein in runaway oil prices.

Crude oil (OILUKMAY22 & OILUSAPR22) trades firmer after plunging 12% on Wednesday with Brent already having traded within a record 33-dollar range so far this week, Saxo Bank said in a note early on Thursday.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The idea to restrict or ban exports of U.S. crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the stupidest thing, ConocoPhillips chief executive officer Ryan Lance said this week as international crude prices and U.S. gasoline prices soar amid the energy market turmoil over Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Well, Id say its probably the stupidest thing you could ever imagine, the top executive of ConocoPhillips said at the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston on Tuesday, as carried by Natural Gas Intelligence.

According to Lance, the shock to global markets from banning LNG and oil exports out of America would have the opposite effect to reducing domestic energy prices.

The focus of the U.S. industry and officials shouldnt be on the short-sighted short-term impact of the reduced supply of oil from Russia, but rather on the long-term implications of the lack of Russian oil on the market, ConocoPhillipss CEO said.

Last month, before Putin invaded Ukraine, a group of Democratic Senators urged the U.S. Energy Department to take steps to limit U.S. natural gas exports, the record volume of which leaves Americans with higher energy bills this winter.

As families across the country continue to face steep residential energy and heating costs, we urge you to take swift action to limit U.S. natural gas exports and examine their impact on domestic energy prices, the U.S. Senators said in their letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in early February.

A month, a week, and a war in Europe later, the idea of limiting Americas energy exports is not being discussed. The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, is even urging American producers to pump more oil and gas, in the short term.

We are on a war footingan emergencyand we have to responsibly increase short-term supply where we can right now to stabilize the market and to minimize harm to American families. That means releases from strategic reserves across the world, like weve done. And that means you producing more right now, where and if you can, Granholm said at CERAWeek.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine has yielded commodity price volatility spanning across sectors.



Russia is a major producer of platinum and palladium. Palladium primarily goes toward catalytic converters in car exhausts.

As Western countries hit Russia with sanctions, some companies will have to look for alternative sources. (As always, buying organizations should make sure they are up to date on the best sourcing strategies.)

Palladium prices have surged in recent weeks, rising by 13% month over month as of Friday.

Russia and Ukraine lead global production of metals such as aluminum, nickel, copper, and iron ore, according to a special report by Dun & Bradstreet titled Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Implications for the global economy and businesses. Nonavailability of Russian, as well as Ukrainian supplies, could cause high prices along with volatility. For rare metals like neon, palladium, and platinum, Russia has been the primary supplier to Europe. Ukraine is also a vital source of rare metals (iron ore, manganese, titanium, gallium, kaolin, zirconium, and germanium) to Europe and the rest of the world.

Platinum, nickel prices rise

On the other hand, platinum typically goes into diesel catalytic converters. Russia is also a major producer of platinum.

As Dun & Bradstreet notes, South Africa is a potential alternative source of platinum for automotive manufacturers (or other platinum end users).

Meanwhile, nickel prices have also surged.

Given that nickel is a critical raw material in the manufacturing of electric car batteries, and copper is widely used in electronics production and residential building, businesses engaged in these sectors could face increasing costs for these metals and potential supply chain disruptions, the Dun & Bradstreet report notes. The automobile and aerospace industries of the U.S., EU, and UK depend on titanium from Russia, with limited alternatives available.

The LME nickel price had closed last week at nearly $29,000 per metric ton, or up 26% month over month.

That proved minor relative to Mondays spike. During Monday trading, LME nickel jumped a whopping 90% to over $55,000 per metric ton.

Sibanye-Stillwater on supply impact

Speaking of South Africa, platinum and palladium producer Sibanye-Stillwater recently released its operating and financial results for the year ending Dec. 31, 2021.

The producer said refined PGM production has returned to normal levels from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and operational disruptions at Anglo Platinum and Norilsk Nickel in 2021.

Related: U.S. Oil & Gas Association President: Cut The Crap And Approve Our Permits

The conflict in Ukraine and sanctions being imposed on Russia could impact on supply of palladium and platinum from Russia, which accounts for 37% and 9% of global production respectively, supporting higher PGM prices, the firm said in its recent report. Secondary supply is also expected to recover as supply chain challenges abate.

The firm forecast a platinum surplus of 1 million ounces. Meanwhile, it forecast the palladium deficit growing to 145,000 ounces.

Supply constraints continue to cap sales

As for sales, low inventory continues to cap automotive sales.

J.D. Power and LMC Automotive forecast new-vehicle retail sales to reach 1.06 million units in February. The forecast marked a decline of 11.1% year over year.

With retail inventory on pace to finish a fourth consecutive month below 900,000 units and ninth consecutive month below one million units, the new-vehicle supply situation is not displaying signs of near-term improvement, said Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power. Therefore, sales in February are being determined by the number of vehicles delivered to dealerships rather than reflecting actual consumer demand.

Average transaction prices in February reached $44,460, the report notes. That marks an increase of 18.5% year over year.

Actual metals prices and trends

While aluminum and other metals spiked as a result of the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, hot-dipped galvanized prices fell 13.5% month over month to $1,503 per short ton, according to MetalMiner Insights data.

Meanwhile, the Korean 5052 aluminum coil premium over 1050 rose 9.0% to $4.56 per kilogram.

The U.S. shredded scrap steel price rose 0.6% to $482 per short ton.

The LME copper three-month price rose 3.4% to $9,945 per metric ton.

Lastly, the U.S. palladium bars price rose 6.85% to $2,419 per ounce.

By AG Metal Miner

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The ongoing Russian-Ukraine conflict has impacted metal prices, including steel raw materials, and ferrous products prices.

Metal prices, raw materials on the rise

Iron ore and coking coal gained the most over the previous week. Meanwhile, steel prices, week over week gained at the Shanghai Futures Exchange. A gradual pickup in Chinese infrastructure demand and the Russia-Ukraine war offered price support.



Russia and Ukraine are among the largest exporters of steel. A disruption in this supply chain saw buyers looking at other options.

One of those options? Chinas, the worlds top steel producer.

Russian steel production reached an estimated 6.6 million tons in January, the World Steel Association reported.

Last week also saw prices of ferrous products going up while iron ore and coal futures, too, saw an upward trend. Both futures, as well as spot prices of hot-rolled coil (HRC), saw growth.

Steel, iron ore, coking coal jump

On March 2, 2022, steel futures in China touched more than a fortnights high riding on the belief that the Russia-Ukraine war would eventually pump up the demand for Chinese steel.

Related: War-Related Oil Price Volatility Leaves Shale Acquisitions In Limbo

On that day, the May contract for hot-rolled coil on the Shanghai Futures Exchange ended up 2.1% at 5,138 yuan ($814.06) per ton after touching 5,158 yuan in the session (the highest since Feb. 11).

Source: MetalMiner Insights

Construction steel rebar went up 1.8% to 4,860 yuan a ton, after touching the days high of 4,893 yuan (highest since Feb. 14).

This also boosted interest in steelmaking raw materials like iron ore and coal. Last Friday, benchmark iron ore futures in China registered their biggest weekly gain in over two years at nearly 20% because of expected supply disruption.

In fact, from the start of February, iron ore prices have been steadily going up because of anticipation of supply chain tightness before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and on its heels.

As the world looks away from Russia and Ukraine for its steel quota, China is the only one that has the capacity to step up on steel production, of course. However, that likely means increased pollution from the countrys coal-fired plants. Pollution is something the Chinese authorities have come down hard against in the past few years.

By AG Metal Miner

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U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has called on the oil industry to ramp up production in response to soaring fuel prices.

"We are on a war footing," Granholm said at the CERAWeek industry conference, as quoted by Bloomberg. "The DOE and the Biden Administration is ready to work with you. We need oil and gas production to rise."

As for the administration's energy transition agenda, Granholm said the transition and a short-term ramp-up in oil supply were not mutually exclusive.

"We can walk and chew gum at the same time," she said.

True as that might be, the U.S. oil industry has been having trouble raising production and this time it has had nothing to do with Washington policies.

The overall labor shortage in the U.S. has not spared oil and gas, according to a recent Reuters report that cited industry insiders and analysts. In addition to this shortage of workers, the industry has run into oilfield materials and equipment shortages, which has turned production growth into a major challenge.

All these shortages were "not adequately recognized as a significant impediment for growth," Occidental's Vicki Hollub told CERAWeek, as quoted by Reuters. "Nobody really anticipated needing to grow significantly," the executive also said. "If you did not plan for growth, you are not going to be able to achieve growth today."

Meanwhile, the State Department's special envoy and international energy affairs coordinator has called "nonsense" U.S. oil industry claims that it was White House policies that have contributed to their priority rearrangement. According to Amos Hochstein, the blame lies with Wall Street investors hungry for returns, the Financial Times reported this week.

"If there's anyone that's standing in the way, according to them, it's their financial backers, who are insisting on dividends and fiscal discipline in the face of a war in Europe, and the highest prices we have seen in a couple of generations," Hochstein told the FT in an interview.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Confusion over asset valuation as oil prices are on their wildest ride in history over Russias invasion of Ukraine has put some deals in the U.S. shale patch on hold, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, quoting sources with knowledge of discussions.

Some companies in the shale patch had been marketing acreage in the Permian and Eagle Ford basins, but sale processes were paused amid the oil price rally of the past weeks, according to Bloombergs sources.

Buyers are wary of paying too much for assets that may be overvalued at current oil prices.

The owners of Sequitur Energy Resources have not been willing to part with 83,000 net acres in the Permian because the company asked for a higher valuation than the market was willing to give, the sources told Bloomberg.

Eagle Ford-focused exploration and production company Sundance Energy has been talking with three potential buyers, but the valuation gaps have jumped since Putin invaded Ukraine, according to the sources. For now, the owners of Sundance Energy are said to continue drilling.

Not all potential deals are being paused. Earlier this week, Whiting Petroleum Corporation and Oasis Petroleum said they had entered into an agreement to combine in a merger of equals transaction, which will result in a company with an enterprise value of around $6 billion.

The combination will bring together two excellent operators with complementary and high-quality assets to create a leader in the Williston Basin, poised for significant and resilient cash flow generation, Oasis chief executive Danny Brown said.

Related: Canceling Keystone XL May Have Been Bidens Biggest Blunder

Upstream M&A deal flow could hit the highest in years in 2022 if commodity prices hold steady, WoodMac analysts said in their 2022 outlook of the global upstream published in January.

Companies ability to finance and execute acquisitions improved immeasurably through the course of 2021  we can see this clearly in the increasing number of larger cash asset deals. If commodity prices remain elevated, the ability to execute transactions will only increase through 2022, the authors of the outlook said.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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The Botswana International University of Science & Technology (BIUST) - has participated in the implementation of the Science Granting Council Initiative (SGCI).

The Science Granting Councils Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI) is focused on strengthening the capacities of Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in order to support research and evidence-based policies that will contribute to economic and social development in Sub-Saharan Africa.



Science Granting Councils are bodies or agencies in countries that support development and growth of science in those countries. Here Professors Edison Muzenda (PhD) from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology and Gizaw Mengistu Tsidu (PhD) with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences OR Tambo Africa Research Chair-Climate Change break down how the university benefited from the SGCI and proposes the way forward.



BG: How has participation in the Science Granting Council Initiative influenced BIUST internal capacity to perform its functions?



BIUST: Research at BIUST is conducted largely through research networks and units, which include groups, chairs and centres. These units help in consolidating the use of resources in an optimal way, help build research culture and provide an environment for mentorship.



The participation in the Science Granting Council Initiative (SGCI) provides direct research funding to researches and students. This has significantly motivated researchers, helped to strengthen research culture and improve innovative research at BIUST. For example, in the Coal beneficiation for the metallurgical industry project, funding has strengthened the Natural Resources Beneficiation and Sustainable Energy Research Group.



The Group in now well-established with senior professors, lecturers, and students. Additionally, as a result of participation in SGCI, BIUST has been awarded external funding of ZAR 15, 000, 000 over the next five (5) years.

In addition, our parent Ministry (Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology (MOTE)/ Department of Research Science and Technology (DRST)) awarded 3.2 million Pula to BIUST to support graduate training under OR Tambo African Research Chair (ORTARCHi) initiative.



Therefore BIUST will use the fund for research infrastructure development, research and graduate training.



BG: Has participation in the SGCI led to new partners, networks, coalitions or collaborations (including projects and research)? If yes, please provide examples and the focus of the new partnerships/collaborations/projects.



BIIUST: Yes, participating in the SGCI has led to a new collaboration opportunity with the University of Zimbabwe. The bilateral project between BIUST and the University of Zimbabwe focuses on Cola beneficiation for the metallurgical industry. Local networks especially with Botswana Geoscience Institute and Pyrocarbon Energy have been strengthened and have become active and productive.



As a result of participation in SGCI and subsequent award of external and national grants (i.e. ORTARCHi and MOTE funding), BIUST is one of the universities in the region which is selected through ORTARCHi chair to develop grand proposal entitled Co-design of hydro-meteorological information system for sustainable water resources management in Southern Africa (CO-HYDIM-SA) in collaboration with institutions in Germany, South Africa and Namibia through competitive process.



The proposal development itself attracted 150, 000 EURO for the next year. BIUST will host planning workshop in April this year.



BG: As stated above, BIUST in partnership with the University of Zimbabwe is conducting research on mineral beneficiation. Kindly share with us the focus of the research



BIUST: The focus of the bilateral project Coal Beneficiation for the Metallurgical Industry is to establish a comprehensive Botswana and Zimbabwe coal database in which the coal and coal seam properties are catalogued.



Literature on the effects of process conditions on various types of coal with the aim to produce metallurgical coke that meets the required qualities will also be reviewed. This will include extensive research into the factors which improve coke properties.



Thereafter, extensive testing will be done on producing metallurgical coke using Botswana and Zimbabwe coals as feedstock. This experimental work will also include optimisation of the process conditions to maximise coke properties. The project objectives are:

a) To characterise and/or consolidate properties of Botswana and Zimbabwe coals.

This will be done by collecting this information from other organisations, in the case of Botswana, Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI), Morupule Mine and other existing and new coal seams. In cases where information is not available, local and regional laboratories will be used to carry out the analysis.

b) To create a database of metallurgical coke properties and link them to different metallurgical processes.

c) To perform characterisation tests on char/coke samples produced in the lab. Most of these characterisation tests will be outsourced to reputable third-party laboratories.

d) To investigate other potential application of char

e) To devise process routes to upgrade pyrolysis char to metallurgical coke grade.

This will be the key area of the work where researchers will look at the char properties and desired metallurgical coke properties then devise process routes for the needed upgrade.

Known theoretical processes will be considered alongside novel ones from research articles.



BG: Have there been opportunities to inform/influence policy processes? If yes, which policy processes and what were the outcomes?



BIUST: In the context of policy processes, there are two aspects of the initiative: one is about fund management and the other is about creating research units. The University was in the process of developing policies and guidelines on creating research units and management of research grants.



However, the SGCI catalysed the process and already the University has developed some policies and some groups are now very active such as Natural Resources Beneficiation and Sustainable Energy and Mineral Processing Groups.



These two groups received three (30 research project funding from SGCI). The two groups are doing quality and relevant research which is accessible to policy makers.



BG: Has there been a change in the funding/investment levels as a result of your participation in the SGCI? Please describe any changes (increase/decrease) in the funding/investment levels.



BIUST: The networks created by this initiative will be the platforms for collaborations on co-authorship, co-submission of proposals, co-supervision and collaboration with industries. All this will increase the opportunities for attracting more research funds and commercialisation of research outputs.



In the long term, it is expected that there will be an increase in external funded projects and decrease in the internally funded ones. In this way, the University will have extra funds devoted to institutional capacity development.



BG: Botswana, through the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), is among the first ten (10) SGCI member states to host a Research Chair under the OR Tambo Africa Research Chair Initiative (ORTARCHi): Kindly share with us any projects carried out under this initiative



BIUST: BIUST has recently received the funding, although the award was announced a long time back. The delay was due to COVID-19 related constraints. We have accepted graduate students who are working on:

 Agriculture and hydrological drought in Botswana

 Identification of indigenous plant species using morphology and molecular methods and their response to climate change in Botswana, which includes conducting veldt assessment, diversity, abundance, and distribution of indigenous plant species

 Extraction of vital protein from chicken feathers and their potential as animal feed. BIUST is also in the process of procurement of high-performance workstation with several processors for climate modelling. Some of the equipment will be used in connection with research that deals with assessment of land cover change, water quality, water resource availability and climate change, all which are the focus of OR Tambo African Research Chair initiative at BIUST. For example, we will study the impact of land use and land cover change, invasive species as well as climate on the water quality in Botswana based on satellite remote sensing and the spectroradiometer measurements.



BG: Kindly share any top three (3) lessons/tips from implementing the SGCI projects and suggestions for SGCI future projects.



BIUST: Top lessons from implementing this project by BIUST include:



a) The need for effective planning, budgetary control, and teamwork

b) The need for effective leadership and management. Leading by example and from the front is one of my greatest takeaways

c) Understanding of the Botswana and Zimbabwe coal characteristics and possible applications singularly and through blending



Our suggestions for future research projects are:



a) An increase in the budget to allow the project to have a life cycle of 3-5 years instead of two years. This will allow the development of the project from research to possible commercialisation.

b) To allow researchers to work through milestones in parallel than in series especially for short cycle (2 years). However, this will require the release of funds in bulk rather than after the successful completion of the first or another milestone.

c) To increase project budgets and project life cycle.




As the senior director of a memory care community in Providence, Rhone Island, Doreen Putnam had a lot of exposure to dementia patients and their families. But in 2007, interactions between children and their affected loved ones grabbed her attention differently than it had before.

She saw them often react with fear, which resulted in less communication and fewer demonstrations of affection with their loved one. Putnam, then in her second decade of work with dementia patients, said it was clear that most of the children simply had no clue what dementia was.

As a former elementary school health and physical education teacher, she had an ah-ha moment: This was a childrens book waiting to happen.

Fourteen years later, the pandemic gave Putnam, now of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, time to get around to writing it. Drawing on the dementia-related credentials shes amassed and her 35-plus years of experience in the field, she wrote Sometimes Grandmama Doesnt Know Me! to guide and comfort children whose loved ones have Alzheimers disease and related dementias.

This cluster of conditions affects about 5.8 million people in the United States. Although Putnam has already educated about 17,000 people personally and still runs a consulting business to help organizations and families handle memory care, this book allows her to extend that reach further.

Here is some of her best advice for kids (and their caregivers) whose family members are afflicted with dementia.

KIDS ARE CAREGIVERS

When someone is ill, its not just the primary caregiver who has the responsibility of caring: Its a family responsibility, Putnam said.

Kids can participate by helping a grandparent make a meal, do the laundry or clean the house, all of which encourage independence while having an extra set of eyes available for any unsafe decisions. We want them to be as independent as possible for as long as possible, she said. It might take them longer to do a task, but they also feel productive when theyre able to do things on their own.

Those tasks translate to more time together, which is an important demonstration of love, Putnam said. But when they dont go as planned, kids can experience all the sadness, frustration and anger that adults do, as is demonstrated by the two girls in Putnams book, both of whom have grandmothers with Alzheimers disease.

I think its clear that the two girls in the book had different levels of anger and frustration and confusion at different times, she said. Its OK, no matter what age you are, to be angry or frustrated. Those are normal feelings that humans have. I find that the more education someone has, the easier it is for them to deal with those emotions and move toward a more compassionate side of things.

KIDS NEED SUPPORT

Adult caregivers are often offered support groups to help them process  and maybe even unload  their emotions, but, as Putnam noted, similar groups are also available for younger people, like the in-person and virtual ones offered through the Alzheimers Association.

If that type of support isnt necessary, make sure they have a really good friend or two  pinky friends  as the main characters of her book are.

Whether youre 7 or 8 years old or 17 years old, having someone your age who you can talk to, beyond the parents and counselors you can confide in and share with, is important, she said. We know that being able to talk to someone who has similar experiences really helps the caregivers.

GO ALONG FOR THE RIDE

Alzheimers disease attacks short-term memory first. Those affected will rely on memories from their younger years, perhaps transferring bygone people and places to the present day.

It might feel instinctive to correct their cognitive missteps, but Putnam warns that practice will cause anxiety and a degradation of trust.

Non-patients need to jump into the patients reality, whatever that might be and wherever they might be in their thought process, because the patient is not able to come to regular reality, and you cant mix the two, she said.

In some ways, thats an ideal place to meet mentally with their young grandchildrens imaginative minds.

For children especially, who have great imaginations, to be able to roll and be flexible with where grandma or grandpa is at that moment in time can be kind of a fun thing, she said. Its an important thing for them to realize that jumping into where they are is an important part of the communication process.

For example, if grandma believes the family dog is her childhood pet, play along. Or if grandpa believes a walk around the neighborhood is a stroll to his childhood friends house, join him on that adventure.

FIND WAYS TO SHOW LOVE

Whether its self-care for the young caregiver or engaging in imaginative play, the goal is the same: Though your loved one with dementia may change, find ways to express love and support.

Children need to understand that grandma is the same person shes always been, still the loving person who can read stories and cook meals and take them for walks, Putnam said with early to middle-stage Alzheimers in mind. One of the most important things they can do as children is to continue to love them, to give them hugs, to hold their hands when walking.

Even though the person may be changing, the love that adult has for the child and the love the child has for the adult doesnt need to change. Its really an important part of providing care for the patient.
You may not be familiar with Horatio Alger, but because of him, you are familiar with bootstraps.

Through the mid- and late-1800s, Alger authored rags-to-riches tales that inspired generations to pull themselves up by their bootstraps from impoverished backgrounds and create a better life for themselves through hard work.

While the core of his lesson remains relevant, the world and socioeconomic environment that Alger and his characters inhabited is very different from the world we know today.

To make a better life for yourself today, sheer willpower is not enough. Any career is made stronger by building skills in science, technology, engineering, and math to be competitive in the labor market, and developing the critical, independent thinking that comes from studying the arts and humanities. Without financial assistance, this is simply not possible for many people across the country.

More than a third of students at the University of Nebraska at Omaha are classified as Pell grant eligible, 4 out of every 10 students are first generation college students with many who are the first members of their family to seek a four-year degree, and nearly 25% qualify for the Nebraska Promise program  meaning their parents' combined income meets certain financial eligibility requirements. Half of our students require substantial financial help; but this need does not diminish their hunger, desire, and drive for a better future. This feeling is abundant in the young people in our community and our state.

I know the struggles these students face very well, because I am a product of the scholarships and financial assistance that helped me in my own journey as a first-generation student from Hong Kong, and their journeys resonate with mine.

For leaders and educators in Nebraska to truly honor the commitment of the hardworking learners in our state and inspire the future of workforce development, we need to rethink what it means for someone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Because many students dont have bootstraps to begin with, we also need to analyze the role our universities play in lifting them up.

To gain true momentum in our states workforce development efforts, we need to acknowledge that many people need that assistance. We must use every ounce of energy and every resource to ensure a prosperous future is within reach, because the best economic development demands undivided attention is to develop the people from within.

What should this relationship look like in practice for a university in Nebraska?

At UNO, it means enhancing access and affordability to higher education through paid internships and scholarships. It means thoughtful financial strategies to minimize if not eliminate student debts. It means agile academic programs that match students strengths and aptitude to meet the needs of our state in strategic areas, and personal intellectual growth and fulfilment. It means partnerships with area businesses to ensure that our community continues to invest in our students. It means hands-on service-learning experiences that add depth to the college experience and benefit the community. It means a fierce institutional commitment to ensure students complete their degrees, crossing the finish in the most optimal way and timely fashion.

It also requires UNO to build stronger retention of students and demonstrate care and attention with each one of our students. Our goal is simple: promising students to graduate with minimal debt and be placed into a career they are passionate about.

Bootstraps have always been a metaphor for the tools to attain a better life. As leaders, we must commit to all Nebraskans that we will make sure those bootstraps are within reach so they can lift themselves up and write their own stories.

Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, is the chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Authorities have identified the workers who were injured  one fatally  during a tree-cutting accident Wednesday afternoon.

Mathew Thompson and Cooper Lippincott, who worked for Valley Corp., were struck by a falling tree that was being cut and cleared near 162nd and Ida Streets, the Douglas County Sheriffs Office said.

Officials said the tree had shifted and fell the opposite direction that the workers had planned.

The tree landed directly on Thompson, killing him, and also hit Lippincott, who suffered a broken leg or ankle.

Thompson, of Yutan, and Lippincott, of Blair, were part of a tree-cutting crew that was clearing the wooded area for an ongoing construction project. Deputies went to the area just after 2:30 p.m. and found that Thompson was unresponsive and pinned under the tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lippincott was alert and breathing. He was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center with severe leg injuries.

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Candi Rathe was sleeping peacefully when Travis Harrington, her partner of 25 years, climbed back into bed around 5 a.m. Dec. 18.

Within five minutes, Rathe, 41, began having what appeared to Harrington to be a seizure. He couldnt wake her. She breathed hard for about 30 seconds, went limp and stopped breathing. He couldnt find a pulse.

Harrington got the couples 19-year-old daughter, Delaney, and called 911. The pair started CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Rathe.

Bellevue Police Officer Tyler Andahl arrived and took over chest compressions. Officer Robert Markve then arrived with an automated external defibrillator. He placed the pads on Rathe. The machine advised the officers to stand clear and delivered a first shock. Soon after, first responders with Bellevue Fire and Rescue arrived and continued the resuscitation efforts.

Rathe, who awoke several days later at the Bellevue Medical Center with no memory of what had happened to her, said doctors told her the combination of CPR and the AED saved her life.

Without those two things, I wouldnt have been here, she said. Those machines are wonderful. Theyre lifesavers, for sure.

Markves AED, which he carries in his squad car, is among 2,500 that have been placed with law enforcement agencies, first responders and state offices and facilities throughout Nebraska thanks to a $6.4 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

The Bellevue department received 56 units. Nebraska and Iowa are among six states that have received devices through the initiative, which so far totals $34 million. Two more states, Minnesota and Nevada, also will receive grants for AEDs.

Walter Panzirer, the trustee for the Helmsley Trust, said the AED program builds on earlier initiatives by the trust that also focus on improving responses to heart attacks and strokes. Those initiatives include stocking ambulances with 12-lead electrocardiogram systems and what are called LUCAS devices that provide mechanical chest compressions.

In both urban and rural areas, Panzirer said, police officers who are out on patrol, as Markve was, often arrive at cardiac arrest calls before paramedics do. Thats particularly true for volunteer forces, whose responders may have to travel to a station before responding to a call.

The quicker you can get a defibrillator on someone, the higher likelihood that that person will survive, said Panzirer, who previously worked in law enforcement.

A study by the American Heart Association indicated that the chances of survival when a patient is first shocked by law enforcement is nearly 40%, compared with 28% when patients have to wait for a first shock by EMS personnel.

The newer, self-monitoring units also are connected via Wi-Fi to a centralized online data repository so law enforcement agencies can track whether theyre charged and ready to go.

Markve said he never had needed to use the device before. After the ambulance left with Rathe, he and Andahl followed it to the hospital. Markve stayed after his shift was over.

He said he tried to reassure Rathes family, telling them they had done a good job in starting CPR. Im sure they were stressed beyond belief, he said.

Several days later, Markve went to the hospital before he started work and spoke with Rathe and her family. Rathe went home on Christmas Eve.

That was really their ultimate Christmas present, Markve said of the family.

For his actions, Markve will be recognized in a Friday ceremony held by the City of Bellevue and state health officials. In addition to the incident with Rathe, Markve has helped revive two people with suspected drug overdoses using the rescue medicine naloxone, or Narcan  once in November and another time in February.

Travis Harrington, Rathes partner, was familiar with AEDs lifesaving potential before Rathes episode. He first trained in their use and in CPR in 2007 as part of his job. Later, he used an AED in the Atlanta airport to help revive a person who was in cardiac arrest.

He said he was able to hold it together in the airport, but at home, he was pretty scared.

I tell you, he said, its a whole different story when its someone you love.

Rathe, meanwhile, still is trying to figure out what went wrong. She said she felt fine before her health scare. She and her daughter had worked out the evening before. It was just out of the blue, she said.

Shortly after she was released from the hospital, she began wearing a defibrillator vest that can monitor her heart and shock it into rhythm if necessary. On Wednesday, she had surgery to place an internal defibrillator in her chest. Harrington said Rathe will undergo genetic testing after she heals as another step toward a diagnosis.

In the meantime, Rathe has returned to work full time. She works in a doctors office, so her co-workers keep a close eye on her, as does her family. They dont let me out of their sight, she said.

Harrington said his family gives special thanks to the officers, paramedics, firefighters and dispatcher who responded to their call and helped them through their emergency.

They were all pretty phenomenal, he said.

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After a nationwide search, the YMCA of Greater Omaha has named Rebecca Deterding the organizations new president and chief executive officer.

Deterding will be the first woman to lead the Omaha organization in its 154-year history.

She has been serving in the role on an interim basis since August after previous CEO Chris Tointon took a role with the YMCA of Middle Tennessee.

For the last seven years, Deterding has served as the Omaha organizations chief financial officer. Officials said she brings a background of finance, strategic planning and leadership development to the organization.

Deterding holds a degree in business accounting from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a masters degree in business administration from Bellevue University.

Before joining the YMCA, she worked for a technology company where she served in several positions, including operations, sales and marketing and chief financial officer.

Deterding said she looks forward to meeting with members of the community this spring as she transitions from her dual leadership role into the CEO position.

As president and CEO, she will oversee 10 locations, five early learning centers and three youth achievement sites.

As we continue to recover from the impact of the last two years, I remain excited and hopeful for what the future will bring and look forward to setting that strategic vision with our dedicated staff and volunteers, she said in a statement. I am honored to serve in a place that I call home in such a meaningful way.

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Mass grave in Mariupol, Ukraine Dead bodies are placed into a mass grave Wednesday on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine. People are struggling to bury their dead because of 

Russia's war on Ukraine sees no hope of winding down. Here's a selection of stories from Thursday that provide a closer look at what's happening.

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RUSSIA CONDEMNED: A Russian airstrike on a Mariupol maternity hospital that killed three people brought condemnation down on Moscow on Thursday, with Ukrainian and Western officials branding it a war crime. The latest negotiations made no progress. Click on the link below to read more:

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POWERFUL WITNESSES: As more than 2 million refugees from Ukraine begin to scatter throughout Europe and beyond, some are carrying valuable witness evidence to build a case for potential war crimes. Click on the link below to read more:

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ECONOMIC PRESSURE: Western sanctions are dealing a severe blow to Russia's economy. The ruble is plunging, foreign businesses are fleeing and sharply higher prices are in the offing. Russia's economy will likely see a deepening of stagnation, but a total collapse is unlikely, several economists say. Click on the link below to read more:

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VOLUNTEERS FOR UKRAINE: Russia's invasion of Ukraine has given the smaller nation's embassy in Washington an unexpected role: recruitment center for Americans who want to join the fight. Click on the link below to read more:

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OUTREACH FOR OIL: Three checkered oil regimes that President Joe Biden and past U.S. leaders have spectacularly snubbed  Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran  are now targets of U.S. outreach as global fuel prices reach jarring levels during the Ukraine crisis. Click on the link below to read more:

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RESPITE FROM WAR: A gentle tune from a violin played by a musician who has been dubbed Ukraine's "cellar violinist" is a lullaby for a child sheltered in the dark basement of an apartment building in the besieged Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Click on the link below to read more:

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RELIGIOUS DIVIDE: Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, leader of Russias dominant religious group, has sent his strongest signal yet justifying his country's invasion of Ukraine  describing the conflict as part of a struggle against sin and pressure from liberal foreigners to hold gay parades.Click on the link below to read more:
Campus News

Rally raises support, awareness for Ukraine

UB community members gathered to show support for the people of Ukraine. Photos: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

UB community members gathered to show support for the people of Ukraine. Photos: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Antonina Bandrivska spoke of her fears for family and friends caught in the conflict.

Small ribbon pins in the Ukrainian colors were also available.

Supporters including Oleg Savka (left) and Khrystyna Adam (center) could pose in front of a Ukrainian flag.

Donations were collected for humanitarian efforts. Beaded bracelets and necklaces were available.

Glory to Ukraine, said Gregory Hawuczyk, reciting the countrys national salute. Glory to the heroes, came the traditional reply from supporters.

By JAY REY

My Bio 387 professor, he made a PowerPoint and the first slide was the Ukrainian flag. That made me feel really good when you come into class and feel that support. 

The war in Ukraine may seem distant from life at UB, but not for graduate student Antonina Bandrivska, who fears for family and friends caught in the middle of the conflict.

So does senior Gregory Hawuczyk, whos glued to his phone each night for the latest news on the war.

Junior Khrystyna Adam has been distracted ever since the bombing began in Ukraine.

After that day the invasion occurred, my life just shut off, Adam said. My mind has been totally focused on the war.

Bandrivska, Hawuczyk and Adam were among the roughly 50 or so students, staff and faculty who gathered in the lobby of the Student Union last Friday for a unity rally in support of Ukraine.

Glory to Ukraine, said Hawuczyk, reciting the countrys national salute.

Glory to the heroes, came the traditional reply from supporters.

The rally was organized by the student-run group Friends of Ukraine to raise awareness, said Hawuczyk, the clubs president.

Supporters posed for photos in front of a Ukrainian flag. They collected donations for humanitarian efforts. Shawn J. Donahue and Collin Anderson, clinical assistant professors in the Department of Political Science, provided some perspective and history of the conflict.

Staff from the Counseling Center were on hand in case students struggling with the news out of Ukraine wanted to speak to a counselor. In a show of support, Student Life has reached out directly to students with ties to Ukraine. President Satish K. Tripathi issued a statement in support of the Ukrainian people.

Ukraine is seven hours ahead of us, so their mornings are our nights, Hawuczyk said. So around 11 p.m. were constantly worried, constantly on our phones  checking in with family members, checking in on the news to see whats new.

Bandrivska, a fifth-year graduate student, has friends in eastern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russian troops. Her father was in Kyiv, the capital, before fleeing to western Ukraine.

I talk every day to my dad, to all my friends, Bandrivska said. I make sure I thank God that everyone is alive and healthy and safe. Thats all that matters.

Senior Oleg Savka, who immigrated to Rochester from Ukraine at age 4, is in disbelief about whats going on in Ukraine. He did not anticipate the country would be engulfed in war.

I didnt think this was actually going to happen. I downplayed it, to be honest. I just thought it was some game between the West and the East, said Savka, a business major. I dont know whats going to happen. I just pray for the best.

Adam, a biological sciences major who immigrated to Syracuse from Ukraine at age 9, has only her mother and father here in the U.S. The rest of her family  cousins, aunts, grandmothers  are all back in Ukraine.

She is grateful for the support of her UB family during these difficult days.

My professors have been really understanding, and they personally reached out to me and sent emails, Adam said.

My Bio 387 professor, he made a PowerPoint and the first slide was the Ukrainian flag, she said. That made me feel really good when you come into class and feel that support.
Three directors at Lee Enterprises, publisher of the Omaha World-Herald and many other newspapers, were reelected Thursday over the objections of a hedge fund that has been trying to buy the company since last fall.

Lee said its chairman, CEO and lead independent director were all reelected as expected at the Davenport, Iowa-based companys annual meeting, with each receiving support from more than 70% of the votes cast.

Alden Global Capital had urged shareholders to vote against Chairman Mary Junck and longtime director Herbert Moloney after a judge blocked its effort to nominate its own directors, but the rules of the election had made no votes symbolic.

Alden, which is already one of the largest newspaper owners in the country, probably wont abandon its effort to buy Lee after this latest setback, but it wasnt immediately clear what the New York-based hedge fund might try next. Alden did not immediately comment on Thursdays vote, and an Alden spokeswoman did not immediately reply to phone and email messages from the Associated Press.

Lee, which has called Alden a vulture hedge fund, publishes nearly every daily newspaper in Nebraska as well as others including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Buffalo News.

The directors were ensured they would be reelected because Lee decided to use a plurality standard in the elections. That meant that the directors only had to get one yes vote to get reelected because that is more than any other candidate could receive because the directors were running unopposed. Alden tried to force the directors to have to win a majority of the votes to keep their seats, but a judge also rejected that suggestion.

It appeared that the directors would have prevailed even under Aldens call for a majority of votes, since Lee said preliminary vote results showed each director receiving support from more than a majority of the companys outstanding shares.

The vote also showed high participation from Lee shareholders, with more than 75% of Lees outstanding shares casting votes on directors, an increase of over 20 percentage points from the companys average turnout in the previous three years, Lee said.

We deeply appreciate the record turnout and strong support we received from shareholders at this pivotal annual meeting, Lee said in a statement. The results represent a resounding rejection of Alden Global Capitals campaign against Lee.

Final results will be tabulated and certified within four days, Lee said.
LINCOLN  Despite his resistance, Gov. Pete Ricketts could be required to apply for $120 million of federal rent and utility assistance money under a bill that advanced in the Legislature Wednesday.

Legislative Bill 1073 would call on the governor to apply for all federal funds available to Nebraska for emergency rental assistance under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The bill advanced to the second of three rounds of debate following a 29-7 vote Wednesday.

The bill was amended to include the requirement after Ricketts announced he would not seek the $120 million. The state has until March 30 to apply before the funding is earmarked to go to other states, according to State Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln. Nebraska is one of only two states to ignore the funding opportunity, he said.

Lawmakers have repeatedly requested Ricketts seek out the aid. Last week, all nine members of the Appropriations Committee signed a letter asking the governor to reconsider his decision.

After spending over 125 hours in public hearings, we can confirm that there is a continuing need for this support in rural Nebraska and that the funds can be distributed effectively, the letter said.

Despite this, Ricketts doubled down on his stance that Nebraska did not need the money in a column published Tuesday. In the column, Ricketts argued that the COVID-19 pandemic was over, and compared the assistance to applying for emergency disaster aid without a flood or tornado.

Nebraska is not a welfare state, Ricketts said in the column. Its not who we are. But if we take these funds, it will be.

Though COVID-19 cases are fading across Nebraska, several senators supporting the bill pointed out that the pandemic is not technically over, and argued that families are still feeling the economic impacts to this day.

The COVID emergency may be over, said Sen. John Stinner of Gering, who chairs the Appropriations Committee. But the COVID overhang is still there.

Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, a member of the Appropriations Committee who signed last weeks letter, rescinded his support during Wednesdays debate. He said he realized that signing the letter was a mistake after he learned more about the issue.

I should have done more homework, Erdman said.

Erdman said Nebraska still has about $40 million in unused federal rental assistance funding that was granted earlier in the pandemic, a point Ricketts has also made. Other senators who spoke out against the bill argued that the funds would hurt Nebraska taxpayers.

However, supporters of the bill argued the opposite. Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha said the funds would help taxpayers because the state would accrue interest, and could just return the funding that wasnt allocated by the 2025 deadline.

This is a no-brainer, Vargas said.

The Legislature must pass LB 1073 ahead of March 30. Hansen said he is unsure when lawmakers will debate the bill next, but he said Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers of Lincoln gave him a commitment to schedule the bill in time to meet the federal deadline.

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Regulations for Nebraskas new casino gambling industry are continuing to take baby steps.

The states Racing and Gaming Commission last month approved an authorized gaming operator application  which is essentially the licensing form for companies that want to open a casino  as well as background check applications for managers and other key operators.

Those are key steps needed for entities that want to operate casinos at the states horse racing tracks, although they cant be put into use until casino operating rules are approved and finalized by state officials.

That process is moving forward slowly.

Tom Sage, executive director of the Racing and Gaming Commission, said the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office on Friday returned a draft of proposed casino regulations to his office for some minor revisions and corrections, and he expected those changes to be made and the rules sent back to the office this week.

The Racing and Gaming Commission approved the 67-page package of proposed rules at its Dec. 17 meeting, and they were forwarded to the Attorney Generals Office on Jan. 12.

Sage said he was not given a time frame for how long it would take for the Attorney Generals Office to complete its review, but I think it will be pretty quick, he said.

Suzanne Gage, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Doug Peterson, declined to comment.

Once Petersons office concludes its review, the rules will move to Gov. Pete Ricketts for his review and approval. After that happens, the rules will go to the Secretary of State and become effective approximately a week later.

Given all of the steps remaining, it will likely be summer  at the earliest  before any horse racing track can get a license to operate a casino.

The Racing and Gaming Commissions approval of the gaming operator license framework means tracks can apply for a license as soon as the casino rules are finalized, but Sage said the process of reviewing applications and doing background checks is likely to take up to 60 days, and then the license applications would have to be voted on by the commission.

He said the commission has not yet hired background investigators, but is in the process of doing so, and hopes to have them in place by the time applications start coming in.

Were trying to take baby steps, Sage said.

Chris Kotulak, CEO of Fonner Park in Grand Island, said that while its not ideal, he understands why the process has taken as long as it has.

The pace to get where we are might not be what some wanted, but there were and are many important things to cover. The Racing and Gaming Commission needed to create an entire collection of casino regulations, and that takes time, Kotulak said. This is a serious undertaking.

Fonner Park plans a temporary casino with about 200 slot machines, and Kotulak told the Grand Island Independent this week that he expects to have it up and running by the end of the year.

But he said Fonner Parks plans for both a temporary and permanent casino are entirely in limbo based on the progress of things in Lincoln.

Separate from the Racing and Gaming Commissions work, the Legislatures General Affairs Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would allow casinos in the six Nebraska counties that already have licensed horse racing tracks.

Anyone who wants to build a casino in another part of the state would have to wait for the Racing and Gaming Commission to conduct a detailed study looking at the potential impact on the state. The commission would approve or deny licenses based on its analysis.

The study would be due by Jan. 1, 2025.

State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, the committees chairman, said the measure seeks to strike a balance between developers and communities who want to build casinos and gambling opponents who worry about casinos saturating the state. Earlier proposals would have put specific limits on the number of casinos and the distance between locations.

I think weve truly reached a middle ground on this, said Briese.

The counties with existing tracks are all in eastern and central Nebraska. They are Douglas, Lancaster, Adams, Dakota, Hall and Platte Counties.

The bill comes after Nebraska voters legalized casino gambling in a 2020 through a ballot measure bankrolled by Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. It allowed casinos at horse racing tracks.

The measure now heads to the full Legislature for debate.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.
BLOOMINGTON  Police said a 32-year-old woman died Thursday morning after a Tuesday shooting in southeast Bloomington that also claimed the lives of a young boy and a Texas man.

The Bloomington Police Department said three people were identified by the McLean County Coroner's Office. The department said in a statement that Brittney C. Harmon, 32, of Bloomington, was pronounced dead at 8:55 a.m. Thursday.

Her death came two days after a 6-year-old boy and 35-year-old man were killed in the Lincoln Lofts apartment building, 1005 Four Seasons Road.

Authorities identified the other two as Matthias E. Clemons, 6, of Bloomington, and Lawrence D. Clemons III, 35, of Houston. The police statement said the boy died at the scene after receiving multiple gunshot wounds, and the man died at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday from a gunshot wound to the head.

Toxicology tests are pending, police added.

Officers were called at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday to the 1000 block of Four Seasons Road, and learned three were shot inside an apartment.

BPD's Sgt. John Fermon told The Pantagraph on Wednesday police believe it was a domestic violence incident involving two adults and a child. They're continuing to investigate complete circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jeff Engle at 309-434-2371 or at JEngle@cityblm.org or contact Detective Tyrel Klein at 309-434-2366 or at Tklein@cityblm.org.

No further information was available on the investigation as of late Thursday afternoon.

Barry Reilly, superintendent of Bloomington School District 87, told The Pantagraph Thursday that Matthias Clemons was not enrolled in their district. He said the district did reach out to families of students in the area to connect them with support.

He added the families appreciated that connection, and the district will continue to be there for them.

Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

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BLOOMINGTON  Registration for Bloomington District 87's summer school programs open March 16 for general and special education students, district officials announced.

Akin to last years expanded program, the district will work with several community partners, adding Illinois Wesleyan University to the list this year, to supplement students experiences, Assistant Superintendent Diane Wolf said in a presentation to the school board Wednesday.

All of our summer programs are 'Rise Up' programs, so if a student is completing second grade, they will go into the third-grade cohort, Wolf said. The program planned June 9-30 is designed this way so that we can start getting them used to the upcoming year.

The extended school year program, which is for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade special education students whose individualized education plan includes this, also will be held June 9-30 at Oakland Elementary.

The general education summer program for elementary students will bring first- and second-graders to Irving Elementary from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and third-, fourth- and fifth-graders to Oakland Elementary from 9:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

They will work with District 87 teachers in the mornings and pre-service teachers from Illinois State University and other community partners in the afternoons.

Junior high students will get to sleep in, Wolf said, noting their program spans from noon to 5 p.m. and will focus on academics, social-emotional learning, team building and leadership.

The summer program for high school students is focused on credit recovery, which helps to keep students on track to graduate.

Families whose students participate in summer school will have no costs, and transportation will be provided. Elementary and high school students will be provided with lunch, and junior high students will be given an afternoon snack.

Bilingual and English as a Second Language support will also be provided at every level.

Ready 4K

The board also saw a presentation from Illinois Aware grant coordinator Leslie Blockman, who said a program called Ready 4K will launch at Sarah E. Raymond School of Early Education on March 25.

Ready 4K is a program developed by educational researchers that uses text messaging to communicate and partner with families to increase their engagement, Blockman said.

We all know the home to school connection is vital, especially at Sarah Raymond, given the age of these students, she said.

The program sends texts to parents and guardians three times a week with age-differentiated insights, activities and learning extensions to inform and motivate, activate and reinforce, encourage and extend, Blockman said.

In one example of a Monday inform and motivate fact, Ready 4K could send When kids learn how to take on jobs and finish them, they grow more independent. Giving kids helping jobs at home builds this important skill.

Blockman said studies have shown Ready 4K can lead to two to three months of additional growth over the course of the school year.

Sarah Raymond will be the first school in Illinois to roll out this program, which is free for families, though they can opt out by responding with Stop.

This program comes as part of the Illinois Aware grant, a five-year grant awarded to District 87 two years ago that focuses on behavioral, mental and social health of students, Wolf said.

Reduction in force

In other business, three teachers at Bloomington District 87 were included in the annual reduction of force resolution approved Wednesday by the school board.

The board considers the reduction of force each spring to meet requirements for adequate notification of employees facing layoffs.

Superintendent Barry Reilly said these are three honorable reductions in force.

Two of the teachers were hired after Jan. 1, which doesnt give us a whole lot of time to evaluate employees, Reilly said.

The third teacher is a probationary teacher who is on the list because of uncertainty of state and federal grant funding for special programs they were employed for.

According to the resolution, as these are considered honorable reductions in force, they do not reflect adversely upon the performance of the three teachers.

The overall effect to the district, this is a very low number. We want to keep people if we can at all possible cost, Reilly said.

The resolution passed over dissent from board member Fitzgerald Samedy. Last year, three teachers were part of the reduction in force.

Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.

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Today

Cloudy with a few showers. Low 42F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Tonight

Cloudy with a few showers. Low 42F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Tomorrow

Rain showers early with overcast skies later in the day. High near 55F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
NORMAL  After hearing from almost 70 people during public comment Wednesday night, the McLean County Unit 5 board asked for the publics help as it continues to look for long-term solutions to its structural deficit.

We either need to have future discussions about what gets cut in future years or we need an infusion of new revenue, Board Secretary Barry Hitchins said. And when we approach people for either of those, your responses cannot be, We cant help you with that.

The board changed its deficit reduction plan early Thursday morning in a post-midnight closed session, after public comment ended the seven-hour meeting.

An amended motion passed unanimously by the board excluded the fifth grade band and orchestra programs from the reductions, but cut the eighth grade foreign language program, along with 36 teacher positions and two administrative positions.

Without action, the districts structural deficit is estimated to be around $14 million in the next fiscal year and to continue increasing. The total across the next three fiscal years would be around $54 million, officials have said.

Much of the deficit has been covered with a short-term fix of working cash bonds, with the board expected to issue $46 million in working cash later this spring.

Board members indicated that more painful decisions remain in the future if the district can't find another source of revenue, such as a referendum asking voters to increase the education fund tax rate.

If we dont get a referendum or another source of revenue to the tune of about $11 million, that deficit is going to grow, Board President Amy Roser said.

The education fund tax rate has increased by only 10 cents since 1983, Superintendent Kristen Weikle has said. The last increase was in 2008.

The board has not yet publicly discussed a timeline to a potential referendum, nor has it taken any steps toward putting one on a ballot. District spokeswoman Dayna Brown said there is not yet a timeline on any potential referendum.

Along with the staff reductions and the loss of the eighth grade foreign language program, class sizes are also likely to increase, Weikle said. High school classes could reach around 30 students, though she said some past high school classes had already been that size, and some of the upper elementary classes were also around 30 kids.

Other program changes include reducing what the district calls sixth assignments, where a teacher gives up a planning period to teach an extra class, in exchange for increased pay. At the elementary level, some extra duty positions, like advising student council, will be reduced or cut to save on the stipends that go with them.

Unit 5s program for students to receive an associate degree in computer science will be based only at Normal West High School. Students at Normal Community will still be able to participate, but will attend Normal West to do so.

One teacher, Tanner Meiss, was cut by the reduction in force connected to the deficit plan, which was also passed by the board at Wednesdays meeting. The resolution was amended to take two music teachers off of the list to be let go. The other staff reductions are being handled through normal loss of teachers and involuntary transfers.

'Try again'

Multiple speakers came back to a single phrase they asked of the board during the meeting: Try again."

We can blame the state all we want () but if we truly care about the things we talked about tonight, we are going to have to step up, board member Alan Kalitzky said.

Many students spoke about how their involvement in the foreign language and music programs gave them a chance to spend time in the junior high and high schools before they started attending there. They also highlighted the friends they were able to make through band and orchestra, as well as the fact that they would often turn to their music teachers for emotional support.

While other classes may teach you skills, music teaches you character and honor, NCHS junior Nathan Maestas said.

The students who spoke included many alumni of the music programs, as well as some younger students who are either involved this year or had planned to be in the future.

Band is not only a class; its a place where you can meet new people, learn new skills and have fun, said Disha Rai, a fifth-grader who plays the alto saxophone.

Unit 5 Music Parents Association President Karen Fryer has three children who grew up playing music in Unit 5 schools. Eliminating fifth grade band and orchestra would have a negative impact far beyond fifth grade, including worsening the districts competitive edge in music.

The Normal Community High School orchestras brought back a win in their class from the Illinois High School Association Solo and Ensemble Competition this past weekend.

We have great concerns about plucking out the instrumental music program, basically cutting off the front end of our instrumental music program, Fryer told The Pantagraph.

Sixth-grader Lucas Easter spoke to the board about his experience having missed fifth grade band due to the pandemic. It set him back compared to other students, he said, as he is having to learn the fifth grade curriculum this year instead.

Please dont set back other children like COVID did for us, he asked of the board.

The districts music curriculum is based on having a specific amount of time with students so they can reach the desired level by the time they are seniors, Fryer said. Taking away a year from that curriculum would not only affect Unit 5s performance at competitions, but would also hurt students who are applying for college music programs or music scholarships.

Its more than a one-year impact; it ripples out, Fryer said.

At the end of the meeting, board member Stan Gozur said he was impressed by the students who spoke.

Parents, staff, we expected what you brought, I was proud we are educating these individuals, I hope they hear this message and I hope they know they are representing this district well, he said.

Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood

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CAHOKIA HEIGHTS  A Cahokia Heights woman was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for her involvement in an identity theft scam.

According to the charges filed in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois, Jasmine Davison, 29, participated in a scheme to use stolen names and Social Security numbers to set up cellular service accounts at Sprint stores across southern Illinois. The bogus accounts were used to acquire new cell phones, which were then resold to other cellular retail stores in the area for cash, the charges alleged.

The scheme cost Sprint $31,874.30, according to court documents.

Davison is the third defendant to be sentenced in the case.

On Feb. 18, 2021, Michael Henderson was sentenced to serve two years in prison for his involvement, and Kyetia Hines was sentenced on May 5, 2021 to two years. Antoinette Davis, the last defendant, will be scheduled for later this month.

Henderson helped facilitate the scheme as an employee of a Sprint retail store.

Tamecia Buckley, 37, of Cahokia Heights, another co-conspirator pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud and five counts of aggravated identity theft in July 2019 and was sentenced to six years in federal prison, according to court documents. She has been in federal custody since Aug. 2019.

The illegal operation lasted from approximately Oct. 29, 2015 until May 14, 2018, court documents say.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Cahokia Police Department. It was prosecuted by Steven D. Weinhoeft, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, and Assistant Attorney Peter T. Reed.

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Unsung hero Dr. Paul Farmer died this week. Dr. Farmer was truly one of the greatest men (or women) of our generation. He was equally at home at Harvard, in the top; medical facilities in the world, or at his clinic in one of the most impoverished areas of Haiti.

Dr. Farmer saved innumerable lives in Haiti, Rwanda, Russia, Peru, and other countries. In addition, he raised public health exponentially in many locations, through his charity, Partners in Health, through assistance to governments, or indirectly. His efforts to promote public health around the world and to contain and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and numerous illnesses endemic to Third World Countries were superhuman.

If you have not heard of Dr. Paul Farmer, go to your computer or cellphone and look him up, as well as Partners in Health, and consider a memorial donation on the Partners in Health website. You can read a book on his early efforts, Mountains Beyond Mountains.

Locally, Normal Police Department Chief Rick Bleichner is also a hero, having saved a life this week. Chief Bleichners knowledge and appreciation of mental illness issues and implementation of best practices for the Normal Police Department sent a person with mental illness to appropriate medical care and not to Coroner Kathy Davis morgue after a standoff. One officer is not facing possible lifelong trauma for having killed justifiably but unnecessarily, and another dozen or more did not have to witness the shooting death of a mentally ill person.

Daniel G. Deneen, Bloomington

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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on the international business community to consider Ghana as a top investment destination because we are a nation of unquestionable attractive opportunities.



Speaking at the Ghana Day at the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020, he stressed that Ghanas favourable business climate, coupled with its diverse investment potential, was a signal to investors that the country was ready for business.



Today, we are the safest country in West Africa, the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in West Africa and ranked third in the Ease of Doing Business Index in West Africa.



We are the new commercial capital of Africa by virtue of our hosting of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), we are the second-largest cocoa producer in the world, we are the largest producer of gold in Africa, we are endowed with considerable deposits of bauxite, iron ore, manganese, lithium, oil and gas, diamonds, and timber, and we are geographically closer than any other country to the centre of the planet.



President Akufo-Addo explained that Ghana had moved away from the earlier uncertainties that clouded her path towards progress and prosperity.



He pointed out that the last twenty-nine years of democratic governance in Ghanas Fourth Republic had generally been the period of the greatest economic growth in the countrys history.



We are a country where investments are secure and protected under a governance system where an independent judiciary upholds the rule of law and respect for private property rights, he said.



The President emphasised that his government was determined to build a business-friendly economy that would enable Ghana to get to the stage where the exploitation of the opportunities that were available would help her build an optimistic, self-confident and prosperous nation.



He said Ghana at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, was one of the few countries to record positive growth.



President Akufo-Addo said through GH100 billion economic recovery programme, dubbed the Ghana CARES Obaatampa Programme, the economy grew at a provisional 5.2 per cent in the first three quarters of 2021, with a projected growth rate of 5.6 per cent for 2021.



We appear to be on the path of sustained economic recovery. We still, nevertheless, have some important challenges, but we see these challenges as opportunities, which serve as catalysts for growth and the realisation of Governments transformational agenda. This agenda is hinged, primarily, on creating space for the private sector to thrive, thereby growing the jobs that our young people need, he added.



The President stated that policies such as One-District-One-Factory and the development of strategic anchor industries, such as the emerging automotive industry and the coordinated exploitation of significant bauxite and iron ore deposits, the agricultural expansion through the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, targeted infrastructural development, especially of roads and railways, and promoting access to digital technology were serving as the main avenues for job creation.



We have been successful at removing some of the constraints of Ghanaian life, that have been sources of frustration in conducting business. As part of the process of formalising the economy, we have, amongst others, implemented a digital property addressing system, issued biometric national identification cards to residents this year, so that every resident will have a unique identification number, and ensured paperless transactions at our ports, he said, and encouraged people with business interests to explore all that the country had to offer.



The Dubai Expo, which should have taken place in 2020 but was postponed to 2022 because of COVID-19 pandemic, is on the theme "Connecting Minds, creating the Future. "



The Expo aims to forge new partnerships and inspire ground-breaking solutions across key industries worldwide.



It also seeks to raise awareness about global issues faced by mankind. The Expo provides several possibilities for networking and the promotion of international connections.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, met with the United States Deputy Secretary, Department of Energy, Mr. David M. Turk on the sidelines of CERAWeek currently taking place in Houston, Texas.



Their discussions revolved around Ghana and USA Government cooperation in navigating Energy Transition and creating pathways for mutual interest in the energy sector.



Dr. Prempeh assured the Deputy Secretary of Ghanas eagerness to meet our transition goals with much emphasis on gas and used the opportunity to invite investors into Ghanas nuclear energy sector.



Even though the risk in investing in Africa is high, the gains and returns are much higher for any investor. Ghana provides a stable, peaceful and investor-friendly country to guarantee the safety of your investments Dr. Prempeh stressed.



Mr. Turk used the opportunity to welcome Dr. Prempeh and the Ghanaian delegation to the United States and expressed his countrys readiness to support the transition agenda.



In attendance from the Ministry of Energy were the Director, Legal, Ms Sarah Fafa Kpodo and Mr. Benjamin Asante, Director of Petroleum. Mr. Egbert Faibille Jnr the CEO of the Petroleum Commission was also present.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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The President of the Moroccan Association of Exporters (ASMEX) Hassan Sentissel El Idrissi, has called on Ghanaian enterprises working in various sectors of national economy to make import and export a priority.



According to him, the Association has enormous opportunities for Ghanaian enterprises

willing to partner their counterparts in Morocco on export and import.



Hassan Sentissel El Idrissi made the call when he hosted Ghanaian journalists at the headquarters of the Association in Casablanca in Morocco.



In line with the new trade policies of Morocco, he said the Association has been well positioned to offer products and services to their Ghanaian counterparts across various industries and sectors based on mutual grounds.



Consequently, he said Ghanaian Exporters and importers willing to collaborate in areas of interest, could use the organization with the capacity of mamaging nine thousand (9000) companies as the gateway to the Moroccan and Ghanaian markets.



He said Moroccan companies have declared their readiness to partner African companies to expand operations in export and import through effective collaborations.



The Association, he underscored organized three hundred (300) visits to African countries and worked on synergies that would offer new schemes for international trade relations in the continent.



He revealed that the Association has identified opportunities in the homogeneous market in Africa, and the free trade zone, and would not hesitate to partner relevant institutions and organizations to actualize the potential of companies doing well in Africa.



With the backing of government, he said ASMEX has opened its doors to all Moroccan companies operating in and outside of the country to attract in return the right synergies and building trust that guarantees equity.



In line with this, he noted that Moroccan products are known globally as the organization works comprehensively with insurance companies to protect them against global shocks.



He observed that as part of the mandate of ASMEX, they study destinations to understand cultural dynamics before possible partnerships.



A reason, several commissions have been established including legal commission, Physical commission, Finance Commission, Europe Commission, Africa Commission, America Commission, Asia Commission, among other Commissions to create global access to market their products.



According to Hassan Sentissel El Idrissi, access to the markets remain crucial to their activities, therefore influencing the establishment of robust digital platforms to function twenty-four seven (24/7).



The Moroccan Association of Exporters ASMEX was established in 1982 and has since widened its tentacles across fourteen regions of Morocco.











Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has suspended the strike action indefinitely.

In a statement dated March 8, 2022, jointly signed by the President of UTAG, Prof Solomon Nunoo and National Secretary, Dr Asare Asante-Annor, members of UTAG were urged to "demonstrate good faith by returning to the lecture halls to teach."



"We call on the Employer to demonstrate same good faith by being committed to all agreements to help maintain industrial harmony."



"The days when the Employer treated UTAG with contempt and made promises that were not fulfilled are past. The NEC of UTAG would subject the Employer to strict proof and hold it accountable to every promise made and all signed agreements," it added.



Below is a copy of the full statement by UTAG



1. The National Executive Committee of UTAG held an Emergency Meeting on Tuesday, 8th March 2022, to among others, consider the outcome of the referenda on its decision to temporarily suspend the industrial action commenced on 10th January 2022.



You may recall that the NEC of UTAG voted to temporarily suspend the strike action on Monday, 21st February 2022 to pave way for negotiations with the Employer to help meet some of the demands and address the concerns of UTAG.



2. In the ensuing referenda, twelve (12) out of the fifteen (15) UTAG branches voted to reject the call for the suspension of the strike action, signifying their lack of trust in the Employers commitment to addressing their concerns and, thus, their resolve to continue with the strike action until their demands were met.



3. At the meeting, the NEC of UTAG received reports from the various branches in relation to the branch meetings held on Friday, 4th March 2022. In general, the reports centred on the dissatisfaction of members on the arrangements put in place to address their demands. In this regard, the NEC of UTAG will endeavour to ensure

that all concerns raised by members are reflected in whatever agreement to be signed between the Employer and UTAG.



4. Notwithstanding the concerns raised, members also considered the interventions of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education and the eminent persons, which led to the temporary suspension of the strike action, in accepting the proposals.



5. Once again, the NEC of UTAG reiterates its awareness of the level of disappointment and dissatisfaction of members on the proposals to deal with the demands of members. However, the NEC of UTAG appeals to members to remain calm and accept these proposals as interim measures, as it works to ensure that they remain as such and ends in December 2022.



6. The NEC of UTAG promises to monitor and police the full implementation of all agreements with the Employer, and to work with clear timelines and roadmaps to ensure that all promises and agreements are respected. There would no longer be reactionary measures but proactive interventions that would not wait till matters get

out of hand before resorting to industrial actions



7. The NEC of UTAG is resolved to pursue the agreements for the Employer to implement the Market Premium and/or review the Single Spine Salary Structure in 2023, to help address concerns of poor Conditions of Services of the University Teacher in full.



8. After careful assessment of the referenda results, interim agreements reached between UTAG and the Employer, and the various branch reports, the NEC of UTAG resolved to indefinitely suspend the strike action of 10th January 2022.



9. We thank all members for their patience and support and pledge to act in a manner reflective of their mood at all times. We also thank all stakeholders for their support and action to help address the needs of the University Teacher. We wish all well as we demonstrate good faith by returning to the lecture halls to teach and call on the Employer to demonstrate same good faith by being committed to all agreements to help maintain industrial harmony.



The days when the Employer treated UTAG with contempt and made promises that were not fulfilled are past. The NEC of UTAG would subject the Employer to strict proof and hold it accountable to every promise made and all signed agreements.



Once again, we thank all our members for their support and wish them a pleasant 2021/2022 academic year.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has granted the release of about 100 basic school teachers in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region due to the volatile security situation in the area.

Some 2,247 pupils are also not in school for fear of their lives, the Municipal Director of GES, Azeriya Ayeriga, has disclosed.



Bawku has been the hotbed of decades-old ethnic conflict between the Mamprusis and Kusasis and has claimed several lives over the period.



The fight was ignited during Christmas, leading to the death of three people including a police female constable.



I must admit that teachers continue to besiege the offices of the GES to demand to be re-posted to schools they feel safe and secure in, Mr Ayeriga said.



He said there is no way they can be prevented since they require a safer and conducive working environment to work.



Mr Ayeriga told the Daily Graphic Tuesday that some teachers perceived to belong to any of the factions cannot go to certain schools for fear of being attacked.



For now, not less than 100 teachers have been released to other districts to teach which has created a huge teacher deficit in the municipality with its negative consequences on teaching and learning, he said.



Teacher deficit



Mr Ayeriga stated that some 240 vacancies in public basic schools declared in the municipality as of December 31 last year were yet to be filled and now many more teachers are leaving due to the Bawku chieftaincy crisis.



He explained that putting the two figures together, I can say that the municipality is currently having a teacher deficit of about 340 vacancies.



Although 30 newly trained teachers posted to the municipality have already reported, I know a good number of them will not come back due to the insecurity situation in the area, he added.



He noted that due to the ban on the use of motorbikes, which is the commonest means of transport in the area, many teachers were not regular and punctual in school.



He said teachers who decide to go to school with the passenger tricycle, popularly referred to as Mahama Camboo, spend an average of GH30 a day, which is too much for the teachers to bear.



Pupils not in school



Mr Ayeriga said about two weeks ago, a headcount in public basic schools revealed that 2,247 pupils had not been in school since the Bawku conflict resurfaced.



Unfortunately, we do not know if such pupils have moved to other schools or are at home due to the insecurity in the area, he said.



He stated, however, that the directorate was doing everything possible to improve the performance of students in the municipality in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).



The municipality recorded 19 per cent pass mark in the 2018 BECE, which improved to 31 per cent and 36 per cent in 2019 and 2020, respectively.



Mr Ayeriga appealed to stakeholders and feuding factions to make peace and resolve their differences, saying: I wish to urge them to give peace a chance in the interest of the current and future generations.



The school pupils need books and pens, not bullet and guns; they need teachers in schools, not soldiers and police on the streets, he added.



Independence parade



Addressing the 65th Independence Day parade in Navrongo last Sunday, the Upper East Regional Director of the GES, Mr Edward Azure, said the recent happenings in Bawku, Kandiga and Doba were disheartening.



He said schools in these places had started recording low turnout of both pupils and teachers. How can effective teaching and learning go on when both teachers and pupils are traumatised? he asked.









Source: graphiconline.com









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Our teeth play a significant role in both our health and appearance. However, were all a little guilty of taking them for granted and maybe even neglecting them.



This is especially true of children. As a young boy, Dr. Tyler Brady had a profound interest in and natural appreciation for teeth. It may sound like a bizarre interest for a child to develop, but for the founder of Haven Dental, it came as natural as smiling.



Teeth have always been a source of fascination for me and it was always on the cards that I was going to work in the field of dentistry, says Dr. Tyler Brady. He adds, Fortunately for me, my uncle was a dentist and so I had a handy go-to for all teeth-related information. I was always, pardon the pun, drilling him about what the role of the dentist entailed, what qualifications I needed, and how to give patients teeth the best care possible.



On finishing high school, Dr. Brady decided to learn on the job. After moving in with his uncle, he worked in his dental office to get some much-needed hands-on experience. He says, Working in the office made me more determined to become a dentist. It gave me a newfound appreciation of the vital role dentists play in society. When our teeth give us problems, it causes us much pain. Additionally, when our teeth are not as straight or white as wed like, it can play havoc with our self-esteem and mental health. Having the ability to remedy this using my specific skill-set and knowledge gives me a great amount of satisfaction.



After graduating from college and attending Bostons highly-regarded Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Brady became an active member of the Bates-Andrews Research Group. He immersed himself in dental research involving implants, filling materials, silk proteins, antibiotics, and electric toothbrushes. After moving to Texas with his wife to start a family, Dr. Brady eventually opened his first private practice, Haven Dental.



The ethos behind Haven Dental is to provide first-class and affordable dental treatment for everyone. We also run a non-profit scheme tailored to help those less fortunate with the dental care they deserve. My aim has always been to make a trip to the dentist a pleasurable experience and something to look forward to. Our job is to put a smile on your face and give you the sort of teeth to smile about, states Dr. Tyler Brady.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Sector Reforms Secretariat, Mr Thomas Kusi-Boafo says Ghanas digitalization was his idea and making sure it works perfectly for the betterment of the country.



He refused to accept the fact that the idea was initiated by Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia  after insisting he has ensured the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) is fully digitalized.



Dr Bawumia has just hired us; the idea and strategy are from me. I am the one doing it, not the Vice President, he told Kwesi Aboagye in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie'.



Mr Thomas Kusi-Boafo was reacting to how his office has reformed the public sector.





Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Ebenezer Kojo Kum is alive and recovering from an illness, his spokesperson, Barnabas Annan has said.



Discounting media reports late Tuesday which said Mr Kum, the MP for the Ahanta West Constituency in the Western Region had died, his spokesperson said he was alive and responding to treatment after being discharged from the Korle Bu Teaching hospital in Accra.



"It is not true, Honourable Lawyer Ebenezer Kojo Kum is alive, he is not dead as people are reporting, he is alive," Mr Annan said in a radio interview on Joy FM monitored by Graphic Online.



"All I can tell you is that Lawyer Ebenezer Kojo Kum, the MP for Ahanta West and Minister for Chieftaincy and religious affairs is not dead, he is alive, he is responding to treatment please".



He said the Minister fell sick three weeks ago when he visited the Ahanta West constituency to meet New Patriotic Party constituency executives over polling station elections.



Mr Annan said it was therefore inaccurate for media houses to report that his boss had been ill for over a month.



"It was just three weeks ago (that he fell sick) and he has been discharged. The man is responding to treatment," Mr Annan said.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Russia has hit back at western sanctions for invading Ukraine by imposing export bans on a string of products until the end of 2022.



The ban covers exports of telecoms, medical, vehicle, agricultural, and electrical equipment, as well as some forestry products such as timber.



The economy ministry said further measures could include restricting foreign ships from Russian ports.

It said: "These measures are a logical response to those imposed on Russia."



The ministry added that the bans on countries that have "committed unfriendly actions" were "aimed at ensuring uninterrupted functioning of key sectors of the economy".



The export ban includes more than 200 products. The measures will last until the end of the year.



Western governments have imposed a string of sanctions on Russia, notably on buying oil, and against billionaire oligarchs seen as close to President Vladimir Putin.



About 48 countries will be affected, including the US and in the EU.



The order said that export exemptions can be made for Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and for members of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union.



Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the ban would include exports of goods made by foreign companies operating in Russia. Items include cars, railway carriages, and containers.



It comes as Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev warned that assets owned by western companies that have pulled out of Russia could be nationalised.



Firms have been leaving en masse or halting investment, including industrial and mining giants such as Caterpillar and Rio Tinto, Starbucks, Sony, Unilever and Goldman Sachs.



On Wednesday, Moscow approved legislation that took the first step towards nationalizing assets of foreign firms that leave the country.



And in a statement on Thursday Mr Medvedev said: "The Russian government is already working on measures, which include bankruptcy and nationalisation of the property of foreign organisations.



"Foreign companies should understand that returning to our market will be difficult." He accused foreign investors of creating "panic" for ordinary Russians who could now lose their livelihoods.



According to the most recent figures, Russia is the UK's nineteenth largest trading partner, with trade between the two nations totalling 15.9bn over a year from the end of September 2020.

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.

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A Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mercy Larbi, has stated that fighting human rights violations in the country must occupy a centre stage in order to improve the lives of people.



That, she explained, was because human rights bordered on everything, including livelihood, lives and ones birthright.



She said if the human rights of people were ignored, the rights of the vulnerable included women and children would be violated and there would be arbitrary arrests of people by members of the security agencies.



Mrs Larbi said this in an interview after the opening of a training on litigation and engagement with regional human rights and treaty bodies organised for CHRAJ and selected civil society organisations (CSOs).



Why the training



A 2019 study by the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) established that most national human rights institutions in Africa had minimal interaction with the sub-regional and regional human rights treaty bodies in securing remedy for human rights violations.





Although CHRAJ has sought remedy for human rights violations through its mandate and a few cases via national courts, it has seldom approached the regional human rights bodies and that informed NANHRI to organise the three-day training for the staff of CHRAJ and CSOs to enhance CHRAJs capacity to actively litigate and engage the regional treaty bodies in complementing the national mechanisms to ensure human rights for all.



The training also seeks to consolidate and identify opportunities for collaboration between CHRAJ and CSOs in not only engaging the regional human rights treaty bodies but also following up on implementation of the recommendations and decisions of the regional bodies for the benefit of the rights holders.



Importance of human rights



Mrs Larbi said human rights bothered everybody whether rich or poor, therefore, by placing it at the centre stage it would help the country to develop.



Be it economic, social or political, the development can be felt there. Besides, human rights are also about democracy which is the right to vote and so if people are allowed to vote it enhances our democracy, she added.



She reminded Ghanaians of their rights and asked them not to allow anyone to take those rights away from them.



For those whose rights were violated, she advised them to file a complaint with the Commission and they would investigate the case and take it to court on their behalf at no cost.



The services of CHRAJ are free so you dont need money to file a complaint before it. The Commission is a national human rights institution and it is the institution that has been officially mandated by the constitution to protect and promote human rights. So if your rights are violated, the only place to go is CHRAJ, she pointed out.



In her welcome address, Mrs Larbi said since the attainment of independence, the country had become party to numerous international, Africa and regional human rights institutions and it had amended some existing laws to include some of those international laws.



She said the commission had engaged in litigation before the national courts in executing its mandate to promote and protect the fundamental human rights of all persons in the country.



However, she said, it had not engaged in litigation before the Africa regional treaty bodies and that made the training very important and crucial to build the capacity of staff.



Giving an outline of the training objectives and pre-training evaluation, one of the consultants for the training, Dr Tresor Makunya, said the African Union had established three human rights regional bodies, namely the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, with each of them having different mandates.



He said although CHRAJ had done significant work at the domestic level in holding the government and state organs accountable in the implementation of the Bill of Rights and Regional Human Rights commitments but it needed to enhance its capacity to engage with the three regional human rights bodies, hence the training to help them do so.



The training would, among others, help CHRAJ to know how to litigate before the regional bodies.



About NANHRI



NANHRI, which is considered as one of the largest regional networks within the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions, was established in 2007 to replace the Coordinating Committee of African National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CCANI).



It currently has 46 members and its secretariat is in Nairobi.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Idrissu, has described the Supreme Courts ruling that allows a Deputy Speaker of Parliament presiding over proceedings in Parliament to be counted in decision making as disappointing.



According to him, the ruling by the court amounts to judicial interference in time-tested Parliamentary practice and established conventions.



Speaking to the media in Parliament, Haruna Idrissu said the Supreme Court ruling is nothing but a way to show their support for E-Levy.



Our attention has been drawn to a very disappointing ruling of the Supreme Court of Ghana with more or less amounts to judicial interference in time-tested Parliamentary practice and established conventions. Everywhere in the world, in civilized democracies including the United Kingdom, the presiding officers vote is discounted, so its not for nothing that Article 102 provides that a person presiding shall have no original nor casting vote.



judicial support for e-levy and nothing more, judicial support for a struggling economy in distress and a judicial support for the restoration of a matter that they have said is constitutional, is repugnant to the provisions of 102 and 104. he said on March 8.



The Supreme Court has ruled that a Deputy Speaker of Parliament presiding over proceedings in Parliament has the right to be counted in decision making and has the right to participate in voting.



The court presided over by Justice Jones Dotse, held that the Deputy Speaker does not lose his right to take part in decision-making upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution.



The court, therefore, held that the passing of the budget on November 30, 2021 in which Joe Osei Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker counted himself as part of the quorum, was valid.



The court gave the unanimous decision today, March 9, 2022, after it dismissed a writ by a law lecturer, Justice Abdulai, who was challenging the decision of Mr Owusu to be counted as part of the quorum to pass the budget.



Justice Abdulai was seeking an interpretation by the Supreme Court on Articles 102 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution and declaring the action of Osei Owusu as unconstitutional.



He also wanted the Supreme Court to declare the whole proceedings in Parliament on November 30, 2021, which led to the passage of the 2022 budget as unconstitutional, insisting the Deputy Speaker should not have counted himself as an MP when he presided over proceedings.









Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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#FixTheCountry Movement lead convener, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, was allegedly rushed to the Police Hospital in Accra on Wednesday.



According to the Movement, he complained of general discomfort in the latter part of the morning.



A statement issued by the FixtheCountry Conveners said Oliver Barker-Vormawor has been experiencing some minor health challenges since his detention in police custody.



Doctors have since come to assess his health and discovered that his blood pressure has shot up, portions of the statement said.



The Movement said it will be monitoring the progress of the social activist in relation to his health status and update the public accordingly.



Oliver Barker-Vormawor has been in Police custody since he was arrested on the evening of February 11, 2022 over coup comments on his Facebook page. The arrest took place immediately he arrived from the United Kingdom.



In a press release, the Police explained that his arrest followed a post he allegedly made on a social media platform to the effect that he would stage a coup himself if the E-Levy Bill is passed by Parliament.



He was subsequently charged with treason felony, an offence provided for in section 182(b) of Ghanas Criminal offences Act.



Appearing in Court on Monday, February 14, the judge hearing the matter, Eleanor Barnes remanded Barker-Vormawor into Police custody pointing out that the nature and severity of the crime meant the court cannot grant bail.



His lawyers later filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging his arraignment before the district court.



They wanted the Court to determine whether the Police have discharged their constitutional duty by sending their client to a court with no jurisdiction to consider a bail application.



According to them, the ruling of the High Court B, Tema, dated February 17, 2022, entails a grave error of law which error is patent on the face of the record.

But the Supreme Court on March 2, struck out the application filed by lawyers for Oliver Barker-Vormawor.



This was after the Court had questioned the processes filed by the lawyers saying it does not properly invoke the jurisdiction of the Court.



Meanwhile, the lawyers for the youth activist then informed the Court they wanted to withdraw the case.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayensuano constituency, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, has backed the Supreme Court ruling regarding the right of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament to vote in the House as a Member of Parliament(MP).



The Majority and Minority have been disputing among themselves claims that the Deputy Speaker, acting as Speaker of Parliament in the absence of the substantive Speaker, can cast a vote or be counted as part of the MPs to form a quorum during proceedings.



Court Ruling



The Supreme Court by a unanimous decision settled this contentious issue ruling on Wednesday that a "Deputy Speaker is entitled to be counted as a member of Parliament for quorum" and can as well "vote and take part in the decision of parliament".



An action by Mr Osei-Owusu in November last year, in counting himself as an MP, enabled the Majority in Parliament to form the right quorum under Article 104(1) in order to pass the budget.



By this ruling, the Supreme Court has affirmed and legitimized the approval of the 2022 Budget passed in the absence of the NDC Minority Caucus on November 30, 2021.



The seven member panel that adjudicated the case comprised Justices Jones Dotse, Nene Amegatcher, Prof Ashie Kotey, Mariama Owusu, Lovelace Johnson, Clemence Honyenuga and Emmanuel Kulendi.



Presided over by Justice Jones Dotse, the court also struck down Order 109(3) of the Standing Orders of Parliament as unconstitutional.



Criticisms



Some critics have however shared their dissenting views over the court ruling.



Former President John Mahama, in a post shared across his official social media handles, described the ruling as "shocking but not surprising", a Graphic Online publication cited.



He added the Apex Court has set "a dangerous precedent of judicial interference in Parliamentary procedure for the future".



Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George has also labeled the ruling as a sham.



"The sham called Justice delivery in our Republic. Despicable!'', he tweeted.



The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu further asserts the court ruling is rather aimed at giving the Deputy Speaker the right to vote for the government's e-levy.



Ayeh-Paye Supports Supreme Court Order



But addressing the issue during Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, the former MP, Samuel Ayeh-Peye was of a firm opinion that the Apex Court's intervention is in the right order.



Sharing his expert knowledge on the roles of the Judiciary and the Legislature, he noted that although Parliament operates independently and have rules on their own which should be free from judicial interferences, nonetheless the Judiciary steps in when it finds a standing order of Parliament in contravention of the 1992 constitution.



He expounded that, "the Supreme Court has the authority to say what you're doing contravenes the constitution, so cancel it'' and so called on the MPs to leave the Supreme Court alone.



" . . we can't put any order in our standing orders which infracts the constitution," he advised the legislators.



Hon. Ayeh-Paye urged the law makers to "admit that if we accept separation of powers, the Executives, the Judiciary and the Legislature, then we must give the Supreme Court the room to do its work".



He, therefore, finds nothing wrong with the Supreme Court ruling in favour of the Deputy Speaker.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Governance Lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, has thrown his support for the Supreme Court ruling that the Deputy Speaker of Parliament is a Member of Parliament and has a voting right.



The right of the Deputy Speaker to vote or be counted as part of Members of Parliament (MPs) to form a quorum was settled by the Supreme Court following a contention between the Majority and Minority in Parliament.



The Majority and Minority, in the year past, traded punches in the chamber when the Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, acting as Speaker of Parliament; attempted to hand over his seat to the Second Deputy Speaker in order to join the Majority to cast a vote on the government's e-levy proposal before the House.



On Wednesday, March 9, 2022, a seven member panel adjudicating the case unanimously ruled that a "Deputy Speaker is entitled to be counted as a member of Parliament for quorum" and can as well "vote and take part in the decision of parliament".



Following the court ruling, there have been criticisms from the Minority and some members of the opposition party who vehemently disagree with the court.



Former President John Mahama, in a post shared across his official social media handles, described the ruling as "shocking but not surprising" and added the Apex Court has set "a dangerous precedent of judicial interference in Parliamentary procedure for the future", a Graphic Online publication cited.



Sam Nartey George, a Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, also described the ruling as despicable, tweeting "the sham called Justice delivery in our Republic. Despicable!".



Reacting to the issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah appealed to the parties to refrain from politicizing the Supreme Court ruling.



Reading Articles 1 (clause 2), 125 (3) and 130 (1b), he opined that the constitution gives the Judiciary the authority by the constitution to adjudicate matters which infract the laws of the land.



He, therefore, cautioned the MPs saying, "the Supreme Court is doing it's job. Let's not make it NDC/NPP issues . . . I plead that we should the Judiciary to go about its business''.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says the unanimous decision taken by the Supreme Court, in its ruling of Wednesday, 9th March 2022, on the voting rights of Deputy Speakers, should put the matter to rest.



According to President Akufo-Addo, he was surprised by the furore that was generated on whether or not Deputy Speakers of Parliament could vote, once they were presiding in the chamber.



In an interview with Charles Takyi Boadu of the Daily Guide Newspaper, on Thursday, 10th March 2022, on the sidelines of Dubai Expo 2020, the President stated that as far as I can see it, and I think the Supreme Court has confirmed it, the matters involved in this are open and shut, they are black and white. There can be no dispute about the issues that the gentleman took to the Supreme Court.



He indicated that Articles 102, 104 of the Constitution make it absolutely clear, in black and white, that the Deputy Speakers, when they are presiding have the right to participate in the vote of the Parliament.



Indeed, and I believe that is part of the reasoning of the Court, all the Legislatures of the world, where the presiding person is a Member of the Legislature, like our Deputy Speakers are, like the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States of America or the President pro tempore of the Senate in the United States, or the Speaker of the British Parliament have the right to speak because they are Members of the Assembly, President Akufo-Addo said.



He continued, Our Speaker is expressly not a Member of the Assembly, that is why he doesnt have the right to vote. In fact, he really ought not to participate in the deliberations of the House, he is a referee making sure that the debate is conducted properly, or the orders of the House are complied with. That is his role. But he ought, strictly speaking, not to be part of the proceedings of the House. That is not the case with the Deputy Speakers, and that matter is transparent on the face of our Constitution.



The President noted that even the Presiding Members in the countrys District Assemblies have the right to vote, because they are members of the Assembly.



Once youre a member of the Assembly, and youre representing certain constituencies. If you are denied your right to vote, it is tantamount to denying the right of the people you represent to have a say in the decisions of the Assembly. That will not be right. So, I could not understand what the furore and controversy that was artificially generated, he added.



Commenting on Constitutional Matters



With this being the first time President Akufo-Addo has commented on a ruling of the Court, he stated that he has made deliberate efforts, as much as possible, not to comment on constitutional issues in the country.



People who are students of our constitutional law, our constitutional jurisprudence, are very much aware of the role that I played when I was a barrister in helping to define some of its basic rules of interpretation. I think that now I have become President, if every time there is a constitutional matter, Im heard to pronounce on it, it will give the impression that I am setting myself up as some rival Supreme Court. I am very reluctant to do that, for that reason, he said.



The President explained further that the body that the constitution has set up to be responsible for declaring the meaning of the constitution, i.e. interpreting and enforcing it, is the Judiciary, with the Supreme Court at its apex.



As a matter of good governance, it is better that that body, which has been given this exclusive power, is the one that is heard on constitutional issues, and that is the reason why I have not been open or vocal on constitutional matters. But I feel this one I should make some comments, he added.















Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Our press briefing for today, ladies and gentlemen, shall focus on the partys internal elections including developments regarding the just ended polling station elections held across the country from February 19 to March 5, 2022. We would also outline the rules and regulations for the next phase of the internal elections, which is the conduct of the partys Electoral Area Coordinators elections, as approved by the National Council, at its meeting of January, 27, 2022.



REVIEW OF POLLING STATION ELECTIONS



The Party, having monitored the conduct of the polling station elections held across the country, observed with grave concerns and revulsion, the pockets of disturbances including in some cases, verbal attacks and physical confrontations witnessed in some of the constituencies. Without mincing words, the Party, once again, condemns all such unfortunate acts and misconducts which have sought to bring the name of the Party into disrepute.



As a disciplined and law abiding political tradition, we expect all our members to use the Partys laid down grievance and dispute procedures to seek amicable resolutions to their grievances rather than resorting to such unorthodox means which only brings embarrassment to all of us.



Beyond the dispute and grievance procedures enshrined in Article 4 of the Party Constitution, the Party, in issuing the rules and regulations for the conduct of the polling station elections, incorporated detailed and comprehensive redress mechanisms for aggrieved party members.



The Party provided in the rules and regulations that no interested party member should be denied access to the purchase of Nomination Forms by the Polling Station elections committee, and where same is denied in gross violation of this express rule, that aggrieved member may, through a petition, purchase Nomination Form at the Regional or National Secretariat of the Party.



The Party made adequate preparations for the exercise and also made available Nomination Forms, at least, 25 Nomination Forms were sent to each polling station across the country. So, the argument cannot be one of shortage of Nomination Forms but the desire on the part of the some party officers and members to honour these rules and regulations in breach rather than in observance. The Party has also commissioned internal investigative processes in respect of these disturbances and all persons found culpable shall be disciplined in accordance with the Partys regulations.



In the specific case of the disturbances witnessed at Fomena including the painting of the Party Office with NDC colors, the Party takes serious view of this gross misconduct which is not only reprehensible but also an affront to the very dignity of the Party. Accordingly, the Party is taking immediate steps to expel all the persons behind this ungodly act from the Party, of course, through due process.



The point must be made that the Party has not yet decided on the modalities for holding polling station primaries in Fomena and the other 9 constituencies where polling station primaries were suspended owing to one reason or another.



So, in Fomena, for instance, the Party is yet to take a decision on the date of opening nomination, date of vetting, date of publication of vetting results, and date of holding the polling station elections in that constituency. This would be done and communicated in due course.



That being the case, the Party certainly did not and could not have sent Nomination Forms to Fomena for the conduct of the elections, let alone, to have handed over all such Forms to the Independent Member of Parliament, as alleged, which then erroneously formed the basis for the disturbances witnessed at the Constituency including the painting of the Party office with NDC colours. Like I intimated, all those behind this untoward act, will be dealt with severely.



It is also worth making the point that, the National executives have also been holding meetings with the members of the polling station elections committee and MPs in constituencies where there are issues which have been brought to our attention, with the view to resolving same. Where it was established that members of the elections committee had not acquitted themselves as required by the rules and regulations, the Party is holding them accountable, and in some cases, we have directed a complete overhaul of the committee ahead of the Electoral Area Coordinators Elections.



It is instructive to make the point that, much as, as observed, pockets of disturbances and ugly scenes were witnessed in some constituencies which the Party condemns unreservedly, the process across the country was largely successful. Indeed, out of the 263 Constituencies where polling station primaries have been held, we have seen these worrying developments in some 15 constituencies. So, the impression should not be created that the entire process across the country was fraught with challenges.



And like I intimated, the Party is currently conducting investigations in these constituencies and where the situation so demands, we may order a re-run of the polling station elections in the affected constituencies, in which case, we may send people from National to supervise the process.



The Party has also given directives to the various chairpersons of all the Polling Stations and Electoral Area Elections Committees, to submit a comprehensive report, detailing all what transpired relative to the conduct of the just ended polling stations elections. This is a condition precedent that has to be fulfilled before the Committee will be cleared to conduct the Electoral Area Coordinators elections.



CONDUCT OF ELECTORAL AREA ELECTIONS



As earlier published by the Party, Electoral Area Coordinators elections shall be held from the 18th of March to 20th of March, 2022. At this phase of the internal elections, the Party, in order to increase access to Nomination Forms, has resolved to upload the Forms for the Electoral Area elections on the Partys website for interested members to download for free. Forms can be downloaded via the link: newpatrioticparty.org/npp-form. The Nomination Forms can also be downloaded from the official social media platforms of the Party including the Partys facebook and twitter accounts.



Members who download the Forms will however be required to submit the completed Nomination Forms to the respective Polling Stations and Electoral Area Elections Committee, whereupon they would be required to pay the cost of filing, which is GHc50. Notwithstanding the resort to this online system, at least 5 hardcopies of the Nomination Forms will also be made available at each Electoral Area, for interested members.



The Party also wishes to emphasize that for purposes of this electoral area elections, no new electoral areas shall be created in any constituency. Accordingly, the existing Electoral Areas shall be maintained, in spite of any provisions to the contrary.



RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE CONDUCT OF ELECTORAL AREA COORDINATORS ELECTIONS



With reference to Article 5(4) of the NPP Constitution that provides that the Polling Station Executives in each Electoral Area shall elect the Electoral Area Coordinator, as well as Article 18 on guidelines for the operations of the Party at all levels, the following Rules and Regulations have been made by the National Council of the NPP for the conduct of the Partys Electoral Area Coordinators Elections:



1. The Electoral Area Elections shall be held from March 18 to March 20, 2022



2. There shall be constituted, a Polling Station and Electoral Area Elections Committee to oversee the organization of the Electoral Area Coordinators Elections in each Constituency.



3. The Polling Station and Electoral Area Elections Committee shall be constituted as follows:

a) One Regional Representative appointed by the Regional Executive Committee who shall be the Chair;

b) The Constituency Chairman;

c) The Constituency Secretary who shall be the Secretary to the committee

d) The Constituency Research and Elections officer;

e) The Constituency Council of Elders Chairman or his Representative

f) The Constituency Council of Patrons Chairman or his Representative

g) The Constituency I.T Officer

h) The Member of Parliament or his Representative

i) An elderly woman appointed by the Constituency Executive Committee



5. For the avoidance of doubt, the Polling Station and Electoral Area Elections Committee that supervised the just ended Polling Station elections held from 19th February to 5th March, 2022, shall be the same Committee that shall supervise the conduct of the Electoral Area Coordinators Elections, except the few places where the Party had legitimate cause to change some members of the Committee particularly the chairpersons.



6. The Committee shall be responsible for the supervision and conduct of the Electoral Area elections across the Constituency within the scheduled dates (Friday, 18th March  Sunday, 20th March, 2022), and at a Venue to be determined by the Committee.



7. No member of the Polling Station and Electoral Area Elections Committee shall be eligible to contest in the Electoral Area Coordinators Elections.



8. A polling station executive who seeks to contest for the position of Electoral Area Coordinator shall first RESIGN from his/her position.



9. Nomination Forms shall be acquired from the Electoral Area Elections Committee for free. However, upon submission of completed Nomination Forms to the elections committee, an Applicant shall be required to pay to the Committee, a filing fee of GHc50.00.



10. Nomination Forms can also be downloaded from the Partys website via the link: newpatrioticparty.org/npp-form, as well as all the official social media accounts of the Party, for free. However, upon submission of completed Nomination Forms to the elections committee, the prospective aspirant shall pay a filing fee of GHc50.



11. No prospective aspirant shall be denied the opportunity to submit his/her completed Nomination Form



12. A prospective aspirant shall be a known and active member of the Party in the Electoral Area he/she seeks to contest.



13. An Aspirant shall be nominated by one (1) person and seconded by three (3) registered members of the Party, all of whom shall be in good standing and Party members at that particular Electoral Area.



14. Three (3) Passport sized photographs shall accompany each Application Form.



15. As provided for in Article 5(4) of the Party Constitution, persons who are qualified to vote in the Electoral Area Elections shall be the respective Polling Station executives within the Electoral Area as well as the current Electoral Area Coordinator.



16. For identification purposes, voters shall use their Party Membership Identity (ID) Card, but where same is unavailable, National Voters ID will be admitted for the purpose of voting.



17. The Constituency IT Officer, who is a member of the Committee, shall, under the supervision of the other Committee members, key in the details of all the elected Electoral Area Coordinators, into an electronic system that the Party has developed and made available to the various Constituencies.



18. The details of all the elected Electoral Area Coordinators entered into the system shall be electronically transmitted to the IT Directorate of the National Secretariat.



19. The Constituency IT Officer who effected the data entries, shall print a hardcopy of the entries and submit same to the Polling Station Executives and Electoral Area Elections Committee, for the necessary verification.



20. A hardcopy of the verified data entries shall be lodged with the Regional Secretariat by the Constituency Secretary and Chairman of the Committee, for onward submission to National Secretariat.



21. All the data entries and the pasting of photographs of elected Electoral Area Coordinators shall take place at a designated Constituency Collation Centre to be decided by the Polling Station and Electoral Area Elections Committee.



22. The following schedules shall be observed in the conduct of the elections:



Opening and closing of Nominations - Monday 14th to Tuesday 15th March, 2022



Vetting of Aspirant - Wednesday, 16th March, 2022



Appeals, if any - Thursday, 17th March, 2022



Election of Electoral Area Coordinator - 18th to 20th March, 2022



23. Prospective aspirants who feel aggrieved at any point in the process must exhaust all available internal dispute resolution mechanisms in accordance with Article 4 of the Partys Constitution and the decision of the National Executive (NEC) shall be final.



CONCLUSION



The Party wishes to appeal, first of all, to the various Electoral Area Elections Committees to ensure a level playing field for all members interested in the Electoral Area Elections. They should rise to the occasion and vindicate the confidence that has been reposed in them by adhering strictly to these express rules and regulations which are meant to ensure the smooth rollout of the Electoral Area Coordinators elections.



Finally, the Party, while commending its grassroots for showing great enthusiasm in the polling station elections, wishes to appeal to those aggrieved in the course of the exercise, to use the laid down time-tested grievance procedures of the Party to seek redress. This is the only Party we have, and we owe it to our forebears and our conscience to protect and defend the good name of the Party at all times. It is the only way we can show that we are loyal and patriotic members of this oldest political tradition in Ghana and West Africa. Let us do right to all in the supreme interest of our beloved party, and for the love God and country.



Thank you.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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As part of his vision as the next General Secretary hopeful for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Justin Frimpong Kodua has promised to introduce the party to digitization to make the administrative work more efficient and effective.



According to the CEO of Youth Employment Agency (YEA), he was resolved to digitize the activities of the party based on the inaccessibility of nomination forms, coupled with failure to adhere to laid down processes and the general disaffection among the base of the party.



Lawyer Justin Frimpong Kodua maintained that it had become important to restructure their internal party mechanisms to be able to continue with the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition that supports rule of law, internal party competition and equal opportunity for all.



As the party is poised to break the 8-year jinx, our ability to achieve this goal is fomented on how best we restructure our internal party mechanisms to respond to this great challengeunfortunately, the process has been marred by reports of inaccessibility of nomination forms, failure to adhere to laid down processes and a general disaffection among the base of the party, he said.



He added that the various viral videos of party members expressing their dissatisfaction with the process towards the internal elections depict a gloomy picture of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), going into the 2024 general elections.



He was of the view that recent events regarding the internal election process have reaffirmed his belief that the NPP cannot stick to the old ways of running the administration and expect new and improved results.



We cannot stick to the old ways of party governance and expect new and improved results. Thanks to the innovative leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo for the technological advancement in Ghana.



He however announced his vision to clout the New Patriotic Party with the power of technology when he elected him as the next General Secretary to ensure efficient and effective party administration and governance.



He further indicated the following technological interventions as his aspirations for the New Patriotic Party (NPP):



1. Introduction of Electronically Generated Electoral Forms (E-Forms) for all internal elections including Presidential and Parliamentary Primaries to minimize human interference in the process.



2. Introduction of NPP Electronic Register (E-Register) to maintain an efficient database of all members



3. Introduction of the NPP APP for dues collections and registration of new members.







4. Introduction of Biometric Party Membership Identity Cards



5. NPP Electronic Information Hub (E-Information Hub or simply EIH) to facilitate timely dissemination of information on all planned programs and activities of the party.



6. Introduction of Electronic Reporting System (E-Reporting) to replace the manual reporting system to improve accuracy.



7. Streamlining the party's website to make it more interactive for the vibrant and consistent engagement of the party's social media followers. There is an urgent need to have a robust online presence.



8. To enhance accessibility and constant party interactions, I shall establish a call centre. The Call Centre will certainly ensure constructive feedback from party members across the country and in the process, bring the governance of the party to the doorstep of our valued party members and sympathizers home and abroad.



He assured that these remarkable and forward-looking interventions will be implemented within his first 100 days in office as the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party.



The implementation of the aforementioned interventions shall in no doubt resolve the avoidable mishaps in our internal party administration, he indicated in a press statement copied to Peacefmonline.com.

Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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MANILA, PHILIPPINES - 2022/01/22: A vaccinator carefully examining two vials of vaccine in his hand. The local government unit of Manila, upon the proposal of Mayor Francisco Domagoso, launch the Luneta or the Quirino Grandstand drive-thru vaccination site and a temporary mobile hospital. The vaccination site offers booster jabs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to protect the public's health and safety during this pandemic crisis. While the mobile hospital will be open to everyone and will cater to patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. (Photo by Josefiel Rivera/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The Philippines is considering donating COVID-19 vaccines to Myanmar and African countries, as the vaccination rate in the country slows down due to declining COVID-19 cases.

In a virtual press conference on Tuesday (March 8), Department of Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said that the country has enough vaccine supply, with some nearing its shelf life expiry.

Una, ang ginawa natin ay nag-request tayo sa regulatory department ng manufacturer kung pwedeng i-extend yung shelf life. Tapos kung okay yan, mag-request sa FDA (Food and Drug Administration) para ma-approve yan (First, we requested the regulatory department of the manufacturers if the shelf life could be extended. If it is fine, we will request FDA to approve it), she said.

Cabotaje, who also heads the National Task Force Against COVID-19s National Vaccine Operations Center, said that they are working with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to look into countries that are lacking in vaccines, such as Southeast Asian and African countries.

However, there is still no specific number of vaccine doses to be donated according to Cabotaje.

As of Monday, the country has received a total of 232,673,310 doses since vaccine deliveries began early last year, data from National Task Force Against COVID-19 showed. About 60 million of the received doses remain in cold storage facilities.

The country is yet to meet its target of vaccinating 70% of its population and 80% of the elderly population. To date, around 63 million individuals, or only 58% of the population in the country are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, vaccination rate has slowed down because urgency to receive booster shots was low, Cabotaje said, adding that the government is recalibrating its strategies.

The government has placed Metro Manila and 38 other areas under Alert Level 1 since March 1, citing declining infections and hospital admission cases.

Pola Rubio is a news writer and photojournalist covering Philippine politics and events. She regularly follows worldwide and local happenings. The views expressed are her own.

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General view of the Burj Khalifa skyline in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 8, 2021. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Abdel Hadi Ramahi)

By Ben Bartenstein

(Bloomberg) The Gupta brothers stand accused of pillaging billions of dollars from South Africa. Isabel dos Santos is sought by Angolan authorities on suspicion of embezzling state funds. Bulgarian prosecutors say gambling tycoon Vasil Bozhkov is the leader of an organised crime group.

All of them are wanted at home to face allegations they deny, and all have something else in common: In recent years, they found sanctuary in Dubai, a destination for some of the worlds wealthiest exiles.

The Gulf emirate catapulted itself from sleepy trade backwater to glitzy playground for the rich over the past 40 years. But Dubais status as a global financial hub also has a darker side, and one that is coming under increasing scrutiny just as international allies sanction some Russian assets after the invasion of Ukraine.

While the United Arab Emirates has long been an investment destination for wealthy Russians, its now more appealing because its one of the countries thats maintaining relations with their country. The flow of Russian money into the UAE through cash transfers and crypto wallets picked up as tension between Russia and Ukraine escalated, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. That has accelerated over the past two weeks, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private transactions.

That comes as the UAE is under pressure to do more about tracking the money that enters the country. The Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based organization set up by the G7 countries to combat money laundering, on March 4 put the UAE on its gray list of jurisdictions that dont do enough to uncover illicit funds. The FATF warned two years ago it may take action, yet the decision resonates even more now.

Officials were expecting the FATF demotion and were already desperate to reverse the decision, fearful that it could frighten off foreign investors, people familiar with the situation said. A UAE body called the Executive Office of Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism has been staffed up over the past year with top local talent to push new measures, including financial crime courts, ultimate ownership rules and intelligence-sharing partnerships.

Story continues

Interviews in recent weeks with dozens of diplomats, bankers, lawyers and illicit-finance experts suggest such efforts are unlikely to change Dubais reputation as a place where one can do business with minimal interference. The tracking of Russian money  across the world, not specifically the UAE  was a major concern raised by member states at the FATFs plenary last week, people familiar with the matter said.

What separates Dubai from other traditional havens for dirty money is the amazing secrecy, said Jodi Vittori, who co-authored a study of Dubais financial flows in 2020. As a fugitive in Dubai, you can snatch up property, stash your yachts and set up bank accounts with very few obstacles. Its also one of the few autocracies thats a destination  rather than a transit location  for illicit flows.

Following the Money

In response to questions from Bloomberg, a spokesperson at the Executive Office of AML/CFT said the UAE Ministry of Justice has made significant strides in cooperation with judicial counterparts, including recent extradition agreements with the Netherlands and Belgium.

The spokesperson highlighted the successful adoption of new measures around beneficial ownership as well as a strategic partnership with the U.K. on illicit finance. Meantime, industries like gold trading and real estate that are prone to financial abuse were brought into the countrys federally managed anti-money laundering reporting system last year.

While declining to comment on specific cases, the UAE spokesperson said the country will continue to pursue deeper collaboration with international partners to further increase the success rate in unraveling high-profile international threats and apprehending criminals and their illicit proceeds.

The dilemma facing local authorities is whether to clamp down and risk losing a flow of money thats helped underpin the economy or maintain the confidentiality that havens like Switzerland could no longer sustain, the people interviewed said.

Dubai will still allow most wealthy exiles to live without fear of extradition  as long as they dont run afoul of the local law  because they form an important pillar of the economy, according to Vittori, a professor at Georgetown University.

Atul and Rajesh Tony Gupta are a case in point. The brothers are alleged to have used shell companies and property purchases to move large sums of money to the UAE, some of it creamed off the proceeds of supply contracts with South Africas rail and port company, according to a South African judicial commission that was set up to investigate graft.

Interpol placed Atul and Rajesh on its most-wanted list, the head of South Africas Investigating Directorate said on Feb. 28. South Africa said it first sought mutual legal assistance from the Emiratis in the Gupta case in 2018 and officials from the U.S., U.K. and EU have since lobbied for their extradition. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa plans to raise these concerns on his visit to Dubais Expo 2020 in late March, people familiar with the matter said. The Gupta brothers have fought the move, saying theyre victims of a political witch hunt.

At private gatherings in Dubai, family offices that help manage the wealth of Emirati sheikhs have courted the Guptas for business, as they have several other sanctioned individuals in recent months, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Guptas, along with another brother, Ajay, are sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K. Rudi Krause, director of a law firm in South Africa representing the brothers, did not respond to emailed questions seeking comment for this story.

Broadly speaking, much of the money gets funnelled into property, according to bankers and illicit finance experts who monitor the market. Some two-thirds of Dubais US$35 billion of home purchases were bought with cash in the latest one-year period, according to researcher Reidin.com. Buyers from Russia to Iran, the U.K. and India have snapped up everything from beachside villas to entire blocks of luxury apartments.

The UAE ranked in the top 10 for financial secrecy in the latest annual assessment conducted by the London-based Tax Justice Network. That put the country among the likes of Bolivia and Liberia and above Switzerland, the Cayman Islands and Cyprus.

In recent years, we have seen a partial shift in the international centers facilitating illicit financial flows, said Tena Prelec, a research fellow at the University of Oxford who studies illicit financial flows from Russia. The UAE  and Dubai in particular  has risen as a key destination. Oligarchs or kleptocrats from a number of countries have sought refuge there.

New so-called beneficial ownership rules have consolidated dozens of databases into a single National Economic Registrar. Local lawyers who study financial crime, though, say loopholes can still allow individuals to conceal their identities by registering under unrelated managing directors.

Luxury villas on the waterside of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai on Feb. 24. Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg

Who Benefits From Dubai?

Wealthy fugitives are also increasingly using aliases and investor passports to circumvent know-your-customer checks, according to Mohammed Alzouebi, a former anti-money laundering officer at Standard Chartered Bank who now handles compliance for Alpha Management Limited in Dubai. Individuals will still move large sums of cash in suitcases and if they hit roadblocks, many local ATMs will allow more than 50,000 dirhams (US13,600) in withdrawals per day, he said.

The UAE may be reluctant to take a sterner approach because looser regulations help attract foreign firms, said Marcena Hunter, an analyst at The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. But this brings dirty money as well, she said. The country wants to be seen as a more legitimate place, but that will depend on whether Dubai truly cracks down on money laundering, said Hunter.

The FATFs gray list is for countries that are cooperating with the organization. A mutual evaluation report published by the FATF in April 2020 and with the support of the UAE laid out the concerns over the countrys approach to international cases. While the country has tackled terrorism financing, requests for information on money laundering often get met with delays, producing little information, it found.

People familiar with the FATF consultations said gold and crypto are also among the areas of concern. Government officials across Africa say tons of precious metal from at least nine countries get smuggled to Dubai each year. A U.S. indictment against Istanbul-based Halkbank in 2019 described how Iranian funds were converted to gold, exported to Dubai and then sold for cash. The UAE vehemently denies any involvement in illegal practices.

One of the FATFs priority actions for the country is to make greater use of extraditions, asset freezes and confiscations, particularly in Dubai. But since the FATF report, the UAE has shown holes in enforcing even existing extradition treaties, according to Maira Martini, an expert in corrupt money flows at Transparency International in Berlin.

The U.S. and the U.K. have taken measures to sanction involved individuals or seize assets, she said. The UAE, on the other hand, seems to be hindering rather than helping.

Bozhkov, nicknamed The Skull, is sought by the Bulgarian authorities. A U.S. Treasury Department memo last June to sanction him noted that he was in Dubai, where he successfully evaded Bulgarian extradition on a number of charges, including leading an organized crime group, coercion, attempted bribery of an official and tax evasion.

The 65-year-old denies any wrongdoing and says hes the victim of a political vendetta in Bulgaria. Whats more, hes already been cleared in Dubai, he said. Theres a decision of the High Court that extradition is rejected due to the lack of evidence for any crime, he said in a statement to Bloomberg. Its final and cant be appealed.

Bulgarian prosecutors, meanwhile, said theyve submitted 19 volumes of documents in Arabic to the UAE to speed up his extradition. Hristo Krastev, spokesman for the Special Prosecutors Office in Sofia, said authorities provided further information after the initial extradition request in 2020. Since then, we havent gotten an answer from the UAE, he said last month. A spokesperson for the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is involved in mutual legal assistance requests, said they couldnt comment on a specific case.

As for Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of Angolas former leader, the State Department in Washington imposed visa restrictions on her in December. It cited her involvement in significant corruption by misappropriating public funds for her personal benefit.

Angolan authorities accuse dos Santos, who spent time in self-imposed exile on an island off the coast of Dubai, of causing more than US$5 billion of economic losses during her fathers 38-year rule. A spokesperson for dos Santos said all allegations are preliminary inquiries and there are no charges against her, no court proceedings and no extradition requests. Dos Santos is currently living in Europe and runs her business in Angola from there, the person said.

The Executive Office of AML/CFT said the average time to execute incoming requests for international judicial cooperation has shrunk to 37 days from 139 in 2019. The UAE has signed at least 33 mutual legal assistance and extradition agreements, including with the U.K., France, Italy, India and China.

Complicating Relations With Allies

Indeed, the Emiratis have shown a desire to cooperate, especially given the potential reputational damage to Dubai. In June 2020, Dubai police raided the penthouse apartment of the Nigerian influencer Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, known as Hushpuppi. A month later, he was brought to the U.S. on fraud charges. He has since pleaded guilty, according to a court filing.

Yet the pressure to do more has only intensified in recent months. Senior executives at several large international banks said they told the UAE government that the country was headed for the FATFs gray list. Their firms are now bearing the cost, having to spend more time and money on compliance while under greater threat of fines by regulators in Washington, they said.

Theres also the risk of complicating relationships with long-time allies. Support for U.S. and European counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East historically afforded the Emirati leadership leeway when it came to cracking down on money laundering in Dubai, according to current and former diplomats familiar with the matter. Thats now changing.

The U.S. Treasury Department sent two senior delegations to the UAE late last year to deliver a warning to the country, saying it weakened Washingtons sanctions programs. The countrys supporters argue that if Dubai fully clamped down, another jurisdiction thats less aligned with Western interests would take its place.

And its tough to hone in on the right money, said Bryan Stirewalt, the former chief executive officer of the Dubai Financial Services Authority, who has been an active participant in FATF discussions over the past decade: Proceeds from corruption or tax evasion are much, much more difficult than other types of predicate crime.

With assistance from Nicolas Parasie, Andreina Itriago Acosta, S'thembile Cele, Slav Okov, Jorge Valero, Emily Ashton, Candido Mendes, William Clowes and Archana Narayanan.

 2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Credit: RUAG Space

In a Swiss cleanroom, this historic object has been taking shape. Made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer, this is the central core of ESA's Hera asteroid mission for planetary defense.

NASA's DART spacecraft is currently on its way to the Didymos asteroid pair in deep space, to test the kinetic impact technique of asteroid deflection on the smaller of the two bodies on 26 September this year.

Hera will fly to the same asteroid system in the aftermath of the impact to perform a close-up "crime scene investigation," including close-up mapping of DART's crater and assessing the asteroid's make-up and internal structure.

The stiff, strong core serves as a backbone to the spacecraft, built for ESA by a team from RUAG Space in Switzerland and OHB in the Czech Republic. Once current "static load" testing confirms its performance, the core will be shipped to OHB in Germany to assemble the spacecraft's primary structure around it.

It will then be passed on to Avio in Italy to integrate its propulsion module. The bottom aluminum cone includes the Launcher Interface Ring, providing all necessary connections with the launcher.

Hera is scheduled for launch in October 2024, due to reach the Didymos asteroids in December 2026.

Explore further The incredible adventures of the Hera mission
Ifrita Kowaldi. Credit: Knud Andreas Jnsson

Much of a centuries-old debate over where and how new bird species form has now been resolved. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have provided evidence that birds in mountainous areaswhere the vast majority of the planet's species livehave left lowland habitats for higher and higher mountain elevations throughout their evolution. Millions of years of climatic fluctuations have contributed to pushing bird species upslopeas is probably happening now.

One of the fundamental questions in biology, and a centuries-old academic debate, is: How do new species form? And, how do species end up on mountaintops several kilometers high? Indeed, 85% of the world's vertebratesbirds includedlive in mountainous areas where lowland habitats isolate animal species and populations from one another.

"The discussion about how mountain bird species arise has been ongoing among scientific researchers for many years. Some say"Obviously, birds can just fly from one mountain to another", while others say"Well, actually they don't." Scientists have been arguing about this since Darwin and Wallace. But until now, no one had the scientific evidence," explains associate professor Knud Andreas Jnsson of the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen.

He and a number of fellow researchers from the University of Copenhagen are now in possession of evidence that can settle the age-old feudor at least the part of it concerning the enormous island region around Indonesia and Australia. The evidence comes as the result of collecting entire genomes from various bird populations on the world's largest tropical islandmountainous New Guinea.

Genomic analyses have established that bird species emerge in the lowlands and then move higher and higher into mountainous areas over millions of yearsprobably both due to competition and climate changebefore eventually going extinct. For this reason, mountain peaks, like islands, are often referred to as evolutionary dead ends. The results have been published in Nature Communications.

The closer to the top, the greater the genetic variation

By sequencing DNA from birds of the same species, but living on two separate mountains, researchers were able to investigate how genetically different these populations are from each other.

"We can see that the higher up in the mountains birds live, the greater the differences between populations of the same species. Some of the populations are so different, that one could make the case that they are distinct species. Conversely, there are greater similarities among lowland populations. This tells us that the spread of new species must have taken place from lowland habitats upwards," explains Knud Andreas Jnsson, the study's lead author.

Because the researchers are also familiar with the generation time of these birds, they have been able to measure that the movement of species from lowlands to mountaintops has occurred gradually, over a couple million years.

Knud Andreas Jnsson points out that the study does not necessarily suggest an upslope pattern of colonization globally. Therefore, it is important to investigate the processes behind species formation within specific zoogeographical regions.

Paramythia Montium (Crested Berrypecker) is one of the species investigated in the study. Credit: Knud Andreas Jnsson

Climate fluctuations pushed birds higher up the mountain

The study also shows that climate fluctuations, especially over the past two million yearsknown as Pleistocene climate oscillationscaused dramatic fluctuations in the size of the populations. At times, climate fluctuations probably contributed to the upslope evolution.

"As it gets warmer, montane forests and birds are pushed further upslope, to where there is less and less habitat and to where they are more likely to become extinct. As a result, one sees large fluctuations in population sizes. As it got warmer, populations shrank, and the poorer a population's chances became for further colonization," explains Knud Andreas Jnsson.

On average, bird species survive a few million years before dying out. The smaller the population, the more vulnerable a species is and the greater its risk of extinction. As the researcher points out:

"Our analyses demonstrate that the species living on mountain peaks are 5-10 million years old. So, the oldest and most specialized species live at elevations of 3-4 kilometers, and in small numbers. Climate fluctuations can accelerate the process, so that ancient species will go extinct faster. This will probably be a consequence of modern-day global warming as well."

Mountain birds are at greatest risk

Great swaths of lowland forest have disappeared in the New Guinea-Indonesia region. Consequently, there has been a considerable focus on the loss of the many lowland species living there. But according to the researcher, the new results could serve to help prioritize the conservation of highland birds.

"There is no doubt that highland bird species are the ones most vulnerable to global warming. Given that it has taken millions of years for their populations to build and their great genetic variation on individual mountain peaks, perhaps something more should be done to preserve them. It isn't just a global goal to preserve species, but to preserve genetic diversity," concludes Knud Andreas Jnsson.

Explore further Mountainous terrain shaped the genetic variation of maple populations in Japan

More information: Jose Martin Pujolar et al, The formation of avian montane diversity across barriers and along elevational gradients, Nature Communications (2022). Journal information: Nature Communications Jose Martin Pujolar et al, The formation of avian montane diversity across barriers and along elevational gradients,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27858-5
The fast shockwaves form an hourglass shape as they expand, in which gamma rays are produced. This gamma-ray emission is then detected by the H.E.S.S. telescopes (shown in the foreground). Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab

With the help of special telescopes, researchers have observed a cosmic particle accelerator as never before. Observations made with the gamma ray observatory H.E.S.S. in Namibia show for the first time the course of an acceleration process in a stellar process called a nova, which comprises powerful eruptions on the surface of a white dwarf. A nova creates a shock wave that tears through the surrounding medium, pulling particles with it and accelerating them to extreme energies. Surprisingly, the nova "RS Ophiuchi" seems to cause particles to accelerate at speeds reaching the theoretical limit, corresponding to ideal conditions. The research has been published in the journal Science.

White dwarves are burned-out old stars that have collapsed in on themselves and develop into extremely compact objects. Novae events occur, for example, when a white dwarf is in a binary system with a large star, and the white dwarf gathers material from its more massive companion due to its gravity. Once the gathered material goes over a critical level, it spurs a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of the white dwarf. Some novae are known to repeat. RS Ophiuchi is one of these recurrent novae; there is an explosion on its surface every 15 to 20 years. "The stars forming the system are at approximately the same distance from each other as the Earth and the Sun," explains Alison Mitchell, researcher at Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg and principal investigator of the H.E.S.S Nova program. "When the nova exploded in August 2021, the H.E.S.S. telescopes allowed us to observe a galactic explosion in very-high-energy gamma rays for the first time," she continues.

The research group observed that the particles were accelerated to energies several hundreds of times higher than previously observed in novae. Additionally, the energy released as a result of the explosion was transformed extremely efficiently into accelerated protons and heavy nuclei, such that the particle acceleration reached the maximum speeds calculated in theoretical models. According to Ruslan Konno, one of the lead authors of the study and a doctoral candidate at DESY in Zeuthen, "The observation that the theoretical limit for particle acceleration can actually be reached in genuine cosmic shock waves has enormous implications for astrophysics. It suggests that the acceleration process could be just as efficient in their much more extreme relatives, supernovae."

Artists impression of the RS Ophiuchi binary star system, which is comprised of a white dwarf (background) and red giant that orbit each other. Material from the red giant is continually accreted by the companion star. Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab

During the eruption of RS Ophiuchi, the researchers were able for the first time to follow the development of the nova in real time, allowing them to observe and study cosmic particle acceleration as if they were watching a film. The researchers were able to measure high-energy gamma rays up to one month after the explosion. "This is the first time we have ever been able to carry out observations like this, and it will allow us to gain even more accurate future insights into how cosmic explosions work," explains Dmitry Khangulyan, a theoretical astrophysicist at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan. "We may, for example, discover that novae contribute to the ever-present sea of cosmic rays and therefore have a considerable effect on the dynamics of their immediate surroundings." Cosmic rays are immense showers of energetic subatomic particles that come from every direction in space at the same time, and which have an unclear exact origin.

Specific telescopes were required for these measurements. The H.E.S.S. facility (which stands for High Energy Stereoscopic System) in Namibia consists of five Cherenkov telescopes that are used to investigate gamma rays from space. A new, highly sensitive state-of-the-art cameraknown as FlashCamwas recently installed in the largest telescope. The FlashCam design is currently being further developed for the next generation gamma-ray observatory, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). "The new camera has been in use since late 2019, and this measurement shows just how much potential the latest generation of cameras has," explains Simon Steinmal, a doctoral candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, who was involved in analyzing the camera data.

Material ejected from the surface of the white dwarf generates shockwaves that rapidly expand, forming an hourglass shape. Particles are accelerated at these shock fronts, which collide with the dense wind of the red giant star to produce very-high-energy gamma-ray photons. Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab

The telescopes were pointed towards the nova at very short notice after amateur astronomers first reported the nova to the astrophysics community. The success of the observation was due in no small part to the rapid reaction of the researchers and the wider astronomical community, paving the way for extensive subsequent observations. H.E.S.S. Director Stefan Wagner, a professor at the regional observatory in Heidelberg, explains, "Over the next few years, research using the CTA telescopes will show whether this type of nova is special." In addition, researchers now have a clearer idea of what to look for. This gives rise to a number of new possibilities for gaining a better understanding and being better able to explain events linked to novae. "This measurement is a further success in gamma-ray astronomy and an encouraging sign that we will be able to study many more cosmic explosions with H.E.S.S. and gamma-ray telescopes of the future."

Explore further Observations detect frequent extreme superflares on the nova V2487 Oph

More information: Time-resolved hadronic particle acceleration in the recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi, Science (2022). www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn0567 Journal information: Science Time-resolved hadronic particle acceleration in the recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn0567
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

When a person with no criminal history is charged with a non-violent, misdemeanor offense, the prosecutor has several choices, including getting the case dismissed or pursuing a conviction.

Diversion programs offer a middle ground, an alternative that keeps the person from formally entering the criminal justice system. Philadelphia's Accelerated Misdemeanor Program (AMP), for example, requires a defendant to do 12-18 hours of community service and to pay court fees within 10 weeks of accepting the terms. Those who complete the program have their case records expunged.

However, such programs can expand the number of people interacting with the criminal justice system, drawing in cases that would previously have been dismissed. Penn criminology doctoral student Viet Nguyen sought to study the impact of diversion programs and determine whether they actually cause a net-widening effect or, in fact, do the opposite.

In a new white paper published in conjunction with the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office (DAO), Nguyen found that diversion programs can produce a net-narrowing effect. In other words, rather than growing the number of people who interact with the criminal justice system long term, these programs reduce the overall scope by increasing expungement rates and lowering reconviction rates.

"It can change a young person's trajectory," Nguyen says. "That's a nuanced part of diversion programs that people don't often talk about."

The findings represent the first to come from research Penn has conducted since early 2020 with the DAO. The work, co-led by Penn criminologists Aurelie Ouss and Greg Ridgeway, aims to evaluate how prosecutorial decision-making affects individuals and families in the near term and down the line.

Nguyen's involvement in the project stemmed from his desire to study policies that aim to shrink the footprint of the criminal justice system. "I'm interested in understanding what the tradeoffs are," he says. "If we're trying to reduce the footprint here, what are the tradeoffs in terms of public safety, resources, and defendant well-being?"

In recent years, the role prosecutors play in shaping criminal justice outcomes has garnered significant attention, Ouss says. "The diversion that happens at the pre-trial stage is something prosecutors control," she adds. "But there are concerns about what these programs do, either in terms of increasing crime because criminal justice will be less punitive or increasing the scale of the criminal justice system."

Philadelphia's AMP program began in 2010, so Nguyen decided to look at recidivism and disposition rates before and after then. He analyzed more than 4,100 misdemeanor cases opened between June 2009 and September 2011 for people aged 18 to 27.

"Key for this study was to find a comparison group unaffected by the change," Nguyen says. "So, we found a second misdemeanor group, those who had violent misdemeanors and who were ineligible for AMP, then looked before and after AMP was introduced." Importantly, the comparison group was convicted at the same rate before and after the policy suggesting that it did not affect them.

The research showed that AMP increased diversion rates by 22%, reduced cases sentenced to jail or probation by 8%, and dropped five-year conviction rates by 8%. Though AMP did reduce the case-dismissal rate by 13%, it also upped the rate of expungementmeaning a wholesale deletion of the criminal recordby 18%.

Expungement offers these young adults a clean slate, Nguyen says. "The defendant can find a job, find housing. If they have contact with the criminal justice system again, they now have stakes in the community, which gives prosecutors more information on how to move forward. They're less likely to draw that person back into the system."

Ouss says the findings broaden the conversation about diversion programs. "Viet's work sheds interesting light here around these tradeoffs. He found that they do bring more people into the criminal justice system, confirming concerns about diversion programs 'widening the net' of criminal justice. However, focusing on the initial time period when you're part of this diversion program doesn't paint the full picture," she says. "When there are opportunities to completely clear out your record, a short-term involvement may curtail the shadow of the criminal justice system in the long run."

In the future, Nguyen says he hopes to conduct work that can elucidate why this policy is effective for young people and what factors make that true. "If we can figure out those mechanisms, it's something that maybe other jurisdictions could adopt, too." Other work from the DAO collaboration includes research to better understand the effect of changes to formal sentencing policies such as shortening the post-incarceration supervision period and stacking multiple sentences rather than having someone carry them out in succession.

Explore further Study finds most unemployed young men have criminal records
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Catastrophic flooding in New South Wales and southeast Queensland has led to lost lives, homes, belongings, pets and livelihoods.

As the process of cleaning up after the floods continues, we can expect an often unspoken outcome of natural disasters.

Domestic violence rates surge during and after bushfires, pandemics, earthquakes, cyclones and floods.

We've known this for years

Domestic violence may include one or a combination of psychological, physical, financial and sexual abuse.

It's most often directed at women and children, may occur for the first time during a disaster, or may transform from one type to another during or after a disaster.

Researchers have been studying the links between natural disasters and domestic violence for years.

Previous floods, including after Hurricane Katrina in the United States, have led to increased rates of domestic and family violence.

In the four years after the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, there was a rise in domestic violence rates with worse-affected areas reporting higher levels of abuse.

Internationally, we've seen an increased risk of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Australian research shows there is growing public concern about pandemic-related domestic violence, and about the lack of services to support women.

Studies have also reported increases in requests for women's shelters after disasters, as women seek refuge from violent relationships.

Please donate to this urgent appeal from Women Up North Housing a Lismore based not-for-profit organization supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence. Their team is providing emergency support and housing to flood effected families https://t.co/GO39xWH4FM  vic isaac (@visaac) March 4, 2022

Why is domestic violence more likely?

Fear and uncertainty are common during disasters and people's reactions to disasters vary. In some, these feelings can trigger domestic and other types of violence.

The many associated losses related to disastersincluding loss of homes and their contents, cars and livelihoodsoften cause financial strain, which may also place added pressure on families and relationships.

Grief, loss and trauma can also leave people feeling overwhelmed and test a person's coping skills. Experiencing life-threatening situations or those that bring about loss and trauma can also lead to mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. This too, can complicate family dynamics and change people's ability to cope.

Drug and alcohol use often soars during and after disasters, which may also exacerbate tensions in relationships.

When people are displaced and need to stay with other community members or in shelters, the rates of violence against women also rises. In those cases, women and children tend to experience more violence in general, not just domestic violence.

What can we do to prepare?

As climate change is predicted to cause more of these types of catastrophic weather events in the future, we need to start prevention strategies for the next inevitable disaster.

So local, state and national government departments need to start enacting these as soon as a disaster occurs.

We can group these prevention strategies into two broad areas, those aimed at entire disaster-affected communities and those targeted towards supporting people who experience domestic violence during and after disasters.

Whole communities

Helping entire communities affected by floods and other natural disasters will minimize the kind of conditionsthe fear and uncertaintyour research has shown triggers domestic violence. Strategies include:

government funding to help people and businesses clean up after the disaster, rebuild communities and get back on track. This could be along similar lines to COVID payments we saw earlier in the pandemic to support individuals and businesses

swift provision of daily essentials such as food, shelter and clothing. This could include governments partnering with community organizations and volunteers

governments mobilizing extra support, such as from the Australian Defense Force, promptly and efficiently, a move criticized as being too little too late during the recent NSW floods.

Helping survivors

To help people affected by domestic violence, we need:

locally available domestic violence services ready to act when disasters occur, not weeks later, as that may be too late for some women. These need to be properly funded, accessible to survivors and widely publicized on social media

to avoid telling people who experience domestic violence that things will improve once life gets back to normal. If women's concerns are brushed off this way, they are more likely to have poor mental health in the future

to recognize the importance of first-line responders in these times. We need to make sure they are trained to recognize the signs and triggers of domestic violence

to support health-care professionals, teachers, relatives and other community members who might suspect domestic violence. They need to know where they can refer people and what services are available in the community.

Explore further Domestic violence soars after natural disastersprevention needs to be part of the emergency response

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

We do not yet know whether the sun-like stars closest to us, the  Centauri A/B binary, harbor an Earth-like planet. However, thanks to new modeling work, we now have a good sense of what such a planet, should it exist, would look like and how it might have evolved.

These are exciting times for exoplanet research, moving from demography towards detailed characterization. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), successfully launched in December 2021, is projected to detect the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets transiting in front of M dwarfsstars that are fainter than the sunorbiting within the habitable zone. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in Chile, will be set up to directly image rocky exoplanets around nearby sun-like stars by the end of the decade. Looking even further ahead, ambitious future space mission concepts are currently being explored, including the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE), which targets habitable-zone rocky exoplanets and their atmospheres.

ETH Zurich is leading or significantly involved in these and other observational infrastructures. Complementary research at the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics in the Department of Physics concerns numerical modeling, which is indispensable for understanding habitable-zone rocky exoplanets and in guiding the future observations and instrumentation development. Now an international team led by ETH scholars present the results of such a study, in which they directed their attention to the sun-like stars nearest to Earth,  Centauri A and  Centauri B. Reporting in The Astrophysical Journal, they provide a benchmark prediction of what an Earth-sized planet, should it exist in this system, would look like.

A hypothetical -Cen-Earth

The team, which includes ETH astrophysicists Haiyang Wang, Sascha Quanz and Fabian Seidler as well as Paolo Sossi at the Department of Earth Sciences, set out to estimate the elemental composition of a hypothetical rocky planet in the habitable zone of the  Centauri A/B system. Their modeling is based on the spectroscopically measured chemical compositions of  Centauri A and  Centauri B, for which a breadth of information is available for both rock-forming elements (such as iron, magnesium and silicon) and volatile elements (including hydrogen, carbon and oxygen).

From these data they were able to project possible compositions of a hypothetical planetary body orbiting either of the stars. In this way, the researchers arrived at detailed predictions regarding the properties of their model planet, which they dubbed "-Cen-Earth," including its internal structure, mineralogy and atmospheric composition. These features, in turn, are of central importance to understanding its long-term evolution and potential habitability.

With this work, Wang and colleagues have begun painting a captivating image of an exoplanet orbiting  Centauri A/B. If it exists, -Cen-Earth is likely to be geochemically similar to our Earth, they predict, with a mantle dominated by silicates, but enriched in carbon-bearing species such as graphite and diamond. The capacity for water storage in its rocky interior should be equivalent to that of our home planet. According to the study, -Cen-Earth would also differ in interesting ways from Earth, with a slightly larger iron core, lower geological activity, and a possible lack of plate tectonics. The biggest surprise, however, was that the early atmosphere of the hypothetical planet could have been dominated by carbon dioxide, methane and watersimilar to that of Earth in the Archean eon, 4 to 2.5 billion years ago, when first life emerged on our planet.

The starplanet chemical connection

The study stands out in that it includes predictions about volatile elements on a rocky exoplanet. While it is well established that the chemical composition of "terrestrial" planets (which are made up predominantly of rock and metal) generally reflects that of their host stars, this is true only for so-called refractory elements; that is, the main constituents of rock and metal. The correspondence breaks down for volatile elementsthose that readily vaporize. This class includes hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen, which are key to understanding whether a planet is potentially habitable.

During his doctoral research at the Australian National University in Canberra (supervised by Charley Lineweaver and Trevor Ireland, who are co-authors of the new paper), Wang developed the first quantitative model that connects the chemical compositions of sun-like stars and any rocky planets that surround them, for both volatile and refractory elements. Wang joined the Quanz group at ETH Zurich in 2019, where he has since developed the applications of this model further. More sophisticated models of the chemical relationship between star and planet are being developed in the group as well, through collaborations within the framework of the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS.

Window of opportunity

The probability of actually finding an older sibling of our Earththe  Centauri A/B system is 1.52 billion years older than the suncould hardly be more favorable. From 2022 to 2035,  Centauri A and  Centauri B will be sufficiently separated to benefit the search for planets around each of the stars thanks to reduced light contamination from the other. Together with the new observational power that can be expected in the years to come, there is legitimate hope that one or several exoplanets orbiting  Centauri A/B will join the nearly 5,000 exoplanets that have been discovered since 1995, when University of Geneva astrophysicists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz (who joined the faculty at ETH Zurich last year) announced the discovery of the first planet outside our Solar System orbiting a sun-like starfor which they were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with the CanadianAmerican cosmologist Jim Peebles.

The work of Wang et al. provides a benchmark study for the field of exoplanet research, in terms of a detailed theoretical characterization of (hypothetical) habitable-zone rocky exoplanets around sun-like stars in the solar neighborhood. This is important in guiding future observations of such planets and in therefore maximizing the scientific return from the unprecedented, ground- and space-based astronomical infrastructures being developed. With all of this capability in place, we can look forward to a new chapter in discovery of planets and life in the cosmos.

Explore further New planet detected around star closest to the sun

More information: Haiyang S. Wang et al, A Model Earth-sized Planet in the Habitable Zone of  Centauri A/B, The Astrophysical Journal (2022). Journal information: Astrophysical Journal Haiyang S. Wang et al, A Model Earth-sized Planet in the Habitable Zone of  Centauri A/B,(2022). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac4e8c
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

California is back in the driver's seat as it steers the nation toward a future of cleaner cars and light trucks.

The Biden administration on Wednesday reinstated the state's authority to set motor vehicle pollution standards stricter than the federal government's. That includes tighter restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.

The decision, announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reverses an attempt by the Trump administration to block the state from using its vast market power to push the auto industry in a greener direction. The 2019 revocation of its waiver from the federal standard put California and the states that follow its lead on pollution limits into regulatory limbo, casting a mood of uncertainty across the automobile industry.

"This is truly important," EPA Administrator Michael Regan told the Los Angeles Times. "Not just for the people in California but for the nation as a whole. We are proudly reaffirming California's longstanding authority to lead in this area."

Important, yes, said Mark Wakefield, who heads the automobile group at consulting firm AlixPartners, but not shocking. It wasn't even certain the Trump-era decision would survive court challenges, he said, and very few automakers had assumed California would lose the battle with Trump. "It's the world as we knew it returning," according to Wakefield, pointing the U.S. auto industry in the direction of "a market more integrated with global trends."

Not everyone is happy. The issue has proved partisan with no room for compromise. Last summer 16 Republican state attorneys general called California's special treatment unconstitutional and urged the EPA not to reinstate the state's authority. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington was quoted in Automotive News condemning the EPA's "rush to green."

Democrats in California are celebrating. "We are so thrilled," said Lauren Sanchez, senior climate adviser to Gov. Gavin Newsom. "This is the first issue the governor raised with the Biden-Harris administration. It's been a top priority for him since day one."

"The restoration of our state's Clean Air Act waiver is a major victory for the environment, our economy and the health of families across the country that comes at a pivotal moment underscoring the need to end our reliance on fossil fuels," Newsom said in a statement.

While the decision will have no immediate effect on high and rising gasoline prices, the move to cleaner gasoline cars and electric vehicles will "protect not only public health and address climate change, but also make sure we are less dependent on foreign oil," Sanchez said.

Until Trump moved to deflate it, California held enormous power to set pollution and fuel mileage standards. Under the federal Clean Air Act, passed in 1970 and later amended, the state was granted the authority to set its own vehicle pollution rules, partly because the air in Southern California was so awful it required special attention. To receive a waiver from the federal government under the Clean Air Act, California had to show "compelling and extraordinary conditions."

California is the nation's largest car market, and automakers tended to go along with with the state's tighter regulations on tailpipe emissions. California's rules became more influential as more states adopted California's regulations. Today, 16 other states and Washington, D.C., follow the California plan. Together with California, they account for more than 40% of the nation's market for cars, pickups and SUVs.

After the financial crisis of 2007-2008, when General Motors and Chrysler were bailed out of bankruptcy by the federal government, President Barack Obama used his clout to force automakers to agree to tighten emissions and fuel mileage standards. The companies agreed to to meld the federal Department of Transportation's mileage requirements and the EPA's pollution requirements with California's regulations. Greenhouse gasses became part of EPA's mandate after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007 ruled that the EPA holds the authority to regulate them as pollutants.

But California needed a separate waiver to exceed federal limits on greenhouse gasses spewed by cars and light trucks. That issue has been ping-ponging from administration to administration, with Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump rescinding it and Obama and now Joe Biden returning it.

The Trump administration used the regulatory process and its own interpretation of the Clean Air Act to knock down both the DOT's mileage standards and the federal waiver that allows the state to go its own way. Stricter mileage requirements would lead to smaller cars, the administration argued, making them more dangerous in a crash. Stripping California of its EPA waiver led to battles in court.

Amid the back and forth, auto companies took sides. Ford, Honda, BMW, Volvo and Volkswagen went with California. General Motors, the company then known as Fiat Chrysler, and Nissan sided with Trump.

Last year, the Biden DOT proposed to revise the Trump administration's plan to strengthen fleetwide fuel mileage requirements for automakers from a 1.5% improvement each year through 2026 to 8% for model years 2024 through 2026. The formula is complicated, but automakers are expected to achieve those goals by improving gasoline car performance and by selling more electric cars.

With Wednesday's EPA action, California is free to pursue its plan to require that all new cars sold in California in 2035 be electric powered. The California Air Resources Board has begun to develop milestones and the means to achieve them between now and the planned-for all-electric futuredates by which a certain percentage of new zero-emission must be sold, incentives to help move them off dealer lots, and the like.

The EPA's Regan said the agency will team with CARB and the other states allied with California.

"It's not only vital to California, but to the entire country," he said. "We will work very closely with the State of California, with automakers, with the union, and the environmental stakeholders to make sure all of us are rolling together toward a clean vehicle future."

Regan said he hopes the issue won't land back in court, but the EPA is ready to defend itself if it does. "We took our time" justifying the decision, he said. "It's legally complicated, and we wanted to get it right. We're prepared for whatever comes our way."

Same for California, Sanchez said. "The legal team will do whatever's necessary to defend our position."

Explore further Biden restores California's power to set car emissions rules

2022 Los Angeles Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The recent U.S. ban on Xinjiang imports in reaction to the "widespread, state sponsored forced labor" and "mass detention" of the ethnic Muslim minorities in Chinas far-western and strategically important Xinjiang province denotes a marked U.S. contribution to the international protest against Chinese human rights abuses in Xinjiang. However, international opposition is unlikely to make any dent on China, which has an ambitious colonial agenda to accomplish in the disputed region.





BACKGROUND: Eastern Turkestan, or what presently constitutes Chinas Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (hereafter Xinjiang), features a separatist Uighur movement against Chinas military occupation of the region in 1884. While China stakes a historical claim on the area, the native Uighurs, nonetheless, consider it as their homeland.

The ruling Han Chinese and the ruled Uighurs have been competing for the retention or reassertion of political control over Xinjiang. Frequently recurring ethnic riots, particularly in 2009, 2011 and 2014 have killed hundreds from both communities.

The contestation deepened with Xinjiangs colonization through a multipronged strategy. It began with the regions intensive militarization in 1949-50 and political coercion of the Uighurs in general and more specifically the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), allegedly for adhering to Sayyid Qutbs radical Islamic philosophy and challenging Chinese authority and its symbols, including registration cards and standard Beijing timing.

Eventually, Beijing declared all religious and separatist activities as unlawful and placed many Uighurs in internment camps, which the Chinese, however, designate as re-education centers to transform the Uighur mind-set from ghosts to humans and from infidelity to loyalty towards Beijing.

Meanwhile, in the wake of sinicization, Beijing oversaw the migration of millions of Han Chinese from China proper into Xinjiang and created suitable conditions for their settlement in the region. Retired military personnel were provided with jobs, the best farmlands and possession of valuable irrigation channels in the arid region.

Beijing also installed a trusted group of Han Chinese to govern the region, appointed to the most senior positions in the army, civil and police administrations. Han Chinese dominate the regions security structures; constituting 88 percent of PLA servicemen in Xinjiang while their share of the regions total population is 40 percent.

Beijing established a state-level platform, the China Xinjiang Group (CXG), to supervise Xinjiangs entire planning and development strategy, including mining of its treasure trove of ferrous and non-ferrous resources, petroleum, natural gas, gold, copper, lead, jade, bauxite, and granite. CXG also governs the regions production consumption trade structure through 11 auxiliary units, composed by a network of highways, roadways, railways and pipelines for transporting resources from Xinjiang to the Chinese industrial hubs for industrial manufacturing. The regions few textile, food processing, petrochemical, motor vehicle and petro-gas industries are situated in areas mostly inhabited by Han Chinese in north Xinjiang.

Similarly, under its Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing integrated the region with its neighborhood, investing around US$ 43 billion in trans-border trade, traffic, transport and connectivity with Central Asia and US$ 56 billion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. China has also pledged an estimated investment of around US$ 10 billion in the mining of copper ores in eastern Afghanistan. Beijing assumes that regional economic projects will empower Xinjiang and transform Uighur attitudes from conflict and competition to cooperation with Beijing, although the Uighurs themselves resent their inadequate share in the regions resources, external trade, business and jobs.

Beijing has also made cultural inroads into Xinjiang by incorporating Han names and language in official documents, revenue records, signboards, nameplates and announcements of all the Xinjiang-bound flights from Beijing. Educational curricula are dominated by Chinese history, technology, medicines, language and culture, besides the history of those national heroes who terminated the Uighur regime in Xinjiang and facilitated its military occupation by China.

IMPLICATIONS: Regardless of international efforts to pressure China on its policies in Xinjiang, these are unlikely to change, for several reasons.

First, China will continue to view Xinjiang as a colonial space, since it is a repository and major supplier of raw material to its industrial estates in and outside Xinjiang. The regions importance will grow in tune with the rising demand for Chinese industrial goods worldwide, which is nevertheless unlikely to improve the economic marginalization of the ethnic Muslim minorities.

Second, the gap in levels of development will continue to widen between Han and Uighur inhabited regions, where Han Chinese will benefit more from Xinjiangs growing GDP rate and investment. This is since they dominate politics, the police and the army; control regional resources, trade and industries; design and execute regional planning and development and are instrumental in implementing the ethnic, educational, religious, cultural, security and developmental aspects of the colonial plan. The anti-Beijing attitudes among the ethnic Muslim minorities are self-explanatory.

Third, the trend of demographic change will continue in tandem with Chinas population growth. Many more Han Chinese will likely migrate to Xinjiang given its favorable population density. Beijing will encourage this; at least until Han Chinese outnumber the native population.

Fourth, Xinjiangs role in regional economic integration will become increasingly important for Chinas booming economy and spiking investment capability. Compared to the volatile South China maritime route, Xinjiang offers a safer and shorter overland corridor for energy import and industrial exports to the Arabian Sea countries, Central Asia and beyond. Thus, Xinjiang is an important conduit for Chinas envisioned US$ 400 billion investments in Irans economy over 25 years in return for regular and cheap energy supplies from Iran. The region is also important for Chinas planned mining projects to extract Afghanistans untapped mineral wealth. The prospects are bright as the West is presently disinclined to invest in a Taliban-ruled Islamist country.

Chinas enforced punitive containment of the ethnic Muslim minorities will therefore continue in the face of inefficient international pressure, unless China develops structural cracks from within. China has so far showed little inclination to accept the concerns over human rights abuses in Xinjiang voiced by a range of international actors, including states as well as the UN, international NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, the EU and western media.

Likewise, the prospects for any organized local challenge to Beijings policies are bleak. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has little chance of resurrection in the immediate future. A factor in this regard is the emerging partnership between China and the Afghan Taliban regime. Although Uighur militants backed the Taliban return to power in 2020, the Taliban is unlikely to reciprocate the favor. This does not preclude the possibility of scattered ethnic riots, with discreet support from global activists and Islamists.

CONCLUSIONS: From being a mere territorial space in 1884, China over time transformed Xinjiang into a colony. The colonization blended diverse processes of Han Chinese emigration; exploitation of the regions mineral resources; its economic integration with its neighborhood; the creation of a Han-dominated bureaucracy, police, army and business community, as well as political deprivation, socio-economic and cultural marginalization of the native population. Eventually, the space for the native population shrank in the governance, polity, economy, religion and society of their historical homeland. Uighurs have fallen behind the migrant Han Chinese in all areas of human development and hence had genuine reasons to react to their political and socio-economic marginalization. Their corresponding reaction, passive in the beginning and later violent, was neutralized by China through intensive force, periodically protested by external powers. Yet, this has been of little consequence; Chinas subversion of Xinjiang is akin to its global strategic goals and will in all likelihood continue.

AUTHORS BIO: Mushtaq A. Kaw is Professor and Former Director of the Centre of Central Asian Studies, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India and Head of the Department of History, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India.
Average temperature in the Chicago region (d03) during the study period (July 18, left column), heatwave event (July 47, middle column) and non-heatwave period (July 13 and July 8, right column). Credit: GeoHealth (2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GH000535

Urbanization and human-caused climate changes have led to increases in heat events around the world. For example, in July 2012, an extreme heat wave hit the Chicago area, causing temperatures to skyrocket to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and above. Chicago, like most cities, is affected by urban heat islands (UHIs), which occur when changes in land cover create spaces that are warmer than their surrounding area. Satellite measurements can be used to inform models to characterize the intensity of UHIs, yet satellite techniques have some limitationsexpensive sensors and low temporal resolution, among other drawbacks. But quantifying the intensity of UHIs could help public health officials and city planners learn to mitigate the impacts of future heat waves.

In a new study, Chen et al. used numerical modeling and real-world measurements to assess the impacts of the Chicago heat wave on the city and the surrounding region. The researchers used the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) modela framework that's commonly used for both atmospheric research and weather forecastingtogether with the High-Resolution Land Data Assimilation System, which adds information about soil moisture to the WRF.

The authors found that application of the Multi-Layer Urban Canopy Model (MLUCM) in WRF provided the best estimates of the heat wave's effects on Chicago and the surrounding areas. Using data and measurements taken during the 2012 heat wave, the researchers found that daytime temperatures in urban areas were around 3 degrees Celsius higher than usual during the heat wave, whereas rural temperatures were about 4 degrees Celsius higher. They estimated that urban heat island effects led city temperatures to be 1.44 degrees Celsius2.83 degrees Celsius higher than they otherwise would have been. In urban areas, the excessive heat factor (a statistical index to represent heat stress) reached 50 degrees Celsiusa level likely to cause health problems.

Urban and rural areas both experienced advantages and disadvantages during the heat wave. The city got a bit of a reprieve because of the breeze from Lake Michigana benefit not experienced in rural areasbut the city's nighttime temperature still remained dangerously hot. Rural areas, on the other hand, benefited from the heat-mitigating effects of vegetation. People in rural areas are typically less adapted to high temperatures and lack the medical resources of city residents, leaving rural residents potentially less able than city residents to cope with the heat wave's health impacts.

Incorporating benefits of rural areas, such as vegetation and permeable surfaces, into urban centers will help keep these areas livable during hot summers. Conversely, providing supplemental medical support to rural areas could help residents ride out future heat waves.

More information: Kaiyu Chen et al, Estimating HeatRelated Exposures and Urban Heat Island Impacts: A Case Study for the 2012 Chicago Heatwave, GeoHealth (2021). Kaiyu Chen et al, Estimating HeatRelated Exposures and Urban Heat Island Impacts: A Case Study for the 2012 Chicago Heatwave,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GH000535

This story is republished courtesy of Eos, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.
Credit: Shutterstock

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated risks of violence for refugee and migrant girls and women, finds a new report from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and UNICEF.

Due to multiple intersecting dimensions of identity, including gender, migrant status, religion, age and others, migrant and refugee women and girls faced unique barriers and risks as a result of lockdown measures and gaps in education, finds the report, "I was not safe in his house."

The report, which focused on migrant women and children in Italy, was written by Ilana Seff, research assistant professor at the Brown School; Lindsay Stark, associate professor at the Brown School; and researchers at UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund).

They found that physical distancing measures increased feelings of loneliness for girls and women who, due to their migration status, already faced limited support networks. Many migrant women lost their jobs in the wake of the pandemic; for single mothers in particular, financial insecurity meant not being able to provide for the needs of their family. These challenges were further aggravated by the closure of educational services and the interruption of learning paths, which are fundamental for socioeconomic inclusion.

Credit: U-Report On The Move

"Migrant and refugee women and girls faced unique socioeconomic challenges and experiences of violence as a result of the pandemic," Seff said. "At the same time, migrant and refugee women in Italy exhibited tremendous resilience, working together to create and maintain social support networks over virtual platforms."

The study explores the impacts of the pandemic on risks of exposure to gender-based violence among refugee and migrant girls and women in Italy. It draws on findings from focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with approximately 35 refugee and migrant women and 50 key informants in three Italian regions: Latium, Lombardy and Sicily.

It is part of a broader global study investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safety and well-being of girls and women and their access to gender-based violence services in Italy, Brazil, Guatemala and Iraq.

"As countries that have previously taken a hardline stance toward refugees stand ready to receive the thousands of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland, our findings point to the multidimensional and overlapping vulnerabilities of migrant women and girls that may require nuanced policy and programmatic action," Stark said.
Mauka, a German shepherd dog puppy with congenital idiopathic mega esophagus , must eat and drink while in an upright position to help food and water get into his stomach. Credit: Clemson University

Clemson University researchers have discovered a genetic variation associated with an often deadly esophageal disorder frequently found in German shepherd dogs.

German shepherds are predisposed to congenital idiopathic megaesophagus (CIM), an inherited disorder where a puppy develops an enlarged esophagus that fails to move food into their stomachs. Puppies with the condition regurgitate their food and fail to thrive, often leading to euthanasia.

While German shepherds have the highest incidence of the disease, other breeds are susceptible, too, including Labrador retrievers, Great Danes, dachshunds and miniature schnauzers. Researchers do not yet know if the same genetic variation is involved in disease development in other breeds.

Researcher Leigh Anne Clark, an associate professor in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, and her collaborators developed a genetic test for the disease that German shepherd dog breeders can use to reduce the risk that puppies in future litters will develop the disease.

The journal PLOS Genetics published the findings on March 10.

CIM is often discovered when the puppies are weaned from the mother's milk to solid foods at about four weeks of age.

"They don't have swallowing activity. When the puppies swallow food, it just sits in their esophagus and doesn't trigger those sequential contractions that normally occur to help push the food into the stomach," said Sarah Bell, a graduate research assistant in genetics and the first author of the study. "Because a dog's esophagus is horizontal instead of vertical like ours, gravity doesn't aid the transportation of food into the stomach."

To get food and water in their stomachs, puppies with megaesophagus must eat and drink while sitting upright in a dog highchair and remain there for up to 30 minutes afterward. Some will outgrow the condition, but many require lifelong symptomatic management with upright feedings, small liquid meals multiple times a day, gelatin cubes, and drug therapies.

The German shepherd dog is predisposed to congenital idiopathic mega esophagus, an inherited disorder in where a puppy developed an enlarged esophagus that fails to move food into the stomach. Credit: Clemson University

In the study, Clark and Bell performed a genome-wide scan to identify genes associated with the disorder. The scan revealed an association on canine chromosome 12 and a variant within melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 2 (MCHR2), which affects appetite, weight and how food moves through the gastrointestinal tract. Clark and her team believe that an imbalance of melanin-concentrating hormones plays a role in CIM.

The study also revealed that male puppies are twice as likely to be affected by the disorder than females. The researchers suspect that higher estrogen levels allow food to pass to the stomach more effectively, thereby protecting against disease development.

"What they've found in people is that estrogen has the effect of relaxing the sphincter that connects the esophagus to the stomach. By having more estrogen, the smooth muscle there is naturally more likely to open. This increases the motility of food into the stomach," Bell said. "In dogs with megaesophagus disease, a drug called sildenafil has shown good results. What it does is to relax the sphincter that connects the esophagus and stomach."

Sildenafil is the generic name for the active ingredient in Viagra. Clark said sildenafil increases the percentage of dogs that outgrow the disease and no longer have to use a high chair when eating.

The MCHR2 variant, along with the dog's sex, can predict whether a dog will develop a megaesophagus with 75 percent accuracy. Owners can swab their dog's gums and submit the sample to genetic testing companies to learn which variant(s) their dog inherited.

The test is a tool breeders can use to reduce disease incidence while preserving genetic diversity.

"One thing I stress with any disease in any breed is don't make a problem where there isn't one. If you've been breeding German shepherds for 20 years and you've never bred a megaesophagus puppy, then don't use this test," she said. "But if you're a breeder and you've had megaesophagus puppies, you may benefit from the test."

Explore further Viagra promising as treatment for dogs with often fatal eating disorder

More information: Congenital idiopathic megaesophagus in the German shepherd dog is a sex-differentiated trait and is associated with an intronic variable number tandem repeat in melanin-Concentrating Hormone Receptor 2, PLOS Genetics (2022). Journal information: PLoS Genetics Congenital idiopathic megaesophagus in the German shepherd dog is a sex-differentiated trait and is associated with an intronic variable number tandem repeat in melanin-Concentrating Hormone Receptor 2,(2022). journals.plos.org/plosgenetics  journal.pgen.1010044
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Green turtle numbers continue to rise on a group of islands where the species has now been protected for more than 50 years, new research shows. Turtles were hunted at Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles until a ban in 1968.

The population has been tracked by estimating how many clutches of eggs are laidand that figure has risen from 2,0003,000 per year in the late 1960s to more than 15,000 per year in the latest data (201419). The study was carried out by a team of researchers from the Seychelles Islands Foundation with analytical support from the University of Exeter.

"Green turtles have suffered massive historical population declines due to intensive harvesting of nesting females," said lead author Adam Pritchard, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall. "Aldabra Atoll was the first green turtle nesting site to be protected in the Western Indian Ocean, with a ban on turtle capture in 1968, followed by continued long-term monitoring by Seychelles Islands Foundation researchers."

Professor Brendan Godley, who helped supervise the research, added: "It's been an honor to support the analysis of the decades of work by the Seychelles team. The ongoing population increase of Aldabra's green turtles is testament to long-term protection, and offers some clear evidence of the fact that we can be optimistic about marine conservation, well enacted."

The study's results reveal that green turtle clutches have increased at Aldabra by 2.6% per year overall, with the greatest increase at Settlement Beach on Picard, where exploitation of nesting females was historically the most intense.

Co-author Cheryl Sanchez, who is currently doing a Ph.D. on Aldabra's turtles, said: "This study demonstrates the importance of long-term monitoring, which is often seen as less glamorous and valuable than targeted research. It has taken decades of tireless commitment to collect the data to confirm this increase, and the foresight to protect the nesting population before it was too late. Aldabra's green turtles should continue to be an incredible conservation success story that we can follow for decades to come."

The study's figures confirm Aldabra as the second-largest monitored green turtle rookery in the region. The research also shows the considerable contribution of Aldabra to regional green turtle numbers and clearly demonstrates the benefits of long-term protection and monitoring. Furthermore, with Aldabra's turtle population still being well below estimated pre-exploitation population numbers, the increase is likely to continue.

The paper, published in the journal Endangered Species Research, is entitled: "Green turtle population recovery at Aldabra Atoll continues after 50 yr of protection."

Explore further Cayman Islands sea turtles back from the brink

More information: AM Pritchard et al, Green turtle population recovery at Aldabra Atoll continues after 50 yr of protection, Endangered Species Research (2021). AM Pritchard et al, Green turtle population recovery at Aldabra Atoll continues after 50 yr of protection,(2021). DOI: 10.3354/esr01174
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The workplace can be a serious place, and humor can be a valuable tool to lighten the mood. But using humor appropriately to lighten the moment can be tricky, especially for women.

New research at the University of Missouri shows that using humor in the workplace is more challenging for women than men and can depend on a variety of factors, such as a woman's perceived status in the office and whether her humor is directed towards other women.

Christopher Robert, an MU associate professor who also is serving as the interim dean of the Trulaske College of Business, conducted a study to analyze how people react to men and women using humor in the workplace. The goal was to determine if a person's gender and status in the workplace would affect how others reacted to their humor.

The researchers surveyed 92 college students after they read workplace scenarios in which men and women made humorous comments. Scenarios were adjusted so that the humorist, or the person making the humorous comment, was either a male or female, in a high or low status position, and they also varied whether the target of the humor was a male or female. In addition, some scenarios included humor that was more friendly or "affiliative" while others included aggressive humor. The researchers then asked the participants to determine how "foolish" they perceived the humorists to be.

One of the scenarios takes place at a meeting in which hospital personnel are discussing some of the challenges that resulted in a patient death. A female nurse stutters while trying to share her ideas to address a problem and is interrupted by an employee attempting to make humorous comment, poking fun at the fact that she can't find her words.

In this instance, the researchers varied the status and gender of the person telling the joke. When high-status men, low-status men and high-status women made the aggressive humorous comment, they were perceived more positively, but when a low-status woman made the joke she was perceived as being more foolish.

The researchers also analyzed how the gender of the target of the humorous comment affected how study participants viewed the person using humor.

"Women who used humor directed toward a man were seen as positive," Robert said. "But when a high-status woman used humor directed toward a woman of lower status in the workplace, she was seen as negative and was judged as more foolish."

Robert said these findings should remind people to hold off their immediate judgements about people based on their use of humor, and consider if these judgements are influenced by any preconceived notions about the identity of the individuals in question.

"This research amplifies the fact that we even have inherent biases that influence how we view people who are using humor," Robert said. "If someone is questioning someone's sense of humor, they should ask themselves, 'Would I be making this same judgment if the person using the humor looked more like me?'"

Robert collaborated with co-author Timothy Moake, an assistant professor of management at Middle Tennessee State University to write "Gender, Formal Organizational Status and Humor Use: Perceptions of Social Acceptance," which was published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology.

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More information: Timothy R. Moake et al, Gender, formal organizational status and humor use: perceptions of social acceptance, Journal of Managerial Psychology (2021). Journal information: Journal of Managerial Psychology Timothy R. Moake et al, Gender, formal organizational status and humor use: perceptions of social acceptance,(2021). DOI: 10.1108/JMP-11-2020-0593
Scientists tested a participatory disaster risk monitoring strategy in a town that was partially destroyed in 2010 after an unprecedented flood. Credit: Miguel Trejo Rangel

Several natural disasters have afflicted various parts of Brazil since 2022 began, from deadly flooding and mudslides due to abnormally heavy rain in the states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, to severe drought in Rio Grande do Sul state. However, only 6.1% of its 5,568 municipalities have plans of any kind to mitigate the risk and impact of such disasters, according to a survey by IBGE, the national census and statistics bureau.

An article published in the journal Disaster Prevention and Management describes a project that could contribute to future disaster prevention programs. Supported by FAPESP, the study used a methodology involving participation by inhabitants of the areas concerned, particularly young people, to predict the risks and effects of floods, landslides and rainstorms.

The aim was to develop a participatory process involving secondary school students, whose proposals were to be taken into consideration by local disaster response planners. Twenty-two students enrolled at Monsenhor Ignacio Gioia State School in Sao Luiz do Paraitinga, Sao Paulo state, between 2019 and 2021 took part in the project, alongside higher education students enrolled in the Program of Graduate Studies in Natural Disasters at Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), partnering with the National Disaster Surveillance and Early Warning Center (CEMADEN).

Sao Luiz do Paraitinga, an important tourism destination in the Paraiba Valley area with a well-conserved historic center listed as a national cultural heritage site and a long tradition of popular religious festivals, was partially destroyed in 2010 by flooding that reached 12 meters in depth in parts of the municipality. Reconstruction was followed by investment in river de-silting and hillside stabilization, among other projects.

"Until then the third step in the stairs leading up to the mother church was the highest level reached by the Paraitinga River whenever it overflowed. The 2010 New Year's Day flood covered the church and swept away 100-year-old listed buildings. Despite the destruction, no one died, thanks largely to whitewater rafters who lived in the town and rescued more than 400 people during the night, even before the arrival of emergency workers. That shows the importance of popular participation," Victor Marchezini, sociologist, CEMADEN researcher and principal investigator for the project, told Agencia FAPESP.

In his Ph.D. research conducted shortly after the disaster, Marchezini analyzed the barriers to local participation during reconstruction and argued for the implementation of methodologies to involve local communities in disaster prevention programs.

"Without this involvement, people aren't prepared and disaster responses are improvised," he said. "We used Sao Luiz do Paraitinga as a living laboratory to think about prevention."

In Brazil, at least 8.3 million inhabitants of 872 municipalities live in high-risk areas, according to the last census conducted by IBGE. Although the National Civil Protection and Defense Policy (PNPDEC, Law 12,608/2012) calls for community participation in civil defense-related preparedness, mitigation and recovery plans, there are no mechanisms in the law to promote this participation. Only 6.8% of Brazil's municipalities told IBGE they had community-based civil protection units.

Participation by school students

The school students who participated were given training and used aerial photographs of Sao Luiz do Paraitinga taken by drones to identify areas prone to flooding and landslides. They were asked to decide which segments of the community were most exposed to these risks, and concluded, for example, that their own school was vulnerable, as well as a primary school and an old age home. They plotted flood-prone and other high-risk areas on a map of the town, also using information on the areas flooded in 2010.

"These youngsters who participated in the mapping exercise were too small at the time to remember various aspects of the great flood, and we provided ways and means for one generation to learn from another," Marchezini said.

The students used the mapping exercise to plan escape routes from future disasters and were asked to form five breakout groups that would plan and budget for disaster risk mitigation measures. Their proposals were shared with the local civil defense team and with Akarui, a non-governmental organization that promotes community involvement in Sao Luiz do Paraitinga.

The work with the school students was led by Daniel Messias dos Santos, a teacher at their secondary school and last author of the article. The first author is Miguel Angel Trejo-Rangel, a Ph.D. candidate at the National Space Research Institute (INPE).

The main actions suggested by the students were setting up a communication committee for the municipalities in the Paraitinga River basin, which include Cunha; territorial planning to stop people from building in high-risk areas; developing a smartphone app for messaging on disaster response initiatives; and drafting a preparedness plan with the community.

The results were presented at an event held in October 2021 and attended by school students and representatives of the municipal government, civil defense, and other agencies involved. Mayor Ana Lucia Bilard Sicherle, who had also been the mayor in 2010, spoke about the importance of surveillance and monitoring to make sure no one moves back into the high-risk areas. "We now have a stronger civil defense team as well as more monitoring mechanisms," she said.

The methodology developed by the researchers will be included in CEMADEN Education, a program that takes information and projects to schools with the aim of raising awareness of disaster hazards. The program has been recognized as an inspiring practice by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Research conducted in Brazil and elsewhere evidences the link between climate change and extremely heavy rainfall.

Explore further What Nigerian cities can do to cope better with flood risk

More information: Miguel Angel Trejo-Rangel et al, Giving voice to the voiceless: connecting graduate students with high school students by incubating DRR plans through participatory mapping, Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal (2022). Miguel Angel Trejo-Rangel et al, Giving voice to the voiceless: connecting graduate students with high school students by incubating DRR plans through participatory mapping,(2022). DOI: 10.1108/DPM-03-2021-0100
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Companies in the software industry, where novel ideas are prized, use linguistic tactics to develop new labels for their innovations to stay ahead of competitors. Using language to signal that something is "new and different" is an important tool for success, University of California, Davis, research suggests.

Category innovation during a study period from 1990 to 2002 included words and phrases such as "platform" and "supply chain management"market categories that are now established.

"There is an association between companies that use category innovation and their likelihood to IPO, suggesting category innovation is part of successful firm strategies," said Elizabeth George Pontikes of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, who is the author of the study.

The article, "Category Innovation in the Software Industry, 1990-2002," was published in Strategic Management Journal in January. Pontikes looked at more than 400 labels used in news releases about innovations by more than 4,000 different software firms over 12 years. Researchers also interviewed 12 executives and venture capitalists in the software industry.

Category innovation, as defined in the study, is a practice that involves firms claiming a new category label to describe the market they are in. A firm may do this to differentiate from rivals, or to try to become a market leader or even a "category king."

One executive interviewed for the study described the "tag management" label, for example, as something that "wasn't super innovative, but it was labeling it  so it was strategic the way we were thinking about it."

The research found that 75% of the labels analyzed when they were new only had one or two firms using them in the first two years, when it is traditionally difficult to determine if innovations even have a nascent market. Those labels don't gain traction until the second year of innovation, the research showed.

Firms sometimes engage in category innovation by borrowing and recasting a little-known term or are unaware another firm had claimed the label, Pontikes said.

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More information: Elizabeth George Pontikes, Category innovation in the software industry: 19902002, Strategic Management Journal (2022). Elizabeth George Pontikes, Category innovation in the software industry: 19902002,(2022). DOI: 10.1002/smj.3383
Cleveland is one of the most active and remote volcanoes in the United States. It is located in the Aleutian Islands, a chain of islands that stretch from the tip of the Alaska Peninsula across the Pacific to the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. They form the northern boundary of the Ring of Fire, a string of active volcanoes that circle the Pacific Ocean. The Alaska Volcano Observatory monitors the activity of Cleveland Volcano from their office in Anchorage, and they have observed eruptions every year for at least the past 20 years. Normally, a volcano this active would be a major focus of research for volcanologists. However, due to its remote location, experts know very little about it. Scientists do know it is part of a cluster of volcanoes known as the Islands of the Four Mountains, which ironically contains five islands and six volcanoes. Cleveland rises from the ocean to a height greater than a mile. Its steep slopes are characteristic of the worlds most common volcanoes known as stratovolcanoes, such as Mount Fuji in Japan. The research team collected samples of recently erupted material 2015 to 2016, which helped scientists understand the magmas water content for this volcano. Credit: Daniel Rasmussen, Smithsonian. Photo taken under Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Research and Monitoring Special Use Permit #74500-16-009.

Around the world, between 40 and 50 volcanoes are currently erupting or in states of unrest, and hundreds of millions of people are at risk of hazards posed by these potentially active volcanos. Yet, despite the profound hazards posed to human life and property by volcanic eruptions, humanity still cannot reliably and accurately predict them, and even when forecasts are accurately made by experts, they may not afford ample time for people to evacuate and make emergency preparations.

Accurate and reliable predictions have remained an elusive target largely because volcanologists do not fully understand the natural dynamics and processes of the magma underneath a volcano before it finds its way to the surface. Now, the results of a new study led by volcanologist Dan Rasmussen, a Peter Buck Fellow at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, may bring experts one step closer to accurately forecasting volcanic eruptions.

The study, published today, March 10, in the journal Science, finds that, for the world's most common type of volcano, magma with higher water content tends to be stored deeper in the Earth's crust. The finding identifies what some scientists expect is the most important factor controlling the depth at which magma is stored.

"This study connects the depth at which magma is stored to water, which is significant because water largely initiates and fuels eruptions," Rasmussen said. He explained that water drives eruptions analogously to how carbon dioxide can make a shaken-up soda bottle explode.

"With water dissolved in magma that is stored beneath a volcano, if there is a sudden decrease in pressure, like when a shaken soda bottle cap is suddenly opened, gas bubbles form and those cause the magma to rise and jet out the volcano, similar to when a soda shoots out of a bottle top," Rasmussen said. "More water content in magma means more gas bubbles and potentially a more violent eruption."

"These results move us closer to understanding the physics and conditions of magma storage beneath volcanoes, and that is an essential ingredient for the kinds of detailed physics-based models necessary to more accurately forecast eruptions," Rasmussen said.

The study was completed through new field work and lab analyses in addition to reanalysis of existing data collected from past volcanic eruptions tracked by the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program.

Dan Rasmussen, Peter Buck Fellow at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History, collects volcanic ash samples from the rim of the summit caldera on Akutan Volcano in 2016. Akutan is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutians. A caldera forms when a volcano has a large, explosive eruption. When this happens, the magma body below the volcano that feeds the eruption partially empties, which causes the volcano to collapse. The result is the crater seen in this image. Also visible is the helicopter that carried scientists to their sampling sites. This was a rare day of clear skies and low winds, which enabled researchers to land on the caldera rim. The rock sample Rasmussen collected helped the research team determine the water contents of Akutan magmas. Credit: Anna Barth, University of California, Berkeley. Photo taken under Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Research and Monitoring Special Use Permit #74500-16-009.

Rasmussen began his research in 2015 while completing his doctorate at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory with his advisor, volcanologist Terry Plank, who suggested he pursue the still-open question of why magma storage depth varies from one volcano to the next and what controls that depth.

Along with a team that included geophysicist Diana Roman of the Carnegie Institution for Science, Rasmussen went into the field to collect volcanic material from eight volcanoes located in the rugged and remote Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

The researchers focused on a particular geological setting when selecting volcanoes for this study: so-called arc volcanoes that occur at the intersection of two converging tectonic plates. Arc volcanoes, like those found in the Aleutians, are the most numerous type of volcano on Earth and comprise the entirety of the infamous "Ring of Fire" encircling the Pacific Plate, making them the most obvious target for improving predictive capacities.

Using ships and helicopters, the team collected bits of volcanic ash from these eight volcanoes amid rough seas and, on the island of Unimak, the threat of giant brown bears. Volcanic ash was the primary target of the expedition because it can contain green crystals made of olivineeach one with a diameter of about 1 millimeter, about the thickness of a plastic ID card.

Underground, these olivine crystals sometimes trap tiny bits of magma when they form. After an eruption sends these special olivine crystals to Earth's surface, the magma inside them cools and becomes glass. By analyzing the chemical composition of these miniscule pieces of cooled magma from the inside of a volcano, the researchers were able to estimate the magma's water content.

After estimating the water content from the entrapped pieces of magma collected from six of the eight Aleutian volcanoes, the team then combined those data with other estimates of magmatic water content taken from the scientific literature for an additional 56 volcanoes from around the world. The final list of estimated magmatic water content spanned 3,856 individual samples from 62 volcanoes.

To examine the relationship between the estimated water content of these magma reservoirs and their respective storage depths, the researchers scoured the scientific literature and created an accompanying list of 331 depth estimates for 112 volcanoes.

Dan Rasmussen, Peter Buck Fellow at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History, and Terry Plank, volcanologist at Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, collect samples of volcanic ash from a narrow ravine created by a small stream on the flank of Cleveland Volcano in 2016. Layers on the ravine wall are the products of Clevelands individual eruptions. The layers are brown because they are breaking down to form dirt. Still, with enough effort, scientists can find some fresh volcanic material in these layers. The layers must be sampled individually, which is a tricky process. First, a flat surface at the interface between two layers is carved out; then, the layer that is exposed is scraped into a sample collection bag, exposing the next layer down and enabling its collection. These samples helped researchers to understand the water contents of Clevelands magmas. Credit: Anna Barth, University of California, Berkeley. Photo taken under Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Research and Monitoring Special Use Permit #74500-16-009.

Rasmussen said the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program's database "was key in compiling these lists because it's a really good resource for eruption history, and we only wanted to consider volcanoes that had recently erupted." Rasmussen and the research team focused on recent eruptions because magma reservoirs do not appear to move a lot following an eruption, and so any estimates of depth or water content that were made using recently erupted material have the highest likelihood of accurately reflecting the current state of the volcano's magma reservoir.

After years of field work, geochemical analysis and literature review, the team was able to plot the estimated magma storage depths for 28 volcanoes from around the world against their respective estimated magmatic water contents. The results were strikingly clear: a magma reservoir's water content strongly correlated with its storage depth. In other words, magmas that contained more water tended to be stored deeper in the Earth's crust.

The study also shows that a magma's water content is responsible for controlling its depth, rather than merely correlating to it. The team showed this causal relationship by detecting the presence of chemical tracers associated with the formation of water-containing magmas in Earth's mantle.

"If storage depth determined water content in magma, it could still create the correlation between water content and depth that we observed, but it wouldn't produce the chemical tracers of the magma's initial water content that we found," Rasmussen said.

As for how water content might determine magma storage depth, Rasmussen and his co-authors argue that it has to do with a process known as degassing in which the water mixed in with the magma forms bubbles of gas. When magma rising through the Earth's crust begins to degas, it becomes more viscous, which the researchers suggest causes the magma's ascent to slow and stall.

The evidence that water content largely controls magma storage depth overturns the most widely accepted explanation in the field today, which contends that magma rises through cracks in Earth's crust because the molten rock is more buoyant than the surrounding crust, settling at its storage depth because it reaches neutral buoyancy where magma is no more buoyant than its surroundings.

Rasmussen said the next step for this research is to see if these findings hold for volcanoes in other geologic settings such as hot-spot volcanoes like the Hawaiian Islands or rift volcanoes like those in East Africa. Beyond this extension of the research, Rasmussen said an even larger question looms: "If magma water content controls magma storage depth, what controls magma water content?"

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More information: Daniel J. Rasmussen, Magmatic water content controls the pre-eruptive depth of arc magmas, Science (2022). www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm5174 Journal information: Science Daniel J. Rasmussen, Magmatic water content controls the pre-eruptive depth of arc magmas,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abm5174
Reinforcing the message that children are worthy and loved does not depend on planning blockbuster events. Credit: Pexels/Keira Burton

As students and families in some parts of Canada approach their spring breaks, busy parents and caregivers everywhere may be reminded of the COVID-19 pandemic's two-year anniversary of March 13, 2020.

On this day, the Canadian government issued warnings against all international travel. That was soon followed by school closures across Canada and globally.

While some families who can afford vacations or for parents to take time off work may be pushing for a getaway, this year many parents are likely looking for ways to rest and rejuvenate from the parental burnout that two years of pandemic parenting might have brought.

Since the pandemic erupted, working parents have been balancing their work and their children's intermittent bouts of virtual learning, along with the many other parenting challenges.

This balancing act has been one that many mothers in particular have had to grapple with, all while also shouldering the lion's share of domestic responsibilities.

Busy and exhausted parents can recharge and connect with their children by prioritizing rest and sleep, as well as cultivating daily moments and experiences for sharing belonging and love.

Pandemic slowdown and burnout

At the beginning of the pandemic, those whose work wasn't accelerated by pandemic needs slowed down, some took moments to pause and reflect and some even took up new skills.

In contrast, demands on time and energy of essential workers, coupled with threats to their safety and health, led to high rates of burnout and staff shortages.

The start of online schooling and lockdowns and the blurring of home, school and work life balance brought considerable stress for many families. Indeed, these stressors are disproportionately higher for racialized communities who face ongoing and intersecting inequities amid the pandemic and other urgent global crises.

Considering ways to slow down, restore and take seriously our breaks is an important part of recovering from some of the grief and damage of these times.

Benefits of breaks

For adults, the benefits of taking brief mental breaks include reduced mental fatigue, boosted brain function and longer on-task behavior.

For children, the benefits of taking a break at home or in the classroom also contribute to increases in cognitive functioning and on-task behavior.

The benefits of taking a break also fulfill some of our basic needs that underlie human motivation.

Hierarchy of needs

According to American psychologist Abraham Maslow, our "higher-level" needs such as the need for love, belonging and esteem, and mental stimulation cannot be met until our lower-level physiological needssuch as for sleep, food and shelterare met.

When people's basic needs aren't met their ability to actively participate in learning is significantly reduced. Psychologist Jacob Ham, director of the Center for Child Trauma and Resilience in New York, explains that faced with basic needs deprivation and trauma, people's brains go into "survival brain" mode instead of "learning brain" mode.

One fundamental basic need is sleep. A lack of sleep for children has been found to cause long-lasting adverse effects, including poorer mental health and well-being and worse quality of life.

Psychologist Jacob Ham explains how being deprived of basic needs affects peoples brains.

This is especially important now as the pandemic has had a negative impact on many children's sleep. A recent review of existing research on children and sleep in the pandemic that included studies from Canada and China found that "sleep duration recommendations were not met in nearly half of healthy children."

Researchers found sleep of school-aged children and adolescents was directly or indirectly affected by dramatic changes in children's lives. However, they also cautioned about drawing firm inferences from studies based on predominantly online surveys of parents.

Parents can aim to protect sleep windows for their children and themselvesand renew commitments to bolstering their own mental health to be in an optimal place to be present in relationships and support their children.

Taking a break while tending to basic needs

We've compiled more ways that busy parents can recharge themselves along with their children that can help fulfill some families' physiological, safety, belonging and love needs.

1. Spend time in nature

Spending time outdoors that brings a sense of contact with nature has been associated with many physical and mental health benefits. Research shows that spending 10 minutes three times a week or more outdoors can help lower stress. This break, try to explore local child-friendly Parks Canada attractions or municipal parks or conservation areas in your area you may not have visited before.

2. Family activity night

Engaging in a family activity, such as a family game night, can help parents and children work together to generate ideas, solve problems and enjoy the many benefits of spending positive time together as a family. Or consider creating an indoor camping night (this does not have to involve real camping equipment) or indoor beach visit involving things like rolling out towels, reading age-appropriate books alone or together or playing summery music.

A family activity night can meet many of your children's needs, including safety and security, love and belonging.

3. Get active

The health benefits of regular physical activity for adults and children are well-documented. March Break is a fantastic opportunity to seize the benefits of the mood and energy boosts that come with physical exertion.

4. Connect daily

Connection is a critical component of secure and healthy attachment in children. When we connect with our children, they feel a sense of belonging and that they matter. Connecting with our children also fulfills our belonging and love needs as parents.

This March Break, simple yet powerful ways to connect with our childrenfrom cultivating humor to taking the time to look your child in the eye or being present when you do chores together may reinforce the message that they are worthy and loved. Ways to connect with school-aged and teenage children will vary, but connection remains the fundamental goal.

5. Reduce screen time

Screen time has increased dramatically during the pandemic, especially among younger Canadians.

While screen use to stay connected with friends or family has been important in the pandemic and has been part of family survival strategies, some of the negative consequences of screen time include time taken away from healthier habits.

This March Break, making a conscious effort to ensure everyone gets a little more rest and allows their minds to wander and bodies to enjoy the outdoors or physical games together even if just for a short time. This can help give your brain the break it needs, and also create more space to be present with each other.

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Coastal areas are at the frontline of natural hazardsa fact now thrown into sharp relief as flooding devastates parts of southeastern Australia.

Providing information is one of the most important ways governments can help communities cope with these events. Such information aims to encourage people to make more informed decisions about the risks they face and act accordingly.

But as our new research shows, simply providing information is not enough. We found when authorities deliver generic information about natural hazards via passive means, such as radio ads and brochures, most households did not change their behavior.

To ensure our communities remain resilient in the face of worsening natural disasters, governments must find better ways to deliver important messages.

Barriers to being prepared

Numerous studies have suggested providing the public with information can overcome knowledge gaps, overcome inertia and prompt people to change their behavior.

But even if a person is informed about the risks of natural hazards, other factors can influence their willingness to prepare for them.

For example, financial constraints might mean a person cannot stock up on food supplies before a storm hits.

Some people may simply not consider themselves to be at risk. Others may have competing priorities such as work or child care.

That means we need to better understand what types of information best lead to behavior change and how barriers to action can be overcome.

Does passive information work?

Information can be categorized into three types:

passive (seeks to reach a wide audience through, for example, online communication, pamphlets or radio ads)

interactive (information derived through interactions with other people)

experiential (information gleaned from personal life experiences).

Information provided by governments to coastal households is predominantly passive. For example, households are often encouraged to access information on natural hazards such as floods, and how to prepare for climate change.

We set out to test the effectiveness of this passive approach to delivering information.

What we found

Our study focused on two Australian coastal communities: Mandurah in Western Australia and Moreton Bay in Queensland.

We surveyed households and conducted interviews with locals. We explored the types of information that shape responses to three hazard scenarios: a heatwave, a severe storm and sea-level rise.

People who wanted more information about their exposure to future climate risks were more likely to:

perceive their local area as vulnerable to environmental hazards

consider local environmental health important to their households' wellbeing.

Likewise, people who wanted information on preparing for climate hazards believed:

households were very capable of managing the impacts

their local council was capable of preventing harm.

However, passive information rarely informed a person's response to natural hazards. Instead, people tended to believe in the power of "common sense," especially when dealing with short-term impacts of hazards.

For example, one interviewee said no response to a heatwave was required, but "if you do have to go out you don't go out for very long."

Household action was also informed by past experience. One Mandurah resident told us: "We did have a scenario here [] we had a pretty severe storm and were out of power. So I have lots of candles and you just get by."

Conversely, a Moreton Bay resident drew on their past exposure to a storm to justify the limited need for action: "The area has never been affected by those sort of floods [] it hasn't stopped us from doing the day-to-day things like getting kids to school."

But as extreme weather worsens under climate change, basing decisions on past experiences may not be sufficient.

When it came to responding to hazards, most people adopted short-term coping strategies, such as securing loose items in their yard.

Other more proactive actions, such as installing window protection, were limited. There was also a lack of collective actions such as joining local recovery or conservation efforts.

Where to from here?

Prior exposure to a climate hazard appears to drive some people to adapt. But most households generally employ coping strategies, informed by perceptions of common sense.

So what type of information best promotes the transition from short-term coping with natural hazards to longer-term adaptation?

The answer may lie in promoting adaptation well before natural disasters hit as a "common sense" response to the climate threat.

Passive information rarely contains targeted information that can capture the interest of all households. So there's value in moving beyond this approach.

Two-way communication tools such as workshops, demonstrations, community events and harnessing opinion leaders offer promise. They enable collective discussion where participants can share experiences, beliefs and values, building trust and collaboration.

Some households value passive information. But if resilience to climate hazards is indeed the objective, communication promoting household response must change.

Whether information resonates with a household depends on various factors, including their capacity to respond. So improving people's confidence in their capability to act may also trigger better adaptation.

But households should not be seen solely as individual units acting to reduce their personal risk. They are also part of a broader system and can contribute to social change through collective action.

This might include collectively lobbying politicians, sharing experiences and strategies, and helping each other during times of crisis.

As climate change threatens to bring more severe and frequent natural disasters, more research is needed into information that encourages people to cope and adaptboth individually and together.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
H&M, a clothing retailer that has anchored downtown Baltimores Harborplace for more than a decade, has closed, leaving just a handful of tenants in the struggling waterfront pavilions. (Karl Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun)

H&M, a clothing retailer that has anchored downtown Baltimores Harborplace for more than a decade, has closed, leaving just a handful of tenants in the struggling waterfront pavilions.

The Swedish retail chain, known for inexpensive chic fashions, opened at the Inner Harbor in May 2011. The store closed in January, a spokesperson said in an email.

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Assessing and reviewing our store portfolio to adapt to changing customer behavior is something that we have done ever since we opened our first store, the spokesperson wrote. While physical stores will always remain important to us and something we continue to invest in, having the right stores in the right locations is vital to ensure our long-term and sustainable growth.

The chain continues to run mall stores in Towson Town Center, White Marsh Mall and Arundel Mills.

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Even before the pandemic took a toll on downtown shops and attractions, Harborplace had hit hard times. The retail and restaurant pavilions, the centerpiece of downtown redevelopment in 1980, has been in receivership and dealing with high vacancies.

With the departure of H&M, only Hooters remains as an anchor of the Light Street Pavilion, where the apparel store was located and where Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. closed last month. Bubba Gump vacated space that previously had housed Phillips Seafood restaurant, an original Harborplace tenant.

In the Pratt Street pavilion, tenants such as The Cheesecake Factory, Masons Famous Lobster Rolls, Uno Chicago Grill, ItSugar and Crystal Cove remain open.

Harborplace was placed in court-appointed receivership in May 2019 after owner Ashkenazy Acquisitions Corp., a New York-based real estate company, defaulted on its loan for the property. The waterfront attraction had reeled from years of rising vacancies and what some saw as mismanagement by its out-of-town owners.

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The receiver has been managing and leasing the property as a caretaker for the lender. Receiver Ian V. Lagowitz, president of IVL Group, did not respond to a request for comment.

The apparel retailer, one of the larger tenants in the Pratt Street pavilion, is the latest closure in a string of departures that have hurt the center.

Before the pandemic, Banana Republic had closed one of Harborplaces larger stores in August 2019, just over a year after moving from another nearby retail center. Other tenants that left while Ashkenazys planned renovations to modernize the center were delayed included Urban Outfitters, Five Guys, Noodles & Co., La Tasca, Edo Sushi, Lennys, Fire & Ice, M&S Grill and The Fudgery.

Since the start of the pandemic, Ripleys Believe-it-or-Not Odditorium, Build-A-Bear workshop and Johnny Rockets diner also have closed.

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Laurie Schwartz, president of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, said she is hopeful something positive will emerge from Harborplaces receivership.

Even as the pavilions have struggled, she said, visitors came in record numbers over the winter to a temporary ice rink between the pavilions at Harborplace and Christmas Village at nearby West Shore Park. And the newly opened Rash Field Park on the south side of the Inner Harbor also sees high attendance, Schwartz said.

Waterfront Partnership is aiming to continue that momentum by producing a spring and summer full of events and activities to keep attracting residents to the harbor, she said.
Credit: Shutterstock

About one in six children in Australia live in poverty. These children generally have poorer educational outcomes than more advantaged children. Our recently published research shows students who live in poverty also experience more social exclusion at school than their more advantaged peers.

These findings suggests disadvantage at home carries over into disadvantage at school.

Interventions such as anti-bullying programs and increased funding for schools in disadvantaged communities can help. However, our analysis suggests there's a bigger structural problem. To reduce educational disadvantage, action is needed to reduce child poverty, which has remained stubbornly high since the early 2000s.

In 1987, Prime Minister Bob Hawke famously pledged to end child poverty by 1990. As a result of his government's actions, child poverty initially declined before increasing again. Child poverty rates now are only slightly lower than in 1999.

In that time, child poverty has been largely absent from policy agendas. Failure to act on poverty will cripple the life chances and productivity of future generations.

The high costs of social exclusion at school

Our research has looked at the schooling experiences of 3,535 students aged 13 to 14 in in every state and territory.

Children whose families lacked items most Australian households take for granted, such as cars, computers or holidays, were identified as experiencing family poverty. Children who reported lacking items that most children see as essential were identified as experiencing child deprivation. These items included clothes that allowed them to fit in with other children, and their family having money to send them on school camp.

The proportions living in family poverty or child deprivation were highest among children who experienced multiple forms of disadvantage. One in five children with a disability lived in poverty, as did one in three who had a caring responsibility for a family member. Over one in four Indigenous children and children with a language background other than English also lived in poverty. By comparison, this was the case for only one in eight children who were not part of a marginalized group.

Wild how Australia has had about 30 years of uninterrupted economic growth and still has a child poverty rate of 18% https://t.co/YaPynELXbL  James Medlock (@jdcmedlock) February 21, 2020

Teachers make great efforts to support the education of disadvantaged students. Despite these efforts, children living in poverty have lower school completion rates and lower scores on national tests such as NAPLAN. And our study shows the effects of poverty still permeate school classrooms and playgrounds.

In our study, we asked children how much they agreed with the statement: "At my school, there is a teacher or another adult: who really cares about me; who believes that I will be a success; who listens to me when I have something to say." The children experiencing deprivation reported less support from their teachers. They also reported higher rates of bullying than non-deprived children.

These experiences were in turn associated with students reporting lower levels of life satisfaction. That's an early indicator of mental health problems in youth and adulthood.

As prime minister, Bob Hawke put child poverty on the agenda with his pledge that no child would live in poverty by 1990.

Children's potential is being stifled

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducts comparable academic tests of 15-year-old students in all OECD countries. Gaps in test performance between the most socioeconomically advantaged and the most disadvantaged students in Australia have hardly changed since the surveys were launched in 2000.

The gaps for the most recent tests in 2018 represented around three years of education for reading, maths and science literacy. When students fall that far behind, it seriously blights their life chances.

Teachers recognize that children living in poverty face many challenges that impact their learning and relationships. Children also talk about the challenges of poverty. One boy explained: "My mum would take me to the op shop because I keep on splitting my pants when I kneel down but she can't afford to buy me new pants. I don't get pocket money and have to make my own lunch and sometimes I don't even do that. I just go to school with no food."

That such experiences should be associated with poor educational outcomes is not surprising. What is surprising is how badly Australia's education system is failing to achieve a key objective: to support all children to reach their full educational potential.

It's time to focus again on child poverty

Child poverty and children's educational disadvantage require different solutions, but they are closely linked. The more poverty there is in Australia, the harder education systems and individual teachers have to work to compensate for its effect on student outcomes.

The Gonski 2.0 package of school funding reforms, launched in 2018, aims to at least partially address educational disadvantage. However, it is unlikely to break the poverty-educational outcomes nexus on its own.

The challenge that Hawke set 35 years ago, to end child poverty in Australia, needs to be taken up again. Both the Hawke government's actions in the years following his pledge and the current Australian government's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic show how this can be done.

After 1987, family payments were significantly increased and targeted to lower-income families. This increased support helped reduce child poverty.

In 2020, in response to the growing COVID-19 emergency, the Morrison government introduced the JobKeeper payment and added the Coronavirus Supplement to the Jobseeker Allowance. Poverty rates declined, at least temporarily, while these supports were in place.

Money does not solve all the problems of child disadvantage. But it does matter.

The next Australian government could follow Hawke's example and set targets to reduce child poverty. History (in Australia and elsewhere) suggests that action will follow and child poverty will fall.

Reducing poverty will have positive flow-on effects for children's well-being, development and educational outcomes. It will also represent a major step towards Australia achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal of halving poverty rates of all men, women and children by 2030.

Explore further How child poverty leads to a lesser life

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Nature Physics (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-022-01522-1

Scientists have unraveled the science behind the jets of plasmathe fourth state of matter consisting of electrically charged particles that occur just about everywhere in the sun's chromosphere, which is the atmospheric layer just above the sun's visible surface.

These jets, or spicules, appear as thin grass-like plasma structures that constantly shoot up from the surface and are then brought down by gravity. The amount of energy and momentum that these spicules can carry is of fundamental interest in solar and plasma astrophysics. The processes by which plasma is supplied to the solar wind, and the solar atmosphere is heated to a million degrees Celsius, still remain a puzzle.

Led by astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India a team of interdisciplinary researchers from India and the UK have explained the origin of "spicules" on the sun, using laboratory experiments as an analogy. They found that the physics underlying paint jets when excited on a speaker is analogous to the solar plasma jets.

In trying to explore the underlying physics of spicule dynamics, the team turned to an audio speaker. A bass speaker responds to excitation at low frequencies, like the rumbling sounds heard in movies. When a liquid is placed above such a speaker and the music is turned on , the free surface of the liquid becomes unstable beyond a particular frequency and starts vibrating. A beautiful example of "Faraday excitation" observed in nature is when droplets of water splash on the back of a partially submerged male alligator during mating display. However, a fluid-like paint or shampoo will result in unbroken jets when excited on a speaker because its long polymer chains give it directionality.

The authors of the article realized that the physics underlying these paint jets must be analogous to the solar plasma jets. They then asked what it would take to generate such jets in plasma. Sahel Dey, from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), and the first author of the study explained: "The solar plasma can be imagined as threaded by magnetic field lines, much like the long chains in polymer solutions. This makes both the systems anisotropic, with properties varying with the direction in space." Mathematically too, there exists an analogy in the treatment of stresses involved, though there are obvious differences as well.

"Spurred by the visual similarity between the solar spicules and the jets of paint on the speaker, we investigated the roles of magnetic field on the sun using state-of-the-art numerical simulations of the solar plasma. In parallel, we explored the role of polymer chains by using slow motion videography on Faraday waves in polymeric solutions," said Murthy O. V. S. N., co-author from the Azim Premji University where the laboratory experiments were conducted. They found that the jets are kept intact against instabilities by the magnetic field in the sun and by the polymer chains in the polymeric solution, respectively. The research was published on March 3, 2022 in the journal Nature Physics.

The scientists elaborated that the plasma right below the visible solar surface (photosphere) is perpetually in a state of convection, much like boiling water in a vessel heated at the bottom. This is ultimately powered by the nuclear energy released in the hot-dense core. The convection serves almost periodic but strong kicks to the plasma in the solar chromosphere, the shallow semi-transparent layer right above the visible solar disk. The chromosphere is 500 times lighter than the plasma in the photosphere. Therefore, these strong kicks from the bottom, not unlike an alligator bellowing, shoot the chromospheric plasma outward at ultrasonic speeds in the form of thin columns or spicules.

Spicules come in all sizes and speeds. The existing consensus in the solar community has been that the physics behind the short spicules is different from that of taller and faster spicules.

The study challenges this widespread belief to show that solar convection can by itself form all kinds of jetsshort as well as tall. "The simulations were able to reproduce a forest of jets because they explored a more realistic range of parameters than earlier studies," said Piyali Chatterjee, the corresponding author and lead investigator from IIA. The team members used three different supercomputers, all from India, including a National Supercomputing Mission facility at JNCASR (Bengaluru) to run their massively parallel scientific code.

Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of IIA said, "This novel coming together of solar astronomers and condensed matter experimentalists was able to reveal the underlying cause of the poorly understood solar spicules. The power of unifying physics that connects physically disparate phenomena will prove to be the driving force of much more interdisciplinary collaboration."

Explore further Evidence found of magnetic reconnection generating spicules on the sun

More information: Sahel Dey et al, Polymeric jets throw light on the origin and nature of the forest of solar spicules, Nature Physics (2022). Journal information: Nature Physics Sahel Dey et al, Polymeric jets throw light on the origin and nature of the forest of solar spicules,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-022-01522-1

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Ahead of the first global seafood trade show of the year, research sheds new light on differences in seafood marketing messages between different regions of the world.

Researchers from the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling and partners studied logos, certification and claims on exhibitor booths at seafood shows in China (Guangzhou, Qingdao and Shanghai) Europe (Brussels), and the U.S. (Boston) during 2019.

They found a clear difference in approach between the global southmainly China, and the northEurope and North America. Chinese messaging focused on food safety and the quality of the product itself, while European and North American consumers were interested in the sustainability of production processes.

This year's trade shows commence on 13 March with Seafood Expo North America in Boston, U.S.

Ph.D. researcher Wesley Malcorps, who led the study, said: "The global north showed a high interest in environmental sustainability, which is driven by consumer demand for ecolabels and sustainable production practices.

"However, China showed a higher interest in messaging around 'safety' and 'quality,' which can be traced to concerns over food safety scares, due to less developed standard operating procedures than are the norm for retailers in the Europe and North America.

"The use of 'quality' messaging was used to strengthen associations with the perceived natural characteristics and health benefits of seafood consumption in the Chinese market."

These understandings could support better communication between producer and consumer, as well as improve production and business practices, Mr. Malcorps said.

He continued: "Business-to-business seafood traders often act as choice editors for final consumers. Therefore, it is essential to convey production processes and sustainability issues between traders and the market. An understanding of culture, messaging strategies and interpretation can improve the communication of product characteristics and in turn improve business and production practices, better meeting the expectations of the final consumer."

Cultural perceptions

The researchers worked with local speakers and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities from the University of Stirling to understand different cultural perceptions around messaging.

Mr. Malcorps said: "We ended up excluding the word 'fresh' from our research, for example. Chinese consumers value 'freshness' and prefer purchasing live or freshly slaughtered fish, whereas North American consumers often prefer more processed products.

"But the Mandarin characters for seafood already contain the word 'fresh,' so Chinese traders didn't use the term very often at their exhibitor booths. Comparing the use of the word 'fresh' across seafood shows could therefore have skewed the results."

The researchers collaborated with the University of Edinburgh, Kafrelsheikh University, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Shanghai Ocean University and the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The paper, "Global Seafood Trade: Insights in Sustainability Messaging and Claims of the Major Producing and Consuming Regions," is published in the journal Sustainability.

Explore further Consuming small fish instead of farmed salmon could make seafood production more sustainable

More information: Wesley Malcorps et al, Global Seafood Trade: Insights in Sustainability Messaging and Claims of the Major Producing and Consuming Regions, Sustainability (2021). Wesley Malcorps et al, Global Seafood Trade: Insights in Sustainability Messaging and Claims of the Major Producing and Consuming Regions,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/su132111720
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A warning from researchers at the University of South Florida: Scam artists are taking advantage of online surveys that pay for participationa method of market research that has become more common practice since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This conclusion stems from a study that began just before the start of the pandemic in 2020. The Florida Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida funded the USF College of Public Health and Muma College of Business to evaluate anti-tobacco public service announcements using neuromarketing measures. The researchers planned to monitor participants as they watched the PSAs using electroencephalograms, sensors that measure hand sweat and heart rate and computer software that tracks eye movements and facial expressions.

But like many aspects of research, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the USF team to pivot its approach to an "at home" setting. They and the lab's technology partner, iMotions, reconfigured the study and the software, limiting it to facial expression and attention analysis via webcam. Participants were also asked about the effectiveness of the PSAs, producing what's known as a perceived effectiveness (PE) score. Many agencies and institutions rely on PE scores to identify which PSAs would be most persuasive in specific media markets.

In a study published in the journal Social Marketing Quarterly, the researchers report that the facial expression data showed a large percentage of participants may not be who they claimed to be and that their data could have dramatically shifted the results.

Participants were required to be a current or recent tobacco user, Florida resident, and have access to a web camera. They were recruited using two methods: Through community partners sharing digital flyers and through a professional panel recruiter. The participants were offered a cash or other incentive to watch three of 12 PSAs in random order.

Despite signing a consent form that explained their faces would be recorded, 42 of the 92 responses from the "community" group were fake, either using stock photos in place of their faces or taking the survey multiple times with different IP addresses. Even the 409 responses from the vetted panel recruiter included 45 that deployed deceitful tactics, such as uploading a video of a person watching something on a screen or they demonstrated lack of engagement, which was calculated by the participant's head position.

"This research presents a cautionary tale about compensated online surveys," said co-author Rob Hammond, marketing instructor and director of the Center for Marketing and Sales Innovation at USF. "In addition to deliberate deceitful behavior in both the community and vetted panel groups, the lack of attention suggests individuals may approach online surveys 'as a job' resulting in less effort and attention."

These findings show the impact fraudulent data can have on a study's results. When rank-ordering the PSAs by PE score, six of the 12 would have been misjudged. More critically, two of the three top PSAs selected by the valid respondents had Black lead characters. Those same PSAs were not ranked in the top three based on the sample that included deceitful responses.

"Public health agencies strive to develop culturally attuned health messages. It's essential to test these messages with representatives of the intended audience," said principal investigator Claudia Parvanta, professor and social marketing concentration lead. "We've learned the hard way that we need to confirm that study participants reflect the desired cultural background but also have sufficient interest in the subject under study."

With marketing surveys increasingly moving online, the researchers suggest that compensation should only be provided to respondents after the data have been verified.

Explore further Brain scans may reveal most effective anti-drug messages

More information: Robert W. Hammond et al, Caught in the Act: Detecting Respondent Deceit and Disinterest in On-Line Surveys. A Case Study Using Facial Expression Analysis, Social Marketing Quarterly (2022). Robert W. Hammond et al, Caught in the Act: Detecting Respondent Deceit and Disinterest in On-Line Surveys. A Case Study Using Facial Expression Analysis,(2022). DOI: 10.1177/15245004221074403
Could Russia crash the ISS? Credit: NASA

Nearly three decades of close collaboration in space between Russia and the western world seems to be coming to an end. With increasing tensions over Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Russia has arguably threatened to crash the International Space Station and refuse to launch satellites for western countries. A few months ago, Russia blew up one of its own defunct satellites, creating space junk that threatened the safety of astronauts at the ISS.

So how is the war likely to impact on operations in space going forward, and what are the consequences?

Aggression in space could directly affect boots on the grounds. Imagery from space has become a regular feature in coverage of the invasion of Ukraine, showing long columns of armor moving inexorably towards Kyiv or Kharkiv.

While chilling in its content, it has offered a boost to the embattled Ukrainian resistance by helping it work out where the enemy is, where it is coming from and how it is configured. It is also a demonstration to the world of the level of force used by Russia, laid bare for all to see.

Satellite imagery used to be the preserve of advanced militaries and very few countries. Today, however, commercial companies are increasingly capturing such imagery, and their combined capability may surpass that of the Russian military. The advantage of this is that these companies can provide quasi-military support, potentially avoiding the tripwire of military involvement in Ukraine by western nations.

There are some who warn of a decline in US space power, particularly in the face of a highly ambitious Chinese space agenda and provocative Russian maneuvers in space. But any estimation of space power must include the commercial sector, in which western companies, and American firms in particular, have a vast lead.

SpaceX provides not only satellite imagery, but also communications. Its founder, Elon Musk, has come to the aid of Ukraine by providing it with terminals that allow access to the Starlink system, a megaconstellation of satellites that offers high-speed internet access. If Russia cuts off internet services and other forms of communication in Ukraine, Starlink could provide connectivity, giving Ukrainians secure to information and networking.

This is not wholly without risk, however. Musk has recently cautioned Ukrainian users that the Starlink terminalseffectively two-way satellite dishesmay allow them to be identified.

There have also been reports of Russia jamming the GPS signal from satellites in space to Ukraine. And it has been reported that Russia fully expects their own GLONASS satellite positioning system to be jammed as well.

If that happens, it will use an older, terrestrial system called Chayka, based on an older radio technology. While not as accurate as a satellite system, it should nevertheless be good enough for many of their purposes.

Direct dangers?

The conflict has also unfolded in other, unexpected ways in the space domain. In a series of tweets, the director general of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, warned that ending cooperation over the ISS could lead to it falling out of orbit, possibly onto the United States or Europe (or China or India)which has been interpreted as a threat.

He noted that Russias' Progress cargo ships which provides the thrust to correct the orbit of the ISS. Without them, the space station would fall into the Earth's atmosphere where most of it would burn up, yet some bits could survive and may hit people or buildings on Earth.

While this is extremely unlikely, not least due to the fact that there are Russian cosmonauts aboard currently, it was an alarming statement. In response, Musk said that his company would assist if Russia withdrew its support in a way that endangered the space station.

SpaceX's Dragon capsule is currently the only other spacecraft capable of docking with and supplying the ISS, and so could also provide the thrust if needed. Either way, it signals a much less cooperative future in space, with the ISS being decommissioned soon and Russia and China refusing to join the US-led Artemis program aiming to launch people to the Moon.

Russia has also halted its sales of rocket engines to the US (though the US had banned the import of these some years ago) and is refusing to launch a batch of 36 OneWeb satellites, which are designed to provide satellite internet broadband services worldwide, unless the UK government divests itself of its share of the OneWeb program, guaranteeing that they will not be used for military purposes. The UK has so far refused to negotiate. OneWeb already has 428 of its planned 648 strong constellation in orbit, and may start looking elsewhere for launch support in the future, as will many other companies.

Many countries also still rely on Russia and its Soyuz rockets for a number of launches for various applications, creating a difficult problem. But SpaceX and other companies, and indeed other countries, are increasingly able to plug the gap, so this is likely to be temporary.

If competition continues, it is not inconceivable that it could lead to conflict. While the use of kinetic weapons, which destroy satellites by running into them at high speeds and which Russia tested recently, seems unthinkable, we cannot be sure what Putin will do next.

The use of such weapons could create increased space junk which could destroy satellites and other probes in space, or even rain down on Earth. So it's important that the hostile threats in the space domain are not be allowed to escalate into anything further.

While Russia has a great deal of expertise in the space domain, its power there faces clear limits. Empty threats and tarnishing its reliability as a launch provider will only undermine its future prospects.

But more importantly, western commercial space assets have provided an important element of support for the besieged Ukrainians. This will enable important data and imagery to flow to where it is needed, to military units, decision-makers and to the population more broadly. Given the number and variety of satellites flying overhead, Russia will find it very difficult to respond.

Explore further Musk activates Starlink internet service in Ukraine

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In recent years, organized labor participation has risen in the United States, with workers collectively negotiating for better wages and equitable working conditions. Nurses are organizing at a particularly high rate; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 20% belong to a collective bargaining unit, as compared to a national average of 13% across other professions.

A new paper, "More than handmaids: Nursing, labor activism and feminism," focuses on why nurses have committed so strongly to unions, providing nuanced insights into the relationships between nursing, feminism, and labor organizing from the firsthand perspectives of union nurses. As the study reveals, gendered norms and assumptions, along with a complicated relationship to past feminist movements, have resulted in ongoing labor organizing challenges in the profession.

Drawing on interviews with women nurses involved with the California Nurses Association (CNA) at Children's Hospital Oakland in Oakland, CA, the study grew out of conversations between Jessa Lingel, Associate Professor at Penn's Annenberg School for Communication, and Kim Branciforte, a registered nurse and nurse educator based in California, who also happens to be Lingel's sister.

"Even before the pandemic, there was a shift in the longevity of nursing careers. Nurses are coming into the field later, as second and third careers, and leaving the bedside sooner for advanced practice positions, education, research, or leaving medicine entirely," Branciforte says. "I felt desperate to capture even a glimmer of the sagacity of my colleagues."

The paper was motivated by this desire to document the working lives of union nurses, as well as to understand the connections between feminism and labor activism in the nursing field. Lingel and Branciforte reached out to co-author Rosemary Clark-Parsons, Program Manager at the Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS) and part-time faculty at Penn's School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2), to help analyze the data.

Impact of second-wave feminism

The researchers specifically interviewed nurses at the end of their careers, which allowed them to analyze participants' experiences in relation to feminist politics. The second-wave movement, which began in the 1960s, emphasized gender equity in the workplace and urged women to leave traditionally "feminine" professionsfor instance, encouraging women to become doctors instead of nurses. These discourses undervalued the work of women in feminized career paths, making them feel belittled.

"The nurses we interviewed came to the profession in the 1970s and '80s, at a time when feminism was pushing women into fields that were historically dominated by men," Lingel says. "Many of our participants felt disconnected from feminism, which saw nursing as conventionally feminized."

"Reading participants' stories about organizing labor strikes, building lifelong friendships through union work, and cultivating the courage to push for policy reforms was really moving," adds Clark-Parsons. "The nurses Jessa and Kim spoke to risked their jobs and fought for a voice in male-dominated labor movements. These are veteran activists and organizers, pushing against a profession that undervalues them and a movement history that has largely sidelined them. So it was really striking when, either implicitly or explicitly, participants expressed a discomfort or disconnection with feminist politics."

The authors initially expected participants to connect their nursing work to feminism, but the interviews revealed lingering tensions. In fact, participants were nearly unanimous in seeing their work as categorically not feminist. Conversations with faculty from Penn's School of Nursing, including Julie Fairman, Cynthia Connolly, and Pat D'Antonio, helped the authors contextualize what they were seeing in the data.

"The scholarship shared by colleagues at Penn Nursing helped me see that our participants were still feeling the echoes of a second-wave feminist movement that saw nursing as playing into conventional gender roles," Lingel says. "As a feminist scholar, I saw this as a really important reminder that political theories can have long standing consequences."

Union work and building alliances

In contrast, participants shared that local unions provided a sense of empowerment and opportunities for health justice advocacy in their workplace and communities. Traditional views of "feminized" occupations such as nursing emphasize self-sacrifice and humility, suggesting that women are innately compassionate and sympathetic, and therefore suited for this workrather than centering professional skills and knowledge. Union work goes against such gendered expectations through demanding improved working conditions, professional respect, and increased autonomy. Activism within the CNA empowered the nurses to take action in their professional lives, defying gendered assumptions.

"Participants felt that union work was more connected to feminism, in that the union was led by women and gave them a space for collective power and consciousness raising," Lingel says. "My favorite parts of our interviews were around the sense of solidarity that the women built with each other around union worktheir collective struggles to fight for their patients' needs, for their families, and for each other as workers. I was very moved by their accounts of how powerful union work can be."

Understanding the connections and tensions between feminism and union organizing, the authors note, is crucial in building alliances among unions and feminist groups. Feminism can play a major role in labor activism, but it must contend with the lingering effects of second-wave attitudes toward occupations such as nursing. As feminism and the nursing profession both continue to evolve, movements must commit to intersectionality, workers' rights, grassroots organizing, and coalition building.

"I actually believe that the pandemic has given us an opportunity to grow union participation," Branciforte says. "I hope that we as a community and a nation don't let that opportunity pass us by."

Explore further Call to Action emphasizes the importance of nurses in addressing hypertension in the United States

More information: Jessa Lingel et al, More than handmaids: Nursing, labor activism and feminism, Gender, Work & Organization (2022). Jessa Lingel et al, More than handmaids: Nursing, labor activism and feminism,(2022). DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12816
With his colleagues, Fan Xuan Chen, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the U. of I., developed a new tool to determine whether an individual has adopted a vigilante identity, characterized by a desire to monitor other people's behavior and punish those deemed wrongdoers. Credit: Michelle Hassel

A new study finds that some people routinely monitor the behavior of others and are eager to punish those who violate laws or societal norms, especially when they believe authorities have failed to do so. These self-appointed enforcers eagerly embrace the job of keeping order, aren't particularly concerned about accidentally punishing innocent people, and consider themselves kind and moral actors, the researchers found.

Reported in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, the study supports the idea that for some people, vigilantism is a personal identity that spurs them to act in certain circumstances and reinforces their positive self-regard, researchers said.

In a series of studies, the researchers refined their methods for identifying those with a propensity for adopting a vigilante identity.

"We developed a tool, the vigilante identity scale, or VIS, to assess the degree to which people adopt the vigilante identity," said Fan Xuan Chen, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who led the research with management senior lecturer Maja Graso, of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand; and Karl Aquino, a professor of marketing and behavioral science at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. "These are people who see themselves as punishers and monitors of the environment."

The researchers evaluated the effects of the vigilante identity in separate studies in New Zealand, India, the U.S. and in online surveys. The findings included self-reported measures and the observations of close household members (in the New Zealand study) and employers (in India).

Overall, about one in five people strongly endorsed the vigilante identity, reporting an eagerness to closely monitor others in their environment andin the absence of official action to correct violationspunish those they deemed offenders.

People in their households or employers verified that these individuals engaged in these behaviors and held these attitudes. "This suggests that the vigilante identity is a recognized presence. In other words, we know vigilantes are around us," Chen said.

Punishments might involve shaming or slandering a person on social media or verbally sanctioning co-workers at work without first notifying an employer or supervisor, the researchers said. A vigilante also might engage in physical acts such as vandalizing a car parked in a handicapped zone without a permit.

"Punishing without having formal authority is an important criterion for determining whether a person is a vigilante," the researchers wrote.

The scientists also assessed whether self-identified vigilantes were more likely to possess specific personality traits. They found that those who more strongly endorsed a vigilante identity also tended to be higher in extraversion, were more likely to enjoy engaging in complex cognitive tasks and thought of themselves as kind and moral individuals. They also wanted to be publicly noticed and appreciated for the moral rightness of their vigilantism.

"Interestingly, we found no correlation between the vigilante identity and gender, or between vigilantism and political identity," Chen said. The vigilantes also had few qualms about potentially punishing innocent people.

"Their responses suggest that they don't mind punishing the innocent to deter future wrongdoers and are willing to disregard due process," Chen said.

The VIS cannot determine whether someone is likely to engage in mild, aggressive or violent forms of vigilantism, the researchers said. But if a person scores high on the VIS, and other measures reveal that they have impulsive or violent tendencies, that could serve as a warning of a proclivity for harmful behavior toward others.

The new tool might be useful for screening applicants hoping to serve in settings such as police departments or the military, or for evaluating potential jurors, Chen said. It could also identify who is likely to exceed the limits of their authority in the workplace.

"For example, in a criminal context, in law or the legal system, this kind of vigilante is probably an unhealthy presence," he said. "Having that kind of identity in a disciplinary setting could be dangerous and problematic, both for the individual and for others."

Other researchers who contributed to the paper include Lily Lin, of Simon Fraser University; Joey Cheng, of York University; Katherine DeCelles, of the University of Toronto; and Ahbijeet Vadera, of Singapore Management University.

Explore further Vigilante violence: When people take the law into their own hands

More information: Fan Xuan Chen et al, The vigilante identity and organizations, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (2022). Journal information: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes Fan Xuan Chen et al, The vigilante identity and organizations,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2022.104136
When a cytokine (green) binds to receptors (teal), two parts of the Janus kinase protein (pink) come together, activating it to send signals inside a cell. In some cancers, mutations in the kinase lock it together, keeping it abnormally active. Credit: Eric Smith/Chris Garcia/Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The breakthrough came on molecular biologist Christopher Garcia's birthday.

For more than 20 years, his team and others around the world had been chasing an elusive quarrythe 3D structure of a crucial signaling protein in cells. In late 2021, his electron microscope images of the molecule started to come into focus. On December 8, postdoc Naotaka Tsutsumi and graduate student Caleb Glassman sent him an email with a startlingly clear picture of the protein latched on to a key receptor. "I was sitting in a meeting, and I realized we had it," recalls Garcia, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at Stanford University. "I immediately left the meeting and ran back to the lab."

Glassman, who had just moved to Boston for a Harvard postdoc, canceled his planned backcountry trip, and rushed back to Stanford. "I wanted to finish what Naotaka and I had started," he explains. Then the three researchers worked around the clock to nail the complete structure of the protein, known as a Janus kinase, and beat competing labs to the discovery. "It was a big horse race between many great groups worldwide, and we were sprinting towards the finish line," Garcia says. On December 26, they rushed a manuscript to the journal Science, which published the work on March 10, 2022.

Garcia's team has nabbed not just the full structure of a vitally important signaling molecule, but also the mechanism for how these kinases work, which had been "a fundamental question in biology," says John O'Shea, an immunologist at the National Institutes of Health who helped to develop one of the first drugs to block Janus kinase function and was not involved with the new research. Because the proteins can go awry in disease, the results could lead to new and better drugs against certain cancers. "It's amazing work," O'Shea says.

Chipping away

Janus kinases take signals that come from outside cells and pass the info along to molecules inside. Scientists have known for years that malfunctioning Janus kinases can cause disease. Some mutations that impair Janus kinases can severely curtail the body's ability to fight off infection, causing a condition virtually identical to "bubble boy disease." And when genetic glitches and exaggerated signals rev up the kinases too much, the result can be blood cancers like leukemia, and allergic or autoimmune diseases.

Researchers knew the shape of parts of the proteins, including related enzyme and regulatory regions at the end of the molecule, which earned them the name Janus kinases, after the two-faced mythological Roman god. And sophisticated drug screens have unearthed molecules that inhibit these proteins, giving doctors a way to treat some cancers and disorders like rheumatoid arthritis. But scientists developed the drugs without knowing the molecules' full structure or how they become activated. So most of the current arsenal of nearly a dozen drugs, plus more in clinical trials, are relatively blunt instruments, blocking both healthy and mutated Janus kinases. They can still treat many diseases, from eczema to COVID-19, but also can cause a range of side effects.

Garcia wanted a more detailed view of the proteins but, as he learned when he first tried to image the molecules as a postdoc in 1995, it was a daunting challenge. The kinases are notoriously difficult to make in the lab. And they don't easily form crystals, which scientists need to capture 3D structures using X-ray crystallography. So, for many years, Garcia and others could only view bits of the kinases at a time. "We kept chipping away without much to show for it," he says.

In the last few years, the pieces began to fall into place. One key advance was a method called cryo-EM, where scientists freeze samples and then view them using an electron microscope. Another was the choice by Garcia's team to study a mouse Janus kinase rather than a less stable human one. They also introduced a common cancer-causing mutation into the mouse kinase, which stabilized the molecule even further.

Lighting a fire

Garcia's team's work reveals the structure of a Janus kinase called JAK1 and outlines the steps it uses to sends signals within cells.

First, receptor proteins stud cell membranes, poking from the inner and outer surfaces of the cell like a toothpick through a sandwich. Then, a single Janus kinase inside the cell attaches to the receptors, waiting for a signal. Next, molecules called cytokines approach the cell's exterior, each binding to two receptors. The cytokines act like a bridge that pulls the two receptors even closer, Garcia explains. That brings the active ends of the Janus kinase together, switching them on. Like a match lighting a fire, the kinase relays a signal that tells genes to turn on or off.

The structure also reveals how the cancer-causing mutation short-circuits this messaging chainby gluing two parts of the Janus kinase together. That causes the two active regions to stay switched on even when there are no outside cytokines, sparking uncontrolled activity that can trigger cancers.

Garcia hopes the new results could help scientists design better drugs that target only defective Janus kinases, allowing healthy versions to keep performing their normal duties. The work, he says, is an example of an "ideal situation in science, where solving a basic problem also has direct relevance for disease."

Explore further Scientists propose a new strategy to regulate the cell communication network

More information: Caleb R. Glassman et al, Structure of a Janus Kinase cytokine receptor complex reveals the basis for dimeric activation, Science (2022). www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn8933 Journal information: Science Caleb R. Glassman et al, Structure of a Janus Kinase cytokine receptor complex reveals the basis for dimeric activation,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn8933
The Glens Falls man who admitted illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced on Wednesday to 90 days in jail.

James Bonet had pleaded guilty on Oct. 7 in U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia to the single count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds. He was among a group of supporters of former President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of the Electoral College votes for incoming President Joe Biden.

Bonet posted videos of himself in the Capitol to his Facebook page saying were taking it back and a photo of him smoking a marijuana cigarette.

Bonets attorney had requested probation. Prosecutors sought a sentence of 45 days in jail because they were concerned with a television interview that Bonet had given on the one-year anniversary of the riot in which he said the protest was peaceful. He also said he did not break in because he was let in by police and he followed the people inside because he wanted to know the truth, according to court documents.

Judge Emmet Sullivan told Bonet, who appeared via videoconference, that he thought the interview was very troubling.

He still portrays what he did as a peaceful protest, which couldnt be further from the truth, Sullivan said.

Sullivans decision on sentencing came after over an hour of arguments from both sides.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Loeb said the TV interview caused prosecutors to rethink their initial sentencing recommendation.

Mr. Bonets comments on TV do show a lack of remorse and they do make us question: if he cant understand what happened on Jan. 6, how can we have confidence that he wont do it again? she said.

Loeb said Bonet offered excuses for his conduct in that interview, and he cannot make the claim that he was bamboozled and motivated by the claims of a stolen election.

Individual accountability still matters. It cannot be that any action is justified because you sincerely believe youre right, she said.

At Trumps Stop the Steal rally, Loeb should have taken note of people dressed in military gear as if they were headed into combat.

That should be a sign that makes you question your beliefs, she said.

The Capitol had already been breached when Bonet had arrived. Loeb said he should also have noticed a woman  likely Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a police officer  being taken out on a stretcher.

Loeb said Bonet knew what he was walking into. He knew he did not have permission to be there.

Shows a certain callousness

Once inside, Bonet made his way to an office of Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, of Oregon, where he stayed for about 4 minutes. There, he smoked a marijuana cigarette and posted videos to social media that he was at the Capitol Building, smoking with all my people, according to court documents.

Loeb said prosecutors determined that Bonets actions were not just some guy goofing off.

We discussed how it shows a certain callousness to smoke a joint and film yourself while members of Congress and their staff have evacuated themselves and are hiding, she said.

She said that Bonet hurled expletives at cops, which is not the actions of someone who believes they are on some kind of truth-seeking investigation.

After Loebs initial statements, Sullivan made some lengthy comments, quoting remarks from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, former President George W. Bush and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, who all criticized the riot as a dark day for the country.

Sullivan concluded with asking what the prosecutors would say to criticism from other courts and the public that Bonet was being given a sweetheart deal.

Loeb said the plea to the one count does take into account all the circumstances of the day, as well as Bonets criminal history, which includes a marijuana conviction.

Swayed by Trump

The sentencing memorandum also gives a more detailed description of what led up to Bonet going down to Washington and his actions that day.

After the 2020 presidential election, Bonet began to talk with co-workers at Five Guys restaurant about his view that the election had been stolen. He also espoused other conspiracy theories at work including that the government was trying to hide a species of alien lizard people who live underground. And he posted a theory that COVID-19 was a hoax on social media.

He had recently lost weight and he began to question information he had previously learned from government and media sources. After listening to an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in the fall of 2020 about nutrition and the presidential election, he began following politics more closely. He also sought out other sources and reposted information about election fraud conspiracies.

In her response, Federal Public Defender Lisa Peebles went on at length that Bonet went down to Washington to see what Trump had to say about a stolen election.

One of the things that my client heard was we have to fight like hell. If you dont fight like hell, were not going to have a country anymore, she said.

Sullivan interrupted at one point, saying: He was motivated by the nonsensical talk of our former president?

Peebles said Trump was inciting people to do this.

Sullivan said that was not a defense. The devil made me do it, so I did it?

This was illegal conduct by people who have been described by others as terrorists. They assaulted American democracy, he said.

Peebles said Bonet is trying to get his life back on track. He gave up smoking marijuana, got off social media and is attending community college classes. She said he hopes to transfer to a four-year school and study political science with the goal of becoming a lawyer.

Peebles said she was not contacted by the media to get permission for the TV interview and would not have recommended it.

Bonet responds

Bonet, who appeared via videoconference, said he regretted his actions on Jan. 6 and theyre not in his character. He said he did not set a good example for his nieces and nephews.

Its made me take a look at my life up to this point, he said.

He admitted the interview was a mistake and said the media blindsided his father with request for an interview.

He said his actions were a mistake.

Im working hard every day. Its not easy. I am working hard to change, he said.

Sullivan also imposed one year of supervised probation, 200 hours of community service and $500 in restitution.

Sullivan wished Bonet well and said he does not consider him a horrible person.

You just made horrible errors in judgment that have resulted in this conclusion. Hopefully, this is the last experience you will have in your lifetime with the criminal justice system, Sullivan said.

Michael Goot is night and weekend editor of The Post-Star. Reach him at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com.

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Officials escort "Serial" podcast subject Adnan Syed from the courthouse following the completion of the first day of hearings for a retrial. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

Evidence in the murder case against Adnan Syed could get a new look with the support of Baltimore prosecutors, marking the latest development in a two-decade legal saga that gripped the nation after it was highlighted in the hit podcast Serial.

Baltimore prosecutors signed onto a motion with Syeds attorney Thursday, asking a judge to order the Baltimore City Police Lab to retest certain items collected as evidence in the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, using the latest DNA technology. Lee was strangled to death and discovered in a clandestine grave in Leakin Park.

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Syeds attorney and Baltimore prosecutors agreed Lees clothing and shoes, as well as hairs recovered around her body and other pieces of evidence not specified, should be tested with DNA technology that was not available for Syeds trials  DNA analysis thats now regularly used by law enforcement to identify or exclude suspects, according to their motion.

Authorities have maintained that Lee struggled with Syed, her ex-boyfriend, in a car before she was killed. Syeds attorney argued in the latest motion that strangling someone to death, and dumping their remains, requires the killer to be in close proximity to the victim. The motion requests testing the evidentiary items for the presence of DNA.

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Syeds attorney, Erica J. Suter, director of the University of Baltimore Innocence Project Clinic, wrote that the absence of her clients DNA on items not yet tested  certain clothing, the shoes and hair  would amount to evidence of his innocence and could persuade a judge or jury he was.

Now 41, Syed has maintained his innocence for more than 20 years. Currently incarcerated at the Patuxent Institution in Jessup, Syed was sentenced in 2000 to life in prison plus 40 years. That penalty was handed down after his second trial on charges stemming from Lees killing.

His case rocketed to national and international prominence when it was examined in the Serial podcast beginning in 2014. An HBO series brought more attention to his case.

Syed has appealed his conviction repeatedly, with the states highest court in 2019 restoring his conviction, which the intermediate appellate court had overturned. The Maryland Court of Appeals found that deficient legal representation at trial hadnt prejudiced him.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General in 2018 oversaw a DNA analysis of various evidence in Syeds case, including fingernail clippings, blood samples and a condom. None tested positive of Syed, and the findings were received to different effects: Syeds lawyer at the time said it proved his client wasnt responsible for the death, while state prosecutors contested that it hardly exonerated him.

The joint request from Suter and city prosecutors asks for different items to be examined for whats known as touch DNA.

That refers to the analysis of trace DNA left behind when someone touches something, like skin cells or bodily fluids, which are more rich with DNA, said Maneka Sinha, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

The motion also asks items to undergo a more generic test to determine whether a profile can be identified and tests that seek to identify the profiles of people born as men, said Sinha, adding that each has the potential for exculpatory value.

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In the spring of 2021, Suter reached out to prosecutors about Syeds case, she said in a statement.

The idea for retesting DNA came up as Suter worked with the city prosecutors Sentencing Review Unit following Marylands passing the Juvenile Restoration Act, which enables those convicted of crimes before they turn 18 to petition the court for a sentence modification, States Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement.

In the process of reviewing this case for a possible resentencing, it became clear that additional forensic testing  which was not available at the time of the original investigation and trial in this case  would be an appropriate avenue to pursue, said Mosby, who declined to comment further.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

Becky Feldman, the prosecutor in charge of the Baltimore States Attorneys Office Sentencing Review Unit, wrote in her portion of the motion calling for more DNA testing that the new tests would assist greatly in evaluating [Syeds] post-trial claims.

Suters statement described her clients more than 20-year legal battle and credited prosecutors for supporting further DNA testing after several months.

We are eager to finally have access to the forensic tools to establish Mr. Syeds innocence, Suter said.

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Colin Starger, law professor and associate dean at the University of Baltimore, said its significant that prosecutors signed on to the motion.

That tends to support that both sides involved in this litigation understand that this could provide a factual basis that could be very strong, Starger said.

However, if the tests turn up no DNA at all, it would be hard for the defense to make a case, he said.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, Starger said. I would imagine if it comes back with nothing at all then it means nothing; it doesnt change the picture.
A Warren County resident has died from COVID-19, Warren County Health Services reported on Wednesday. The deceased was 70 years old, unvaccinated and was living at home before they became gravely ill. The individual died at the hospital.

In a news release, Warren County Health Services and the Board of Supervisors offered their condolences to the loved ones of the resident.

There have been 121 COVID deaths in the county since April 2020, according to county data.

Health Services has also reported an additional 16 COVID cases. There are currently 10 county residents who are hospitalized, six of who are vaccinated.

The county reported that there is one resident who is critically ill. There have been 68 COVID cases over the last five days. The seven-day rolling positivity rate is 3.6%. Glens Falls Hospital reported a total of 13 COVID patients in-house on Wednesday, with one patient in the ICU, according Ray Agnew, spokesman for the hospital.

Washington County

Washington County has not updated its COVID data since Friday of last week. As of Wednesday, state data showed that there were three new COVID cases out of 107 administered tests in the county. The seven-day rolling positivity rate for the county is 3.0%.

County residents who are looking for at-home COVID test kits should call their town hall to find out where their closest pickup location is.

Saratoga County

According to the Saratoga County Department of Public Health Services, there have been 238 new COVID cases reported in the last seven days.

There are currently 118 active COVID cases. There are 16 residents who are hospitalized.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate for the county is 3.6%.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the COVID-19 community level of infection is designated as being low.

The town of Hadley has had 407 confirmed COVID cases; Moreau, 2,936; Corinth, 602; and South Glens Falls, 850.

According to county data, the percentage of fully vaccinated county residents with the booster shot is 57.3%.

Capital Region/statewide

There were 103 COVID patients in Capital Region hospitals as of Wednesday, one more than Tuesdays report.

During December and January, Capital Region hospitals had a surge of COVID patients during the omicron wave, with a little over 400 patients throughout the region. That number has been on a steady decline leading into March, but has now stalled around the 100 mark.

Drew Wardle is a reporter for The Post-Star. You can contact him at 518-681-7343 or email him at dwardle@poststar.com.

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Dunkin and its greater Philadelphia-area franchisees announced the launch of its 13th annual Dunkin Philadelphia Regional Scholarship Program, which will award $100,000 in scholarships to area high school and college students. With the programs return, Dunkin franchisees are celebrating by increasing the individual scholarship awards from $2,000 to $5,000 per student to help ease the financial burden of college.

In collaboration with Scholarship America, Dunkin will award a $5,000 academic scholarship to 20 students throughout the greater Philadelphia region to attend an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school of their choice this fall. Dunkins Philadelphia Regional Scholarship Program will be open to current part-time and full-time undergraduate students and high school seniors. Recipients will be selected based on their academic record, demonstrated leadership skills, and overall commitment to their school and local community.

Since its creation in 2009, the Dunkin Philadelphia Regional Scholarship Program has awarded $500,000 in scholarships to 300 outstanding part-time and full-time undergraduate students and high school seniors.

Applications will be accepted through April 15. Applicants must be high school seniors or current undergraduate students who plan to enroll in a part-time or full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school in Fall 2022. Applicants must reside and/or be currently enrolled in college in southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, or Kent and New Castle counties in Delaware to be considered. For more information or to apply, visit https://learnmore. scholarsapply.org/ dunkinphilly/.
MARGATE  Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties has been awarded a $150,000 grant from The Jewish Federations of North Americas (JFNA) Center for Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. These funds will enable JFS to provide new programming for older adults.

JFS will use the funding to hire a full-time therapist to provide individual and group therapies to older adults impacted by trauma. The individual therapy will be offered in-home, in the office, or remotely based on the needs and preferences of the client. Group therapy will be offered remotely at the start of the project and will move to in-person or a hybrid as safe practices allows. Additional funds were awarded to provide case management services to support the clients being served in this counseling program, so that older adults impacted by trauma can be connected to additional resources in the community as well. The older adults served will include, but not be limited to, Holocaust survivors.

At JFS, we are grateful for the generous grant provided by The Jewish Federations of North America. Our agency assists more than 200 older adults, including 25 Holocaust Survivors, residing in Atlantic County. It is JFS responsibility, honor and pleasure to take care of them to assure they are enjoying comfortable lives as they continue to age with grace and dignity, said Andrea Steinberg, JFS Chief Executive Officer.

The pandemic has shown what a difference we can make when we come together, especially for those older adults at highest risk of COVID-19, said Mark Wilf, Chair of the JFNA Board of Trustees. Holocaust survivors are our teachers and our heroes, and we are committed to empowering them to live with comfort in their communities. The Federation system is humbled and proud to help thousands of Holocaust survivors, as well as other older trauma survivors and their families during their time of need.

Since inception, the national program has supported approximately 30,000 Holocaust survivors, 15,000 professional caregivers, 5,000 family caregivers, and 2,000 other older adults with a history of trauma. The numbers served include a small amount of duplication as participants received services through multiple organizations and grants. Local organizations have provided specialized care across 21 states and 54 cities.

Jewish Federations work in close collaboration with the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies and other local and national service providers to implement the grant program. More than 60 experts in aging and trauma volunteer their talents to help JFNA implement the program, train grantees, and build capacity to employ the person-centered, trauma-informed approach.

Person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) care is an innovative approach, spearheaded by JFNA, that promotes trust, dignity, strength, and empowerment of all individuals by incorporating knowledge about trauma into agency programs, policies, and procedures. Some estimates suggest that up to 90% of older adults in the United States have experienced a traumatic event during their lifetime, which can affect them as they age. The challenges have become even more acute with social distancing and threats posed by COVID-19.

*This program is made possible by federal funds from a grant through The JFNA Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Approximately 75% of the project, or $150,000, comes from federal sources. Approximately 25% or $50,000 comes from non-federal sources.
The next JBC Travel Community trip to Israel will take place Dec. 22 to Jan. 1, 2023. The nine-night trip will include highlights in Tel Aviv, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea region and Jerusalem against the backdrop of three major holidays, Chanukah, Christmas and New Years Eve.

This JBC Tour is a life-changing experience with something for everyone, no matter if youve been to Israel several times, or never before. The early bird cost of $4,899 per person includes round trip airfare from Newark to Tel Aviv, nine nights of premier accommodations (two in Tel Aviv, two at the Sea of Galilee and five in Jerusalem), 17 meals, extensive daily tours in Israel, plus informational gatherings before departure (both in person and via Zoom). The early bird cost is based on double occupancy, a single supplement is available as well as optional trip insurance.

Itinerary highlights include wine tasting in the Golan Heights, a boat cruise around the Sea of Galilee, a float in the Dead Sea, ascending Masada via cable car and a full in-depth tour of Old City Jerusalem. The tour will visit the historical sites of Caesarea, Via Dolorosa, Capernaum, Beit Shean, the Western Wall and more.

This trip is a unique opportunity to experience the 2022 holidays with Chanukah in Tel Aviv, Christmas in Nazareth, and as a finale, New Years Eve celebrations in Jerusalem. Call JBC Director Josh Cutler at 609-464-1670 or email TravelwithJBC@aol.com for a full itinerary and more information. Spaces are limited.
There was a time in South Jersey when Quakerism was the dominant religion. In the late 17th century, the Religious Society of Friends settled in New Jersey first, before the more famous settlement in Pennsylvania.

The pictured meeting house was built in Woodstown, Salem County in 1828. In 1969, the Noyes brought it to Smithville to join their village of rescued historic buildings. Then, in 1987, the Atlantic City Area Friends Meeting moved it to its current location behind their meeting house on Pitney Road. There it has been stabilized and lovingly restored and used occasionally for meetings and weddings.

The Galloway Historical Society will be one of many participants at the 15th annual Lines on the Pines event, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 13 in the Stockton University Campus Center. There will be lots of kid-oriented presentations and activities, as well as all the other art, literature, crafts, demonstrations, beer, history and more.
SEA ISLE CITY  Mayor Len Desiderio and his family will host the 2022 Saint Patricks Day Parade on Saturday, March 12, starting at 3:30 p.m. The annual Irish Strut will begin at 83rd Street and East Landis Avenue, and then continue north on Landis Avenue to 63rd Street, where it will end.

The parade will feature music, representatives from local civic groups (including VFW Post 1963 and Boy Scout Troop 76), and many revelers wearing eye-catching attire. Spectators lining the parade route will also enjoy Sea Isles 2022 Irish-American Man and Woman of the Year, the 2022 Irish Prince and Princess, McGruff the Crime Dog, and Miss New Jersey contestant Rachell Diaz, of Middle Township.

Those who would like to appear in Sea Isle Citys Saint Patricks Day Parade can call 609-263-6341 or 609-486-6035 for more information.

To learn about other events taking place in Sea Isle City, visit VISITSICNJ.com.
WILDWOOD  Two small children are temporarily in the custody of the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, and their grandparents face charges of endangering the welfare of a child.

According to Wildwood police and the Cape May County Prosecutors office, the children, ages 2 and 8, were found in living conditions that were below an acceptable standard.

The children had already been relocated from the parents home because of a child endangerment investigation by State Police, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said in a news release. He described their situation as heartbreaking.

According to information released by police Wednesday, the childrens physical conditions were deplorable and unacceptable.

The children were eventually transported to Cape Regional Medical Center, for evaluation by medical personnel, Wildwood police said.

Wildwood man charged in domestic assault WILDWOOD  A city man was arrested after police responded to a domestic dispute Sunday evening.

Phyllis and Luvone Jantti, both of Wildwood Crest and identified as the childrens grandparents, were each charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. They were released on summonses pending court.

Police said the investigation continues, and more charges are possible. The Division of Child Protection and Permanency will also conduct an inquiry.

Wildwood police responded to an address on Lake Road in a multiunit property at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday in connection to a child endangerment investigation, authorities said. Once at the scene, the officers found out State Police were already investigating child endangerment.

According to Sutherland, the State Police Port Norris Barracks had begun an investigation of the childrens parents in Dorchester, a tiny community that is part of Maurice River Township in Cumberland County. He said the young children were placed with their grandparents while that investigation continued.

Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.co Twitter @jerseynews_bill

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LINWOOD  When Luca DAmato Cocchis mentor, Mainland Regional High School teacher Josephine Carney, died, he wanted to assure her efforts to help local veterans would not disappear.

Cocchi, 17, started a drive for the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland to honor his teacher. He completed his second drive Feb. 28, producing about 12 boxes of donations for the facility in a month.

This year, with the communitys help, Cocchi said he collected loads of items to donate to the home, including crayons, which he said were sought after as staff look to provide in-room activities due to the most recent COVID-19 surge. Clothes were also included in the round of donations.

Cocchi said his determination to help local vets comes from Carney.

Carney oversaw the high schools Support Our Troops Club, which let students collaborate on projects to help local veterans.

She was a very uplifting person, said Cocchi, a junior at Mainland. She always seemed to be a progressively forward-thinking person. She was just really sweet and kind and always seemed to have good intentions.

Carney never taught Cocchi, the teen said, but theyd often meet during lunch hours with other students to work on projects.

Cocchi and his clubmates would often pack bags and boxes with items for the vets, sometimes writing them support cards.

Outside the club, the teen also runs track for Mainland and is a member of the schools Student Council, Key Club and National Honor Society.

Cocchi remembers Carney most for being caring toward him and his classmates. When she died, it left a big hole in the club, eventually leading to it folding.

Carney died Dec. 11, 2020, according to her obituary. She returned to Mainland to teach after graduating from the school in 1974.

Carney facilitated veterans work outside of school, Cocchi said, often holding a community breakfast for them as well as donation drives.

Rotondi the latest to submit council petitions in Ocean City OCEAN CITY  Second Ward Councilman Tom Rotondi is the latest to submit petitions for a spot

Through social media, with help from his mother, Ava Cocchi, the teen began publishing messages online seeking donations. They poured in and were taken to the veterans home.

We called over to the veterans, and they needed sweatpants and they needed new socks, said Ava Cocchi. We put it out to the community, and within a month, we had like 300 new pairs of sweatpants. I cant even tell you how many new socks and gift cards.

Luca made the call again this year, and they needed much of the same, but especially crayons.

I think we had 12 big boxes of different items like that, Ava Cocchi said. We also raised $3,000 towards anything they need in the facility.

Luca Cocchi doesnt plan to let his donation drive fizzle out. He said hes planning to begin a social media campaign for more donations next year.

The teen said hes considering going to college after high school, possibly looking for a business-related career afterward.

Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin

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Carroll County remains at a low COVID-19 community level, according to data from the Maryland Department of Health, with a positivity rate of 4.32% as of Tuesday. No deaths related to COVID-19 were reported this week in Carroll County.

COVID-19 Community Levels are a new tool by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.

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Low community level means people living in Carroll County should stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms, according to the CDC.

The overall COVID-19 case count in Carroll County is now at 21,138, according to the states data.

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Carroll County Public Schools reported Wednesday 65 positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff this week, the lowest number of cases reported in schools since mid-October. This number included one staff member and 64 students.

The school system also reported 30 people in quarantine this week, the lowest number of people in quarantine during this school year, according to the dashboard.

Quarantine data reflects the number of individuals required to quarantine because they are a close contact to a positive COVID-19 case. The quarantine data does not reflect individuals in quarantine because they are COVID-positive.

This is the eighth consecutive week that overall case numbers have declined, after peaking at 1,313 cases reported for the week ending Jan. 12.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

This week, Carrolltowne had the most positive cases among elementary schools with five, while four elementary schools reported four cases each: Hampstead, Manchester, Westminster and Winfield.

Among middle schools, the highest number of cases was at East, which reported nine.

Manchester Valley had the most positive cases among high schools with four.

The Carroll County Health Department offers COVID testing at 290 S. Center St., Westminster. For updated information, visit cchd.maryland.gov/covidtesting or call 410-876-4848.

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The health department also hosts vaccination clinics at Carroll Community College for residents age 5 and older. Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccinations for COVID-19 are available. Walk-in vaccinations are available. Registration is at https://cchd.maryland.gov/registration-links/.

In partnership with the health department, the Carroll County Public Library system has been distributing free COVID-19 home-test kits at branches and its headquarters. Those interested should check the library website at https://library.carr.org or call 410-386-4488 for current distribution details.

Test kits also may be requested through the federal government online at covidtests.gov. One set of four tests is available per mailing address. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19 with an at-home test kit, the Maryland Department of Health is asking for results to be submitted to covidlink.maryland.gov/selfreport.
Parts of South Jersey entered drought stage this week for the first time in three years.

The United States Drought Monitor put most towns south of Route 30 into moderate drought, classified as D1. This is an increase from a pre-drought stage known as abnormally dry conditions, or D0, which has been in effect since mid-December.

This drought is considered to be short term but can still impact crops. Growing season arrives in the coming weeks. South Jersey joins nearly 60% of the United States in drought this week. Drought began along the coastal southeastern U.S. over the winter. Farther west, parts of Texas and Oklahoma are in D3, an extreme drought.

Rankings go from D0 to D4, with D4 the most severe.

It affects fishermen. ... Our lakes are noticeably low. Wednesdays rain helped a little. Some types of fish are not in their normal locations. Geese lay their eggs beside the water, and when we get rain they are often underwater. We could use a week of rain, said Frank Ruczynski, of Bridgeton.

This is the first time the state has seen moderate drought since Oct. 22, 2019, which included parts of Cumberland County at the time.

New Jersey State Climatologist Dave Robinson said the call for moderate drought stage was based primarily on low amounts of ground water and weak water discharges from streams, rather than a lack of precipitation.

The Coastal South region of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protections drought monitoring, which includes all of Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic counties, as well as Ocean County south of Toms River, has been classified as extremely dry for the amount of water running through the streams for the past five weeks.

Groundwater has been severely dry for the past two weeks.

On Thursday, the streamflow of the Menantico Creek near Millville was between 25 and 30 cubic feet per second. The long-term average is around 45.

At Cedar Creek near Lanoka Harbor, the streamflow was between 65 and 70 cubic feet per second Thursday, well below the 120 average.

Despite the Coastal South region being 26% to 50% below average with precipitation over the past 90 days, water supply is still considered normal. It has been so for more than a year.

Places south of the Mullica River and the northwest corner of the state have been in abnormally dry conditions since December.

So far, no water rationing advisories have been made. Between 0.3 and 0.6 inches of rain fell region wide Tuesday, and another half-inch to an inch is likely Saturday as a powerful storm system sweeps through.

The last hard freeze, a low below 28 degrees, is typically April 9 at Atlantic City International Airport. Many farms will begin to plant around that time, which means an increase in water usage.

Exceptional drought, D4, has been reported in parts of Nevada, Oregon and Montana. Long-term drought impacts have been felt there, impacting the ecology and hydrology of the region.

Contact Joe Martucci: 609-272-7247 jmartucci@pressofac.com Twitter @acpressmartucci

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A steady flurry of snow had just started to fall Thursday when Craig West walked up to his fellow members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 388 and Local 1191 standing on the picket line outside Eaton-Cobham Mission Systems.

The horns of passing vehicles blared. Men and women of the union cheered and waved their now-familiar black-and-white signs.

The strike was in Day 21 and West said  despite the union's rejection of the company's second offer on March 4 and news of contract and permanent replacement employees training at the Davenport site  his union was determined to "stay strong."

West was on the line just hours after an Eaton representative confirmed Kevin McKeown, senior vice president and general manager of the Eaton-Cobham site in Davenport, wrote a two-page letter to members of Local 388 and Local 1191.

Dated March 4  the same day 97% of union members rejected Eaton's latest contract offer  McKeown said Eaton and the union "  reached tentative agreements on health insurance, retirement benefits, and flexibility for you. Although the parties again did not reach a tentative agreement on general wage increases, the parties remained close."

McKeown then explained striking workers permanently replaced will not automatically be rehired after the strike and would "  eligible for reinstatement only when a vacancy exists "

McKeown concluded the letter with an explanation of how striking workers could cross the picket line.

Katie Kennedy, Eaton Aerospace senior manager of global communications and marketing, confirmed the details of McKeown's letter.

"Eaton sent a letter to employees represented by the union last week informing them we would begin hiring permanent replacement workers," Kennedy said in an email. "We believe the workforce should have the information necessary to make informed decisions and that we have a responsibility to communicate directly with our employees to keep them updated. We are still in the process of hiring permanent replacements."

West said he thinks every union members knows "  there will be some pressure."

"What we know is we are not replaceable," West said. "You can see it on our picket lines. Our morale is high. We are skilled workers who have trained hard and worked hard. We deserve what we're asking for."

John Herrig, directing business representative for District 6 of the IAMAW, declined to comment. Earlier this week he said the union had "no comment" on Eaton's decision to train contract workers.

Herrig said the union and Eaton had reached an agreement to meet March 15, but "now it appears the company is unwilling to meet face-to-face until March 22."

More than 400 Eaton-Cobham union employees represented by IAMAW Local 388 and Machinist Union Local 1191 hit the picket line just after midnight on Friday, Feb. 18 after more than 98% of the membership voted down a proposed three-year contract from the company.

Eaton, a multinational power management company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, announced June 1 it had completed its purchase of Cobham Mission Systems, described as a leading manufacturer of air-to-air refueling, life-support, fuel inerting, space propulsion and missile actuation systems, primarily for defense markets. Cobham has a workforce of approximately 2,000 people and manufacturing facilities in the United States and United Kingdom.

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Thirteen students attending United Township Area Career Center in East Moline, Illinois have been selected February 2022 Student of the Month. These students are chosen on the basis of classroom tests and performance, as well as attitude, motivation and attendance. These students will be awarded with a certificate indicating their achievement. Students from ten area high schools attend the Area Career Center where they receive a wide variety of training in these programs.
Lisa Dockery was silent Monday morning as her snow shovel scraped the walkway in front of her half of the duplex she rents on West 46th Street.

A 20-year resident of the neighborhood, Dockery considered some of the questions raised in the wake of the Feb. 28 shooting of Corey Martin in GD Xpress, a combination gas station and liquor store on the corner of West 46th and West Pine streets.

"There's a lot of traffic on both streets now," Dockery said as she ducked into her one-car garage to store the shovel and find some shelter from the morning's chilling wind gusts. "The traffic, I think, comes from the cheap gas. But I don't know if there is anything that could have been done to prevent the killing of that kid. Twenty-three? I don't care who you are, you're still a kid at 23. I guess I don't know the answer."

Davenport Alderman Robby Ortiz posed the same question to the city's police chief, Paul Sikorski, at Wednesday night's city council meeting.

"The owner in question here  is there anything, in your opinion, that he could have done to prevent this horrific thing  sad thing  that happened?" Ortiz asked Sikorski.

"No. Not at all," Sikorski replied.

Aldermen voted 8-2, with Ortiz and Ward 1 Alderman Rick Dunn opposed, to table for two council cycles  about a month  a decision on whether to renew the convenience store's liquor license.

The decision to delay a vote on the license, however, does not affect GD Xpress' ability to sell alcohol. And should the council vote to revoke the liquor license, it could be overruled by Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, which regulates liquor licenses and investigates complaints.

Aldermen want more information

In making the motion to table a decision, Ward 8 Alderwoman Judith Lee, who represents the area that includes the gas station and convenience store, said she wanted more information from Davenport police about the fatal shooting.

Lee said she felt it was her "responsibility to take some kind of appropriate action."

"We need to recognize that a homicide occurred there, and support the Davenport Police Department's investigation into that," Lee said.

Ward 2 Alderwoman Maria Dickmann said she supported Lee's motion because of complaints she's received over the years from residents who live across the street from the business.

Ward 1 Alderman Rick Dunn questioned what the council hoped to gain from postponing the vote on the business's liquor license.

"I know we're looking for more information, but I don't believe we're going to get more information," Dunn said. "It was an unfortunate incident, yes.  But I guess by tabling this, what more information are we trying to get here before we make a decision?"

Ward 6 Alderman Ben Jobgen said he would likely vote for the liquor license when it came around, but said he didn't see any problem in seeking more information.

Reached by phone Thursday morning, GD Xpress owner Jasveer Saini expressed sympathy for Martin's family and friends, saying "this tragedy is the last thing we want to see."

Saini said he hoped the members of the city council wouldn't vote to suspend the business' liquor license, adding that he felt GD Xpress was being held to an unfair standard when other businesses or establishments haven't been punished when violence happens on or near their property.

"There was about 20 calls in a year, and we deal with thousands of people every day," Saini said, referring to police calls for service to GD Xpress.

According to Saini neither the person who died nor the alleged shooter was purchasing alcohol.

"So I don't know what this has to do with the liquor license," Saini said.

Sikorski, the Davenport police chief, declined to comment on details of the shooting as Martin's death is still under investigation, including whether anyone involved was purchasing alcohol.

Saini added that GD Xpress has seen fewer customers in the last few weeks since the shooting and discussion by aldermen about delaying renewal of the business's liquor license.

"People are calling, 'Are you still selling liquor?'" Saini said. "People see the news, and they drive somewhere else. Not everyone knows what tables means, and they assume we don't sell alcohol anymore."

Calls for service

Davenport police prepared a report for city council members on calls for service to GD Xpress, which Sikorski said were "not alarmingly more than any other place."

"In looking at these, I haven't seen any trends that are alarming that I can see that are business-related," Sikorski said. "Certainly, when you have violent crime or drug overdoses or things like that at the establishment, it raises concern. It raises concern for all of us."

Sikorski, though, noted business owner Jasveer Saini has cooperated with police in their investigations into crimes committed at, near or surrounding the business.

"They have, when we asked for something, they seemingly drop what they're doing and assist us," Sikorski said, including for the ongoing investigation into Martin's death.

The Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus requested a list of police calls for service over the last 12 months to the address of GD Xpress and five other convenience stores located within about a 2-mile radius of the business.

GD Xpress logged 26 calls for service over the 12-month period from March 7, 2021, to March 7, 2022, including three calls for reported weapons/firearms and one call related to suspected drug activity. Casey's at 1691 W. 53rd St. logged 54 calls for service over the same period, including two weapons/firearms calls. Kwik Star at 1650 W. Kimberly had 106 total calls, including two for weapons and firearms. Four calls were for reported drug activity and five calls were for reported assaults.

Not all calls for service are founded or substantiated.

A more detailed report spanning three years given to aldermen by the Davenport Police Department provided short descriptions for calls to service to GD Xpress.

Among those calls documented by the department:

Police last year found a woman passed out in the bathroom of the business, allegedly because of a drug overdose. Officers were called on a separate occasion for suspected drug activity because a man came out of the bathroom at GD Xpress and passed out

A weapons call in 2021 included a subject who "got mad that another patron took 'his' pump," according to the report. A person last year also called 911 claiming someone flashed a gun at them while they were at the gas station and convenience store. Video footage of the reported incident was inconclusive.

In 2020, a caller reported someone approached them while pumping gas, started a verbal argument and displayed a gun

In 2019, a caller reported 40 to 50 people fighting in the parking lot of the business. A responding officer reported 20 people fighting at the business.

Neighbors say guns, not liquor, a concern

Dockery, who lives on West 46th Street near GD Xpress, said Davenport police have knocked on her door three times in the past few years. All of the investigators' questions related to gun crimes. She weighed the role the sale of liquor at GD Xpress could play in the gun violence.

"Honestly, I don't see how selling liquor over there has much to do with people shooting, people killing each other," Dockery said. "I don't think people sit in the parking lot and get drunk and decide to shoot guns. And I don't think people are meeting up there to shoot at each other. That really doesn't make sense."

Three of Dockery's neighbors agreed with her assessment. They said guns, not liquor, are their concern.

"I feel like I hear gunshots around here fairly regularly," Dockery said. "It's not an everyday thing, but it is noticeable. And guns are on the news every night in Davenport. Guns must be everywhere and kids must have no problem getting them, because there are plenty of shootings all over town.

"It's really kind of funny, standing here talking about taking a liquor license from a business and ignoring the fact one kid shot another kid and it seems like no one asks where he got the gun to do that."

Demetrius Ray Howard Jr. of Davenport is accused of shooting Martin to death after they fought in the gas station, according to Scott County court records.

Howard, 23, is being held without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. A criminal complaint that is part of the court record accuses Howard of chasing Martin as he tried to flee, which was caught on security cameras.

"I didn't hear the shots that night," Dockery said, but witnessed police covering the body. "Then you hear it's a couple of kids and you think about the lives ruined by all this shooting.

"I lost it. I felt sick all that night. The next day I took a candle over there. I guess I was just trying to do something after something so terrible."

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The Easter Bunny was representing the prosecution in several hundred Polk County criminal cases.At least thats what Iowa Courts Online, the court systems official, statewide web-based repository of court records, indicated for most of April.On April 4, the online docket sheets for hundreds of Polk County cases  primarily misdemeanors and drunken-driving cases  were revised to indicate the prosecution of those cases had been transferred from one particular assistant county attorney, Kailey Gray, to another prosecutor in the county attorneys office by the name of Easter Santa Bunny.And thats where the cases remained as of Thursday morning.Bret Lucas, an assistant county attorney, said Thursday the situation stemmed from a recent realignment of cases within the county attorneys office. Gray took over a colleagues cases, and Iowa Courts Online accurately reflects the transfer of those cases. But Grays old cases, he said, were transferred to the Easter Bunny until all of the work on the digital case transfer could be completed.We had contacted the Judicial Branch and they worked with their information technology department to facilitate the mass transfer of cases, Lucas said. Apparently, the Judicial Branch and the IT department decided to put that placeholder in there because, obviously, no one else would have that name.  So they were all aware of that, and it sounds like they must still be in the middle of that transfer process.Stacy Curtis, a supervisor for the criminal division of the Polk County Clerk of Courts Office, said the references to the Easter Bunny should not be visible to the public either through a name search or in the docket sheets for the individual cases. She said the office took extra steps to make sure members of the public didnt see any reference to the Easter Bunny and only clerks, lawyers, judges and others with higher security clearance could see it. It appears that the opposite may have occurred, as the Easter Bunny references could be seen by members of the public who werent even logged into the site.This has been a nightmare for me, Curtis said. We moved everything from Kaylie to the Easter Bunny, and those should have all been cleaned up so you wouldnt be able to see that.Many of the cases that were publicly assigned to the Easter Bunny are open, active cases, but hundreds of others are dormant, though not technically closed because of probationary sentences that have yet to be completed or fines that have yet to be paid.The only practical effect of the Easter Bunny designation is that some defendants may see that information online and not know who to contact at the county attorneys office about their case.After being contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Thursday, court officials were working to erase from the website any mention of the Easter Bunny, and by late afternoon it appeared they had succeeded.Santa bailed out by RudolphThe Easter Bunny cases are not the only criminal matters listed on the court systems official website to have featured nonexistent lawyers or defendants. In what appear to be training exercises for clerical staff, fictitious test cases are sometimes created and then posted to the public website but never removed.For example, a December 1997 case shows Santa Claus being convicted of felony burglary and kidnapping, with a charge of assault on a peace officer dismissed by the court. The court records indicate a sentence of 999 years in prison was imposed.As part of that same test case, the court imposed a no-contact order prohibiting Santa from having any contact with Mickey Mouse. Santas bail  listed as one million bucks in a possible punning reference to Santas reindeer  is stated to have been posted by Rudolph.In 2014, Santa Claus was charged with second-degree robbery in Scott County, according to the Iowa Courts Online site. Although theres no record of a conviction in that case, Claus right to carry a gun was revoked.The court systems website also shows that in 2014, Mickey Mouse filed a small claims case against Donald Duck in Marion County.For more information, visit iowacapitaldispatch.com.
CHILD CARE: Senate Republicans advanced two bills that are designed to address child care access and affordability, although Senate Democrats were not supportive of either proposal.

House File 2198 would allow 16-year-old child care workers to supervise school-age children without additional supervision. While the bill is designed to allow flexibility in child care staffing, opponents said it could be dangerous to allow younger workers to operate without sufficient supervision.

I do not believe this is the answer to our workforce shortage, Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said during a subcommittee hearing on the bill.

The bill previously passed the House on a party-line vote. It is now eligible for consideration by the full Senate human resources committee.

House File 2127 would allow a child care provider to charge families in the states child care assistance program for the difference between the state reimbursement rate and what a provider would typically charge for child care.

Sheila Hansen, of the progressive policy advocacy group Common Good Iowa, said many families in the states child care assistance program are among its lowest-income families.

The proposal previously passed the House with Republicans supporting and Democrats opposing. It, too, is now eligible for consideration in the full Senate human resources committee.

GARBAGE SEARCH: A Senate-approved bill that would legalize law enforcement searches of a suspects garbage faced pushback Wednesday from Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee.

Senate File 2296 stems from a Clear Lake case in which a defendant successfully appealed a conviction and sentence for drug possession charges because the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence obtained from a warrantless search of his garbage containers set out for trash collection.

House Judiciary Chairman Steve Holt, R-Denison, said the decision upended the status quo that has long held there is no expectation of privacy for garbage placed outside. Thousands of cases have been solved through the use of forensic evidence found in a defendants garbage, he said.

However, Rep. Mary Wolfe, D-Clinton, told the committee the state Supreme Court is the final arbiter of private liberty interests in the Iowa Constitution. If lawmakers want to change that privacy standard, they should amend the Constitution rather than attempt to do it through legislation.

The decision in the Clear Lake case, written by a justice appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, was a correct interpretation of the separation of powers, Wolfe said. Just as Justice Christopher McDonald said it would be inappropriate to legislate from the bench, it would be wrong to attempt to overturn a Supreme Court decision through legislation, she said.

The committee, on a 12-7 vote, moved the bill ahead to the full House for debate.

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE: Legislation that potentially could save the state Department of Human Services millions of dollars will advance to the full House Appropriations Committee despite concerns it could lead to the cancellation of benefits for thousands of recipients of Medicaid, childrens health insurance and food assistance.

Many of the same concerns raised when House File 2438 was approved by the Human Resources Committee were repeated to an Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday.

The bill would update DHSs information technology to make sure the people who need (assistance) are getting it, our error rate is down and our fraud rate is down  while being responsible with taxpayer dollars, said Rep. Anne Meyer, R-Fort Dodge.

The bill requires that someone applying for public assistance complete a computerized identity authentication process. The questionnaire is to contain questions tailored to assist persons without a bank account or those who have poor access to financial and banking services or who do not have an established credit history.

Lobbyists warned that discrepancies could cause many recipients to lose benefits, if only temporarily.

In a fiscal note, the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimated that implementing the technology upgrade would cost DHS $14.2 million in the first two years. The verification changes would decrease state costs $13.1 million annually.

The agency estimated the verification process could mean around 7,400 Iowans would lose Medicaid coverage, with smaller losses in other assistance programs.

The savings look good, but Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale, said when people lose their benefits they tend to get sicker and spend more time in hospitals, which increases costs.

There are people who game the system,  but this will create more problems than it solves, Forbes said.

Rep. Joel Fry, R-Osceola, who said he has not supported previous public assistance integrity legislation, said his interest is that people who are eligible receive the benefits they are eligible for. When people are on our programs who arent eligible, it takes away from those who are eligible.

PLANNING AND ZONING: A bill approved 13-5 by the House Local Government Committee would require cities to expand their planning and zoning commissions and boards of adjustment if they extend their zoning jurisdiction beyond the city limits.

SF 2285, unanimously approved by the Senate, would require cities to add two members if they expand their zoning jurisdictions into the unincorporated area up to 2 miles beyond the city limits.

One of those members must be a member of the county Board of Supervisors or its designee. Both people must be residents of the area outside the city where the zoning jurisdiction is being extended.

One of the appointees would have to own land actively used for agricultural purposes.

CONFIDENTIAL JUDICIAL RECORDS: The Iowa House approved House File 2485 Wednesday to give lawmakers and the public access to confidential information held by a judicial nominating commission about charges against judges and employees of the judicial branch.

It would be a rarely used power, but essential for the Legislature to exercise its constitutional responsibility of oversight over the judiciary, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Steve Holt, R-Denison, said Wednesday.

Opening those otherwise confidential records to the public may have a chilling effect on the willingness of people to be open with judicial nominating commissions, said Rep. Mary Wolfe, D-Clinton.

The Judiciary Committee has launched an investigation into a district court judge accused of making improper comments during the process of selecting nominees for the governor to appoint to the bench.

Although Wolfe said an amendment offered by Holt made the bill slightly better, she recommended a no vote.

It was approved, with 57 Republican votes for the bill and 38 Democrats and a Republican voting against it.

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Agents with the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group and Davenport Police tactical teams took three people into custody early Wednesday after serving a search warrant on a residence in the 2200 block of West 36th Street.

Agents and Davenport police searched the home as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation, and found two men wanted on outstanding warrants.

Thomas Lee Deitrick, 26, was taken into custody on arrest warrants out of Scott County on charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Davenport Police Officer Mason Pauley, at 2:11 a.m. on Feb. 2 Deitrick and another person went to the Motel 6, 101 W. 65th St., Davenport, room 241. Deitricks co-conspirator in the case was armed with a small wooden bat.

The pair made their way into the victims room under false pretenses, which allowed Deitricks co-conspirator to assault the victims and steal their property. The victims were able to flee the room. After taking one of the victims' wallets off the bed, Deitrick and his co-conspirator fled, chasing the victims a short distance before leaving.

According to surveillance video, the pair can be seen walking together in the hallway, Deitricks co-conspirator armed with a small bat. Deitrick knocks on the door, and when the door is opened they both rushed in. The video shows the victims fleeing the room with Deitrick and his co-conspirator chasing them for a while before fleeing the scene together.

Deitrick is charged in the case with one count each of first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary. Each of the charges is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 25 years. As forcible felonies under Iowa law, both charges carry a mandatory prison sentence of 70%, or 17 years, before parole can be granted.

Deitrick also is charged with conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, a Class C felony that carries a prison sentence of 10 years.

During a first appearance Wednesday in Scott County District Court, Magistrate Ryan Beckenbaugh scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for March 18. Beckenbaugh also set Deitricks bond at $25,000, cash only.

Deitrick continued to be held Wednesday night in the Scott County Jail.

Michelle Marie Lord, 42, is charged with hosting a drug house, a Class D felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of five years, and possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of up to one year.

Lord had not made a first-appearance as of Wednesday. She was being held Thursday night in the Scott County Jail on a bond of $5,000, cash or surety. Arraignment in the case is scheduled for March 31 in district court.

Lord already is awaiting trial on four drug-related serious misdemeanor charges filed by Bettendorf Police, who allege in arrest affidavits that on Aug. 31, Lord was in possession of methamphetamine, marijuana and two types of prescription drugs.

In that case, Lord is charged with possession of a controlled substance-first offense-methamphetamine; unlawful possession of a controlled substance-first-offense-marijuana; unlawful possession of a prescription drug-Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant medication; and unlawful possession of a prescription drug-Escitalopram, an antidepressant.

She also is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of up to 30 days.

A jury trial in that case is tentatively scheduled for May 23 in district court.

On April 7, 2021, Lord was charged with possession of contraband in a correctional institution after she sneaked a narcotics pipe with methamphetamine residue into the Scott County Jail. The charge is a Class D felony. Lord pleaded guilty in that case to possession of drug paraphernalia and was order to pay a fine and court costs totaling $325.75.

Matias Tomas Briones, 51, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for Rock Island County for failure to appear on a Class 4 felony drug possession charge that carries a prison sentence of one to three years.

During a hearing Thursday in Scott County District Court, Briones waived extradition from Iowa to Illinois and he was transferred to the Rock Island County Jail.

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Billy Collins and the staff of Me & Billy have had a busy week, getting ready for the cars on 3rd Street outside the restaurant to be replaced with floats and huge crowds.

It's nothing the restaurant owner hasn't handled before, but he's hoping for some additional spectators this year.

"Every year the parade is an exciting event for us, but this year it takes on a different meaning since we haven't had one in a while," Collins said.

After two years of canceled and postponed celebrations, the only bi-state St. Patrick's Day parade is back and ready to cross the Master Sgt. Stanley Talbot Memorial Bridge (formerly Centennial Bridge) on Saturday.

The St. Patrick Society Grand Parade XXXVI will lead 53 groups of walkers and floats from Illinois to Iowa, all showcasing their Irish pride ahead of St. Patrick's Day on March 17.

"It's great to be back," St. Patrick Society President Joe Dooley said. "It's just hard to believe it's been three years."

Here are a few things to know ahead of the Grand Parade before it sets off.

Parade day logistics

The Grand Parade will start at 11:30 a.m. Saturday from 4th Avenue and 23rd Street in Rock Island. The parade will travel down 4th Avenue and crisscross through downtown Rock Island on its way to the Centennial Bridge.

After the marching groups and floats make their way over the bridge, they'll head east through downtown Davenport before ending at the RiverCenter on 3rd and Perry streets.

The Iowa-bound lanes of the Centennial Bridge will be closed to traffic from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and police will direct vehicles for alternating traffic in the Illinois-bound lanes.

Dooley said people tend to begin lining the parade route in Rock Island around 10:45 a.m. and in Davenport around 11:30 a.m. So plan to arrive early to secure a prime spot for parade viewing.

The River Bend Food Bank will drive the parade route a half hour before the parade, collecting donations.

Bundle up

Break out the green hats, gloves and scarves because Saturday's St. Patrick celebrations are set to be dangerously chilly. National Weather Service Meteorologist James Hladik said parade day will see unseasonably cold temperatures and winds of 10 to 15 miles per hour.

By the time the parade sets off in Rock Island, temperatures will sit around 18 degrees Fahrenheit  with a wind chill of around 5 degrees, despite the forecast calling for sunshine.

"People will need to bundle up," Hladik said.

Dooley said the society is hoping to see temperatures tick up before parade day but has marched in cold weather before and will again.

"I think people are looking forward to it," Dooley said. "Even if it is cold, cold, cold, they're ready to be out there."

More than just a parade

While the Grand Parade is undoubtedly the main event, the St. Patrick Society and local businesses have much more planned.

The society will commence parade day with Mass, held at 10 a.m. at St. Marys Church, 2208 4th Ave., Rock Island.

Once the parade has ended, spectators can head to the RiverCenter Great Hall for a post-parade bash from 1-4 p.m. Membership to the St. Patrick Society is required for admission but can be purchased at the door for $15. Attendees ages 16 and younger will be admitted for free.

Me & Billy and Mac's Tavern will be decked out with Irish flags and other decorations and stocked with Irish cocktails and menu items, as will other restaurants and bars across the Quad-Cities.

Kilkenny's Pub is setting up a giant, heated tent to help people warm up while they party. Manager Kelly Moore said the pub will open at 6 a.m.

A mullet contest will replace the business's usual beanbag toss tournament. Cost to enter the contest is $20, with entry fee money donated to a charity of the winner's choice. The winner will also receive a $500 gift card.

Live bands will perform throughout the day and evening as well.

Moore said she was enjoying the calm before the storm, but that she and the Kilkenny's Pub staff are excited to watch spectators crowd the bar and the sidewalk, united again with pride and celebration after two years of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's something that is just unimaginable," Moore said.

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Summaries

UNHCR Was Ready for Falluja By Bruno Geddo We would like to address some factual errors in the article published today on your website: Fallujah, a Military Success But Humanitarian Failure, Could Signal Catastrophe in Mosul It is a great shame this article appeared without the writer carefully checking the facts. UNHCR, like other agencies, had drawn up contingency plans for Falluja.

A Vicarious Letter to Obama From the Assyrian Hostages By Peter Ahern Dear President Obama: After months of despair we have finally felt a flicker of hope on hearing of the raid by your soldiers with Kurdish forces several days ago which released 69 hostages being held by the Islamic state. We know very well what those hostages were going through. Like them we are held in captivity, abused, and face execution. We have been in this situation for months.

Is the Pope Standing Up for Iraqi Christians? By Tiffany Tryniszewski While Pope Francis focuses on climate change and normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba, the Christians of Iraq are left with no ally, no protector, and no spokesperson. For the first time in history, Iraq is becoming entirely Islamic.

Good Men Must Do Something By Nahren Anweya Benjamin Franklin once wrote, "Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature." It's because of these moral precepts that my parents fled the Ba'athist purge of Saddam Hussein in the hope of providing a better life for my brothers, sister -- and naturally, myself.

Hatred is a Disease of Humanity By Joanie Schirm In reading the August 26, 2014 article titled Chaldean Patriarch Appeals to 'Conscience of the World' by Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako, I am reminded that the stories of displaced persons in our world never fade.
After learning the news of the war in Ukraine, displacing millions of people from their homes, Joel Frankel, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Howard County, felt compelled to help.

Frankel said he wanted to find a way to support the Jewish community in Ukraine, and worked with other members of the federation, a community-driven organization committed to taking care of the needs of the Jewish community in Howard County, to make it happen.

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The Howard County group launched the Ukraine Crisis Fund earlier this month, in partnership with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Jewish communities across the country.

The fund aims to assist displaced people in multiple locations in Ukraine through establishment of an emergency hotline and offering critical welfare services.

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As of March 9, the fund had raised $20,650 toward its goal of $30,000.

Jewish communities across the country are launching funds to help with this emerging humanitarian crisis, Frankel said. When there is a humanitarian crisis, we step up and fund that in addition to everything else that we do to support our friends overseas.

Rachael Simonserves as president of the board of directors for the JFHC. She said the fundraiser was set up shortly after news broke out about the crisis in Ukraine.

The goal of the fund was to raise money to work with and support the American Jewish JDC, who are working swiftly to meet the needs of the 200,000-plus members of the Jewish community [in Ukraine], she said. The JDC has worked on the ground in Ukraine for years and therefore they are uniquely positioned to get our donations to people quickly.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

Stephanie Weishaar serves as president of the Howard County Board of Rabbis and also works with JFHC. In 1993, Weishaar lived in Dnipro, Ukraine for a year, as part of her work as the field director for Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine for the Global Jewish Assistance and Relief Network.

While in Ukraine, she distributed humanitarian aid and trained emerging nonprofit organizations.

Weishaar described the people of Ukraine as warm and welcoming and said she is saddened by the news of the war.

To know that people who I have connected with are either hiding or running is really intense, she said. I feel frustrated that what is clearly an independent country has been invaded for no apparent reason besides the greed of someone.

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Weishaar said she hopes the fundraiser will help provide Ukrainians in need with resources to withstand the crisis.

[My] broader hope is that anyone in Ukraine who needs assistance either getting out, getting safe within the country or getting resources, that they have that, she said.

Those interested in donating to the JFHC Ukraine Crisis Fund can do so by visiting jewishhowardcounty.org.
BELLEVILLE  Illinois would cut millions of dollars in state and local investments with ties to Russia under a measure introduced last week in the legislature.

State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, said if the holdings amount to a penny, "it's too much," and empowers Russian President Vladimir Putin in his invasion of Ukraine.

"It's a move of a dictator and it is a threat to democracy across the world, particularly in Europe," Hoffman said. "We shouldn't be allowing be allowing Russia or any of the corporations in Russia to be utilizing our investment dollars."

Hoffman called on the legislature to pass the resolution (HR 0711), which asks the State Board of Investments and local public retirement systems to find and cut any investments linked to Russia.

The state investment board manages five state retirement systems with more than 167,000 beneficiaries and $24.7 billion in assets, according to its website.

The board's portfolio contains less than $50 million in assets that would be divested, or cut off, said Jeff Houch, a policy adviser for the State Employees Retirement System.

Across the state, it's not clear how much in assets public retirement funds have with ties to Russia. They make investments across the world, and so "there's no central location that indicates where all of these funds are," Hoffman said, but fund managers should be able to find and eliminate them.

Hoffman said House lawmakers could approve the legislation within the next week.

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Iowas two U.S. senators are calling on the Biden administration and Congress to quickly replace Russian oil with clean, American-made renewable fuels like Iowa biofuels.

Biofuels can fill the demand and lower the cost to motorists because the cost of ethanol is much less expensive as biodiesel than just straight-up petroleum products, Sen. Joni Ernst told reporters Wednesday. That will make an immediate impact to the cost of fuel across the United States.

Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley are introducing the Home Front Energy Independence Act to replace banned Russian oil with American renewable fuels currently available.

The proposal would combine parts of previous legislation to make E15 available year-round, establish an E15 and biodiesel tax credit, direct the Environmental Protection Agency to finalize its E15 labeling rule and provide for biofuel infrastructure and compatibility with retailers.

Iowas clean, American-made, renewable fuels are ready and available to meet our nation's needs right away, Ernst said. In fact, the current excess ethanol capacity domestically is nearly the same as the amount of Russian gas the U.S. had been importing  roughly 83 million barrels versus 87 million barrels.

With the national average price of gasoline hitting $4.17 a gallon, it's far past time for President Biden to make good on the promises he made on the campaign trail to Iowa farmers and producers and to pass our bipartisan legislation to unleash Iowa biofuel right now, Ernst said.

As he travels around the state, Grassley said, he sees E15 priced 30 to 40 cents a gallon less than non-blended gasoline.

It's very clear that biofuels provide a quick and easy solution for lowering prices at the pump, said Grassley, who is running for re-election.

The proposed legislation is a clean-energy solution that can immediately lower gas prices and bolster American energy independence.

He was critical of reported attempts by the Biden administration to get OPEC to increase production or to buy oil from Venezuela.

This is an urgent or very urgent problem that is impacting families across the country, Grassley said. Iowa producers stand ready to meet the moment and to ramp up production. The answer is Iowa biofuels, not OPEC oil.

Grassley was critical of the presidents energy program, which has included stopping the XL pipeline and some offshore drilling, with more restrictions on fracking.

The president is probably going to be reluctant to do anything other than cry about importing more oil, Grassley said.

Gas prices were going up before Russia invaded Ukraine and Biden announced the ban on importing Russian oil, which makes up about 3 percent of the U.S. supply.

At the same time gas prices are rising, he said, President Biden is off talking about electric vehicles, which require rare earth minerals that come from where? Russia and China.

Ernst and Grassley conceded it will take support from both parties to approve their legislation.

I think its going to take the same bipartisan outrage from the Congress that forced him yesterday to say we aren't going to take Russian oil, Grassley said.

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CHICAGO - Illinoisans are worried about the steep shortage of teachers and school employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new bipartisan poll that also gauged residents views on pay increases for teachers and instruction on slavery and racism.

Sponsored by the states largest teachers union, the Illinois Education Association, the fourth annual State of Education report released Wednesday includes data showing those polled prioritize having high-quality public schools above balancing the state budget and lowering taxes.

In addition, residents who participated in the poll indicated teachers and parents should have the greatest influence over how Illinois schools are being run, with more say than politicians or school administrators.

The findings of the annual report coincide with a record number of Illinois teachers exiting the profession earlier than anticipated because of the hardships they have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 67% increase from 2019 to 2020 in teachers retiring, and 1 in 3 educators saying they are considering leaving the profession.

Underpaid, dedicated and overworked  those are three words that describe Illinois teachers, IEA President Kathi Griffin said Wednesday in an interview.

Illinoisans are very worried about the shortage of educators, and not just teachers, but bus drivers, maintenance workers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers and more, Griffin said.

Among the polls findings was strong support for making education a more appealing profession, with 72% of those polled supporting changes to the teachers pension system and 77% supporting student loan forgiveness for educators. In addition, 72% support allowing educators to take mental health days.

When asked about critical race theory  a topic that has become a political flashpoint across the U.S.  the survey found the vast majority of Illinoisans polled are in favor of an honest teaching of United States history in schools and believe students should be taught about slavery and racism, Griffin said.

While Griffin acknowledged CRT has become a divisive political term, it is not taught in any pre-K through 12th grade classrooms in Illinois, but rather is used by professors at law schools and colleges and universities.

Even if they support a ban on CRT, the vast majority support the honest teaching and education about slavery and racism, she said.

The public does not want our politicians deciding the curriculum in schools, Griffin said.

The poll was conducted in December by Jill Normington of Normington-Petts, who typically collects data for the Democratic Party, and Next Generation Strategies Pat Brady, who is often hired by the Republican Party.

The survey, which gauged the opinions of 1,000 Illinoisans between Dec. 2 and Dec. 12, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%, with 95% confidence, officials said.

The people of Illinois are united in their quest for strong public schools. Thats clear, Normington said in a news release Wednesday.

The poll is a barometer for what the people of Illinois want and where we should be going, Brady said in the release.

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Puffy's LLC was drawn Wednesday for seven of Rapid City's 15 medical cannabis dispensary licenses.

The state Medical Cannabis Program performed the drawing in Pierre to select the locations for medical cannabis dispensaries. There was a total of 47 provisional dispensary licenses included in the city's lottery pool.

Seven locations owned by Puffy's were drawn in the random number generation. Greenlight Dispensary had three entries drawn, Genesis Farms had two and there was one each for CC Health, Hive Collective and Rapid City Cannabis.

Successful applicants have one year to establish their dispensaries in the city. Upon receiving registration from the state, applicants have 14 days to get the rest of their information to the city and to pay a $3,500 license fee.

City Community Development Director Vicki Fisher said in an email to the Journal that city ordinance does not require a certain distance between dispensaries. The adopted regulations do allow for the transfer or sale of the license.

Fisher said there are two properties that drew more than one license, two at one location and three at another. Both are located within areas that permit dispensaries.

She said property owners could open a dispensary for each license at the locations or sell or transfer one or more of the licenses to alternate locations.

The Rapid City Council approved the 15 dispensary locations for the city based on population. The council approved permitted and conditional use zoning for dispensaries, testing facilities, cultivation facilities and manufacturing facilities at its Sept. 20 meeting. According to the ordinances, dispensaries can operate within 500 feet of a child care center, church, public park or property zoned as residential if granted a conditional use permit.

Fisher said in a press release her office expects to receive cultivation, manufacturing and testing license applications. There has been one conditional use permit issued for a cultivation establishment that was approved by the Rapid City Planning Commission. The permit went to Black Hills Cannabis Care.

In the order drawn, the businesses and locations for dispensaries are as follows:

Puffy's at 3324 Cambell Street

Puffy's at 4024 Biernbaum Lane Bldg B

Puffy's at 4024 Biernbaum Lane Bldg A

Rapid City Cannabis at 3075 North Plaza Drive

Genesis Farms at 609 Mountain View Road

Puffy's at 2120 West Main Street Unit 3

Genesis Farms at 2205 N LaCrosse Street

Puffy's at 2210 Cambell Street

Greenlight Dispensary at 840 Timmons Ste 6A

Hive Collective at 918 E North Street

Greenlight Dispensary at 840 Timmons Ste 7B

Puffy's at 902 East Main Street

Greenlight Dispensary at 840 Timmons Ste 7

Puffy's at 4025 Biernbaum Lane

CC Health at 1624 Discovery Circle

 Contact Siandhara Bonnet at siandhara.bonnet@rapidcityjournal.com 

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Military Honor Flags USA wants to put a flag on every grave in Black Hills National Cemetery, Fort Meade National Cemetery and Hot Springs National Cemetery for Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is dedicated to remembering and honoring those who died in military service. Military Honor Flags USA raises money to purchase and maintain flags. It also organizes volunteers to place the flags before Memorial Day and remove them after Memorial Day, according to the nonprofits president, Kris Mattson.

Last week, Military Honor Flags USA received a shipment of 25,000 flags. This week, volunteers are packing the flags so theyre ready to transported to the cemeteries. Volunteers known as the Betsy Ross Brigade also go through the flags after Memorial Day and repair them if necessary before they are put in storage.

In preparation for Memorial Day, Military Honor Flags USA is looking for volunteers to help place 25,000 U.S. flags in the three cemeteries. Mattson said shes especially looking for people in the Northern and Southern Hills to get involved.

Volunteers will place flags in the cemeteries on May 29, the Sunday before Memorial Day, to avoid conflicting with Memorial Day ceremonies that take place on Monday. Groups that want to get involved can contact Mattson by leaving a message at 605-391-7901, or by emailing militaryhonorflagsUSA@gmail.com. Groups will be assigned a section of the cemetery, Mattson said.

Individuals can contact her ahead of time, or simply go to the cemetery on May 29.

Well find a place for you, Mattson said. It takes quite a few people.

Flags will be distributed to volunteers at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 29, to be placed on the graves. The volunteers will return on Wednesday, June 1, to remove the flags.

Its quite a neat experience, Mattson said. Once (volunteers) do it once, they wont not do it again. A lot of people make plans for Memorial Day weekend, and theyre giving that up to say thank you, and thats just amazing to me.

Mattson said volunteers read each veterans name and thank them for their service when placing a flag at each grave.

Some of these people havent had their name mentioned in years, and this is a way to honor them, she said. When you go up there and see every single grave with a flag, its beautiful.

Mattson grew up in Buffalo and Belle Fourche, communities that are home to many veterans, she said. Both her parents were Navy veterans; they and other loved ones of Mattsons are buried in Black Hills National Cemetery. They inspired her to launch Military Honor Flags USA, a non-profit based in Rapid City.

The South Dakota patriotism is very outstanding, she said.

Individuals and organizations can also support Military Honor Flags USA by making donations to cover the costs of flags, storage, printing informational pamphlets and other expenses.

Military Honor Flags USA has partnered with Black Hills Area Community Foundation. As the nonprofits fiscal sponsor, BHACF accepts donations for Military Honor Flags USA and manages some administrative duties. Anyone who wants to donate to Military Honor Flags USA can do so by going to https://bhacf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate and selecting Military Honor Flags USA under the Special Project Funds category.

Military Honor Flags USA also has an ongoing fundraiser, the sale of flag pins throughout the Black Hills. The pins are $5 and can be purchased at the following locations.

Rapid City: Canyon Lake Pub & Casino; VFW Post 1273; American Legion Post 22; Elks Lodge 1187; and Canyon Lake Activity Center

Belle Fourche: Pete's Clothiers/Hodge Bootery

Lead: Greenfield Pub

Buffalo: No. 3 Saloon & Grill: Buffalo Museum & One Room Schoolhouse

New Underwood: Contact Amanda Trople

For more information about Military Honor Flags USA, go to the Military Honor Flags USA Facebook page, facebook.com/militaryhonorflagsusa/.

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The next Community Connect event  linking people in need with services that can help them  will be April 1 in Rapid City. The previous Community Connect in November attracted more than 1,000 people, and organizer Jeanne Burckhard-McKenna anticipates the upcoming Community Connect will serve at least that many.

Community Connect provides anyone in need with free, gently used clothing and housewares, along with information from local and state agencies about their resources. Community Connect is open to everyone and there are no income guidelines. Community Connect is sponsored by Black Hills Special Services Cooperative, Black Hills Regional Homeless Coalition and the Salvation Army.

The next Community Connect will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 1 at 855 Omaha St. (the former Albertsons store). Free testing for sexually transmitted diseases will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon. The Salvation Army will serve lunch. Face masks will be provided.

Several agencies and organizations will participate, including Goodwill, Missouri Breaks Industries Research Inc., Cornerstone Rescue Mission, the Veterans Affairs homeless program, South Dakota Cares housing and utilities assistance, and more.

The regifting store will be back with clothes for all ages and housewares, all free of charge to anyone in need. Burckhard-McKenna is looking for volunteers to help set up the regifting shop on March 31 and to help between 8:45 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the Community Connect event.

Volunteers are welcome to show up either day to help, although Burckhard-McKenna prefers that volunteers call her ahead of time so she can fill them in on the tasks she needs help with. Call or text Burckhard-McKenna at 801-231-3998.

People can drop off donations of clothes and housewares between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 31 at 855 Omaha St.

Mens clothing is one of the most in-demand items at the regifting store, Burckhard-McKenna said.

Were really seeing a lot more men shopping, she said. Theyre really looking for a lot of work clothes  t-shirts, heavy pants, work jackets. Thats what weve noticed.

Donations of clean, gently used clothing and shoes and new underwear for men, women and children are welcome.

We always need coats and hoodies, caps and gloves for all ages  any of that stuff. We go through a lot of bedding and housewares. That stuff just flies out of here, Burckhard-McKenna said. Shoes are a huge hit. We set up about six tables of shoes and we hardly have any left at the end of the day.

Baby items, including strollers, are high-demand items, she said, and none are leftover at the end of a Community Connect event. Burckhard-McKenna likes to set up a section for children, too, and shes hoping to get donations of childrens toys and books.

Burckhard-McKenna does not accept used underwear, which people have tried to donate to previous events.

Housewares are needed, especially dishes, silverware, bedding and decorative items. Many people who shop at the regifting store need basic items for their apartments.

Donations of paperback books for adults and DVDs are popular. Burckhard-McKenna said the regifting store does not accept furniture or hard-cover books, especially reference books like textbooks and encyclopedias.

She refers people who want to donate clean furniture in good condition to the Cornerstone Apartments. Contact program manager Maryann Leanna at mleanna@cornerstonemission.org.

Burckhard-McKenna also is grateful for support from Spartan Nash that provides the use of the building, Black Hills Harley-Davidson that donates tables, chairs and clothing racks, and Clothes Mentor that donates womens clothing.

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The first "talk" of a constructing a road over the Sapphire Mountains to connect the Bitter Root Valley to the east began in the mid 1890s. But, for many years, talk was all that happened.

By 1919, Butte and Anaconda were still a slow and expensive distance from the vegetable and fruit producers of the Bitterroot Valley. A serious proposal for a new road from Hamilton to Anaconda had been proposed in 1916. However, America's entry into World War I delayed any progress towards building this cheaper route (compared to rail transportation).

By 1919, there was a renewed effort for the Skalkaho Road. At that time, there was a general feeling that previous efforts had floundered due to a lack of federal funding and because previous proponents had tried to push the project along too quickly. This time around, proper planning would done, along with lining up the needed funding.

The Skalkaho Pass Road was estimated to cost a little over $100,000 in 1919.

Senator James Gnose of Anaconda initiated a bill for the construction of that road. The legislation was passed that same year and subsequently signed by Governor Stewart.

The bill authorized the counties of Ravalli and Granite to raise money to help pay for their portions of the road. Voluntary contributions from Hamilton citizens yielded $7,200. Ravalli County Commissioners authorized another $10,000. Road advocates hoped that the state highway commission would come up with an additional $25,000. It was expected the entire operation would benefit from a portion of the federal appropriation of $50 million for state highways.

Several years earlier, a route had been surveyed by the U.S. Forest Reserve. But the 1919 proposal for a 32-mile road was 10 miles shorter than what had been surveyed by the USFS. A new detailed survey began in June 1919 under the direction of S. W. Hoffman of Hamilton. Due to wrangling over the exact route and a lack of funding, actual road work got bogged down for the next two years.

In May 1920, Ravalli County voters approved bonds totaling $100,000 for construction (bonds purchased by Mrs. Marcus Daly). It was expected the new road would be open for travel in the fall of 1922 (that didn't happen).

In August of 1921, bids were let for both the 19-mile section to be built by the state and the 13 mile portion to be constructed by the Forest Service. The estimated cost for the entire road had increased to $320,000.

An August 1923 report contained an expected road opening date of October 1st (once again, that didn't happen).

A barbecue was held to finally celebrate the official opening of Skalkaho Road in July 1924. The 2,500 people (along with 300 cars) who attended the festivities were entertained by the Hamilton Community Band and listened to speeches delivered by local and state dignitaries.

Not much has changed over the intervening decades. Skalkaho Road (also known as Montana Highway 38) remains a twisty and at times dangerous, mostly gravel road. Open only during fair-weather months, it is not recommended for use by vans, motorhomes, or motorcycles.

Even so, it remains one of Montana's most scenic routes that includes the small, but still eye-catching, Skalkaho Falls. Plus, if gem hunting is in your wheelhouse, you can stop at Gem Sapphire Mountain, located about 40 miles from Hamilton.

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KALISPELL  A western Montana man has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for killing his wife in December 2020 by beating and strangling her and throwing her down a flight of stairs.

Bradley Jay Hillious, 35, was sentenced Tuesday for the death of Amanda Hillious, 33, after District Court Judge Robert Allison denied his request for a new trial, the Daily Inter Lake reports.

Amanda Hillious was fatally injured on Dec. 15, 2020 and died four days later.

Her mother, Michelle Wungluck, who is raising Amanda's four children, said she "wants those kids to grow up knowing they are safe and secure," and asked for the maximum sentence.

Hillious, who did not testify at trial, read a statement at sentencing in which he said his father, Scott Hillious, was the "more likely suspect."

Scott Hillious killed himself on Dec. 24, 2020, after a detective called to ask Hillious and his father to come in for an interview.

Bradley Hillious was convicted on Jan. 14 after a trial in which Amanda's son from a previous relationship, now 12, testified that "Brad killed my mom." He told jurors he heard Bradley Hillious and his mother arguing before he saw him dragging and hitting her.

Defense attorney Jami Rebsom unsuccessfully sought a new trial, arguing prosecutors made improper comments during closing arguments and that evidence suggests a lesser charge of mitigated deliberate homicide should have been filed.

Allison said the defense didn't present any evidence at trial that Bradley Hillious should have been convicted of a lesser charge.

"It was an all-or-nothing approach," he said of the defense case.

Rebsom said she plans to appeal the conviction, saying she was not allowed to argue a case around the suicide of Scott Hillious, who was at the house when Amanda Hillious was fatally injured. She questioned how his suicide could "not be seen as a confession."

Allison said it was the defense counsel that was concerned about bringing up the suicide at trial, believing the state was going to argue that Bradley Hillious killed his father and "that there might be evidence along those lines presented."

Prosecutors were only allowed to refer to Scott's death "as his death or suicide, not his questionable death or possible murder," Allison said.

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A pharmaceutical company founded in Richmond with the goal of filling chronic shortages for essential medicines in the United States, Phlow is now producing its first commercial drugs to supply pediatric hospitals.

The company said Wednesday it will start making and delivering several medicines this week for the Childrens Hospital Coalition  a group of pediatric healthcare facilities across the country. Phlow is working with a contract manufacturer to produce the drugs.

This is a big deal for us, because availability of these medicines really is a critical, important first step in demonstrating our commitment to the Childrens Hospital Coalition members, said Eric Edwards, co-founder and chief executive officer of Phlow. That commitment was to provide reliable and affordable, high-quality essential medicines to prevent pediatric drug shortages.

Phlow announced an agreement last year to supply medicines to the coalition, which currently has 11 hospital members, including Childrens Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

They told us they wanted certainty in the supply chain, Edwards said. They asked us if we would make or provide certain drugs instead of us just providing a list and saying, Here is our portfolio  they came up with the list of medications.

The medications have lacked certainty and resiliency in the supply chain, partly because the drugs are generic and often produced in overseas markets, he said.

Phlow was co-founded in 2020 by Edwards, a Richmond entrepreneur and doctor, and chemical scientist Frank Gupton, a VCU professor. Several partner organizations have joined with the company to develop a low-cost supply of medicines that face shortages in the U.S. market.

To produce drugs, Phlow partnered with VCUs Medicines for All Institute  which Gupton leads  and AMPAC Fine Chemicals, a pharmaceuticals maker with a plant in Petersburg. Another partner is Civica Inc., a nonprofit formed by various U.S. health care providers to address chronic generic drug shortages.

In May 2020, Phlow announced it received a $354 million federal contract to help build a national reserve of essential medicines and to make active ingredients for more than a dozen medicines used to treat patients with COVID-19.

However, the announcement on Wednesday is separate from the U.S. government contract

We also wanted to set up a pathway towards long-term sustainability, and that involves a commercial capability, Edwards said. We always wanted to go back to our original impetus of serving those populations and customers that others are not serving, including and especially the childrens hospitals.

Phlow is also partnering with Fresenius Kabi USA  a drug manufacturer in Illinois and New York  to produce the medications.

The pharmaceutical company has about 50 employees in the Richmond area, with an office in Shockoe Bottom, a research and development office in the Virginia Bio + Tech Research Park in Richmond, and a manufacturing headquarters in Petersburg.

The injectable medications being introduced include Furosemide Injection, USP, a diuretic that treats fluid retention and swelling; Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection, USP, a corticosteroid to treat disorders of many organ systems; Heparin Sodium Injection, USP, a blood thinner to prevent and treat blood clots; and Rocuronium Bromide Injection, which is typically given before general anesthesia in preparing for surgery and used to relax the muscles.

Dr. Kurt Newman, president and CEO of Childrens National Hospital in Washington, D.C., which is one of the members of the coalition, said the group demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships and how they can affect positive change.

I invite more childrens hospitals to join this innovative group addressing pediatric medication shortages, he said.
At Young Mother, the monthly Japanese-inspired pop-up conceived and hatched out of Restaurant Adarra, Daniel Harthausens steamed egg dish says it all.

The silken custard that the 26-year-old phenom serves in an earthen vessel is ostensibly Japanese chawanmushi. But like everything else that springs from Harthausens brain, theres more going on with the dish  a complexity he subtly reveals to us through meaningful gestures of flavor, texture and ingredients.

The rich umami of dried anchovy broth bolsters the egg. But unlike chawanmushi, its not as delicate. Its markedly firmer, more robust, a small yet significant detail that Harthausen imparts to the dish to make us think of gyeran-jjim, the Korean counterpart to chawanmushi. Poured like epoxy over the surface, an X.O. sauce of dried scallops and jiri anchovies elicits the kind of full-bodied flavors one would find in Sino-Korean food.

Japanese and Korean cuisines, Harthausen observes, often employ what are essentially the same ingredients in similar ways. Adding fish-based stock to eggs, for instance, is done in both culinary traditions. Why not highlight these commonalities while simultaneously reflecting their dualities?

With just a tiny ocean separating the Korean peninsula from the Japanese archipelago, its no wonder these two cultures have such an entangled history fraught with geopolitical animosity. At the same time, these entanglements have also led to shared food practices that Harthausen yearns to make more sense of.

Through Young Mother, Harthausen navigates the borderlands of Japanese and Korean cuisines, negotiating their differences while forging connections no other Richmond chef has thought to explore. Diving ever so boldly into this culinary no mans land, he emerges with dishes that convey extraordinary depth of insight.

Im not going to say that my foods going to heal the relationship between the two countries, says Harthausen. That said, he hopes his cooking will help people appreciate the similarities between traditional Japanese and Korean cuisines and, in that sense, bridge the divide between the two cultures.

I dont want to just mash two dishes together and call it Japanese-Korean, he explains. Im trying to find correlations that exist because of history. This history, including decades of Japanese annexation in Korea, has invariably influenced the way that people eat in both countries. The intersection between the two is something thats pretty apparent.

Call it diplomacy or sheer culinary genius, the end results are delicious.

The reason many Richmond diners, especially newer transplants like myself, may not be familiar with Harthausens culinary talent is because hes been out of the kitchen for over four years. After a demoralizing experience running his first restaurant kitchen at Richmonds Yaki, Harthausen needed to take a break. He wound up working, instead, on the service side of the food industry as a server, bartender, barista and manager.

It was during the pandemic that Harthausen, now bar manager at Adarra, realized he wanted to be a chef again. His hiatus had given him a chance to reset and really home in on his vision for Young Mother.

I always wanted to go back to doing Japanese cuisine, Harthausen says. And that time away from cooking allowed me to be very thoughtful about it. Everything I do, he adds, I want it to move meaningfully.

Whats clear is that, in making his grand return, Harthausen is laying it all on the table, producing dishes that are equally thought- and palate-provoking.

As with his chawanmushi ($13), Harthausens so-called gyoza ($10) are scrumptious little mind-benders that force the imagination to wander between Japanese pan-fried dumplings and chubbier varietals, such as Korean mandu and even Shanghai sheng jian bao. Their doughy shawls are cinched into a swirl around plump, juicy meatballs of pork and shrimp. A salty, punchy broth of douchi  a nod to the common use of fermented beans in Korean and Japanese cooking  pools under the cluster of dumplings.

Okonomiyaki ($19), a griddled discus of thickly shredded cabbage, veers somewhat in the direction of a Korean-style pajeon, in terms of its crispy thinness. Meanwhile, grated mountain yams, which Harthausen folds into the pancake batter, keep this savory Japanese classic delightfully buoyant and springy. And, of course, nothing says okonomiyaki like squiggles of kewpie mayo and Worcestershire-tanged sauce and a fluttering sea of bonito flakes.

Under the foggy-white guise of a tonkotsu broth ($14) brewed from pork bones and fatback and presented in a petite iron cauldron, Harthausen cleverly conceals a reference to seolleongtang, one that anybody whos ever been to a Korean tofu house will catch onto. Floating among the nimbus clouds of creamy broth are boiled swatches of beef brisket. Also cluing you in is a saucer of gingery radish kimchi meant to stagger every sip of broth with jolts of freshness and spice.

The yakisoba ($18) may be the only dish in which Harthausen doesnt inject any culinary double entendre, though I suppose the flatter, wider girth of the noodles could be a discreet nod to Korean knife-cut kalguksu. All that matters, though, is how sublime his rendition of this dish is. The eggy noodles get sloshed in tangy-salty yakisoba sauce monter au beurre, with enticing amounts of butter (and schmaltz) for a luxuriously glossy sheen. The crown jewels of this platter are fragmented chicken thighs that have been crisped in the pan until their skins give off the same melodious crackle of Peking duck.

More than just a vehicle for his cooking, Harthausens exploration of the liminal space between Japanese and Korean cuisines is also a poignant expression of personal identity. The Young Mother chef identifies as Korean American but also found out later in life that hes of Japanese descent. He was born in Seoul, Korea, but also lived in Okinawa, Japan, during high school.

Zainichi is a term commonly ascribed to Koreans who, as Harthausen once did, live in Japan. The term, it seems, is a fitting description of Harthausens cooking style as well: that of a Korean chef creatively inhabiting his own space in Japanese cuisine.
Arnold resident Kirsten Neumanns daughter Vivian is 4 years old and has been in remission for a year from stage four neuroblastoma  a cancer that grows in immature nerve tissue. Vivian is participating in a clinical trial for a drug to treat the illness.

On Feb. 16, the day after she got a shot as part of the trial, Vivian had a low-grade fever. Neumann gave her Tylenol and a few minutes later Vivian started choking, turning blue and seizing. Neumann stuck her finger down Vivians throat to induce vomiting, which helped the choking, but she continued to seize. Neumann called 911.

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I was greeted with, Im sorry, were experiencing a high call volume. Please hold. Elevator music came on and then it disconnected, Neumann said.

She called again and the same thing happened, she said. She then asked the babysitter to call 911 and she eventually got through five minutes after Neumanns original call. An ambulance was sent to the house.

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My daughter ended up seizing for 20 full minutes which is insane, Neumann said.

Vivian stopped seizing in the ambulance after being given medicine.

Though Neumann lives around the corner from a fire station, the ambulance based at that station was attending to a car crash at the time and had to be rerouted back to her home in Arnold from Earleigh Heights in Severna Park.

The 3 p.m. crash on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway involved four vehicles, according to police, who noted emergency lines were flooded with calls about the collision.

On that day, all of our operational needs were met, said Anne Arundel County Police Department spokeswoman Lt. Jacklyn Davis, attributing the hold to the horrible timing of the crash.

Others in the county recall similar experiences

Neumann reached out to local politicians who said a case like this  a caller having to remain on hold with 911  is rare. But when Neumann posted about her experience on the Annapolis Moms Facebook group she quickly received more than 140 comments from others in the group, many detailing similar experiences.

[There were] so many stories, Neumann said. That is absolutely terrifying.

One of the moms in the group, Liz Stephens, told the Capital Gazette about a similar experience she had two years ago in Millersville. Her husband got several ant bites while doing yard work and went to take a shower. He fainted in the shower and hit his head. As his head started to bleed she called 911 and was put on hold. She hung up and called again and was again put on hold. She said she shook him until he regained consciousness and drove him to the hospital. On the drive to the hospital, 911 returned her call, five minutes after her original call, she estimates.

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I was shocked. [Im] pretty sure my jaw literally dropped because Ive never heard of 911 putting people on hold, Stephens said in a message. A lot can happen in five minutes. She said her husband was fine, just very sensitive to ant bites, as it turns out.

Another mom told an almost identical experience to Neumanns. Amy Mahaneys 1-year-old daughter had a seizure in 2016 in Edgewater. She called 911 and got an automated message. She hung up and called again and got the same message. She said she remained on hold for about five minutes until someone picked up.

I honestly thought I must have dialed 911 incorrectly because how on earth could I have been directed to an automated system to wait on hold? My daughters lips were turning blue, she said in a message. When they finally answered I was hysterically pleading for them to help my daughter somehow so that she wouldnt die.

Mahaneys daughter seized for about 10 minutes and stopped while Mahaney spoke to a 911 operator. She said she lives in fear of having another emergency and not being able to get immediate help.

Any time shes sick, Im always worried about it happening again. PTSD I guess, although that sounds dramatic, she said.

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High turnover among 911 operators

When Neumann read about her neighbors stories she became even more motivated to help. But there doesnt seem to be one clear solution.

Its a quite complex problem, said County Councilwoman Amanda Fiedler, an Arnold Republican.

While every call center post at the police department headquarters stays staffed, the county is still hiring call takers and dispatchers, who are difficult to keep, Davis said.

I dont know if its salary, if its hours, if its stress, if its the technology. Im not sure what the fix would be to fill those positions and keep them long term, Fiedler said.

Davis said the job tends to take a toll on workers. She said that after call takers are hired, they go through six to nine months of training before starting the job. After the training, some find they cant handle the work and leave.

Its an extremely stressful job, its very demanding, and its very daunting, Davis said.

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Proposal for a consolidated call center

A look inside the Anne Arundel County Fire Department's 911 call center, located in their Millersville headquarters in 2019. (By Paul W. Gillespie, Staff, Baltimore Sun Media Group)

One possible solution involves call centers. The county has two separate call centers for 911  one for police and another for fire and ambulance. All calls go first to the police center and, if needed, get routed to the fire and ambulance center later.

One proposal being floated is a consolidated call center where all call takers are together and are trained on any type of call. However, Fiedler said this alternative would be quite expensive  it could require a new building or new use of a county space and potentially tens of millions of dollars.

As far as an ideal situation with a new facility, were a bit away from that from a budget perspective and laying out all the details, Fiedler said.

She said shed be interested in exploring a short-term fix of bringing the two groups of call takers together temporarily in one of the existing spaces so they can work closer together.

County Executive Steuart Pittman said a consolidated call center is being discussed.

The benefit of a joint 911 call center is the staff can support each other, Pittman said, adding that his administration is also working on integrating the Office of Emergency Management into the call taking process for smoother operations. We are one of the only jurisdictions that hasnt done it.

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Once a call reaches the 911 center at the Anne Arundel County Police Department headquarters in Millersville, the average wait time is six seconds, according to Davis. On the day Neumann called, the average wait time was five seconds, but the car crash jammed phone lines for a period during the day.

State law requires that 911 call centers be equipped to answer within a daily average of 10 seconds.

Howard Countys fire, police and fire/EMS operators are housed under one roof in the police department. Baltimore Citys 911 center is part of the citys fire department, and operates out of the citys police headquarters. Baltimore County has an independent 911 Communications Center.

However, Pittman said a consolidated center wouldnt have helped Neumann because all the call takers were occupied with the crash.

Other solutions in the works

Pittmans solution in the nearer future is paying the call takers higher salaries and hiring more of them.

In this situation the number of call takers was exactly the number of call takers they have on other days, Pittman said. All of them were working on something else and that tells us that we need to look at increasing the number of call takers overall and review how often that happens.

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Fiedler also suggested a public-relations campaign urging people not to call 911 if they see others calling for the same incident to avoid crowding the line.

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But you also have to balance that with, you dont want to do a push to not call 911 and then have nobody call 911. So its a variety of factors creating the situation, Fiedler said. I dont have the answer right now, but it is a concern that is on my radar.

Legislation was introduced at Monday nights County Council meeting aimed at easing the staffing issue.

Anne Arundel County is hiring 911 call takers, hoping to ease the burden on the current staff

One of the problems [with 911 staffing] is theres no room for growth professionally, so people come in, they get trained, they do the job, they realize there is nowhere to go and then they leave, said Pete Baron, director of government relations for the Office of the County Executive.

The bill creates a hierarchy in the job with roles designated Operator I and Operator II that allow people new to the job to move up as they gain more experience. The council will review it in the coming weeks.

The state legislature is also looking into improving 911 operations. Three bills got public hearings in the General Assembly Tuesday including a bill to provide workers compensation to 911 specialists with PTSD and a bill establishing a statewide 311 system for nonemergencies. Sen. Ed Reilly, who represents District 33, where Neumann lives, co-sponsored all three bills.

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Im looking at this very seriously because emergency management is something that this county has neglected in the past and were building out to do better, Pittman said.

The police department encourages those with non-emergency situations, such as abandoned cars, to use the non-emergency line at 410-222-8610. Calls to that number route to the same center, but are handled at a lower priority than emergency calls.
Thirteen occupants of an apartment building in South Side were displaced by a two-alarm blaze that engulfed the building in black smoke early Thursday morning, the Richmond Fire Department said.

Firefighters responded shortly before 12:30 a.m. to Reserve South Apartments in the 6700 block of West Carnation Street, the fire department said on Twitter.

Officials said some residents safely left the building before firefighters arrived, some were stuck on their balconies, and one person jumped from the second floor to escape danger.

Firefighters walked the perimeter of the building to examine the extent of the damage and extended a ladder from one of their fire engines, rescuing the remaining occupants.

The fire spread quickly, the department said. The incident was declared a second-alarm fire at around 12:35 a.m. and marked under control about 1:17 a.m.

The American Red Cross was asked to assist six adults and one child for temporary housing. Medics treated one person at the scene, while two others suffered serious injuries and were transported to a hospital.

Two firefighters were treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, and Richmond Animal Care & Control said two pets were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Richmond Fire Investigations Unit determined the blaze was an accidental kitchen fire.
Go back to your country, the customer yelled. Take the disease with you.

It was April 2020. After closing for weeks due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Yong Shin had just reopened K-Town Kitchen & Bar for takeout and delivery. Like other Richmond businesses, in addition to installing Plexiglas service windows and taking other precautions, Shins restaurant was requiring people to wear masks.

The first customer to walk in that day refused, prompting the angry outburst at the Korean American restaurant owner.

This wasnt the only racist comment Shin would hear over the course of the pandemic. Incidents like this involving customers and delivery drivers often arose on a near-daily basis that first year, according to Shin. The following year, they persisted roughly two or three times a week.

These encounters usually played out the same way: Some person would become enraged by the restaurants mask policy. As the situation intensified, Shin would come out from the kitchen to de-escalate. The onslaught of racist verbiage would begin.

At that point, I became like the Asian punching bag, Shin said.

The verbal assaults ranged from slurs like chink, China man or ching chang chong, to nicknames like Bruce Lee, to chants of kung flu as people stormed out the door, to the more common refrain: Go back to your country  a phrase uttered so frequently that, to Shin, it began to sound like a line people had been taught to recite.

Another disgruntled customer reported K-Town to the Virginia Department of Health. The health departments records from June 2020 reflect that the customer accused Shin and his employees of not wearing masks. However, as Shin was told from the inspector who fielded the complaint, the customer also accused the restaurant of serving cats, an accusation founded on overtly racist tropes about Asian-owned restaurants.

Every incidence of racism made me question everything about myself, Shin said. It took a piece of my soul out of me every time.

The anti-Asian sentiment he endured throughout the pandemic, accompanied by the death of two family members and his father being diagnosed with cancer, led to Shins decision to close the restaurant. The last Friday in February marked the end of K-Towns 18-year run.

I just couldnt take it, he said.

***

Things werent always so bad for Shin and his restaurant.

Born in Korea, Shin has lived in the U.S. since age 4. He and his family have been Virginia residents for almost three decades. In 2004, after attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Shin opened his restaurant near campus. Originally called Mamas Kitchen, the restaurant was the first Korean restaurant downtown. The restaurant, eventually renamed K-Town, moved to its Fourth Street location in 2016.

Outside of the pandemic, Shin said, we were really thriving, and Ive always felt like a part of this society, you know?

Its not as if Shin has never experienced racism as an Asian American before. Prior to moving to Virginia in 1992, he spent most of his childhood in the Midwest, where he recalls being exposed to much worse.

But for Shin, Richmond had been a welcoming place. It was a city hed come to fall in love with. And his restaurant was a fixture in the community, a popular spot among the downtown work crowd.

The pandemic marked such an extreme turnaround. ... You just felt like the world was just turning on us, Shin said of the hostility that he and other Asian Americans suddenly faced.

The only other time he experienced anything of this nature in RVA was, interestingly enough, during another pandemic: the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus in 2009. But that was relatively short-lived, he said.

When those anti-Asian sentiments started to resurface this time around, Shin came to the heartbreaking realization about his beloved city: Racism never left.

***

During the pandemic, an increasing number of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders nationwide have been targeted with hate crimes and other racially motivated acts, including verbal harassment. Despite their ties to this country, they have been blamed for the inception of a virus thousands of miles away in East Asia.

AAPI Data founder and professor Karthick Ramakrishnan told the news website Axios that this behavior stems from subjective notions of who is an insider, whos an outsider, who is American and who is an unassimilable foreigner. Asian Americans, historically, find themselves on the outskirts of American society  the perpetual foreigners, as theyve been called.

Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition established by several Asian American organizations in 2020, cites 4,599 reported incidents against Asian Americans in 2020 and 5,771 reported incidents between January and September 2021.

While only 26.8% of those reportedly occurred at places of business and only 1.6% were reported in Virginia, the coalition concedes that these numbers only reflect a small number of the hate incidents occurring nationwide, given that many, especially less well-educated or non-English speaking individuals, do not report such incidents when they occur.

Locally, the picture is even murkier. Pandemic-fueled racism against Asian Americans, including restaurant owners like Shin, is not well-documented.

Will Leung-Richardson, owner of Kudzu RVA, said he too has had a couple of run-ins with racism during the pandemic.

I feel strange talking about it, with so many other problems going on in the world, he said.

But its something hes come to expect as an Asian American business owner.

For instance, as retribution for Richardsons activism on behalf of Asian Americans and other communities of color in 2020, an individual posted a negative online review of Kudzu RVA, casting aspersions on what this Chinese American-owned food truck and pop-up might be serving its customers.

On another occasion, Richardson, when asked by a customer what country he was from, explained that the name Kudzu is a tribute to the staying power of Chinese culture in America  like kudzu vines, wherever it goes, its there to stay, its hard to make it go away. To which the customer replied, The going away part is the problem.

For Vanna Hem, a veteran bartender in Richmond and owner of the Cambodian-inspired Royal Pig pop-up, anti-Asian racism was a problem he and others in the industry were dealing with long before the pandemic. From being thrown dirty looks to being talked down to like Im a second-rate citizen to being called racist names like Oriental boy, Hem, a Cambodian-Chinese American, has seen and heard a lot.

About three years ago, he shared, I had a guy blatantly call me a chink to my face while tending bar at Weezies Kitchen in Carytown.

The pandemic merely intensified the situation for Asian American restaurant workers.

I think, because of the pandemic and because of the racial stigma from this thing, that people have gotten way too loose and way too comfortable with the way that they treat Asian people, Hem said. I feel like Ive been talked down to even more so than Im used to because Im Asian.

Meanwhile, in speaking with eight other Asian restaurants in the greater Richmond area for this article, six of them denied experiencing any racism. Two declined to speak on the subject.

Based on conversations with fellow Asian American restaurant owners, Shin believes that most of his peers, having experienced racism of some kind, remain unwilling to acknowledge it publicly, fearful of repercussions to their businesses.

Del. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun, a member of the newly formed Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus, believes that folks in the AAPI communities are generally less willing to report these incidents for whatever reason  be it language barriers, a lack of understanding about what and how to report, or a predisposition to avoid making waves.

The mythical model minority that society expects Asian Americans to be, Subramanyam said, is hard-working and not going to make a fuss about any sort of issues that they face. Theyre expected to absorb the blow and keep quiet about it.

At this point, Subramanyam said, All I have to go off of are anecdotes and things Im hearing from [my district].

In Ashburn where he lives, the delegate has personally heard of restaurant owners who have experienced customers that blurt out racial epithets when they get angry for some reason. At an Asian festival he attended, a neighboring restaurateur began shouting racial epithets at the Asian American owner who organized the event.

I get it myself, pretty regularly I would say, he added, as the only Indian American ever elected to the House of Delegates [in November 2019]. Ive gotten calls from people who are angry and then they would say that Im not from here, even though I was born here. ... Ive gotten people leaving a note on my windshield when they saw me in the restaurant, saying go home to where you came from.

The need to better understand the full extent of Virginias anti-Asian racism problem is the main reason Subramanyam proposed House Joint Resolution 88 during the recent General Assembly session.

The resolution would have tasked the Virginia State Crime Commission with studying, assessing and analyzing hate crimes and bias-motivated acts against Asian Americans and any increase in such incidents since the start of the pandemic. To see how prevalent [the issue] is and whether its underreported and what we can do about it, the delegate explained.

H.J. 88, however, was never heard in committee.

The committee that would hear it is the Rules Committee, which is headed by Republican House leadership, Subramanyam said. And that was the committee that did not docket the bill. With no explanation, they did not docket the bill.

It was disappointing to see a bill like this that shouldnt be partisan at all  and I dont think it is  have to basically not get a hearing and then die as a result, he said. If you oppose the bill, then thats fine. ... Lets have a discussion about it and what we can do to make it better. ... This is a much more dramatic way of essentially shutting down the conversation around this issue.

***

Shin, for one, is eager to get far away from the toxicity he encountered during the pandemic. In fact, he wishes hed done it sooner.

While hes noticed that the easing of mask requirements and other COVID-19 restrictions these past few months has defused some of the racial aggression, he has already made up his mind: K-Town will stay closed. In addition to uplifting other Asian-owned restaurants in the area, Shins plan for the future is to start a YouTube channel with educational videos on Korean cooking.

It was an amazing experience, he said, reflecting on his 18 years in business. Honestly, I thought I would be doing this the rest of my life. So it still hasnt hit me yet.

But, he added, Im excited to be able to have positive energy every day in my life.
Surrounded by supporters on Wednesday, Alecia Nelson stood quietly in tears just before she walked inside the Richmond Police Departments 3rd Precinct and filed a formal complaint against an officer who confronted her Monday at a Family Dollar store in the citys South Side.

Joshua Carter, who recorded video of Mondays tumultuous encounter between Nelson and the officer, Graham Lang, also filed a complaint against Lang with Richmond internal affairs investigators on Wednesday, alleging assault and excessive force. But when Carter tried later to swear out a criminal assault charge against Lang, he said a magistrate declined to issue the warrant and told Carter he was going to wait until he hears from internal affairs.

Nelson, an assistant teacher at Westover Hills Elementary, was injured during Mondays incident at Family Dollar on Westover Hills Boulevard. Lang, a veteran officer of 21 years, confronted her after the stores management reported that a customer was suspected of shoplifting.

Nelson was not charged with theft, but she faces a felony charge of assaulting Lang. She made her first court appearance earlier on Wednesday morning.

In a statement on Wednesday, the police department said Lang attempted to conduct a lawful detention of Ms. Nelson by giving verbal commands regarding the need to detain her for further investigation. The suspect refused to cooperate with the officers lawful command, to which she verbally and physically resisted.

In response to her noncompliance and physical resistance, the statement continues, the officer used force to gain compliance and that force is presently being investigated to include video footage that precedes the video being circulated on social media.

The statement says Lang called for backup to help him take Nelson into custody. It also says that Lang is cooperating with the internal investigation and remains on duty.

In Carters video of the incident, the white officer is leaning over Nelson, who is Black, on the floor of Family Dollar as she screams and says she cant breathe and asks bystanders to call 911 for help. Carter said the officer shoved another woman who had been holding Nelsons purse for her while she was on the ground, and he also said the officer pushed Carter while he was recording video after repeatedly telling Carter to back up.

Carter, 28, of South Richmond, said the officer knocked Nelson into a makeshift wall and pushed her through a shelf of candy. At some point, Carter said, the officer hit his head on a gumball machine and was bleeding. Nelson suffered heavy bruising during the encounter and said she had pain in her chest and head.

The flashbacks I was having was straight George Floyd, Carter said Wednesday, referring to the man who was killed in 2020 when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

The incident at Family Dollar was first reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

A criminal complaint filed in Richmond Circuit Court alleges that Nelson struck Lang and scratched his neck and face after Lang tried to detain her while investigating a possible larceny. It also says she initially pulled away from Lang when he tried to grab her by the arm.

Thats a lie, Nelson said when a reporter read her the criminal complaint. I did not strike him at all.

She said she doesnt remember scratching him but that, if she did, it was because he was grabbing her and she had to protect herself. She said she pulled away because Lang tried to grab her when she had done nothing wrong and was trying to leave the store. She said she had stopped by Family Dollar to buy snacks for her daughters third-grade class at Westover Hills Elementary.

Nelson, 33, appeared in Richmond General District Court on Wednesday before Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland for her initial hearing. The judge appointed her an attorney, Morgan Faulkner of the Richmond Public Defenders Office, and set a preliminary hearing date for April 8.

She was accompanied in court by her boyfriend, Verdre Turner. After the hearing, they met Carter at Richmond Police Departments 2nd Precinct on East Belt Boulevard, about a mile and a half from the Family Dollar. When Nelson and Carter tried to file complaints and press charges against Lang, they were told to go to the 3rd Precinct on South Meadow Street.

Supporters from a local Black Panthers group and the Black Power Movement were waiting for Nelson and Carter at 3rd Precinct. Richmond police Capt. Faith Flippo, accompanied by about five other officers, came to speak to the group of a dozen people and told them that internal affairs officers were on their way and that they could hear Nelsons and Carters complaints and concerns.

When someone asked Flippo if she had seen the video, she said she has viewed it.

One of the supporters, Pops Holmes, asked Flippo: For an alleged shoplifting, which she wasnt even charged for, did it really warrant that amount of violence?

Youve got this great big dude tackling and slamming and twisting her arm  he was so aggressive that he injured himself, Holmes told Flippo. That blood on his forehead, he did that.

Im not going to make a comment on it, Flippo said. Weve had grown men who are 6-foot-5, 200 pounds wrestling with a female thats 100 pounds, and its been a fight for their life.

I can understand if it was a violent situation  were literally talking about shoplifting, countered Holmes, adding that Nelson purchased the merchandise and did not steal anything.

Nelson, who is a regular customer at the Family Dollar, said it was the second time the same manager at the store has accused her of shoplifting. The other time, two or three months ago, he asked her to show him the inside of her purse, she said. When he saw there was no merchandise inside it, he apologized, she said.
Two men died and another was taken to a hospital on Thursday morning after an incident involving power lines at a Short Pump construction site, according to Henrico County authorities.

First responders from Henrico police and fire were called to the scene at 8:16 a.m. for preliminary reports of a fire around a home in the 4500 block of Bacova Club Court.

The first responders found three men on the ground, officials said. Two of the men were pronounced dead on the scene. They were Juan Carlos Moreno-Romero, 34, and Oscar Rosales, 18. The third man has been taken to a hospital.

The incident is believed to have involved nearby power lines which may have affected nearby homes, the statement read. Power has since been restored to the area.

A Dominion Energy spokesman said about 2,300 customers were without power for nearly 45 minutes.

Authorities later said they believe a piece of metal scaffolding on the side of a house that was under construction fell into an adjacent primary power line, electrocuting the two men and injuring the third.

Primary lines are higher-voltage lines located at the top of utility poles above transformers, Dominion spokesman Jeremy Slayton said in a email. They typically carry voltages between 4,160 and 34,500 volts, about 35 to 280 times the amount of power that comes through standard wall outlets.

Our hearts go out to the families, friends and co-workers impacted by this tragic situation, Slaytons email said. We are cooperating with Henrico County authorities as they continue their investigation.

Dominion encourages homeowners to keep ladders, antennas and all other outdoor equipment at least 10 feet from power lines. Stay clear of trees if power lines run through the branches  trees contain enough moisture to conduct the electricity, according to safety guidelines on the website. Dont fly kites or drones near lines and, if something gets caught, leave it there, the site said.

Around midday, fire, police, energy and OSHA officials had left the scene.

On behalf of multiple responding agencies involved in todays incident, our thoughts are with the entire family near and far during this tragic incident, police said in a statement identifying the victims.

Rosales cousin and aunt were on the scene Thursday speaking with authorities. Michelle Castaneda and her mother told a reporter in Spanish that they had been in touch with Rosales parents, who live in Guatemala. They were distraught at the news of their sons death, Castaneda said.

Rosales was born in Connecticut, Castaneda said, but his family moved to Guatemala when he was a child. He had just returned to America last year  Rosales lived in Richmond  and was happy to be home and working to support his family in Guatemala.
The General Assembly voted to elect two judicial candidates to the bench in Chesterfield County on Wednesday, but a nominee for a third judgeship, who was believed to be a shoo-in, was pulled at the last minute by one of Chesterfields state senators.

The legislator said she was concerned about the lame duck status of the sitting judge, whom the candidate would be replacing in nine months.

I just think its important that you close one door before you open another one, said Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, who scuttled the nomination of attorney Steven B. Novey, on Thursday. I just wanted to make sure it was handled respectfully. Were all in agreement on Novey  that was not the issue at all.

The nomination of Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judge M. Duncan Minton for a vacant seat in Chesterfield Circuit Court sailed through the House and Senate, as did the nomination of family law attorney Tara D. Hatcher to fill Mintons seat. Both were included on a list of candidates that both chambers approved in a block vote.

But Novey, who was selected by Chesterfields legislative delegation for a second circuit court seat that will open in December, was suddenly removed from the block in the Senate, after the House had voted to elect him.

Chase initially signed paperwork in favor of Noveys nomination, but then struck her name off as the Senate prepared to vote. State Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, who represents part of Chesterfield, signed in support of Novey, but Chesterfields third state senator, Ghazala Hashmi, was opposed. A majority of the delegation must agree on a nomination before it can be approved by the full Senate.

At the time we took the vote, I wasnt ready to go ahead ... when you have a sitting judge there, said Chase, who indicated she has now reconsidered after learning that Chesterfield will have a circuit court vacancy for seven months if a candidate to fill that position isnt elected now.

Longtime Judge Lynn Brice lost the support of half of Chesterfields legislative delegation and failed to win reappointment after questions rose about her professionalism and commitment in sitting on the bench in Colonial Heights  which is part of the 12th Judicial Circuit.

In January, Brices name was left off a list of incumbent state judges that legislators in the Senate collectively voted to approve. Brices name was included on a list of judges certified for approval by the House, but a judge cannot be elected without a majority of both bodies voting in their favor.

Chase said nothing is final at this point, but the plan is to bring Noveys nomination back before the Senate for another vote before the session ends Saturday.

***

There were no stumbling blocks for Chesterfields two other judicial candidates.

Minton, who has served as a Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge since March 1, 2017, was elected to begin work as a Chesterfield Circuit Court judge on May 1  filling a seat vacated by Judge Frederick G. Rockwell III, who retired Dec. 31.

On the same day Minton takes the bench in circuit court, Hatcher will fill Mintons current seat in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Minton, who served as a Chesterfield prosecutor for 14 years before becoming Spotsylvanias chief deputy commonwealths attorney in February 2016, was elected the following year to a seat in Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

We had a wonderful selection of applicants for this circuit court, and Judge Minton exceeded all of our expectations, Morrissey told members of the joint House of Courts and Senate Judiciary committees that interviewed state judicial candidates on Tuesday.

Asked about his interest in the position, Minton said hes loved every minute of his time as a juvenile court judge, but hes ready for a new challenge.

I think if you have the ability and youre ready to accept that challenge, he said, you owe a duty to the Commonwealth to offer your services as you move forward.

In introducing Hatcher, Morrissey noted she was a former staff attorney for the Supreme Court of Virginia, worked as an attorney for a large family law practice and had served as an assistant commonwealths attorney in Powhatan County. More recently, she has been practicing on her own as a family law attorney.

She practices extensively in family law and we know she will serve Chesterfield County in a stellar fashion, Morrissey said.

Hatcher told committee members that while serving as a Powhatan prosecutor part time, she simultaneously represented the Powhatan Social Services Office.

Some days I would prosecute the morning docket and then do social services in the afternoon and have some custody cases, she said. So Im very comfortable in the juvenile court. Ive served in a lot of roles in that court, and I just have a real passion for [it].

In describing Noveys qualifications, Morrissey noted that he has handled a variety of cases during his nearly 30-year career as a defense attorney and public defender, and will be able to handle every matter that comes before him.

Morrissey told this story about how Novey became the delegations choice:

We had several stellar candidates who we were about to interview ... and then Mr. Novey said to us, with great humility, that all of these candidates are superbly qualified. And that wasnt a perfunctory statement; he meant it. And then he went on to say, This is why I am best suited to go on the circuit court bench. And he then literally blew us away with his credentials.

In addressing legislators, Novey said: After 27 years of doing this, Ive handled a variety of cases, from capital murder to traffic tickets to construction litigation. I feel like its time I can give back and be a judge ... and serve the bench well.
One of the chief elements in debate over a bill that would close off inactive police files to the public is a November media request to Albemarle County police for records about Jesse Matthew, who pleaded guilty in 2016 to killing college students Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington.

The parents of both victims testified in favor of the legislation, saying the release of additional records would further traumatize their families.

But neither Albemarle police nor any lawmaker have answered key questions: Is existing law so weak that it would allow sensitive records to be released to a media company, and were any records actually released?

The answer  according to records obtained Wednesday by the Richmond Times-Dispatch under FOIA  is no records were released. The requestor dropped the issue after Albemarle County police wrote it would cost $76,743.97 to provide the files, according to records Albemarle police provided The Times-Dispatch in response to a FOIA request about the November FOIA request.

The November request for the Matthew case file was made by a representative of Arrow Media, a television production company, for a feature on the Investigation Discovery documentary show See No Evil, a true crime series.

The request asked for police reports, interviews, crime-scene photos, and video and photos from any search warrants carried out. The request was respectful and said the show would highlight law enforcements important work on the case.

Alison Wood  FOIA specialist with Albemarle police  gave the requestor an initial cost estimate of $28,396.36, writing that costs would likely be higher, but that the company would need to pay the initial amount to proceed. (FOIA allows government agencies to charge for the actual cost of fulfilling a request).

The requestor then replied that the company didnt have the budget for that much and modified the request. Wood responded on Dec. 13 that the new estimate was $76,743.97. The cost estimate was for officials to review the materials for redactions.

Current law prevents police from releasing photos of a victim in an inactive file and allows them to withhold any record in an inactive file in which release would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

Bryson Johnson  the representative who made the FOIA request for Arrow Media  didnt respond back to police. Reached by phone Wednesday, Johnson said the company dropped it.

The production company I was working for just said that estimate was too high and decided not to go through with it, he said.

After seeing the correspondence, Megan Rhyne, executive director of the nonprofit Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said it illustrates that there is no need for the legislature to pass House Bill 734 from Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle.

After seeing this back and forth, Im unclear how existing law is so inadequate that it must be drastically rolled back, as HB734 proposes to do, she said.

The legislation would allow the immediate families of homicide victims and certain lawyers to access files in closed police investigations, but close off those files to the press and general public.

The bill is in conference committee, which doesnt hold hearings  its a small group of lawmakers who iron out details in private with feedback from interested groups.

Previous Times-Dispatch reporting on the bill explained how debate over it was riddled with misinformation and how some lawmakers acknowledged misunderstanding current law, mistakenly believing gruesome photos could be released when they cannot.
A new federal budget is halfway through Congress, with billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine and authority for Virginia and other states to receive all of the money promised to them last fall for highways and bridges in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

But the budget approved by the House of Representatives late Wednesday and due for a vote by the Senate also heralds a return of earmarks  federal dollars for local projects championed by members of Congress.

Congress had abandoned the practice  alternately cherished and reviled  more than a decade ago, but revived it in a manner that promotes transparency and accountability, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Virginia Democrats, said after the House vote.

The two senators heralded $5 million for rehabilitating the deteriorating Mayo Bridge across the James River in downtown Richmond; nearly $4 million for a new federal inspection service facility at Richmond International Airport and $2 million for construction of the southern portion of the new Fall Line Trail in Petersburg and through Virginia State University in Ettrick.

The budget also includes $5.8 million that Warner had requested for planning and design of a new Army Aviation Support Facility for the Virginia National Guard in Sandston.

The senators also shared credit with Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, for including $1 million in the budget for a project to expand public access to the Amtrak train station in Ettrick as part of a project to revitalize the structure, now more than 65 years old.

McEachin said the budget includes $19.1 million for community projects at his request, including almost $1 million for a gun violence prevention project at Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as $400,000 for a residency program at VCU to train teachers in early childhood education, both also supported by Warner and Kaine.

I am elated that all ten of my Community Project Funding requests were fully funded through this bill, bringing millions of dollars back home to Virginias Fourth Congressional District, McEachin said in a statement on Thursday.

McEachins earmark package also included money to extend the Prince George County water system along Route 10, upgrade the Petersburg wastewater plant that serves the new pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and build pedestrian access across Cattail Creek in Hopewell.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, procured funding for projects in each of the 10 counties she represents, including $1 million each for drainage improvements along Otterdale Road in Chesterfield County and an in-patient detoxification center in Henrico County, both projects that Warner and Kaine also supported.

As passed by the House, the budget bill includes $375,000 for a new circuit court clerks office in Amelia County, $924,000 for a new aerial ladder fire truck in Nottoway County and $15,000 for the GoochlandCares program in Goochland County, but Spanberger refrained from declaring the deal done until the Senate votes to send the spending bill to President Joe Biden to sign.

Under the new community funding process, each member of the House can request up to 10 local projects in the budget, but they must have local sponsors and qualify for federal grants. The purpose of Community Project Funding is to ensure direct, local engagement as part of the federal appropriations process, said Spanbergers website, which lists the projects submitted to her office. In line with this goal, funding applications must demonstrate significant local support for the projects.

The omnibus spending bill would do much more than just provide money for congressional earmarks. For example, it includes $14 billion for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine as it fights to withstand a brutal invasion and military attack by Russia.

It requires reporting of all cyber-attacks on public and private networks to the federal government, with safeguards for privacy, a priority for Warner as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

It includes $5 million for a new hate crimes reporting network named partly for Heather Heyer, an Albemarle County woman killed after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017, and $1 million to roll out the Ashanti Alert system for missing adults from 18 to 64 years old. The alert system, authorized under a 2018 law Warner sponsored, is named for Ashanti Billie, a 19-year-old woman abducted in Norfolk in 2017 whose body was found 11 days later in North Carolina.

Most important, the budget legislation would fully fund the federal government for the current fiscal year instead of relying on continuing resolutions as temporary stopgaps.

Without it, the government would be limited to spending what it was authorized last year, which would prevent it from spending additional money, including portions of the $1 trillion infrastructure act.

Warner and Kaine estimate that would cost the state $364 million for road and bridge projects and $53 million in new funding for transit systems. They say the omnibus spending bill also is necessary for the government to distribute $37 billion in new spending on defense and $1.85 billion for public health infrastructure projects.

We are pleased to see the House of Representatives vote to pass a full-year spending package, which will prevent a costly shutdown and provide key federal funding for some of Virginias top priorities, the senators said in a statement.
A youth in foster care suffering a mental health crisis waited for more than four days under police custody in a South Richmond hospital for treatment in a state psychiatric hospital that never provided her a bed, according to a lawsuit filed against Virginias behavioral health agency and the states only mental hospital for youth.

The Giles County Department of Social Services filed suit on Feb. 28 against the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Commonwealth Center for Children & Adolescents. It alleges that the state violated the so-called bed of last resort law adopted in 2014 to ensure that state psychiatric institutions would admit patients found to pose a threat to themselves or others.

The departments failures and refusals to carry out its duties under state law have created a mental health crisis ... and endangered the public by submitting members of the public to behaviors of respondents caused by their untreated mental health issues, the suit states.

The lawsuit comes as Virginias behavioral health system has struggled to overcome a crisis caused by overcrowding, partly as a result of the 2014 law, and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and a severe shortage of direct-care staff in state institutions.

Last summer, then-Commissioner of Behavioral Health Alison Land temporarily halted admissions at five state mental institutions because of overcrowding and lack of staffing to safely accept more patients.

Lauren Cunningham, spokesperson for the department, would not comment on pending litigation, but said, We can say that as public and private hospitals alike are still reeling from staffing shortages and COVID-19-related bed closures, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has been working with partners statewide to ensure continuity of services to the fullest extent they can be delivered in both community and inpatient settings.

The Commonwealth Center, in Staunton, has been at the heart of the crisis because it lacks enough staff to safely operate all of its 48 beds. The hospital currently is filling just 18 beds because it lacks staff to safely admit more patients.

Currently, only 37 of the 94 direct service aide jobs are filled at the center, a vacancy rate of 61%. All five jobs for licensed practical nurses are vacant, and so are 10 of the 20 positions for registered nurses.

The Commonwealth Center has been under an incredible amount of stress the last year and a half, said Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, chair of the state Behavioral Health Commission.

Deeds said he could not comment on the lawsuit because he had not seen it or been made aware of it before he was contacted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Wednesday.

But he is well aware of the stakes for people seeking emergency psychiatric treatment because of his own family tragedy, which led to the adoption of the last resort law.

His 24-year-old son, Gus, repeatedly stabbed the senator and then killed himself at their Bath County home on Nov. 19, 2013, less than 13 hours after being released from emergency custody because the regional mental health agency failed to find a bed for his treatment in a psychiatric facility.

The incident led the General Assembly to adopt a package of legislation the following year that included a guarantee that no one would be turned away from a state psychiatric facility for involuntary emergency treatment if they met the requirements for a temporary detention order. A magistrate may issue a TDO, as its called, if the person is a threat to themselves or others, or unable to care for themselves.

But the unintended consequence of the law was a dramatic increase in TDO admissions to state hospitals, as private psychiatric hospitals accepted a smaller proportion of those cases, especially if the patients are aggressive.

State lawmakers have struggled with a solution that would ease pressure on overcrowded and understaffed state hospitals without streeting people in psychiatric crisis by failing to provide treatment before releasing them.

That is what the Giles lawsuit alleges the state did to S.E., identified only by her initials and gender. The youth, who had been living in a residential facility in Chesterfield County because of behavioral issues, was placed under a temporary detention order for involuntary treatment just after 2 a.m. on Feb. 21.

A Chesterfield County police officer transported the youth to Tucker Pavilion, a private psychiatric facility adjoining HCA Chippenham Hospital in South Richmond. After the facility cleared the youth for any medical issues, it sought to admit her to the Commonwealth Center, which refused because it had no bed available, the lawsuit alleges.

As a result of the Centers failure and refusal to provide the services required by law, S.E. suffered a mental health crisis without any care, other than supervision by the Chesterfield County police officer, and was held in the Chippenham Hospital emergency room for the entire duration of the order, the suit states.

The lawsuit alleges that the Commonwealth Center agreed almost four days later, just before the 96-hour order had expired, to provide a bed on the following morning.

But the next day, once the order expired, they wouldnt take her, said Giles County Attorney Richard Chidester, who filed the suit against the state on behalf of the local social services agency.

Instead, the suit said the state requested that Giles social services workers drive across the state that afternoon to pick up the youth and return her to Giles without the child receiving any mental health treatment.

Chidester said the youth is receiving mental health treatment, but he would not say where.

He said he found it surprising that the youth could sit there for four days and not get mental health treatment, but he understands the challenge at the Commonwealth Center.

Its not a matter of they dont want to do it, Chidester said. They dont have the staff.
Virginia Senate Democrats rejected four of Gov. Glenn Youngkins nominees for the Virginia Parole Board on Thursday in an escalation of an ongoing fight over appointments.

Just retaliation, said Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, after the party-line vote on an appointment resolution that also included a nominee for the state Safety and Health Codes Board.

When the General Assembly adjourns, possibly on Saturday, the parole board will have only one member, its chair Chadwick Dotson, a retired judge and former Wise County commonwealths attorney.

Youngkin will appoint new members, but he will not be allowed to appoint his now-scuttled choices of Tracy Banks, a longtime lawyer and law professor from Charlottesville; Cheryl Nici-OConnell of Chesterfield County, a former Richmond police officer injured in a shooting in 1984; Montgomery County Sheriff Charles Partin; and Carmen Williams of Chesterfield.

Williams was language access and immigration legal services manager for the Project of Empowerment of Survivors for the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.

State appointments have resulted in above-average partisan fighting in the legislature this year. Democrats rejected Youngkins choice of Andrew Wheeler, a former EPA director under President Donald Trump, to be Virginia secretary of natural resources.

House Republicans last month rejected 11 of former Gov. Ralph Northams nominees, including three nominees to the state Board of Education and two to the State Air Pollution Control Board.

Republicans have opted not to elect State Corporation Commission Judge Angela Navarro to a full term; she had been appointed by Northam to fill the unexpired term of a commissioner who left for a federal post.

And then the Senate Democrats took their action on the parole board Thursday, with a vote that followed accusatory speeches from each side about who started the appointment fight.

It wasnt us who escalated the war, OK? said Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax.

Were not going to be walked all over, over and over again, and just take it, said Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria.

Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, said Thursdays decision would be disappointing for the people involved, but it is more disappointing for the commonwealth.

And he said it highlighted a continued effort by Democrats to not address the serious violations that occurred at the parole board.

That relates to misconduct found in 2020 by a state watchdog agency, including violations of law and policy in the process the prior board used to release some people from prison.

The parole board became a hot election issue last year, and Youngkin fired the entire Northam board on his first day in office.

Youngkin issued a statement through his press secretary, Macaulay Porter: This is shocking. The Democrats are continuing to cover up a scandal of their own creation. The Democrat controlled parole board broke the law, put criminals ahead of victims, and tried to cover it all up. We will reform the parole board, expose those conspiring to hide this from public view, and stand up for victims rights.

After the vote, Senate Republicans gathered at the statue of George Washington in the Capitol Rotunda for a caucus portrait. Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, watched from the sidelines because she quit the caucus in November 2019.

Senate Democrats issued a news release saying the rejection of the parole board appointments was in response to Youngkins refusal to appoint the 11 Northam appointees that House Republicans removed last month.

Democrats had warned Youngkin in a Feb. 18 letter: Unfortunately, unless you reappoint all eleven of these public servants there will be tremendous pressure to apply this precedent in turn to future Youngkin appointees. For the sake of the General Assembly as an institution, this is not a path we wish to take.
Theres a new legal advocacy organization targeting lawyers who helped ex-president Donald Trump perpetuate election-fraud claims following the 2020 presidential election.

Led by some legal-industry heavyweights, The 65 Project is going after those attorneys law licenses. And at least two are familiar faces in Western Virginia: Reps. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt, and Morgan Griffith, R-Salem.

Griffith, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, was a state delegate and lawyer in private practice until his election to Congress in 2010. Cline, who also served in Richmond, is a former assistant state prosecutor who worked in private practice until 2018, when he won election to succeed former congressman Bob Goodlatte.

Both are also members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of far-right Republicans on Capitol Hill whose members include Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, Louie Gohmert, R-Texas (whos retiring); Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia.

We are considering filing a bar complaint against any elected official who joined the Texas lawsuit who is also an active member of the bar, and that includes Reps. Griffith and Cline, said Michael Teter, The 65 Projects managing director. Hes an attorney and law professor in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Filed Dec. 9, 2020, the Texas case was a last-ditch attempt to overturn the election before the Electoral College cast its ballots. It was bought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, and joined by attorneys general from at least 16 other states. The Trump legal team and a total of 126 Republican House members also signed onto it.

It sought to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all of which were won by President Joe Biden. Texas argued that procedural voting changes in those states prior to the election were illegal and the results had harmed Texas.

The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit Dec. 11, 2020, ruling that Texas had no right to sue. Three days later, on Dec. 14, 2020, electors in all 50 states met to cast their ballots for their presidential victors.

The 65 Project takes its name from the number of lawsuits filed by the Trump legal team or its supporters in the wake of the 2020 election. All were tossed out of court, some by federal judges whod been appointed by Trump.

Although the campaign of frivolous legal actions revealed no evidence of widespread fraud or election irregularities, it helped give legs to sentiments that later exploded into attempted insurrection in Washington less than a month later, on Jan. 6, 2021.

Wednesday morning, I contacted spokesmen for both Cline and Griffith to seek reaction to the The 65 Projects announcement. I got no reply by my 4 p.m. deadline.

Some of the folks behind The 65 Project include people with strong ties to Democrats, such as former senator Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, and David Brock, who founded the liberal media watchdog group, Media Matters for America.

Also on the groups advisory board are Christine Durham, a former chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court; Roberta Ramo, first female president of the American Bar Association and Paul Rosenzweig, a former Department of Homeland Security official in the last Bush administration and a member of the conservative legal group, The Federalist Society.

Cline and Griffith arent the only Virginia lawyers The 65 Group is targeting, Teter said. When I asked for that list, he said he would provide it in the future.

Right now, I can say that it looks like Virginia lawyers participated in litigation in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. At least one of those lawyers has already had a bar complaint filed against her in Michigan  Emily Newman, Teter said.

Newman, of Northern Virginia, worked on a legal team with Trump attorney Sidney Powell. Both have already been sanctioned for bringing a frivolous Trump legal action contesting Michigans 2020 election.

Right now theyre among the 111 lawyers in 26 states who are in The 65 Projects crosshairs. But that list is also curious for whos not on it  such as Del. Wren Williams, R-Patrick.

Williams is a lawyer in Stuart and a freshman state delegate in Richmond. In the 2021 GOP primary, he successfully unseated former Republican delegate Charles Poindexter, whod said he didnt suspect widespread election fraud in the presidential election.

By contrast, Williams bragged repeatedly during the campaign that hed volunteered on the Trump legal team fighting the Wisconsin election outcome. He did it in his campaign literature, too.

On CNN, Williams gave an interview ballyhooing his service as one of Donald Trumps legal attorneys in the 2020 election, adding, that is a national role that I played.

In a statement published by the conservative online news website National File, Williams said his title was President Donald J. Trumps Deputy Legal Counsel in Wisconsin.

But Teter told me that The 65 Project has never heard of Williams.

Mr. Williams is not on the list of Virginia attorneys who we have having appeared on court documents for President Trump or in any of the litigation, Teter said.

If he participated, he did so behind the scenes. Our efforts will continue in seeking to undercover those who played less active roles and, if the situation warrants, filing bar complaints against those individuals, as well.

Tuesday, I sent Williams a list of questions seeking to clarify the service hed said he performed for the Trump legal team in Wisconsin.

One was how Williams traveled there, another was how long he stayed, and I also asked where he stayed and who covered his travel and lodging expenses. And I posed these questions:

On which lawsuits challenging the 2020 Wisconsin presidential election does your name appear?

Who were the attorneys you worked alongside during the Wisconsin election challenge efforts?

Were you admitted pro hac vice to practice in Wisconsin? If so, what was the date of that court order? And whats the name of the judge who signed it?

(In most cases, a Virginia-licensed attorney would have to seek formal permission from a Wisconsin court to practice law there, unless the attorney was also licensed in Wisconsin. Williams is not listed by the state bar of Wisconsin as a licensed attorney there.)

Wednesday, I received Williams 783-word response, which answered exactly none of the above questions.

The first 483 words were about election-integrity legislation he sponsored in Richmond after his 2021 election.

Near the end of the statement, Williams wrote: I came to understand that election integrity is a serious issue after the November 2020 election, when I volunteered to assist President Donald J. Trumps legal team in the Wisconsin recount.

The team found more than 200,000 ballots had been improperly counted or cast, the statement added. But the courts disagreed.

Our case against these improper activities was escalated to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, where it was kicked on a technicality by one vote, Williams added.

It is essential in any free republic that elections be fair, secure, and trustworthy, and that our elections be governed strictly by the laws passed by our elected officials. I maintain that this was not the case in the Wisconsin 2020 General Election.

At no place in Wednesday statement does Williams ever say he was physically in Wisconsin while he was volunteering. That might explain why The 65 Project has never heard of Williams, or seen his fingerprints on any Trump election-lawsuit papers.

Soon, Teter added, The 65 Project will be assembling teams of lawyers in the jurisdictions where these lawyers are practicing and will be filing bar complaints in waves.

We are also putting together a working group of preeminent lawyers to help draft model rules of professional conduct that relate directly to attorneys engaging in efforts to overturn democracy and using the courts as a tool for political propaganda.

Lawyers who wish to volunteer can contact the group at info@the65project.com, Teter said.

Contact metro columnist Dan Casey at 981-3423 or dan.casey@roanoke.com .

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Donald W. Clark, 71, of Ripplemead, died early Monday in a crash in Giles County, Virginia State Police said Wednesday.

Troopers were called to the single-vehicle wreck at 5:24 a.m., a state police news release said. They found that a 2000 Ford F-150 pickup truck had been traveling west in the eastbound lanes of Wenonah Avenue. It went off the right side of the road, crossed the median and overturned in the westbound lanes.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Wenonah Avenue and the U.S. 460 ramp, state police said.

Clark, who was driving the pickup, was thrown from vehicle and died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, state police said.

Investigators are continuing to review the wreck, state police said.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Russia's war on Ukraine is two weeks in. Here's a selection of stories from Wednesday that provide a deeper look at what's happening.

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A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said, amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow's invasion is about to take a more brutal turn. To read more, click on the link below:

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Two weeks into its war in Ukraine, Russia has achieved less and struggled more than anticipated at the outset of the biggest land conflict in Europe since World War II. To read more, click on the link below:

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To a watching world, his message is this, in both his words and his resolute, sometimes haggard appearance: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands as a mirror to the suffering and spirit of his people. He appears to be getting through. To read more, click on the link below:

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Europe faces a tough choice: Is it worth a recession to choke off oil and gas money to Russia while it fights a war in Ukraine? To read more, click on the link below:

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Poland Russia Ukraine War A woman carries her child as she boards a train Wednesday heading for Krakow after fleeing Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland. 

Children represent around half of the more than 2 million people that have fled the war, an exodus that the U.N. refugee agency has called the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. To read more, click on the link below:

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The Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine and the humanitarian tragedy it provoked over the past two weeks have raised a Western outcry of heartfelt support and spawned calls for a fundamental rethink of how the geopolitical map of Europe should be redrawn in the future. To read more, click on the link below:

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Rising gasoline prices pose a fresh election year challenge for President Joe Biden. He's balancing concerns about costs at the pump in the U.S. against calls from both parties to step up penalties on Russian President Vladimir Putin. To read more, click on the link below:
Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine became inevitable when President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that he wanted his country to be a member of NATO. That was a red line for Russia.

Russias military buildup against Ukraine began soon after. Zelensky had the choice of withdrawing his call for NATO membership, or preparing for war. He chose to resist Putins threats because he assumed NATO, especially the U.S., would pressure Putin to stop short of war. He was wrong; his country is paying a terrible price

Zelensky now has two choices. He could resign and make way for another government that doesnt seek NATO membership; or, he could fight on and be a hero for Ukrainians and others who think its better to defend their freedom even though it destroys the country. Its a tough call. But as Ukraines cities are destroyed and refugees pour into neighboring countries, the question should be asked: Was this worth it?

Putins political pressure on Ukraine will not cease even if Zelensky withdraws his request for NATO membership. The Russian leader has held power for 22 years; he is determined to bring back to power in Kviv a pro-Moscow leader like the one ousted in a 2014 uprising. He would not stop pressuring Kyiv until it ousts Zelensky.

When will this war end? Not until Zelensky is gone and Russia controls major ports on the Black Sea and large cities in the eastern half of the country. Putin says he doesnt intend to deprive Ukraine of sovereignty; but it must cooperate with Moscow and, in effect, become a satellite country.

What happens to three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, that were part of the Soviet Union, not satellites, until the USSRs breakup in 1990? As fully functioning democracies, they applied for NATO membership and were accepted in 2004. If Putin chose to undermine their independence, he would face the combined forces of NATO; It already has troops stationed there to warn Moscow.

President Putin called the Soviet Unions breakup the greatest strategic disaster of the 20th century. Experts on Russia claim he is determined to recreate a Soviet-type sphere of influence in eastern Europe that would include Poland, Hungary and Romania.

Its now clear that Putins larger ambitions will not bear fruit.

His invasion has united Europe in a way that appeared impossible earlier. Nowhere is this more evident than the decision of Germanys new government to cancel the Nordstream 2 Gas pipeline, greatly increase defense spending, and reverse a policy on sending arms to Ukraine. Putin realizes NATO will hold firm against his ambitions.

It is time for diplomacy to find a solution to this national tragedy. Frances President Macron has talked to Putin but this has not succeeded. Another country, China, may have more influence with Putin because he and President Xi Jinping recently concluded an agreement to support each other.

This was before Putins war in Ukraine, and could now give Peking more leverage in Moscow.

How long will Vladimir Putin remain in power? One possibility is those closest to him politically will work against him when economic sanctions threaten their livelihood. Another possibility is Putins health will force him to share power with one or more leaders. This occurred in 1953 when a very ill Josef Stalin was replaced by a troika of leaders who chose detente over confrontation with Washington.

But its also possible that Putin will never give up, and depend on the police and intelligence services to support him.

The good news is that Ukraines war has unified the West, triggered an insurgency that slows the invasion, and ruined Russias economy. Could Kyiv turn out to be Putins Waterloo?

Nuechterlein is a political scientist who lives near Charlottesville. He served with U.S. forces in Germany in 1946-47.
At Feast and Field, some of our favorite dishes have come from the minds of incredible female pioneers in todays culinary industry. We have been fortunate to travel the country, stepping inside the kitchens of exciting, daring and talented female chefs who are making waves and bringing about change in said industry.

While we are always honored to tell the stories of those behind the food and drink of America, as an all-female staff, we feel especially lucky to be able to give another voice and lift these female chefs weve met along the way.

In honor of Marchs Womens History Month and International Womens Day on March 8, Feast and Field is celebrating the chefs who have not only shared with us delicious recipes, but who have provided top-of-the-line tips and offered cooking inspiration for meals and gatherings big and small.

Here are some of our favorite Feast and Field-featured female chefs who are doing their part in shaping this nations ever-evolving food scene.

Elizabeth Johnson

Sofia Tejeda

Speaking of grapefruits, we also connected with Sofia Tejeda, a Texas-based pastry chef whose formal training at the Culinary Institute of America (and in some of the nations toughest kitchens!) eventually brought her to the Food Network. We have Tejeda to thank for these Grapefruit Honey Scones, Sparkling Grapefruit Granita and Grapefruit Cremes Brulees.

Alekka Sweeney

Robin Davis

Continuing on the sweet train, we headed over to North Carolinas Maxie Bs bakery for Issue No. 9: Traditional Southern Baking. Were not the only ones to recognize the talent oozing out of Maxie Bs: The bakery experienced fame in 2011 when Southern Living touted founder and owner Robin Davis traditional cakes. Years later, Davis blessed us with a few delicious desserts, including her Blueberry Pie and Jam Crumble Bars that you dont have to wait until peak berry season to enjoy. P.S. Want to pipe a cake like a master baker? Check out our tutorial here.

Laurel Burleson

Because we cant ever get enough jam (see: Issue No. 13: Jams and Preserves), we traveled north to Wisconsin to try our hand at homemade jam with chef Laurel Burleson, owner of Ugly Apple Cafe, a food cart that was started as a way to address the (perfectly good) produce deemed to be cast-offs. This ugly fruit goes to waste every day in this country, but personally, we dont think theres anything ugly about these Strawberry Caprese Canapes with Strawberry-Basil Jam.

Mary Goddard

In one of Feast and Fields most ambitious trips yet, we were lucky enough to pull up a seat at Mary Goddards table in Sitka, Alaska. Mary, along with her husband Lucas, is the chef and blogger behind Forest Fresh Alaska, a forest-to-table cooking blog that helps readers unlock the potential of local food and ingredients. We couldnt think of anyone better to teach us a thing or two about cooking salmon for Issue No. 21: Wild Salmon. Be sure to give their Creamy-Coconut Salmon Chowder, Smoked Salmon Sushi Lollipops or their Simply Delicious Grilled Salmon a try.

Lisa Shaw

Lara Lyn Carter

Jaynelle St. Jean

Could this list be complete without killer pie? Jaynelle St. Jean, owner and founder of Pietisserie, boasts over 13,000 Instagram followers and has formed a cult following for her modern take on the beloved dessert. St. Jeans story of graduating from just a single pie window to a bakery with national interest is nothing short of inspiring. She gave us some insider secrets to her (beautiful) top-selling pies in Issue No. 36: Pie, including Ginger & Cardamom Apple and Black-Bottom Walnut  and even gave us a tutorial on how to master a lattice pie crust.

Alexandra Coppinger

Kate Heller

Rounding out our list is Kate Heller, owner of Leos Bread bakery in New Orleans, a somewhat new bakery which often finds itself on best of lists. (For a city so ingrained in cake culture, we think thats quite impressive!) Heller gave us three delicious rum-spiked desserts in Issue No. 49: Rum, including a few innovative ways to always be able to pull off Tiramisu. Thank you, Kate.

And thank you, ladies!
MARIUPOL, Ukraine  A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol and wounded at least 17 people, Ukrainian officials said, amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow's invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn.

The ground shook more than a mile away when the Mariupol complex was hit by a series of blasts that blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building. Police and soldiers rushed to scene to evacuate victims, carrying out a heavily pregnant and bleeding woman on a stretcher.

Another woman wailed as she clutched her child. In the courtyard, mangled cars burned, and a blast crater extended at least two stories deep.

"Today Russia committed a huge crime," said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the wreckage. "It is a war crime without any justification."

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter that there were "people, children under the wreckage" and called the strike an "atrocity." Video shared by Zelenskyy showed cheerfully painted hallways strewn with twisted metal.

"There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenseless," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held "to account for his terrible crimes."

Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Wednesday slammed the door on plans to provide MiG fighter jets to Ukraine, even through a second country, calling it a high-risk venture that would not significantly change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Polish counterpart on Wednesday and told him the U.S. assessment. He said the U.S. is pursuing other options that would provide more critical military needs to Ukraine such as air defense and anti-armor weapons systems.

Poland had said it was prepared to hand over MiG-29 planes to NATO that could be delivered to Ukraine, but Kirby said U.S. intelligence concluded that it could be considered escalatory and trigger a significant Russian reaction.

Authorities, meanwhile, announced new cease-fires Wednesday morning to allow thousands of civilians to escape from bombarded towns around Kyiv as well as the cities of Mariupol, Enerhodar and Volnovakha in the south, Izyum in the east and Sumy in the northeast.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was able to leave other cities, but people streamed out of Kyiv's suburbs, many headed for the city center, as explosions were heard in the capital and air raid sirens sounded repeatedly.

From there, the evacuees planned to board trains bound for western Ukrainian regions not under attack.

Civilians leaving the Kyiv suburb of Irpin were forced to make their way across the slippery wooden planks of a makeshift bridge, because the Ukrainians blew up the concrete span to Kyiv days ago to slow the Russian advance.

Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors over the past few days largely failed because of what the Ukrainians said were Russian attacks. But Putin, in a telephone call with Germany's chancellor, accused militant Ukrainian nationalists of hampering the evacuations.

In Mariupol, a strategic city of 430,000 people on the Sea of Azov, local authorities hurried to bury the dead from the past two weeks of fighting in a mass grave. City workers dug a trench some 25 yards long at one of the citys old cemeteries and made the sign of the cross as they pushed bodies wrapped in carpets or bags over the edge.

About 1,200 people have died in the nine-day siege of the city, Zelenskyys office said.

Nationwide, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, since Putin's forces invaded. The U.N. estimates more than 2 million people have fled the country, the biggest exodus of refugees in Europe since the end of World War II.

The fighting knocked out power to the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant, raising fears about the spent radioactive fuel that is stored at the site and must be kept cool. But the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said it saw "no critical impact on safety" from the loss of power.

The crisis is likely to get worse as Moscow's forces step up their bombardment of cities in response to what appear to be stronger Ukrainian resistance and heavier Russian losses than anticipated.

Echoing remarks from the director of the CIA a day earlier, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia's assault will get "more brutal and more indiscriminate" as Putin tries to regain momentum.

Britain's Defense Ministry said fighting continued northwest of Kyiv. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol were being heavily shelled and remained encircled by Russian forces.

Russian forces are placing military equipment on farms and amid residential buildings in the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine's military said. In the south, Russians in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv, a Black Sea shipbuilding center of a half-million people, it said.

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, is building up defenses in cities in the north, south and east, and forces around Kyiv are "holding the line" against the Russian offensive, authorities said.
The first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died, two months after the groundbreaking experiment, the Maryland hospital that performed the surgery announced Wednesday.

David Bennett, 57, died Tuesday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Doctors didn't give an exact cause of death, saying only that his condition had begun deteriorating several days earlier.

Bennett's son praised the hospital for offering the last-ditch experiment, saying the family hoped it would help further efforts to end the organ shortage.

"We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort," David Bennett Jr. said in a statement released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We hope this story can be the beginning of hope and not the end."

Doctors for decades have sought to one day use animal organs for life-saving transplants. Bennett, a handyman from Hagerstown, Maryland, was a candidate for this newest attempt only because he otherwise faced certain death  ineligible for a human heart transplant, bedridden and on life support, and out of other options.

After the Jan. 7 operation, Bennett's son told The Associated Press his father knew there was no guarantee it would work.

Prior attempts at such transplants -- or xenotransplantation -- have failed largely because patients' bodies rapidly rejected the animal organ. This time, the Maryland surgeons used a heart from a gene-edited pig: Scientists had modified the animal to remove pig genes that trigger the hyper-fast rejection and add human genes to help the body accept the organ.

At first the pig heart was functioning, and the Maryland hospital issued periodic updates that Bennett seemed to be slowly recovering. Last month, the hospital released video of him watching the Super Bowl from his hospital bed while working with his physical therapist.

Bennett survived significantly longer with the gene-edited pig heart than one of the last milestones in xenotransplantation -- when Baby Fae, a dying California infant, lived 21 days with a baboon's heart in 1984.

"We are devastated by the loss of Mr. Bennett. He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought all the way to the end," Dr. Bartley Griffith, who performed the surgery at the Baltimore hospital, said in a statement.

The need for another source of organs is huge. More than 41,000 transplants were performed in the U.S. last year, a record -- including about 3,800 heart transplants. But more than 106,000 people remain on the national waiting list, thousands die every year before getting an organ and thousands more never even get added to the list, considered too much of a long shot.

The Food and Drug Administration had allowed the dramatic Maryland experiment under "compassionate use" rules for emergency situations. Bennett's doctors said he had heart failure and an irregular heartbeat, plus a history of not complying with medical instructions. He was deemed ineligible for a human heart transplant that requires strict use of immune-suppressing medicines, or the remaining alternative, an implanted heart pump.

Doctors didn't reveal the exact cause of Bennett's death. Rejection, infection and other complications are risks for transplant recipients.

But from Bennett's experience, "we have gained invaluable insights learning that the genetically modified pig heart can function well within the human body while the immune system is adequately suppressed," said Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, scientific director of the Maryland university's animal-to-human transplant program.

One next question is whether scientists have learned enough from Bennett's experience and some other recent experiments with gene-edited pig organs to persuade the FDA to allow a clinical trial  possibly with an organ such as a kidney that isn't immediately fatal if it fails.

Twice last fall, surgeons at New York University got permission from the families of deceased individuals to temporarily attach a gene-edited pig kidney to blood vessels outside the body and watch them work before ending life support. And surgeons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham went a step further, transplanting a pair of gene-edited pig kidneys into a brain-dead man in a step-by-step rehearsal for an operation they hope to try in living patients possibly later this year.

Pigs have long been used in human medicine, including pig skin grafts and implantation of pig heart valves. But transplanting entire organs is much more complex than using highly processed tissue. The gene-edited pigs used in these experiments were provided by Revivicor, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics, one of several biotech companies in the running to develop suitable pig organs for potential human transplant.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Cloudy in the morning followed by partly cloudy skies and gusty winds during the afternoon. High near 90F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later at night. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
 Vera Institute of Justice provides very latest prison data with "People in Prison in Winter 2021-2022" | Main | Jussie Smollett sentenced to 150 days in jail, years of probation, $120,106 in restitution and $25,000 fine for faking attack 

March 10, 2022

Highlighting some disparities identified in recent "Dealing in Lives" report on federal life sentences for drug offenses

In this post a few days ago, I spotlighted this terrific new research paper authored by Alex Fraga, who serves as a Senior Research Associate at Ohio State's Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (DEPC). The paper, titled "Dealing in Lives: Imposition of Federal Life Sentences for Drugs from 19902020," is the focal point of this new Filter article titled "Federal Life Sentences for Drugs: Unconscionable and Massively Biased." Here is some of the coverage:

Studying federal life and de facto life sentences for drugs in federal courts from 1990 to 2020, Dr. Fraga found stunningly awful racial disparities. Federal life sentences are practically reserved for defendants who are Black (62.4 percent) or Hispanic (22 percent). Crack cocaine was the drug involved in roughly half of federal life sentences, yet the disparities held independent of drug type. In addition, many people were punished more harshly for wanting to exercise their constitutional rights. As Fraga writes, An astonishing 72% percent of those sentenced to life or de facto life for drug trafficking exercised their right to trial. When the system is largely a conveyor belt of plea bargains, with over 90 percent of cases never going to trial, astonishing is right. Defendants who demand that prosecutors meet their burden of proof are often hit with harsher charges and sentencing outcomes.... Yet another layer of inconsistency and arbitrariness in federal drug sentencing exposed by the report covers is geography-based. Just five districts  three in Florida, one in Virginia and one in South Carolina  accounted for 25 percent of all federal life and de facto life sentences imposed for drug trafficking during the study period. For context, there are 93 federal court districts in the nation. Each has its own presidentially-appointed US attorney, who enjoys a wide band of discretion on who to charge and with what. How could this happen? Despite ostensible efforts toward uniformity, federal courthouses in different parts of the country have developed their own local legal cultures. For example, in southern Georgia, there is no public defender office for impoverished people charged with federal crimes; they receive appointed attorneys who are often uninvested and lack expertise in criminal law. That district also has some of the harshest sentencing outcomes in the country.

I am grateful to see this engagement with some of the data in the new report, and there are so many other interesting findings therein. As mentioned previously, a number of the paper's key findings (and visuals) can be viewed at this DEPC webpage.

Prior related post:

March 10, 2022 at 05:18 PM | Permalink

Comments

An astonishing 72% percent of those sentenced to life or de facto life for drug trafficking exercised their right to trial.

I'm not sure how astonishing that is, we would need to know what the pretrial offers were. If the prosecutors demanded life sentences and never came off that position, then it would not be so surprising that the defendants went to trial. No reason to plead guilty. On the other hand, probably many of these sentences are the result of trial taxing. I imagine one common scenario in federal drug cases would be that you must choose between pleading to a 20-year mandatory minimum and risking mandatory life at trial.

Posted by: Eric Fish | Mar 10, 2022 5:33:13 PM

When you knowingly commit a crime to make some quick dough, and that crime carries a potential life sentence, and you try a fancy dance at trial to try to wriggle your way out of it, and the jury doesn't buy it, and the judge takes note of your belligerent and complete lack of contrition -- then the fact that you wind up at the top of the sentencing range is neither surprising nor disturbing. You had a lot of chances to change your behavior to get to a better outcome. You blew them off. Next time wise up.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 10, 2022 8:33:11 PM

I trust you realize, Bill, that a life sentence in the federal system formally means there is no "next time." The person given life for seeking some "quick dough" and exercising his constitutional right to a trial has been condemned to die in prison, and thus sentenced for a federal drug crime much more severely than the average federal sentences given out for murderers and sex offender and kidnappers with lengthy criminal histories.

Posted by: Doug B. | Mar 10, 2022 8:52:39 PM

Doug --

"I trust you realize, Bill, that a life sentence in the federal system formally means there is no 'next time.'"

There will be hundreds or thousands of "next times" where he can choose to behave honorably or at least more-or-less honestly, and that's what I'm talking about.

Once again, it's everybody's fault but the guy who committed the crime and then tried to do a shake-and-jive with the jury. Sorry, the "it's everybody else's fault" line has run out of steam. This is not to mention that it's not accurate, not by a long shot.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 10, 2022 11:56:44 PM

Framers: "The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury." And "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury."

Bill Otis: If you decide to exercise the procedural rights twice stressed by the Framers via the express text of the Constitution, you are involved in "shake-and-jive" that makes it "neither surprising nor disturbing" when we impose an LWOP sentence that the rest of the world views as a human rights violation (and that is far harsher than the average federal sentences given out for murderers and sex offender and kidnappers with lengthy criminal histories).

Do you think, Bill, that a drug offense sentence which is clearly *many decades* longer as a direct consequence of a decision to put the government to its proof at trial would have been endorsed by the Framers and demonstrates true fidelity to the text of the Constitution?

Posted by: Doug B. | Mar 11, 2022 9:10:33 AM

Actually, even without a deal the defendant is always free to plead guilty. While fairly rare now I do have to wonder how open plea results end up comparing with those who chose to go to trial. Actually, I suppose the real difference is that deals very often make a majority of charges go away (even often more serious charges) and not just limit the arguments a prosecutor will make in favor of a longer sentence. An open plea does not accomplish that.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Mar 11, 2022 1:43:32 PM

Doug --

"Bill Otis: If you decide to exercise the procedural rights twice stressed by the Framers via the express text of the Constitution, you are involved in "shake-and-jive" that makes it "neither surprising nor disturbing" when we impose an LWOP sentence..."

Any number of your sleazy and shrewdly anonymous commenters mangle my position, but you're usually better than that. I never said (which is why you don't quote me), and don't believe, that simply demanding a trial is a shake-and-jive. But if at that trial you lie or intentionally mislead about your behavior, or sponsor witnesses who are similarly deceitful, that most certainly is a shake-and-jive.

So let me ask you this: All other things being equal, should a judge give the same sentence to (a) a defendant who owns up to what he did as to (b) a defendant, who like liberal hero Jussie Smollett, lies about his behavior to the cops, lies about it to the jury, and then continues to lie about it to the court at sentencing?

Do those two defendants deserve the same sentence?

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 11, 2022 3:54:12 PM

Doug --

To continue: "... that the rest of the world views as a human rights violation (and that is far harsher than the average federal sentences given out for murderers and sex offender and kidnappers with lengthy criminal histories)."

Ha! In the great majority of the rest of the world, namely Asia, the Subcontinent, Africa and the Middle East, the punishments for drug dealing are much harsher than in the USA, and include not merely lengthy prison terms but the death penalty. But if we are to be guided in law by "the rest of the world" -- i.e., the huge parts of it that are non-Caucasion -- shouldn't we also start with Item A, to wit, capital punishment? Yes? No? Or do non-white parts of the world not count in thinking about that most grave of punishments?

"Do you think, Bill, that a drug offense sentence which is clearly *many decades* longer as a direct consequence of a decision to put the government to its proof at trial would have been endorsed by the Framers and demonstrates true fidelity to the text of the Constitution?"

As noted, the sentence is longer because the defendant was dishonest, not because of his invocation of procedural rights. But for however that may be, I will let the text of the Constitution speak for itself rather than indulge the (admittedly quite common) belief in legal academia that modern professorial guessing about intent should displace the founding document's text, cf. Harmelin v. Michigan.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 11, 2022 4:09:59 PM

I am sorry if I did not fairly characterize your views, Bill, and maybe a few questions can allow me to avoid doing so. As always, this forum does not make this conversation easy, but let see how we can do:

1. Do you think a LWOP sentence for drug offenses is likely to be generally just and justified?

2. Do you think a LWOP sentence for drug offenses is likely to be more just and justified if the defendant exercises his right to trial?

3. Do you think a LWOP sentence for drug offenses is likely to be more just and justified if the defendant exercises his right to trial and lie or intentionally misleads about his behavior?

As a general matter, I do not think an LWOP sentence is just or justified for any non-violent offense -- the vast majority of the countries that impose life sentences do so with the possibility of parole: https://www.penalreform.org/issues/life-imprisonment/key-facts/. Most of the rest of the world views LWOP as problematic and views long sentences for drug offenses as problematic. But you are right, there are a handful of other nations with drug offense sanctions comparable to the US, and I should have not been so sweeping in my statement.

I do think sentencing judges and juries should consider remorse, honesty and even the consequentialist benefits of a conservation of limited resources as reasons to lower a sentence. Because I am a consequentialist who sees a link between justified punishment and post-offense behaviors, having some sentencing "delta" for pleading guilty makes sense. But, I think we dishonor the text of the Constitution's emphasis on trials and trial rights and the Framer's vision of law and justice and liberty if that "delta" is measured in decades so that certain offenders who plead guilty typically get 10 years but comparable offenders who go to trial (and maybe even lie) may often get LWOP.

At issue is not the "sentence getting longer" because a drug defendant went to trial and was dishonest. At issue is the drug defendant getting LWOP because he went to trial and was dishonest. I welcome a quote of the "the text of the Constitution" supporting that approach to federal government punishments.

Posted by: Doug B. | Mar 12, 2022 10:18:01 AM

Doug --

"I do think sentencing judges and juries should consider remorse, honesty and even the consequentialist benefits of a conservation of limited resources as reasons to lower a sentence."

DING DING DING!!!!! Give that man the brass ring!

I'll answer you questions in the next comment, but I wanted to flag that one seminal sentence. I think I'll paint it on a lunch board and, for the next couple of weeks, walk around campus wearing it.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 13, 2022 3:45:18 PM

Doug --

To answer your questions:

1. No, with the note that the word "generally" is doing a lot of work in your question.

2. No, not MERELY if the defendant goes to trial. But if he presents a deceitful story, that's another matter.

3. Yes, an LWOP sentence is likely to be "more" justified under those conditions, but with the caveat that a half of a percent is "more" than a tenth of a percent. LWOP sentences should doubtless be rare. In 25 years at DOJ and the USAO, I never asked for one. But never say never.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 13, 2022 8:55:33 PM

Bill, we agree that LWOP sentences --- I would say for any crime --- should be rare. And it seems to me especially troublesome that the data in the "Dealing in Lives" report shows are not so rare for federal drug defendants who exercise their right to trial. This kind of extreme sentence should only be given if the awfulness crime (and criminal history) so clearly justifies locking a human in a cage for the rest of his life. If the crime is not so awful, a defendant's desire to put the government to its proof should not be, in essence, a fatal decision if we sincerely regard jury trial rights.

Posted by: Doug B. | Mar 13, 2022 9:59:13 PM

Post a comment
Russia has denied attacking a Ukrainian maternity hospital, branding horrific video of the aftermath and reports of the destruction as "fake news". (Reuters)

Russia has denied attacking a Ukrainian maternity hospital, branding horrific video of the aftermath and reports of the destruction as "fake news" and "information terrorism".

Ukrainian authorities have said three people, including a child, died when the children's and maternity hospital in the southern city of Mariupol was bombed on Wednesday.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the target on the hospital was the "ultimate proof that what is happening is the genocide of Ukrainians".

But Russia's first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, claimed the building was no longer a maternity hospital and had been taken over by Ukrainian troops.

"Thats how fake news is born," he tweeted.

Polyanskiy said Russia had warned on 7 March that the hospital had been turned into a military object from which Ukrainians were firing.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova echoed his claims and said reports of Russia bombing the hospital was fake and amounted to "information terrorism".

Read more: Child among three dead after attack on maternity hospital

Shattered windows are seen inside Mariupol children's hospital (Reuters)

Deputy mayor Sergei Orlov said 17 others had been injured in the attack, including pregnant women.

He told the BBC: "I'm absolutely sure they know about this facility and this is their third hospital that they are destroying in this city.

"I'm absolutely sure (these are their) targets."

Rescuers worked through the night to free pregnant women from the rubble as temperatures dropped below -4C, sparking fears for those who have been pinned under the wreckage.

Click on this image to see all Yahoo News UK's latest content on the Ukraine crisis

The Ukrainian Red Cross warned the strike would likely cause a complete collapse of paediatric care in Mariupol.

Footage and images from inside the wrecked health centre showed much of the hospital's equipment and the paediatric care wards were reduced to ashes.

Watch: Mariupol hospital heavily damaged after suspected Russian attack

Story continues

Mariupol has been under siege from Russian forces for over a week, with its residents cut off from food, water, electricity and vital medicines. (Reuters)

Vladimir Putin ordered his troops in to invade 15 days ago, causing the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War Two as more than 2 million refugees flee Ukraine for neighbouring countries.

In a statement released from the Presidential Palace in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said: "Europeans, you can't say you didn't see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can't continue their savage war.

"What kind of country bombs hospitals? Is afraid of hospitals? Of a maternity ward?

"Was someone insulting Russians? Were pregnant women shooting in direction of Rostov? Was it the ''denazification'' of a hospital? What the Russians did at Mariupol was beyond savagery."

Mariupol has been under siege from Russian forces for over a week, with its residents cut off from food, water, electricity and vital medicines.

Mass graves have been dug as people die from thirst, as Mariupol mayor Vadim Boychenko said a six-year-old girl called Tanya had died "alone, exhausted, frightened, terribly thirsty."

A person is carried out after the destruction of Mariupol children's hospital (Reuters)

It comes amid fears in Britain and the US that Putin could be setting the stage to use chemical weapons in Ukraine after the Kremlin made unfounded allegations the US had been supporting a bioweapons programme.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that Russia had been making false claims about alleged US biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine.

She added those allegations had been echoed in Beijing.

Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them, she tweeted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed fears Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would start a nuclear war if the West joins Ukraines defense.

I think that the threat of nuclear war is a bluff, Zelenskyy told German newspaper Die Zeit in a written interview. Its one thing to be a murderer. Its another to commit suicide. Every use of nuclear weapons means the end for all sides, not just for the person using them. Rather, Putins threat shows a weakness. You only threaten the use of nuclear weapons when nothing else is working.

Putin ordered Russias nuclear forces on high alert on Feb. 27 in response to economic sanctions imposed by the U.S., U.K. and the E.U., among other countries. Since then, the U.S. has gone further by banning imports of Russian oil and gas, and the U.K. is phasing out Russian oil. Europe, heavily dependent on Russian energy, has so far resisted calls for a similar ban.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed fears Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would start a nuclear war if the West got involved in halting the war in Ukraine. (Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via Associated Press)

Still, Zelenskyy said the sanctions were not enough to stop Putin.

If they were, the offensive would have stopped already, Zelenskyy told Die Zeit. Russian oil and gas are still being bought. Western companies still operate on the Russian market while hiding behind various excuses.

He also sounded the alarm for other neighboring countries, including Georgia, Moldova, and the Baltic states, which he said could be next on Russias target list. This fear is shared by Western officials.

In fact, the entire continent is in danger as long as Russia is able to attack another country, Zelenskyy said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied Russia was a threat.

We are not planning to attack other countries, Lavrov told a Turkish reporter, according to The New York Times. We didnt attack Ukraine, either.

The White House has said repeatedly that the U.S. would not commit troops or other military assistance to Ukraine that Putin might view as an escalation.

But the U.S. is concerned that Russia could deploy chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine following the Kremlins allegations that the U.S. was running biowarfare labs in the country.

Story continues

We should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them, White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted.

Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. Its a clear pattern.  Jen Psaki (@PressSec) March 9, 2022

The use of chemical and biological weapons is banned under the 1925 Geneva protocol.

Zelenskyy has accused Russia of committing war crimes by attacking civilian targets. The bombing of a maternity hospital Wednesday killed at least three people.

The invasion was no surprise to me, Zelenskyy told Die Zeit. But the brutality was. What the Russian soldiers are doing to the civilians is more than I can comprehend. The bombs theyre dropping on apartment buildings. The missile systems theyre using to shell residential areas. Those are war crimes.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the U.K. is banning Russian oil and gas. It is phasing out Russian oil.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man has pleaded guilty in federal court of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl.

Juan Pablo-Hernandez, 44, entered his plea Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

According to court documents, Pablo-Hernandez had sex with the girl on two occasions between July 15 and Sept. 15 in an apartment in the 1600 block of Douglas Street. During an interview with police, Pablo-Hernandez admitted to having sex and other sexual contact with the girl.

Pablo-Hernandez was arrested Sept. 24 and charged in Woodbury County District Court with two counts each of second-degree sexual abuse, indecent contact with a child and lascivious acts with a child. The case was dismissed after Pablo-Hernandez was indicted in federal court in November.

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SIOUX CITY -- A woman involved in an assault that preceded a downtown Sioux City shooting has pleaded guilty.

Miracle Walls, 24, of Sioux City, entered her written plea Wednesday in Woodbury County District Court to one count of third-degree burglary.

As part of a plea agreement, the charge was reduced from second-degree burglary. Walls' sentence was not part of the agreement and will be left up to a judge. Third-degree burglary, a Class D felony, carries a five-year prison sentence. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

In her plea, Walls admitted to reaching into a car on Sept. 24 and punching one of the occupants.

Walls and Joy Scott were charged with following the woman in a car and blocking her path on an access road in the 200 block of Nebraska St. Once the car was stopped, Scott and Walls opened the woman's car door and assaulted her.

Before the woman was stopped, she had called her brother, who arrived on the scene and tried to break up the fight. Aaron Word, who was in the car with Walls and Scott, is charged with shooting the man once in the back and once in the chest.

Scott, 40, of Sioux City, has pleaded not guilty of second-degree burglary and is scheduled to stand trial in April.

Word, 18, of Sioux City, is scheduled to stand trial in May on charges of attempted murder, willful injury, intimidation with a weapon, going armed with intent and trafficking in stolen firearms.

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SERGEANT BLUFF -- Grinding, crashing and pounding noises echoed on Wednesday as fire science students learned forcible entry techniques.

Students on the fire science pathway at the Sioux City Career Academy spent Wednesday morning at the Sergeant Bluff Fire Department, breaking through ceiling tiles, grinding through metal and prying open doors.

The fire science pathway teaches students a variety of firefighting skills, while helping them receive certificates. On Wednesday, the students learned various ways to forcibly enter various doors, locks and windows.

Carlie Harrison, a senior from East High, decided to take the course because her grandfather was a firefighter. Even though she may not follow a career in firefighting, she said she is enjoying the course.

She said she expected a classroom based course, where the students learned from textbooks and training videos, but the course is mostly hands-on learning. Her favorite activity in the class thus far was using the fire extinguishers.

Throughout the morning, firefighters helped the students through the techniques. The students were dressed in full firefighter turnout gear throughout the process. There are students from five different schools taking part in the class.

Tatum Navrkal is a senior at the Sergeant Bluff-Luton school and has been a firefighter with the Sergeant Bluff department for two years. The class allows him to to get the necessary certificates.

He enjoys the course and the training, but also enjoys being able to use his experience on the department to help teach his fellow students.

He hopes to become an emergency management director, because he likes the combination of hands-on fire service work and leadership.

Classes in the pathway include topics of emergency services, fire protection systems, the essentials of being a firefighter, hazardous materials and emergency medical responder.

Both Harrison and Navrkal recommended students take courses at the Career Academy. Harrison said the courses provide more experiences and are more interesting than regular high school courses.

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MARIUPOL, Ukraine  A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol and wounded at least 17 people, Ukrainian officials said, amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow's invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn.

The ground shook more than a mile away when the Mariupol complex was hit by a series of blasts that blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building. Police and soldiers rushed to scene to evacuate victims, carrying out a heavily pregnant and bleeding woman on a stretcher.

Another woman wailed as she clutched her child. In the courtyard, mangled cars burned, and a blast crater extended at least two stories deep.

"Today Russia committed a huge crime," said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the wreckage. "It is a war crime without any justification."

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter that there were "people, children under the wreckage" and called the strike an "atrocity." Video shared by Zelenskyy showed cheerfully painted hallways strewn with twisted metal.

"There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenseless," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held "to account for his terrible crimes."

Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Wednesday slammed the door on plans to provide MiG fighter jets to Ukraine, even through a second country, calling it a high-risk venture that would not significantly change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Polish counterpart on Wednesday and told him the U.S. assessment. He said the U.S. is pursuing other options that would provide more critical military needs to Ukraine such as air defense and anti-armor weapons systems.

Poland had said it was prepared to hand over MiG-29 planes to NATO that could be delivered to Ukraine, but Kirby said U.S. intelligence concluded that it could be considered escalatory and trigger a significant Russian reaction.

Authorities, meanwhile, announced new cease-fires Wednesday morning to allow thousands of civilians to escape from bombarded towns around Kyiv as well as the cities of Mariupol, Enerhodar and Volnovakha in the south, Izyum in the east and Sumy in the northeast.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was able to leave other cities, but people streamed out of Kyiv's suburbs, many headed for the city center, as explosions were heard in the capital and air raid sirens sounded repeatedly.

From there, the evacuees planned to board trains bound for western Ukrainian regions not under attack.

Civilians leaving the Kyiv suburb of Irpin were forced to make their way across the slippery wooden planks of a makeshift bridge, because the Ukrainians blew up the concrete span to Kyiv days ago to slow the Russian advance.

Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors over the past few days largely failed because of what the Ukrainians said were Russian attacks. But Putin, in a telephone call with Germany's chancellor, accused militant Ukrainian nationalists of hampering the evacuations.

In Mariupol, a strategic city of 430,000 people on the Sea of Azov, local authorities hurried to bury the dead from the past two weeks of fighting in a mass grave. City workers dug a trench some 25 yards long at one of the citys old cemeteries and made the sign of the cross as they pushed bodies wrapped in carpets or bags over the edge.

About 1,200 people have died in the nine-day siege of the city, Zelenskyys office said.

Nationwide, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, since Putin's forces invaded. The U.N. estimates more than 2 million people have fled the country, the biggest exodus of refugees in Europe since the end of World War II.

The fighting knocked out power to the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant, raising fears about the spent radioactive fuel that is stored at the site and must be kept cool. But the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said it saw "no critical impact on safety" from the loss of power.

The crisis is likely to get worse as Moscow's forces step up their bombardment of cities in response to what appear to be stronger Ukrainian resistance and heavier Russian losses than anticipated.

Echoing remarks from the director of the CIA a day earlier, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia's assault will get "more brutal and more indiscriminate" as Putin tries to regain momentum.

Britain's Defense Ministry said fighting continued northwest of Kyiv. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol were being heavily shelled and remained encircled by Russian forces.

Russian forces are placing military equipment on farms and amid residential buildings in the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine's military said. In the south, Russians in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv, a Black Sea shipbuilding center of a half-million people, it said.

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, is building up defenses in cities in the north, south and east, and forces around Kyiv are "holding the line" against the Russian offensive, authorities said.

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After a news conference by city officials on safety on Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains, a Chicago police sergeant enters the CTA Red Line station at Chicago Avenue and State Street on March 9, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

More police officers and security guards will be deployed on CTA buses, trains and at stations in an effort to address increased violent crime and rule-breaking, city and transit officials said Wednesday.

The Chicago Police Department will be adding more officers and supervisors to patrol the system, including on the busy Red and Blue lines and including a focus on gang and narcotics crimes, police Superintendent David Brown said.

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Police have been adding resources to the CTA for some time, and are stepping up efforts now anticipating more ridership, Brown said. Police will send as much (resources) as we need to send to the CTA to make it safe.

The CTA will also boost its use of unarmed, private security on buses, trains and at stations, President Dorval Carter said.

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Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter talks to reporters inside the CTA Red Line station at Chicago Avenue and State Street on March 9, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

We have a number of incredible initiatives planned to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of our transit system even more, but none of that will matter if CTA customers dont feel safe taking public transportation, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a news conference.

The announcements come amid complaints about crime and dirty conditions on buses and trains. Lightfoot said recent data showed violent crime on CTA was up in 2022 compared to 2021.

The day before the announcement, a 25-year-old man was critically wounded in a shooting on a CTA train near the 63rd Street Red Line station about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Chicago police said in a media notification. The man had gotten into an argument with four other people, according to police.

The investigation was continuing Wednesday afternoon, Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said. Police think the shooter and the wounded man knew each other.

Bus drivers and train operators have also demanded more protections, protesting attacks against operators.

Carter pinned other recent bad behavior on fewer bus and train riders.

Unfortunately, because there are fewer riders on the system, for a long stretch of time, this in turn has led some people to feel a little bit more emboldened to engage in unacceptable behavior on CTA, he said. Im here today to tell you that, that is something we will not accept.

The guards are intended to be a deterrent to misbehavior, and will work with police as needed, he said. They do not have the authority to arrest anyone, and will also be trained to answer customer questions.

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At a meeting Wednesday morning, CTA board members approved $71 million in multiyear contracts with Monterrey Security and Inter-Con Security. The new contracts will double the number of CTA guards to more than 200, and they will be deployed every day, up from five days a week, CTA spokesman Brian Steele said.

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown during a news conference inside the CTA Red Line station at Chicago Avenue and State Street on March 9, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

I think that we are hopeful that by having additional enforcement of our rules of conduct, it will deal with a lot of the quality issues that we often get complaints about on the CTA system, while also being additional eyes and ears so that if there is a need for police interaction that we can get that information to them quickly and timely so they can respond accordingly, Carter told the CTA board.

The guards will also be trained to work with homeless people who have been sheltering on trains during the pandemic, Carter said. The CTA has also been working to get social service agencies that work with unhoused people more involved, he said.

Last week, the transit authority announced it would be boosting the presence of its own contracted security guards to address an increase in rule-breaking and potential safety concerns.

Complaints of people breaking rules were reiterated by one CTA rider Wednesday morning, when he told the board about a state of lawlessness that has overtaken many CTA train lines and stations. He described public cigarette and marijuana smoking and drinking on public transit, and urged the board to take action.

As workers return to the Loop, as tourists and business travelers return to Chicago, this is the worst possible time for CTA trains to be dirty, smelly, smoky, embarrassing and unsafe, he said.

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sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com
MARIUPOL, Ukraine  Civilians trapped inside Mariupol desperately scrounged for food and fuel as Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the port city Thursday, while satellite photos showed that a massive Kremlin convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv.

International condemnation escalated over an airstrike in Mariupol a day earlier that killed three people at a maternity hospital, with Western and Ukrainian officials calling the attack a war crime. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian refusal to permit evacuations from the port city amounted to "outright terror."

Meanwhile, the highest-level talks held since the invasion began two weeks ago yielded no progress, the number of refugees fleeing the country topped 2.3 million, and Kyiv braced for an onslaught, its mayor boasting that the capital had become practically a fortress protected by armed civilians.

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed that a 40-mile convoy of vehicles, tanks and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, with armored units seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city. Some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported, with artillery pieces in firing positions nearby.

The convoy had massed outside the city early last week, but its advance appeared to have stalled amid reports of food and fuel shortages. U.S. officials said Ukrainian troops also targeted the convoy with anti-tank missiles.

In Mariupol, a southern seaport of 430,000, the situation was increasingly dire. More than 1,300 people have died in the 10-day siege of the frigid city, according to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Residents have no heat or phone service, and many have no electricity. Nighttime temperatures are regularly below freezing, and daytime ones normally hover just above it. Bodies are being buried in mass graves. The streets are littered with burned-out cars, broken glass and splintered trees.

"They have a clear order to hold Mariupol hostage, to mock it, to constantly bomb and shell it," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. He said the Russians began a tank attack right where there was supposed to be a humanitarian corridor.

Grocery stores and pharmacies were emptied days ago by people breaking in to get supplies, according to a local official with the Red Cross, Sacha Volkov. A black market is operating for vegetables, meat is unavailable, and people are stealing gasoline from cars, Volkov said.

Repeated attempts to send in food and medicine and evacuate civilians have been thwarted by Russian shelling, Ukrainian authorities said.

"They want to destroy the people of Mariupol. They want to make them starve," Vereshchuk said. "It's a war crime."

All told, some 100,000 people have been evacuated during the past two days from seven cities under Russian blockade in the north and center of the country, including the Kyiv suburbs, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy told Russian leaders that the invasion will backfire on them as their economy is strangled. Western sanctions have already dealt a severe blow, causing the ruble to plunge, foreign businesses to flee and prices to rise sharply.

"You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes," Zelenskyy said in a video address. "And then, it will definitely happen, you will be hated by Russian citizens  everyone whom you have been deceiving constantly, daily, for many years in a row, when they feel the consequences of your lies in their wallets, in their shrinking possibilities, in the stolen future of Russian children."

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed such talk, saying the country has endured sanctions before.

"We will overcome them," he said at a televised meeting of government officials. He did, however, acknowledge the sanctions create "certain challenges."

In addition to those who have fled the country, millions have been driven from their homes inside Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 2 million people  half the population of the metropolitan area  have left the capital.

"Every street, every house  is being fortified," he said. "Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands."

Western officials said Russian forces have made little progress on the ground in recent days and are seeing heavier losses and stiffer Ukrainian resistance than Moscow apparently anticipated. But Putin's forces have used air power and artillery to pummel Ukraine's cities.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the hospital attack "a shameful and immoral act of war." Britain's Armed Forces minister, James Heappey, said that whether the hospital was hit by indiscriminate fire or deliberately targeted, "it is a war crime."

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, on a visit to Ukraine's neighbor Poland, backed calls for an international war-crimes investigation into the invasion, saying, "The eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed concerns about civilian casualties as "pathetic shrieks" from Russia's enemies, and denied Ukraine had even been invaded.

Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, held talks in a Turkish resort in their first meeting since the invasion.

The two sides discussed a 24-hour cease-fire but made no progress, Kuleba said. He said Russia still wanted Ukraine to surrender but insisted that will not happen.

Lavrov said Russia is ready for more negotiations, but he showed no sign of softening Moscow's demands.

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What exactly makes country music outlaw?

The rebellious, grittier sound of the South gained popularity in the 1970s thanks to artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard and others, who stripped the traditional sound to its core and built it up again through rockabilly rhythms, honky tonk gusto and rock 'n' roll mythology. More crucially, the phrase described a philosophy of being rather than a particular sound. Outlaw country became a metaphor for the lifestyle: facing off against the establishment, hiding your contraband and touring town to town in the dead of night as though being chased by the law.

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In 2019, that outlaw spirit remains, but its fringe-masked, gay crooner Orville Peck whos on the run. Reframing traditional country songwriting tropes around tales of escaping with drag queens from the rodeo, falling in and out love with men (from cowboys and hustlers to boxers and jailers), revenge and riding into the unknown with nothing more than the memories of identities long gone, hes revitalizing the space for queer expression in a genre often noted for its lack of embrace of marginalized voices.

In classic country, the old saying is what? Three chords and the truth, Peck says on a phone call ahead of a gig in Florida. Country has a really long history of subversive points of view and diversity. I think its a stigma that people think countrys this one perspective. I dont see it that way at all."

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Releasing his debut album Pony through Sub Pop in March, Peck (who performs under a pseudonym) captured the spirits of Johnny Cash (Buffalo Run," Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call)) and Roy Orbison (Roses Are Falling," Dead of Night)  his deep, rich drawl evoking a similar longing and road wariness, accented by sweeping steel pedals, gently plucked banjos, shoegaze-tinged guitar riffs and desert whistles. Aesthetically, he tips his hat to the Grand Ole Oprys finest, sporting classic rhinestone, embroidered Nudie suits, cowboy hats and his signature masks.

Peck, like any outlaw, arrived out of nowhere; fully formed with stories that seemed to get taller as more folks found themselves captivated by his cowboy ballads and campfire lullabies. Unapologetic in referring to himself as a country star, and clearly headed in the right direction in literally becoming one, hes garnered a large enough following to sell out the majority of his current North American tour.

A versatile and experienced performer with roots in theater and Canadas punk scene, he creates at the intersection of bare sincerity and nouveau-camp theatricality. He says hes wanted to make country music for as long as he can remember, but couldnt access the vulnerability and honesty he believes define the genre. He didnt have the confidence to be that person," he says, finding himself afraid to sing the way he does, worried about the expectations of others and wanting to be cool.

Then something changed. Orville Peck, like Cashs Man in Black, became both a person and a persona. But in an era of social media and online oversharing, his mystery is his own. Often cagey about his age and upbringing, despite internet sleuths attempting to identify him as Daniel Pitout, the former drummer of a Vancouver punk group called Nu Sensae, he may not let folks in, but he is unafraid in showing his heart.

It says more about them than it says about me, Peck says of those who feel the need to figure him out or authenticate his love of country, its history and densely-woven traditions. I dont feel like Im cultivating mystery whatsoever. If anything, I genuinely feel its the complete opposite. I go on stage every night, and I sing and talk about things that are extremely personal to me, so wheres the mystery? I feel like Im being overtly open with people, more so than Ive ever been maybe in my life as a performer.

I think people are misunderstanding that performance and attention to aesthetic and look  all of those things go into country music, for me, he continues. They dont understand that that can live in parallel with the truth, with sincerity. I think we lost that somewhere along the way, where suddenly in order to come across as genuine, you have to go up in jeans and t-shirt and tell people youre genuine.

The only thing Peck is direct about, apart from his sincerity agenda, is his sexuality. While he understands his place in modern countrys landscape is, in part, disruptive, Peck  a fan of musics history as much as anything  is quick to point out hes following a path that had been blazed long before him. Homoeroticism is almost innate in cowboy culture and has been explored through many forms of media, from visual art and film to literature. Theatrics, he argues, have been ingrained in the genre from the beginning, noting the Opry as almost vaudevillian kind of performance that you have to be invited and indoctrinated into.

Its all show, he says. Its just part of what country music is.

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He also often points to Lavender Country, the band credited with creating the first-ever gay country album back in 1973. While the groups music received little to no attention at the time, due in part to its open embrace of homosexual identity, Lavender Country achieved cult status. But others like Nelson, Dolly Parton, Haggard and Patsy Cline, who have held name recognition for decades, also flipped their shares of societal norms when breaking through in the industry. More recently, RuPauls Drag Race: All Stars winner and half of Vicelands Trixie and Katya Show Trixie Mattel  known for her exaggerated Barbie meets Dolly Parton aesthetic  released two, positively-received country-folk albums. 2018s One Stone peaked at No. 1 on Billboards Heatseekers chart.

I get how (my performance) is seen as something progressive for the genre, to some extent it is  on a more mainstream level. I completely recognize that, I think thats important," he says. I sing about those things because those are my experiences. I sing about LGBTQ stuff, not because Im trying to shake up country music and be controversial, but because Im a gay man.

All my friends are drag queens and club kids from New York, those who are in my videos and perform with me on stage. Thats my posse," Peck chuckles. "Thats my equivalent of Johnny Cash inviting Merle Haggard out to perform with him, Peck says. "My Merle Haggard happens to be Meatball from Dragula. Thats my truth.

With 2019 being the Year of Yee-haw, from Kacey Musgraves Grammy win for Album of the Year to Lil Nas X redefining the Nashville-stamped standard with Old Town Road, Peck believes his rise is simply further proof of the country audiences desire for something more thats still rings true.

A huge portion of my fans that are LGBTQ and people of color, people who, somehow, feel marginalized, because maybe I represent something within country music or art in general that they relate to on a very literal level, Peck says, but I also have 40 year-old straight white males connecting to my music. Im pretty sure none of them...well maybe some of them have been with gay hustlers, but Im pretty sure for the most part theyre connecting to it for the same reasons I connect to Patsy Cline or Johnny Cash, he laughs.

When Patsy Cline was singing Fall to Pieces, I dont think she was singing about anything thats literally relatable in my life, but I understand the circumstances and the heartbreak," Peck explains. That connects on a different level completely.

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When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln Ave.

Tickets: Sold out; www.lh-st.com

jroti@chicagotribune.com
Sometimes the zaniest ideas turn into the most incredible experiences.

That was certainly the case Sunday when Jay Leno came to town. When Jim Lind, former owner of Jim Lind Standard, found out that Leno would be performing at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on March 6 for a one-night show, his mind started racing faster than a Ferrari.

Knowing that Leno owns an impressive car collection of nearly 150 highly coveted and expensive vehicles, loves tinkering with his classic cars and motorcycles, and hosts the hit CNBC television series, Jay Lenos Garage set Linds own wheels in motion.

He and his brothers Pat, Tim and Tom had just finished buffing and polishing their own car collection, housed in a museum of sorts dubbed The Motors, that showcases the Lind familys love for fast cars, classic frames and a bit of their own family history.

Lind contacted the Gallagher Bluedorn and presented his zany idea: Lets partner to raise funds for the performing arts centers building project by inviting Jay Leno to stop by the Lind Brothers own labor of automotive love and mingle with campaign donors. Leno was not only excited to check out The Motors but thrilled to participate in a fundraising effort for the Cedar Valley.

The Lunch with Leno event Sunday afternoon could only accommodate the first 50 lucky ticket buyers and quickly sold out. Although Cedar Valley car enthusiasts gathered at The Motors mainly to lunch with Leno, the talk was not all torque. The event also raised $35,000 for the Gallagher Bluedorns capital building campaign. The Gallagher Bluedorns expansion project is approaching its $15 million goal and will add 15,000 square feet of new and renovated event space, upgrades to the facilitys interior and exterior, and improvements to seating. These upgrades will elevate the Gallagher Bluedorn to a state-of- the-art facility to continue providing world-class performing arts for the Cedar Valley and the state of Iowa.

This event was truly a team effort, explained Pat Lind. This place was The Motors and still is The Motors, and by welcoming Jay Leno, our friends and family, and even a new generation, to a place so filled with what we love most is such an honor. And raising $35,000 for the Gallagher Bluedorn campaign is the icing on the cake.

The history of The Motors is a poignant story of four boys from Waterloo whose passion for building go-karts and motor bikes morphed into selling, fixing and racing fast cars. Following a stint in Vietnam, brother Tim opened a Standard Oil Service Station on East Ridgeway. He acquired his competition license and began a highly successful racing career. When Tom finished college after his time in the Army he returned home joining brothers Pat, Tim and Jim to establish Lind Bros. Motors and obtain a Lotus franchise.

After adding Jensen-Jensen Healey-TVR autos it was time to open a dealership on Washington Street. The distributor for Jensen Healey wanted a race team to represent their brand. Based on Tims success driving brother Pat Linds Austin Healey Sprite they were selected to represent Jensen Healey on the circuit. In 1974 they were awarded a Peugeot franchise, moved the dealership once more, and continued doing what they loved best until family obligations and other ventures sent them all in different directions.

Over this past year the Lind brothers have uncovered old auto parts, catalogs and signage from their own basements and garages to fill the newly renovated Motors with classic cars and unforgettable memories of days gone by. All their hard work culminating with Sundays zany-inspired event just goes to show how much the Lind brothers believe in the adage, Life is fast, so why drive slow.

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Once again, Iowa got its report card for pollution in its rivers and lakes, and the news wasnt good.

It was awful.

According to a Department of Natural Resources draft report, more than half of Iowas rivers and lakes are impaired, to use the more clinical word to describe the state of our waterways. Polluted would be the more accurate term.

A total of 594 water bodies were impaired and in need of remediation. Of our rivers, 56% were in that category; a full 67% of lakes and reservoirs are.

Another 157 water bodies were deemed impaired but an improvement plan isnt required, or one has already been completed. Only 48 water bodies were de-listed.

This is an embarrassment, and it doesnt get the attention it deserves from policymakers. But, why would it? When youre trying to lure people and industry to the state, youre not going to tell them your waters are fouled.

It matters, though. We guarantee you that people care.

For a state that supposedly is trying to boost its competitiveness, this is one area it has overlooked.

To get on the impaired list means that waterways dont meet water quality standards for their intended use, whether it be recreation, drinking, fishing, etc.

This isnt a new problem, of course. Every two years, the DNR issues this report and it looks much the same.

Bacteria is the biggest factor cited across the state for streams and rivers, followed by fish kills. Animal waste is a big culprit in this area. And regulation, environmentalists say, is too forgiving.

Algae blooms are a big culprit for lakes and reservoirs.

Fixing this problem is an expensive proposition, too, and Iowans know it. Twelve years ago, more than 60% of voters approved a constitutional amendment to create a trust fund to pay for improvements to water quality and recreation.

At the time, people were told it would mean an increase in the sales tax. But since then, state lawmakers have ignored the voters and failed to act, even as a broad coalition of interests have pushed for them to do so.

The trust fund, and an increase in the sales tax to fund it, remain popular. Two years ago, a Des Moines Register poll said that 57% of Iowans backed the increase, while only 37% opposed.

Yet, lawmakers do next to nothing.

A few years ago, the Legislature devoted some funding to water quality, but all agreed it was wholly insufficient to the task.

Unfortunately, this years Legislature made it tougher to fix the problem. The recently approved revamp to the states tax system will drain the state of a lot of resources that could have gone to help.

In some parts of the state, people are willing to take this on. Polk County voters approved a bond referendum last year to pay for water quality and recreation projects. And most of Dubuque County voters also cast ballots in favor of a similar effort. (But because 60% approval was required, the referendum failed in Dubuque. Still, you can see voters there care about water quality.)

We think most Iowans care about the states rivers and lakes. And we think the next time that people see their state lawmaker they ought to simply ask this: Do you care that more than half of Iowas waterways are impaired. Then, follow it up with this: Why arent you doing anything about it?

These kinds of report cards shouldnt be shrugged off. If Iowas schoolkids brought these grades home, theyd have to stay after class. Or repeat a grade. We think Iowa legislators should be held to the same standard.

Iowa should fix this problem for no other reason than because the people who live here deserve it. But policymakers also ought to realize if theyre going to truly compete for people and business, for tourism and growth, they must act as well. It is far past time for Iowa to get serious and clean up its rivers and lakes.

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Bacco Liu has been working out on his treadmill in anticipation of the next Sioux City Symphony Orchestra (SCSO) concert.

So, why does the concertmaster needs so much cardio for the upcoming show?

Liu, the lead violinist for the SCSO, is being asked to perform the violin concerto for Antonio Vivaldi's legendary "The Four Seasons" as well as contemporary classic composer Max Richter's reworked version of the same piece.

That's right, he'll be playing both pieces, back-to-back, during the same performance as SCSO presents "Immersive Vivaldi," at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Orpheum Theatre, 528 Pierce St.

"Playing one solo violin concerto can be daunting," Liu explained. "Having two concertos on the same night is unheard of."

Yet conductor Ryan Haskins knew Liu was more than up to the challenge.

"As soon as Bacco understood the concept behind the concert, he was totally on board with it," Haskins said.

This is because "The Four Seasons" -- which dates back to 1723 -- remains one of the most recognizable pieces of classical music ever composed.

Vivaldi's Baroque series of violin concertos has been featured in movies, in advertisements and, even, on episodes of "The Simpsons."

In 2012, Richter, a German-born British composed reworked "The Four Seasons" into a performance piece that incorporates both postmodern music and a light show in a very theatrical fashion.

"The audience must hear both Vivaldi's original work and Richter's recomposition, side-by-side, to understand the impact," Haskins said. "Add strings, electronics and lighting design, people will truly be immersed in Vivaldi during the course of the concert."

Which is fine by Liu, a native of Taiwan, who started playing violin at age 5.

The top youth division prize recipient for the Taiwan National Violin Competition, he went on to earn a master's degree from the Boston Conservatory and a doctorate in music from the University of Minnesota.

Since then, Liu has been concertmaster for several symphony orchestras. In addition, he maintains an active private teaching studio in Minneapolis and teaches music at a Chinese immersive charter school.

"I think young people can have an appreciation of classical music," Liu maintained. "But you have to make it seem relevant to them."

Raised in the age TikTok or through 15-to-30 seconds sound bites, kids often want instant gratification, he concedes.

"For all of its attributes, classical music doesn't lend itself to instant gratification, especially during the course of a symphony concert," Liu said.

To prepare students for an immersion into the classic, he will often give them a unique homework assignment.

"I've always been a fan of movies as well as a fan of movie music," Liu explained. "I will ask students to watch the 'Star Wars' movies without any of (composer) John Williams' music playing in the background."

Students are amazed at how much symphonic music adds to the drama and excitement of George Lucas' iconic sci-fi flicks.

"'Star Wars' is boring without music," Liu said. "Once kids understood the power of power of classical music, they'll also recognize it is also fun to perform."

Haskins is certainly on board with that sentiment. It is also why he wanted to bring "Immersive Vivaldi" to SCSO.

"Performance is all about storytelling," he explained. "Vivaldi was telling the story of the four seasons to audiences in the 18th century. (Richter's) recomposed version takes the music and tells the story in a way that is spacy, trippy and very modern."

Haskins said this is the fresh approach he wants to bring to SCSO concerts.

"We're taking classical music, bringing it life," he continued. "Whether it is through new composers, new adaptations or with lights and electronics, we try to push boundaries."

Having said that, Haskins also wants to impart knowledge during the concert.

"Audiences may think they know all there is to know about Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons,'" he said. "At the performance, I will tell them stories they may have never heard before."

Hopefully, Haskins' version of "VH1 Behind the Music: Antonio Vivaldi" will afford Liu a bit of a breather.

"I'm prepared," Liu said. "Still two violin solos on the same night require a lot of endurance."

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I walked out of The Worst Person in the Worldthe Oscar-nominated romantic comedyturneddrama about one young woman trying to figure out life and lovefeeling like The Dumbest Person in the World. Or maybe The Most Naive Person in the World. Perhaps just The Most Confused Person in the World? At the risk of becoming The Most Sheepish Person in the World, Ill explain why.

You know the chapter of the Norwegian hitits divided into 12 chapterswhere the main character, Julie, meets a man named Eivind at a party, and they stay up all night flirting? Ive seen that part described as endorphin-soaked, perfectly choreographed, and lightning in a bottle, among other swoony words of praise. But something held me back from feeling the full force of all that choreography of lightning and endorphins: It was the secret Julie confesses to Eivind while the two are sitting on a bed, away from the noise of the party: I actually think sex is best when the dick isnt too hard, she says. Because in a way, then Im the one who makes it hard, you know?

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No, I do not know. The idea gets repeated not long after: Julie publishes an essay about the sexual politics of blow jobs, and in it, she writes, I like it flaccid. So I create the stiffness instead of having it thrust upon me. This made a little more sense, but not really. Ill spell it out: Im no sexpert, far from it, but I have never heard of anyone being excited to see someones flaccid penis, particularly in the context of sex. Isnt an erect penis more what you hope for there, all things considered? And if you do encounter an erection mid-rendezvous, cant you assume it had something to do with you? Moreover, if a person is so keen to be the one who makes it hard or create the stiffness, to use Julies wording, then how can she profess to like it flaccid? Something did not add up.

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I mean no kink shaming, as I think people say, and I fear that dwelling on this makes it seem like its a more important part of the movie than it isits 42 words altogether, a tiny fraction of the films dialogue. But it is a clear character motifalmost an in-jokeso much that eventually, when audiences stare down a flaccid penis on screen, it inspires knowing laughter. I needed to know what was happening here. Was Julie meant to be being provocative? The film, which was directed by a man, Joachim Trier, who co-wrote it with another man, Eskil Vogt, has been critiqued by some for a lack of dimension in its portrayal of a womans inner lifewas this a reflection of that, Julies preference for flaccid dick merely a mans idea of what a woman would consider taboo? Or was this  a real interest some people have?

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I guess everybodys got their thing, said Charles Welliver, a urologist who is the director of mens health at Albany Medical College and a frequent source for Slates How to Do It advice column, after I summarized the relevant parts of the movie to him. One of Wellivers specialties is erectile dysfunction, so he knows a thing or two about flaccid penises. For that reason, I felt somewhat validated when he agreed that Julies preference was a bit odd: Its a little surprising that this is this fictional characters interest, he said, because I feel like in most cases, a partner looking at a flaccid partner would be like, What is going on? Why are you not excited to be doing this? 

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Alas, Welliver spends most of his time dealing with men who want their penises not to be flaccid, not women (or other people who have sex with men) who claim to want the opposite, so he thought I might have better luck finding insight into this situation elsewhere.

One place I did not have luck was with the director and writer of the film, Trier, whose representative didnt get back to me when I requested to interview him about flaccid penises. Ill grant them that going limp on me was at least thematically appropriate.

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In lieu of the director himself, I reached out to a native Norwegian speaker to see if there were any nuances to the dialogue I was missing, maybe something that got lost in translation from the original language to the English subtitles. No dice: My Norwegian pronounced the translation pristine.

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My luck only started to change when I discovered, in depths of the internet I am not used to exploring, an article with the intriguing title 4 Reasons Why Soft Penises Are Underrated. Here we go! I got in touch with its author, Pamela Madsen, a New Yorkbased sex educator and the founder of a company that organizes retreats centered on womens sexuality and arousal. Finally, someone with answers.

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I did not see the movie, but I understand the quote, Madsen told me pretty much the second I got her on the phone. Her turn-on is that she wants to be the seductress. She loves that feeling of control. What shes saying is, You know, I like to take it a little slower. I like him to start maybe not even thinking about sex. Instead of putting herself in the role of receptor, who just receives the man, she wants to have more what we might call penetrative energy.

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OKJulie liked to initiate sex. But I still had trouble grasping the import of the flaccid dick in the process. I thought of the proverbial pot of water on a stove: Watching it change states as it starts to boil is famously considered unworthy of our attention, even actively counter to the goal. How is this different?

Carol Queen, who has a Ph.D. in human sexuality and works at Good Vibrations, the San Francisco sex shop, said she also got what Julie was saying, and she explained it to me like this: So many women, and I would imagine also men and nonbinary people who are interested in people with penises, like the penis as interest-meter concept, the penis as flag, saluting your sexiness. Encountering a fully erect penis would be a version of that, but maybe even more interesting to some, and clearly to this character, is having the penis sort of wake up to you as a monitor of how your ministrations and seduction techniques are going.

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I have heard people talk about this before, so this is not just this completely individual person in a Scandinavian movie, Queen said. More specifically, Ive heard people talk about when you take it in your hand and it starts to twitch and the blood flows in and you can feel it getting harder in your hand, and thats hot. Well then! But couldnt the same scenario leave a person feeling inadequate, if she was trying to turn on her partner and her partner didnt seem to be responding quickly? Its certainly a risk, Madsen told me: For a woman to go to those places, she has to feel safe in her own body.

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Queen said she couldnt estimate how popular Julies penchant was, just that shed seen it. Anecdotal evidence was good, but I yearned for data, so I called Kristen Mark, a researcher at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Several years ago, Mark conducted what she entertainingly dubbed a Penis Perception Survey, a study of more than 14,000 peoples views on all things penile, and she found that many of the results went against the societal grain.

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Theres this perception that a flaccid penis is gross, or that its just hanging there, and like, what is it even doing? she said. While she couldnt provide numbers, in actuality, Im sure a lot of people feel [how Julie does]. Theres this physical indication of what youre actually doing when youre interacting with someone in a sexual way. Theres this evidence of it. I think that that evidence of holding that level of influence over someone elses body physically and being able to see that happen physically can be a real turn-on for some people.

Mark and the others convinced me that there were people who held this preference in real lifemy sincere apologies for doubting it!so I decided to talk to some of them. Via a couple-years-old Reddit rabbit hole I went down while researching this subject, I got ahold of a 26-year-old woman in Germany named Ruth to ask for her take on Julies opinion.

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I like what she said, and I definitely agree, she wrote to me. Making a flaccid penis hard is, in a way, a turn-on. You know that YOU are the one who made it stiff. Another woman told me: I find a flaccid penis more attractive for two reasons. One, all we ever get to see are hard dicks. I mean, Ive done online dating off and on for years and all the pics these guys send are hard. I think that makes it more exciting and something different to see. Two, it always reminds me of what its like after sex when were cuddling or showering together.

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They made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world (to me, The Dumbest Person in the World). So I was heartened that Ruth also remarked that it was somewhat surreal that I was asking her about this.

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You have no idea how often Ive asked my husband why theres so little confessions on the internet about liking flaccid penises, she wrote. Arent other couples touching each other a lot? Nor see each other naked a lot? No ones talking about it. Its so weird. Ruth herself felt strange articulating it: I sound like a penile poet now, according to my husband.

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Ruth added that she also finds soft dicks cute, jiggly, and fun to play with, in a mostly nonsexual way. Then there are people who do find soft or only semi-hard penises appealing in a sexual way, several of my sources told me. Meanwhile, sex researchers and educators, like Madsen with her article on why soft penises are underrated, acknowledge the importance of tearing down the idea that the hard dick is the be-all, end-all when it comes to sex. Julies interest in flaccid penises in the movie is related to all these things but some more than others. Theres a lot to be said about how we fetishize the hard penis and how it needs to be a certain size, and that can place a lot of pressure on men and their sexuality and feeling like they always do have to be hard and ready, Mark said. The film is maybe allowing for an opportunity to think about that differently.

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Ive come a long way since walking out of that theater: I now confidently say I get what Julie meant. But I stand by one of my original points: Julie, fictional though she may be, does not actually like sex with flaccid penises! Theres a way in which what she says sounds like it counters the fetishization of the hard penisshe likes them softbut it also really doesnt, if you think about it: The person in the movie is not expecting that shes going to get met with a fully erect penis right out of the gate, but Im quite sure wants to see that arousal and erection happen as she goes for it and would consider it disappointing if it didnt happen, Queen told me. Madsen agreed: This woman has an expectation that that cock is going to get hard. She would feel devastated, she would take it personally if that cock didnt get hard. Julie, all I ask is that you be honest about this: Lets call a spade a spade, and a hard dick a hard dick.
Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. In addition to our traditional advice, every Thursday we feature an assortment of teachers from across the country answering your education questions. Have a question for our teachers? Email askateacher@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.

Im looking for some advice on how to get my ninth-grade boy motivated to do his homework? He used to love his schoolwork through primary school, but since he started high school, hes been in a downward spiral. (Granted, starting a new high school during the pandemic has not helped.) He is in advanced classes and very capable, but hes just not willing to do the work, which is the frustrating part. He lacks motivation, avoids homework, doesnt ask for help and has been asking to move schools. He has a handful of friends in school but says they are not true friends, just people he can hang out with at break. (His true friends are outside of school).

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We dont want to move him to another school as hes in a very good school, and weve told him the grass is not always greener on the other side. Its heartbreaking to see him like this, and Im not sure what the answer is. We have talked to the school and they are surprised about how he feels, since things are fine socially from what they see. He is active and sociable outside of school. Maybe moving him is the answer?

Needing a Jumpstart

Dear Jumpstart,

Freshman year can be a difficult transition for boys and girls alike. High schools are typically much larger than middle schools and the classes are often more challenging.

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That said, I wonder what the actual issue is here. Is your son unmotivated because hes unhappy? Would he be academically successful if he switched schools? Or would he be equally unmotivated in a new school? What is most important to youthat he feels happy or that he improves his grades?

I cannot say whether or not switching schools is the answer to solving his lack of motivation or loneliness. I think you and your co-parent should have a long talk about what is most important to you, and which school aligns best with those values. Once youve established your values, they will help guide you in deciding what to do.

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Theres not necessarily a right or a wrong answer here. For me personally, sending my daughter to her neighborhood school is very important. I want her to go to school with kids who live nearby to foster friendship and a sense of community. I also do not want to have to drive a long way to school each day. I love that we ride our bikes to school as a family each morning. However, another parent may prioritize different values, such as a particular program or unique services that a school offers. The right choice is the one that best aligns with your values.

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So figure out what those are, and act accordingly. I wish you luck!

Ms. Holbrook (high school teacher, Texas)

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We have two children, a daughter in second grade and a son whos in pre-K, and Im looking for advice on transitioning kids from public school to private school in the fall.

For background, we have waffled over this decision (me: guilt over pulling our second grader out of her current school; husband: the money). However, there are several things we (mostly I) do not love about our school district. The new school is equidistant to the public school.

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Our second grader loves school. She has many friends and excels at school. Weve taken her to visit the new school, and shes done shadow days there. She loved it, but she says repeatedly, I dont want to leave my school.

How would you explain it to your child why you want them to go to a new school? Ive tried simple things like, The day is shorter! Youll be outside for at least an hour each day, instead of just 15 minutes max! Youll get to have science class every day!

These are two of the reasons I want to move herthere is no science curriculum until middle school, and outdoor recess is a maximum of 15 minutes per day. Most importantly, I like the education quality of the private school, and having an opportunity to learn where educators arent teaching to test is huge.

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I am hoping that summer break will make for an easier transition, but the mom guilt is creeping up on this one. For perspective, my parents scraped, sacrificed, and struggled to send my sister and me to a private elementary school; my husband attended a rural public school.

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Trepidating Transitions

Dear TT,

School transitions are never easy, especially for young children who enjoy their current school. But it seems that youve made up your mind, and in those situations, it may be best to rip off the band-aid. Its good to remember that while your daughter doesnt want to leave her current school, she doesnt seem to dislike the new school. (Remember, too, that kids at this age are very resilient.) From what youve told me about your daughter I believe she will thrive in whatever environment shes in.

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That said, there are some simple things you as a parent could do to make the transition easier. Id begin by asking her what she really likes about her current school. In your letter you listed what you are excited about in the new school, but are those things your daughter is excited about as well? By finding out what she loves about her current school, you can find ways to replicate the experience. For example, its likely that one thing she loves about her current school is her friends. In this case, you could reassure her that she will still be able to keep her old friends and see them at playdates and activities. Taking this approach may help her see that this transition may end up being the best of both worlds.

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Mr. Hersey (elementary school teacher, Washington)

My daughter is in middle school. Her science teacher seems to be an anti-masker. I dont care what he does in his free time, but he brings it into the classroom: He told the class to stop reminding him to put his mask over his nose. He wasted an entire class period complaining about how masks restrict his oxygen or some such baloney. He has repeatedly tried to get the class to take their masks off, both as a group and individually!

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We have complained multiple times to the school nurse, who said she would talk to him but nothing changed, and to the principal, who said that he wouldnt do anything because we didnt take the first step of talking to the teacher directly. We dont want to talk to him directly because it seems obvious hes not going to change his behavior just because we ask, and because we dont want our student to be retaliated against. What can we do?

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Get With the Program

Dear GWtP,

Oof, theres so much wrong with his behavior, and its compounded by the fact that hes a science teacher. Hes supposed to teach the kids to follow the scientific method and rely on data to draw conclusions. Instead, he seems to subscribe, at best, to his feelings and, at worst, to conspiracy theories.

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I almost always advocate speaking to the teacher directly. Retaliation is not as common a practice as parents imagine. This science teacher sounds like a pill, but I think he would benefit from hearing directly from parents, especially if you could approach him in a way that would foster listening. Is there anything positive you can say about his class? If you start with that, it might open his ears a bit. Then you might say something like, As a science teacher, you certainly understand the science behind masking, yet Ive heard you dont advocate for them. Why is that? Try to appear curious, rather than irate.

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If things dont change, go back to the principal (who shouldve handled your request regardless, by the way), and report that youve taken the first step with no success.

Alas, masking protocols are getting lifted right and left so this advice might be moot, but perhaps the science teacher will learn his lesson before the next pandemic.

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Ms. Scott (high school teacher, North Carolina)

I have two children (a second grader and a fifth grader) at a large public elementary school in a large city. On our walk to school my second grader mentioned that their class hadnt had social studies in a month. I was surprised because social studies was a large part of my fifth graders second-grade experience (they had a different teacher at the same school). I started asking questions about what they did during the day not out of concern about them missing social studies, but to hear what they were focusing on instead. According to my second grader, the teacher uses the two longest periods of the day (30-40 minutes each) for independent study readers workshop and quiet time. This feels like a lot of time for second graders to have to stay quiet and focused on independent work.

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My understanding of readers workshop is that its a time to introduce the students to different types of books (fiction, non-fiction, serial books, mystery books, etc.) and to let them work on independent reading. But my child isnt at the point where they can read silently and independently. In first grade, my childs teacher used this time to work in small groups with the children who continued to struggle with reading. According to my child, this is not the case with the second grade teacher; they use the time more as a silent reading and prep period.

My child is also receiving reading support outside of the class 3 times a week, so I asked if the teacher uses either of these times to review materials that were covered while they were out, and it appears they do not. Instead, the teacher has my child work with other students to learn the materials, while the teacher focuses on other work.

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While none of these things on their own is especially concerning to me, taken all together, it feels like there is something lacking. Id like to know, are my expectations regarding how much interaction my childs teacher should be having with their students during the day off? Is it normal to give second graders so much independent work time? Also, parent-teacher conferences are coming up and I want to talk about the specific support my child is receiving in the classroom to make up for their gaps, but want to do it in a respectful and productive way. Id love any suggestions you may have on how to do this. Thanks.

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Too Much Time on Their Hands

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Dear TMToTH,

What you describe admittedly sounds lacking in terms of focused, targeted instruction addressing your childs specific needs, but I also know that children often misunderstand and fail to accurately report the goings-on in a classroom.

Back in September, I told my students that at the end of October, I would miss a week of school for a routine surgery. That evening, I received an angry email from a parent, asking why she hadnt been told that I was leaving for three months starting on Monday. Children are unreliable reporters.

A now-retired kindergarten teacher in my school was famous for telling parents, You believe half of what they tell you, and Ill believe half of what they tell me.

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Id approach the parent-teacher conference with an open mind and lots of questions. Ask the teacher for some specificity around your childs reading instruction. What skills are being targeted? How is the instruction being delivered on a daily basis? What kind of progress are you seeing in terms of reading? How does my child spend her time during readers workshop? Gather information. Seek clarity. Eliminate assumptions.

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Then, if it sounds like your childs experience during readers workshop is more independent than you think is wise, ask the teacher for her rationale behind such decisions. Express your concerns. Ask if its possible to modify the approach.

Giving the teacher an opportunity to describe her methods and rationale will likely cause your concerns and requests to be better received.

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Mr. Dicks (fifth grade teacher, Connecticut)

More Advice From Slate

I live in a large city and am lucky to have the choice of multiple different public elementary school options. My child will be entering kindergarten, and its the time of year where Im supposed to attend open houses and put together a ranked list of my preferences for a school choice. Apart from the obvious differences, like physical building features or different art/music/after-school program offerings, I am at a total loss for what I should be looking for to compare these schools. What kinds of questions should I be asking the principals and prospective teachers?
Dear Prudence is Slates advice column. Submit questions here.

Dear Prudence,

I lost my best friends in a car accident when I was 19. We had literally known each other since we were in diapers. We had all these plans: travel, college, careers, and kids. All that was cut short by some a-hole who ran a red light. Since then, I vowed that if I had a daughter, I would name her after them. I am married with a son. My husbands family has a tradition of using the grandparents names, especially the boys. I didnt have a problem with this, but I am pregnant with a girl now. I have spoken at length with my husband over the years about wanting to honor my old friends. He also agreed and said he understood.

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But recently, at a family event, he let slip to his mother what we were going to name our daughter. She has never been my biggest fan, but I thought our relationship had mellowed out over the years. She later cornered me and asked me if I was really going to name my daughter that. I was taken back and told her that I had been holding onto the name for years. I wanted to honor my friends. My mother-in-law told me that was bizarre, that you name children after family, not some dead girls I knew in high school. That hit me hard and I started to cry. She backed off and didnt say anything else for a while. I thought that was the end of it and didnt mention it to my husband. I didnt want to start anything.

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Only my MIL had other plans. She went around the family and told people what happenedonly making me out to be crazy. Since then, I have had everyone from my sister-in-law to other relatives bring up the topic of the name. They all think it is weird, awkward, and way too ethnic (one of my friends was Spanish). Even with my husband shutting his family down, its like swatting flies. It doesnt help that my hormones are all over the place and I dont know if I am going to burst into tears or bust someones lip. I have repeatedly said the topic is over and physically have walked away. We all live in the same neighborhood, so avoiding everyone is hard. Plus, my husband works at the family business.

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Rose by Any Other Name

Dear Rose,

Youre doing exactly the right thing. You need one good line to shut down further input. Something like [Husband] and I are going to name our baby together. And it will be a surprise to everyone else. Physically walking away is the perfect reaction if relatives keep going. You have to train these people to understand that you dont care about their input and they dont have a say. That means no more negotiating, explaining, or otherwise going back and forth with them. They will love the baby when shes born and call her whatever you tell them to.

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Dear Prudence,

My partner and I have a (hitherto) solid relationship. Heading toward marriage, a house, and kids. They earnestly want those things, soon, and bring them up more than I do. Ive said Im on board.

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I recently learned that they are thinking about going back for a Ph.D. That means no geographic stability, their penuriousness for some number of years (or forever), and the household on my shoulders, if it is to exist at all. Im hurt. My partner has the right to their own ambitions, but this one suggests they are fundamentally unserious about the life weve talked about building. How should I be reacting? I know I have to talk to them.

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PhDont

Dear PhDont,

This is great. What I mean by that is its wonderful that youre not married yet! Or even engaged! Something like one of us is thinking about getting a Ph.D. is exactly the sort of thing you should be discussing as you start to go beyond fantasizing to making practical plans about marriage, a house, and kids. Your partner actually brought it up at the right time. You ask How should I be reacting? and the answer is you should take them seriously. That means asking about how much they want to pursue this goal (just thinking about it isnt the same as committing) and how they see it affecting your plans. Tell them how you truly feel about that. And rather than accuse them of being unserious about your life together or trying to change their mind, you should take this new information and decide whether you still want that life.

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How to Get Advice From Prudie

Submit your questions anonymously here. (Questions may be edited for publication.) Join the live chat every Monday at noon (and submit your comments) here.

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Dear Prudence,

I stopped drinking last year and will soon celebrate one year sober. I am also retiring. When my spouse retired last year, it was during my early days of sobriety and their party was a big stressor for me. Looking ahead to my retirement, I know that they are going to want to return the favor and host some kind of event for me. Frankly, I am OK not throwing a party for several reasons. 1) Lockdown and sobriety have shown my true colors: I am not a people person! And 2) at the end of the party, there were countless bottles of booze, wine, and craft beer on the table as gifts. While I appreciate the thought of a gift, anything alcohol-related will be tossed. If we do have a party, how can we politely ask that the gifts NOT be alcohol? My sobriety isnt widely publicized on my social media, so people most likely think I still drink. Is there a way to navigate this so people dont waste their money on a gift that will not be used? Any suggestions are very much appreciated.

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Sober and Soon to Be Retired

Dear Sober,

I cant tell whether you want to keep your sobriety private or if you simply havent gotten around to letting people know. If you dont want to share the news that you arent drinking anymore: Simply have your spouse toss all the alcohol (or give it away on your local Buy Nothing groupsomeone would love it!). If youre comfortable letting people know: Your partner can simply make a note on the invitation that its a dry party and request that people not bring liquor. Theres probably not a way around preventing people from wasting money on a gift that wont be used without telling them the truth.

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But honestly, it sounds like you dont want this party in the first place, for reasons unrelated to your sobriety. If youre not a people person, you dont have to do it! The pandemic is still a workable excuse, by the way. Tell your partner that youd like to celebrate with just the two of you, and have them make a celebratory post on Facebook. Everyone can write congratulations under it. And you can stay sober and avoid being forced to socialize.

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Dear Prudence,

My co-workers, Mary and Joe, have been having an affair since before COVID hit. Both are married, but Joes wife Jane works for a different department as a supervisor. I had the unfortunate luck to discover Mary and Joe have been using me as a cover to their spouses and our bosses.

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On business trips, Mary would disappear at night saying she was meeting up with old friends. Only I caught her coming out of Joes room. They have also told people we were all going out to lunch together as a team when I was eating alone.

I am the youngest and most recent hire at my company. I felt like I had no choice but to ignore it. During the lockdown, we all worked from home and didnt see each other in person. I thought everything blew over until Jane pulled me aside and told me she didnt appreciate my flirty tone with her husband even though she knew I was gay and didnt mean any harm with my texts.

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I froze up. I never gave Joe my private number. I apologized to Jane, and now I dont know what to do. Going to HR feels like blowing everything up to kingdom come; confronting Joe and Mary is a good way to screw over my career; and I dont feel comfortable going to my bosses. They have made enough off-color jokes that they might know about the affair. What the hell do I do?

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Low Woman on the Pole

Dear Low Woman,

I dont think going to HR would be out of line here. These people are making your workplace uncomfortable for you. Theyre the ones who blew everything up. But if youd rather address it personally first, send Joe an email saying Jane recently pulled me aside and told me she didnt appreciate my flirty tone with you over text. I was so confused that I froze up and apologized, but we both know that we have never communicated outside of work. It seems like theres been a major misunderstanding (perhaps an issue about the way you have names saved in your phone?) and Im concerned about the impact on my career and reputation. Would you please clear this up with her? Thank you. Id like to be left out of conversations about this moving forward.

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Dear Prudence Uncensored

I hate that she has to continue running away from these people for the rest for her pregnancy.

Jenee Desmond-Harris and friends discuss a letter in this weeks Dear Prudence Uncensoredonly for Slate Plus members.

Dear Prudence,

I really struggle with some of my friends dogs. Were younger middle-aged adults, and I am the only one with joint issues. My joint issues make me more like an elderly person in terms of stability and fragileness. My friends are generally aware of this, but they do forget since were younger, and I dont bring it up all the time. The issue is with some of their dogs. I would be happy to pet their dogs and enjoy them, but the dogs end up stepping on my feet or jumping on mewhich causes me a lot of pain due to my joint issues. Ive tried to signal that I dont want them jumping on me by backing up, telling them I cant have the dogs walk on me, explaining this is a new outfit, yelping when they scratch me (or worse, stick their snout up my dress into my crotch), etc., etc., but nothing seems to work. Or it will work in the beginning, but then theyll forget later, and Im dealing with dogs all over my feet and back in my crotch. Im honestly at the point where Im afraid Im going to kick or hit the dog in an involuntary response to protect myself (pain can cause you to do that), and I dont want this to happen. How do I get across to my friends that I really cant interact with their dogs without offending them? Also, WHY DONT PEOPLE TRAIN THEIR DOGS NOT TO JUMP ON YOU!!!

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Please Get Your Dogs Off My Gimpy Feet

Dear Please Get Your Dogs,

My mom has this exact issue, except that she actually is an elderly person in terms of stability and fragileness. Its a big problem, especially at public parks and beaches where a friendly off-leash dog could easily knock her to the ground and really hurt her. I asked her for her advice to you and here it is:

Well, if you turn around with your back facing the dog, it discourages them from jumping on you. Or take these folks off your friends list! Too harsh? Maybe the dog owners dont want your company and allowing the dog to step, sniff, and jump on you is their way of saying were no longer interested in your friendship!

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I love the practical tip about turning around. But I do think jumping to the assumption that your friends are trying to get rid of you by letting their dogs sniff your crotch may be a bit harsh. As you suggested, these people are probably having a hard time remembering that it hurts when their dogs are all over you. I would say, as a first step, make it explicit to your friends that its not just that you dont want the dogs to attack youyou actually cant have them touching you at all. Explain that you have joint issues, and even seemingly harmless, friendly contact can hurt. A good time to do this would be before the next hangout.

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Heres a script: I would love to come! But first I wanted to check to see whether it would be practical for you to keep the dogs from touching and licking me. I have a lot of joint pain, and even their friendly contact can really hurt. I know it might not be practical, so no hard feelings if they need to be able to roam freely. If thats the case, maybe we can meet up another time somewhere more comfortable for me. Let me know!

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Give Prudie a Hand in Were Prudence

Sometimes even Prudence needs a little help. Every Thursday in this column, well post a question that has her stumped. This weeks tricky situation is below. Join the conversation about it on Twitter with Jenee @jdesmondharris on Thursday, and then look back for the final answer here on Friday.

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Dear Prudence, Several weeks ago, my boyfriends cousin asked him to help her move in. My boyfriend has back issues, but gladly accepted because he is someone who loves to help people. I reminded him of his back issues and told him I was worried about him helping her. For context, his cousin makes almost three times what my boyfriend makes and could easily afford movers, but didnt want them. Like I guessed, my boyfriend hurt his back. He had to go to urgent care and then to his doctor the next week. He was left with a ton of medical bills. His doctor also told him he needed physical therapy, but he cant take any more medical bills. His cousin hasnt even offered to cover anything. I told my boyfriend that she might be liable because it happened on her property, but he is reluctant to ask for even splitting the bills. I know hes an adult who has to deal with his own issues, but this is now starting to affect our relationship. I make more money than him, and even before this, we already had some arguments about spending money on social things. I like doing nice things sometimes and he doesnt, but he also objected to me paying for them. Now, not only does he not have any extra income, but he does not have the physical capability to do any of the fun things we used to do. Ive offered to pay for at least some of the sessions of physical therapy, just to hopefully show him how important they are, but he has refused. Im really at a loss here with what to do. We basically now sit in his apartment and watch TV, which is getting old. Its going to be summer soon and I want to do a ton of things that require him to be recuperated. What should I do? Frustrated

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Update, March 10, 2022: This column originally included a Were Prudence letter that had been previously answered in Care and Feeding. You can read it here.

Dear Prudence,

I just got an invitation for a friends virtual wedding, which states that only the family and the wedding party will attend in person. Im irrationally upset about this. First, five of my dear friends (which is most of them!) have gotten married in the past two years and didnt do anything in person; I LOVE weddings, and I love them all, and its been heartbreaking to miss these major events.

Second, Im hurt that Im not in the wedding party, and wasnt even given a heads-up about ittruly surprising given how close I thought we were. Third, I cannot muster any enthusiasm to sit on my computer after a 40-hour workweek already spent online, when the wedding itself is happening 20 minutes away! Part of me thinks I should suck it up and attend online, but I know that my crappy energy isnt whats called for on such a special occasion. I want to RSVP no, but should I tell the truth (which would include expressing sadness about being left out and maybe a total reevaluation and possible ending of our friendship) or tell a lie so I dont hurt their feelings? Im spiraling and need some rational, outside input. Thank you!

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Never a Bridesmaid

Dear Never a Bridesmaid,

Your position is really challenging my long-held view that people are never as eager to be invited to attend or participate in weddings as brides tend to believe they are. You truly wanted to be included in this one, and that hurts.

I can think of a lot of reasons that could explain why you didnt make the list. Maybe the bride chose the women shes been friends with since kindergarten. Maybe she picked people whose wedding parties shes been part of. Maybe after her sister and cousin, she had one more spot, but she couldnt decide between you and the third person in your group chat, so she thought it would be better to pick neither. Maybe she planned this wedding on the fly and selected the people whom she felt closest to one particular week two months ago. And sure, maybe she simply has other, closer friends. That doesnt mean youre less close than you thought you were. It means she has relationships whose depth you werent aware of.

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You are obviously allowed to RSVP no for any reason, and to tell the bride why if that will make you feel better. But I dont think it will. You seem like you really value friendship and connection, and blowing up this relationship over your hurt feelings (some of which involve the five other virtual weddings, which have nothing to do with this one) is unlikely to make you happier. If you can log on for 30 minutes (with your camera off if you want!), I think that would serve you well. You say yourself that your anger is irrational, so dont let it drive your decisions. There will be more weddings. Youll be in some of them. There will be more opportunities to socialize. There will be other friendships. Give yourself a chance to have some positive post-pandemic-restrictions experiences while you keep an eye on your relationship with the bride and keep tabs on how you feel about it. Its possible that she might do something in the future that will justify ending the friendship, but I really dont think this is it.

Classic Prudie

I have a friend with whom I used to be quite close. But for the past few years, hes had a growing obsession with Internet trolling. He spends most of his free time on Twitter trying to get a rise out of minor celebrities and reporters. I find this behavior childish and off-putting, but he gets a huge thrill when his targets respond to his baiting. He has a group of friends on social media who cheer him on, which I also find off-putting. Is there a kind and tactful way to suggest he look for a new hobby? Or should I just let our friendship continue to dwindle away?
A number of American veterans are taking up arms and joining the fight in Ukraineanswering the call of the countrys president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who last week announced he was creating an international legion for volunteers from around the world to help defend his country against Russia.

This is not illegal. U.S. citizens can join foreign militaries under certain circumstances as long as they arent acting as mercenaries or recruited while still in the U.S., according to the Washington Post.

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Still, it is incredibly dangerous. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has discouraged American citizens from going to Ukraine. And Russia has said it would consider foreign fighters to be mercenaries and therefore not protected by the normal rules for prisoners of war. Most of the foreign fighters in Ukraine now hail from other post-Soviet states, but the Ukrainian Embassy in the U.S. has said that 3,000 U.S. citizens have contacted them to express a desire to join the fight. (Ukraine has also said that it is only looking for military veterans and others who do not require substantial training.)

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Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

Several years ago, after the outbreak of war in Donbas in Ukraine in 2014, a couple dozen Americans joined other foreign fighters in militia groups to fight Russian-backed separatists in that region. A number of those foreign fighters turned out to be violent right-wing extremists.

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But the scale of war in Ukraine is vastly different now.

And so is the type of fighter, according to Kacper Rekawek, a fellow at the Center for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo. Rekawek has studied foreign fighters in Ukraine since 2014, communicating directly with on-the-ground networks there. He spoke with Slate this week about the motivations of the foreign fighters headed to Ukraine and what role they have to play in this war.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Slate: What do we know about the new wave of foreign volunteers to Ukraine?

Kacper Rekawek: All the people who go say one thing: Im here for humanitarian reasons. I saw something. It touched me deeply. Ukraine should not be abandoned, we cannot stand idly by. Now, what we dont know is what triggered this. It could be the same things that trigger you or me, for example, to donate to a humanitarian organization, or could trigger some of my compatriots [in Poland] to pick up refugees from the other side of the border. For some people, its OK, I need to go and pick up a gun and fight.

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Theres a lot of coverage of veterans from the U.S., but also from places like the U.K., from other places where people are saying, Im a veteran, I have special skills, I know how to conduct myself in war, I will not be a liability to the Ukrainian forces.

These fighters probably mobilize in the quickest manner, because they know how to operate in foreign environments. You wouldnt believe how much of the discussion on social media groups is about logistics. How do I get from here to there? Oh, Jesus, I will have to take the train, and I dont speak the language.

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So youve got the group of veterans. And its centrist people, its right, left, whatever. I mean, they appear apolitical. Unlike in 2014, they dont appear to be motivated, as a group, by a certain set of ideological tropes. Some of the foreign fighters in 2014 were saying, Were here to defend white Europe. Or Were here to defend socialist peoples republics in the east of Ukraine. Theres almost zero stuff like that at this moment. That is the difference.

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I saw that there was one neo-Nazi group in the U.S., the Atomwaffen Division, asking its members to go fight for Ukraine.

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Everyones talking about this. The nationalist Ukrainian group on the ground, the Azov movement, said yesterday that they facilitated the travel of 20 people to Ukraine. But allegedly, 20,000 people signed up overall. So compare those two numbers. I know theres a lot of discussion about the extreme right and white supremacy, etc., but Im trying my best to tamp down the focus around it. Ill be the first to flag it if there are a lot of fighters headed to Ukraine for that reason, because I research extremists. But I havent seen it.

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Is there any other part of the discussion surrounding this that you think has been wrong?

There are people saying theyre mercenaries. Foreign fighters headed to Ukraine are going to get paid as members of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine, but theyre certainly not doing it for the money.

Do you know anything about American fighters, specifically?

There is a unit in Ukraine called the Georgia National Legion, and this unit has been recruiting people for the war in Ukraine since 2014. They have a special affinity, it seems, for U.S. recruits. They are on social media, and they started training people before the war. They started training civilians in Kyiv, it got them a lot of media attention, and they probably lined up quite a few people before this whole thing started. Thats why quite early in the conflict, literally in its first days, you may have seen Americans deployed already.

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Are there any foreign fighters going to fight for Russia?

Its kind of hard when there are no flights. Its hard to get there logistically, hard to pay them. There are rumors of Russia recruiting people from the immigrants they have from Central Asia, as a scheme to get citizenship, but thats not foreign fighting. They are also apparently recruiting some people in Syria from the troops of Bashar al-Assad. And they recruited in Serbia in the previous conflicts, and they reportedly have the Wagner mercenary group as well, so there might be people channeled through private military contractors.

But as far as foreign volunteering on the Russian sidelook, Russia is pretty pumped up with nationalism now, and they are saying, We dont need the West. I dont need your feta cheese. I dont need your iPod. You can stuff it. The West is a fallen power. Its just going to be us and China now. So imagine recruiting people in these conditions.

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Can you say more about the foreign fighters who came to Ukraine in 2014?

2014 was more ideological. That was a way smaller war, and I think it didnt touch so many people so deeply. It was a war in which Russia pretended, Its not us, its somebody else whos fighting against Ukraine. Which is not true, but thats probably why it attracted fewer people. And since it attracted fewer people, the ones who were the most radical, the most political, stood out. Those guys clearly were spoiling for a fight.

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And they fought on both sides. So you had foreign fighters going to pro-Ukraine volunteer battalions and to so-called separatist militias. And sometimes very little divided them ideologically. Sometimes it was almost a coin toss, where they ended up. Whereas now, its a completely different ballgame.

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What drew extremists to that fight?

There was a bit of a split on the far right in Europe over this, because a lot of the people on the far right were sympathetic towards Russia. They saw Russia as a traditionalist empire. White, Christian Orthodox. There is a mystique around ita dominant, aggressive, active political power that stands up to the United States and Western Europe. Its anti-LGBT. Its antipolitical correctness. Its how the world should look like. But then on the other hand, youve got a lot of people saying theyre nationalists, so they care about states and patriotismin an extreme sense. And so they turn around and say, We should actually sign up with Ukraine. Its trying to fight for its territorial integrity. That was in 2014. Now, its not territorial integrity. Its survival.

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Did those fighters stick around?

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Sometime around 2015, the Ukrainians were saying, Look, weve got these volunteer battalions, and we have to bring them under governmental control. And they have, apart from one. There were two reasons for that. One, the Minsk agreements stipulated that foreigners were to be withdrawn from the theater of military operations.

The other is that at the beginning of the conflict, it was nice to have these guys. You could say, Oh, were internationalizing the conflict. They stand with us. I have guys from this country or that country, etc. But with the passage of time, it was becoming a bit of an embarrassment because it turned out that these guys were, essentially, radicals. Or they may have done something horrible somewhere on the front lines. And you simply had to play it down. That was the situation especially on the separatists side, and Ukraine is still going after those 250 foreigners they say joined those separatist militias. They still want to prosecute them.

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So that was a perfect time to say, OK, all you people who are not from here, you can stay, but were not going to be recruiting anybody new. And if you really want to come in and be with us as a foreign volunteer, heres a contract and you can sign it with an army. By 2015, the war was getting really cold, not much was happening. And most of these guys went home. They were telling me, Were bored. Theres nothing to do here.

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On the separatist side, basically, they did the same thing. The separatists were all over the place. It was just a bunch of militias running around, and at some point Moscow decided, OK, we have to bring this under control. This cannot be this ragtag collection, or some weird groups of guys coming in from God knows where. We need to control this.

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How many foreigners were fighting in Ukraine back in 2014?

We estimated that there were around 17,000 foreign fighters who joined nonstate units on either side, either with a volunteer battalion or a militia. Out of that 17,000, around 15,000 were Russians, ordinary volunteers recruited via the Russian state [to fight with the separatists], basically pushed there as cannon fodder. (Of course, on the separatist side, you also had the Russian military.) So, around 2,000 on both sides were non-Russians. About half of those were Belarusian, Georgian, or people from post-Soviet republics who mostly fought on the Ukrainian side. Fewer than 1,000 were from the West, including Latin America and the United States.

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Do we have a sense of the scale in this war?

Its too much and too little at the same time. For example, on Facebook, like 10,000 people are discussing signing up to fight, to give you the scale of the madness around it. Those numbers that are circulating around16,000, 20,000, more, or 3,000 from the U.S.its the people who applied, who got in touch with the Ukrainian Embassy. Lets see what transpires on the ground. Of course, in a week, I might be singing a completely different song. But to be honest, there is a lot of smoke and relatively little fire behind it.

And I think focusing on those big numbers doesnt get you anywhere, because chatter from people on the ground says, yes, theyre here, but its not thousands yet. We see them there on the battleground, they are already beaming their messages on social media: Oh, I reached Kyiv, follow me, its OK, stuff like that. Once we see them beaming more out of the conflict zone, we can build a picture of them.

Is there anything else that you really want to make sure American readers know to understand all of this?

For Ukraine, its a public relations thing, dont forget that. This internationalizes the conflict. And thats what Ukraine wants. They need our help, theyre desperate. They are playing all the cards they can get. And this one, theyre playing it quite well.
Dear Amy: Im a 25-year-old guy. I have a 16-month-old daughter that I stay home with full time. One phrase keeps coming up that I absolutely hate.

People often say to me: Youre a Mr. Mom! Sometimes they follow this by saying,  but theres nothing wrong with that.

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My reason for writing is to get some clarification on what a Mr. Mom is.

Is it a put-down because I stay at home with our daughter?

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Or is it just another way to say stay-at-home parent?

 Possibly Mad Dad

Dear Dad: With my response, I am revealing my self-proclaimed superpower as a movie database in human form.

Mr. Mom is the title of a movie released in 1983, featuring the great character actors Michael Keaton and Teri Garr as a couple with three children who are forced to switch traditional gender roles when he loses his job in the auto industry. She goes back to work, and he stays home.

When this film was released, the idea of a father who stayed at home with his children was so novel that it was deemed both heartwarming and hilarious.

In honor of your question, I re-watched this charming movie, and I am happy to report that it holds up well.

Approximately 1 in 5 American children have one stay-at-home parent, and stay-at-home dads make up roughly 17 percent of that number. (Figures measuring at-home dads are mutable, based on various parameters; for instance, the US Census seems only to count dads who are married to their female partners.)

Surely the pandemic will shift this at-home parenting balance  possibly radically.

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Is Mr. Mom a put-down? I dont think so. Its just one of those signifiers that people use when they encounter something they feel the need to name.

Also  speaking from personal experience (as a long-time single mom)  when someone condescendingly tells you that theres nothing wrong with your perfectly healthy and functioning domestic situation, you can make eye contact and respond: Hey, thanks! I was worried about what you might think.

Wink, wink.

Never forget that you have a vital and important full-time job. You are raising a person!

The National At Home Dad Network (athomedad.org) offers blogs, a podcast, and many ways to connect with the brotherhood of fatherhood.

They also offer T-shirts. My favorite: Dads dont babysit (Its called parenting).

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Dear Amy: Im hoping you can help provide an answer to a dilemma.

A high-ranking person where my wife works constantly calls her by a name that isnt hers.

She has told this person (on numerous occasions), That is not my name. My name is... to no avail.

It happened again in a staff meeting today.

Afterwards, this person asked her if everything was all right.

She lost it and told him No  you keep calling me by a name that isnt mine!

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He said, It isnt personal.

How much more personal can it be?

She is now afraid she will be fired. I told her to discuss it with HR.

Your thoughts?

 Concerned Husband

Dear Concerned: I cannot imagine the possible grounds for firing someone who is merely asking and expecting to be respected in this way.

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This high-ranking person did not apologize, or say, Im sorry  I seem to have something of a block regarding your name. He said, This isnt personal. And yet  as you point out, there is nothing quite so personal as someones name.

Whether your wife should take this personally is another matter. In my experience, people who refuse to take things personally in the workplace seem to plow forward with few complications.

The reason for your wife to discuss this with HR would be to establish that this has been an ongoing issue. Therefore, if this happens again (and certainly if she is fired from her job), she can demonstrate a pattern.

Dear Amy: Just Wondering was asking about the appropriate way to address a letter carrier.

When I attended college back in the 1970s, I was lucky enough to score 100 on a civil servant exam and then to get a summer job at the U.S. Post Office.

Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist for $5. >

It was unheard of back then for women to be mail carriers (I was the only female working with 30 men) so when the kids would see me out on the street they would call out, Here comes the female(mail)man!

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My, have times changed!

 Linda, the Philly Male Carrier

Dear Linda: Male carrier. I wonder how many women would claim that title?

Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and well send it to her.

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2021 Amy Dickinson.
During a documentary interview in 1996, back when he was a little-known political functionary, Vladimir Putin offered an eerie warning about Russias future.

However sad and however frightening it may sound, I think that in our country a return to a certain period of totalitarian rule is possible, he said. The danger, he added, is not to be found in the organs that provide order, the police or even the army. It is a danger at our summit, in the mentality of our people, our nation.

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Well over a decade later, while speaking as president during a nationally televised Q&A in 2012, Putin once again mused about the possibility of totalitarian rule. This time, though, his remarks sounded distinctly more like a threator a promise. If I believed that a totalitarian and authoritarian system is the most preferable for us, I would simply change the constitution, he said.

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For Western ears, though not for Russian ones, totalitarianism is an old-fashioned word.

Used to describe a government that asserts complete control of its peopleand limits its access to the outside worldthe term was famously adopted by Winston Churchill and George Orwell to describe Nazi Germany and Stalins USSR and immortalized in Hannah Arendts 1951 era-defining work The Origins of Totalitarianism. Among political scientists, the phrase has fallen out of fashion since the 1980s, as decades of scholarship revealed Stalinism to have been a more chaotic, less top-down affair than the robotized party rule of Orwells nightmares.

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Yet whats happening in Russia now amid its invasion of Ukraine is exactly the sort of leap toward totalitarian rule that Putin foreshadowed in 1996. In a matter of weeks, his government has imposed a severity of repression and an information blackout comparable to the USSRs before Mikhail Gorbachevs liberalization. Opposition leaders have been vocal on this point. As the exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky put it: Russia today has moved from an authoritarian regime to a totalitarian one.

Russia has never in its history been a full liberal democracy (no election in Russia in the 1990s was ever truly free and fair). But for most of Putins reign, it never quite descended into what Western academics would call full authoritarianism either. The Kremlin crushed independent TV and pushed out all meaningful political challengers by the mid-2000s. But compared with China, for instance, it allowed a far higher degree of free speech online, in certain newspapers, and even in a few minor elected positions. Russia also permitted access to Western media. Political scientists would call the system a hybrid regime, where elements and zones of freedom are allowed to exist as long as they do not challenge the repressive mainframe.

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Since Putin declared his special military operation at 5:45 a.m. two weeks ago, his government has sought to stifle dissent with a broad crackdown on the remnants of Russias free press as well as social networks and public protesters. The Kremlin forced off air Echo of Moscow and Dozhd, the last independent, liberal radio and TV stations. It blocked the magazine New Times for reporting on military casualties in Ukraine. Most foreign news sources with large Russian coverage and readership are also now blocked, including BBC Russian, Voice of America, and Deutsche Welle. Some publications have responded with self-censorship: Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper famous for its investigative reporting, chose to abandon its war reporting rather than risk retaliation.

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Meanwhile, Russian celebrities who have criticized the war have been rapidly punished, such as the countrys most famous talk show host Ivan Urgant, whose show has not aired since he did so. Journalists who have criticized the war, including Elena Chernenko of Kommersant, have been kicked out of the Foreign Ministry press pool for their views. Several others are now facing charges for covering anti-war protests in Russia.

More troublingly still, last week Russias parliament enacted a law punishing individuals with fines and potential jail terms of up to 15 years for spreading fake news about the military. (Even calling the assault on Ukraine a war is now considered legally risky.) The statute has forced Western media to largely pull out of the country: BBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN ceased broadcasting within Russia, while the New York Times pulled its reporters from Russia entirely. Even in the depths of the Cold War, under the Soviet dictatorship, this never happened, New York Times deputy managing editor Cliff Levy tweeted.

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A new clampdown on social media companies is also denying Russians access to information. The Kremlin has blocked Facebook and restricted Twitter, while slowing down multiple other websites to the point of unusability. People have been detained for as little as liking or sharing content criticizing the regime. Meanwhile, on the streets, Putins newly severe zero-tolerance approach to protests has seen more than 13,000 arrested for demonstrating against the war.

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While this level of repression is new and seemingly sudden, the seeds for it were planted over the course of a decade. In 2011 and 2012, Russia erupted in mass protests against Putin that grew out of the online and social spaces the Kremlin had left largely alone. After, Putin began to put the building blocks of a fully authoritarian regime into place.

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A key radicalization point was Putins first intervention in Ukraine in 2014, when the government introduced a criminal penalty for individuals who showed up to multiple unsanctioned public protests, and blocked websites that reported on, among other things, the mobile crematoriums disposing of Russian casualties from the Donbas region. Over the next few years, legislation and technical capacity were systematically put in place to control the internet.

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A good measure of Putins descent toward full authoritarianism is to follow the career of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. In 2013, Navalny was allowed to run for Moscow mayor, in a contest he could never win. In 2014, his website was blocked and he was put under house arrest. In 2018, he was blocked from running for president. In 2020, the Kremlin tried to assassinate him, and in 2021, he was jailed, his organization banned, driven out of the country, and his associates imprisoned.

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Now in hindsight, given that the first troop buildups began on the borders of Ukraine in the spring of 2020, the measures against Navalny and his organization look premeditated for the war, not vindictive. So too does Putins campaign to smother liberal-minded Russian media, using tools such as a law requiring outlets to register as foreign agents, which largely broke the independent press by the end of 2021. The Varieties of Democracy Institutes data analysis of civil society repression already had Russia near pre-Gorbachev liberalization levels in 2020, and the country has now sunk below them.

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The Ukraine invasion has now triggered a final plunge away from freedom: Russians are no longer allowed to read basic information or discuss the war, as they were in past conflicts in Georgia or Chechnya. Political scientists attached to technical terms might say that it has crossed the line from a hybrid regime to become a fully authoritarian state like China or Iran. But as Putins old words and the language of todays opposition show, ordinary Russians would simply recognize it as totalitarianism.

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To be sure, Russians have not yet lost all of their freedoms. Three members of its parliament recently spoke out against the war, for instance, in a demonstration of official resistance that wouldnt likely happen in China. Younger Russians who were born after the fall of the Soviet Union may not all recognize where they are sliding. But older Russians, with stronger memories of history, do. Another problem, tweeted Kirill Martynov, the deputy editor of Novaya Gazeta, is that everyone over the age of 35 has seen totalitarianism end, but almost no one now has the experience of living at the time when it begins.

And indeed, this may just be the beginning. Now that Putin has sacrificed the economic stability that his popularity was initially based on, the most likely immediate future for him is that he will seek to rebuild his authority with the three key tools of the totalitarian playbook: mobilize his population through feverish propaganda, militarize society, and break resistance with severe new repression.

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Weve already seen a hint of what this might look like, as the Z drawn on Russian military vehicles in Ukraine has proliferated across Russian nationalist media and is now being scrawled on cars and worn by athletes.

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In a development eerily reminiscent of Stalinism, Russian children and youth have been a particular focus of this propaganda: They have been filmed lauding the chief commander in song, saluting in Z logos in shopping malls and even forming a Z in the snow outside a hospice for those with childhood cancers. All this led the opposition activist Ilya Yashin to warn, North Korea is closer than you think. With the economy in collapse, Putin is sure to rely ever more heavily on this kind of politics to rally his nation.

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For Russian liberals, this is all a disaster, and many are simply choosing to escape while they can. Tens of thousands have fled the country over the last week fearing repression, poverty, or the possibility that if they wait any longer, the borders may close. For Western policymakers it is a serious problem as well, since Russia is both more aggressive now and more inscrutable. With the free press smashed and chased out and social media limited, we will simply know a lot less about Russian politics and society than before. Without Western and Russian journalists engaging in meaningful reporting, we are back in the situation at the height of the Cold War when Western intelligence knew so little about internal Kremlin politics they were forced to guess political shifts in influence by how officials stood on Lenins Mausoleum during the annual Victory Day Parade and what medals they wore.

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This will require American and European leaders, and the press, to think differently about Russia, to treat it less like the Putin regime of old and more like the USSR. They will need to avoid overconfident predictions and not assume the Kremlin reads situations in the same way and understand that Russians themselves cannot be expected to pour into the streets in protest (this has apparently been lost on some Twitter commentators).

We should also borrow the best, most humane parts of America and Europes Cold War playbook. During the 20th century, the West operatedessentiallywhat amounted to an open border policy for dissidents fleeing the Eastern bloc. If the West is serious about undermining Putins Russia, it should consider dropping its visa regimes or COVID rules that do not recognize the Sputnik vaccine for international travel, and allow refugees from Russia and societies occupied or under attack by the Kremlin to claim asylum. Instead of walling off Russians behind visa and propaganda walls, the West should consider sponsoring Russian universities and media in exile to keep its free thinking alive.

Russia is crossing into a fragile, chaotic version of what could be a new mode of Putin-style totalitarianism. It is not yet there, but there is a high risk of things becoming darker ahead. The last word on this can ironically be ceded to the young Putin of 1996. We all think in a way, he said, that if only there was a firm hand to provide order, we would all live better, more comfortably, and in safety.

In fact, Putin continued, this comfort would be short-lived because this firm hand will be tight and very quickly strangle us and  it will be instantly felt by every person, then in every family.
We all want to do our part to support Ukraine as the country defends itself against a brutal invasion by Russia. And many of us feel a little impotent right now, as we watch bombs go off on TV and refugees making a desperate escape, in the increasingly rare cases theyre able. So naturally, many Americans are displaying their support the best way they know how: by purchasing, or not purchasing, consumer goods.

To this I say: come on. Stop boycotting random Russian things. Its not helping. You could even argue it is making things worse.

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Lets start with a familiar target: Russian vodka. What should we do about it? Well, less than 1 percent of vodka drunk in the U.S. comes from Russia. Stoli is made in Latvia. (Poor Stoli, desperately rebranding this week from Stolichnaya!) Smirnoff is made in Plainfield, Illinois! I can maybe see an argument for steering clear of Russian Standard vodka, which is owned by Roustan Tariko, an honest-to-God oligarch. But even decisions like that have unintended consequences. Dump out all the vodka you like; you are not stopping the war in Ukraine.

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What about Russian restaurants? Reservations are down 60 percent at Russian Samovar, a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, and the Times reports that other restaurants serving Russian food are dealing with threatening calls, cancelled reservations, and bad online reviews. But most of the staff at Samovar is from Ukraine. Sveta, another restaurant highlighted in the Times piece, is owned by Ukrainians; they just called their food Russian because more Americans knew what it meant. So stop eating at Russian restaurants if you like; you are not stopping the war in Ukraine.

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How about Russian artists? Sure, it makes sense that opera companies and symphonies are cutting ties with conductor Valery Gergiev, a longtime Putin supporter. (Although where were all those principles in 2013, when a lone advocate walked onstage at a Gergiev-conducted London Symphony performance to protest Putins anti-gay policies?) But cancelling a film by a Russian director whose grandmother is currently hiding from bombs in Kyiv? Cancelling a 20-year-old pianists debut performance because he hasnt sufficiently denounced the brutal leader of the country where the pianists entire family currently lives? Cancelling Tchaikovsky? Ah yes, I can see why it might be inappropriate at this time to listen to a 140-year-old overture by a composer whose queerness was suppressed by the Russian government for decades. That will definitely stop the war in Ukraine.

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So yes, it is dumb to boycott things that have no actual connection to Vladimir Putin or even, in some cases, to Russia. But its also foolish to demonize every vestige of Russian culture, and ordinary Russian citizens, and Russians abroad, as a result of a catastrophic war launched by a despot. Its dangerous to demand that Russian shopkeepers and cooks and violinists take a loyalty test before you allow them to serve you a meal or play you a song. It leads to ugly cruelty and pointless suffering.

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And it undermines the actual strategy of Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky to reach out to Russians directly, broadcasting videos in the Russian language appealing to their honor and desire for peace. Many Russians living abroad despise this war and the regime that has instigated it. Those Russian emigres are a direct line to the Russian citizens whose resistance to the conflict and recognition of the rights of Ukraine could be crucial in bringing the war to an end.

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Theres a place for individual and collective boycotts, including cultural ones. The cultural boycott of South Africa from the 1960s through the 1980s helped to delegitimize the apartheid government of the era. But even that boycott shifted, over time, from an outright ban on all cultural exchange with South Africa in order to allow South African artists to perform abroad, where they could spread the word about the evils of apartheid. And as time goes on, there will be plenty of opportunities to stop giving money to the oligarchs on whose support Vladimir Putin depends. But right now? Randomly boycotting any old business with a Russian-sounding name is not going to end the war in Ukraine. Drink a white Russian, watch an episode of Russian Doll, and focus on what you can actually do.
Like a lot of other journalists in Ukraine, Romeo Kokriatski is working hard day in and day out to explain the slow trudge of war. Kokriatski is the managing editor of a website called the New Voice of Ukraine, and he lived in Kyiv until he fled the capital a few days ago. He actually grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, spending summers in Ukraine with his grandma learning about the history of his homeland.

Kokriatskis story tells you something important about this country and how its been able to hold off Russian forces so far. The military war is an evolution of an information war thats been going on in Ukraine for eight years, and Kokriatski plays an important part in that war, sorting out facts from propaganda. On Thursdays episode of What Next, I talked to him about the fight against Russian misinformation, how he got into journalism, and what its like in Kyiv these days. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Mary Harris: In 2014, Ukrainians took to the streets to oust Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovych over corruption allegations. Vladimir Putin invaded Crimea and pushed forces into the Donbas region. You wanted to help the young Ukrainians who sparked what they called the Maidan Revolution.

Romeo Kokriatski: At the time I was working at a pizzeria in Brooklyn, and it was not what I wanted to do with my life. I mean, working in a pizzeria and drinking every night, that was fine for my early 20s. But I realized that I wanted to have an actual career. I wanted to do something meaningful. And after watching the Euromaidan revolution, I realized, well, I can probably help Ukraine somehow.  I managed to start out as a journalist.

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I want to talk about how your industry has evolved over the course of you being there in Ukraine, because Ive read that in 2014, Russia began putting propaganda and fake news out there, and information was a big part of how the case was built for that first invasion.

Everyone knows the term fake news now, but back in 2014, it was very rarely used and not that spread out. Prior to 14, Russia Today, the Russian propaganda outlet they use in all the foreign countries, was even considered kind of a normal news source, sort of like Al Jazeera. Yeah, its run by maybe some unsavory people, but the journalists, theyre just reporting on what the mainstream media wont tell you. That was the whole tagline. And then Crimea happened, and the Donbas conflict began. And suddenly RT, I wouldnt say changed, I would say more like revealed itself. This was always going to be an engine of Russian disinformation in the world. It just didnt have something concrete to grab onto.

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This rise in disinformation ended up giving you a push into journalism. You got the opportunity to host a YouTube show targeting fake news, StopFake.

The propaganda that the Russians were pushing at that time was not very elegant propaganda. Im only exaggerating a little when I say thisit was very much like the Ukrainians are eating Russian babies. It wasnt quite that much, but it was just a tad underneath it. And to be honest, the propaganda they sell nowfor example, the Ukrainians are bombing their own schools to kill children that they can blame on Russiathat propaganda is not far removed from just saying Ukrainians eat babies.

Eventually you ended up working at a place called UATV, right? What was that like?

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UATV was a state-owned broadcaster established to broadcast Ukrainian news to an international audience.

So it was like the BBC for Ukraine?

Yeah, that was how it was sold. The reality, of course, was much different. In Ukraine, there is no strong tradition of a public broadcaster as opposed to a state-owned broadcaster. And Ukrainian journalism very much functioned either on the oligarch standard, where you would report on news that was favorable to whoever owned your publication and you would play down news that was disfavorable to whoever owns your publication or ignored it entirelyor the other hand, the Soviet method, where you would report strictly on the news the government put out and nothing else because nothing else mattered.

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Youve said you basically had a government minder at the station.

Yes. It wasnt that way at first. That government minder came in a little later, and it was one of the reasons I left UATV.

She wasnt called a minder. She was appointed as the manager of the English-language division. But in any case, at first I had a great editor. But a couple of months in, hes like, Well, they are going to appoint someone else to take my role, and Ill just be a journalist like you guys. And then this woman comes in. I always called her the commissar because, quite frankly, thats what she wasshe was there to make sure that we played up news that was favorable to the government and downplayed news that was disfavorable to the government.

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Eventually I got to the point where I couldnt really handle them telling us what to write or telling us which stories to cover and which not, which I felt was beyond the pale for management to do, to interfere in an editorial decision for journalists like that. And I told them basically that either I can report or you have to fire me. And ultimately, I ended up leaving UATV.

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Youre not the only Ukrainian journalist to walk out of a newsroom and do something more independent. And you can kind of see it, I think, in the coverage weve seen emerge during this latest invasion. Im wondering if you can compare how the Ukrainian media responded to what happened in 2014 and whats happening now and how important you think that is to how the rest of the world understands whats going on.

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Prior to 14, there was basically no independent journalism. And when I say independent, it means something thats not state-owned, something thats not oligarch-owned, but an outlet that is either owned by journalists themselves or is owned by an entity that will not interfere editorially in the newsrooms decisions. And that did not exist prior to 14.

In Ukraine, when you read a story from oligarch-owned media, the first thing you have to always think is whos benefiting from the writing of the story. And thats how a lot of Ukrainians view media. They dont view media as something that tells the news. They see media as a tool of influence that will help whoever owns the publication. So even the concept of independent news was not well understood by Ukrainians at large and to an extent is still not very understood by Ukrainians at large.

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With Russian forces pushing deeper into Ukraine, the work you and your colleagues do fighting disinformation has become even more essential. But this war is also personal for you. Earlier this week, you returned to Kyiv to drop off some medical supplies for a friend serving in the territorial defense unit.

Basically everything in Kyiv is sold out. Every shop that I went to, the shelves are basically bare. And the pharmacies, same story. Gas stations, same story.

How does that work, like if you need a loaf of bread or a vegetable?

Bread is the one thing that you can find. Theres lots of bread.

Whys that?

Bread and buckwheat. Bread is very important for Ukrainians culturally.

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Its the breadbasket.

Yeah. My wife, for example, cant eat a meal without having at least a slice of bread, even if were eating pasta, just because thats how she was raised. You have bread at every meal, all the time. Your staple food is bread.

So people can get bread, but it sounds like not much else.

Yeah. The waters still running, the powers still running, internets still there, gas is still there. But obviously theres not a lot of supplies coming in, except absolutely the essentials.

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What surprised you about your visit? Was there anything that you didnt expect?

It went as expected, but it was still surprising, how eerie it was. Kyiv has really bad traffic. It is absolutely awful, awful, awful traffic at all hours of the day. And then here we are, driving through the center of Kyiv at like 7 p.m., peak rush hour, and just empty. No people, no cars. Just cinder blocks and tank traps and barricades.

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Are you surprised that Ukraine has held off Russian forces for this long?

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Its hard to say because in my heart, obviously, I wanted us to be able to hold off the Russians. But Im less surprised by how well the Ukrainians have been doing than how poorly the Russians have been doing.

Im struck by how jolly you sound, given everything thats happening around you. I know that youre not in Kyiv and youre doing different work outside of the places that are getting hit badly. But whenever I read about what happens next in Ukraine, the analysis seems really dark. Its, you know, theres no good way out, either Russia takes over the country but its been brutally attacked and who knows whats left, maybe theres nuclear war. Do you disagree with that kind of analysis or just maybe push it aside?

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To be honest, that analysis is very Westernized. If you read the Ukrainian news, obviously the picture is a bit rosier, but even when you read reports by military analysts and people like that, theyre still much more optimistic than their Western counterparts. And maybe they have a reason to be, maybe they dont. I tend to trust them because I know a lot of the people personally, so if they tell me something, I will give it more veracity than something Ill read in CNN, for example.

So I wouldnt say Im jolly. Im laughing a lot, but thats mostly just a defense mechanism, because again, theres only so many pictures of dead children you can look at and know that this isnt some faraway, disconnected conflict. No, this is my home, and these are people that I very well may have passed in the street or may have sat next to in a restaurant or may have shared tea in a train carriage before. The only real way to deal with that is to try and maintain some sense of equanimity and some sense of doomed optimism, I guess.

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Is there any circumstance in which you see yourself leaving Ukraine?

Unless the Russians really are able to install a puppet government in Kyiv and direct confrontation is either no longer feasible or impracticalthen I would. Because at that point, I feel I would be more useful to Ukraine outside the country than I would be within it. At the moment, I think I still can play an important role here, being here physically, and also, if I get drafted, I get drafted.

Youre clearly a journalist who sees yourself like your most potent weapon in this war is your pen. Do you ever see that changing, where you put down your pen and maybe pick up something else?

This was a question I asked myself right as the war started. Theres a time to be a journalist and theres a time to be a soldier, and I cant tell when that time will be. And how brave Ill be when that choice comes up, and what Ill choose to do. I honestly cant answer. I dont know when and I dont know under what conditions. But I know that when I see that choice, Ill see it clearly.

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Back in the 1800s, in the halcyon days of evidence-free speculation on life in the universe, the Scottish natural theologist Thomas Dick famously proposed that our solar system could harbor about 22 trillion beings. That figure may sound preposterous, but Dick wasnt entirely out of step with the scientific mood of the time. There was logic to the contention that abundant life must exist elsewhere, since the alternative was that the Earth was somehow special, which was at odds with everything wed learned from Copernicus. It was also at odds with the beliefwhich Dick hadin a benevolent and generous God, busy spreading its creations across the cosmos.

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Even for the time, though, Dick was extreme in his thinking about where those creations might be. For example, he considered the rings of Saturn as providing a potential surface for life, along with pretty much every other place, from Saturn itself to Jupiter, Uranus, Mars, Venus, and so on. (Neptune was yet to be discovered.) Add it all up and, assuming a similar density of species to the density of humans on Earth, you arrive at a figure of about 22 trillion. Dick even noted that if the sun were also habitable, its surface alone could harbor more than 30 times that number of beings.

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Today, we know there are not nearly that many multicellular entities, let alone humans, in our solar system (barring some really unfortunate oversight yet to be understood), and we have a vastly better understanding of the possibly habitable real estate. Gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn are easily ruled out for any surface-dwelling life (although Carl Sagan and Edwin Salpeter once wrote a great scientific paper in 1976 on options for atmosphere-dwelling creatures in Jupiter). And almost anywhere with a solid surface would still require substantial environmental engineering to be places where life like ours could be even halfway comfortable, whether on Mars or perhaps in repurposed, hollowed-out asteroids.

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That doesnt mean that its not a fun, and even informative, thought exercise to try to estimate the maximum capacity of the solar system for sustaining human populations. In 2005 for example, a paper in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society (which, rather unfairly, sounds like a publication from an alternate reality in which humans have already spread throughout the solar system) examined the limits imposed by the availability of key biological elements like nitrogen and phosphorus in the solar system.

If just the most readily accessible stores of those elements (along with all the other necessary but more abundant elements, like carbon and oxygen) could be extracted from all the carbonaceous asteroids in the solar system (potentially more than a hundred million objects), that alone could let you grow about 6,000 times Earths biomass; that is the totality of all living organisms on the planet. So then, assuming the same biomass-to-human ratio as on Earth, the solar system could support about 50 trillion people. If you could somehow access and repurpose all of the biologically useful contents of the asteroids, this figure could go up to thousands of trillions.

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Of course, those estimates assume mechanisms exist to turn all of those raw ingredients into living things and that theres somewhere to put them all. In that context there is also an implicit assumption that the energy exists to support all of those biomassesenergy for maintaining environmental temperatures and for metabolic processes like photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, which turn energy and raw materials into food.

The largest readily available power source in the solar system is of course the sun. Earth intercepts about 173,000 trillion watts of solar power (though about 30 percent of that is reflected back into space before reaching the planetary surface). The total power consumption of humans, at present, is only about one ten-thousandth of this, but plenty of other life on the planet uses the suns energy, too. We could conservatively suppose that since an entire planet like the Earth supports roughly 8 billion people, the total intercepted solar power is whats necessary to sustain the environment, the biosphere, and us.

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Luckily those 173,000 trillion watts are merely one ten-billionth of the total electromagnetic output of the sun, streaming out in all directions from the solar surface. So, if one Earth can sustain 8 billion humans (a figure that is somewhere between conservative and generous, given our perilous impact on the planet thus far), then the solar system gets enough energy from the sun to, in principle, support 10 billion such worldsand thus 80 million-trillion of us.

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So thats enough materials for biomass to go along with 50 trillion people, enough solar power for 80 million-trillion. This suggests we might run out of raw materials before wed run out of energy. But even more worrisome is the possibility that we might run out of the physical environments for all of those humans to occupy. This kind of thought experiment naturally leads us to the ideas of Freeman Dysons famous one-page paper in 1960 where he outlines the concept of what has become known as a Dyson sphere.

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This is a structure built to enclose the sun (in Dysons original conception, itself inspired by science fiction author Olaf Stapledons Star Maker), but to do so at the orbital radius of the Earth. In other words, this sphere, or aggregated swarm of structures in orbit (because a solid spherical shell might be unstable), would provide an inner surface where the solar power received per unit area is a match to what the Earth presently receivesleading to a potentially habitable environment with about 550 million times the surface area of the Earth (or nearly 2 billion times Earths land surface). The materials to build this structure, which could be a few meters thick, would all come from a repurposing of Jupiters matter, about 317 times the mass of the Earth.

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But what would it look like to for 80 million-trillion humans to live on nearly 2 billion times the surface area of all of Earths landmasses? They would have an average population density of about 290 people per square kilometer. Superficially, that actually doesnt sound too bad. Manila, in the Philippines, has an average population density of more than 71,000 people per square kilometer; Manhattan has about 28,000 per square kilometer. In fact, the state of Connecticut is a pretty close match to our Dyson sphere, with an average of about 288 people per square kilometer.

In other words, with some coordinated shuffling around, there could be regions of ordinary urban density and regions of open space. Which leaves us with the rather surprising conclusion that what Thomas Dick proposed back in 1838 was, if anything, a gross underestimate of what is actually possible in terms of the capacity for people in a star system. Admittedly he didnt imagine reconfiguring the entirety of Jupiter to build a Dyson sphere, but in a bizarre fashion he was on the right track.

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The biggest constraint is the availability of raw material to actually make 80 million-trillion humans, plus the attendant biomass in other living things to support those people and their environment. This number is 100,000 or so times more than the extrapolated availability of bioelements from carbonaceous asteroids. On the other hand, if we were capable of repurposing all of Jupiter to build a Dyson structure, we could surely also repurpose other worlds to build living things.

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In very approximate terms, the total matter of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune might provide about 10 billion-trillion tons of biologically useful material. The present biomass on the Earth is estimated at around 1 trillion tons, yielding the possibility of forming about 10 billion new terrestrial-size biomasses that could support a total of about 100 million-trillion humans. More than enough to occupy all of the adequately powered terrain of a star-enclosing structure or orbital swarm.

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Naturally there are all kinds of caveats. Not least are the assumptions about Earths own capacity to sustain humans, since its unclear that our present population numbers are really viable for this planet. And at the root of Dysons concept is the assumption that simply having the right amount of incoming stellar power translates to a habitable environment. This is a gross simplification of what we know of how ecosystems function, with their constantly incoming and outgoing fluxes of energy and matter and their dynamic variations and evolutions.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of examining our solar system this way is to realize how parochial we might be in our thinking about lifes growth and potential cosmic occupancy. Just as we once imagined that most planetary systems would look something like ours and then discovered that exoplanets offered far more diverse and alien architectures, our preconceptions about life being a light dusting around a star, confined to a few lucky planetary surfaces, could be woefully blinkered.

Maybe somewhere out there are places where life has gnawed its way through entire worlds to become the bulk of what encircles a star. Thomas Dick was excited to imagine people inhabiting a plurality of stately worlds, but that scenario might only represent a primordial state, before those worlds are remade into something more in step with lifes voracious needs.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
On Wednesday, a team of technicians and maritime archaeologists called Endurance22 announced that they had located the remains of the Endurance, a 144-foot wooden ship that sank in 1915 during an Antarctic expedition helmed by British explorer Ernest Henry Shackleton.

Shackleton had set out with a crew of 27 people to attempt the first crossing of Antarctica. However, the Endurance became trapped in the ice a few weeks into the expedition. In one of the most celebrated survival stories from the 20th century, the crew was able to survive on the ship and then on ice for over a year before Shackleton was able to venture out in a lifeboat to a whaling station to find rescue.*

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Endurance22, which operated out of a vessel owned by South Africas government, reported that the ship is in a brilliant state of preservation and has published pictures of its findings. I spoke to Kevin Crisman, a nautical archeology professor at Texas A&M University, to get a sense of just how significant and surprising this discovery is. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Aaron Mak: This is being called the worlds most challenging shipwreck search and among the most celebrated shipwrecks that had not been found. Do you think thats accurate?

Kevin Crisman: Its a biggie. This is one of those events in maritime history and world history thats been a touchstone. It really represents the height of the polar explorations taking place over the previous couple of centuries. I read the book Endurance as a kid; I never wouldve dreamed they would be finding the ship, and in such a good condition too. Its a big deal.

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So you were surprised that it was found. Did it previously seem like the Endurance might just be lost forever?

It was under an ice sheet in previous decades, 10,000 feet under. But we have the technology if you want to spend enough money and time looking. This was an expensive endeavor, with a $10 million price tag on it. They certainly have achieved results with those amazing pictures.

A quarter-century ago, this wouldve been really difficult to carry out. With AUV [autonomous underwater vehicle] technology taking off, you can launch a little robotic submarine that can do its work at 10,000 feet. Youre not trying to tow it from a cable on the surface, or trying to get a submarine under the ice. This highlights some pretty cool tools that weve developed for exploring the oceans.

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The Endurance was found in good condition. Is that unusual for shipwrecks?

Yes and no. Im being equivocal here. The sequence of it being crushed by the ice is pretty dramatic, especially the final shots of it where its just a few odds and ends, a steam engine chimney sticking up, a few broken pieces of timber, and its being subsumed by the ice. If you look at the pictures you think, Wow, things got smashed flat like a pancake.

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The sinking wasnt as violent a crushing event as I wouldve guessed now looking at the picture from the expedition. The stern and the wheels survived; those are fragile objects. The railing around the back is in pretty good shape.

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The depth helps, and the really cool water helps. That same ship sinking at 10,000 feet further to the north, up in the central north or south Atlantic would, would be a different wreck. Even in those depths, there are wood-boring organisms that would basically reduce it. The metal components would still be there, and maybe some of the larger chunks of hull, but most of it would be consumed. The beauty of finding things very far north, or very far south, is the cold water really inhibits the activity of the wood-boring organism. You get that fantastic preservation, which you wouldnt get in most of the worlds oceans.

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You said that we already know quite a bit about the Endurance and Shackletons expedition. Do you think that theres new information that will be revealed with the discovery of the ship?

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Im sure well learn things which Shackletons people wouldnt have thought to describe or write down, or put much thought to. As archeologists, were interested in every kind of aspect of this thing, the way the ship was designed and built, and the way they reinforced it. Its also interesting to see what they thought in 1914 they would need for going into such a difficult environment and staying alive for several years. By looking at these things, itll bring it alive.

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One of the things that archeology does pretty well is put us in touch with the people of the past through little things, like the dishes they ate off of, the spaces they lived in, the personal objects with which they surrounded themselves. Theres something poignant about it. You can find photographs of people living in these spaces, but actually seeing the spaces and thinking about the trauma around that or the life lived there, and the small objects that were part of their lives but not something they would think to talk aboutarcheologists groove on that stuff. That sense of picking something and realizing that the owner last touched it 100 or 500 years ago.

What would you now say is the most coveted shipwreck that hasnt been discovered yet?

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It depends on what your interests are. I teach about seafaring in the last 500 years, and so if you ask me, Id pick something from the period of exploration. Columbus lost ships here and there. He lost two ships near Jamaica and people have been looking for them and they havent turned up yet. Archeologically that would be interesting because we still dont know much about the ships Columbus sailed in. Besides the name recognitionfor better or for worse, everyone knows Columbusit would be a kind of twofer deal for archeologists to find two precisely dated and named wrecks.

If you want to jump forward a few centuries, one of the most famous U.S. Navy ships of the War of 1812, the Wasp, disappeared. It was having a fantastically successful war, and then in the last year of the war, it just disappeared. They probably got overwhelmed by a storm. You can pick from every century, and odds are there are ships that have disappeared and wed like to know what happened.
Slovak living in the UK flew back to Slovakia to help people cross the border from Ukraine.

People fleeing war in Ukraine at the border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, eastern Slovakia. (Source: Sme - Marko Erd)

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When the war in Ukraine started, she could not just sit at home and watch the news. Renata Papcunova, a Slovak native living with her family in the UK, felt the urge to travel to Slovakia to help people fleeing Putin's war in Ukraine.

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It was not her first experience volunteering and her husband knew that with the war raging and people on the move, she would not be able to stay at home.

I told him: we need to talk. He replied: so when are you leaving? Papcunova describes their conversation.

She arrived in Slovakia on March 2 and had been volunteering in eastern Slovakia for a week when she spoke with The Slovak Spectator. She is appreciative of the work the volunteers are doing, despite the lack of coordination in terms of people helping on the spot.

When Papcunova and her friend, also a native from Slovakia living in the UK, came to Kosice, they spent two days at the local train station. They helped organise people arriving to the station, either pointing them to the right train or when there was no train, sending them to the compound of the nearby swimming pool to wait for the next connection.

Helping foreign students leave

She soon quickly realised that nobody was organising foreign students at the station.
Nearly 2,000 people have registered for the shot.

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The administration of the new Covid vaccine, developed by the Novavax company, starts today at the teaching hospitals in Trnava and Banska Bystrica.

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Other subjects are expected to join later. For example, vaccination will start on March 11 in the teaching hospital in Presov, and on March 14 in 46 vaccination centres across the country, the Health Ministry has said.

Our paywall policy: The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope.

The vaccine is suitable for people who had a medical contraindication to the previously approved Covid vaccines.

The vaccine is protein-based, said Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky (OLaNO nominee), as quoted by the TASR newswire. The vaccines used for decades against flu, hepatitis or cervical cancer work on the same principle.

1,929 people have registered for the shot as of March 10, according to the data provided by the National Health Information Centre (NCZI), and 526 people have been given the appointment.

As many as 793 people are interested in the first shot, and 1,164 in the booster shot with the vaccine by Novavax, the SITA newswire reported.

Second shots can be administered no sooner than 21 days after receiving the first one. The registration is open for people older than 18 years.

Read more about Covid vaccination in Slovakia:
Planes bought in 2018 Slovakia will come a year late

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F-16 fighter jets bought by Slovakia will arrive a year later than planned, it has been announced. The fighter jets should arrive in the first half of 2024.

But the Defence Ministry has said that Slovakia's airspace will be secured despite the delay. The Defence Ministry had said that it wanted to ground the MiG-29 fighter jets currently used by the airforce earlier than previously planned.

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The Defence Ministry received an official statement from the US government notifying the Slovak government of postponement of the supply of F-16 fighter jets by 12 to 14 months, spokesperson for the ministry Martina Koval Kakascikova, said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. The first fighter jets will be delivered in the first half of 2024.
President Zelensky thanks Slovakia. Foreigners Police go 24/7. Learn more in today's digest.

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Good evening. The Thursday, March 10 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready, giving you the main news of the day in under five minutes.

Foreigners Police only dealing with refugees

The information point at the Main Railway Station in Bratislava. (Source: TASR)

Slovakia's Foreigners Police have announced they are closed to anyone but refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The decision, taken last week after a mass influx of people from Ukraine, means a shift in their operations with branches open 24/7 for refugees and their families, and providing refreshment to those applying for temporary protection.

The Foreigners Police have cancelled all appointments booked through their system for non-Ukrainian foreigners, but have promised to let those affected know when they can book a new appointment.

We are also preparing an amendment to the law on the residence of foreigners that will prolong their stay if they arent able to submit an application to renew their stay due to the restriction on services for foreigners at our workplaces, Denisa Bardyova, spokesperson of the Police Corps Presidium, said.

Arrival of US fighter jets delayed

Illustrative stock photo (Source: SITA/AP)

F-16 fighter jets bought from the US by the previous government in 2018 will be supplied to the country a year late, the Defence Ministry informed. Their expected arrival is 2024.

The ministry has received an official statement from the US government that the arrival of 14 jets will be delayed by 12 to 14 months. The ministry said the delay was down to the Covid-19 pandemic and a global shortage of microchips.

Slovakia's airforce currently used Russian MiG-29 fighter jets. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said that Slovakia will attempt to ground the fighter jets earlier than a planned 2023 deadline and send Russian technicians servicing them home.

The ministry said Slovakia's airspace would remain secured despite the delay.

More on the war in Ukraine

Police warn against hoaxes about the shelling of Ukrainian city Mariupol and a local maternity hospital on March 9. The aim of the hoax is to cast doubt on the shelling and number of victims.

on March 9. The aim of the hoax is to cast doubt on the shelling and number of victims. Slovak President Zuzana Caputova spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She said Zelensky repeatedly thanked Slovakia for helping his country, sending aid and showing solidarity with Ukrainian families seeking shelter in Slovakia. "Zuzana, we fight as much as we can. We know what help is coming from Slovakia, you are our important and reliable friends," Caputova said Zelensky has told her.

First two Slovaks officially ask to join army in Ukraine. It is not clear whether the pair will actually get to fight though, since the application process is lengthy and difficult, and its result uncertain.

It is not clear whether the pair will actually get to fight though, since the application process is lengthy and difficult, and its result uncertain. A special train arrived at Bratislava Main Station this morning . It was dispatched from Kosice with 300 refugees from Ukraine on board seeking temporary protection in Slovakia.

. It was dispatched from Kosice with 300 refugees from Ukraine on board seeking temporary protection in Slovakia. There will be no siren test this Friday, the Interior Ministry has said . The ministry made the decision because of the situation in Ukraine.

the Interior Ministry has said The ministry made the decision because of the situation in Ukraine. Police have warned of fraudsters trying to take advantage of the situation in Ukraine . They have advised people to be wary of e-mails from anonymous senders pretending to organise financial collections for Ukraine.

. They have advised people to be wary of e-mails from anonymous senders pretending to organise financial collections for Ukraine. More than a thousand refugees from Ukraine have been given shelter in a temporary camp in Humenne. But the number of refugees changes all the time with people constantly arriving and leaving.

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Photo of the day

Ten years have passed since the fire in Krasna Horka castle. It has been closed and undergone reconstruction in that time. Some parts of the castle are expected to open in 2023.

Krasna Horka Castle ablaze. (Source: Sme - Maria Skokanova)

Feature story for today

When the war in Ukraine started, Renata Papcunova could not just sit at home and watch the news. The Slovak native, who lives with her family in the UK, says she had to travel to Slovakia to help people fleeing Putin's war in Ukraine.

It was not her first experience volunteering and her husband knew that with the war raging and people on the move, she would not be able to stay at home.

I told him: we need to talk. He replied: so when are you leaving? Papcunova said.

Volunteer at the border: Coordination shortage, uncertainty is the worst for refugees Read more

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.

In other news

12,066 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 20,595 PCR tests performed on Wednesday. The number of people in hospitals with Covid is 2,454 . 31 more deaths were reported on Wednesday. The vaccination rate stands at 51.24 percent, with 2,818,127 people having received a first dose of a vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.

out of 20,595 PCR tests performed on Wednesday. The number of people in hospitals with Covid is 2,454 . 31 more deaths were reported on Wednesday. The vaccination rate stands at 51.24 percent, with 2,818,127 people having received a first dose of a vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here. Green Energy Holding, which has Slovak and Austrian owners, plans to build a wind park near Skalica. Six wind power plants near the villages of Letnicie and Petrova Ves would generate an output of 5 to 7 MW.

Six wind power plants near the villages of Letnicie and Petrova Ves would generate an output of 5 to 7 MW. Construction company output stood at 283.8 million in January this year, up 0.3 percent y-o-y. Construction work conducted in Slovakia, which accounts for 87.2 percent of the country's total construction output, ticked down 6.7 percent y-o-y in the first month of this year.

Construction work conducted in Slovakia, which accounts for 87.2 percent of the country's total construction output, ticked down 6.7 percent y-o-y in the first month of this year. Industrial production posted y-o-y growth for the third month in a row , but slowed 3.1 percent in January 2022 . Last year in the same period it dropped 3.8 percent.

, but slowed 3.1 percent in January 2022 . Last year in the same period it dropped 3.8 percent. German company Rheinmetall plans to to invest 30 million in construction of a new plant in Moldava nad Bodvou producing chassis and towers for Lynx vehicles. Production will cover an area of 12,000 square meters and test facilities 15,000 square meters.

Production will cover an area of 12,000 square meters and test facilities 15,000 square meters. Information about the preparation of the final expert report in the event of the death of Slovak Jozef Chovanec after his arrest at Charleroi airport in Belgium is not true , the Justice Ministry said, adding that the investigation into the death of a Slovak citizen has not been completed.

, the Justice Ministry said, adding that the investigation into the death of a Slovak citizen has not been completed. An appeal trial with Marian Kotleba, MP and chair of far-right Peoples Party Our Slovakia (LSNS), will take place on April 5. It should have originally taken place on March 8, but the court cancelled the hearing.

One last note: Slovakia expects a very cold night, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute has warned. Temperatures will fall to between -6 and -13 Celsius degrees, and in some parts of northern Slovakia dipping as low as -13 to -19 Celsius degrees.

(Source: SHMU)

Do not miss on Spectator.sk today

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If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
https://sputniknews.com/20220309/california-county-rejects-exxonmobil-bid-to-restart-offshore-oil-wells-blamed-for-2015-disaster-1093728902.html

California County Rejects ExxonMobil Bid to Restart Offshore Oil Wells Blamed for 2015 Disaster

California County Rejects ExxonMobil Bid to Restart Offshore Oil Wells Blamed for 2015 Disaster

Californias Santa Barbara County has rejected a plan by petroleum giant ExxonMobil to restart three offshore oil platforms that were turned off after a... 09.03.2022, Sputnik International

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Santa Barbara Countys Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Tuesday to reject a proposal by ExxonMobil to set up interim trucking routes to transport crude oil from the platforms, allowing them to restart production. The plan would have allowed 24,800 oil truck trips per year along Highway 101, a coastal route, and Route 166, a hazardous inland route that cuts across numerous mountain ranges.The pipeline that previously carried oil from the platforms ruptured on May 19, 2015, spilling 140,000 gallons of crude oil onto land and sea near Refugio State Beach, causing major ecological damage in an ecologically sensitive area and costing the state $74 million. However, even that impact paled in comparison to the massive 1969 blowout of an offshore well during drilling, which at the time was the largest ever in US waters.According to a recent report in the Santa Barbara Independent, there are 23 out-of-date oil platforms off the Santa Barbara coast, eight of which are set to be decommissioned in the next decade. The process will involve plugging the wells and removing the oil infrastructure, including the pipelines and cables that connect them to shore.Our research revealed that there have been eight serious accidents involving tanker trucks along the route in the last several years, resulting in deaths, oil spills, injuries, fires and road closures, Krop added. We applaud the boards vote against ExxonMobils project, which puts the safety of our communities, climate and coastlines first.The news comes as a bitter fight over US oil production has resumed following US President Joe Bidens decision to ban oil imports from Russia as part of his administrations response to Moscows launching of a special military operation in Ukraine.Challenged by a journalist about increasing domestic oil production on Monday, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said that under Biden, US oil production had reached record numbers and that 9,000 oil drilling permits were not being used, rejecting claims his administration was barring new drilling projects from starting. Biden has promised to begin the process of reducing US use of fossil fuels, including petroleum, in an effort to curb the effects of human-induced climate change. On his first day in office, Biden ordered a halt to drilling projects on sensitive US federal lands.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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NEW YORK  Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it.

They were unsparing as they unleashed decades of frustration and sorrow on members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over the course of a three-hour virtual hearing.

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One woman played a recording from when she called 911 to get help for her overdosing son, then called one of the Sacklers the scum of the earth. Several displayed pictures of loved ones who died too soon because of their addictions. Many spoke about forgiveness, with some trying to find it  and others definitely not.

I hope that every single victims face haunts your every waking moment and your sleeping ones, too, said Ryan Hampton, of Las Vegas, who has been in recovery for seven years after an addiction that began with an OxyContin prescription to treat knee pain led to overdoses and periods of homelessness.

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You poisoned our lives and had the audacity to blame us for dying, he said. I hope you hear our names in your dreams. I hope you hear the screams of the families who find their loved ones dead on the bathroom floor. I hope you hear the sirens. I hope you hear the heart monitor as it beats along with a failing pulse.

The unusual hearing was conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court at the suggestion of a mediator who helped broker a deal that could settle thousands of lawsuits against Purdue over the toll of opioids, generating billions for the fight against the addiction and overdose crisis and giving Sackler family members protection from lawsuits.

Appearing via audio was Richard Sackler, the former Purdue president and board chair who has said the company and family bear no responsibility for the opioid crisis; he is a son of Raymond Sackler, one of the three brothers who in the 1950s bought the company that became Purdue Pharma. Attending on video were Theresa Sackler, a British dame and wife of the late Mortimer D. Sackler, another of the brothers; and David Sackler, Richard Sacklers son.

Theresas and Davids expressions remained largely neutral as people spoke on video about the pain of losing children after years of trying to get them adequate treatment, about their own journeys through addiction, and about caring for babies born into withdrawal and screaming in pain.

Cheryl Juaire holds photos of her sons, both of whom died from overdoses, Sean Merrill, left, and Corey Merrill, after making a statement during a hearing in New York, March 10, 2022. (Seth Wenig/AP)

Under court rules, the Sacklers were not allowed to respond to the victims, who were selected by lawyers for creditors in the case. Some victims spoke from a law office in New York; others were at their homes or offices around the country.

Janette Adams told of her late husband, Dr. Thomas Adams, who was a physician and church deacon in Mississippi and a missionary in Africa and Haiti. He became addicted to opioids after pharmaceutical representatives pitched them, she said. After a terrible decline, he died in 2015.

Im angry, Im pissed, but I move on, Adams said. Because our society lost a person who could have made so many more contributions. ... You took so much from us, but we plan to, through our faith in God, move forward.

Kristy Nelson played for the Sacklers a tense recording of a 911 call in which she summoned police to her home the day her son Brian died of an opioid overdose. The dispatcher asked whether his skin had gone blue; she said it was white. She said she replays the call in her mind daily.

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Thursday was Richard Sacklers 77th birthday, according to public records. Later this month, Nelson said, she and her husband will visit the cemetery on what would have been Brians 34th birthday.

I understand todays your birthday, Richard, how will you be celebrating? she said. I guarantee it wont be in the cemetery. ... You have truly benefitted from the death of children. You are scum of the earth.

Her words echoed a 2001 email from Richard Sackler, made public during lawsuits over OxyContin, in which he referred to people with addiction as scum of the earth.

Jenny Scully, a nurse in New York, gave birth in 2014 while on OxyContin and other opioids prescribed years earlier when she was dealing with both breast cancer and injuries from an accident. She was told her baby would be healthy, Scully said, but the little girl has had a lifetime of physical, developmental and emotional difficulties.

You have destroyed so many lives, she said, pulling her daughter into view. Take a good look at this beautiful little girl you robbed of the person she could have been.

The forum was unconventional for the White Plains, New York, courtroom of Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain, who on Wednesday gave tentative approval to key elements of a plan to settle thousands of lawsuits against the company.

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Other drugmakers and wholesalers and even a consulting company have also been settling lawsuits over the opioid crisis, which has been linked two more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past two decades. But Purdues case stands out because it was an early player with OxyContin and is privately owned.

The settlement is estimated to be worth at least $10 billion over time. It calls for the Sacklers to contribute $5.5 billion to $6 billion over 17 years to fight the opioid crisis. Thats an increase of more than $1 billion over a previous version rejected by another judge on appeal. Most of the money would be used for efforts to combat the crisis, but $750 million would go directly to victims or their survivors.

The overall settlement, which still requires actions by multiple courts to take effect, provides more than $150 million for Native American tribes and over $100 million for medical monitoring and payments for children born in opioid withdrawal.

The plan also calls for family members to give up ownership of the company so it can become a new entity, Knoa Pharma, with its profits dedicated to stemming the epidemic. In exchange, Sackler family members would get protection from lawsuits over opioids.

The family also agreed not to oppose any efforts to remove the Sackler name from cultural and educational institutions they have supported and to make public a larger cache of company documents.

Purdue Pharma starting selling OxyContin, a pioneering extended-release prescription painkiller, in 1996. At the same time, Purdue and other drug companies funded efforts to get doctors and other prescribers to think differently about opioids  suggesting they be used for some pain conditions for which the potent drugs were previously considered off limits.

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Over the decades, there were waves of fatal overdoses, first associated with prescription drugs and then, as prescriptions became harder to obtain and some drugs became harder to manipulate for a quick high, from heroin. More recently, fentanyl and similar drugs have become the biggest killer.

Purdue has twice pleaded guilty to criminal charges, but no Sacklers have been charged with crimes. There are no indications any such charges are forthcoming, although seven U.S. senators last month asked the Department of Justice to consider charges.

The Sacklers have never unequivocally apologized. Last week, they released a statement saying in part, While the families have acted lawfully in all respects, they sincerely regret that OxyContin, a prescription medicine that continues to help people suffering from chronic pain, unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis that has brought grief and loss to far too many families and communities.

Following the hearing, a spokesperson for Mortimer Sacklers descendants said the family would not make a statement; a representative of Raymond Sacklers side of the family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The family of the other brother, Arthur, sold its share of Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue before OxyContin was developed.

Several speakers noted the lack of an apology, and some called for prosecutors to pursue criminal investigations.

When you created OxyContin, you created so much loss for so many people, said Kay Scarpone, who lost her son Joseph, a former Marine, to addiction a month before his 26th birthday. Im outraged that you havent owned up to the crisis that youve created.

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Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
https://sputniknews.com/20220309/opposition-candidate-yoon-suk-yeol-elected-new-south-korea-president-1093729400.html

Opposition Candidate Yoon Suk-yeol Elected New South Korea President

Opposition Candidate Yoon Suk-yeol Elected New South Korea President

SEOUL (Sputnik) - Yoon Suk-yeol, a candidate from the conservative opposition People Power Party, has been elected the president of South Korea, with all... 09.03.2022, Sputnik International

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The presidential elections in South Korea were held on March 9. The voter turnout was 77.1 percent; more than 34 million people out of over 44 million voters cast their ballots.Yoon gained 48.56 percent of the vote, and his main rival, Lee Jae-myung, a candidate from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, got 47.83 percent.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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https://sputniknews.com/20220309/sanctions-on-russia-should-avoid-harming-civilians---guterres-office-1093729531.html

Sanctions on Russia Should Avoid Harming Civilians - Guterres' Office

Sanctions on Russia Should Avoid Harming Civilians - Guterres' Office

Russia has become the country with the largest number of sanctions imposed against it, overtaking Iran. Since 22 February, 2,778 new sanctions have been... 09.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-09T23:31+0000

2022-03-09T23:31+0000

2022-03-09T23:35+0000

russia

united nation

western sanctions

stephane dujarric

russophobia

us

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UN representatives held consultations with the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on humanitarian assistance in Ukraine on Wednesday, agreeing to continue cooperation on humanitarian assistance to all people affected by the crisis in the country.According to UN Secretary General spokesman Stephane Dujarric, with regard to the anti-Russian sanctions, the UN proceeds from the fact that the restrictions should not affect the civilian population, referring, among other things, to vaccine supplies from Russia.On 24 February, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine. In response, a number of countries imposed sanctions against some Russian institutions and officials, including the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and its head Kirill Dmitriev. The Foundation has promoted the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik abroad. Sputnik V has been registered in a total of 70 countries.Since the end of February, the European Union has introduced several packages of sanctions against hundreds of Russian MPs. The list also includes dozens of businessmen and companies that, according to Brussels, played a role in undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.The EU also froze the assets of the Central Bank, imposed sanctions against defense, financial and space companies and closed its airspace to Russian aircraft. Restrictive measures against listed individuals and companies include an asset freeze, a ban on providing funds to them, and a ban on entry into the EU.Earlier in this week, US President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian energy imports to the United States due to the events in Ukraine.Apart from that, many foreign companies, including technological and food giants, voluntarily withdrew from the Russian market, as a gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Intel, AMD, Disney, Apple, Samsung, Coca Cola and McDonalds are among the companies that have expressed their unwillingness to continue operating in Russia.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

https://sputniknews.com/20220309/govt-commission-backs-tools-to-nationalize-assets-of-foreign-firms-if-they-permanently-exit-russia-1093727101.html

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Alexandra Kashirina

Alexandra Kashirina

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russia, united nation, western sanctions, stephane dujarric, russophobia, us
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/biden-and-president-elect-yoon-suk-yeol-affirm-strength-of-us-south-korea-alliance-in-phone-call-1093735072.html

Biden and President-Elect Yoon Suk-yeol Affirm Strength of US-South Korea Alliance in Phone Call

Biden and President-Elect Yoon Suk-yeol Affirm Strength of US-South Korea Alliance in Phone Call

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden and South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol have reaffirmed the strength of the alliance between their countries... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T07:05+0000

2022-03-10T07:05+0000

2022-03-10T08:37+0000

joe biden

us

south korea

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Yoon, in turn, expressed respect for the US role regarding the Ukrainian issue amid Russia's special military operation in the country.On Wednesday, Yoon, a candidate from the conservative opposition People Power Party, was elected the president of South Korea with 48.56% of the vote. Voter turnout was 77.1%, more than 34 million people out of over 44 million voters cast their ballots.On 24 Februar, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry said the operation is only targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure.

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joe biden, us, south korea
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/blinken-plays-down-claims-of-uae-saudi-arabia-declining-us-calls-to-discuss-oil-output-increase-1093739956.html

Blinken Plays Down Claims of UAE, Saudi Arabia Declining US Calls to Discuss Oil Output Increase

Blinken Plays Down Claims of UAE, Saudi Arabia Declining US Calls to Discuss Oil Output Increase

On Wednesday, UAE Ambassador to Washington Yousef Al Otaiba indicated his country's desire to encourage the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T10:14+0000

2022-03-10T10:14+0000

2022-03-10T10:14+0000

us

russia

ukraine

oil prices

special operation

antony blinken

claims

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has played down media reports about the heads of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia declining US requests to speak with President Joe Biden in recent weeks.Separately, he claimed that even though the Saudi-led Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+)'s unwillingness to increase oil production in the face of skyrocketing crude prices, the UAE may be reconsidering.UAE Ambassador to Washington Yousef Al Otaiba earlier told the Financial Times and CNN that Abu Dhabi "favours production increases and will be encouraging OPEC to consider higher production levels".As for Blinken's remarks, these come after The Wall Street Journal quoted an unnamed US source as saying that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan ignored President Joe Biden's calls to discuss skyrocketing gas prices following the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.The claims followed President Joe Biden on Tuesday annoucing that the US is banning "all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy" in response to Moscow's special operation in Ukraine.The announcement was preceded by an American delegation's visit to Venezuela to discuss ways to maintain "energy security" and shore up the US economy as gas prices in America have already skyrocketed to $4.25 per gallon on average.The visit was seen by many as part of Washington's efforts to pick an alternative oil supply source amid their anti-Russian sanctions. Aside from considering Venezuela as such a source, the US also reportedly sees Iran in this capacity, with the Islamic Republic signalling its readiness to increase output once America lifts its anti-Iranian sanctions.On 24 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" the country. The decision was followed by Biden announcing "severe" sanctions on Russia, which, in turn, prompted an increase in global oil and gas prices that soared to new highs last Sunday, when Secretary of State Blinken said that Washington was in "very active discussions" with European allies about a ban on Russian oil exports.

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us, russia, ukraine, oil prices, special operation, antony blinken, claims
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/danish-energy-company-vows-to-cut-ties-with-russias-gazprom-in-2030-1093737879.html

Danish Energy Company Vows to Cut Ties With Russia's Gazprom in 2030

Danish Energy Company Vows to Cut Ties With Russia's Gazprom in 2030

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has expressed a wish to make her country "independent of Russian gas as soon as possible", but specified no time frame... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T08:34+0000

2022-03-10T08:34+0000

2022-03-10T08:34+0000

situation in ukraine

energy

news

denmark

europe

russia

ukraine

gazprom

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Danish energy firm rsted has said it will not renew its current contract with Russian state-owned gas supplier Gazprom, scheduled to expire in 2030.Previously, rsted had come under pressure to extricate itself from its gas contract with Gazprom, as the EU unequivocally condemned Moscow's special operation in Ukraine as an "invasion" and started to seek ways of mitigating its energy dependence on Russia.rsted said that while it condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine, severing ties completely at the current moment was impossible. It also emphasised that the current deal that expires in 2030 won't be renewed.rsted underscored that great strides have been made to reduce partnerships with Russian companies. This includes no longer purchasing Russian biomass or coal for rsted power plants and committing to not signing any new contracts with Russian companies.Last week, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed a desire to make her country "independent of Russian gas as soon as possible", but specified no time frame.Frederiksen also said Denmark would cooperate with the EU on further sanctions against Russia, including a possible block on gas imports.rsted, for its part, said it supported all political initiatives relating to independence from Russian gas, including political import sanctions, should they be imposed. The company additionally pledged to donate profits from its own sales of Russian gas to humanitarian help in Ukraine, stressing that it doesn't wish to profit from an "aggressive, war-waging nation".rsted (formerly DONG Energy) is Denmark's largest power company and is based in the town of Fredericia. It is the world's largest developer of offshore wind power by the number of offshore wind farms.Since the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, the US and its European allies have slapped numerous Russian businesses and government officials with thousands of sanctions targeting all spheres of life from energy and banking to consumer goods. Hordes of Western companies have also pledged to leave the Russian market, prompting warnings in the Russian parliament that their property be nationalised.

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Igor Kuznetsov

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/downright-lie-china-refutes-nyt-claims-alleging-beijing-knew-about-russias-spec-op-in-ukraine-1093731267.html

Downright Lie: China Refutes NYT Claims Alleging Beijing Knew About Russia's Spec Op in Ukraine

Downright Lie: China Refutes NYT Claims Alleging Beijing Knew About Russia's Spec Op in Ukraine

Despite the fact that Beijing hasnt explicitly expressed support for the special operation, Chinese officials noted that Kremlins security concerns over... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T03:10+0000

2022-03-10T03:10+0000

2022-03-10T03:10+0000

asia & pacific

china

ukraine crisis

xi jinping

chinese foreign ministry

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Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, referring to a recent report from The New York Times, condemned on Wednesday speculation that Chinese authorities knew in advance about the decision of President Vladimir Putin to start the special operation in Ukraine.The article from 2 March claimed, citing top US and European officials, whose conclusions were based on a secret Western intelligence report that Beijing allegedly had direct information about Russia's plans regarding the special operation.According to the report, China was not aiming to preserve peace and security, but to protect its Winter Olympics from being overshadowed by conflict. Chinese leader Xi Jinping reportedly asked President Putin to delay the launch of the operation until after the Olympics.Zhao noted that the US criticizes China's position on Ukraine in order to seek space for the plot of simultaneously suppressing China and Russia.He claimed that the Ukraine issue has evolved to what it is today partly because of NATOs actions.The more it racks its brains to discredit China with lies and hype things up, the more it exposes its credibility deficit to the international community, he concluded.Speculation was fueled, among other things, by the latest Putin-Xi summit in Beijing that took place ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games on 4 February. Both leaders pledged to stand together in a new era of international relations and global strategic stability.After the special operation started at the end of February, China abstained from voting during the meeting of the UN Security Council on 27 February on the resolution to convene a special session of the General Assembly on Ukraine. Later, Permanent Representative of China to the UN Zhang Jun said that the resolution adopted later by the UN General Assembly to condemn Russia's special operation did not take into account the history and complexity of the crisis.On 8 March, he stressed the importance of equal dialogue between the US, NATO and the European Union with Russia, and attention to Moscow's security concerns. These concerns are related to the threats to Russia coming from NATO's eastward enlargement for a long time, according to Zhang Jun.On Wednesday, Xi Jinping said that both sides of the Ukrainian crisis should be encouraged to maintain the negotiation efforts, overcome difficulties and continue contacts. The main task for peaceful settlement at the moment, according to the Chinese president, is to prevent further escalation and not let it get out of control. He also expressed concern and regret over the current crisis in Europe.US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said in turn that Western leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, are putting pressure on China to abandon its neutral position on the conflict.Apart from that, the US has threatened to deprive Chinese companies of access to American equipment and software in case they ignore the sanctions against Russia.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

https://sputniknews.com/20220308/cia-director-burns-says-chinese-calculus-on-taiwan-altered-but-warns-not-to-underestimate-xi-1093698920.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220309/beijing-blasts-us-ban-on-russian-energy-says-wielding-sanctions-stick-wont-lead-to-peace-1093718724.html

china

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Alexandra Kashirina

Alexandra Kashirina

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Alexandra Kashirina

asia & pacific, china, ukraine crisis, xi jinping, chinese foreign ministry
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/eu-has-reached-limit-of-its-capabilities-to-impose-financial-sanctions-on-russia-borrell-says-1093740143.html

EU Has Reached Limit of Its Capabilities to Impose Financial Sanctions on Russia, Borrell Says

EU Has Reached Limit of Its Capabilities to Impose Financial Sanctions on Russia, Borrell Says

Since Moscow launced a military operation in Ukraine to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Russia's neighbour, the West has imposed a slew of anti-Russian sanctions... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T09:55+0000

2022-03-10T09:55+0000

2022-03-10T11:30+0000

ukraine

russia

situation in ukraine

josep borrell

eu

sanctions

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The European Union has reached the limit of its capabilities to impose financial sanctions on Russia, the bloc's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday.The EU foreign policy chief underlined that the bloc must "avoid going to war with Russia because otherwise it would be the third world war". Regarding a possible ban on Russian gas and oil - a measure taken earlier by the United States, Borrell said that it would be much more difficult for the EU to do than for Washington.Speaking about the sanctions already imposed on Moscow by the EU, Borrell described them as "very tough", saying that they caused the Russian ruble to plummet about 40 percent.On Wednesday, Borrell listed the new sanctions imposed on Russia by the bloc: among those sanctioned were 160 individuals, including "oligarchs, Russian Federation Council members". Additionally, the new sanctions targeted crypro-assets, the Belarusian banking sector, and the export of maritime navigation technology to Russia.The Kremlin condemned the sanctions imposed over the military operation in Ukraine as an "unprecedented economic war" waged against Russia by the West. Particularly, Moscow said that the West's aggressive stance against Russia makes the situation in the energy sector very complicated. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia must do whatever is in its best interests to win the war. The military operation in Ukraine was launched by Moscow on 24 February, with the goal to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" the nation's neighbour.Lets stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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ukraine, russia, josep borrell, eu, sanctions
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/europe-is-censoring-media-telling-truth-about-ukraine-bolivian-ex-president-morales-says-1093733345.html

Europe is Censoring Media Telling Truth About Ukraine, Ex-Bolivian President Morales Says

Europe is Censoring Media Telling Truth About Ukraine, Ex-Bolivian President Morales Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Europe is trying to silence media that are telling the truth about the situation in Ukraine, former Bolivian President Evo Morales told... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T05:23+0000

2022-03-10T05:23+0000

2022-03-10T05:29+0000

evo morales

bolivia

russia

ukraine

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On 2 March, the EU prohibited the distribution of content of RT and Sputnik amid Russia's military operation in Ukraine. The restrictions imposed on the media outlets also affect their accounts in Instagram, TikTok and on other platforms. The initiative is part of a sanctions campaign by the West against Russia over its operation in Ukraine.In November 2019, Morales resigned as head of state and left Bolivia under pressure from the military, after the Bolivian opposition, led by Carlos Mesa, claimed that there had been mass violations during the October 2019 vote.Power in the country was assumed by former opposition vice-speaker of the senate, Jeanine Anez. Morales called the events a coup. Anez arranged for a new presidential vote, which took place on October 18, 2020. The election was won by Luis Arce from Morales' Movement for Socialism party.In March 2021, the police arrested Anez on suspicion of terrorism, incitement to rebellion, and conspiracy in the alleged coup. According to the investigation, she illegally declared herself president of Bolivia in breach of the countrys constitution and laws. Anez has been in jail since then.

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evo morales, bolivia, russia, ukraine
Two brothers, 17 and 22, were being held without bail Thursday in the fatal shooting of a WGN security guard who was a mother of two, according to officials and the news station.

About 3 p.m. Monday, Salena Claybourne, 35, was headed home from work and was in her vehicle after pumping gas at her regular station in the 6700 block of South Jeffery Boulevard in the Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood when a man who wanted to steal her vehicleshot her after seeing her security jacket, prosecutors said at a bond hearing Wednesday.

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Claybourne was shot in the left shoulder and face and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she later died, Chicago police said.

Claybourne was pronounced dead at 3:35 p.m. Monday due to multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. Her death was ruled a homicide.

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Dameonte Watson, 17, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking while his brother Gregory Watson, 22, of the Oakland neighborhood, was also charged with first-degree murder, police said.

Gregory Watson, who appeared in court Thursday, was denied bail by a Cook County judge.

After his arrest, Watson told investigators this wasnt supposed to happen, prosecutors said in court. Watson said he wanted her car and that was it but the victim was reaching and pushing him.

He flashed his gun so the victim could see it, and he didnt know how many times his gun went off, according to prosecutors.

His brother Dameonte appeared in court Wednesday before Cook County Judge Barbara Dawkins, who ordered that he be held without bail. Prosecutors said the brothers did not know Claybourne.

After she finished pumping gas, Claybourne got back into her vehicle, and another vehicle pulled up beside her on the other side of the island, Assistant States Attorney James Murphy said in court.

What unfolded was captured on surveillance video and witnessed by the gas station manager, who knew Claybourne was a regular customer.

The brothers got out of that vehicle, and the older brother, who was wearing all black and a ski mask, went up to Claybourne as the younger brother, also wearing all black but with bright red underwear, went up to the passenger side, Murphy said.

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The video shows the older brother leaned toward Claybournes drivers side and shot her in the face and shoulder within seconds, Murphy said.

The manager of the gas station was in his vehicle when the shooting occurred, Murphy said. After the shooting, the manager saw the brothers run toward Jeffery Boulevard and the car they were in drove off without them. The manager gave police descriptions of the men, including the red clothing, to help identify them.

Detectives recovered two handguns from the area that the brothers ran after watching part of their route on private surveillance video, Murphy said. They found that two shell casings found at the scene were fired from one of the recovered guns.

The older brother told police that he and his brother wanted Claybournes car, but when he flashed his gun, he saw security on her jacket, Murphy said.

With great sadness, WGN regrets the death of our security guard, Salena Claybourne, who was shot to death in the Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood of Chicago Monday. Ms. Claybourne was the mother of 2 daughters. The family has set up a Go Fund Me, here: https://t.co/Bwm84sfsqk pic.twitter.com/CVQBDvJ6tA  WGNTV (@WGNTV) March 8, 2022

This victim, who was coming home from work, was just trying to pump her gas, just trying to fill up her tank, and was in the process of leaving when these two defendants, two brothers, saw the opportunity and approached in order to hijack her vehicle, Murphy said.

An attorney representing Dameonte Watson asserted that he was identified only by his red underwear and not by his face. He lives with his grandmother in Chicago, is suffering from a jaw injury and had invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, the attorney said.

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WGN said Claybournes family set up a GoFundMe to help her family.

My name is Donna, and I have just lost my baby girl. My daughter was a beautiful person in and out and could put a smile on anyones face. She also has two daughters that are 15 years old and 14 years old that are grieving. We just found out that she didnt have any insurance, the GoFundMe said. Please help my family and I give her the homegoing that she deserves. The rest of these funds will go out to her daughters. Please help us through this very trying time.

Police Superintendent David Brown, at a news conference Wednesday, offered condolences to Claybournes family.

We are grieving with this family, and we are doing everything we can to hopefully bring some small measure of closure to the family with this arrest, he said. But again, the deepest condolences to the family is really our utmost concern right now. Make sure that we do all we can bring the criminal justice system down to bear on these offenders  to send not only a message for these offenders but to others that would commit violent crime in this city.

The brother were due back in court on March 28.

Chicago Tribunes Sarah Freishtat contributed.

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pfry@chicagotribune.com
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/former-nato-secretary-general-cannot-rule-out-bloc-sending-fighter-jets-against-russia-1093733201.html

Former NATO Secretary General Cannot Rule Out Bloc Sending Fighter Jets Against Russia

Former NATO Secretary General Cannot Rule Out Bloc Sending Fighter Jets Against Russia

According to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, sending NATO jets to protect Ukrainian airspace means being ready to shoot down Russian planes, which will "undeniably"... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T05:48+0000

2022-03-10T05:48+0000

2022-03-10T06:43+0000

situation in ukraine

ukraine

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anders fogh rasmussen

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There is a real possibility that NATO will end up in a war against Russia, the alliance's former Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has claimed. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously outright refused to send fighter jets to assist Ukraine against Russia's special operation the West has proclaimed an invasion. Nor did other European members of NATO, or the US voice any desire to escalate the conflict with Russia by sending their own troops or aircraft to Ukraine.In late February, Russia claimed complete control over Ukraine's airspace. President Vladimir Putin said any nation that imposes a no-fly zone would be considered an enemy combatant. Nevertheless, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen wouldn't rule out NATO going to war.Per Rasmussen, Europeans must be ready for this, because the future of democracy on the continent is at stake."I think that if it is to be a deterrent to Putin, then we shouldn't rule out anything. And I belong to those who say that we must keep Putin in maximum insecurity", Rasmussen mused. According to Rasmussen, the West "cannot afford" to allow Russia to win.So far, the alliance has supported Ukraine and its defence in other ways  with financial allotments and tens of thousands of arms, including anti-tank weapons and firearms. As per Rasmussen, should Russia interpret the West's assistance as a declaration of war, NATO would ultimately prevail, due to defence investments ten times larger than Russia's. To counter Russia's special operation in Ukraine launched to protect the People's Republics of Donbass and demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine, the West has imposed a broad spectrum of sanctions ranging from consumer goods to banking operations. The EU, where some members are heavily reliant on Russian gas and oil, is currently discussing means of reaching energy independence.According to Rasmussen, energy from Russia must be boycotted completely  and better today than tomorrow.Incidentally, it was during Rasmussen's tenure (2009-2014) that NATO invaded oil-rich Libya, plunging the country into chaos, with little to no government control and a plethora of warring factions fighting it out.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/gofundmeukraine-and-defund-russia-hysteria-1093728546.html

GoFundMeUkraine and Defund Russia Hysteria

GoFundMeUkraine and Defund Russia Hysteria

On this episode, selective funding by donors in conflict zones, JCPOA talks continue, and the Red Hill fuel plant closes. 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T00:57+0000

2022-03-10T00:57+0000

2022-03-10T10:18+0000

political misfits

russia

ukraine

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GoFundMeUkraine and Defund Russia Hysteria On this episode, selective funding by donors in conflict zones, JCPOA talks continue, and the Red Hill fuel plant closes.

At the top of the show, Nicolas J.S. Davies, independent journalist, a researcher with Code Pink and the author of "Blood On Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq," joins the show to talk about the latest news from Ukraine. They talk about how the press has reported today that there was a major disconnect between the US and Poland over the provision of MiG fighters to Ukraine. Then, they discuss the Friday deadline for the United States and Iran to agree on the US rejoining the JCPOA. Presumably, the US wants to be able to save face and to get Iranian oil onto the market.Next, Ariel Gold, co-executive director of Code Pink, joins the conversation to talk about the status of a new Iran nuclear deal. Over the last couple of weeks, most of the headlines have been very positive - the two sides are close, progress is being made. But yesterday, suddenly, the deal was in jeopardy again - and its Russias fault? The Misfits talk about how close we are to a deal and what is Russia asking for that is so problematic?Then, they discuss that last month, Israeli human rights group BTselem has been documenting the establishment of a new settlement near the town of Beita in the West Bank. The back and forth of establishing and legalizing this settlement has been going on for months, and for months, Palestinians have been protesting the settlement and their separation from some of their farmland. Several people have been killed.Next on the program, Chris Garaffa, editor of TechForThePeople.org, joins the show to talk about Russia and the internet. Russia is being increasingly isolated by large internet providers including Cisco, Cogent and Lumen, who own the communication infrastructure that goes across the seas. They are cutting off their Russian clients, and thats going to have a chilling effect on the internet from Russia. The internet is a global network and countries should not be cut off, according to Garaffa.Also in the news today, the White House announced a new executive order on ensuring responsible innovation in digital assets. This is being described as huge news, a watershed moment for cryptocurrency as Bitcoin surges on the news. Then, they talk about censorship after YouTube takes down "Ukraine On Fire," a documentary by Oliver Stone.For the last segment, Steve Donziger, lawyer, writer, former journalist and environmental advocate currently known for leading an unrelenting (24 years and counting) legal battle against Chevron related to its contamination of the Ecuadorian rainforest, calls in to talk about the Pentagons decision to permanently close the Red Hill fuel storage facility that had been leaking fuel into Pearl Harbor's drinking water for years. 6,000 people were sickened and 4,000 families had to be evacuated. The drinking water smelled of diesel fuel and had an oily sheen to it. This didnt just happen, its been going on for years. Donziger explains the history and why it took so long to address the problem when lives were on the line.This Misfits sign off till Thursday.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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political misfits, russia, ukraine, jcpoa, crypto, pearl harbor, , radio
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/instagram-users-accuse-ukrainian-model-of-fake-photoshoot-in-mariupol-maternity-hospital-1093751508.html

Instagram Users Accuse Ukrainian Model of Fake Photoshoot in Mariupol Maternity Hospital

Instagram Users Accuse Ukrainian Model of Fake Photoshoot in Mariupol Maternity Hospital

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukrainian model and blogger Marianna Podgurskaya has been accused of participating in a staged photoshoot in a maternity hospital in... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T15:17+0000

2022-03-10T15:17+0000

2022-03-10T19:55+0000

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Under a linked Instagram post, users have left over 1,500 comments in which they disputed that she was injured or was near the hospital which was closed to civilians and was used by Ukrainian militants from the right-wing extremist Azov battalion as a military base.The War on Fakes project, which tracks and debunks fake news related to the Ukrainian crisis, also shared materials on Telegram refuting that the Mariupol maternity hospital was hit by the Russian army. This includes testimonies of local residents as well as a chronological compilation of photos showing that images depicting pregnant women and other patients emerged on social media much later than the hospital was allegedly hit, while the initial photos featured no patients.The project concluded that Podgurskaya was photographed in several different settings in a photoshoot staged specifically to be conducted by a renowned professional photographer, who arrived at the scene many hours later. She changed her clothes and her makeup for each setting. According to the project, Podgurskaya is indeed pregnant but could not have been a patient of the Mariupol maternity hospital as it has been occupied earlier by militants.Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Illia Kyva, who fled the country amid criminal prosecution for alleged high treason, also voiced confidence that the story around the Mariupol maternity hospital was false-flagged.Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on 24 February after the breakaway Donbas republics appealed for help in defending themselves against the Ukrainian military. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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russia, ukraine, mariupol, shelling
Western Union Will Give Customers 14 Days to Prepare for Service's Stoppage in Russia

The Western Union payment system will stop making money transfers in Russia and Belarus from March 24, thus giving its customers two weeks to prepare for the termination of the service, the company's spokesperson told RIA Novosti.

"Non-Banking Credit Organization Western Union MT East LLC, as a payment system operator in Russia, applied to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation with a request to exclude Non-Banking Credit Organization Western Union MT East LLC from the register of payment system operators from March 24, 2022. We are working with our partners 24/7, and our partners and customers will be able to prepare for a service stop within two weeks," the spokesperson said.

Money transfers that will be sent to Russia and not paid to the recipient before March 24, 2022 will be returned to the sender, she added.

"We would like to emphasize that Non-Banking Credit Organization Western Union MT East LLC operates in strict accordance with all the requirements of Russian legislation, and all obligations to partners, contractors and customers will be fulfilled in full," she added.
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/more-used-to-seeing-conflict-in-africa-and-asia-prince-william-criticised-for-racist-remarks-1093736899.html

'More Used to Seeing Conflict in Africa and Asia': Prince William Criticised for 'Racist' Remarks

'More Used to Seeing Conflict in Africa and Asia': Prince William Criticised for 'Racist' Remarks

This is not the first time that a member of the British royal family has faced allegations of racism. In an interview with American talk show host Oprah... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T12:51+0000

2022-03-10T12:51+0000

2022-03-10T12:51+0000

situation in ukraine

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Prince William is facing massive online criticism for remarking that the British people are more used to seeing conflict in Africa and Asia.Its very alien to see this in Europe, the 39-year-old William said during a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London on Wednesday, according to the Evening Standard. Prince William was visiting the centre with his wife Kate.The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were there to express their solidarity with the Ukrainians and even reportedly offered volunteers trays of homemade sweets. The racist utterances by the 39-year-old heir struck a tender nerve with many social media users around the world.In India, several users reminded William about the war and bloodshed initiated by the British when it led a colonial government on the subcontinent.Other social media users reminded William of the more recent conflicts in Europe, including in erstwhile Yugoslavia as well as Germany (the Second World War) in the 20th century. The prince has lived through conflicts in Kosovo (1998-99) and Yugoslavia (1991-2001).Another social media user accused William of dehumanising the pain of black and brown people. The backlash faced by the British royal comes days after sections of the American media faced criticism for what some have described as racist coverage of the events in Ukraine.CBS' senior foreign correspondent Charlie DAgata was forced to apologise for his remarks after he stated on air that people hadnt expected conflict to break out in a relatively civilised, relatively European country such as Ukraine.This isnt a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conict raging for decades, DAgata said while reporting from Ukraine this month.This is a relatively civilised, relatively European - I have to choose those words carefully too - city, one where you wouldnt expect that or hope that its going to happen, he added.Russian President Vladimir Putin announced special military operations aimed at demilitarisation and de-Nazification of Ukraine on 24 February. The mission, undertaken in coordination with the Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples republics, began after weeks of escalating shelling, sniper and sabotage attacks by Ukrainian forces against the Donbass militias and settlements, and days after Russia formally recognised DPR and LPR as independent states. Russias military operation has attracted strong criticism from the US, the European Union and other western allies, which have slapped wide-ranging economic sanctions against Russian financial institutions as well Moscows political and military leadership.Moscow says that Russian forces will immediately halt the military operations on four conditions: first, if Ukrainian forces stop fighting back; second, if Kiev enshrines a neutral status in its constitution; third, if Crimea is acknowledged as Russian territory; and fourth, if the two Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are recognised as independent states.After three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia designed to defuse the crisis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he was ready to discuss the future of Crimea and Donbass with Moscow.

https://sputniknews.com/20210304/meghan-markle-slams-buckingham-palace-for--perpetuating-falsehoods-in-oprah-winfrey-sit-down-1082250597.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220228/indians--africans-fleeing-ukraine-accuse-ukrainian-border-security-of-violence-racism--videos-1093437375.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/report-inspired-by-call-of-duty--liz-truss-uk-teen-heads-to-fight-in-ukraine-1093751034.html

Report: Inspired by 'Call of Duty' & Liz Truss, UK Teen Heads to Fight in Ukraine

Report: Inspired by 'Call of Duty' & Liz Truss, UK Teen Heads to Fight in Ukraine

The UK Ministry of Defence has warned British service members against travelling to Ukraine, saying that those who ignore the ban will face disciplinary and... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T16:21+0000

2022-03-10T16:21+0000

2022-03-10T19:54+0000

russia

ukraine

us

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A British teenager keen on videogames has left the country after signing up to fight for Ukraine, ITV News reported, citing the boy's concerned mother.Jamie from Warrington is 19 years old. It only took him 36 hours to find himself in Poland as a volunteer to fight Russian troops in Ukraine, even though he has no military background and he cannot speak either Ukrainian or Polish.According to his mother, who remained unnamed, her son simply emailed a site to volunteer before booking a one-way ticket, using a child's passport to travel. She also said that Jamie, who is obsessed with the videogame Call of Duty, allegedly signed a two-year contract with the Ukrainian military despite his lack of the necessary experience.Jamie's family appears to have no idea where exactly the teenager is now. According to his parents, the boy done a lot of research: from reading news reports to watching YouTube videos - including addresses made by politicians.It appears that Jamie was able to leave for Poland without any vetting or health check-ups. According to the report, all it took for the teenager to get the ball rolling was a single e-mail that said: "Hello, I am here to sign up to help ukrain fight off Russia I was told to email you to get more information about it [sic]".The geo-tracking that the family used to locate Jamie said he was last detected somewhere on the border with the western Ukrainian city of Lvov. Once he crossed into Ukraine, his location became unavailable. Jamie showed up online 24 hours later, confirming to his family that he ha "signed the contract" and "received the gear". When asked how long he would stay in Ukraine, he responded "until marshal law is over [sic]".The armed conflict in Ukraine has been ongoing since 24 February, when Russia launched a military operation there with the aim to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" the country and to protect the people of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics from the "genocide" that Kiev, according to the Kremlin, was waging against them. The military operation has been decried by Western countries, with the EU and the US, along with other nations, imposing harsh sanctions on Russia.UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that she would support anyone who wanted to fight in Ukraine, arguing that "the people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy, not just for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe". Her statement, however, is in stark contrast with the UK government position - something that Downing Street was quick to clarify, with Boris Johnson reiterating firm advice against travelling to Ukraine. A similar sentiment was voiced by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who urged UK citizens not to participate in the conflict as he did not want to see British people killed any more than I want to see Ukrainians dying.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/russian-military-op-in-ukraine-divides-lebanon-but-beirut-wont-back-sanctions-scholar-says-1093735723.html

Russian Military Op in Ukraine Divides Lebanon, But Beirut Won't Back Sanctions, Scholar Says

Russian Military Op in Ukraine Divides Lebanon, But Beirut Won't Back Sanctions, Scholar Says

Lebanon, which is currently grappling with an acute financial crisis, was forced to condemn Russia at the United Nations General Assembly, a Beirut-based... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T10:39+0000

2022-03-10T10:39+0000

2022-03-10T10:39+0000

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It's been two weeks since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in a bid to "de-militarise" and "de-Nazify" the country.Divided We StandThe 14 days of fighting have already split the international community into two main camps: those who support and those who oppose Russia. Ali Yahya, a Beirut-based analyst, says Lebanon, known for its sectarian, religious, and ethnic diversity, is no exception.In recent days, Lebanon has seen a number of pro- and anti-Russia protests. The divisions run so deep that Lebanese officials have also been forced to take sides.Just hours after Moscow launched its operation on 24 February, Lebanon's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning Russia and urging it to withdraw its forces from the East European state. Later on, Lebanon also voted against Russia in the United Nations General Assembly.Reports have already suggested that the decision to condemn Russia was dictated to Lebanese officials by the US ambassador in Beirut, Dorothy Shea, and Yahya confirmed that Washington has strong influence over his country's decision making circles.Dependency on CashIt is not only about the inclination of Lebanons liberal circles to tilt towards the West. Lebanon is currently grappling with a severe economic crisis that was prompted by years of corruption and mismanagement and which was further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 Beirut Port explosion.Since 2019, Lebanon's currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value. As a result, more than four million families have been pushed into poverty in the last couple of years.Washington has repeatedly come to the rescue. Over the years, it has become the biggest foreign aid donor to Lebanon, granting the Arab country more than $300 million in 2021.It has also played a pivotal role in making sure Beirut received the first injection of the multi-billion dollar aid provided by the International Monetary Fund.This is why, for some circles in Lebanon, going against those who could provide more funds is considered suicidal, and this is a price they are not ready to pay.No Faith in the USHowever, liberals are facing a challenge in the face of the Iran-backed Shiite militia and the political party Hezbollah. Several days ago, the group's chief, Hassan Nasrallah, spoke about the Ukrainian conflict, pinning the blame on the United States and its policies.In his televised speech, he didn't express support for Russia, but he did remind his audience that trusting Washington is not a good decision.Hezbollah has repeatedly slammed the US' actions in the region. It has criticised the sanctions Washington imposed on its officials and banks. It has condemned the White House policies against Lebanon's traditional rivals, Iran and Syria, and it has also denounced the involvement of the Americans in the toppling of a number of Middle Eastern leaders.Nasrallah's warnings probably did the trick. Five days ago, Lebanon's President Michel Aoun dispatched his envoy for Russian affairs, Amal Abu Zeid, to Moscow to meet Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov.Yahya believes the move was done to avoid a potential diplomatic crisis that could have been triggered by Beirut's condemnation of Russia. But the expert also says that the rift has probably been avoided, primarily because his country has zero intention to join in sanctions against the Kremlin.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/russian-mod-alleged-mariupol-airstrike-nothing-short-of-provocation-to-fuel-anti-russian-hysteria-1093754031.html

Russian MoD Blasts Claims of Mariupol 'Airstrike' as 'Provocation' Aimed to Fuel Anti-Russian Hype

Russian MoD Blasts Claims of Mariupol 'Airstrike' as 'Provocation' Aimed to Fuel Anti-Russian Hype

Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy earlier slammed reports on the shelling of a hospital in Mariupol as... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T16:19+0000

2022-03-10T16:19+0000

2022-03-13T15:45+0000

russia

ukraine

mariupol

situation in ukraine

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Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that claims of the "airstrike" that allegedly took place in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol are nothing but a provocation aimed to fuel anti-Russian hype.The defence official pointed out that the Russian Air Force performed "absolutely no tasks" in the Mariupol area. He explained that although the nature of the external and internal damage to the building can mislead the mass non-professional audience in Europe and the United States, it cannot trick experts, since "a high-explosive aviation munition simply would not have left anything from the outer walls of the building".According to Konashenkov, it was said earlier that Mariupol's hospitals, including hospital 3 - the one that was allegedly shelled overnight - stopped working in late February. Ukrainian nationalists, according to the ministry's spokesman, have ramped up attacks against Russian medics and medical vehicles, with "the Nazis deliberately ambushing medical vehicles with a red cross on them".Konashenkov also revealed that since the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine, Russian forces have destroyed 98 aircraft, 110 unmanned aerial vehicles, 144 air defence missile systems, 88 radar posts, 1,007 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 109 multiple launch rocket systems, 374 field artillery guns and mortars, and 793 special military vehicles.Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine on 24 February with the goal to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" the neighbouring country, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Kremlin said that the Russian troops target military infrastructure only and pose no threat to civilians.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/russian-mod-on-us-biolabs-one-goal-was-to-create-bioagents-that-can-target-certain-ethnic-groups-1093747598.html

Russian MoD on US Biolabs: One Goal Was to Create Bioagents That Can Target Certain Ethnic Groups

Russian MoD on US Biolabs: One Goal Was to Create Bioagents That Can Target Certain Ethnic Groups

The Russian Defence Ministry earlier announced that the United States had poured money into biological research facilities in Ukraine, alleging they may have... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T13:06+0000

2022-03-10T13:06+0000

2022-03-10T14:02+0000

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Among the goals of the biological research laboratories in Ukraine suspected of having been funded by the United States was the creation of bioagents that would be capable of targeting certain ethnic groups, the Russian Defence Ministry revealed on Thursday.Kirillov said that 350 cryocontainers with blood serum samples were transferred from the Public Health Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to a reference laboratory for infectious diseases at Australia's Doherty Institute under the pretext of determining antibody titers.The Russian Defence Ministry has obtained documents confirming that the high-risk biological research in Ukraine is led by US specialists. According to Kirillov, the documents also showed that the US Defence Department funded the biological research in Ukraine.He also said that Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland "indirectly" confirmed American participation in the Ukrainian biological research when she said that Washington was concerned about the Ukrainian biolabs being taken over by the Russians.The biological research funded by the US in Ukraine, according to Kirillov, included the projects "UP-2, UP-9, UP-10, aimed at studying the pathogens of anthrax and African swine fever". The UP-4 project, in particular, is said to have been in development in laboratories in Kiev, Kharkov, and Odessa, and was scheduled until 2020.Per Kirillov, the Pentagon was also interested in insect vectors that can spread dangerous infectious diseases.Most of the documentation related to the research has already been evacuated from Ukraine by the Americans, Kirillov noted. Additionally, biological laboratories in Ukraine and Georgia are working on a project involving bats as carriers of bioweapons, Kirillov said.Similar concerns were earlier voiced by Major General Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman of the Russian Defence Ministry. He said that the US-funded biological labs in Ukraine were conducting experiments with bat coronavirus samples and studying the possible spread of pathogens via wild birds, migrating between Russia, Ukraine, and other countries in the region.White House press secretary Jen Psaki has denied that the United States is engaged in the development of biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. According to Psaki, Washington is in "full compliance" with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention and has no plans to develop or possess such weapons anywhere.Victoria Nuland, whose statements were referred to by Igor Kirillov, said on Tuesday that "Ukraine has biological research facilities" and noted that Washington was "working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach". She, however, did not elaborate on whether the US participated in the biological research in Ukraine.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/russias-polyanskiy-dismisses-reports-about-attack-on-mariupol-hospital-as-fake-news-1093733828.html

Russia's Polyanskiy Dismisses Reports About Attack on Mariupol Hospital as Fake News

Russia's Polyanskiy Dismisses Reports About Attack on Mariupol Hospital as Fake News

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy has dismissed reports about an attack on a... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T05:34+0000

2022-03-10T05:34+0000

2022-03-10T05:49+0000

russia

ukraine

un

united nations

mariupol

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier condemned on his Twitter an "attack on a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, where maternity & children's wards are located", as "horrific", noting that civilians are "paying the highest price for a war that has nothing to do with them".Russia started a special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February in response to calls from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection against intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops.The Russian Defence Ministry said the special operation is only targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure and the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly said it has no plans to occupy Ukraine, and stressed that the goal of the operation is the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine.

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Summaries

New Hope for the Assyrian Churches of Iraq and Syria Qamishli, Syria -- "The land that was attacked a few years ago by the militants of the Islamic State, who wanted to eliminate Christians, today rejoices aloud. Our faith and our Cross have won". Father Karam Shamasha, a Chaldean priest from Mosul, thus expresses his emotion at the spectacle that he has seen happen in the cities of the Nineveh Plain.

Assyrian Orthodox Community Celebrates Easter in Syria Easter was celebrated by the Syriac Orthodox community in Syria on Sunday in accordance with the Eastern Calendar, with hymns chanted and prayers recited in several churches and cathedrals. The ceremonies in the governorate of Al-Hasakah began in the morning in the Syriac Orthodox Church of Saint Assia al-Hakim in the district of al-Dirbasiyah and in the Church of St.

Assyrian Church in Iraq Damaged By ISIS Holds Service After 8 Years Easter was extra special for one Christian community in Iraq this Easter as it opened for services for the first time since being desecrated by ISIS militants eight years ago. St Kyriakos's Chaldean Catholic Church, Batnaya, was attacked by ISIS in 2014. Militants decapitated statues, smashed the altar and used sacred images as target practice.

The Difficult Reunification of Eastern Churches Baghdad -- A high level meeting between delegations from the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East is set for 9 May in Chicago, United States, the Baghdadhope blog reports. This first step on the long and difficult path could be a decisive moment for reconciliation and reunification after decades of divisions and opposition that followed the schism in 1968.

Can Iraq's Archaeological Renaissance Help Forge a National Identity? By Kareem Botane and Robert Edwards MOSUL/BOGOTA -- On Feb. 26, 2015, shocking footage emerged from northwestern Iraq of Daesh militants smashing pre-Islamic artifacts and burning ancient manuscripts at Mosul Cultural Museum. The terrorist group, which had seized control of the multiethnic city the previous year, had set about looting everything of value and destroying anything that failed to conform to its warped ideology.
Six Chicago Public Schools teachers are once again challenging the districts rules requiring employees receive the COVID-19 vaccination or undergo weekly testing.

The six women are suffering continuing harm in that each is being subjected to an unlawful vaccination or testing policy without being provided their statutorily protected rights of due process of law, according to paperwork downstate attorney Tom DeVore filed Thursday in Sangamon County court.

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A Chicago Public Schools employee receives a COVID-19 vaccination at Chicago Vocational Career Academy in 2021. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

DeVore is seeking a temporary restraining order against the Chicago Board of Education. A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, he said.

A CPS spokesperson issued a statement Thursday afternoon on the latest court filing, saying in part: The constant assault on the Districts right to act affirmatively on behalf of our school communities is disappointing. These are our students, families, and colleagues. We will continue to vigorously advocate in their best interest. We believe our current safety protocols are aligned with the data and metrics in Chicago and are in the best interest of our students, staff, and school communities. For now, the protocols that have allowed us to successfully learn in person this school year, including COVID-19 testing for certain staff, will remain in place.

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Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow already issued a temporary restraining order on Feb. 4 after hundreds of parents across the state challenged Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzkers school COVID-19 policies such as universal masking, quarantining for unvaccinated close contacts of an infected person, and testing for unvaccinated staff members.

Pritzker appealed the temporary restraining order, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal. The court found that because rules from the Illinois Department of Public Health requiring masking and other COVID-19 protocols had been allowed to expire, the appeal was moot.

The Illinois Supreme Court declined to hear the case, vacating the temporary restraining order. DeVore said the temporary restraining order was vacated because it wasnt necessary anymore. They didnt vacate it because it was wrong.

DeVore said since the temporary restraining order was issued early last month, two of his six clients continued to work at CPS without testing weekly. Those two women were told to submit proof of vaccination or test by Friday or risk being placed on a nondisciplinary administrative leave of absence without pay starting Monday. The other four teachers have been testing, DeVore said.

The Chicago Teachers Union released a statement on the matter Friday: The CTU provides a union representative in pre-discipline matters to bargaining unit members who request one, and works to ensure that the CTU contractual protections and procedures are upheld.

CPS announced an employee vaccine mandate in August, with exceptions for staff members who qualified for a medical or religious exemption. The district later relaxed those rules, but said partially vaccinated and unvaccinated staff members had to test weekly.

The Chicago Board of Education late last month reaffirmed its COVID-19 policies, including the employee testing rule.

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The district says more than 91% of its staff is fully vaccinated. About 8% of employees, some 3,800 staff members, are required to test weekly, according to CPS data.

Thursdays filing is the latest in DeVores fight with CPS over its coronavirus mitigation strategies. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez cited legal pressure as one reason why the district this week announced it will make masks optional for students and staff starting Monday. DeVore said 12 more CPS employees are prepared to join his efforts to halt the testing rule for staff members.

tswartz@tribpub.com
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/state-polls-bjp-aap-workers-celebrate-victory-with-colours-congress-samajwadi-offices-go-silent-1093745124.html

State Polls: BJP, AAP Workers Celebrate Victory With Colours, Congress, Samajwadi Offices Go Silent

State Polls: BJP, AAP Workers Celebrate Victory With Colours, Congress, Samajwadi Offices Go Silent

The legislative assembly polls held in five Indian states witnessed a fierce battle among all top parties, with their grassroots workers leaving no stone... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T14:33+0000

2022-03-10T14:33+0000

2022-03-10T14:33+0000

india

india

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delhi

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uttarakhand

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As soon as the trends of five Indian state assembly elections were out on Thursday, massive celebrations broke out at the party offices of the federally governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Delhis Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur states started at 8 a.m. (IST). However, the trends of the winning and trailing parties showed that the BJP was comfortably winning in four of the five states, while the AAP swept the polls in Punjab.Meanwhile, the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) offices in Delhi and Uttar Pradeshs capital Lucknow were silent.Celebrations at BJP Headquarters in DelhiBJP supporters were ecstatic as trends showed their party was leading from the early morning, not just in the crucial Uttar Pradesh, but also in three other states - Manipur, Goa, and Uttarakhand. They converged in huge numbers at the party offices, and started playing with dry Holi colours, chanting Jai Shri Ram ("Hail Lord Rama"), blowing conch shells, and dancing to drum beats.Many female BJP workers were also seen at the party headquarters celebrating the historic victory in Uttar Pradesh, as this is the first time in 37 years that an incumbent party will return to power for a five-year-term. AAP Workers Celebrate at Party's Delhi OfficeThe AAPs Delhi office had been decorated since morning with white and blue balloons, as the party was confident of showing a good performance in the state of Punjab. LED screens were installed inside as well as outside the locality.Hundreds of AAP workers started early celebrations soon after the trends showed that the party was winning comfortably in Punjab. They danced to drumbeats and music while the jingle Ik Chance Dedo Mann ko bhi ("Give a Chance to Bhagwant Mann" - the projected candidate for state chief of Punjab).Meanwhile, some toddlers were also seen at the party office wearing yellow turbans like Bhagwant Mann, as well as mufflers, fake moustaches, and glasses to look like Delhi state chief Arvind Kejriwal.Photos of the kids also went viral on social media.Elated by the results, one party volunteer, Dr Surbhi Sinha, told Sputnik: We have worked very hard in Punjab. Now, its time to celebrate, as the efforts have paid off".Silence Prevails at Congress and Samajwadi Party OfficesThe early trends and results, however, showed a poor display by the country' main opposition party Congress - it could not win any of the five states. The Samajwadi Party (SP), which was trying to outdo the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, also failed to win. Workers of both Congress and the SP were left crestfallen after the results.Some Congress workers even staged a protest outside their offices, claiming that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had been tampered with. They also raised anti-BJP slogans.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/uae-will-be-encouraging-opec-to-consider-increasing-oil-production-amid-soaring-energy-prices-1093734809.html

UAE 'Will Be Encouraging' OPEC to Consider Increasing Oil Production Amid Soaring Energy Prices

UAE 'Will Be Encouraging' OPEC to Consider Increasing Oil Production Amid Soaring Energy Prices

The 24th of February saw the beginning of a Russian special military operation in Ukraine, followed by a surge in global oil and gas prices that soared to... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T07:12+0000

2022-03-10T07:12+0000

2022-03-12T08:39+0000

russia

us

opec

oil prices

joe biden

ukraine

special operation

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The UAE's Ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, has signalled Abu Dhabi's readiness to pump more oil into the market and encourage the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to ramp up supplies.In interviews with the Financial Times and CNN, Al Otaiba stressed that his country "favours production increases and will be encouraging OPEC to consider higher production levels".Brent, the major benchmark for the international crude oil trade, which topped $130 per a barrel on Wednesday, plummeted to about $111 per barrel after the UAE envoy's remarks. US crude futures fell 12% to less than $109 a barrel, in the biggest one-day decline in nearly two years.Al Otaiba's remarks followed OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo warning earlier this week that there was "no capacity in the world at the moment that can replace 7 million barrels [a day] of exports" from Russia, which remains the world's top exporter of crude and fuel.This came as Washington called on global oil producers to increase production, with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm saying that "in this moment of crisis we need more supply".The call was preceded by US President Joe Biden on Tuesday annoucing a total ban on Russian energy imports, including oil and gas, over Moscow's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine to demilitarise and de-Nazify the country.He noted that Washington consulted its allies around the world before making the decision, saying that the US is "moving forward with this ban understanding that many of our European partners and allies may not be in a position to join us".The US president also argued that the sanctions, earlier imposed by Washington and its allies on Moscow over its special operation in Ukraine, had already inflicted "significant damage" to the Russian economy.The Biden administration has repeatedly pressed international oil producers to ramp up their output in order to help reduce oil prices, which skyrocketed to $130 a barrel, the highest level in 14 years, last Sunday amid reports of the US planning a ban on energy imports from Russia. The OPEC+ alliance, which includes Russia, however, declined to go beyond a plan agreed upon in 2021 to increase production each month by 400,000 barrels a day.An American delegation has, meanwhile, visited Venezuela to discuss "energy security" and sustain the US economy as gas prices in America have already surged to an unprecedented high of $4.25 per gallon on average. Besides holding talks with Venezuela on energy related issues, the Biden administration is reportedly looking at Iran as an alternative source of oil supplies.Earlier this month, Tehran made it clear that it is ready to step up oil output once America's anti-Iranian sanctions are lifted.Russia began a special military operation to demilitarise Ukraine on 24 February after weeks of escalating shelling by the Ukrainian Army against the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), who turned to Moscow for help. The Russian Defence Ministry said that only Ukrainian military infrastructure is being targeted during the operation, which doesn't pose a threat to civilians.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/us-clearly-has-no-substitute-plan-after-banning-russian-oil-may-face-recession-investor-says-1093753839.html

US Clearly Has No Substitute Plan After Banning Russian Oil, May Face Recession, Investor Says

US Clearly Has No Substitute Plan After Banning Russian Oil, May Face Recession, Investor Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Biden administration does not have an alternative plan to secure oil supplies after it banned Russian oil and energy imports and may... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T16:18+0000

2022-03-10T16:18+0000

2022-03-10T16:18+0000

us

crude

oil

recession

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From a domestic point of view, it is clear that the administration doesn't have a substitute plan to lean on, Shostak said. The alternatives will be to go to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela and effectively subside these political regimes that will use every chance to negotiate their prices from a position of power.Shostak noted that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) countries has worked hard to get agreement for oil at the current prices so a potential increase in output as a concession to the United States is far from certain.Shostak said the decision US President Joe Biden took on banning Russian oil imports - at the level of 672,000 barrels a day - was a difficult one amid a charged political atmosphere.Shostak continued to say that the brutal reality of the modern-day energy market lies in the fact of being deeply interdependent.Shostak said he believes the net effect of the new situation on the Russian economy will probably be very small.Shestak underscored that the European countries are most likely to keep buying Russian oil.Shestak also said uranium has been specifically excluded from the US ban as the United States has a significant uranium dependency on Russia, which provides for over 20% of its domestic demand.The price of gasoline in the United States has broken another record in the past two days, according to data published by the American Automotive Association (AAA) on Wednesday.The average price of gasoline in the United States increased by eight cents overnight, from $4.17 to $4.25 after the US government announced a ban on Russian energy imports a day earlier.The United States and its allies have imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia in response to its special military operation in Ukraine. The sanctions have slowed but not entirely eliminated the ability of Russian exporters of oil and gas to transact deals that require world financial networks and especially US dollars.Russia provides 10% of the world's crude oil needs and 40% of Europe's gas requirements. The United States, however, buys a limited amount of Russian oil, taking 20% of the 10.5 million barrels per day exported by Russia in 2021.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/us-funded-biological-weapons-labs-found-in-ukraine-iran-deal-down-to-the-wire-1093730752.html

US-Funded Biological Weapons Labs Found in Ukraine; Iran Deal Down to the Wire

US-Funded Biological Weapons Labs Found in Ukraine; Iran Deal Down to the Wire

US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland admitted that the US has funded "biological research facilities" in Ukraine. 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T00:45+0000

2022-03-10T00:45+0000

2022-03-10T10:19+0000

the critical hour

israel

jcpoa

victoria nuland

propaganda

covid-19

nicolas maduro

radio

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US-Funded Biological Weapons Labs Found in Ukraine; Iran Deal Down to the Wire U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland admitted that the US has funded "biological research facilities" in Ukraine.

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss bio labs in Ukraine. US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland admitted that the US has funded "biological research facilities" in Ukraine. Nuland claimed that if there is a biological attack, she is 100% sure that it's Russia.Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to discuss COVID. COVID long-haulers are struggling to get disability benefits. Also, some US government agencies are running out of funding.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, the Supreme Court and the Decline of American Democracy," joins us to discuss President Biden's ban on Russian oil. Democrats are embracing a risky strategy as gas prices skyrocket. Also, global markets shudder as the Russian sanctions increase.Dr. Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, joins us to discuss international relations. Middle Eastern leaders seem to be shunning US President Biden as they still elect to receive phone calls from Russian President Putin. Also, President Maduro argues that the conflict in Ukraine could spread to other regions.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Turkey is hosting diplomats for Ukraine-Russia peace talks. Also, the Iran nuclear deal awaits a final decision.John Burris, civil rights attorney, joins us to discuss legal cases. We discuss the hidden costs of police misconduct. This includes massive lawsuits, efforts for retraining, and new equipment such as body cameras.Ted Rall, political cartoonist and syndicated columnist, joins us to discuss the media. We discuss Patrick Lawrence's latest article in which he discusses the reality that propaganda is war-waged against domestic populations.Robert Fantina, journalist and Palestine activist, joins us to discuss the hypocrisy and double standards evidenced by the response to the Ukraine crisis. Palestinian rights advocates have criticized US lawmakers for pushing severe sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis while failing to act against blatant violations of international law by Israel.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/us-house-passes-omnibus-spending-bill-to-fund-government-aid-ukraine-1093732158.html

US House Passes Omnibus Spending Bill to Fund Government, Aid Ukraine

US House Passes Omnibus Spending Bill to Fund Government, Aid Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US House of Representatives on Wednesday evening passed omnibus spending legislation to fund the federal government through 30... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T04:36+0000

2022-03-10T04:36+0000

2022-03-10T05:15+0000

us

russia

ukraine

government spending

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The legislation would fund the US government through 30 September 2022. Current funding is set to run out on Friday at midnight. The bill appropriates $730 billion in non-defence funding and $782 billion for defence, as well as $13.6 billion for humanitarian, economic, and defence assistance for Ukraine.The measure, which does not include language to revoke Russia's permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status, is now heading to the Senate for consideration.Russia started its special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February after the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk asked Moscow for help as Ukrainian forces intensified shelling of civilians in the Donbass region. President Putin stressed that Russian forces were deployed to Ukraine in order to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" the country.

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us, russia, ukraine, government spending
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/us-studied-bat-coronaviruses-in-secret-biolabs-in-transcaucasia-china-1093749232.html

US Studied Bat Coronaviruses in Secret Biolabs in Transcaucasia, China

US Studied Bat Coronaviruses in Secret Biolabs in Transcaucasia, China

On Tuesday, the US State Department admitted the existence of American-funded "biological research facilities" in Ukraine, which were earlier discovered by the... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T14:15+0000

2022-03-10T14:15+0000

2022-03-10T14:25+0000

us

russia

ukraine

secret operation

covid-19

coronavirus

pandemic

research

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The Pentagon conducted studies into bat coronaviruses not only in Ukraine-based bio labs, but also in many other countries, including Georgia and China, according to documents published on the US government orders portal and seen by Sputnik.The documents showed that since 2017, such studies had been carried out by a secret US laboratory at the Richard Lugar Centre for Public Health Research in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.At the same time, it also turned out that the contractor company for the US Department of Defence (DOD) had studied bat coronaviruses in Wuhan, China, for several years (until March 2020), when the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.The research was being carried out within the framework of a five-year programme called "Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence". The programme was financed by the DOD's Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and implemented by the New York-headquartered non-profit company Eco Health Alliance.According to the documents, the total amount of funding allocated for the implementation of the programme stood at about $10.2 million, of which $6.5 million went to Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Jordan. Some $3.7 million was earmarked for research in China.US-Funded Biolabs in Ukraine This comes as Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced that the US-funded biological labs in Ukraine were conducting experiments with bat coronavirus samples.Konashenkov said that the purpose of this work and "other Pentagon-funded biological research in Ukraine, was to create a mechanism for the covert spread of deadly pathogens".The MoD spokesman spoke after Russian armed force units, who are currently conducting a special military operation in Ukraine, discovered 30 biological compounds in Ukraine, which are thought to be involved in the production of bio weapons.Per Igor Kirillov, the head of the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defence Troops of the Russian armed forces, the US spent more than $200 million on the biological laboratories in Ukraine.The Russian MoD revealed the information about the US-funded biolabs amid Moscow's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, which was announced by President Putin on 24 February and aims to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" the country.The US initially slammed the information as "fake", but on Tuesday, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland admitted the existence of American-funded "biological research facilities" in Ukraine.Last year saw the publication of a US intelligence report ordered by President Joe Biden on the origins of COVID-19. Per the report, while the majority ruled the "Chinese lab leak" theory concerning the emergence of the coronavirus as "unlikely", some suggested that it cannot be ruled out. Beijing has repeatedly rejected claims that a Wuhan laboratory, which was routinely working with coronaviruses, mistakenly engineered and/or unintentionally released the deadly pathogen into the wild.Lets stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus.

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us, russia, ukraine, secret operation, covid-19, coronavirus, pandemic, research
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/us-to-allocate-another-50bln-through-wfp-for-humanitarian-aid-to-ukraine-1093751891.html

US to Allocate Another $50Bln Through WFP for Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

US to Allocate Another $50Bln Through WFP for Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States will allocate another $50 billion through the UN World Food Programme to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T15:33+0000

2022-03-10T15:33+0000

2022-03-10T19:55+0000

us

ukraine

poland

andrzej duda

kamala harris

financial aid

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"Today we are also announcing ... that we will give another $50 billion through the UN World Food Programme to assist with humanitarian aid," she said at a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.In a separate press release, the White House said that "$53 million in new humanitarian assistance" from the US government will support civilians in Ukraine as Russia conducts a military operation in the country. The assistance include support to the UN World Food Programme "to provide lifesaving emergency food assistance to meet immediate needs of hundreds of thousands affected by the invasion, including people who are displaced from their homes and who are crossing the border out of Ukraine," it added.Harris told Duda that Washington understands the burden the current refugee crisis has put on Poland.Harris is currently in Poland and will later travel to Romania to participate in high-level talks about NATO posture adjustments and other steps being coordinated with allies in response to Russia's operation in Ukraine.The vice president will discuss with US diplomats the situation in Ukraine and efforts to help Ukrainian refugees heading to Poland. Before leaving Warsaw, Harris will meet with American and Polish troops to express support for their mission to enhance deterrence and protect collective defense, her office said.Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 after the Donbas republics appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. In response, Western nations have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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us, ukraine, poland, andrzej duda, kamala harris, financial aid
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/us-ukraine-travel-advisory-to-draft-wills-aims-to-keep-russophobia-going-reagan-era-diplomat-says-1093744736.html

US Ukraine Travel Advisory to Draft Wills Aims to 'Keep Russophobia Going', Reagan-Era Diplomat Says

US Ukraine Travel Advisory to Draft Wills Aims to 'Keep Russophobia Going', Reagan-Era Diplomat Says

On Wednesday, the US State Department rolled out perhaps its most detailed travel advisory for American citizens, and it was directed at those who still plan... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T15:07+0000

2022-03-10T15:07+0000

2022-03-10T15:07+0000

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opinion

travel advisory

ukraine

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After Washington advised Americans against travelling to Ukraine amid the ongoing crisis in the East European country, some people apparently refused to refrain from the trip and still wanted to go. For these citizens, the State Department has rolled out an elaborate guideline on what to do: from sharing important documents to taking DNA tests, people were also urged to discuss their possible funeral arrangements and issues related to child care and custody.Such specific travel advisories have also been rolled out for countries like Syria, North Korea, and Iran. If a US citizen chooses to ignore a level 4 travel advisory - "do not travel" - they are encouraged to draft their wills, designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries, and come up with a plan regarding child care, custody, property issues, etc.Details like advice to pre-plan a funeral or leave DNA samples, while being rather practical when it comes to visiting conflict zones, can also have the goal to simply frighten American citizens with an exaggerated image of the "evil Russian bear", Michael Springmann, a former American diplomat and political analyst, believes.The advisory, along with other "propaganda statements" like those about the alleged "ghost pilot of Kiev that has shot down half the Russian Air Force", is part of a carefully coordinated effort to promote Russophobia, Springmann continues. The effort is ultimately aimed at stripping Russia "of any kind of support from anywhere in the world", Springmann notes, and to promote the idea that "the Russians can't be trusted, that they're dangerous, that they're warmongers". In isolating Russia from the rest of the world, the US will seek to strip it "of money, of political influence, of knowledge, of anything else that permeates a civilised society".However, there might also be another goal - to dissuade Americans from joining the International Legion of Territorial Defence and head to Ukraine in order to fight the Russian forces there... or it might also be the complete opposite.According to Springmann, the fact that it is illegal to fight in someone else's war has never stopped Americans from recruiting people for wars in the Middle East and Asia.According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his country expects some 16,000 foreigners headed to Ukraine in order to help fight the Russian forces. On Wednesday, Germany denied claims of 1,000 of its citizens fighting in Ukraine, saying that it is only aware of "less than 10 German right-wing extremists" headed there.Concerns about foreign mercenaries operating in Ukraine were voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Kremlin drew the German chancellor's attention to "an increase in the appearance of mercenaries [in Ukraine] from third countries, including from Albania and Croatia, Kosovo militants and even jihadists with experience of military operations in Syria".In addition to that, Zelensky on Thursday signed a law allowing civilians to use weapons against Russian troops during martial law. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on 24 February, aiming to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" the country. Moscow asserted that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine, saying Russian forces are targeting military infrastructure only and pose no threat to civilians.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220310/watch-russian-combat-helicopter-hit-military-targets-during-special-op-in-ukraine-1093743384.html

Watch Russian Combat Helicopter Hit Military Targets During Special Op in Ukraine

Watch Russian Combat Helicopter Hit Military Targets During Special Op in Ukraine

Since 24 February, Russian forces have been conducting a special operation in Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said is aimed at denazifying Kiev... 10.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-10T11:48+0000

2022-03-10T11:48+0000

2022-03-10T11:48+0000

russia

ukraine

special operation

nazis

biological weapon

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The Russian Ministry of Defence has released a video showing a combat helicopter during a special operation in Ukraine. The footage shows a Mi-28n K-52 aircraft taking off and then hitting targets - first with a machine gun and then with rockets. According to the Defence Ministry, helicopter crews conducted strikes on Ukrainian fortifications and armoured vehicles.Earlier today, Major General Igor Konashenkov said that Russian forces have destroyed almost 3,000 units of military infrastructure in Ukraine, including, fighter jets, drones, air defence systems, tanks, and other armoured military vehicles.The statement comes several days after Russia revealed that its forces had discovered US-funded biolabs in Ukraine, which were allegedly engaged in the development of components for biological weapons as well as research into bat coronavirus and bird, bat, and reptile pathogens in Ukraine.Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the findings have completely changed "US involvement in the fate of Ukraine".US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland has admitted that "biological research facilities" exist in Ukraine, without elaborating whether it was funded by the White House. Washington has rejected claims made by Moscow that it operates bio warfare labs in Ukraine.The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the US has "336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone". Beijing has called on the White House to "give full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification".On 24 February, Russia launched a special operation in Ukraine, which the Kremlin said is aimed at denazifying and demilitarising Kiev as well as as protecting the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). Russian President Vladimir Putin said the decision was made after the LPR and DPR requested help from Moscow last month following an escalation of attacks on the republics. Amid the standoff, the LPR and DPR ordered the evacuation of the civilian population to Russia.The move was condemned by Ukrainian authorities and nations in the West, which have called it an "invasion". Western countries have since introduced the harshest sanctions on Moscow to date, targeting banks, businesses, billionaires, as well as individuals that are in the alleged inner circle of President Putin.The Russian Defence Ministry has on multiple occasions stressed that the special operation does not pose a threat to civilians as the nation's forces are only targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure  military bases, air defence systems, etc.Lets stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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russia, ukraine, special operation, nazis, biological weapon
https://sputniknews.com/20220310/will-actor-jussie-smollett-be-given-prison-term-for-filing-false-police-report-1093738192.html

Will Actor Jussie Smollett Be Given Prison Term for Filing False Police Report?

Will Actor Jussie Smollett Be Given Prison Term for Filing False Police Report?

In January 2019, the star of the musical drama "Empire" made headlines around the world after it became known that he was attacked by two men, who shouted racial and homophobic abuse at him. A subsequent investigation revealed that he actually paid the two individuals to stage the crime for the sake of promoting his career.

2022-03-10T09:49+0000

2022-03-10T09:49+0000

2022-03-10T09:49+0000

us

society

jussie smollett

hate crimes

homophobia

racism

crime

criminal case

united states

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After three years of drama, actor Jussie Smollet's criminal case, full of twists and turns, is finally coming to an end this week as the actor is to face sentencing on Thursday.Smollett's fans as well as celebrities such as Hollywood star Samuel L Jackson have written letters to Judge James B Linn asking him to show mercy and give the 39-year-old a lenient sentence. Here is a breakdown of the case and its potential outcomes.January 2019  'This is MAGA Country'Chicago police reveal they are investigating an attack on the star of the musical drama "Empire", who said he was reportedly attacked by two men wearing ski masks. The actor, who is gay and Black, says the alleged perpetrators yelled racial and homophobic slurs, beat him, put a noose on his neck and poured an "unknown chemical substance on him".In addition, Smollett said that the attackers purportedly shouted "this is MAGA country", a reference to Donald Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again".The news caused shock and anger in the United States and prompted an outpouring of support from across the globe, with numerous celebrities condemning the incident."This is about coming to the aid of another brother that has tasted the brutality of hatred and racism and bigotry", comedian Steve Harvey said back in 2019.February 2019  Arrest of the Perpetrators and Plot TwistPolice say they are using every available resource to find the criminals and two weeks after the alleged incident occurred officers arrest two men, but just three days after police detained the purported criminals, they announce that the trajectory of the investigation has shifted.A few days later, Chicago police reveal that the two men were paid by the actor to stage an attack and file a felony charge against Smollett for filing a false police report, a claim he has categorically denied. Smollett is suspended from the series "Empire", with the show's producers saying the allegations against him are "disturbing".The subsequent investigation reveals that Smollett payed Obabinjo (Ola) and Abimbola (Abel) Osundairo, who worked with him on the set of "Empire" $3,500 dollars to stage a hate crime attack so that he would receive media sympathy, which would boost his career. "We are not racist. We are not homophobic", the Osundairo brothers said. Police said officers found a cheque the actor used to pay for the hoax crime as well as to purchase materials used in the attack (rope and bleach).Both men, who are Black themselves, voiced "tremendous regret over their involvement in this situation" and issued an apology to the African American community as well as to the victims of hate crimes.March 2019  Charges Dropped and Second TrialThe actor is indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct. Chicago police seek $130,000 from Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation. The actor pleads not guilty and soon all the charges against him are dropped. Officials say this was done in exchange for community service and $10,000 in bail.Smollett's lawyer said the actor was a "victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator".The news raised eyebrows among members of the public and authorities in Chicago.In August 2019, a special prosecutor was assigned to investigate how the case was handled and this resulted in new charges being levelled against Smollett. He was indicted on six charges, including telling police officers he was a victim of a hate crime and battery and repeating those claims to other law enforcement officials.In December 2021, a jury of six men and six women found him guilty on five charges. The actor has maintained he is innocent.Will Judge Hand Down Prison Sentence?Although the case has received widespread media coverage, disorderly conduct charges for filing a false police report are not rare in the United States or other countries.Andrew Weisberg, a Chicago-based criminal attorney and a former Cook County prosecutor, told USA Today that perpetrators often use false reports in order to commit insurance fraud.In 2021, a Chicago man was charged with disorderly conduct after he lied to the police about being robbed in a parking garage at gunpoint. These individuals often make a U-turn on their claims and take them back or seek a plea deal, says Weisberg.Jussie Smollett's case stands out because when police accused him of lying he continued to insist that his allegations were true.Each of the five counts of disorderly conduct the actor faces carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, but lawyers are sceptical that he will be given a prison sentence.Other possible outcomes of the trial include: being given probation, community service, and covering the cost of the investigation.

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Illinoisans are worried about the steep shortage of teachers and school employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new bipartisan poll that also gauged residents views on pay increases for teachers and instruction on slavery and racism.

Sponsored by the states largest teachers union, the Illinois Education Association, the fourth annual State of Education report released Wednesday includes data showing those polled prioritize having high-quality public schools above balancing the state budget and lowering taxes.

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In addition, residents who participated in the poll indicated teachers and parents should have the greatest influence over how Illinois schools are being run, with more say than politicians or school administrators.

The findings of the annual report coincide with a record number of Illinois teachers exiting the profession earlier than anticipated because of the hardships they have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 67% increase from 2019 to 2020 in teachers retiring, and 1 in 3 educators saying they are considering leaving the profession.

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Underpaid, dedicated and overworked  those are three words that describe Illinois teachers, IEA President Kathi Griffin said during a press conference Wednesday.

Illinoisans are very worried about the shortage of educators, and not just teachers, but bus drivers, maintenance workers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers and more, Griffin said.

Among the polls findings was strong support for making education a more appealing profession, with 72% of those polled supporting changes to the teachers pension system and 77% supporting student loan forgiveness for educators. In addition, 72% support allowing educators to take mental health days.

When asked about critical race theory  a topic that has become a political flashpoint across the U.S.  the survey found the vast majority of Illinoisans polled are in favor of an honest teaching of United States history in schools and believe students should be taught about slavery and racism, Griffin said.

While Griffin acknowledged CRT has become a divisive political term, she was adamant it is not taught in any pre-K through 12th grade classrooms in Illinois, but rather is used by professors at law schools and colleges and universities.

Even if they support a ban on CRT, the vast majority support the honest teaching and education about slavery and racism, she said.

The public does not want our politicians deciding the curriculum in schools, Griffin said.

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The poll was conducted in December by Jill Normington of Normington-Petts, who typically collects data for the Democratic Party, and Next Generation Strategies Pat Brady, who is often hired by the Republican Party.

The survey, which gauged the opinions of 1,000 Illinoisans between Dec. 2 and Dec. 12, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%, with 95% confidence, officials said.

The people of Illinois are united in their quest for strong public schools. Thats clear, Normington said in a news release Wednesday.

The poll is a barometer for what the people of Illinois want and where we should be going, Brady said in the release.

kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Former Standardbred trainer Paul Manna passed away on Sunday, Feb. 27 peacefully at home at the age of 62.

Born December 24, 1959 to Mike & Dorothy Manna in Toronto. Loving brother to Michelle (Bill) McClure. Proud uncle to Michael and Ryan (Sara) McClure. Devoted great uncle to Hannah McClure.

Pauls passion for horses started in his teen years helping his father and other horsemen at Woodbridge Fair Grounds. Going to work for Wes Coke, Paul was sent to the Meadowlands. He then worked in California before returning home to Ontario and became contract trainer for Flying Children Farm.

Paul earned multiple Grand Circuit wins and also finished third and fifth in lucrative Sweetheart Pace finals. He trained notable horses such as Sable Hanover, Elvira Childer, Cher A Like and Vignette Childer.

Paul then worked for trainer John Burns taking care of Towners Image. His meticulous nature and attention to detail earned him consecutive Caretaker of the Year awards in Canada, as well as a Red Smith nomination from the U.S. Trotting Assocation.

Upon retirement from the horses, Paul had a long successful career with the Peel District School Board.

His life was centered around his family. He enjoyed fishing with his dad and nephew and celebrating special occasions with those he loved most.

His humble demeanor and likeable manner made him many friends and acquaintances.

Paul will be greatly missed.

Visitation will be held at Ward Funeral Home on Saturday, March 12 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. A funeral service to follow at 2 p.m.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Paul Manna.
A Culpeper native and Vietnam veteran, Charles Jameson has been selected among this years line-up of 5 Over 50 honorees.

The celebration is an annual event of Aging Together that honors five individuals over the age of 50, one each from Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties who exemplify selfless community service, said Ellen Phipps, director of the local nonprofit serving the regions seniors.

Jameson, 74, is most well-known for donning a patriots uniform and displaying arms and flags at various historic events around the state as past president and member of the Culpeper Minutemen Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution. He is also part of the alumni association involved with ongoing renaissance at George Washington Carver Regional High School, open 20 years during segregation.

Jameson is retired from heavy construction, mostly highway work, and in his early days worked with his dad in Maryland building interstates. These days, he also serves on the board of the Museum of Culpeper History and is a lifetime member of the VFD and NAACP.

Jameson, along with the other honorees, were selected after Aging Together put out a call to the public for nominations. They got an unprecedented response, Phipps said.

I would like to personally thank everyone who took the time to send in a nomination, she said. We were amazed at the record number received this yearmultiple nominations in each countyand I underscore how difficult it was for our board of directors to choose just one from each.

The other 5 Over 50 honorees are Renee Younes of Fauquier; Kevin McGhee of Madison County; Bill Hager of Orange; and Joyce & Mike Wenger of Rappahannock.

This years 5 Over 50 will held May 19 on Facebook Live. In-person watch parties will be held in each of the counties.

This is a spirited event as it enables friends and family of the honorees, as well as supporters of Aging Together, to come together and celebrate older adults, Phipps said. 5 Over 50 celebrates the contributions of older adults in our local communities and highlights the experiences, insight and wisdom that comes with age. We truly admire every person who was nominated.
A federal government contractor has been in contact with Culpeper County planning & zoning officials about opening up a facility on agricultural land here to test high-caliber military weapons.

Sam McLearen, who heads up the county department, brought the matter Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee to discuss how to proceed with the case since a weapons testing facility is not currently listed as a use in the county zoning ordinance.

The only allowances for this type of project would in the heavy industrial zoning district, requiring a land rezoning for this particular proposed project, the planning director said.

McLearen said Halifax County permits commercial firing ranges on agricultural or rural land with a conditional use permit and numerous conditions such as limits on hours of operation, safety measures and a requirement that customers be 18 and older.

The Halifax ordinance, provided by McLearen to the committee, also lists several restrictions on the use and type of arms, including no rifles exceeding caliber .45 and a prohibition on the use of explosive tip, armor piercing or Teflon-coated projectile ammunition.

The Halifax ordinance also states customers of a commercial firing range cannot arrive or leave the site with a loaded weapon and that guns can only be loaded while on site under the supervision of a range safety officer.

The project proposed in Culpeper differs in that it would not be open to the public, but only used by staff of the company doing weapons testing for the U.S. military, McLearen said.

Noise is another challenge, probably the biggest challenge, he told the committee.

The countys nuisance ordinance addresses noise and limits, but it is challenging to enforce, McLearen said.

The planning director said the county could consider the pending request as a conditional use permit on Agricultural-1 property or require a rezoning to heavy industrial and require the use permit.

Catalpa Supervisor Paul Bates commented the county doesnt have industrial land swaths large enough to accommodate a weapons testing site. Allowing it as a conditional use on A-1 land could spark residents with private shooting ranges to want to turn theirs into commercial entities, the supervisor said.

McLearen agreed, saying approving the weapon testing facility could open the door for similar applications in areas not as well suited as well as unintended consequences.

The planning director, slated to meet with the company Tuesday afternoon, said the application had not yet been filed, but that they were ready to move on the project.

They are prepared to go through the existing process, McLearen said of rezoning some 50-100 acres of farmland to heavy industrial.

The re-zoning process is what the planning director recommended.

It will not be your typical commercial firing range, McLearen said, stating the facility would test high caliber arms at times.

Pretty noticeable, he said, noting the facility also seeks to test at night.

Jefferson Supervisor Brad Rosenberger interjected, saying he would recommend limiting gun usage at the site to .45 caliber.

I dont know the intensity or usage, he said, adding those details would come to light when the formal application is made. This would certainly be a unique use.

McLearen said staff would be concerned about drafting an ordinance for a specific company.

He said the pending applicants intent is to test weapons and use the site as an office complex for their client, the U.S. military. There would be no manufacturing on site, he said, as that is done in Michigan and Japan.

McLearen added he felt the company could construct a very safe facility.

Asked about the specific location in Culpeper County, the planning director declined to say until the application was filed. Bates responded wherever the company locates the choices will be extremely limited here.

Most of these facilities are out west, desert terrain, he said.

Bates said his biggest concern is re-zoning farmland to heavy industrial and not knowing what will happen with the company 10 years down the road.

I dont know if we have any property large enough to accommodate a facility like is being proposed, he said. It needs to be isolated, in unpopulated areas.

Rosenberger said the public safety committee might be a better place for the conversation.

It would be easier to consider if they werent so vague, he said.

Culpeper is close to the Pentagon and D.C. military bases and thats why the company wants to locate here, Rosenberger said.

We have to weigh the pros and cons, he said. What are they going to do for Culpeper?

In the end, the Rules Committee decided to table the matter until more information was made available.

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Members from five state and federal agencies visited Sidney and Alliance during the week to discuss the best methods of curbing illicit drug use.

Representatives from the Nebraska Attorney Generals (AG) office, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Nebraska State Patrol (NSP), and U.S. Attorneys Office (USAO) for the District of Nebraska attended drug forums in the Panhandle cities.

The forums served as a way for the agencies to share tactics and resources to deal with a growing statewide methamphetamine crisis. According to DEA public information officer Emily Murray, the amount of meth seized across Nebraska grew from 196 pounds in 2016 to 768 pounds in 2021  nearly a 300% increase. Sometimes its hard to wrap our minds around how much that is, Murray told the Star-Herald.

The five contributing organizations formed their drug-fighting partnership earlier this year. Murray said the coalition is the first of its kind in the state of Nebraska. The group planned to visit locations across the state and work with local and tribal law enforcement offices. Different organizations can decide the most effective ways to deal with the drug epidemic.

Murray emphasized a three-pronged approach to combating drug use. While law enforcement is one such measure, it must be paired with treatment and education. Its not something we can arrest our way out of, she said. ... By making people aware, we can have people make educated decisions when asked to experiment with these things.

If the demand for illicit drug use goes down, she said supply would likely follow. The meth being seized comes from Mexican super-labs, as Murray called them. They produce meth that is cheaper to make, easier to acquire and much more dangerous than domestically-produced meth in the past. The drugs are then walked, driven or flown across the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Sidney drug forum was held in the citys Western Nebraska Community College campus on Tuesday. The Alliance forum took place at the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center the following day. Before law enforcement officers met, educational sessions took place at local schools.

Forums were hosted in Falls City, Red Cloud and McCook earlier in the month. Additional forums will take place in Valentine and ONeill on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The FBI spearheaded city selection and chose smaller communities across the state where people might not have many conversations about the community impact of drug use.

Philip Lukens, the Alliance police chief, had previously reached out to both the FBI and the Attorney Generals office for additional drug prosecution assistance. He said the forums acted as ways to brainstorm the best practices for dealing with drugs out here where resources are often limited. Law enforcement agencies from across the northern Panhandle attend Wednesdays meeting.

Methamphetamines arent the only drug Nebraskan cities are dealing with. The forums dealt with a whole slew of illegal substances and potential methods of dealing with them.

Where theres meth, theres fentanyl and marijuana and cocaine. If we can get this problem under control, our community will be better. Its going to reduce crime in every facet, Lukens said.

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on February 24th was meant to overwhelm Ukrainian forces quickly and capture the capital Kyiv as well as other key targets like ports. This did not go according to plan because Russia underestimated the Ukrainian preparations to deal with an invasion and overestimated the readiness of Russian troops to carry out the rapid conquest plan.

The reasons why the Russians underestimated the capabilities of the Ukrainian defenders have yet to be explained. The problems with the Russian military were known in the West but Russia has been imposing more secrecy about such matters for Russians over the last few years. Before the invasion it was a crime to report on these problems in the mass media or via the Internet. The bad news reached Russians anyway, usually via a foreign Russian-language Internet site with confidential informants inside Russia. It was Russian software developers that created the most effective encrypted messaging apps, and usually had to leave Russia and run their new business from outside the country.

Before 2014 Ukrainians did not see a need for local defense units or a large military to defend against a Russian attack. After all, the Russians had signed an agreement in 1994 in which Russia promised to never attack Ukraine. In return, Ukraine got rid of the nuclear weapons it had inherited when the Soviet Union dissolved. The United States and Britain were also parties to that agreement, mainly to pay for disposing of the nukes and as well as aiding Ukraine if Russia broke the agreement.

When Russia violated the agreement in 2014, Ukraine sought advice from East European states that, until 1990, were occupied by Russian troops and had governments that answered to Russia, not their own citizens. These former Russian dominated states, especially Poland and the three Baltic States, joined NATO and the EU (European Union) as soon as they could and developed tactics and techniques for dealing with future Russian aggression. Until 2014 the original NATO members were skeptical of the new East Europe members assertion that it was not a matter of if the Russians would misbehave but when and where. That turned out of to be Ukraine, which until 2014 was willing to keep Russia happy by staying out of NATO. Ukraine still wanted to join the EU, which Russia opposed along with any cooperation with NATO countries.

Until 1991, NATO members prepared for a Russian invasion and developed some practices that the new East Europe NATO members adopted. This involved organizing internal defense units composed of former soldiers and volunteers. This was a variation of the Swiss system introduced in the 19th century in which every physically fit adult male belonged to an armed reserve until they were too old for that duty. These part-time soldiers kept a rifle and ammunition at home, so local defenses could be activated within hours. This force, plus the rugged terrain of Switzerland and a growing network of fortifications kept potential invaders from even trying. During World War II the Germans studied the matter to see if it was practical to try and occupy Switzerland. It wasnt and the Germans never tried. Israel and Sweden adopted a similar defense system. After 1991 Sweden began dismantling their mass mobilization system, including an end to conscription. After 2014 Sweden returned to conscription and mass mobilization.

After 2014 Ukraine increased the ground forces to 250,000, with 20 percent of them civilian support staff. The government also ordered the formation of territorial defense units in each of the 22 provinces. By the end of 2014 these amounted to 32 battalions and were part of the armed forces. While the military supplied weapons, the 10,000 volunteers for the 32 battalions depended on themselves or donations for other equipment. This was a mistake because other nations threatened by Russia spent money on organizing and equipping local defense units. The Ukrainian territorial defense battalions varied in terms of quality and leadership. By the time Russia invaded in 2022 many of the local defense units had already attracted more volunteers and when the fighting began on February 24th, the local defense battalions continued to be a rallying point for civilian volunteers.

In 2019 Volodymyr Zelenskyy became president and enacted many reforms in the government, especially efforts to curb the chronic corruption. These reforms did not include the local defense units or the military in general. That did not happen until 2022, a month before the Russians invaded.

The local defense battalions were considered adequate after 2014 and volunteers also played a crucial role in halting the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine. Establishing a Swiss style force would cost more than Ukraine could afford and would have made a big difference deterring the Russians or containing Russian forces when the invasion did come.

The Russian invaders turned out to be much less effective than expected and that was an unexpected asset for the Ukrainians. Captured documents revealed that the Russians expected little resistance from the Ukrainian population and troops were under orders to avoid civilian casualties. The Russians expected to capture the capital Kyiv and find enough qualified Ukrainians to form a new, pro-Russian government. That was a major miscalculation because most Ukrainians opposed the Russians and many did it with weapons passed out by the Ukrainian government or captured from the Russian troops. Many of the Russian troops were conscripts who were told they were going on a training exercise, not invading Ukraine. For their families back in Russia, the international response to the invasion was quickly felt as an unprecedented number of economic sanctions were imposed on Russia which quickly reduced the standard of living for most Russians.

Initially the Russian invasion was described as using shock and awe to achieve a quick win. There was a lot of shock and awe, but most of it was felt by the invaders and Russians in general. President Putin of Russia was the main proponent of the invasion and he insists he will persist, no matter how much shock and awe hits him, his troops and the Russian economy. This will not end well but it is still unclear when and how it will end for Russia, Ukraine and Putin.
The sixth Remote Area Medical Clinic for Smyth County and surrounding residents is moving to a new location this year.

Instead of being held at Mountain Empire Airport in Groseclose, the clinic will now be held on the main campus of Emory & Henry College in Emory May 21-22.

The move is being done for the comfort and safety of the patients and providers, said Kim Faulkinbury with RAM public relations. Clinic organizers wanted a site with indoor, climate-controlled settings for patient care. Past clinics have often endured windy, cold and rainy conditions.

The former RAM Smyth County clinic is now known as the Emory Clinic since the new location is at E&H in Washington County.

When the Smyth County RAM Clinic committee decided to move the event from the airport organizers looked at the Marion campus of E&H but the buildings did not meet clinic requirements. The college, a major sponsor of the clinic, offered to host on its main campus.

This is going to be a great partnership. Im really excited about it, said the Rev. Harry Howe, chair of the RAM Smyth County committee.

All RAM services are free, and no ID is required. Free dental, vision, and medical services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Plans are set for patient care sites and there will be much more space for the most requested service, which is dental care.

Patients will register onsite. They will reach the E&H campus from Interstate 81 Exit 26. For southbound travelers, turn right off the exit, and for northbound travelers, turn left off the exit, and go the main entrance of the college and follow the signs for parking. Patients will be transported from the parking area to the care sites. There will be signs directing patients to the various care sites.

Parking will open around midnight May 21 and patients should come prepared to wait with snacks, water, medications, blankets, pillows, phone chargers and warm clothing. Porta-potties will be available.

Volunteer healthcare providers are still being recruited for the May clinic, and the number of patients who can be seen may be limited. Care is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Volunteer providers and all volunteers will register online at volunteer.ramusa.org.

According to RAM USA policy, everyone on site must wear a facemask and be screened but there will be no testing for COVID-19.

RAM Smyth Countys May 2021 clinic didnt have the crowds of years past due to COVID-19 restrictions and was limited to 250 patients. The clinic was not held in 2020. Prior to the pandemic, RAM Smyth County has attracted over 1,000 patients for the two or three-day clinics.

The Remote Area Medical event, a major nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics delivering free, quality, dental, vision and medical care to underserved and uninsured individuals, is held in collaboration with Mel Leaman Free Clinic, Smyth County RAM Clinic Committee and many volunteers.
Dustin Hazlewoods second chance ended on Wednesday morning.

After several years of having his criminal case continued, the former Wythe County Rescue Squad captain was convicted of stealing prescription painkillers  morphine and fentanyl -- from the squad nearly seven years ago.

Now 32, Hazlewood pleaded guilty to two drug felonies in 2017, but a judge didnt find him guilty and took his case under advisement for four years, bringing him in periodically to review his progress. He was also supposed to perform 300 hours of community service.

Hazlewood successfully completed a similar program in Montgomery County after being charged in 2010 with possessing morphine. That charge was ultimately dismissed.

Since his Wythe County plea, though, Hazlewood, who at one time ran his own substance abuse ministry, picked up new criminal convictions and went through another round of rehab, according to court records.

In December 2021, he got jail time in Lynchburg for 2019 charges of abduction, and assault and battery of a family member, online records show.

On Wednesday, his attorney entered evidence that hed completed rehab at a California center in early 2021 and had been accepted into another extensive personal development program that lasts nine months to three years.

In a July 2021 Galax Gazette newspaper column written from jail, Hazlewood said hed continued to struggle with addiction since his Wythe plea.

I once thought that jail was 100 percent not the answer, he wrote, and I dont believe its the whole answer, but it may be part of it.

Before the column published, Hazlewood wrote another jailhouse letter seeking bond to Judge Josiah Showalter Jr.

You saw something in me in 2017, giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, he wrote. I have failed you, Mr. Mabe, Mr. Jones and the court as whole regarding that opportunity.

In a statement after Wednesdays hearing, Jones, Commonwealths Attorney Mike Jones, said Hazlewood was a con-artist who told the court whatever he felt like it needed to hear.

For the past four years he has been convicted of multiple violent crimes, absconded from supervision and had a general disregard for this court, he wrote. His actions of taking pain relieving drugs away from those who truly needed them was selfish and despicable. Justice was finally served today.

Showalter sentenced Hazlewood to serve one year and six months in jail with credit for time served while awaiting trial.

He wont be on probation in Wythe County after his release.

Hazlewood is incarcerated at the New River Valley Regional Jail in Dublin.

Jeffrey Simmons can be reached at 228-6611, extension 572, or jsimmons@wythenews.com.
Update 3/20/2022  In less than 2 short weeks, we have achieved our goal of $10,000 raised thanks to the compassion and generosity of our Central Florida and Orlando community. Big thank you to Amy Thompson of Orlando Sentinel (What can you do to help Ukraine? Feed them) and Holly Kapher of Orlando Weekly (Support Ukraine at these local Orlando restaurants) for covering the story, as well as to the support of local friends and restaurants (Domu, Tori Tori, Peterbrooke Chocolatier, Hinckleys, The Ravenous Pig, and many more) who all helped support and donate. The war continues, and as of today, over 3 million Ukrainian refugees have fled, many still in need of hot meals  if you are able to, please continue sharing this fundraiser with family and friends to help support the people of Ukraine. We are also still collecting recipes from local chefs and community members for a digital thank you recipe collection e-book to send out to donors after the fundraiser is over. If you have a family recipe to share, please e-mail us at tastychomps@gmail.com.

Jose Andress nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK) is now in Poland, Romania, and Moldova feeding hot, nourishing meals to tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees coming across the border at all hours. The aid group says it is also working with restaurants in Odessa and Lviv, two cities in Ukraine, to feed those who remain there.

The WCK most recently arrived in Moldova and began serving chicken over plates of pasta, fresh bread from local restaurants, and tomato salad. The nonprofit group is heading to Slovakia and Hungary as well to find out how to support refugees arriving from Ukraine.

All proceeds to benefit World Central Kitchen disaster relief funds (worldcentralkitchen.org)  Chef Jose Andres and team are currently providing hot meals for refugees from the Ukraine conflict on the ground.

To donate, visit: https://donate.wck.org/team/411729

As a thank you to donors, we are compiling a recipe book tentatively titled To Ukraine with Love: Recipes from the Heart of Central Florida to the People of Ukraine  if you would like to submit a recipe please fill out the below recipe submission or email tastychomps@gmail.com with the below email by 3/30/2022:

Recipe Submission Form:

https://forms.gle/VrKyReHgSxXnNw4j8

Recipe Name:

About the recipe:

List of Ingredients:

Preparation Instructions:

About You/Chef/Restaurant:

Send photos if any to tastychomps@gmail.com

We will send donors a copy via e-mail in PDF format in early April after we compile. Donor  Sign up for the Recipe Book: https://forms.gle/hJ6mBwwKXmSYZey47
Multiple law enforcement agencies across the state late Thursday afternoon were still looking for several people who were inside four stolen BMW SUVs and led police on a miles-long pursuit that included the people carjacking a woman with a child in New Lenox earlier in the day.

No one was injured during the ordeal, which began when at least four vehicles were stolen from the Peoria or Springfield area and Illinois State Police troopers and Grundy County sheriffs officers responded to eastbound I-80 near Morris when the stolen SUVs were seen speeding down the interstate, according to a statement from the State Police.

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An Illinois Department of Conservation police officer clocked one of the stolen SUVs at 153 mph near I-39 and I-80, and Grundy County Sheriff Ken Briley said his department became involved when the cars were seen speeding down I-39.

Sheriffs deputies set up spike strips at mile marker 111 on I-80 about 7:30 a.m. and shortly after that, the strips halted three of the four vehicles, but their occupants jumped out and got into the fourth SUV and sped away, according to Briley.

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Around 8 a.m., that SUV came to a stop on I-80 east of I-355 at the edge of southwest suburban New Lenox, and six suspects got out and fled from the vehicle, ran through backyards, and came upon a woman taking her child out of a car in a driveway on Regan Road near Edmonds Avenue, New Lenox police Chief Louis Alessandrini said.

The woman was held at gunpoint, and the suspects got into her GMC Yukon Denali and drove off. There were no injuries to the woman or the child.

The stolen Yukon Denali was later found unoccupied in south suburban Markham about 9 a.m., Alessandrini said.

The four stolen BMW SUVs were recovered but nobody was in custody early Thursday evening.

Illinois State Police Trooper Josh Korando said all agencies involved have their own investigations ongoing at this time, including the sheriffs office and New Lenox police.

Its still pretty early in the investigation, Briley said. Were dealing with multiple different agencies and multiple different crimes, so were still trying to piece it all together.

sahmad@chicagotribune.com
CLARK COUNTY  A Longview man who rolled his pickup, injuring his teenage passenger, Saturday on Interstate 5 and then allegedly left the crash scene appeared to be intoxicated, investigators say.

Landon Sexsmith, 19, appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of hit-and-run resulting in injury. His bail was set at $10,000, and he is scheduled to be arraigned March 18.

Washington State Patrol troopers responded at about 5:15 p.m. to a rollover crash on southbound I-5 near Milepost 20. Troopers arrived to find a black pickup heavily damaged in the median. They also found several beer cans around the pickup, according to a probable cause affidavit.

American Medical Response personnel were securing a passenger, identified in a State Patrol crash memo as a 14-year-old Longview boy, to a backboard. Troopers said the boy appeared to have significant injuries to his face. The boy was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland.

A witness told troopers the pickup was speeding and appeared to be racing another car before the crash, according to court records. When the pickup went onto the shoulder to pass traffic, the driver lost control and the truck rolled.

Another witness told troopers they heard the driver say, I dont have insurance. I need to get out of here. The driver, later identified as Sexsmith, was then picked up by someone else in a truck and left the crash, court records state.

Clark County sheriffs deputies notified troopers they had stopped the truck with Sexsmith inside near Milepost 18. A sheriffs sergeant said Sexsmith appeared to be intoxicated, according to the affidavit.

A trooper wrote in the affidavit that Sexsmiths eyes were bloodshot and watery, and there was a strong odor of alcohol coming from him, during an interview at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver. The crash memo states Sexsmith was not injured.

Sexsmith allegedly told the trooper he had one beer four hours prior. He also said he lost control of the truck while shifting gears and that the pickup rolled seven times, court records state.

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When packing their backpacks Monday morning, many students and their parents may choose to leave out something that had been a constant this school year  a face mask.

Washingtons indoor mask mandate ends Saturday, making Monday the first mask-optional day for most schools. Local health departments, school districts or individual schools can put stricter rules in place, but Cowlitz County districts wont require masks in schools or on buses.

Along with the end of the mask mandate, the state Department of Health updated its guidelines for schools this week, changing many requirements to recommendations but keeping some stricter rules in place.

In-person education and care are valuable to social and emotional health, State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said in a statement. This new guidance focuses on ways to meet critical state public health requirements while also focusing on keeping kids in school and childcare.

K-12 schools still are required to ensure access to timely diagnostic testing for students and staff with symptoms or who were potentially exposed.

At schools and daycares, students and staff with COVID-19 symptoms are required to stay home and follow the return protocol. Individuals who test positive must isolate for five full days and can return if their symptoms improve and they dont have a fever. For the next five days, that person is required to wear a well-fitting mask, according to the Department of Health.

People who dont want to wear a mask are required to test negative. If they test positive, they are required to wear a mask or continue isolating, according to the department.

Like in other health-care settings, face masks are required in school health rooms, according to the guidance.

Schools no longer have to notify all close contacts but still are required to directly notify employees and students at high risk of severe disease of potential exposure. Schools must report cases and outbreaks to public health and cooperate with investigations.

As throughout the last two years, the Longview School District is following the Department of Health guidance, said Rick Parrish, district spokesman. Masks will be optional and schools will supply them to those who want them, he said.

Were continuing to follow guidelines in an effort to keep students and employees safe and to have a healthy learning environment, Parrish said.

The district will continue to update its online dashboard of COVID-19 cases among students and staff, Parrish said.

The Kelso School District also will continue to update its COVID case dashboard, said Michele Nerland, district spokesperson.

Nerland said the response to the upcoming changes has been overwhelmingly positive. The district knows some immunocompromised staff and students may be nervous and fully supports those who want to wear masks, she said. The district is planning to send an email detailing the changes to families this week.

We know this has been a long road. I want to thank our Kelso community, staff, students and families for their patience, compassion and support during this time, said Superintendent Mary Beth Tack. We are excited to move on to the next chapter with our continued commitment to the academic tradition of excellence in Kelso and the well-being of each and every student.

Castle Rock Superintendent Ryan Greene said the district is excited that optional masking gives the choice to parents while some safety requirements remain.

COVID-19 cases among students and staff have declined significantly since January, with just three reported last week. Greene said he hopes the downward trend continues as the district transitions back to more normal operations.

Through this whole pandemic we learned to be flexible, Greene said. There are a lot of moving parts, and we have to figure out how to get back to the way it was. It will just take time, but were excited were moving forward.

In an online update last Monday, Toutle Lake Superintendent Bob Garrett wrote the lifting of mask requirements applies to all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

While Woodland schools wont require masks, families that want their children to continue masking can contact the school to request staff ensure those students wear masks, according to the district. Schools will provide free KN95 masks as supplies last.

The district will maintain some level of distancing based on the situation, said Eric Jacobson, Woodland Schools spokesperson. For example, the district is considering bringing back ceramics classes, which were not possible under distancing requirements, but students will not yet have access to lockers because they are too close together, he said.

Any bullying and harassment of people who choose to wear masks will not be tolerated, according to the district.

Face masks will be optional in Kalama schools, and the district is reviewing its procedures under the new guidelines, said Nick Shanmac, district spokesperson.

We want families to know that health and well-being of students continues to be the top priority, Shanmac said. Even though you see some things like masking changing, several other COVID mitigation strategies ... will continue to help keep transmission low at schools.

Support of the change by federal, state and local health officials lends greater confidence that this is the right time to ease some requirements, Shanmac said.

Cowlitz County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Steve Krager said he is comfortable with the changes given the decrease in COVID-19 activity, level of population immunity and the other safety measures that remain in place.

Its OK to be uncomfortable. Were making a big change and still trying to promote safety in schools, Krager said. Im cautiously optimistic and hopefully we wont see outbreaks in schools after we take away a couple layers (of protection).

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When Russia invaded Ukraine last week, some of social media's youngest users experienced the conflict from the front lines on TikTok. Videos of people huddling and crying in windowless bomb shelters, explosions blasting through urban settings and missiles streaking across Ukrainian cities took over the app from its usual offerings of fashion, fitness and dance videos.

Ukrainian social media influencers uploaded bleak scenes of themselves wrapped in blankets in underground bunkers and army tanks rolling down residential streets, juxtaposed against photos of blooming flowers and laughing friends at restaurants that honored more peaceful memories of their hometowns.

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They urged their followers to pray for Ukraine, donate to support the Ukrainian military and demanded Russian users in particular to join anti-war efforts.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which it has called a "special operation," is the latest example of the central role TikTok has played in bringing news and current events to the app's large Gen Z audience. Its famed algorithm is known for serving trending content even if users do not follow certain people, allowing topics to quickly go viral among its 1 billion monthly users.

The TikTok app has become so influential in this conflict that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to "TikTokers" as a group that could help end the war, in a speech directed at Russian citizens. Some TikTokers picked up where the politician left off.

A Ukrainian travel blogger named Alina Volik, who has over 36,000 followers on TikTok, took a break from posting highlights of her trips to Egypt, Spain and Turkey, to upload videos of life in the invasion, of emergency backpacks filled with first aid supplies and of sealed windows to protect against glass shards in a blast. In TikTok videos posted on Monday, Volik also urged her international followers to watch her Instagram Stories to "see the truth" about Ukraine.

In an email to Reuters, Volik said she wanted to combat misinformation in the Russian news that the country's actions were a "military operation" rather than a war that is hurting Ukrainians.

Montages of residential buildings destroyed by missiles, empty grocery store shelves and long lines of cars piled up outside gas stations could be seen on the TikTok pages of top Ukrainian influencers.

"@zaluznik" who has 2 million followers, posted one such montage on Sunday with the caption "Russians open your eyes!"

Russian influencers have also taken to the app to share their reaction. Niki Proshin, who has over 763,000 TikTok followers, said in a video on Thursday that "normal people" in Russia do not support the war.

"None of my friends and none of the people I personally talk to supported today's events," he said, referring to the invasion of Ukraine.

On Monday, Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor demanded the app stop including military-related content in recommended posts to minors, saying much of the content was anti-Russian in character. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Online misinformation researchers warned that false information about the conflict were now mixed in with authentic ones and has spread widely on TikTok and other tech platforms including Meta Platforms's Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Inc's YouTube.

Footage of military simulator video game Arma 3, images of explosions from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, old footage of heavy firing and animations of flying aircraft have been shared on social media sites as if they depict the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week.

"We continue to closely monitor the situation, with increased resources to respond to emerging trends and remove violative content, including harmful misinformation and promotion of violence," a TikTok spokesperson said, adding that it works with fact checking organizations.

Some Ukrainian TikTok users have made it a mission to share information and spread awareness with Western audiences.

"I want people to understand this is not a joke, this is a serious situation that Ukrainians face," Marta Vasyuta, 20, said in an interview on Monday.

One of Vasyuta's TikTok videos showed what appeared to be a missile in the sky with the caption "Kyiv 4:23 am." It had over 131,000 comments by Monday as users flooded the video to offer their prayers and express disbelief.

"Never thought I would get WAR updates on TIKTOK," commented one user.
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Blockchain is a decentralized ledger technology that secures the integrity of transactions through digital signatures and will be familiar to anyone who has investigated digital or "crypto" currencies. The technology has many more putative applications than crypto currencies, however, and has been discussed in the context of secure, digital voting and governance systems and corporate contracts. As with any technology, there are ways it might be abused for nefarious purposes, such as the spreading and implementation of malware.

Commonly, networks of interconnected computers, botnets, surreptitiously recruit thousands of computers often through phishing and malware attacks for the benefit of a central entity, the bot commander. The commander might then use the botnet to carry out distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) on other systems with malicious intent. A botnet might also be used to send spam, host criminal websites, and perform other activities, such as spreading yet more malware and implementing phishing attacks. The key point, however, is that security experts can often identify botnet activity through the internet addresses of the central command machine or simply the activity of the bots within the network.

A new study in the International Journal of Information and Computer Security, shows how blockchain technology and smart contracts might be exploited to create a distributed network of computers. Such a network, lacking a central server, could be used to build a botnet, a system for attacking and hacking other online resources for criminal gain or other malicious purposes.

The proof of principle offered by Omar Alibrahim of Kuwait University in Safat, Kuwait and Majid Malaika of omProtect LLC in Washington DC, U.S., should offer fair warning to those running potentially vulnerable computer systems to be on the alert from a new type of attack from bot contracts, "botracts." They point out that commands added into a blockchain-based smart contract cannot be removed nor modified, making a botract highly resilient to any attempt to disarm it by security experts.

The very nature of blockchain technology, being self-sustaining, distributed, and immutable is what makes it vulnerable to this newly demonstrated exploit. It is the design issues of the underlying technology for deploying smart contractsimplicit end-user trust, lack of code scrutiny, and absence of governancethat are its advantages in legitimate use that might now be exploited for criminal and malicious purposes with unqualified anonymity.

In the short-term, the blockchain community must quickly develop tactical defenses against botracts, now that they have been described, but without resorting to expensive operations. In the long-term, the community needs to undertake a fundamental rethink and redesign of the blockchain with security in mind.

Explore further Saving the IoT from botnets

More information: Omar Alibrahim et al, Botract: abusing smart contracts and blockchain for botnet command and control, International Journal of Information and Computer Security (2022). Omar Alibrahim et al, Botract: abusing smart contracts and blockchain for botnet command and control,(2022). DOI: 10.1504/IJICS.2022.121295
A Canadian man has been extradited to the US to face hacking charges.

A Canadian man has been extradited to the United States to face charges in connection with ransomware attacks that netted tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, the Justice Department said Thursday.

Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, 34, was extradited on Wednesday and is to appear before a federal court in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, the department said in a statement.

Vachon-Desjardins, of Gatineau, Quebec, was arrested in Canada in January 2021 and sentenced by a Canadian court to nearly seven years in prison for his role in so-called NetWalker ransomware attacks.

During a search of his home, officers seized 719 bitcoin currently valued at $28.15 million and $790,000 in Canadian currency, according to the Justice Department.

"The department will not cease to pursue and seize cryptocurrency ransoms, thereby thwarting the attempts of ransomware actors to evade law enforcement through the use of virtual currency," Assistant US Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr said.

Vachon-Desjardins is charged in the United States with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud, intentional damage to a protected computer and other offenses.

The Justice Department says NetWalker ransomware victims have included companies, municipalities, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, emergency services, school districts, colleges and universities.

"Attacks have specifically targeted the healthcare sector during the Covid-19 pandemic, taking advantage of the global crisis to extort victims," it said.

According to Canadian press reports, Vachon-Desjardins was previously convicted of drug trafficking in Canada.

His extradition comes days after a Ukrainian man was flown to the United States from Poland to face hacking charges.

Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 22, was arrested in Poland in October as part of a global operation against ransomware attacks.

Ransomware is an increasingly lucrative form of digital hostage-taking in which hackers encrypt victims' data and then demand money for restored access.

Explore further US charges 2 suspected major ransomware operators

 2022 AFP
Former Sen. David Perdue and his wife Bonnie didnt have to wait long in line Monday to cast their ballots for the May 24 primary, which will determine who will receive the Republican nomination for the race to serve as Georgias next governor.
Micaela Soto, right, a social studies teacher at Proviso East High School, holds a megaphone as American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, left, speaks in support of striking teachers in Proviso High School District 209 during a rally outside of Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park on March 9, 2022. Soto is a strike captain and a parent of a student in district 209. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Classes were canceled for a third day at Proviso High School District 209, where striking teachers were bolstered by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who joined forces with educators on the picket line Wednesday.

You can tell hes not listening, because youre out on strike, said Weingarten, referring to District 209 Superintendent James Henderson.

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Weingarten addressed the crowd while standing on a picnic table in a forest preserve across the road from Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park, which houses the districts headquarters. She questioned why district officials are unable to meet the teachers demands for better pay, despite the influx of federal pandemic relief funds, which in Illinois adds up to roughly $7 billion.

Cletis Seals, second from left, a music teacher at Proviso East High School, rallies with other striking teachers from Proviso High School District 209, across from Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park on March 9, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Its not as if America is used to dealing with a once-in-a-century pandemic, and all of the effects are showing up in your classrooms, your gymnasiums, cafeterias, and on the buses, Weingarten said.

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Hundreds of Proviso teachers gathered with supporters across from the districts headquarters, accompanied by a cacophony of drum beats and honking cars on nearby Roosevelt Road. Tara Stamps, an administrator with the Chicago Teachers Union, said she stopped by the event to show her solidarity.

CTU is dealing with different issues, but its all an attack on educators, Stamps said. For us, (Chicago Public Schools) broke the safety agreement, which is so disrespectful, and shows such a lack of honor.

In a Wednesday statement to parents and students, District 209 School Board President Rodney Alexander said that despite meeting with a federal mediator for more than six hours, officials did not reach an agreement with the union. He said classes will be canceled Thursday and Friday.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks in support of striking teachers in Proviso High School District 209 as they rally outside of Proviso Math and Science Academy. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Alexander said Weingartens appearance on behalf of teachers Wednesday may generate additional media coverage.

However, the truth is that its our parents and other local taxpayers, not the national union, who will have to shoulder the burden of these additional costs of the more than $1 million that separates the parties current salary proposals, he said.

The District remains committed to reaching agreement on a fiscally responsible multi-year contract that compensates our teachers fairly and competitively for their work, he said. However, we must operate within the financial means of the District as we strive to advance the best interests of all District 209 stakeholders, including our students, parents, and community.

Proviso East English teacher Brandon Kujawa said he would much rather have spent Wednesday with his students in the classroom than on the picket line, and said the strike has always been our last resort.

Striking teachers from Proviso High School District 209 rally across the street from Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park on March 9, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

For me, class size is the most important issue, as well as being able to attract and retain dedicated teachers, Kujawa said. What happens here is we get a lot of great teachers in the early years of their careers, but then they only stay two years before they move to another district that pays better.

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Earlier in the day, Weingarten joined teachers on the picket line at Patton Elementary School District 133 in Riverdale, where educators declared a strike earlier this week, following eight months of failed contract negotiations over compensation and benefits.

kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
The Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation hosted more than a dozen Belgian technology companies Wednesday as part of an international business mission.

Matt Prochaska, president and CEO of BVEDC, said its a trade mission with the concept of locating business opportunities in the Brazos Valley for Belgium companies to expand their operations.

Interests range from research and testing purposes, talent, supply chains and expansion of their customer base, Prochaska said. The BVEDC International Gateway program offers companies a soft landing as they get established to do business in Texas and the Brazos Valley, Prochaska said. Building relations through these business missions also provides Texas and Brazos Valley companies opportunities overseas in Belgium.

When you think about some of our strengths from engineering, defense, manufacturing, advance manufacturing, our bio space technology, all of that fits in really well with their partnership and our partnership with them, so we're continuing to see growth in that relationship, Prochaska said.

Prochaska said the interest from Belgian companies not only benefits the economy, but drives awareness to the international diversity of the community. International companies are seeing the benefits of doing business in Texas, a state that has one of the largest economies in the world that's ripe for growth, Prochaska said.

Not just any kind of growth, but the right kind of growth with higher-paying jobs, technological advancements and more opportunities generationally to have a higher quality of life for our residents here in the Brazos Valley, he said. That is really my end goal, to provide that job creation and opportunity for the next generation and the generation that follows.

Philippe Lachapelle, director of technical partnerships and networks of innovation at Walloon Export and Foreign Investment Agency (AWEX) started the international mission after a meeting at Texas A&M University. Since the first mission began in 2009 over 300 companies have come to the Brazos Valley, with some establishing local businesses, Lachapelle said.

Lachapelle called the business missions a win-win relationship with Belgium companies creating new jobs and opportunities in the region while benefiting from Texas A&Ms relationship with IPs and commercialization research to determine the marketability of their technologies.

Brazos Valley has been an extraordinary partner for us over the years and we cannot thank them enough. Not only the university, but the Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation, Lachapelle said.

Among those in attendance was Belgium software company Lisam Systems, which created its second branch in Bryan-College Station on a joint venture with Texas A&M in 2010. Lisam Systems develops software for chemical companies to produce safety documents and labels for the chemicals they put on the market. Texas A&M exited the company after five years, however helped it grow to five employees; today the company has 10 employees, Lisam Systems founder Michel Hemberg said.

We have a good turnover of about $4 million and we have 200 customers in the U.S. We have a big chemical company working for us and we are still willing to expand, so we are still investing on the U.S. market in order to find new plants and develop the company, Hemberg said.

Hemberg said he attended the event to share his expertise and experience working with Texas A&M and AWEX. As a growing company, Hemberg said it's important and mandatory to find a connection and a safe place to settle the business.

We had the chance that Andrew Nelson, who is now mayor of Bryan, was looking for a job at the time. He was someone getting expertise in software companies and he took the challenge of developing our business, Hemberg said. This is thanks to the connection that we got from Texas A&M University.

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WASHINGTON  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told organizers of the self-described Peoples Convoy that they speak for freedom and its time for elected officials to hear their stories.

Cruz and fellow Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin met Tuesday with a large group of truckers and their supporters who have driven across the country to protest the governments pandemic responses.

The group, largely inspired by the Canadian truckers and protesters who fought vaccine requirements and paralyzed key U.S.-Canadian border crossings, has circled the Washington, D.C-area Capital Beltway for days in what organizers insist is a peaceful, non-disruptive protest.

That convoy, to our neighbor up north, was powerful, and they spoke out for freedom. The Peoples Convoy continues that legacy, Cruz said to the organizers at the meeting on Capitol Hill. Your stories are powerful. And the politicians, the petty tyrants, they need to hear  and frankly, they need to leave you the hell alone.

Brian Brase, an organizer of the convoy, said at the meeting theyre going to keep looping the beltway until were heard.

Were gonna keep doing what were doing, until we start getting more meetings like we just had today, Brase said. Our demands, if you want to say, have been pretty clear: end the state of emergency, end the vaccine mandates, and lets start holding both our elected and unelected officials accountable for their actions that led to this.

Many of the organizers in the room voiced frustrations with workplace vaccination mandates and other measures intended to limit the spread of COVID-19, like mask mandates in schools. Many of these restrictions have since been lifted or eased.

President Joe Biden most recently extended the national state of emergency, first declared by former President Donald Trump in response to the pandemic in March 2020, on Feb. 18.

Brase estimates that the group, which initially set up camp this weekend at a speedway in Hagerstown, Md., includes about 1,000 to 2,000 vehicles in total, and said that when they occupy two lanes on the Capitol Beltway, the convoy is about 6 to 7 miles long. Some have made the drive all the way from Southern California, where the cross-country protest started.

Cruz frequently threw his support behind the organizers in his prepared remarks and in response to questions from reporters.

They want government to leave them the hell alone, Cruz said. They want the mandates and the emergency ended. Thats what theyre demanding, and the meetings are how they get them.

Cruz and Johnson said its time for Congress to act on the Peoples Convoys demands.

We should vote on it. We should end the emergency. We voted two weeks ago on ending the mandates. I had an amendment to end the vaccine mandates for kids, Cruz said, referring to a resolution he introduced in January to block a Washington, D.C., vaccine mandate in schools. We need to get that done because its the right thing to do.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has demanded he be involved in the hiring of next head of the Virginia Community College System, expressing concern over declining enrollment and jobs going unfilled.

The State Board for Community Colleges will name a new chancellor this summer, replacing Glenn DuBois, who in August announced his retirement. The search committee has begun to interview candidates. Youngkin says his office has been excluded from the hiring process.

In a letter dated Sunday and obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Youngkin asked for a briefing of the boards strategy, a discussion about the search, and a list of candidates and their qualifications.

I am writing to express my concerns about the search process and your unwillingness to collaborate with our administration on our priorities in workforce development, Youngkin wrote to Nathaniel Bishop, chair of the State Board for Community Colleges and the head of the search committee. Our exclusion from this process demonstrates misfeasance, and I would be derelict if I did not express that the next chancellor should be aligned with the governor on issues of workforce development, transparency and expanding educational opportunities.

In a statement, Bishop called the hiring process confidential but said the board shares Youngkins desire to hire a chancellor who collaborates with the administration.

In the past 10 years, enrollment at Virginias 23 community colleges has plunged 27%. The G3 program  Get a skill, get a job, get ahead  covers tuition in full for students in high-demand fields and is aimed at reversing that trend. G3 began in 2021.

At the same time, labor force participation in Virginia remains low. There are 300,000 unfilled jobs in the state, according to the governors office. Since the pandemic, the number of jobs has dropped by 200,000, putting Virginia 43rd for job recovery.

The next chancellor will need to lead VCCS to reverse these troubling indicators, Youngkin wrote. Unfortunately, to say I am concerned about the search process to date is an understatement.

The VCCS has chosen the candidates it will interview, according to its website. A selection will be announced this summer. A spokesperson for the VCCS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

DuBois, the current chancellor, has held the position for nearly 21 years. Upon announcing his retirement, he said the VCCS system was on the right track and in very good hands. The VCCS announced a strategic plan called Opportunity 2027, which is designed to increase equity and student success.

The next chancellor is expected to broaden educational opportunity through strong leadership, utilizing public policy and public and private investment, according to the systems website. A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-racism and a passion for serving first-generation, low-income and minority students are listed as minimum qualifications.

The states Department of Education has removed programs and policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion following Youngkins executive order that forbids the teaching of inherently divisive concepts.

The VCCS has hired Greenwood/Asher & Associates, an executive search firm, to assist in the search. The board appointed a 15-person search committee, which includes board members, community college presidents and others.

Youngkin said he isnt attempting to pick the next chancellor, but that the VCCS board has been unwilling to collaborate. The governor has the authority to nominate members of the board, as he does with the boards of all public colleges in the state. A spokesperson for Youngkin declined to comment.

Without more information, I can only assume this board is continuing down the same path in choosing a chancellor that has led to the current state of the system, Youngkin wrote.

Bishop, chair of the VCCS board, indicated that once the hiring process is narrowed down to three finalists, then the committee will consult the governor.

We look forward to meeting with the governor soon to discuss that process, the finalists and their qualifications, he said.

The board wants a chancellor who will collaborate with Youngkin to address issues of workforce training, program planning and transparency and expanding educational opportunities, he added.

Jeff Kraus, spokesperson for the VCCS, declined to say how many candidates were chosen for interviews. Asked if the board was still accepting applications, Kraus said he hadnt heard otherwise.
CHI Nebraska is bringing a new facility to Grand Island.

Grand Island City Council Tuesday approved the sale of 12.7 acres of city land to CHI Nebraska for $318,575, or roughly $25,000 per acre.

The land is located north of Capital Avenue, directly west of the former Veterans Home campus (now called Liberty Campus) in the newly created Lot 3 of the Veterans Legacy subdivision.

The subdivision was approved by the council earlier that evening.

City Council approved the sale with a 6-4 vote. Voting against were council members Bethany Guzinski, Michelle Fitzke, Justin Scott and Mike Paulick.

Don Mandel, CHI Health regional real estate director, detailed intentions for the property at Tuesdays meeting.

The plan for CHI Health would be to construct a clinic building at this site that would be of to-be-determined size, but an approximation would be in excess of 30,000 square feet that would provide health care services, primary care and other specialties, he said.

Groundwork could start this fall with a 12- to 16-month construction period to follow. Construction would cost roughly $15 million, Mendel estimated.

Mayor Roger Steele provided further background on the project.

When I was first approached about this, it was mentioned that CHI wanted to be close to a large population that may not have service, because thats part of your service, he said.

As part of the sale, CHI Nebraska has requested the city agree to impose restrictive covenants on the citys remaining property at the site for a 10-year period.

This prohibits the use of any land within 300 feet to be used for surgery centers, pharmacies, medical clinics, imaging centers or physical therapy clinics.

Essentially, what they are asking for is restrictive covenants that would prevent competition to be basically next door or within a blocks distance for a period of 10 years, City Administrator Jerry Janulewicz said.

Council members Chuck Haase and Fitzke expressed concerns over limiting access to the site if the intent is to develop a campus in the north part of the city.

The 12.7 acres and surrounding land owned by the city, roughly 100 acres, is under lease to a farmer who has for a number of years farmed this land, basically raising corn on the property, Janulewicz said.

The land is currently under a cash-rent basis, and the lease we have with the farmer provides that the city is able to withdraw any land leased to the farmer at any time for development purposes, he said.

The farmer will be reimbursed for the crops on the property and any prepaid rent.

If CHI is ready to start construction, this would require part of crop be destroyed. If so, the farmer will be compensated for the loss.

Before approving the sale, City Council also approved creation of a new plat for the Veterans Legacy south subdivision.

The plat concerns the 105 acres of city-owned land immediately west of Liberty Campus, which is set to be redeveloped by White Lotus Group of Omaha.

It consists of five lots, explained Regional Planner Chad Nabity.

With the new plat, Custer Avenue and Sheridan Avenue would be extended north, beyond Capital Avenue.

Council member Paulick expressed concerns about having to make a decision about first approving a new plat and then the sale of the land when council members only heard about the project three days prior, when they received their meeting information.

This is ludicrous. I have no idea if these are all spec lots, if were putting some kind of business in them. Nobodys told me. I cant vote for a pig-in-a-poke, sorry, he said.

Paulick suggested bringing it back before the council on March 22 to give everyone time to read over the information.

I think its probably going to be a really good thing, but Ive heard of some really good things up here in the last 10 years that didnt quite turn out to be really good, he said.

Council member Vaughn Minton disputed that they were being blindsided.

This isnt the first time weve had a request like this come to council and ask us to approve a preliminary final plat and not knowing exactly whats going to go on with that property, but we went ahead and done that, he said.

He added, The fact is, we need to approve this so we can move forward.

A motion to hold the topic until March 22 had a 5-5 vote, with Mayor Steele not voting, which caused the motion to fail.

I dont see any reason to delay this, Steele said. I dont think were hiding anything from everybody because everybodys had a chance to read the council packet, which includes the real estate purchase and sale agreement proposed between the city and CHI Nebraska.

A motion to approve the plat passed with an 8-2 vote, with Guzinski and Paulick voting against.

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Sunday Pathot, who was arrested in November 2020 after he threatened to kill police officers and mooned medical personnel at CHI Health St. Francis, has been placed on two years probation.

Hall County District Court Judge Ryan Carson sentenced Pathot on Feb. 18. He was found guilty of assault by threatening another in a menacing manner, third-degree assault and false reporting of a misdemeanor.

Carson placed Pathot on probation for two years probation for each offense to be served concurrently. That sentence will be consecutive to Pathots two-year probation sentence in another case.

In that case, Pathot was found guilty of an attempt of a Class IV felony on July 7, 2021. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail for the 2021 crime, and was given credit for 90 days already served.

The Grand Island man, now 25, was arrested Nov. 22, 2020. Grand Island Police initially contacted Pathot outside the Brickhouse Night Club at about 12:45 a.m. in reference to a disturbance. Police say he provided a false name and was detained after he aggressively approached multiple officers.

As he was placed into custody, Pathot would not listen to commands and needed to be placed in the back of a patrol vehicle, according to the GIPD media report issued the next day.

While he was being transported, Pathot threatened to kill officers if he was to see them without a badge, said the media report.

Because he was not cooperating with jail staff members, a medical clearance was needed. While at the hospital, he allegedly kicked an officer. Sunday was then restrained on the ground due to his actions, according to the GIPD media report. While doing this Sunday was able to pull down his pants, exposing his rear end.

In the 2020 case, Pathot initially was charged with a pair of Class III-A felonies  making terroristic threats and third-degree assault of an officer or health care professional. Those charges were amended to assault by threatening another in a menacing manner and third-degree assault, which are both Class I misdemeanors.

One charge against Pathot remained in effect  false reporting of a misdemeanor, which is a Class I misdemeanor.

Two charges against Pathot were dismissed  obstructing a peace officer and public indecency.

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Federal Grants

ED Invites Applications from States to Support Innovation in Assessment Systems

$17.7M To Be Awarded; Deadline To Apply is April 18

The U.S. Department of Education has opened the application period for its Competitive Grants for State Assessments program designed to improve assessment systems to better reflect the needs and experiences of our nations students and communities, according to the ED website.

The program will award up to $17.7 million in grants to four to six state educational agencies, with estimated awards of up to $3 million per grantee, the department said; the funds are to be used over a period of up to four years. Applicants should illustrate planned enhancements to assessment systems based on multiple measures, competency-based education, and improved reporting of assessment results to parents and educators, explained EDs Assessment Team Lead Donald Peasley in a recent blog post.

The Department of Education is proud that in just one year, we have returned to pre-pandemic levels of schools being open. We are seeing students every day interacting with their teachers, peers, and school staff, receiving the academic and mental health supports they need to recover, Peasley wrote. And while this pandemic has underscored just how important it is for our students to be receiving in-person instruction to ensure all students are receiving high-quality, equitable education, it also has made clearer the gaps in our education system  and presented an opportunity for us to recover stronger than we were before.

The State Assessments grant program is intended to help states quantify the pandemics impacts on students, identify learning gaps, and explore new ways to address those gaps. The program will also allow the department to identify, lift up, and help scale innovative approaches to assessments that advance teaching and learning that can better meet the needs of our evolving education system, EDs website says.

State educational agencies (or a consortium of state educational agencies) are eligibly to apply.

Applications must include proposals that advance one or both of the following goals:

Develop or implement assessment systems that use multiple measures of academic achievement Develop or implement comprehensive academic assessments that emphasize the mastery of standards and aligned competencies in a competency-based education model.

Eligible applicants awarded a grant under this program must propose activities that fit one or more of the following categories, according to the ED website:

Develop or improve assessments for English learners, including assessments of English language proficiency as required under ESEA section 1111(b)(2)(G) and academic assessments in languages other than English to meet the States obligations under ESEA section 1111(b)(2)(F).

Develop or improve models to measure and assess student progress or student growth on State assessments under ESEA section 1111(b)(2) and other assessments not required under ESEA section 1111(b)(2).

Develop or improve assessments for children with disabilities, including alternate assessments aligned to alternate academic achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities described in ESEA section 1111(b)(2)(D), and using the principles of universal design for learning.

Allow for collaboration with institutions of higher education, other research institutions, or other organizations to improve the quality, validity, and reliability of State academic assessments beyond the requirements for such assessments described in ESEA section 1111(b)(2).

Measure student academic achievement using multiple measures of student academic achievement from multiple sources.

Evaluate student academic achievement through the development of comprehensive academic assessment instruments (such as performance and technology-based academic assessments, computer adaptive assessments, projects, or extended performance task assessments) that emphasize the mastery of standards and aligned competencies in a competency-based education model.

The program also includes a competitive priority for improving how assessment results are reported to parents and educators, so members of school communities can better support how instruction is designed to meet the academic needs of children, Peasley said.

Applications are due on April 18, 2022; awards will be made by September 2022.

Officials from the ED Office of Elementary and Secondary Education have posted on the grant website a webinar presentation to assist applicants, and additional tips for building a successful application are available on the programs Resources page.

Learn more about the Competitive Grants for State Assessments program on the applicant information page.
Ukrainian immigrants to France in prayer at the Ukrainian

Cathedral in Paris last Sunday. Photo by

Peter Turnley, March 6th, 2022.



Our friend Peter Turnley crossed the border into Ukraine today.

If you're the praying kind, spare a thought for him. You can't tell Peter he's allowed to take it easier now. He's 66, but remains true to the life he chose as a kid, when he and his twin brother David were determined to become photojournalists. When COVID-19 slammed New York City, he wrestled with his fear, but then got right out into it. Now he's in Ukraine to help people tell their stories. Here's a small portfolio of Peter's photographs of Ukrainians in peaceful times. He's active on Facebook and Instagram, where you can follow his current work.

I'm off to work on the "Objects" portfolio. If I don't get it up tomorrow, I'll keep working on it till it's done.

Mike

UPDATE: I heard from Peter from inside Ukraine. He told me he's focusing on the extraordinary flow of refugees, calling the work Exodus from Ukraine. He said he's photographed refugees in many circumstances for forty years, but has never seen anything like what he's seeing nowbecause of its scale, for one thing, and because it has "a sort of World War II feel to it" because it's happening in Eastern Europe, but mainly because the exodus consists almost entirely of women and children. The men are staying behind to fight.

When you look at this, imagine yourself saying a temporary goodbye to your own children as you see them off on a train to an uncertain destinationknowing that there's a possibility you might never see them again.

Peter is a photojournalist, still, but something more. His activities seem more like a calling than a job at this point. Increasingly, over the years, his allegiance is to the people he photographs. They're all he spoke about when we talked. No one sent him to Ukraine, although he'll find places to publish the work. People in extremis do not want their suffering obscuredthey want, and need, witnesses. MJ

Book of Interest this Week

Gregory Crewdson: Alone Street. "Filmic" seems the best single adjective to describe Gregory Crewdson's work; his directed and carefully managed tableau are the still photography version of scenes in movies. As such they are hyper-real; more beautiful than life and more poetic, and more concerted. They're also very easy to enjoy and a pleasure to look at.

This book link is a portal to Amazon.

Today at B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

Kristine Hinrichs: "If that image doesnt melt your heart, nothing will. What a powerful image."

Kenneth Tanaka: "I am eager to see what Peter captures inside Ukraine.

Bad Weather Makes for Good Photography

"Youve certainly heard this old chestnut If youve been involved in photography for a long time. And its true. But a variant of that is also true: Bad Times Make for Good Photography. Right now were bathed in the humanitarian horror that a madman has unleashed on the world. It may be hard for any of us to get past the reflexive revulsion of the events for a while.

"But as a momentary relief try to abstract yourself from the reality and just look at the photography thats conveying the story to you each day. Right now coming from the top news sources and press agencies were seeing a daily flood of truly exceptional reportage imagery from the best-of-the-best. Of course familiar names Lynsey Addario and Tyler Hicks are appearing on many of the best image bylines. But there are a great many more unknown names appearing, too. This is a moment for the best photographers to make (or lose) their careers.

"That means its also a perfect learning moment for avocational photographers, young or old, to really see how the best snappers put a strong image together. Compare their images with yours. You may immediately notice that their goal tends not to be compositional rules (which were really created for additive arts such as painting and drawing anyway). Their primary goals can be called constitutional; putting the most meaningful stuff in a frame to make it congeal and cohere at-a-glance.

"You wont be a bad person for using this bad moment as a learning / self-improvement medium. And it might provide you with some needed psychic relief, too."

Bill Stothers: "MikeMost of what I've seen from Ukraine has been in color. Interesting to see Peter T.'s B&W work (and that of brother David T. who also has crossed the border). What do you think about B&W vs. color here? Lindsey Addario has been doing extraordinary work in the NYT. Do the Brothers T. compete with one another? Collaborate? They seem not to acknowledge one another on IG."

Mike replies: You can hear about their relationship from their own parents, no less, in the "60 Minutes" profile.

Jack MacDonough: "Peters words on Instagram are as powerful as his images. And his images are so poignant."
Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Cook County Jail on March 16, 2022, after he was ordered to be released pending appeal of his conviction and 150-day sentence. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Shortly after being ordered into custody to begin serving 150 days in jail on Thursday, actor Jussie Smollett finally started to speak.

He was innocent, he said. He was not suicidal. Then the former Empire actor stood up at the defense table and began talking directly to Judge James Linn, something hed declined to do during the hearing.

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I respect you, your honor, Smollett said, his voice rising as he gestured with his hands as though he wanted to say more. I respect your decision. Jail time? I am not suicidal. ... If anything happens to me in there I did not do it to myself!

[Read more] Kim Foxx says jail sentence for Jussie Smollett might feel like revenge as she stands by her offices early handling of case 

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Actor Jussie Smollett is led out of the courtroom after being sentenced to jail time on March 10, 2022, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

As Smolletts attorney tried in vain to get the judge to stay his decision, Smollett was slowly surrounded by sheriffs deputies before being led from the courtroom, pausing to pump his fist in the air as he disappeared from view into a rear lockup.

With that, Smolletts case, undoubtedly the most high-profile Class 4 felony to ever be tried in Chicago, came to a dramatic end.

In issuing his sentence at the conclusion of a marathon, five-hour hearing, Linn said Smolletts decision to orchestrate a hoax hate crime on himself on a frigid night in downtown Chicago three years ago read like a bad movie script, one where Smollett invented the plot, hired the actors, chose the time and location, provided props, and even rehearsed the racist and homophobic lines.

What bothered the judge the most, he said, was the motive. Smolletts crime wasnt one of passion or opportunity, but a deliberate attempt to concoct a story so shocking that it would give him the limelight he desperately wanted, according to Linn.

You wanted to make yourself more famous, Linn said. And for a while it worked. The lights were on you. You were actually throwing a national pity party for yourself.

The judge also ripped Smollett for doubling down on his lies at trial, when he took the witness stand in the capper of all cappers and lied to the jury for hours upon hours.

Judge James Linn reads his sentence for actor Jussie Smollett on March 10, 2022, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

In addition to the five months behind bars, which will be served in Cook County Jail, Linn sentenced Smollett to 30 months of probation and ordered him to pay $130,160 in restitution  less the $10,000 in bond forfeiture Smollett had previously agreed to  to the city to cover the more than 1,000 hours in police overtime it took to investigate Smolletts false hate crime report. He also ordered Smollett to pay the maximum fine of $25,000.

Linns decision to lock up Smollett came at the end of his lengthy oral ruling and seemed to shock Smolletts relatives in the courtroom gallery. Afterward, in the lobby of the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Smolletts sister and two brothers told reporters they still believed in his innocence.

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Smolletts younger brother, Jacqui, shouted that his brother is now going to jail for being attacked.

Do you know how crazy that is? he said. That judge chastised him! He chastised my brother! He does not deserve this. Hes in jail for five months. That is unacceptable. He is a survivor and he is being completely mistreated, and this has to stop.

Smolletts lead attorney, Nenye Uche, said the judges sentence was nasty and excessive and that they would appeal. He also said that, unlike his legal team, Smollett was prepared to be ordered into custody by the judge.

Jussie is very strong, hes holding up very well, Uche told the Tribune.

Smollett was found guilty by a jury in December on five of six counts of disorderly conduct alleging he falsely reported to police that he was a victim of a hate crime in 2019.

Smollett told the jury that he was attacked near his Streeterville condo at 2 a.m. on one of the coldest nights in years by two men who shouted racist and homophobic slurs, put a makeshift noose around his neck and poured bleach on him.

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That story unraveled, however, after two of Smolletts acquaintances, brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo, told investigators that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to carry out the fake attack, apparently because Smollett was upset that a threatening letter sent to the Empire studio had not been taken more seriously.

Linn said Thursday that he was aware the ensuing uproar, which cost Smollett his role on the show and his reputation, was in a way already a severe punishment.

Actor Jussie Smollett listens as his sentence is read at a hearing March 10, 2022, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Mr. Smollett, I know that there is nothing that I will do here that will come close to the damage that youve already done to your own life, Linn said. Youve turned your life upside down by your misconduct and your shenanigans.

But in the end, the judge said jail time was warranted because of the serious damage hed inflicted on the city as well as the true victims of hate crime.

While special prosecutor Dan Webb did not recommend a specific term behind bars, he said Smolletts serious criminal conduct surrounding the case coupled with his decision to take the witness stand and lie to a Cook County jury meant that prison time was warranted.

Mr. Smollett made the choice that he could deceive that jury, and he went on the stand and lied to them about so many different things, Webb said in his argument earlier Thursday. It was a ridiculous story.

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Webb also said that in the three years since the January 2019 attack, Smollett has never once apologized for the impact his crime had on the city or the victims of real hate crimes who have trouble getting police to believe them.

In an animated argument, Uche argued for leniency, saying that Smollett has suffered enough from the intense negative publicity and damage to his reputation for the past three years. He was shocked that Webb asked for incarceration, he said.

Special prosecutor Dan Webb during a sentencing hearing for actor Jussie Smollett on March 10, 2022, at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

The prosecutions proposed sentence is overkill, its all punitive, Uche said. And that is not justice, thats retribution.

Linn should adopt the $10,000 bond forfeiture from Smolletts previous case as his sentence in this case as well, indicating that anything else would be double jeopardy: You cant punish a person twice.

And given the COVID-19 pandemic, a jail sentence could be a death sentence, Uche said.

We send Mr. Smollett, he dies of COVID, and for what, a low-level Class 4 offense?

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The arguments came as Smollett returned to Cook County court Thursday for the first time since his media-firestorm trial and conviction last year.

His supporters sent a flood of letters to Linn applauding Smolletts character and seeking leniency. City officials had written they hope Smollett was required to pay the more than $130,000 in overtime costs police incurred while investigating the case.

Smolletts family members and supporters crowded into two rows in the gallery. The former Empire actor himself arrived in court about 1:15 p.m., and stood alone with his back to the courtroom while attorneys met in Linns chambers.

Prosecutors read portions of a letter from Chicago police Superintendent David Brown and an attorney from the citys Law Department, noting the tremendous chilling effect that false hate crime reports can have on real victims.

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The defense then presented several witnesses who spoke about Smolletts character. Sharon Gelman, who worked with Smollett at the nonprofit Artists for a New South Africa, described him as hardworking and enthusiastic about charitable work.

He was one of the rare people who had the gift of making hard work fun, she said.

Smolletts older brother, Joel, told the judge that while his brother may have been convicted of a low-level felony, to us this has felt like the reincarnation of Al Capones trial. He then turned to prosecutors and said his family didnt need to be lectured about race relations.

Joel Smollett said the gut-wrenching and stomach-turning punishment his brother has already received is enough. He told the judge Jussie has been in a pseudo-form of house arrest since 2019, in essence quarantine almost a year before the COVID pandemic even began.

Smolletts 92-year-old grandmother, Molly Smollett, took the stand and described Smollett as a justice warrior with a generous spirit.

The Jussie I know and love does not match up with the medias betrayal of him, she said, urging the reporters in the room to perform better investigative journalism.

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Jussie is loved and respected by all that know him, and I ask you, Judge not to send him to prison, she said. If you do, send me along with him, OK?

Smolletts attorneys then read into the record some of the letters written to Linn in support of Smollett, including some from luminaries such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Alfre Woodard, Samuel L. Jackson, and the head of the NAACP. All spoke highly of Smolletts character and called on Linn to avoid a prison sentence.

On the bench, Linn scowled and shook his head during the reading of some of the letters, at one point putting his head in his hand and frowning.

The hearing began with about an hour and a half of arguments on Smolletts request for a new trial, which Linn ultimately denied.

Weve talked about this for two years. I do believe that at the end of the day, Mr. Smollett received a fair trial, Linn said.

Defense attorney Tina Glandian had asked Linn to throw out the jurys verdict. Such arguments are common before sentencing, but are granted extremely rarely.

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Glandian accused prosecutors of leaning on multiple witnesses who may have been favorable to the defense. In particular, one witness testified he was pressured and threatened by prosecutors to say he may have been mistaken when he said he saw a white man in a ski mask running away at the time of the attack. That testimony would have corroborated Smolletts account that one of his assailants had light skin.

In addition, Smolletts second prosecution was fatally flawed, and should never have been brought in the first place, Glandian said. There were no valid legal grounds to appoint a special prosecutor in the Smollett case, she argued. And Smolletts first agreement with Cook County prosecutors  15 hours of community service and the forfeiture of his $10,000 bond  protects him from a second prosecution.

His due process rights have been violated as a result of the (second) indictment, because he was promised not to be hauled back into court and thats exactly what happened to him, Glandian said.

The defense attorneys also should have had a chance to question potential jurors, Glandian argued. That would have been a break from Linns usual trial practice, in which he is the only person asking questions, but Glandian argued that the overwhelming negative publicity brought Smollett into court with a presumption of guilt, and so attorneys should have been able to participate in the process more actively.

Linn broke in during her argument and asked if she was saying he should have asked jurors every single question the defense proposed.

You wanted me to ask the (potential jurors) what kind of animal would you like to be?  Linn said. Or, Superman or Batman, what do you prefer? You really think I was supposed to ask (that)?

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In response, attorney Sean Wieber, a member of special prosecutor Webbs team, said that none of the issues raised by the defense rose to the level of serious trial error, and some were head-scratching at best.

Wieber said in particular that Smolletts attorneys accusing prosecutors of improperly excluding Black jurors was just the latest in repeated attempts by the actor and his supporters to interject and weaponize race and sexual orientation into this case and is completely without merit.

Wieber said Smollett has tried to blame everyone for his conviction, including the police, the media, the judge, the entire Cook County justice system, political figures, witnesses at trial, COVID-19 and even the jury itself.

Page after page after page of finger-pointing that should be ignored, Wieber said.

In response to Smolletts comments about not being suicidal the Cook County sheriffs office said in a statement Thursday that he will be given a comprehensive medical, mental health, and security assessment and will be placed in appropriate housing.

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mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com

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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
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Like millions of Americans, my husband and I recently found ourselves sucked into a vortex of mullets and tiger cubs while trying to shake the COVID-19 blues.

Having been taken by the hit Netflix Joe Exotic limited series, I was amazed and amused to discover that Mr. Exotic had visited Southern Illinois over a decade ago  apparently not only once, but at least twice. Joe and his mullet, baby tigers and band of misfits traveled to the Marion mall in 2007 and 2009. Both times, it was around Christmas time, and what a sight it must have been, inside the now eerily deserted mall, to see Santa Claus and his tiny elves, and Joe Exotic and his big cats.

Joes visit to Marion was covered by The Southern Illinoisans Codell Rodriguez in 2007 and WSIL-TV 3s Christen Drew in 2009 (both of whom have since moved on to other jobs).

I reached out to Codell and Christen to get their impressions on meeting him in person. For those who havent seen the seven-part series, "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness" explores the world of private big cat ownership in the U.S., and in particular follows the collapse of a flamboyant zoo owner from Wynnewood, Oklahoma, Joe Maldonado-Passage  or Joe Exotic as he is known.

When I called Christen one day in early April, she was working at her husband Bryan Drews law firm. She said she needed to step out of the office so she could talk without disturbing the others in the office. Situated in her car, she asked me what my angle was. I didnt have one. I got nervous that she might think I was an idiot for not having thought this through beyond wanting to write something light-hearted.

So I told her the truth: I thought it was entertaining that Joe had been in Marion, and I wanted to know what it was like meeting him. And I needed a brief reprieve from the COVID-19 interviews that have dominated my days.

Im totally all about a distraction these days, she said. I think everybody is.

I explained to Christen that I had seen her husbands post on Facebook, in which he gushed about his wife and all her awesomeness, including that  much to his surprise  she had once interviewed this international star during her reporter days. She made a wincing sound. I think she was perhaps a wee bit embarrassed by the post, since this wasnt exactly her career-making story. He included several screen captures from the footage, including a young Christen interviewing a man with a monkey on his head.

Yeah, so thats funny, she said. I just find it funny that when I was a news person, I got to meet some pretty important people. But my claim to fame is a wacky zookeeper with a mullet. Just my luck, right?

We laughed. And seriously, this was the most fun Id had all week, so no judgment here. Christen had just started working at WSIL-TV 3 when she met Joe. She doesnt exactly remember how the assignment came to be. But she assumes she suggested it because she liked producing family-friendly feature stories that celebrated the community. Joes appearance was newsworthy because its not every day you find a tiger in Marion. She also figured it would make good TV.

And it did.

During the interview with Joe, he wanted to put on a show for the camera, she said. I remember that he held an unruly monkey on his shoulder. The monkey took off Joes hat and pulled his hair. And Joe used it as a teachable moment to tell the camera that these sorts of pets do not make good pets for the average family.

Christen said that she watched the series with her husband after realizing she had interviewed him. According to media reports, filming for the Netflix series didnt begin until some five years after her interview with him in Marion. So this was really early Joe  before he was known as Joe Exotic, and perhaps before he began to slide into his life-derailing obsession with Carole Baskin.

I will say Joe seemed sincere about wanting to care for his tigers and the other animals, she said. He made it very clear that his mission was to provide for these animals and encourage others not to adopt such dangerous pets. But somewhere between then and now, hes lost sight of that it seems like, after watching the documentary.

What do you think went wrong with Joe, I asked.

I have thought about this, she said. I have to admit. The show isnt suitable for children or the easily offended, but it was very thought-provoking, she continued. And I think there are some life lessons to be learned: In particular, hatred, anger and unforgiveness can cause someone to lose perspective of what their mission is, to lose sight of what you really set out to do.

And I believe unforgiveness totally ruined Joes life.

Thats a pretty powerful message. I was glad I called Christen, who, by the way, left reporting in 2012 to raise her children and is now working as a commercial developer specializing in remodeling historical buildings in Southern Illinois. And when theres a pandemic, she helps her lawyer husband answer the phones.

My husband and I started watching Tiger King several weeks ago on accident. We had both finished long days at work, much of it involving COVID-19. Neither of us wanted to rehash the day. After dinner, we slithered into the living room, feeling heavy. He plopped into his leather chair and I sank into the couch, glued to my phone, trying to make sense of the health and economic tragedies unfolding. He suggested I unhinge myself from the news.

I flipped on Netflix and went searching for something to watch. Sometimes we play Cheers in the interlude between dinner and bedtime  its easy to watch, and easy to turn off. But I was missing Mollys Pint and didnt want to touch that nerve. Thats how we discovered Joe Exotic.

Im sure many others have their own story about how they tripped into the twilight zone. For days, we clung to the drama of a gun-toting, sequin-wearing lion tamer now serving 22 years in federal prison for his involvement in a murder-for-hire plot and other wildlife violations. Meanwhile, COVID-19 ripped through the nation. But it brought us together. Every night after work, we met in the living room to watch an episode, and during the day, we sent each other links to Joes amazingly cheesy music videos.

After talking to Christen, I also checked in with my former colleague Codell that same night. He was my boss for several years, and remains a close friend. He couldnt connect until late in the evening because hes an enterprise editor at the El Paso Times. He had to edit a bunch of important copy before we could dive into a conversation about his Joe Exotic experience from 2007.

Codell said that, at the time, his office was stationed at the Marion mall. Some people might have forgotten, but for years, The Southern had a satellite office there. Thats where his desk was located when he was assigned to cover parts of Williamson County, namely Herrin and Johnston City. He also doesnt recall specifically how the assignment came about. Codell said he figures he offered to cover it because it was a story literally right outside his office door.

He also recalls that he didnt have a lot of time for this particular piece. Back then, Codell said Johnston City was embroiled in juicy, nonstop controversy, and thats where he was expending most of his reporting efforts. He does recall getting an odd feeling from the experience, especially after someone suggested he should actually get into a cage to pet a tiger cub.

I didnt know how bad the cub petting was back then, he said. I didnt really think about the negative effects of that, or how messed up it is.

I had no idea, either. The Netflix series dives into the grim underworld of private big cat owners who breed cubs to charge people to pet them, and then fail to take care of the animals once they are too old. Its shockingly grotesque, and frankly, not something Id given any thought to before tuning into the series.

He said that someone put the cub on his lap, and it felt sort of like holding a medium-size dog. It scratched him a little, tearing at his sweater and leaving a mark on his arm, and he decided that was enough.

I was just kind of weirded out about it at the time, he said. The novelty wore off super quick. I was like, OK, I held a tiger cub. Im good now. Codell said that after his feature story appeared, he did receive a call from PETA raising concerns about Joe. Codell said he recalls following up with Joe about some of their claims. And he said its been fascinating to watch the series and witness the depths of the dysfunction behind the man and his operation.

When I talked to Codell, he hadnt seen the entire Joe Exotic series yet. He was only on Episode 1, but had plans to watch it all. But with the first episode, Codell said he was struck right away by one critical detail.

Im pretty sure his mullet back then was way more intense. You watch the documentary ... and Ive just seen the first episode where he references his mullet. I could be wrong about this, but I was like, Dude, your mullet isnt even close to what it used to be.

This intrigued me, naturally. I asked him to describe how he remembered the mullet. Codell prefaced his response by saying that he cant be sure, but in his mind, Joes mullet really stood out in a crowd of mullets.

I remember it being sort of like business in the front and, like, party all the way down the back, he said.

Its funny the things that stick with us.

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CARBONDALE  The Carbondale Tool Library has joined forces with a new local project  The Library for Alternate Futures  to promote community resiliency and sustainability, according to Jessica Allee.

People are looking at the very local in the face of climate change and the possibility of environmental collapse, Allee said. There's a whole host of issues that come up with environmental problems. But theres also a bigger idea there in terms of trying to deal with environmental issues, which is, how do we relate to our neighbors? What kind of connections do we have within our communities, to enable a greater level of resiliency, so that we're not dependent on resources that come from great distances. Maybe we can actually resource more for ourselves from within our own community.

When Allee first arrived in Carbondale several years ago she struggled to find what she could bring to the community.

She was concerned with sustainability and activism and she knew she wanted to incorporate that into whatever she did.

Years later, Pheral Lamb and Benjamin Mendez also arrived in Carbondale with the hope of creating a space centered on self-sustainability much like Allee wanted.

Their similar goals and ideals led to two distinct projects coming together to help the community.

The Carbondale Tool Library

Allee moved to Carbondale in roughly 2010; however, the idea for the tool library came much later.

I come from some places that had like really robust cultural lives with all kinds of interesting things going on and lots of resources. I just thought that that was such a cool thing, Allee said. I felt like I had space to think about projects and ideas beyond the limits of what one might be able to do ... So yeah, I just started thinking about what can I bring? What can I bring to Carbondale? What can I offer?

After much debate, she settled on a tool library.

The Carbondale Tool Library opened in the spring of 2016 after Allee was introduced to Lavender Kieran, the two then spent countless hours researching, planning and acquiring tools.

Their goal was to bring accessible tools to all of Carbondale as well as to expand the average lifetime of tools that can be as low as 15 minutes of actual usage.

People who have tools, especially people who have nice tools, are more often than not associating with people in their same economic class, Allee said. They may be sharing with the people in that group, but people on a lower economic end of the spectrum, are not necessarily going to have access to neighbors and friends who have the kind of tools that they may need. This was sort of a way to level the playing field and just make these items available to anyone regardless of the limits of their economic situation.

The two traveled to other tool libraries across Illinois, did database research and scoured yard sales for tools.

Eventually, they gathered and cataloged over 800 tools  with the help of Thomas Finkenkeller  that could be rented for free by the public.

The tool library was originally located in Flyovers building where they built their own space out of scraps, Allee said.

However, they have since lost their location and have been unable to rent out tools to the public.

Now with the help of Lamb and Mendez, they may be able to start renting out tools again.

The Library for Alternative Futures

Lamb and Mendez arrived in Carbondale a few months ago with the hope of creating a meeting space with a library of books centered on self-sustainability and a home for other like-minded organizations.

Lamb and Mendez had been thinking on the idea of The Library for Alternate Futures since 2015.

Id been very conscious of ... not only dwindling resources, but failing systems, governmental and corporate systems that most people have relied on, and that have fulfilled their needs pretty imperfectly, Lamb said. Those systems are failing, through climate change, through overuse to underuse, for a whole lot of reasons, all kinds of systems are failing. In order to create true security, you need to have supply chains that are managed and that exist close to home and that are managed locally.

However, the two werent sure where it should be located.

Lamb didnt think it would really fit within a large city space, they said.

The two then settled on Carbondale as it was Mendezs home town and it had a plethora of environmental and economic potential, the pair said.

Things that maybe wouldn't get the same kind of attention to the same kind of resources in other places, you can give it a shot in Carbondale. The other thing is that Carbondale has always been a place where the future seems to have been freely reimagined. Going back to Bucky Fuller and even before Bucky Fuller with the development of SIU and how the development of SIU played in with the development of the Southern Illinois region in general. It seems to be a place of experimentation.

The two have since bought a house on Walnut Street, which is one of the oldest houses in Carbondale, to renovate and house their library.

Collaboration

When Lamb and Mendez got to Carbondale, they connected with The Carbondale Tool Library to offer them a home within their space to house and rent out their tools as their missions are both similar  community resiliency and sustainability.

First of all, they just want to be librarians. So anybody who wants to be a librarian is good by me, Allee said. Some of the things that are really important to them are simpatico with us. I'm really committed to the community and community resiliency. So that is like their main goal is building community resiliency, strengthening the economy at a local level. And just basically enabling people and enabling connections and communication.

While neither is currently open for business, the tool library hopes to be able to rent out tools again by the beginning of April, and The Library for Alternate Futures hopes to finish renovations of the Walnut Street location by the end of the year.

Mendez is most excited about the future of their partnership and being able to give back to his hometown.

It's very meaningful for me, Mendez said. Knowing the area in the way that I experienced it, I feel like having the Library for Alternative Futures in Carbondale is a good fit and could be mutually beneficial. Its important to be able to imagine the kind of future that you want to live in so that you know what you're working towards and to gather the resources and the materials to be able to get there. I think that with the climate crisis, as one overarching issue, it's kind of emblematic of a failure of certain people in power to consider the future generations beyond themselves.

The Carbondale Tool Library can be found on Facebook at @carbondaletoollibrary or at carbondaletoollibrary@gmail.com.

The Library for Alternate Futures can be contacted at benjamin.mendez@protonmail.com or pheral@protonmail.com.

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MURPHYSBORO  The tale begins like many urban legends  with a couple in a parked car at night in a dark park.

What disrupts the couples date is not a man with a hook for a hand. No, it's a creature many know but few have seen. Its big, muscular, covered in white hair and has piercing red eyes.

This is how Mike Noe, Brian Easton and Nathan Bonner begin their pulp comic Big Muddy Monster: A True Story of Murphysboro.

The comic book chronicles the real reports of Big Muddy Monster sightings in Murphysboro during the summer of 1973. These have been well-chronicled both in local papers  The Southern has had many entries on the monster over the years  as well as in bigger markets like The New York Times. But theres also a file on the City of Murphysboros website containing all the police reports from the time.

The writer basically is working directly from the police reports, Mike Noe, owner of Murphysboros Muddy Monster Comics, said.

Easton, the author, said he wants the book to be a just the facts, maam retelling.

Were trying to be as true as possible, Noe said.

Easton, who has published a series of monster novels called Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter'' said hes been a monster fan and a teller of tall tales since he can remember. But, this story isnt just a campfire tale to him.

I dont consider it a tall tale like Pecos Bill or Paul Bunyon. Its definitely a legendary thing at this point, Easton said.

In fact, being from Murphysboro, Easton is proud to tell his hometowns story this way.

I always felt a little bit of pride that I came from a town that had its own monster, he said.

Still, he said it has been challenging putting together a narrative for a creature who has no voice.

Campus Comics moves to Murphysboro under new name  Muddy Monster Comics Mike Noe, owner of the former Campus Comics, will bring his love of nerd culture to Murphysboro as he moves the longtime Carbondale staple to its new home.

One way they have done this is to have a central narrator. The face may be familiar to some  its Murphysboros mayor Will Stephens.

I appreciate the creators depicting me in the comic. In reviewing some of the draft pages, it seems I look better as a cartoon than I do on camera," Stephens said.

He said he looks forward to the legend of the Big Muddy Monster coming to a new generation.

Bonner, Noe and Easton all have an affinity for classic movie monsters of the Hollywood studio era  Frankenstein, Dracula and the like. But they also share a love of monster comics like Tales from the Crypt. All this went into their vision for their book. Noe described it as family-friendly-horror.

Noe said the book has 20 story pages in classic black and white with a color cover and several color gallery pages in the back that will feature other artists interpretations of the monster.

Bonner is the artist for the project. He said the sighting that most grabbed him was the scene at Riverside park with the couple in the parked car.

I think that kind of firmly was in my mind from the get-go, he said.

This is both the figurative and literal launching point for the book for Bonner. He said the opening pages are reminiscent of a Scooby-doo like opener  he said he can even hear the opening theme playing as he reads the panels.

Noe, Bonner and Easton said the Big Muddy Monster story belongs to Murphysboro and all thought it should be an even bigger part of the citys brand. Easton said there are people who dedicate all their spare time to visiting places known to have monster sightings. He said Murphysboro should be on their lists. So, Noe said a dollar for every issue sold will go to Murphysboros tourism commission.

The team said they hope to have the issue printed by 2021's Apple Festival in September. However, Noe said if this first run goes quick, they plan to reprint it and keep it in print to be sold at the shop and potentially other places in the area.

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Four members of the student Horticulture Club at Southern Illinois University Carbondale recently received a total of seven different awards during a competition with students from across the southern part of the country.

The students were honored at the Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science Association of Collegiate Branches Competition, held Feb. 12 in New Orleans. Alan Walters, professor and chair of SIUs horticulture program, and Lisa Doyle, horticulture instructor, accompanied the SIU team, which took home second place overall in the competition.

We should be proud of the accomplishments of our SIU horticulture team, as they garnered numerous awards during the competition, Doyle said.

Emma Lagerhausen, senior in crop, soil, and environmental management with a specialization in crop production, from Shumway, brought home first place in the coveted Club Share Presentation award, with a unanimous vote by all universities attending. She also was elected president of the association.

Jonathan Henson, senior in plant biology from Herrin, and Loren Koenigstein, senior in agribusiness economics from Columbia, tied for first place in the Greenhouse Foliage & Floral Crops Identification Contest. Henson also was elected treasurer of the association.

Gabrielle Spencer, senior in landscape horticulture, from Maroa, won second place in Vegetable Crops Judging.

The team also placed second in Greenhouse Foliage and Floral Crops Identification, and third in Woody Ornamental Identification.

These students are some of the best and brightest in the country and exemplify the spirit of SIU, Walters said. They represented our university very well and showed that we are a top U.S. institution for horticulture education.

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Aaron Hyche, who spent more than 45 years behind bars for the murder of Trooper Layton Davis, was released from Dixon Correctional Center on Friday, according to records from the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Former Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan departs from his lawyers' office, March 9, 2022, after making his first virtual court appearance for his indictment. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

In August 2018, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan asked then-Ald. Daniel Solis to help steer insurance business to Madigans son during a meeting about the aldermans potential appointment to a lucrative state board, the Tribune has confirmed.

Madigans pitch, which was secretly recorded by Solis, was detailed in the blockbuster 22-count racketeering indictment filed against Madigan last week. According to the document, after Madigan and Solis talked about Solis possible board appointment, Madigan asked the alderman to help a relative of Madigan and the relatives employer obtain business from Organization B, a Chicago-based community group.

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Sources have told the Tribune that the relative was Andrew Madigan, the ex-speakers only son, who is an executive for Alliant Mesirow Insurance. Organization B named in the indictment is The Resurrection Project, a Pilsen-based group thats received millions of dollars in state funds and political donations from Solis ward organization and other Chicago politicians over the years.

Neither Andrew Madigan nor The Resurrection Project has been accused of any wrongdoing.

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Then-House Speaker Michael Madigan, right, and his son, Andrew Madigan, tour the Science Academy of Chicago during its grand opening in Mt. Prospect March 8, 2013. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Raul Raymundo, the nonprofits chief executive officer, confirmed the FBI reached out to his group last fall.

The FBI contacted us about Alderman Solis and Andrew Madigan, Raymundo said in a statement. In response, we fully and truthfully cooperated with the FBI and will continue to do so. At no point were we pressured to do anything for anyone.

Without addressing specifics, Raymundo said The Resurrection Project retains brokers and vendors and always evaluates them for best practices, services and competitive pricing before they do any work for the organization.

Raymundo said he takes pride in being transparent but would have no further comment because this is an ongoing investigation.

Michael Madigan, who has denied wrongdoing, pleaded not guilty to the charges in the indictment during a brief hearing Wednesday.

His lawyers, Sheldon Zenner and Gil Soffer, were not immediately available for comment Thursday. Andrew Madigan did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office declined to comment.

Earlier this week, the Tribune requested state comptroller records involving The Resurrection Projects public funding. They showed the group received a $5 million grant that started July 1, 2019, the beginning of the first full budget year under Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

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The grant helped support Access to Justice, a statewide program designed to mitigate the consequences of deportation and family separation and expand community-led legal services, including for immigrants facing proceedings that could jeopardize their residence in Illinois and former inmates working to reintegrate their families.

The development of the Madigan-Solis meeting comes as several suburbs within Michael Madigans sphere of political influence have come under increasing federal scrutiny, including McCook, where longtime Mayor Jeffrey Tobolski pleaded guilty in 2020 to extorting a local restaurant and other fraud charges and is cooperating with federal authorities.

The FBI raided McCooks Village Hall in 2019 as part of that probe, as well as town centers in Lyons and Summit. Madigans son has sought insurance business with those towns.

This overlap of Andrew Madigans insurance business with the political world long dominated by his father has raised questions about the longtime speakers public and private interests.

The reference in the indictment to Andrew Madigans business, even though he was not specifically named, is one of at least two veiled references prosecutors made in the 106 pages that outlined the case against the ex-speaker.

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The Tribune previously reported the indictment also made a reference to $22,500, the exact amount of a 2017 consulting contract that an Illinois affiliate of AT&T disclosed to regulators. The AT&T affiliate is under federal scrutiny for potential criminal charges.

Madigans discussion with Solis allegedly unfolded Aug. 2, 2018, in a meeting where Solis, then the 25th Ward alderman, expressed interest in getting a state board post, which would pay more than $100,000 a year.

Former Ald. Daniel Solis, 25th, June 27, 2012, during a Chicago City Council meeting. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

That conversation apparently was a ruse, since Solis at the time of that conversation had been cooperating with federal investigators for more than a year after being caught in criminal wrongdoing stemming from his position on the City Councils Zoning Committee, court records show.

Then-Speaker Madigan, anticipating Pritzker would defeat Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, allegedly said he would help Solis land a job by going to the future governor.

Thats what I would do, Madigan allegedly explained, saying Solis would come in to the state position with the new governor.

Solis allegedly assured Madigan theres a lot of good stuff happening in my ward and that the alderman would help Madigan land business for his private property tax law firm.

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In return, Madigan allegedly assured Solis he would help get a state post: Just leave it in my hands.

According to the charges, Madigan then asked Solis to help his son get business from The Resurrection Project. There was no other mention of the exchange in the 106-page indictment.

Pritzker beat Rauner in November 2018 and took office in January 2019.

The Tribune first noted Andrew Madigans success in building the business within his fathers sphere of political influence in 2012, reporting his company had swiftly picked up business in more than a half-dozen suburbs, including three in which the speaker did favors for suburban mayors around the same time those suburbs hired the firm.

Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez benefited from Madigans political machine in the closing days of an election. McCooks Tobolski, who was mayor and a Cook County commissioner, got Madigans assurance that a legislative effort targeting dual officeholders was going nowhere. And Bridgeview Mayor Steven Landek was appointed to an open seat in the state Senate with Madigans help and is still in the upper chamber.

At the time, all three mayors said their connections to the speaker had nothing to do with their decision to hire the younger Madigans insurance firm. Tobolski now has resigned his public posts.

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One longtime broker in Chicago Heights had accused Gonzalez of giving business to a firm Andrew Madigan pushed as payback for Michael Madigans help in the city election. The mayor had said it was a false allegation from a bitter man.

Also at that time, the speakers spokesman, Steve Brown, said any attempt to connect Andrew Madigans business to the work of his father was kind of a stretch.

Brown was referring to a Tribune series about ties between Madigans government decisions and the impact on clients of his private property tax law firm, saying the speaker had called those reports garbage.

I talked to the speaker ... and he said to me, It looks like the garbage haulers are on a new route, and now theyre trying to dirty up my family,  Brown said. So thats really about all I would have to say about any of this.

Madigan was ousted in January 2021 when he could not garner enough votes to extend his nationwide record 36-year reign as speaker after he was implicated in the ComEd bribes-for-favors scandal.

rlong@chicagotribune.com

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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
CHICAGO  More than three years after Jussie Smollett told police he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack on a dark, cold Chicago street, all of the questions swirling around the actor  from whether he staged a fake attack to why he would do such a thing  now boil down to two: Will he admit he lied to police and will he be sent to prison?

On Thursday, three months after a jury found him guilty of lying to police, those questions will be answered when Smollett, a onetime star of the television show "Empire," returns for sentencing to the courtroom where he was found guilty of lying to police about an attack prosecutors contended he orchestrated himself.

Smollett was convicted of five of six felony counts of disorderly conduct  for lying to police. He was acquitted on a sixth count. He faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison per count.

Cook County Judge James Linn can order the maximum sentence, a much shorter sentence or put Smollett on probation, meaning he won't have to spend time behind bars. And he can order a fine and restitution  the amount of which could reach tens of thousands of dollars.

Defendants convicted of lying to police, one of the least serious felonies in Illinois, rarely go to prison. But this is a rare case.

Prosecutors showed Smollett, who is Black and gay, went to extraordinary lengths in January 2019 to stage a hate crime. He hired and paid two brothers to carry out the attack, prosecutors said, told them what racist and homophobic slurs to shout, and to yell that Smollett was in "MAGA Country," a reference to the campaign slogan of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

The brothers testified that Smollett gave them money to buy the rope they were to fashion into a noose around his neck and the ski masks to hide their faces. He then pointed them to where he wanted the scene to play out in the hopes it would be captured by a surveillance camera.

In doing so, he sparked already raw emotions over issues such as race and sexual identity in the country, and triggered a massive investigation in a city involving dozens of officers in what Smollett has maintained was a very real attack by two men he did not recognize.

During the hearing, prosecutors and Smollett's attorneys will get a chance to present witnesses and allow Smollett to make a statement. And unlike the trial, Linn has agreed to let photographers and a television camera inside court for the hearing  meaning the public will for the first time get to see and hear Smollett speak in court.

A key question is whether Special Prosecutor Dan Webb will ask Linn to sentence Smollett to jail or prison. Webb, in an interview with The Associated Press, would not say.

"I think this will probably be a point that I make in sentencing," Webb said, "that not only did Mr. Smollett lie to the police and wreak havoc here in the city for weeks on end for no reason whatsoever, but then he compounded the problem by lying under oath."

To drive home that point, some legal experts say they expect Webb to call law enforcement officials to testify.

"Somebody from the CPD (Chicago Police Department) can testify how this crime directly impacted the police department, diverted resources away from actual crimes and the cost the city incurred," said Joe McMahon, who as a special prosecutor won a murder conviction for Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke in the 2014 fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald.

McMahon and others also said Webb might call witnesses to testify about the impact that Smollett's scheme may have had on legitimate victims of racist and homophobic attacks.

"They could say that his (Smollett's) false report made it less likely that real victims will come forward and will continue to suffer in silence," McMahon said.

Experts say it is almost certain that Smollett will speak. He could cover the same ground as he did during the trial in which he testified about his extensive involvement in charity organizations, including a group that fights AIDS in the Black community. He might again speak of how he's already been punished, that his career has been devastated.

And Smollett, who made daily appearances outside the courtroom of supporters who vouched for his character, has already received the support of dozens of people, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the president of the NAACP. Reminding the judge of the actor's extensive volunteer work and donations to charitable causes, the supporters have sent letters to Linn asking for leniency: probation or community service instead of a prison sentence.

Smollett could admit he staged the attack and then lied repeatedly about it  including on the witness stand under oath. But his lead attorney, Nenye Uche, proclaimed his client innocent after the trial and vowed an appeal, and has said nothing since to suggest he will reverse course.

In fact, Uche plans to present a motion to dismiss the conviction, but judges rarely grant such motions.

What all of it will add up to is unknown. But several experts say they don't think the judge will impose the maximum sentence or that Smollett will see the inside of a prison. But, they say, there is a good chance he lands in county jail for several months.

"What he did was bad and lying about it was bad," said Terry Ekl, a prominent Chicago-area defense attorney who is not involved with the case. "And the fact that you are dividing a community along racial and political lines that is already deeply divided, I think that moves this case out of the probation category."

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CHICAGO - A little over a year ago, Michael Madigan was still clinging to his spot at the apex of the Illinois political power structure, the longest-serving House leader in the nations history, head of the Illinois Democratic Party, and controller of all the spoils that went with it.

On Wednesday, Madigan was in a decidedly different position: Criminal defendant entering a plea of not guilty in a federal racketeering case.

A week after he was charged in a bombshell corruption indictment, Madigan, 79, of Chicagos Southwest Side, was arraigned in a telephone hearing in U.S. District Court on allegations he ran his elected office and political operation as a criminal enterprise that provided personal financial rewards for him and his associates.

He entered the plea though an attorney, Gil Soffer.

Also appearing at the arraignment was Madigans longtime confidant, Michael McClain, 74, of downstate Quincy, who was charged with four counts in the 22-count indictment.

Though most arraignments and other routine hearings have been held remotely during the pandemic, prosecutors had asked that Madigan and McClain be required to appear in person  a request that U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole denied.

The hearing is expected to be perfunctory, with both Madigan and McClain pleading not guilty before being released on previously arranged bond conditions.

But the entering of a formal plea starts starts the legal clock ticking toward a potential trial. It could also mark the only time in the foreseeable future when Madigan will be required to participate in a hearing in the case at all, since most judges have waived defendants appearances in non-violent criminal cases, particularly during the pandemic.

The 22-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury last week comes after a yearslong federal investigation and alleges Madigan participated in an array of bribery and extortion schemes from 2011 to 2019 aimed at using the power of his office for personal gain.

The long-awaited charges punctuated a stunning downfall for Madigan, the longest serving leader of any legislative chamber in the nation who held an ironclad grip on the state legislature as well as the Democratic party and its political spoils. He was dethroned as speaker in early 2021 as the investigation swirled around him, and soon after resigned the House seat hed held since 1971.

Both Madigan and his attorneys denied the allegations in written statements after the charges were filed, and said they intended to fight them in court.

McClain, a former state legislator and lobbyist, is also facing separate charges alleging he orchestrated an alleged bribery scheme by Commonwealth Edison.

That same alleged scheme forms the backbone of the indictment against Madigan, outlining a plan by the utility giant to pay thousands of dollars to lobbyists favored by Madigan in order to win his influence over legislation the company wanted passed in Springfield.

The indictment also accused Madigan of illegally soliciting business for his private property tax law firm during discussions to turn a state-owned parcel of land in Chinatown into a commercial development.

Though the land deal never was consummated, its been a source of continued interest for federal investigators, who in 2020 subpoenaed Madigans office for records and communications hed had with key players.

Then-Ald. Daniel Solis, who was secretly cooperating with the investigation, recorded numerous conversations with Madigan as part of the Chinatown land probe, including one where the speaker told Solis he was looking for a colleague to sponsor a House bill approving the land sale.

I have to find out about who would be the proponent in the House, Madigan allegedly told Solis in the March 2018 conversation. We gotta find the appropriate person for that. I have to think it through.

The indictment also alleged that Madigan met with then Gov-elect J.B. Pritzker in December 2018 in part to discuss a lucrative state board position for Solis, ostensibly as a reward for helping Madigan win law business.

Before that meeting, Solis allegedly recorded Madigan telling him the speakers communication with Pritzker did not need to be in writing, according to the indictment. I can just verbally tell him, Madigan allegedly said.

His office issued a statement last week saying Pritzker does not recall Madigan ever asking him to consider Solis for any position and that the administration has no record of the alleged recommendation.

A spokesperson for Pritzker also revealed the governor was informed by federal law enforcement that he was only a witness in the investigation, and that he agreed to a voluntary interview in his home in late February.

Pritzker spoke to investigators for about an hour about his experiences with and knowledge of Mike Madigan and that he was pleased to cooperate and provide information.

Michael Madigan, ComEd and corruption: Timeline of how the investigation unfolded 

In addition to the criminal charges, the indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation against both Madigan and McClain seeking $2.8 million in alleged ill-gotten gains.

In his written statement Wednesday, Madigan said he never engaged in any criminal activity and that prosecutors were attempting to criminalize legal political actions such as job recommendations.

That is not illegal, and these other charges are equally unfounded, the statement read. Throughout my 50 years as a public servant, I worked to address the needs of my constituents, always keeping in mind the high standards required and the trust the public placed in me. I adamantly deny these accusations and look back proudly on my time as an elected official, serving the people of Illinois.

His criminal defense lawyers, Sheldon Zenner and Soffer, said in their own statement the charges were baseless overreach by prosecutors and that the evidence would prove so in court.

McClains attorney, Patrick Cotter, said in a statement that the government for years has been trying to force him to cooperate in its quest against Madigan and that the latest charges are nothing more than a continued attempt to pressure him to do prosecutors bidding.

He remains innocent of the recycled and new charges in this latest indictment, Cotter said. He will never testify falsely about himself or anyone, no matter how many indictments are brought against him. We will fight to prove his innocence.

A major focus of the indictment is what prosecutors call the Madigan Enterprise, an ongoing arrangement with Madigan, McClain, the speakers 13th Ward Democratic organization, Madigans chairmanship of the state Democratic Party and his property tax appeals firm, Madigan and Getzendanner.

The purpose of the enterprise was to exercise, preserve and enhance Madigans political power and financial well-being, reward his political allies and workers financially for their loyalty and to generate income for members and associates through illegal activities.

The indictment alleges the illegal acts ranged from Madigan using his vast power as speaker, including his ability to virtually pass or block legislation, to reward friends and political allies.

The indictment was the culmination of a long-running federal probe of Madigan that broke wide open in summer 2020, when prosecutors identified him as Public Official A in bribery charges against ComEd.

Four people, including McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former lobbyist John Hooker, and Jay Doherty, a consultant and longtime leader of the City Club of Chicago, were charged that November with bribery conspiracy and are awaiting trial. A fifth, former ComEd Vice President Fidel Marquez, has pleaded guilty to his role and is cooperating with investigators.

In May 2021, chief of staff Timothy Mapes, another key member of his inner circle, was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury about Madigans relationship with McClain as well as other matters involving the ComEd scheme.

The probe came on the heels of another bombshell case  the racketeering indictment against Chicago Ald. Edward Burke, who like Madigan represented one of the last vestiges of Chicago machine politics.

Burke has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

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SPRINGFIELD  Wives of fallen police officers gathered at the Illinois State Capitol on Wednesday to advocate for increased police funding and crackdowns on crime.

The group asked lawmakers to pass Senate Bills 4152-4158, some of which would increase criminal penalties for certain crimes. Senate Bill 4155 would create the "Fund the Police Act" and increase funding to police departments.

All seven bills were read once and referred to the Senate Assignments Committee, where theyve remained since. The bills are unlikely to be revived after failing to pass the Senate before the chambers Feb. 25 third reading deadline, but Amber Oberheim said she wont stop until action is taken.

Enough is enough, said Oberheim, the widow of Champaign police officer Chris Oberheim.

We urged you to do something to ensure the safety of the residents of Illinois who elected you to make those important decisions, she said, directing her comments at senators who have failed to support the legislation. You did not. We are here again today to hold you accountable.

Chris Oberheim, a Decatur native, was fatally shot May 19 after responding to a domestic disturbance at a Champaign apartment complex.

Amber Oberheim was joined by three of her four daughters. Also in attendance were Lyn Stua, wife of Bradley Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic; Linsey Timmins, wife of Pontoon Beach Police Officer Tyler Timmins; and Dee Landers, wife of University of Illinois Lt. Aaron Landers, and their friends and family.

Timmins grew emotional as she listed the names of the nine Illinois officers killed in the line of duty in 2021.

These men and women gave the ultimate sacrifice, and they deserved more, Timmins said. They deserved to have had a community behind them. They deserved to have had the support of our elected officials, and they deserved to have been protected the way that they protected us.

After speaking to members of the media, all four women and their family members traveled to the governors office to hand-deliver letters sharing their stories and asking for change.

They were accompanied by state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, who filed and sponsored all seven bills.

Do not let the citizens of Illinois down again, Oberheim urged lawmakers. Our officers lives mattered, and we will make sure their lives continue to matter by advocating for their brothers and sisters in uniform.

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The UFO Welcome Center is designed to be a welcoming haven for aliens should they ever decide to visit Bowman.

But the landmark is sending another message across the globe to the countries of Russia and Ukraine.

UFO Welcome Center owner Jody Pendarvis erected a makeshift missile made of scrap metal in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Painted on the missile are the words To Puttin, a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I put it up after I looked at the news and, you know, I spelled his name wrong, Pendarvis said. I could have sworn it was two Ts.

Another sign on the property reads, Ukraine should surrender. We will not come.

Pendarvis fears that if the U.S. does step in to help Ukraine, it will turn into World War III. He also worries about the Ukrainian people if the war continues.

He does not understand why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is holding out.

He is putting all his citizens in jeopardy, plus all the buildings, Pendarvis said. They ought to surrender because we are not going in.

Somebody needs to do something  yesterday, he said.

The UFO Welcome Center is a 16-foot-tall, 46-foot-wide, saucer-shaped object made of wood and other objects.

Its fame has spread over the world, with news of the welcome center reaching viewers from as far away as Japan, which is on planet Earth.

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Bamberg County has received an unmodified opinion on its audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.

Gary Bailey and Will Walls of Laurens-based accounting firm Love Bailey & Associates CPAs gave Bamberg County Council an overview of the audit during a Monday meeting.

You had a couple of findings but that didnt deter an unmodified opinion, which means the countys in good shape as far as your processes and controls, and the numbers are materially correct, Bailey said.

Two significant deficiencies were found. Both dealt with the untimely reconciliation of funds collected in the magistrates and clerk of courts offices.

The county responded that county finance staff prepared an annual summary of activity for each of the magistrates accounts and also reconciled the bank statements at the end of the year.

The chief magistrate has also worked to clear some of the overages, with the county continuing to work with them to resolve the issue.

Bamberg County gets $1.5M grant; money to help pay for work at ex-hospital The S.C. Department of Commerce has given Bamberg County a $1.5 million grant. The grant will help the county transform the defunct hospital i

As for the clerk of courts office, the county responded that it believes overages and/or shortages have been eliminated with actions taken during the last fiscal year and that from January 2021 onward, the newly elected clerk of court has reconciled accounts on a monthly basis, with county finance staff providing assistance as needed.

The audits financial highlights include the county having a total positive net position of $13,171,498, increasing $2,679,811 over the previous year.

The countys total assets came in at $34,184,010, with total liabilities standing at $23,448,255.

The general fund reported a fund balance of $5,056,692, an increase from the 2020 fiscal year of $1,774,960.

Also, the countys governmental fund balance sheet reported a combined ending fund balance of $15,458,235, an increase of $3,009,344 from the previous fiscal year.

County Controller Gina Smith highlighted bright spots in the audit during a separate presentation, stating that the county demonstrated good fiscal stewardship.

Smith noted in her general fund review that actual revenues totaled $9,609,842, with actual expenditures coming in at $7,768,512.

It is important to continue to remember that all of this was accomplished in the second year of the pandemic . Smith said, with the county adding $1,436,113 in capital assets during the 2021 fiscal year.

In other matters:

 Council approved a proclamation designating Voorhees College as a county ambassador.

Voorhees President Dr. Ronnie Hopkins told council, "We just want to thank you for acknowledging us as ambassadors to Bamberg County. I want to assure you that we will truly serve as ambassadors and be partners.

The college will officially become a university on April 7, with Hopkins to be inaugurated as the institutions 10th president on April 8.

He outlined some initiatives the institution is working on.

The former Denmark-Olar Elementary School is now the property of Voorhees, and we intend to use that property to share with the community in Denmark and certainly with the county, he said.

Were just delighted that we fully have launched our first graduate program for the institution, the president said.

Also, 300 acres of land surrounding the institution are being cultivated.

Were doing timber harvest because were going to start solar panels, and  some organic farms. We really do have a vision for moving Voorhees to the next level of excellence, Hopkins said.

 Council approved a proclamation designating Denmark Technical College, which is celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, as a county ambassador.

 County Treasurer Alice Johnson gave the January financial report, stating the county had $2,828,232.66 in income and expenditures of $878,223.06, leaving a positive balance of $1,950,009.64. When the negative bank balance at the end of December ($434,779.55) was added, the countys regular account stood at a positive $1,515,230.09.

 County Finance Director T.M. Thomas reported that the countys general fund had year-to-date revenues as of the end of January of $6,019,576, with expenses coming in at $4,537,818, for a positive general fund balance of $1,481,758.

 County Administrator Joey Preston reported 66 percent of county residents have had at least one vaccination, up from 61.6 percent in February, while 56 percent have completed the vaccination series, up from 54 percent.

Children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Booster shots are also permitted and recommended for those 12 and older, Preston said.

He reported individuals interested in attending the dedication of Tobul Field from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 22 at the Bamberg County Airport can register at https://bambergair.com/.

Preston also reported that the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff is conducting a broadband internet survey to gather information from citizens on their desire to obtain residential high-speed broadband. He encouraged every county citizen to fill out the survey, which can be found online at https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/a79de0eacc1f48098d03f1a33a707670.

Even if you live in the city and you're not satisfied with it (broadband service), please complete this survey. Were going to be looking for all types of ways to get this out into the public, he said.

Preston updated council on Palmetto Rural Telephones two phases of work installing broadband service in the lower part of the county. Phase one installation is scheduled to run from March 14 through April 29, with phase two installation projected to run from December through April 2023. Individuals can see which communities are included in each phase on the county website.

The administrator also announced the county received $12,645 in Palmetto Pride grant funds, with several community litter cleanups coming up in the future.

The groundbreaking for a new fire station in Denmark is also being planned to occur within the next 60 days, Preston said.

Weve been able to secure the property, weve done some clearing and were working on the layout, Preston said.

He said road improvements to Lazy Lane and Salty Road are scheduled to begin in September, one of several road projects approved by the county C-Fund Committee.

 Council approved a resolution giving county administration the authority to apply for U.S. Department Agriculture Rural Development broadband grants. No matching funds are required.

 Council approved the appointment of Margaret B. Meyer to the County Office on Aging Board.

 County Sheriff Kenneth Bamberg told council he appreciates the county for allowing him to serve. He also expressed his appreciation for the staff of the sheriffs office and all other departments from across the county who help move the county forward.

When we work together, we can accomplish more with the limited resources that we have," he said.

 Council heard comments from county residents Sue Clayton and Miriam Beard.

Id like to see you budget conservatively every year so that we can keep our taxes down to the bare minimum, which I know is still going to be outrageous. And if you do have excess, we can put that on reducing debt, Clayton said.

I encourage all of you to work harder. Yall are more engaged in this meeting than Ive seen you in the past. Please get engaged. We want transparency, we want accountability and if you dont give it to us, were going to find somebody that can, she said.

Beard said the county should consider more creative ways to bring funds into the county.

It would behoove us to be a little more innovative in bringing funds into this county instead of waiting on  the property taxes at the end of the year and then experiencing deficiencies throughout the rest of the year, she said

Beard continued, I am so tired of seeing this county held back by those who wish to stay in the past using the same methods, outmoded, outdated, that are not bringing the cash flow efficiently into this county. You need it. You need it because of the high taxes.

Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD

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Brandon Bovain, his girlfriend and one of his brothers left Orangeburg to attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans on Feb. 25.

Brandon, a 33-year-old father, didnt make it home alive.

His brothers are hoping someone will be able to give New Orleans investigators the clues they need to apprehend the person responsible for killing Brandon.

He was just an all-around good person. He looked out for people and if he had it, he was willing to give, James Bovain said of his slain brother.

Dwelling in the sadness isnt going to change anything, he said. We hope for a speedy capture of those who are responsible.

Who do we blame for Brandons death? Bovain asked.

Brandon, his girlfriend and his brother Keath Brown decided at the last minute to leave for New Orleans to attend Mardi Gras for the first time, Bovain said.

The trio arrived at a motel and began the check-in process.

Bovain said the girlfriend thought shed left her phone in the car, so Brandon went to get it for her.

Brown heard a gunshot and went to check on his brother, Bovain said.

The drivers door was open and Brown saw his brother slumped over.

Brown called 911 at 9:10 p.m., according to a New Orleans Police Department incident report, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

As officers arrived, Brown waved them over to his brother.

He used a white towel to stop the bleeding from his brothers head, the incident report states.

Officers found Brandon unresponsive and notified EMS.

EMS arrived, removed Brandon from the Versa and began chest compressions as they rushed him to the University Medical Center of New Orleans.

A doctor declared him dead at 9:36 p.m.

Bovain said the three had planned to return to Orangeburg the next day.

A week after Brandon Bovains shooting death, his family held a balloon-release event in an Orangeburg park to honor his memory.

The day after that, the family gathered again for his memorial service at J.P. Holley Funeral Home in Columbia.

Bovain said Brandon loved his family, especially his 3-year-old son, Brycen.

Brycen doesnt fully understand why hes no longer able to speak to his daddy, Bovain said.

Bovain also said Brandon loved fashion and keeping up with the latest shoe trends.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on March 4 that investigators are looking for a newer-model white SUV, possibly a Chevrolet Equinox, that fled the scene following the shooting.

Homicide detective Christopher Puccio is in charge of the investigation and may be called at 504-658-5300. Anyone with information about Brandons death may also call Crimestoppers anonymously at 504-822-1111 or 877-903-7867.

Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD

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One person died Wednesday afternoon when a truck ran into a car near the same location where two people died last month.

The crash occurred at 3:56 p.m. as a 2006 Chevrolet Colorado was traveling south in an attempt to elude law enforcement, according to S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Tyler Tidwell.

The truck collided with a 2020 Toyota Camry that was traveling south on U.S. Highway 21 bypass near S.C. Highway 33.

The trucks driver died in the crash. The drivers name has not yet been released by the Orangeburg County Coroners Office.

The trucks passenger was taken the Regional Medical Center with minor injuries.

The Camrys driver was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The S.C. Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash.

Tidwell referred questions about the events before the crash to the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. No information was available Wednesday evening.

On Feb. 25, a South Carolina State University student and a graduate died in a collision near the location of Wednesdays crash.

The crash claimed the lives of Zeleria Simpson of Charleston and Shemyia T. Riley of Greenville. Three additional students were hospitalized with injuries, according to the university.

The S.C. Highway Patrol alleges that crash occurred after a trooper noticed a 2015 Hyundai Sonata traveling at a high rate of speed on U.S Highway 21 bypass in Orangeburg.

The trooper attempted a traffic stop for that offense. When the driver failed to stop for blue lights after making several turns in an attempt to elude law enforcement, the driver of that 2015 Hyundai Sonata collided with a 2009 Mercury Milan at the intersection of S.C. Highway 33 and S.C. Highway 178, S.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. Sonny Collins claimed.

Fuquan Mekhi C. Hills, 23, of Greenville is charged with two counts each of failure to stop for blue lights resulting in death and felony DUI resulting in death and one count each of failure to stop for blue lights resulting in great bodily injury, felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, unlawful possession of a firearm and open container of alcohol in the February crash.

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The South Carolina Department of Childrens Advocacys Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program will host an online volunteer training beginning March 31, 2022.

The program is being offered at no cost. During this period of uncertainty, we all are finding ourselves adjusting to a new normal. The sad reality is that while so much has been halted amid the pandemic, COVID-19 cannot stop child abuse and neglect. Children need us now more than ever.

Bamberg/Barnwell County residents who are concerned about child abuse and neglect victims can get involved now. If you are over 21 and can give four to five hours a month of your time for a child, you can change a childs life. Those interested in participating in this training are encouraged to submit a completed application by March 21. Visit http://gal.sc.gov for more information and to download an application.

The Guardian ad Litem program was founded in 1984 and holds free training courses throughout the state at various times during the year to teach community volunteers how to advocate as Guardians ad Litem for abused and neglected children who have or are involved in family court legal proceedings through the Department of Social Services. GAL volunteers get to know the child, and everyone involved in the childs life, including family, teachers, doctors, social workers and others. They gather information about the child and what the child needs. Their recommendations to the court help the judge make an informed decision about a childs future. GAL volunteers provide a stable presence in a childs life, remaining on each case until the child is placed in a safe, permanent home.

The GAL Program is a division of the South Carolina Department of Childrens Advocacy. DCA is an independent state agency led by Director and State Child Advocate Amanda Whittle.

Contact Lindsey Loparo at the Lexington County Office at 803-206-0640 to learn more about this volunteer and training opportunity.

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Having spent most of my life in and around rural communities, I know firsthand the challenges of growing rural. My parents, who were both educators, left their schools every day to come home and tend to our small family farm, because they loved the land; and they understood the importance of planting and watering the land to ensure it produced good crops.

Because of these early experiences and parents who modeled the call to service, I never forgot my rural roots and dedicated my lifes work to improving rural communities by using whatever platform I had to elevate the voices of all who call rural home. In my current role as state director of Rural Development for South Carolina for just a little over six months, I am confident that our best days are indeed ahead us as we renew our commitment to improve the rural economy and the overall quality of life in our rural communities.

Last week, President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to talk about where our country has been and where we are going.

The president mentioned a lot we can be proud of and even more to look forward to, especially in rural America.

The country has faced deep challenges over the past year, and the people of rural America know this better than anyone.

But rural communities are resilient, and as the success of rural America goes, so goes the rest of the country.

Thats why the progress we have made in rural South Carolina over the past year is a good sign for everyone. By investing in water infrastructure and broadband, rural business opportunities and the American food supply chain, USDA is helping communities build a foundation for sustained economic growth.

For example:

 Saluda County Water and Sewer Authority has received 19 loans totaling over $66 million and nine grants totaling over $20 million. The Water and Sewer Authoritys most recent project is for Phase II of the Holley Ferry/Spann Road Water Improvements. For this project, the Water and Sewer Authority will receive a $15.4 million loan and a $2.5 million Water and Environmental Programs (WEP) Grant to position a network of waterlines throughout the densely populated eastern side of Saluda County. The Holley Ferry Phase II project will allow for a significant expansion of residential customers. It is conservatively estimated an additional 300 homes will receive service from this. However, there are over 700 homes along the proposed water lines so there could be many more sign ups. Considering that SCWSA has roughly 1,300 residential customers, this represents a significant boost in customers. In addition, this project has the potential to provide water connections to nearby towns. This could transform SCWSA from a local provider of water to a regional supplier.

 Orangeburg County has received two loans totaling $3.6 million and two grants totaling $2.3 million for water projects. In addition, the county has received four loans totaling $10.5 million and four grants totaling $8.1 million for sewer projects. Most recently, the Orangeburg County Goodbys Creek WWTP and Improvements received a $6.7 million WEP loan and a $1.9 million WEP Grant. This project provided needed wastewater treatment to the rural town and areas of Orangeburg County. The county proposed to construct a wastewater treatment plant that provided sewer service to residential areas and commercial users along U.S. 301, in the Town of Santee, Matthews Industrial Park and Jafza Industries.

Through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, were answering the presidents call to create more resilient, diverse and secure supply chains. Promoting competition in the processing sector will lead to fairer prices for farmers, greater value for workers and more affordable and healthier food produced closer to home for families.

These investments create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. They help grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out like the president talked about. And they contribute to a circular economy where the resources and wealth we build in rural South Carolina stay right here in South Carolina.

And theyre just the beginning. In the State of the Union, Biden committed to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, begin to replace poisonous lead pipes  so every child  and every American  has clean water to drink at home and at school, provide affordable high-speed internet for every American  urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities.

The Biden-Harris administrations plan for the economy is already producing historic wins, and theres room for everyone to participate, no matter their zip code.

Thats why were optimistic that our best days lie ahead.

By giving everyone a fair shot and providing equitable access to federal resources, we can do our part to carry out the presidents economic vision. That means making more things here at home, strengthening our supply chains and lowering costs for working families. It means giving people opportunities to make a good living without having to leave the communities they know and love.

For a lot of us, that means staying right here in rural South Carolina.

Dr. Saundra Glover is South Carolina state director of USDA Rural Development.

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Anthony Roberson, 46, picks up his 11-year-old son Aiden Roberson outside Skinner West Elementary School on March 9, 2022, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

When Chicago Public Schools parent Kate Jablonski heard the districts mask mandate would end, her initial reaction was probably not appropriate to be printed.

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Im not happy about it, the mother of two first graders at New Field Primary School said.

Jablonski was particularly surprised, disappointed and confused, she said, because she believed masks would be mandated through the end of the school year, based on an agreement the Chicago Teachers Union reached with CPS in January.

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Instead, amid dropping COVID-19 numbers and legal pressure, CPS announced this week that the mask mandate would be lifted Monday but not, it appears, without another fight with the CTU.

The union, which went on strike months before the pandemic hit, initiated work stoppages in early 2021 and again this January in protest of what it said were lacking coronavirus safety measures in schools. Now the CTU has filed an unfair labor practice complaint over CPS removal of the mask mandate, calling it a unilateral violation of the January agreement.

Jablonski  who said she fully supports teachers and has helped organize parent sick-outs in support of improved COVID-19 safety measures  was still frustrated by the repeated conflicts.

CTU sticks to their guns. CPS sticks to their guns. And its the families that suffer, she said.

Even as CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said this week there are more areas of agreement than disagreement between the district and the union  something the CTU disputed  opinions among CPS parents interviewed Wednesday on the latest potential standoff varied widely, from relief to rage.

Lourdes Benitez, mother of a fifth grader and seventh grader at Patrick Henry Elementary School, where she is chair of the Local School Council, is one parent grateful for the end of the mandate.

But even with the choice to go maskless, Benitezs children will likely continue wearing them for a few weeks after the end of the mandate because theyve grown accustomed to it.

It might just take them a while to get used to not wearing it. ... Its their comfort zone, Benitez said.

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A father of five CPS students at Beasley Academic Center, Lindblom Math and Science Academy and Englewood STEM High School, Joseph Williams said hell continue sending all of them to school with masks. It wont hurt, he said.

Williams, who is Local School Council chair at Beasley and has also advocated for parent sick-outs, said he believes families should have the maximum level of choice in dealing with the pandemic, including in-school masking.

The changing guidelines in schools are stressful on parents, on babies. It gives anxiety because youre uncertain, Williams said. Sometimes it is overwhelming.

Other parents said theyre concerned about a potential for stigma or hurtful comments for children who choose to continue to wear masks.

Temple Payne, mother of a CPS eighth grader, said her 14-year-old daughter wants to stay masked, but if youre the only one in the classroom with a mask, theres going to be a pressure to take that mask off.

Nakieta Mitchell, whose son Aiden Roberson is a sixth grader at Skinner West Elementary School, said masks still dont feel optional for students who live in households with immunocompromised individuals. The school has not always communicated enough about cases, and she has asked the Local School Council to monitor the potential for bullying of masked students, she said.

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The end of the mandate was another punch in the gut, Mitchell said, after her sons classroom had to quarantine three times this year.

The mask mandate allowed Cortney Ritsema, a mother of three and an activist with the group Activate Chicago Parents, to feel comfortable sending her children back to the classroom after having home-schooled them until they were vaccinated, she said.

Ritsema, who also believed masks would be mandated until the end of the school year, is now scrambling to decide whether to go back to home schooling, she said. Her 8-year-old daughter  the oldest of her children at New Field Primary School  has severe asthma, but she said it was a huge sacrifice for her family to do home schooling.

Shes anxious to see how CTU responds, and hopes the union will be able to protect the mitigations that were outlined in the January agreement, she said.

Anthony Roberson picks up his son Aiden Roberson outside Skinner West Elementary School in Chicago Wednesday. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Nikia Jefferson, another Skinner West parent, said shes for the most part comfortable with CPS going mask-optional. However, in a conversation with her pro-mask third grader, she encouraged him to stick to his personal decision, should any of his classmates question his mask.

No one should look down upon anyone in either facet, Jefferson said.

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For students who may have struggled with masks for the past two years, the end of the mandate could make school more comfortable.

Jeannie Lius son is a senior at Northside Learning Center High School, which serves students with disabilities and impaired adaptive functioning. She said he struggles to read facial expressions and recognize friends behind a mask. Its difficult to tell his exact opinion on masks, but Liu said she has observed her son express a desire for normalcy throughout the pandemic.

Its kind of about time, Liu said of the end of the mandate.

CPS parent Jeannie Liu with her 17-year-old son in their home on Wednesday. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Benitez said that, despite her support for the mandate ending, the overall relationship between CTU and CPS is broken, inhibiting the district from fully listening to family feedback.

Its extremely detrimental to families and students, Benitez said.

It remained unclear late Wednesday what the unions next move might be. The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board has taken up the CTUs unfair labor complaint but isnt expected to make a determination before the mask mandate lifts Monday.

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Tribune reporter Tracy Swartz contributed.
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(TBTCO) - Thi truong chung khoan Viet Nam co ban van giu nhip on inh trong quy au nam nay, tuy nhien, thi truong chiu ap luc ieu chinh kha manh ke tu cuoi thang 3 en nay do tac ong tu cac yeu to ngoai bien va cac vu viec sai pham mang tinh on le cua mot so ca nhan, to chuc. Theo cac chuyen gia, nhung tac ong en tam ly ngan han cua nha au tu la kho tranh khoi, nhung ay la co hoi e huong dong tien i ung huong, giup thi truong gan uc, khoi trong e phat trien ben vung.
Julia Bright, Esther Hobart Morris, Louisa Ann Swain.

Three lives  and three stories  about Wyomings path to womens voting rights.

Saturday marks the premiere of Julia Louisa Esther, a new symphony by Stephanie Ann Boyd, at the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra in Casper.

The orchestra commissioned the piece to celebrate the 150th anniversary of womens suffrage in Wyoming. Wyoming Territory granted women the right to vote in 1869  making it the first place in the U.S. to do so.

Julia Louisa Esther retraces the history of that milestone in four parts. It was meant to premiere in spring 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed its debut by two years.

Saturdays concert also includes selections from Carmen by Georges Bizet, and Dances in the Canebrakes by Florence Price.

Thematically, they complement the symphony, music director Chris Dragon said in a statement. Carmen is often regarded as a commentary on womens liberation and sexism. Price, meanwhile, was the first Black woman in the U.S. to have a work performed by a major orchestra.

You dont see many women or people of color on concert hall marquees. Western classical music has roots in 18th and 19th century Europe, and marginalized groups have had trouble breaking into the genre ever since.

Thats starting to change  the classical music world is becoming more inclusive, and this concert is part of that, Boyd said.

Womens stories havent been written about in a huge way yet, she said.

Its rare for orchestras to commission new music. The Wyoming Symphony Orchestra has never commissioned a piece this big, Dragon said.

Intimate portraits of womens lives, their struggles and accomplishments stand out as the throughlines of Boyds work.

One previous composition calls attention to domestic violence and abuse in Boston. Another, smaller piece she dedicated to the charmingly strange ink-pen drawings of childrens illustrator Linda Baker-Cimini. Boyd said her work is heavily influenced her grandmother  herself a composer, and Boyds first music teacher.

Once the orchestra settled on the idea of putting together a symphony about womens suffrage in Wyoming, Boyd seemed like a natural fit, Dragon said.

She was on board, but had never been to Wyoming before. So in late 2019, she flew in to get to know the orchestra and experience the state for herself.

During Boyds trip, she traveled to Cody to visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West for a crash course on Wyoming history. The center had a new Women in Wyoming exhibition, featuring portraits of trailblazing women by photographer Linton Buk.

What she saw at the center  and the landscapes she on the three-and-a-half hour drives there and back  were Boyds well of inspiration for the symphony.

The first movement is meant to capture the hopes and dreams of the American settlers who moved to Wyoming in the mid-1800s. The words of suffragist Susan B. Anthony come to mind, Boyd said: Wyoming is the first place on Gods green earth which could consistently claim to be the land of the free.

The second movement pays tribute to the bond between Julia Bright, and her husband, William, a saloon owner. William Bright introduced the suffrage bill in Wyomings territorial legislature.

Its the love story movement, Boyd said. In addition to the Brights, she was also inspired by the view on her drive back from Cody.

I remember having the moon in the passenger-side mirror, she said.

In the third part of the symphony, noisy melodies overlap with one another, representing the heated political debate that erupted over the suffrage amendment.

The movement contains a nod to 70-year-old Louisa Ann Swain, the first woman to cast a ballot in Wyoming. It also honors another milestone: Esther Morriss appointment as justice of the peace in South Pass City in 1870. The appointment marked Morris as the first woman to hold public office in the U.S.

The last movement is the big anthem that ties everything together, Boyd said. Its supposed to sound triumphant. But she also wanted the symphony to give nature the final say  in this case, with low brass and big percussion moments.

We need to remember to focus on the earth and remember to be good stewards to every living thing, including each other, Boyd said.

Before Wyoming Territory was claimed by American settlers, it belonged to the Plains Indian nations for thousands of years. In the late 1800s, the U.S. and Canadian governments were in the midst of a devastating assault on the Indigenous people of the Plains, funding their starvation, displacement and murder to make room for their own expansion.

That history needs to be acknowledged alongside womens suffrage, Boyd said. In that way, Julia Louisa Esther isnt meant to be an uncritical celebration, but an opportunity for reflection.

Its also an opportunity to revisit popular myths about how and why suffrage happened, said Tanis Lovercheck-Saunders, a history instructor at Casper College. Boyd consulted with Lovercheck-Saunders for the piece.

The Wyoming Symphony Orchestra hosted a panel Wednesday at the Ramkota Hotel to talk about Julia Louisa Esther, the legacy of womens suffrage in Wyoming and the ways gender inequality persists today. Boyd and Lovercheck-Saunders joined Rebekah Smith, director of the Wyoming Womens Foundation, for the discussion.

We have a tendency to assume that women have equality in Wyoming because its called the Equality State, Lovercheck-Saunders said.

Sure, plenty of Wyomingites supported womens suffrage out of a genuine commitment to equal rights. But many leaders used it for political theater.

In 1869, Wyoming was still a U.S. territory, not a state. It would have to grow its population if it wanted to be eligible for statehood, Saunders explained.

There were a lot more men than women living there at the time. Womens suffrage, some lawmakers reasoned, could give the population a boost by attracting more women and families.

It was also a reaction to the end of the Civil War, which prompted a series of constitutional amendments ending slavery, and giving Black men the right to vote.

There was a lot of sense in the Legislature that if freed men could vote then white women should be able to as well, Lovercheck-Saunders said.

Understanding why suffrage was adopted in Wyoming can help us understand why equality under the law doesnt always translate to equality in practice, she added.

You might not expect a concert hall  often associated with older and high-brow art  to be a place to share new ideas and lift up underrepresented voices. But Boyd would disagree.

Being a composer is a bit like being an artistic honeybee, she said.

Last year, she wrote a piece for the symphony of Peoria, Illinois, honoring feminist author Betty Friedan, a Peoria native. The piece was performed as part of a three-part concert, which included two other works by Boyd, and narrations on Friedans life and her impact on society.

After its premiere, a handful of audience members told Boyd they found the show eye-opening, and validating to their experiences with gender inequality and sexism.

Its those kinds of moments Boyd hopes Saturdays concert brings, she said.

When your story is finally one thats being represented on stage, youre going to have some feelings about it, she said.

The concert debuts 7:30 p.m. Saturday at John F. Welsh Auditorium. The show will also be live streamed. For a full list of performances, and how to reserve tickets, visit wyomingsymphony.org.

A grant from the Wyoming Humanities Council will allow the orchestra to film a documentary about Julia Louisa Esther, said Rachel Bailey, executive director Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. The documentary  which will feature a recording of the piece  will air on Wyoming PBS this spring, she said.

To complement the film, Bailey said the orchestra will post additional interviews online with Boyd, Lovercheck-Saunders and Jennifer Simon, senior policy advisor at the Equality State Policy Center and the founder of the Wyoming Womens Action Network.

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The Wyoming Republican Party announced this week that James OKeefe, the self-described guerrilla journalist and founder of Project Veritas, will be keynote speaker at the state partys annual convention in May.

Project Veritas is a far right outfit that targets news organizations, Democratic politicians and progressive groups by using undercover tactics and secret recordings to expose and embarrass them.

The organizations website says its dedicated to reviving the craft of investigative journalism and investigating corruption, dishonesty, waste and fraud in public institutions and the private sector. However, its been criticized for producing videos that are deceptively edited and for trying to trick the Washington Post into a running a fabricated story in 2017.

Foster Friess, a GOP mega donor and former candidate for Wyoming governor, financially supported Project Veritas. The Jackson investor died last year at age 81.

Shortly before the launch of Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign, the Trump Foundation donated $10,000 to OKeefes organization.

You Dont Want to Miss This, the Wyoming GOP said in its press release announcing OKeefe as the keynote speaker.

In June of last year, the New York Times reported that a group partially staffed and led by former Project Veritas operatives sought to carry out a political infiltration scheme meant to dig up damaging information on Wyomings liberal and moderate Republican circles.

Exactly how much information the operation gathered remains unclear.

Frank Eathorne, chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party, defended the choice of OKeefe.

I do not speak for Project Veritas, but the NY Times article states the people alleged to have been involved in that were former employees of Project Veritas and were not employed by them at the time it occurred, he wrote in a text to the Star-Tribune. Funny how you call them spies. When liberals do the same thing, the liberals seek to beatify them instead and call them whistleblowers.

The convention runs from May 5 to 7 in Sheridan, and OKeefe is set to speak on the final day of the event. That day will feature an afternoon presentation, an evening banquet, keynote address and post-banquet meet and greet with OKeefe. Tickets are not yet available.

Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis

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SMALL business owners in three Caribbean countries will get the opportunity to showcase how their enterprises are transforming their communities, and themselves, due to support from the social enterprise, Nudge Caribbean.

The opportunity comes tomorrow, at an event called Nudge Now, which is being organised by Nudge Caribbean, which was founded by Anya Ayoung-Chee, design strategist and social entrepreneur, and Julie Avey, Massy Groups senior vice president of People and Culture.
Many people are struggling during this Covid-19 pandemic as prices increase, while many are 
Honking horns and loudspeaker chants to the tune of We Are Family echoed down 79th Street Thursday morning, as marchers celebrated the birthday of abolitionist Harriet Tubman and called for increased attention to local Black women and girls who are missing.

We are Har-ri-et! I got all my sisters with me! called out Steven Davis, a Morgan Park community leader, throughout a 2.22 mile walk down the road in Tubmans honor.

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The mood among the dozen marchers, nearly all women, was festive as they raised fists and danced. But it was underscored by a somber mission: Raising awareness for Black women and girls who have gone missing in the city with many of their cases unresolved.

A group marches down 79th Street in Chicago on March 10, 2022, to mark the birthday of abolitionist Harriet Tubman and to raise awareness for missing Black women and girls. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Kierra Coles, 26, was last seen on Oct. 2, 2018, near 81st Street and Vernon Avenue. (Chicago Police Department)

The marchers started with a larger group under a portrait of Kierra Coles, a postal worker who went missing in 2018, when she was 26 years old and three months pregnant. They called for Chicagoans and Chicago police to continue looking for missing women, including Coles.

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Coles mother, Karen Phillips, spoke at the rally and said it was heartbreaking to continue life without her daughter, wondering whether she is safe.

Its like a routine I have to go through, to keep myself together from not breaking down or just totally losing my mind, Phillips said. Its hard to wonder when you go from seeing your child every day to not seeing her in almost three years.

Coles portrait, smiling over the corner of East 79th Street and South Prairie Avenue in Chatham, was the first public mural completed for Still Searching, an art and film project dedicated to missing women, said muralist Damon Lamar Reed.

Keep searching, Reed said at the rally. We want to be the voice to the voiceless.

The Cook County sheriffs office started a project last year to focus on dozens of unsolved, long-term disappearances, including Coles.

Rallygoers included representatives from youth advocacy organization Pink Lemons and woman-led construction company Pink Hard Hatz. Delece Williams, founder of youth community organization Kidz Korna, organized the march.

Others, such as Linda Griffin, a cleaning services business owner who lives near the South Side rally site, came upon the event accidentally.

Griffin said she passes Coles portrait every morning while walking her Shih Tzu, Winter, and prays for the missing woman. She joined the march to support the postal worker and Tubman, a recent reading subject, she said.

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The local grandmother held the rallys microphone in one hand and Winters leash in the other as she danced east down the right lane of 79th, with We are Family blasting from the speakers in front of her.

Kimberly Phillips, left, sister of Kierra Coles, is comforted by Iva Martenez before they joined a small group who marched down 79th Street on March 10, 2022. "I pray every night and day that my sister returns. The children miss their aunt and we struggle with my sister not being home and we can't do anything about it" said Phillips. Martinez said she told Phillips to "hold on, she's coming home." She added, "I wanted to give her hope. I would want someone to look for me and give my family hope." (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The group occupied a lane of 79th from South Prairie to South Vincennes avenues and back, but most drivers seemed to support the march. Drivers honked consistently when Davis asked for their support of Tubman or the missing women.

Theres always been a plan to not elevate and uplift, encourage or support African people, which is ironic and awful because African people built this country, said marcher Afrika Porter.

The activist said she was trying to set an example for her two sons and grandson to always be on the right side of history.

Everything is about seeking justice and elevating people that are doing great things in the community, Porter said.

After the march ended, Williams expressed hope for the future.

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There was so much love as we were walking down the street, with the little bit that we had, so I can imagine if we do more of this ... we can really bring the violence and everything else down, Williams said.

She also briefly spoke to Rita Daniels, a descendant of Tubman, on a phone call over speakers in front of marchers. Daniels asked the group to support the founding of the Harriet Tubman Learning Center in Georgia.

Its our job to step up to the plate and help our young children, she said.

oolander@chicagotribune.com
Illinois residents have been able to file their state income tax return through the Illinois Department of Revenues online filing system, MyTax Illinois, for almost a decade.

But theres an added wrinkle this year. Those who dont already have a registered account must apply for an ID number that is sent to them in the mail, a process that typically takes about a week, according to Revenue Department spokeswoman Maura Kownacki. In previous years, taxpayers could use MyTax without logging in and needing an ID number.

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The extra red tape is an attempt to reduce fraud in Illinois tax filings, though there has been no breach of information within the department, she said. Protection against fraud has become a greater concern after identity thieves took advantage of the flood of unemployment claims during the pandemic.

Taxpayers have been able to use MyTax without a login since it went live for individual income tax filing on Sept. 30, 2013, Kownacki said. This year, to make an account, people need to select Sign Up on the MyTax homepage and follow the instructions to have their ID number sent to them in the mail.

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Last year, about 180,000 people filed their Illinois income tax returns through MyTax  about 3% of the states 6.2 million taxpayers.

People who already have a registered MyTax account can file online as usual, and those filing their taxes through a third-party service such as TurboTax dont need an ID number.

According to Kownacki, the departments anti-fraud efforts over the past year have helped to prevent approximately $19 million in refunds from being claimed through a stolen identity, and stopped approximately $35 million worth of refunds from being issued to those who overstated refund claims.

While applying for an ID number could cause a delay, taxpayers can always request an extension on the traditional April 15 deadline to file their taxes, Kownacki said. The extended deadline this year is Oct. 17.

However, people should pay any balances due by April 18 to avoid late payment penalties and the department encourages people to file early and electronically, and use direct deposit, to get their refunds as fast and safely as possible, she said.

cspaulding@chicagotribune.com
And so it has come to pass. One week after the island-wide blackout of February 16, we told you in this space that, from among the best authority available, there would be, there could be no one to blame for what happened.

We told you that the determination had already been made as to what happened, how and why, and that nobody could have been held responsible for that. It was a warning against the natural national tendency to go for blood. Loud had been the shouts of sabotage, the result of worker discontentment, and a clamour for heads to roll.
The FBI in Tucson has a sobering message for spring break travelers: Be careful out there.

The FBI is warning travelers, especially those taking international trips, to use caution because of increased violence. The University of Arizona is currently on spring break until the 13th.

With borders opening up and COVID-19 numbers coming down, were having more international travelers, so weve seen an increase in general violence, theft, kidnapping and virtual kidnapping, said Jon Edwards, an FBI supervisory special agent in Tucson.

When driving in Mexico or any other international destinations, Edwards encourages travelers to use the main routes, travel during the day and to always travel in a group.

Travelers may also be targeted and exploited since they dont have knowledge on the area they are visiting, Edwards said. He says tourists should have information about law enforcement as well as consulates or embassies for areas they are visiting.

The most obvious way to avoid danger is to not engage in illegal activity during a trip, Edwards said.

Not sharing personal information with others, avoiding posting personal information on social media and avoiding traveling with people you just met to places you arent familiar with are all tips for traveling safely.

I would say some of the things to consider is to take a little more precaution, know your surroundings and know the individuals that you are traveling with, Edwards said. Also, try not to carry large amounts of cash and dont be flashy if you do.

Other tips the FBI has issued for safe international travel is to establish points of contact for your family, use only authorized taxis/shuttles, take mental notes of anyone following you and report it to security officials, and to beware of new acquaintances who probe for information about you.

Another crime concern is virtual kidnapping.

Thats when criminal organizations call and falsely claim that they have kidnapped a family member or loved one, Edwards said.

They will then try to extort money from the person who answered the phone.

Edwards said the red flags to look out for are calls that come from an unfamiliar number or calls with an area code that is outside of your area.

When dealing with virtual kidnapping, contact law enforcement immediately for help, he said.

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After a couple of months of reflection and dialogue with friends and colleagues who encouraged me to think about running for mayor of Chicago, I decided not to run. The decision was not an easy one.

Chicago is in a state of emergency, suffering unbearably from gun violence. Whole communities are traumatized. Neighborhoods are emptying out. The citys reputation is damaged  both nationally and internationally.

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Too many young men and women in Chicago are being raised by the streets. Things most of us take for granted  a hot meal, a warm bed and a loving hug at night  are simply not a part their lives.

I know hundreds of young people who have lived like this. They are smart, sensitive, thoughtful, gifted leaders, but they are also scared, angry, traumatized and living in a state of hypervigilance. They know they are not winning in the illegal economy, but they have no path out.

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After five years of doing this work, I am more convinced than ever that these young people are a critical part of the solution. They are leading us to a safer place. The greatest joy in my work is seeing every day what can happen when we give these young people the love, trust, opportunities and support they need to thrive. And I just couldnt walk away from it  or spend the next year of my life talking about the work instead of actually doing it.

So, rather than entering politics, I am going even deeper into the work of reducing gun violence and I will partner with anybody who is serious about helping Chicago heal and address this state of emergency. Among other things, that requires us to continue to voice the truths as we see them.

We need to tell the truth about the crisis in our police force  where morale is down, and retirements are up. We need to tell the truth about the sorry state of police reform. We need to tell the truth about how police spend their time  which is mostly on nonviolent and noncriminal activity. When our arrest rates for shootings and homicides are so low, we need to rethink the best use of our police, because the most important thing they can do is hold shooters accountable.

We need to tell the truth about our work in violence prevention. While we are not yet having a measurable impact on the overall level of violence in the city, we know we are saving lives. We have intervened in thousands of disputes, any of which could have led to gun violence. We have negotiated dozens of peace agreements among rival street factions, some of which have stood for years.

The work is mentally taxing and physically dangerous. My organization, Chicago CRED (Create Real Economic Destiny), recently experienced a fatal shooting at one of our partner sites where we gather every day to create peace. A security guard and father of eight was also shot. One of our outreach workers was killed last year on duty. Our staff members are literally putting themselves at risk to save others.

We are also nowhere near at scale. For every dollar we spend in the criminal justice system, cracking down on people after they commit crimes, we spend less than a penny on violence prevention, trying to help people before they commit crimes. Last year, in fact, Chicago spent more than twice as much money on police misconduct settlements than on violence prevention efforts. Our priorities are not only wrong  they perpetuate violence.

And even as we deal with the crisis of violence, we also have to address the root causes of violence  disinvestment, inadequate education and lack of opportunity for young people in our neighborhoods. Fifty-six years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Chicagos North Lawndale neighborhood to demand fair housing and a better quality of life for people of color. Those demands have yet to be met.

So lets have an open, honest debate driven by truth and hope, rather than fear and lies. And instead of an election about personalities, lets have one about ideas. I recently offered the following strategies for making us safer, and I welcome others:

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Disband ineffective citywide units and get as many police as possible back on patrol in neighborhoods, building relationships and creating a visible deterrent. Turn as many positions as possible into civilian positions to free up some officers for patrol and accelerate reform. Rethink the role of police and shift some nonviolent and noncriminal activities to civilians so police can focus more on violent crime and hold shooters accountable. Take violence prevention programs to scale. Launch a massive public-private hiring initiative to give teens and young people at risk, as well as the formerly incarcerated, a place in the legal economy.

Chicago has had two horrific years of violence. We cant afford another one. All of us must work harder and do more.

Our work continues every day in the city we all know and love.

Arne Duncan is a managing partner of Emerson Collective and the founder of violence prevention organization Chicago CRED.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, leader of Russias dominant religious group, has sent his strongest signal yet justifying his country's invasion of Ukraine  describing the conflict as part of a struggle against sin and pressure from liberal foreigners to hold gay parades as the price of admission to their ranks.

Kirill, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had already refrained from criticizing the Russian invasion  alienating many in the Ukrainian Orthodox churches who had previously stayed loyal to the Moscow patriarch during a schism in their country. Several of these former loyalists are now snubbing Kirill in their public prayers, with some demanding independence from the Moscow church even as their country's political independence is imperiled.

Kirill, in a sermon delivered Sunday before the start of Orthodox Lent, echoed Putins unfounded claims that Ukraine was engaged in the extermination of Russian loyalists in Donbas, the breakaway eastern region of Ukraine held since 2014 by two Russian-backed separatist groups. Kirill focused virtually all of his talk about the war on Donbas  with no mention of Russias widespread invasion and its bombardment of civilian targets.

Kirill has depicted the war in spiritual terms.

We have entered into a struggle that has not a physical, but a metaphysical significance, he said.

He contended that some of the Donbas separatists were suffering for their fundamental rejection of the so-called values that are offered today by those who claim world power.

He claimed that this unnamed world power is posing a test for the loyalty of countries by demanding they hold gay pride parades to join a global club of nations with its own ideas of freedom and excess consumption.

But many Orthodox Christians in Ukraine have been appalled by Kirills stance on the Ukraine war. The Moscow patriarch has for centuries claimed the ultimate loyalty of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, even though the latter retained ample autonomy. And many priests, monks and faithful had remained loyal to Kirill even with the formation of a more nationalist, Kyiv-based Orthodox Church of Ukraine, in 2018 and 2019.

The war is shattering that loyalty for some, however.

Numerous bishops in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have authorized their priests not to commemorate Patriarch Kirill in their prayers during public worship services  a symbolically important statement in Orthodox tradition, which puts a premium on the faithful being in communion with their divinely ordained hierarchy.

Since the war began, as many as 15 dioceses of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine had authorized the omission of the patriarchs name, according to the Union of Orthodox Journalists, a news site with generally positive news about the Moscow-leaning church.

The Rev. Mykola Danilevich, who has served as a spokesman for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, confirmed on his Telegram account that many of our priests have stopped commemorating the Moscow Patriarch for worship services.

And the reason is obvious, Danilech wrote March 1, before Kirill's most recent Sunday sermon. The treacherous open invasion of Ukraine is a huge mistake of Russia. ... People did not hear from the patriarch a clear assessment of this war and his call to stop this madness."

Clergy in at least two dioceses  Lviv and Volodymyr-Volynskaare  are calling for independence from the Moscow church, according to their Facebook pages.

Many Ukrainian Orthodox are shocked that Kirill condemned evil in the broadest terms but said nothing about the war let alone its initiation by Russia, said Catherine Wanner, a Pennsylvania State University professor of history, anthropology and religious studies.

In the violence and the deaths and the terror that is engulfing Ukraine right now, I dont think anyone is worried about specific jurisdictions, said Wanner, whose studies focus on the region. But this will be a sea change.

The Rev. Cyril Hovorun, professor of ecclesiology, international relations and ecumenism at University College Stockholm, said Kirill's latest comments show him to be in a golden cage.

He said Kirill helped supply the ideology that Putin has used to justify Russian hegemony over the region, and in return the church has received strong government support.

Even if he (Kirill) understands what is going on in Ukraine with the war, even if he wants to speak up and name things by their proper name, he cant, said Hovorun, author of several books about Orthodoxy in Ukraine and beyond. He is a completely unfree figure that needs to follow faithfully the official narrative.

Archbishop Daniel of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA said Patriarch Kirill's latest comments were incomprehensible.

Regardless of our beliefs and regardless of our stance on social and moral issues, you cannot use that as a propaganda tool to justify the Russian invasion and the slaughter of innocent people, he said.

Many Orthodox and other religious conservatives, including in Ukraine, share Kirill's stance on sexual ethics, said the Rev. John Burgess, a professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of Holy Rus: The Rebirth of Orthodoxy in the New Russia.

But Ukrainians and Ukrainian Orthodox are under attack, are suffering, are afraid for the future for the nation," Burgess said. None of that is reflected in the sermon. If rockets are falling on Kharkiv and Kyiv, and the patriarch starts talking about gay parades, it seems like something is odd here.

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Missing Elderly Assyrian Woman Found Dead in Turkey

Hurmuz Diril and his wife Simoni. (AINA) -- The body of Simoni Diril was found today in Turkey, 70 days after the elderly Assyrian couple vanished. The couple was kidnapped on January 11 from their village of Mehr, Kovankaya in the province of Sirnak.

The body was discovered in a river near her village of Mehr. Her husband is still missing.

A witness said that on the afternoon of 11 January, a group of people took Hurmuz Diril and his wife Simoni from their home and led them to an unknown destination. Their son, Remzi Diri, a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Istanbul, came to visit his parents the following day and found the house empty.

Hurmuz Diril and his wife had returned to Mehr a decade ago to live again in their home village. They were the last Christians in the village and in all these years they had repeatedly rejected the requests by Turkish authorities to abandon the area.
A suspect in the hit-and-run crash that killed a 16-year-old boy last Saturday has been arrested, Burr Ridge police said Thursday morning during a news conference.

Officials identified the driver as 18-year-old Marvin Mejia of Woodridge, who has been charged with failure to report a motor vehicle accident involving death. He appeared in court Thursday where his bond was set at $50,000.

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The victim was identified Tuesday as Alex L. Hunt, of Chicago, by the DuPage County Coroners Office.

According to police, Hunt was walking east bound on Route 83 and Central Avenue when he was hit by two different vehicles around 9:20 p.m. Paramedics took the teen to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where he died as a result of his injuries.

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Its tragic, it affected all of us ... it affected these detectives and officers here who worked nonstop because of the circumstances of this case, Madden said. This young man losing his life  we express our condolences to the family.

During the news conference held at the police station, Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso said the quick turnaround was made possible partly due to the work of the press.

Because of excellent media coverage, there was an anonymous tip that assisted the investigation that led to the arrest, Grasso said. We encourage you to cover these events and we encourage the public to respond and assist us.

This is a story about good police work, he added. This is job one  providing police work to protect people and property and with that good work, we got a fast resolution to this very tragic incident.

Burr Ridge police cooperated with other police departments and a county wide task force to gather information and facts surrounding the case. Northern Illinois University is also assisting with the investigation, officials said, but they did not say why or to what extent the school would be involved.

Earlier in the week, witnesses described two vehicles possibly involved in the crash as a dark colored Jeep Cherokee which would have passenger side front end damage, and possibly, a dark colored Toyota SUV which may have front and right side damage, police said.

Police said on Thursday that Mejia was driving the Jeep in the hit-and-run crash.

DuPage County officials said Mejia turned himself in by calling the States Attorneys Office when he realized he had been involved in the crash after seeing news coverage of the hit-and-run at the same intersection where he damaged his car. Mejia reportedly thought he hit a deer and drove off.

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Madden said the incident is a tragedy at every level. The case is ongoing and they will follow all leads to find the other driver, he added.

I know the detectives and officers are happy with where we are at this moment in the case. Its a lot of hard work, a lot of chasing leads [ ...] we continue to investigate, Madden said.

Investigators are also seeking help identifying a dark Acura SUV with Wisconsin license plates that was seen leaving the crash site.

Anyone with information is asked to call Burr Ridge police at 630-323-8181 or text information anonymously to 888-777. Begin the message with the word TIP followed by BRPDCRASH.

This story has been updated.
MARIUPOL, Ukraine  Civilians trapped inside Mariupol desperately scrounged for food and fuel as Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the port city Thursday, while satellite photos showed that a massive Kremlin convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv.

International condemnation escalated over an airstrike in Mariupol a day earlier that killed three people at a maternity hospital, with Western and Ukrainian officials calling the attack a war crime. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian refusal to permit evacuations from the port city amounted to "outright terror."

Meanwhile, the highest-level talks held since the invasion began two weeks ago yielded no progress, the number of refugees fleeing the country topped 2.3 million, and Kyiv braced for an onslaught, its mayor boasting that the capital had become practically a fortress protected by armed civilians.

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed that a 40-mile convoy of vehicles, tanks and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, with armored units seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city. Some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported, with artillery pieces in firing positions nearby.

The convoy had massed outside the city early last week, but its advance appeared to have stalled amid reports of food and fuel shortages. U.S. officials said Ukrainian troops also targeted the convoy with anti-tank missiles.

In Mariupol, a southern seaport of 430,000, the situation was increasingly dire. More than 1,300 people have died in the 10-day siege of the frigid city, according to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Residents have no heat or phone service, and many have no electricity. Nighttime temperatures are regularly below freezing, and daytime ones normally hover just above it. Bodies are being buried in mass graves. The streets are littered with burned-out cars, broken glass and splintered trees.

"They have a clear order to hold Mariupol hostage, to mock it, to constantly bomb and shell it," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. He said the Russians began a tank attack right where there was supposed to be a humanitarian corridor.

Grocery stores and pharmacies were emptied days ago by people breaking in to get supplies, according to a local official with the Red Cross, Sacha Volkov. A black market is operating for vegetables, meat is unavailable, and people are stealing gasoline from cars, Volkov said.

Repeated attempts to send in food and medicine and evacuate civilians have been thwarted by Russian shelling, Ukrainian authorities said.

"They want to destroy the people of Mariupol. They want to make them starve," Vereshchuk said. "It's a war crime."

All told, some 100,000 people have been evacuated during the past two days from seven cities under Russian blockade in the north and center of the country, including the Kyiv suburbs, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy told Russian leaders that the invasion will backfire on them as their economy is strangled. Western sanctions have already dealt a severe blow, causing the ruble to plunge, foreign businesses to flee and prices to rise sharply.

"You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes," Zelenskyy said in a video address. "And then, it will definitely happen, you will be hated by Russian citizens  everyone whom you have been deceiving constantly, daily, for many years in a row, when they feel the consequences of your lies in their wallets, in their shrinking possibilities, in the stolen future of Russian children."

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed such talk, saying the country has endured sanctions before.

"We will overcome them," he said at a televised meeting of government officials. He did, however, acknowledge the sanctions create "certain challenges."

In addition to those who have fled the country, millions have been driven from their homes inside Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 2 million people  half the population of the metropolitan area  have left the capital.

"Every street, every house  is being fortified," he said. "Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands."

Western officials said Russian forces have made little progress on the ground in recent days and are seeing heavier losses and stiffer Ukrainian resistance than Moscow apparently anticipated. But Putin's forces have used air power and artillery to pummel Ukraine's cities.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the hospital attack "a shameful and immoral act of war." Britain's Armed Forces minister, James Heappey, said that whether the hospital was hit by indiscriminate fire or deliberately targeted, "it is a war crime."

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, on a visit to Ukraine's neighbor Poland, backed calls for an international war-crimes investigation into the invasion, saying, "The eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed concerns about civilian casualties as "pathetic shrieks" from Russia's enemies, and denied Ukraine had even been invaded.

Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, held talks in a Turkish resort in their first meeting since the invasion.

The two sides discussed a 24-hour cease-fire but made no progress, Kuleba said. He said Russia still wanted Ukraine to surrender but insisted that will not happen.

Lavrov said Russia is ready for more negotiations, but he showed no sign of softening Moscow's demands.

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ROME, Italy  A gentle tune from a violin played by a musician who has been dubbed Ukraine's "cellar violinist" is a lullaby for a child sheltered in the dark basement of an apartment building in the besieged Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Vera Lytovchenko has become an internet icon of resilience as images of the concert violinist playing in the basement bomb shelter have inspired an international audience via social media.

When heavy Russian bombing of Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv started two weeks ago, Lytovchenko, her professor father and neighbors sought safety in their building's basement.

"Bombs can fall everywhere in our city, so we decided to go down in the cellar," the 39-year-old violinist told The Associated Press via Skype Wednesday during a brief respite from the bombing during a temporary cease-fire. "We're about 12 people now. We have little boys. We have teenagers. We have old women."

A week into their basement huddle, Lytovchenko decided to try to lift the spirits of her cellar mates by holding small concerts.

"All these people are my brothers and sisters now," she said. "I was trying to make them think about something and not about the war for some minutes while I'm playing."

Later she thought to post her recitals, featuring the calming strains of Vivaldi and even Lytovchenko singing a Russian folk song, on social media. The reaction surprised her: more than 40,000 views on Facebook and thousands more on YouTube.

"I didn't expect that because I was posting just to reach my friends, my relatives. My aunt is near Kyiv and I'm afraid for her," she said.

"My friends are in different cities all over Ukraine and I'm trying to keep a connection with them, I text them several times a day to know if they're alive," Lytovchenko said. "Many people text me now saying that my videos give them such support and hope. They can see that someone stays here" in Kharkiv.

"Someone is alive and someone keeps hope and is optimistic," she said.

On Wednesday, during the temporary cease-fire in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, Lytovchenko was able to return to her apartment for a few hours. She told the AP she was happy to see sunlight after spending two weeks in the dark basement, adding that she and her neighbors are lucky because they have heating and food in the cellar.

Before the war, Lytovchenko played for the Kharkiv City Opera orchestra and taught music lessons.

"It was another life  a normal life," she said of the time before the war. "I'm an orchestra player. I am a teacher in college. I have my students, I have friends, I play concerts, I play operas and ballets. I play Italian operas in the theater."

Describing Ukraine before the war, Lytovchenko said: "We had a cultural life in our country, our cities, in spite of the coronavirus. We were vaccinated. It was a normal life.  But now we can't understand what is happening."

Lytovchenko says she hopes that her posts can help raise funds for Kharkiv's music community.

"I dream about my little financial fund, because I received messages from all over the world, from all countries. They texted me, they want to help," she said.

She wants "to help musicians  and to rebuild our city, our conservatory, our music college, our music school," she said. "To help our musicians who lost their houses and help musicians to return to their own cities and not to be refugees."

Lytovchenko said as frightening as it is, playing in the cellar to lift the spirits of others has given her new encouragement.

"This is why I do these videos, I try to help, I try to do all I can do," she said.

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WASHINGTON  Three checkered oil regimes that President Joe Biden and past U.S. leaders have spectacularly snubbed  Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran  are now targets of U.S. outreach as global fuel prices reach jarring levels during the Ukraine crisis.

But its not clear any U.S. diplomacy could get more crude oil on the market fast enough to help the current supply crunch, or tear once-shunned oil states away from what  for Saudi Arabia in particular  are profitable alliances with Russia.

For the Biden administration, the U.S. overtures to three problematic oil giants at best could lead to stabilizing rising oil and gas prices and draw those governments closer to the West and away from Russia and China. At worst, Biden risks humiliating rebuffs and condemnation for outreach to governments accused of rights abuses and violence.

We have an interest globally in maintaining a ... steady supply of energy, including through diplomatic effort, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on the moves toward countries that have been out of U.S. or Biden administration favor, and in the case of Iran an armed threat.

The phrasing, as Russias war raises the stakes in many areas, was a change from Bidens pointing, at the outset of his presidency, to democratic values as Americas abiding advantage in diplomacy.

Saudi Arabia has profited richly in recent years from teaming with fellow top petroleum producer Russia to keep the global oil and natural gas supply modest and prices high.

And Biden came to office vowing to isolate the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the rest of the Saudi royal family over abuses that include the 2018 killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Biden and the young crown prince are not known to have ever talked.

I dont know whether hes up to eating that much crow, Saudi Arabia analyst David Ottaway said of attempts now by Biden to improve his administrations relations with Prince Mohammed and Saudi Arabia, the country that could most easily end the global supply crunch.

As for Iran and Venezuela, the U.S. would welcome positive diplomatic outcomes that bring back oil from those nations, but the problem is that in that situation, their negotiation power increases dramatically, said Claudio Galimberti, senior vice president of analysis at Rystad Energy.

So Iran will make a lot of very steep requests in order to rejoin the deal and so would Venezuela, the energy analyst said. Plus, it could take time to ramp up their production.

Russias devastating military invasion of Ukraine, and resulting market disruptions and sanctions hitting Russias petroleum exports, helped drive the U.S. average gasoline price to $4.25 on Wednesday.

Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports the day before, compounding high prices from the OPEC production cap engineered by Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC member Russia.

The Biden administration is making cautious overtures to all three oil giants, Venezuela, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In the case of Iran, administration officials are not publicly linking their diplomacy to oil, although they are pursuing a deal on Irans nuclear program that could see international sanctions on that country lifted and Irans oil quickly back on the market legally.

For Biden, failure in the high-profile oil diplomacy risks humiliating treatment from unfriendly rulers abroad, potentially re-election-damaging condemnation at home.

And success? Potentially, likewise.

Our response to (Russian President Vladimir) Putins war shouldnt be to strengthen our relationship with the Saudis, tweeted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, citing Saudi Arabias years-long war in neighboring Yemen.

Others in Bidens Democratic Party have made clear their objections to any abrupt U.S. embrace of Saudi Arabia and its crown prince for the sake of oil.

The GOP is scathing in its criticism of high oil prices, and any possible thaw with Iran in particular.

Effectively, said Richard Goldberg, a former National Security Council official under the Trump administration, the Biden administration is saying, They will still be financing terrorism, but lets go ahead and buy their oil.

In Venezuela, a high-level U.S. delegation visited last weekend for the first time since relations unraveled under socialist leader Hugo Chavez in the 1990s.

The trip appeared to be met receptively by President Nicolas Maduro. It was followed Tuesday by Venezuela releasing two jailed Americans.

The apparent warming raised the possibility of a lifting of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and eventual return of its oil to markets.

But even if that breakthrough occurs, Venezuelas oil industry might not be ready to ramp up production in time to help the current price spike.

Removing direct and secondary U.S. restrictions on Venezuelas state-owned oil company, if it happens, could boost production by 400,000 barrels per day within a few months, said Paul Sheldon, chief geopolitical adviser at S&P Global Commodity Insights.

For Iran, leading countries are in the possible closing days  one way or the other  of talks with the Iranians in Vienna aimed at reimposing limits on Irans nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, including those that keep Iranian oil off the market.

The Trump administration had taken the U.S. out of the nuclear deal.

Iran could supply oil quickly, and has the ability to put more than 1 million barrels per day on the market, according to energy analysts.

However, Irans oil is more likely to go to other buyers than the U.S. And if the U.S. allows Russia to freely trade with Tehran, it could create an opening for Moscow to launder oil sales through Iran, which could export the oil it might have refined and instead refine Russian oil in its place, according to Clearview Energy Partners.

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Volunteers at Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Palos Park prepare donations for shipping to support the people of Ukraine. (Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church)

Dr. John Kahler has seen something like what is happening in Ukraine before and is worried about what could come next.

Kahler, a pediatrician who lives in Palos Park, traveled to Aleppo in 2016 in the midst of a Syrian crisis to offer humanitarian aid. There, he said he got a taste of the Russian playbook, surround, bomb, isolate and starve, in that countrys support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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Theyve never shown compunction for killing civilians, for leveling a town, Kahler said.

Kahler and Dr. Zaher Sahloul, of Burr Ridge, co-founders of the Chicago Ridge-based humanitarian nongovernmental organization MedGlobal in 2017, were set to leave Wednesday for a trip with a group of 10 to Poland, Moldova and Ukraine. There, physicians, nurses and others plan to do a needs assessment and deliver 90 well-stocked bags full of medical and surgical supplies.

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Chicago-area residents donated more than $500,000 in supplies to MedGlobals effort. Kahler said while most large relief organizations are focusing on the areas being attacked, regions accepting refugees, such as Moldova and Romania, are bereft of supplies.

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, left, of Burr Ridge, and Dr. John Kahler right, of Palos Park, walk in a bombed mosque in Aleppo in 2016. The duo co-founded the humanitarian and health organization MedGlobal, which is taking a group to Poland, Moldova and Ukraine this week. (John Kahler)

While most of the team plans to leave the area after four or five days, Kahler will spend two to three weeks touring municipal hospitals in places such as Lviv, a western Ukrainian city through which supplies enter and refugees flee to Poland, doing a needs assessment for the pediatric refugees he can serve on subsequent trips. He will also advocate for the regional needs back home.

Kahler is no stranger to the horrors of war. MedGlobal was one of the first medical organizations to visit Bangladesh during the Rohingya crisis. He has worked in camps in Greece, Lebanon and Venezuela. Still, every situation is unique and he does not know exactly what he will encounter near Ukraine.

What well see at the border now is still fog of war, immediate shock and dismay, Kahler said. I anticipate a lot of blank stares.

For Kahler, a pediatrician with 12 grandchildren of his own, it is particularly difficult to witness women and children being displaced.

It just tears me apart, Kahler said. Its just absolutely devastating.  They will eventually find themselves somewhere, but it wont be home and itll be a new start when they never even thought they needed to.

In addition to bringing needed medical supplies and other donations for Ukraine, people are being encouraged by Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox to write notes of encouragement and prayer. (Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church)

Kahler said a crisis zone can be depressing for all involved. But in the later stages of his life, he has found himself driven back to these areas.

I can give money, of course, but in some part of my heart you need to be there to lay hands on, he said. As harrowing as the pictures you see on CNN are, to be there in the midst of this and feel the emotional chaos is something that I really cant describe.

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Community response

Kahler is not alone in his support of Ukraine. Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Church in Palos Park is collecting and packing supplies for people still in or fleeing Ukraine. It sent a 2,800-pound shipment and this week is preparing another 7,000 pounds worth of supplies, said the Rev. Vasyl Sendeha.

Sendeha said many villages in Ukraine are self-sustained, but the cities need support as they have been under siege by Russian troops. At first, the focus was hygiene products and items needed by children, but it has shifted to medical supplies, which Sendeha said have become scarce.

Ukrainian shipping companies were sending the supplies for free, but some have become overwhelmed by the costs and logistics, Sendeha explained. Truck drivers in Ukraine are also putting themselves at risk to find alternate routes into cities surrounded by Russian troops.

Its not easy and its not cheap to send things, Sendeha said.

The church received help from parishioner George Cepynsky, who is the CEO of Precision Circuits Inc. in Downers Grove. Employees there have helped purchase, pack and sort donations for shipping to Eastern Europe.

Hes done a lot of work trying to deliver the goods to people in need, and he continues to do so, Sendeha said. As long as there is a need, as long as there is a war, he is willing to do it. We are very grateful to him.

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Cepynsky was born in the United States but his parents came from Ukraine. He still has 32 members of his family there, and he knows all too well the toll this is taking.

Im seeing pictures of places Ive been to in Ukraine. Im talking to my family there who are surrounded by Russian troops, Cepynsky said. Bombs are going off over their heads. Bullets are flying over their heads constantly. They are surrounded and cant get out.

Cepynsky said the logistics of shipping supplies is overwhelming and he wishes they had more support from government and other organizations. But he is equally overwhelmed by the support of average Americans. His dock door continues ringing with people looking to drop off supplies. Twenty-eight people volunteered Sunday to pack boxes.

Its so wonderful, Cepynsky said. Half of them arent Ukrainian  just heard we were doing stuff coming over to help. It is unbelievable.

Tinley Parks St. Julie Billiart Catholic Church also lent the drive a helping hand. The church collected supplies Wednesday for the Palos Park church. Deacon Ed Pluchar said a parishioner pitched the idea and it took off by Saturday. As of Tuesday, the church collected enough items to cover roughly 20 tables.

Ive never seen so much stuff in our parish hall, Pluchar said. Its been coming in all day the last two days.

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Pluchar said he received a lot of calls from people outside of the parish, asking how they can help. Some people have shipped donations to the church, while others took them directly to collection sites in Chicago. People also have been writing cards to Ukrainian recipients.

Any time there is a need, they do show up, Pluchar said. Im just very encouraged by the overwhelming support on short notice.

Pluchar said there was a tight turnaround to meet the deadline for Saints Peter and Pauls next shipment. But the Tinley Park parish plans to forward any late donations to another collection site.

Saints Peter and Paul also held a pierogi sale last week to raise relief funds.

People were coming from everywhere, Sendeha said. We ran out of food very fast, but they kept coming. They just wanted to talk, to hug our people and to tell them that they stand with us.

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Sendeha said people are also praying at the church as they learn more about the Orthodox branch of Christianity.

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They want to do something. They want to volunteer, he said. They just feel a relief by working physically and spending time with one another while they do something for Ukraine.

The Rev. Ted Ostrowski, the chaplain for Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, blesses medical supplies before they are shipped to Ukraine. (Fransican Health)

Franciscan Health in Olympia Fields contributed to more than 100,000 pounds of medical supplies sent to Ukraine by the medical group, working with the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America. That effort started just a week ago at Franciscan Health Dyer but quickly grew across the Franciscan group, including Chicagos south suburbs, according to a news release. The shipments also included prayer cards from the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, Franciscan staff and others.

How to help

Kahler recommends those looking to support Ukrainians find local relief agencies. The Red Cross is a great start, he said. MedGlobal is also taking support and will have direct contacts after this trip. The organization will collect items such as powdered infant formula and diapers, as well as monetary donations. For more information, go to medglobal.org.

People also can donate to the Ukrainian Medical Association online at umana.org or deliver medical supplies (orthopedics, wound care, surgery supplies) directly to its warehouse in Bensenville. Contact Dr. Mariya Dmytriv-Kapeniak at 773-858-7639 or Olga Maihutiak 630-632-9307 for logistics.

Saints Peter and Paul church is still accepting donations in its ongoing effort to support Ukraine. The churchs Facebook page is regularly updated with the latest needs. Several organizations have noted clothes are not needed at this time.

Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
A federal appeals court wont immediately force Arizonas Medicaid program to pay for gender reassignment surgery for a transgender male.

In an extensive ruling Thursday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the male, identified only as John Doe, had failed to show that chest reduction surgery was medically necessary to deal with his gender dysphoria.

Judge Consuelo Callahan, writing for the three-judge panel, also pointed out that Doe is only 17. And she said there is evidence that some teen transgender males go back to acting as females on their own, regardless of whether they have surgery to alter the appearance of the top half of their bodies.

But Thursdays ruling does not mean the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System is off the legal hook and that its policy against funding gender reassignment surgery is legal. All it means is that the court will not order the surgery performed now while the case is pending in federal court in Tucson.

Potentially more significant, Callahan said there is case law that says federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination also cover issues of discrimination against transgender individuals. And she told U.S. District Judge Scott Rash to consider that when he ultimately decides whether Doe is entitled to state-funded surgery.

Thursdays ruling came a day after the state Senate Judiciary Committee voted to make it illegal for doctors to perform irreversible gender reassignment surgery on minors.

Attorney Asaf Orr with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, who is representing Doe, said if that measure becomes law it would be subject to the same kind of legal challenge of illegal sex discrimination that is at issue in this case. He said thats because proposed Arizona law does not preclude doctors from performing other kinds of surgery on minors, meaning the only reason for that new law would be to discriminate against transgender individuals.

Orr said if Doe wins a court order for AHCCCS to fund the surgery and the state law becomes an obstacle, the state then would be required to pay for the procedure to be performed in another state.

The case surrounds the rules for the AHCCCS system, which provides health care to people who meet certain income requirements.

Among the exclusions are abortions, cosmetic surgeries and hysterectomies unless determined to be medically necessary. Also not covered are gender reassignment surgeries.

AHCCCS does cover counseling and hormone therapy. But Orr said that does not excuse the agency from providing other medically necessary procedures.

In this case, Orr said, Does doctor and mental health provider recommended chest reconstruction to help further alleviate his gender dysphoria, a situation where an individual does not identify with the sex assigned at birth.

Regarding the appearance of his chest, it affects his ability to sleep, it affects his ability to function on a day-to-day basis, Orr told Capitol Media Services. He said it has resulted in some really unfortunate coping mechanisms, including self-harm.

That is why his law firm initially sought to get an immediate order for AHCCCS to pay for the surgery, Orr said.

Callahan, however, said there are several problems with that.

She said courts can grant injunctions in cases where the person filing suit wants to stop something from happening. That preserves the status quo while a case is being litigated.

In this case, however, the judge said what Doe wants is to compel AHCCCS to act even before there has been a final ruling.

Callahan acknowledged there is a separate procedure for what the courts call mandatory injunctions where a judge will order someone to do something before the case has gone to trial. But she said the standard to issue them is high.

In general, mandatory injunctions are not granted unless extreme or very serious damage will result and are not issued in doubtful cases or where the injury complained of is capable of compensation in damages, the judge wrote. She said Doe has shown no irreparable harm if he is forced to wait for the case, first filed in 2020, to make its way through the courts.

Two experts for Doe testified the top surgery is safe and effective, even for adolescents, and has been approved by various organizations including the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. But Callahan noted that AHCCCS had its own competing expert witnesses who questioned the safety and effectiveness of the procedure for treating gender dysphoria.

Then, Callahan said, there were questions about whether the dysphoria is permanent.

There are indications in the record and in the amici briefs filed in this appeal that some individuals who present as transgender during adolescence revert to their natal gender later on, regardless of whether they have had top surgery, she said.

She said there is also the question of age.

Given the evidence presented that the human brain continues to mature well into a persons twenties, it was reasonable for a district court to question whether Doe appreciated the impact of irreversible surgery and to require further counseling before authorizing surgery, Callahan wrote.

Anyway, the judge said, Doe could pay for the surgery out of pocket and, if the case goes his way, seek reimbursement from the state.

Thats not a viable option, Orr said.

Our client is a 17-year-old high school student who is receiving Medicaid, he said, meaning he lacks the resources to finance medical care.

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Some companies jump county or state lines to set up shop at MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor.

Northern Data AG is crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

The Germany-based tech company announced Wednesday that it plans to build its North American operational headquarters at MAIP, investing at least $270 million and employing 150 people at salaries reaching $140,000.

The firm unveiled the project at news conferences in Oklahoma City and Pryor.

We are excited to enter into strategic agreements with our partners of choice in Oklahoma, which marks the beginning of a new chapter of our growth story, Northern Data CEO Aroosh Thillainathan said in a statement.

The data centers are projected to be online within 24 months, and we see these innovative data centers as the cornerstone of our long-term strategy.

Our campus design is going beyond mining, extending to cloud services and even establishing a research lab dedicated to the discovery of future data processing applications.

In short, this new alliance promises to be mutually beneficial to both Northern Data and its strategic partners in Oklahoma for years to come.

Operator of 10 data centers six countries, Northern Data will locate on a 116-acre campus featuring a Tier 3-ready data center infrastructure that will serve as a hub for introduction of value generating high performance computing  or HPC  data centers.

The company will buy an existing 100,000-square-foot building at MAIP before constructing a series of roughly 150,000-square-foot centers within five years, Thillainathan said.

MidAmericas sole purpose since its inception in 1960 is to benefit Oklahoma and the local community by increasing employees wages, as well as increasing property tax values through capital investment, MAIP CEO David Stewart said at the event in Pryor.

Over the past 10 years, we have invested over $20 million in roads, $10 million in water and waste facilities, $15 million in education and $15 million in various spec buildings, one of which is being purchased by our new employer.

All of these investments played a major role in Northern Datas decision to locate at MidAmerica.

Northern Data President Christopher Yoshida, who has known Oklahoma Department of Commerce Secretary Scott Mueller about a decade, said the deal came together in a matter of months.

Its a relationship, Yoshida said. Its a partnership. Weve been able to become a part of the community the last six months.

To call this our North American campus is an incredibly powerful statement for a company of our size. Its going to nearly double the entirety of the company.

Northern Data eventually wants to employ 300 in Oklahoma.

This investment is a considerable win for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and our efforts to attract another high-growth company and partner of choice to the state, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement. We have engaged with many HPC data center companies looking at Oklahoma.

Northern Data is different. They have demonstrated a clear best in class approach with their proven business model. Their initial investment and plans for significant future growth, along with a strong commitment to being a great corporate partner, makes Northern Data an outstanding addition to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma is well prepared to compete in the global economy through strategic investments in our infrastructure and assets, like Grand River Dam Authority. Northern Datas selection of Oklahoma for its North American Operational Headquarters further solidifies our growing reputation as a pro-business state ideal for a premier global tech and innovation hub.

The GRDA is committed to providing the company with up to 250 megawatts of power monthly, the equivalent of powering roughly 225,000 homes.

The data center at the MidAmerica Industrial Park will be built in a modular structure, with each part serving as a self-contained system that can be scaled quickly to market. The facility will be customized with up to 50 megawatts of electricity per building, allowing each to grow with emerging businesses.

Mueller said he visited Northern Datas HPC operations in Europe and was impressed by the companys passion and quality of work.

They are executing on a strategic plan built around operating quality data centers that enable true cloud computing services, clearly going beyond providing just cash-rich proof of work for blockchain, a type of shared database, he said in a statement.

Bringing such a high-profile technology company to our state is a great boost to our economy and a tremendous opportunity for the Oklahomans they will employ. I look forward to working together closely with the Northern Data team in the years to come.

The company will begin its start-up phase the second quarter of this year in an existing building before starting to construct other buildings upon the start of operations later in 2022.

In the last 10 years, business is changing, Stewart said. Companies are taking a harder look at the Midwest. Companies like Northern Data now see the benefit of infrastructure investment.  Investments in reliable water and power are now more critical than ever.

The 9,000-acre park already is home to search engine giant Google, which has invested more than $3 billion into Oklahoma since building its first facility in Pryor in 2011.

Electric vehicle start-up Canoo announced plans last year to build a factory in Pryor, investing close to half a billion dollars, according to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Our strategy is, when we talk to international companies that are looking for a U.S. presence, there is no better state to locate than the state of Oklahoma for a variety of different reasons, Stitt said. The location, No. 1. To get your goods and products around the country, we are the best location of anywhere in the country.

Stitt said the state is focused on attracting high-tech jobs.

My goal is to increase median income in Oklahoma, Stitt said, adding that companies like Northern Data will drive incomes up.

Mueller said salaries were expected to range from $80,000 to $140,000.

He said the state did not offer any incentives to the company but that he expects it to take advantage of the states Quality Jobs Act, which provides cash payments to companies that create well-paying jobs and promote economic development.

Barbara Hoberock contributed to this story.

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More than 60 employers with jobs to fill will be at Thursdays Tulsa World Career Fair. They are hiring for customer service, sales, manufacturing, administrative, trucking and more.

The fair is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. It is free and open to the public.

The career fair will be in the Central Park Hall at Expo Square, 1701 S. Sandusky Ave.

For years, Tulsa World Media Co. has hosted Tulsas largest career fair, said Bernie Heller, Tulsa World Media Co. president. By providing a space where companies with positions can connect with job seekers, everyone wins.

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Bring me my ranch dressing hose!  Homer Simpson

As a nation of immigrants, we have embraced many other countries dressings: Italian, French, Russian and the mysterious Thousand Islands. But by falling in love with a creamy buttermilk dressing with roots in California, we created the ultimate American dressing.

What is it about ranch dressing that makes us love it so? Like, hundreds of thousands of gallons so.

Ranch dressing started as a salad topper, but the condiment has gone way beyond, becoming the perfect pairing for pizza, chicken wings (sorry, blue cheese), carrot sticks and French fries. My son saves a pile of pizza bones until the end of the meal for dunking in ranch dressing.

But really, does the tangy, addictive, creamy condiment come from an actual ranch? As it turns out, yes, from the Hidden Valley Guest Ranch just outside Santa Barbara, California.

Nebraska-born Steve Henson and his wife, Gayle, bought the run-down property (formerly known as Sweetwater Ranch) in 1954. At the ranch, guests enjoyed the great outdoors by day and home-cooked meals by night, according to the Hidden Valley website. But it was something else that brought them back again and again: delicious, homemade buttermilk salad dressing made with a special blend of herbs and spices, lovingly prepared by the proprietor  the Original Ranch dressing.

In the early days, the dressing was merely a local delicacy, but guests at the ranch were soon asking for jars to take home, so the proprietors started packaging the spice blend for customers to mix at home with their own buttermilk. The spice packets eventually found their way onto local supermarket shelves, and shoppers could stock their pantries with the mixture.

In 1972, the Clorox Company bought the Hidden Valley Ranch brand for $8 million. According to the company, scientists at Clorox had to reformulate the original recipe to make it both shelf-stable and easier to use at home, meaning they wanted to eliminate the need to buy buttermilk to mix the dressing. The breakthrough came in 1983, with the debut of bottled Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.

Ranch dressing has also found its way into other markets  ranch-flavored chips, sodas, ice cream and more have been spotted in the marketplace. There is a ranch-themed restaurant in St. Louis that offers over two dozen varieties of dressing. Hidden Valley sells ranch-themed clothing on their website for extreme ranch fans, including a lettermans jacket and a bathing suit lettered with I put ranch on my ranch. And there is even a ranch dressing-flavored soda on the market.

NPR was correct when posting the tagline Americans are floating in a pool of ranch dressing. We love it. We love it so much that now it outranks ketchup as the No. 1 dressing and condiment. The global information company The NPD Group reported that bottled ranch dressing is the No. 1 dressing shipped to United States cafeterias, restaurants and institutions. Its sales and shipping doubles that of its closest competitor, blue cheese, and no one even talks about Italian dressing anymore (Ranch overtook it in popularity back in 1992).

Ranch dressing has won the popularity contest for salad toppers for years now, and because its so adaptable, the NPD Group dubbed it the Swiss Army knife of salad dressings. It might even be the new ketchup, as people dip their wings, fries and even  or should I say especially  pizza in the creamy dressing. Home cooks rub ranch seasoning onto chicken, stir it into soups and stews, bake it into macaroni and cheese and sprinkle it over popcorn. Some diehards buy it by the keg or offer ranch fountains at special events.

Stuart Myers, vice president of sales and marketing for Mazzios, calls it Oklahoma ketchup. According to Myers, Mazzios Cor. sells 200,000 gallons of ranch per year at its 112 locations. That amounts to 5 gallons a day at each location. We receive up to 20 requests per week from customers asking for the dressing to be sold in stores, Myers added. Weve looked at creating a shelf-stable product, but once the preservatives are added, it changes the flavor profile. That flavor is sacred to the Mazzios family, but well keep working on it. For the time being, customers will have to buy their favorite ranch in-house.

Hideaway Pizza may not have invented ranch dressing, but the Oklahoma-based pizza company has sure put their version of the creamy sauce in the running as the best. Folks around the state have been dipping wedges into Hideaways dressing for years  originally, creamy Italian was the preference, but now ranch tops the charts. We didnt invent it, but we may have perfected it, said Jenny Grisby, Hideaways digital marketing director. It was a dressing; now its a side. Hideaways numbers rival Mazzios, with each restaurant dipping out a little over 5 gallons of ranch per week.

Ask almost anyone in town about their favorite ranch, and odds are, they will say its either Mazzios or Hideaway. The equally delicious versions are made with a proprietary spice blend, food service-grade mayo and buttermilk. But no matter how hard I try, the best I can do when making it at home is to get close.

Making homemade ranch is a guaranteed step up from any bottled variety. The first four ingredients in a bottle of Hidden Valley Original Ranch are vegetable oil, water, egg yolk and sugar. The typical bottle of ranch dressing also includes phosphoric acid, xanthan gum and MSG  things Henson probably wasnt adding back at the ranch in 1954. Since many households consume the creamy dressing by the gallon, why not make it from scratch? And order pizza tonight.

Homemade Ranch Seasoning

Makes 1 cup

This homemade version takes mere minutes and uses up pantry staples you may already have on hand. Use the mix to make a quick dressing or dip or any recipe that calls for ranch dressing seasoning. Dried buttermilk is available in most grocery stores in the baking aisle.

1 cup dry buttermilk

4 tablespoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons dried chives

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 teaspoons garlic powder

4 teaspoons onion flakes

2 teaspoons dried dill

1 teaspoons ground black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse all ingredients until well combined, about 1 minute. Transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Makes about 1 cups

We make a batch of homemade ranch dressing at least once a week. To make a thicker dip, reduce the amount of milk to  cup.

 cup mayonnaise

 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons ranch seasoning

-1 cup milk

Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream and seasoning. Whisk in milk until dressing reaches desired consistency. Transfer to a jar or bottle and refrigerate for up to a week.

Baked Ranch Pretzels

Makes 4 cups

These savory snacks will be gone in a flash. I first learned of the recipe from my good friends teenage daughter at the lake and have craved them ever since.

 cup (1 stick) butter

1 bag (16 ounces) pretzel twists

2 tablespoons ranch seasoning

Heat oven to 300.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan or the microwave. Scatter the pretzels on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Drizzle the melted butter over the pretzels and sprinkle with the ranch seasoning. Toss well to coat each pretzel with butter and seasoning. Bake the pretzels for 15 minutes. Stir the pretzels and bake for 15 minutes more. The pretzels will crisp as they cool. Store cooled pretzels in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Breaded Ranch Chicken

Serves 4 to 6

Serve with creamy pasta or mashed potatoes.

 cup unsalted butter, melted

 cup Panko breadcrumbs

 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons ranch seasoning (or one envelope of ranch salad dressing mix)

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Place butter in a shallow bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs, cheese and salad dressing mix in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken in butter, then roll it in the cornflake mixture to coat.

Place chicken in a baking dish and bake, uncovered, until cooked through and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

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A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a civil rights lawsuit filed by the estate of a man who died by suicide in the Tulsa County Jail.

U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson granted a summary judgment Friday to Sheriff Vic Regalado in his official capacity in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Ralph Hall Holland Jr., 48.

Tulsa police arrested Holland Nov. 27, 2013, after a domestic disturbance. A warrant for his arrest also had been issued in another county on an assault and battery charge, according to court records.

Jail workers discovered Holland dead in his cell on Dec. 1, 2013.

The lawsuit, filed in 2016 in federal court after it was removed from state court, initially named former Sheriff Stanley Glanz both in his individual and official capacities, along with Armor Correctional Health Services, the jails medical provider at the time.

The lawsuit claimed that Holland died after his ex-wife told jail workers that he needed to take medications that could cause severe side effects, including increased suicidal tendencies, if abruptly stopped.

Johnson noted in his order that the plaintiff had missed filing deadlines in the case. He also wrote that the plaintiff never presented any supporting evidence, such as a telephone record.

Plaintiff also fails to show how this singular phone call and alleged inaction fits into a larger jail policy, custom, or practice, Johnson said.

Armor, along with charges against Glanz in his individual capacity, were previously dismissed from the lawsuit by a judge.

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After an hourslong standoff at an Edmond hotel Tuesday, police arrested a suspect in the killing of a construction worker in Tulsa nearly a week before.

Five days after the investigation began into Tulsas 15th homicide this year, the Tulsa Police Department was alerted that the suspect was hiding out at a hotel near Interstate 35 and Route 66  Second Street in Edmond  about 100 miles southwest of Tulsa.

Ollie Harris, 35, accused in the slaying of James Kinnard, engaged officers from both the Edmond and Tulsa police departments for several hours before he was taken into custody, Tulsa police said in a social media post.

Police say Kinnard, 59, was doing remodeling work Thursday on a house in the 800 block of 53rd Street North when he got into an argument with Harris. According to police, the two knew each other.

Harris is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted burglary and possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Oklahoma County jail about 11 p.m. Tuesday but will be brought back to Tulsa.

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The Epic Charter Schools Board of Education just took another major step away from the vision of the large charter school systems ousted founders.

School board members voted unanimously Wednesday evening on a resolution calling for the merger of the Epic charter school systems two separate schools  Epic One-on-One and Epic Blended Learning Centers  into a single school by June 30.

Consolidation will not change anything we do for students, said Epic Superintendent Bart Banfield. Consolidation has the potential to provide $4 million to $8 million in cost savings, from fewer administrative fees, technology fees and time savings. We are confident consolidation will be a great change that will ultimately result in a reinvestment into the experiences of both our students and our families.

Co-founders Ben Harris and David Chaney lost control of Epic in the aftermath of an extremely critical investigative audit by the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspectors Office, which uncovered years of illegal administrative cost overruns, comingling of funds that should have been kept separate by Epics two Oklahoma schools, and the use of Oklahoma taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded school employees for a third Epic charter school operating in Southern California.

As previously reported by the Tulsa World, a years-long investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has just been completed, and a district attorney is considering whether criminal charges should be filed. Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service has just launched an audit of Epic.

The plan to consolidate Epics two Oklahoma schools into a single one sponsored by the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board was publicly unveiled last month.

The bulk of the potential cost savings would come from discontinuing payment of sponsorship fees to Rose State College, which is compensated for its authorization of Epic Blended Learning Centers. That Epic school was established to offer students in Tulsa and Oklahoma counties the flexibility to complete their online learning from home or at an Epic facility.

Epic officials said Wednesday evening that they will be requesting that State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister determine whether consolidation is feasible.

If approved, Epic will form a transition team to assure parents at both schools that services for students remain unchanged and that Epic will have to undergo a close-out audit of both its schools finances.

The idea to streamline administration and simplify Epics governance structure was born of school leaders efforts to comply with a deal they cut to stop the statewide virtual boards plan to terminate Epic One-on-Ones contract over the state audit findings, which also included a host of violations of One-on-Ones contract.

Banfield told the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board at its February meeting that Epic has struggled to come into full compliance with a consent agreement made last year to separate all administrative functions and governance of its two schools.

Our goal was to ensure the (two schools) operated separately, Banfield said last month. But the reality is  were not there. Were not interested in partial compliance  98% is not good enough; 99% is not good enough. We are committed to being in 100% compliance with the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board.

Asked for a comment on Wednesday, the chair of the statewide virtual board said: Weve been dogged about our intentions to get Epic to full compliance. Theyve made significant moves toward that  divested from the (former, for-profit) school management company, commissioned a new board, put in place new internal controls between the two current schools.

Their consolidation plan would be a big step toward them achieving full compliance, said Robert Franklin, assistant superintendent at Tulsa Tech.

Franklin referred to the Epic Board of Education members voting to sever ties in May with co-founders Harris and Chaney and Epic Youth Services, the school management company they set up simultaneously with Epic to turn a profit from the charter school system.

Epics school board has since completely overhauled its membership to ensure independence and has been working with an outside consultant to identify new members to expand from its original panel of five members to nine.

The board voted to seat two new members on Wednesday evening  Ed Long, chief impact officer at Metafund Impact Investing, and Trevor Hammons, an environmental attorney who previously had a child enrolled at Epic.

That brings the boards current membership to seven.

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Former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon is expected to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate at a 1 p.m. Thursday press conference at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City.

Shannon, 44, is expected to enter the race to succeed U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, who has tendered his resignation effective at the end of the current Congress with four years left on his term.

In 2013, Shannon became the first Black person to serve as Oklahoma speaker of the House. He resigned the position a little over a year later to enter the Republican primary to succeed U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, who submitted notice of his intention to retire in a manner similar to Inhofe.

Shannon ultimately lost in a runoff with then-Congressman James Lankford.

Since then, Shannon, who is also of Chickasaw ancestry, has been involved in banking while remaining active politically. He had been widely mentioned as a potential primary challenger to Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The Republican field to replace Inhofe officially includes 2nd District Congressman Markwayne Mullin, former Inhofe Chief of Staff Luke Holland and state Sen. Nathan Dahm.

Sources close to 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern said Wednesday that he is still contemplating a run.

Former Congressman J.C. Watts reportedly gave the race serious consideration but ultimately decided against it.

Enid attorney Stephen Jones has asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to halt the special election process, arguing that Inhofes successor cant be chosen until he actually leaves office.

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Public school parents would get a tax credit for giving their kids teachers a little extra money under legislation passed Wednesday by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

House Bill 3351, by Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, would allow a 100% credit on donations of up to $1,000 per child to what amounts to bonuses for specified teachers. The credits would be capped at a total of $5 million per year.

Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, who is carrying the bill for McCall, said there are some potential problems with the proposal, but he said those should not be allowed to make perfect the enemy of the good.

I dont think this is an end-all, be-all, said Echols. I agree  there needs to be  continued investment in education. Its not a one-size fits-all. But I do believe what would happen as a result of this bill is that more money would go to education.

The concern was that most of the money would go to schools that need it the least  those with parents who could afford to contribute the $1,000 per child maximum.

Wouldnt you agree this might end up increasing the inequities we already see between (schools) whose parents can already do something like this and parents who dont have the means to increase their childs teachers salary? asked Minority Floor Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman.

Echols said there are other ways to address low-income districts.

Under the terms of the bill, the contributions could only be made anonymously, only by parents and only for the benefit of specific teachers. It would leave determining the details of the transactions to the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

Several members were skeptical that the identity of donors could remain secret, with one representative speculating that the bonuses could cause faculty infighting over the children of a communitys best-heeled residents. Others questioned the possibility of favoritism  or the expectation of favoritism  based on which parents contributed the most.

Echols said he didnt believe that parents, by and large, would try to manipulate teachers through the program.

The bill passed 71-24, with a handful of Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition, and now heads to the Senate.

Also passed and sent to the Senate Wednesday:

Two more bills that deal with voting and elections. They passed amid overarching discussions about whether these and similar measures knocking around the Capitol would actually enhance Oklahomans confidence in the system or undermine it.

I find it kind of funny that the party that loses all the elections in this state is the one defending the election system, said Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City.

HB 3046, by Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, would ban private money from the states election apparatus.

According to state officials, local election boards received about $3.5 million in grants during the 2020 election cycle to help pay for the additional costs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Much larger sums went into swing states that helped decide the elections outcome, with Wisconsins Republican-controlled Legislature in particular zeroing in on grants to areas that voted Democratic.

Lepak said the use of private money is bad optics and sows distrust.

Democrats didnt disagree but doubted that the Republican-led Legislature would make up for the lost grants. They pointed out that more than half the states counties, many of them with heavy Republican concentrations, received the grants.

It was unclear to what extent the grants were one-time requests related to the added expense of holding a national election in the middle of a pandemic.

HB 3364, by Rep. Eric Roberts, R-Oklahoma City, would add a step to requesting an absentee ballot through the State Election Boards voter portal by a requiring a unique identifying number.

Roberts said the step is similar to one required for other services offered through the portal, such as changing party registration, and would help verify the identity of the person requesting the ballot.

Democrats argued that mail-in absentee voters already must verify their identity through notarization of the ballot.

HB 4386, by Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, would give a 35% pay raise to every Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer.

Featured video: Tulsa World Opinion: The craziness of our Legislature

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A sad reality of war are refugees who scramble for safety into foreign lands. They bring few possessions and often face a new culture and language.

The diaspora of people brings an immediate, and often generational, trauma. It changes the trajectory of families and countries. They depend on the kindness of others to survive.

Tulsa figures into this path by welcoming 850 refugees from Afghanistan about five months ago. As journalist Tim Stanley reported, its taken a collaboration of nonprofit, private and public partners to help people displaced by the prolonged Middle East conflicts. Oklahoma accepted 1,800 refugees, the most per capita of any state.

Catholic Charities and Congregation Bnai Emunah are working together as the approved resettlement agencies to find refugee families homes, basic necessities and work. Its a tough and long transition. But children are entering public schools, and parents are getting job placements.

We are proud that our city and state stepped up to accept this responsibility. The work provides an example of how diverse people can come together around shared values and a common goal.

Russia has now created more refugees with its unprovoked attack on the democratic, sovereign nation of Ukraine.

Since the invasion, 2 million Ukrainians have sought safety in surrounding countries. Poland has taken in the most at about 1 million.

In a heartbreaking photo taken by The Associated Press and circulating online, strollers have been left at entrance points in Poland for the Ukrainian mothers who have been carrying their babies and young children. Its a beautiful reminder of humanity and compassion for strangers.

European countries are loosening restrictions on entry and considering other changes for longer-term stays on visas. Humanitarian aid is being sent to cities swamped with those seeking safety.

Since the attack began, hundreds of thousands of displaced Ukrainians have arrived in the city of Lviv, Ukraine, straining resources there. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees says there could be more than 1 million Ukrainians fleeing war within their own countrys borders, though it is difficult to verify the number.

Many refugees from Ukraine plan to return, optimistic that their people will beat back Russian troops. We share in this hope.

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Fourteen luxury vehicles were reported stolen March 7, 2022, from The Auto Barn Collection dealership in Evanston. The total value of the stolen cars is estimated at nearly $1 million. (Brian L. Cox / Pioneer Press)

A band of thieves broke into a used luxury car dealership in Evanston earlier this week and reportedly stole 14 vehicles valued collectively at almost $1 million, and the co-owner said Wednesday he is still astounded by the brazen crime.

It sucks, said Sam Mustafa, co-owner of The Auto Barn Collection car dealership, at 1910 Greenwood St.. This isnt real. This is crazy. Im still in shock with my showroom being empty.

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According to Evanston police, thieves broke a window to gain entry into the dealership at around 2 a.m. Monday, then broke into an office safe where keys for the luxury vehicles were kept. Authorities said the crime was captured on security video, which shows six people wearing hooded shirts and masks breaking into the dealership through a front window, ripping an alarm off a wall then calmly driving off in the vehicles.

The criminals returned to the dealership three times that early morning and, Mustafa said, got 14 vehicles: a blue 2019 Audi A7, a black 2016 Audi A7, a black 2017 Mercedes AMG, two black 2015 Mercedes S550s, a black 2020 BMW X3, a white 2018 Maserati Levante, a white 2019 Audi Q8, a white 2018 Dodge Durango, a red 2018 Porsche Cayman, a black 2017 Mercedes S550, a gray 2017 Porsche Panamera, a white 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a white 2013 Bentley GTC.

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Mustafa said the combined value of the vehicles is around $932,000. He said the most expensive car was the Bentley, which he said was worth $102,000.

Were a small business, he said. Its tough. Its going to take several months to rebound from this.

Police said they are investigating the crime and said they believe it was well planned. As of Wednesday, police said no arrests have been made.

Theres elements of this incident that would lend itself to it being more than a smash and grab,  said Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew. We are looking at a number of leads determining if someone that was there before and had knowledge of the area, or the facility, that they might have been involved. Right now, the investigation is open, but I wouldnt characterize that we have a suspicion that it was an inside job. 

He also said Evanston police are working with a regional task force that has been investigating vehicle thefts across Chicago and the suburbs, and that while many times stolen vehicles are used in other crimes, like robberies and drive-by shootings, the Auto Barn thefts appear to be different.

If we start locating these cars, we know its more consistent with the motives for most of these incidents, Glew said. If the vehicles do not turn up in that fashion that would indicate the cars were stolen for the cars themselves, not necessarily to be used in other crimes.

The auto thefts Monday follow a recent uptick in stolen vehicles reported in Evanston since the start of the year. There were 13 reported motor vehicle thefts in Evanston in January compared with eight in January 2021, Glew previously told Pioneer Press.

Last month, there were at least eight reported vehicle thefts, according to published police reports. Evanston police issued a public advisory calling for people to not leave their running vehicles unattended, and not leave the keys inside even when parked.

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It appears that a lot of this is a crime of opportunity, Glew said last month. That is a trend that is over the entire Chicagoland area.

Mustafa said he expects that insurance will cover much of the loss from the theft at his dealership, but he also bristles when he hears these kinds of incidents described as a victimless crime.

I hate hearing that, he said. Its not as simple as insurance paying out and life goes on.

He said insurance may not fully cover this loss.

Theres a victim. People are left holding the bill. Thats exactly what happened, the dealership co-owner said.

Brian L. Cox is a freelancer.
Tulsa could see 2-3 inches of snow Thursday night into Friday, but impacts look to be minor with this event, forecasters said.

Rain showers Thursday night into Friday are forecast to transition to a narrow period of a wintry mix before becoming mainly snow from north to south, the National Weather Service in Tulsa said.

At this time, the greater potential for accumulations looks to be along and north of Interstate 40 with generally 1 to 2 inches and locally higher possible.

There is also a small window for ice accumulations Thursday night into Friday morning with up to a few hundredths of an inch possible across mainly parts of east central and southeast Oklahoma.

Continue to monitor latest forecast updates as these accumulations and locations are refined. Precipitation should taper off Friday afternoon and exit by early Friday evening as a mid-level low pressure system departs the region.

Overall, impacts look to be minor with this event.

Clearing skies Friday night along with the cold conditions will push wind chill values into the single digits and teens across the region early Saturday, forecasters said.

These cold conditions are expected to be short-lived with a return of gusty southerly winds and much warmer temperatures Sunday into next week, the weather service said.

The winter storm system would be the fourth in the state since early February.

Tulsa received 8.7 inches of snow and sleet  mainly sleet in the last winter storm in late February  last month, according to the weather service.

The city averages 3.1 inches of rain and 1.9 inches of snow in March, according to the weather service.

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Food delivery partners with Be Group gathered at the ride-hailing firms headquarters on Wednesday to demand the return of deductions that the Ho Chi Minh City-based company made over one-sided accusations of cheating a reward scheme.

Canh, a delivery partner of BeFood, is one of dozens of partners who congregated at the companys headquarters on Wednesday to protest its unilateral decision to deduct money from the partners accounts on grounds of suspected cheating.

BeFood is a local food delivery launched two weeks ago by Be Group.

To celebrate the launch of BeFood, Be Group ran a program to reward partners with VND5,000 (US$0.22) for each completed order. It also offered discounts to customers.

According to the programs guidelines, partners were eligible for a reward only if they called customers to confirm each order, as well as took pictures of the order both before and after delivery.

Now, two weeks since the launch of the program, dozens of partners claim that Be Group has not refunded money advanced for customer orders.

A food delivery partner shows his negative partnership account balance in front of Be Groups headquarters in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, March 9, 2022. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

The company also sent a notice to partners asking for verification of orders valued at VND150,000 ($6.6) or more within seven days.

Those who complied with the request claim that they still had funds deducted from their accounts, with many noting their accounts now show a negative balance.

The company said that the deductions were applied because of cheating but didnt offer any evidence, said Canh.

The cheating Canh was referring to is the conjecture that many partners made fake orders and falsified proof of delivery in order to receive monetary rewards from Be Group.

Canh was requested to clarify 58 orders in total and his partnership account currently shows a negative balance of more than VND4 million ($175).

Tran Thanh Tu, another BeFood partner who had VND55,000-115,000 ($2.4-5) taken from his account balance for ten orders, said Be Groups accusations were unjustifiable.

Food delivery partners show notifications of deductions on their partnership account balances in front of Be Groups headquarters in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, March 9, 2022. Photo: Cong Trung / Tuoi Tre

BeFoods order control process is very strict, with orders automatically distributed by the company to partners so that its almost impossible for us to place fake ones and take advantage of the firms rewards, Tu said.

In response to a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper request for comment on Wednesday afternoon, a representative of Be Group affirmed that a certain number of partners violated its operating principles by creating fake orders and staging invalid trips to cheat its reward scheme.

Be Group also clarified that some cases were not cheating and those partners would receive their due rewards on March 15.

Meanwhile, some partners told Tuoi Tre on the same afternoon that Be Group continued to ask them for further clarification after Wednesday mornings gathering and promised a refund on March 15 once their trips are proved valid.

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The Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas) has raised its voice on a suspected cashew nut export scam as some Vietnamese exporters have lost control over bills of lading for 36 containers of cashew nuts shipped to Italy and Turkey, with the combined value of US$7 million.

The association released the information on Wednesday evening at a press conference, where its standing vice-president Bach Khanh Nhut confirmed the total contract value of the 36 shipping containers at about $7.025 million.

Vinacas said it had received a petition from the exporters seeking support in the settlement of the incident.

The shipping lines related to these exports include Cosco, Yangming, HMM, and One, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The 36 containers were part of a total of 100 containers for which the exporters had signed contracts through a broker, Ho Chi Minh City-based Kim Hanh Viet One Member Co. Ltd., using the documents against payment (D/P) method, according to Vinacas.

Among the 36 containers, 34 were sent to Italy and the rest were shipped to Turkey, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper cited Nhut as saying.

The loss of control of these commodities occurred last month, Vinacas said.

Service banks in Vietnam said that they had transferred all the original documents of the 36 containers through an international express courier to banks designated by importers in Italy and Turkey, but these lenders said they had merely received the photocopies of the bills of lading.

As such, the exporters are facing a loss of $7.025 million as they are unable to verify the original documents, Nhut said.

Vinacas have worked with all the related Vietnamese banks, exporters, and shipping lines but the whereabouts of the original shipping paperwork remain unknown.

In addition, apathetic and unclear responses from banks in Italy make the case even more complicated, he added.

Currently, we are on tenterhooks because anyone holding the original documents can present them to the carriers to pick up the cargoes, Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper cited the appeal of the exporters concerned.

Vinacas has yet to disclose the names of the exporters and the banks involved.

The matter becomes urgent because two or three containers have reached a port in Italy, and the remaining will arrive this month," Nhut explained.

"Meanwhile, the shipping firms still stick to international practices, meaning whoever has the original documents will receive the goods.

If they do not deliver the goods, the person who has the original documents will have enough grounds to sue the shipping firms.

If it is true that the bank in Italy has received the photocopies only, then there might be an intervention by a criminal organization that replaced the originals with the copies during the delivery process."

Given this suspected scam, Vinacas has sent an urgent notice to the Vietnamese Embassy and the Trade Office of Vietnam in Italy, asking them to coordinate with competent authorities and talk with shipping lines so that they do not deliver the commodities to those consignees carrying the original bills of lading.

Some related businesses have got in touch with the owner of the brokerage firm, who is said to stay in the U.S. at the moment, but the information exchanged between them was quite sparse, prompting some of them to cast doubt on its involvement in the scam, Vinacas said.

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A team of six students from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport has just unveiled a model of a remote-controlled life preserver, the first of its kind from Vietnam.

The prototype of the motorized life preserver is an achievement of six young men: Bui Hoang Son, Tran Nhat Tri, Vo Truong Giang, Ho Dac Nguyen, Huyen Tran Ngoc Thinh, and Nguyen Minh Toan. T

hey are all students of the universitys Faculty of Marine Engineering.

Yearning for change

Among the six team members, three are from the south-central province of Phu Yen, which is hit by floods every year.

They have even personally seen some people in need during the floods without being able to help.

Nguyen said he read and found it really heartbreaking that thousands of children drown every year in Vietnam.

Before participating in the project to make the remote-controlled life preserver, each of them had their own projects related to marine engineering.

Prof. Dr. Vu Ngoc Bich, the professor responsible for leading the team, knew that his students had already conducted research on floating submarines and diving robots.

When Dr. Bich met with them, he suggested they design something more practical and useful, such as a life preserver.

The teacher's suggestion sparked the creative ideas of the young men, as some of them had thought about it before.

The team spent a lot of time reading scientific papers. Although remote-controlled life preservers have been manufactured for many years, there are none made in Vietnam.

Given what others had done with this device so far, the team designed a motorized life preserver model that can be controlled remotely.

While they are learning in District 12, the lab where they can do the project is located in Binh Thanh District, about a dozen kilometers apart, they can just spend time together after school to work on it. Fortunately, they are actively supported by their university.

Nguyen Huy Minh, the teacher in charge of the Aerodynamics Laboratory of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering under the Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport, has helped the team to be able to do research in the lab on weekends.

"As young men, we are excited about the projec," Giang said.

"We challenged each other to finish the prototype and did our best around the clock.

"Finally, our very first model of the life preserver was unveiled after only six days, even though it was a simple version."

Hoping to save lives

The life preserver is U-shaped and has a composite body. It has a slightly pointed head, making it easier to move, especially in strong flowing tides, according to the team's explanation.

The device is equipped with two battery-powered motors and is pushed by two propellers.

The operator can remotely control the life preserver from shore via a piece of equipment installed in its nose.'

According to Son, who tested the life preserver in a real-life lake environment and in the Saigon River, the device's battery life is about 37 minutes.

With a length of 1.1 meters and a width of 0.8 meters, the total weight of the life preserver is about 15 kilograms. It can move at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour.

Test results showed that within the device's potential wireless range of about 500 meters, three people in danger can be lifted at the same time.

The students know that a rescue team in one province has imported a remote-controlled life preserver at a cost of more than a hundred million Vietnamese dong. (US$1 = VND23,000)

Their device could cut the price in half and even be cheaper in mass production, according to their calculations.

At an innovation competition for students last year, the team took second place with their remote-controlled life preserver model.

It was the first time they had brought the device to a contest, which is why the award inspires the members so much.

"We expect that our product could be used soon," Nguyen said.

"Then we would have another useful device for rescuing victims in distress.

"The life preserver could be particularly necessary for hard-to-reach areas.

"If it can help reduce drowning deaths, we consider it a success."

Continual improvement to device

Currently, the students are looking at potential solutions to reduce the overall weight of the device in the fourth version.

This includes shrinking the case from four layers in the first version to two layers while ensuring safety.

Son said the team is trying to make the equipment lighter, faster, and with longer battery life while improving the remotely operated life preserver in the current version.

Prof. Bich said the project to make the life preserver is part of a larger scientific project he is leading at the ministry level.

It is the first model to be researched in Vietnam.

"There are several problems that need to be solved before mass production," he explained.

"One of the most important factors is optimizing the weight of the life preserver.

"The group is even thinking about using different materials to achieve this goal."

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Huynh Ngoc Thai Anh, a 31-year-old lecturer in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, has created a solar-powered trash collector made from discarded materials. His idea won first prize in an innovation contest organized by UNESCO in 2020.

The machine, WSCA2.0, floats along a river, picking up lightweight garbage, including plastic bags, bottles and boxes, paper and organic waste.

Its creator, Thai Anh, currently works at Can Tho University in Can Tho City, around 160 kilometers to the southwest of Ho Chi Minh City.

The device is powered by solar panels and operated through a smartphone.

Its appearance in the Youth Innovative Ideas for an Ocean without Plastic Program hosted by UNESCO in 2020 attracted all members of the judging board and brought home the first prize for its maker.

The solar-powered trash collecting device is seen with trash gathered inside of it in this supplied photo.

After weighing up various types of materials and the efficiency of spare parts, Anh made the machine two years ago, but has only recently put it into use due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vietnam.

WSCA2.0 is built from recycled materials, which are cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

I ran tests with different recycled materials and trialed the use of solar energy, said Anh.

I calculated its buoyancy when operating on lakes and rivers.

Besides, I was taking advice from my seniors and relied on my own expertise to make the machine controllable by a smartphone.

After many field tests, WSCA2.0 is now complete.

The trash collector has a frame and floats on it, a conveyor net and chain enhanced by inoxidable material and stainless steel, a propeller powered by a built-in accumulator battery chargeable by solar panels.

It also has a lighting system and navigation light for operation in the dark.

Huynh Ngoc Thai Anh, the 31-year-old maker of WSCA2.0, which is created from recycled materials, stands next to his machine in this supplied photo.

Users can simply drive the machine to the area of trash using their smartphones.

Trash will be sucked into a garbage compartment inside the machine, which is now in use in the Hoai River of Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam, where it is proving rather effective.

The creator is preparing to file a patent for WSCA2.0.

With more funding or sponsorship, I will produce more of these and put them into use in places like touristic areas with lots of rivers and lakes, said Anh.

This will help to clean Vietnams environment.

"With WSCA2.0, I simply try to send out the message that if I can do it, then other young people in Vietnam can.

They are totally capable of creating environmentally friendly products and take pride in things that are made in Vietnam.'

We Vietnamese can produce practical products like people in other countries, as long as we take a stride forward with confidence."

According to Tran Nguyen Minh Thu, head of the computer science department at Can Tho University, Anhs creativity is highly regarded by his employer, who provides the most conducive environment for his research and training.

Thai Anh is a passionate lecturer and much loved by his students, she said.

He particularly supports his undergraduates in their scientific research projects.

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A summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) due to be held later this month has been postponed and organisers will seek a new date, Cambodia's foreign minister told Reuters on Wednesday.

"It has been postponed to a later date because some ASEAN leaders cannot attend the meeting on the proposed dates," Minister Prak Sokhonn said in a text message. Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN.

The United States had announced the summit would be held on March 28 and 29.

But Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen suggested this week that the meeting should be delayed after some ASEAN countries had asked for it to be held two days earlier.

Indonesia, which is the coordinator of the summit, did not immediately confirm the postponement after an official earlier said options for the schedule were still being discussed.

After Hun Sen's comment, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday that Biden was looking forward to welcoming ASEAN leaders to Washington and the United States was "working closely with ASEAN to plan a successful event."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Prak Sokhonn's remark and a spokesperson for the State Department said it had nothing to add to what it said on Monday.

An Asian diplomat told Reuters on Tuesday that as far as he was aware the summit was still on and the dates were unchanged.

"I think that if 1-2 leaders have clashing schedules, they can be represented by their deputies," he said.

The summit is seen as part of U.S. efforts to step up engagement with a region Washington sees as critical to its efforts to push back against China's growing power. It had been expected earlier in the year, but was delayed by COVID-19 concerns.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last month the summit in Washington was "a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration" and that it would also commemorate 45 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in December the summit was expected to discuss the crisis caused by last year's military coup in Myanmar and issues such as pandemic recovery, climate change, investment and infrastructure.

The United States said last week it intended to follow ASEAN's lead by inviting a non-political representative from military-ruled Myanmar to the summit.
Oil prices rose on Thursday in volatile trade following a sharp drop in the previous session as the market contemplated whether major producers would boost supply to help plug the gap in output from Russia due to sanctions for its attack on Ukraine.

Brent crude futures were up $2.53, or 2.28%, at $113.67 a barrel at 0651 GMT after trading in about a $5 range. The benchmark contract slumped 13% in the previous session in its biggest one-day drop in nearly two years.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up $1.64, or 1.51%, at $110.34 a barrel, after trading in a $4 range. The contract had tumbled 12.5% in the previous session in the biggest daily decline since November.

Uncertainty over where and when supply will come from to replace crude from the world's second-largest exporter Russia in a tight market has led to wide-ranging forecasts for oil prices between $100 and $200 a barrel.

"So to suggest the oil market is confused would be an understatement as we are in an unprecedented situation," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

Comments from the United Arab Emirates energy minister and the country's ambassador to Washington sent conflicting signals.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Twitter late on Wednesday his country is committed to the existing agreement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, together called OPEC+, to ramp up oil supply by 400,000 barrels per day monthly following sharp cuts in 2020.

Just hours before, prices slumped on comments from UAE's ambassador to Washington saying his country will be encouraging OPEC to consider higher output to fill the supply gap due to sanctions on Russia after it attacked Ukraine. Russia calls its attack a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour.

The comments from UAE officials came as the market also took into account moves by the United States to ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil and efforts to seal a nuclear deal with Tehran, which could lead to more oil supply coming from Iran later this year.

Talks set for Thursday between Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers in Turkey also gave the market reason for pause.

While UAE and Saudi Arabia have spare capacity, some other OPEC+ producers are struggling to meet their output targets due to underinvestment in infrastructure over the past few years, which will limit their ability to lift output further.

"We think it will be challenging for OPEC+ to boost production in this environment," Commonwealth Bank commodities analyst Vivek Dhar said.

Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil, fuel stockpiles fell last week, adding to the worries over already tight global supplies.

Crude inventories fell by 1.9 million barrels in the week to March 4 to 411.6 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 657,000-barrel drop.

U.S. crude stocks in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 577.5 million barrels, the lowest since July 2002.
Another flight carrying 300 Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Thursday morning.

Flight QH9066 operated by Bamboo Airways arrived in Hanoi at 6:20 am, about 11 hours after departing from Warsaw, Poland.

The Vietnamese nationals on board had previously evacuated from Ukraine to Poland.

Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, March 10, 2022. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Our journey to Poland was very arduous, said Vu Thi Bang, 60, originally from northern Vietnams Nam Dinh Province.

We had to stand on a train for more than eight hours in minus 10 degrees Celsius, Bang said, adding that her family had to leave most of their belongings behind.

Bang also expressed relief that she was able to return home and thanked Vietnamese authorities, Vietnamese airlines, and the Vietnamese community in Poland for their support.

Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, March 10, 2022. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Le Thi Anh Dao, originally from Hanoi, said it took her two days to travel from Ukraine to Poland.

Dao had been staying at a refugee camp before returning to Vietnam on the repatriation flight.

She said the situation in Ukraine is the most difficult she has experienced since moving to the country in 1988.

Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, March 10, 2022. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

This is the second repatriation flight for Vietnamese evacuees from Ukraine. All costs were covered by the state.

The first flight, operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines, carried 287 passengers from Romania on Monday and landed in Hanoi on Tuesday.

About 7,000 Vietnamese people live in Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnamese children from Ukraine rest after arriving at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, March 10, 2022. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

By 4:00 pm on Wednesday, nearly 4,000 Vietnamese had left Ukraine for Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia, the Vietnam News Agency quoted Vietnamese representative agencies as saying.

Poland has so far received more than 2,400 Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine.

Russia began attacking Ukraine on February 24, saying it wanted to demilitarize and denazify the neighboring country.

Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, March 10, 2022. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, March 10, 2022. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

A Vietnamese evacuee from Ukraine passes through immigration at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, March 10, 2022. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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Here are todays leading news stories:

COVID-19 Updates

-- Nearly 37,500 students at local schools in Ho Chi Minh City were infected with COVID-19 last week, up from 19,500 cases a week earlier, the municipal Department of Health stated at a teleconference on Wednesday.

-- Southern Long An Province has become the first locality in Vietnam to allow COVID-19 patients and their direct contacts to work normally on a voluntary basis, according to a document issued by the provincial administration on Wednesday.

Society

-- Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have agreed to change the names of Thu Thiem 1, Thu Thiem 2, Thu Thiem 3, Thu Thiem 4 Bridges to Thu Thiem, Bason, Thu Ngu, and Ben Nghe, respectively.

-- The director of Lach Hoi fishing port, the largest of its kind in north-central Thanh Hoa Province, has been suspended from work for gambling, a source from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said on Wednesday.

-- Police apprehended 28 suspects who participated in illegal street racing throughout Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring Dong Nai and Binh Duong Provinces on Wednesday. Among them, five tested positive for COVID-19.

-- A truck was caught carrying nearly 1.6 metric tons of rotten suckling pigs along a street in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. The driver said he had transported the pigs from central Quang Ngai Province.

Business

-- Gasoline prices in Vietnam are expected to be VND5,000-8,000 (US$0.22-0.35)/liter higher than those in the beginning of this year following the upcoming adjustment on Friday.

-- Vietnams export-import turnover hit an estimated $108.5 billion in the first two months of 2022, up 13 percent year on year, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the General Statistics Office as saying.

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State Control, reported by Four Corners Anne Connolly, investigates Australians trapped, stripped of assets and silenced, under the control of Public Guardian and Trustee agencies.

It could happen to you, it could happen to me, it can happen to anybody. Ive seen it. Advocate, Tasmania

On Monday, a Four Corners investigation will reveal the stories of Australians who say theyve been virtually abducted by the state, stripped of their assets and stopped from speaking out, until now.

They can use your personal funds, your life savings, to fight you, to keep you entrapped in this system. Advocate, Victoria

Some 50,000 Australians are currently under the control of Public Guardian and Trustee agencies around the country. By law, these clients are banned from speaking out about what happens to them, and journalists can be fined or jailed for reporting on them. Four Corners went to court to fight for the right to have their voices heard.

They are evil. Theyre terrible. They are heartless. They are thoughtless. And theyre just money-hungry users. Former Queensland Trustee client

Four Corners has uncovered astonishing cases where individuals say they are being held against their will and prevented from living in their own homes.

I dont like being effectively locked up. I want to live in the real world where I can do the things that I have done, and would do, and will do, Im very lonely here for that reason. I dont have anybody to talk to. Trustee and Guardian client

And despite the Public Trustees express aim being to protect the health and finances of their clients, the investigation will reveal startling cases of financial mismanagement and fee gouging by these agencies around the country.

The Public Trustee are the biggest perpetrators of financial abuse of elders. And this is actually legal, and this is part of the system. So, this to me is state sanctioned elder abuse. Advocate, Queensland

This investigation, more than a year in the making, will expose how the system, designed to protect the vulnerable, does the very opposite.

Theyre a law unto themselves, theyre a power unto themselves. There needs to be some oversight into how their decisions are being made. Daughter of a Public Trustee client, Western Australia

Monday 14th March at 8.30pm on ABC.
A Round Lake Beach man held in the Lake County jail since Feb. 24 for abusing a child now faces a murder charge after a report from the Cook County medical examiner that the 6-year-old was assaulted, according to a news release from the Lake County states attorneys office.

Tracy D. Thomas Jr., 34, was charged with first-degree murder by the states attorneys office Wednesday in Waukegan upon learning from the medical examiners office the child sustained multiple injuries from an assault.

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The child died Feb. 25 from his injuries, according to the release. Thomas surrendered to police the day before after a warrant was issued charging him with aggravated battery to a child and aggravated domestic battery.

Unable to post the cash portion of his $500,000 bail, Thomas has remained in the jail since. Steve Spagnolo, a spokesperson for the states attorneys office, said the child died at Advocate Childrens Hospital in Park Ridge prompting an autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner.

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Lake County States Attorney Eric Rinehart said in the release he appreciates the work of detectives of the Round Lake Beach police department, forensic investigators and advocates of the Childrens Advocacy Center for their help with the case.

For the second time this year, our county is reeling from the murder of a child, Rinehart said in the release. Rage can never justify harm, period. Our office will not hesitate to prosecute parents and caregivers who abuse children. Our office will also continue to advocate for victims rights in the legislature and in court, and support policies that address the root causes of crime.

Authorities are not releasing the name of the child at this time.

Thomas is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court Thursday in Waukegan. He was previously charged with unrelated misdemeanors in Illinois and Georgia.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Ankara on Thursday to discuss bilateral cooperation, prospects for normalization in Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, and the Ukraine situation, the Azerbaijani leader's website said.

"Aliyev and Erdogan highlighted the importance of opening the Zangezur corridor, its future and prospects it creates for the region and the construction of the Kars-Nakhichevan railroad in this regard," a statement on Aliyev's website said.

The two presidents stressed the importance of the observance by Armenia of all the provisions of the Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, and discussed contacts between the Turkish and the Armenian delegations.

The two sides also talked about energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the successful operation of the Southern Gas Corridor, and prospects for boosting gas shipments to Turkey and Europe, it said.

It was noted in this regard that there are plans to build the Ygdyr-Nakhichevan gas pipeline, and that investments were envisaged in Azerbaijan's government budget for this purpose.

The two leaders exchanged views on the prospect of further expanding trade and economic relations between the two countries, it said.

The sides noted that cooperation in the military and military-technical field and military education and training is continuing successfully. The two leaders also discussed other issues of mutual interest, it said.

The sides exchanged views on developments in Ukraine. The sides appreciated efforts being made by both leaders to end hostilities in Ukraine as soon as possible.

Aliyev and Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the development of Azerbaijani-Turkish allied relations. Aliyev invited Erdogan to visit Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani presidential press service said.
A gift from the family of one of Americas funniest women, the collection of Erma Bombeck finds its home at the University of Dayton Libraries.

A UPS truck rounded the corner on Frericks Way on a glorious morning last spring with 78 boxes filled to the brim with artifacts reflecting a life lived with hilarity and heart. Destination: the University of Daytons archives. The original manuscripts, columns, handwritten notes, speeches, articles and memorabilia of the late Erma Fiste Bombeck 49, one of the great American humorists of the 20th century, had ended its 1,800-mile cross-country journey to her alma mater. Archivists Amy Rohmiller (left) and Kristina Schulz unpack items shipped to UD in April 2021. Its a fitting final chapter: This is where Bombeck first heard three magic words from her English professor, Brother Tom Price, S.M. 11: You can write! That encouragement catapulted a career that encompassed more than 4,500 syndicated columns about the foibles of family life and a dozen books, including nine on The New York Times Best Seller list. Forever, Erma, published after her 1996 death, also cracked the coveted list. Its been a long journey, but shes absolutely home, said son Matt Bombeck about the long-awaited arrival of Bombecks papers, in the works for more than 20 years. Its bittersweet, but we know the collection is going to the right place. We know it will be well taken care of and how special it will be to the University and to us. Its been a long journey, but shes absolutely home. Its bittersweet, but we know the collection is going to the right place. We know it will be well taken care of and how special it will be to the University and to us. Not to mention scholars, writers, students and Erma aficionados. The collection is completely irreplaceable, said Ed Hoffman, a rare book collector in Columbus, Ohio, who specializes in Americana, especially Ohioana and the works of humorist James Thurber. Erma Bombecks archive and papers are a unique and comprehensive collection representing the storied career of this enormously popular humorist, columnist and author. [The collection] includes the original manuscripts of most of her books; a huge file of her columns over 30-plus years; and an extensive record of correspondence and documents shedding light on her connections to publishers, editors and other writers. Bill and Erma Bombeck on their wedding day, 1949 The fact that Erma and her husband and then her family were able to retain and safeguard so much of the output from her working life and see that it will live on at the University of Dayton is a wonderful labor of love, said Hoffman after he and his rare-book collector wife, Tina, perused the collection last May before it was catalogued. That assessment might surprise her children. Matt, a screenwriter in Los Angeles, said their mom let go of things a lot easier than their dad, Bill Bombeck 50, whom she dated while both were students at UD and married upon graduation. My dad was the more sentimental of the two, 100 percent. He saved everything. I have the dogs vaccination record from 1980, said Matt Bombeck, displaying a streak of his mothers humor. She wasnt much of a saver, and this was pre-digital. Im sure theyll be no hidden troves in the Britney Spears archives in 2060, he quipped. My dad, on the other hand, does have his third grade report card from St. Anthonys, in case anyone is interested. Still, the collection, now largely processed and available for viewing, is substantial.

Last April Matt and his wife, Jackie, spent a week in a Scottsdale, Arizona, warehouse sorting through a mountain of material in crumbling boxes that longtime assistant Norma Born had methodically inventoried for UD archivist Kristina Schulz and now-retired librarian Fred Jenkins. In a 2019 trip, the librarian and archivist marked their wish list for the Erma Bombeck collection, from original columns and Good Morning America and Maggie sitcom scripts to commencement addresses and correspondence. In box No. 6: the TV script for a proposed pilot, The Ties That Bind ... and Gag. In box No. 22: Bombecks scrawled notes about column ideas on scraps of paper, including an airline napkin. In box No. 71: copies of The World Almanac and Book of Facts that named her one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America. Six of the boxes include original columns written over more than three decades. In the Collection are hundreds of column ideas written on scraps of paper, such as this one written on an airline napkin. At the height of her popularity, Bombecks At Wits End column that chronicled the absurdities of everyday life reached more than 30 million readers and won her the permanent place of honor in American life: the refrigerator door, wrote syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman after the writers death from complications from kidney transplant surgery. With the help of a $50,000 gift from the Bombeck family, Schulz is preserving and digitizing the columns, which are on newsprint and fragile. She hired Katie Jarrell, who earned a masters degree in library and information science in spring 2021 from Kent State University, as project archivist to process the collection. The two will oversee the creation of an electronic finding aid, develop an online repository for parts of the collection and launch a preview exhibit this spring in the Stuart and Mimi Rose Gallery on the first floor of Roesch Library. A major exhibit is planned for 2024. Processing Bombecks papers has been an eye-opening journey of delightful discovery for Jarrell, who was born six weeks after Bombeck died. My mom grew up in the 60s and 70s, and she was a big fan of Erma Bombeck. She had her books and clipped her columns, Jarrell said. In all my reading of her work, I havent found an instance where she didnt come across as genuine and authentic. She sounds like she could be my mom  shes that relatable. My mom grew up in the 60s and 70s, and she was a big fan of Erma Bombeck. She had her books and clipped her columns. In all my reading of her work, I havent found an instance where she didnt come across as genuine and authentic. She sounds like she could be my mom  shes that relatable. For a group of curious visitors, Schulz and Jarrell pulled out magazine cover stories; a 1977 New York Times Best Seller list plaque for The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank  her first book to garner that attention; a certificate from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for Bombecks Grammy-nominated comedy album, Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession; a photo of an Arizona Kidney Foundation billboard with Bombecks oversized drivers license and the plea, Make this a license to live. Be an organ donor; and files of galley proofs, columns and notes. Holding up a large gold-framed photo of the family riding in a rose-covered white convertible when Bombeck served as grand marshal of the 1986 Rose Parade, Schulz said she planned to hang it on the wall in the archives reading room. Here, scholars and students will discover (or rediscover) the timeless wit and wisdom of a beloved humorist Life magazine dubbed the Socrates of the Ironing Board. A large, gold-framed photo of the Bombeck family riding in a rose-covered convertible when Erma Bombeck served as grand marshal of the 1986 Rose Parade.

But theyll discover so much more. Consider these finds: A funny handwritten note from Abigail Van Buren after a copy editor for the Marietta Times mistakenly placed Bombecks headshot over her Dear Abby column: Dear Erma  Will you get your face out of my column? Or should I get my column out of your face? Love you  Abby.





A mixture of comical and touching letters to her son Andy when he taught school in American Samoa in 1980 and volunteered for the Peace Corps in Liberia in 1983: I think the older both of us become, the more I appreciate your gentleness and your love. I am so proud that you have the courage to do what a lot of people only talk about and never do. ... There are a lot of people who talk a great game of life ... but never do it.





Heartfelt advice to Girl Scouts aspiring to be writers: Be yourself. Its good enough. Know why the classics are classics and the great writers are great, but never be afraid to return to yourself.



The homemade collage made for Erma Bombeck by her daughter Betsy in the 1970s.

A homemade collage, circa 1970s, by daughter Betsy with a page from the original manuscript of Bombecks first book, At Wits End, and a photo of her mother superimposed on a lightbulb with the words, What Erma says glows.





Hundreds of photos, most never seen before, from travels around the globe, speaking engagements, book signings and intimate family moments, such as Bombeck sharing a kiss on a street in Spain with husband Bill or laughing with the children around a swimming pool.





Hundreds of column ideas written on scraps of paper, the back side of column drafts or a legal pad, such as No. 53, Untapped energy  a childs mouth, or No. 82, Dont know how Im going to feel until a bumper sticker comes out.





A draft of a humorous movie script, never produced, about a son who comes home to live with his parents after living abroad that she co-wrote with son Matt and sold to CBS.





Letters from readers all over the country who wrote to her as if she were a kindred spirit. Erma, we are good friends. I know your family. I have been with you during the diaper days, first kid to drive and the sneaker thing; well not really but you know what I mean, wrote Vincenette Phillips in an Oct. 24, 1990, letter from Arlington, Texas. Teenagers, she wrote, use obscenity like they are getting graded for it.  Words are such a great tool. Do you think the dictionaries in America are locked up? Can you do something about liberating them?





An amusing note to Gregory Peck when he was named grand marshal of the Rose Parade: Since I was Grand Marshal two years ago, there have been flashes in my career, such as introducing the Pope, getting a book on the Best Seller list and flying on an airplane that left on time. However, nothing will ever compare to turning that corner and looking at the sea of happy faces celebrating one of the biggest events of Americana you can imagine. Enjoy it!





Typewritten speeches Bombeck delivered while stumping around the country for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment: A funny thing happened to me on the way to the utility room. I encountered a revolution. When the first woman stood up one day and said, If God had meant for me to scrub johns, he would have clogged my sinuses, I was there. When the first army of homemakers declared, I married my husband for better or for worse  but not for lunch, I was on the scene.



Bombeck enjoyed such immense popularity because she had her finger on the pulse of the 1960s suburban housewife, observed talk show pioneer and longtime friend Phil Donahue, who lived across the street in Centerville, Ohio, early in their careers. Motherhood was sacred. Mothers were put on pedestals. Then Erma wrote, Im going to sell my kids. She punctured that pretense and [suddenly] was speaking for millions of women. Motherhood was sacred. Mothers were put on pedestals. Then Erma wrote, Im going to sell my kids. She punctured that pretense and [suddenly] was speaking for millions of women, said Donahue during a 2014 keynote talk at UDs Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop. A political cartoon about the Equal Rights Amendment, for which Erma Bombeck was a vocal advocate.
When Aki Yadev came to UD as a new computer science major in fall 2019, she felt she was missing out on the UD community experience. Pandemic restrictions coupled with mostly online courses left her feeling disconnected. So when she heard of the ULeaD Emerging Leaders Program available her sophomore year, she immediately applied.

This really helped me because I made a list of new connections and new goals, said Yadav, who is from Mumbai, India. Its about more than just academics, and it helped me make new friends.

ULeaD is one of several leadership programs offered by the Division of Student Development thanks to donations to the Universitys 2021 giving day: One Day, One Dayton. More than $2.8 million was raised April 14, 2021, including $67,625 for student leadership, life, and health and well-being programs. One Day, One Dayton 2022 will be celebrated April 6.

More than $2.8 million was raised April 14, 2021. One Day, One Dayton 2022 will be celebrated April 6.

Chelsea Rooney, assistant director of student leadership programs, said ULeaD is a new program created with giving day funds in response to connection gaps experienced by first- and second-year students.

Participants attend workshops, panel discussions and special events throughout the year to learn more about UD leadership opportunities as they begin to develop their personal leadership styles.

Women gather in the Adele Center to learn about leadership

Each participant receives an upperclass mentor who offers tips on how to balance academics and extracurriculars.

Its nice to see how upperclassmen are navigating leadership since we are just starting our leadership journey, said Lenny OConnor, a first-year international studies and political science major from Chicago.

For juniors and seniors, theres the Womens Leadership Immersion, an intensive cohort experience facilitated by female leaders.

Forty-two women-identifying students are exploring leadership, networking, career advancement and financial health.

Olivia Hervey is a senior criminal justice major from Columbus, Ohio. In her four years of college, shes had three majors, two minors and attended two universities.

I was trying to make college fit what I wanted, but I am now able to see it as a stepping stone, said Hervey, who took to heart facilitators advice that students focus on their passions. Herveys passion is working with children, and she now is looking toward a masters in counseling.

The Womens Leadership Immersion is one way were using our time at Dayton to propel ourselves further in the world, she said.

The Womens Leadership Immersion is one way were using our time at Dayton to propel ourselves further in the world.

Funds from One Day, One Dayton supported the two-day retreat, making it free for participants. Junior mechanical engineering major Sama Ahmed said she was inspired by panelist Kate Rivers 08. An industrial engineer by degree, Rivers now operates Twist Cupcakery in Dayton, capitalizing on her love of baking.

She didnt feel restricted by what she chose [as a major], but she found what she was passionate about, said Ahmed, from Miamisburg, Ohio. Ahmed finds similarities in their stories and hopes to finds a career path that incorporates her love of higher education.

A founder of Womanists Empower, a new club on campus that highlights underrepresented women and facilitates justice through education, Ahmed said shes already incorporating themes learned during the retreat into club activities to share with even more students.
CNN International highlighted the anti-trafficking work of Abolition Ohio at the University of Dayton in a feature posted March 10 to promote CNN #MyFreedom Day. #MyFreedomDay  this year on March 16  is a day-long student-driven event to raise awareness of modern slavery, also known as human trafficking. The segment also will air on CNN International.

Click here to view the segment.

The CNN International crew, which visited campus Feb. 23, interviewed Tony Talbott, the UD Human Rights Center director of advocacy and director of Abolition Ohio at the University of Dayton, and shot video of a School Trafficking Outreach Program (STOP) certification training for about 15 UD students.

Using a near-peer educator model, UD students take STOP to local schools to teach middle- and high-school students about human trafficking and ways to prevent and abolish it.

"Statistics show, if a child becomes a victim of human trafficking, it's likely to be around 12-14-years-old," Talbott said. "So it's important middle- and high-school students are equipped with the knowledge to identify signs of human trafficking, how to put a stop to it and where to find help."

After filming the training in the Human Rights Center, the CNN International crew traveled to the Dayton Regional STEM School where Leticia De Leon, graduate assistant for programs in the UD Human Rights Center, and Ahmi' Moore, a student intern in the center, presented STOP to students in Nick Pant's ninth-grade social studies class. CNN International also interviewed Pant about why he felt it was important for his class to hear the STOP presentation.

CNN International also interviewed Talbott and student Bradley Petrella in 2017 about an interactive life-sized board game Abolition Ohio created to show what life is like for human trafficking victims. Last year, University of Dayton students participated in a #MyFreedomDay Global Forum with students from North, South and Central America.

Visit https://www.cnn.com/specials/world/myfreedomday for more information on how you can be involved in CNN #MyFreedomDay.
Teun Mulder Overcomes Juan Pardo to Triumph in EPT Prague 25,000 Single-Day High Roller I (250,928)

March 10 2022 Jeff McMillan

The 25,000 Single-Day High Roller of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague has come to an end after a full day of play. Some 35 entries generated a prizepool of 840,350 which was split up amongst the top six finishers.

Finishing on top of all entries at the end of the late-night was Teun Mulder of the Netherlands who captured his first EPT Spadie trophy and the top prize of 250,928 following an ICM deal. Runner-up Juan Pardo took home 232,272 but was denied his fourth EPT title.

Final Result 2021 EPT Prague 25,000 Single-Day High Roller I

Place Winner Country Prize (in EUR) 1 Teun Mulder Netherlands 250,928* 2 Juan Pardo Spain 232,272* 3 Leonard Maue Germany 126,050 4 Zhuang Ruan United States 96,640 5 Ole Schemion Germany 75,630 6 Nick Petrangelo United States 58,830

*Reflect ICM Deal

EPT Prague 25,000 Single-Day High Roller I Recap

This victory is the best live poker score of Mulders career and adds a nice chunk to his career winnings, to edge above $800,000 in total. Mulder gained the chip lead midway through the day and became a real factor heading into the final table as chip leader.

The day began three hours later than scheduled, with play starting around 3:30 p.m. CET with ten entries. The field would steadily grow with new faces and re-entries as the day progressed.

Among those entries were Tony G and Leon Tsoukernik who would both enter the fray at the last possible moment. Neither player would last very long as they could not spin their stacks up beyond starting and were quickly eliminated.

Action would slow down when the unofficial final table of nine was reached. However, a double-elimination sent Chris Brewer and Sirzat Hissou both out the door in the same hand by Mulder. The money bubble was breached shortly after that. Thomas Muehloecker was also dismissed by Mulder to bring the field down to six.

Nick Petrangelo was the first elimination within the money when he went out in sixth place after a lengthy segment of six-handed play. Tthe short-stacked Ole Schemion followed him out the door in fifth place.

Zhuang Ruan finished in fourth place as Pardo took him out. Leonard Maue then went out in third place after he had had the chip lead at different parts in the middle of the day.

The heads-up battle between Mulder and Pardo would then commence with Pardo holding a 2:1 lead. Pardo pulled away in the early stages as he looked to win yet another EPT title but Mulder would take over the reins in a key hand where he got called with a flush. He would extend the lead from there before Pardo reeled it back slightly before the ICM deal was discussed and agreed upon. The event wrapped things up in the wee hours of the morning after about 13 hours of play.

Enjoy EPT Prague With a $600 Bonus

New depositing PokerStars customers can claim a welcome bonus worth up to $600. Download PokerStars via PokerNews, create your free online poker account, and decide how much you want to deposit. Your deposit is matched 100% up to $600 in the form of a bonus. Your first three deposits in the first 60-days after making your first deposit are matched up to a combined total of $600.

The bonus releases into your playable balance in $10 increments each time you generate 180 redemption points, which in turn are earned at a rate of five per $1 contributed to the cash game rake or spent on tournament fees (6.5 points per 1, 5.5 points per 1, and four points per CAD$).
Spains Adrian Mateos will return with nearly twice the chips of his nearest competitor for the Day 3 finale of the EPT Prague 50,000 Super High Roller at Kings Casino Prague. The Super High Roller's return to the European Poker Tour drew 45 runners and generated a prize pool of 2,182,950, of which 742,200 will go to Fridays winner.

Mateos holds a commanding lead after taking big pots and picking up eliminations all day, and he will return for the Day 3 finale in search of his fifth EPT title. Hes followed in second by Timothy Adams, who bagged just over 2,000,000 at the end of Day 2. Rounding out the final five players are Nick Petrangelo, Chris Brewer, and Orpen Kisacikoglu.

EPT Prague 50,000 Super High Roller Final Table Chip Counts

Rank Name Country Chip Count Final Table Big Blinds 1 Adrian Mateos Spain 5,020,000 126 2 Timothy Adams Canada 2,220,000 56 3 Nick Petrangelo United States 2,100,000 53 4 Chris Brewer United States 1,155,000 29 5 Orpen Kisacikoglu Turkey 830,000 21

Day 2 Action

Mateos started his run early with the elimination of Tony G, followed by taking one of the biggest pots of the night from Brewer. Mateos and Brewer battled several times as the latter set the pace early, but the Spaniard retained the edge throughout the day and Brewer will return tomorrow looking for an opportunity to climb back up the leaderboard.

Yuri Dzivielevski was the first to fall victim after the bubble burst when he made a king-high flush and ran into the ace-high flush of Mateos. The Brazilian picked up 152,810 for his sixth place finish. Elsewhere, Stephen Chidwick was a presence throughout the day, but his run came to an end when his pocket sevens ran into the pocket jacks of Adams, who will return tomorrow with the second-most chips looking for an opportunity to close the gap with Mateos.

Other notable players that came up short include Leon Tsoukernik, who registered on Day 2 but had his kings cracked by Laszlo Bujtas. Ole Schemion made a run, but he ran out of momentum and busted out to burst the money bubble.

Remaining Payouts

1 742,200 2 512,990 3 327,440 4 251,040 5 196,470

Players will return tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. local time for the Day 3 finale. Blinds will continue in Level 17 at 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante and blinds will increase every 60 minutes until a winner is declared.

Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team for coverage of the 50,000 Super High Roller and other marquee events at EPT Prague.
Eating fish on Friday is a cherished Wisconsin tradition all year, especially during Lenten season, but what I seek  the slightly sweet and petite perch of my youth  is increasingly elusive.

Unless you know where to look.

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The coveted yellow perch was bountiful in the Great Lakes until zebra and quaggi mussels hitched a ride onto ships in the 1980s, decimating the perch population.

Trillions of the microscopic mussels vacuum away much of the plankton that perch eat to survive, says freshwater fish expert Jhonatan Sepulveda Villet of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Viruses and overfishing figure into the decline too.

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Demand outweighs supply, so more restaurants import cheaper cousins  including zander from Europe  and serve them deep-fried with fries, coleslaw and a slice of rye.

Lakefront Brewery (lakefrontbrewery.com), a popular Milwaukee fish fry for hundreds of Friday diners, dropped perch at least one year ago. Owner Russ Klisch bought the fish from a local nonprofit until the urban farm with aquaponics went out of business. Then he bought perch from Canada, but cod and walleye are more plentiful and affordable.

Fried cod is served with fries, coleslaw and rye bread at Milwaukees Lakefront Brewery. (Don Crossland/Lakefront Brewery)

Customers dont like it, but they understand, Klisch says.

Others stockpile perch to satisfy customers cravings. In Madison, 350 to 500 pounds of perch fill much of a walk-in freezer at The Old Fashioned (theoldfashioned.com), which began serving perch daily in June 2020.

People are looking for the familiar and comfortable, notes Tami Lax, who co-owns the restaurant with Marcia Castro. Their restaurant favors the local ingredients and meals that define Wisconsin; that includes small-town specialties such as Widmers brick cheese and Twigs soda.

Perch fillets are dredged in a proprietary seasoning blend, then lightly dipped into a beer batter before they're fried at The Old Fashioned in Madison, Wisconsin. Prices start at $12.95, which includes coleslaw, fries and slice of rye. (Mary Bergin / Chicago Tribune)

We go to places that are trying to do it right, Lax says, and seek special items that make Wisconsin what it is.

That said, her perch  dredged in a proprietary blend of flour and seasonings, then dipped in beer batter  comes from Canada and is farm-raised. A sweeter flavor profile than zander, says Lax, who learned to fish Wisconsin streams in the days when it was easy to fill a 5-gallon bucket with her catches.

Perch come from Lake Erie at Wendts on the Lake (wendtsonthelake.com), situated in the Van Dyne community in the town of Friendship, about 2 hours from Chicago. A popular haunt for local fishermen, the tavern overlooks Lake Winnebago, the states biggest inland lake.

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Wendts on the Lake faces Lake Winnebago, the largest inland lake in Wisconsin, and is especially popular with fishermen. (Mary Bergin / Chicago Tribune)

Owner Ann Cross says her grandparents served perch at Wendts on Fridays. Since 2000, its a daily offering, covered with a secret coating made in 5-gallon buckets.

Why use Lake Erie fish? Its a good product, Cross says. Weve always stuck with that.

Perch at Wendts ranks high with blogger Mike Seidel of Madison, whose MadisonFishFry.com has 1,400 fish fry reviews. On his Top 25 list: 10 perch plates, from Villa Tap in Middleton to Sister Bay Bowl in Door County.

His top choice for perch? Maricques Bar (greenbayfishfry.com) in Green Bay, which has a short menu and a long history. The tavern is open Wednesday and Friday; perch is served filleted or with bones.

Why the latter? It has a different flavor that some customers like, says Jamie Maricque, the restaurants third-generation owner. This is finger food  no utensils. With perch comes a slice of rye and thick slab of Spanish sweet onion.

Fish fry blogger Mike Seidel, who has posted about 1,400 fish fry reviews, includes perch at Villa Tap, Middleton, Wisconsin, on his Top 25 Fish Fry list. (Mike Seidel)

Eat it like a refresher, the server says of the onion. Its like biting into a pickle with your Bloody Mary, or fresh ginger with your sushi.

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What costs $13.75 today was free  a way to get customers to buy beer  when Maricques opened in 1932. Another difference: Perch come from Lake Erie, not the nets of Maricque Brothers Fish Co.

Maricque says he was a better fish broker than commercial fisherman: I can get seasick with the best of em.

To the east in Two Rivers, a city that claims to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, Susie Q Fish Market gets almost all its yellow perch from Lake Erie. The market has been family-owned for five generations, and supplies some of the areas most well-known fish fries.

President Paul Leclair says about 10% of their fish supply comes from a commercial fisherman working the waters of Green Bay.

In Susie Q storage are two pallets  about 1 ton, or 2,000 pounds  of perch fillets that Leclair began stockpiling in 2021. Should last us until early summer, he says. It sells for $17 per pound, about $2 more than in 2019.

Local customers pulling from the stash include a shuttered supper club, Machuts in Two Rivers (machuts.com), which was reopening to serve Susie Q perch and other fish on Lenten Fridays. The Fat Seagull (thefatseagullmanitowoc.com) in nearby Manitowoc doubled its perch order for spring, because the fish is served on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent.

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One block from the fish market is Tippys Bar and Grill, in business 36 years. Owner Tim Tippy Tomcheks menu goes beyond burgers, in a space that screams Packerland because of the green-and-gold motif (one exception is a Chicago Cubs tile on the bar). In a back room: miniature bowling, with pins set by hand.

Perch fingerlings are raised at The Farmory, a nonprofit enterprise in Green Bay that sells the fish to aquaculture and other businesses. (Annie Schmitz/The Farmory)

Tippys seafood choices from Susie Q include perch, served whenever its available. Coating for seafood and chicken is a commercial blend, bought in 40-pound boxes and shared with the fish market.

Overall, supply definitely cannot keep up with demand, especially when it comes to perch, says Annie Schmitz of The Farmory, a Green Bay nonprofit that sells perch and walleye fingerlings, or young fish, to fish farms and other enterprises. About 20,000 perch fingerlings were raised in 2021.

At the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Villet describes baby perch as finicky and vulnerable during the first month of life. Hatchlings are terrible swimmers with poor eyesight and have about 48 hours to find something to eat, he says. Most dont grow into fingerlings.

UWMs School of Freshwater Sciences works to improve commercial fish farming by creating a perfect, controlled indoor environment to raise perch (and other species) to maturity. Female perch are coaxed to spawn four times a year instead of once. Under development are vaccines to fight bacterial diseases.

Do these fish still taste like yellow perch? Villet doesnt taste a difference, yet hedges.

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People look for what theyre used to in fish taste, be it catfish from mud or clean-tasting cod, he says. It depends on the eater.

Mary Bergin is a freelance writer.
On March 2, Shanghai announced the official establishment of the Shanghai International Antiques and Fine Art Trade Center. The move marks the city's latest step toward its goal of becoming an international trading hub for the sector.

Fang Shizhong, head of the municipal administration for culture and tourism, says, starting this year, a China international cultural relics and artworks trade expo will be held annually from Oct 26 to 28 at the Museum of Art Pudong. It will be the only official international cultural relic and artwork commodity exchange in China.

The city has also pledged to push forward duty-free sales of art and cultural relics at the China International Import Expo every year, as well as accelerate legislation concerning the art and antiques market.

In 2021, exhibitors at the fourth CIIE were permitted to bring five cultural relics without having to pay taxes. The CIIE featured, for the first time, 178 artworks and antiques-with a combined value of 2.3 billion yuan ($363.74 million)-from 11 countries and regions. Forty-one items with a total value of 760 million yuan were sold at the event.

This year, the CIIE will, for the first time, set up a dedicated exhibition zone for art and antiques to further facilitate such sales, according to Fang.

Shanghai, which has 78 auction companies engaging in the trade of antiques, has always been the most vibrant art market in China. In 2020, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage kicked off a series of trial operations in Shanghai concerning the administration of the exhibition, trade and appraisal of antiques.

The new policy enabled international auction houses to showcase and sell works of Western masters such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Salvador Dali.

British auction house Christie's, which has been operating in the Chinese market since 2013, was one of the first institutions to benefit from the new policies. Last week, the company hosted its first sales event in Shanghai after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a halt to public auctions in 2020. The 20th and 21st Century Art: Shanghai Evening Sale saw more than 220 million yuan worth of artworks sold, a 50 percent growth from 2019.

"The success of the auction in Shanghai marks a monumental chapter in our company's history and underscores our continued commitment and innovation in the Chinese mainland," says Rebecca Yang, chairwoman of Christie's in China.

"The 20th and 21st Century Art: Shanghai Evening Sale brings our footprint here to the next level. It demonstrates our dedication to the Chinese market and support for the new policies by the local authorities, which will enable us to sell works by foreign artists who died after 1949 and that were consigned overseas," she adds.

In 2021, Shanghai hosted 1,004 auction events that generated 6 billion yuan in sales, accounting for a quarter of the national total.

The city is also one of the busiest ports in China for the import and export of antiques. Last year, 7,309 items entered or exited the country via Shanghai.

According to Fang, Shanghai will establish the first provincial-level credit supervision platform for the trade of art and antiques. The entire transaction process for an antique piece will be digitally administered on this platform.
Anyone who thought 1883 was going to have a happy ending wasnt paying attention.

Lets back up. 1883 is a prequel series to the smash hit Yellowstone that wrapped its first season last month. Make that its only season: The story has been put to bed, although not necessarily for a good nights sleep, after getting its main characters where they needed to go. In that sense, mission accomplished, but nothing else about it can be considered happy.

Lets back up even more: Why does Yellowstone need a prequel series? Thats because the show is the last of its kind, a cable series that pulls exceptionally large viewership, and it keeps getting bigger. The Western series  its like Succession by way of Dallas, with Kevin Costner in the Logan Roy/J.R. Ewing role  nabbed 10.3 million viewers for its recent fourth season finale, up a whopping 81% over its Season 3 closer. That made it the most-watched cable program since The Walking Deads third season premiere in October 2017, not to mention more popular than last years Academy Awards telecast.

If youre the Paramount Network (and the rest of your programming consists of Bar Rescue and NCIS reruns), you capitalize on that. And that means expanding Yellowstone even further, and handing over the keys to the kingdom to Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, the modern king of the American frontier.

Sheridan is the actor-turned-writer-turned-creative force whose Sheridanverse is only growing more powerful. The 51-year-old Texas native made his acting debut, fittingly, in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger in 1995, and eventually landed recurring parts on Veronica Mars and Sons of Anarchy.

In 2015 his screenplay for the hard-boiled cop tale Sicario made him a hot pen in Hollywood, and he followed it up with Hell or High Water  with Jeff Bridges lead character inspired by Sheridans cousin, McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara  and Wind River, the latter of which he also directed. These modern Westerns are tough and gritty, stories that have been kicked through the dirt about people who have also been kicked through the dirt, and are several steps removed from the high-gloss churn of Hollywood.

In 2018 he launched Yellowstone, which started slow but continues to catch on with viewers, exploding in popularity when people discovered its soapy pleasures during the pandemic. Now its world has ballooned to include several spinoffs, including the forthcoming 6666, as well as the just-wrapped 1883.

1883 dialed the story of Yellowstones Dutton clan back several generations, to show how the family came to settle in Montana. The series was bleak from the outset: It begins with a bloody battle where Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), who narrates the series, is wounded by a group of Native Americans, and shows Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) burning down the home where both his wife and daughter have just died after a smallpox infection.

That pall hangs over the entire series, and it immediately established that no one is safe in a land where everyone and everything is trying to kill you at all times. Its only-the-strong-survive theme carries over from Yellowstone.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill lead the cast as James and Margaret Dutton, the eventual great-grandparents to Costners Yellowstone character, John Dutton. Its a tough, hard-fought series, and also a neatly contained narrative that exists on its own apart from Yellowstone. It drew some pretty big names, as well  Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Billy Bob Thornton all showed up in cameo roles  showing Sheridans flourishing clout as a showrunner.

1883 wrapped last month and wont return for a second season. Instead, Sheridan will pick up the story of the Duttons with the forthcoming 1932, which will take place, appropriately enough, during the Great Depression.

And Sheridan has several other irons in the fire. In addition to Mayor of Kingstown, his modern Michigan-set series about the prison-industrial complex which was recently renewed for a second season, he has Bass Reeves, starring David Oyelowo, the story of the real-life 1800s law enforcement officer; the Sly Stallone-starring Tulsa King, about a just-out-of-prison gangster who is forced to start over; the espionage series Lioness, starring Zoe Saldana; and Land Man, about the 1800s oil boom in West Texas. All are in the early stages of development.

Thats a lot to juggle  in addition to Yellowstone, which is due to return for its fifth season  but Sheridan shows no signs of burning out. Hes created his own lane of programming for an audience that was being otherwise underserved. Just dont expect him to rely on happy endings.
Rotary Club of Waco members Chris and Kristi DeCluitt were recently recognized as major donors at the Rotary District 5870 Foundation Gala in Georgetown.

Rotary major donors include those who have given at least $10,000 to the Rotary Foundation. The couple completed the gift in 2022 in honor of Chris 20th year in Rotary.

Both are also Paul Harris Fellows, signifying major contributions to the Rotary Foundation. In addition, the DeCluitts are Rotary Benefactors, signifying that they have included the Rotary Foundation in their estate plans.

Gifts to the Rotary Foundation fund international projects as well as local initiatives. In recent years, Waco Rotary Club giving funded a water catchment system in Cameroon and literacy programs at Waco-area schools and the Waco-McLennan County Public Library.

Thanks to Rotary Foundation support of the PolioPlus program, Rotary has led the global charge to eradicate polio.

The Rotary Club of Waco provides community leaders an opportunity to build lifelong relationships, promote integrity, and advance goodwill through service to the community and the world.

In addition to sponsoring local and international service projects, the club annually presents Youth Citizenship Award scholarships for top high school seniors, Waco Rotary scholarships for college juniors and seniors, and Rotary Challenge, an academic quiz bowl that airs on KXXV-TV, Channel 25.

The club welcomes business and civic leaders from all corners of the community. For more information about Rotary, contact Katherine Logue at 254-776-2115 or
A powerful storm taking shape across the central part of the country will rapidly strengthen into a bomb cyclone as it moves east -- bringing damaging winds, heavy rain and even snow from Louisiana to Maine.

A bomb cyclone happens when a midlatitude cyclone decreases in pressure by 24 millibars in under 24 hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These strong systems lead to many hazards -- but the most notable can be the extreme winds.

A combination of extremely strong winds and snow promises to wreak havoc over the Northeast as the cyclone reaches hurricane-level strength off the Atlantic coast.

Blizzard-like conditions and widespread wind damage are prominent concerns across the interior of the Northeast.

"All model guidance has surface wave (the storm) rapidly intensifying as it tracks somewhere between the I-95 corridor to Cape Cod, then along or just off the Maine coast as a sub 970 mb low," said the National Weather Service in Boston.

A 970 millibar low would be equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.

The low will continue to strengthen overnight Saturday, which, in conjunction with very cold air moving into the area, "will support strong to perhaps damaging winds as the low exits southern New England late Sat into Sat night," the weather service said.

The models are showing the potential for the low-pressure system to intensify rapidly as it moves northward up the Atlantic coast, creating the potential for a bomb cyclone.

The strongest winds are forecast to be off the coast of the Northeast in the Atlantic Ocean, with winds up to 70 mph possible. However, cities including New York City, Boston and Washington, DC, can expect extremely powerful wind gusts ranging from 30 to 50 mph, which raises concerns for falling trees and power outages across the region.

Along with powerful winds, parts of New England will see heavy snow with accumulations of 4 to 8 inches possible in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania.

"There is increasing confidence that precipitation will generally be in the form of all snow across far northern Maine, especially the north Maine woods, where significant snow accumulations will be possible Saturday into Saturday night," the weather service in Caribou said.

The combination of significant snowfall in these areas with the strong winds from the bomb cyclone will create the potential for hazardous blowing and drifting snow in the area. This could lead to whiteout conditions and make travel extremely dangerous.

Snow totals along the Atlantic coast are forecast to remain low, with only 1 to 3 inches expected.

The current forecast is calling for 1/2'' to 1" of snow across New York City, metro New Jersey, and central and western Long Island," the weather service in Upton, New York, said.

Higher elevations of Massachusetts are expected to see 2 to 3 inches, with only a dusting to 1 inch expected near Boston, according to the weather service.

The South will also feel the return of winter

The storm will take aim at the Deep South and Southeast first. Cities including Atlanta, Birmingham, Alabama, and Charleston are expected to see heavy rainfall and possible thunderstorms as the system moves in from Friday night to Saturday morning.

This precipitation will change into a wintry mix in some locations and eventually snow as the cold front causes temperatures to plummet well below average.

Snow is forecast to be seen across parts of many Southern states including Alabama and Mississippi. Even Louisiana could see a few flakes mixed in with the rain.

"Currently in the forecast we have a large area of the region mainly eastern Arkansas and west Tennessee with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation for the Friday night into Saturday morning time frame," the weather service in Memphis, Tennessee, said.

The fast nature of the storm and the well-above-freezing temperatures will keep snow accumulations to a minimum and limit hazards to travel across the mid-South, according to the weather service in Little Rock, Arkansas.

As the system moves out Saturday into Sunday, extreme winter temperatures will grip the eastern US.

Keep that winter coat out for a little while longer

The start of this week brought widespread warm temperatures across much of the East, with some even setting record high temperatures.

Newark and Central Park both set their highest temperatures on record Monday, reaching 76 degrees and 74 degrees respectively.

But another wave of arctic air following the cold front will bring temperatures to the other end of the spectrum.

"Behind the front, much below normal temperatures are expected from the lower Mississippi Valley through the Ohio Valley on Saturday, and into much of the East by Sunday, with daytime highs 20-30 degrees below normal in some places," the Weather Prediction Center said.

Low temperatures across the South are forecast to get down into the teens this weekend, with wind chills around zero degrees in some areas.

There is hope for those ready for more of that spring weather in the near future, as warmer temperatures should return early next week.

The-CNN-Wire

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Thrusting the unsung instrument into the spotlight, viola player Mei Diyang has become the first Chinese musician to sit as a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker in its 140-year history.

As a viola player, Mei Diyang has heard lots of jokes. The musical instrument is usually overshadowed by other instruments in a symphony orchestra. You can hardly see the viola, tucked away between the violins and cellos.

However, the 28-year-old Mei has brought the viola into the spotlight.

He has won the position of first principal viola at the Berliner Philharmoniker-the first time a Chinese musician has been given a position with the orchestra, which this year celebrates its 140th anniversary.

The news was announced on the ensemble's official website on Feb 11.

"That was the first attempt at auditioning for the Berliner Philharmoniker. Many friends told me that it was very challenging and rigid," says Mei.

The audition comprised four rounds and lasted for two days. Mei played musical works from the Classical era and the Romantic era.

"I was nervous during the first round of the audition because it was the first time that I met musicians of the orchestra, and the hall was new to me as well. In addition to performing in the orchestra, they are also great soloists from around the world and each of them has a different artistic view," recalls Mei.

"I was much more relaxed in the following rounds of the audition. I have participated in many competitions, so I just performed as if I was giving a concert."

After Mei ended his performance in the final round of the audition, he recalls that he received applause from the other musicians.

"The very first recording I listened to when I was a child was of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and I didn't know then that one day I would have the opportunity to perform with the orchestra," says Mei, adding that along his path to becoming a musician, he has listened to recordings of the orchestra many times over, which allowed him to learn and improve.

Mei will start his two-year-long probation period with the orchestra from the beginning of the 2022-2023 season. Currently, he remains principal viola of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

After the news of Mei winning in the audition, the Munich Philharmonic said on social media that it is letting him go "with one eye crying and the other smiling".

Mei was born in Changsha, Hunan province, to parents who were both engineers. Like many Chinese children, he took part in a variety of classes after school, such as painting and English. He began playing the violin at the age of 5 because his grandfather, who was a history teacher at Hunan Normal University, was a big fan of classical music.

"He died when I was 5 and my mother led me to learn the violin as a way to commemorate him," recalls Mei.

In 2005, when a team from the middle school affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music visited Changsha to recruit new students, Mei, 11 years old then, participated in the audition as a violinist. Wang Shaowu, one of the teachers from the school, was impressed by Mei's performance and suggested he switch to the viola, marking Mei's first introduction to the musical instrument. From 2005-14, he studied the viola with Wang at the middle school in Beijing.

"Unlike the high-pitched sounds produced by violin, the mellow and deep tone of viola instantly attracted me, so I decided to change to the lower-pitched instrument," Mei says. When asked the reason why Wang suggested he make the switch, Mei replies: "I had bigger hands compared with other children of my age back then, which was the main reason why my teacher thought the viola would fit me better."

Soon, he realized that people held a prejudice against the musical instrument and that there is not a great deal of solo pieces written for viola. However, for Mei, musical instruments are vehicles for musicians to express their emotions to an audience.

"You can't play a symphony without the viola section. Each instrument has its own role, which is necessary. They have equally important sounds," says Mei.

Upon hearing the good news of Mei's successful audition, Wang shared his excitement. "I still recall when we talked about his future goals. I am so proud of Mei, who realized his dreams, one by one," says Wang.

In 2014, Mei continued his study at the Central Conservatory of Music and in the same year, he was enrolled to study at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, Germany, with violist Hariolf Schlichtig. In 2018, he won the first prize in the viola category and the Audience Prize at the 2018 ARD International Music Competition in Munich, Germany. In 2019, he became the principal viola of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra while continuing his studies with Japanese violist Nobuko Imai at the Kronberg Academy.

"I am very grateful for being a member of the Munich Philharmonic. I had no experience of working with orchestras before I joined. The orchestra put its trust in me and allowed me to widen my repertories and to perform different styles of music," says Mei. "The experience with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra has been valuable and memorable."

Mei also shared the good news with his parents, who are excited and happy for their son.

"I didn't tell them about auditioning for the Berliner Philharmoniker because, ever since I started to participate in competitions, my parents have been much more nervous than me. I just told my wife and my colleagues at the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra," says Mei.

The violist will return to China and perform concerts, hoping to introduce music works for viola that are rarely performed in his homeland.

"China's classical music market is bigger than ever. I want to introduce more people to the viola, which may not be as popular as other musical instruments, such as the piano, cello and violin. These days, the general technical level of Chinese musicians is very high and we see many Chinese musicians performing with top symphony orchestras worldwide, which is encouraging and inspiring for more young music learners," says Mei.
I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, This is genius. Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine, of Ukraine, Putin declares it as independent. Oh, thats wonderful, Trump explained on a radio show the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

So Putin is now saying, Its independent, a large section of Ukraine. I said, How smart is that? And hes going to go in and be a peacekeeper. Thats the strongest peace force, Trump added. We could use that on our southern border. Thats the strongest peace force Ive ever seen.  Heres a guy whos very savvy.  I know him very well. Very, very well.

In the days that followed, Trumps comments generated a lot of justified condemnation. But it bothered me that most of the criticism seemed to center on Trumps use of the terms savvy and genius, and not wonderful. The former are descriptive terms while the latter is normative. After all, one can believe that Putin is brilliant while also being evil. But saying that the initiation of lawless slaughter is wonderful is morally grotesque. Its all the more repugnant when you realize that Trump was celebrating Putins propaganda that he was merely sending in peacekeepers while suggesting theres nothing wrong with Russia falsely declaring conquered territory is independent.

Eventually it dawned on Trump that he misread the moment. At the Conservative Political Action Conference he offered a real condemnation. The Russian attack on the Ukraine is appalling. Its an outrage and an atrocity that should never have been allowed to occur. Reasonable people can debate the depth of his sincerity. Though it seems to me that if your first reaction to lawless slaughter is to marvel at the wonderful brilliance of it, youve told us who you are.

But we already knew who Trump is. From his respect for the Chinese governments slaughter of pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square to the invasion of Ukraine, Trump has long demonstrated his instinctual attraction to brutality and strength. Just last Saturday, he praised the authority shown by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and joked that he wished his generals had been as terrified of him as Kims are of their supreme leader.

Overlooked in the bloody days since his initial celebration is how utterly wrong Trump was about the man he claims to know very, very well. Trumps problem is the problem with all power worship. It clouds the mind and corrupts the soul, rewriting not just objectivity but moral calculus, too. As Orwell observed, power worship leads us to believe that whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible so any moral objections are seen as not just folly, but the whining of suckers and losers.

Trump and his die-hard defenders insist Putin wouldnt have invaded Ukraine if he were president. Given that Putin continued his conquest of eastern Ukraine throughout Trumps presidency and that Putin had a reasonable hope that Trump would try to pull out of NATO if reelected, not to mention his reluctance to impose sanctions and his abiding strongman-sycophancy, it doesnt seem Putin was intimidated by Trumps strength.

The more interesting question is, why would Trump object to Putins invasion of Ukraine if he were president? He didnt seem to see anything particularly wrong with Putins initial attack. He claims he would have stopped Putin, and yet once the invasion happened on President Bidens watch, he deemed it wonderful.

Normal former presidents tend to think our national interests extend beyond their time in office. But not Trump.

Indeed, a few days ago, Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that China will invade Taiwan because theyre seeing how stupid the United States is run. He added, Theyre seeing that our leaders are incompetent. And of course theyre going to do it. This is their time.

Earlier on, as Russia massed more than 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border, Biden was castigated for seeming to suggest that a minor incursion into Ukraine by Putin might not invite as forceful a response from the U.S. and the international community as a full invasion might. Many on the right correctly condemned Biden for sending a provocative message of weakness. Its hard to fathom how Trump  the putative 2024 GOP nominee  peddling idiocy about Putin and China wouldnt invite similar or greater outrage.

But thats what power worship does. And like Trump himself, his worshipers can see the world around them only through a prism of us-against-them, in which principles simply dont count.

Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch.
Nebraska Wesleyan student Yuliia Iziumova has followed closely as the plan to bring her mother to Germany has taken shape with help from people shes never met  all with some connection to Lincoln.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man accused in a 2021 shooting and a home invasion robbery where guns were stolen has opted to plead.

Dequonterio Jashawn Galloway-Bass, 22, decided to enter an Alford plea  not admitting wrongdoing but conceding in order to take advantage of a plea deal  to some 20 charges in four separate cases Wednesday, cancelling a jury trial that began the previous day.

Under the terms of the agreement with prosecutors, Galloway-Bass pleaded to first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, conspiracy, willful injury causing serious injury and escape as well as multiple counts of felon in possession of a firearm, carrying weapons and trafficking in stolen firearms.

Sentencing will be at a later date, and Galloway-Bass will receive 25 years in prison with a mandatory 17 and a half years before he is eligible for parole.

Authorities allege Galloway-Bass and others forced their way into a home on Marie Avenue in Elk Run Heights on the morning of Feb. 23, 2021, while a mother and her children were sleeping. The intruders threatened the children, made the mother open a gun safe at the home and removed six or seven firearms.

Two days later, officers with the Waterloo Police Departments Violent Crime Apprehension Team were preparing to search Galloway-Bass apartment on Stardust Drive in connection with the Elk Run Heights robbery when they stopped him as he was leaving the residence.

Galloway-Bass was handcuffed, and he allegedly kicked open the back door of a squad car and ran off, according to court records. Officers found most of the stolen weapons at the apartment

Galloway-Bass remained at large until March 15, 2021, when witnesses allege he shot Michael Barron, 42, several times during an argument at Barrons home at 712 W. Park Ave. in Waterloo during a snow storm. Officers followed tracks in the snow and detained him at another home about a block away.

Two others, Daymion Eugene Ohrt and Davon Marcell Oliver, were arrested in the Elk Run home robbery.

Oliver pleaded guilty in the middle of a December trial and is awaiting sentencing. Ohrt, accused of orchestrating the plan, is awaiting trial.

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WAUCOMA  Authorities have charged another person in an investigation into allegations workers at a Waucoma livestock dealer swindled farmers by altering weights and other information on sales slips.

On Tuesday, a superseding indictment was unsealed charging Charles Francis Lynch, a sow procurement and marketing employee at Lynch Livestock, with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States government.

He pleaded not guilty during an appearance in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. He was released pending trial with the condition he not communicate about the case with co-workers or family members who may be potential witnesses.

Court records allege the scheme ran from 1999 to March 2021 and involved using a scale at the business headquarters to alter weights and downgrade classifications for hogs the company purchased at remote buying stations in Iowa. Station managers were also instructed to falsely classify some hogs on a load as having no value, according to court records.

As a result, livestock sellers received less than they were owed, according to the indictment.

The plan included the destruction of documents and misleading statements to regulators to cover up the crime, according to the indictment.

Lynch Livestock entered a consent decree over the matter with U.S. Department of Agriculture regulators in July and agreed to pay a $445,000 civil penalty.

The superseding indictment also charges Billie Joe Bill Wickham, a bookkeeper at the company, with the conspiracy counts as well as six counts of mail fraud pertaining to transactions with a Minnesota livestock producer in 2016 and 2017.

Wickham had been charged in an earlier version of the indictment in the case filed in November. That indictment also charged Steven Shooter Charles Demaray, a regional buying manager for the company. Demaray died in a single-vehicle crash near New Hampton a few days later.

Trial for Wickham is tentatively set for May.

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WATERLOO  The Board of Education approved a revision to Superintendent Jane Lindamans contract this week after learning that money contributed to a tax-sheltered annuity cant be included in the calculation determining retirement income.

Board members discussed the matter during a 1 1/2-hour closed session as part of a special meeeting Monday.

Kingsley Botchway, Waterloo Community Schools chief officer of human resources and equity, said the change in calculation was made for the 2020-21 contract. Lindaman had $15,000 in the tax-sheltered annuity at that time. It is growing to a total of $19,209 for the current contract.

He said the change was made following consultation with a staff member at the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System. IPERS was contacted after officials discovered that other superintendents and area education agency administrators had the provision in their contracts.

Agency officials later told the district that it was not allowed to do this and those annuities needed to be recharacterized. It was brought to the board after Waterloo Schools went through an appeals process with IPERS on the matter.

That was a conversation because it is kind of a convoluted process I had to walk the board through, said Botchway. He spend time in the closed session explaining the situation so the board could have a better understanding of why it occurred.

Lindaman is retiring from her role as superintendent of Waterloo Schools on June 30.

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WAVERLY  Two planned new elementary schools took another step forward this week when the Board of Education approved construction contracts totaling $38.87 million.

A total of 19 contracts were approved Monday for 20 bid packages covering the building plans for both schools. Work is expected to get underway this spring.

All but two bid packages, for earthwork and utilities and electrical, were awarded to single companies. Wicks Construction is the sole contractor that was awarded multiple bid packages. The Decorah company has contracts for site concrete, public road paving and building concrete.

Among the other contracts awarded are those for masonry, steel, precast structures, general trades, roofing and siding, plumbing and HVAC, glazing, painting, flooring, and food service.

Separately, the board approved a $34,000 contract with Precision Facility Solutions of Waukee to commission the heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems in the new buildings. Current energy codes require the commissioning. It will include review of the installation projects and process as well as performance testing of the equipment once its in place.

Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools began working on the new school projects after voters approved a $31 million bond issue a year ago. The kindergarten through fourth-grade facilities will replace Margeretta Carey, Southeast and West Cedar elementaries. Currently identified by their locations in Waverly, the northeast school site is at 2513 Horton Road and the west site is adjacent to 2915 Fifth Ave. N.W.

The approved contracts account for the bulk of expected costs for the construction projects. But there are other expenses yet to come before the board.

There will be other things to approve such as landscaping, playgrounds, furniture and equipment, and some other items that will come along, Superintendent Ed Klamfoth said in an email response to questions. He noted that allowances are built into the budget for those expenses  $250,000 for landscaping, $600,000 for playgrounds, and $1.3 million for furniture and equipment.

Total project costs will also include property purchase prices, architectural fees, a contingency fund and other expenses.

The northeast site includes 38.48 acres and cost $577,200, or $15,000 per acre. The purchase agreement required buying all of the land, but the parcel is larger than necessary so some will be sold eventually. The west site includes 17 acres for $20,000 per acre, but final negotiations are still underway.

Information wasnt immediately available on the architectural fees or the size of the contingency fund.

When the bond issue was approved, total expenses for the new schools along with planned improvements at Shell Rock Elementary and the high school were estimated at $45 million. The new elementaries had estimated price tags of $15.1 million-$17.1 million each. Since then, supply chain issues have caused prices for materials to increase so that a combined estimate for only the new elementary buildings is $44.33 million.

Corey Cerwinske addressed the board Monday during its public comment period with concerns about the building costs.

The playground portion and landscaping portion was not bid as part of the project, he noted. With the expected costs rising since the original construction estimate, Cerwinske questioned if the expense would keep growing.

Are we going to go over that (revised) budget before we put a shovel in the ground? He also inquired how Shell Rock Elementary School fits into the plans now.

Klamfoth expects the total on the two new schools to exceed $44.33 million. However, he noted that the district has sources of funding available to cover a higher estimated cost on those and the other proposed projects.

Along with $31 million in bond funds, Waverly-Shell Rock Schools can bond against $22 million in 1% sales tax revenues. The district also has $3.5 million in funds on hand and another $500,000 earmarked in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief for air quality/heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems.

Thats a total of $57 (million), he said. Were looking to be able to add air conditioning to our high school (a significant portion of that building has never had it) and then have approximately $6.5 (million) available for work at Shell Rock Elementary.

Those two projects will move forward at a later time. Klamfoth said officials would like to have the two new elementaries ready to open by the start of the 2023-24 school year. He noted, though, that if supply chain issues continue to be a problem there is no guarantee of meeting that timeline.

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Sometimes the zaniest ideas turn into the most incredible experiences.

That was certainly the case Sunday when Jay Leno came to town. When Jim Lind, former owner of Jim Lind Standard, found out that Leno would be performing at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on March 6 for a one-night show, his mind started racing faster than a Ferrari.

Knowing that Leno owns an impressive car collection of nearly 150 highly coveted and expensive vehicles, loves tinkering with his classic cars and motorcycles, and hosts the hit CNBC television series, Jay Lenos Garage set Linds own wheels in motion. He and his brothers Pat, Tim and Tom had just finished buffing and polishing their own car collection, housed in a museum of sorts dubbed The Motors, that showcases the Lind familys love for fast cars, classic frames and a bit of their own family history.

Lind contacted the Gallagher Bluedorn and presented his zany idea: Lets partner to raise funds for the performing arts centers building project by inviting Jay Leno to stop by the Lind Brothers own labor of automotive love and mingle with campaign donors. Leno was not only excited to check out The Motors but thrilled to participate in a fundraising effort for the Cedar Valley.

The Lunch with Leno event Sunday afternoon could only accommodate the first 50 lucky ticket buyers and quickly sold out. Although Cedar Valley car enthusiasts gathered at The Motors mainly to lunch with Leno, the talk was not all torque. The event also raised $35,000 for the Gallagher Bluedorns capital building campaign. The Gallagher Bluedorns expansion project is approaching its $15 million goal and will add 15,000 square feet of new and renovated event space, upgrades to the facilitys interior and exterior, and improvements to seating. These upgrades will elevate the Gallagher Bluedorn to a state-of- the-art facility to continue providing world-class performing arts for the Cedar Valley and the state of Iowa.

This event was truly a team effort, explained Pat Lind. This place was The Motors and still is The Motors, and by welcoming Jay Leno, our friends and family, and even a new generation, to a place so filled with what we love most is such an honor. And raising $35,000 for the Gallagher Bluedorn campaign is the icing on the cake.

The history of The Motors is a poignant story of four boys from Waterloo whose passion for building go-karts and motor bikes morphed into selling, fixing and racing fast cars. Following a stint in Vietnam, brother Tim opened a Standard Oil Service Station on East Ridgeway. He acquired his competition license and began a highly successful racing career. When Tom finished college after his time in the Army he returned home joining brothers Pat, Tim and Jim to establish Lind Bros. Motors and obtain a Lotus franchise.

After adding Jensen-Jensen Healey-TVR autos it was time to open a dealership on Washington Street. The distributor for Jensen Healey wanted a race team to represent their brand. Based on Tims success driving brother Pat Linds Austin Healey Sprite they were selected to represent Jensen Healey on the circuit. In 1974 they were awarded a Peugeot franchise, moved the dealership once more, and continued doing what they loved best until family obligations and other ventures sent them all in different directions.

Over this past year the Lind brothers have uncovered old auto parts, catalogs and signage from their own basements and garages to fill the newly renovated Motors with classic cars and unforgettable memories of days gone by. All their hard work culminating with Sundays zany-inspired event just goes to show how much the Lind brothers believe in the adage, Life is fast, so why drive slow.

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A new film, "The Chanting Willows," by Dai Wei is a story about emotional entanglement between two girls from a Shaoxing opera troupe and a painter in the 1990s, showing the development and beauty of the art form.

"The Shaoxing opera elements, as well as props from Chinese traditional culture, such as the Chinese fan and ink wash paintings, all contributed to the poeticism in this film," the director said at the premiere of the film in Beijing on March 4. She added that she hoped these elements would give the audience a feeling of romance.

Shaoxing opera is an important feature throughout the film, showing how the art and its artists are struggling to survive in modern China. It presents 11 Shaoxing opera episodes, spanning 20 minutes of the film's total runtime, showing the beauty of the opera, but it also serves another function: When filming these opera episodes, the film's creatives realized they needn't use narration since the deep meaning and expression was included in these episodes. In addition, they proved more engrossing than the previous monologues.

This film is adapted from the novel "West Lake in Love" by writer Wang Xufeng, laureate winner of China's prominent Mao Dun Literature Award. The story, also exploring the subject of "the third gender," takes place at the "Warblers in the Willow Waves," one of the 10 famed scenic spots of the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

It bears some resemblance to the previous Chinese classic drama film "Farewell My Concubine" (1993) by Chen Kaige, which is also about opera performers' tragic love story. But as executive producer Zheng Dasheng pointed out, "The Chanting Willows" is told through the perspective of a female director, examining her entangled love and feelings.

Actress Wang Yang plays the role of protagonist Chui Tiao, one of the opera performers in the troupe. As a native of Zhejiang, Wang has been influenced by Shaoxing opera since she was a child. In two months, she learned 11 classic Shaoxing opera episodes, spending all her time studying and practicing, fulfilling an almost impossible task.

"I fell in love with this role immediately. When I met the director (in the film), I told her I have waited 10 years to play this role. I am Chui Tiao. Her artistic pursuit, passion, and obsession are the same as mine," Wang said.

The other leading actress, Kan Xin, who plays Yin Xin in the film, is a new performer. "The role's character is very different from me. She knows what she wants. She's brave and very realistic. It was a challenge for me to play such a role," Kan said.

The male protagonist, Gong Yushan, an introverted and melancholic Chinese painter, is played by Zheng Yunlong. This is his first big screen performance, and formerly had only been engaged in various stage drama and musical performances. "When doing this film, I was 30. That was the time when I wanted to try something else," Zheng said. He went on to win the best new actor award for his performance in "The Chanting Willows" at 2021 Chinese American Film Festival in Los Angeles.

"The Chanting Willows" has won praise after screenings in various film festivals and events, and was the entry competing for main competition of the Golden Goblet Awards at the 2021 Shanghai International Film Festival. The film was released in China on March 5.
Moose Knuckles names Eric Tosello as EVP of Asia Pacific By



Jennifer Braun Published

Mar 9, 2022

Canadian luxury outerwear brand has announced the appointment of industry veteran Eric Tosello as executive vice president of Asia Pacific.





Moose Knuckles names Eric Tosello as EVP of Asia Pacific. - Moose Knuckles



In this role, Tosello will be based in Shanghai and will oversee all aspects of the companys operations in the region.



Tosello started his career with growing to general manager for APAC and then moved to the becoming managing director of for APAC. He joins the company from , where he most recently held the title of CEO of Greater China and APAC leading the revitalization of that brand within the region.

Eric joining as Moose Knuckles EVP of Asia Pacific is an incredibly exciting moment for the company as we execute our global strategy. He brings extensive experience and is a proven leader in building brands, driving growth and developing teams in premium and luxury branded markets across Asia, said , chairman and CEO, Moose Knuckles Canada.



His ability to drive results while being a compassionate and thoughtful leader are a great fit with our culture as we build our teams and business across China and the Asia Pacific region.



Moose Knuckles has posted significant double-digit year-over-year growth for the past five years including triple-digit growth in direct-to-consumer sales. In China specifically, the growth has reached over 75% in 2021 alone.



Moose Knuckles Canada is one of the most forward-thinking outerwear brands today and Im pleased by the opportunity to lead the Asia Pacific team, added Tosello. Its exciting to see the brand gaining momentum and I look forward to seeing the consumer reaction as we bring our unique blend of craftsmanship, and fashion to consumers across China and the Asia Pacific region.



Moose Knuckles currently operates over a dozen stores, including both permanent and pop-up locations across North America and Europe. As part of its global expansion strategy, it plans to grow its footprint to over 35 stores and pop-ups.
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When Lunas owner entered hospice care at The Villages in Florida, the future was uncertain for the lonesome-eyed Staffordshire terrier-boxer mix. She was boarded at a local veterinary clinic and, when her owner died, put up for adoption. Luna found a new home with Peggy Maina, a 69-year-old retired special education teacher, who had searched through dozens of web listings for a dog to keep her company.



She looked like an animal I could bond with, recalls Maina, who lives at The Villages.

Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care, a local health care organization, arranged the adoption through its pet program, which is affiliated with Pet Peace of Mind, a national organization.

Our goal is actually for all our patients to have a plan for their pet, says Lisa Gray, the coordinator of the Cornerstone program. But when a plan isnt in place, the program will try to find a new home for a dog or cat, sometimes by posting pet pictures on its Facebook page.

While there arent reliable statistics available, Lunas story is all too common, according to animal welfare organizations.

It happens almost every day. People contact me and say, my parent has gone into hospice, and the dogs have to go somewhere, says Amy Shever, founder and director of 2nd Chance 4 Pets, a Sacramento, California-based nonprofit that helps people plan for the possibility that their pets may outlive them. Thats the hard thing  when it becomes a desperate situation.

Help is out there

It doesnt have to be that way. Animal advocates advise all pet owners, especially older adults, to take advantage of the numerous websites and organizations that can assist in preparing for the time when they may no longer be able to care for a pet at home.

Vicki Stevens, director of program management and communications for companion animals at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), says that people unable to care for their pets have options besides leaving them at shelters, which can be stressful for the animals.

Adopt-a-Pet.coms Rehome website enables a pet owner to advertise that a pet is available for adoption. Rehomes staff can help select the best potential adopters and arrange meetups.

Home to Home similarly can assist pet owners who need to give up their pets and offer new homes to them.

Prepare for the unexpected

Everyone should have a plan in place for pet care, Stevens says. HSUS recommends pet owners take the following steps to protect their pet in case of death or if a sudden illness or accident leaves them incapacitated:
Over the past decade, southwest China's Guizhou province has experienced rapid growth, explored a new development path and get off to a good start in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

In February, the State Council issued a guideline supporting Guizhou's leading efforts in the country's pursuit of large-scale development of China's western regions in the new era. The guideline clarified the province's strategic role as a demonstration area for comprehensive reform in the development of China's western regions and encouraged it to blaze new trails for higher-quality economic development.

Deepen reform, expand opening-up and bolster the real economy

On Dec. 24, 2021, the battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) began work on a new project in the Gui'an New District of Guizhou province, which is set to become one of the company's top 10 manufacturing bases worldwide. CATL will help Guizhou improve its new energy battery and material industries.

The project is just one example of how Guizhou is accelerating new industrialization, expanding emerging industries, and fostering new growth drivers. Last year, the province introduced more than 1,000 leading enterprises.

In addition, Guizhou has made steady progress in developing its open economy. More than 300 foreign trade firms there can enjoy the benefits brought about by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. In 2021, the total volume of foreign trade of the province increased by over 30%.

The province has improved government services, explored new forms of foreign trade and new business models, and also strived to create a market-oriented, law-based and open business environment.

Attract talents, promote industrial transformation and technological innovation

Guizhou Aviation Technical Development Co. Ltd. is one of the first batch of China's "little giant" enterprises  innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)  and its products have been used in more than 70 models of aero engines at home and abroad. Similar SMEs are developing rapidly in the province. At present, Guizhou boasts 50 "little giant" enterprises at the national level and 139 at the provincial level, which serve as important new forces in the high-quality economic development of the province.

The province has also introduced an open competition mechanism to select the best candidates to lead key research projects. Since 2017, Guizhou has released a total of 24 lists of technological projects in 10 batches, launched 11 major scientific and technological projects, and offered 132 million yuan in funds.

Over the past few years, Guizhou has been striving to become a global hub of big data. It is home to one of China's eight national computing hubs, which represents an important move by the country to channel more computing resources from the east to less developed yet resource-rich western areas.

In 2021, the province's regional innovation capability and comprehensive scientific and technological innovation level both improved by two places nationwide, R&D investment increased for the fifth consecutive year, and the high-tech industry created an output value totaling 533.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.8%.

The State Council's document clearly supports the construction of 11 important bases in Guizhou, which the province will utilize to strengthen its industrial transformation.

Improve people's wellbeing toward achieving prosperity for all

Guizhou's "golden decade" has generated steady growth of incomes in both urban and rural areas, with per capita disposable income reaching 39,211 yuan for urban residents and 12,856 yuan for rural residents. The growth rate of incomes in the province's rural areas has been greater than that of urban areas for 10 consecutive years, which shows that the wealth gap is shrinking.

In 2021, expenditure on improving people's living standards in Guizhou accounted for 70% of total public spending in the region. Around 640,000 new urban jobs were added and 1.4 million training courses have been completed across the province to boost vocational skills.

At present, the balanced development of compulsory education in urban and rural areas has been promoted and higher education has enabled more talents to emerge. Meanwhile, the health care and pensions systems have been continuously improved, and life expectancy is rising.

Yu Liufen, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and secretary of the Party Committee of Yanbo village in Guizhou province, said that the State Council's guideline has been an inspiring gift. She added that she will lead her fellow villagers to follow the principles of the document in forging ahead to create better lives.
Scammers get you under that emotional ether, putting that fear in you of missing out on the opportunity, says Amy Nofziger, director of fraud victim support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network. Fraudsters are using FOMO like a secret sauce to push fake government grants, celebrity impostor scams, romance rackets and cryptocurrency fraud, Nofziger adds.

We see other people that supposedly got really lucky, and we think that could be us, she says.

FOMO is such a pervasive fraud tactic that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently warned consumers about investment scams that use it. Trouble is, FOMO is hardwired into our brains, says Brooke Struck, research director of the Decision Lab in Montreal. We fear loss much more than we get excited by equivalent gains, he says. And FOMO, Struck adds, has two flavors: We worry about feeling bad in the future  anticipated regret  and we fear falling behind others.

FOMO used to be seen as afflicting mostly the young and impressionable. But in August 2020, Washington State University psychologist Chris Barry published a study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships that found strikingly similar FOMO levels at all ages. FOMO was linked with loneliness, lower self-esteem and having less compassion for yourself.

AARPs October 2021 Fraud Frontiers survey of 3,280 people showed similar findings. Compared with scam avoiders, scam victims were up to five times more likely to feel lonely and 63 percent more likely to do something they later regretted when feeling bad. They also reported getting swept up in feelings of hope, happiness and excitement when dealing with a scammer.
With Michigan's COVID-19 case and hospitalization numbers hovering near all-time highs, the federal government will send doctors, nurses and others to support certain hospitals, the state health department said Wednesday.


Half Yearly Report and Accounts

Perth, Mar 9, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The principal continuing activities of Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) and its controlled entity during the period consisted of exploration and evaluation of gold projects across the portfolio with trial mining and toll processing on the Boorara Gold Project.The company continued acquisition growth including the purchase of the Penny's Find gold mine and the Cannon Gold Project.Divestment of Janet Ivy royalty with Norton Goldfields and Lehman's Gold joint venture with Northern Star Resources (previously Saracen Mineral Holdings).Further work on the consolidated Feasibility Study for the Boorara Gold Project and a strategic review of the Nimbus zinc-silver project including an offtake process.The consolidated entity made an after tax profit of $3,746,605 (December 2020:$2,028,782) for the half year.To view the full Half Year Report, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited

Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.


Oracle Ridge Resource Update - 36% Increase in Copper

Perth, Mar 10, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Eagle Mountain Mining Limited ( ASX:EM2 ) ( OTCMKTS:EGMMF ) is pleased to provide an update relating to its 100% owned Oracle Ridge Mine Project ("Oracle Ridge", "Project") in Arizona, USA.The Company has recently finalised an updated and interim JORC Code-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") at the Project. The MRE was completed by Eagle Mountain personnel in conjunction with SRK Consulting Pty Ltd ("SRK"), a well-respected international mining consultancy with extensive experience in Resource estimation. Mr Rodney Brown, Principal Consultant at SRK, is the Competent Person for the new MRE.Eagle Mountain Mining CEO, Tim Mason, commented:"Our first MRE update is a significant milestone on the pathway to recommence mining at Oracle Ridge. These results demonstrate the growth potential of our Resource and we are confident that further drilling will continue to build tonnes and improve quality. We have expanded the Resource tonnes by more than 39% by adding only 59 holes to the 529 holes drilled by previous owners. I consider this an excellent return on investment.We see even more growth potential with some very strong results already received which are not included in this MRE.Today we are declaring our first "Measured" Resource category; the highest level of confidence under the JORC Code and a requirement to declaring a Proven Reserve after completion of a feasibility study. More infill drilling will be undertaken with the aim to further increase the size of the Measured and Indicated Resource. We are planning to re-open the existing mine to enable drilling from underground. This will be far more efficient compared to surface drilling due to shorter hole lengths and it also enables various bulk samples required for metallurgical test work and other studies.This year, we plan to keep building and upgrading our resources to provide a critical mass to underpin future feasibility studies. We have already drilled 60 holes which will be included in the next JORC MRE planned to be undertaken later this year. I expect that we will have over 100 new holes in that update, which is about double the number of new holes compared to this update. In addition, we plan to drill other prospective targets, such as OREX and Golden Eagle which have the potential to add further tonnes to the overall Oracle Ridge Project.We look forward to the next planned MRE update in late 2022."At a 1% Copper cut-off grade, the Resource at Oracle Ridge now stands at 17.0 Mt at 1.48% Cu, 15.09g/t Ag and 0.17 g/t Au. A summary of the Resource is presented in Table 1* below.Significantly greater tonnages occur at lower copper cut-off grades, or higher grades are estimated with higher cut-offs, providing optionality for future mining and processing studies.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Eagle Mountain Mining Limited

Eagle Mountain Mining Limited (ASX:EM2) (OTCMKTS:EGMMF), is a copper-gold explorer focused on the strategic exploration and development of the Oracle Ridge Copper Mine and the highly prospective greenfield (Silver Mountain) project, both located in Arizona, USA.

Arizona is at the heart of America's mining industry and home to some of the world's largest copper discoveries such as Bagdad, Miami and Resolution, one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world.


Investor Webinar - Mineral Resource Update

Perth, Mar 10, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Eagle Mountain Mining Limited ( ASX:EM2 ) ( OTCMKTS:EGMMF ) is pleased to invite shareholders and investors to an investor webinar to discuss the announcement on the Update of JORC Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Oracle Ridge Copper Project.Details of the webinar are as follows:Event: Eagle Mountain Mining Investor WebinarPresenters: CEO, Tim Mason, and Chief Geologist, Fabio VergaraTime: Friday 11 March 2022 at 12:00pm AEDT / 09:00am AWSTWhere: Zoom Webinar, details to be provided upon registration.To register, shareholders and investors can visit:After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar. Attendees will be able to submit questions via the panel throughout the presentation, and the Company encourages shareholders and investors to submit questions to the IR contact below.About Eagle Mountain Mining Limited

Eagle Mountain Mining Limited (ASX:EM2) (OTCMKTS:EGMMF), is a copper-gold explorer focused on the strategic exploration and development of the Oracle Ridge Copper Mine and the highly prospective greenfield (Silver Mountain) project, both located in Arizona, USA.

Arizona is at the heart of America's mining industry and home to some of the world's largest copper discoveries such as Bagdad, Miami and Resolution, one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world.
China is mulling an amendment to a law on local legislatures and governments as part of the country's drive to modernize its governance system and capacity.



The draft amendment to the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments was submitted for its third reading to the ongoing fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

Adopted in 1979, the law is going through its sixth amendment, in which a people-centered philosophy of development and whole-process people's democracy are highlighted.

"As a basic law stipulating the organization and operation of local legislatures and governments, it serves as an important institutional guarantee for local state organs of power and administrative organs to exercise their powers and perform their duties," said Wang Chen, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, in an explanatory speech delivered at the session.

When elaborating on the necessity of amending the law, Wang said that it is crucial to ensure law-based and effective governance under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

ENHANCING SUPERVISION

The draft amendment further specifies the composition of local legislatures, stipulating that committees dedicated to financial and economic affairs, legal affairs and others can be set up by local people's congresses.

"The establishment of such special committees will double the effectiveness of oversight by local legislatures over areas that require professional expertise," said Gao Jianjun, a national lawmaker from central China's Henan Province.

Another highlight of the draft is the empowerment of people's congresses at the county and township levels to supervise the budgets and final accounts of governments at their respective levels.

It also adds new provisions defining the functions and powers of urban neighborhood offices, as the sub-district agencies are assuming an increasing range of responsibilities for public administration. The current law does not prescribe what duties the offices should fulfill.

Stressing the significance of primary-level organs and organizations in China's system of governance, political advisor Lyu Hongbing said that these revisions are essential to develop whole-process people's democracy and will ensure that it is the people who run the country.

IMPROVING GRASSROOTS GOVERNANCE

As stipulated by the current law, local legislatures and governments should perform their duties and functions in accordance with the law. The draft amendment fleshes out such provisions with details.

According to the draft amendment, local people's congresses, the standing committees of local people's congresses at and above the county level and local governments should see to it that the central authorities' decisions are implemented in a timely and faithful manner, and that the Constitution, laws and administrative regulations are enforced within their own administrative regions.

"Part of building a law-based government is ensuring the implementation of the Constitution, laws and administrative regulations," said Lyu.

The draft amendment also responds to new changes in governance at local levels. It says that the governments of different administrative regions at and above the county level can set up special joint working groups based on local realities to implement state-level strategies for regional integrated development. Local governments at and above the county level can also form cross-department response teams in times of major emergency, it says.

"These revisions will facilitate innovation in grassroots governance, enhance the capacity of local governments in delivering services to the people, and inject new vitality into the drive for modernizing the system and capacity for governance," said Cai Hua, an NPC deputy.


iM3NY Set to Produce Lithium-ion batteries without Nickel and Cobalt

New York, Mar 10, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Imperium3 New York Inc (iM3NY) which is 60% owned by Australian listed company Magnis Energy Technologies Limited ( ASX:MNS ) ( FRA:U1P ) ( OTCMKTS:MNSEF ) is set to begin production of its lithium-ion battery cells in June this year. Importantly, the batteries produced will not contain cobalt or nickel, two battery metals which have experienced extraordinary price increases in the last weeks due to significant geopolitical risks.Nickel prices have risen from $20,000 per tonne to over $100,000 per tonne in the last month while Cobalt prices are now approaching $85,000 per tonne. Such price increases to both these battery metals will translate in to a price hike of over $1,000 per electric vehicle.As sanctions between the west and Russia intensify and the need to reduce dependency on China in the battery supply chain, the non-china supply chain built over the last 7 years could be the most significant piece in iM3NY's production.When asked about interest in his batteries, iM3NY Chairman Dr Shailesh Upreti commented "We are constantly having groups reaching out to us for supply of our batteries, these groups include some of the biggest EV manufacturers globally. They are realising the importance of a non-china supply chain along with a nickel and cobalt free battery."iM3NY plans to scale up to 38GWh capacity in the coming years and have been receiving high praise for their "Made in America" batteries with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand making positive comments on the project following her recent visit to Binghamton University.When asked about conversations with various Electric Vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla, Upreti wouldn't comment specifically but said "Demand for our batteries has never been stronger".About Magnis Energy Technologies Limited

Magnis Energy Technologies Limited (ASX:MNS) (OTCMKTS:MNSEF) (FRA:U1P) is involved in and has strategic investments in several aspects of the electrification supply chain including manufacturing of green credentialed lithium-ion battery cells, leading edge battery technology and high quality, high performance anode materials. The company's vision is to enable, support and accelerate the green energy transition critical for the adoption of Electric Mobility and Renewable Energy Storage.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

A 15-year-old boy is accused of fatally shooting his aunt Tuesday morning before stealing her SUV and leading police on a chase through Rio Rancho.

Rio Rancho Police Lt. Jacquelynn Reedy said Brayden Baldree is charged with an open count of murder in the death of 45-year-old Carmen Kester. She said he is also facing charges of tampering with evidence, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing and reckless driving.

Baldree has been booked into the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center.

Charging documents were not available through online court records as of Wednesday afternoon. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

Reedy, who would not provide a charging document to the Journal, said officers responded around 11 a.m. to reports of a dead woman inside a home in the 1200 block of Mirador Loop NE. Police found Kesters body at the home, and she was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

Reedy said police identified Kesters nephew, Baldree, as a person of interest in the case and discovered he had fled the home in Kesters SUV. She said officers found the stolen SUV soon after with Baldree behind the wheel.

Reedy said Baldree led patrol officers on a chase that also involved the use of a police helicopter. She said with the help of New Mexico State Police and Town of Bernalillo Police Department, Baldree was taken into custody without further incident.
As a three-decade veteran economic development professional, some of the major benefits I tout when encouraging companies to move to or expand in New Mexico are our great weather, lack of natural disasters, and plentiful and inexpensive electricity.

PNM has been a great partner in helping us attract such major organizations as Facebook, Netflix and Amazon.

The recent news regarding potential blackouts this and next summer risks killing all the momentum weve been achieving in attracting these powerhouses and others we are courting to the Land of Enchantment.

These companies need to know they will have reliable electricity and, if thats not possible, they will move to a state that will provide it.

Reading the news articles that have come out is very upsetting. It seems the blame properly resides squarely on the Public Regulation Commissions shoulders. Years of poor decisions by this agency now mean the entire state will suffer. I support the attorney general in his investigation.

I am grateful that, with the governors leadership, the Energy Transition Act was enacted and, starting in 20223, the PRC commissioners will be appointed by the governor rather than elected. The PRCs delays, inaction and poor decision-making are negatively impacting utilities and customers throughout the state, and that is bad not only for New Mexicans, but also for business and potential businesses considering moving to New Mexico.

I am tired of seeing New Mexico at the bottom of all the good lists and the top of all the bad lists. I urge the Public Regulation Commission to work with the experts and figure out solutions now, including rectifying these PRC failures.

Time is truly of the essence. The health and well-being of New Mexicans depend on it, and a future of good jobs and great companies moving here is counting on it.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

RIO RANCHO  The city of Rio Ranchos refusal to release police records regarding the apparent gunshot death of the 2-year-old son of a Santa Fe policeman escalated into a blistering attack this week on the state Attorney Generals Office and the news media.

Informed by Attorney General Hector Balderass office Monday that the city of Rio Rancho violated the state public records law by denying a request from KOAT-TV for law enforcement records about the Dec. 8 fatal shooting, Rio Rancho City Attorney Gregory Lauer fired off a written response, which Balderas told the Journal on Wednesday was insulting and very inappropriate.

In it, Lauer suggested the AGs Office itself had violated a different state law by siding with KOAT-TV. The city maintained the records sought were confidential under the state Childrens Code.

Lauer also accused the AGs Office of providing more than a series of contrived, illogical machinations and said the AGs narrow, attenuated arguments demonstrate and confirm how one must embrace an illogical and myopic view of the law to arrive at the same set of conclusions.

Lauer indicated that despite the AGs conclusion, the city would continue to withhold the police records related to the death of 2-year-old Lincoln Harmon, and protect the rights of children and families.

But by Wednesday, there was a reversal.

A city of Rio Rancho spokeswoman told the Journal the city planned to make public certain records about the case, but needed time to redact certain protected information.

Rio Rancho has refused multiple requests from the news media, including the Journal, for law enforcement records about the case.

But on Wednesday, without explaining the rationale for the reversal, the city issued a statement that it was now processing medias requests.

Lauer didnt respond to a Journal request seeking an interview.

Guarantee of publics right

New Mexicos Inspection of Public Records Act guarantees the public the right to inspect and copy all public records, except as provided by law. The AGs Office is responsible for enforcing the states public records law.

Asked about Lauers written response Monday, Balderas told the Journal,I was actually shocked considering we are authorized under law to do this very important enforcement work. We took our time to make sure we were correct on the law and their response was very inappropriate and outside the norm of many of the governments we partner with to ensure transparency.

Balderas added, we were very prepared to swiftly litigate (the IPRA issue in court). I was even more surprised when they changed course. They wielded insults; they werent prepared to defend their position.

On Wednesday, Annemarie Garcia, a Rio Rancho spokeswoman, said the city wants the Legislature to clarify ambiguities in the Childrens Code.

The city believes it was legislative intent of the Childrens Code to protect children from ongoing trauma and mental anguish, and not for IPRA to expose victims information as content for the media, guerilla journalism and the dark web, according to a statement she sent to the media.

Balderas said he was disappointed that they (Rio Rancho officials) pretend to take the position of protecting children and yet I firmly believe that transparency laws also protect children especially in the light of these tragic circumstances. The community wants and deserves answers in terms of what tragically happened to the young child.

Need for transparency

Since the boys death, no records have been provided by the Rio Rancho police department that might explain how he was shot and by whom.

The agency did file a search warrant affidavit on Dec. 9 seeking court approval to search the Enchanted Hills home of his parents Jonathan and Courtney Harmon. That document was released by the court and provided some information.

Officers who arrived at the scene discovered a spent casing and projectile near the boy, who died from a gunshot wound. A gun holster was on the kitchen counter, and the boys mother told police the firearm had been placed in a nearby cabinet, the affidavit stated.

The affidavit stated that the boys mother called 911 saying her 2-year-old son had fallen from a chair at their Rio Rancho home and there was blood everywhere. The couple have at least one other young child.

The 13th Judicial District Attorneys Office says it sent the police investigation to the AGs Office on Feb. 18 to avoid a conflict because Jonathan Harmon previously worked with the Bernalillo Police Department. That agency sends its cases for prosecution to the DAs Office.

Balderas said his agency is determining whether there is a such a conflict, and regardless will provide technical assistance.

Because this case is so important to the community of Rio Rancho we are assisting to assemble an independent investigative review team that can provide assistance to Rio Rancho police and to the District Attorneys Office.

Balderas said, in very sensitive and tragic child abuse cases, investigative agencies have to produce a timely status update and be transparent in a way that all stakeholders can feel that at least the victim is receiving adequate due process under the law.

He said enough time has elapsed that the general public should at least be aware of the Rio Rancho Police Departments conclusions and/or whether or not there are prosecutorial experts needed.

If this was an accident with no criminal culpability there should be a general update or if this is a case for further investigation and prosecution that the general public needs to be aware of what direction this is headed and this just hasnt occurred.

There needs to be an adequate level of transparency, Balderas added.

CYFD closed inquiry

Meanwhile, the states Children, Youth and Families Department has concluded its inquiry into the incident and closed its investigation, said CYFD Deputy Cabinet Secretary Beth Gillia in an email. She declined to give more details.

KOAT, along with the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe New Mexican and other news outlets, have asked for police incident reports and 911 tapes related to the circumstances of the boys death. His father is employed with the Santa Fe Police Department.

The Journals sister newspaper, the Rio Rancho Observer, had also filed a complaint with the AGs Office based on Rio Ranchos earlier refusal to provide police records pertaining to other cases involving alleged child abuse and crimes committed by juveniles.

In those cases, the city of Rio Rancho denied the request, again stating the information was protected under the state Childrens Code.

In issuing opinions on both of those complaints on Monday, the AGs Office found no merit to Rio Ranchos legal basis for withholding the records.

And the opinion by assistant AG John Kreienkamp related to the KOAT-TV complaint urged the city to reevaluate its approach to requests for records pertaining to children as well as public records requests more generally.

The Citys policy concerns with releasing certain records are not a valid substitute for a specific exemption in lawand no provision of the Childrens Code creates a blanket exception to disclosure for any and all records mentioning or pertaining to a child in any and all circumstances, Kreienkamp wrote in a seven-page letter.

In his reply, city attorney Lauer stated: The letter from the Office of the Attorney General provides more than a series of contrived, illogical machinations which the City rejects because they are irrelevant as to what New Mexico Law actually states and prescribes about this subject.

He added, Its possible actually in this instance that the Office of the Attorney General has violated the New Mexico Constitutions anti-donation prohibition by sending what is essentially a demand or collection letter on behalf of a private sector individual or entity who is not entitled to such public resources, legal services or expenditures.

In any event, Lauer wrote, for all the machinations, the letters content does not change the plain language of the Childrens Code, which does apply as an exception to IPRA.

Lauer, who was hired by Rio Rancho in late 2016, has previously been a private attorney in Albuquerque and had stints working for state government.

AG, city clashed before

The clash between the AGs Office and the Rio Rancho city attorney isnt the first.

In 2017, the Attorney Generals Office informed the city of Rio Rancho that its practice of charging citizens $30 for copies of 911 call recordings might violate the states Public Records Act because it was excessive.

The AGs Office, responding to a citizen complaint, also determined the city violated IPRA because it didnt allow the citizen access to the recordings prior to charging for downloading copies.

The city disagreed  and Lauer at the time said the city might start charging more for more time-consuming requests.

Ultimately, the city provided the four recordings to the citizen and offered to refund her payment.
WARSAW, Poland  U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, citing the atrocities of bombing civilians, including a maternity hospital.

Speaking alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda at a press conference in Warsaw, where she is demonstrating U.S. support for NATOs eastern flank allies, Harris expressed outrage over the bombing Wednesday of the maternity hospital and scenes of bloodied pregnant women being evacuated, as well as other attacks on civilians. She stopped short of directly accusing Russia of having committed war crimes.

Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching, said Harris, noting that the United Nations has already started a process to review allegations. I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.

Harris visit to Poland came amid a kerfuffle between Warsaw and Washington over a Polish proposal to send its Soviet-made fighter jets to a U.S. and NATO base in Germany so they could then go to Ukraine. Poland, in turn, would receive American F-16s.

Poland had publicly floated the proposal without first consulting the U.S. Just as Harris arrived in Warsaw late Wednesday, the Pentagon definitively rejected the idea, saying it would run the risk of escalating the Russia-Ukraine war.

At Thursdays news conference, both Harris and Duda sought to brush aside differences on the fighter jets issue.

I want to be very clear, the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop, she said.

Duda for his part sidestepped questions about why Poland announced its proposal without first consulting the United States. He stressed his governments intention was driven by a desire for NATO as a whole to make a common decision on the matter.

In a nutshell we have to be a responsible member of the North Atlantic Alliance, Duda said.

Harris embrace for an investigation of war crimes came after the Biden administration on Wednesday warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine as the White House rejected Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded.

The White House raised the notion after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova  without evidence  accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor announced last week he was launching an investigation that could target senior officials believed responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide amid a rising civilian death toll and widespread destruction of property during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

But investigations at the ICC take many years, and relatively few convictions have ever been won. The ICC was set up in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The crime of aggression, which cant be investigated in Ukraine because neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the court, was added later.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the hospital bombing horrific and said the U.S. is going through a legal review process to determine whether to label the bombing a war crime.

Duda said it is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes. He added that in his view the invasion was bearing the features of a genocide  it aims at eliminating and destroying a nation.

Harris praised the Polish people for their generosity for taking in nearly 1.5 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

Ive been watching or reading about the work of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and so I bring you thanks from the American people, Harris said earlier during a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hours after the U.S. House passed a massive spending bill that includes $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine and its European allies.

The legislation includes $6.8 billion to care for refugees and other economic aid to allies.

Harris also met Thursday with seven refugees who have fled from Ukraine to Poland since the Russian invasion began. She praised the refugees for their courage and said the conversation would help inform U.S. assistance efforts. The group included a Ukrainian advocate for people with disabilities, a Moroccan university student, a professional film producer from Odessa, a Senegalese community leader and teacher, a LGBTQIA+ rights activist from Kyiv, and a Ukrainian energy expert and her young adult daughter.

We are here to support you, and you are not alone, Harris told the group. And I know theres so much about the experience that youve had that has made you feel alone. You are not alone. We around the world are watching.

The vice president also met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while in Warsaw. The Canadian leader has been in Europe in recent days meeting with allies about Ukraine. Trudeau credited the Biden administration for rallying Europes largely unified response.

Vladimir Putin totally underestimated the strength and resolve of the Ukrainian people, Trudeau said. But he also underestimated the strength and resolve of democracies to stand up in support of Ukraine, (and) in support of those values, and principles that underlie everything we do.

Harris whirlwind visit to Poland and Romania was billed by the White House as a chance for the vice president to consult with two of the leaders from eastern flank NATO nations about the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Already, more than 2 million refugees have fled Ukraine  with more than half coming to Poland  and even more expected to arrive in the days ahead.

Duda warned of a refugee disaster if Poland doesnt receive more assistance to help house and feed Ukrainians fleeing the conflict. He said he asked Harris for the U.S. to speed up the process for those Ukrainian refugees who would want to go to the U.S. and might have family there.

The United States is absolutely prepared to do what we can and what we must to support Poland, in terms of the burden that they have taken on, Harris said.

Harris will travel on Friday to Bucharest, where she will meet Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

___

Miller contributed from Washington. Associated Press writers Mike Corder at The Hague, Netherlands, and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed reporting.
VERSAILLES, France  European Union leaders meeting in France on Thursday ruled out fulfilling Ukraines demand for a fast-track integration with the bloc, as they discussed ways to help the country thats been invaded by Russia.

EU nations have been fully united in backing Ukraines resistance, adopting unprecedented economic sanctions against Russia over the past two weeks.

But leaders are divided on how fast Brussels could move to accept Ukraine as a member, and how swiftly the 27-nation bloc could sever energy ties with Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for his country to be granted urgent EU membership as a proof of support from his EU partners. An agreement on that point, however, wont be achieved during the two-day summit hosted in the palace of Versailles west of Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2017.

After nine hours of crisis talks, heads of states and government ended the first day of discussions with an agreement on language acknowledging Ukraines European aspirations, but they stopped short of going further into the process.

It was an opportunity to show unwavering, firm support for Ukraine, that is, to be committed financially, materially, said EU Council President Charles Michel. It is clear that Ukraine is a member of the European family and we want to support all efforts to strengthen and consolidate the ties with Ukraine.

For now, Ukraine only has an Association Agreement with the EU, which is aimed at opening Ukraines markets and bringing it closer to Europe. It includes a far-reaching free trade pact and helps to modernize Ukraines economy.

The Ukrainian fast-track bid has received warm support in Eastern European countries, but EU officials have stressed the process could take years, with unanimity among current members required to allow a newcomer in the club.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU must send a strong signal of support for Ukraine, but ruled out the possibility for the country to join the bloc any time soon.

Can we open today a procedure of accession (to the EU) with a country at war? I dont think so, Macron said. Shall we close the door and say (to Ukraine): Never? That would be unfair.

Dutch Prime minister Mark Rutte said he told Zelenskyy that Ukraines EU accession cant be sped up.

There isnt something like a fast track, a fast procedure, Rutte said. We also have to take the Western Balkan nations into account, who sometimes have been working for over a decade to become merely a candidate nation for membership. Think of Albania and Macedonia. Lets see what we can do in a practical sense.

Another key deterrent to a hasty decision  which Macron alluded to  is the specific EU treaty clause that if a member falls victim to armed aggression, the other EU countries have an obligation to aid and assist it by all the means in their power.

But specifically the Baltic nations, with their Soviet past, want to reach out to Ukraine.

Lithuanias President Gitanas Nauseda praised the work so far and showed support for quick integration. The process started. Now it is up to us and Ukrainians to accomplish it fast,  Nauseda tweeted early Friday. Heroic Ukrainian nation deserves to know that they are welcome in EU.

Its also important to show a clear open door for EU membership for Ukraine, that the path is open for them to take and that we as a family of democratic nations would want them, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said earlier. Thats very, very important for the Ukrainians right now as a very important signal.

Leaders talks also focused on how to wean the bloc off its Russian energy dependency and bolster the regions defense capabilities.

Possible new sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus  including cutting all their banks from the SWIFT dominant system for global financial transactions  were also on the table, according to an EU official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The energy sector is the Kremlins main source of income, some 600 million euros a day, Karins said. If we were to stop the purchase of Russian energy, that would stop the funding of the Russian military machine.

All leaders agree that the EU should reduce its dependency on imports of Russian gas, oil and coal while accelerating the green transition. The EU imports 90% of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40% of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.

Earlier this week, the European Commission proposed to diversify natural gas supplies and speed up renewable energy development in a bid to reduce EU demand for Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of the year.

Macron said the talks in Versailles were aimed at determining at which pace the EU can reduce, then remove its dependency as the year-end deadline proposed by the commission seems unrealistic to many member states.

Its also unlikely leaders will soon follow Washingtons lead and unanimously endorse a full embargo on Russian oil and gas imports on Friday. France wont defend what it considers a radical measure and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made clear he opposes the idea.

Efforts to agree on a boycott are complicated because some EU countries, including Germany and Italy, are much more dependent than others on Russia. Poland gets 67% of its oil from Russia, while Ireland receives only 5%.

Rutte said it was essential that the EU should not (go) hastily in the direction of a complete ban on gas and oil from Russia.

The EU has showed remarkable cohesion since the war started last month. It quickly adopted massive sanctions targeting Putin himself, Russias financial system and its high-maintenance oligarchs. It also took the unprecedented step of collectively supplying weapons to a country under attack.

According to a draft of the summits conclusions obtained by The Associated Press, leaders will agree in Versailles that they must bolster resolutely (their) investment in defense capabilities and innovative technologies, and to continue efforts to make the EU a stronger and more capable security provider.

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AP journalists Raf Casert in Brussels and Jeff Schaeffer in Paris contributed to this report.

Follow AP coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  Prosecutors in the trial of four men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday played covertly recorded audio for jurors in which one of the men specifically discusses a plan to abduct the Democrat.

In the recording, made by a government informant during a meeting in mid-July 2020 in Wisconsin, Barry Croft Jr. describes the possibility of using explosives to rain down fire on law enforcement with a team standing by to abduct Whitmer.

He adds without providing details that it should be a quick precise grab of the governor.

In another recording made by the same informant, jurors heard the sound of an explosives test Croft was conducting. Hes later heard speaking almost giddily about the damage he could cause, saying it would be devastating.

Prosecutors say the men  Croft, Adam Fox, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta  planned to snatch Whitmer from her Michigan vacation home because they were angry about pandemic restrictions she imposed. They also planned to blow up a nearby bridge to slow the police response.

The audio played in the federal courtroom in Grand Rapids, Michigan, marked the first time the jury heard a defendant talking specifically about abducting Whitmer. In other recordings played, Croft and Fox mentioned Whitmer and spoke excitedly about taking action that would terrorize people.

Im gonna hit soon, Croft is heard saying during what prosecutors say was a crucial June 6, 2020, meeting of antigovernment activists in Ohio.  Im going to terrorize people. The right people. The people who have been terrorizing my people.

A little later, Fox also is heard on audio recorded by an FBI informant, tossing out ideas and telling the group: You need to take hostages. Theres your value.

FBI agent Todd Reineck testified earlier Thursday that the men were arrested in fall 2020 because there was a real concern they might obtain real live explosives. He also testified about social media posts and messages by the men, including some made months before any contact from FBI agents or informants.

 I want to bring formal charges against our governor and tyrants in our state.  Lets do something  bold, Fox said in a December 2019 Facebook video. In it, Fox is seen intermittently laughing and cursing the government while waving two AR-style assault rifles at a camera.

Foxs attorney, Christopher Gibbons, questioned Reineck about the process of paying informants in cash, vetting them before undercover work, and the choice of electronic devices they used. Reineck also acknowledged under questioning by Gibbons that Fox participated in some legal protests at the Michigan Capitol.

During opening statements Wednesday, defense attorneys said the FBI tricked the men into participating in a plot to kidnap Whitmer and U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker allowed them to address an entrapment defense.

Entrapment is a high-risk defense because its a concession that crimes may have been committed.

Crofts lawyer said informants secretly recorded the men when virtually everyone was stoned, absolutely out-of-your-mind stoned, leading to fantastical ideas, including using a kite to transport Whitmer.

They knew it was stoned-crazy talk and not a plan, Joshua Blanchard said of the FBI.

Harris attorney, Julia Kelly, said the former Marine liked an FBI informant called Big Dan because he presented himself as a gun training instructor.

Big Dan was the leader, she told jurors. How do I shoot out of a vehicle? Yeah, you go ask Big Dan. Thats what Daniel was looking for in the summer of 2020.

Casertas attorney, Michael Hills, said attack training sessions in Michigan and Wisconsin were Fed-sponsored events.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Roth said evidence would prove the defendants desire to commit violence regardless of anything the informants did or suggested, telling jurors the men were willing and eager and preparing for the crime long before law enforcement got involved.

If the defendant was already willing to commit the crime, that is not entrapment, Roth said.

He described Fox and Croft as masterminds of the plot, and said the four wanted to create a war zone here in Michigan.

In one recording, Croft says Whitmer needs to be hung. After Croft was arrested in October 2020 on the East Coast as he made deliveries at his job as a truck driver, agents found a receipt for $353-worth of what the FBI agent described as mortar-style fireworks, which he said could become a makeshift bomb if packed with pennies.

These were not people who were all talk, Roth said.  These were people who wanted to separate themselves from people who were all talk.

Two critical insiders, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, have pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and are expected to testify for the government.

In 2020, Whitmer was trading taunts with then-President Donald Trump over his administrations response to COVID-19. Her critics, meanwhile, were regularly protesting at the Michigan Capitol, clogging streets around the statehouse and legally carrying semi-automatic rifles into the building.

Whitmer, who is seeking reelection this year, rarely talks publicly about the case and isnt expected to attend the trial. She has blamed Trump for stoking mistrust and fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn hate groups and right-wing extremists like those charged in the plot. She has said he was also complicit in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

___

White reported from Detroit and Burnett reported from Chicago. Reporter John Flesher contributed from Traverse City, Michigan.

___

Find APs full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
If you're plugged in to the internet, use email or social media, do any kind of online business or shopping transactions, you are vulnerable to a ransomware attack. By taking such measures as better password protection, recognizing questionable emails, and separating home and business computer systems, a person can reduce the risk of such an attack, according to cyber experts from the Albuquerque Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI seminar held last week at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce was attended by about 40 people, many small-business operators, who said they were mindful of recent ransomware attacks on the Albuquerque Public Schools and Bernalillo County, as well as heightened threats of cyberattacks from Russia.

Our business is all online and cyber security is one of the largest threats to that business, said Carl Vidal, chief executive officer of Irvie Homes, a short-term and vacation property rental business. We want to make sure we're taking every precaution we can to be safe, and make sure that our company and our customers are never affected by a data breach.

Although he already has some security measures in place, Vidal said he is alarmed by the Russian incursion into Ukraine.

State actors, such as (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, have the ability to destroy any online business they want if they chose to do so, he said.

Likewise, John Lewis, program manager at the Hispano Chamber, said the chamber is getting ready to launch an association of minority-owned contractors and a lot of our membership in the association are working with the federal government, which requires them to make sure that their systems are secure.

An FBI cyber security agent speaking at the event and who asked that his name not be used, told those gathered that ransomware thieves will take digital information from anything that you have that has a connection to the internet  that's their way in.

Once the information is stolen, the users are locked out of their computer and instead receive an alert saying that they must pay a ransom to unlock the system, and are given directions on what to pay and how to pay it. When victims fail to comply, the cyber thieves often permanently delete the data. They can also use the stolen information to create fake accounts with any number of businesses or organizations that also use the internet.

Among the ransomware risk reduction tips offered by the FBI are:

 Back up data, including images, but make sure the backups are not online.

 Use a multi-factor authentication process, which is an additional step to the single password required to log in to an account. This could involve a number code being sent to a person's cellphone, which then has to be entered into the computer system in order to allow access. Other second- or third-tier precautions might include answering personal questions that only the account holder would know.

 Promptly install all software updates and patches to computers, cellphones or printer operating systems, and anything else connected to the internet.

 Those who operate a home business should separate their networks, so home users and business users work from different routers or servers. This is particularly important in homes where there are children and teens who tend to bounce from one website to another, and who are frequent users of multiple social media platforms.

 Do not open suspicious or unknown emails, particularly those containing pdf or other files or links. Be especially vigilant of emails from a sender who may sound familiar, but the url in the address line is a bit off, such as person or business name that is slightly different than usual, or if the url normally ends in .com, but is suddenly using a different commercial, organizational or network domain.
NEW DELHI  Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist party had a commanding lead in Indias most populous state as votes were counted Thursday, despite criticism of his governments handling of the pandemic, soaring unemployment and farmer protests.

Data from Indias Election Commission showed the Bharatiya Janata Party comfortably ahead in Uttar Pradesh state in voting seen as a crucial test for Modis popularity before national elections in 2024. Modis BJP was also ahead in three more states, while Indias main opposition Congress party was facing a rout in Punjab, the data showed.

The final tallies for the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa after a month of voting were expected by Thursday evening at the earliest.

The results, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, are seen as a referendum on Modis popularity and a resounding endorsement of his partys Hindu-first politics. They will also dent the hopes of opposition parties that are banking on forming a united front to challenge Modi in the next general election.

Uttar Pradesh is governed by Yogi Adityanath, a highly divisive Hindu monk-turned-politician whose rise has been marked by anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence. He is expected to return as the chief minister of the state, with results showing Modis party ahead in about 255 of the 403 seats  well beyond the simple majority needed to form a government.

In the last Uttar Pradesh state election in 2017, the BJP and its allies swept the polls. The results then were widely attributed to Modis popularity and Hindu-first politics, and he returned as prime minister for a second term in the 2019 general election.

Uttar Pradesh sends 80 legislators to Indias Parliament, the most of any state. Voting there has been long seen as a crucial bellwether for national elections.

Modis party has been under immense pressure to steer an economy that was sputtering even before the COVID-19 pandemic, with unemployment a key issue among voters. The elections were also the first after a calamitous surge in infections sparked anger, with many accusing the Adityanath government of mismanagement.

In the leadup to the polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP promised to spur development and wooed voters with welfare measures. Its core message focused on big-ticket projects combining religion with infrastructure that analysts said were aimed at pleasing the BJPs Hindu base. But uncertainties about the votes outcome had been raised by multiple defections to the main opposition in the state, the Samajwadi Party, whose secular appeal pulled voters from a wide range of castes as well as the Muslim community.

The BJP headquarters in Lucknow, Uttar Pradeshs capital, was festooned with garlands made of marigolds. Supporters set off fireworks, danced to the beat of drums and waved saffron flags.

We won this election because the party was able to deliver. Whatever we had promised we delivered in the last five years. We went to the people with the report card and they approved our work, said Surendra Soni, a party worker.

Before the polls, questions were also raised whether farmers, an influential voting bloc, would rally behind the BJP. Many farmers were still furious at Modi for pushing through contentious agriculture laws that triggered a yearlong protest before he yielded and revoked them in November.

This anger also set the tone for polls in nearby Punjab state, considered the grain bowl of India, where the Aam Aadmi Party, which was formed in 2013 to fight corruption and has since ruled the national territory of Delhi for two consecutive terms, was attempting to oust the opposition Congress party.

Partial returns in Punjab showed a resounding win for the Aam Aadmi Party, which was leading in about 92 of the 117 seats.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders said they now are ready to take on Modi nationally.

I see AAP becoming a national force. AAP is going to be the national and natural replacement of the Congress, party spokesperson Raghav Chadha told the New Delhi Television news channel.

The Congress party, which once had a nationwide footprint, is in turmoil after its 2019 national election debacle, and some of its key young leaders have switched to the BJP. With its loss in Punjab, the party will find it difficult to revive its fortunes as regional parties such as AAP are taking the space challenging the BJP domination.

Modis party is also expected to hold power for a second consecutive term in Uttarakhand state, the Election Commission data showed.

In elections in the two smaller states of Manipur and Goa, the BJP was in tight races but ahead of other parties.

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Associated Press writers Ashok Sharma in New Delhi and Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow contributed to this report.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexicos Next Generation Media Academy is getting off the ground after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed off on $40 million in funding for the program.

The one-time appropriation includes $20 million in capital outlay funding and $20 million in general funding to establish and operate the academy. The funding is contained in House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 212, which Lujan Grisham signed into law recently.

The funds will also cover equipment and material costs to train more New Mexicans to work in the states film, television and digital media industry.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the academy will be located in Bernalillo County and will provide an instructional environment unlike any other facility in the state  with state-of-the-art sound stages, equipment, technology and materials, where production methods, existing and emergent, can be put into real-world practice.

A proposed satellite campus in Las Cruces is also in development, with plans to offer bilingual training programs.

The Next Generation Media Academy will be the cutting-edge epicenter for all New Mexicans with diverse backgrounds and experience levels to gain an industry-standard, union-supported, state-of-the-art and highly specialized education in a chosen craft, said Alicia J. Keyes, New Mexico Economic Development secretary. Having such a forward-thinking program will result in well-paying careers for New Mexicans as well as providing a large highly skilled workforce for this industry.

New Mexico looked to the Georgia Film Academy in Atlanta for ideas on setting up the academy earlier this year.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, once the academy is open, there is an initial goal of admitting 1,000 students per year.

Existing New Mexico Film Partners, Netflix and NBCUniversal, and future film partners, will contribute financially and offer paid apprenticeships.

IATSE Local 480 will also allow NGMA students to accrue days toward union membership, which will lead to a fast-track for jobs.

In addition, the NGMA will collaborate with 15 of New Mexicos already established higher education institutions, also known as the Consortium Education Partners statewide by setting up a core curriculum that meets industry standards.

The Next Generation Media Academy elevates New Mexico as a global leader in the film and digital media industry, providing a highly competent, set-ready, relevant workforce in every corner of the state equipped with an array of skills, both traditional and emergent, said Amber Dodson, New Mexico Film Office director.

New Mexico had a record-breaking year last fiscal year, which saw $626.5 million in direct spend in the state.

In 2021, 103 productions registered with the New Mexico Film Office. This includes the final season of Better Call Saul, Amazon original series, Outer Range, NBCUniversals MacGruber and the fourth season of Netflixs Stranger Things.

The funding was among the governors top priorities for the 2022 session, as outlined in the Economic Development Departments 20-year Strategic Plan. The 20-year plan names the film, television and digital media industry as one of the states key target industries that needs additional investment to remain competitive and diversify the economy.

Were committed to providing everyone in our state with a path to success in this exciting industry, and our media academy will provide those opportunities, growing the industry and employing more New Mexicans, Lujan Grisham said.
South Africa: Cabinet acknowledges efforts in the fight against COVID-19

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, Cabinet acknowledged the countrys efforts in the fight against COVID-19, but cautioned that the battle is not yet over.

Cabinet urged all people in South Africa to remain vigilant and continue protecting themselves against the spread of the deadly virus.

Cabinet is pleased that almost 32 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered and that over 42 percent of our adult population is fully vaccinated, Cabinet said in a statement.

However, unvaccinated people still remain unprotected against COVID-19 and pose a health risk to themselves and those around them.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a total of 1 867 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in South Africa on Wednesday, bringing the number of positive cases in the country since the start of the pandemic to 3 688 423.

The majority of new cases were confirmed in Gauteng with 37% positive cases, followed by the Western Cape with 26% positive cases. KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 15%; Free State, Mpumalanga and North West each accounted for 5% respectively; Eastern Cape accounted for 4%; Limpopo accounted for 3%; and Northern Cape accounted for 1% of new cases.

Thirteen deaths were reported, and of these, 10 occurred in the past 2448 hours, and bringing the total to 99 656 deaths.

Cabinet said vaccination remains the best way to fight COVID-19, and called on everyone aged 12 years and above to vaccinate without further delay.

Booster shots are now freely available for most people and Cabinet calls on those who are eligible to get boosted as soon as possible.

We must also continue to wear masks that cover both the mouth and nose, wash or sanitise our hands frequently, keep a safe social distance and ensure adequate ventilation by opening windows, Cabinet said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
How Computers Learned to Speak Assyrian

(AINA) -- Computers magically speak many languages, even human languages to a degree, but deep down inside their native language is electrical current flowing through transistors. If you have one transistor (a bit), it can be on or off, and so it can speak two words. What those words mean depends on the context. Mathematically, these words can be 1 and 0. Semantically, they can be true or false, on or off, yes or no or red or blue.

If you increase the number of transistors, you can have more words. With 8 bits, you can represent a number between 0 and 255. With 16 bits you can represent a number between 0 and 65536. With 32 bits you can represent a number between 0 and 4,294,967,296.

To represent a language, we need to design a data interchange code for the letters, numbers and symbols in that language. The first coding standard was ASCII, the American Standard Code for Information Interchange, which encoded the English alphabet. In ASCII each alphanumeric character or symbol is given a number. 'A' is 65, 'B' is 66, 'a' is 97, 'b' is 98. The first ASCII version encoded the English language with numbers between 32 and 127.

Using ASCII, the word "Assyria" would be stored internally in a computer as follows:

Character A s s y r i a

ASCII code 65 115 115 121 114 105 97

The computer does not know that 65 is "A". It is the software that determines how to interpret the numbers stored in a computer. In a text editor 65 would be "A", in a calculator 65 could mean the number 65.

Other data interchange codes were developed, notably IBM's Extended, Binary Coded Data Interchange Code, which is used on mainframes. Extended ASCII was developed, which supported some of the other languages based on the Latin script.

But for most languages there was no standard, and software which attempted to support these languages used proprietary coding schemes. Documents produced by one software application could not be used by another software application. Whereas documents written in ASCII could be read by any text processing software on any computer.

This was the state of the industry until 1987, when engineers at Xerox and Apple began informal discussions on a new data interchange code, Unicode, to represent all languages of the world. Four years later the Unicode Consortium was incorporated, in January, 1991, and the first version of Unicode was published in October, 1991. Version 2 was published in July, 1996. Version 3, which contained the Assyrian standard, was published in September, 1999.

Adoption of the Unicode standard by software companies, notably Microsoft and Apple, allowed files written on one computer system or software product to be used by any other computer system or software product.

Unicode is now universally used by all operating systems (Windows, Apple, Linux, Android) and all hardware devices (computers, tablets, phones, refrigerators, stoves), making it possible to send Assyrian text across disparate operating systems and devices, and across the world.

Early Attempts at Computer Support for Assyrian

The earliest documented support for Assyrian computer processing was by Peter BetBasoo in 1983, when he programmed his Timex Sinclair 2068 computer to write and print in Assyrian. This was a technologically limited implementation, supporting only the alphabet, with no support for diacritical marks and other symbols. The coding scheme for the Assyrian alphabet was proprietary.

After the development of TrueType font technology by Apple in the mid-1980s, several word processers were developed on the Mac and PC platforms for Assyrian, but they all used proprietary coding schemes and their files were incompatible with each other.

A fairly successful implementation was developed for the IBM PC by Sargon Hasso and Eshoo Marcus. This again used a proprietary coding scheme.

In May, 1989 the First Ashurbanipal Library Computer Conference was held in Chicago. This Conference was organized by Peter BetBasoo and attended by Sargon Hasso, George Kiraz and others. The conference produced a coding standard for Assyrian called Extended Syriac Codes for Information Interchange (ESCII) and a standard Assyrian keyboard layout based on a frequency of use analysis of each Assyrian letter.

Some of this work was used in creating the Syriac Unicode Standard.

Unicode Learns Assyrian

In mid-1992 Sargon Hasso and Peter BetBasoo independently contacted the Unicode Consortium and began dialog on how to add the Assyrian language to the Unicode standard. The Unicode representative, Rick McGowan of NeXT, Inc., informed Peter and Sargon of each other's work, after which they worked together on producing the first draft of the Assyrian Unicode standard, which had the proposed name of "Syriac Unicode Standard."

A language encoding must be able to represent text and writing in that language, and must, therefore, contain all the letters and symbols used by that language, as well as sorting and collating rules, typographical rules and other standard characteristics of the language.

There was special consideration for Assyrian, given its 2000-year history. The Assyrian standard had to be able to represent documents written at any time in the previous 2000 years. Another consideration was supporting the Mandaic language, which uses the same alphabet.

Peter and Sargon conducted extensive research on the Assyrian language and produced a draft Unicode proposal for Assyrian that supported Assyrian documents from 33 A.D. to the present, and also supported Mandaic.

The Unicode standard encodes semantics, not typographical details. In other words, the same letter, say "A", can be shown in different fonts, but its code remains the same. For the three scripts of Assyrian, Eastern, Estrangelo and Western (serto), the same encoding scheme is used. There are also some codes which are shared with Arabic and Hebrew and other languages, and the same definition is used by all three languages. The "uni" in Unicode stands for "unified." By eliminating the duplicates between the world's languages, Unicode is able to encode nearly all of them using 65536 code points.

The rules of how Assyrian is written were defined in the Unicode standard. In Assyrian, the shape of the letter changes based on its location in a word (isolated, initial, middle, end), as well as how it connects to the letters preceding and following it.

In Assyrian, vowels (called paroshe) are represented by diacritical marks. Three sets of diacritical marks have been used by Assyrian in the past 2000 years. These were combined into one set in the Assyrian Unicode standard.

The first draft proposal for the Assyrian Unicode standard was submitted to Rick McGowan and the Unicode Consortium on October 11, 1993.

This draft was also presented by Peter BetBasoo at the First International Forum on Syriac Computing in 1995 at the Catholic University of America, and published in the proceedings of that conference.

A second draft of the proposal, containing minor updates, was presented in 1997.

A third draft was presented by Sargon Hasso, George Kiraz and Paul Nelson on February 27, 1998. This draft had minor updates to the second proposal. It removed support for Mandaic. This third draft would be the version officially adopted by the Unicode Consortium.

It took six years for the Assyrian proposal to be approved and it was officially included in the Unicode 3.0 version, published in September, 1999. Support for Unicode 3.0 by software companies quickly followed. By the early 2000s Assyrian was officially supported by all platforms that supported Unicode 3.0.

Cultural, Religious and Political Considerations

There were many Assyrian issues discussed with Rick McGowan and the Unicode Consortium, and recommendations made. Some made their way into the standard, others did not.

The issue of naming the three Assyrian scripts was discussed, and Sargon Hasso advised Rick McGowan to avoid the names "Nestorian," "Jacobite" and "Chaldean." The names Eastern, Western (serto) and Estrangelo were officially adopted instead.

Peter BetBasoo lobbied Rick McGowan to use the name "Assyrian Unicode Standard" instead of "Syriac Unicode Standard" but this was not successful.

Conclusion

The Syriac Unicode Standard brought the Assyrian language into the modern age of computing, allowing it to exist and thrive in the virtual world of computing and in the real world. The standard allowed the Assyrian language to use the power of computers for document generation, typesetting, printing, word processing, spell checking, optical character recognition, email, instant messaging and anything else that is possible to do today on computers and on the internet.

Documents
Chinese top political advisor Wang Yang on Wednesday called for peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations when joining deliberation with deputies from the Taiwan delegation at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, reiterated the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus in handling cross-Strait relations.

"The time, momentum and righteousness are always on our side," Wang said, noting that China has the capability and confidence in coping with various complicated situations.

Voicing resolute opposition to "Taiwan independence" separatist attempts and external interference in Taiwan affairs, Wang urged compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to join hands and advance the cause of national reunification and rejuvenation.
West Side residents will soon have another Dions location to visit when the craving for pizza and green chile ranch hits.

Dions, the popular New Mexican chain, will open a new location in Albuquerques Ventana Ranch neighborhood in late summer, according to company spokeswoman Deena Crawley.

The new location, at 9620 Universe NW, will feature a menu of all of Dions favorites including pizzas, sub sandwiches and salads.

This will be the companys fifth store on the West Side, and 27th overall location.

The location was chosen because it is in a family friendly neighborhood that also happens to be underserved with restaurants, Crawley said.

That area has grown rapidly with homes and the commercial side has not maintained the same pace, she said.

Crawley said the 5,023-square-foot location will hire about 90 employees with hiring set to start in mid-summer.

Construction on the location started in February.
Instagram Celebrity

The Duke of Cambridge makes the cringey comment when talking about the Russia-Ukraine conflict while paying a visit to a Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London.

Mar 10, 2022

AceShowbiz - Prince William is slammed for his cringey comment on the war in Ukraine. Attempting to show his support for the people of Ukraine which is currently under attack by Russia, the British royal said war is "very alien to see" in Europe, but it is more normal in Africa and Asia.

The prince made the comment when paying a visit to a Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to meet with volunteers on Wednesday, March 9. Joined by his wife Kate Middleton, he offered trays of homemade brownies and granola bars.

"Britons were more used to seeing conflict in Africa and Asia," Prince William said, adding, "It's very alien to see this in Europe. We are all behind you." He also said that he wanted to do more to help, lamenting, "We feel so useless."

The Duke of Cambridge additionally revealed that his children with Kate, 8-year-old Prince George, 6-year-old Princess Charlotte and 3-year-old Prince Louis, have been asking about the war. "Ours have been coming home asking all about it," he told royal report Rebecca. "They are obviously talking about it with their friends at school." He noted that he has been "careful" with his words when discussing the conflict in Ukraine.

Despite his carefully chosen words, Prince William has come under fire for his comment that compared war in Africa and Asia to war in Europe. Some people called it "ignorant," while another saw it as "white coloniser ideology."

"This is typical white supremacist colonizer ideology," one of the critics said. "This is such a wildly ahistorical take & they just keep saying it for no reason except to signal some false civilizational superiority of the majority-white nations."

Another sarcastically remarked, "Unsurprised to see backlash against Prince William's ignorant remark (reported by @PA). Europe has seen some of the bloodiest conflict in the past two centuries-Balkans, Yugoslavia, Germany and Kosovo to name a few. But sure, let's normalise war and death in Africa and Asia."

A third added, " 'War doesn't happen in Europe' is an EXTREMELY, WILDLY AHISTORICAL thing to say about a continent that is on its Third World War in less than a century."

Prior to this, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge showed their support for Ukraine. "In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine's future. Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine's people as they bravely fight for that future (Ukrainian flag emoji) W and C (sic)," they said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Celebrity

During an ongoing embezzlement trial, Tim Leissner reveals he posed as his then-wife Judy Chan in the emails to turn down the model's invite to join them on family vacations.

Mar 11, 2022

AceShowbiz - New shocking details of the secret life of Kimora Lee Simmons' estranged husband Tim Leissner have been exposed in court. As the embezzlement trial of his former co-worker Roger Ng continues, it's revealed that he sent fake emails for years while posing as his ex-wife Judy Chan.

While testifying on Tuesday, March 8, Tim admitted that he pretended to be his then-wife Judy in emails sent to Kimora as well as Malaysian financier Jho Low. He said that he initially used the fake email account to convince the model a.k.a. his future wife that his marriage to Judy was over, while in fact they were still legally married.

Tim acknowledged he used the alias to repeatedly deny Kimora's request that Judy accompany them on family vacations to Paris, a Caribbean Island and other locations. At one point, he told the model, while posing as Judy, that she couldn't attend a trip because she and her children were hurt in a car crash.

Tim is the prosecution's star witness in the case against Roger, who faces federal charges over his alleged role in Malaysia's 1MDB corruption scandal. Roger's attorney used the fake emails to helped prove that Tim was a "rare cunning liar" whose testimony should not be trusted.

When Roger's attorney asked whether the emails revealed "an entire life you completely falsified because you made the whole thing up?" Tim replied, "The correspondence, yes. But an entire life may be too far."

Previously, during a trial in February, Tim admitted to faking his divorce not just once, but twice from two different women. "I photoshopped the divorce document," he stated in court. The former banker also revealed his then-wife Judy was upset when she found out about his marriage to Kimora. Tim admitted that he also falsified a divorce document before marrying Judy.

Kimora recently denied the allegations by Roger's lawyers that she helped Tim hide tens of millions of dollars that was stolen in the $4.5 billion 1MDB embezzlement scheme. "The allegations made by Mr. Ng's counsel against Kimora are patently false and we look forward to a successful conclusion in court," her attorney told The Post earlier this month.
WENN/Avalon Celebrity

The 'Don't Look Up' actor reportedly donates to humanitarian groups helping in Ukraine, including CARE, IRC, UNHCR and Save the Children, after it's mistakenly reported that his donation was sent for military use.

Mar 10, 2022

AceShowbiz - Leonardo DiCaprio is supporting Ukraine amid Russia's attack. Though the "Don't Look Up" actor didn't make a $10 million donation to Ukraine like previous reports' claims, he will "continue to support" Ukraine as he reportedly donates to humanitarian groups helping in the country.

A source close to the 47-year-old actor told PEOPLE on Wednesday, March 9 that he "had privately made several donations to humanitarian groups, CARE, IRC, UNHCR and Save the Children. All directed at Ukraine." The insider went on to say, "He had been watching things unfold and wanted to support Ukraine the best he could."

"He will continue to support the humanitarian groups on the ground which are helping the people of Ukraine," the informant added. "He stands with Ukraine and will continue to support." The source close to the actor also insisted that he had no familial ties to Ukraine despite previous reports.

The reports came after multiple news outlets claimed that Leonardo donated $10 million in aid for Ukraine to the International Visegrad Fund and that "The Wolf of Wall Street" star's money was sent for military use. However, Lucia Becova, a spokesperson for the International Visegrad Fund, said that it had no record of any donation from the actor.

"We are not aware, neither do we have any information about Leonardo DiCaprio donating USD 10 million/7.6 million to Ukraine," said the representative for the Visegrad Fund, which is "an international donor organization" established by Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia "to promote regional cooperation in the Visegrad region," which includes those four nations, to Insider. "International Visegrad Fund has not announced this information."

The Visegrad Fund had previously debunked the false report via its official Facebook page. "Nowadays, fake news are present in any form and shape," the post shared on Tuesday read. "For example, some media outlets informed today that the International Visegrad Fund announced a USD 10 million donation from a famous American actor to help Ukraine. Please, be aware of your sources, follow credible journalists and media, and do not spread fake news."
Instagram Celebrity

After handing the overwhelmed fan over a stack of cash, the 'Certified Lover Boy' artist, who is no stranger to giving cash away, is seen hugging the birthday guy.

Mar 10, 2022

AceShowbiz - Drake is showing off his generous side again. The "Certified Lover Boy" artist has surprised a birthday fan with $10,000 in cash while he's vacationing in Turks and Caicos Islands.

On Tuesday, March 8, DJ Akademiks shared a clip that saw the 35-year-old musician gifting one lucky fan $10,000 in cash for his birthday. After handing the fan over a stack of cash, the rapper could be seen hugging the overwhelmed fan with a big grin on his face.

Drake also told the birthday guy to "be safe" as his friends screamed, "Oh my god," in shock. "My boy was celebrating his birthday in Turks and Caicos and got $10K from Drake as a birthday present," the original poster captioned the clip before being reposted by DJ Akademiks.

In the comment section of DJ Akademiks' post, many Instagram users praised Drake's thoughtful gesture. "Drake up here just giving people 10K like [it's] nothing. God, it's me again," one person commented. "That's why he's the goat!!!" another person chimed in.

Others asked directly to the superstar, with one person writing, "@champagnepapi i turn 24 tomorrow and would also like to run into you on your vacation to Trinidad and Tobago. Walk with the 10k or doh walk at all #GodsPlan." Someone else added, "Drake needa run into me next @champagnepapi."

Drake is no stranger to giving cash away. In 2018, the "One Dance" hitmaker gave away almost $1 million to his delighted fans while recording his music video for "God's Plan" in Miami. The video, which has been viewed more than 1.4 billion times on YouTube, begins with the note, "The budget for this video was $996,631.90. We gave it all away. Don't tell the label."

Last December, Drake was also caught handing out giant stacks of Canadian cash from the back of a Mercedes-Benz Maybach to strangers in Toronto. A clip shared by DJ Akademiks at the time saw the "Degrassi: The Next Generation" alum smiling at the camera while sitting in his car. A woman behind the camera could be heard saying, "Oh my god, this is crazy," while a man added, "Thank you, bro. I appreciate it guys, take care." In response, the star said, "You already know."
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - A South Carolina man was sentenced Wednesday in Butte County Superior Court for his part in the 2013 killing of a Palermo man.

Matthew Boehm of Charleston, S.C. was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the October 2013 killing of 42-year-old Lewis Newton.

Boehm and two other people came from South Carolina to Butte County to obtain marijuana, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

A robbery was planned for the Palermo property where the marijuana was being grown. Newton, who lived on and cared for the property was shot and killed during the robbery. His body was later found by his brother.

The Butte County Sheriffs Office has worked the case since 2013 with few leads. But in May 2021 they received a tip leading them to Southern California, Florida, and South Carolina where Boehm was arrested and taken to California, Ramsey said.

On Feb. 9, Boehm pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and agreed to 11 years in state prison.

The Newton family was given a small piece of closure today, and were pleased that at last someone was held accountable for this awful crime, Ramsey said.

The victim's family was also in court Wednesday to watch the sentencing and give statements about Lewis to the judge.
Over the past 3 decades, Zee TV has been instrumental in providing Indian youth with a global platform to showcase their talent. The channels most iconic dance reality show, Dance India Dance is credited with having revolutionized the landscape of dance in the country when it first began to air in 2009 and introduced some truly exceptional dancers and never-before-seen dance styles. Zee TV is now geared up to welcome another season of its immensely popular franchise for the youngest dancing talent in the country. Season 5 of DID Lil Masters will premiere on 12th March and air on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 PM, only on Zee TV!

In the run-up to the much-awaited launch of DID Lil Masters season 5, the channel has set out on a marketing blitzkrieg across the country to ensure that the new season creates mass hysteria of an unforeseen magnitude.

The highlight initiative was the biggest and first-of-its-kind fan-sourced 360-degree dance video mosaic on the streets of Mumbai. The idea provided passionate dancers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to express their undying love for dance while being captured by a 360-degree rotating camera. Each such 360-degree dance video of a DID buff dancing their hearts out made its way into a 30 ft x 11 ft video mosaic. The three-day activity that commenced on 5th March at Bandra's Carter Road Promenade, witnessed a total of 1500+ entries by 7th March, thus paving way for the channel to make a spectacular entry into the International Book of Records. The gorgeous judge of the show, Sonali Bendre too participated in this activity by recording the final video to register a world record of the Worlds biggest 360-degree Video Mosaic using maximum, unique 360-degree videos sourced within 72 hours.

Taking the joy of dancing into the by-lanes of India where dreams often do not find avenues, Zee TV collaborated with GiveIndia to host dance workshops for underprivileged kids supported by the giving platform in Varanasi, Ahmedabad and Nagpur. While the three talented DID Lil Masters skippers- Vaibhav Ghuge, Vartika Jha and Paul Marshal demonstrated simple choreography for the kids to follow, it was the unbridled joy and innocent love for dancing on each of their faces that that made the workshops such a huge success! As part of this noble initiative, DID Lil Masters is raising fund to educate & empower underprivileged children. Request you all to join hands and please make your contribution through the below link https://fundraisers.giveindia.org/fundraisers/join-hands-with-dance-india-dance-lil-masters-to-educate-and-empower-underprivileged-children-donate-now .

Be it encouraging judges and skippers to perform the DID hook step or giving its audience a true flavour of the DID manch via augmented reality screens installed across malls in Delhi, Lucknow, Nashik, and Aurangabad, Zee TV truly managed to bring the entire dance community under one roof.

Catering to more than 1 lac people per day, the channel also used floating OOH in key Mumbai sites i.e., Bandra Worli Sea Link & Juhu beach for high Impact visibility.

While the world record-creating fan mosaic is up and available for everyone to visit at the Carter Road Promenade in Bandra (Mumbai), viewers can watch DID Lil Masters, starting 12th March every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm on Zee TV!

A perfect mix of entertainment and dance, tune into DID Lil Masters on Zee TV, starting 12th March on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 PM
DSP Investment Managers (DSPIM) announced the conclusion of its User-Generated-Content (UGC) campaign called #EmotionsofMoney, in association with India Film Project (IFP). It also announced the results of the UGC photography contest #FramewithEmotion, part of their much larger #EmotionsOfMoney campaign. This partnership with IFP, which boasts of a thriving content creator community of 8.5 Lakh+, helped DSPIM encourage budding content creators to think about and frame interesting stories about money, enabling DSPIM to reach out to & engage meaningfully with thousands of young content creators & audiences across India.

DSPIM believes that emotions are at the heart of why we Indians save and invest. Every rupee one earns gives a sense of joy, everything spent on fulfilling our parents dreams gives us pride & time or money spent on helping others with lesser privileges brings you a step closer to goodness. Emotions & money go hand-in-hand & being able to capture these emotions in interesting formats was the core idea behind this partnership.

DSPIM & IFP had launched the #FrameWithEmotion photography contest in November 2021, inviting entrants to capture the many different emotions we feel, including themes such as Hope, Pride, Confidence, Joy, Freedom, Goodness, Family, Progress in still photographs. An incredible number of photographs were submitted, over 4,000 of them, and the final winners just got announced here and here. Many more touching entries will be released on DSPs Instagram channel over time.

DSPIM had also sponsored a 50-hour amateur short film making contest which saw 15,000 filmmakers from across 347 cities & 18 countries submit 568 films in under 50 hours. The creators worked on the key theme #EmotionsOfMoney, telling their own stories on money, some imagined, some real. Some of the best short films will start getting showcased on DSPs YouTube channel soon.

Content as a theme has been emerging strongly across social platforms globally and in India with enablers like IFP encouraging content creators to showcase their talent on their extensive platform. IFP had recently concluded the 11th season of Asias largest content festival, which virtually witnessed 150+ Artists on the stage in 80+ sessions held over four days. With content creation at the heart, creators loved working with emotions as this theme is at the core of almost every communication.

Abhik Sanyal, Head- Consumer Marketing, DSP Investment Managers said, Money is an emotional idea and it means many different things to different people. Our partnership with IFP showcases how emotions often drive decision-making, which is why we call it the #EmotionsOfMoney. The digital creators who participated in the campaign often ignore the idea of being financially savvy, even though deep down they also recognize that it is of key long-term importance. This collaboration helped us unearth & create some powerful content through their eyes, including hundreds of amazing short films as well as thousands of incredible photographs, in addition to making them introspect a bit deeper! Given the quality of the submitted content and its significant virality, a happy outcome for us was millions of social media consumers coming across our brand, loving this content. We are now really excited to showcase the many moving pieces of work on DSP Mutual Funds official Instagram & YouTube channels.

Ritam Bhatnagar, Founder- India Film Project said, Money is usually seen as a transactional thing. To see thousands of creators interpretation of emotions connected to money was heartful to watch. We wanted to keep it open for both visual canvases - videos and photos, so creators from both fields could leverage this opportunity. We saw almost 18,000 creators bring alive thousands of content pieces, each telling a unique story through a different emotion - and that's what a good collaboration has to be like - a win-win for creators, DSPMF and us.
On this International Womens Day, LPU Online  the global online university, grabbed eyeballs in a one-of-its-kind showcase. Herein they changed the brands display picture across social media platforms, with 5 inspiring Indian females who broke the barriers of a patriarchal society to make it big for the first time in their respective domains.

The digital activation featured Indira Gandhi (First & only female Prime Minister of India), Kiran Bedi (First women officer in the Indian Police Service), Sarla Thukral (First Indian women to fly an aircraft & earn an aviation pilot license at the age of 21), Tessy Thomas (The first woman scientist to head a missile project in India) and Kalpana Chawla (First woman of Indian origin to go to space). While LPU Onlines social media platforms shined with their pictures as its display pictures, the activation concluded in glory with a short-format digital film to salute the First Women of India.

The activation was conceptualized by Hashtag Orange, the incumbent advertising agency for the brand.

Enthralled by the idea and its seamless execution, Ginni Nijhawan, Senior Director, LPU Online told us - We wanted to remind people about these Indian women didnt just achieve their goals, but covered a journey full of barriers and stereotypes, to become the firsts in male dominated trades. We intend to inspire every woman to just believe in her dreams and make it big.

Adding further, Mukesh Vij, Founder, Hashtag Orange, said  Through this activation idea, we eye at positioning LPU Online as a new-age learning platform that celebrates Womens Day through an innovative digital idea. And thats exactly what we capture by changing its display pictures across all the social media platforms.

One of Indias largest private and top-ranked universities, LPU Online offers the same degree, now online. With new-age learning programmes, the brand aims at transforming the lives of several students around the world.
Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, had submitted 487 proposals as of noon Tuesday, the deadline for proposal submissions at the ongoing fifth session of the 13th NPC, said the secretariat of the session.

The secretariat said it had also received around 8,000 suggestions, criticisms, and comments from the NPC deputies.

The majority of the proposals are about speeding up legislation on energy, the digital economy, pre-school education, elderly care, and protecting women's rights and interests.

National lawmakers also made suggestions about promoting rural revitalization, boosting the sound development of the digital economy, and fighting against abducting and trafficking women and children, among others.
Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology

Berne/Zurich, 10.03.2022 - At its meeting of 9/10 March 2022 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joel Mesot, and the President of EPFL, Professor Martin Vetterli, the ETH Board appointed a total of 10 women and 13 men as professors and awarded the title of professor to two individuals. It also took note of the resignations of 10 professors and thanked them for their services. In the last 12 months, the ETH Board has made a total of 29 new appointments for women and 32 for men; the proportion of women among these new appointments amounts to 47.5%.

New appointments at ETH Zurich

Dr Margarita Boenig-Liptsin (*1986), currently Director and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Ethics, Technology and Society in the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences. Margarita Boenig-Liptsin's research focuses on how the human condition is changing in an increasingly digital world, such as in relation to the significance of digital innovations for political planning or the consequences of algorithmic risk analysis. With this appointment, the department is gaining an original researcher and an experienced university teacher who addresses the ethical and social problems of information technology at the highest scientific level. Margarita Boenig-Liptsin will play an active part in setting up a Center for Ethics at ETH Zurich.

Professor Valerio Mante (*1976), currently Associate Professor at the University of Zurich and Lecturer at ETH Zurich, as Associate Professor of Neuroinformatics in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Valerio Mante's main interests lie in investigating the behavioural and neural mechanisms of learning and cognition, using experimental, computer-assisted techniques that draw on data science. As a highly regarded researcher with an impressive list of publications, he undertakes peer reviews for leading journals. His appointment strengthens the links between the Institute of Neuroinformatics and the relevant institutes of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. Valerio Mante will hold a dual professorship with the University of Zurich.

Professor Svitlana Mayboroda (*1981), currently Full Professor at the University of Minnesota, USA, as Full Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics. Svitlana Mayboroda conducts research in the field of analysis. She has produced numerous groundbreaking studies in the areas of partial differential equations, harmonic analysis and functional analysis. Svitlana Mayboroda is a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and has won multiple international awards for her research. At present she is the director of a major international interdisciplinary project. She is not only regarded as a leading scientist in her field, but also has extensive experience as a university lecturer.

Professor Nadia Mazouz (*1970), currently Professor at the Philipps University of Marburg, Germany, as Full Professor of Practical Philosophy in the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences. Nadia Mazouz focuses on constructive, practical philosophy, dealing with questions such as the ethics of war, the role of new military technologies, the problems of democracy and the significance of new digital means of communication. Through her appointment, the department is gaining an original normative thinker who will nurture links with colleagues from the technical departments. To assist with this aim, she will help found and develop a new Center for Ethics at ETH Zurich.

Dr Davide Sgalaberna (*1986), currently Senior Scientist and Lecturer at ETH Zurich, as Assistant Professor of Particle Physics in the Department of Physics. Davide Sgalaberna's research is concerned with the search for a new source of CP symmetry violation. Strong CP asymmetry is the key to explaining the large imbalance between the amounts of matter and antimatter observed in the universe. His priority for the next five years is to develop a completely new design of scintillator-based particle detector, which, if successful, could represent a breakthrough for the entire field of particle physics. Davide Sgalaberna's project, for which he has already assembled a strong research team, is helping to create synergies and may be suitable for patenting.

Dr Wenchao Xu (*1988), currently Postdoctoral Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Experimental Quantum Engineering in the Department of Physics. Wenchao Xu's research is in the field of quantum engineering, with particular reference to controlling atoms by capturing them in optical tweezers. The appointment of Wenchao Xu will strengthen the Department of Physics and the Paul Scherrer Institute in important ways. This professorship, which is part of the ETH+ initiative "ETH Centre for Quantum Science and Technology", is an ideal complement to the newly developed ETH Zurich/PSI Quantum Computing Hub (founded in 2020) and forges another link between these two institutions.

Promotions at ETH Zurich



Professor Mathieu Luisier (*1978), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Computational Nanoelectronics in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Mathieu Luisier's research covers computer-assisted nanoelectronics, quantum transport, device physics and high-performance computing, among other topics. He developed a software programme called OMEN which is now regarded as the state-of-the-art quantum transport simulator for nanotransistors and other nanostructures. His outstanding work has won several awards, including an ERC Starting Grant in 2013. Mathieu Luisier also has an impressive list of publications to his name, as well as excellent skills as a supervisor.

Professor Bill Morandi (*1983), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Synthetic Organic Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences. Bill Morandi's work focuses on developing new concepts in catalysis for transforming widely available feedstocks such as polyols and hydrocarbons into polymers and other valuable building blocks for applications in medicine and materials science. He is a leading scientist in the field of homogeneous catalysis and has received numerous awards, including an ERC Starting Grant in 2017. At ETH Zurich he heads up the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, is a departmental delegate and a member of the Professional Education Committee.

Professor Martin Vechev (*1977), currently Associate Professor at ETH Zurich, as Full Professor of Computer Science in the Department of Computer Science. Martin Vechev's main fields of research are Big Code, certified machine learning and programming languages for quantum computers. His achievements in a number of areas are globally regarded as groundbreaking. This internationally acclaimed scientist and his research group have carried out pioneering work, particularly in a new sub-area of artificial intelligence known as "learning from Big Code". He has won a number of awards, including an ERC Starting Grant in 2015. In addition, he is a dedicated lecturer and supervisor who has developed several new course components.

Professor Loic Pellissier (*1984), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich and Group Leader at WSL, as Associate Professor of Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution in the Department of Environmental Systems Science. Loic Pellissier's work focuses on landscape ecology and has a particular emphasis on investigating the interactions between landscape and organisms, as well as climate change. His publication list is impressive and his contributions have achieved wide recognition globally. In addition, his deep commitment to the scientific community is demonstrated by his willingness to organise events and serve on different committees. As a leading expert in landscape ecology, Loic Pellissier is building excellent links with WSL.

New appointments at EPFL



Dr Ianina Altshuler (*1987), currently Postdoctoral Fellow at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering (Environmental Adaptation) in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Ianina Altshuler's research is concerned with the environmental adaptation strategies of microorganisms in the cryosphere in alpine and polar regions, with particular reference to global warming and ever-increasing temperature fluctuations. At EPFL she will develop her research further in order to make an important contribution to our understanding of ecological adaptation strategies in hostile environments. Her appointment will enhance the School's scientific influence and educational provision.

Dr Aleksandar Antanasijevic (*1987), currently Postdoctoral Researcher at Scripps Research, La Jolla, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Life Sciences in the School of Life Sciences. Aleksandar Antanasijevic's principal research area is structural biology, with a particular focus on vaccines and immunisation. He has already made an important contribution to the preparation of immunogens for the production of polyclonal antisea. His interest and skills in cryo-electron microscopy are a perfect fit with the orientation of EPFL and the Dubochet Center for Imaging (DCI), which intend to develop this field further. This appointment will enable EPFL to continue its expansion in the key area of virology and infectious diseases.

Professor Pier Vittorio Aureli (*1973), currently Professor in Practice at Yale University, USA, Visiting Professor at EPFL and Co-Director of an architecture practice in Brussels, Belgium, as Associate Professor of Architectural and Environmental Theory in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Pier Vittorio Aureli's research explores the principles of architectural theory in the light of the latest social and political conditions, and examines the role of theory and its influence on architectural and environment-related design methods. Pier Vittorio Aureli is currently regarded as one of the world's most influential practitioners in the area of architectural and environmental theory. In making this appointment, the School and EPFL are seizing a unique opportunity to become indisputable leaders in this vital research field.

Dr Sara Bonetti (*1987), currently Assistant Professor at the University of Wageningen, Netherlands, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering (Watershed Areas) in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Sara Bonetti investigates processes in soil surfaces, ecology and water on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Her work combines hydrological and geomorphological processes in particular, enabling her to gain a quantitative understanding of soil erosion and the development of land surfaces. The appointment of this innovative researcher will promote cooperation with various institutions, including WSL, thus boosting the department's influence in this important field of research.

Dr Gabriele Manoli (*1985), currently Lecturer at University College London, United Kingdom, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Architecture (Sustainable Urban Systems and Climate Protection Strategies) in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Gabriele Manoli studies water supplies, energy exchange and the carbon cycle in urban and suburban systems. His interdisciplinary approach unites environmental technology, infrastructure and urban planning. At EPFL he will principally investigate the current worldwide trend towards urban densification and the effects of altering the urban climate (e.g. through greening measures). His appointment will strengthen the role of the School and EPFL in a research field of vital importance to society.

Dr Clement Pit-Claudel (*1991), currently Postdoctoral Researcher at Amazon in Seattle, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Communication Systems in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences. The main emphasis of Clement Pit-Claudel's research is on programming languages, compilers, formal verification and systems engineering, to build trustworthy software and hardware systems and permanently root out large classes of malfunctions and vulnerabilities. Although still in the early stages of his career, he has collaborated with research institutions and industry and has already won numerous awards for his innovative research. His appointment will create important synergies in this future-oriented research field.

Professor Guillermina Ramirez-San Juan (*1986), currently Assistant Professor at Brandeis University, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Physics in the School of Basic Sciences. Guillermina Ramirez-San Juan considers questions relating to the fundamental mechanisms affecting how cilia function - an area in which little research has been conducted so far. In her unique skill set, she is able to combine aspects of cell biomechanics and the use of model organisms with expertise in chemical biology and whole tissue imaging. Her research interests thus go beyond traditional biophysics to include the fields of materials science, mechanics and robotics. Guillermina Ramirez-San Juan will forge close links between the EPFL Center for Imaging and the Dubochet Center for Imaging (DCI).



Dr David Ruggiero (*1987), currently Design Engineer at Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. in Toronto, Canada, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Structural Design and Engineering in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. David Ruggiero's research aims to achieve a better understanding of the behaviour of reinforced concrete structures and structural elements made from cementitious materials. His achievements include developing a new theoretical model, known as the General Crack Component Model, which can be applied to a broad range of cementitious materials. He now intends to concentrate his efforts on sustainable materials and extending the life of infrastructures, while also contributing to multidisciplinary projects at EPFL.

Dr Alfredo Thiermann (*1987), currently Lecturer at Harvard University, USA, as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Architectural History and Theory in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Alfredo Thiermann's research takes place at the intersection between architecture and different media, from sound installations and film scenography to private houses, public buildings and large-scale infrastructures. Another of his particular research interests is the transition from the industrial to the digital age. Thanks to his cross-sectoral vision of architecture, this innovative researcher will make a key contribution to the School's strategic clusters in the areas of digital infrastructures and cities as well as sustainable territories.

Promotions at EPFL

Professor Rizlan Bernier-Latmani (*1972), currently Associate Professor at EPFL, as Full Professor of Environmental Microbiology in the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Rizlan Bernier-Latmani's research explores the biological degradation of toxic metals and radionuclides by microorganisms. In her field experiments she uses concepts and techniques drawn from a wide variety of disciplines, such as microbiology, molecular biology, analytical chemistry (including X-ray spectroscopy) and geochemistry. In 2017 she was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for her research. Rizlan Bernier-Latmani is a role model for women in science, and encouraging the advancement of women is one of the causes to which she is committed at EPFL.

Professor Raffaella Buonsanti (*1981), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at EPFL, as Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering in the School of Basic Sciences. Raffaella Buonsanti conducts research in the field of colloid chemistry. At EPFL she founded the Laboratory of Nanochemistry for Energy and heads a research programme aimed at finding innovative approaches to the controlled synthesis of nanomaterials with novel properties. Her research takes place at the intersection of materials chemistry and catalysis, and pursues a sustainability approach. Raffaella Buonsanti is regarded as an ambitious and forward-thinking researcher. She has already received several awards, including an ERC Starting Grant in 2017.

Professor Gaetan de Rassenfosse (*1983), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at EPFL, as Associate Professor of Science and Technology Policy at the College of Management of Technology. Gaetan de Rassenfosse's research is in the field of innovation economics, which he combines with legal and policy perspectives. His areas of interest include intellectual property rights, the measurement of intangible capital and economic tools to foster the knowledge economy. His results have set new standards in the measurement of innovation and have contributed to bringing economic insights to patent policy. Gaetan de Rassenfosse is also a highly-valued university lecturer and supervisor, involved in research outreach activities and takes on numerous commitments to the benefit of EPFL.

Professor Wendy Queen (*1981), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor at EPFL, as Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering in the School of Basic Sciences. Wendy Queen's research focuses on the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for environmental applications. She adopts a collaborative approach aimed at helping to solve some of the important problems faced by society. Wendy Queen has shown herself to be an up-and-coming researcher in this fiercely competitive research area, and her research has made a key contribution to a fast-growing field of study. Her work at EPFL has already resulted in six patents. In addition, she is a popular university lecturer who actively strives to communicate her research findings to a wider audience.

Award of the title of Professor

Dr Aldo Antognini (*1976), currently Lecturer and Senior Scientist in the Department of Physics at ETH Zurich and Scientist in the Laboratory for Particle Physics at the Paul Scherrer Institute, as Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich. Aldo Antognini is an internationally acclaimed researcher in the field of low energy nuclear and particle physics. In 2017 he was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant. He takes a very active role in teaching in the Department of Physics, and is a well-regarded university lecturer and supervisor.



Dr Daniele Passerone (*1970), currently Lecturer in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at ETH Zurich and Group Leader at Empa, as Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich. Daniele Passerone is an expert in materials modelling based on density functional theory (DFT), one of the most efficient methods of simulating the electronic properties of solid-state crystals. He has a long list of successful publications to his name and receives consistently positive evaluations for his teaching.



Retirements/departures from ETH Zurich

Professor Karl-Heinz Altmann (*1957), currently Full Professor of Pharmaceutical Biology in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, will retire at the end of July 2022. Karl-Heinz Altmann joined ETH Zurich as a full professor in 2013. He has won multiple awards for his research, which has been devoted to the synthesis of biologically active natural products and to medicinal chemistry. During his time in the private sector he was already regarded as an international expert on the exploration and profiling of active molecules derived from nature. In addition to his work as a successful teacher and supervisor at ETH Zurich, he has served as head of department, held various positions at the Swiss Chemical Society and was co-founder of a biotechnology company - an ETH Zurich spin-off.

Professor Jurg Dual (*1957), currently Full Professor of Mechanics and Experimental Dynamics in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, is to retire at the end of July 2022. Jurg Dual joined ETH Zurich as an assistant professor in 1990 and has been a full professor since 1998. His research focuses on wave propagation and vibrations in solids, as well as microsystem and nanosystem technology and gravitation. This renowned researcher has recently been working on snow mechanics in collaboration with the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF. He has won multiple awards for his research and is a member of numerous committees. Jurg Dual has made an outstanding contribution to ETH Zurich thanks to his conscientious assistance with the tasks of the institution.

Professor Wilhelm Gruissem (*1952), currently Full Professor of Plant Biotechnology in the Department of Biology, is to retire at the end of July 2022. Wilhelm Gruissem joined ETH Zurich as a full professor in 2000. His research investigates biochemical synthesis routes and the molecules that play a part in controlling plant growth and chloroplast development. His aim is to contribute to nutritional quality and food safety in ways that cannot be achieved using conventional breeding strategies. He is a globally acclaimed award-winning researcher with an impressive publication record. The book he published in the year 2000 is now regarded as the standard text. He has made valuable contributions both to ETH Zurich itself and to Zurich as a research centre.

Professor Sarah Isabelle Hofer (*1985), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Learning and Teaching in the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, is to leave ETH Zurich at the end of March 2022. Sarah Hofer's main focus is on STEM subjects in secondary and higher education. She investigates how intelligence, previous knowledge, gender and other individual characteristics interact with knowledge evaluation and teaching methods. She is leaving to take up a post at Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich.

Professor Thomas Rosgen (*1957), currently Full Professor of Fluid Dynamics in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, is to retire at the end of July 2022. Thomas Rosgen joined ETH Zurich as a full professor in 1997. His work has involved developing imaging technologies and analytical methods for flow measurement techniques. These have led to applications used in the aerospace sector and in fundamental flow mechanics research. Since 2001 he has headed the Institute of Fluid Dynamics in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. From 2005 to 2007 he was the department's Director of Studies, a role in which he had a marked impact thanks to his visionary teaching and monitoring work.

Professor Markus Rothacher (*1957), currently Full Professor of Mathematical and Physical Geodesy in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, is to retire at the end of July 2022. Markus Rothacher joined ETH Zurich as a full professor in 2009. His research focuses on the development and exploitation of global satellite navigation systems. In the 1990s he made a vital contribution to the development of a software programme now used by over 700 institutions around the world for analysing data from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Internationally, Markus Rothacher is one of the top scientists in his field. He has won numerous plaudits for his excellent teaching and dedication.

Professor Didier Sornette (*1957), currently Full Professor of Entrepreneurial Risks in the Department of Management, Technology and Economics, is to retire at the end of July 2022. Didier Sornette joined ETH Zurich as a full professor in 2005. His research investigates the predictability and control of crises and extreme events in complex systems. Didier Sornette is one of the world's best-known risk researchers and has received numerous awards. In addition to his much-valued work as a lecturer he has made other substantial, long-term contributions to the benefit of the department and ETH Zurich as a whole, including serving as a member of the Research Commission and on the Scientific Board of the SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science.

Professor Lothar Thiele (*1957), currently Full Professor of Technical Computer Science in the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, is to retire at the end of July 2022. Lothar Thiele joined ETH Zurich as a full professor in 1994. His research interests cover models, methods and software tools for designing embedded systems in real time, cyberphysical systems, sensor networks, bioinspired optimisation techniques, and the Internet of Things. He is an internationally acclaimed researcher who has won numerous prizes and serves on various committees, as well as being a popular and highly regarded university lecturer. Both the department and ETH Zurich have benefited significantly from his service in a variety of capacities.

Professor Bernhard Wehrli (*1957), currently Full Professor of Aquatic Chemistry in the Department of Environmental Systems Science, is to retire at the end of July 2022. Bernhard Wehrli joined ETH Zurich as an assistant professor in 1991, since when he has also worked at Eawag. He has been a full professor since 2001. His research activities focus on the biogeochemistry of inland waters, nutrient and carbon cycles, redox processes and greenhouse gas emissions. Bernhard Wehrli has held a variety of offices in the course of his successful career, including serving on Eawag's Board of Management and as a member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). He may fairly be described as someone who builds bridges not only between disciplines but also within the ETH Domain.

Departure from EPFL

Professor Philip Moll (*1984), currently Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Materials Science in the School of Engineering, is to leave EPFL at the end of May 2022. Philip Moll is an ambitious scientist in the field of quantum materials, with a particular focus on the study of inorganic materials. At EPFL he heads up the Laboratory for Quantum Materials. He is leaving to become a director at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in Hamburg.

The ETH Board would like to thank the departing professors for their services to science, teaching and academic administration.

Address for enquiries

Gian-Andri Casutt

Head of Communication of the ETH Board

Haldeliweg 15, CH-8092 Zurich

gian.casutt@ethrat.ch

+41 44 632 20 03

Publisher

Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology

https://www.ethrat.ch/en




Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office

Bern, 10.03.2022 - A holiday with your dog, moving countries with your cat or buying a reptile abroad: there are many reasons why you may need to cross a border with animals. However, the number of issues that can arise when you do so has risen in recent years. Good preparation and conscious buying behaviour can prevent animals suffering. Being well informed helps you to avoid fines or prosecution. The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) offers help on crossing borders with pets correctly on its website and warns against illegal animal imports.

To protect pets and inform owners, the FSVO provides assistance on its website on travelling with pets and importing animals, plants and foods. The FSVO also warns against spontaneously purchasing animals abroad. They often come from cruel breeding environments or illegal dog trading. Any journey with or purchase of a pet must be well planned, well prepared and carefully checked.

Animals with insufficient, invalid or forged travel documents are not permitted to enter Switzerland. Illegal imports or entry into the country may result in fines or even prosecution.

Rising animal imports  increasing issues

During the coronavirus pandemic, demand for pets  and thus also the number of animal imports  grew:

Dog imports rose by a quarter in both of the last two years from around 28,000 in 2019 to approximately 35,000 in 2021. Import permits for dogs from countries with a high risk of rabies have doubled over the past year from around 1,000 to 2,000.

Animal welfare cases at the border have risen almost fourfold, from 654 in 2020 to 2,560 in 2021 as the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) announced today.

The FOCBS Competence Center for Pets registered a record number of animals that were not correctly declared when crossing the border and had to be cleared by customs retroactively. Retroactive customs clearances of animals rose to 4,903 in 2021 from just 280 in 2019. This is a 17-fold increase within three years.

The most frequent issue was the failure to import animals as stipulated via a manned border crossing point with immediate declaration to customs. In the majority of these cases, there were also violations of the Epizootic Diseases Act, the Species Protection Ordinance or the Animal Welfare Act. These included the import of puppies that had not reached the required minimum age of 56 days, or dogs with docked tails or ears, which is prohibited in Switzerland.

Consequences for owners

Criminal proceedings were instituted in more than two-thirds of cases of subsequent declaration. Total fines rose more than six-fold from just under CHF 30,000 in 2019 to almost CHF 200,000 last year.

The FSVO Border Veterinary Service had to take action in the cases of more than 300 animals at Zurich at Geneva airports in 2021.

Address for enquiries

Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO)

Media Unit Phone: +41 (0)58 463 78 98

media@blv.admin.ch

Publisher

Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office

http://www.blv.admin.ch




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BLACKDUCK, Minn.  After a D4 drought in 2021, cattle producers in north central Minnesota are worried about the uncertainty of rain in 2022.

The Climate Prediction Center says drought removal is likely in Beltrami County by the end of March. Thats good news, but producers are studying up and preparing for drought conditions just in case  as well as how to continue their operations in 2022.

The drought took a high toll, said Rachel Gray.

At Little Timber Farms, the vast majority of her purchased F1 black baldy heifers were trucked to Boyum Custom Feeding in Chatfield, Minn., for development.

There wasnt enough feed to keep them up north through the winter.

We have been grazing rotationally here for 25 years, and we have pastures that had been rested the year before, she said. We were able to graze into August with supplementation, but we were not going to beat the drought. It was just too extreme and too unusual for this area.

A couple of workshops are planned for early March to talk about the drought and its aftermath, because producers are looking for good ideas or practices they can adopt.

Rachel is a new executive member on the Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association. She hopes the group can offer grazing workshops throughout the state to help producers learn more about grazing lands and its advantages.

The drought continues to affect Little Timber Farms because hay and straw supplies are limited, and January/February were extra cold.

Our cattle are eating extra, so we are taking inventory and double-checking that we have enough to get through spring, she said. We are making sure our hay storage is what it needs to be and thinking about how long we want to leave the cattle in Chatfield vs. bringing them home.

Ideally, they would have been home by now, she added.

She made a trip to Chatfield on Feb. 25 to finish bangs shots on a couple hundred heifers. Back on Feb. 7, she had traveled to Chatfield to vaccinate the first 246 head.

Both of her trips to Chatfield in February involved driving over 700 miles in a day. Her reasoning for such quick trips was she wanted to get home for the Zehnder Waage Partnership calvings.

With most of the livestock housed in Chatfield, Rachel and her crew had earlier built a veterinary/observation room in the calving barn. This was where she wanted to be.

The first of 29 Zehnder Waage Partnership calves was born on Feb. 14, and Rachel was there. The last came in on Feb. 28.

Rachel was there.

The observation room was well worth the time, effort, and money, she said, adding that she slept in the observation room for two weeks.

The F1 black baldy heifers were AI bred to the Zehnder Waage Charolais bull Warroad.

She had wondered if the Hereford/Angus/Charolais cross would result in a heterosis punch that would result in big calves. That didnt happen. The first calves born were about 65-70 pounds, and the later calves were about 85 pounds.

Anxious to see how the heifers performed, Rachel kept track of each calving. The longest heifer to calve took 1 hour and 2 minutes. The calves were trying to get up within 5-8 minutes of hitting the straw, and most were trying to nurse by 18 minutes. Most of the calves were latched on by 22 minutes.

The calves were vigorous, and the heifers were great moms, she said. Getting this data is something Ive wanted to know, and finally I had a chance to get the data.

Rachel added that her freezer beef program started for 2022. Little Timber Farms delivered 10 head for slaughtering and butchering at Meyers Meats in Nevis, Minn.

We double-checked with customers to make sure they had their freezers ready, and were ready for their beef in two weeks, she said. We are excited about that.

As March continues, Rachel will make decisions about when to truck the heifers back to Little Timber Farms.

Its always staying one step ahead, she said. Im thinking about bringing cattle back, taking inventory of the feed, and making sure our lots and pastures are ready.

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When the game is on the line, winning takes a team with players who take pride in their role and trust in each other. Heather Donley knows the success of the beef industry  and our ranches  requires the same team effort
Red Angus producers will soon have more access to market based premiums along with potentially seeing an increased demand for the breed, according to Tom Brink, CEO of the Red Angus Association of America (RAAA).

The association completed negotiations with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in late 2021 which resulted in the USDA allowing the breed to be included in Angus-labeled branded beef programs such as Certified Angus Beef.

The Red Angus Association made the announcement in their newsletter stating, Red Angus are Angus, and now USDA has officially acknowledged that fact by enabling Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle that meet certain requirements to join black-hided animals in as many Angus brands that decide in favor of their inclusion.

The decided in favor of their inclusion is a key component. There are over 70 USDA certified beef programs and each has its own schedule with its own criteria for accepting beef. Ultimately, its up to each brand if it will be willing to accept Red Angus into its programs.

Brink acknowledged that it might be a while before Red Angus will be completely known under the general Angus brand. Now that the USDA negotiations are complete he and his colleagues are in the process of talking to many of certified beef brands.

Itll take time, he said.

Right now, some of those programs specifically say black hided in their list of requirements for accepting Angus cattle. For instance, the Certified Angus Beef programs states on its Live Animal Specification form that Cattle eligible for certification in Angus influence beef programs based on phenotype (appearance) will have a main body that must be solid black with no other color behind the shoulder, above the flanks, or breaking the midline behind the shoulders, excluding the tail.

Under the new USDA decision, Red Angus will now be eligible to be simply labeled Angus, in every certified beef program that agrees to it.

Red Angus is a source of quality cattle that has not been utilized by many of these brands, Brink said. Now, hes hopeful many brands will sign on, especially with so many supply chain shortages.

Brink said that having an extra supply will make sense to the certified beef programs, especially considering that protein levels in Red Angus beef are equal to its Black Angus counterpart.

Genetically, Red and Black Angus have only minor differences. The biggest and most notable difference is the hide color.

Red and Black Angus each have strengths that slightly out-do the other. Black Angus tend to be a little larger while Red Angus are known for their maternal traits.

Brink said Red Angus are working to close the size gap while maintaining their positive maternal traits.

The breed has done a good job improving all traits by inching up growth and carcass traits, but also improving suitability and heifer pregnancy and some of the key maternal traits.

Brink and Stephanie Jung, a South Dakota Red Angus producer, both said that when it comes down to it, aside from the hide color, there is little difference between Red and Black Angus genetics.

If you look at Angus as to you'll see a great deal of similarity (between Red and Black). In fact, a lot of the verbiage is virtually identical, Brink said.

This will be the first time in Angus estimated 150 year history that Red Angus will be included in the same programs as Black Angus.

Brink said that when Black Angus were originally brought to the United States from Scotland in the 1870s, the animals were predominantly black, but they had a recessive red gene hiding in the background.

For whatever reason, the Black Angus Association did not register those red hided calves, he said.

That separation set a precedent of Red Angus cattle being discarded, Brink said. However, the red gene continued to be present in the breed, resulting in the continued birth of red hided calves.

Theres still some today in the Black Angus, Brink said of the recessive red genes.

Nearly eight decades after their arrival in the U.S. the Red Angus Association was formed in 1954.

People saw value in those red hided Angus, Brink said.

Now, nearly 70 years later, the Red Angus breed is the fourth largest breed in the nation.

Theyre nearly tied with Simmental, the third largest breed, Brink said.

Red Angus grew in popularity partially due to being one of the more docile breeds of cattle. With older producers out there and grandkids running around, people like docility for a good reason, Brink said.

Brink believes in the end, consumers dont care if the Angus beef theyre eating is from red or black cattle. What they care about is getting a quality product that is nutritious and delicious and both the Angus breed hits the mark.

Ninety percent of consumers recognize the name Angus and associate it with quality so the reputation is very strong, he said.

Jung agreed. Youre getting the same quality meat and the tenderness is equal to Black Angus.

With the possibility of being included in large-scale USDA certified beef programs comes the possibility of added revenue, Jung said.

For Brink, the USDA decision is a win for everyone. This change makes logical sense, and will benefit cow-calf producers, cattle feeders, packers and consumers, he said.

Melisa Goss, Associate Editor for the Tri-State Neighbor, is a South Dakota farm girl whose love of travel has allowed her to see ags vital impact around the world, from Americas heartland to the rice paddies of Southeast Asia and many places in between. She makes her home in Sioux Falls with her husband, daughter and miniature schnauzer. You can reach her at mgoss@lee.net.

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I never attended a one-room country school, but it wasnt until I started third grade that I was placed in a classroom that only had kids of the same grade.

My first- and second-grade years I spent in the Reliance school. In my memory, it was a square building made of bricks, massive and sturdy as a medieval castle. My first teacher called her classroom the Primary Room. It included students from first, second and third grades. I doubt there were more than 20 kids in those three grades, but for a shy fellow from a small farm, it seemed as crowded as the Grand Central Station mentioned in a radio program my dad sometimes listened to in the evening.

Reliance, South Dakota, wasnt such a big town, I suppose, not even then. But to me it was a metropolis, with a hotel, cafe, grocery store, post office, lumber yard and general merchandise businesses. We lived eight miles northeast, on a farm reached by dirt and sketchy gravel roads. We didnt just buzz into town on a whim. It took a combine breakdown or a trip to the grain elevator to get my dad to make the trip.

Well, it did until my older brother and sister started school. Eight miles from town we may have been, but through some quirk of boundaries or lines on a map or something, our farm lay in the Reliance district. Folks didnt open enroll in those days, so Dad and maybe a couple of other parents had the burden of hauling a packed carload of kids to and from Reliance each week day.

Uncle Franks farm was nearly two miles closer to Reliance than ours was. Even so, Im pretty sure his kids went east to a one-room country school. Uncle Milos family lived two miles north of our place. Youd think theyd have gone to the country school east of them, but I have the vaguest image of Jerry, their boy my age, in Miss Baireys classroom. Jerry and Franks son Leo were my only close friends until I started first grade.

Until I started school in Reliance, I had visions of riding a saddle horse to a distant country school and back every day, being rocked gently by the animals ambling gait, nearly dropping off to sleep to the sound of creaking saddle leather and the songs of sparrows in the tree belts. I dont know if any of the kids in those country schools actually rode horses to their classes, but Id read stories about kids who did. It seemed like an incredibly noble way to live.

Instead, my older brother and sister and I piled into our family sedan in good weather and our Jeep when storms were a-brewing, and our dad piloted us eight miles to the school in town. Maybe that was a noble way to live, too. If nothing else, in first grade I made friends with Gary Schindler, a kid with a ready grin and ears nearly as big as mine. We hardly ever see each other these days, but for as long as I live, hes my friend, and the memories of shared days  in class and outside  will remain vivid. I tell people he was the first friend I ever had who wasnt related to me, and I reckon thats the plain truth of it.

In college, I had a roommate for a couple of years who grew up out near Hermosa at the edge of the Black Hills. He went to a country school. I remember him saying he had the same teacher for all eight years. I imagine some folks today would struggle to believe that, but Im sure its true.

Primary Room in Reliance wasnt quite that way. Im pretty sure Miss Bairey was my teacher both years I attended Reliance. One of those years I had at least four cousins in that one classroom. I never heard anyone say that seemed unusual. I didnt think anything of it, thats for sure.

My second-grade year was a bad one for blizzards out our way. One storm nearly stranded Dad and us kids about a mile from home. We made it, but he decided wed had enough. We moved to Chamberlain for school years and back to the farm for summers.

Third grade in Chamberlain had its own room, packed with 20 or 25 kids. I mean 20 or 25, just in third grade! That took some getting used to, Ill tell you.

Terry is a well-known regional columnist who lives in Chamberlain, S.D.

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A national political advisor proposed strengthening the protection and restoration of China's revolutionary relics and sites.

Song Jirong, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and head of the Cultural Relic Hospital at the Palace Museum in Beijing, is attending the political advisory bodys annual session.

In an interview with China.org.cn, she said she visited China's revolutionary sites and museums in Ruijin, Yudu, and Zunyi in May 2021 and found problems. For example, the museum in Yudu, which marks the start of the Long March by the Central Red Army, lacks sufficient funds and talent to protect its relics. In addition, the environmental conditions are bad, lacking cold light and constant temperature and humidity, especially for organic relics such as clothes and paper relics.

According to the statistics released by the National Cultural Heritage Administration in May 2021, China has more than 1,600 revolutionary museums and memorial halls and 36,000 immovable revolutionary cultural relics, as well as more than 1 million movable relics preserved in national museums.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the National Cultural Heritage Administration has approved nearly 400 national key revolutionary cultural relics protection and utilization projects. In the 14th Five-Year Plan and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, they also proposed to promote the protection of revolutionary cultural relics and sites.

"Relevant departments should increase support for the rescue protection and restoration of revolutionary cultural relics and give priority to museums and memorial halls marking major historical events," she said.

She also suggested that the competent national departments set up funds to collect revolutionary cultural relics scattered in the hands of private collectors into museums and memorial halls for complete protection and restoration. Further, Song said a national revolutionary cultural relics administration should be established to guide the collection, preservation, repair, and display of such relics in a unified manner.

Besides revolutionary heritage, the political advisor is worried about immovable relics. There are more than 760,000 immovable cultural relics, many of which are architecture.

"Immovable cultural relics also have their own life cycle. How to prolong their life is a problem that we should seriously study. To prolong the life of immovable cultural relics, it is inevitable to repair them, but how to repair and the degree of restoration must undergo scientific and detailed analysis. We have to come up with a practical and feasible scientific solution to restore the old buildings," she said.

Song noted that most civil building materials have a limited lifespan, and the Asian culture that pursues "maintaining the soul" does not demand the absolute eternity of materials. "Before repairing, we must first scientifically analyze and test, and at the same time, we must understand the shape, style, practice, skills, etc. of ancient buildings. Only under the guidance of these intangible cultural heritage standards can the soul of ancient buildings be restored and preserved, shaping their images and characters."

She suggested authorities carry out a national census of immovable cultural relics as soon as possible, use modern scientific and technological means to accurately and finely update the holographic data of immovable cultural relics, and establish a digital platform.

Song also hopes authorities should continuously improve the scientific standard system for protecting and restoring immovable cultural relics and strengthening the guidance of protection and restoration work. Furthermore, the preventive protection measures should also be studied and readied for immovable cultural relics to prevent natural disasters, environmental pollution, and man-made damage.

"And according to the needs of the local society, economy and people's livelihood, the competent authorities can effectively utilize the immovable cultural relics after they are restored. So don't just lock them up. The relics should be truly alive in line with local reality," she added.
It may not come as a big surprise, but Scottsdale is home to more short-term rentals than th
Concerning the Russo-Ukraine war, passions are running high and hot words are flying like lead. Thats not just in Ukraine, but also here at home. Cable news and talk radio have some of the worst offenders. Putin is mad, declare the talking heads, as if theyre modern-day Freuds. But not to be outdone, others insist: No, no, Putin is mad and Hitler! Stop him now before he rampages across Europe! Damn the torpedoes! Break out a chorus of Over There, because, gosh darn it, the Yanks are coming!

Bloviating is the order of the day across the media, 24/7. But notice, rarely are assumptions challenged. Whatever happened to skepticism and adversarial journalism? Is there any room for alternative -- perhaps, dissenting -- viewpoints? No debate? Narratives go unchallenged. Most news shows are too clubby now.

But it pays dividends to always ask Why? and How do you know? In matters of war, false assumptions and wrong perceptions can lead to fatal consequences. Cooler heads must prevail. Facts matter. Struggling to get to truths is critical.

Lets take some key perceptions and assumptions and examine them more closely.

Vladimir Putin is mad. Mad colloquially? For instance, Putin is nuts to invade Ukraine! Or in a literal sense, meaning that Putin suffers mental illness or a personality disorder? If the latter, then one wonders how cable news talking heads and radio talkers know that Putin is clinically disturbed?

Based on what? Putins seeming isolation in the months leading up to the Ukraine invasion? Perhaps Putin was scarce because of the intense planning and preparations that proceed war? Maybe for security reasons?

Based on Putins alleged fear of catching COVID? Its reported that he self-isolated after some in his inner circle caught COVID. Does that make him mad? Werent we told to isolate here in the U.S. to stop the spread? Does that make us mad?

Does Putin sit at one end of that long table in his office suite to avoid COVID or is he doing so to intimidate his guests?

Based on Putins writings and utterances about resurrecting the Soviet Empire? Is it surprising that Putin hankers for the defunct Soviet Union -- or its might, more precisely? He came up as a KGB functionary. He was, from education, training, and predilection, vested in the USSR. But does Putins expressed desire to return Russia to past glory and power mean hes megalomaniacal or somehow unhinged?

Does the media have access to CIA or other intelligence services psychological profiles of Putin? Doubtlessly they exist. But be aware that such profiles have their limits.

Following World War II, the Office of Strategic Services (aka, the OSS, which was the CIAs forerunner) undertook a psychological profile of Adolf Hitler. The profile came with a qualification, which is summed up in the linked article:

Establishing a psychological profile of a particular person without directly observing and analyzing their behavior and characteristics is complicated and ineffective, since no real psychological exploration can be performed. Any psychological profile carried out on a person without any contact between a health professional and the subject in question is more imprecise, which is also the case when drawing up the psychological profile of a person who has already died.

Do we really know that Putin is mad? Is it possible -- just possible -- that Putin is ruthless, coldly calculating, and evil? A lot of folks have a tough time accepting that someone can be sane and evil. At least, sane by clinical standards, in that a person can be in touch with reality and quite aware of the consequences of his actions.

Putin is Hitlers incarnation. Comparing despots to Hitler is cliche. Might Putin be better compared to a czar, say, Ivan the Terrible? From Thought Co.:

Ivan the Terrible, born Ivan IV Vasilyevich (August 25, 1530 -- March 28, 1584), was the Grand Prince of Moscow and the first Tsar of Russia. Under his rule, Russia transformed from a loosely connected group of individual medieval states into a modern empire.

Ivan was plagued by conflicts with Crimea, which until recently detached was part of modern Ukraine. Struggles with ethnic Russians who occupy Ukraine are centuries old. As history proves, there isnt much new under the sun. Putin is just the latest Russian tyrant trying to subdue or seize all or part of Ukraines territory.

Putin may have the desire but lacks the wherewithal to conquer Europe, much less the world. The Russian economy -- about the size of Canadas -- is highly dependent on energy and raw materials exports for its revenues.

Then theres NATO, which Hitler didnt have to reckon with. Putin does. If Putin attacked a NATO member, it triggers Article 5, meaning that hes at war with NATOs 30 countries, the U.S. being principal. And did we mention that the U.S., France, and Great Britain are nuclear-armed?

A NATO No-Fly Zone is imperative. Ukrainian president Zelenskyy is still pushing for NATO to take control of Ukraines skies. To date, NATO and our addled president, Joe Biden, have dampened ardor for this call by declaring it a no-go.

As Dan Bongino, who has shown admirable restraint and thoughtfulness about the war, often asks, What then? Meaning that actions beget counters. What then if NATO went ahead with a no-fly zone?

If NATO established a no-fly zone over Ukraine that means that NATO fighter aircraft are tasked with keeping the zone clear of Russian fighters, bombers, and transports. Doing so inevitably means shooting Russian aircraft out of the sky. NATO fighters could be casualties, too. Fights go both ways. Does anyone believe that Putin would gladly stand down? Would Putin cede air superiority to NATO with ground operations underway?

A NATO no-fly zone is an invitation to a wider war, one that would stretch across the European continent and very likely impact the American homeland. Casualties could climb rapidly into the hundreds of thousands, if not more. Wars have ways of escalating, taking unexpected turns. Only the conceited and naive think that a no-fly zone is a low-risk operation. And did we mention that Russia is a nuclear weapons power?

Russian elites should assassinate Putin. This is tougher to unpack. American Thinkers Thomas Lifson ran an article that was written in 2014 by Herbert E. Meyer. As Thomas pointed out, Meyer was an unsung hero of the Cold War, playing an instrumental role in defeating the Soviet Union.

In his article, Meyer suggested that Putins fellow oligarchs remove him from office, whether retiring Putin to a dacha on the Black Sea (a la Nikita Khrushchev) or killing him.

Who can gainsay a man as experienced, accomplished, and esteemed as was Meyer? But lets suggest this: Having cable news talkers, radio yackers, and a garrulous senator broadcast declarations about the advisability of Russians assassinating Putin is a bad play. If Putin is mad -- as many are convinced -- you really dont want to be overt about that aim. Cornered crazy people -- even cornered sane people -- can do really crazy, desperate things. If warranted, it might be best to handle the matter covertly.

A good guess is that the CIA and Western European intelligence agencies have backchannels open with some of Russias oligarchs, those who may look askance on Putins Ukraine aggression (its bad for business). Perhaps its best to have more James Bond and less Gomer Pyle in this regard?

And maybe the CIA, which is implicated in trying to topple Donald Trumps presidency via the Russia Collusion Hoax, will have better luck removing Putin, who, unlike Trump, is a bona fide ruthless, coldly calculating, and evil man.

J. Robert Smith can be found regularly at Gab @JRobertSmith. He also blogs at Flyover.

Image: Pixabay
Placing National Guard medical personnel in remote hospitals to supplement medical workers is a fallacious idea if you understand how the National Guard apparatus works.

When you hear in the news how wonderful this ill conceived plan is, you need to consider the fact that all those military doctors and nurses called up are only practicing medicine with their Guard units one weekend a month. What do they do the rest of their time? They work full-time at civilian medical facilities like every other professional. Medical-grade National Guardsmen militarily assigned to aid other hospitals end up subtracting their positions from their own facilities, resulting in a zero-sum outcome.

Deploying military medical personnel to other hospitals for ninety days at a time is problematic at its core. When they are absent from drill weekend duties, they disrupt troops' ability to continue medical readiness. Medical readiness is critical in keeping a unit's ability to deploy worldwide. Brigadier General Isabel Rivera Smith of the New York National Army Guard agrees. She is the director of joint staff for the New York National Guard and clearly sees this is a problem, but her command is at the will of the governor. Only the governor and the president can control the National Guard. Do not believe false narratives about anyone other than them controlling Army Guard deployments.

The purpose of the military is not to support civilian shortages. Rather, it's to defend the country and its citizens from any external attack. Every governor should weigh the costs of lending his National Guard personnel for purposes other than military business. The governors, being the commanders of the National Guard, should be experts on policies' effectiveness. Governors are not always aware of the unintended consequences they could create in these circumstances. Instead, they take credit for their swift actions amid the dire headlines in today's pandemic atmosphere.

The National Guard has become the go-to replacement workforce to support random missions at the whim of the president and governors. In January 2021, the National Guard deployed twenty-five thousand Guardsmen to protect the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) criticized that deployment as an "overreaction" that turned the Capitol into an "armed camp." Imagine the resources and coordination it took to deploy, only to protect a one-day inauguration event.

In these unusual times, the National Guard acts as border patrol agents, still helps with natural disasters, administers covid shots, and runs COVID testing locations. In the state of New York, four hundred National Guard members are currently receiving training to be EMT specialists. The Army is actively recruiting retired veterans to learn those skills. Re-enlisting veterans into any service is exceedingly rare! I personally look for this to be a future trend for all services. How can there be a huge demand for EMT-qualified people in the Army? Are they recruiting EMT trainees to serve other agencies?

The more the National Guard strays from its purpose, the more people will quit. "I did not sign up for this" is a real issue. The National Guard is now filling in for absent positions in other agencies of those who did not comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. At the Texas border, the National Guard troops took over the roles of dismissed border patrol agents.

The Guard is stuck in a continuous personnel replacement mission because Guardsmen are convenient pawns of usefulness at the cost of their own future success. Shuffling labor around is not, nor will it ever be, the answer to workforce shortages. How long can the National Guard sustain this abuse?

Meanwhile, the Army reprimanded more than three thousand soldiers for refusing the COVID vaccine. They are now entering into the same sinking ship the hospitals are in. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth recently ordered commanders to start involuntary separation proceedings for those who have refused the vaccine and do not have a pending or approved exemption. Degraded readiness is the price the National Guard will pay for governors "following the science."

We can easily solve this problem by hiring back the resolute doctors, nurses, border patrol agents, police officers, truckers, teachers, and emergency personnel fired for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Continuing in this direction with the National Guard will only turn from neutral results to severe and lasting diminishing returns. The National Guard is not an infinite resource to draw from and to supply endless missions beyond its intended purpose. Further degradation of our society will continue if we do not move beyond trusting "the science" that brought us to this point.

Kevin White is a retired veteran of the United States Air force, having served 30 years all over the world. He is a strong conservative who believes in patriotism, nationalism, and peace through strength. Kevin encourages others to utilize skills and education to rise above their current limited social restrictions. Kevin works in the aviation industry with skills he learned from his military career. His leisure time hobbies are writing and guitar. He resides near Dayton, Ohio with his wife and two daughters.

Image via Picryl.
For two weeks, people have claimed that Russia is targeting American-owned or -run labs in Ukraine that housed biological weapons. I shied away from those reports, not because I thought they were "Russian disinformation," but because I didn't feel there were enough data to elevate them from theory to fact. I also discounted mainstream media reports debunking the story because they didn't have enough data, either. Well, now we have data: Victoria Nuland, Biden's undersecretary of state for political affairs, and one of the architects of the current disastrous state of affairs, admitted under oath that Ukraine has "biological research facilities," the concerning contents of which may fall into Russian hands.

Within a few days of Russia's attack on Ukraine, a few people sent me a NewsWars article:

Is Russia's "special military operation" actually a smokescreen to target US bio-labs in Ukraine? Speculation on social media suggests Russian strikes on Ukrainian military installations could also include US bio-labs in the region, as the Russian government has for years accused the US of developing bio-weapons near its border. The ulterior motive theory was put forth Thursday by Twitter user @WarClandestine, whose account was suspended soon thereafter. Fortunately, his thread was archived before the account was banned. Evidently there are several US bio-labs in Ukraine under the auspices of the US State Department's Biological Threat Reduction Program, an initiative where the US partners with other countries "to counter the threat of outbreaks (deliberate, accidental, or natural) of the world's most dangerous infectious diseases."

The report went on to say that Ukraine's U.S. Embassy also acknowledges that it has programs intended "to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concern." Of course, if these places are consolidating and securing pathogens and toxins, it means they can also use them. However, while the article has a lot of well sourced dots, I didn't feel that it connected them well enough to go beyond a very good theory.

The Democrats' media operatives were adamant that it wasn't a good theory at all; it was a crazy QAnon theory. Some examples:

PolitiFact, which "[s]tand[s] up for the facts," was clear: "There are no US-run biolabs in Ukraine, contrary to social media posts." Instead, PolitiFact said, it's just a partnership with Ukraine "to improve public health laboratories and prevent the threat of outbreaks of infectious diseases." (That sure failed with COVID.)

USA Today insisted that "[f]alse claim of US biolabs in Ukraine tied to Russian disinformation campaign." It referred to the same program PolitiFact discussed and said that all that the U.S. did, per a treaty, was help update the labs.

MediaMatters writes that "YouTube has been making money from videos pushing a false conspiracy theory about supposed biolabs in Ukraine, a claim that originated as part of a Russian disinformation effort and has become tied to supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory."



Image: Victoria Nuland. YouTube screen grab.

On Wednesday, when Nuland appeared before the Senate, Sen. Marco Rubio, perhaps to allay his constituents' fears about this biolab theory, posed this question: "Does Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons?" Presumably, he anticipated that Nuland would either deny this or say she'd heard the rumors but that the only labs in Ukraine are innocent research labs that the U.S. had helped remodel, all to prevent a possible successor to the COVID pandemic.

Except that's not what Nuland said. Instead, speaking slowly, hesitatingly, and very carefully, this was her answer:

Ukraine has biological research facilities which, in fact, we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach.

Rubio then cut Nuland off and tried to steer her into admitting that the stories circulating about biolabs are all Russian disinformation and that, if there were a biological attack in Ukraine, Russians would be the culprits. Nuland gratefully seized upon his suggestion:

There is no doubt in my mind, Senator, and it is classic Russian technique to blame on the other guy what they're planning to do themselves.

So, less than one minute after conceding that there was very dangerous material at these Ukraine biolabs, Nuland is blaming the Russians for a hypothetical bio-attack.

As Glenn Greenwald rightly says in his lengthy post about Nuland's confession, "[i]t should go without saying that the existence of a Ukrainian biological 'research' program does not justify an invasion by Russia, let alone an attack as comprehensive and devastating as the one unfolding[.]" However, says Greenwald, the confession makes a few things clear:

1. Nuland's being "quite concerned" shows that these are not "just benign and standard medical laboratories." Given that Russia has its own sophisticated laboratories, the contents of the Ukraine labs must be something worrisome that Russia does not possess.

2. Are the Americans truly just helping the Ukrainians protect innocuous lab stuff, or was America always behind these labs with their concerning contents?

3. This comes closer than anything we've yet heard to confirming what all of us have long feared, which is that the big countries are engaged in bioweapon research.

4. Nuland's statement confirms how deeply intertwined the American government is with Ukraine, which goes some way to explaining Putin's paranoia about NATO and others encroaching on Russian security and sovereignty.

I'll add a fifth item to the list: we have an utterly incompetent government that has known since December that these labs were at risk and that did nothing to secure them.

Tucker did a masterful monologue on the subject:

Despite Nuland's confession, we are still very much in the dark about what those laboratories contain, how dangerous the contents are, and what Russia's (and China's) plans are should Russian troops reach them. The only thing we know with startling clarity is that our government and its media lackeys are lying to us frequently and consistently.
President Biden was in Texas on Tuesday. His visit was so short that they didn't turn off the engines on Air Force One.

It was a strange visit because Beto O'Rourke, the Democrat running for governor, did not get an invitation, or did not respond to it.

Who knows? Beto can't stop talking about the lights going out 13 months ago.

We do know that a few Democrats want more oil production, according to a letter posted on Fox News:

A group of Texas Democrats Tuesday called on President Biden to do more to unleash domestic energy production in the United States in the face of rising gas prices and reliance on foreign countries for energy. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, led a group of Texas Democrats in a letter to Biden Tuesday applauding his announcement to ban Russian oil imports while urging him to enact clear policies to help domestic energy producers boost energy output for the U.S. and beyond.

Drill, baby, drill, or something like that.

My guess is that these Democrats are not alone on this. Every Democrat and Republican must be bombarded by angry constituents paying over $4 a gallon at the pump. One of these Democrats, Rep. Henry Cuellar, is in a tough runoff against Jessica Cisneros, a Texas version of the Squad. I'm sure that Mr. Cuellar will call for more drilling, and Miss Cisneros will call for more green energy. It will be fun to watch which message moves the district.

I should add that some Texas Democrats, like Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso, did not sign the letter. She said we should have "weaned ourselves off of fossil fuels" years ago. She blamed the GOP but forgot that Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senator Jon Tester of Montana are Democrats calling for more domestic production, too.

Last, but not least, I saw my first sign for $4 gas in North Texas. It was eerie, to say the least.

PS: Click for my videos and podcasts at Canto Talk.

Image: Monica Showalter.
Occasionally, strange historical precedents can be used to solve current dilemmas.

Here is the current problem. Several NATO countries, most notably Poland, have Russian MiG fighter planes. They are willing to provide them to Ukraine. These MiGS are similar to the planes that Ukrainian pilots use. They could be put into service in relatively short order. Once in service, they would substantially limit the massive inhumane Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities. Stopping the bombing is vital. The Russian land forces might be defeated, but it will be a pyrrhic victory if the civilian population is annihilated.

If airplanes were in the same class as the Javelin and Stinger missiles currently being shipped to Ukraine, they would already be on their way. Ukrainian pilots would simply travel to Poland, take possession, and fly them home.

Airplanes are not in the same class. Russia has announced that flights originating in third-party countries automatically make that country a combatant in the war and therefore a target.

When the U.S. greenlighted Poland's initiative, several analysts pointed out that not only would Poland become a target, but this action would legally put Poland outside NATO's protective umbrella. This may sound like an excessively fine legal distinction, but it really isn't. It would put Poland in the position of an aggressor.

Poland realized the problem this created for it and instead suggested that the planes be flown to a NATO base in Germany, where the Ukrainian pilots could collect them. NATO and specifically the U.S. rejected the idea. NATO is a defensive alliance. This move would lend credence to Russia's otherwise wild claim that NATO poses an invasion threat to Russia. It is the invasion threat that Russia uses as a pretext for attacking Ukraine.

Many readers will find this dilemma between ridiculous and surreal, but there is a hard reality to it. The leaders of Poland, the U.S., and NATO take it seriously. It has stymied the transfer.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, "The prospect of fighter jets at the disposal of the government of the United States of America departing from a U.S./NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance."

In his recent address, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Poland and the U.S. to solve this logistical riddle: "This is not ping-pong! It's about human lives! We ask once again: solve it faster. Do not shift the responsibility; send us planes."

There is a historical precedent that cuts through the dilemma. In 1940, the United States had not yet entered WWII. The United Kingdom bought several airplanes from the United States. The U.S. was neutral and therefore faced the same transfer problem, but worse. Congress had passed the Neutrality Act, which expressly forbade these kinds of flights.

Canada is right next door, but it was already an active participant in the war. Flying war planes to Canada would be as unacceptable as flying them directly to England. The solution was to transport the planes to the Canadian border. They were connected to tractors or in most cases horses and towed across the border. As unbelievable as that sounds, it's true.

This solution is available today. The MiGs could be moved across the border in the same way. There will certainly be logistical challenges in getting the MiGs to the border, but those can be overcome, just as in 1940 challenges were overcome. We have a major advantage over the people back then. We won't have to use horses.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
Pres. Biden snubbed Tesla in his State of the Union speech. He touted America's expanding development of electric vehicles, citing GM and Ford, saying, "Ford is investing $11 billion to build electric vehicles, creating 11,000 jobs across the country. GM is making the largest investment in its history  $7 billion to build electric vehicles, creating 4,000 jobs in Michigan."

Conspicuously unmentioned was the world's top producer of electric vehicles and the U.S. company most noted for the transformational move toward electrification in the automobile industry: Tesla.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk quickly tweeted, "Tesla has created over 50,000 US jobs building electric vehicles & is investing more than double GM + Ford combined."

Moreover, according to Bloomberg, "[l]ast year Tesla's factory in Fremont, California, produced an average of 8,550 cars a week." That's more than the output from "70 competing facilities in North America."

This is not the first time Biden has slighted Tesla and Musk. Last August, Biden held an summit on electric vehicles. He invited Ford, GM, and the United Auto Workers union (UAW), but not Tesla.

The absurdity of that non-invitation was highlighted when Musk tweeted last month, "Biden has pointedly ignored Tesla at every turn and falsely stated to the public that GM leads the electric car industry, when in fact Tesla produced over 300,000 electric vehicles last quarter and GM produced 26." (Musk later understatedly tweeted, "They appear to have some room for improvement.")

The obvious question: Why does Biden deliberately ignore an American startup company that in just a few years has become a world leader and globally iconic? The answer is that Tesla is not a member of the UAW. In fact, it's not unionized. Biden is pro-union.

But that shouldn't matter. This president has made much of inclusion, diversity, and reuniting the country. In this context, that means including and working with union as well as non-union workers and companies. (In 2020, only 11% of U.S. workers belonged to unions.)

In the broader context, a president who would bring the country together must be able to accept diversity in beliefs and behavior and engage with those with whom he disagrees with, even dislikes. (Musk has occasionally publicly criticized Biden.) One cannot unify by exclusion.

Thus far, Biden has not fulfilled his pledge to unite the nation after what he characterized as the divisive Trump presidency. In fact, Biden's walk not matching his talk began even before he became president. When informed that Trump wasn't going to attend the inauguration, Biden said, "It's a good thing, him not showing up."

Biden's public response should have been, "Pres. Trump, you said you're not coming to the inauguration. I hope you'll reconsider. There's a long tradition of the outgoing president attending the inauguration of the incoming president. I hope you'll continue that American tradition and attend."

It would have taken courage. But while momentarily scandalizing some of his supporters, taking that high road would have commanded national and world commendation and launched Joe Biden into the presidency as a visionary leader  committed to and capable of bringing the nation together. Instead, Biden took the low road. Stingy in victory, Biden sounded petty and divisive.

When it comes to national reunification, Biden continues to falter. What started with Trump has continued with Musk. Biden is not seen as a uniter because he hasn't been one.

All politicians mouth platitudes about "bringing the nation together" and "representing all the people," etc., etc. Then, after the easy rhetoric, they revert to nasty partisan warfare, and the country remains fractured. Sorely needed is a leader big enough and able enough to reach across divides and offer some chance at national reconciliation.

Avi Nelson is a Boston-based political analyst. A libertarian/conservative (sometimes unappreciated in Boston), he has been in the media (TV, radio, print) for 48 years.

Image via Pixabay.
"These are perilous times. History teaches that weakness arouses evil." Clearly referring to the Biden administration's multiple foreign policy debacles, former vice president Mike Pence spoke in Jerusalem to a small but influential group of mostly dual American and Israeli citizens.

Ambassador Ron Dermer introduced the former vice president by stating that Mike Pence "loves Israel with his heart, his head, and his soul." As a devout Christian with unbreakable principles, Vice President Pence reiterated: "The success, prosperity and security of Israel is and shall always remain a high priority to the overwhelming majority of American people."

It was the Trump-Pence administration that demonstrated a willingness to stand up to our adversaries and challenge evil around the world. Pence reminded the audience, "It was our administration that took down ISIS in Syria and its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi without one American casualty." It goes without saying: strong leadership was missing during the terrible tragedy that befell thirteen American patriots who lost their lives under the Biden administration's disastrous departure from Afghanistan.

Decisive action was taken in Syria when the red line was crossed. "We sent not one, but two rounds of cruise missiles into [Bashar] Assad's regime. It was our administration with our friends that took the historic action that eliminated Qaseam Soleimani [head of the Iranian Quds force] off the battlefield," stated Pence to a round of applause.

The Trump-Pence administration used American force to stand up against our enemies and stand with our allies. "This served as a deterrent" to those who would do us harm. "Ours was the only administration in the 21st century where [Vladimir] Putin and the Russians did not attempt to redraw geographic boundaries in Europe by force."

While Russian missiles are raining down on Ukrainian civilians, Pence praised Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's leadership and railed against Putin's despicable, inhumane attacks on schools, hospitals, and senior homes in Ukraine. Pence's belief is and always has been: "There is no room in the party for apologists for Putin. There is only room for champions of freedom."

Weakness arouses evil. "During the Bush administration, they moved tanks into Georgia. During the Obama-Biden administration, they moved into Crimea, and now, tragically, we all watched hour by hour the Russian invasion of Ukraine." Trampled cities and the deaths of innocents created a refugee crisis in Europe of a size that has not occurred since the Second World War. Pence took the opportunity to praise Israel for providing planes loaded with humanitarian aid and for absorbing over twenty thousand of the over 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees.

Another immediate and dire problem today is deterring Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The Trump-Pence administration withdrew from the Iran deal (JCPOA), but now the Biden administration has undone the progress that was made and may be close to a new Iran agreement negotiated in Vienna. The former vice president's answer to this problem was unequivocally, "The next American president will tear up the Iran deal."

As for the upcoming elections, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) executive director, Matt Brooks, had this to say: "Mike Pence's steadfast determination and hard work to bring Republican control back to the House and Senate this year is exactly what the United States and Israel need right now." Mark Zell, organizer of the event and Republicans Overseas Israel co-chairman, added that Israel is home to over 450,000 U.S. citizens, making Israel one of the largest populations of non-resident U.S. citizens, who must be encouraged to vote.

Pence spoke unambiguously about the need to have an American president who is strong on foreign policy. "From unilateral concessions to Russia, to re-entering the new START treaty, to the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Nord Stream 2 [pipeline] ... the current weakness of President Biden's foreign policy, lack of decisive action, zero strategy or follow-through has emboldened our enemies around the world to make decisions that they would not have taken during the Trump-Pence administration."

The event concluded with an optimistic voice looking to the future of the partnership between the U.S. and Israel and an American Republican Congress that will "stand with our allies and stand up to our enemies as never before."

Valerie Greenfeld worked for the Reagan White House and the Republican U.S. Senate. She is a dual American-Israeli citizen and supports Republicans Overseas Israel. The views expressed are her own and not the reflection of any organization.

Image: National Archives.
Prince Harry keeps alerting the public to his money-making ambitions, and now he offers teaser build-ups to his pending "blockbuster memoir": it "promises to shake the monarchy to its core," according to the royal's close friend.

The royal's rich-person's drama appears to take on the spectacle of a prince in an imperial bubble when comparing his headlines to the world's tragedies: he's about to "lay bare his feelings toward Camilla," but the rest of the world seems far more concerned about Ukrainian families being blown to smithereens by the Russian military. There is also the matter of his 95-year-old grandmother  the queen  who was recently quarantined with COVID.

None of these issues has come between Prince Harry and his throwing stink bombs over the palace walls. He's now mired in a web of his own making by pocketing a whopping $20 million in a multi-part book deal with Penguin Random House. High-level gossip must be an integral part of the memoir to justify the price tag.

Decorum, decency, and respect for the crown  everyone knows that sort of thing isn't going to prompt readers to turn the book into a blockbuster bestseller. One can only guess at the queen's feelings. She's maintained an official silence. Keeping a stiff upper lip isn't merely a matter of public display, but a matter of retaining one's dignity.

"Gossip," she had warned her offspring, "was the lowest form of speech." Royal family members aren't naive about the tidal wave of headlines about to drown them all in controversy, having experienced a dress rehearsal of Prince Harry's indiscretions in the infamous Oprah Winfrey interview.

The family "is very much not racist," was Prince William's rare response to a reporter whose question was referencing the interview. His brother had managed to tar the entire family with the same brush by mentioning a royal member who had speculated on what color Prince Harry's future progeny would be  given his racially mixed marriage.

The prince wasn't alone in wreaking havoc on reputations: his wife, Meghan Markle, was by his side.

Oprah's titillating preamble promised viewers: "There is no subject off limits." But millions of viewers in England were perplexed by the interview dissolving into a two-hour "whine-a-thon" and equally confused as to why the couple were complaining.

Perhaps the memoir will expound on those "shocking disclosures": Meghan rattled on about how Kate, her sister-in-law, made her cry over the flower girl dresses (not the other way around, as reported); she expected more guidance from the palace (although she was assigned the queen's favorite assistant and household staff); and the duchess complained the family "even took her passport," despite her freedom to gallivant around the world, including numerous trips for vacations, visits to African nations, and even a quick jaunt to celebrate her baby shower in New York (to the tune of 300,000 pounds).

Meghan didn't want to appear unfair, and she disclosed in the interview that Kate had "owned" her behavior and sent her flowers in the form of an apology. Such trifles seemed to hold a paramount importance in the duchess's life  even as her father-in-law, Prince Philip, lay dying in the hospital and the world was engulfed in a viral pandemic claiming millions of lives.

There are now rumors that Prince Harry hopes to make his way back into the Royal Family once the crown is passed to a "modernizer": his father. It would be wrong to credit Harry with making public such a ghoulish thought of sidestepping his grandmother's original ruling on the subject, especially while she is still alive.

And it's unlikely Prince Harry will be an honored guest at the coronation once he "lays bare his feelings" toward his father's wife. His chances, and his wife's prospects, of being welcomed back into the royal household grow dimmer with each mounting controversy: Meghan is now the target of a lawsuit filed by her half-sister, Samantha Markle, who alleges that the royal made false statements that reflect badly on the family, and Harry appears downright tone-deaf, advising firms to "give everyone (employees) time to focus on themselves" in the midst of an economic pandemic crisis.

Those benefiting most from every misstep made by the duke and duchess of Sussex are the English tabloid media. Ironically Prince Harry makes his disdain well known for the English tabloids, but he continues to feed the prurient interest of the public.

If a lesson is to be learned, Prince Charles  who engaged in an ugly divorce spectacle from Princess Diana  could teach his son that nothing is to be gained from taking a family squabble into a public arena.

Humiliating a member of the family in public? In the words of the queen: "It just isn't done."

Image: DoD News Features.
Is Vladimir Putin mad? This question, of a rather specific medical nature, is critically important for the future of the world and millions of human lives. Are we dealing with a rational individual? Are we confronting a man whose ultimate goal is a murder-suicide? And why is that important to know? Why is Vladimir Putin's state of mind of great significance in the decision-making process undertaken by leaders in the U.S. and Europe. The answer is simple and horrifying: nuclear weapons.

The politics of the Cold War was based on the assumption that any nuclear exchange between the great powers would lead to mutual destruction (though a few on both sides from time to time doubted that outcome). Another rule, no less important, was that the powers left the right to resort to the nuclear options only when directly threatened by another nuclear power. There were a few notable exceptions to the rule: the Cuban Missile Crisis and nuclear posturing by the superpowers during the Yom Kippur War. Yet the history of the Cold War and those two events in particular only underscore a rational nature of the people at the helms of both superpowers. None of the conflicts, including in Vietnam and Afghanistan, directly and indirectly involving both superpowers, led to one side threatening the other with a nuclear strike.

The current war in Ukraine began with a highly irrational event. Vladimir Putin decided to go forward with a full-scale invasion of his neighbor despite small chances of achieving his goals. So tiny are those chances that few observers believed that the invasion would take place until it did.

What are Putin's goals? They were graciously provided by the president of the Russian Federation himself a few days prior to the invasion in his notorious ultimatum to the Western powers. They included, among many absurd demands, absolute subjugation of Ukraine and the roll-back of NATO in Eastern Europe. Putin assumed that Russia could completely control the second geographically largest country in Europe with a hostile population of nearly forty million. He also assumed that the Kremlin could easily remove the democratically elected government and install its own puppet clique.

So Putin's ultimatum relied too much on a bad understanding of the military prowess of both sides, but also, and more importantly, it took for granted that Russia had enough loyal manpower to control such a vast country. The truth is that it does not have enough troops to effectively control the major cities and towns in Ukraine without leaving Russia proper devoid of any fighting-capable troops.

Now, after days of intense combat, it is clear that even the pure military aspect of the plan had many imaginary parts. We may assume that the original plan was based on a quick physical elimination of the government of Ukraine and takeover of the capital, Kyiv. That still leaves Russia with an impossible task to govern the ungovernable.

Vladimir Putin has until recently been known as a KGB agent par excellence: calculating, disciplined, and risk-averse. Has he gone mad? Perhaps  though maybe not in the way most observers assume. From the beginning of the crisis, even before the evasion, Putin has made some veiled and then direct threats of nuclear war. Those who assume he is now acting irrationally think he may resort to the nuclear option if cornered. Yet he has been cornered since the beginning of the invasion, given his inability to subdue Ukraine and the overwhelming sanctions steadily relegating Russia to the status of North Korea.

Perhaps he has indeed gone mad, but not to the point of self-destruction. His entire plan was doomed from the beginning. But it was doomed by design. It was meant to lead to the point where, by virtue of inevitably unfolding events, Putin would need to resort to the nuclear option. However, that option would not be the ballistic missiles striking the capitals of the U.S., Germany, and France. Rather, it would be one tactical nuclear device fired by an artillery piece, headed somewhere in Ukraine. Such a terrifying, barbaric, and criminal action would nevertheless achieve both immediate goals of his campaign: demoralize Ukraine to the point of its surrender and deter NATO from actively intervening now or in the future.

The only question left to be answered under such a scenario is whether the U.S. would intervene proportionally with its own nuclear strike. It is safe to assume that the answer is unequivocally "no." The U.S. will not start a nuclear war if it is not itself attacked with nuclear weapons.

It is unclear what the U.S.'s doctrine says about the situation where a non-aligned country is attacked in such a manner. But it is clear, based on the official position of many prior administrations, and particularly the current one, that the U.S.'s answer will be everything short of its own nuclear strike. It may involve more sanctions and a complete cut-off of Russia from the rest of the world, but it does not look as though Vladimir Putin cares about any of that.

A tactical nuclear strike will lead to a tremendous loss of human lives and will start a global nuclear race unimaginable since the days of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Putin may not have the exit strategy, but he may have the endgame.

Image: G20 Argentina via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 was an agreement among America, the U.K., and Ukraine. Ukraine gave its vast stocks of nuclear weapons to Russia in exchange for military aid from America and the U.K. should Russia attack, which happened in 2014. That was when Putin ordered the Russian army to take Crimea by military force.

Neither America nor the U.K. held up its end of the deal. Obama ignored the agreement and ordered worthless sanctions that did nothing. He was militarily bound and failed.

When Trump was elected, the violations remained in effect. He increased sanctions but failed to send military aid to help Ukraine take back Crimea. Throughout his four years, he failed to live up to what was required by the Budapest Memorandum.

Once again, Russia has invaded, and Biden is taking the same route Obama and Trump took: a failure to live up to what was guaranteed.

There has been a lot of talk and writing about WWIII if America sends troops into Ukraine. It is eerily similar to what was said about Reagan when he stood up to the Soviets. Anyone who remembers the way Reagan was portrayed by the biased media remembers the contention that nuclear war was in prospect if Reagan remained tough against Soviet policy.

There was no WWIII. Reagan stood tough, and the Soviets backed down. No nuclear weapons flying, but a lot of people were saved from tyranny  in time, from the brutality of those trapped behind the Iron Curtain.

If the United States militarily enters Ukraine, which is required by that 1994 agreement, there will be no WWIII and no nuclear missiles flying, just as there were no WWIII and nuclear missiles flying when Reagan stood his ground.

If skirmishes between American and Russian forces were all it took to spark WWIII, it would have happened when both were fighting each other in Syria not all that long ago.

On September 19, 2020, the BBC published "Syria war: US deploys reinforcements to Syria after Russia clashes," which included this selection: "Incidents between US and Russian forces that patrol that part of the country have escalated this year."

Those incidents were actual firefights between American and Russian military forces and had been escalating. It was the same Putin then as now, yet no nuclear missiles and no WWIII, just like with Reagan.

Going to nuclear readiness is a bluff that failed. Putin was trying to keep other nations from supplying Ukraine with aid of any kind. Weapons from the West are getting into Ukraine.

If Putin is willing to launch, as some fear the way they feared Reagan's toughness, then how does sending U.S. military hardware to Ukraine make any difference to Putin, who could perceive the weapons as not at all different from the American military itself being in Ukraine?

On March 2 of this year, CNN published an article by Kylie Atwood and Zachary Cohen, "US delivered hundreds of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine this week, sources say," which states:

The US has delivered hundreds of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine for the first time over the last few days, including over 200 on Monday, according to a US official and a congressional source briefed on the matter.



Soldier aims FIM-92 Stinger missile during exercise.

Credit: Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files via NARA and DVDS Public Domain Archive.

If Putin is crazy enough to launch nuclear missiles over American forces entering Ukraine, what does that say about his expected response to high-end military weaponry used to take out Russian planes and tanks? He has not retaliated against a single country supplying Ukraine with a single military weapon of any kind.

If nuclear disaster needs to be avoided, why turn a blind eye to the nuclear power plants the Russians have already targeted with military strikes and taken by force?

Chernobyl was one of the first military attacks by Russian forces against a nuclear site. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, was second. One wonders if the conscripts firing at whatever they are ordered to have any idea what a nuclear symbol means or just how close they came to causing a meltdown at Zaporizhzhia. Had that fire not been put out, it could have been another Chernobyl.

Modern nuclear power plants have a lot of safety features but are not exactly designed for war. The continued reckless action may result in the breadbasket of Europe turning into fields of radiation.

Putin does not need to launch nuclear missiles to cause nuclear devastation. His unchecked actions could do that on their own. Without a strong show of force, Putin will not stop, and more nuclear power sites will be attacked.

Biden is incapable of showing any strength against anyone. He proved that with Afghanistan. Not that Afghanistan mattered to Putin. He did not need an Afghanistan to smell weakness from Obama. Putin was going to invade regardless, because Biden is every bit as weak.

What could be done to aid Ukraine easily and quickly would be to land what is needed most right at the Ukrainian border. Air power, including helicopters, can be towed across by the Ukrainians. That is how we helped arm England via Canada during WWII before getting directly involved.

Any nation could do that without directly getting involved with Russia. As long as the Ukrainians are the only ones to fly them, it cannot be viewed as an aggressive act any more than missiles already being used on Russian forces.

What is the difference between a surface-to-air missile taking out a Russian plane and a plane doing the same thing? What difference does a helicopter make when the columns are already being attacked?

Regardless of any direct military involvement, Putin will not launch nuclear missiles. He enjoys being a brutal tyrant, and fear of a retaliatory strike would take away the people he terrorizes. MAD, mutually assured destruction, worked to keep Stalin from launching, and there was no greater sadistic psychopath than Stalin.

Tyrants like to have populations to terrorize. What good is ruling from a bunker if there is no one to rule?

America standing up to Putin militarily in Ukraine will not bring about nuclear war any more than it did when American and Russian forces were firing at each other in Syria. Putin sees weakness in an American leadership cadre that is filled with people who have no idea how lead.

That is the only reason Putin is committing clear war crimes in Ukraine. Biden will never respond as needed, and Europe is paralyzed. Standing up to Putin should be viewed in a similar light as standing up to the Soviets the way Reagan did. A strong show of force works with tyrants; weakness does not.

Bob Ryan is a pen name.
News break: The Arctic ice in February was 5.64 million square miles, or 266,000 square miles below the average of 19811990. That is 95.5% of the average.

In February 2022, temperatures at the 925 hPa level (about 2,500 feet above sea level) ranged from 1 to over 8 degrees Celsius (2 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1981 to 2010 average along the Eurasian coast and across the central Arctic Ocean (Figure 2a). However, cool conditions prevailed over much of Canada and Baffin Bay; temperatures were generally 2 to 7 degrees Celsius (4 to 13 degrees Fahrenheit) below average.

So much for the greenie predictions that it would be gone soon. It is not melting fast, nor gone.

Since temperatures were up a possible 14 degrees in one area of the Arctic and lower by as much as 13 degrees in another area, that shows there is no correlation among temperatures, fossil fuels, and CO2. The climate is and has always been cyclical.

We've seen a lot of stories like this lately:

South Pole posts most severe cold season on record, a surprise in a warming world The average temperature at the AmundsenScott South Pole Station between April and September, a frigid minus-78 degrees (minus-61 Celsius), was the coldest on record, dating back to 1957. This was 4.5 degrees lower than the most recent 30-year average.

It is not possible that the entire continent of Antarctica would hit a six-month record cold in 2021, which also happened, if humans, fossil fuels, CO2, methane, and all the other things we are told cause global warming, or climate change were true.

Shouldn't government policies be based on factual scientific data instead of easily manipulated computer models, especially policies that remake or destroy so much that improves are quality and length of life?

No, the plan is political.

John Kerry said, inexplicably, that he hoped Putin would focus on climate change as he attacks Ukraine.

John Kerry blasted for saying he hopes Putin will focus on climate change as Russia attacks Ukraine

Kerry also has said climate change is a bigger worry in China than other things like genocide.

Anyone who believes that China, Russia, or Iran cares about its carbon footprint or complying with the Paris climate accord should have his head examined to see if his brain has been removed.

Anyone who believes that John Kerry, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, or others who have multiple mansions, fly in private jets, and have yachts care about their carbon footprint is extremely gullible.

I understand why teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg believes what she believes  because she has been indoctrinated with the talking points every day of her life.

I do not understand how supposedly educated adults, like journalists, just repeat talking points pushing the agenda instead of doing actual research or asking questions.

Politicians in America and Europe who are actively seeking to destroy the fossil fuel industry are the reason why Vladimir Putin and the Russia he rules are powerful  and wealthy enough  to attack Ukraine.

Biden is catering to tyrants in Iran and Venezuela instead of reversing his disastrous policies in the U.S.

Putin didn't attack anyone while Trump was in office, and Trump punished tyrants in Iran and Venezuela.

Trump's policies of lower taxes, fewer regulations, enforcing the border, and energy independence gave America great results. His overriding goals were to transfer money, power, and freedom back to the people from the greedy government.

Data released by the Census Bureau today show that 2019 was a historic year for raising Americans' living standards. Real median household income reached a record high, and poverty reached a record low. Improvements in income and poverty were the largest in over 50 years. Minority groups  including black, Hispanic and Asian Americans  experienced the largest gains. Real median household income increased by $4,400 in 2019, reaching an all-time record high of $68,700. This represents a 6.8 percent one-year increase, which is the largest one-year increase in median income on record. Since 2016, real median household income has increased by 9.7 percent (after adjusting for a Census survey redesign in 2017). Income gains in 2019 were largest for minority groups. Real median income grew by 7.9 percent for black Americans, 7.1 percent for Hispanic Americans, and 10.6 percent for Asian Americans (see Figure 1). These one-year increases were all record highs, and the new income levels reached in 2019 were all record highs, as well.

Think of how much better Trump's results could have been if journalists and other Democrats hadn't fought him every step of the way as they sought to destroy him. They resorted to peddling fictional conspiracies like the Russian collusion story to intentionally mislead the public and interfere in elections.

Biden's and other Democrats' overriding goal is to transfer as much money and power to the government and to make as many people dependent on the government as possible.

The disastrous policies to destroy the fossil fuel industry are decimating the poor, the middle class, and small business, and it is all based on computer models, not facts.

The harm, both short-term and long-term, is immeasurable, just like the mask and other mandates.

The solution Biden Cabinet members keep coming up with to solve the high gas prices: that the poor and middle class should just replace their gasoline cars with expensive, impractical electric vehicles powered by the flammable pollutant lithium.

It is not a serious suggestion.

Let's go Brandon!

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
On the walls of the Temple of Karnak near Luxor, Egypt, and on the temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II in Thebes, are engravings that describe a great battle against the Great King of Khatti and a peace treaty that was forged with them. The hieroglyphics, which were known since antiquity, was first translated by Jean-Francois Champollion in the early 19th century, triggering a renewed interest among westerns in Ancient Egypt. In 1858, it was identified that the Great King of Khatti were the Hittites which ruled in central Anatolia in modern-day Turkey.

Part of the clay tablet of the Kadesh Treaty, circa 1269 BCE. Photo: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin/Wikimedia

Eight years later, in 1906, the German archaeologist Hugo Winckler discovered and excavated the capital of the Hittite capital, Hattusa, in the fortified ruins of Bogazkale in Turkey. In the remains of the largest palace, they unearthed 10,000 clay tablets written with cuneiform documenting many of the Hittites' diplomatic activities. The haul also included three tablets on which the text of a treaty was inscribed whose text corresponded to those found on the walls of the Egyptian temples. Winckler immediately grasped the significance of the discovery. He wrote:

...a marvelously preserved tablet which immediately promised to be significant. One glance at it and all the achievement of my life faded into insignificance. Here it was  something I might have jokingly called a gift from the fairies. Here it was: Ramses writing to Hattusilis about their joint treaty ... confirmation that the famous treaty which we knew from the version carved on the temple walls at Karnak might also be illuminated from the otherwise. Ramses is identified by his royal titles and pedigree exactly as in the Karnak text of the treaty; Hattusilis is described in the same way  the content is identical, word for word with parts of the Egyptian version [and] written in beautiful cuneiform and excellent Babylonian ... As with the history of the people of Hatti, the name of this place was completely forgotten. But the people of Hatti evidently played an important role in the evolution of the ancient Western world, and though the name of this city and the name of the people were totally lost for so long, their rediscovery now opens up possibilities we cannot yet begin to think of.

The EgyptianHittite peace treaty, also known as the Treaty of Kadesh, is the worlds first recorded peace treaty. It is also the only Ancient Near Eastern treaty for which the versions of both sides have survived. The treaty was signed to end the long animosity between the Hittite Empire and the Egyptians, who had fought for over two centuries to gain mastery over the lands of the eastern Mediterranean. The conflict culminated with an attempted Egyptian invasion in 1274 BC that was stopped by the Hittites at the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River in what is now Syria. The Battle of Kadesh resulted in both sides suffering heavy casualties, but neither was able to prevail decisively in either the battle or the war. The conflict continued inconclusively for about fifteen more years before the treaty was signed. Although it is often referred to as the "Treaty of Kadesh", it was actually signed long after the battle, and Kadesh is not mentioned in the text.

A relief inside Abu Simbel temple depicts Ramses II slaying an enemy while trampling on another in the battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC. Photo: Wikimedia

The treaty is thought to have been negotiated by intermediaries without the two monarchs ever meeting in person. Both sides had common interests in making peace; Egypt faced a growing threat from the "Sea Peoples", while the Hittites were concerned about the rising power of Assyria to the east. The treaty was ratified in the 21st year of Ramesses II's reign (1258 BC) and continued in force until the Hittite Empire collapsed to the Assyrians, nearly a century later

The peace treaty of Ramesses II and Hattusilis III is remarkable because its exact wording is known to us. Like any modern agreement, the treaty is divided into points and each side makes pledges of brotherhood and peace to the other in terms of the objectives. They agreed that they would not commit acts of aggression against each other, would repatriate each other's political refugees and criminals and they would assist each other in suppressing rebellions.

In the event when an outsider attacked Egypt or the Hittites, the other would provide military assistance:

And if another enemy come the lands of the great ruler of Egypt, and he send to the great chief of Hatti saying Come with me as help against him; the great chief of Hatti shall [come to him], the great chief of Hatti [shall] slay his enemy. But if it be not the desire of the great chief of Hatti to come, he shall send his troops and his chariotry and shall slay his enemy.

The treaty ends with a declaration calling the gods to bear witness, and should the treaty be violated, it would be met with punishment from the gods:

As to these words which are upon this tablet of silver of the land of Hatti and of the land Egypt, as to him who shall not keep them, a thousand gods of the land of Hatti and a thousand gods from the land of Egypt shall destroy his house, his land and his servants. But he who shall keep these words which are on this tablet of silver, be they Hatti or be that Egyptians, and who do not neglect them, a thousand gods of the land of Hatti and thousand gods of the land of Egypt will cause him to be be healthy and to live, together with his houses and his land and his servants.

After forming an alliance with Hatti, Ramesses began directing his wealth and energies towards domestic building projects, leading to extensive construction projects such as the completion of his great, rock-hewn Abu Simbel temples. There is also evidence that Ramesses tried to establish stronger familial bonds with Hatti by marrying a Hittite princess.

A clay tablet where the Treaty of Kadesh is inscribed at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. Photo: Iocanus/Wikimedia

The Treaty of Kadesh inscribed on the outer wall of the courtyard in the Temple of Karnak, Luxor, Egypt. Photo: Olaf swap/Wikimedia

The treaty in its final form was drawn up at Kadesh in consultation with the Egyptian ambassadors. When it had assumed a final shape, it was inscribed upon a tablet of silver and brought to Egypt. Upon Ramesses approval, a counterpart in his own name was drawn, borrowing phrases from the Hittite original and making only a few minor modifications. Finally the version complied on behalf of Ramesses was engraved on another silver tablet, stamped with the seal of the Pharaoh, and forwarded to Hatti. The scribes at Hatti then prepared copies written on clay tablets for preservation in the royal archives. It was these copies that Hugo Winckler disovered. The original silver tablets have been lost, most likely looted and melted a long time ago.

Two of the clay tablets are now on display at the Museum of the Ancient Orient in Istanbul, while the third is displayed in the Berlin State Museums in Germany. A copy of the treaty is prominently displayed on a wall in the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

A copy of the Egyptian version, as mentioned in the beginning of the article, is engraved in hieroglyphics on the walls of two temples belonging to Pharaoh Ramesses II in Thebesthe Ramesseum and the Temple of Karnak.

References:

# S. Langdon and Alan H. Gardiner, The Treaty of Alliance between Hattusili, King of the Hittites, and the Pharaoh Ramesses II of Egypt, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology

# EgyptianHittite peace treaty, Wikipedia
(Image source from: Twitter.com/mfa_russia)

Top Russian and Ukraine Diplomats holding talks in Turkey:- Russia announced war and it has been close to three weeks but there were no major developments. Lakhs of people fled from the country and thousands lost their lives. The estimated loss is expected to be in number of crores. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba initiated talks today in Turkey and this is the first high-level meeting after the war started. Turkey decided to host both the parties and the discussions are underway. The talks are on in the Turkish resort of Antalya, joined by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

In #Antalya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov holds a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry #Kuleba pic.twitter.com/tlSWBBCXuQ  MFA Russia ?? (@mfa_russia) March 10, 2022

Turkey has been mediating between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he had limited expectations for the talks. The recent attack on a children's hospital created tremors all over and Russian army is criticized and the attack took place in Mariupol. Three people including a young girl killed in the incident. Israel is now also initiating talks to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune told France Inter radio talks that there is hope and the entire world is waiting for the talks to end on a happy note.
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Canada's Department of National Defence announced Wednesday the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the United States military have joint exercises in Arctic area in February and March to strengthen military ability.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, National Defence said the CAF is participating in several recurring joint Arctic exercises alongside the U.S. military in Alaska and other locations across North America to enhance the ability of their military organizations to operate effectively together.

The CAF took part in Exercise ARCTIC EDGE, led by U.S. Alaskan Command and supported by U.S. Northern Command; Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC), led by the U.S. Army in Alaska; Exercise ARCTIC EAGLE-PATRIOT, led by the Alaska National Guard; and ICE EXERCISE (ICEX), led by the U.S. Navy.

"Arctic exercises strengthen situational awareness, information sharing and operational capabilities in the Arctic," the release said.

According to the release, in addition to these exercises, Arctic activities in February and March 2022 also include Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT that concluded on Feb. 28, 2022, and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)'s Operation NOBLE DEFENDER to take place on March 16, 2022 in Alaska, northern Canada, and off the coast of Greenland.
(Image source from: Mid-day.com)

Prabhas off for a European Holiday:- Prabhas is one actor who flies abroad right before the release of his films. The actor has been juggling between various cities and participated in the hectic promotions for his upcoming movie Radhe Shyam. He is done with the promotions and interviews for the film by yesterday. The top actor will now fly to Europe for a holiday today and will return back to Hyderabad in a week. Prabhas along with his friends will be holidaying in Europe for a week. Radhe Shyam is carrying huge expectations and the pre-sales are quite impressive.

Radhe Shyam is a romantic entertainer directed by Radha Krishna Kumar and Pooja Hegde is the leading lady. Prabhas will join the sets of Salaar on his return and he is expected to complete the project by the end of April. From May, Prabhas will kick-start Maruthi's film and will complete the shoot in two back-to-back schedules. The pan-Indian actor is lining up three releases in the next one year right after the release of Radhe Shyam. He is also done with the shoot of Adipurush which is announced for Sankranthi 2023 release.
North Andover, MA (01845)

Today

Rain. High 54F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

A shower or two possible early with partly cloudy skies later at night. Low 47F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Samsung found itself in hot water recently over its Game Optimization Service (GOS) artificially limiting the performance of several apps in the name of battery saving and thermal management. This practice has already attracted a potential investigation from South Koreas Fair Trade Commission (FTC). Meanwhile, the company had promised to set things right with a software update. That promised update has now arrived for the Galaxy S22 series.

The latest Samsung flagships are receiving a new software update in the companys homeland South Korea. The changelog clearly mentions that the update lifts the CPU and GPU performance limit while gaming. In a FAQ published yesterday, Samsung had said that it will apply a temperature control algorithm to keep the device from overheating without affecting the performance. It has reiterated that in this changelog as well.

Additionally, Samsung is introducing a game performance management mode in Game Booster. This will likely allow users to control the performance of the CPU and GPU manually rather than forceful throttling.

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Apart from these GOS-related fixes and changes, the latest update for the Galaxy S22 trio also brings camera performance stability. There might be some additional bug fixes and system stability improvements as well.

Other affected Galaxy smartphones should also receive this update soon

The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra arent the only Samsung smartphones affected by this GOS performance throttling. The Galaxy S21, Galaxy S20, and Galaxy S10 series devices also artificially slow down apps. Geekbench has already banned these devices alleging Samsung of benchmark manipulation since benchmark apps werent slowed down, thus allowing them to show the full potential of the devices, which users couldnt exploit. But the Korean firm has explained in the aforementioned FAQ that GOS only slows down game apps. Of course, benchmark apps dont qualify as games.

Samsung had to, understandably, face a lot of criticism from infuriated consumers for this practice. As mentioned before, it may also have to appear in the court should the South Korea FTC decide to launch an investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, if youre using any of the affected Galaxy smartphones, look forward to receiving this update in the coming weeks and months if you havent already.

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The update is currently only available to the Galaxy S22 trio in South Korea. But Samsung should soon release it to other affected devices and also expand the rollout to other countries. We will let you know when it reaches the US.
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(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 8 - League leader Matteo Salvini took flak after arriving on Tuesday at the train station of the Polish city of Przemysl, some 10km from the Ukraine border.

Salvini, who in the past expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin but has condemned the invasion of Ukraine, has travelled to the area in an effort to help bring about peace.

But he was given a cool reception on Tuesday, with Mayor Wojciech Bakun holding up a T-shirt with Putin's face on and telling Salvini "I won't receive you".

"Come with me to the border and condemn him," the mayor added.

A group of Italians also heckled Salvini, calling him a "buffoon".

Salvini said he was not "interested in rows with the Italian left or the Polish one.

"We are here to help those escaping from war," he added.

When asked if he condemned Putin, he replied: "certainly, obviously. We condemn the war". (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 10 - A Venetian businessman who has been held in Sudan for almost a year is set to be freed, foreign ministry sources said Thursday.

Sudanese authorities have lifted a travel ban on Marco Zennaro, they said.

The foreign ministry's director general for Italians abroad, Luigi Vignali, is in the African country to carry out the final operations to enable Zenarro to return to Italy. (ANSA).


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A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday the United States should not undermine China's legitimate rights and interests in handling with ties with Russia, otherwise China will make firm and resolute responses.



Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing, in response to a query about recent claims by a few countries including the United States which said China has not made concrete measures to help resolve the conflict in Ukraine, nor has it coordinated with the West to impose sanctions on Russia.

"For those accusing China of 'looking on unconcerned' on the Ukraine issue, they should first ask themselves what role they have played in the crisis?" Zhao asked.

On the Ukraine issue, Zhao said China has always adopted an objective and fair attitude, made judgments independently based on the merits of the matter itself, and played a constructive role in promoting peace talks.

"We hope the relevant sides can keep calm and restrained and encourage and support all diplomatic efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis, so as to jointly help cool down the situation," the spokesperson added.

Zhao said it has been proven by practice that sanctions will not solve problems, on the contrary, they will lead to new problems. They will not only result in two or multiple economic losers but also disturb the process of a political settlement, which is "not constructive at all," Zhao added.

In handling ties with Russia, Zhao said the U.S. side should not impose the so-called sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction on Chinese enterprises and individuals, or damage China's legitimate rights and interests, otherwise China will make firm and resolute responses.
TUNIS - Tunisian president Kais Saied has declared "war" on the profiteering of food staples such as wheat and semolina in a country already mired in a political-economic crisis.



According to a statement issued by the president's office, Saied said that he was launching a "relentless war on speculators and criminals", accusing them of seeking to "strike at social peace and security" in the country.



The statement noted that Saied had previously announced he was working on legislation introducing prison sentences as a penalty for food speculation and profiteering.



Tunisia has seen a sharp shortage in staples such as rice, semolina, sugar and flour over the past weeks, with the authorities frequently announcing the seizure of illegally stored quantities of these foods.



On Tuesday, the trade ministry announced the seizure of five tons of semolina and wheat as well as over 278 kilos of rice "hidden" by a wholesaler of food products in a working class neighbourhood of Tunis.



In three days, between March 2 and March 4, the ministry said that it had seized 912 tons of rice, semolina, flour, sugar, and other products in mostly illegal warehouses across the country, as well as several tones of fruit and vegetables (mostly apples and potatoes), eggs, canned tomatoes, and vegetable oil.



Tunisia remains embroiled in an economic and political crisis eight months after Saied seized extraordinary powers.



Russia's invasion of Ukraine - which began on Feb. 24 - has aggravated hardship in Tunisia, as it is highly dependent on imports for its food needs and especially as concerns wheat.



The country imports half of its wheat, mostly from Ukraine.




MADRID - Ministerial delegations from Italy and nine other countries of the Mediterranean and Atlantic area met Thursday in the Spanish city of Valencia for a meeting known as the 5+5 Dialogue for Water.



The meeting is focusing on water security and climate change and themes include the importance of ensuring adequate access to drinking water, hygiene facilities, and aster water treatment as well as the need to take action to deal with the impact of climate change on water availability for the coming decades.



The Italian delegation is led by Undersecretary for Ecological Transition Ilaria Fontana.



Spain is instead represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera.



The other countries represented are: France, Portugal, Malta, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Tunisia.




ROME - "Every day, there are 10,000 boats transiting through our country that we must know everything about since they can conceal risks that we have the duty of intercepting," said Italy's Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral Enrico Credendino during a hearing before the Italian defense committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives.



He went on to say that "we also have the duty to protect national maritime infrastructure, which is spoken about a lot in these days due to the conflict in Ukraine. This requires our presence near this infrastructure to be able to intervene rapidly. A terrorist attack is not difficult to carry out: bringing TNT on a boat from Libya to the ENI rigs 50 miles away would be enough to cause the sort of damage that everyone can imagine." The admiral underscored the "ever greater presence in the Mediterranean of players with assertive politics that seen to gain new spaces for food and energy supplies and increase their sphere of influence. In the Strait of Sicily," he said, "we have the duty to be present to intercept anyone transiting through. There is a strong presence of the new Turkish fleet there. In the Mediterranean we have gone from a situation of peace to permanent competition between countries in the area, an unstable equilibrium that can lead to crisis and conflict." "Turkey, " the Navy Chief of Staff continued, "has become the first country operating in the basin with 60,000 men and modern, sophisticated ships. Egypt is also rearming, while Algeria has Russian submarines and missile launching capabilities on its territory, which Italy does not have."

Credendino said that he hoped for the completion of the modernisation process for the navy, which would require an additional 16.2 billion euros over the next 15 years. "We have gaps," he said, "in ships with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine capabilities. The Mediterranean is full of submarines that could be hostile. We do not have remotely piloted aircraft. Personnel have suffered heavy cuts."
Ukraine conflict to impact tourism, Tunisia

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, MARCH 10 - "It is obvious that the Russian-Ukrainian war will affect Tunisian tourism, but the Tourism Department will endeavour to overcome this crisis," Tourism Minister Mohamed Moez Belhassine said on Wednesday in a statement to the media in Tunis on the fringes of the National Forum on Domestic Tourism.



He indicated in this regard that several flights to Tunisia would be cancelled due to the war and that the number of Russian tourists will further drop in view of the rising travel costs.



"A monitoring unit has been set up within the tourism department to oversee the repercussions of the war. This unit is in direct contact with all the tour operators in the Russian and Ukrainian markets, as well as those in Eastern and Central Europe," the minister added.



Belhassine pointed out the importance of the Russian market, noting that in 2019,Tunisia had hosted over 630,000 Russian tourists and 30,000 Ukrainians.



The goal this year is to preserve the same figures while considering several factors related to the improvement of the epidemiological situation in the country, the availability of air transport and the Russian-Ukrainian war, he specified.



In 2020 and 2021, the number of tourists fell due to the pandemic, the minister said, adding that only 90,000 Russian tourists had visited Tunisia during this period.



"There are currently no scheduled tourist trips from Russia," he indicated, saying that the ministry is seeking to boost the flow of Russian tourists to Tunisia by scheduling direct trips between the two countries.



The tourism ministry is however working on developing a strategy to raise domestic tourism to about 50% of total arrivals, Belhassine added. (ANSA).




An animal welfare charity has thanked the British public after raising 35,000 to support Ukrainian refugees pets arriving in Romania.

Dogs, cats and even snakes have featured in images and reports from war-torn Ukraine, with many people fleeing the conflict by heading to Poland or Romania  where they can stay with their pets.

Underdog International launched a fundraiser on February 26  two days after Russia invades its neighbour  to support non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Romania working with Ukrainian refugees and their pets.

It created an online wishlist which included pet food, medical kits for animals and for humans and baby nappies and was inundated with packages within hours.

Parcels from the Amazon wishlist (Underdog International/PA)

We had to freeze the Amazon wishlist because we literally received 2,000 parcels within 48 hours, chief executive Nadine Kayser told the PA news agency.

Elmtree Pet Hotel in north London allowed Underdog International to use its daycare building to sort the parcels.

Elmtree centre where Underdog International sorted supplies to send to Romania (Underdog International/PA)

Two vans filled with supplies have already been driven to borders in Romania and the charity plans to send two vans per week for the foreseeable future.

The first arrived at the Iasi border last Friday to help Way of Freedom, a dog NGO, and the second arrived on Wednesday to assist Saved by the Vet Romania, which rescues, rehabilitates and rehouses abandoned dogs and cats.

Underdog International has also raised 35,000 to send to its Romanian partners  including a Romanian shelter, Save our Paws  and to buy supplies.

The founder of Save our Paws, and a vet, Emma, has been going into refugee camps to hand out leaflets written in English and Ukrainian, which say: Dont give up your pet, were here to help.

Pet food to be sent to Romania (Underdog International/PA)

Its got phone numbers on it so they can call if their pet is sick, which is quite common as the pets have had to be dragged or carried for hundreds of miles, Ms Kayser added.

As the refugee camps are busy, it is not ideal for dogs and cats to be running about everywhere, so Underdog International sent Emma 3,000 to buy some crates to minimise the risk of animals being separated from their owners.

Ms Kayser said Emma has also been issuing pet passports at Iasi.

There are thousands and thousands of people streaming through as people use the border to travel to other parts of Europe, Ms Kayser said.

Dog being issued with a pet passport (Underdog International/PA)

Quite often, what were seeing is people, at that point, realise that they cant take their pets with them on the plane.

Emma is able to issue pet passports immediately.

She microchips; she does all the legal and medical things required to get the animal a European pet passport, which means that they can actually travel, she added.

Pet passport being issued for a cat (Underdog International/PA)

The 47-year-old from north London, who has three rescue dogs, said: I think anyone who has had an animal knows that they are a part of your family. It is so hard to just leave them.

The wishlist has since been reopened, with a particular need for medical equipment and baby care items. Underdog International is also accepting donations on its website.
Nicola Sturgeon has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine.

The First Minister was speaking after Russian forces bombed a hospital in the city of Mariupol which killed three  including a child  and injured 17 others.

At First Ministers Questions, Ms Sturgeon said she was horrified and deeply distressed by the scenes in Ukraine, which has been under assault for two weeks.

Yesterdays developments were a new low, a low I believe all of us hoped we would never see  the targeting of children and babies in a maternity hospital, she said.

Vladimir Putin is committing, on a daily basis, crimes against international law, he is committing crimes against humanity, he is committing war crimes.

It is important to do everything that is possible to stop Vladimir Putin, but it is also important to ensure that he pays the severest price for the actions that he is undertaking and the crimes he is committing now.

Ms Sturgeons comments were echoed by other leaders in Holyrood, with Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, describing the Russian President as a war criminal.

Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross, said: Yesterday, the tragic events hit a new low, with a childrens hospital reduced to rubble.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross described the attack on a hospital in Mariupol as despicable (Russell Cheyne/PA)

Russians bombed a hospital and they targeted children. Young, innocent lives have been lost in the most despicable and atrocious way.

Its hard to express the anger and grief that we all feel at this appalling act.

Vladimir Putin must fail, Mr Sarwar said. But lets also be clear Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and he must face justice.

They were speaking just hours after the UK Government announced plans to liberalise the visa process for people fleeing Ukraine who seek to come to the UK.

However, the leaders said the changes, which would allow for applications to be made online and supplementary paperwork and biometric checks undertaken when they reach Britain, did not go far enough.

I welcome the limited movement that we have heard this morning from the Home Secretary, Ms Sturgeon said.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he would join with others to push the UK Government to do more (Russell Cheyne/PA)

I think it needs to go further. I repeat my appeal to the Prime Minister to emulate the example of the Republic of Ireland, (and) of countries across the European Union, to waive visa requirements, to put sanctuary first and paperwork second.

The First Minister said she would write to the Prime Minister later on Thursday and implored other leaders to sign on to the correspondence.

Mr Ross said more, much more must be done to help refugees, while Mr Sarwar said: This goes beyond party politics, this is about people fleeing war and not just seeking sanctuary but home here in Scotland.
A small number of British solders have disobeyed orders and gone absent without leave and may have travelled to Ukraine in a personal capacity, the British Army has said.

An Army spokesperson said: We are strongly encouraging them to return to the UK.

It comes after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said soldiers could be prosecuted for desertion if they travelled to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) chiefs have banned all service personnel from travelling to Ukraine until further notice.

This applies whether the Service Person is on leave or not. Personnel travelling to Ukraine will face disciplinary and administrative consequences, a MoD spokesperson said.

Mr Wallace stressed that serving soldiers who have reportedly already travelled to the war zone will face a court martial when they return.

He also warned other Britons not to travel to Ukraine, telling them they would not be there for a selfie and six weeks but in the war for real.

In the Commons, Mr Wallace said any serving personnel who went to Ukraine will be breaking the law and they will be prosecuted when they return for going absent without leave or deserting.

For other Britons, he said we strongly discourage them from joining these forces in Ukraine.

The Ukrainians are very clear: you turn up, you are in it for the whole game. You are not in it for a selfie and six weeks, you are in it for real, he said,

I think we have seen already some people at the borders find that may be not be the right option to follow.

The UKs position on Britons going to join the resistance to Vladimir Putins invasion has seen ministers forced to row back on comments from Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said she would absolutely support volunteers who went to Ukraine to fight.

Ministers concerns about Britons being caught up in the fighting were underlined by Cabinet minister Grant Shapps, who said it risked creating a dangerous situation with the Russians.

Mr Shapps told troops you cannot just get up and go after a 19-year-old Coldstream Guard was reportedly among up to four missing British soldiers feared to have travelled to fight Russia.

The Transport Secretary stressed there was a big difference between individuals taking the potentially illegal decision and the UK dispatching troops to fight alongside Ukrainians.

(PA Graphics)

Ministers have ruled out such a move over fears it could spark a world war, instead committing to providing defensive weapons to fend off Moscows troops.

A teenage Coldstream Guardsman, based in Windsor barracks, wrote a goodbye letter to his parents and bought a ticket to Poland over the weekend with the aim of crossing into Ukraine, according to The Sun.

Mr Shapps told ITVs Good Morning Britain: You cannot go and fight if youre in the British Army, you cannot just get up and go and fight.

Of course thats inappropriate behaviour and you would expect the army to have some very, very strict rules in place, as they do.
The Government has published its draft terms of reference for the Covid-19 public inquiry, which bereaved relatives have described as a huge step forward.

In a statement published on Thursday, the Cabinet Office said the two main topics of the inquiry will be examining the response to the pandemic and its impact in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and it will produce a factual narrative account of what happened.

It adds that the inquiry plans to identify the lessons to be learned so it can inform the UKs preparations for future pandemics.

A Covid intensive care unit at Kings College Hospital in south London (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Within the two main topics, the public health response, the response of the health and care sector and the economic response are also expected to be covered.

The Cabinet Office said the terms allow for an inquiry which is UK-wide and respects and does not duplicate any inquiry established on a devolved basis.

It comes after a consultation with the inquiry chairwoman, Heather Hallett, and ministers in the devolved administrations.

There will be a further public consultation of about four weeks, led by Lady Hallett, to consider any changes to the terms before they are finalised.

She has urged those with views to come forward and share them.

Baroness Heather Hallett is leading the public inquiry (UK Parliament/PA)

Becky Kummer, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, welcomed the announcement but added that it comes far too late.

The inquiry is a one-off and historic opportunity for the terrible suffering and loss of the past two years to be learned from, to ensure these tragedies are not repeated in the future, she said.

The Government finally publishing the draft terms of reference is a huge step forward, and we look forward to feeding into the consultation on them.

Sadly, todays announcement comes far too late. We will never know how many lives could have been saved had the Government had a rapid review phase in summer 2020, as we called for at the time.

Crucially, Boris Johnson must now commit to implementing the chairs recommendations for the terms of reference in full.

The fact his office is under police investigation for breaching their own rules means that if he attempts to interfere with what the inquiry looks into, it risks ruining its credibility before its even begun.

Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Statement on draft UK Covid Inquiry Terms of Reference: The inquiry is a 1 off & historic opportunity for the terrible suffering & loss of the past 2 years to be learned from, to ensure these tragedies are not repeated in the future. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/GF1aQOKV1m  Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK (@CovidJusticeUK) March 10, 2022

The Prime Minister announced last May that an inquiry would take place in spring 2022, and told MPs it will place the states actions under the microscope.

The inquiry will be able to take oral evidence under oath, he said, adding that the state has an obligation to learn every lesson for the future.

He said devolved administrations would be consulted before the final scope of the inquiry was published.

Downing Street previously indicated Mr Johnson would be willing to give evidence under oath if asked, with the Prime Ministers official spokesman saying he will conform to what is required for the inquiry.

On Thursday, the Cabinet Office said the inquiry will aim to understand the experiences of those most affected by the pandemic  including bereaved families  as well as looking at any disparities in the impact of the pandemic and the Governments response.

Baroness Hallett said: Following publication of the draft terms of reference by the Government, tomorrow I shall open the public consultation on the scope of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. This consultation is independent of the Government and an opportunity for everyone across the United Kingdom to give me their views on what the inquiry should investigate.

I should like to hear views on the draft terms of reference from all those who have been particularly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially people who have been bereaved, experienced hardship or suffered other harm.
An ex-Radio One DJ who arranged to have sex with vulnerable children in the Philippines has been jailed for 12 years.

Mark Page, who worked at the station in the 1980s, was guilty of grotesque sexual abuse of children as young as 12, and took advantage of their poverty, the sentencing judge said.

The 63-year-old divorced father-of-three from Stockton, Teesside, was convicted on Wednesday of four counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, between 2016 and 2019.

Two of the charges related to contact he had via a webcam from his home, while two happened during his frequent trips to the Philippines.

One of his victims, a waitress then aged 13 with no father and who was the eldest of six children, has been traced and now lives in a place of safety, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Page had denied all offences throughout his trial but failed to convince a jury his various devices had been hacked.

Judge Paul Watson QC jailed him for 12 years and imposed a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The judge said: The offences of which you have been convicted involve the grotesque sexual abuse of young children for your own sexual gratification.

You took advantage of the poverty and deprivation in an under-developed country in which children are routinely forced, through economic and social deprivation, into acts of prostitution.

Your sole purpose was to engage children, as young as 12, in vile sexual activity to satisfy your perverted appetites.

It did not matter to you that you were robbing them of the innocence of their childhoods, it did not matter to you what long-term trauma and emotional damage you were leading them to.

You obviously delighted in their humiliation and the satisfaction of your own corrupt sexual desires.

This was, in my view, the very embodiment of depravity.

Jo Kidd, prosecuting, said it was recently estimated that 60,000 children in the Philippines had been forced into prostitution and the situation had been made worse by crippling poverty caused by lockdown.

The disgraced DJ, well known on Teesside as the match announcer at Middlesbrough FC games for 20 years until his arrest, had a lengthy career in broadcasting and set up a successful radio station for the British Army.

He used frequent business trips to the Philippines, as well as charity work, as a cover for his perverted interests.

Facebook alerted a charity following concerns raised about messaging on its platform.

The charity informed UK law enforcement and Cleveland Police carried out a search warrant at his home in January 2020.

Analysts studied a tablet, mobile phone and computer tower and checked his Skype activity, texts, bank account and money transfers before charging him.

Judge Watson praised Cleveland Polices dedicated detectives and digital experts who brought Page to justice.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Carter from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team welcomed the sentence and said it may act as a deterrent for others.

He added: The court heard how Page attempted to present himself as a respectable and credible individual, yet his actions betrayed the trust and confidence of many people, not least his family and close friends.
An Old English Sheepdog is seen the first day of the Crufts Dog Show in Birmingham, Britain, March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Molly Darlington

Dogs of all shapes and sizes have returned to Crufts following last years cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The world-famous show began on Thursday as poodles in matching leopard onesies and Saint Bernards in colourful paw-print trousers were just a couple of examples of the entrants arriving at the NEC in Birmingham.

Two miniature poodles on their way in to the first day of the Crufts Dog Show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (Jacob King/PA)

Over 20,000 dogs have entered the competition this year, with 1,843 competitors arriving from overseas.

A woman walks two Saint Bernard dogs into the NEC (Jacob King/PA)

The Kennel Club, which organises the event, previously took the decision to ban exhibitors from Russia following the countrys invasion of Ukraine.

The organisers said the decision was taken as testament to our sadness and concern about this situation.

In a statement, they added: Our friends in Ukraine, and their dogs, are fearing for their lives and we will do all that we can to support them wherever possible.

Boxer dogs during the first day of the Crufts Dog Show (Jacob King/PA)

Crufts will close on Sunday following the conclusion of the Best in Show presentation.
Solving the problem of canceled male comedians like Louis C.K. and T.J. Miller has proven a surprisingly difficult one for Hollywood. But Amy Schumer  who rose through the ranks with some of those now-problematic performers  has a simple, straightforward answer. "I don't think that those guys should be allowed to come back," she says in an expansive new Hollywood Reporter profile in advance of her new Hulu series, Life & Beth.

That sentiment echoes something that Schumer's fellow comic, Tig Notaro, told Yahoo Entertainment last year when she replaced Chris D'Elia in Zack Snyder's Army of the Deadafter he was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. "I think there should be consequences for bad behavior," noted Notaro, who had previously spoken out about Louis C.K. following his sexual misconduct allegations.

Amy Schumer attends a November screening of The Humans in New York City. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

In the Hollywood Reporter piece, Schumer characterizes the experience of watching comics like Louis C.K.  who is currently touring Europe  fight their way back into the spotlight as "sad and disappointing," adding, "I don't think that the coercion and the taken advantage and the masturbating in front of people is cool." She also acknowledges that her zero-tolerance stance has cost her friendships amongst the male comedians she once considered to be good friends. "[They are] mad at you and mean to you and it doesn't feel good when those were your friends. But also f*** them."

Amy Schumer at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)

Watching the career implosions of comics like D'Elia has had Schumer reconsidering her own beginnings in comedy, particularly the way she often felt compelled to shape her material  as well as her appearance  to catch the attention of her male colleagues that were "so ready for the girl not to be funny." In fact, she now admits to being "disgusted" by some of her early jokes, including one that ridiculed Black people who weren't able to swim. "[I have] so much undoing to do," she remarks, adding that she made a point of participating in daily Black Lives Matter vigils and workshops for a six-month period following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

In addition to Life & Beth, Schumer is also currently working on a Paramount+ revival of her hit Comedy Central series, Inside Amy Schumer. And while she recently had a supporting role in the acclaimed drama, The Humans, movie roles have taken a backseat in recent years after troubled experiences like her near-miss with a live-action Barbie film. Hired by Sony in 2016 to co-write and star in a movie based on Mattel's classic toy line, Schumer dropped out after four months, originally blaming "scheduling conflicts." (Barbie is set to start filming later this year, with Greta Gerwig in the director's chair and Margot Robbie in front of the camera.)

But she gets more specific about what went wrong in her Hollywood Reporter interview. "They definitely didn't want to do it in the way I wanted to do it, which was the only way I was interested in doing it," she says of her pitch, in which she played a woman who is exiled from Barbieland after falling short of their exacting standards. Schumer offers up an example of how her vision departed from Sony and Mattel's vision, describing how she penned Barbie as an inventor only to have the studio suggest that her signature invention be a Jell-O crafted high heel shoe. "The idea that that's just what every woman must want, right there, I should have gone, 'You've the wrong gal.'"

Life & Beth premieres Mar. 18 on Hulu
The Biden administration on Wednesday issued a long-awaited executive order to comprehensively study cryptocurrencies, effectively firing the starting pistol for Congress and other federal agencies to begin crafting oversight of digital tokens.

The blueprint, arriving at a time when markets are being roiled by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has spilled over into crypto, was mostly hailed by industry players who have been nervous about the government's moves to create a regulatory framework for the booming sector.

"I think this is a big milestone for the industry, and the Biden Administration was thoughtful in their approach and restraint here," said Ryan Selkis, founder and chief executive officer of crypto research platform, Messari.

"The devil will be in the details. We'll see what the major regulators propose in the months ahead, but this is a positive development, and no red flags stood out on the first read," he added.

On Wednesday, a brisk rally on Wall Street  combined with optimism about the EO  helped bolster digital currencies like Bitcoin (BTC-USD), which rocketed by nearly 9% to around $42,000, and Ethereum (ETH-USD). The global market capitalization for cryptocurrencies grew by $98 billion within 24 hours, according to Coinmarketcap data.

Separately, privacy-related tokens like Zcash (ZEC-USD) and Monero (XMR-USD) both rallied late Tuesday, after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appeared to jump the gun with an early response to the EO.

'Turning point'

A representation of the cryptocurrency is seen in front of Bitcoin logo in this illustration taken, March 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

As envisioned, the EO intends to raise U.S. leadership, innovation and competitiveness in crypto, with an eye toward investor protection and broader financial stability. Exactly which agency will be responsible for what is still unclear, however.

Still, most of the industry's top dogs  including Circle, Binance, FTX.US and Coinbase (COIN) greeted the news with open arms, in the hopes of creating more regulatory clarity for crypto.

Were at a turning point in geopolitical and geo-economic systems and history, and the U.S. now has the opportunity to lean into an open, internet-native economic infrastructure while others focus on closed, tightly-controlled and privacy-eroding alternatives, Circle founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire said in a Twitter post.

[Spot Bitcoin ETF] approval by the SEC in the near future now seems much more likely. If that happens we may as well see another explosive leg up in Bitcoin and the broader crypto market.Mikkel Morch, ARK36

Meanwhile, Nathan McCauley, CEO and co-founder of Anchorage Digital, said the White House's move represented a "shot in the arm for crypto."

For months, industry insiders have been wary of efforts to corral the volatile sector, especially with hacking, illicit flows and fraud becoming more commonplace.

But Biden's order had "no major surprises," and gave the market "positive regulatory clarity analysts have braced for bad news for the months leading up to its release, Noelle Acheson, head of market insight with the prime broker, Genesis Trading, told Yahoo Finance.

Mikkel Morch, executive director at digital asset hedge fund ARK36, suggested that the markets very promising reception might even open the doors for sooner-than-anticipated approval of an eagerly awaited spot Bitcoin ETF by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Its approval by the SEC in the near future now seems much more likely. If that happens we may as well see another explosive leg up in Bitcoin and the broader crypto market, Morch suggested.

Separately, Denelle Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, told Yahoo Finance in an email that she hoped the EO would create "a future regulatory state where existing agencies have more clarity," and addressing any shortcomings.

Mark Wetjen, Head of Policy and Regulatory Strategy at FTX. US, also told Yahoo Finance that his organization was "eager to continue working with [regulators] on shaping a pro-US, pro-innovation environment for our industry.

Yet the coming framework could also come with "more extensive oversight that crimps the sector, Eswar Prasad, senior professor of trade policy at Cornell University and author of "The Future of Money," warned.

Major institutions like J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs and asset management giant Blackrock are all moving to put their stamp on crypto. That, along with a tide of retail investors rushing to make money on digital coins, raises the overall stakes.

"Hopefully, this [executive order] will provide much needed guidance as to licensure requirements as well as the appropriate regulatory oversight," Mike Scarpa, managing director of financial services, regulatory and compliance risk with KPMG told Yahoo Finance.

David Hollerith covers cryptocurrency for Yahoo Finance. Follow him @dshollers.

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The list of companies around the world cutting business ties with Russia continues to grow.

British luxury brand Burberry (BURBY) became the latest to jump on the bandwagon after announcing it would be temporarily shutting down its three stores in Russia, including one located in Moscow's famous Red Square.

Burberry isn't the first luxury brand to make this move: On Friday, Hermes (HESAY) announced it would temporarily close its stores in the country, saying it is deeply concerned by the situation in Europe.

Chanel, Louis Vuitton (LVMHF), Prada, and Kering (PPRUY)  a French-based company that owns brands like Balenciaga, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent  also made similar moves. Most stores will continue paying employees amid the suspensions in business.

"Given our increasing concerns about the current situation... Chanel decided to temporarily pause its business in Russia," Chanel said in a statement. "The safety of our employees is our priority and we remain closely connected to our local teams who we will continue to support."

Investment bank Jefferies estimates that Russians account for roughly $9 billion in annual luxury sales.

A girl by a Prada boutique in Stoleshnikov Lane in Moscow, Russia. Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS (Photo by Anton Novoderezhkin\TASS via Getty Images)

Currently, luxury labels are exempt from European Union (EU) sanctions, meaning that France and Italy can legally continue to export luxury goods to Russia. Most of the companies have stated, however, that their decisions were driven by humanitarian concerns over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and killing of its citizens.

"Our primary concern is for all colleagues and their families affected by the tragedy in Ukraine, and we will continue to support them," Prada said in a statement.

Conglomerate Louis Vuitton  commonly known as LVMH  made a similar statement, telling Yahoo Finance it "is closely monitoring the tragic situation in Ukraine and stands alongside all those severely affected by this war. The Groups first concern is the safety of its 150 employees in Ukraine and is providing them with essential financial and operational assistance."

Financial motives

Ahead of the closures, many customers in Russia flocked to luxury stores to exchange Russian rubles for luxury items to try and amass some kind of value as the currency in the country collapses. (The ruble is currently worth less than one cent in dollar terms.)

The decision by many brands to stop shipments to Russia isn't entire altruistic, though. American Express (AXP), Visa (V), and Mastercard (MA) pulled out of the country, resulting in transactions being blocked. SWIFT sanctions, flight bans, and shipping sanctions from the likes of DHL and Fedex (FDX) have exacerbated matters by making it virtually impossible to get products into Russia.

A woman with a Louis Vuitton-branded shopping bag looks towards the entrance of a store by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in Vienna, Austria October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Burberry's decision was reportedly motivated by "operational challenges." The decision to stop shipments to the country effectively shut down its online operations in Russia. As of this week, Burberry's Russian online site has been removed but access is still available across Eastern Europe, including Estonia, Romania, Latvia, and Poland.

Meanwhile, LVMH stated it will continue to pay its 3,500 employees in Russia.

One prominent designer brand that has been quiet about its business in Russia is Giorgio Armani. It addressed the war directly on the catwalk during its fashion show in Milan last week. However, the company has yet to confirm whether or not it plans to suspend its operations in Russia. Armani's is the only ranking fashion business that is neither publicly traded nor owned outright by a larger group.

Nevertheless, the Russian-Ukraine conflict has had a significant financial impact  Burberry shares are down more than 13% just in the last week. Shares of LVMH are down more than 10% for the same period.

Karina is a reporter for Yahoo Finance.

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A Ventura County doctor and a marketer from Lancaster were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of carrying out a hospice fraud scheme that netted more than $30 million from Medicare, federal authorities said.

Dr. Victor Contreras, 66, of Santa Paula, and Callie Jean Black, 63, of Lancaster were arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California.

Contreras was released on $25,000 bond and Black was released on $10,000 bond, Mrozek said.

A third defendant  59-year-old Juanita Antenor, formerly of Pasadena  remains at large and is believed to be in the Philippines, prosecutors said.

Antenor owned the Pasadena hospice company Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc., according to court documents, and controlled a second company called Saint Mariam Hospice Inc.

The companies allegedly billed Medicare and Medi-Cal for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill, according to court documents, and in some cases submitted bills for services that weren't provided.

According to the indictment, Contreras was on probation imposed by the Medical Board of California while he was part of the scheme. He is accused of providing fraudulent certifications for some patients, including some he claimed to have examined but never actually saw, according to the indictment.

Antenor paid illegal kickbacks to marketers, including Black, for patients referred to the two hospice companies, prosecutors allege.

The allegations mirror the type of widespread hospice fraud outlined in a 2020 Times investigation into the industry's explosive, largely unchecked growth. California lawmakers said that investigation was a major factor in a moratorium on new state hospice licenses that took effect Jan. 1 along with reform measures.

Results of a state audit meant to spur improvements to licensing and oversight in end-of-life care are expected to be released this month.

From roughly September 2014 to April 2019, Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc. submitted nearly $23 million in claims to Medicare for hospice services and was paid about $18.85 million, according to the indictment.

Saint Mariam Hospice Inc. submitted Medicare claims totaling about $13.74 million between February 2015 and April 2019 and was paid about $11.39 million.

Contreras was linked to about $5.1 million of the total Medicare claims paid out, prosecutors said.

"Additionally, Arcadia and St. Mariam submitted more than $5.5 million in claims to Medi-Cal, which paid the companies a total of just over $1.35 million," prosecutors said.

Antenor was charged with six counts of healthcare fraud and four counts of paying illegal kickbacks for healthcare referrals, prosecutors said. Contreras was charged with five counts of healthcare fraud, and Black was charged with four counts of receiving illegal kickbacks.

If convicted as charged, Contreras would face a statutory maximum of 50 years in federal prison and Black would face up to 40 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.

A possible sentence was not provided for Antenor.

"A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors," prosecutors said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A building at the Corcoran prison complex is seen in 2013. A correctional officer at the prison's Substance Abuse Treatment Facility is charged with murdering his girlfriend. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

A California correctional officer was arrested this week by Corcoran police after he claimed his girlfriend had died by suicide, authorities confirmed.

Luis Antonio Pulido-Esparza, 34, was booked into Kings County Jail on Monday morning on suspicion of murder and child abuse, jail records show.

Court records show he was arraigned Tuesday and ordered to be held without bail.

Officers were called around 7 a.m. Sunday to a reported suicide in the 1900 block of Evergreen Drive in Corcoran, according to the Corcoran Police Department. The 911 caller was later identified as Pulido-Esparza, who told dispatchers his girlfriend had shot herself and wasn't breathing.

When officers arrived, they found his 32-year-old girlfriend, whose name wasn't released, dead of a gunshot wound to the head, police said.

"Officers interviewed Pulido-Esparza who stated he and his girlfriend had an argument the night before and he woke up to the sound of gunfire," police said.

Authorities also found three children in the home, police said.

Detectives served a search warrant, gathered "additional items of evidence" and arrested Pulido-Esparza based on the evidence as well as interviews and "information gathered throughout the investigation," police said.

Pulido-Esparza was working as a state correctional officer at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, police said.

His current employment status with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was not available Wednesday.

He is scheduled to appear for a bail review hearing Friday, according to court records.

Anyone with information is asked to call Corcoran Police Det. Skyler Pfarr at (559) 992-5151.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Trump attorney John Eastman, left, appears with Rudolph W. Giuliani at a rally on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the assault on the Capitol. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

A federal judge on Wednesday handed an incremental victory to the congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection in a case involving California attorney John Eastman.

Eastman, who advised former President Trump on efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, has been fighting to prevent the committee from seeing more than 100 emails involving him.

The judge ruled against Eastman for now, saying the court would review the documents to determine which can be turned over to the panel.

Eastman has emerged as a central figure in the committee's investigation into Trump's efforts to subvert the election results.

He wrote two legal memos arguing that Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to unilaterally reject electoral votes or delay their counting, which could have opened the door for Republican-led state legislatures to cast their votes for Trump even though more voters cast their ballots for Joe Biden. The advice was disregarded by Pence and roundly denounced by legal experts when it became public last year.

The congressional committee subpoenaed emails sent or received by Eastman from Jan. 4 to Jan. 7, 2021.

Eastman sued to block release of the documents, which are housed on the server of Chapman University in Orange, which was Eastman's employer at the time. He argued that they're protected from disclosure by attorney-client privilege and related legal rules.

The judge rejected that blanket claim.

"After reading the emails, the Court will determine for each document whether any privilege existed, whether that privilege was waived, and whether any exceptions apply," wrote U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who is based in Santa Ana.

"Ultimately, the Court will issue a written decision including its full analysis and its final determination of which, if any, documents must be disclosed to the Select Committee."

The committee had argued for the court review of 111 disputed emails in a hearing on Tuesday, which also offered more insight into the panel's theory of potential criminal charges against Trump, which was first revealed last week in a court filing pertaining to Eastman's lawsuit.

In that filing, the committee alleged that the emails it was seeking from Eastman could show that Trump broke multiple laws by seeking to block the certification of Biden's win despite knowing that his claims of fraud were unfounded.

The committee said attorney-client privilege between Eastman and Trump would not apply to evidence demonstrating crime or fraud.

Charles Burnham, an attorney for Eastman, acknowledged in the hearing it was likely the judge would review the documents and tamped down expectations the emails would reveal blatant wrongdoing.

"Theres not going to be an email where anyone involved in the campaign effort says, 'Weve got to have some ruffians rush the Capitol if the vice president doesnt make the decision we want.' It's not going to be there," Burnham said.

"There's not going to be an email that says, 'We all know the election had no fraud or illegality, but we've got to come up with something.'

Douglas Letter, counsel for the House select committee, said while they didn't expect the emails would show such flagrant violations, there was already information that points to fraud or criminal intent.

He cited an email to Pence's counsel, Greg Jacob, in which Eastman said Trump had been advised there was nothing supporting his allegations of electoral fraud, but "once [Trump] gets something in his head, it's hard to get him to change course."

"That's pretty strong evidence ... that Trump was ignoring all of the very clear evidence because he wanted something different," Letter said. "He wanted the vice president to do something that was plainly against the Constitution.

Carter, in his order, did not address the committee's allegations of criminal or fraudulent activity. He said the panel raised sufficient questions about whether Eastman's emails would be shielded under attorney-client privilege or as work product made in anticipation of a lawsuit.

While the ruling advances the committee's efforts, Carter noted that "reading the emails does not mean that the Court will ultimately require disclosure." The order did not specify when it will determine which emails should be turned over to congressional investigators.

The hearing also involved an attorney for Chapman University, where Eastman served as law professor and onetime dean of the law school.

An uproar over Eastman's involvement with Trump, including his appearance at a pro-Trump rally immediately preceding the insurrection at the Capitol, prompted the professor to retire abruptly one week after Jan. 6.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Alya Michelson is a Russian-born philanthropist and former journalist who now lives in Southern California. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The day Russia attacked Ukraine, Alya Michelson's daughter came home from school distressed.

The young girl told her mother that she felt humiliated  ashamed, even  of her Russian heritage. She worried that she would be bullied when her Brentwood classmates learned more about Russian President Vladimir Putins brutal invasion, which already has resulted in hundreds of casualties and driven more than 2 million refugees from their country.

"You shouldn't feel responsible," Michelson recalled telling the 12-year-old as she sat with her in bed that night. "Especially, as an American, you have no control."

In California, where the roots of the Russian-speaking community date from before the Alaska purchase of 1867, members of the diaspora have found themselves thrust into the center of a war thousands of miles away. Some worry that they will be associated with, and blamed for, Putin's incursion despite having left their homeland years, if not decades, ago.

Others born in Russia who feel tied to Ukrainians by the threads that link their homelands say that they can't help but feel a sense of guilt over Putin's aggression, despite living in the United States and leading lives far removed from the Kremlin's actions.

L.A.'s Russian-speaking diaspora has bonded over a shared language and history for generations, first in the enclaves of Boyle Heights, then in communities in Hollywood and, later, West Hollywood. The terms "Russian" and "Russian American" encapsulate multifaceted national, ethnic and religious identities: immigrants from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries that once composed the Soviet Union, who came to the United States for diverse reasons, including economic hardship, political oppression and religious and ethnic persecution.

"When we say Russian diaspora, we mean different ethnicities from the former Russian empire," said Sasha Razor, a researcher of Russian immigration to Los Angeles. "'Russian' is somewhat of a misnomer. It can be a Jewish person from Odessa, which is now in Ukraine, who came in the 1990s."

It is difficult to define what constitutes a Russian diaspora "because it is intersectional and diverse," she said.

To Michelson, a philanthropist and former journalist born in Russia, watching the war in Ukraine feels like "a child watching two parents arguing while trying to get a divorce." She feels angry and lost, she said, because there is nothing she can do to end the violence.

She fears that people may take their anger out on Russian Americans.

"I truly hope that people can distinguish Russians of several generations away from immigration from the regime," she said. "If someone decided to emigrate from their homeland, there must be something significant going on behind that."

Michelson, 38, spent much of her childhood in Ukraine, she said, and has ancestors "from both sides of the conflict zone." Her daughter Sasha was born in Moscow, while her other two children were born in the U.S.

"For them, because they were not born there, it's not personal at all," Michelson said. "They came home excited about a fundraiser" on behalf of Ukrainian refugees.

But Sasha, she said, held a different understanding of the violence. The heritage she was learning to embrace through holiday celebrations or by learning how to tie a traditional Slavic braid suddenly felt like it was slipping away. A Russian link that she associated with her mother suddenly seemed shrouded in darkness, Michelson said.

So when it came time to console her, Michelson was unequivocal. "I said to her, 'I'm Russian, I'm proud to be Russian.'"

"It was very important for her to hear that," she added.

One of the largest streams of migrants arrived in the 1970s, when the former Soviet Union began allowing some citizens, mainly Jews, to leave. Many who chose to come to Los Angeles received aid from Jewish Family Services, an organization that was assisting Jewish immigrants with affordable housing in the West Hollywood area.

By the 1980s, West Hollywood had become the hub of the Russian-speaking community in Los Angeles. More than 300,000 members of the diaspora lived in the region as a whole, one of the largest Russian-speaking communities outside of New York, according to the city of West Hollywood.

"From perestroika to the collapse of the USSR onward, that immigration renewed, and that's how we got West Hollywood," Razor said, referring to the economic and political reforms instituted by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s. "Because the population is transnational, many came from Ukraine, Belarus."

"If you look at names of shops there, it's 'Tblisi,' 'Yerevan,'" she added, alluding to the capitals of the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Armenia.

As Ukraine's plight has spurred global condemnation of Putin, many Russian speakers have banded together in support of their sister nation.

Outside the Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Silver Lake on a recent weekday, Archpriest Nazari Polataiko stood in the church parking lot and reflected on the war. Half of his parishioners are Ukrainian, as he is himself.

"We don't talk politics here, but peace is something we want to protect," he said. "War is a sin."

The church, under the guidance of the leadership of the Orthodox Church in America, has been helping collect funds for refugees from Ukraine.

"Yesterday, we sent parcels to help refugees in Poland," Polataiko said. His church the oldest Russian parish in Southern California  was egged on the first day of the Russian attack, he said, but he wasn't sure whether the vandalism was linked to the violence in Ukraine.

Despite moving to the U.S. 18 years ago and becoming a citizen, Oleg Itskhoki said he can't shake sorrow over Russia's invasion, Europe's largest conventional military action since World War II. He felt ashamed in 2014 when Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

"It's an internal feeling. It's not imposed on you," said Itskhoki, 39, a Moscow native. "It's built into how you view yourself."

An economics professor at UCLA, Itskhoki said that Russian citizens had ample territory, resources and opportunity to change the trajectory of the nation after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"At the end of the day, it's people who live in that geography who are in charge of what will happen in that country," said Itskhoki, whose father was born in Ukraine. "We started with a country that could have been free and prosperous, and we ended in this complete catastrophe."

The West, he said, also made a mistake by not engaging more with Russia in the 1990s.

Itskhoki is part of several group chats on WhatsApp and Telegram with both Ukrainian and Russian members. On the Ukrainian side, his friends share the daily reality of war and how to safely get people out of the country. On the other, he hears from people in Russia who are trying to flee the country and withdraw money from banks because they worry about the effects of sanctions on the economy and fear political persecution.

"I understand the motives of people in both, but it's this crazy discontinuity," he said. "On one side they're being bombed and the other is discussing how to get money out of the country."

Itskhoki and his wife have found a community of Russian-speaking friends in California, most of them employed in the tech industry. Until recently, it wasn't relevant that about half the people in the group were from Ukraine, he said.

Most people in the group share his sense of guilt and catastrophe, Itskhoki said.

"There's different extents of it, but I think this is present for everybody," he added. "This is broadly shared by Russians everywhere."

Rina Atroshenko manages Traktir, a Russian restaurant. She left Ukraine when it was still part of the former Soviet Union. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Rina Atroshenko immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine with her sister, parents and grandparents in the 1970s, resettling as part of the wave of Jewish migrants in West Hollywood before the Russian-speaking community there boomed.

"My father was a dentist, my mother was a pharmacist. They came out here, they worked minimum wage at $2.75 an hour, just for us and everybody to be safe," she said. "In our passports, our nationality was Jew. We never belonged. We were never Russian."

It wasn't until they moved to the U.S. and people asked her parents where they were from that they responded, "Russian Jews."

Sitting inside her restaurant Traktir on a Friday afternoon, Atroshenko said the food she serves is a mix of Russian and Ukrainian  a celebration of the commonalities between the cultures. The restaurant's website boasts "authentic Russian cuisine" at both its West Hollywood and Tarzana locations.

Colorful rugs, knickknacks and nesting dolls dot the walls and nooks of the San Fernando Valley branch, where large jugs of dill pickle vodka ("the hangover cure") and various fruit juices sit on the bar's counter.

Since the war in Ukraine began, the restaurant has received a few disgruntled phone calls from people asking about its "Russian cuisine" label. One person called asking what type of food Traktir served. When an employee answered "Russian," the man pressed further.

"So are you Russian?" he asked, according to Atroshenko. When the employee explained that she is Ukrainian, the man said, "Sure you are," and hung up.

For Atroshenko, whose Ukrainian pride was on display in the black sweater she wore emblazoned with the Ukrainian flag, that type of division is worrying. She speaks Russian, not Ukrainian.

"I'm not going to turn around and explain myself to somebody," she said. "But it just has to be understood that it was all one and people here don't want this war. The Russians, the Ukrainians, nobody wants this separation. We still feel bonded and together in cuisine, culture and art."

Traktir, a restaurant with locations in West Hollywood and Tarzana, has gotten some phone calls since the Ukraine invasion because it serves Russian food. "People here don't want this war," says the owner. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

At dinnertime, Atroshenko said, it's not uncommon to see a mixed table of Russians, Ukrainians or other Slavic diners eating next to a group of Armenians, Persians and other Americans.

"Nobody really sits and says, 'Oh, you're from here, you're from there,'" she said as Russian pop music played in the background. "They just enjoy eating together and the food that we all grew up on. People here, they never argue about anything."

If any debates do erupt, they're lighthearted, she said  friendly quarrels over whether a specific dish is Ukrainian or Russian.

"Russian cuisine is from all the regions around. It's brother and sister," she said. "So, what do I do now? Do I rename it?"

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Law enforcement work the scene after a Lapeer County Sheriff's Deputy was shot serving a warrant on Wednesday March, 9, 2022 in Brown City, Mich. Police say a man who shot and wounded the deputy serving a felony warrant was fatally shot by a second deputy after the suspect opened fire. The wounded deputy remained in stable condition.(Jenifer Veloso/The Flint Journal via AP)

BROWN CITY, Mich. (AP)  A man who shot and wounded a Michigan sheriffs deputy serving a felony warrant was fatally shot by a second deputy after the suspect opened fire from an outbuilding at a home, police said.

Charles Raymond, 47, of Imlay City, was pronounced dead at the shooting scene in Brown City, Michigan State Police said in a statement on Twitter posted Wednesday evening that indicated the wounded deputy remained in stable condition.

State police said the agency's preliminary findings indicate that at about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday a homeowner allowed Lapeer County deputies to check the premises for Raymond, who was wanted on a felony criminal sexual conduct warrant.

As a door to a detached outbuilding was opened, police said Raymond fired on the deputies, striking one of them multiple times, while a second deputy returned fire, striking Raymond.

The wounded deputy was hospitalized in stable condition. Police said the second deputy was not shot but he was being treated at a hospital for injuries that weren't considered life-threatening.

Brown City is a community of about 1,300 residents thats located in both Lapeer and Sanilac counties, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Flint. State police were investigating the shooting.
LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russia's war in Ukraine entered its third week on Thursday with none of its key objectives reached despite thousands of people killed, more than two million made refugees, and thousands forced to cower in besieged cities under relentless bombardment.

Ukrainian forces including citizen-soldiers who only last month never dreamed of firing a weapon in anger were holding out in Kyiv and other frontlines, while Russian troops, tanks and artillery made slow progress from the north, south and east.

Moscow's stated objectives of crushing the Ukrainian military and ousting the pro-Western elected government of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy remained out of reach, with Zelenskiy unshaken and lethal Western military aid pouring across the Polish and Romanian borders.

Western-led sanctions designed to cut the Russian economy and government from international financial markets were beginning to bite, with the Russian sharemarket and rouble plunging and ordinary Russians rushing to hoard cash.

Zelenskiy accused Russia of carrying out genocide after Ukrainian officials said Russian aircraft bombed a children's hospital on Wednesday, burying patients in rubble despite a ceasefire deal for people to flee the besieged city of Mariupol.

The attack, which authorities said injured women in labour and left children in the wreckage, underscored U.S. warnings that the biggest assault on a European state since 1945 could become increasingly attritional after Russia's early failures.

The White House condemned the hospital bombing as a "barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians".

Russian had earlier pledged to halt firing so at least some trapped civilians could escape the port city, where hundreds of thousands have been sheltering without water or power for more than a week. Both sides blamed the other for the failure of the evacuation.

"What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?" Zelenskiy said in a televised address late on Wednesday.

Zelenskiy repeated his call for the West to tighten sanctions on Russia "so that they sit down at the negotiating table and end this brutal war". The bombing of the children's hospital, he said, was "proof that a genocide of Ukrainians is taking place".

The Donetsk region's governor said 17 people were wounded in the attack.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked by Reuters for comment, said: "Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets." Russia calls its incursion a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour and dislodge leaders it calls "neo-Nazis."

Ukraine's foreign ministry posted video footage of what it said was the hospital showing holes where windows should have been in a three-storey building. Huge piles of smouldering rubble littered the scene.

The U.N. Human Rights body said it was verifying the number of casualties at Mariupol. The incident "adds to our deep concerns about indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas," it added through a spokesperson.

Among more than 2 million total refugees from Ukraine, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday that more than 1 million children have fled the country since the invasion started on Feb 24. At least 37 had been killed and 50 injured, it said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said houses had been destroyed all across Ukraine. "Hundreds of thousands of people have no food, no water, no heat, no electricity and no medical care," it said.

TALKS IN TURKEY

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to hold talks on Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the first meeting between the two since the invasion.

Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire, liberation of its territories and to resolve all humanitarian issues, Kuleba said, adding: "Frankly ... my expectations of the talks are low."

Moscow demands that Kyiv take a neutral position and drop aspirations of joining the NATO alliance.

Zelenskiy told VICE in an interview on Wednesday that he was confident Putin would at some stage agree to talks. "I think he will. I think he sees that we are strong. He will. We need some time," he said.

Russia has been hit by Western sanctions and the withdrawals of foreign firms. Nestle, cigarette maker Philip Morris and Sony on Wednesday joined the list of multinationals stepping back from the country.

The United States is weighing sanctions on nuclear power supplier Rosatom, a senior Biden administration official said on Wednesday.

The World Bank's chief economist said Moscow was edging close to defaulting on its debt. The Kremlin is taking measures to shore up the economy and planned to respond to a U.S. ban on its oil and energy exports as the rouble dropped to record lows.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to rush $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine, sending the legislation to the Senate.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Stephen Coates; Editing by Michael Perry)
By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ukraine's top government economic adviser Oleg Ustenko said on Thursday that invading Russian forces have so far destroyed at least $100 billion worth of infrastructure, buildings and other physical assets.

Ustenko, chief economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told an online event hosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics that the war has caused 50% of Ukrainian businesses to shut down completely, while the other half are operating at well below their capacity.

He said the damage estimate is "very approximate" and includes roads, bridges, hospitals, equipment and other assets.

Asked how such a reconstruction effort could be financed, Ustenko said part of it could come from Russian assets that are frozen throughout the world, including Russian central bank assets held outside the country and immobilized by Western sanctions. The seized assets of wealthy Russian oligarchs could also be transferred to a reconstruction fund, he added.

Asked about the resilience of Ukraine's financial system, and bank payment operations, Ustenko said: "Look, we are doing, I would say, OK under the current circumstances."

He said Ukraine's fiscal reserves are currently at about $27.5 billion, down from about $30 billion before the invasion.

Despite some pressure on the hryvnia currency, Ukrainians in areas not occupied by Russian forces are able to access cash via ATMs and supermarket cashiers without the long lines seen in the first two days of the war, and credit card and other electronic payment systems are working normally, he added.

"Even in those cities surrounded by now by the Russian army...(residents) are able use their cards," Ustenko said.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  For some European countries watching Russia's brutal war in Ukraine, there are fears that they could be next.

Western officials say the most vulnerable could be those who aren't members of NATO or the European Union, and thus alone and unprotected  including Ukraines neighbor Moldova and Russia's neighbor Georgia, both of them formerly part of the Soviet Union  along with the Balkan states of Bosnia and Kosovo.

But analysts warn that even NATO members could be at risk, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Russia's doorstep, as well as Montenegro, either from Moscow's direct military intervention or attempts at political destabilization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "has said right from the start that this is not only about Ukraine,'' said Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Funds Warsaw office.

He told us what he wants to do when he was listing his demands, which included the change of the government in Kyiv, but he was also talking about the eastern flank of NATO and the rest of Eastern Europe," Baranowski told The Associated Press in an interview.

As Ukraine puts up stiff resistance to the two-week-old Russian attack, Baranowski said it's now not really clear how he'll carry out his other goals."

But the Biden administration is acutely aware of deep concerns in Eastern and Central Europe that the war in Ukraine may be just a prelude to broader attacks on former Warsaw Pact members in trying to restore Moscows regional dominance.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that Russia is not going to stop in Ukraine.

We are concerned for neighbors Moldova, Georgia, and the Western Balkans, he said. We have to keep an eye on Western Balks, particularly Bosnia, which could face destabilization by Russia.

A look at the regional situation:

MOLDOVA

Like its neighbor Ukraine, the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova has a separatist insurgency in its east in the disputed territory known as Trans-Dniester, where 1,500 Russian troops are stationed. Although Moldova is neutral militarily and has no plans to join NATO, it formally applied for EU membership when the Russian invasion began in a quick bid to bolster its ties with the West.

The country of 2.6 million people is one of the poorest countries in Europe, and it's hosting tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled the war. The invasion has prompted heightened concerns in Moldova not only over the humanitarian crisis, but also because of fears that Putin might try to link the separatists east of the Dniester River with Ukraine via the latter's strategic port of Odesa.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Moldova last week and pledged: "We stand with Moldova and any other country that may be threatened in the same way.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said there was no indication yet the Russian forces in Trans-Dniester had changed their posture, but stressed that the concern was there.

In this region now there is no possibility for us to feel safe, Sandu said.

GEORGIA

War erupted between Russia and Georgia in August 2008 when Georgian government troops tried unsuccessfully to regain control over the Moscow-backed breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia routed the Georgian military in five days of fighting and hundreds were killed. Afterward, Russia recognized South Ossetia and another separatist region, Abkhazia, as independent states and bolstered its military presence there.

The government of West-leaning Georgia condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but hasn't shown the same solidarity that Kyiv displayed during the Georgia-Russia war. Hundreds of Georgian volunteers were stopped by authorities from joining an international brigade fighting Russia in Ukraine.

Georgia's seemingly neutral stance has turned out thousands in nightly rallies in central Tbilisi in solidarity with Ukraine. Last week, Georgia's government applied for EU membership just days after declaring it wouldn't accelerate its application as fears of a Russian invasion grew.

THE BALTICS

Memories of Soviet rule are still fresh in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Since the invasion of Ukraine, NATO has moved quickly to boost its troop presence in its eastern flank allies, while Washington has pledged additional support.

To residents of the Baltic nations  particularly those old enough to have lived under Soviet control  the tensions prior to the Feb. 24 invasion recalled the mass deportations and oppression. The three countries were annexed by Josef Stalin during World War II and only regained their independence with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

They joined NATO in 2004, putting themselves under the military protection of the U.S. and its Western allies. They say it is imperative that NATO show resolve not just in words but with boots on the ground.

Russia always measures the military might but also the will of countries to fight, said Janis Garisons, state secretary at Latvias Defense Ministry. Once they see a weakness, they will exploit that weakness.

Blinken, who visited Latvian capital Riga on Monday, said the Baltics have formed a democratic wall that now stands against the tide of autocracy that Russia is pushing in Europe.

THE BALKANS

It would be hard for Russian troops to reach the Balkans without engaging NATO forces stationed in all the neighboring countries. But Moscow could destabilize the region, as it already does, with the help of Serbia, its ally which it has been arming with tanks, sophisticated air defense systems and warplanes.

The Kremlin has always considered the region its sphere of influence although it was never part of the Soviet bloc. A devastating civil war in the 1990s left at least 120,000 dead and millions homeless. Serbia, the largest state in the Western Balkans, is generally blamed for starting the war by trying to prevent the breakup of Serb-led Yugoslavia with brutal force  a move resembling Moscow's current effort to pull Ukraine back into its orbit by military force.

There are fears in the West that the pro-Moscow Serbian leadership, which has refused to join international sanctions against Russia, could try to use the attention focused on Ukraine to further destabilize its neighbors, particularly Bosnia, where minority Serbs have been threatening to split their territories from the joint federation to join Serbia. Serbian officials have repeatedly denied they are meddling in the neighboring states, but have given tacit support to the secessionist moves of the Bosnian Serbs and their leader, Milorad Dodik.

The Russian Embassy in Bosnian capital Sarajevo warned last year that should Bosnia take steps towards joining NATO, our country will have to react to this hostile act. Joining NATO will force Bosnia to take a side in the military-political confrontation, it said.

A man walks past a mural depicting Vladimir Putin, in Zvecan, Kosovo, Dec. 15, 2018. For some European countries watching Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine, there are fears that they could be next. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

EU peacekeepers in Bosnia have announced the deployment of about 500 additional troops to the country, citing the deterioration of the security internationally (which) has the potential to spread instability.

Kosovo, which split from Serbia 1999 after a NATO air war against Serbian troops, has asked the U.S. to establish a permanent military base in the country and speed up its integration into NATO after Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Accelerating Kosovos membership in NATO and having a permanent base of American forces is an immediate need to guarantee peace, security and stability in the Western Balkans, Kosovo Defense Minister Armend Mehaj said on Facebook.

Serbia said the move is unacceptable.

Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence is recognized by more than 100 countries, mainly Western nations, but not by Russia or Serbia.

Montenegro, a former ally that turned its back on Russia to join NATO in 2017, has imposed sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine and is seen as next in line in the Western Balkans to join the EU. The country is divided between those favoring pro-Western policies and the pro-Serbian and pro-Russian camps, raising tensions.

Russia has repeatedly warned Montenegros pro-Western President Milo Djukanovic, who led the small Adriatic state into NATO, that the move was illegitimate and without the consent of all Montenegrins.

Russia may hope to eventually improve its ties with Montenegro in a bid to strengthen its presence in the Mediterranean.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has promised a streamlined online visa application system for Ukrainians seeking to flee the war with Russia in response to criticism of her approach to the crisis.

Visas are currently available to relatives of people who live in the UK. Another promised route, allowing individuals and companies to sponsor Ukrainians to come to the UK, has yet to be established.

From Tuesday, Ukrainians with passports will no longer need to go to a visa application centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.

Once their application has been considered and checks completed, they will receive notification that they are eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK.

Here is how Ukrainians fleeing conflict can apply for a visa to the UK, according to the Home Office:

 It is free to apply and visas granted will last for up to three years.

 Applicants must be joining UK-based family members, be Ukrainian or have an immediate relative who is a Ukrainian national who is applying to the scheme and have been residing in the country on or immediately before January 1 2022.

 The UK family member must be a British national, someone who has indefinite leave to remain, settled status or proof of permanent residence or someone from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland who has pre-settled status and started living in the UK before 1 January 2021. This can also include someone with refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.

 Applicants will be asked for official documents to prove their relationship or an explanation as to why they do not have this.

 Applications, which will be subject to security checks, must be made online at gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-ukraine-family-scheme-visa

 Those who need to attend a processing centre to provide biometric information to confirm their identity  such as fingerprints  can then book an appointment at sites across Europe. Sites around Ukraine which are taking appointments include in Warsaw, Rzeszow, Chisinau, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague as well as Paris and Brussels.

 A small pop-up site has been set up in Lille for cases specifically referred there. Free transport is being provided from Calais for those directed there. Another centre operating on a similar scale is due to open in Arras.

 There is also a free 24-hour helpline for anyone who needs information (+44 808 164 8810)
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YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The reports spreading in Azerbaijani information platforms according to which the Russian peacekeeping contingent is withdrawing some of its forces from Artsakh to transfer them to Ukraine, have nothing to do with the reality, the Office of the Security Council of Artsakh said in a statement.

The recent active aggressive behavior of the Azerbaijani side in the Artsakh-Azerbaijani line of contact has been demonstrated by the shelling with firearms of the military positions of the Defense Army of Artsakh located close to different settlements.

Such armed provocations have already been supplemented by the use of mortars.

We emphasize that the target of hostile actions of ceasefire violation is the civilian population, aimed at creating panic.

In order to stop the further provocations, the Office of the Security Council is cooperating with the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh. Urgent measures are being taken to force the adversary to remain committed to the agreements on the ceasefire.

At the same time, the reports spreading in Azerbaijani information platforms according to which the Russian peacekeeping contingent is withdrawing some of its forces from Artsakh to transfer them to Ukraine, have nothing to do with the reality. The Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh continues conducting its mission based on the provisions of the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement.

We urge the people to avoid panic moods. The situation is fully under the control of the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh and the Russian peacekeeping contingent, the statement says.
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemns the provocative actions of Azerbaijan which threaten the regional peace and stability.

The ministry issued a statement which says:

On March 9 and 10, the Azerbaijani armed forces targeted from large caliber firearms the civilian population of Khnushinak and Karmir Shuka villages of Martuni region, and Khramort village of Askeran region, as a result of which one civilian has been wounded.

In the night of March 8 the main pipeline supplying gas to the Republic of Artsakh has been damaged, leaving entire Artsakh without gas supply. The damaged section is in the territory which has come under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces. Till today the Azerbaijani side obstructs the repair works of the gas pipeline, and as a result the entire population of Artsakh is facing a number of humanitarian problems which are specifically heavy because of the cold weather conditions.

Last week the adversary with its statements over loudspeakers was constantly urging the residents of Khramort to leave the village, threatening to apply physical force on the villagers.

Official Bakus policy is highly unconstructive, as always, grossly violates the provisions of international law, the bases of humanity, and in its essence is a combination of Armenophobia, Nazism and terrorism.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemns the provocative actions of Azerbaijan, which are a threat to regional peace and stability, a blow to the peacekeeping mission, a challenge to the civilized world, and should not be left without response.

The recent developments once again show the real goals of Azerbaijan against the Armenian people, Artsakh and its future.

The determination of the people of Artsakh to live in their homeland and protect it has been and will remain unbreakable, the statement says.
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan is making the life of inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh impossible, the life of the people of Nagorno Karabakh is under threat, Member of the European Parliament Peter van Dalen said in his remarks during the debate in the Parliament over the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh.

The Dutch MEP said the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev takes care only of himself and his family, their wealth is reaching billions.

Their wealth is calculated to be of several billions, and you can see what you see with many despots  corruption, detention of political opponents, violations of human rights. But there is even more, because Azerbaijan is making the life of inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh impossible. Even this week artillery shots, even this week the closing of a gas pipeline. The life of the people of Nagorno Karabakh is under threat day after day, and there are very many missing people, that have never appeared or returned, and we can see that under president Aliyev the cultural heritage of Nagorno Karabakh is being destroyed, systematically being torn down, churches, historical buildings, monuments, squares are being destroyed, and the cultural heritage of Nagorno Karabakh is completely being destroyed.

This European Parliament has a single voice here. We have actually all agreed and we are clearly saying that we condemn this violence of Azerbaijan, and we also condemn the Armenophobia of the government in Baku, we call up on the UNESCO to go up on a fact-finding mission in Nagorno Karabakh, to check the seriousness of the situation, the MEP said.

Chairman, we pray for change, we hope and pray for fairness, for justice and we fight against regimes that destroy the lives of people, he added.

A new resolution has been put into circulation in the European Parliament, which condemns the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh and calls on Azerbaijan to protect the Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh.
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The authorities of the Artsakh Republic together with the Russian peacekeeping troops are taking all necessary measures to stop the provocative actions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and to stabilize the situation in the whole territory of the Artsakh Republic, ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the Security Council of the Artsakh Republic.

"In particular, in the area near the village of Khramort in the Askeran region, a joint reinforced service of the relevant law enforcement agencies of Artsakh and peacekeeping troops is being carried out.

The situation is fully under the control of the authorities of the Artsakh Republic and the Russian peacekeeping troops," the statement reads.
YEREVAN, 10 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu talked about the meeting with Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine, ARMENPRESS reports, Turkish Anadolu news agency informs.



If the war continues, innocent children will suffer the most. Every day the scale of bloodshed and grief increases. People, who stay in war zones, should be saved, said Cavusoglu.

He emphasized that as long as the long-term ceasefire hasnt been established, it is important to maintain the humanitarian ceasefire.



According to Cavusoglu, the opening of humanitarian corridors is important for the civil population. If the servicemen on the spot do not follow the agreements, then the evacuated civil residents will face real security threat, said the Turkish minister.



Turkey emphasized during the meeting held in Antalya the impermissibility of creation of obstacles in Ukraine for humanitarian activity he said, calling the trilateral meeting in Antalya an important beginning.



Despite all difficulties, the discussions related to Ukraine were held in the framework of ethics., the Turkish minister added.



Cavusoglu said that during the meeting with the participation of Lavrov and Kuleba the topic of the organization of the meeting between the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine was discussed.
Assyrian Organization in the UN-led Constitutional Committee for Syria

Lavrov met a delegation of the Freedom and Peace Front in Moscow on September 26, 2020 in Moscow. Karam Dawle at far right. ( Asharq Al-Awsat) Geneva, Switzerland (AINA) -- Following a meeting with members of the UN-facilitated Syrian Constitution Committee in Geneva at the end of January, Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, lamented the slow progress of the peace process in Syria. He pointed to disagreements on the process between the two Co-Chairs, representing the Syrian Government and the Syrian Opposition. Pedersen said "a new approach to the talks is needed if they are to continue."

The Constitutional Committee was established in September 2019 under United Nations auspices with the aim to formulate a new constitution for the country. The drafting-body comprises of 45 delegates, while the full body has 150 members, equally drawn from representatives of the government, opposition groups, and civil society. The Committee's fourth session was held between 30 November and 4 December 2020. The January 29th session was the fifth gathering.

The Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) was a founding member of the Syrian National Council and part of the opposition, the Syrian National Coalition, since its inception (AINA 2020-07-17). Representing Assyrians, the ADO is charged with securing the national rights of the Assyrian people in the new Syrian constitution and sends two members to the UN-led Constitutional Committee. However, it is not represented in the smaller drafting-body.

Karam Dawli, a member of ADO's Executive Committee, represents his organization in the Advisory Support Team, which consists of Assyrians, Kurds and Yazidis. He was in Geneva during the recent session of the Constitutional Committee at the United Nations.

We had the opportunity to talk with him on various topics, among them the status of the negotiations related to drafting a new Syrian constitution for the country, ADO's view on and role in this process along with the situation in the country in view of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Syria, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abdulmesih BarAbraham (AB): Please update us on the most recent session of the drafting-body of the Constitutional Committee at the UN?

Karam Dawle (KD): The meetings of the constitutional drafting-body that took place in Geneva between January 25 and 29, 2021 did not make any progress in the constitutional process. In fact, this was not surprising; this was expected by many observers, not only by the Syrian opposition itself. The expression used by Mr. Geir Pederson, "this session is disappointing," is probably a better description of the session.

In our view, and since the start of the work of the Constitutional Committee at the end of October 2019, the delegation of the Syrian regime has engaged in irresponsible time wasting, besides evading the entitlements specified by the regulations governing the working process of the Constitutional Committee; this attitude has continued from the previous four sessions.

Therefore, Mr. Pedersen requested earlier the convening of this session, with intent to push the parties to present proposals on a methodology of discussion that would lead to the start of the process of drafting the new constitution.

However, the delegation of the government, apart from its rejection of the proposal of the opposition and that of Mr. Pedersen, did not submit any proposals, which was confirmed by Mr. Pedersen in his briefing at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva after the end of the work of the Constitutional Committee on January 29.

In all, it can be said that lack of progress and inability to set a date for the sixth session represents a challenge to the Syrian negotiating body (which represents the reference body for the constitutional committee), the United Nations, and the countries of what is known as the Small Group, led by the United States and the European Union.

AB: Why is ADO not represented in the drafting-body? And, as understood, you were present at the December session too. What are the blocking issues that hinder making progress in the negotiations?

KD: Before answering this question, it seems necessary to clarify what I think is important about the mechanism of representation in the Constitutional Committee.

Seven independent opposition parties/blocs1 send delegates to the Constitutional Committee, in its expanded form and to the drafting body. Both the ADO and the Assyrians as an ethnic group do not have a representation as an independent block within the Syrian opposition. The two delegates ADO sends to full body of Constitutional Committee, Mr. Gabriel Moshe and Mr. Abdulahad Stifo, are sent through the 'bloc' of Committee of Independents and the National Coalition respectively.

The ADO did not get any seat within the drafting-body because of many factors, the most important being the lack of acknowledgment as an independent bloc. This is an issue we are working on to settle since the formation of the commission, because it represents injustice and prejudice against the Assyrians, an indigenous national component of Syria.

Our presence within the drafting-body is important to express our vision and demands by ourselves directly during the meetings of the constitutional committee. The lack of presence however does not mean the absence of our role and our contributions to the work of the Constitutional Committee, which in turn represents the reference body for the drafting-body. No decision, position, or proposal can be passed without the approval of the expanded Constitutional Committee which we are member of.

AB: According to a press release of your organization, you have formed an Advisory Support Team consisting of Assyrians, Kurds and Yazidis. Could you explain the mission of this advisory team?

KD: The forming of an advisory team is based on an initiative of the European Center for Kurdish Studies, located in Berlin, within the framework of a project funded by the European Union, taking into consideration the imbalance in the representation of the Assyrians, Kurds, and Yazidis in the Constitutional Committee. There is a complete absence of representation of the Yazidis and the Assyrians and the nomination of one single representative of the Kurds. The Advisory Support Team tries to break the imbalance in representation of the people in focus in the Constitutional Committee.

AB: How is the view of ADO's with respect to Syria's constitution?

KD: In our view, Syria is an independent, sovereign state on all its territories recognized by the UN, and it is a multi-ethnic, multi religions and multicultural state. Its (new) constitution should guarantee the national rights of all its people, including Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis and others, with their languages recognized as national languages, where their cultures represent the essence of Syria's history and civilization.

The ADO believes that the Syrian constitution must be based on the principles of democracy, secularism, and respect for human rights, ensuring the peaceful transfer of power and the adaptation of modern laws for political parties and elections that allow equal opportunities to achieve national partnership, and ensure the representation of all Syrians in the administration of the country. Important is the separation of the executive, legislative and judicial powers while building a professional Syrian army subject to the executive authorities that does not interfere in politics.

We also believe that decentralization based on local administrations is the best model for managing the country and ensuring -- among others -- a more equitable distribution of wealth.

The ADO always calls for guaranteeing women's rights and the abolition of all laws and legislations that contradict the principle of equality with men, and it works to enable them to equally participate in the management and decision-making process of an administration.

ADO considers that any constitutional text should not contradict the principle of full and equal citizenship. Hence, the state that we seek must be identical with "the state of all citizens for all citizens" equally. Therefore, the name of the state should not to be attached to any national designation, religious or ideological characteristic, because that would contradicts the principle of national equality, and also it would be considered a state shy of representing all of its people, even if the name reflects the majority's designation.

People's rights should not be measured by numbers. The Assyrians are not a community that immigrated to the land of Syria, rather Syria has been their historical home for thousands of years. While Syria is derived from Assyria, today Assyrians represent what remains of the 'umbilical cord' that connects Syria to ancient Assyria and Mesopotamia as the cradle of civilization.

The same criterion also applies to the religion of the head of state and to the sources of legislation. ADO believes that the state should be neutral towards religion; that means, it should have an equal stance toward all religions, including the freedom to choose any belief or philosophical doctrine, even atheism. We believe that religion and belief is up to the individuals, its natural place is at places of worship and civil society platforms, not state institutions.

On the issue of managing national diversity, ADO considers the importance of improving the Syrian national bonding according to a new concept of the collective Syrian identity, which is drawn from the state of national, religious and cultural diversity contributing to the formation of this identity. This diversity ought to be manifested in the symbols of the state such as flag, anthem, currency, as well as in the media, education and tourism in order for everyone to feel he is a real part of this country.

AB: Has the ADO reached full agreement within Syrian opposition with respect to issues you address above, such as the name of the state (Syrian Republic vs. Syrian Arab Republic), the role of religion in the legislation, secularism, the principles of citizenship, and decentralization?

KD: Although we have consensus on many constitutional principles between the various opposition groups, whether in the Syrian National Coalition or within the Syrian negotiating body, discussions are still ongoing on several topics, including the name and identity of the state, religion of the president, role of religion in the legislation, personal civic laws, and the nature of ethnic rights for nationalities other than Arabs. In addition to all that, the degree of decentralization in the administration of the state is a matter of discussion. In this context, it must be noted that everyone agrees on freedom of religion to ensure the freedom to practice religious rites.

But we cannot describe the scene, the position to the issues above, as between two parties within the opposition body, because the position of the groups of the negotiating body cannot be placed in one order vis-a-vis all of those principles.

For example, those who insist on the survival of the adjective of Arabism in the name of the state, refuse in return to specify the religion of the President. On the other hand, it must be mentioned that the regime insists on the Arab Islamic identity of Syria and regards Islam as the main source of legislation, and Islam as the religion of the head of state. As for ethnic/national rights, there is an agreement among the majority of opposition groups on the right of non-Arab nationalities to practice their language and culture, with differences regarding Syriac, Kurdish and Turkish as second official languages in regions in which they constitute a majority.

There are also differences in positions concerning the definition of the 'Syrian people' in terms of its ethnic/national components and explicitly mentioning them in the constitution. On this specific point, ADO bases its demand for constitutional recognition of the existence and national rights of the Assyrians on an equal footing with the rest of the nationalities according to the statement issued by the expanded meeting of the groups of the Syrian revolution and opposition on November 23, 2017 known as the "Riyadh 2 Statement." Unfortunately, we see in the positions of some groups a retreat from the original stance that has been agreed upon, while we consider it a reference document in the work of the negotiating body.

As for the issue of decentralization, although everyone agrees on decentralized system, but there are differences in positions regarding the degree of decentralization and the power of the central state versus that of the regional administrations.

Another matter that must be taken into consideration is related to the general tendency in the Syrian society where a pre- assumed notion that the Arab Islamic identity is a matter taken for granted in the future Syrian state.

It is useful to note that the negotiating body has not yet issued any official document that resolves these points yet. Rather, it focuses on proposals on general constitutional principles agreed upon so far.

Some of the opposition forces see that the referendum on the constitution will or should have the final say on these pending issues. Though, the Assyrian Democratic Organization insists that the principles of justice, equality, respect for human rights and the guarantee of the rights of ethnic groups should be ranked among the founding constitutional principles, which can't be amended except under very special conditions and so that no legislation is enacted that contradicts those constitutional principles or what some call supra-constitutional principles.

In this context, I need to point out that these issues are essential for the future of our nation. Therefore, we need the efforts of everyone, from political parties, institutions, and personalities to support our political demands for Syria's future. Assyrians need international support to secure their presence. It is not enough to feel that you have the right, but more important is what you are doing to achieve that right.

AB: You mention international support. Could you explain the positons of the representatives of the countries of the United States, Britain, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and the European Union which follow the UN-led consultations closely?

KD: In the context of our role within the Advisory Support Team we were able to explain our constitutional vision in meetings with representatives of many countries. Their positions were identical to and supportive of our vision and demands, as they consider these self-evident, matters that are no longer topics of discussion in their own countries. They also expressed their support for our request to form an Advisory Support Team affiliated with the Office of the UN Special Envoy.

Also these countries are in agreement regarding the political settlement in accordance with the UN Resolution 2254. And they realize the importance of the opposition to remain united to overcome all internal differences impeding the merits of the political process and settlement. They also affirm that they will continue to apply political pressure and isolation on the regime and link the on-going economic sanctions to the political process to achieve real progress toward a political solution.

AB: Turkey seems to be still the major backer of the Syrian opposition. How would you assess Turkey's influence on the opposition's vision regarding the future of the Syria?

KD: For more accuracy in the use of expressions, the Syrian opposition today includes several bodies, with the exception of the seven groups that make up the negotiating body, who do not receive Turkish support. There are dozens of political parties and alliances opposing the regime outside that framework, including armed radical Islamic factions. Therefore, this question applies to the Syrian National Coalition and a group of armed factions listed under the name "Syrian National Army" deployed in parts at the northern regions.

Politically, no one can deny the existence of a Turkish influence on the positions of the coalition forces, which may appear at the tactical rather than the strategic level, and this of course is imposed by geopolitical factors as a result of Turkey's long common border with Syria and the transformation of the Syrian revolution into an armed struggle. This of course is not an exception in Syria, many political movements and armed opposition resort to one of the neighboring countries by virtue of geography, and this of course has a negative and positive consequences and implications.

On the other hand, I do not think that Turkey has any role in terms of the coalition's vision for the future constitution of Syria. What some might expect from the manifestations of harmony or sometimes coincidence between the vision of the Turkish Justice and Development Party led by President Erdogan and some of the forces in the coalition, is considered natural, because the Syrian political scene by its nature involves many diverse politically and ideologically motivated actors.

AB: In context of pressure you mentioned above, very recently, 95 international personalities campaigned for the lifting of the economic sanctions against Syria in a letter published on January 21, 2021 to US President Joe Biden. Two Patriarchs of the Syriac Churches signed the petition. The dramatic appeal to improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation of the Syrian population was supported by press releases and letters to politicians in Germany, France, Great Britain and other countries. What is your view on this?

KD: First of all, in principle, neither I nor any Syrian would not wish well for his family and the people of his country, working to provide all that he can relieve them of the heavy daily suffering that they have been living in for about ten years.

Therefore, I am in favor of providing all kinds of support to the Syrian people, to be done or carried out by relevant international institutions so that they are protected, secured and able to reach all Syrian regions without exception, and that neither the regime nor its affiliated organizations interfere in the delivery and distribution of aid to the people under their control.

We must not forget that the sanctions Western powers (US and Europe) imposed on persons and institutions affiliated with the Syrian regime do not include the humanitarian aspects, especially food and medical, and COVID-19 supplies.

AB: Last year in July, the so-called 'Peace and Freedom Front' was established that brought together the Kurdish National Council in Syria, the Assyrian Democratic Organization, the Syrian Future Movement, and the Arab Council in Al-Jazeera and the Euphrates. What do you expect this front to accomplish that ADO and the other groups cannot agree upon within the Syrian Opposition?

KD: This Front acquires its special importance from several aspects, the most important of which is that the alliance between these founding groups of the Peace and Freedom Front is a natural collaboration, representing the ethnic groups united by many common issues that bring them closer to each other by virtue of geography and history, extended by the experience of joint interaction within the frameworks of the opposition.

The fundamental vision of "future Syria" that they share is greater than any other aspect that bind them. The Front provides the advantage of being able to extend bridges between various opposition groups to achieve greater coordination and consensus, as far as the political vision is concerned. Also, the declaration of this alliance represents a message of reassurance; peace and peaceful coexistence for the inhabitants of the northeastern regions of Syria contrary to some propaganda and rhetoric that contribute to sowing the seeds of separation between the people of the region - Arabs, Kurds, and Assyrians.

Although the Peace and Freedom Front project is not limited to the northern and eastern region. The northern region by comparison, with its diversity and richness, and the challenges it faces, makes it an arena for an international and regional conflict that is reflected in the entire Syrian scene, which prompted us to unite the efforts of various components or groups of the region to form a real partnership to face existing challenges and to play the role entrusted to us as political forces working to restore security and peace and achieve political transition in the country. In a way these are the aspirations of all Syrian ethnic and religious components.

AB: Last September you were part of a delegation of the Peace and Freedom Front to visit Moscow and meet with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the Syrian situation. Similar meeting were obviously held with Turkey and US representatives. What is the outcome of this talks?

KD: It seems that so far the announcement of the establishment of the Front and the dissemination of its political vision has met with acceptance by several countries, the first of which was the United States of America, which took the initiative, through its representatives at Al Jazirah, Syria, to hold a meeting with the Front, where they affirmed a supporting view to its vision and positions.

Also, a delegation from the Front met with Mr. Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, who expressed his support for our political vision and optimism that the front, with its diversity, will be able to play a prominent role in achieving a political settlement in accordance with international legitimate decisions concerning the country. A delegation of the Front had also a meeting with the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Mr. Cavusoglu, who listened to the delegation explaining its goals and political vision. He expressed his satisfaction and showed interests to hold further dialogue and consultations.

The Front has also received positive messages from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, many European countries and Canada. The Front will have more meetings to explain its vision not only at the international level, but also with the Syrian opposition forces in an effort to bridge the gap in viewpoints and advance a unified position on various issues related to the political process and the desired constitution.

1 The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, the National Coordination Commission, representatives of the armed factions, the Cairo platform, the Moscow platform, the Kurdish National Council, the National Personalities Committee also known as the Independent Committee.
Indian Ambassador at Kyiv, Partha Satpathy, flagged off the special train carrying Sumys Indian students, at Lviv railway station

Indian students who were stranded in Sumy board the special train to western Ukraine organised with assistance of Ukrainian authorities, amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Ukraine. (Photo: PTI)

Vishakhapatanam: Thousands of parents heaved a sigh of relief as the two-week-long task of safely bringing back the Indians stuck in the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been accomplished by the central government.

By March 8, almost all Indians were evacuated from Ukraine, under a special effort codenamed Operation Ganga, starting from February 24, when the invasion began. The last of the stranded Indians, from Sumy University, have also been evacuated to safety in neighbouring Poland, Romania etc, Indian officials said.

Officials said this was possible with support from the Russian and Ukraine governments under the `Green Corridor' facility they have jointly arranged. About 18,000 Indians have been brought back by special flights as of March 9, the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi said.

In the latest, 600 Indian students from Sumy University were brought to Poltava city in buses on Tuesday night, the Indian embassy in Kyiv stated. From there, the students have boarded special trains at Lviv railway station to travel to Poland, a distance of 540km.

Indian Ambassador at Kyiv, Partha Satpathy, flagged off the special train carrying Sumys Indian students, at Lviv railway station.

"These students would cross the Ukraine border to Poland and later board India's evacuation flights on March 10. Bringing back our students safely and securely will remain our priority, Satpathy said.

The number of Indians airlifted by 75 special civilian flights so far totaled 15,521 while wide-bodied IAF jets had flown 12 missions to bring back 2,467 passengers, all as part of Operation Ganga. All these students got into the planes from airports at Bucharest, Suceava, Budapest, Kosice, Rzeszow or Kyiv. Airports in Ukraine are mostly defunct after the invasion by Russia started.

Two Indians -- Naveen from Karnataka, a student of Kharkiv University and Chandran Jindan from Punjab -- died in the course of the war. While Naveen was a victim of the shelling by Russian military, Jindal died due to physical strain and stroke.
The Opposition Congress Party, which could manage to win only one municipal board, was completely decimated in the elections

Guwahati: The ruling BJP here on Wednesday swept the states urban civic polls by registering a landslide victory in 74 out of 80 municipal boards in Assam. The Opposition Congress Party, which could manage to win only one municipal board, was completely decimated in the elections. The BJPs ally, the Asom Gana Parishad, grabbed two municipal boards -- Barpeta and Bokakhat.

The two boards of Hailakandi and Mariani will be formed by Independents. The Doboka municipal board election has thrown up a hung verdict.

In a significant development, the Aam Aadmi Party has also opened its account for the first time in the electoral contest in Assam by winning a ward in Upper Assams Tinsukia district and another in the Lakhimpur municipal body.

BJP president J.P. Nadda congratulated the party workers for a landslide victory in the states urban civic polls. The BJPs massive victory in the municipal elections of Assam shows that the publics confidence in PM Shri @narendramodi jis Act East policy has been welcomed by the people of Assam. I congratulate and thank the people of Assam, CM Shri @himantabiswa, @BJP4Assam and its allies, said Mr Nadda in a post on Twitter.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also congratulated the party workers, saying: I congratulate all @BJP4Assam karyakartas & leaders who worked tirelessly spreading the development ideals of Adarniya PM Shri @narendramodi ji. This massive mandate for growth & development will inspire us to pursue our agenda of progress with renewed vigour.

AAP supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted: Congratulations and best wishes to the winners. Beginning of honest and clean politics in Assam too. The AAP had fielded 39 candidates in 80 municipalities, out of which three nominations were rejected and one candidate withdrew his papers, leaving 35 candidates in the fray.

Assam state AAP leader Laxmikant Dubey said: The entry of our councillors will help us gain access to corruption happening in the municipalities, expose them, and eradicate it just as we have done in Surat Municipal Corporation in Gujarat.
For the unversed, Flipkart recently sent out messages to people in which it focused mainly on kitchen appliances deals

According to netizens, the company's text message reinforced negative stereotypes about women belonging in the kitchen. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: Flipkart has been facing huge backlash over its International Women's Day promotional message.

For the unversed, the e-commerce website recently sent out messages to people in which it focused mainly on kitchen appliances deals.

"Dear Customer, This Women's Day, let's celebrate You. Get Kitchen Appliances from Rs 299 [sic]," read the message.

However, the particular message did not go down well with a section of people. Many slammed the company for being "sexist".

According to netizens, the message reinforced negative stereotypes about women belonging in the kitchen.

"Hey @Flipkart Do you think kitchen is only the place women should be? #PityOnFlipkart #Flipkart," a social media user tweeted.

"Bravo, @Flipkart! Bravo for such a stereotypical and sexist offer. Hundreds of women are fighting stereotypes and here you are, offering discounts on kitchen appliances. Are women only meant for kitchen?" another user wrote on Twitter.

After being called out, Flipkart apologised for hurting the sentiments of the people.

"We messed up and we are sorry. We did not intend to hurt anyone's sentiments and apologise for the Women's Day message shared earlier," Flipkart said in its apology tweet.

Every year, March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day around the globe. For 2022, the UN given theme is "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow", which aims to recognise women who are working to build a more sustainable future.
The flight, which started from Romanian capital Bucharest, landed at the Hindon air base in Delhi

Indian nationals walk after deboarding from an IAF plane with evacuated people from war hit Ukraine, upon its arrival at Hindan in Ghaziabad. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: An Indian Air Force (IAF) flight with 119 Indians and 27 foreigners landed at Hindon air base here from Romanian capital Bucharest on Thursday morning, sources said.

These Indians and foreigners were stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive that began on February 24, they mentioned.

This was the 17th flight that the IAF has operated to evacuate people stranded in Ukraine.

India has been evacuating its citizens from war-torn Ukraine's neighbouring countries such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24.

The IAF flight -- which was operated on a C-17 military transport aircraft -- landed in Delhi around 5.40 am on Thursday, sources said.

Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh received the Indians and foreigners at the air base, they said.
by John Ai

China's defence budget up 7.1 per cent this year, higher than the expected GDP growth of 5.5 per cent. The announcement by Premier Li Keqiang at the annual meeting of the National People's Congress. Beijing is preparing "legal" instruments to justify potential military operations.

Rome (AsiaNews) - China will increase its military budget by 7.1%. The announcement came during the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), which closes tomorrow. The increase in military spending is higher than the annual GDP growth target, set by the government at 5.5%. It should be noted that in his report to the NPC on the government's activities, Premier Li Keqiang made no mention of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

The one set by the government is the biggest increase in military spending since 2019. In the past two pandemic years, China's defence budget growth has been less than 7%. In 2022, the total amount will be 1,450 billion yuan (about 208 billion euros). Meanwhile, the national economy is plagued by reduced consumption and the real estate crisis.

For some time, China has strengthened its troop training plans and intensified military exercises targeting Taiwan. The militarisation of the South China Sea is another major concern of the Chinese government, which is also uneasy about armed skirmishes with India on the Himalayan border.

Li Keqiang told the NPC that the armed forces would have to fight "firmly and flexibly" if necessary, safeguarding "national sovereignty, security and development interests".

Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian listed the four main uses of the military budget: to carry out significant projects; renovate weapon systems; and improve training and welfare of soldiers. The Chinese military is developing a new generation of stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and hypersonic missiles.

Military experts believe that official statements on Chinese military spending are opaque and that the actual amount is much higher. As usual, there are no detailed categories regarding the defence budget in the draft national budget. Despite this, China continues to claim that its military spending in relation to GDP is below the world average.

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This morning the Burmese military junta struck a building used as a respite home and hospital by the Sisters of Reparation. A church was also attacked two days ago. The government of national unity is asking the West for stricter sanctions, as it did against Russia. UN: more than 500,000 internally displaced people and at least 100 houses burnt down.

Yangon (AsiaNews) - A Catholic church and convent have suffered serious damage after being bombed. It did not happen in Ukraine, but in Myanmar, where a civil conflict has been raging for over a year.

On 8 March, the Burmese military junta, which overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February 2021, carried out an airstrike on the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in the village of Saun Du La, damaging the ceiling and windows.

This morning, it bombed the convent of the Sisters of Reparation, used as a rest home and hospital by the elderly sisters in the village of Doungankha. The church next to the convent had been bombed on 6 June 2021.

Both buildings are located near the town of Demoso, in a region with a Christian majority where the anti-Golpe militia of the People's Defence Forces are fighting against the troops of the Tatmadaw, the Burmese army.

Like in Ukraine, the attack was carried out with the specific aim of terrorising the civilian population: "There was no armed conflict going on in that area. It was a planned attack against the church and innocent civilians," said one priest.

The Burmese military, supported with armaments by Russian President Vladimir Putin, are also using the same aircraft deployed in Ukraine against the population: the Russian-made M-24 and Sukhoi 30.

And as in the war in Ukraine, the anti-coup forces are demanding a ban on the sale of oil to the Burmese military junta: "Without fuel, the army cannot use its air force," said Zin Mar Aung, foreign minister of the national unity government formed by former deputies of the National League for Democracy (Aung San Suu Kyi's party) now in exile. "If their jets can't fly, they can't bomb. It's very simple."

The size of the Burmese military junta's fuel reserve remains unknown, writes the Wall Street Journal. In recent years, Myanmar has always imported 100 per cent of its fuel from abroad, getting it from Western companies who sold it to middlemen. It used to leave from Singapore, India and Malaysia and arrive at its final destination in Burmese ports.

Recently, the Council of the European Union has included some Tatmadaw personalities and Burmese state-owned enterprises, including Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (Moge), the national oil and gas company, on the list of sanctioned entities.

In the diocese of Loikaw, in eastern Kayah State, the military junta hit at least eight churches in air strikes, ignoring the bishops' appeals to spare civilians seeking shelter in places of worship. At least 16 out of 38 parishes were bombed, forcing nuns and priests to flee.

The latest UN refugee agency report released earlier this month estimates that the conflict has so far generated over 500,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), an increase of 50,000 in the last week alone. In Loikaw, capital of Kayah State, and in neighbouring Demoso, at least 100 homes have been set on fire.

Faced with this situation, the PIME Foundation has set up the S145 Emergenza Myanmar Fund (in Italian) to help initiatives by local churches, many founded by PIME missionaries before the expulsion of foreign missionaries in 1966. The goal of the campaign is to provide immediate help to thousands of people through the relief network the dioceses of Taungoo and Taunggyi are putting in place.

Many local religious groups have responded to the emergency and in doing so are showing the most beautiful face of Myanmar, that of a people who, despite the suffering that has marked its history, choose the path of solidarity. Aid will be sent to them, starting with basic needs: shelter, food, and a school for children deprived of an education for the past two years because of the pandemic and the war.

Donations can be made out to S145Emergenza Myanmar:

- directly online at this link (in Italian) choosing S145Emergenza Myanmar among the projects (progetti);

- by bank transfer payable to Fondazione Pime Onlus IBAN: IT 11 W 05216 01630 000000005733 (it is recommended that a copy of the transfer be sent by email to uam@pimemilano.com indicating name, address, place and date of birth, plus fiscal code if in Italy or equivalent social insurance number in other countries)

- to the postal current account n. 39208202 made out to Fondazione Pime Onlus via Monte Rosa, 81 20149 Milan

- in cash or check by going in person to the Centro PIME in Milan, via Monte Rosa 81  business hours Monday to Friday: from 9 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 5.30 pm).
The Israeli president today ended a historic two-day official visit to Turkey. Yesterday he met with the Turkish president, whilst today he visited the Jewish community in Istanbul. The two sides pledge to resolve differences in the future. The Palestinian question and the holy places in Jerusalem remain the main stumbling block. Europe looks to Israeli gas (via Turkey) to make up for the loss of Russian supplies.

Ankara (AsiaNews)  Turkey and Israel have completed the first stage of a process aimed at resuming relations and building a new era following years of tensions and diplomatic spates.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Yitskhak Herzog expressed optimism at the end of yesterdays meeting in Ankara. This is the first official visit by an Israeli president to Turkey since Shimon Peress speech to Parliament 14 years ago, in 2007.

The Turkish leader described the visit s historic and as a turning point in bilateral relations with potential for greater cooperation, especially in the energy sector; however, major issues remain unresolved, first of all the Palestinian question, which could hinder the path of reconciliation.

Our common goal is to revitalise political dialogue between our countries based on common interests and respect for mutual sensitivities, Erdogan said.

For Herzog, speaking in Hebrew, the visit was a very important moment for the relations between our countries, and a great honour for the two of us to lay the foundations of developing friendly relations between our countries and nations, and to build bridges essential to us all.

This morning, at the end of his two-day visit, the Israeli leader met with the Jewish community in Istanbul where he addressed the Neve Shalom synagogue, scene of terrorist attacks in the past.

Despite formal expression of optimism and basic cordiality, both leaders conceded that some issues remain unresolved and are still in the way of real change; first of all, the Palestinian question and the status of the holy places in Jerusalem.

in this regard Erdogan stressed the importance of reducing tensions" and preserving the vision of a two-state solution. The Turkish leader underlined the importance we attach to the historical status of Jerusalem and the preservation of the religious identity and sanctity of Masjid Aqsa (Al-Aqsa Mosque) in Jerusalems historic Old City, the third most sacred site in Islam after Makkah and Madinah.

In responding to his Turkish counterpart, President Herzog acknowledged that We must agree in advance that we will not agree on everything, that is the nature of relations with a past as rich as our; however, the disagreements we will aspire to resolve with mutual respect and openness, through the proper mechanisms and systems, with a view to a shared future.

Hovering over the background are the Palestinian question and the historical ties between Ankara and Hamas, the group currently ruling the Gaza Strip, labelled a "terrorist" organisation by both the United States and the European Union.

The lowest point in Turkish-Israeli relations came in 2010, following the death of 10 civilians  eight of them Turks  in the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara, a ship that tried to break the Gaza blockade to bring aid.

A thaw began in 2016 after years of extremely cold relations with the return of their respective ambassadors; however, this ended abruptly two years later when more than 200 Palestinian were killed by Israel during months of protest linked to the Great March of Return.

The latest step towards rapprochement will no go before Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his cabinet.

Others could also benefit from the new era in Turkish-Israeli relations, including the Middle East and Europe, especially the latter, which is now in the middle of an energy crisis sparked by Russias war against Ukraine and the potential loss of Russian gas supplies.

Europe could gas from Israel and Turkey (as well as Azerbaijan), replacing Russia, which still remains  despite the war  one of its most important suppliers, especially Germany.

Until sufficient renewable energies are available to meet actual needs, fossil fuels will take the lion share. One alternative source is represented by Israeli gas reaching Europe through Turkey.

Israeli gas reserves are estimated at around 413 billion cubic metres, far above domestic demand, centred on the Eastern Mediterranean or EastMed project.

The latter, which includes offshore/onshore natural gas pipeline that would deliver Israeli gas to Europe via Cyprus and Greece, came to an abrupt halt in January when Washington pulled out citing feasibility concerns.

Now, the conflict in Ukraine has changed everything and made a Turkish route feasible thanks, in part, to substantially lower costs and the Turkish-Israeli rapprochement. Egypt, another major regional gas producer, might also be brought on board.
by Mathias Hariyadi

The announcement came from Indonesias Religious Affairs Minister Quomas. Last week, Vatican sources confirmed a papal visit to Timor-Leste. For the Bishops Conference, interreligious dialogue is fundamental.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Indonesias Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas plans to invite Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb to Indonesia.

He made the announcement during the national conference of the Interfaith Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Indonesia (KWI[*]), held in Bali from 6 to 9 March.

The Commissions president, Archbishop Yohanes Harun Yuwono of Palembang, and its secretary, Father Agustinus Heri Wibowo, were present at the meeting.

Minister Quomas said he hoped that the Holy Father and al-Tayeb would acknowledge the good practices implemented by Indonesia to promote social coexistence despite the countrys many different ethnic groups.

Last week, Mgr Marco Sprizzi, the nunciature's charge d'affaires in Dili, announced a papal visit to Timor-Leste (East Timor), although the dates of the visit were not disclosed.

All this suggests that the pontiffs trip to Southeast Asia might include Indonesia, as well as East Timor and Papua New Guinea, which Francis was supposed to visit in 2020 but had to cancel because of the pandemic.

Minister Qoumas explained that he was pleasantly surprised when Pope Francis showed interest in learning more about Indonesia during their meeting at the Vatican in 2009.

The KWIs Interfaith Commission welcomed the initiative. Promoting interreligious dialogue is fundamental for us," said Fr Heri Wibowo. "For us Indonesian Catholics, the middle way represents our nationhood and cultural identity.

During the meeting Qoumas expressed his desire to promote "religious moderation to reduce tensions between the faithful of different religions.

For Fr Wibowo, "If only all Indonesians were free to express their religious identity without external intervention (either by the state or radical groups), then I am convinced social coexistence would be wonderful. All Indonesians love the nations diversity.

About 80 participants from the countrys 37 dioceses attended the four-day conference and workshop.

[*] Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia.
The warning comes from Carmen Reinhart, the World Banks senior vice president and chief economist. Soaring food prices could spark unrest similar to what led to the Arab Spring. Egypt halts exports of lentils, pasta, wheat, flour and fava beans for three months.

Milan (AsiaNews)  Soaring energy and food prices, especially grains, linked to Russias war on the Ukraine is raising food security concerns in the Middle East and North Africa.

Uncontrolled tensions could lead to street protests like those of 2010 and 2011 that triggered the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, which in turn sparked the Arab Spring with uprisings in Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain.

The warning comes from World Bank Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Carmen Reinhart, who in an interview with Reuters pointed to the risks faced by the region, which has already experienced in the past the dangers of food insecurity.

There will be important ramifications for the Middle East, for Africa, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, Reinhart said.

To deal with the issue, the G7 agriculture ministers will hold a virtual meeting tomorrow, focused on the impact on food of the Ukrainian invasion and the possible steps to be taken to stabilise the food market.

I don't want to be melodramatic, but it's not a far stretch that food insecurity and riots were part of the story behind the Arab Spring," Reinhart explained, noting that coups, successful and unsuccessful, had increased over the past two years.

In addition, she explained that sudden spikes in food prices can lead to social unrest, like in 2007-2008 and again in 2011, when riots in more than 40 countries followed global food price rises.

In January of this year, prices for agricultural commodities were already 35% higher compared to a year ago, and are expected to rise further due to the war since Russia and Ukraine are both major exporters of wheat, maize, barley and sunflower oil.

If this happens, many government leaders may be tempted to implement subsidies; in many low-income countries this will add to their heavy debt loads.

Last month, the World Bank warned that the Middle East and North Africa could be particularly impacted since they are major importers of wheat from Ukraine and Russia, 80 per cent in the case of Egypt.

As evidence of how serious the situation is, the Egyptian government banned the export of wheat and other staples for three months, starting tomorrow, including lentils, pasta, wheat, flour and fava beans.
Blind Skateboarder Justin Bishop on His Journey from the Ramp to the Runway

Justin Bishop Talks Super Important Style Details for the Visually Impaired

For years, Justin Bishop honed his craft as a skateboarder, enthralled since a young age while growing up in Las Vegas. Only things took a turn when Bishop was diagnosed with the rare disease retinitis pigmentosa, which doctors said would eventually cause him to go blind around the time he hit middle age.

Bishop continued to skateboard and enter competitions, but at age 20, his sight had deteriorated beyond repair. What do you do when you encounter an obstacle? Well, you turn into an advantage, of course.

RELATED: Helping Those With Disabilities Look and Feel Great Through Accessible Outerwear

Bishop, now 35 and a pro skateboarder, eventually started skating again and recently took on a new challenge: participating in the Runway of Dreams Foundations first-ever Los Angeles runway show earlier this month, celebrating adaptive fashion with a special look at clothing made for disabled athletes and others in the community. (Runway of Dreams previously held a celebrated event in New York City during NYFW last September, showcasing adaptive fashions from the likes of Zappos (Bishops sponsor), as well as Kohls and Tommy Hilfiger.)

Prior to the his runway debut, AskMen caught up with Bishop  fittingly, on a break during one of his skate park sessions  to talk adaptive fashion, skateboarding while blind, and small style details that make a big difference for the visually impaired.

AskMen: Take me through your personal story and passion for skateboarding.

Justin Bishop: [My diagnosis] didnt really mean anything because I was eight, and they told me I wouldnt go blind until I was in my 40s or 50s. It didnt really affect me. At the age of 10, I discovered skateboarding from a neighbor kid and just fell in love with it. When I was 20, I was in a car accident from a blind spot in my eye. It made me legally blind, which made me realize my timeline was getting shorter. I just kept skating even more, because thats all I had left. At 25, I lost the rest of my usable sight. I stopped skating, [and] I didnt think I could skate anymore.

I had to kind of relearn how to be independent and how to live life. Once I figured out how to live life, I got back into skateboarding. It just made my life so much better because I had my identity back. Im never going to give it up again.

Whats your day-to-day life like? How much time are you devoting to skateboarding?

Right now, Im actually calling you from the skate park [laughs]. I wake up early, head to the skate park. I have the park to myself, skate for three or four hours  [Im] trying to progress adaptive skateboarding, blind, and visually impaired skateboarding as much as I can before my body starts to give out from the falls. Im trying to progress it as much as I can and hopefully get it into the Paralympics.

Ryne Belanger (@rynebelanger)

Speaking of the Paralympics, how is that process coming along? Is it moving steadily forward?

One of the cool things with it is every year, theres a new kid coming up that got inspired from me or a fellow blind skater. When I started, there was just two of us. Now, theres people all over the world. Theres other skaters that lost their sight and arent going to give up skating. Were definitely showing the world that theres a want and need, and a whole division for blind and impaired skateboarding.

Can you take me through the process of what is that like skateboarding without your sight?

When I first came back to skateboarding, it was scary because youre kind of starting from scratch. You kind of have to have a lot of humility because youre falling a lot in the beginning. The underlying thing that has not changed is the freedom you feel when youre on a skateboard. When youre on a skateboard, youre allowed to fall, youre allowed to be reckless. That freedom is what I love. When I came back to it, when I had it when I could see, and even to this day, the freedom is what I feel. I love it.

Ive never skateboarded myself, so I have a feeling I would definitely struggle to even stay upright.

Theres a pretty big learning curve. People see me skateboarding and they say, I have two eyes and I cant skate! and I say, Dont worry. I do this three to four hours every day. I truly believe that to get good at anything you have to take 10,000 hours to practice at it to be good at it. If people are willing to put the time in, theyll definitely get good at it.

In terms of fashion and what you experience on a daily basis, what are some of the issues youve noticed with clothes that dont have the specific design features you need?

For me, since Im blind, its a lot of being able to dress independently without all these extra gadgets to let you know colors. Being able to have Braille embroidered on different types of clothing thats semi-hidden, but I know where the embroidered Braille is. It lets me know what color so I can match my shirt to myself, or just have that extra confidence to know what Im putting on.

Is that an area where you see the most room for progress?

Being blind, its a weird disability because were fully able. Every part of our body works normally. Getting dressed independently is pretty easy and pretty normal, its just that confidence and independence that what were putting on is what I know Im putting on. Theres little labels of Braille and stuff you can put on your hangers to know what that is, but once you pull it out of the drawer, you have to still have someone help you make sure everythings still organized correctly. Just having that independence to dress yourself confidently is my main adaptive concern.

Are there any brands you really admire in the adaptive fashion space that are really doing things right?

Theres this company called Two Blind Brothers. They kind of came up with this clothing option where it has this embroidered soft Braille in the clothing, so you can get dressed knowing what color your shirt is, what color your beanies are, and its kind of hidden in the clothing without being obvious. Anyone can wear it. Theyre doing things right, for sure. They let me know that it is possible to put a little bit of sewing into any clothing and its not distracting, its not expensive, and it definitely benefits the blind and visually impaired.

Are there any skateboarding brands or companies that youve had discussions with about adding new features or designs?

Not yet. Like anything, you have to build it up, we have to show that theres a want for it in the normal fashion world first. Being a blind skater and wearing skate fashion, theres maybe 10 of us, and if we bring it to the general public first and then hopefully, when they see that it works, other brands will just pick it up. Were just waiting for some big brands to start doing it so that they can show that the want and the need is out there.

Ryne Belanger (@rynebelanger)

On that note, how did you get involved with Runway of Dreams and end up deciding to partake in their show?

Through Zappos. Im from Las Vegas and Zappos is a hometown company, so Zappos started sponsoring me back in 2019 to help me pursue my dream of getting the sport I love in the Paralympics. That relationship grew, and from there, I just created a friendship with the people that run the [runway show]. I actually got to go to one of the first Runway of Dreams shows in Vegas and it was just really, really cool. I said, "If you guys ever start getting into blind activewear or blind adaptive wear, definitely let me know."

Where do you hope to take your involvement with Runway of Dreams and perhaps, in the fashion space at large?

Im a skateboarder when it comes down to it. My goal is always introducing skateboarding to the next audience, showing this sport I love, and sharing it. Ill do that on any stage possible. If thats a runway show and they see me walking the runway with my skateboard and cane, it makes them think, Well, what else can I do? The runway is just a platform for me to share my love of skateboarding and to hopefully inspire others to do what they love that they might be scared of [doing], or to try skateboarding.

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Share This: The Carolinas Collision Association (CCA), in partnership with the Tennessee Collision Repairers Association (TCRA) and Gulf States Collision Association (GSCA), will hold its first combined annual Southeast Collision Conference, June 24-25 at the Gateway Conference Center in Richburg, SC.

Before the conference kicks off, on June 23, Collision Hubs Kristen Felder and Larry Montanez, of P&L Consultants, will do a full day's event on total loss processes and employee pay plans. This event will also feature Rachel James of Northwestern Mutual.



There will also be an industry mixer on the evening of June 23 and awards show, to celebrate area industry professionals, that will be exclusive to participating members and vendors.

At the event, a vehicle will be donated by K&M Collision of Hickory, NC, through the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program. North Carolina Farm Bureau provided the vehicle, which will be donated to a deserving person, found by Safe Harbor.

Safe Harbor is a Christ-centered community for rebuilding, renewing and recovery. The nonprofit supports the community through long-term recovery programs for women, transitional housing and facilitating charitable giving through programs like Hope on Wheels. This provides reliable transportation to women and families in their faith-based Whole Woman program.

June 24 and 25 will feature several workshops.

Assured Performance will kick off the conference with a workshop featuring Mike Anderson, followed by classes with James, David Luehr of Elite Body Shop Solutions, Felder, Montanez, Bruce Schronce of StrongLead, Michael Bradshaw of K&M Collision, David Willett of Spark Underwriters, Richard and Sam Valenzuela of NABR, Alex Whittit of Intrepid Direct and Mark Olson of Veco Experts.

There will be more than $1,000 in prizes for...
Their offering is dubbed the Mammoth 1000 and boasts all kinds of upgraded and new parts under the hood, which work together to increase the output and torque from 702 hp and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) to 1,012 hp and 969 lb-ft (1,314 Nm). The 0-60 mph (0-97 kph) is a 3.2-second affair, and the quarter-mile can be dealt with in 11.4 seconds.Now, thats definitely something to write home about, but one particular example listed for grabs in Finland isnt. Why is that, you ask? Because it has had its top speed limited to 55 mph or 90 kph in order to stay on the affordable side of the market, though at 249,900, equaling to almost $275,000 at todays exchange rates, it is anything but affordable.You see, the reason behind placating it is a tax loophole, with TheDrive explaining that due to its carbon dioxide emissions of 506 g/km, it would qualify for a 44.8% import tax should its new owner register it as a five-seater. Its gross weight makes it a commercial vehicle, an N2 to be more specific, so that helps it avoid the aforementioned tax. Next on, since the Scandinavian country is a member of the EU, it must adhere to certain regulations for commercial vehicles, like keeping the top speed in check, hence the neutering.Even though we said this tuned Ram 1500 TRX is in Finland, its not yet, because according to the quoted website, it will arrive there next month. In the meantime, the dealer is enjoying it in Florida, and if we had to guess, wed bet our bottom dollar that it is still capable of hitting a three-digit maximum speed.
Sadly, the number of people still kicking around who were able to experience the arguable quality-zenith of Chevrolet is starting to dwindle somewhat. But in all probability, they witnessed it in this car, a 1933 Chevrolet Master Eagle. This example comes to us from one of our very favorite custom car dealers, MAXmotive of Cheswick, Pennsylvania.Back in the 1930s, American cars came out of plenty of places other than Detroit. Back before, Americans realized how dirty and pollutive gas and diesel vehicle production is, at least. General Motors employed factories in far-off places like Kansas City, Oakland, California, Tarrytown, New York, and even in nations like Argentina, South Africa, and Belgium. In these far-off days of Chevy's past, the Series CA Eagle/Master chassis was used throughout the entire line of vehicles.Even GMC was using this rugged platform for their line of light-duty trucks, but this drop-top two-seater version is absolutely wicked-looking. The star of the show on this car is the "Omaha orange" painted spoked wheels with whitewall tires, but the engine is notable as well. Think of the 206 cubic-inch (3.3-liter) "Stovebolt" inline-six as the LS engine of the 1930s. A strong, dependable engine is seen under the hood of a slew of different GM models of the day. The six-cylinder engine jetted 60 horsepower to the rear wheels through a three-speed synchromesh manual gearbox.For comparison, that's less than 20 horsepower away from the 78 horsepower Mitsubishi Mirage on sale in 2022. Some cars advance slower than others, it seems. Happily, the interior of this Master Eagle is made of finer materials than the Mirage. Tan leather, polished chrome door handles and window cracks, and vintage steering wheel all come from a time when most passenger cars were designed for looks first and function a close second.At $49,500 before taxes and fees and less than 2,000 original miles (3,218 km), this is a wonderful occasional weekend drive machine. One with a touch of quality you won't find on a modern Chevrolet, at least this side of a C8 Corvette.
The next-gen Countryman is set to be even larger than the ongoing one, and it will continue to be offered in a version that will have a plug-in hybrid configuration. Mild-hybrid variants will be the norm for most of the range, though, and an all-electric version should not be ruled out just yet.Expect downsized engines in the range, along with the possible elimination of diesel-engined models. The latter may still be an option, as the German company that owns the British brand has not ditched them, but that does not mean they will be the highlight of the range.The upcoming MINI Countryman is visibly longer than the ongoing model, and it is claimed that the body has grown about eight inches in length (ca. 20 centimeters), but those are just estimates for now. Those estimates were made by people who have seen the vehicle in real life, but the eyes can easily be fooled, especially by this camouflage.As you can observe, MINI has decided to stick to the general shape and silhouette of the Countryman. That means we will continue to see a retro theme for this model, but with the largest body ever offered by a production model from the Oxford brand.Yes, there are not that many surprises from an exterior design standpoint. You might say that all that MINI's designers have to do is figure out a way to draw the headlights and taillights to look retro, but not too small or too large on the enhanced body. Otherwise, there are not that many retro twists one can make on a body style that did not exist in the Mini range back in the day.
In other words, if you have a mobile device running Googles operating system, you can now pay for parking using nothing but voice commands.The experience is powered by Google Assistant, and right now, its limited to the United States. Furthermore, given it is part of a partnership with ParkMobile, only some 400 cities in the country are supported, but the coverage could expand sooner rather than later with new locations.The whole thing works exactly as youd expect it to work.After you park your car in one of the supported locations, just tell Google Assistant to pay for parking using a standard command like Hey Google, pay for parking. Google Assistant should then launch a quick wizard that will let you complete the payment.The digital assistant asks for a series of details such as the zone number, the license plate number, the parking duration, and the credit card it can use to complete the payment. The process takes place via Google Pay, so you must have a credit card enrolled in the app.Google Assistant also comes with a lineup of post-payment capabilities, so for example, you can ask the digital assistant to tell the parking status. This way, you can always be in the know with the remaining time, and if needed, to extend your booking, once again via Google Assistant.Unfortunately, this new experience is only limited to the United States, but theres no doubt that at some point in the future, Google could also bring it to more locations across the world. Until this happens, everybody else must rely on more traditional ways to pay for parking.
WLTP

Although its hard to understand why Lamborghini spends a plethora of euros for the development of the companys third-generation V12, there are two reasons for going plug-in hybrid. First of all, Ferrari and McLaren have already proven how much of a performance boost the plug-in setup offers. But more importantly, emission laws in Europe have forced Lamborghinis engineers to integrate the plug-in hybrid setup to minimize the carbon dioxide output.Last year, for example, automakers were required to average 95 grams of CO2 across their fleets. Anything over the sweet spot is fined 95 euros per additional gram of CO2 multiplied by the number of cars the automaker in question sold in the European Union that year. Come 2025, the Euro 7 emission standard will make business even harder for the entire industry.Spied from every angle, the prototype in the photo gallery is gifted with the wedge-shaped styling language that made Lamborghini a household name in the first place. Covered in high voltage stickers, the camouflaged prototype also boasts carbon-ceramic brakes, massive air intakes on the rear fenders, door-mounted side mirrors, and a center-tipped exhaust system flanked by redesigned taillamps. Its also easy to notice that Lamborghini didnt even bother fitting an engine hood glass over that marvelous V12. The location of the coolant reservoir also suggests theyre still working on that engine.A massive rear diffuser and a deck-mounted spoiler also need to be mentioned. Gifted with a dual-clutch transmission rather than the automated manual of the Aventador, the all-new flagship has also been confirmed with a hybrid motor by the current motorsports head and former chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani. That motor likely drives the front axle, assisting the V12 off the line and under hard acceleration. Of course, we can also expect a little all-electric range. The Ferrari SF90 Stradale, which is the closest rival we can think of, can go 25 kilometers (16 miles) on the
According to the carmaker, Honda will reduce production in two domestic factories by 10% through the end of March. Reuters pointed out that geopolitical uncertainty and global chip crisis are behind the move.While oil and gas prices might not affect vehicle production directly, key gases such as neon and krypton supplied by Ukraine play a significant role in developing microchips. These minor hiccups combined are a production nightmare for automakers.Last year in March, Honda temporarily cut production in all of s Canada and U.S. plants due to the industry-wide semiconductor crisis, harsh weather, and supply chain issues.Honda is not the only automaker halting production. Last week, Ford stopped production at two U.S. plants due to a microchip shortage. According to the automaker, two of its plants in North America will be offline this week to provide more time to improve on the elusive part inventory.According to industry insiders, the chip shortage will not necessarily end this year but will have eased off towards the end. TSMCs Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Dr. Yuh-Jier Mii, believes the recovery will begin this year and take a span of 2 to 3 years The aftermath of the chip crisis falls on the consumer who no longer enjoys the luxury of discounts and incentives but has to pay above the sticker price for a new car.While many people think the chip crisis was due to the global pandemic, industry experts believe it would have still happened due to an increased demand for technology that requires microchips.
There are people in this world who are willing to take wrecks or vehicles that are seemingly beyond repair and bring them back to life. Thats the case of a generous South African businessman who decided to become a saving grace for the Bella T. Remember the story of the cursed luxury yacht? Last year, it made headlines as the object of a lawsuit, with claims adding up to almost $1 million (835,000).Initially built for a famous industrialist in the 70s and later owned by the Sultan of Sabah, in Malaysia the 147-footer (44.8 meters) would end up being sold several times. After its most recent owner was sued for not keeping up with the payments for a refit he ordered, the vessel became a property of Europa Shipping.The ships legal issues were materialized in a lawsuit with a whopping claim, in which the Western Cape High Court finally ordered it to go under the hammer. By this time, the Bella Ts components were in containers, and it seemed doomed, although official appraisals deemed it to be worthy of a couple of million dollars.The auction was supposed to take place at the start of this month, but through what might be considered a miracle, the firm in charge of the auction found a buyer at the last minute. Business Insider South Africa reports that a local South African businessman is willing to invest millions in the refit of Bella T and turn it into a successful charter yacht. Fortunately, the Court accepted the offer, so the cursed yacht was saved just shortly before going under the hammer.The price wasnt disclosed, but even the auction firm representatives confirmed that this is something that rarely happens. After decades of troubles, the previously-neglected Cape Town yacht is embarking on a bright journey. Those involved in the transaction hope that the Bella T will no longer be known as a cursed yacht after it regains its former luxurious status.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

PHEV

Back in September 2021, the Office of Defects Investigation notified Hyundai Motor America of a crash involving an Elantra where the driver-side pretensioner deployed abnormally, causing metal fragments to enter the rear cabin, injuring the rear passengers leg. According to the U.S. federal watchdog, thelearned of this incident from a law firm representing the vehicles owner.ODI therefore, requested Hyundais assessment of the incident. Come October 2021, the cause of the abnormal deployment was deemed unknown. Hyundai learned of a second incident on an Accent in Puerto Rico in December 2021, which led to yet another investigation. A third incident was reported in February 2022, this time involving a 2022 Avante in Singapore where the pretensioner caused unspecified injuries to the rear passenger.Hyundai and the supplier, Samsong of South Korea, discovered that the faulty pretensioner is different than the lots covered in previous recalls. Based on this information, the peeps at Hyundai Motor America informed Kia of their findings because the 2022 Sorento crossover uses pretensioners from the suspect lot. In the Sorentos case, no incidents were identified.Hyundai will call back no fewer than 140 units of the 2022 model year Elantra and Elantra Hybrid manufactured from July 5th, 2021 through November 22nd, 2021. As for Kia, make that 213 units of the Sorento Hybrid and Sorentoproduced between July 12th, 2021 and July 28th, 2021.Owners of the subject Elantras and Sorentos will be notified by first-class mail with instructions to bring their vehicles to a dealership in May 2022. The remedy component is from a different seatbelt pretensioner production lot, which is expected to deploy as intended in the event of an accident.
Visually, much like last years car, the VF-22 also featured a Russian theme, thanks to title sponsor Uralkali, which is, of course, a Russian company. Not only that, but it happens to be owned by one Dmitri Mazepin, the father of Nikita Mazepin.Fast-forward a few weeks and both Uralkali and the younger Mazepin have been ousted from the team , following Russias invasion of Ukraine.In fact, just before the teams final practice session in Spain, Haas put out this statement: Haas F1 Team will present its VF-22 in a plain white livery, minus Uralkali branding, for the third and final day of track running at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday 25 February.That car was all white, featuring Haas branding on the sidepods and the rear wing. Well, today the team unveiled a brand-new livery, which again only features Haas branding, plus a few minor sponsorships in the lower sidepod area. In terms of the color combination, we are once again dealing with a white, red and black Haas, like their car from the 2020 season.However, unlike the 2020 car, this one doesnt feature any black on the engine cover, making white its predominant hue, which works just fine from a visual standpoint.The VF-22 will take to the track in Bahrain (during testing) with Mick Schumacher and Pietro Fittipaldi as its designated drivers. Once the regular season kicks off (March 20, also in Bahrain), Schumacher will be joined by none other than Kevin Magnussen The 29-year-old Danish driver is returning to Haas after a one-year absence  he last drove for the team back in 2020 when it was him and Romain Grosjean behind the wheel.
Carmakers have tried for years to come up with a solution for the dream automotive equation: achieving a 1:1 hp-to-kg ratio for a road-legal car. For a long time, it was thought to be impossible. However, Koenigsegg managed to make it happen and called it the Megacar. The automaker was able to freely do this because the new vehicle was the first to ever be homologated with one megawatt of power. Thats why it became known as the Koenigsegg One:1. Weirdly enough, only seven were ever built, with one being the prototype. Whats even more intriguing is not the price or the exclusivity but the fact that the hypercar can also run on E85 biofuel or normal gasoline. It was truly a production vehicle.Originally priced at $2,850,000 and with a 5-liter V8 under the hood, you can imagine the right people started to gather interest. The cars were immediately sold, which raised their market price almost instantaneously.One of the customers that got his hands on a Koenigsegg of this type was Teodoro Obiang Nguema. And thats how the story starts.Three years ago, we were telling you about a Bonhams auction with supercars and hyper cars. Those vehicles were originally belonging to a vice-president. You might not expect to hear this, but he wasn't elected nor appointed. This guy was the son of - you guessed it - the President. He was just announced as a public servant, and people had to accept it. The country in question is Equatorial Guinea, a place where politicians act like royalty.Teodoro Obiang Mangue Nguema  nicknamed Teodorin  was young and restless. He loved fast and exclusive cars while earning less than $100,000 a year. The One:1 wasnt the only car he had in his fit for a king garage, as he also owned a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, a Ferrari Enzo, a yellow Ferrari F50 , a Pagani Huayra Roadster, a Bugatti Veyron and other Bentleys, McLarens, or Rolls-Royces. Its hard to imagine he had time to drive all these exotic and luxurious vehicles, so people started identifying him as a collector.Unfortunately for him, in 2016, police from France and Switzerland seized most of his properties. The French also accused him of being corrupt, arrested him, and sent the man to trial, where he was found guilty under a law known as 'biens mal acquis.' This means a French court can establish litigation and other punishments if someone is a public servant that misused public funds. This remains applicable even if the suspect is from another country. Well resume the description of what the courts findings were in the case at misused because details are difficult to confirm in 2022.Nguema was sentenced to three years in prison and had to pay a $34,780,000 fine, both punishments ending up as suspended by the court. The judge said the African leader mightve been inclined to think its ok to live a lavish lifestyle in another country because banks never warned him about any possible wrongdoings. The fact that hes the leader of a poor nation that needs international support on a yearly basis even today was ignored. On the other hand, the prosecutor, Jean-Yves Lourgouilloux, said at the time that the vice-presidents dubious spending was amounting to over $166,000,000. In the end, there was a risk of nothing happening. It took 10 years to bring this man to justice, and he was almost left unscathed.Fortunately, he had the courage to appeal the decision because he wanted to clear his name entirely, and the higher court decided he had to pay the fine without doing time. Moreover, the Swiss ordered him to pay up too for breaking fiscal laws, and that ended with his wine and car collection under a French-Swiss temporary lock-up that turned into a complete freeze. The idea was to return more money in Equatorial Guinea, so Bonhams was assigned to organize the auction mentioned above.Time passed, and two years later, in 2019, the bidding competition began. All 25 cars were sold. The auction house said then all buyers wanted to remain anonymous. The money was donated to a charity that does work in the African country.What Bonhams failed to do is to instruct those clients to not pose with their newly acquired cars. A couple of months after the sale ended the vice-president was once again seen driving his Koenigsegg One:1 in a video on Instagram . Furthermore, almost all cars auctioned went back to his garage in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea. More recently, some of the cars were shipped to Dubai where they await his presence. The vehicles are just gathering dust now because the vice-president is busy taking important trips in international waters. Proof is this video , where you can see the parking lot.The man ended up paying almost double for his One:1 alone. In the end, he got his favorite cars back. Recently, he even bought a new Ferrari Monza. Unfortunately, those photos and videos were made private or deleted.Its been eight months since the twice bought Koenigsegg One:1 was last used. But, at least, it's on display in Dubai.He's still the vice-president.
EV

Themaker does not have much to celebrate. Despite the good reviews and prizes the R1T already collected, production numbers would be a factor for disappointment. According to Automotive News , they are way below what they should be, and the explanation is not complex.After the international health crisis and the semiconductors shortage, the world hoped that things would get back to normal until Vladimir Putin thought it was a good idea to invade Ukraine. The supply disruption caused by this move paralyzed the automotive industry once again, and Rivian was no exception.Ukraine is a massive wiring harnesses supplier, and Russia produces 40% of all nickel worldwide. Electric vehicles are significantly affected by both situations, and Rivian does not have a production volume that is enough for it to dodge these rising costs with long-term contracts.To make matters worse, Rivian announced a $12,000 price increase recently that caught reservation holders by surprise. RJ Scaringe tried to fix that by stating these price hikes would not be applied to reservations made as of March 1. If he pleased his early adopters, the Rivian CEO caused the fury of Charles Larry Crews.This shareholder filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco alleging that the company priced its EVs in a deceiving way before the IPO only to raise the prices shortly after that. Thats something Laura Schwab also accused the company of doing in her lawsuit against Rivian for gender discrimination and retaliation.All that makes the earnings call that is about to begin in a prelude of a nightmare: Rivian and RJ Scaringe are sure to face tough questions from investors unless they are able to dodge them as Tesla does. The new EV maker has an excellent opportunity to show it follows different standards.
Stellantis isnt a big player in Russia. Even though the company comprises historical auto brands and is one of the main carmakers worldwide, its impact on the local market is not that important. It holds just a little over 1% of the total car market in the Eastern European country  and thats after an 83% increase in sales in 2021.What the company is doing in Russia that matters to its shareholders is exports, specifically vans and minivans exports like the Peugeot Expert, Opel Vivaro, or Citroen Jumpy. Before the attack on Ukraine, Stellantis wanted to invest more in its Kaluga plant near Moscow to also manufacture the Fiat Scudo. There werent any further developments announced.The factory is shared with Mitsubishi, which said the same as Stellantis when asked if it plans on leaving Russia : it may happen, but only because sanctions might end up disrupting supply chains.Stellantis best-selling vehicles in Russia were Peugeot Traveler and Citroen Space Tourer.Now the company confirmed its momentarily stopping the operations in Russia, as New York Times and Reuters reported.You ought to keep in mind that at the moment, theres no official press release with specifics regarding the stopping of imports and exports in Russia. Stellantis hasnt issued any other details besides this: "All Stellantis exportation of cars to Russia and importation from Russia are suspended."This marks a slight shift in the companys attitude, as its CEO, Carlos Tavares, previously said closing the factory and stopping all operations would only hurt workers, not Putin.But, for now, we know one sure thing: Stellantis temporarily stopped Russian production, exports, and imports because parts are missing, not because a war is happening in Ukraine - officially, that is.It's hard to understand why Stellantis isn't taking the same approach as Volkswagen Ford , or BMW . Instead, it looks like it follows Toyota 's lead in the matter.
The pompous name refers to large battery packs that have the goal of storing electricity. In businesses and houses with solar panels, they accumulate what these systems produce to use this energy when it is really needed. In the ones with no generation solutions, they work simply as a backup.Unlike Tesla, SVOLT is betting on LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells to power its ESUs. These batteries deliver 280 Ah and 3.2 V. According to the Chinese cell company, the CE-Series ESU provides high flexibility, scalability, intelligence, reliability, safety, and standardization. SVOLT reminds us that the ESUs can also be used to fast charge electric cars.According to the Chinese company, the CE-M-100/200 Medium-scale solution has fire protection mechanisms to prevent thermal runaway episodes, which LFP cells are already less prone to experiencing. SVOLT says that these characteristics make its ESUs safe, strong, and smart, something it calls the 3-S principle.From what it disclosed, these energy storage systems are already for sale. In 2023, the company will sell modular liquid-cooled ESS components. That gives us the idea that the ESUs sold now will be able to upgrade to liquid-cooling if they are necessary for their applications. In 2023, SVOLT will also offer Smart Energy Professional Services. Unfortunately, it did not state what they would do, but the name suggests that people may rent the ESUs instead of buying them.The smart part of the deal relates to far more than just choosing the right chemistry to offer these ESUs. SVOLT claims to have incorporated AI (artificial intelligence) into the systems so that they can be monitored more effectively. AI would allow the companys ESUs to warn and predict possible faults in advance. It would also map large amounts of data.
As the name implies, Volkswagen was born from the idea of creating a peoples car back in the 1930s. That car became known as the Beetle and its worldwide success enabled the company to morph into one of the biggest names in the automotive industry. More upscale or sportier VW-badged models followed, but a true supercar was never a part of the brands portfolio.This would change in the late 1990s when CEO Ferdinand Piech decided that the best way to test and advertise the new W-shaped (or twin-V) engine design was to fit it inside a mind-blowing speed machine.Piech handed this project over to Giorgetto Giugiaros Italdesign , who were required to create an eye-catching, yet aerodynamically-efficient vehicle that would accommodate both the aforementioned engine in a mid-ship position and VWs Syncro all-wheel-drive system.The result was a low-profile, two-seater that looked more like a road-worthy version of a Le Mans prototype than anything the VW had ever built. It made its first public appearance at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, shocking everyone in attendance.But the styling was not the main talking point. With this daring concept, the company revealed its W12 engine to the world. At the core of the 5.6-liter, 414-hp unit stood two VR6 engine blocks that were basically fused into one unit. Of course, the powerplant was much more than that, as it employed a series of high-tech features like a double-flow magnesium variable intake manifold, or variable intake and exhaust valve timing.While a series production of the W12 Syncro was ruled out from the start, VW announced it would continue the development of the engine, which it planned to use in a series of flagship models. However, this didnt spell the end of the captivating two-seater. Along with the innovative twelve-cylinder , engineers also improved the car in the years that followed. A rear-wheel-drive roadster version was unveiled a year later, but the pinnacle of the W12 project would be revealed in 2001.With a thoroughly revised body, a lighter chassis, and an enlarged 6.0-liter powerplant that could now spit out 591 hp, the W12 Nardo was born. Its name came from the Nardo Ring, a high-speed test track located in the Province of Lecce, Italy.The car met the track for the first time later that year for real-world tests. In 24 hours, it was clocked at an average speed of 183.5 mph (295.3 kph) over 4,402 miles (7,084 km), breaking its first world record. But this was just the beginning.A few months later, on February 23, 2002, the black prototype with its golden BBS rims returned to Italy for another test session . This time, it managed to cover a distance of 4,809 miles (7,739 km) in 24 hours, maintaining an astounding average speed of 200.6 mph (322.8 kph). This feat resulted in no less than seven new world records and twelve international class records. You can watch actual footage from that day in the YouTube video below by gtaivps3600.Apart from the accolades, VW engineers earned valuable insight into the limits of the W engine, as the innovative architecture proved its durability and performance potential.The twelve-cylinder variant made its way under the hood of flagship models like the VW Phaeton and Touareg, the Audi A8, or, in twin-turbo guise, on various Bentley models.The W layout was also used for the creation of the quad-turbo W16 at the heart of another record-breaking supercar, the series production Bugatti Veyron
Justice never sleeps and in the case of the U.S. Air Force, it keeps repeating itself. The American military aviation was once again on the defendants side. They had to work with Japanese officials on a proper cover, but their strategy didnt prove successful. In the end, judges decided that Japan will have to pay $11.6 million in damages because it allows and supports USAF operations.The reasoning is pretty simple: people dont like noise in their neighborhoods. Helicopters, cargo airplanes, and jets are not known for their ability to maintain stealth at ground level. The U.S. Air Force tried to explain why it must operate in that crowded, urbanized area together with local officials, but their defense was quashed.As Stripes informs, the plaintiffs should receive compensation starting from $2,908 and up to $5,816. The sums were decided in accordance with who suffered the most from USAF activity. But the story doesnt end here, as the Japanese might end up demanding more than just the $11.6 million awarded. They argue the money doesnt cover their discomfort. And they might be right!This truly might not be the best solution the Okinawans couldve gotten, as in 2017, another panel of three judges decided to compensate 22,054 people with $265 million. In all cases, the Japanese complained about the same thing: noise. They argued that American aircrafts were too loud and were operating too often. That may be why theyre already planning on appealing.Lawyers said plaintiffs also wanted to ask the court to stop all the military activity nearby, but that would have made proceedings even more complicated. In the end, they chose to settle for money.
Lazy Z was known by several names throughout its long life  it was built in 1997 by Oceanco and was extensively refitted a decade ago, but was continuously maintained and upgraded to high standards. At the time, the 166-footer (50.6 meters) was the largest vessel built by Oceanco, turning heads with its cascading design created by Richard Hein and the minimalist, luxurious interiors styled by Therese Baron Gurney.Throughout the decades, it was known as a remarkable charter yacht that could accommodate up to 12 guests, enticing them with numerous al-fresco dining areas, a jacuzzi on the main deck, a large main saloon, and a dazzling selection of water toys. One of its most impressive features, according to the builder, is the colossal masters suite unfolding over a third of the main deck.The Oceanco yacht allegedly belonged to the American media and real-estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman, a famous billionaire, but it wasnt Zuckerman who donated it, as the vessel was previously sold in 2020. Now, two years later, it became the largest yacht to be donated, according to Superyacht Times , and a deal for its lease/purchase was recently closed.What this means is that the former owner Lazy Z donated it to the National Save The Sea Turtles Foundation in Florida, which then has the right to lease it to a new customer, with a purchase option at the end of the lease. Yacht broker Jonathan Chapman told Yacht World a few years ago that this is a rare but successful type of transaction in the industry.In the case of watercraft that are harder to sell, the owner prefers to donate them, which means he doesnt have to pay maintenance and other expenses, plus he gets the tax right-off for the donation. On the other hand, the charity gets to lease the boat and eventually sell it for a much smaller price. There are only a few organizations that lease yachts, and Save the Sea Turtles is one of them.The lease/purchase price wasnt disclosed, but its an unusual turning point for a luxury yacht that was once estimated at $20 million and owned by a billionaire.
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, a relatively inexperienced statesman who is little known outside of Israel, has emerged as a key mediator between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Why it matters: Bennett is the first-ever Israeli prime minister to attempt to directly mediate a major international crisis. That's burnishing his reputation at home as a major world leader. It's also a risky endeavor, given Putin's track record of manipulating and deceiving his interlocutors.

Bennett decided to get involved when he realized almost no other country could speak credibly to both sides, his aides say.

He has now had more known calls with Putin and Zelensky than almost any other leader since the war began.

Driving the news: Last Saturday, Bennett took the extraordinary step of flying to Moscow in secret  and on the Sabbath, although he is an observant Jew.

After the meeting, Bennett traveled immediately to Berlin to brief German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He has been in constant contact since with Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron through phone calls and WhatsApp messages.

Scholz and Macron have also been speaking with both Putin and Zelensky, while President Biden has been talking only to the Ukrainian side since the start of the invasion. Israeli officials have briefed the White House on every call with Putin and Zelensky, a senior Israeli official tells me.

State of play: Bennetts aides said he isn't making any proposals to the two presidents but is instead acting as a go-between.

Still, they contend his efforts have helped give Zelensky and Western leaders more clarity on Putin's thinking. Putin's latest proposal wasn't fully known in Washington, Paris and Berlin before Bennett relayed it, the aides say.

Israeli officials say the proposal includes demands that would be difficult for Zelensky to accept but are not as extreme as they anticipated, as they don't involve regime change or forfeiture of Ukrainian sovereignty. The Israelis feel there is now a critical window to reach a ceasefire.

However, many U.S. and European officials have cast doubt on the idea that Putin is actually prepared to end the war.

Behind the scenes: Before Bennett's Moscow trip, Israeli officials made sure the White House would not object. National security adviser Jake Sullivan told the Israelis that Biden welcomed it, according to a senior Israeli official.

Two U.S. officials tell me the Biden administration is skeptical about Putin's willingness to engage in serious diplomacy.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid traveled to Riga, Latvia, to meet with Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Monday to brief him on the talks with the Russians and make clear that Israel stands behind the U.S. when it comes to the war in Ukraine.

Blinken and White House press secretary Jen Psaki have both said the U.S. welcomes Bennett's efforts but noted the need for coordination with the U.S., consultations with Ukraine, and support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The bottom line: Bennett's aides are playing down expectations that his mediation efforts will lead to a breakthrough while stressing that someone needs to talk to both sides and Israel is one of the few countries that can.
Large law firms are cutting ties with Russian clients and even shuttering their Moscow offices as U.S. and European sanctions hit blue-chip clients, and Russia's cut off from segments of the global financial system.

Why it matters: Big Law is just one of a host of sectors fleeing Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine. But its exit could deprive oligarchs and Russian multinationals of vital services connecting them to business and financial systems.

American and European law firms have been central to Russia's integration into the global economy.

Firms based in London, New York and other business hubs have brokered massive deals and structured billions in assets.

Driving the news: Axios contacted 30 major American and European law firms with offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg  some with hundreds of attorneys there  to see if they plan to maintain their presences in Russia.

At least five firms  the London-headquartered Linklaters , Norton Rose Fulbright and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ; Helsinki's Borenius ; and the American firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius  plan to shutter their Russian offices entirely.

, and ; Helsinki's ; and the American firm  plan to shutter their Russian offices entirely. Another, Swedish firm Mannheimer Swartling , said it has suspended operations in Russia and is "analyzing" whether to exit the country.

, said it has suspended operations in Russia and is "analyzing" whether to exit the country. Three firms  New York's Cleary Gottlieb , Chicago's Winston & Strawn and Amsterdam's Houthoff  said they will drop all Russian government and state-sponsored clients.

, Chicago's and Amsterdam's  said they will drop all Russian government and state-sponsored clients. New York's Debevoise & Plimpton said it has "taken action to terminate several client relationships," is not taking on new clients at its Moscow office and is "conducting a review of the status" of that office.

said it has "taken action to terminate several client relationships," is not taking on new clients at its Moscow office and is "conducting a review of the status" of that office. White & Case, another New York firm, is keeping its Moscow office open but officials said they "continue to review our Russian and Belarusian client activity and are exiting some representations in accordance with our professional responsibilities."

another New York firm, is keeping its Moscow office open but officials said they "continue to review our Russian and Belarusian client activity and are exiting some representations in accordance with our professional responsibilities." Clifford Chance , another London-headquartered firm, says it will not take on new Russia work, and will "review" existing work to ensure it aligns with sanctions and "our responsible business principles and values."

, another London-headquartered firm, says it will not take on new Russia work, and will "review" existing work to ensure it aligns with sanctions and "our responsible business principles and values." Two other firms  London's Allen & Overy and Hogan Lovells , co-headquartered in London and Washington  also said they'll drop clients that don't align with "our values" but did not elaborate.

and , co-headquartered in London and Washington  also said they'll drop clients that don't align with "our values" but did not elaborate. Five additional American and British firms told Axios they're "examining" or "reviewing" their work in the country but were less committal about next steps.

What they're saying: Advocates of stronger economic penalties against Russia told Axios the Big Law exodus could be an important pressure point against Moscow.

"It can only be good for democracy that they are now leaving Russia," said Paul Massaro, a senior policy adviser at the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe  commonly known as the Helsinki Commission.

Prominent global law firms have represented wealthy Russians and large companies in the country not just on strictly business matters, but also on public relations, said Elise Bean, former staff director on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

"If you cut off legal advice to these guys, it's going to have repercussions in tax, in securities, in investments and in reputation management," Bean told Axios in an interview.

Between the lines: Many firms drawing down their Russia operations have worked extensively in the past with pillars of the country's economy  including companies hit by U.S. and European Union sanctions during the past two weeks.
HOUSTON  Geothermal energy is hot these days, despite supplying a tiny share of global power, as startups employing sophisticated technologies are attracting significant venture capital.

What they're saying: Tim Latimer, CEO of the startup Fervo Energy, chatted with Axios at a major energy conference here.

The company raised $28 million last year from investors including the Bill Gates-led Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and he said total VC funding to date is almost $60 million.

Some highlights...

Don't look for a single tech winner. Fervo's next-generation geothermal system relies on sophisticated horizontal drilling and fiber optic sensing.

But others in the space are aiming to commercialize closed-loop systems and even tap "supercritical" resources at stunning depths.

"This is a very big market prize that people are going after. I think there's going to be many different solutions," he said at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference.

Policy matters. Latimer said the renewable power tax incentives in President Biden's stalled domestic spending plan are important.

But he's also seeking executive permitting reforms for projects on federal lands.

"In a weird way, considering it's 2022 and we're all focused on the climate crisis, it's way easier to permit oil-and-gas drilling on federal lands than it is geothermal drilling," Latimer said.

They're weighing going public. "We're exploring new financing, both private and public, in ways that are going to let us grow faster and have more impact sooner.

"The 24/7 clean power movement is bullish. Geothermal can help provide clean baseload power.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation to sanction Russia for invading Ukraine.

Driving the news: The vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan, passing 414-17, and marks the first time since Russia began amassing troops on the Ukrainian border that either chamber of Congress has moved on a sanctions package.

The vote bodes well for the bill's chances in the Senate, where it needs some GOP support to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold.

The details: The bill includes a ban on Russian energy imports and allows the Biden administration to sanction Russian officials implicated in human rights abuses.

It also directs the U.S. trade representative to "use the voice and influence" of the U.S. to push for Russia to be suspended from the World Trade Organization.

The backdrop: Lawmakers in both parties were left grumbling when the White House intervened to gut key provisions of the bill.
For decades, New Jersey has held steadfast to a law prohibiting gas station customers from pumping their own tanks. That may be about to change, in ways that contain a surprising insight about how the economy works.

Why it matters: If New Jersey backs off its gas pumping rules, it will show the power of "endogenous productivity growth," the idea that tight labor markets can create powerful incentives to deploy workers in ways that generate the most economic value.

It's hard to argue that legally required gas station attendants create a lot of economic value, given that in most of the U.S. customers happily pump gas themselves.

If the law were changed, and people pumping gas in New Jersey went to work in jobs more highly valued by the marketplace, that would amount to higher wages for them and higher economic output for the state.

The labor shortage has made state legislators more receptive to relaxing the rules, Politico reports. That's how the issue connects to a broader economic idea.

In effect, when labor is scarce, it forces employers to find ways to get more economic benefit from each hour of labor  which ultimately fuels higher wages and standards of living.

The bottom line: If New Jersey deals with the current economic situation by loosening its gas-pumping rules, it will show a different way tight labor markets can generate productivity gains  through political action.
Mike Pence flew to Israel this week on the private jet owned by arguably the most powerful donor in Republican politics, Miriam Adelson, two sources familiar with the situation told Axios.

Why it matters: The former vice president, who fell out with Donald Trump because he refused the former president's demands to unilaterally overturn the 2020 election result, is contemplating challenging Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries.

A close relationship with Adelson  widow of former casino mogul and megadonor Sheldon Adelson  could potentially bring tens of millions of dollars to a pro-Pence political machine.

Pence currently trails well behind Trump in speculative 2024 polls of Republican voters.

The big picture: The Adelsons gave more than half a billion dollars to Republican campaigns, party organs and interest groups during the past five election cycles, topping out at nearly $220 million during the 2020 cycle.

Trump benefitted considerably from that largesse. And he reciprocated, awarding Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.

It remains to be seen how heavily she'll spend after her husband's death last year. Her only political donation last year was $5,000 to the PAC for former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, herself a prospective 2024 candidate.

But Republicans are optimistic Adelson will spend big because she was every bit as enthusiastic a political operator as her late husband, according to lawmakers who've met privately with the couple over the years.

What they're saying: Pence's senior adviser Marc Short declined comment to Axios.

Adelson adviser Andy Abboud also declined comment.

Behind the scenes: Pence arrived in Israel on Monday and had dinner with Miriam Adelson that night.

Jewish Insider, which first reported the meeting, said Pence joined Adelson on Tuesday morning to pay his respects at her husband's gravesite on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem's Old City.

Axios confirmed these details.

Pence also had dinner Tuesday night with former Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a source briefed on the meeting.

Pence broke news in the Israeli press by declaring the next Republican administration  which he predicted would take office in 2025  would tear up any resurrected nuclear deal President Biden strikes with Iran.

Trump trashed the 2015 deal negotiated by former President Obama.

Between the lines: Pence has been making aggressive political moves lately  building his profile as a potential 2024 contender.

His advocacy group this week announced it was spending $10 million on TV ads targeting vulnerable House Democrats on energy policy and Ukraine.

As Axios reported, that $10 million buy is the most expensive move by a 2024 GOP contender not named Donald Trump.

Pence publicly distanced himself from Trump by criticizing GOP "apologists" for Putin during a speech last week to Republican National Committee donors in New Orleans.
Nick Fuentes, identified as a "white supremacist" in Justice Department filings, made headlines last week for hosting a white nationalist conference in Florida. His father is also half Mexican American.

The big picture: Fuentes is part of a small but increasingly visible number of far-right provocateurs with Hispanic backgrounds who spread racist, antisemitic messages.

Driving the news: Cuban American Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, a group the Anti-Defamation League calls an extremist group with a violent agenda, was arrested Tuesday and charged with conspiracy in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

What they're saying: Experts tell Axios far-right extremism within the Latino community stems from three sources: Hispanic Americans who identify as white; the spread of online misinformation; and lingering anti-Black, antisemitic views among U.S. Latinos that are rarely openly discussed.

Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State University, said in an interview that the trend is "part of the mutation that takes place as the racist fringe tries to become more mainstream."

Racism is deeply rooted in Latin American and Caribbean nations, where slavery was common, Tanya K. Hernandez, a Fordham University law professor and author of the upcoming book, "Racial Innocence: Unmasking Latino Anti-Black Bias," told Axios. "In Latin America, white supremacy is alive and well.

Even families who have been in the U.S. for generations can often bring those biases with them.

Between the lines: The U.S. trend, fueled over the course of Donald Trump's presidency and the pandemic, extends beyond movement leaders to a broader network of participants, some of whom have faced hate crimes charges.

Last month, Jose Gomez III, 21, of Midland, Texas, pleaded guilty in federal court to three counts of committing a hate crime for attacking an Asian American family, including two children, he believed to be responsible for the pandemic.

In 2018, Alex Michael Ramos, a Puerto Rican resident of Georgia, was sentenced by a Virginia District Court to six years in prison for his role in a beating of a Black man in Charlottesville, Virginia, following the "Unite the Right" rally.

Christopher Rey Monzon, a Cuban American man and member of the neo-Confederate group League of the South, was arrested in 2017 for attempting to assault anti-racist protesters in Hollywood, Fla. He later resigned from the group and said he regretted using slurs for Black and Jewish people.

Context: At the conference in Orlando, which made headlines because U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) accepted an invitation to speak, Fuentes drew attention for comments of his own:

"And now theyre going on about Russia and Vladimir Putin is Hitler  they say thats not a good thing..." He then laughed and said, "I shouldn't have said that."

Fuentes has questioned the Holocaust, criticized interracial marriage and defended Jim Crow-era segregation. The ADL describes him as "a white supremacist leader and podcaster who seeks to forge a white nationalist alternative to the mainstream GOP."

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio wears a shirt supporting Derek Chauvin, the police officer convicted of killing George Floyd. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

But, but, but: There are limits to how accepted some far-right Latino activists can become in white supremacist and neo-Nazi circles, Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow at the ADL's Center on Extremism, told Axios.

Some extremists on 4chan and 8chan say Fuentes' Latino heritage disqualifies him from speaking on white supremacy, Pitcavage said. Meanwhile, some white supremacist elements of the Proud Boys dismiss Tarrio as a leader but so far he has withstood the criticism, said Pitcavage, who monitors the chats.

Tarrio's lawyer, Lucas Dansie, did not respond to emails seeking comment. Fuentes' American First Foundation also did not respond to requests for comment.

What we're watching: U.S. Latinos identifying as multiracial soared during the last decade, while those identifying as solely white dropped significantly, according to the latest census.

Subscribe to Axios Latino and get more news that matters about Latinos and Latin America, delivered right to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Editor's note: This story first published on March 10.
The Jan. 6 select committee has subpoenaed Salesforce, the customer relationship management giant and a major Republican National Committee vendor, for sensitive information about the RNC's fundraising, Axios has learned.

The RNC plans to sue to stop the disclosure, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the dispute. An advance copy of the complaint filed was reviewed by Axios.

Why it matters: It's the most significant legal confrontation so far between the GOP's official apparatus and the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

The Feb. 23 subpoena, reviewed by Axios, shows the intensity of the panel's efforts to link the assault with official fundraising and engagement efforts  and to learn precisely who was crafting and sending emails and how they impacted supporters who read them.

Former President Donald Trump and other witnesses have also sued to try to block committee subpoenas.

Details: The substance of the Salesforce subpoena seeks documents from the RNC's fundraising platform vendor, owned by Salesforce, that the committee says could contain evidence of fundraising practices based on falsehoods that may have contributed to the attack.

The RNC lawsuit characterizes the subpoena as a political ploy that is "staggeringly broad and unduly burdensome" and a "fishing expedition" designed to expose confidential information about donors and fundraising practices.

Salesforce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What they're saying: "The RNC and its millions of supporters face an unprecedented threat that will undoubtedly chill their First Amendment rights and expose the RNCs supporters to reprisals and harassment," the document says.

Turning over the data would provide political opponents "with an all-access pass to confidential RNC political strategies and the personal information of millions of its supporters."

political opponents "with an all-access pass to confidential RNC political strategies and the personal information of millions of its supporters." The RNC says it violates the First and Fourth amendments and claims the committee is not properly constituted and therefore lacks the authority to subpoena records.

and claims the committee is not properly constituted and therefore lacks the authority to subpoena records. Whether or not it wins in court, the RNC could try to draw out the process long enough, hoping that November's midterm elections make it a moot point.

The Select Committee said in a statement that the subpoena has "nothing to do with getting the private information of voters or donors."

The subpoena was issued "to help investigators understand the impact of false, inflammatory messages in the weeks before January 6th, the flow of funds, and whether contributions were actually directed to the purpose indicated," spokesperson Tim Mulvey said.

He added that the RNC and Trump campaign solicited donations through the false claims and the messages "encouraged supporters to put pressure on Congress to keep President Trump in power."

How we got here: Salesforce is a market-leading customer relationship management platform. In 2013, it acquired a digital marketing company, ExactTarget, that allows clients to send mass-email communications.

The RNC used that platform to blast out numerous fundraising emails for a joint Trump-RNC fundraising account.

That means Salesforce has extensive data about Trump and RNC fundraising campaigns.

The committee wants a full accounting of RNC email data from Election Day through Jan. 6, 2021, including data on how many emails were sent, when they were sent, and how often recipients opened them and clicked through to donation pages.

The committee is also seeking Salesforce data that could identify who at the RNC was actually logging into its software to craft and send those emails.

It also wants any documentation on any internal Salesforce investigations into the RNCs use of its platform, as well as the companys communications with RNC employees.

The RNC says the committee's subpoena would give it "unprecedented access to the RNCs internal political strategies and to private, personal information regarding its supporters."

The big picture: The subpoena is part of a sprawling investigation by the Jan. 6 committee into the finances and fundraising practices of the Trump campaign and its GOP allies.

The committee is examining whether the people who drafted fundraising appeals that invoked false claims about fraud in the 2020 election or pledged to use that money to fight election results in court knew those claims were false at the time, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

As part of its investigation, the committee has interviewed former campaign and RNC staffers and examined hundreds of the two groups fundraising emails, according to the Post.

It's trying to determine whether those behind the emails knowingly lied in order to raise more money and whether that might constitute wire fraud.

The committee is also examining whether those emails' frequent and baseless claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election helped drive Trump supporters to storm the Capitol.

Between the lines: Legal experts say the RNC's effort to block the subpoena will be an uphill battle but is not futile.

"Courts have traditionally given congressional oversight bodies broad leeway in conducting investigations, absent any constitutional or procedural defenses by the subpoenaed party," said Christopher Armstrong, a partner at Holland & Knight who specializes in congressional investigations.

"That said, it's not necessarily an unwinnable one, especially when there are constitutional claims involved," he told Axios in an email.

"Given the expectation that Republicans could win control of the House of Representatives in November, and what that would mean for the Select Committee, whether the suit is victorious might be secondary to whether it pushes the process beyond the 117th Congress."

The RNCs lawsuit is slated to elevate legal disputes over Jan. 6 committee tactics that, the New York Times reported last month, more closely resemble a criminal investigation than a congressional inquiry.

The committee does not have the power to prosecute individuals its probing. But its investigation appears geared toward establishing criminal predicates that could pique the interest of the Justice Department.

Republicans have disputed the committees legal authority to issue subpoenas at all, a position reiterated in the RNCs lawsuit.

"If companies still choose to violate federal law [by complying with committee subpoenas], a Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said last year.

Behind the scenes: McCarthys statement underscores a political dilemma for Salesforce and other companies targeted with committee subpoenas.
Data: bp global; Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is spurring European Union and U.S. moves to cut imports from Kremlin-backed energy suppliers.

Why it matters: The efforts are especially urgent in Europe, which unlike the U.S. is extraordinarily reliant on Russian oil, gas and coal.

Driving the news: The EU on Tuesday approved a new round of sanctions, which bans investment in Russian energy.

The White House last week announced a ban on Russian energy, but as of last November, Russia provided just 7% of U.S. combined crude and petroleum product imports.

By contrast, Europe's dependence on Russia is a strategic and economic vulnerability and provides large revenues for Vladimir Putin's regime.

Aggressive moves to break that link might also speed movement to climate-friendly energy sources like wind and solar.

The big picture: Russia's role in the overall global energy economy is immense. It's the largest natural gas exporter, and the second-largest crude oil exporter after Saudi Arabia.

Recreated from EIA; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios

By the numbers: Last year, roughly 40% of EU consumption of natural gas  a vital source of heat, power and industrial energy  came from gas imported from Russia.

About a quarter of European oil and petroleum products came from Russia before the invasion. Europe soaks up about 60% of Russia's export of those commodities.

And Russia provides 46% of Europe's coal imports, according to European Commission data.

The European Commission last week unveiled broad plans to make Europe independent of Russian fossil fuels "well before 2030."

The plan calls for diversifying suppliers of pipelined and liquefied natural gas from countries including Azerbaijan, Algeria, the U.S. and Qatar.

It also includes faster permitting for renewables projects, greater energy efficiency, development of hydrogen projects, use of home heat pumps and more.

It starts with having enough gas on hand for next winter, something that was not the case this year. A key component of this plan is filling natural gas storage facilities to 90% capacity by Oct. 1.

The EU plan also includes importing more natural gas from friendly nations, such as the U.S., and cutting demand through energy efficiency initiatives and other steps. In total, officials say they could cut the demand for Russian gas by two thirds by the end of 2022.

Reality check: Russia's share of U.S. crude and petroleum product imports isn't trivial, but it's small enough to make the U.S. ban more of a symbolic strike at Putin's regime and revenues.

Plus, it was already starting to happen anyway.

"Most of my member companies had already self-imposed a boycott of Russian crude," Mike Sommers, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said in an interview.

"This announcement was already factored into most refiners' situation as they're looking for crude around the world," Sommers added. He cited preliminary federal data showing U.S. imports of Russian crude dropped to nothing in late February.

What we're watching: The European moves to break up with Russian energy are far more complex, especially right now.

"Putin is a very keen student of energy markets and he probably recognized, launching this, that it was a time when oil markets were tight, gas markets were tight and coal markets were tight, so there isn't a lot of spare capacity," Pulitzer-winning energy historian and analyst Dan Yergin said in an interview.

Go deeper: The latest on the Russia-Ukraine crisis

Andrew Freedman contributed reporting.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the European Commission plan would make Europe independent of Russian fossil fuels before 2030, not 2020.
Ukraine on Monday criticized the Kremlin's announcement of new humanitarian corridors to transport civilians to Russia and Belarus as an "immoral" stunt ahead of a third round of peace talks.

The latest: The talks near the Belarus border concluded after about four hours, with no major breakthroughs but positive developments on improving the "logistics of humanitarian corridors," according to a Zelensky adviser. Negotiations on a potential ceasefire and broader political solution will continue.

State of play: A senior U.S. defense official said Russia has now deployed "nearly 100%" of the combat power that it had massed on Ukraine's borders, and that Russia has launched over 625 missiles into Ukraine since the start of the invasion.

The official said the Pentagon can confirm reports that Russia is recruiting Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine, though they could not comment on the size or success of the effort.

"We find it noteworthy that [Putin] believes he needs to rely on foreign fighters to supplement what is a very significant commitment of combat power inside Ukraine as it is," the official said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an additional 500 U.S. troops to deploy to Europe this weekend to shore up NATO's eastern flank, bringing the total number of U.S. service members stationed in Europe to approximately 100,000.

The big picture: Just prior to the third round of talks, the Kremlin outlined the most explicit set of demands Moscow has given so far for ending the war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine should amend its constitution to "reject any aims to enter any bloc," likely in reference to NATO and the European Union.

Peskov also called for Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian and the pro-Moscow separatist republics in eastern Ukraine as independent  but appeared to stop short of demanding regime change. "[T]hat's it," Peskov said. "It will stop in a moment."

What to watch: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey on Thursday for the highest-level talks since the invasion began, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Ukrainian (L) and Russian (R) delegations at the third round of peace talks on March 7. Photo: Maxim Guchek/Belta/AFP via Getty Images

State of play: Russia's Defense Ministry said it had agreed to hold fire and open humanitarian corridors from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol. But the apparent evacuation routes would take Ukrainians under siege to cities in Russia and Belarus.

The move was quickly denounced by Ukrainian officials, who pointed to previous failed efforts to establish evacuation corridors.

A spokesperson for President Volodymyr Zelensky told Reuters it is "completely immoral" and said Russia was trying to "use people's suffering to create a television picture."

Russia said the apparent evacuation corridors came in response to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Ukrainian officials have reported Russia's military breaching of such pledges before, resulting in the halting of civilian evacuations  notably in the port city of Mariupol, where some 200,000 civilians were reported trapped over the weekend.

Data: Institute for the Study of War with AEIs Critical Threats Project; Map: Jared Whalen/Axios

Zoom in: Ukrainian officials reported attacks across Ukraine, including in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Monday morning.

Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Monday morning that "Russia continues to carry out rocket, bomb and artillery strikes on the cities and settlements of Ukraine," per an AP translation.

"The invaders continue to use the airfield network of Belarus to carry out air strikes on Ukraine," it added.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service shared online images of razed homes that it said were shelled in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Monday morning.

What they're saying: Zelensky said on Sunday that "God will not forgive" attacks on civilians, including a family of four "killed in Irpin as they were trying to leave the city" in northern Ukraine.

Between the lines: The U.K. Ministry of Defense said on Monday that intelligence suggests Russia's military was attacking "targeting Ukraines communications infrastructure in order to reduce Ukrainian citizens' access to reliable news and information"  noting the attack on a Kyiv TV tower last week and another strike on a Kharkiv TV tower Sunday.

"Ukrainian internet access is also highly likely being disrupted as a result of collateral damage from Russian strikes on infrastructure," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. "Over the past week, internet outages have been reported in Mariupol, Sumy, Kyiv and Kharkiv."

Yes, but: Russia's invasion plans appear to be stalling in the face of Ukrainian resistance, according to a Defense Ministry intelligence update late Sunday.

" Over the past 24 hours, a high level of Russian air and artillery strikes have continued to hit military and civilian sites in Ukrainian cities. Recent strikes have targeted Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv, and been particularly heavy in Mariupol," the Defense Ministry said.

Over the past 24 hours, a high level of Russian air and artillery strikes have continued to hit military and civilian sites in Ukrainian cities. Recent strikes have targeted Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv, and been particularly heavy in Mariupol," the Defense Ministry said. Despite this, "Russian forces probably made minimal ground advances over the weekend," the Defense Ministry said. "It is highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved its planned objectives to date."

Zoom out: The United Nations' International Court of Justice was hearing submissions from Ukrainian officials on Monday calling for the world court to make an emergency ruling to end the invasion, accusing Russian forces of genocide.

The ICC last week opened an investigation into allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed in Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN from Moldova on Sunday that U.S. officials had "seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians, which would constitute a war crime."

Go deeper: The latest on the Russia-Ukraine crisis

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
The speaker of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, declined to convene a special session for a video address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, three Israeli officials tell Axios.

Update: The two sides have now agreed that Zelensky will address members of the Knesset on a Zoom call in the coming days, according to Knesset speaker Mickey Levy, who came under criticism after Axios reported that he had rejected Zelensky's request for a special session.

Why it matters: Zelensky is trying to rally global support for Ukraine, and is also one of the few Jewish world leaders outside of Israel. He previously addressed the U.K. and EU parliaments, receiving standing ovations from both.

A source in the Knesset said Zelensky's speech will be public and open to the press the same way as a Knesset plenary session, but the lawmakers will log in remotely.

Levy also released a statement Wednesday saying he couldn't convene a special session because the plenary hall is being renovated next week.

Behind the scenes: The Ukrainian ambassador to Israel presented a formal request to Knesset speaker Mickey Levy on Wednesday morning, which happened to be the last day of the current legislative session.

Mickey replied in writing that it would be "an honor to facilitate such an address," but that because the Knesset would be on recess and many members would not be present in the building, it should be held remotely.

Levy's aides say he consulted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before replying, and the ministry said it would not be opposed to such a Zoom call.

One Israeli official said the Ukrainians were highly disappointed by the reply. The Ukrainian ambassador declined to comment.

Between the lines: Zelensky's speech to the British parliament  in which he invoked Winston Churchill and quoted Shakespeare  was shared widely in the U.K. and around the world.

At a time when he is trying to mobilize global support for a stronger response to Russia's invasion, a private Zoom call will offer a much smaller platform.

The latest: After this story broke, Levy released a statement saying he couldn't convene a special session because the plenary hall is being renovated next week.

Worth noting: Zelensky did hold a Zoom conference with members of both houses of the U.S. Congress, rather than addressing a joint session.

Go deeper: Israel's Bennett emerges as key mediator between Putin and Zelensky

Editor's note: The story has been updated with the news that the Knesset will host Zelensky over Zoom.
The village of Khramort came under mortar fire for the fourth consecutive day. According to the authorities in Stepanakert, Azerbaijani troops also fired mortars towards several other Karabakh villages and adjacent farmland on Wednesday.

Suren Baghrian, a 51-year-old Khramort farmer, was wounded in the back when a mortar shell landed near his house in the morning. The explosion was caught on a camera of the Armenian TV station Fifth Channel.

I was working in my courtyard, Baghrian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service from a hospital later in the day.

Another Khramort resident, Hasmik Andrian, said most local women and children were evacuated from the village overnight because of intensifying gunfire from nearby Azerbaijani army positions.

But men remain in the village at the moment, she said. We must hold out as much as we can.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said, meanwhile, that Armenian forces continued to fire at its troops deployed in the Aghdam district east of Karabakh. It earlier denied targeting civilians.

For their part, the Karabakh authorities insisted that Baku stepped up truce violations as part of its efforts to spread panic among Karabakh Armenians and depopulate the disputed territory.

Karabakhs Security Council said it is cooperating with Russian peacekeeping forces to try to prevent more Azerbaijani provocations. Urgent measures are being taken to force the enemy to honor ceasefire agreements, it added in a statement.

Armenian media cited a Karabakh official as saying that the peacekeepers rushed to Khramort and set up two monitoring posts there early on Thursday.

In what may have been a related development, gas supplies from Armenia to Karabakh were cut off on Monday night after a pipeline passing through Azerbaijani-controlled territory was knocked out by an apparent explosion.

The gas supplies have still not been restored. Officials in Stepanakert have accused the Azerbaijani side of blocking repairs on the damaged section of the pipeline.

Tensions have also risen along Armenias border with Azerbaijan. One Armenian soldier was killed and another wounded there on Monday.

Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian mentioned the escalation on Thursday at the start of a weekly session of his cabinet on Thursday. But he avoided condemning Baku.

Let us not make evaluations at this point. We will just note this situation and try to focus on ways of solving problems, Pashinian said, adding that Yerevan is now working with the Karabakh authorities and international partners to try to ease the tensions.
The Armenian government has not condemned the Russian invasion, underscoring its close political, military and economic ties with Moscow. It abstained last week from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on March 3 that Yerevan is deeply saddened by the war and hopes that Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will produce results.

Khachatrian, who will be sworn in as Armenias new, largely ceremonial head of state on Sunday, echoed this stance before attending his last cabinet meeting in his capacity as minister of high-technology industry.

We all should hope and do everything so that this war ends as soon as possible, he told journalists. We know very well what it means.

Khachatrian would not be drawn on economic consequences of the Wests crippling sanctions against Russia. He said only that their precise impact on Armenia is difficult to predict at the moment.

We just need to prepare our system, especially the financial system, added the 62-year-old economist elected as president by the Armenian parliament last week. The government and businesses should not brace themselves for a worst-case scenario, he said.

Russia is Armenias number one trading partner and export market. Russian-Armenia trade totaled $2.6 billion last year.

Officials in Yerevan admit that the Western sanctions will likely hit hard Armenian exports to Russia as well as remittances sent home by Armenians working there. They also expect a further surge in food prices in Armenia.

The South Caucasus country imports a large part of its wheat, cooking oil and other basic foodstuffs from Russia.
Leaders of the opposition party accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians administration of planning to make sweeping concessions to Azerbaijan and Turkey that would threaten the very existence of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

This resistance must be directed at those who try to lead us to vital concessions with false pacifist calls, said Armen Rustamian, a member of Dashnaktsutyuns new governing Bureau elected during a party congress held in Yerevan.

The weeklong congress brought together senior members of the partys branches in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora. A statement adopted by it says that Dashnaktsutyun must be ready to play a decisive role in the fight for regime change.

Dashnaktsutyun is now affiliated with the opposition Hayastan bloc led by former President Robert Kocharian. The bloc finished second in the snap parliamentary elections held last June.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Rustamian and the Canadian-Armenian head of the Bureau, Hagop Der Khatchadurian, gave no indications that Dashnaktsutyun is considering leaving Hayastan.

Still, they said they are open to cooperating with more opposition forces that share their concerns about existential threats facing Armenia. They also made a case for new methods of political struggle against Pashinians government, notably street protests.

Hayastan already announced in November the start of a nationwide resistance campaign during a rally in Yerevan. But it has staged no further protests since then.

Kocharian said in December that despite what he sees as a sharp drop in Pashinians approval ratings Armenians are still not willing to attend anti-government demonstrations in very large numbers. The ex-president stood by his view at a news conference held last month.

Rustamian seemed to acknowledge that opposition groups need more time to generate a strong protest movement.

The people do not feel an existential danger, he said. Im sure that as soon as the people feel that existential danger they will fill the streets. This is why the authorities are doing everything to keep the people in the dark.
Lavrov discussed with them the implementation of Russian-brokered agreements to ease tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and unblock transport links between the two South Caucasus nations.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov agreed to speed up preparations for the second session of a multilateral platform meant to promote peace and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus. The platform comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey and Iran.

Lavrovs talks with Bayramov and Armenias Ararat Mirzoyan followed an upsurge in ceasefire violations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as well as in Nagorno-Karabakh where several villages were shelled by Azerbaijani forces in recent days. Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in Karabakh reportedly intervened in to prevent a further escalation of the tensions.

We havent seen each other in a while, and a lot has accumulated, Mirzoyan told Lavrov at the start of their meeting held in the Turkish resort city of Antalya.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said he briefed Lavrov on the consequences of Azerbaijans provocative actions and called for necessary steps to ease the tensions and prevent incidents in the conflict zone.

The two ministers agreed on the need to restart Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations on a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov and Mirzoyan also discussed Russian-Armenian allied relations and ways of further reinforcing them, added the statement.

In his opening remarks publicized by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov stressed the importance of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians official visit to Moscow scheduled for the beginning of next month.

I am confident that it will help to further advance our allied relations, he said.
Bakersfield Restaurant Week

Head to visitbakersfield.com/restaurant-week to download your passport. Then visit any of the participating restaurants from Friday through March 18, entering the location's unique four-digit pin into your phone for a chance to win.

A daily drawing will be held for a $100 restaurant gift card for anyone who visits at least one restaurant. One diner  drawn from those who visit three or more businesses  will win a $250 Visa gift card and Bakersfield swag bag.

PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS AND DEALS

 Cafe Smitten (909 18th St.)

 Smitten (1407 Buena Vista Road)

 El Portal West Mexican Grill & Cantina (1100 Calloway Drive, Unit 300)

 Jake's Original Tex-Mex Cafe (1710 Oak St.)

 Locale Farm to Table (1727 18th St.): Offering a specialty dessert and two other menu specials later in the week

 Moo Creamery (4885 Truxtun Ave.)

 Nuestro Mexico Restaurant (716 21st St.)

 Nuestro Mexico Lounge (9919 Hageman Road, Suite A-100)

 Nuestro Mexico Tacos and Bar (9660 Hageman Road, Suite A)

 Pappy's Coffee Shop (10595 Rosedale Highway): Two breakfasts and brewed drinks for $20.22 or two burgers or salads with brewed drinks for $20.22

 Porkchop and Bubba's BBQ (1230 H St., Suite A)

 Salty's BBQ & Catering (9425 Rosedale Highway and 6801 White Lane): Free medium drink with purchase of a meal

 Sonder (9500 Brimhall Road, #100)

 Temblor Brewing Co. (3200 Buck Owens Blvd., Suite 200): Offering a beer and cheese pairing flight

More promotions and specials will be announced during the week. Follow the restaurants' social media pages as well as Visit Bakersfield (facebook.com/VisitBakersfield and Instagram @visitbakersfield)
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @idesai98 on Twitter.
Bluefield, WV (24701)

Today

Rain showers early with some sunshine later in the day. High 71F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 50F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Chevron Phillips' Port Arthur plant is one of three targeted for millions of dollars in upgrades as part of a settlement recently reached with the federal government.

The company will pay $118 million for compliance measures at the three Texas petrochemical plants as well as a $3.4 million civil penalty after a complaint claimed the company "failed to properly operate and monitor its industrial flares, which resulted in excess emissions of harmful air pollution at the three Texas facilities," according to a release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The changes are expected to reduce greenhouse gases by more than 75,000 tons per year, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency said. The pollutants addressed in the settlement cause "significant harm" to public health, the release said.

At the Port Arthur plant specifically, the company will amend its air quality permits to limit the flow of gas at certain flares, the release said. It will create a plan to minimize waste in an effort to further reduce flaring and install and use systems that ensure gases sent to flares are actually combusted.

Related: These SE Texas plants released the most benzene in Texas last year

While the health impacts of Clean Air Act violations in Port Arthur, Cedar Bayou and Sweeny, Texas, cannot be reversed, this Consent Decree does provide for improvements at Chevron Phillips facilities that are located close to residential neighborhoods," EPA Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance said in the release. "Port Arthur and these communities have been demanding assistance for years. It is good to see this kind of bold enforcement action.

The excess emission of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants occurred after the company failed to properly operate and monitor its flares, the release said.

VOCs are a component in the formation of smog or ground-level ozone, which irritates the lungs, exacerbates diseases including asthma and can increase susceptibility to respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Chronic exposure to benzene, a carcinogen, can cause health impacts including leukemia.

In 2020, Chevron Phillips Chemical's Port Arthur facility released the second-highest amount of benzene in a single emission event with 4,704 lbs, according to a yearly report released by Environment Texas and the Environmental Integrity Project.

Related: Port Arthur activist says study shows reach of hazards

The report also listed the plant as the third-worst polluter in the Southeast Texas region, releasing a 386,165 lbs.

The Cedar Bayou and Sweeny plants also will receive upgrades as a result of the settlement.

"Chevron Phillips Chemical strives to ensure compliance, especially regarding flaring, and we are fully committed to environmental stewardship," the company said in a statement. We are pleased to have this matter settled with the EPA and are making additional investments to proactively reduce our environmental footprint as part of our sustainability strategy."

Under the agreement, Chevron Phillips will install pollution control and emissions monitoring equipment at the three plants, said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield for the EPAs Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

Those controls, plus a requirement for fence line monitoring of benzene emissions and corrective actions when benzene readings are high, will result in significant benefits for the local communities in Texas, he said.

The pollution controls aim to reduce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that contribute to global warming.

The consent decree outlining the settlement is subject to a 30-day comment period and final court approval.
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Some Port Arthur Memorial High School students can graduate with industry-specific certifications, allowing them to jump right into the workforce upon graduation or giving them an advantage in college programs.

In fact, the district is a leader in Career and Technical Education, which brought Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke to Port Arthur on Wednesday to learn more about the school's 13 programs.

Four of these programs -- health science technology, construction technology, welding and collision repair and refinishing -- were highlighted during his walk through.

Joined by Principal Melissa Oliva, Career and Technology Educational Director Kevin Johnson and Port Arthur Mayor Thurman "Bill" Bartie, among others, O'Rourke spoke with students about the impact of technical education opportunities on their lives.

Maria Ortiz, a student in the health science technology program, shared how it had given her an opportunity to pursue her passion of helping people.

RELATED: Evans empowers students through the love of cooking

The health science technology program gives students a chance to earn a certificate to become a Certified Nurse Assistant. They can then enter the workforce or continue on a path toward college, which Ortiz said she plans to do.

In addition to discussing the importance of technical education, O'Rourke stressed the need for people, particularly young people, to come or return to Port Arthur and begin their careers.

"The fact that Port Arthur is investing in your education and your ability to compete for these kinds of jobs and do them here is really exciting," O'Rourke said. "It's Port Arthur solving Port Arthur's challenges."

From there, O'Rourke visited the construction technology program, where the goal is to prepare students to earn a National Center for Construction Education and Research certification that allows them to go directly into industry at any NCCER participant companies, even those outside of Texas.

He spoke to Jose, the shop's foreman, who oversees the safety of his classmates.

"I've got to make sure everyone has their (Personal Protection Equipment) on -- gloves when handling wood, goggles, eye protection," Jose said. "At the end of the day, I just go around noting people on how they did."

RELATED: Paul Brown Center gets program redesign

The program's instructor said that students must check out equipment through Jose, giving him leadership experience.

Outside of Memorial's CATE, training like this would cost around $2,500, Johnson said. But through the program, students can earn their certification for free.

O'Rourke noted that students are being prepared for jobs that exist within Southeast Texas, so they don't have to leave the area to find them.

"We've already had representatives from the refineries come in and speak with (the students) about those opportunities that are right there," said the construction technology instructor. "We want everyone to go to college, but college isn't for everyone. This gives them that opportunity to have that same leg up when they leave here, they're ready to go to work."

Next, O'Rourke visited the welding program, where he spoke with senior John Pitre, who was working on a barbecue pit.

The welding program is a dual-credit class through Lamar State College-Port Arthur. After graduation, Pitre can continue his education for another year at LSCPA and earn his degree.

RELATED: New leader in technical studies comes to Lamar Orange

Welding instructor Vandie Smith said some students have been hired right out of school making $15 an hour -- about double the state's minimum wage.

"It depends of the level of welding," he said. "We do stick welding, we do mig and tig welding. A guy doing tig welding can earn up to $40 to $50 (an hour) starting out."

Before COVID, students could sign with companies visiting the school.

"They hired upon graduations," he said. "They can get the NCCER and they can walk into almost any plant because I'm teaching them all the basics of working in a plant."

Smith said his program can have up to 16 students, but he often has stacks of students wanting to join the program, making it more competitive.

"I kind of weed them out with the grades and conduct in other classes," he said. "I treat (this class) as a job site."

RELATED: Beto came back to Beaumont. Here's what he had to say.

At the collision repair and refinishing program on Wednesday, students were practicing their airbrush paint skills with water.

"Once they get the hang of it, it will take about a week, they will get to use actual paint," the instructor said. "Right now, they're learning the technique on how to hold the gun; have the proper distance; how to grab the hose."

Students in this program have the opportunity to earn an I-CAR certification, which allows them to work in a shop upon graduation.

The instructor himself is a product of the program.

"I graduated in 1997, and I took this class, and I didn't know what I was going to do with my life," he said. "I knew it wasn't college. It wasn't for me, I'm a hands-on person."

RELATED: Port Arthur ISD exhibit teaches students various sectors of Black history

O'Rourke said what Port Arthur offers its students is the leading edge in public education in Texas unlike those offered in other areas of the state.

"What I see right here in Port Arthur is leadership and innovation that meets the challenge," he said. "We're not waiting on anybody else to save the day, no one's relying on a handout. You've got hardworking students and extraordinary educators."

O'Rourke said it is important for schools to prepare students for the workforce and college.

"What we've got to do is have a balance," Bartie said. "I want us to have a balance in our community -- (for there to be) jobs in industry as well jobs in academia, and our students will be able to return home and our economy will be able to take care of them."

olivia.malick@hearst.com

twitter.com/OliviaMalick
Mana Mobile

Dwayne The Rock Johnson has many business ventures, including being the founder of Teremana Tequila. Johnson is now bringing his signature tequila to Texas via his food truck, Mana Mobile.

Mana Mobile is currently on a Texas road trip. The Lone Star State portion of the food truck tour started in Houston on March 5. While there, it was serving healthcare workers at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center.
Bedford, PA (15522)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 70F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds late. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Ferries and other boats dock at the Dhaka River Port, also known as the Launch Terminal, on the banks of the Buriganga River, June 23, 2019.

The Bangladeshi government has awarded a U.S. $71 million contract to a Chinese company to dredge rivers as part of a World Bank-financed project to boost transport routes between India and its northeastern states via Bangladesh, officials said Thursday.

Finance Minister A.H.M. Mustafa Kamal and a cabinet committee on government purchases awarded the contract worth 6 billion taka to the state-run China Harbor Engineering Co. Ltd., said Md. Zillur Rahman Chowdhury, a government official.

The firm operates in more than 70 countries, and has been hired to dredge about 800 km (500 miles) of waterways that connect the cities of Dhaka, Chittagong, and Ashuganj by December 2025.

The dredging of the routes will enhance Bangladeshs connectivity with the seven northeastern states of India with the use of Ashuganj river port. This will enhance trade and people to people contact between Bangladesh and India, Matiur Rahman, a member of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, told BenarNews.

The contract is the first awarded to a Chinese company under the Bangladesh Regional Waterway Transport Project-1. Other Chinese companies have been constructing projects in the road and rail sectors in the South Asian country.

The inland water transport authority is responsible for dredging rivers to allow navigation.

Completion of dredging of the Dhaka-Chittagong-Ashuganj River route will allow the ships to come to Dhakas Pangaon Inland Container Terminal  and accelerate the pace of trade and business, Rahman said.

Ashuganj is a Bangladeshi river town located about 50 km (31 miles) from Agartala city, in northeastern India.

Bangladesh is home to at least 405 rivers, including 54 that enter from India and three from Myanmar, according to the government-run Bangladesh Water Development Board. Bangladeshs main rivers  the Ganges (also called Padma), Brahmaputra and Meghna  enter from India and drain into the Bay of Bengal.

Bangladesh rivers carry nearly 2 billion tons of sediment every year and deposits can make boat travel on large sections impossible, the development board said.

Bangladeshs government, supported by the World Bank, began implementing a series of waterway projects in 2016, according to A. H. M. Forhad Uzzaman, an additional chief engineer with the inland water transport authority. The total cost is more than $390 million (33.5 billion taka).

The governments of India and Bangladesh had been negotiating a plan to dredge the river routes using funding from the World Bank, according to Commodore Syed Ariful Islam, a former director general of the Department of Shipping.

The principal purpose of the project is to expand Bangladeshs connectivity with the seven landlocked states in the northeastern states of India via water routes, he told BenarNews.

Our rivers carry huge quantities of sediment from upstream outside Bangladesh and the problem exacerbates as the flow of rivers has been coming down every year, he said. But the government cannot always carry out dredging on all river routes.

Through implementing the project, Bangladesh and India can speed up the pace of trade and business. At the same time, this project would allow the landlocked northeastern states to use Chittagong port, he said.

Mir Nasir Hossain, a former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, thanked the government for approving the dredging project.

Of all the means, the water route is the cheapest. The water routes can make the biggest contribution to trade, business and investment, Hossain told BenarNews.

If Bangladesh and India can jointly work to increase the flow of the rivers, then these would contribute to increase trade and business as well as fish resources and protect our rich biodiversity, Hossain said.
A motorist passes by flags of various parties contesting the Johor state elections, in Muar, Johor, March 2, 2022.

Malaysians aged 18 to 20 will vote for the first time ever this weekend, as Johor residents go to the polls to choose state assembly members in a contest that analysts say will likely keep the countrys oldest political coalition in power.

The 18- to 20-year-olds represent only 6.92 percent of Johors registered electorate, so they wont sway the result of Saturdays election, analysts said. The UMNO-led Barisan Nasional coalition has an edge in its stronghold state because of an anticipated split in votes due to a fractured opposition, they said.

Despite the euphoria of people under age 21 getting to cast ballots, the total percentage of under-25 voters in Johor is only 17 percent, said Tunku Mohar Mokhtar, an academic at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

They are important, of course, but they alone wont affect the overall outcomes, he told BenarNews.

And the youth vote, too, will be divided among the various parties, Mohd. Azizuddin Mohd. Sani, a political analyst and professor at University Utara Malaysia, predicted.

I suspect all parties can get an equal number of votes from this group, he told BenarNews.

That means not everyone will vote for the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance or MUDA  an acronym that literally means young. The youth-based party is contesting elections for the first time and is led by Johor-born Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

MUDA is vying for seven seats in the state assembly, in an alliance with the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition, which had handed the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party its first defeat in 61 years, in a historic election in 2018.

A total of 239 candidates are running for 56 seats in the state assembly of Johor, Malaysias third most populous state.

UMNO, the countrys oldest party, was born in Johor. It controlled the state assembly but wanted to hold elections to make the government more stable, former Johor Chief Minister Hasni Mohammad had claimed, after the death of a supporting lawmaker had reduced UMNOs majority to only one seat.

UMNO seen as having edge

Analysts see the incumbent UMNO coming out ahead in its stronghold because a divided opposition has meant multi-cornered fights in several seats, which means the partys diehard supporters will make all the difference to the Barisan coalition it leads.

This time around, analyst Mohd Azizuddin cited the example of a fractured opposition split between the Warisan party and Bersatu, the party headed by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

These parties used to be part of an opposition coalition . But now they are contesting against each other while Barisan has strong support from its hardcore voters, he said.

The more divided the opposition parties  it may provide an advantage for Barisan but there are at least six to eight seats considered as gray areas that are difficult to predict. My conservative assessment is Barisan winning by a simple majority.

Political analyst Mazlan Ali concurred.

He said UMNO would be banking on its voters in rural areas and among lower-income groups.

Pakatan Harapan, MUDA and Pejuang [former PM Mahathir Mohamads party] may capture a number of seats in urban areas and racially mixed seats, the political analyst and senior lecturer at the Malaysian Technology University told BenarNews.

But overall UMNO and Barisan have an edge, he said.

Johor had been UMNOs stronghold for decades before it fell to Pakatan Harapan in the 2018 state election and as it lost power at the federal level.

But Pakatan now no longer seems fresh or even united, according to an analysis by Francis E. Hutchinson and Kevin Zhang, published by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore think-tank.

In contrast to 2018, Pakatan Harapan is looking less cohesive and less appealing to voters. A drop in turnout or the loss of vote share to new parties could see PH lose an important number of seats, the analysis said.

Barisan has exceptionally strong chances of doing far better this time, the analysis authors said.

Should all the winds be in its favor and BN attains a two-thirds majority, pressure for early national elections will be well-nigh impossible to resist, their analysis said.

However, should the coalition net above thirty seats but not secure a two-thirds majority, life in Johor will revert to its pre-election and COVID-afflicted state. There will be little excitement or justification for national elections soon after.

Some younger Johor voters desperately want change, though.

I do not want seasoned and corrupt leaders, Priscilla Tan, 25 and a recent graduate, told BenarNews. Unfortunately many voters prefer to continue supporting BN but not me.

Mashita Raja Mohamad, 35, hoped to see more young candidates being elected to represent the younger generation.

It doesnt matter which party they are with, but most importantly they will not be jumping over to the other parties after winning the seat, she told BenarNews.

Meanwhile V. Navanithan Valayutham, a retiree, was hopeful.

I am looking forward to young and vibrant leaders leading the state. I really adore MUDA leaders, but I know its hard for them to win it, he told BenarNews.

But its not wrong for us to hope for the best.
President Rodrigo Duterte is willing to allow American forces to use Philippine bases and facilities if the crisis in Ukraine stemming from the Russian invasion spreads to Asia, the Filipino ambassador to Washington said Thursday.

The Philippines would honor the decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), which binds the two allies to aid each other in times if a foreign power attacks either country, and would allow the U.S. to use former American naval and air bases here, envoy Jose Manuel Romualdez said.

If the U.S. asks for support, Duterte was very clear that  if push comes to shove  the Philippines will be ready to be part of the effort, especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to the Asian region, Romualdez told reporters in Manila during an online forum.

He offered that the Philippines will be ready to open its doors, especially to our ally the U.S. in using our facilities, any facilities they may need, Romualdez said, speaking from Washington.

Officials at Malacanang, the presidential palace in Manila, did not respond immediately on Thursday to an inquiry from BenarNews for further comment on what Duterte told the Philippine ambassador.

Romualdez, who met recently with the president in Manila, said that Duterte indicated his approval to open former military bases in the event of an emergency situation and allow the U.S. forces to come back to the Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base if the Ukrainian conflict spills over in Asia.

The two bases were among United States militarys largest overseas installations but were shut down after the Philippine Congress voted to end their lease in the early 1990s, at the end of the Cold War. Since U.S. forces vacated both sites, they have been transformed into free ports and investment zones.

Im pretty sure that the president meant this to be in an emergency situation where  lets pray it does not happen  but, if it spreads out in the Asian region for some reason or another, the President obviously sees that need for us to make a choice, Romualdez said.

And our choice is  since we have an MDT with the United States, we have this special relationship and military alliance, he [Duterte] said he is allowing the use of facilities, the ambassador said.

Filipina activists protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, during an International Womens Day march in Manila, Mar. 8, 2022. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews]

Since Duterte came to power in mid-2016, he has tried however to forge closer economic and bilateral relations with Americas rivals, China and Russia.

Still, the U.S. has not wavered in the military alliance and has helped the Duterte administration defeat pro-Islamic State militants when they took over the southern city of Marawi for five months in 2017.

In February 2021, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III reaffirmed Washingtons commitment to the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty during his first official phone call with his Philippine counterpart, Delfin Lorenzana.

The VFA, which came into force in 1999, provides legal cover for large-scale joint military exercises and allows U.S. troops to operate in the Philippines on a rotational basis. It has remained in effect since Manila deferred its termination.

The comments by Romualdez to reporters came less than a week after Duterte said that the Philippine should remain neutral over the Ukraine crisis because it was too far from Russia geographically.

The ambassador made the comments hours after remarks during a congressional hearing in Washington by Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who called on the United States to strengthen its defense ties in the Indo-Pacific region in light of the Ukrainian crisis and a potential similar one involving China and Taiwan.

Russia started attacking Ukraine on Feb. 24, drawing international condemnations and strict economic sanctions, led by the U.S., in a bid to stop President Vladimir Putins punishing military offensive.

On Mar. 2, the Philippines joined 140 other U.N. member-states to vote in favor of a General Assembly resolution that condemned Russias military strike on Ukraine.

Romualdez said that while Duterte values the friendship he made with President Putin and President Xi [Jinping of China], he knows that this thing happening right now in Ukraine is something that should not have happened because it was unprovoked.

The president was very concerned about it, and his major concern was how it will affect our economy, which already is, Romualdez said, adding it was the top priority in their discussion.
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Tanglewood Music Center, however, offers orchestral bass players the chance to shine, thanks to frequent commissions of new works for ensembles of seven double basses. Two of these compositions, on April 10, will receive only their second performances ever at Tanglewood's Linde Center for Music and Learning.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has opened the application period for her office's summer jobs program, which provides employment for young people across the state.
NORTH ADAMS  Before a full courtroom, a Clarksburg man was arraigned on murder and kidnapping charges Wednesday, for allegedly killing a local contractor who had given him a job and a home.

William Gingerich, 36, is accused of killing Dennis Bernardi last month in his Clarksburg home. Bernardi, 71, had provided Gingerich a place to live on his property, and Gingerich worked for Bernardi on and off for a couple of years, according to a fellow contractor.

Few public details have been released about the homicide, and Wednesdays hearing did little to change that. At the request of prosecutors, Judge Paul Vrabel agreed to impound the police report associated with the investigation until September.

Were really keeping information on this as close to the vest [as possible]. So, were not sharing the factual details at this time, District Attorney Andrea Harrington said after the hearing. Were still going through evidence, and the issue is, if we put factual information out into the community, it can impact what witnesses report back to us, and it can undermine the credibility of our investigation.

Police found Bernardi dead at his home at 175 Middle Road on Feb. 23, while conducting a well-being check based on reports that Bernardis truck had been missing from his driveway for a few days.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of his death was homicide, and authorities obtained a warrant for Gingerichs arrest. Authorities arrested him in the western New York town of Lewiston, along the Canadian border.

Friends and family of both men attended the hearing. At his services last week, Bernardi was remembered as a hardworking and giving self-employed contractor and carpenter who built and flipped homes in the North Adams area. He was known to help out those who needed a hand.

Family members of Gingerich said he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Harrington declined to comment on whether prosecutors believe his illness contributed to Bernardis death.

Harrington appeared in court Wednesday, but she said the case is being assigned to First Assistant District Attorney Karen Bell.

Defense lawyer William ONeil said he just recently had been appointed to the case and didnt have much information, including the cause of Bernardis death.

Vrabel approved ONeils request to preserve all evidence associated with the investigation, any including audio recordings of witness interviews, police notes and physical evidence like fingerprints and DNA. The judge also approved $5,000 for ONeil to hire an investigator to work on behalf of Gingerich.

Gingerich pleaded not guilty in Northern Berkshire District Court to charges of murder and kidnapping. He was ordered held without the right to bail is due back in court for a pretrial conference April 6.
Municipality in Turkey Building Parking Lot on Syriac Catholic Monastery Land

Mardin, Turkey (AINA) -- The Armenian newspaper Agos reported last Thursday that a parking lot is being built on the grounds of the Monastery of St.Efrem in Mardin, belonging to the Syriac Catholic Church.

The monastery was built in 1884 during the reign of Patriarch Cercis Selhet and belongs today formally to the Syriac Catholic Foundation. It was in use until 1933 and had been utilized later as a military hospital for 12 years. A piece of land belonging to the monastery was confiscated by the city in 1969 under the pretext of being a 'green field.'

Agos reports that Garo Paylan, Armenian HDP member of the Turkish Parliament, asked Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, about the construction of a parking lot built on the grounds of the monastery.

The MP is cited saying: "The information that excavations were initiated in order to build a multilevel concrete car park on the grounds of St. Efrem Monastery, which is located in Mardin's Diyarbakr Gate neighborhood, was reported in the social media and the press along with related photographs. The monastery is a first degree historical monument belonging to the Assyrian Catholic community."

In fact, the Syriac Catholic Foundation tweeted the following message on April 1st 2021.

"The Municipality, which years ago expropriated a part of the land owned by the historical St. Efram Syriac Catholic Monastery in Mardin, as being 'green space' is now building a multilevel car park on top, knowing that the foundations of the historical building will be damaged and destroyed in that area."

The Monastery has a first-degree historical monument status and according to the Assyrian monthly Newspaper Sabro the excavation work would put it in danger to collapse.

According to the online portal of Bianet, the construction work is carried by the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, which had been led by the HDP until August 2019, when the Ministry of Interior replaced Mayor Ahmet Turk.

In his inquiry, Paylan raised the following questions to the Minister of Culture and Tourism:

1. Why don't you stop the construction of the parking lot on the land of the Assyrian monastery?

2. Are you aware that the multilevel car park built on the area seized earlier from the St. Efrem Monastery on the pretext of "green field" is a threat to the existence of the historical monastery?

3. Why don't you stop the extermination policy against historical places such as churches, monasteries and cemeteries belonging to Armenian, Assyrian, Greek and similar ancient cultures in Anatolia's geography?

The actions of the Municipality of Mardin stand in contradiction to its usual tourist marketing campaign that the greatest richness of Mardin is the diversity of the religions and the different cultures living peacefully together for in the city.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.
How much of a threat is book censorship? Newspaper editor Martin Baron sees it as widespread and expanding
March 10 marks the second anniversary of Gov. Charlie Baker's declared "state of emergency," which gave his administration broad authority to respond to the outbreak of what was then termed the "novel coronavirus." Today, a look back at pandemic scenes in Berkshire County.

Close
Scott Stafford has been a reporter, photographer, and editor at a variety of publications, including the Dallas Morning News and The Berkshire Eagle.
Reporter

Heather Bellow, a member of the investigations team, joined The Eagle in 2017. She is based in the South Berkshire County bureau in Great Barrington. Her work has appeared in newspapers across the U.S.
Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low 41F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low 41F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
BOISE - In February, Ammon Bundy announced he would not run for governor in the Idaho Republican Primary but will run instead as an Independent candidate. The Republican Party platform is the platform I stand behind, Bundy said in a statement. But the Republican establishment in Idaho is full of filth and corruption and they refuse to put forth the party platform.

According to a Bundy press release sent on Monday morning, the required signatures have been collected to secure a spot for Bundy in the race for Idaho Governor.

"As an independent candidate for Governor, Ammon Bundy will put forth the conservative Republican platform that the republican establishment in Idaho refuses to implement," says a statement from Bundy's Campaign.

Bundy is a well known for his part in the 2014 dispute over the familys claimed right to graze cattle on public lands in Nevada. The standoff made national news and turned Bundy and his father into well-known critics of government. In 2016, Bundy led an armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, protesting the incarceration of two Oregon ranchers charged with arson on public lands. He has also been a very vocal critic of pandemic restrictions, which led to a one-year ban from Idahos Capitol Building - after being arrested twice in a 24-hour span.
BOISE - On Wednesday, Idaho Senator Jim Risch, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, co-led his Republican colleagues in a press conference to discuss the Biden Administrations efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Iran.

In his message to the President about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations, Risch urged Biden to "walk away from the Iran deal."

The first thing we need to do about this is walk away," said Risch. "As Senator Cruz said, it is absolutely stunning that this deal is being negotiated by two of our worst enemies on the planet. Youve got the Iranians and youve got the Russians. They wont even let the Americans in the room. Would any of you sign a deal or go into negotiations where they wouldnt let you in the room when they were negotiating? These two are negotiating the deal and our people are out in the hall at the kids table looking through a keyhole at what is going on in there. This is not right.

He continued, We should walk. This doesnt need to be done right now. And particularly, it doesnt need to be done when we have the problems going on that we have in Ukraine. We should walk. Mr. President, you are the only one in America doing business with the Russians. Stop doing business with the Russians. Dont have them negotiating for us. Walk on this deal.

The JCPOA is a detailed, 159-page agreement with five annexes reached by Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States).

Risch also provided comment on the threat of nuclear war:

In the last 10 days, we have seen a direct threat by a nuclear power country against the United States of America  a threat to actually use nuclear weapons on us," said Risch. "We all heard, all of you heard, Putin say that, if indeed we did anything to interfere in Ukraine, that we would see death and destruction and the kind of harm here in the United States that this country has never seen before. He was talking about nuclear weapons of course. That puts this into perspective.

He continued, The magnitude of what we are talking about here, of having another country, another bad country, have nuclear weapons is a colossal problem for the world. And, particularly colossal problems for its enemies, of which we are of course listed.
BIG RAPIDS  After several months of delay and deliberation, High Societys Big Rapids location will hold its grand opening event Saturday.

Located on Clark Street, the medical and recreational marijuana store was initially slated to open in summer 2020. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to a few other issues, caused High Societys opening to be delayed even longer.

High Society saw its provisional approval expire, meaning it would have to resubmit the application and begin the process all over again. At the time, there were four other High Society stores set to open across Michigan, and the deadline eventually came to pass for the Big Rapids store.

We had plans to sell the building to another company, (but) things didnt work out that way, said Awsem Zbair, director of operations for High Society.

When the idea to sell fell through, Zbair soon realized that it would be unwise for the High Society brand and Big Rapids to sever ties. Zbair explained that many positive relationships had already been built with various members of the community upon breaking ground in town two years ago.

When the dust settled, we kind of looked at it as: 'Weve done our due diligence, we know the city well, and have a really good relationship with a lot of business owners,' Zbair said.

On top of this, Zbair said he knows Big Rapids has proven to be one of the most viable markets for the recreational cannabis industry, as far as Michigan is concerned.

If anything, the market has just grown and grown and grown, no pun intended, Zbair said.

At High Society, customer service will always be the top priority, not only on paper, but in practice as well. Zbair said he wants to establish a friendly, open environment and build lasting relationships with customers.

We want to make sure people know they can come and hang out with us and have a good experience, Zbair said.

The first 100 customers during Saturdays grand-opening event will receive free gift bags. Vouchers for one free pizza at Little Caesars, conveniently located next door, will also be handed out.

High Society is located at 804 Clark Street, in Big Rapids.
The Disney Corporation is reinforcing its woke credentials by publicly challenging Florida's proposed new law that would prohibit teachers from discussing "gender issues" in front of students; kindergarten to third grade.

The law seems to have some logic behind it because children ages 5 to 9 cannot process fluidity and alternative lifestyles. Kids that age have trouble processing spaghetti.

Nevertheless, Disney CEO Bob Chapek is concerned the so-called "don't say gay" legislation will quote "unfairly target LGBTQ kids and families."

So, Chapek wants to meet with Governor DeSantis. The mogul also says Disney will donate $5 million to protect gay rights.

Of course, Disney can well afford the charity because it charges so much money to go to its parks - that neither gay nor straight working families can visit.

But there is no charge for virtue signaling.

Sorry if that seems unfair, but the Disney Company and Mr. Chapek, in my opinion, could not care less about kids and their families. Many parents, perhaps most, do not want woke progressive teachers indoctrinating their children just as they wouldn't want overly religious teachers forcing a theology on the kids.

The Florida law, however, needs companion legislation. Every school in this country should be required to hold anti-bullying classes. In this cyber age, we simply cannot allow any child to be bullied; that is a dreadful problem, as every good person knows.

So please get behind an anti-bullying campaign, Disney. Do it for the kids.

And lower your prices for them as well.

See you beginning at six eastern for the No Spin News.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Protests continue over the president's travel restrictions leveled at countries that have major problems controlling terrorists. The left's overreaction to this, branding it as anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant, is predictable. However the Trump administration should have explained exactly why it has chosen seven countries on which to impose travel restrictions to the USA. It all comes down to terrorism. The president believes that Barack Obama was far too soft on the Islamic Jihad. He also believes that America needs tougher standards when it comes to admitting refugees and more domestic security overall. None of that is unreasonable. But in order to blunt anti-Trump propaganda, detailed explanations have to be given to the folks. Mr. Trump began that process today: TRUMP: We have to be tough. Its time were going to be a little tough, folks. Were taken advantage of by every nation in the world, virtually. It's not going to happen anymore. Thats not going to happen anymore. We have seen unimaginable violence carried out in the name of religion. Acts of wanton slaughter against religious minorities, horrors on a scale that defy description. Terrorism is a fundamental threat to religious freedom. It must be stopped and it will be stopped. Of course the president is talking about Islamic Terrorism and therein lies a problem with the left. As we all know, they do not want Islamic terrorism to be identified. After all these years, I still don't understand that. Reality is reality. One of the nations that cannot send people to the USA for at least 90 days is Iran. This week that nation again provoked the world by firing off a ballistic missile. GEN. MICHAEL FLYNN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: The recent ballistic missile launch is also in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. ((EDIT)) In these and other similar activities, Iran continues to threaten U.S. friends and allies in the region. And so the Trump administration has put Iran on notice and it looks like new economic sanctions on Iran will be forthcoming. The left, again, will not like that. An editorial in the L.A. Times today criticized President Trump for saber-rattling with Iran. But it is clear that the soft approach President Obama took to confronting terrorism is now being completely reversed by the Trump administration. Apparently, President Trump had a rough conversation with the Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull. According to the Washington Post, Mr. Trump thinks that President Obama's deal to accept 1,250 refugees from an Australian detention center is bad for the USA. However, the White House now says the deal will go through. But it is clear President Trump is a confrontational guy. The refugee problem all over the world will not settle down until America and NATO begin establishing world order. Ironically, the left does not want that either. In fact, the liberal community worldwide opposes any aggressive action against terrorism or any intrusion into chaotic nations where the refugee problem is exploding. So, on the left, there is no solution. They simply accept the jihad and the chaotic world that stems from it. Believe me, Donald Trump is not going to brook that.
The October surprise is here.

The FBI saying it is examining new evidence over allegations that Hillary Clinton may have violated national security by using a private email system as secretary of state.

Mrs. Clinton thought she had put this to rest when FBI Director Comey said the case was not strong enough to prosecute.

Upon hearing that, Congressman Elijah Cummings was overjoyed with Comey.

REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D-MD), JULY 7 OVERSIGHT CMTE HEARING: I don't know whether your family's watching this, but I hope that they are as proud of you as I am, because you are the epitome of what a public servant is all about.

But that was then.

After Friday's announcement that Director Comey was reopening the investigation, Cummings had a different take.

CUMMINGS, MSNBC TODAY: I think here, Director Comey made a grave mistake. We all make mistakes, but this is a grave mistake.

My question, how does the congressman know?

He has not seen what the FBI has seen.

The truth is Elijah Cummings and other Democrats don't want to know the truth, don't want justice to take place.

And that holds true for the President of the United States Barack Obama.

Based on reporting by Fox News and other agencies, Talking Points has come to the conclusion that the president made it quite clear to Attorney General Loretta Lynch that he did not want any prosecution of Hillary Clinton or any investigation into the Clinton Foundation.

Mrs. Lynch got the message and, according to the Wall Street Journal, is furious that FBI Director Comey has reopened the email investigation.

For his part Comey had to inform Congress about possible new information because in September he said this:

House Judiciary Cmte hearing, Sept. 28 2016

REP. LAMAR SMITH (R-TX): Would you re-open the Clinton investigation if you discovered new information that was both relevant and substantial?

JAMES COMEY: It's hard for me to answer in the abstract. We would certainly look at any new and substantial information.

Comey is not a fool. He knew that if emails on Huma Abedin's computer contained classified national security information that he, Comey, would eventually take the fall if he did not pursue obvious leads.

So he had to go public even though reports are Loretta Lynch did not want him to do so.

The whole thing is a mess, with politics perhaps trumping justice.

Even former Attorney General Eric Holder weighed in, saying that Comey was wrong.

This is the same Holder who was held in contempt of Congress because he failed to turn over documents related to the fast and furious scandal.

Holder ran his Justice Department in the most partisan, political way he could, a deplorable situation.

Unfortunately it looks like Attorney General Lynch is doing the same thing.

There is no question the new email exposure is hurting Hillary Clinton.

A new ABC News poll says 34% of Americans are now less likely to vote for her.

Also, her poll numbers are falling. The Real Clear Average is now less than three percent in her favor, down substantially in a week.

Mrs. Clinton is not happy.

HILLARY CLINTON, today: Im sure a lot of you may be asking what this new email story is about and why in the world the FBI would decide to jump into an election with no evidence of any wrong doing with only days to go. Thats a good question.

And it is a question that deserves an answer.

For his part, Donald Trump, who condemned FBI Director Comey for letting Clinton off the hook last summer, is now happy.

DONALD TRUMP, today: And I have to give the FBI credit, that was so bad what happened originally. And it took guts for Director Comey to make the move that he made in light of the kind of opposition he had where theyre trying to protect her from criminal prosecution. You know that. It took a lot of guts.

Talking Points is not sure whether it took a lot of guts because, as stated, Comey would have eventually been held accountable if the emails on Ms. Abedin's computer showed national security violations.

So while Director Comey was covering his butt in the summer, he may be covering it again.

Finally there is a civil war within the FBI.

Some career agents have offered their resignations because they do not believe the Clinton email investigation was conducted in a rigorous way.

Comey, Lynch and President Obama could have saved the nation all this turmoil had they done what they should have done in the first place: Convened a federal grand jury to review the evidence presented by the FBI.

That would have gotten politics out of it.

But in America at this point in history, justice is taking a back seat to politics.

Not acceptable.

And that's the memo.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com History will record that the two biggest deficits of the Obama administration were the failure to create a robust economy and the president's retreat from the terrorist battlefield. For years, Talking Points has been telling you the Obama administration has no strategy to defeat the ISIS threat. Random bombing is not going to do it and every honest military analyst knows that. But President Obama somehow does not seem to understand that the civilized world is losing the fight against ISIS. Just nine hours before the Paris attack this was broadcast: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: ISIS is gaining strength, aren't they? BARACK OBAMA: I don't think they're gaining strength. What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them. Obviously that is not true. The United States and its allies have not contained ISIS. They are a threat worldwide. They continue to kill people with impunity. Nevertheless, the president is unrepentant and unwilling to admit that his strategy has failed even though some in his own party take exception. SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA): Ive never been more concerned. I read the intelligence faithfully. ISIL is not contained. ISIL is expanding. They just put out a video saying its their intent to attack this country. And I think we have to be prepared. Nice thought, senator. Why not back it up with action and vote for Kate's Law which punishes alien criminals who defy deportation? There are more than a few terrorists in that crew. But back to the president. Even though France says the ISIS attack was an act of war, Mr. Obama is not going to change his strategy: OBAMA: When we send troops in, those troops get injured. They get killed. Theyre away from their families. Our country spends hundreds of billions of dollars. ((EDIT)) Its best that we dont shoot first and aim later. Its important for us to get the strategy right. And the strategy were pursing is the right one. How can that be when ISIS continues to disrupt order all over the world? A simple question the president cannot answer and does not even address. On the other side, the Republican Party is taking note: SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): I recognize that Barack Obama does not wish to defend the country. He may have been tired of war, but our enemies are not tired of killing us. They're getting stronger and every region on earth has gotten worse under the Obama-Clinton foreign policy. ((EDIT)) SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I hope Hillary Clinton, I hope the president will listen to what Im saying. We dont have until the next election to deal with ISIL. Theres a 9/11 coming, and its coming from Syria if we dont disrupt their operations inside of Syria. Republicans now have an opportunity to make a campaign issue out of ISIS. It is clear most Democrats will not stop backing Mr. Obama on the issue. JOHN DICKERSON, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: Marco Rubio, also running for president, said that this attack showed -- the attack in Paris showed that we are at war with radical Islam. Do you agree with that characterization, radical Islam? HILLARY CLINTON: I don't think we're at war with Islam. I don't think we are at war with all Muslims. I think we're at war with jihadists who have .. DICKERSON: Just to interrupt, he didn't say all Muslims. He just said radical Islam. Is that a phrase you don't  CLINTON: I think that you can -- you can talk about Islamists who clearly are also jihadists. But I think -- it's not particularly helpful. Number one, Hillary Clinton tried to dodge the question by equating all Muslims with radical jihadists. She understood the question; she tried to dodge it. Number two, Mrs. Clinton has no strategy to defeat ISIS. None. Even worse is her competitor Bernie Sanders: DICKERSON: In the previous debate you said the greatest threat to national security was climate change. Do you still believe that? SANDERS: Absolutely. In fact, climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism. Senator Sanders just made a fool out of himself, so there you go. It is long past time that we the people demand ISIS be defeated, not contained. In 2006 the organization was formed. In 2013 it was named and began to accumulate power. Initially President Obama called ISIS the junior varsity. But as the threat grew in furiosity and thousands of miles of territory was seized by ISIS, many expected the president to take aggressive action. He did not, ordering tepid bombing and outsourcing the ground fight to Iran is not aggressive action. Now critical mass has been reached, as Paris has been devastated. OBAMA: Folks want to pop off and have opinions about what they think they would do? Present a specific plan. If they think that somehow their advisers are better than my chairman of my Joint Chiefs of Staff or folks actually on the ground, I want to meet them. Well here I am Mr. President and here's the strategy you should employ. The president of France clearly stated that the ISIS attack was an act of war. France is a member of the 28-nation NATO alliance. Article Five of that alliance says that an attack on one country is an attack on all, so all 28 nations should now begin to organize a campaign to crush the ISIS killers. That should include ground troops, bombings, no fly zones, border security for Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and a central-command-and-control center based in Europe. Once NATO declares war on ISIS, things will radically change, the anti-ISIS Arab nations will step up their participation, and the jihadist group will begin to be isolated. No one is calling for an occupation of Syria and Iraq. That would be foolish. But surely 28 nations can launch tactical strikes both on the ground and in the air. That will crush these people. President Obama should take the lead, along with France and Great Britain, to make all that happen. The first step -- a declaration of war by NATO. Finally it was quite clear in the president's press conference today that he is very concerned about the refugees fleeing Syria. He should be concerned because it's his fault. When the Syrian dictator Assad used poison gas, President Obama threatened the man. You may remember he did not carry out his threat, which he could have easily done by destroying the Syrian air force, which was delivering some of the gas. The president's retreat from Syria has caused the massive refugee problem. And remember, one of the ISIS killers in Paris apparently posed as a refugee to enter France. Nevertheless, Mr. Obama is quite confident that no terrorists will be among the ten-thousand refugees he wants to resettle in America. That, of course, is another delusion and at least 15 states have already said they will not accept any refugees. Expect that number to grow as more Americans finally realize that the president of the United States has lost control of the War on Terror. There is no question about it. And that's the memo.
Joy Reid can't help herself. As the world watches the Russia-Ukraine crisis and people worry about gas prices, nukes, innocent civilians murdered in the street, Ms. Reid can only think about one thing. That one thing is skin color. Once again, America is racist for caring about Ukraine, a White Christian country. The truth is we should be concerned about refugees, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Native, everyone. Conflicts and tragedies involving people of color should make it on our TV screens, tablets, and phones. Americans can always show more empathy and support for people struggling in the world and on their streets. But the real problem Joy has is that Ukraine is diverting attention from her narrative.
Hey, Bill O'Reilly here, and this is the Talking Points Memo for Newsmax. So today's impeachment hearings were tedious, boring. I had to get up three or four times, you know, because my eyes were getting heavy. So, last week, the hearings were a fiasco and this week, they're tedious. There is a change, by the way, in the Democrat's main high crime and misdemeanor. It's now bribery. Last week it was abuse of power, now it's shifted to bribery. So let's run it down. So there was a woman named Jennifer Williams, who was an adviser to Vice President Mike Pence on foreign affairs, and Ms. Williams was there and said absolutely nothing, nothing. I can't remember one thing the woman said. She doesn't like Donald Trump, alright because she's a careerist. She's not... Pence just hired her because she has a lot of experience. She clearly didn't like him, didn't like the phone call or whatever, but did she see anything, do anything? No. Maybe 20 percent of the questions were directed to her. The others, 80 percent were to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who's a Ukraine expert, and he's on the National Security Council. Okay, so I don't think you attack Colonel Vindman, he was wounded in Iraq in 2004. He is from Ukraine, born there, immigrated with his family to the USA. He looks to me like a patriotic guy. However again, he doesn't like Donald Trump and he's buying into the theory that the president withheld aid to Ukraine, his home country, because you want dirt on Joe Biden for political purposes. That's the narrative. So that's what these people believe.



Now, as Americans, they have a right to believe whatever they want to believe. You want to believe that President Trump withheld foreign aid to a foreign country because of personal benefit? Go believe it, but there is no evidence of that, because once Ms. Williams and Colonel Vindman were cross-examined by the Republican Congress people on the Intel Committee, it was clear they had no blanking idea that the US federal government is investigating corruption in 2016 that may have involved Ukraine. It's possible the allegation is that elements within Ukraine attempted to subvert our election on behalf of the Democrats. That is the allegation. So, as the chief law enforcement officer of the country, President Trump has a perfect right to ask any head of state involved in an legitimate investigation, again it is under way, to cooperate, do me a favor. And who's right in the middle of that investigation? Joe Biden. Yes. It happens to be, he is a political rival to Donald Trump and the optics don't look good, right? They don't look great, but the defense is, hey, he's vice president at the time of the alleged involvement with Ukraine and Biden was over there twelve times. So if Biden was doing anything wrong on behalf of his son or anybody else, you have to know that and I assume the Justice Department will find it out. So by Trump asking for the new president of Ukraine to cooperate in the investigation, that's not a crime of any magnitude at all. In fact, you can say that's a good thing. He should have done it. If Biden was doing something corrupt, it should be known. Now, this whole thing is a farce and the American people know it. Twenty percent of the American people are following impeachment closely, and that means if you're not following it closely, you don't know what's going on because the press doesn't report honestly about it. All they do is give you a sensational headline, a click bait thing on the internet. Then when you read the article, as I did today with the Associated Press and Reuters encapsulation of what happened, the article was even more boring than the actual testimony. There is nothing there. So what is it? What are you trying to say the president, United States did? So this whole thing is going to go away, as I predicted. President Trump is not going to be removed. He should stay out of it at this point, not tweet anything about it. Just say, look, it's farce I've done. I'm done with it. Let the process unfold because the process is going to go to the Senate and it's going to die there. I'm Bill O'Reilly for Newsmax. We'll see you again soon.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com No matter what happens in the Trump University civil litigation, it will not likely have much effect on the election. Voters have more important things to consider than the disenchantment of some Trump U. clients. But the situation has put Mr. Trump on the defensive. No question there is a political component to the legal action, as the law firm behind the class-action lawsuits often helps the Democratic Party. In fact, the firm has paid Bill and Hillary Clinton a combined $675,000 for speeches since 2009 according to the website Lawnewz.com. That makes the legal action look like a political hit job, as it is likely the law firm is working on contingency. Mr. Trump is correct to be indignant and defend himself vigorously. But part of that defense included a negative personal assessment of the judge in the case, a Mexican-American named Gonzalo Curiel: Trump on CNN, Friday TRUMP: He is a Mexican. We're building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is he is giving us very unfair rulings -- rulings that people can't even believe. Immediately an outcry arose and not only by Trump critics. Yesterday Newt Gingrich, who supports Trump, said the candidate was wrong to spotlight the judge's heritage: Fox News Sunday NEWT GINGRICH: This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made and I think it's inexcusable. He has every right to criticize a judge and he has every right to say certain decisions aren't right and his attorneys can file to move the venue from the judge. ((EDIT)) If a liberal were to attack Justice Clarence Thomas on the grounds that he's black, we would all go crazy. Every conservative would say it was wrong and it was racism. Although appointed by Barack Obama, Judge Curiel is no raging liberal. In fact, he's a tough guy. At one point, a Mexican drug cartel threatened to assassinate him because of his anti-drug trafficking stance. However, the judge belongs to a group called San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, which does advocacy work on behalf of Latinos. It's not associated with the radical La Raza group but confusion is understandable. Because of that, Mr. Trump believes the judge may be biased against him, as it is well known that the candidate has taken a strong stand against illegal immigration, including building a border wall. Summing up, the Trump U. case is certainly political to some extent and a very high-profile situation. Because of that, Talking Points believes the judge should recuse himself not because he did anything wrong - he did not - but to eliminate any doubt as to motivation in rulings. There are plenty of federal judges that could step in. It is valid that some may see any recusal as caving to intimidation, but stark justice at this level trumps (pardon the pun) any theoretical argument. And that's the memo.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com A new poll from the Associated Press says that Americans do not trust Congress or the major political parties. First question, what is your confidence level as far as Congress is concerned? 4% - a great deal. 48% - only some. 46% - hardly any. Confidence in the Republican Party: 8% - a great deal. 40% - only some. 51% - hardly any. Confidence in the Democratic Party: 15% - a great deal. 41% - only some. 43% - hardly any. Confidence in the president and executive branch: 15% - a great deal. 50% - only some. 33% - hardly any. And finally, confidence in the military: 56% - a great deal. 37% - only some. 7% - hardly any. So you can see that the biggest loser in this poll is Congress with only four percent having a great deal of confidence in it. Here's why: You may remember last July, 32-year-old Kate Steinle was murdered in San Francisco. She was out for a walk with her father when an illegal alien felon, convicted in the USA seven times and deported five times, shot her in the back. The man, Mexican national Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, had been released from jail by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department. That despite the fact that ICE -- Homeland Security -- had asked San Francisco authorities to keep Sanchez incarcerated until they could pick him up. The Sheriff's Department said "no," backed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which actually voted not to cooperate with the feds on illegal alien crime. So, I proposed Kate's Law, whereby any convicted aggravated felon who defies deportation could be immediately taken into custody and sentenced to a mandatory five years in a federal penitentiary first offense, 10 years second. That would give law enforcement a powerful tool to sweep dangerous foreign nationals off the streets of America. Yet Congress would not pass Kate's Law. The despicable Harry Reid blocked Kate's Law in the Senate. Then Republican Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell would not put the proposed law up for a vote stand alone, instead attaching it to a Sanctuary Cities bill McConnell knew would fail. In the House there was confusion as well, and Kate's Law stalled. If we as a country cannot pass a simple law to protect innocent people like Kate Steinle from foreign, aggravated felons, then Congress should go out of business. That's how bad this situation is and that's why most Americans have lost confidence in the House and Senate. The Steinle family is broken hearted of course and on Friday they announced they are suing the federal government, the city and county of San Francisco and the former sheriff there. They are also suing Sanchez, the alleged triggerman. In just a few moments "Is It Legal?" will have more on the lawsuit. Summing up, I've been practicing journalism for more than 40 years and I have never seen federal, state and local authorities act so cowardly. Kate Steinle is not alone. Other Americans have been killed by illegal alien aggravated felons and Congress does nothing when it easily could. Or am I wrong? And that's the memo.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Americans and money - That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo. There is no question that economic issues will be foremost in the upcoming presidential election. That's why Hillary Clinton's decision not to debate Bernie Sanders on Fox News is a major mistake for her. Sanders, as you know, wants to blow up capitalism because he says it's a corrupt system. The Vermont senator admires socialism whereby the government calls the shots in the private marketplace. A debate with Sanders on Fox News would give Secretary Clinton a major opportunity to smash that theory to stick up for capitalism and perhaps persuade some voters she is not an ardent leftist. But again, Mrs. Clinton has refused the debate even though she said this back in 2008: CLINTON: Honestly, I just believe this is the most important job in the world. Its the toughest job in the world. You should be willing to campaign for every vote. You should be willing to debate anytime, anywhere. Now on to you. A new poll by the Associated Press says that two thirds of American adults would have difficulty coming up with money to cover a one thousand dollar emergency expense. 75% of Americans making less than $50,000 dollars a year say they would have trouble with that. 67% of those making between $50-100,000 say the same thing. Even for the country's wealthiest citizens households making more than $100,000 a year, 38% say they would have difficulty coming up with a thousand bucks to pay an emergency expense. Stunning. And it all goes back to the change in how Americans view money. In 1965 the poverty rate was 17% in America. In 2014, nearly 50 years later, the poverty rate was 15%. Obviously not a big improvement. But here's the key - 50 years ago, personal disposable income, money you have on hand to spend, was just $14,000 dollars. In 2015 it was $38,000 dollars. A vast improvement in spending power. The problem is that we spend it all. We don't save. We're not frugal. We want immediate gratification. Now for those viewers who understand American culture, the studies are not shocking. My parents were children when the Great Depression hit and that scared the heck out of them as my grandparents had to struggle to put food on the table. The depression kids carried on a tradition that money was never to be wasted. Then World War two hit and millions of Americans were forced to fight for their lives. The suffering was tremendous but our military prevailed and most civilians did what they could to help the military. They weren't thinking much about money. There was a greater cause. Now I grew up in Levittown, New York - a suburb 25 miles east of New York City. The housing in Levittown was cheap, especially to vets who got low cost mortgages. Very few of us in the neighborhood had anything. It was very working class. In my house we ate fish sticks, tuna, hot dogs, Spaghetti-os. My parents never had a new car. Our house did not have air conditioning. It was like India there in August. That kind of upbringing meant that all financial transactions were scrutinized. No appetizers when we went to the local Italian restaurant. And college was out of reach for some of my friends. My father saved so my sister and I could go. Money was not to be wasted ever. That values system is deeply rooted in me. I do not waste money. I would rather give it to charity. I don't want a plate from Cape Cod. I don't want a Bentley. I don't want very much on the material side at all. But I realize that most Americans are different. They want stuff -- especially younger Americans. And many of them feel they are entitled. They should be provided with the things they desire. A recent study by Harvard University says that 51% of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 do not support capitalism. Just 42% buy into the system we have had since 1776. And in a Gallup poll, 35% of Americans now have a positive view of socialism.60% say capitalism is the way to go. Talking Points submits to you that those who want socialism have no blanking idea what that system really means. Bernie Sanders likes to point to Sweden, a nation of nine million people, most of whom look exactly the same. It is easy for the government of Sweden to provide cradle to grave entitlements while taking the majority of what people earn to support that system. But here in America, that would lead to disaster. We are simply too big a county to be told what we can earn and what we can do with what we have. In China, which has nearly one and a half billion citizens, they have to impose communism and socialism. You go to prison or worse if you defy the government mandate. And to keep the educated population in check, the Chinese government allows capitalism in places like Shanghai and Hong Kong. It goes against the nature of most people to tell them how to live their lives. Some Americans freely choose to serve the public by teaching in law enforcement or in local politics. That's a good thing but you will not get wealthy there. It is also a good thing to use your talents to expand your income. That's what I did at one point my father encouraged me to join the Teamsters Union. I did not take his advice, preferring to go to college, then to study abroad, then to go to grad school. But I paid for most of that myself by painting houses, driving a cab, and teaching swimming. Nobody gave me anything nor did I seek that. The harder I worked, the more money I made, and I saved a lot of that money so I could invest and build wealth. Are you hearing that, Bernie Sanders? So capitalism certainly worked for me and I don't want Sanders or anyone else taking more than half my earnings to use for dubious social experiments and handouts to those who are not in need. Right now about half my income is paid in taxes. This country has been good to me -- but dont take more than 50%. That's it. I don't want to live in a socialist nation. Summing up, Hillary Clinton had a huge opportunity to re-enforce that capitalism has made America the most prosperous nation on earth, giving opportunity to billions of people over the years who are willing to work hard. But the Secretary is soft on capitalism even though she has taken huge advantage of it herself. As for regular folks, we all should wise up and practice financial responsibility. We don't need half of the stuff we buy. So save, then invest conservatively, and build some protection for yourself. The cold truth is that American politicians promise stuff they never can deliver But we the people can control our financial well-being to some extent. We just have to be smart about it. And that's the memo.
ABC News poll -- good news for Donald Trump, has him just four points behind Hillary Clinton.

NBC News poll -- not so good news, he's down by 11 in that one.

CBS News poll, Trump down by nine.

Talking Points believes the Fox News poll, which has Trump down by seven, is most likely the most accurate.

But with three weeks remaining the question is, can that gap can be closed?

There are a few things that Donald Trump must do.

First, put aside the feuding. It gets him nowhere with voters to take on people like Paul Ryan.

Second, while he must defend himself against charges he believes are scurrilous, he should quickly dispatch those charges and hone in on three themes.

They are a stagnant economy, illegal immigration and chaos overseas.

Also, with the WikiLeaks stuff, Mr. Trump has plenty of ammo for Wednesday night's debate.

As for Hillary Clinton, she is off the campaign trail this week resting up for the debate in Las Vegas.

That's smart. She's ahead, but she can't sit on her lead if the debate is won by Donald Trump.

If the secretary dominates on Wednesday night, she's in.

But if Trump hammers her, Mrs. Clinton will have to compete.

Her best strategy in Vegas is to mostly ignore Trump and talk directly to the voters, trying to convince them that she is not corrupt.

Now the big picture.

It all pretty much comes down to four states: Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Trump needs to take three of those four and win the West -- that is Nevada, Colorado and the rest of the red states out there.

There is no question that Hillary Clinton is better positioned right now, but again, things change fast in this terrible campaign.

I say terrible because it's just one personal attack after another on both sides.

And that has weakened both Trump and Clinton.

BOB WOODWARD, WASHINGTON POST: I think the question becomes for her and for voters: Is she going to be able to govern? You talk to lots of people who are her supporters, and they say, you know, she may be elected, but she will be a weak president. And part of this is she's got to face - this isn't just about Trump, it's about her.

The polls show many Americans, perhaps most, are voting against rather than for one of the candidates.

First time in my life that has happened.

And that's the memo.
SCG Cell Therapy and A*STARs BTI collaborate to discover novel therapeutic antibodies and to develop CMC processes to produce more effective, safer and affordable treatments

Singapore-based SCG Cell Therapy Pte Ltd (SCG), a leading biotechnology company, has signed a collaboration agreement with A*STARs Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) to advance the development of multi-specific antibodies. The collaboration aims to accelerate breakthroughs in new antibody-based therapeutics, revolutionising how we treat chronic infections and cancer.

The collaboration will leverage BTIs multi-specific antibody technology platform and SCGs product development expertise for novel therapeutic antibody screening and Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) process development to discover new treatment candidates for infectious diseases and related cancers, particularly the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV). Such treatments could complement and augment existing drugs and result in more effective, safer and affordable treatments for patients.

Multi-specific antibodies combine more than two antigen-recognizing elements into a single molecule, enabling them to target multiple antigens on the same or separate cells. This is especially crucial in the event of cancer. Multi-specific antibodies engage tumour cell and immune cell to promote immune activities, reduce immune escape, increase tumour killing selectivity, and disrupt cancer development or progression.

Dr Koh Boon Tong, Executive Director of A*STARs Bioprocessing Technology Institute, said, Multi-specific antibodies provide a promising platform for the development of novel therapeutic concepts, facilitating the production of safer, more effective pharmaceuticals. This strategic alliance will help strengthen BTI and SCGs respective fields of research and contribute to better health and social outcomes for Singapore and beyond.

Frank Wang Shuli, Chief Executive Officer of SCG Cell Therapy said, "The collaboration builds on SCGs strong international network and capabilities in product development, and BTIs in-depth expertise in biotherapeutics technology and manufacturing process development"
The French government has moved South Africa to the 'Green' country list for France. The regulations will ease travel restrictions previously placed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, making it easier for tourists from South Africa to travel to France.

The new entry regulations

Vaccinated passengers do not require a negative PCR/antigen test to enter. They are only required to present proof of vaccination.Unvaccinated passengers no longer need a compelling reason to travel to France. They must, however, present a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old or a negative Antigen test less than 48 hours old prior to departure.From 14 March, it will no longer be necessary to obtain a Pass Sanitaire in order to access certain leisure activities for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers.The above is subject to visa requirements as has always been the case. Air France wishes to remind passengers that these requirements are specifically for those travelling to France as their final destination. For those transiting, the entry requirements of the country of final destination must be adhered to.Passengers are advised to check the French government website to familiarise themselves with or https://airfrance.traveldoc.aero. updated information
South Africa's two biggest gold miners Sibanye-Stillwater and Harmony Gold operate many of their mines in the Witwatersrand basin near Johannesburg. They pay the same tariffs for electricity, which, after labour, is the standout expense at 20% of the costs at both companies.

Sun sets behind a shaft outside the mining town of Carletonville, west of Johannesburg. Source: Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

What are the unions demanding?

What has Harmony offered workers?

What is Sibanye's offer?

Why do Harmony and Sibanye differ in their offers?

The wage bills diverge. They are on course to account for 53% of Harmony's costs and represent 49% of the outlay at Sibanye, where two unions have served a notice of strike action from 9 March.Negotiating as a bloc with Sibanye, four unions - the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity and United Association of South Africa (UASA) - have demanded a R1000 increase per month each year for the next three years.Sibanye has called this wage increase unsustainable for its gold operations, saying it would inflate its wage bill to R2.5bn in total by July 2023.Solidarity last week agreed to Sibanye's final offer made to the unions on 4 February. Two of the unions - AMCU and NUM - rejected it and have served a notice to strike from 9 March. UASA has also backed strike action but has yet to serve notice.In September, Harmony concluded a three-year wage agreement ending June 2024 with major unions, covering 98% of its employees. This is likely to increase its wage bill to 53% of its total cash operating cost, its annual report says.Under the agreement, the company will pay a wage increase of R1,000 per month for each year of the agreement for its category 4-8 employees, which include entry-level, unskilled and semi-skilled employees.Higher category employees, such as miners, artisans and officials, will receive a wage increase of 6% of their basic wage for each year of the agreement.In addition, Harmony will give a housing allowance of R2,750 in the first year and further increases each year up to a maximum value of R3,240 in the third year.Employees not eligible for the housing allowance will receive a living-out allowance of R2,500 in year one, which will increase by R100 in year two and in year three respectively, Harmony said in September.Sibanye on 4 February offered its category 48 employees an increase of R800 per month for each of the three years, including a R100 per month increase in allowances. Its miners, artisans and officials would receive an increase of 5% each year.This is the company's sixth amended offer since negotiations began, and it has led to a stalemate. The company's wage bill stands at 49% of total cost of production.Sibanye told Reuters that Harmony's higher offer to unions chooses stability in operations over long-term sustainability. Harmony has said the life of mine of its gold assets and rising gold prices can help it recoup the wage cost escalation.Sibanye's three biggest gold mines have a lifespan of between five and 13 years, while Harmony's three biggest mines have a life of eight to 24 years.Some of Harmony's surface-level mines, where production costs are lower, have a mine life of more than 14 years. This gives Harmony more scope to reduce overall costs.Harmony's South African mines have gold reserves of 24.7 million ounces, while Sibanye's have reserves of 13.1 million ounces.Harmony produces 36.16 ounces per employee compared with 28.83 ounces per Sibanye employee as a result of Harmony having fewer deep underground mines. The grades both companies produce are comparable.Industrial action in South Africa would have a bigger impact on Harmony as more than 90% of production and over 80% of its operating profit comes from its gold operations in the country. Sibanye's South Africa gold operations contributed only 7.5% of adjusted annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA - a measure of operating profit) in 2021.
Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande says all students that have been admitted to accredited programmes in institutions of higher learning will be funded for the 2022 academic year.

Image source:  Brian Jackson  123RF.com

The Minister said this when Ministers in the Social Services Cluster responded to oral questions during a plenary of the National Assembly on Wednesday.He said this after it emerged during a debate on the State of the Nation Address last month that there was a shortfall of nearly R10bn in funding for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme....all qualifying NSFAS students this year who have been admitted to accredited programmes at universities and colleges will be funded for the 2022 academic year, he said.Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament, Chantel King, had asked Nzimande, with reference to his commitment made during the resumption of the debate on the Presidents State of the Nation Address on 15 February 2022, to provide the details of how the predicted R10bn shortfall in funding for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme in the 2022 academic year will be covered in order to ensure that all eligible students will receive funding.Nzimande said the National Treasury allocated an additional amount of R7.775bn for the 2022/ 23 financial year.A further amount of R1.5bn will be reprioritised from the Department of Higher Education and Trainings 2022/23 budget.This allocation is in line with the projected R9.3bn shortfall for NSFAS in the 2022/23 financial year.In addition, the National Treasury has allocated additional amounts in the Medium Term Budget Framework for the anticipated shortfall in subsequent years.He said this was done, however, at the same time as the department is working with a Ministerial Task Team appointed in 2021 to develop a comprehensive student financing model or student financial aid system that will bring certainty in terms of the different funding needs of the students.The Minister said the hope is that such a model and the necessary policy frameworks would be finalised by the middle of the year in order to move forward.
The annual sessions of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), laying out major policies on the Chinese economy, trade, investment, and environment, among other issues, send powerful messages of stability, innovation and hope. Premier Li Keqiang delivered the Report on the Work of the Government at the Fifth Session of the 13th National Peoples Congress on March 5, amid a time when our planet faces challenges unprecedented and unseen for a century.

Rock Solid

China has set its GDP growth target for 2022 at around 5.5 percent, in line with the average rates of the past two years and the goals of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). During 2021, Chinas GDP expanded 8.1 percent, accounting for more than 18 percent of the world economy, and contributing around 25 percent to global growth. Worth mentioning is that some two-thirds of the world's countries (including the EU as a whole) trade more with China than they do with the U.S. Chinas GDP reached RMB 114 trillion ($17.7 trillion) in 2021, ranking a world second, according to Li Keqiang. Also to bear in mind are forecasts by a number of international think tanks before the NPC, since confirmed, wherein China is set to overtake the top-ranking U.S. economy by 2030.

Workers weld components at a workshop of an automobile manufacturing enterprise in Qingzhou City, east China's Shandong Province, on February 28, 2021. (Xinhua)

Although the International Monetary Funds projection for Chinas growth this year is 4.8 percent, what must be remembered is that Beijings projections have historically been modest, never exceeding real possibilities. This is apparent in China having exceeded its economic growth target of 6 percent for 2021 to reach 8.1 percent.

Innovative Belt and Road Initiative

As regards the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), initiated by China in 2013, Premier Li Keqiangs report called for further progress by promoting high-quality cooperation and remaining committed to the principle of shared growth through consultation and collaboration with partners and potential partners. The report states that, to reach the goals, the country will make full use of international and domestic markets and resources in pushing for in-depth reforms.

The freshest example of this upgrading strategy was in February 2022, when President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, with the aim of promoting in-depth regional development through discussions with Afghanistan on extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan itself. The move implied a multi-billion-dollar Chinese investment program. Meanwhile, Beijing supports, in close coordination with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UNs key role in Afghanistans peaceful reconstruction.

A China-Europe freight train carrying medical supplies bound for Madrid of Spain departs the city of Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, on June 5, 2020. (Xinhua)

Meanwhile, one of the BRIs flagship projects  the freight train commercially linking the eastern Chinese city of Yiwu with Spains capital city Madrid via the so-called New Eurasian Land Bridge also merit our attention. The European media has periodically highlighted this project since the trains first trip in December 2014. Travelling the 13,000 km through China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, and France, transporting products to and from each country, takes 19-21 days. That trains run continuously back and forth across the Eurasian continent under Eurasias present geopolitical circumstances is extremely significant. It reminds us that not even the COVID-19 could, in the end, present an insurmountable barrier to international trade, even during the pandemics worst months in 2020. During the period of 2016-2021, the China-Europe train trips had increased to 15,183 from 1,702, according to Chinas state railway operator.

Apart from its incremental size on land and sea, another innovative achievement of the BRI, in line with the government report Li Keqiang delivered, is that of the Health Silk Road, which has added a new dimension to the initiative. By January 2022, China had sent two billion or more doses of vaccine to around 120 countries and international organizations, along with physicians, medical workers, and materials. Beijing also recently announced that it would provide another one billion doses to African countries, 600 million of them donations, and donate a further 150 million doses to ASEAN countries. This might well be considered the most important intercontinental health cooperation in human history.

As of early March 2022, countries that have joined the BRI spread across all five continents, with 51 countries in Africa, 27 in Europe, 40 in Asia, 21 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 11 in Oceania, together with 32 international organizations.

Connecting the World while Promoting Global Development

The country has also further engaged in connectivity via the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, effective since January 1, 2022, and has proactively advanced the process of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which will continue via focused diplomacy throughout this year.

As Premier Li Keqiangs government work report shows, despite the decline of an index on world openness, and weakening global consensus on opening up, openness nevertheless remains a constant theme for China. As the document highlighted, the country has established important global trade and economy cooperation platforms, such as the China International Import Expo, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the China Import and Export Fair, and the China International Consumer Products Expo. All these efforts, along with the BRI, are deeply intertwined with the Global Development Initiative (GDI) that President Xi Jinping proposed last September, aimed at pursuing greater international synergy to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development towards stronger, greener, and healthier global development.

In Spring of 2022, humankind faces momentous challenges, among them the pandemics persistence, the current European security crisis, climate change, supply chain pressure, the disabling of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, Brexit aftershocks, and a proliferation of protectionist measures. Taken as a whole they signify that global trade patterns are becoming ever less predictable. Moreover, in the West, major geopolitical crises our last two generations have never experienced (imbuing various ramifications) looms large, wherein, unless an urgent solution is formulated, several interconnected developments appear to be escalating to a point of no return.

There is an old Chinese saying that if you want to be prosperous, you must first build a road. If we apply that premise to our era, its most logical adaptation would be equivalent to building highways, superhighways, railways, air and sea routes, and cyberspace highways. This is the best way to understand geo-economic reality in a digital age wherein it is not geography that changes, but rather the way of conceiving and acting on it. Trade means peace, and peace means trade, and the promotion of win-win situations. Such is the Two Sessions most important message to the world in March 2022.

_________

AUGUSTO SOTO is director of the Dialogue with China Project in Spain.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has obtained a search and seizure warrant from the Kimberley Magistrate Court in the Northern Cape to raid the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) offices.

The warrant, which was obtained on Tuesday, authorises the SIU to search and seize evidence from the NLC Kimberly offices, in relation to the funding of non-profit organisations (NPO) meant to uplift communities in the province.Accompanied by members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Prevention (Hawks), SIU investigators are currently raiding NLC offices to seize evidence that might assist with an ongoing investigation.The SIU was reliably informed by whistle-blowers that NLC officials had allegedly enlisted the services of runners, who were tasked with the responsibility of scouting NPOs in the province and encourage them to apply for NLC funding.Immediately after the funding was approved and released to NPOs, it is alleged that the runners, together with NLC officials, would share approximately 30% of the funding.Fearing that the normal procedure of requesting documents, in accordance with the SIU Act 74 of 1996, might result in crucial evidence being compromised, the SIU approached the court for a search and seizure warrant to raid the NLC offices.The SIU is looking to seize documents, laptops and computer hard drives.The SIU was, in terms of Proclamation R32 of 2020, authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration in the affairs of the NLC and the conduct of its officials.The proclamation covers offences which took place between 1 January 2014 and 6 November 2020, the date of publication of this proclamation, or which took place prior to 1 January 2014.It also covers any offences after the proclamation date that are relevant to, connected with, incidental to the matters or involve the same persons, entities or contracts investigated under authority of Proclamation R32 of 2020.
The South African Breweries (SAB), the country's largest beer brewer, has signed a power purchase agreement with Bio2Watt, a Black-woman-owned industrial-scale biogas waste-to-energy company. The renewable energy will be supplied from the Cape Dairy Biogas Plant once it reaches commercial operation.

Source: Supplied

23% contracted renewable electricity

Although the plant is still in the process of being built, it will make use of waste collected from one of South Africas largest dairy farms. Over 7,000 cows residing on the farm will see the plant make use of slurry manure with a mix of other wastes from the surrounding region to produce renewable electricity.SAB procurement director for Africa, Kyle Day says, We have made a global commitment to explore renewables to reduce carbon emissions and reach 100% contracted renewable electricity by 2025. We also believe we have a duty to ease the pressure on the national grid. Through this partnership, we are proud to progress on both fronts as we make our way to a cleaner, greener and more self-sustainable future.The move is in line with holding company Anheuser-Busch InBevs global 2025 sustainability targets for climate action  100% of its purchased electricity will come from renewable sources and carbon emissions will be reduced by 25% across its value chain.Under this power purchase agreement and installed renewable electricity, SAB will achieve 23% contracted renewable electricity, says VP of procurement and sustainability in Africa, Conor Ruff.All of SABs Breweries in South Africa already use solar power, which we are currently expanding and the Alrode brewery in Johannesburg is also making use of a biogas facility. As we accelerate our sustainability strategy, we are looking forward to collaborating with more partners in the renewable energy space, Ruff concludes.
Access to quality and affordable healthcare remains one of South Africa's biggest challenges. Roughly 84% of the population relies on public healthcare services, often queuing for medical care in an under-resourced system.

Source: Supplied.

Accessible and affordable healthcare

Continuity of care

South Africas healthcare system is severely understaffed. Estimates suggest there is one doctor in the public healthcare sector for every 2,400 patients, while there is around one doctor for every 500 patients in the private healthcare sector..But other factors make accessing healthcare challenging for the average South African. Private healthcare services often come at an unsustainable cost, there are inadequate and poorly managed resources at State facilities, and too few healthcare providers  particularly in the primary healthcare space, says Dr Sam Fee, clinical director of Primary Care of Epione Health Village Rosebank.This challenge needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Our socio-economic divide is starkly represented in our fractured healthcare space. The Covid-19 pandemic has only made things worse - laying bare the already inadequate State medical system, a burnt-out workforce, and highlighting a private healthcare system further out of reach, says Fee.To address the challenge of access to healthcare, Epione Health Village Rosebank (EHVR) has launched the Second Saturday Basic Health Screening initiative.The Second Saturday Basic Health Screening initiative will see the Epione Health Village Rosebank opening its doors to those who cannot afford private healthcare. They will be able to have a free consultation with Fee, Dr Sian Basnett and Dr Darren Nyoni.The initiative aims to provide accessible, affordable, sustainable, and quality healthcare to the surrounding community.Doctors and volunteers will register attendees as members of our health village, record necessary history and health concerns, and conduct several basic health checks, including blood glucose, BMI, blood pressure, and sexually transmitted infections (STI) screening. We will provide the basic consumables required from our day-to-day operations budget, but we are hoping to partner with CSI programs to expand and sustain this offering, says Fee.Where required, patients will be referred to higher levels of care or State facilities for further treatment or diagnosis.For continuity of care, patients can return to Epione Health Village Rosebank for a follow-up the next month or sooner at a reduced consultation fee.At Epione Health Village Rosebank, we believe that providing healthcare is the highest expression of humanity. We believe that everyone should have access to a welcoming and inclusive space where they can express vulnerability without judgement and receive appropriate care regardless of their ability to pay. Our primary healthcare doctors are committed to providing the best healthcare they can to all members of our community, and we are looking at various business models to make this vision sustainable, says Garikai Govati, director at EHVR.
A new study by Remchannel that indicates rising inequality against women over maternity leave highlights the need for South African organisations to urgently review workplace practices.

Image source: Matilda Wormwood from Pexels

Financial burden

EVP opportunity

Policy review

The study conducted during 2021 found that while 60% of the Employee Benefits survey participants provided fully paid maternity leave for the minimum required four-month period, 24% indicated that an employee would not receive a salary during her maternity leave.Remchannel Managing Director Rene Richter says the 24% amounted to a regression of 7 basis points since 2019 and could in part be due to difficult trading conditions from persistent low economic growth over several years and the sudden emergence of Covid-19.The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) makes provision for both paid and unpaid maternity leave, and the choice is defined by each companys maternity leave policy. The Act also makes provision for female employees to claim UIF during the period, however, it is only a portion of an employees remuneration.Richter said: Its important to understand that many organisations in following the letter of the law are not fully aware of unintended consequences. Unpaid maternity leave places a major financial burden on the family unit at a time when it is crucial to have access to these funds.The consequence of this is that the family would probably need to obtain loans, and this has a longer-term impact on financial recovery. As the major caregiver, it also, by implication, means that more than one pregnancy in a womans career will impact financial well-being, as well as career progression over a period of time, she added.Global research indicates that about 50% of women feel that their careers were negatively impacted due to pregnancy. According to the 2021 PWC Women in Work Study, progress for women in the workplace regressed to 2017 levels due to Covid-19 which saw a large number of women leave formal employment. It also found that only 5% of chief executives are women and the gender pay gap is most pronounced in the top JSE-listed companies.Richter said with such stark workplace inequalities, companies were missing an opportunity to create a compelling employee value proposition that would attract and retain top female talent.The advantage of changing to a paid maternity leave policy will mean that women no longer have to choose between a career and having a family. They will be able to enjoy the time with their newborn baby without financial concerns, said Richter.Expanding maternity leave policies and inclusive medical benefits to better serve the needs of female employees will not only lead to women feeling valued by their organisation, but it will also increase the retention of highly skilled employees and be a competitive advantage with which to attract the best talent.Richter advised that to halt the regression, corporate SA needed to start with a critical review of the current practices to identify the potential long-term impact on female employees. This review should indicate those biases that were most likely to affect the organisation; the impact of biases; and identify how the culture of the organisation could be adjusted.In addition, Richter said companies needed to modernise their approach to hiring, promote open dialogue, and most importantly, make leaders responsible for recognizing bias and taking accountability to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion. While these measures may by implication carry an additional cost, they could be phased in.Although compliance with the BCEA is seen as the minimum requirement, consideration must be given to the consequences and whether the practice address inequality. Its important that companies are aware of the often-unintended biases in order to build organisations in which every employee feels equally valued regardless of gender, concluded Richter.
Source: Gallo/Getty

Tech as a key driver of formal office demand

War for talent driving demand for housing in Africa

Repurposing

While the office market has continued to evolve over the past year due to the pandemic, technology has remained the core driver for hybrid and remote working policies. Tech companies themselves have also been at the forefront of driving flexible working amongst their employees. However, occupying a formal working space remains integral to most of these companies.Estate Intel reviewed the top 50 tech (startups and multinationals) companies in each city across Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg and found out that 94% of these companies occupy a formal working place. 85% of these occupied leasable space, with 3% occupying co-working spaces and 4% occupying owner-occupied offices. Only 6% were fully remote companies, echoing the rhetoric that indeed the tech sector will continue to drive office demand as activity in the sector intensifies.On the other hand, with the technology sector set to be a major employment driver across key African cities, an emerging component of real estate demand is also likely to be residential housing across both the affordable and luxury housing sub-sectors. In Lagos, for example, the existing housing supply gap, coupled with the tech sector, is spurring demand for housing from young professionals. As such, we are seeing key emerging hotspots, such as Yaba , tracking the overall residential market at an annual rental yield of 5%. This trend is only set to intensify as Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg emerge as the tech hubs of Africa.Another key emerging trend has been the theme of repurposing real estate. While physical offices continue to be a core element of corporate tech premises, most of the tech companies are more focused on flexibility and affordability. As such, anecdotal evidence in cities such as Lagos and Nairobi points to tech startups increasingly gravitating towards repurposing residential villas and houses into office spaces not only because it makes financial sense, but also due to the flexibility in strategic locations.Say Tilda Mwai, research and insights lead at Estate Intel: Overall, the tech sector in Africa presents real opportunities for investors and developers in the mainstream real estate and in the alternative sectors such as data centres. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, we expect to see more opportunities on the occupier/tenant-end of the market to meet a new, evolving demand in the market.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba are meeting in a small resort town in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, local media reported on Thursday.

The meeting comes on the sidelines of an international forum in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

It is the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The three ministers are scheduled to hold separate press conferences following the talks in Belek, a resort town about 30 km from Antalya's provincial capital.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting is "an important continuation of the negotiation process."

While Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, the negotiations ended without any substantial progress on ending the conflict.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




ADEN, Yemen, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government on Thursday renewed calls for moving all UN offices from the country's provinces controlled by the Houthi rebel militia to the southern port city of Aden.

One key reason for the economic collapse in the government-controlled provinces is that international organizations continue to work in the Houthi-controlled Sanaa, as well as distribute project funds and humanitarian relief there, said Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohamed Al-Zauri.

"With the support of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, Aden witnessed continuous improvement and it is standing currently as the main center for the offices of the United Nations and other international organizations," an official of Aden's local authority told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Aden is considered Yemen's temporary capital where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has been based since 2015.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Iran-backed Houthi militia overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014. 
On Sunday, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, a responsible government official heading foreign affairs and representing the United States on the global stage, casually suggested that Poland could hand over its entire fleet of 28 Soviet-era MiG-29s to Ukraine, desperate for imposing no-fly zone, and, in return, the United States government would backfill the Polish Air Force with American F-16s.

We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine, and looking at how we might be able to backfill it should Poland decide to supply those planes, Speaking alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Blinken told a briefing in Chisinau on Sunday, March 6.

Upon getting wind of the facetious remark by the charismatic secretary of state idolized by diplomatic community for wavy salt-and-pepper hair and suave Parisian etiquette, Russian defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov issued a stark warning that any attempt by an outside power to facilitate a no-fly zone over Ukraine, including providing air strips and aircraft to Kyiv, would be considered a belligerent in the war and treated accordingly.

Hours after the Russian warning, the Polish Foreign Ministry issued an emphatic denial, saying providing aircraft to Ukraine was out of question as the MiG-29 fleet constituted the backbone of the Polish Air Force. In a bizarre turn of events overnight, however, Poland announced yesterday, March 8, it was ready to transfer the aircraft to the Ramstein Air Base in Germany at the disposal of the United States which could then hand them over to Ukraine.

But the denouement of the diplomatic fiasco came today, March 9, after the United States, occupying a high moral ground, categorically rejected the preposterous Polish offer, initially made on Warsaws behalf by none other than the US secretary of state.

The prospect of flying combat aircraft from NATO territory into the war zone raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance, the Pentagon sanctimoniously revealed today. It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby dignifiedly added.

Only two conclusions could be drawn from the risible gaffe: either the inept secretary of state was unaware of the Pentagons serious concerns regarding flying combat aircraft from NATO territory into the war zone while initially floating the bizarre proposal, or the reluctant Polish offer of transferring its entire fleet of MiG-29s to Ramstein at the disposal of the United States was nothing more than a humbug designed to provide face-saving to its NATO patron while it was already decided behind the scenes that Washington would spurn Polands nominal offer.

As for NATOs gracious favor of deciding not attempting to enforce no-fly zone over Ukraine, which is being propagated as a concession to Russia and peaceful intentions of the transatlantic military alliance by the corporate media, its worth pointing out that no-fly zones could only be enforced against Third World countries, such as Gaddafis Libya or Saddams Iraq, whose air forces only had several dozen creaking old aircraft bought in scrap following the Second World War.

Though it stretches credulity, even if NATO decides to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, who is going to implement the impossible decision of enforcing no-fly zone against one of the top air forces in the world? If anything, Russia is now going to enforce no-fly zone for hostile aircraft in Ukraines airspace by deploying S-400 missile defense systems following the impending fall of Kyiv. Taking a backseat in the Ukraine conflict by the NATO powers isnt a goodwill gesture to Russia, rather its an issue of lacking military capacity to confront resurgent Russia under Putins astute leadership.

How ironic that despite investing trillions of dollars over decades on their lethal military-industrial complex, all the global bullies could do is sow chaos and mayhem across the Third World but are left with no other choice than turning the proverbial other cheek if confronted with equal military powers, such as Russia and China.

Despite covertly mounting proxy war against Russian forces in Ukraine by providing funds, arms and training to myriad heavily armed militias allied with Ukraines security forces, NATO hesitating to directly engage with Russian ground and air forces is predicated on the premise that if the conflict spirals into a nuclear war, it would be catastrophic not only for belligerents but also for the whole world.

Even if the likelihood of a nuclear war is excluded for arguments sake, bratty Zelensky throwing temper tantrums and fervently cajoling macho Uncle Sam to impose a no-fly zone would remain a puerile fantasy. NATOs fancy albeit outmoded aircraft are simply not a match for venturing into air-to-air dogfights with Russias technologically superior Sukhoi fighter jets, globally acclaimed S-400 air defense systems and cutting-edge hypersonic missiles.

Built by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics in the eighties, over a dozen F-16 aircraft have crashed in Pakistan alone. Its flight safety record is worse than the flying funeral hearse Boeing 737 Max. Aviation aficionados have recommended that Pakistan Air Force should only induct JF-17s, co-produced with China, instead of wasting billions of dollars foreign exchange on substandard American junk. As for C-130 transport aircraft and B-52 bombers built in the fifties following the Second World War, those Hindenburgs Zeppelins rightfully belong in vintage aerospace exhibition rather than being inducted in modern air forces.

The Pentagon publicly confessed to over 30 Broken Arrows [1], serious nuclear accidents, including accidentally dropping atom bombs on populated areas in the US and Europe that thankfully didnt explode, though the real number of such nuclear accidents is calculated to be in thousands, particularly at the height of the Cold War during the sixties when such apocalyptic accidents were everyday occurrence. What could be more irrefutable rebuttal of much-touted flight safety record of US strategic bombers, transport aircraft and fighter jets?

Notwithstanding, Volodymyr Zelensky reassured his compatriots [2] last week: Ukraine is already welcoming foreign volunteers who are coming to our country. First ones from 16,000. They are coming to defend freedom, defend life. For us, for everyone. And it will be a success, Im sure. Not surprisingly, he did not disclose who those thousands of daredevil volunteers willing to sacrifice lives and limbs in a foreign war were.

The Times reported [3] on March 4 that defense contractors were recruiting former military veterans for covert operations in Ukraine for a whopping $2,000 a day: The job is not without risk but, at almost $60,000 a month, the pay is good. Applicants must have at least five years of military experience in eastern Europe, be skilled in reconnaissance, be able to conduct rescue operations with little to no support and know their way around Soviet-era weaponry.

Thus, the Popes call to arms to fellow Christians around pious Christendom in defense of the hallowed land of bourgeois democracy and market-oriented values in the face of fierce onslaught by pagan hordes of infidel Ruskies hell bent on desecrating venerable Article 5 of the sanctified transatlantic treaty is more about getting a lions share in the war booty rather than defending the Catholic faith as such. Not surprisingly thousands of God-fearing and democracy-loving Christians across Europe and North America have heeded the Popes call to arms to mount the epic Crusade in the Kingdom of Kyivan Rus.

The United States and its allies have reportedly pumped [4] over $3 billion in arms into Ukraine since the 2014 Euromaidan coup, and committed to send over $850 million more in military aid late last month. The Biden administration has already delivered about $240 million of its promised $350 million in additional military equipment to Ukraine, with the rest expected to arrive in the coming days or weeks at the latest. In addition, the European Union promised to commit nearly 500 million euros for its own military aid package.

Most of the last months $850 million military assistance package was spent on recruiting mercenaries for Ukraines proxy war and providing 2,000 surface-to-air missiles and antitank Javelins and NLAWs to Ukraines security forces and allied irregular militias, which are still in the process of being trained for using the sophisticated military equipment.

The Politico reported [5] today, March 9, that the Congress proposed $1.5 trillion package to fund the federal government through September would boost national defense coffers to $782 billion, about a 6 percent increase. On top of the hefty budget increase, the package was set to deliver nearly $14 billion in emergency funding to help Ukraine, nearly twice the assistance package initially proposed, including $3 billion for US forces and $3.5 billion for military equipment to Ukraine, plus more than $4 billion for US humanitarian efforts.

In order to create an international legion comprising foreign mercenaries, Kyiv lifted visa requirements for anyone willing to fight. Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join Ukraine in defending the country, please come over, Zelensky pleaded at a recent press conference, adding We will give you weapons.

Ukraine has already declared martial law and a general mobilization of its populace. Those policies include conscription for men aged 18-60 and the confiscation of civilian vehicles and structures, while Ukrainian convicts with military experience are being released from prison to back up the war effort.

In a show of solidarity with Ukraine, several European nations recently announced they would not only not criminalize but rather expedite citizens joining the NATOs war effort in Ukraine, despite being aware of the lamentable fate of a similar botched policy of enlisting volunteers for proxy wars in Libya and Syria, particularly from diaspora community of those countries, who later returned to Europe and carried out some of the most audacious terror attacks.

The wounds of the Manchester Arena bombing at Ariana Grandes concert in May 2017, claiming 22 innocent lives and hundreds wounded, by a Libyan expat Salman Abedi, whose brother Hashem Abedi was found guilty of 22 counts of murder in March 2020, are still fresh in the minds of families of the victims. Who would be responsible after armed and violent volunteers having fought in the brutal proxy war in Ukraine return home to their native countries and commit wanton acts of vandalism and terrorism?

The myopic and reckless Western policy of lending indiscriminate support to militants in order to topple the Arab nationalist government of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya and the anti-Zionist government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was directly responsible for the spate of terror attacks in Europe from 2015 to 2017.

After a lull of almost a decade since the horrific Madrid and London bombings in 2004 and 2005, respectively, when the Western powers decided to train and arm militant groups in border regions of Turkey and Jordan straddling Syria from 2011 to 2014, the first incident of terrorism occurred on the Western soil at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, and then the Islamic State carried out the audacious November 2015 Paris attacks, the March 2016 Brussels bombings, the June 2016 truck-ramming incident in Nice, and three gruesome terror attacks took place in the United Kingdom in 2017, and after that the militant group carried out the Barcelona attack in August 2017.

Citations:

[1] When US Air Force accidentally dropped atomic bomb on South Carolina:

[2] 16,000 volunteers coming to Ukraine, Zelensky:

[3] Western mercenaries offered $2,000 a day to fight Putin:

[4] US provided over $3 billion in arms to Ukraine since the 2014:

[5] $14 billion military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine:

About the author:

Nauman Sadiq is an Islamabad-based geopolitical and national security analyst focused on geo-strategic affairs and hybrid warfare in the Af-Pak and Middle East regions. His domains of expertise include neocolonialism, military-industrial complex and petro-imperialism. He is a regular contributor of diligently researched investigative reports to alternative news media.
Twitter blue checks, a majority of whom a week ago couldnt find Ukraine on a map and didnt know the national flags colors, are now devoted to the cause of liberating the oppressed people of Ukraine.

To be clear, Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters and Eric Swalwell are not sufficiently devoted to hit the trail and fight the good fight in the trenches with the cold and snow (gross!). But definitely theyre devoted enough to offer up empty symbolic support for a war they wont ever have a personal stake in, take selfies, and post their undying devotion to the oppressed people of Ukraine to social media.

Were about to head in for @POTUS's first #SOTU! Looking forward to hearing his plan to protect democracy at home & abroad, reduce costs for working families, and continue our safe transition back to normal thanks to the tools we have to fight #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/qp4YLLHAvj  Congresswoman Lori Trahan (@RepLoriTrahan) March 2, 2022

Ukraine Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, looks on as Congress gives a standing ovation in support of Ukraine during President Joe Biden's State of the Union. https://t.co/AvtQEwOy9W pic.twitter.com/HfCLwvFkYt  The Associated Press (@AP) March 2, 2022

I stand with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/nMAgh3giBx  Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) March 1, 2022

From a certain vantage point, the left taking up the cause of Ukraine at all may come as a surprise, given the Ukrainians skin and eye color.

The corporate state, generally speaking, likes their refugees a little more ethnic because theyre more efficiently cast as more oppressed. Its just more convenient for the muh white supremacy narrative, which they cant help themselves from complaining about even while they voice nominal support for Ukrainian civilians.

Cognitive dissonance:

The mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes.

Culture war cognitive dissonance exhibit A, notorious race hustler Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks  the Turkish immigrant/Christian Armenian genocide denier who named his news organization after the moral degenerates who committed that atrocity in tribute.

Cenk has waged a veritable digital crusade against the Slavs for being white (and for their orthodox Christianity as well) for years. But within the last month, Cenk suddenly developed an affinity for Ukrainian Slavs when they got invaded by Russian slavs because it serves his anti-Russian narrative.

Still, he cant help but air his personal confliction on the web, given his deep disappointment that Putin is currently bombing whites and not ethnic minorities  and worse, those white war victims are sucking up all the air in the room when hed rather be talking about Black Lives Matter or Islamophobia or whatever fashionable victims of muh white supremacy de jour.

The greater tragedy, in Cenks estimation, is that Russian missiles arent hitting Muslim Chechen cities or Mogadishu high-rises or somewhere more advantageous for the white man bad narrative.

I'm not saying this to make it about race, I'm just telling you why strategically it is so different. Everyone in the West was never going to do crippling sanctions for killing Syrians. That is a horrible fact, but it is a fact. When the West sees Ukraine, they see themselves.  Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) March 1, 2022

Im not making this about race, but let me make this about race real quick.

And simultaneously Cenk claims that American right-wingers love Putin because hes white and they want to be mean to brown people somehow, despite the fact that his military is currently targeting Slavs.

Right-wing doesn't love Putin just because he is an authoritarian, tyrannical leader, they love him because he's a WHITE authoritarian leader. Race has become more important than even nationality. They've turned on democracy and now even America, in favor of a white warlord.  Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) February 24, 2022

"Look at the shirt'I'd rather be Russian than a Democrat.' Why? Because in their minds, Democrats are the others. They're minorities. Blacks, Browns, Asianstheir identity has become super focused on their race." @cenkuygur on the right-wing's love for #Putin. @Mediaite pic.twitter.com/c70IffKuuj  The Young Turks (@TheYoungTurks) February 25, 2022

CBS News actor Charlie DAgata was recently digitally tarred and feathered, and forced to apologize, for blaspheming against the sacred diversity makes us stronger dogma by suggesting that Kyiv might be more civilized than modern-day Afghanistan.

Similarly, Comedy Central informed viewers that Poland accepted refugees from its neighbor Ukraine but doesnt open its doors to Syrians because You guessed it! Racism. Not the geographic proximity or cultural affinity or obvious consequences of humanitarian crises left unaddressed right on their doorstep. Nope  muh white supremacy!



As the folk wisdom goes, you play the hand youre dealt. No matter how much the corporate left media would hope to have more presentable war victims, they nonetheless rhetorically champion the Ukrainian cause because it serves the geopolitical interest of the corporate state.

None of the media or politicians outrage is about humanitarianism or promoting democracy or our poorly defined values or whatever gibberish. There is no moral component because these people have no moral core. They are rotten shells of humans who have transformed into biological robots serving, first and foremost, their personal interests of fame and fortune and, secondly, by necessity, their corporate overlords geopolitical agenda.

Via Truthout.org:

According to Freedom Houses rating system of political rights around the world, there were 49 nations in the world, as of 2015, that can be fairly categorized as dictatorships. As of fiscal year 2015, the last year for which we have publicly available data, the federal government of the United States had been providing military assistance to 36 of them, courtesy of your tax dollars. The United States currently supports over 73 percent of the worlds dictatorships .

Defending democracy, like all the Ukraine-related talking points, is cheap window dressing for otherwise naked imperialism.

-

All of a sudden Nancy Our Values Pelosi cares about border integrity. All of a sudden Chuck Saudi Oil Money Schumer has developed a deep abiding concern with protecting human rights.



Without five years of Russiagate, war in Ukraine would by no means be a footnote in American media; it would get a lot of play for the rapturing war footage as well as for the propaganda value to the Deep State. But it definitely wouldnt be the ultra-trendy cause celebre that it currently is.

The liberal hysteria is what happens when, for literally a half-decade, every social ill was blamed on Russia all to deflect blame for a lost presidential election from Hillary Clinton  the candidate who somehow managed the historical feat of grasping defeat from the jaws of victory even when literally the entire Deep State, the political establishment, and corporate media were transparently on her side.

A KGB agent under every unturned stone!

Cold front? Russo-terror plot!

You'll never guess who is seizing on life-threatening cold weather in the U.S. to fear-monger about Russia! pic.twitter.com/deo2H4SBBQ  Aaron Mate (@aaronjmate) January 31, 2019

$30,000-a-day modern McCarthyite Rachel Maddow isnt going to don a Kevlar vest and go fight the Ruskies, nor drug-addled Nancy Pelosi, nor Chuck 7 ways from Sunday Schumer.

In a decent world, they would all be shipped directly to the front lines to fight the war they cheerleaded.

As always, alas, its the average Ukrainians like my wifes family in the Western Ukrainian village of Stepan who will suffer while sociopathic politicians wearing blue and yellow lapels and COVID masks in faraway lands congratulate themselves on their virtue.

-

This is how out-of-touch, high-on-their-own-gas these people are.

Chuck Todd, who likely nearly literally qualifies for financial assistance from the government for impaired mental faculties, wondered on live national television what Ukrainians thought of Bidens State of the Union speech that aired at 5 a.m. their time in the middle of an invasion.

The reporter on the ground in Ukraine explained to Chuck, like a child, that Ukrainians probably wouldnt feel one way or another, given their face-to-face showdown with the existential threat of annihilation.

Biden contributed about 15 minutes at the outset of his recent State of the Union speech to covering the United States purportedly highly valued ally, with the audience festooned in a sea of yellow and blue accessories. He then pivoted to the real issue for his base: facilitating the pharmaceutical castration of children under the guise of humanitarian support for transgenderism.

As I said last year, especially to our younger transgender Americans, Ill always have your back as your president, so you can be yourself and reach your God-given potential. -Joseph Biden, War Hero

Stunning. And brave.

Nancy Pelosi joined her hands in a war prayer for the jihad against bigots worldwide who dont support chemical castration of transgender children.

Their one true culture crusade continues.

Ben Bartee is a Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs. Follow his stuff via Armageddon Prose, Substack, Patreon, Gab, and Twitter. Support his independent operations however you can.

Bitcoin public address: 14gU3aHBXkNq8bDqmibfnubV7kSJqfx5LX
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg on Wednesday announced the rollout of a new Google-style censorship scheme to down-rank websites he says are "associated with Russian disinformation."



"Like so many others I am sickened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create. #StandWithUkraine," Weinberg tweeted. "At DuckDuckGo, we've been rolling out search updates that down-rank sites associated with Russian disinformation."



"In addition to down-ranking sites associated with disinformation, we also often place news modules and information boxes at the top of DuckDuckGo search results (where they are seen and clicked the most) to highlight quality information for rapidly unfolding topics," he continued.





Like so many others I am sickened by Russias invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create. #StandWithUkraine



At DuckDuckGo, we've been rolling out search updates that down-rank sites associated with Russian disinformation.  Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) March 10, 2022

In addition to down-ranking sites associated with disinformation, we also often place news modules and information boxes at the top of DuckDuckGo search results (where they are seen and clicked the most) to highlight quality information for rapidly unfolding topics.  Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) March 10, 2022

DuckDuckGo's mission is to make simple privacy protection accessible to all. Privacy is a human right and transcends politics, which is why about 100 million people around the world use DuckDuckGo. (We don't have an exact count since we don't track people.)  Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) March 10, 2022



Weinberg arrogantly lectured users who voiced opposition to his new censorship scheme.





The whole point of DuckDuckGo is privacy. The whole point of the search engine is to show more relevant content over less relevant content, and that is what we continue to do.  Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) March 10, 2022

Search engines by definition try to put more relevant content higher and less relevant content lower -- that's not censorship, it's search ranking relevancy.  Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) March 10, 2022

What exactly is "as is"? Search results aren't a completely random list of web sites. They are created based on a complex set of algorithms weighing 100s of factors.  Gabriel Weinberg (@yegg) March 10, 2022



The only quality search engine which doesn't censor content based off political views now is Russia's Yandex (at least if you're outside Russia).



Weinberg evidently paused ties with Yandex a week or so ago:







DuckDuckGo's search results have gone to s**t over the past two years because they mostly just index Bing results (the two companies have a deal together).



Microsoft announced in late February that they're going to manually demote RT and Sputnik in Bing search results, ban their apps from the Microsoft Store and ban them from advertising on their network.



Whether Weinberg is taking some "principled" stand against "Russian disinfo" or just following Microsoft's lead because his site is mostly just a Bing scraper is not clear.



Weinberg told the New York Times last month that his company is now operating as a snitch for Bing.















Last year, the popular Twitter account Libs Of TikTok posted emails purportedly from DuckDuckGo said to demonstrate that the company discriminates against white men.











The Gateway Pundit reported that they reached out to DuckDuckGo for comment on the allegations but they did not respond. Libs Of TikTok got suspended from Twitter temporarily just for posting the screenshots.



Weinberg had no issue with going on RT in 2015 to promote his website.







Now that the winds have changed and DuckDuckGo has surged in popularity he has assimilated into the Borg.



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UNITED NATIONS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Large convoys of armed groups reported in Libya's capital are increasing tensions, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it follows with concern reports about the mobilization of forces and movement of large convoys of armed groups in and around Tripoli, said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The action has increased tensions.

"The mission stresses once again the importance of preserving calm and stability in the country and calls on all parties to refrain from any action that could lead to armed clashes," Dujarric said.

The spokesman said the political mission urges all parties to cooperate with Stephanie Williams, the secretary-general's special adviser on Libya. She is trying to find a negotiated way out of the current stalemate.

In a tweet, Williams urged restraint and the need to abstain from provocative action in word and deed, including the mobilization of forces. She renewed her offer to use the good offices of the United Nations to mediate and assist Libyans in finding a consensus and a way forward.

Technical and legal issues forced the indefinite postponement of the Dec. 24, 2021, general elections, according to the country's High National Elections Commission.

A month ago, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah said his government would remain in office until the elections were held and only relinquish his position to an elected government.

However, House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh has said Dbeibah's government expired and called for appointing a new one. Last September, the House withdrew confidence in the government but kept it on as a caretaker government.

The UN Security Council established UNSMIL to support Libya's transitional authorities' efforts following six months of armed conflict in 2011. 
Neocon Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland on Tuesday botched a softball question from Senator Marco Rubio asking whether Ukraine has biological or chemical weapons.





Ukraine has "biological research facilities," says Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, when asked by Sen Rubio if Ukraine has biological or chemical weapons, and says she's worried Russia may get them. But she says she's 100% sure if there's a biological attack, it's Russia. pic.twitter.com/uo3dHDMfAS  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 8, 2022

Really good cleanup by Rubio: interrupting Nuland's bizarre confession, which he did not expect, and immediately directing her to say that if there's a biological attack, it must be Russia.



Why is she so concerned Russia would seize such a benign "biological research facility"?  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 8, 2022



It's looking like the "conspiracy theorists" were right.



From Glenn Greenwald, "Victoria Nuland: Ukraine Has 'Biological Research Facilities,' Worried Russia May Seize Them":

Self-anointed "fact-checkers" in the U.S. corporate press have spent two weeks mocking as disinformation and a false conspiracy theory the claim that Ukraine has biological weapons labs, either alone or with U.S. support. They never presented any evidence for their ruling -- how could they possibly know? and how could they prove the negative? -- but nonetheless they invoked their characteristically authoritative, above-it-all tone of self-assurance and self-arrogated right to decree the truth and label such claims false.



Claims that Ukraine currently maintains dangerous biological weapons labs came from Russia as well as China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry this month claimed: "The US has 336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone." The Russian Foreign Ministry asserted that "Russia obtained documents proving that Ukrainian biological laboratories located near Russian borders worked on development of components of biological weapons." Such assertions deserve the same level of skepticism as U.S. denials: namely, none of it should be believed to be true or false absent evidence. Yet U.S. fact-checkers dutifully and reflexively sided with the U.S. Government to declare such claims "disinformation" and to mock them as QAnon conspiracy theories.



Unfortunately for this propaganda racket masquerading as neutral and high-minded fact-checking, the neocon official long in charge of U.S. policy in Ukraine testified on Monday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and strongly suggested that such claims are, at least in part, true. Yesterday afternoon, Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), hoping to debunk growing claims that there are chemical weapons labs in Ukraine, smugly asked Nuland: "Does Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons?"



Rubio undoubtedly expected a flat denial by Nuland, thus providing further "proof" that such speculation is dastardly Fake News emanating from the Kremlin, the CCP and QAnon. Instead, Nuland did something completely uncharacteristic for her, for neocons, and for senior U.S. foreign policy officials: for some reason, she told a version of the truth. Her answer visibly stunned Rubio, who -- as soon as he realized the damage she was doing to the U.S. messaging campaign by telling the truth -- interrupted her and demanded that she instead affirm that if a biological attack were to occur, everyone should be "100% sure" that it was Russia who did it. Grateful for the life raft, Nuland told Rubio he was right.



But Rubio's clean-up act came too late. When asked whether Ukraine possesses "chemical or biological weapons," Nuland did not deny this: at all. She instead -- with palpable pen-twirling discomfort and in halting speech, a glaring contrast to her normally cocky style of speaking in obfuscatory State Department officialese -- acknowledged: "uh, Ukraine has, uh, biological research facilities." Any hope to depict such "facilities" as benign or banal was immediately destroyed by the warning she quickly added: "we are now in fact quite concerned that Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to, uh, gain control of [those labs], so we are working with the Ukrainiahhhns [sic] on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach" -- [interruption by Sen. Rubio]:







Nuland's bizarre admission that "Ukraine has biological research facilities" that are dangerous enough to warrant concern that they could fall into Russian hands ironically constituted more decisive evidence of the existence of such programs in Ukraine than what was offered in that same Senate in 2002 and 2003 to corroborate U.S. allegations about Saddam's chemical and biological programs in Iraq. An actual against-interest confession from a top U.S. official under oath is clearly more significant than Colin Powell's holding up some test tube with an unknown substance inside while he points to grainy satellite images that nobody can decipher.



It should go without saying that the existence of a Ukrainian biological "research" program does not justify an invasion by Russia, let alone an attack as comprehensive and devastating as the one unfolding: no more than the existence of a similar biological program under Saddam would have rendered the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq justifiable. But Nuland's confession does shed critical light on several important issues and raises vital questions that deserve answers.

I think it should go without saying that if Ukraine is developing biological/chemical weapons in secret and openly threatening to acquire nuclear weapons that would justify Russia taking defensive actions.

Any attempt to claim that Ukraine's biological facilities are just benign and standard medical labs is negated by Nuland's explicitly grave concern that "Russian forces, may be seeking to gain control of" those facilities and that the U.S. Government therefore is, right this minute, "working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces." Russia has its own advanced medical labs. After all, it was one of the first countries to develop a COVID vaccine, one which Lancet, on February 1, 2021, pronounced was " safe and effective" (even though U.S. officials pressured multiple countries, including Brazil, not to accept any Russian vaccine, while U.S. allies such as Australia refused for a full year to recognize the Russian COVID vaccine for purposes of its vaccine mandate). The only reason to be "quite concerned" about these "biological research facilities" falling into Russian hands is if they contain sophisticated materials that Russian scientists have not yet developed on their own and which could be used for nefarious purposes -- i.e., either advanced biological weapons or dual-use "research" that has the potential to be weaponized.



What is in those Ukrainian biological labs that make them so worrisome and dangerous? And has Ukraine, not exactly known for being a great power with advanced biological research, had the assistance of any other countries in developing those dangerous substances? Is American assistance confined to what Nuland described at the hearing -- "working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces" -- or did the U.S. assistance extend to the construction and development of the "biological research facilities" themselves?



For all the dismissive language used over the last two weeks by self-described "fact-checkers," it is confirmed that the U.S. has worked with Ukraine, as recently as last year, in the "development of a bio-risk management culture; international research partnerships; and partner capacity for enhanced bio-security, bio-safety, and bio-surveillance measures." The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine publicly boasted of its collaborative work with Ukraine "to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concern and to continue to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats."



This joint US/Ukraine biological research is, of course, described by the State Department in the most unthreatening way possible. But that again prompts the question of why the U.S. would be so gravely concerned about benign and common research falling into Russian hands. It also seems very odd, to put it mildly, that Nuland chose to acknowledge and describe the "facilities" in response to a clear, simple question from Sen. Rubio about whether Ukraine possesses chemical and biological weapons. If these labs are merely designed to find a cure for cancer or create safety measures against pathogens, why, in Nuland's mind, would it have anything to do with a biological and chemical weapons program in Ukraine?

Both Russia and China have been calling out these biolabs:





"We have found your biological material. It was developed primarily for military purposes...it was all happening in Ukraine..What were you doing there under the guise of scientific research?..We have the evidence that cannot be refuted..we demand details"pic.twitter.com/GIvfAhwapN  Cari Kelemen 2.0 (@CariKelemen) March 9, 2022

BREAKING: China  The US has 336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone. It should give a full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification. pic.twitter.com/KDjhYs6zvP  ASB News / MILITARY (@ASBMilitary) March 8, 2022



The White House shifted into damage control mode this evening after Nuland's blunder:





This is preposterous. Its the kind of disinformation operation weve seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries, which have been debunked, and an example of the types of false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent.  Jen Psaki (@PressSec) March 9, 2022

Its Russia that has a long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons, including in attempted assassinations and poisoning of Putins political enemies like Alexey Navalny.  Jen Psaki (@PressSec) March 9, 2022

Also, Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating. In December, Russia falsely accused the U.S. of deploying contractors with chemical weapons in Ukraine.  Jen Psaki (@PressSec) March 9, 2022

Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. Its a clear pattern.  Jen Psaki (@PressSec) March 9, 2022



What gibberish. According to the White House, Russia accusing the US of having biological/chemical weapons facilities in Ukraine is proof Russia is planning to stage a false flag biological/chemical weapons attack in Ukraine but Ukraine having "biological research facilities" the US fears the Russians may seize is proof of nothing!



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The neocons guiding the Biden regime have openly stated that the purpose of arming Ukrainians to the teeth is to foment an insurgency and drag the war on in perpetuity as part of a US proxy war with Russia.



Neocon Iraq war architect Eliot A. Cohen laid out their goals plainly in an article for neocon Jeffrey Goldberg's The Atlantic.



From The Atlantic:

The Strategy That Can Defeat Putin



The U.S.-led coalition of liberal-democratic states should pursue three objectives.



By Eliot A. Cohen | MARCH 7, 2022



Western strategy should rest on three pillars: vigorous and imaginative military support to Ukrainian regular and irregular forces; sanctions that will hobble the Russian economy; and construction of a militarily powerful European alliance that can secure the border with Russia as long as that country remains a menace.



The means at hand are obvious, even if the manner of their exploitation is not. The most obvious is the armament of Ukraine, which has already begun. It is a moral imperative. When people are willing to fight for their freedom against an enemy whose methods and aims are so clearly evil, the West owes its effectual support to those taking up arms. But it is also a strategic imperative, intended to hamstring the Russian military and weaken Putins position.



Support to the Ukrainian military and, should Ukrainian cities fall, to the continuing insurgency has the prospect of exceptional success. [...]



Michael Vickers, who was the mastermind of the CIA program supporting the anti-Soviet campaign in Afghanistan, lays out the lessons of that campaign in his forthcoming memoir, By All Means Available. A well-armed and determined population, Vickers contends, can defeat even a brutal superpowerand Russia is no longer that. The important thing is to move at scale and with urgency in support of such an insurgency. The tide turned in Afghanistan in a relatively short period of time, when the Afghanistan Covert Action Plan went from $60 million in fiscal year 1985 to $250 million the next year, a sum doubled by Saudi support. Remarkably, the CIA did not ask for this increase and may have opposed it, but congressional supporters led by the redoubtable Charlie Wilson carried the day. In less than a year, the program went from supplying 10 metric tons of weaponry to more than six times as much. Within another year, the sum of money and resources was doubled.



Not just the sheer quantity of support but its breadth made a differenceincluding man-portable air-defense systems such as Stinger missiles, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, and secure communications technology.

Chuck Schumer on Tuesday said what's happening in Ukraine is "a holocaust" and called for the US to give $12 billion in Stingers, Javelins and other deadly weaponry to help Ukrainians "defend themselves."





"There is a holocaust going on" : Sen. Chuck Schumer says the U.S. should provide arms for the Ukrainians.



"When you see that people are lined up on buses to just leave a conflict zone and Putin's artillery shells those buses, that is just below humanity, below dignity." pic.twitter.com/nOmSnhpE2P  CBS News (@CBSNews) March 8, 2022



The goal of this $12 billion in "lethal aid" is clearly to foment an insurrection.



Cohen goes on in his Atlantic piece to endorse the use of suicide drones against the Russians:

Carl von Clausewitz famously said that the maximum use of force is by no means incompatible with the simultaneous use of the intellect. That applies to Ukraine. Adapted civilian technologies (suicide drones, for example) and civilian computer-hacker militias have a role to play in its defense. The key is to give full rein to the creative covert operations and military talents that the United States and countries like Britain and Poland have in abundance.

Cohen called for further sanctions and said the US should "permanently station" troops in Poland and other Baltic states near Russia's border (to further agitate the Russians).

The final pillar of Western strategy lies in building an impregnable eastern glacis for NATO and, in particular, strengthening frontline allies and those leading the defense of the continent against Russia. Poland is the key state: Its determination to confront Russia is unlimited, its military is competent and accustomed to service alongside the United States, and its willingness to spend on its own defense is evident in its recent decision to increase defense spending to 3 percent of its GDP, rather than the NATO-mandated 2 percent, and to buy 250 American M1 tanks.



The American role here is partly to maintain a visible presence on the front lines. Now is the time to permanently station American armored forces in the Baltic states and Polanda deterrent, but also part of the price Russia would pay for its aggression. An equally important task is to help quickly arm those countries seeking to defend themselves: Lend Lease 2.0, some have called it, referring to the program of American aid during the Second World War. That means once again turning the United States into an arsenal of democracy, advancing the smaller European states the funds they require to obtain the full panoply of military hardware needed to defend themselves against Russian aggression. Holding as it does large stocks of surplus military hardware, the United States can move to strengthen its European allies.

Indeed, threatening Russia on NATO's behalf worked out great for Ukraine, no doubt it'll work out just great for Poland, Latvia and everyone else!



Avril Haines echoed the same rhetoric on Tuesday and said Russia is likely to face "a persistent and significant insurgency" in Ukraine.





The top U.S. spy chief says Russia is likely to face a persistent and significant insurgency in Ukraine after Vladimir Putin misjudged how the war would proceed https://t.co/OUpRRaMzU6  Bloomberg (@business) March 8, 2022



Max Boot also said similar:





Just because were not willing to risk World War III doesnt mean that we cant effectively oppose Russian aggression. Look at U.S. support for the Afghan mujahideen in the 1980s. https://t.co/53tltJRzBC  Max Boot  (@MaxBoot) March 7, 2022



The Washington Post reported last week that "the U.S. and its allies are planning for a Ukrainian government-in-exile and fueling a long insurgency against a Russian occupation."





As I said, Western governments want to fight #Russia to the last Ukrainian: "The U.S. and its allies are planning for a Ukrainian government-in-exile and fueling a long insurgency against a Russian occupation." #Ukraine #UkraineRussianWar #RussiaUkraineWarhttps://t.co/RrcmgGJP1a  Ivan Katchanovski (@I_Katchanovski) March 5, 2022



Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake said Russia's frozen assets should be given to "a Ukrainian insurgency" if the government falls.





The Russian assets western governments are now seizing should be given to Ukraines government. If it falls, those assets should be given to a Ukrainian insurgency, or free Ukrainian government in exile. Also goes without saying that no recognition for any puppet regime in Kiev.  Eli Lake (@EliLake) February 26, 2022



All these neocons are pushing the exact same line.



Hillary Clinton said similar last week:





"Remember, the Russians invaded Afghanistan back in 1980," Hillary Clinton says. "It didn't end well for the Russians...but the fact is, that a very motivated, and then funded, and armed insurgency basically drove the Russians out of Afghanistan." pic.twitter.com/iirtXI4vz4  MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 1, 2022





They don't give a damn about the Ukrainian people being forced to suffer under potentially decades of endless war, all they care about is using them as pawns in their game to fight the Russkies.



They support arming women and children and giving them Molotov cocktails to throw at trained Russian solders.



John Mearsheimer said all the way back in 2014 after the US-backed color revolution in Ukraine that "the West is leading Ukraine down the primrose path and the end result is that Ukraine is going to get wrecked."





Analysis & prediction on Ukraine from 6 years ago:



The West is leading Ukraine down the primrose path & the end result is Ukraine is going to get wrecked.



-John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the U. of Chicago, pic.twitter.com/kPQNH58o7G  Prodigal Son (@ThePr0diga1S0n) January 24, 2022



Last week, neocon Anne Applebaum tried to blame Mearsheimer for the war.





Now wondering if the Russians didn't actually get their narrative from Mearshimer et al. Moscow needed to say West was responsible for Russian invasions (Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine), and not their own greed and imperialism. American academics provided the narrative.  Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) March 1, 2022



Neocons are truly sick bastards.



Fortunately, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday signaled he's open to accepting several of Putin's terms on ending the war.





Russia claims it will stop the war immediately if Ukraine agrees to:



- cease military action

- change constitution to enshrine neutrality

- recognize Crimea as Russian territory

- recognize the Russian-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states  The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 7, 2022

Something I think underestimated in West: Zelensky was elected as the peace candidate and isnt averse to compromise. On ABC yesterday he sounded much more willing to compromise on NATO than much Western commentary would suggest. pic.twitter.com/wMoKcN6ydo  Michael Walker (@michaeljswalker) March 8, 2022



If Zelensky accepts Putin's peace deal and defies the neocons whispering in his ear to drag this war on forever, that would be the first heroic act he's done this entire war.



[Header image by New America via Flickr, CC BY 2.0]



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In the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the country has been flooded with weapons and military hardware from Europe and North America.



An exclusive report published on March 5 by the Washington Post quoted anonymous sources, who claimed the U.S. and its overseas allies were quietly prepared to support a Ukrainian government-in-exile. This expatriated administration would direct guerrilla operations against Russian occupiers over the course of a long insurgency following Moscows takeover of Kiev.



As Russia presses on with their military operation, Western countries are increasingly determined to fuel a counter-offensive in Kiev. There is little consideration or concern for the potentially catastrophic blowback that may result for Ukrainians and the world.



While opposed to the establishment of a no-fly zone, the U.S. increasingly appears to be directly involved in the conflict against nuclear-armed Russia, which would make U.S. forces legitimate military targets or co-combatants.

The U.S. and its allies could urge Ukraine to enter ceasefire negotiations with Moscow and accept the likelihood that the country cannot become a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) without permanently threatening peace in the region. This would stabilize the global economy to avert a full-blown collapse and prevent the outbreak of another refugee crisis on Europes periphery.

Instead, the U.S. and NATO have chosen Ukraine as a staging ground for a proxy war with Russia, creating an environment that has the terrifying potential to result in nuclear catastrophe. Ukrainians, as well as Russians collectively punished by sanctions against their economy, will bear the long-term impacts of this belligerent brinkmanship.But the strategy will significantly expand the growth prospects for military companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

All-In For Ukraine

Although the European Union has never supplied lethal aid to any country, Brussels is now providing arms to Kiev worth around $489 million.

Germany will dispatch 1,000 rocket launchers, 500 stinger surface-to-air missiles, numerous howitzers and armored vehicles, and 10,000 tons of fuel, in contravention of Berlins longstanding policy of not exporting lethal weapons to war zones.

Sweden has also broken with their two-century-long commitment to neutrality, by sending missile systems to Kiev. Neighboring Finland, long-averse to foreign entanglements of any kind, also pledged to provide thousands of assault rifles, rocket launchers, and vast quantities of ammunition.

Over 20 countries, including Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, France, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Romania, have shipped arms packages. On top of sending weapons to Ukraine, Denmark officially permitted their population to travel to Kiev and deploy as foreign fighters.

Ukrainian officials claimed around 20,000 foreign volunteers, mostly from European countries, are now active in the conflict, as of March 6. President Volodomyr Zelenskyy encouraged more to join them.

From the outset, the Brtish government has taken a leading role in underwriting Ukraines war effort. Zelenskyy purportedly views Prime Minister Boris Johnson as his closest ally, and the pair have daily phone conversations to coordinate war efforts.



In the lead-up to Russias invasion, Johnson met with Lithuanian and Polish leaders to discuss battle plans, deployed specialist British troops to the region, and provided a welter of anti-tank missiles. London also trained 20,000 Ukrainian snipers.British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss voiced her support for citizens who wish to fight in Ukraine. (Note: The same support has not been shown for Britons, who battled ISIS in Iraq and Syria  several have been prosecuted.)

Support from Britain pales in comparison to the military investment by Washington. Two days after the invasion, President Joe Bidens administration approved a $350 million lethal aid package for Kiev. Congressional oversight was bypassed to expedite delivery to Kiev. Even prior to the Maidan coup in 2014, Ukraine was a leading recipient of U.S. military aid in Europe and Eurasia.



Funds provided to Ukraine over the past year surpassed $1 billion, and the White House has since asked Congress for an additional $10 billion, with just under half assigned to the Pentagon to ensure U.S. troops in NATO countries can continue to replenish weapons supplies for the Ukrainian military and volunteer forces.



As reported in the New York Times, the U.S. and NATO have pushed more than 17,000 antitank weapons, including Javelin missiles, over the borders of Poland and Romania, unloading them from giant military cargo planes so they can make the trip by land to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and other major cities.Stinger missiles largely came from U.S. stockpiles in Germany, and one Pentagon official described the shipment as the largest single authorized transfer of arms from U.S. military warehouses to another country.

Though Ukraine has a right to self-defense, Responsible Statecraft warned, Flooding weapons into what the Global Organized Crime Index describes as one of the largest arms trafficking markets in Europe is a recipe for disaster. The index called attention to Ukraines role as a key link in the global arms trade, which has grown since conflicts intensified in eastern Ukraine in recent years.

The dimensions of U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine are indistinct. Officials have consistently refused to share precise details of what is being shared, when, and with whom. Reporting has suggested some sensitive information, which could facilitate decisive strikes on the Russian military, is being withheld due to Washingtons unwillingness to be seen as a direct participant in the conflict. But Moscow has already declared that any country supplying Kiev with equipment such as fighter jets is considered an active participant.

Supporting An Insurgency Is In the CIAs DNA

While official permission for Americans to volunteer in Ukraine hasnt been granted, the New York Times along with U.S. state-funded media outlet Voice of America, have reported approvingly on how scores of veterans of U.S. conflicts, such as Iraq, are flocking to Kiev, often bringing with them military equipment.

Under normal circumstances, passengers would not be able to carry such items as baggage.

It seems likely upon arrival at least some veterans will make contact with the large number of stay-behind paramilitary units the CIA has since 2015 covertly trained at a secret facility in the southern United States. The facility has taught Ukrainians about the use of firearms, camouflage techniques, land navigation, tactics like cover and move, intelligence, and other areas. A former agency official spelled out the purpose of this program bluntly: the US is training an insurgency to kill Russians.

This program has palpable parallels with Operation Gladio, a clandestine pan-European nexus of NATO, CIA, and MI6-supported fascist guerrilla units, which throughout the Cold War carried out false flag terror attacks, assassinations, and other heinous crimes with impunity for over four decades, as part of a strategy of tension to discredit the left, and justify ever-greater security measures.

Among other atrocities, Gladio operatives were responsible for the August 1980 bombing of Bologna train station, which killed 85 people, including a three-year-old child, and wounded over 200. Members of Gladios Italian unit were trained on British soil, and the CIA and MI6 provided the explosives used in the massacre.

It also bears similarities to U.S. assistance to the mujahideen before and during the SovietAfghan War. In fact, such a comparison was drawn by U.S. lawmaker Adam Smith, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, after legislation to establish a Ukraine Resistance Fund was drafted.

Writing in Foreign Affairs the day after the war began, four-decade CIA veteran Douglas London prophesized a coming insurrection, very much along Soviet-Afghan lines. (Note: Foreign Affairs is published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank headquartered in New York.)

Acknowledging the far more powerful Russia can likely seize as much of Ukraines territory as it chooses, it conversely argues a well-financed and armed insurgency with reliable supply lines, ample reserves of fighters, and sanctuary over the border can sustain itself indefinitely, and in the process sap an occupying armys will to fight, and exhaust political support for the occupation at home.

Supporting an insurgency is in the CIAs DNA, London wrote. The CIAs recent experience in supporting and fighting insurgencies in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria prepares it well for opposing Russias modern conventional forces, London added. The U.S. can help Ukrainian insurgents in hitting targets with the greatest military value and psychological impact.

A Veritable Tinderbox

Backing the mujahideen is widely venerated by U.S. foreign policy apparatchiks and nostalgically hailed as the decisive blow that destroyed the Soviet Union. Speaking to MSNBC on February 28, twice-failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stated this was the model that people are now looking toward in respect to Ukraine, as armed insurgency basically drove the Russians out of Afghanistan.

The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter: We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war, the strategys architect Zbigniew Brzezinski bragged in 1998. For almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on a war unsupportable by the government, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire.

However, the Afghan fighters role in the USSRs disintegration is considered by many historiansand Melvin Goodman, chief of the CIAs Office of Soviet Affairs during this periodto be hugely overrated, if not an outright fantasy. What the policy primarily achieved was a wantonly protracted and bloody quagmire, in which thousands of people died needlessly.

The very same horror is likely to play out in Ukraine too. Zelenskyy has armed Ukrainian citizens and circulated instructions for making Molotov cocktails, urging the public to hurl improvised explosives at the invading Russianspotentially putting civilians lives at risk by making them military targets.

In one instance, this encouragement purportedly resulted in a battery of BM21 Grad MLRS inadvertently detonating and devastating the surrounding area. In another, a Ukrainian woman who flung a Molotov cocktail at a Russian army vehicle from a moving car set herself on fire in the process.

Add to this incendiary mix an influx of foreign fighters, one of whom told NPR of their desire to hang from lamps as many Muscovites as I can, and Ukrainian authorities releasing inmates with military experience from prison to fight invasion forces.

In sum, the country has been transformed into a veritable tinderbox, primed to explode in a gruesome manner.

When civil war erupted in Tripoli in 2011, London offered an open door to Libyan exiles residing in the country  including members of MI6-connected Al Qaeda-affiliate Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. These fighters proved pivotal in the brutal overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, and remained in Libya for years thereafter. In 2014, several were rescued by a Royal Navy vessel due to a deteriorating security situation.

Among the evacuees was Salman Abedi, who in May 2017 perpetrated a suicide bombing in Manchester Arena, killing 22, injuring over a thousand, and leaving hundreds suffering from psychological trauma.

The EU estimates that up to seven million refugees will be created by the war in Ukraine. That number likely does not account for a future where an insurgency turns the war into a ten year event.The world can expect some who flee and take up refuge in Western countries will be battle-hardened and embittered former guerrilla fighters, like Abedi.

Clearly, Western countries are averse to learning the lessons that should be learned from previous protracted wars. No matter the global consequences, London and Washington will fight to the last Ukrainian.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi exchanges views on the situation in Ukraine with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian via video link on March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine respectively with his French and Italian counterparts via video link.

When meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Wang said the major consensus reached by Chinese, French and German leaders during a virtual summit held on Tuesday should be well implemented.

The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the summit.

China's stance is consistent and clear, Wang said. "We would like to see an early ceasefire and cessation of fighting, which is also the common aspiration of the international community."

Concerning the three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Wang said that although there remain obvious differences between the two sides, the differences will be reduced each time the two speak, the hope for peace will increase, and the goal of a ceasefire and cessation of fighting will be further advanced.

China hopes that the international community will continue to encourage and support Russia-Ukraine negotiations and create the necessary environment and conditions for these negotiations, Wang said.

Concerning the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, Wang said that China has not only made great efforts to evacuate Chinese nationals, but has also played a positive role in evacuating citizens of other countries, especially students.

"China has put forward a six-point proposal to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, and is ready to step up communication with France and push the UN Security Council to reach a relevant consensus," he said.

He noted that China always opposes long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law. He said that in the case of weak global economic recovery, unlimited sanctions will undermine the stability of international industrial and supply chains, aggravate the food and energy crisis, and hurt people's livelihoods in all countries.

For his part, Le Drian said that France supports efforts to promote peace and hopes that Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will continue. France is ready to continue cooperation with China at the UN Security Council, and contribute to preventing a humanitarian crisis and promoting the diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine issue.

During the meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Wang said that the Ukraine crisis is closely related to European security and stability, and China fully understands the great concern of European countries and is deeply grieved that the situation in Ukraine has reached its current state.

"China is not a party involved, but as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, we will continue to make efforts to ease tensions and seek peace in our own way," he said.

Wang stressed that behind the Ukraine crisis lies the issue of European security. He said European countries should conduct in-depth and comprehensive discussions with Russia on the basis of the agreement reached so far and in accordance with the principle of the indivisibility of security, so as to form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework and achieve lasting peace and stability in Europe.

Di Maio said that Italy is paying close attention to China's six-point humanitarian proposal and stands ready to strengthen communication with China and make joint efforts to promote peace talks.

The European security mechanism requires equal consultation among all parties to achieve win-win outcomes, the Italian foreign minister said. 

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi exchanges views on the situation in Ukraine with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio via video link on March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)
DAR ES SALAAM, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The East African Community (EAC) on Thursday urged member states to step up measures to prevent and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases following heavy rains in parts of the EAC region.

A statement by the EAC said the appeal follows reports of an outbreak of yellow fever in Kenya that has caused the deaths of at least three people and information on outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) among livestock in EAC member states received by the EAC secretariat.

"The heavy rains and high temperatures have resulted in high numbers of mosquitoes which transmit vector-borne diseases," said Christophe Bazivamo, the EAC deputy secretary general in charge of Productive and Social Sectors.

Bazivamo urged the EAC member states to report such outbreaks to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as required.

He cautioned that the outbreaks of RVF might be followed by human cases if adequate measures are not taken in time.

The official called on the EAC member states of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda to step up disease surveillance, control, and vaccination against yellow fever among their citizens.

Kenya's Ministry of Health reported on March 5, 2022, that the government has activated its health emergency response mechanisms following the deaths of three persons attributed to an outbreak of yellow fever in Isiolo County in eastern Kenya.

Subsequently, 15 patients presented with yellow fever symptoms that include headache, fever, jaundice, muscle and joint pains, according to the statement.

Yellow fever epidemics can occur when infected people introduce the virus into heavily populated areas with high mosquito density and where most people have little or no immunity, due to a lack of vaccination, said the statement. 
DHAKA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh called for greater collaboration among Asia-Pacific countries to ensure food security at the 36th session of the Asia-Pacific regional conference (APRC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Thursday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the plea in her recommendations placed at the opening session of the conference's ministerial meetings which are slated to be held on March 10 and 11.

"Food security is surely the most pressing issue for humanity. About 305.7 million people in South Asia still suffer from hunger. We can arrange food for them easily if we all make sincere efforts," said the Bangladeshi prime minister in her prepared speech.

The Bangladeshi prime minister stressed the need for transferring and sharing of technologies like biotechnology, nanotechnology and robotics in the agricultural sector to step up cooperation among FAO members in the region.

"As modern agriculture needs huge investment, a special fund could be created to finance and support the agri-sector," said Hasina who is now on a five-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

She officially inaugurated the event held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC), which is also known as the Bangladesh-China friendship conference center in Dhaka.

The virtual-hybrid conference opened on Tuesday brings together 46 Asia-Pacific FAO members and a wide range of observers including representatives of UN bodies to discuss country's and region's priorities currently as well as pressing issues in the region such as the impact of COVID-19, the state of agriculture, natural resources management, food security and nutrition situation.

FAO officials said government ministers from more than 40 countries in Asia and the Pacific are expected to join in-person and virtual interactions to reach consensus in response to the damage dealt by the COVID-19 pandemic to lives and livelihoods of those involved in the food and agriculture sectors in the world's most populous region.

On the first day of the conference, senior officials, agriculture secretaries and experts participated in different sessions and discussed regional and global policy and regulatory matters. 
TORONTO - McCain Foods is ending a project to build a production facility in Russia and suspending shipments of its products to the country because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.

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A destroyed Russian tank is seen after battles on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 10, 2022. McCain Foods will not continue with a project to build production facility in Russia and suspended shipments of its products to the country because of the country's invasion of Ukraine. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Felipe Dana

TORONTO - McCain Foods is ending a project to build a production facility in Russia and suspending shipments of its products to the country because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The Canadian company says it stopped construction at the Russian production facility in the Tula Oblast region on Feb. 24 and has now made the decision to discontinue the project entirely.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been deeply concerning to all of us at McCain Foods," Charlie Angelakos, vice-president of global external affairs and sustainability at McCain Foods, said in a statement.

"Our thoughts continue to be with those affected by this crisis and we have done everything in our power to put the health and safety of our employees at the centre of our response."

The decision by the french fry maker comes as countries around the world stop work in Russia or with Russian companies because of the invasion and global economic sanctions.

The announcement by McCain came as WSP Global Inc. says it is also quitting its projects in Russia and will stop seeking out work in that country or Belarus.

WSP, which says it has no employees in Russia, Ukraine or Belarus, estimated its economic exposure related to the assignments to be under $1 million.

The owner of Burger King said Thursday it has suspended all corporate support to the 800 franchised locations in Russia, including operations, marketing and supply chain. It is also refusing to approve investments and expansion in the country.

Restaurant Brands International previously announced it was redirecting any profits from Russia to humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees.

Competitors such as McDonald's closed their restaurants in the country where it has 62,000 employees. The fast food giant said closing its nearly 850 restaurants, most of which it owns, would cost it about US$50 million per month.

Restaurant Brands, which also owns Tim Hortons, said it donated US$1 million to the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR. Franchisees in Europe are also partnering with local NGOs to distribute US$2 million of free Whopper meal vouchers to Ukrainian refugees arriving in those countries

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:WSP, TSX:QSR)
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SUBMITTED Collage of photos containing items allegedly seized by police at a residence on Pacific Avenue.

Brandon police busted an alleged operation to create "ghost guns" in Brandon Tuesday afternoon.

In April 2021, the FBI in Los Angeles contacted the Brandon Police Service about two people reportedly conducting cyberattacks, one of whom was believed to be living in Brandon, according to a Wednesday afternoon police press release.

"This has been going on for the last 11 months, and we believe that these two individuals are conducting DDos attacks on different systems and networks within Canada and the U.S.," a police press release reads.

A DDos attack sends an abundance of web traffic to a target, which makes it unreachable and shuts it down, police say. The cyberattacks were allegedly being conducted for a fee with an online service.

On Tuesday afternoon, police in Brandon executed a search warrant at 2200 Pacific Ave. in conjunction with a separate search warrant in Texas, police say.

Dayne Parrott-Jones, 18, was arrested in Brandon without incident, according to police. The RCMP digital forensic services provided assistance and were present when the search warrant was executed.

Once Parrott-Jones was arrested, police allegedly saw a 3D printer actively printing what officers believe was the lower receiver of a handgun, police say. A BPS member attached to the National Weapons Enforcement Team also provided expert opinion, police say.

They allegedly found a "large quantity" of cannabis as well. As a result, police conducted another search for weapons and drugs.

Police say four grams of cocaine and four pounds of cannabis were seized. They also allegedly found a complete firearm, which was loaded with a high-capacity magazine that had most parts printed on a 3D printer.

Also allegedly discovered were a loaded 9mm high-capacity magazine, a loaded 10-round Glock magazine, three 3D-printed lower receivers of Glock pistols, a "large quantity" of 9mm casings, gun powder, 9mm primers, 9mm bullets, numerous metal gun parts, parts used to build high-capacity magazines and a kit to convert a Glock to full automatic.

"These guns are commonly referred to as ghost guns. None of them have serial numbers and theyve become a very big problem both in Canada and the United States, and were glad we could intervene at this time," said Staff Sgt. Brian Partridge in a video.

Police said in a press release, it appears Parrott-Jones was allegedly manufacturing Glock firearms without serial numbers using a 3D printer. It seemed he was also manufacturing high-capacity magazines and ammunition.

The Sun was unable to reach Partridge Wednesday afternoon for additional information. Staff Sgt. Mike Tosh said he did not know if any of the 3D-printed firearms had been sold.

Parrott-Jones was charged with mischief to data, unauthorized use of a computer, three counts of manufacturing a restricted firearm, two counts of manufacturing a prohibited device, possessing a loaded restricted handgun, possessing a restricted handgun, possessing a restricted device, possessing illicit cannabis, possessing cocaine and possessing the proceeds of crime.

The accused has already appeared in court, police say.

Rolanda Chaske, 24, was also arrested, police say. She is not believed to have been involved with the computer crimes, but was charged with possessing a loaded restricted handgun, possessing a restricted handgun, possessing a restricted device, possessing illicit cannabis and possessing cocaine.

All the charges are still before the court and none have been proven.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
Jack Claussen is asking for the publics help in charting the population of American badgers throughout southern Manitoba, since he believes this specific data set has been neglected for far too long.

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Jack Claussen is asking for the publics help in charting the population of American badgers throughout southern Manitoba, since he believes this specific data set has been neglected for far too long.

Talking to the Sun on Tuesday, Claussen said he is spearheading this project as a second-year student in Assiniboine Community Colleges land and water management program.

Using Google Forms surveys, the 21-year-old Brandon resident is giving Westman residents the opportunity to help kick-start his research by submitting occurrence data once they spot these creatures in the wild.

"There are two forms of the survey. One is more directed towards land owners and it includes questions about their land practices," he said. "And then there is more of a short form one for the general public that just asks where and when they saw a badger."

From there, Claussen will use this data to create a probability map that is designed to outline the areas where American badgers may show up in the Pembina Valley Watershed District.

Outside of his time at ACC, Claussen has been involved with natural resources work for much of his life, having volunteered for organizations such as Delta Waterfowl and Ducks Unlimited at a young age.

Claussens years of conservation experience has led him to work for the Brandon Research Station and become a member of the Manitoba chapter of the Wildlife Society, which has exposed him to the scarcity of research surrounding American badgers.

FILE A badger peers out from the entrance to a den west of Brandon in late September 2020.

"Theyve never been categorized specifically. Its all been through accidental catches by trapping associations," he said. "So there hasnt been research done to directly find this data."

A 2012 report from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada backs up Claussens statement, with the organization classifying the American badger as a species of "special concern" within the Prairie region due to its "unregulated mortality by landowners."

"The lack of monitoring of total mortality, the limited amount of habitat in cultivated areas, ongoing threat of roadkill, and the projected use of strychnine leads to concern for the species in a large part of its range," the report reads.

While Claussens badger population project is only scheduled to last for another eight weeks, he is planning to expand the scope of this research by submitting his data to groups like the Pembina Valley Watershed District and the Living Labs-Eastern Prairies team for further study.

"The plan right now is that most of the sightings during this next summer or the summer after will be checked and verified by Eastern Prairies Living Labs to see if  they can spot badgers in the sightings reported by people," he said.

To take part in the badger survey project, residents can email Claussen at badgerspotters@gmail.com or visit his Facebook page, "Manitoba Badger Spotter."

According to Nature Canada, American badgers (or taxidea taxus) are short but wide mammals who are part of the weasel family, measuring anywhere from 76 to 89 centimetres head-to-tail. Their weight ranges from 5.4 to 7.3 kilograms.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter:@KyleDarbyson
OTTAWA - The UN World Food Program has warned that millions of people in the developing world and conflict zones are on the brink of starvation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, one of the world's biggest wheat exporters.

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The World Food Program is warning that millions of people in the developing world and conflict zones are on the brink of starvation following the invasion of Ukraine, because of its impact on world grain supplies. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau tours a grain farm in the drought-stricken Interlake Region of Manitoba to discuss support measures for Manitoba and Canadian farmers impacted by extreme weather on Thursday July 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

OTTAWA - The UN World Food Program has warned that millions of people in the developing world and conflict zones are on the brink of starvation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, one of the world's biggest wheat exporters.

It is asking Canada and other major wheat exporters to open up their silos to urgently fill the shortage, which it said could lead to millions going hungry in countries including Ethiopia, Yemen and Sudan.

The UN program and many countries in the developing world, including Lebanon and Bangladesh, rely on Ukraine, known as the breadbasket of Europe, for its wheat supplies.

But the spike in the cost of grain and the disruption to supplies from Ukraine and Russia has raised the alarm about a global food crisis.

On Friday, Canada's Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau will attend an emergency meeting of her G7 counterparts to discuss the impact of the Russian invasion on global food security.

Bibeau said Canada is aware of the serious situation, is closely monitoring it and wishes to help.

The global supply chain for wheat has been significantly impacted by this conflict," Bibeau said in a statement.

"While Canada, as a leading global agri-food exporter of many key products, is working with its allies on how it can assist efforts, Canadian wheat production was significantly reduced due to last years drought and there is not a significant amount of wheat uncommitted and available to the market until the next harvest."

Arif Husain, chief economist at the World Food Program, said the humanitarian organization itself sourced 789,000 tonnes of its wheat supplies from Ukraine last year.

He said another 158,000 tonnes came from Russia. The organization also buys wheat from Canada, one of its biggest financial backers.

He called on Canada and other grain exporters to step in to fill the gap either by making donations from their stocks or selling their supplies at a discount to aid agencies.

"This is as bad as it gets," Husain said.

"It is necessary for the large producers like Canada, like Australia, to please open your hearts and provide wheat to the aid agencies. In Yemen alone, five million people are literally a step away from famine."

The price of wheat has risen sharply since the war began, making it more expensive for developing countries, aid agencies and other importers.

Shipping companies that usually transport grain and vegetable oil from Ukraine and Russia are unable to approach ports safely.

Husain said they had also seen their insurance costs spike, as well as the spiralling cost of fuel.

He said the higher price of wheat will also make it more expensive to buy and distribute to the world's poor and displaced people, who now include Ukrainians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday during his visit to London that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was having a "ripple effect" across the world, including to the UN World Food Program.

Sandra McCardell, an assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada, told the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee last week that the federal government was "looking at contingencies" for the expected food shortage.

"This is not going to be just about Ukraine and Russia and we do need absolutely to be ready," she said March 3.

Dave Quist, executive director of the western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, said Ukrainian farmers will find it extremely difficult to get their seeds in the ground and it is doubtful whether those that manage to plant their fields would be able to harvest in August or September.

He also said many Canadian farmers had already brought in seed to plant other crops this spring so it was difficult for them to plant wheat at short notice instead.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2022.
OTTAWA - Canada's ailing health systems need some drastic intervention from federal and provincial governments if there is any hope of reviving them post-pandemic, an emergency summit of nearly 40 health-worker organizations concluded at an emergency meeting Wednesday.

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Respiratory therapist Alisha Clark, left, and registered nurse Joy Turner take a rest in the employee break room in the intensive care unit at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

OTTAWA - Canada's ailing health systems need some drastic intervention from federal and provincial governments if there is any hope of reviving them post-pandemic, an emergency summit of nearly 40 health-worker organizations concluded at an emergency meeting Wednesday.

Health workers have now endured two difficult years of pandemic conditions, leading to serious burnout across nearly all sectors of the health-care system.

"The real shared experience across health-care workers and professionals is that the level of burnout is to a point now where it's really starting to threaten the sustainability of the system," said Canadian Medical Association president Dr. Katharine Smart.

The summit, hosted by the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Nurses Association, was struck to chart a new course for health care in the face of widespread attrition.

Personal service workers and nurses have coped with professionals leaving their jobs in droves or retiring early, while the CMA says doctors report that they plan to work fewer hours to deal with the fatigue.

As the rest of the country starts to talk about the possibility of post-pandemic recovery, health workers say for them there is no end in sight. Now that cases of COVID-19 have dropped, they still have to tackle the serious backlogs that grew while non-emergent care was put on hold during the peaks of the pandemic waves.

The CMA says that hospitals are still over capacity, even as fewer COVID-19 patients need hospital care. That's because beds are filling up with people who couldn't get care during the pandemic, she said.

Provincial governments have recognized the problem and called for more money from the federal government to keep pace with the rising demands on their systems.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh lent his support to the provinces' request, standing outside Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, B.C., Thursday.

"Cutting health-care funding over the past number of decades has absolutely contributed to the crisis that we're witnessing right now, and I can't underline enough how important it is for us to properly fund our health-care system," Singh said.

While health organizations seem to agree more long-term funding is needed, they also say money alone can only bandage the problem.

"You're just endlessly funding a system that's broken," Smart said in an interview after the meeting Wednesday.

Smart said the system is now so depleted, there needs to be greater unity between provincial systems to keep things running.

That's why the health-worker associations say have called for radical change and for the federal government to take on a greater role.

While health falls under provincial jurisdiction, the summit agreed on the need for a national strategy to get a handle on what kind of professionals are missing from Canada's health systems and how many are needed.

The associations have also made calls for national licensing of health professionals so that they can move from province to province to where they are most needed.

As for fixing the problem long-term, Smart said governments need to rethink the way care is delivered. For example, access to primary care might be improved by allowing physicians to work in integrated teams with specialists, she said. That way, patients whose needs are increasingly more complex would be better served and the job would be more appealing to physicians.

The House of Commons health committee has already begun to hear similar recommendations as part of its study on Canada's health workforce.

"The status quo is clearly no longer an option. Failing to act now will lead to lower-quality care, longer wait times and worse health outcomes," HealthCareCan president Paul-Emile Cloutier told the committee in February.

HealthCareCan is an association of health-care organizations and Canadian hospitals.

In a statement, Health Canada said the government shares the concerns of the health-care workers and action has been taken. The department is working with the Canadian Institute for Health Information to implement a physician resource planning tool to map out the physician workforce over a 30-year timeline.

The government has also set up a dedicated portal with mental health resources, and a dedicated text line for front-line workers to connect them with immediate access to support, the statement said.

Among other initiatives, the government also plans to hire a chief nursing officer this spring to "bring nursing issues to the forefront federally."

In general, Smart said governments have been receptive to ideas and keen to hold committees and take meetings and have even made some announcements, but so far there has been no substantial action taken.

She said she'll be looking hopefully toward the federal budget this spring for signs of movement.

"I think the worst thing that can happen is that health-care professionals give up hope that the government is really going to work alongside us to transform the system, because I think when that happens, that's when you're going to see even more attrition," Smart said.

"I also think that we need to be honest about the fact that if we don't start to actually see some of these changes happen, our health-care system is deeply under threat."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2022.
It was only last weekend that one of CBDs favourite gruesome twosomes, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, both former prime ministers (for different political parties, we have to remind ourselves), were spotted having dinner together. KRudd and MBull took the stage at the Adelaide Writers Week to do what they do best: blasting News Corp while being the loudest proponents of a royal commission into the Murdoch news empire.

But the antics of this political Thompson and Thomson duo are nothing compared with what proponents of the Murdoch royal commish have planned for the forthcoming election: a rolling media fact-checking unit aimed squarely at News metropolitan tabloid newspapers including The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun. It will collect evidence for the dream RC project.

Former prime ministers Rudd and Turnbull have a common cause in their dislike of News Corp. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

No doubt KRudd is still smarting from the famous 2013 Telegraph front page Kick this mob out, which ran on day one of the federal election campaign and was the brainchild of editor Paul Whittaker, now chief executive of Sky News. That front page lost the paper readers in its western Sydney Labor heartland, but theres no denying the voting public did just that when it ushered into power Tony Abbott (who didnt ever blame News Corp when it was his turn for his party to knife him in the back).

This week, the Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission gang held two Zoom brains trust meetings to thrash out campaign proposals. Sally Rugg, national director, claims the movement is 40,000 strong and they stand ready for the coming election.
The ACTs Supreme Court Chief Justice has warned the more people keep talking about a rape allegation involving former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins, the greater the risk the case will be halted.

Lucy McCallum, who was sworn in to head the superior court on Wednesday, delivered the caution from the bench on Thursday morning, just days after Ms Higgins appeared with former Australian of the Year Grace Tame and other female leaders in a video kicking off a campaign about the treatment and safety of women in the lead-up to the election.

Former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins went public with her allegation in February 2021. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Speaking during a brief hearing for Bruce Lehrmann, the man accused of Ms Higgins rape, Chief Justice McCallum delivered the statement for the sake of anyone who has interest in the proceeding.

A man has been accused of a very serious offence, it is an offence that can only be tried with a jury, Chief Justice McCallum said, adding statements made before a criminal trial that might interfere with the administration of justice risked being classified as in contempt of court.
A cosmetic doctor being sued for defamation for allegedly posing as a patient and leaving a fake review about another Gold Coast practitioner denies he is a direct commercial competitor, a court has heard.

Dr Cesidio Ces Colagrande is suing Dr Min Sik Mitchell Kim and his wife Anna Min for damages in the Federal Court in Sydney, saying he was traumatised by the publication of the false review, which the couple deny writing.

Dr Cesidio Colagrande (right) is suing Dr Min Sik Kim (left) for allegedly posing as a patient and leaving a fake review about him. Credit:Instagram/@DR_MITCHELL_KIM and @DRCESCOLAGRANDE

The one-star review, posted to the RateMDs website on December 12, 2018, read: After what he did to me, I cant believe hes still [practising]. It linked to a news.com.au article about Dr Colagrande being found guilty of sexually assaulting a female patient.

The conviction was quashed on appeal in Queensland in June 2018 and the charge was withdrawn.
[It] certainly raises questions about how close the Premier and this government has become to certain individuals and businesses in the state of Western Australia. You would expect that the government and their ministers have an eye and an ear to those that hold significant interest but always that they balance that with the interests of West Australians. When the media is involved, as you will know, there is greater influence and so you have to be very careful about how you are perceived to use that power or wield that influence. A spokesman for Mr McGowan said the messaging showed the Premier was listening to those in the states business community. Since opposition and into government Mark McGowan and his team have always taken a consultative approach with an emphasis on talking, and more importantly listening, to all sectors of the community  from business leaders to interest groups to mums and dads, he said.

One of the big criticisms of the previous Liberal-National government, in which Mia Davies was a minister, was that they did not consult and they did not listen. The anti-Palmer legislation was drafted in secret between Mr McGowan and Attorney-General John Quigley to avoid Mr Palmer getting wind of it and attempting to circumvent it through other legal avenues. The rest of Labors own cabinet only found out about it an hour before it was introduced to Parliament. Ms Davies said she and former opposition leader Liza Harvey only found out about the legislation five minutes before it was introduced to Parliament. Loading

She said she understood why it was kept secret but blasted the government for not alerting the opposition earlier, yet demanding they help it rush through. When it was a threat on the people of Western Australia and their financial stability, you would think that there would be a bipartisan approach; there was none, she said. Yet the Premier was happy to discuss this with significant private business people in Western Australia as it was happening. I hope that the Premier makes himself available, when he returns from his court case, to actually answer that question. Outside court on Wednesday, Mr McGowan said he had received legal advice that he could not speak about the trial or the texts.

He has now arrived back in WA and is undergoing a self-imposed seven-day quarantine period. When questioned about the texts on Wednesday, Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson backed the Premier. Im not going to comment on what is literally happening at the moment in court, she said. The Premier conducts himself with the highest integrity and he has shown that since he became Premier in 2017. Barnett calls on Palmer, McGowan to toughen up

Former West Australian premier Colin Barnett has rubbished the defamation trial, urging both men to toughen up and describing it as a pathetic waste of money. Its a waste of the courts resources, and really if you are in public life, which both Mark McGowan and Clive Palmer are, youre going to get called names, he said. This is about name-calling and I think it just reflects badly on both of them and I just say toughen up; youre in public life. Dont be so bloody sensitive ... youve just got to cop it. Ive been called far worse things than that and Ive just let them go through to the keeper. Loading
Assyrian Journalist Speaks on His Abduction By Kurdish Security in Northeastern Syria

Assyrian journalist Husam Alkass with his son and wife. Derike, Syria (AINA) -- On Thursday, June 3rd, 2021, Husam Alkass, a journalist and member of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO), was abducted by a group of masked men on the open street during the afternoon hours in the city of Derike (Al-Malikiye), northeastern Syria. According to a statement released by the ADO on June 3rd, he was beaten and pulled into a vehicle and brought to an unknown destination. The ADO condemned the abduction and demanded Alkass' immediate release.

In a related statement, his family rejected any attempt to consider this abduction a mere security or criminal incident, and stated that they "have all the reasons to believe that this abduction is political, and it is related to Husam's views on promoting and defending human rights and freedom of expression in the region under Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and it's political wing the Syrian Democratic Council."

The case quickly attracted attention in the region and in the Assyrian and Arabic-speaking media. The General Union of Kurdish Writers and Journalists issued a statement calling for the release of Alkass and the prosecution of those responsible for his abduction. The Syriac Union Party (SUP) in Syria, collaborating with the PYD and part of the so-called Self Administration, also demanded his release.

The next day, on June 4, Husam Alkass was released. In a related statement ADO's Executive Board expressed gratitude to the Peace and Freedom Front and its head, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Jarba, and Sheikh Zaid Al-Jarba "for their efforts from the first moment of the kidnapping of Husam until the moment of his release and his return to his home and family." On this occasion ADO reiterated its rejection of all repressive practices that contradict the values of freedom and human rights while demanding that the de-facto authority, represented by the Autonomous Administration, releases all prisoners of conscience held and to stop arrests and kidnappings against for peaceful expression of opinion.

Husam was apparently kidnapped because he wrote a comment on his Facebook page criticizing the forced conscription by the Autonomous Administration; he accused the administration of violating their freedom, this gave impetus to people who gathered and demonstrated against the administration in the city of Manbij's demanding to stop forced conscription.

Mr. Karam Dawle, a member of ADO's Executive Committee, representing his organization in the Advisory Support Team in the Syrian constitution related Geneva talks, which consists of Assyrians, Kurds and Yazidis, said the following:

"The Autonomous Administration should focus on the deteriorating economic and health issues of the population and work towards alleviating their suffering. It should conduct a meaningful and constructive review of its practices and performance, and initiate a concrete undertaking to open up to various political forces in the region to come together and support a dialogue towards improving the administration based on genuine partnership. The arrest of a member of the ADO, Husam Alkass, and the way it was violently carried out came in broad daylight in public view is a clear message of intimidation not only to Husam but to anyone who dares to criticize this authority. The incident also reveals the true nature of this authoritarian Administration, which sanctions and facilitates the use of violence to silence opposing political views. Despite numerous slogans related to human rights and freedom that PYD-led Administration puts out, day and night, it is still far from the real modern civil administration that respects the rule of law and human rights. The case of Husam is not an isolated case, there are many instances where security forces resorted to excessive violence against media and human rights activists and political opponents. It has reached unprecedented levels, including the assassination of Deacon David Jendo (AINA 2015-05-27) and the assassination attempt on his colleague Elias Nasir, who narrowly escaped death in 2015, and many similar cases involving Kurdish and Arab activists."

Back home united with his family and friends, Husam Alkass was interviewed by Ninos Shabo on the ADO Web-channel on June 9, speaking about the ordeal of the incident from the time of his arrest until the time he was released and his view with respect to the solidarity campaign and the support he received from activists, organizations, and parties securing his freedom.

Here is an abbreviated transcription and translation of that interview.

Ninos Shabo: Husam, welcome to the program.

Husam Alkass: Thank you and my thanks to the followers of ADO News.

NS: During your detention, the campaign to free you labeled you as a social media activist and a member of the ADO. How would you describe yourself?

HA: I am Hussam Al Kass, a member of ADO, active in social media, human rights, peace movements, and law.

NS: Can you tell us about your arrest? According to the ADO bulletin, you were arrested around 4:00 PM by several unidentified masked men; can you elaborate more on the incident?

HA: Yes; I was going home after I finished shopping, around 4:30 PM a car full of masked armed men stopped me on the main street close to the Syriac Church; they abducted me and forced me into a car, and took me to undisclosed security location of the Self-Administration Authority. I was subjected to intense interrogation and abuse. They wanted to know about my political views, my relationship with human rights organizations, and other topics in general.

NS: How do you see your detention? As you mentioned you stated it is an abduction? Is it lawful or legal?

HA: My arrest, in my opinion, and from the legal point of view, is not legal nor lawful and can't be sanctioned by any law. I was questioned because of my views and human rights activities as well as helping and protecting people in different fields, all these activities are part of free speech and free expression. They interpreted my activities as enticing division and damaging to the public, which is completely contrary to what I do. I can't see how this could be considered legal. Any way you look at it, it doesn't constitute an argument or reason to detain me.

NS: During your detention there were wide spread demands for your release. On social media there were calls from people of all walks of life, political parties, local and international organizations. What did you think about that after you were freed?

HA: I was surprised by the tremendous support I received during my ordeal. I value the support and love of those people who stood with me, and I appreciate their concern. That said, people, organizations, and political parties were able to pressure the authorities for my early release. I thank all of them. As you know, I was disoriented at the time of my release and I could have missed acknowledging some of them. I take this opportunity to thank all the organizations and parties, governments, all people, Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, and Assyrians for their support. I also wish that the unprecedented campaign I received should be equally given to all prisoners of conscience, free-minded Syrians and those who are imprisoned without trials, in prisons of the Syrian regime and the Self-Administration Authority (SAA). Any person who is detained for expressing his opinion freely deserves to get the same support I received.

NS: We wish that all prisoners of consciousness shall be set free. I remember one post on social media saying that you deserve to be detained because you have been promoting hatred, divisions, and prejudice but differed on the way you were detained. What is your answer to such an accusations?

HA: Sorry Ninos. I have seen some comments of that sort, they are influenced by the status-quo prevalent in the SAA, at the same time, indirectly, they are against these detention practices. In democratic and free societies free speech and free will are protected and you can't imprison those who don't agree with you. I was surprised by that accusation; and I say to all of them "I have my post on Facebook and its available to everyone, show me where I had such statements published against certain people, religious or entity." Criticism in democratic and free societies is constitutionally protected and those who practice this right are immune from persecution. All along, my criticism has been against the de facto situation under SAA and the deterioration of living, economic and political conditions, and the lack of equal representation of the people, Arab, Assyrian, and Kurds in the administration.

NS: In addition to the accusation, some are stating that you were detained for being an Assyrian and socially and politically active. The Self-Administration Authority wanted to silence you because you are an Assyrian. In this regard how true is this accusation against SAA? Or do you see it as an attempt to drive an wedge between different entities and people under SAA?

HA: First, I would like to thank all the Assyrian people, organizations, and political parties in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as, in the West for their support. I would like to add that there was a minority of ill-feeling by those who you cited; there is a misunderstanding of the situation. As the real issue lies in the perception of SAA that an active person is criticizing the administration on social media, and on the law and human rights forums for being incompetent, it is fair to say the reason [for detention] was purely political and has to do with right and aspiration of the people under the rule of SAA - and I would like to emphasize this point. The Self- Administration Authority has in the past detained activists whether they were Kurds, Assyrians, or Arabs, in fact more Kurds than others. They resort to this practice when they need to.

NS: As a member of the ADO Media Committee how would you describe this SAA action?

HA: As far as I am concerned it was a painful experience. I hope that no activist would be subjected to this humiliation in all East Euphrates and Jazira. Detaining someone because of his opinion is very hard and leaves negative feelings in one's mind. This incident has tainted SAA's reputation as a champion of freedom and peaceful coexistence among the people in the region. The SAA violated its by-laws and slogans and that is a huge setback.

NS: I would like to give you the opportunity to close with a comment on any related topic that we didn't cover.

HA: It is necessary that people's integrity is protected and all violations against individuals based on their beliefs are stopped. In many areas in Syria there are local administrations, morally they should project a view of tolerance different than the Regime and build on it, and improve it. I hope we shall be able to reach a higher standard in protecting individual freedom, free press, peaceful coexistence, and real partnership. It is imperative, the current local governments ought to have better records and standards than the dictatorial regime in Damascus.

Translation of the Arabic language interview by Karam Dawle and his team. Edited by AINA.
BEIRUT, March 10 (Xinhua) -- France signed Thursday an agreement with Lebanon to help the country in revamping its transport sector, a statement by the Lebanese Council of Ministers reported.

French Transport Minister Delegate Jean-Baptiste Djebbari and Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamieh signed the agreement in the presence of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail in Beirut.

Within the framework of the agreement, France will offer 50 buses to Lebanon in a bid to enhance the transport sector in the country and secure effective transportation means for citizens, said the statement.

Hamieh said the agreement constitutes the first step in the public transport plan and France expressed its willingness to help in drawing up a legal framework for the partnership between the public and private sectors, whereby the private sector becomes the operator and the state regulates the sector.

Hamieh added that France is also ready to cooperate with the Lebanese government on activating the Beirut port.

For his part, Djebbari said that the task of the French delegation is to follow up on the standards adopted at the airport and enhance the capabilities of employees at the airport. 
Brisbane nurse Nick Jensen thought his shift was over as he walked to his car after working at the Princess Alexandra hospital on a Saturday afternoon.

Then he heard the screaming.

A mother, carrying the limp body of her daughter in her arms, was screaming for help as she tried to find the entrance to the hospital.

I just ran towards her and caught up with her, she was looking for the emergency department but she was actually headed in the wrong direction, Mr Jensen said.
A 27-year-old man is being extradited from New South Wales over the alleged murder of a man whose body was found in encased in concrete in Brisbane.

The body of Andrew Walsh was found at the commercial premises during a three-week excavation. Credit:Reece DAlessandro, Nine News Twitter

The body was that of Andrew Christopher Walsh, who was reported missing by his family in far north Queensland in January. Police believe the 35-year-old was last seen alive at Slacks Creek on November 7.

An extensive three-week excavation at a Coopers Plains business uncovered Mr Walshs body.

An area of the workshop was excavated and there was a large amount of concrete that was drilled and excavated, so it [Mr Walshs body] was encased in concrete, Detective Inspector Chris Knight said at a press conference on Wednesday.
A drug widely used to treat COVID-19 patients at risk of serious illness appears to be ineffective in some instances, new research shows, with the antibody treatment triggering drug-resistant mutations in rare cases.

The world-first research conducted by Sydney researchers, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, has prompted calls for better tracking of the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody treatments used to combat the virus in hospitals.

Sotrovimab is an artificial copy of natural immunity to COVID, and is sometimes prescribed before patients come to hospital with the virus. Credit:GlaxoSmithKline

Sotrovimab is a COVID-19 treatment administered via intravenous drip to patients considered to be at risk of severe disease from the virus that has been widely used at hospitals since it received regulatory approval last August.

Researchers from the University of Sydney and NSW Health Pathology assessed samples from the first 100 patients to receive the treatment in western Sydneys hospitals during the Delta wave.
The Law Institute of Victoria has asked the Andrews government to withdraw a bill, which would centralise the medical records of every patient in the public health system, over privacy concerns and because patients cannot opt out of the scheme.

The Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill, which is likely to pass into law in the upper house in coming months, aims to improve health outcomes by electronically sharing patient data across public hospitals and services through a central database.

The database proposal has drawn criticism from legal, consumer and public health groups. Credit:Louie Douvis

The existing framework only allows providers to share information internally, leading to medical errors, delays and inefficiencies.

Under the plan, patients would have no ability to opt-in or out of the new database before it launches in February next year. Insurance companies will not have access to the database.
London: Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, who died suddenly on Thursday night, has been lauded as a brave justice warrior, with human rights campaigners from around the world vowing to carry on her work.

Senator Kitching, who had represented Victoria since 2016, died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52.

Businessman Bill Browder with Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching at the Sergei Magnitsky Human Rights Award ceremony in 2021. Credit:Sean Pollock

When she entered Parliament, Senator Kitching ferociously campaigned for a Magnitsky Act so that Australia could join its allies  Britain, the US and Canada  in imposing sanctions on human rights violators.

Businessman Bill Browder, who spearheaded the global movement for human rights-based sanctions, led the tributes. The act was named after Browders tax adviser Sergei Magnitsky, who was persecuted and killed by the Russian regime.
An Australian government minister has met Chinas new ambassador, the most senior contact between the two nations in years, but they failed to resolve any outstanding disagreements.

Chinas new ambassador to Canberra, Xiao Qian, sought a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, several weeks ago and Senator Payne eventually granted him an appointment in Sydney on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has met with Chinas new ambassador to Australia. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Xiao has struck a conciliatory tone in public comments since arriving in Australia in January but without any sign of any substantive relenting from Beijing nor any initiative from Canberra, according to the Australian overview of the meeting.

The essential impasse is that Chinas government has demanded Australia make concessions in 14 areas of its sovereignty while under Chinese trade boycotts on more than $20 billion worth of its exports, but Australia has refused to yield.
I think it is just an obvious fact, declared the Prime Minister this week as he toured flood-ravaged Lismore, that Australia is getting hard to live in because of these disasters.

What a frankly astonishing admission that is. How unvarnished. It isnt relative or euphemistic. It isnt Australia is being affected by climate change, or were facing more natural disasters. Its absolute. Getting hard to live in has a ring of resignation about it. Its like given the choice, humans would really rather live somewhere else.

Australia is getting hard to live in because of these disasters, Scott Morrison said earlier this week. Credit:Illustration by Simon Letch

I know Scott Morrison didnt mean it like that. Indeed, he prefaced it with the familiar kind of statement that makes it seem like a long-acknowledged matter of consensus: Ive said as much in the past and so on.

But the attempt to play this down is also instructive. It glosses over the decades weve wasted in this country disputing the reality of climate change. Here, Morrison is speaking an important truth. Its just that it has come a decade late, and only once political realities had nudged the Coalition sufficiently that it felt compelled to adopt a net zero target.
The architects of the $10 billion cyclone reinsurance pool in northern Australia say the federal government must adopt a publicly funded national insurance scheme in order for premiums to remain affordable, as natural disasters become more frequent and intense due to climate change.

Unless this is done, increasing numbers of floods, bushfires and cyclones could render premiums unaffordable for many Australians, creating a risk of market failure, they say.

A national insurance scheme is needed to lower household premiums so they are affordable for average Australians, experts say. Credit:Janie Barrett

The Natural Disaster Insurance Review was commissioned following Brisbanes devastating 2011 floods. It led a decade later to the establishment of a $10 billion taxpayer-backed underwriting scheme in northern Australia.

Two of the reports authors, John Trowbridge and John Berrill, said the escalating financial cost of natural disasters under climate change demanded reform because the spiralling cost of insurance risked market failure where premiums became unaffordable.
The war in Ukraine has descended so quickly into crimes so great that the moral case for a powerful response grows stronger by the day. The latest atrocity, the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, only adds to the urgency about what else can be done to stop the Russian invasion.

The primary hope is to break the Russian economy. Australia has joined global sanctions to impose a crushing financial penalty that might be enough to halt the attacks, impose extreme pressure on Vladimir Putin and convince other autocrats that similar ventures will trigger the same costs.

The headquarters of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom in St Petersburg. Credit:AP

But the economic assault is yet to stop the Russian President after almost two weeks of radical steps designed to crash his currency and paralyse his central bank. These steps are certain to bring severe financial hardship to millions of ordinary Russians, with hyperinflation in prospect, yet success depends on whether this pain can force Putin to relent, if not retreat.

Yet, the reality is that Australia has few ways to add to this pressure. It is doing less than in recent conflicts: there are no Australian boots on the ground, aircraft in the sky or ships nearby. This reflects the essential calculation, which is cold but correct, that NATO and its allies must not go into direct combat with Russian forces and risk turning this into a nuclear confrontation.
They want to destroy the people of Mariupol. They want to make them starve, Vereshchuk said. Its a war crime. A child was among those killed in the hospital air strike in Mariupol. Seventeen people were also wounded, including women waiting to give birth, doctors, and children buried in the rubble. Images of the attack, with pregnant women covered in dust and blood, dominated news reports in many countries. Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine. Credit:Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Russia shifted its stance over the bombing of a Ukrainian hospital in the city of Mariupol, with a mix of statements that veered between aggressive denials and a call by the Kremlin to establish clear facts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Russian assertions there had been no patients at the hospital.

Like always, they lie confidently, said Zelensky, who has accused Moscow of waging genocide in the war it launched two weeks ago. In the face of worldwide condemnation there were rare signs of inconsistency in the response from Russian officials, who since the start of Moscows invasion on February 24 have stuck tightly to the same narrative for what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked for comment in the immediate aftermath, told Reuters on Wednesday: Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets. On Thursday he said the Kremlin would look into the incident. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denies Russian forces would fire on a hospital. Credit:AP

We will definitely ask our military, because you and I dont have clear information about what happened there, Peskov told reporters. And the military are very likely to provide some information. Loading Other Russian officials took a more aggressive line, rejecting the hospital bombing as fake news. This is information terrorism, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. The Defence Ministry later denied having bombed the hospital, accusing Ukraine of staging the incident. It said Russian forces at the time had been respecting an agreement to hold fire to allow the evacuation of civilians.

Russian aviation carried out absolutely no strikes on ground targets in the area, spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. The alleged air strike was completely a staged provocation ... that can deceive the Western public but not an expert. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attacked what he called pathetic shouting about so-called atrocities by the Russian armed forces. He told reporters after meeting Ukraines foreign minister in Turkey that the hospital building had for days been under the control of ultra-radical Ukrainian forces, and they had emptied out the doctors and patients. But this version was rejected by Zelensky as a lie.

Moscow says it is conducting a special military operation to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine. Kyiv and the West reject these as false pretexts for an invasion of a democratic country of 44 million people. On Wednesday, the United States denied renewed Russian accusations that Washington was operating biowarfare labs in Ukraine, calling the claims laughable. Thousands of people have been killed and more than 2 million have fled the country since Russian troops crossed into Ukraine on February 24. Encircled cities Encircled cities have been suffering from shortages of food, medicine, heat and electricity, and thousands of trapped civilians were hoping to leave on Thursday during temporary cease-fires the two sides agreed to  though most past attempts failed because of continued Russian shelling.

Russian forces captured several Kyiv suburbs and were trying to take Chernihiv in the north, the general staff of Ukraines armed forces said Thursday. Loading They were also advancing on the southern cities of Mykolaiv, Kryviy Rih, Voznesensk and Novovorontsovka, it said. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 2 million people  half the residents of the Ukrainian capitals metropolitan area  have left the city, which has become a virtual fortress. Every street, every house  is being fortified, he said in televised remarks. Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands.

Civilian authorities reported Russian bombing overnight in the suburbs of Kyiv, and two other cities, as well as shelling in the eastern city of Kharkiv, which is the countrys second largest city. Russia has deployed more than 150,000 troops and retains large and possibly decisive advantages in firepower, despite facing fierce Ukrainian resistance and global financial pressure aimed at crippling its economy. Russias deputy energy minister, Yevgeny Grabchak, said Thursday that power had been restored to the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant. He said the energy supply came from Belarus, but he otherwise didnt elaborate. Reuters, AP
Wellington: In an ancient grove in northern New Zealand, the mighty conifer known as Tane Mahuta, lord of the forest, is threatened by the encroachment of a deadly enemy.

It is the largest kauri tree known to be living: 54 metres tall, 16 metres in circumference.

Tourists visit Tane Mahuta, the largest known kauri tree, in Waipoua Forest in New Zealand. Credit:Ruth Mcdowall/The New York Times

Kauri, native to New Zealand, are among the worlds longest-living trees, and Tane Mahuta has been growing in Waipoua Forest for about 2000 years  longer than New Zealand has been inhabited by humans. It is named after the god of forests in Maori mythology, who is said to have pushed apart the sky father and the earth mother to create space for life to thrive.

But Tane Mahuta stands just 60 metres from another kauri whose roots are infected with an incurable disease. Kauri dieback, caused by a microscopic, fungus-like organism, has reached pandemic proportions and driven an already threatened species closer to extinction. Nearby, five other kauri are also infected.
Latest News Big four banks lift variable interest rates Increases across board for home loan customers

Commercial lending market flourishing 40% to 50% uplift, says brokerage

REA Group recently hosted a virtual event to acknowledge the seventh anniversary of the National Rapid Rehousing Fund.

NRRF was founded by the REA Group in partnership with Launch Housing, one of Melbournes largest not-for-profit organisations, in 2015 to support women and children at risk of or experiencing homelessness as a result of domestic violence.

Domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness amongst women and children in Australia.

REA Group CEO Owen Wilson (pictured) provided an update on the NRRF.

The pandemic put a spotlight on housing affordability and social housing as key issues and we know homelessness in Australia is getting worse, not better  in a country as prosperous as ours, this is simply unacceptable, Wilson said.

Working with an industry leader like Launch Housing has allowed REA to help in some small way to try to prevent people from entering the cycle of homelessness. The NRRF has provided financial assistance to 5,186 individuals across 1,852 households, including 2,937 children since launching in February 2015. It has funded items such as essential furniture, white goods, bond payments and advance payments.

There are more than 116,000 people experiencing homelessness in Australia every night, with the fastest growing population being women over 55. There are more than 100,000 people on the list for social housing in Victoria alone.

Launch Housing chief executive Bevan Warner said homelessness was a solvable issue.

The solution requires coordinated responses between government, the private sector and service providers. This work is critical for people to access and retain their housing through the delivery of high-quality preventative services and support, said Warner.

With the social and financial support of companies like REA Group, the NRRF has been able to provide immediate assistance to those in need.

We are proud of the efforts of all those involved in establishing and administering the fund. It is demonstrative of the collaboration central to our mission to end homelessness. Everyone deserves a safe place to sleep each night, Warner said.

REA Group executive manager of sustainability Jessica Christie said the NRRF could be accessed through Launch Housing in Victoria and partner agencies in each state and territory in Australia.

All levels of government, the private sector and not-for-profits need to work together to ensure the fundamental human need of housing is accessible for everyone in Australia, Christie said. There is no silver bullet but construction of more social housing to help reduce the backlog of people on waitlists would be a great start.

Launch Housing accept monetary donations and you can donate here: Launch Housing
Quick commerce company Blinkit (formerly Grofers) is raising up to $100 million in by next week as part of a larger $400 million fundraise, according to sources close to the developments.

We have been in talks with investors for this round for some time but it has been taking time because of the conditions in the public market. The business is doing well and we are delivering more than a million orders a week currently, said a source in the know who does not want to be named.

According to media reports, the fundraise will include a debt financing by listed food delivery company Zomato as an equity round will need more time to go through due to the regulatory approvals.

Blinkit declined to comment on the matter. Zomato did not respond to Business Standards queries.

However, a source in Zomato who did not want to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said: There is no clarity yet on whether it will be equity or debt .

But we have been in discussions with Blinkit and have already made a commitment of investing $400-500 million in the company of which more than half is pending.

Last month, Zomato said it has around $1.7 billion of cash on its balance sheet and has made cash investments worth around $225 million in the past year across three  Blinkit (erstwhile Grofers), Shiprocket and Magicpin.

The company had further said that it will continue to invest both in its core food business and in quick commerce  and the upper bound of its potential investments in this category was $400 million cash over the next two years.

In July last year, the food delivery company had invested $100 million (around Rs 745 crore) for acquiring a minority stake of over 9 per cent in  which later rebranded to Blinkit as it pivoted to quick commerce.

After the re-branding in December, Dhindsa of Blinkit had told Business Standard: Even at where we are today, with our existing cash flows, we have a healthy business and we don't need to raise more capital. We started doing 10-minute deliveries four months back and have opened 248 dark stores already. We are opening a dark store every four hours.

Blinkit has scaled up to around $450 million annual run rate of gross merchandise value (GMV) and now operates with more than 400 dark stores across 20 cities in India, according to a regulatory filing by Zomato last month. All of the former grocery delivery companys business now is in quick commerce format with a median delivery time of around 12 minutes, it added.
The Thursday directed the Rail Corporation (DMRC) to pay over Rs 4,600 crore of arbitral award along with interest to Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL) in two equal installments in two months.

The court said the first and second instalments shall be paid on or before April 30 and May 31 this year.

The court's judgement came on DAMEPL's execution petition filed against concerning an arbitral award of over Rs 4,600 crore in its favour.

It said the May 11, 2017 arbitral award has attained finality and cannot be allowed to remain as a paper award and added that judgment debtor is duty bound to either divert its funds after seeking permission of the central government, if necessary, or raise loans to satisfy the award.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait noted that during pendency of these proceedings, the had made payment of Rs 1678.42 crore and even on the day order was reserved in the execution petition, DMRC's counsel had undertaken that Rs 600 crore shall be deposited in the ESCROW account.

The high court, in its 33-page judgement, noted that according to the DMRC affidavit, as on February 14, 2022, the total funds available with it under the head Total DMRC Funds' is Rs 1,452.10 crore; under the head Total Project Funds' is Rs 2,681.29 crore and under the head Total Other Funds' is Rs 1,560 crore.

However, as per details of funds in the January 10, 2022 affidavit of DMRC, Rs 514 crore is committed to the salary, medical and post retiral benefits of employees and Rs 114 crore is the portion of security deposit on smart cards, which is refundable to the commuters.

In the considered opinion of this court, the said amount, that is, Rs 514+ Rs 114 crore has to be kept aside for the aforesaid purpose, however, from the remaining amount available in different bank accounts of judgment debtor as well as under other heads, the payments towards decretal amount has to be made.

The award dated May 11, 2017 has attained finality and cannot be allowed to remain as a paper award, therefore, the judgment debtor is duty bound to either divert its funds shown to be available in different heads mentioned in the affidavit of February 14, 2022 after seeking permission of the central government, if necessary, or raise loans to satisfy the award, the court said and disposed of the execution petition.

The court directed that out of the funds available under the head Total DMRC Funds' of Rs 1,452.10 crore, DMRC is directed to keep aside amount of Rs 628 crore towards statutory expenses and from the remaining amount, part payment of decretal amount be made within two weeks and the remaining outstanding amount be paid in two instalments within two months.

The court also dismissed an impleadment application filed by Canara Bank and Union Bank in which it was stated that they had lent huge amount of money to the decree holder, DAMEPL, and they are liable to recover the amount out of the decretal awarded amount to be paid by DMRC.

The judge said the execution petition has been filed by the decree holder against the judgment debtor for execution of May 11, 2017 arbitral award and added I find that for any outstanding dues payable by the decree holder to these applicants, separate proceedings are required to be initiated and applicants cannot be permitted to settle their scores in the present petition.

On January 24, the Supreme Court had asked DMRC and DAMEPL to request the high court to hear the dispute relating to the execution of the arbitral award, saying that any further delay is detrimental to the interest of both the parties.

Last year, DMRC had told the court that since the corporation was facing a financial crunch, undertaking a sudden liability would impact public interest and authorities were therefore working out a solution.

An arbitral tribunal in its May 2017 award had ruled in favour of DAMEPL, which had pulled out from running the Airport Express metro line over safety issues, and accepted its claim that the running of operations on the line was not viable due to structural defects in the viaduct through which the train would run.

The arbitral award pertained to a concession agreement between the two entities, which was signed on August 25, 2008.

Under the agreement, DMRC was to carry out the civil works, excluding at the depot, and the balance, including the project system works, were to be executed by DAMEPL, a joint venture of Reliance Infrastructure (R-infra) and a Spanish construction company -- Construcciones Y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles -- with a shareholding of 95 and five per cent respectively.

DAMEPL had borrowed from 11 banks -- Axis Bank, UCO Bank, Punjab, and Sind Bank, Andhra Bank, Central Bank of India, Dena Bank, Allahabad Bank, Canara Bank, Bank of India, IIFC UK, and Canara Bank London -- to carry out operations on the line.

The Airport Express line was commissioned on February 23, 2011, after an investment of over Rs 2,885 crore, funded by the DAMEPL's promoters' fund, banks, and financial institutions.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Industries  one of Indias leading battery manufacturers catering to the automobile and industrial segments  has entered into a long-term technical collaboration agreement with China's SVOLT Energy Technology Co Ltd for lithium-ion cell manufacturing, it said on Thursday.

Under the the multi-year agreement, SVOLT will grant an irrevocable right and licence to use, exploit and commercialise necessary technology and know-how owned by them for lithium-ion cell manufacturing in India.

Additionally, SVOLT will also provide the support required for setting up of a state-of-the art green field manufacturing plant on a turnkey basis, the statement said.

The Jiangsu-headquartered SVOLT, is a global high-tech company engaged in the business of production and development of lithium-ion batteries and battery systems for electric vehicles as well as for energy storage. According to the statement, SVOLT is focusing on growing its global footprint and is expanding capacities to meet the increasing demand for battery applications.

is in the process of forming a special purpose vehicle (SPV) by way of a wholly-owned subsidiary for carrying out lithium-ion cell manufacturing and is in a fairly advanced stage of discussions for finalising the land parcel for this facility.

Commenting on the development, Subir Chakraborty, MD & CEO, Exide, said the company was excited to partner with SVOLT as this collaboration was a major step forward in Exides aspiration of becoming a leading player in the rapidly emerging new-age electric mobility and stationary application businesses in India.

With SVOLTs strong technical expertise, R&D capabilities and rich experience in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries, Exide plans to set-up a multi-gigawatt lithium-ion cell manufacturing facility. Spread out across two popular cell chemistries and three cell formats, this unit shall be uniquely placed to cater to the diverse requirements of customers in India, Chakraborty said in a statement.

This strategic partnership is in line with Exides commitment to provide best-in-class batteries and energy storage solutions for automotive and industrial applications, he further said.

Exide has participated in the Production-Linked Incentives (PLI) Scheme for National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage.

A few years back, Exide also forayed into lithium-ion battery systems and energy solutions through its subsidiary, Exide Leclanche Energy Private Limited (under the brand Nexcharge), together with the JV partner Leclanche SA, Switzerland.

The subsidiary aims to build lithium-ion modules / packs and provide energy storage systems for Indias electric vehicle market and grid-based applications.
Future Consumer, a part of Kishore Biyani-led Future Group, on Thursday said it has decided to terminate a joint venture pact with New Zealand's dairy firm .

The company's board at a meeting held today considered and approved the termination of joint venture arrangement with (Europe) Cooperative, said in a regulatory filing.

The board has also approved the discontinuance of the business operations of the joint venture company -- Future Dairy, subject to compliance with the applicable laws and obtaining of necessary consents and approvals as may be required, it added.

The had inked the joint venture agreement on August 8, 2018.

"Considering the impact of COVID-19 on the operations and performance of the JV company, it has been decided to terminate the joint venture arrangement," stated.

Upon the termination of the joint venture agreement, the JV firm will undertake the process of winding up the operations, subject to obtaining of necessary consent and approvals that may be required from statutory/ regulatory authorities, it added.

There is no material impact on the business of the company consequent to this termination, said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India said that over 100,000 Indian exporters are now selling globally through its ecommerce exports program  Global Selling. The number of sellers has grown nearly 30 per cent year-over-year since January 2020. A large number of sellers on the program come from non-metros and many of these businesses are first generation entrepreneurs and emerging brands.

The Global Selling program has enabled more than one lakh Indian exporters to cross $3billion in cumulative exports, which showcases the demand for Indian-made products across the globe, said Abhijit Kamra, Director, Global Trade India.

These exporters are showcasing over 140 million Made in India products to Amazon customers in over 200 countries and territories across the world. Amazon said they have been able to build thousands of globally loved brands and have cumulatively crossed $3 billion in exports. The program was started in 2015 with just 100 exporters and has today grown to be a key driver of ecommerce exports from India. It is designed to help Indian exporters reach customers worldwide through Amazons 17 international websites and marketplaces.

We remain committed to making exports easy for Indian businesses and empowering them to tap into their true potential. We aim to enable $10 billion in e-commerce by 2025 and contribute to overall exports from India, said Kamra of Amazon.

Since the start of the program, Amazon has been focused on creating the right infrastructure and ecosystem needed to enable businesses of all sizes to export from India using ecommerce. The company has been organizing on-ground events and workshops to help generate awareness on the benefits of e-commerce exports in key export clusters across India. Amazon has been working with industry peers, trade associations, state, and central government bodies, and export councils to highlight the potential of e-commerce exports.

The firm said it has invested in creating tools and services to help the sellers succeed in selling internationally from India. It recently introduced regional language experience for sellers on Global Selling in the US marketplace. Folkulture, a Mumbai based home decor brand run by husband-wife duo Chaiti Jain and Rinkesh Mehta. The business grew from within the confines of their home to a popular home decor label in the US market. It was one of the first businesses from India to join Amazon Global Selling in 2015.

Our journey began in 2015 and one of the first products we sold was to a customer in the US. Since then, weve been able to scale our business selling over 200 products across 10 categories and theres been no looking back, said Chaiti Jain, co-founder of Folkulture. Despite not having a local footprint and established network in the USA, weve been able to leverage e-commerce to become one of the top home decor brands selling in the market. Our business is growing 100 per cent year-over-year and we are optimistic about continued growth and global expansion through Amazon.

Early this year, Walmart, the worlds largest retailer, invited select Indian sellers to apply to join Walmart Marketplace, a curated sellers community that serves more than 120 million US shoppers each month. This initiative expands on over 20 years of Walmarts engagement with Indian exporters. India is already one of Walmarts top sourcing markets, and the company has set an ambitious goal of exporting $10 billion from India each year by 2027.
South Korean gaming giant Krafton has pumped in $19.5 million in homegrown audio content platform Kuku FM, the startup announced on Thursday.

With 6 million active paid users, Kuku FM said it will use the funds to drive expansion and strengthen its content.

"We are confident about hitting 10 million active paid users by the end of this year and 50 million paid users by 2025," said Lal Chand Bisu, Co-founder and CEO, Kuku FM.

The Series B round also saw participation from existing investors including 3one4 Capital, Vertex Ventures, and India Quotient, with Founder Bank Capital and Verlinvest joining as new investors.

With this funding, Kuku FM has secured a total of $25 million since its inception in 2018.

Offering content in five languages (Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and Gujarati), Kuku FM hosts 150,000 hours of content across audiobooks, stories, book summaries, courses and podcasts on its platform.

With 30,000 creators, 50 per cent of the content is exclusive to the platform and only available on Kuku FM.

"We strongly believe that Indian IPs and regional Indian languages content growth will unlock next big monetisation opportunity not just in India but even globally in the long term," said Sean Hyunil Sohn, Head of India Division at Krafton.

Krafton owns PUBG Studios, Bluehole Studio, Striking Distance Studios, RisingWings, Dreamotion and Unknown Worlds.

--IANS

na/

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The government on Thursday said Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd's JV partners signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) with Long Products, paving the way for privatisation.

is a joint venture of MMTC, NMDC, BHEL, MECON and 2 Odisha government PSUs - OMC and IPICOL.

"SPA signed today by JV partners of with Long Products. The disinvestment transaction now moves to the closing stage," Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in a tweet.

Long Products emerged as the highest bidder with Rs 12,100 crore for the acquisition of the 93.71 per cent equity stake of NINL.

Meanwhile, state-owned miner NMDC said it has executed "definitive agreements" for the sale of its entire equity in NINL to Tata Steel Long Products Limited.

"We wish to inform you that the company has executed the Share Purchase Agreement and Escrow Agreement (definitive agreements) for sale of its entire equity holding of 10.10 per cent in NINL to TSLP, the successful bidder selected through the two-stage auction procedure involving a competitive bidding process, run under the aegis of Department of Disinvestment & Public Asset Management (DIPAM)," NMDC said in a regulatory filing.

Completion of the transaction would require fulfilment of certain actions contemplated under the definitive agreements and the transfer of shareholding of the company in NINL to TSLP will be completed subsequently, it added.

Last month, Tata Steel arm accepted a letter of award (LoA) for the acquisition of a 93.71 per cent stake in NINL.

In January 2020, the Cabinet had approved strategic disinvestment of equity shareholding of MMTC (49.78 per cent), NMDC (10.10 per cent), MECON (0.68 per cent), BHEL (0.68 per cent), IPICOL (12.00 per cent) and OMC (20.47 per cent) in NINL.

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State-owned on Thursday said it has conducted an e-auction of 8,337 carats rough produced at its Panna diamond mines in Madhya Pradesh.

In a statement, the state-owned miner said the e-auction process received an overwhelming response from Diamond merchants of Surat, Mumbai and Panna.

" conducted an e-auction for sale of rough produced at its Panna Diamond mines located in the state of Madhya Pradesh. About 8,337 carats of rough diamonds, produced prior to December 2020, were offered in the auction and almost 100 per cent of the quantity received winning bids," it said.

The company did not disclose further details on the e-auction process.

NMDC's diamond mining project at Majhgawan Panna happens to be the only mechanised diamond mine in the country.

The project is equipped with the facilities of the ore processing plant, including a heavy media separation unit, X-ray sorter for diamond separation and disposal system for tailings generated.

Sumit Deb, CMD, NMDC, said, "We recently received an overwhelming response in the diamond auction conducted at Surat where almost 100 per cent of the offered quantity received bids from the diamond merchants".

has its diamond mine at Panna in Madhya Pradesh, which is the only state that accounts for 90 per cent of the total diamond resource of the country.

The company has a production capacity of 84,000 carats of diamond per year in Madhya Pradesh.

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India's Videsh failed to get bids in its tender to sell 700,000 barrels of Russian sokol crude in a growing backlash against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter said.

This was the first tender by Videsh, since the war in Ukraine began on Feb. 24.

Videsh, the overseas investment arm of India's top explorer Oil and Natural Gas Crop, has a 20% stake in Russia's Sakhalin-1 project and sells its share of oil through tenders.

The tender for the sale of May loading cargo closed on Thursday.

Initially 11 parties including oil majors had shown interest in buying sokol oil but later "sent a regret", the sources said.

ONGC Videsh did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment.

Two sources said ONGC Videsh has an option to bring the cargo to India for processing at refineries owned by its subsidiary Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd.

The United States banned imports of Moscow's on Tuesday, while some Western oil companies, including Shell, have said they will stop buying Russian oil.

No Indian company has publicly withdrawn from Russia and New Delhi has declined to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine despite pressure from the United States to do so.

The Kremlin describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour.

Russian firms have encountered problems in securing financing for April contracts to sell crude and oil products, but the situation can be resolved, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak was quoted as saying by Interfax agency on Thursday.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

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udaan, which had a short stint as a pure-play marketplace model initially, has quickly pivoted to a Kirana e-commerce model and is now a leader in the space, says an analyst report by CLSA Ltd, the capital markets and investment group.

The report said e-commerce opportunities in India will be under five models. These include B2C models (good part is with Amazon and Flipkart), Kirana model (udaan and Jiomart), community group buying model (udaan pioneered), social live commerce for long-tail garment (WhatsApp and Facebook), O2O model on leveraging offline assets. Of the five models, udaan is actively pursuing two models, the Kirana model and the community group buying model.

We expect disruption in distribution channel through Kirana digitisation, expansion in e-commerce share, the emergence of eB2B and mega distributors like Jio Mart, said the CLSA report. In Kirana e-commerce, udaan is the dominant player. With Reliance Jiomart, its almost like duopoly market.

The report said udaan has 60 per cent market share in the Kirana e-commerce space. The report said the adoption of Kirana e-commerce has heightened during the pandemic, reflected in the 6x revenue growth for Bengaluru-based udaan in FY21 (Rs 59 billion). With capabilities in place, the company is eyeing scaling-up, which will aid profitability. At its current scale, it has a 5.5 per cent gross margin (potential for 8-10 per cent) and it is breakeven at the contribution level. The company is aiming for steady 50 per cent growth, with the adoption of Kirana e-commerce.

CLSA Analysts attribute this rapid growth to udaan leveraging its national supply chain, range of products and lowest customer acquisition cost (CAC).

udaan recently raised $250 million, of which $200 million was in the form of convertible notes and the remaining is debt funding. The firm was valued at $3.2 billion and the firm will evaluate an IPO by mid-2023.

The report said the $1 trillion purchase done by shopkeepers in India, historically has been through wholesale and distributor.

It is a huge market and there is always space for more, said Sujeet Kumar, cofounder, udaan. There will eventually be three to four large players, but everyone has to fight for it equally.

The overall market is fragmented (with 150-200 million entrepreneurs/trade participants), almost 100 per cent is through virtually small unorganized suppliers. Organizing wholesale and distribution is a massive opportunity, which Udaan pursue to transform via e-commerce, said the CLSA report.

The company is going mainstream, taking its services across markets. Given distribution channels are broken in smaller markets, the company is addressing needs in Tier 2-3 markets. Its 70 per cent of growth comes from these markets and it has invested more in infrastructure and the last mile.

Its (udaans) playbook has five different elements: go to market, sourcing, working capital finance, supply chain and technology, said the CLSA report. With its playbook in place, udaan is looking to sustain its leadership in Kirana e-commerce.

The firm has also recently adopted a community grocery model as an additional revenue stream. udaan is attempting to construct a full-stack platform for small and mid-sized firms to create a mixture of the market, logistics services (udaan Express) and working capital financing (udaan Capital).

The firm has a network of over 3 million users and over 25,000 sellers across over 900 cities covering more than 14,500 pin codes. The company is looking to expand its retail coverage to over 5 million (small retailers) by December 2022. In Nov 2021 it launched a community grocery buying initiative, Price Company, primarily for small and marginal retailers in tier 2-4 cities.

Organising wholesale and distribution is a massive opportunity, which udaan pursues to transform via e-commerce. Under its Kirana e-commerce model, it has over 500,000 products available across 14 categories on its platform. Under Project Bharat it is on track to reach 1,500 towns by December 2022 and wants to expand coverage to 10,000 towns in 10 years.

Amongst the categories it is present in, groceries represent two-thirds, lifestyle 10 per cent, electronics 10-15 per cent and general merchandise 5 per cent. In terms of market focus, udaan generates 20-30 per cent of its business from the top 10 cities. The next 200-300 cities make up 40 per cent. The bottom cities represent 30-40 per cent of revenue, where it wants to expand share, given it has defocused segments by trade and brands.

It (has) capabilities in data, where it has data for the past five years. On a monthly basis it has 5-6 million transactions and each transaction provides 10-12 data points, said CLSA report. This has helped udaan build a unique underwriting algorithm.

The report said the company has been driving share of organised trade, as its services are much better compared to traditional channels. The firm now has a direct relationship with over 120 FMCG companies, which have multiple brands.

udaan is tapping the market with three key initiatives which include credit, logistics and community buying. udaan Express is a leading end-to-end logistics solutions provider, serving clients across the country. With over 70 warehouses (a reach of 200-250km) and 500 last-mile fulfilment centres, udaans supply reaches all of India. The firm is also looking after the working capital needs of trade under udaan Capital. Over 100,000 businesses have benefitted under this initiative, where over Rs70 billion has been disbursed amid partners residing in over 500 cities across India.

The firm also has Price Company (community grocery shopping): Under this community buying initiative, the company is looking to address demand from small and marginal consumers in tier 2-4 cities.

The CLSA report said the Indian consumer sector would face several potential disruptions over the next few years testing the agility of to brace and benefit from them. It said FMCG will need to brace for a supply-chain reinvention even as the consumer increasing shifts towards omni-shopping.
on Thursday said the US health regulator has issued three observations after inspecting its Jarod (Vadodara) based manufacturing facility.

The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) inspected the injectable facility from February 24 to March 10, 2022.

The inspection closed with three observations, the drug firm said in a regulatory filing.

"We are confident of addressing and resolving the issues to the satisfaction of . We remain committed to building a quality culture across our entire manufacturing network, and are committed to remain compliant with high standards of good manufacturing practices across our network," stated.

As per the US health regulator, an FDA Form 483 (observation) is issued to a firm's management at the conclusion of an inspection when investigators have observed any conditions that in their judgment may constitute violations of Food Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act and related Act.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The last big group of 600 Indian students evacuated from the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy has reached .

The students had boarded a special train from Lviv for . They are likely to board flights to on Thursday.

The students reached Lviv in western Ukraine from Poltava on another special train.

"We have reached Poland, from here we are expected to take flight for India, said Jisna Jiji, a 25-year-old medical student.

Covering hundreds of miles across Ukraine, using multiple means of transport, the students were evacuated from the war-hit east European country after their two weeks of excruciating stay in beleaguered Sumy.

The Indian government is carrying out a most delicate and challenging evacuation exercise under Operation Ganga to help stranded Indians leave Ukraine.

The operation in Sumy began on Tuesday morning when the last big group of 600 Indians was evacuated from the city.

The Indian nationals were taken from Sumy in a convoy of 13 buses escorted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Poltava, Anshad Ali, a student coordinator, said.

The students are enduring a strenuous journey to escape the war-hit region. This is the second attempt to evacuate them from Sumy, which has been witnessing heavy shelling and intense gunfire ever since a Russian offensive on Ukraine began last month.

For two weeks, the Indian students in Sumy waged a doughty battle in bomb shelters and basements of their hostels in frigid weather, low on food, drinking water and other essential supplies, as Russian forces clobbered the city with rockets and heavy gunfire.

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Bangladesh's Member of Parliament Aroma Dutta thanked the government of India and Prime Minister for bringing back nine Bangladeshi students stranded in .

Speaking to ANI, Dutta said, "I want to appreciate and thank the Government of India (GoI), particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for helping nine Bangladeshi students stranded in . The Indian government brought back the students stuck in the war-hit country. It shows that both countries have strong bondage, our friendship is growing since 1971 and it is a continuing process."

She further said, "There should not have been a war between Russia and . They should have solved their issue through bilateral talks."

Dutta also spoke on people from either of the countries crossing the border and entering the other. She said, "The people of both countries are poor and they cross the border unknowingly. It is a big issue and the soldiers of both the countries should be provided training to treat them properly."

PM Sheikh Hasina has also thank PM Modi, said Dutta.

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The last two years of Covid-19 infection has seen more than 500 million cases and over six million deaths globally, yet the pandemic is "far from over", warned the World Health Organisation even as several countries have eased restrictions and opened borders over declining cases.

"Although reported cases and deaths are declining globally, and several countries have lifted restrictions, the pandemic is far from over," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, during a media briefing.

"It will not be over anywhere until it's over everywhere," he added even as many countries in Asia and the Pacific are facing surges in Covid cases and deaths.

"The virus continues to evolve, and we continue to face major obstacles in distributing vaccines, tests and treatments everywhere they are needed," the WHO chief said.

The global health body is also concerned that several countries are drastically reducing testing. The WHO recommends countries to offer self-tests in addition to professionally-administered testing services.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also supported the WHO chief's assessment.

In a statement, he warned that it would be "a grave mistake" to think the virus was now in the rear-view mirror.

Guterres reiterated that the distribution of vaccines remains "scandalously unequal".

"Manufacturers are producing 1.5 billion doses per month, but nearly three billion people are still waiting for their first shot," he highlighted.

The UN chief blamed this "failure" on policy and budgetary decisions that prioritise the health of people in wealthy countries, over the health of people in poor countries.

"This is a moral indictment of our world. It is also a recipe for more variants, more lockdowns and more sorrow and sacrifice in every country. Our world cannot afford a two-tier recovery from Covid-19," he said.

Guterres added that despite the numerous other global crises, the world must reach the goal of vaccinating 70 per cent of people in all countries by the middle of this year.

"Science and solidarity have proven to be an unbeatable combination. We must re-dedicate ourselves to ending this pandemic for all people and all countries, and closing this sad chapter in humanity's history, once and for all," he emphasised.

--IANS

rvt/vd

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Madhya Pradesh on Thursday recorded 104 new cases of COVID-19 that raised the tally of infections to 10,40,482, an official from the state health department said.

At least 141 patients were discharged from hospitals and none died of the infections during the day, taking the count of recoveries to 10,28,901, while the toll stood at 10,733, he said.

With this, the central state is now left with 848 active cases, the official said, adding that the positivity rate remained steady at 0.2 per cent during the day.

Bhopal and Indore, the two worst coronavirus-hit cities of Madhya Pradesh, registered 12 and 10 cases, respectively, in the last 24 hours, he said.

As many as 50,943 swab samples were tested during the day, raising the total number of tests conducted in the state to 2,83,51,063, the official said.

As per a government release, 11,42,02,191 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in the state, including 45,825 on Thursday.

figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 10,40,482, new cases 104, death toll 10,733, recoveries 10,28,901, active cases 848, number of tests so far 2,83,51,063.

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India has briefed a high-level UN team about its concerns over terrorism in the South Asian region, especially the possible threats from misuse of new and emerging technologies and unmanned aerial systems.

India's concerns were conveyed to the team of experts from the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring team during its visit to the country from March 8 to 10, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The UN experts visited India following an invitation from New Delhi and it was in continuation of regular consultations between the team with key member-states relevant to their mandate, it said.

"A team of experts from the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and the Taliban supporting the Security Council's 1267 & 1988 Sanction Committees visited India from March 8 to 10," the MEA said.

It said the team held meetings with senior officials in the relevant ministries and was briefed on India's counter-terrorism priorities and concerns, particularly in the region.

"Discussions were also held on a range of counter-terrorism related subjects, including threats from misuse of new and emerging technologies and unmanned aerial systems for terrorism, linkages between terrorism and organised crime and narco-trafficking as well as unconventional methods of terror financing," the MEA said in a statement.

It is learnt that India's concerns over cross border terrorism from Pakistan as well as the possibility of use of Afghan soil for terror activities were conveyed to the team.

"The monitoring team members also called on Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Deputy Security Advisor Rajinder Khanna," the MEA said.

India is currently the chair of the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) for 2022 and the visit of the monitoring team provided a useful opportunity to brief them on India's priorities in the CTC, it said.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi met the Director of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

"Happy to meet the visiting Director of SCO RATS Mirzaev Ruslan Erkinovich and had an engaging interaction on the various facets of the work of this SCO body. Strengthening regional cooperation in countering terrorism, drug-trafficking and terror financing were also discussed," Lekhi tweeted.

India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

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Amid a war between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister on Thursday said India's several needs are connected to the involved countries but it is on the side of peace and hopes that all problems get resolved through dialogue.

He also hit out at opposition parties for raising questions about the government's efforts to evacuate stranded Indians from war-hit Ukraine.

"These people also tried to regionalise 'Operation Ganga'. These people have given a different colour of regionalism and communalism to every scheme - it is a major worry for India's future," the prime minister said.

Addressing BJP workers after his party's massive win in four state elections, Modi said, "India has a connection with the countries involved in the war - economically, security wise, education wise and politically as well. India's several needs are connected to these countries."



"The ongoing war is affecting every country across the world. India is on peace's side and hopes that all problems are resolved with deliberations," he added.

"In this global context, amidst these difficulties, if we look at the budget this time, a belief arises that the country is moving ahead on the path of the self-reliant India campaign. This sentiment is further fuelled by this budget," Modi said.

The prime minister said Indians are working for the country in every way possible, coupled with responsibility.

"However, there are some people who are lowering the standards of politics in our country. The world is appreciating our efforts to vaccinate but on this sacred work, India's vaccine has been questioned.

"It is unfortunate that even when thousands of Indian students, Indian citizens were stranded in Ukraine, there was talk of breaking the morale of the country," he added.

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The Thursday said a judgement must have clarity on the exact relief that is granted by the court so that it may not create further complication or difficulty in execution.

Observing that every litigant must know what actual relief he has received from the court, the apex court quashed the March 2019 judgement of the Jharkhand High Court passed in a matter related to land acquisition.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and B V Nagarathna observed that the judgement passed by the high court in the matter lacks total clarity.

The top court noted that there is no clarity on the actual market price and while passing the final order, the high court has not stated the exact market value or the amount of compensation to be paid.

There is no actual assessment and/or determination of market value and/or the compensation. How on such a vague order, a decree can be drawn, and how such an order is executable? The judgement must have a clarity on the exact relief that is granted by the court so that it may not create further complication and/or difficulty in the execution, the bench said.

The bench delivered its verdict on the appeals against the high court judgement passed in the matter about the acquisition of land in a village in Jharkhand under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 for public purpose.

It noted that a notification under section 4 of the Act was published on October 1, 1980, and the land acquisition officer awarded Rs 180 per decimal.

The bench also noted that at the instance of original landowners, references were made to the district court under section 18 of the Act and the claimants had heavily relied upon the sale deed registered between the years 1977 to 1979.

The reference court had discarded all the sale deeds and dismissed the respective references observing that the valuation of the acquired land has been rightly determined.

The original claimants then preferred appeals before the high court, which observed that the sale deed of February 12, 1979, has to be considered for determination of market value as the same is in close proximity in time to the date of notification.

The high court had disposed of the appeals and modified the judgments and awards passed by the reference court to the extent that compensation was to be assessed and paid based on the sale deed of February 12, 1979, and not based on the December 1976 sale deed.

In its verdict, the top court noted that the high court had mechanically held that the claimants shall be entitled to compensation considering the price/sale consideration mentioned in the sale deed of February 12, 1979.

While considering the sale deed/sale exemplar, the proximity in time to the date of sale deed and to the date of notification under section 4 may be a relevant factor but at the same time, other factors, as observed hereinabove are also required to be taken into consideration while determining the actual market price of the acquired land, it said.

Even otherwise, it is to be noted that there is no clarity on the actual market price and while passing the final order, the high court has not stated the exact market value and/or the amount of compensation to be paid, the bench said.

While setting aside the high court judgement, the apex court said the appeals are remitted to the high court to consider and decide them afresh in accordance with law and on merits.

For the aforesaid purpose, the appeals before the high court are ordered to be restored to the file of the high court. The high court shall make all endeavors to finally decide and dispose of the appeals on remand at the earliest and preferably within a period of six months from the date of the receipt of the present order, it said.

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Prime Minister on Wednesday addressed the 11th webinar for discussing Budget-related announcements of DIPAM, an official statement from the PMO said.

This culminated a series of Budget-related webinars that the Prime Minister addressed.

Modi participated in Budget webinars relating to ministries/deparments of Higher Education, Rural Development, Agriculture, Defence, Health, DPIIT, PSA, MNRE, DEA and .

The webinars saw an estimated participation of around 40,000 stakeholders, which included entrepreneurs, MSMEs, exporters, global investors, representatives of Central and state governments, and youth from the world of startups, among others.

Comprehensive panel discussions and theme-based break-out sessions were organised during each webinar. A large number of valuable suggestions have been received by the government during these webinars, which will further aid in effective implementation of the Budget announcements, the statement said.

These webinars were conducted with the objective of sustaining the momentum of the Budget announcements and to create a sense of ownership among all the stakeholders in their implementation.

The webinars covered a diverse spectrum of subjects such as SMART agriculture, PM Gatishakti, self-reliance in defence, digital education and dynamic skilling, inclusive and equitable healthcare delivery, Make in India and financing for aspirational economy etc.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Can dominance of men in the state be cited as the reason for its top position in rape crime? The answer is "yes", according to Rajasthan's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal.

The minister has stirred a hornet's nest with his controversial statement, which he made to "explain the reason" for being number one in rape crime.

Dhariwal said: "We are number one in rape cases, what are reasons of these rape cases now? Somewhere there is a mistake."

"Anyway, has been a men's state, now what to do with it," he added.

His remark made many ministers and Congress MLAs laugh. No one even interrupted Dhariwal, who was replying to a debate on the demands for grants of police and jails in the Assembly on Wednesday night.

Dhariwal said: "Look at the cases of rape, the figures of rape and rape with murder are different. is at number 11 in rape with murder. Uttar Pradesh is at number one in rape with murder. Madhya Pradesh is on two, Assam on three, Maharashtra at number four, Orissa at number five...."

"Rajasthan is at number one in the case of rape, there is no doubt about it. Uttar Pradesh is at number two, Madhya Pradesh at number three, Assam at number five and Haryana at number six. The wrong figures given by BJP regarding this have been rectified," he added.

Surprisingly, Dhariwal made the statement when there were three women ministers in the government.

The Opposition MLAs were not present in the House at the time when the Parliamentary Affairs Minister made the statement.

The BJP MLAs had walked out of the House as soon as Dhariwal started replying and no one objected to the statement made in the absence of the Opposition.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three evacuation flights carrying the last batches of Indian nationals from Ukraine including around 600 students are set to arrive in India on Friday morning, people familiar with the development said.

India has already brought back over 17,000 Indians, mostly students under the evacuation mission 'Operation Ganga'.

The three flights are likely to be the last ones under the evacuation mission.

Around 600 Indian students, who were pulled out of the besieged Ukrainian city of Sumy, are arriving in Delhi on Friday morning, the people cited above said.

The students, who were stranded in Sumy, were initially brought to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv from Poltava in central Ukraine on a train.

Then they were taken to Poland.

India has been bringing back its nationals from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova after they crossed over to these countries from Ukraine through land border transit points.

Ukraine had closed its airspace for civilian aircraft after Russia began the military operation.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Thursday reserved verdict on quantum of sentence against fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, accused in bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines, in a contempt case where he has been found guilty.

A bench comprising Justices U U Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and P S Narasimha reserved the judgement after hearing senior advocate and amicus curiae Jaideep Gupta on various aspects related to the contempt law.

It even permitted the counsel, who was earlier representing Mallya, to file written submissions, if any, in the case by Tuesday.

Observing that it had waited sufficiently long, the bench, on February 10, had fixed the contempt case against Mallya for hearing and had given him the last opportunity to appear before it either personally or through his lawyer.

Mallya was held guilty of contempt in 2017, and the matter was thereafter to be listed to hear him on the proposed punishment to be awarded to him.

The top court had in 2020 dismissed Mallya's plea seeking a review of its 2017 verdict which held him guilty of contempt for transferring USD 40 million to his children in violation of court orders.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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An Indian Air Force (IAF) flight with 119 Indians and 27 foreigners landed at Hindon air base here from Romanian capital Bucharest on Thursday morning, sources said.

These Indians and foreigners were stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive that began on February 24, they mentioned.

This was the 17th flight that the IAF has operated to evacuate people stranded in Ukraine.

has been evacuating its citizens from war-torn Ukraine's neighbouring countries such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland as the Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24.

The IAF flight -- which was operated on a C-17 military transport aircraft -- landed in around 5.40 am on Thursday, sources said.

Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh received the Indians and foreigners at the air base, they said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs on Thursday asserted here that the benefits of should reach every nook and corner of the country to ensure its overall development, an official statement here said.

Chairing a closed-door post-Budget interaction with stakeholders from the industry in the northeast, Sitharaman said the government was taking "futuristic steps" by focusing on development through enhancement of digital infrastructure in the country.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was present at the meeting, discussed ways to develop start-up ecosystems in the state.

Sarma said that his government and SIDBI have decided to set up mid-level start-up infrastructure in colleges and universities, according to the statement.

He also emphasised the need to expand the Indian Institute of Technology's role in handholding other institutions to boost the start-up sector.

Others who attended the session include Chief Economic Adviser Dr V Anantha Nageswaran, Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad and finance secretary Dr T V Somanathan.

Sitharaman was here on a daylong visit to attend the meeting. She refrained from talking to the media, and left for Delhi in the afternoon.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's gold imports bounced back to 1,067.72 tonnes in 2021 from 430.11 tonnes during 2020 when the demand was hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said on Thursday.

The gold imports in 2021 were up by 27.66 per cent from 836.38 tonnes during 2019, it said in a statement.

The maximum quantity of gold was imported from Switzerland at 469.66 tonnes, followed by UAE (120.16 tonnes), South Africa (71.68 tonnes) and Guinea (58.72 tonnes) in 2021, it added.

Along with China, India is by far the world's largest importer and consumer of gold.

According to GJEPC Chairman Colin Shah, "About 1,067 tonnes of in 2021 can be attributed to the abnormal pandemic situation a year prior when imports had nosedived to 430.11 tonnes".

The past decade has seen India's gold imports coming close to the year-prior figure. For instance, the quantity of gold imported in 2021 is comparable to gold imports of 1,047 tonnes in 2015 and 1,032 tonnes in 2017, he said.

India's average monthly gold imports during April-February of 2021-22 fiscal stood at 76.57 tonnes, which is relatively at par with the average gold imports that was undertaken in the same period in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

During April-February this fiscal, gold imports stood at 842.28 tonnes, which is below the usual imports in the same period i.e. ranging from 690 to 890 tonnes.

Overall, there isn't much deviation in the gold imported in January and February 2022 from the average imports of gold in quantity and value terms during the same period in the previous three normal years -- 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, GJEPC added.

In the case of exports, gold jewellery shipments from India rose 50 per cent to USD 8,807.50 million in 2021 on a sharp rise in demand for studded gold jewellery.

The country had exported gold jewellery valuing USD 5,876.39 million in the previous year.

GJEPC said the industry is witnessing a surge in exports and domestic sales of gold jewellery (plain and studded) post-pandemic.

Of the total exports, studded gold jewellery shipments rose sharply to USD 5,078.83 million in 2021 from USD 2,508.26 million in the previous year.

Export of plain gold jewellery increased to USD 3,728.66 million against USD 33,69.13 million, it noted.

GJEPC Chairman said, "We are witnessing a correction in import/export of gold that was affected due to the pandemic. In 2020, due to the restrictions in key sourcing countries for gold imports, there was a shortage of yellow metal supplied to India, which resulted in de-stocking by the country's jewellery manufacturers.

In 2021, as restrictions eased across various countries, the disrupted supply of gold was corrected and jewellery manufacturers in India could replenish their exhausted stock, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The new round of the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for manufacturing will see changed methodology and would be open to past winners with a cap on bidding amount.

However, the capacity will be capped to 10 Gw. The minimum Local Value Addition (LVA) or use of local content for the participating manufacturers has been kept at 90 per cent.

The PLI guidelines have been modified after the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) received close to 50 GW of bids against a PLI sanction of Rs 4,500 crore. The corpus was increased to Rs 19,500 crore under the Union Budget 2022-23.

In the first round, the Centre received close to 18 bids from a range of companies - Coal India, L&T, Vikram Solar, Megha Engineering and several new companies. Against an RfP of 10 GW, bids received touched 50 GW.

The winners were Reliance New Energy - the green energy division Reliance Industries, Adani Infrastructure and Shirdi Sai. Of this, Shirdi Sai was reported to have received the LoA from IREDA, the executing body for the .

However, after the corpus was increased, sector executives said the first set of winners also wanted to participate in the upcoming round. "The guidelines state that the enhanced corpus would be for the wait listed bidders. But the former winners, especially Shirdi Sai and RIL, wanted to participate in the second round with a large corpus as well," said an executive requesting anonymity.

The government is looking to allow these past winners but their bid will be capped against a ceiling of 10 GW. For instance, Shirdi Sai has won 4Gw, it can now bid for 6Gw or below only. Adani won 0.7 GW and RIL 2.4 Gw.

The union minister for power, new and renewable energy R K Singh on Thursday held a stakeholder conference to modify the guidelines for the upcoming PLI round.

Senior officials said it is expected that PLI bidding would witness more aggressive bids. "As the government received an excited response in the first round, it is expected that competition will be tight in this round too," said an official.

An official statement from the ministry did not come on this meeting.

Likely strong contenders for this round would be Coal India Ltd, ACME Solar, ReNew Power, Vikram apart from the incumbents.
Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) is looking at launching a venture debt scheme, its Chairman and Managing Director S Ramann said on Thursday.

" is very keen on coming out with a venture debt scheme," Ramann said at an event organised by Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association.

He also said some action from the government in terms of working towards a corpus that can go into venture debt will be seen soon.

The development finance institution is also ready to partner with a host of players to be able to bring in venture debt for these companies, Ramann added.

He said the Fund of Funds for Start-ups (FFS) is an equity scheme and it is now being followed by a venture debt scheme where will be able to offer venture debt to companies.

In January 2016, FFS was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in line with the Start-up India action plan.

It has approved a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore for contribution to various Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) registered with Sebi.

Introduced with the objective of supporting development and growth of innovation driven enterprises, FFS facilitates funding needs for through participation in capital of Sebi-registered AIFs.

AIFs supported under FFS shall invest at least twice the contribution out of FFS in as defined by the government under 'Startup India, Standup India' scheme.

As of January 25, 2022, a commitment of Rs 6,494.45 crore has been made to 80 AIFs.

Under FFS, Rs 8,289.79 crore has been invested in by AIFs, as per information available on Sidbi's website.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Apparel industry is aware that without sustainable supply chains, the fashion sector will become less viable and is now counted as one of the major pillars of export business, industry body said on Thursday.

Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Chairman Narendra Goenka said India offers to the world a complete value chain solution from farm to fashion giving it a competitive edge towards efficient implementation and monitoring of .

"The Indian apparel industry is very well aware of the alarming fact that without sustainable supply chains, the fashion industry will become less and less viable. is now counted as one of the major pillars of apparel export business and a growth tool," he said in a webinar held on Wednesday.

Speaking at the event, Shubhra, Trade Advisor, Ministry of Textiles said that initiatives like PM-MITRA, under which seven mega textile parks will be set up across the country, would help in promoting sustainable growth of the sector and make the industry future ready.

India has recently launched Project SURE - Sustainable Resolution - a firm commitment from the industry to move towards fashion that contributes to a clean environment.

Indian brands have pledged to source/ utilize a substantial portion of their total consumption using sustainable raw materials and processes by 2025.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The is showing an upper hand in Uttar Pradesh with around 38.9 per cent of total vote share as it leads in 48 seats and Samajwadi Party trails in 24 seats, as per the website.

The counting of votes was underway, which began at 8 a.m. on Thursday in the crucial five state Assembly polls.

Punjab showed 40.3 per cent support for the with lead in 39 seats while Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal were leading in five seats each, and an Independent candidate leading in 1 seat each.

In Goa, the had a vote share of 39 per cent with a lead in 7 seats while the Congress trailing with a voter share of 24.6 per cent was leading in 2 seats, as per the EC website.

In Manipur, early trends showed 59.9 per cent of votes for the BJP with lead in 3 seats while Congress is just behind with 29.1 per cent and leading in 1 seat.

Uttarakhand showed a 44 per cent vote share for the BJP with lead in nine seats vote share while Congress is behind with 43 per cent vote share with lead in five states.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In early trends, the crossed majority mark with 79 seats at 9

Congress' Navjot Singh Sidhu was trailing at second place, SAD's Bikram Majithia trailing in Patiala Assembly constituency, and Lok Congress leader and former CM Captain Amarinder Singh place in after results of the second round of counting.

Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing from Chamkaur Sahib.

As per ECI, Congress had 14 followed by SAD (7).

Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was trailing on the second position in Amritsar East constituency behind AAP's Jeevan Jotbkaur.

Counting for 117 assembly seats in Punjab began at 8 am across state on Thursday.

Exit polls on Monday predicted a clear victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab with the scale of the party's victory varying across various surveys.

AAP's Chief Ministerial candidate residence in Dhuri is decorated with flowers ahead and Jalebi preparation had begun even before the counting had started.

If wins Punjab, it will be the party's maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress.

Congress went into the polls having battled factionalism and anti-incumbency. The party changed its chief minister in September last year even as new Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own chief ministerial ambitions. The Congress finally declared Charanjit Singh Channi, the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, as its chief ministerial candidate days before the polling on February 20.

The Shiromani Akali Dal, which had broken off its alliance with BJP over three farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the assembly elections.

It is the first time that BJP fought over 65 seats in Punjab. It tied up with former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa. BJP leaders have talked of putting up a strong performance in the polls.

Punjab recorded an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on February 20 compared to over 77 per cent in 2017.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With its landslide victory in Punjab assembly polls, the (AAP) has achieved a major milestone in its journey so far and emerged as an alternative in the national politics.

The party won 92 seats in Punjab, decimating its closest rival Congress to form its government in the state with a three-fourth majority in the 117-member legislative assembly.

The strong AAP wave in Punjab saw many bigwigs trailing and losing -- including Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Congress leader and Chief Minister from both the seats he contested, Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur, former chief minister Amarinder Singh who left the Congress to join hands with the BJP, and Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu.

The party also gained some toe hold in Goa winning two seats in the 40-member state legislative assembly, though it could not open its account in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The AAP had contested on all seats in Punjab, Goa, Uttarkhand and Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, seeking to expand its base beyond Delhi and achieve its stated ambition to become a dominant force in national politics.

Buoyed by its performance in Punjab assembly polls, the party is now aiming to expand its base in Gujarat and Himachal Pardesh. The party will contest the assembly elections in these two states to beheld next year.

With focus on Gujarat, party plans to hold Punjab victory march in BJP-ruled Gujarat, AAP sources said.

Born out of 2011 anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, the party looks to play a major role in the national politics following its emphatic victory in Punjab assembly polls, with the AAP leaders projecting the party's national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The political observers feels that the meteoric rise of the AAP within a decade of its formation will reinforce its status as a challenger to the Congress and the BJP in coming months, provided it lives up to the expectations of people of Punjab, provide a clean government in the state, and fulfil the promises that it made during elections.

The party's support to the farmers' agitation against three-farm laws last year, its Delhi model of governance and internal feud in Congress in Punjab led to its victory in Punjab, according to the poll analysts.

"With its victory in Punjab, the AAP has become the only regional party and third party in the country which will have its government in two states. Other two are the BJP and the Congress," noted political analyst and co-director of Lokniti-CSDS Sanjay Kumar told PTI when asked for his comments.

The AAP will become visible to the voters as an alternative with the party also gaining a toehold in Goa, he said.

"In coming days, party will start seeing the party as an alternative if it provides a clean government in Punjab and make a visible impact with its work as it did in Delhi," he added.

The people of Punjab have given their mandate to AAP and voted for change, looking at the work done by its government in Delhi, particularly in education and healthcare sectors, Kumar said.

"While the Congress could not gain faith of the people due to internal feud in the party, Akalis (SAD) also could not attract the electors as they had not done anything special during its regime in past. In such a situation, the AAP was seen as an alternative and people decided to give it a chance," he added.

Kejriwal and others formed the AAP in 2012, making an exit from the 2011 anti-corruption movement following differences with Anna Hazare and made its debut in electoral politics winning 28 out of 70 seats in Delhi Assembly, and formed its government under Chief Minister Kejriwal with outside support of the Congress in December 2013.

After failing to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill due to lack of numbers in the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal resigned as chief minister in February 2014 to seek a fresh and full mandate.

Before the re-election in Delhi could be held, the AAP contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and won four seats -- all from Punjab.

The party recorded a landslide victory in 2015 Delhi assembly polls winning 67 out of a total 70 seats, with a record vote share of 54 per cent and formed its government.

The AAP created a history once again by winning 62 out of 70 seats in 2020 Delhi assembly polls.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Thursday stormed Punjab, winning 92 of the 117 Assembly seats, decimating the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine and making leaders like CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh bite the dust.

While AAP bagged three-fourth of the seats, the Congress won 18, SAD 3, 2 and BSP 1. An Independent also emerged victorious.

AAP will now form its second government in the country after the one led by Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.

Kejriwal hailed the party's performance in Punjab as a "revolution" while his party leader Raghav Chadha said AAP will emerge as the replacement of the Congress at the national-level in coming days.

Political stalwarts like Channi, Parkash Singh Badal, Amarinder Singh, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sukhbir Singh Badal had to face the drubbing.

Channi was drubbed by AAP's Labh Singh Ugoke with a margin of 37,558 votes from Bhadaur. He also lost from Chamkaur Sahib, where he was defeated by AAP's Charanjit Singh by a margin of 7,942 votes.

SAD patriarch and former CM Parkash Singh Badal (94), the oldest candidate in the fray, lost to AAP's Gurmeet Singh Khudian from his traditional Lambi seat in Muktsar district by a margin of 11,396 votes.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal lost to AAP's Jagdeep Kamboj from Jalalabad seat in Punjab's Fazilka district by a margin of 30,930 votes.

Amarinder Singh, 79, was defeated by AAP candidate Ajit Pal Singh Kohli from Patiala (Urban) by a margin of 19,873 votes.

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia and several Punjab Ministers also tasted defeat.

AAP's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann won from Dhuri by a huge margin of 58,206 votes.

In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, the Congress had ended the SAD-BJP's 10-year rule by bagging 77 seats. AAP had managed to get 20 seats while the SAD- had won 18 seats and two seats went to the Lok Insaaf Party.

"Many congratulations to the people of Punjab for this revolution," AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

He also posted a picture of him standing with party's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann.

Mann said the oath-taking ceremony of the new Punjab cabinet will be held at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Nawanshahr district.

Mann said no government office will display photographs of the chief minister. Instead, photos of Bhagat Singh and B R Ambedkar will be put on walls in government offices



Appealing to people to work unitedly, Mann said those who did not vote for AAP need not to worry as the government will work for all sections of society.

Rival parties also congratulated AAP.

Channi said, "I humbly accept the verdict of the people of Punjab and Congratulate @AamAadmiParty and their elected CM @BhagwantMann Ji for the victory. I hope they will deliver on the expectations of people."



State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu also congratulated AAP.

"The voice of the people is the voice of God . Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab . Congratulations to Aap !!!" he said in a tweet.

Former CM Amarinder Singh said he accepted the verdict of people with all humility as democracy triumphed.

Amarinder Singh had floated the Punjab Lok Congress after quitting the Congress last year owing to his unceremonious exit as the CM.

SAD's Sukhbir Singh Badal said his party accept the people's mandate whole-heartedly.

"I am grateful to lakhs of Punjabis who placed their trust in us & to to SAD-BSP workers for their selfless toil. We will continue to serve them with humility in the role they have assigned to us," Sukhbir Badal tweeted.

AAP senior leader Raghav Chadha said the party will emerge as the replacement of the Congress at the national level in coming days.

Chadha said people have chosen Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal model of governance.

There was jubilation in the AAP camp right from the morning as early trends started pouring in.

Lakhwinder, an AAP supporter in Kharar, said "Those parties which until yesterday were questioning the exit poll surveys which showed clear majority to AAP will have no face to show now."



Abhishek Garg, another AAP supporter, said people were fed up with traditional parties and had given their full backing to the "Kejriwal model of governance".

The results also showed that the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a political outfit floated by various farmer bodies which contested the Punjab polls, failed to make any mark.

AAP's vote percentage was over 42 per cent as compared to 22.98 per cent of the Congress while SAD got 18.38 per cent, 6.60 per cent, BSP's 1.77 per cent. NOTA share was 0.71 per cent.

Punjab had gone to polls on February 20 and registered a voter turnout of 71.95 per cent.

AAP had sought to project itself as an agent of change and designed its poll campaign likewise and accused its rivals of "looting" the state.

The SAD and the Congress have alternatively been forming governments in the state.

The Congress fought the elections with Channi as its chief ministerial candidate, hoping for the consolidation of the SC votes.

The stakes were also high for the SAD, which contested the polls in alliance with the BSP after breaking electoral ties with the BJP over the farm laws issue.

The BJP, which used to be a junior partner during its alliance with the SAD, fought this election with the Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led SAD (Sanyukt).

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With a landslide victory in Punjab under its belt, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appears set to make big inroads in .

have been announced to five seats in Punjab and the might bag all of them, taking its total in the Upper House to eight.

The already has three members - all from Delhi - in . It stands to gain in Punjab as two different will be held for the five Rajya Sabha seats - one for three seats and another for the remaining two.

Among the retiring members from Punjab are Partap Singh Bajwa and Samsher Singh Dullo (both Congress), Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Naresh Gujral (both Akali Dal) and Shwait Malik (BJP).

Two more members - Balwinder Singh Bhunder (Akali Dal) and Ambika Soni (Congress) - from the state will complete their tenure in July and the may bag both.

With the AAP declaring Bhagwant Mann, who is Lok Sabha member from Sangrur, as its chief ministerial candidate, the party is set to lose representation in the lower house. Mann is the lone AAP member in Lok Sabha.

A total of 75 members, including seven nominated, are completing their tenure in the Upper House in 2022, while two seats one each from Karnataka and Bihar are vacant.

for 13 Rajya Sabha seats are set to be held on March 31, while 20 more seats are set to fall vacant in June, followed by 33 in July and two in August.

The BJP is expected to gain seats in Himachal Pradesh and Assam, where Congress members Anand Sharma, Ripun Bora and Ranee Narah are retiring next month. The BJP will also add another seat in its kitty from Tripura, where CPI(M) member Jharna Das Baidya is completing her tenure next month.

However, the BJP is not in a position to return its member to the Upper House from Punjab.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid predictions of a hung assembly, leaders of and Congress in Goa would be keeping a close watch on the results of assembly elections on Thursday to assess their chances of forming government in the state.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has expressed confidence of the forming the next government in the state. The Congress, which is also hopeful of forming the government, has asked its candidates to stay at a hotel to prevent any attempt at "poaching". The party's leaders in Goa are learnt to be in touch with state leaders of Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party "to prevent from returning to power" in the state.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday held a meeting with ally Goa Forward Party and briefed the candidates at a hotel in Goa's Margao on the eve of the counting of votes.

After the meeting, Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar told ANI that they have sought an appointment with the Governor on Thursday.

"We will get a majority. BJP is very much known for poaching. That is the reason we have asked all our MLAs to stay in a private hotel at Margao," he said.

Goa witnessed a multi-cornered contest with AAP and Trinamool Congress also in the fray apart from the traditional rivals Congress and BJP.

BJP fought the election on all 40 seats in the state while the Goa Forward Party (GFP) entered into a pre-poll alliance with Congress. Trinamool Congress allied with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.

The exit polls have predicted a neck-to-neck fight between BJP and the Congress-led alliance.

In the 2017 assembly polls, Congress had emerged as the single largest party winning 17 seats, but the BJP moved swiftly and formed government after roping in the support of regional parties and independent MLAs.

The BJP contested this election without Manohar Parrikar, its tall leader from the state. His son Utpal contested from Panaji seat as an independent candidate after BJP did not give him ticket from the seat. The BJP has fielded Atanasio "Babush" Monserrate from the constituency.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant contested from the Sanquelim constituency against Congress' Dharamesh Saglani while Margao saw a fascinating contest with BJP pitting Goa Deputy CM Manohar Ajgaonkar against Congress veteran Digambar Kamat.

Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai is eyeing a third consecutive win from the Fatorda seat while Churchill Alemao is seeking another term from Benaulim but on a TMC ticket.

Michael Lobo was a minister in the Pramod Sawant-led government until January when he resigned from the cabinet and joined Congress. He fought Calangute from against BJP's Joseph Sequeira.

All arrangements have been put in place for counting on Thursday. More than 1,500 counting officials have been trained and deployed for the purpose and the counting will start at 8 am.

Assembly elections were held on February 14 in a single phase in Goa. The state saw 79.61 per cent polling.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Thursday retained power with a comfortable majority, breaking the trend of the hill state voting out the ruling party, but Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lost from the Khatima assembly constituency.

The has won 47 assembly seats out of the total 70, belying pollsters who had predicted a close race between the saffron party and the Congress.

The Congress won 18 seats and was leading in one seat by a very narrow margin, while its campaign head and former chief minister Harish Rawat lost to Mohan Singh Bisht of the in Lalkuwa.

The Aam Aadmi Party which had promised a number of freebies could not open its account despite fielding candidates from all the 70 seats.

Dhami lost by a margin of 6,579 votes to Bhuwan Chandra Kapri of Congress in Khatima. The defeat of the chief minister who led the BJP's campaign against the Congress in the state throws up a big question before the saffron party on the issue of choosing the next chief minister.

Dhami was appointed the chief minister last July, replacing Tirath Singh Rawat who resigned within four months of taking charge from Trivendra Singh Rawat.

The Congress had targeted the BJP for changing chief ministers twice in a short span, accusing it of causing "political instability" and betraying the people.

The opposition party, plagued by infighting, failed in its mission to dislodge the BJP and avenge its rout in 2017 assembly polls where it had won just 11 seats against the BJP's 57.

Though throwing a spirited challenge to the BJP as the Congress' poll campaign head for the state, Rawat lost to Mohan Singh Bisht of the BJP in Lalkuwa by over 17,000 votes.

AAP's chief ministerial candidate Colonel Ajay Kothiyal lost from the Gangotri seat where the BJP candidate won and the Congress came second.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia had made several visits to the state during the run-up to the polls promising free electricity up to 300 units to every household, an unemployment allowance, a monthly allowance to women aged above 18 years and free pilgrimage to the elderly.

Political pundits attributed the BJP's impressive poll showing in to the Narendra Modi factor above everything else.

"The prime minister's special care for Uttrakhand and its interests was evident in major projects like the Chardham all-weather road, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line, Kedarnath and Badrinath reconstruction," Doon-based poll-watcher S S Negi said.

"The double engine factor also worked in favour of the saffron party as people apparently felt it was necessary for the continued development of the state with Modi going to be at the helm in New Delhi till at least 2024," he said.

The BJP got a vote share of 44.3 percent, the Congress around 38 percent.

Rawat admitted that the Congress had failed to win the trust of the people.

"However, with an increased mandate we have been given the task of playing the role of the main opposition to which we will do justice," he told reporters as the electoral drought that began for Rawat with his defeat from Kichcha and Hardwar (rural) in 2017 continued.

He had lost from Nainital constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and now from Lakuwa.

Rawat was fielded from Lalkuwa after his candidature from Ramnagar was opposed by his own party colleague and one-time close associate Ranjeet Rawat.

However, Ranjeet Rawat was also shifted to Salt where he lost to BJP's Mahesh Jeena by 3,688 votes.

The state also saw some revival of the BSP which had drawn a blank in the 2017 polls.

The BSP's Shahzad won the Laksar seat in Haridwar district by 10,440 votes while its candidate in Manglaur Sarwat Kareem Ansari defeated Qazi Mohammad Nizamuddin of Congress.

Counting was in progress in one seat - Almora- where the Congress' Manoj Tewari was ahead of Kailash Sharma of the BJP by 141 votes.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On New Years Eve 1999, an estimated 2 billion television viewers around the world watched Sydneys spectacular millennium fireworks celebrations. The year 2000 was going to be a big year for Sydney. It was going to host the Olympic Games later in the year, and the whole country  actually, the whole world  was watching.

At the climax of the celebrations, just after midnight on 1 January 2000, the word Eternity lit up the Harbour Bridge.

The huge crowds that were clustered around the Sydney Harbour foreshores applauded as one. Somewhere in their inner being they recognised the importance of this single mighty word.

Why was this word chosen to be put up in lights on the bridge for this world-famous celebration?

Eternity was the legacy of a former misfit in Sydney society who got a new start in life in 1930 when he was introduced to the teachings of Jesus. His name was Arthur Stace.

Arthur was a genuine Aussie battler, and life had not always been kind to him. However, after becoming a follower of Jesus in mid-life, he went from being a derelict drunkard to being a good citizen who cared for others  and a national celebrity.

Australia during the Great Depression of the 1930s was a traumatised and divided country. One in every three men was unemployed. Many poor families were evicted from their homes (asked to leave their homes by their landlords), and hundreds of thousands of people lived on the edge of starvation. Governments could not work out how to meet the economic crisis.

45 year old Arthur Stace

The situation of 45-year-old Arthur Stace seemed especially hopeless. All his life he had battled poverty and alcoholism. Born in the slums of inner Sydney to parents with a lot of problems, he was given up by his mother when he was seven years old and sent to live in Goulburn in foster care. At the age of 14 he started work in a dangerous coal mine at Port Kembla, and a few years later, back in Sydney, he fell into crime.

After serving as a stretcher-bearer helping wounded men to get to medical care during World War I, Arthur returned to Sydney in 1919 a sick and shattered man. The 1920s passed him by in a blur. He became addicted to grog (alcoholic drink). The coppers (police) lost count of the number of times they arrested him for drunkenness and vagrancy (living on the streets, without a home). He spent many nights sobering up in the cells of the Darlinghurst and Redfern police stations before being kicked out the next morning.

On 6 August 1930, Arthur was at the end of his tether. It was a bleak winters evening when, with a few of his down-and-out mates, he walked into St Barnabas Anglican Church on Broadway in Sydney. The minister there, the Reverend RBS Hammond, promised a cup of tea and a rock cake to everyone who came to his meetings.. But first they had to listen to a sermon.

We do not know exactly what the Reverend Hammond preached about that night. But we do know the effect his words had on Arthur. Straight after the service Arthur left the church, crossed the road into nearby Victoria Park, and got down on his knees. He prayed: God, God be merciful to me, a sinner.

A changed man

From that moment, Arthur was a changed man. In his words, God really met me that night in the park! Consider his achievements over the next 37 years.

He gave up alcohol straight away, a miracle in itself. So-called cold turkey cures are very rare.

He held down several responsible jobs, including one in the 1950s as a caretaker and lift-operator at the city offices of the Australian Red Cross.

He worked hard for decades in charitable work for unemployed, alcoholic and mentally ill men, initially under RBS Hammonds supervision but ultimately doing work that he started himself.

He married at the age of 57, and enjoyed nineteen happy years with his wife.

He was a committed Christian, studying the Bible deeply and leading prayer groups. He preached the gospel in the open air on the streets of Sydney each Saturday for over twenty years, and also spoke at countless churches by invitation.

But by far his most famous achievement was as a graffiti artist! Almost every day for 35 years, from 14 November 1932 onwards, Arthur spent hours chalking a single-word sermon  Eternity  on the pavements of Sydney. He had been inspired by a talk on Isaiah 57:15 delivered by the great Australian Baptist preacher, John Ridley.

A modest man

Arthur was a modest man, and for 24 years he wrote Eternity in secret. Finally, in June 1956, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper made his identity public. By the time he died in 1967, Arthur Stace had become a household name, famous across all of New South Wales. And his legend lived on for decades afterwards, coming to life again in the use of Eternity on 1 January 2000 during Sydneys millennium celebrations.

Arthurs life has inspired the work of creative Australian people in all sorts of ways: painting, poetry, opera, song, tapestry, sculpture, film and fiction. When the New South Wales Parliament changed the law about graffiti to permit the use of chalk on public footpaths, that section of the law became known as Arthurs law.

The true story of Arthur Stace is stranger than fiction. His life reflects how powerful it is when someone meets Jesus in the Bible and chooses to live a new life.

by Roy Williams

https://didyouknow.org.au/

Resources and further reading



Roy Williams is the author (with Elizabeth Meyers) of Mr Eternity: The Story of Arthur Stace (Acorn Press, 2017).
leaders and Vadra led the party's campaign in the assembly elections in five states but failed to work their magic at the hustings with political observers saying the "huge setback" has left their "brand value diminished".

general secretary in-charge Uttar Pradesh addressed 209 rallies and roadshows, the maximum by any top leader during the UP election campaign, followed closely by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who spoke at 203 poll events.

Though was focussed on Uttar Pradesh, she also campaigned for the polls in Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab. also held several rallies in Punjab, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

While acknowledging that Priyanka Gandhi did hard work in UP and raised important issues of women, political analysts said it failed to click with the electorate.

Her campaign events drew large crowds, but she failed to win their votes.

With yet another drubbing in the polls, it is also expected that knives will soon be out in the with some observers claiming that the Gandhi siblings are fast-losing credibility even within the party.

The BJP was headed for a second straight win in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and dominated the trends chart in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, while the Aam Aadmi Party readied for a landslide win in Punjab. The Congress was headed for a big defeat in all the five states.

Rasheed Kidwai, the author of '24, Akbar Road' and 'Sonia: A Biography', termed the Congress defeat "a huge setback" and opined that nothing seems to be working for the Gandhi family siblings.

"They had made a huge gamble in Punjab projecting a Dalit chief minister but it has boomeranged very badly on them. Similarly, Priyanka Gandhi's foray into Uttar Pradesh has come to a naught. So it raises a question mark. They are losing credibility in the Congress 'parivaar'," Kidwai told PTI.

He said that electoral success and defeat may be cyclic, but as of now nothing seems to be working for the Congress.

It is not just about the Group of 23 leaders, who wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking an organisational overhaul, but the Congress workers at large are "losing faith in them", he claimed.

"I think the loyalists will try to rally around the Gandhi family but it is time for them to smell coffee and try to democratise the leadership. While they can continue to lead the party, but they can have a proper election for CWC... It is no longer a matter between them and the G23. The average Congress person is losing patience and respect (for them)," said Kidwai, a chronicler of the Congress party's political journey.

Echoing similar views, Sanjay K Pandey, a Jawaharlal Nehru University professor and a political commentator, said the worst situation is that of the Congress and the results had "diminished the brand value" of the Gandhi siblings.

"It would embolden the G-23 and other opponents within the party," Pandey told PTI.

Manindra Nath Thakur, an associate professor in Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre for Political Studies, said the results had made matters worse for the Congress which was "already in trouble" and its senior leaders were awaiting to comment on this.

"In UP, she (Priyanka Gandhi) did the hard work, no doubt about it. She has been able to do solid ground work and raised important issues such as women's issues. There is nothing called magic in politics, everything is a possibility, it is like the process of crystallisation. There is a moment when things crystalise. They (the Gandhi family) are not able to achieve that moment," Thakur told PTI.

"They (the Gandhi family) have to realise that politics is not an individual game but a collective game. Orchestrating forces within the party is missing," he said.

Thakur said that with every defeat in polls the dissident voices within the party will grow louder.

The party structure is such that the people who are raising their voice are being marginalised, he claimed.

Thakur asserted that the Congress must develop regional satraps and said the party should have encouraged leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada and Sachin Pilot and projected them as a new leadership but failed to do so.

"If they think only these two people can mobilise people, I don't think that they can do that. Two people cannot connect with every force on the ground. Congress of earlier days had satraps, they were active and they were loyal to the leadership. Even in BJP you see satraps," Thakur said, citing the example of Yogi Adityanath and Vasudhara Raje.

As votes were counted for elections to five states held over February and March, India's ruling party could end the day with a four-one score. The BJP was also leading in Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, according to trends on the Election Commission website.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Celebrations broke out in the state capital and in other places, including Ayodhya and Varanasi, by jubilant (BJP) leaders and workers as it became increasingly evident that the party was going to form government.



The saffron partys (UP) headquarters in the heart of Lucknow witnessed quintessential Holi scenes, with big guns, including Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath and his Deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya, smeared in the colours of the festival and beaming before a frenzied crowd of supporters.



A few leaders, such as Cabinet Minister Satish Mahana, broke into an impromptu jig on the dais.



CM Adityanath had earned the sobriquet of Bulldozer Baba owing to the stern use of bulldozer by the civic and law enforcement agencies to evict land sharks and illegal occupants from government properties during his five-year term (2017-22) in the state.



The Samajwadi Party (SP) mentioned it first, as a jibe. The BJP decided to wear it as a badge of honour. Everywhere in Lucknow and elsewhere, workers celebrated the bulldozer as a symbol of the partys victory: they wore caps with tiny mechanical bulldozers, dragged bulldozer models on the streets, posed for pictures on the blade of the bulldozer, and burst crackers that were called bulldozer!

In reference to a raid in Kannauj and Kanpur earlier this year, where over Rs 250 crore was believed to have been recovered from a perfume trader, Adityanath had said, We used the money for development. The previous government used to do golmaal (of funds). The bulldozer of UP is working for the development of the state, as well as to recover money from the mafia and the corrupt.



Laddoos became the new currency of power across the state  in Gorakhpur, the CMs constituency; in Varanasi, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modis constituency; and even in the Delhi office of the BJP, where the PM and Home Minister Amit Shah came to address workers. Laddoos were distributed freely. Drums were beaten and workers danced using Holi colours to celebrate the partys stupendous victory.

Offices of the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress were largely deserted in contrast. A senior UP party leader and electronic media-in-charge Zishan Haider had resigned from his post on Wednesday night, even before the counting of votes.



Both parties have been decimated. There were only thin crowds at the SP office in Lucknow as a grim Akhilesh Yadav drove into the party office around mid-day without stopping or talking to anyone.



The BJP parliamentary board will meet in Delhi later on Thursday.
Amid ongoing counting of votes, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday said that he cannot predict whether will become the next chief minister of the coastal state and called it a "sensitive question".

"I do not know, it is a sensitive question," Rane told ANI when asked if will continue as the chief minister again.

on Thursday said that the has won the Assembly elections by a majority.Sawant also said that in the 40-member Goa Assembly, as many as 20 seats are confirmed for the BJP, while for three seats, the party has "confirmed support".

Speaking to ANI, Sawant said, "I have won with low margins but we (BJP) have won with a majority. It is a big deal. 20 seats are confirmed, three confirmed their support."

As Sawant once again retained the Sanquelim constituency defeating Congress candidate Dharmesh Saglani by a margin of over 650 votes, he said, "It was very challenging for me as I was campaigning state-wise but couldn't reach my own constituency. My workers campaigned for me."Earlier today, Sawant also said that Independent MLA, Chandrakant Shetye, has extended support to .

The Bharatiya Janata Party is inching closer to attaining halfway mark in Goa with the party winning 14 seats and maintaining leads on 6 Assembly seats, according to the Election Commission of India's latest poll trends.

The fought the elections on all 40 seats in the state while the Goa Forward Party (GFP) entered into a pre-poll alliance with Congress. The TMC allied with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party for the polls.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
workers on Thursday staged a protest alleging "tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)" outside the party office in as the party is trailing in all five poll-bound states as per the latest official trends by the Election Commission.

leader Satej Patil said the party was expected to form government in Punjab.

"We expected the to form government in Punjab, but we didn't get required numbers. We have to introspect about it. In Goa, Congress is leading on 16-17 seats, it'll be the single largest party and we'll seek support in case numbers aren't enough," Patil told media persons here.

According to early trends, Aam Aadmi Party is leading in Punjab with the majority whereas Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in all the other states including Manipur, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A (BJP) tsunami ripped through India with the party winning four of the five Assembly elections, comprehensively flattening the national opposition party, the Congress, and setting the tone for the general election in 2024.

The is expected to form the government in Goa with 20 out of the 40 seats and the support of three independents. In Uttarakhand, the proved most exit polls wrong by winning 47 seats of the 70 although top guns from both the and the Congress  Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami and veteran Harish Rawat  bit the dust. The BJP is poised to form the government in Manipur.

However, it is Uttar Pradesh that reported the most impressive gains for the party: It won 255 seats of the 403, a loss of about 50 seats from 2017, but got a vote-share increase from 41 per cent to around 42 per cent and became the first party in several decades to come to power a second consecutive time, beating anti-incumbency.





ALSO READ: Election results show a tighter race in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur

In Punjab, the (AAP) trounced both the frontline parties  the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal  and prepared to form the government with 92 of the 117 Assembly seats. Some of the tallest political leaders in had to face shock electoral rejection  Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal (Lambi), two-term chief minister Amarinder Singh (Patiala), Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi (who lost both constituencies he contested), Akali Dal leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal (Jalalabad), and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu (Amritsar East).

The main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP), posted a good performance (111 seats, up from 47) but was nowhere near the midway mark.

With the vote share of the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) declining and the SPs share going up almost proportionately, it became clear that it was not the BJP that had yielded space to the SP but other opposition parties like the BSP and the Congress. This was a message in itself: That if the opposition failed to unite, it would suffer further attrition. The result showed that voters had accepted the BJPs main campaign point of bringing law and order in the state back on track and were appreciative of Central and state government-run welfare schemes, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.





ALSO READ: 37-yr jinx broken, Yogi first sitting UP CM to return to power since 1985

The results of this round of will immediately impact the opposition mood when Parliament reopens after recess on March 14, infusing fresh confidence into the government. Municipal in Delhi have been deferred but when they are held, AAPs morale will be high: The BJP holds all the municipalities in Delhi currently. The forthcoming to the Brihannmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), likely later this year, will see a fortified BJP going head to head with the opposition Shiv Sena. And although now, after its performance in UP, the victory of the governments candidate for president of India (elections due in June-July) is certain, opposition losses could galvanise it into getting its act together.



ALSO READ: The power of 2, plus 1: Seven takeaways from Assembly Elections 2022

On the policy front, with its confidence renewed, the government will likely push contentious and delayed reform like the Electricity Bill and the Personal Data Protection law through Parliament. Pending social agenda projects like greater oversight over OTT platforms and imposition of a pan-India common uniform for school children could get more traction.





After the Congresss disastrous performance, voices are going to be raised for greater accountability and responsibility. This could start as early as Friday, several senior leaders told Business Standard. The Group of 23, the ginger group that had sought accountability of the leadership, is set to meet within 48 hours, even as party leader Rahul Gandhi said there was need to introspect on the reasons behind the partys losses.



Till yesterday, those in his (Gandhjis inner circle) were tweeting that the Congress was going to get more seats in than before. Could they not see what was coming? asked an MP from a southern state. Benny Behanan, a sitting Congress MP from Kerala, said: If the party does not prepare itself to act on reality, then it will continue to face more challenges in the future. Rahul Gandhis tweet: Humbly accept the peoples verdict. Best wishes to those who have won the mandate. My gratitude to all Congress workers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication. We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India was met with derision by even senior party leaders.



ALSO READ: 'Bulldozing' Opposition charge, BJP rides the pro-incumbency wave



Officially the party blamed former chief minister Amarinder Singh for the debacle: In Punjab, Congress presented a new leadership through Charanjit Singh Channi who is son of the soil, but the entire anti-incumbency of 4.5 years under Captain Amarinder Singh could not be overcome and hence people voted for for change, spokesman R S Surjewala said at a press conference.












While the threw a pantheon of star campaigners, Akhilesh Yadav's was virtually the lone face of his in the Uttar Pradesh elections. From distributing tickets to choosing allies, it was the SP president's one-man show.

At 48, he is a year younger to Yogi Adityanath, the UP chief minister and the man he hoped to send back to Gorakhpur. That didn't happen and the appeared set for another term in office. Yadav fought hard, but his party trailed well behind the .

Born in Saifai on July 1, 1973, Yadav entered politics in 2000, winning a Lok Sabha bypoll from Kannauj and is now the MP from Azamgarh.

He contested his debut assembly election this time, picking Karhal, a segment in his father's Mainpuri parliamentary constituency.

The SP president, who burnt his fingers by partnering with the Congress in the 2017 UP polls and had joined hands with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party in last general election, this time chose to enter into an alliance with a string of small regional parties.

Briefly, he outmanoeuvred the BJP by inducting ministers Swami Pradesh Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan and Dharam Singh Saini in an attempt to get the Other Backward Classes (OBC) on his side.

Yadav studied at the Military School in Dholpur, Rajasthan and then got his bachelor's and master's degrees in Civil Environmental Engineering from JSS Science and Technology University. He also has a master's degree in environmental engineering from the University of Sydney, Australia.

Married to Dimple Yadav, Yadav has two daughters and a son.

In 2012, after a stint as the head of the SP's youth wing and then the party's UP president, he became, with his father's blessings, the state's youngest ever CM at 38.

In the early years of his term as the SP unit chief and the CM, he struggled with his father's legacy, tackling politicians like D P Yadav, Amar Singh and Azam Khan. His uncle Shivpal Yadav brought in mafia don Mukhtar Ansari's Quami Ekta Dal into the SP, against his will.

Another uncle Ram Gopal Yadav remained on his side as tackled dissension in the party and the Yadav clan.

And just ahead of the 2017 assembly polls, Yadav staged a coup of sorts. At an emergency convention of the party in January 2017, SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav was ousted as national president and relegated to the post of its patron.

The BJP was to call Aurangzeb, recalling what one Mughal emperor did to his own father.

Both sides approached the Election Commission, which ruled in the younger Yadav's favour, giving his faction the bicycle symbol.

In the 2022 elections, joined hands again with uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav.

In the past, Yadav has tried an image makeover for the SP.

As chief minister, he junked his party's declared opposition towards computers, announcing what is sometimes claimed to be the world's biggest laptop distribution scheme for students.

His government also took credit for launching development projects like the Agra-Lucknow expressway, a metro rail, an international stadium and a cancer hospital in Lucknow.

Yadav went to 2022 polls with the slogan "Nayi hawa Hai, Nayi Sapa Hai", which promised a new SP to ward off (in the fresh breeze of air it's a different SP) to ward off attacks on the party's previous record on law and order. He referred to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).to challenge the perception that the BJP government has tackled crime better.

He also distanced himself from "bahubalis" (muscleman-politician) like Raja Bhaiya popularly called "Kunda ka Goonda" and Mukhtar Ansari, said to be close to the party during Mulayam Singh Yadav's time.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(UP) voted conservatively to retain the (BJP) government led by Yogi Adityanath, thereby breaking a 35-year jinx which never allowed a sitting chief minister (CM) to return for a second term even if an incumbent party was voted back to power. In fact, N D Tiwari of the Congress was CM of undivided UP in 1985 when the state went to election. The Congress won and so did Tiwari who went on to retain the post for the second term on the trot.

In the process, the BJP consolidated its position across UP, which houses Prime Minister Narendra Modis Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi, and from where the party draws its bench strength in Parliament. It lost 59 of the seats won since 2017, but increased its vote share from 39.67 per cent to 41.9 per cent, proving that anti-incumbency had not caught up in a big way with its governance.

The big takeaway from the BJP and Adityanaths rerun in Lucknow is that it restored UPs pre-eminence in the BJPs national scheme after 2004 when the last leader from the state, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was voted out. Although Modi represents a seat from UP in Parliament, he is still identified with his home state, Gujarat. The victory also places 49-year-old Adityanath, a favourite of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) despite his independent streak, as a contender for the BJPs national leadership in the not-too-distant future.

The BJP and Adityanath were up against several odds when electioneering began. The UP party organisation was upset with him for allegedly remaining inaccessible to the legislators, Members of Parliament, ministers, and functionaries; complaints to the effect surfaced during the second wave of Covid-19 that hit the state brutally. The farmers agitation in western UP threatened to erode the BJPs base among the prosperous Jat farmers, while the overall agrarian distress  spurred by the increased cost of agricultural inputs and lower returns on the produce, a fertiliser and urea crunch on the eve of the sowing season last November, an uneven irrigation spread, the absence of micro-irrigation facilities, and rogue cattle devouring crops  impacted small and marginal farmers who formed the BJPs backbone.

The trading and business community, hit by demonetisation, suffered losses after the pandemic and complained the government hadnt compensated them adequately.

On top of these problems, the departure of certain sectional leaders from the BJP soon after the election schedule was announced threatened to fray the social engineering fabric of the backward castes and Dalits woven before 2014.

These impediments were overcome with a multi-pronged approach, which accentuated Adityanaths persona as a tough-as-nails leader with zero tolerance for crime and wrongdoing and an incorruptible man with no family to pander to and no nest to feather; Modis charisma and credibility which were turned on full blast in the penultimate campaigning phases; Home Minister Amit Shahs ground work; a well-oiled party organisation, and the RSSs back-up. It must be emphasised that the outgoing CMs targeting of Muslim offenders, who included politicians like Atiq Ahmed, Mukhtar Ansari, and Azam Khan, helped integrate the Hindus in towns and villages into a large constituency. The government used bulldozers to raze their properties to the ground and the bulldozer became a mascot for Adityanath  a warning to his opponents.

In part, the propaganda unleashed by the BJP against the Samajwadi Party (SP), its principal adversary, as an entity controlled by a dynast and his family and known for patronising Muslims and criminals worked against the SP leader, Akhilesh Yadavs endeavour to broaden his appeal among a constituency transcending his core Muslim-Yadav electorate.

Akhilesh might go down as the unsung underdog of an election dominated by Adityanath. However, he added 83 seats (subject to revision) to his tally of 47 from 2017 and increased his vote percentage from 21.82 per cent to 31.6 per cent. Akhilesh sought to expand his social base by striking alliances with smaller parties such as the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) to attract Jat votes from the RLD and the backward caste Rajbhar votes from the SBSP.

Even as counting is underway, Akhileshs allies do not seem to have added much to his tally. The SPs gains came largely on its own steam. Indeed, even the defectors from the BJP, such as Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan  regarded as influential backward caste leaders in limited spheres  brought nothing because they trailed in their seats.

On the contrary, the BJP and its, the Apna Dal (Soneylal) and the Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal, gained mutually by complementing each others votes.

The Bahujan Samaj Party was down to just one seat, after Mayawatis Dalit votes went to the BJP and the SP in varying measure. If there was a lesson for the SP, it was it ought to have taken its role in the Opposition more seriously than bestirring itself into action just months before the polls.
The sequestering of candidates in resorts by the Congress, the corralling, and the security measures to prevent defection in proved pointless as the election yielded a clear verdict in favour of the and a grim-faced Congress conceded defeat. The BJP got 20 seats on its own, while the Congress could not go beyond 11.

At a press conference, CM Pramod Sawant, who is likely to become CM again, said: I want to thank the people of . We had asked for 22 but we were just a little short. We want to thank PM Modi. Credit to all the leaders as well who had come here.

He added, "We were here for 10 years. Many said there is anti-incumbency but we were confident that we will win on pro-development work. Without any alliance we have got 20 seats. Vote share is 34.3 per cent, so we have increased our base as well Narendra Modis mission of Aatmanirbhar has actualised in Goa. I want to thank the people of Goa. We lost three seats by very low margins. This win is because of Narendra Modi and his vision and also JP Nadda and others, said Sawant.

Split in votes among various parties ended up in our numbers being less than what we had hoped for...BJP won by a little over 33 per cent of votes, remaining votes got divided... Congress leader and Goa pointsman P Chidambaram said

The results yielded some surprises. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), contesting elections for the second time, won two seats. Utpal Parrikar, the son of former BJP chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, featured at third place from Panjim constituency after he contested as a rebel when the BJP did not give him a ticket. Strongman of Goa Churchill Alemao lost to the AAP from the Benaulim constituency.

His daughter Valanka Alemao lost by a margin of 430 from Navelim. Benaulim and Naevelim were the only two seats where the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had a chance. Alemao and his daughter had switched over to the TMC in December.

The party, which contested the Goa for the first time this year, failed to make a mark in the state.
The in on Thursday urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the ruling CPI(M) to stop "false propaganda" unleashed by them against UP chief Minister at least now in the wake of the saffron party's "historic win" in the assembly in the northern state.

"The BJP's win is also a setback to the vicious campaign unleashed by Vijayan against Adityanath. The people of UP have thrown Vijayan's demand to follow the model into the dustbin," party's state chief K Surendran told reporters here. Noting that the defeat of the Congress party in all the five states would accelerate their decline in also, he said the grand old party was being 'wiped out' from the country. A jubilant leader also said the election results were a testament to the growing confidence of people in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP's victory in Manipur and Goa would have an impact on Kerala as well, Surendran said adding that the present electoral victory would have its reflection in the states where religious minorities have an influential role.

Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader and General Education Minister V Sivankutty criticised the Congress for its poll debacle in the five states, saying it has turned into a party which never learns lessons from setbacks. Corruption, nepotism and infighting would make the grand-old party a burden to the people of the country, he alleged. However, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said the Congress party admits the failure and would try to learn lessons from the defeat.

The headed for a second straight win in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and dominated the trends chart in three other states while the Aam Aadmi Party is moving towards a landslide win in Punjab, the two parties imprinting 2022 with their triumph.

As votes were counted for to five states held over February and March, India's ruling party could end the day with a four-one score.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ruling coalition looked set to return to power in the insurgency-hit state of Manipur, as it bagged 16 seats and was leading in 13 other constituencies, as per the latest ECI data.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh defeated his nearest Congress rival P Saratchandra Singh by 18,271 votes in Heingang seat.

The secured 37.5 per cent votes counted so far, while the Congress stood second with 16.53 per cent votes and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) came third with 16.48 per cent votes.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD (U) gave an impressive performance in the assembly elections, bagging five seats and leading in two constituencies. It had not won any seat in the 2017 polls in the northeastern state.

Congress, which ruled the state before the came to power, managed to win only four seats. Former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh was among the party candidates who tasted victory. He defeated his nearest BJP rival by 2,543 votes in Thoubal constituency.

Naga People's Front (NPF) and NPP won three constituencies each, and two Independent candidates secured victory. The Kuki People's Alliance won one seat and was leading in another.

The NPP and NPF were ahead in four and two seats respectively. Though both parties did not have a pre-poll alliance with the BJP, they were part of the ruling coalition.

The counting of votes for 60 assembly seats in began at 8 AM on Thursday under tight security and strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

Trends and results were available with the ECI for 57 constituencies at 5.30 PM.

The BJP had formed the government in in 2017 despite having just 21 seats, joining hands with regional parties NPP and NPF. The saffron party's own strength later increased to 28.

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With any talk of religious freedom, sexuality and racial discrimination, the tensions can run high. Can a religious school uphold a particular value system that may be at odds with someone elses view? And to what extent? When do the schools freedom to express their long-held beliefs impinge on the freedom that one has to be express their own sexuality or agnostic values or atheistic views? When has a Christian school overstepped the line?

The conversation hit the airwaves recently as the Principal of Citipointe Christian College in Queensland, had amended their school contract asking students to formally reject homosexuality and transgenderism. As the ABC report says, Brisbane's Citipointe Christian College withdraws sexuality contract after backlash. The Principal has since stepped aside amid an onslaught of angry and deeply disappointed teachers and parents.

This is the extreme case of a contentious and divisive discussion. The Christian schools I know of are welcoming of all people, irrespective of their gender, their sexuality, their race and religion. All are welcome. And all are welcome to be curious learners, to be stretched in their education, to develop their learning toolkit that would prepare them for the life they have ahead of them.

Though, at some point, there will always be a clash of cultures and beliefs; theres no getting around that. Some believe the earth was formed in 6 large periods of time. Some believe it was six literal days. Some believe in theistic evolution, others remain agnostic and hold to the view that its impossible to know whether a deity was actually involved. Some are supporters of the big bang, without a deity in the picture. You get the point. There are numerous viewpoints and this is just one issue: creation.

A myriad of views



There are a number of viewpoints on any such topic as human sexuality, race relations, the political direction of the country, refugees and global migration and even whether you should drink Pepsi or Coke (or stay away from sugary drinks!).

I believe we all should have freedom to believe what we want. Though even that has limits. If you believe in the right to not be vaccinated, does that mean you can still galivant the countryside during a pandemic without any consequences?

While I believe in the freedom to believe what you want, there is still boundaries around that freedom. When your value system impinges on the safety and security of another person, then one has the right to question that belief system.

In a 21st century, pluralist society, you and I walk around the earth with differing views on many issues. Though I hope that when I wander around, the inherent thrust of what I believe might rub off on another person. I make a difference in the world through my presence in this world. I dont therefore have to impose my beliefs on another person.

I can tell you what I believe if you want to hear. I believe all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I believe Jesus died for our sins and those who believe in him will receive forgiveness of sins. I believe that too much alcohol ruins your brain cells. I believe that too much social media isnt good for your mental health. I believe the church has had a complex history of loving people some days and then excommunicating people on other days.

You and I need to learn to live in peace with one another (see Romans chapter 12, verse 18). Let your light shine in such a way that, instead of imposing your values on another, people inherently want to live the way you do because of who you are and how you behave.

Thats the crux for Christian schools. They should be watering holes of grace and peace, that seek to raise up resilient, intelligent and active students that want to bring restoration to the world we live in. When we abuse the religious freedom we have by dictating what someone must believe, we look outdated to the world around us, we hurt people and we put barriers up to the very Christ that we seek to emulate.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coasting to a comfortable victory, N is a happy man. Not only has he succeeded in defeating Congress candidate P Saratchandra Singh in his constituency, Heingang, by a margin of more than 18,000 votes, huge for an Assembly election, he is readying to form a government  hopefully without crutches.



The BJP has touched the magic mark of 31 seats on its own, thus eliminating the need for support from either the Naga Peoples Front (NPF) or the National Peoples Party (NPP). The latter, led by Conrad Sangma, was hoping that it would gain some arbitrage if the election did not yield a decisive result. We are very happy we will reach magic numbers, we have defeated Congress President Loken Singh, we have defeated NPP Deputy CM Joykumar, we are very happy, BJP president Sarda Devi told television channels.



Birendra Singh was more forthright about the friends the BJP would choose, now that it was not dependent on anyone for support. He told agencies that while the NPF would continue to be an ally of the BJP, that would not be the case with the NPP, which wouldnt be invited to join the government. The NPP has an alliance with the BJP in Meghalaya but contested independent of the national party in .



The exit polls in Manipur, released on Monday, had given a clear edge to the BJP, while several of them also predicted that it might fall short of the halfway mark. In 2017, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 28 seats. However, it fell short of the majority. As a result, the BJP-led coalition formed the government under N .

The BJP, however, was quick to give credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thank you, . PM@narendramodi Jis resolve for a prosperous North-East has earned him a special place in the hearts of the people of our NE region, this victory is a testament to the same. Tweeted Home Minister Amit Shah.



While the BJP's poll manifesto (among other things) promised to preserve the rights of the indigenous people, two extra LPG cylinders, and free electric scooter to college going girls, the Congress pledged a Manipur Cultural Diversity Policy, provide free critical medical treatment for children, creating a Manipur regiment in the Indian Army repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Unemployment, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and lack of available drinking water were the issues flagged by all parties. The conclusion of the Naga talks as well as peace and development figure at the top of the poll agenda.
MLA Naresh Balyan and his supporters were intercepted by the police outside the residence of former party leader in Indirapuram here on Thursday.

Vishwas, a former confidante of Arvind Kejriwal, had recently kicked up a controversy by alleging that the AAP national convenor was ready to take support' from fringe and separatist elements to win the .

After the police stopped him, Balyan, the MLA from Delhi's Uttam Nagar, said he wanted to meet Vishwas to feed him sweets as the AAP is all set to form the government in Punjab.

We have not come here for any protest. If he (Vishwas) is not here at this time, we will come in the night to give him sweets, sleeping pills and blood pressure pills. We may also come tomorrow morning, the MLA said.

In a veiled dig at Vishwas, Balyan said he was wondering what deal the former AAP leader may have cracked with the BJP to give a statement against Kejriwal when elections were around the corner.

Adequate police force has been deployed near the residence of Vishwas so that no untoward incident takes place, city superintendent of police (second) Gyanendra Singh told PTI.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Home Minister of and senior leader of the led a rally of the party workers here on Thursday, celebrating the victory of the party in the four State Assembly polls.

He along with the president of the local unit of the party V Saminathan distributed sweets earlier at the party office here to celebrate the spectacular win of the in four States. Workers of the party burst crackers to express their joy over the win.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Chief Minister on Thursday lost the electoral battle from both the assembly seats he contested from -- Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib.

Channi faced a drubbing at the hands of Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) greenhorn Labh Singh Ugoke in Bhadaur seat. Ugoke won by 37,558 votes. Channi also bit the dust in Chamkaur Sahib, where he was defeated by AAP's Charanjit Singh by a margin of 7,942 votes.

Taking to Twitter, Channi said he humbly accepts the mandate of the people of Punjab.

"I humbly accept the verdict of the people of Punjab and Congratulate @AamAadmiParty and their elected CM @BhagwantMann Ji for the victory. I hope they will deliver on the expectations of people," he said.

The Congress' gamble of fielding Channi, a member of the Scheduled Caste community, from two seats failed to yield any positive results. The party's decision to replace Amarinder Singh with Channi towards the fag end of the former's five-year term to wade away anti-incumbency also came as a cropper.

According to the Election Commission website, the has won 14 seats in Punjab and is leading on four. The party had contested all 117 Assembly seats in Punjab.

The AAP stormed to power in Punjab with an overwhelming majority. It won 82 seats and is leading in 10, the EC website showed.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amarinder Singh failed spectacularly in these assembly elections his new party failed to open its account, his ally fell flat and he failed to even win his own constituency.

But there might be some consolation for the former chief minister. The Congress, with which he had a bitter parting just months back, hasn't done too well either in the state, swept by an wave.

The 2022 Punjab Assembly polls came as a fresh challenge for two-time chief minister, who was unseated from his post last year following a bitter power tussle with state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

The 79-year-old leader said he was humiliated and warned of repercussions then.

Soon, he launched the Punjab Lok Congress, contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP, a party whose expansion in the state he had once stalled despite a Narendra Modi wave elsewhere in the Lok Sabha polls.

Once considered close to the Gandhi family, Amarinder Singh did not mince words while leaving the party, and called leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra "inexperienced".

At an election rally, Priyanka Gandhi hit back, saying he was hand-in-glove with the when he was the CM.

In the last Assembly polls, Amarinder Singh led the decimation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The under him crushed the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) dream of expanding its footprint beyond Delhi.

He steered the Congress to a landslide victory in the Assembly polls to occupy the chief minister's post for the second time. But he could not complete his second term following a feud between him and Navjot Sidhu. Last September, he was driven to resign.

Once a leader of the Akali Dal, the son of the late Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of Patiala, Singh studied at Lawrence School, Sanawar; and Doon School in Dehradun, before joining the National Defence Academy in 1959.Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1963, he was posted in 2nd Bn. Sikh Regiment. Both his father and grandfather had served the battalion.

The political career of Singh, who was considered a close friend of Rajiv Gandhi, began in January 1980 when he was elected an MP. But he resigned from the Congress and the Lok Sabha in protest against the entry of the Army in Amritsar's Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star in 1984.

Amarinder Singh was elected to the Punjab Assembly on an Akali Dal (Longowal) ticket 1995.

During his first term as chief minister, his government in 2004 passed the state law terminating Punjab's water sharing pact with neighbouring states.

Last year, during his second term as the state CM, a resolution was adopted in the state Assembly against the Centre's farm laws.

His government also announced a farm debt waiver scheme for farmers and the landless farming community.

Singh's wife Preneet Kaur is a Congress MP from Patiala.

Amarinder Singh had fought the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar and defeated BJP's Arun Jaitley by a margin of more than one lakh votes.

He then resigned in November as MP after the Supreme Court termed Punjab's 2004 Act terminating the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal agreement as unconstitutional.

A few days later, he was appointed president of the Punjab Congress in the run-up to the polls. A widely travelled person, Singh has penned several books, including his memoirs of the 1965 Indo-Pak War.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chuadhary on Thursday said he respected the public opinion after his alliance with the Samajwadi Party lost the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

The had fielded candidates on 33 seats in western Uttar Pradesh and won eight of them, according to information on the Election Commission website.

"I respect public opinion. Congratulations to all the winning MLAs! It is expected that they will work according to the trust of the people. The workers have worked hard, and the struggle will continue!" the chief tweeted in Hindi.

In the 2017 state polls, the had won only seat -- Chhaprauli -- but later expelled the MLA for alleged anti-party activities.

RLD national spokesperson Sandeep Chaudhary said his party has emerged as one of the biggest winners in the state under the leadership of .

While the BJP was the biggest winner, the SP was second in terms of the number of MLAs who won and BJP's ally Apna Dal (Soneylal) looked set to be winning around a dozen seats, the EC website showed at 10.45 PM.

"Now we have to make the party stronger. The people who reposed faith in us have to live up to the expectations and necessary steps will be taken for this. The party and the organization will be given all possible strength, new people will be given a chance and the people of the state will have their rights," Chaudhary told PTI.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said the election results in the five states will have a positive impact in .

Bommai added that he is also confident of continuing the poll performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party in as well by ensuring victory in the 2023 .

Speaking to the media, he said the poll victory in four states will inspire and empower workers with more vigour.

"Our (BJP) government will now focus on implementing programmes given in the Budget and win the confidence of people to register a resounding victory in the state," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit in April and he will be launching all the state programmes for the people, Bommai said.

The election results have given a positive feedback to the people and the party, the Chief Minister added.

The has won the mandate in four states to form the government, especially in Uttar Pradesh, where the people have voted for a double-engine government, he said.

"I congratulate the people of all five states. I also congratulate our leaders -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of the concerned states," he added.

"The policy and programmes of Modi are in favour of the poor, farmers and women. The people have appreciated the management of Covid-19 and empowerment of the economy. The opposition has been left decimated."

"Our party leaders have pledged to be involved in more development work. The results have shown that Modi is the only leader with a connect with the people throughout the country," Bommai said.

--IANS

mka/khz/bg

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The bagged less votes than the ones which went to in Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, Election Commission data shows.

The Sena, which is in power in Maharashtra in alliance with the NCP and Congress, had contested Assembly in these three states but drew a blank.

In Goa, the Sena had fielded candidates in 10 seats. All of them lost deposit.

Sena candidates got less than 100 votes in Cortalim (55 votes), Quepem (66), Vasco-Da-Gama (71) and Sanquelim (99).

'None of the Above' or option secured 1.12 per cent of total votes polled in Goa, while the Sena bagged a mere 0.18 per cent votes.

In Manipur, the contested six seats. The secured 0.54 per cent votes in the northeastern state while the Sena bagged 0.34 per cent.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Sena had bagged 0.03 per cent votes as of Thursday evening, while NOTA has amassed 0.69 per cent votes.

About its dismal performance, chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said his party received less votes than NOTA because it fell short of (currency) notes.

The Sena received less votes than NOTA because we could not manage 'notes' used by the BJP. Still we contested in Goa and Uttar Pradesh. Our fight will continue. Victory or defeat is not the end, it is the start. We will continue to work, the Sena MP said.

The party had deployed a battery of leaders including Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray for campaigning. Aaditya Thackeray campaigned in Goa and Uttar Pradesh.

Sanjay Raut, Vinayak Raut, Arvind Sawant and Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar also campaigned in Goa.

But the party failed to make foray in the neighbouring state even though Goa has a sizable Marathi-speaking population.

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Usually, it is a series with an on-ground look at the mood in a poll-bound state that I call Writings on the Wall. The numbers at the end of this five-state poll campaign give us the other, starker, and more conventional version of the writings on the wall. I read seven for you.



* Two political phenomena began in Indian politics in 2012: Narendra Modi and . Both have proved true to their promise. Modi with his third successive win in Gujarat became the front runner for the BJPs prime ministerial candidate in 2014. Kejriwal morphed from an apolitical activist to a full-time politician albeit by launching a new party. In exactly a decade now, the first is a colossus of the kind Indian politics has never seen before. I say that with some deliberation. Nehru as prime minister had no challenger, Indira Gandhi had a head-start as his daughter. Modi is a self-made, non-dynast, and now unbeatable in a sufficient expanse of the country to remain the unassailable national leader. The repeat Uttar Pradesh landslide carves this on the wall.

* Kejriwal began with nothing but a proposition that was apolitical, or even anti-politics. There was scepticism when he launched a political party. What does he stand for? Whats his ideology? Can he jump the formidable entry barriers of Indian politics? A decade later, hes done all of that. His political ideology is indeed what his war-cry as an activist was: Our politics sucks. In essence therefore hes still anti-(conventional) politics.

The change is that his alternative is now no longer mere angry, politically anodyne activism, but a new politics of his own kind. Welfarism and efficient delivery to rival the BJPs, unapologetic Hindu religiosity to match the RSS, nationalism louder than Modis and a quiet substitution of Gandhi, Nehru or Savarkar with Sardar Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb (Ambedkar). Those are the two least polarising figures in our politics. You might abuse Nehru 24x7, even call Gandhi names often enough, hail Godse as a hero. Now pit Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh versus Gandhi and Savarkar, respectively. Youd know the winning side. How sharp is Kejriwal in his politics? No amount of woke poking persuaded him or his key lieutenants to show up at Shaheen Bagh, or the Delhi riots. After Delhi and Punjab, hes headed to vacuum clean the Congress vote in Gujarat later this year. Muslims will likely vote for him there.

* For 60 years since we became a republic in 1950, our politics was all structured around the Congress and its conception of a socialist, secular state. That epoch has faded fully. Now we are wading neck deep through a new, BJP/RSS/Hindu nationalism epoch. The preference of Hindu nationalism over Hindutva is consciously made. Religion has its oomph, but the pull of religiously defined new nationalism is enormously greater.

Today, if all of BJPs rivals in Uttar Pradesh made a spectacle of walking to the Kashi Vishwanath temple across the new corridorwhich I quite likethe secular republic has been redefined. Everybody has fallen in line. Today, we have a new nationalism, a new secularism and increasingly a new socialism redefined as efficient, non-leaky welfarism.

* I am tempted to say the next writing on the wall is an epitaph of two major political parties, Congress and BSP. But let me be cautious and say that both are now on the ventilator. The Congress still runs two and a half (Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra/Jharkhand) states and has access to some resources. But given how compulsively efficient its been with setting its own house on fire, youd wonder how long Rajasthan will last. Congresss nemesis is snapping at its heels and its AAP, not BJP. Gujarat will be the next test.

With a more serious and smarter leadership Congress may still be redeemable, although its getting improbable by the day as it loses its loyal vote not to the BJP but to other challengers in the anti-/non-BJP space: Mamata in Bengal, Jagan in Andhra, NCP in Maharashtra, AAP in Delhi and Punjab. The only states where it has lost its vote to the BJP lately are Tripura and Telangana. For how long will the DMK keep dragging its broken wagon in Tamil Nadu, is a good question.

* If the BSP looks even more hopeless it is because this election has affirmed a fundamental shift in UP politics. From a three and a half party (BJP, SP, BSP, Congress) race, it has now become a straight BJP-SP fight. Nobody can get power by adding one or two castes to Muslims as SP and BSP have done in the past. Of the two, BSP has declined to where recovery is near-impossible. Especially as Muslims are unlikely to trust it again. An incredible new experiment that Kanshi Ram launched has now been slaughtered, halal style, by his chosen successor.

* The decimation of Shiromani Akali Dal, the most openly and formally religious party in India, will have consequences that go far beyond electoral politics. The unique Sikh tradition of drawing political power from religion or the panth, the much-celebrated union of church (gurdwara) and the state, will not go away. If anything, with all political power gone now, it will manifest in complex ways. This change in Punjab is not merely political. Can you keep faith completely out of politics in a state where people get lynched on mere suspicion of sacrilege and police dare not act? Can it, or what if, AAP wins a Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) election? I know we are walking into intricacies of non-heartland politics that makes you yawn. You might just hear more on this as the electoral dust settles.

* And finally, another star has firmly risen in the BJP. is now its second most popular leader. The base adores him. The BJP has many ruthless leaders with super-sharp political minds. But none has all this and Yogis charisma and personal ambition. Plus, as the youngest major leader in the countryyounger than Rahul or even Kejriwalhes got time on his side. Some consternation among the party seniors is inevitable. Track his moves closely if youre interested in national politics.
The Assembly poll results on Thursday brought gloom for several political heavyweights, including two current and five former chief ministers, who lost the electoral battle from their respective seats.

Besides them, three current deputy chief ministers, including Keshav Prasad Maurya, lost the assembly election.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami lost the polls from the seats they held respectively.

A similar fate awaited former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Singh Rawat and former Punjab chief ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh.

Even though leader Dhami has lost the electoral battle, his party is heading for a victory in Uttarakhand.

In Punjab, where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to sweep the polls, three former chief ministers -- Badal, Singh and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal -- lost the election from their respective pocket boroughs.

Chief Minister Channi lost the poll battle from both Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal also lost the election to his AAP rival.

Most of the current and former ministers of the Punjab government lost the poll battle to the AAP candidates.

In Goa, former chief minister and Trinamool (TMC) nominee Churchill Alemao lost the election from Benaulim to the AAP nominee.

Both the deputy chief ministers lost the poll contest to their rivals, though their party, BJP, is on the course to emerge as the single-largest political formation in the coastal state.

Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar was defeated by Leader of Opposition and candidate Digambar Kamat, while another Deputy Chief Minister, Chandrakant Kavlekar, lost to Congress candidate Altone D'Costa from Quepem.

Similarly, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Maurya lost the Assembly poll contest to SP's Pallavi Patel by 7,337 votes from the Sirathu constituency in Kaushambi district.

The counting of votes for the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur Assembly polls is going on amid tight security arrangements.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Initial counting of votes cast in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections revealed that Chief Minister is leading from the Urban constituency, as per sources.

The initial trends available at 9.30 a.m. were mostly from postal ballots.

This is Yogi Adityanath's first full fledged contest for an Assembly seat from his home turf, from where he had contested and won the Lok Sabha seat for multiple terms.

According to the ABP C-Voter exit poll, the ruling BJP is set to retain power in Uttar Pradesh with a tally of 236 seats.

The BJP will, however, return to power with a reduced margin in the 403-member state Assembly, with a loss of 89 seats after winning 325 seats in 2017, it had predicted.

Urban seat had witnessed 53.30 per cent voting held on March 3.

The Chief Minister's opponents include Chandra Shekhar Aazad of Bhim Army contesting on the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), Chetana Pandey of Congress, Shubhawati Shukla of Samajwadi Party and Shamsuddin Khwaja of Bahujan Samaj Party.

--IANS

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Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader won Urban seat with a massive margin of 54,858 votes.

His victory comes as the is on course to retain power in . The counting of the votes polled in assembly elections is underway.

According to the Election Commission of India, Adityanath, who is contesting the Assembly elections for the first time, received 85,356 while his nearest rival SP candidate Subhawati Upendra Dutt Shukla got 30,498 votes.

Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad garnered only 4,501 votes.

Adityanath represented the Lok Sabha seat until 2017 when he was chosen as the UP Chief Minister after the Bharatiya Janata Party's landslide victory in the state polls. The Sadar seat had also been a bastion of the BJP, which the party had never lost since 1967 since the days of the Jan Sangh.

Meanwhile, according to the latest trends of the Election Commission of India as the counting of the votes is underway, the has 13 seats and is leading in 237 constituencies. The Samajwadi Party is leading on 116 seats and Congress leading only in two constituencies.

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Union minister Thursday said that Assembly election result heralds a new political culture under Prime Minister which is in tune with the aspirational democracy of a new India.

He said the new political culture is guided by the spirit of reaching out to the deprived and providing them with benefits of equitable development with ease of living, empowerment and esteem, without any bias or prejudice.

Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, said that has broken many a jinx of the past.

For example, he said, over the last half-a-century, the Congress manipulated people into believing that any political party which has been in power for five years necessarily faces anti-incumbency and this phenomenon has to be taken in stride as a norm.

The BJP under Modi has vindicated that elections can be fought and won with pro-incumbency vote and this is something which I had been predicting during the UP election campaign as well, Singh said.

For several decades, he said, political spectrum in India which was dominated by the Congress and its allies sought to fight elections on the basis of caste, creed, religion and vote bank considerations, which in other words implied securing votes by dividing society and following the feudal legacy of divide and rule and this virtually became a norm over the years.

However, under Modi, this trend has been done away with and the BJP proved to the world that election could be fought and won by rising above these biases and focussing on development, providing security to the insecure, empowering the weaker section, providing benefits to the deprived and ensuring equal justice and respect for all, he said.

Singh said he had predicted during the election campaign that in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP will get the support of a large number of silent women voters, including Muslim women, who may not openly say so.

Similarly, he said, during the campaign young girl students from all religions and castes used to tell us that before the BJP government came, their parents would not allow them to step out of the house all alone but now they felt absolutely secure.

Counting is underway for Assembly elections held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

The BJP raced towards a second straight win in and dominated the score chart in three other states -- Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa -- while the Aam Aadmi Party announced its national presence with a landslide victory in Punjab, according to the election trends and results declared so far.

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campaign head in created a flutter in political circles last December, alleging non-cooperation from his party leaders and noting that he sometimes feels it is time for him to rest.

His outburst forced leader Rahul Gandhi to step in and hold frantic parleys to brought about a truce between warring factions in the party ahead of the state Assembly polls.

However, the attempt by the leadership failed to turn the party's fortunes in the state, with Rawat trailing from his own constituency Lalkuwa and the party set to lose the elections.

The former state CM had to change his constituency from Ramnagar to Lalkuwa in the run-up to the polls due to party leader Ranjit Rawat's opposition.

In the last Assembly elections too, had lost the both seats he had contested.

The defeat in the elections has put a question mark on the five-time MP and former Union minister's political future.

Born in Mohnari village of Almora district into a family of Kumoni Rajputs, 73-year-old Rawat is a graduate with a law degree from Lucknow University.

He has held several key positions in the party, including that of the state Congress president from 2002 to 2007.

He had earlier served as Union Minister of Water Resources in the cabinet of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from 2012 to 2014.

He became the chief minister of for the first time in 2014 when Vijay Bahuguna, then in the Congress, resigned following his criticism over the handling of the Kedarnath tragedy.

Earlier, he had narrowly missed the opportunity of becoming the chief minister in 2002 when Congress veteran N D Tiwari was given the top job.

After being sworn in as the seventh chief minister of in February 2014, he remained on the post until a rebellion against him by nine Congress MLAs reduced his government to a minority.

The sudden turn of events subsequently led to the imposition of the president's rule in Uttarakhand, which lasted less than two months.

He was reinstated as CM as he won a Supreme Court-monitored floor test in the state Assembly.

After he lost the Assembly polls in 2017, he was made AICC general secretary incharge of Assam and then of Punjab, a post he held until recently.

His stint as AICC general secretary incharge of Punjab saw the resignation of Amarinder Singh as the chief minister.

After that he requested the party leadership to relieve him of his responsibilities in Punjab so that he could focus more on the Uttarakhand polls.
As the trend showed the saffron party leading in four states, the claimed that voters have hugely responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to reject dynasty politics.

Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe tweeted, "While the final tallies are yet to come, voters have hugely responded to PM @narendramodi Ji's appeal and REJECTED most Dynasty Based parties!SP in UP, Cong is Goa, Manipur, UK & Punjab, Akali in Punjab and TMC in Goa, facing huge defeat! Lessons for Shiv Sena and NCP if they learn."

national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh tweeted, "BJP winning in UP: Declining democratic values, Dismantling of republic etc. AAP winning in Punjab: promise of alternative governance, New hope rising etc. Kuch log sudharenge nahin (some people will not mend themselves)."

Taking a dig at caste politics, Union minister of state and BJP election co-incharge Arjun Ram Meghwal tweeted, "Casteism lost, nationalism won."

BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi said that 'double engine governments are winning across India'.

"Double Engine Governments are winning across India under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi. It is very evident that Voters have more faith in the 'development politics' of BJP than the 'appeasement politics' of the Opposition," Ravi tweeted.

--IANS

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Maharashtra Minister and leader on Thursday said results of the just held assembly polls, where the BJP emerged victorious in four of the five states that voted, will not impact the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.

Unfazed by the Shiv Sena's poor performance in states, where the party had fielded candidates, he said it was just the beginning of an electoral journey for the Maharashtra-based outfit. The bagged less votes than the ones which went to NOTA (none of the above) in Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, Election Commission data showed. The Sena, which is in power in Maharashtra in alliance with the NCP and the Congress, had contested in these three states, but drew a blank. Talking to reporters here, Thackeray said the will contest from the gram panchayat level to Parliament in quest to expand its organizational base. "This is just a beginning," he said, adding "the Shiv Sena will win one day." The Sena minister had campaigned for party candidates in Goa and Uttar Pradesh.

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A statement attributed to "the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies" obtained by 'Variety', employees of the animation studio allege that Disney corporate executives have demanded cuts from "nearly every moment of overtly gay affection" regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.

The stunning claim is part of a wider reaction to the company-wide memo sent to Disney employees by CEO Bob Chapek on Monday regarding its response to the recently passed legislation in Florida known as the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, reports variety.com.

In the memo, Chapek states that the "biggest impact" the company can make "in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce".

According to the Pixar letter, that claim is at odds with employees' experience of trying to create content with same-sex affection approved by Disney executives.

"We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were," the letter states.

"Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it."

To date, Pixar has only included a tiny handful of characters in its feature films, most prominently in the 2020 fantasy film aOnward', which features a cyclops police officer named Specter, voiced by Lena Waithe.

The character's sexuality is only acknowledged in passing, when Specter says, "It's not easy being a new parent - my girlfriend's daughter got me pulling my hair out, okay?" But the movie was still banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia due to the scene, and in the version released in Russia, the word "girlfriend" was changed to "partner."

The same year, Pixar released a short film, 'Out', on Disney Plus, about a gay man who struggles with coming out to his parents.

The claim of censorship by Pixar employees is particularly damning for former CEO Robert Iger, who oversaw Disney's purchase of Pixar in 2006 and just exited the company in December 2021.

The employee letter, which is not dated, also demands Disney withdraw financial support of all legislatures who supported the "Don't Say Gay" bill and "take a decisive public stand" against the legislation and bills like it elsewhere in the country.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chapek did speak publicly for the first time about Disney's opposition to the "Don't Say Gay" bill during the company's shareholders meeting, after weathering widespread criticism for his handling of the issue.

He announced that the company would pledge $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign and other rights organisations, and said he will meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss Disney's "concerns" about the legislation, after first connecting earlier on the phone.

"Gov. DeSantis committed to me that he wanted to make sure that this law could not be weaponised in any way by individuals in the state or groups in the state to unduly harm or target gay, lesbian, nonbinary or transgender kids and families," Chapek said.

Following Chapek's pledge, the Human Rights Campaign announced that they'd refuse the donation until "meaningful action is taken to combat" the legislation.

In a statement, the HRC's interim president Joni Madison, explained: "Businesses have had and continue to have a major impact in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, from marriage equality to the defeat of House Bill 2 in North Carolina and beyond."

While Disney took a regrettable stance by choosing to stay silent amid political attacks against LGBTQ+ families in Florida -- including hardworking families employed by Disney -- today they took a step in the right direction. But it was merely the first step."

"HRC encourages Disney, and all employers, to continue to fight for their employees - many of whom bravely spoke out to say their CEO's silence was unacceptable - and the LGBTQ+ community by working with us and state and local LGBTQ+ groups to ensure these dangerous anti-equality proposals that harm LGBTQ+ families and kids have no place in Florida," Madison's statement continued.

"Every student deserves to be seen, and every student deserves an education that prepares them for health and success -- regardless of who they are. This should be the beginning of Disney's advocacy efforts rather than the end."

--IANS

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has suspended its Covid-19 vaccination mandate, just days before enforcement measures were due to kick in, the government announced.

The mandate, which makes vaccination against Covid-19 compulsory for all adults in Austria, has been in effect since February 5, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, routine police checks and fines for non-compliance were due to start in mid-March.

Austria's Constitutional Affairs Minister Karoline Edtstadler told reporters that the federal government is suspending the vaccine mandate on the advice of a commission of health and legal experts.

However, Health Minister Johannes Rauch said the commission will deliver another report in three months, at which point the government may make new decisions.

first announced plans to make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory in November last year, in a bid to contain surging infections.

It was the first European Union country to introduce such a measure.

This week's suspension of the vaccine mandate came despite high infection numbers in Austria, after Covid-19 restrictions were eased in early March.

On Wednesday, the country reported 47,795 Covid-19 cases, a new daily record.

Official data revealed that 75.8 per cent of the Austrian population had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

--IANS

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US Secretary of State and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had a telephonic conversation and discussed their coordinated efforts to provide with additional security and humanitarian assistance, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a readout.

The official statement was released after the call and it reads, "Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today by phone with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba," Sputnik reported on Thursday.

"They discussed coordinated efforts to provide additional security assistance and humanitarian support to Ukraine," the statement added.

Blinken and Kuleba also discussed the ongoing diplomatic efforts to stop Russia's military operation, Price said.

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has refused to supply Russian airlines with aircraft parts, an official at Russias aviation authority was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday, after Boeing and Airbus halted supply of components.

Russias aviation sector is being squeezed by Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, with Russias foreign ministry warning this week that the safety of Russian passenger flights was under threat.

Agencies including Interfax quoted Valery Kudinov, a Rosaviatsia official responsible for maintaining airplane airworthiness, as saying that would look for opportunities to source parts from countries including Turkey and India after a failed attempt to obtain them from .

He also said Russian companies were registering their planes, many of which had been registered abroad, in after the US and sanctions on aviation and that he expects some to be returned to leasing companies.

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China's top political advisory body concluded its annual session on Thursday, calling for tightening supervision and rectification of the live streaming industry, reported local media.

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and was attended by President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders, reported Xinhua.

The chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, Wang Yang, delivered a speech at the meeting.

A resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, a resolution on a report on how the proposals from political advisors have been handled since the previous annual session, a report on the examination of new proposals, and a political resolution on the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee were approved at the meeting, according to the media outlet.

Notably, Chinese political advisors and policymakers, who attended the annual session, have proposed tightening supervision and rectification of the live streaming industry, Global Times reported, adding that some of them also suggested punishment on tax evasion.

Punishing live streamers will serve as a wake-up call to the industry practitioners, which is key to healthy and equitable development of the new economic model in transformation, said Ma Jin, deputy chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Zhi Gong Party and a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC.

Xiao Shengfang, National People's Congress (NPC) deputy and president of Guangdong Lawyers Association, proposed that live streamers who provide valueless content and violate laws, regulations and public order should be banned and they, along with platforms, should be held accountable for legal responsibilities, according to the publication.

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Democratic leaders abruptly abandoned plans for a fresh infusion of USD 15.6 billion for battling the Covid pandemic on Wednesday, clearing the way for House debate and passage of a vast government spending bill that is anchored by aid for and European allies.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the COVID-19 spending would be removed from the package after rank-and-file lawmakers objected that it would be paid for, in part, by cutting previously approved pandemic assistance to their states.

"We must proceed" with the government-wide USD 1.5 trillion legislation because of the urgency of helping and the bill's spending for other programs, Pelosi wrote in a letter to colleagues.

"It is heartbreaking to remove the COVID funding, and we must continue to fight for urgently needed Covid assistance, but unfortunately that will not be included in this bill," she said.

The money countering the Russian blitzkriegt hat's devastated parts of and triggered that continent's biggest refugee exodus since World War II ensured that the overall bill would ultimately pass with robust support from both parties.

President Joe Biden requested USD 10 billion for the military, humanitarian and economic aid last week, and backing in Congress was so staunch that the figure grew to USD 13.6 billion in just days.

"The people of Ukraine are courageously standing up for freedom, Rep. Jim McGovern said as debate began. "Congress, the Biden administration and the people of the must stand with them."



Party leaders planned to whip the 2,741-page measure through the House on Wednesday and the Senate by week's end, though that chamber's exact timing was unclear.

But the bill, which also contains USD 15.6 billion to continue battling the pandemic, was encountering early problems. Democratic leaders were trying to resolve rank-and-file complaints that some COVID-19 spending would be paid for with cuts in previously approved pandemic aid to states, though the dispute seemed unlikely to derail the package.

Lawmakers were spurred to act quickly by the urgency of helping Ukraine before Russia's military might makes it too late. They also faced a Friday deadline to approve the government-wide spending measure or face a weekend election-year federal shutdown. As a backstop against delays, the House planned to pass a bill Wednesday keeping agencies afloat through March 15.

"At the end of the day, it represents a good balance for Congress and the nation," Rep. Tom Cole said of the legislation.

Over USD 4 billion of the Ukraine aid was to help the country and Eastern European nations cope with the 2 million refugees who've already fled the fighting.

Another USD 6.7 billion was for the deployment of US troops and equipment to the region and to transfer American military items to Ukraine and US allies, and there was economic aid and money to enforce economic sanctions against Russia as well.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the measure would provide loan guarantees to Poland to help it replace aircraft it is sending Ukraine. "It's been like pulling teeth" to get Democrats to agree to some of the defense spending, he said.

But McConnell added, "It's an important step. It needs to be passed. It needs to be passed quickly."



The bipartisan rallying behind the Ukraine aid was just one manifestation of Congress' eagerness to help the beleaguered country, though not all of it has been harmonious.

Republicans accused Biden of moving too slowly to help Ukraine and NATO allies and to impose sanctions against Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. Democrats countered that time was needed to bring along European allies that rely heavily on Russian energy sources. And a bipartisan push to ban Russian oil imports had become nearly unstoppable before Biden announced Tuesday that he would do that on his own.

The huge overall bill was stocked with victories for both parties.

For Democrats, it provides USD 730 billion for domestic programs, 6.7 per cent more than last year, the biggest boost in four years. Republicans won USD 782 billion for defense, 5.6 per cent over last year's levels.

In contrast, Biden's 2022 budget last spring proposed a 16 per cent increase for domestic programs and less than 2 per cent more for defense numbers that were doomed from the start thanks to Democrats' slender congressional majorities.

The bill was also fuelled by large numbers of hometown projects for both parties' lawmakers, which Congress had banned since 2011 but were revived this year.

The spending once called earmarks, now dubbed community projects includes money for courthouses in Connecticut and Tennessee and repairs to a post office in West Virginia. And it names a federal building in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, after Sen. Richard Shelby, the state's senior GOP senator, a chief author of the bill who's retiring after six terms.

Democrats won a fresh round of spending for vaccines, testing and treatments for COVID-19, including USD 5 billion for fighting the pandemic around the world. That was below Biden's USD 22.5 billion request.

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New Delhi, March 10: Faced with the no-confidence motion by the combined opposition in the National Assembly, beleaguered Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan reached Karachi on Wednesday to seek the "blessings" of powerful spiritual leader Pir Pagara, who is close to the military establishment.

However, Pir Pagara has refused to see him, according to sources.

"Pir Pagara will not be able to meet PM Imran Khan due to his illness and other pre-planned engagements in his hometown Pir Jo Goth," Geo News quoted Pir's spokesperson Saira Bano as saying.

Imran Khan has been trying to get in touch with Pir Pagara, who is considered close to the military establishment, after the opposition moved a no-confidence motion against him on Tuesday.

Who is Pir Pagara?

The current Pir is Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi succeeded his father Shah Mardan Shah after his demise in 2012, and is the eighth hereditary ruler of more than 900,000 devotees who consider him a living extension of god.

Pir Pagara is a powerful spiritual leader with a million tribal members of Sindh region of known as 'Hurs' (free and brave men).

At least 50,000 of the Pir Pagaro's most fanatical followers, the militant Hurs, serve in positions reserved for them in the Pakistani Army and provincial police. The jobs were created as a reward to the Pir for his service to the several military governments of Pakistan, including General Zia's eight-year military regime.

According to Pakistani experts, in the pre-independence era, Pir Pagara led his most fanatical followers, the Hurs, in a bloody revolt against the British. As a result, the British labelled them a "criminal tribe", a designation they had in common with the Thugs of Bengal.

"The current Pir's father, the 7th Pir Pagara Sibghatullah Shah was hanged in 1943 by the British for conspiracy to wage war. Hundreds of his followers were also hanged, many without trial," says Anees Jilani, a Pakistani activist, adding that like their ancestors, the present Pir is loyal to the Pakistani Army.

And that is the reason that Imran Khan has been desperate to meet Pir Pagara.

Pir Pagara also heads the family's political party, Muslim League-Functional, which won 1 million votes in the last election in 2018 and now he is a member of the National Assembly. His party which is known as Grand Democratic Alliance is a coalition partner in the Imran Khan government.

"Pir is totally a GHQ (Pakistan Army headquarter) man like many other rich politicians in Imran Khan's party. He will do what the military establishment will ask him to do. It is true that he has not been happy with Imran Khan for the last few months," said one insider.

"We are your allies, but the government does nothing to prove it," Pir Pagara reportedly told Imran Khan.

Like Pir, other allies in Sindh like Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan are also not happy with the Imran Khan government.

The anxiety is evident in the ranks of the government as Imran Khan himself has taken up the task to win back his allies.

"Pakistani Army is with me and we will defeat them in such a way that they will not be able to recover from it until 2028. There are multiple foreign hands backing the opposition," Dawn quoted Imran Khan as saying.

On the other side, circles close to the 'number game' informed that the opposition parties are playing on the 'internal rifts' of the ruling party and by incentivising members of the National Assembly with a commitment of awarding popular party tickets in next general elections.

According to Pakistani media, now the ball is in the court of the Speaker of the National Assembly who has to convene the session within 14 days, that means by March 22. After tabling the resolution through a motion in the Assembly, the Speaker will be required to put it for a vote no sooner than three days and not later than seven days. So the voting will take place between March 26-29.

Meanwhile, the Imran Khan government has asked the Speaker to defer the voting till March 29 as Pakistan will be hosting a two-day meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) on March 22, for which the Assembly hall is presently being renovated.

"Imran Khan should resign if he wants to save himself from further humiliation. The speaker is duly bound by the constitution. He cannot defer the voting date," said the opposition.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative

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Energy industry leaders said the burgeoning energy crisis is perhaps more dire for Europe's natural gas market than its crude oil imports, due to the continent's dependency on Russia and as prices have been sky-high for months.

Panelists at this year's CERAWeek conference in Houston have stressed increased need for secure energy supply. European gas have been in turmoil since last year as Russia slowed pipeline flows and as Asian demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) surged, driving up prices across the globe.

"There's just no additional LNG that's coming online to bridge the gap for the gas that's going to be needed by Europe next year - and it was cold in Asia, and Asia has no other alternative," said Michael Smith, founder and chief executive of Freeport LNG.

Russia is the world's largest exporter of natural gas, shipping out roughly 23 billion cubic feet of gas every day (bcfd), of which about 90% goes to Europe or Eurasia. About half of that goes to Germany, Italy, France and Belarus.

Russia has more proven natural gas reserves than any other nation. The European Union has not elected to stop buying Russian gas, though Britain on Tuesday said it will phase out purchases of Russian oil and gas by year end. However, flows via Russian pipelines to Europe slowed last year in what some U.S. officials called a deliberate attempt to weaken Europe months ahead of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Gas prices spiked last year and have remained elevated due to low storage and stronger-than-expected demand from Asia, which is becoming a big importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from producers like the United States, Qatar and Australia.

The U.S. natural gas futures price has risen steadily, yet at $4.525 per million British thermal units it remained far below the Asian benchmark at $38.97 and the European at $48.

"Clearly what is happening in Europe is the problem of scarcity of gas. It's not oil," Gabriel Obiang Lima, Equatorial Guinea's minister of hydrocarbons said at the conference.

The United States currently exports just about all it can in LNG - about 12.6 bcfd to destinations across Europe and Asia. One billion cubic feet is enough for about 5 million homes for a day.

It takes years to build terminals for liquefaction and re-gasification of the fuel supercooled into a liquid for transportation by tanker. After several years of development of new plants, the last three years have seen very few new projects started.

Andrew Walker, vice-president of Cheniere, the largest exporter of U.S. LNG, said the crisis in Europe exposes the need for an increase in long-term natural gas contracts to supply reliable energy required to enable the transition to renewable energy.

Two years ago, natural gas prices fell to historical low levels, leading to concerns of oversupply and a reduction of long-term contracts.

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder and Arathy Somasekhar; additional reporting by Marianna Parraga and Scott DiSavino; Writing by David Gaffen; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell, Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)

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By Bharat Gautam

(Reuters) - Gold bounced above the $2,000 an ounce level on Thursday following a sharp correction in the last session as a lack of progress with the Russia- talks re-ignited a shift into safe-haven assets.

Spot gold rose 0.7% to $2,004.89 per ounce by 1203 GMT after tumbling as much as 3% on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures were up 1.2% to $2,011.00.

"Gold bulls have shown little qualm in catapulting prices higher on signs the crisis could drastically worsen the global economic outlook," Han Tan, chief market analyst at Exinity said.

A rush to safe-haven assets earlier this week due to the crisis powered to near record levels hit in August 2020.

"The safe-haven allure for gold is maintained despite the assimilation with commodity supply shocks and will be a driving force for bullion as the war in Ukraine persists," DailyFX analyst Warren Venketas wrote in a note.

A rebound in equities wilted as analysts warned of further pain for stocks with no immediate end in sight to the war in Ukraine.

Investors are also keeping an eye on February U.S. consumer price index data which is due later in the day, against the backdrop of surging oil prices and ahead of the Federal Reserve's next policy statement on March 16.

Palladium, used by automakers in catalytic converters to curb emissions, was up 0.2% to $2,944.25 per ounce. The metal hit a record high of $3,440.76 on Monday, driven by fears of supply disruptions from top producer Russia.

The palladium market "should continue to price-in a supply risk premium in the short-term," ANZ analysts wrote in a note.

Spot silver rose 0.7% to $25.92 per ounce, while platinum added 1.7% to $1,094.31.

(Reporting by Bharat Govind Gautam in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

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Guatemalan lawmakers have increased prison sentences for women who have abortions, bucking a recent trend in Latin America toward expanding access to the procedures.

As some of Latin America's largest countries Mexico, Argentina, Colombia have expanded access in the past two years, there remain countries where conservative religious trends continue to hold sway.

Late Tuesday Women's Day Guatemala's Congress passed a Protection of Life and Family law that also targeted the LGBTQ community.

On Wednesday, which Guatemala's Congress declared Life and Family Day, President Alejandro Giammattei said in a speech at the National Palace, This event is an invitation to unite as Guatemalans to protect life from conception until natural death.

Guatemalan women convicted of terminating their pregnancies can now face sentences up to 10 years that before were a maximum of three. The Congress imposed even heavier penalties for doctors and who assist women in ending pregnancies.

Abortions are legal only when the life of the mother is at risk.

Lawmakers backing the legislation said the law was necessary because minority groups in society propose ways of thinking and practices that are incongruous with Christian morality.

Lawmaker Vicenta Gernimo, who voted against the legislation, said it violates human rights, especially of women in rural areas where there isn't a government health infrastructure.

The legislation passed with 101 votes in favor and 8 against. Fifty-one lawmakers were not present.

Jordan Rodas, Guatemala's elected human rights prosecutor, said was regressing by limiting women's rights at a time the world was expanding them. He added that those supporting sexual diversity are not seeking privileges, but want to live free of stigma and discrimination.

The approval of this dangerous initiative represents a threat to the rights of women and LGBT people in the country, said Cristian Gonzlez of Human Rights Watch. He also said the legislation served as a distraction from President Giammattei's systematic dismantling of the justice system.

Opposition lawmaker Samuel Prez said it was approved by men unaffected by the issue of .

Colombia expanded access to last month when the Constitutional Court voted to legalize the procedure until the 24th week of pregnancy. Prior to the ruling, Colombia allowed abortions only when a woman's life was in danger, a fetus had malformations or the pregnancy resulted from rape.

In September, Mexico's Supreme Court ruled that abortion was not a crime, that it was unconstitutional to punish abortion.

And in January of last year, a law went into effect in Argentina allowing elective abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy and beyond that in cases involving rape or risk to the woman's health. It was all the more significant because Pope Francis hails from Argentina.

The legislation also explicitly prohibited same-sex marriage which was already effectively illegal and banned schools from teaching anything that could deviate (a child's) identity according to their birth gender.

Lawmaker Armando Castillo, an ally of Giammattei's administration, defended the legislation, saying that the only thing it does is protect heterosexual people who have no interest in diversity.

But opposition lawmaker Lucrecia Hernndez warned her colleagues that the the law stigmatises people, discriminates and foments intolerance and hate speech and crimes.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his government welcomed the victory of South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday as Japanese officials and experts expressed sense of relief and hope for an improvement of the badly strained ties between the neighbours.

Yoon, a conservative former top prosecutor and foreign policy neophyte, was elected South Korea's president to replace outgoing Moon Jae-in, during whose leadership bilateral relations have sunk to their lowest levels in years over wartime history disputes.

Japan- relations are in a very severe conditions, but we cannot leave this as is, Kishida told reporters Thursday.

Healthy ties between and are indispensable for the peace, stability and prosperity of the world, especially as the community faces the difficulty such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said.

Cooperation among Japan, the United States and is also important.

Kishida, however, said will stick to its principle that all compensation issues have been settled by the 1965 bilateral treaty, which he said has been the basis of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

He said it is crucial for Seoul to keep promises between the nations.

I believe it is important to communicate with the new president and his new administration in order to restore healthy relations (between the two sides) based on Japan's consistent position, Kishida said.

I hope to hold dialogues with the new government as I watch its actions.

With South Korea returns to a conservative leader who is expected to seek a stronger alliance with the United States and tougher stance on North Korea, Japanese officials and experts have expressed relief, although the leadership change may not serve a quick fix.

Rui Matsukawa, a diplomat-turned-ruling lawmaker, welcomed Yoon's victory and South Korea's return to conservative leadership in her tweet, noting his willingness to improve bilateral relations.

I expect his realistic diplomacy that looks to the future rather than the past.

But Masahisa Sato, senior lawmaker in charge of the governing party's Foreign Affairs Division, cautioned against high expectations.

We should abandon a fantasy that a conservative's victory can mend Japan-South Korean ties that have suffered multiple bone fractures," he said.

Conservative leadership is better than the opposition but there is no change to the fact that the ball remains in the South Korean court."



Although they are both military allies of the US and share common concerns over North Korea and China, ties between Tokyo and Seoul have suffered over the legacy of Japan's World War II atrocities.

Relations between Tokyo and Seoul deteriorated after South Korean court rulings ordered Japanese companies to pay reparations to Korean labourers over their abuses during World War II.

Another sticking point is Korean comfort women who were sexually abused by Japan's wartime military occupation.

Tokyo's UNESCO World Heritage nomination of Sado silver and gold mines in northern has compounded disagreements over compensation for wartime Korean laborers.

Seoul opposes Japan's nomination, saying many Koreans brought to Japan during its 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula were put to forced labour at the mine.

Japan insists that all compensation issues were settled under a 1965 treaty normalising relations with Seoul and that South Korean court orders to Japanese companies to pay compensation violate law.

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The government of on Thursday announced a grant assistance of Rs 2.7 billion (USD 22.5 million) to develop a drinking water project in southeastern Nepal's Biratnagar city.

Ambassador of to Nepal, Kikuta Yutaka and Nepalese Ministry of Finance, Secretary, Madhu Kumar Marasini signed the documents, according to a press statement.

The project aims to enhance the living standard of the people of Biratnagar Metropolitan by renovating and expanding the water supply facilities, thereby broadening the water supply area eastern .

At present, people in Biratnagar have to depend on shallow wells to get water for daily household use.

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An airstrike on a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol wounded women waiting to give birth and buried children in the rubble as Russian forces intensified their siege of Ukrainian cities. Bombs also fell on two hospitals in another city west of Kyvi.

The World Health Organisation said Wednesday that it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the Russian invasion began two weeks ago.

Ukrainian officials said the attack at a medical complex in Mariupul wounded at least 17 people.

The ground shook more than a mile away when the series of blasts hit. Explosions blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building.

Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying a bleeding woman with a swollen belly on a stretcher past burning and mangled cars.

Another woman wailed as she clutched her child. In the courtyard, a blast crater extended at least two stories deep.

Today Russia committed a huge crime, said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. It is a war crime without any justification.

In Zhytomyr, a city of 260,000 to the west of Kyiv, bombs fell on two hospitals, one of them a children's hospital, Mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn said on Facebook. He said there were no injuries.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Mariupol strike trapped children and under debris.

A children's hospital. A maternity hospital. How did they threaten the Russian Federation? Zelenskyy asked in his nightly video address, switching to Russian to express horror at the strike.

What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?



He urged the West to impose even tougher sanctions, so Russia no longer has any possibility to continue this genocide.

Video shared by Zelenskyy showed cheerfully painted hallways strewn with twisted metal.

There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenseless, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held to account for his terrible crimes.

The said it had confirmed 10 deaths in attacks on health facilities and ambulances since the fighting began. It was not clear if its numbers included the assault on the maternity hospital.

US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken condemned Russia's unconscionable attacks in a call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, the State Department said.

Two weeks into Russia's assault on Ukraine, its military is struggling more than expected, but Putin's invading force of more than 150,000 troops retains possibly insurmountable advantages in firepower as it bears down on key cities.

Despite often heavy shelling on populated areas, American military officials reported little change on the ground over the previous 24 hours, other than Russian progress against the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, in heavy fighting. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to assess the military situation.

Authorities announced new cease-fires to allow thousands of civilians to escape bombarded towns.

Zelenskyy said three humanitarian corridors operated on Wednesday, from Sumy in the northeast near the Russian border, from suburbs of Kyiv and from Enerhodar, the southern town where Russian forces took over a large nuclear plant.

In all, he said, about 35,000 people got out. More evacuations were planned for Thursday.

People streamed out of Kyiv's suburbs, many headed for the city center, as explosions were heard in the capital and air raid sirens sounded repeatedly.

From there, the evacuees planned to board trains bound for western Ukrainian regions not under attack.

Civilians leaving the Kyiv suburb of Irpin were forced to make their way across the slippery wooden planks of a makeshift bridge, because the Ukrainians blew up the concrete span leading to Kyiv days ago to slow the Russian advance.

With sporadic gunfire echoing behind them, firefighters dragged an elderly man to safety in a wheelbarrow, a child gripped the hand of a helping soldier, and a woman inched her way along, cradling a fluffy cat inside her winter coat.

They trudged past a crashed van with the words Our written in the dust coating its windows.

We have a short window of time at the moment,'' said Yevhen Nyshchuk, a member of Ukraine's territorial defense forces.

Even if there is a cease-fire right now, there is a high risk of shells falling at any moment.

Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors over the past few days largely failed because of what the Ukrainians said were Russian attacks.

But Putin, in a telephone call with Germany's chancellor, accused militant Ukrainian nationalists of hampering the evacuations.

In Mariupol, a city of 430,000 people on the Sea of Azov, local authorities hurried to bury the dead from the past two weeks of fighting in a mass grave.

City workers dug a trench some 25 meters (yards) long at one of the city's old cemeteries and made the sign of the cross as they pushed bodies wrapped in carpets or bags over the edge.

About 1,200 people have died in the nine-day siege of the city, Zelenskyy's office said.

Nationwide, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, since Putin's forces invaded. The UN estimates more than 2 million people have fled the country, the biggest exodus of refugees in Europe since the end of World War II.

The fighting knocked out power to the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant, raising fears about the spent radioactive fuel that is stored at the site and must be kept cool.

But the UN nuclear watchdog agency said it saw no critical impact on safety from the loss of power.

The crisis is likely to get worse as Moscow's forces step up their bombardment of cities in response to what appear to be stronger Ukrainian resistance and heavier Russian losses than anticipated.

The Biden administration warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in .

The White House rejected Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded.

This week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova without evidence accused of running chemical and biological weapons labs with US support.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the claim preposterous and said it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for its own use of such weapons against Ukraine.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia's assault will get more brutal and more indiscriminate as Putin tries to regain momentum.

Britain's Defense Ministry said fighting continued northwest of Kyiv. Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol were being heavily shelled and remained encircled by Russian forces.

Russian forces are placing military equipment on farms and amid residential buildings in the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine's military said.

In the south, Russians in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv, a Black Sea shipbuilding center of a half-million people, it said.

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, is building up defenses in cities in the north, south and east, and forces around Kyiv are holding the line against the Russian offensive, authorities said.

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Oil edged higher on Thursday after its biggest plunge in two years in the previous session, as uncertainty over Russian supplies roiled the market despite Moscow's reassurance over its contractual energy obligations.

Since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, oil have been the most volatile in two years, with global benchmark Brent crude recording its biggest decline since April, 2020, on Wednesday, just a couple of days after hitting a 14-year high at over $139 a barrel.

Brent futures were up $1.29, or 1.2%, to $112.43 a barrel by 11:50 a.m. ET (1650 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 63 cents, or 0.6% to $109.33 a barrel.

"I think some of the 'war angst' is coming out of the market," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital in New York. "We rejected $130 twice this week. People are beginning to ask if there really is too much of a supply problem. There's still plenty of Russian supply," he said.

Addressing a government meeting, President said - a major energy producer which supplies a third of Europe's gas and 7% of global oil - would continue to meet its contractual obligations on energy supplies.

However, oil from the world's second-largest crude exporter is being shunned over its invasion of Ukraine, and amid uncertainty over where replacement supply will come from, comments from United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials sent conflicting signals, adding to the volatility.

Brent slumped 13% on Wednesday after the UAE's ambassador to Washington said his country would encourage the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to consider higher output.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei backtracked on the ambassador's statement and said the member is committed to existing agreements with the group to boost output by only 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) each month.

While the UAE and Saudi Arabia have spare capacity, some other producers in the OPEC+ alliance are struggling to meet output targets because of infrastructure underinvestment over the past few years.

The market also took into account moves by the United States to ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil and efforts to seal a nuclear deal with Tehran, which could lead to increased oil supply.

Further supply could also come from stockpile releases coordinated by the Energy Agency and growing U.S. output.

"With some goodwill, co-ordination and luck, the supply shock can greatly be mitigated but probably not neutralised," PVM oil market analyst Tamas Varga said.

(Reporting by Shariq Khan, additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla, Sonali Paul and Mohi Narayan; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Mark Potter)

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Three checkered oil regimes that President Joe Biden and past US leaders have spectacularly snubbed Venezuela, and are now targets of US outreach as global fuel prices reach jarring levels during the Ukraine crisis.

But it's not clear any US diplomacy could get more crude oil on the market fast enough to help the current supply crunch or tear once-shunned oil states away from what for in particular are profitable alliances with Russia.

For the Biden administration, the US overtures to three problematic oil giants at best could lead to stabilizing rising oil and gas prices and draw those governments closer to the West and away from Russia and China. At worst, Biden risks humiliating rebuffs and condemnation for outreach to governments accused of rights abuses and violence.

"We have an interest globally in maintaining a... steady supply of energy, including through diplomatic effort," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday on the moves toward countries that have been out of US or Biden administration favour, and in the case of an armed threat.

"We have a multiplicity of interests, and use diplomacy to try to advance them," Blinken said.

The phrasing, as Russia's war raises the stakes in many areas, was a marked change from Biden's praise at the outset of his presidency of democratic values as "America's abiding advantage" in diplomacy.

has profited richly in the past couple of years from teaming with fellow top petroleum producer Russia to keep global oil and natural gas supply modest and prices high.

And Biden came to office vowing to isolate the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the rest of the Saudi royal family over abuses that include the 2018 killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Biden and the young crown prince are not known to have ever talked.

"I don't know whether he's up to eating that much crow," Saudi Arabia analyst David Ottaway said of attempts now by Biden to improve his administration's relations with Prince Salman and Saudi Arabia, the country that could most easily end the global supply crunch. "He was gonna make a pariah of this guy."



As for and Venezuela, the US would welcome positive diplomatic outcomes that bring back oil from those nations, but "the problem is that in that situation, their negotiation power increases dramatically", Claudio Galimberti, senior vice president of analysis at Rystad Energy.

"So Iran will make a lot of very steep requests in order to rejoin the deal and so would Venezuela," the energy analyst said. Plus, it could take time to ramp up production.

Russia's devastating military invasion of Ukraine, and resulting market disruptions and sanctions hitting Russia's petroleum exports, helped drive the U.S. average gasoline price to a bracing USD 4.25 on Wednesday.

Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports the day before, compounding high prices from the OPEC production cap engineered by Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC member Russia.

The Biden administration is making cautious overtures to all three oil giants, Venezuela, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In the case of Iran, administration officials are not publicly linking their diplomacy to oil, although they are pursuing a deal on Iran's nuclear program that could see sanctions on that country lifted and Iran's oil quickly back on the market legally.

For Biden, failure in the high-profile oil diplomacy risks humiliating treatment from unfriendly rulers abroad, potentially re-election-damaging condemnation at home.

And success? Potentially, likewise.

"Our response to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war shouldn't be to strengthen our relationship with the Saudis," tweeted Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, citing Saudi Arabia's years-long war in neighboring Yemen.

Others in Biden's Democratic Party have made clear their objections to any abrupt US embrace of Saudi Arabia and its crown prince for the sake of oil.

Meanwhile, the possibility of a U.S. rapprochement with long-time US nemesis Iran and socialist-led was enough to spur angry statements, social media campaigns and outraged panels by many Republican lawmakers and others this week.

The GOP aims to make high a campaign issue.

Effectively, said Richard Goldberg, a former National Security Council official under the Trump administration, the Biden administration is saying of Iran, "They will still be financing terrorism, but let's go ahead and buy their oil.

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"It won't be a simple life," Chemezov was quoted as telling the Rostec corporation. "The sanctions are rather serious." "But if you glance at Russia's history, has all its history battled with different sanctions, enemies which encircled it, and it always came out as the victor," Chemezov was quoted as saying. "This will happen now."

Sergei Chemezov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said that the military operation in Ukraine had prevented an attack on Russia, which would emerge victorious from the sanctions imposed by the West.

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Russian President on Thursday warned that the price of across the globe may spike further if the West continued to create "difficulties" for his country, one of the world's largest suppliers of mineral .

Addressing members of the Russian government, Putin also called on the West not to blame for rising global energy prices since he ordered a 'special military operation' against Ukraine on February 24.

Reacting sharply to the invasion of Ukraine, the US and its allies have imposed crippling economic sanctions on . The US has also banned the import of oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal from which the White House said will further deprive President Putin of the economic resources he uses to "continue his needless war of choice".

In his remarks, reported by Russia's state-run TASS news agency, Putin predicted a rise in prices for in the world if other countries continue to create difficulties for Russia.

Russia and Belarus are one of the largest suppliers of mineral fertilisers to world markets. If they continue to create any problems with financing this work, insurance, logistics, delivery of our goods, then the prices, which are already are already exorbitant, will grow even more, he said.

Russia produces 50 million tonnes of fertilisers annually accounting for nearly 13 per cent of the world's total output.

Russia is the world's biggest exporter of synthetic fertiliser, supplying more than a fifth of urea, a key fertiliser used in the UK. It has put restrictions on exports, and supplies are also being dented by ships avoiding Russian ports while insurers will not cover the cargo amid fears it will be hit by a trade embargo, The Guardian newspaper of the UK reported on Tuesday.

Putin also said that he believes that the West is trying to blame Russia for the surge in energy prices in the world.

"The prices there (for energy carriers in the EU countries) are growing, but not through our fault. This is the result of their own miscalculations. They should not blame us for this, Putin was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

He also said that Russia was fulfilling all its obligations to supply energy resources to Europe and other regions of the world.

As for those countries that are taking unfriendly steps towards our country and economy, we are well aware [that] they are calling on their citizens to tighten their belts, dress warmer and, in general, point to the sanctions that they impose against us as the reason for the deterioration of their situation, the Russian president said.

It all looks very strange, especially since we are fulfilling all our energy supply obligations, Putin stressed.

On Thursday, prices rebounded by more than USD 5 per barrel in London and USD 4 in New York.

Benchmark U.S. crude is up more than 50 per cent this year, the Associated Press reported.

Continued market volatility is likely in the days ahead as the conflict rages in Ukraine, the report said.

President Putin also said the Russian will adapt to the new situation, which would lead to higher independence and sovereignty of the country.

The will, of course, adapt to the new situation. We will continue with import replacement on all directions, and, eventually, this will increase our independence, sovereignty and self-reliability, he said.

He noted that many countries have already adapted to living with their backs bent and obsequiously accepting all decisions of their sovereign.

Russia cannot exist in such sorry and humiliated state. All this must have happened sooner or later. It happened now, and I am certain that, thanks to the members of our government, thanks to our leading companies, we will overcome all these hardships, Putin said, expressing confident that the country will achieve of all economic goals, including bolstering national sovereignty.

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on Thursday became the latest corporation to cut ties with Moscow saying it was ending all commercial relations with Russian businesses.

" is in the process of terminating all commercial relationships it has with any Russian business," a Rio spokesman said in a message sent to Reuters.



The announcement from the Anglo-Australian firm comes after a top executive said the company was looking for alternative fuel sources for its Mongolian copper operations at Oyu Tolgoi but did not believe it can stop buying from altogether.



The company did not immediately respond to questions on whether it would continue to buy Russian fuel and other products through non-Russian third parties.



has been hit by Western sanctions and the withdrawal of foreign firms since its invasion of Ukraine began on Feb 24.

describes its actions as a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour and dislodge leaders it calls "neo-Nazis".



Leading U.S. like McDonald's, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Starbucks stopped trading with Russia this week, offering a united rebuke of the war on Ukraine.



Earlier, Royal Dutch Shell Plc stopped buying oil from Russia and said it would cut links to the country entirely while the United States stepped up its campaign to punish Moscow by banning Russian oil and energy imports.

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The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russias economy was experiencing a shock due to Wests sanctions, even as said Moscow had ignored its plea for humanitarian access to rescue hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped under bombardment. Ukraines Defence Intelligence Service released a video showing significant losses to personnel and equipment caused to a Russian tank regiment in the village of Skybyn, Brovary on the eastern outskirts of Kyiv, on Thursday.

The footage showed a large convoy of stationary tanks before several explosions were seen. The convoy was then seen moving in the opposite direction to Kyiv, as smoke rose from a number of damaged tanks.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs Group became the first major Wall Street bank to exit following Moscows invasion of Ukraine, on Thursday, as Russian President said that Western sanctions were illegitimate and would calmly solve the problems arising from them.

Addressing a government meeting, Putin also said Moscow  a major energy producer which supplies a third of Europes gas  would continue to meet its contractual obligations.

It is clear that at such moments peoples demand for certain groups of goods always increases, but we have no doubt that we will solve all these problems while working in a calm fashion, he said.

Russias war in entered its third week with none of its stated objectives reached, despite thousands of people killed, more than two million made refugees and thousands cowering in besieged cities under relentless bombardment.

After meeting Russias Sergei Lavrov in Turkey, Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Lavrov had refused to promise to halt firing so aid could reach civilians, including Kyivs main humanitarian priority  evacuating hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the besieged port of Mariupol.

I made a simple proposal to Minister Lavrov: I can call my Ukrainian ministers, authorities, president now and give you 100 per cent assurances on security guarantees for humanitarian corridors, he said.

I asked him can you do the same? and he did not respond. At his own simultaneous news conference in a separate room, Lavrov showed no sign of making any concessions, saying the operation was going to plan and repeating Russian demands that be disarmed and accept neutral status.

Local officials in Mariupol, a Ukrainian port under siege for 10 days, said Russian warplanes were again relentlessly bombing the city, a day after destroying a maternity hospital, in what Kyiv and Western allies called a war crime. Moscow said the hospital was no longer functioning and had been occupied by Ukrainian fighters.

Lavrov said the hospital struck on Wednesday had stopped treating patients and had been occupied by Ukrainian radicals. The Kremlin was more circumspect, saying the incident was being investigated. We will certainly ask our military about this, since we dont have clear information about what happened there, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Credit Suisse said it had gross exposure to of 1.6 billion Swiss francs ($1.73 billion) at end 2021, the latest European bank to reveal the size of potential losses. Italys UniCredit and Frances BNP Paribas have also disclosed billions of euros worth of Russia risk. Deutsche Bank said its credit risk exposure to Russia and Ukraine was 2.9 billion euros and that it had reduced its Russia exposure further.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Thursday that is not abandoning its plans to surround Kiev as Moscow's military invasion continued for the 15th day.

In its latest update on Facebook, the military said that Ukrainian forces are repelling and holding back Moscow's offensive operation in all directions despite attempts by Russian troops to advance towards the capital city.

It said the Russian troops have "lost their military capacity and are being introduced into the operation of reserves".

"To increase combat capacity, the enemy is moving to the borders of Ukraine unions and military parts from other strategic directions."

The military added that Moscow was not abandoning plans to surround Kiev and it its continuing the offensive from the Polissya and Siversky directions.

It also accused Belarus of providing support to in ensuring the supply of fuel and oil, the use of railway infrastructure and airfield network.

"Sabotage of military and civilian infrastructure remains likely."

Meanwhile, Russian military operation is underway in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, while is also increasing troops in the Mykolayi region.

A top official in the Sumy region claimed on Thursday that carried out overnight strikes in the city of Okhtyrka, the BBC reported.

The strikes hit residential areas and a gas pipeline at about 12.30 a.m., the official added.

About 10 minutes later the suburbs of the regional capital Sumy and the village of Bytytsia were also bombed, he said.

The official further said that three humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians are expected to open from 9 a.m. (local time) onwards.

On Wednesday, about 5,000 people were evacuated from Sumy, that has been under heavy Russian bombardment for days.

--IANS

ksk/

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A conservative former prosecutor declared victory in South Korea's presidential election on Thursday after his liberal ruling party rival conceded defeat after a bitter battle in the politically divided nation.

With around 98% of the ballots counted as of 4:00 a.m., People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk Yeol won 48.59% of the votes, narrowly edging liberal rival Lee Jae-myung who garnered 47.80%.

Yeol thanked his supporters outside his home in capital Seoul after what he described as a long night.

He spoke shortly after Jae-myung conceded defeat during a news conference at the campaign office of his Democratic Party, where he congratulated Yeol and called for him to heal the country's divisions.

Yeol will take office in May and serve a single five-year term as leader of the world's 10th-largest economy, which is now grappling with stark income inequalities and soaring personal debt and facing growing threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.

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North Korean leader has visited the country's space agency, and said the recent development of a reconnaissance satellite is aimed at collecting information on the in the region and its "vassal forces".

"He (Kim) expressed his great satisfaction over the fact that they confirmed the aerospace photographing method, the operating characteristics of high-resolution photographing equipment and the reliability of image transmission system through the recent important tests," the North's Korean Central News Agency was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.

on Saturday fired a ballistic missile in a second such test in less than a week that Pyongyang claimed was for developing a reconnaissance satellite.

--IANS

int/shs

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Ukrainians arriving in France's English Channel port city of Calais with hopes of joining family in Britain can request visas at the local prefecture from Friday. The structure was quickly set up by British authorities following complaints over treatment of stranded refugees.

A British consular post was being set up at the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais region in nearby Arras, the prefecture said in a statement Thursday.

Ukrainians who fled the war with Russia in their homeland, arriving in Calais after long journeys, had previously been told to make their visa requests in Paris or Brussels, a policy French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said last Sunday was a bit inhumane. He urged Britain to stop the technocratic nit-picking.

Several hundred Ukrainians have been turned back at British entry points in Calais in a situation the prefecture had described this week as unrealistic.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to defend his approach, saying that the U.K. could not accept people entering without any checks or any controls at all.

Ukraine's ambassador to Britain, Vadym Prystaiko, has urged the government to suspend visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the war, assuring lawmakers we will take care of them if the U.K. eases its rules.

Calais has for years been a magnet for migrants from around the world trying to sneak across the English Channel to Britain. Britain has put the onus on France to keep them out, while providing aid.

The European Union, of which Britain is not a member, has dropped immigration rules for arriving Ukrainians displaced by Russia's invasion. Britain says it expects to take in as many as 200,000 Ukrainians. But as of Wednesday, the number of visas issued was just below 1,000.

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Parties Meet in UN-led Constitution Drafting Meetings for Syria

Gabriel Moushe. Geneva, Switzerland (AINA) -- The sixth round of the UN-led constitutional meetings between the delegations of the Syrian Government and Syrian Opposition and civil society representatives belonging to NGOs started Monday, October 18 in Geneva. The meetings are chaired by the UN Special Envoy Geir O. Pederson, with co-chairs from the Syrian Government and Opposition.

The aim of the meetings is to draft a new Syrian constitution.

International observers and regional powers expressed support and placed hopes that this session of the drafting-body of the Constitutional Committee would finally start real work, as the fifth round held in January remained focused on procedural issues and made insufficient progress (AINA 2021-02-24).

In a statement published ahead of the meeting on Sunday October 17, Mr. Pedersen said he "had the pleasure to meet already with the Co-Chair nominated by the government and the Co-Chair nominated by the opposition," and that he also "met with the so-called Middle Third or civil society 15 members. All very good meetings."

Prior the first day sessions, the delegations submitted their proposals to the U.N. concerning the basic principles of a new constitution that will determine the future of Syria.

The Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) was a founding member of the Syrian National Council and part of the opposition, the Syrian National Coalition, since its inception. As such, it is part of the larger constitutional opposition delegation to the UN. Gabriel Moushe, an executive member of the ADO who is responsible for external political relations, attended the conference.

Mr. Moushe headed the ADO from 2009 to 2018. He was arrested in Qamishly on December 2013 by the Syrian Secret Police and imprisoned in Damascus for alleged terrorism. Although ADO did not take up arms and only protested peacefully in the streets, the Syrian regime considered Gabriel Moushe an inconvenient opposition figure whom they wanted to intimidate. He was finally released in June 2016.

The following Interview was conducted with Mr. Moshe in Geneva.

Abdulmesih BarAbraham (AB): Welcome in Geneva. First, you are currently living in Qamishli, known as Syrian Jezira in northeastern Syria. How is the security situation there?

Gabriel Moushe (GM): Thank you. The security situation in the Qamishli region is relatively stable compared to the other Syrian regions, but it is fragile for fears of a renewed military conflict between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with Turkey and its allied militia, which could lead to a new cycle of violence, especially in areas where they are facing each other directly, like the western countryside of Tel Tamer -- unless the Russians and the Americans, who have agreements with Turkey stipulating SDF to be kept 30 km away from the Turkish border, can defuse the provocations

AB: How would you asses the health, humanitarian, and economical situation in the country? How is life of the population impacted in the region?

GM: The humanitarian situation is mainly impacted by the economic situation, as the vast majority of the Syrian population suffer from deteriorating economic conditions, high commodity prices, weak purchasing power due to the depreciation of the Syrian pound, and low wages of workers that averages about $20 per month, 20 000 SP (Syrian Pound); this is merely enough for a family to make living from for a few days. In comparison, a family of five people needs an estimated at 1,300,000 Syrian Pounds per month to secure basic needs.

This situation is exacerbated by the long hours of power shortages and the lack of fuel and gas. Most of the people depend on the aid provided by international humanitarian organizations, as well as Assyrian expatriates living in the countries of diaspora and supporting their families.

AB: Earlier you attended the UN-led constitutional meetings. According to a statement by the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pederson, there has been agreement on the meeting procedures between Syria's Opposition and Syrian Government representatives, which seemed to be the obstacle for earlier gathering in Geneva. Did the three blocks ultimately accepted each other, and real constitutional work can start?

GM: During the current round of meetings of the Constitutional Committee's drafting group, which began its work in Geneva on October 18, there was an agreement on a new process to speed the momentum, which required first holding a meeting of the two co-chairs of the Constitutional Committee with Special Envoy Mr. Geir Pedersen, in order to prepare for the first round of the meeting. It was also agreed that delegations would submit written proposals for constitutional context of principles for discussion.

AB: As understood, there exists a drafting sub-group or body of 45 people equally appointed from the three blocks of the larger Constitutional Committee of 150 people, the latter assembled of delegates from the Syrian Opposition, Syrian Government and civic society representatives. Would you briefly describe the course of the meetings?

GM: The course of the meetings in this round is characterized as calm, unlike the previous rounds, which witnessed a lot of quarrels and provocations, orchestrated by the government delegation because it was not serious [about the meetings] and did not believe in the political process as a solution for Syria, including negotiation on the constitution. But because of Russian pressure on the Syrian Government's delegation, in this meeting some discussions on constitutional issues took place. The atmosphere is not without occasional attempts to obstruct and raise issues unrelated to the constitution by government's delegation.

AB: What are the key issues under focus in the recent sessions? Are we talking about an amendment, change of the current Syrian constitution or is the aim to draft a totally new constitution?

GM: The delegations submitted four papers containing formulations of constitutional principles that were discussed by all members of the drafting-committee during the week. Where the government delegation presented a proposal entitled "The Sovereignty, Independence and Unity of the Syrian Arab Republic", the delegation of the opposition presented a proposal entitled "Army, Armed Forces, Security and Intelligence"; the civil society delegation close to the opposition presented a paper entitled "The Rule of Law".

On the fourth day, the government delegation presented a second proposal entitled "Terrorism and Extremism". On the fifth day, all proposals and amendments were discussed. Of course, the order and number of proposals in the next round of meetings -- not scheduled yet - will be maintained, as the opposition delegation will present two proposals, while the government delegation can present one. In the current rounds of discussion, it was noted that there is a significant difference between the vision of the opposition and the government, and despite the efforts of some international parties to spread an atmosphere of optimism, it is still too early to say "that the work has actually begun on the constitution that the Syrians people aspire to."

UN Resolution 2254 stipulates the drafting of a new constitution as it is adhered to by the Syrian Opposition delegation, and not a constitutional process to amend the current Syrian Constitution. According to the mandate of the Constitutional Committee, the purpose of constitutional reform is to implement Resolution 2254. Consequently, amending the Syrian Constitution of 2012 is not on the agenda, although the Constitutional Committee can benefit from previous Syrian constitutional models with the aim of drafting a new one.

AB: What is the role of the key players with military presence in the country -- USA, Russia, Turkey, and Iran? Are they just observers?

GM: The governments of Russia, the United States, the European Union and Turkey have shown their support for both the Constitutional Committee and for the efforts of the UN Special Envoy. These countries sent high-level envoys to accompany the work of this sixth session in Geneva, such as Russia for instance, where the special envoy of the Russian President met with the three delegations and urged them to continue and deal positively with the constitutional process. Representatives of the United States, the European Union and Britain also met with the opposition delegation.

AB: What are the Assyrian Democratic Organization's demands for a future Syrian constitution?

GM: I and my colleague, Abdelahad Astepho [1], were appointed representatives of the ADO, and as members of the (larger) Constitutional Committee by the Syrian Negotiating Committee. As you know, the meetings of the sixth round are limited to members of the [smaller] drafting-body, in which we are not represented. My presence in Geneva today is part of the Advisory Board (AINA 2021-02-24). formed by the European Center for Kurdish Studies, which includes representatives of the Kurdish National Council in Syria. Our presence in Geneva today is to keep pace with the work of the sixth round and to meet with representatives of the opposition and civil society in the Constitutional Committee, as well as to meet with representatives of countries in order to get support, mobilize and advance our demands.

The Assyrian Democratic Organization calls for building a secular democratic state that constitutionally recognizes the existence and national identity of the Assyrians as Syriac-Aramaic speaking people in Syria, as well as other nationalities, in order to guarantees all their national rights within the framework of the unity of Syria, a decentralized state that respects human rights, and is based on equal citizenship and full partnership among Syrians regardless of race, religion or gender.

AB: As observed, there are other Christians -- up to a dozen individuals - in the larger constitutional body, but ADO represents the Assyrians as an ethnic and indigenous group of the country. Are the various Assyrian churches represented in the constitutional body?

GM: It is true that the delegation of ADO represent a national cause specific to the Syriac-Aramaic speaking Assyrians, and there are other Christian members distributed among the three delegations, but they do not represent a national or ethnic cause other than Syrian, nor are they [dedicated] representatives of their churches.

AB: What kind of progress was expected from this sixth session and what have been actually achieved during this meetings?

GM: In this round, for the first time, we have moved from the stage of general discussions and exchange of accusations into the process of addressing constitutional contents and presenting a written framework pertinent to a new constitution. This meeting may not have produced expected outcomes, but this does not preclude the presentation of other constitutional contents and principles in the upcoming rounds. To achieve serious progress, we need time to converge views and build confidence building measures, and this cannot be achieved without international pressure and support.

AB: What are the points that are agreed upon? Is there any plan concerning further negotiations?

GM: Most likely, it will be agreed to hold two new drafting-committee rounds, before the end of 2021; we shall wait and see how things are progressing before we can judge whether there will be a move forward or not.

AB: Recently there have been reports that Assyrian villages in Khabur are experiencing repeated Turkish bombings. How is the situation there now?

GM: Some of the villages of Khabur valley, located west of Tel Tamar and close to the front lines between the Turkish-backed factions and the SDF, have been affected by the shelling, resulting from provocations from both sides, where the SDF are stationed in some of our people's villages in the valley.

The intensity of the bombardment escalated in the past two months, forcing the displacement of the rest of our people from these villages. The ADO condemned these attacks and called on all parties to safeguard civilians and not to turn our people's villages into a battle field. Recently, there have been attempts by Russia and USA to calm the situation in this region and other areas, in order to stop the escalation and the military build-up between forces loyal to Turkey and the SDF [2], which Turkey accuses of being an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party and a terrorist organization.

AB: Reports about the authoritarian actions of the Kurdish-led Self-Administration surface repeatedly. Two people were arrested very recently, you have twice been denied travel to Iraq. How are ADO relations with the Kurdish administration and how do the majority of Assyrians in the regions perceive it?

GM: The ADO deals with the Autonomous Administration as a de-facto authority. Unfortunately, this administration, in order to impose its control and hegemony, restricts public and political freedom, and uses repressive methods against its opponents, despite the existence of our parties [3] allied with it, the credibility of the administration is weak among our Assyrian people and other groups, as well as, the Kurds. In fact, ADO, through its peaceful approach, does not remain silent about these practices. On the contrary, it exposes them to the public and exerts political and media pressures to stop these practices.

[1] Abdelahad Astepho, a representative of the Assyrian Democratic Organization, is Vice President the Syrian Opposition groups.

[2] The People's Protection Units (Yekineyen Parastina Gel, or YPG) is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekitiya Demokrat, or PYD), which Turkey accuses of being an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are by setup as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious force, though dominated by Kurds.

[3] Syriac Union Party (SUP) and Assyrian Democratic Party (ADP)
Ukrainian's president accused of carrying out genocide after officials said Russian aircraft bombed a children's hospital on Wednesday, burying patients in rubble despite a ceasefire deal for people to flee the besieged city of Mariupol.



The attack, which authorities said injured women in labour and left children in the wreckage, is the latest grim incident of the 14-day invasion, the biggest assault on a European state since 1945.



The Mariupol city council said the hospital had been hit several times in what the White House called a "barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians". The destruction took place despite a Russian pledge to halt firing so at least some trapped civilians could escape the city, where hundreds of thousands have been sheltering without water or power for more than a week.



"What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a televised address late on Wednesday. Zelenskiy repeated his call for the West to tighten sanctions on "so that they sit down at the negotiating table and end this brutal war". The bombing of the children's hospital, he said, was "proof that a genocide of Ukrainians is taking place".



Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked by Reuters for comment, said: "Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets." calls its incursion a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour and dislodge leaders it calls "neo-Nazis." Ukraine's foreign ministry posted video footage of what it said was the hospital showing holes where windows should have been in a three-storey building. Huge piles of smouldering rubble littered the scene.



The U.N. Human Rights body said it was verifying the number of casualties at Mariupol. "The incident adds to our deep concerns about indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas and civilians trapped in active hostilities in numerous areas," said spokesperson Liz Throssell.



The Donetsk region's governor said 17 people were wounded in the attack. accused Russia of breaking the ceasefire around the southern port, which aid workers and officials say is running out of food and water after days of Russian bombardment.



"Indiscriminate shelling continues," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

Satellite image company Maxar said images from earlier in the day showed extensive damage to homes, apartment buildings, grocery stores and shopping centres in the port city. Russia blamed for the failure of the evacuation.



Among more than 2 million total refugees from Ukraine, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday that more than 1 million children have fled the country since the invasion started on Feb 24. At least 37 had been killed and 50 injured, it said.



Around 48,000 Ukrainians have been evacuated through humanitarian corridors, Interfax news agency said on Wednesday, citing a senior aide to Zelenskiy. Ukrainian officials said while some had departed from certain locations, Russian forces were preventing buses from evacuating civilians from Bucha, a town near Kyiv.



The Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said houses had been destroyed all across Ukraine. "Hundreds of thousands of people have no food, no water, no heat, no electricity and no medical care," it said. Thousands continued to flood into neighbouring countries.

After hiding in the basement to shelter from Russian bombing, Irina Mihalenka left her home northeast of the Black Sea port of Odessa, she told Reuters in Isaccea, Romania. "When we were walking, a bridge was blown up. And when we crossed over the wreckage, because there was no other way out, there were corpses of Russian people (soldiers) lying there," she said.

RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC ISOLATION

Russia has been hit by Western sanctions and the withdrawals of foreign firms. Nestle, cigarette maker Philip Morris and Sony on Wednesday joined the list of multinationals stepping back from the country. The United States is weighing sanctions on nuclear power supplier Rosatom, a senior Biden administration official said on Wednesday.



The World Bank's chief economist said Moscow was edging close to defaulting on its debt. The Kremlin is taking measures to shore up the economy and planned to respond to a U.S. ban on its oil and energy exports as the rouble dropped to record lows.



There was not much hope for diplomacy as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkey ahead of talks on Thursday with Kuleba in what will be the first meeting between the pair since the incursion. Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire, liberation of its territories and to resolve all humanitarian issues, Kuleba said, adding: "Frankly ... my expectations of the talks are low."

Moscow demands that Kyiv take a neutral position and drop aspirations of joining the NATO alliance. Zelenskiy told VICE in an interview on Wednesday that he was confident Putin would at some stage agree to talks. "I think he will. I think he sees that we are strong. He will. We need some time," he said.



The West says Russia is inventing pretexts to justify an unprovoked war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Ukraine a U.S. colony with a puppet regime and no tradition of independent statehood.



The White House on Wednesday said Russia's claims about alleged U.S. involvement in biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine were false.

Russian forces hold territory along Ukraine's northeast border, the east and the southeast. Fighting has taken place in the outskirts of Kyiv, while Ukraine's second city Kharkiv is under bombardment. A Russian assault force is stalled north of Kyiv and Western countries say the Kremlin has had to adjust its plan to swiftly topple the government.



The Monetary Fund on Wednesday approved $1.4 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine to help meet urgent spending needs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ukrainian government said it will open humanitarian corridors in Ukrainian cities on Thursday, media reports said.

expects a temporary ceasefire to evacuate civilians from 10 cities, The Kyiv Independent reported.

"We are opening humanitarian corridors along the following routes: from the city of Trostyanets in the direction of the city of Poltava ... from Krasnopillya in the direction of the city of Poltava ... from the city of Sumy in the direction of the city of Poltava," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, as quoted by Sputnik news agency.

Humanitarian corridors will also operate from Mariupol, Volnovakha, Izyum, Bucha, Borodyanka, Irpin, and Hostomel, she added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the war in continued for the 15th day, President said that his country is preparing to open six more humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of people stuck in cities under attack by Russian forces.

In his latest video address, the President claimed that on Wednesday, "we managed to organise the work of three humanitarian corridors" from the cities of Sumy, Kiev and Energodar, which led to the evacuation of more than 35,000 people, reports the online Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper

"We are preparing to open six corridors. We pray that people will be evacuated out of Mariupol, Izyum, Volnovakha... We plan to take them to safe cities of our free Ukraine," he added.

According to authorities, about 5,000 people were evacuated from Sumy that has been under heavy Russian bombardment, the BBC reported.

They added that the three humanitarian corridors in the city are expected to open from 9 a.m. (about 12 p.m. IST) on Thursday.

Also on Wednesday, more than 40,000 women and children were evacuated from towns of Irpin and Vorzel.

The National Police Service also claimed that several thousand people were also evacuated from Kiev's Bucha region.

On the outskirts of Kiev, where an emergency camp was set up, those evacuated were provided warm food and tea, reports Ukrayinska Pravda citing authorities as saying.

Medical assistance, as well as further relocation directions, were provided.

Evacuations were however, deemed problematic from Mariupol, Kiev and Kharkiv amid continued Russian assault.

--IANS

ksk/

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Ukrenergo, the state energy company of Ukraine, claimed that there was an emergency power outage at the now-defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which fell to Russian troops on the first day of Moscow's war on Kiev.

Due to the outage on Wednesday, on site emergency diesel generators were turned on to provide power systems important for safety, the company said in a Facebook post.

Ukrenergo added that the supply of diesel fuel on diesel generators will be enough for 48 hours.

According to the company, repair work to restore the energy supply was impossible due to Russian combat operations in the region.

Although operations stopped at the plant after the catastrophic nuclear disaster in 1986, Chernobyl was never fully abandoned and still requires constant management, the BBC said, adding that spent nuclear fuel is cooled at the site.

The Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday morning confirmed the power outage at Chernobyl, saying that it "would not have a critical impact on essential safety functions at the site".

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi however, said that the outage was likely to create additional stress for around 210 technical experts and guards currently stuck at the site since Russia began its war on February 24.

Speaking to the BBC, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko, said the stranded staff would now be "mentally exhausted", adding that protecting Ukraine's nuclear plants should be a priority "for the EU, the world, and not just for Ukraine".

Galushchenko said that the Ukrainian authorities wanted to restore the power supply as quickly as possible.

Slavutych town, where most of Chernobyl's workers live, is also without electricity, Mayor Yuri Fomichev told the BBC.

He added that the power outage could lead to the entire town losing water and heating within hours.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Imposing a no-fly zone over would help bring the conflict there to a faster conclusion and save lives, the Polish ambassador to Kyiv said on Thursday, as continued a relentless bombardment of several cities.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading for to impose a no-fly zone, but the alliance is wary of any step that might draw it into direct conflict with .



"Every day of delay costs hundreds of human lives," Bartosz Cichocki told private broadcaster TVN24 from Kyiv. "This is an extension of the conflict that could be ended much faster precisely thanks to the closure of the airspace."



The United States on Tuesday rejected a surprise offer by to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. base in Germany and put them at the disposal of the United States as a way to replenish Ukraine's air force.

Poland's prime minister said on Wednesday that any supply of fighter jets to must be done jointly by countries.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy consulted with EU members and talked to Charles Michel, President of the European Council to discuss various sanctions against Russia to ensure the security of civilians.

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said, "Consultations with EU partners continue. Talked with Charles Michel @eucopresident. Discussed sanctions against the Russian aggressor, the need for coordinated pressure on Russia to ensure the security of civilians, support for Ukraine in our struggle & Ukraine's membership in the #EU. #StopRussia."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Antony Blinken, US secretary of state to discuss strengthing Ukraine's defence capabilities.

"Call with @SecBlinken on further steps to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities," Kuleba tweeted.

He further thanked the US government for banning the import of Russian oil. He further tweeted, "Grateful to the U.S. for the new package of tough sanctions on Russia. Pressure must be elevating until Russia stops its brutal aggression and barbaric war crimes against Ukrainians."

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the banning of Russian oil, natural gas and oil imports to the US in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed humanitarian corridors and other issues with President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.

Zelenskyy tweeted that they agreed on the need to ensure effective humanitarian corridors for civilians during the call.

The Ukrainian president noted that he again raised the issue of EU membership for and expressed his gratitude for another EU sanctions package against .

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of Limited (HAL) have held their ground on the bourses ever since the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine in eastern Europe. While the S&P BSE Sensex has dropped 4.5 per cent on the BSE since February 24, shares of the state-owned defence company have advanced about 2 per cent, data shows. On Thursday, the stock zoomed 4.2 per cent in intra-day trade on the BSE as against a 2 per cent gain in the Sensex.

This is despite HAL having import dependence on Russia for various spare part supplies. According to the company, the dependence on Russian spares can potentially impact Rs 4,000-4,200 crore worth of repair and overhaul (RoH) revenues out of its total ROH revenue of Rs 12,500 crore in FY21.

The Street, however, has been perturbed by this as the company has inventory of 8-9 months for ROH, giving it enough breathing space to tide over the current crisis. According to global brokerage CLSA, HAL has reduced the share of Russian-spares-driven business to seven per cent of its backlog and about 25 per cent of its revenue.

"This assures that the company is well-stocked with inventory of spare parts to protect it from sanctions imposed on Russia for the rest of 2022," it said in a recent report.

InCred Equities, meanwhile, believe the company would not be impacted with any immediate effect of the Russia-Ukraine conflict till the first half of fiscal 2022-23 (H1FY23). Su-30, Mig 29 and Mig 21 are the major platforms for which RoH is dependent on Russian spare imports; Mi17 and An32 also undergo RoH with Russian support.

"The impact of sanctions, if any, on Russian defence supply will need to be seen on a case-to-case basis. The company is also focusing on indigenous production of Russian supplies to reduce the import dependence. Management is looking toward other supply sources for spares and raw material in case Russian supply fails, which has a low probability of happening in management's opinion," said a report by ICICI Securities.

That said, analysts say investors need to keep an eye on payment mechanism as Russian banks have been banned from the SWIFT system.

"Previously, payments were made through PSU banks -- UCO Bank and Syndicate Bank in India and Sber Bank in Russia. Discussions are ongoing with the RBI and PSU banks to pay for defence purchases," said ICICI Securities.

InCred added: As per management, future supplies would not be impacted significantly if the payment mechanism with Russia is sorted out by the Indian government. HAL is working on indigenization or on finding an alternate source of procurement of materials - which are procured not only from Russia but also from other western countries.

From a long-term perspective, analysts see up to 96 per cent upside in HAL stock as the company has a strong order book and has the potential book to bill at 5x at FY23-end.

HAL's outstanding order book position stood at Rs 79,230 crore at the end of December, 2021 (Q3FY22), and following platforms for which Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) has been granted by the Ministry of Defence (MoD),the order book is expected to strengthen by Rs 30,000 crore over FY23.

Management is expecting Su-30s orders to be finalised by Q1FY23. Further, the company is expecting orders of more than 200, AL-31FP engines and ~60, RD-33 engines. The contract value should be Rs 25,000-30,000 crore. The order should have delivery timeline of six years for AL-31, starting 24 months from the date of the order.

"We raise our FY22 EPS estimates by 3 per cent, but lower FY23/24 EPS by 1-5 per cent on lower sales. Order pipeline is solid, but order finalization timeline is vital to maintain growth momentum in FY23 as service revenue growth moderates and Tejas MK1A starts contributing from FY24F," said InCred Equities.

The brokerage has 'Add' rating on the stock with a target of Rs 1,530. ICICI Securities (target of Rs 2,618) and CLSA (target of Rs 1,740), both, have 'Buy' rating on the stock.

Analysts, however, say delay on expected large new orders, setback on aircraft delivery and lower-than-estimated margins are downside risks.
By Shariq Khan

BENGALURU (Reuters) -Global oil prices fell on Wednesday by the most in nearly two years after member the United Arab Emirates said it supported pumping more oil into a market roiled by supply disruptions due to sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine.

Brent crude futures settled down $16.84, or 13.2%, at $111.14 a barrel, their biggest one-day decline since April 21, 2020. U.S. crude futures ended down $15.44, or 12.5%, at $108.70, their biggest daily decline since November.

"We favor production increases and will be encouraging to consider higher production levels," Ambassador Yousuf Al Otaiba said in a statement tweeted by the Embassy in Washington.

The and neighbour Saudi Arabia are among the few members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with spare capacity that could increase output.

The United States has called on oil producers worldwide to increase production if they can.

"In this moment of crisis we need more supply," U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told attendees at an industry event in Houston.

"Right now we need oil and gas production to rise to meet current demand."

Additional supply from could compensate for some supply shortfalls created by disruption to Russia's oil sales by economic sanctions imposed by the United States and other governments.

"That (potential output hike) is not nothing. They (UAE) can probably bring about 800,000 barrels to the market very quickly, even immediately, bringing us one-seventh of the way there in replacing Russian supply," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho.

OPEC's language shifted this week when its Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said supply is increasingly lagging behind demand.

Just a week ago, the group and its allies, known as OPEC+, blamed surging prices on geopolitics rather than any lack of supply and decided against increasing output any faster. OPEC+, which includes Russia, has been targeting an increase in output of 400,000 barrels per day every month, and had resisted demands from the United States and other consuming countries to pump more.

Russia is the world's top exporter of crude and fuel, shipping around 7 million bpd or 7% of global supplies.

Oil prices had already fallen during the session after the International Energy Agency said crude reserves could be tapped further.

"If there's a need, if our governments decide so, we can bring more oil to the markets, as one part of the response," said IEA chief Faith Birol.

Birol said the IEA decision last week to release 60 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves was "an initial response."

U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve levels fell last week to their lowest since July 2002, as the Biden administration had already approved releases in November as part of a larger effort to boost the U.S. fuel supply. [EIA/S]

(Additonal reporting by Yuka Obayashi and Mohi Narayan; Editing by Simon Webb, Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government hopes to launch the of the of India (LIC) as soon as stock market volatility, sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, recedes, said Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey.

The draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) of LIC has received prima-facie clearance from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), subject to fulfilment of certain requirements, Pandey said at an industry interaction.

We may be good to go and we are watching the market situation and hopefully we should be able to bring out the IPO soon, Pandey said at the interaction, organised by the Merchants Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

There are certain external factors affecting the because of the conflict in Europe, and the government is watching the situation carefully, Pandey said.

We hope that things will recover, oil prices will probably cool off, and our hope is that the volatility in the market will also come down as the engage with the new realities, he said.

Tremendous strengthening of capital has taken place ahead of the largest Indian IPO, Pandey said. India now has 84 million demat accounts, with about 10 million demat accounts having been opened only for the LIC IPO. The capital market infrastructure has been upgraded to process higher transactions, facilitate easy bank clearing processes for large volume UPI transactions, Pandey said.

Asset monetisation

The government is set to exceed its asset monetisation target of Rs 88,000 crore for the current financial year, Pandey said. A large chunk of the receipts, over Rs 50,000 crore, will come from mining sector, where a lot of work has been done in mine developer and operator (MDO) model, he added. In the roads sector, about Rs 17,000 crore of asset monetisation has already taken place, and PowerGrid Corporation of India has realised Rs 7,500 crore, Pandey said.

To ensure the success of the asset monetisation drive, the government is mindful of issues regarding dispute settlement and risk allocation as the success of asset monetisation will depend on the quality of drafting of concession agreements, Pandey said.

These agreements should ensure fair risk allocation, he said. If we allocate excessive risk to the private player, then they might fail as what had happened in the first round of public-private partnerships (PPP), he said.

Privatisation

The process of privatisation has been well tested with the sale of Air India and Nilachal Ispat Nigam (NINL), Pandey said. The Centre has also signed the share purchase agreement with buyers of NINL, Tata Steel Long Products on Thursday, he said.

Several transactions such as Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), BEML, Shipping Corporation of India, Pawan Hans, Projects & Development India, units of SAIL, are at an advanced stage, Pandey added.

The Centre will soon invite expressions of interest (EoIs) for the privatisation of IDBI Bank, Vizag Steel Plant, CONCOR, NMDC Steel and Ferro Scrap Nigam, he said.
rose on Thursday following a sharp drop in the previous session as the market contemplated whether major producers would boost supply to help plug the gap in output from Russia due to sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.

Brent crude futures were up $3.10, or 2.8%, at $114.24 a barrel at 0419 GMT after trading in a more than $5 range. The benchmark contract slumped 13% in the previous session in its biggest one-day drop in nearly two years.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up $1.58, or 1.5%, at $110.28 a barrel, after trading in a more than $4 range. The contract had tumbled 12.5% in the previous session in the biggest daily decline since November.

Uncertainty over where and when supply will come from to replace crude from the world's second largest exporter Russia in a tight market has led to wide ranging forecasts for between $100 and $200 a barrel.

"So to suggest the oil market is confused would be an understatement as we are in an unprecedented situation," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

Comments from the United Arab Emirates minister and the country's ambassador to Washington sent conflicting signals.

UAE Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Twitter late on Wednesday his country is committed to the existing agreement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, together called OPEC+, to ramp up oil supply by 400,000 barrels per day monthly following sharp cuts in 2020.

"The UAE believes in the value OPEC+ brings to the oil market," al-Mazrouei said.

Just hours before, prices slumped on comments from UAE's ambassador to Washington saying his country will be encouraging to consider higher output to fill the supply gap due to sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine. Russia calls its incursion a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour.

The comments from UAE officials came as the market also took into account moves by the United States to ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil and efforts to seal a nuclear deal with Tehran, which could lead to more oil supply coming from Iran later this year.

Talks set for Thursday between Russia and Ukraine's foreign ministers in Turkey also gave the market reason for pause.

While UAE and Saudi Arabia have spare capacity, some other OPEC+ producers are struggling to meet their output targets due to underinvestment in infrastructure over the past few years, which will limit their ability to lift output further.

"We think it will be challenging for OPEC+ to boost production in this environment," Commonwealth Bank commodities analyst Vivek Dhar said.

However Standard Chartered analysts predicted would look to fill the Russian supply gap, "effectively ending the OPEC+ agreement in its current form".

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Shivani Singh)

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The key benchmark indices are likely to start trade on a bullish note following a steep fall in oil prices on hopes of de-escalation of tension between Russia-Ukraine. As of 07:00 AM, the SGX Nifty futures quoted at 16,630  indicating a sharp gap-up of nearly 300 points on the Nifty 50 benchmark.

Apart from global cues, the outcome to the recently concluded elections in five states, and the weekly F&O expiry could sway the market mood. Meanwhile, here are the stocks to focus in trade on Thursday.

(RIL): The Mukesh Ambani-led firms Jamnagar facility has lifting crude processing and deferring planned maintenance to take advantage of surging demand for diesel in Europe. READ MORE

Hindustan Unilever (HUL): The FMCG major appointed Madhusudhan Rao as the executive director, beauty and wellbeing and personal care segment, and Deepak Subramanian as the executive director for the home care segment. Rao takes over from Priya Nair, who will move into a global role as chief marketing officer for beauty and wellbeing and Subramanian will take over from Prabha Narasimhan, who has decided to leave the company to pursue an external opportunity, the company said in a release. READ MORE

Dr.Reddys, Torrent, Zydus: Indian pharmaceutical major Dr. Reddy's Laboratories said it was focused on business continuity in and around Russia, as Indian drug exporters brace for temporary disruptions to sales due to the Ukraine crisis. Executives at Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Zydus Lifesciences said they saw little or no impact on sales due to the Ukraine conflict. READ MORE

Financials: A host of banks and financial institutions have raised funds from the market in March to fund their business growth and meet balance sheet targets before the end of the financial year. Overall credit growth for the current financial year may remain in single-digit, though there will be improvement as compared to 2020-21. READ MORE

IndusInd Bank: The bank informed the stock exchanges that it will set aside Rs 13.5 crore as additional provision this financial quarter (Q4FY22), responding to an external review of on allegations by anonymous people about the lenders subsidiary. READ MORE

PNB Housing Finance: The lender plans to raise up to Rs 2,500 crore in equity by issuing shares through rights issue to meet capital adequacy norms and support business growth. READ MORE

Future Retail: The company informed BSE, that it has received certain termination notices in respect of sub-leased properties of . So far notices have been received for 342 large format stores and 493 small format stores. Historically these stores accounted for 55-65% of retail revenue operations of the company.

Pennar Industries: The companys board has approved share buyback up to Rs 50 per share, aggregating Rs 40 crore. The company will buyback a maxmium of 5.97 per cent. The board also approved an investment of $ 2.3 million in Pennar Global, its US-based subsidiary. The stock last traded at Rs 38.75 on Wednesday.

Brandbucket Media & Technology: The companys board approved a proposal to increase the authorized share capital from Rs 4 crore to Rs 25 crore.
Continuing its crackdown against entities allegedly involved in a front-running scam using messaging app Telegram, on Thursday carried out search and seizure operations at the premises of eight entities in multiple locations across the country.

These entities are reportedly operating nine channels with more than five million subscribers to whom they were making recommendations on selected listed scrips. Such recommendations induced the investors to deal in the said scrips, thereby creating artificial volume and price rise.

This provided opportunity to their linked entities to offload their shares at higher prices and make significant profits at the cost of unsuspecting retail investors.

In a statement, the regulator said the search and seizure operation was carried out against seven individuals and one corporate entity at multiple locations in Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar in Gujarat, Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, and Mumbai.

During the operations, officials seized various records and documents, including 34 mobile phones, six laptops, four desktops, four tablets, two hard drive disks and one pen drive from the custody of these persons.

said data, emails and other documents are being retrieved from the seized devices and detailed investigation is in progress.

The regulator took order for the search and seizure operation from Judge Purushottam B Jadhav, Sebi Special Judge / Additional Sessions Judge.

The regulator said it had received information that messages containing stock tips and other investment advice with respect to selected listed companies are being widely circulated through websites and social media platforms such as Telegram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.

Perpetrators of such fraud use various marketing techniques to attract subscribers on their social media channels.

In December 2021, Sebi officials had conducted a search and seizure operation at the premises of certain persons carrying out similar manipulative activities through channels.

Following this, Sebi, in an order passed in January 2022, established that the administrators of a channel having a large subscriber base enticed the subscribers to act upon recommendations that were circulated by those administrators on the channel, leading to significant price and volume impact in various scrips.

These administrators had built substantial positions in these scrips prior to the circulation of recommendations and offloaded their positions subsequent to rise in price of these scrips, making significant profits at the expense of unsuspecting investors, Sebi noted.

In view of this, the regulator has cautioned investors not to rely on such investment tips / advice received through social media platforms. It has also said investors should exercise utmost caution while taking investment decisions while dealing in the securities market.

The regulator said it has been undertaking several campaigns to educate the investors to be vigilant while taking investment decisions based on stock tips.

In the past, it was noticed that through bulk SMSes, investors were induced to invest in or purchase the stocks of certain listed companies.

In this regard, Sebi collaborated with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to reduce the vulnerability of the securities market to manipulation through misuse of mass communication medium like bulk SMS.

However, the perpetrators of such frauds are now adopting new methods and technologies to defraud the investors.

Under the Sebi Act, the regulator has the power to carry out search and seizure of books, registers, documents including electronics and digital devices from any person associated with the securities market.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had carried out a similar exercise in 2017 in a matter related to circulation of messages through WhatsApp.

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BGR Energy Systems was locked in 10% upper circuit at Rs 84.45 after the Madras High Court reinstated the order worth Rs 4,442.75 crore awarded to the company by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO).

In April 2021, TANGEDCO had canceled the letter of intent (LoI) regarding the award of contract to BGR Energy Systems for the execution of the 1X660 MW Supercritical Ennore Thermal Power Station (ETPS) Expansion Project. The company had moved the High Court of Madras challenging the said cancellation.

The company has received an amendment to the LOI on 09 March 2022 issued by TANGEDCO for reinstatement of contract for 1X660 MW Supercritical ETPS Expansion Project. The value of the contract of Rs 4,442.75 crores remains unchanged and the "zero-date" for commencement of the contract is revised to 09 March 2022.

The company has reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 59.38 crore in the quarter ended December 2021 as against net loss of Rs 78.22 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2020. Sales declined 29.97% YoY to Rs 250.43 crore in Q3 FY22.

BGR Energy Systems operates in the utility industry, offering services ranging from product manufacturing to project execution. The company operates in two segments: capital goods and construction and engineering procurement construction contracts.

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Bharat Forge Ltd is quoting at Rs 638.65, up 1.54% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 3.58% in last one year as compared to a 10.59% jump in NIFTY and a 3.2% jump in the Nifty Auto index.

Bharat Forge Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 638.65, up 1.54% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 1.7% on the day, quoting at 16623.05. The Sensex is at 55724.49, up 1.97%. Bharat Forge Ltd has slipped around 12.79% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Bharat Forge Ltd is a constituent, has slipped around 12.99% in last one month and is currently quoting at 9832.35, up 2.23% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 15.77 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 22.21 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 641.35, up 1.49% on the day. Bharat Forge Ltd is up 3.58% in last one year as compared to a 10.59% jump in NIFTY and a 3.2% jump in the Nifty Auto index.

The PE of the stock is 29.51 based on TTM earnings ending December 21.

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Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 349.7, up 2.06% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 23.57% in last one year as compared to a 10.59% spurt in NIFTY and a 28.27% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd gained for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 349.7, up 2.06% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 1.7% on the day, quoting at 16623.05. The Sensex is at 55724.49, up 1.97%. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has slipped around 5.37% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has slipped around 0.94% in last one month and is currently quoting at 24459.1, up 1.31% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 56.96 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 59.49 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark March futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 349, up 1.9% on the day. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is down 23.57% in last one year as compared to a 10.59% spurt in NIFTY and a 28.27% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 5.79 based on TTM earnings ending December 21.

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The Mainland China share market finished session higher on Thursday, 10 March 2022, as dip buyers helped halt a five-day losing streak, on tracking positive lead from Wall Street overnight, pullback in crude oil futures, and the resumption of diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine.

At close of trade, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index surged 1.22%, or 39.70 points, to 3,296.09. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, added 2.12%, or 44.79 points, to 2,160.94. The blue-chip CSI300 index grew 1.57%, or 66.49 points, to 4,292.84.

Market sentiments got a boost, as planned diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine. Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkey ahead of planned talks on Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

Meanwhile, a string of Chinese companies and state media trying to soothe frayed nerves after recent sell-offs also lifted sentiment.

Dozens of companies in China voluntarily disclosed their strong monthly performance, which was rarely seen before, to stabilise investor confidence. State media also sought to reassure investors, after the country's financial markets slumped to more than 20-month lows.

CURRENCY NEWS: China's yuan depreciated against the U. S. dollar on Thursday, despite firmer mid-point fixing by central bank. Prior to market opening, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the midpoint rate CNY=PBOC at 6.3105 per dollar, 0.12% stronger than the previous fix of 6.3178. In the spot market, the yuan CNY=CFXS was changing hands at 6.3203 around late afternoon, 0.04% weaker from the previous late session close.

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Coal India tumbled 4.42% to Rs 178.40, extending decline for second consecutive session.

The stock has corrected by 5.68% in two sessions, from its recent closing high of Rs 189.15 recorded on 8 March 2022.

In the past three months, the stock has added by 17.92% while the benchmark Sensex has lost 4.86% during the same period.

On the technical front, the stock's RSI (relative strength index) stood at _ . The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally, the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30.

The stock was trading below its 50-day, 100-day and 200-day simple moving average (SMA) placed at 163.70, 161.75, and 157.58, respectively.

On a consolidated basis, the PSU coal major's net profit jumped 47.7% to Rs 4556.54 crore on a 19.7% increase in net sales to Rs 25,990.97 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21.

Coal India is a coal mining company engaged in the production and sale of coal. As of 31 December 2021, the Government of India held 66.13% stake while Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India held 11.01% stake in the company.

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With effect from 15 April 2022

Colgate-Palmolive (India) announced the resignation of Ram Raghavan, Managing Director & CEO of the Company with effect from 15 April 2022. He has been promoted to President, Enterprise Oral Care, for Colgate Palmolive Company, the parent Company of Colgate-Palmolive (India) and will be based out of its headquarter at New York.

Further, the company has identified Prabha Narasimhan as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Colgate-Palmolive (India) and recommended her name to the Board of Directors for her appointment as such effective from 01 September 2022.

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Hong Kong share market finished session higher on Thursday, 10 March 2022, as investors chased for undervalued stocks after suffering heavy losses in previous four sessions, thanks to positive lead from Wall Street overnight, pullback in crude oil futures, and the resumption of diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine.

At closing bell, the benchmark Hang Seng Index advanced 1.27%, or 262.55 points, to 20,890.26. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 0.92%, or 66.24 points, to 7,255.82.

Stocks shot up from the outset as market participants sought a wide range of battered shares in active trading, after concern over elevated oil prices receded following reports that the United Arab Emirates will call on fellow OPEC members to boost production, potentially easing some of the supply concerns caused by sanctions on Russia after its conflict with Ukraine. Other commodity futures tracked the fall in crude oil.

Meanwhile, risk sentiments spirited ahead of planned diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkey ahead of planned talks on Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

Meanwhile, a string of Chinese companies and state media trying to soothe frayed nerves after recent sell-offs also lifted sentiment. Dozens of companies in China voluntarily disclosed their strong monthly performance, which was rarely seen before, to stabilise investor confidence. State media also sought to reassure investors, after the country's financial markets slumped to more than 20-month lows.

Shares of Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio started trading in Hong Kong on Thursday, in what is the firm's secondary listing. The shares initially jumped but later erased most of those gains, finishing its debut day 0.82% above its issue price.

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Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) rose 4.20% to Rs 18.60, extending gains for third day in a row.

The stock has added 7.20% in three sessions, from its recent closing low of Rs 17.35 recorded on 7 March 2022.

In the past three months, the stock has declined by 18.82% while the benchmark Sensex has lost 4.76% during the same period.

Indian Overseas Bank said that CARE Ratings has assigned 'CARE AA- /Stable' (Outlook: Stable) rating for the proposed issue of Rs 800 crare Tier II Bonds (under Basel III).

CARE Ratings said that the rating assigned to the Tier-II Bond (Basel-III) of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) factors-in the majority ownership by the Government of India (GoI) and demonstrated funding support by GoI, including the equity infusion of Rs.4,100 crore in the month of March 2021.

The rating also factors-in the long track record of operations with strong presence in South India, diversified advances book and deposit base with comfortable CASA. IOB's asset quality metrics have witnessed improvement in the last four years ended March 2021 with significant write-off of NPAs, which resulted in the bank reporting high losses during FY18-FY20.

Notwithstanding such losses, IOB reported continuous improvements in its CAR levels during FY18-FY21. The aggregate equity infusion by GoI during the same period stood at Rs.19,974 crore.

The rating is constrained by moderate asset quality despite improvement seen over the past few years, and the bank's earnings profile has been moderate as it has started reporting profits in FY21 and 9mFY21; however, the level of profit continues to be moderate and any further impact on account of COVID-19-related stress may impact the asset quality and profitability, going forward.

Indian Overseas Bank is one of the 12 public sector banks (PSB) in India. As of December 31, 2021, the Government of India held 96.38% in IOB, followed by institutional investors, the public, and others. As of December 31, 2021, IOB was operating in India through 3,214 branches, 3,270 ATMs, and 2,709 business correspondence (BC) relationships. The bank also has a presence in overseas countries through four countries - Singapore, Hong Kong, Colombo and Bangkok.

The bank's standalone net profit surged to Rs 454.11 crore in Q3 FY22 from Rs 212.87 crore in Q3 FY21. Total income declined 7% YoY to Rs 5383.62 crore during the period under review.

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Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL) reported an 8% year on year increase in steel sales to 5.9 lakh tonnes in February 2022 as compared to 5.47 lakh tonnes sold in February 2021.

JSPL said sales would have been higher if not for limited rake availability in the eastern part of the country. The company further said that railway rake availability issue is not yet fully resolved, hampering its sales efforts. Meanwhile, exports contributed 24% to the sales volumes

On production side, JSPL's steel production stood at 6.57 lakh tonnes in February 2022 which was 1% higher than previous year.

VR Sharma, MD of JSPL said, The World has started feeling the heat of the unfortunate Russia- Ukraine conflict. Brent & energy prices are skyrocketing due to the full scale war in Eastern Europe. Input costs for Steam coal, Coking Coal and Ferro alloys are witnessing substantial rise which has resulted in higher steel prices. While we hope and pray for faster resolution of the conflict, it will take at least six months for markets to stabilize post war. Higher input costs should therefore result in continued rise in steel prices as the industry grapples with containing cost pressures.

JSPL is an industrial powerhouse with a dominant presence in steel, power, mining and infrastructure sectors. The company's standalone net profit from continuing operations declined 23% to Rs 1,714 crore despite 37% increase in net revenue to Rs 11,955 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21.

Shares of JSPL were trading 1.27% lower at Rs 444 on BSE in early trade.

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NTPC: NTPC informed that based on achievement of approved norms and due approvals, Unit-3 of 660 MW capacity of Nabinagar Power Generating Company Limited (a wholly owned Subsidiary Company of NTPC Limited) has successfully completed trial operation and consequently included in the installed capacity of NTPC Group. With this, the total installed capacity of Nabinagar Power Generating Company Limited and NTPC group has become 1980 MW and 68567.18 MW respectively.

Bharti Airtel: The company has entered into an agreement resulting into acquisition of aggregate 9.012% equity stake in Avaada CleanTN Project Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of owning and operating the Captive Power Plant, in terms of the regulatory requirement for captive power consumption under electricity laws.

PNB Housing Finance: The housing finance company has approved fund raising of up to Rs 2,500 crore through a rights issue.

Arvind: The company updated that the operations have fully resumed at the Ankur unit.

Gufic Biosciences: Gufic Biosciences announced that it is entering into a research and collaboration agreement with M/s. Selvax Pty Ltd (Selvax), a biotechnology Company based in Perth, Western Australia, to accelerate the commercialization of Selvax's cancer immunotherapy treatment.

UGRO Capital: The meeting of the Investment and Borrowing Committee of the Board of Directors is scheduled to be held on 14th March 2022, to consider and approve raising of funds by way of issuance of Non-Convertible Debentures on private placement basis.

Diligent Industries: The board has recommended the Split / Sub-division of shares of the company from Face Value of Rs. 5/- each to Face value of Re. 1/- each.

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FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa) has opened its 100th beauty store, Nykaa On Trend at HSR Bangalore on the globally celebrated occasion of International Women's Day.

Nykaa operates two formats of beauty stores- 'Nykaa Luxe' and 'Nykaa On Trend', each built in line with the company's vision that focuses on digitization not just in business processes but to deliver a truly seamless customer journey.

Nykaa stores also have the capability for hyperlocal delivery, and to accept endless aisle orders, making its entire on line assortment available to the store-consumer.

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On 10 March 2022

Panacea Biotec announced that Shantanu Yeshwant Nalavadi, Non-Executive Nominee Director of the Company has, due to his professional commitments, tendered resignation from the Board of Directors of the Company vide his letter dated 10 March 2022.

Shantanu Yeshwant Nalavadi was earlier nominated by Vistra ITCL (India) acting as Debenture Trustee with respect to non-convertible debentures issued to India Resurgence Fund-Scheme 1, India Resurgence Fund-Scheme 2 and Piramal Enterprises which have been fully redeemed on 03 March 2022.

The said resignation has become effective from 10 March 2022.

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Tata Power Company on Thursday announced that it has collaborated with Enviro to install 59 EV charging points at its properties across Gurugram, Haryana.

Enviro is a facility management wing of the NCR-based real estate developer Vatika Group. The EV chargers will be installed at 18 locations across the properties of Vatika Group in Gurugram. The chargers will be made available as public charging stations and semi-public based on the nature of the premises.

Sandeep Bangia, Head- EV - Tata Power said Our collaboration with the Vatika Group to deploy electric vehicle charging stations in Gurugram is proof of our relentless support to green mobility. The millennial city will see EV adoption at a far faster rate as a result of our partnership and will set an example for other cities in terms of EV adoption."

Tata Power Company (TPC) is one of the largest private-sector power utilities in India, with an installed generation capacity of 13,068 megawatts as of September 2021. The company's consolidated net profit soared 73.3% to Rs 551.89 crore on a 43.6% jump in net sales to Rs 10,913.14 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21.

Shares of Tata Power were trading 1.44% higher at Rs 232.55 on BSE.

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Senior leader on Thursday said after its rout in the assembly elections to five states, the party will be wiped out of the country shortly.

Addressing reporters here, the stalwart said, "Of the five states where elections were held, the was in power in only in Punjab. There also they lost their ground. This indicates that the will be wiped out of the country shortly." Taking a jibe at Congress state president D K Shivakumar, who was a special election observer for party in Goa, Yediyurappa said the Congress leader deputed in the neighbouring state to prevent poaching shows the bad situation the Congress is in. According to him, the results were on the expected lines and the retained the states, where it was in power. People of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa, expressed their solidarity with BJP, the senior BJP leader said adding, the results were an indication that the people of the country have accepted the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congratulating Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party's president J P Nadda, Yediyurappa thanked the people of the five states for continuing their support to the BJP.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's development work and cracking the whip on anti-social elements and mafia helped him win the election for the second time, he claimed.

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New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI/NewsVoir): To support its aim of expanding health and protection across all its geographies, notably through innovative services, AXA has added a free specialist teleconsultation feature to its telemedicine CSR initiative SAATH (Supportive Action Across Telemedicine and Healthcare).

SAATH is a 'One AXA' public health initiative between AXA France Vie, AXA GO Business Operations, and AXA XL; and provides free general and specialist consultation to more than 25 crore people in four states in India: Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Dr Alfred Beil, AXA's Group Chief Medical Officer, (PhD. in cancer research) commented, "Prevention is underestimated; it stops a disease from becoming cost consuming and life threatening. Prevention can be achieved through technology-aided healthcare like SAATH which will eventually save lives."

SAATH offers specialists in five areas: Dermatology, Gynecology, Pediatrics, Orthopedics and Oncology. Dr V.K. Paul, a member of Niti Aayog, commended on the helpline, describing it as, "Telemedicine is now a way of life in the context of COVID-19 across the world and particularly in India."

Odette Cesari, Head of Business Development at AXA Life and Health International Solutions, added, "It is a fantastic tool that adds to other impactful initiatives. Health has always been a high priority for AXA in all geographies. It is our mission as a major insurance company to contribute positively to society."

The introduction of specialists will help to provide relevant expert consultation for critical health issues, especially to the vulnerable.

Ankur Nijhawan, CEO of AXA France Vie India Reinsurance branch, said, "With women, children and the elderly being our key concerns, specialist care will have a significant impact on communities in India. This has all been made possible through the combined efforts of all the AXA entities in India, our NGO partner SEWA International, our technology partners Paramba Foundation and our tech-based cancer care provider Karkinos Healthcare."

Derek Nazareth, Head of Global Operations and Country Head for AXA XL in India, commented, "Supporting local communities in India through our CSR activities continues to be a priority for AXA XL in India. SAATH gave us the opportunity to help those families most in need, ensuring they get access to the healthcare they require, and the addition of medical specialists will further enhance an already important initiative."

Sebastien Legrand, India Head - AXA GO Business Operations, shared his thoughts, "In the last few months, I have seen SAATH support our communities beyond expectations. My belief in our association with the project is further strengthened by the far-reaching impact it has managed to create. Given the current state of COVID-19 in the country and with the addition of these specialized services, SAATH will help to extend improved healthcare to a wider section of society. Our commitment to society is strengthened, with real-time access to relevant information and the subsequent enhanced reach of different medical services across the country."

SAATH now offers teleconsultation from general practitioners, nutritionists, and specialists from five areas of medicine. Prepared to take on any spike in COVID-19 numbers in India, the helpline is also armed with real-time information of medical resources available to all its callers, free of charge.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI/SRV): Crazy Snacks Private Limited, one of the leading manufacturers of snacks and confectionery in Northern and Eastern India, is excited to introduce its new products -- Sliced Jar Cakes and Namkeens for the low-income demographic. Crazy Bakery, wishes to bring smiles to the faces of the poor and marginalized section of society. It has thus launched Sliced Jar Cakes and Namkeens in two packaging sizes - Rs 2.00 packets and Rs 5.00 packets.

The bakery which has its origin in Gorakhpur and started as a start-up in 1997 has now become one of the most popular food brands in the Purvanchal region, along with Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar. It now endeavours to penetrate different parts of the country and tap the market of the whole of north and northeast Indian states.

Today, to earn maximum profit, most of the company targets the middle and the upper-middle segment of society and sell their products at high rates. It is a proud moment for Crazy Bakery as it has taken steps to introduce quality products at a cheap rate to serve the underserved section of society.

With this daring step, the Bakery had set itself apart from its competitors. It is striving to tap the market that comprises the large population of low-income groups. It intends to target the demography that has been marginalized by the competitors. The bakery aims to spread happiness with its wide range of confectionery and savoury snacks. And for this, it manufactures cost-effective products so that it can serve each section of society with quality and affordable food items.

It is not the first time that the Bakery had been generous in offering cheap products but Navin K Agrawal, Managing Director of Crazy Snacks always believed in offering value propositions to the consumers and claimed, "As a company, we have always believed and emphasized on giving more value proposition to the price-conscious consumer and hence, our products are nearly 30-35 per cent larger than our competitors." He asserts that with the production line, the company would continue to deliver tasty and affordable snacks to its consumers.

Crazy Bakery, in its initial stages, happened to be a sick unit. It was only under the leadership of visionary, Navin K Agrawal, the Managing Director of Crazy Bakery that the company started flourishing in 2002. He introduced several reforms and innovations; established a new plant, inducted modern technology, carried out several labour welfare activities, and changed the fortunes of the company.

Currently, Crazy Bakery has more than 26 ovens, manufactures over 200 products, has 1500-plus employees, owns a fleet of 50-plus vehicles to ensure a 24x7 supply of the products to a large number of distributors spread over the large region, and has a turnover of over INR 150 crores. The state-of-the-art and hygienic setup of the Bakery helps in the manufacturing of quality and safe products.

Crazy Bakery works strategically. Its experienced research team keeps an eye on the market trends and brings new ideas for the firm. The bakery enjoys the advantages of the region in terms of the easy availability of the supply of the primary ingredients and labour.

Besides providing a wide range of products, Crazy Bakery claims to produce healthy, nutritious, and tasty food items. It sources the raw materials from trustworthy vendors and hence ensures the consistency of its products. To fulfil the demand of the majority it produces 100% vegetarian products. According to Agrawal, the consistency of the product is their USP. He said, "Consistency of the product ensures the goodwill of our customers and also helps in increasing the market share."

Thus, Crazy Bakery works consistently to expand and stay ahead in the market. It offers variety. And above all, without compromising on taste and quality, its products are easily available at the most affordable price and the latest being the Sliced Jar cakes and Namkeens for poor sections of the society.

To know more, visit - (https://crazybakery.in)

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New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI/PNN): The Russian-Ukraine war wreaked havoc on the entire world, and India, in particular, has been hit by poor market conditions. The Sensex fell by 15 per cent from its 52 weeks high, but the steel industry has been on a bull run.

Cumulatively, Russia and Ukraine are the 5th and 12th largest steelmakers globally, respectively, accounting for around 10 per cent of the global steel trade. About 45 per cent of the steel production in Russia and approximately 75 per cent in Ukraine is exported to other nations. Russian mills brace for sanctions, and Ukrainian steel production gets severely disrupted by the conflict, which gives an opportunity for Indian Steel manufacturers to gain market share globally as India is the net exporter of steel and is the second-largest country to manufacture steel after China.

Since the war has started, NIFTY metal has seen 60 points increase from the last month, and with 7.5 per cent customs duty, cesses, and freight cost, there is any way a significant trade barrier that allows the domestic steelmakers to benchmark local rates against imports. With the landed cost of imports surging and demand being buoyant, it will be much easier now for Indian steel companies like state-run SAIL and private companies like JSW Steel, Tata Steel, ESL, and JSPL to hike the local prices.

Tata Steel, one of the largest steel manufacturers in India, has seen record-breaking growth in its stock prices. Stock prices have increased by 78.36 per cent from last year. On the other hand, JSW Steel stock prices have witnessed 55.38 per cent growth from previous year. These steel stocks have seen a staggering increase in the past year.

Among companies like Tata Steel, JSW Steel, and many other companies. ESL Steel Ltd, a fully integrated steel plant in Bokaro, Jharkhand, with a capacity of 1.5 MT, has generated total revenue of Rs. 4900 Cr and Rs. 2700 Cr profit in FY21. ESL is aiming to double its steel capacity in a few years. Vedanta Group acquired the company through NCLT. Vedanta, the holding company of ESL, is one of the world's leading oil and gas and metals companies with significant operations in oil and gas, zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron ore, steel, and aluminum and power across India, South Africa, and Namibia. With proactive management and economies of scale, the company has also witnessed a sharp increase in its revenue and net profit amid COVID-19.

ESL shares are traded in the unlisted market between Rs85 - Rs90, which is precisely what investors should look for to make a good return if they have missed out on opportunities with listed steel companies. With the surge in steel prices, there is substantial demand for this stock in the private equity space. ESL is expected to give an excellent return to investors in the coming future.

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New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI/Target Media): Maneesh Media along with International University of Vedic Wellness unveiled a spectacular event to commemorate the International Women's Day celebration and the launch of Maneesh Media's new book, "India Calling 2022" on March 8th, 2022 at the Marriot in Hoffman Estates, IL.

India Calling 2022 is a new book celebrating India's Prime Minister, Modiji's mother Heeraben Modi who is 102 years of age! This book also depicts the 113 magnificent foreign trips of the Indian Prime Minister Modiji and the outcome of those trips during his leadership

The International Women's Day is celebrated across the world to honor the remarkable hard work and achievements of women in every field. This extraordinary event also acknowledged women's empowerment by honoring the significant efforts of women to make the world a better place to live in. A life of dignity is the birthright of every woman. Women's empowerment is key to advancing the development of every country. Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of whole families and communities and improved prospects for the next generation.

Dr. Mrs. Santosh Kulshrestha Kumar - Founding Executive Director, of Metropolitan Asian Family Services, Universal Metro Asian Services, and International University of Vedic Wellness, along with Mr. Chandmal Kumawat - Chairman of Maneesh Media partnered and made possible this historic event. Dr. Mrs, Kumar was named as "Mother Theresa of Chicago" for her dedication to fulfilling the needs of the downtrodden and her selfless community service for more tha 40 years. Through her organizations, Dr. Mrs. Kumar has Established a proven successful multi, disciplinary pathway to the empowerment of Seniors Citizens over the past 30 years. Mrs. Kumar has provided a broad framework for collective action for senior citizens to nurture their innate talents, enrich their groundbreaking ideas and engage in innovative experiences which has become a global model. She has achieved this by providing critically needed services to multiethnic senior citizen population especially the Indian diaspora with employment opportunities, creating more than 5,000 jobs per year, homecare services to over 5,000 homebound seniors mostly Indian diaspora every year by integrating state of art technology with a human touch in this digital age. Her model of service is being replicated in several parts of the world including India. Mrs Santosh Kumar who established a global network and a functional platform, took painstaking efforts to propagate and promote Indias Prime Minister Modi New India in USA and India. Mrs Santosh Kumar motivated and sensitized the Indian Americans and the gatekeepers of minority communities in India to Prime Minister Modi's Vision for Development of all. Mrs Santosh Kumar is a beacon of hope and lighthouse of service and care to the vulnerable Indian American Senior Population during this COVID 19 Pandemic!

(https://www.maneeshmedia.com) Maneesh Media, whose slogan and punch line are 'Connecting Beyond Boundaries,' is located in Jaipur, Canada and the USA. The company was founded in 1999 in Jaipur, India, before it formed its base in New York, USA. Maneesh Media is a prestigious media company with a global presence, known for consistently releasing exclusive publications about successful Indians in India and abroad who have shown the courage to brave the stormy seas, venturing into the unknown in search of the calmer, more colorful, and soothing underwaters. Of the 46 coffee table books that Maneesh Media has presented to the world, two publications were released by Former US President Bill Clinton during his visit to India in the year 2000. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also released two publications of Maneesh Media, one when he visited the US in 2014, and the other in 2016 when he visited Kenya.

The event commenced with the lighting of the lamp by Dr. Mrs. Santosh Kumar, Mr. Neil Khot, Mr. Kishor Mehta, Acharya Rohit Joshi, Dr. Rakesh Asthana, Mr. Chandmal Kumawat and Ms. Marta Pereya. Roshita Pandey and Radhika Subramanian did a great job of compering. Dr. Mrs. Santosh Kumar began her welcoming speech by shedding light on the importance of women and encouraged every woman to stand for her rights. She soulfully thanked Mrs. Heeraben Modi for providing to the world such a treasure, Prime Minister Modiji! She greatly thanked Modiji for being an inspiration to all. She applauded Mrs. Kumawat for being the woman power behind her husband's success. Mr. Neil Khot, Mr. Kishor Mehta, Acharya Rohit Joshi, Dr. Rakesh Asthana, Mr. Chandmal Kumawat and Ms. Marta Pereya gave their speech as they applauded the woman around the world.

Madhura Sane charmed the crowd with her mesmerizing patriotic dance performance. Her grace and dance techniques were a treat to watch.

More than 50 women were recognized and honored as a mark of honor on Woman's Day for the outstanding work in their respective fields by presenting to them the book and Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav shawl. Following this lunch was served!

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New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI/SRV): Manipur International University (MIU) has announced a long-term strategic partnership with Coursera, one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, to provide its students and faculty with unlimited free access to 8,500-plus world-class, job-relevant certificate courses, hands-on projects and case studies from more than 250 leading university and industry educators worldwide, including Yale University, University of Michigan, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.

The partnership will drive student employability by incorporating multidisciplinary, industry-endorsed in-demand skills, which will help to fill the gap between academia and industry. The MIU-Coursera initiative aims to equip the students with interdisciplinary skills and provide hands-on learning experiences in addition to the current curriculum, which includes essential to advanced courses in almost all disciplines, including upcoming areas like data science, cloud computing, digital marketing, IoT, AI, ML, Analytics and blockchain.

Integrating Coursera's content into the academic curriculum will allow the University to expand its learning and teaching beyond the classroom, offer job-relevant specializations, improve job readiness before the students graduate, and step into reality. The partnership spans various domains, including Research, Technology, Computer Applications, Management, Psychology, Law, Social Sciences, Physical Science, Linguistics, Life Sciences, and Healthcare.

Through Coursera for Campus, the University, its students, and faculty will have access to the world's latest and most essential skills. "Access to new-age quality content helps students future-proof their skills and prepares them to leverage new opportunities for success in the fast-changing world," said Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, India and APAC, Coursera. "We are thrilled to partner with Manipur International University (MIU) to deliver high-quality learning and equip their students with industry-aligned digital and human skills."

"This partnership will help in bridging the industry-academia gap by giving access to best quality interdisciplinary research-driven content and will support students towards having latest knowledge and skills which boosts their confidence for facing challenges of the world along with the additional benefit of employability," said Dr Harikumar Pallathadka, Chancellor of the University. "We feel proud to be partnering with Coursera, and It shows our commitment towards bringing quality education to the masses."

It is one of the first University tie-ups for Coursera in the entire northeastern region of India except the State of Assam. Coursera has more than 92 million learners as of Sep 2021. MIU is an autonomous and aspirational research-oriented University. It has been declared as an International University of Excellence, Institution of State Importance, and State Research Institute. It intends to develop the State of Manipur with much-needed quality educational infrastructure across the tribal areas under the unique PPP mode. It is helmed as one of the achievements of the present Government.

MIU is also the first University from India to sign a Memorandum of Affiliation (MoA) with the prestigious Council of Higher Education Accreditation / International Quality Group (CHEA/CIQG) of the USA, which is designed to affirm, support, and promote fundamental principles for higher education quality with another signatory from India being the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bengaluru.

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New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI/PNN): Mankind Pharma, the fourth largest pharmaceutical company in India that has always come forward to support society during tough times, has donated Rs 5 lakhs to the family of Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, the Indian MBBS student who died in the Ukraine war.

Given that many innocent Indian lives have been caught in the middle of an uncalled frenzy in the war, the pharmaceutical company has come forward to do its bit as a responsible organization. Born to Shekarappa Chalageri and Vijaylaxmi who are farmers by occupation, the family has a loan of 25 lakhs for Education and other commitments to repay. With even a brother to complete his education in the agriculture department from Bangalore, the family is burdened under huge financial liability.

"Considering the unfortunate state of events, we are trying every possible way to stand in support of the affected family. We know that no financial support can compensate for the void created by the deceased, but it is our small token showing our resolve to stand in solidarity with the families who have lost their dear ones. Mankind Pharma as an organization has always believed in standing together during tough times and by extending our support to Naveen's family, we want to send the message that the entire country is there for them," said Dr Sanjay Koul, Senior President, Sales & Marketing, Mankind Pharma.

Highly mournful at the loss of the son, the father Shekarappa Chalageri expressed his sincere gratitude to Mankind Pharma. He said, "At such a point of time when the future seems bleak, the support given by the company gives us relief from our financial burden. Though we cannot forget the sorrow that the loss of our son has given us the kind gesture gives us faith in humanity and courage to continue our lives ahead."

As Naveen was pursuing an MBBS course in a foreign land to bring laurel to the country, Mankind Pharma took responsibility to take care of the family post his demise to help them cope with the unfortunate loss incurred on them.

The company salutes the bravery and courage of those caught in the war. The student community has set an example for the entire world by standing together in such a horrid situation where they have even denied leaving their companions behind during the rescue operation. Mankind Pharma lauds their selfless act and is there to help them in every possible way.

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Pune (Maharashtra) [India], March 10 (ANI/PR Newswire): MIT Centre for Future Skills Excellence (MIT FuSE), (https://www.mituniversity.edu.in) MIT Art, Design and Technology University celebrated International Women's Day with their (https://mitfutureskills.org/wfet) 2nd International Virtual Summit (IVS) on Women Frontiers in Exponential Technology. This summit was aspired to firstly, appreciate Women tech-influencers from all over the world and secondly, to facilitate a plethora of information on the top most trending topics on technology from Power BI, Robotics, FinTech, Blockchain, Machine Learning, Cloud Security, NFTs and Metaverse.

Over a period of four days, from March 5 to 8, the summit delivered 29 power-packed TechTalks by the most influential tech leaders and connoisseurs from India, Australia, UK, Switzerland, New Zealand & USA. The (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tramanhnguyen9_cfte-fintechjobreport-book-activity-6904340746787192833-aRUk) FinTech Job Report by Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (https://bit.ly/3J25K6y) CFTE, London, was also exclusively launched in the event.

Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in the last few decades. Technologies change every 2-3 years, and it is critical for a professional working in the technology space to stay up to date in order to quickly advance up the career ladder and keep updated with the Techade. The International Virtual Summit (IVS WFET) addressed concerns, sharing information, and ways to make improvements in the skills and learning space, in order to assist firms in developing a future-ready strategy for the common benefit of global workplaces, as well as challenges in computing technology for generation Z for a complete digital transformation.

Dr Elizabeth Xu, Chairman of the Board and CEO, A2C Leadership Group & Co-Founder, California Science and Technology University, deliberated the concept of Digital Twin. She meticulously amplified how one's digital twin can project their intended image with the world through platforms like Youtube, Insta, Facebook, TikTok & LinkedIn. Divya Ashok, Vice President Strategy and Innovation, Salesforce specified the role of Women leaders in the domain of Cloud Computing. She shares an interesting mantra to be a leader, "be KHC, viz., be Kind, Humble and Confident." Tram Anh Nguyen, Co-Founder Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) & one of the top 22 Key Opinion Leaders in FinTech, gave an overview of career opportunities in FinTech. She also launched CFTE's world's largest FinTech Job Report. This book is the first research that analyses 40,000 new jobs offered by the 225 largest FinTech companies in the world.

Payal Manan Rajpal, Director-Robotex India stressed upon the importance and growth of women in the field of Robotics. She shared the interesting journey of 'Hack the Crisis, India' & 'Global Hack' the first digital initiative with the Ministry of Electronics and IT India MEITY, MyGov India. Sophia Lopez, Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Kaleido from North Carolina, explained with interesting facts on Blockchain, Privacy, Data flow & Digital Assets. Leila Etaati, Co-Founder RADACAD, Data Scientist & BI Consultant from New Zealand enumerated the perks of automated machine learning in BI space with an overview of Business Intelligence (BI). Tanushri Bhattacharya, Director of Finance at InnoWise delivered an insightful session on women empowerment in the digital economy from the USA. She emphasized women's role in technology and focussed on the scope for women in the field of Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Shamane Tan, Chief Growth Officer of Sekuro and TEDx Speaker & Global Cybersecurity Influencer from Australia described how a modern-day Cyber Security expert deals with everyday threats. She portrayed how cyber leaders use different and innovative strategies to face any cyber attack even before it takes place. Alice Beverly Cole, Independent Corporate Director of Bank OZK, Global Innovator & Influencer shared interesting facts on the global supply chain, cyber security and the importance it holds in today's society. She also advised on embracing technology as the normal if you don't want to be left behind.

Natalie Evie, Founder Natalie Evie Consulting & Former Executive Director of Goldman Sachs, from Hong Kong shared her journey from a workaholic to a holistic working professional by choice. She pointed that a person's situation depends on their reaction to it, and not by someone else's nature. Her session focussed on the importance of EQ for success. Vandana Verma, Chair at OWASP & Founder of Infosec Girls, deliberated on how data is our responsibility & how it is sensitive yet exceptional. She discussed ways of managing the cloud and its security architecture. Dr Martha Boeckenfeld, Metaverse and Digital Transformation Leader from Switzerland, gave valuable suggestions on winning digital consumers focussing on hyper-personalization, context-sensitive experience impressions & creating ecosystems. She stressed on the importance of perceiving the customer intent to ensure better interaction and results. Peggy Tsai, Chief Data Officer at BigID and Board Member of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from New York, detailed the role of data for business decisions considering the challenges in data management. She also suggested how AI & ML can help achieve effective data governance.

Helen Wall, Founder and Principal of Helen Data Design, from the USA, reiterated the power of Business Intelligence with its key features. BI plays an important role in organizational strategic planning for measuring performance progress toward business goals. Rupa Singh, Founder of AI-Beehive, Bengaluru, AI-Ethicist & Thought Leader pointed out that long before the development and creation of autonomous AI agents, the potential dangers need to be gauged. She emphasised the importance of an AI code of ethics to provide stakeholders with guidance when faced with an ethical decision involving the use of artificial intelligence. Neha Dhyani, Senior Security Consultant, Nokia, Australia, explained in detail the challenges in endpoint detection response. She enumerated the reasons why it's important to have strategies before a threat is detected. She also mentioned the triggers which begins the threat hunt. She discussed various career opportunities in the field of cyber security.

Sailaja Vadlamudi, AppSecLead & Senior Director of SAP Labs India & Founder of Women in Cyber Security & Privacy (WiCSP) gave insights on the basics of information security along with the security core principles, including confidentiality, availability and integrity. She shared the intention of WiCSP initiative, i.e to raise Cyber Security awareness among women, young girls, and children in order to alert them to digital threats and cultivate them in their personal development. Irina Ghose, Executive Director, Cloud Solutions - Microsoft India, narrated the power of AI and inference, networking with interesting examples and storytelling. She demonstrated how the future of education, hospitals, businesses, services, etc. could completely change with the use of technologies like AI & Metaverse. Mr. Sandeep Alur, Director Microsoft Technology Center provided the immersive & emerging tech demonstration through online interaction. He deliberately explained the intervention and deployment of artificial intelligence in healthcare as well as education sector. Sristhi Assudani, Director of SettleMint & Metaverse Evangelist, shared mind-blowing facts on the most talked-about concept of 2022, Metaverse. She gave interesting insights on what it is, who has already started working on it, what can we expect in the world of Metaverse and so on.

Executive President & Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Mangesh T Karad congratulated MIT Centre for Future Skills Excellence for hosting this spectacular event on International Women's Day. He was enthralled to see the world's leading women influencers in exponential technologies being part of this International Virtual Summit who served as role models for other women. He said that these successful torchbearers of technology demonstrate how traditional gender barriers can be overcome resulting in high levels of accomplishment.

Prof Suraj Bhoyar, Project Director, (https://mitfutureskills.org/?utm_source=prnewswire7 & utm_medium=wirednews & utm_campaign=pressrelease & utm_term=prn & utm_content=prj) MIT Centre for Future Skills Excellence confirmed the intent of initiating the International Virtual Summit. The International Virtual Summit (IVS WFET) is dedicated to addressing concerns, sharing information, and ways to make improvements in the skills and learning space, in order to assist firms in developing a future-ready strategy for the common benefit of global workplaces, as well as challenges in computing technology for generation Z. He promised more such events for tech enthusiasts in future. He also focussed on why it's important to be equipped with exponential technologies like (http://mitfutureskills.org/pgd-in-ai-ml) IoT, (http://mitfutureskills.org/pgd-in-ai-ml) Data Analytics, (https://mitfutureskills.org/pg-diploma-in-robotic-process-automation) Robotics, (https://mitfutureskills.org/pg-programme-in-cyber-security-analyst) Cyber Security, (https://mitfutureskills.org/pgd-in-cloud-computing) Cloud Computing, (https://mitfutureskills.org/post-graduate-programme-in-blockchain-technology) Blockchain, etc.

The summit was a great success with it being telecast live on YouTube and Facebook for global viewers aspiring for a career in trending technologies. More details about the 2nd International Virtual Summit on Women Frontiers in Exponential Technology can be found on (http://mitfutureskills.org/wfet)

MAEER's Trust which is known to set the strong precedence for the privatization of Engineering education in Maharashtra had taken a first mover's advantage by establishing the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT-Pune), in 1983, which continues to remain the flagship institute of the group.

MIT Art, Design and Technology University, Pune has been established under the MIT Art, Design and Technology University Act, 2015 (Maharashtra Act No. XXXIX of 2015). The University commenced its operations successfully from June 27, 2016. The University is a self-financed institution and empowered to award the degrees under section 22 of the University Grants Commission act, 1956. The University has a unique blend of Art, Design, and Technology as the core of its academics.

Recently, MIT Art, Design and Technology University, Pune has accomplished the following accolades:

-Ranked in Band Excellent for ARIIA 2021 by the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.

-Received 5 Star rating for exemplary performance by the Ministry of Education's Innovation Council, Govt. of India.

-Conferred with Best University Campus Award by ASSOCHAM, New Delhi

-Granted with Atal Incubation Centre under ATAL Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Govt. of India

MIT Art, Design and Technology University has been taking a holistic approach towards imparting education wherein the students are being motivated to build a complete winning personality which is "physically fit, intellectually sharp, mentally alert and spiritually elevated". The students are being encouraged to participate in yoga, meditation, physical training, spiritual elevation, communication skills, and other personality development programmes. Currently, we have 7500-plus students studying in various schools of higher education under the University viz. Engineering and Technology, Food Technology, Bioengineering, Arts, Design, Marine Engineering, Journalism and Broadcasting, Film and Television, Music (Hindustani Classical Vocal and Instrumental), Teacher Education, and Vedic Sciences.

Photo: (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1763848/MIT_ADTU_WomensDay.jpg)

Logo: (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1479539/MIT_ADTU_Logo.jpg)

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Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 10 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Rela Hospital, a Multi-Speciality Quaternary Care Hospital at Chromepet, Chennai has inaugurated a new health care facility at Oragadam today, for offering healthcare solutions at Oragadam industrial area.

The new facility has 32 beds. The 3-floor building spread across 15000 sq. feet is designed to provide the residents of the Oragadam & Kanchipuram districts by providing world-class quality healthcare to all people at an affordable cost.

The hospital was inaugurated by Prof Mohamed Rela, Chairman, Rela Hospital in the presence of Sunil, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sriperumbatur; ThiruSatyakam Arya, Managing Director & CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd & Thiru Sridhar N, CEO and Group Director Hiranandani Group. To mark international women's day and launch a new facility at Oragadam, Rela hospital kick-started a week-long free medical check-up camp for women above 30years. During the camp, free check-ups for various ailments, including diabetes, blood pressure, cardiac problems, thyroid problem, and general health issues, will be conducted.

Rela hospital in Oragadam is a 24x7 multi-speciality hospital with round-the-clock services for accident and emergency; daycare services and consultation; 24x7 Pharmacy and manned by a dedicated team of doctors and nurses.

Commenting on the New facility, Prof. Mohamed Rela, Chairman, Rela Hospital said, "We are happy to provide healthcare facilities of international standards at Oragadam and Kanchipuram districts, where numerous multinational companies have their established organizational setup. This facility providing basic healthcare services will have comprehensive support of our hospitals at all points, thereby ensuring that no one is denied quality healthcare services."

"We are committed to delivering world-class healthcare at an affordable cost and the new facility launched by Rela hospital at Oragadam will be the only 24x7 hospital in the area that will be capable of handling trauma cases and providing clinical treatment," said, Dr Ilankumaran Kaliamoorthy, CEO, Rela Hospital.

Rela Hospital, Oragadam offers state-of-the-art emergency departments, advanced diagnostic imaging, ambulatory clinics, and intensive care beds. The other specialized clinical services we deliver are related to cardiology, nephrology, orthopaedics, gastroenterology, neurology, emergency, and internal medicine.

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Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 10 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Terra Motors organized the event recently in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The sole purpose of the event was to meet the dealers of Terra Motors and connect with new potential dealers. About 100 dealers participated in the event.

It highlighted the new financial services provided by Terra Finance. Earlier Terra Motors was focusing on the Eastern region of India and was known as an East centric company for e-Mobility, however, with the advent of Terra finance, the goal is to become a pan India company starting from focusing on the North region. Consequently, the discussion included the plans to expand the electric vehicle business in Uttar Pradesh aggressively.

Through Terra Finance, the goal of the current year is to finance 50,000 vehicles with an increase in sales along with a budget of 500 crores in the next three years. "It is only possible to achieve this target with the help of our channel partners," said Kosuke Nakagawa, Chief Operating Officer of Terra Motors.

The event was divided in two sessions in which Shree Vardhan Poddar, Assistant General Manager addressed our guest dealers and showed immense enthusiasm for the existing dealers of Terra. Terra wants to provide full support to the dealers connected to them and solve any problem related to the services claimed by Mr Poddar. He believes, in order to work together and grow together, it is important to have a win-win strategy for all our stakeholders. Dealers working diligently and honestly can support Terra motors and contribute to the growth of the company in the e-Mobility Industry.

In the second session, Himanshu, Finance Manager introduced the Terra Finance Service explaining the concept of finance, its benefits and procedure to apply. To explain and solve the queries of dealers, small groups were formed which were headed by different team members of Terra. To know more about Terra Finance, click (https://terramotors.in/finance) here.

Upon inviting the potential dealers to the event, 80% of them turned out to be positive dealers who are interested in Terra Motors. According to Ishani Vasant, the main reason to draw these dealers towards this event was Terra Finance. The selling of units in UP depends on finance, therefore, having Terra's own NBFC (Financial Service) was an additional benefit for a successful event.

Terra's existing dealers are happy to be part of the company. Satyendra Singh, an existing dealer, has been working with Terra since 2018. He shared that the customers purchasing Terra Motors electric vehicles from him are satisfied with the services. He also mentioned that most of the vehicles in the market are sold on finance, therefore, Terra Finance is going to be the best strategy to increase sales and grow the business. Additionally, it will support the dealers as well as customers. "I would love to recommend Terra Motors to my friends in this e-Mobility industry as Terra Motors is creating a better environment for EV growth," says Singh.

Shafqat Azeem, a prospective dealer, from Allahabad has more than 7 years of experience in e-Mobility and his business is in Chitrakoot, UP. He believes that electric vehicles have the potential to grow more in future and being in the same field, he always looks for opportunities to work with the leading company in the market. "After hearing about Terra Motors from many people and seeing the company grow, I have made a decision to work with the company. There are three aspects of the electric vehicle: Quality, Service and Finance and Terra Motors is providing all three things at its best which is why this is the best opportunity to work with Terra Motors," says Azeem.

Check out the glimpse of the Lucknow meet: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IalchevccZQ & feature=youtu.be)

The event ended on a good note as there was a positive response from the dealers towards the new service of Terra Finance and business plan for UP. Terra Motors believes in reaching out to potential dealers and customers and does not wait for the opportunities to knock on the door, instead, it creates opportunities for others to support them and grow together.

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Like the rest of the world, India had also put a halt on international passenger flights when first wave of pandemic struck two years ago. Regular were first banned for a week starting March 23, 2020. But it stretched to two years. In between, more than 20,000 employees across airlines and ground handling agencies have lost their jobs in the last two years. The government had earlier planned to lift the ban on December 15 last year, but another wave poured cold water on it. Now, India has announced to resume scheduled international passenger flights from March 27. The resumption of such flights now will mean an end to the temporary air-bubble arrangements that India negotiated with many countries starting July 2020. India currently has reciprocal air transport bubbles with 37 countries including the US, Canada, UAE and the UK. Airlines were allowed to operate only a limited number of flights to these countries. And the tickets were expensive. The governments move to start regular flights will boost international capacity and help soften airfares, which have been soaring due to increased demand and rise in crude oil prices. International routes also mean higher revenue earned per seat. On Tuesday, there were 584 international flights, which is less than 50% of pre-Covid capacity. Despite the government allowing domestic airlines to operate at 100% capacity, IndiGo had a few planes grounded in its 270-aircraft fleet. This step will provide an impetus to economic recovery for the sector and the nation, with borders opening for tourists. We look forward to connecting our customers to the people and places they love. We will soon be announcing the schedule for our international destinations in accordance with these new guidelines, said IndiGo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ronojoy Dutta.

IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta said the governments step will provide an impetus to the sectors recovery. The airline will soon announce its schedule for international destinations.

As domestic travel rebounded, airlines were eagerly waiting for unrestricted international travel to restart. IndiGo and SpiceJet posted surprise profits in the October-December period after seven quarters.

The latest announcement provides a glimmer of hope for the hospitality industry too, which was among the hardest hit during the pandemic. 20-30% of hotels and restaurants in India are estimated to have permanently shut down since 2020.

Tourism and hospitality sector is a major foreign exchange earner for India. It brought in $30 billion in 2019 but this declined sharply in 2020.

Indias vibrant medical tourism industry will also get a boost. The industry was expected to reach $9 billion in 2020, but it didnt happen due to the pandemic. Large private hospitals get 10-15% of their revenue from medical tourism.

From nearly seven lakh in 2019, foreign tourists arriving for medical treatment in India fell 73% to 1.82 lakh in 2019. The industry has recovered to half of its pre-Covid size last year and this is expected to gather pace. With the last of the restrictions on tourism now being lifted, it will have a multiplier effect on various service-oriented sectors.

Open skies will turn the fortunes of aviation industry in long run. But, right now, a sharp rise in the prices of jet fuel due to Russia-Ukraine war may prove to be dampener for the industry, as it accounts for almost 40% of airlines' operating cost.

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The United States imposed another round of sanctions on 50 Russian oligarchs and their families last week, a move that was clearly aimed at President Vladimir Putin. All of them are said to be part of Putins inner circle, and use their money and influence to shield him from any harm. The UK too announced somewhat similar sanctions against them. The European Union has also said that it would sanction more than two dozen Russian oligarchs. But what exactly is an oligarch? The word oligarchy has Greek origins. It comes from a combination of the word oligos, which means few, and arkho, which means to rule or to command. Any societal power structure where the ruling power lies in the hands of a small number of privileged people can be broadly categorised as an oligarchy. And, these people in power, in turn, are known as oligarchs. In the Russian context, western media uses the term oligarch to refer to very rich Russian business leaders who have a great deal of political influence. Especially those who are close to President Putin. There are several kinds of oligarchies. Take the example of an aristocracy, which means a system where the nobles rule. Then there is plutocracy, a system where the wealthy rule. And then there is technocracy, a system where technical experts or educated people rule. is also categorised as an autocracy in some quarters. In an autocracy, the supreme authority or power to rule is in the hands of one individual or entity. External authorities and even the people have no say in the decisions taken by said individual or entity.

Autocracy includes dictatorship. There are two kinds of dictatorships. One is a civilian dictatorship and the other is a military dictatorship like the one we saw in Pakistan on several occasions.

Civilian dictatorship is a form of governance where absolute power is in the hands of a civilian. Here, the ruling dictator does not derive his power from the military.

On the other hand, in a military dictatorship, the military exerts complete or at least substantial control over political authority in the country. Here, the dictator is quite often a high-ranked military officer.

Autocracy also includes absolute monarchy. Some examples of absolute monarchy are Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Brunei. In an absolute monarchy, a family or a group of families, also called royalty, rules the country. In such a system, the monarchs power is not limited by laws or legislation. Also, the post of the monarch is hereditary.

And then there is Ukraine, which has been hailed as a country that is bravely fighting to preserve its .

In a democracy, the countrys people are involved in selecting its leadership or head. The people play a crucial and deciding role in the process of forming the government. In such a system, people have the right to vote for any party or political representative to bring them to power.

The primary goal of a is to ensure that the leaders govern through fair representation.

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According to business and consumer data company Statista, in the financial year 2021, over 3.8 thousand government services in India were provided over the internet. A CLSA report indicates the value of digital payments in India will grow three-fold  close to 1 trillion dollars in FY26 from 300 billion dollars in FY21. A Deloitte study has said India will have 1 billion smartphone users by 2026. The country was home to 1.2 billion mobile subscribers in 2021, of which about 750 million were smartphone users. As on January 2021, India had 448 million social media users. In 2021, the DBS Digital Readiness survey revealed almost 62 per cent of large and middle-market companies are still in the formative stages of digitalisation in India. These are big numbers, and point to the vastness of the cyberspace that India needs to secure. The country is also a witness to numerous in the past, including many soft ones. The governments ongoing Digital India push and the Reserve Banks planned Central Bank Digital Currency may only add to the list of vulnerabilities. In December 2021, Business Standard reported that India was expected to be among the largest victims of in two years. were projected to increase by 200 per cent year-on-year. According to the Computer Emergency Response Team data, India witnessed a three-fold increase in cybersecurity-related incidents in 2020 compared to 2019, recording 1.16 million breaches. The number of breaches is expected to increase in 2021 and 2022. According to government sources, there has been 6,07,220 recorded breaches till June 2021. So, is the Indian government seized of the situation at hand? Data on government spending paints a mixed picture. According to a Business Standard report, in 2021-22, the government outspend its budgeted estimates on cyber security for the first time in past eight years. In its recent Budget, the government said it would spend 515 crore rupees on cyber security in 2022-23. Thats a 10 times increase, compared to 2014-15.

However, it also represents a reduction from the 552.3 crore rupees spent on cybersecurity, as per the revised estimates of 2021-22. The government had budgeted 416 crore rupees for for that period.

Actual government spending on cybersecurity has always remained below budgeted estimates. For example, the government had spent 88.2 per cent of its budgeted amount on cybersecurity in 2016-17. In 2020-21, it was only able to spend 53 per cent of the budgeted amount.

Presently, the nature of the war in Ukraine indicates that India needs to review its cyber-defence policies. The country also needs to give equal attention to building a deterrent cyber-offensive capability. The government is taking far too long in finalising a National Cyber Security Strategy.

In a recent editorial, Business Standard pointed out two limitations in Indias present approach. At present, the countrys policy is defensive and has a narrow-focus. It aims to harden vulnerabilities only in civil government and military assets.

However, a substantial amount of critical infrastructure in India is built and managed by the private sector. Private corporations also hold troves of sensitive personal data. Therefore, any new strategy must ensure the private sector has necessary cyber-security cover. The new strategy must also acknowledge that the capacity to counter-attack is often the best defence in a cyber-war.

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Bank of Ireland has announced the recruitment of 100 technology professionals to further accelerate the delivery of its ambitious digital agenda. This announcement follows the recruitment of 130 similar tech roles in 2021, as part of its continued investment in digital banking.

The new recruits  which include Technical Architects, Software Developers, Engineers, specialised Project Managers, Scrum Masters and Data Analysts  will join the Banks in-house tech teams. This recruitment drive will support the ongoing enhancement of digital services for customers across personal, business and corporate banking, and the Banks wealth and insurance business.



Successful candidates will play a strong role in its ongoing digital transformation at a time when customer behaviours and preferences are evolving faster than ever. The roles will be recruited in line with the Banks flexible working policy, meaning applicants can be based anywhere on the island of Ireland, working from a combination of home and central office locations, and with access to a network of 11 remote working hubs.



Commenting on the expansion, Minister of State for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance, Sean Fleming said, "I welcome the continued investment by Bank of Ireland in their technology operations. I am encouraged by their recruitment plans for technology professionals to deliver financial services. The digital finance ecosystem in Ireland continues to grow and is creating exciting opportunities for people across a network of agile hubs."



HR Director, Group Technology & Customer Solutions, Eimear Harty added, "These new roles will further support our progress and momentum as we build a world-class, diverse technology team. We have many colleagues with deep technology expertise and these new positions will add to this. We are ambitious for the development of our digital services, and we offer a very progressive approach to flexible working. All this combined makes Bank of Ireland an exciting place to build a career right now."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Comment Policy Calaveras Enterprise does not actively monitor comments. However, staff does read through to assess reader interest. When abusive or foul language is used or directed toward other commenters, those comments will be deleted. If a commenter continues to use such language, that person will be blocked from commenting. We wish to foster a community of communication and a sharing of ideas, and we truly value readers' input.
A Hartford man was sentenced to prison Wednesday on a gun charge, according to federal authorities.

Jose Perez, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to a total of 33 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, according to federal authorities. A jury found Perez guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on Sept. 24, 2021.

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Hartford police detectives responding to a ShotSpotter activation on Nov, 13, 2016 recovered a loaded revolver in a car last registered to Perez and containing documents addressed to Perez in the glove box, federal officials said in a statement, citing evidence and testimony at trial. DNA analysis of the seized firearm indicated Perez had handled the firearm, according to federal authorities.

Prior to that incident, Perez had sustained state felony convictions for narcotics and burglary offenses and it is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce, according to federal authorities.

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Perez was apprehended on Jan. 19, 2021. He was free on bond, but was remanded to custody at the conclusion of todays court proceeding, federal officials said in the statement.

The case was investigated by the Hartford Police Department and the FBIs Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force, with the assistance of the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. It case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens and Maria del Pilar Gonzalez.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justices violent crime reduction efforts, federal officials said in the statement.
WARSAW, Poland  U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, citing the atrocities of bombing civilians, including a maternity hospital.

Speaking alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda at a press conference in Warsaw, where she is demonstrating U.S. support for NATOs eastern flank allies, Harris expressed outrage over the bombing Wednesday of the maternity hospital and scenes of bloodied pregnant women being evacuated, as well as other attacks on civilians. She stopped short of directly accusing Russia of having committed war crimes.

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US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a joint press conference with Poland's President Andrzej Duda on the occasion of their meeting at Belwelder Palace, in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching, said Harris, noting that the United Nations has already started a process to review allegations. I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.

Harris visit to Poland came amid a kerfuffle between Warsaw and Washington over a Polish proposal to send its Soviet-made fighter jets to a U.S. and NATO base in Germany so they could then go to Ukraine. Poland, in turn, would receive American F-16s.

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Poland had publicly floated the proposal without first consulting the U.S. Just as Harris arrived in Warsaw late Wednesday, the Pentagon definitively rejected the idea, saying it would run the risk of escalating the Russia-Ukraine war.

At Thursdays news conference, both Harris and Duda sought to brush aside differences on the fighter jets issue.

I want to be very clear, the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop, she said.

Duda for his part sidestepped questions about why Poland announced its proposal without first consulting the United States. He stressed his governments intention was driven by a desire for NATO as a whole to make a common decision on the matter.

In a nutshell we have to be a responsible member of the North Atlantic Alliance, Duda said.

Harris embrace for an investigation of war crimes came after the Biden administration on Wednesday warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine as the White House rejected Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded.

The White House raised the notion after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova  without evidence  accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor announced last week he was launching an investigation that could target senior officials believed responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide amid a rising civilian death toll and widespread destruction of property during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

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But investigations at the ICC take many years, and relatively few convictions have ever been won. The ICC was set up in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The crime of aggression, which cant be investigated in Ukraine because neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the court, was added later.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. is conducting a legal review process to determine whether Russia committed war crimes.

Duda said it is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes. He added that in his view the invasion was bearing the features of a genocide  it aims at eliminating and destroying a nation.

Harris praised the Polish people for their generosity for taking in nearly 1.5 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

Ive been watching or reading about the work of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and so I bring you thanks from the American people, Harris said earlier during a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hours after the U.S. House passed a massive spending bill that includes $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine and its European allies.

The legislation includes $6.8 billion to care for refugees and other economic aid to allies.

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Harris also met Thursday with seven refugees who have fled from Ukraine to Poland since the Russian invasion began. She praised the refugees for their courage and said the conversation would help inform U.S. assistance efforts. The group included a Ukrainian advocate for people with disabilities, a Moroccan university student, a professional film producer from Odessa, a Senegalese community leader and teacher, a LGBTQIA+ rights activist from Kyiv, and a Ukrainian energy expert and her young adult daughter.

We are here to support you, and you are not alone, Harris told the group. And I know theres so much about the experience that youve had that has made you feel alone. You are not alone. We around the world are watching.

The vice president also met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while in Warsaw. The Canadian leader has been in Europe in recent days meeting with allies about Ukraine. Trudeau credited the Biden administration for rallying Europes largely unified response.

News @3 Daily Catch up on the days top headlines sent directly to your inbox weekdays at 3 p.m >

Vladimir Putin totally underestimated the strength and resolve of the Ukrainian people, Trudeau said. But he also underestimated the strength and resolve of democracies to stand up in support of Ukraine, (and) in support of those values, and principles that underlie everything we do.

Harris whirlwind visit to Poland and Romania was billed by the White House as a chance for the vice president to consult with two of the leaders from eastern flank NATO nations about the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Already, more than 2 million refugees have fled Ukraine  with more than half coming to Poland  and even more expected to arrive in the days ahead.

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Duda warned of a refugee disaster if Poland doesnt receive more assistance to help house and feed Ukrainians fleeing the conflict. He said he asked Harris for the U.S. to speed up the process for those Ukrainian refugees who would want to go to the U.S. and might have family there.

The United States is absolutely prepared to do what we can and what we must to support Poland, in terms of the burden that they have taken on, Harris said.

Harris will travel on Friday to Bucharest, where she will meet Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

Miller contributed from Washington. Associated Press writers Mike Corder at The Hague, Netherlands, and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed reporting.
In recent weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom and a number of lawmakers have expressed support for cannabis tax reform. Several bills have been introduced in the Legislature to ease the burden on cannabis businesses and blunt a behemoth black market. Many cities and counties are already heeding the warnings from industry, and theyre not waiting on the state. As Californias marijuana market struggles under the weight of high taxation, more localities are stepping in and easing the tax burden themselves.

Writing for Marijuana Business Daily, Jackie Bryant lays out over a dozen examples, including:

A vote to reduce the cultivation tax by 85% in Humboldt County

A vote to postpone the tax deadline and suspend late penalties in Lake County

A freeze on automatic tax increases for cultivators in Monterey County and a proposal to reduce cultivation taxes

A vote to postpone first-quarter taxes in Sonoma County

Reduced taxes for cannabis manufacturing and distribution in Bellflower

A reduction in Berkeley's cannabis tax rate

A plan to reduce cannabis taxes in Cloverdale

Reduced cultivation taxes in Desert Hot Springs

Reduced taxes for manufacturing, distribution and testing in Long Beach

A reduced tax on gross receipts in Oakland

A vote to reduce manufacturing and cultivation taxes in the City of San Diego

A second-year marijuana business tax suspension in San Francisco through 2023

A reduction in cultivation, manufacturing and distribution taxes in San Jose

Resolutions passed by at least 11 local governments calling for statewide cannabis tax reform

Read more about cannabis tax relief efforts at the local level here.
Low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines will add nonstop route from Bradley International Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth. (Frontier Airlines/Connecticut Airport Authority)

Low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines said Wednesday it will add Dallas-Fort Worth as its seventh nonstop destination from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, in a week marked by a flurry of low-cost airline announcements about new nonstop routes from Connecticut.

Frontier, which resumed service flying out of Bradley in 2019 after an eight year absence, said the new route to Texas will launch May 27 and operate seasonally on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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Todays announcement is a reflection of our very strong commitment to provide consumers in the region with even more of Frontiers ultra-low fares and friendly service, Daniel Shurz, a Frontier senior vice president, said, in a release.

A check Wednesday of Frontiers booking site, FlyFrontier.com, showed a round-trip ticket to Dallas-Fort Worth on May 27 was $488, including taxes, fees and a personal carry-on item. There are fees for carry-on and checked bags and other items and services.

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Frontier also flies nonstop from Bradley to Atlanta, Cancun, Denver, Miami, Orlando and Raleigh Durham.

A Frontier Airlines Airbus A320 taxis between two firetrucks in a salute to the inaugural arrival Thursday at Bradley International Airport in 2019. (Michael McAndrews / Hartford Courant)

Frontiers announcement came day after the airline launched its first flight from Bradley to Cancun.

One other airline, American, flies nonstop to Dallas-Fort Worth.

On Tuesday, low-cost Breeze Airways said it would add six nonstop destinations in June from Bradley to Nashville, Tenn.; Akron/Canton, Ohio; Savannah, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia, and Jacksonville and Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida. The start-up would then have 10 nonstop destinations from Bradley.

[ Breeze Airways, Avelo Airlines announce new nonstop routes at Connecticut airports, as fuel prices surge ]

And at Tweed-New Haven Airport, Breeze low-cost rival Avelo Airlines added nonstop flights to Baltimore-Washington D.C., Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Chicago.

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com
This photo provided by The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows an active wildland fire at Dare County Bombing Range, in eastern North Carolina on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in North Carolina said Tuesday afternoon that the fire had slightly spread to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, which is one of the only places in the world where endangered red wolves can be seen in the wild. The fire covered 1,000 acres and was 60% contained as of Wednesday morning. (The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP)
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Rain showers early with clearing later at night. Low 42F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
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By Michael Baldassaro, data scientist for the Carter Centers peace programs.

Russia has long treated Ukraine as a proving ground for testing its novel and destructive cyberweapons.

In 2015, Russia launched a cyberattack on the power grid in Ukraine, plunging 230,000 civilians into darkness and cutting off power to homes, hospitals, and schools in the dead of winter. Repairs took months to complete. Two years later, Russia launched another attack that crippled government, financial, and energy institutions, shut down nuclear safety monitoring systems, and permanently erased public and private data. The attack spilled over Ukraines borders, disrupting private-sector entities such as Maersk, FedEx, and Merck and costing an estimated $10 billion.

Russias recent invasion of Ukraine raised concerns that it might also unleash a wave of devastating cyberattacks not just on Ukraine but also on its democratic allies  which NATO made clear could invoke Article 5 and trigger a collective response by member countries.

So far, Russia has yet to discharge anything from its cyber arsenal that could compromise critical public infrastructure or private sector services. Regardless, the looming specter of an attack means the world must remain vigilant.

As our public and private lives are increasingly intermediated by technology, just one person clicking a suspicious link in an email could spark a deadly cyberattack. While it is impossible to guard against every possible attack, there are concrete steps that individuals and companies can and should take:

Individuals must practice good digital hygiene: Using complex passwords, keeping software updated, enabling multifactor authentication, avoiding suspicious links, communicating through encrypted channels, backing up data, etc. may seem simplistic, but they are critically important. Massive cyberattacks are often attributable to poor digital hygiene.

Companies must implement cybersecurity defenses and protocols: Like individuals, private and public-sector institutions must ensure that their software is updated and their data backed up. Companies must also implement secure Wi-Fi, firewalls, restrictions on software installation, and strong data protection and security protocols to prevent sensitive information from being accessed and weaponized.

On a government and intergovernmental level, there is a need for norms regarding cyberweapons use. Unlike conventional warfare, there is no Digital Geneva Convention that establishes behavioral norms and constraints in cyberspace. There are no agreed-upon rules that preclude nation-state actors from launching or sponsoring cyberattacks that put noncombatants in the crosshairs  in times of war or peace. Without such rules, no cyberweapon is too powerful and everyone is a legitimate target.

In 2017, Microsoft President Brad Smith sketched the outline of a possible Digital Geneva Convention in a keynote address at a cybersecurity convention and in a subsequent policy paper. The components of such a convention build on U.N. and intergovernmental discussions and would commit states to, among other things:

Refrain from attacking systems whose destruction would adversely impact the safety and security of private citizens (i.e., critical infrastructures, such as hospitals, electric companies).

Refrain from attacking systems whose destruction could damage the global economy (e.g., integrity of financial transactions), or otherwise cause major global disruption (e.g., cloud-based services).

Exercise restraint in developing cyberweapons and ensure that any that are developed are limited, precise, and not reusable. States should also ensure that they maintain control of their weapons in a secure environment.

Agree to limit proliferation of cyber weapons. Governments should not distribute, or permit others to distribute, cyber weapons and should use intelligence, law enforcement, and financial sanctions tools against those who do.

Assist private-sector efforts to detect, contain, respond, and recover in the face of cyberattacks.

Given the current situation, it would be a good time to revisit the idea of a Digital Geneva Convention.

To inform discussions about appropriate norms and constraints, there is a need for data and analysis that substantiates how cyberweapons have been used, who has used them, and the real-world impact. As the development and use of cyberweapons evolves, patterns as well as new types of attacks will manifest themselves in data. Such data would provide policymakers with a perspective on the capabilities, vectors, methods, and consequences that must be considered when defining and refining the rules of cyberwar.

Cyberwarfare may take place in the virtual world, but its impact has the potential to be every bit as destructive. It is past time that governments work together to establish clear rules of cyberwar that mitigate potential harm to citizens.

Related Resources

Story | Center Fights Digital Threats to Democracy, Human Rights 

Carter Center Conflict Resolution Program 

Carter Center Democracy Program 
State Rep. Cara Pavalock-DAmato, R-Bristol, the married mother of a 4-year-old boy, attests in her reelection registration that since selling her 3,000-square-foot colonial on Nov. 30, 2021, she has lived in a 250-square-foot efficiency apartment in a building fronted by a vacant pawn shop.

In this file photo, Republican Cara Pavalock, center, greets voters outside Mountain View Elementary School in Bristol in 2014 as Gardner Wright, left, does the same for his son Chris who was running against Pavalock, then a first time candidate.. Bristol city councilman Eric Carlson holds the sign for Pavalock. Photo by John Woike | woike@courant.com

Leasing the modest apartment was intended to be a way for Pavalock-DAmato to maintain a bona fide residence in the 77th House District that she represents for the remainder of her term, a legal necessity once her family sold the colonial at 182 Rossi Drive and moved to 1960 Perkins St., a Bristol neighborhood in the 78th District.

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Her ability to run for reelection from the new home is not in question: A new legislative district map adopted by the bipartisan Reapportionment Commission moved the Perkins Street neighborhood from the 78th to the 77th, effective with the 2022 election.

At issue is whether she currently is a bona fide resident of the 77th District living at 467 Farmington Ave. #20  as Pavalock-DAmato, a practicing attorney, certified under penalties of false statement when she registered as a candidate for reelection on Jan. 12, 2022.

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I sleep there every night, Pavalock-DAmato said.

Morris Patton, the Democratic town chair of Bristol, isnt buying it. He filed a complaint Wednesday with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, alleging Pavalock-DAmato is no longer an elector in the 77th House District and should be removed as its representative in the General Assembly.

Patton says the Farmington Avenue site is an efficiency whose neighbors are Kentucky Fried Chicken, a Harley-Davidson dealership and an Auto Zone, and the Perkins Street site is a three-bedroom Cape with an in-ground pool on 12 acres purchased for $850,000 in June 2021.

Pavalock-DAmato grew up in Bristol in a prominent family, the daughter of a dentist. She got a law degree from Georgetown, relocated to South Florida and then returned home and married Tony DAmato, an executive at DAmato Construction, the company founded by his grandfather in 1961 and is named as a search term in a subpoena issued in a federal investigation into school construction contracts.

Ive known Cara since I was 14 years old. We were very good friends for a very long time, Patton said.

He questioned that the daughter of a prestigious dentist  a graduate of Georgetown Law, married to a guy from one of the prestigious families in our town, lives in a 250-square-foot efficiency apartment above a former pawn shop.

Pavalock-DAmato said her husband used to own the building. Land records show it was sold in June 2019 for $2.1 million to a New York-based LLC, which she says rehabbed the apartments.

Ive lived in worse, Pavalock-DAmato said.

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While she says she sleeps every night at the apartment, the mailing address she used to file for reelection is the home at 1960 Perkins St. The mailbox on Farmington Avenue was not secure, she said.

In his complaint, Patton said he has regularly checked the parking lot at 467 Farmington Ave. and alleges: For at least three months, her car has not been observed parking at the apartment complex on Farmington Avenue, but it has been observed regularly at 1960 Perkins Street.

There is no definition in state law of what constitutes a bona fide residence.

But the elections commission, citing case law, has concluded an individuals bona fide residence must qualify as the place where that individual maintains a true, fixed, and principal home to which he or she, whenever transiently relocated, has a genuine intent to return.

In other words, bona fide residence is generally synonymous with domicile, where a person actually lives, the commission said.

However, the commission has reserved a degree of wiggle room regarding students, the homeless and individuals with multiple dwellings.

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The State Elections Enforcement Commission has no authority to remove a lawmaker. Its jurisdiction in determining bona fide residence relates to the eligibility of a voter to vote in a particular district or town.

In the course of an investigation in which violations of election law are alleged, SEEC has the authority to make bona fide residence determinations for purposes of determining who is qualified to be an elector in any particular municipality or district, but that does not extend to making determinations about a persons qualifications to hold public office, said Joshua Foley, a staff attorney.

Under the state Constitution, any question of expelling a member is up to the House of Representatives.

House Republicans had expected Pavalock-DAmato to step away from the legislature when she informed them that she and her husband had purchased a new home in the 78th, a district represented by Rep. Whit Betts, R-Bristol. In fact, 1960 Perkins is next to Betts home.

(Technically, the home was purchased by an LLC controlled by her in-laws, Edward DAmato Jr. and Lori DAmato.)

Then Betts announced he would not seek reelection after two decades in the House, freeing House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, to negotiate new district lines that would allow Pavalock-DAmato to keep much of her district, while encompassing her new home.

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The new map was adopted on Nov. 19, and Pavalock-DAmato and her husband sold their Rossi Drive home on Nov. 30. She already had rented the apartment, advised she would need a residence in the district.

Our staff looked into the legalities and confirmed that she does need to live in the district, the old district, until her term expires. Candelora said.

Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. >

Pavalock-DAmato announced her new living arrangement in a Facebook post on Dec. 7.

All moved in to the new apartment! Recently, Tony & I sold the first home we bought together. I had the best neighbors. I will miss them and my closet. I will be living in an apartment in district so that I can carry out my duties as state representative. Love you guys! Merry Christmas.

Her post said nothing about the new house.

One man replied, Hope your constituents appreciate your sacrifice!

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Patton said the Facebook posting sparked a backlash, at least in his circles.

Some of the people in her district have said, Hey, are you guys gonna escalate this? And someone took it upon themselves to say Ive been to her real house several times, and her car is always there, Patton said. It has never been at this efficiency apartment.

Pavalock-DAmato said it is there every night, though it does not have legislative tags.
Photo: Contributed Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola MP Dan Albas

The atrocities of the Putin regime, as it continues to take the lives of innocent Ukrainians, remains a serious international concern for democratic nations.

Our federal government continues to explore and identify new actions to assist Ukraine, as well as targeting new measures to sanction Russia. The government and all opposition parties remain in support of these ongoing efforts.

At the same time, we also recognize there is only so much impact one country, the size of Canada, can have.

Canadas sanctions against Russia are further complicated by the fact we have overall, very limited dealings with Russia.This raises the question as to what can Canada do both in the short-term and the long-term to restore peace, stability, and respect for democratic sovereignty to the Ukraine?

In the short-term, aside from efforts already underway, Canada could join with other European countries and allow Ukrainians to travel to Canada without requiring a visa. This measure is supported by the official Opposition, however the government, thus far, has not agreed to implement this policy.

In the longer-term, Canada should no longer ignore that Russia supplies 40% of Europes natural gas, as well as a significant amount of oil. This dependence on Russian oil and gas has limited Europe from taking more proactive stances against previous instances of Putins aggression in the Ukraine.

Further by purchasing Russian oil and gas the proceeds from the sale of these natural resources are used by Putin to finance the Russian military campaign currently committing war crimes again Ukrainians. This should not be tolerable.

If Canada was able to get our natural gas and oil to the Atlantic via pipeline, we would become a valuable alternative energy supplier for Europe to displace Russian oil and gas. Likewise, if the Keystone XL pipeline was built, the capacity of this pipeline would more than offset the current levels of Russian oil imported into the Unties States annually.

This would result in the US importing more energy from its trusted ally and closest trading partner here in Canada, instead of looking to countries such as Iran or Venezuela for increased energy supply.

The major obstacle to doing this is of course politics. Killing pipelines here in North America has become a hallmark of progressive politicians both here in Canada and the United States.

These policies have been to the benefit of Russia, and potentially now Venezuela and Iran. None of these countries have an environmental record or regulatory regime anywhere near approaching what exists here in Canada.

We must also not overlook that even in North America, when pipelines are not built, we instead see a greater reliance of foreign oil and gas importations as well as greater use of oil by rail with our domestic oil and gas.

My question this week:

Do you believe Canada should play a great role in exporting our oil and gas to displace the European reliance on Russian oil and gas?

I can be reached at [email protected] or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: The Canadian Press Conservative MP James Bezan rises during Question Period in the House of Commons Tuesday March 9, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Lawyers for a proposed class-action lawsuit against the convoy protest in Ottawa argued in court Wednesday that GiveSendGo may be in breach of a freezing order on funds raised for the convoy on the website.

Monique Jilesen, a lawyer representing the proposed class and who obtained an injunction that froze convoy funds, said the order is meant to secure funds so the legal issue of how they should be used can be dealt with in court.

Parties in the case have agreed to move some donated funds and cryptocurrency into escrow, which could be redistributed to affected Ottawa residents and business owners should the class action succeed.

Jacob Wells, co-founder of American crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, told an Ontario Superior Court judge that the platform's terms of service give it discretion to return funds to donors.

Police cleared the convoy protest last month. Wells saidthere is now no way for the funds to be distributed for their stated purposes and the site is refunding amounts to donors in order to "protect our givers' intentions."

Jilesen said this may mean that GiveSendGo is in breach of the freezing order.

However, Justice Calum MacLeod said the order was meant to target funds that were clearly in possession of the defendants, and was not intended to apply to undistributed funds on fundraising platforms.

The appearance is part of an extended freezing order on all donated funds to the so-called freedom convoy, as the proposed class-action civil suit against the convoy continues.

The suit seeks damages related to the three-week protest outside Parliament Hill that snarled traffic, shuttered businesses and plagued residents with near-constant honking.

The "Freedom Convoy 2022" and Adopt-a-Trucker campaigns on GiveSendGo said money raised would go to truckers who travelled to and arrived in Ottawa, paying for fuel, food and shelter.

Melissa Adams, a lawyer from the Attorney General of Ontario's office, echoed Jilesen's arguments on Wednesday, adding that GiveSendGo is also subject to a restraint order made in February.

On Feb. 10, the Ontario government successfully petitioned a court to freeze access to millions of dollars donated through the online fundraising platform and prohibit anyone from distributing donations.

MacLeod said the issue of whether the site is in breach of Ontario's restraint order is not within his purview.

Meanwhile, the Conservative critic for ethics and accountable government said he asked the privacy commissioner to investigate the hacking of the crowdfunding platform.

Tory MP James Bezan said the data of tens of thousands of Canadians being illegally obtained and circulated without their consent is a "blatant breach of privacy."

He added that it led to doxxing campaigns, identification of personal and business addresses and targeted harassment.

While those who were charged for any "illicit activities" should be held to account, it is also "important that the privacy rights of all Canadians are respected," Bezan said in a statement.

In February, GiveSendGo was reportedly hacked and data on donors was provided to transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets, which made the data available to newsrooms and researchers.

The privacy commissioner's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Photo: Contributed A provincial review of B.C.'s remaining pandemic restrictions is slated by March 15.

Classrooms will need to make adjustments if mask mandates continue long-term in schools, says B.C. speech and language pathologists.

Classrooms are already challenging listening environments with background noise and distance from teachers. Masks especially muffle high-frequency sounds in speech, says Lynda Gibbons, the director of Speech-Language and Audiology Canada (SAC).

Even before the pandemic, statistics show that one in 10 students has a language disorder and one in five has hearing loss, which impacts speech development among the very youngest, according to Gibbons.

We know wearing a mask changes communications for everyone, she adds. As usual with COVID, we are further disadvantaging high-risk children.

A provincial review of B.C.s remaining pandemic restrictions is slated by March 15. Its unknown if masks in schools will be addressed.

Becca Yu, a B.C. registered pediatric speech and language pathologist (SLP), says while there have been anecdotal claims that masks have negatively impacted childrens development, there is no scientific backup.

That doesnt mean the potential risks arent worthy of investigation, she says.

We as a world, planet Earth, and as humans  we haven't done this before. And so, this long-term wearing of masks throughout many different seasons and the ongoing pandemic  we don't really know what the long-term consequences are, says Yu, who is also a member of Speech and Hearing BC.

Yu notes that children in Kindergarten through Grade 3 are still developing key communication skills, despite already having a lot of language skills in place.

Caroline Erdos, an SLP and leading member of SAC, points out that literacy instruction can be complicated by masks as they can attenuate a teachers speech.

There are reports of language delays, but its unclear what that gap is due to, she said, noting various other pandemic disruptions to education have occurred, including prolonged online learning and social distancing.

Nevertheless, Yu, Gibbons and Erdos are hard-pressed to find scientific studies on masking and speech and literacy development for this younger cohort of students.

Neither Speech and Language BC nor SAC have an official stance on masking. While all the SLPs Glacier Media spoke to want a better understanding of the potential impacts of masking, they still advocate for them to prevent the spread of the virus.

Im more concerned about the health impacts of COVID, said Erdos.

Yu said studies still need to flesh out if increased diagnoses of speech or language difficulties compared to before the pandemic result from masking.

There's a number of factors that they're going to have to tease out, said Yu. Is it the mask? Is it the reduced social interaction? Is that a combination of the two? Are there other factors that are in play that the researchers haven't looked at or haven't identified?

If masking continues for younger children in schools, teachers may need to make adjustments, said Gibbons and Erdos, including using audio devices in their rooms and transparent masks. Classrooms may also need to be retrofitted with soundboards, they say.

Coalition wants masks to stay

Others advocate that mask use continue in schools, including the use of publicly available N95s.

One such group, the Safe Schools Coalition BC, is petitioning for masks to stay.

Masks are one of the most effective tools in preventing transmission of COVID-19 in classrooms, it claims in a Change.org petition. Our schools do not have the option of social distancing, and only a small percentage of schools have made significant improvements to indoor air quality that will mitigate the risk of transmission in schools.

The group said there remain unknown risks of prolonged COVID effects, relating it to how chickenpox is now known to cause shingles.

The group says masks protect clinically vulnerable kids, such as those with diabetes, who are more affected by COVID.

Dr. Sally Otto, an evolutionary biologist with the group Protect our Province, strongly advocates masking in schools and told Glacier Media that masking should continue as long as the Omicron strain persists.

The strains impact can be seen in the four weeks leading up to Feb. 15, when the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) reported 24 children aged 5-11 were hospitalized due to COVID-19, including four in critical care. Compare that to the total 104 children in that age range who have been hospitalized, including 10 in critical care, since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Lack of consensus on mask effectiveness for children

The U.S. Center for Disease Control has taken a strong approach, recommending masks for children above age two.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend masks for children under age six. Furthermore, the WHO states a risk-based approach should apply for students six to 11 years of age, and such an approach should factor in the potential impact of mask-wearing on learning and psychosocial development as well as the childs capacity to comply with the appropriate use of masks.

In Canada, B.C. was one of the last jurisdictions to mandate masks for kids aged 5-8.

In October 2021, in response to increasing rates of COVID-19 among children under 12 years of age, the province updated its K-12 order to require masks for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students. That meant K-3 students went maskless for an entire month while their older school colleagues did not. Both cohorts were unvaccinated.

The testing data showed that both cohorts infection rates spiked nearly in lockstep for September, with the older masked children having a slightly higher rate. Meanwhile, the vaccinated older children (Grade 7 and above) saw their infection rates decline through the fall.

The BCCDC assessed the findings by noting in its October 2021 school report: Masks can provide an added layer of protection against COVID-19 transmission; however, it is difficult to assess the impact of mask-wearing among younger grades. There are many factors that contribute to the risk of COVID-19 infection, including rates in the community, vaccination coverage, and contact with others through social networks. The fact that rates are higher among 9-11 year-olds does not mean that there is not any benefit to masking, rather it suggests that there are numerous factors related to risk.

B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry explained that, despite the data from September, the masking order was made to the Delta variant infecting more children.

As we were moving into more infectious strains and having those outbreaks, it became more important to have that extra barrier in place for younger students as well, she said.

Henry couldnt definitively say to what extent masks helped.

It's really challenging to tease apart. Is it the mask that made the difference, or was it because we changed seating or because we changed cohorts? So, it's very difficult to understand what proportion of the risk was attributable to wearing masks or not wearing masks, said Henry. It really is an overall function of all of the different pieces that need to be in place.

Its for this reason that SLP Sarah Dooge would like to see a more thorough cost-benefit analysis of masking very young children. She points out what, to her as a parent, seems like ineffective and inconsistent mask-wearing amongst children.

Watch a group of kindergarteners with masks on, she says. Think about the amount of energy and effort, and time and money, that went in to get that five-year-old masked that day. Observe how theyre mask-wearing in the classroom and in the school community. Did the cost of the effort, energy and stress outweigh the benefits?

One of the biggest proponents of masking younger children has been the B.C. Teachers Federation (BCTF), the large union representing registered teachers.

BCTF president Terri Mooring declined Glacier Medias request for comment on potential learning impacts from masks and deferred to the provinces public health guidelines in schools.

Glacier Media reached out to the Ministry of Health, BC Childrens Hospital, Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health with questions about student development and well-being from masking but none responded.
Photo: The Canadian Press A child looks out a bus window as civilians are evacuated from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on Wednesday.

A Russian airstrike on a Mariupol maternity hospital that killed three people brought condemnation down on Moscow, Thursday, with Ukrainian and Western officials branding it a war crime, while the highest-level talks yet yielded no progress in stopping the fighting.

Emergency workers renewed efforts to get food and medical supplies into besieged cities and get traumatized civilians out.

Ukrainian authorities said a child was among the dead in Wednesday's airstrike in the vital southern port of Mariupol. In addition to the dead, 17 people were wounded, including women waiting to give birth, doctors, and children buried in the rubble.

Images of pregnant women covered in dust and blood dominated news reports in many countries and brought a new wave of horror over the 2-week-old war sparked by Russia's invasion, which has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians, shaken the foundations of European security and driven more than 2 million people from Ukraine.

Millions more have been displaced inside the country. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Thursday that about 2 million people  half the population of the capital's metropolitan area  have left the city, which has become virtually a fortress.

Every street, every house  is being fortified," he said. "Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands.

Bombs fell on two hospitals in a city west of Kyiv on Wednesday, its mayor said. The World Health Organization said it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the invasion began.

Western officials said Russian forces have made little progress on the ground in recent days. But they have intensified the bombardment of Mariupol and other cities, trapping hundreds of thousands of people, with food and water running short.

Temporary cease-fires to allow evacuations and humanitarian aid have repeatedly faltered, with Ukraine accusing Russia of continuing its bombardments. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 35,000 people managed to get out on Wednesday from several besieged towns, and more efforts were underway on Thursday in eastern and southern Ukraine  including Mariupol  as well as in the Kyiv suburbs.

The Mariupol city council posted a video showing buses driving down a highway. It said a convoy bringing food and medicine was on the way despite several days of thwarted efforts to reach the city.

Everyone is working to get help to the people of Mariupol. And it will come, said Mayor Vadym Boychenko.

Images from the city, where hundreds have died and workers hurried to bury bodies in a mass grave, have drawn condemnation from around the world. Residents have resorted to breaking into stores for food and melting snow for water. The city has been without heat for days as nighttime temperatures fall below freezing and daytime ones hover just above it.

The only thing (I want) is for this to be finished, Volodymyr Bykovskyi said as he stood by a freshly dug trench where bodies were being buried. I dont know whos guilty, whos right, who started this. Damn them all, those people who started this!

When the series of blasts hit the childrens and maternity hospital in Mariupol, the ground shook more than a mile away. Explosions blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building. Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying a bleeding woman with a swollen belly on a stretcher past burning and mangled cars. Another woman wailed as she clutched her child.

Regional Ukrainian police official Volodymir Nikulin, standing in the ruins, called the attack a war crime without any justification. Britains Armed Forces minister, James Heappey, said that whether the hospital was hit by indiscriminate fire or deliberately targeted, it is a war crime.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, on a visit to Ukraine's neighbor Poland, backed calls for an international war-crimes investigation into the invasion, saying, The eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed concerns about civilian casualties as pathetic shrieks from Russias enemies. He claimed without providing evidence that the Mariupol hospital had been seized by far-right radical fighters who were using it as a base  despite the fact that photographs from the aftermath showed pregnant women and children at the site.

Several rounds of talks have not stopped the fighting, and a meeting in a Turkish Mediterranean resort between Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, failed to find much common ground.

In their highest-level talks since the war began, the two sides discussed a 24-hour cease-fire but did not make progress, Kuleba said. He said Russia was still seeking surrender from Ukraine.

This is not what they are going to get, he said, adding that he was willing to continue the dialogue.

Lavrov said Russia was ready for more negotiations but showed no sign of softening Moscows demands.

Russia has alleged that Western-looking, U.S.-backed Ukraine poses a threat to its security. Western officials suspect Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to install a government friendly to Moscow in Kyiv as part of an effort to draw the former Soviet state back into its orbit.

Russias military is struggling, facing heavier losses and stronger Ukrainian resistance than it apparently anticipated. But Putins forces have used airpower to pummel key cities, often shelling populated areas.

In Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, 91-year-old Alevtina Shernina sat wrapped in a blanket, an electric heater at her feet, as cold air blew in through a damaged window. She survived the brutal World War II siege of Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, and is now under siege again, her health too fragile for her to be moved.

Her daughter-in-law Natalia said she was angry that Shernina began her life in Leningrad under the siege as a girl who was starving, who lived in cold and hunger, and shes ending her life in similar circumstances.

"There were fascists there and there are fascists here who came and bombed our buildings and windows," she said.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Poland's prime minister told Justin Trudeau that they were meeting at a turning point in history as the Canadian prime minister was about to come face to face with Europe's refugee crisis.

Trudeau arrived in Poland, where most of the estimated two million Ukrainians that have fled the Russian war on their country have sought sanctuary.

"We meet at a turning point, which will probably determine and define the future for years or maybe decades," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Trudeau shortly after his arrival in Warsaw.

"The war and refugee crisis which it created, but in particular, in what's going on in Ukraine, it's something unimaginable in the third decade of 21st century."

Morawiecki said he planned to talk to Trudeau about "how to get rid of Russian oil and gas, how to make the sanctions work really effectively."

Trudeau praised Poland for its "extraordinary" welcome of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives, and he told his host how impressed he was with the Polish soldiers he met earlier this week at the NATO base in Latvia, where Canada is commanding a multinational battlegroup.

Trudeau said they need to "condemn very, very strongly the violation of international law" and United Nations charters.

"The sanctions are hard and heavy and will last a very long time," said Trudeau.

Later Thursday, Trudeau was to visit a temporary shelter for refugees as part of his day in Warsaw. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children are among those who have escaped to neighbouring Poland in the face of an escalating Russian bombardment that has targeted civilians.

The United Nations says more than 500 civilians have been killed so far. On Wednesday, it was the images of women and children who survived the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine that filled European airwaves and put a human face on that suffering for a continent reeling from the worst fighting since the Second World War.

The airstrike on the maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol injured pregnant women and left children buried in the rubble.

The World Health Organization says it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago.

Before leaving Berlin, Trudeau gave a major foreign policy speech at a leading German think tank and answered questions from an international audience where he said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin would be held accountable one day for war crimes before the International Criminal Court.

Trudeau affirmed that while Canada's doors are wide open to Ukrainian asylum seekers, their first stop will be somewhere in Europe.

"Canada is a country that was built by people fleeing war, persecution or just looking to build a better life," he said.

Danny Glenwright, the president of Save the Children Canada, said there is grave concern for the more than one million children who have fled Ukraine so far.

"We are particularly worried about the risk of displacement and subsequent soaring humanitarian needs, based on reports that hundreds of thousands of people, mainly children and women, will continue to arrive in Poland, Romania, and other neighbouring countries."

He said his organization has teams in Poland and nearby countries to help refugees, and is advocating with European Union officials and others to help children reach safety and be protected.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday that the government planning for a Canadian response to a European refugee crisis started late last year, as Putin began deploying more than 100,000 Russian soldiers and military equipment to Ukraine's borders.

"We called it the 'God forbid' scenario," Freeland told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly at Berlin's famed peace monument, the Brandenburg Gate.

Joly said Canada is working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees throughout eastern Europe to find ways to get refugees to Canada after negotiating safe passage agreements. She said International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan was in Moldova talking to the UN refugee agency to co-ordinate Canada's response.

"These conversations are happening," Joly said. "But at the same time, we need to do things well."

Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent, said when she sees the images of the carnage coming out of Ukraine, "I have to stop looking at them." She called the maternity hospital bombing an "atrocity," using the same word as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

After speaking to two members of Zelenskyy's cabinet on Wednesday, Freeland again praised the courage and resilience of Ukrainians as they fight off the Russian onslaught. Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for NATO a no-fly zone to protect his country, but Canada and its allies have ruled that out because they say it would lead to wider war between the West and Russia.

But she also addressed the one hard truth underlying the fact that decision.

"The reality is, when it comes to the actual fighting, the Ukrainians are fighting alone. They're fighting for all of us," Freeland said.

In Warsaw, Trudeau is to meet with Poland's prime minister and president and is expected to meet with U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

It will be Trudeau's final stop on his four-country tour of Europe this week to speak with allies about how to ramp up the pressure on Putin's regime.

He met Wednesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and their talks focused on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and a desire to end the war without further escalation.

Trudeau also announced Wednesday that Canada would send another $50 million in specialized equipment, including Canadian-made cameras for surveillance drones, to help Ukraine defend itself.
Photo: The Canadian Press

MDA Ltd. says it has won a $269-million contract from the Canadian Space Agency for the next phase of the Canadarm 3 program.

The agreement for Phase B of the program will see MDA complete the preliminary design of the robotics system.

Canadarm 3 is part of the NASA-led Gateway project to establish a space station in lunar orbit.

MDA says it will be a highly autonomous system capable of maintaining itself and making decisions with minimal human intervention.

The contract follows MDA's completion of Phase 0 and Phase A, which established the technical requirements needed for the system.

MDA says the design work is expected to be completed over the next 17 months.

"This is another important milestone for MDA that demonstrates our ability to execute in the rapidly accelerating global space economy and further reinforces our role as a worldwide leader in robotics and space operations," MDA chief executive Mike Greenley said in a statement.

"MDA now intends to leverage its world-class engineering capabilities, mission expertise, and cutting-edge Canadarm3 technology with an eye towards commercializing space robotics products in the years ahead."
Photo: The Canadian Press A destroyed Russian tank is seen after battles on a main road near Brovary, north of Kyiv.

McCain Foods is ending a project to build a production facility in Russia and suspending shipments of its products to the country because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The Canadian company says it stopped construction at the Russian production facility in the Tula Oblast region on Feb. 24 and has now made the decision to discontinue the project entirely.

Charlie Angelakos, vice-president of global external affairs and sustainability at McCain Foods, says the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been deeply concerning.

The decision by the french fry maker comes as countries around the world stop work in Russia or with Russian companies because of the invasion and global economic sanctions.

The announcement by McCain came as WSP Global Inc. says it is also quitting its projects in Russia and will stop seeking out work in that country or Belarus.

WSP, which says it has no employees in Russia, Ukraine or Belarus, estimated its economic exposure related to the assignments to be under $1 million.
Does common sense end once you cross the mountains from the rest to Canada into B.C.

Almost all areas in the world are discontinuing the stupid mask mandate. Not B.C. To add insult to injury, we are now ostracizing health care workers, as if we have not gotten rid of enough of them and made our health care system a laughing stock.

I have had two COVID shots and one booster. I got COVID. My son has had the same and got COVID twice.

Vaccination does not prevent you from getting COVID-19. It only helps to make results less severe.

It is time the complete control being imposed by our governments, both provincial and federal, came to an end. It is here forever.

M Sebastian

(Editors note: B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is expected to make an announcement about health restrictions this afternoon)
Re: Mass grave in Mariupol (Castanet, March 9)

I read Castanet's story about people dying in Ukraine are being buried in mass graves due to the constant attacks of the Russian forces and it breaks my heart.

Also, the courage and dedication of the city workers who are endangering themselves by giving these poor souls at least some form of burial is tremendous.

Too many people have already died to satisfy the whims of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and unfortunately more will (die) in the near future until this war is over. No one wins in a war, as there are great losses for all involved. But humanity doesn't seem to ever learn from our mistakes or actions.

I have attended two pro-Ukraine rallies in Kelowna and I hope there won't be a need for too many more.

Ukranians are fighting for their lives and dying for their freedom, while people here complain about high gas prices and wearing a mask for awhile. What the people of Ukraine are experiencing is a tragedy. What we as Canadians have experienced are inconveniences.

I hope this awful war ends soon and these people who are buried in mass graves will get a proper burial and acknowledgement of their lives from their government and those that love them.

Everyone's life is important and unique and they deserve to be remembered.

A Mullins
Photo: pixabay

Put on a pot of coffee, take the dog for the walk, maybe even indulge in a workday without donning a pair of pants  these are some of the perks of working remotely, a paradigm half of Canadian office workers now say is their ideal scenario, according to a new poll.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, work-life balance has been upended for millions of people across the globe. And while office workers have not borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruption has them favouring permanent change.

It's clear that the role that the physical office plays in the day-to-day work and satisfaction of employees has changed dramatically during the pandemic, said Amazon Business Canada country manager Nick Georgijev in a prepared statement.

We're not going back to how things were before, and businesses need to adjust to the many operational realities that come with that.

According to the Amazon Business Return to Office Report, released Thursday, only a quarter of Canadian office workers prefer a workweek either mostly or entirely in the office. Meanwhile, roughly 40 per cent say they would abandon their job if they were forced to work in the office full-time.

And in a job search, 55 per cent said they would be less likely to take a position if the company had a full-time office work policy.

The survey comes amid a big shift toward in-person work mandates as Canadian jurisdictions emerge from the COVID-19 Omicron wave and companies weigh the benefits of office life.

Before Omicron, only half of Canadian office workers had returned to work, though that number climbed to 60 per cent in British Columbia, where more office workers had returned than any other jurisdiction in the country.

When the variant triggered a series of new public health measures, one-third of Canadian office workers who had already returned to the office said back-to-office plans were put on hold, according to the poll.

Today, the poll found 57 per cent of office workers in Canada would prefer either a split between remote and office work, or to work almost entirely off-site.

The survey, which was carried out by the Angus Reid Forum in December 2021 and February 2022, polled nearly 1,600 Canadian office workers who had transitioned to remote work during the pandemic. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
From left, Alontia Moore, Ray Rose, Justin Evans-Smith and Veronica DeLeon watch a video of Lauren Smith-Fields in Stamford on Feb. 6. Smith-Fields's friends have used TikTok to share her personality with the world and to shed light on how her family feels they have been treated by the Bridgeport Police Department. (Yehyun Kim/The New York Times)

On Dec. 13, Everett Smith got a phone call no father wants to receive: His only daughter, Lauren Smith-Fields, was dead.

At first it was surreal. I couldnt believe it, Smith said. My daughter was my baby girl.

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Smith-Fields, a 23-year-old community college student from Bridgeport who hoped to become a physical therapist, had died a day earlier, after a date with an older man she met on Bumble. The man called police on Dec. 12 to say he awoke to find Smith-Fields unresponsive.

Her family had been frantically trying to reach her but only learned of her death when her mother, Shantell Fields, went to her apartment and was informed by her landlord.

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The deaths of Fields-Smith and another Black woman from Bridgeport that occurred the same day has sparked calls for legislation requiring the timely reporting by the police of a death to the next of kin. House Bill 5349 was the subject of a public hearing on Zoom before the legislatures judiciary committee on Wednesday.

Lawmakers from both parties expressed sympathy for the families and vowed to pass the bill.

Im sorry you had to go through this, said Sen. Gary Winfield, the committees co-chairman, his voice cracking with emotion as he addressed the families directly. There are a lot of people who watch your situation and feel it deeply. A lot of people when we pass this bill will be better for the work that youve done, so thank you.

[ Cause of death released in death of Lauren Smith-Fields, the 23-year-old found dead in Bridgeport apartment. Criminal investigation opened ]

The bill would require the responding officer to notify the next of kin as soon as practicable, but not later than 24-hours following the identification of a victim.

An undated family photo shows Lauren Smith-Fields, who was found dead in her apartment in Bridgeport on Dec. 12 after a Bumble date. Her family says they didn't learn of her death until nearly two days later. (via The New York Times)

Failure to do so could prompt an investigation by the state inspector general, who has been empowered by lawmakers to review cases of police misconduct. If the officer is found in violation, their certification could be revoked.

This law will help other families who are going through all the grief, pain and heartache our family has gone through and is still going through, Deirdre Owen told lawmakers. Her sister, Brenda Lee Rawls, died on Dec. 12 at the home of a man she knew.

Bridgeport police never notified Owen or her family of Rawls death. The family called local hospitals and funeral homes before learning two days later that she had been taken to the chief state medical examiners office in Farmington.

Owen said she couldnt believe it. I said to my sister [that] if Brenda died, we would have been notified, she told members of the committee.

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Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim issued a public statement apologizing for a lack of sensitivityand failure to police policy on the part of two city police officers. He also testified in support of the bill.

Acting Bridgeport Police Chief Rebeca Garcia did not return a call Wednesday seeking comment.

But both families told lawmakers they had not received personal apologies from the mayor or the city.

My daughter has been deceased for 88 days, Fields said, adding that her family has not been shown decency, sensitivity and common respect by the police. When it comes to Black and brown people, you need to treat us like were human, she said.

Smith called the police response an atrocity.

[ Bridgeport detectives suspended, boss retires, after allegations they mishandled death investigations of two Black women ]

Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. >

When you watch television, you see that detective knock on a familys door and break the news, he said. We didnt get that. We didnt even get a phone call. We had to search and dig and find out from a fourth party.

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Brian Anderson, legislative director of the union representing most municipal police officers, said he understands the anguish of families who lose a loved one. But he urged lawmakers to amend the legislation to require a police chief or administrative officer to make the notification.

A first on the scene officer often has his or her hands full in handling the death scene, Anderson said in written testimony to the committee. It seems more proper to place such a notification responsibility with management rather than rank and file officers.

Rep. Steve Stafstrom, a Bridgeport Democrat and co-chairman of the judiciary committee, noted the sad irony of the two womens death on the same day. Its incredible and tragic that we have two of these incidents to talk about, he said.

The medical examiner has ruled that Smith-Fields death was caused by acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine and alcohol. The death was ruled accidental. A criminal investigation is ongoing.

The medical examiner said Rawls death was from by natural causes.

Daniela Altimari can be reached at daltimari@courant.com.
Photo: The Canadian Press A Polish soldier holds a baby as refugees fleeing war in neighboring Ukraine arrive at the Medyka crossing border, Poland, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

As more than 2 million refugees from Ukraine begin to scatter throughout Europe and beyond, some are carrying valuable witness evidence to build a case for potential war crimes.

More and more, the people who are turning up at border crossings are survivors who have fled some of the cities hardest hit by Russian forces.

It was very eerie, said Ihor Diekov, one of the many people who crossed the Irpin river outside Kyiv on the slippery wooden planks of a makeshift bridge after Ukrainians blew up the concrete span to slow the Russian advance.

He heard gunshots as he crossed and saw corpses along the road.

The Russians promised to provide a (humanitarian) corridor which they did not comply with. They were shooting civilians, he said. Thats absolutely true. I witnessed it. People were scared.

Such testimonies will increasingly reach the world in the coming days as more people flow along fragile humanitarian corridors.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday said three such corridors were operating from bombarded areas and, in all, about 35,000 people got out. People left Sumy, in the northeast near the Russian border; the suburbs of Kyiv; and Enerhodar, the southern town where Russian forces took over a large nuclear plant.

Yes, I saw corpses of civilians, said Ilya Ivanov, who reached Poland after fleeing a village outside Sumy where Russian forces rolled through. They shoot at civilians with machine guns.

More evacuations were announced Thursday as desperate residents sought to leave cities where food, water, medicines and other essentials were running out.

In a staggering measure of displacement, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Thursday said about 2 million people, or every second person among the capitals residents, have left the metro area.

In addition to the growing number of refugees, at least 1 million people have been displaced within Ukraine, International Organization for Migration director general Antonio Vitorino told reporters. The scale of the humanitarian crisis is so extreme that the worst case scenario in the IOMs contingency planning has already been surpassed, he said.

Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking trained psychologists are badly needed, Vitorino said, as more traumatized witnesses join those fleeing.

Nationwide, thousands of people are thought to have been killed across Ukraine, both civilians and soldiers, since Russian forces invaded two weeks ago. City officials in the blockaded port city of Mariupol have said 1,200 residents have been killed there, including three in the bombing of a childrens hospital. In Ukraines second largest city, Kharkiv, the prosecutors office has said 282 residents have been killed, including several children.

The United Nations human rights office said Wednesday it had recorded the killings of 516 civilians in Ukraine in the two weeks since Russia invaded, including 37 children. Most have been caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, it said. It believes the real toll is considerably higher and noted that its numbers dont include some areas of intense hostilities, including Mariupol.

Some of the latest refugees have seen those deaths first-hand. Their testimonies will be a critical part of efforts to hold Russia accountable for targeting civilians and civilian structures like hospitals and homes.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor last week launched an investigation that could target senior officials believed responsible for war crimes, after dozens of the courts member states asked him to act. Evidence collection has begun.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia, expressing outrage over the bombing of the childrens hospital in Mariupol. Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching, she said.

Some countries continued to ease measures for refugees. Britain said that from Tuesday, Ukrainians with passports no longer need to travel to a visa application center to provide fingerprints and can instead apply to enter the U.K. online and give fingerprints after arrival. Fewer than 1,000 visas have been granted out of more than 22,000 applications for Ukrainians to join their families there.

Ukrainians who manage to flee fear for those who cant.

I am afraid, said Anna Potapola, a mother of two who arrived in Poland from the city of Dnipro. When we had to leave Ukraine my children asked me, Will we survive? I am very afraid and scared for the people left behind.
Debra Williams from Bishop, California displays the basket she won at a health fair organized by the Toiyabe Indian Health Project.

When doctors offices closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Toiyabe Indian Health Project, with its main clinic site in Bishop, California, went into the community to help. Toiyabe, a consortium of seven federally recognized tribes and one Native American community, hosted three drive-through health events that reached almost 200 people. During these events, clinic staff provided COVID-19 vaccinations. They also recommended services to help tribal members who smoke commercial tobacco quit and urged members to reschedule any cancer screening tests they missed.

Helping Tribal Members Quit Commercial Tobacco

Its important to Toiyabe staff to help tribal members quit using commercial tobacco products since lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among American Indian and Alaska Native people. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. In addition, tobacco use can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body.

In 2020, Toiyabe hired a trained tobacco cessation counselor. Toiyabe staff encouraged doctors to ask new patients if they use tobacco and to offer help quitting as needed. As a result, 38 patients were referred to tobacco cessation services in 2021up from only 3 in 2019.

Supporting Cancer Survivors in Culturally Appropriate Ways

Patient navigators are health care workers who help people overcome problems getting health care. Toiyabe created a program to train patient navigators to help tribal members with cancer. Six staff members were trained in this 2-month program. They provide support to cancer patients, survivors, and their families by phone and in person.

Toiyabe developed a cancer resource guide for the navigators. The guide includes educational materials and tools to help cancer patients during treatment. The team working on the guide used local images, art, and resources and even used the communities language to define words throughout the document. They also worked with community members to complete a thorough review of the resource to make sure it was culturally appropriate. Toiyabes patient navigators have given out 400 copies of the guide.

In June 2021, Toiyabe partnered with seven community organizations to host its first event for cancer survivors. People who attended received a free blood pressure screening and health information. Specialists from local hospitals talked about physical activity and nutrition for cancer survivors. More than 50 people attended the 2-hour event.

Putting Training Into Action

The Toiyabe Indian Health Project is one of eight tribal health programs supported by the California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. (CRIHB).external icon With funding from CDCs National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, CRIHB collaborates with partners through the California Tribal Comprehensive Cancer Control Program.external icon They work together to lower the number of American Indian people in California who get cancer.

Our CDC funding helps us offer a variety of culturally appropriate trainings and other assistance to coalition members, which include the tribal health programs, said Kathleen Jack, CRIHBs Research and Public Health Department Deputy Director. These activities are designed to enhance their ability to increase commercial tobacco cessation, ensure timely cancer screenings, and support cancer survivors.

Toiyabe leaders spoke at CRIHBs Journey of Wellness conference in June 2021 about how they planned and implemented their cancer survivor support and tobacco cessation efforts.

These efforts by the Toiyabe Indian Health Project have made it easier for communities served to access tobacco cessation and cancer prevention and care services, said Melissa Meza, a health education specialist in the California Tribal Comprehensive Cancer Control Program. She noted that CDCs National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program recommends assessing tobacco use, referring tobacco users to cessation services, and going into communities to make it easier for people to access health care as effective ways to prevent and control cancer.
Malaria vaccine launch in Kenya (Homa Bay County). Credit: WHO / Neil Thomas

2021: Continuing to Push Forward on Strategic Priorities

The Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (DPDM) is guided by the same focus that drives all of CDCs activities: use science and innovation to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. DPDM focuses on diseases caused by parasites, including malaria, cyclosporiasis, Chagas disease, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), among dozens of others.

Throughout 2021, we remained steadfast with our focus on three priority goalspdf icon to ensure that we do not lose momentum in the fight against malaria and other parasitic diseases.

As we begin 2022 with a renewed commitment to our life-saving mission, it seems fitting to reflect on a few of our biggest achievements thus far considering the ongoing global pandemic that continues to disrupt every aspect of our lives and work.

Goal 1: Ensure prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of parasitic diseases in the United States

Finding the culprit behind some summertime food-related illnesses

The 2021 U.S. cyclosporiasis season (typically May 1September 30) was again an active one, with more than 1,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of food-related illness caused by the parasite reported to CDC from 36 states, including two large, multistate outbreaks.

To help combat Cyclospora, DPDM uses advanced molecular detection (AMD) methods to develop DNA fingerprinting to help distinguish among different strains of the parasite. These tools help link cases to each other and to specific types of produce, which can help public health officials investigate and possibly prevent future outbreaks. In 2021, CDC processed more than 500 samples from 18 states and received an additional 300 genotyping sequences from partner labs in New York, Texas, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. CDC hopes to establish this practice as a CDC surveillance tool for cyclosporiasis by 2025.

Helping to address health inequities through increased awareness of parasitic diseases

Chagas disease is an underrecognized parasitic infection that affects approximately 300,000 people in the United States and can be passed from mother to baby. An estimated 300 babies are estimated to be born with Chagas disease in the United States every year. Most cases are undiagnosed. If left untreated, Chagas disease can cause heart failure, stroke, and even death.

Since 2015, CDC has funded public health partners to develop new strategies, educational tools, materials, and guidelines to improve awareness and prevention of Chagas disease. Current partners include:

Boston Medical Center These collaborators are starting with a successful screening program called Strong Hearts external icon as a model and expanding to other sites across Massachusetts. The goal is to screen pregnant mothers for Chagas disease and then test and treat infants who may be affected.

These collaborators are starting with a successful screening program called Strong Hearts as a model and expanding to other sites across Massachusetts. The goal is to screen pregnant mothers for Chagas disease and then test and treat infants who may be affected. New Yorks Einstein College of Medicine These partners are working with healthcare providers around New York City to develop Chagas disease centers of excellence to screen and treat patients at risk. They are also organizing opportunitiesincluding a recent symposium, Chagas Disease and Transplant: Closing the Gaps external icon to educate physicians, examine gaps in knowledge, provide networking, and answer questions about Chagas disease.

These partners are working with healthcare providers around New York City to develop Chagas disease centers of excellence to screen and treat patients at risk. They are also organizing opportunitiesincluding a recent symposium, Chagas Disease and Transplant: Closing the Gaps to educate physicians, examine gaps in knowledge, provide networking, and answer questions about Chagas disease. San Diego State UniversityThese partners are continuing and expanding efforts of the Texas Chagas Taskforce and the ECHO external icon Chagas disease platform to educate providers, including community health workers, and offer support across the United States.

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections were once prevalent throughout the southeastern United States. Environmental and socioeconomic conditions favorable to STH infections persist in many areas of the American South. DPDM is collaborating with state health departments in Alabama and Mississippi and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) to determine if STH infections are present among children in rural communities where environmental conditions are conducive to such infections and people may not have access to effective and safe sanitation.

DPDM has provided funds to UAB and UMMC to conduct public health surveillance and clinical care for anyone identified with an STH infection. These partners efforts will also help identify potential risk factors and sources of STH infectionssuch as inadequate home sanitation systemsand link residents to programs that can help remediate failing systems. While data collection and testing are ongoing, education and outreach activities are helping to bring attention and awareness of the environmental and socioeconomic conditions in these areas as well as the potential public health risks associated with them.
Ecocem joins Bill Gates in Solving for Zero documentary

10 March 2022

Europes leading provider of low-carbon solutions for the cement and construction industries, Ecocem, is joining leading scientists and innovators in Bill Gates new documentary series, Solving for Zero.

The pilot documentary and 10-part series on streaming service Wondrium, based on Bill Gates best-selling book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster will feature Ecocem, amongst a range of scientists, start-ups, and solutions at the environmental forefront of reaching net zero. The documentary explores the bold ways that the energy sources we use, materials we build with and food systems we rely on are being reimagined.

Getting to net zero by 2050 will be hard and will require innovation across sectors, but Im optimistic that together we can reach our goals," said Bill Gates. "These projects highlight exciting solutions that I hope inspire people to think more broadly about the issue and consider what each of us can do to fight climate change.

In the lead-up to Earth Day 2022 on Friday, 22 April, the series 75-minute pilot episode Solving for Zero premiers on Friday 8 April , following which therell be a further 10, 30-minute educational episodes.

Focussing on the cement industry, Conor ORiain of Ecocem explains how the companys innovations are being used to dramatically reduce emissions in cement for the worlds largest infrastructure project, the expansion of the Paris Metro system, and the Athletes village for summer 2024.

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Sculptures Vandalised By ISIS Return to Ancient Assyrian City of Hatra

The ancient city of Hatra has been on Unesco's World Heritage in Danger list since 2015, when it was occupied by Isis militants. ( Hadani Ditmars) The ancient city of Hatra, one of Iraq's most important historic sites that was ravaged by Isis in 2015 and added to Unesco's World Heritage in Danger list, is going through a reawakening seven years on.

Iraqi dignitaries including the culture minister Hassan Nadhem attended a private ceremony held at the site last week to celebrate the restoration of three severely damaged sculptures. The best-preserved example of a Parthian city founded in the third century BC, Hatra was occupied between 2015 and 2017 by Isis militants who used it as a training camp.

A troupe of dancers performed a traditional folk dance in colourful regalia at the event in Hatra's sanctuary, where Saddam Hussein once had his name inscribed in the ancient bricks, while guests took in the ruins that testify to the city's fusion of Greek, Mesopotamian, Canaanite, Aramean and Arabian religions. Known in Aramaic as "House of God", the temple complex served as a location for the opening scene of the 1973 film The Exorcist.

The destruction that unfolded when Isis used Hatra's edifices and depictions of deities like the sun-god Shamash and the goddess Allat for target practice has now been mitigated by a "first aid" restoration project funded by Aliph, the International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas. Initiated in 2020, it facilitated work by Italy's International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (ISMEO) in co-operation with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. The project undertook a survey of the damage to the site and secured damaged sculptural decorations.

According to the lead archaeologist Massimo Vidale, the artefacts revealed at last week's ceremony included "two giant human face-like sculptures, which had been hammered down and smashed into pieces by Isis militants". These were fully restored by his team and returned to their original locations in 2021. Fragments of a third giant mask were collected, stored in security and "will be the subject of another restoration as soon as possible", Vidale says.

Italian and Iraqi restorers have collaborated on a joint restoration project funded by Aliph, the International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas. ( Hadani Ditmars)

The joint efforts of the Italian and Iraqi teams have borne fruit in a relatively short space of time. Milestones include clearing debris from the site--which was damaged not only by Isis but by 12 years of neglect when sanctions bankrupted Iraq--including the detritus of war and three unexploded bombs. Specialists have also conducted a thorough documentation of the 700-hectare site via drone imagery and digital 3D scanning, enabling the virtual reassembly of key pieces.

Further fragments of vandalised sculptures have been recovered and secured, including the large, sculpted heads that once decorated the facade of the temple of Shamash, whose brutal destruction was shared on social media by Isis. The larger pieces fit together perfectly, and the heads were returned to their original positions. Other recovered fragments depict a mermaid-like creature blowing a trumpet. Hopefully, she heralds a new era for the long-suffering site, where foreign tourists are slowly starting to return, and locals still flock for weekend picnics.

One of the recovered fragments depicts a mermaid-like creature blowing a trumpet. ( Hadani Ditmars)

Sheikh Ahmed Abu Harrush, a local dignitary whose father was killed by Isis, tells The Art Newspaper how much the restoration of Hatra means to Iraqi people. "It is the return of the Iraqi soul," he says.
The virus of political scandal has mutated in Connecticut. Leaders who should be the antidote have instead given us none.

Gov. Ned Lamont continues to dismiss the emerging picture of alleged contract steering in his administrations school construction financing program. The program, which spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year, is the focus of a federal criminal investigation.

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The Greenwich Democrat apparently refuses to speak the name of his former top adviser who subpoenas from federal law enforcement authorities suggest is at the center of the probe. Thats Konstantinos Kosta Diamantis, the former Democratic state representative who was Lamonts former deputy budget director and head of the school construction financing agency.

Lamont has developed a raging case of Diamantis distancing. In 2020, Lamont announced big plans for the states State Pier project in New London. He declared that while he gives the speeches, Its up to Kosta to deliver the goods. Today, Lamont refuses to utter his name. Diamantis is now some deputy.

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[ A federal grand jury is investigating Connecticut projects. Heres what you need to know ]

Worse, Lamont wants to shut down discussion. He warned a radio host to be careful about calling these dismaying events a scandal, which they are. Lamont, who leans heavily on his carefully created genial image, is allowing a tone to slip into his tart explanations. Can a snarl be far off?

Lamonts aversion to candor was at its starkest on Feb. 25. The governor took questions from the press in the hall outside his Capitol office that Friday afternoon after announcing the resignation of budget chief Melissa McCaw. The answer when CT Mirrors Mark Pazniokas asked Lamont if he knew of the federal subpoena when it was served in October: I think Nora may have mentioned it to me, just in passing.

[ Connecticut state budget director Melissa McCaw leaves for job in East Hartford; Gov. Lamont accepts resignation ]

For students of 21st century Connecticut corruption scandals, this was a poisonous statement against honor. Nora is Nora Dannehy, the governors legal counsel. She secured her place in state history when she was one of the lead federal prosecutors who exposed former Gov. John Rowlands corrupt practices in 2004. Dannehy knows the significance of a federal subpoena. She wielded plenty of them in the public interest. To say Dannehy would mention in passing one aimed at the heart of the Lamont administration is an incredible statement that reveals far more about Lamont than Dannehy.

[ Connecticut Gov. Lamont pledges transparency in ongoing probe of state projects, well get to the bottom of it ]

The strategy of silence spread to the legislature on Tuesday. The anti-toxin has not been created that can protect us from the ill-effects of what the legislatures finance and education committees dumped into the public square during a hearing on, well, anything but the school construction investigation.

The hearing was billed as addressing school construction. The Senate co-chair of the finance committee, John Fonfara, D-Hartford, announced he is an advocate of robust legislative oversight and then prohibited discussion of the investigation that prompted the meeting. Fonfaras excuse was that there is an ongoing federal criminal investigation. In most places that would be a reason to probe more, not issue gag orders.

[ Connecticut legislators call for oversight and transparency as officials defend scandal-plagued school construction program ]

Opinion Weekly Perspective on the week's biggest stories from the Courant's Opinion page >

State Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, Fonfaras House counterpart, went along with the charade. The ambitious Scanlon is running for state comptroller, an office that requires an inquiring disposition and some distance from the governor. I believe Scanlon ruled himself out as a qualified candidate by breathing in the virus of silence.

A river of drivel ran through the two-and-a-half-hour embarrassment. The most sustained performance came from Department of Administrative Services acting Commissioner Michelle Gilman. The Colchester Democrat proved her bona fides as a party functionary.

Gilman droned on for 45 uninterrupted minutes about internal audits, external audits, and other dry procedures. Her near-filibuster included the ban on saying Diamanitss name.

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Reality made two illuminating appearances at the hearing. State Rep. Tammy Nuccio, R-Tolland, pointed out that nothing Gilman was prattling on about addresses her towns experience. Tolland officials claim that Diamantis threatened their school construction projects if they did not hire two of his favored contractors. Audits do not stop bullies.

State Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol, added a late moment of blinding clarity. Can you simply tell us  what went wrong here? he asked. The days river of drivel crested when Gilman needed Martin to restate the question.

What went wrong was the system for building schools for the states children appears to have been perverted. A federal investigation provides a vaccine for the symptoms gripping state government. So does an election, and thats what Tuesdays show hearing was about.

Kevin Rennie of South Windsor is a lawyer and a former Republican state senator and representative.
Danville City leaders get ready to breathe new life into the old mill village; Danville leaders ready to weigh proposal to provide real estate tax help to elderly and disabled; Danville native taking his place in Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Betty Hudson Hogan passed to the next adventure January 12, 2022, having very nearly reached the ripe old age of 93.

Born in Birmingham, Al., she lived as a child for a time in Houston and St. Louis before moving to Chattanooga. She graduated from Chattanooga High School and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Chattanooga, where she was listed in Whos Who among American Universities and Colleges and a member of Chi Omega Sorority.

A retired medical technologist, she was a member of The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul where she served on the Womens Guild. She was a lifetime member of the Ladies of Charity, the Chi Omega Alumni Association, and the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. She volunteered at the Community Kitchen and Memorials Center for Cancer Support for many years.

She and her husband Stan were bona-fide world travelers, having visited all seven continents and too many countries to count.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Stanley G. Hogan; her parents, Marguerite and William A. Hudson; her daughter, Susan Hudson Kono; her son James R. Hudson; and her stepdaughter Deanne Hogan Chapman.

She is survived by her sons, Rev. Cliff Hudson (Jill), and David Hudson (Renee), and son-in-Law, Frank Chapman. She is also survived by her grandchildren; Maggie Kono, Clifford, Jamie, Paige and Taylor Hudson; Erika Collins, Robert Gordon, Melanie Black, Joe Chapman, and a full gaggle of great-grandchildren.

A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, March 12, at 1 p.m. at the The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Gathering of Family & Friends will be held on Saturday from 2-3:30 p.m. at The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 214 East Eighth Street, Chattanooga TN 37402 or the Ladies of Charity, 2821 Rossville Blvd., Chattanooga TN 37407.

The family would like to publicly thank the entire staff and management of The Bridge, Ooltewah for their loving, caring ministry.

Share condolences and memories at www.heritagechattanooga.com.

Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home, East Brainerd Chapel.
An employee at McDonalds at 4829 Brainerd Road told police a black female ordered some chicken nuggets. She apparently approached the drive-thru window and became angry at the $1 price difference between a 10 piece and 20 piece. Next, the female attempted to come through the drive-thru window prior to exiting. The female pulled around front and started screaming. The employee locked the door and told her to leave, which she did. The employee didnt want to pursue anything and just needed a report.

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Police spoke via telephone with a man who said he was buying breakfast at Bojangles at 4701 Hixson Pike that morning and believes he dropped or left his credit card. He later discovered via his card fraud department someone had been using his credit card at various locations. The list of locations include: Mapco #3537 $30, Mikes Citgo $120, Circle K #03649 $8.67, Walmart #3619 $154.94, and Beauty Zone 1 $94.12, $26.18. The man has since canceled the card.

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A woman on 4th Avenue told police she was in a verbal altercation with her boyfriend and explained that they were arguing over finances, but her boyfriend had left before police arrived. She said the argument was only verbal, and she no longer needed police.

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A man told police he found a wallet with ID in a parking lot in the vicinity of 20th Street and Market Street. Police transported the wallet to property for safekeeping. The ID located inside was for a man who resides at the Community Kitchen at 727 East 11th St.

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A woman called police and said she was at Encore at 1150 Carter St. for a career fair. During the time she was there, someone stole her gold-colored iPhone 11. She tracked the phone to the Grove Street Apartments via her Apple watch. The gold iPhone was in a clear case with stars.

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A person driving by CHI Memorial Metabolic and Bariatric Care at 7405 Shallowford Road called police and said the front double doors was standing wide open. Upon arrival, police also observed the front doors open. The closed business was searched to make sure no one was inside. The double doors were secured back as well as it could be. Police could not reach the owners.

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Police responded to an accident with injuries at 3950 Brainerd Road involving a red SUV and silver van. The woman driving the SUV said she was sitting at the light at the intersection of Brainerd Road and Belvoir Avenue when her vehicle was rear-ended. She said the impact caused her neck pain, so EMS responded to the scene. Police checked the womans SUV for damage and didnt see any. Police spoke to the other driver who said she got distracted, but once she looked up, she slammed on the brakes while rear-ending the SUV. The second driver had EMS check her out due to being pregnant, but refused being transported. Police checked the van for damage, but didnt see any. Police didn't observe any damage to either vehicle. Due to neither vehicle sustaining damage, neither driver wanted to file an accident report.

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A woman told police over the phone that someone attempted to get into her vehicle while it was parked at City View Apartments at 2709 Citico Ave. She said the front driver side door had scratches and the acrylic paint is damaged near the lock.

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While on routine patrol, an officer saw an unoccupied, white Toyota 4Runner parked at the end of Central Avenue where it circles back into Dorris Street. Police conducted registration on the vehicle and found it wasnt stolen, but was registered out of Marion County. This report was written to document the vehicle for future reference.

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An employee with the Choo Choo Hotel at 1400 Market St. called police and requested a white male party be asked to leave the property. The man was not a guest and was acting strangely. An officer spoke to the man who identified himself as Dallas, and he agreed to leave the property. Dallas did not provide a last name.

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A woman on Roanoke Avenue told police her driver-side window on her vehicle had been broken. She said while she was out of town, she observed an unknown black male breaking the window of her car as well as the window of another mans vehicle. The woman was able to show the officer security footage where an unknown man was seen approaching the mans vehicle and appears to smash the driver-side window and leave the scene. The unknown man was then seen returning to the residence approximately an hour later. The suspect then broke the driver-side window of the womans car and checked the door handles of another vehicle on the scene. The suspect also attempted to open the door to the residence and then left the scene. The woman said no personal belongings were taken from her car, however, the man was not on the scene to inventory his vehicle..

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An employee of Dollar General at 7345 Lee Hwy. told police a male customer was told he is banned and not to return due to him possibly shoplifting and that he took his pants off inside the store. The suspect is a white male with glasses and a service animal. The employee said the man grew irate and made threats about knowing what car the manager drives. She needed a report in case anything were to happen.
There are reportedly over 20,000 mercenary types who have now joined the Ukraine army and, according to the embattled nations Washington embassy, over 3,000 are United States warriors who are keen to join the countrys International Legion, to fight the Russian invaders. By definition, a mercenary is a professional hired by a foreign country to fight, but Ukraine official say they are not paying anyone, which makes it legal for those from The Land of the Free to fight alongside the Ukrainians.

The First Deputy Interior Minister, Yevhen Yenin, said the growing number of volunteers sign a contract and get military papers, Ukrinform reported.

Volunteers are eligible for Ukraine citizenship, he also said. If such foreign nationals are interested in obtaining Ukrainian citizenship, our legislation provides for them such an opportunity, Yenin said yesterday.

Soldiers from Britain, France and other European countries are already boots on the ground in Ukraine but  wait  it isnt as easy as just flying into Poland and entering the border at the Medyka Crossing. Volunteers must have documents confirming military service or work with police agencies, and combat experience is required.

Military officials state We dont want to turn away those who are not trained, but at the same time, people can provide medical help. Or some can analyze mass media if they dont wish to fight. There are many needs 

Why in the world would anyone fight for a foreign land? Despite a dislike for the Russians in general and Putin in particular, quite a number of Britons have made a steady stream to Ukraines London embassy and heres an excerpt from last weeks Epoch Times on Its the Right Thing To Do. (March 2, 2022):

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Liam Hawkins, 30, drove to the Ukrainian embassy from Deptford, south east London, to sign up to help refugees stuck at the border in a humanitarian capacity.

The 30-year-old father told reporters: I havent slept since this invasion and I just cant stay at home with my babies and my missus and do nothing.

Right is right and wrong is wrong, regardless of nationality or creed or whatever.

Ive got a good life here in England, Ive got a good job, I make plenty of money.

Sit there and count your money when this is going on next door? Doesnt mean nothing, so Im going to do the right thing.

I know its dangerous, people are trying to talk me out of it, but I believe I can make a difference.

Two former soldiers, Tom, 20, and Lukas, 21, who declined to give their last names, said they were definitely not worried about traveling to Ukraine to fight.

Tom, who served in the Royal Tank Regiment for three-and-a-half years, said: When I get there, the training weve had will kick in.

If I fall, I fall. At least I know that Ive fallen for doing something right.

The duo, who plan to take their own military equipment and medical supplies, said they have not told their families and will simply leave a note when they go.

Whether my family thinks its a good idea or not, it doesnt matter.

The worlds bigger than just the UK and I know whats right and wrong, Tom said.

Lukas, who travelled to London from near Manchester to sign up at the embassy, said he joined the Army at 16 but had no conflict experience.

He said he wanted to go and help.

Thats what people seem not to understand about soldiers, they say yeah they want to go out and fight. Technically we want to go out and help.

Oliver Miller, 29, a mechanical engineering student from Chelmsford, Essex, who also had military experience, said he is hoping to go out and help somehow.

Obviously, the conflict in Ukraine has been going on for a while, conflict with Russia dabbling in stuff they shouldnt has been going on for even longer.

I dont want to sound cliched and cheesy, but sometimes its something you feel like you have to do.

And quite frankly, I kicked myself over not doing anything about Donbas, and I know Ill kick myself if I dont do anything about this.

He said he has not told his very supportive family and girlfriend. Not sure how supportive theyll be of this decision, we shall see.

* * *

FROM NATIONANDSTATE.COM, 3-7-22 -- At least 16,000 foreign nationals have volunteered to join an international legion created to resist Russias invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed, after Kiev lifted visa requirements for anyone willing to fight. Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join Ukraine in defending the country, please come over, Zelensky pleaded at a recent press conference, adding We will give you weapons  

Around 400 Swedes have signed up for the legion, according to the countrys TT News Agency, which cited the groups coordinator Philip Brannval. The first flight departed Thursday for Poland  thought to be a logistics hub for arms and aid deliveries  and from there the volunteers will enter Ukraine by land, Brannval said.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, meanwhile, announced on Thursday that the government would not punish those seeking to join up with Ukrainian forces, as the country typically prohibits citizens from serving in foreign armies. Up to 300 Czechs have reportedly vowed to ship out. Prague, unlike non-aligned Stockholm, is among NATOs 30 member states.

The Czech government is also now moving to criminalize speech supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin or the Russian invasion. Czech police report that they are already investigating hundreds of people for alleged support for Moscow, with criminal proceedings in nine cases.

A small handful of American, Canadian and German special forces veterans are also set to join the fight, according to interviews by BuzzFeed News. The outlet noted the group  numbering just 10 people in total  is NATO-trained and experienced in close combat and counterterrorism. A pair of retired American infantry officers will also fly over to provide leadership for the squad, while several other US and Canadian citizens also told Reuters they intend to answer Zelenskys call.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters over the weekend that Ottawa would leave the decision to fight up to individual citizens. The US State Department, however, continues to urge Americans to avoid travel to Ukraine amid the hostilities.

Like Canada, the UKs Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she would support British nationals heading out for Ukraine, but added, that is something that people can make their own decisions about. Speaking with Insider, two UK vets said they intend to join the Georgian National Legion, which has close ties with Kiev and has clashed with Russian-speaking fighters in the breakaway Donbass region. Since the UK parliament has said that well back anyone that goes, thats kind of like the UK government giving anyone a green light to go and help, one veteran told Insider.

Japan, a close partner with the West, has also seen at least 70 citizens volunteer, among them 50 veterans of the countrys Self-Defense Forces and two from the French Foreign Legion. However, Ukraines Japanese Embassy stressed that any candidates must have military experience or, at minimum, specialized training. Tokyo, too, has warned against travel to Ukraine.

Having received requests from several veterans on how to join the international brigade, the Military Times has published a step-by-step guide for those looking to face down Russian troops. Kievs British Embassy, meanwhile, also offered advice, telling volunteers to fill out an online form before taking a flight to Poland, where it said they would receive additional instructions.

It remains unclear who will command the foreign force, whether they will receive training before deployment, or how long they will be expected to serve.

An unspecified number of fighters are also arriving from neighboring states such as Georgia and Belarus, the Washington Post reported. Citing a Chechen activist in Ukraine, war correspondent Elijah Magnier said two battalions of Chechen fighters are already on the ground in the country and prepared to resist the Russian advance. The unconfirmed report comes after Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov  a close ally to Putin  said he mobilized thousands of troops to fight on behalf of Moscow.

Russia, for its part, has warned of stiff consequences for any foreign nationals looking to support Ukraine, vowing to criminally prosecute any fighters captured while arguing that international rules for POWs would not apply to them.

None of the mercenaries the West is sending to Ukraine to fight for the nationalist regime in Kiev can be considered as combatants in accordance with international humanitarian law or enjoy the status of prisoners of war, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Thursday, as cited by Tass.

* * *

royexum@aol.com
The Chattanooga Seafood Company, at 1743 Dayton Boulevard in Red Bank, is now open for business. Owner Thomas Jones, better known as TJ, wanted to meet the demand for a fresh seafood market in the area.

Mr. Jones enlisted the expertise of Jeff Simmons, a lifelong friend from Chattanooga. Mr. Simmons has over 25 years of experience with his successful seafood store, Seafood Station, in Loveland, Ohio. He shared his knowledge with Mr. Jones as he developed his unique business plan to bring only the freshest seafood to his community and the surrounding cities.

The Chattanooga Seafood Company will feature ten to fifteen types of seafood and shellfish such as oysters, clams, crab, and lobster. The selections will change to reflect the various types of seafood in season and local market preferences.

Mr. Jones plans to feature his own in-house smoked salmon and eventually plans to offer salmon jerky. In addition to the salmon, his menu will include grab-and-go items such as soups, spreads, sauces and dips. As his business grows, Mr. Jones wants to offer customers an even larger selection of seafood and various side items.

Eventually I also plan to add grab-and-go meals along with my own in-house fish stock, said Mr. Jones. Well have something in stock for every seafood lover.
The Chattanooga Writers' Guild will host the workshop "A Spring Trio: Writing Your Life in Three Parts" by Sonja Livingston from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 26.

The event is $10 for Guild members and $20 for non-members.

Although Ms. Livingston will appear virtually, the event will be live at the Edney Innovation Center, 1100 Market St., on the 5th floor.

The workshop is primarily aimed at memoirists in any stage of their writing. The workshop is valuable for poets, fiction writers, essayists and creative nonfiction writers, in fact anyone who wants to put more of their own voice and emotion into their work.

The workshop will offer three critical pieces of craft advice, three literary examples, and three writing prompts. The focus will be on creating short pieces that offer readers vibrant snapshots of your life. There will be time to write and an opportunity to share work.

Ms. Livingston is the author of four books of nonfiction, including the memoir Ghostbread which won an AWP Book Prize for Nonfiction and has been widely adopted for classroom use. Her writing has been honored with a New York State Arts Fellowship, an Iowa Review Award, a VanderMey Nonfiction Prize, as well as grants from Vermont Studio Center and The Deming Fund for Women. Her award-winning essays are widely anthologized, appearing in textbooks on memoir writing and journals such as Salon, LitHub and Brevity. Sonja is an associate professor of creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University. You can find more information at sonjalivingston.com






George Ryan Love, a frequent local candidate, has been ruled off the ballot for the county clerk election.

Election Administrator Scott Allen said state Democrats had ruled him not a "bona fide" candidate.

Mr. Love had qualified to run in the May primary. He was to be the only contender on the Democratic side.

Incumbent Bill Knowles is the sole Republican.

Chester Heathington and Nivek Rucker are running as Independents.

Mr. Love ran in 2016 as a Democrat for the Third Congressional District. Meg Gorman won that Democratic primary. Mr. Love received over 2,000 votes.

He has run three times for mayor of Chattanooga, including last year.

On another election issue, Chris Clem of the Election Commission said if Judge Tom Greenholtz gets elevated to the Criminal Court of Appeals it is not clear how his current Division II seat of Criminal Court would be filled.

Election officials are looking into the matter.

It was noted that no one qualified for Lookout Mountain, Tn., School Board. The Election Commission was told that candidates got together and are going to run as Independents instead of by party.

Concerning a special election on the Aug. 4 ballot for City Council District 8, officials said if a candidate does not get 50 percent + that there will be a runoff on Sept. 15.

Mr. Allen said Asst. City Attorney Phil Noblett said there is no legal requirement for a runoff. However, he said City Council members want a runoff held if there is not a clear winner. The city will be required to pay the full cost of the Sept. 15 election.
Each semester, a nursing student is awarded the Sam H. Odom Scholarship from the Sam H. Odom Foundation Trust and Tennessee Board of Regents. Cleveland State Community College nursing students Alyssa Fox and Cassie Webb both received $1,000 for the Spring 2022 semester.

Vickie Still, assistant professor of Nursing at Cleveland State, said, We are very pleased to have these students represent Cleveland State Nursing by winning this prestigious scholarship.



Bradley County is home for Ms. Fox and her children. She has a love for children which she hopes to one day become a nurse in a mother/baby unit. Her plan is to graduate with her Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, also known as a Registered Nursing degree, this spring. Ms. Fox continues to receive scholarships and participates as a member of the Honors College.

"I was actually the recipient of this scholarship in the fall of 2020, said Ms. Fox. Mrs. (Nancy) Thomas (director of Nursing) encouraged me to apply. I love being able to be in a nursing college with people who are truly compassionate and want to see you succeedit feels amazing to have the privilege to receive a scholarship that will help me pursue my dreams of becoming a certified RN.

Ms. Webb is a Hamilton County resident who is already on the front lines as a firefighter and EMT-B with the Chattanooga Fire Department. Ms. Webb received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science Pre Med at UTC, but since the pandemic she decided to return to school to pursue nursing.

Ms. Webb said, I've always enjoyed helping people and serving others within the community. The pandemic proved that we'll never know what life throws in our path or for how long, and nursing seemed like a great career choice when it comes to serving others in a time of need.

While fighting fires and studying nursing, Ms. Webb is also a mother to two children. Her goal is to graduate from Cleveland State at the end of this year.

The Sam H. Odom scholarship was established in 2015 to provide scholarship funds to students who are enrolled in a Tennessee community college, pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree.
A private landfill at Birchwood that opened over a year ago is seeking to expand.

Bill Lind, president of Birchwood III, LLC, said a public meeting on the project will be held on March 17 at 6 p.m. and the Highway 58 Fire Training Center on Snowhill Road.

Mr. Lind said there have been no issues or complaints since the landfill opened.

He said the new section will likewise be for construction and debris items, not household waste.

The same roads and entrance will be used.

He said it takes about two years to go through the permitting process so the group is starting now.

He said an existing buffer of trees and vegetation will stay in place.
Kim Hoffman, who advocated very publicly and relentlessly for passing medical aid-in-dying legislation in Connecticut for the past two years, was my wife.

She passed away on Jan. 18 without the option to peacefully end what was unbearable suffering, and I want to share her story and continue her advocacy.

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Kim was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013, and she fought mightily for nine years to survive it. But in November, her worst fears were realized when two oncologists informed us that the cancer had spread throughout her body, even to her brain, and there was nothing more they could do for her.

From that day forward, Kims health declined as the cancer advanced and the pain increased. She would wake at 3 a.m. every morning, writhing and crying in pain. She lost motor skills to the point that she could no longer answer her phone or hold a spoon to feed herself.

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Kim had the very best hospice care, for which we were both grateful. But it wasnt enough.

When she was awake, Kim was agitated, angry and very weak. Three times, I called the paramedics to help get her into her hospital bed after falling while trying to get to the commode.

When I didnt think it could get much worse, it did. The pain got so bad that we set an alarm for every three, four and six hours to make sure she was getting all of the medications possible to keep her somewhat comfortable. The pain was so bad that it broke through long-acting, 12-hour doses of morphine.

Kim was an athlete, strong in every way other than the cancer. The hospice nurses would say, Shes young and her vitals are strong; she may linger longer than most. And she did.

This is not how Kim wanted to die. She fought so hard to have the option to get a medical prescription to gently end her suffering on her terms, and not put herself through the trauma.

Opinion Weekly Perspective on the week's biggest stories from the Courant's Opinion page >

A few weeks before she died, I was helping Kim get onto the commode, when she whispered faintly in my ear, So, Im never going to be able to take a shower again? I nearly fell apart when I had to say to her, No, honey. I dont think so. She responded, I wish wed moved to Maine.

Maine, New Jersey and Vermont are three states in the region where medical aid in dying is authorized. We absolutely considered moving to Maine, New Jersey or Vermont, but Kim said she was so dedicated to getting legislation passed in Connecticut that she felt she would be abandoning the people of Connecticut if she moved.

In the last months of life, Kim reached out to many opponents to try to bridge the understanding gap. In a conversation that left her sputtering with anger, a disability advocate suggested Kim didnt need the authority of a state law, she could simply overdose on all of her medication. In effect, the advocate who opposed what she called assisted suicide, suggested that my wife do just that.

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By contrast, Kim told opponents that medical aid in dying offered her a safe choice. Nobody is required to utilize it, but it offered her the peace of mind to leave the world as she chose.

In the most unkind of coincidences, Kims father, Herb Hoffman, was diagnosed with terminal gastric cancer last August, while he was living here in Connecticut to be closer to us. He moved to California the week after Kim passed, and after going through the rigorous process there, utilized medical aid in dying on March 4.

To the members of the General Assembly now considering Senate Bill 88, a bill that would allow terminally ill, mentally capable adults to get a prescription to end unbearable suffering, I ask you to not abandon the people of Connecticut. Have the compassion and empathy to allow people like Kim to have this peaceful dying option at the end of their lives, as her father did in California.

Joy Cipollo lives in Glastonbury.
As we approach the Easter season my mind goes back to the 1953 Dr. Billy Graham Crusade at the Warner Park Field House. 69 years ago the Graham team was in the Chattanooga planning for the month long event. I was only six years old but remember family and friends talking about the massive revival taking place at Warner Park.

Mose and Garrison Siskin financed most of the construction donating bricks and steel for the structure which held thousands. Veteran broadcaster Luther Masingill talked about giving Mr. Graham a ride in his model T from the field house to the Hotel Patten where the Graham team was staying. Luther was also proud his mother sang in the large choir. The crusade took place March 15 April 14.

The late Bob Briscoe was WDEF Radio Chief Engineer. Mr. Briscoe said he got a call at the last minute that the radio engineer for the Graham team was sick and they needed someone to send the services back to network radio in New York. Mr. Briscoe took the job and said it was one the most memorable events of his life. He remembered engineering Mr. Grahams Easter message (Hour of Decision) from the radio room at the field house. Mr. Briscoe got to talk with the evangelist almost every day. Briscoe said he was business but every friendly. At the end of the crusade, Dr. Graham thanked him for filling in for his regular engineer.

Dr. Graham ended segregated audiences by walking all over the field house and taking down ropes that separated whites and blacks.

When Dr. Graham died in February, 2018, I was searching for a Chattanooga connection. The most interesting was the evangelists friendship with the late George Burnham. The reporter worked for the Associated Press for three years before joining the Chattanooga News Free Press.

Mr. Burnham first covered Dr. Graham when he held a Sunday afternoon rally at Engel Stadium in 1950. The 31-year-old evangelist was here at the invitation of First Presbyterian Church pastor Dr. James. L. Fowle and Highland Park Baptist Pastor Dr. Lee Roberson. Dr. Graham was on his way to Atlanta for a series of meetings.

As religion reporter for the paper, Mr. Burnham was assigned to cover the 1953 Chattanooga crusade at the field house. Editor Lee Anderson said Mr. Burnhams stories attracted the eyes of the editors at the Associated Press and United Press International. Mr. Anderson said Dr. Graham walked to the newspaper office on 10th Street from his room at the Hotel Patten and requested Mr. Burnhams articles go beyond the local paper. Publisher Roy McDonald had no problem with the wire services printing them. They were carried by hundreds of papers large and small across the United States.

Thanks to Facebook, his daughter Lynn Burnham Hadvizjak and I became very good friends. She allowed me to review her dads materials about his relationship to Dr. Graham. I was able to transfer many of the articles and pictures to my computer.

The Hogansville, Ga. native was absolutely one of the most interesting persons Ive ever read about. Theres no doubt if he were alive today hed been reporting from Eastern Europe, perhaps in the Ukraine.

After his coverage of the Chattanooga Graham crusade, with the blessings of publisher McDonald, Mr. Burnham decided to travel with Dr. Graham sending stories back to the Free Press. He covered most of Dr. Grahams foreign crusades including Berlin, Germany.

His May, 1954 article caught my eye. It was headlined, Graham tells of Threat Sent him by Russians; Evangelist says warned to stay out of Berlin or suffer Consequences. Dr. Graham went on to preach to 80,000 in Berlins Olympic Stadium. The headline on another article a month later read, Graham in Berlin Ride, Red Security Guard stopped car, but didnt recognize evangelist. Burnham wrote, after an hour or so into the ride Mr. Graham told the driver, Lets get out of here as soon as possible.

Mr. Burnham covered the 1957 historic New York crusade and wrote a book entitled, Billy Graham and the New York Crusade. Attendance was estimated at 2.4 million during the 16 weeks. In the book, Mr. Burnham said he observed a little girl, who told her mother they arent treating George Beverly Shea right; they wont let him sing in the choir. The Burnham family provided one of their fathers articles The People heard him gladly. It was first printed in the Free Press then made available to the wire services.



During his 20 years as a reporter, Mr. Burnham interviewed many celebrities including President and Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt, Jimmy Stewart and Spencer Tracy. Mr. Burnham was traveling back to the United States on the Queen Mary with the Graham team. Mr. Burnham opened his cabin door and at the same time Jimmy Stewart opened his cabin door across the hall. That led to an afternoon tea with Dr. Graham and a few celebrities.

Editor Lee Anderson wrote a letter to various news outlet offering them Mr. Burnhams articles free of charge. Mr. Burnham authored five books centering on the ministry of Dr. Graham.

The late Hamilton County Commissioner Curtis Adams, also an employee of the Chattanooga News Free Press, said no one knew more about Billy Graham in the 1950s more than George Burnham. Mr. Adams said Mr. Burnham traveled with and covered Graham more than any other reporter.

The four-year Navy Veteran is credited with starting the Easter Sunrise Service at the VA National Cemetery in Chattanooga. The annual service continues today sponsored by the Salvation Army. Mr. Burnham and his family were members of the East Ridge Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Burnham died unexpectedly in 1962. His family received telegrams from Dr. Graham, Mr. Shea, Cliff Barrows and members of the Graham team.

At the conclusion of the 1953 Chattanooga revival, Dr. Graham presented Mr. Burnham with an engraved Bible and wrote on the fly leaf: To George Burnham, who did the greatest job of reporting we have ever had.
Kristen Hagers character Dr. Stevie Hammer is a newcomer in Chicago Med Season 7. The character is a talented doctor, but she has plenty of problems of her own. Hammer was in the process of a divorce and has also struggled to take care of her mother. It seemed like Hammer may have been headed toward a romantic relationship with Dr. Halstead, but in episode 14 she revealed her plans to move away. Could Dr. Hammer be leaving the hospital for good?

Kristen Hager as Dr. Stevie Hammer in Chicago Med Season 7 | George Burns Jr/NBC

Is Dr. Stevie Hammer leaving Chicago?

In Chicago Med Season 7, Hammer reveals that she is going through a divorce with her husband in Detroit. She flew out to finalize the separation, but things went differently than Hammer planned. In fact, she decided to give her marriage another shot. She tells Dr. Halstead that there is a position available at the hospital she used to work at in Michigan and that her husband wants to put her up for the job.

These plans seem all but finalized by episode 14. Maggie Lockwood asks Halstead if he heard the news that Hammer is moving back to Michigan, and he quickly brushes it off. Hammer even has a heart-to-heart with her mother, who seems to be doing well and confirms she will be fine if Hammer moves.

Still, theres a chance that Hammer wont go through with it and will stay at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. At this time, Kristen Hager has not publicly said anything about her future on the show.

Promo photos hint Dr. Hammer might not appear in Chicago Med Season 7 Episode 15

According to One Chicago Center, the synopsis for Chicago Med Season 7 Episode 15 reads, Scott suspects his patient may be a drug dealer; Halstead must decide how to spend his whistleblower settlement; Charles and Taylor help a patient who believes shes infested with parasites; Marcel and Blake are paired with an arrogant surgeon.

Notably, there is no mention of Hammer in this synopsis. Hammer is also not present in any promo photos for episode 15, and Kristen Hager is not credited in this episode on IMDb. It seems very possible that Hammer will be absent from this weeks episode, but that doesnt necessarily mean she is leaving the show for good.

You already know what were doing tonight. Whos watching with us? #OneChicago pic.twitter.com/jJgkyLBQyF  One Chicago (@NBCOneChicago) March 9, 2022

Hammer has gone through quite a bit of character development throughout Chicago Med Season 7. She has also grown closer to Halstead. It even seemed like there was potential for a romantic relationship to form between the two of them. Perhaps Hammer will realize that rekindling her marriage was the wrong choice after all.

So what is episode 15 about?

It seems clear that Chicago Med Season 7 Episode 15 wont focus on Hammer, so what exactly is the new episode about? Avery Quinn recently learned the truth about Crockett and her mother, and Dr. Blake broke things off romantically with Crockett.

The episode 15 promo video shows Crockett and Blake working with a surgeon who butts heads with Crockett  literally. Meanwhile, Doctors, Scott, Charles, and Taylor deal with their own patients.

Chicago Med airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.

RELATED: Chicago Med Season 7: Showrunners Reveal What Happened to Dr. Natalie Manning After She Left
TL;DR:

Many onlookers have wondered how Prince Harry feels about his work in the U.S.

A body language expert believes Harry showed signs of embarrassment at the recent NAACP Image Awards.

Some people have also criticized Harry for getting an award from a prominent civil rights organization.

Prince Harry | Jeremy Selwyn  WPA Pool/Getty Images

On Feb. 26, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, attended the NAACP Image Awards. This was their first award show appearance since moving to the United States in 2020.

Some body language experts have analyzed clips of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accepting the Presidents Award on stage. According to one guru, Harry showed signs of embarrassment at the award show.

Onlookers have wonder whether Prince Harry is happy in the U.S.

Harry grew up in the United Kingdom as a member of the royal family. When he moved to the U.S. with Meghan and the two of them tried to distance themselves from other royals, onlookers began to wonder if this would really be a path to happiness for Harry or not.

For example, royal author Duncan Larcombe does not believe Harry is happy. Larcombe said (via Daily Mail), I think what we see and hear from these interviews is a man who is desperately trying to convince himself that he has found happiness, and he has been through it all and reached the other side  that hes finally free. I dont think thats the case. He and Meghan arent happy or free. I dont think his move to LA has solved anything.

However, according to journalist Rebecca English, Harry does seem clearly happier working with Meghan in the U.S. than in the U.K. as a part of the monarchy.

I worked with him for many years, and just by the look on his face and his demeanor, he clearly is a lot happier in the U.S. than what he was doing here, and good luck to him, English told Mail Plus Palace Confidential.

Prince Harry showed signs of embarrassment at the NAACP Image Awards

#MeghanMarkle and #PrinceHarry got glam for a rare in-person appearance to accept their prestigious honor at the #NAACPImageAwards. pic.twitter.com/6wUYlutTAX  Access Hollywood (@accesshollywood) February 27, 2022

RELATED: Prince Harry Has Received Unfair Criticism Over His Silence to Queen Elizabeths Platinum Jubilee, Expert Says

At the NAACP Image Awards, however, body language expert Lillian Glass believes Harry was not showing signs of comfort.

Harry looked like a fish out of water as he didnt know what to do or how to comfort himself as he looked down at the award and examined it and then rocked back and forth and pulled away from Meghan, Glass told Express.

Glass also noted that Harry may have been feeling embarrassment when he pursed his lips and cocked his head like a wounded puppy. Additionally, Glass pointed out that Harry was not smiling the whole time he is up there.

One would think that growing up in front of a camera and having spoken to countless groups he would know how to act when receiving an award on stage but it confirms that the body doesnt lie and Harry is clearly not happy and uncomfortable as indicated through his body language at this event, Glass added.

Some people have criticized the NAACP for giving Prince Harry the award

Im just gonna drop this here on the Prince Harry NAACP award and leave it alone.



https://t.co/L3iLx53Gsg pic.twitter.com/Luy10U2BFy  Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) March 1, 2022

Harrys appearance at an award show created by the NAACP was not well-received by everyone. The NAACP is an organization that has been fighting for social and racial equality since 1909. However, Harry has been called out for racially-insensitive moves in the past.

For example, in 2005, photographs of Harry wearing a Nazi costume showed up in newspapers. A year later, while in Iraq as a part of his military service, Harry was heard calling a fellow cadet a racial slur that is typically targeted at people of South Asian descent.

Bishop Talbert Swan, a civil rights activist and the president of an NAACP chapter in Springfield, Massachusetts, spoke out against Harry receiving an award by the organization.

Tell me what he has done to advance the cause of justice for Black people in America to deserve an award from the most influential civil rights organization in the nation, Swan wrote on Twitter. He claimed that Harry has not been on the front lines when it comes to issues such as police brutality and mass incarceration of Black people.

The bishop also referred to Harry as a privileged son of colonizers.

RELATED: Prince Harry Reportedly Tried to Distance Himself From Meghan Markle in 1 Video: Painful to Watch, Says Body Language Expert
Sister Wives fans took to Reddit to beg for famed television counselor Dr. Phil McGraw to have Kody Brown on as a guest star. They believe that as a guest, Dr. Phil would do an excellent job at getting to the core of the issues that lie within Browns polygamist family. Fans agreed the medical professional would pick Kody apart and make him face the longstanding problems not yet addressed within his clan.

Kody Brown and Dr. Phil McGraw | Ida Mae Astute/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images/Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Kody Browns family hasnt had sat down for a Tell-All since season 13

The three-part finale was formally called a one-on-one where television host Sukanya Krishnan spoke to each member of the Brown family individually.

However, the three-part episode was unlike the Tell-All episodes where Brown and his wives had to face one anothers remarks face-to-face regarding their familys struggles.

Subsequently, the last time the Brown family sat together with a host for a Tell-All was following season 13. This episode aired in 2019.

At the time, SuChin Pak hosted the special, which took place shortly after the Brown family moved from Las Vegas to Flagstaff, Arizona.

Sister Wives viewers looked forward to the Tell-Alls, where many questions were the clan was put in the hot seat and the group subsequently faced tough questions about significant moments from the prior season.

Some Reddit fans begged for Dr. Phil to feature Kody Brown on his show

Dr. Phil McGraw | Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

In a Reddit thread titled Bring Tamron Hall Back, fans spoke of the talk show Halls ability to get to the root of the clans issues.

However, in lieu of Hall, they requested a second popular television personality to welcome Kody Brown to his show: Dr. Phil McGraw.

While Sukanya Krishnan did ask pointed questions during the one-on-one episodes, she didnt get a straight answer from any of the family members except Christine, wrote one fan.

Kody needs to be on Dr. Phil, period!!! He needs to watch clips on a giant screen behind him with his bulls**t written in point form. We need to see Dr.Phils wife shaking her head in disgust and at the end of the program as well, they continued.

On the other hand, a second Reddit user claimed, I think Dr. Phil would pick Kody apart! I want to watch that.

Even TLC didnt call them Tell Alls this season; they referred to them as One on Ones. I dont think we would have had anything post-season had they tried for an actual Tell-All. I am curious how the Browns seem to have so much control over whats aired, questioned a third viewer.

In the same thread, fans petitioned for Tamron Hall to return Tell-All host

Other Reddit users petitioned for Tamron Hall to return as host of any future Sister Wives Tell-All episodes within the same thread. An attached video showed Hall as she grilled Kody and his wives Christine, Robyn, Meri, and Janelle about their family strife in 2019.

Brown responded to a statement made by Christine by responding, I dont want you to take all the heat on this. I could be better.

When Robyn tried to interject, Hall shut her down by saying she would get to her later. Hall then asked the wives about Christines jealousy.

Robyn claimed to talk about that was girl code, sorry. Hall responded by saying, Its out there; its called Tell-All, not girl code.

Fans reacted to Hall putting the clan in the hot seat once again.

She was the best host, penned one social media user.

You could see Robyn seething. I bet she threw a fit, and Tamron Hall is not allowed to host now. She was doing her best to call Robyn out, claimed a second viewer of the video clip.

Sister Wives is currently on hiatus.

RELATED: Sister Wives Fans Believe Kody and Robyn Brown Arent Cut out for Polygamy
A group of demonstrators wave signs at the Hawaii state capitol during a rally over water contamination by the U.S. Navy near Pearl Harbor on Feb. 11, 2022 in Honolulu. Native Hawaiians who revere water in all its forms as the embodiment of a Hawaiian god say the Navy's acknowledgement that jet fuel leaked into Pearl Harbor's tap water has deepened the distrust they feel toward the U.S. military.
Lent is a season of preparation in which Christians get ready to celebrate the momentous events of Christs death, resurrection, and ascension.

Some use this season as an opportunity to draw near to God by engaging in confession, fasting, and meditation on Scripture. The Lords Supper has long been seen as one such occasion, and yet this sacrament is interpreted in a myriad of different ways across the Christian tradition.

The scene in the upper room on the night before Jesus was crucified is no doubt familiar. There Jesus Christ took some bread, drew his followers attention to it, and said, Take, eat. This is my body. He did something similar with a cup of wine saying, This is my blood.

I imagine Jesus disciples had a similar thought to the Jews who heard his controversial sermon in John 6 (My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.) and said, in essence, This is a difficult statement, who can even understand it!

The difficulty of these statements about bread and body, wine and blood is no doubt proved by the diversity of interpretation that has arisen in the years since Christ first uttered those words. And although we probably wont get close to unifying around a single perspective, we can attempt to gain a better understanding of the range of options.

In my view, approaches to the Lords Supper fall along something of a spectrum. As I see it, there are three main families of locations on the spectrum, each with various family members who are conceptual cousins to one another.

We might name these families according to the manner in which they think Christ is present in the Eucharist: Bodily, Spiritually, or Normally. I will attempt to plot these points on the spectrum as though they were cities on a map, according to where the main proponents of each Family resided.

The Bodily Family of views believe that when Christ says a piece of bread is his body, he means it literally. Figuring out how that can be the case is what distinguishes the cousins within this family.

For instance, the official view of the Roman Catholic Churchcall this the Rome viewis : transubstantiation, where the trans- prefix indicates a change to the substance of an object. For Roman Catholics, the substanceor the what it isof the bread changes to no longer be bread, but the body of Christ.

This is, of course, all while there is no change in the appearance of the object itself: it still looks, smells, and tastes like bread. Roman Catholics believe that the substance of something can be separated from how it appears. For them, the object that appears to be bread is not bread but the body of Christ.

The next stop on the conceptual spectrum in the Bodily Family are what I call German views. These are the purview of Lutherans, for instance, but can also be found among Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox. These perspectives believe with their Roman cousins that Christ meant his words literally, but contrary to the Romans, hold that the bread continues to exist as it appears.

There are (at least) two versions of German views, and we can plot these on the map as German cities. A Wittenberg view holds the body of Christ to be in, with, and under the bread, as the Lutheran quip goes.

In medieval theology, this view was called consubstantiation (con- with); the "substance of the bread and the substance of the body of Christ existing with one another. But I assure you, most Lutherans dislike that term!

Another German viewlets call this the Nuremberg view (for the 16th century Lutheran pastor Andreas Osiander)holds that the way in which the body of Christ and the bread of the Eucharist are related is like the way the two natures of Christ are related in the Incarnation.

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If you are looking for a term for this view, impanation is the one used in the tradition. Like the incarnation refers to being enfleshed (in- into + caro, carn- flesh), impanation refers to being embreaded (im- into + panis bread) as it were.

Moving along the spectrum from the Bodily Family, we come to the Spiritually Family. This family likewise holds that the bread and wine remain as they were but attempts to characterize the spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Geographically we move from the cities of Rome, Wittenberg, and Nuremberg to Antwerp, where we meet Edward Schillebeeckx, a Belgian Dominican of the last century. The name for the view he proffered is transignification.

Although a Roman Catholic, Schillebeeckx thought the distinction between the what it is of an object and how it appears was overplayedand what he felt was important instead was the meaning of an object. For this view, the change (trans-) in the bread and wine of Communion is in their meaning (signification-).

According to Schillebeeckx, meaning is found in community. When our communitythe Church whose head is Christdesignates an object that appears to be bread as the body of Christ, true participants in the community will embrace that meaning. Although this view did not catch on in Roman Catholic circles, those Protestants befuddled by the Bodily Family might find Antwerp a suitable residence.

Moving into more properly Protestant locations within the Spiritually Family, we come to Geneva, which characterizes the views of many contemporary Reformed and Presbyterian Christians.

In this view, the Holy Spirit uses the bread and the wine as vehicles to catalyze a connection between Christians and the risen Christ. Where this connection takes place is in the heavenly places (hence the Lift up your hearts of the Sursum Corda), but the Lords Supper is an occasion for this union with Christ to occur.

Canterbury is the next stop on the spectrum within the Spiritually Family; there we meet the view of Thomas Cranmer. Although his views on the Eucharist changed over his life, his mature view is referred to as a sacramental parallelism. That is, we receive the body and blood of Jesus on a spiritual level that usually, but not always, runs parallel to our receiving the bread and wine on a physical level.

For Cranmer what was important was that we feed on Christ in our hearts. Eating the bread of the Eucharist can contribute to that, but this spiritual feeding can occur even if we never taste the bread or wine.

The Normally Family of views believes that Christ is present in the Eucharist in just the same way he is normally in any location in the world at any given time.

In virtue of the divine attribute of omnipresence, these Christians hold that the Word is in all places, and therefore there isnt anything special about the bread and the wine itself. Rather what is special about Communion, they believe, is what it motivates you to think about.

Another Swiss location, Zurich, serves as the most popular location within the Normally Family, and here we might find many contemporary Christians in Baptistic and Pentecostal traditions. Here the bread and wine serve as visible words, emphasizing the cognitive aspect of our actions associated with bread and wine.

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One of my former professors quipped that for views in Zurich, the bread and the wine serve as flashcards for Jesus. See bread? Remember Jesus! See wine? Remember Jesus! Here the Lords Supper serves as an opportunity for remembrance and thinking deeply about Christ and his workbut not necessarily an occasion for a unique encounter with his presence.

Finally, we round out the Normally Family with another city, Philadelphia, a center of the Friends or Quaker tradition. According to this perspective, not only is Christ not uniquely present in Communion, but the practice of Communion is not normally done. We might take this to be the most extreme location on the spectrum for nearly removing itself from the spectrum altogether.

From my perspective, the most attractive view biblically, historically, theologically, and even philosophically, is Nurembergwithin the German lineage of the Bodily Family. I am especially attracted to the way this location on the spectrum points to the Incarnation.

Matthews Gospel tells us that a Virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and he will be called Emmanuel, which means God with us. Christians hold that when the Word became flesh to dwell among us, one divine member of the Trinity took on a second, human nature. In this regard, there are two unique but united substances in the person of Jesus Christ: both divine and human.

This longstanding thread of interpretation of the Eucharistic uses the Incarnation as a means for explaining how a piece of bread could be the body of Christ. That is, in a similar manner as Christ is both God and human, the object we eat at the Lords Supper is both bread and the body of Christ. In this way, bread and body are unified in a sacramental union, by a similar union as occurs in the Incarnation, which is a hypostatic union .

In the Incarnation, we see the lengths God went to be with usso far that he became one of us. Likewise, in the Lords Supper, we see a God who continues to be present in our midst. By viewing the Eucharist through the lens of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh and the flesh made bread both attest to the reality that God is indeed with us.

James M. Arcadi teaches at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is the author of An Incarnational Model of the Eucharist.

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This piece was adapted from Russell Moores newsletter. Subscribe here.

I remember standing in a convention hall once, arguing with an elderly lady about the song Jesus Loves Me. Let me first say that I would thoroughly rebuke my 20-year-ago self for my overconfidence in the theological correctness of my tribe.

I even felt bad at the timethis woman reminded me of all the Southern Baptist ladies who taught me Sunday school (and Jesus Loves Me!), right down to the bouffant hairdo. Ill bet she had peppermints in her purse, too. I was annoyingly polemical, and she would have had every right to pat me on the head, say, Bless your heart, and send me on my way.

We were on opposite sides of what was then a big doctrinal schism in my denominational tradition, and we were debating one of the points of contention in that controversy. I asked for her interpretation of a biblical passage dealing with whatever the subject was, and she said, Thats Paul; thats not Jesus. Jesus never said anything about that.

When I turned back to another passage, she said, Thats the difference between you and me. Your authority is the Bible; mines Jesus. I responded, But what do you know about Jesus apart from the Bible? And she said, I know everything I need to know: Jesus loves me, this I know! And to that I said,  for the Bible tells me so.

I cringe when I think about how proud I was of winning that debate. When this woman walked away, I assumed it was because she couldnt respond to my retort. Now I know she was probably thinking, Who is this punk, and how do I get away from him? That said, while I better understand the point she was trying to make now, I still agree with the point I madethough not the churlish way I made it.

There was a time when I was really worried about red-letter Christianitywhich is the idea that the words of Jesus (printed with red ink in many Bibles) are more authoritative than the rest of the Bible and can override theological or ethical teaching found in, say, the Old Testament or the Pauline Epistles.

I still share that concern, and this mentality can be found in many places to this day.

At first glance, a prioritizing of the red letters makes sense. Jesus is, after all, more authoritative as a person than Moses or Jeremiah or Paul or John. If we were to find ourselves in a crowd of resurrected saints in heaven and some point of biblical interpretation comes up, no one will be looking at Nahum if Jesus is there.

The fullest revelation of God is Jesus Christ, and he makes sense not just of the rest of the Bible (Luke 24:27) but of the entire cosmos (Col. 1:17). The problem with this direction is not that it becomes too focused on Jesus, but that it isnt focused enough.

Jesus view of the Bible is that it is the Word of God and cannot be broken. He reinterprets the revelation of God and the story of Israel, explaining how it is about him. Even when Jesus says, Moses said ___, but I say unto you  , it is never to explain away the hard edges of the Old Testament. Rather, Jesus sharpened those hard edges even further: Moses said no murder, but I say no rage in your heart either.

Jesus also told his disciples that he had more to say, things Gods people werent ready to hear just yet (John 16:1213). And then, just as God chose prophets through whom to speak, Jesus did the same through his apostles (Eph. 2:20). Even the direct speech we see from Jesus after his ascension, such as his letters to the churches of Revelation, comes through apostles he has chosen (in that case, John).

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Moreover, without a view of the inspiration of all of Scripture, we dont have red letters at all. Almost everyone acknowledges that the first writings of our New Testament werent the Gospels but some letters of Paul. And the Gospels, when written down, werent discovered in a cave. They came through Matthew and John, disciples of the Lordas well as Mark and Luke, associates of apostles like Peter and Paul.

The Bible claims that all Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16, ESV throughout), that the writers of any Scripture speak for God as they are carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21), and that the Spirit doing that carrying is the Spirit of Christ (1 Pet. 1:11). If thats true, then, as I used to tell my seminary students, Every word of the Bible should be in red letters.

Many could see in red-letter rhetoric a slippery slope that would lead, in its extreme form, to an attempt to split apart Word from Spirit, Father from Son, head from body. Those dangers are all real. But increasingly, Im seeing its mirror image, a kind of black-letter Christianity, which is just as perilous.

As with many other things, we tend not to see, as C. S. Lewis warned us in Mere Christianity, that the Devil sends errors into the world not one by one but two by twoin pairs of opposites, on either side of the truth. Right now, we should see that its not just the temptation of red-letter Christians to try to separate the Bible from Jesus. Black-letter Christians do it tooand the stakes are just as high, if not higher.

In Jayber Crow, Wendell Berry described Jayber the barber listening to Troy, a waiting customer, rail about rounding up all the Communists and having them shot. Jayber stopped, looked at Troy and said, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.

Troy replied, Where did you get that crap? When Jayber said, Jesus Christ, Troy could only respond, Oh.

Jayber reflects: It would have been a great moment in the history of Christianity, except that I did not love Troy.

When I first read that, I assumed Berry was constructing a hyperbolic scenario, to contrast authentic Sermon-on-the-Mount Christianity with the cultural version of it we so often see in American life. Over the past several years, though, Ive seen the exact same scenario in real lifefrom evangelicals who would all say that they believe the Bible.

Over the past several years, weve had some evangelical leaders, and the politicians they support, ridicule the weakness implied in Turn the other cheek. If that were just the Bizarro world of cable television news, I would perhaps dismiss it. But several pastors have told me about how when they cited, parenthetically, Turn the other cheek or Love your enemies, they had someone ask afterward where they were getting their liberal ideas.

Another told me that after preaching on the Sermon on the Mount, a congregant told him, Weve tried the Turn the other cheek stuff, it doesnt work; its time now to fight.

To be clear, the Sermon on the Mount doesnt work, and it never hasif what we mean by working is seeing the worlds definition of success on the worlds timetable. Ending up crucified is no societys definition of winning. Thats exactly the point Jesus was making. He turns all those definitions and expectations upside down.

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We can see in many of the scandals happening in the churchand the scandals that havent yet happened but are bubbling beneath the surfacea way in which it is easy for us to think of Christlikeness not just as optional for leadership but as an impediment to it. Many (though by no means all) churches will (rightly) fire and discipline a leader for sexual immorality.

But when is the last time weve seen someone held accountable for quarrelsomeness or vindictivenessthings explicitly addressed by Jesus himself?

We can also see this tendency in a kind of preaching that seems suspicious of Jesus way of teachingof story and parable and narrative, a way of teaching thats consistent with the way God speaks in the Old Testament. A way of teaching that is presupposed by Paul and the other apostles even in their letters.

If every passage of Scripturewhether proverb or psalm or parablemust be turned into an epistle with a point by subpoint by sub-subpoint structure in order to be preached, then we are not actually teaching the Bible but something else: a systematic theology or an ethics manual. We are not saved by Christology; we are saved by Christ.

Thomas Jefferson cut up the Bible, taking out all the miraculous parts that his scientific mind couldnt accept, and left only the ethical teachings of Jesus. That is not Christianity at all. If Jesus is just a moral teacher, he is just another deceased guru. But neither is the opposite tendencyto cut up the Bible leaving all the miraculous but ignoring the teachings of Jesus.

If Jesus is just an abstract means of delivering the systematic category of atonement, not a person who speaks to us and claims lordship, then he is just another debating point to win an argument or to claim ones own orthodoxy. In neither case would he be worth following.

If all Scripture points to Christ and is interpreted in and through Christ, then that means all Scripture is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16), as Paul put it. When we hear any word of Scripture, then, we are hearing from Jesus, just as if he were speaking to us.

The question is whether these prophets and apostles are bringing a word from their own minds or a message they are carrying from their Lord. Thats always been the question, which is why Paul repeatedly says, I am telling the truth; I am not lying (1 Tim. 2:7). If we believe what the Bible claims for itself and what Jesus taught us about the Bible, then that question is resolved. The Bible is black and white and red all over.

But the red-letter Christians are right to remind us that when we see Jesus, we have seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is the full revelation of the glory of God (2 Cor. 4:6). As former Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey put it, God is Christlike, and in him is no un-Christlikeness at all.

The whole plot line of the Bible holds together in one personthe living Jesus of Nazareth. Less clear passages are interpreted by those that are clearerand the clearest revelation of all is this person who said to us, Come follow me.

In other words: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.

Russell Moore leads the Public Theology Project at Christianity Today.
Justin Giboney is an attorney and political strategist in Atlanta, Georgia, who leads the AND Campaign as its cofounder and president. The AND Campaign is a coalition of urban Christians who are determined to address the sociopolitical arena with the compassion and conviction of the gospel. Hes the coauthor of Compassion (&) Conviction with fellow AND Campaign leader Chris Butler and former colleague Michael Wear.

In this episode, Heather and Justin unpack the myth that Christians must be conservative to be biblical or progressive to be loving. Justins work is committed to challenging the way Christians view politics. What if our current political lenses arent biblical lenses? Justin wants to help Christians do the difficult work of holistically interrogating their political beliefs.

Says Heather, This episode will leave you encouraged about how we can be both engaged citizens and faithful disciples. Find Justin on Twitter @JustinEGiboney.

Reach out to Heather at heatherthompsonday.com, on Twitter @HeatherTDay, and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday.

Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today

Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day

Producer: Loren Joseph

Executive Producer: Ed Gilbreath

Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper
The Meeting House in south Ontario calls itself a church for people who arent into church.

Under that motto and the leadership of its shaggy-haired, proudly Anabaptist preacher Bruxy Cavey, the megachurch grew to become the biggest in the Toronto area, drawing thousands to its movie theater seats and home church small groups.

Like his denomination, Cavey was known for being apolitical and pacifist; he was an introvert who turned on the charisma on stage. During his 25 years in ministry, around 35,000 Canadians who had been disinterested, disenchanted, or hurt by other churches found a spiritual home and family at The Meeting House, and 8,000 still belong to the church, according to the Handbook of Megachurches.

This large community of members and former members is now grieving a blow they hardly expected from their own megachurch pastor for people not into megachurch pastors, as one scholar called him.

After a three-month-long investigation, Cavey, 57, publicly confessed on Tuesday to an adulterous relationship. The church said it amounted to abuse of authority and sexual harassment against a woman under his pastoral counsel, asked him to resign, and removed his teachings from its website. The victim and her advocates say Cavey committed clergy sexual abuse.

In a way, the stakes were so high for Bruxy, and his crash is intensified because he promised us that he would not be that kind of pastor.  He basically was the megachurch pastor for people not into megachurch pastors, said Peter Schuurman, who profiled Cavey in his book The Subversive Evangelical and described him as gentle, generous, and good humored.

Bruxy preached a message of Jesus over religion. He liked to tell the story of how he got a tattoo of the verse barring tattoos, Leviticus 19:28, as a way to demonstrate how Jesus freed him from his sin as well as the letter of the law.

His whole persona and branding was based on the vision of a church that was more like a counter-cultures Jesus and less like the now-defamed evangelical trope of prosperity, politics and emotional hype, Schuurman wrote for Canadas Christian Courier.

The news trickled out this week through social media, blog posts, and streamed videos. In comments, members of The Meeting House vented their heartache.

They offered prayers and solidarity with the unidentified victim. Some who were themselves abuse survivors grappled with the idea that their pastor had done this; one wrote that she started to wonder if anywhere is trustworthy. Several members said they hadnt attended in-person services since the pandemic and that the situation made them question whether to return.

Adding to the upheaval, not everyone at The Meeting House was satisfied with the results of a third-party investigation, which did not call Caveys behavior sexual abuse. Danielle Strickland, a fellow teaching pastor at The Meeting House, stepped down in solidarity with the victim on Mondaythe day before the church released its report and Cavey announced his resignation.

Strickland, who had been on staff at The Meeting House since 2019, was first to hear the victims story last year. She lobbied behind the scenes for the church to change the language in its statement, seeing how the woman who came forward felt unheard and unsupported in the process. The whole truth needs to be told, or else not only will there not be healing, but I think there will be further harm, Strickland said.

The former pastor shared a statement from her on Wednesday morning. More than 15,000 people tuned in for the remarks on Instagram Live, cheering on Stricklands advocacy and the victims bravery in the threads below the video.

Through Strickland, the woman described what happened as a devastating twisting of pastoral care into sexual abuse when she was 23 and Cavey was 46a decade ago. The woman said she still didnt feel safe going public. The findings failed to name this abuse of authority for what it is: clergy sexual abuse, she said in the statement.

Instead, the investigations designations of sexual harassment and abuse of authority have been repeated by The Meeting House in its official statements and a livestream town hall on Tuesday night.

When the question Wasnt this just an affair? came up, Maggie John, chair of The Meeting Houses board of overseers, said no. The investigator found that given how the relationship started, which was in a clergy counselor relationship, Bruxy abused his power and authority, and as the pastor Bruxy was responsible. She said it went on for years.

Cavey did not use the word abuse or victim in his confession blog post, though he acknowledged the dynamics of power and influence and an expectation of exemplary conduct that come from his position.

My failure is not a failure of the presence, power, or teaching of Jesus, he wrote, but an example of the pain someone like me can cause when I ignore his presence and fail to follow his teaching.

Caveys misconduct and departure will affect his denomination, Be In Christ Church of Canada (BIC), formerly Brethren in Christ. In a statement to CT, BIC executive director Charles Mashinter said Be In Christ supports the churchs decision for Cavey to resign and has also removed his pastoral credentials.

The headquarters for Be In Christ are located at The Meeting Houses building in Oakville, Ontario (along with another Anabaptist-rooted network called Jesus Collective). The church makes up the biggest swath of BIC denominational members and is responsible for doubling its size over the past 20 years.

Under Caveys leadership, The Meeting House came to hold a pretty unusual place of influence in the Christian landscape. There are very few Brethren megachurchesa database by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research lists just four in the USand all congregations tend to be much smaller in Canada, where worship attendance has been dropping for decades and as little as 6 percent of the population considers themselves evangelical.

In Ontario, youd struggle to find an evangelical Christian who hadnt heard of The Meeting House and Bruxy Cavey  virtually everybody knows who he is and had tremendous respect for him, said Robin Wallar, lead pastor at Lift Church in Hamilton. Its hard to know the immediate impact [of the recent revelations], but its generally pretty devastating to the church in Canada.

Evangelical leaders couldnt ignore the popularity of The Meeting Housemany of them knew believers or even former members from their own churches who had landed at one of the churchs 20-some locations, which span from the Toronto area to Ottawa. And they also couldnt bypass the points of theological tension with this Anabaptist, pacifist, egalitarian, yet conservative and evangelical pastor.

A few years ago, The Gospel Coalition Canada ran a series with Cavey, calling his church our largest neighbour within the Evangelical world.

The interviewerPaul Carter, lead pastor of Cornerstone Baptist in Orillia, Ontarioasked whether Caveys Jesus not religion mantra maligns traditional evangelical churches and got him to clarify some of his theological beliefs, particularly his critique of penal substitutionary atonement. Despite theological differences, Carter remained friends with Cavey since.

Even with the shared leadership model Cavey described in a 2018 conversation with Carter and the team of pastors he referenced in his resignation announcement, he had been the face of The Meeting House, and its hard for people to imagine the church without him. One member from Strathroy commented on Instagram that shes been a part of The Meeting House her whole life, having followed Caveys teaching since she was eight.

The Meeting House without Bruxy Cavey at the front, its going to suffer a significant loss, but the legacy of an irreligious Anabaptist spirituality will linger, said Schuurman, who lives in Guelph, Ontario, and directs a Christian network called Global Scholars Canada.

At the end of his dissertation, Schuurman considered what would happen when Cavey would eventually leave the church. He noted that megachurch research experts agree that fewer than 5 percent of todays megachurch pastors end their careers in significant conflict such as sexual scandal.

Even in Canada, where Schuurman says theyre not breeding superpower personalities, the revelations around clergy misconduct seem to continue to come to light year after year (some recent, high-profile examples include Ravi Zacharias, Jean Vanier, and Todd Bentley).

US pastor Greg Boyd, a friend and fellow member of the Jesus Collective, had asked for prayer for Cavey in the wake of the allegations and amended his remarks to acknowledge the power dynamics of the situation. Matt Miles, executive director of the Jesus Collective addressed Caveys resignation, saying, It is also important to recognize that this is not an isolated incident in the context of the wider church community. Abuses of power and sexual misconduct are antithetical to Jesus way of love and have caused deep hurt for many people.

Cavey wrote the books The End of Religion and Reunion: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners and preached at The Meeting House, which was one of Canadas early adopter of the simulcast multisite model, since 1997. The church has opted to remove recordings of Caveys sermons from its website as a result of his misconduct, which it believes represent a disqualification from ministry.

We are followers of Jesus, not in a particular person. Were grateful that Bruxy has pointed us to Jesus, to God. While we have amazing sermons and material, we also have a case of sexual sin, harassment, abuse of power and authority, that compromises the experience that we see in this person, said John, the board chair, in the online town hall. Because we want to avoid triggering the victim or any others that have experienced any sexual misconduct, we have chosen to not provide those resources at this time.

[Editors note: On March 14, Herald Press announced that it would be pulling Caveys books. We take our responsibility of resourcing the church seriously, said publisher Amy Gingerich. Given that The Meeting House asked Cavey to resign and removed all his teaching videos from their website and the Be In Christ denomination revoked his credentials for ministry, we at Herald Press cannot in good faith sell his books.]

The Meeting House has made professional counselors available, in addition to pastoral care on staff, for those in the church who need extra support as they process the news and their own grief. The church said it hopes to continue to dialogue with the survivor.

Strickland, who also does ministry as a speaker and social justice advocate, told followers on Wednesday that the victim chose the name Hagar as a pseudonym. Its a reference to the Old Testament figure who both suffered abuse and testified to a God who sees.

Hagar spent part of her statement offering a message to anyone in the throes of clergy abuse:
There have been a lot of stories recently about labor union issues, ranging from organizing efforts at big employers like Starbucks and Amazon, to the Biden administrations push for project labor agreements covering government construction work, to the large annual deficits at UConn Health attributed to the cost of benefits provided under contracts negotiated with state employee unions. However, there is little discussion of the pros and cons of unions more generally, as they relate not just to covered employees but also to society as a whole.

Full disclosure: I spent 50 years as a lawyer helping public and private sector employers in Connecticut and beyond deal with the unionization process, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements with unions that represented employees. I came to realize there are many situations, past and present, where unions play an important role in obtaining fair pay and benefits as well as decent working conditions from employers who are not inclined to provide them on their own. Thats even true in the public sector, where nonunion employees sometimes go years without raises so the powers-that-be can avoid unpopular tax increases.

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But we all pay a price for these gains, and its not just a monetary price. Because labor laws require unions to represent everyone in a given group, whether its hourly industrial workers or teachers in a school district, they tend to advocate for both stars and slackers equally. Therefore, of the hundreds of union contracts Ive seen, almost all of them (except those covering factory jobs that are paid based on piecework) set pay rates based on nothing but time on the job. Merit is largely irrelevant. Many other rights and benefits are solely dependent on seniority as well.

Many unionized employers would agree to increased compensation for their workers if it were directed primarily toward high performers, both in order to reward and retain those employees and to incentivize others to step up their game. However, several union representatives I have worked with have told me merit pay is a non-starter. One even went so far as to say he personally thought performance-based compensation had some advantages, but if he worked with me to develop a framework for such a system, he would be kicked out of office.

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Another example of a union upside with a significant downside is the arbitration of grievances over discipline or discharge of bargaining unit employees. This virtually universal element of union contracts is intended to protect workers against arbitrary mistreatment by less than objective supervisors. However, it sometimes produces outrageous results, such as when an arbitrator reinstated a UConn hospital employee fired for doing drugs while in his employers vehicle and on the clock. Unions might applaud such decisions as victories, but most members of the public would not.

There are other drawbacks. Like many institutions, unions tend to pay the most attention to members who make the most noise, and its not surprising that those individuals dont always make a constructive contribution to the discourse on any given issue. Sometimes a few unreasonable members can stand in the way of the most logical resolution of a dispute. In addition, large numbers of dues-payers produce large bank accounts, which raises the risk of corruption within union leadership. The Teamsters Union is the most highly publicized but certainly not the only example.

In short, unionization is a mixed bag of pluses and minuses. Thats particularly true in the public sector, where organized support of politicians by unions sometimes puts labor and management in each others pocket. Im a lifelong Democrat, but Im not comfortable with the consistent support of Democratic lawmakers by state employee unions in Connecticut, who represent 50,000 voters and their families. This has been a significant factor in the creation of a system that produces pension and health insurance benefits that far exceed those of most private sector employees.

We all know that unions arent going anywhere anytime soon, and according to some press reports might actually be coming back from decades of membership loss. Given the power of the mega-employers that increasingly dominate our economy, that may not be a bad thing. However, we should all pay close attention not only to the ways in which unions are helping society as a whole, but also to those in which they are not.

Brian Clemow is an attorney who lives in West Hartford.
Hollywood wouldnt make Mark Wahlbergs new faith-based film Father Stu, so he made it himself

MIAMI, Florida  Popular actor Mark Wahlberg revealed that he received resistance from both Hollywood and the Catholic Church about his upcoming faith-based movie Father Stu, but he felt the world needed to experience the powerful testimony.

The devout Catholic spent several years pitching the religious drama to Hollywood studios. But in his words, Hollywood doesnt make films like this.

The movie is based on actual events and tells the story of boxer-turned-priest Father Stuart Long and his incredible journey from self-destruction to redemption.

Wahlberg, who used his own money to partially fund the film, plays Father Stu. He is joined on-screen by Academy Award-winner Mel Gibson, who plays his father, Bill Long.

The Sony Pictures film features heavy vulgarity and is rated R. But is inspiring at its core, sharing the power of transformation in Christ.

Its so nice to hear the kind of reaction that were hearing and people all being touched by the film for one reason or another, Wahlberg shared with The Christain Post. Nothing worse than being like, OK, Im obligated to go out there promote with you because I was paid to do the movie.

Its a different thing when you actually paid for the movie yourself, he continues. But the movie was so blessed, and really many times there was a real intercession from some sort of higher power, I would have to say it would be God.

Wahlberg spent six slow years trying to get to where the movie would finally be made. And when the time came, the project was filmed in 30 days during the pandemic in 2021.

After combing through many failed scripts, it was the script by Rosalind Ross that captured Father Stus true essence. So Wahlberg asked Ross to both write and direct the film.

The journey was not an easy one, though.

I was met with resistance not only from studios to make this movie, but also from the Church, which I was really surprised about, Wahlberg said. But then I realized, they opened to Page 1, and Bills using the F word, and in Page 2, he used it again. Then next thing you know, this is vulgar and this is unacceptable without really understanding what the message was.

I think if youd left the 'Passion of the Christ' 20 minutes before the movie was over, you get the wrong message too, the actor continued. So it was important for us to just say, OK, lets go make the movie on our own and then bring it to them and then see what their response is. Then if its not, I will continue to grow to challenge why people are turning away, or why people are not accepting it because of various reasons or why this wouldnt be accepted because of language?

Wahlberg maintained that the movie is about love, hope and redemption, showing that nobody is beyond redemption.

The actor admitted that he was worried about sending the film to certain people, including the archbishop.

I had to send him the movie, and you know, he was really supportive of me making the movie, but he was not supportive of the language. He was still pushing back on the language before he saw the film. Then when he finally came down to seeing the movie, he watched it with a new bishop-elect, and I believe a couple of other priests and maybe one other bishop. They watched the movie, sat there in silence, in tears, took about 10 minutes to kind of recover, compose themselves. They talked about it, and he wrote the most glowing review for the movie, Wahlberg noted. He talked about how it does have harsh language, and there is violence, but it is so important to really explain and understand his journey.

The entertainer admitted that he, too, still uses vulgar language at times but wants to promote Gods message of acceptance and transformation.

What I really need to be working on and focusing on, and especially being an example of, is going out there and doing the work. Its one thing to say. Its another thing to do it, Wahlberg commented. So this is the beginning of my journey to continue to try to do more.

Doing it was trying to just wear two hats. Being the producer who had to be really responsible financially because we had a ticking clock, and when youre writing the check, you feel a lot more responsible to get everybody there on time and to make your days, Wahlberg said of the pressure of being both actor and producer.

Then, of course, the responsibility that you have to getting it right and honoring Stu, his legacy, most importantly his legacy as Father Stu, which was the most important thing.

The Diocese of Helena in Montana, under which Father Stu served, praised Wahlberg's passion for making the film, saying in a statement that it appreciates "the thoughtful and diligent work of the production team."

"Father Stuart Longs dramatic conversion to Christ before becoming a priest led many people to Christ and the Catholic Faith. His courageous witness left a special legacy in the Diocese of Helena," the dioecese statement reads. "Viewers should be warned that the film contains objectionable language, violence, and adult content. However, its our hope that the redemptive story of Fr. Stus conversion will invite viewers to faith and strengthen believers."

Joining Wahlberg as a producer is his producing partner and manager, Stephen Levinson, along with Jordan Foss. Miky Lee and Colleen Camp are named as executive producers.

Ross has been romantically linked to Mel Gibson, with whom she shares a child.

Father Stu will hit theaters on April 13.
UMC places outspoken liberal bishop on leave after 2 complaints are filed against her

A prominent United Methodist Church bishop known for her outspoken theologically progressive stances has been placed on leave after two complaints were filed against her.

Bishop Minerva Carcano of the San Francisco Episcopal Area was placed on leave from her episcopal duties after the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops received the complaints.

According to an announcement by UMC Western Jurisdiction leadership released on Wednesday, retired Bishop Sally Dyck, formerly of the Chicago area, will serve as interim bishop for the time being.

Under church law, complaints regarding bishops are submitted to the president of the College of Bishops in the appropriate jurisdiction, explained the announcement.

A bishop may be suspended for a period not to exceed 60 days when deemed appropriate and shall receive full pay and benefits during that time while the allegations are under review.

Bishop Karen Oliveto, president of the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops, has appointed a special committee to investigate the complaints, the details of which are private.

Oliveto garnered headlines in 2017 when her election as bishop was declared illegitimate by the United Methodist Judicial Council due to her being married to a woman, which violates the UMC Book of Discipline.

According to her biographical information on the UMC California-Nevada Conferences website, Carcano has served on a host of UMC General Conference leadership positions.

These include the Connectional Process Team, the Study Committee on the Relationship of The UMC with the Autonomous Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, the Commission on the General Conference, and the United Methodist Immigration Task Force.

She is a recognized immigrant rights advocate  [and] has published articles on the rights of migrants in the Huffington Post and The Hill and has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, noted the California-Nevada Conference.

Carcano has also long been an advocate for the full rights and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ persons joining her efforts to the work of such organizations as the Human Rights Campaign.

Carcano has been a vocal critic of the UMC's official stance against homosexuality and same-sex marriage, having advocated for a change in the Book of Discipline on the issue.

In 2014, when UMC Pastor Frank Schaefer of Pennsylvania had his clergy credentials reinstated after being defrocked for officiating his sons same-sex wedding, Carcano gave him a position leading a student ministry in California.

"Rev. Schaefer will be responsible for leading the administrative work of this congregation and reaching out to the large college community that lives, studies, and works at the doorsteps of this church," stated Carcano back in 2014.

"Schaefer has much to teach us about what it means to love the children God gives us who happen to be gay. I pray that we will make space for him and his family in our lives and in our hearts as he comes to labor among us," she added.
Always pray 'thy will be done!'

The will of God is very important in the lives of believers and should not be compromised. The challenge with most of us is that we have decided to make the will of God subservient to our own personal wills. I have realized that God does not answer and honors prayers that fall within the confines of His will. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us (1 John 5:14).

I struggled in ministry, quarreled with God, and lived a life of bitterness and pain for 17 years until I realized that Christianity is not all about me but about Christ. I also came to realize that God is not interested in my comfort but in my obedience to His will. I decided to remove myself from the equation by submitting my will, plans, and ambition to the will of God. I turned a new lease on life as soon as I understood that what I want does not matter, but only God's will does.

I found joy, peace and love when I decided to reduce myself completely and give all to the will of God. Fear and anxiety gave way to braveness and confidence as my comfort seemed to not matter anymore. I stopped comparing myself with other ministers of God and I now see suffering for the sake of the Gospel as the will of God for my life. Any time I pray they will be done I notice peace, strength and overwhelming joy encompassing my life.

I am writing out of experience. Many who knew me before were wondering who was responsible for this transformation in my life and ministry. I now know that the greatest mistake that any Christian can make is to quarrel with God for not answering his or her prayers. I also now realize that whatever you grumble about automatically crumbles. Putting ourselves first in our relationship with God is an error that can lead to apostasy when we feel disappointed by God.

My prayer for my country these days is Lord let your will be done in Nigeria. We have prayed for years about the situation in my country, and it seems as if the situation is getting worse daily. Most recently we finished a training program for our missionaries and sent out 12 of them. Three days ago I got a call that bandits have invaded our fields and all of our missionaries were scattered. Some of them ran to the local government headquarters and some are presently hiding in bushes. The only suitable prayer for me in this circumstance is, Lord let thy will be done.

It is one thing to pray for Gods will to be done  its another thing to accept it. The challenge is that oftentimes the will of God is incongruous with the will of man. What we want is the antithesis of what God wants for us. We should always ask God for the grace to also accept His will.



Jesus prayed this prayer and was willing to accept the Fathers will even when it was very difficult for Him to do so: Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).

According to Elizabeth Elliott, To pray, thy will be done, I must be willing, if the answer requires it, that my will be undone. Undoing our wills is a very difficult task that requires deliberate and intentional efforts.

Charles Spurgeon famously said, When your will is God's will, you will have your will. My hearts desires are now becoming realities. My dreams and ambitions which I threw away to accept the will of God are now being fulfilled effortlessly.

Walking in the perfect will of God is my greatest experience and most amazing testimony as a believer. It has restored all that I have lost because of agitation and frustration. It has built my confidence on God and removed my fears.

Instead of bombarding God with a series of self-centered requests, let us learn how to submit all of our life to His perfect and divine will.
Eagle Brook megachurch drops plans to build new campus after backlash from local residents

The multisite Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota announced it has dropped the plan to build its 11th metro-area campus in a residential neighborhood in a Minneapolis suburb after backlash from local residents.

Although we would have loved to become a part of the community, we have made the difficult decision to not pursue the development at this time, Eagle Brooks Expansion Director Steph Hauber said in a statement about the megachurchs plan to build a 60,000-square-foot church with a 1,200-seat auditorium and a two-story parking structure off Wayzata Boulevard area in Minnetonka, Star Tribune reported.

The church said the decision was made in response to a variety of known and unknown variables, without mentioning opposition from residents, the newspaper said.

More than 1,260 residents signed an online petition against the churchs plan.

The traffic, environmental, and quality of life impacts to residents is immeasurable (not to mention the financial impact due to the immediate devaluation of surrounding homes), the petition says.

The church had planned to build its campus on a residential horseshoe drive (two lane) which can only be accessed via the Wayzata Blvd. frontage road (two lane) on a parcel of land currently home to countless wildlife species and which includes protected wetlands, the petition adds.

Its not about the church, resident Kristen Gildemeister, who launched the petition, said earlier, according to the Tribune. Its the size and volume of traffic and displacement of wildlife.

Gildemeister added, The two services Saturdays and Sundays, 1,100 cars coming and going during a 45-minute window, would have just made living here awful.

Resident Ginni Greffi said the value of her house would drop at least 20% in value if the church built its campus near the neighborhood. She added that residents had requested the church either downsize its plans or build it in an industrial area, Fox 9 reported.

Local residents also submitted letters to the city and spoke against the church's plans during a Minnetonka Planning Commission meeting last month.

The church says on its website that it exists to bring people into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, to draw them into a Christ-centered community, and to help them grow in their faith.

In 2020, after the churchs senior pastor Bob Merritt retired, he told The Christian Post that things were tough for him because initially there was some contention among the staff and church membership with his hiring.

In the first year, almost didnt make it, he recalled. I had an associate who basically wanted my job and he didnt get chosen. So he was tough to deal with for a year. Some people left the church as well because they werent sure I was the guy. Then in the second year, we went from 300 to 400 [members], then from 400 to 500 and then it just started to climb.

By year 10, Merritt said the church had grown to over 5,000 people.
Some Christians won't be elevated to higher 'levels' in Heaven, Ed Young warns

Ed Young, the pastor of the multi-site Fellowship Church in Texas, said in a sermon Sunday there are levels of hierarchy in Heaven and warned Christians who do not use their spiritual gifts to serve God's kingdom will not be elevated to a higher position when they die.

The 60-year-old pastor told his church in a March 6 sermon titled The Judgment of God that good works do not earn salvation because Christians are saved by grace through faith.

However, he said Christians still have responsibilities, such as attending church and sharing their spiritual gifts because, on judgment day, they will be held accountable for what they did with the gifts and abilities the Lord bestowed upon them during their lives.

I think for too many Christians, were like, OK, Im a Christian. Ive got that get-out-of-Hell card. And thats fine with me. Well, it should be much more than that, Young told his Grapevine-based congregation.

God does not zap us to Heaven the moment we are saved, the moment we are rescued, Young added. Were here for a reason. We should have that thought, that awareness, that responsibility, that, one day, were going to be held accountable for everything youve ever done.

Christians should not withhold their spiritual gifts from others because part of their responsibility is to glorify the Lord with their gifts while on earth, according to Young. He cited 2 Corinthians 5:10 to state that all believers will be judged.

When believers are judged, he said, there will be triumphs from those who used their gifts to advance Gods plan and tears from believers who fumbled the ball and took their eye off the shot clock.

I am not the ultimate judge, but if you are not regularly showing your love, support and attendance in church, if you are not loving and honoring the bride, I really have to doubt if you are a Christian, he said. Just from my theological study, my background, I would put a big question mark whether or not you are truly born again. I am not judging you. I am just challenging you to take inventory on your life. We are going to be judged on this stuff.

Youre going to be judged on how you used your different abilities, whether you sing, dance, whatever you do, whatever creativity, whatever you do! he added. And that is for those of us who are believers. Now, youre going to go to Heaven. But youre not going to get and hit the levels because there are levels in Heaven that God desires.

Young contends that instead of triumph during the judgment, there will be a lot of tears.

Some, among them the apologetics website GotQuestions.org, dispute the claim that there are multiple levels in Heaven, while saying there will be different rewards in Heaven.

The concept of different levels of heaven may have come in part from Dantes The Divine Comedy in which the poet describes both heaven and hell as having nine different levels, states the website. The Divine Comedy, however, is a fictional work. The idea of different levels of heaven is foreign to Scripture.

During his sermon, Young emphasized that Gods judgment is not a popular topic but inevitable and unavoidable for everyone.

Everybody will be judged. Judgment is not a sexy topic. Its not going to sell books. Its not going to be on the coffee mugs or T-shirts. Were not going to have a bunch of merch in our bookstore that says judgment is coming, Young said. You wont hear very many worship songs about God is going to judge me.

There will be a time where we will have to show the Lord Jesus  Im talking to Christians  and reveal to Him what we did with all of these aptitudes and abilities and gifts and opportunities that Hes given us, he added.

Its normal for Christians to feel convicted about the upcoming judgment, Young said, insisting that conviction should serve as an encouragement to share talents with others.

Young believes God gifted him with a speaking talent to preach the Gospel and that, on the day of judgment, God will not only judge him for how often he used his speaking gift but for the content of his words.

I will be held accountable at the judgment regarding how I stewarded this gift. Did I preach? Did I teach the entire Bible, or did I go, Ill just teach the fun parts, you know, the positive parts. Ill just try to have this Christian pep rally, Young said. Ill be judged regarding how I used the gifts. Did I teach truth? Did I rightly divide the Word of God?

Not only will Christians be judged based on church attendance and sharing the love of their gifts, but Young said that Christians will also be judged on if they chose to sow into the lives of others.

Many of us will see our co-workers, our neighbors, our family members, go to Hell. And we will go: Man, I had such an opportunity. I was a part of a church that prayed and thought and planned so much for people far away from God. Yet I didnt leverage it. I didnt invite them. I didnt engage them. I didnt pray for them, Young preached.

Sowing into the Church is not only about inviting someone to church and evangelizing to them, but it also means giving back to the bride of Christ financially, according to Young.

God has given some of us an ability to make a lot of money.  Are you here just to recreate, procreate, do deals and die. Thats it. Great, you know how to make money. Thats awesome. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Youre blessed. Good, Young said.

How, though, are we leveraging that for eternity? How are we leveraging that when it comes to the Bride? he added.
NRB passes resolution denouncing critical theory, labels it anti-Christian

The National Religious Broadcasters Board of Directors has unanimously approved a resolution that denounces critical theory, claiming that it advances anti-Christian ideals.

NRB, a trade association representing many conservative-leaning Christian media organizations, approved multiple resolutions on Tuesday during its annual convention. One resolution is titled Opposing Critical Theory and Anti-Christian Ideology.

A copy of the resolution was emailed to The Christian Post.

Critical theory places culpability for human suffering at the feet of anyone who thrives within, benefits from, or upholds an authority structure subjectively deemed corrupt by the secular culture, including God-given institutions such as the church, traditional family, and much more, the resolution states.

Critical theory advances the erosion of shared history and values, the yielding of human agency to tyranny, the supremacy of mob rule, and the deterioration of family and community bonds, producing great human suffering and alienation from truth.

The resolution further states that, as Christians, they embrace our citizenship in Gods kingdom and reject false promises of secular utopia.

As Americans, we inherit founding principles (equality of mankind, God-given rights, and self-government) that point to worthy and Biblical ideals for an orderly society, and we endeavor to advance these cherished promises for all, the resolution continued.

NRB urges Christian leaders to reject anti-Christian cultural systems that hold out salvation apart from Christ, oppose the influence of critical theory in education, academia, Christian ministry, and Bible teaching, and faithfully apply historic truths of Scripture to contemporary cultural issues.

Encyclopedia Britannica defines critical theory as a Marxist-inspired movement in social and political philosophy originally associated with the work of the Frankfurt School.

Drawing particularly on the thought of Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, critical theorists maintain that a primary goal of philosophy is to understand and to help overcome the social structures through which people are dominated and oppressed, Britannicas website explains.

Over the past couple of years, there has been increased attention and debate in the United States over critical race theory, a polarizing school of thought that contends that American society suffers from systemic racism.

Tracing its origins to the 1970s, the theory first emerged in law schools as an effort to explain the apparent decline of gains made by the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s.

According to Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancics 2001 book, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, CRT is comprised of activists and scholars interested in studying and transforming the relationship among race, racism, and power.

The movement considers many of the same issues that conventional civil rights and ethnic studies discourses take up, but places them in a broader perspective that includes economics, history, context, group- and self-interest, and even feelings and the unconscious, wrote Delgado and Stefancic.

Unlike traditional civil rights, which embraces incrementalism and step-by-step progress, critical race theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.

CRT proponents have drawn inspiration from left-wing movements, including Marxism, feminism and postmodernism. However, they have also been known to critique such approaches as well.

The CRT movement also has a history of supporting hate speech laws and college speech codes, which have often been struck down by the courts because they violate the First Amendment.

While proponents have argued that CRT is necessary to better combat systemic racism and promote diversity, conservatives have argued that CRT wrongfully vilifies the U.S. and is in itself racially divisive.

In 2020, the Council of Seminary Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention released a statement condemning both racism and CRT as incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message.

The councils statement came the year after the Southern Baptist messengers approved a resolution at the denominations annual meeting in 2019, stating that Evangelical scholars who affirm the authority and sufficiency of Scripture have employed selective insights from critical race theory and intersectionality to understand multifaceted social dynamics.

Other resolutions approved by NRB this week include one opposing de-platforming based on religious viewpoints, another urging member of Congress to protect the freedom of religious nonprofits, another opposing the Equality Act, and a resolution affirming the right to life, among others.
SBC statement on CRT branded 'anti-intellectual;' Tony Evans denies endorsement

A statement from the Council of Seminary Presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention denouncing racism and critical race theory as incompatible with their beliefs, has come under fire from some Christian academics. Prominent Dallas Pastor Tony Evans denied affirming it Wednesday.

Members of the 2019 Resolution Committee of the SBC, without my awareness or permission, used my name in their recent Affirmation of Recent Statements from Christian Leaders on Critical Race Theory. Upon reading this affirmation, I need to state that their use of my name and what I said in a sermon titled Race & Reconciliation released on 11/15/20 needs clarification of what I fully said. They have referenced a portion without giving it the context of my sermon, said Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and the first African American to earn a doctorate in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary.

In light of recent statements by Christian leaders regarding Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, members of the 2019 Resolution Committee of the SBC have drafted the following statement: pic.twitter.com/EfSxyLo4cB  Keith Whitfield (@kswhitfield) December 1, 2020

I have a great deal of respect for the SBC and the work that they do around the nation and the world, and this misunderstanding does not diminish that in any way, he explained.

As I stated in my sermon, which I encourage everyone reading this to watch, I again affirm that the Bible must be the basis for analyzing any and all social, racial or political theories in order to identify what is legitimate or what is not legitimate. But I did not say, nor imply, that CRT or other ideologies lack beneficial aspectsrather that the Bible sits as the basis for determining that. I have long taught that racism, and its ongoing repercussions, are real and should be addressed intentionally, appropriately and based on the authority of Gods inerrant word.

Critical race theory, which has been a lightning rod for debate and division in evangelical circles in recent years, is defined as an ideological framework that some legal scholars argue interrogates the relationship between race, law, and power.

In September, President Donald Trump issued an executive order in which he classified CRT and related concepts like white privilege as offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating after previously directing federal agencies to stop teaching government workers about the concept in diversity training sessions.

At their recent annual session, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the revised Baptist Faith & Message, the Council of Seminary Presidents, which is comprised of six seminaries, voted to reject CRT as incompatible with their faith while condemning racism in any form.

In light of current conversations in the Southern Baptist Convention, we stand together on historic Southern Baptist condemnations of racism in any form and we also declare that affirmation of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and any version of Critical Theory is incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message, the council said.

Danny Akin of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jason K. Allen of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jamie Dew of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Adam W. Greenway of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jeff Iorg of Gateway Theological Seminary, and Albert Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary are all members of the council.

Mohler argued that advocacy based on views like CRT and intersectionality has no rightful place within an SBC seminary.

John Fea, a distinguished professor of American history at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who has authored several works including Was America Founded as a Christian Nation: A Historical Introduction, called the statement from the council another example of Southern Baptist anti-intellectualism and fundamentalism.

When I call someone an anti-intellectual I am not saying that they cant think. Rather, I am saying that they think in overly binary ways that lacks nuance and complexity, he wrote in an op-ed posted on his website.

He noted that while there is evidence to suggest that many of the seminary presidents who signed the statement actually do believe in systemic racism, anyone who believes in systemic racism and rejects CRT in any form or fashion at the same time will need to thread a very narrow intellectual needle.

To make that claim successfully, Fea argued, citing Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, that it would all depend on how they define systemic racism and CRT.

He highlighted what CRT affirms: that racism is an ordinary or common part of everyday life and racism is more than just individual acts of prejudice against people of color but includes a system of discrimination built into American institutions, especially the law; since white people benefit from such systemic racism, they will not have the incentive to do anything about it; race is socially constructed; no person has a single, easily stated, unitary identity; and Black people and other people of color are able to communicate to their White counterparts matters that whites are unlikely to know.

Jemar Tisby, president of The Witness, a black Christian collective who is also author of The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Churchs Complicity in Racism, slammed the statement from the SBC seminary presidents as a commitment to whiteness.

The Southern Baptist seminary presidents continue to affirm their commitment to whiteness by quashing any meaningful effort to address racism in their schools or denomination and making those who attempt to do so targets of criticism. Of course, they covered their backs by saying, [w]e stand together on historic Southern Baptist condemnations of racism in any form. Still, such statements have all the hallmarks of what Martin Luther King Jr. called pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities, Tisby wrote in a recent op-ed.

The seminary presidents could have simply acknowledged the 20th anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Messages adoption and stated that they remain dedicated to its doctrines. Instead, they focused on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Intersectionality. By highlighting Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and any version of Critical Theory as particularly acute threats to Southern Baptist orthodoxy, the seminary presidents take aim at virtually anyone who advocates for racial justice beyond hugs, handshakes, and symbolic statements, he explained.

The Rev. Kate Hanch, associate pastor of youth and families at First St. Charles United Methodist Church in Missouri who holds a Ph.D. in theology and ethics from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, expressed her disappointment with the statement on Twitter.

Of course the #sbc is going to deny critical race theory. The denomination began because of their support of slavery. Self-examination of one's own white supremacy, given the history, feels almost impossible. (I say this as someone ordained in CBF, which broke away from the SBC), she wrote.

This grieves me bc the SBC is still a large denomination, and I'm guessing most ppl denying CRT have never read it. Claims of orthodoxy/hierarchy supersede the call to repentance and change. It makes me so sad and angry. Where is the Holy Spirit's witness? Where is the Holy Spirit convicting, converting, changing? she asked.

Hanch further noted that we all use secular theories & methodologies in engaging theology. Reformed people used the Scottish Common Sense Realism. The Apostle Paul used the Stoics. To solely claim one is biblical and nothing else is inaccurate & disingenuous.
'Let them die': Va. PTA official resigns after speech criticizing opponents of CRT, progressive ideas

A top official with the Virginia Parent Teacher Association has resigned after seemingly wishing death to parents who oppose the teaching of critical race theory and other progressive ideas.

Michelle Leete, the vice president of training for the Virginia PTA, had said let them die at a rally held last Thursday in Fairfax County in response to protesters opposed to CRT and other progressive proposals.

Although Leete later clarified that she meant to say she wanted right-wing ideas to die rather than people themselves, the Virginia PTA nevertheless announced Saturday that it had requested and received Leete's resignation.

While not speaking within her role within Virginia PTA, we do not condone the choice of words used during a public event on Thursday, July 15, 2021, the Virginia PTA explained in a statement.

As the commonwealths largest nonpartisan, volunteer child advocacy organization, Virginia PTA upholds values of respect, collaboration, and accountability.

The Fairfax County Parents Association posted the statement to its Twitter account, arguing that Leetes rhetoric is deeply disappointing.

It evinces a deep lack of concern for children & parents, particularly where the wellbeing of children & families clash with political considerations, tweeted the FCPA.

There is so much work to be done to help children, particularly from the harm done by the [School board's] decisions this year. We had hoped to work with many of these [community] leaders to get that done, but have been rejected at every turn. No matter, we will continue to fight for the kids.

Leetes comments came during dueling protests held last Thursday when the Fairfax County Public School Board adopted pro-transgender policies.

These policies included allowing transgender students to access restrooms and lockers that corresponded with their preferred gender identity rather than biological sex.

The approved policies also required that official lists of students, including yearbooks and newspapers, refer to them by their chosen pronouns, according to The Washington Post.

In addition to the controversy over transgender issues, other demonstrators last Thursday included opponents of inserting critical race theory materials into public schools.

Leete also serves as the first vice president for the Fairfax County NAACP, which came to Leete's defense.

"The Fairfax County NAACP is aware of the false narrative in the media regarding our 1st Vice President, related to a recent rally in support of Fairfax County Public School students," a statement reads. "Fairfax County NAACP does not condone or support violence of any kind, whether we agree with an individual's ideas or not. We believe in peaceful demonstrations and activism in order to achieve social justice and equity. But we will always stand in opposition to anti-diversity and anti-equity rhetoric, and any ideas or policies that further an inequitable agenda."

The Fairfax NAACP further argued that those speaking out against proposed policies "represent a way of thinking that is anti-children."

"We believe that these archaic ideals should be left in the past so we can create a safer, more inclusive environment for our students and teachers," the statement added. "We respect and appreciate opinions different than ours but urge civil conversations, free from racist, derogatory insults or obscenities."

The Fairfax NAACP contends that in the days following the rally, the organization received "many hate-filled emails, phone calls, and social media posts, which have been laced with racial epithets, vile language and threats."

"These messages only highlight the fact that racism and sexism are alive and well, and those who practice it will use any minor infraction or misspoken word to justify their own prejudices and actions," the statement continues.

Critical race theorists draw their origins back to the 1970s when the racial civil rights gains from the 1960s appeared to slow down and even backslide in certain areas.

According to Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancics 2001 book, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, CRT rejects incrementalism and step-by-step progress and questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.

The CRT movement has often supported hate speech laws and college speech codes, which in turn have been frequently struck down by the courts for their infringement on the First Amendment.

CRT has been criticized by many, especially conservatives, under the accusation that the movement wrongly vilifies the United States and is more racially divisive than informative.

School boards across the U.S. have debated proposals to add CRT-inspired materials to the curriculum, with some state legislatures advancing measures to ban CRT from classrooms.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed support for his states recently approved ban. The Republican argues that the woke class wants to teach kids to hate each other, rather than teaching them how to read, but we will not let them bring nonsense ideology into Floridas schools.

As the Governor of Florida, I love this state, and I love my country. I find it unthinkable that there are other people in positions of leadership in the federal government who believe that we should teach kids to hate our country, stated DeSantis last month.

We will not stand for it here in Florida. Im proud that we are taking action today to ensure our state continues to have the greatest educational system in the nation.
Christian series 'The Wingfeather Saga' releases new trailer (CP exclusive)

The bestselling childrens book series "The Wingfeather Saga" has released a new trailer for the first season after becoming the No. 1 crowdfunded animated children's series in the world.

"The Wingfeather Saga" is based on the bestselling novels by Andrew Peterson.

Watch the first look video of the animated series:

To create the series, "VeggieTales" and DreamWorks veteran J. Chris Wall has partnered with Angel Studios. Following in the footsteps of "The Chosen"  the record-breaking first multi-season series about Jesus  "The Wingfeather Saga" offered fans the opportunity to invest in the family-friendly animated series and nearly $5 million has already been raised.

Wall, the showrunner, and his team enlisted veteran artists from studios such as Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, Disney, Blue Sky and Nickelodeon to help bring the visuals to the screen.

The innovative hand-painted CGI animation rendering technique can be seen in the pilot episode.

"We have always hoped for a way to share in the creation of this animated series, and when the partnership with Angel Studios came up, it just felt like exactly the right fit," Wall told The Christian Post in an earlier interview. "To have a platform where we can invite our fans to build something together with us is just amazing."

"We love great stories that our whole family can enjoy together," he continued. "Sharing this story of a family struggling to overcome a great evil while also reconciling their own brokenness is something we feel deeply compelled to do."

"'The Wingfeather Saga' will allow the creators to stretch their legs and give a "rich experience from these great novels," Wall said. "Our hope is for families to have something to look forward to, episode after episode, as the epic and whimsical story unfolds toward its deeply satisfying conclusion."

Fans of the book series have long desired to see the world of Aerwiar come to life.

Wall said Peterson has spent a significant amount of time in world-building to deepen the experience for readers.

"One of our first experiences in developing the series was a project where we invited other authors to write short stories in the Wingfeather world. They jumped at the chance and found easy connections in the massive world of characters and that resulted in a new book, titled Wingfeather Tales," Wall added. "Our writing team cant wait to jump in and begin work to build out the full journey of this epic saga."

For more information, click here.
Virginia city abandons plan for 'Abortion Provider Appreciation Day' following pushback

The Washington, D.C., suburb of Alexandria, Virginia, has walked back plans to make this Thursday Abortion Provider Appreciation Day following pushback from the local Roman Catholic Diocese.

Mayor Justin Wilson, a Democrat, unveiled a proclamation last week announcing his intention to make this Thursday, March 10, Abortion Provider Appreciation Day to celebrate the courage, compassion, and the high-quality care that abortion providers and clinic staff provide.

While Alexandria is an overwhelmingly Democratic city where more than 80% of residents who cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential election supported Democratic candidate Joe Biden, the plan to recognize Abortion Provider Appreciation Day received intense pushback.

Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington released a statement condemning the proposal to celebrate abortion, which he described as a direct, violent attack on human life.

Proposing a celebration of abortion and an appreciation day for those who destroy lives defies comprehension, he said. The City of Alexandria should instead do the opposite. It should celebrate all those who save, protect and care for human life. It should re-direct its focus toward recognizing and supporting both mothers and their children, as so many dedicated and compassionate people in Alexandria do each day.

Burbidge called on Alexandria residents to express their opposition to this proclamation. St. Marys Basilica in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria shared the bishops statement on its website and provided a link to a form allowing residents to contact the mayor and members of the City Council. The council was set to consider Wilsons proclamation at a city council meeting Tuesday.

The oldest Roman Catholic Church in Virginia gave a list of sample statements residents could include in the form, urging them to Take a strong stand for life!

In addition, prominent conservatives living in Alexandria also took issue with the proposed Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.

My Democrat mayor and city council are celebrating people who kill babies, Mollie Hemingway, the editor-in-chief of The Federalist, tweeted. She described the proclamation as demonic.

My Democrat mayor and city council are celebrating people who kill babies. Yes, really. This is demonic. https://t.co/fgMwhLiam2  Mollie (@MZHemingway) March 4, 2022

Mercedes Schlapp, another Alexandria resident who served as White House Strategic Communications Director under Former President Donald Trump, contended that Mayor Justin Wilson is trying to divide our country, insisting that This action must be stopped.

This action by the mayor needs to be stopped. Mayor Justin Wilson is trying to divide our community. https://t.co/DI8CryIuhW  Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) March 4, 2022

In an email obtained by The Daily Wire, Wilson announced that This proclamation has now been pulled from the agenda at my request.

The proclamation you are referring to is part of a national effort, timed to occur 29 years after the date of the murder of an OB-GYN in Florida, who was murdered for providing legal and safe healthcare services, Wilson said.

Wilson began the proclamation last week by noting that March 10 marked the 29th anniversary of the murder of an abortion doctor by a white supremacist anti-abortion extremist. That doctor's name was David Gunn, who was murdered by Michael Frederick Griffin in Pensacola, Florida, in 1993.

The current docket for Tuesdays city council meeting features a list of proclamations that the legislative body will consider. Item No. 7 on the agenda, which formerly included the Abortion Provider Appreciation Day proposal reads: This item has been removed from the docket.

Schlapp responded to the development in a tweet Friday.

Praise God, she tweeted. Its why its so important to speak up against the Left pushing a radical agenda even at the local levels.

the "Abortion Provider Appreciation Day" proclamation -- has been removed from the docket by the mayor in Alexandria. Praise God. Its why it is so important to speak up against the Left pushing a radical agenda even at the local levels.  Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) March 4, 2022

In his proclomation last week, Wilson touted abortion as necessary reproductive healthcare that must be accessible for people to make real decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures.

He lamented the recent restrictions in some states that have forced many family planning clinics to shut down as well as the recent gutting of the Title X program that has further threatened access to abortion referrals and reproductive services and care.

The mayor also expressed concern about the fact that the United States Supreme Court now contains a majority of Justices who may not interpret the Constitution to provide protection for the right to end a pregnancy and may overturn or severely limit Roe v. Wade in 2022, referring to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

He decried the threat to womens reproductive rights posed by the possible partial or complete reversal of Roe as a threat to womens reproductive rights and therefore a threat to basic human rights.
Backed by workers changing the name of a former Shell station at Capitol Avenue and Broad Street in Hartford, Senate Republican leader Kevin Kelly is joined by House and Senate Republicans during a press conference in Minuteman Park calling for gasoline tax cuts as much as 45 cents per gallon. (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

HARTFORD  With gasoline prices skyrocketing as the war in Ukraine continues, both Republicans and Democrats called Thursday for cutting gas taxes soon in an election year.

House and Senate Republicans called for temporarily suspending the states gross receipts tax of 26.4 cents per gallon, plus eliminating the federal tax of 18.4 cents. Overall, the cut would be nearly 45 cents per gallon if enacted.

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Senate Republican leader Kevin Kelly of Stratford and others said that the Democratic-controlled legislature should vote as early as next Wednesday to provide immediate relief that would last until the end of the fiscal year on June 30. He said that taxpayers cannot wait for relief from the property tax credit, for example, that they would not receive until they file their taxes in April 2023.

They dont need relief a year from now. They need it now,' Kelly said, as Republicans stood across the street from a gasoline station in Hartford. This is, quite frankly, a no-brainer.'

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Rep. Sean Scanlon, a Guilford Democrat who co-chairs the tax-writing finance committee, said it is possible that a vote could be held next week if we can find agreement on a plan.'

Gov. Ned Lamont responded by saying he also wants tax cuts right away,' as long as they are paid for.

The numbers have to add up,' Lamont told reporters at a child care center in Hartford. Youve got to pay your bills. Does anybody else in that building [at the Capitol] know that?'

He added, Its the highest price its ever been. ... We have to balance out what we can afford to do and still maintain our commitments to roads and bridges.'

The average price in Connecticut reached $4.48 per gallon Thursday as prices have skyrocketed nationwide since Russia started an ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine.

Lamont will have conversations with top legislative leaders before deciding exactly when and how much the tax could be cut, adding that his budget office is calculating the numbers. The Republicans said their suspension of the gross receipts tax would last until the end of the fiscal year on June 30 and would cost $180 million.

At Capitol Avenue and Broad Street, Senate Republican leader Kevin Kelly is joined by House and Senate Republicans during a press conference calling for gasoline tax cuts. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

Unlike past years, lawmakers say that the state now has enough money to afford tax cuts. The latest statistics show that the state is projected to have a surplus in the general fund of $1.5 billion in the current fiscal year that ends June 30. The once-troubled Special Transportation Fund, which includes gasoline taxes, has a projected surplus of $275 million in the current fiscal year.

Both Lamont and Democratic legislators are talking about a possible rebate check that could be mailed by the state tax department. Scanlon said the rebate could be based on a persons income, which is tracked by the tax department.

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Scanlon has concerns over whether gas stations would actually pass along the tax savings to consumers at the pump. He cited a study of more than 100 gasoline tax cuts in states nationwide, and only about one-third turned into actual relief at the pump.

What these studies show is it doesnt always get passed along to consumers,' Scanlon said Thursday in an interview. Its a hard thing to police at every gas station across Connecticut.'

While Republicans are looking at a cut of about $180 million, Scanlon said Democrats could be in the range of about $200 million. Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski wants to suspend all fuel taxes until January 1, which Scanlon said would cost $800 million.

Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney of New Haven and majority leader Bob Duff of Norwalk, the leaders of the Democratic caucus that controls the chamber by 23 to 13, said they have started discussions on how and when to cut the gas tax.

Drivers across the country are suffering from the impact of Putins price hike as a result of his devastating and criminal war in Ukraine,' they said. Thankfully, President Biden is working to address oil supply around the world in the short term, which will have the largest impact on the price of this global commodity.'

Besides gasoline taxes, Lamont has proposed a $336 million package that would reduce taxes on residential real estate and cars. Within income limits, the property tax credit would be restored to all residential property owners. Currently, the credit is limited only to those with dependents and those over the age of 65.

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Under Lamonts plan, an additional 500,000 people would become eligible for the property tax credit for the 2022 calendar year  and they would receive the credit when they file their state income taxes in April 2023. The property tax portion of the plan would save taxpayers a combined $53 million, and the credit would be limited to single filers earning up to $109,500 and joint filers earning up to $130,500.

The legislatures tax-writing finance committee is expected to make recommendations in early April, and lawmakers hope to finalize the $24.2 billion budget and the tax package before the regular legislative session adjourns May 4.

We can afford this tax relief to take the pressure off at the pump,' said House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford.

With inflation increasing, some officials had been predicting a rise in prices. Michael J. Fox, executive director of the association that represents 375 Connecticut gasoline retailers, correctly predicted last year that the situation would get worse  even though many did not predict the war in Ukraine.

We may  and I hate to say this  get into the $4, $4.50, and that nasty $5 per gallon range, Fox said in November. We are dependent on foreign crude oil. Its more expensive to bring it in by barge. Weve gone from total energy independence  producing more crude oil here in the United States than we were using. We had cheap product, and the result was cheap gas.

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
Andrew Cuomo tells church Gods not finished with me yet, blames cancel culture

Quoting copious amounts of Scripture and declaring Gods not finished with me yet, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned last August after he was accused of sexually harassing several women, told a congregation in Brooklyn Sunday that the allegations were part of a political hit job that exploited cancel culture to remove him from office.

In his first public comments since his resignation, Cuomo,whose father Mario Cuomo served as the states 52nd governor, spoke from the pulpit of Gods Battalion of Prayer Church. The church is led by Pastor Alfred S. Cockfield.

My father, God rest his soul, used to say government is an honorable profession but that politics can be a dirty business, he told the audience. Now, that is especially true today when this politics out there is so mean and so extreme. When even the Democratic Party chooses to cancel people that they have a disagreement with.

The 64-year-old said that his behavior has been consistent in his 40 years in public life. But he noted that he failed to update that behavior with current cultural norms and apologized for that failure.

Last February, several women raised issues about my behavior. As I said then, and as I say in this holy hall today, my behavior has been the same for 40 years in public life. You have seen me many, many times, and that has been my behavior, he said.

But that was actually the problem, because for some people, especially younger people, theres a new sensitivity. No one ever told me I made them feel uncomfortable. I never sensed that I caused anyone discomfort. I was trying to do the exact opposite, but Ive been called old-fashioned, out of touch, and Ive been told my behavior was not politically correct or appropriate. I accept that.

Cuomo said he didnt appreciate how fast their perspective changed.

And I should have. No excuses. I am truly, truly sorry, he continued. Ive apologized many times, and Ive learned a powerful lesson, and Ive paid a high price for learning that lesson. God isnt finished with me yet, he said to applause.

Cuomo also told the church how much he had leaned on God to process what he called probably the toughest time of my life.

I want to thank you for having me here today as we celebrate the first Sunday of Lent. As you probably know, Ive gone through a difficult period the past few months. I resigned as governor. The press roasted me. My colleagues were ridiculed. My brother was fired. It was ugly, he detailed. It was probably the toughest time of my life. And it was the first time that I was glad that my father wasnt with us anymore, so he didnt have to see it.

I havent spoken about it in public yet because I wanted to talk about it here with you because Gods guidance is helping me through, he said to applause.

The former governor, who held office from 2011 to 2021, revealed how he has gone through a process of moving from anger to acceptance, from resentment to reconciliation in a bid to continue fighting.

Let go, let God. I believe in life. God sends us challenges. Life will knock us down at some point. And then, the question is, what do we do in that moment? Do we get angry? Do we feel sorry for ourselves? Or do we learn from it and get up from the mat. But it is hard. It is very hard. Its a struggle. Its a bridge that one needs to cross, and its a long bridge, he said.

The bridge goes from anger to acceptance, from resentment to reconciliation. I am now working to cross that bridge. And I believe that God has a reason for our path. I pray on it, and the Good Book has offered me guidance. Psalm 46 tells us God is our refuge and therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way.

Without calling state Attorney General Letitia James by name, Cuomo accused her and her office of politically-motivated prosecutorial misconduct.

The actions against me were prosecutorial misconduct, that is clear. They didnt act in the interest of justice. The district attorneys proved that. They acted in their own self-interest. They wanted me out because they wanted my job, Cuomo argued. We know that was their motivation by their own actions, but they actually used the cancel culture mentality to enable and advance their self-serving political scheme.

Even though James office announced 11 legal violations against Cuomo, he said not one of those violations has been proven. Of the 11 women Cuomo is alleged to have harassed, nine were current or former state employees. A report released by James office last August claimed Cuomos actions broke state and federal law.

They wanted to do with politics that which they couldnt do with the law. They used cancel culture to effectively overturn an election. And that was their greatest arrogance. They didnt elect me. You did, Cuomo told congregants.

If they wanted my job or the Democratic extremists believed I was in their way or if they didnt like me or if they didnt like my politics, fine. Defeat me in an election. But that is America. You decide. Who are they to override your choice? What happened to voting rights and democratic elections, our cherished priorities? he asked.

Responding to Cuomos speech on Sunday evening, James denied that the former governor was railroaded out of his job.

Serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo wont even spare a house of worship from his lies, James said. Even though multiple independent investigations found his victims to be credible, Cuomo continues to blame everyone but himself. Cuomo wasnt railroaded; he quit so he wouldnt be impeached. New Yorkers are ready to move forward from this sick, pathetic man.

Cuomo argued that cancel culture was used to get him out of office and get his brother, Chris Cuomo, fired from his job at CNN. He contends that it represents a new extremism and compared such actions to the attitudes of Tea Party conservatives.

They allow the extreme minority to overpower the reasonable majority. And Ill tell you this. When the emotion of the mob overcomes the integrity of the justice system, the intelligence of sound policy debate and honest analysis by the press, we are lost. This cancel culture represents a new extremism, Cuomo said.

In many ways, the Tea Party founded what we call the cancel culture mentality because the Tea Party was hyper-aggressive, dogmatic and insistent on their rabid ideology. And there was no patience, no compromise, no discussion, he continued. The Tea Party alienated many thoughtful Republicans because extremism does that by its very nature.

He added that cancel culture has become such a force in society that even some members of the press have become afraid to ask questions that challenge political correctness.

Do you know how many reporters told me they knew the report against me was a fraud? But they were afraid to challenge Me Too claims, Cuomo said.

He proclaimed that the real reason why his brother was fired from CNN was due to fear of cancel culture, not because he had violated any journalistic rule.

Chris Cuomo was suspended and later fired from CNN after it was revealed he was more involved than he led the network to believe in strategizing with his brothers political team amid the sexual harassment controversy. Additionally, Chris Cuomo was accused of sexual misconduct, a claim he denied.

What really happened was giants like CNN and Time Warner and AT&T and big shot billionaires like John Malone and John Stankey, they were in the middle of a merger and they were afraid of the cancel culture mob, Andrew Cuomo said Sunday. So they fired Chris, and thats the truth. And therell be a day when theyre going to have to raise their hand and tell the truth and then you will know.

Although it has been months since his resignation, Cuomo said he is still not at peace and doesnt think he will be at peace until he dies.

A woman asked me today if I was at peace. Now that is an interesting question. Let me say this. I am not across the bridge yet, but I know that I am blessed and God has been much better to me than I deserve, he said.

But on the question, if Im at peace? No, I am not at peace. But by the way, I dont want to be at peace either. And by the way, I dont think you should be at peace either, he added. We have too much work to do to be at peace. We can be at peace when they put us in the box and they close the top. We can rest in peace. But right now, we have to rise up, brothers and sisters. Right now, we have to fight the good fight because the struggle continues.
Ketanji Brown Jackson's membership in Harvard BSA that hosted anti-Semitic speaker surfaces ahead of hearings

Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's membership in a Harvard University student group that once invited a controversial anti-Semitic speaker to campus has surfaced ahead of her confirmation hearings later this month.

In 1992, Jackson was a member of the Harvard Black Students Association when they invited Leonard Jeffries, a professor known for making anti-Semitic remarks, to speak at the university, Fox News reports.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Jeffries first gained public attention in 1991, when the New York Post published an account of a vitriolic anti-Semitic and racist speech he made on July 20 at the Empire State Black Arts and Cultural Festival in Albany, New York.

Jeffries asserted that rich Jews controlled the black slave trade, and that Hollywood was the site of a Jewish-dominated conspiracy to systematically denigrate blacks, noted ADL.

He called then-Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch the ultimate, supreme, sophisticated, debonair racist and a Texas Jew.

The Harvard chapters of the Jewish group Hillel, the Gay-Straight Alliance, and the College Democrats protested the BSA event featuring Jeffries, with many professors and students also criticizing the speech, according to a 1992 Harvard Crimson article obtained by Fox News.

Fox News acknowledged that while Jackson was listed as a member of Harvard BSA when Jeffries spoke, it was not clear as to whether she attended the speech or if she denounced it.

The Christian Post reached out to the White House Press Office seeking comment for this story. A response was not received by press time.

The Republican National Committee posted a Rapid Response entry on its website expressing concern over the claims about Jackson and the controversial speaker.

The RNC asked multiple questions in the entry, among them if she attended the speech, if she was involved in its planning, if she paid dues or gave any other financial support to the organization, if she had been concerned about Jeffries being invited to campus, does she agree with his anti-Semitic views, and if she does not, will she denounce them?

She was a member of the organization  an organization that applauded Jeffries speech  but there is no record of her condemning the event, stated the RNC. The American people deserve answers.

Jackson is not the first Supreme Court nominee to face questions about college activities. In 2017, then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch was accused of having founded a Fascism Forever student club while enrolled at Georgetown Preparatory School, an elite private boarding school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Jesuits located in the Washington, D.C., area.

A report by the Jesuit publication America Magazine, however, clarified that while a yearbook entry said that Gorsuch had founded such a club, the entry was actually a joke by Gorsuch in reference to him being more conservative than most of his peers.

Biden nominated Jackson, who serves as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer last month. If confirmed, Jackson would become the first African American woman appointed to the court. Jackson would become the first Supreme Court Justice appointed by Biden since he took office last year, joining two Supreme Court justices appointed by Democratic presidents and six justices appointed by Republican presidents.

Last week, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that will consider Jacksons nomination, announced in a letter to colleagues that confirmation hearings for the federal judge will take place from March 2124. During the confirmation hearings, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will have the opportunity to ask Jackson questions about her legal philosophy. Senators will also hear testimony from witnesses arguing for and against her confirmation.

When the confirmation hearings conclude, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether to advance Jacksons nomination to the full Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee consists of 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans, reflecting the 50-50 split between the parties in the U.S. Senate.

If the nomination makes it to the full Senate, Jackson only needs to secure the support of a simple majority of senators for confirmation. Jackson is expected to be confirmed to the Supreme Court in light of the Democrats majority in the Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote in favor of the Democrats, as well as the fact that some Republican senators have indicated a willingness to consider voting for her.
Opponents of Nebraska citys LGBT ordinance gather enough signatures to force referendum

An ordinance in Nebraskas capital city that extends discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity could be put on the ballot this November or rescinded after referendum petitions garnered four times the needed signatures.

The Let Us Vote referendum initiative needed 4,137 signatures, equivalent to 4% of voters in Lincoln. But petitions were signed by more than 18,500 voters in just 15 days, forcing the Lincoln City Council to put the Fairness Ordinance on the ballot or rescind the law, according to the Nebraska Family Alliance.

We want Lincoln to be a fair and welcoming place for all people. Unfortunately, there was nothing fair about the ordinance passed by the city council, the socially conservative advocacy group argued in a statement.

Critics contend that the ordinance allows trans-identified biological men to use womens restrooms, locker rooms and showers if they identify as women. In addition to such rules being enacted for businesses and places of public accommodation, the alliance fears that the law could also impact churches and private schools.

The ordinance also adds active military and veterans as a protected class, apart from updating definitions of marriage, race and natural origin.

This is why a diverse coalition of more than 340 volunteers of different backgrounds, ages, and nationalities rallied together to collect 18,501 signatures from concerned citizens, business owners, and more than 70 churches in just two weeks, the group said.

The expanded ordinance passed the Lincoln City Council on Feb. 14. The Nebraska Family Alliance launched its repeal effort the next day to get the required number of signatures in 15 days.

During a press conference last Tuesday, Karen Bowling, the executive director of Nebraska Family Alliance, said the people of Lincoln have responded. The NFA team submitted 1,366 petitions with 18,501 signatures to the city council.

Today is about due process, she said, to give a voice to Lincoln residents who love their city and love their neighbors.

The process has begun to validate signatures.

These petitions were circulated in every area of the city and every demographic, Bowling said, adding that they received signatories from over 72 churches.

Slovic, Ukranian, Vietnamese and Spanish-speaking churches of both Protestant and Catholic denominations have participated. Our friends from the Islamic Center also signed petitions as well as Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

She said that the initiative is nonpartisan and included people of different perspectives.

Both proponents and opponents to the ordinance signed petitions because they believe the gravity of the issue should go to the vote of the people or the city council should rescind their decision," Bowling said.

The Fairness Ordinance has received the support of pro-LGBT civil rights groups. ACLU of Nebraska accused the measure's opponents of spreading "misinformation" in an attempt to "clock back on basic human rights."

"Everyone deserves to be treated fairly on the job, when creating a home for themselves and their families, and in public life," ACLU of Nebraska Legal and Policy Counsel Sara Rips said in a statement. "We are ready to work to ensure Lincoln supports equality and to make sure no one in our community is left behind.

The Lincoln Journal-Star reports that at least four council members said they support putting the policy up for a vote. Such a vote would occur either in a special election or in Novembers general election.

However, Dave Shively, Lancaster Countys election commissioner, told the newspaper that state law doesnt permit the holding of a special election so close to the date of a regularly scheduled election.

A referendum petition against a less expansive version of the ordinance gained enough signatures in 2012. However, the council didnt put it for a vote.
Chinese Communist Party is enabling the Ukraine invasion

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is enabled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which not only refused to condemn the military action but supported Russian President Vladimir Putin's Hitlerian explanations for aggression. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying claimed: We have stated Chinas principled position on the Ukraine issue. There is a complex historical background and context on this issue. The current situation is the result of the interplay of various factors... If all parties had done more to promote peace, showed more respect and accommodation for each others security concerns... The CCP spokesperson refused to criticize Russia but instead went on to blame the United States for inciting aggression.



The hidden truth is that China has attached itself to Russia in a way seldom seen between great powers in history. From an article in The Economist penned a few weeks before the Ukraine invasion: When President Xi Jinping welcomes Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader he calls his 'best friend', to a planned summit just before the Beijing Winter Olympics open on February 4th, powerful interests will bind the two men. China has capital to invest, technology to sell and an ever-growing appetite for oil, gas and other commodities. Russias economy, though ailing, complements Chinas, offering natural resources that can be supplied via pipelines and railways which are  in happy contrast with maritime supply routes  immune to blockade by foreign navies. Both see a world order being reshaped... creating chances to test and divide the democratic West. Chinese and Russian diplomats and propaganda organs relay and amplify parallel narratives about the benefits of iron-fisted order over American-style dysfunction."



A number of senior Western officials have noted the danger of this alliance and its targeting of the Western liberal order. Liz Truss, UK Foreign Secretary, described the relationship as one emboldened in a way we havent seen since the cold war. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R - Wis.) described to The New York Times the solid Chinese support of Putins actions against Western interests: The Chinese support all of Putins narrative to blame the West for provoking Russia. I see no change in the Chinese views on Russia. They remain in a de facto alliance against the West at this point.



Experts note that Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has shackled a number of nations through economic compromise to follow CCP bidding. China and BRI countries provide assurance to Putin he can overcome American and European sanctions. Putin is not stupid and would have known the West would sanction him in a draconian manner for the invasion of Ukraine. He would only have risked these sanctions if he knew China and BRI nations had his back. Unfortunately, they do have his back as we are seeing.

The CCP, in turn, uses a strategy called "elite capture" against a number of Western elites, including those in the media. Award-winning author and journalist Peter Schweizer explained the CCP thinking on this: "If we can capture them with sweetheart deals, with other benefits, we can effectively lobotomize the United States by making them unresponsive to our threats." In his book Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win, Schweizer provides detailed evidence of the ways the CCP has compromised many American elites. As an example, President Joe Biden never once called out CCP duplicity with Russia during his State of the Union speech. Schweizer devotes part of his book to the ways in which the Biden family has been part of the elite capture by the CCP.

Putins invasion of Ukraine would not have happened, and could not continue, without the help of the CCP. It's time for America and Western Allies to put rightful blame on not just Russia but the CCP, and demand China stop enabling Putin to risk a nuclear holocaust. Righteousness exalts a Nation (Proverbs 14:34). Its time we demand righteousness of our leadership in confronting the CCP over their role in naked aggression.
Confronting communisms ideological lie: Whittaker Chambers Witness turns 70

Upon publication 70 years ago, Whittaker Chambers autobiography, Witness, immediately became recognized as a stirring spiritual investigation of communism.

Chambers resounding verdict is that communist ideology corrupts the souls of its adherents, justifying violence to achieve ideological resolution of the total crisis of the modern world.

A spy for Soviet military intelligence during the 1930s, Chambers would build a communist espionage ring in Washington, D.C., with numerous journalists and officials ensconced in the federal government during the New Deal.

Members of this cell transferred to Chambers copies of government documents, reports and plans. He then relayed this material to the Soviet Unions intelligence handlers.

Chambers would exit communism in 1938 after a profound Christian conversion heightened his awareness of how the communist ideology persecuted and destroyed the human spirit.

Chambers spy network consisted of men such as Harry Dexter White, a senior Treasury Department official who would be appointed in 1946 as U.S. director of the International Monetary Fund.

Another prominent member was Alger Hiss. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Hiss clerked for Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. He served in an array of federal government posts; at the State Department, he was part of Americas Yalta delegation.

As members of a communist cell, Chambers and Hiss became close friends, their families frequently socializing together. When Chambers left communism, he tried to bring Hiss with him in a fateful Christmas visit in 1937. But to no avail, as Hiss was firmly committed to the revolutionary cause.

That fact would remain true for Hisss entire life. He died in 1996, never admitting that he engaged in espionage and insisting that he was framed by Chambers.

Pumpkin papers

On Jan. 21, 1950, after almost two years of hearings, lawsuits, and two federal trials  the first ended in a mistrial  Alger Hiss was pronounced guilty on two counts of perjury about espionage. He was sentenced to five years in federal prison.

Hiss had lied about his efforts to aid the Soviet Union while a high-ranking State Department official in the 1930s. Chambers testimony against Hiss  first in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1948, and then in federal court  became impossible to reject because of the legendary evidence he hid in a pumpkin patch on his farm.

The so-called Pumpkin Papers, actually on microfilm, provided evidence proving that Hiss had in fact procured State Department documents and delivered them to Chambers.

The Hiss-Chambers trial was a national sensation. The first installment of now familiar episodic clashes in Americas cultural wars, the trial unlocked for Americans the degree of past communist penetration of the federal government.

But the case means more than a progressive left that refused to admit Hisss guilt (which remained true for decades) and an anti-communist right that wanted justice for Hisss betrayal of the country.

Chambers turn against communism also was sparked by his acute awareness of the Stalinist purges in the Soviet Union. Those murders spoke to a new reality Chambers accepted  the existence of the soul.

The scientific rationalism he believed in as a communist fell from me like dirty rags, Chambers wrote, along with the whole web of the materialist modern mind. This materialism had stifled human spirit, paralyzing in the name of rationalism the instinct of his soul for God.

What replaces communism

Why do men break from communism, Chambers asked in Witness?

They rarely break completely, retaining their faith in the needed emancipation of man from traditional institutions of property, religion, and family. Most pull away from communism, not because of disagreement with the destination of egalitarianism or elimination of capitalism, but over tactics and strategy. They arent ready to take upon themselves the crimes of history.

But what replaces communism isnt a new vision or the return to the Wests ancient faith in God and reason, but various forms of leftist thought, less violent or anti-democratic in operation.

Chambers described his process of leaving communism as a root-and-branch spiritual conversion, embracing the love and grace of a providential God. Chambers believed God called him to fight for freedom. If he did this, God had told him, all will be well.

The first stirring inside Chambers, he wrote, began the day he noticed the shape of his daughters ear. She was so amazingly made, he observed, that he saw the finger of God in his daughters creation.

Communisms materialist vision of man had lost its hold on him.

Chambers also reported that he left communism because he finally heard the screams of those tormented, persecuted, and murdered by the ideology. But to acknowledge the depth and meaning of their screams, he concluded, was to hear their souls with your own soul.

In this, Chambers departed from the murderous realm of Soviet communism, where the crimes of history were easily justifiable so that an end to history could be reached and mans liberation achieved.

Decision to die

One of Chambers memorable statements in Witness is this: A Communist breaks because he must choose at last between irreconcilable opposites  God or Man, Soul or Mind, Freedom or Communism.

To believe in mans essential dignity was to have an answer to Vladimir Lenins or Joseph Stalins argument that ideological murders were justified. No, says Chambers, the soul is created by God and marks man as an immortal who cannot be destroyed for communist ideology.

Chambers told his wife that in leaving communism, we are leaving the winning world for the losing world. We made the decision to die, if necessary, rather than to live under communism.

Some do not know that there was a time in the 20th century that communism seemed ascendant, both morally and technologically. Chambers never was sure that the West was prepared to defeat it.

Communism had proven fulfilling to leading minds because it gave them a reason to live and a reason to die. That faith was found in Karl Marxs counsel  Philosophers have explained the world: it is necessary to change the world.

According to Chambers, the conviction of the communist and the fellow traveler was this powerful belief: Communists are that part of mankind which has recovered the power to live or die.

But this was also why Chambers thought Hiss refused to admit guilt or express remorse for his treasonous behavior. Chambers had owned up to his betrayal of his country because he knew it was wrong; it was a betrayal of everything that a man should hold sacred. Hiss was loyal to an ideology and to the Soviet state.

The controversy between Hiss and Chambers revealed a sharply divided America. When subpoenaed to testify by House Un-American Activities Committee in 1948, Chambers was a senior editor at Time magazine, then a serious weekly periodical on politics and culture.

Chambers would lose that job and be vilified in the press. Leading politicians and Supreme Court justices, including President Harry Trumans Secretary of State Dean Acheson, publicly defended Hiss.

Fighting for political freedom

Chambers verdict on this abusive treatment was that when he took up his sling and struck Hiss, he also struck Goliath:

What I hit was the forces of that great socialist revolution, which, in the name of liberalism, spasmodically, incompletely, somewhat formlessly, but always in the same direction, has been inching its ice cap over the nation for two decades.

Chambers makes a radical judgment about the shape of President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal, as its main architects had as their goal the remaking of America, the replacement of business with politics.

Would Americans now realize how deep the transformation could go, courtesy of Chambers? Did not the viciousness toward Chambers betray something about progressive goals, as in how dare anyone question the efforts of one of the progressive cohort?

Chambers stridently argued that communists, socialists and progressives really couldnt grasp the differences between themselves. An accusation that Hiss was a communist struck many progressives as an attack upon them because he was of their circles. How could a Soviet agent share their purposes?

Chambers answered by pointing to the rationalism of the modern liberal project, which believed that mans mind could constitute and change mans reality. The spirit of this vision moved in tandem with the communist faith.

The progressive shared the communist position that replaced right and wrong, good and evil, with the morally corrupting distinction between progress and reaction, as Dan Mahoney articulates.

Chambers Witness argued that he was fighting for Western political freedom, but that freedom could not be defended by modern liberalism. Freedom, Chambers said, is a need of the soul. In striving toward God, he wrote, the soul strives continually after a condition of freedom.

But our freedom demands inner freedom. Thus, Chambers wrote, political freedom, as the Western world has known it, is only a political reading of the Bible.

In the end, thats what Chambers Witness stands for, the freedom of our souls to choose the good and to reject the train wreck of ideological lies that have flooded the modern mind.

This is counsel we need in our time, as the dehumanizing ideologies of the left continue to arrest peoples souls.

Originally published at The Daily Signal.
Americans raise concerns over how Putins war on Ukraine will impact US economy

As shelling of Ukrainian cities has intensified and oil prices are rising, a survey has found that most American adults fear that Russias war on Ukraine will have a negative impact on the U.S. economy.

When Rasmussen Reports asked American Adults how likely is it that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will hurt the American economy, only 14% said they dont expect it to be bad for the U.S. economy and 12% werent sure, while 74% said it is likely, including 40% who think its very likely.

The national survey of 1,000 American adults conducted on March 1-2 also asked, Is the economic impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine likely to last less than six months, six months to a year, or more than a year? In response, 34% said they expect it to last six months to a year, 28% said more than a year, 20% said less than six months, and 19% werent sure.

The telephone and online survey also found that more Republicans (48%) than Democrats (31%) or those not affiliated with either major party (42%) say its very likely the ongoing invasion will hurt the U.S. economy.

Similarly, fewer Democrats (22%) than Republicans (29%) or those unaffiliated (32%) think the impact could last more than a year.

According to an analysis published in The Wall Street Journal, consumer prices are likely to rise around the world as manufacturing costs for food, consumer goods and machinery are going up due to the war, which is impacting places far from the battlefield.

Last week, crude oil prices rose 25%, to more than $118 a barrel, which is the highest since 2013, it pointed out, adding that in the U.S., gas prices have gone up an average of 43.7 cents a gallon as per price tracker GasBuddy, which said the national average as of Sunday was $4.02 a gallon.

On Sunday, dozens of civilians were killed and evacuation efforts were disrupted as Russian forces intensified strikes across Ukraine to move toward the capital city of Kyiv and the countrys second-largest city, Kharkiv, the Journal reported, adding that Ukraine is now preparing for a second wave of Russian attacks which appears to be focused on major population centers around the country.

Russia plans to encircle Ukrainian forces and create a situation of humanitarian disaster for the civilian population, Ukraines national security adviser, Oleksiy Danilov, said in a social media post.

Russia has made significant advances in southern Ukraine and along the coast, but many of its efforts have become stalled, The Associated Press reported.

A humanitarian crisis is building in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Russian forces reportedly failed to observe an 11-hour ceasefire. There can be no green corridors because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko was quoted as saying on Telegram.

A senior American defense official was quoted as saying Sunday that the U.S. assesses that about 95% of the Russian forces that were around Ukraine have entered the country.

The U.N. high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, said Sunday the number of refugees leaving Ukraine was the fastest-growing humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II as 1.5 million people had fled Ukraine in just 11 days, according to the AP.

As of Saturday, at least 351 civilians had been killed and another 707 wounded in Ukraine since Russias military invasion began on Feb. 24, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said, adding that the actual numbers are likely to be considerably higher, Reuters reported.

The Russian invasion has internally displaced about 4.3 million people in Ukraine, International Organization for Migration said Saturday.

In response to President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine, more than 280 priests and deacons of the Russian Orthodox Church are calling for reconciliation and an immediate end to Russias ongoing invasion, stressing that the Last Judgement awaits all.

We mourn the ordeal to which our brothers and sisters in Ukraine were undeservedly subjected, the Russian Orthodox clerics wrote in an open letter, which was launched Tuesday and had garnered signatures of 284 priests, archpriests and deacons by Sunday morning.

More than 400 ministers of Evangelical churches in Russia have also signed an open letter against the invasion of sovereign Ukraine.

Our army is conducting full-scale military operations in another country, dropping bombs and rockets on the cities of our neighboring Ukraine. As believers, we assess what is happening as a grave sin of fratricide  the sin of Cain, who raised his hand against his brother Abel, they wrote.
Chinese Christian woman detained for attempting to share Gospel with Xi Jinping Activist has been arrested by authorities over 50 times for urging Xi to give his life to Jesus

Authorities in northeast China detained a Christian woman for her repeated attempt to share the Gospel with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. The woman, who is from Liaoning province, has been arrested more than 50 times for her earlier attempts.

Police ordered Zhou Jinxia to return home to the port city of Dalian after she was caught holding up a sign asking Xi Jinping to believe in Jesus in the Zhongnanhai area in Beijing, the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the State Council of China, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported about her latest arrest last month.

The woman, who is an activist, was charged with picking quarrels and provoking trouble on Feb. 21, according to ICC.

Her arrest came weeks before an annual political event in Beijing, called lianghui or Two Sessions, by the National Peoples Congress and the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, which share upcoming policy direction, ICC said, explaining that the Chinese government usually intensifies its crackdown against civil society to ensure everything goes on smoothly.

Zhou has made more than 50 attempts to preach the Gospel to Xi and Peng in front of Zhongnanhai Xinhua Gate in Beijing and has been detained many times, the U.S.-based group China Aid, which monitors human rights in China, said.

In 2018, Zhou was arrested after she held a sign at the same political event that read: God loves the people of the world and is calling out to Xi Jinping.

In March 2016, she held out a longer sign that read: God loves the people of the world and is calling out to Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan. Atheism nurtures sin and brings down the people. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; you should repent.

Zhous efforts back then landed her in administrative detention for 10 days and charged with disturbing social order.

As Beijing hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics, many expressed outrage about Chinas treatment of religious minority communities. While China was accused of genocide for its detainment of Uyghur and other ethnic Muslims in western China, human rights activists had voiced concern for years about the Chinese governments longtime crackdown on unregistered churches and house church movements.

Open Doors USA, which covers persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that China has more than 97 million Christians, many of whom worship in unregistered or so-called illegal underground churches.

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.

Open Doors USA, has warned that the monitoring of unregistered house churches in China increased over the last year as more house churches have experienced harassment and obstruction once their activities have been discovered.

The group has also warned that many unregistered churches have been forced to split up into small groups and gather in different locations, keeping a low-profile so as not to be detected by the sub-district officer or neighborhood committee.
Archbishop Fredrick Maaka has commended the recent mission week in Uganda by African Enterprise, saying the many souls that came to the kingdom is a great testimony.

He also says the closing distance between different denominations, and the ability for churches to sharpen each other in discipleship is a wonderful thing.

The Archbishop believes that building a kingdom mindset is so important, and that unity in the church is powerful. His desire is to see the body of Christ working together, helping as many people as possible receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Mission Leader Juliet Matabira believes that the missions achievement of reaching over 100,000 for Jesus is a great success.

Seeing churches uniting to work together and getting people saved has been a great highlight for me, Juliet says. There are many more Pastors in Jinja that would welcome the opportunity to participate in our next mission.
Collecting guide: works on paper

An expert introduction to the medium, illustrated with works offered in our upcoming Post-War to Present sale

1

What are works on paper? The phrase works on paper encompasses a diverse range of media  from drawings and paintings to prints and multiples. Traditionally, artists utilize paper to test out new strategies or think through a larger idea with the immediacy of pencil and charcoal. Oftentimes, this gives outsiders a more intimate glimpse into their creative process, as if the artist is giving you a personal tour of how their mind churns and sifts through ideas. More and more, artists are turning to the medium as a unique way to showcase these visualizations. Artists known for working in a diverse range of media are prized for their works on paper. Richard Serra, known for his monumental sculptures, captures the same physical intensity on paper through texture by thickly applying paintstick and charcoal. Likewise, Lee Bontecou, showcases similar sculptural elements on paper. This offers collectors a unique and one-of-a-kind experience with the artists work.

Open a larger version of this image Richard Serra, Like Not Anything, 2001. Paintstick on handmade paper. 50 x 50  in (127 x 128.3 cm). Estimate: $300,000-500,000. Offered in Post-War to Present on 10 March 2022 at Christie's in New York

On the other hand, Agnes Martin brings her ethereal paintings to a more intimate presence with the medium, allowing the viewer to engage closer, becoming meditatively entranced. While Cy Twombly gives viewers the chance to get a closer, sometimes more explicit, look at the artists style and motifs used through his unique masterworks.

2

Why collect works on paper? Works on paper are generally an accessibly priced medium, making it perfect for emerging collectors looking to get their feet wet or even for more experienced collectors to expand their holdings of a particular artist. Though typically more accessible than works in other mediums, unique works on paper can manifest at a masterpiece level  estimated in the millions.

3

Where can I see works on paper in the art world? You can find them at almost any arts institution, including galleries, museums, and libraries. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, both in New York, have departments dedicated to works on paper. The Drawing Center in downtown Manhattan reserves their exhibition space exclusively to the medium. Various museums also have libraries in which you can make appointments to peruse their collections revolving around works on paper such as drawings and prints.

Open a larger version of this image Cy Twombly, Untitled, 1960-61. Ink, coloured pencil and graphite on paper. 19 x 27 12 in (49.5 x 69.9 cm). Estimate: $200,000-300,000. Offered in Post-War to Present on 10 March 2022 at Christie's in New York

Likewise, many different institutions have dedicated museum exhibitions towards works on paper. It can be useful for collectors to look these up to educate themselves. For example, Julie Mehretu featured 40 works on paper and 30 paintings in her major solo-exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2021.

4

Where they originate from? Paper dates all the way back to AD105 when it was attributed to Cai Lun, the Chinese Court Official. It was first made from the papyrus plant, hence its name, that lives in Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. After being processed in China during the Eastern Han period (AD25-220), it spread to the Islamic world during the 8th century. However, it did not progress until it migrated to Medieval Europe in the 11th century when they devised the water-powered plant mill. This process not only assisted with the development of languages and cultures but with religion and art itself.

5

What terms should I look out for when collecting works on paper? It can be daunting to begin collecting new medium. Below are some common definitions that will help you get started. Artist pinholes: This refers to the tiny pinpricks left on some artworks upon completion, usually at the corners of the paper or centre edges. These are created when an artist chooses to pin a sheet of paper down during production and provide a fascinating insight into an artists practice. Artist pinholes are not considered to have a negative effect on an artworks overall condition or value. Backing board: This is a rigid piece of acid-free board that is placed behind the paper to prevent warping or buckling.

Open a larger version of this image Robert Motherwell, Cor Anglais, 1976. Acrylic and pasted papers on paper. 21  x 14  in. (55.6 x 37.8 cm). Estimate: $50,000-70,000. Offered in Post-War to Present on 10 March 2022 at Christie's in New York

Deckled edges: Certain high-quality handmade papers used by artists have a deckled or rough edge. Much like artist pinholes, this is not a detail that negatively affects condition or value  many artists prefer to work with deckled-edged sheets. Similarly, perforated edges do not pose an issue to overall condition but are evidence that the artist was using sheets from a bound album or notebook. Hinging: This refers to how a work on paper is attached to a secondary support like a matte or backing board without harming the artwork. If a work is hinged at the upper corners, it can be lifted so that the sheet reverse (the back of the drawing) is visible  much like a door hinge. Works that are described as being mounted along all four edges are pinned down at each corner, meaning that they cannot be lifted from their secondary support.

Open a larger version of this image Agnes Martin, Untitled, 1960. Ink on aquatint proof. 10  x 10  in (27 x 27.3 cm). Estimate: $60,000-80,000. Offered in Post-War to Present on 10 March 2022 at Christie's in New York

Matting: Today, most secondary supports used for works on paper are acid-free; however, this has not always been the case. Many works on paper have come into contact with acidic cardboard and paper over the course of their history. Prolonged exposure can cause paper to darken. A skilled conservator may be able to improve affected works, depending on the severity of the damage, and the media used. Mat staining: Mat stains are faint rusted lines where the matte board would have touched the paper, this occurs from too much light exposure to the work. Time stains: This term refers to yellow or darkening of the paper outside of the matte border, sometimes fading the image altogether. This occurs from exposure to light and failure to use UV-protected glass or plexiglass to protect the work.

6

How do you care for works on paper? The key to caring for a work on paper is to pay attention to the environment. As paper is sensitive to its surroundings, such as temperature, light, and humidity, it is integral to store it in a dry, temperature-controlled location away from direct sunlight.

Open a larger version of this image Alexander Calder, Untitled, 1932. Gouache and ink on paper. 22 x 29  in. (55.9 x 75.9 cm). Estimate: $40,000-60,000. Offered in Post-War to Present on 10 March 2022 at Christie's in New York
Lesley DeNardis, a Republican, announced Tuesday that she will run against Connecticut Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro in this year's election, in attempt to become the first GOP member to hold the 3rd District seat since her father in the early 1980s. (Tracey Furman/Motophoto via AP) (Tracey Furman/AP)

Republican Lesley DeNardis announced Tuesday that she is running against Connecticut Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro in this years election, in attempt to become the first GOP member to hold the 3rd District seat since her father in the early 1980s.

The retired political science professor, of Hamden, cited voters frustration and disappointment with elected officials in Washington, particularly over rising gas and food prices, increasing crime and government mandates.

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We have one-party control in Congress and an entrenched incumbent who has been in office for over thirty years, DeNardis said in a statement. She no longer understands or is in touch with the concerns of Connecticut residents. We need new representation in our district. It is time for a change.

A message seeking comment was left for DeLauros office. She was first elected to the New Haven-area congressional seat in 1990 and is now chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

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DeNardis father, Lawrence DeNardis, who died in 2018, was the last Republican to hold the seat in the now heavily Democratic 3rd District, winning one term in 1980 as Ronald Reagan was elected president. He lost in both 1982 and 1984 to Democrat Bruce Morrison, and later served as president of the University of New Haven.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., was first elected to the 3rd District congressional seat in 1990 and is now chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Also running against DeLauro is Libertarian candidate Amy Chai, a medical doctor.

Republicans have not held a House seat in Connecticut since former Rep. Chris Shays lost the 4th District race in 2008 to current Democratic Rep. Jim Himes. The GOP this year has been targeting Democratic Reps. Jahana Hayes in the 4th District and Joe Courtney in the 2nd District.

In the 4th District, Republican Jayme Stevenson, former first selectwoman of Darien, recently announced she was running against Himes.

Lesley DeNardis has been active in local politics in Hamden, serving on the Legislative Council after holding seats on the school board and planning and zoning commission.

She recently retired from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, where she taught political science and directed the schools polling. She has been working as a real estate agent.

Her campaign site says she favors limited government, economic freedom, individual liberty and opportunity for all.

DeLauro has touted her work on behalf of families, women and children, including continuing efforts to raise the minimum wage, provide paid family and medical leave, obtain equal pay for women and expand the child tax credit.
Josh Jackson was out for an exploratory hike in the Bodie Hills as the orange August sun dipped below the horizon. Located just north of Mono Lake on the edge of the Eastern Sierras at about 9,000 feet, the area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and attracts few visitors. What Jackson saw that evening made him wish more people would visit places like this.

As he hiked with friends along the Dry Lakes Plateau, a high-elevation mesa spread before them, a transition zone between the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin dotted with lodgepole pine and juniper trees. Taking it all in, Jackson suddenly locked eyes with something unexpected: a pronghorn antelope, North Americas fastest land mammal.

Theres just this beautiful male antelope like 50 feet away, staring at us and not moving, he says.

Jackson was kicking himself for not bringing his zoom lens. But the next morning, on another hike to a nearby location where antelope are known to graze, Jackson stumbled on an entire herd. They were running in perfect unison, darting left and right all at once, almost like a school of fish.

That was definitely the most magical wildlife experience Ive had out there, he says.

A Los Angeles-based furniture maker by trade, Jackson has spent much of his free time over the past two years visiting the BLM lands of California. Hes traveled more than 10,000 miles, crisscrossing the state from the King Range National Conservation Area on the north coast all the way down to the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness in the southeast.

Jackson has hit every significant parcel of BLM land in between, documenting what he finds with photographs and notes and interviewing BLM employees whenever he can. Hes also created an Instagram account, forgottenlandscalifornia, where hes posting about his travels and has amassed more than 10,000 followers. Jackson plans to collect his photographs into a book, which will also feature his essays along with illustrations and maps created by artist friends.

Im trying to tell the story of what makes BLM land so special, he says.

The project grew naturally out of his enthusiasm for Californias outdoor spaces. When Jackson, his wife and their three children moved to Los Angeles in 2006, they immediately began exploring. We hit most of the state parks, national parks and national forest land, and we got to a point where we were trying to find new spots, he says. When a friend suggested a lesser-explored area on BLM land called Trona Pinnacles, near Death Valley National Park, Jackson started packing.

Within the California Desert Conservation Area and featuring more than 500 tufa spires shooting 140 feet up from Searles Dry Lake Basin, the Trona Pinnacles are shaped like towers and tombstones and ridges and cones, Jackson writes on Instagram.

The landscape really transports you to another planet, he says. When he visited with his kids in 2015, they were young and just becoming interested in the outdoors. They loved running on the salt flats, climbing the pinnacles and watching the sunset, and Jackson was equally amazed.

I had never really heard about BLM land before, he says. I'm an avid camper and I had no idea this land even existed.

For the uninitiated, BLM land is public land managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior for a wide variety of uses, including energy development, livestock grazing, timber harvesting and recreation, as well as preserving natural, cultural and historic resources. The BLM manages 245 million acres in the United States  more than any other U.S. government agency  and 15 million of those are in California. Thats 15% of the state.

In 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order reducing the size of Utahs Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments  which are both on BLM land  by about a million acres each. For Jackson, that was a wake-up call about how BLM land is at risk of being lost, he says.

There's no debate about whether our national parks will be taken away, he says. People from both sides of the aisle fight for these places because they've experienced them. He doesnt worry much about losing the national forests either, he says, because the widespread logging makes that land highly valuable to the federal government.

BLM land, however, tends to be at the bottom of the scenery scale, Jackson says. Its often thought of as land nobody has wanted. Theres a joke about how BLM stands for Bureau of Livestock and Mining, he says, because theres so much ranching and resource extraction happening.

Plus, its relatively easy for the government to sell it, he says. Bills come up in Congress every other month about transferring the public lands back to the state, which inevitably will be lost, he says.

In 2020, Jackson decided to visit all the BLM land in California for his book project, which he hopes will encourage people to explore and fall in love with these areas, ultimately resulting in their conservation. And while these places might not match some expectations for natural scenery, Jackson believes BLM land can reorient peoples ideas about what is beautiful.

Many of these lands managed by the BLM are in the arid regions of our state and sometimes the landscapes can be a little repetitive, which has forced me to slow down and linger, taking notice of the small miracles growing all around me, he writes on Instagram. For instance, in the Bodie Hills where he saw the pronghorn antelope, he also spent time studying the diverse flora on rocky ledges, within the rich soil and along the creeks.

Jackson also likes the way BLM land brings people with different backgrounds together. Hes liberal and has never shot a gun in his life, he says. But when Jacksons on BLM land, he has the chance to interact with hunters, off-roading enthusiasts and others who often see things differently from the way he does. And he likes that.

We meet in the middle when I'm out on these lands, because we're all caring and trying to protect these places that are so vulnerable, he says. I think that story is so profound in today's polarized politics.  You have to build a broad coalition to save these places.

Some visitors to Jacksons Instagram worry that exposing these lesser-visited spots would lead to crowding and destruction. But with BLM lands, he says, the opposite is actually true. From the interviews Jackson has done with BLM employees, hes learned that one of the main issues they face is being underfunded, and visitation can help.

If they have proof that more visitors are coming to certain places like the Mojave or Chimney Creek or the King Range, the funding follows, he says. And when the funding follows, they can put better signage in, hire more rangers and build new infrastructure.

For Jackson, it really comes down to informing people about what they have  before it is lost.

In the end, we will conserve only what we love, he writes, quoting Senegalese forestry engineer and environmentalist Baba Dioum, but then he puts his own spin on it. We will love only what we value and we will value only what we experience.

Jackons top recommendations:

The King Range National Conservation Area  which lies within the longest undeveloped coastline in the lower 48, and features rugged mountains, rampant wildlife and 80 spectacular miles of trails  is the jewel of Californias BLM lands, he says. For hard-core hikers, this is definitely the place.

For the less experienced, or families with young children, he recommends the Chimney Creek Campground in the Eastern Sierra. It offers an accessible, seasonal campground tucked into the woods, with numerous hiking trails, he says, and the Pacific Crest Trail cuts right through. It is a special, special place, Jackson says.

Southeast of Chimney Creek, the Mojave Trails National Monument is another one of Jacksons favorites. He recommends Afton Canyon, which some refer to as The Grand Canyon of the Mojave. Near its campsites, the mostly underground Mojave River surfaces within the canyon and offers a rare opportunity to experience a river within a desert, he says.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:20 a.m., March 11, to correct the location of Afton Canyon and the name of the Mojave Trails National Monument.
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In a statement attributed to the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies obtained by Variety, employees of the animation studio allege that Disney corporate executives have demanded cuts from nearly every moment of overtly gay affection regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar.

The stunning claim is part of a wider reaction to the company-wide memo sent to Disney employees by CEO Bob Chapek on Monday regarding its response to the recently passed legislation in Florida known as the Dont Say Gay bill. In the memo, Chapek states that the biggest impact the company can make in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce.

According to the Pixar letter, that claim is at odds with employees experience of trying to create content with same-sex affection approved by Disney executives.

We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were, the letter states. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.

To date, Pixar has only included a tiny handful of LGBTQ characters in its feature films, most prominently in the 2020 fantasy film Onward, which features a cyclops police officer named Specter, voiced by Lena Waithe. The characters sexuality is only acknowledged in passing, when Specter says, Its not easy being a new parent  my girlfriends daughter got me pulling my hair out, okay? But the movie was still banned in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia due to the scene, and in the version released in Russia, the word girlfriend was changed to partner.

The same year, Pixar released a short film, Out, on Disney Plus, about a gay man who struggles with coming out to his parents. (The latest Pixar animated feature, Turning Red, debuts on Disney Plus on March 11.)

The claim of censorship by Pixar employees is particularly damning for former CEO Robert Iger, who oversaw Disneys purchase of Pixar in 2006 and just exited the company in December 2021.

The employee letter, which is not dated, also demands Disney withdraw financial support of all legislatures who supported the Dont Say Gay bill and take a decisive public stand against the legislation and bills like it elsewhere in the country.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chapek did speak publicly for the first time about Disneys opposition to the Dont Say Gay bill during the companys shareholders meeting, after weathering widespread criticism for his handling of the issue. He announced that the company would pledge $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign and other LGBTQ rights organizations, and said he will meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss Disneys concerns about the legislation, after first connecting earlier on the phone.

Gov. DeSantis committed to me that he wanted to make sure that this law could not be weaponized in any way by individuals in the state or groups in the state to unduly harm or target gay, lesbian, nonbinary or transgender kids and families, Chapek said.

Following Chapeks pledge, the Human Rights Campaign announced that theyd refuse the donation until meaningful action is taken to combat the legislation.

In a statement, the HRCs interim president Joni Madison, explained: Businesses have had and continue to have a major impact in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, from marriage equality to the defeat of House Bill 2 in North Carolina and beyond. While Disney took a regrettable stance by choosing to stay silent amid political attacks against LGBTQ+ families in Florida  including hardworking families employed by Disney  today they took a step in the right direction. But it was merely the first step.

HRC encourages Disney, and all employers, to continue to fight for their employees  many of whom bravely spoke out to say their CEOs silence was unacceptable  and the LGBTQ+ community by working with us and state and local LGBTQ+ groups to ensure these dangerous anti-equality proposals that harm LGBTQ+ families and kids have no place in Florida, Madisons statement continued. Every student deserves to be seen, and every student deserves an education that prepares them for health and success  regardless of who they are. This should be the beginning of Disneys advocacy efforts rather than the end.

Representatives for Disney and for Pixar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The letter was first reported on Twitter by journalist Judd Legum of the newsletter Popular Information.

The full text of the statement is below:

A Statement to Leadership from the LGBTQIA+ Employees of Pixar & Their Allies

We are writing because we are disappointed, hurt, afraid, and angry. In regards to Disneys financial involvement with legislators behind the Dont Say Gay bill, we hoped that our company would show up for us. But it didnt.

Mondays email, Our Unwavering Commitment to the LGBTQ+ Community, rang hollow. It began with the claim that Disney has a long history of supporting the LGBT community, but Disney Parks did not officially host Pride until 2019, in Paris alone. Disney has a history of shutting down fan-created Pride events in the parks, even removing same-sex couples for dancing together in the 1980s. Additionally, Disney began capitalizing on Pride in 2018 with The Rainbow Mickey Collection, (while de-emphasizing the terms like LGBTQ+ and not even featuring explicitly LGBTQIA+ pieces such as Pride flag pins until 2021). To this end, it feels terrible to be a part of a company that makes money from Pride merch when it chooses to step back in times of our greatest need, when our rights are at risk.

The second claim stated that corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds. However, the very email making this claim opened with a corporate statement regarding the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Eight days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Disney paused the release of theatrical films in Russia and announced We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. Following the siege on the capital in 2021, Disney stopped all political donations to members of Congress who had objected to the presidential election results. In 2016, Disney told the state of Georgia: We will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law in response to the controversial Religious Liberty bill. By taking a stand, Disney directly affected the legislative outcome in Georgia. It has been proven that Disneys corporate statements can and do make a difference.

Finally, we come to the push for Content as the answer. We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were. Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disneys behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it. Beyond the inspiring content that we arent even allowed to create, we require action.

We are calling on Disney leadership to immediately withdraw all financial support from the legislators behind the Dont Say Gay bill, to fully denounce this legislation publicly, and to make amends for their financial involvement. While signing on to donate to the HRC is a step in the correct direction, the shareholder meeting on Wednesday made it clear that this is not enough. Throughout the shareholder meeting, Disney did not take a hard stance in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, they instead attempted to placate both sides  and did not condemn hateful messages shared during the question and answer portion of the meeting. This is not what it means to unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities.

Disney taking a stand by honoring their company values has changed the course of legislation in the past. If Disney is true in its values, it will take a decisive public stand against the discriminatory legislation occurring in Florida and offer tangible support for the LGBTQIA+ communities affected by bigoted legislation sweeping the country. Stand against this bill in Florida and against the similar bills in South Carolina, Arizona, Virginia, and Tennessee. Stand against the transphobic legislation in Texas, Iowa, Utah, Kansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, and Alabama. Many hateful groups are attempting to eradicate us through legislation  we need you to stand with us entirely, not in empty words.

This matter is not something that can wait until Reimagine Tomorrow in April, or Pride Month in June. This matter needs to be addressed now. This is urgent. 42% of LGBTQIA+ youth seriously considered suicide in 2021, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth, with a large factor being the lack of support that these discriminatory legislations enable. Disney claims to care for the welfare of children, but supporting politicians like this directly hurts one of their most vulnerable audiences. There are lives at stake and Disneys support could save those lives. We still have more work to do, your email said. This is that work.

Signed with Pride,

The LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies

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Having been at the forefront of clean energy expansion in the U.S. for over a decade, and involved in energy policy in Europe, it is self-evident that our country and our allies have renewable, battery storage, nuclear and domestic energy options like never before. The recent decision to boycott Russian oil was a step in the right direction but I implore our country to boycott all Russian fossil fuels. This would be the most effective economic weapon that we have in our arsenal to retaliate against Russian President Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

To better understand why the U.S. and Europe have not already cut off Russian fossil fuels, we have to take a step back and look at the energy policies in both the United States and Europe. The term energy independence, like many policy initiatives, has been politically polarized. The reality is no nation could truly be energy independent because there is no protection from price disruption even if you have an adequate supply of globally priced commodities like oil, natural gas and rare earth minerals that all industrialized countries require to keep their economy functioning. However, the real goal that is achievable and would address both our national security and climate change concerns is energy security. If our Congress and our two-party system in Washington D.C. were willing to work together, one could imagine a grand compromise that would include a short-term, all of the above strategy for domestic energy production with clear off ramps and incentives as we transition to a clean energy economy where renewable energy, battery storage and energy efficiency fuel our economy.
Updated April 1, 2022

Houston restaurants and chefs are donating money to Ukrainians affected by Russia's invasion through the sales of special menu items, allowing diners to aid the humanitarian crisis while eating out.

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Here is a growing list of places where Houstonians can help with relief efforts.

Berryhill: The Mexican restaurant will donate a portion of its Baja-style fish tacos sales to the National Bank of Ukraine's fund for the Ukraine Armed Forces.

Dessert Gallery: The bakery has new Ukraine-themed blue and yellow cookies butter cookies ($4.75). 100 percent of the proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen (WCK), chef Jose Andres' disaster-focused nonprofit that has a team in Poland feeding Ukrainian refugees.

Paula Murphy

Kenny & Ziggy's: The New York-style deli is raising money for Razom for Ukraine through the sale of its Ukrainian meatballs. Kenny & Ziggy's will contribute $4 for every main course order of meatballs ($23.95) and $2 for every appetizer order ($13.95). The aid effort will run indefinitely.

Lucille's: Chris Williams' hospitality group donated $10,000 to CARE and the National Bank of Ukraine. The restaurant is also donating a portion of its profits on a weekly basis.

Phat Eatery: Chef Alex Au-Yeung's Malaysian restaurant in Katy is donating 100 percent of proceeds from its roti canai ($5) sales. The flaky Indian flatbread is Phat Eatery's contribution to the #ChefsForUkraine campaign benefiting WCK.

Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House: The San Leon restaurant created a special Kyiv Cocktail ($10) made with Blue Chair Rum, peach schnapps, Blue Curacao and pineapple juice. Pier 6 will donate 100 percent of the drink's proceeds to WCK.

Rustika: All four locations of the cafe and bakery will raise money for the International Rescue Committee through its dessert happy hour, which runs until March 31, Monday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to close.

Urban South HTX

Three Brothers Bakery: The Houston bakery's three locations are selling a sugar cookie decorated with the Ukraine flag colors. They will donate $2.50 of each cookie sold ($4.99) to a fundraiser organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston for Ukrainian relief efforts. Three Brothers will also ship a dozen cookies for $79.88; $30 of that will be donated.

Underbelly Hospitality: Chris Shepherd's restaurant group is donating funds to WCK. Georgia James Tavern will donate 100 percent of its beverage revenue to WCK on March 10, Georgia James on March 11 and Wild Oats on March 13. Additionally, 20 percent of every bottle sold from a temporary wine list at Georgia James will be donated to WCK; this promotion will run until the restaurant moves to Regent Square in May.

Urban South HTX: The brewery with locations in Houston and New Orleans has launched a new beer, Double Spilled: Slava Ukraini, a fruited sour with pineapple, tangerine and banana. "Slava Ukraini" is the national salute, meaning "Glory to Ukraine." All of the beer's proceeds will go to the International Rescue Committee.
In Hawaii, the island of Molokai is home to the small, unique community of Kalaupapa. Difficult to access, the remote site is for people with Hansen's disease, colloquially known as leprosy. Once a site of forced quarantine, today, the last remaining patients are again in near-total isolation due to COVID-19 measures meant to protect them.

For the nine remaining patients, now in their 80s and 90s, life on the peninsula has become lonelier than ever. Before the pandemic, family members could visit patients, and the island saw between 80 and 100 people in the community on weekdays, including National Park Service workers, volunteers and Catholic priests and nuns.

However, the pandemic halved those numbers, and in January, Honolulu Civil Beat reported that patients on the settlement have been unable to make contact with their families since COVID-19 took hold of the nation in March 2020.

After enduring numerous telecommunications blackouts, asking for forbidden hugs and experiencing a series of non-COVID deaths on the island, one patient reportedly asked, What is living?

They were banished here to keep everybody else safe and now, a few years later, were flipping the script, Mikiala Pescaia, a Kalaupapa National Historical Park ranger, told the outlet. And its been really hard for them.

More than 8,000 people, mostly Native Hawaiians, have lived on this 10,700-acre swath of land since 1866. According to CNN, during the mid-19th century, the state enacted laws to arrest and banish people infected with the disease. By the 1930s, ships brought individuals to the island at least two or three times a year, separating them from their families and inflicting trauma on generations of Hawaiian people. While residents have been free to leave the island since 1969, some have chosen to stay and continue living in the community.

The isolation of COVID-19 measures has only muddled the human experience for the patients, as those with memory loss due to old age occasionally confuse living in lockdown with previous isolation for having Hansens disease, Civil Beat reported. For many community members, the emotional and psychological reactions are all too similar.

This is the second time in their lives that they have been put in an isolation situation because of a rampant disease, Richard Miller, a Protestant minister who moved to Kalaupapa and works for the National Park Service, told the outlet.

However, distance is necessary to protect the peninsula's medically vulnerable residents, some of whom developed disabilities from the disease.

The illness is chronic and attacks the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, the skin, upper respiratory tract, eyes and lining of the nose. As a result of nerve damage, some patients have foot ulcers and loss of sensation, as well as diabetes and congestive heart failure. But starting in the 1940s, scientists have developed effective treatments for Hansen's disease, and if caught early, the disease can be cured.

While Civil Beat reports that residents are thankful and understanding of these safety precautions, the community has become so sequestered due to lockdown measures, it's almost as though they vanished.

We are restricted in so many ways, which is difficult, Miller told the Civil Beat. On the other hand, it feels like a very safe place.  We all would like it to be different, but so would the rest of the world.

To help alleviate the loneliness, Pacific Historic Parks, a nonprofit that works with Kalaupapa, is encouraging people to send letters to patients through the organization.

Meanwhile, as the state of Hawaii plans to end its Safe Travels program at midnight on March 25  ultimately making it easier for domestic visitors to access the state since they won't have to quarantine, present a negative pre-travel test or provide proof of vaccination  entering Kalaupapa still seems near impossible. According to Hawaii Revised Statutes 326, individuals who don't have Hansen's disease and wish to enter the settlement must receive a signed letter from either the director of Hawaii's Department of Health or another officer. Without this written permission, individuals can be subjected to fines up to $100. Additionally, because the population is so high-risk, the Department of Health is still restricting tourists from visiting the island and denying entry permits.

SFGATE reached out to the National Park Service and the Hawaii Department of Health for travel updates, but it's still unclear whether COVID restrictions will loosen on the peninsula. For now, its community, once in exile, will continue to stay out of reach.
GODFREY  The conflict between the Lewis and Clark Faculty Association (LCFA) and the college's board of trustees may have reached its breaking point.

At Tuesday's trustees meeting, LCFA Executive Committee Vice President Peter Hussey said the group had "great concern about transparency, broad overreach and ethical behavior" after reviewing trustee documents from January and February that it had obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests.

"We acted on this information in the way we felt was conducive to transparency," Hussey said.

The LCFA stated it has filed complaints with the multi-state Higher Learning Commission (HLC), as well as the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Trustee Association. According to an LCFA member, the commssion on Feb. 24 said the faculty members' complaint raised "potential concerns regarding the institutions compliance with the criteria for accreditation."

Due to these potential concerns, HLC will conduct a further review of the institution based on your complaint," the response states. "HLC will forward your complaint to the institution for formal review and response. The institution will have 30 days to respond to the concerns in writing and provide appropriate supporting evidence.

Laura Janota of the HLC said the commission does not comment publicly on complaints. She added LCCC is currently fully accredited by the HLC, with its next comprehensive evaluation set for April 3, 2023.

Documents obtained by The Telegraph indicate the faculty group has told the HLC it has documented instances where the board of trustees leadership "has discouraged diversity and equity initiatives, skirted the Illinois Open Meetings Act, forbade faculty from speaking at board meetings, encouraged the college president to become involved in (board) campaign issues, and disregarded any and all attempts by faculty and administration to work together under the principles of shared governance."

"We are concerned that these actions constitute a failure to meet accreditation criteria set forth by the Higher Learning Commission and standards of the Illinois Community College Trustee Association," the faculty group stated in its HLC complaint. "We feel that this situation is a clear threat to institutional accreditation and therefore to educational opportunities that the college can provide to students."

On Tuesday, LCCC Trustee Julie Johnson said the report made her assess how the board is perceived and what it could have been done to address those perceptions. Trustee Brenda Walker McCain said the issue has been a concern of hers.

"This is not anything that is new," said McCain. "I've said on numerous occasions that I felt that we (the trustees) were operating separately."

LCFA President Debbie Witsken said the decision to make the HLC filing came after informal complaints and concerns were "left on deaf ears."

"For over a year, faculty have been sharing concerns through surveys, public comment, board items, social media news outlets," she said. "Taking no action is still acting."

She said the faculty fully supports members of the administration.

"We are grateful for the energy and effort these individuals put in day in and day out to meet the constant, and often ridiculous, requests of some of honored board members," she said.

Witsken also has made an informal request to the board of trustees to create policies and procedures for censure and recall where board members can be removed from their position by a majority vote through secret ballot.

Trustees on Tuesday met in closed session to discuss the complaint further, but took no action. The HLC has asked the board to respond to the claim by March 28. LCCC President Ken Trzaska said the board is working with legal council to draft that response.

"As president of the college, it's not my place to criticize or be involved in any response about the board," Trzaska said. "The board, in essence, manages the board."

The faculty complaint specifically sited incidents it states could jeopardize LCCC's accreditation including:

 During a discussion about the Mannie Jackson Center for Humanities in Edwardsville at a November 2021 meeting, a trustee suggested LCCC defer to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville regarding serving the district's African American population. The LCFA quoted the trustee as saying, "SIUE is making a big effort to accommodate and hiring VPs to attract more Black students. Thats what this is all about anyway, right? That would be more along their lines than ours.

 The LCFA quoted a trustee at a January meeting as discouraging attempts by LCCC to lead diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. "There is a danger that if we become the symbol of DEI for the whole district, rebranding ourselves as being the leaders. What if it doesnt work? Things dont happen the way people expect? It puts us in the position of being the failure.

 The LCFA stated that, on Feb. 1, the executive secretary to the president emailed college legal counsel asking he provide further guidance to trustees about avoiding violations to the Open Meetings Act.
An aerial view of apartments along the Elizabeth River with downtown Norfolk in the background. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)

Hampton Roads renters will continue to lose out this year as monthly rates could climb as much as 12% compared with last year, according to local real estate experts.

The prediction, from the Axiometrics research company, follows an 11.2% increase in rent for 2021 in the region, said Christen Faatz, a senior vice president for The Franklin Johnston Group and a presenter at the Hampton Roads Real Estate Market Review & Forecast Tuesday at Old Dominion University.

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Its usually 3.1% on average but during COVID, most things didnt go as normal, Faatz said.

In fact, Hampton Roads rent prices increased a record-setting 12.2% in the third quarter of 2021, according to real estate group CoStar.

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Among Hampton Roads cities and neighborhoods, rents grew the most in the Lynnhaven and Oceana areas of Virginia Beach, jumping 18.4% to an average monthly payment of $1,542 per unit, according to commercial real estate company Berkadia. Among the seven cities, rent rates grew the slowest in Norfolk at only 9.8% to an average monthly rate of $1,209.

A limited housing supply, high rental demand and increases in the cost of single-family housing all contributed to rent increases in 2021, Faatz said. A pandemic-influenced nadir of new construction didnt help either  only 1,348 units were delivered in 2021, 8% less than the historical average, according to CoStar.

Despite those pressures, residents have largely been able to hold onto their housing, Faatz said. For much of the year, tenants were covered under a national eviction moratorium, which expired in September. An eviction crisis, which some experts predicted, did not occur once the ban expired.

Faatz said extended unemployment benefits and ongoing rental assistance efforts likely eased the burden for renters. However, rent collection was still particularly challenging for affordable and workforce housing units.

Inside Business Weekdays Business news for the Hampton Roads region >

But for rent relief programs, they would not be returning to historic norms, Faatz said.

A $1.02 billion rent relief program through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development helped more than 102,000 households by the end of January. The program had about $220 million left as of Jan. 25 and could run out of money by this summer, Faatz said.

Residential: Sellers market will continue in 2022

Homeowners will continue to benefit and buyers will still struggle to find homes in 2022, J. Van Rose, principal owner of Rose & Womble Realty Co., told the audience.

The inventory, or the number of homes currently on the market, hit another record low in January, with just 2,536 listings, according to the Real Estate Information Network listing service in Hampton Roads. If no new homes went on the market, the housing supply would dry up in less than a month.

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Combined with buyers ready to expand due to continuing pandemic restrictions, the median price for the resale market increased 10.4% in 2021, according to the listing service. It will be the same story this year, Rose said.

However, we believe the rate of price acceleration will decline in 2022 from some of the rapid appreciation seen over the last two years, he added.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
The 50th annual Ocean View Saint Patricks Day parade makes it way along Granby Street in 2017. (L. Todd Spencer)

It appears the luck of the Irish ran out for the Ocean View Saint Patricks Day parade.

Organizers canceled Saturdays parade after heavy rain and gusty winds were forecast this weekend for Hampton Roads.

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The parade was set to return to Norfolks Ocean View neighborhood for the first time in three years after a pandemic hiatus. Organizers announced the cancellation Thursday as the forecast worsened.

We were hopeful  but realistic  that the weather forecast would improve, said Peter Decker III, the parades master of ceremonies.

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While light rain would not have canceled the event, Decker said, the wind gusts in the forecast are a concern.

[ Weather forecast: High wind, heavy rain in the forecast Friday then ... snow? ]

Safety is paramount. We cant have kids up on floats in such wind, Decker said.

Ocean Views annual parade has become a Norfolk tradition, ushering in the spring season with festivities, food and family since 1967.

It is a shame we have to cancel it because so much time and effort has gone into producing it. We just needed a little luck of the Irish to turn the weather in our favor, Decker said. But we will be back  bigger and better than ever  next year.

This year, the parade had amassed more than 250 entries and was expected to draw some 60,000 people from across Hampton Roads.

Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
A man accused of transporting about $30 million in meth has pleaded guilty in a Laredo federal court, according to court documents.

On March 2, Juan Jose Grande-Rivas, 44, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth. He faces 10 years to life in prison. A sentencing date is pending.
The council narrowly favored an option that would move the Knollwood Meadows and Sanford precincts from the central district to the north and Warwick and Hilton to the south. Jenkins and Oyster Point would move from the north to the central. (Jonathon Gruenke/The Virginian-Pilot)

The Newport News City Council is mulling over three different redistricting recommendations after the 2020 census found the citys three voting districts were no longer equal.

The results from the 2020 census showed that since 2010, the citys population grew from 180,719 to 186,247. The city redistricts every 10 years based on the results of the census.

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In the councils informal work session Tuesday, council members were divided between two of the three options.

The council narrowly favored an option that would move the Knollwood Meadows and Sanford precincts from the central district to the north and Warwick and Hilton to the south. Jenkins and Oyster Point would move from the north to the central.

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Looking at that option, Newport News Mayor McKinley Price said the map aesthetically looked to be the fairest.

It does not look gerrymandered. It looks even. It looks like three equal districts, he said.

All three of the redistricting maps were created based on population and have to be drawn using observable boundaries such as waterways or highways. The districts must be compact in shape and the precincts within the district must touch geographically.

I just want to make sure that were clear that were not trying to change anyones voting district, even though it will shift, the maps were not based on voting districts, Vice Mayor Saundra Cherry said.

Daywatch Weekdays Start your morning with today's local news >

She and Price, along with council members Marcellus Harris III and Sharon Scott, favored the same map.

Council members David Jenkins and Patricia Woodbury, who both represent the central district, and Tina Vick, who represents the south district, favored a map that would keep Warwick and Hilton in the central district and move River from the south to the central. The south district would pick up the Deer Park precinct from the central. Knollwood Meadows and Sanford would move from the central district to the north, and Jenkins and Oyster Point would move from the north to the central.

The city also needs to redistrict to get in compliance with state code requirements.

The city is in the process of hosting meetings in each of the districts to collect citizen input. Residents who cant attend their district meeting but want to provide feedback can call Tolu Ibikunle, a senior planner for the city, at 757-926-8761 or send an email to ibikunleto@nnva.gov.

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The City Council will hold a public hearing and vote on the map at its meeting on March 22. The map will then have to be approved by the Virginia Attorney Generals Office.

To view all three of the maps the city is considering, visit www.nnva.gov/2724/2022-Redistricting.

Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com
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Since the Russian invasion began in Ukraine, Anna Afanasieva has been heartsick with worry for her parents and sister who live in Odessa, in southern Ukraine.

"I felt desperate to do something," said Afanasieva, 28, who grew up in Odessa but has lived near San Antonio, in recent years.

She and the small staff at the cheesecake bakery she co-owns decided there was one thing they could do: buy all the ingredients they could, and work around-the-clock making cheesecakes. Then donate the money from the sales back home to the war effort.

"Our kitchen is super tiny, maybe 200 square feet," said Afanasieva of her bakery, Laika Cheesecakes and Espresso. "We have 20 employees and we were baking nonstop to keep up."

Once she put out the word on Facebook, people came by the thousands.

"I couldn't believe it - it was like all of San Antonio showed up," she said.

Afanasieva and her employees spent day and night baking and decorating miniature cheesecakes, which customers buy by the jar, by the slice or in six-packs.

Within hours, the cheesecake line wrapped around several blocks, and by late afternoon, people were waiting for up to four hours, she said.

Customers were glad to do it.

"Tried today and sold out, but I'll be back tomorrow! Love to you and your families!" one woman commented on the cafe's Facebook page.

"There are still compassionate people in this world," wrote another customer. "Beautiful job you are doing and delicious cheesecake - my book club definitely enjoyed it."

"This is so beautiful - please let us know if you need any physical help too," commented a local pub owner. "I can work a cash register for a few hours if need be or whatever."

Afanasieva said she was stunned by the response, and glad she decided to funnel her angst into action.

"I couldn't go home to Ukraine to fight," Afanasieva said. "But I could bake cheesecake."

For two years, Afanasieva has co-owned Laika, a popular dessert spot in the San Antonio suburb of Alamo Heights. The cafe is known for miniature cheesecakes in jars that come in more than 20 flavors, including raspberry white chocolate, toffee turtle and tiramisu.

Afanasieva opened the bakery and cafe with a friend about eight years after she came to the United States as a foreign exchange student and decided to apply for legal residency.

"When I learned that Ukraine was under attack, I realized the only real way for me to help my parents and others in Ukraine was to buy more ingredients, sell more cheesecakes and donate the money," she said.

Afanasieva and her business partner, Viktor Krizma, contributed the earnings from everything they sold in the cafe between Feb. 25 and 27 to a fund for soldiers' resistance efforts.

By the time she and Krizma closed the shop on the 27th, about 3,000 San Antonians had purchased more than 4,500 jars or slices of cheesecake and had donated money on top of their purchases, bringing the total to more than $72,000 to help Ukrainian soldiers.

That number has since climbed to about $100,000, as people continue to donate on the Laika website, said Afanasieva, who says she has forwarded the money to a fund in Ukraine earmarked for military supplies.

"I never imagined it would be so successful and that so many people in San Antonio would turn out," she said. "They stood in line because they wanted more than a slice of cheesecake. They wanted to do everything they could to help."

"Even after we'd sold out of cheesecake and coffee, they continued to show up," she added. "They were happy to give to the cause even if they received nothing in return."

Afanasieva said she has fond memories of growing up with her older sister in Odessa, a port city of 1 million on the Black Sea.

"It's such a beautiful place and I am so worried that now it will be destroyed," she said. "Until the pandemic, I was going home to visit every two years. I almost have no words to express how I feel. It's heartbreaking."

While her mother and sister were safely evacuated to Moldova, then Turkey, her father stayed behind to care for her grandmother in Odessa and to help defend the city, Afanasieva said.

"I can't stop thinking about them - what is happening in Ukraine is the worst thing that could possibly happen," she said.

Afanasieva said she was 18 when she came to the United States as a foreign exchange student in 2013.

"When my studies were over, I wanted to travel a bit and see the country, so I drove to California," she said. In San Diego, she said she met Krizma and they started a marketing and photography business together. Five years ago, they decided to expand their company and relocate to San Antonio.

When her homemade cheesecakes were a hit with friends about three years ago, she developed a passion for baking and decided to open the bakery and cafe with Krizma. They named the shop Laika after a stray dog from Moscow that was launched into space by the Soviet Union in 1957.

The terrier was the first living creature to orbit the Earth, but sadly died shortly after launch in Sputnik 2.

"The irony that it was a Russian dog is not lost on me," Afanasieva said.

"We opened during the pandemic in December 2020 - not the best time to start a business," she added. "But people in San Antonio really love cheesecake and they supported us."

The same people who bought six-packs of "to go" cheesecakes then are among the most generous contributors to her cause now, she said.

"They know that I am hurting," Afanasieva said. "I don't know if I will see my friends and my father again."

She said the support she feels from her adopted country brings tears to her eyes.

"Here in San Antonio, people have big hearts," she said.
The partisan divide has been worsening in Virginia for more than a decade said a Christopher Newport University political science professor. (Aileen Devlin / Daily Press)

Richmond  A dramatic shift in Virginias government, coupled with the fact that party politics are alive and well, has created a halting gridlock in the General Assembly this year.

Democrats were in full control until November, when Republicans won the gubernatorial election and flipped the House of Delegates. The Democrat-held Senate has since been dubbed the blue wall, with Democrats working to block Republicans attempts to roll back progressive policies. And, of course, Republicans have been returning the favor in the House.

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The Senates highest-ranking Republican says the chambers Democrats have been unwilling to meet in the middle on anything during this legislative session.

The Democrats were not willing to compromise in the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, said. ... And I respect that they have a majority, and they have the votes and thats their position. Legislatively and politically, I understand it. (But) in my humble opinion, it does not mean that its good policy.

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But Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke said its disrespectful to say Democrats are not open to compromise.

We have time and time again been willing to come to the table on a variety of issues, including marijuana legislation that was shot down by House Republicans, lab schools legislation that is currently being worked out, and many items in the pending budget, said the longtime Hampton legislator.

Both Senate Democrats and House Republicans have seen pivotal legislation crash in the opposite chamber.

One of the Senate Democrats top priorities  legalizing the sale of recreational marijuana  was killed in the House last month. House Republicans also defeated Senate Democrats efforts to pass constitutional amendments restoring voting rights to felons and repealing the states ban on same-sex marriage.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats killed an effort from House Republicans to overhaul the states election system. Republicans pushed for several voting reform measures, including bills that would have banned ballot drop-off boxes and shortened the window for early voting.

Quentin Kidd, a political science professor at Christopher Newport University, said this years session reminds him of the first legislative session under Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2014, which was just one partisan fight after the other.

The professor said the partisan divide has been worsening in Virginia for more than a decade.

I think its coming from both sides, he said. I think whats happened slowly is that national partisan disagreements have seeped into state politics.

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There used to be a clearer separation, Kidd explained. But he said the line started eroding with the polarizing election of President Barack Obama and was later exacerbated by the presidency of Donald Trump.

Kidd believes social media also is a significant factor. Politicians with social media accounts want to keep their followers engaged and excited, he said, and subsequently end up slinging mud at their opponents online. This tactic may help politicians gain followers, but the professor said it leads to distrust and conflict among lawmakers.

Kidd added that the public loses when partisan politics create gridlock.

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Its damaging in the sense that public policy that needs to be created doesnt get created  and public policy matters, he said.

Norment said finding middle ground has been especially challenging when it comes to legislation regarding social justice.

During the last session, Democrats scored significant wins, such as pushing through legislation that ended the death penalty, legalized the simple possession of marijuana and banned police from pulling over vehicles due to various infractions. The new laws were, in part, intended to help correct racial injustices.

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Arguing it will end in tragic results, Norment said he opposed stripping police of the right to stop cars for safety violations. The senator supported a bill this session that would have reinstated police authority to do so. But the Senate Judiciary Committee killed the bill along party lines  and Norment blames party politics for defeating what he viewed as a common sense measure.

Locke agreed that racial and social justice issues are a sticking point.

One value Senate Democrats will not waiver on is social and racial justice, that is true, she said. We will continue to be a brick wall to ensure every Virginian has a fair shot at success, that means looking out for everyone, not just those who already have influence and power.

Katie King, Katie.King@virginiamedia.com
Multiple Texas leaders, from the governor to senators and congressmen, have called for American energy independence as gas prices continue to rise. As President Joe Biden halted the import of Russian gas, many have suggested turning to Texas to supply the nations gas.

Texas is by and large the largest crude oil producer in the U.S. In 2020, the Lone Star State produced 1.78 billion barrels of oil, representing more than 40% of the nations oil production, according to Statista. The next closest state was North Dakota, with 431.2 million barrels.

As average gas prices broke the $4.00 per gallon mark in Texas on March 10, Sen. John Coryn tweeted a video saying we should be looking inward to ensure we can meet our own needs by harnessing the full potential of oil rich states like Texas.

Rep. Michael McCaul praised Bidens decision to ban the import of Russian oil, but said the President needs to ramp up domestic oil production to decrease gas prices instead of turning to other nations.

Texas is the leading energy producer in the United States and stands ready to once again make America energy independent, McCaul wrote in a statement on Twitter.

Multiple Democratic Congressmen also asked the President to increase domestic energy production. Four Texas Democrats signed a letter, including Laredo Rep. Henry Cuellar, urging the president to make the U.S. a reliable producer and supplier of oil and natural gas for the foreseeable future.

Gov. Greg Abbott has also weighed in on the conversation, tweeting about Texas more than 422,000 oil and natural gas employees.

They work around the clock to secure America's energy independence, Abbott wrote.

On March 4, Sen. Ted Cruz introduced the Energy Freedom Act to make the U.S. energy independent, according to a press release. The act would accelerate permitting for energy projects and pipelines, mandate new onshore and offshore oil and gas lease sales and accelerate the development of other energy sources, the release said.

In the release, Cruz claimed policies from the Biden administration have increased energy prices and increased profits to other oil-exporting companies.

The average cost of gas in the U.S. is $4.318 per gallon as of March 10, according to the American Automobile Association. Some experts believe gas prices will hit more than $5 per gallon before they start coming down, according to reporting by Business Insider.
All eyes are now on the Texas Supreme Court after Mayor Sylvester Turner and a majority of Houston City Council doubled down Wednesday in their fight against equal pay for firefighters.

A city charter amendment approved by voters in 2018  the referendum known as Proposition B  requires that the city pay Houston firefighters "substantially similar" to the city's police officers of similar ranks. A first-year beat cop currently makes at least $58,000 while a rookie firefighter brings home $42,000. Both workforces are in line for pay raises in the coming years, but those adjustments won't bring parity.

Turner has long contended that the city can't afford the series of raises it would take to ensure firefighters are paid similarly to cops and threatened to layoff hundreds of firefighters if pay parity was implemented.

The latest development centers on the city's half-million-dollar payout to Norton Rose Fulbright, an international law firm that the city contracted to help quash the amendment in the ensuing legal battle. Houston City Council on Wednesday voted to increase the amount earmarked for the firm from $500,000 to $675,000, signaling Turner's unwavering position on pay parity. Four council members  Michael Kubosh, Amy Peck, Edward Pollard and Letitia Plummer  voted against.

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

With the Houston Police Officers Union (HPOU) in its corner, Turner's administration has been contending with the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association (HPFFA) over pay parity since before the measure was even approved.

The firm is helping city attorneys ask the state's high court to review a lower court's decision that upheld the 2018 charter amendment. Immediately after the amendment was approved in 2018, HPOU sued the city and asked a judge to rule the measure unconstitutional. They claimed the charter amendment conflicted with state law that says firefighters should be paid similarly to comparable jobs in the private sector.

The law, known as the Fire and Police Employee Relations Act, says that it supercedes any local ordinance or rule to the contrary. Both the city's attorneys and those for HPOU argue that means the two standards for pay can't legally coexist. In Harris County's 157th district court, a series of judges issued competing rulings in favor and against the police union. Eventually, Judge Tanya Garrison issued a summary judgment in May 2019 ruling the charter amendment unconstitutional, siding with the city and HPOU.

The fire union, which joined the suit early on to defend pay parity, appealed Garrison's judgment to the state's 14th Court of Appeals, which in July 2021 reversed Garrison's ruling and declared pay parity legal  saying that the standards can indeed coexist.

Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

The city is now asking the Texas Supreme Court to review the case. The process, called a petition for discretionary review, is only asking the high court to take the case, not rule one way or another. If the court decides to take the case, that is when the city and dueling unions will lay out their arguments.

Before the court decides whether or not to hear the case, the city and HPOU both need to file one last response to address the legal arguments raised by the fire union in their February response. That is due March 23.

In a statement before Wednesday's vote, fire union President Marty Lancton said his team is adamant about securing a legal victory with the high court.

"The mayor has lost at every turn," Lancton said. "We are confident he will lose again before the Texas Supreme Court."

Turner previously told Chron in a statement that the city "has no choice" but to fight against pay parity because of the potential financial implications.

The additional $175,000 that council members approved for the law firm Wednesday is strictly for work on the petition. It is unclear if Turner will seek more funds should the court hear the case.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images

Laika Cheesecakes and Espresso, the San Antonio shop that's raised $100,000 for Ukraine as of Wednesday, March 9, has generated national attention. The show of solidarity and people lining the block to make donations has been a prime example of locals showing support for the war-torn country. CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell is one the national voices shining a light on San Antonio, her hometown.

The MacArthur High School graduate shared a report on the cheesecake shop on Monday, March 7.
The Virginia-based fishing vessel Captain Billy Haver is docked, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, at the U.S. Coast Guard Station, in Boston. The U.S. attorney's office for Boston said in a statement that crew member Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 27, was charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with an attack Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 on the fishing vessel while it was underway about 55 miles off Nantucket, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne)

BOSTON  A Newport News man who was a member of a York County-based fishing boat pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing a fellow crew member and attacking others with a knife and hammer while at sea in 2018, federal prosecutors said.

Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. Sentencing is scheduled for June 28. He had previously been declared mentally incompetant to stand trial.

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The attack occurred Sept. 23, 2018, on the fishing vessel, The Captain Billy Haver, as it was sailing about 55 miles off the coast of Nantucket with seven crew members aboard, including Vazquez and the three victims.

Franklin "Freddy" Meave Vazquez, 27, is charged with killing a man off the coast of Boston on Sept. 23. Javier Sosa, 54, of Newport News, was killed. This is Meave's mug shot after he was arrested on a domestic assault charge in Newport News in March. - Original Credit: Daily Press (Newport News Police Department / HANDOUT)

Inside the ships shucking house, Vazquez used a hammer to strike his first victim in the head, knocking the victim unconscious, investigators said.

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He then walked out onto the deck and stabbed a second victim multiple times with a long fillet knife.

A third victim who climbed up from the ice hold was struck in the head by Vazquez with a hammer and fell back down the ladder, bleeding from his head.

Vazquez then struggled with the vessel captain before climbing to the top of the rigging mast.

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The captain placed a call on the distress channel, and the German cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 responded, taking two injured fishermen on board, prosecutors said. The crew member with stab wounds was pronounced dead by the ships doctor.

Vazquez remained at the top of the mast until the Coast Guard arrived that evening and took him into custody.

The victim stabbed by Vazquez died. Javier Rangel Sosa, 54, was a well-liked fisherman from Newport News who worked for years from scallop boats operating out of the Seaford Scallop Co. on the mouth of the York River. The other two victims survived.

Vazquez is a Mexican citizen and had been living in the U.S. illegally, investigators said.

Vazquez faces a a sentence of up to life in prison for the charge of second-degree murder. The charge of attempted murder provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while the charge of assault with a dangerous weapon provides for a sentence of up to 10 years.

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Vazquez will be subject to deportation proceedings after finishing any sentence imposed.

Past coverage by Daily Press staff writer Peter Dujardin was used in this report.
Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp on Wednesday moved to sever all ties with Russia, making it the first Texas university to take such action following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The action was disclosed in a memo Sharp sent out to school officials. He also asked agencies to review noncontractual engagements with Russian entities.

Please note that this action is in no way an indictment of our faculty members of Russian descent nor a criticism of faculty working to improve conditions in Russia, especially for oppressed groups in that country, Sharp wrote. I believe most, if not all, of our faculty oppose the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his cronies, and will support this action.

According to the memo, agreements between the school and Russia could include student and faculty exchange programs and study abroad programs. But also included are any research-related agreements that involve clinical trials, testing, data use agreements and licensing agreements.

System leaders said there are fewer than 10 research agreements across the system and they do not believe the move will have a significant impact on its 11 individual universities, eight state agencies and RELLIS, A&M's research campus in Bryan. The system did not immediately respond to a request for those individual agreements. While some universities across the country have announced they are cutting financial ties, few have announced a severing of research partnerships.

In late February, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced it was ending its research partnership with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Moscow, which receives funding from the Russian government.

Across the country, higher education has had a mixed reaction to the invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this week, the Arizona Board of Regents voted to sell off millions in Russian assets across its three university systems. The University of Colorado also announced it would liquidate its financial investments in Russia.

The University of Texas System and the Texas State University System did not immediately respond to questions as to whether they plan similar actions.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University, Texas State University System and University of Texas System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
Summaries

The First Assyrian Workers From Turkey in Germany By Abdulmesih Barbraham Wurzburg, Germany (AINA) -- The 60th anniversary of the German-Turkish recruitment agreement (German: Anwerbeabkommen) was officially celebrated in many cities across the country end of October 2021. In his speech at the state commemoration event in Berlin, Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, addressed the invited guests, stating that "You helped building up Germany -- You have enriched...

US Attorneys May Have Violated Constitutional Rights, Immigration Law in Prosecuting Assyrian Lawyer By Ashur Shirsha Chicago (AINA) -- In September of 2014, Attorney Robert DeKelaita was indicted for helping a handful of Assyrian (also known as Chaldean or Syriac) asylum seekers obtain asylum. The government, represented by the US Attorney's Office, alleged that the means used to obtain asylum for the handful of the witnesses chosen to testify against DeKelaita was fraudulent.

Conference Expropriates Assyrian Christian History, Denies Assyrian Identity (AINA) -- On May 4-5 the Salahaddin University in Erbil, Iraq and the French Institute of the Near East (IFPO) organized a workshop titled Christianity in Iraq at the turn of Islam. Its aim was to discuss important institutional changes for Christians in areas of the collapsed Persian Empire and retreated Byzantine Empire which were conquered by Muslims.

The Unethical Prosecution of an Assyrian Attorney On January 2, 2018, Judge Goldsmith from the federal court in Michigan ordered the release of Assyrian (also known as Chaldean or Syriac) Christian detainees who had been held for deportation. In his decision, the judge cited that the country conditions in Iraq precluded the possibility of returning the refugees to their homes safely.

German Recognition of Armenian, Assyrian Genocide: History and Politics By Miryam A. Abraham Berlin (AINA) -- By an overwhelming majority, the German parliament (Bundestag) passed a symbolic and long overdue resolution on Thursday, June 2, 2016, recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman government as a genocide.
Emily Icban, right, poses for a photo with close friend Jocelyn Garrison in September 2021. (Courtesy of Jocelyn Garrison)

Virginia Beach  Emily Icbans final days were spent trying to break ties with her husband.

The 30-year-old mother of five was gunned down last Friday in Virginia Beach, just days after she sought to move out of the home she shared with her husband and into her own apartment, according to accounts given by her family and a close friend.

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The Virginia Beach Police Department has released minimal details about the circumstances of the shooting, going only as far as to call it domestic in nature. But friends and family said Frederick Icban shot and killed his wife, then himself in front of the couples two young children.

Jocelyn Garrison, who grew close with Emily over the past five years, described Frederick Icban as abusive and paranoid and said her friend had taken recent steps to leave the marriage.

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She was tired of having her location traced, texts sent fighting, having a gun pulled on her, and being accused of things that were not true, Garrison said.

Garrison said Emily Icban rented an apartment on March 1 and filed an emergency protective order against her husband on March 4. The Virginian-Pilot was unable to reach a court magistrate to independently verify Wednesday if a protective order was filed or served.

She was very excited for the future, Garrison said.

Those dreams were shattered last week.

Virginia Beach police were called to the Icbans home, in the 1600 block of Douglas Court, around 5:30 p.m. March 4. Authorities found Emily Icban with multiple gunshot wounds and Frederick Icban with a single gunshot wound. Both were pronounced dead after arriving at a local hospital.

The Tidewater Medical Examiners Office determined Frederick Icban died from a single gunshot to the head and ruled his death a suicide, said spokeswoman Donna Price. Emily Icbans death was reported as a homicide.

Police spokeswoman Melissa Johnson said Tuesday the investigation remained active, and police shared no further details.

The deaths of Emily and Frederick Icban left their two children orphaned, and Emily Icbans three other children without a mother, according to a GoFundMe page created by family to help raise money for them.

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On the GoFundMe page, which raised $30,000 by Wednesday, Emily (Baker) Icbans parents described the horrific circumstances of their daughters death.

Recently, the marriage was stressed and Emily elected to separate and rented an apartment, her parents wrote. While in the driveway of their home, Fred Icban shot our daughter multiple times while their two young children were in their car seats in the back seat. He then turned the gun on himself and is dead.

According to Garrison, the children present at the time of the shooting were a 2-year-old and 3-year-old, whom Emily and Frederick shared. Emilys 11-year-old son was in the house at the time. Emily also leaves behind 8-year-old twins.

Emily Icbans parents described her as an extraordinary, loving, kind mother of five children. The family said they hope to raise $40,000 to meet the needs of the children, who will require financial support and professional help.

She worked hard, building a budding career in software sales, while prioritizing her family and children, the GoFundMe page reads. We will always love Emily and will forever miss her.

Brandy Gilliam, who lived across the street from the Douglas Court home, said Emily was a beautiful, vibrant, young soul who only wanted peace and love for herself and all those she loved.

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At the end of the day, there are multiple children without parents on both sides. It is a lot of loss.

According to Garrison, Emily and Frederick Icbans marriage was volatile. She said Emily confided in her about at least four instances in which Frederick had pulled a gun on her prior to March 4.

The cops had been called before for him slapping her across the face, Garrison said.

Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court documents confirm Frederick Icban was charged with assault and battery of a family member for slapping glasses off his wifes face on Sept. 2, 2021. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 13 and received a six-month suspended sentence and one year of probation. Frederick Icban also was ordered to undergo anger management.

Prior to the Sept. 2 incident, court documents filed in that case state Frederick Icban had no previous criminal history.

A memorial service for Emily Icban will be held Saturday in her hometown of Hiram, Georgia.

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Garrison said she will remember Emily Icban as not just her best friend, but as a sister, who was beautiful inside and out. Garrison said she hopes Emilys children grow up knowing how much she loved them and cared for them.

I love her, and I am so proud of her for getting her own place and for filing the protection order, Garrison said.

For other victims of domestic violence, Garrison urges them to get out.

Do your best to get out. I know it is hard, but you need to get out, Garrison said.

Local and national resources for domestic violence victims in need of help, including 24-hour crisis hotlines, can be found below:

Avalon Center in Williamsburg, 757-258-5051

HER Shelter in Portsmouth, 757-485-3384

Samaritan House Inc. in Virginia Beach, 757-430-2120

YWCA South Hampton Roads in Norfolk, 757-251-0144

National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233

Staff writer Jane Harper contributed to this report.

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Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
Florida, US (34429)

Today

Mostly sunny in the morning. Increasing clouds with showers later in the day. Thunder possible. High around 90F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.
When Dr. Curtis Carver, Ph.D., took over as CIO at University of Alabama-Birmingham in 2015, he confronted a computer science museum, as he calls it  instances of every operating system, storage device, and application on the market for the past 30 years.

Carvers first priority then was to clean up the outdated mess and rationalize the entire technology infrastructure onto a single, comprehensive platform that would empower the universitys thousands of scientists to innovate and make breakthrough research discoveries.

We started a movement towards a rationalized model, and that was a hybrid cloud, Carver tells CIO.com. When your researchers are doing personalized medicine, or genomics research, the datasets are so large that it doesnt matter how fast your network is. It is the speed of light that becomes a limiting factor.

Seven years later, Carver now oversees a hybrid cloud infrastructure based primarily on Microsoft Azure and Kubernetes, Tableau and Microsoft Power BI for analytics, Microsofts Azure AI framework, and lots of Nvidia graphics processors, all connected to a high-performance computer cluster at a nearby private data center via a 100 Gigabit connection.

It appears his modernization approach is having an impact.

Last fall, the UAB, which Carver says is the medical research hub of the state, made a genomics discovery that enables pig kidneys to be transplanted into humans  a potential life-saving breakthrough that caught the attention of CNN and major media outlets globally.

The UAB medical team transplanted two pig kidneys into a brain-dead human recipient and is currently planning a clinical trial to transplant the pig kidneys into living humans  an endeavor that will require approvals from the government. If successful, the procedure could have a profound impact on kidney failure mortality, which claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

Carver claims no credit for any of that. But UABs ongoing digital transformation and subsequent scientific win is no doubt a factor in enabling its genomics research and generating the kind of fundraising that leads to more breakthroughs. Case in point: The university just broke ground on a $75 million project to construct two buildings that will serve as the UAB Genomics Research Hub.

Transforming to support scientific innovation

In addition to overhauling the entire IT infrastructure, Carver pivoted UABs IT workforce to put more resources into enabling scientific innovation. Today, less than half of his IT staff is deployed to keep the lights on matters such as addressing helpdesk issues while a larger percentage is tackling the next-generation technology needs of its genomics and medical scientists.

That kind of muscle is important to scientists, who once were bumping up against limits in all IT areas  storage, e-mail, and processing power. Carver aims to offer unlimited IT services to UABs researchers and is well on his way.

Our most recent purchases have been focused on high-performance computing processors built specifically for neural networks and artificial intelligence, which we use quite a bit in genomics medicine, the CIO says. For our genomics, those processors are well tailored for that.

The roughly $850 million in sponsored research UAB brings in each year is also helping to elevate what IT can provide.

The whole idea is we move from an era of scarcity to an era of abundance, Carver says. And you can manage the IT and budget in such a way that people are empowered to focus on pancreatic cancer.  The idea is to create a palette of tools that people can actually use rather than nickel and diming it.

And analyst Dr. Nimita Limaye, research vice president of life sciences R&D strategy and technology at IDC, says such IT efforts at institutions like UAB are vital given competition from the private sector.

Big pharma is investing in technology like never before and it is aggressively forging partnerships with AI vendors, she says. Universities and academic medical centers need to reinforce their positions as innovation ecosystems for the life sciences industry, and therefore, it is critical that their CIOs should adopt cutting-edge technologies to stay ahead of the curve.

Next up: AI and data lake decisions

To that end, UABs next step is to tackle big decisions around expanding its AI and data analytics platforms, says Carver, who is not handling the long-term planning alone. UAB has two committees, Data Governance and Digital Strategy, whose work will help guide decisions about which next-generation AI platform and data lake to adopt, for instance.

As part of its data governance plan, UAB seeks to build deep expertise in core data systems, including a data dictionary, digital validators, and a digital marketplace. Carver says UAB is leaning toward using ServiceNow but is also considering Salesforce for its digital marketplace.

Rather than going through a contracting vehicle to solve a common problem, [we want to build] a digital marketplace and deploy it. You can solve [purchasing] for the entire university instead of one small unit, Carver says. Its fostering innovation, but were doing it in such a way that were creating competitive advantage and a common approach and leveraging the full economies of scale that we can bring as a multibillion-dollar university.

UAB is a big Microsoft customer but also has master service agreements with Amazon and Google, Carver says. The universitys learning management system, for example, runs on Amazon Web Services, and other services are hosted on Google Cloud Platform.

UAB currently runs a Tableau server on-premises that many administrative departments and some researchers use. A few departments on campus also use Microsoft Power BI, a UAB spokeswoman says.

UAB plans to implement a centralized Power BI server in the future and develop a centralized reporting catalog that will show reports produced in Tableau, Power BI, and other analytics solutions. This is aimed at helping users find reports and the associated data more quickly, she adds.

On the artificial intelligence front, UAB has been using Microsofts natural language processing technology and Azure AI frameworks. For example, Carvers team has developed intrusive advising agents for students who are not attending classes, and chatbots that answer common questions from students and staff.

But so much more has to be done in AI, automation, and data analytics, as well as security, one of Carvers pet projects. UABs digital transformation remains a multi-year endeavor thats going to dominate not only 2022 and 2023 but the foreseeable future, he says. But the work in support of the universitys research endeavors is rewarding.

What humans can do is awesome. What computers can do is awesome. But when you combine the two, when you have a human and computer interacting together to jointly solve a problem, its way better, Carver says. Its not one, or the other. But how do we provide systems that work in synergy.

Carver aims to provide scientists with a very agile platform that gives them access to custom levels of processing power, storage, and networking in 15 minutes. Let them focus on the science. Well handle the back end of things, Carver says. So, theyll win more grants, make scientific discoveries, and change the world.
Its no secret that large-scale upheavals in the global aviation industry, including the catastrophic impact of the pandemic, have sent airline companies reeling over the past few years. Despite the worldwide chaos, UAE national airline Etihad has managed to generate productivity gains and cost savings from insights using data science.

Based in Abu Dhabi and in operation since 2003, in recent years Etihad has used a data lake and a unified set of AI-driven analytics tools to optimise staffing, the handling of passengers, and responses to customer inquiries.

Our digital transformation has allowed us to be more streamlined, more agile, and more efficient. In reviewing our positioning as a mid-sized carrier, our governance and way of thinking has had to change, says Dr Reem Alaya Lebhar, director of Strategy, Management & Portfolio Governance at Etihad.

Reem Alaya Lebhar

Etihad began its data science journey with the Cloudera Data Platform and moved its data to the cloud to set up a data lake. They were, however, using multiple vendor technologies to support the data lake, which led to inefficiencies in the way they analysed their data. A change was needed.

Etihad is on a digital transformation journey. Our data strategy supports our vision of harnessing all of the data that is available across the organisation, breaking down the silos to enhance every business process that we have, says Martin Hammer, head of Enterprise Data Management at Etihad.

Unifying analytics on a data science platform

Etihad made a decision to unify their data modeling and analytics, choosing Dataikus end-to-end machine learning platform to do so.

Etihad were collecting data, but what they needed was to be able to make insights from this data, says Siddhartha Bhatia, regional vice president, Middle East and Turkey, at Dataiku. They wanted to standardize everything, break those silos, into something very standardized.

As a global airline, Etihads custodians of data operate out of different countries. As a server and browser-based application, Dataiku allowed remote and distributed teams to work collaboratively across different time zones and departments.

The low code, visualization tools embedded inside Dataiku allowed business heads to work closely with data scientists. It also gave the company an opportunity to upskill analysts, notes Talal Mufti, data science manager at Etihad.

Talal Mufti

Etihad wanted to deploy, schedule and automate their data models very rapidly. They also wanted to be able to demonstrate cost reductions.

Etihad identified a large number of use cases that were short term in nature, which they further developed to evaluate which would provide the biggest hit first.

As a first step, Etihad prioritized use cases based on where there was a maximum benefit, and which could be done in the earlier stages of rolling out the Dataiku platform.

Financial benefits and cost savings became a big driver in quite a lot of the use cases shortlisted by Etihad. While the adoption and roll-out of the analytics platform predates COVID, it did have an impact at a later stage.

Predicting passenger arrivals

One of the use cases was how to predict passenger arrivals, so that Etihad could more efficiently deploy ground staff at airports to handle the flights.

The movement of flight operations requires a large amount of support staff, some of them permanent and onsite while others are contracted based on requirements. Overall, this can include check-in staff and baggage handlers. The justification of this model was that it is not always clear when you need operational and support staff. The window of the forecasting was 14 days, with 30-minute continuous intervals, right up to four hours before each flight.

Martin Hammer

Using the Dataiku platform, Etihad built a forecasting system to model and predict passenger arrivals. The benefit was that airport managers were able to make better decisions on ground staffing, what staff they needed and when. And with external suppliers this resulted in better contractual negotiations.

Another use case that was taken up by the Dataiku team was managing and responding to incoming inquiry emails. The Etihad CRM system was receiving and logging incoming email queries. The challenge was to categorize, forward, and respond in the shortest possible time to these emails. These emails needed to reach the right person through automated categorization.

The problem was, how do you route those emails efficiently to make sure that they are dealt with, by the correct people and that responses are getting back to the people who are asking the questions as rapidly as possible, Dataikus Bhatia says.

Using NLP to optimize customer response times

What Dataiku built was an email classification system that could look at what was being asked and using NLP (natural language processing) classify the emails. Using these classifications, the CRM system would then make sure it was routed to the correct person to be deal with.

Natural language processing gives computer systems the ability to understand and make decisions from either spoken words or text. The natural language algorithm is fundamental here to provide an automatic summarization of the main points in a document or email. These algorithms also classify text according to categories, they can organise information, and complete email routing and spam filtering.

Inside Dataiku, the natural language processing model would pick up the emails, do some intelligent analysis on them, and then categorize them according to the particular issue, and create automatic cases within the CRM system.

Incoming emails would be fired at a suitable API within Dataiku. The API would connect with the natural language processing model and process the email, yielding the classification and the call to action within the CRM system.

Dataiku has helped develop use cases across the organization that are expected to result in significant cost savings over the next five years, says Etihads Mufti.

Solving data modelling problems

One of the later-stage challenges of data science is data drift. This is when, over a period of time the incoming data begins to deviate from the original data that was used to build the model in the first case. The impact of this is that the model that was built, which was trained on the original data, is no longer valid.

Sid Bhatia

So, your predictive capacity and the predictive power of your model, is no longer as efficient as it should have been, says Dataikus Bhatia. Dataiku has the capacity to take the model back into development again, rebuild, and retrain your model, and put it out again.

The initial use cases for the Dataiku platform have generated significant costs savings for Etihad, which has built confidence in the continued usage of data sciences through these challenging, post-pandemic recovery times, company officials say.

Dataiku is one of the critical components of our enterprise data platform that gives our data science community all the tools that they need in one place, and facilitates collaboration across different groups of stakeholders, Etihads Hammer says.

Moving forward, Etihad plans to continue to use the data-modelling platform to solve operational bottlenecks and deliver process efficiencies in a variety of use cases.
HICKORY, N.C.  A North Carolina furniture manufacturer has been sued by the family of a woman who was shot and killed while on the job. Another employee of the company was charged in her death.

Attorney Lyndon Helton said Justin Marlow, the husband of shooting victim Michele Marlow, filed a lawsuit for wrongful death against TCS Designs, the companys president, plant manager and a third person who was a manager at the company at the time of the shooting, the Hickory Daily Record reported.

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Hickory police said in a news release in January 2021 that Michele Marlow, 51, was shot in the head and killed as workers at the furniture store ran after hearing the first of two gunshots.

A search was launched for Tangela L. Parker, who was wanted for first-degree murder and Eric Parker who was wanted for accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. They evaded law enforcement for six months before they were captured in Arizona and brought back to Hickory.

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Documents in the case accuse TCS Designs and employees of being aware of Tangela Parkers violent threats toward Michelle Marlow before the shooting, and then refusing to fire Tangela Parker before the shooting.
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Editor: I was born in 1940. My only account of the Second World War was from history books. It was hard to understand how the world stood by a 
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Andre Glucksmann: It may surprise you to hear me say that I do not find the notion of just war very pertinent. If a just war is a war that I consider just, this does not mean very much; its nothing but a personal opinion. On the other hand, the notion as it is elaborated by Cicero or by Saint Augustine is deeply ontological. It derives from the idea that there is order in the world that can be disturbed by an act of aggression. In this Roman and Christian model, a just war is one that either restores peace to the world (Cicero) or that reestablishes the order of Providence (Augustine). But here lies the mystery: How do you account for the popularity of this notion in a world in which we do not believe in order as understood by the Romans or as understood in Christianity? This popularity shows that we continue to understand war within a horizon of peace that we take to be more fundamental: order is primary, and war is secondary. This model implies the right to make war (jus ad bellum) in order to restore peace.

In the Greek paradigm, on the other hand, it is the state of war that has priority. We are always in belloin a state of conflictand war is justified insofar as it aims to moderate violence or to avoid the end of the world. Thus, the central problem is that of jus in bello (justice in wartime). To sum up: either we understand war within a horizon of peace, or we understand peace within a horizon of war. These two paradigms imply very different codes of conduct. In our day, I would say that our ways of justifying war must derive essentially from jus in bello and not from jus ad bellum; this is because we are immersed in situations in which war is always possible and in which the effort to master this possibility is open to question. In brief, just as the idea of a just war strikes me as anachronistic, so the idea of justice within war (the rules of which were codified in the Geneva Convention or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) is urgently relevant.

Monique Canto-Sperber: For me, the notion of just war remains relevant because it testifies to our double heritage of reflection on the ethics of violence. In the ancient world, war was regarded as a quasi-natural consequence of interactions among cities and among human beings.

It is only in early Christianity, which tended to recommend abstinence from all violence, that we first see even the possibility of a just war. This teaching, in which war and the good are closely linked, would be significantly modified by Grotius, a contemporary of Descartes. Grotius detaches the recourse to war from the pursuit of the good and gives just war a more procedural definition. The following question then comes to the fore: To what degree, within a given juridical order, are there legitimate reasons to make war, and by what means? Henceforth, states are held responsible, and criteria must be fixed. These criteria relate both to legitimate reasons to enter into war (jus ad bellum: the right to self-defense, the duty to put an end to a massacre) and to acceptable means of making war (jus in bello). We today are heirs of both these visions (Augustines and Grotiuss), whether we acknowledge it or not. According to the first, war is legitimate if its goal is to eradicate an evil and to establish a good. Humanitarian interventions, or wars that are supposed to promote freedom and democracy, take their inspiration from this principle. Their tendency is to identify the justice of war with a general moral claim. According to the second vision, the justice of a war cannot be conceived without reference to a complex network of reasons, justifications, rules, and limits. This view holds justice within warfare (jus in bello) to be the central question. Both these conceptions are opposed to pacifism, according to which, strictly speaking, any use of violence is intrinsically evil.

A.G.: In the 1980s, in the middle of a discussion with German pacifists, I put this question to them: If you (environmentalists and leftists) had possessed weapons of mass destruction in 1943, would you have been willing to give them to the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto to enable them to dissuade the Nazis from exterminating them? I never had a response. Pacifists kill by letting people be killed. To resist the injustice of a killer is to base ones authority and legitimacy on the negation of this injustice. And this justice in no way depends on the existence of God, as Grotius wrote. Grotius had a tragic sense of history, on the Greek model. He did not appeal either to a divine or to a Roman peace but rather to the necessity to control and to oppose wars fury, even by taking up arms. He thus made war on war in a framework that came to be called jus in bello.

M.C.-S.: I would like to emphasize how artificial the opposition between idealism and realism often appears in the area of international relations. Values and norms are no less real than passions and interests. The worlds violence is a fact, not a thesis. The fundamental moral question is thus how to channel this irreducible violence; hence the intellectual utility of elaborating rules that avoid moralism while preserving a minimal justice. Thus, a just war will be, first, one that accords with an irresistible moral judgment that says, That is intolerable, we cannot let that happen (because of harm inflicted on individuals or because of a direct threat to global security). Second, a just war will be one that requires moderation and a justification of the means used in combat. To be sure, other kinds of wars might claim a moral justification and might be undertaken in the name of some good, but such wars risk escaping all limitation; they risk an escalation of violence that cannot be contained because it is based on moral arguments.

A.G.: Morality and realism are polar opposites only in philosophy classes. Take the example of the Kremlins war in Chechnya. One can oppose this war on moral grounds because it killed as many as one out of five Chechnyans, including several thousand children. Or one can oppose it pragmatically: thanks to this carnage, the Kremlin is becoming harder and harder to control, while civil society suffers repression and censure. Morality and realism go together: an autocratic power that disposes of the worlds second-greatest nuclear arsenal is a danger not only for the Chechnyans but for the Russians themselves and for the entire world. Similarly, since we allowed the genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus in Rwanda, a true pestilence has spread over Africa, as we have seen in the Congo and in Darfur.

M.C.-S.: It is important to note that, until the mid-twentieth century, wars were conducted by states, the only recognized international actors, and this in a context marked by fairly clear distinctions between war and peace. Today, these distinctions are no longer so clear. Wars no longer involve two clearly identified opposing states, which renders obsolete the traditional means of regulation, such as reprisals, deterrence, and so on. This is obvious in the case of terrorismthis invisible, elusive, unpredictable enemy for whom the notion of a truce has little meaning. It follows that the main danger no longer seems to lie in some clash of civilizations but rather in the profusion of cases of competitive mimicry: passions are fed by rivalries that spring inevitably from the interaction of cultures. On this point, Raymond Arons views have proved prophetic: he predicted that the internationalization of the world threatened to engender violence. This leaves us with a very difficult question: how to define justice in the fight against terrorismor rather, against terrorists. How can rules be respected in the face of an enemy that respects none at all? This recalls the classic dilemma: How do we treat an arrested terrorist who might possess information that could save hundreds of people? Here perhaps a moment of humility is in order. But one condition still obtains: anyone who might depart from accepted rules concerning the treatment of prisoners is under an absolute obligation to take responsibility for his actions.

A.G.: In uniform or not, whether in the service of a state or of a group working in its own name, the terrorist is defined as an armed person who deliberately attacks those who are not armed. What is the solution? Despite what seems to be the view of French officials, it certainly is not to double Interpol connections between states to facilitate the policing of terrorists. There is a simple reason that this will not work: several states use terrorists as their agents. The age of Great Wars is over, but there are still warriors, Ernst von Salomon prophesied in 1920. The great dragonthe Soviet systemhas collapsed, but its totalitarian offspring have swarmed across the planet, as the dissident Vladimir Bukovsky has observed. Contemporary movements motivated by hatred of the West are Westernized movements; we have exported not only our weapons but also our techniques, our typewriters and then our computers, and our intellectual methods. Over and above the globalization of commerce, there is the world market in armed violence. Polemos is the father of all things, Heraclitus wrote. Polemoswar, and not divine Providence or the love of peace. Polemos designates some as mortals and others as immortals; he disenchants, demythologizes, and sows revolution. He makes some men free, and others slave.

Polemos raises the ultimate stake: liberty or death. Troy was a well-ordered city, but Troy had to fall. Polemos is the father of all thingssuch was the watchword of the Greek conquerors. The end of the Cold War confirms the views of Shakespeare and Heraclitus, thinkers of war, against those of most contemporary experts who were dreaming of a pacified history. On the other hand, I would tend to defend Kant. The philosopher of Konigsberg does not seem to embody the pacifist spirit.

Kant was more ironic; when he titled his treatise Perpetual Peace, it referred to a sign above a cemetery. Perpetual peace is death! But he was also more positive. He thought that nations by themselves could not control the furor of war and thus that there had to be alliances among republics and states ruled by lawnot against terrorism but against terrorists: mafias, religious groups, nationalists, or God knows what. You are right to introduce this nuance. This perspective strikes me as absolutely fundamental, as long as we clearly understand that we have enemies. Unfortunately, we are instead in the process of breaking up the European Union and the Atlantic alliance, which might have been tools for the mastery of global violence.

M.C.-S.: Over the last 15 years, we have seen an increasing enthusiasm for cosmopolitanism, for the idea that the management of the worlds affairs can be turned over to a global civil society. But this is a deformation of Kants thought. My interpretation of Kants cosmopolitanism has much in common with yours: Kant was opposed to the notion of world government. For him, the moral quality of agreements between states depended upon the rule of law as a moral principle that the state would export into its alliances with other states. This is something that we could attain as Europeans and, more broadly, throughout the Western world.

A.G.: In his famous speech on Iraq at the United Nations, Dominique de Villepin sang the praises of international law. But this law has had nothing to say and no means of action during most of the great crises of our time: Cambodia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and the Caucasus.

M.C.-S.: What I find most striking is that we find ourselves engulfed in violence to an unprecedented degree, and at the same time we talk ceaselessly about international harmony, except for occasional interruptions by American initiativesand all that with an utterly naive optimism and good conscience. This conjunction is also unprecedented in human history. Lucidity would require us instead to reconcile pessimism in diagnosis with optimism in action, to cite one more formula from Raymond Aron.

A.G.: I note the same paradox. The reigning international doctrine assumes that we are made to get along, but the problem is that the evidence does not support this view; it is a lovely vision that the evening news contradicts every day. Thus we are compelled to seek a guilty party that must be the sole cause of all evil. And here again I observe that we have still not left behind the Roman-Christian model, for which peace is primary. Since peace does not happen, it must be the fault of some single bad actor, and this happens to be America! The Greek model seems to me more judicious: by accepting war, devastation, and fury as our horizon, we will elaborate strategies of prevention and deterrenceand thus increase the chances for peace.

Interview conducted by Alexandra Laignel-Lavastine and translated by Alexis Cornel

Top Photo by Yelena Afonina\TASS via Getty Images
The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won, by Victor Davis Hanson (Basic Books, 652 pp., $40)

In his six-volume history of the Second World War (1948-53),Winston Churchill gave a well-deserved tribute to Frederick Lindemann, the scientist in the Air Ministry who kept the Conservative M.P. for Epping apprised of Germanys accelerating air capabilities in the mid-1930s, when the Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain governments were content to look the other way:

There were no doubt greater scientists than Frederick Lindemann, though his credentials and genius command respect. But he had two qualifications of vital consequence to me. First . . . he was my trusted friend and confidant of twenty years. Together we had watched the advance and onset of world disaster. Together we had done our best to sound the alarm. . . . [Secondly,] Lindemann could decipher the signals from the experts . . . and explain to me in lucid, homely terms what the issues were.

Since Harrow and Sandhurst had taught Churchill nothing about science, let alone the science of air defense, this was crucial. There are only twenty-four hours in the day, Churchill reminded his readers, of which at least seven must be spent in sleep and three in eating and relaxation. Anyone in my position would have been ruined if he had attempted to dive into depths which not even a lifetime of study could plumb. As it was, Churchill and, indeed, all of the Allies, gained immensely from Lindemanns briefings, before and during the war.

The general reader, as well as the more scholarly specialist, will feel similarly grateful to Victor Davis Hanson for sharing his insights into the complexities of a war that still has much to teach us. The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won is scholarly popular history at its very best, offering as it does a brilliant overview of the war. It is also full of fascinating detail. For example, Hanson shows how the Germans invaded Russia without knowing that the Russians had T-34 tanksproof of how threadbare their pre-invasion intelligence was. The heavy tanks cannot be beaten by our weaponry, one German army report complained. The men have almost no ammunition left and are being run down by Russian tanks. When the Soviets eventually encircled the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad, sealing Germanys fate on the Eastern Front, it was largely due to the superior firepower and mobility of their T-34s.

Animated by mastery of both strategy and the ordnance with which strategy is carried out, not to mention the often unedifying psychology of war, Hansons book is a summing up that only an historian of great learning and perspicacity could have produced. That the author draws on his enviable knowledge of the military experience of ancient Greece and Rome gives his analysis of the missteps and oversights of his twentieth-century subjects critical perspective. In his dazzling command of the details and sweep of ancient history, Hanson is reminiscent of another crack historian trained in the classicsPeter Green, the biographer of Alexander and chronicler of the Greco-Persian wars.

Hanson writes of how Italy and Japan confirmed Thucydides realist notions of honor and fear when they threw in their lot with Hitler, convinced that his gamble to make Germany Europes leading power would not only pan out for the Germans but also benefit their own expansionist ambitions, though it resulted in redrawing borders, redistributing populations, and killing millionssome 60 million, as it turned out, approximately 80 percent of whom were civilians. The opportunism that impelled the Axis powers had its root in the opportunism of the German people themselves. No one is better on this aspect of the wars casus belli than Charles Arnold-Baker, the inspired editor of the Companion to British History (2001), who wrote in his autobiography, For He is an Englishman: Memoirs of a Prussian Nobleman (2007):

[The Germans] had adopted an abomination which promised them benefits in return for the destruction of law, democracy and certain scapegoats. These benefits went far beyond the tearing up of the Treaty of Versailles . . . They would re-establish the frontiers (roughly speakingwhats a few million Slavs between friends?) of the ancient Reichmeaning something golden, glorious, and predatory. The German word Krieg (war) is connected with kriegen meaning to get or take, and Reich (according to the dictionary empire) means adjectivally rich. The Nazis appealed to the myth of the tribal horde with its roistering chieftains ready to fill your hat with gold.

Hanson confirms Arnold-Bakers insight by showing how the German generals acquiesced in Hitlers gambles for their own aggrandizement at the expense of the Wehrmacht. He also shows how Hitlers blinkered view of geostrategy was abetted by the blinkers of the German General Staff, few of whom were equipped to think of war in terms of grand strategy or geopolitics. Ben Shepherds authoritative Hitlers Soldiers: The German Army in the Third Reich (2016) exhaustively corroborates this charge. For Shepherd, if Allied superiority in the field, air, and sea finally brought the German army to grief, so too did the political, economic, strategic and operational failings of the army leadership itself.

As Hanson shows, the very fact that Germanys military leadership connived in the disastrous decision to invade Russia confirms this point. Early in the war, Hitler might have appeared a gambler on a winning streak, going from strength to offensive strength, but by 1943, when his invasion of Russia had stalled, his strategic miscalculations came home to roost. From that point on, despite his no-retreat, no-surrender bluster, the Wehrmacht was forced into a defensive position from which it would never escape. For Hanson, only unquestioning vicious fighters in the Waffen SS who fought as savagely without hope of victory as they once had when assured of conquest kept the German army going. Such suicidal zealotry would also contribute to the scale and destructiveness of the war. Knowing that Germany and Japan would not concede defeat unless they were entirely ruined, the Allies had no alternative but to effect that ruin.

This does not let the Allies off the hook for the role they played in failing to prevent the war in the first place. Hanson is unsparing about British appeasement, American isolationism, and Russian collaboration, all of which contributed to making an unnecessary war inevitable. It does, however, explain the necessity of Sir Arthur Bomber Harriss incendiary bombing of German cities and President Trumans decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The military justification of these late bombings may remain controversial, but they did shorten the war and save lives. Harris certainly had no doubts about the warrantability of his actions. I do not personally regard the whole of the remaining cities of Germany as worth the bones of one British Grenadier, the unrepentant Air Marshal confessed. Even the great Whig historian Lord Macaulay understood that the essence of war is violence, and moderation in war is imbecility.

Hanson is eloquent when it comes to the American counterpart to Harris, General Curtis LeMay, who did not shrink from incendiary bombing of Japan once its necessity became clear for the dispersal of the enemys industrial war effort. LeMay, he writes, enjoyed the role of a take-no-prisoners general, but beneath the crusty exterior, like George S. Patton, he was one of the most introspective, analytical, and naturally brilliant commanders of the war. If he was a frightening man in his single-minded drive to put bombs on the target, he was also an authentic American genius at war.

Yet no one can read Hansons often harrowing pages without thinking of Thomas Hardys lines about the Armistice that ended the Great Warlines that must haunt all historians who write of the essential tragedy of war.

Calm fell. From Heaven distilled a clemency;

There was peace on earth, and silence in the sky;

Some could, some could not, shake off misery;

The Sinister Spirit sneered: It had to be!

And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, Why?

For the classicist in Hanson, Germans infantrymen recall the Spartans. They were highly trained and terrifyingly professional and imbued with militarist doctrine but often deployed for imbecile strategic ends. At times, it is true, they may have been led by generals of the caliber of the Spartan maverick generals Brasidas, Gylippus and Lysander, but in addition to a rare Manstein or Rommel, there were also more unimaginative versions of dullard Spartan kings (Generals Alfred Jodl, Wilhelm Keitel, and Walter Warlimont) who . . . along with Hitler, would waste their deadly assets. Shepherd, in his study of the German army, shows how this dullness went hand-in-hand with atrocity. Indeed, the army as a whole was complicit in terror, exploitation and criminality from the start.

In reviewing the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the Allies and the Axis as fighting forces, Hanson shows how superior the Allies were, even though, as a result of their combined fecklessness before hostilities began, it took them a fair amount of time to marshal that superiority. That the Axis produced rockets, jets and superior torpedoes, Hanson points out, and yet were the most reliant on horse transportation, is emblematic of their lack of comprehensive industrial policy and pragmatic technological planningan area where America, Britain and the Soviet Union excelled. When it comes to the upshot of this advantage, Hanson is aphoristic: We often forget that the Third Reich was postmodern in creative genius but premodern in actual implementation and operations. He observes that the army that invaded the Soviet Union did so with fifteen thousand Poland peasant wagons, seventy-five divisions powered only by horses, hundreds of different types of looted and often obsolete European vehicles, seventy-three different models of tanks, and fifty-two different makes of anti-aircraft guns.

Strategically, Hanson locates the central flaw of the Third Reichs war plans in Hitlers contention that he could lead the Fatherland to victory by limiting himself to fighting one front at a time. Poland, in other words, would be a discrete war, followed by other limited border wars. As a self-taught student of history, the author writes, Hitler felt that he had proceeded, in a . . . carefully circumscribed fashion, in direct opposition to Kaiser Wilhelm IIs past nightmare of recklessly incurring an immediate two-theatre war. Here, again, the classicist in Hanson comes to the fore: Like Hannibal who thought he could reverse the verdict of the First Punic War, and like Hannibals Carthage, which had been defeated but not emasculated in 241 BC, so Hitler and the Third Reich were convinced that the second time around they would not repeat the strategic mistakes of an earlier generation.

Even after Hitler had entered into a three-front war with Britain, Russia, and the United States, he deluded himself into imagining that he was fighting only a one-front war against Russia, which, once won, would consolidate his gains in Europe. Yet Hanson exhibits his understanding of the complexity of Hitlers nature by showing how the Fuhrers delusions were not unvisited by moments of lucidity. Hitler, he writes, seemed aware of his own failings, manifested in self-doubt, which his megalomania never entirely concealed. To Albert Speer, Hitler confessed shortly before his death that he had always known that Hermann Goering was a drug addict . . . but he had been too timid to confront [him] . . . given his earlier key services to the Nazi cause, even as the latters buffoonery cost tens of thousands of Luftwaffe air crewmen their lives.

If Hitlers definitive biographer Ian Kershaw showed how the Third Reich was often kept going by a kind of rivalrous chaos, Hanson shows that the chaos emanated, to a great degree, from the incoherence and incompetence of Hitler himself, who, the author points out, had no direct knowledge of anything more than a few hundred miles from his birthplace. Never having been to Europe, Russia, or any of the other places he opposed, he knew little of them other than what maps could tell him. The footage we have of him in conquered Paris underscores this. The erstwhile Austrian corporal is not so much pleased as overwhelmed by his armys capture of so glorious a city. Pitted against opponents of the wide experience, knowledge, and sophistication of Churchill and Roosevelt, Hitler was out of his depth.

Hanson rightly regards Churchill as the best of the wars commanders, whether from the Allied or the Axis camp, because he possessed the greatest moral courage, though he recognizes Churchills shortcomings, particularly his sometimes-imprudent readiness to allow both Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and Joseph Stalin free rein and his constant attention to the effect of operations on Britains postwar empire. This squares with Max Hastingss overall assessment of Churchill as a war leader: If the governance of nations in peace is best conducted by reasonable men, in war there is a powerful argument for leadership by those sometimes willing to adopt courses beyond the boundaries of reason, as Churchill did.

An amusing example of Churchills unorthodox approach to war planning was given by Earl Mountbatten, the Supreme Allied Commander of the South East Asia Command who attended war meetings at Chequers after 1942, when the country house was sufficiently camouflaged to protect the prime minister:

At 8.30 p.m. the company assembled for drinks and then at about 9 we went in to dinner and a very good dinner it used to be. It went on a long while and then at about ten or 10:15 the ladies left the room and Winston held forth over brandy and a good cigar. It was most entertaining and amusing. At about 10.40 or so wed get up and join the ladies and we all went up and saw a film. He had a cinema projector at Chequers and always had a film over the weekends. When the film was over, which would be perhaps about 12.30 a.m., we had a nightcap with the ladies, and at about 1 oclock wed start work going through all things he wanted to discuss until 2, 3 or 3.30 a.m. On one occasion General Marshall, the Chief of the United States Army, was in the party. We went through this process and at 12.30, when the ladies went to bed, he got up to go. We all said: You cant go now; it hasnt started yet!

Hanson also stresses that Churchill, who had fought in the trenches in World War I, was consequently sensible enough never to overrule his chiefs of staff, all of whom had also fought in that war or in Britains colonial wars. This gave his conduct of the war a certain hardheaded wisdom, despite his incidental eccentricity. Unlike Roosevelt, Churchill never lost sight of the high price the Allies would pay for allying themselves with Soviet Russia, especially once it came time to sorting out postwar Western and Eastern Europe, though he was the first of the Allied commanders to see the indispensability of what was otherwise a distasteful alliance. As Churchill told his private secretary Jock Colville, If Hitler invaded Hell, I would at least make a favourable reference to the Devil.

Churchill also clearly learned from the mistakes of the First World War. He drew on the experience of the Somme to urge against precipitateness in the timing of the D-Day invasion; he drew on his collaborative relationship with Lloyd George (when that wily man was Minister of Munitions) to ensure against inadequate production of war materiel; and he clearly derived the right lesson from Marshal Josef Joffres insouciant belief in attrition when he saw to it that the British Expeditionary Force was kept out of the irresistible collapse of France in 1940. In his history of the war, Churchill memorably described how the opening day of the evacuation of Dunkirk affected him and his countrymen: There was a short service of Intercession and Prayer in Westminster Abbey on May 26. The English are loth to expose their feelings, but in my stall in the Choir I could feel the pent-up, passionate emotion, and also the fear of the congregation, not of death or wounds or material loss, but of defeat and the final ruin of Britain.

For students of history, both the celerity and the decisiveness with which the Allies defeated the Axis can be misleading precisely because they can suggest that Allied victory was somehow inevitable. Churchills recollections nicely explode the falsity of this notion. Many contingencies throughout the war might not have gone the Allies way, and certainly Dunkirk was one of them. In summing up Churchills conduct of the British war effort, Hanson makes some revelatory comparisons with Britains experience in the Great War:

Britain was to fight much longer than in World War I (roughly 71 versus 51 months) on two distant fronts against a much more formidable coalition of enemies. Yet it suffered far fewer deaths (approximately 450,000 versus nearly one million fatalities) in achieving a far more lasting victory in 1918. This was an extraordinary achievement, given that Britain had a continental army far smaller than those of either Germany, Russia or the United States. Although Churchill may have despaired frequentlyafter the fall of France when an inglorious defeat seemed likely, the ignominious surrenders at Singapore and Tobruk, and in negotiations about the postwar world with undemocratic Joseph Stalin creating facts on the ground throughout Eastern Europehe was the first Allied leader to see a way to beat Hitler and the only one to fight from the beginning to the end.

Most of this is persuasive, but surely it is dubious that Churchill frequently despaired when setbacks arose. On the contrary, his hallmark as a war leader is precisely that he did not despair, even amid setbacks that would have demoralized lesser men. In this, as Colville recognized, it was the mans very guilelessness that inoculated him against despair. Strength often marches with simplicity, Colville wrote. In the war Churchills burden was lightened and his task simplified by his refusal to be diverted from the single aim of victory; victory at any price, since the alternative was slavery or extinction. This suited his temperament, because although a brilliant tactician and more fertile than most men in imagination and ideas, he was fundamentally a straightforward person . . . In August 1940, he considered the clamour for a Statement of War Aims ill-conceived. We had, he said, only one aim: to destroy Hitler.

As good as Hanson is on the strategy and tactics of the Second World War, he can be heartbreaking on the millions of civilians who died as a result of the war. Turning to the Holocaust, he cites Hans Frank, the governor-general of Nazi-occupied Poland, who wrote in his diary in December 1939: We cannot shoot 2,500,000 Jews. Neither can we poison them. We shall have to take steps, however, designed to extirpate them in some wayand this will be done. Hanson points out a grim irony: The three major Axis powers directly or indirectly caused about 80 percent of the total World War II dead while suffering somewhere around 20 percent . . . Rarely in any war of the past had the defeated inflicted such carnage, in such lopsided fashion, on the victorious. In the case of the failed invasion of Russia, the more frustrated the German generals became with what proved an undefeatable Red Army, the more they exhorted their soldiers to gratify their exasperated sadism by slaughtering defenseless Slavs and Jews. If they could not fill their hats with gold, they could spread murder and mayhem.

What ultimately distinguishes Hanson as an historian is his appreciation of the moral dynamics of war. Men are the city-state, one of his epigraphs from Thucydides states, and not walls nor ships empty of men. At a time when America and her allies need clear-sighted moral decisiveness as never before, Hansons book could not be timelier. The way that he sets out his study shows his own moral clarity, which, in a history profession riddled with Marxist determinism and Progressive faddishness, is bracing and salutary:

Why the Western worldwhich was aware of the classical lessons and geography of war, and was still suffering from the immediate trauma of the First World Warchose to tear itself apart in 1939 is a story not so much of accidents, miscalculations, and overreactions (although there were plenty of those, to be sure) as of the carefully considered decision to ignore, appease or collaborate with Adolf Hitlers Nazi Germany by nations that had the resources and knowledge, but not yet the willpower to do otherwise.

While excellent general histories on the Second World War aboundthose by Martin Gilbert, John Keegan, Max Hastings, and Andrew Roberts come to mindVictor Davis Hansons Second World Wars will not only swell but enhance their distinguished company.

Top Photo: Invasion of Poland, 1939 (Wojskowa Agencja Fotograficzna, Public Domain)
The Virginia Regional Ballet is among the community organizations seeking grants from the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission, which requested funding from the Williamsburg City Council on Monday. (Courtesy of Savand Photography) (SAVAND PHOTOGRAPY / HANDOUT)

Williamsburg  The Williamsburg Area Arts Commission and the citys Social Services Advisory Board have requested funding from the Williamsburg City Council for the upcoming fiscal year.

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During a council work session on Monday, Williamsburg Area Arts Commission chair Patricia Rublein thanked the council for helping to sustain the arts community over the past tough two years.

Were very grateful that you have taken this up as an important piece of the economy, she said.

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The commission, which is requesting $159,000 in grants for the 2023 fiscal year, received 32 applications from community organizations for funding for next year  seven more than the current number of grantees. Organizations that applied for grants include An Occasion for the Arts, the Muscarelle Museum, Opera in Williamsburg, the Virginia Regional Ballet and the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra.

One issue affecting arts in the area is a lack of performance venues. Rublein cited problems with space availability, scheduling and affordability, which are areas that the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission will focus on in the upcoming year.

In his response, Mayor Doug Pons said it was important to ensure that we have some cultural presence in our community, while city councilwoman Barbara Ramsey said she was glad that we live in a generous community that  supports the arts.

DeAnna Valentine, deputy director of human services, recommended funding for 15 partner agencies for the upcoming fiscal year, for a total of $477,159. Recommendations were based in part on the necessity and directness of services, as well as their affordability and availability to the community. Fourteen of those agencies currently receive funds.

We are looking closely at the number of city residents served by each program, she said.

John Morgan, chair of the Social Services Advisory Board, said there was an increased need for residents to receive assistance with housing, food, mental health care, services for the elderly and transportation as a result of the ongoing impact of COVID.

We are collectively experiencing the significant and prolonged impact of the pandemic in our community, Morgan said. These non-profit organizations consistently, even prior to the pandemic, played a vital role in providing the quality of life for individuals and families, providing assistance and ensuring that basic needs are met for our community members. We want to continue to support these non-profit agencies and their incredible work.

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Sian Wilkerson, sian.wilkerson@pilotonline.com, 757-342-6616
Russian oligarchs who the UK government has applied financial sanctions to would find it difficult to continue as a trustee, according to the charity regulator.

The Charity Commission said that if a trustee became the subject of financial sanctions it would intervene as we deem necessary.

So far, the UK government has applied sanctions to a number of Russian businessmen over the war in Ukraine.

When Civil Society News contacted the Commission earlier this week, before the latest round of sanctions were announced today, we were told that the regulator was not aware of any charity trustees affected by sanctions. However, they said that being sanctioned would be problematic.

A spokesperson said: We cannot see how an individual subject to financial sanctions in the UK could act and discharge their duties as a trustee of a charity. They are, as a result of the sanctions, prohibited from accessing economic resources. Trustees have a legal responsibility for the administration of their charity. They are custodians of charitable funds and hold them on trust for their charity.

They have control over the management and administration of the charity and therefore, its assets. This applies irrespective of whether they are a signatory to the charitys bank account or physically have access to the charitys funds. We will consider any information that suggests that an individual subject to UK sanctions is acting as a trustee of a charity in England and Wales and intervene as we deem necessary.

Last week the Commission issued advice reminding charities about follow guidance about operating in high-risk areas and consider reputational risks around accepting donations.

Abramovich sanction puts Chelsea sale on hold

This morning the government updated its sanctions list to include Roman Abramovich, Chelsea FCs owner.

Abramovich had been planning to sell the club and donate net proceeds to a new charity to support victims of the war.

However, because the government has sanctioned him it is unclear if this will happen.

In a statement this morning, Nadine Dorries, culture secretary, said Chelsea FC had been issued with a special licence.

She tweeted: To ensure the club can continue to compete and operate we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club.

Subscribers to Governance & Leadership magazine can read Tania Masons article about how charities are involved in Ukraine

Governance & Leadership is a bimonthly publication which helps charity leaders and trustees on their journey from good practice to best practice. Written by leading sector experts each issue is packed with news, in-depth analysis and real-life case studies of best practice in charitable endeavour and charity governance plus advice and guidance straight from the regulator. Find more information here and subscribe today! is a bimonthly publication which helps charity leaders and trustees on their journey from good practice to best practice. Written by leading sector experts each issue is packed with news, in-depth analysis and real-life case studies of best practice in charitable endeavour and charity governance plus advice and guidance straight from the regulator.




Each month, Covering Climate Now speaks with a different journalist about their experiences on the climate beat, their reporting tips, and their ideas for pushing our profession and craft forward. This month, we spoke with John Mecklin, editor in chief of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The Bulletin, founded in 1945 to focus on the threat of nuclear weapons, has since given equal space to the climate emergency. At a time when Russia is threatening nuclear attacks amid its war in Ukraine, all against a background of ongoing climate change, Mecklin spoke to us about making existential issues accessible to audiences. The conversation has been edited for clarity. Follow Mecklin on Twitter.

Tell us a bit about your career and how you came to lead the Bulletin.

Ive been in journalism since the dark ages, basically. Since the 1970s. And Ive been lucky to pretty much always be working in the public interest. Early in my career, I was an investigative journalist for newspapers, focusing mostly on public integritywhite-collar crime and holding public officials accountable. I later edited a couple alt-weekly newspapers, in Phoenix and San Francisco; this was during the real heyday of alt-weeklies, when those publications were more like long-form magazines. One of the big stories we did in San Francisco, which won a George Polk Award, had to do with nuclear waste that a research laboratory was dumping into the ocean.

I wanted to get into more national and international coverage, so I went to some magazines trending in that directionfirst High Country News, and then I was asked to start up the magazine that would become Pacific Standard. I joined the Bulletin, in the number two spot, in 2011. And in 2014 I became editor in chief.

It sounds like youve been focused on climate and the environment longer than most.

I started looking closely at climate change in the mid-nineties. While at High Country News, which has a regional focus in the Mountain West and of course focuses heavily on the environment, I went out to the University of Rhode Island. The Metcalf Institute people there were doing these seminars, where for three or four days climate experts would teach journalists about climate change and why its important. That was the start of my deeper understanding of climate change as a big deal that, in the media, wasnt getting anything like the coverage it needed.

Its remarkable how long that went onI think its only the last several years that most outlets have started paying attention. I remember other journalists arguing with me, saying, Well gosh, John, what are we going to do, put climate on the front page every day? Not a lot has changed. But of course there were always a million ways to address this story, because its part of nearly every other story out there. If you understand how important our climate is, you see that this problem wraps itself into almost all news coverage. If you dont, and you just treat it as one issue among a bunch of othersif youre always worried about whatever has the biggest, grabbiest news hook todayyoure always going to undercover climate.

Did you find it difficult to transition to the Bulletin, with its more specific remit?

No, and theres a reason for that. Pretty quickly after I came on, it became clear to me that what the Bulletin does matches exactly with my sensibility in regards to journalism: that we should cover the most important things first and most strongly. That we should try to make those stories interesting to people, not find whats most interesting to people first and then give that a veneer of importance. Figure out what people really need to know and present it to them in a way thats accessible, so they can then go and do good things in the world.

At the Bulletin, we cover what we call existential threats, things that could end civilization as we know it. If theres a worldwide thermonuclear war, little else that we care about will matter. All those other issues that we pretend are important and fixate onmany of these issues are important, but if we dont pay attention to the existential ones first, there wont be a civilization for those issues to play themselves out in. If climate change goes unchecked, organized civilization will not exist in a way that anybody today would want to live in it.

The Bulletin was founded to cover nuclear issues, but it currently covers climate change as a matter of equal importance. Can you discuss the decision-making behind that?

If you go back to things written and said early in the Bulletins history, the people who founded the magazine knew that nuclear weapons were just the first of the scientific discoveries that would have existential possibilitiesthat there would be other technologies that also would threaten the future of humanity. The Bulletin actually started covering climate change late in the 1950s. It had its first climate change cover story in August of 1978. And it was in 2007 that climate was formally added to the magazines mission statement.

In 2020, you were quoted in CJR saying you hope for the Bulletin to be read at both the White House and the kitchen table. How do you and your team think about making these enormous and unwieldy scientific issues tangible and digestible for everyday audiences?

Well, thats the trick, isnt it? To make these issues salient, something that world leaders will do something about, you do need to appeal to the experts who inform the Bulletin and who contribute to our community. We look at the tools of narrative journalismpaying a lot of attention to the opening of a story, making sure the writing is clear and, to the extent that we can do this, that it also sings, and employing narrative tools like suspense. Dont make the story dry as dust. Dont be hectoring, saying You must care about the climate! Try to blow peoples socks off and give them something in the story that they can carry around with them.

In December, for example, theres a writer for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Tristan Baurick, who did a freelance piece for us about the climate threat to industrial facilities on the Gulf Coast. The story involved getting data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the best data on flood risks, and then analyzing it together with some people at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We mapped all the industrial facilities and all the various toxic chemicals they each have and then presented it in the form of an interactive map. The story was well-written; the multimedia effects were wonderful. I thought, This is the kind of stuff we want to do more of.

Do you see a moral dimension to all of thisa kind of evil in that its a small, often wealthy few bringing both of these threats on the world?

I dont think that solving threats to the whole of humanity is advanced by labeling particular interests as evil. The executives of oil companies dont think of themselves as evil. Even somebody like Putin doesnt think of himself as an evil person. In the height of the Cold War, the old men who ran the Soviet Union were doing horrible, repressive things. But to get to a less dangerous, less horrible world, you had to negotiate with them. And you couldnt negotiate with them if youre all the time screaming at the top of your lungs how evil they were.

So well write about the facts of what fossil-fuel interests are doing, which is terrible. And well write about what Putin is doing in Ukraine, which is absolutely indefensible. Those kinds of hard truths arent going to be avoided. But my focus as a journalist is, How are we going to make it better?

Both the nuclear threat and climate change are man-made problems that man isnt doing a lot to solve.

Ive long been a fan of Charlie Peters and Washington Monthly, which kind of founded the idea of always including a solution: if youre going to write about a problem, you have to give some practical, reasonable way of dealing with it. When I first started what became Pacific Standard, the center of every story was a solution. And that mentality has kind of naturally carried over hereits part of the Bulletins DNA to not just run around tearing our hair out and screaming about these terrible problems, but to focus instead on how we get control of them.

Over my time at the Bulletin, Ive really been educated. Ive come to understand and accept that in the real world there are these really wicked problems for which there may not always be a clear solution. The idea that world leaders arent doing anything about climate is not right. Things have been done. Theyre not happening fast enough, and theres a lot of blocking behavior by fossil-fuel interests and others. But, however you cut it, climate change is a really difficult problem. Same with the nuclear thing. In theory, yes, it would certainly be the goal to get rid of nuclear weapons, because theyre an extreme danger. But theres a lot to think about from a practical perspective if we want countries to start giving the weapons up. Whether or not we could ever get countries to give them all up becomes really a philosophical question. So what were really trying to do with these problems is manage them toward a reduced risk and an ever-smaller threat.

As you look out now at the broader media ecosystemwhere climate reporting has improved a lot but where theres nevertheless still room for improvementare there lessons youve learned at the Bulletin that you would share with colleagues elsewhere?

Well, Ive learned in my career that every outlet is differentpeople that run major newspapers and magazines have all sorts of constraints on their behavior, and trying to do what needs to be done is not always as simple as people on the outside might think.

The only advice Id give anybody is: If you really want to cover climate and where youre working doesnt allow for that, find another job. I was speaking at an Investigative Reporters and Editors eventsome people Id edited had won an awardand I got all these questions from people working at small- to mid-size papers saying, you know, I want to do investigative journalism, and Ive proposed this and that, but my editors are always figuring out ways not to do it or they always say the story isnt ready. What can I do? My advice was: Quit. Go somewhere that wants to do investigative journalism. There are some entities out there that are afraid of their own shadows and are just never going to do a lot of this. You cant waste your time with that. When it comes to climate, there are now many outlets, both ones focused on climate specifically and larger outlets that have seen the light, who are hiring for climate.

Amid the unfolding war in Ukraine, some focus has been given to climate connections with the conflict. Are there climate aspects you wish you were seeing more of?

I think this is revealing the start of something bigger that I hope we get into at the Bulletin. Youll notice that all the autocratic petro-states are lining up on one side of this. This is not often directly discussed, but if the world actually quickly deals with climate change, what countries are going to be really negatively impacted? Russia, for one, where fossil fuels are the countrys main source of revenue. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries also seem not willing to line up with the US right now; ten or fifteen years ago, Saudi Arabia not stepping out with the US would have been shocking, I think.

Sometimes when environmentalists talk about addressing climate change, I dont think they acknowledge that there are going to be losers in the transition, who will lose a lot. Youre talking about the most radical energy revolution ever. And the losers in that change are going to lose a lot. When your national income and way of life are threatened, all sorts of things follow from that  including, possibly, violent provocations. Managing that is going to be a really big deal, and its something I think were going to see a lot, in different manifestations, in the coming decades.

Right now, the nuclear threat, which most people probably thought nothing about, is suddenly acutely apparent. Climate change marches on, and meanwhile fossil-fuel interests are taking the opportunity to double down. In dark times, what gives you hope? What keeps you working?

You know, I honestly believe that people can manage the things they create. Yes, the invasion of Ukraine is a terrible thing. So is the fact that some politicians are now saying, Hey, forget about this climate change stuffthe price of gas is through the roof, and we need to drill more fossil fuels! Yes, this all looks bad. But these kinds of long-term global problems are fixed by remaining constant, by doing what we need to do to minimize risk, and I still think we will. I go to parties, I tell people what I do, and they always say, Gosh, isnt that depressing? I say, No, its not. To get the chance to try to help save the planet? Thats the best job in the world.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Covering Climate Now is a global journalism collaboration co-founded by CJR and The Nation, in partnership with The Guardian, strengthening coverage of the climate story. Follow CCNow on Twitter and visit coveringclimatenow.org.
Since the invasion of Ukraine began two weeks ago, Russia has become more and more cut off from the rest of the world in a number of important ways, including access to international media and the global internet. In some cases, Russia itself has been severing those ties, as it did recently when it banned Facebook, because the company refused to stop fact-checking Russia media outlets such as Russia Today and Sputnik. Twitter has also reportedly been partially blocked in the country. (So far, Russian citizens are still allowed to use WhatsApp and Instagram.) In other cases, companies have voluntarily withdrawn their services. YouTube has banned RT and Sputnik, as has the entire European Union. On Sunday, TikTok said that although it is still available in Russia, it will no longer allow users to livestream or upload video from that country, due in part to a flood of disinformation, and to the arrival of a new fake news law in Russia that carries stiff penalties for those found in violation.

Traditional media companies have also withdrawn their services, and in some cases their journalists, from the country since the invasion, in part because of the fake news law. Last week, Bloomberg News and the BBC became some of the first news services to stop producing journalism from within Russia. John Micklethwait, editor in chief of Bloomberg, wrote in a note to staff that the Russian law seemed designed to turn any independent reporter into a criminal purely by association and as a result made it impossible to continue any semblance of normal journalism inside the country. (The BBC later announced plans to resume English-language coverage from within the country.) The New York Times said Tuesday that it had decided to pull its journalists out of Russia, in part because of the uncertainty created by the new law, which makes it a punishable offense to refer to the invasion of Ukraine in a news story as a war.

Its not just individual social networks or journalism outlets. Several network connectivity providersthe giant telecom firms that supply the backbone connections between countries and the broader internethave also withdrawn their services from Russia. Lumen, formerly known as CenturyLink, pulled the plug on Russia on Wednesday, withdrawing service from customers such as national internet provider Rostelecom as well as a number of leading Russian mobile operators; Cogent Networks did the same with its broadband network last week. Removing them means Russia is increasingly isolated from any information about the war that doesnt come from inside the country or from Russian state media. Russian customers of Cogent received an email on March 3 announcing the termination of service due to the unwarranted and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions and uncertainty, according to Kentik, a network-monitoring company. Lumen suggested in a statement on its website that it was concerned about the potential for cyberattacks involving Russian intelligence services, saying it had withdrawn its services because of the heightened risk of state action, and that it felt it had to ensure the security of its customers and the ongoing integrity of the global Internet.

Related: Ukrainian media battles for its future as Russia invades

Some internet advocates are concerned that the impact of being cut off from social media, traditional media, and even the internet itself will make it more difficult for Russian citizens to find reliable news about the war, and to stay in touch with family outside Russia, who might give them a more accurate picture of the war and its consequences. Without the internet, the rest of the world would not know of atrocities happening in other places. And without the internet, ordinary citizens of many countries wouldnt know what was being carried out in their name, Andrew Sullivan, president of the Internet Society, wrote last week. Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society, which advocates for digital freedoms in Russia, told the Washington Post that if you turn off the Internet in Russia, then this means cutting off 140 million people from at least some truthful informationan act whose consequences will inevitably shape some perceptions of the war.

Blocking of Western apps and services could be just another step towards Russian President Vladimir Putins vision of a Russian-controlled internet, featuring restrictions similar to the so-called Great Firewall of China. This is going to feel like a return to the 1980s for people who lived in that era, because suddenly information is back in the hands of the state, Alp Toker, executive director of NetBlocks, an organization that tracks internet censorship, told the New York Times recently.

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Heres more on Russia and information:

Firewalled : Experts say many Russians are using virtual private networks, or VPNs, to get around the restrictions on what they can see or hear about the war. Cat Zakrzewski, a technology reporter with the Washington Post , said that in the past two weeks, two of the three most-downloaded non-game applications for smartphones in Russia were VPN apps. However, Russias internet censorship technology is becoming increasingly advanced, Andrei Soldatov , a Russian journalist who has written about Russia and the internet, told the Post . We are moving toward the point where Russia is having the same Internet environment as China, said Runa Sandvik, a security consultant and developer.

Tracker : The Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University is keeping a running tally of the services and media outlets that have either withdrawn from Russia or have been blocked or throttled, starting with the shutdown of TV-2, an independent media entity in Russia, on March 4. Priyanjana Bengani, a Tow Fellow, created the timeline using a service called DataWrapper . The timeline, Bengani wrote, includes any requests from various governments to platform companies, shifting platform policies, changes due to new sanctions and legislation, new products or technologies necessitated by critical infrastructure being rendered unavailable, as well as changes made due to increased security risks.

Fresh air: The tech platforms could have taken steps to deal with Russian disinformation prior to removing their services from the country, Issie Lapowsky writes for Protocol . It didnt have to be this way. Social media giants could have taken any number of soft actions along the way that would have deprived Russian propaganda of oxygen, she writes. A lot of the things that get rid of spammers and bad actors in general would also hurt RT and Sputnik, said Jeff Allen, a former member of Facebooks integrity team and co-founder of the Integrity Institute think tank. There are systems that could have been adopted much earlier that would have made it more difficult for RT to get attention.

Disbelief : Some Ukrainians who have family in Russia say that their family members dont believe them when they say Ukraine is being bombed by Russian forces, in part because they are getting their news from state media. Misha Katsurin, a Ukrainian restaurant owner, spoke with the Times about calling his father in Russia to tell him the city he lived in was being shelled. Katsurin says his father told him to stop, and then started to tell me how the things in my country are going. Another Ukrainian said she told her parents about the bombings, but her mother responded that  the Russian army would never target civilians, and that its Ukrainians whore killing their own people.

Fake checks : Craig Silverman and Jeff Kao report for ProPublica that fake fact-checks are being used to spread disinformation about the war in Ukraine. In one case, they report, a fact-check of a video showing an alleged missile attack in Ukraine was debunked by a pro-Russian group in Ukraine. It seemed like yet another example of useful wartime fact-checking, except for one problem: Theres little to no evidence that the video was ever circulated. Instead, the debunking video itself appears to be part of a novel and disturbing campaign that spreads disinformation by disguising it as fact-checking.

Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Volodymyr Zelenskys moments in the spotlight

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
NEW YORK (AP)  Plumes of white smoke from multiple small brush fires went spiraling up from the northern end of New York Citys Central Park on Tuesday, and authorities said they were investigating the possibility that arson was to blame.

Were going to take the approach that they were intentionally set, Fire Department spokesman Jim Long told multiple news outlets.

Firefighters responded to the parks Northern Woods section at around 1:30 p.m. Video posted to social media showed smoke drifting above the trees over a broad area. Multiple pockets of fire were extinguished and there were no injuries, the fire department said.

People in the area told authorities someone had been seen lighting a fire, according to the New York Police Department.

Police said its arson detectives had been notified.

The Central Park Conservancy, which manages the park, said inspections showed no serious damage.

The material burned included mulch and leaves, with some shrubbery getting charred, but no trees were damaged, the organization said.

The parks department referred questions to the Fire Department.

Central Park, a beloved national landmark, is often thick with visitors in nice weather. But it also has acres of woodlands meant to mimic natural forests that include secluded spots.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Victims of Americas opioid addiction epidemic will confront in court on Thursday the Sackler family members who own OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma, in an attempt to force them to face their role in a crisis that claimed 500,000 overdose deaths.

The two-hour hearing conducted by Zoom stemmed from a $6 billion settlement between the Sacklers and state attorneys general which could resolve claims over the familys role in the crisis without taking them to trial. Read full story

The Sacklers will not be able to respond during the hearing.

I think for people who are sharing their stories tomorrow, it will be a relief to be able to express those feelings of sadness and anger they have had to hold inside for a long time and to express them directly to the perpetrators of this epidemic, said Dita Bhargava, whose son died from a fentanyl overdose.

It was unclear who would be chosen to speak but the official committee of creditors in the bankruptcy includes thousands of people who filed personal injury claims against Purdue Pharma.

At least one member will attend from the family of the late Raymond Sackler and one from the family of the late Mortimer Sackler, two of the three brothers, all doctors, who purchased Purdues predecessor in 1952.

Sackler family members did not respond to requests for comment.

Members of the Sackler family have denied wrongdoing. They said last week in a statement that they sincerely regret that OxyContin unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis.

Richard Sackler told the bankruptcy court in August that the family did not bear responsibility for the crisis. At the same hearing, his son David Sackler testified that the family has a moral responsibility to help curb the opioid epidemic.

Both served as Purdue board members along with several other members of the family and have been named in lawsuits alleging they directed deceptive marketing of addictive painkillers.

Purdue Pharma filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 and the court extended to the Sacklers legal protections from being sued, one of the main benefits of seeking bankruptcy, despite the family members never filing for bankruptcy.

That controversial protection is being challenged in court by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The $6 billion legal settlement also requires millions of pages of internal company documents be made public.
HOUSTON (AP)  Texas administration of flood relief money from Hurricane Harvey broke federal law by discriminating against Black and Hispanic residents in the Houston area, according to a decision by the federal housing agency that could channel millions of dollars of aid to communities battered by the 2017 storm.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that the Texas General Land Offices distribution process for more than $2 billion in flood mitigation funds caused there to be disproportionately less funding available to benefit minority residents than was available to benefit white residents.

The state agency drew bipartisan outrage from officials and residents in the nations fourth-largest city last year when it announced that Houston and Harris County would be getting only a small portion of the money Texas was awarding as part of an initial distribution of federal funding, despite the area having suffered the brunt of Harveys estimated $125 billion in damage.

In a Friday letter, HUD warned Land Commissioner George P. Bush that if his office does not voluntarily comply with federal law it may initiate administrative proceedings or refer the matter to the U.S. Justice Department. The letter was released Tuesday by a housing advocacy group that filed a complaint against the state agency last year.

Spokeswoman Brittany Eck said Tuesday that the Texas General Land Office denies the allegation and is considering litigation against HUD, accusing the federal agency of politicizing flood mitigation efforts. Bush, a Republican grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, is running for Texas attorney general.

Last June, Texas Housers and Northeast Action Collective complained to HUD that the land offices scoring criteria for distributing disaster mitigation money advantaged areas with mostly white residents over largely Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

Texas Housers in a statement Tuesday called the agencys decision a major civil rights victory for communities of color in Texas.

The top county executive, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, also welcomed the decision, issuing a statement saying that the county is ready to help GLO correct these violations.

Harris County was ground zero for the heartbreaking impacts of Hurricane Harvey, and continues to be exceedingly vulnerable, Hidalgo said. The share of mitigation funds we receive from the federal government should reflect that reality.

About the photo: Shirley Ronquillo, a Houston area community activist,A points to an open drainage ditch that is blocked by debris and trash May 27, 2021, in Houston. The ditch is located near a subdivision in an unincorporated part of Harris County that has a history of flooding. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says Texas administration of flood relief money from Hurricane Harvey broke federal law by discriminating against Black and Hispanic residents of the Houston area. The federal agencys decision could channel millions of dollars of aid to communities battered by the 2017 storm. (AP Photo/Juan A. Lozano File)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP)  Storms that moved across the Deep South early Wednesday knocked down trees and caused other scattered damage in Alabama before prompting tornado warnings in Georgia.

No injuries or deaths were reported, but a tornado watch remained in effect for dozens of counties in south Georgia, northern Florida and the the southeastern corner of Alabama.

West of Mobile, part of the roof of Joe Clarkes house was ripped off moments after the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning.

We got in the hallway and it was over. It lasted 10 seconds, Clarke told WKRG-TV. You hear the rush, the wind, stuff hitting the windows. By the time we got into the living area, my wife was calling her mom. It was over.

The Storm Prediction Center said there also were reports of damage along the Georgia line in Barbour County, where trees were knocked down and at least one home was reported hit. Images shared on social media showed a truck overturned and twisted metal at a business in Clayton.

It was not clear immediately whether damage was caused by strong, straight-line winds or twisters. But forecasters issued multiple tornado warnings in the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia as the storms moved eastward.

Storms were moving across parts of the Panhandle where hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate over the weekend because of wildfires around Panama City, Florida, but it was not clear whether the area would get enough rain to douse the blazes.

The storms were associated with a cold front moving across the Southeast, forecasters said. Light snow is possible as far south as southern Mississippi on Saturday, according to the weather service.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Claremore, OK (74018)

Today

Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High near 65F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near an inch..

Tonight

Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 59F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
Lubbock, TX (79409)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Thunderstorms likely late. Low 58F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Thunderstorms likely late. Low 58F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.


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Today

Scattered thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 86F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Tonight

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Tomorrow

Thunderstorms likely in the morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 82F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Beachwood, OH (44122)

Today

Showers in the morning, then cloudy in the afternoon. High 53F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 43F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Beachwood City Council passed a resolution in support of Ukraine and the brave Ukrainian people at its March 7 meeting.

The resolution, introduced by city council president Alec Isaacson, reads in part, City council supports all efforts of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people to maintain a secure, democratic and independent Ukraine and to expel invading forces from its borders and urges the federal government to extend all aid both military and humanitarian to support this effort. The clerk of council is directed to transmit copies of this resolution to President Joe Biden and Ohios senators and congressional representatives.

In introducing the resolution, Isaacson spoke about local ties.

So as a city council, its pretty rare that we react to international events, he said. But we as a council believe that the current events in Ukraine require a reaction, were going to vote on a resolution in support of the Ukrainian people to fight for thee as they fight for their freedom against Russian aggression. Many of us in the Beachwood community have roots in that part of the world. And still more of us come from parts of the world where aggression like this has occurred. As a city council and as a community, we all stand together in condemnation of the senseless and indiscriminate violence being committed against the people of Ukraine, and we praise their resistance.

Isaacson urged people to call Global Cleveland at 216-472-2382 if people know of Ukrainian refugees in need of assistance.

Council members Mike Burkons, Alec Isaacson, Barbara Bellin Janovitz, Danielle Shoykhet, Eric Synenberg and June Taylor voted for the resolution. Councilman Joshua Mintz was absent.
For Moreland Hills resident Julia Shubert and her family, watching the events play out during Russias invasion of Ukraine has been painful as they saw their former home left in rubble.

The family left Ukraine in spring 1992 when she was almost 4 years old, but for many generations, Kyiv was their home even through all the complexities of being Jewish in a Soviet-controlled state.

For (my mother) and my father, its especially heartbreaking to see these places and the memories that they have just blown up and bombed, left in rubble, Shubert told the Cleveland Jewish News March 3. And all the people there who have the same memories, these things not existing anymore.

Since her family left Ukraine, her mother has been back once to visit around 2006. She hoped to visit again with the whole family, but now many of the streets and places they remember may become unrecognizable.

While her family certainly has happy memories from their home in Kyiv, like many Jews from Eastern Europe and former Soviet-controlled states, there was a lot of hardship which caused many to flee.

The stories that we grew up with were pretty tough to hear, Shubert said.

The history of Ukraine under Soviet control has not been pleasant to Jews. Some of Shuberts great-great aunts and uncles were victims of the Babi Yar massacre in 1941, and her great-grandfather who fought in World War II had to change his last name to sound less Jewish.

Even though it seemed like the (Soviets) were up against the Nazis, they still werent really kind to Jews, Shubert said. And that whole experience then shaped how my grandparents raised my parents and they werent really raised with many or any Jewish tradition.

Her parents grew up hiding that they were Jewish at the risk of getting into fights or having words like dirty Jew spray painted on the side of their building. They feared they would not get into university because their passport said they were Jewish. They could not celebrate religious holidays or traditions and the government controlled rations for food.

No matter how educated you were and how much money you made at your job, there was no food (that) could be bought or everything was rationed to you by your government. And anything you wanted extra or anything from Western culture you were buying at the flea market in secret, Shubert said.

Many Jewish people were fleeing to countries like Israel, Australia, Germany and America from Eastern Europe to escape the living conditions under a Soviet-controlled government. With distant relatives already in America, Shuberts mother decided to move the entire family.

She got this idea in her head that our whole family needed to pick up and move because the way they were living just wasnt living anymore and she didnt want to raise me or her family continuing to do this, she said.

The process to get to the United States was long and difficult. With the help of relatives in America, HIAS, which, according to their website, works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities, and the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in Beachwood, her mothers side of the family was able to come to the U.S., followed by the rest of the family a year later.

My mom said that saying goodbye to her parents and her grandparents was the hardest goodbye and the hardest year of their lives, following where they sold off all their belongings at the flea market and eventually they quit their jobs and were just waiting for them to officially be able to come to the U.S., Shubert said.

In coming to America, they received help from the local Jewish community and the Federation. Even living in a one-room apartment and using food stamps seemed to offer more freedom to the family than Kyiv, Shubert said.

Just to be openly Jewish and proud, to be able to do that is such a big change from (where) they thought that they were going to be raising family  how they thought that their lives were going to progress if theyd never come here, said Shubert, who with her husband, Sean, have two sons, Ayden and Isaac.

She has been watching the current crisis play out on the news and through war reporters on social media. The first few days were gut-wrenching, she said, as she watched the news on television.

Some of the things and images that they play over and over are just really horrible and hard to watch, so Ive been trying to kind of limit my time of watching the national news here, Shubert said.

Since the family fled Ukraine, they have watched from a distance the progress the country has made from being unwelcoming to Jews, to now 30 years later having a Jewish president.

The irony of that is not lost on us and I think the rest of the world also sees the importance of that, and it speaks volumes to the country they are and where they were headed before all this happened, she said.
Alice Stuedemann, 89 of Camanche, formerly of Clinton, passed away April 30th at Mercy One Hospital. Visitation and services are being planned for Monday, May 9th at St. John Lutheran Church. Pape Funeral Home is assisting the family.
Sarah Watson visited Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes, a famed basilica where pilgrims make the trek to the grotto, a spring of water that is believed to have had healing powers and pilgrims can be cleansed of their sins. She will present a travelogue March 22 at the DeWitt Operahouse Theater.
(CNN)  Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the West's crackdown on Moscow has left the world economy exposed to an epic energy shock.

"The uncertainty on how this conflict and oil shortages will be resolved is unprecedented," Goldman Sachs strategists wrote in a note to clients.

The developments have been relentless. On Tuesday the White House announced a ban on Russian oil imports and the United Kingdom pledged to phase out imports from the country by the end of this year.

If other Western nations follow America's lead "en masse" and ban Russian oil, crude prices could skyrocket to as high as $240 a barrel this summer, Rystad Energy warned in a report released Wednesday.

Such a move would create a 4.3 million barrel per day "hole in the market that simply cannot be quickly replaced by other sources of supply," Rystad said.

"Given Russia's key role in global energy supply, the global economy could soon be faced with one of the largest energy supply shocks ever," Goldman Sachs said in the Monday night report, adding that the scale of the shock is "potentially enormous."

Biggest supply shock since 1990?

The Russia-Ukraine crisis could knock offline about 3 million barrels per day of Russian oil and petroleum product seaborne exports, Goldman Sachs said. If that's sustained, the bank said, that would represent the fifth largest one-month disruption since World War II, behind only the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, the Iranian Revolution in 1978, the Iran-Iraq war in 1980 and the Iraq-Kuwait war in 1990.

The problem is that there's no easy fix to offset the loss of Russian oil.

Even after emergency oil reserve releases, higher oil production from OPEC and the potential lifting of sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, Goldman Sachs said the world oil market will be left with "no buffer." That would require "demand destruction through higher prices," the bank warned.

In other words, the world would be forced to use less oil. That in turn could damage the economy if it means less driving, less flying and a decline in the amount of oil used to make products like plastic.

Goldman Sachs raised its Brent price forecast to $135, up from $98 previously. The bank now sees Brent trading at $115 next year, up from $105.

"The range of possible outcomes remains extreme given the threat that a spike in oil prices represents to the global economy," Goldman Sachs strategists wrote.

What about US oil companies?

US oil production is expected to increase significantly in response to higher prices. However, that rebound in domestic output has so far been slowed in part by a recent focus from oil companies to return cash to shareholders.

"The shale supply response would further remain modest initially, due to drilling times, still cautious producers and a tight service sector," Goldman Sachs said, suggesting US drillers should not be relied upon to come to the rescue.

US oil output is expected to climb to an average of 12 million barrels per day this year, the US Energy Information Administration said Tuesday. That is consistent with the EIA's previous forecast in February, before oil prices surged to the highest levels since 2008.

However, the EIA significantly raised its forecast for US oil production in 2023, calling for an average of 13 million barrels, up from its prior forecast of 12.6 million. The annual record for US oil output was set in 2019, when 12.3 million barrels were produced daily.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "The world may be facing one of the largest energy shocks ever, Goldman Sachs says."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10)  Senate committee on energy chairman Win Gatchalian said Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi may not be doing enough to address the rising fuel prices in the country.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source on Thursday, Gatchalian said he is not happy with the Energy chief's performance amid the skyrocketing oil prices and other issues in the country.

"All of us, being a consumer, we are experiencing high prices of oil, we are experiencing high prices of electricity. In the next few months, come summer, there's a big threat of brownouts," Gatchalian said. "As a consumer, I'm not happy."

"I don't think we can run a business with the threat of brownouts, I don't think we can run any business with the threat of high prices of oil."

According to Gatchalian, the next Energy secretary must be a visionary, with a long-term approach on long-term problems, and with the political will to implement applicable laws.

"Were suffering right now as consumers because of lack of foresight and lack of vision," said the lawmaker.

Gatchalian noted that the Department of Energy is in charge of discovering new oil and gas sources, even out of renewable materials, to pave the way for the country's self-sufficiency.

He also said the country is currently plagued with bureaucratic red tape, causing delays in tapping alternative sources of energy such as nuclear power.

Oil companies on Tuesday increased prices of gasoline by 3.60 per liter, diesel by 5.85/l, and kerosene by 4.10/l.

Gatchalian said he agrees with House committee on ways and means chair Joey Salceda's claim that the worst is yet to come for the Philippines, since other countries will also scramble for alternative sources of fuel amid the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

"If the entire EU bloc will stop buying from them (Russia), the entire EU bloc will buy from somewhere else. They will probably buy from where we are buying, meaning the Middle East. That will push us out and supply will go down, he noted, citing the need to increase the minimum oil inventory to about 45 days.

To cushion the impact of the hike, the government assured it would release the first half of the 5 billion fuel subsidy for over 377,000 public utility vehicle drivers tomorrow at the latest."

READ: Govt to release 2.5B fuel subsidy for PUV drivers, OKs second 2.5B tranche for April

President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to call for a special session of Congress to allow lawmakers to tackle measures to address the worsening oil crisis, including the suspension of excise taxes on petroleum products.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10)  Presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has expressed his desire to follow his father's footsteps while watching a Marvel movie, his wife said.

In a sit-down interview with Boy Abunda which aired on Wednesday, Marcos' wife Liza was asked, "were you consulted when the (former) senator decided to go for the presidency?"

"You know, six months ago, he wasn't yet sure what to do, he had no party," Liza recounted. "And then one day, we were watching 'Ant-Man' in the room, 'cause we love Marvel movies, and then he looked at me and he goes, 'Okay, we're gonna do this,' he told me. 'Do what?' 'Run for the presidency."

Ant-Man tells the story of Scott Lang, a convicted thief turned Avenger who can shrink to a tiny size with an increased agility.

Liza, together with youngest son Vincent "Vinny" Marcos, appeared in their first public interview since the presidential bet started his campaign for the 2022 polls. They also shared what it's like to be under the public eye and how they deal with constant criticisms.

Liza, a criminal lawyer, was also asked if she had already discerned on the role that she would play should she become the next First Lady. But she brushed off the possibility of getting into politics in the near future.

"You know, I don't want to jinx it because in 2016, we really thought we would win. And it was really painful....try losing and living with it for six years, that's difficult," she said.

Vinny said he has not yet given much thought on the prospects of his father winning the presidency.

"Since 2016, we are all so super superstitious. No amount of lead can make me comfortable with speculating with what Im gonna do after the election," he said.

The son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. lost to Vice President Leni Robredo in the 2016 elections by 263,473 votes. His years-long electoral protest was dismissed by the Supreme Court last year. The two rivals are once again battling it out, this time, for the country's highest post.

READ: Supreme Court unanimously junks Marcos' VP poll protest vs Robredo

Aside from Marcos and Robredo, other key figures competing head-to-head for the presidency are senators Ping Lacson and Manny Paquiao, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, and labor leader Leody de Guzman.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10)  The World Health Organization said the pandemic is far from over despite the global decline in reported cases and lifting of restrictions two years since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, said the fight to protect every individual against the virus continues.

"The virus continues to evolve. And we continue to face major obstacles in distributing vaccines, tests, and treatments everywhere they're needed," he said in a media briefing on late Wednesday.

WHO COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove agreed that the pandemic is "not taking a break." She added that although cases are generally on a decline worldwide, there is a big chance cases are underestimated since many nations have dramatically reduced testing efforts.

"Certainly this pandemic is not taking a break despite the fact that we have these words, despite the fact that we have challenges and many countries are facing challenges right now. Unfortunately this virus will take opportunities to continue to spread," she said in the same briefing.

The WHO official also confirmed the detection of "recombinant" COVID-19 cases. She said a combination of the Delta AY.4 and Omicron BA.1 variants were found in some patients in parts of the United Kingdom.

Kerkhove said the Delta-Omicron recombinant, currently dubbed as "Deltacron," is unsurprising considering the high level of circulation of these two coronavirus variants, which overlapped in some nations in terms of transmission.

The WHO official added that initial studies showed there is no increase in the severity of symptoms in patients found with both variants.

"We have not seen any change in the epidemiology with this recombinant. We haven't seen any change in severity. But there are many studies that are underway," she said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said the country has not recorded a case of the "Deltacron," adding experts are studying it.

The Philippines is recording fewer COVID-19 cases and less hospitalization in the past few weeks. The country was among the first nations to weather the Omicron surge back in January to mid-February.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) -- The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Thursday released a total of 3 billion to help public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, and farmers and fisherfolk, as oil prices continue to soar.

The DBM said the initial budget of 2.5 million for the fuel subsidy of PUV drivers is now with the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

"The receipt of the amount by the driver will depend on the speed by which the DOTr can download the funds," DBM OIC Usec. Tina Canda told CNN Philippines in a text message.

Over 377,000 drivers are expected to benefit from the subsidy, which will be distributed beginning next week, according to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Executive Director Maria Kristina Cassion.

The LTFRB said those with franchises -- the bus, jeepney and UV express drivers -- will get 6,500 each.

The subsidy will also be given to qualified drivers of mini buses, shuttle services, taxis, tricycles, and other full-time ride-hailing and delivery services nationwide, according to the DBM.

Certain kinds of drivers, such as those operating a tricycle, however, might get a lower amount to be decided by the Interior and Trade departments that have jurisdiction over them.

"Looking at the modes, mas malaki naman talaga ang krudo na gagastusin sa bus sa PUJ, sa mga higher modes compared sa tricycles and motorcycles po sa mga deliveries," said Cassion in a CNN Philippines interview.

[Translation: Looking at the modes, buses and PUJs and higher modes will definitely consume more fuel compared to tricycles and motorcycles in deliveries.]

Meanwhile, colorum drivers will not receive aid, stressed Cassion.

"Kung wala ka namang prangkisa ay wala po tayong relasyon sa LTFRB, kolorum ka po. Bakit ka po bibigyan ng ayuda kung ikaw ay ilegal?" she argued.

[Translation: If you don't have a franchise then you don't have any relation with LTFRB, you're a colorum. Why will you be given aid if you have illegal status?]

The DBM said identified beneficiaries may claim the subsidy through cash cards from the Landbank of the Philippines.

Canda also confirmed the total amount of the subsidy has been doubled to P5 billion.

The EDC (Economic Development Cluster) agreed to double the amount for fuel subsidy so 2.5B will be given this March and another 2.5B in April, she added.

Increasing the fuel subsidy for PUVs is among the solutions earlier proposed by President Rodrigo Dutertes economic team to help cushion the public from the impact of the Ukraine-Russia war, especially on oil prices.

Four transport groups have opted not to push through with their minimum jeepney fare hike petition after authorities assured them of bigger fuel subsidy.

500M fuel discount for agri sector

Meanwhile, the DBM has also released 500 million to the Department of Agriculture for fuel discount cards to be given to agricultural producers.

The DBM said the beneficiaries are farmers and fisherfolk who own agricultural or fishery machinery, either individually or through organizations.

It said they may present the cards to contracted oil companies or gas stations and claim a maximum fuel discount of 3,000.

"The DBM shall continue to work closely with implementing agencies to ensure the timely release of funds for the execution of programs intended to help the most affected sectors," the department said.

CNN Philippines correspondent Eimor Santos contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) A total of 90 Filipinos have returned home from war-torn Ukraine, with 60 more expected to arrive on Thursday, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

They are among the 259 nationals who availed of government assistance to flee the former Soviet state, the DFA said in its latest advisory.

The agency earlier said some Filipinos chose to move to safer grounds in neighboring European nations.

Crisis Alert Level 4 is currently hoisted over Ukraine, which means evacuation is now mandatory. The Philippine government is expected to shoulder the cost of repatriation.

READ: PH bats for protection of civilians in conflict areas
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10)  Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said that President Rodrigo Duterte is unlikely to attend the summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States in Washington initially scheduled on March 28-29.

Cambodian Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, however, said that the event has been postponed because some ASEAN leaders cannot attend on the proposed dates.

In a media briefing, Romualdez said that Duterte is not keen on attending the summit for a number of reasons.

March 28 is his birthday so thats one of the reasons. He never really leaves his residence during his birthday which is a tradition, Romualdez said.

The envoy added that the President is also finishing all appointments before COMELEC rules take effect.

The more compelling reason would be for example today March 10, it is the last day for any appointments that they want to fill up before the election ban and then another theres another COMELEC ruling on March 25 so it's very close to March 28, he elaborated.

But Romualdez said that Duterte would reconsider his decision if the summit will be moved to a later date.

If it's March 28 its very unlikely for the President to go but if it's a later date theres a possibility he may consider to go, the envoy noted.

In a statement last month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pointed out that the special summit will also mark the 45 years of U.S-ASEAN relations.

"It is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration to serve as a strong, reliable partner and to strengthen an empowered and unified ASEAN to address the challenges of our time," she said in an announcement.

U.S. President Joe Biden hopes that this summit will improve the relationship between the regional bloc and the United States.
Paranaque City (CNN Philippines, March 10, 2022)  Presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson insisted Thursday that Vice President Leni Robredo's campaign rally in Cavite last week was infiltrated by communists, citing intelligence information that he had received.

Lacson said that the information was corroborated by the statement of self-proclaimed former communist party member and supposed surrenderer Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz.

The senator added that he is still verifying reports that supposed communists front organization members were also present during Robredo's sorties in Iloilo and Bulacan.

"Hindi lang sa Cavite nainfiltrate. Possible din na, bina-validate din ito, sa ibang lugar: Iloilo, Cavite, and Bulacan. Kasi worrisome talaga ito. Kasi ang intention naman is not to red tag," Lacson said in a press conference.

[Translation: It's not just in Cavite. It is also possible, though we are still validating, that the infiltration also happened in Iloilo and Bulacan. This is worrisome. And our intention is not to redtag.]

But the Partido Reporma standard bearer said he is not sure if the vice president is aware of the alleged "alliance" with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP) through its supposed front organizations.

Lacson mentioned the urban poor group Kadamay as among the alleged communist-front organizations.

"Kung alam, mas masama 'yun doon sa hindi alam. Kung hindi alam, that's bad enough. Pero kung alam mo, conscious ka na may alliance na nangyayari. Anong mangyayari in case they win the election? Coalition 'yan. Baka lumakas na naman ang CPP NPA," Lacson said.

[Translation: If she doesn't know, that's bad enough. It's worse if she knows that there's an alliance (with the communists). What will happen in case they win? It's a coalition. The CPP-NPA may regain its strength.]

But Robredo's ally, senatorial candidate Sonny Trillanes denied Lacson's allegations saying that Lacson's intel is wrong.

Trillanes, who is a former soldier, said in a tweet there are no communists in Robredo's campaign team.

"Sir, your intel sources are wrong, and that Ka Eric you cited is a fraud. I am inside the campaign team of VP Leni at wala akong nakikitang komunista doon [and I haven''t seen a communist there]. Hindi papayag si VP nyan at kami rin [We will not allow it]. Her military advisers could attest to this too," the former senator said.

Robredo's spokesperson Barry Gutierrez also tweeted: "Over the course of this campaign, we have seen more than our fair share of attacks and fake news against VP Leni. But this blatant and persistent red-tagging, masked as "concern" is a new low."

"Let us not be be intimidated. Call out the lies," he added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) From record-breaking crowds to political rallies at an Olym-pinks level, presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo was the first to admit that their month-long campaign so far has been fueled by volunteers.

Actually ang nangyayari ngayon, (its) more than what we expectedpero we are also realistic in the sense na alam namin that so much work has to be done still, Robredo said during her sortie in Agusan del Sur on Wednesday.

[Translation: Whats happening actually, its more than what we expected but we are also realistic in the sense that we know that so much work has to be done still.]

In a month, Robredo has visited 25 provinces, and 74 municipalities and cities, based on her official schedule.

In the sense na ang konti na lang kase ng oras eh, ang konti na lang ng oras ang dami pang mga lugar na kailangan puntahan, ang dami pang kailangang gawin, ang dami pang kailangang kausapin, so in that sense nakukulangan pa kami, she explained.

[Translation: We dont have much time, and there are a lot of places that we need to go to, so much work to be done, so many people to talk to, so in that sense we feel we need to accomplish more.]

Record-breaking crowds

Robredo said they didnt expect their volunteers could mobilize huge crowds to attend their sorties, considering that theres not much support from local officials in some areas.

According to organizers, Cebu drew a 10,000-strong crowd. In Iloilo, 40,000 kakampinks showed up, while the Bulacan rally attracted 45,000 people. Cavite, however, topped them all when 47,000 supporters attended.

[H]indi ito yung crowds of the past elections, pero ang crowds na naga-gather natin, ito talaga yung crowds na very engaged from start to finish. So ito yung naka-fuel din talaga sa amin na sige lang, Robredo pointed out.

[Translation: These are not the crowds of the past elections, but the crowds that we gathered were very engaged from start to finish. So this is what really fuels us to push through.]

It has also become a battle of witty placards among attendees, as they proudly display their creativity in front of their chosen candidate. Robredo would patiently read some of the posters to acknowledge their effort.

Paid and red-tagged

Then theres the issue of supporters allegedly getting paid to join the events. Organizers of the March 4 grand rally condemned the baseless accusation of Cavite Rep. Boying Remulla.

The presidential bet said her campaign doesnt have the money to pay all those people -- and that they would never resort to such.

But Remulla didnt stop there. He also red-tagged some of the attendees, saying they are members of communist groups. He went further by saying that Robredos camp has joined forces with the National Democratic Front, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and the New Peoples Army.

Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson joined in, tweeting that a government forming a coalition with communist groups would be worrisome. He also alleged that based on intelligence reports he gathered, there was indeed a CPP-NPA presence during Robredos Cavite rally.

Robredo spokesperson Barry Gutierrez blasted the remarks, saying in a statement that the blatant and persistent red-tagging masked as a concern is a new low.

For the record, there is no coalition government being contemplated, and to leap to the absurd conclusion that there is, based on self-serving reports, supposedly validated by someone desperate for a seat in the party-list elections, is the height of irresponsibility, Gutierrez said.

Sustaining the campaign

In the next 60 days, Robredo said they will continue to engage their volunteers, giving them free rein to do what they think is the most effective way of campaigning on the ground.

[P]ero all of the rallies weve had, talagang ang nagplano ng program, ang nagplano kung anong gagawin, nagplano kung ano ang mga gimmicks, yung mga supporters on the ground, and I think this is whats sustaining the campaign, she noted.

[Translation: But all of the rallies weve had, it was really the supporters on the ground who planned everything, what gimmicks to do, and I think this is whats sustaining the campaign.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10)  The political party of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is seeking clarification from the Presidential Commission on Good Government on the status of the 203 billion unsettled estate taxes of the Marcos family.

In a letter dated March 9, Aksyon Demokratiko chair Ernesto Ramel asked PCGG chairman John Agbayani for clarification on the previous statement of Atty. Vic Rodriguez that the commission has an agreement with the Bureau of Internal Revenue regarding the alleged debt of the Marcoses. Rodriguez is the spokesperson of presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos.

"The question is very simple, answerable by Yes or No. Did the PCGG and BIR have an agreement regarding the P203-Billion Marcos debt to the Filipino people?" his letter read.

Ramel said if there was indeed an agreement, Agbayani must disclose the details which are considered a "matter of public interest."

If your answer is 'No,' then this is another proof that the camp of Marcos Jr. has again lied as they always do in so many issues about their family, including their ill-gotten wealth, Ramel pointed out.

Rodriguez earlier said the properties connected to the estate tax case "are still under litigation."

He also claimed that BIR and PCGG have agreed that the BIR will wait for a decision on the said case "before any collection enforcement activities."

READ: Isko's party seeks renewed demand for Marcoses to settle estate tax dues

Ramel said in his previous letter to the BIR that even after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. died in 1989, his widow Imelda, only son Bongbong, and daughters Imee and Irene "did not file the estate tax return with the BIR as required by the law, neither did they pay any estate tax."

Bongbong Marcos was convicted in 1995 for failure to file income tax returns from 1982 to 1985 when he was governor and vice governor of Ilocos Norte. But the Commission on Elections dismissed majority of the petitions challenging his bid over his tax liabilities, reasoning that failure to file income tax returns is not a crime involving moral turpitude. At least five of the six dismissed cases are under appeal.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10)  The Philippines raised before an international body the need to protect civilians in conflict areas amid the ongoing battle between Russia and Ukraine.

Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya, the Philippine Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), made the appeal during the bodys 99th Session of the Executive Council on Tuesday at The Hague, Netherlands.

As we monitor recent grim developments, we need to remain vigilant and ensure that civilians are unharmed and protected, and international humanitarian law observed. We should further ensure that no chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction are ever used, Malaya said during his speech.

Malaya reiterated the call of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., for the international community "to reaffirm by more than words its commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes."

Let us keep in mind what brought us together as signatories of the Chemical Weapons Convention and other disarmament treaties, and work earnestly to realize the noble aspiration best expressed by the Greek Aeschylus  to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world, added Malaya.

The Philippines is one of the 193 signatories to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (CPCW), which took effect in 1997. It is one of the 41 member states elected to the OPCW executive council, which is responsible for assuring the effective implementation of the CPCW.

The Philippines appeal came after White House spokesperson Jen Psaki warned that Moscow can use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine amid their ongoing conflict.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) latest data on March 8, a total of 516 civilians have died and 908 have been injured since Russias armed attack against Ukraine started.

The UN OHCHR stated in its report that most of the civilian casualties died due to the use of explosive weapons. The agency also believed the casualty figures are higher than what they gathered.

As of Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported 90 Filipinos in Ukraine have been repatriated and 169 others have been evacuated out of the strife-torn country. Around 60 more Filipino will arrive in Manila on Thursday, the DFA added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10)  Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said Manila is ready to assist Washington should the war between Russia and Ukraine reach Asia.

In a media briefing on Thursday, Romualdez said President Rodrigo Duterte is very concerned about the situation in Europe.

He also said the President even offered the country's facilities for use by the country's long-time military ally.

"He says if they are asking for the support of the Philippines, he was very clear that push comes to shove the Philippines would be ready to support especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to Asian region," Romualdez said.

"He offered that the Philippines would be ready to open its doors especially to our ally the United States in using our facilities or any facilities that they may need," the ambassador added.

The Philippines has an existing Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, which calls for both countries to defend each other in case of an armed attack.

"We have the MDT with the United States and we have a special relationship and military alliance with them. I assume he meant the use of facilities like Clark for instance for the aircraft, supplies and fighter jets. There's also Subic where the US Navy could come in," Romualdez said.

Romualdez said he recently met with Duterte in Manila and the Russia-Ukraine conflict was brought up.

"Give them the assurance whatever the facilities or whatever the United States may needin using the facilities of the Philippines without any restrictions," the ambassador quoted the President as saying.
(CNN)  In Israel, when someone is trying to tread carefully, it is said that they are "walking between the raindrops"  trying not to get wet.

For several weeks now, Israel has been walking between the raindrops as Russia wages war on Ukraine.

On the one hand is Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who regularly condemns Russia's invasion. Shortly after meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, Lapid said: "There is no justification for violating Ukrainian sovereignty and killing innocent civilians."

On the other hand is Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Although he has called for a ceasefire, is sending humanitarian aid and has personally welcomed Ukrainian refugees landing in Israel, he has barely mentioned Russia or its President Vladimir Putin in public speeches.

The reason is complicated and down to a combination of economic, cultural, political and, most importantly, security considerations.

And while the pressure has been building on Israel internationally and domestically to do more to help Ukraine and push back against Russia, Israel is arguing it should use its unique position as one of the few Western-allied countries that has an open channel of communication with both Ukraine and Russia.

Bennett is in regular contact with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin, attempting to broker negotiations. An observant Jew, he broke Shabbat on Saturday to fly to Moscow for an unannounced meeting with Putin. On Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, work and the use of electrical objects is forbidden from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday for those who observe it. But there's a caveat in Jewish law that a rule can be broken if it saves a life.

How is Israel's relationship with Russia?

Israel and Russia have had a relationship of convenience after re-establishing ties following the end of the Cold War.

Israel has a large Russian-speaking population. From the fall of the Soviet Union until the mid 2000s, more than one million immigrants arrived from the former Soviet Union under Israel's "Law of Return," which allows any Jew, or anyone with at least a Jewish grandparent, to obtain citizenship along with their families.

But beyond cultural connections, what Israel cares most about with Russia is its influence on Iran and its presence in Syria.

Russia is a party to negotiations to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement, which Israel opposes. Although his trip to Moscow on Saturday was focused on the Ukraine invasion, Bennett brought up Israel's position on the deal as nuclear talks continued in Vienna, according to an Israeli official who spoke with CNN.

But in the more immediate view, Israel considers that its northern border with Syria, "for all intents and purposes is a border with Russia," in the words of Lapid. "Because the Russians are there and there is security coordination with the Russians."

Israel regularly carries out airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria, which it regards as critical to prevent the transfer of precision-guided missile technology to Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group.

Israel coordinates with the Russians ahead of strikes in Syria and there are concerns that if the relationship with Moscow goes sour, so does Israel's freedom of action in Syria  something Israel sees as vital for its security.

How is Israel's relationship with Ukraine?

Israel's relationship with Ukraine is personal. As a European democracy with one of the few Jewish heads of state in the world, Israel sees itself as a natural ally.

Ukraine has a large Jewish population and Israel also hosts a large Ukrainian-born population. Economically, Ukraine provides at least 40% of Israel's grain imports and is an important hub of outsourced engineering work for Israel's high-tech industry.

Although some officials have condemned the invasion and Israel is providing humanitarian assistance, like a field hospital, and sending airplanes full of aid, it has stopped short of committing to providing military equipment.

Ukrainian ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk has decried Israel's reluctance to provide even defensive equipment. At a press conference in Tel Aviv on Monday, he donned a protective helmet and asked the assembled journalists: "Please tell me, how [can one] kill with this thing? This is simply not possible. So, I don't know what these people are afraid of."

Where do things stand on Israel's mediation attempts?

Even before hostilities began, Ukraine's Zelensky had been asking Israel to host talks in Jerusalem. Bennett brought up the possibility when he met Putin in the western Russian city of Sochi in October, but the Russian president dismissed the discussion, according to an Israeli official.

After the invasion began, Zelensky again requested Israel mediate. The Israelis say they're in regular contact with both the Ukrainians and Russians  Bennett spoke with Zelensky again on Tuesday afternoon. But speaking on Sunday after his surprise trip to Moscow, Bennett did not sound optimistic.

"We will continue to assist as needed," he said. "Even if the chance is not great  as soon as there is even a small opening, and we have access to all sides and the capability  I see this as our moral obligation to make every effort."

This story was first published on CNN.com "Russia's invasion of Ukraine puts Israel in a tricky spot"
Staff Reporter

Kerin majored in journalism at Ohio University and has worked as an editor and reporter for monthly, daily and weekly publications in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Delaware since 1983. A native of Baltimore, Md., she has lived in Ocean View since 1996.
The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas.
Chennai: The students wing of the PMK and Vanniyar Sangam have reportedly threatened movie theatre owners in northern districts against the exhibiting the latest Tamil film, Etharkum Thunindhavan (The Daring Guy), featuring actor Suriya in the lead role, triggering another controversy on the eve of the movies release, scheduled for Thursday.

With the theatre owners wringing their hands in despair fearing violence after the PMK students wing secretary Vijayvarman and also some Vanniyar Sangam leaders wrote to their union, warning them of dire consequences if they dared to exhibit the film, produced by Sun Pictures, police have increased security for Suirya at his residence.

In November last year, too, security was provided to the actor and his family after PMKs youth wing secretary Anbumani Ramadoss raised a storm over some objectionable scenes in Suriyas earlier blockbuster, Jai Bhim that was released on an OTT platform. Anbumani Ramadoss had demanded an apology from the actor, who refused to oblige.

Anbumani Ramadoss alleged that Jai Bhim showed the Vanniyar community in bad light, leading to the filmmakers removing those objectionable scenes. But with Anbumani Ramadoss insisting on an apology and Suriya too, digging in his heels, a threat was issued that no films of the actor would be allowed to be screened in theatres in the Vanniyar belt.

Since the latest threat is a continuation of that episode, theatre owners are highly concerned mainly because the PMK workers have a track record of vandalizing theatres in the past whenever their leaders spoke against particular films and actors.

In 2004, actor Vijaykanth, who had not exactly donned the politicians hat at that point of time, had trouble with releasing his film, Gajendra. PMK cadre were out to stop the films release because PMK founder, S Ramadoss, took on the actor for criticizing politicians in general and Ramadoss in particular in a meeting and in an interview to a magazine.

Earlier, it was Rajinikanth who bore the brunt of PMK cadres anger in 2002. Peeved over the visuals for the film, Baba, showing the hero smoking and posing with a beedi, Ramadoss, whose views on smoking and drinking are well known, hit out at him for spoiling the youth.

Taking the cue from what Ramadoss said, PMK cadre went on a rampage in the Vanniyar pockets, preventing theatres from screening the film. In one case they even took away the film reels from the projector room and set them on fire  it is a different matter that it might not be possible now given the advent of digital technology in film screening.

With memories of those violent scenes fresh in their minds, theatre owners are apprehensive of exhibiting Etharkum Thunindhavan, prompting Tamil Nadu Progress Writers and Artistes Association (TNPWAA), the literary and art wing of the CPM, to call all those who believed in freedom of expression to raise their voice against the PMK.

In a statement, TNPWAA demanded action against those who create panic in the State by issuing threats to people and wanted the authorities to create a conducive situation for the release of the film.
Fullington Trailways announced a planned reduction to its bus services in several Pennsylvania communities on March 1  including routes to and from State College.

Beginning April 1, the company will discontinue schedules 703, 704, 705, 715, 725, 726 and 740 between State College and Harrisburg, and schedules 710 and 730 between Pittsburgh via Dubois/State College and Harrisburg.

A new bus schedule is set to begin between Dubois, State College, Harrisburg, King of Prussia and Philadelphia, the release said.

Budget constraints and an audit by the Federal Transit Administration resulted in a reduction in daily routes, the release said, and a PennDOT Request for Proposal informed the company of the reduction in late 2021.

We regret that we will be unable to serve to some rural communities we have so enjoyed providing safe and reliable transportation to for so many years, Fullington Trailways said in the release.

Despite the reduction, the company said it successfully bid on most of PennDOTs proposed routes.

Additionally, no employees "should be adversely affected" by the reductions, the company said.

MORE BOROUGH COVERAGE
Penn State announced it will offer help to Ukrainian scholars, faculty and staff with President Joe Biden's policy of Temporary Protected Status.

On March 3, the Department of Homeland Security declared Ukraine under TPS for 18 months, which allows Ukrainian nationals to stay in the country without risk of deportation.

Any Ukrainian national in the U.S. who has proper documentation is eligible for TPS.

Additionally, Penn State's Global International Student and Scholar Advising office is working to assist Ukrainian students with the transition, according to a release.

Students who wish to contact an ISSA adviser can do so here.

To find out eligibility for TPS and how to apply for TPS, students can visit Student Legal Services.

Students can contact SLS via phone (814) 867-4388 or email PennStateSLS@psu.edu.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE
Scenes from the final day of the legislative session at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. Amendment 78 on this year's November ballot would give the legislature more say on how tax dollars are spent, transferring that power from state agencies, in some cases.
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Raashii started her career in Hindi, and later worked in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam before taking up Rudra in Hindi. (BY Arrangement)

Raashii Khannas clinical approach to work makes her radiate confidence. While she has her hands full with multiple projects in various industries, Thank You is her next Telugu film.

Though not at liberty to speak about her role, she said working in the film was a beautiful experience.

Since the time I entered the industry I always wanted to work with Cinematographer PC Sreeram Sir, I am glad that I finally got the opportunity to work with him in this film. And of course, he made me look more beautiful than ever before. And Vikram Kumar is an amazing director, she says.

Revealing that Thank You is about gratitude, she says Its a love story that is full of emotional upheavals.

Raashii had earlier worked with Naga Chaitanya in Venky Mama, so there was a comfort level between them. In fact, the experience became even more enriching, she smiles, describing Chay as a cool co-star. Our conversations were mostly about our characters. We had to develop our characters and constantly talked about how to make the scene better, she shares.

Raashii started her career in Hindi, and later worked in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam before taking up Rudra in Hindi. She feels working in multiple languages has been liberating.

I have realised that all the industries have the same passion for cinema, bringing out great stories and making the best films. However, every industry has a different language, body language, etc. she says, adding that as an actor, she relished the challenge of coping with these differences.

Raashii is thankful that working in various industries has brought her a wider audience. The reach of regional fan clubs is extensive and on par with the national fan clubs, so the visibility is great, she asserts.

The Prati Roju Pandage star seems to be working on a lot of Hindi projects, including Yodha, the Shahid Kapoor-starrer. To our question whether this is a considered move because of the wider reach of the projects, Raashii says, while Hindi films do have a bigger audience, her game plan has always been to push her limits. I just dont want to get stuck in that commercial rut where I dont have much to do. And I have been lucky to be getting good characters. So its about choosing the projects I like, she clarifies. I realised that talent without hard work is irrelevant, irrespective of the industry. You have to work hard to be where you want to be, and itll take you places, she comments.

How challenging has it been to constantly reinvent herself and pick up interesting roles, we ask. I think I would get bored if life isnt challenging, and it has indeed been challenging. As actors we reinvent ourselves constantly; otherwise the audience will get bored looking at us doing the same things, she replies. Also, I havent picked up interesting roles, but interesting roles chose me. So you pick the best from what you get, she says, adding that shes lucky that filmmakers and audiences have seen beyond her looks and noticed the actor in her.

Now is the best time of my career where I am actually exploring things and being considered for better things, she says.

A fitness enthusiast, Raashis weight loss has inspired many. She says however, that she had never spared a thought for trolls who body-shamed her.

I have always been hard on myself; I know what my weight loss journey has been. My profession required me to be a certain way. Having said that, filmmakers never asked me to be thin or chubby; but I wanted to look the best version of myself, she reveals.

Nag will be at his elegant best

Shooting of The Ghost underway in Dubai

The Dubai schedule of Nagarjunas upcoming film, The Ghost, resumed recently. Plans to go to that country a couple of times earlier had to be cancelled because of unit members contracting Covid-19.

Sonal Chuahan, the films leading lady, has joined the sets of the film this schedule.

We are glad that our Dubai schedule is underway, says Puskur Ram Mohan Rao, one of the producers, adding that the film would be shot in interesting locations in the Gulf nation.

Director Praveen Sattaru would film action sequences apart from a montage song on Nagarjuna and Sonal Chauhan, he adds.

Itll be a stylish action flick with an intriguing plot. I am confident that Nagarjuna garu will be at his elegant best, the producer asserts.
As the Cubs were beating the Braves 6-3 Wednesday night Steve left to see the game with his mom and dad, Reva and Harold, brother Ron and baby niece Elizabeth Henney. He left behind to run the store his wife Kathleen (Knight), Amelia (27), Nathan (24) and his beloved cat Lewis Black. His sis
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He used threats and placed the victim in fear in order to cause her to engage in sex
Australia's Assyrians in Focus

Children from Kids World Kindy, in Fairfield Heights, performed in traditional Assyrian costume to celebrate the Assyrian New Year last year. Fairfield, Australia (AINA) -- On Sunday 27 March the Australian Broadcasting Commission presented a special documentary on Australia's Assyrian community as part of the long-running and popular "Compass" series. The Assyrian community is not widely known in Australia. The program presenter, Geraldine Doogue, set the scene by describing the Assyrians as "a people, culture and religion marked by persecution from ancient times to the present day."

Assyrians have been settling in Australia since the 1950s, with the first arrivals fleeing from the 1958 revolution in Iraq. One of the earliest Assyrian arrivals, Phillip Damon, who arrived in Australia in 1964, explained the reaction of these first pioneers, saying that "Assyrians were happy to be settling in a democratic country and, more importantly, in a Christian country."

The Australian Assyrian community grew steadily in subsequent decades, reaching today's figure of 40,000 nationwide, with three quarters centered in the state of New South Wales and most in the suburb of Fairfield in Western Sydney. As the community grew, so did their churches, which played an important role in community life. In October 2015 the Australian Assyrian community celebrated the 25 year anniversary of the construction of the Saint Hurmizd Cathedral in Fairfield. Australia's second largest city of Melbourne hosts an Assyrian community of around 10,000, with two churches available for religious and social activities. The Australian Assyrian community continues to grow with the special intake of refugees from Syria currently being received under national government immigration priorities.

The Compass documentary underlined the important role of the church in maintaining Assyrian identity, faith and culture.

In an interview, Reverend Father Narsai Youkhanis, who at 21 was the youngest priest to be ordained into the Assyrian Church of the East, emphasized the church's key role in gathering and protecting Assyrians and their heritage. His ordination in 2010 was attended by over 2000 people, representing some 5% of the entire Assyrian community in Australia. It is hard to imagine another church in this country attracting 5% of the population to an ordination of one of its clergymen. This testifies to the degree to which church and community are inextricably interwoven in Australia's Assyrian community. This was also emphasized in interview by Natalie Moshi of the Assyrian Church of the East Relief Organization, who said: "Because we as a nation cannot point to a map and see Assyria clearly defined there, the church has as a result, almost by default, become our country, our guiding father, our guiding mother, a place where we can go to see our fellow people, to see our community."

Assyrian genocide monument in Fairfield, Australia, Erected on August 7, 2010.

The Australian Assyrian community is very conscious of the suffering of its fellow Assyrians overseas. The theme is emphasized by church figures such as Father Narsai, who commented that "suffering has made our church stronger. That is part of our DNA."

The community commemorates Assyrian Martyrs Day, to remember those Assyrians massacred at the hands of the Ottoman Turks during the First World War. However, it doesn't only look back to past suffering.The Australian Assyrian community is very conscious of the current plight of Assyrians overseas, especially in the Middle East. The Assyrian Resource Center in the heart of Fairfield is very active in this regard. Speaking on behalf of the ARC, Carmen Lazar explained how the Center helped Assyrians displaced by war in Syria in sponsoring them to come to Australia. She explained how the Assyrian church represented the first port of call for assistance: "Our churches are our shelter; our churches are our point of contact. Without our churches we are not recognized anywhere."

While clearly active in its advocacy for the Assyrian community in Australia and overseas, the Assyrian Church of the East also devotes attention to presenting a relevant message to its local youth. The Eucharist is traditionally said in ancient Aramaic. However one of the initiatives by Father Narsai has been to conduct the Mass in the modern Assyrian language in order to reach out to the youth of the community. This has attracted some criticism from conservative voices in the community, concerned by the fact that modern Assyrian includes some loan words from Arabic, Turkish and Kurdish. Additionally, the Eucharist is now also being celebrated in English in some masses so that it is more accessible to the increasing numbers of Assyrian families in Australia who only speak English.

Though only representing 0.15% of Australia's overall population, the Assyrian community is vibrant and growing. Its identity is not under threat, not only thanks to new arrivals through Australia's refugee and immigration program, but also thanks to the dynamic nature of the Assyrian church, which serves as a place of faith and worship, as well as an engine of advocacy and social action. The Assyrian community in Australia is clearly here to stay and represents a welcome addition to Australia's multicultural society.
Indian students who were stranded in Sumy board the special train to western Ukraine organised with assistance of Ukrainian authorities, amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Ukraine. (Photo: PTI)

Vishakhapatanam: Thousands of parents heaved a sigh of relief as the two-week-long task of safely bringing back the Indians stuck in the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been accomplished by the central government.

By March 8, almost all Indians were evacuated from Ukraine, under a special effort codenamed Operation Ganga, starting from February 24, when the invasion began. The last of the stranded Indians, from Sumy University, have also been evacuated to safety in neighbouring Poland, Romania etc, Indian officials said.

Officials said this was possible with support from the Russian and Ukraine governments under the `Green Corridor' facility they have jointly arranged. About 18,000 Indians have been brought back by special flights as of March 9, the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi said.

In the latest, 600 Indian students from Sumy University were brought to Poltava city in buses on Tuesday night, the Indian embassy in Kyiv stated. From there, the students have boarded special trains at Lviv railway station to travel to Poland, a distance of 540km.

Indian Ambassador at Kyiv, Partha Satpathy, flagged off the special train carrying Sumys Indian students, at Lviv railway station.

"These students would cross the Ukraine border to Poland and later board India's evacuation flights on March 10. Bringing back our students safely and securely will remain our priority, Satpathy said.

The number of Indians airlifted by 75 special civilian flights so far totaled 15,521 while wide-bodied IAF jets had flown 12 missions to bring back 2,467 passengers, all as part of Operation Ganga. All these students got into the planes from airports at Bucharest, Suceava, Budapest, Kosice, Rzeszow or Kyiv. Airports in Ukraine are mostly defunct after the invasion by Russia started.

Two Indians -- Naveen from Karnataka, a student of Kharkiv University and Chandran Jindan from Punjab -- died in the course of the war. While Naveen was a victim of the shelling by Russian military, Jindal died due to physical strain and stroke.


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A year ago, the SolarWinds attack brought software supply-chain attacks to the forefront of the news. Now, new incidents are emerging on a weekly basis. To make matter worse, businesses and government institutions are fending off attacks from both traditional cybercriminals and nation-states that have large budgets and many resources, making their campaigns difficult to stop.

Any organization can be a victim of a tech supply-chain attack, but managed service providers (MSPs) in particular offer large attack surfaces that make them high-value targets to cybercriminals. On average, one MSP can manage the IT operations for 100 companies; so the criminals only need to hack one MSP to get access to those 100 clients.

Research suggests that 53% of companies feel a false sense of security when it comes to supply chain attacks, making them an easy target. Many do not truly understand the nature of these threats, and consider the use of known, trusted software to be a form of protection. In the first half of 2021, 292 organizations were victims of such attacks, affecting an estimated 5.5 million individuals.[1]

Acronis, the cyber protection company, recently hosted a panel discussion at the Microsoft Inspire conference in which four renowned cybersecurity experts explored the challenges of protecting Microsoft 365 environments. One topic focused on what lessons Microsoft users  including MSPs and small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs)  should learn from these advanced attacks.

Supply-chain attacks exploit the trusted relationship a business has with its software provider, said Candid Wuest, VP of Cyber Protection Research at Acronis, If a cybercriminal invests enough time and money on a given target, any organization can be breached. Luckily, Microsoft uses a zero-trust approach, which has mitigated the damage caused by these breaches. While Microsoft admits that unauthorized individuals had read access to their code, no one had write access to change their code.

Zero trust means that you never trust anything or anyone inside or outside the network by default. It relies on the principle of least privilege by only assigning the rights required for a user to do their job. The software verifies every access attempt.

The first lesson to learn from these attacks is that every business should implement a zero-trust approach, Wuest said. For example, open-source libraries and tool sets that a business uses can be compromised. In addition, criminals can inject code into the Java scripts on your website. Should a business monitor its websites to ensure that these Java scripts are not being modified? The answer is yes, but many organizations do not do that.

The second lesson, he continued, is to be sure you have visibility into the attack. Would you even notice if your data is being extracted? For many organizations, the answer is no.

Keatron Evans, Principal Security Researcher, Instructor and Author of the InfoSec Institute added: Another important lesson is that every business should be sure that their IT staff is trained on how to properly respond and deal with a breach.

Evans discussed a case where a large MSP suffered a supply-chain-type breach. Their code was compromised, affecting hundreds of their clients. In the aftermath of the breach, the MSP was advising its clients on incident response but, unfortunately, they were giving their clients the wrong instructions. Evans said: This exacerbated an already bad situation. MSPs need to be sure they truly understand how to handle an incident.

Many supply-chain attacks are targeting larger technology players, but the fallout from the attack can compromise both MSPs and SMBs. Many times, the targeted company has huge security budgets and advanced processes in place, but the attackers are extremely sophisticated.

With many supply-chain attacks, the average MSP and SMB are spectators on the street in a superhero movie where Superman is battling a giant villain, said Scott Bekker, Editorial Director of Redmond Channel Partner and Converge 360. All the MSP/SMB can do is try to not get stepped on.

To help ensure they do not get stepped on when a supply-chain attack happens, MSPs and SMBs must implement a zero-trust approach, put the right systems and processes in place so they have visibility into an attack, and train their IT staff on incident response strategies.

Get up to speed on zero trust. For more information, visit acronis.com

[1] Ibid.
President Joe Biden has issued an executive order outlining a host of new potential regulatory policies for cryptocurrency and digital goods. The order urges a centralization of regulatory enforcement, in an attempt to move away from the current patchwork approach, and lays out twin goals of protecting consumers and mitigating the fiscal and human costs of crypto misuse.

Cryptocurrency's major promise  the ability to securely conduct business without reliance on the financial sector  is widely viewed as a positive thing, but critics have pointed out that it's a severely underregulated market, and that crypto is all too frequently used for transactions in illegal drugs, weapons, and more.

One of the proposals in the order would see the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), backed by the Federal Reserve, which has been mulling over the possibility of creating a cash-backed cryptocurrency for a number of years. The administration says that it sees several upsides to the creation of a US CBDC, including greater inclusion in the financial system (since it could potentially help the unbanked move money around) and facilitate cross-border payments. This is a so-called "stablecoin," which has been trialed by major financial institutions like JP Morgan and Wells Fargo  it has the same portability as more typical cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin, but it's indexed to the value of real-world cash, rather than subject to wild price fluctuations.

Another proposal calls for multiple agencies to provide in-depth research into the effect of new regulations designed to curtail the use of cryptocurrency for illicit purposes, as well as the potential effects on financial markets, competition policy and cybersecurity.

In a statement, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen  whose department will be critical to much of the progress hoped for in the executive order  praised the new policies.

"This approach will support responsible innovation that could result in substantial benefits for the nation, consumers, and businesses," she said.

US lags in cryptocurrency regulation

Overall, the order represents a long-overdue change, and one that might help bring America's regulatory regime for crypto more in line with European efforts, according to Martha Bennett, a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research.

"The U.S. is actually quite late in thinking about how to approach this. The EU, for example, they're in the final stages of actually passing legislation about cryptoassets," she said. "It's long overdue, both from the stability and consumer protection standpoints."

Crypto regulation in the U.S. has suffered, according to Bennett, from a lack of centralization  the IRS treats digital assets as property to be taxed, while the SEC treats them like securities, for example.

"Greater clarity will be very useful, and what I read sort of between the lines in this order is really the encouragement for various regulators to work together, because that's been confusing," she said.

In addition, the advent of a US-backed stablecoin could be beneficial for both consumers and businesses, giving them a new, streamlined system for payments and fund transfers.

"In particular, in the US, both the internal payment systems are horribly outdated, and globally, they're absolutely stone-age," Bennett said.
Rajiv Gandhi was the last Indian Prime Minister who attempted convincing nuclear powers to give up their weapons



Had India persevered with NAM and built it as a block of nations which could have exerted pressure on the powerful countries to change their behaviour it could have resulted in a qualitatively different world order.

Instead, India is pursuing a self-defeating dream of a permanent seat in the UNSC and realising that itll never be part of G8 it has chosen to be part of alliances like BRICS and Quad to fulfill its ambition of being a second rung power in the world, if not the first.

It is not just the Indian students stranded in Ukraine who deserve our support, where all our attention is presently focused. We need to think about those Ukrainians who do not have the luxury of fleeing their homeland. Their lives have been devastated by the Russian attack and their future is uncertain. To be without a shelter in extreme cold can be a very miserable feeling. They have already started running out of food supplies. And there are little children among the stuck population.

It is a humanitarian crisis. We need to stand solidly with Ukrainians and compel Russia to stop this war. War can only beget violence and misery. It cannot be justified in any name. Instead of trying to imitate the world powers, India would do well to take an independent stand and work towards a word free of dangerous weapons. Only in a world free of weapons and armies can we hope to have enduring peace and friendship between countries.

---

*Magsaysay award winning peace activist and academic, general secretary of Socialist Party (India) Had India followed the principle of non-violence, for which Mahatma Gandhi is revered globally and is an inspiration for all oppressed people, we would not be seen as soft towards Russia, clearly the oppressor in the current conflict.Had India persevered with NAM and built it as a block of nations which could have exerted pressure on the powerful countries to change their behaviour it could have resulted in a qualitatively different world order.Instead, India is pursuing a self-defeating dream of a permanent seat in the UNSC and realising that itll never be part of G8 it has chosen to be part of alliances like BRICS and Quad to fulfill its ambition of being a second rung power in the world, if not the first.It is not just the Indian students stranded in Ukraine who deserve our support, where all our attention is presently focused. We need to think about those Ukrainians who do not have the luxury of fleeing their homeland.

There are two narratives about the Russia-Ukraine war in circulation. One is projecting invading Russia as the villain and demanding immediate cessation of hostilities. Second is holding United States foreign policy responsible for this which even after the cold war got over in 1991 was unnecessarily trying to provoke Russia by trying to expand North Atlantic Treaty Organisation making the new states which emerged from Union of Soviet Socialist Republic as its members.Russia felt insecure at the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO and this became the cause of present war.It is interesting to recall that when USSR was dissolved its 35,000 nuclear weapons were shared by Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The last three nations did not find any use of them and handed them over to Russia.Although Ukraine did ask for security assurances and an agreement was reached, with the mediation of US and United Kingdom and US also helped Ukraine dismantle its nuclear weapons. Ukraine realised that it was not feasible for it to maintain the nuclear arsenal as well as guarantee its security. Moreover, US and USSR/Russia entered into treaties which reduced the number of nuclear weapons significantly.This reflects the mood of the time when cold war ended, especially the countries part of former USSR did not expect to get involved in wars in near future and were ready to give up their weapons. Ukraine assumed that in exchange for giving up its nuclear arsenal its security would be ensured.However, the US and Russia continued to hold on to about equal number of nuclear weapons, around 5000-6000, amounting to 90% of total nuclear weapons in existence. This has ensured that total and lasting peace would not prevail.Moreover, while the five permanent United Nations Security Council members, all of them nuclear weapons states, did not give up their nuclear weapons, they expected other countries to sign Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and Non-Proliferation Treaty abjuring the right to possess these weapons. Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Iran defied this order and produced or have the capability to produce their nuclear weapons.US ambition to remain the only super power post cold war and its reluctance, along with that of other permanent UNSC members, to completely dismantle their nuclear arsenal as well as other weapons of mass destruction, triggers wars every few years somewhere in the world and sustains the military-industrial complex, backbone of its economy.Rajiv Gandhi was the last Indian Prime Minister who attempted convincing nuclear powers to give up their weapons in United Nations General Assembly. Being unsuccessful, the Indian government decided to go ahead with production of its own nuclear weapons. Indira Gandhi had already carried out the tests two decades earlier.With the adoption of neo-liberal economic policies India decisively moved from the Non-Aligned Movement camp to being a friend of the US. Had India been part of the NAM, it would not have found itself facing the predicament where it cannot criticize the aggressor Russia in the present conflict and will possibly annoy US for not supporting Ukraine.Traditionally, India is known to stand for the right of oppressed. Mahatma Gandhi criticized the forcible creation of Israel in Arab land and India boycotted the apartheid South Africa. It gave refuge to Dalai Lama and allowed Tibetans to form a government in exile, which still exists, and stood in support of Bengali nationalism facing attacks in Pakistan.Today the world is devoid of a moral voice. UN has been made irrelevant first by US, UK and China and now by Russia because of the veto power possessed by permanent UNSC members. The powerful countries give two hoots to the international opinion. Unless the UN, especially the UNSC, is democratized there is little hope that international opinion can prevail and halt wars like the present one.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday sought response from the Centre on a plea of Malayalam news channel 'MediaOne' against the Kerala High Court order upholding the Centre's decision to ban its telecast on security grounds.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath said that it is issuing notice on the petition and would ask the Centre to place on record the file which was relied on by the high court.

It ordered, Issue notice returnable on March 15, 2022 on the Special Leave Petition and application for interim relief. Respondents (Centre) shall produce all the relevant files on which reliance was placed by the high court.

At the outset, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, Dushyant Dave and Huzefa Ahmadi appearing for the Channel submitted that it is a case of gross abuse of power.

Rohatgi said that renewal of licence does not require security clearance and the channel has been running for 12 years.

I have been completely shut down. We are a small regional channel. I have hundreds of employees who have families to feed. Interim relief be granted, he said, adding that there are over 2.5 crore viewers and in 2019, the channel was granted permission for downlinking.

The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on next Tuesday.

On March 7, the top court had agreed to hear on March 11 a plea of Malayalam news channel 'MediaOne' against the Kerala High Court order upholding the Centre's decision to ban its telecast on security grounds.

Earlier, the Kerala High Court upheld the Centre's decision to bar telecast of the Malayalam news channel and had dismissed the plea of Madhyamam Broadcasting Ltd -- which operates MediaOne -- challenging the central government's January 31 decision.

The high court had said that the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to deny security clearance was based on intelligence inputs received from various agencies.

The central government had also said that the MHA denied security clearance over national security concerns based on intelligence inputs.

The channel had contended that MHA clearance was only required at the time for fresh permission/license and not at the time of renewal.

It had also contended that, according to the uplinking and downlinking guidelines, security clearance was only required at the time of application for fresh permission and not at the time of renewal of licence.
Following the publication of this memo, Chapek backtracked, stating that he personally called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to express his disappointment over the bill. Which seems especially insincere considering that his company contributed just under $200,000 to the Florida Republicans behind HB 1557. And in terms of Disneys inspiring content that narrative was quickly shut down by the good folks at Pixar. Yup, the same people who made you collectively cry more than all the family weddings and funerals combined are now standing up for whats right and calling out the Mouse House.

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As reported by Variety, a statement from the LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies Disney executives have repeatedly cut nearly every moment of overtly gay affection regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar. The letter goes on to say that Pixar staff have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were, adding that : Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it.

Which seems  incredibly damning. And it will likely only further calls to boycott Disney over their inaction, and implicit support, of this bill. And no amount of exclusively gay moments will help.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter!

Top Image: Pixar
Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. A Russian attack has severely damaged a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials say. (AP)

MARIUPOL: An airstrike on a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol wounded women waiting to give birth and buried children in the rubble as Russian forces intensified their siege of Ukrainian cities. Bombs also fell on two hospitals in another city west of Kyiv.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the Russian invasion began two weeks ago.

Ukrainian officials said the attack at a medical complex in Mariupol wounded at least 17 people.

The ground shook more than a mile away when the series of blasts hit. Explosions blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building. Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying a bleeding woman with a swollen belly on a stretcher past burning and mangled cars.

Another woman wailed as she clutched her child. In the courtyard, a blast crater extended at least two stories deep.

Today Russia committed a huge crime, said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. It is a war crime without any justification.

In Zhytomyr, a city of 260,000 to the west of Kyiv, bombs fell on two hospitals, one of them a childrens hospital, Mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn said on Facebook. He said there were no injuries.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Mariupol strike trapped children and others under debris.
Sue B. Donnelly, 87, of Crossville, passed away at her home on April 26, 2022. She was born on May 18, 1934, in Crossville, Tennessee, daughter of the late James T. Brandon and Clara (Hamby) Brandon. Sue was the owner of Boats and Harbors and of the Baptist Faith. She is survived by her chil
The Ukraine-Russia conflict has raised the question of whether organizations should stop using Russian-made security and tech products and the risks of continuing to do so in the current situation. CSO spoke with security leaders, researchers, and analysts about this significant issue and the implications for CISOs, businesses, and the wider sector.

Ending use of Russian security and tech products

From a moral standpoint, CISOs should absolutely stop using Russian-made security and technology products. However, from a security-related standpoint, its much murkier, says Shawn Smith, researcher and director of infrastructure at nVisium. There is always conflict in the world, and while you should always evaluate backups in situations like this, the products created by Russians arent any less secure now than they were a month ago.

Dominic Grunden, CISO of UnionDigital Bank, strongly supports stopping use of Russian-made products and services. From a moral and humanity perspective, imagine this: Your company would pay the Russian company providing the security and tech product who in return pays taxes in Russia, which directly supports the government and military that is invading the Ukraine and resulting in loss of lives, he tells CSO. Grunden also cites the global economic sanctions being imposed against Russia as another issue, as CISOs need to be sure they are not breaking laws in the countries the company is operating in.

For Peter Lowe, principal security researcher at DNSFilter, the biggest reason why CISOs should switch away from Russian-made security products as soon as possible is because of the growing number of companies withdrawing from Russia right now  including major internet backbones cutting off access. There is a very real risk that any tech product using servers based in Russia might simply disappear, which could be catastrophic depending on the type of service, he says.

In contrast, Cyware threat intel specialist Neal Dennis says that businesses should not rush into removing Russian-made products as a blanket approach, but they should be highly skeptical of how far-reaching they are. Russia has a sordid past of tech companies potentially being used for various efforts, he tells CSO.

Risks of using Russian security and tech products

With regard to the risks of continuing to use Russian-made products, there are important factors to consider, Grunden says. Using Russian made security and tech products can potentially allow Russia to access our companies, customers, and data, and potentially use it for malicious purpose. Under current Russian legislation, company and customer data is not protected and Russia has laws on national security and cybersecurity which provide the Russian government a legal basis to compel technology companies operating in Russia to cooperate with Russian security services. The real threat is for Russia to exploit discovered vulnerabilities within organizations or access them through a backdoor, Grunden warns.

In Smiths opinion, heightened scrutiny around anything-and-everything Russian is creating another problem for CISOs. While the platforms developed by Russians arent any less secure now than they were a few months ago, many vulnerabilities are being found due to increased probing. The biggest security risk is if a vulnerability is found in your software, it may be very slow to get patched due to the current conflict. It may be safer in the long run to evaluate and switch now than wait and be forced into a situation where you need to switch with very little runway.

Implications of stopping use of Russian-made products

While he believes businesses should halt their use of Russian-made products and services, Grunden concedes that doing so will not be without implications for CISOs and companies. Forcing an organization to immediately discontinue a Russian-made product or service could impact the organizations ability to identify, protect, detect, respond and recover from cyberthreats and security incidents, he says. It will incur immediate cost and effort to replace the security or tech product/service for the entire organization, and this could be quite detrimental given the current security workforce shortage and burnout concerns, he adds.

Terminating a contract between two companies may result in legalities that would affect the organizations credit rating while limiting an organizations ability to obtain and use the best products or services available are also issues to take into account, Grunden says. I believe the recent Russian invasion of the Ukraine has seen a widespread adoption of large companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, SAP, etc. who are halting doing business to and from Russia which has immediately impacted the security product and service market, he continues.

Lowe agrees: There are lots of valuable tech services and products provided by Russian companies, so initially there is going to be a drop in available services covering the region, government interventions as well as peoples lessened desires to purchase Russian tech. Threat intelligence for Russia is also going to suffer.

This could prompt more companies to take independent research more seriously and look to effectively include OSINT and open-source research into their capabilities for generating self-guided intel instead of solely relying on big data providers, says Dennis.

However, Smith doesnt predict significant, long-term ripple effects on the wider industry. Given how large the security space is, I dont think there will be any large change in the security product marketplace. Some professionals will migrate off Russian products, others wont, and some smaller businesses might close shop or migrate to other countries. In the end, its going to be pretty close to business as usual for the greater security market.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed key provisions of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022, which would require critical infrastructure operations to alert the government when they are hacked or pay a ransom to threat actors. It is part of the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by the House on Wednesday, which funds the federal government for the rest of the year.

The incident report provisions contained in the Act, part of the broader Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act, failed to become law last year but passed the Senate unanimously on March 1.

72 hours to report incidents, 24 hours to report ransom payments

The incident reporting requirements contained in the bill require critical infrastructure entities and federal agencies to report significant cyber incidents and ransomware payments to DHSs Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) no later than 72 hours after the covered entity reasonably believes that the covered cyber incident has occurred and within 24 hours if they make a ransomware payment. Notably, the ransomware payment reporting requirements in the omnibus bill shall apply even if the ransomware attack is not a covered cyber incident subject to the reporting requirements.

Critical infrastructure organizations and federal agencies that fail to report incidents or ransomware payments are subject to subpoena by the director of CISA, who will be able to refer the matter to the attorney general to bring a civil action in a district court of the United States to enforce the subpoena. Courts could punish a failure to comply with a subpoena issued as contempt of court.

CISA can also make the incident reports available in an anonymized way and disseminate them, with defensive measures, to appropriate stakeholders, including sector coordinating councils, information sharing and analysis organizations, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, technology providers, cybersecurity and cyber incident response firms, and security researchers, as appropriate. None of the reporting requirements will go into effect until CISA develops and implements a rulemaking that outlines how the requirements will work, which the agency will have up to 48 months to do.

Ransomware pilot program

CISA is also required to establish a ransomware vulnerability warning pilot program to leverage existing authorities and technology to develop processes and procedures for specifically, and to dedicate resources to, identifying information systems that contain security vulnerabilities associated with common ransomware attacks, and to notify the owners of those vulnerable systems of their security vulnerability.

The pilot program will identify the most common security vulnerabilities exploited in ransomware attacks and mitigation techniques and use existing authorities to identify information systems that contain the security vulnerabilities. The pilot program is slated to terminate four years after the date of enactment.

Task force to coordinate a campaign against ransomware attacks

Within 180 days after enactment, the bill also requires the CISA director, in consultation with the national cyber director, the attorney general, and the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to establish and chair a Joint Ransomware Task Force, consisting of federal agency participants, to coordinate an ongoing nationwide campaign against ransomware attacks, and identify and pursue opportunities for international cooperation.

This task force will prioritize intelligence-driven operations to disrupt specific ransomware actors, consult with private, local government, and international stakeholders to identify needs, and establish mechanisms for providing input into the Joint Ransomware Task Force.

CISA is pleased, but the FBI is left out

Not surprisingly, CISA Director Jen Easterly has praised the reporting mandate as an overdue means of keeping the nation safe from cyber threats. Easterly and CISA have long complained that the lack of incident reporting requirements keeps the federal government in the dark regarding cyber threats and incidents.

However, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco recently said the legislation would make the country less safe, and FBI Director Christopher Wray said it had serious flaws because it cuts the FBI out of the incident reporting chain, leaving the Bureau less capable of busting up cybercrime gangs.

At a House Intelligence Committee hearing earlier this week, Wray said that We have agents out in the field who are responding, often within an hour or so, to a business thats been hit and thats happening thousands of times a year, so we need to make sure that information flow is protected.

The Biden administration came down on the side of CISA, with White House National Cyber Director Chris Inglis supporting the bill without changes that would reflect the FBIs concerns. The $1.5 trillion spending package allocates $2.59 billion for CISA, $300 million more than the Biden administration requested in its budget proposal.

Reaction among officials is generally positive

Reaction from other government officials to House passage of the bill was positive. Bipartisan leaders from the House Homeland Security Committee said in a press release, Requiring owners and operators to report significant cyber incidents and ransomware attacks to CISA will mean greater visibility for the federal government, earlier disruption of malicious cyber campaigns, and better information and threat intelligence going back out to the private sector, so they can defend against future attacks. The authorities and resources provided in this bill cant come soon enough, as CISA works to combat rapidly evolving cyber threats in this shifting geopolitical landscape.

U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) praised the omnibus bills passage, noting that Warner was one of the sponsors of the Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act of 2022, which contained the incident reporting measures.

This omnibus legislation now heads to the Senate, which will likely pass it before March 15, when a stopgap government funding measure expires, before sending it off to the Presidents desk for approval.

Update 3/11/22: The Senate approved the omnibus bill last night, which is now headed to President Biden for his signature.

CISA Director Jen Easterly issued a statement saying, CISA will use these reports from our private sector partners to build a common understanding of how our adversaries are targeting U.S. networks and critical infrastructure. This information will fill critical information gaps and allow us to rapidly deploy resources and render assistance to victims suffering attacks, analyze incoming reporting across sectors to spot trends, and quickly share that information with network defenders to warn other potential victims. CISA is committed to working collaboratively and transparently with our industry and federal government partners in order to enhance the security and resilience of our nations networks and critical infrastructure.

Put plainly, this legislation is a game-changer. Today marks a critical step forward in the collective cybersecurity of our nation.

We are also grateful to Congress for the unprecedented level of funding provided for CISA in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus. This investment represents a recognition of the importance of our mission and the confidence of the Congress in our ability to defend our nations networks and critical infrastructure.
The Biden administration issued its much-anticipated cryptocurrency executive order, laying out a wide-ranging investigation into digital assets to gain at least a preliminary grasp on how to address the rapidly growing $3 trillion financial market and its role in ransomware and other illicit activities. The order, entitled Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets, outlines a series of far-reaching goals, including reducing the risks that digital assets could pose to consumers and investors, improving business protections, financial stability, and financial system integrity, combating and preventing crime and illicit finance, enhancing national security, fostering human rights and financial inclusion, and addressing climate change and pollution.

Without oversight, the explosive growth in cryptocurrency use would pose risks to Americans and to the stability of our businesses, our financial system, and our national security, an administration official said during a press briefing preceding the orders release. The absence of sufficient oversight can also provide opportunities for criminals and other malicious actors to leverage cryptocurrencies to launder the proceeds of their crimes or circumvent justly-applied sanctions, the official said.

Reflective of the orders even-handed tone, the official added, At the same time, however, digital assets can also provide opportunities for American innovation and competitiveness, and promote financial inclusion. To ensure that the U.S. government is not left out of these opportunities, the order also spells out a series of measures to create a federal central bank digital currency (CBDC) that at least 80 monetary authorities around the world are also exploring, and, in some cases, have introduced.

Cybercrime and ransomware pose significant risks

The EO lays out 14 deadlines that encompass many government departments and independent regulatory agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), federal banking agencies, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It directs these government entities to submit reports, technical evaluations, action plans, and recommendations on achieving the orders goals.

From a security perspective, the most critical deadlines are those surrounding the submission to Congress of an updated version of the Treasury Departments National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing.

The EO stipulates that:

Within 90 days of the submission of the updated report, The Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of National Intelligence, and the heads of other relevant agencies may each submit to the President supplemental annexes, which may be classified or unclassified, to the Strategy offering additional views on illicit finance risks posed by digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, CBDCs [central bank digital currencies], and trends in the use of digital assets by illicit actors.

Within 180 days of the reports submission, The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of National Intelligence, and the heads of other relevant agencies shall develop a coordinated action plan based on the Strategys conclusions for mitigating the digitalasset-related illicit finance and national security risks addressed in the updated strategy. The EO states that the plan shall address the role of law enforcement and measures to increase financial services providers compliance with AML/CFT [Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism] obligations related to digital asset activities.

Within 120 days following completion of the National Strategy as well as the completion of other reports, including the National Money Laundering Risk Assessment, the National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment, and the National Proliferation Financing Risk Assessment, the Secretary of the Treasury shall notify the relevant agencies of any pending, proposed, or prospective rulemakings to address digital asset illicit finance risks.

Ransomware threat actors and sanctioned foreign entities are targets of this section of the EO. Digital assets may pose significant illicit finance risks, including money laundering, cybercrime and ransomware, narcotics and human trafficking, and terrorism and proliferation financing, the order states. Digital assets may also be used as a tool to circumvent United States and foreign financial sanctions regimes and other tools and authorities.

During the press briefing, an administration official said, The White House has already demonstrated leadership in this space by aligning departments and agencies to combat misuse of digital assets enabling the rise and spread of ransomware. Most current digital asset systems were not designed with critical controls in mind like identity, sanctions screening, and revocability of illicit transactions. Similar to our efforts to secure software development under the cyber executive order, this executive order is a signal to industry on the need to build in the critical protections needed for financial systems so we can leverage these innovative technologies for our benefit.

The beginning of a long conversation about cryptocurrency oversight

The primary trade association representing the cryptocurrency industry, the Blockchain Association, expressed its willingness to work with the administrations efforts under the order. The Blockchain Association and its member companies stand ready to assist the Administration with its efforts to study pragmatic and timely oversight to our industry, and we are eager to collaborate, the association said in a statement.

Faryar Shirzad, chief policy officer for top cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, said in a tweet that The White House seems to understand and embrace the transformational potential of digital asset technology, and the importance of maintaining American leadership. He added, This is a hopeful moment. We look forward to continuing our work with regulators and lawmakers to ensure the path forward encourages public participation, protects U.S. leadership, and takes a holistic view of this transformational moment.

Ivan Zapien, partner at Hogan Lovells and a lobbyist for cryptocurrency exchange Binance.us, tells CSO that the order is going to be round one of several rounds. I think its the beginning of a long conversation. I think theyre setting the table for a conversation thats due in Washington, DC, on a cutting-edge policy issue.

Calling the EO a good exercise for the industry, Zapien says that there is nothing that focuses on the need to come to a consensus like a deadline for a report.

The message that the White House is sending with this EO is that this is all hands on deck and were going to work across agencies on this, Zapien says, adding that the cryptocurrency industry is already moving forward to address many of the issues raised in the order with the use of innovation and technology.
The world is watching closely as Russias invasion of Ukraine evolves with each passing day. The conflict, combined with geopolitical tensions prompted by the disapproving responses from NATO, the US and many other countries, have made organizations within those countries high targets of offensive Russian and associated nation state cybersecurity attacks.

The US, European Union, United Kingdom and other allies and partners have announced multiple waves of financial and other business sanctions against Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. In a largely coordinated and complementary effort, despite somewhat differing approaches, these sanctions include both symbolic actions unlikely to deter Russia as well as more extreme actions aimed at imposing immediate disruption on the Russian economy. Exacerbating the conflict, many major US-based companies, along with companies around the world, have recently discontinued all business operations in Russia, expressing their disapproval of the Russian actions.

Russia has threatened a painful response and we fully expect the country and its associated nations to escalate offensive cybersecurity threat actions, which may increase the number and severity of cyber attacks intended to disrupt government, business and critical infrastructures of any country issuing sanctions or businesses discontinuing operations.

In this post, we outline recommendations and materials for any enterprise to consider when increasing their cyber threat protection, cyber incident response and enterprise resilience.

Cybersecurity is a priority

As part of the invasion, Ukrainian computer networks have been hit with a data-wiping malware program as Russia invades. Several Ukraine government and banking websites have been targeted with distributed-denial-of-service attacks, reportedly to distract the public and government cybersecurity workers and hamstring Ukrainian communications. As a countermeasure, Ukraine has called for digital talents to create an IT army of hackers to hit Russian targets.

As Ukrainian systems are targeted, critical infrastructure and businesses around the world are at risk. The malware affecting Ukraines systems could spread, adding risk of increased ransomware attacks.

Historically, Russian state-sponsored advanced-persistent-threat (APT) actors have used sophisticated cyber capabilities to target a variety of US and international critical infrastructure organizations, including those in the defense industrial base as well as the healthcare and public health, energy, telecommunications and government facilities sectors.

On the cyber front, it would be a mistake to focus exclusively on cyber activity coming out of Russia. Ukraine and the West must recognize that the proxy web is central to the Kremlins cyber strategy and operations, and so is the Russian governments deployment of hackers based abroad. As deniability is important to the Kremlin, the West should consider focusing its intelligence forces on identifying Russian proxies operating in cyberspace when assessing and preparing for Russian state cyber threats.

It is unlikely that Putin will take the hits from the SWIFT sanctions and the potential actions against Russias Central Bank without responding with reprisals. These sanctions have increased the likelihood of cyberattacks, which could widen the Russian invasion of Ukraine into a much broader conflict.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned Russia that a serious cyberattack could trigger Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty, in which an attack against one ally is treated as an attack against all. Businesses and governmental agencies responsible for critical infrastructure and high-profile targets should ensure they are adequately prepared with best practice prevention, detection and incident response measures to deal with Russian advanced persistent threats.

The 10 steps to take now to avert a Russian cyber attack

Do Now:

Address Assumptions: Assume sophisticated cyber attackers are already inside your environment and are positioned to disrupt businesses at any time. Additionally, leverage credible cyber threat intelligence to determine if your organization would typically be targeted by Russian adversaries and for what reasons. Rally Communications: Ensure all relevant cyber and resilience teams are on high alert. This includes providing notice to corporate communications, legal, senior leadership and key third parties that everyone should be prepared to act as well as alerting employees to remain vigilant, especially for phishing and other social engineering attacks. Confirm Restoration: Take any immediate steps available to confirm key restoration and recovery activities, including a review of the completeness and integrity of key backups and ensuring recovery processes are accurate, known to all necessary parties and ready for action. Review Third-Party Engagement: Review existing agreements with key third parties, such as forensics and response partners, law firms and insurers.

Stay Informed: Stay current on latest news. Leverage existing threat intelligence and information sharing sources as much as possible (e.g., CISAs Shields Up site, industry ISACs, Microsoft, etc.). Additional resource links are shared at the end of this post.

Do Soon:

Reinforce and Secure Environments: Reinforce key controls and secure high-risk areas. This includes a review of current patching levels (and likely short-term increase in scanning frequency), validation of your Internet-facing attack surface, and ensuring MFA and other dual-path access verification controls are active and appropriately configured. Evaluate Capabilities: Test, simulate and confirm all crisis management and incident response capabilities. Crisis management extends beyond incident response and includes confirming all key personnel understand their role. Review Current Recovery Playbooks: Perform a comprehensive review of existing continuity and recovery plans to confirm they are complete and up to date. Specific focus should be given to internal and external resource availability, dependencies on key third parties that provide business services, and communication protocols for external stakeholders (e.g., employees, regulators, customers). Assess Technologies: Increase focus on and revisit all technologies supporting any hybrid workforce. Confirm all remote or external access points are hardened and covered with current versions of end-point detection technologies. Set Expectations: Set  or reset  expectations with senior leaders and board members on the potential for disruption of services due to a cyber attack, and the current steps taken to manage those risks.

While the actions outlined above help manage risks around the current situation with Russia, forward-looking companies should consider these actions a long-term investment against extreme events occurring in an increasingly volatile world  environmental, pandemic, cyber or otherwise. Furthermore, diligent organizations need to ensure their current strategies position their cyber programs to better repel adversaries, increase detection and response agility and expand existing resilience capabilities. Proper funding, leadership and vision are all key to ensuring your cyber program is both business- and threat-aligned and ready to face the challenges that lay ahead.

Additional Resources: Recent CISA Recommendations

President Biden has designated the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the lead federal agency to coordinate domestic preparedness and response efforts related to the current Russia-Ukraine crisis. DHS is taking appropriate steps to ensure federal efforts are coordinated should the need arise for specific threats. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is available to help organizations prepare for, respond to and mitigate cyber attacks.

Below are links to several recent CISA resources:

For more information on recent and historical Russian state-sponsored malicious cyber activity, see the referenced products below or go to cisa.gov/Russia.



Terry Jost is Managing Director, Global Security and Privacy Segment Leader at Protiviti.
A man accused of being connected to the Russia-linked REvil ransomware group responsible for cyberattacks on organizations including US-based software company Kaseya, has been extradited from Poland and arraigned in a Dallas court.

In November last year, the US Department of Justice charged the man, 22-year-old Yaroslav Vasinskyi, of being behind the July 2021 ransomware attack against Kaseya. Vasinskyi, a Ukrainian national, was taken into custody in Poland and transported to Dallas, where he arrived on March 3.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement published on the Department of Justices (DOJ) website, that the department had made it clear it would "spare no resource" in identifying and bringing to justice cybercriminals who target the US, adding that by charging Vasinskyi, the DOJ had made good on its promise.

REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, appeared in 2019 and is one of the most active and successful ransomware operations. In the July 2021 cyberattack again Kaseya, REvil exploited a vulnerability in the Kaseya VSA remote computer management tool.

The group deployed malicious code that led to REvil ransomware being delivered to endpoints on Kaseya customer networks, encrypting computers and their data. The supply-chain attack has affected about 2,000 global organizations, according to security researchers.

REvil was also responsible for the ransomware attack against Brazil-based food supplier JBS, one of the largest meat processing companies in the world, in June 2021, which resulted in the company paying $11 million in bitcoin to the attackers in exchange for the key to decrypt the network.

REvil announced it was responsible for both the Kaseya and JBS attacks, a claim that the FBI has confirmed.

In total, the DOJ said Vasinskyi made $2.3 million from ransoms, after demanding more than $760 million from companies that had fallen victim to REvil ransomware attacks.

Vasinskyi has been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers, damage to protected computers, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is facing a total of 115 years in prison if convicted of all counts.

The DOJ and FBI has worked with international law enforcement agencies, including security agencies in Canada, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Ukraine, on the REvil case.

In addition to Vasinskyi, various other members of REvil have been charged or arrested. The DOJ said in November that two other REvil members were arrested in Romania, and that it had also charged Russian national Yevgeniy Polyanin with conducting ransomware attacks. Agency representatives said Thursday they were not available to comment further on those cases.
NEW HAVEN  With refugees continuing to cross the Polish Ukrainian border, New Havens Dominican friars are heading to lend a helping hand.

Two members have already headed to Eastern Europe, according to Rev. Jordan Lenaghan, subprior of the New Haven Dominicans. Lenaghan and Rev. Joachim Kenny will be leaving New Haven on Thursday.

Flights directly into Poland are booked solid, so Lenaghan and Kenny will be flying to Vienna where they will spend a night and then will take a second flight to Poland. The group will be stationed in Krakow during their trip.

The trip itself will last about a week and a half for Lenaghan and Kenny, who are using their spring break at their jobs at Quinnipiac University to volunteer.

The group, totaling four people, will be heading to the border to aid the mostly women and children crossing the border into Poland.

We're going to be working in tandem with the Knights of Columbus with this amazing, organized effort to alleviate the needs of refugees, both receiving aid from the U.S. and around the world, Lenaghan told the New Haven Register on Wednesday.

What the group of priests will be doing exactly when they arrive at the border has yet to be determined, but they are heading to the area to ascertain where they are needed.

Itll be the Wild West, I anticipate, Lenaghan said. Our people on the ground in the south east of Poland are saying the train stations are just packed with people. Refugees are just arriving and there's nowhere for them to go.

Lenaghan had previously lived in Poland and Russia and has visited Ukraine, so he predicted his regional familiarity and language knowledge would be useful. His role will be to listen to people, learn what their needs are and determine what kind of aid would be most useful.

The priests also want to show people that the west and the Church have not forgotten them.

In the midst of all this, you're not forgotten, Lenaghan said. Especially going as priests, that in some way that I don't understand that God is in the midst of all of this and were visible.

While working on the border, the priests will be wearing Roman collars but will be changing up their usual wear to fit the working environment.

They will still be dressed in all black but will opt for tactical vests, tactical boots and tactical gloves instead.

Security is the reason the group is traveling in pairs and using tactical gear. The vest allows the priests to carry many items, such as rubber gloves, money and more safely and reduces the risk of pick-pocketing, Lenaghan said. The tactical boots will provide traction in the mud. The gloves will keep their hands safe when handling boxes and keep them from getting small cuts.

Obtaining these items, especially on short notice, has led to interesting interactions, according to Lenaghan.

Both Lenaghan and Kenny traveled to a shop in Cheshire on Tuesday to buy boots and gloves for their trip. Both men were wearing their Roman collars and Lenaghan was in black dress. When a sales associate brought the boots to Lenaghan, he asked where the pair were going, to which Lenaghan said the Polish Ukrainian border.

The worker then began talking about tactical gloves, explaining which ones would be good for the pair.

He said understand that basically theyll prevent, youre using your knife and you slash your palm. Its going to stop that. But he says if youre in a knife fight or someone is trying to stab you and youre reaching for it, theyre not going to hold up, Lenaghan said.

Lenaghan explained they did not need gloves that would hold up to combat, just ones that would generally hold up.

The worker then asked what work the pair would really be doing in Europe. Lenaghan said they are aid workers, to which the worker said sure, aid workers and made air quotes.

A similar incident happened when the group tried to purchase satellite phones. Because of the nature of the work hes doing, Lenaghan began using an encrypted Swiss-based email account, which raises peoples eyebrows.

Its like a wink wink nod nod but no, I actually mean it, Lenaghan laughed.

The worker also seemed to think the phones were for another use when the address Lenaghan gave for the order was to a commercial private mailbox the friars rent in Hamden. Ultimately, the group decided to not get phones for their trip.

Funny stories included, the group was able to get the equipment they need before they leave New Haven for Europe on Thursday.

Lenaghan said this experience will be mentally hard and imagines it will be incredibly difficult to see whats happening in person, instead of in photos or on the news.

I think this is going to be a very difficult and painful experience. I also believe in some way it will be a graced experience, Lenaghan said. I think that maybe the greatest thing that will take away from this isnt what we'll do there, but how we can come back and witness to what we saw there to touch lives here.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
M&T Banks acquisition of Bridgeport-based Peoples United Bank will close April 1, but officials say it remains uncertain when the layoffs of hundreds of employees will take effect.

M&T officials on Tuesday confirmed plans to reduce by 28 percent  747 workers  Peoples United staff in Connecticut. That confirmation came after the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on Friday unanimously approved the $7.6 billion merger between M&T, which is based in Buffalo, N.Y., and Peoples United.

David Samberg, an M&T spokesperson, said more information about the layoffs will be announced after the deal closes in April.

Rene Jones, M&Ts chairman and chief executive officer, told state officials that as alternate opportunities are identified ... we expect the number of impacted employees to decrease.

A total of 1,959 Peoples United employees in Connecticut will be retained after the deal is completed, according to Jones.

David Bednarz, a spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont, said Wednesday that M&T has assured the administration that they intend to initially have at least 1,000 employees based at their regional headquarters in Bridgeport.

In addition, they have 1,500 positions that are currently open and will give priority consideration to impacted Peoples United employees, Bednarz said. The administration remains committed to working with M&T to grow their footprint in Connecticut and strengthen their presence in our state.

Elizabeth Benton, a spokesperson for Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, said Wednesday, M&T made a number of job and community investment commitments to us and to other public officials.

We expect them to keep those commitments, she said.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Wednesday that he was deeply disappointed that the number of layoffs initially announced last summer has not been reduced.

M&T Bank is off to a bad start in Connecticut, putting profits ahead of people, Blumenthal said. I will continue to press the bank to reconsider these job cuts and follow through on their commitments to find similar paying jobs for affected employees and investments in Connecticut, particularly Bridgeport.

When the merger-related job losses were first announced last summer, local and state officials scrambled to convince M&T to reduce the amount of layoffs and its impact on Bridgeport.

Lamont dispatched top aides to Bridgeport to meet with bank representatives and city legislators, and Mayor Joe Ganim announced the city, which conducted limited business with Peoples, would close its $30 million in accounts.

But with M&T officials confirming this week that the number of layoffs remains unchanged, Bridgeports elected leaders on Wednesday were resigned to accepting the job losses.

The bank is assuring the city that there will not be as many layoffs as the federal filings indicate and we take them at their word, Ganims office said in a statement. We assume that Bridgeport-based employees will not be as negatively impacted as first stated.

State Rep. Christopher Rosario, D-Bridgeport, said he expects some of the Peoples employees are ready to leave on their own.

Theyve been with Peoples forever, he said. Theyre ready to get their golden parachute and get out.

Rosario is more concerned about those folks at the beginning or middle of their careers.

State Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, said M&T leaders had given assurances that they would be hiring back a few hundred staffers to make sure the total loss was not as significant.

State Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, agreed.

So there could be a situation where you are giving someone a layoff notice for a current job, but hiring them into a different job, Stafstrom said.

Felipe said one concern is the type of employees let go, and whether the impact falls more on entry-level positions and those requiring lower levels of education, and if those personnel are able to reenter M&Ts workforce.

M&T has committed to have 1,000 employees working out of the downtown Bridgeport headquarters, down from the pre-COVID pandemic figure of 1,350. There had been concern last summer about the impact a significant loss of bodies in that building might have on the neighborhood economy.

I can assure you, we will absolutely hold them to every last one of those jobs, Stafstrom said. They made that promise to the city and I expect them to be accountable for it.

Felipe said it is also important for M&T to find productive ways of using empty office space, perhaps by subleasing.

Ganims office on Wednesday confirmed Bridgeport had gone ahead with its threat to close three accounts totaling in excess of $30 million.

But Peoples was not the main bank for Bridgeport government and its $600 million operating budget. That contract was awarded around a decade ago to competitor Webster, based in Waterbury.

The city opened new accounts with Newtown Savings Bank upon their arrival as a good corporate citizen, Ganims office said in a statement, referring to the opening of Newtowns first Bridgeport branch in October. Should M&T take the position to reciprocate the support of the Bridgeport community that has long supported Peoples Bank since its inception, the city would re-consider a partnership.

M&T executives in recent months have gone into neighborhoods to meet leaders and small business owners while also displaying philanthropy as well, according to Rosario.

Dan Onofrio, head of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, said Wednesday there are redundancies in any merger and acquisition.

I think its safe to say for businesses used to banking with Peoples, they can expect the same level of service at M&T and the folks theyre used to seeing at the branches will be the same they see tomorrow and in the future, Onofrio said.

Peoples United customers will continue using their existing branches and online tools through the third quarter of this year. The systems between the two banks will then be converted.

Once the deal closes, M&T will begin implementing a $43 billion plan to provide loans, investments and other financial support for low-to-moderate income families and neighborhoods, as well as to people and communities of color. The banks announcement of the plan, which was made in October, does not specify how much of that financial commitment will find its way to Connecticut consumers.

Peoples United Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Barnes will receive more than $34 million in cash, equity, and benefits once the deal closes, according to proxy statement regarding the merger. That includes a lump some payment of $18 million within 30 days of the deal closing.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
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CLINTON  Kidz Konnection Shoreline Theater Academy is returning to fully staged productions with the opening the newly renovated Academy Building in Clinton for intimate theater-style experiences.

The next performance, March 25 at 7 p.m., will be Arthur Millers A View From The Bridge. This poignant production about an Italian-American family living life in New York in the 1950s explores the complexities of immigration, and the struggles to achieve the American Dream amid a working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn, according to a press release.
As snow and a wintry mix threatened road conditions Wednesday, some Connecticut school districts dismissed students early as a precaution.

A weak low pressure system was forecast to drop up to 3 inches of snow in some areas of the state. A light, wet snow started to fall Wednesday morning, becoming moderate at times in the mid-morning into the afternoon, the weather service said. The snow is expected to taper off in the evening.

The weather service said there is the possibility of slush-covered and snow-covered roads during the morning and evening commutes.

Below is the latest on school dismissals and other weather-related information across the state.

5 p.m.

Connecticut so far has seen anywhere from 1 to 4 inches of snow in the past 24 hours, according to reports from the National Weather Service.

Here are the latest snow reports and the time the reports were recorded:

Ansonia: 3 inches (4:30 p.m.)

Bolton: 2 inches (4:10 p.m.)

Bridgeport Airport: 0.8 inches (1 p.m.)

Canaan: 3.8 inches (4:30 p.m.)

Canton: 2 inches (4:05 p.m.)

New Fairfield: 3.4 inches (5:15 p.m.)

Newtown: 2.6 inches (4:10 p.m.)

Norfolk: 3.8 inches (5 p.m.)

Norwalk: 1 inch (12:45 p.m.)

Pomfret: 2 inches (4:10 p.m.)

Rockville: 2.5 inches (4:10 p.m.)

Simsbury: 3 inches (4:10 p.m.)

Torrington: 4.1 inches (5 p.m.)

West Hartford: 2.5 inches (3 p.m.)

Wethersfield: 1.5 inches (3:45 p.m.)

1:35 p.m.

Officials in Bridgeport said roads are wet but not very slippery at this time. City departments will continue to monitor the weather and crews will be sent out as needed for icy conditions, officials said. Snow is expected to continue to fall in the area of Bridgeport until about 7 p.m. Temperatures are expected to remain around freezing overnight.

12:15 p.m.

The National Weather Service said snow, moderate at times, will continue to fall across the state through the afternoon. Roughly 1 to 2 inches are expected in most areas, with higher accumulations possible on colder and untreated surfaces.

Exercise caution if traveling, the weather service urged drivers.

11:20 a.m.

Stratfords vigil to show support for Ukraine has been moved inside to the Town Hall council chambers on the second floor of the building. The vigil is still scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

10:15 a.m.

Snowfall rates will pick up over the next few hours, the weather service said. Snowfall rates may become moderate at times and could reduce visibility to less than a mile. The weather service said 1 to 2 inches of snow is expected to accumulate on any untreated roads.

9:24 a.m.

Norwalk Public Schools dismiss students two hours early. There will be no afternoon programs or activities.

9:15 a.m.

Snow has started to fall along the coast.

8:30 a.m.  schools, early dismissals

The following schools have announced early dismissals:

Ansonia Public Schools

Brookfield Public Schools

Danbury Public Schools

Derby Public Schools

Easton, Redding and Region 9 schools

Hamden Public Schools

Monroe Public Schools

New Fairfield Public Schools

New Milford Public Schools

Newtown Public Schools

Shelton Public Schools

Sherman Public Schools

Stratford Public Schools

8 a.m.

Police announced a parking ban for all public roads in Plainfield. It starts when 1 inch of snow has fallen, officials said. The parking ban will remain in effect until the roads have been cleared by the highway department. Any vehicle in violation of the ban could be towed at the owners expense and subject to fines.

6:55 a.m.

Region 10 schools in Harwinton and Burlington will follow an early dismissal schedule on Wednesday, Superintendent Howard Thiery said.

LSM will dismiss at 11:30 a.m., HBMS at 12:15 p.m and elementary schools at 1 p.m.

Parent pickup is planned for 11:35 a.m. at preschools, with buses scheduled for 1 p.m. There is no afternoon preschool.

6:45 a.m.

The Gilbert School in Winsted will dismiss at 11 a.m.

6:40 a.m.

Torrington Public Schools will have an early dismissal.

Morning preschool will dismiss at regular time. Afternoon preschool has been canceled.

All afternoon and evening activities are canceled.

5:45 a.m.

Norwalk Public Schools will start on time, but families should remain alert for the possibility of an early dismissal. School officials said they will continue to monitor the weather, temperature and road conditions throughout the morning along with the Department of Public Works.

5:30 a.m.

In Bethel, Superintendent Christine Carver said the towns public schools already had a scheduled early dismissal for the day. She said given the timing of when heavy snow is expected to hit Bethel  around 1 p.m.  the schools will switch to schedule B for early dismissal.
NEW HAVEN  When the CEO of a Connecticut biomedical company and a former university professor was arrested Nov. 30 for allegedly scamming an investor into giving him more than $1 million for fictitious investment opportunities, the charge wasnt larceny.

It was wire fraud.

Former state Rep. Michael DiMassa, D-West Haven, also a West Haven city employee, was arrested Oct. 20 for allegedly being part of a scheme to divert as much as $636,000 in federal funds intended for COVID-related expenses, some of which he allegedly then used to gamble at Mohegan Sun.

The charge was wire fraud.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Also arrested in connection with that case on Nov. 4 was West Haven Community Development Administration employee John Bernardo, a retired former New Haven firefighter.

Bernardos charges?

One count of wire fraud  and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The charges are a familiar refrain for anyone who watches what goes on in federal court.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

The recent cases shine a legal spotlight on what long has been a bread-and-butter legal tool of federal prosecutors looking to get the most out of charges in cases where people are alleged to have fraudulently separated others from their money: the federal wire fraud statute that grew out of what originally was a law against mail fraud.

To Federal prosecutors of white-collar crime, the mail fraud statute is our Stradivarius, our Colt .45, our Louisville Slugger, our Cuisinart  and our true love, wrote Jed S. Rakoff in a 1980 law review article quoted in a Nov. 19, 1987, story in the New York Times.

Viktoria Sundqvist

The idea is fairly simple, according to the statute: if someone is alleged to have stolen money, if its done through some kind of fraud, if theres an intention to defraud and some sort on interstate wire communication was used as part of the alleged scheme  be it phone, Internet, radio or television  the wire fraud statute kicks in, making the activity a felony that can draw up to 20 years in prison.

Transfer of money between banks. for example, can use interstate wiring.

Its a handy dumping ground for all kinds of activity, because in todays society, you cant do anything without a ... cellphone in your hand, said New Haven defense attorney William F. Dow III, a former federal prosecutor who has been a lecturer in trial practice at Yale Law School for more than 30 years.

Its a catch-all category that is the darling of federal prosecutors, Dow said. It fits almost all transactions and could turn a crime into a 20-year offense if the defendant were found guilty, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

Overall, its a handy and effective prosecutorial weapon, Dow said.

Wire fraud and mail fraud are really sweeping statutes that can sweep in a large variety of crimes, said Jim Glasser, chairman of the Litigation Department at Wiggin and Dana in New Haven and former chief of the Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Connecticut.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Over the past 20 years, the way the federal government uses the statute has broadened, said Glasser, who also teaches trial practice at Yale Law School. Where it once was used only when the use of email, telephone or mail was central to an alleged solicitation scheme, it now is used even when they are more peripheral, he said.

Its became not a ball-peen hammer, but more of a sledgehammer, Glasser said.

Its really a frustrating charge for defense attorneys, said New Haven defense attorney Tara Knight, who also has been an instructor in trial practice at Yale Law School  and whose clients include Bernardo. Its very commonly charged, especially in white-collar sort of crimes.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Whenever someone is charged in federal court with a crime involving money, They throw in the wire fraud charge, said Knight, who also has taught at the University of Connecticut Law School, Quinnipiac School of Law and the University of New Haven.

This is one of the arguments that defense attorneys have about the felonization of everything, she said.

The reality is that this is an easy-to-prove crime, Knight said. Its commonly charged. It significantly increases the penalties when its used. All thats required is that a wire communication is used in the commission of a fraud, she said.

If youre committing a crime, theres no way that youre not also committing a wire fraud, Knight said.

It is very effective and it does allow for a very wide net of areas in which it can be used, said Robert Bobby McDonald, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who also worked as a state and federal probation officer.

It is sort of all-encompassing statute that does allow for a large rain gutter  or net, if you will  to follow a criminal enterprise, said McDonald, who is now a lecturer in the Criminal Justice Department at Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at University of New Haven.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
Masks will no longer be required at 17 college campuses starting April 4, Connecticut State Colleges & Universities President Terrence Cheng announced Thursday.

Weekly testing requirements for employees and students will also end that day, Cheng said.

The state is turning the corner on the virus, and we therefore can relax on our pandemic response, Cheng said in a message to the CSCU community Thursday. I am very excited that weve reached this point and can move forward having learned many lessons along the way about how to support our institutions, our employees and most importantly our students through a public health crisis.

CSCU campuses, including four state colleges, 12 community colleges and an online college, will shift from a pandemic emergency response to routine disease prevention. This means campus leaders will continue to monitor state and federal guidance, as well as the virus conditions in the community.

They will be prepared to reinstate mitigation strategies as needed to respond to upticks in cases if and when they occur this spring and in future semesters, Cheng said.

On April 4, CSCU campuses will switch to a mask-optional protocol. No employee will have the authority to require others to use masks.

However, mask wearing remains an effective prevention strategy against the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, and we fully support and expect all employees and students to respect those who choose to continue wearing masks, Cheng said.

COVID Coordinators will continue to make masks available for students and employees who want them.

CSCU campuses will also remove social distancing restrictions in lounges, cafeterias, conference rooms and other non-academic settings.

In most instances, current classroom arrangements will remain as set for the remainder of the semester, Cheng said.

Campus leaders should also prepare for more in-person activities, such as commencements and other events, as well as a full schedule of in-person courses, meetings, convenings, etc. for the summer and fall, Cheng added.

CSCU is also stopping its weekly testing of employees and students, as well as its case contact tracing. The campuses will continue PCR testing for any student or employee who wants access through April 1. COVID Coordinators will also have antigen tests available for those who are concerned about potential exposure.

Cheng said students and employees should continue to monitor their health. Students and employees should also stay home if they have COVID-like symptoms and follow CDC guidance on quarantine and isolation.

If students or employees test positive, they should continue to notify their campus through the appropriate process.
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NORWALK  City residents will get their first chance to weigh in on plans to build a Wegmans grocery store at a public meeting later this month, one of the first steps in the approval process for the upscale chain.

The Norwalk Conservation Commission, which is tasked with reviewing development projects that could impact the citys environment, voted unanimously Tuesday to hold a virtual public hearing at 7 p.m. March 22.

We will see you guys in two weeks, John Moeling, the commission chair, told representatives of the supermarket chain.

Wegmans is aiming to build a two-story, 97,000-square-foot store on 11 acres of land on Richards Avenue between Connecticut Avenue and Interstate 95, according to an application submitted to the citys conservation office.

The store would be the New York-based companys first location in Connecticut. It would also put Wegmans in direct competition for the first time with Stew Leonards, Connecticuts home-grown upscale grocery store chain.

But since the property sits near a wetland, the proposed store must first win approval from the conservation commission. Among other responsibilities, the commission is charged with determining whether new developments adhere to local environmental regulations.

It is a significant regulated activity, so as a significant regulated activity, it requires a public hearing, Alexis Cherichetti, the citys senior environmental officer, said of the plans to build the grocery store.

Site plans filed with the city show the grocery chain intends to demolish an office building at 47 Richards Ave., before erecting the new supermarket and a two-level, 255-space parking garage.

The 107,000-square-foot office building is owned and occupied by MBI Inc., which plans to relocate to a different location in the city before construction of the store begins, according to Wegmans. MBI officials have not responded to requests for comment.

A pair of existing retail buildings at 651 and 677 Connecticut Ave. will also be torn down to make way for a two-lane road connecting Connecticut Avenue to the grocery stores entrance. The demolished stores, the plans show, will later be rebuilt to flank the new roadway adjacent to Bowlero bowling alley.

One of the buildings slated for destruction is home to an urgent care clinic operated by DOCS Medical Group. The other houses the chain retailer LL Flooring and a showroom for Mr. Shower Door, a shower enclosure manufacturer.

It is unclear if or when those businesses will relocate. Representatives for LL Flooring and DOCS Medical Group could not be reached for comment and the owner of Mr. Shower Door was not available for comment this week.

After the public hearing is held, the conservation commission will hold a vote on the construction plans. If the body signs off on the project, the proposal will then move to the planning and zoning commission where a second public hearing will need to be held.

Wegmans has offered no timeline for when construction might start on the redevelopment project. Marcie Rivera, a spokesperson for the chain, has said it could take two years before the supermarket opens to customers.

richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com
My father-in-law Phil was a simple man who enjoyed going to breakfast with his friends every morning at the Milford Diner and shooting the breeze over coffee and eggs. He drove a flashy 68 blue Ford Mustang convertible, which I suspect even at his age gave him a reputation as a hip octogenarian.

He always told me, Joe, the first 100 years are the hardest, and to his credit, he almost made it.

I should also tell you that he was a truck driver. I suspect that means hed be on Justin Trudeaus Most Wanted list if he drove over the border into Canada  which he did many times when he traveled north in an 18-wheeler on Interstate 91 or up Route 3 through New Hampshire on nights so cold the temperature dropped to 20 below and the highway was illuminated by billions of stars.

To him, life was simple, and he avoided all the complexities that so-called educated people grapple with. There was right and there was wrong, there was good and there was bad. He tried to do good. When the birth mother of my wife and her sister placed them for adoption, Phil took them in as infants. And when he and his wife got divorced, he raised the girls with his sister and mother, and gave them a good life.

I think of him whenever I read about the Freedom Convoy in Canada and the Peoples Convoy in the United States ... and every time I hear Trudeau malign truckers as right-wing fanatics, supremacists or homegrown terrorists. Phil was a lifelong Democrat, and Im pretty sure you could trust him more than Trudeau.

He had faith in the system, so Im convinced he would have been double vaccinated and boosted as often as necessary. Im also convinced he would have stood side by side with his fellow truckers in their pursuit of freedom in Canada and in America. I realize freedom has become a politicized term thats mocked by commentators who dont know what it means to fight for freedom because they had it handed to them.

Phil knew. The son of Italian immigrants, he enlisted in the U.S. Army along with a lot of other young guys when World War II broke out, and thats where he got his start as a trucker.

You see, he drove supply trucks for Gen. George S. Patton, who led the Allies in the invasion of Sicily and then the liberation of Germany from the Nazis.

It came at a cost. Phil was wounded when his truck hit a land mine. Then, the Army sent his brother Eddie  also a truck driver  back home because they didnt want his mother to lose her only two sons in the war.

Phil lived, and he seldom talked about the war. Years later at his military funeral, I got a little teary eyed when an Air Force jet did a flyover. An honor guard fired a volley of shots, a bugler played Taps, and they presented the folded flag that draped his coffin to his two adopted daughters with three fired cartridges inside the folds  symbols of duty, honor and sacrifice. I realized then there are anonymous heroes walking among us who are ordinary men and women.

When I see truckers protesting, I think of him. Hed be standing beside them and wouldnt let any petty politician take away the freedom he fought for.

Its become popular to dismiss the truckers grievances or insist theyre being played by the far-right. Instead of typecasting them, we should listen to what they have to say.

And it would do well to remember that historic occasion when truckers shut down our country to protest oil prices in 1973. Independent trucker J.W. Edwards of Kansas, known by his CB radio handle as River Rat, was going broke. He was fed up and out of fuel, so stopped his rig in the middle of Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, and soon hundreds of others joined him to protest high diesel prices, rationing, and a government-imposed maximum speed limit of 55 mph. The protest spread. Angry truckers only wanted the government to listen to them.

A commentary I read recently had an idea our elected leaders should take to heart. It said: Heres a suggestion for our staunchly pro-labor president: Instead of thumbing his nose at the people who transport his food, like Justin Trudeau did, maybe he should hear them out.

Former Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time Editor Joe Pisani can be reached at joefpisani@yahoo.com.
During my tenure as VP/human resources for a credit union in Maryland, I worked with two human resources generalists. Both were good at their jobs; they each had completed training and certifications in HR. Yet one was exceptionalshe had a few more years of experience than the other employee and had gained knowledge and confidence through everyday practice. She was a self-starter to whom I could give any project, and I could be confident that the result would be excellent and on time.

I remember a conversation we had about rewards and recognition. She made it clear that she never wanted to be publicly acknowledged, and she also didnt need constant affirmation that she was doing a good job. She certainly wanted to know if she did something exceptional or if there was an area she could improve, but she didnt need daily affirmation. What she really wanted was autonomy to complete her projects and access to growth opportunities and higher-level projects to continue to increase her skills.

The other employee performed well in her position, but she required a different type of management. She asked more detailed questions, wanted more direction with projects and requested feedback on her approach to an issue or project more often. She had less experience with the practical application of HR and was still building her confidence. Weekly meetings were the right cadence for this employee so I could provide more detailed feedback and let her know if she was on or off track. She needed more reassurance, so I would check in with her more often. Once given the information and guidance she needed, she would perform tasks and projects very well. While this approach would have felt like micromanagement to my high-performing employee, it was the best approach to support the success of the other employee.
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At least seven different student groups across Oregon have formed a student-led coalition on campus safety, according to an Instagram post from the University of Oregon Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation on Feb. 14.

Students around the state are getting sick and putting their health and safety in danger every day to receive an education due to administrations insistence on maintaining crowded in-person classes while we still face an urgent need for improved data transparency, in-person protections, and worker-student involvement in decision-making, the post said. By working in solidarity, we hope to determine the best course of action moving forward to protect student lives while ensuring that we continue to maintain our access to higher education that we deserve.

The coalition started in the last few weeks of January. The Oregon Student Association took note of the GTFFs activism, particularly on social media, regarding COVID-19 safety at the height of the Omicron variants surge in Oregon, Evelyn Kocher, the executive director of OSA, said.

OSA represents over 80,000 Oregon students in post-secondary education. The group reached out to the GTFF to say, These are issues that were seeing across the state that students are concerned about, Kocher said.

In the month that followed, OSA contacted other student organizations and held Zoom meetings to compare COVID-19 responses at different institutions. It found a lot of similar frustrations, which led to the four main focuses in the Feb. 14 statement: increase remote instruction, increase in-person protections in class, provide transparent public data and engage student workers in COVID-19 decision-making processes.

Now, ASUO, the Associated Students of Portland State University, PSU Graduate Employee Union, Oregon Health Sciences University Graduate Researchers United and Oregon State University Coalition of Graduate Employees meet over Zoom monthly. They share strategies for achieving their COVID-19 safety goals at their respective campuses.

A lot of times we're so siloed as students on our own university campuses that we forget that there are folks doing the same work up in Corvallis and Portland, GTFF President Mel Keller, said. It's important to keep those connections alive, which I think is something that this coalition could be really valuable in doing.

Together, the coalition hopes to use its strength in numbers to fund more COVID-19-safe learning options. This would be similar to how universities used money from the CARES Act, which allocated federal funding for COVID-19 relief in higher education passed in 2020. Kocher said the group will push for funding from each university and from the state.

If we can collaborate with university administrations and government relations on the common goal of getting state money into infrastructure programs, it would be a win both for student safety and the university, she said.

Everything about the coalition is unlike anything Oregon has seen in the past. Undergraduate student governments dont often overtly partner with graduate student unions, nor do this many universities across the state. But undergraduate students learn where graduate students work, so working together on this made sense, Kocher said.

We should absolutely work on having more solidarity between these groups in the future, she said. We are, if not siblings, then at least cousins.

The next meeting will be on April 1 and will be the first meeting after Oregon lifts its statewide mask mandate. Kocher predicts there will be a lot to talk about in that regard, but both Keller and Kocher are optimistic that the partnership could extend beyond COVID-19 issues.

I think it's an incredibly useful and important venue for future conversations to be held, Keller said. That's not something that's limited to COVID, even though that's where it started.
The Young Democratic Socialists of America and the group University of Oregon Student Workers held a rally Wednesday in support of the Erb Memorial Union Starbucks unionization in the EMU amphitheater.

Speakers included EMU Starbucks workers, YDSA, UO Student Workers, Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, the University of Oregon faculty union United Academics and the Service Employee International Union, which represent classified staff at UO.

Employees of the EMU Starbucks sent signed union cards to the National Labor Relations Board on Jan. 4. Workers at the Starbucks said they wanted better working conditions, higher pay and more communication and leverage with corporate.

Every Starbucks in Eugene has filed to unionize, according to More Perfect Union.

Alexia Muller, a senior at UO who has worked at the EMU Starbucks for three years, said she used to love coming to work, but the coffee shop has continued to fall apart since she joined.

Now, the work is just too much that I fall asleep in class, Muller said.

Starbucks made record sales during the pandemic but continues to underpay workers, Muller said. At one point she was hit in the head with a Starbucks oven, giving her a concussion. Starbucks did not check up on her and paid her $96 for 22 hours of missed work due to the injury when she should have received over $200, she said.

Baristas at the EMU Starbucks frequently work 5.75-hour shifts, which keeps them from receiving the lunch break that comes with a six hour shift, Muller said.

The EMU Starbucks has also removed Muller from future schedules for having limited availability. They fire people for having limited availability because they got second jobs to survive, she said.

Members of YDSA shared stories from student workers it collected through a survey. The stories included complaints about working conditions, pay and lax COVID-19 policies.

We believe in the basic rights of workers, YDSA Chair David Lefevre said. We believe that workers should be empowered. They should all have the dignity they deserve. We see unionization as a way in which workers can have a voice and power in their workplace.

Speakers from labor unions on campus linked the EMU Starbucks unionization efforts to the need for others to unionize, like UO Student Workers. They encouraged people to organize their own unions at their workplace and promised their support.

Our value will never be honestly compensated, UA President Avinnash Tiwari said. Our worth will always be replaceable in their eyes and their spreadsheets We, the faculty union of UO  weve got your back.

Michael Marchman, a staff organizer for GTFF, said the struggle for Starbucks unions is historic and reflects a larger challenge of upholding democracy. I am proud to stand with our cousins fighting for a Starbucks union, he said.

SEIU steward Louie Vidmar said he salutes all organized labor efforts. But we all know that the labor movement would not be what it is without caffeine, he said.
A classic cocktail is set to tour Sydney in a vintage Volkswagen Kombi van with tacos, corn chips and guacamole on board.

The Cointreau Margarita Kombi will serve up three signature flavours, including the original, the spicy and a specialty frozen passionfruit flavour.

The Kombi trip was planned after Australian search results for Margarita recipes increased by a whopping 83 per cent within the past 12 months.

A classic cocktail is set to tour Sydney in a vintage Volkswagen Kombi Van with tacos, corn chips and guacamole on board as well as three signature margarita flavours

The pop-up bar on wheels will travel to the Harbour View Hotel at The Rocks, The Fiddler at Rouse Hill, The Greens at North Sydney and the Camden Valley Inn.

Chef, Melinda Essey, who's travelled and cooked throughout Guatemala and Central America will serve up tacos at each destination to pair with the drinks.

Her menu includes a chicken taco and a vegetarian chilli black bean taco that both come with tomatillo salsa, pickled red onion, slaw and lime crema.

The Kombi trip around Sydney was planned after Australian search results for Margarita recipes increased by a whopping 83 per cent in the last 12 months

For $12 customers can get themselves a margarita, chips and guacamole, for $15 they can get a margarita and taco, and for $22 they can get an entire tasting box

For $12 customers can get themselves a margarita, chips and guacamole, for $15 they can get a margarita and taco, and for $22 they can get an entire tasting box.

This March 19 and 20 the van will be parked at the Harbour View Hotel next to the iconic Harbour Bridge in the heart of The Rocks as a laneway bar.

In Rouse Hill the Kombi will return on March 26 and 27 to serve up food and drinks at The Fiddler, a restored pub from the 1820's.

Sydneysiders are encouraged to pay the van a visit for a classic cocktail and a bite to eat with friends or family this Autumn season

The van will then make an appearance on April 9 and 10 at The Greens in North Sydney to accompany barefoot bowlers and margarita fans.

The Cointreau Margarita Kombi will make a final stop at the Camden Valley Inn where customers can get a taste of the country, cocktails and tacos all at once.

Sydneysiders are encouraged to pay the van a visit for a classic cocktail and a bite to eat with friends or family this Autumn season.
Whether your tummy is rumbling with hunger, you're excited to eat out or you've saved up a special treat to savour during a quiet moment, there's nothing worse than food turning out to be a disappointment.

So it's now wonder disgruntled diners from around the world took to social media to share their wrath, with docjournals.com collecting a series of the most outrageous snaps.

One cheeky baker ruined someone's birthday by making just half a Frozen-themed cake, placing it on a styrofoam base and icing around it to disguise their scam.

Elsewhere, someone's lunch was ruined when they discovered their sandwich ingredients had been cunningly placed to look like it was full of filling, when it contained just one tiny sliver of cheese and a small fold of ham.

They must be clowning around! This Mexican confectionery marshmallow and chocolate clown looked rather sad when it emerged from the packet

Would you like some burger with your tomato? We're guessing that meat lovers will not be impressed with this fast food offering

This package of amaebi, native to the Canadian Pacific and best served raw on sushi rice with fried heads and shells no doubt confused some people who were expecting jumbo shrimp

What a scam-witch! Lunchtime wsa no doubt ruined after this woman discovered she'd been deceived by her cheese and ham

Can't let it go! Whoever made this Frozen celebration cake cheated the unfortunate person whose birthday it was by makig it half the size and icing around the styrofoam base

That's how the cookie crumbles! A woman in the US who was looking forward to a sweet treat was dsiappointed by the measly chocolate filling

That's dinner ruined! A German cook was baffled when their bag of frozen broccoli promising 'delicate florest' had one big ugly stalk

No love lost! Someone in the US who wanted to make a romantic gesture found it feel flat when there were no messages on their candy hearts

Avo-ing a laugh? This $10 'nigiri' is essentially just slices of avocado on a plate with zero rice - not exactly value for money

What a jerky! The shopper who bought this snack online ended up paying for mostly packaging and thin air

Feeling blue! It won't be a very fun breakfast time for whoever gets just one solitary blueberry in their granola

That takes the cake! A child is likely to be left in tears by thie birthday cake that's meant to resemble Elsa from Frozen

Hiding behind the label! This seasoning in a German supermarket will no doubt frustrate cooks expecting a full bottle
A German fashion influencer has opened up about how she ran into a pole during Paris Fashion Week and had to wear sunglasses to every show to cover her black eye.

Caroline Daur, a model and blogger, showed off her bruised and bloody eye in a series of TikTok videos, saying she spent six hours in the hospital and had to get stitches.

The 26-year-old first revealed her injury last week when she posted a video of herself pulling down her sunglasses, writing: 'POV: You run turned into a hospital visit.'

German fashion influencer Caroline Daur showed off her bruised and bloody eye in a series of TikTok videos after running into a pole during Paris Fashion Week

The 26-year-old model and blogger is pictured a few days before (L) and after her accident (R)

Daur, pictured at the Givenchy show on Sunday, wore sunglasses at every fashion event she attended to cover her black eye

'Alexa play "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes,' she joked in the caption.

The video was viewed more than 1.2 million times, and many commenters wanted to know what happened to her.

Her eye was so bruised that some people thought she had on purple eyeshadow or was using a filter.

Daur started documenting her injury right after it happened, and she shared the photos in a follow-up clip, explaining she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Daur first revealed her injury last week when she posted a video of herself pulling down her sunglasses

'Alexa play "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes,' Daur joked in the video's caption

One snapshot showed her holding a napkin to her eye as blood dripped down her face and arm onto her $1,380 Gucci x The North Face hooded sweatshirt.

'When I was running and lost in [my] thoughts, I ran full speed into a pole. But like full speed,' she explained in another video.

'I was knocked out on the floor, and there was so much blood. I was in the hospital for six hours and got some stitches.'

Daur has nearly 750,000 followers on TikTok and 3.5 million on Instagram, where she posts images of her stylish outfits and modeling work.

Daur started documenting her injury right after it happened, and she shared the photos of herself covering up her bloody eye in a follow-up clip

Daur explained that she was lost in her thoughts when she 'ran full speed into a pole' and knocked herself out

An ambulance took her to the hospital, where she spent six hours getting stitches

Her eye was so bruised that some people thought she had on purple eyeshadow or was using a filter

Many fans wished her a speedy recovery in the comments, while others were stunned by how hard she had hit her eye.

'See? Thats why I dont go running,' one person wrote, while someone else added: 'Girl is running fast.'

'Damn girl you must be running f**king fast,' another agreed. 'I hope you'll get better soon.'

Daur's accident occurred sometime after she attended the Off-White fall 2022 show on February 28, the first day of Paris Fashion Week.

Daur injured herself sometime after she attended the Off-White fall 2022 show on February 28, the first day of Paris Fashion Week

Three days later, she wore sunglasses to attend the Isabel Marant show (L). The next day, she opted for a rectangular pair with her white suit for the Loewe show (R)

Daur's black eye came at an inopportune time for someone who works in fashion, but she took it in stride. She is pictured at the Elie Saab show on Saturday

When she was photographed outside the Isabel Marant show three days later, she was wearing a pair of black frame sunglasses with her cream jumpsuit.

Daur's black eye came at the most inopportune time for someone who works in the fashion industry and is photographed for a living, but she took it in stride.

She topped all of her Paris Fashion Week outfits with dark sunglasses and most people were none the wiser to her injury.

The model looked nothing less than incredible when she attended the Loewe, Elie Saab, and Hermes shows last week, just days after her trip to the hospital.

Daur was still wearing shades on Sunday when she was spotted outside the Valentino show wearing a voluminous white shirt dress and hot pink platform heels

She went on to model an array of stylish designer outfits while attending the Louis Vuitton (L) and Giambattista Valli (R) fashion shows earlier this week

All eyes were on her toned abs when she wore a cropped sweater and micro mini skirt to the Miu Miu show on Tuesday, the last day of Paris Fashion Wee

Daur was still wearing shades on Sunday when she was spotted outside the Valentino show wearing a voluminous white shirt dress and hot pink platform heels.

She went on to model an array of stylish designer outfits while attending the Louis Vuitton, Sacai, and Giambattista Valli fashion shows earlier this week.

And all eyes were on her toned abs when she wore a cropped sweater and micro mini skirt to the Miu Miu show on Tuesday, the last day of Paris Fashion Week.

Daur's eye is still healing, but it appears to be getting better each day.
A new partnership between the official AFL app and Coles is giving Australian drivers 18 cents off every litre at the pump - a welcome relief as petrol prices continue to skyrocket.

Australians are spending record amounts on transport costs with motorists paying $70 more per week at the bowser at the end of 2021 than they were a year earlier.

The Russian invasion of the Ukraine at the end of February saw prices increase again as countries sought to block the use of Russian oil in a bid to stop Vladimir Putin and his army.

Coles is hoping to offer some respite by joining forces with the AFL to give ordinary Australians a hefty discount on petrol.

Coles is hoping to offer some respite by joining forces with the AFL to give ordinary Australians a hefty discount on petrol (stock image)

Downloading the AFL Live Official app, which is free, will give you an instant four cents voucher off your fuel.

Then you can get an additional four cents off by using the Coles fuel docket discount when you shop in store - and additional 10c off by spending $20 in Coles Express stores on basics like milk, bread and toilet paper.

AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers said the new partnership was another opportunity to thank AFL fans for their support.

'We know the last few years has been tough for many people across the country, so we're delighted to partner with Shell fuels to provide our fans with a discount during the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season and thank them for their ongoing support of our game,' Ms Rogers said.

Megan Foster, Executive General Manager Consumer at Viva Energy (Shell's local licensee) said the new partnership would support its aim of fuelling Australians now and into the future.

Downloading the AFL Live Official app, which is free, will give you an instant four cents voucher off your fuel

Viva Energy is the exclusive supplier of Shell fuels and lubricants in Australia, supplying approximately a quarter of the country's liquid fuel requirements.

'We are committed to meeting the energy needs of Australians by offering high quality fuels across the country. We're proud to partner with the AFL which has such a rich history in Australia's sporting culture and through this program, help footy fans reach their destination,' Ms. Foster said.

The fuel discount began on Monday March 7 so is eligible for customers to using now.
Two iconic heritage-listed 'igloos' built in the fifties by a renowned Australian architect have captured the attention of hundreds thanks to their quirky styling.

The igloos are in the Melbourne suburb of Ashwood, 14km south east of the CBD and are one of about a hundred residential projects designed by influential Victorian architect Robin Boyd.

Built between 1952 and 1954, the units were once part of the neighbouring supermarket and bottle shop of the same unique arched design.

Two iconic heritage-listed units, known to locals as the 'Ashwood igloos' are now up for sale

The quirky igloos are in the Melbourne suburb of Ashwood are one of about a hundred residential projects designed by influential Victorian architect Robin Boyd

Each of the symmetrical units have two bedrooms, one bathroom, a stone kitchen, cosy living room and a rear courtyard.

The interior is full of character with arched roofs, partial dividing walls, retro details and modern upgrades.

Their eye-catching design is in keeping with Boyd's signature post-warn modernist style he become famous for throughout the fifties, sixties and early seventies.

The iconic units were constructed using a rare technique known as ctesiphon system where concrete is poured over a timber and hessian structure to create the igloo-like arches.

Each of the symmetrical units have two bedrooms, one bathroom, a stone kitchen, cosy living room and a rear courtyard

Their eye-catching design is in keeping with Boyd's signature post-warn modernist style he become famous for throughout the fifties, sixties and early seventies

There are only three known projects in Victoria that have been known to use this trademarked construction method.

Buyers have the opportunity to own a piece of Australian architectural history as the curved igloo-like units are on the market with price guides of $594,000.

The historical properties were heritage listed in 1999 and were last on the market in 2017 for $449,950 each.
Australians are flocking to a 'secret' holiday escape best known for looking like a Mediterranean island and it's just an hour outside of Melbourne's busy CBD.

Sophia, who blogs under the name @sophiainsydney, visited Victoria to explore for the weekend only to uncover a hideaway so special she almost mistook it for a slice of Europe.

'The water was so warm, I was so impressed. I kept thinking I was really far north but I was south of Sydney,' she told her followers on TikTok.

Sophia, who blogs under the name @sophiainsydney, visited Victoria to explore for the weekend only to uncover a hideaway so special she almost mistook it for a slice of Europe

Sophia was exploring The Pillars in the Mornington Peninsula, an area well known for cliff jumping and sunbaking on jagged rocks, with crystal clear water beneath the car park.

The cliffs can be reached by driving to Marguerita Avenue in Mount Martha, parking a few streets back from the beach and walking towards Deakin Drive.

There are no signs for The Pillars, but a well-worn walking trail just off Deakin Drive leads down to the water.

The cliffs can be reached by driving to Marguerita Avenue in Mount Martha, parking a few streets back from the beach and walking towards Deakin Drive

There are no signs for The Pillars, but a well-worn walking trail just off Deakin Drive leads down to the water

Social media is littered with rave reviews from visitors, with many branding it one of Victoria's 'must see' attractions.

'Proof we don't need to travel very far for a taste of Europe,' one woman wrote under an Instagram photo of the crystal clear water.

'Glorious spot,' said a second, while a third added: 'Major Mediterranean vibes.'

It was barricaded in 2019 to prevent erosion from ruining the natural serenity but has since reopened just in time for the hot weather to return

It was barricaded in 2019 to prevent erosion from ruining the natural serenity but has since reopened just in time for the hot weather to return.

'Melbourne summers are underrated honestly! It gets so damn hot down here when it wants to lol. Very dry heat,' one woman wrote on Sophia's video.

'This looks incredible, I'm going to have to road trip down,' said another.
Controversial mummy blogger Constance Hall has revealed she is living apart from her husband of four years Denim Cooke after he almost died falling off a motorbike in 2020.

The 38-year-old mother, who lives with her seven children in Western Australia, spoke candidly on Instagram on Wednesday about the state of her marriage after innumerable Covid lockdowns and a husband who is recovering from serious trauma.

'He just completely checked out of life after the accident," she said.

Denim, who recently avoided a stint in jail despite driving with ice in his system and having an unrestrained child in his car, was involved in a horror motorbike crash in August, 2020.

The 38-year-old mother, who lives with her seven children in Western Australia, spoke candidly on Instagram on Wednesday about the state of her marriage after innumerable Covid lockdowns and a husband who is recovering from serious trauma

The 46-year-old was airlifted to a trauma ward at Royal Perth Hospital suffering seven broken ribs, punctured lungs, multiple infections and a brain injury after skidding off his bike.

'I think when he woke up from the accident, I was very excited. And there was this sort of false hope,' Conatance said.

'I spoke to the doctors, and they said Denim doesn't have motivation anymore. The frontal lobe damage has taken any of that away that he might have had before.

'His psychiatrist said really recently, and it was really clever, "He loves you. He loves his family. He needs to work for you rather than just getting you and all the things you do and provide... and that's not gonna happen unless he's removed from the family home."'

The couple began to look into an assisted care facility to get a few nights away from each other and heal but Constance was reminded constantly that he was 'becoming a shell of a man'.

The couple began to look into an assisted care facility to get a few nights away from each other and heal but Constance was reminded constantly that he was 'becoming a shell of a man'

They were fighting and the mother-of-seven could see their relations were spiralling.

So Denim went to stay with 'his bestest friend' who lives in Esperance, a 10 hour drive away from Constance's home in Margaret River.

'I spoke to him the next day, and there was just this light in his face... like he was just his old self again. He was clear. He was awake and alive and around lovely people,' she said.

Her empathy, compassion and desire soon returned and Constance thanks her husband's psychiatrist for stepping in when he did to 'help them'.

Final post? This photo of Constance, Denim and their son Raja shared on July 23 is the last time he appeared on his wife's Instagram account

'So anyway, he's still in Esperance, obviously. But he'll come back when we figure out something better. And in the meantime, no one ever said it was going to be easy,' she said.

Opening up about his ordeal on his personal blog, The Cooke Trinity, Denim said doctors were mostly worried about the brain injury he had sustained, because it could lead to irreversible damage down the track.

'There was a time where the hope of me ever being the man I am today, able to communicate like I do and maintain these relationships was minimal,' he said.

Denim said his wife Constance was repeatedly warned that it would be a 'miracle' for him to make a full recovery, but the doting dad was mostly in a coma 'dreaming' while she stood by his side.

'I credit her influence on my fragile state to loving me back to myself. It took a few weeks and an amazing amount of her love, compassion and patience on all fronts,' he said.

Constance (pictured with Denim) has always been candid about their marital struggles

'I am only now understanding the relentless hard, repetitive, heartbreaking and exhausting work that was involved in bringing me back.'

He described how his personality has changed post-accident and that he is a 'calmer' and more 'patient' version of himself.

'My mind is overcoming its trauma and calculating the experience in a positive way. Internally I recognise that I'm less agitated by many things and have a larger sense of grateful appreciation for the most simple things. I'm even easier to get along with,' he said.

In an ode to his wife, Denim called her his 'everything' and said he would try to be a better father to their children and a better husband because 'her unwavering love saved me'.

He said he feels grateful to have escaped any lasting disabilities and will only need to manage chronic pain as a result of the fall, something he considers getting off lightly.

Constance and Denim (pictured together) tied the knot in a bohemian forest ceremony at Karriview Lodge near Margaret River, WA, in January 2018 following a whirlwind romance

Constance and Denim announced their engagement in June 2017, two months after she split from her first husband of six years, Bill Mahon.

In October 2017 the couple announced they were expecting their first child together, a son named Raja.

The pair tied the knot in a bohemian forest ceremony at Karriview Lodge near Margaret River, Western Australia, in January 2018 following a whirlwind romance.

Their blended brood consists of Constance's four children, Billie-Violet, Arlo Love, and twins Rumi and Snow from her previous marriage, and Denim's two sons Zeyke and Sunny.
Dog owners have showed off their adorable pooches in Birmingham today as they prepare to compete at Crufts 2022.

Canines ready to walk the catwalk arrived in leopard print onesies and colourful rain boots as they braved the weather to head to the world's biggest dog show at the National Exhibition Centre.

Owners and pets and will see canines from around the world will compete in agility and obedience competitions over the next three days with one pooch being named best in show on Sunday.

Among the early arrivals was Susan Reilly who stuck up a very cute pose with her Pyrenean Mountain Dog called Boris outside the NEC.

The giant dog - who is more than 6ft tall and adorably had a neckerchief with 'Boris Bear' embroidered on it - towered over his owner as he stood up on his back legs to hug her.

An Old English Sheepdog is inspected in Birmingham today as the dog competed at Crufts

Taking a break! A pair of Bullmastiffs are seen relaxing during day one of the competition

Working it! A pair of Russian Black Terriers arrive for the first day of the Crufts dog show

Waiting their turn! A Great Dane looks on during the first day of the Crufts Dog Show, pictured left, while another dog sits patiently, right

Getting ready! A man brushes his Samoyed when attending the competition in Birmingham

Prince Michael of Kent (pictured left and right) attends the competition in Birmingham today to meet the adorable dogs

Preparing: An owner brushes her Pembroke Welsh Corgi when attending day one of the event

Making friends! Prince Michael of Kent catches the attention of a Great Dane when inspecting the dogs on display

Susan Reilly and her Pyrenean Mountain Dog called Boris during the first day of the Crufts Dog Show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre

Pairs of dogs appeared to be the fashion of the day, with one woman spotted walking two Miniature Poodles in leopard print pyjamas

Twice as nice! Sweet bearded collies were also spotted entering the exhibition centre

Keeping his feet warm! One adorable pooch wore little rainboots to protect himself from the Birmingham weather

Two Samoyeds looked adorable in a cage as they got ready to compete for Best in Show

Owners show their bernese mountain dogs during competition on the first day of the Crufts

Ready FUR action! Two Tibetan mastiffs look on during the first day of the Crufts

Crufts returns this year after it was cancelled last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 16,000 competitors will take part with one eventually being awarded the Best In Show Trophy

Pyrenean Mountain Dogs head in to the centre ahead of the first events

A pair of dogue de bordeaux look adorable as they relax before their show

Dogs and their owners arrive on the first day of Crufts 2022 at National Exhibition Centre - some walked freely while others were kept in cages before the show

Best in Jow! A Newfoundland named Joe is walked into the first day of the Crufts Dog Show

Elsewhere, a woman was spotted walking in with two Saint Bernard Dogs who sported fetching black leg warmers covered in multicoloured paw prints

It's gonna be great! A great dane is walked into the first day of the Crufts Dog Show

Windswept and wonderful! A bearded collie is walked into the first day of the Crufts Dog Show

Elsewhere, a woman was spotted walking in with two Saint Bernard Dogs who sported fetching black leg warmers covered in multicoloured paw prints.

Sweet bearded collies were also spotted entering the exhibition centre, while one dog owner carried her Old English Sheepdog in a crate into the Birmingham arena.

Pairs of dogs appeared to be the fashion of the day, with one woman spotted walking two Miniature Poodles in leopard print pyjamas.

The show returns this year after being cancelled in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Is that you Lassie? Four Rough Collies go for a walk outside the NEC as they gear up to compete

Two Bernese Mountain dogs go for a stroll with their owner ahead of the big show this weekend

A real good pack! Crufts returns this year after it was cancelled last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 16,000 competitors will take part with one eventually being awarded the Best In Show Trophy. Four Huskies are pictured

Puparazzi ready! Pooches looked happy to be photographed as they headed into the show

Double trouble! Bearded Collies are blown by the wind as they arrive for the first day of the Crufts Dog Show

No ruff, just ready! Dogs of all breeds from nearly 40 countries are in attendance at the show

Old English sheepdogs are wheeled in a crate into the first day of the Crufts Dog Show

Relaxing before the competition! Old English sheepdogs are wheeled in a crate into the first day of the international event

A Komondor arrives in a cage on the first day of Crufts and looks ready to spring into action

An Old English Sheepdog chews a bone as they sport adorable leg warmers ahead of the show

A couple of dogue de bordeaux are walked into the first day of the Crufts Dog Show

A Hungarian puli inside a crate is taken into the first day of the Crufts at the NEC

Looking in good shape! Owner Jim brushes his Bernese Mountain Dog ahead of the competition

Keeping hydrated: A woman sprays her Newfoundland with water ahead of the big event

Say cheese! A woman takes a selfie with her dog as they arrive for the first day of the Crufts dog show

On trend: A stylish Xoloitzcuintle dog arrived at the event wearing a stylish check coat

The Kennel Club said it decided to cancel the event set for July 15-18 because of the 'ongoing uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic' and concerns about the safety of the thousands of participants had prompted the decision.

The Kennel Club said it took the decision 'with deep regret', but that it was looking 'extremely unlikely' that overseas judges and exhibitors would be able to attend 'in light of recent announcements and the emergence of a third wave of coronavirus in Europe.'

It is the first time the annual event has been cancelled since 1954.

The dog show was one of the last major public events to go ahead in Britain in early March 2020, as fears over virus cases mounted.

Ready for action! A salivating rottweiler is walked into the first day of Crufts 2022

A woman holds a shih tzu, on the first day of the Crufts Dog Show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre

Susan Reilly and her Pyrenean Mountain Dog called Boris during the first day of the Crufts Dog Show

Baby on board! A very sweet small dog arrives in a pram arrives on the first day of the Crufts

A Shih Tzu named King Ellis is carried by his owner Betty as they head to compete in the midlands

Owners brought their dogs in caters, leads and prams as thousands gathered at the NEC

The competition, which will culminate with the prestigious Best In Show being awarded on Sunday evening. A bearded collie is walked into the first day of the Crufts

The show, first held in 1891, has been cancelled three times before: for World War I, World War II and due to strike action by electricians in 1954.

The competition, which will culminate with the prestigious Best In Show being awarded on Sunday evening.

There are more than 16,000 dogs from from 39 countries competing at the dog show.

This years TV coverage will again be hosted by Clare Balding, Sophie Morgan, and Radzi Chinyanganya.

Looking good! A stunning dog is given a stylish makeover when at the show in Birmingham

Sharing a kiss! An owner and her dog shared an affectionate cuddle when at the show

A man grooms Shetland sheepdogs after they are brought to the first day of the Crufts show

An old English sheepdog with their owner during the first day of the Crufts Dog Show
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Viewers of Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr were left baffled by a contestant's 'crazy beach bar aesthetic' as the popular home renovation show returned last night, and compared it to 'Blanche Devereux's bedroom'.

Budding interior designers were challenged with redesigning two-bedroom apartments in a chic Manchester high-rise.

In teams of two, they had to reimagine a bedroom, home office and living area in a way that communicated their personal aesthetic, as well as demonstrated compromise.

Fans were baffled by some of the results, with hair salon owner Peter Anderson's palm print bedroom proving particularly divisive.

Bright and beautiful! Fans were baffled by hair salon owner Peter Anderson's palm print bedroom, pictured

Tropical dream? Drawing inspiration from 'Ibiza and the Bahamas', Peter opted for a palm print wall and blue paint

Impressed: Judge Matthew Williamson was blown away by Peter's design decisions and hailed it a 'gorgeous' space

One tweeted: 'That leaf wallpaper would not be calming for a nice nights sleep Peter! #InteriorDesignMasters.'

Another posted: 'Peter need to calm his a** down with this crazy beach bar aesthetic.'

A third added: 'I have some concerns about the Bahama/Ibiza theme. Bamboo? #InteriorDesignMasters.'

But judges Michelle Ogundehin and Matthew Williamson felt the opposite and were blown away by the confident design.

Williamson exclaimed: 'Oh my goodness, I love this space! It's gorgeous. I love how bold and confident it is... What was a really dull, dead space. That's quite amazing. It's lovely, isn't it?'

The judges were similarly effusive about the work done by Peter's design partner, Fran.

Criticism: Viewers were divided over the space, with some comparing it to Golden Girls' Blanche's palm bedroom

The pair were awarded the top spot, with Ogundehin and Williamson saying they: 'Showed real design savvy, making the space work harder without compromising any of the style or fun.'

The other design that proved divisive was the bedroom by Reading-based Dean Powell, who opted to decorate in shades of sage and mint green.

One tweeted: 'Dean has created the sort of bedroom you only ever see on The Circle #InteriorDesignMasters.'

Another compared it to a 'celery asylum'.

Feeling green: The other design that proved divisive was the monotone bedroom by Reading-based Dean Powell

Calming: Dean, who typically favours black paint, decorated the entire room in shades of teal and sage, pictured

Questionable: Some viewers were unconvinced by the colours in Dean's sage and mint bedroom

Once again, the judges felt differently, and invited Dean and his partner to return next week.

Other viewers were completely baffled by the rooms in general, with one comparing it to 'Blue Peter'.

Another posted: Others noted very few of the designs seemed practical, with one writing: 'So where do you put your clothes in the bedrooms? Where do you put the ironing board and hoover? Where do you put all the crap of life? #interiordesignmasters.'

Eventually Richard was sent home. The designer, known for his bold murals on Instagram, had been confident with his 'retro modern' style but it did not impress the judges who thought it looked 'two dimensional'.

Falling flat: Eventually Richard was sent home. The designer, known for his bold murals on Instagram, had been confident with his 'retro modern' style but it did not impress the judges who thought it looked 'two dimensional'

Williamson said: 'You're an artist, a painter. But this is a very different discipline, doing a 3D space, and I think that's been a tricky transition for you.'

Ogundehin added: 'You did so much right but it's bigger. Interior design. It's hard. It's really hard.'

Next week the designers will be challenged to redesign bedrooms in a boutique hotel.

Contestants on Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr are competing to win their first official commercial contract, with the Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall.

Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr continues next Monday at 9pm on BBC1.
A thrice married multi-millionaire who became notorious as the boss of a sugar babies dating site will waive his right to divorce when he weds again this year after meeting his soul mate through his own agency.

Infamous for announcing love was 'invented by poor people' Brandon Wade, 51, admits his own cynical declaration was challenged by meeting economics student Dana Rosewall, 21, at the end of 2020, through SeekingArrangement - the American sugar dating website he founded in California in 2006.

Transforming the site - which had 36 million users worldwide, around a million of which were in the UK - last month into Seeking, an upmarket dating agency 'building connections between like-minded people,' he has moved it away from catering for sugar babies, or younger women dating richer older men or sugar daddies for cash.

Brandon, who lives with his fiancee in Las Vegas, and had already accumulated wealth as a tech consultant before starting his dating site, said: 'Mine and Dana's love is eternal, timeless and transcends this life.

Brandon Wade, 51, met economics student Dana Rosewall, 21, at the end of 2020, through SeekingArrangement - the American sugar dating website he founded in California in 2006

Dana said that people always stare at the couple because of their 30-year age gap, but insists their love is 'genuine'

'Marriage was a significant event and we wanted to send a message to the world.

'This isn't a stunt, this is a huge commitment.'

Juggling multiple partners after his marriages ended, while Brandon was asset rich, he admits that until he met Dana he was spiritually impoverished and spent most of his adult life believing love was 'not real.'

But, he says Dana changed all that, explaining: 'She said love is the only thing you should be attached to in this reality. We realised that no matter what, even if I lost every cent tomorrow, as long as I was with her on this journey to explore love, I would be okay.

'I didn't feel this attachment to our wealth, as we will always be there for each other.

Happy couple: The pair who live in California have found a love that is 'eternal, timeless and transcends this life', accoding to Brandon

'Neither of us wanted to get married when we first met, but we decided to do it because we finally understand what love is.

'And now that we understand it, there is no reason for a divorce, so I am going into marriage later this year waiving my right to have one.'

Planning to exchange vows 'somewhere in nature' later this summer, there will be no prenup, as Brandon says there will be no need, as he will agree not to divorce.

The arrangement will see them sign a waiver which will state that they will 'give up' their right to divorce.

Keen to send the world a message about the 'eternal and timeless love' he enjoys with Dana, Brandon now feels his failed marriages and multiple girlfriends were all part of his 'endless' and unfulfilled pursuit of true love.

Dana showing off her engagement ring. She will be Brandon's fourth wife, but he insists that they will never divorce and is even prepared to sign a waiver relinquishing his rights to split

Growing up in Singapore, in south east Asia, he says he did not attract much female attention until he found success and believed financial acumen was the main attraction for women when choosing a man.

He said: 'I started SeekingArrangement on my mum's advice, as she was always telling me to focus on school and said girls want guys who are successful.'

Once wealthy, he claims he had more success with women, but he failed to find true love - sparking his flippant comments on the subject.

Experiencing heartbreak early on as a 21-year-old student, he was given a B instead of his usual straight As for the first time after the woman dumped him.

He recalled: 'My first girlfriend was when I was 21 and it ended up in a huge heartbreak for me.

'Once the summer was over, she told me we should just be friends. I was so heartbroken I got a B for the first time in college.

Before finding happiness with Dana (pictured) Brandon was juggling women and dating six or seven sugar babies a year, but wanted a fulfilling relationship

Dana, who says she used SeekingArrangement as she was looking for someone with a 'successful mindset' is delighted to have found the husband of her dreams, and says that when Brandon proposed she said 'yes' immediately

'I built walls to prevent myself from being hurt again and I started to expect heartbreak after that.'

He now takes responsibility for his part in his subsequent marriage breakdowns in 1996, 2003 and 2014.

With his longest marriage lasting for six years, he admits to his own romantic failings, with one partner telling him it was 'like kissing a robot.'

By then SeekingArrangement - which he says he created to improve his own dating life - was thriving.

Brandon said: 'I really believed love was for poor people. I'd been searching for love my whole life, but I was confused about what I was searching for.

'As a kid, I lacked attention from females in my age group.

'And I launched SeekingArrangement because I was fed up with my dating life.

'I thought I had the formula for love figured out. I thought it was about having wealth and nothing more.

'Every relationship I had came crashing down and I never knew why, so the chase continued.

'After launching the website, I realised how easy it was to have a date if I flashed my wealth.'

A pitiful 50th birthday spent all alone in the summer of 2020, as the pandemic raged around the world, was the wake-up call Brandon needed.

Instead of juggling women and dating six or seven sugar babies a year, he wanted a fulfilling relationship.

Brandon consulted a fortune teller at a low point in his iife, and couldn't believe it when she told him he would marry for the fourth time

He said: 'I was so depressed, I called up a fortune teller who told me things were going to change and I was going to get married again.

'The last divorce was very painful, so I was very jaded.

'I didn't want to get married, as I wanted a partner, but wanted to be without that legal entanglements.'

A month after hitting rock bottom, hope came when he received a message from Dana on the dating website and the pair immediately hit it off.

After speaking for four hours, he asked her if he could fly out to Orlando, Florida, where she lived, so they could have a meal together.

Brandon, pictured here with Dana, says there will be no prenup because he will agree not to divorce

He said: 'My connection with Dana was so strong from the beginning.

'Our first conversation lasted hours and the next day I flew out to Florida to see her.

'She told me she would show me what love really is.'

The past year has been a transformative one for the pair, with Brandon finally realising how his ego had caused him to become deeply unhappy.

He admitted: 'I was chasing wealth, success and women in the wrong places.

'But I was deeply unhappy. I had all these negative thought patterns.

'Once I started to dig down inwards, it was an abyss.

'Dana has shown me that true love requires understanding, compassion and giving with good intentions.'

Bandon said that he has only come to understand what love really is since meeting Dana, after previously believing women were only interested in men who were wealthy

The couple, who will marry this summer, admit they are judged by strangers, but Dana said that spending five minutes with them proves that their relationship is genuine

After proposing in early January 2022, the couple now hope to tie the knot at Joshua Tree National Park in California later this summer.

Dana, who says she used SeekingArrangement as she was looking for someone with a 'successful mindset' is delighted to have found the husband of her dreams.

She said: 'When he asked me to marry him I said yes immediately.

'Everything about our relationship just makes sense, I just want to be around him.

'But nothing about our relationship is typical. We have a big age gap, people always look at us.

'I tell people to spend five minutes with us before forming an opinion. It won't be what they expect it to be. Our love is genuine.'

Inspired by finding love, Brandon decided to rebrand his website in line with his new way of thinking.

He is now promoting it as the largest platform for like-minded people looking to find 'great relationships'.

He said: 'When I started Seeking in 2006, my dating life flourished. I was arrogant and openly embraced non-monogamy. But everything changed when I met my soulmate Dana.

'The evolution of Seeking now reflects my personal journey. Once the world's largest sugar dating site, Seeking is now the place to find great connections, honesty and relationships on your own terms.'
A grandmother who was left 'drowning' with Covid was shocked to see an augmented version of what the virus did to her body in a new BBC documentary.

Rozi, 71, was hospitalised for eleven days at St Mary's Hospital in west London after catching the virus on a family holiday after restrictions eased in summer 2020.

However six weeks after leaving hospital Rozi was still suffering from breathing problem and fatigue, and appeared on BBC2 series Your Body Uncovered to try and discover what had happened to her body.

She met with Dr Guddi Singh and consultant Ernie Wong, who treated her in hospital, and was shown an augmented 3D image of her lungs as they are now, and when she had Covid.

The grandmother became emotional as she saw the detrimental impact the virus had on her body, with air sacs in her lungs becoming so filled with fluid it left her struggling to breathe.

Rozi, 71, was appeared on BBC2 series Your Body Uncovered to discover what her body looked like when she had Covid. The grandmother was shown an augmented reality version of what the virus, represented by yellow fog, looked like once it had spread inside her lungs

The doctors explained to Rozi that the virus caused her lungs to develop several patches of abnormal tissue (pictured) which had become inflamed

Doctors explained that at the end of our airways are 300 million microscopic air sacs. When we breathe in, these sacs fill with air and the blood vessels around them collect oxygen to feed our body (pictured, a replica of Rozi's air sacs without fluid inside)

The doctors explained how breathing in droplets of the virus through her upper airway infected the lungs, and that her white blood cells and antibodies were slow to fight the virus.

Once the virus had spread to the lungs, Rozi was shown how it multiplied inside her body - with the grandmother shocked at how far the 'angry looking' Covid had spread.

The doctors explained to Rozi that the virus caused her lungs to develop several patches of abnormal tissue, which had become inflamed.

The inflammation in Rozi's lungs meant excessive immune cells gathered to fight the infection, however unwittingly worsened her condition by causing a backlog of cells to pass through her airways.

When Rozi was infected with Covid, the sacs filled up with a collection of fluid, mucus and dead cells, meaning she struggled to breathe (pictured, a replica of Rozi's air sacs while filing up with fluid)

Over one quarter of Rozi's air sacs were full of fluid when she had Covid, meaning she lost a quarter of her capacity to breathe. Pictured, a replica of Rozi's air sacs once filled with fluid

Doctors explained that at the end of our airways are 300 million microscopic air sacs. When we breathe in, these sacs fill with air and the blood vessels around them collect oxygen to feed our body.

When Rozi was infected with Covid, the sacs filled up with a collection of fluid, mucus and dead cells, meaning she struggled to breathe - with the grandmother describing the sensation as similar to 'drowning'.

Over one quarter of Rozi's air sacs were full of fluid when she had Covid, meaning she lost a quarter of her capacity to breathe.

The air sacs are impossible to see to the human eye, but the doctors created their best estimate of what they may have looked like in Rozie's case.

Viewers were stunned by the programme, which used augmented reality technology to show Rozi the inside of her body in 3D and full size, hailing the show 'brilliant and emotional'.

BBC viewers have praised Kate Garraway's latest series which saw her show a 71-year-old grandmother the damage Covid-19 had on her body

Grandmother Rozi, 71, was hospitalised for eleven days at St Mary's Hospital in west London after catching the virus on a family holiday after restrictions eased in summer 2020

'Congratulations to #BBC2 for the programme 'your body uncovered' Amazing, educational, showcasing augmented reality technology which helps ordinary people to understand how the body works. Emotional', wrote one viewer.

'Kate Garraway, just watched 'your body uncovered' tonight. Absolutely brilliant. Both the covid lung problem and the prostate problem were so informative. The 'patients' were so giving. And you Kate are a natural at this. Fantastic.', said another.

A third wrote: 'Brilliant and interesting Kate - dont know how you find the time but thanks for Your Body Uncovered.'

When Covid-19 restrictions eased, and transmission rates reduced, Rozi and her husband Jonni decided to take a holiday with their family to the Peak District.

However on returning home, the couple both began to feel unwell, with Rozi explaining: 'He looked not well, which is unusual for him.

'So I took his temperature which was way up high. The next morning we decided to do a PCR, his was positive and so was mine.'

While Jonni recovered quickly, Rozi became severely unwell and when her condition deteriorated she was admitted to hospital and placed on a high dependency Covid ward.

Viewers were stunned by the programme, which used augmented reality technology to show Rozi the inside of her body in 3D and full size, hailing the show 'brilliant and emotional'

'I thought to myself, "I'm never coming out of here",' said Rozi. 'I'd never felt so bad in my life.'

After 11 long days Rozi was discharged, but after six weeks her lungs had still not fully recovered - something Kate host was easily able to relate to.

'As I think you know my husband got sick right at the very beginning of the pandemic, when I don't think they really knew the effects on the body,' she said. 'A lot of things, of course, we're still discovering now.

'What do you hope seeing the impact Covid had on your lungs? What do you hope it will bring to you?'

'It will close the circle for me,' said the grandmother. 'To understand in a visual way what happened to my body, what made me so very sick.'

Speaking to Jonni, Kate said: 'It must have been so hard for you, and I've been through this as well'

Seven weeks after being released from hospital, Rozi underwent a scan to determine if there was any ongoing damage to her lungs and told Kate the good news that there had been no scarring

An emotional Kate said: 'I'm not allowed to hug you but I want to!' after hearing the news that Rozi would make a full recovery

Speaking to Jonni, Kate said: 'It must have been so hard for you, and I've been through this as well. Watching her get more and more sick and not being able to see her in hospital, it's so tough.'

Seven weeks after being released from hospital, Rozi underwent a scan to determine if there was any ongoing damage to her lungs, discovering that while she wasn't totally back to normal - there is no scarring to the organ.

'It's like magic', she said to Kate. 'It's like i've been through a long dark tunnel and out the other side. 'It's not exactly where I was before, it's somewhere else. It's a new place a new start and I'm very grateful to God and Ernie Wong.'

An emotional Kate said: 'I'm not allowed to hug you but I want to!'

Rozi went on: 'God should know how grateful I am to be back with my family and my kids and my gorgeous husband. It is wonderful and in the fullness of time I hope Derk gets there too.'

Your Body Uncovered with Kate Garraway airs on BBC2 on Wednesdays
Kate Middleton will 'not forget' how Meghan Markle treated her but won't prolong their feud, a royal expert has claimed.

Rumours have long swirled of a row between the Duchess of Cambridge, 40, and the Duchess of Sussex, 40, at the former actress' wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, with relations remaining tense ever since.

And Kate was said to have found it 'mortifying' that allegations she made Meghan cry during a row over bridesmaids' dresses re-emerged during the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview last year.

According to Ingrid Seward, the mother-of-three will be 'cordial' with Meghan if she attends the Jubilee, telling The Mirror: 'She will be sure to be photographed kissing or hugging her...She knows there is no point in prolonging a feud that has the opportunity of being repaired.'

Kate Middleton will 'not forget' how Meghan Markle treated her but won't prolong their feud, a royal expert has claimed

Meanwhile Ingrid said if the women reunite at the Jubilee, the Duchess of Cambridge will put her own feelings to one side.

She said: 'She has to - that is part of her job. Her private feelings have to remain just that.'

During the bombshell broadcast last year, Meghan said: 'She (Kate) was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologised. And she brought me flowers'.

Speaking to to OK! magazine last year, Katie Nicholl explained: 'Kate has never wanted any suggestion of a rift with Meghan to come out in the press, so for this story to be circulating is very hard.'

According to Ingrid Seward, the mother-of-three will be 'cordial' with Meghan if she attends the Jubilee celebration and will 'make sure' they are photographed 'hugging or kissing'

Katie added there are 'different versions' of the story and claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan know Kate is 'not in a position to respond'.

'From what I hear, there are different versions of the bridesmaid story, not just the one Meghan discussed,' the royal expert told the publication.

'Kate felt it was all sorted, so to have it brought up again was mortifying. Kate is not in a position to respond and Meghan and Harry know that.

The royal expert went on to claim that Kate was left 'saddened, disappointed and hurt' in the wake of Meghan and Prince Harry's tell-all interview.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl previously claimed that Kate was left 'saddened, disappointed and hurt' in the wake of Meghan and Prince Harry's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Ingrid's latest comments come as questions remain over whether or not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will attend the Queen's jubilee.

Last month, royal biographer Tom Bower claimed Meghan may never come back to the UK as she 'simply doesn't care' what the British public think.

The Duchess, who lives in a $14 million mansion in Montecito, California having stepped back from royal duty in 2020, has 'no intention' of returning to London because she views Britain as a 'lost cause'.

The commentator, who is currently working on a biography of Meghan, told the Sun: 'Meghan's ultimate destination is unclear, but she certainly has the backing to make a bid to star as an American politician.

Kate was said to have found it 'mortifying' that allegations she made Meghan cry during a row over bridesmaids' dresses re-emerged during the Oprah interview (pictured, the Duchess at the royal wedding with Princess Charlotte)

'In parallel, Britain is a lost cause for the Sussexes. In truth, I suspect Meghan no longer cares whether she is welcome in London. She has no intention of returning.

Prince Harry is believed to have 'reached out to his father' to have 'friendly video calls' ahead of the Queen's Jubilee and is likely to return for celebrations this summer.

The Duke was expected to come to the UK for the for the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service in the spring and the Queen's Jubilee in the summer.

However, a recent row over the Metropolitan Police providing their security has called their return into doubt.
The Duchess of Cornwall demonstrated her best moves during the opening of the new Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in London today.

Camilla, 74, donned an elegant knee-length navy dress and black boots as she attended the grand opening in her role as Vice-Patron.

Having previously gushed about her love of ballet and the importance of being active, Camilla eagerly joined in a class with the Silver Swans dance group during the visit.

The Duchess of Cornwall, 74, (pictured) attended the opening of the new Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in London today

Camilla took centre stage (pictured) as she met with dancers and officials during the highly-anticipated grand opening

Camilla (pictured left) looked elegant in a navy dress paired with black boots, and chatted to young ballet dancers during the visit

The Duchess of Cornwall styled her blonde hair into loose waves and kept her makeup subtle with the addition of a pink lipstick.

She coordinated her navy dress with a blue Channel handbag and gold jewellery for understated glamour.

Camilla has been Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy since 2020, alongside the Queen who has held the role since 1953.

Today, she appeared in good spirits as she posed for photographs with Cuban British dance director Carlos Acosta and former BBC Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell.

The royal also spoke with dancers and unveiled a plaque to commemorate the opening of the new Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in South-West London.

Camilla (pictured centre right) appeared in good spirits as she joined in with a class for the Silver Swans dance group

The Duchess of Cornwall was joined by Darcey Bussell (pictured), who is a former BBC Strictly Come Dancing judge and president of RAD

Darcey and Camilla (both pictured) were given the opportunity to watch dancers perform in the new purpose-build headquarters

The Royal Academy of Dance has over 100 years of experience in teaching dance and has offices in 36 countries.

Their new 19.5 million Battersea headquarters aims to provide students and teachers with enhanced training facilities including a library and a 193-seat studio theatre to showcase talent.

Plans for the purpose-built building were first announced in January 2017.

Camilla received a warm welcome today including a bouquet of flowers, having previously visited the organisation to show her support.

Camilla (pictured right) unveiled a plague to commemorate the monumental day, as thousands of students are set to benefit from the new facilities

Duchess of Cornwall, who was given a bouquet of flowers, posed for a photograph alongside Cuban British dance director Carlos Acosta (pictured right) during her visit

Meeting the president of the organisation Darcey Bussell during a video call when she was announced as Vice Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2020, Camilla said: 'I love dance in any form, so its a real honour for me to be asked.

'My visit there was so memorable, first of all because of the Silver Swans, but actually meeting everybody. It had a wonderful feeling of comradeship and also such a happy place! I think dancing makes you happy.'

The royal learned more about the history of RAD during a visit to the V&A's Royal Academy of Dance display last year.

The Duchess of Cornwall has previously spoken about the joy of dancing and having had ballet lessons at home

Camilla revealed that she started her days during lockdown with Silver Swans dancing and Pilates to keep active

At the time, she had been candid about having her own dance lessons at home with a group of friends and also opened up about her and Prince Charles' experiences of lockdown.

Camilla admitted: 'Well it's very peculiar. My husband is a workaholic so it's work wherever he is. We try to do something for our charities most days.

'We've got to keep active otherwise we will all seize up and we won't be able to get out of bed in the morning. It doesn't matter if it is ten minutes. It doesn't matter if it is ten minutes or 20 minutes, it just starts off the day. '

Camilla revealed that she starts her day 'with a bit of Silver Swans and a bit of Pilates... and a lot of walking, which I love,' she added.
A Russian fashion designer has been dropped by Paris Fashion Week for his 'affiliation' with Putin's regime.

Valentin Yudashkin, 58, who grew up in the village of Bakovka near Moscow, has been excluded from showcasing his latest collection of designs at the latest season of Paris Fashion Week.

President of the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, Ralph Toledano, explained that the decision was made based on the fashion designer's stance on the Russian regime.

In 2008, he was responsible for redesigning Russian military uniforms to help soldiers 'both feel and look good'.

'We have a firm stance against the initiative taken by the president of the Russian Federation. We have nothing against Russian [people], but we will not support or accept to have in our calendar those who support his position,' Ralph told WWD.

Valentin Yudashkin, 58, (pictured right) has been excluded from showing his latest collection at Paris Fashion Week because of his affiliation with the Russian regime

He explained that his team, who are responsible for bringing together fashion brands and promoting French fashion culture, did in-depth research to check Valentin Yudashkin's position amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ralph said: 'It became clear that he is an affiliate of the regime. As such, I consider that he doesnt have a place in the calendar.'

Valentin Yudashkin, who is arguably Russia's most famous fashion designer, designed a modern uniform for the country's military in 2007.

He aimed to combine the practical demands of the clothing with a sense of style to make soldiers 'both feel and look good'.

Valentin Yudashkin, who previously designed uniforms for the Russian military (pictured in 2008), took to Instagram to confirm that he would be showing his collection online

In the years since, Valentin has had his designs appear in glossy magazines including Tatler and Vogue Russia, in addition to debuting his collections at Paris Fashion Week intermittently.

Fans of the designer were quick to voice their opinions after Valentin took to Instagram to announce that he will not be featuring in the semi-annual fashion show this season.

Sharing a photo of a model wearing a ruffled cream dress, he captioned the post writing: 'Dear friends! Today, the Valentin Yudashkin brand has been officially excluded from the Paris Fashion Week show calendar this season.

'A call was received from the Haute Couture Federation to the brand representative in Paris, where it was said that the President of the Federation, Ralph Toledano, was forced to cancel the Valentin Yudashkin show due to great pressure and negative comments from the media towards the Fashion Federation.

'The fashion house of Valentin Yudashkin has been preparing a new collection for a whole year, putting strength and soul into each new look.'

The designer announced that the brand's collection would would be broadcast on YouTube and plugged for fans to subscribe to their Telegram channel for more news.

Ralph Toledano explained that designers are not just being considered based on their creativity because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Pictured: Valentin with his wife Marina

More than 7,000 people have watched Valentin Yudashkin's latest fashion show on YouTube, however the brand decided to turn off the option to comment.

When asked if other Russian designers could be excluded from Paris Fashion Week, Ralph Toledano explained that the schedules are decided by selection committees including federation members and industry experts.

He said that the criteria to participate in the show has been solely creativity until now, however they are now being 'driven' to consider other aspects because they reject the initiative taken by the president of the Russian Federation.

Ralph added that they aim to be fair while considering that 'all Russians can't be blamed' for Russian President Vladimir Putins actions and urged others against embracing an anti-Russian sentiment.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has seen thousands of people killed and injured since it began on February 24th.
Burger King will open it's first ever entirely vegan branch next week - serving plant-based versions of it's most famous dishes.

The US chain will serve no meat in its Leicester Square flagship restaurant from 14th March to 10th April as part of a month long takeover.

The restaurant  which has also undergone a redesign transformation fit for the occasion will showcase Burger King's full menu of favourites, made completely meat-free.

Alongside much-loved heroes such as the Plant-based Whopper and Vegan Royale, diners will also get an exclusive taste of over 15 ground-breaking new items.

In a fast-food first, a 'Cheeeze & Bakon' burger is set to be the crowning glory of the restaurant's innovative new menu, with a Plant-based Bakon Double Cheeeze XL and Vegan Cheeeze & Bakon Royale being launched for the first time ever, taking the place of their meaty equivalents the Bacon Double XL and Chicken Royale Bacon & Cheese.

Burger King will open it's first ever entirely vegan branch next week - serving plant-based versions of it's most famous dishes

Other mouth-watering options headed to the meat-free restaurant include the Vegan Nugget Burger, a Plant-based Double Cheeezeburger, Plant-based Cheeeze & Bakon Whopper, as well as scrumptious sides such as Vegan Chilli Cheeeze Bites.

The newly launched plant-based and vegan Katsu range, available nationwide for a limited-time-only, will also be available at the restaurant.

In another first of its kind, Burger King has also announced a meat-free menu for kids.

The fast-food chain has even said it will be keeping an eye on the most popular items on the menu, with a view to making some of them nationally available in the future.

Burger King has opened the meat-free restaurant to offer a wider and better choice for vegan, vegetarians, flexitarians, and meat-eaters alike, and follows years of development alongside the Vegan Society to guarantee the meat-free menu matches up to the same iconic flame-grilled flavour of its meat counterparts.

The new meat-free restaurant will only be open for one month, meaning burger fans will have to get in quick to try the one-of-a-kind menu before it's gone.

In another first of its kind, Burger King has also announced a meat-free menu for kids (pictured)

In a fast-food first, a 'Cheeeze & Bakon' burger is set to be the crowning glory of the restaurant's innovative new menu, with a Plant-based Bakon Double Cheeeze XL and Vegan Cheeeze & Bakon Royale being launched for the first time ever, taking the place of their meaty equivalents the Bacon Double XL and Chicken Royale Bacon & Cheese (pictured)

Katie Evans, from Burger King UK told FEMAIL: 'We're incredibly proud of our new meat-free menu; it absolutely delivers on big taste with no compromises and reflects our ongoing commitment to serving our customers a diverse and innovative range of products.

Full Leicester Square meat-free menu Vegan Nugget Burger

Vegan Royale

Vegan Cheeeze & Bakon Royale

Vegan Cheeeze Royale

Vegan Katsu Royale

Plant-based Katsu Chilli Whopper

Plant-based Whopper

Plant-based Cheeeze Whopper

Plant-based Cheeeze & Bakon Whopper

Plant-based Whopper Jr

Plant-based Cheeeze Whopper Jr

Plant-based Hamburger

Plant-based Cheeezeburger

Plant-based Double Cheeezeburger

Plant-based Bakon Double Cheeezeburger

Plant-based Bakon Double Cheeeze XL

Plant-Based Double Whopper

Plant-based King Jr Hamburger Meal

Plant-based King Jr Cheeezeburger Meal

Vegan King Jr Nugget Meal

Vegan Fries

Vegan Nuggets

Vegan Chilli Cheeeze bites

Plant-based Onion Rings

Ben & Jerry's Cookie on Cookie Dough Non-Dairy Ice Cream Advertisement

'The limited-edition menu is a direct result of our focus on vegan and plant-based innovation and goes hand in hand with our target of a 50 per cent meat-free menu by 2030, as well as our commitment to sustainability and responsible business.

'We can't think of a more fitting way to re-launch our new-look flagship in Leicester Square.'

The restaurant chain has committed to reducing emissions including those from purchased goods and services, capital distribution and waste generated in operations and franchises, with the new Leicester Square store being an example of this.

Dawn Carr, from PETA added: 'PETA applauds the UKs first all-vegan Burger King  a whopping great step in the right direction for animals and the environment. The planet needs a game-changing shift away from meat to combat the climate emergency, and Burger King is leading the way.

'We love its expanding meat-free range: from the Vegan Royale to the Vegan Nuggets, these plant-powered, protein-packed meals appeal to both vegans and meat-eaters!'

Laura Iliffe, from The Vegetarian Butcher added: 'At The Vegetarian Butcher, we believe that plant-based foods should be just as tasty as meat and our juicy range of meat-free products prove just that  showing that consumers don't need to sacrifice a thing when making a plant-based switch.

'By powering Burger King's plant-based offering and first meat-free restaurant in Leicester Square with our Plant-based Whopper, Vegan Nuggets and Vegan Royale  all of which are available nationwide - we're providing meat-lovers the chance to cut-down meat without compromising on taste. We challenge you to taste the difference!'

The Leicester Square meat-free restaurant opens 14th March and will be available throughout the month until 10th April.

To celebrate the restaurant going fully meat-free, Burger King UK is donating 10p to Trees for Cities for every Plant-based Whopper or Vegan Royale sold nationally during the four weeks of opening. *
NHS waiting lists for routine operations have hit yet another record high of 6.1million, the first official data for 2022 show.

An additional 30,000 people were on the list for routine operations such as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery in January compared to December.

The 6.1m toll is 2m higher than when the pandemic hit, when NHS elective care was effectively frozen for months.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has come under increasing pressure to get a handle on the crisis, with charities warning that millions of Brits are living in pain while waiting for their surgeries.

The number of people waiting over a year to start treatment increased to 311,528 in January, up from around only 1,400 before Covid hit.

The Government and NHS England have vowed to eliminate all waits of more than a year by March 2025 as part of their pandemic recovery plan. The health service will get an extra 12billion a year from April, funded by the 1.25 per cent hike to national insurance.

Almost 24,000 have been waiting at least two years for treatment, up from 20,065 in December, and over nine times the 2,608 who were waiting in April 2021.

These patients will be contacted by the end of the month to be offered alternative appointments in places where queues aren't as long or in private hospitals. Their transport and accommodation fees will be covered.

Data from NHS England shows one in nine people in the country were waiting for routine treatment  such as joint replacement and cataract surgery  or diagnostic tests as of the end of January

NHS plans to SCRAP target of seeing suspected cancer patients within two weeks NHS England's two week target for suspected cancer patients to see a specialist could be scrapped under new plans. It could be replaced with a new 'faster diagnostics standard', where patients who have been urgently referred should be diagnosed in 28 days  or have the disease ruled out. Health chiefs said the current two-week goal sets no expectation of when patients should be given the all-clear or told they have cancer. The NHS said the proposals, which comes just a month after Sajid Javid declared a 'national war on cancer' in a bid to improve Britains survival rate for the disease, are based on recommendations of an independent taskforce. Cancer Research UK claimed it should lead to improvements in diagnosis times but called for a plan to boost the workforce. However, Breast Cancer Now admitted it was disappointed that NHS England had watered down the ambitions of the Independent Cancer Taskforce (ICT) report. 'The ICT recommended the ambition should be for 95 per cent of people to be diagnosed with cancer, or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of urgent referral by 2020,' said Baroness Delyth Morgan, of Breast Cancer Now. 'Were deeply concerned NHS England has significantly lowered its ambition for rapid diagnosis by setting the target for the new Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) at 75 per cent by March 2024.' Other new proposed cancer targets include for patients who receive a cancer diagnosis to start treatment within nine weeks from the date of their initial referral, dubbed a 62-day referral to treatment standard. Patients must start first treatment within a month of a decision to treat them, the guidelines say. The latest NHS cancer treatment statistics recorded the worst ever level of cancer referrals. Some 202,816 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in England in January but only 75 per cent had their first consultant appointment within two weeks, the lowest percentage in records going back to October 2009. Advertisement

Health charities slammed today's figures, with some warning that it demonstrates the pressure the health service is under as Covid hospitalisation numbers begin to creep up again.

The Royal College of Surgeons' vice president, Tim Mitchell, said: 'If someone is left waiting years for a planned hip or knee operation, for example, its not surprising they will now be struggling to walk or work.'

Charity Versus Arthritis also slammed the data, saying it represented thousands of people living in agony while waiting in limbo for procedures.

'Behind todays waiting times statistics are people with arthritis living in agony and distress, slipping further away from a life free from pain, being able to work, and having some semblance of independence,' the charity's head of policy and public affairs Tracey Loftis said.

Labour's shadow health and social care secretary said the situation patients faced was 'unacceptable'.

'Record numbers of patients are forced to wait unacceptable lengths of time, including 24,000 who have been waiting for treatment since before the pandemic began,' Wes Streeting said.

As well as record long waiting lists, January also saw the lowest ever level of cancer referrals made within two weeks and A&E performance dived again.

Some 202,816 urgent cancer referrals were made by GPs in England in January but only 75 per cent had their first consultant appointment within two weeks, the lowest percentage in records going back to October 2009.

NHS targets state more than 90 per cent of patients given an urgent referral should be seen within a fortnight.

The target is set to be axed under NHS plans, it was revealed yesterday.

Macmillan Cancer Support director of advocacy, Eve Byrne, said yet another round of 'worst-ever- records was 'deeply troubling' for cancer patients in England.

She added that any new Government measures or targets to improving cancer care in England will fail without a plan to increase the workforce.

A&E performance also hit a record low in February, with only 73.3 per cent of patients seen within the four-hour target.

This is down from 74.3 per cent in January and 83.9 per cent in February last year, and equals the lowest percentage since records began in November 2010.

The target, to get 95 per cent of patients admitted, treated or discharged within four hours has not been met since 2015.

Today's data also showed 16,404 people had to wait more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England in February.

The figure is a slight improvement from 16,558 in January, which was the highest for any calendar month since records began in August 2010.

In total, 114,910 people waited at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission in February, again a slight improvement from an all-time high of 122,427 in January.



Queues for routine operations are expected to peak in 2024 at around 10.7million in the most pessimistic scenario, modelling from the NHS shows. It is because the health service expects many patients who missed operations to now come forward for care

Other estimates showed up to 200,000 people could still be on waiting lists for more than a year by 2025 under the most pessimistic scenario. This was despite Health Secretary Sajid Javid saying year-long waits would end by this date

NHS will PAY for a taxi and hotel to send long haulers for surgery at less busy or private hospitals in other parts of country The NHS will pay for patients in England stuck on waiting lists to be sent to less busy hospitals in other parts of the country under radical new plans. They will be offered appointments in places where queues aren't as long or referred to private hospitals with their transport and accommodation fees covered. Health Secretary Sajid Javid unveiled the move as part of a series of reforms to slash the record queues for routine operations that have amassed during the pandemic. Mr Javid said the NHS will be soon be 'proactively' contacting all patients who have been waiting for two years or more by the end of this month to discuss alternative places to get their care. The offer will be expanded to everyone who has waited more than 18 months by the end of this year, with a view to offering it wider in the future. Patients will be offered treatments in parts of the country where queues aren't as long at other NHS trusts, or referred to private facilities for taxpayer-funded care. Speaking at the Royal College of Physicians in London this week, Mr Javid said: 'It could be the trust next door, it could be a trust that's further away and if it is your transport costs, accommodation, and other incidental costs will be covered. 'It could be independent sector, this is something the very best systems are already doing but I want it to become standard.' Mr Javid also said that the Government cannot keep throwing money at the NHS without reforming it, and highlighted the health service's budget is the same size as the GDP of Greece. Despite his libertarian background, Mr Javid also shot down the suggestion that the US' healthcare system was more free than the UK's. He said it was 'not freedom for the millions of people who can't afford it'. Advertisement

Official NHS modelling estimates the backlog could peak at 10.7million in March 2024, with 200,000 people in England waiting more than a year by 2025.

Waiting lists for routine treatment were high before Covid but have increased meteorically due to the disruption the pandemic caused to healthcare and by people's conditions worsening not wanting to put pressure on NHS resources.

The British Heart Foundation described today's figures as a 'ticking time bomb' for patients.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, the charity's associate medical director, said: 'The vast and mounting backlog of cardiac care is a ticking time bomb, which the health secretary recognised earlier this week.

'Cardiac care cant wait  significant delays could lead to more avoidable heart attacks, disabling heart failure, or even premature deaths.'

The number of people waiting for cardiac care in England grew to 293,500 by the end of January, about 4,000 of which had been waiting over a year, and 100 for over two years.

Elective cardiac care can include planned heart surgery such as fitting stents or balloons to open narrow or blocked arteries.

NHS England itself defended it's performance today, saying it had delivered 280,000 more diagnostic tests and checks in January compared to the same month last year despite ongoing staffing pressures.

The NHS's national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis said staff were determined to address the Covid backlogs that had 'inevitably built up' during the pandemic. But he added that it could not happen 'overnight'.

Soaring waiting lists and record low treatment targets comes just a month after Mr Javid unveiled the 12billion-a-year NHS Covid recovery plan.

It includes a raft of measures including building 100 community diagnostic centres, and new surgical hubs.

But reaction to the plan has been muted, with the headline promise to scrap one-year waiting lists not coming into effect until 2025.

The revised July 2022 deadline to scrap two-year queues was four months later than was previously promised by the Government, critics also said.

Other NHS England data showed proportion of patients in England seeing a specialist within two weeks if their GP suspects they have cancer fell to its lowest level on record in January.

The poor performance data comes as NHS England currently runs a consolation on ditching the two week target for suspected cancer patients to see a specialist.

It will instead be replaced with a new 'faster diagnostics standard', where 75 per cent patients who have been urgently referred should be diagnosed in 28 days  or have the disease ruled out by March 2024.

Today's data shows the NHS England, which already records this data, only managed to have 63.8 per cent of suspected cancer patients were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days in January.

Data on this metric only goes back to April 2021 so there are no comparable figures for January 2021, but this is the lowest percentage so far.

It comes as experts have asked NHS England for proof that new A&E measures  set to replace the four-hour waiting times target  will improve patient care.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), Nuffield Trust and King's Fund have all expressed concern that data from pilot studies in 14 NHS trusts has not been made public.

A new target of average wait times for A&E patients is set to replace the four-hour target a change backed by several NHS groups.

Under the new measures, patients would be seen within 15 minutes of arriving at A&E for an initial assessment and hospitals would be monitored based on the average time people spend in the department.

UK's daily Covid cases jump by another 50 PER CENT in a week as hospitalisations and deaths creep up Britain's Covid resurgence continued today, according to official data that showed cases, hospitalisations and deaths all rose again. Another 67,159 positive tests were logged across the UK yesterday, up 52.6 per cent on last Wednesday. Deaths within 28 days of a confirmed coronavirus test also increased to 123, up 66.2 per cent on the 74 recorded last week. And hospital admissions increased to 1,192 on March 5, the latest date UK-wide data is available for, marking a 14.6 per cent rise on the previous week. It was the third time in a row all three metrics increased week-on-week, after cases started to rise last Wednesday. Experts believe it is a combination of all restrictions being lifted in England on Freedom Day at the end of February and the rise of a more infectious version of Omicron  although experts insist it is not more deadly than its parent strain. Hospitalisations are rising in every region of England and are now at record levels in the South West of England, which has typically been hit less hard than other parts of the country. But NHS data suggests a significant share of Covid hospital patients are not primarily ill with the virus and test positive after admission for something else. Advertisement

In terms of ambulance performance, the average time for people waiting for an ambulance for life threatening emergencies in February was eight minutes and 51 seconds.

This is up from eight minutes and 31 seconds in January but below record the nine minutes and 20 seconds recorded in October 2021, the longest average response time since current records began in August 2017.

Ambulance response times for less urgent emergency calls which cover incidents like burns, epilepsy and strokes rose to 42 minutes and seven seconds in February.

This is up from 38 minutes and four seconds in January.

The number of people admitted for routine treatment in England in January was 226,856  up 63 per cent from a year earlier (139,378), although this reflects lower-than-usual figures for January 2021, due to Covid disruption.

In January 2020, the last data before before the pandemic hit, the figure was 303,466.

Another worrying statistic was the number people in England been waiting more than six weeks for a key diagnostic test in January.

Data shows 435,000 people were waiting for one of 15 standard tests  which include an MRI scan, non-obstetric ultrasound or gastroscopy.

The equivalent number waiting for more than six weeks in January 2021 was 377,651 while in January 2020 there were just 46,319.

The elective recovery plan sets the ambition that 95 per cent of patients needing a diagnostic test receive it within six weeks by March 2025.

The Nuffield Trust said the collection of worsening NHS performance data was 'sobering'.

Nuffield Trust deputy director of research Sarah Scobie also said the figures came as the country saw a rise in hospital admissions for Covid which could hobble any the NHS as it tried to deal with the treatment backlog.

'A renewed wave of the virus just as health and social care services are struggling to get back on their feet could be perilous for any hopes of recovery,' she said.

The latest data shows Covid hospital admissions increased to 1,192 on March 5 marking a 14.6 per cent rise on the previous week.

While not all Covid hospital admissions are there primarily for treatment for the virus, any patients with Covid have to be isolated away from other patients creating extra strain on NHS resources.
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As a majority of the world begins to look past the pandemic, hoping that at some point this year they can safely start living alongside Covid without much worry day-to-day, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the 'Deltacron' variant - a stain of the virus that includes traits from both Delta and Omicron, is starting to spread across Europe.

The organization said during a briefing Wednesday that the strain has been found to be spreading in France, Holland and Denmark.

They also believe they have detected at least two cases in the United States, and plan to publish a report on their findings in the near future. The report also comes just as the world reaches the two year mark of the pandemic, with Friday, March 11, being the two year anniversary of the WHO declaring a worldwide pandemic.

USA Today obtained the pending publication, and reports that its reporters have viewed it in full. While the WHO has issued grave warnings that this variant could become a major problem in both Europe and U.S., not all experts are worried.

'The fact that there is not that much of it, that even the two cases we saw were different, suggests that it's probably not going to elevate to a variant of concern level,' Dr William Lee, chief science officer at Helix, a California based lab that sequences COVID-19 samples for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Per the CDC, the Omicron variant makes up every single sequenced Covid case in the U.S., with the BA.2 lineage making up 12% of those cases

Covid cases in the United States have dropped 36% over the past two weeks and 95% since the Omicron variant's mid-January peak

Helix detected the two cases of the Deltacron variant. Lee does not believe this strain is dangerous enough to ever be officially receive a Greek letter name.

Overall Deltacron cases remain low, even in the countries where some person-to-person spread was detected.

In the U.S., the Omicron variant makes up every single sequenced COVID-19, with the original BA.1 variant making up 88 percent of cases, and the BA.2 'stealth' variant making up 12 percent.

While it is still too early for the general population to start worrying, it could potentially be the next threat lurking around the corner.

For the most part, the world is looking beyond Covid. Cases have cratered globally since the Omicron variant peaked across much of the world in January.

The U.S. is currently recording 37,524 cases per day, down 36 percent in the past week and over 95 percent since the variant's peak at around 800,000 cases per day in mid-January.

Hawaii became the 50th and final state to drop its mask mandate this week as well, meaning that by the end of the month not a single U.S. state will have a mask mandate for all indoor public places.

Federal officials finally moved to lift mask orders recently as well, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) making drastic changes to how it calculates COVID-19 risk at the end of last month, which in effect drastically changed the number of Americans under indoor mask guidance.

New figures now value hospitalizations strongly, as the CDC has accepted that infections are likely inevitable, even among the vaccinated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the 'Deltacron' Covid variant is spreading in Europe, and has even been detected in the U.S. The organization will soon publish a full report on the variant

As long as case numbers are not translating into increased strain on the health care system, officials do not worry as much anymore.

The change brought the share of Americans under an indoor mask recommendation down from 95 percent to 30 percent - before dropping it once again to ten percent last week.

Officials are looking towards living alongside the virus as well, and making the transition from 'pandemic' to 'endemic'.

Reaching an endemic phase would allow humans to live their lives as normal, no masks or vaccine checks needed, with limited impact on human life. Regular Covid booster shots, likely annual like the flu, will be necessary as well.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, told NBC News on Monday that she believes Covid will become a seasonal virus like the flu, mainly causing small outbreaks during the colder fall and winter months before going dormant for the rest of the year. She also does not expect there to be a major summer Covid surge this year.

Walensky is not the only expert predicting a quiet upcoming months before Covid potentially resurges in the fall and winter months of 2022.

Last week, former Food and Drug Administration Director Dr Scott Gottlieb said that he expects a quiet summer before the virus makes a return this fall.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel also said last month that he expects the next COVID-19 booster shot to become necessary in fall, implying there is a risk for the virus to rise once again during that period.

This would mean that America dodges a summer COVID-19 surge for the first time during the pandemic. The first major wave of the virus, after an initial outbreak that caught the world off guard in March 2020, occurred in the weeks following the July 4 holiday in 2020.

A year later, the Delta variant arrived in the U.S. over summer, first causing outbreaks across midwestern states like Missouri and Kansas before erupting nationwide and tearing through the unvaccinated population.

While officials are hopeful this can be avoided this time around, with nearly 90 percent of American adults having received one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine and more than 95 million Americans boosted, CDC officials say they are not letting their guard down.

'This next six months, the next year, will really inform us in terms of what living with this virus is going to look like,' Dr Henry Walke, director of the CDC's Center for Preparedness and Response, told NBC.

'...this virus has surprised us again and again and again... we don't know what the future holds.'

For now, though, Americans are ready to transition into what should be a second consecutive spring dominated by dropping cases and death rates that will put the peak of the Omicron surge in the rearview.

Daily Covid deaths are down 23percent over the past week, with the nation currently averaging 1,363 per day.
I thought you may be interested in the different levels of customer service I have experienced with travel companies following the recent, very unexpected death of my husband.

We had several trips away booked for this year, which I did not want to go on alone or with someone else as I would find this too upsetting.

I contacted British Airways, Ryanair and Travel Republic regarding bookings and they all refunded me promptly and treated me with compassion, which I really appreciated.

But it was a totally different story with Brittany Ferries, with which we had paid a deposit of 550 for a ferry crossing to Santander, Spain.

This reader was only offered a partial refund of her Brittany Ferries fare after her husband sadly passed away, despite earlier being offered a full refund due to Covid

It was initially set for October 2020, but was cancelled due to Covid. We were offered a full cash refund, but at that time were happy to reschedule to keep our holiday and support the company.

After several subsequent cancellations, the booking is now for this june.

After my husband died I contacted Brittany to cancel, but it said it could now only offer me half of the money back, and the other 275 as a voucher for another trip to use within two years.

This is the standard refund offered to anyone cancelling a trip, for any reason or none.

I explained that it was a trip with my husband, and I could not foresee being in a position in the near future to spend hours in a car with another person or sleep overnight in a cabin with someone else.

I have spent hours on the phone to customer services, and the case has been escalated to supervisors who still say they are unwilling to take my special circumstances into account and refund the full amount.

I accept that companies have terms and conditions on tickets, but I feel that in the case of Brittany Ferries, unlike all the other companies I have spoken to, there has been no willingness to look at these exceptional circumstances.

Bereaved people have enough to deal with without the stress of having to deal with numerous companies. A.O, via email

CRANE ON THE CASE Our weekly column sees This is Money consumer expert Helen Crane tackle reader problems and shine the light on companies doing both good and bad. Want her to investigate a problem, or do you want to praise a firm for going that extra mile? Get in touch: helen.crane@thisismoney.co.uk

Helen Crane, This is Money, replies: First of all, I am very sorry for your loss.

Our mailbox is sadly full of tales from readers who have not been treated with compassion when they have contacted companies to inform them of a bereavement.

While you say some of the customer service operators you spoke to were sympathetic to your situation, they were ultimately told by managers that they could not offer you your money back in full.

It is especially galling in this case, as you could have got a full refund had you cancelled the trip when Covid hit in 2020.

Instead, you  like many other holidaymakers at the time  were willing to support the travel industry by letting Brittany Ferries keep your money and rescheduling the crossing for a later date.

Holiday firms were urging customers to do this at the time, to save them from going under during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, Brittany has not returned the favour. When you contacted the company following your husband's death, it appeared unwilling to support you in your time of need.

I contacted Brittany Ferries to ask whether it could reconsider its decision due to your circumstances.

Unfortunately it did not offer an apology for the stress this has caused you, at a time when spending hours on hold to customer service departments was the last thing you needed.

However, it has now done what I consider to be the right thing and refunded your deposit in full.

You have already received a cheque for 275, and another for the same amount is now on its way meaning you will get back the full 550.

I wish you all the best at this difficult time.

Flight fail: Reader Heather experienced significant delays when she attempted to get a refund from Easyjet for her journey to Malta, which was cancelled in the spring of 2020

Hit and miss: This week's naughty and nice list

Every week, I look at the companies who have fallen short when it comes to customer service, and those who have gone above and beyond.

Miss: Easyjet Following the havoc Covid wrought on the travel industry, our mailbox is full of customers who find themselves on a wing and a prayer, hoping to get a refund from an airline.

Many have found themselves in for a long haul when it came to getting back their cash. This week, reader Heather told us that securing a refund for flights she booked with Easyjet has been far from easy, taking almost two years.

She said: 'I join the great number of people whose flight was cancelled during the first lockdown in 2020. I was due to travel to Malta and the flights cost 196.

'A voucher was issued and there was initially no choice of having a refund. However, last year I received an email from Easyjet saying I could indeed have one.

'After trying to say it made a mistake and I wasn't eligible, Easyjet eventually said it had processed it, and that the money would be in my account in seven days.

'But the bank transfer was processed wrongly and the money was sent back.

'After two months of phone calls, emails and complaints to my bank, I discovered the fault appeared to be at Easyjet's end.

'They asked for a letter from the bank proving the funds had not gone into my account, which I provided.

'But now they say they can't process a refund as the letter was not signed. How can this shoddy service be allowed?'

Heather since got a signed letter from the bank, and the money has now landed in her account.

But why has it taken two years for her to receive what should have been a relatively simple refund?

I contacted Easyjet to find out. A spokesperson for the airline said: 'Easyjet initially paid the refund using the account details [the customer] provided and we received confirmation that the original refund to the original payment method was successful.

'Because we were then informed her bank was unable to trace the transaction, we required a signed, stamped letter from the bank to confirm that they have not received the payment, in order for us to raise another bank transfer.

'We do need to have processes in place to mitigate against any potential fraudulent activity. As soon as we received the signed letter we processed the refund.'

While this technical hitch sounds legitimate, it took far too long for the money to arrive at its final destination - safely in Heather's account.

Chef's kiss: Steve's experience with cookware firm Circulon exceed his expectations, as they replaced a 15-year-old set of saucepans when the non-stick coating began to wear off

Hit: Circulon On a brighter note, reader Steve received such fantastic service from saucepan company Circulon that he just couldn't keep a lid on it.

He said: 'I've never done this before, but I wanted to give Circulon a round of applause.

'We purchased a set of their saucepans around 15 years ago and the non-stick coating has started to show signs of wear on three of the pans.

'I contacted Circulon and after sending photos of the issues they are replacing the three pans, free of charge. Amazing customer care.'

It's always nice to hear of a firm that has a handle on good customer service, and we are sure Circulon will appreciate your warm words.
Turkey Attempted to Stop Broadcast of Assyrian Genocide Documentary

(AINA) -- The Turkish Embassy in Sweden officially asked the Swedish television channel TV4 last week not to air a documentary on the Assyrian Genocide. The documentary Seyfo 1915 -- The Assyrian Genocide by the director Aziz Said and produced by the Assyrian Federation of Sweden was scheduled to be aired on Sunday 24 April, the day Assyrians and Armenians commemorate the victims of the genocide perpetrated by the ruling Young Turks during the late phase of the Ottoman Empire.

TV4 received an email note from the Turkish Embassy, signed by Arif Gulen, the press counselor of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. The editors of TV4 published the note on the TV4's media blog in Swedish and English.

The Embassy's press officer asks the TV4 editors to reconsider airing the documentary, because "conventional wisdom suggests that broadcasting of a documentary film comprising one-sided views of 'the 1915 events' will fail to serve the principle of objectivity of broadcasting."

The letter goes on stating that "there is no historical, academic or legal consensus on how to define 'the 1915 events'" and that "only a competent international tribunal can determine whether a particular event is genocide."

The letter triggered an immediate but strong response by TV4's program director: "We can never accept this. We will protest against any attempt to exert pressure that threatens freedom of expression," commented Viveka Hansson in a written statement. "The email is polite, though the message cannot be mistaken," she added and called the letter a "a clear attempt to censor Swedish media" based on opinions not appreciated in Turkey.

The Turkish Embassy's censorship attempt was also condemned by Swedish politicians. "It is unacceptable that the country [Turkey] is seeking to silence media in Sweden and it [the government] must take a hard stance against such actions," said Jonas Sjostedt, Swedish MP from the Left Party. He even suggested that Sweden should recall its ambassador from Turkey "to make clear that what you are doing in Turkey, which is very bad for the media, you cannot do in Sweden."

The Liberal party directed an appeal to the Swedish Foreign Ministry to respond to the Turkish attempt. "It is totally unreasonable for the Turkish Embassy in Sweden trying to stop the broadcast of a documentary on a Swedish TV channel and I assume that the Foreign Ministry will now call the Turkish ambassador for a discussion on what press freedom means and what rules apply in Sweden and in the Swedish democracy,"said MP Redrik Malm, on TV4 News.

The director of the Seyfo documentary Aziz Said, who lives in Germany, said to AINA, that he is "...encouraged by the strong response of TV4's program director and the Swedish media and politicians in general in not accepting Turkish interference in free speech, and by the courageous journalism."

Seyfo (sword) is the Assyrian word for the genocide their people during the time of the World War I. The documentary depicts survivor stories along with testimonies from several European, Turkish and Assyrian historians.

Afram Yacoub, the president of the Assyrian Federation in Sweden, is not surprised about what happened. "The only way to force Turkey to face its dark history is for democratic countries like Sweden stand up for the freedom of speech and historical truth," he said. He called on the Swedish Government to follow the Parliament's 2010 recognition of the genocide. The Swedish Parliament was the first assembly in Europe to officially recognize the Assyrian, Armenian and Greek Genocide in March 12, 2010 (AINA 2010-03-11). Turkey protested the decision at the time and issued a strong condemnation in a press release from the office of the Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip Erdogan). The protest culminated in Turkey recalling its ambassador to Sweden for consultations.

Sweden's genocide recognition explicitly referred to Assyrians and Pontic Greeks victims. Their suffering during the World War I has been mostly forgotten for decades, but in December 2007 the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) did vote overwhelmingly to recognize the genocides of the Assyrian and Greek populations of the Ottoman Empire between 1914 and 1923. For the Assyrians in Sweden, the recognition of the genocide was a milestone in their effort for political acknowledgment.

Eleven countries and institutions have recognized the Assyrian genocide.

The documentary Seyfo 1915 -- The Assyrian Genocide was aired as scheduled; however this incident is another chapter in Turkey's recent attempts to ban freedom of speech and silence journalism outside its own borders. The second part of the documentary is scheduled to be aired on TV4 on Sunday, May 1st.
Russian firms on the London stock market faced a fresh backlash last night after they finally broke their silence on the crisis in Ukraine  but failed to condemn the invasion.

Steelmaker Evraz, whose biggest shareholder is Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, said it was deeply concerned and saddened by what it called the Ukraine-Russia conflict and hoped a peaceful resolution could be found soon.

At the same time, miner Polymetal International said the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine is horrifying and heartbreaking as it called for a lasting peaceful solution to the conflict.

Weak: Evraz, whose top shareholder is Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich (pictured), said it was 'deeply concerned and saddened' by what it called the 'Ukraine-Russia conflict'

But neither firm  both members of the FTSE 100 until the end of next week when they will be relegated following a slump in their share price  criticised the invasion ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin in their statements to shareholders.

The tone of the updates triggered fresh calls for companies with links to the Kremlin to be removed from the London stock market altogether.

Sam Armstrong, director of communications for the Henry Jackson Society, a national security and foreign policy think tank, said the failure of the companies to condemn the conflict in the strongest terms represented a complete failure of leadership.

Any company with strong links to the Putin regime should be delisted from the London Stock Exchange immediately.

The sentiment was shared by financier and anti-corruption campaigner Bill Browder, who said Ukraine was experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe and everyone has a duty to cut off any flow of funds to the Russian state.

The biggest shareholders in Evraz are Abramovich, company founder and chairman Alexander Abramov and former chief executive Alexander Frolov, who combined own nearly 58 per cent of the company. All three were featured on a list of Russian oligarchs released by the US Treasury Department in 2018.

In what was nebulously dubbed an update on certain matters, the company flagged that despite sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion there had been no material direct impact on its day-to-day operations, although its supply and logistics chains were experiencing frictions.

However, there were creeping signs of uncertainty as the firm cancelled a dividend payment worth 553million as a result of the conflict.

The decision will deprive Abramovich of around 159million while Abramov will lose out on 107million and Frolov 53million.

Polymetal also avoided any direct condemnation of Putin or the Russian invasion, saying instead that the situation was horrifying and heartbreaking.

Nearly 24 per cent of Polymetal is owned by its founder Alexander Nesis, who set up the firm in 1998 in St Petersburg through his ICT Group. He was also named on the US Treasury list.

The gold miner said operations remained undisrupted, although the company warned sales of gold bullion in Russia had been impacted by sanctions by the US, the EU and the UK.

Another miner, FTSE 250-listed Petropavlovsk, also appeared to shrug off the effects of sanctions.

It said the companys operations in the far east of Russia were continuing without interruption and that no member of the group had yet been named on any sanctions lists. The firm did not offer any condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine.

Evraz, Polymetal and Petropavlovsk have seen their stock prices hammered this year. Evraz is down nearly 85 per cent in the year-to-date, Polymetal 88 per cent and Petropavlovsk 83 per cent.
There were chaotic scenes at the London Metal Exchange this week after nickel hit highs never seen before.

The trouble started on Monday as fears mounted that sanctions on Russia would trigger a global shortage of the metal that is used in batteries powering electric cars as well as to make stainless steel.

As a result traders scrambled to get their hands on nickel, sending prices up by 90 per cent to close at $48,000.

Steel magnate: Chinas Xiang Guangda has been caught out by the surge in the price of nickel

But by 4am on Tuesday, the nickel price was at an all-time high of $100,365 and the LME eventually stepped in and closed the market.

Russia supplies 10 per cent of the worlds nickel with Moscow-based Norilsk Nickel the largest producer in the world.

Nickel traders on the LME work for a range of clients, from stainless steel producers to car manufacturers, and were instructed to get their hands on the metal at any cost.

The LME is one of the few remaining open-air trading pits in the world and scenes on the floor were said to be frenetic that afternoon.

John Meyer, a mining analyst at SP Angel, said: Many traders would woke up on Monday and thought: I need ten tons of nickel for my client. Where am I going to get it from?

So you buy as much as you can for your client, at any price you can find.

The buying sent prices spiralling, forcing those who had taken out short positions earlier this year to unwind their trades.

LME: The top scandal Hedge fund Red Kite  co-founded by Tory peer Lord Farmer (pictured)  sued Barclays over market abuse in the copper market 1980 Silver Thursday: Failed attempt by brothers Nelson Bunker Hunt, William Herbert Hunt and Lamar Hunt to corner the silver market.

Silver Thursday: Failed attempt by brothers Nelson Bunker Hunt, William Herbert Hunt and Lamar Hunt to corner the silver market. 1985 Tin Crisis: Tin market collapsed, which bankrupted brokers and threatened entire existence of the LME.

Tin Crisis: Tin market collapsed, which bankrupted brokers and threatened entire existence of the LME. 1996 Sumitomo scandal: A Japanese trader  known as Copperfingers  amassed 2billion of losses trying to corner worlds copper market.

Sumitomo scandal: A Japanese trader  known as Copperfingers  amassed 2billion of losses trying to corner worlds copper market. 2017 Red Kite court case: Hedge fund Red Kite  co-founded by Tory peer Lord Farmer  sued Barclays over market abuse in the copper market. Case settled in 2019.

Among the heavyweights caught out was Chinese entrepreneur Xiang Guangda, known as Big Shot, who had taken a massive short position  believed to be in the region of 100,000 tons of nickel.

Xiang had held the position for months as he tried to corner the market and it is understood he now faces a 6billion paper loss.

Big Shot is well known in trading circles as he owns the worlds largest producer of nickel, Tsingshan Group in Wenzhou in eastern China.

He is a powerful metals magnate, whose firm employs 80,000 people with revenues of 23billion per year.

He runs the business with his wife He Xiuqin and while they are renowned for keeping a low profile, they both regularly attend LME week  an annual event in London that brings producers and traders together for seven days of heady parties.

The couple got their big break in the late 1980s with a business making frames for car doors and windows.

In 1992 they moved into stainless steel and as Chinas economy steamed ahead the business grew quickly and they became billionaires.

Speculation is rife that his short trade could bring his empire crashing down but yesterday he was given a lifeline as his bankers JP Morgan Chase and China Construction Bank stuck by him.

In urgent meetings Xiang told the bankers that he has the money to exit the bets and meet his obligations.

But the incident is yet another embarrassment for the London Metal Exchange which has been rocked by similar short selling scandals down the years.

Yesterday Matthew Chamberlain, the LME chief executive, said the exchange was looking at whether it should limit short-selling following the debacle.

Metal rush: By 4am on Tuesday, the nickel price was at an all-time high of $100,365 and the LME eventually stepped in and closed the market

He told Times Radio: The LME has actually several times put out discussion papers saying should we, as the exchange, have more supervision over short position holders, should we be asking them what their intentions are, should we limit the size of a short position that you can hold.

Weve always been told by our market that they dont want that, that they want this to be a true capitalist market where you can express a view one way or the other.

But I think this situation will reopen that discussion.

The LME nickel market is set to re-open again tomorrow at Mondays closing price of $48,000 as Tuesdays trades were cancelled. Traders believe nickel prices will shoot higher again at the bell.

But Shahnawaz Islam, the head of ferrous trading at Amalgamated Metal, said: The bigger question is how was one man allowed to build up such a big short position and create this much trouble.
The 28-year-old AOC-backed candidate facing a run-off against centrist Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar had a long-term affair with her former high school teacher, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

Jessica Cisneros was in a sexual relationship with educator-turned-lawyer John Balli, now 51, and called him 'babe' in a 2011 text professing her love when she was 18  and he was 41.

The ultra-liberal would-be Congresswoman began a sexual relationship with him after he began dating his future second wife Sandra Ramirez in May 2011. But the secret lovers had a painful split when Balli and Ramirez wed in July 2014.

However that marriage ended in divorce in October last year  and Ramirez, 49, is now slamming Cisneros for helping to destroy it.

She believes the congressional hopeful and Balli rekindled their affair in 2019 when the ex-teacher nominated his former student for her first shot at running against Cuellar in the 2020 Democratic primary for Texas' 28th district.

Jessica Cisneros had a long-term affair with her former high school teacher John Balli, who is now a lawyer. His ex-wife Sandra Ramirez is pictured left, Cisneros is center and Balli is right

Cisnero is running for a seat in Congress and has the backing of AOC. Conservative Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar narrowly edged out over progressive challenger Cisneros in the Texas primary, and the pair will now go head-to-head in a run-off election in May

In a text seen by DailyMail.com, an 18-year-old Cisneros writes on October 26, 2011: 'I love you so, so, so, so, so, so much, baby! 'You make me incredibly happy, like you have no idea. Whenever I'm with you or talk to you, I just don't want to stop; I don't want to sleep...you make me feel so loved, so wanted'

Ramirez claimed adultery in her divorce petition obtained by DailyMail.com. However, it does not name any woman and her ex-husband denied the allegation in his formal response, court papers show.

Cisneros began sleeping with Balli (pictured) after he started dating his future second wife Sandra Ramirez in May 2011

But she told a close friend: 'I hate Jessica Cisneros. She was responsible for the break-up of my marriage. She could never look me in the eye.

'How can she say she's is fighting for women's rights, including being pro-abortion, when she betrayed another woman. How can she do that?

'It was an insane relationship because he was her teacher. She is much younger, 23 years.'

Ramirez also told the friend she suspected her ex husband and Cisneros were still seeing each other.

Ramirez was contacted by DailyMail.com regarding her marriage split, but she would not elaborate on the claims.

DailyMail.com's exclusive revelations follow Cisneros forcing Cuellar, 66, into a May run-off for the Democratic nomination for Texas' 28th district, which spans an area from San Antonio to her home city of Laredo.

She trailed by just 767 votes in the March 1 primary in her second bid to oust one of the anti-abortion congressman who is most conservative Democrats in the House.

Cuellar, 66, who is running for his 10th term in Congress, has been mired in his own scandal. The FBI raided his home and campaign office in January as part of an investigation into ties with the autocratic leader of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.

Cisneros, a human rights lawyer born to hard-working Mexican parents Jose and Ramona, is backed by far-left Democrat Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who flew down to Texas to endorse her campaign. And she would be a potential recruit to join AOC in the progressive 'Squad' if elected.

She once worked as an intern in Cuellar's office. Now, er campaign message plastered on billboards around Laredo is: 'Give me the opportunity and I will respond with actions not words.'

But her strong Christian beliefs sit in stark contrast with her secret affair, which Ramirez eventually discovered.

In one 2014 text, Cisneros told Balli he gave her his cold. In another she called him 'cutie' and signed off with 'love you'

In one text, Cisneros wrote the dates of their relationship as 9/10/11-9/10/14 and wrote 'Happy 3!'

Cisneros received a heartbreaking texts from Balli saying 'I love you. But I'm not sure this is working'

Balli taught Cisneros computer science at Early College High School in Laredo and helped her through her application to the University of Texas for her undergraduate degree.

She was studying there in 2011 when she sent him a text on September 23 saying: 'Babe. I'm waiting for my bio class to start.And you know, I have come across the realization of something extremely strange. I love you.'

Cisneros sent the message when she was 18, while the Texas age of consent is 17. It was four months after Balli and Ramirez had started a relationship following their introduction in an online dating site.

In a further text, also seen by DailyMail.com, an 18-year-old Cisneros writes on October 26, 2011: 'I love you so, so, so, so, so, so much, baby!

'You make me incredibly happy, like you have no idea. Whenever I'm with you or talk to you, I just don't want to stop; I don't want to sleep...you make me feel so loved, so wanted

'We equal INFINITY sweetheart!... I honestly cannot describe how great I feel know that you love me back. It's the best feeling in the world.

'Want to know what the next best feeling in the world is? Being in your arms! Hearing your breath going in and out of your body. Listening to your heart beating against your chest. Taking in your scent. Seeing your intoxicating smile that melts me to my core.reaffirming that I am yours and you are mine forever.'

In a flurry of emails in June 2015, also seen by DailyMail.com, Cisneros pours out her heart over an eventual break-up with her lover. It is not clear exactly when they split

Balli and Ramirez wed on July 17, 2014, after he turned from teaching to a new career as a lawyer which saw him work for a time in the public defender's office in Laredo.

And in a flurry of emails a year later, also seen by DailyMail.com, Cisneros pours out her heart over an eventual break-up with her lover. It is not clear exactly when they split.

On Tuesday June 16, 2015 at 3.53pm, then-22-year-old Cisneros wrote: 'After I hung up, I cried and cried and cried some more.

'I started looking at the videos and pictures from Saturday a week or so ago. It really does hurt that you're not mine any more. But I realized that what made me sad the most was that I was not going to have you as my best friend. That's something I absolutely can't give up.

'Our relationship has ended badly and it will take time for me to get over the fact that you're not my baby anymore and are someone else'sI decided to play with fire and now I'm finally burning.

'However, I love you as a person so much and our friendship does not have to end. I don't want it to. You've been such a part of my life for the past 7 years, John. There is absolutely no one that understands my humor and gives me advice like you do. That's what makes me cry and hurt the most

'Last night, I kept thinking about times that you've made me so happy and it's things that don't involve romance (although those did make me really happy as well, I won't lie about that).

'Like I said, it'll take time getting used to and to move on from you. I'll need to know the complete truth otherwise I'll keep torturing myself with questions, but I know I'm a very strong woman and I know that the best days of my life have not happened yet.

'I know that I'll find someone else that will be just as perfect as you except he'll be close to my age and I won't have to worry about what people think'

Her campaign message plastered on billboards around Laredo is: 'Give me the opportunity and I will respond with actions not words'

Cisneros even has the backing of Elizabeth Warren. She has run a campaign with an image as a strident social justice advocate with strong Christian beliefs

She continued: 'I'll miss staying over at your apartment and laying down listening to music. I'll miss you spoiling me. I'll miss having you sit next to me at a booth in a restaurant. I'll miss you making love to me.

'I'll miss your kisses, cuddles and snores. I'll miss your baby talk and you telling me you love me to the moon and back and to the ranch times ten

'You were my first and my one and only, John. I'll miss thinking I'm your one and only too. I find comfort (and anger) knowing that if it weren't for this age difference, we could have been each other's last.

'Just like you loved me unconditionally, I continue to love you too.'

Referring to Ramirez as 'that woman', she added: 'I sincerely only want your happiness and if that woman is making you happy although it hurts and makes me jealous out of my mind, it makes me happy at the same time too.

'I hope she treats you the way you deserve. I hope she spoils you with her cooking and back massages and indulges in stimulating conversations that I know you love too

'Mourning the loss of John my baby is pain enough but please, please don't let me lose John my bestest friend. I know I won't be able to bear that.'

Balli, aged 44 at the time of the exchange, replied in an email, saying: 'Time is what I need. I too am in mourning.. and have been for about a year. I really don't want too much as things are raw for me.

'Time will tell how things work between us.'

Cisneros responded: 'Fine, we don't have to discuss this right now. But don't cut me off.'

Balli's ex-wife Ramirez, who runs a barbershop in Laredo, believes he and Cisneros rekindled their relationship when he helped the budding politician during her failed campaign to win the Democratic nomination for the Congressional seat in 2020.

Balli's ex-wife Ramirez, who runs a barbershop in Laredo, believes he and Cisneros rekindled their relationship when he helped the budding politician during her failed campaign to win the Democratic nomination for the Congressional seat in 2020

The former teacher got involved in local politics and nominated his ex-pupil as a candidate in 2019. In a gushing nomination speech at a local event he told the audience: 'We know how great she is we know she is a woman of faith.'

Ramirez, who had supported her husband financially when he retrained as a lawyer, was then drawn into the publicity machine for the Cisneros 2020 bid  which included using her apartment as a base for the team.

But the nomination, specifically designed to have an AOC-aligned candidate to run against Cuellar, brought tension into the marriage as the campaign progressed.

Cisneros would ring up Balli in the middle of the night, explaining the calls to his wife as supporting his candidate.

Ramirez  who immigrated from Mexico  confided to her friend that Balli asked her for a divorce immediately after the failed campaign, which further raised her suspicions. However, the couple eventually stuck it out for longer.

Cisneros is trying to unseat nine-term Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar

The friend told DailyMail.com that Balli was infuriated that his then-wife had not shared his enthusiasm for Cisneros being around.

They said: 'She accused him of being in love with Jessica, but John claimed she was insane.

'She told me, I'm not wrong. I can see it. I'm a woman, I know. I'm upset, but I'm not stupid.'

Ramirez finally decided to start divorce proceedings against Balli in May last year after they had a dramatic confrontation. The final decree was granted in October on grounds of insupportability. Balli denied adultery in his legal response to the petition.

Shortly before that Ramirez also decided to confront Cisneros, by sending her a message.

Referring to Balli, she wrote on July 17, 2021, her wedding anniversary: 'I think this was mine, now it's yours. You can keep it. He is available' Cisneros did not reply.

DailyMail.com attempted to obtain a comment from Balli at his home and law office in Laredo. He refused and asked us to leave.

At a building associated with the Cisneros family in the city, festooned with election posters, the would-be politician's mother Ramona said she would pass on our request to speak to her daughter. We also contacted her campaign but neither Cisneros nor her camp responded.
Advertisement

Britain's Covid outbreak may be rebounding because Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has pushed the virus out of the headlines, scientists say.

Infections have been on the rise in the UK for a week straight, with the country now averaging 50,000 cases per day compared to around 35,000 on Freedom Day in late February. Hospitalisations have also been rising for the past seven days and in the South West of England have now eclipsed levels at the height of the Omicron wave.

But Covid  which has dominated the news cycle for almost two years  has been dwarfed by the war in Ukraine, which has gripped the world and produced harrowing images of civilian casualties on a daily basis.

The crisis is causing Britons to act 'less carefully... now the virus is off the news essentially', according to Professor Gary McLean, an immunologist at London Metropolitan University.

But he added that Ukraine was just one piece of the puzzle. 'It's almost like a perfect storm of several things has resulted in reduced care even though the virus is circulating at still high levels and immunity is slowly waning,' he told MailOnline.

Government adviser Professor Stephen Reicher, a behavioural scientist on SAGE, said the Ukraine crisis was giving the impression Covid had become 'yesterday's news'.

But he warned people were already changing their behaviour before Russia's invasion, as No10's rhetoric pivoted and ministers began stressing that we need to learn to live with Covid.

Cases are also thought to be rising due to a mix of restrictions being lifted and the rise of a more infectious sub-variant of Omicron known as BA.2, which is now the UK's dominant strain.

The scientists stressed the Covid situation in the UK pales in comparison to what people were facing in Ukraine, where a maternity hospital in Mariupol was bombed yesterday, killing three people, including a six-year-old girl.

A total of 516 Ukrainian civilians had been killed in the war so far, 37 of whom were children, according to the latest statistics verified by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). A further 908 people, including 50 children, have been hospitalised, according to the same stats.

Covid cases are slowly rising in all regions of England. Hospitalisations have also been rising for the past seven days and in the South West of England have now eclipsed levels at the height of the Omicron wave

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol on Wednesday

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

The above graph from the ZOE Covid symptom study shows that infections in the UK ticked up 20 per cent last week compared to the previous seven-day spell. Around 175,000 people are now catching the virus every day on average

The King's College London scientists, who run the study, found cases were ticking up in every age group but particularly among the under-35s

Britain's daily Covid cases began rising officially last Wednesday, according to Government dashboard data, bringing an end to a month of falling infections.

They have risen week-on-week on every day since, with the seven-day average now up to 49,400 cases a day  compared to 35,700 on February 25.

That was the day after Ukraine was invaded and England lifted all Covid restrictions on Freedom Day, which saw the end of compulsory self-isolation for Covid cases, face masks and contact tracing.

Daily Covid hospitalisations are also up almost 10 per cent in a week across the UK, Government dashboard data shows, with the average now around 1,200 admissions a day.

UK's daily Covid cases jump by another 50 PER CENT in a week Britain's Covid resurgence continued yesterday, according to official data that showed cases, hospitalisations and deaths were all up for the third day in a row. Government dashboard data shows there were 67,159 new positive tests recorded, 52.6 per cent more than last Wednesday's figure of 44,017. Deaths within 28 days of a confirmed coronavirus case also increased to 123, up 66.2 per cent on the 74 recorded last week. And hospital admissions increased to 1,192 on March 5, the latest date UK-wide data is available for. It was 14.6 per cent on the previous week. It was the third time all three metrics increased week-on-week in a row, after a two-day hiatus in data over the weekend. Cases have been increasing across Britain for the last seven days, in an apparent rebound after all restrictions were lifted in England on Freedom Day at the end of February. Hospitalisations in the South West are now at higher levels than at the peak of the Omicron wave, with experts insisting it is too early to worry but also claiming the increases could be driven by waning booster immunity. But dashboard data also suggests the fall in Covid testing may be ticking up again, which could also be a factor behind the increase in recorded cases. Advertisement

The latest findings from the REACT-1 study, which randomly tests 100,000 people, found that cases are rising in people over the age of 55 once more, which may explain the uptick in hospital admissions.

Separate figures from the country's biggest symptom-tracking study published today suggested cases rose 20 per cent last week compared to the previous seven-day spell, with 175,000 people now falling the virus every day. They rose in all age groups, particularly the under-35s.

Experts told MailOnline cases were probably rising due to Freedom Day itself and the rise of the BA.2 subvariant  but the Ukraine war may also be having an influence.

Like the rest of the world, Britain's newspapers, websites and television channels have been flooded with coverage of the war for the past fortnight.

Professor Reicher told MailOnline: 'The impression is given that Covid is yesterday's news.'

The expert  who has been an outspoken critic of the Government's Covid response, despite being on its advisory committee  added: 'But that started before the war, the notion that it was all over, and the referring [by ministers] to the pandemic in the past tense even informally.'

Professor Reicher claims the recent rise in Covid cases was likely down to the end of the final restrictions forcing people to take more risks.

'Much of the problem now has much less to do with people choosing to be less safety-conscious, but being forced to,' he said.

'Many companies are telling employees to come into work even if testing positive (but non-symptomatic).'

Government scientists are struggling to work out why admissions seem to be rising in line with hospital admissions. Normally, it takes two to three weeks for an uptick in cases to translate into more hospitalisations.

A Whitehall source told The Times ministers were not 'overly worried' by the increase, although they were keeping an eye on it.

Similarly, NHS sources said they hope the current rise is a blip. One senior source told the newspaper: 'We are not that concerned, but we are keeping an eye on it.'

Plans are being set out for the NHS to start rolling out fourth doses to the over-75s and the most vulnerable from March 21 to top-up immunity levels.

The original Omicron wave never overwhelmed the NHS, despite admissions hitting almost 2,500 a day. Around half of Covid inpatients in English hospitals were not primarily sick with the virus and were classed as 'incidental cases', and intensive care rates stayed flat.

Experts credited it to a mixture of Omicron and BA.2's mildness and the UK's wall of vaccine-induced and natural immunity.

Professor Gary McLean (left), an immunologist at London Metropolitan University, told MailOnline the Ukraine crisis was leading to Britons acting 'less carefully'. Professor Stephen Reicher (right), a behavioural scientist at the University of St Andrews, said it had made Covid appear to be 'yesterday's news'

The above graph is from Imperial College London's REACT-1 study. It shows cases appeared to tick up at the end of February and start of March, about the same time they were also increasing in the daily figures

Experts have warned the war will likely trigger a spike in Covid cases in Ukraine itself and neighbouring countries offering salvation to refugees.

Dr Richard Horton, who edits the prestigious Lancet journal, warns Ukraine has just a third of its population double-jabbed, making a flare-up in infections likely. He added that the decimation of health services by Russian shelling would make it worse.

But he said these would be nearly impossible to measure because surveillance systems for the virus have been disrupted by the conflict.

Around a third of jabs administered were the Chinese vaccine as well, which has been shown to offer little protection against the Omicron variant.

More than 2million people have already fled the war-torn country, often crowding together in trains, buses and at border crossings  places where the virus finds it easier to spread.

In the UK, there are no strong signs yet in official data that behaviours and attitudes towards Covid have changed.

The Office for National Statistics' Opinions and Lifestyles survey estimated that by Freedom Day, 83 per cent of Britons were still wearing face masks, compared to 88 per cent at the middle of the month.

Some 15 per cent of people also said they were still working from home compared to 27 per cent in the previous week.
Finland has detected interference with passenger jets' GPS signals near Russia's Kaliningrad enclave and the country's eastern border with Moscow since Sunday.

Finnish airline Finnair said its pilots have noticed the disturbances near Kaliningrad, which is sandwiched between NATO members Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea's east coast.

Other aircraft reported unusual disturbances in GPS signals near Finland's eastern border with Russia, with planes unable to land at Savonlinna airport due to the interference.

The interference comes just days after Russia threatened Finland with 'military and political consequences' if they join NATO.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto today said Finland will review its security policy to decide whether to join NATO after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a historic change in appetite for joining the military alliance as a deterrent against potential Russian invasion.

Finnish airline Finnair said its pilots have noticed the disturbances near Kaliningrad

Finnair said its pilots have noticed the disturbances near Kaliningrad, which is sandwiched between NATO members Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea's east coast. Other aircraft reported unusual disturbances in GPS signals near Finland's eastern border with Russia, with planes unable to land at Savonlinna airport due to the interference

Finnish authorities said separately on Thursday that Finland had stocked up its emergency reserves which it has kept since the wars, adding more supplies such as fuels and primary production goods to its reserves.

The interference with planes' GPS signals began soon after Finland's President Sauli Niinisto met his US counterpart Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defence ties between Finland and NATO due to Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the Foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.

'If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,' Marin said.

The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the interference.

Some of Finnair's Asian flights and most of its European ones go past Kaliningrad, the company said.

'Our pilots have noticed interference in GPS near the Kaliningrad area in the past few days,' a spokesperson for Finland's national carrier said in an email.

Some 10 aircraft have also reported unusual disturbances in GPS signals near Finland's eastern border with Russia since last Sunday, Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom said on Tuesday.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia

Finnish politicians are set to to discuss Finland's NATO membership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a historic change in appetite for joining the military alliance as a deterrent against potential Russian invasion

Traficom said it had asked aviation authorities to alert aircraft pilots to the situation by issuing an official Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) notification. The disturbances were continuing, it said.

'Flying is still safe. Airlines have operational procedures for such situations if the GPS signal is lost,' Traficom's director Jari Pontinen said in a statement.

Lithuanian airline Transaviabaltika told Reuters it had been forced to cancel 18 flights between Helsinki and Savonlinna in eastern Finland after the lack of GPS made it impossible to land because Savonlinna airport does not have alternative navigation equipment.

'We have made three attempts to fly to Savonlinna. So far, we have not succeeded,' Manager Rene Must from Transaviabaltika told Reuters.

Electromagnetic radiation from the sun and signal jamming are the only two reasons that could explain such long-lasting disturbances that affect several planes, Director Jukka Savolainen from HybridCoE, a pan-European organisation that seeks to counter hybrid threats, told Reuters.

'States can have systems to see where the jamming comes from if they happen to be turned on and in that direction,' he said.

Finland is set to review its security policy to decide whether to join NATO, President Sauli Niinisto said on Thursday.

The new review comes just 18 months after the government completed its last assessment, taking on more urgency since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

'When alternatives and risks have been analysed, then it's time for conclusions,' Niinisto told reporters, referring to the possibility of Finland joining the defence alliance.

'We have safe solutions also for our future. We must review them carefully. Not with delay, but carefully,' Niinisto said.

He declined to give a time frame for the process.

Marin said that the shift in Finnish opinion on joining NATO has been influenced by Russia's movements in Ukraine.

She told Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat: 'The question is if Russia crosses a border, are we alone or with others.'

The interference with planes' GPS signals began soon after Finland's President Sauli Niinisto met his US counterpart Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defence ties between Finland and NATO due to Russia's attack on Ukraine

Meanwhile, President Niinisto said he will speak to Putin on Friday, as he warned of the dangers of further escalation in Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

'Despite everything, it is still considered important to try and maintain contact with Russia,' Niinisto said on Thursday.

Both France's President Macron and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz have spoken to Putin since the start of the invasion, Niinisto said, adding that the message he had received from the two leaders was that 'it is frankly my duty to be in touch with Putin' if possible.

The Finnish president has long maintained a regular dialogue with the Russian leader and has sometimes been characterised as an 'interpreter' between the Kremlin and the west.

Niinisto warned against the dangers of the conflict escalating further, but said 'I don't even know yet' what the content of the call will be.

The Finnish President repeated his call for Finland to decide 'without hesitation but carefully' on the question of whether or not to try to join NATO.

Niinisto said the decision on joining NATO was one for parliament, and said 'the time for conclusions' would be after lawmakers have received a report on the risks and benefits of joining, which is expected in the coming weeks.

Before the invasion, Finland's government, as well as most political parties, generally kept their views silent on whether or not the country should join the military alliance, but have insisted that Finland should make sure the door to NATO remains open.

On Wednesday, Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen, visiting his Washington counterpart Lloyd Austin, said that 'right now is not the right moment for posting a membership application' to NATO, because 'discussions on this are just beginning in Finland.'

Russia has threatened both Sweden and Finland - Moscow's Arctic neighbours - with 'military consequences' if they join NATO.

'Finland and Sweden should not base their security on damaging the security of other countries and their accession to NATO can have detrimental consequences and face some military and political consequences,' Russian foreign affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a news briefing earlier this month.

The foreign ministry later reiterated the threat on Twitter.

'We regard the Finnish government's commitment to a military non-alignment policy as an important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe,' the department wrote. 'Finland's accession to NATO would have serious military and political repercussions.'

Finland shares a 830-mile-long border with Russia. While neither it nor neighbouring Sweden are NATO members, both countries are partners of the Western military alliance.

Faced with Moscow's demands that NATO not expand eastwards, Helsinki and Stockholm have rejected any Russian interference in their security policy.

Both countries have received assurances from NATO that the door remains open to them, though the Social Democrats in power in both countries have no plans to join.

Meanwhile, a poll released earlier this month by public broadcaster Yle, showed that most Finnish people now favour joining NATO, a historic change in attitude and a major shift compared to even just a few months ago.

According to the survey, commissioned by public broadcaster Yle, 53 percent of Finns backed their country joining the military alliance, 28 percent opposed it, and 19 percent were unsure.

'A completely historic and exceptional result,' Charly Salonius-Pasternak, senior research fellow at Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said. 'The change is dramatic.'

The poll surveyed 1,382 respondents between the ages of 18 and 80 between February 23 and 25, said Yle.

In contrast, a January poll published by the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper had only 28 percent in favour and 42 percent against NATO membership.

'The only significant thing that has changed is that Russia has attacked a neighbouring country that is not a member of NATO,' Salonius-Pasternak said.

Although the results of the latest poll could be an effect of the initial shock at the Russian invasion, the researcher said he believed support would likely remain at a higher level.

When Yle last commissioned a similar poll in 2017, support for NATO membership was at 34 percent.
An assistant principal of a Mississippi elementary school says that he was fired after choosing to read a book about butts to a group of second graders.

Gary Road Elementary School in Byram chose to lay off Toby Price without a warning after he read Dawn McMillan's book, 'I Need a New Butt,' to seven-and eight-year-old students last week, WJTV reported.

Price confirmed he was given the boot in a Facebook post from March 7, sharing that he had been fired 'for reading an awesome book to kids'. He also created a GoFundMe page, in which he shares that 'I Need a New Butt' is a 'funny silly book' and 'a book that kids love'.

'I am just looking for some help to pay bills while I look for another job,' he further wrote. 'I have two kids with autism and another BPD. Thank you for helping. We have found an attorney and need help with the fee.'

He also told WLBT that he offered to read to students on zoom after an expected guest reader was a no-show.

'My boss told me "Go ahead and read,"' he said. 'I grabbed one of my favorite books that I had nearby, I read it to them.'

'I didn't think twice about reading it because I've never had an issue with it before,' Price added. 'There are other books that have much more suggestive material that are much more widely accepted.'

However, Hinds School District, of which Gary Road Elementary is a part of, took a dig at Price in his termination letter for causing 'unnecessary embarrassment' and blamed his 'lack of professionalism and impaired judgement,' according to WJTV.

Mississippi elementary school assistant principal Toby Price (pictured) was fired in March for 'a lack of professionalism and impaired judgment' for reading a children's picture book called 'I Need a New Butt'

The Hinds County School District, which Gary Road Elementary is part of (pictured) told Dailymail.com that it 'doesn't know' if complaints came on behalf of students or parents

Price said that he offered to read the book to students on zoom (pictured) after an expected guest reader was a no-show

Price shared the news on Facebook in a post from March 7 (pictured), sharing that he had been fired 'for reading an awesome book to kids'

The picture book, which is the first of a sequel that is dubbed as an international seller, is about the story of a young boy who suddenly realizes that his butt has a huge crack.

'So he sets off to find a new one. Will he choose an armor-plated butt? A rocket butt? A robot butt? Find out in this quirky tale of a tail, which features hilarious rhymes and delightful illustrations,' according to the book's summary on Amazon.

'Children and parents will love this book  no ifs, ands, or butts about it!'

The picture book's recommended reading age on Amazon ranges from six to ten-years-old, according to the e-commerce website.

It also has a 4.7 rating out of five stars, but holds a wide range of reviews. Some buyers give it a five-stars while others label the book as 'creepy,' 'offensive' and only give it one star.

'I need a NEW BUTT!' written by Dawn McMillian and illustrated by Ross Kinnaird is about the story of a young boy who suddenly realizes that his butt has a huge crack and wants to fix it

On Amazon, the book is considered as a good fit for kids from the age of six to ten-year-olds

An Amazon shopper, going by the username Kayinsun, shared her one-star review: 'creepy book...pics show full butts not just cracks here and there...one pic shows a man painting on a boy's butt, another has the boy walking as a naked Model on the red carpet with adults watching, another has the boy going into a dark nightclub with a bumper on his butt. I will not be reading this to my child anytime soon..too much effort to return. Creepy stuff!'

Another person who purchased the book on Amazon wrote: 'Our grandkids ages 4 & 6 have terrific sense of humor. They love Amelia Bedelia for instance. Since the 4 yr old especially finds butts etc hilarious I thought they'd love this. Neither of them thought this was funny. The 4 yr old announced after page 1 that "this doesn't make sense, everyone knows there's a crack there!" There was a smile about the idea of using a bumper only after I explained the word "bum." They both thought pages were missing at the end. I did too. Neither has been interested in reading it again and I don't think I can donate it because I'm sure some will find it offensive.'

In contrast, Heather007, a verified user, was one of few who gave the book a positive review, sharing: 'I didn't have high expectations for this book and simply purchased it to see what it was like. When I received it, I was incredibly amused, as were all three of my children, ages, 2, 7, and 9. If you're not a prude, buy this book. You're in for a ton of giggles coming from your loved ones if you do.

The book has a mixture of reviews, with some giving it five stars while others view it as 'offensive' and 'creepy,' giving it one star reviews

Meanwhile, administrators at the Hinds County School District told Dailymail.com that it 'doesn't know' if complaints came on behalf of students or parents.

A collage on Gary Road Elementary's website reveals that Price has worked in the education sector for 18 years and that he has ten years of experience as a school principal. He is also a first grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade teacher.

Board members of the Hinds County School District are set to hold talks over the incident, although a specific date has yet to be decided.
Walt Disney Co-Chief Executive Bob Chapek broke his silence on Wednesday about a Florida bill limiting LGBTQ discussion in schools, saying he called Gov. Ron DeSantis to express concern about the legislation becoming law and didn't publicly oppose the bill because it was 'more effective' to do things behind the scenes.

Disney has been under pressure to take a public stand against the legislation that critics say will harm the lesbian, gay, transgender and queer community.

The company employs more than 65,000 people at the sprawling Walt Disney World resort in Orlando.

The bill was passed by the Florida Senate on Tuesday, and will be signed into law by DeSantis, coming into effect on July 1.

The Florida legislation, referred to by its opponents as the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, has stirred national controversy amid an increasingly partisan debate over what schools should teach children about race and gender.

Chapek said Disney was 'opposed to the bill from the onset,' but chose to work behind the scenes, relying on its longstanding relationships with lawmakers to influence the outcome.

'I understand our original approach, no matter how well-intended, didn't quite get the job done,' Chapek said during Disney's annual shareholder meeting.

Bob Chapek, 61, became the CEO of Disney in February 2020, taking over from the high-profile Bob Iger. Chapek has been criticized for not speaking out publicly against a new Florida education bill, but on Wednesday insisted he had, behind the scenes

Chapek is seen in June 2018 at Disney's Hollywood studios. He was in charge of Disney's parks division before becoming CEO

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has defended the controversial bill, insisting it protects children

"We were opposed to the bill from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind the scenes."  Disney CEO Bob Chapek's comments on the "Don't Say Gay" bill & his call to DeSantis

pic.twitter.com/yegd1hPhKy  Poli Alert (@polialertcom) March 9, 2022

What is the Parental Rights in Education bill? HB 1557 was introduced by two Republican members of the Florida Legislature - Representative Joe Harding and Senator Dennis Baxley. They say the bill's aim is to 'empower parents' in their children's education, and make teachers recognize the distinction between 'instruction' and 'discussion.' 'What we're prohibiting is instructing them in a specific direction,' Baxley said about how teachers lead students in a classroom. 'Students can talk about whatever they want to bring up, but sometimes the right answer is, ''You really ought to talk to your parents about that.''' The bill applies to children in kindergarten through third grade. It states that 'classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur.' It also requires districts to 'adopt procedures for notifying a student's parent if there is a change in the student's services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being,' something LGBTQ advocates argue could lead to some students being outed to their parents without the student's knowledge or consent. It was passed on March 8 in a 22-17 vote. The state House had approved the bill late last month. DeSantis has said he will sign it into law, and it will come into effect on July 1. Advertisement

A spokesperson for DeSantis, however, said a call from Chapek on Wednesday was 'the first time we have heard from Disney' regarding the legislation.

'The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek.

'The governor's position has not changed,' the spokesperson said via a statement on Twitter.

DeSantis, who is seeking re-election this year, has indicated his support for what is formally called the Parental Rights in Education bill.

'The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school,' DeSantis' spokesperson said.

One Disney shareholder from California read a statement from his daughter, who had been accepted into the Disney College Program in Florida, and was 'heartbroken' that Disney failed to take a public position on Florida's legislation.

'You can't stand on the sidelines when it comes to human rights,' she wrote.

The Disney CEO said he had an 'extraordinary conversation' with DeSantis, who assured Chapek that the law would not be 'weaponized in any way' or used to harm or target gay, lesbian, non-binary or transgender kids or their families.

Chapek said the governor agreed to meet with him and LGBTQ+ Disney employees to discuss concerns.

Chapek said Disney has joined some 170 companies in signing a statement from the Human Rights Commission opposing anti-LGBTQ state legislation.

The company also pledged $5 million toward organizations, including the HRC, that are working to protect LGBTQ rights.

Disney's failure to openly condemn the legislation sparked widespread anger on social media.

One woman tweeted: 'I'm transgender and a long time Disney shareholder and used my responsibility yesterday to vote against the reelection of Bob Chapek to the Disney board. He needs to be replaced as CEO because the company should be fighting loudly for the LGBTQ community.'

Another critic said: 'I have been feeling nothing but anger towards Bob Chapek for his gross actions lately.

'I seriously hope Disney gets rid of him soon because as someone who is in the LGBT community, it's utterly appalling to see him still funding that revolting bill.'

Protesters are seen outside State Senator Ileana Garcia's office in Miami on March 9

Demonstrators are seen inside the Florida State Capital in Tallahassee on Monday, the day before the bill passed

One man, who has an annual pass to Walt Disney World, criticized Chapek's leadership and praised his predecessor, Bob Iger, who retired in February 2020.

'This is not Disney's choice. This is Bob Chapek's choice. He does not get to hide behind the company's name,' he said.

'Bob Iger came out against this bill. If he were still CEO, this wouldn't be happening.'

Writer Charlotte Clymer tweeted: 'We're all learning and evolving, and there's more than enough room for companies to make good faith mistakes and work to adjust accordingly.

'But Bob Chapek defending Disney's political contributions to anti-LGBTQ lawmakers who are viciously attacking kids really isn't good faith.'

And Disney employee Steve Lowtwait, an animation art director, tweeted: 'Hey Disney. Yeah you, Bob Chapek. Do you know who has thick skin and will bounce back if the big corporation denounces their bill? Politicians.

'Do you know who is highly volatile to cultural messages and will be hurt for years by the passing of this bill? LGBTQ youth.'

In other matters, Disney shareholders elected all 11 board members, ratified the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers as Disney's independent public accountant and supported the compensation for the company's top executives.

Investors rejected all shareholder proposals except one, which calls for the company to report on both median and adjusted pay gaps across race and gender.

'We appreciate our shareholders' view on this important issue, and the Board accepts the results of today's vote,' the company said in a statement, adding it is committed to pay equity.
Wealthy Los Angeles socialite Rebecca Grossman  who stands accused of running over and killing two young brothers while racing in her Mercedes  showed up in court Wednesday amid growing protests over why shes been allowed to remain free on bail for 18 months since the boys horrific deaths.

Around 30 demonstrators, mostly women and many wearing T-shirts bearing a picture of the young victims, nine year-old Jacob and 11 year-old Mark Iskander, crowded the corridor outside the courtroom in Van Nuys, west of LA.

And the boys mother, Nancy Iskander  also wearing one of the T-shirts  sobbed as she hugged and thanked the protesters for their support.

Grossman is charged with murdering Jacob and Mark in Westlake Village, 35 miles west of LA, in September 2020. Her bail is set at $2million.

She also faces two counts of vehicular manslaughter and a fifth felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.

Rebecca Grossman walked out of the court arm-in-arm with husband, prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman

Protestors say Grossman is being given preferential treatment by the legal system due to her wealth and connections

The brothers are pictured in this undated school photos. One was declared dead at the scene while the other died in hospital

These continual delays are awful for the family,' said Iskander neighbor Julie Cohen. 'Its time she was put behind bars, where she belongs

Grossman, 58, arrived at court wearing a dark blue jacket over a cream silk blouse and cream pants, with her blonde hair in a pony tail.

She has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

But despite the severity of the crimes shes accused of, shes been free on bail since being charged two days after the tragedy.

That $2 million bail, plus the slow pace of court proceedings  including several hearings where Grossman didnt show up  have sparked outrage from protestors who believe her wealth and connections have kept her out of jail.

Two petitions, claiming to have a combined total of more than 50,000 signatures, have been circulating, calling for Grossman to be locked up.

Justice must be served, regardless of Grossmans financial means, status, privilege and connections, declared one.

We demand that Grossman is prosecuted and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law and that she face serious consequences for her actions that took away the lives of Mark and Jacob.

The other petition proclaimed, Lets push to spread awareness about this case and put Rebecca Grossman behind bars. Justice for Mark and Jacob Iskander.

One of the protesters, mother-of-two Julie Cohen, 58, - who made the Mark and Jacob T-shirts bearing the words JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED, plus similar stickers - told told DailyMail.com, There have been too many delays already.

Grossman was flanked by attorneys as she sat in court Wednesday. A preliminary hearing for the case has now been set for April 25

Placards were left outside the courtroom in Van Nuys, California, Wednesday during Grossman's hearing inside

The Mercedes that struck and killed two brothers. Investigators said street racing may have been involved in the crash, which happened at the intersection of Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive

Grossman is pictured during her last court appearance in January

Rebecca Grossman wore a gray plaid jacket and blue shirt when she appeared at a hearing in December 21

Since the boys were killed a year and a half ago, Grossman has been free on bail, free to do whatever she wants, while the boys parents are living a nightmare.

Cohen, a neighbor of the Iskander family in Westlake Village, added, If Grossman didnt have money and connections, she would have been in custody all this time instead of free on bail.

These continual delays are awful for the family. Its time she was put behind bars, where she belongs.

At todays hearing Judge Shellie Samuels apologized to the victims patents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, for the many continuances and postponement in the case, the most recent of which was Grossmans need to look for and hire a new lawyer after her previous attorney fell ill.

This case has taken way too long, said the judge. I do apologize for the delays.

At the end of todays brief hearing, Judge Samuels, told Grossman and her attorneys that she expected them to be ready for a preliminary hearing April 25 when shell hear testimony from the boys family and other witnesses, then rule on whether Grossman should stand trial.

Please pray for justice and strength for our family as Karim and I will have to attend and testify that day, Nancy Iskander posted on social media.

Grossman lives in a sprawling $9.5million mansion in Hidden Hills that features nine bedrooms and 12 bathrooms on the same street where Full House actress Lori Loughlin lives

A view of the pool area of the home is shown in the estate's sprawling backyard

Grossman was said to be racing World Series-winning pitcher Scott Erickson at the time of the fatal crash

It wasnt the first time that Judge Samuels has expressed sorrow over the many holdups in the case against Grossman.

At a hearing last December, the judge also said that the victims parents, have been enduring torture and heartbreak while the case drags on.

Its been a year and two months since it happened, said Judge Samuels at that hearing.

The victims family needs this case to go forward.

Two counts of murder will take a while to get to a preliminary hearing but not this long.

Three months earlier, on September 14, Judge Samuels blasted Grossman for not showing up at her previous five scheduled court appearances, all of which were continued.

I have never seen Miss Grossman  she has not been to court once, said the frustrated judge at that time.

We cant keep continuing this. This is a serious case. These victims lost two children. Its detrimental to them that this is taking so long. The family is suffering.

The dead boys parents  who have brought a civil lawsuit against Grossman claiming she was drunk and driving at 70mph at the time of the crash  are entitled to have a preliminary hearing as soon as possible, added the judge.

The Iskander brothers had been walking across a crosswalk with their parents and two siblings, Zackary and Violet. The parents told cops that when they heard Grossmans white Mercedes approaching at speed, they reached out to protect their children, but could only grab the closest, Zackary and Violet.

Brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander, 11 and 9, were walking with their parents and siblings in Westlake Village, California, in September 2020 when they were struck and killed

Peter and Rebecca Grossman accept the Betty Fisher Legacy Award at Evening of Hope in May 2017.

Jacob and Mark were both hit by the Mercedes. Mark died at the scene and Jacob a few hours later in the hospital.

One boy was allegedly carried 100ft on the hood of the car before Grossman braked, at which point he fell off the car and she ran him over again as she fled the scene, say prosecutors.

Police claim that when the boys were hit by her car, Grossman was driving over the 45mph speed limit and may have been racing with her friend and near-neighbor, World Series-winning pitcher Scott Erickson, 54, while the two were on their way to the same house party.

Erickson, who won his ring in 1991 with the Minnesota Twins, has been charged with reckless driving but he has not been accused of any other offenses connected with the brothers deaths.

With her husband, prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, 59, Grossman is the founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and ex-publisher of Westlake Magazine.

If Grossman didnt have money and connections, she would have been in custody all this time instead of free on bail...Its time she was put behind bars, where she belongs Iskander family neighbor Julie Cohen

She was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and DUI after her front-end-damaged car broke down a quarter mile from the crash site. She has not been actually charged with DUI.

She was released on October 1 2020 and since then she has been free on $2 million bail. If convicted, she faces up to 34 years to life in state prison,

Grossman lives in a $9.5 million, nine-bed, 12-bath mansion, in nearby Hidden Hills, on the same street as Full House actress Lori Loughlin.

According to its website, the Grossman Burn Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Grossman Burn Centers Inc, which treats the victims of severe burns all over the world.

Grossman has also been involved in other humanitarian causes, including the prevention of violence against women, human rights and the American Heart Association, from whom she won a Woman of the Year award in 2007.

After todays hearing, Grossman, left court arm in arm with her husband.
John Howard has called out Anthony Albanese after he attempted to identify with the former prime minister's record on reform and vowed to govern like Bob Hawke.

Howard responded to a speech given by Albanese on Tuesday where he pledged to reform the economy in the style of former Labor leaders and quoted a line used by Howard.

Albanese said he would take his lead 'from Bob Hawke and his successor Paul Keating' if he is elected Prime Minister, and called out Labor's big-taxing policies at the 2019 election, during a speech at the Australian Financial Review business summit on Wednesday.

The Labor leader also drew on a line used by former Liberal prime minister John Howard, that in the race for economic reform, you never reach the finish line.

'I agree. It's always a race  the race for improvement. But the current Liberal government has abandoned the field,' Albanese said.

Howard said he found the reference surprising.

'Has there been an election where someone has said dont elect me, elect a lookalike? Its not really a vote for him but someone else. It suggests a lack of confidence in himself. The real question for someone standing for election as prime minister is what you intend to do and how you intend to do it. You dont cite others unless you are sensitive as to how people see you as a leader and what you intend to do,' he told The Australian.

Former Liberal prime minister John Howard (pictured) has called out Anthony Albanese after he compared himself to Howard and former Labor leader Bob Hawke

Howard said as much as he admired Sir Robert Menzies he did not compare himself to the former leader while campaigning.

'Albanese knows that he doesn't stand for anything substantial and he seeks security in identifying with others,' he told the news outlet.

He said Albanese's comments suggested 'a lack of confidence in himself'.

Howard responded to a speech Anthony Albanese (pictured) gave on Tuesday where he pledged to govern the country similar to Hawke and stole a line from the former Liberal leader

In his speech on Wednesday, Albanese pledged to adopt economic reforms reminiscent of the Hawke-Keating era to encourage profit and boost job creation.

'The result was three decades of continuous economic growth,' Albanese said.

'(Hawke) brokered reforms that yielded benefits for all parties - not just better wages for workers, but stronger profits for businesses.'
Nine Haitian babies, including a set of twins, reportedly died in a span of a week and were dumped in the sea as a group of migrants attempted to reach Puerto Rico last month.

Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia reported Tuesday that the 51 adult migrants and nine infants set off from the southeastern Haitian city of Jeremie on February 21.

They spent seven harrowing days at sea on a 30ft wooden dinghy raft packed with 60 migrants, where fever ran rampant and food supplies ran out.

Conditions were so dire that the babies began to fall ill, Haitian community Leonard Prophil, who spoke to the surviving migrants, told Puerto Rican local news.

One by one, the children died and the boat's captain forced their mothers to throw the bodies of their children overboard, he claimed. The babies ranged from about three months to eight months of age.

'All the children died. They started throwing all the babies into the sea,' Prophil told El Nuevo Dia. 'The captain ordered it. The mother of the twins told me that the sharks and fish began to catch the children, to destroy them in front of them.'

The vessel eventually made it to the shores of Cabo Rojo, but capsized as migrants tried to get to shore, causing multiple injuries.

U.S. Border Patrol agents took the survivors individuals into custody.

Most of the mothers remain hospitalized in several area hospitals.

U.S. Border Patrol agents with the Ramsey Sector assist Haitian migrants on February 28

Haitian migrants are loaded into a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter in Puerto Rico after they were intercepted on February 28

Hilaire Duverson was one of the migrants in the crammed 30-foot dinghy that was powered by two motor engines.

The 21-year-old mechanical student was among three people, including his sister Laurie, who suffered injuries when the raft overturned as the migrants were frantically trying to get off the boat.

Duverson was granted a permit to remain in the United States while his immigration status is sorted out. On Tuesday, he was on his way to Virginia to start a new life.

'It would not have been my will to leave Haiti,' he said, 'But there was nothing else I could do.'

Jeffrey Quinonez, spokesperson for U.S. Border Patrol's Ramsey Sector, told DailyMail.com that the agency could not confirm Prophil's version of the incident because none of the migrants reported the deaths when they were encountered by the border patrol officers.

'Of the interviews that were made to all the undocumented immigrants on that trip, there is no information that would give the agents the indication that this incident happened in the raft, so we cannot corroborate the information that this person provided to the reporter,' Quinonez said in a phone interview.

Haitian migrants are escorted after making it on a wooden raft Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, on February 28. CBP data shows that at least 562 Haitian migrants have been intercepted in Puerto Rican waters by border agents in the first four months of fiscal year 2022, which began October 2021

Jeffrey Quinonez, spokesperson for U.S. Border Patrol's Ramsey Sector, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that the agency could not confirm Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia's report that nine Haitian migrant babies died and were dumped off a raft during a seven-day voyage before making to the island's western city of Cabo Rojo on February 28

'We are not aware of evidence in the evaluations that none of them required medical attention with respect to the trauma of losing a child,' Quinonez added. 'None of those people made a statement against the captain  we do not know who among them is the captain.'

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it indicted 38 individuals  18 Haitians men, one Dominican man and 18 women.

According to CBP data, at least 562 Haitian migrants have been intercepted in Puerto Rican waters by border agents in the first four months of fiscal year 2022, which began in October 2021. In comparison, 356 individuals from Haiti were stopped in fiscal year 2021 and 607 in 2020.

The recent spike can be attributed to poverty and instability in Haiti's central government following the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise
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A police officer in the William Tyrrell investigative team Strike Force Rosann has alleged the missing toddler's foster father has been caught out 'lying about something we can prove.'

The foster father has been charged with two counts of giving false or misleading evidence to the NSW Crime Commission. Details of what exactly it relates to are unavailable.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the strike force officer told Nine newspapers 'that we can prove' the 54-year-old foster father - whose name is suppressed for legal reasons - had made a false statement.

The foster father has entered pleas of not guilty to both charges.

The NSW Crime Commission is the top intelligence agency which investigates organised and serious crime in the state, but is rarely written about.

Working closely with the NSW Police Force, the NSWCC works to combat drug trafficking, organised crime, tax evasion, and terrorism related offences.

A police officer in the strike force investigating the disappearance of William Tyrrell has alleged the missing toddler's 54-year-old foster father (above) is 'lying about something we can prove'

The officer from Strike Force Rosann, which was set up to investigate the 2014 disappearance of three-year-old William Tyrrell (above) said detectives could prove the foster father had made a false statement

WHAT IS THE NSW CRIME COMMISSION? The NSW Crime Commission is the top intelligence agency which investigates and organised and serious crime in the state. Established in 1986, originally to combat drug trafficking, organised crime and tax evasion, it has more recently investigated terrorism related offences. The crime-fighting body which works closely with the NSW Police force itself has been the subject of a public inquiry and of allegations of covert operations, secrecy and an absence of defined accountability. The NSWCC came under the spotlight when its former assistant director Mark Standen was charged and found guilty of conspiring to import and supply 300kg of of the ice precursor drug, pseudoephedrine. Standen's conviction and maximum sentence of 22 years in prison sparked sweeping changes to the Commission's structure and handling of complaints, although a Special Commission of Inquiry found no evidence of misconduct or impropriety other than that of Standen. Advertisement

The two charges against the foster father were revealed on Wednesday following a revision of non-publication orders surrounding the case.

The case has been subject to strict suppression orders but these were varied on Wednesday morning in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court.

William's foster father and foster mother, 56, were charged in November 2021 in relation to the alleged assault of a child who is not William Tyrrell.

Both foster parents - whose identities are suppressed for legal reasons - have pleaded not guilty, and have indicated they may apply to have the matter heard under the Mental Health Act.

Last month, William's foster mother was charged with another count of common assault of a child, which also does not relate to William, and her lawyer has indicated she will plead not guilty.

The Sydney couple were foster parents to the three-year-old when he disappeared from the NSW Mid North Coast town of Kendall, in September 2014.

William Tyrrell had been placed with the couple in March 2012 as a foster child in the care of the then state minister for family and community services until he was 18 years old.

William was driven to the Kendall home of his foster grandmother on Friday, September 11, 2014 and was last seen playing on the verandah of the house on the Saturday morning.

A widespread search for him in the surrounding area failed to find any trace of him.

Last November, NSW police revealed the foster mother was being treated as a person of interest in William's case.

The foster father of missing toddler William Tyrrell (above) has been charged with giving false or misleading evidence to the NSW Crime Commission.

William Tyrrell was fostered by the 54-year-old man (above) and his wife, 56, at the time the toddler vanished, aged 3, from Kendall and has never been seen again

A new search for William's remains at Kendall began at the same time and continued for four weeks.

Police, SES and rural fire workers along with detectives from Strike Force Rosann spent four weeks late last year digging up a section of forest less than a kilometre from the house where William vanished.

The foster mother denied any involvement in William's disappearance and no charges have ever been laid against any person.

William Tyrrell's foster mother (above) was charged with a second count of common assault last month relating to a child who was not William, and her lawyer has indicated she will plead not guilty

Combing bushland and digging with excavators, police searched along Batar Creek Road, Kendall for William's remains and scraps from the SpiderMan suit he was last seen wearing.

Police said William's foster mother was seen driving along the road on the morning the boy vanished.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday said a Florida bill that would place limits on instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation is a 'form of bullying' against LGBTQI kids.

The Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the 'Don't Say Gay' bill by critics, was passed by Florida's Republican-dominated Senate on Tuesday and will now head to GOP Governor Ron DeSantis' desk.

DeSantis, whose name has been thrown out as a possible 2024 presidential contender, has indicated he would sign the measure into law.

Psaki said the bill 'would discriminate against families, against kids, put these kids in a position of not getting the support they need at a time where that's exactly what they need.'

Its text says that 'classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.'

President Joe Biden himself condemned the bill as 'hateful.'

But during her daily press briefing a New York Post reporter asked Psaki how Biden squares his outrage over Florida's bill after supporting a ban on federal funds going toward schools that were 'encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative' as a senator in 1994.

Psaki defended Biden's position on Florida Republicans' school bill when a reporter grilled her on an anti-gay vote he took as a senator in 1994

'It's a form of bullying. It is horrific. I mean, the President has spoken to that,' Psaki said of the Florida GOP bill.

The White House official side-stepped Biden's questionable decades-old vote before accusing the Sunshine State's elected officials of 'discriminating' against LGBTQI children.

'In terms of his views and comments from 25 years ago, I think the most important question now is: Why are Florida leaders deciding they need to discriminate against kids who are members of the LGBTQI community? What prompts them to do that?' Psaki asked.

Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has suggested he would sign the controversial bill when it gets to his desk

'Is it meanness? Is it wanting to make kids have more difficult times in school, in their communities? I would pose that question to them, and we can talk about it more tomorrow if you get an answer.'

The reporter pressed her again, 'Was there a reason he supported the same policy, though, in the '90s when we were all in school?'

She again shifted focus to Florida leaders without a direct answer on Biden's past.

'I think what's important to note here is how outspoken the President has been against discrimination against kids, against members of the LGBTQI+ community. And what we're looking at here is a bill that would propagate misinformed, hateful policies and impact children,' Psaki said.

'So that's the question I hope -- maybe you can pose that to some of the leaders in Florida. Maybe they'll return your phone calls. And I'll look forward to having a conversation with you.'

Opponents of the legislation say it would stifle an already marginalized community at a critical time in their development, and restrict them from confiding in school counselors and nurses -- in some cases, the only adults they can open up to.

In addition to banning academic discussion on gender identity and sexual orientation, the bill also requires public school districts to put procedures in place to require school officials to report a shift in a student's 'services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being' to their parents.

It also allows parents to sue schools and school districts for running afoul of the new law.

Meanwhile Floridians have been protesting the measure, claiming it would gravely harm young LGBTQI kids' mental health

The measure passed the Florida Senate on Tuesday after passing their lower chamber

The Walt Disney Company came out against the bill on Wednesday. CEO Bob Chapek said he would be meeting with DeSantis and that Disney would donate $5 million to pro-LGBTQI organizations including the Human Rights Campaign.

DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said a call from Chapek on Wednesday was 'the first time we have heard from Disney' regarding the legislation.

'The governor did take the call from Mr Chapek. The governor's position has not changed,' Pushaw said on Twitter.

Pushaw pointed out to DailyMail.com that the legislation does not include the word 'gay' or single out any one identity or orientation.

'The idea that its inappropriate for adults to instruct kindergarteners about sexual topics should not be controversial in the least,' she said in response to Psaki's comments.

'Children should never be sexualized. 4-9 year olds are far too young to be learning about these topics in school. If a student has any questions about sexuality or gender, its solely up to that childs parent or guardian to decide how they want to answer those questions. This is not an LGBT issue, and most Floridians  gay or straight  are fully in favor of child safeguarding and parents rights.'
A desperately afraid woman murdered by her abusive former partner begged sixteen different police officers for help before her death.

Doreen Langham died at the hands of former partner Gary Hely, both 49, in a fire in her Browns Plains townhouse, south of Brisbane, on February 22, 2021.

The loving grandmother had ended a toxic and abusive two-year relationship with Mr Hely, and was scared and alone.

Doreen Langham, 49, had desperately asked 16 police officers for help when her former partner Gary Hely, 49, became abusive and sent her death threats

Doreen Langham (right) had ended a toxic and abusive two-year relationship with Hely (left), and was scared and alone

She knew he was dangerous.

He had made chilling threats against her life, warning that her days were numbered with 'three weeks left to live'.

Queensland University of Technology criminologist Kerry Carrington said Queensland police repeatedly failed Ms Langham.

Prof Carrington compiled a detailed report on Ms Langham's interactions with police before her murder.

The report revealed Ms Langham spoke to at least 16 different police officers in the five days before she was killed.

Ms Langham begged for police so often in those final days, she was turned away and advised to only report breaches of her domestic violence order against Mr Hely once a week, the academic said.

Hely had made chilling threats against Ms Langham's life, warning that her days were numbered with 'three weeks left to live'

'All but one of those officers failed her - none took her seriously,' Prof Carrington told the Coroners Court at Southport on Wednesday.

'Huge amounts of information that could have been used to save her either slipped through the cracks or were misinterpreted.

'There was just error after error. It was a calamity of errors.'

The report also revealed officers failed to even understand existing domestic violence legislation and lacked the skill or knowledge to save Ms Langham.

Prof Carrington was scathing of the police response to Ms Langham's fears and complaints.

'It is a systemic institutional issue that goes to the core of police culture and police training.

Ms Langham's home was doused in petrol and set light, killing both her and Hely who were inside

On the night she died, Ms Langham saw a shadow lurking outside her home and knew it was Mr Hely and called police help but police dismissed it as 'a possible prowler'

Police bodycam footage shows Hely was shocked when he received the domestic violence order and said Ms Langham 'nothing to fear' and that he still loved her

'It culminated in a catastrophic failure.'

On the night she died, Ms Langham saw a shadow lurking outside her home and knew it was Mr Hely and called for help.

Police logged the emergency call but, despite documented death threats by Mr Hely, classified the job as a possible prowler.

Prof Carrington said that response alone failed to meet basic policing standards.

'Had they not assumed it was a prowler, had they knocked on the door, rang her, called her, knocked on the neighbour's door or done a little bit of basic policing, Doreen Langham could still be alive.'

Earlier, a domestic violence support worker told the court that Ms Langham 'did everything right' to protect herself.

Queensland University of Technology criminologist Kerry Carrington said Queensland police repeatedly failed Ms Langham and she 'could still be alive' if police responded differently on the night of her death

'I did everything I possibly could with Doreen. It's hard ... very simply she has done everything right,' Ines Ilijasevic from specialist domestic service The Centre for Women & Co said.

Not only did Ms Langford engage with specialist DV services, she repeatedly reached out to police for protection.

She changed the locks and had a full safety audit conducted at her home.

Ms Ilijasevic said more security upgrades could have been made with additional funding.

'But if you go with the logic, we should all go home tonight and make sure that our houses are Fort Knox and hope that we don't get robbed.

'It seems to always put that responsibility on her  I think we should hold perpetrators accountable for what they do and what they have done.'

Police were seen clearing the scene of the house fire in Browns Plains were Ms Langham was killed

Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley is probing the adequacy of the police response to Ms Langham's final triple-zero call and her pleas for help in a bid to prevent another similar tragedy

Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley is probing the adequacy of the police response to Ms Langham's final triple-zero call and her pleas for help in a bid to prevent another similar tragedy.

She is also examining the response to the complaints against Mr Hely.

The inquest earlier examined police camera footage of Mr Hely claiming to be shocked to be served with a domestic violence order.

He appeared to accept the order calmly, but argued Ms Langham had 'nothing to fear', and he still loved her.

Days later, they were both dead.

Mr Hely broke in and doused the home they once shared with petrol before setting it alight.

The inquest continues.

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Torrential rain and floods have caused Sydney Harbour's world-famous sparkling blue waters to change colour to an unsightly muddy brown.

Locals were shocked on Wednesday as two solid weeks of rain finally cleared to reveal the entirety of Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay had turned a shade closer to that of Melbourne's Yarra River or the Brisbane River.

'Six months worth of rain in a couple of weeks will do that,' one person commented to social media.

One woman posted a clip flying into Sydney over the Harbour prompting one commenter to reply: 'Wow, flying into Sydney is usually a magnificent sight'.

This is Sydney Harbour this afternoon. Other passengers and I pretty taken aback. pic.twitter.com/gHt2sp6ay4  Carly Waters (@_carlywaters) March 9, 2022

Sydney Harbour on Wednesday was turned a muddy shade of brown (pictured)

The water is usually a deep blue colour because the Harbour is open to the Pacific Ocean (pictured)

A passenger filmed the extent of the brown water across Sydney Harbour on Wednesday after recent floods (pictured)

The colour shift is caused by storms overflowing wastewater systems and washing soil and debris into the Harbour.

Pollution warnings have been issued by the NSW environment department for all of Sydney's beaches from Palm Beach in the north down to Cronulla in the south.

'Due to extreme wet weather conditions and flooding events, stormwater pollution may be impacting some swimming sites,' the department said.

'Avoid swimming if you can see signs of pollution such as discoloured water and floating debris. Always check with lifeguards for latest beaches conditions.'

Sydney's waters normally have a sapphire-blue hue on a fine day thanks to being open to the ocean.

The Brisbane River has a brown tint because of clay soil particles in the water (pictured)

The Yarra River is Melbourne is also always a brown colour (pictured)

By contrast, the Brisbane River in the Queensland capital and Melbourne's Yarra are always a brown colour courtesy of the rivers being fed by rainwater that flows over clay soil and picks up sediment.

These microscopic clay particles are then suspended in the water and, while not technically considered pollution, tint the river's colour.

A 2019 study by the University of Queensland suggested lining the Brisbane River with plantings of mangrove lily would filter the sediment and clear the water, but this is yet to be attempted.

'A bold and well-funded program to clean-up our creeks, the Brisbane River and ultimately Moreton Bay over the coming years would be hugely beneficial for our whole region,' Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner said last year.

'Cleaning-up our creeks, river and bay can also be an important goal on our journey towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.'
A newly appointed police chief has been slammed for going to a function at a Maserati dealership where her husband works while her officers fought to save homes from floods.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb attended an International Women's Day event during the state's deadly and devastating weather, but said she has no regrets.

She was photographed smiling alongside television personality Kate Peck in front of a $400,000 car while thousands of people were evacuated from Sydney's Northern Beaches region amid torrential rain.

While she was at the function on Tuesday, police officers were out risking their lives in communities lashed by flash flooding.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured left) with television presenter Kate Peck (right) at an International Women's Day lunch held at a Sydney Maserati showroom on Tuesday

Pictured are Senior Constable Ben King and Senior Constable Adam Davis who showed incredible bravery, along with two civilians, as they rescued 93-year-old Mary from her flooded home in Lismore

At 8.30 that morning Police Rescue and the SES pulled the bodies of 67-year-old Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her son Bramooth from Coopers Creek Canal at Wentworthville.

By Wednesday night, eight people had died in the NSW floods.

But Ms Webb said she did 'not regret for one minute' going to the event because it was a Police Legacy charity function.

She told radio station 2GB's Ben Fordham that she had been taking calls about the floods 'the whole time' she was at the event.

'International Women's Day happens once a year, I think it's important as Commissioner of Police that I show some leadership in terms of the messaging to young women,' Ms Webb said.

'I don't regret (going to the lunch) for one minute because caring for the police family is important ... I've been on the phone 24/7 for the floods and making sure we've got police resources where we need them, it wasn't an event I went to and did nothing else.

'I was on point for police the whole time.'

The police head acknowledged that some people caught up in the floods might be shocked she attended the glamorous event, but that it was just a 'coincidence' the devastating weather happened on the same day.

New South Wales Police Rescue are seen patrolling in floodwater at Windsor, north-west of Sydney

On the day the NSW Police Commissioner posed in front of a $400,000 luxury car, Police Rescue and the SES pulled the bodies of 67-year-old Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her son Bramooth from Coopers Creek Canal at Wentworthville (pictured)

'I can imagine that people wonder what's going on, but it was a two-hour event that I whipped into and out of, and I was on the phone during the lunch organising resources for the floods,' she said.

Ms Webb said she would have also have been criticised if she didn't go to the function.

'It's one small thing I've done in a big week of visiting flooded areas ... I can't account for the weather on that particular day, it had been organised in advance.

'It would've been a poor showing and I would've been criticised if I didn't turn up,' she said.

'You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.'

A car is pictured in a raging torrent of floodwater in Manly on the day the NSW Police Commissioner attended functions at a Maserati dealership and a $47,525-a-year private school

Ms Webb said her husband Marc was an employee of the Maserati dealership where the International Women's Day event was held.

'He's been a supporter of the police for many years and supported me in my endeavours, which is nice,' she said.

Earlier on the same day, Ms Webb visited private girls' school MLC which has fees of up to $47,525 a year.

Neither event was promoted by the NSW Police to the press and Ms Webb has not yet held a media conference since being sworn in on February 1.

The Maserati event raised $36,000 for Police Legacy and the Police and Community Youth Club.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured centre) with school students while her officers were out rescuing people from floodwaters and risking their own lives

A spokesman for Ms Webb said: 'In the past seven days Commissioner Webb has attended the Northern Rivers Region twice and the Windsor/Nepean area relating to the flood response.

'(Ms Webb) is so proud of the efforts of all NSWPF officers who day after day go above and beyond to protect their communities.'

In a post about the Maserati function, Ms Peck wrote: 'Meet the first ever female NSW POLICE COMMISSIONER. You don't get more BOSS than that.

'Karen Webb, a true honour to interview you for International Women's Day with @maseratiau @maseratisydney.

'May the force be with you because women world wide are.'
A Meta vice president who led the company's youth product initiatives, including a proposed kids' version of Instagram, has decided to leave the Facebook parent company after 'internal restructuring.'

Pavni Diwanji, who joined Meta in 2020, has 'decided to move on' from the company, said Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri in an internal memo obtained by The New York Times on Wednesday.

The most notable project Diwanji worked on was Instagram Kids - a version of the app for those under 13 which would feature optional parental controls. But that project was ultimately put on hold following revelations that the social media giant's own research found that the app made teenage girls feel worse about their body image.

Mosseri announced the company's decision to halt the controversial project back in September 2021 when the Wall Street Journal printed internal data from Facebook that the social media platform was having adverse effects on its young users.

Pavni Diwanji, who joined Meta in 2020, has 'decided to move on' from the company, according to an internal memo. She worked on was Instagram Kids - a version of the app for those under 13 which would feature optional parental controls - that has halted

Meta put a stop to its Instagram Kids app following reports that the social media platform was well aware of the harmful effects Instagram was having on teens

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testified before Congress in December regarding what the company knew about its effects on teens. His internal memo revealed Diwanji's departing

PAVNI DIWANJI STEPS DOWN FROM META AFTER ONLY A YEAR Pavni Diwanji, of Mountain View, California, has stepped down as a vice president at Meta after only a year in the position. The Stanford University graduate, previously worked as a senior vice president at Intuit, a major financial software company. Before that, she was a vice president at Google, where she worked for 14 years. One of her major projects at Google was the launch of YouTube Kids, a more family-friendly version of the app that features parental controls among other tools to allow safe streaming for kids. She also led the company's spam-fighting efforts and worked on the Google+ project. Advertisement

Instagram continued to add beauty-editing filters to the app, despite 6 percent of suicidal girls in America blaming it for their desire to kill themselves, the documents stated.

A leaked slide from an internal presentation in March 2020 also said: 'Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse.'

Concerns about Instagram Kids were raised earlier last year in May, when a bipartisan group of 44 attorney generals wrote a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging him to drop it.

Their letter warned that Instagram Kids could increase cyberbullying, leave children vulnerable to online predators, and perpetuate what they called Facebook's 'checkered record' in not protecting the privacy of children on its platforms.

Mosseri defended the project and had said the kids version of the app would curb the bullying that already takes place in the regular version.

He added that Pavni, who had previously supervised the YouTube Kids program at Google, had done a great job to prepare programs for kids.

'Pavni has been a tremendous champion for her teams and drive for this cross-company effort,' Mosseri wrote in his note obtained by The New York Times.

Diwanji could not be immediately reached for comment.

She is the third high-profile person in Meta to announce their leave this year amid the company's restructuring.

Board member Peter Thiel, a conservative tech mogul and co-founder of Pay-Pal, announced in December that he plans to leave Meta this May.

Meta's Messenger app boss Stan Chudnovsky, also announced in December that he would be stepping down in 2022.

John Pinette, who was the head of communications, left the company in January.

Last year, David Marcus, Meta's head of cryptocurrency, resigned after the company's failed bid to launch its own cryptocurrency for Facebook.

Before working at Meta, Diwanji led Google's YouTube Kids project, a more family-friendly version of the app that features parental controls

(Left to right): Peter Thiel, David Marcus and Stan Chudnovsky are among the top heads at Meta that have left the company or announced they are leaving it this year

Despite Diwanji's departure, Stephanie Otway, a Meta spokesperson, said in a statement that the company was still 'developing safe, age-appropriate experiences for teens.'

Mosseri will continue to serve as the head of Meta's youth effort, which the company said remains 'an important priority.'

In a Wednesday memo, Mosseri wrote: 'I know the teams have worked hard to ensure that youth is a key consideration in product development across the company - including in VR and Messenger - and I'll continue to be an advocate for collaboration and coordination here.'

Mosseri had testified before Congress in December to discuss the leaked documents and how Instagram would tighten its protection for teens.

He said Instagram was exploring controls to limit potentially harmful or sensitive material suggested to teens through its search function, hashtags, short-form video Reels and its 'Suggested Accounts' feature, as well as on its curated 'Explore' page.

Instagram also launched a 'Take a Break' campaign in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, which reminds people to take a brief pause from the app after using it for a certain amount of time.

This year, the company is set to launch its first tools for parents and guardians to see how much time their teens spend on the app and set time limits.
Two men have been arrested over the execution-style murder of Sydney underworld figure Mejid Hamzy, who was gunned down two years ago, sparking a deadly gang war.

One of them is believed to be the mysterious 'Mr Blond' who was caught on CCTV footage leaving the crime scene after the shooting.

The brother of Bassam Hamzy - the head of the Brothers 4 Life gang - was shot dead outside his Condell Park home in Sydney's southwest on October 19, 2020.

He tried to escape the hit squad after being shot several times and fled to a neighbour's home but died on the doorstep.

Two men have been arrested over the execution-style murder of Sydney underworld figure Mejid Hamzy, who was gunned down two years ago, sparking a deadly gang war

The 44-year-old was found critically wounded by emergency services and pronounced dead at the scene.

NSW Police believed the murder was part of the long-running turf war between the feuding Hamzy and Alameddine families,

The shooting ignited the latest spate of tit-for-tat killings which have terrorised Sydney's west for the past two years.

The ongoing gang war has seen seven killings so far including January's shooting of Ghassan Amoun, brother of Bassam Hamzy, gunned down as he left a beauty salon.

Detectives from the State Crime Command's Criminal Groups Squad and the NSW Crime Commission and South West Metropolitan Region established Strike Force Courier to investigate the killing.

One of the men arrested is believed to be the mysterious 'Mr Blond' who was caught on CCTV footage leaving the crime scene after the shooting

The brother of Bassam Hamzy - the head of the Brothers 4 Life gang - was shot dead outside his Condell Park home in Sydney's southwest on October 19, 2020

Officers attached to Raptor Squad also helped with the investigation.

Strike force detectives had earlier arrested two men - aged 38 and 44 - who remain before the courts facing charges of facilitating and planning the killing.

Officers from the Tactical Operations Unit and South West Metropolitan Operations Support Group raided homes at East Hills, Panania, Bankstown and Padstow just before dawn on Thursday.

A number of people were arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station, where the two men are expected to be charged with murder.

Police will hold a press conference later on Thursday.
Two senior Los Angeles County prosecutors are suing their woke boss after they claim they were demoted for making complaints about his new policies that call for lax sentencing for violent crimes.

Maria Ramirez and Victor Rodriguez allege that they were were reassigned because they opposed District Attorney George Gascon's bail reform directives and concerns over how crimes were being prosecuted.

Ramirez and Rodriguez were both senior prosecutors and bureau directors in the District Attorney's Office and had worked there for more than 30 years, according to Fox News. Together, they supervised hundreds of employees before their demotion.

The lawsuit alleges that the deputies were reassigned 'because they disclosed and/or refused to take actions that they reasonably believed were violations of law.'

Ramirez is the former director of the Bureau of Specialized Prosecutions and Rodriguez once headed the Bureau of Branch and Area Region II and part of Area Region I. Both were demoted to the position of head deputy, the lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs each have more than 30 years of service in the District Attorney's Office and aspired to be assistant district attorneys, according to their suit.

Ramirez alleges her demotion came after she complained that Gascon's directive to substantially change the way juvenile crimes are prosecuted was unlawful. Specifically, the directive mandated Ramirez use alternate prosecution theories that minimized a juvenile's criminal conduct, no matter how violent, which did not accurately reflect the true offense, according to the lawsuit.

It meant that in the case of a juvenile, only one charge could be used in prosecution against them, no matter how serious the crime or the number of victims.

Rodriguez alleges he was demoted after discussing the possible prosecution of police officers who were involved in a shooting that killed two people.

Both Ramirez and Rodriguez are seeking unspecified damages, while Gascon's office is not commenting on the lawsuit due to the pending litigation.

Two high-ranking prosecutors are alleging that Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, pictured, demoted them for complaining about policies

Lawsuit alleges the deputies, Maria Ramirez, pictured, and Victor Rodriguez were reassigned after refusing to follow what they believed were 'violations of law'

Regarding Rodriguez's allegation, statements were made by the officers and witnesses claiming that a suspect had reached for a gun.

One of Gascon's confidential assistants, Anna Kozma, who at the time was a first year law student, flatly stated 'I am ready to convict the officers,' the suit alleges, while two other advisers present said: 'The officers should be prosecuted ''because too many African-Americans have been killed by police officers.'' Another suggested the officers should at least be charged with 'voluntary manslaughter,' according to the lawsuit.

Rodriguez said that while he was not against investigating further, he did not believe there to be probable cause to file charges because there was no specific facts to support the allegations.

Following the meeting, Gascon is alleged to have complained to his chief of staff that management which led to Rodriguez demotion.

The suit claims they 'were removed from their positions in retaliation for disclosing violations of law and/or refusing to violate law concerning unlawful practices and policies of ... George Gascon and/or other high officials in the Gascon administration.'

The lawsuit details how Ramirez and Rodriguez were in positions of 'high authority' and regularly had access to Gascon, and were even looking at promotions to assistant district attorney, the suit alleges.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, pictured, has been criticized for his soft-on-crime policies

Gascon, a 67-year-old former assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, took over as district attorney in the heavily Democrat city in December 2020 and immediately embarked on a progressive justice reform agenda - eliminating the use of sentencing enhancements for gang membership, certain uses of guns and for prior convictions.

One of Gascon's earliest changes ridded prosecutors of the ability to file crimes against certain juveniles and charge suspects with more than one crime even if they had, in fact, committed multiple during the course of one incident.

If, for example, a suspect had robbed four people at gun point, prosecutors were barred from filing four separate robbery charges and would have to choose one victim in order to pursue prosecution.

'Plaintiff was forced to randomly select only one victim and charge one crime pertaining to that chosen victim,' the lawsuit states.

'Plaintiff raised concerns that at trial, if the randomly chosen victim was not available and the case not therefore provable, the case could be dismissed, and the juvenile would have no accountability. All these filings would constitute fraud on the court and, among other things, violate plaintiff's ethical and prosecutorial obligations under the law.'

Ramirez complained how Gascon's juvenile justice directive was illegal and violated California's Bill of Rights and refused to allow input from victims' families when decisions were made to try younger defendants as adults, rather than juveniles.

'Plaintiff Ramirez personally brought to the attention of George Gascon and others in his administration an unethical and unlawful disposition of a case through a backroom deal that shortened the life sentence of a murderer to a seven-year prison term,' the lawsuit says.

Ramirez spoke to Gascon directly about an 'unethical and unlawful disposition of a case through a backroom deal that shortened the life sentence of a murderer,' which saw them receive a sentence of seven years in prison, according to the suit.

She was subsequently demoted in September 2021 over her 'disclosures and refusals to violate the law,' the lawsuit states.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, approached Gascon in March 2021, while discussing a case that saw the possible prosecution of police officers who were involved in a shooting which saw an officer allegedly kill two people.

Despite witness accounts to the contrary, a discussion took place that determined there was insufficient evidence to charge the officers.

'Plaintiff Rodriguez was appalled by the discussion that was taking place since there was insufficient evidence that the officers had committed a crime,' the lawsuit says.

'Plaintiff Rodriguez was not against a further investigation of the facts to see if a filing was necessary, but under the facts as presented, he told the group that there was not probable cause for a filing because there were no specific facts to support the charge,' according to the lawsuit.

Once the meeting was done, Gascon is then alleged to have complained to the DA office chief of staff that management 'followed the law too much.'

The suit states that the remark was a 'fitting comment by a District Attorney who has never practiced law, and an explanation as to why Plaintiff Rodriguez and others were demoted.'

As LA battles rising crime, critics are blaming Gascon's 'soft' policies, and an effort to recall him is underway - which on Friday saw a former LAPD chief who previously endorsed him rescind his support.

Amid growing frustration with the progressive prosecutor, more than 600 deputy district attorneys throughout LA County endorsed his recall Tuesday during an Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA) meeting.

Gascon was sworn in as LA County's 43rd district attorney in December 2020, and critics have blamed him for a spike in violent crime in the region.

Los Angeles has seen a 54 percent increase in murders since 2019, a rise in the number of street shootings since 2020 and an increase in the number of armed holdups.

Since being sworn into office, Gascon has refused to meet with prosecutors to explain the logic behind his policies, the union said.

Union Vice President Eric Siddall likened the DA to a failed experiment.

'Over a year ago, Gascon began a massive social experiment by redirecting prosecutorial resources away from enforcing the law while simultaneously ignoring large portions of the penal code,' Siddall said.

'The result is an emboldened criminal element that knows the DA will not hold criminals accountable. This experiment needs to end.'

ADDA vice president Eric Siddall likened Gascon's tenure as DA to a failed experiment

The effort to oust Gascon from office started in December. A petition has started to collect signatures to force a recall election.

In February, the Los Angeles ADDA stated how 98 percent of its members voted to support a second recall attempt in an effort to oust Gascon.

The city councils from more than 30 cities have also issued 'no confidence' votes involving Gascon, who has come under fire for pushing his progressive agenda.

It includes directives against seeking the death penalty and also allegations that could lead to lengthier sentences in some criminal cases.

'George Gascon's retaliation against two long-standing and highly respected prosecutors for questioning the legality of Gascon's directives, and how those directives put the safety of Los Angeles residents at risk, shows Gascon's lack of leadership,' Siddall has said.

'A true leader listens to the experts and works with them. Gascon's smallness is a problem for the people of Los Angeles County.'

Gascon has defended himself simply by stating that his views were well-known during his election campaign and that winning only further solidified support.

Last month, Gascon issued a memo that saw him reversing some of his most controversial policies including a ban on special-circumstance allegations that could see a suspect given a sentence of life-without-parole, together with the transfer of juvenile-defendant cases to adult courts.

Gascon changed his juvenile policy after a convicted sex offender was overheard gloating about her light sentence on a jailhouse phone call.

THE 'SOFT ON CRIME' LA D.A. The Los Angeles's district attorney, George Gascon has been criticized for his liberal approach to crime. He came to office with promises of sweeping criminal justice reforms that critics say put the interests of criminals before the safety of the community, There have been numerous instanced where his 'soft on crime' approach has led to terrible consequences for the victims of crime. Brianna Kupfer, 24, was murdered in January at a Los Angeles furniture store where she was working. Her alleged killer Shawn Laval Smith, 31, was tracked down in Pasadena a day after the Los Angeles Police Department named him as the top suspect in the random, unprovoked slaying. Smith - who reportedly has a rap sheet spanning two coasts - was out on bail when he allegedly stabbed Kupfer to death. One week before the killing, Smith was arrested and charged with violent crimes in at least three states. At the time of Kupfer's murder, he was free on a $50,000 bond after allegedly firing a weapon toward an occupied vehicle in Charleston, South Carolina, in November 2019. Jonathan Hatami, a veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor who has been an outspoken critic of Gascon and even sued him for retaliation last year, hit out at his boss in the wake of Kupfer's killing, He argued that his progressive policies are failing the community, and that he deserves to be voted out, along with other 'woke' DAs in cities with rising crime rates. 'So now you have a large group of people who are out of custody, who are committing thefts, who are addicted to drugs who are not being held accountable for their actions,' he said. 'And now they're preying on innocent individuals.' The city has also suffered a shocking wave of follow-home robberies and organized smash-and-grab attacks on retailers. Brianna Kupfer, 24, was stabbed to death in a random attack while she was working alone in a luxury furniture store in Los Angeles. Shawn Laval Smith, 31, was out on bail at the time of the alleged attack In another incident highlighting Gascon's 'soft' policies, last month, transgender pedophile Hannah Tubbs was caught bragging about her light sentence in a juvenile facility. Tubbs was sentenced to two years in jail for molesting a 10-year-old girl inside a restaurant bathroom. After the top prosecutor became aware of troubling comments Tubbs made in jail - including that she wouldn't have to register as a sex offender and that 'nothing' would be done to punish her - Gascon said he's rethinking his approach. 'It's unfortunate that she gamed the system,' Gascon told the Los Angeles Times. 'If I had to do it all over again, she would be prosecuted in adult court.' However, his critics say his apparent remorse is just a public stunt as recall efforts against him grow. Tubbs was 17 when she committed the assault. Tubbs also made crude and disparaging comments about the child she had abuse. She's pictured in surveillance photos leaving the Before she was sentenced, prosecutors had pushed for her to stay in a Los Angeles County Jail and be tried as an adult but Gascon declined to file a motion to move the case out of juvenile court, where it was filed because of Tubbs' age at the time of offense. The recording indicated that Tubbs also made crude and disparaging comments about the child she had abused, jokingly talking about her sexual attraction for the 10-year-old. The DA has admitted that Tubbs may have been given too lenient of a sentence after he refused to prosecute her as an adult for the crime that she committed as a male juvenile. However, his critics said he knew about the recordings well before they were publicly released and that he didn't take them seriously until they started making him look bad. The convict, who now goes by the name Hannah Tubbs, was 17 when she committed the crime. While serving time in a juvenile time, she bragged about not having to register as a sex offender In another instance, Gascon is seeking to commute the death penalty sentence of a career criminal who kidnapped, robbed and shot 'execution-style' a father-of-three in 1992. Scott Collins, 21, kidnapped and killed Rose in 1992. Collins (pictured in 2007) used Rose's debit card to withdraw $200, shot him in the head and dumped his body in North Hollywood, where he was later found by a jogger Scott Forrest Collins, now 51, kidnapped 41-year-old Fred Rose and held him at gunpoint as he left his work office in Palmdale for a lunch break three decades ago. Collins used Rose's debit card to withdraw $200, shot him in the head and dumped his body in North Hollywood, where he was later found by a jogger. Rose died a day later at a hospital, and Collins went on to use Rose's car to participate in a gang-related shooting before crashing and being arrested and charged with murder. Now Gascon, a fierce opponent of the death penalty, who is also facing a second recall attempt from opponents who have criticized his soft-on-crime approach, is seeking to reduce Collins' sentence from the death penalty to life without the possibility of parole. Rose's family claims they were blind-sided by Gascon's push and accused the embattled prosecutor of 'fighting for the murderer.' Gascon's office argues that Collins' good behavior, lack of 'serious rule violations in more than 20 years', and the fact that his crime only had 'one victim,' should grant him the opportunity to avoid the death penalty. Last month, Gascon backtracked on some of his most controversial policies, including not pursuing sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, and not prosecuting juveniles accused of serious offenses as adults. Gascon's sudden change of heart comes as he faces a second recall effort organized by his critics, who contend that his woke policies are to blame for Los Angeles' rising crime rates. Fred Rose, 41, was robbed and killed in 1992. Now his killer might have his death penalty sentence commuted. Above, Rose with his wife and children, Julian. Amy and Heather Advertisement
Vogue magazine scrubbed any mention of Palestine from an Instagram post about one supermodel's efforts to donate her fashion show earnings to the country and also Ukraine - only to put it back in amid backlash.

On Sunday, Gigi Hadid - whose father is Palestinian - announced on Instagram that she would donate her earnings from fall fashion shows to 'those suffering' in both Ukraine and Palestine.

She wrote: 'Following in the footsteps of my friend [Mica Arganaraz], I am pledging to donate my earnings from the Fall 2022 shows to aid those suffering from the war in Ukraine, as well as continuing to support those experiencing the same in Palestine.

'Our eyes and hearts must be open to all human injustice,' she wrote, concluding: 'HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE. PEACE. PEACE. PEACE.'

Vogue had originally reported on her efforts, mentioning that she was donating her money to both countries, but soon after, the magazine was accused of 'fanning the flames of anti-Semitism.'

One day later, the Instagram post had no mention of Palestine, saying Hadid was just contributing to the Ukraine relief efforts.

But, after facing backlash yet again, it has now been edited to add back in the mention of Palestine with an Editor's Note saying: 'We have updated this caption to accurately reflect Gigi Hadid's statement on her donation.'

DailyMail.com reached out to both Vogue and Hadid for comment.

Bella Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, announced on Sunday that she would donate her earnings from fall fashion shows to those suffering in both Ukraine and Palestine. She is pictured here in Paris earlier this month

Hadid, 26, called for 'HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE' in an Instagram post on Sunday

Vogue had originally mentioned on Instagram that Hadid was planning to donate her earnings to both Ukraine and Palestine, left, but soon the post was edited to scrub any mention of Palestine. After receiving backlash again, Palestine was added back in with an Editor's Note reading: 'We have updated this caption to accurately reflect Gigi Hadid's statement on her donation'

Vogue had tried to promote Hadid's efforts in an article and on social media following the 26-year-old's announcement on Sunday.

The magazine originally wrote: 'Today [Hadid] announced that she will be donating all of her fashion month earnings towards relief efforts in Ukraine, as well as continuing to support those experiencing the same in Palestine.'

But soon, the caption instead read: 'Today [Hadid] announced that she will be donating all of her fashion month earnings towards relief efforts in Ukraine.

'The supermodel is following in the footsteps of her colleague and friend, [Arganaraz] and is using her platform as one of fashion's leading faces to support victims of Russia's invasion in Ukraine - and she is not alone.

'In the midst of fashion month, the industry has attempted to use its platform to support the critical situation in Ukraine by spreading awareness, donating to credible organizations and sharing critical information within the country and beyond.'

Vogue's article about Hadid's efforts also only mentioned Palestine once in its copy, and left out her last sentence calling for peace in Palestine.

Vogue's post was apparently initially edited following claims of anti-Semitism, with Algemeiner reporting that several people had commented on the post to slam the magazine for comparing the war in Ukraine to the situation in Palestine.

'While Gigi is pushing a false narrative to demonize the world's only [Jewish] state, Israel is actively negotiating peace between Ukraine and Russia.

'The appropriation of other people's pain is truly a new low, come on,' StopAntisemitism.org wrote.

Jewish actress Emmanuelle Chriqui also commented on the post: 'I can't believe @voguemagazine is supporting this false and dangerous narrative... well done @voguemagazine [for] fanning the flames of anti-Semitism.'

Another Instagram user also commented: 'There's a reason why Israel and Ukraine are such close allies. We both are fighting for our survival,' with someone else writing: 'Ukraine doesn't threaten to erase Russia off the map and then shoots 4,500 rockets at it.

'Hey Vogue, why don't you ask Gigi how many of the Palestinian leaders condemned Russia and how many showed support.'

But the magazine continued to face backlash after it edited the post to remove Palestine, with user @withvmakesfood writing, 'Put the original quote about Palestine [from] her,' and @muna_yg commenting: 'Palestine always and forever. Shame on you Vogue for editing Gigi's original statement.'

The magazine was originally accused of 'fanning the flames of anti-Semitism' with the post, but after it was edited to remove the mention of Palestine, it continued to face backlash from pro-Palestinians

Hagar del Hameed also commented: 'She also said she's donating to Palestine, but apparently this can go unnoticed according to your standards.'

In an article for Gawker, Sarah Hagi wrote: 'Vogue has not yet released a statement on exactly why the caption was changed - again, they were merely directly quoting Hadid herself, whose Instagram post they were reporting on.

'But if anything, this is a perfect example of how merely saying the words "Palestine" or "Palestinian" is considered inherently political and dangerous.'

Now, the post once again includes the mention of Palestine, along with the editor's note.
Twitter has launched a privacy-protected 'onion' version of its website to bypass Russian surveillance and censorship after the country restricted access to its service.

The launch of Twitter's new version comes after Russia blocked access to Facebook and limited Twitter in an attempt to try to restrict the flow of information about its war in Ukraine, over which it is also waging a war of disinformation and propaganda.

Both US companies have said they are working on restoring access for people inside Russia, even as they restrict the country's state media from their services.

Known as an 'onion' service, users can access this version of Twitter if they download the Tor browser, which allows people to access sites on what is also referred to as the 'dark web.' Instead of .com, onion sites have a .onion suffix.

Onion refers to onion routing, which is a technique for anonymous communication over a computer network developed in the mid-1990s at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. In Onion networks, messages are protected by layers of encryption.

Twitter has launched a privacy-protected 'onion' version of its website to bypass Russian surveillance and censorship after the country restricted access to the platform as part of an information war surrounding its brutal invasion of Ukraine

Software engineer and internet security expert Alec Muffett, who has worked with other companies to set up onion sites, announced Twitter's new service on his own Twitter account

Muffett also posted a screenshot of Twitter's page working in Russia through the Tor browser

Regular websites, including Twitter.com, are also accessible on the Tor web browser, but the .onion versions are made specifically for Tor and prevent the site from being spoofed by malicious actors.

While the term 'dark web' connotes illegal sites - such as the now-defunct Silk Road drug market - it is also often used by people seeking to remain anonymous for their safety and also to access sites censored by repressive governments.

Facebook and other sites such as the BBC also have versions accessible on Tor. Twitter's version has been in the works for some time, since before the Russian invasion, the company confirmed Wednesday.

Software engineer and internet security expert Alec Muffett, who has worked with other companies to set up onion sites, announced Twitter's new service on his own Twitter account.

'This is possibly the most important and long-awaited tweet that Ive ever composed,' he wrote on Tuesday.

The Twitter.onion version comes after Russia restricted access to the U.S. social media website following its war on Ukraine, in a bid to control information seen by its own citizens about its forces invasion.

As well as fighting its war with bombs and missiles, Russia has also been waging an information war over Ukraine.

Russia has insisted on calling the invasion a 'special military operation' and claims that Kyiv is the aggressor - despite all evidence showing otherwise.

In addition, numerous Russian news outlets have been accused of spreading disinformation. State-backed Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik have both been met with sanctions in the West.

RT America cased production and laid off most of its staff last week, while RT and Sputnik were both banned in the European Union.

On Wednesday, the U.S. government publicly warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, after Russia - without evidence - accused Ukraine of having chemical weapons labs. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it could be a 'false flag'

Brussels said this was done in a bid to tackle 'systematic information manipulation and disinformation by the Kremlin'.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday rejected accusations from Russia that the bloc was clamping down on media freedom by targeting the outlets.

'They are not independent media, they are assets. They are weapons in the Kremlin's manipulation ecosystem,' Borrell told lawmakers at the European Parliament.

Just on Wednesday, the U.S. government publicly warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, after Russia - without evidence - accused Ukraine of having chemical weapons labs.

The Kremlin has also claimed that the goal of it's 'special military operation' is to de-nazify Ukraine, despite the country's president Volodymyr Zelensky being Jewish and far-right parties only receiving 2 percent of the vote in Ukraine's last election.

This was not even enough for the parties to pass the 5 percent threshold to sit in the country's parliament.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Russia's chemical weapons claim 'preposterous' and said it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for using such weapons of mass destruction against Ukraine itself.

'This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine,' said Psaki.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday rejected accusations from Russia that the bloc was clamping down on media freedom by targeting the outlets

'Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them.'

Russia has used chemical weapons before in carrying out assassination attempts against Putin enemies like Alexey Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal. It also supports the Assad government in Syria which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decade-long civil war.

On Tuesday, the EU pledged to step up its fight against Russian disinformation as fears surge over interference by Moscow.

Borrell said he would now propose a new mechanism that could allow the bloc to sanction Moscow's 'malign disinformation actors'.

'We are witnessing how the Russian assault on Ukraine continues,' Borrell told lawmakers at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

'And this assault painfully highlights why we need to pay more attention to foreign interference, and in particular, to foreign disinformation and information manipulation.'

Borrell decried the Kremlin's crackdown on independent reporting and blanket efforts by the 'Russian propaganda machine' to justify the attack at home and distort what is happening on the ground.

'President (Vladimir) Putin wants his nation to be blind and deaf. More than that, President Putin I think would like the Russian people to be apathetic,' Vera Jourova, EU commissioner for values and transparency, told legislators.

'It is more important than ever to reach the Russian people and provide them with information. Every possible channel should be used.'

Jourova praised a decision by streaming giant Netflix to halt services in Russia.

'President Putin wants the people to be entertained, not to pay attention to what's happening,' she said.

'It would not be right to see Russians being entertained and next door Ukrainians being killed.'

The EU has already bolstered its efforts to counter Kremlin disinformation since Moscow annexed Crimea and began fuelling a war in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Meanwhile, Facebook on Wednesday began letting groups automatically reject posts identified as containing false information, taking aim at a part of the massive network that has drawn particular concern from misinformation watchdogs.

More than 1.8 billion people per month use Facebook Groups, which allow members to gather around topics ranging from parenting to politics.

Yet critics have said the groups are ripe targets for the spread of misleading or false information by having sometimes large audiences of like-minded users organized on a particular topic.

Protests have erupted across the globe in recent weeks over social media sites' hosting of Russian state-sponsored media outlets. Above, Alex Pishcheiko (front right) along with Mariia Bocheva (left) and Vlad Kravchenko, from Ukraine and living in Dublin, take part in a protest outside Meta's head office in Dublin, calling for a crackdown on Russian propaganda

Administrators of 'groups' at the leading social network can opt to have software automatically reject incoming posts showcasing information found to be false by third-party fact-checkers, Facebook App communities vice president Maria Smith said.

Groups were once touted by chief executive Mark Zuckerberg as a way to build more intimate communities at the world-spanning social network by providing online spaces for users to connect based on hobbies, endeavors, or other interests.

'Our research shows, those same features - privacy and community - are often exploited by bad actors, foreign and domestic, to spread false information and conspiracies,' disinformation researchers Nina Jankowicz and Cindy Otis wrote in a Wired opinion piece in 2020.

Facebook has long been under heavy pressure to prevent its platform from being used to spread misinformation on topics from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the Covid-19 pandemic and elections.

The platform on Wednesday also updated a 'suspend' tool that administrators can use to temporarily stop selected members from posting, commenting or otherwise taking part in a group.

For groups seeking to incorporate new members, Facebook added the ability to promote them using email or QR codes, Smith said.

It was not immediately clear if Facebook's move was in reaction to the war in Ukraine and the events surrounding it, or a more general push against misinformation.
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Priti Patel is expected to bow to pressure and fix the shambolic refugee scheme amid reports that the Prime Minister is losing faith in her handling of the crisis.

Scores of Ukrainian evacuees expressed their frustration at British red tape yesterday, including some sent to a Home Office centre in Lviv in the war-torn country that had shut down days earlier.

It was announced last night that 100 British military personnel in civilian dress are going to Poland to help organise the visa application centre (VAC) in Warsaw.

Liz Trusst (left), Boris Johnson (centre) and Priti Patel (right) listen to Ukrainian president Zelensky address the House of Commons. Miss Patel has faced criticism for her handling of the visa crisis being faced by Ukrainian refugees

Waiting: Kiril Minskiy, 11, Alexandra Minskiy, Natali Honcharuk, Victoria Kuldusheva, Veronica Kuldusheva, stand outside of a temporary UK Visa Office in Rzeszow, Poland, set up to deal with British visa applications from Ukrainians fleeing war

It came as former prime minister David Cameron suggested the UK's programme should be more generous.

One option could be allowing Ukrainians into Britain just by showing their passports, he told LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, adding: 'Let's find a way to get it done.'

The Daily Mail understands the Home Secretary is planning to unveil significant moves to streamline the refugee scheme and open it to all Ukrainians with family in Britain, although she will stop short of dropping visa requirements altogether.

New measures will mean Ukrainians already here for work or on other short-term visas will be able to apply for a free three-year visa that will let them bring relatives here, Home Office sources said.

Until now the refugee scheme has been limited to relatives of Ukrainians with permanent rights to be in the UK.

In further moves planned by ministers, refugees who have visited Britain in the past five years will be able to re-use biometrics from earlier visa applications.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from Russia's invading armed forces. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of a tyrant will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

This will aim to reduce bottlenecks at VACs across the continent where refugees must attend appointments to have fingerprints and facial scans taken.

The number of refugee visas granted so far reached 957 yesterday as the Education Secretary predicted Britain will end up taking in around 200,000.

Nadhim Zahawi, whose family fled Saddam Hussein's Iraq, told The Spectator the Government had 'struck the right balance because it's right to have some checks as to who we're settling here'.

The planned changes to the visa scheme come amid fierce criticism of Britain's existing set-up.

A senior Tory source said: 'Priti Patel's stock is falling fast.

'People want us to be generous, the Prime Minister is saying he wants to be generous, but reality on the ground is making a mockery of that.

'The Home Office has to stop looking at this from the point of view of trying to control numbers.

'The point of controlling our borders is we can choose to be generous when circumstances demand.'

Another Whitehall insider said: 'Priti has not got a grip on this.

'What we are seeing is the classic Home Office approach of trying to bureaucratise everything and squeeze the numbers, which is the opposite of what the PM is asking for  it's not surprising he's getting frustrated with her.'

An ally of Miss Patel acknowledged it was taking time to get the process running smoothly but said it was 'not fair to blame it all on her'.

The source voiced irritation with Michael Gove's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which has yet to produce details of the new 'sponsorship route' for refugees.

'Priti is getting all the flak for refugees, but there is nothing she can do about the sponsorship route until Gove has decided what it is,' the source said.

Downing Street insisted yesterday that Boris Johnson still has 'full faith' in the Home Secretary.

Ukraine's ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko also criticised 'bureaucratic hassles' yesterday, telling the Commons home affairs committee that, for example, biometric checks should be dropped for child evacuees.

A 'pop up' VAC will open in Lille, France, today but will only deal with applicants referred by Border Force officers at Calais, where hundreds of Ukrainian refugees have already turned up.

Other applicants are being urged to go to other centres across Europe.

But a British-Ukrainian sales manager Vitalii Morgun, 36, who drove to the Hungarian border with Ukraine to collect family who had fled, said that when they reached the Brussels VAC he was shocked to find just two officials on duty. 'It's a joke it's hopeless,' he said.

And a British citizen, Joe from Hampshire, who flew to Poland to help get his mother and niece to the UK, said the Home Office told him to apply for visas in Lviv  even though the centre has shut.

He told The Daily Telegraph: 'Basically the Home Office staff don't have the same information as the people do on the ground.'

Enver Solomon, of the Refugee Council charity, told MPs the Government was placing 'paperwork over people'.

The tortuous process for gaining entry Ukrainian refugees hoping to come to the UK must go through the following painstaking process under the Government's Family Visa Scheme: Create an online account on the Home Office website and fill in a detailed application form. Upload proof their qualifying family member has permanent residence status in Britain, such as a copy of the Home Office vignette in their family member's passport. Upload proof they had been living in Ukraine before January 1 this year. Provide evidence they are related to the qualifying family member in Britain, such as birth certificates or marriage certificates. If documents cannot be provided, applicants must 'explain why you are unable to do so'. Translate all above documents into English and upload them to the website. Book and attend an in-person appointment at a Home Office visa application centre in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Moldova or France so officials can take biometrics  fingerprints and a facial scan. The booking system frequently crashes and there are reports the earliest slots available are in two weeks' time. Although normal visa requirements for a tuberculosis vaccination certificate have been waived, some applicants have mistakenly been asked to provide them. Wait while the application is decided by caseworkers in the UK and security checks are carried out. Advertisement

We drove 1,600 miles... then UK turned us away

A Ukrainian mother and daughter who drove 1,600 miles from Kyiv were turned away in Calais by UK border staff who 'shrugged' as they pleaded to be let through as refugees.

Alena Semenova, 22, and Tetyana Tsybanyuk, 40, had bought a ticket on an Irish Ferries sailing to Dover and had passed the French border, but were stopped by seemingly indifferent British officials who detained them 'like criminals' because they did not have visas.

Miss Semenova, a former medical student trying to reach her godparents in Glasbury, Powys, said: 'We did not understand what was happening, why we were detained as criminals.

urned back at the border: Alena Semenova and Tetyana Tsybanyuk were trying to get to Wales but must go to Paris first

'But the border guard officer shrugged her shoulders and said that they would not let us through without a visa.'

They then had to drive 180 miles to Paris where they are hoping to gain visas.

But this will only happen if the Government eases restrictions for Ukrainians without relatives in Britain.

Her godfather, Graham Blackledge, a chiropodist whose wife Alla is also from Kyiv, said: 'Let them come over, house them, feed them, look after them. And then if you want to start processing them, but in the first instance help.

'And to accuse those seeking sanctuary in Britain of perhaps being Russian spies trying to infiltrate the UK, you should be ashamed of yourself.'

At the Polish processing centre, Natalia Honcharyk, a 28-year-old marketing executive from Kyiv, said: 'It's not like we are going on holiday. We only want to get to Britain to seek safety there.'

She and her 37-year-old sister, Viktoriia Kudlysheva, a civil servant, hope to stay with a cousin in Bristol.

'We are unsure if our application will be accepted here because we had originally booked an appointment in Lviv,' Miss Kudlysheva said.
An elite all-boys school has allowed a student transitioning from male to female to complete her studies for the first time in its 152 year history.

Headmaster Bradley Fenner advised parents on Tuesday the student knowns as 'Alice' will remain at Adelaide's Prince Alfred College to complete Year 12, reported The Advertiser.

'This morning, a student who has been at Prince Alfred College since the Early Learning Centre has told her peers that she is transgender, identifies as a woman and henceforth will be known as Alice,' Mr Fenner wrote in a letter.

Adelaide's exclusive boys-only Prince Alfred College (pictured) will allow a student transitioning from male to female to complete her Year 12 studies for the first time

'The response from the Year 12 cohort was, as we would have hoped and expected, both respectful and supportive.

'Alice has been dealing with gender dysphoria for some time and has been well-supported in her journey by a range of professionals, both within and outside the College.

'We are aware of some transgender PAC Old Scholars, but Alice is the first student to transition whilst at the College.

'It was Alice's desire and preference to remain at Prince Alfred College and we support her fully in this.'

The $28,200-a-year school is exclusively boys-only and does not enrol female students.

The decision has drawn an overwhelmingly positive response from students after Alice bravely told 150 Year 12 students she identified as female.

The student, known as Alice, bravely addressed her Year 12 cohort on her gender identity (pictured, a stock photo and not Prince Alfred College)

Mr Flannery said he found it 'very powerful' when Alice came out to her peers about her gender identity.

'She is a living embodiment of our college motto  which is: do brave deeds and endure, and thats exactly what shes done,' he told ABC Adelaide.

Parents have also welcomed the move and told The Australian they supported the way the college handled the situation.

'It does raise a few issues because the whole school has only ever been geared around having boys,' one parent told the news outlet.

'I think it is great that the boys have been so welcoming and accepting and apparently the process by which she explained her new life was very moving and they are all supporting her.

'It does raise a few logistic questions, though, around things like the use of the toilets and so on in what has only ever been a boys school.'

The school is reportedly now in discussions with Alice to organise a special uniform for her.

Prince Alfred College was established by the Methodist Church in 1869 and has only been open to boys, except for a handful of female students who studied there in World War II.

Notable alumni include former SA senators Cory Bernardi and Nick Xenophon and influential business leaders like Holden founder Edward Holden, Coopers Brewerys chairman Glenn Cooper and chief executive Tim Cooper.
Barnaby Joyce has struggled to answer a simple question about whether Australia should stop importing Russian oil.

The deputy prime minister started to rattle off a list of random countries and ramble about wheat exports when he was questioned on Sky News on Thursday.

'We only purchase about one per cent of Russian oil but should we follow America's lead and cut that?' Mr Joyce was asked.

'We've been following a lot of the trade sanctions and some of them we're trying to make sure that we're in the first group,' he replied.

The deputy prime minister (pictured) began to rattle off a list of random countries and ramble about wheat after he was questioned on Sky News on Thursday

'The world has changed, people need to understand that, Australia needs to become as strong as possible, as quickly as possible.

'And even on issues such as wheat, 30 per cent of the world's wheat and barley come out of Ukraine and Russia, so this will affect food prices, energy prices, fertiliser prices.'

The deputy prime minister continued his bizarre rant by listing countries affected by rising food prices including Egypt, Somalia, and Indonesia.

The reporter then interrupted and repeated his question.

'I'll leave that to a discussion that will inevitably have at the national security committee,' Mr Joyce finally concludes.

The UK and the US this week banned Russian oil imports in a move expected to cause the price of petrol in Australia to skyrocket.

Social media users were quick to slam the deputy prime minister for his convoluted answers with one remarking he 'wouldn't last five seconds in the private sector'.

Others said the simple answer would have been 'yes'.

'Pretty simple question, that Barnicles turned into whos who of world countries,' another commented.

Australia imposed a fresh round of sanctions against Russia to target those who encourage hostility toward Ukraine.

Australia imposed a fresh round of sanctions against Russia to target those who encourage hostility toward Ukraine (pictured, a training session in Kyiv, Ukraine)

Ten Putin supporters will be sanctioned for driving false claims that a genocide was taking place against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine (pictured, Ukraine civilians in a station)

Ten Putin supporters will be sanctioned for driving false claims that a genocide was taking place against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine.

The men targeted are journalists, authors or Putin's press officers.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said financial sanctions would also be imposed on Russia's armed forces, as well as six senior military commanders responsible for attacks on Ukraine.

'Together with partners, we will drive Russia out of our economies, supply chains and airwaves,' she said.

The invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by a widespread disinformation campaign within Russia.

Which nations are on Russia's 'unfriendly' list? Australia, Albania, Andorra, United Kingdom, including Jersey, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, the member states of the EU, Iceland, Canada, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, San Marino, North Macedonia, Singapore, the United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Japan Advertisement

Senator Payne said Australia was working with digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google to 'take action to suspend the dissemination of content generated by Russian state media within Australia'.

SBS and Foxtel already suspended Russia Today and NTV broadcasting, she said.

Travel bans and financial sanctions were imposed on eight members of Russia's national security council at the end of February.

There were also sanctions on transport, energy, telecommunications, oil, gas and mineral reserves, and banks in two provinces of Ukraine which are controlled by Russian separatists.

'This is only the start of this process,' Mr Morrison said after he joined the US, EU, UK, Japan and other allies in imposing sanctions.

'We are working with our partners to identify additional individuals who will be subject to the sanctions that have been made possible by our autonomous sanctions legislation.

The invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by a widespread disinformation campaign within Russin driven by Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin (pictured earlier this week)

Industry experts believe everyday living costs will soar for Australians due to sanctions on Russia (pictured, effects of the bombing in the centre of Kharkiv in Ukraine)

'What's being aimed at the people of Ukraine is unacceptable and won't be stood for by the international community.

'And all nations who want to stand up to bullies should do so now as so many have done, and Australia as always is pleased to be doing that.'

Industry experts believe everyday living costs will soar for Australians due to sanctions on Russia.

Millions could be forced to spend an extra $100 a week compared to a year earlier, after a $70 increase in 2021 and further rises on the way due to the conflict.

Australia drivers will have to pay more than $2 a litre for petrol as long as Russia's war on Ukraine continues, the NRMA believes.

The invasion of Ukraine launched on February 24 caused thousands of both civilian and military deaths, sparked the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, and provoked outrage across the world.
Teachers say half of new pupils aren't 'school ready'  with some starting class in nappies and unable to hold a pencil.

Growing numbers of four-year-olds begin reception year unable to pay attention or even feed themselves.

The problem is being fuelled by parents spending too much time on electronic devices and failing to read to their youngsters, along with a lack of access to nurseries during Covid lockdowns.

Almost 1,000 primary school teachers and senior staff were surveyed by the polling group YouGov for the early years foundation Kindred2.

Teachers say half of new pupils aren't 'school ready', with growing numbers of four-year-olds begin reception year unable to pay attention or even feed themselves. (Stock image)

On average, just 50 per cent of youngsters were equipped for reception in September.

One in four teachers said more than half didn't know how to listen or respond to simple instructions and struggled to play with others.

A third cited similarly high numbers having difficulties holding a pencil.

Other children lacked basic number and language skills, couldn't eat independently and were not toilet trained.

A total of 77 per cent of staff blamed a lack of time in nurseries due to the pandemic, with a similar proportion saying Covid restrictions cut interaction with other children.

But 66 per cent cited parents not reading to youngsters as a key reason for lack of school readiness, and 65 per cent claimed families were 'spending more time on electronic devices than with children'.

Vicky Hogg, headmistress of Clements Primary Academy in Haverhill, Suffolk, said none of the latest reception intake were developmentally ready, adding: 'The school readiness crisis isn't a Covid issue. It's been getting worse.

The problem is being fuelled by parents spending too much time on electronic devices and failing to read to their youngsters. (Stock image)

'We have to pay three full-time members of staff to enable nappy changing, to support the behaviour challenges and meet the huge level of need [of] some of the children...who just can't cope.'

A headteacher in Wales admitted parents 'can be lazy', with more families expecting the school to do toilet training, adding: 'It is rare they now read to them every night.'

A teacher from the South West said: 'Children are starting in nappies with no attempt made with toilet training.'

Tory MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons education committee, called for a catch-up programme to help families and nurseries teach children 'practical and social' skills.

He said: 'We should look at the examples of schools across the country who are working with parents to become mentors to other parents.'
The ACT's chief justice has warned the more the public talk about Brittany Higgins' alleged rape, the more likely the prosecution will be halted.

Bruce Lehrmann, accused of raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in a federal minister's office, has pleaded not guilty.

Chief Justice Lucy McCallum says those with an interest in the case risk being held in contempt of court by prejudicing a trial ahead of the jury hearing the matter in June.

The ACT's chief justice has warned the more the public talk about Brittany Higgins' (pictured) alleged rape, the more likely the prosecution will be halted

'The court strongly urges anyone with an interest in these proceedings to bear those matters in mind and to be careful about the words they publish between now and the 6th of June,' she told the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday.

'To put it in blunt terms, the more people keep talking about this case the greater the risk the prosecution will be stayed.'

Chief Justice McCallum noted the offence could only be tried by a jury.

Appearing on behalf of Lehrmann, barrister John Korn raised concerns speeches made during the course of a campaign Higgins is involved in had the potential to prejudice the case.

But the barrister admitted he did not know whether a stay application would be sought, telling the court he was due to represent Lehrmann at trial but that another legal team would be handling the pre-trial matters.

Mr Korn said the chances of a halt to proceedings 'getting off the ground' were tenuous, adding 'I believe the chances of a stay application being made are slim to none'.

Bruce Lehrmann (pictured), accused of raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in a federal minister's office, has pleaded not guilty

Chief Justice McCallum chastised the legal counsel of Higgins' alleged rapist for not knowing whether a stay application would be made by the accused.

'It's not a very satisfactory state of affairs to not have a definitive answer less than three months  from when the court has set aside six weeks (for trial).

'We need to know and we need to know urgently whether there is going to be a stay application.'

Legal concerns Lehrmann would not be able to receive a fair trial due to the publicity surrounding the case were flagged at a previous court hearing in February.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued an apology to Higgins and other victims of sexual harassment in Parliament House on February 8 but the prime minister's office later clarified the comments were not a reflection on matters before the court.
Just imagine, if you can, that there was not one Winston Churchill but two, born just three years apart.

Both were married with three children and both were accomplished writers with military backgrounds and a love of politics, both smoked - one cigars the other a pipe - and later in life they were proficient amateur artists.

Now try to picture this: that long before the Churchill we all know became Britains greatest and most revered statesman, the other Churchill, an American author, was more famous than his namesake and had a global following.

Indeed, such was his celebrity that our former war-time leader - voted the greatest Briton of all time in a BBC poll - wrote to the novelist proposing that to avoid confusion over their names, he would in future sign all published articles, stories or other work by using his full surname: Spencer-Churchill.

Looking through the prism of history it seems inconceivable now that the British Churchill, who for generations has symbolised our nations resilience during World War II, should play second fiddle to anyone, let alone a writer who died in virtual obscurity 75 years ago this week.

But for the early part of the 20th century the U.S. Churchill was by far the better known.

His books sold in their hundreds of thousands and for the first 15 years of the century he was acclaimed as Americas most popular serious author.

So perhaps it was with some trepidation that Britains Churchill sat down to write that letter in the spring of 1899.

He was 24 and had not long returned from the Sudan where he had served in Kitcheners campaign, fighting on horseback with the 21st Lancers in the Battle of Omdurman while also reporting for Londons Morning Post newspaper.

He had written his first novel Savrola, about revolution in a fictional European state which was being serialised in Macmillans Magazine, and his military history of the Sudan War was due to be published later in the year. He was also seeking a parliamentary seat.

His U.S. counterpart, three years his senior, meanwhile, had just completed Richard Carvel, a historical epic that was set against the backdrop of the American War of Independence and was to sell over two million copies.

For the early part of the 20th century the U.S. Churchill was by far the better known. His books sold in their hundreds of thousands and for the first 15 years of the century he was acclaimed as Americas most popular serious author. The American novelist Winston Churchill is pictured in New York City, 1916

The future wartime leaders letter began: Mr Winston Churchill presents his compliments to Mr Winston Churchill and begs to draw his attention to a matter which concerns them both.

It continued in courteous tone: Mr Winston Churchill will recognise from this letter  if indeed by no other means  that there is a grave danger of his works being mistaken for those of Mr Winston Churchill. He feels sure that Mr Winston Churchill desires this as little as he does himself.

He then proposed that he would become Winston Spencer-Churchill in all his writings  in later years this was simply abbreviated to Winston S. Churchill.

The American Churchills reply was also polite.

Mr Winston Churchill is extremely grateful to Mr Winston Churchill for bringing forward a subject which has given Mr Winston Churchill much anxiety, he began.

Accepting the offer, he added that had he [himself] possessed any other names, he would certainly have adopted one of them.

Thus was confusion avoided and, in a sign of those gentlemanly times, no lawyers were needed to reach agreement  just two mens word and the whole matter was settled amicably.

Perhaps it was with some trepidation that Britains Churchill, then aged 24, sat down to write a letter to his American namesake in the spring of 1899. Pictured: Sir Winston Churchill as a young man

A year later Britains Churchill travelled to America  his mothers home country  and during a visit to Boston met the other Winston, recalling in his memoirs: He entertained me at a very gay banquet of young men and we made each other complimentary speeches.

Some confusion, however, persisted; all my mails were sent to his address, and the bill for the dinner came to me.

A few years later the two men met again, this time in London when our Churchill was by now a prominent politician who had notoriously crossed the House of Commons from the Conservative benches to the Liberals.

At the time the American had joked about the two Churchills. I have come to the conclusion that the world can hold two of us, but no more, he declared.

In truth the two men had little in common  apart from their mutual admiration for each others writing. The U.S. author was born in St Louis in November 1871 and was descended from John Churchill, one of the Pilgrim Fathers.

Our Churchill was born three years later at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, his familys ancestral home. He was a direct descendant of the first Duke of Marlborough.

While the future PM attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst before being commissioned into the Queens Own Hussars, Americas Winston Churchill graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis where he rowed in the first eight and was an expert fencer.

And as young Winston was making his name as a soldier, there were signs of a literary career beckoning for the American Churchill.

He was managing editor of Cosmopolitan, in those days a staid monthly magazine for fiction, before resigning to write novels, poetry and essays.

His first book The Celebrity appeared in 1898 and five more historical novels followed, each the top best-seller in the year it appeared.

They also made him rich.

He built a substantial home in New Hampshire where he and his wife Mabel and three children settled and which for two years he let to American president Woodrow Wilson as a summer house.

He also had political ambitions, winning election to the state legislature in 1903 and 1905 where he attacked corruption and humbug with the fervour of his British namesake.

But an attempt to run for governor of New Hampshire in 1912 ended in failure and he did not seek public office again.

By now the British Churchill had achieved high office  he had been Home Secretary from 1910 to 1911 when he stood with police during the Siege of Sidney Street, a gunfight between Latvian revolutionaries and the Army, and afterwards became First Lord of the Admiralty.

He resigned from the post to re-join the Army, returning to active service on the Western Front. Around the same time the other Churchill toured the World War I battlefields and wrote his first non-fiction work  about what he saw.

The experience almost certainly informed what became his strong pacifist views by the outbreak of World War II.

Winston Churchill became Britains greatest and most revered statesman. He is pictured above smoking an iconic cigar in 1949

In 1919 he decided to stop writing and largely withdrew from public life. Instead he took up watercolours and became known for his landscapes. His art was, however, not as proficient as the English Churchills.

In 1940 he stirred from retirement and wrote the last of his 11 books, The Uncharted Way, which subscribed to his pacifist theories of non-resistance.

Seven years later he was dead following a heart attack, by then a reclusive and largely forgotten literary figure. His British namesake would outlive him by another 18 years.

Such was the British Churchills fame during the War years when his speeches and iron will drew the admiration of the free world, a society started in the U.S. called Churchills Of America.

It was formed by Americans bearing the same name as the British PM and raised considerable sums of money for the war effort in the UK.

Among its members and most generous of supporters, was a retired author who never objected to being known as the other Winston.
A leading judge in Ukraine has urged top British law firms to leave Russia after several said their Moscow offices will stay open despite the invasion.

Ivan Mishchenko, a member of Ukraine's supreme court, said London lawyers should 'never, ever have Russian clients again'.

Mr Mishchenko, 40, issued the plea as he announced he had taken arms to fight against Vladimir Putin's army.

The married father-of-three said several judges had joined 'both army and special units'.

Leading judge in Ukraine has urged top British law firms to leave Russia. (Stock image)

The judge, who has sat in his country's highest court since 2016, said the 'bloody money' of clients in Russia will bring 'neither joy nor happiness' to British lawyers.

Six of the top ten London-based firms by revenue have not committed to close their offices in Moscow  and only two of the four prestigious 'magic circle' firms with premises there have pledged to withdraw.

Mr Mishchenko told The Times: 'Lawyers are all about money, but there is always something more than that. Dignity, for example.'

Linklaters, a magic circle firm and fifth on the revenue leaderboard, said it will 'wind down our operations in Russia and close our Moscow office'.

Fellow magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer also announced last night that it will close its Moscow office.

But others in the elite group of five firms  all of which have headquarters in London  have stopped short of a total withdrawal, instead pledging either to review or to scale back their Russia-linked work.

Allen & Overy said it is 'reviewing our Russia-related portfolio', adding: 'As a result, we will refuse new instructions and stop all Russia-linked work that goes against our values.'

The judge said the 'bloody money' of clients in Russia will bring 'neither joy nor happiness' to British lawyers. (Stock image)

Clifford Chance said it will review existing mandates and not accept new ones 'from any Russian state entity, state-owned enterprises or individuals identified as having close connections to president Putin'.

Slaughter & May, the fifth magic circle law firm, does not have an office in Russia and said it has 'done very little work for Russian clients'.

It added: 'We have no active Russian clients and will not be taking on any new Russian clients.'

Magic circle firms have advised Russian companies which have currently or previously been subject to sanctions, including Gazprom, Rosneft and VTB Bank, the Financial Times said.

The legal profession has come under increased scrutiny since the strengthening of sanctions against Russian businesses and individuals. Last week, Tory MP Bob Seely used parliamentary privilege to accuse 'amoral' British law firms of working for Putin's henchmen.

Speaking in the Commons again yesterday, Mr Seely said: 'Since some of the debates on Ukraine last week, a number of lawyers have written what I consider to be intimidatory letters to national newspapers.

'It seems that not only are we dealing with a very aggressive culture in the law, not only trying to intimidate members of the free press, they are also trying to intimidate MPs.'

Boris Johnson has also said the legal profession is 'under scrutiny', adding those who 'undermine the interests of this country and advance the interests of Putin's war machine will pay a price'.
An 83-year-transsexual on lifetime parole for killing two women - one in 1963 and another reportedly shortly after she got out prison in 1984 - has been charged in connection with the killing of a 68-year-old woman whose body was found dismembered in a Brooklyn neighborhood, law enforcement sources tell DailyMail.com.

Harvey Marcelin, a transgender woman, was arrested late last week on a charge of concealing a body and could soon face upgraded charges after she was allegedly caught on surveillance cameras dumping a body near her Cypress Hills apartment.

Sources identified the victim as Susan Leyden, formerly of Teaneck, New Jersey, and said Marcelin knew her.

Leyden's headless torso was stuffed into a garbage bag and dumped in a shopping cart in Brooklyn, sources said. Last Thursday, a passerby made the grisly discovery on Pennsylvania and Atlantic avenues in the borough around 1:45 a.m. when he peeked inside the garbage bag.

Police said the female corpse was found inside the bag without a head or limbs and did not appear to be decomposed.

A search warrant into Marcelin's home turned up a 'human head,' along with electric saws Marcelin bought at a nearby Home Depot.

Harvey Marcelin, 83, who killed two women in 1963 and 1983, was arrested for allegedly killing and dismembering a 68-year-old woman in Brooklyn last week

Sources identified the victim as Susan Leyden, 68, formerly of Teaneck, New Jersey, and an acquaintance of Marcelin. She was last seen entering Marcelin's apartment

A Brooklyn passerby stumbled across the dismembered body of a woman believed to be Susan Leyden, 68, who was last seen entering Marcelin's apartment in Cypress Hills

Police said the female corpse was found inside the bag without a head or limbs and did not appear to be decomposed. They said the head was found in Marcelin's apartment

A leg was found on Monday night in Cypress Hills, just days after a torso was found a few blocks away last Thursday. The body parts are believed to belong to Leyden

On Monday, a severed leg, which had been cut from the knee down and was still wearing a sock, was poking out of a discarded tire four blocks away. It is believed to belong to the same woman as the torso.

By scouring surveillance footage, police were able to track down a woman seen dumping the trash bags, a source told the New York Daily News.

Leyden was last seen alive on February 27 as she entered Marceline's apartment carrying a 'multi-colored bag with a flower decal,' according to prosecutors. Marcelin was spotted leaving the building with the same bag three days later.

The murder of Leyden is the third killing Marcelin has been connected to.

On April 18, 1963, Marcelin was arrested for shooting her then-girlfriend Jacqueline Bonds three times inside their Manhattan apartment, the the New York Post reported.

Marcelin was sentenced to 20 years to life and was paroled in 1984, according to state prison records.

Surveillance cameras showed a woman dumping the body last week in Brooklyn

She went on to fatally stab another girlfriend, stuffing her body into a bag and dumping it on the streets near Central Park.

Marcelin was arrested in 1986 and convicted of manslaughter. She was released from the Cayuga Correctional Facility in upstate New York in 2019.

Prior to her release, Marcelin had admitting during a parole hearing that she had 'a problem with women,' the Post reported.

Marcelin is currently in custody and being held without bail at Riker's Island.

The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said the case is still under investigation.

The incident comes as the city continues to see a drastic spike in violent crime compared to last year.

Although murders are nearly the same with 67 committed so far this year compared to the 66 from last year, assaults are up by more than 19 per cent, increasing from 3,210 to 3,824.

The number of shooting victims have gone up from 181 cases to 215, more than 18 per cent when compared to the same time last year, and rapes have shot up by more than 31 per cent, with 293 cases reported so far.

Robberies saw the largest spike so far this year, going up by nearly 45 per cent when compared to the same time in 2021. Overall crimes have gone up by more than 47 per cent.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday evening passed a $1.5 trillion spending package that would fund the government through September and send nearly $14 billion to Ukraine to aid it during Russia's invasion.

It passed after a Democrat-led mutiny forced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pull COVID-19 aid dollars from the bill.

The legislation now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers must take action before the Friday deadline.

The vote was split into two parts, the first including $782 billion in military assistance including the defensive aid to Ukraine. It passed on a decisive 361 to 69 vote.

The $730 billion non-defense spending portion, which included funding for the Interior, Agriculture and Health departments among other as well as humanitarian dollars for Ukraine, passed on a much narrower 260-171 vote. One lawmaker voted 'present.'

The budget package is filled with items big and small - from a 2.7 percent pay increase for the troops to a funding for a plaque to be placed on the West Front of the Capitol, honoring all the police officers who defended the building during the January 6th insurrection.

It comes hours after Pelosi abruptly yanked $15.6 billion in COVID-19 pandemic relief from the bill funding the federal government after her own Democrats rebelled over how it was being paid for.

Despite the $782 billion defense portion of the spending bill being designed to entice Republicans, more GOP lawmakers voted against it than Democrats

The non-defense spending portion, totaling roughly $730 billion, passed on a narrower margin

The funding package has legislative victories for both parties. For Democrats, it provides $730 billion for domestic programs, 6.7 percent more than last year, which is the biggest boost in four years. This year's bill also reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act, a priority of President Joe Biden's, who first sponsored it as a senator.

'This will be a tremendous step forward on legislation first proposed by then-Senator @JoeBiden over 30 years ago,' White House chief of staff Ron Klain tweeted about the VAWA inclusion.

Republicans won $782 billion for defense - a 5.6 percent increase over last year's levels.

However, more Republicans voted against the defense portion than Democrats on Wednesday night -- just 15 Democrats did not support it, compared to 54 GOP lawmakers.

'This agreement provides significantly more money than the Biden Administration requested for defense and significantly less money than the Administration requested for non-defense. At my insistence, it also provides much more money for Ukraine than Democrats had proposed, particularly for authorities and funding to deliver crucial military equipment to Ukraine quickly,' Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.

President Biden originally requested $10 billion in assistance for the Ukraine but the bipartisan support was so strong the number grew to $12 billion on Monday and $13.6 billion in the final package.

The bill includes $13.6 billion in financial assistance for Ukraine as it fights against a devastating Russian invasion

Here's how the Ukraine financial assistance breaks down: $6.5 billion for the Pentagon, including $3 billion to bolster U.S. troops in Europe and $3.5 billion to replace weapons given to Ukraine; $4 billion for the State Department for refugee assistance; and $2.8 billion to USAID for immediate humanitarian disaster assistance.

It also includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and $300 million for allies and partners in the region, including $180 million for the Baltic Security Initiative, $30 million for Poland, $30 million for Romania, $20 million for Bulgaria, and $40 million for Georgia.

With Republicans refusing to support any new funding for the pandemic, Democrats decided to take the money from existing programs, including $7 billion set aside under last year's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid law to help state governments.

That brought a wave of fury from many members of Congress - including many Democrats - who objected to paying for the response efforts by cutting state funding. They found out about it when the budget was released at 1:34 am on Wednesday morning.

'This deal was cut behind closed doors, members found out this morning  this is completely unacceptable,' said Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota.

'We fought like tooth and nail to get these dollars home to our state governments,' she noted.

Pelosi noted 'this has been quite a day' when she spoke to reporters in the Capitol at her weekly press conference.

And she got defensive when asked about Democratic anger at the way the covid relief funding was handled.

'Let's grow up about this, okay,' the speaker said. 'We're in a legislative process. We have a deadline for keeping government open. We have a lively negotiation. It has to be bipartisan.'

She said because of 60-vote requirement in the Senate to move legislation her hands were tied. That means Democrats need at least 10 Republican votes to pass the budget.

'As long as we have need 60 votes in the Senate members gonna have to know there have to be compromises,' she said. 'Every line in the bill is a negotiation.'

Speaker Nancy Pelosi abruptly yanked $15.6 billion in covid pandemic relief from the bill funding the federal government after her own Democrats rebelled

The White House had requested the money to help combat the covid pandemic

Lawmakers from Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri and Maine joined the objections.

Facing a rebellion in her ranks - and Pelosi needs all her Democrats in line to pass the budget by Friday's deadline to fund the government - the speaker yanked the covid funding provision.

'Because of Republican insistence  and the resistance by a number of our Members to making those offsets  we will go back to the Rules Committee to remove COVID funding and accommodate the revised bill. We must proceed with the omnibus today, which includes emergency funding for Ukraine and urgent funding to meet the needs of America's families,' Pelosi said in a letter to lawmakers.

'It is heartbreaking to remove the COVID funding, and we must continue to fight for urgently needed COVID assistance, but unfortunately that will not be included in this bill,' she added.

The funding in the bill for the covid pandemic had been cut from the $22.5 billion President Joe Biden's administration wanted, to $15.6 billion.

Acting OMB Director Shalanda Young endorsed the budget plan but warned in a statement Wednesday morning more covid resources will be needed soon.

'Additional resources will be needed soon to ensure we have enough treatments, vaccines, and tests for the American people and to prepare for any future variants,' she said.

Action stalled on the House floor on Wednesday afternoon as Pelosi tried to cut a deal, speaking with members in her ornate speaker's office outside the House chamber.

Leadership held open an earlier vote push by Republicans to adjourn the House for nearly five hours as they tried to work things out.

But Democrats refused to give into the speaker.

'To turn around and now say we're taking hundreds of millions of dollars back, in the name of bipartisan is just unbelievable,' said Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri. 'I vehemently oppose efforts to snatch back the lifesaving resources we need to fully and equitably recover from this pandemic.'

The fallout came after Congressional leaders reached a $1.5 trillion deal in the early morning hours of Wednesday to fund the government ahead of Friday's shutdown deadline, also providing $13.6 billion to help Ukraine.

The clock is ticking for the House to pass the legislation on Wednesday and get it to the Senate so that chamber can begin its lengthy debate process. House Democrats also delayed their departure on Wednesday to Philadelphia, where they will hold their annual retreat.

The House will also vote on another stopgap spending bill that continues government funding at current levels through March 15 to give the Senate time to deal with the full-year package.

No government shutdown is expected.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer release details of the federal budget early Wednesday morning

Government funding package includes $13.6 billion to help Ukraine

The budget package - known as the omnibus - funds the entirety of the federal government. This year's bill shows a massive increase in spending in both military and domestic matters.

'This bipartisan agreement will help us address many of the major challenges we face at home and abroad: from COVID-19, to the vicious and immoral attack on Ukraine, to the need to lower costs for hardworking American families,' Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.

To help ensure passage by a healthy margin in both chambers, this year's budget package also marks the return of earmarks.

Now called 'member-directed spending' - the provisions allow funds for specific projects in lawmakers' districts for the first time since the earmark ban went into effect 11 years ago.

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt argued earmarks create 'a specific micro-reason' to support the funding bill.

'It's easy to be opposed to things on a macro basis,' he said 'And member-directed spending allows you to have something you can go home with.'

In the past, leaders wielded earmarks like weapons, threatening to cut lawmakers' pet projects without support for certain legislation.
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Three people, including a six-year-old girl, have been confirmed dead after Russian warplanes bombed a maternity hospital in Ukraine yesterday as pregnant women gave birth in the basement in what President Zelensky described as an 'atrocity', a 'war crime' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians.'

The hospital, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said. Other bombs scored 'direct hits', according to President Zelensky, wounding at least 17 people.

Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of Mariupol, said he is 'absolutely sure' the Russians knew they were bombing a hospital when they launched the attack late yesterday - adding 'this is the third hospital they have destroyed' after a 300-bed Covid unit and blood bank were targeted on Tuesday.

Many of the pregnant women present at the hospital were hiding the the basement at the time of the strike on the orders of hospital authorities - a move indicative of the harsh bombardment suffered by Mariupol's citizens over the past week, and one which likely saved many lives.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Zelensky himself posted a video showing the badly damaged hospital buildings, filmed inside a destroyed ward room with its windows blown out and ceiling partially collapsed. More footage showed a car park covered in rubble and the smoldering wrecks of vehicles as injured families staggered into the freezing air while snow fell.

'Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity,' the President tweeted.

He then took to Telegram, where he released a video statement from the presidential palace in Kyiv in which he said the hospital strike 'is the ultimate proof that what is happening is the genocide of Ukrainians'.

'Europeans, you can't say you didn't see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can't continue their savage war,' he said.

'What kind of country bombs hospitals? Is afraid of hospitals? Of a maternity ward?

'Was someone insulting Russians? Were pregnant women shooting in direction of Rostov? Was it the ''denazification'' of a hospital? What the Russians did at Mariupol was beyond savagery.'

In a separate interview with Sky News, Zelensky added that Russian invaders want Ukrainians 'to feel like animals' by preventing them from accessing food or water, and implored NATO and the West to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities... because they don't want our people to get some food or water.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say ''sorry we didn't do it yesterday.''

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meanwhile condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military.

'There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless,' the Prime Minister declared.

'The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes,' he added.

Mr Johnson later on Wednesday committed to enacting the 'maximum economic cost' on Russia in wake of the bombing, while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to say aggression like Vladimir Putin's must 'never again' be allowed to 'grow unchecked' in her speech tomorrow in Washington.

Ms Truss will make comparisons between the Russian president's actions and the World Trade Centre terror attack in 2001, and will urge the international community to change its approach to dealing with antagonistic world leaders.

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki also commented: 'As a mother - I know a number of you are mothers - it is horrifying to see the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country.'

Mariupol's city council said the hospital had suffered 'colossal' damage but did not immediately give a figure of the wounded and dead.

The deputy head of Mr Zelensky's office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said authorities are trying to establish the number of victims.

Ukrainian MP Dmitry Gurin told the BBC: 'There are a lot of dead and wounded women. We don't know about children or newborns yet.'

The Kremlin said on Thursday that it would ask Russian military for details about the hospital strike, saying they did not have 'clear information' about what happened.

'We will certainly ask our military about this, since we don't have clear information about what happened there. Without fail, the military will provide some kind of information,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, as Moscow's advance into Ukraine entered its third week.

Video footage from the aftermath of the attack showed that large parts of the hospital had completely collapsed, while blood soaked mattresses were pictured lying in hallways.

'Russia committed a huge crime,' said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. 'It is a war crime without any justification.'

Mariupol has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week, with food, water and electricity cut off several days ago - with the Red Cross describing conditions there as 'apocalyptic'.

The head of the Ukrainian Red Cross said yesterday's strike will likely cause a complete collapse of paediatric care in Mariupol, as much of the hospital's equipment and the paediatric care wards were reduced to ashes.

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

A Ukrainian woman injured by flying glass holds her head in her hand as she is evacuated from a maternity hospital that was bombed by Russian forces in Mariupol

A doctor navigates the ward of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, after it was destroyed by Russian bombs

A doctor carries personal belongings out of a hospital room with bloodstained beds after a Russian airstrike in Mariupol

Ukrainian servicemen work inside of the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine

A man carries his child away from the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine

Rescuers on the scene at a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol are locked in a race against time as they try to free survivors from the rubble after the complex suffered a 'direct hit' by Russian rockets yesterday

An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs in a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

An official death toll for the heinous attack has not yet been established but rescuers are working desperately to find and free those still trapped under the rubble with temperatures in the besieged city set to plunge to minus 4 degrees C overnight

A Russian attack severely damaged the children's hospital and maternity ward in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter that there were 'people, children under the wreckage' of the hospital and called the strike an 'atrocity'

President Zelensky described the attack as an 'atrocity', accusing world leaders of being 'accomplice to terror' by refusing to take out incoming Russian rockets

The burning wreckage of a car is seen outside a destroyed children's hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week

A Ukrainian soldier examines a huge crater caused by one of the Russian rockets, which fell just in front of a hospital building at the maternity hospital in Mariupol

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military

Wounded families and patients evacuate from a badly-damaged building at the hospital. Local officials said the damage was 'colossal' and were not able to give an immediate number on the injured and dead

Wounded people are seen evacuating from the hospital, with President Zelensky repeating calls for a 'no-fly' zone to protect civilians. NATO has repeatedly refused the measure

Ukrainian emergency employees work at the side of the maternity hospital in Mariupol after it suffered a direct hit by Russian rocket strikes on Wednesday

Ukrainian citizens are pictured on the outskirts of Mariupol dropping bodies into a mass grave as the city's inhabitants work to remove the dead amid brutal shelling from Russian troops

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Local official Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the fears in a post on Facebook: The maternity ward in the city centre, the children's ward and the therapy ward at the hospital - all destroyed in the Russian air raid.'

Just hours before the hospital was hit, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that 3,000 babies were without food or medicines and begged for a humanitarian corridor to allow them to flee.

Moscow had promised a ceasefire in the city today so civilians could be evacuated, but failed for the fourth time to keep its word - a move Kyrylenko said 'crossed the line of humanity' before declaring Russians should 'stop calling yourselves human beings.'

Residents of Mariupol were pictured on Wednesday dumping bodies into mass graves dug on the outskirts of the city in a desperate attempt to remove the dead amid the sustained Russian bombardment.

It is not the first time that Russian airstrikes have targeted hospitals. While fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad in Syria in 2016, Putin's generals were accused of 'deliberately and systematically' blowing up hospitals as a way of weakening the city of Aleppo ahead of a ground assault.

Observers have suggested that Russia is now using a Syria-style battleplan against Ukraine after its early precision strikes failed.

The Ukrainian Healthcare Center, a think-tank based in the country, says that between the outbreak of fighting on February 24 and yesterday, their team documented 42 cases of Russian forces attacking either healthcare facilities or medics in order to deliberately provoke a 'humanitarian crisis'.

Hospitals had been struck in every theatre where Russian forces were operating, the think-tank said, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv.

'The humanitarian catastrophe is a part of Russia's hybrid war. [It] intends to spread panic, create a flow of refugees at the borders and force the Ukrainian government to surrender,' said Pavlo Kovtonyuk, co-founder of the think-tank.

The bombing took place during what was supposed to be a ceasefire in Mariupol so that civilians could evacuate. It marks the fourth time a so-called 'humanitarian corridor' out of the city has failed because Russian forces opened fire.

The mayor of Izyum, to the east of Kharkiv, said evacuations that were supposed to be underway there yesterday also had to stop because Russians were bombing the escape route. But in Sumy, a short distance away, some civilians had managed to make it out. Successful evacuations also took place in Enerhodar, in the south, with women and children able to leave.

It is feared the evacuations are simply a precursor to Russia stepping up its bombardment of the cities to wear down dogged Ukrainian defenders before rolling in troops and tanks to capture them. CIA Director William Burns, briefing Congress on Putin's state of mind Tuesday, warned the 'angry and frustrated' despot is 'likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.'

Giving an update on the military situation yesterday afternoon, Ukrainian commanders said Russian units continue to try and surround the capital Kyiv with attacks taking place to the west and north-east of the city, with several highways blocked.

New footage released on Wednesday purported to show Russian armour just 13 miles from Kyiv as the invaders pushed through the town of Irpin.

Fighting also raged close to the city of Sumy in an attempt to surround Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, commanders said. Battles also broke out around the city of Mykolaiv in the south, as Russians attempted to push out from Kherson towards Odessa but were turned back.

Ukrainian commanders also said Russian military police had rounded up 400 activists protesting against the invasion in the occupied city of Kherson - as the long arm of Vladimir Putin's police state reached across the border to grab people on foreign soil.

Russia's defence ministry meanwhile acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that some conscripts had been sent to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine, just days after Putin promised that only professional soldiers would be sent in.

Some associations of soldiers' mothers in Russia had raised concerns about a number of conscripts going incommunicado at the start of what Kremlin calls a 'special military operation' in Ukraine, suggesting they could have been sent to fight despite a lack of adequate training.

The revelation comes just one week after Russia's parliament passed a law imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally 'fake' news about the military.

'Unfortunately, we have discovered several facts of the presence of conscripts in units taking part in the special military operation in Ukraine. Practically all such soldiers have been pulled out to Russia,' the defence ministry said, promising to prevent such situations in the future.

Liz Truss described the hospital attack as 'absolutely abhorrent', but continued to reject Ukraine's request for a no-fly zone to be imposed over its skies.

Speaking in Washington, she said: 'The best way we can protect the skies is through anti-air weaponry which the UK is now going to be supplying to Ukraine.

'Of course the attack on the hospital is absolutely abhorrent, reckless and appalling.'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said US involvement in a no-fly zone could 'prolong' the conflict, making it 'even deadlier'.

'Our goal is to end the war, not to expand it, including potentially expanding it to Nato territory,' he said.

'We want to make sure it is not prolonged, to the best of our ability. Otherwise, it is going to turn even deadlier, involve more people and I think potentially even make things harder to resolve in Ukraine itself.'

Earlier, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the MPs that the Ministry of Defence was looking at whether they could supply anti-aircraft missiles as well as more anti-tank weapons.

A baby is evacuated as people flee near a destroyed bridge to cross the Irpin River, on the outskirts of Kyiv, as Russian forces try to surround it in ahead of an attack

Ukrainian servicemen evacuate a person across Irpin River below a destroyed bridge as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces train to operate RPG-7 anti-tank launcher during military exercises in Kyiv

Recent conscripts into the Ukrainian Territorial Defence are trained to use NLAW anti-tank launchers in Kyiv, as the city prepares to defend itself from a Russian assault

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces are pictured on training exercises in Kyiv, as Russian troops try to surround the city in preparation for an assault

A satellite image taken on Tuesday but released Wednesday shows the destroyed road bridge on the outskirts of Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which refugees have been using to flee the besieged city

Tracks created by Russian armoured vehicles are seen in the snow near Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, while heavily damaged buildings are seen to the right of the image

Putin meets his 'children's rights commissioner' in Moscow as rockets destroy kid's hospital Vladimir Putin has met with his 'children's rights commissioner' in Moscow at the same time as shelling a maternity hospital in Mariupol in his latest vile display of hypocrisy. The Russian leader spoke with Maria Lvova-Belova at the Kremlin today after overseeing a savage two-week campaign in Ukraine which has seen children killed, orphaned or forced to flee their homes. Putin held the meeting to discuss changes to the law which will allow Russians to adopt Ukrainian orphans, after his forces killed their parents. The changes will mean children from Donetsk and Luhansk who do not have Russian citizenship will qualify for adoption. Putin said in the meeting: 'These are extraordinary circumstances and it seems to me that we need to think not about bureaucratic delays, but about the interests of children. 'I will make proposals, we will change the legislation. We will appeal to the State Duma, I am sure that the deputies will support you.' Lvova-Belova said 1,090 orphans have been evacuated to Russia from the two republics. An estimated one million children have been forced to flee Ukraine since the barbaric invasion was launched. Advertisement

'We can all see the horrific devastation inflicted on civilian areas by Russian artillery and air strikes, indiscriminate and murderous,' he said.

'It is vital, therefore, that Ukraine maintains its ability to fly and to suppress Russian air attack.'

Mr Wallace said that 'in response to a Ukrainian request' the Government was exploring the donation of Starstreak high-velocity man-portable anti-air missiles.

He also confirmed that 3,615 Nlaw anti-tank weapons had been supplied - up from the previously-announced figure of 2,000 - and 'small consignments' of the Javelin system would also be sent to Ukraine.

Other Western officials expressed concern that Putin could next resort to the use of 'non-conventional weapons' such as chemical weapons, in the conflict.

One official speaking on condition of anonymity said: 'I think we've got good reason to be concerned about possible use of non-conventional weapons, partly because of what we've seen has happened in other theatres.

'As I've mentioned before, for example, what we've seen in Syria, partly because we've seen a bit of setting the scene for that in the false flag claims that are coming out, and other indications as well.'

Before the rocket attack took place, Mariupol's deputy mayor spoke about the dire situation in the besieged city - saying residents had been forced to use melted snow as drinking water, as it runs dangerously low on supplies.

Serhiy Orlov admitted that he didn't know how long the blockaded urban centre would be able to continue under siege as he spoke to CNN's John Berman about the devastating bombings on Wednesday.

Orlov said today was their fifth attempt to provide a humanitarian corridor to get supplies and transport into Mariupol, but he added that by 3pm local time, the buses had not made it anywhere near the city.

He said many residents are unable to leave as Mariupol is being bombed 'each second', after Russian forces have broken their ceasefire agreement despite agreeing to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee.

'There is no ceasefire, any ceasefire in Mariupol, Mariupol is under continuous shelling from the artillery and bombing. Each hour, each minute, each second,' he added.

Mariupol, which has been under blockage for eight days, is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit since the invasion began, with Russian forces bringing widespread destruction to residential and administrative centres.

Speaking about the devastation across the city, Orlov said Russian forces had destroyed their biggest steel planter as he warned that the situation is 'unmanageable'.

He praised the bravery of the Ukrainian army, but warned that it is the humanitarian crisis is also worsening, adding: 'We are not able to protect our lives.'

President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday warned that the port city was running dangerously low on food, water and medicine.

Ukrainian territorial defence forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations.

Reiterating Zelensky's stark warning, Orlov said there is no more electricity, heating, gas or water supplies in Mariupol, adding that residents have had to resort to collecting wood to make fires for warmth and using melted snow as drinking water.

'It's an awful situation and I cannot imagine in my mind that it's possible in the 21st century, but it is true,' he said.

When asked how long the city might be able to continue under siege, Orlov admitted he 'didn't know' as he claimed there are at least 3,000 infants who are currently without food.

American talk show host Berman also asked the deputy mayor whether his own family are safe, after he previously spoken about being unable to reach his parents.

In response, a devastated Orlov said the district where his parents lived has been completely destroyed, saying it 'does not exist anymore', as he admitted he doesn't know if they are alive.

He added: 'The district where they live is flattened and I'm not sure that I can see them anymore. But I hope and pray they are alive.'

Ukrainian commanders said today that Russia's attack on the country has 'slowed significantly' with no major gains in any sector while its forces were bolstering defenses in key cities and 'holding the line.'

In the northern city of Chernihiv, Russian forces are placing military equipment among residential buildings and on farms, the Ukrainian general staff said. And in the south, it said Russians dressed in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv. It did not provide any details of new fighting.

In Kyiv, back-to-back air alerts Wednesday morning urged residents to get to bomb shelters as quickly as possible over fears of incoming Russian missiles. Soon after an all-clear was given for the first alert, a second alert followed.

Such alerts are common, though irregular, keeping people on edge. Kyiv has been relatively quiet in recent days, though Russian artillery has pounded the outskirts.

Kyiv regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said the crisis for civilians was growing in the capital, with the situation particularly critical in the city's suburbs.

'Russia is artificially creating a humanitarian crisis in the Kyiv region, frustrating the evacuation of people and continuing shelling and bombing small communities,' he said.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson continued to resist calls to drop visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the violence, insisting the security checks were vital to prevent President Putin infiltrating agents into the UK.

The Prime Minister said a thousand visas had been granted under the scheme allowing relatives of people in Britain to flee the war zone to join their families and he promised another programme allowing individuals to offer a home to Ukrainians would be set out in 'the next few days'.

More than 2 million people have now fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations.

'We know how unscrupulous Putin can be in his methods, it would not be right to expose this country to unnecessary security risk and we will not do it,' he said.

'We are going to be as generous as we can possibly be, but we must have checks.'

His comments in the Commons followed a call from Ukraine's ambassador to the UK to temporarily drop the visa requirement.

Vadym Prystaiko hit out at the bureaucracy of the British system, telling MPs: 'I don't want to see these pictures of people banging at the doors in Calais and scratching the doors which are quite sealed.'

Buses transport people out of the city of Sumy, in Ukraine's north east, in the first successful evacuation of a besieged city which took place on Tuesday. In total, 5,000 people were transported out

Russia said the evacuation route out of Sumy will be reopened Wednesday to allow more people to flee, though there are fears it could be a pre-cursor to heavier shelling in the coming days

A large number of foreign students - including hundreds from India and east Asia - were among those allowed to flee from Sumy on Tuesday, with more transports planned for today

Two convoys of civilian vehicles were allowed to leave Sumy on Tuesday, the mayor has said, marking the first successful evacuation after other routes came under attack by Russia

Debris is seen next to houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sumy

Debris and houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Houses damaged by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Debris is seen next to houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sumy

Natasha Sivek carries her two-month-old grandson Meron shortly after she and other family members, including her daughter, walked into Poland

Women and children arrive from war-torn Ukraine on a snowy day at the Medyka border crossing

Over one million people have arrived in Poland from Ukraine since the Russian invasion and some are journeying on to other countries in Europe

Most of those fleeing the war have entered countries on Ukraine's western border, like Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova

The majority have gone into Poland, where 1.33 million refugees have crossed according to the Polish Border Guard agency

Yulia Sivek carries her two-month-old son Meron and is trailed by her mother Natasha as they walk into Poland

Oxana Opalenko holds her friend Yulia's two-month-old son Meron shortly after they walked into Poland

It came as Russia warned the West that it is working on a broad response to sanctions that would be swift and felt in the West's most sensitive areas, after the US announced a ban on gas and oil imports - with the UK also banning Russian oil and the EU presenting a plan to wean itself off Russian gas by 2030.

'Russia's reaction will be swift, thoughtful and sensitive for those it addresses,' Dmitry Birichevsky, the director of the foreign ministry's department for economic cooperation, was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.

Meanwhile China, which has been attempting to pacify both sides in the conflict, warned that moves by 'US-led NATO' have pushed Russia-Ukraine tensions to 'breaking point'.

As Moscow's forces have laid siege to Ukrainian cities, the fighting has thwarted attempts to create corridors to safely evacuate civilians.

One evacuation did appear successful, with Ukrainian authorities saying Tuesday that 5,000 civilians, including 1,700 foreign students, had been brought out via a safe corridor from Sumy, an embattled northeastern city of a quarter-million people.

That corridor was to reopen for 12 hours on Wednesday, with the buses that brought people southwest to the city of Poltava the day before returning to pick up more refugees, regional administration chief Dmytro Zhyvytskyy said.

Priority was being given to pregnant women, women with children, the elderly and the disabled.

In the south, Russian troops have advanced deep along Ukraine's coastline in what could establish a land bridge to Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.

The city of Mariupol has been surrounded by Russian soldiers for days and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the encircled city of 430,000.

Corpses lie in the streets of the city, which sits on the Asov Sea. Hungry people break into stores in search of food and melt snow for water. Thousands huddle in basements, trembling at the sound of Russian shells pounding this strategic port city.

'Why shouldn't I cry?' Goma Janna demanded as she wept by the light of an oil lamp below ground, surrounded by women and children. 'I want my home, I want my job. I'm so sad about people and about the city, the children.'

Tuesday brought no relief: An attempt to evacuate civilians and deliver badly needed food, water and medicine through a designated safe corridor failed, with Ukrainian officials saying Russian forces had fired on the convoy before it reached the city.

Mariupol, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, is in a 'catastrophic situation.'

Natalia Mudrenko, the highest-ranking woman at Ukraine's U.N. Mission, told the Security Council that the people of Mariupol have 'been effectively taken hostage,' by the siege. Her voice shook with emotion as she described how a 6-year-old died shortly after her mother was killed by Russian shelling. 'She was alone in the last moments of her life,' she said.

Authorities in Mariupol planned to start digging mass graves for all the dead. The shelling has shattered buildings, and the city has no water, heat, working sewage systems or phone service.

Theft has become widespread for food, clothes, even furniture, with locals referring to the practice as 'getting a discount.' Some residents are reduced to scooping water from streams.

With the electricity out, many people are relying on their car radios for information, picking up news from stations broadcast from areas controlled by Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists.

People evacuate Romanivka as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues today and millions of civilians desperately try to flee to safety

A member of the military holds a young child's hands as civilians flee the country after two weeks of sustained attacks from Russia

Many fleeing have no contacts and nowhere to go, as host countries scramble to accommodate them

Children represent around half of the more than two million people that have fled the war since the invasion was launched

People walk at the site of a destruction, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Romanivka, Ukraine today

So far, most refugees have gone to relatives, friends or contacts in the Ukrainian diaspora rather than to reception centres being set up by authorities

A person lies on a stretcher while another is wheeled towards an ambulance in the distressing scenes from Ukraine

The UNHCR is planning a cash programme for refugees that could help them pay rent in private accommodation

Olya and her granddaughter Polina, from Kiev, Ukraine, stand by a tent as Ukrainian refugees cross the border

Polish soldiers hold Ukrainian refugees after they crossed the border during snowfall to Medyka, Poland

Ukrainian refugees wait to board buses in Poland. Travelling by train remains free for Ukrainian refugees

Ludmila Amelkina, who was walking along an alley strewn with rubble and walls pocked by gunfire, said the destruction had been devastating.

'We don't have electricity, we don't have anything to eat, we don't have medicine. We've got nothing,' she said, looking skyward.

The deputy mayor of Mariupol cast doubt on the evacuations, telling the BBC that Russian forces continued to pound areas where people were trying to gather ahead of being taken out. He said some roads were blocked, while others were mined.

'So we cannot establish sustainable ceasefire and safety route at the moment,' Serhiy Orlov said. 'So we still have... a city in blockade.'

The city is without water, heat, working sewage systems or phone service. Residents have been getting water from streams or by melting snow.

Corpses lay in the streets and authorities planned to start digging mass graves.

With the electricity out, many people are relying on car radios for information, picking up news from stations broadcast from areas controlled by Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists.

The fighting has caused global economic turmoil, with energy prices surging worldwide and stocks plummeting. It also threatens the food supply of millions around the globe who rely on crops farmed in the Black Sea region.

Western countries have rushed weapons to Ukraine and moved to slap Vladimir Putin's Russia with sanctions.

In a further effort to punish Russia, US President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports, and Shell announced it will stop buying oil and gas from Russia.

Ukraine's military said its forces continued defence operations in the Mariupol suburbs.

The military said 'demoralised' Russian forces were looting, commandeering civilian buildings and setting up firing positions in populated areas.

The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Late on Tuesday, Mr Zelensky released a video showing him standing near the presidential offices in Kyiv. Behind him were piles of sandbags, a snow-dusted tree and a few cars.

It was the second video in 24 hours showing him near the country's seat of power, apparently made to dispel any doubts about whether he had fled the city.

A Russian tank with overhead armour meant to protect against American-made javelin missiles is pictured burned-out by the side of a road in Ukraine, after the makeshift protection apparently failed

Ukrainian military and civilians inspect a tank abandoned by the side of a road, as Russian continues to suffer losses

A burned-out supply truck is seen amidst the ruins of other vehicles on a road in Ukraine

A destroyed Russian supply truck burns next to an abandoned vehicle, along a highway somewhere in Ukraine
Experts fear Australians could be developing a drug-resistant form of Covid-19, prompting calls for surveillance to better manage outbreaks.

Sotrovimab, one of the main medicines used to treat patients with severe cases of Covid-19, is causing a mutated strain of the virus.

If the mutation spreads within the community, immunocompromised and elderly patients who contract the strain will be unable to be treated with Sotrovimab.

Sotrovimab (pictured, stock photo) one of the main medicines used to treat patients with severe cases of Covid-19 is causing a mutated strain of the virus

Sydney University researcher Dr Rebecca Rockett studied 100 Covid patients in health care facilities across Western Sydney in New South Wales during the Delta outbreak between August and November.

The research found the virus mutated within six to 13 days in four of the patients who received the drug, and the treatment to contain the infection became ineffective.

Samples of the mutated version taken from the patients also indicated it had the potential to spread to others after it was able to be grown in a laboratory dish.

Expert fear patients who become severely ill with Covid-19 may develop a drug resistant form of the Covid if virus mutation is not detected early (pictured, a patient is treated for Covid-19 at St Vincent's hospital in July

'The worrying thing is the fact that the virus was still viable and persisting in these patients after they develop the resistance,' Dr Rockett told The Herald Sun.

'What we don't want to see is that someone in the community develops resistance, and they can pass that resistance to other people and that makes the drug ineffective, not just for that individual but for who they transmit the virus to.'

A majority of patients who participated in the study were immunocompromised, supporting the theory variants developed in people with such conditions.

For this reason, she believes doctors must undertake active surveillance of severely ill Covid-19 patients and identify drug-resistant mutations earlier to stop the virus from spreading.

Professor Vitali Sintchenko from the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases said genomic surveillance was vital in minimising the risk of treatment failure and transmission of drug-resistant variants.

Doctors are urged to undertake active surveillance of severely ill Covid-19 patients and identify drug-resistant mutations earlier to stop the virus spreading (pictured, a frontline worker administers a Covid-19 vaccine to a patient at Royal Adelaide Hospital

'Resistant virus samples could be readily grown in the laboratory, a marker that individuals who develop resistance may transmit the resistance virus to others,' he said.

The report is in line with controlled clinical studies which have shown that a small proportion of patients develop on-treatment resistance.

GSK, the maker of Sotrovimab, said resistance is also seen in studies for other Covid-19 treatments, and relates to how the immune system interacts with the virus.

'This report does not change the positive benefit-risk of Sotrovimab for use in the treatment of mild to moderate Covid in patients at high risk of progression,' it said.

The new research comes as a more transmissible variant of the Omicron strain emerges in Australia.

There has been an increase in Omicron's BA2 sub-variant that preliminarily data from the University of NSW suggests is more transmissible.

Acting Chief Health Officer Marianne Gale said the technical term for the Omicron BA2 sub-variant is a 'sublineage', and the dominant form of that in NSW had been BA1.

'What we are seeing ... is a trend to an increasing rise in the BA2 sublineage.

'Experience has shown us overseas that BA2 can quite quickly overtake BA1 to become the dominant sublineage.'

The sublineage was more transmissible, but there was no evidence it was more or less severe, she said.
The Catholic Church was under fire last night after banning a visit by a gay author to a school.

Simon James Green had been due to talk about his novel Noah Cant Even, which features a gay character.

However, the visit to The John Fisher School in Purley, south London, was cancelled by the Archdiocese of Southwark, which oversees it.

It also removed a number of governors after they backed the boys secondary schools leadership team, who wanted the visit to go ahead.

Teachers were last night said to be incensed and the National Education Union called for the governors to be reinstated and the visit rescheduled.

Days before the planned visit, the archdioceses education commission recommended its cancellation.

Author Simon James Green had been due to talk to pupils at The John Fisher School in Purley, south London, (above) about his novel Noah Can't Even, which features a gay character

Education director Dr Simon Hughes said: From time to time materials or events emerge for consideration that fall outside the scope of what is permissible in a Catholic school.

However, school leaders and governors voted for the visit to go ahead. The archdiocese then intervened to halt it and remove governors.

A separate visit by Mr Green to a Catholic primary school in Gravesend, Kent  in the same archdiocese  was also cancelled.

Teachers were last night said to be incensed and the National Education Union called for the governors to be reinstated and the visit rescheduled. [File image]

The Department for Education said it was looking into the dioceses role in the incident.

It stressed: Schools should teach students that everybody has the right to be treated with dignity and respect, with particular regard to their duties under the Equality Act.

The Catholic Education Service stated: 'Catholic schools welcome pupils from all backgrounds. This isolated incident has given a false impression of the inclusive nature of Catholic schools.

'Catholic schools are places where all children can flourish and as such have a zero-tolerance approach to LGBT+ discrimination. Nationally the CES has worked closely with schools, dioceses, and charities to produce Catholic inclusivity guidance and resources for schools that have won acclaim from LGBT+ organisations.

We would encourage Catholic schools to work closely with their diocese to ensure that all Catholic schools can be welcoming and inclusive centres of learning where everyone is respected as a human being made in the image and likeness of God.'

The archdiocese and school were unavailable for comment.
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The ex-boyfriend of a famed Hollywood marriage and sex therapist appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, as a judge ruled he has to stand trial for her murder after his defense attorney argued he had 'sufficient opportunity' to use a syringe filled with nicotine on the victim - but didn't.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge George Lomeli on Wednesday rejected defense attorneys' claims that there was insufficient evidence presented at a hearing before another judge last September in which Gareth Pursehouse, 43, was ordered to stand trial for the February 15, 2020, death of Amie Harwick, who until 2018 was engaged to The Price Is Right host and actor Drew Carey.

Defense attorneys have claimed that DNA evidence found at the scene of 38-year-old Harwick's Hollywood Hills home linking Pursehouse to her death could not be accurately dated - and neither could the scratches and bruises found on Pursehouse after he was caught by police. In fact, they argued, the DNA may have been contaminated.

And on Wednesday, one of his two defense attorneys argued that Pursehouse had 'sufficient opportunity' to use a syringe filled with a 'lethal' amount of nicotine that he brought to her house that night if he had wanted to kill her, but 'she wasn't killed by a syringe, she was killed by a fall.'

'If he had the intention to kill her, he could have killed her within a minute or two, because he is so much larger than her,' the defense attorney argued in footage of Wednesday's hearing obtained by DailyMail.com.

Prosecutors, however, have pointed to testimony from some of Harwick's friends, and her roommate who heard what 'sounded like bodies hitting the ground' and the 'sound of women choking,' to prove he threw Harwick, 38, off a third-floor balcony at her home.

Pursehouse is charged with one count each of murder and first-degree residential burglary, along with the special circumstance allegation of lying in wait.

If convicted, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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Gareth Pursehouse, 43 (right), will stand trial for the February 15, 2020, death of Amie Harwick, who until 2018 was engaged to The Price Is Right host and actor Drew Carey

One of his defense attorneys, left, argued that Pursehouse had 'sufficient opportunity' to use a syringe filled with nicotine that he brought to her house the night she died, but 'she wasn't killed by a syringe, she was killed by a fall'

Pursehouse is seen in court in Los Angeles on Wednesday where a judge ordered him to stand trial

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge George Lomeli on Wednesday rejected defense attorneys' claims that there was insufficient evidence presented at a hearing before another judge last September

Amie Harwick (pictured) was pronounced dead on February 15, 2020, after she was found 'struggling to breathe' after apparently falling from the third-floor balcony of her Hollywood Hills home

Gareth Pursehouse (right) is charged with murdering Amie Harwick (left) after allegedly attacking her at her Hollywood Hills, California home. Harwick, 38, got a protective order against Pursehouse in 2011 after ending their relationship

Pursehouse had previously dated Harwick, but after they broke up in 2011, Harwick got a protective order against him.

Friends have previously told DailyMail.com that Harwick described Pursehouse as her 'crazy ex,' while LA court records show she petitioned for a second restraining order in 2012, though the second order was dismissed after she did not follow up on her application.

Her restraining order had recently expired when she saw him at a pornography industry awards party run by XBIZ magazine and hosted by porn legend Stormy Daniels just one month before her death.

Harwick was reportedly at the January 16, 2020, party due to her work for a charity providing mental health support to women in the sex industry, while Pursehouse was there working as a photographer.

While there, Pursehouse and Harwick allegedly got into an argument, as he told her that she ruined his life and called her a 'b****.'

Nearly one month later, police responded to Harwick's home on Mound Street at around 1:15 a.m., following a call by Harwick's roommate, who reported hearing screaming.

The roommate has testified that he went to the back patio with police and found Harwick 'struggling to breathe.'

Harwick was then taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead from her injuries. In the days that followed, the LA coroner ruled that the former Playboy model died from blunt-force injuries to her head and torso, though they also noted 'evidence of manual strangulation.'

Pursehouse was arrested days later at his Playa Del Rey home, released on a $2 million bail, but was re-arrested two days later and formally charged with murder and burglary.

Harwick was engaged to The Price Is Right host and actor Drew Carey until 2018. They are pictured here at a holiday party in December 2017

Prosecutors allege that Pursehouse (pictured) broke into Harwick's Hollywood Hills home that night and waited for about four hours for her to return in an attempt to 'catch her by surprise'

The LA coroner ruled that the 38-year-old former Playboy model died from blunt-force injuries to her head and torso, though they also noted 'evidence of manual strangulation'

Prosecutors allege that Pursehouse broke into Harwick's Hollywood Hills home that night and waited for about four hours for her to return in an attempt to 'catch her by surprise' while he was carrying a syringe containing a 'lethal' dose of nicotine.

'With his strength, he throws her over the balcony,' Deputy District Attorney Victor Avila told a judge last September, according to City News Service, noting that Harwick, at five-foot-four-inches and 120 pounds, likely fought back against Pursehouse - who is six-foot-three-inches and 100 pounds heavier than she was.

He further claimed that DNA evidence found underneath her fingernails and on a French door in her living room linked Pursehouse to the scene, but one of his lawyers, Jannet Santiso, said the DNA evidence could not be dated, and neither could the scratches and bruises found on Pursehouse in the aftermath.

She questioned whether the DNA may have been contaminated, City News Service reported, while another defense attorney, Robin Bernstein-Lev, told the judge that just because Pursehouse appeared emotional and distraught when they met up outside the January 16, 2020, awards show, it did not prove anything other than he was trying to talk to her.

Bernstein-Lev claimed there is 'no evidence Mr. Pursehouse ever made a threat of harm' and 'no evidence of a homicidal intent.'

'There is no evidence that she was thrown from a balcony,' she claimed, adding that prosecutors are 'asking this court to speculate.'

One month before her death, Harwick attended a pornography industry awards party run by industry magazine XBIZ and hosted by porn legend and Donald Trump's alleged mistress, Stormy Daniels

Pursehouse (circled) also attended the awards ceremony as a photographer. He reportedly got into an argument with Harwick at the party, saying she ruined his life, and calling her a 'bitch'

Harwick was found unconscious after falling from a third-floor balcony in her home, pictured

But Harwick's friends have said Pursehouse was dangerous, and had apparently scared Harwick at the pornography awards reception.

Jasmin St. Clare claimed Harwick told her just days after the party that when Pursehouse saw her there, he began screaming at her.

'She had never mentioned him before,' said St. Clare. 'He wasn't like a Drew Carey where she'd mention him, or any of her other exes who were more significant.

'The first I heard of him was that a psycho ex of hers started screaming at her at the XBIZ awards.

'I spoke to her a few days after that. She was just like ''yeah I saw my crazy ex there'', it was just an over-the-head thing. She doesn't see the bad in people. But was she concerned? Yes.'

Even Evans said she heard the alleged altercation from another room at the party.

'There was an argument. Someone was screaming at their other half, that was what people perceived of the argument. You could hear loud voices. But I'm not somebody who's going to walk toward a problem,' she said.

Hernando Chaves, who was on hand at the XBIZ Awards Ceremony, also testified that Harwick discussed safety plans after talking with Pursehouse, and later texted him that she rebuffed Pursehouse's subsequent attempt to reach out to her after finding her phone number online.

Robert Coshland testified that Harwick told him that Pursehouse behaved very irrationally at the awards show and told him: 'If anything ever happens to me, it would be Gareth who did it.'

The friends have also testified that they had never seen Harwick smoke cigarettes, vape or inject herself - and do not know why she would have a syringe full of nicotine with her at her death.
United Airlines workers who refused a Covid vaccine for religious or medical reasons will be allowed to return to their jobs at the end of this month - including in customer-facing roles - even after the company let go of 200 employees for refusing to get the jab.

During its vaccine rollout United granted 2,200 employees medical or religious accommodations, allowing those workers the option of continuing to work in a non-consumer-facing role.

Now those employees will be able to return to their original jobs by the end of March, the Wall Street Journal reported.

This comes after a US appeals court ordered a new review of a decision not to block United Airlines from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers.

United was the first major airline to require all employees to be vaccinated back in August, getting 99.7 percent of their workforce to get vaccinated in less than eight weeks.

Several airlines followed in United's footsteps, including Texas-based American and Southwest Airlines - although it is not clear if those companies will follow suit and allow their unvaccinated employees to return to work.

United's U-turn comes as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have drastically dropped across the United States.

According to United's vice president of human resources, Kirk Limache, the decline 'suggests that the pandemic is beginning to meaningfully recede,' he said in a staff note. 'As a result, we're confident we can safely begin the process' of returning staff with exemptions back to their jobs.

'Of course, if another variant emerges or the COVID trends suddenly reverse course, we will reevaluate the appropriate safety protocols at that time,' he added in the memo, according to CNBC.com.

United Airlines will allow 2,200 US staffers with exemptions to return to their regular jobs by the end of March (file photo)

United CEO Scott Kirby said about 200 of the company's 67,000 employees were fired for refusing to get the jab

Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby said that while the vast majority of United employees are now vaccinated, about 200 of the company's 67,000 employees were fired for refusing to get the jab.

Those 200 employees won't be brought back and newly hired workers will still have to be vaccinated, the WSJ reported, citing anonymous insiders.

In past interviews, Kirby has stood by the mandate, saying 'we did this for safety. We believe it saved lives.'

In January, American Airlines said more than 96 percent of their employees complied with the vaccine mandate.

That same month, Biden's Department of Labor announced it would be withdrawing its controversial vaccine-or-test requirement for private employers after the rule, which would have affected companies with at least 100 workers, was blocked by the Supreme Court.

As a part of the rule, the Department of Labor issued an order through OSHA to mandate that private companies track their employees vaccination status or face fines and penalties from the government.

Many were perplexed when Biden announced the initiative after he claimed several times that the administration would not enforce vaccination mandates on private businesses.

The proposed vaccine mandates immediately sparked legal challenges by conservative organizations, Republicans and several business groups claiming there were too many challenges to overcome with implementing such a rule.

The withdrawal was effective January 26, 2022.

That same month, in the midst of the deadly Omicron surge, United said that about 4 percent of their U.S. employees, or about 3,000 workers, tested positive for COVID-19.

None of the company's vaccinated employees died or were hospitalized with the disease.

But employees who were forced to go on unpaid leave said the policy left them adrift - and unable to seek other jobs.

One of those employees was Sherry Walker, 53, a United pilot who was placed on unpaid leave after citing religious objections to vaccination. During this time, she claims she was unable to seek another job due to the company's strict non-compete clause.

Walker, the co-founder of employee advocacy group Airline Employees for Health Freedom, spoke out during a Washington, D.C. protest against vaccine mandates in January.

'I am out on unpaid leave. I am prohibited from getting another job. I'm prohibited from accessing my 401(k). I have no medical benefits, and I'm leading the charge in this fight, so my days are consumed,' Walker told the Daily Signal at the demonstration.

Despite being having the option of continuing to work in a non-customer-facing role, she said pilots who had applied for internal reassignment had been rejected due to their vaccine status.

'I'm an international wide-body captain, and they wanted to offer me a job throwing bags for $12 an hour,' she told DailyMail.com.

United pilot Sherry Walker was put on indefinite unpaid leave for refusing to get the Covid vaccine on religious grounds. She said she was blocked from seeking other work because of United's non-compete clause and refused the airline's offer for her to move to a non-customer-facing role. She told DailyMail.com at the time: 'I'm an international wide-body captain, and they wanted to offer me a job throwing bags for $12 an hour.'

United was the first major airline to require all employees to be vaccinated back in August, getting 99.7 per cent of their workforce the jab in less than eight weeks

Walker said she is considered an 'active employee' after being put on unpaid leave for not complying with the airline's vaccine mandate in November.

'That means that they can call us back with two weeks' notice at any given time, they can just grab us and pull us back. But because we're active, we haven't had a qualified lifestyle change,' she said.

'So Schwab, which owns our 401(k) accounts, refuses to let anyone access them,' added Walker.

Walker told DailyMail.com that United employees on unpaid leave were being blocked from making early withdrawals from their retirement accounts, as well as from taking loans against their savings, because they had no verifiable income.

'It's so retaliatory in all directions,' she said. 'Every step of the way, it's been coercive to try to force us to get that shot in the arm.'

Although it seems business is finally returning to normal for airlines, the travel industry has struggled financially during the past few years due to Covid.

American, United and Delta alone have reported combined losses of $36.5 billion, excluding special items, since the start of 2020.

United Airlines stock fell more than 10 percent this week during Wall Street trading due to surging oil prices

Southwest, which had gone 47 years without posting an annual loss, is set to report its second straight annual loss.

In January, American said in a statement that small and medium business travel was roughly 80 percent of where it stood pre-pandemic - though travel by large corporate customers was still down 60 percent.

Yet the airlines say bookings are up for this year's spring break period and they remain hopeful for a strong summer.

Most are projecting a return to profitability in 2022.

Leisure domestic travel is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, even though business travel is still down from where it was before the pandemic.

Most recently the airline industry has struggled due to higher fuel prices caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this week the share price of major US airlines fell up to 10 percent in trading on Wall Street due to surging oil prices, including United - which was down by more than 10 percent during trading on Monday.

Delta was down eight percent and American Airlines was down around seven percent, the New York Post reported.
A Ukrainian soldier thanked the gifts from Her Majesty The Queen after destroying a Russian tank with a British-supplied missile.

The soldier, from the Sumy region, thanked the United Kingdom for sending weapons  including the NLAW missile system  saying: Give us more toys like these and there will be more destroyed tanks.

Royal tribute: The grateful Ukrainian who thanked the Queen for anti-tank weapons

In the clip, posted by US broadcaster CBS News, the soldier says that civilians also want to use the missiles but we cannot give NLAW to every Ukrainian, though we would like to.

The soldier, dressed in a camouflage uniform and black vest, stood among the wreckage of the burned-out Russian tank.

NLAWs  next generation light anti-tank weapons  are lightweight missiles designed to take out armoured vehicles with a firing range of more than half a mile.

The UK has sent 3,615 NLAWs to Ukraine in recent months.

The UK has sent 3,615 NLAWs to Ukraine in recent months.

While details of the use of Western equipment in action are unreliable, reports suggested that NLAWs helped stop Russian advances in some areas.

The video comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced plans yesterday for the UK to send Starstreak anti-aircraft weapons and a small consignment of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine as forces there prepare to defend the capital Kyiv.
Airfares are likely to skyrocket over the coming weeks and months as Russia's invasion of Ukraine causes global oil prices to rise.

Russia is the world's third largest supplier of oil, accounting for 11 per cent of the total supply, but the United States and Britain have already announced a boycott.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for other countries to follow suit, while Russia's President has threatened to shut off his country's Nord gas pipeline which would further restrict supply.

While Australia gets most of its oil from South-East Asia, this supply crunch is causing oil prices to rise globally, with the price topping $US120 a barrel this week.

Airfares could soar by as much as 15 per cent amid Russia's invasion on Ukraine (file image)

After two years of domestic and international borders closures it doesn't look to be smooth sailing just yet for international travel (pictured: Passengers at Sydney airport in 2021)

On Tuesday, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce warned of a 7 per cent increase in fares for his airline with a further 1 per cent lift for every $US4 jump in price.

Some experts are forecasting oil prices could hit as high as $US200 a barrel as the United States, the world's largest oil supplier, struggles to cover the shortfall.

Flight Centre CEO Graham Turner said on Wednesday that airfares - which are already considerably higher than pre-Covid prices - could see a further increase of up to 15 per cent if this happens.

'My guess is with airline capacity increasing, we should get back to pre-Covid international airfares over the next six months, but the cost of fuel could put 10-15 per cent on an airfare,' Mr Turner told The Australian.

'I don't think the cost will prove a major deterrent but the Ukraine situation will. If it settles down, travel will go up, but if it gets worse people will be more reluctant to travel. If the situation remains the same, people will get used to it and will still travel.' he said.

The United States and Britain have issued a boycott on Russian oil causing global prices to spike (file image)

Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 sparked a wave of heavy sanctions from Western Governments (pictured: Russian tanks in Kyiv)

Mr Turner said most Australian tourism and flight operators had gotten used to disruptions throughout the last two years and were resilient.

He said the industry should whether the storm so long as the conflict does not spread into wider Europe.

Mr Turner, 73, added he intends to stay on as Flight Centre CEO for at least the next five years.

The company has closed 600 stores and reduced staff by 14,000 since 2019 but is hoping to return to profitability in the second half of this year with borders now open.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged that sanctions in place against Russia should remain for the long-term regardless of any ceasefire.

Mr Morrison told international policy think tank the Lowy Institute earlier this week that Russia needs to pay the price economically and diplomatically for its aggression.

'All western countries, all those participating in these sanctions, need to hold fast and endure over the long term,' Mr Morrison said.

'Some break in the fighting that may occur should not enable the pressure or the vice to be eased when it comes to Russia.'

Hundreds of locals fled Irpin in Kyiv's north on Wednesday amid Russian bombardments (pictured)

There are estimated to be 1.5million refugees that have fled Ukraine since the invasion (pictured: people line up to get water in Mariupol, Ukraine)

The Russian economy is in freefall after coordinated, heavy sanctions by Western governments and rafts of international companies and commodity players withdrawing from the country.

One of the world's largest oil companies issued an apology on Tuesday for past purchases of Russian oil, including heavily discounted stocks after the Russian invasion.

Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden apologised for last week's crude purchases after Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba asked the company 'if it smelled like Ukrainian blood'.

Mr van Beurden said that any profits form that oil would be donated to provide humanitarian support during the Ukraine crisis.

'We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel  was not the right one and we are sorry,' he said in a statement.

Shell issued an apology on Tuesday after buying discounted Russian oil last week

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged all Western countries to boycott Russian goods including oil (pictured on Wednesday)

Australia has offered humanitarian assistance and the prioritisation of visas to those escaping the conflict.

It is estimated 1.5million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Ukrainians living in towns occupied by Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv fled amid bombardments by Russian forces.

Streams of cars, some fixed with white flags, filed down the road, joined by lines of yellow buses marked with red crosses.

The Interior Ministry said about 700 people were evacuated from Vorzel and Irpin. People from three other Kyiv suburbs were unable to leave. Some who managed to get out said they hadn't eaten in days.
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The battle for Kyiv is underway as Russian tanks push to within just a few miles of the city outskirts, analysts and witnesses have said, though initial assaults to the west and east of the capital were repelled as Vladimir Putin's forces face a long and bloody campaign to try and take the capital.

Kremlin troops launched two attacks on Kyiv Wednesday - one via the besieged western city of Irpin and another through the eastern district of Brovary, with video showing the moment Russian tanks and armoured vehicles were bombarded with artillery in a devastating ambush and forced to turn back.

Colonel Andrei Zakharov, commander of the tank regiment, was also killed in the ambush according to the Ukrainian defence ministry and radio chatter intercepted from Russians on the battlefield. The same transmissions suggested the column suffered heavy losses, with one tank and an armoured vehicle destroyed.

It marks just the latest Russian commander to be killed in Ukraine, after two generals were slain by Kyiv's troops. Colonel Zakharov had been awarded the Order of Courage by Vladimir Putin in 2016.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry, said Ukrainian forces had also managed to stop the attack in Irpin and were counter-attacking on Thursday morning with battles underway. In an afternoon update, the military said it had foiled a Russian attempt to cross the Irpin River in the town of Moshchun.

'The night was quite difficult, but in general we can say that the Ukrainian army counterattacked near Kyiv,' he said. 'There is no further detailed information yet.' Fighting was also reported to the south west of Kyiv as Putin's men continued their efforts to surround the city.

It means the Russian mission to overwhelm the Ukrainian capital is now underway, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said, amid fears that devastating airstrikes on the city of Mariupol - which struck a maternity hospital killing three including a six-year-old girl - and Kharkiv could soon be seen in the capital.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is still in Kyiv, said Thursday that his 'heart breaks at what the occupants have done with our cities, our country, and at what they want to do to our people' who he said needed 'urgent help.'

Zelensky said seven humanitarian corridors were urgently being organised from bombarded cities to get civilians out and aid packages in, which were meeting with mixed success. Some 35,000 people were able to flee cities under attack by Russian forces on Wednesday, he said, including from the Kyiv suburbs and the eastern city of Sumy.

However, there has been no relief for the people of hard-hit Mariupol, which has been under bombardment for more than a week with no food, water, or electricity.

On Wednesday, a Russian airstrike targeted a children's hospital in Mariupol in the south, wounding at least 17 people. Mortuary workers were pictured putting corpses in body bags or carpets, taking them to the outskirts of the besieged port city, and then dumping them in mass graves.

A convoy was trying to reach the city today to bring supplies, but there was no word on whether it had managed to get through by early afternoon. Four previous attempts to bring relief to the city have failed, after Ukraine said Russia shelled the route it was intending to use.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said today that the city has been turned into a fortress ahead of the Russian assault, with about 2 million people - half the residents of the metro area of the capital - having fled.

'Every street, every house is being fortified, the territorial defence is joining. Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands,' he said in televised remarks.

Troops were also warning civilians not to stray beyond the outskirts of the city, because Russian vehicles had been spotted just a few miles away. If Putin's men can encircle Kyiv, they are expected to shell it as they have done with other cities such as Mariupol, Kharkiv and Chernihiv.

Shelling in Kharkiv overnight killed four people, two of them children, with a five-year-old girl injured and rushed to hospital. Emergency workers said they are still working to pull people from the rubble of houses in the town of Slobozhanske. Three people were also killed in shelling on the city of Sumy - two women and a 13-year-old boy.

Bombs also fell on two hospitals in Zhytomyr west of the capital, the mayor said, as Russian forces intensified their siege of Ukrainian cities.

Giving an update on the situation on the ground onThursday, Ukraine's military said Russian efforts to attack Kyiv had been 'restrained' with offensives also thwarted in the cities of Mykolayiv as Putin's men try to push towards Kryvyi Rih - to the northeast and birthplace of the President - and Voznesensk - to the northwest.

Mariupol continues to be surrounded by Russian forces but is still in Ukrainian hands, officials said. They said Ukrainian fighter jets and anti-aircraft missile units destroyed four Russian Su-25 attack jet and two Russian helicopters over the past 48 hours.

Kyiv estimates that Russia has lost some 12,000 troops in the fighting, along with 335 tanks, 1,100 armoured personnel carriers, 500 vehicles, 81 helicopters and 49 planes. Moscow has admitted suffering losses, but has not given an accurate figure.

There has been no word from Ukraine on casualties its military has suffered. Russia says it has destroyed more than 2,900 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities has has taken control of a number of neighbourhoods in besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Speaking about the Russian strike on the hospital in Mariupol, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday denied that any patients had been inside at the time - despite pictures showing pregnant women being taken out with injuries - and accused Ukrainian 'extremists' of occupying it.

In a stunning act of hypocrisy, he outright denied that Russia had attacked Ukraine and added that the Kremlin 'does not intend to attack anyone else' - raising fears that Putin does in fact aim to go beyond the borders of his ex-Soviet neighbour. Battle plans broadcast on TV by Belarus ally Alexander Lukashenko in the opening days of the war seemed to suggest that Moldova could be targeted.

He also vowed that Russia 'will survive' western sanctions on Putin's regime, and 'will do everything not to rely on the West ever, in any areas of our lives.' He added: 'We have no illusions the West can be a reliable partner, [it will] betray whoever, and will betray its own values.'

A Russian tank column that attempted to move into the outskirts of the capital Kyiv on Wednesday, through the satellite city of Brovary, was ambushed by artillery and missile strikes

Drone footage released by the Ukrainian military showed shells raining down on the convoy, destroying a number of tanks and armoured vehicles - as intercepted radio chatter suggested 'heavy' losses among Russian troops

The attack on Brovary (pictured) came as Russian troops also attacked in Irpin, to the west, though they made 'little progress' with a Ukrainian counter-attack underway in the early hours

A Russian armoured vehicle sits by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, after being destroyed in an artillery and rocket ambush that caused heavy casualties

A destroyed Russian tank is seen abandoned by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, as Putin's men try to push into the outskirts of the capital

An aerial view of the destroyed Russian armoured vehicle abandoned on a highway in Brovary, east of Kyiv, after the convoy it was travelling in got struck by Ukrainian artillery

An aerial view of the Russian tank that was destroyed in an artillery ambush by Ukrainian forces in Brovary, near Kyiv

Damaged and destroyed Russian vehicles are seen after an armoured column was attacked by Ukrainian artillery at Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv, and forced to retreat

A destroyed Russian tank is seen after battles on a main road near Brovary, to the east of Kyiv

Analysts believe the Russian assault on Kyiv is now underway, as troops massed in both the west and east try to push into the city limits - with missions also underway to surround the capital from the south west

Colonel Andrei Zakharov (right, receiving the Order of Courage from Vladimir Putin in 2016) was killed in the Ukrainian ambush, according to the country's defence ministry

Dramatic new footage from Wednesday morning shows Kremlin 'peacekeeping' tanks driving through the town of Irpin

Footage filmed by the Ukrainian military on Tuesday and released today shows attacks on Russian armoured vehicles in Borodyanka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, as Putin's forces try to push into the capital

Debris and smoke flies into the air after Ukrainian troops struck a Russian convoy of vehicles in Borodyanka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, in fighting there on Tuesday

A Ukrainian serviceman aims towards Russian positions outside the city of Brovary, east of Kyiv

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

A doctor navigates the ward of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, after it was destroyed by Russian bombs

Explosions are seen on the skyline of Mariupol, southern Ukraine, as the city came under renewed bombardment today

Ukraine war: The latest Ukraine accuses Russia of a 'war crime' over a devastating attack on a children's hospital Some 1,207 civilians have been killed in the 10-day Russian siege on Mariupol, its mayor says Red Cross calls situation in Mariupol 'apocalyptic' after more than a week without water, power or heat 35,000 civilians are evacuated from other Ukrainian cities during a 12-hour ceasefire Fears are mounting Kyiv will also soon be encircled, with Russian tanks just a few miles away Two women and a 13-year-old boy are killed overnight in bombing near Sumy overnight Four people are killed in bombing on Kharkiv, with a five-year-old girl rushed to hospital wounded US lawmakers pass a $14bn aid package for Ukraine with Canada pledging more military equipment The International Monetary Fund approves $1.4 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine The United States deploys two new Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland Fearing a wider conflict, the Pentagon rejects a Polish offer to give MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are in Turkey to hold face-to-face talks Britain calls on the G7 to ban Russian oil, but move is opposed by France, Germany, Italy and Japan Nuclear watchdog says it is not receiving updates from either Chernobyl or Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, both of which are in Russian hands Washington rejects Russian claims it funded bioweapons research in Ukraine, and warns Russia could be about to use chemical or biological weapons itself UN says at least 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine, with more than half now in Poland Oil prices tumble while US and European and Asian stocks surge after days of market turmoil Advertisement

Lavrov was speaking after talks with Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on the sidelines of a summit in Turkey, which ended without an agreement to stop the fighting.

Kuleba, speaking after the meeting, said Russia had demanded that Ukraine 'surrender' - which he said 'we will not do'. Ukraine wants a diplomatic solution, he added, but is determined to keep fighting if needs be.

Ukraine's military warned on Wednesday that Russia is 'not abandoning its plans to encircle' Kyiv and that its 'defence forces are repelling and holding back' the offensive 'in all directions'.

The crisis in Ukraine is likely to get worse as Russian forces resort to increasingly brutal and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas in response to stronger than expected resistance.

CIA director William Burns on Tuesday said that Russian losses have been 'far in excess' of what Moscow expected, sparking fears that Putin's generals will ramp up their 'war of terror' on innocent civilians and strike further non-military targets.

An official told The Times in London: 'I think around Kyiv they are continuing to tighten the noose this is definitely not over. They are still set on moving in. It'll be utterly horrific when they do'.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said fighting continued northwest of the capital on Wednesday, with the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol being heavily pummelled by surrounding Russian forces.

Putin's troops are placing military equipment on farms and amid residential buildings in the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine's military said. In the south, Russians in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv, a Black Sea shipbuilding centre of 500,000 people, it said.

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, is building up defences in cities in the north, south and east, and forces around Kyiv are 'holding the line' against the Russian offensive, authorities said.

In Irpin, a town of 60,000, police officers and soldiers helped elderly residents from their homes. One man was hoisted out of a damaged structure on a makeshift stretcher, while another was pushed toward Kyiv in a shopping cart. Fleeing residents said they had been without power and water for the past four days.

Regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said the crisis for civilians is deepening in and around Kyiv, with the situation particularly dire in the suburbs.

'Russia is artificially creating a humanitarian crisis in the Kyiv region, frustrating the evacuation of people and continuing shelling and bombing small communities,' he said.

The situation is even worse in Mariupol, a strategic city of 430,000 people on the Sea of Azov that has been encircled by Russian forces for the past week.

Efforts to evacuate residents and deliver badly needed food, water and medicine failed on Tuesday because of what the Ukrainians said were continued Russian attacks. The city took advantage of a lull in the shelling on Wednesday to hurriedly bury 70 people. Some were soldiers but most were civilians.

Authorities announced new cease-fires on Wednesday morning to allow thousands of civilians to escape from towns around Kyiv as well as the southern cities of Mariupol, Enerhodar and Volnovakha, Izyum in the east and Sumy in the northeast.

Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors largely failed because of what the Ukrainians said were Russian attacks. But Putin, in a telephone call with Germany's chancellor, accused militant Ukrainian nationalists of hampering the evacuations.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was able to leave other cities on Wednesday, but people streamed out of Kyiv's suburbs, many headed for the city centre, even as explosions were heard in the capital and air raid sirens sounded repeatedly. From there, the evacuees planned to board trains bound for western Ukrainian regions not under attack.

Nationwide, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, in the two weeks of fighting since Putin's forces invaded. The UN estimates more than 2million people have fled the country, the biggest exodus of refugees in Europe since the end of the Second World War.

The fighting knocked out power to the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant, raising fears about the spent fuel that is stored at the site and must be kept cool. But the UN nuclear watchdog agency said it saw 'no critical impact on safety' from the loss of power.

 Slide me  Before/after: Two satellite images taken of the same district of Mariupol, in the south of Ukraine, show how virtually every building has been struck by artillery as Russian forces try to bomb the city into submission

 Slide me  Before/after: Satellite images taken over civilian areas of Mariupol show how Russian artillery strikes have reduced buildings to rubble, with others burned out from the inside

 Slide me  Before/after: Satellite images of Mariupol's largest shopping center show how it has been all-but destroyed by Russian artillery, which has been bombarding the city for more than a week

Ukrainian soldiers replenish their supplies from destroyed Russian convoys somewhere on the frontlines

Kyiv has said that its troops are capturing Russia weapons and vehicles, which are being repurposed to use in the defence

Ukrainian troops walk past a destroyed Russian armoured vehicle carrying ammunition looted from the convoy

A haul of Russian supplies captured by the Ukrainians after a successful attack on a Russian supply convoy

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces train to operate RPG-7 anti-tank launcher during military exercises amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces train to operate NLAW anti-tank launcher during military exercises amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces wait for military exercises amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv

The aftermath of Russian artillery shelling on a residential area in Mariupol where a rocket hit a house, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Fires burn on the outskirts of Mariupol, in the south of Ukraine, which has been under heavy shelling for more than a week

Rubble litters the street in Mariupol as the city came under renewed bombardment by Russian forces today

Burned-out wreckage litters the road out of Irpin, to the west of Kyiv, while people evacuate (left) as fighting rages nearby

Zelensky warned on Wednesday that 'millions' of Ukrainians could die if NATO and the West wait for World War Three to start before imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He also warned that Russia wants Ukrainians to 'feel like animals' as he urged the West to act two weeks after Moscow launched an all-out invasion of his homeland  and added that Putin is 'going directly to hell'.

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities, the biggest cities in Ukraine and they blocked them because they don't want our people to get some food or water,' he said in an interview with Sky News.

'We can't stop all of this alone. Only if the world will unite around Ukraine.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say 'sorry we didn't do it yesterday'.

'The world did nothing. I'm sorry, but it's true. In future, it will be too late. They will close the sky but will lose millions of people [while they wait]'.

Ukraine has called on Putin's Russia to 'capitulate' as Kremlin lapdog Sergei Lavrov prepares for 'peace talks' with Kyiv's foreign minister in Turkey on Thursday.

Moscow's most senior diplomat arrived in the southern resort city of Antalya to negotiate with Dmytro Kuleba at a summit mediated by Ankara, which has supplied Ukraine with drones and condemned the invasion but criticised punitive global sanctions against Russia.

Russia and Ukraine's meeting will be the highest-level diplomatic encounter since the Kremlin launched a full-scale operation to 'demilitarise' and 'de-Nazify' the country  aims dismissed as baseless pretexts by Kyiv and the West to instead overthrow Zelensky.

But in a video on Facebook confirming that talks would proceed, Kuleba said his expectations were 'limited' and that the success of the negotiations would depend on 'what instructions and directives Lavrov is under' from the Kremlin at the discussions.

Russia has demanded that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality so it cannot join the EU or NATO, recognise Crimea as sovereign Russian territory and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent territories.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight on Wednesday, Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Verashchuk called Moscow's peace terms 'ultimatums' and thundered: 'There is only one discussion to be had: Russia's capitulation.'

'I think that in order to make demands you need to meet, you need to talk. But of course, the ultimatums that Russia has put forward are unacceptable: to recognize Crimea, to recognise the separatist republics as independent states, this is completely impossible,' she said.

'Of course we cannot trade away our territory, we would have to amend the constitution. How could we look the Ukrainian people in the eye and calmly give away a part of sovereign independent Ukraine. How will we look our children in the eyes? This is aggression, not just against Ukraine as you can clearly see. This is a challenge to the whole world.'

Asked what Ukraine wants from the West, Verashchuk went on: 'We want them to help us to impose a no-fly zone, at least over critical infrastructure. We would like air defence systems'.

When it was put to her that Britain and the US have ruled out no-fly zones because of the risk of nuclear war with Russia, Kyiv's deputy prime minister retorted: 'And the fact that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer under our control? You don't think that is a nuclear standoff with Russia?

'Putin is raising the stakes, he knows that. Who do you think this is aimed at? President Zelensky, or President Biden?'.

Putin's actions have sparked an unprecedented Western diplomatic, economic and cultural boycott of Russia and all things Russian.

Victor, a volunteer of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, is treated at a hospital after being injured during fights with Russian forces near Brovary, north of Kyiv

Katya, 14-years-old, is treated in a hospital after being shot while fleeing with her family from a village near Brovary, Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier hugs his wife in the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, as Russian forces try to fight their way through the region

A Ukrainian woman shelters in the basement of a home in Irpin, near Kyiv, which has come under Russian bombardment

Valeriy Zukin, CEO of Leleka ('Stork') private maternity clinic, walks next to a bloodied stretcher, at a short distance from the frontline in Horenka, northern Kyiv

Residents and soldiers help civilians to flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv, which has seen heavy fighting today

A civilian is loaded on to a stretcher and evacuated from the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, as fighting rages nearby

Wounded civilians are stretchered out of the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, amid clashes in the city with Russian forces

A disabled civilian is carried across a temporary bridge out of the city of Irpin, near Kyiv, alongside their wheelchair

A soldier makes his way over a temporary bridge set up on the outskirts of Irpin to help civilians evacuate the city

An apartment building in the city of Mykolaiv, in the south of Ukraine, smoulders after being struck by Russian artillery

Firemen put out an apartment building in southern Ukraine after it was hit by Russian forces on Thursday

An interior shot of the apartment building shows it sustained heavy damage after shelling by Russian forces

The booster section of a Russian Smerch rocket is shown landed in the street in Mykolayiv, southern Ukraine

Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson has committed to impose the 'maximum economic cost' on Russia as the Foreign Secretary is expected to say aggression like Putin's must 'never again' be allowed to 'grow unchecked'.

In a call on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister joined Zelensky in condemning a reported Russian strike on a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol.

He noted that this, together with reports Russian forces had failed to respect ceasefire agreements, was 'yet further evidence that Putin was acting with careless disregard for international humanitarian law', Downing Street said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss prepared to call for a 'paradigm shift' in the wake of Russia's assault on Ukraine.

In a speech in the US on Thursday, she will make comparisons between the Russian despot's actions and 9/11, and will urge the international community to change its approach to dealing with antagonistic world leaders.

One of the three areas where she will say the UK wants to see stronger action is on forging stronger global alliances, including with countries not historically aligned to Britain, according to Foreign Office officials.

Giving the Makins Lecture at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, the Cabinet minister will say it is time to end 'strategic dependence' on hostile and authoritarian states, including a departure from using Russian energy.

It comes after the UK and the US on Tuesday announced they will phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year as part of increased sanctions on Moscow.

Truss will also argue that allies must strengthen deterrence by spending more on defence and NATO, warning that the 'era of complacency is over'.

The Foreign Secretary is expected to say that the West needs to become 'tough' in its approach to global security in the wake of the Ukraine crisis in order to prevent future aggressors from making advances.

She will urge leaders to ramp up global pressure and 'tighten the vice' on the Kremlin, including by implementing further sanctions, such as encouraging other countries to join in bringing about punitive measures and implementing a 'full Swift ban'.

Truss, who on Wednesday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is scheduled to argue that Putin has 'launched a full-frontal assault' not just on Ukraine but 'on the very foundation of our societies and the rules by which we coexist'.

She will add: 'The invasion of Ukraine is a paradigm shift on the scale of 9/11. How we respond today will set the pattern for this new era.

'If we let Putin's expansionism go unchallenged it would send a dangerous message to would-be aggressors and authoritarians around the world. We can't allow that to happen.'

Irina from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and her one-year-old Chihuahua 'Alissa' stand with other Ukrainian refugees in the queue in front of the Central Aliens Office in Hamburg, Germany

Residents wait to be evacuated from the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, amid fighting with Russian forces nearby

Residents wait to be evacuated from the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv

Families who have just fled Ukraine sit inside a bus provided by aid workers in Palanca, Moldova

Women and children arrive at a makeshift camp to board a train heading to Krakow after fleeing Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland
Vogue is to suspend publishing in Russia, it has emerged.

Owner Conde Nast is stopping operations for its magazines in the country, which also include GQ, Tatler and Glamour.

The firm said the decision was made after the Russian government passed new censorship laws.

Owner Conde Nast is stopping operations for its magazines in the country, which also include GQ, Tatler and Glamour

We continue to be shocked and horrified by the senseless violence and tragic humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, chief executive Roger Lynch said.

With journalists and editorial teams around the world, it is paramount that we are able to produce our content without risk to our staffs security and safety.

'Recently, the Russian government passed new censorship laws that now make it impossible for us to do so.

Vogue Russias Instagram account said yesterday that broadcasts on all platforms would be suspended until further notice with the April issue of the fashion bible not going on sale.

Designers such as Chanel and LVMH have already pulled out of the country.

The Vogue Russia post read: We believe that this is not a farewell letter, but only a short pause, after which we will return to you, the statement read.

Vogue launched in Russia in 1998. During this time, the magazine has grown into a multi-platform brand with a multi-million audience.

All these years, we have considered it our mission to talk not only about fashion, but also about culture, art and the public agenda. We hope that soon we will be able to continue our work.

Thanks for your support. With respect and love, Vogue Russia team.

Bella Hadid, Claudia Schiffer, Elizabeth Hurley and Kate Moss have all previously graced the cover.

The announcement came days after designers pulled out of Russia, with Hermes, Richemont and luxury goods company Kering, which owns Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent, all pausing trading, with stores closing.
Russia has admitted sending conscripted soldiers to war in Ukraine despite maintaining for weeks that only professional troops were used to invade Moscow's western neighbour.

Russian defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov admitted on Wednesday that 'we have uncovered several instances of the presence of conscripts in the Russian units taking part in the special military operation in Ukraine.'

He confirmed several conscripts were among Russian troops taken prisoner in Ukraine, but declined to give numbers, saying that Moscow was working to secure their release.

Konashenkov also claimed Moscow had already facilitated the return of 'almost all' conscripted servicemen 'back to Russia'.

The admission comes after it was revealed that a series of Russian intelligence failures may have contributed to Moscow's slow progress towards Kyiv since its troops invaded Ukraine on orders from the Kremlin two weeks ago.

Calls between Russian intelligence officials allegedly took place using normal sim cards, rather than the agency's secure communication channel Era, meaning they were intercepted and published by Kyiv.

Russia has admitted sending conscripted soldiers to war in Ukraine despite maintaining for weeks that only professional troops were used to invade Moscow's western neighbour (pictured, a Russian prisoner of war cries while on the phone to his mother)

Russian defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov confirmed on Wednesday that several conscripts were among Russian troops taken prisoner (pictured) in Ukraine, but declined to give numbers, saying that Moscow was working to secure their release

Russia has for weeks maintained that only professional soldiers were sent to invade Ukraine - though defence analysts warned the military was incapable of massing a large enough force of non-conscripted soldiers to countenance taking Kyiv.

The warnings come amid claims from mothers across Russia that their conscripted sons were pressured into going to the front with Ukraine, where they then lost contact with their families, the Telegraph reported.

Hundreds of Russian troops have been captured in Ukraine - with a Telegram channel set up by the Ukrainian government in a bid to prove to Russian families that their loved ones are still alive.

Kyiv last week also invited the worried mothers of Russian troops captured on the battlefield to come and collect their sons, in Kyiv's latest apparent attempt to embarrass Moscow.

President Vlodymyr Zelensky's government have also opened a telephone hotline for Russian parents to find out if their sons are among the dead or captured.

Russian intelligence agents have been embedded in units across Moscow's armed forces - seemingly an effort by Putin to quash dissent and frighten would-be deserters into fighting

Rescuers on the scene at a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol are locked in a race against time as they try to free survivors from the rubble after the complex suffered a 'direct hit' by Russian rockets yesterday

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

Russian intelligence agents have been embedded in units across Moscow's armed forces - seemingly in an effort to quash dissent and frighten would-be deserters into fighting.

But the officials have been bogged down in a series of intelligence failures that have been blamed for Russia's slow invasion of Ukraine, which, it is understood, Moscow was expecting to take days, not weeks.

Officials from Russia's intelligence agency, the FSB, reportedly relayed the news of the death of General Vitaly Gerasimov through a phone call using a normal sim card.

The call, between two intelligence officers embedded with Russian units in Ukraine, was intercepted by Ukrainian security services and later published, The Times reported.

Security experts warned the paper that the intelligence failures will have left Putin 'very angry'.

Former senior British intelligence officer Philip Ingram said Putin's anger was evidence from 'his body language, the way he is gesturing, the terminology he is using.

'He blames them for seeding him the advice that led to the poor decision-making in Ukraine.'

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, a highly decorated Russian military official, was killed on Monday, Ukrainian officials said

A Russian tank is seen damaged and abandoned near the city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy shelling for days

The tail-end of a destroyed Russian Su-34 fighter is seen crashed through the roof of a warehouse near Kharkiv having been shot down by Ukrainian forces overnight

It is the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents for the Russian agency after a report complaining about long hours allegedly written by one of its employees emerged.

The letter, which has not been authenticated, was published online by a Russian human rights watchdog, Gulagu. It was then picked up by analysts at Bellingcat.

The author also complained of box-ticking exercises and warned Russia was underprepared for western sanction imposed after Moscow ordered an invasion of Ukraine.

The whistleblower at the FSB - the successor to the KGB - said that Russia was not prepared for the battle, or for the subsequent sanctions.

'No one knew that there would be such a war, so no one prepared for such sanctions,' the report said.

'It's just that there is no option for a possible victory.'

The author said that they were being told to tailor their intelligence reports to please their superiors.

'We have been increasingly pressed to customize reports to the requirements of management - I once touched on this topic,' the author claims.

'All these political consultants, politicians and their retinue, influence teams - all this created chaos.

'Now, even if Zelensky is killed, taken prisoner, nothing will change,' the report said.

'And now even those who were loyal to us are against it. Because it was planned from above, because we were told that there would be no such option, unless we were attacked.

'Even with minimum resistance from the Ukrainians we'd need over 500,000 people, not including supply and logistics workers,' the author claimed.
Tinder said it would introduce new tools to let users run background checks on prospective dates as the company continues to address safety concerns following a Netflix documentary on an alleged conman accused of scamming more than $430,000 from women using the app.

Match Group, Tinder's parent company, said the new safety center feature would surface arrests and convictions for certain violent crimes and sex offender registry status.

'This is the first that's been done in this industry,' Tracey Breeden, head of safety and social advocacy at Match Group, told the Wall Street Journal.

According to Garbo Technology Corp., a nonprofit background check organization working with Match Group, the Tinder results would exclude arrests and convictions for financial crimes that are more than seven years old, the WSJ reported.

It also excludes homicides or robberies committed more than 14 years ago, as well as arrests and convictions for marijuana possession, vandalism and loitering laws.

Garbo told WSJ that the time limits were developed by criminal justice advocates to give people who committed those crimes 'a chance to change their behavior.'

The move comes as the company has come under fire over sexual assault and other crimes following dates who connected on the app - including the now-infamous series of cons allegedly performed by Shimon Heyada Hayut, 31, who used the name Simon Leviev on the app.

Hayut's alleged crimes were revealed in Netflix's 'Tinder Swindler' documentary released in February.

Match Group, Tinder's parent company, said the new safety center feature would surface arrests and convictions for certain violent crimes and sex offender registry status.

The new features come in the wake of the Netflix film, 'The Tinder Swindler,' which documents the alleged scams performed by Shimon Heyada Hayut (above), who used the name Simon Leviev on Tinder and scammed more than $430,000 from women on the app

The bombshell documentary feature three women - Cecilie Fjellhy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte - who claimed Hayut convinced them to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars by pretending to be the son of a billionaire

Hayut was often pictured enjoying a lavish lifestyle in order to fool his alleged victims

Hayut allegedly lured his victims - Cecilie Fjellhy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte - with private jets, yachts and fancy cars, telling them he was the son of a billionaire mogul.

He then proceeded to tell them his accounts had been frozen by his 'enemies,' and convinced them to send him money that he promised to pay back. He is accused of conning them out of more than $430,000.

However, the twice-convicted fraudster denies any wrongdoing.

'They weren't conned and they weren't threatened,' Hayut told Inside Edition last month. 'No, I am not, and I never presented myself the son of a billionaire diamond mogul.'

His tale of lies began in Israel as early as 2011, when he was wanted on charges of theft, forgery and fraud, including for defrauding a family while serving as their babysitter, the Times of Israel reported.

He fled Israel before he could be sentenced and settled in Finland, where in 2015, authorities charged him with defrauding three women and sentenced him to two years in prison.

In 2017, he returned to Israel to face the outstanding charges - but fled again. The Netflix documentary mostly covers his dealings with women after this point.

Leviev was eventually arrested - after he was caught with a fake passport - and was convicted in December 2019 and ordered to pay his Israeli victims $43,289, as well as a fine of $5,771 under the terms of a plea deal.

He was released the following May, after serving five months of his 15-month sentence.

Despite Hayut's infamy, some of his alleged crimes would not necessarily be flagged by the new safety features.

Hayut is currently dating Ukraine-born Israeli model Kate Konlin, 24, (right)

Hayut has denied all allegations against him made in the Netflix documentary

Garbo CEO Kathryn Kosmides said: 'Background checks are not a silver bullet and are not a one-stop-shop for being safe'

Garbo CEO Kathryn Kosmides told the WSJ that Tinder users won't receive any identifying personal information on their potential dates to avoid stalking and harassment.

She added that: 'Background checks are not a silver bullet and are not a one-stop-shop for being safe.'

Naomi Sugie, associate professor of criminology, law and society at the University of California, said the changes being made to Tinder might not be enough to restore confidence in the app or help assure people they're safe when meeting up for dates.

She told the WJS that the type of background checks performed through Garbo are often inaccurate and that crimes vary from state to state.

In 2020, Tinder introduced a new safety feature to track the location of its users and notify police when alerted by users who believe they are in danger.

Last year, the company also created tools to help users block out exes, as well as hateful and racist messages.
Elizabeth Anderson, a physician assistant at Naval Hospital Jacksonvilles Dermatology Clinic, uses a lighted scope to check a patients skin. Skin cancer rates are high in Florida, and its important to self-check monthly, Anderson said. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. To reduce risk, protect your skin from UV rays from the sun, tanning booths and sunlamps.
One of the world's deadliest snipers has joined the fighting in Ukraine armed with his rifle in one hand and a camera in the other, and he has begun documenting his latest mission online, calling war 'a waste of human mess.'

Wali, 40, is a former sniper with the Canadian Forces and recently answered President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for foreign volunteers to help defeat Russian invaders.

The sniper-turned-filmmaker from Montreal uses the name given to him by the Afghan people while on one of two tours of duty with the Canadian Royal 22nd Regiment, so as not to be identified. He served in Afghanistan and Iraq during the 2010s.

While his name remains a mystery, Wali is becoming a familiar face on the ground and is keeping an online diary of his experiences in Ukraine. Over the last 10 days, he has told of the warm welcome he received from Ukrainians grateful for the help to defend their country.

But his online musings also details the stresses and strains being placed upon the country, with air raid sirens a near constant reminder that nothing is normal any longer.

Wali tells how he has been able to enjoy food made for him by locals, but that he has also been subjected to searches by the Ukrainian police and soldiers who at first can be wary of his volunteer group's presence.

He also describes the ingenuity with how some Ukrainians have reacted to the presence of the Russian military, with one farmer managing to tow away tanks when soldiers went on a break, while those living in a city apartment block were able to trap soldiers in a building elevator by cutting off the power.

Wali also describes how signs of life from before the invasion have disappeared with day-to-day stores such as IKEA, Starbucks and McDonald's closed - instead, with makeshift barricades erected outside as cities prepare for Russian invaders.

Before arriving in the country, Wali says he made a plea for more fighters to join him.

Wali served in the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now in Ukraine

Wali has taken up arms in several conflicts both with and without the Canadian army - he is now part of a band of volunteers who have taken up arms inside Ukraine

'The border was a surreal experience, even for a former Canadian soldier used to the unpredictability of war in the sun-scorched grape fields of Kandahar,' Wali details in his diary

'Wali' (pictured furthest right) was met with hugs and handshakes by the local population after arriving into Ukraine alongside three fellow former Canadian soldiers on Friday, March 4

Wali's diary began on February 27, three days after the start of the Russian invasion.

His sense of urgency is palpable as he describes being short of time but feeling a pressure to get to the front line to help his comrades as fast as possible.

He pleas for them to come forward and advises them to take a flight to Krakow, Poland, where they will be able to cross the border, suggesting that they contact him once they arrive.

'Stop being passive aggressive. Run it up! We have no time to waste,' he urges.

Wali, who left behind his wife and one-year-old son, was contacted by a friend who has been helping to arrange 'neutral humanitarian aid convoys' into the occupied Donbas region in the south east region of the country.

He described the moment he answered the call to join the Ukrainian volunteer forces as being 'like a firefighter who hears the alarm ringing.'

Wali told what motivated him to join groups of foreign fighters taking up arms in Ukraine

Wali crossed into Ukraine on March 1, which he documented in detail as he prepared to cross from neighboring Poland.

Wali went to fill up jerry cans with gas to make Molotov cocktails. He also says that is was 'surreal' to see echoes of life before the war began such as a brand-new IKEA.

'Meanwhile, my comrade is being called by his wife, a Ukrainian. She and her daughter are hiding in a shelter. You can hear shells falling and windows vibrating from the speakerphone,' Wali wrote.

Last week, Wali was still working as a computer programmer in Canada - now he's preparing to fight Russian troops.

'A week ago I was still programming stuff. Now I'm grabbing anti-tank missiles in a warehouse to kill people... That's my reality right now,' he told CBC News.

Last week, in the dead of night, he finally crossed the border.

The border crossing, he says, was a surreal experience, even for a former Canadian soldier used to the unpredictability of war in the sun-scorched grape fields of Kandahar.

Wali said he and the three other former Canadian soldiers who made the journey with him were greeted with hugs, handshakes, flags and photos by Ukrainians after they crossed the frontier.

Wali is pictured during the fight against ISIS in July 2012

Wali detailed his experience crossing the border from Poland into Ukraine

On his first night in Ukraine, he was able to stay in a comfortable AirBnb

Almost one week into the invasion, Wali described how there was a very positive mood among Ukrainians and describes how a farmer took matters into his own hands.

'A heroic atmosphere reigns here. We no longer count the stories of fighters and ordinary people defying the Russian Army. In one example, a farmer waited for the Russians to disembark their tanks during a break. He then towed the tanks with his tractor! Imagine that!'

Wali also described hearing from other soldiers also fighting in the field and how the forests were also said to be full of Ukrainian fighters, waiting for the arrival of the Russians.

'Ukrainians will go down in history as a people of warriors!' he declares.

Wandering deeper into the heart of Ukraine, and witnessing the destruction wrought by Russian invaders and artillery barrages, Wali said he felt compelled to act.

Wali tells how Ukrainians are coming up with their own crafty ways to defeat the Russians

Wale tells how the forests of Ukraine are full of fighters waiting for the Russians to arrive

He told CBC News: 'I want to help them. It's as simple as that.

'When I see a destroyed building, it is the person who owns it, who sees his pension fund go up in smoke, that I see.

'I have to help because there are people here being bombarded just because they want to be European and not Russian. I'm going there for humanitarian reasons.'

The group of volunteers veterans are currently sheltered in an abandoned home and plan to link up with the Ukrainian defense forces soon.

One week on from the start of the invasion, Wali described how he saw Russian war planes flying overhead.

His British friends took out their phones and 'filmed the enemy jets like tourists from a big window.'

He told how he was with three other Canadians and some British fighters who put their protective gear including bullet proof vests and helmets as soon as they crossed the border.

'I felt like I was getting ready for landing Normandy with some 'mates'', he joked.

Walie is with three fellow Quebecers and a 'large number of Brits'

Wali says during at one point, the Brits are like tourists taking their phone our to video Russian planes

A group of British volunteer fighters are also alongside Wali as he edges further towards the front line

On March 4, Wali described how a Ukrainian police SWAT team found the house where he and his volunteer fighting friends were staying.

'Despite being undercover, the population had alerted the authorities,' he reveals. It was an experience that shook people up having been shoved to the wall, and sometimes to the ground with a boot close to their face.

Wali said that at first he thought he was about to be captured by the Russians and likely be killed. Everyone in his party immediately put their hands up.

'Soldiers in the house put their hands up in the air like prisoners. One of the volunteers was talking to his wife on the phone. He was slammed to the floor.'

The SWAT team soon understood that Wali and his team were on the side of the Ukrainians with the group ultimately laughing and joking with one another.

'It put everyone in a good mood. It even allowed us to make more contacts in Ukraine,' he states dryly.

The home where Wali was staying was raised by a Ukrainian SWAT team who were suspicious

The mood suddenly takes a turn once Wali leaves the city where he has been staying and takes a trip out into the suburbs.

'This is an apocalypse in the making. Poor people. Soon we enter a service station. Looking at the menu... Realizing there's no more food available. I look around and realize the tables are empty. People will eat whatever is left over.'

Wali tells how the roads are 'filled with refugees and stopped cars,' as people leave their homes and their lives as enemy helicopters buzz overhead.

'Poor people. Sadness,' he states, bluntly.

He portrays and emotional scene as he comes across an elderly man who with tears in his eyes shakes his hand.

'An old man is approaching. They shake our hands without saying a word. His eyes were filled with tears. He stares us in the eyes for several seconds.

'Need I say more?' he writes.

Wali details how the roads are full of refugees and parked cars

Wali said that he felt a gratefulness from the Ukrainians as he arrived

Wali continues to describe his experience in the country noting that not everything is as terrible that is being reported on the news - he even had the opportunity to take a hot shower - although everything is shut and there are sandbags and barricades everywhere.

'Today we are closer to the front. Y'all probably think I'm getting shot non stop and shells popping around me? There is nothing like that!

Wali tells how evidence of once normal life such as McDonald's, and gas stations are now stacked with sandbags and other barricades .

He describes how the streets are filled with X-shaped anti-tank obstacles which were also used during the Second World War.

Throughout his descriptive diary, Wali tells of several small victories including the downing of a Russian drone after a woman through a jar of pickles at it, and the trapping of soldiers who became stuck in an elevator after residents pulled the power.

'A month ago, the Russians seemed invincible. That's not the case today anymore. Victory begins when we see defeat in the eyes of the enemy,' he says optimistically, in a turn of phrase that he has begun to use more than once.

Stores from Starbucks to McDonald's are all closed while there are sandbags in the street

'A month ago, the Russians seemed invincible. That's not the case today anymore. Victory begins when we see defeat in the eyes of the enemy.'

Wali tells how the Ukrainian people are taking matters into their own hands to defeat Russia

By March 7, Wali details how on-edge the Ukrainian soldiers are but that the 'mood changes' once they know you are on their side.

The scene he describes appears bleak with the corpses of Russian soldiers being hung from posts at a Ukrainian roadside checkpoint.

At the road block, he tells of tension on both sides with fingers on triggers ready for anything.

Eventually, the soldiers carrying out the inspection realized that the team they had stopped were on their side and the mood changed in an instant. The soldiers put down their weapons and even helped Wali and his team fill up with gas and later managed to enjoy a hot meal. Wali sees just how hospitable Ukrainians can be.

'Ukrainians are tough on invaders, but welcoming with those who came to help them. It's hard not to love a people who just want to be free!

Wali poses with his new-found Ukrainian friends and a fellow Canadian soldier. 'Ukrainians are tough on invaders, but welcoming with those who came to help them. It's hard not to love a people who just want to be free!'

During a checkpoint, Wali and his fighter friends came under suspicion with tensions running high until they realized whose side they were on

In one of his more recent postings, Wali makes comparisons between the Ukrainian invasion and scenes from World War II, such are the similarities of scenes he is witnessing.

'In cities near disputed areas, almost all businesses are closed. Sandbags are stacked behind windows and X-shaped obstacles are placed on the sidewalk. These places could soon become the next defensive positions.

'I feel like I'm witnessing WWII in color!'

Wali says he believes he is among the first group of volunteer fighters to enter the country

Wali makes comparisons to pictures he had seen of the Second World War. 'I feel like Im the spectator of WWII in color!' he says

Almost two weeks after the start of the Russian invasion, Wali posted a picture of Ukrainians sheltering in a bunker as air raid sirens could be heard outside.

'The Russians are not happy. Air warning sirens are being heard continuously,' he states.

Wali tells how the people have now endured almost two weeks of war yet have somehow managed to adapt to their new way of life.

The news they are scrolling through on their phones is all about what is happening in their own country, and sometimes right outside their front door, but they are still managing to also watch the same inane YouTube videos.

He states that while it is easy to go underground to shelter from rocket attacking and bombing, if I building is hit, it can become extremely cold very quickly. Winter in Eastern Europe means subzero temperatures and it can be virtually impossible to heat a house that has been hit.

'This is what the daily daily life of Ukrainians looks like in the bombed areas. When the alarm goes off, people rush to the basement... Humans have a great adaptation ability. People here are mostly used to this war that didn't even start two weeks ago.

'War is a waste of human mess.'

Wali details how regular Ukrainians are forced to take shelter in basements and bunkers

After fighting in the Kandahar theatre during the Afghanistan War between 2009 and 2011, Wali, who is now a dad of one then took it upon himself to travel to Iraq in 2015 to help fight the Islamic State's forces.

In June 2017, one of his comrades reportedly shot dead an Islamic State terrorist from an incredible distance of 3,450m - more than two miles away for the longest ever kill shot.

On Saturday, Ukraine's defiant president Volodymyr Zelensky put out a plea and appealed for members of the international armed forces community to fly to Eastern Europe and join the war effort.

A 40-year-old Canadian sniper known only as 'Wali' (above) is set to join the fighting in Ukraine after answering President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for foreign volunteers to help defeat Russian invaders

The marksman, known only by his nickname 'Wali', hails from the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment and has previous combat experience from fighting in the Kandahar theatre during the Afghanistan War between 2009 and 2011. Pictured above in Afghanistan in 2009

Just last week, 'Wali' was still working as a computer programmer in Canada. Now he leaves behind his wife and baby son, who will celebrate his first birthday without him next week

More than 20,000 people from 52 countries have already volunteered to repel the Russian invaders in Ukraine, where they will serve in a newly created international legion, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said over the weekend.

He said: 'I know it's just awful, but me, in my head, when I see images of destruction in Ukraine, it is my son that I see, in danger and who is suffering.'

Wali's wife, whose identity has been protected for security reasons, said she reluctantly allowed him to leave and that keeping him home would have been 'like putting him in jail.'

Ukraine has plans to field a reserve unit of around 10,000 trained officers and more than 120,000 volunteers to repel the Russian invaders.

On Saturday, Ukraine's defiant president Volodymyr Zelensky put out a plea and appealed for members of the international armed forces community to fly to Eastern Europe and join the war effort. Pictured: A sniper is pictured in the Zaproizhzia region, Ukraine on February 18

More than 20,000 people from 52 countries have already volunteered to repel the Russian invaders in Ukraine, where they will serve in a newly created international legion. Pictured, members of Ukraine's international legion, where volunteers from the US, UK, Sweden, Lithuania and Mexico have joined
Ever since Tony Blair, as prime minister, cynically flung open Britain's doors to all comers, this country has had a fraught relationship with immigration.

By deliberately dismantling our border controls, he fuelled concerns about the effects of uncontrolled migration on jam-packed schools, doctors' queues, wages and social cohesion. That ultimately played a key role in the public voting for Brexit.

But this episode masks a more harmonious truth. For centuries, Britain has welcomed those fleeing war and persecution.

From the Huguenots escaping religious oppression, to the Syrians traumatised by Bashar al-Assad's chemical attacks, we have gladly thrown open our arms.

Civilians fleeing Irpin, to the west of Kyiv, after it came under heavy attack by Russian forces

This compassion is illustrated by Daily Mail readers' astonishing response to our Ukraine Appeal. In ten days, this record-breaking campaign has raised 5million to provide food, shelter and medicine for refugees made homeless by Putin's aggression.

Such generosity proves how much this awful war and Ukrainians' fortitude have touched our hearts. And it stands in stark contrast to the ineptitude of the Home Office, whose refugee policy is a shambles.

Britain has steadfastly supported Ukraine, spearheading the delivery of military and humanitarian aid to our beleaguered ally.

So why, with the situation at its most grave, are ministers foot-dragging over visas for those seeking sanctuary?

Yes, some checks are vital. We must weed out those seeking to scam the system as well as criminals or terrorists.

But why is it so hard for genuine refugees to apply? Why must stricken families fill out myriad forms, not just one?

And why aren't more staff processing claims? (Answer: While the displaced freeze in makeshift camps, too many civil servants refuse to leave their Peloton exercise bikes and return to the office).

Home Secretary Priti Patel must pull her finger out  fast. She has to make it easier and quicker for refugees to come here.

Britain's hard-earned reputation is for benevolence toward desperate people  not tripping them up with red tape.

The price of freedom

Peace, democracy and freedom come at a price. While Ukraine's struggle for sovereignty is paid in bomb blasts and blood, the economic war the UK is waging against Russia also has a cost.

The invasion and Western sanctions have caused energy, food and commodity prices to spiral. And while Russia's economy is being brought to its knees, Britons will also be hit hard in the pocket too  leaving a typical household 1,750 worse off.

After unprecedented pandemic spending, the war's shockwaves mean Rishi Sunak has even less scope for giveaways. So the Chancellor must be creative in his mini-Budget to help struggling families  starting by spiking the national insurance hike.

But the hardship we feel defending democracy must be endured. It will be nothing compared with the pain suffered if Putin's pariah state triumphs in Ukraine.

A belated well done to McDonald's and Coca-Cola for halting trade in Russia. While the companies may be taking a moral stand against Putin's regime, they didn't act until customers around the world threatened a boycott. And what of the British law firms shamed for working for dodgy Kremlin-linked oligarchs? Why, most are still pocketing blood money by practising in Moscow! How can they sleep?
Russian loyalists have taken to the streets outside the Kremlin's Australian embassy to show their support for their country's invasion of Ukraine.

Sydney-based Russians have repeatedly gathered outside the consulate in Woollahra in the city's east over the past two weeks to show their support for the war.

Led by ultra pro-Vladimir Putin activist Simeon Boikov, dozens stood outside the consulate again on Wednesday bearing the flags and insignia of their homeland.

One demonstrator held up a large sign bearing the president's face, while another called for pro-Russian views on the war to be given greater prominence in Australia.

Sydney-based Russians have again taken to the street outside the country's Australian embassy in Woollahra in the city's east to voice their support for Vladimir Putin's forces

Dozens stood outside the consulate again on Wednesday bearing the flags and insignia of their homeland

'Look at all these great Aussies here - showing they know about foreign policy and understand what's going on in the world,' Mr Boikov told his Instagram followers.

He also showed a protester holding a flag bearing the emblem of the Australian army. '[I'm] respecting the Anzacs too - good on them,' he said.

One protester could be heard mocking Prime Minister Scott Morrison during video of the demonstration, while another blamed the 'West' for Mr Putin's unprovoked invasion.

Ultra pro-Vladimir Putin activist Simeon Boikov praised the protesters gathered in Woollahra

While Wednesday's protest appeared to go largely unchallenged by pro-Ukraine supporters, the loyalists have clashed with their opponents outside the embassy in recent weeks.

Mr Boikov confronted several men protesting in support of Ukraine outside the consulate just days after the invasion began.

The activist calls himself the 'Aussie Cossack' and earlier this month claimed Mr Morrison had made himself a 'target' by pledging military support to Ukraine as part of a co-ordinated Western effort.

'This is very serious,' Mr Boikov told Daily Mail Australia.

'We are on the verge of nuclear war. Putin is not mucking around.'

Mr Boikov, who has tens of thousands of followers on his multiple social media channels, claims most Australians would be against Mr Morrison dragging Australia into a war.

'We shouldn't be poking the bear', he said.

Simeon Boikov calls himself the Aussie Cossack to honour the region both sides of his family come from in Russia, which borders Mongolia

Simeon Boikov and his wife Katia (above). The activist calls himself the 'Aussie Cossack' and has been seen repeatedly supporting pro-Russian protests outside the embassy in recent weeks

He formed the self-styled unit called Australian Cossacks or Zabaikal Cossack Society of Australia to honour the region both sides of his family come from in Russia, which borders Mongolia.

The Russian embassy to Australia's Facebook page has meanwhile been inundated with pro-Ukrainian posts, many of which target the consulate's social media updates on the situation in Ukraine.

The embassy published one post where the aide to former Russian culture minister Vladimir Medinsky relayed a message calling for 'peace talks'.

It didn't take long for the post to be swarmed, with one supporter writing, 'Putin has blood on his hands. He needs to go'.

Simeon Boikov (above in Cossack uniform in Russia) claims most Australians would be against Mr Morrison dragging Australia into a war

Another said: 'Are you really aiming to achieve peace? Or is this another opportunistic situation to take advantage of the other side like your historical actions?'

'Happy for my taxpayer dollars to pay for weapons aimed at Russian invaders while you pretend to negotiate,' a third wrote.

One user commented: 'Do the Russians love their children too? Regardless of ideology, we share the same biology.'

The Russian embassy to Australia's Facebook page has been inundated with pro-Ukrainian posts

'De-escalate the situation please. Have troops return to the Russian border. Stand down the nuclear threat. Work for peace.'

'Pathetic country and culture. A s**tstain on the underpants of humanity,' added a Ukraine supporter on another post.

One individual called on fellow supporters to 'egg' the embassy.

Others shared images and GIFS with the Ukrainian flag.

The responses on the page ranged from calling the nation 'fascists' and 'propagandists' to 'hypocrites' and 'liars'.

The Facebook page has also been bombarded with one star ratings - and while it has not responded, numerous comments have been deleted.
A high-flying barrister publicly announced he would never visit an upmarket Adelaide restaurant again after they suddenly cancelled his reservation.

Human rights advocate and lawyer Julian Burnside shared a scathing tweet about the city's popular Shobosho restaurant upon finding out his dinner plans had been changed last weekend.

'We were booked for dinner tonight at Shobosho in Adelaide and I just got a message canceling our reservation,' he said in a now deleted tweet. 'I'll never book there again.'

But Shobosho revealed the reason for the sudden cancellation was due to a safety hazard in the kitchen.

Human rights advocate and lawyer Julian Burnside shared a scathing tweet about Adelaide's popular Shobosho restaurant upon finding out his dinner plans had been changed last weekend.

Mr Burnside shamed the restaurant in a now deleted tweet

'Unfortunately, there was a mechanical issue with our kitchen exhaust fan on Sunday afternoon,' a spokesperson said.

'As a restaurant that cooks over fire, this was a serious safety hazard. At 3.00pm, the decision was made that it would be unsafe to trade until this safety issue was resolved.'

Shobosho said staff had worked to call every patron that had a booking for that evening, texting the ones they were unable to get through to.

They stressed that the safety of staff and customers was their priority.

Mr Burnside deleted his first tweet shaming the restaurant, before sharing another explaining the cancellation.

'I got a very nice call from Shobosho this morning : the reason for yesterday's cancellation was a technical problem concerning ventilation at the restaurant,' he followed up.

The restaurant revealed bookings had to be cancelled due to a safety issue in the kitchen

Mr Burnside has since cleared up the reason for his cancellation but some Twitter users have suggested he apologise for criticising the restaurant

But his first tweet did not go unnoticed with many Twitter users suggesting the barrister apologise for criticising the Adelaide business to his 179,000 followers.

Some suggested his tweet was uncalled for after a time where Covid lockdowns forced many hospitality businesses to close.

'You owe them an apology for your post. Hospitality has suffered so much during the past few years,' one tweeted.

'Considering they might have had to call a few other people too, I think they deserve the benefit of the doubt. Definitely overkill for Julian to have ranted about a mere inconvenience,' said another.

'Oh thank goodness, I was up all night wondering 'how is Julian getting along with having his reservation canceled' .. thoughts and prayers,' one joked.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Mr Burnside said: 'If a further apology is needed, I offer it.

'I hope to get there next time I'm in Adelaide.'
The foster father of William Tyrrell (above) was summonsed to appear before a secret hearing of the NSW Crime Commission on November 11 last year, days before the fresh dig for the toddler's remains

William Tyrrell's foster father was charged by two detectives from the Unsolved Homicide team with knowingly giving false and misleading evidence.

One of the officers is a senior detective in the strike force investigating the missing toddler.

Court documents seen by Daily Mail Australia reveal the foster father was charged by Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan and Detective Sergeant Trent Power from the Unsolved Homicide team, part of NSW Police State Crime Command.

The 55-year-old, who detectives claim has 'lied about something we can prove', gave the allegedly false evidence to the secretive NSW Crime Commission late last year.

The foster father testified for up to two hours after being secretly summonsed to appear at the NSWCC Surry Hills headquarters on November 11.

This was four days before NSW Police launched a surprise 'high intensity' search of bushland around 800m from the house where William had been staying with his foster parents when he vanished seven years ago.

Unsolved Homicide team Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan (above, right, with fellow task force detective Mark Dukes and paedophile Tony Jones, centre, at the Tyrrell inquest) charged the missing toddler's foster father

Unsolved Homicide team detectives charged William's 55-year-old foster father (above) with allegedly making two false and misleading statements to a secret Crime Commission hearing

Detective Andrew Lonergan (above, centre, at the William Tyrrell dig in Kendall with body finder expert Prof. Jon Olley, right) charged the foster father with allegedly 'lying about something we can prove'

On the second day of the search for William's remains at a dig site in the NSW Mid North Coast town of Kendall, the boys foster mother was declared a person of interest in his disappearance.

Then NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said investigators were focusing 'one person in particular that we are looking closely at', adding he was confident Strike Force Rosann 'can solve' the mystery.

The foster father, whose identity cannot be revealed for legal reasons, was charged by Detective Lonergan in January this year with two counts of 'knowingly provide false and misleading evidence'.

The charges were only revealed on Wednesday following a revision of non-publication orders surrounding the case.

Detective Lonergan was one of several senior detectives who worked on the four week long dig at Kendall, which wound up on December 16.

The NSW Crime Commission hearing was held at its Surry Hills headquarters (above) where the foster father testified for up to two hours and, police allege, gave two false and misleading statements

Detective Sergeant Lonergan, second right, with Detective Sean Ogilvy, second left, and Professor Jon Olley, right, at the Kendall dig on the last day of the search for William Tyrrell's remains

Along with fellow senior strike force investigator Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Dukes, Lonergan escorted convicted paeodphile Tony Jones when he gave evidence at the William Tyrrell inquest in 2020.

The details of what exactly is the evidence provided to the NSW Crime Commission by the foster father which police claim is false and misleading are unavailable.

A police officer in the William Tyrrell investigative team Strike Force Rosann has alleged the missing toddler's foster father has been caught out 'lying about something we can prove.'

However, speaking on the condition of anonymity, a strike force officer told Nine newspapers 'that we can prove' he had made a false statement.

The foster father has entered pleas of not guilty to both charges.

The NSW Crime Commission is the top intelligence agency which investigates organised and serious crime in the state, but is rarely written about.

Working closely with the NSW Police Force, the NSWCC works to combat drug trafficking, organised crime, tax evasion, and terrorism related offences.

Detectives Marks Dukes (left) and Andrew Lonergan (right) escort convicted paedophile Tony Jones (centre) to Taree Local Court to give evidence at the William Tyrrell coronial inquest

The officer from Strike Force Rosann, which was set up to investigate the 2014 disappearance of three-year-old William Tyrrell (above) said detectives could prove the foster father had made a false statement

WHAT IS THE NSW CRIME COMMISSION? The NSW Crime Commission is the top intelligence agency which investigates and organised and serious crime in the state. Established in 1986, originally to combat drug trafficking, organised crime and tax evasion, it has more recently investigated terrorism related offences. The crime-fighting body which works closely with the NSW Police force itself has been the subject of a public inquiry and of allegations of covert operations, secrecy and an absence of defined accountability. The NSWCC came under the spotlight when its former assistant director Mark Standen was charged and found guilty of conspiring to import and supply 300kg of of the ice precursor drug, pseudoephedrine. Standen's conviction and maximum sentence of 22 years in prison sparked sweeping changes to the Commission's structure and handling of complaints, although a Special Commission of Inquiry found no evidence of misconduct or impropriety other than that of Standen. Advertisement

The case has been subject to strict suppression orders but these were varied on Wednesday morning in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court.

William's foster father and foster mother, 56, were charged in November 2021 in relation to the alleged assault of a child who is not William Tyrrell.

Both foster parents - whose identities are suppressed for legal reasons - have pleaded not guilty, and have indicated they may apply to have the matter heard under the Mental Health Act.

Last month, William's foster mother was charged with another count of common assault of a child, which also does not relate to William, and her lawyer has indicated she will plead not guilty.

The Sydney couple were foster parents to the three-year-old when he disappeared from the NSW Mid North Coast town of Kendall, in September 2014.

William Tyrrell had been placed with the couple in March 2012 as a foster child in the care of the then state minister for family and community services until he was 18 years old.

William was driven to the Kendall home of his foster grandmother on Friday, September 11, 2014 and was last seen playing on the verandah of the house on the Saturday morning.

A widespread search for him in the surrounding area failed to find any trace of him.

Last November, NSW police revealed the foster mother was being treated as a person of interest in William's case.

William Tyrrell was fostered by the 54-year-old man (above) and his wife, 56, at the time the toddler vanished, aged 3, from Kendall and has never been seen again

A new search for William's remains at Kendall began at the same time and continued for four weeks.

Police, SES and rural fire workers along with detectives from Strike Force Rosann spent four weeks late last year digging up a section of forest less than a kilometre from the house where William vanished.

The foster mother denied any involvement in William's disappearance and no charges have ever been laid against any person.

Combing bushland and digging with excavators, police searched along Batar Creek Road, Kendall for William's remains and scraps from the SpiderMan suit he was last seen wearing.

Police said William's foster mother was seen driving along the road on the morning the boy vanished.
The jury at a murder-accused policeman's trial after he fatally shot an Aboriginal teenager during an outback arrest has retired to consider its verdicts.

Constable Zachary Rolfe, 30, denies murdering Kumanjayi Walker after the teen stabbed him with a pair of scissors on November 9, 2019.

He also pleaded not guilty to the two alternative charges of manslaughter and violent act causing death.

Constable Zachary Rolfe, 30, arrives at the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory on Thursday. The jury has now retired in his four-and-a-half week trial

Rolfe fired three shots into the 19-year-old's back and torso as the teen resisted arrest in Yuendumu, 290km northwest of Alice Springs.

The Crown has conceded the first shot, fired while Mr Walker was standing and wrestling with Sergeant Adam Eberl, was justified.

But it says the second and third shots, which are the subject of the murder charge, went "too far".

Justice John Burns on Thursday told the jury that to return a guilty plea for murder it had to find Rolfe intentionally engaged in conduct that caused Mr Walker's death and he intended this to happen.

He said the Crown must also prove beyond reasonable doubt that Rolfe was not defending himself or another person and that his conduct was not reasonable in the performance of his duty as a police officer, and that he was not acting in good faith in that same job.

He said police officers are called on to make split second decisions and often do not have the "luxury of time to reflect, particularly when confronted by violent offenders".

"It would be contrary to the public interest if police officers were deterred from making these often crucial decisions by the threat of criminal prosecution," he said.

"For this reason they are provided by a measure of legal protection while acting in the course of their duties."

Kumanjayi Walker, 19, was shot three times in the back and torso as the teen resisted arrest in Yuendumu, 290km northwest of Alice Springs

The court viewed stills from body-worn camera footage of Kumanjayi Walker confronting police officers with an axe on November 6, 2019 during the trial

Justice Burns instructed the jury to consider what actually happened on November 9 and Rolfe's perception of what was happening as it occurred.

He also said it must be fearless and not let sympathy or feelings about Rolfe or Mr Walker or others' views affect the verdict.

The four-and-a-half week trial has heard evidence from about 40 witnesses. Jurors have also repeatedly been shown police body-worn camera footage of the shooting.

The Crown said senior police sent Rolfe and four other officers from Alice Springs to patrol the community of about 800 on the evening Mr Walker died.

Constable Rolfe (centre) is seen leaving the Supreme Court in Darwin with his legal team during the trial

They were also ordered to gather intelligence about the teen's location and arrest him early the following morning when he was likely to be sleeping and easily taken into custody.

Instead, they tracked Mr Walker down at his grandmother's home within 15 minutes of leaving the Yuendumu police station.

Police video shows Mr Walker lie about his identity before Rolfe and Sgt Eberl, then a constable, attempt to handcuff him as a scuffle breaks out.

The teen then stabs Rolfe in his shoulder with a pair of scissors before the constable fires one shot into his back.

He fires the next two shots in quick succession 2.6 seconds later.

Mr Walker died about an hour after the second shot ripped through his spleen, lung, liver and a kidney.

Prosecutor Philip Strickland SC has said Sgt Eberl was effectively restraining Mr Walker on the ground at the time.

He said Rolfe was on a mission to track the teen down after he watched a video of him violently threatening other officers with an axe on November 6.

Rolfe has told the jury he felt Mr Walker's hand on his police pistol and spotted him stabbing Sgt Eberl in the chest and neck, and that he feared for his and his partner's lives.
Hillsong Church founder and pastor Brian Houston will face a special, three-week hearing on charges he hid his father's alleged child abuse.

The 68-year-old in October pleaded not guilty to concealing a serious indictable offence allegedly committed by another person.

NSW police investigated Houston for two years after the allegation was raised by the media and at the institutional child abuse royal commission.

They will say Houston's father Frank indecently assaulted a male in 1970 and allege that, in the five years leading up to his father's death in 2004, Brian Houston believed he had committed the crime.

NSW Police will argue that Brian Houston (pictured) concealed information about his father

Police will argue that he knew information that could help secure the prosecution of his father and failed to bring it to the attention of police.

Houston's matter was briefly mentioned in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, where the magistrate set it down for a special hearing - expected to last three weeks - to begin on December 2.

The matter will return to court in November.

The pastor in January stepped down from all ministry responsibilities for the rest of the year, releasing a statement saying he welcomes the opportunity to "set the record straight".

"The board and I have had detailed discussion around the requirements for leadership," Houston said.

"We have talked about the effects of the situation with my father, which go back many years up to the current legal case, and the impact this has had on me emotionally.

"The result is that the Hillsong Global Board feel it is in my and the church's best interest for this to happen, so I have agreed to step aside from all ministry responsibilities until the end of the year."

Now a global empire, Houston founded Hillsong with wife Bobbie in Sydney in 1983.
Russia has admitted to using a thermobaric 'vacuum bomb' in Ukraine, confirming widespread reports that the devastating weapons had been deployed.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that Moscow had announced the use of the 'lung-busting' weapons.

The Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda also said that a Russian artilleryman, Sgt. Sergei Gubarev, had told a state-owned TV station he had used the weapon.

Their information came from a report broadcast on Zvezda - a Russian state-owned nationwide television network run by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Gubarev used the weapon on March 4 in the Chernihiv region, Pravda reported.

The town, 80 miles north of Kyiv, has been under heavy bombardment by the Russians.

The day before the thermobaric bomb was used, 47 civilians were killed in the town as they queued for bread at midday.

The Soviet-era weapon launches rockets from atop a tank body that suck in surrounding oxygen, creating higher temperatures and more damaging explosions that last longer than conventional blasts.

An abandoned TOS-1A thermobaric weapon is pictured, having been captured by Ukrainians

The Russian MoD has confirmed the use of the TOS-1A weapon system in Ukraine. The TOS-1A uses thermobaric rockets, creating incendiary and blast effects.



Watch the video below for more information about this weapon and its devastating impact.



 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/d8PLQ0PhQD  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) March 9, 2022

A thermobaric weapon is seen carried on a tank in Russia's Victory Day parade of June 2020

Amnesty International said that the small public square formed by Chernihiv's Viacheslava Chornovola and Kruhova streets was hit by multiple bombs, killing civilians and severely damaging nearby buildings, in what they said may constitute a war crime.

Thermobaric weapons are known formally as TOS-1A.

'The impact of the TOS-1A is devastating,' the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense said in the video.

'It can destroy infrastructure and cause significant damage to internal organs and flash burns, resulting in death to those exposed.'

The Pentagon said on Wednesday it could not confirm the report, and they have still seen 'no indications' that thermobaric weapons have been used.

The wreckage of a Russian military aircraft is pictured on the outskirts of Chernihiv on March 5

Chernihiv, 80 miles north of Kyiv, remains a focus of fighting and is still under heavy bombardment

The mangled wreckage of the plane in Chernihiv, where a thermobaric bomb is believed to have been used

Men walk past a residential building destroyed by heavy shelling in Chernihiv on March 4

Homes in Chernihiv are pictured on March 4 - the day the thermobaric weapon was used

Chernihiv has been widely destroyed in the bombardment

Under international laws of armed conflict, thermobaric weapons are not illegal but cannot be used against military targets if their launch could also harm civilians.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said last week: 'We have seen videos of Russian forces moving exceptionally lethal weaponry into Ukraine which has no place on the battlefield.'

Russia, seemingly frustrated by the slow pace of the conflict and angered by the unexpectedly fierce resistance, has resorted to using increasingly barbaric methods to try and win the war.

On Wednesday a Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Ukrainian officials said the attack wounded at least 17 people.

The ground shook more than a mile away when the Mariupol complex was hit by a series of blasts that blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building.

Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying out a heavily pregnant and bleeding woman on a stretcher as light snow drifted down on burning and mangled cars and trees shattered by the blast.

Another woman wailed as she clutched her child. In the courtyard, a blast crater extended at least two stories deep.

'Today Russia committed a huge crime,' said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins.

'It is a war crime without any justification.'

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, is seen on Tuesday giving a speech to mark international women's day

Putin meets with Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, at the Kremlin on Wednesday

In Zhytomyr, a city of 260,000 to the west of Kyiv, bombs fell on two hospitals, one of them a children's hospital, Mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn said on Facebook. No one was wounded, he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Mariupol strike trapped children and others under the rubble.

'A children's hospital. A maternity hospital. How did they threaten the Russian Federation?' Zelenskyy asked in his nightly video address, switching to Russian to express his horror at the airstrike.

'What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?'

He urged the West to impose even tougher sanctions, so Russia 'no longer has any possibility to continue this genocide.'

Video shared by Zelenskyy showed cheerfully painted hallways strewn with twisted metal.

'There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenseless,' British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held 'to account for his terrible crimes.'

The World Health Organization said it has confirmed 18 attacks on health facilities and ambulances since the fighting began, killing 10 people. It was not clear if that number included the assault on the maternity hospital.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken condemned Russia's 'unconscionable attacks' in a call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, the State Department said.

Two weeks into Russia's assault on Ukraine, its military is struggling more than expected, but Putin's invading force of more than 150,000 troops retains possibly insurmountable advantages in firepower as it bears down on key cities.

Despite often heavy shelling on populated areas, American military officials reported little change on the ground over the past 24 hours, other than Russian progress on the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv.

The Biden administration warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, rejecting Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded.

This week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova - without evidence - accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the claim 'preposterous' and said it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for its own use of such weapons against Ukraine.

Britain's Defense Ministry said fighting continued northwest of Kyiv.

Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol were also being heavily shelled and remained encircled by Russian forces.

Russian forces are placing military equipment on farms and amid residential buildings in the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine's military said.

In the south, Russians in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv, a Black Sea shipbuilding center of a half-million people, it said.

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, is building up defenses in cities in the north, south and east, and forces around Kyiv are 'holding the line' against the Russian offensive, authorities said.
NSW police have dropped all charges against friendlyjordies producer Kristo Langker after accusing him of stalking former deputy premier John Barilaro.

Langker, 22, was arrested in June last year after an investigation by the NSW Police Fixated Persons Investigation Unit into alleged stalking.

He was charged with four counts of stalking or intimidating with intent to cause fear or physical harm and a hearing was set down for May this year.

But on Thursday in the Downing Centre Local Court magistrate Susan McIntyre ordered NSW police to pay costs of $12,000 to Langker's lawyer Mark Davis.

Mr Davis confirmed his client was considering all his legal options after authorities dropped the charges with no explanation.

'He suffered enormous damage to his reputation, it's not a nice thing to be called a stalker when it's utterly untrue,' he told Australian Associated Press.

He said Langker's mother and girlfriend were both seriously assaulted and suffered significant trauma during the unnecessary move by effectively a 'counter-terror unit'.

'All options are being considered now.' Video footage of Langker's arrest uploaded to YouTube includes a period of commotion in which the camera is lowered, and his mother exclaims that a police officer had assaulted her.

The police officer responds in the video by saying he tripped over.

In the video friendlyjordies Jordan Shanks accuses police of storming into Langker's home, assaulting his family and taking him away in an unmarked police car, and said this was akin to an arrest in 'Pinochet's Chile'.

Mr Davis said while his client was delighted on Thursday with the result, he was also lucky.

'It's disturbing to reflect that if Kristo hadn't filmed it, if he didn't have the resources of a legal team, he would likely be marching forward to a conviction.'

The criminal case against the YouTube channel producer formed part of a larger spat between his boss Shanks and Mr Barilaro, who sued him in the Federal Court for defamation.

In November the former MP received an apology but no damages when the lawsuit was settled over two videos titled bruz and Secret Dictatorship, published to Shanks's YouTube channel in 2020.

Officers had alleged Langker intimidated or stalked the then-deputy premier in 2021 on two occasions, at Macquarie University on April 19 and in Sydney on June 4.

Asked why he didn't like Mr Barilaro, Langker said outside court last year it wasn't about liking him. 'It's about doing journalism,' he told reporters.
Anthony Albanese has criticised China in a major foreign policy speech dismissing Scott Morrison's claims that he's weak on Beijing.

The Labor leader blasted China for its friendship with Russia amid Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, its military build-up in the South China Sea and what he called a 'takeover' of Hong Kong.

The city has long been a favourite destination for Australian tourists and expats, as well as a rich source of prosperous immigrants.

He also pledged to spend more than two per cent of Australia's GDP on defence each year to make sure the nation 'has the resources it needs to defend Australia and deter potential aggressors'.

Anthony Albanese (pictured on Thursday) has criticised China in a major foreign policy speech dismissing Scott Morrison's claims that he's weak on Beijing

His speech at Lowy Institute came after Mr Morrison announced an extra 18,500 troops for ADF by 2040 in a major beef-up that will cost $38billion.

The Prime Minister has been trying to portray Labor as weak on national security but Mr Albanese didn't pull his punches on Thursday, accusing China of failing to foster international peace by not condemning Russia's invasion.

'China has failed in its special responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, while offering Russia relief from sanctions,' he said.

'Just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, China signed a 'no limits' friendship with Moscow. There are many reasons to be concerned about such a friendship, particularly in light of China's growing assertiveness in our region.'

Mr Albanese said President Xi Jinping has 'demonstrated a harsher authoritarianism and more strident nationalism' in recent years.

President Xi of China and Putin of Russia shake hands

'This has manifested itself most recently in a takeover of Hong Kong, repression of human rights in China and the militarisation of the South China Sea,' he said.

China's new national security law prohibits what Beijing views as secessionist, subversive or terrorist activities or as foreign intervention in Hong Kong.

Critics say it curtails freedom of speech and pro-democracy protesters have since been charged for holding flags, posters and pamphlets.

The Labor leader said there was no difference between him and Mr Morrison on China policy.

'We have the same position on the South China Sea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and human rights abuses against Uighurs and Tibetans,' he said.

'I was a member of the Gillard Government that brought US Marines to Darwin. And as Shadow Infrastructure Minister I opposed the sale of the Port of Darwin.'

Mr Albanese, who needs eight more seats to win power in May, said Australia faces several threats including 'foreign interference, espionage, terrorism, organised crime, and cyber-attacks'.

'These vulnerabilities are often exploited by autocratic countries seeking to increase their power,' he said in reference to Russia and China.

In the run up to the election, Mr Morrison has been claiming that Mr Albanese - who as the leader of Labor's hard left faction argued for close ties with the Community Party of Australia in the 1980s - is weak on foreign policy and particularly China.

In Parliament last month he even pointed at his opposite man and claimed: 'The Chinese Government has picked their horse and he's sitting right there.'

Riot police officers pin down a protester during a demonstration in Hong Kong against new laws in July 2020

Mr Morrison also labelled deputy leader Richard Marles a 'Manchurian candidate', a phrase used to describe a politician working for an enemy.

The stoush was condemned by former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson, who said picking a fight on national security 'only serves the interest of one country and that is China'.

Mr Albanese hit back, insisting there are no policy differences between him and the PM on China and accusing the Government of an 'absurd campaign to try to divide the nation'.
Fort Hood, TX (76544)

Today

Mainly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Prosecutors in the trial of four men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer played secretly recorded audio for jurors Thursday in which one of the accused discusses a plan to 'grab' the Democrat and 'terrorize people.'

In the recording, made by a government informant during a meeting in mid-July 2020 in Wisconsin, Barry Croft Jr. describes the possibility of using explosives to 'rain down' fire on law enforcement 'with a team standing by' to abduct Whitmer.

He adds without providing details that it should be 'a quick precise grab' of the governor.

In another recording made by the same informant, jurors heard the sound of an explosives test Croft was conducting. He's later heard speaking almost giddily about the damage he could cause, saying it would be 'devastating.'

Prosecutors say the men - Croft, Adam Fox, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta - planned to snatch Whitmer from her Michigan vacation home because they were angry about COVID restrictions she imposed. They also planned to blow up a nearby bridge to slow the police response.

The audio played in the federal courtroom in Grand Rapids, Michigan, marked the first time the jury heard a defendant talking specifically about abducting Whitmer.

Provided by the Kent County Sheriff and the Delaware Department of Justice, these photos show two out of the four men accused in a plot to abduct Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. Barry Jr (left) was heard wanting to 'terrorize people. The right people. The people who have been terrorizing my people,' in a audio recording played in court on Thursday

The two other men involved in the highly-profiled case are Brandon Caserta (left) and Daniel Harris (right). Governor Whitmer has blamed former President Donald Trump for the rise of right-wing hate, of which all four men were a part of

One of the accused was allegedly recorded saying that he planned to 'grab' the Democrat, while another was ;said to have told an FBI informant that he wanted her 'hog-tied.' Whitmer is pictured attending an event with President Joe Biden on Wednesday

In other recordings, Croft and Fox mentioned Whitmer and spoke excitedly about taking action that would terrorize people.

'I'm gonna hit soon,' Croft is heard saying during what prosecutors say was a crucial June 6, 2020, meeting of anti-government activists in Ohio. 'I'm going to terrorize people. The right people. The people who have been terrorizing my people.'

A little later, Fox also is heard on audio recorded by an FBI informant, tossing out ideas and telling the group: 'You need to take hostages. There's your value.'

FBI agent Todd Reineck testified earlier Thursday that the men were arrested in fall 2020 because there was a 'real concern they might obtain real live explosives.'

He also testified about social media posts and messages by the men, including some made months before any contact from FBI agents or informants.

Kaleb Franks, 27, pictured with an assault weapon outfitted with a silencer, in February pleaded guilty to kidnapping conspiracy in the plot against Whitmer and will testify for the prosecution

'I want to bring formal charges against our governor and tyrants in our state. ... Let's do something ... bold,' Fox said in a December 2019 Facebook video.

In it, Fox is seen intermittently laughing and cursing the government while waving two AR-style assault rifles at a camera.

In a separate recording made in June 2020, Fox ranted about pandemic restrictions that had been imposed by the governor on gyms.

'This tyrant b**** constantly does this ... Theres no reason why the gyms cant open now,' he said. 'I dont get it ... Its very frustrating.'

Not long after, Fox came into contact with an FBI informant and allegedly told him what he wanted to do to Whitmer.

'I want to have the governor hog-tied, laid out on a table while we all pose around like we just made the world's biggest god-damn drug bust, bro,' Fox allegedly said during the surreptitiously recorded conversation.

Fox's attorney, Christopher Gibbons, questioned Reineck about the process of paying informants in cash, vetting them before undercover work, and the choice of electronic devices they used.

Reineck also acknowledged under questioning by Gibbons that Fox participated in some legal protests at the Michigan Capitol.

During opening statements Wednesday, defense attorneys said the FBI tricked the men into participating in a plot to kidnap Whitmer and U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker allowed them to address an entrapment defense.

Entrapment is a high-risk defense because it's a concession that crimes may have been committed.

Croft's lawyer said informants secretly recorded the men when virtually everyone was 'stoned, absolutely out-of-your-mind stoned,' leading to fantastical ideas, including using a kite to transport Whitmer.

Authorities said the text messages included images of the conspirators as they carried out surveillance on properties that Whitmer owned

'They knew it was stoned-crazy talk and not a plan,' Joshua Blanchard said of the FBI.

Harris' attorney, Julia Kelly, said the former Marine liked an FBI informant called 'Big Dan' because he presented himself as a gun training instructor.

'Big Dan was the leader,' she told jurors. 'How do I shoot out of a vehicle? Yeah, you go ask Big Dan. That's what Daniel was looking for in the summer of 2020.'

Caserta's attorney, Michael Hills, said attack training sessions in Michigan and Wisconsin were 'Fed-sponsored events.'

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Roth said evidence would prove the defendants' desire to commit violence regardless of anything the informants did or suggested, telling jurors the men were 'willing and eager' and preparing for the crime 'long before' law enforcement got involved.

'If the defendant was already willing to commit the crime, that is not entrapment,' Roth said.

He described Fox and Croft as masterminds of the plot, and said the four wanted to create a 'war zone here in Michigan.'

In one recording, Croft says Whitmer needs to be 'hung.' After Croft was arrested in October 2020 on the East Coast as he made deliveries at his job as a truck driver, agents found a receipt for $353-worth of what the FBI agent described as 'mortar-style fireworks,' which he said could become a makeshift bomb if packed with pennies.

'These were not people who were all talk,' Roth said. 'These were people who wanted to separate themselves from people who were all talk.'

Two critical insiders, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, have pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and are expected to testify for the government.

In 2020, Whitmer was trading taunts with then-President Donald Trump over his administration's response to COVID-19. Her critics, meanwhile, were regularly protesting at the Michigan Capitol, clogging streets around the statehouse and legally carrying semi-automatic rifles into the building.

Whitmer, who is seeking reelection this year, rarely talks publicly about the case and isnt expected to attend the trial. She has blamed Trump for stoking mistrust and fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn hate groups and right-wing extremists like those charged in the plot. She has said he was also complicit in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
The housing industry believes home ownership should be made a priority whoever wins the federal election due in May.

The Housing Industry Association says its own research shows three-quarters of Australians believe people should be able to own their own home.

Of those respondents currently renting, 85 per cent aspire to own their home, but only 42 per cent feel they will ever achieve this.

Over half believe there is a role for incentives that support home ownership, while 69 per cent believe governments have a role in helping Australians buy their home.

Only 42 per cent of Australians feel they will ever achieve home ownership, a new survey shows

The Housing Industry Association is calling for housing and home ownership to be a priority for the upcoming federal election.

'HIA remains dedicated to changing this statistic, and we believe that it is an objective that should be adopted by all political parties contesting the upcoming federal election,' HIA managing director Graham Wolfe said.

He said it has been a long held imperative for the association to have a minister for housing elevated into cabinet given housing is critical to Australian society and must be given the prominence it deserves.

'The housing affordability challenges facing Australian households can only be addressed if the supply of housing can align with demand,' Mr Wolfe said.

HIA estimates that 1.66 million houses will need to be built by 2030 just to keep up with the demand from population growth.

It calls for the unlocking of land supply to support new housing, saying there are systemic issues arising from the zoning, subdivision and development processes across all states and territories.

'It continues to take more than a decade to bring unzoned land to market as shovel-ready land,' the HIA said.

The association also believes there has been an underinvestment in social and community housing that has persisted for decades.

At the same time, there is a persistent shortage of skilled trade workers in the residential building industry, and prior to the pandemic there had been a steady decline in the number of people studying trade qualifications.

'In these times of ongoing uncertainty and turmoil, our mantra that home ownership matters remains a solid foundation for the association,' Mr Wolfe said.

'Our resolve to uphold our core value of home ownership for all Australians is a message all sides of politics will be hearing from HIA in 2022.'
Residents of NSW are being urged to protect themselves from mosquito bites after the confirmation of a fourth case of Japanese encephalitis.

A woman in her 60s who travelled to the Griffith region was diagnosed with the infection, NSW Health said.

Health authorities in several states have issued alerts about Japanese Encephalitis Virus

There are fears the mosquito borne infection could become an endemic in Australia

She was treated in hospital and recently discharged and is continuing to recover at home.

It is the second confirmed case of Japanese encephalitis from northwest NSW's Riverina region, after a Griffith man became the second person in Australia to die after contracting the infection.

The man in his 70s died in a Sydney hospital on February 13, and results of his autopsy showed he had contracted Japanese encephalitis before his death.

A Victorian man in his 60s died with the infection on February 28.

There have now been 16 human cases of the virus in Australia, including seven in Victoria, one in Queensland and four in NSW.

Several other people are undergoing testing for the illness and NSW Health expects further cases to be confirmed.

The virus is spread by mosquitoes and can infect humans and animals, but cannot be passed from person to person, NSW Health said.

It also cannot be caught by eating pork products.

Since February this year, the illness has been detected in samples from pig farms in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.

'There is no specific treatment for JE, which can cause severe neurological illness with headache, convulsions and reduced consciousness in some cases,' NSW Health said in a statement.

The best thing to do is try to prevent yourself and your family from being bitten by mosquitoes.

NSW Health recommends:

* Avoid the outdoors, bushland and wetlands at peak mosquito times - dawn and dusk

* Wear long sleeves and pants, socks and shoes

* Use insecticides (e.g. permethrin)

* Use and reapply repellent (e.g. DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus)

* Use mosquito nets for children, and mosquito coils

* Empty and reduce all water-holding containers around your house.

Cases of Japanese encephalitis virus has been found in Australian pigs in four states
Woolworths has changed the name of its chicken Kiev products to Kyiv in solidarity of Ukrainians resisting Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian capital was known as Kiev (pronounced key-ev) under Soviet rule but Ukrainians call the city Kyiv (pronounced kee-yeev).

Daily Mail Australia last week reported on a push by some Australian shoppers for supermarkets to change the dish's name to reflect the Ukrainian spelling.

The origin of the delicacy, and therefore whether it should be called chicken Kiev, with the Russian name, or Kyiv, with the Ukrainian spelling, is heavily disputed.

Coles said it 'doesn't intend to make any changes to product names at this point', with the cost being too high.

However, Woolworths on Thursday contacted Daily Mail Australia to confirm it would change the name after discussions with the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations.

Australian shoppers demanded Coles and Woolworths change the name of their chicken Kiev to Kyiv in recognition of an independent Ukraine

Woolworths has already changed the name on its website and will update it in store over coming days

Coles said it 'doesn't intend to make any changes to product names at this point', with the cost being too high

The supermarket will also donate 50c from each of its chicken Kyiv products to the Red Cross' Ukraine Appeal, aiming to raise $100,000 in four weeks.

'Kyiv is the globally recognised name of the capital, so it's only appropriate we reflect that in the labelling of the product,' Woolworths said.

'The name change will be made immediately online, and gradually roll out to our own brand products and signage in-store in the coming weeks.'

The name change applies to Woolworths' home brand products and in its deli, with third party suppliers it stocks to decide for themselves.

Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations chairman Stefan Romaniw said he hoped other supermarkets and brands would do the same.

'Woolworths gets it - Ukraine is different to Russia. Ukraine has its own language, its own culture, its own history,' he said.

'That's why using the Russian spelling for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in 'Chicken Kiev' has always offended Ukrainians.

'The change being made by Woolworths shows respect for Australian-Ukrainians. It's also a local action about a global issue.

'By changing the name of chicken Kiev to chicken Kyiv, a major Australian business has shown it stands with Ukraine in support of democracy, decency and peace.'

The dish (pictured) was originally made by Russian chefs who travelled to France to learn their techniques but later perfected in Ukraine

Shoppers said the spelling should be changed in recognition of an independent Ukraine

However, despite Woolworths' gesture in solidarity with Ukrainians under bombardment from Putin's forces, the food may actually be Russian.

The dish became widely popular in Western countries in the 1970s and was even served at a May 1990 dinner at the Soviet embassy in Washington DC to then leader Mikhail Gorbachev as Soviet Union collapsed.

Russians claim it was invented in the Muscovy region of the old Russian Empire, while some Ukrainians chefs insist they have the only authentic recipe due to small tweaks made by a chef in Kyiv.

However, the origin can be traced back to France in the 1800s.

Viacheslav Gribov, who worked as head chef for Kyiv's Hotel Dnipro, said Russian royalty sent chefs to Paris to learn from the best in the 1840s and they returned with a recipe called Mikhailovska cutlet.

'The dish was made in Paris with veal but in Moscow, it was made with chicken. At that time, chicken was more expensive and considered more of a delicacy,' Gribov told US National Public Radio.

Ukraine's capital city (pictured) is called Kyiv by Ukrainians with the Russian spelling Kiev associated with Soviet rule

Originally served only in high-end dining rooms such as the Merchant Club in Russia, the dish eventually became more common appearing in the Russian Tea Room in New York in the 1950s to cater for new immigrants where the name 'Chicken Kiev' was coined.

Gribov claimed Ukrainian chefs then perfected the modern day recipe - which does not include garlic or cheese, has a bone sticking out to stop the butter leaking, and, if done properly, some of the butter remains un-melted.

'This began as a dish for dignitaries meeting one another. You would never serve them garlic,' he said.

'We don't just learn how to make the dish; we also learn a special way of serving and cutting it to avoid butter splashing out.'

Other Ukrainian oral traditions claim the Continental Hotel in central Kyiv invented the modern version of the dish in the early 20th Century.

The name Kyiv for the Ukrainian capital city itself stems from recognition of Ukraine's independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The name did not gain widespread recognition until after the Maidan Revolution of 2014 in which pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych, widely accused of being corrupt, was ousted and the country sought closer ties with the West.

Young Ukrainians see 'Kiev' as a relic of the Soviet era (Pictured: the country's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

As Ukrainians defend themselves from a Russian invasion, Ukrainian language teacher Andrii Smytsniuk of Cambridge University said the name carries a lot of meaning.

'Many Ukrainians see this as a sign of respect for their language and identity,' Mr Smytsniuk told The Guardian.

'I think it's right to pronounce it 'Kyiv' - as close to the Ukrainian as possible,' he said.

The Ukrainian government even launched an awareness campaign four years ago and there is a Twitter hashtag #KyivNotKiev.

Amid Putin's unprovoked aggression companies are seeing increased pressure to distance themselves from Russia.

Big brands including Apple, Google, Ford and Harley-Davidson on Tuesday stopped sales in the country joining a growing list of businesses.

This, along with heavy economic sanctions from western governments and major commodity players such as BP and Shell withdrawing from Russian deals, has already caused the country's share market to tank and the value of the Russian ruble to plunge.
Radio big-hitter Ray Hadley has suffered a huge drop in audience since taking a hardline stance on Covid restrictions.

While his slot on 2GB mornings still retained it's No.1 spot in the first radio ratings survey of the year, he took a 3.5 per cent drop which reduced his lead to 14.9 per cent.

Hadley has remained heavily focused on Covid public health orders while other media outlets have shifted to different topics.

He has also been critical of NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet over his commitment to easing restrictions.

Ray Hadley (pictured right) hosting his radio show which has retained the top spot despite dropping audience numbers

In February, Hadley said he would continue to wear a mask despite the rule being dropped.

'Plenty of people will still wear a mask and I may still be one of them,' Hadley told his audience.

'If I go to the supermarket I may still wear it. International research shows you're 53 per cent better off in relation to catching the [virus] than if you're not wearing a mask.

'That's a decision for you but you wont have to do it.

'But masks will still be mandated in some settings.'

Most Covid restrictions have been lifted in NSW with Sydneysiders able to go almost anywhere and not where a mask (pictured: Sydney in January)

In a January 17 interview with Mr Perrottet, Hadley said NSW had been the 'blue chip' of controlling the virus before he took the reins from Gladys Berejiklian.

He also took the premier to task over claims he had labelled him 'a covid bedwetter' with Mr Perrottet forced to explain he didn't actually say this and wasn't sure where that rumour had started.

The radio veteran on Thursday also congratulated his colleague Ben Fordham who took over hosting duties of the breakfast slot from Alan Jones in 2020 and not only held but increased his audience.

In the latest GfK radio ratings survey, Fordham had 19 per cent of the breakfast audience, ahead of ABC on 11.6 per cent and KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O on 10.6 per cent.

For the station ratings as a whole, 2GB is well ahead on 13.8 per cent audience share on the AM band, while KIIS is on top of the FM band with a 8.8 per cent.
Grace Tame has recalled the call she received from a government-funded organisation threatening to not support her charity foundation months before her infamous exchange with Scott Morrison at an Australia Day function.

The then-Australian of the Year and sexual assault advocate made headlines in January when she refused to hide her displeasure of being at a morning tea hosted by the prime minister and his wife Jenny at The Lodge in Canberra.

Ms Tame was seen giving Mr Morrison a less than friendly handshake with a scowl on her face before throwing him an icy sideways glance.

Several weeks later, she caused more controversy during a keynote address at the National Press Club, where she alleged a senior person of a government-funded organisation had warned her to not say anything 'damning' about the Prime Minister.

Ms Tame revealed more details of the call while addressing a packed audience at the Adelaide Writer's Festival on Wednesday.

Grace Tame (pictured at the Adelaide Writers Festival on Wednesday) shared more details about the alleged phone call from a senior person of a government-funded organisation had warned her to not say anything 'damning' about the Prime Minister

'I didn't share this at the National Press Club but do you know what the threat was, from that person who phoned me? It was that they wouldn't support the [Grace Tame] foundation if I said something about the prime minister,' she said.

Speaking at the National Press Club alongside fellow women's campaigner Brittany Higgins on February 9, Ms Tame warned the packed room to 'brace yourselves' as she recalled a call she received six months earlier.

'I received a threatening phone call from a senior member of a government funded organisation, asking for my word that I wouldn't say anything damning about the Prime Minister on the evening of the next Australian of the Year Awards,' she alleged.

'''You are an influential person. He will have a fear,'' they said. The fear? What kind of fear - I asked myself.

'A fear for our nation's most vulnerable? A fear for the future of our planet? And then I heard the words ''with an election coming soon''...'

'And it crystallised a fear - a fear for himself and no-one else, a fear he might lose his position or, more to the point, his power.'

Grace Tame (pictured during her terse exchange with Scott Morrison on January 25) has fired a series of brutal swipes at the Prime Minister in recent weeks

She said the conversation brought back memories of being groomed and threatened by her maths teacher who was jailed for raping her.

'Sound familiar to anyone? Well, it does to me. I remember standing in the shadow of a trusted authority figure, being threatened in just the same veiled way,' she said.

'I remember him saying, ''I will lose my job if anyone hears about that, and you would not want that, would you?''

'What I wanted in that moment is the same thing I want right now and that is an end to the darkness, an end to sexual violence, safety, equity, respect, a better future for all of us.'

Mr Morrison later insisted he did not authorise the call and had asked whoever made it to apologise.

Ms Tame has fired a series of brutal swipes at Mr Morrison since their awkward encounter on January 25 and took several more shots at the prime minister at the Adelaide event on Wednesday.

'We've found certain people and groups are more concerned with maintaining power and control than running the country,' she told the audience.

'I don't want that to be the case. That's the sad truth.'

Grace Tame alleged on Wednesday that senior member of a government-funded organisation threatened to not wouldn't support her foundation if she said anything bad about Scott Morrison

Ms Tame also recalled the moment she confronted the paedophile teacher who repeatedly raped her when she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl.

'I told him I thought he was a monster. I told him I thought  he was pure evil and that I hoped he died, and I pointed to a picture of his own children, who were twice my age at the time, and I told him I hated him for what he had done to me,' she said.

'I was terrified when I did this but... this (story) is what I remember whenever I think I can't do something  like frown at the Prime Minister.

'My fear of upsetting the applecart died that day  and it sure as hell died standing next to Scott Morrison.'

If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault or violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 or Lifeline on 131 114.
A well-known serial dater who was found naked inside his car after crashing into a concrete barrier has finally broken his silence following his trial.

Eric Thomas, who was infamously acquitted of killing a woman he met off Tinder in 2014 after she fell from the balcony of his Gold Coast apartment, pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday to failing to supply both a specimen of breath and blood after the crash last October.

He had been banned from driving since the crash, with his licence now disqualified for a further 12 months.

Thomas, whose original name was Gable Tostee before he changed it, took to his Facebook account on Thursday to share his thoughts on the matter.

'A licence lost is a licence to drink,' the 35-year-old wrote. He then added the hashtags: '#brightside,' '#glasshalffull' and '#Glasgow'.

A well-known serial dater who was found naked inside his car after crashing into a concrete barrier has finally broken his silence following his trial

Friends and followers gave their two cents under the carpet installer's post.

One user wrote that she had 'a licence but no car,' to which Thomas responded with: 'Wanna [sic] swap? Swear I won't do anything illegal'.

Another Facebook friend suggested to Thomas that he should 'stuff the haters'.

'I stuff the lovers too,' the notorious Tinder identity replied.

Eric Thomas, who was infamously acquitted of killing a woman he met off Tinder in 2014 after she fell from the balcony of his apartment, pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday to failing to supply both a specimen of breath and blood after the crash

'A licence lost is a licence to drink,' the 35-year-old wrote on hi Facebook. He then added the hashtags: '#brightside,' '#glasshalffull' and '#Glasgow'

Thomas was found naked in the driver's seat of a vehicle when emergency services responded to the crash on the Gold Coast's Nerang-Broadbeach Road on October 13, magistrate Linda Bradford-Morgan was told during his court trial.

A witness told police Thomas's vehicle had drifted, struck a concrete barrier and cut across another car before ploughing into bushes.

Thomas was highly unstable on his feet, had bloodshot eyes, a visibly dry mouth and slurred speech when he was out of the vehicle, the court heard.

He refused to give a breath sample at the scene and would not give consent to giving blood after being taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Thomas was found naked in the driver's seat of a vehicle when emergency services responded to the crash on the Gold Coast's Nerang-Broadbeach Road on October 13, magistrate Linda Bradford-Morgan was told during his court trial

A witness told police Thomas's vehicle had drifted, struck a concrete barrier and cut across another car before ploughing into bushes. Thomas was highly unstable on his feet, had bloodshot eyes, a visibly dry mouth and slurred speech

Officers found an alcometer and empty bottles of mouthwash in his vehicle.

Thomas said he had consumed both alcohol and prescription medication for anxiety and insomnia.

He had vague recollections of waking up the next morning, but no recollection of refusing to give a blood sample and saying 'charge me' to police.

The court was told he suffered a concussion and a foot injury in the crash.

He refused to give a breath sample at the scene after the crash and would not give consent to giving blood after being taken to hospital in an ambulance

Thomas has earlier convictions for dangerous operation of a vehicle while adversely affected by alcohol in 2011 and driving under the influence in 2004, 2012 and 2015, with Ms Bradford-Morgan referring to the most recent being at a 'spectacular limit'.

He was first charged in court with driving under the influence of liquor, but that charge was dismissed.

The judge ordered he serve 12 months on probation for one charge and fined him $350 fine for the other. His licence was also disqualified for a year.

Thomas was acquitted of murdering New Zealand tourist Warriena Wright who died when she fell from the 14th floor balcony of his apartment in August 2014.
Western Australia is drawing closer to the expected peak of its Omicron outbreak with 4,535 new Covid-19 cases and more hospitalisations.

Eighty people are in hospital with the virus, including three who are in intensive care but are not believed to be on ventilators.

The number of active cases has swelled to more than 18,000.

Authorities expect the outbreak to peak at around 10,000 daily infections as soon as next week, with hospitalisations to lag beyond that.

A barista (pictured) wears a face mask in Perth. WA recorded 4,535 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday

'If the modelling is correct, we hope to be over the worst of it by the end of this month,' health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson told reporters on Thursday.

'We would hope that the peak lasts hopefully no more than a week. But again, Western Australia is a bit of an experiment population.

'We haven't had large amounts of Covid in the community, we have exceptionally high vaccination rates, so actually we don't know exactly what's going to happen.'

Ms Sanderson said the number of people in hospital was likely to peak around the end of March.

'This is going to get difficult. We will see more people in hospital and more people in ICU,' she said.

'The health system will be dealing with Covid for many, many weeks, and in fact many months to come.

'Because we are hoping to flatten that curve, the tail may be a little longer and higher.'

Around 50 per cent of the people in hospital with Covid-19 in WA were unvaccinated, the health minister said.

WA Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) arrives at the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney

'There's no stronger evidence (of the benefits of vaccination) than this,' she said.

'This is in our community now, it's in our hospitals. If you're not vaccinated, please get vaccinated.'

The long-awaited reopening of WA's borders last week means there is no longer any requirement for incoming travellers to quarantine.

But Premier Mark McGowan has begun serving a self-imposed seven-day stint in isolation after returning from Sydney, where he was required to give evidence in the Federal Court after being sued for defamation by Clive Palmer.

A woman is pictured wearing a face mask in Perth, Australia. Eighty people are in hospital with Covid in WA, including three who are in intensive care

The premier has insisted upon quarantining in a serviced apartment to avoid any perception the border reopening date was chosen for his own benefit.

'He wants to set a good example,' Ms Sanderson said.

'He's covering the cost out of his own pocket and he will be attending meetings (virtually) and managing the state as is appropriate.'
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A green, tarragon-flavoured fizzy drink called Tarkhun is among the Russian food and drink brands being pushed by the Kremlin as an alternative to rapidly disappearing Western favourites.

Coca-Cola, Starbucks and McDonald's announced late on Tuesday that they were all suspending operations in Russia amid a growing consumer backlash and threats of boycotts for failing to pull out of Ukraine.

The move led to parallels being drawn to the Soviet-era, which ended around 30 years ago, when Russia was completely isolated from Western products.

But Dmitry Petrovsky, a politician from the city of Yaroslavl, around 169 miles from Moscow, attempted to ease concerns by suggesting alternative goods.

Russians should drink Tarkhun, a carbonated drink flavoured with tarragon and dyed green, rather than Coca-Cola, he said, or Kvass - a very low-alcohol beverage made from rye bread with a brown and slightly cloudy appearance.

He added: 'It's healthier and tastier. Potatoes [should not be] unhealthily deep fried, but boiled or baked.'

 Slide me  Dmitry Petrovsky, a politician from the city of Yaroslavl, said Russians should drink Tarkhun (pictured right), a carbonated drink flavoured with tarragon and dyed green, rather than Coca-Cola (file photo left)

 Slide me  The politician was attempting to ease concerns by suggesting alternative goods after McDonald's announced it was suspending operations in Russia. Pictured left: a McDonald's burger, and right: file photo of a Russian pancake in Moscow

Agriculture minister Ilshat Fazrakhmanov, from the Republic of Bashkortostan, also suggested the fast food restaurant Papa Grill instead of McDonald's, reported The Telegraph.

He said: 'Our small businesses that make products from locally sourced ingredients are in higher demand now. We will have no problem taking over the market share left over by these companies.'

But the boss of Russia's major fast food chain Teremok - which serves traditional dishes such as blini, kvass, borscht and pelmeni - warned that less competition could reduce the quality of its products.

Meanwhile, pictures have shown Russians appearing to hoard McDonald's burgers in their fridges and even selling the beloved fast food chain's meals online for as much as 316 (50,000 ).

McDonald's opened its first outlet in Russia in Moscow's Pushkin Square, and caused such excitement that some people joined the queue without knowing what it was for.

By the end of the day the store had set a new opening-day record for the company and more than 27,000 people applied for waiter jobs. Only 600 were hired.

It had taken 13 years of negotiations before the Soviet authorities allowed the venue to open. The discussions began in 1976 and were led by George A. Cohon, the president of McDonald's Canada.

It then cost $50million to get the operation up and running.

 Slide me  Agriculture minister Ilshat Fazrakhmanov, from the Republic of Bashkortostan, also suggested the fast food restaurant Papa Grill instead of McDonald's. Pictured left: a McDonald's meal, and right: file photo of Pelmenni dumplings

 Slide me  The boss of Russian fast food chain Teremok - which serves dishes such as blini, kvass, borscht and pelmeni - warned that less competition could reduce the quality of its products. Pictured left: a blini, and right: an apple pie from McDonald's

Meanwhile, pictures have shown Russians appearing to hoard McDonald's burgers in their fridges (pictured above)

The beloved fast food chain's meals are even being sold online for as much as 316 (50,000 ), with a coke costing around 8

The restaurant chain's most famous burger  the Big Mac  was known in Russia as the Bolshoi Mak, with bolshoi meaning 'big' in Russian.

The latest comments come after Russians raised their fears over being cut off from the West, as they already feel the fallout of their nation's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

Standing at place number 152 in a queue for a hole-in-the-wall cash machine supposedly dispensing euros and dollars earlier this month, 46-year-old Anatoly, a space scientist, said: 'I feel like I'm back in the USSR.

'It feels like the old Soviet queue for shoes or sausage, when we were cut off completely from the West. Have we learned nothing?

'We had been edging towards Europe and America, but Putin has taken us back to our miserable Soviet past which we had 30 years ago.'

Beer giant Heineken and cigarette maker Imperial Brands are the latest to join a growing list of firms halting operations in Russia amid a corporate exodus from the country.

Bristol-headquartered Imperial - the group behind brands including JPS and Davidoff cigarettes - said it was pausing production at its factory in Volgograd, alongside all sales and marketing activity in the country in a move impacting around 1,000 employees.

The move from Western chains has led to parallels being drawn to the Soviet-era, which ended around 30 years ago, when Russia was completely isolated from Western products. Pictured: Russians buying lemonade from vending machines in 1961

McDonald's opened its first outlet in Russia in Moscow's Pushkin Square, and caused such excitement that some people joined the queue without knowing what it was for. Pictured: A McDonald's food restaurant in Moscow in 2013

Russia and Ukraine together accounted for two per cent of Imperial's net revenues last year, or around 656million.

It came just hours after Dutch brewer Heineken said it was stopping the production and sale of its own brand beer in Russia.

The firm is also reviewing its strategic options for the future of the business in Russia, where it has had operations for 20 years.

Carlsberg AS, which is a major Russian brewer through its ownership of Baltika Breweries, last week announced there would be no new investments or exports from the Carlsberg Group into Russia.

It says that during the humanitarian crisis, any profits generated by the business in Russia will be donated to relief organisations.

It is also using its facilities in Ukraine and neighbouring countries to provide humanitarian support to its employees and other Ukrainian people, including providing shelter, transport, food and fresh water.

In 2021, Russia and Ukraine accounted for approximately 13 per cent of Group revenue and approximately 9% of the operating profit and Carlsberg AS expects the invasion will negatively impact the Group's financial results for 2022.

The announcement by McDonald's of the temporary closure of 850 restaurants came just over 32 years after the US fast-food giant opened its first store in the then-Soviet Union capital Moscow. Pictured: Customers stand in line on January 31, 1990 for the first McDonald's to open

The restaurant chain's most famous burger  the Big Mac  was known in Russia as the Bolshoi Mak, with bolshoi meaning 'big' in Russian. Pictured: An elderly Soviet woman eats a hamburger at the Pushkin Square restaurant on opening day

The owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, Yum! Brands, had earlier revealed it was pausing 70 KFC company-owned restaurants in Russia and was due to suspend all 50 Pizza Hut franchise outlets.

Babycare retailer Mothercare also separately announced on Wednesday that it has paused all its business in Russia, which accounts for up to a quarter of its worldwide retail sales, sending shares plunging by more than a quarter at one stage.

But a raft of global corporate giants have remained tight-lipped on their Russian operations, despite mounting pressure from consumers.

Brands including Cadbury owner Mondelez, Durex to Dettol maker Reckitt and Dunhill and Lucky Strike maker British American Tobacco (BAT) are among those continuing to trade in the country.

BAT's Russia business employs around 2,500 staff across its headquarters in Moscow, 75 regional offices and a factory in St Petersburg.

It said it was halting planned capital investment in Russia and scaling back some business activities there 'appropriate to the current situation', including marketing.

But BAT's factory and offices remain open.

BAT said: 'This fast-moving and complex situation demands us to constantly assess a wide range of factors and considerations.

'We are complying, and will continue to comply with, all international sanctions related to this conflict in full.'
The execution-style killing of Sydney underworld figure Mejid Hamzy was allegedly contracted by a former high ranking outlaw bikie boss now living in the Middle East.

New details have emerged about the shooting death 18 months ago following a breakthrough in the NSW Police investigation with three men arrested during early morning raids.

The brother of Bassam Hamzy - the head of the Brothers 4 Life gang - was shot dead outside his Condell Park home in Sydney's south-west on October 19, 2020, sparking a deadly gang war with the Alameddine family.

Police will allege the murder wasn't linked to a specific feud between the two families and that 44-year-old Mejid was killed over claims he had stolen a 'significant drug importation destined for Australia'.

Two men have been arrested over the execution-style murder of Sydney underworld figure Mejid Hamzy (pictured), who was gunned down two years ago

Two men were charged with murder on Thursday, including a 30-year-old Panania man (pictured being escorted into the police station by detectives)

An official claimed the alleged importation was of 'significant size', The Australian reported.

Police have been unable to ascertain whether the drugs were stolen.

Detectives will allege two men accepted a contract to murder Hamzy from a former outlaw motorcycle gang president currently living in the Middle East.

One of those men is believed to be the mysterious 'Mr Blond' who was caught on CCTV footage leaving the crime scene after the shooting in Condell Park.

Officers from the Tactical Operations Unit and South West Metropolitan Operations Support Group raided homes at East Hills, Panania, Bankstown and Padstow just before dawn on Thursday.

Investigators seized cash, clothing and other items relevant to the investigation during the raids.

A 34-year-old East Hills man and 30-year-old Panania man were each charged with murder, supply prohibited drug more than large commercial quantity, and participate criminal group contribute criminal activity.

Police will allege both men shot Mejid Hamzy.

A 34-year-old East Hills man (pictured) was also charged over the shooting death of Mejid Hamzy in October 2019

A third man, a 28-year-old from Bankstown, was charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs, knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime and participating in group criminal activities.

Police will allege the man supplied methylamphetamine between October 2021 and March this year.

All three men were refused bail to reappear in Bankstown Local Court at a later date.

Investigations by the Criminal Groups Squad are continuing.

Police hope Thursday's breakthrough will lead to more arrests.

'Earlier this year we ran Operation Hawk with a very clear objective of taking out the henchmen of criminal syndicates operating within Sydney  and we did so with devastating success,' State Crime Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Darren Bennett said.

'Today marks the beginning of a new operational phase where police will methodically begin locking up those responsible for the execution style killings that followed this Condell Park murder.

'These investigations are thorough and often take considerable time to resolve, so I thank the community for their patience while we gather the evidence and intelligence to wipe these criminals from Sydney's existence.

Police raided homes at East Hills, Panania, Bankstown and Padstow just before dawn on Thursday (pictured is a man arrested at the East Hills raid)

Police hope Thursday's breakthrough in the Mejid Hamzy investigation will lead to more arrests (pictured man arrested in the raid at Panania)

Mejid Hamzy was shot several times and fled to a neighbour's home but died on the doorstep in October 2020.

The 44-year-old was found critically wounded by emergency services and pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting ignited the latest spate of tit-for-tat killings which have terrorised Sydney's west for the past two years.

The ongoing gang war has seen seven killings so far including January's shooting of Ghassan Amoun, brother of Bassam Hamzy, gunned down as he left a beauty salon.

Detectives from the State Crime Command's Criminal Groups Squad and the NSW Crime Commission and South West Metropolitan Region established Strike Force Courier to investigate the killing.

Officers attached to Raptor Squad also helped with the investigation.

Since then, strike force detectives have charged two men - aged 38 and 44 - who remain before the courts.

A third man, a 28-year-old from Bankstown (pictured) was charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of prohibited drugs, knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime and participating in group criminal activities.

All three men arrested on Thursday were refused bail to reappear in Bankstown Local Court at a later date
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Defence minister James Heappey today insisted the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine was a war crime and called for Vladimir Putin and Russian generals to be held to account.

Mr Heappey stressed that the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but said in a round of interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'

The comments came as it was confirmed three people, including a child, died when warplanes bombed the hospital in beseiged Mariupol as pregnant women gave birth in the basement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attack as an 'atrocity' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians'.

The hospital, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said. Other bombs scored 'direct hits', President Zelensky said, wounding at least 17 people.

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister, said there can be 'no doubt' the hospital was deliberately 'targeted' by Russia in a chilling echo tactics used during the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo while Putin's men were fighting alongside dictator Basahr al-Assad's troops. Moscow denies targeting civilian facilities.

And Mr Heappey told Sky News this morning: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.

'Clearly there is evidence to be gathered in which to prove it is a war crime, and Western countries are working together to make sure that evidence is gathered in the best way so people can be held to account.

'What Putin is doing is not a war waged between two militaries. Right now he has besieged a number of Ukrainian cities and he has waged a war against Ukrainian civilians.'

He added on BBC Breakfast: 'We ask ourselves the question how did this happen? Was it an indiscriminate use of artillery or missiles into a built-up area, or was a hospital explicitly targeted?

'Both are equally despicable, both, as the Ukrainians have pointed out, would amount to a war crime.

'So, what matters beyond the outrage of the fact that this has happened in the first place is to make sure all this is catalogued so when  and they surely will be  President Putin and everybody in the military chain of command beneath him  because war crimes are committed at every level not just the ultimate decisionmaker  people will be held to account for what they are doing in. It's utterly despicable.'

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Pressed on whether he thinks the attack constitutes a war crime, he replied: 'Yes, if you deliberately target a piece of civilian infrastructure like a hospital, yes.

'If you use indiscriminate artillery into an urban area without due regard for the reality, you could hit a protected site like a hospital, then that too in my view is.'

Many of the pregnant women present at the hospital were hiding the the basement at the time of the strike on the orders of hospital authorities - a move indicative of the harsh bombardment suffered by Mariupol's citizens over the past week, and one which likely saved their lives.

Zelensky himself posted a video showing the badly damaged hospital buildings, filmed inside a destroyed ward room with its windows blown out and ceiling partially collapsed. More footage showed a car park covered in rubble and the smouldering wrecks of vehicles as injured families staggered into the freezing air while snow fell.

'Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity,' the President tweeted.

He then took to Telegram, where he released a video statement from the presidential palace in Kyiv in which he said the hospital strike 'is the ultimate proof that what is happening is the genocide of Ukrainians'.

'Europeans, you can't say you didn't see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can't continue their savage war,' he said.

'What kind of country bombs hospitals? Is afraid of hospitals? Of a maternity ward?

'Was someone insulting Russians? Were pregnant women shooting in direction of Rostov? Was it the ''denazification'' of a hospital? What the Russians did at Mariupol was beyond savagery.'

In a separate interview with Sky News, Zelensky added that Russian invaders want Ukrainians 'to feel like animals' by preventing them from accessing food or water, and implored NATO and the West to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities... because they don't want our people to get some food or water.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say ''sorry we didn't do it yesterday.''

Boris Johnson has condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military.

'There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless,' the Prime Minister declared.

'The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes,' he added.

Mr Johnson later on Wednesday committed to enacting the 'maximum economic cost' on Russia in wake of the bombing, while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to say aggression like Vladimir Putin's must 'never again' be allowed to 'grow unchecked' in her speech tomorrow in Washington.

Ms Truss will make comparisons between the Russian president's actions and the World Trade Centre terror attack in 2001, and will urge the international community to change its approach to dealing with antagonistic world leaders.

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki also commented: 'As a mother - I know a number of you are mothers - it is horrifying to see the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country.'

Mariupol's city council said the hospital had suffered 'colossal' damage but did not immediately give a figure of the wounded and dead.

The deputy head of Mr Zelensky's office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said authorities are trying to establish the number of victims.

Ukrainian MP Dmitry Gurin told the BBC: 'There are a lot of dead and wounded women. We don't know about children or newborns yet.'

Video footage from the aftermath of the attack showed that large parts of the hospital had completely collapsed, while blood soaked mattresses were pictured lying in hallways.

'Russia committed a huge crime,' said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. 'It is a war crime without any justification.'

Mariupol has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week, with food, water and electricity cut off several days ago - with the Red Cross describing conditions there as 'apocalyptic'.

The head of the Ukrainian Red Cross said yesterday's strike will likely cause a complete collapse of paediatric care in Mariupol, as much of the hospital's equipment and the paediatric care wards were reduced to ashes.

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

The aftermath of the Russia bombardment on the children and maternity hospital in Mariupol

James Heappey said the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but added in interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the maternity hospital

A woman outside the maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

The wreckage of the maternity hospital after the Russian bombardment in Mariupol

Rescuers on the scene at a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol are locked in a race against time as they try to free survivors from the rubble after the complex suffered a 'direct hit' by Russian rockets yesterday

An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs in a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

An official death toll for the heinous attack has not yet been established but rescuers are working desperately to find and free those still trapped under the rubble with temperatures in the besieged city set to plunge to minus 4 degrees C overnight

A Russian attack severely damaged the children's hospital and maternity ward in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter that there were 'people, children under the wreckage' of the hospital and called the strike an 'atrocity'

The burning wreckage of a car is seen outside a destroyed children's hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week

A Ukrainian soldier examines a huge crater caused by one of the Russian rockets, which fell just in front of a hospital building at the maternity hospital in Mariupol

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military

Ukrainian citizens are pictured on the outskirts of Mariupol dropping bodies into a mass grave as the city's inhabitants work to remove the dead amid brutal shelling from Russian troops

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Local official Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the fears in a post on Facebook: The maternity ward in the city centre, the children's ward and the therapy ward at the hospital - all destroyed in the Russian air raid.'

Just hours before the hospital was hit, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that 3,000 babies were without food or medicines and begged for a humanitarian corridor to allow them to flee.

Moscow had promised a ceasefire in the city today so civilians could be evacuated, but failed for the fourth time to keep its word - a move Kyrylenko said 'crossed the line of humanity' before declaring Russians should 'stop calling yourselves human beings.'

Residents of Mariupol were pictured on Wednesday dumping bodies into mass graves dug on the outskirts of the city in a desperate attempt to remove the dead amid the sustained Russian bombardment.

It is not the first time that Russian airstrikes have targeted hospitals. While fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad in Syria in 2016, Putin's generals were accused of 'deliberately and systematically' blowing up hospitals as a way of weakening the city of Aleppo ahead of a ground assault.

Observers have suggested that Russia is now using a Syria-style battleplan against Ukraine after its early precision strikes failed.

The Ukrainian Healthcare Center, a think-tank based in the country, says that between the outbreak of fighting on February 24 and yesterday, their team documented 42 cases of Russian forces attacking either healthcare facilities or medics in order to deliberately provoke a 'humanitarian crisis'.

Hospitals had been struck in every theatre where Russian forces were operating, the think-tank said, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv.

'The humanitarian catastrophe is a part of Russia's hybrid war. [It] intends to spread panic, create a flow of refugees at the borders and force the Ukrainian government to surrender,' said Pavlo Kovtonyuk, co-founder of the think-tank.

The bombing took place during what was supposed to be a ceasefire in Mariupol so that civilians could evacuate. It marks the fourth time a so-called 'humanitarian corridor' out of the city has failed because Russian forces opened fire.

The mayor of Izyum, to the east of Kharkiv, said evacuations that were supposed to be underway there yesterday also had to stop because Russians were bombing the escape route. But in Sumy, a short distance away, some civilians had managed to make it out. Successful evacuations also took place in Enerhodar, in the south, with women and children able to leave.

It is feared the evacuations are simply a precursor to Russia stepping up its bombardment of the cities to wear down dogged Ukrainian defenders before rolling in troops and tanks to capture them. CIA Director William Burns, briefing Congress on Putin's state of mind Tuesday, warned the 'angry and frustrated' despot is 'likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.'

Giving an update on the military situation yesterday afternoon, Ukrainian commanders said Russian units continue to try and surround the capital Kyiv with attacks taking place to the west and north-east of the city, with several highways blocked.

New footage released on Wednesday purported to show Russian armour just 13 miles from Kyiv as the invaders pushed through the town of Irpin.

Fighting also raged close to the city of Sumy in an attempt to surround Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, commanders said. Battles also broke out around the city of Mykolaiv in the south, as Russians attempted to push out from Kherson towards Odessa but were turned back.

Ukrainian commanders also said Russian military police had rounded up 400 activists protesting against the invasion in the occupied city of Kherson - as the long arm of Vladimir Putin's police state reached across the border to grab people on foreign soil.

Russia's defence ministry meanwhile acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that some conscripts had been sent to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine, just days after Putin promised that only professional soldiers would be sent in.

Some associations of soldiers' mothers in Russia had raised concerns about a number of conscripts going incommunicado at the start of what Kremlin calls a 'special military operation' in Ukraine, suggesting they could have been sent to fight despite a lack of adequate training.

The revelation comes just one week after Russia's parliament passed a law imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally 'fake' news about the military.

'Unfortunately, we have discovered several facts of the presence of conscripts in units taking part in the special military operation in Ukraine. Practically all such soldiers have been pulled out to Russia,' the defence ministry said, promising to prevent such situations in the future.

Liz Truss described the hospital attack as 'absolutely abhorrent', but continued to reject Ukraine's request for a no-fly zone to be imposed over its skies.

Speaking in Washington, she said: 'The best way we can protect the skies is through anti-air weaponry which the UK is now going to be supplying to Ukraine.

'Of course the attack on the hospital is absolutely abhorrent, reckless and appalling.'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said US involvement in a no-fly zone could 'prolong' the conflict, making it 'even deadlier'.

'Our goal is to end the war, not to expand it, including potentially expanding it to Nato territory,' he said.

'We want to make sure it is not prolonged, to the best of our ability. Otherwise, it is going to turn even deadlier, involve more people and I think potentially even make things harder to resolve in Ukraine itself.'

Earlier, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the MPs that the Ministry of Defence was looking at whether they could supply anti-aircraft missiles as well as more anti-tank weapons.

A baby is evacuated as people flee near a destroyed bridge to cross the Irpin River, on the outskirts of Kyiv, as Russian forces try to surround it in ahead of an attack

Ukrainian servicemen evacuate a person across Irpin River below a destroyed bridge as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces train to operate RPG-7 anti-tank launcher during military exercises in Kyiv

Recent conscripts into the Ukrainian Territorial Defence are trained to use NLAW anti-tank launchers in Kyiv, as the city prepares to defend itself from a Russian assault

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces are pictured on training exercises in Kyiv, as Russian troops try to surround the city in preparation for an assault

A satellite image taken on Tuesday but released Wednesday shows the destroyed road bridge on the outskirts of Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which refugees have been using to flee the besieged city

Tracks created by Russian armoured vehicles are seen in the snow near Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, while heavily damaged buildings are seen to the right of the image

Putin meets his 'children's rights commissioner' in Moscow as rockets destroy hospital Vladimir Putin has met with his 'children's rights commissioner' in Moscow at the same time as shelling a maternity hospital in Mariupol in his latest vile display of hypocrisy. The Russian leader spoke with Maria Lvova-Belova at the Kremlin today after overseeing a savage two-week campaign in Ukraine which has seen children killed, orphaned or forced to flee their homes. Putin held the meeting to discuss changes to the law which will allow Russians to adopt Ukrainian orphans, after his forces killed their parents. The changes will mean children from Donetsk and Luhansk who do not have Russian citizenship will qualify for adoption. Putin said in the meeting: 'These are extraordinary circumstances and it seems to me that we need to think not about bureaucratic delays, but about the interests of children. 'I will make proposals, we will change the legislation. We will appeal to the State Duma, I am sure that the deputies will support you.' Lvova-Belova said 1,090 orphans have been evacuated to Russia from the two republics. An estimated one million children have been forced to flee Ukraine since the barbaric invasion was launched. Advertisement

'We can all see the horrific devastation inflicted on civilian areas by Russian artillery and air strikes, indiscriminate and murderous,' he said.

'It is vital, therefore, that Ukraine maintains its ability to fly and to suppress Russian air attack.'

Mr Wallace said that 'in response to a Ukrainian request' the Government was exploring the donation of Starstreak high-velocity man-portable anti-air missiles.

He also confirmed that 3,615 Nlaw anti-tank weapons had been supplied - up from the previously-announced figure of 2,000 - and 'small consignments' of the Javelin system would also be sent to Ukraine.

Other Western officials expressed concern that Putin could next resort to the use of 'non-conventional weapons' such as chemical weapons, in the conflict.

One official speaking on condition of anonymity said: 'I think we've got good reason to be concerned about possible use of non-conventional weapons, partly because of what we've seen has happened in other theatres.

'As I've mentioned before, for example, what we've seen in Syria, partly because we've seen a bit of setting the scene for that in the false flag claims that are coming out, and other indications as well.'

Before the rocket attack took place, Mariupol's deputy mayor spoke about the dire situation in the besieged city - saying residents had been forced to use melted snow as drinking water, as it runs dangerously low on supplies.

Serhiy Orlov admitted that he didn't know how long the blockaded urban centre would be able to continue under siege as he spoke to CNN's John Berman about the devastating bombings on Wednesday.

Orlov said today was their fifth attempt to provide a humanitarian corridor to get supplies and transport into Mariupol, but he added that by 3pm local time, the buses had not made it anywhere near the city.

He said many residents are unable to leave as Mariupol is being bombed 'each second', after Russian forces have broken their ceasefire agreement despite agreeing to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee.

'There is no ceasefire, any ceasefire in Mariupol, Mariupol is under continuous shelling from the artillery and bombing. Each hour, each minute, each second,' he added.

Mariupol, which has been under blockage for eight days, is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit since the invasion began, with Russian forces bringing widespread destruction to residential and administrative centres.

Speaking about the devastation across the city, Orlov said Russian forces had destroyed their biggest steel planter as he warned that the situation is 'unmanageable'.

He praised the bravery of the Ukrainian army, but warned that it is the humanitarian crisis is also worsening, adding: 'We are not able to protect our lives.'

President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday warned that the port city was running dangerously low on food, water and medicine.

Ukrainian territorial defence forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations.

Reiterating Zelensky's stark warning, Orlov said there is no more electricity, heating, gas or water supplies in Mariupol, adding that residents have had to resort to collecting wood to make fires for warmth and using melted snow as drinking water.

'It's an awful situation and I cannot imagine in my mind that it's possible in the 21st century, but it is true,' he said.

When asked how long the city might be able to continue under siege, Orlov admitted he 'didn't know' as he claimed there are at least 3,000 infants who are currently without food.

American talk show host Berman also asked the deputy mayor whether his own family are safe, after he previously spoken about being unable to reach his parents.

In response, a devastated Orlov said the district where his parents lived has been completely destroyed, saying it 'does not exist anymore', as he admitted he doesn't know if they are alive.

He added: 'The district where they live is flattened and I'm not sure that I can see them anymore. But I hope and pray they are alive.'

Ukrainian commanders said today that Russia's attack on the country has 'slowed significantly' with no major gains in any sector while its forces were bolstering defenses in key cities and 'holding the line.'

In the northern city of Chernihiv, Russian forces are placing military equipment among residential buildings and on farms, the Ukrainian general staff said. And in the south, it said Russians dressed in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv. It did not provide any details of new fighting.

In Kyiv, back-to-back air alerts Wednesday morning urged residents to get to bomb shelters as quickly as possible over fears of incoming Russian missiles. Soon after an all-clear was given for the first alert, a second alert followed.

Such alerts are common, though irregular, keeping people on edge. Kyiv has been relatively quiet in recent days, though Russian artillery has pounded the outskirts.

Kyiv regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said the crisis for civilians was growing in the capital, with the situation particularly critical in the city's suburbs.

'Russia is artificially creating a humanitarian crisis in the Kyiv region, frustrating the evacuation of people and continuing shelling and bombing small communities,' he said.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson continued to resist calls to drop visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the violence, insisting the security checks were vital to prevent President Putin infiltrating agents into the UK.

The Prime Minister said a thousand visas had been granted under the scheme allowing relatives of people in Britain to flee the war zone to join their families and he promised another programme allowing individuals to offer a home to Ukrainians would be set out in 'the next few days'.

More than 2 million people have now fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations.

'We know how unscrupulous Putin can be in his methods, it would not be right to expose this country to unnecessary security risk and we will not do it,' he said.

'We are going to be as generous as we can possibly be, but we must have checks.'

His comments in the Commons followed a call from Ukraine's ambassador to the UK to temporarily drop the visa requirement.

Vadym Prystaiko hit out at the bureaucracy of the British system, telling MPs: 'I don't want to see these pictures of people banging at the doors in Calais and scratching the doors which are quite sealed.'

Buses transport people out of the city of Sumy, in Ukraine's north east, in the first successful evacuation of a besieged city which took place on Tuesday. In total, 5,000 people were transported out

Russia said the evacuation route out of Sumy will be reopened Wednesday to allow more people to flee, though there are fears it could be a pre-cursor to heavier shelling in the coming days

A large number of foreign students - including hundreds from India and east Asia - were among those allowed to flee from Sumy on Tuesday, with more transports planned for today

Two convoys of civilian vehicles were allowed to leave Sumy on Tuesday, the mayor has said, marking the first successful evacuation after other routes came under attack by Russia

Debris is seen next to houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sumy

Debris and houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Houses damaged by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Debris is seen next to houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sumy

Natasha Sivek carries her two-month-old grandson Meron shortly after she and other family members, including her daughter, walked into Poland

Women and children arrive from war-torn Ukraine on a snowy day at the Medyka border crossing

Over one million people have arrived in Poland from Ukraine since the Russian invasion and some are journeying on to other countries in Europe

Most of those fleeing the war have entered countries on Ukraine's western border, like Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova

The majority have gone into Poland, where 1.33 million refugees have crossed according to the Polish Border Guard agency

Yulia Sivek carries her two-month-old son Meron and is trailed by her mother Natasha as they walk into Poland

Oxana Opalenko holds her friend Yulia's two-month-old son Meron shortly after they walked into Poland

A Russian tank with overhead armour meant to protect against American-made javelin missiles is pictured burned-out by the side of a road in Ukraine, after the makeshift protection apparently failed
North Korea will launch a series of reconnaissance satellites to monitor US troops and their 'vassal forces' in Asia, Kim Jong-un announced today.

The satellites will provide real-time information on the military actions carried out by the US and its allies of South Korea, Japan and other Pacific nations, state media said.

It comes not only at a time of heightened global tensions with Vladimir Putin raising the nuclear threat with his barbaric invasion of Ukraine, but also at a fraught time with Kim's neighbour across the DMZ.

Yoon Suk-yeol won South Korea's election by a razor-thin margin Thursday, and looks set to revive hostilities with the North.

The president-elect wants to ditch a 'subservient' policy of engagement, calling Kim a 'rude boy' who needs to learn some manners.

Kim Jong-un tours the National Aerospace Development Administration in Pyongyang today as he announced a new reconnaissance satellite programme

Yoon Suk-yeol won South Korea's election by a razor-thin margin Thursday, and looks set to revive hostilities with the North

The outgoing administration of President Moon Jae-in 'volunteered to play middleman between the US and North Korea but was dumped by both in the end,' Yoon said in a pre-election Facebook post.

On the campaign trail, Yoon threatened a pre-emptive strike on the North 'if necessary' and said once he was in power, he would make Kim 'snap out of' his ways.

'If you give me a chance, I will teach him some manners,' he said.

But Kim is unlikely to back down, with his new spy satellites over the next five years giving him information on South Korea's military activies.

While inspecting North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration, Kim said 'a lot' of military reconnaissance satellites would be put into sun-synchronous polar orbit in the period of a five-year plan announced last year, state news agency KCNA reported.

'He noted that the purpose of developing and operating the military reconnaissance satellite is to provide the armed forces of the DPRK with real-time information on military actions against it by the aggression troops of the US imperialism and its vassal forces in south Korea, Japan and the Pacific,' the news agency said.

On the campaign trail, Yoon threatened a pre-emptive strike on the North 'if necessary' and said once he was in power, he would make Kim 'snap out of' his ways

The satellite would use the same banned ballistic missile technology as the weapons tests currently being carried out.

North Korea says it conducted two tests of satellite systems on February 27 and March 5, which authorities in South Korea, Japan, and the United States say involved launches of ballistic missiles.

They drew international condemnation and the US military said today it had increased surveillance and reconnaissance collection in the Yellow Sea.

The United States also said it had heightened its ballistic missile defence readiness after a 'significant increase' in North Korean missile tests.

Kim defended the satellite work as not only about gathering information but protecting North Korea's sovereignty and national interests, exercising its legitimate rights to self-defence, and elevating national prestige, KCNA reported.

North Korea says it conducted two tests of satellite systems on February 27 and March 5 (file image of Kim overseeing a launch)

'He stressed that this urgent project for perfecting the country's war preparedness capacity by improving our state's war deterrent is the supreme revolutionary task, a political and military priority task to which our Party and government attach the most importance,' KCNA said.

The United States and its allies have condemned previous North Korean space launches as violations of UN Security Council resolutions that have imposed sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes.

North Korea has not tested a nuclear weapon or its long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) since 2017, but has suggested in could resume such tests because talks with the United States are stalled.

But fears grew this week after new satellite images showed Kim has restarted construction at a nuclear testing site which was closed in 2018.

Parts of the Punggye-Ri site were blown up after it was closed four years ago, but images show repairs and new buildings at the test site amid fears by US security officials that Kim wants to resume his nuclear programme this year.

The US Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI) said they expect North Korea to carry out ICBM and nuclear bomb tests this year.

A satellite launched into orbit would be the first since 2016.

The outgoing administration of President Moon Jae-in 'volunteered to play middleman between the US and North Korea', Yoon said

Recent sub-orbital launches, which likely used road-mobile medium-range ballistic missiles, appeared designed to 'pop the key components of an imagery reconnaissance satellite up to operational altitudes for a few minutes of testing', 38 North, a US-based monitoring group, said in a report.

Such components, including satellite stabilisation, the imaging payload, and data transmission may have failed in previous tests and therefore required additional testing, the group said.

'It remains to be seen how capable any North Korean imagery satellite would be, the frequency of launches, or how many such satellites might be maintained in orbit at any one time-all key indicators of the actual military significance of such satellites,' 38 North said.

Regardless, North Korea clearly sees this capability as having propaganda value and showcasing its technological prowess and effective leadership, it added.

A launch could make technical contributions to North Koreas ICBM capability, depending on what type of rocket booster is used, 38 North said.

Punggye-ri has been shuttered since North Korea declared a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests in 2018 and parts of the site were blown up

The new satellite images of Punggye-Ri show early signs of activity including a new building, repairs to another and what appears to be lumber and sawdust

'It may also be the precursor to other more provocative developments mentioned by Kim, such as the testing of multiple-warhead missiles, solid-propellant ICBMs, and ICBM-range solid-propellant submarine-launched ballistic missiles,' it said.

The ramping up of tensions in the peninsula will only be exacerbated by Yoon's recent comments, saying after his election win he wants to 'sternly deal with the North's illegal and irrational acts'.

'Under Yoon, we'll probably see efforts to reset inter-Korean relations,' Soo Kim of the RAND Corporation told AFP.

Instead of dialogue and engagement, she said, Yoon will take a harder line, having already called for more joint drills with the US.

'It's a departure from the Moon administration's prioritisation of inter-Korean engagement, to say the least,' she added.

The 'one-way love' displayed under Moon will come to an end, said Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha Womans University.

'Yoon will certainly want to put the issue of denuclearisation in the agenda,' said Park, in contrast to the more piecemeal diplomacy pursued by his liberal predecessor.

President Moon met with leader Kim Jong Un four times, and brokered high-profile talks between Pyongyang and Washington

'It's highly likely that North Korea will say no.'

Yoon has even suggested buying an additional THAAD missile system from the US to counter the North - despite risks that it could prompt new economic retaliation from China, Seoul's biggest trade partner.

'Seoul must also retool its complex relationship with Beijing,' Yoon said in a policy statement in Foreign Affairs last month.

President Moon met with leader Kim Jong Un four times, and brokered high-profile talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

But negotiations collapsed in 2019, and diplomacy has stalled as Pyongyang has ramped up weapons testing and threatened to abandon a self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons.

Yoon has not ruled out the possibility of dialogue with Pyongyang, but analysts say his hawkish position puts him on a completely different footing and significantly reduces the prospect of substantive engagement.

Pyongyang will judge it has 'nothing to gain' from talking to a hardline South Korean government, Hong Min, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification told AFP.

Keeping tensions on the peninsula high will work in Pyongyang's favour, Hong added, allowing it to keep momentum on Kim's avowed program of military modernisation.

'North Korea will pick up the tempo of its nuclear and missile development and use the hawkish South Korean government to justify its actions.'
Sweden wants to double its military spending in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine after Moscow warned of 'military consequences' if the country joined NATO.

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Thursday that Sweden's government wants to increase its defence budget to two per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) 'as soon as practically possible'.

Andersson, 55, told a news conference that Sweden's 'defence capability must be greatly strengthened' in light of Russia's devastating invasion of Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Russian warplanes left a maternity hospital 'decimated' in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol after a direct hit from rockets, which left three dead, at least 17 injured, and children buried in the rubble.

'Today, we present a new initiative with a clear message to the Swedish people and to the world around us. Sweden's defence capability must be greatly strengthened,' Andersson said.

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (pictured) said on Thursday that Sweden wants to increase its defence budget to two per cent of the GDP 'as soon as practically possible'

As the Cold War ended, Sweden's defence spending as a proportion of GDP fell from three per cent in the early 1980s to around one per cent in recent years - accounting for 1.2 per cent of the GDP in 2020.

The move comes after Moscow warned of 'military consequences' if either Sweden or Finland - the two closest countries to Russia in the Arctic Circle - joined NATO.

Despite Russia's threat of retaliation if they joined the Western military alliance, most people in both countries now want to become part of NATO after war broke out in Ukraine.

But earlier this week, Andersson rejected opposition calls to consider joining NATO, saying an application now would destabilise security in Europe.

Sweden has not been in a war since 1814 and has built its foreign policy on non-participation in military alliances, but it has forged closer ties to NATO in recent years as tensions with Russia in the Baltic region have risen.

Russia's invasion, which it calls a 'special military operation', has renewed calls for Sweden to join NATO, alongside Finland, which has also remained outside the bloc.

'If Sweden were to choose to send in an application to join NATO in the current situation, it would further destabilize this area of Europe and increase tensions,' Andersson told reporters.

'I have been clear during this whole time in saying that what is best for Sweden's security and for the security of this region of Europe is that the government has a long-term, consistent and predictable policy and that is my continued belief.'

A poll on last week, by Demoskop and commissioned by Aftonbladet newspaper, showed 51 per cent of Swedes were in favour of NATO membership, up from 42 per cent in January

Protesters hold Ukrainian flags and anti war banners during a demonstration to protest the Russian invasion in Ukraine, in central Stockholm, Sweden, on March 1

A poll on last week, by Demoskop and commissioned by Aftonbladet newspaper, showed 51 per cent of Swedes were in favour of NATO membership, up from 42 per cent in January.

People against joining fell to 27 per cent from 37 per cent, marking the first time that such a poll has shown a majority in favour.

It was up from late-February, when a poll commissioned by the Swedish public broadcaster SVT found 41 per cent of Swedes supported NATO membership and 35 per cent opposed it.

Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the Moderates, called on the government to begin broad domestic political discussions about NATO membership, a debate that has already started in Finland.

'It is urgent,' Kristersson told news agency TT.

'We can't get behind a wind-break and hope that it all blows over and then be surprised by a Finnish decision in a month or two.'

Russia has threatened retaliation if either Sweden or Finland tries to join NATO - though the governments of both countries retorted that they won't let Moscow dictate their security policy.

The Russian Foreign Ministry recently voiced concern about what it described as efforts by the United States and some of its allies to 'drag' Finland and Sweden into NATO.

'Finland and Sweden should not base their security on damaging the security of other countries and their accession to NATO can have detrimental consequences and face some military and political consequences,' foreign affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a news briefing.

Moscow warned that the Kremlin would be forced to take retaliatory measures if either Sweden or Finland - the two closest countries to Russia in the Arctic Circle - joined NATO. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin

The foreign ministry later reiterated the threat on Twitter.

'We regard the Finnish government's commitment to a military non-alignment policy as an important factor in ensuring security and stability in northern Europe,' the department wrote. 'Finland's accession to NATO would have serious military and political repercussions.'

On March 2, four Russian fighter jets - two SU-27 and two SU-24 fighters - flew briefly over Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland, according to a statement from the Swedish Armed Forces.

'In light of the current situation we are very concerned about the incident,' Swedish Air Force chief Carl-Johan Edstrom said. 'This is unprofessional and irresponsible behavior from the Russian side.'

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Swedish fighter jets were scrambled and took photographs of the Russian jets, the statement said.

'This shows that our readiness is good. We were in place to secure the territorial integrity and Swedish borders,' Edstrom said. 'We have total control of the situation.'

'The Russian violation of Swedish airspace is of course completely unacceptable,' Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told news agency TT.

'It will lead to a firm diplomatic response from Sweden. Swedish sovereignty and territory must always be respected.'

'I want to be extremely clear: It is Sweden that itself and independently decides on our security policy line,' Andersson said at the time.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg recently noted that for Helsinki and Stockholm 'this is a question of self-determination and the sovereign right to choose your own path and then potentially in the future, also to apply for NATO.'

There are no set criteria for joining NATO, but aspiring candidates must meet certain political and other considerations.

Many observers believe Finland and Sweden would qualify for fast-track entry into NATO without lengthy negotiations and membership could be a reality within months.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last week that her Social Democratic Party would discuss possible NATO membership with other parties but didn't set a time frame. She said everyone agrees that the events of the past weeks have been a game-changer.

'Together we see that the security situation has changed remarkably since Russia attacked Ukraine. It is a fact that we have to acknowledge,' Marin said.

Finland has a conflict-ridden history with Russia, with which it shares a 830-mile (1,340km) border.

Finns have taken part in dozens of wars against their eastern neighbor, for centuries as part of the Swedish Kingdom, and as an independent nation during the world wars, including two fought with the Soviet Union from 1939-40 and 1941-44.

In the postwar period, however, Finland pursued pragmatic political and economic ties with Moscow, remaining militarily nonaligned and a neutral buffer between East and West.

NATO began beefing up its defences in northeastern Europe after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

Recently, some members have also sent troops, aircraft and warships to the Black Sea region, near allies Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

Meanwhile in Ukraine, Russia continues to shell cities with observers suggesting that Moscow is using a Syria-style battleplan after its early precision strikes failed.

On Wednesday, Russian warplanes bombed a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol as pregnant women gave birth in the basement in what President Zelensky described as an 'atrocity', a 'war crime' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians'.

It comes as Russian warplanes left a maternity hospital 'decimated' in the city of Mariupol on Wednesday afternoon after a direct hit from rockets. Pictured: Volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the hospital

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

A doctor navigates the ward of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, after it was destroyed by Russian bombs

Three people, including a six-year-old girl, have been confirmed dead and at least 17 people were wounded in the bombing. The hospital was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said.

Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of Mariupol, said he is 'absolutely sure' the Russians knew they were bombing a hospital when they launched the attack late yesterday - adding 'this is the third hospital they have destroyed' after a 300-bed Covid unit and blood bank were targeted on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian Healthcare Center, a think-tank based in the country, says that between the outbreak of fighting on February 24 and yesterday, their team documented 42 cases of Russian forces attacking either healthcare facilities or medics in order to deliberately provoke a 'humanitarian crisis'.

Hospitals had been struck in every theatre where Russian forces were operating, the think-tank said, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv.

'The humanitarian catastrophe is a part of Russia's hybrid war. [It] intends to spread panic, create a flow of refugees at the borders and force the Ukrainian government to surrender,' said Pavlo Kovtonyuk, co-founder of the think-tank.

The bombing took place during what was supposed to be a ceasefire in Mariupol so that civilians could evacuate. It marks the fourth time a so-called 'humanitarian corridor' out of the city has failed because Russian forces opened fire.

Following the devastating bombing, Zelensky warned that 'millions' of Ukrainians could die if NATO and the West wait for World War Three to start before imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to stop Vladimir Putin's campaign.

Rescuers on the scene at a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol are locked in a race against time as they try to free survivors from the rubble after the complex suffered a 'direct hit' by Russian rockets yesterday

A doctor carries personal belongings out of a hospital room with bloodstained beds after a Russian airstrike in Mariupol

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities, the biggest cities in Ukraine and they blocked them because they don't want our people to get some food or water,' he said in an interview with Sky News.

'We can't stop all of this alone. Only if the world will unite around Ukraine.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say ''sorry we didn't do it yesterday'.

'The world did nothing. I'm sorry, but it's true. In future, it will be too late. They will close the sky but will lose millions of people [while they wait]'.

Western governments have so far baulked at Zelensky's increasingly desperate appeal for a no-fly zone to be declared over Ukraine, fearing it would trigger a conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.

Nevertheless, underscoring Western support, Britain said it was preparing to send more portable missile systems to help Ukraine, in addition to more than 3,000 anti-tank weapons sent so far.

And Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised an additional $50 million worth of military equipment.

The International Monetary Fund approved a $1.4billion emergency package for Kyiv to provide 'critical financial support'.

The Swedish government has previously increased its humanitarian aid to Ukraine by 7million (SEK 100million), and on February 28, it decided to further increase support by 39million (SEK 500million).
Priti Patel today announced she is relaxing visa rules to make it easier for Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK as she finally bowed to pressure to offer more help to people fleeing the Russian invasion.

The Home Secretary said Ukrainians with a passport will no longer have to attend an in-person appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) as part of the application process.

Instead, the process will be entirely online from Tuesday March 15, allowing VACs on the continent to focus on helping Ukrainians who do not have a passport.

The easing of the rules only applies to Ukrainians applying to come to the UK under the Government's family reunion route.

Successful applicants who are given permission to come to Britain will have to attend a VAC to submit biometric data after they have arrived in the country.

Labour welcomed the change but urged ministers to go much further, labelling the Home Office's handling of the situation 'a total disgrace' which has brought 'shame upon our country'.

Ms Patel's announcement came after David Cameron said the slow progress in granting visas to Ukrainians was 'incredibly frustrating' and 'we've got to get this done'.

Meanwhile, infighting among Tory MPs has erupted over the Government's response to the humanitarian crisis.

Daniel Kawczynski was accused by Conservative colleague Simon Hoare of spouting 'utterly risible, illiterate, immoral and offensive bile' over Ukrainian refugees.

Mr Kawczynski claimed 'British left-wing parties' are making 'illiterate and immoral' demands for the UK to accept more people fleeing Vladimir Putin's invasion.

The MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham argued that Britain should support Ukraine's neighbours because 'Ukrainians will need to return home to rebuild their country' when the war is over.

But Mr Hoare, chairman of the Northern Ireland Select Committee, told Mr Kawczynski he does 'not speak for the Tory Party'.

Priti Patel today announced she is relaxing visa rules to make it easier for Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK as she finally bowed to pressure to offer more help to people fleeing the Russian invasion

An employee from the Emergency Situations Department holds the baby of a refugee fleeing the conflict from neighbouring Ukraine at the Romanian-Ukrainian border, in Siret, Romania

People wait to board buses after crossing the Ukrainian border into Poland, at Medyka borders crossing on March 10

How does the visa process work and why do people have to provide biometric data? The Government's refugee scheme means British nationals with family in Ukraine are now allowed to bring their relatives to Britain while Ukrainians living in the UK can do the same. People in Ukraine who are eligible to come to the UK must apply for a visa online. This process requires people to provide a wealth of information about themselves and formal evidence to back up their application. They must provide their full name, date of birth, their current passport and details of any criminal convictions. They must also prove their link to the UK. For example, someone who is looking to join their partner in Britain must prove that they are married or have been living together for at least two years. They must provide evidence to show this is the case in the form of a marriage certificate, a tenancy agreement, utility bill or bank statement. Once they have submitted their application with supporting documentation they are currently required to attend an in-person appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). When they attend their appointment they are asked to give biometric data in the form of fingerprints. This data is then used by the UK to conduct security checks which then informs the decision on whether someone is granted a visa. The UK has faced criticism for sticking to this system because the situation on the ground in Ukraine makes it difficult for people to attend a VAC. The easing of rules from Tuesday March 15 for Ukrainian passport holders will see the requirement to attend a VAC as part of the application process removed. People granted permission to come to the UK will be required to attend a VAC to give biometric data after they arrive in Britain. Advertisement

More than 2.1million people have now fled Ukraine, according to UN estimates, but the latest statistics from Downing Street show Britain has granted just 957 visas.

Ministers have faced growing calls in recent days to speed up or waive the visa process and to make the UK's offer to refugees more generous.

The Government has put in place two routes for Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK.

The first is a family reunion route which allows British nationals and Ukrainians living in the UK to bring their relatives to Britain.

The second is a 'humanitarian sponsorship pathway' which will allow individuals, charities and business groups to offer to sponsor Ukrainian citizens with no family ties to the UK so they can come to Britain.

The first scheme is up and running but the second is yet to be launched. It was announced last week but ministers still have not published the full details of how it will work.

The current visa process requires people to submit an application online and to then attend a VAC in-person to submit biometric data, including fingerprints, which is used for security checks.

However, there is currently not a VAC open anywhere in Ukraine, with people required to travel to a centre in a neighbouring country like Poland, Hungary or Moldova.

Critics argue this requirement, along with strict rules on what must be included in the application, make it far too difficult for many Ukrainians to get out of the country.

Ms Patel announced the easing of the rules in the House of Commons this morning after Labour was granted an urgent question on the subject.

The Home Secretary told MPs: This morning I received assurances which enable me to announce changes to the Ukrainian families scheme.

Based on the new advice I have received I am now in the position to announce that vital security checks will continue on all cases.

From Tuesday I can announce that Ukrainians with passports will no longer need to go to a visa application centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.

Instead once their application has been considered and appropriate checks completed they will receive direct notification that they are eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK.

In short, Ukrainians with passports will be able to get permission to come here fully online from wherever they are and will be able to give their biometrics once in Britain.

This will mean that these application centres across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports.

Ms Patel said the changes will come into effect from Tuesday March 15.

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the shift by the Government but questioned why it had taken so long, after days of mounting calls for action, as she also pushed Ms Patel to go even further.

Ms Cooper said: Why does it always take being hauled into the House of Commons to make basic changes to help vulnerable people who are fleeing from Ukraine?

A maternity hospital was bombed yesterday. An attack on new born babies and women giving birth. People are fleeing for their lives and up to now the response from the Home Office has been a total disgrace, bringing shame upon our country.

Ms Cooper added: 'Why has it taken so long when she has had intelligence for weeks if not months that she needed to prepare for a Russian invasion of Ukraine?

A Ukrainian woman pushes a stroller while holding her child across the border on March 9, 2022 in Palanca, Moldova

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the shift by the Government but questioned why it had taken so long, after days of mounting calls for action, as she also pushed Ms Patel to go even further

The Labour frontbencher said the Government should also relax the paperwork requirements for applications so people no longer have to 'jump through a whole load of hoops.

The Government announced on Tuesday this week that former Tory MP Richard Harrington was being given a peerage to allow him to become the new Minister for Refugees.

Mr Cameron was grilled about the visa situation last night during an interview on LBC Radio.

He said: 'Well, I know what it's like when, as Prime Minister, you want something to happen, you say something should happen.

'And we should be generous, and it doesn't happen. It's incredibly frustrating.

'I think the Prime Minister took a very good step in appointing Richard Harrington as a special minister to deal with refugees.

'This is what I did, exactly the same person. With the Syrian refugees, we had a programme to allow 25,000 people in, to find them from the camps.

'I asked Richard to get it done. He was brilliant at it. And I'm sure he will on this. And I hope he is allowed to say, well, if we want to go short of visas, if it's just Ukrainian passports, and perhaps something else, let's find the way to get it done, I would put my trust in him and give him the ability.'

Asked if he would also put his trust in Ms Patel, Mr Cameron said: 'I'm not here to pick apart different people in the government Ive tried to avoid that in my post-office life.

'But we've got to get this done. And the Prime Minister wants it done. And I'm sure it will be.'

His comments came as Tory MPs clashed over the UK's response to the exodus of people from Ukraine.

Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski was accused by Conservative colleague Simon Hoare of spouting 'utterly risible, illiterate, immoral and offensive bile' over Ukrainian refugees

Mr Kawczynski claimed 'British left-wing parties' are making 'illiterate and immoral' demands for the UK to accept more people fleeing Vladimir Putin's invasion

Fellow Tory MP Simon Hoare accused his Conservative colleague of spouting 'utterly risible, illiterate, immoral and offensive bile'

Mr Kawczynski tweeted: 'British Left wing parties demand Britain takes in more Ukrainian refugees. This is illiterate and immoral.

'When war is over Ukrainians will need to return home to rebuild their country. We should be supporting Ukrainian refugees in frontline states like Poland & Romania.'

Mr Kawczynski later deleted the tweet.

But Mr Hoare tweeted in response: 'What utterly risible, illiterate, immoral and offensive bile. Haven't you heard what @BorisJohnson has been saying?

'You do not speak for the Tory Party. I'm not sure you speak for humanity #whitehotfury.'
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Roman Abramovich is among seven oligarchs to be hit with an asset freeze and travel bans under brutal new UK sanctions unveiled today.

The government has announced that the owner of Chelsea FC will also be prohibited from transactions with UK individuals and businesses. The government could still grant him a licence to sell the club, but will need to be assured that he will not benefit financially and any proceeds would remain frozen.

Mr Abramovich's one time business partner, Oleg Deripaska, has been hit with the same measures - as have Rosneft chief Igor Sechin and four more described as being in Putin's 'inner circle'.

Seven more oligarchs sanctioned by UK Roman Abramovich is one of seven Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the UK Government today. The Government estimates his wealth at more than 9billion and notes his stakes in steel giant Evraz, Norilsk Nickel and ownership of Chelsea FC. 'He is one of the few oligarchs from the 1990s to maintain prominence under Putin,' a Government spokesman said. The other oligarchs sanctioned today are: Oleg Deripaska: Estimated wealth of 2billion and a multi-million-pound Uk property portfolio. Subject to US sanctions since 2018. Has stakes in En+ Group, a major extractives and energy company which owns UC Rusal, one of the world's major aluminium producers.

Estimated wealth of 2billion and a multi-million-pound Uk property portfolio. Subject to US sanctions since 2018. Has stakes in En+ Group, a major extractives and energy company which owns UC Rusal, one of the world's major aluminium producers. Igor Sechin: Chief Executive of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company. The Government said he is 'particularly close and influential ally of Putin'. Already sanctioned by the US and EU.

Chief Executive of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company. The Government said he is 'particularly close and influential ally of Putin'. Already sanctioned by the US and EU. Andrey Kostin: Chairman of VTB bank, the second largest bank in Russia. A 'close associate of Putin' who has 'long supported Kremlin objectives through VTB Bank'. Net worth of 379 million. Already sanctioned by the US and EU.

Chairman of VTB bank, the second largest bank in Russia. A 'close associate of Putin' who has 'long supported Kremlin objectives through VTB Bank'. Net worth of 379 million. Already sanctioned by the US and EU. Alexei Miller: Chief executive of of energy company Gazprom. Served under Putin when autocrat was mayor of St Petersburg. Already sanctioned by the US.

Chief executive of of energy company Gazprom. Served under Putin when autocrat was mayor of St Petersburg. Already sanctioned by the US. Nikolai Tokarev: President of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft. Former KGB agent who served alongside Putin in East Germany. Already sanctioned by the US and EU.

President of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft. Former KGB agent who served alongside Putin in East Germany. Already sanctioned by the US and EU. Dmitri Lebedev: Chairman of Bank Rossiya, which is 'widely considered to be the Kremlin's private bank'. Sanctioned by the US in 2016. Advertisement

The Foreign Office said the Economic Crime Bill coming into force next week 'will allow UK Government to move further and faster than ever on sanctions'.

Boris Johnson said the government will keep 'tightening the vice' around Putin's cronies.

'There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin's vicious assault on Ukraine,' he said.

'Today's sanctions are the latest step in the UK's unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.'

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: 'Today's sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.

'The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.

'Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.'

The Foreign Office said the oligarchs have a collective net worth of around 15billion.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries tweeted that Chelsea FC will be able to operate under a 'special licence'.

The team will be able to play fixtures and pay staff, but trading in players seems to be off the table.

Only 'existing ticket holders' will be able to attend matches.

It appears that means only season ticket holder, and away fans will not be permitted.

There is also the prospect that Champions League games will be played effectively behind closed doors, as those tickets are often purchased separately from season tickets.

Merchandise sales are also expected to end.

Ms Dorries said the aim was to ensure that Abramovich cannot 'benefit from his ownership of the club'.

The surprise move came as Defence minister James Heappey insisted the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine was a war crime and called for Putin and Russian generals to be held to account.

Mr Heappey stressed that the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but said in a round of interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'

The comments came as it was confirmed three people, including a child, died when warplanes bombed the hospital in besieged Mariupol while pregnant women gave birth in the basement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attack as an 'atrocity' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians'.

The hospital, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said. Other bombs scored 'direct hits', President Zelensky said, wounding at least 17 people.

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister, said there can be 'no doubt' the hospital was deliberately 'targeted' by Russia in a chilling echo tactics used during the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo while Putin's men were fighting alongside dictator Basahr al-Assad's troops. Moscow denies targeting civilian facilities.

Roman Abramovich is among oligarchs to be hit with asset freeze and travel bans under new UK sanctions

Mr Abramovich's one time business partner, Oleg Deripaska (pictured), has also been hit with the same measures

Nikolai Tokarev (left) and Igor Sechin have also been targeted by the UK government

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller (left) and Bank Rossiya chair Dmitri Lebedev (right) have been added to the UK list

VTB Bank president Andrei Kostin is now under the UK sanctions regime

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries tweeted that Chelsea FC will be able to operate under a 'special licence'

Ukraine war: The latest Ukraine accuses Russia of a 'war crime' over a devastating attack on a children's hospital Some 1,207 civilians have been killed in the 10-day Russian siege on Mariupol, its mayor says Red Cross calls situation in Mariupol 'apocalyptic' after more than a week without water, power or heat 35,000 civilians are evacuated from other Ukrainian cities during a 12-hour ceasefire Fears are mounting Kyiv will also soon be encircled, with Russian tanks just a few miles away Two women and a 13-year-old boy are killed overnight in bombing near Sumy overnight Four people are killed in bombing on Kharkiv, with a five-year-old girl rushed to hospital wounded US lawmakers pass a $14bn aid package for Ukraine with Canada pledging more military equipment The International Monetary Fund approves $1.4 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine The United States deploys two new Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland Fearing a wider conflict, the Pentagon rejects a Polish offer to give MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are in Turkey to hold face-to-face talks Britain calls on the G7 to ban Russian oil, but move is opposed by France, Germany, Italy and Japan Nuclear watchdog says it is not receiving updates from either Chernobyl or Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, both of which are in Russian hands Washington rejects Russian claims it funded bioweapons research in Ukraine, and warns Russia could be about to use chemical or biological weapons itself UN says at least 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine, with more than half now in Poland Oil prices tumble while US and European and Asian stocks surge after days of market turmoil Advertisement

Sanctions throw Abramovich's sale of Chelsea into chaos Roman Abramovich's attempt to sell Chelsea have been thrown into chaos by the sanctions regime put in place today on him and six other oligarchs. The West London club, the reigning European champions, is among UK assets of the mega-rich Russians to be frozen by the Government. The rules put in place today mean they cannot make any money out of businesses they own in the UK, including from sales of shares, property and other assets. They are also banned from travelling to the UK, with a recent law change making it illegal for Russian aircraft - private or commercial - to land here. Russian ships, including private yachts, are also banned from UK ports. Additionally, UK citizens and firms based here are not allowed to do business with them. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said a special licence had been put in place for Chelsea that will 'allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club'. 'I know this brings some uncertainty, but the Government will work with the league & clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We're committed to protecting them,' she said. Advertisement

Mr Abramovich is worth 10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a 150million Kensington mansion, a 22million West London penthouse, and more than 1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars based in Britain and around the world.

His two superyachts may already be out of reach. 430million Solaris was moored in Barcelona a week ago but is now off the Sicily coast, believed to be heading to Israel, where he holds citizenship.

The 540million Eclipse is currently in open sea off the coast of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.

In London, his staff are said to have been ready for viewings at his 15-bedroom mansion at Kensington Palace Gardens, valued at more than 150m, and a three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront, worth an estimated 22m.

Chelsea FC is his most valuable British asset, after the oligarch transformed its fortunes from outside challengers to Premier League giants with the help of Jose Mourinho and huge signings like Didier Drogba, so its sale will be a personal blow to the billionaire industrialist.

Labour's Chris Bryant, using parliamentary privilege to avoid legal action, alleged the tycoon is selling his home and an apartment because he is 'terrified of being sanctioned', adding that he feared the government will soon run out of time to act.

Ms Dorries said on Twitter: 'Our priority is to hold those who have enabled the Putin regime to account.

'Today's sanctions obviously have a direct impact on Chlesea & its fans. We have been working hard to ensure the club & the national game are not unnecessarily harmed by these important sanctions.

'To ensure the club can continue to compete and operate we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club.

'I know this brings some uncertainty, but the Government will work with the league & clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We're committed to protecting them.'

Ministers are in discussions with the Premier League over how the sanctions will affect fans planning to attend Chelsea games.

Existing already paid-for tickets for games at Stamford Bridge will be honoured but they will discuss ways of allowing away fans and others, including fans attending Champions League ties to attend without funnelling cash to the club.

Thomas Tuchel's side are at home to Newcastle on Sunday before a European game in Lille next Wednesday.

A source told Mailonline: 'Stamford Bridge is not going to be empty  we don't expect them to play behind closed doors. It does mean there may be some empty seats but not an empty ground.'

A senior government source said there is no intention for the taxpayer to take full control of Chelsea.

A review being carried out by Michael Gove of whether oligarch properties can be seized is said to be legally problematic and unlikely to apply in this case even if it comes to fruition.

The licence granted to Chelsea is intended to allow it to do the bare minimum to keep running.

However, the licence is expected to be varied after it emerged that the clubs budget for away matches is far higher than the 20,000 limit imposed.

The Treasury set the figure without consulting the club due to the need for secrecy, but didnt know how much it costs to run an away game.

It is understood the team are due to fly from London to Norwich at the weekend and the trip is set to cost tens of thousands of pounds.

Maybe we should make them get the Megabus to Norwich, one source joked.

The away game in Lille next week is likely to cost many times more.

The government is understood to be clear that it is ultimately a matter for Ambramovich whether he sells, but any assets realised will remain frozen.

However, an insider admitted it is not a sustainable position for the football club. The quicker the sale the better, they said.

On a visit to a shipyard in Liverpool today, Mr Johnson said he will continue to 'tighten the economic vice around the Putin regime' with further sanctions in the future.

The PM told broadcasters: 'We've taken the powers to do that and, certainly, you can expect to see that.

'You can also expect to see the UK, again, leading in conversations with our friends and partners around the world to make sure that as Putin doubles down in violence against the Ukrainian people, we in the rest of the world, we who condemn his behaviour, work together to tighten the economic vice around the Putin regime, and that's what we're going to do.'

Mr Johnson said the government took a 'very careful' approach to imposing sanctions, but there was 'enough of a link' to justify the action.

'The right to property is something that English law, UK law takes very seriously,' he said.

'You have got to go through due process.'

The Economic Crime Bill would allow the process to be accelerated, Mr Johnson said.

'You have got to have clear evidence that people are connected to the Putin regime, that has been established, that's why we are going ahead with the sanctions that we are.'

The UK sanctions list now states that Mr Abramovich 'is a prominent Russian businessman and pro-Kremlin oligarch'.

'ABRAMOVICH is associated with a person who is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, namely Vladimir Putin, with whom ABRAMOVICH has had a close relationship for decades.

'This association has included obtaining a financial benefit or other material benefit from Putin and the Government of Russia.

'This includes tax breaks received by companies linked to ABRAMOVICH, buying and selling shares from and to the state at favourable rates, and the contracts received in the run up to the FIFA 2018 World Cup.

'Therefore, ABRAMOVICH has received preferential treatment and concessions from Putin and the Government of Russia.'

Keir Starmer. who is visiting UK troops in Estonia, said the Government's 'slow' response to imposing sanctions on oligarchs bears 'echoes of Afghanistan'.

When asked about sanctions on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, he said: 'I'm slightly frustrated, we called for this weeks ago and whilst we're very supportive of the action the Government has taken on sanctions, there are echoes of Afghanistan here. We need to go further and faster on this.'

He added: 'I called for these sanctions against Abramovich two weeks ago now and a feature of the Government's reaction here is that they are too slow.

'I support what they are doing and we voted for these sanctions to go through, but we do want a Government to go further and faster, and not be so slow.'

When asked who else the Government should be sanctioning, Sir Keir said: 'Every oligarch and those supporting Putin in any way should be sanctioned.

'So, we want more sanctions against more people, further and faster, we will support the Government in this, support the whole House on this, but they do need to go further and faster.'

Earlier, Mr Heappey told Sky News of the Mariupol shelling: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.

'Clearly there is evidence to be gathered in which to prove it is a war crime, and Western countries are working together to make sure that evidence is gathered in the best way so people can be held to account.

'What Putin is doing is not a war waged between two militaries. Right now he has besieged a number of Ukrainian cities and he has waged a war against Ukrainian civilians.'

Abramovich's multi-billion assets sanctioned by UK government Roman Abramovich has today had at least 3.2billion of UK assets frozen, preventing him carrying a fire sale of Chelsea and his London homes. Abramovich is worth 10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a 150m Kensington mansion, a 22m West London penthouse, and more than 1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars based in Britain and around the world. His two superyachts may already be out of reach. 430million Solaris was moored in Barcelona a week ago but is now off the Sicily coast, believed to be heading to Israel, where he holds citizenship. The 540million Eclipse is currently in open sea off the coast of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. In London, his staff are said to have been ready for viewings at his 15-bedroom mansion at Kensington Palace Gardens, valued at more than 150m, and a three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront, worth an estimated 22m. Chelsea FC is his most valuable British asset, after the oligarch transformed its fortunes from outside challengers to Premier League giants with the help of Jose Mourinho and huge signings like Didier Drogba, so its sale will be a personal blow to the billionaire industrialist. Labour's Chris Bryant, using parliamentary privilege to avoid legal action, alleged the tycoon is selling his home and an apartment because he is 'terrified of being sanctioned', adding that he feared the government will soon run out of time to act. Advertisement

He added on BBC Breakfast: 'We ask ourselves the question how did this happen? Was it an indiscriminate use of artillery or missiles into a built-up area, or was a hospital explicitly targeted?

'Both are equally despicable, both, as the Ukrainians have pointed out, would amount to a war crime.

'So, what matters beyond the outrage of the fact that this has happened in the first place is to make sure all this is catalogued so when  and they surely will be  President Putin and everybody in the military chain of command beneath him  because war crimes are committed at every level not just the ultimate decisionmaker  people will be held to account for what they are doing in. It's utterly despicable.'

Pressed on whether he thinks the attack constitutes a war crime, he replied: 'Yes, if you deliberately target a piece of civilian infrastructure like a hospital, yes.

'If you use indiscriminate artillery into an urban area without due regard for the reality, you could hit a protected site like a hospital, then that too in my view is.'

Many of the pregnant women present at the hospital were hiding the the basement at the time of the strike on the orders of hospital authorities - a move indicative of the harsh bombardment suffered by Mariupol's citizens over the past week, and one which likely saved their lives.

Zelensky himself posted a video showing the badly damaged hospital buildings, filmed inside a destroyed ward room with its windows blown out and ceiling partially collapsed. More footage showed a car park covered in rubble and the smouldering wrecks of vehicles as injured families staggered into the freezing air while snow fell.

'Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity,' the President tweeted.

He then took to Telegram, where he released a video statement from the presidential palace in Kyiv in which he said the hospital strike 'is the ultimate proof that what is happening is the genocide of Ukrainians'.

'Europeans, you can't say you didn't see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can't continue their savage war,' he said.

Abramovich is worth 10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a 150m Kensington mansion, a 22m penthouse, and more than 1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars based in Britain and around the world

Boris Johnson is shown around the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside today

The Foreign Office announced the new sanctions with top-trumps style images on social media

The UK sanctions list now states that Mr Abramovich 'is a prominent Russian businessman and pro-Kremlin oligarch'

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

'What kind of country bombs hospitals? Is afraid of hospitals? Of a maternity ward?

'Was someone insulting Russians? Were pregnant women shooting in direction of Rostov? Was it the ''denazification'' of a hospital? What the Russians did at Mariupol was beyond savagery.'

In a separate interview with Sky News, Zelensky added that Russian invaders want Ukrainians 'to feel like animals' by preventing them from accessing food or water, and implored NATO and the West to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities... because they don't want our people to get some food or water.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say ''sorry we didn't do it yesterday.''

Boris Johnson has condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military.

'There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless,' the Prime Minister declared.

'The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes,' he added.

Mr Johnson later on Wednesday committed to enacting the 'maximum economic cost' on Russia in wake of the bombing, while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to say aggression like Vladimir Putin's must 'never again' be allowed to 'grow unchecked' in her speech tomorrow in Washington.

Ms Truss will make comparisons between the Russian president's actions and the World Trade Centre terror attack in 2001, and will urge the international community to change its approach to dealing with antagonistic world leaders.

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki also commented: 'As a mother - I know a number of you are mothers - it is horrifying to see the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country.'

Mariupol's city council said the hospital had suffered 'colossal' damage but did not immediately give a figure of the wounded and dead.

The deputy head of Mr Zelensky's office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said authorities are trying to establish the number of victims.

Ukrainian MP Dmitry Gurin told the BBC: 'There are a lot of dead and wounded women. We don't know about children or newborns yet.'

Video footage from the aftermath of the attack showed that large parts of the hospital had completely collapsed, while blood soaked mattresses were pictured lying in hallways.

'Russia committed a huge crime,' said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. 'It is a war crime without any justification.'

Mariupol has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week, with food, water and electricity cut off several days ago - with the Red Cross describing conditions there as 'apocalyptic'.

The head of the Ukrainian Red Cross said yesterday's strike will likely cause a complete collapse of paediatric care in Mariupol, as much of the hospital's equipment and the paediatric care wards were reduced to ashes.

The aftermath of the Russia bombardment on the children and maternity hospital in Mariupol

James Heappey said the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but added in interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the maternity hospital

A woman outside the maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

The wreckage of the maternity hospital after the Russian bombardment in Mariupol

Rescuers on the scene at a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol are locked in a race against time as they try to free survivors from the rubble after the complex suffered a 'direct hit' by Russian rockets yesterday

An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs in a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

An official death toll for the heinous attack has not yet been established but rescuers are working desperately to find and free those still trapped under the rubble with temperatures in the besieged city set to plunge to minus 4 degrees C overnight

A Russian attack severely damaged the children's hospital and maternity ward in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter that there were 'people, children under the wreckage' of the hospital and called the strike an 'atrocity'

The burning wreckage of a car is seen outside a destroyed children's hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week

A Ukrainian soldier examines a huge crater caused by one of the Russian rockets, which fell just in front of a hospital building at the maternity hospital in Mariupol

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military

Ukrainian citizens are pictured on the outskirts of Mariupol dropping bodies into a mass grave as the city's inhabitants work to remove the dead amid brutal shelling from Russian troops

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Local official Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the fears in a post on Facebook: The maternity ward in the city centre, the children's ward and the therapy ward at the hospital - all destroyed in the Russian air raid.'

Just hours before the hospital was hit, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that 3,000 babies were without food or medicines and begged for a humanitarian corridor to allow them to flee.

Moscow had promised a ceasefire in the city today so civilians could be evacuated, but failed for the fourth time to keep its word - a move Kyrylenko said 'crossed the line of humanity' before declaring Russians should 'stop calling yourselves human beings.'

Residents of Mariupol were pictured on Wednesday dumping bodies into mass graves dug on the outskirts of the city in a desperate attempt to remove the dead amid the sustained Russian bombardment.

It is not the first time that Russian airstrikes have targeted hospitals. While fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad in Syria in 2016, Putin's generals were accused of 'deliberately and systematically' blowing up hospitals as a way of weakening the city of Aleppo ahead of a ground assault.

Observers have suggested that Russia is now using a Syria-style battleplan against Ukraine after its early precision strikes failed.

The Ukrainian Healthcare Center, a think-tank based in the country, says that between the outbreak of fighting on February 24 and yesterday, their team documented 42 cases of Russian forces attacking either healthcare facilities or medics in order to deliberately provoke a 'humanitarian crisis'.

Hospitals had been struck in every theatre where Russian forces were operating, the think-tank said, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv.

'The humanitarian catastrophe is a part of Russia's hybrid war. [It] intends to spread panic, create a flow of refugees at the borders and force the Ukrainian government to surrender,' said Pavlo Kovtonyuk, co-founder of the think-tank.

The bombing took place during what was supposed to be a ceasefire in Mariupol so that civilians could evacuate. It marks the fourth time a so-called 'humanitarian corridor' out of the city has failed because Russian forces opened fire.

The mayor of Izyum, to the east of Kharkiv, said evacuations that were supposed to be underway there yesterday also had to stop because Russians were bombing the escape route. But in Sumy, a short distance away, some civilians had managed to make it out. Successful evacuations also took place in Enerhodar, in the south, with women and children able to leave.

It is feared the evacuations are simply a precursor to Russia stepping up its bombardment of the cities to wear down dogged Ukrainian defenders before rolling in troops and tanks to capture them. CIA Director William Burns, briefing Congress on Putin's state of mind Tuesday, warned the 'angry and frustrated' despot is 'likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.'

Giving an update on the military situation yesterday afternoon, Ukrainian commanders said Russian units continue to try and surround the capital Kyiv with attacks taking place to the west and north-east of the city, with several highways blocked.

New footage released on Wednesday purported to show Russian armour just 13 miles from Kyiv as the invaders pushed through the town of Irpin.

Fighting also raged close to the city of Sumy in an attempt to surround Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, commanders said. Battles also broke out around the city of Mykolaiv in the south, as Russians attempted to push out from Kherson towards Odessa but were turned back.

Ukrainian commanders also said Russian military police had rounded up 400 activists protesting against the invasion in the occupied city of Kherson - as the long arm of Vladimir Putin's police state reached across the border to grab people on foreign soil.

Russia's defence ministry meanwhile acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that some conscripts had been sent to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine, just days after Putin promised that only professional soldiers would be sent in.

Some associations of soldiers' mothers in Russia had raised concerns about a number of conscripts going incommunicado at the start of what Kremlin calls a 'special military operation' in Ukraine, suggesting they could have been sent to fight despite a lack of adequate training.

The revelation comes just one week after Russia's parliament passed a law imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally 'fake' news about the military.

'Unfortunately, we have discovered several facts of the presence of conscripts in units taking part in the special military operation in Ukraine. Practically all such soldiers have been pulled out to Russia,' the defence ministry said, promising to prevent such situations in the future.

Chelsea FC is BANNED from selling match tickets and merchandise, slapped with a transfer ban and could face points deduction

Chelsea FC was today banned from selling match tickets or signing new players and must close its stadium shop after Roman Abramovich was added to the UK's sanctions list.

The 9.4billion Russian oligarch, who has close ties to Vladimir Putin, has been prohibited from transactions with UK individuals and businesses - meaning his current to sell the West London club looks impossible.

However, ministers could allow him to apply for a licence to sell the club, with a sale possible as long as he does not benefit financially, MailOnline understands.

Chelsea's status as a 'significant cultural asset' means it has been granted a special licence to continue playing, but Abramovich will be deprived of any profits.

The club has been banned from selling home and away tickets, with only fans who have already bought tickets - including 28,000 season ticket holders - still allowed to attend games.

There is also the prospect that Champions League games will be played effectively behind closed doors, as those tickets are often purchased separately from season tickets.

The licence prohibits Chelsea from spending more than 20,000 on any away game travel, raising serious logistical questions for its Champions League game in Lille next Wednesday. The play Norwich away tonight and Newcastle at home on Sunday.

A source told Mailonline: 'Stamford Bridge is not going to be empty  we don't expect them to play behind closed doors. It does mean there may be some empty seats but not an empty ground.'

Chelsea will not be able to agree any new contracts, preventing it from engaging in the summer transfer market, but existing staff, stadium stewards and players will still be paid. It can also continue to receive TV broadcast payments and provide food and drink at matches.

The club - which today marks its 117th birthday - cannot sell any merchandise itself, but retailers who already hold stock can continue to do so, as long as none of the money ends up in Chelsea's hands.

The licence to continue operating will last until May 31, but can be 'varied, revoked or suspended' at any time. If the club were to end up in administration, they would receive a nine point penalty.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said the aim was to ensure that Abramovich cannot 'benefit from his ownership'. The oligarch's name was chanted by Chelsea fans during a minute's applause for Ukraine at Burney on Saturday, leading to widespread condemnation.

Abramovich has overseen the most successful period in Chelsea's history, winning 21 trophies - including five Premier League titles and the Champions League twice.

Roman Abramovich will not be allowed to sell Chelsea, while unprecedented extra measures have been taken to ensure he cannot profit from its activities

Abramovich has overseen the most successful period in Chelsea's history, winning 21 trophies - including five Premier League titles and the Champions League twice

The ticket page of the Chelsea FC website is currently down, with a message saying it is undergoing 'scheduled maintenance'

Chelsea's matchday store was shut today after the government announced sanctions that include banning it from selling any merchandise

A Chelsea fan making a last minute purchase at the club shop today. Other retailers with existing stock can still sell it, as long as the proceeds do not end up in Chelsea's coffers

A new licence allows the club to continue playing all its fixtures due to its status as a 'significant cultural asset', but only season ticket holders will be allowed to attend games at Stamford Bridge (pictured)

Today's news has left fans of the club reeling, with one declaring it 'the end of Chelsea as we know it' - while rivals mocked the club, saying 'Stamford Bridge is falling down'.

'It's the end of Chelsea as we know it': Stunned supporters fear the worst after Abramovich is sanctioned By Dan Ripley for MailOnline Chelsea fans were today left fearing the worst though as the club faces a rocky and uncertain future. On social media, there were plenty of concerned fans fearing that the club in its current running would on longer continue, and feared darker times ahead. They said: 'Yeah this is it. The end of Chelsea as we know it. Was fun as long as it lasted.' The news coincides with the day the club celebrate their 117th birthday and fans noted how the there have been better ones for the Blues. 'This is turning out to be a really s*** birthday for the club.', one supporter reflected. Another supporter feared it will spark the end of the club, fearing the sanctions could be hanging around the club for a long time, while sarcastically congratulating those that claimed Abramovich shouldn't have just sold the club as quick as he could. They claimed: 'Chelsea being given the death penalty basically. And no, these sanctions won't be lifted anytime soon so this will be the new reality. Congrats to whoever advised Roman not to sell last week.' Not all Chelsea fans chose to look at the negatives though, with one fan believing that with the club being given a its 'significant cultural asset' tag it could be allowed a special type of sale to keep the club functioning. 'We'll get the special dispensation for the sale. There will be no 'death' of Chelsea,' they responded. Advertisement

Although the shape of Chelsea's long-term future has naturally been thrown into doubt, but Government ministers were quick to insist any damage would be limited.

Nadine Dorries said on Twitter: 'Our priority is to hold those who have enabled the Putin regime to account.

'Today's sanctions obviously have a direct impact on Chelsea and its fans. We have been working hard to ensure the club & the national game are not unnecessarily harmed by these important sanctions.

'To ensure the club can continue to compete and operate we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club.

'I know this brings some uncertainty, but the Government will work with the league and clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We're committed to protecting them.'

Abramovich has changed the face of British football in his time as Chelsea owner, leading the Blues to 21 trophies in 19 years in a clean sweep of all global competitions.

But that era has been brought to a halt amid Vladimir Putin and Russia's war in Ukraine.

Today, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy welcomed Abramovich had 'at last' been sanctioned.

The Labour MP said in a statement: 'At last! This is the right decision. But it should not have taken the Government weeks.

'Too few oligarchs linked to Putin's rogue regime have so far faced sanctions from the UK Government. We are lagging far behind allies in the EU and the US.

'It is right that, under pressure from Labour, the Government U-turned to strengthen sanctions legislation.

Ministers must now move faster to continue to close the sanctions gap.'

Today a Chelsea Supporters' Trust spokesman said: 'The CST notes with concern the Government's statement regarding the owner.

'Supporters must be involved in any conversation regarding ongoing impacts on the club and its global fan base.

'The CST implores the Government to conduct a swift process to minimise the uncertainty over Chelsea's future, for supporters and for supporters to be given a golden share as part of a sale of the club.'

Abramovich's name was chanted by Chelsea fans during a minute's applause for Ukraine at Burney on Saturday, leading to widespread condemnation

Abramovich has changed the face of British football in his time as Chelsea owner, leading the Blues to 21 trophies in 19 years in a clean sweep of all global competitions

British billionaire Nick Candy was the latest high-profile business magnate to throw their hat into the ring for Chelsea's sale, amid a host of suitors for the Champions League holders.

Swiss tycoon Hansjorg Wyss and American investor Todd Boehly were also in the running, with more than 10 credible parties understood to have been compiling bids.

The Chelsea squad will continue to prepare for Thursday's Premier League clash at Norwich as normal, but everyone at the club will now set about examining the details of the current situation.

Mr Abramovich's one time business partner, Oleg Deripaska, has been hit with the same sanctions - as have Rosneft chief Igor Sechin and four more described as being in Putin's 'inner circle'.

Boris Johnson said: 'There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin's vicious assault on Ukraine.

'Today's sanctions are the latest step in the UK's unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.'

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: 'Today's sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.

'The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.

'Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.'

The Foreign Office said the oligarchs have a collective net worth of around 15billion.

Mr Abramovich is worth 10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a 150million Kensington mansion, a 22million West London penthouse, and more than 1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars based in Britain and around the world.

His two superyachts may already be out of reach. 430million Solaris was moored in Barcelona a week ago but is now off the Sicily coast, believed to be heading to Israel, where he holds citizenship.

The 540million Eclipse is currently in open sea off the coast of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.

In London, his staff are said to have been ready for viewings at his 15-bedroom mansion at Kensington Palace Gardens, valued at more than 150m, and a three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront, worth an estimated 22m.

Putin's sanctioned cronies: Billionaire oil tycoon, Kremlin banker and KGB agent among the Russian oligarchs targeted in 15bn sanction hit

By Danyal Hussain for MailOnline

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and six others today were hit with crippling sanctions from the UK government over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Abramovich's one-time business partner, Oleg Deripaska, was also targeted, alongside Rosneft chief Igor Sechin and four more described as being in Putin's 'inner circle'.

They include Andrey Kostin, chairman of the second largest bank in Russia, Alexei Miller, chief executive of of energy company Gazprom, Nikolai Tokarev, president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft and Dmitri Lebedev, chairman of Bank Rossiya.

The announcement of sanctions against Abramovich immediately threw Chelsea football club into crisis as it was banned from selling match tickets or signing new players and ordered to close its stadium shop.

The sale of the club was also put on hold as Abramovich's UK assets were frozen and he was hit with a travel ban, alongside his fellow oligarchs.

Shortly after the news, Boris Johnson said: 'There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin's vicious assault on Ukraine.

'Today's sanctions are the latest step in the UK's unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.'

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: 'Today's sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.

'The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.

'Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.'

The Foreign Office said the oligarchs have a collective net worth of around 15billion.

Deripaska (left) is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been accused of aiding the Kremlin in foreign influence operations

Russia's President Vladimir Putin poses next to Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller after awarding him with the title of 'Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation'

Vladimir Putin meets Andrey Kostin. Kostin has close ties to President Vladimir Putin and previously described sanctions against Russia as 'economic war'

The seven oligarchs sanctioned by the UK today

Roman Abramovich: Worth up to 9.4 billion

Russian money has long bankrolled some of English football's biggest clubs, and Roman Abramovich is seen as the original billionaire football owner.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, whose money turned the club into a football powerhouse

Mr Abramovich was named last year by detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as someone who should be targeted by Western governments in a bid to curb human-rights abuses by the Russian state.

Mr Abramovich has never held UK citizenship and made his money selling assets purchased from the state when the Soviet Union broke up.

When he arrived at Chelsea in 2003 and transformed the team from outside challengers to a Premier League giant with the help of Jose Mourinho.

As well as owning the west London football club, he has reportedly built up a 200million property portfolio in London.

This includes a three-storey penthouse overlooking the River Thames for 22million and 90million for a 15-bedroom mansion next to Kensington Palace. This is now worth at least 125million.

The bulk of Abramovich's UK wealth is to be found in Evraz, a steel and mining giant listed on the London stock market.

The empire also includes a 22million three-storey penthouse at the Chelsea Waterfront (pictured) which was completed after his visa expired and was made in his name

Believed to be worth anything between 8.4billion and 14.3billion, according to Forbes and the Sunday Times, Abramovich also owns stakes in steel company Evraz and Norilsk Nickel - a Russian mining company.

A political figure in his homeland, he was governor of the Chukotka region and donated more than $2million to build schools, hospitals and infrastructure.

The Russian billionaire, 54, reportedly boasts a British property empire that includes a 15-bedroom mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens (pictured) that is believed to be now worth 125 million

The empire also includes a 22million three-storey penthouse at the Chelsea Waterfront (pictured) which was completed after his visa expired and was made in his name

Abramovich has a 162.5m yacht (pictured in September 2020), named 'Eclipse'

The Russian-Israeli businessman is known to have close relationships with former Russian leader Boris Yeltsin and at one time, current president Vladimir Putin.

Branded a pro-Kremlin oligarch, Abramovich was targeted with an asset freeze and a travel ban on Thursday after ministers came under sustained pressure to target him over Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The updated sanctions list, which hits seven new elite individuals, said Abramovich has had a 'close relationship for decades' with Mr Putin, which the football club owner has previously denied.

Jets and yachts owned or chartered by Abramovich can been seized, the sanctions say.

The Russian oligarch, who had close ties to Vladimir Putin, has been prohibited from transactions with UK individuals and businesses - meaning his plan to sell the West London club looks impossible.

Chelsea's status as a 'significant cultural asset' means it has been granted a special licence to continue playing, but Abramovich will be deprived of any profits.

The club has been banned from selling home and away tickets, with only fans who have already bought tickets - including 28,000 season ticket holders - still allowed to attend games.

Ministers will discuss ways of allowing away fans and supporters attending Champions League ties to attend without funneling cash to the club.

The licence prohibits Chelsea from spending more than 20,000 on any away game travel, raising serious logistical questions for its Champions League game in Lille next Wednesday. The side play Newcastle at home on Sunday.

The government describes Abramovich as 'a prominent Russian businessman and pro-Kremlin oligarch' who is 'associated with a person who is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine' - Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Indeed the men are described as having had 'a close relationship for decades', an association which has resulted in 'financial or other material benefit' from the Russian regime, the Government said.

It said this included tax breaks received by companies linked to Mr Abramovich, and 'preferential treatment and concessions' from the Kremlin.

It highlighted Evraz as being involved in providing financial services, or making available funds, economic resources, goods or technology 'that could contribute to destabilising Ukraine'.

Oleg Deripaska: Worth up to 2 billion

Once Russia's richest man, oil tycoon Mr Deripaska came to prominence in the UK when he entertained Labour grandee Lord Mandelson on his yacht in Corfu.

The tycoon  who is close to Mr Putin  quit as a director of Russian energy giant EN+ Group after being targeted by the sanctions. He owns a house in Belgrave Square and is a grandson by marriage to the late leader Boris Yeltsin.

Last year he tore into the FBI and 'utter stupidity' of the American government in a lengthy statement on Wednesday, a day after homes linked to him in New York and Washington were raided by the agency.

Oleg Deripaska (pictured), who was once Russia's richest man, owns a house in Belgrave Square and is a grandson by marriage to the late leader Boris Yeltsin

A spokesman for Deripaska said the searches stemmed from sanctions imposed on him in 2018 and that the homes belonged to his relatives. But on Deripaska indicated both pieces of luxury real estate were 'abandoned.'

Deripaska's was born in Siberia in 1968 but raised by his grandparents in Krasnodar, after his mother left home to find work. He was drafted into the Red Army before graduating Moscow State University in 1993 with a degree in nuclear physics, just as Soviet Russia was collapsing.

His estimated peak fortune sat at 28 billion and he boasted several multi-million properties and private jets, as well as the yacht where he entertained Peter Mandelson and George Osbourne. At his peak, he

Deripaska has acknowledged his business depends on goodwill in the Kremlin. However, in 2018, he was targeted with sanctions that crippled his wealth, over 'malign' Russian activity.

The US banned businesses and banks from having any dealings with Deripaska, and attempted to seize some of his assets.

American officials cited a string of his alleged criminal activities, including 'threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering', as well as links to organised crime.

The private luxury yacht of Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska, pictured in Turkey

Deripaska has a home in Belgrave Square and is also rumoured to have a home at nearby Eaton Square

They also claimed Putin forced him to launder money by investing $800m in a sports complex for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

Now, Deripaska's fortune sits at $2.9bn, just a tenth of its peak and could collapse further following sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Deripaska is a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin who's been accused of helping the Kremlin conduct foreign influence operations.

A 1,000-page Senate Intelligence Committee report released in 2020 also links him to former Trump 2016 campaign chair Paul Manafort and ex-MI6 spy Christopher Steele.

Deripaska and other members of Putin's inner circle as well as 12 Russian businesses connected to them were blacklisted by the Treasury Department in 2018 over alleged international crimes.

However, Donald Trump lifted sanctions on three companies connected to him despite objections from Congressional Democrats.

According to the government, Deripaska still has stakes in En+ Group, a major extractives and energy company which owns UC Rusal, one of the world's major aluminium producers. He also has a multi-million pound property portfolio in the UK.

Igor Sechin: Wealth unclear, estimated to be around 100million

Nicknamed Darth Vader and widely seen as Putin's right-hand man, Sechin is the Chief Executive of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company.

He has been a close confidante of Putin since the early 1990s. From 1991 to 1996, he worked at Saint Petersburg mayor's office, becoming chief of staff to Putin in 1994.

He went on to serve as Putin's deputy chief of staff when he became President in 2000.

Widely seen as Putin's right-hand man, Igor Sechin is the Chief Executive of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company

French authorities seized the 86million yacht linked to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally who runs the Russian oil giant Rosneft, in the Mediterranean resore of La Ciota

A yacht owned by Igor Sechin, boss of Russian state energy company Rosneft, was grabbed by French customs officers near Marseille. It is frequently used by his second wife Olga Rozhkova

He was appointed chairman of Rosneft by Putin in 2004 before serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in Putin's cabinet from 2008 to 2012.

Sechin is seen as one of Putin's most conservative allies and commands the loyalties of the FSB, spreading its influence in Russia's energy sector.

In 2008, Hugo Chavez said that the idea for Venezuelan nuclear energy program came from Sechin, who went on to negotiate deals on weapons and nuclear technology deliveries to Venezuela.

A 2014 article said Sechin is 'widely believed to be Russia's second-most powerful person', claims that have been repeated since.

He has been married twice, with his second wife Olga Rozhkova seen frequently using his superyacht, which was seized in France as part of sanctions against Sechin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Officials in France seized the 86million superyacht linked to Sechin in the Mediterranean port of La Ciotat close to Marseille last week.

The US government first sanctioned Sechin in March 2014, freezing his assets and banning him from travelling there.

The EU blacklisted Sechin and froze his assets at the end of February.

Andrey Kostin: Worth 375million

Andrey Kostin is president and chairman of VTB Bank, Russia's second-largest bank, which is controlled by the state.

Kostin has close ties to President Vladimir Putin and previously described sanctions against Russia as 'economic war'. He is widely seen as a close associate of Putin.

In 2018 it emerged the Chelsea Flower show was reportedly struggling to find backers meaning a Russian bank set up by oligarch Mr Kostin, who is currently subject to US sanctions, had been allowed to sponsor a garden.

Kostin is president and chairman of Russia's second-largest bank, VTB, which is controlled by the state

On December 2, 2019, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny released an investigation about Kostin's relationship with journalist Naila Asker-Zade on YouTube

Kostin's yacht. Kostin has close ties to President Vladimir Putin and previously described sanctions against Russia as 'economic war'

It was claimed in 2020 that Kostin tried to cover up claims Vladimir Putin had secretly moved to Sochi during the pandemic, with president going so far as to have a replica office built to convince Russians he's still in Moscow, anti-Kremlin media reported.

The Kremlin said a photographed meeting between Putin and VTB Bank head Andrei Kostin on October 29 2020 happened at Novo-Ogaryovo - Putin's state residence outside Moscow - but critics claimed that the encounter actually took place in Sochi.

On December 2, 2019, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny released an investigation about Kostin's relationship with journalist Naila Asker-Zade on YouTube.

He accused Kostin of giving gifts to Asker-Zade, including the use of a business jet, yacht, house and two apartments.

Kostin, according to Navalny, used money belonging to the bank, 60.9% of which is state-owned, to buy real estate for Asker-Zade.

Kostin said in a statement: 'I unequivocally state that I have never used public resources of VTB Bank for any personal purposes. All such claims made by others are completely unfounded and false.'

Alexei Miller - Net worth unknown

Alexei Miller is CEO of energy company Gazprom, making him one of the most important executives supporting the Russian government, according to the UK government.

Miller served under Putin in the 1990s when Putin was deputy mayor in St Petersburg.

From 1996 to 1999, he was Director for Development and Investments of the Port of Saint Petersburg. From 1999 to 2000, he served as Director General of the Baltic Pipeline System.

Alexei Miller is CEO of energy company Gazprom and an influential executive in Russia

He continued to climb the ranks and in 2000 was appointed Deputy Minister of Energy for Russia. Then, in 2001, he was given a leading role at Gazprom.

Since 2002, he has also been deputy chairman of Gazprom's board of directors.

It is said that Putin secured Miller's appointment as CEO so that he could put an end to fears that some of Gazprom's executives had 'harmful third-party relationships'.

In April 2018, the United States sanctioned Miller along with 23 other Russian nationals. The sanction bars US individuals and entities from having any dealings with him.

Nikolai Tokarev - Net worth unknown

A close associate of Putin, Tokarev is the president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft.

From 1978, Tokarev studied at the Moscow Higher School of the KGB for two years.

He then served as a KGB officer in Dresden in East Germany in the 1980s.

A close associate of Putin, Tokarev is the president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft

It was here that he first met Putin, who joined two years after Tokarev. Tokarev took the future Russian president under his wing and the two struck up a close friendship.

Between 1996 and 1999 Tokarev worked for the state Presidential Property Management Department, spending time working under Putin.

Dmitri Lebedev - Net worth unknown

Lebedev is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Rossiya. The UK sanctioned Bank Rossiya, widely considered to be the Kremlin's private bank, on February 22 2022.

Lebedev was sanctioned by the US in 2016.

From 1990 to 1993, he worked at the Central Administration of the Central Bank of Russia in St. Petersburg, at the same time as Putin worked in the government.

Dmitri Lebedev is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Rossiya. The UK sanctioned Bank Rossiya, widely considered to be the Kremlin's private bank, on February 22 2022

From 1993 to 1995 he was both a director of the Bank Rossiya and first deputy chairman of the board of the CAB 'Viking'.

From April 2006, to June 2012, he was the CEO and chairman of the board of Bank Rossiya.

In June 2012, Evgeny Logovinsky took over Lebedev's post as CEO, and, since June 2012, Lebedev has been the chairman of the board of directors of Bank Rossiya.

Bank Rossiya is considered by the US to be 'the personal bank for senior officials of the Russian Federation' including Mr Putin's inner circle.

It has supported the integration of Crimea into Russia, and 'offers support to military activities and the formation of major transport links and cards that allow the public to travel easily around the peninsula', the UK Government previously said.

Lebedev is also high up in asset management company ABR Management, and insurance heavyweight Sogaz - both of which are Bank Rossiya affiliates.

Lebedev's involvement in the financial sector is deemed to be of strategic significance to the Russian Government.

It cites Bank Rossiya's opening of branches across Crimea since it was annexed following Russia's invasion in 2014 as key to their decision to add him to the sanctions list.

It also highlighted Sogaz's role in insuring the construction of the bridge over the Kerch Strait between the Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula, thus supporting the internationally condemned annexation.
Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching has died.

Senator Kitching, 52, died of a suspected heart attack on Thursday afternoon.

Many have been shocked by her sudden passing with social media flooded with an outpouring of grief.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese gave a heartfelt response to Senator Kitching's tragic passing, saying: 'The Labor family is in shock tonight at the tragic news that our friend and colleague Senator has died suddenly in Melbourne.

'My sincere condolences to her family. Kimberley will be missed by us all.'

The former lawyer, policy adviser, Melbourne City councillor and union official was elected to Parliament in 2016

Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching has died of a suspected heart attack

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews wrote: 'Terrible news tonight about Senator Kimberley Kitching. My thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison also shared a few words.

'Deeply saddened at the news Victorian Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching passed away suddenly today, aged just 52,' he said.

'Our deepest condolences go to her family, friends and colleagues.'

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce referred to Senator Kitching as a 'dear friend' in his response to the news.

'I am deeply, genuinely and so terribly upset to hear the tragic news about a dear person and dear friend, Senator Kimberley Kitching.'

'She was a beautiful woman and this is a tragic loss. 'I know she is with our Lord, and I offer my sincerest and deepest condolences to her family,' he added.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese announced Kitching's tragic passing on Twitter

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews wrote: 'Terrible news tonight about Senator Kimberley Kitching. My thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.' Pictured with Labor Senator Kristina Keneally

Prime Minster Scott Morrison said he was 'deeply saddened' to hear about Senator Kitching's passing, while Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce referred to her as a 'dear friend' in his response

The former lawyer, policy adviser, Melbourne City councillor and union official was elected to Parliament in 2016.

During her maiden speech to parliament, Senator Kitching spoke about her hope to represent everyday Australian people.

'As a former Queenslander who grew up swimming, a proud holder of a bronze medallion, who continues to enjoy swimming in Victoria's chillier waters, I am daunted yet delighted to be thrown in the deep end right here and now,' she said.

'I am mindful and deeply humbled that only 591 Australians have ever served in the Senate,' she said.

'I am mindful that so much that is great about this nation comes from rising to meet challenges.'

During her maiden speech to parliament, Senator Kitching spoke about her hope to represent everyday Australian people. Pictured with former opposition leader Bill Shorten

She made a bid for Labor pre-selection for two electorates in the 2013 Australian federal election but was unsuccessful. Pictured with Dean Jones

In 2016, Senator Kitching won pre-selection to fill Stephen Conroy's seat following his resignation

Senator Kitching was born in Brisbane in 1970 and moved to Melbourne in 1995.

She made a bid for Labor pre-selection for two electorates in the 2013 Australian federal election but was unsuccessful.

In 2016, Senator Kitching won pre-selection to fill Stephen Conroy's seat following his resignation.

She served in the Senate from 2016 until her death. She leaves behind her husband Andrew Landeryou.

Kimberley Kitching (pictured seond right) and Anthony Albanese (pictured left) are pictured with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and other Labor collegues in 2018

Kimberley Kitching (left) and her husband Andrew Landeryou are seen during her swearing in at a joint sitting of the Victorian Parliament in Melbourne
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Britain will be warmer than Greece today as temperatures nudge a balmy 60F before rain and windy conditions return at the weekend.

The highest temperature in Athens is 42F during today while weather in London and South East England is expect to reach highs of 58F, and could go as high as 60F, as sunny spells take hold amid small periods of rain.

Outside of the south east, the rest of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be a little colder and there will be more showers.

Aidan McGivern, from the Met Office, said the 'chilly start' today is turning into 'brighter skies' than the colder Wednesday.

On Friday, Mr McGivern said it will be 'increasingly' cloudy and rainy, with some frost, and there will be a 'mixture of bright spells and showers'.

Britain will be warmer than Greece today as temperatures nudge a balmy 60F before rain and windy conditions return at the weekend. The highest temperature in Athens is 42F during today while weather in London and South East England is expect to reach highs of 58F, and could go as high as 60F, as sunny spells take hold amid small periods of rain. Pictured: Rowing boats practice on the river Thames at low tide on a mild sunny day in March

The Met Office says it will be cloudy today with some outbreaks of rain in South East England and a minimum temperature of 58F

Mr McGivern, senior weather presenter the Met Office, added: 'More clouds to come and some outbreaks of mainly light rain for northern England and Scotland before the middle of the afternoon and brighter skies for the southern half of the UK.

'There will be some sunshine either side of the front and you can see the milder air remains there in the south east, 14C, and its closer to average further north and west, closer to 9C.'

On Friday, Mr McGivern said it will be 'increasingly' frosty, cloudy and rainy, which will be a 'mixture of bright spells and showers'.

He said the weekend will bring 'further spells' but it should remain bright if a little colder.

The Met Office says it will be cloudy with some outbreaks of rain in South East England and a minimum temperature of 45F. Most likely early and late in the day there will be showers, forecasters claim, with much of the day dry, allowing for some some sunny spells. Pictured: Battered crocus flowers, a sign of Spring, on March 9

The Met Office says it will be cloudy with some outbreaks of rain in South East England and a minimum temperature of 45F.

Most likely early and late in the day there will be showers, forecasters claim, with much of the day dry, allowing for some some sunny spells.

In North West England, Wales, Yorkshire and Humber, North East England and South West England there will be a maximum temp of 54F amid some showers.

Scotland will be colder with highs of 48F and a flood alert was issued for Ayrshire and Arran in the west.

Northern Ireland will be mainly dry, having a southeasterly breeze later and a maximum temperature of 50F.

A Met Office spokesman told the MailOnline: 'Today will see a broad area of low cloud and patchy rain in parts of Scotland, Wales, western England and eastern Northern Ireland'. Pictured: Daybreak over the Oxford countryside today

In North West England, Wales, Yorkshire and Humber, North East England and South West England there will be a maximum temp of 54F amid some showers. Pictured: A carpet of crocuses at the National Trust's Wallington Hall near the village of Cambo in Northumberland

A Met Office spokesman told the MailOnline: 'Today will see a broad area of low cloud and patchy rain in parts of Scotland, Wales, western England and eastern Northern Ireland.

'This patchy feature will move slowly to the northeast and gradually break up through the day.

'There's a continued mild theme for many southern and central areas of the UK, with the southeast possibly going to see up to 15C today.

'Further north will still be relatively mild for the time of year, with maximum temperatures around 10C in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

'Friday will see winds gradually pick up as a shallow low pressure system develops to the south of Ireland. Associated with this wind will be some rain building in from the west on Friday, starting in the southwest but drifting across much of the UK on Friday.

'The heaviest showers are expected in the southwest early on Friday, but an unsettled theme will remain for most after the initial band of showers moves through.

'Saturday will stay with some bright and sunny spells for many  especially in the east, but cloud and rain will move in once again from the southwest later in the day, as a low pressure system slowly moves in from the southwest. This will see winds pick up in the west, with gusts of up to 55mph possible in exposed coastal areas.

'That unsettled theme will continue on Sunday, with some high winds in western areas and patchy rain for much of the UK.'

BBC weather forecaster Stav Danaos said: 'Some sunshine getting into western Scotland and it will also be bright across eastern England and the South East where again we will see temperatures very mild for the time of year, 14C or 15C, but even double figures further north and west, it will be a little bit breezier as well'. Pictured: A surfer enters the chilly North Sea against the backdrop of a glorious sunrise on Tynemouth beach, in North Tyneside, this morning

BBC weather forecaster Stav Danaos said: 'Some sunshine getting into western Scotland and it will also be bright across eastern England and the South East where again we will see temperatures very mild for the time of year, 14C or 15C, but even double figures further north and west, it will be a little bit breezier as well.

'As we head through Thursday night it turns cloudier, outbreaks of rain pushing up from central and southern areas and it will spread northwards, across northern England and towards Scotland so more cloud around and more breeze so it will be a milder night for most of us, and a milder night certainly for Northern Ireland.'

'On Friday we see a more active weather front start to sweep in from the Atlantic, that will bring more windy weather but also some heavier rain which will start to push in through south west England, Wales and Northern Ireland as the day wears on.'
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told British troops in Estonia 'the eyes of the world are upon you' today as he visited the Baltic state.

He and shadow defence secretary John Healey travelled to the country on day 15 of the war in Ukraine to meet soldiers in the Tapa military base.

They met Estonia's defence minister, Kalle Laanet, at the Ministry of Defence building in Tallinn this morning to mark the start of the visit.

The snow-blanketed Eastern European country shares an 183-mile (294km) border with Russia and was part of the Soviet Union until 1991. It joined Nato in 2004.

Surrounded by tanks including one draped with a Union flag, Sir Keir thanked soldiers for providing 'reassurance' through their presence at the base in the country bordering Russia.

He added that 'there is no time for party politics' because the world faces 'a very grave situation' amid Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Surrounded by tanks including one draped with a Union flag, Sir Keir thanked soldiers for providing 'reassurance' through their presence at the base in the country bordering Russia.

He added that 'there is no time for party politics' because the world faces 'a very grave situation' amid Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Sir Keir and shadow defence secretary John Healey (centre) have travelled to the Baltic state on day 15 of the war in Ukraine to meet soldiers in the Tapa military base.

They met Estonia's defence minister, Kalle Laanet, at the Ministry of Defence building in Tallinn this morning to mark the start of the visit.

Sir Keir spoke with Mr Laanet in private for around 30 minutes before setting off for the Tapa military base.

The Labour politicians are later due to meet Colonel Dai Bevan, Commander of the Nato Enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia, before having lunch with troops and speaking with MPs at the Estonian parliament.

While travelling from the defence ministry building to the Tapa base, Sir Keir said he 'stands steadfast in solidarity with Ukraine'.

He said on Twitter: 'Today, @JohnHealey-MP and I are in Estonia, to meet with our allies and British troops.

'Labour stands steadfast in solidarity with Ukraine, and we are committed to supporting our Nato allies.'

It comes after the British Army said a small number of soldiers have 'disobeyed orders and gone absent without leave' and may have travelled to Ukraine 'in a personal capacity'.

There is no suggestion these soldiers were from the Tapa base.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned that soldiers could be prosecuted for desertion if they have travelled to Ukraine to fight against the Russian army.

In Ukraine, Mr Putin's forces have seized areas in the south and east of the country, including the city of Mariupol.
A Pakistani father has been arrested on suspicion of shooting dead his seven-day-old baby girl because he wanted his first-born to be a boy in a case that has sparked fury in Pakistan.

The newborn baby named Jannat - meaning 'heaven' in Urdu - was shot five times on Monday at her home in the central city of Mianwali, police said.

The suspect, identified as Shahzaib Khan, allegedly entered his house and ordered his wife to hand over Jannat before shooting dead the week-old baby, reported Dawn newspaper.

Shahzaib, who has been married for two years, then fled the scene but was arrested on Thursday in a nearby district, police said.

The suspect, identified as Shahzaib Khan, allegedly entered his house and ordered his wife to hand over Jannat before shooting dead the week-old baby. He was arrested on Thursday by Pakistani police (pictured)

In some parts of Pakistan tribal customs mean that baby girls can be considered an insult to manhood.

The girl's maternal uncle, Hidayatullah Khan, launched a formal complaint against the suspect for the killing.

'A baby girl was born...he was infuriated,' Hidayatullah said, referring to the father.

The devastated relative said Shahzaib had not returned to the family home after discovering his wife had given birth to a baby girl and refused to accept her.

Hidayatullah said the suspect entered the family home where relatives had gathered and ordered his wife to hand over Jannat to him.

'The suspect took the girl into his hands and shot her dead,' he told Dawn.

Hidayatullah claimed that he had tried to take the baby away from Shahzaib but the suspect had pointed the gun at him and the other relatives and threatened to shoot them if they moved closer.

The case sparked fury in Pakistan, with the public condemning the 'brutal' death of the newborn baby.

'This is beyond barbaric, brutal and vicious. The only solution to stop this brutality is hanging him publicly,' Tehseen Qasim wrote on Twitter.

'I'm disgusted to the core. I feel terribly for the mother. Look at the beautiful daughter she had. Women lead the world, it's 2022,' wrote Misbah Munir, another Twitter user.

Human rights groups say girls and women face regular violence for a variety of reasons in Pakistan, which sits three spots above the bottom of the World Economic Forum's 2021 gender Gap Index.

People participate in 'Aurat March' or 'Women's March', to mark International Women's Day in Karachi, Pakistan, March 8

Faisal Edhi, who heads the largest social welfare charity group in Pakistan's largest city Karachi, reported that over 500 bodies of infants were found dumped over the past two years. Most were girls.

There have been a number of high-profile cases in recent years of fathers killing their daughters in Pakistan because they consider them a burden.

In 2015, Irshad Ahmed killed his three young daughters, t wins Chashman and Aman aged seven and a five-year-old Fiza, after encouraging his wife Shabana Naz to attend a wedding with their only son.

Shabana only took one of her daughters, the youngest aged two, after refusing to leave her behind at their home in Chak Jumra town, around 135 miles northwest of Lahore.

When she returned from the wedding, Shabana discovered the bodies of the three little girls lying in the bed - and their father gone.

Shabana said Ahmed had believed his daughters to be worthless, claiming they would mean the family would 'die of hunger'.

In 2013, Umar Zaib, 28, was arrested in Pakistan for drowning his 18-month-old daughter because he had wanted a son instead.
A Royal Navy sailor sexually assaulted a female US sailor after downing beers and margaritas whilst they were stationed on a remote island together, a court martial has heard.

Leading Seaman Paul Morby, 29, allegedly had a shower in the woman's bathroom before telling her to lie down with him whilst they were both stationed on Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The court heard the woman had invited him over in the afternoon after they met at a bar days before, but he did not turn up until 9.30pm drunk.

Bulford Military Court was told he drank three beers and two strawberry flavoured margarita cocktails before turning up to see the woman.

He and took off his shorts and told her to 'calm down' because 'it's just a penis' before sexually assaulting her further, the panel was told.

The court heard she felt 'numb' and 'tense' during the ordeal before she ran to the bathroom screaming at him to leave her alone.

The following day, 'LH Morby texted her and said he felt terrible about his antics last night'.

He denies both counts of sexual assault.

Leading Seaman Paul Morby (pictured) allegedly had a shower in the woman's bathroom before telling her to lie down with him whilst they were both stationed on Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

William Peters, prosecuting, said: 'They had known each other for a day or two. There had been sexualised flirting and they had exchanged contact details.

'She invited him to her room; by this time she was tired and was getting ready for bed.'

The woman, in her 20s, told the court: 'He went to the bed and kept asking me to come to the bed. I did eventually say yes and lay next to him on the bed.

'He kept sticking his hand down the back of my pants, my underwear and my jeans. I didn't say anything at the time.

'He took off his shorts and I asked what he was doing and he looked at me and said 'calm down, it's just a penis'.

'Shortly after that he undid the button on my jeans and I was telling him I didn't want to have sex. He kept repeatedly asking me to take off my clothes.

'And I kept repeatedly telling him no. Eventually I realised he wasn't going to listen to me so I took off each article of clothing one by one.

'We were laying there and he was sitting behind me and we were still kind of cuddling and we were talking about something I really don't remember what we were talking about.'

The woman told the court heard LH Morby then sexually assaulted her.

She added: 'I felt incredibly anxious, very tense, very numb too.'

She then 'shoved' him off her before locking herself in the bathroom and shouting at him to leave, the court heard.

The court was told she had 'made it very clear' she did not want to engage sexually with him and told him 'no' up to 15 times.

The board were read various texts sent between the pair following the incident in which LH Morby apologised to the woman.

The woman later lodged a complaint and the matter was transferred to the Royal Navy police.

In a police interview, LH Morby agreed that he had gone into her room and the pair had kissed in their underwear and 'got frisky', but claimed she had just stormed off 'for no reason'.

However LH Morby today denied sexually assaulting the US Navy sailor and told a court he just went to her room to 'spoon' and watch a film.

He alleged they had been kissing on her bed and after he touched her leg, she stormed off to the bathroom leaving him thinking he had taken things 'too fast'.

LH Morby told the court martial that before going to her room he sent her a jokey text saying: 'You don't have to do anything you don't want, just using you for spoonage.'

Bulford Military Court (pictured) was told he drank three beers and two strawberry flavoured margarita cocktails before turning up to see the woman

LH Morby, who at one point served on HMS Vigilant submarine, said: 'The day before the alleged incident, I invited her to come out for a few drinks.

'We were just chatting and she did get quite drunk; she was quite flirtatious with me. She left and she apologised about what happened [via text].

'The next day I went to her room but I was not drunk. She joined me on the bed. We were spooning and she was pressing her bum into me. I got an erection, I was aroused.

'She was not upset in any way shape or form. After a while, I started kissing her neck.'

LH Morby told the court that as they were kissing he lightly touched her hip which he believes prompted her to lock herself in the toilet for 15 minutes.

'It was a completely unreasonable reaction. She seemed upset, angry and annoyed. From what I saw, it was a completely normal encounter.

'She brushed me off to the side, maybe I took it too fast,' he added.

LH Morby denied putting his hands down her pants, digitally penetrating her and giving her oral sex.

He told the court he waited for her to come out of the bathroom as he wanted to understand what he had done to warrant an 'unusual, unreasonable reaction'.

The court was told in a text exchange between the pair after the alleged incident, LH Morby described himself as 'dickish' and that he was 'ashamed' and 'would not try that shit again'.

He told the hearing: 'She never made clear what I had done wrong. I was not apologising for anything in particular. It was never made clear what I had done wrong.

'Afterwards she actively sought me out as you can see from the Facebook messages.

'I was overly harsh on myself. I was scared and didn't know what she was capable of. I cannot understand why she's made these allegations.

'She made me feel like I'd done something wrong because of her reaction, I wanted to make amends.'

LH Morby joined the Navy in 2014 but has since left and is now training to become a radiographer.

The trial continues.
Ukraine's fast-track bid to join the EU in the face of Russian bombardment has been slapped down by European leaders blaming bureaucratic red tape.

Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with the bloc to quickly become a member during a summit this week to provide extra security to his besieged country.

Despite the 27 leaders gathering in France's opulent Versailles palace today to discuss the Russian invasion, Ukraine's membership is not on the table for the talks.

France and the Netherlands are leading the calls against Ukraine joining the club, while Poland and other eastern counties more at risk of Russian invasions are pushing for a quick approval.

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told France Inter radio: 'It will take time.'

He added the membership bid is 'not for tomorrow'.

France and the Netherlands are leading the calls against Ukraine having a fast-track membership of the EU

The 27 leaders are gathering in France's opulent Versailles palace today to discuss the Russian invasion

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also pushed back Ukraine's accession to the bloc, saying: 'This will not happen in the short term, because this is a whole process taking many years.'

Instead, the leaders will discuss weaning the EU off Russian energy in the face of Moscow's invasion.

It comes despite Ukraine imploring the EU for membership, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba saying: 'This step would provide an enormous injection of hope to the Ukrainian people.

'In these dark times, we need this hope more than ever. Leaders of the EU, it is your turn to make history.'

Another key deterrent to a hasty decision is the specific EU treaty clause that if a member falls victim to armed aggression, the other EU countries have an obligation to aid and assist it by all the means in their power.

Instead, the leaders will discuss weaning the EU off Russian energy in the face of Moscow's invasion

'The chance of all member states agreeing to admit Ukraine while it is at war with Russia is virtually zero, as it could trigger conflict with Moscow,' said Luigi Scazzieri, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said Europe was facing its own 9/11, a reference to the 2001 al Qaeda attacks on the United States that triggered a Washington-led invasion of Afghanistan and years of a so-called international 'war on terror'.

'We are not taking part but it is on our doorstep,' de Croo told the Le Soir daily, referring to Russia's assault on Ukraine. 'September 11 was a decisive moment in the United States. This war in Ukraine is Europe's 9/11.'

The EU has slapped sanctions of unprecedented severity on Russia for invading its neighbour, including cutting seven Russian banks from the SWIFT transaction system, targeting Moscow ally Belarus and blacklisting Russian state officials and billionaire oligarchs close to the Kremlin.

'Russia's war of aggression constitutes a tectonic shift in European history,' EU leaders were expected to say in a joint statement, adding the invasion confronted them with 'growing instability, strategic competition and security threats'.

Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with the bloc to quickly become a member during a summit this week to provide extra security to his besieged country

The EU still pays hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars every day to Russia, its biggest energy supplier, for more than 40 per cent of its natural gas, more than a quarter of oil imports and almost half of its coal.

While the United States has already cut Russian oil imports, the case for the EU is more complicated, expensive and politically sensitive as it fears further big jumps in energy and food prices.

EU leaders disagree on a deadline for jettisoning Russian energy sources because national dependency differs, with Germany, Italy, Hungary, Austria the most exposed.

Russia hawks in the EU including Poland and Lithuania - both once under Soviet domination from Moscow - want to punish Putin harder and say the West should be ready to bear the price of retaliation.

But Germany, France and some western EU states want to keep on doing business.

Ukraine is a former Soviet republic that now wants to join the EU and NATO.

That is anathema to Moscow where Putin launched what he calls a 'special military operation' to derail Ukraine's drive for deeper integration with Western democracies.

Russian forces have bombarded Ukrainian cities and sent two million refugees fleeing into the EU. Kyiv has appealed for more Western help beyond economic sanctions and some arms supplies.

But, wary of the economic hit as well as being dragged directly into the war, the EU is more likely to offer words of moral support to Ukraine as it looks inwards to get ready for years of worsening confrontation with Russia.
A billionaire oligarch who once caused a political furore by meeting former Labour minister Peter Mandelson and then future chancellor George Osborne aboard his 80million yacht was hit with sanctions today.

Oil tycoon Oleg Deripaska, who was once Russia's richest man, was one of seven people targeted by the Government today in a ratcheting up of action designed to put pressure on the Putin regime.

He was embroiled in a row in 2008 that was dubbed Yachtgate, after his meetings with the senior Labour and Tory figures was revealed.

Both men met Mr Deripaska on his yacht, with Mr Osborne accused of trying to solicit a donation for the Tory party - something he denies.

Lord Mandelson, who was then an EU trade commissioner, stayed on the Queen K off the Greek island. He went on to become business secretary in Gordon Brown's government as a Labour peer.

By the time they met Deripaska had already been targeted by the United States, which cancelled his visa in 2007.

The Russian is believed to have a fortune of 3.2billion. Last year, Isle of Wight MP used Parliamentary Privilege to describe him as 'one of President Putin's most loyal oligarchs'.

He owns a house in London's Belgrave Square and is a grandson by marriage to the late leader of the Soviet Union Boris Yeltsin.

He has been sanctioned by the US since 2018 over alleged links to the Russian government, including allegations of cyber-attacks and election meddling.

He called the claims 'a lie', adding: 'The idea that I am some kind of ''Kremlin operative''... is clearly idiotic nonsense.'

Oil and metals tycoon Oleg Deripaska, who was once Russia's richest man, was one of seven people targeted by the Government today in a ratcheting up of action designed to put pressure on the Putin regime.

Mr Osborne was accused of trying to solicit a donation for the Tory party - something he denies. Lord Mandelson, who was then an EU trade commissioner, stayed on the Queen K (below) off the Greek island

In a bitter 650million legal battle at the High Court in 2012, he was alleged to have ties to brutal organised crime gangs which emerged after the collapse of Communism in the former Soviet Union.

He vehemently denied the allegations  revealed in legal papers filed as part of the case  and counter-claimed that he was the victim of an 'old-fashioned protection racket' run by the Mafia-style gangs.

Mr Deripaska said he had been forced to pay more than half a billion dollars to the gangs over seven years and had feared for his safety and that of his family.

His one time business partner, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, has been hit with the same measures - as have Rosneft chief Igor Sechin and four more described as being in Putin's 'inner circle'.

After the Corfu meeting with Deripaska was revealed, Mr Osborne admitted meeting him on four occasions over the course of a weekend in the Mediterranean in August 2008.

He insisted they had not discussed donations, which are allowed only from UK-registered voters, bbbut later admitted the meetings were 'a mistake'.

Mandelson also denied any wrongdoing, telling the Guardian: 'What is important is not where you meet somebody or how long you meet them for but what you do during the meeting.

'In my case, I offered no favours and I received no favours, unlike George Osborne, who was holding conversations around his visits in order to obtain a financial contribution to the Conservative party.'

The Foreign Office said the Economic Crime Bill coming into force next week 'will allow UK Government to move further and faster than ever on sanctions'.

Boris Johnson said: 'There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin's vicious assault on Ukraine.

'Today's sanctions are the latest step in the UK's unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.'

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: 'Today's sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.

'The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.

'Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.'

The Foreign Office said the oligarchs have a collective net worth of around 15billion.
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Sergei Lavrov has made the extraordinary claim that Russia 'did not attack Ukraine' and dismissed the 'pathetic outcry' over the Mariupol hospital bombing as peace talks broke down in Turkey today.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Vladimir Putin's attack dog met with Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who vowed his country 'will not surrender' to Russia as the negotiations made no progress towards a ceasefire.

Speaking after the failed talks, Lavrov said: 'We are not planning to attack other countries. We didn't attack Ukraine, either.'

Lavrov said in reference to the hospital attack: 'It is not the first time we see pathetic outcries concerning the so-called atrocities perpetrated by the Russian military.'

Despite his bizarre claim that Russia is not attacking Ukraine, he then admitted the hospital was deliberately targeted, saying it had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals and all the 'mothers and nurses were chased out of there'.

Images from the senseless shelling, which saw three people killed including one child and dozens injured, show pregnant mothers and nurses being rushed from the building on stretchers among the rubble.

But Lavrov said: 'A few days ago, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, the Russian delegation presented the facts that this maternity hospital had long been captured by the Azov battalion and other radicals, all women in labor, all nurses, and in general, all the staff were expelled from there. It was the base of the ultra-radical Azov battalion.'

The Kremlin lackey again accused the West of stoking up tensions and insisted that Russia was carrying out 'special operations' in Ukraine.

He said Ukrainians are being used as human shields by 'so-called territorial defence forces' and claimed Russia was operating humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians, despite repeated shelling of the escape routes.

The foreign minister also accused the West of providing Ukraine with weapons.

He said: 'We see how dangerously our Western colleagues, including in the European Union, are acting now, which, in violation of all its so-called principles and values, encourages the supply of deadly weapons to Ukraine.'

Meanwhile his counterpart Kuleba blasted the 'difficult' meeting, accusing Lavrov of bringing 'traditional narratives' about Ukraine to the negotiating table.

He said after the failed talks: 'I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender.'

He also said in apparent reference to the Kremlin: 'It seems that there are other decision-makers for this matter in Russia.'

Moscow's most senior diplomat arrived in the southern resort city of Antalya to negotiate at the summit mediated by Ankara, which has supplied Ukraine with drones and condemned the invasion but criticised punitive global sanctions against Russia.

The meeting was the highest-level diplomatic encounter since the Kremlin launched a full-scale operation to 'demilitarise' and 'de-Nazify' the country  aims dismissed as baseless pretexts by Kyiv and the West to instead overthrow Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kuleba said ahead of the talks his expectations were 'limited' and that the success of the negotiations would depend on 'what instructions and directives Lavrov is under' from the Kremlin at the discussions.

Russia has demanded that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality so it cannot join the EU or NATO, recognise Crimea as sovereign Russian territory and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent territories.

Sergei Lavrov has made the extraordinary claim that Russia 'did not attack Ukraine' and dismissed the Mariupol hospital bombing as a 'pathetic outcry' as peace talks broke down in Turkey today

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (centre), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left)and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (right) take part in peace talks today in Turkey

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

Wounded people are seen evacuating from the hospital, with President Zelensky repeating calls for a 'no-fly' zone to protect civilians. NATO has repeatedly refused the measure

The aftermath of the Mariupol hospital attack shows the building and nearby area completely destroyed, but Lavrov claims it had been overtaken by Ukrainian radicals

A medical worker walks inside of the hospital after it was destroyed by shelling maternity on Wednesday

A man carries his child away from the damaged maternity hospital despite Lavrov's claims all nurses and children were moved before the attack

Kuleba blasted the 'difficult' meeting, accusing Lavrov of bringing 'traditional narratives' about Ukraine to the negotiating table

Lavrov made outlandish claims that the hospital had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals and all the 'mothers and nurses were chased out of there'

The Kremlin lackey again accused the West of stoking up tensions and insisted that Russia was carrying out 'special operations' in Ukraine

Speaking after the talks, Lavrov said Russia did not expect progress to be made today and a ceasefire was not brought up.

Russia did not want the talks in Turkey to 'replace or devalue the real, main diplomatic track which is happening on Belarusian territory', Lavrov said.

'Today's conversation confirmed that there is no alternative to that track.'

The talks in Belarus have so far yielded only limited progress on opening up humanitarian corridors.

Lavrov said Putin would not refuse a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky but it would have to be substantive and focus on specifics.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight on Wednesday, Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Verashchuk called Moscow's peace terms 'ultimatums' and thundered: 'There is only one discussion to be had: Russia's capitulation.'

'I think that in order to make demands you need to meet, you need to talk. But of course, the ultimatums that Russia has put forward are unacceptable: to recognize Crimea, to recognise the separatist republics as independent states, this is completely impossible,' she said.

'Of course we cannot trade away our territory, we would have to amend the constitution. How could we look the Ukrainian people in the eye and calmly give away a part of sovereign independent Ukraine. How will we look our children in the eyes? This is aggression, not just against Ukraine as you can clearly see. This is a challenge to the whole world.'

Asked what Ukraine wants from the West, Verashchuk went on: 'We want them to help us to impose a no-fly zone, at least over critical infrastructure. We would like air defence systems'.

When it was put to her that Britain and the US have ruled out no-fly zones because of the risk of nuclear war with Russia, Kyiv's deputy prime minister retorted: 'And the fact that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer under our control? You don't think that is a nuclear standoff with Russia?

'Putin is raising the stakes, he knows that. Who do you think this is aimed at? President Zelensky, or President Biden?'.

Sergei Lavrov (left) talks with Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (right) ahead of the meeting today with Ukraine

Speaking to BBC Newsnight on Wednesday, Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Verashchuk called Moscow's peace terms 'ultimatums' and thundered: 'There is only one discussion to be had: Russia's capitulation'. Right, Sergei Lavrov

People line up to get water at the well in outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022

Smoke rise after shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Ukrainian serviceman guards as residents cross the destroyed bridge as they flee from Irpin, March 9, 2022

A man rides a bicycle in front of a damaged apartment building in Mariupol, March 9, 2022

Ukrainian soldiers and emergency employees work at the side of the damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol, March 9, 2022

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

Zelensky, who has become a beacon of defiance to Russian aggression since the war began, said on Monday night that it appears NATO is not willing to accept Ukraine as a member and he is not willing 'to beg on my knees'. He also said that he is 'open to dialogue' on the future of Crimea, Luhansk and Donbass, but is not willing to accept 'ultimatums'.

It comes as a Russian attack severely damaged a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol  wounding at least 17 people, Ukraine has said.

The ground shook more than a mile away when a series of blasts slammed into the Mariupol complex, blowing out windows and ripping away much of the front of one building.

Police and soldiers rushed to scene to evacuate victims, carrying out a heavily pregnant and bleeding woman on a stretcher. Another woman wailed as she clutched her child. In the courtyard, mangled cars burned, and a blast crater went at least two stories deep.

Zelensky wrote on Twitter there were 'people, children under the wreckage' of the hospital and called the strike an 'atrocity'.

Video footage shared by Zelensky showed cheerfully painted hallways strewn with twisted metal and room after room with blown-out windows. Floors were covered in wreckage. Outside, a small fire burned and debris covered the ground.

Mariupol's city council said on its social media site that the damage was 'colossal'.

Authorities announced new ceasefires on Wednesday morning to allow thousands of civilians to escape from towns around Kyiv as well as the southern cities of Mariupol, Enerhodar and Volnovakha, Izyum in the east and Sumy in the northeast.

Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors largely failed because of what the Ukrainians said were Russian attacks. But Putin, in a telephone call with Germany's chancellor, accused militant Ukrainian nationalists of hampering the evacuations.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was able to leave other cities on Wednesday, but people streamed out of Kyiv's suburbs, many headed for the city centre, even as explosions were heard in the capital and air raid sirens sounded repeatedly. From there, the evacuees planned to board trains bound for western Ukrainian regions not under attack.

Civilians trying to escape the suburb of Irpin were forced to make their way across the slippery wooden planks of a makeshift bridge after the Ukrainians blew up the concrete span days ago to slow the Russian advance.

With sporadic gunfire echoing behind them, firefighters dragged an elderly man to safety in a wheelbarrow, a child gripped the hand of a helping soldier, and a woman inched her way along cradling a fluffy cat inside her winter coat. They trudged past a crashed van with the words 'Our Ukraine' written in the dust coating its windows.

'We have a short window of time at the moment,' said Yevhen Nyshchuk, a member of Ukraine's territorial defence forces. 'Even if there is a cease-fire right now, there is a high risk of shells falling at any moment.'

In Mariupol, local authorities hurried to bury the dead in a mass grave. City workers dug a trench some 25 metres long at one of the city's old cemeteries and made the sign of the cross as they pushed bodies wrapped in carpets or bags over the edge.

Nationwide, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, in the two weeks of fighting since Putin's forces invaded. The UN estimates more than 2million people have fled the country, the biggest exodus of refugees in Europe since the end of the Second World War.

The fighting knocked out power to the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant, raising fears about the spent fuel that is stored at the site and must be kept cool. But the UN nuclear watchdog agency said it saw 'no critical impact on safety' from the loss of power.

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

A satellite image taken on Tuesday but released Wednesday shows the destroyed road bridge on the outskirts of Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which refugees have been using to flee the besieged city

Residents cross the destroyed bridge as they flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Ukraine, March 9, 2022

Ukrainian servicemen work inside of the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, March 9, 2022

A couple hugs prior to Ukrainian Army deployment closer to the front line at the train station in Lviv, March 9, 2022

A Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces member holds an NLAW anti-tank weapon, in the outskirts of Kyiv, March 9, 2022

President Zelensky has survived 'more than a DOZEN assassination attempts' with various killers 'liquidated', one of his close advisers claims Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has survived 'more than a dozen' assassination attempts', one of his close advisers has claimed. Mikhail Podolyak, the head of the office for the President, has warned of Russian 'sabotage groups' entering Kyiv and attempting to hunt down Mr Zelensky and his family. But he said a 'very powerful network of intelligence and counterintelligence' had foiled the attempted attacks and the attempted killers had been 'liquidated' before they reached the president. Mr Podolyak said western intelligence was right to say Mr Zelensky was Putin's 'number one target' but refuted recent reports that stated the Ukraine president had survived 'three assassination attempts in the last week', believing the number to be far higher. Speaking to Pravda.com, Mr Podolyak said: 'Our foreign partners are talking about two or three attempts. I believe that there were more than a dozen such attempts.' He said the president's office always has 'operational information' sabotage groups who want to enter the government quarter. Advertisement

The crisis in Ukraine is likely to get worse as Russian forces step up their bombardment of cities in response to stronger than expected resistance.

Russian losses have been 'far in excess' of what Putin and his generals expected, CIA director William Burns said on Tuesday.

An intensified push by Russian forces could mean 'an ugly next few weeks', Burns told a congressional committee, warning that Putin is likely to 'grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties'.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace echoed those comments on Wednesday, telling MPs Russia's assault will get 'more brutal and more indiscriminate' as Putin tries to regain momentum.

The UK's Ministry of Defence said fighting continued northwest of Kyiv. The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol were being heavily shelled and remained encircled by Russian forces.

Russian forces are placing military equipment on farms and amid residential buildings in the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine's military said. In the south, Russians in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv, a Black Sea shipbuilding centre of 500,000 people, it said.

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, is building up defences in cities in the north, south and east, and forces around Kyiv are 'holding the line' against the Russian offensive, authorities said.

In Irpin, a town of 60,000, police officers and soldiers helped elderly residents from their homes. One man was hoisted out of a damaged structure on a makeshift stretcher, while another was pushed toward Kyiv in a shopping cart. Fleeing residents said they had been without power and water for the past four days.

Regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said the crisis for civilians is deepening in and around Kyiv, with the situation particularly dire in the suburbs.

'Russia is artificially creating a humanitarian crisis in the Kyiv region, frustrating the evacuation of people and continuing shelling and bombing small communities,' he said.

The situation is even worse in Mariupol, a strategic city of 430,000 people on the Sea of Azov that has been encircled by Russian forces for the past week.

Efforts to evacuate residents and deliver badly needed food, water and medicine failed on Tuesday because of what the Ukrainians said were continued Russian attacks.

The city took advantage of a lull in the shelling on Wednesday to hurriedly bury 70 people. Some were soldiers but most were civilians.

The work was conducted efficiently and without ceremony. No mourners were present. No families were there to say their goodbyes.

One woman stood at the gates of the cemetery to ask whether her mother was among those being buried. She was.
A serial-killer obsessed teen jailed last week after he stabbed a disabled girl 99 times leaving her for dead has had his jail time cut after the judge admitted making a sentencing error.

The 17-year-old, who was 16 at the time, lured his victim to a secluded park known as The Orchards in Sittingbourne, Kent, before launching the violent assault, stabbing her in the face, neck, chest, abdomen, arms and legs.

Last week, at Maidstone Crown Court, the youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, received a discretionary life sentence.

The court previously heard the defendants violent behaviour was partly motivated by hostility to her disability.

He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was told he will be 'detained at her Majesty's Pleasure' for at least 10 years before being considered for release.

But Judge Philip Statman has reduced the 10 years to seven and a half, admitting he had made an error in calculating the minimum sentence.

A teen who attempted to murder a disabled girl by stabbing her 99 times after taking her to a secluded orchard in Sittingbourne has had his minimum prison term reduced to seven years

The teenager pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was originally told he would have to serve a minimum of ten years before he can be considered for parole before the adjustment

Following the attack, the boy threw away the 16-year-old girl's phone, leaving her for dead and soaked in blood for seven hours before she was found by a dog walker the next morning.

In the hours after the attack, the teenager googled whether Britain still had the death penalty.

The teen was found to have carried out a number of sinister internet searches in the days before his murder bid and in the immediate aftermath, which included how to kill with a knife, how to deal with killing someone, and the highest sentence for murder in UK.

When detectives went to his home, they discovered he had been viewing images including of American serial killer Ted Bundy.

After his arrest, the teenager denied any involvement in the attack and claimed to have been with his girlfriend watching the Zac Efron movie Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.

The assault in July 2021 left the girl with numerous life-threatening injuries.

The knife wounds had caused damage to her liver, lung, pancreas and kidney, and narrowly avoided major arteries in her neck, chest and abdomen, the court heard.

Injuries to her arms and legs were said to be consistent with her desperately trying to fight her attacker off and she has also been diagnosed with PTSD.

Pictured: Police carrying out a searches in Sittingbourne after the teenage girl was stabbed

But, despite being left in a critical condition, she managed to survive and has since returned to school.

Prosecutor Martin Yale, said : 'The victim underwent a vicious, brutal and sustained attack where she was stabbed all over her body.

'He met his victim at her back gate in the early hours. As they walked the two of them were having a laugh and on one occasion he gave her a piggyback.'

Mr Yale said the attacker also carried a bag with him - which is believed to have contained weapons and a change of clothing.

At the orchard he made an excuse to use the toilet, disappeared and then returned when he grabbed her mouth before beginning his stabbing frenzy.

The victim described her attacker as 'looking evil' and estimated the attack continued for up to three minutes.

Mr Yale continued: 'She was trying to cry for help and when the attack stopped she fell to the ground.

'He then took her telephone and threw it in a bush and left her for dead, alone in the orchard and bleeding from 100 wounds.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the boy stabbed his victim in the face, neck, chest, abdomen, arms and legs before googling whether Britain had the death penalty. Pictured: Police search

'She lay injured for between six and seven hours, until 7.10am the following morning when she was discovered by a man walking his dog.'

When sentencing him last week the judge told him: 'You had a murderous attempt in your head. This was a savage and brutal attack which was premeditated.

'Your victim remained in her foetal position in The Orchards for six hours yet your victim fought for her life and won'

He has since been diagnosed with autism and a comorbid depressive disorder, the court was told.

Ms Adkin said his parents - who attended court for his sentencing - did all they could and it was not until after his arrest that his conditions were diagnosed.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber, the senior investigating officer for the case, said: 'The brutality inflicted on the victim of this case was abhorrent and managing this investigation has been exceptionally harrowing.

'It is worrying that someone so young could have coldly calculated carrying out this sickening attack.

'She has demonstrated exceptional bravery throughout and her fighting spirit is shown by the physical recovery she has made.'

He added: 'He presents a clear danger to the public and I sincerely hope that the support available to him in prison gets to the root cause of his dangerousness and prevents him from committing any further harm.'
A Ukrainian grandmother who fled her war-torn country to be with family in the UK has had her visa application rejected despite paying 3,380 in fees.

Alla Yuzhakova, 72, was forced to leave the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv after it came under shelling by the Russian invaders.

She was driven by a stranger within four miles of the Moldovan border where she had to get out and walk through freezing snow and rain.

She eventually arrived in Bucharest, Romania, on March 4 where she was reunited with her daughter, Irina Wilson, who lives in Weymouth, Dorset.

Alla Yuzhakova, 72, (Left to right: Alla Yuzhakova, daughter Irina Wilson, and granddaughters Zarena, 15, and Audrey, four )was forced to leave the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv after it came under shelling by the Russian invaders

Left to right: Alla Yuzhakova, son-in-law Luke Wilson, daughter Irina Wilson and granddaughters Audrey, four, and Zarena, 15

After surviving the 'hellish' journey, Miss Yuzhakova made an Adult Dependent Relative application which entitles somebody to stay indefinitely in the UK but costs 3,380.

Mrs Wilson, 41, and husband Luke Wilson had to borrow 4,000 to pay the administrative fees for the visa application.

But on March 8 the family received an email telling Miss Yuzhakova that her application had been rejected without an explanation.

When she asked the Home Office why her mother had been rejected, Mrs Wilson said they could not give her a reason.

She said they assured her they would revisit Miss Yuzhakova's application - but that she was 'not a priority'.

A Government spokesman has said that Miss Yuzhakova's visa fees will be refunded.

Mrs Wilson, who has put herself in debt to pay the fees, said: 'The Home Office has refused my mum's entry as a resident elderly dependant relative.

Pictured: Irina Wilson and Alla Yuzhakova

Pictured: Devastation in the city of Mykolayiv, Ukraine

'It's so shocking and upsetting because we have submitted all the documents, made a 4,000 payment, which has put our family in debt and there was no reason for refusal.

'My mum was never refused anything before. We applied for her residency before the war started.

'I had a phone call from the Home Office - they said they would look at my mum's story again but she was not a priority because they had so many refugees.

'They couldn't tell me which criteria she did not meet. It is shocking that at the end of her journey when mum is quite poorly and she wants to spend the time she has left with her family she has been turned away.

'It is so bureaucratic - there is no heart in any application.'

Miss Yuzhakova has made regular trips to the UK from Ukraine before to visit her grandchildren, Zarena, 15, and Audrey, four.

Miss Yuzhakova has made regular trips to the UK from Ukraine (devastation in Mykolayiv) before to visit her grandchildren, Zarena, 15, and Audrey, four

After surviving the 'hellish' journey, Miss Yuzhakova made an Adult Dependent Relative application which entitles somebody to stay indefinitely in the UK but costs 3,380. Pictured: Devastation in the city of Mykolayiv, Ukraine

Mrs Wilson, who has put herself in debt to pay the fees, said: 'The Home Office has refused my mum's entry as a resident elderly dependant relative'

Mrs Wilson said she suspected her mother had been turned away now because she owes the NHS 16,000 after she had emergency treatment to remove a cancerous growth from her shoulder during a visit last October.

She said her mother, who is still has growths which are at high risk of turning cancerous, has been given a 'death warrant.'

Without permanent residency, she said they cannot afford to pay for life-saving treatment.

Miss Yuzhakova has a family visit visa which means she can only stay for six months at a time and is not entitled to free NHS treatment.

Mrs Wilson added: 'Mum came for her visit with us in October - suddenly a lump on her shoulder appeared again, but this time it was stage three sarcoma cancer, deadly if not removed immediately.

Mrs Wilson said she suspected her mother had been turned away now because she owes the NHS 16,000 after she had emergency treatment to remove a cancerous growth from her shoulder during a visit last October. Pictured: Devastation in the city of Mykolayiv, Ukraine

The email sent by the Home Office to Mrs Yuzhakova said she 'did not meet the requirements' to be an adult dependant relative. Pictured: Devastation in the city of Mykolayiv, Ukraine

A Government spokesman Mrs Yuzhakova can apply for the Ukraine Family Scheme which has been set up for refugees fleeing the war. Pictured: Devastation in the city of Mykolayiv, Ukraine

'They sent us to Royal Marsden Hospital in London. On December 22 last year, mum had surgery to remove the sarcoma and a reconstruction of her shoulder. We knew mum couldn't be on her own any more.

'We found out that because she isn't a resident of the UK she isn't entitled to free NHS treatment. The doctor who performed the surgery called the Royal Marsden finance department and said it was an emergency life-saving procedure and it shouldn't be charged.

'In February, we received a bill of 16,100. We are currently awaiting to hear from Marsden about this and see if it could free us from this bill.

'We suspect that the reason mum's residency application was refused is because she has an outstanding bill with NHS. It is like a death warrant.'

The email sent by the Home Office to Mrs Yuzhakova said she 'did not meet the requirements' to be an adult dependant relative.

Pictured: Alla Yuzhakova (centre) with daughter Irina Wilson and son-in-law Luke Wilson

Pictured: Luke, Irina and Audrey Wilson

A Government spokesman said Mrs Yuzhakova can apply for the Ukraine Family Scheme which has been set up for refugees fleeing the war.

She said: 'We are standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians which is why we've made it easier for those with Ukrainian passports to come here. This is alongside changes to visas to ensure Ukrainians in the UK can stay here.

'We have expanded our Visa Application Capacity to 13,000 a week, deployed additional staff across the EU, with a 24/7 helpline in place to ensure those who need appointments can get them to come here. This allows us to balance security risks while welcoming those in need.

'A new sponsorship route, which will allow Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come here is also being brought forward and all the measures we've put in place follow extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners. We will keep our support under constant review.'
Seasonal workers being paid as little as $3.20 per hour have faced a Senate inquiry after allegations they were threatened for previously giving evidence.

Two Samoan fruit pickers were to have their employment terminated after they gave evidence to the Senate last month, if not for their government's intervention, according to the Samoan high commissioner.

They gave evidence on February 2 to the Senate's job security committee, which is investigating what impact insecure employment arrangements are having on factors such as wages and working conditions.

Two Samoan fruit pickers said they were to be sacked after giving evidence to the Senate's job security committee

Both Sunny Ridge Farms and labour hire company MADEC, who employ the two workers, deny the allegations the high commissioner made in a radio interview.

One worker said they were told it was planned they would be relocated to another farm when they returned from the Senate hearing, adding he felt 'threatened' and it was 'lucky no one was injured'.

MADEC chief executive Laurence Burt said plans to relocate the employees were on foot before they gave evidence because they were 'disengaged' with their work, although Labor senator Karen Grogan noted they'd worked more than 40 hours in each of January's last three weeks.

The hearing also explored deductions MADEC takes from employee pay, which saw one employee work 30.3 hours for gross pay of $937, but take home just $100 after deductions and tax.

The employees claimed they worked upwards of 60 hours one week but were only paid $100

That equates to around $3.20 per hour.

Mr Burt told the inquiry on Thursday deductions are high for seasonal workers in their first 12 weeks while they repay expenses such as airfares and visa costs, while weekly living costs include accommodation, transport and health insurance.

Labor senator Tony Sheldon noted the employees believed they had worked upwards of 60 hours one week where they had been paid $100, adding it reflected a broken system.

'We're not here to work out how many hours were worked, but if we we're arguing between earning $1.60 an hour or $3.29 an hour, there's clearly a problem isn't there?' he said.

'This is the system across the board where people are taking home just $100 a week for that many hours that there's something fundamentally wrong with the system.'
A British aid worker from North London has bravely rescued more than 1,000 Jewish war refugees from Ukraine following Vladimir Putin's lawless invasion of the country - including 270 orphans.

Jeremy Posen, 53, 'rescued babies who were only a few weeks old' and 'diabetic children reliant on insulin' in the city of Odessa, which has faced horrific missiles and gunfire from Russian troops who have tried to take the city.

Mr Posen has worked as the chief financial officer for the charity Tikva for the last three years in Ukraine, which cares for the homeless abandoned and abused Jewish children of the country.

But, after Russia invaded two weeks ago and they 'heard the first bomb', the father-of-ten went on a huge rescue mission to save the lives of thousands of refugees.

Jeremy Posen, 53, (right) 'rescued babies who were only a few weeks old' and 'diabetic children reliant on insulin' in the city of Odessa, which has faced horrific missiles and gunfire from Russian troops who have tried to take the city

A British aid worker from North London has bravely rescued more than 1,000 Jewish war refugees from Ukraine (pictured) following Vladimir Putin's lawless invasion of the country - including 270 orphans

Mr Posen has worked as the chief financial officer for the charity Tikva for the last three years in Ukraine, which cares for the homeless abandoned and abused Jewish children of the country

Speaking to the Jewish Chronicle, Mr Posen, whose wife and younger children live in Israel, said: 'In my head, I didn't really believe Russia would invade but we took the threat very seriously, and I thought: "Ok, we'll make sure we have food to last three months and reserves of cash, and if we don't need it immediately, we can still use it over time." It was vital to have a plan.'

The crossing was extremely complex with many last minute scares and took ten hours longer than expected due to road blocks and military having to check paperwork.

Mr Posen added: 'That first drive took more than 28 hours and it was very hairy. I knew we were doing the right thing because Odessa was likely to be attacked, but we could see shelling in the distance.

'We were held up at countless roadblocks, where the police and soldiers were coming on to the buses to check everyone and their papers. With so many young kids, it was quite tense.'

The charity and Mr Posen managed to move the group from the Tikva community in Odessa and get passage to Moldova into Romania - they confirmed everyone on the buses is now safe. Pictured: One of the children on the convoy out of Ukraine

Mr Posen said: 'That first drive took more than 28 hours and it was very hairy. I knew we were doing the right thing because Odessa was likely to be attacked, but we could see shelling in the distance. Pictured: One of the children on the convoy out of Ukraine

Some children dealt with the arduous journey by producing artwork, such as a painted banner saying 'I miss my bed', 'pray for us' and another reading 'no war'.

But Mr Posen says he doesn't believe they'll ever see the items they left behind in the refuge following Putin's invasion.

He added: 'We dont know if well ever see what we left behind again. I didnt even have a suitcase  all I had was hand luggage. Ive had to find second-hand clothes, old T-shirts in rural charity shops.'

The charity and Mr Posen managed to move the group from the Tikva community in Odessa and get passage to Moldova into Romania - they confirmed everyone on the buses is now safe.

Mr Posen, who has remained in Western Ukraine to help more war refugees reach safety, said: 'Whilst obviously elated about all the members of our community, and the children of our orphanages we have managed to rescue, we continue to worry and care for all those left behind here.

The crossing from Odessa to Moldova was extremely complex with many last minute scares and took ten hours longer than expected due to road blocks and military having to check paperwork. Pictured: Children on the convoy out of Ukraine

'People have been joining us from all parts of Ukraine, on an almost hourly basis. Vacant beds are being filled and we will not rest or leave until every remaining person reaches safety.'

In a statement, the charity told MailOnline: 'Jeremy Posen, our CFO, remains together with Rabbi Baksht in Western Ukraine, along with another 200 people, including the families from our community that fled with us from Odessa and additional families from Odessa and elsewhere who have joined us throughout the week. They will attempt a border crossing and hopefully join the rest of the group some time next week.

'Whilst this is news a huge relief, there is still a long road ahead. The costs involved in the crossing itself and the logistics surrounding that have been astronomical. We continue to rely on your generous support in order to be able to save lives.'

CEO of Tikva Odessa in Ukraine, Refael Kruskal added: 'There was never a question of splitting our children up. Being all refugees, they wanted to stay as a group. There was also never a question of who out of the staff was going to cross, and who was going to stay. Tikva is about saving lives, and we have given up our personal life to help these children. They are like our own. They are our family.'

Tikva is raising funds to ensure the evacuees from the orphanages in Odessa can continue to be looked after in their temporary accommodation in Romania, please click here to donate.
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Covid is now less deadly than the flu in England thanks to Omicron's milder nature and sky-high immunity rates, MailOnline analysis suggests.

Government figures indicate the virus had a mortality rate of around 0.2 per cent before the ultra-transmissible strain erupted onto the scene. But this has since plunged seven-fold to as little as 0.03 per cent, meaning it kills effectively just one in every 3,300 people who get infected.

For comparison, seasonal influenza's infection-fatality rate (IFR) sits between 0.01 and 0.05 per cent, suggesting that the two viruses now pose a similar threat.

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline it meant that Covid could actually be even less deadly than the flu. Although, he warned another variant could reverse the progress.

Infections have been on the rise in the UK for a week straight, with the country now averaging 50,000 cases per day compared to around 35,000 on Freedom Day in late February. Hospitalisations have also been rising and in the South West of England have now eclipsed levels at the height of the Omicron wave.

Ministers are understood to not yet be concerned by the spike, given that two-thirds of over-12s have already had their booster vaccine. Fourth jabs are set to be rolled out to over-75s, care home residents and people with weakened immune systems  who are most vulnerable to the virus  later this month.

Professor Robert Dingwall, a former SAGE adviser and sociologist at Nottingham Trent University, said the UK was now seeing a 'transition' to a world where Covid was just one more respiratory disease.

The above graph shows the infection fatality rate for Covid in England (red line). Since Omicron became dominant in the UK it has dropped dramatically and is now around the same level as flu (blue area). Scientists today said it was certainly possible that Covid is now as deadly as flu. But they warned future variants could change the calculation

Even though NHS Covid admissions shot up to around 2,500 per day at the height of the wave, a large proportion were 'incidental' cases. Intensive care rates barely budged and fatalities stayed way below levels seen during bad flu winters.

Scientists have credited the build-up of immunity after repeated waves of the virus, the vaccine rollout and the fact Omicron is inherently milder than older forms of the virus.

England has been somewhat of a European outlier since the Covid vaccines first started to be rolled out.

It dropped most restrictions last summer despite high levels of Delta circulating and stayed open during the Omicron wave when many in the EU reimposed draconian lockdowns.

Is Putin to blame for the UK's Covid surge? Britain's Covid outbreak may be rebounding because Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has pushed the virus out of the headlines, scientists say. Infections have been on the rise in the UK for a week straight, with the country now averaging 50,000 cases per day compared to around 35,000 on Freedom Day in late February. But Covid  which has dominated the news cycle for almost two years  has been dwarfed by the war in Ukraine, which has gripped the world and produced harrowing images of civilian casualties on a daily basis. The crisis is causing Britons to act 'less carefully... now the virus is off the news essentially', according to Professor Gary McLean, an immunologist at London Metropolitan University. But he added that Ukraine was just one piece of the puzzle. 'It's almost like a perfect storm of several things has resulted in reduced care even though the virus is circulating at still high levels and immunity is slowly waning,' he told MailOnline. Government adviser Professor Stephen Reicher, a behavioural scientist on SAGE, said the Ukraine crisis was giving the impression Covid had become 'yesterday's news'. But he warned people were already changing their behaviour before Russia's invasion, as No10's rhetoric pivoted and ministers began stressing that we need to learn to live with Covid. Cases are also thought to be rising due to a mix of restrictions being lifted and the rise of a more infectious sub-variant of Omicron known as BA.2, which is now the UK's dominant strain. Advertisement

While at times it has meant England has had consistently high infection rates, scientists believe the strategy has given the country an unusually high level of immunity.

A rapid and successful booster rollout combined with the mild Omicron wave helped severe the link between infection and severe illness even more.

These factors have given ministers the confidence to ease all restrictions in England, taking the country out of economically-crippling restriction cycles and moving into a new phase of 'living with Covid'.

MailOnline compared estimates on the number of people catching Covid every day in England against deaths registered two weeks later  roughly how long it takes for patients to succumb to the illness.

Infection figures were taken from the Office for National Statistics' gold-standard infection survey, which randomly swabs tens of thousands of people every week to gauge how prevalent the virus is across the UK.

Fatality figures were also taken from the ONS's weekly death analysis, that looks at the number of death certificates in which the virus was mentioned.

Out of the 52,000 estimated new infections a day in early September, when the Delta variant was still dominant, an average of 110 deaths involving the virus were being registered a fortnight later.

This equated to an infection-fatality ratio of around 0.2 per cent, or one in 500 infections resulting in a death.

But by the height of the Omicron wave, this had plunged three-fold with roughly 120 out of 190,000 daily cases dying two weeks later (0.06 per cent)  or one in 1,500 infections.

The most up-to-date IFR in the analysis  based on an estimated 245,000 people getting infected every day on and 83 deaths a fortnight later  stands at just 0.03 per cent.

For comparison, the IFR was thought to be above one per cent at the start of the pandemic when the novel virus first hit the human population and there was no immunity.

Professor Hunter told MailOnline: 'The recent data suggests Covid is now less deadly than flu, but there remains uncertainty about the impact of future variants.

'This is mainly down to immunity, though Omicron (possibly excluding BA.2) is also less virulent.'

Professor Dingwall said it was now 'widely accepted' that Covid had an IFR 'close' to that of flu, although also warned this could be changed by a new variant.

He said: 'What we are seeing now is consistent with the transition to a world where Covid is just one more respiratory illness, circulating alongside the 30 or so other respiratory viruses that commonly infect humans and not presenting any exceptional risk.

'Like all the other viruses, there is some risk of serious illness or death but we have tolerated this risk for thousands of years because eliminating it would compromise all sorts of other things that we value about our lives.

'There is no justification today for any measures that we would not have adopted in November 2019 ahead of the flu season.'

When asked about a similar analysis done by the Financial Times, Dr Raghib Ali, an epidemiologist at Cambridge University, said: 'Is Omicron the same as flu? No. But the vaccines have made the risks to the individual very similar.'

Real-time IFR can vary drastically in every nation based on previous immunity, prevalence of obesity and other medical conditions, and the population age structure.

Government dashboard data shows vaccine uptake is high across the UK, providing what has been described as a 'wall of immunity' against the virus.

About 85 per cent of over-12s in Britain have already got two doses of the Covid vaccine, figures show.

While 66 per cent have also got the booster jab, although among the over-70s who are most at risk from the virus uptake rises to above 90 per cent.

The NHS is currently preparing to roll out a fourth Covid jab for the over-75s and the most vulnerable, including care home residents and everyone over 12 with a weakened immune system. The rollout is set to begin in just a week and a half.

Even more groups could be invited in the autumn to raise protection ahead of winter, ministers have hinted.

A total of 30million Britons  or half the population  have also already been infected with Covid, according to No10's top scientific advisers, in another boost for immunity levels.

But despite these high immunity levels, Covid infections have risen across the country consistently for an entire week.

Yesterday marked the highest daily tally of cases in a month, with Britain recording 67,000 new infections.

Scientists are stumped as to what is behind the rise, arguing easing restrictions, the more infectious version of Omicron and even Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine may all be to blame.

Hospitalisations have also been rising for the past seven days. They are up almost 10 per cent in a week across the UK, Government dashboard data shows, with the average now around 1,200 admissions a day.

And in the South West of England have now eclipsed levels at the height of the Omicron wave.

However, less than half of Covid patients in the country's hospitals are primarily being treated for the virus with most having been admitted for another illness or injury, such as a fall.

Experts jumped on the month of falling cases to declare that the worst of the pandemic was over, with a similar downward trend seen in death figures.

Even the gloomiest scientists say the days of more than 1,000 deaths a day, recorded at the peak of the pandemic last winter, are now consigned to history.
A woman who was caught on camera attacking police officers and smashing the window of a police station in Bristol has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Mariella Gedge-Rogers, of Clifton, Bristol, was found guilty of rioting by a jury at Bristol Crown Court in February this year.

The unanimous verdict convicted Gedge-Rogers of being part of a group which used or threatened violence and, together, caused others to fear for their personal safety.

The 27-year-old was heard sobbing in the dock as she was imprisoned for five and a half years at a hearing on Thursday. She will be expected to serve half her sentence in custody and the other half on licence.

Gedge-Rogers was arrested six days after the riot took place outside the city centre police station on Sunday March 21 2021.

During her trial, footage from officers' body-worn cameras, CCTV and mobile phone footage was played to the court.

In the videos, Gedge-Rogers is seen to hit an officer on the head with a skateboard and throw improvised missiles at other officers from the roof of the police station.

She was also seen repeatedly striking the front window of the station with her skateboard before passing it to a man for him to do the same.

Mariella Gedge-Rogers (pictured), of Clifton, Bristol, was found guilty of rioting by a jury at Bristol Crown Court last month

She was imprisoned for five and a half years at a hearing today, and will be expected to serve half her sentence in custody and the other half on licence.

Gedge-Rogers of Clifton, Bristol, was arrested six days after the riot took place outside the city centre police station on Sunday March 21, 2021.

Footage from officers' body-worn cameras, CCTV and mobile phone footage was played to the court during her trial.

Gedge-Rogers was also seen repeatedly striking the front window of the station with her skateboard before passing it to a man for him to do the same.

The unanimous verdict convicted Gedge-Rogers (pictured) of being part of a group which used or threatened violence and, together, caused others to fear for their personal safety

As the hearing began, Gedge-Rogers could be heard crying from the dock. She spoke only to confirm her name.

His Honour Judge Patrick said: 'You used your skateboard as a weapon and threw missiles and objects. You also had had a considerable amount of drink.

'Nevertheless, I conclude that your culpability is lessened because of your PTSD. And I bear in mind that it will make the sentence more difficult for you to serve.

'In addition, you have expressed remorse at what you have done and I'm told you're ashamed. People who knew you identify that you have behaved out of character.'

Speaking of the impact of the rioting on police officers, Judge Patrick said: 'The context of your offending was the Kill the Bill protests in March last year, which started peacefully. From 5pm, that changed.

'Vile abuse was directed at the police. Objects and missiles were thrown at them, some from above police vans.

Gedge-Rogers was arrested six days after the riot took place outside the city centre police station on Sunday March 21 2021

'At least one firework was discharged, officers were pulled from their lines. They were physically attacked, some with missiles, some with weapons, and others were struck, spat on, kicked and punched.'

He added: 'Experienced police officers, some with military experience, describe it movingly.

'One with significant services experience described it as one of the most frightening experiences in his career.

A vandalised police van explodes outside Bridewell Police Station after protesters set it on fire during a riot on March 21 last year

'Another said it was ferocious, prolonged and determined violence which caused them to be more scared than ever before.

'"When I got home, I cried. All my life I wanted to be a police officer but after this it made me second-guess everything. It was utterly terrifying, like a warzone", said another.'

Gedge-Rogers is now the 15th person to be sentenced in connection with the riot.

To date, those sentenced have been jailed for a combined total of more than 50 years.

Jasmine York, 26, of Brislington, Bristol, is due to be sentenced on Monday after being convicted of arson.

Riot police, backed by police vans, move down Bristol's Rupert Street during the protest last year

A rioter smashes the windscreen of an already vandalised police van as violence erupted in the city

The 'Kill the Bill' protests in Bristol broke out last March and footage captured protesters clashing with police, armed with batons and pepper spray.

Mounted officers were seen attempting to disperse a large crowd gathered outside Bridewell Police Station.

Later a group of hooded protesters tried to smash the windows of the glass-fronted police station and others set fire to a police van parked in nearby Bridewell Street.

Both demonstrators and police officers were injured as the violence unfolded on March 21, 2021.

An inquiry report by The Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol), from last July claimed that the actions by Avon & Somerset Police 'failed to distinguish between violent and peaceful protesters, leading to the use of force in unjustified situations', described by multiple witnesses as 'revenge policing'.

The report also suggested that officers' 'use of force, ranging from the deployment of dogs, batons, and "blading" (using the edge of a riot shield as a weapon) "was often considered disproportionate"'.
Vladimir Putin has sacked his top generals and is 'raging' at the FSB after failed intelligence and poor strategy saw his troops handed a series of embarrassing defeats in the opening days of the war in Ukraine.

Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine's security council, said 'around eight' Russian commanders have been fired since the start of the conflict as Moscow scrambles to change strategy after its attempted 'shock and awe' blitz fell flat.

Putin is also said to be infuriated with commanders of the FSB security service - which he used to run - for handing him intelligence suggesting that Ukraine was weak, riddled with neo-Nazi groups, and would give up easily if attacked.

Vladimir Putin has fired eight generals and is said to be raging at his FSB secret service over the failures during early fighting in Ukraine (file image)

Philip Ingram, a security expert and former senior British intelligence officer, told The Times that Putin is obviously 'very angry' and is blaming his intelligence agencies.

'He blames them for seeding him the advice that led to the poor decision-making in Ukraine,' he said.

That poor decision making has led to Russia suffering much higher casualties than it expected in its attack, which has now been going on for two weeks.

It seems Moscow had anticipated little resistance when it sent in light forces backed by airstrikes to seize key targets during the opening days, but was met with punishing counter-attacks.

Reliable numbers are hard to come by, but Ukraine believes Russia has lost up to 12,000 men in a fortnight. European intelligence puts it lower - between 6,000 and 9,000 - and US lower still, at up to 3,000.

Whichever proves accurate, it is almost certainly more than Putin anticipated when he launched the attack in the hope that fighting would be over in just a few days.

'We have a clear understanding of what plans the enemy has now,' Danilov said on Ukrainian state TV today.

'They have changed them a little since the beginning of the war, which they wanted to win in 2-3 days and march [into Kyiv]. It hasnt happened and never will.

Russia continues to suffer punishing losses on the battlefield in Ukraine (pictured, a vehicle destroyed yesterday) after failing to anticipate the level of resistance

A Russian tank sits abandoned after being heavily damaged during an artillery ambush on the outskirts of Kyiv, thought to have taken place yesterday

'They changed their leadership. They had about 8 generals removed from their posts because they did not complete the task. Now new ones have been appointed.

'We clearly understand what is happening in the Russian Federation. Moreover, I can say that they are desperate.'

It is not clear exactly why Russian intelligence received ahead of the operation in Ukraine was so poor.

Andrei Soldatov, who has monitored the Russian secret service for two decades, told The Times that one possibility is that the organisation is simply not fit for purpose.

Most FSB agents are brought into the service as legacy hires based on their parents or grandparents being agents, he said, and are removed from mainstream schools to be educated in-house.

This is unlike western security services, which tend to recruit from elite universities or colleges to ensure they get 'the cream of the crop'.

Alternatively, he said, the organisation did gather good intelligence - but was simply too afraid to tell Putin the truth, instead doctoring their reports to appease him.

'The problem is that it is too risky for superiors to tell Putin what he doesnt want to hear, so they tailor their information,' he said.

'The tailoring probably takes place somewhere between the rank of colonel and general in the FSB.'

Ukrainian soldiers loot ammunition from a destroyed Russian supply convoy, with commanders saying they intend to use Russia's own weapons against it

The fresh analysis came after observers said the Russian military - which attempted a rapid advance on key targets in the opening days of the conflict - is changing tactics to 'medieval' siege warfare that it has used in other conflicts, such as Syria.

Ukraine's commanders say Russian advances have 'slowed significantly' in recent days as its forces take losses, combined with a tactical switch to surrounding and bombing cities into submission.

Mariupol, in the south, has been encircled for days and under heavy shelling, with a maternity hospital in the city bombed Wednesday - leaving three people including a six-year-old girl dead, and 17 injured.

Kharkiv and Sumy, in the east, were also shelled overnight killing seven people - including three children - as Russian forces try to surround them.

Putin's troops are also attempting to push into the outskirts of the capital Kyiv with two attacks on the city Wednesday, both of which failed.

One, via Brovary in the east, was ambushed by artillery and UAV strikes after being spotted moving down a main highway - with intercepted radio chatter suggesting a regiment commander was killed.

Another, via Irpin in the west, saw fighting break out overnight - but Kyiv said a counter-attack was underway on Thursday with battles ongoing in the early hours.
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Kamala Harris laughed off questions about the refugee crisis resulting from the Russian attack on Ukraine and dodged inquiries at a press conference in Warsaw Thursday on why a deal for sending fighter jets to Kyiv fell through.

Ukrainian-born Republican Representative Victoria Spartz slammed the vice president by saying 'this is a very serious situation requiring action, not a laughing matter,' as critics tore into Harris' conduct at her press conference alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda.

The vice president's three-day trip to Eastern Europe comes as Poland has taken in upwards of 1.5 million refugees fleeing Ukraine in the 15 days since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded.

When asked about the issue of refugees, Harris looked at Polish President Andrzej Duda like she expected him to respond first, then cackled through her comment: 'A friend in need is a friend indeed.'

The vice president's now commonplace laughter at inappropriate moments with world leaders was met with widespread criticism.

'Kamala Harris has been very consistent during her live remarks with Poland's leader,' former Donald Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos tweeted Thursday. 'She is awkwardly laughing. Again. Discussing refugees is no laughing matter. Why she laughs at this is deranged.'

Turning Point USA's chief creative officer Benny Johnson posted: 'Only Kamala Harris would find it appropriate to laugh when talking about the topic of Ukrainian Refugees.'

Harris has faced backlash previously for laughing during inappropriate moments. After the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, Harris cut off reporters asking questions by giggling and saying 'Hold on, hold on  slow down, everybody.'

Duda confirmed that he had asked Harris to help speed up the consular process so Ukrainian refugees could go stay with family they have in the U.S.

He also said that a 'refugee crisis is unfolding' in Eastern Europe, and claimed that more than 1 million people arrived at his country's borders from Ukraine in just 10 days of the so-far 15-day conflict.

The United Nations predicts that at least 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded and more than half of those refugees are now in Poland.

Harris pledged during her Thursday press conference more than $50 million more in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, while also dodging questions on a fallen through deal to send the country warplanes.

'The issue facing the Ukrainian people and our allies in the Eastern flank is something that occupies one of our highest priorities,' the vice president said, calling it a 'dynamic situation' that 'requires us to be nimble and to be swift.'

Duda, however, did address the issue of warplanes, explaining that the situation is 'extremely complicated', and that the mix up came because Poland was making these aircraft available for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to decide if they wanted to send them to Ukraine.

'We are trying to do our best,' Duda said in a frank moment during his joint briefing with the vice president as Poland takes in millions of refugees fleeing their neighbor Ukraine.

'Some expectations were addressed in a very strong and a vocal way, also towards us, towards Poland,' he added. 'However, we are members of the North Atlantic Treaty alliance and as far as security issues are concerned we have to look at this not only through our own lens  through the prism of the security of Poland  but we also have to adopt the perspective of the security of NATO as a whole.'

Russian tanks push to within just a few miles of Kyiv's outskirts, analysts and witnesses claim, though initial assaults to the west and east of the capital were repelled Wednesday as President Vladimir Putin's men face a long and bloody campaign to take the capital.

At the same time, U.S. troops conducted military drills in Rutja, Estonia on Thursday by firing Stinger missiles from their Stryker armored fighting vehicles.

Vice President Kamala Harris laughed off inquiries about the Ukrainian refugee crisis and dodged questions on why the plan with Poland to send fighter jets to Ukraine fell through. Harris speaks during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on Thursday

Harris and Duda met bilaterally before holding a joint press conference where Duda said the situation with send war planes to Ukraine is 'extremely complicated' and said he requested the U.S. speed up the consular process so Ukrainian refugees could go stay with family they have in the U.S.

Tanks are seen destroyed near Brovary, Ukraine on Thursday as Russia enters it's 15th day of invasion of Ukraine and closes in on capital city of Kyiv

More than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Poland since the start of he conflict last month. Pictured: People wait to board buses after crossing the Ukrainian border into Poland, at Medyka borders crossing on Thursday, March 10, 2022

Analysts believe the Russian assault on Kyiv is now underway, as troops massed in both the west and east try to push into the city limits - with missions also underway to surround the capital from the south west

U.S. troops prepare to fire Stinger missiles from their Stryker armored fighting vehicle during Saber Strike military drill in Rutja, Estonia on Thursday, March 10, 2022

KAMALA'S NERVOUS AND AWKWARD LAUGHS: A HISTORY August 23, 2021: Harris nervously laughed and dismissed a reporter's inquiry as she headed to Singapore amid Afghanistan chaos. Harris initially claimed to have had a key role and that she was 'the last person in the room' when Biden chose to follow through with the May 1 deadline to retreat US troops from Afghanistan. March 22, 2021: Harris was asked if she had plans to visit the US-Mexico border on Monday but appeared to laugh at the question when posed by a reporter. 'Do you have any plans to visit the border?' came the question while on the tarmac in Jacksonville, Florida. 'Not today,' responded Harris, before laughing. 'But I have before, and I'm sure I will again.' October 26,2020: Harris burst into laughter when asked if she would bring a 'socialist or progressive perspective' to the White House in an interview with CBS News. September 8, 2019: Harris apologizes for laughing when man at New Hampshire town hall described Trump as 'mentally retarded' - and claims she hadn't heard the words he used 'in that moment' Advertisement

Harris left Wednesday for a three-day trip to Eastern Europe as the 15th day of Russian invasion continues in Ukraine and troops close in on the capital city of Kyiv.

The vice president had a much more tame stance toward the violence than President Duda during Thursday's joint remarks.

'We are also very clear that any intentional attack on innocent civilians is a violation,' the vice president said, stopping short of calling Russia's actions 'war crimes.'

But Duda sayid: 'It is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes.'

While Duda explained that Poland is trying to act in the interest of their own country, Ukraine and NATO, Harris appeared on more shaky ground as she deflected and dodged.

'I want to be very clear, the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine. Full stop,' Harris said when she was asked about the lack of movement on a fighter jet deal.

'In terms of the work the United States has done so far, we have, as you know, given military, humanitarian and security assistance, and that is an ongoing process,' the vice president continued without addressing the defunct plan to send war planes to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the U.S. and Poland of playing games with people's lives after the Pentagon poured cold water on a plan to get them fighter jets.

Zelensky told D.C. and Warsaw to stop their 'ping pong' and hand over the MIG-29 combat planes to bolster Ukrainian firepower against Russian troops as they continued their relentless shelling campaign in cities across the country.

'There is an official decision of Poland to transfer the planes to the relevant base - the American base. We also have confirmation - we have all heard - that the agreement between the American party and Poland has been reached,' Zelensky said in a speech Wednesday.

'But at the same time, we hear that Poland's proposal is allegedly unfounded,' he continued. 'And that's what they say in Washington. We also read this. So when will the decision be made?'

'Listen,' the Ukrainian leader pleaded, 'We have a war! We do not have time for all these signals. This is not ping pong! This is about human lives! We ask once again: solve it faster.'

'Do not shift the responsibility. Send us planes,' Zelensky demanded.

Despite the Pentagon denying a deal to enter a war plane deal with Poland, Harris announced Thursday that the U.S. did deliver on its promise to send patriot missiles to Warsaw to ramp up their protection against possible attacks from Russia.

She also pledged that the U.S. will send $50 million more in humanitarian aid to help Ukraine as it faces attack from Russia.

'Today we are also announcing in pursuit of what must happen, which is to provide humanitarian assistance, that we will give another $50 million  the United States will  through the UN's World Food Program to assist in humanitarian aid,' she said.

A White House fact sheet on the new announcement Thursday claims: 'This assistance builds on the United States' announcement less than two weeks ago of nearly $54 million in humanitarian assistance to provide critically needed health supplies, food assistance, high thermal blankets, and other relief.'

Refugees from Ukraine stand near tents as they wait to be transported away from the border after crossing into Poland in Medyka on Wednesday, March 9

When asked Thursday about the building refugee crisis in Poland, Harris laughed and handed the question off to Duda, saying through chuckles: 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'

Duda (left) and Harris (right) met in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, March 10, 2022 as the Russian attack on Ukraine entered its 15th day and forces closed in on Kyiv

Ukrainian armed forces collect captured ammunition on Thursday, March 10, 2022 as Russia continues its 15th day of invasion and closes in on Kyiv

Thousands of U.S. troops were deployed to Eastern European countries to assist in defending NATO ally nations as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine. Pictured: U.S. troops during a military drill in Rutja, Estonia on Thursday

U.S. troops prepare to fire Stinger missiles from their Stryker armored fighting vehicle during Saber Strike military drill in Estonia on March 10, 2022

Zelensky's former press secretary tweets and then deletes message saying it would be a 'tragedy' if Kamala Harris becomes President after laughing during press conference Zelensky's former press secretary Iuliia Mendel, who served from June 2019 until July 2021, said Thursday it would be a 'tragedy' if Vice President Kamala Harris became president Volodymyr Zelensky's former press secretary tweeted then deleted a post saying it would be a 'tragedy' if Vice President Kamala Harris were to one day be president after she laughed through questions at a press conference in Poland about the refugee crisis in Ukraine. 'It would be a tragedy if this woman won the presidency,' Iuliia Mendel, who served Zelensky's administration from June 2019 until July 2021, wrote on Twitter before quickly deleting the post. Harris is the first ever woman and person of color to serve as a U.S. vice president  before being selected as President Joe Biden's No. 2, she was running for his spot in the Democratic primary. Mendel's comments were in response to another tweet with a video showing Harris laughing when asked about the refugee crisis resulting from people displaced from Ukraine fleeing to neighboring countries and saying through giggles: 'A friend in need is a friend indeed.' The vice president held a joint press conference alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine during her three-day trip through Eastern Europe. The trip comes as Poland already took in upwards of 1.5 million refugees fleeing Ukraine in the 15 days since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded. Duda confirmed at the press conference that he had asked Harris to help speed up the consular process so Ukrainian refugees could go stay with family they have in the U.S. He also said that a 'refugee crisis is unfolding' in Eastern Europe, and claimed that more than 1 million people arrived at his country's borders from Ukraine in just 10 days of the so-far 15-day conflict. 'It would be a tragedy if this woman won the presidency,' Mendel tweeted, then quickly deleted, in response to the vice president laughing and deflecting her way through a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday Advertisement

Although there has been no word on Ukrainian military casualties, Russia says it has destroyed more than 2,900 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities and has taken control of a number of neighborhoods in besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Kyiv estimates that Russia has lost some 12,000 troops in the fighting, along with 335 tanks, 1,100 armored personnel carriers, 500 vehicles, 81 helicopters and 49 planes. Moscow has admitted suffering losses, but has not given an accurate figure.

'The NATO alliance is stronger and Russia is weaker because of what Putin has done, that is very clear to us,' Harris said in her remarks with Duda on Thursday.

Zelensky shared a video Wednesday of destruction at a maternity hospital as buildings were turned to rubble in Mariupol, Ukraine.

'Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity!' Zelensky tweeted.

'How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror?' he questioned in a tweet. 'Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity.'

The devastating airstrikes on the maternity hospital killed three including a six-year-old girl.

Residents and troops help civilians flee on Thursday from the town of Irpin in the Kyiv region of Ukraine as Russia tries to take the capital city after almost a week of fighting in the area forcing thousands of people to escape the town

A Russian armored vehicle sits by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, after being destroyed in an artillery and rocket ambush that caused heavy casualties

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Vadym Denysenko, adviser to the interior ministry, said Ukrainian forces had managed to stop the attack in Irpin and were counter-attacking on Thursday morning with battles now underway.

'The night was quite difficult, but in general we can say that the Ukrainian army counterattacked near Kyiv,' he said. 'There is no further detailed information yet.'

It means the Russian mission to assault the Ukrainian capital is now underway, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said.

Among the vehicles seen driving towards Kyiv before they were ambushed was a missile launcher which carries thermobaric warheads - missiles that suck oxygen out of the air and crush the lungs of victims.

Shelling in Kharkiv overnight killed four people, two of them children, with a five-year-old girl injured and rushed to hospital. Emergency workers said they are still working to pull people from the rubble of houses in the town of Slobozhanske. Three people were also killed in shelling on the city of Sumy - two women and a 13-year-old boy.

Mariupol continues to be surrounded by Russian forces but is still in Ukrainian hands, chiefs said. They said Ukrainian fighter jets and anti-aircraft missile units destroyed four Russian Su-25 attack jets and two Russian helicopters over the past 48 hours.
Guatemala's conservative-led Congress has approved a law tripling the prison sentence for women who choose to have an abortion.

The so-called Life and Family Protection Law also bans both gay marriage and teaching on sexual diversity.

The bill punishes women who 'have induced their own abortion or given their consent to another person to carry it out' with 10 years behind bars - more than three times the current sentence of three years.

The bill, set to come into law once President Alejandro Giammattei signs it, was passed by Congress on Tuesday - International Women's Day.

It also punishes anyone who induces an abortion without a woman's consent with up to 50 years in prison.

Abortion is only authorised in Guatemala when there is a threat to the mother's life.

A demonstrator yells during a protest against a law approved by Guatemala's Congress that punishes abortion with up to 10 years in prison in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Wednesday

On Wednesday, which Guatemala's Congress declared 'Life and Family Day,' President Alejandro Giammattei said in a speech at the National Palace, 'This event is an invitation to unite as Guatemalans to protect life from conception until natural death.'

'While other countries continue to approve pro-abortion laws as well as laws that lead to the deterioration of the original concept of the family, this initiative has now become an important law for Guatemalan society,' said right-wing Congressman Armando Castillo, a key defender of the law.

But others were more critical, with the approval of the bill sparking protests among rights groups in Guatemala.

'Losing a pregnancy is devastating, and this law automatically turns a woman into a suspect even as she mourns her loss. They are criminalizing and penalizing miscarriages and that is dangerous,' center-left congresswoman Lucrecia Hernandez said.

The bill introduces a reform to the Civil Code, which will now 'expressly prohibit same-sex marriages' in Guatemala.

Demonstrators hold flowers and a black coffin with a message reading 'LGBTIQ+ Rights' during a protest against a law approved by Guatemala's Congress that punishes abortion with long prison sentences and prohibits same-sex marriage and teaching about sexual diversity in schools, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Wednesday

It would also ban public and private teaching initiatives on sexual diversity, which it describes as 'promoting in children and teenagers policies or programs that tend to lead to diversion from their sexual identities at birth.'

Those who promoted the law have said that there are 'minority groups of the Guatemalan society' that propose 'models of conduct... different from the natural order of marriage and family, which represent a threat to the moral balance of our society.'

Left-wing Congressman Walter Felix denounced the law as 'absolutely discriminatory', and said it 'incites hate.'

'The human rights of significant parts of the population are being violated,' Felix said.

Congresswoman Hernandez also described the law as 'unconstitutional,' adding that it will stigmatize people and spark 'intolerance' in society.

'This law should really be called a law to imprison and kill women. It is one of the most brazen things they are doing in this Legislature, and on top of it all, they are doing it on Women's Day,' said center-left Congressman Samuel Perez.

Black coffins lie on the street during a protest against a law that punishes abortion in Guatemala

After the bill passed, Human Rights Ombudsman Jordan Rodas said that the law 'violates' international conventions signed by Guatemala, and announced a battle to have it declared illegal by the Constitutional Court, the highest in the country.

'We are going to file an action of unconstitutionality so that this (law) has no effect', said Rodas.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets worldwide on International Women's Day to demand more rights, among them the possibility of deciding whether to have an abortion.

In Guatemala, hundreds hit the streets of the capital calling for an end to violence and corruption, and demanding justice as they marked five years since 41 girls died in a fire at a state-run shelter.

As a small group of women staged a protest outside Congress, right-wing Congresswoman Patricia Sandoval defended the law.

'Don't let them give us silly ideas. This law is constitutional, it is viable, and it is the blessing of God,' she said.
A construction worker made a shocking discovery when he found a mummified body in the wall of the Oakland convention center on Wednesday.

The partially decomposed corpse of what appears to be an adult male was discovered during renovations at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, which has been closed for nearly 17 years, the Alameda County Sheriffs Office said.

The grim find was made at around 1pm on the west side of the building, behind some drywall and between two concrete pillars.

A mummified body of what appears to be an adult male was found by a construction worker at the Henry J Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, California, on Wednesday

The decayed corpse was discovered behind drywall and between two concrete pillars at the site, which has been closed to the public since 2005

'The cavity where the individual was found was approximately 15 inches in width and 12 inches in height,' Lieutenant Frederick Shavies, of the Oakland Police Department, told NBC Bay Area.

The human remains probably had been there for several years and had mummified, authorities said.

Shavies said there were no obvious signs of trauma. The dead man's hands and feet were not bound and clothing items were found nearby.

'I think this was a tragic case where someone lost their life, some family lost a loved one,' said Shavies.

The advanced stage of decay made it impossible to immediately determine the age of the body, the Sheriffs Office said.

Investigators plan to use DNA and dental records to try and identify the body. They also say the hands of the corpse may have been preserved well enough to be rehydrated for the purpose of taking its fingerprints, reported ABC 7 News.

The historic building is being renovated as part of a $64.5million revitalization project

Police say there were no obvious signs of trauma on the body, and its hands and feet were not bound

Built in 1914, the historic city-owned convention center near Lake Merritt has been closed since 2005. But in 2015 the City Council reached an agreement with a developer to lease the 215,000-square-foot building and turn it into a commercial and performing arts space.

Construction on the $64.5million project was scheduled to begin in 2020, reported KQED.
An Irish warehouse worker has won a racism tribunal after his manager 'danced like a leprechaun' while mocking his distinctive accent.

Jonathan Kelly will receive compensation after boss Michael Montgomery 'mocked his flag and country' when he mimicked his southern Irish accent during a meeting at Hoo Hing, an oriental food supplier in Romford, Essex.

The exact amount of the payout will be determined at a later hearing after the East London Tribunal Centre ruled that Mr Montogomery's actions, in August 2020, amounted to racial harassment.

The tribunal heard how he had 'bobbed his head and moved his shoulders from side to side' to pretend to be a leprechaun dancing.

Mr Kelly was 'deeply offended' and branded Mr Montgomery's actions and words 'revolting' before taking his complaint higher.

He eventually sued the company for racial harassment and victimisation.

Mr Montgomery - who is Northern Irish but moved to England when he was young and has 'no trace' of an Irish accent - claimed he wasn't mocking his worker, adding that he 'sometimes drops into an Irish accent'.

Jonathan Kelly will receive compensation after boss Michael Montgomery 'mocked his flag and country' when he mimicked his southern Irish accent during a meeting at Hoo Hing, an oriental food supplier in Romford, Essex. (Pictured: Hoo Hing warehouse in Romford)

But the tribunal rejected his claims, agreeing with Mr Kelly that he had been targeted purely because he was Irish by behaviour deemed 'inherently discriminatory'.

The hearing was told Mr Kelly was a warehouse assistant at the company's Romford site and has a 'pronounced southern Irish accent'.

In August 2020, there was an incident at the warehouse in which a female worker was nearly hit by heavy materials which were stored incorrectly, but Mr Kelly 'pushed her out of the way'.

It was when he went to complain that he was mocked by Mr Montgomery.

A tribunal report said: 'We have no doubt Mr Kelly was shocked by the incident and was very agitated; he kept stressing how it had nearly caused serious injury.

'He accepted that he may well have been speaking quickly: he was concerned by what had just happened and the last thing on his mind was how he was expressing himself.

'Mr Kelly's evidence was that Mr Montgomery 'stood there and he bobbed his head and moved his shoulders from side to side' and said 'well maybe if you slowed down I might be able to understand what it is you're trying to say' in an accent which he described as 'a mockery of an Irish accent'.

The exact amount of the payout will be determined at a later hearing after the East London Tribunal Centre (pictured) ruled Mr Montogomery's actions amounted to racial harassment

'It was not a Northern Irish accent. We accept Mr Kelly's evidence that the way that Mr Montgomery spoke was mocking of him, and that the accent he adopted was a mockery of a southern Irish accent.

'Mr Kelly [likened] the bobbing and moving of Mr Montgomery's head and shoulders to someone 'dancing like a leprechaun'. It was a mocking impersonation of a stereotypical Irish figure.

'Mr Kelly asked Mr Montgomery to repeat what he had just said; he was very angry.'

Filing a complaint, Mr Kelly said he was 'shocked' his boss had 'racially targeted' him.

In an email, Mr Kelly said: 'So I went out and I see Caroline, I brought her out and I say 'this man is mocking me, mocking my flag, mocking my country including my accent' and basically I am not having it.

'Basically he denied it all - and then he tried to say 'I don't like your tone of voice, you have been quite aggressive', I said 'you're damn right I am being aggressive because you just insulted me'.'

Mr Montgomery claimed he 'sometimes dropped into an Irish accent' as he came from 'County Antrim' in Northern Ireland.

The tribunal said Mr Kelly's grievance with the company was not taken seriously.

The panel ruled he was also 'victimised' by being forced to wait in a room 'all day' with no explanation ahead of a grievance meeting which lasted just 18 minutes.

Employment Judge David Massarella ruled that though Mr Montgomery's purpose was to 'diffuse' the situation with humour, his choice of actions was 'misguided'.

Judge Massarella said: 'The type of humour [Mr Montgomery] chose to employ was of the most crass and insensitive kind.

'Mr Kelly was not merely upset by the conduct - he was deeply offended by it. We are satisfied that he felt that his dignity had been violated.

'We think he was genuinely outraged by the incident.

'It would be difficult to argue that mocking somebody by adopting a stereotypical accent and set of gestures was anything other than inherently discriminatory.

Mr Kelly had sued the company for racial harassment and victimisation. (Pictured: Hoo Hing in Romford)

'We have no hesitation in finding that it was.

'There can be no question that part of the reason why Mr Montgomery behaved as he did was because [Mr Kelly] is Irish.

'If he was seeking to defuse a difficult situation with a person who was not Irish, self-evidently he would not have adopted a mock Irish accent.

'We reject Mr Montgomery's explanation that he was dropping into his own original accent, because the accent he adopted was not a Northern Irish accent, it was a mock southern Irish accent.'

Mr Kelly won a claim of racial harassment relating to the accent mocking and victimisation relating to being restricted to one room all day.

A remedy hearing will be held at a later date to decide compensation.
Liz Truss today warned Vladimir Putin it would be a 'grave mistake' for Russia to use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

The Foreign Secretary said 'appalling atrocities' had already happened as part of Moscow's invasion and 'there is now talk of the use of chemical weapons'.

Ms Truss would not be drawn on whether the use of such weapons would cross a 'red line' for the UK but said Britain is 'very concerned' about the potential for them to be deployed.

She made the comments as she said the invasion represents a turning point for the world on the same level as the 9/11 terror attacks.

Ms Truss said 'there has been complacency in the West over the past 20 years' following the end of the Cold War as leaders believed 'peace would be inevitable'.

But she said the attack must now prompt the West to 'completely change our approach' because 'that complacency has to end'.

Ms Truss, who is currently on an official visit to the US, will deliver a speech to the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington DC this evening in which she will say the attack on Ukraine is a 'paradigm shift on the scale of 9/11'.

She will also set out a belief that the West must stand up to Mr Putin now and stop his invasion - or risk emboldening Russia and other aggressors.

Liz Truss today said Russia's invasion of Ukraine represents a turning point for the world on the same level as the 9/11 terror attacks

Ms Truss said the West must stand up to Mr Putin now and stop his invasion - or risk emboldening Russia and other aggressors

Ms Truss was interviewed on CNN ahead of the speech and was asked about Russia's conduct during the invasion.

She said: What we can see is appalling atrocities taking place. There is now talk of the use of chemical weapons.

We have seen Russia do that before. We are determined to call Russia out for this appalling invasion.

We warned against it taking place, the Russians said they had not plans to invade, they are now claiming there isnt a war.

We cannot trust a word they say and we strongly believe there is evidence that appalling crimes are taking place and we are doing all we can to collect that evidence.

Asked if the use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line' for the UK, Ms Truss replied: Well, what we are already doing is supplying huge amounts of defensive weaponry to Ukraine. We are working with our allies on cutting off the funding to the Russian economy.

And we are very concerned about the potential use of chemical weapons.

Now of course we have seen Russia use these weapons before in fields of conflict but that would be a grave mistake on the part of Russia, adding to the grave mistakes that have already been made by Putin.

Ms Truss was also asked about the pre-briefed remark about the 9/11 terror attacks.

She said: 'We went through a period after the Cold War where we all thought that peace would be inevitable that we could reduce defence spending, that we could focus on growing our economies.

'We became dependent on authoritarian regimes. If you look at Europe and our dependence on Russian oil and gas, that has been a huge problem.

'So what we need to do now is completely change our approach.'

She added: 'There has been complacency in the West over the past 20 years.

'That complacency has to end and if we don't pay the cost, which there will be costs for our public right across the West, if we don't pay that cost now it will be even higher later because what we know is if Putin doesn't stop now and isn't stopped in Ukraine the consequences will be even more damaging for European security but also for global security.'

Ms Truss will use her speech this evening to set out three areas where the UK is pushing for tougher action.

She will call for an end to strategic dependence on hostile states, including for energy, and for more defence spending to strengthen NATO.

She will also call for stronger alliances with allies, including with countries not historically aligned to the UK.

Britain and the US announced on Tuesday they will phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year as part of increased sanctions on Moscow.

Ms Truss is expected to tell the think tank: 'How we respond today will set the pattern for this new era.

Anti-tank hedgehogs are seen in Maidan Nezalezhnosti Square in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv

'We must start with the principle that the only thing aggressors understand is strength, and we must start by working together to stop Putin's offensive in Ukraine.

'We must rise to this moment. We must pledge that never again will we allow such aggression to grow unchecked. That means acting now. It means being tough  because we know that the costs will only rise if we don't. The public understand the gravity of this moment.

'They see the terrible suffering caused by this pre-planned, barbaric and illegal invasion against a European democracy and they recognise that the world has changed.'

Ms Truss will say that Mr Putin's 'full frontal assault' is not just against Ukraine but also 'on the very foundation of our societies and the rules by which we coexist'.

Arguing that Mr Putin has 'shattered the architecture of global security', she will say: 'The invasion of Ukraine is a paradigm shift on the scale of 9/11.

'How we respond today will set the pattern for this new era. If we let Putin's expansionism go unchallenged it would send a dangerous message to would-be aggressors and authoritarians around the world. We can't allow that to happen.

'We must start with the principle that the only thing aggressors understand is strength and we must start by working together to stop Putin's offensive in Ukraine.'
A licensed social worker who unsuccessfully applied for a professorship at Bridgewater State University last summer has sued the college, after she was allegedly asked to defend her 'whiteness' during an interview.

Donna Johnston, a therapist in Plainfield, Connecticut, filed the race and employment discrimination suit in Massachusetts Superior Court last week, claiming she was subject to a racist interview when she applied for an assistant professorship position at the state-run school's social work department in June.

Johnston, who did not get the job, says that she was asked a series of jarring questions about her 'whiteness' during the interview, presided over by an associate professor who has since left the university.

Johnston, 54, says she was asked to contemplate her 'white privilege' and 'defend her whiteness' by the staffer, and says she was told that 'black students may not be able to relate to you because of your white privilege,' according to the suit - which demands a jury trial and $50,000 in damages.

According to the school, Johnstons answer - which saw her acknowledge her white privilege to the interviewer, the filing says - 'missed the target.'

Donna Johnston, 54, alleges her 'whiteness' cost her a job at the university

The social worker, meanwhile, attests that her qualifications exceeded those of three female applicants the School of Social Work ended up hiring in the weeks after her interview.

Two of the women hired were white and one was black, according to the school.

She argues that her so-called 'whiteness' cost her the job, and hopes that the suit will shine a light on other instances of 'reverse racism.'

'How I was treated during the interview was wrong,' Johnston told The Boston Globe Wednesday of the suit.

'Im probably not the only one who has endured something like this. Maybe they haven't spoken up. So, if nothing else, maybe I will give people the courage and the strength to come forward.'

She told the Globe she expected questions on her decades of clinical practice, field work, and teaching experience at Southern New Hampshire University and Virginia Commonwealth University - not about the color of her skin.

Johnson's lawyer, Scott Lathrop, added: 'If somebody had said to a black applicant, lets talk about your blackness, or how does your blackness affect something, there'd be outrage.'

The school, meanwhile, says that Johnston 'lacked expertise and live classroom experience and failed to present herself as student focused' in the interview, resulting in the school to appoint the other candidates.

'Any possibility of discriminatory motive is contradicted by the fact that the university ultimately hired two caucasians,' the college said in the statement. The third hire, the university said, was a black woman.

The school says that Johnston 'lacked expertise and live classroom experience and failed to present herself as student focused' in the interview

The school would not release the identity of the School of Social work staffers.

The filing comes less than a month after a formal complaint filed by Johnston against the school with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) was withdrawn, state records show.

It is not currently clear what new evidence in the case has come to light since the complaint was nixed, spurred last week's filing.

The white privilege question, posed by the associate professor in Bridgewater States School of Social Work, was meant to give Johnston an 'opportunity to show... how she would use her experience and teaching skills to overcome a common obstacle as a social worker and teacher,' the university said in a 29-page position statement on the MCAD claim February 1.

The school says that race played no factor in their decision to go with the other candidates.

When contacted by DailyMail.com Thursday morning for comment regarding the suit, a spokeswoman for the university said in an email that 'Bridgewater State University does not comment on personnel or pending legal matters.'
Vice President Kamala Harris said Russia is weaker for invading Ukraine while NATO has only been strengthened, during a visit to Poland today where she also reaffirmed the United State's commitment to defending the alliance's borders.

Harris announced the arrival of two Patriot missile defense systems in the country while speaking during a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda after the pair held a meeting to discuss the issue of Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion.

She also announced the US would be sending a further $50million to the country for humanitarian aid to go towards the growing refugee crisis, which has seen around 1.5 million Ukrainians flee across the border from Moscow's armies.

'I've said it many times  I will say it again,' Harris said. 'The US' commitment to article 5 is ironclad. The US is prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory.'

'The NATO alliance is stronger and Russia is weaker because of what Putin has done. That is very clear to us,' she added.

The Vice President also backed calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and specifically the bombing of civilians, including a maternity hospital yesterday.

Vice President Kamala Harris said the United States' commitment to the defense of NATO territory was 'iron clad' during a visit to Poland on Thursday. Pictured: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Polish President Andrzej Duda shake hands after a joint news conference at Belwelder Palace, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Warsaw, Poland March 10, 2022

Harris expressed outrage over the bombing and scenes of bloodied pregnant women being evacuated, as well as other attacks on civilians. She stopped short of directly accusing Russia of having committed war crimes.

'Absolutely there should be an investigation and we should all be watching,' she said.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a special military operation to disarm its neighbour and remove leaders it casts as dangerous.

Harris added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has only made the NATO Western defense alliance 'stronger' through his country's invasion of Ukraine.

'The NATO alliance is stronger and Russia is weaker because of what Putin has done. That is very clear to us,' Harris told reporters.

Standing alongside Harris, Polish President Andrzej Duda said, 'It is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes.'

He added that in his view the invasion was 'bearing the features of a genocide - it aims at eliminating and destroying a nation.'

Harris praised the Polish people for their generosity for taking in nearly 1.5 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

Standing alongside Harris, Polish President Andrzej Duda (right) said, 'It is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes'

Already, more than 2 million refugees have fled Ukraine - with more than half coming to Poland - and even more expected to arrive in the days ahead.

Duda warned of a 'refugee disaster' if Poland doesn't receive more assistance to help house and feed Ukrainians fleeing the conflict.

He said he asked Harris for the U.S. to 'speed up' the process for those Ukrainian refugees who would want to go to the U.S. and might have family there.

'The United States is absolutely prepared to do what we can and what we must to support Poland, in terms of the burden that they have taken on,' said Harris.

But differences between Warsaw and Washington over a Polish plan to send Soviet-made fighter jets to a base in Germany for Ukraine's use have cast a shadow over Harris' visit to Poland. Just as Harris arrived in Warsaw late Wednesday evening, the Pentagon definitively rejected the idea.

The proposal was publicly floated by Poland - without first consulting the U.S. - days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration was 'very, very actively' looking at a proposal under which Ukraine's neighbour Poland would supply Kyiv with Soviet-era fighters and in turn receive American F-16s in compensation.

Pictured: Refugees with children and luggage are seen at the Uzhgorod-Vysne Nemecke checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Slovak border, Uzhhorod, western Ukraine

Polish government officials, however, insisted any transfer of planes must be done within the NATO framework.

'In a nutshell we have to be a responsible member of the North Atlantic Alliance,' said Duda.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon shut the door on the prospect of NATO transferring jets to Ukraine, saying such a move with a U.S. and NATO connection would run a 'high risk' of escalating the Russia-Ukraine war.

Harris, in her remarks, brushed aside any notion of tensions between Poland and the U.S. over how to effectively support Ukraine.

'I want to be very clear, the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop,' she said.

Gen. Tod D. Wolters, the commander of U.S. European Command, said in a statement Thursday that the 'most effective way to support the Ukrainian military in their fight against Russia is to provide increased amounts of anti-tank weapons and air defense systems.'

That effort by the U.S. and allies is ongoing, Wolters added.

A Slovak volunteer helps with transport for Ukrainian refugees at the railway and bus station in Kosice, eastern Slovakia, on March 10, 2022

Speaking earlier during a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Harris praised the Polish people for their kindness shown to Regugees.



'I've been watching or reading about the work of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and so I bring you thanks from the American people.'

The meeting came hours after the U.S. House passed a massive spending bill that includes $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine and its European allies. The legislation includes $6.8 billion to care for refugees and other economic aid to allies.

Later Thursday, the vice president was slated to meet with Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Poland since the Russian invasion began.

Harris is also scheduled to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while in Warsaw. The Canadian leader has been in Europe in recent days meeting with allies about Ukraine.

Harris' whirlwind visit to Poland and Romania was billed by the White House as a chance for the vice president to consult with two of the leaders from eastern flank NATO nations about the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion.

Harris will travel on Friday to Bucharest, where she's to meet Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
An intensive care unit doctor was hit and killed by his own Mercedes while chasing down the carjackers who stole the car.

Dr. Rakesh Patel, 33, of Silver Springs, Maryland, had his car stolen on Vernon Street in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington DC on Tuesday around 8pm.

Patel had left his car running when he got out to give a package to his girlfriend Rachel Lincoln.

As the couple embraced, at least one carjacker jumped inside the doctor's car and sped off.

Patel ran after them but was run over by the thief when he caught up with them on the corner of Florida Avenue and 18th Street, a busy intersection surrounded by row houses and shops and is home to a diverse community. The Adams Morgan community is known for its nightlife and international dining on 18th Street - where Patel was hit - and having cheaper rent than other parts of the DC area. Despite it's lower rent, the area is consider one of the oldest and nicest neighborhoods in Washington DC.

He was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a nearby hospital.

Lincoln described the moment as 'a nightmare,' as she witnessed her boyfriend's final moments, and now his family is left grieving over the senseless killing.

'[He died] for what? A car?' his mother Charulatta Patel told NBC Washington. 'I always used to call him my baby.'

Scroll down for video

Dr. Rakesh Patel, 33, of Silver Springs, Maryland, (pictured with his girlfriend's dog) was killed after being run over by his own Mercedes after at least one man carjacked it on Tuesday evening. The doctor was completing his residency and fellowship at MedStar Washington in the critical care unit and had gone over to his girlfriend Rachel Lincoln's house to drop off a package. As he got out to embrace her, he left his car running. When a man started to drive off with it, he chased after him and was run over in a busy intersection on Florida Avenue and 18th Street

MedStar said it was 'heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing' of Patel (pictured) and that he was completing a residency fellowship in infectious diseases and critical care

MedStar also said it was 'heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing' of Patel and that he was completing a residency fellowship in infectious diseases and critical care.

'Dr. Patel will be greatly missed,' MedStar Washington wrote on Twitter.

Patel was in DC on a critical care fellowship at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

Patel was taken to a hospital after being hit, where he was pronounced dead.

Police have since released a video of the moment Patel's car was abandoned by two men on 16th Street and Roxanna Road near the Maryland border. Both dressed in dark clothing, they can be seen exiting the car and carrying a bottle of bleach and what appeared to be floormats.

Police believe the two men used the bleach in an attempt to clean the car of evidence, NBC Washington reported. They were reportedly pouring bleach into the car.

The two suspects are still at large and the Metropolitan Police Department is now asking the public's help in finding them. The police are offering a $1,000 reward for 'anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.'

'I dont think I have heard of an incident this brazen and tragic in Adams Morgan,' Chairwoman of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission Fiona Clem told the Washington Post. 'Im at a loss, really, to say more than that.'

Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau also said she as 'reeling from the senseless death' in a press release. 'This is a horrible tragedy, like any violence in our community,' she said. 'I will work with our authorities to bring justice for this victim, as I do for all victims here in the District.'

Police are asking for public's help in finding two suspects, who were seen carrying a gallon of bleach and floormats from the car after dropping it off on a residential street near the Maryland border

They parked the car on 16th Street and Roxanna Road and were seen exiting the vehicle

Patel's girlfriend said she would remember him as a person who 'would go out of his way for anybody, not just you or me, but his friends, his family and his patients.'

Motor vehicle theft is already up eight percent in DC this year with 626 thefts, as of Thursday. There were 579 during the same period last year. It spiked 200 per cent from 2019 to 2021.

The police have called carjacking as a crime of opportunity and said some of 'jump-ins,' where thieves will take an unattended car that is running.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Robert Contee have called for more officers to restore security throughout the neighborhoods and launched a carjacking task force in February. The task force will consist of Metropolitan and Prince George's County police and the FBI.

Many of the carjackings throughout DC are performed by juveniles, police said, with the number of juveniles arrested for it outpaced the number of adults, two to one. A similar outlook is seen in Prince George's County.

The car (pictured) was found on Wednesday and police believe it was covered in bleach

Authorities think the men tried to wash the car in bleach to destroy any evidence

'Playtime is over. This is not a video game,' Contee said last month. 'This is not a game where were playing chicken, and were not going to figure out what it is we need to do here. The mayor and the county executive have already stated, we got to come together and everybody, this is not a spectator sport, everybody has a responsibility here.'

He also said the 'same kids' are being arrested in DC as they are in Prince George's County. Contee also said the district would make juvenile arrest information more public, but did not give a time frame when it will be implemented.

Last month, a 71-year-old man was fatally shot during a carjacking in Prince George's County by a 17-year-old. And last year a 66-year-old delivery driver was killed near Nationals Park by teenage girls, 13 and 15, after they carjacked him.

Many have cited the pandemic as the reasoning behind the increase in carjackings and the spike in crimes can be seen across other large cities, such as New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday distanced himself from President Donald Trump's praise of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, in a rare break between the top lawmaker and the de-facto leader of his party.

The California legislator directly opposed Trump calling the Russian autocrat 'genius' and 'savvy' after he ordered Moscow's troops to attack a neighboring country.

McCarthy also went after the Biden administration for reportedly looking to countries like Iran and Venezuela to fill the narrow import gap left by President Joe Biden's recently-levied ban on buying Russian energy.

McCarthy had previously joined the chorus of global leaders condemning Putin's actions, but his Wednesday press conference marked the first time the GOP leader was asked about Trump's comments directly.

'I do not think anything savvy or genius about Putin. I think Putin is evil, I think he's a dictator, I think he's murdering people right now,' he said.

At another point the lawmaker replied 'yes' when asked if there was no room in the Republican Party for 'Putin apologists.'

However McCarthy spent more time going after Democrats, blaming them for record-high gas prices that are hitting drivers nationwide.

He accused Biden of cutting back American energy production while relying on unsavory but energy-rich countries to make up the difference, claiming the US was swapping 'one dictator for another' rather than relying on US oil and gas.

The House Minority Leader made a rare break from the de facto leader of his party, Donald Trump, during his Wednesday press conference

When announcing a ban on Russian energy imports on Tuesday, the president acknowledged the financial pain of soaring gas prices, but warned Americans it would get worse as Russia continues its unprovoked attack on Ukraine. He also insisted a shift toward clean energy would solve American reliance on foreign fuel, and denied his climate-friendly policies fueled rising costs.

Republicans in response have urged Biden to increase US oil and gas production at home, though experts say that rolling back the Democrat's clean energy policies would not do much to help the strain, citing the current state of the industry and logistical issues concerning refining different types of crude oil.

'Democrats' plan to lower prices today is to blame Russia, buy expensive electric vehicles, and beg OPEC for a bailout,' McCarthy said.

He accused elected Democrat leaders of 'going after American companies that produce energy, to produce less, but ask those countries with dictators and other leaders to produce more.'

'The president said, "The buck stops with me," and then he says he can't do much about it now, Russia is responsible,' the legislator continued.

Trump was previously condemned for calling Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine 'genius' and 'savvy'

'The Secretary of Transportation tells Americans to go buy a $56,000 electric car. The State Department wants to buy oil from Iran and Venezuela, trading one dictator for another.'

Biden recently sent a delegation to Venezuela to reportedly discuss the possible lifting of oil sanctions if the communist regime agreed to send part of its exports to the US. There's also renewed hope that Iran Nuclear Deal talks could lift trade restrictions on the Middle Eastern country and bring their oil back on the market.

Nationwide the average price at the pump is roughly $4.32, seven cents up from Wednesday's previous record-high, as recorded by the American Auto Association (AAA).

Fuel experts at Gas Buddy and AAA have said this week that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is to blame for the latest astronomical leap.

The global average price of crude oil shot up 30 percent in the seven-day period ending on Tuesday, an analysis by wealth management firm UBS suggests.

Residents and militaries help civilians to flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv region, on March 10

Russian forces have been shelling Ukraine's cities for two weeks now in Putin's unprovoked and illegal attack

Late on Wednesday night the House of Representatives passed a ban on Russian energy imports, expanding on Biden's blockade. It also would require the US representative to the World Trade Organization to condemn Moscow's invasion and urge fellow member states to cut trade ties.

It passed with a decisive 414 to 17 vote.

The US got about 8 percent of its liquid fuel from Russia in 2021, including 3 percent of crude oil.

House Republicans, 15 of whom voted against the bill, have put forward their own measure aimed at offsetting the impact of the Kremlin's energy exports. It would require the US to develop a plan expanding domestic oil and natural gas production.

'We need more production in America. The solution to getting our country back on track, to return to energy independence, couldn't be more straightforward,' McCarthy claimed on Wednesday.

'We offered the American Energy Independence from Russia bill on the floor...220 Democrats voted no.'
Mothers across Ukraine have expressed their anger at the heartless bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol that has shocked the world.

Women fought back tears as they told of their sympathy for the three who were killed and the dozens injured by the senseless bombardment by the Russian army.

Mother Katia Poltorak spoke for many when branded the Kremlin leaders 'b**tards'.

Katia Poltorak (pictured), who has a five-year-old son Miron, told MailOnline: 'The Russians are heartless b**tards'

Anna Afinogenova (pictured) said she feared it could have been her who was giving birth as the bombs rained down

Women fought back tears as they told of their sympathy for the three who were killed and the dozens injured by the senseless bombardment at the Mariupol hospital (pictured)

The 42-year-old, from Dnipro, who has a five-year-old son Miron, told MailOnline: 'The Russians are heartless b**tards.

'These are not men, they are animals. My heart is broken. These killing are terrible. I cannot watch the news of the attack. It is too upsetting.'

Anna Afinogenova told how she feared it could have been her who was giving birth as the bombs rained down.

The 41-year-old from Kyiv, who has a one-year-old baby daughter Kira, said: 'I cannot think about what happened at the hospital without shedding tears.

'A year ago that could have been me, in hospital giving birth. My daughter had her first birthday only last week.

Natalia Korniusha, pictured with her son Hlib, nine, said: 'To attack women and children like this is despicable'

Kateryna Borozdina, 40, from Kyiv, questioned how Putin could target women and children

Anastasia Pohorelova, said: 'Whoever ordered this operation must be put to death. It was worse than a war crime'

'To attack helpless and defenceless women and babies is unconscionable. The hospital is not a military target. Putin had no excuse to attack it. This was the worst kind of war crime.'

Anastasia Pohorelova, added: 'Whoever ordered this operation must be put to death. It was worse than a war crime.'

The 32-year-old had to flee from Dnipro with her sons Maxim, 6 and Yuroslav, 2.

She said: 'We need to send a message to the world that this cannot be allowed to happen. It's such a terrible thing to have happened. These poor people were civilians.'

Natalia Korniusha said: 'I am beyond angry. This is not war this is murder. To attack women and children like this is despicable. The people who ordered this atrocity need to be punished.'

Olga Ponomariova, 31, fled from Kyiv with her four children Sasha, one and a half, Vera, 9, Demyan, 9 and Varvara, 5

Anna, who has a one-year-old baby daughter Kira, said: 'I cannot think about what happened at the hospital without shedding tears'

The 49-year-old escaped from her home in Mykolayiv yesterday as Russian tank approached the city. How can they attack women who about to give birth?' she asked.

'When you are pregnant you are vulnerable and weak, your only thought is for the welfare of your child. To be attacked by bombs while you are about to have a baby does not bare thinking about.'

Mother of two Lilia Studnytskiy, 32, said: 'What happened in Mariupol is a terrible tragedy. It is vital for the world to know that the people who were killed and injured in this attack were innocent women and children. The world cannot allow for this to happen and to go unpunished.'

Mother of two Lilia Studnytskiy, 32, said: 'What happened in Mariupol is a terrible tragedy'

Marina Sakhno (left, pictured with her son Ivann, 10 and sister Tatiana), said: 'Putin cannot get away with this'

Marina Sakhno, 35, from Kyiv, who has a ten-year-old with son Ivan, said: 'This is so sad. Putin cannot get away with this. We had to escape from Kyiv when he started bombing us. We could not live there anymore. If the situation gets worse we will not be able to stay in Ukraine. We will leave for Poland.

Kateryna Borozdina, 40, from Kyiv, questioned how Putin could target women and children.

She said: 'I cannot believe this crazy man Putin would do something like that. How can he send his army to bomb women and children? I cannot find the words to express my anger at what has happened. Words fail me.'

Olga Ponomariova, 31, fled from Kyiv with her four children Sasha, one and a half, Vera, 9, Demyan, 9 and Varvara, 5.

She said: 'What happened to the hospital at Mariupol is a tragedy that can never be forgotten. I cannot think about the suffering of the women and children there. It is too upsetting.'
The supposed delivery of Poland supplied MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine claimed by the US is irresponsible; the EU is not keen on risking any conflict with Russia.

Poles are calling the attempt by the US to push the European Union into a war they don't want. They've sent considerable assistance to Ukraine, including taboo weapons, and have taken refugees in.

Fighter Planes Sent to Ukraine

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced on CBS's Face the Nation we are interacting with the Poles and reviewing the issue with the rest of NATO countries, reported Eurasian Times.

When he visited Moldova on March 6, he stated that they are presently looking at the possibility of Poland delivering planes to Ukraine and how to backfill if Poland agrees to give those planes. Unfortunately, no timeline was disclosed, cited Al Jazeera.

Bulgaria and Slovakia had previously rejected the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine. According to Politico, the discussions are now centered on deploying American-built jets to supplant the MiG-29s in Warsaw.

Blinken's Ideas

Hearing of this, Warsaw had a different idea from Blinken's, and the Americans would pressure the poles.

The Polish Prime Minister's Chancellery denied claims that the government is negotiating with Washington to supply its fighter plane fleet if Warsaw chooses to give its MiG-29s to Kyiv on social networks.

In March, Polish President Andrzej Duda made it clear that his country would not see any MiG-29 fighters in Ukrainian air space. Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland's Prime Minister, does not intend to do anything that could affect the greater EU.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Wife: Who Is Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine?

Furthermore, Poland has approved a draft bill to create a $1.75 billion pool to relieve Ukrainian combat refugees. Over one million migrants recently entered Poland, including tens of thousands getting sheltered across the country, Reuters reported.

The legislation focuses on providing food and transitional shelters for refugees and steps that would enable them to legally work and access public healthcare and social support in Poland.

NATO disapproves

NATO members don't want to be active militarily and keep a nuclear conflict in Ukraine. An affront by the demand of Ukraine for a no-fly zone, the bloc is not keen on the desperation of Volodymyr Zelensky, who call them weak.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned not to listen to Ukraine or its demands for a no-fly zone or start a serious conflict in Europe.

The Russian Defense Ministry told Romania, a NATO member, spoke against harboring Kyiv's military jets, warning they could end up in an armed confrontation, mentioned the Defense Post.

According to defense ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov, a few Ukrainian jets were sent to Romania and neighbors to escape from getting damaged.

All enemy combat planes were destroyed, said the Russian MoD when attacks were carried out. But Romania's Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca remarked. It's all hyperbole designed to deflect attention away from what's going on the ground, where civilians are being slaughtered, and the norms of armed combat are being broken.

Ciuca said his country was not threatened and informed Moscow of a plane that landed on February 24 and left unharmed later. Poland denied the MiG-29 fighters in a deal with the US, knowing it could jeopardize the EU.

Related Article: Military Analyst Says Russian Offensive Is Not Failing, Western Alliance Partners Are Making Hasty Conclusion in Ukraine

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Stamp will honour 13 Ukrainian guards who told Russian navy to 'go f*** yourself'

Ukrposhta asked the public to vote for their favourite out of the top 20 shortlist

Postal service called for designs and said one winning design would be issued

The Ukrainian postal service has launched a competition to design a stamp honouring the Snake Island heroes who told a Russian warship to 'go f*** yourself'.

Ukrposhta announced its plans to issue a stamp in honour of the brave guards on March 1 and asked illustrators to send in their designs as part of the All-Ukrainian People's Contest.

The postal service said they would open up the competition to public voting and the design that received the most votes would then be commissioned on a stamp.

The stamp will pay tribute to the 13 Ukrainian border guards who, when ordered to surrender, told the Russian navy to 'go f*** yourself' before being shelled in response.

Almost 500 designs were sent in before the March 4 deadline and Ukrposhta revealed the top 20 submissions, which were shortlisted by an expert council, on its Facebook page on March 8.

Ukrainian postal service has launched a contest to design a stamp honouring the Snake Island heroes who told a Russian warship to 'go f*** yourself'. Pictured: One design from shortlist

Ukrposhta announced its plans to issue a stamp in honour of the heroes on March 1 and asked illustrators to send in their designs. Pictured: One design, which has made it to the top 20

One clever design showed a lighthouse on a rock, with the structure being made to look like a hand putting the middle finger up

Another submission saw an island in the shape of a hand putting up a middle finger in a symbol of defiance

The postal service said they would open up the competition to voting and the design that received the most votes would be commissioned on a stamp. Pictured: One design saw a group of soldiers, designed like toys, standing on the island

Almost 500 designs were sent in before the March 4 deadline and Ukrposhta revealed the top 20 shortlisted submissions (one pictured) on its Facebook page on March 8

The incredible works of art saw illustrators show their support for the Snake Island, with one stamp design showing a warship sinking into what appeared to be a pool of blood.

Another unique design featured a soldier standing on the shore defiantly putting the middle finger up at a Russian warship - and it was not the only submission to include the rude gesture.

One clever design showed a lighthouse on a rock, with the structure being made to look like a hand putting up the middle finger, while another submission saw an island shaped like the gesture with the Ukrainian flag firmly planted into the finger.

Some of the designs took on abstract or cartoon-like styles, but all symbolised the defiance both Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have shown since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

Ukrposhta said it had initially hoped to display all of the submissions for voting, but had to pick the 20 'best sketches' due to the quantity of designs they received.

In a Facebook post, translated from Ukrainian, they wrote: 'They promised to put all the works to the vote, but did not expect that there would be so many people willing to take part in the competition that it would go beyond Ukraine.

'So we decided to collect the 20 best sketches from the philatelic point of view, from which you have to choose the one we are printing.'

The stamp will be a reminder of the 13 Ukrainian border guards who, when ordered to surrender, told the Russian navy to 'go f*** yourself' before being shelled in response. Pictured: One shortlisted design showed a warship being targeted

Ukrposhta admitted that it had initially hoped to display all of the submissions for voting, but had to pick the 20 'best sketches' due to the quantity of designs they received

Ukrposhta said that the designers had felt the competition had 'become a real art therapy for many in these difficult times for our country'

One design showed a Ukrainian troop bravely holding its blue and yellow flag as it stood guard against the warship

A number of other abstract submissions featured Russian warships being targeted, while others were designed in a cartoon-like style

Ukrposhta added that they would all have the Snake Island heroes' message 'sewn in' for the whole world to see, as they urged people to vote for their favourite designs

Previously revealing the competition, the postal service said it was marking the Ukrainian stamp's 30th anniversary. Pictured: One of the top 20 designs

Previously revealing the competition, the postal service said it was marking the Ukrainian stamp's 30th anniversary. Pictured: One of the shortlisted stamp designs

One unique stamp design showed a hand crushing a warship in a symbol of defiance

Some of the incredible stamp designs reclaimed the Snake Island heroes' message

Ukrposhta said the stamp would all have the Snake Island heroes' message 'sewn in' for the whole world to see, as they urged people to vote for their favourite designs.

Although it was not able to showcase all of the 496 submissions, which came from both professional designers and amateurs, Ukrposhta said 'the rest of the works will be included into Ukrposhta's database, which we plan to use as sketches for other postal issues of patriotic topics'.

Ukrposhta said that the designers had felt the competition had 'become a real art therapy for many in these difficult times for our country'.

Previously revealing the competition, the postal service said it was marking the Ukrainian stamp's 30th anniversary.

Ukrposhta explained they were replacing the normal stamp competition with one to honour the military heroes in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Voting closes today and the winner is set to be announced tomorrow.

The stamp will honour the 13 Snake Island heroes who told the Russian navy to 'go f*** yourself' when they were ordered to surrender.

The border guards were initially reported to have been killed in the attack on February 24, but it was later suggested they may have survived and been captured.

Audio messages at the time recorded the men's defiance in the face of threats from the Russian aggressors.

The ship's captain told them: 'I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and any unnecessary victims.'

The guards replied: 'Russian warship - go f*** yourself.'

Voting closes today and the winner is set to be announced tomorrow. Pictured: One of the shortlisted stamp designs

Some designs appeared to be in the format of traditional stamp designs, while others took a more abstract approach to the tribute

The stamp will honour the 13 Snake Island heroes who told the Russian navy to 'go f*** yourself' when they were ordered to surrender. Pictured: One of the shortlisted stamp designs

Snake island is ruled by Ukraine but sits just miles from the coast of NATO member Romania

The Ukrainian Navy confirmed that the soldiers on the strategically placed island repelled two attacks by Russian forces, but were forced to surrender 'due to the lack of ammunition.'

They also said in the statement that Russian forces destroyed Snake Island's infrastructure, including lighthouses, towers and antennas.

At the time, Russia's defense ministry said 82 Ukrainian soldiers on the island had surrendered to them voluntarily. It made no mention of carrying out strikes or inflicting casualties.

Russian Major-General Igor Konashenkov stated how the servicemen on the island 'laid down their arms and voluntarily surrendered to a unit of the Russian Armed Forces.'

'Russian media reported that Ukrainian servicemen on the island had been sent to Sevastopol' in Crimea, the statement explained.

Earlier this week, one of the Russian warships that notoriously bombarded Ukraine's Snake Island on the first day of the war was destroyed by rockets.

Defence forces based in the Black Sea port of Odessa hit the Vasily Byko with a rocket barrage, Ukrainian military sources said.

Last night video emerged of the rockets being fired from Odessa, with the line being repeated back at it after it was hit.

Snake Island is strategically important because it allows Russia to claim territorial waters stretching 12 nautical miles out to sea.

Protestors in Munich, Germany hold signs containing messages of the Snake Island attack where a Russian warship was told 'go f*** yourself' by border police

'We f***ing hit them,' one of the soldiers firing the rockets remarked. 'Russian warship - go f*** yourself!'

A Ukrainian Navy source told The Times: 'Ship was destroyed, it is confirmed.'

The Ukraine Navy added on Facebook: 'The enemy has retreated again.'

While the Ukrainian Armed Forces added: 'Today, March 7, 2022, Navy marine units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine defending the Odessa region hit an enemy ship.'

Snake Island is ruled by Ukraine but sits just miles from the coast of Romania.

It is strategically important because it will allow Russia to claim territorial waters stretching 12 nautical miles out to sea.

They cover important shipping channels to the port cities of Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson.

After taking the island, Russia would have been able to cut off the shipping channels, isolating Ukraine from international markets and depriving its economy of vital trade revenues as it seeks to defend itself.
Bethany Mandel is the editor of the children's book publisher Heroes of Liberty

On March 8, Florida's Republican-controlled state legislature passed the Parental Rights in Education bill.

But you may know it better by the media's smear name, 'The Don't Say Gay Bill.'

It's a measure that gives parents more control over what their children are taught in public schools.

But that's not how the White House, Democrats, Hollywood and the media portrayed it.

In fact, they completely mischaracterized it.

President Joe Biden called an early version of the bill 'hateful.'

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg claimed it will increase suicides among LGBTQ+ youth.

On Tuesday's episode of 'Watch What Happens Live' Bravo host Andy Cohen called the bill's passage 'personally disturbing,' and told Florida Republicans that they're pretending to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

'This is one big dog whistle. You're scaring people into spewing hate and discrimination at the LGBTQ community,' he said.

On Wednesday, the White House doubled down again. Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the bill 'discriminatory,' 'horrific,' and 'a form of bullying' against LGBTQ children and families.

On March 8, Florida's Republican-controlled state legislature passed the Parental Rights in Education bill. But you may know it better by the media's smear name, 'The Don't Say Gay Bill.' (Above) Demonstrators gather to speak in front of the Florida State Capitol, Monday, March 7, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla.

On the eve of the bill's passage, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (who is now expected to sign the bill into law) confronted a local reporter, who framed the legislation as anti-gay.

'I want to ask about the Parental Rights in Education, what critics call the 'Don't Say Gay' bill,' said Evan Donovan.

DeSantis was having none of it, and snapped, 'Does it say that in the bill? You are pushing false narratives'

So does the bill prohibit teachers' from saying the word 'gay'?

In a word  no!

The legislative text of the House version of the bill reads, 'Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.'

It not does ban words or even causal discussion of gender issues.

But it does remove gender and sexual orientation issues from the formal curriculum for five, six and seven-year-olds, and mandates that instruction for older children is age and developmentally appropriate.

The reality is DeSantis, and millions of other parents like him, don't think it appropriate to talk about sexuality with very young children.

And the bill also does more than that -- it prohibits schools from withholding information from parents about their children's education and mental health, unless notification presents a threat to the child's safety.

You'd think that's a given. You'd think wrong.

Education of children in radical gender ideology is taking place in public facilities across the country

Earlier this week, the Heritage Foundation hosted an event titled, 'How radical gender ideology is taking over public schools and harming kids.'

One of the speakers was Abigail Martinez -- a mother of four from California, originally from El Salvador.

The reality is DeSantis, and millions of other parents like him, don't think it appropriate to talk about sexuality with very young children. (Above) DeSantis speaks during the welcome segment of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 26, 2021.

She shared - for the first time -- the utterly heartbreaking story of the suicide of her daughter Yaeli.

According to Martinez, Yaeli was a happy 'girlie girl' through her early childhood. She loved singing and dancing and wearing princess dresses.

But in her teenage years, she began to exhibit signs of depression.

Martinez informed the school and sought their help  something she now regrets.

Yaeli allegedly became convinced, thanks in part to school psychologists, that she was a boy.

Yaeli wanted to be called Andrew, which her mother allowed. But the change did not give her daughter the happiness she sought.

After an attempted suicide, Yaeli (now Andrew) ran away.

School officials told social services that Andrew would be 'better off out of the house' and she was placed in foster care at 16-years-old, said Martinez.

'When I went to court, I asked the judge to please let my daughter have a psych evaluation,' Martinez explained.

The school social worker insisted that she needed to be affirmed as transgender, and so, the judge denied Martinez's request.

In September of 2019, Yaeli would commit suicide by kneeling in front of an oncoming train.

It was her mother, Abigail, who was left to bury the literal pieces of her daughter and live every day with the loss.

Not the school social worker, not the principal, not the judge, not her teachers.

Tragically Abigail's story is extreme but not unique.

Also speaking at Heritage was a Florida mom, January Littlejohn, who shared the story of her daughter's run-in with gender ideology.

January and her husband Jeffrey Littlejohn from Tallahassee, Florida, have filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in October of last year.

They are seeking to 'vindicate their fundamental rights to direct the upbringing of their children' after Deerlake Middle School failed to notify them that their 13-year-old daughter had entered a school-sanctioned gender transition plan without their consent.

This is exactly the kind of situation the Parental Rights in Education bill would prevent.

How could schools possibly think it's their role to teach this kind of content to children?

It's very simple: They think that isn't just their duty, but their right.

The backlash against the Parental Rights in Education Bill is a repeat of the critical race theory debates that first embroiled school boards across the country last year.

Parents were told they had no right to oversight over their children's curriculum. They weren't entitled to a say.

During a debate between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin in October when both were vying for the governorship of Virginia, Youngkin said to McAuliffe, 'You believe school systems should tell children what to do. I believe parents should be in charge of their kids' education.'

In response, McAuliffe said, 'I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.'

Youngkin's message resonated with Virginia parents, and they elected him Governor over the favored Democrat.

The woke assault on childhood innocence in American classrooms is occurring nationwide.

In November in Virginia, parents reasserted their rights to have a say about what their own children were learning in classrooms.

In Florida, lawmakers saw what their constituents wanted. It wasn't a 'don't say gay' bill, it was a full-throated defense of parent's rights.

It was a winning political issue in Virginia, and it will play out similarly in elections nationwide.

Parents see the kind of radical ideology progressives are trying to brainwash their children with and those who are willing to stand up against it.
Walmart has been ordered to rehire a worker with Down syndrome and to give her $50,000 in back pay after the retail giant lost a discrimination lawsuit for firing the longtime employee because she failed to show up for shifts after her schedule was changed.

Marlo Spaeth - who had worked at a Walmart in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for 16 years before she was let go seven years ago - had already been awarded $300,000 in damages by a jury.

The latest decision by a federal judge comes after a lengthy court battle of more than five years between Spaeth, whose lawsuit was filed by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and Walmart, the largest U.S.-based private employer.

Walmart confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday that it would rehire Spaeth but said it is still weighing whether to appeal the ruling on back pay and the $300,000 it owes in jury damages, according to a Walmart spokesperson.

Marlo Spaeth, who worked at Walmart for 16 years, was fired in July 2015 after the retailer accused her of absenteeism following a change to her schedule

Marlo Spaeth (left) and her sister, Amy Jo Stevenson (right). Stevenson said her sister was passionate about her job at Walmart and lost her sense of purpose after the firing

Spaeth, who is in her 40s, worked at the store in the Lake Michigan town for 16 years before she was fired in 2015 due to Walmart's refusal to accommodate her disability. Her job consisted of cleaning and keeping store aisles in order, folding towels and helping customers.

In the lawsuit, she said she needed to maintain a rigid daily schedule as part of her condition, which included catching a bus to work and eating dinner at the same time every night.

The store changed her hours in 2014 after it decided to transition to a new computerized scheduling system, designed to match customer traffic with staffing numbers, according to court records.

As a consequence, Spaeth struggled to adapt to her new hours and would often leave early. Eventually, she asked for her new schedule to be adjusted by 60 to 90 minutes to get back to her noon to 4pm shift, but that's when Walmart fired her and then later refused to rehire her, according to the lawsuit.

After the firing, Spaeth's life fell into disarray, said her sister Amy Jo Stevenson. She became less social and would even drop her head into her hands when a Walmart commercial ran.

'It was nothing short of traumatic,' Stevenson told CNBC. 'It was hard, very difficult to watch.'

Spaeth worked at a Walmart in Manitowoc (pictured), where she cleaned and kept store aisles in order, folded towels and helped customers

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit in 2017 on Marlo Spaeth's behalf and announced the verdict on Friday

In July, an eight-member jury in Green Bay, Wisconsin, sided with Spaeth and awarded her $125million in punitive damages and an additional $150,000 in compensatory damages.

That sum was quickly reduced to $300,000, the maximum cap on damages in cases involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

As part of the changes that the judge blocked, the EEOC wanted Walmart to add training for stores managers about ADA.

However, Judge William Griesbach blocked a request to put Walmart under tighter scrutiny for the next five years because of the wrongful firing.

The EEOC wanted Walmart's employees to be aware of the case's ruling in Spaeth's favor and their legal right. The agency also wanted Walmart to spread the word to its employees that they could contact them at any time to report violations.

The EEOC had also referred to other similar discrimination lawsuits against Walmart, claiming that Spaeth's firing is the latest in similar actions that are starting to form a pattern.

Over the last five years, six other Walmart workers in Wisconsin with disabilities claimed to be victims of discrimination. Disability Rights lawyer Monica Murphy, who represented all the victims, said that the retail giant denied these workers accommodation and removed their hours or forced them to take unpaid leave.

'We take supporting all our associates seriously and routinely accommodate thousands with disabilities every year,' Walmart said.

Former employees with disabilities living in other states, including Maine, Oklahoma and South Dakota, have dealt with similar situations.

In Spaeth's most recent court ruling on February 22, Judge Griesbach wrote that he denied the EEOC's requests because most of them are 'directives that Walmart obey the law.'

'The substantial verdict against Walmart and the publicity it generated serve as strong deterrents against any repeat of the conduct at issue in this case,' he added.

Griesbach further explained that denying the agency's requests will 'create a strong incentive for Walmart to ensure that requests for reasonable accommodations are adequately addressed without court oversight of Walmart's administration and enforcement of its policies and procedures.'

An EEOC attorney, Justin Mulaire, declined to provide insight to CNBC on whether the federal agency will appeal Griesbachs refusal to side with its demands.

In recent weeks, the EEOC and Walmart have gone back and forth in court over the sufficient amount of back pay owed to Spaeth so that the retail giant would fall in line with the judge's order.

The two parties have still not reached an agreement on the amount Walmart owes to Spaeth to balance the tax liability that she will be exposed to from the money she is due to receive.
President Joe Biden will call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday to discuss the situation in the Ukraine as Russia closes in on Kyiv and peace talks break down in Turkey.

Biden's involvement comes as top diplomats from Russia and Ukraine failed to make progress during talks on Thursday, dashing hopes for a quick resolution to the invasion.

President Erdogan had said on Wednesday that the meeting could 'crack the door open to a permanent cease-fire.' But both sides left with no ceasefire in place nor an agreement for safe passage for Ukrainian civilians caught in the war zone.

Relations between Turkey and the United States have been strained the past few years over several issues, including Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 air defence systems. Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara in December 2020 over the S-400s.

Biden and Erdogan met on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rome in October, where the American president warned his counterpart that they must manage their relationship better.

President Joe Biden will call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday to discuss the situation in the Ukraine - the two men met in October at the G20 (above)

Analysts believe the Russian assault on Kyiv is now underway, as troops massed in both the west and east try to push into the city limits - with missions also underway to surround the capital from the south west

Russian forces are said to be closin gin on Kyiv - above th e aftermath of the Russian army bombardment on a children's hospital in Mariupol

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is in Poland, where met with Polish President Andrzej Duda

Ankara's purchase of the Russian defense system caused tensions with NATO allies and led to questions about Turkey's committment to the alliance.

Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea. Ankara has called Vladimir Putin's invasion of the Ukraine unacceptable but also has opposed sanctions on Russia and Putin's inner circle.

The U.S. is stepping up its involvement of its principal leaders in the conflict.

Vice President Kamala Harris is in Poland, where she dodged questions on why the U.S. declined a deal to send fighter jets to Ukraine during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

She did pledge $50 million more in humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people.

'The issue facing the Ukrainian people and our allies in the Eastern flank is something that occupies one of our highest priorities,' the vice president said, calling it a 'dynamic situation' that 'requires us to be nimble and to be swift.'

Duda, however, did address the issue of warplanes, explaining that the situation is 'extremely complicated', and that the mix up came because Poland was making these aircraft available for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to decide if they wanted to send them to Ukraine.

'We are trying to do our best,' Duda said in a frank moment during his joint briefing with the vice president as Poland takes in millions of refugees fleeing their neighbor Ukraine.

'Some expectations were addressed in a very strong and a vocal way, also towards us, towards Poland,' he added. 'However, we are members of the North Atlantic Treaty alliance and as far as security issues are concerned we have to look at this not only through our own lens  through the prism of the security of Poland  but we also have to adopt the perspective of the security of NATO as a whole.'

Meanwhile the U.S. and its allies are working to stop attacks on Ukrainian citizens after Russian forces bombed the Mariupol hospital that killed three, including a young girl.

Ukraine accused Russia of war crimes with that attack.

The U.S. and its allies are working to stop attacks on Ukrainian citizens amid a humanitarian crisis - above residents flee from a town near Kyiv

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (centre), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left)and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (right) take part in peace talks in Turkey

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, however, accused the U.S. and its allies of using Kyiv to threaten Moscow during a meeting with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya.

He and Kuleba could not come to an agreement on a cease-fire or allowing civilians in attacked areas safe passage.

In fact, Lavrov made the stunning claim Russia didn't attack the Ukraine.

Speaking after the failed talks, Lavrov said: 'We are not planning to attack other countries. We didn't attack Ukraine, either.'

And there were indications Lavrov didn't have the power to negotiate a cease fire.

'The broad narrative he conveyed to me is that they will continue their aggression until Ukraine meets their demands, and the least of these demands is surrender,' Kuleba told reporters after his meeting with Lavrov and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu of Turkey.

Lavrov said Putin would not refuse a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky but it would have to be substantive and focus on specifics.

And he said in reference to the hospital attack: 'It is not the first time we see pathetic outcries concerning the so-called atrocities perpetrated by the Russian military.'

He made outlandish claims that the hospital had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals and all the 'mothers and nurses were chased out of there'.

The foreign minister also accused the West of providing Ukraine with weapons.

He said: 'We see how dangerously our Western colleagues, including in the European Union, are acting now, which, in violation of all its so-called principles and values, encourages the supply of deadly weapons to Ukraine.'

Meanwhile his counterpart Kuleba blasted the 'difficult' meeting, accusing Lavrov of bringing 'traditional narratives' about Ukraine to the negotiating table.

He said after the failed talks: 'I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender.'

Russia has demanded that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality so it cannot join the EU or NATO, recognise Crimea as sovereign Russian territory and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent territories.
An Oregon woman gave birth on the sidewalk of a Portland street and and abandoned the baby before walking away covered in blood and amniotic fluid, police say.

EMS and first responders arrived at SW 13th Ave and SW Market St just before 11 am on Wednesday after receiving reports of a woman, who was not identified, that had given birth on the sidewalk.

'Someone just gave birth and left the baby here. Mom is walking away bleeding,' an unidentified caller told 911.

Incidentally, Officer Nathan Kirby-Glatkowski and his partner happened to be in the area in search of a serial burglar when they got the call.

'It's a cold day; it wasn't raining at that moment, but it was raining earlier, and the sidewalk at Southwest 13th and Market is no place to deliver a baby alone,' Kirby-Glatkowski said.

The PPB Central Bike Squad also thanked community members who immediately covered up the baby and called 911.

Pictured: authorities respond to the scene where a baby was delivered by its mother on a Portland city sidewalk on Wednesday

Officer Nathan Kirby-Glatkowski, pictured, and his partner happened to be in the area in search of a serial burglar when they got the call

Kirby-Glatkowski said that when he and his partner arrived to the scene, paramedics were already evaluating the newborn baby.

'They said the mother, the woman, was stumbling away eastbound on Market with a lot of blood and amniotic fluid all over her,' Kirby-Glatkowski explained.

Paramedics attending to the child told Kirby-Glatkowski that the baby appeared to be in good health, allowing the officers to pursue the mother, who had been spotted stumbling nearby.

The mother appeared to be undergoing a mental health episode, authorities added, and was uncooperative before being taken to the hospital.

'Officers then caught up with the mother nearby,' said the Portland Police Bureau.

'She was evaluated and placed on a police officer hold to get a mental health evaluation. She and her baby, a girl, were transported to the hospital by ambulance.'

Pictured: the location at SW 13th Ave and SW Market St in Portland, Oregon, the scene of Wednesday's incident

Thankfully, Kirby-Glatkowski and his partner, who are on the bureau's Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team, are trained to work with people in mental crisis.

'My partner and I went to try and engage her, contact her, talk to her, see what was going on,' Kirby-Glatkowski said.

'We were able, with some additional resources on scene, to get her stopped at about 12th and Market and get her into an ambulance and into a hospital for physical assessment and also address other issues.'

The mother was ultimately found to be in good physical health despite giving birth by herself on the sidewalk.

However, police said they're still working to learn more about the woman and the circumstances leading up to the incident.

Authorities added that that PPB's Behavioral Health Unit has been in touch with her in the past, the responding officers told KOIN.

'I can't believe, frankly, that that happened, and I'm glad we had as safe of a resolution as possible today,' Kirby-Glatkowski said.
A captured Russian commander has revealed he was told to shoot civilians and was part of a unit sent to capture Kharkiv in three days.

The man, a platoon leader in Russia's military according to Ukrainian authorities, said Vladimir Putin had ordered the troops to occupy the city of Kharkiv before advancing and capturing other Ukrainian cities.

The soldier, who has not been named, said they were told to 'open fire' on the civilian population in Kharkiv, after they landed in Ukraine at the beginning of Russia's invasion on 24 February.

'There was a command to capture the city of Kharkiv, occupy all the roads, block civilian exits and occupy the city,' the soldier, who was captured by Ukrainian forces after a shootout, said in a video released by Ukraine's Security Service.

When asked what other tasks the Russian troops were given when they moved in on Ukraine, he said: 'We had permission to open fire on command and on all city residents,' adding that there was an order to shoot civilians.

A captured Russian commander has revealed he was told to shoot civilians and was part of a unit sent to capture Kharkiv in three days

The soldier, who said his platoon arrived in Ukraine on February 24, added that it was their mission to capture Kharkiv within three days.

But two weeks after Russia began its barbaric invasion, Kharkiv is still under Ukrainian control. But the city is still being heavily pummelled by surrounding Russian forces, with local forces reporting artillery fire.

Shelling in Kharkiv overnight killed four people, two of them children, with a five-year-old girl injured and rushed to hospital. Emergency workers said they are still working to pull people from the rubble of houses in the town of Slobozhanske.

Footage showed a destroyed shopping centre in Kharkiv after the city was targeted by Russian airstrikes. Another clip revealed troops searching the inside of the mall.

Another clip revealed troops searching the inside of the destroyed mall in Kharviv

The shopping mall 'Nikolsky' is seen destroyed in the aftermath of shelling amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine

The captured Russian soldier said he had been falsely told he was entering Ukraine as a 'peacekeeper' to 'free Ukraine from Nazis'.

He was later captured after a shootout between his platoon and Ukrainian soldiers. The man was taken into a nearby forest by another Russian soldier, who was also captured by Ukrainian troops.

The video was released just days after a captured Russian commander begged for 'mercy' for Putin's forces attacking Ukraine, saying they were duped into invading in the false belief that the government had been overthrown by Nazis and needing liberating.

The man, who claimed he is a lieutenant-colonel in the Russian national guard's special rapid response unit, said his countrymen have been 'brainwashed' into supporting the war but - having seen the situation in Ukraine for himself - he now feels 'shame' in taking part in 'genocide' and says Ukrainians are 'right' to resist.

Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich said his doubts solidified when he saw two of his favourite boxers - Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko - agreeing to fight for the resistance.

And in a stark message delivered to Russian troops still fighting, he said: 'I'm begging you, stop before it is too late...Russia cannot win here.

'If someone came to my territory, I would do the same as these people did and I would be right. They are right now.

Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich (pictured) said: 'I'm begging you, stop before it is too late...Russia cannot win here'

'Guys, be brave. It's easier for me, I'm in this situation already. You are in a tense situation, going against your own commander.

'But this is genocide, the people are just killed.'

It echoes statements given by other Russian prisoners interviewed by Ukrainian forces, who said the order to attack came at short notice, that they were told the Ukrainian government had been deposed, and that they were going in a 'liberators' who should expect only light resistance. Instead, they walked into a bloodbath.

None of their accounts can be verified, and all statements are likely to have been given under some degree of duress.

But the consistency with which the same story is being told - by soldiers from different units fighting in different areas of the country who have not had time to align their stories - is striking.

It comes as the battle for Kyiv is underway as Russian tanks push to within just a few miles of the city outskirts, analysts and witnesses have said, though initial assaults to the west and east of the capital were repelled as Putin's forces face a long and bloody campaign to try and take the capital.

Destroyed buildings and cars are seen in the city of Kharkiv on Wednesday after Russian troops bombed the area

Kremlin troops launched two attacks on Kyiv Wednesday - one via the besieged western city of Irpin and another through the eastern district of Brovary, with video showing how a column of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles was bombarded with artillery in a devastating ambush and forced to turn back.

Colonel Andrei Zakharov, commander of the tank regiment, was also killed in the ambush according to the Ukrainian defence ministry and radio chatter intercepted from Russians on the battlefield. The same transmissions suggested the column suffered heavy losses, with one tank and an armoured vehicle destroyed.

It marks just the latest Russian commander to be killed in Ukraine, after two generals were slain by Kyiv's troops. Colonel Zakharov had been awarded the Order of Courage by Vladimir Putin in 2016.

Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry, said Ukrainian forces had also managed to stop the attack in Irpin and were counter-attacking on Thursday morning with battles underway.

'The night was quite difficult, but in general we can say that the Ukrainian army counterattacked near Kyiv,' he said. 'There is no further detailed information yet.' Fighting was also reported to the south west of Kyiv as Putin's men continued their efforts to surround the city.

It means the Russian mission to assault the Ukrainian capital is now underway, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said, amid fears that devastating airstrikes on the city of Mariupol - which struck a maternity hospital killing three including a six-year-old girl - and Kharkiv could soon be seen in the capital.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is still in Kyiv, said Thursday that his 'heart breaks at what the occupants have done with our cities, our country, and at what they want to do to our people' who he said needed 'urgent help.'

Zelensky said humanitarian corridors were urgently being organised from bombarded cities to get civilians out and aid packages in, which were meeting with mixed success. Some 35,000 people were able to flee cities under attack by Russian forces on Wednesday, he said, including from the Kyiv suburbs and the eastern city of Sumy.

However, there has been no relief for the people of hard-hit Mariupol, which has been under bombardment for more than a week with no food, water, or electricity. A convoy was trying to reach the city today to bring supplies, but there was no word on whether it had managed to get through by early afternoon. Four previous attempts to bring relief to the city have failed, after Ukraine said Russia shelled the route it was intending to use.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said today that the city has been turned into a fortress ahead of the Russian assault, with about 2 million people - half the residents of the metro area of the capital - having fled.

'Every street, every house is being fortified, the territorial defense is joining. Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands,' he said in televised remarks.

Troops were also warning civilians not to stray beyond the outskirts of the city, because Russian vehicles had been spotted just a few miles away. If Putin's men can encircle Kyiv, they are expected to shell it as they have done with other cities such as Mariupol, Kharkiv and Chernihiv.
British soldiers who go AWOL in order to fight the Russians in Ukraine will be court martialled when they return, Boris Johnson warned today.

He spoke out after several squaddies, including a teenage soldier from a unit that guards the Queen, disappeared amid fears they were heading to the conflict zone.

Ministers fear their presence on the battlefield could be used as a pretext by Russia to draw the UK into a conflict.

Last night Defence Secretary Ben Wallace suggested those soldiers who travel to Ukraine could be treated a deserters, and potentially jailed.

As well as trained personnel volunteers dubbed the Lads Army have also travelled, including a teenager from Warrington.

Asked about the 19-year-old during a visit to Birkenhead today, Mr Johnson said: 'I think that everybody seeing what's happening in Ukraine will understand those feelings and I think many people, many people in our armed forces, will sympathise because I don't think I've ever seen such clear distinction in international affairs between right and wrong and good and evil in what President Putin is doing to people in Ukraine.

'But we have very clear laws in this country. You shouldn't go to Ukraine, and I'm afraid people going from our armed services, as the Chief of the Defence Staff made clear the other day, will face court martial.'

He spoke out after several squaddies, including a teenage soldier from a unit that guards the Queen, disappeared amid fears they were heading to the conflict zone.

Speaking in Birkenhead, Mr Johnsoin said: 'But we have very clear laws in this country. You shouldn't go to Ukraine, and I'm afraid people going from our armed services, as the Chief of the Defence Staff made clear the other day, will face court martial.'

'Alex', a UK national who served in Afghanistan, who is working as a paramedic in Ukraine, pictured earlier this week

Pictured, members of Ukraine's international legion. Volunteers from the US, UK, Sweden, Lithuania and Mexico have joined

Four British soldiers including a teenager paid to protect the Queen are feared to have gone AWOL to fight Vladimir Putins invading forces after booking a one-way ticket to Ukraine.

A 19-year-old member of the Coldstream Guards regiment, reportedly dropped his ceremonial duties as a royal guard in Windsor and signed up for Ukraines International Legion of foreign volunteer fighters.

The shock development sparked panic at the Ministry of Defence, with security chiefs racing to intercept the teenager in case Russia tries to claim that Britain has entered the war if active army soldiers are found fighting on the frontlines.

The soldier reportedly wrote to his parents before booking a one-way ticket to Poland over the weekend with an intention to then cross the border into Ukraine. He has since posted a photo of his boots on Snapchat, according to The Sun.

Mr Wallace stressed that serving soldiers who have reportedly already travelled to the war zone will face a court martial when they return.

He also warned other Britons not to travel to Ukraine, telling them they would not be there for 'a selfie and six weeks' but in the war 'for real'.

In the Commons, Mr Wallace said any serving personnel who went to Ukraine 'will be breaking the law and they will be prosecuted when they return for going absent without leave or deserting'.

For other Britons, he said 'we strongly discourage them from joining these forces' in Ukraine.

'The Ukrainians are very clear: you turn up, you are in it for the whole game. You are not in it for a selfie and six weeks, you are in it for real,' he said,

'I think we have seen already some people at the borders find that may be not be the right option to follow.'
Ramping up oil and gas production in the North Sea to tackle rising prices caused by the invasion of Ukraine would be 'impractical', Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The Scottish First Minister told MSPs at Holyrood on Thursday that such a move would take years to put in place and would not provide a short term solution to the problem.

The SNP leader said lawmakers needed to 'understand the realities', given that existing fields in the North Sea are already running at full capacity.

Ms Sturgeon has faced calls to support increased extraction as the impact of Russian aggression is expected to lead to rising gas prices, compounding the ongoing cost of living crisis.

While answering First Minister's Questions at the Scottish Parliament today, she said: 'I think it's important that we understand the realities here.

'Even if we were to put to one side the environmental considerations, given the timescales and the practicalities involved, it's not credible to suggest that the short term solution to this crisis lies in increasing North Sea production.'

Nicola Sturgeon has faced calls to support increased extraction as the impact of Russian aggression is expected to lead to rising gas prices, compounding the ongoing cost of living crisis. (Pictured: Ms Sturgeon at First Minister's Questions on Thursday)

Responding to a question from Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross (pictured), Ms Sturgeon added: 'Existing fields in the North Sea are not currently operating under capacity, expanding existing fields is possible but that would take months if not years and new fields take years if not decades to plan and develop.'

Responding to a question from Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, she added: 'Existing fields in the North Sea are not currently operating under capacity, expanding existing fields is possible but that would take months if not years and new fields take years if not decades to plan and develop.

'So, we shouldn't go after solutions that might sound superficially attractive but don't stand scrutiny around the practicalities and the realities.'

But Mr Ross said: 'The First Minister started her answer by saying she and her government would look at all of the issues and all of the options, but refused to say if she agrees with myself and the Scottish Conservatives that we have to maximise oil and gas production in Scotland to help with the crisis at the moment and the crisis going forward.'

Mr Ross went on to say that a ramping up of Scottish production could reduce the already fairly low reliance of the UK on Russian exports, but also the reliance of other countries.

'Russia's war has changed the situation and we have to accept that,' he said.

'Scotland could deal a blow to Vladimir Putin by increasing domestic oil and gas production, we could increase that production now.

'We could end the need to import foreign oil and gas and export more to reduce international reliance on Russian energy.

'It is not time to be ideological, it is time to be practical and realistic.'

In response, the First Minster said she had set out 'hard, practical reasons' why Mr Ross' requests would not work to mitigate the impact of rising prices.

Ms Sturgeon said lawmakers needed to 'understand the realities', given that existing fields in the North Sea are already running at full capacity. (Pictured: Oil rig in North Sea)

While answering questions at the Scottish Parliament (pictured) today, Ms Sturgeon said of ramping up oil and gas extraction: 'I think it's important that we understand the realities here.'

He also said that nuclear energy should be considered to be part of Scotland's energy mix.

To counter the short term impact of price rises on households, the First Minister said, there should be 'substantial' financial action taken by the Treasury.

'What we must see in terms of rises in global prices is action from the Chancellor, substantial and significant action from the Chancellor to shield households across the UK from that impact,' she said.

In the long term, the world should move away from oil and gas from Russia - or anywhere else in the world - the First Minister said, to both mitigate price rises and protect the environment.

It comes as the price of oil dropped today amid record fuel prices as the UAE backed boosting production and Boris Johnson was urged to broker a deal with Saudi Arabia to release reserves after the Gulf state's leader reportedly refused to speak to Joe Biden.

Drivers have been hit by the average cost of a litre of unleaded reaching a record of 159p and diesel hitting 167.4p - up 5p since Monday. But some forecourts are already selling diesel for more than 2 and just under that for petrol.

At Reading Services on the M4 yesterday, the price of both petrol and diesel soared by 5p in just one hour, sparking memes from people trying to see the funny side of cash-crippling fuel costs.

Online fuel price comparison service PetrolPrices said it was now being used by 150,000 per day - a 10-fold increase since mid-February, demonstrating the rising number of people concerned about the cost of filling up.

A display sign showing unleaded petrol prices at 179.9 p per litre and diesel prices at 197.9p per litre at a BP petrol station in Liverpool's city centre

Petrol prices at noon and 1pm yesterday at Reading Service Station as prices raised 5p in just ONE HOUR

The price of a barrel of oil is spiking upwards and is expected to get worse as the US pushes for a global ban on buying Russian oil. There was a slight drop today amid claims that more oil would be released by the West

Drivers are suffering 'unbelievable financial pain' as the cost of a tank of diesel for a Ford Focus hit 85 this week  up 1.50 in 24 hours - and a tank of unleaded is 81.01, and both could hit 90 in March. A large family car will now cost more than 100 to fill up and a gas-guzzling 4x4 Land Rover north of 165 per tank.

But in a slight glimmer of hope, the price of a barrel of oil has fallen to around $111-a-barrel today, down from $117 yesterday, $127 on Tuesday and a spike of $140 on Monday. But that's unlikely to filter back down to drivers just yet.

Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to have snubbed a request from Joe Biden to have a call on the issue of oil supply, as the West tries to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels.

But the Prime Minister is believed to have a better relationship with the crown prince than the US President, whose links have been strained since the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The PM and crown prince discussed 'energy cooperation' only last month. Tory MPs suggested Mr Johnson could use his relationship with the Saudis to convince them to release more oil.

Andrew Murrison, who served as Mr Johnson's Middle East minister until February 2020, told The Daily Telegraph: 'The energy crunch means that jurisdictions are going to have to look further afield for continuity of supply... The UK has always maintained a positive and constructive relationship with Saudi Arabia based on dialogue.'

The price of oil dropped from 14-year highs earlier this week following suggestions from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that members will release 60 million barrels from stockpiles, mainly from the US, western Europe and Asia.

The United Arab Emirates is also ready to encourage fellow Opec members to increase oil production as the West bans Russian imports, which is further pushing down prices, albeit still to a still exceptionally high level.

Figures from data firm Experian Catalist show UK forecourts sold the fuel at an average price of 159.6p per litre on Wednesday, up 3.2p since Monday.

The average cost of a litre of diesel was 167.4p on Wednesday, following an increase of 5.1p from the start of the week.

Oil prices soared following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leading to higher wholesale costs for fuel retailers.
Russians with a hankering for British tea and chocolate may struggle to find their preferred snacks and drinks on their supermarket shelves as more companies join the Russian boycott.

Cadbury owner Mondelez has become the latest in a growing list of firms to reduce operations in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

While Yorkshire Tea has fully suspended trade in the country in protest over Putin's aggression.

The signature British brew brand said it was 'shocked' and 'saddened' by the war and would no longer sell its products in the rogue state following international sanctions.

Consumer giant Mondelez, which also owns brands including Oreo and Toblerone, said it is 'scaling back all non-essential activities' there but stopped short of halting operations completely.

The company described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as 'very concerning', it said it will continue to supply food into the country and support workers in the region.

Yorkshire Tea (Picture of Sean Bean in a Yorkshire Tea advert) has fully suspended trade in Russia in protest over Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Cadbury owner Mondelez has also announced they are reducing their operations in the area

Chairman and CEO of Mondelez, Dirk Van de Put (pictured), has not stopped the company's operations in the Russia, but he has reduced them

Mondelez owns a large number of well-known brands such as Cadbury, Oreo, belVita, LU biscuits, Milka, Toblerone, Sour Patch Kids candy and Trident gum

The move comes after a raft of food and drink rivals, like Swiss firm Nestle, acted in response to the war, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24.

In a letter to staff, Mondelez International chief executive officer Dirk Van de Put said the firm 'condemns this unjust aggression'.

The group said its operations remain closed in Ukraine and said it is prioritising the safety of staff in the embattled country.

Mr Van de Put said: 'As a food company, we are scaling back all non-essential activities in Russia while helping maintain continuity of the food supply during the challenging times ahead.

'We will also continue to support our colleagues in the market who are facing great uncertainty.

'We will focus our operation on basic offerings, discontinue all new capital investments and suspend our advertising media spending.

'We recognise this is a highly dynamic and very concerning situation that we will continue to assess and adjust as needed.'

More than 100 firms have now abandoned Russia or announced plans to do so, including Adidas, Tesco, Asda, Zara owner Inditex, Estee Lauder, Spotify, Ikea, Disney and H&M.

Tadashi Yanai, chairman and chief executive officer of Fast Retailing, made a U-turn today deciding to close their stores in Russia after announcing they would remain open earlier this week

Uniqlo had announced it would continue operations as normal stating that clothes are a 'necessity of life', but logistical challenges forced the company to change its plans within a week

The owner of fashion retailer Uniqlo confirmed a U-turn and said it will now suspend operations in Russia.

Previously, Fast Retailing said it would keep Russian shops open, describing clothes as a 'necessity of life'.

However, it has now halted operations in the face of 'operational challenges' due to the 'worsening of the conflict situation'.

Today Fast Retailing said: 'While continuing our Uniqlo business in Russia, it has become clear to us that we can no longer proceed due to a number of difficulties.

'We condemn all forms of aggression that violate human rights and threaten the peaceful existence of individuals.'

The company has more than 800 stores in China, about the same as in its home market of Japan. Staying in Russia put the company at risk of boycotts in its bigger consumer bases, said LightStream Research analyst Oshadhi Kumarasiri.

'We could expect such an approach when it comes to China as the Chinese market is extremely important to the company,' Kumarasiri.

'However, Russia is not so important as to risk a backlash from other main markets.'

The company previously announced it would donate $10 million and 200,000 clothing items to aid refugees from the crisis.

Heineken, which also owns Amstel and Birra Moretti, has stopped production in Russia with CEO Dolf van den Brink calling the invasion an 'unprovoked and completely unjustified attack'

Mothercare announced that all its business in Russia has been suspended, which it said would see its global sales drop by up to 25 per cent. (Pictured: Mothercare store in Moscow)

Heineken and Mothercare yesterday also joined in the growing boycott.

The Dutch beer company vowed to immediately stop the production, advertising and sale of its beer in the country.

CEO Dolf van den Brink said: 'We are shocked and saddened to watch the tragedy in Ukraine unfold.

'We stand with the Ukrainian people and our hearts go out to all those affected.

'The Russian Government's war against Ukraine is an unprovoked and completely unjustified attack.'

Mothercare announced similar measures, adding it will likely take 25% sales hit.

The company, which also owns Amstel and Birra Moretti, said it is now assessing strategic options for the future of its business in Russia, where it's operated for two decades, adding that it will try to find ways to support its employees in the country.

Meanwhile KFC and Pizza Hut suspended their operations in the country, after parent company Yum! Brands vowed to shut down their Russian outlets, following in the footsteps of McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
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Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to 150 days in jail and fined $25,000 for faking a racist, homophobic attack - yelling furiously to the judge as he was led out of court that he was not suicidal, and if he dies in jail it will be the court's fault.

Smollett, 39, was initially calm as Judge James Linn delivered his damning verdict on Thursday, describing Smollett as 'profoundly arrogant and selfish and narcissistic,' and someone who had ruined his life and career.

Yet immediately as the verdict was pronounced, Smollett shocked the court by standing up and yelling an apparent threat to the judge.

'I am not suicidal,' he shouted. 'If I did this then it means I stuck my fist in the fears of black people for over 400 years.

'If anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not to it to myself, and you must all know that.'

As he was led down to the cells, he repeated his cry, yelling: 'I am not suicidal. I am innocent.'

Smollett told the judge: ''If anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not to it to myself, and you must all know that'

He will be placed on suicide watch, CBS Chicago reported.

Jussie's oldest brother, Jocqui Smollett, said he was 'very disappointed' with the verdict, and his sister Jazz Smollett called the case a miscarriage of justice.

Jussie Smollett, seen in his new mugshot, held his fist up in defiance as he was taken from the courtroom to the Cook County jail Thursday

Hours after the sentencing, the Smollett family published to Instagram his quote, captioned: 'OUR BROTHER IS INNOCENT AND WE WILL KEEP FIGHTING.'

Judge Linn had a wide range of punishment available, from three years in jail to 30 months of probation, community service, behavioral classes, restitution and fines.

Smollett will serve half of his 150 day sentence and be released after 75 days. The 150 days are part of his 30-month probation sentence for the five counts of felony four disorderly conduct for lying to police.

The judge said that he was mindful of appeals for leniency from figures such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson, but was angered by Smollett's wasting of valuable police time. Linn said Smollett was seeking attention and fame, and in doing so, caused significant harm to the civil rights movement.

'I don't think money motivated you at all,' said Judge Linn, discussing why Smollett staged the crime. He pointed out that Smollett, an actor in Empire, was making $2 million a year.

'The only thing I can find is that you craved the attention.

'You took some scabs off healing wounds, you ripped them apart. And for a while it worked.

'You were throwing a national pity party for yourself.'

Jussie Smollett raises his fist in a Black Power salute as he is led out of court to begin his 150 day sentence, yelling over his shoulder: 'I am not suicidal! I am innocent!'

Judge James Linn is pictured sentencing Smollett to 150 days in Cook County jail

A defiant Smollett, who insists he is innocent of staging the attack, raises his fist as he leaves court

Smollett denied staging the 2019 attack, and insisted that to do so would 'mean I stuck my fist in the fears of black people for over 400 years'

The 39-year-old actor turned to yell over his shoulder as he was escorted down to the cells on Thursday

Smollett's family posted his quote to Instagram hours after he began serving his sentence

Judge Linn was damning in his verdict, noting how Smollett on the stand reprimanded someone who, quoting him, used the N-word, and yet himself sabotaged the work of activists for equality.

'The hypocrisy is just astounding,' Linn said.

'I believe that you did damage to actual hate crime victims.

'These are people who have a difficult time coming forward. There may be some trepidation.

'I don't know if they are going to be accused of acting like you, pulling a stunt like you.

'I don't know if first responders are going to be more hesitant.

'I hope it's not the case.'

He told Smollett: 'You're just a charlatan, pretending to be a victim of a hate crime.'

Linn said the actor was 'on a rocket ship' at the time, and was destined for great things in life.

But, he said, Smollett had been the instrument of his own downfall.

'The damage you have done to yourself is way beyond anything that could be done by me,' Linn said.

'You are now a permanently convicted felon.'

He said Smollett had shamed his friends, family and supporters. Figures from Kamala Harris to Viola Davis and Tyler Perry all spoke out in support of Smollett, when he claimed he had been the victim of a racist, homophobic attack.

Jazz Smollett, the sister of Jussie, said outside court that sending her brother to prison was a miscarriage of justice

Jocqui Smollett, the brother of Jussie Smollett, reacted with fury to the sentencing of his sibling

Jocqui Smollett insisted that his brother had been wrongfully convicted, saying he was the victim of the 2019 attack

Outside court Smollett's grandmother Molly, 92, repeated her condemnation of the media for, she said, failing to investigate Smollett's story correctly

'You really put them through the wringer - you embarrassed your family and friends, you became toxic in the workplace, you turned yourself from riches to rags,' the judge said.

'Your very name has become an adverb for lying, and I can't imagine what would be worse than that.

'You're the butt of jokes. Comedians do sketches of you.

'This is all self-inflicted.'

Smollett's lawyers asked the judge for leniency, requesting that he be free pending an appeal, but the judge was unrepentant, insisting he be sent down.

Earlier, Smollett cried in court as his family begged the judge not to jail him, claiming that the world is going through enough with the war in Ukraine and COVID-19 but saying it's 'not his fault.'

Smollett was found guilty in December of lying to police by claiming he was attacked by two white Trump supporters in January 2019, when he had in fact hired two black friends to rough him up in an alleged attempt to raise his celebrity profile.

On Thursday, he showed up with a large entourage of family members, ten minutes after his sentencing hearing was due to begin.

His attorneys made an 11th hour appeal to the judge to have his conviction thrown out, arguing that Smollett did not get a fair trial because of the intense media coverage, police prejudice and even claiming the judge unfairly selected jurors.

Their motion was dismissed by a frustrated Judge Linn who said there was 'nothing unconstitutional' about Smollett's trial.

Among those who spoke in his defense on Thursday was his oldest brother, Joel, who fumed at prosecutors, lectured the judge on racism and refused to take the witness stand to speak, instead standing at a podium.

He said his brother's trial was the 'reincarnation of Al Capone's trial'. He turned to the black assistant prosecutor, telling him: 'Try to understand that my brother is on trial. This might just be a level four to many of you, but this is the re-incarnation of Al Capone's trial.

'My mom's 69 years old. She was born in 1952 in Texas. She knows a thing about racism. She doesn't need a lecture and neither does an African American gay man.'

He then told the judge: 'The crime he has been accused of is not even considered a felony in most states. We are currently living in a time where we are enduring a vicious pandemic, a major conflict in eastern Europe as human beings we are worn down but Jussie Smollett is not at the source of the socio-economic problems on earth.'

Smollett's 92-year-old grandmother, Molly, turned to the journalists in the courtroom as she took the stand and admonished them for not 'doing enough investigative' work.

Jussie Smollett wipes a tear from his eye as he listens to his older brother beg a judge not to jail him on Thursday

Smollett's 92-year-old grandmother Molly spoke from the witness stand, begging the judge not to send him to jail. 'The Jussie I know and love does not match up to the media's betrayal. You have not done a good job of investigative reporting. You've got to do better, I challenge you to do more. I went through the McCarthy period,' she said

Joel Smollett, Jussie's older brother, was animated as he fumed at prosecutors that the family does not need a 'lecture' in racism. 'The crime he has been accused of is not even considered a felony in most states. We are currently living in a time where we are enduring a vicious pandemic, a major conflict in eastern Europe as human beings we are worn down but Jussie Smollett is not at the source of the socio-economic problems on earth,' he said

Actor Samuel L. Jackson and his wife LaTanya wrote a letter to the court asking the judge to sentence Smollett to probation only, as did actress Alfre Woodard (right). 'My dear friend has been convicted of a non-violent crime. He never has been and certainly is not now a public safety risk. He has already paid a professional and personal price. If he is incarcerated, I fear for his safety,' she said

JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S 92-YEAR-OLD GRANDMOTHER SAYS MEDIA 'BETRAYED HIM' 'I need a mic. I want to be heard. Good to be here OK. I thank you for this opportunity to allow me to make this statement 'I am Molly Smollett I am 92 years old. I am the proud grandma of Jussie and his siblings. 'The Jussie I know and love does not match up to the media's betrayal. You have not done a good job of investigative reporting. 'I know documentaries, I went through the McCarthy period. 'You've got to do better. I challenge you to do more. 'I ask the judge not to send him to prison but if you do, send me along with him' Advertisement

'The Jussie I know and love does not match up to the media's betrayal. You have not done a good job of investigative reporting.

'You've got to do better, I challenge you to do more.

'I went through the McCarthy period,' she said.

She then turned to the judge and asked him to send her to jail with him if he imposes an incarceration sentence.

Earlier, Judge James Linn rejected Smollett's attorney's last-ditch effort to get his conviction thrown out.

'We have been talking about this for two years now.

'I do believe at the end of the day, Mr Smollett received a fair trial and was proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt by the jury,' he said.

On January 29, 2019, Smollett claimed he was attacked by two white thugs wearing red hats who called him a 'f****t' and the N-word at around 2am as he walked home from collecting a sandwich from Subway.

He was initially hesitant to talk to police about it, refused to hand over his cell phone for weeks and then launched a narrative that he was targeted because he is a black gay man.

He went on Good Morning America and performed music shows where he spoke proudly of 'fighting back'.

At trial, a jury ruled that none of it was true and that he had in fact hired his two black friends, Abel and Ola Osundairo - a pair of brothers with Nigerian heritage - to stage the attack as a way of raising his celebrity profile.

Prosecutors told how he never intended for the stunt to be reported to police and that he simply wanted to get attention and possibly a raise from Empire, the show he was acting in.

Smollett maintained his innocence and still does.

Two friends spoke; Richard Daniels, the music director from Empire, and Sharon Gelmen, the former director of a charity that Jussie worked for as an assistant.

They told the court about his work ethic, his commitment to the community and his musical talent.

Daniels offered to support and supervise Smollett's probation, while Gelmen told of his 'sweet' nature, how 'evangelical' he is about charity work and how he 'sobbed on the phone' when the story of contaminated water in Flint emerged.

Jussie Smollett sits with his legal team in the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Thursday awaiting sentencing

Jussie Smollett is pictured in court on Thursday to be sentenced on five counts of felony 4 disorderly conduct for lying to police. He faces three years behind bars. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail

Actor Jussie Smollett listens while his attorneys confer at his sentencing hearing on Thursday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building

Before the sentence was handed down, Smollett's attorney Tina Glandian asked for the verdict to be thrown out.

He' blamed the prosecutors, the courtroom staff, the sheriffs, the entire cook county judicial system, he's blamed COVID-19, he's blamed the media, he's blamed 'political figures', witnesses at trial and he has even blamed the jury itself

She claimed the entire trial should never have happened, that he was the victim of a prejudiced media and jury, and that he had been promised by the State of Illinois that he would not be charged.

Glandian also accused Judge James Linn of being unfair in his jury selection - something he angrily shot down.

Prosecutors said Smollett had tried to blame someone else for the verdict at every turn.

'He blamed the prosecutors, the courtroom staff, the sheriffs, the entire cook county judicial system, he's blamed COVID-19, he's blamed the media, he's blamed 'political figures', witnesses at trial and he has even blamed the jury itself,' prosecutor Sean Wieber said.

'It cannot be said with a straight face that we didn't meet our burden to find him guilty.'

Jussie Smollett is pictured arriving at court with his family to be sentenced for lying to police, bringing with him his 92-year-old grandmother to try to convince the judge not to put him behind bars

Glandian argued that Smollett should never have been charged again in February 2020, a year after the first set of charges against him were dropped, and that he had been granted immunity from the state of Illinois as part of the first deal where he served 15 hours of community service and forfeited $10,000.

She also accused Judge James Linn of not selecting the jury fairly because he did not ask all of the questions they wanted him to during jury selection.

The judge shot back at her on Thursday, saying: 'I picked the jury the same way I would in a murder case. I absolutely treated him the same as everybody else.'

Judge Linn told the court that Smollett's attorneys wanted him to ask prospective jurors 'what kind of animal they would want to be', which they deemed to be a 'critical question'.

'I asked most of the questions the defense requested of me. You wanted me to ask what kind of animal do you want to be?

'Did you really think I was going to ask those type of questions?' Judge Linn said.

We have been talking about this for two years now... I do believe at the end of the day, Mr. Smollett received a fair trial and was proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt by the jury Judge James Linn

At the sentencing hearing on Friday, prosecutors reminded the court how Smollett had described the brothers as white or light-skinned.

'I think we can both agree it has been established that they are not white,' deputy special prosecutor Sam Mendenhall said.

'Facts matter, truth matters,' he added.

Judge Linn also slammed Smollett's team for claiming not enough of his family and friends were in the court.

He revealed that under COVID restrictions, he was told he could only allow 57 people in the courtroom at all times, including the 12 jurors, himself and both legal sides.

Smollett's team asked for 47 seats.

The actor's attorney also argued that it was unfair for him to have been charged when the brothers never were.

Judge Linn pointed out that the brothers did not engage in any kind of crime because they only did what Smollett asked them to do, whereas he lied to police.

Smollett's 92-year-old grandmother Molly in court. She spoke on his behalf to ask the judge for leniency

Smollett's attorney Tina Glandian asked the judge for a new trial. She argued double jeopardy, said the intense media interest in the case prejudiced the jury and that there was prosecutorial misconduct throughout

Ola Osundairo, one of the Nigerian brothers who Smollett paid to stage the attack, is in the overflow room awaiting the sentencing

Prosecutor Dan Webb, center, arrives at the Leighton Criminal Court House in advance of the sentencing hearing for former Empire actor Jussie Smollett on Thursday

'We have to remember why we are here: Mr Smollett was indicted for filing a false police report. Everything about what happened between he and the brothers - the scheme to beat him up - none of that is a crime.

'Because he was not only consenting to it, he was orchestrating it. You couldn't find the brothers guilty of a crime.

'The only crime was reporting it to police. The brothers had nothing to do with that. I just want to put that to rest,' he said.

Smollett's team says the judge has received 80 letters in support of him, asking for an alternative sentence.

They say that the letters point out how Smollett has reason to fear for his safety in prison as a 'gay, black Jewish man'.

The long legal saga finally draws to a close today, more than three years after it began.

Since the beginning, the case against Smollett has ignited debate and enraged many in the worlds of showbiz, politics and civil rights.

Smollett arriving in court with his family on Thursday afternoon. He faces three years behind bars

Smollett holds hands with his sister, right, and another relative as he makes his way into the Leighton Courthouse in Chicago on Thursday

Smollett was arrested in February 2019, then the charges against him were suddenly dropped after a suspicious investigation by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and her office, who Smollett had been in touch with in the early days of the case.

A special prosecutor brought fresh charged against him.

Before sentencing on Thursday, his legal team submitted letters to the judge from black rights organizations asking for leniency.

One was written by the president of the NAACP who claimed Smollett had been subjected to an unfair amount of scrutiny and attention.

'It would be an understatement to say that an inordinate amount of attention has been given to Mr. Smollett's case.

A jury convicted Smollett of lying to cops. Brothers Abel (left) and Ola (right) Osundairo testified that Smollett paid them to attack him and that he hoped he'd get more attention at work

The two brothers are shown on the night of the attack on January 29, 2019, on a Chicago street surveillance camera

TIMELINE OF JUSSIE SMOLLETT SAGA FROM FIRST CALL TO COPS TO HIS SENTENCING January 29, 2019: Smollett tells police he was attacked at around 2am while walking home from Subway. He says his attackers were white or light-skinned, and that they put a noose around his neck and yelled racial and homophobic slurs Smollett, on police bodycam, shows police the noose around his neck that he claimed his attackers put there January 30: Details are leaked to the public and Smollett wins a groundswell of support. Chicago PD vows a swift investigation to find the attackers February 2: Smollett opens a concert in West Hollywood, California, with an emotional speech, saying he had to play the show because he couldn't let his attackers win. February 13: Unbeknownst to the public, Chicago PD investigators have zeroed in on the brothers after reviewing surveillance footage from the night of the attack and Lyft and Uber records. They pick up the brothers at the airport as they return from Nigeria. They are released without charge. By then, stories had leaked from Chicago PD that some suspected Smollett of lying. February 14: Jussie Smollett appears on Good Morning America to tearfully protest that he is telling the truth. Robin Roberts shows him surveillance footage from the night of the attack and he says definitively that the men shown are his attackers February 19: Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx recuses herself from the case because of her contact with Smollett's family February 20: Smollett is charged with filing a false police report February 21: Smollett surrenders to police but maintains his innocence February 22: Smollett's character is removed from Empire March 7: A grand jury returns 16-count indictment charging Smollett with lying to cops repeatedly March 26: Charges against Smollett are dramatically dropped. The decision sparks public outrage March 28: The City of Chicago says it will sue Smollett for $140,000 in wasted police resources April 23: Abel and Ola Osundairo file lawsuit against Smollett's lawyers who called them liars on TV August 23: Former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb named as special prosecutor to investigate why charges against Smollett were dropped Feb 11, 2020: Smollett is indicted by a grand jury on six counts of felony lying to police February 24 2020: Smollett pleads not guilty November 29, 2021: After an 18-month break due to COVID-19 affecting courts, Smollett's trial finally begins in Chicago Dec. 6 2021: Smollett testifies at trial insisting he is telling the truth December 9: Smollett is convicted on five of the six counts of lying to police March 10 2022: Smollett is sentenced March 16 2022: Smollett is released by an appeals court in a 2-1 decision while his petition to have the conviction overturned is reviewed Advertisement

'This case involves no drugs, no theft, no sex, no property damage, and no physical injury to anyone other than the defendant.

'Despite the attention paid to it by the media, at its heart, this case involves a low-level, non-violent offense.

'We urge the Court to keep this truth in mind when sentencing Mr Smollet,' Derrick Johnson wrote.

Another letter was submitted by Black Lives Matter-Grassroots Director Melina Abdullah.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself from the case after revealing she had been in touch with Smollett's family

'Black Lives Matter stands in strong support of an alternative-to-incarceration sentence for Jussie Smollett,' their letter read.

It details all of the financial contributions Smollett has made to civil rights organizations and his commitment to the community.

The brothers testified at trial how Smollett paid them to carry out the attack, how he rehearsed it with them and how they came to know him beforehand.

Smollett's defense was that they were lying throughout.

His attorney offered several motives for the lying. Smollett himself claimed he and Abel Osundairo had visited bathhouses together where they 'made out'.

Abel said that never happened, but that neither he nor his brother were homophobic - as Smollett's attorneys had suggested.

They showed the jury photos of them handing out condoms at a Pride parade to prove they had no prejudice against gay men.

The brothers said they did not want to necessarily harm Smollett, but that they wanted to tell the truth.

Smollett's lies enraged Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson, who was in charge of the force at the time but is not anymore, and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Jussie Smollett, left, is shown with Abel Osundairo, right, on January 19, 2019, ten days before the attack that Abel says Smollett paid him to carry out. Jussie told the trial that he and Abel were occasional lovers who 'made out' in bathhouses and masturbated together
Senator McCain Sends Letter on Assyrians to Kurdish President

Assyrian delegation meets Senator McCain in Phoenix, Arizona. ( AINA) (AINA) -- Former Republican presidential candidate and current Senator from Arizona, John McCain, sent a letter to Kurdish President Massoud Barzani regarding Assyrians in the Kurdish region in north Iraq. In the letter, dated May 25, McCain expresses "...concerns regarding alarming new reports that allege the mistreatment of the Christian Assyrian community in the Nineveh Plains region by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)." Senator McCain states in the letter that "...it remains essential to not only protect, but also respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Assyrian community and similarly vulnerable peoples in Iraq."

Two Assyrian groups in Arizona met with Senator McCain, who is the current Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and his staff in Phoenix.

The first delegation met directly with Senator McCain on May 7. The meeting was organized by Sam Darmo, an Assyrian resident of Phoenix. The Assyrian delegation included Sam Darmo, Bishop Aprem Khamis, Archdeacon Frederick Hermiz, Henry Benjamin, Timothy Elias and Mona K. Oshana.

The delegation discussed the plight of the Assyrians in the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Syria, as well as the condition of Assyrians in Kurdish controlled areas in north Iraq. The delegation called attention to Kurdish expropriation of Assyrian lands (AINA 2016-04-14, 2016-05-09), preventing freedom of movement of Assyrians, denying basic services and confiscation of weapons (AINA 2014-08-14).

Senator McCain stated in the letter:

...I was troubled by their reports that the KRG has denied basic services to the Assyrian community, prevented their freedom of movement and assembly, and confiscated weapons desperately needed to defend the community from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Of further concern were their reports of land confiscation and statements you have made regarding Kurdish territorial claims to the Nineveh Plains region. I hope you will address these allegations and I ask for your clarification on these important issues.

Mr. Darmo briefed Senator McCain on the current military situation facing the Assyrians in Iraq, including the battle with ISIS in the Assyrian town of Telsquf, in which Navy Seal Charlie Keating, an Arizona native, was killed and four Assyrians wounded (AINA 2016-05-18).

On March 14 the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed House Resolution 75 , sponsored by Jeff Fortenberry and other members of Congress, that recognized ISIS crimes against Assyrians and Yazidis as genocide. The equivalent Senate resolution 340 requires minor changes to align the language with the House resolution. Mrs. Mona K Oshana urged the Senator to make the necessary changes in the language. Both the Senator and his staff assured the delegation this issue would immediately be addressed.

On March 17 the U.S. State Department recognized the crimes of ISIS against Assyrians and Yazidis as genocide.

On May 12th a second delegation met with Senator McCain's staff to discuss a variety of issues concerning the Assyrian-American community. The delegation was from the Assyrian American Cultural Organization of Arizona (AACO), and included President Ashor Bet Chamoun, Vice-President Alan Mooshekh and Director Dan Khamis.

The delegation called attention to abuses perpetrated against Assyrians in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In consonance with the delegation of Assyrian American National Federation affiliates who met in Washington in May (AINA 2016-05-18) and the first Assyrian delegation, the AACO delegation stressed the importance of establishing an internationally protected Safe Haven for Assyrians and other minorities in Iraq, U.S. support for Assyrian NGOs in Iraq, and for U.S. leaders to address the Kurdistan Regional Government on its abuses against Assyrians in Northern Iraq.

Here is the full text of Senator McCain's letter:

President Massoud Barzani, I write to you to express my concerns regarding alarming new reports that allege the mistreatment of the Christian Assyrian community in the Nineveh Plains region by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Despite heightened political instability and violence in the region, it remains essential to not only protect, but also respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Assyrian community and similarly vulnerable peoples in Iraq. I recently had the pleasure to meet with the Christian Assyrian community in Phoenix, Arizona, many of whom have relatives and loved ones living in Iraq, and they expressed their collective concerns regarding the treatment of Christians in Northern Iraq. While listening to their testimony, I was troubled by their reports that the KRG has denied basic services to the Assyrian community, prevented their freedom of movement and assembly, and confiscated weapons desperately needed to defend the community from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Of further concern were their reports of land confiscation and statements you have made regarding Kurdish territorial claims to the Nineveh Plains region. I hope you will address these allegations and I ask for your clarification on these important issues. The Christian Assyrian community has a long history in Iraq and they have contributed significantly to the country's unique social fabric. They deserve the same rights and protection as other groups and minority communities in the region, including the Kurdish community. Therefore, I encourage you and your government to respect and protect their fundamental rights and freedom, and work with local Assyrian community leaders on communal governance initiatives. The United States deeply values its strong relationship with the KRG and Peshmerga forces, and we are proud to provide assistance to your government including up to $480 million for food, fuel, medical supplies and stipends for Peshmerga fighters as well as two brigade sets of equipment. The Peshmerga forces have been instrumental in the fight against ISIL, and the KRG has routinely proven itself a reliable ally. But as ISIL continues to threaten our collective security, we cannot afford to endanger our partnership through actions that could undermine the shared values at its foundation. I hope you will work towards a more cooperative relationship with the Christian Assyrian community and honor the commitment you made to protect the Assyrians and similarly vulnerable peoples in the Nineveh Plains. I look forward to continuing my support for your government's efforts and working with you to fulfill our collective humanitarian obligations. Sincerely,

John McCain

United States Senator

Mona K. Oshana contributed reporting.
The Sessho-seki stone is said to be 1,000 years old, where the soul of a malevolent demon was trapped until now. For the Japanese who mentioned the killing stone about a millennia ago, due to weathering of rainwater, the demon is now roaming in 2022. Fearsome stories passed from generations say that stone will kill anyone close to it, that believers think is real.

Mysticism of Ancient Relic in Japan

The killing stone is considered a deadly relic that can bring death to those unaware of these properties connected to the spirit world, as long as its unbroken people are safe following the legend surrounding it.

Describe as a volcanic rock that is supposed to be trapping the mythical Tamomo-No-Mae or the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox, reported the Express UK.

The mystic creature is a denizen of the demonic realm of Japan that would look like the visage of an attractive woman. Accounts about her say that centuries ago, the Nine-Tailed Fox was part of a plan to slay Emperor Toba, who ruled from 1107 to 1123.

For the most part, the broken rock is a tourist spot in the mountainous northern region of Tochigi, near Tokyo, where many sulfurous hot springs are.

The killing stone got its name because it would sometimes spew poison gas to kill people. But now, the rock has been cracked open and superstitious visitors believe it is hazardous to go close to it due to its ominous reputation.

A few social media users think the ancient spirit of the broken Sessho-seki stone is free to roam in a modern era of science and technology.

Read Also: Kim Jong-Un Wife: Who Is Ri Sol Ju, the First Lady of North Korea?

A few dared to see the ancient killing stone and posted on social media a split rock and wrote that she went to the home of the Tamomo-No-Mae. The rock was split in two, noting the rope connected to the stone is also not on the rock.

Adding a reference to manga that says a broken seal is bad news for anyone, Tamomo-No-Mae used to be trapped there. Maybe it should not have been witnessed by anyone, according to Twitter user Lily0727K, who was getting afraid, cited NY Post.

Cracking Due to Natural Weathering

Local reports say there was cracking earlier, which started a few years back and has continued since. One of the real reasons for the rock splitting in two is not a malevolent spirit trying to escape after getting trapped for ten centuries.

Instead, it is natural weathering via rain over the centuries till cracking in two. But local officials are thinking about fixing the attraction and uniting its pieces again if it would be successful.

One online user would comment about the split rock, saying things will worsen in 2022. It doesn't get as bad with an outraged Japanese spirit freed after 1,000 years for its prison.

Another user took a humorous take and commented that seeing 2022 is a total wreck, and then it would go back to the enchanted rock for another millennium to make sure.

A Japanese newspaper quoted a tourism official who said the rock should be returned to its former appearance. One reaction would be the Tamomo-No-Mae, or the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox would be back after escaping earlier.

In 1953 it became a local historical site 1957 and is cited in Matsuo Basho's The Narrow Road to the Deep North, noted News 18.

The 1,000-year-old Sesshoseki stone or killing stone story was passed from generation to generation, and the tale of the Tamomo-No-Mae or the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox still survives.

Related Article: Japanese Scientists Find Answers To Mystery of 300-Year Old Mummified Mermaid Caught in Shikoku Island

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As of February 27, hate crimes targeting all minorities, not just Asian-Americans, were up more than 142 percent compared with the same period last year

NYPD is investigating the attack as a possible hate crime - after anti-Asian crime soared by 343 percent during the Covid pandemic

The suspect in New York City's latest hammer attack that left an Asian man with blood pouring from a wound on his head has a vast criminal history that includes 47 arrests.

Christian Jeffers, 48, who identifies as a woman, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon on charges of assault, aggravated harassment and menacing as hate crimes, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from a brutal attack on a 29-year-old man that took place at the 14th Street subway station in Manhattan on Tuesday.

Jeffers, wearing a black wig and purple lipstick, was caught on video smashing the stranger in the head with a hammer after the two bumped into each other and then exchanged words.

Police said that Jeffers has a criminal record that stretches back to 2007 and includes charges of prostitution, grand larceny, public lewdness, theft of service and drug possession.

Jeffers was released from prison in last June after serving six years for second-degree robbery.

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Career criminal Christian Jeffers, 48, who identifies as a woman, faces hate crime charges for allegedly striking an Asian man with a hammer in a Manhattan subway station

The 29-year-old victim was left with blood pouring down the side of the face after being smashed in the head at the 14th Street station on Tuesday

Christian Jeffers is pictured being arrested on Wednesday evening, on suspicion of attacking a man with a hammer

A week after regaining her freedom, the career criminal was arrested again on a charge of petit larceny, reported the New York Post.

The victim of Tuesday's brutal hammer attack told NBC New York that he was returning home after having dinner with a friend when he and his companion encountered Jeffers at the subway station at around 9pm.

'We saw the assailant come out from the turnstile,' said the victim, who did not wish to be named. 'As [Jeffers] was coming out he bumped into another individual that was in front of us.'

After having some words with the other passerby, Jeffers allegedly intentionally bumped into the 29-year-old Asian man, even though the victim said he tried to move out of the way to avoid a collision.

Referring to the suspect by a male pronoun, the victim said: 'He turned around, trying to get in my face, get in my face aggressively.'

In doing so, Jeffers allegedly stepped on the victim's foot.

Video of the attack shows Jeffers, wearing a wig, a red jacket and blue jeans, yelling at the victim: 'Why you hit me? Why you f***ing hit me?'

The 48-year-old then pulls a hammer out of her bag and smashes the Asian man in the head.

'It happened too quick for me to react,' the victim later recounted. 'I tried to put my hand up because I was expecting something but I just got hit regardless.'

The victim said he then felt blood dripping down the side of his face. Photo taken at the scene shows the man sitting on the floor and being tended to by paramedics. A small puddle of blood is seen next to him.

The 29-year-old remained conscious and was taken to Bellevue Hospital.

Police initially described Jeffers as male, about 6-foot-2, wearing a wig, purple lipstick, blue jeans, red shoes and a red jacket, and carrying a tote bag.

On Wednesday, Jeffers was spotted by a transit officer shortly after 2 p.m., having jumped the turnstile. Jeffers, wearing the same top and jacket but without the wig, and without the blue jeans and red shoes, was taken into custody. A hammer was found in her bag.

While being led by officer out of a police precinct, Jeffers, wearing the same red jacket she had on during the attack, told reporters that the victim 'pushed me.'

Jeffers has been charged with second-degree assault and may face hate crimes

Jeffers was detained on Wednesday night, after jumping a turnstile

Police said the attacker was male, about 6-foot-2, wearing a wig, purple lipstick, blue jeans, red shoes and a red jacket, attacked another man with a hammer on a subway platform

The victim, an Asian man, suffered head injuries in the hammer attack at 14th St station in New York City. He is seen in an ambulance

The victim, who remained conscious, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where police described his condition as stable

The victim said he is fed up with rising crime in the Big Apple - and that he wants his hammer-wielding attacker 'locked up.'

'I want to get him locked up because he was pretty aggressive,' the victim, who chose not to be identified, told the New York Post.

'He was looking for trouble.

'We're trying to live our lives as well as we can, you know, and it's just unfortunate that we have to face all these adversities, along with just all the struggles in life,' he added.

As of February 27, hate crimes targeting all minorities, not just Asian-Americans, were up more than 142 percent compared with the same period last year.

It is unclear what evidence prompted prosecutors to file hate crime charges against Jeffers.

New York City has seen a huge rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, with police figures showing a 343 percent rise during the Covid pandemic.

This follows a string of horrific incidents in Manhattan, including a homeless man who confessed to fatally shoving an Asian woman in front of subway train at Times Square and a 65-year-old woman who was kicked and stomped on by a man yelling anti-Asian slurs.

NYPD investigators say an incident at 14th Street station in Manhattan on Tuesday night, which left an Asian man with head injuries, is being investigated as a possible hate crime

The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force has been notified of the assault, although it is not known if the attack was motivated by anti-Asian bias

Police describe the suspect as male, about 6-foot-2, wearing a wig, purple lipstick, blue jeans, red shoes and a red jacket, and carrying a tote bag

It follows a string of horrific incidents in Manhattan, including a homeless man confessing to fatally shoving an Asian woman in front of subway train at Times Square, and a 65-year-old woman who was kicked and stomped on by a man yelling anti-Asian slurs

Asian Americans have experienced a 343 percent increase in hate crimes in 2021 with 133 attacks. Hispanics are also seeing a rise in attacks with eight attacks happening in 2021, compared to one in 2020

Last week, police arrested a suspect who allegedly kicked city health worker Nina Rothschild, 58, down the stairs outside the station in Queens Plaza and repeatedly hit her head with a hammer.

Denise Alston, 57, of Queens, was arrested Friday night after police said she used Rothschild's credit card a day after the attack.

Also last week, police launched a hunt for a man suspected of going on a two-hour assault spree targeting seven Asian woman.

In February, New York City Mayor Eric Adams ousted Jessica Corey, the head of the NYPD's hate crimes unit, which has made arrests in fewer than half of all reported incidents.

'We were too slow in investigating [crimes] as possible hate crimes,' Adams said Monday as he commented on Corey's ouster. 'I wanted a new face there, a new vision.'

During the month of February, the NYPD reported a 58.7 percent increase in total crime. The latest figures showed 9,138 incidents as opposed to 5,759 in 2021 - with double-digit surges in nearly every major category

Only 219 people were arrested for hate crimes last year, though there were 524 such complaints. In 2020, there were 265 complaints and 93 arrests

What does Adams's subway safety plan for NYC look like? The mayor's plan lays out how the Adams administration, in partnership with the MTA and other state entities, will confront these concurrent challenges on New York City's subway systems. Investments in people will provide immediate support and protection to New Yorkers, while investments in places like drop-in-centers, safe havens, stabilization beds, and Street Homeless Outreach Wellness vans, as well as policy changes at local, state, and federal levels will provide medium- and long-term solutions. These include: Deploying up to 30 Joint Response Teams that bring together DHS, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYPD, and community-based providers in high-need locations across the city

Training NYPD officers in the city's subway system to enforce the MTA and New York City Transit Authority's rules of conduct in a fair and transparent way

Expanding Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division 'B-HEARD' teams to six new precincts, more than doubling the precincts covered to 11. These teams will expand on the already-successful pilot of answering non-violent 911 mental health calls with mental health professionals

Incorporating medical services into DHS sites serving individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Expanded DHS Safe Havens and stabilization bed programs will offer on-site physical and behavioral health care to immediately address clients' needs

Immediately improving coordination across government with weekly 'Enhanced Outreach Taskforce' meetings that bring together senior leaders from 13 city and state agencies to address issues quickly

Creating new Drop-in-Centers to provide an immediate pathway for individuals to come indoors, and exploring opportunities to site Drop-in-Centers close to key subway stations to directly transition individuals from trains and platforms to safe spaces

Streamlining the placement process into supportive housing and reducing the amount of paperwork it takes to prove eligibility

Calling on state government to expand psychiatric bed resources and amending Kendra's Law to improve mental health care delivery for New Yorkers on Assisted Outpatient Treatment

Requiring  instead of requesting  everyone to leave the train and the station at the end of the line Advertisement

There has also been a nearly 60 per cent spike in general crime over last year.

The attack comes almost two weeks after New York City started its new 'Subway Safety Plan', a 17-page program to fight the massive spike in transit crime in the still-recovering city.

According to the latest data from the New York City Police Department, since the beginning of the year, there have been 276 instances of crime in the subway system, which represent a 65 percent increase compared to the same period in 2021.

Adams's plan involves sending more police, mental health clinicians and social service outreach workers into the subways. Levy said Monday that a 'phased-in' implementation was beginning.

The plan notes that more than 1,000 homeless people who use the subways for shelter need help, not handcuffs, but says police will have a zero-tolerance policy and will crack down on sleeping, littering, smoking, doing drugs or hanging out in the system.

It calls for clearing all passengers out of trains at the ends of their lines, an approach that has waxed and waned over the years.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which runs the subways, 'knows that there are people in the subway system who need help and must and will be helped.

'But they can't stay in the subway system,' spokesperson Aaron Donovan said.

Adams did not give any specific details and timelines on his plan's progress last month, and given the chronic shortage of housing options that are mostly priced at an affordable rate for people who choose to live in the subway, it was unclear where those who found a home underground would go if they are evicted, if won't be the streets.

Details on the plan's cost or how it would be paid remain scarce.

Shelly Nortz, a deputy executive director of the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless, cautioned against 'criminalizing homelessness and mental illness' and suggested the city was falling back on policing strategies that had failed in the past.

However, she welcomed arrangements within the plan that call for more psychiatric inpatient beds to be made available, as well as shelters with private rooms and supportive housing, which comes with on-site social services.

In recent years, the city has veered between responding to concerns about crime in the subways and complaints about heavy-handed policing there.

The last mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio, at times deployed more police into the system. So did Adams, just last month.

The precise number of homeless people living in the subway is unknown, but an annual survey in January 2021 shared an estimated figure at 1,300  and that was when the subway system would be closed for four hours every night for disinfecting.

The number of homeless people in the system is believed to have increased ever since.

Prior to the pandemic, 1,700 people were living in the subway in January 2020.
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Bodies are piling up on the streets of Mariupol where starving Ukrainians have resorted to fighting each other for food in the desperate conditions in the besieged port city.

Residents have been sheltering for days without food, water and power in below freezing weather amid constant bombardment from Putin's forces, which saw a maternity hospital shelled yesterday, killing three people including a six-year-old girl.

This is despite Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claiming that all women and nurses were evacuated from the hospital and it was deliberately targeted because it had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals, dismissing the Western reaction as a 'pathetic outcry'.

The Red Cross said the situation in Mariupol is so harrowing that people are 'attacking each other for food' on a day in which not a single person was evacuated to safety from the under-fire city.

Supplies are so low that residents are melting snow for water and children are not being fed, with an estimated 1,207 people killed and bodies lying among the rubble.

Sasha Volkov, the delegation head of the Red Cross in the city, told the BBC there is 'some sort of a black market with vegetables' but other food is not available.

Medical supplies are running low and pharmacies 'were looted four to five days ago' amid the freezing conditions which drop to -9C at night with people huddling together for warmth in underground shelters.

People line up to get water at the well in outskirts of Mariupol with supplies running dangerously low

The desperate conditions in the besieged port city under intense bombardment for days by Putin's forces

A man lights a fire under the kettle in a yard of an apartment building hit by shelling in Mariupol

Graphic images show mortuary workers digging trenches 25m long at one of the old cemeteries in the besieged port city of Mariupol, and making the sign of the cross as they pushed dead bodies wrapped in carpet or bags over the edge

 Slide me  Before/after: Two satellite images taken of the same district of Mariupol, in the south of Ukraine, show how virtually every building has been struck by artillery as Russian forces try to bomb the city into submission

 Slide me  Before/after: Satellite images taken over civilian areas of Mariupol show how Russian artillery strikes have reduced buildings to rubble, with others burned out from the inside

 Slide me  Before/after: Satellite images of Mariupol's largest shopping center show how it has been all-but destroyed by Russian artillery, which has been bombarding the city for more than a week

 Slide me  Before/after: Satellite images show civilian homes being destroyed in the port city which has faced days of incessant shelling

Sergei Lavrov has made the extraordinary claim that Russia 'did not attack Ukraine' and dismissed the Mariupol hospital bombing as a 'pathetic outcry' as peace talks broke down in Turkey today

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Volkov said: 'We have started to get sick, many of us, because of the humidity and cold that we have.

'People report varying needs in medicine. Especially for diabetes and cancer patients. But there is no way to find it any more in the city.'

Corpses are being put in body bags and dumped in mass graves after the atrocities in the city, which saw three people killed including a child in the barbaric hospital shelling.

Mortuary workers are digging 80ft long trenches at one of the old cemeteries and making the sign of the cross as they pushed dead bodies wrapped in carpet or bags over the edge.

More than 70 bodies have been interred in the common grave since it was opened Tuesday.

Supplies are so low that residents are melting snow for water and children are not being fed in the shelled city

Mortuary workers move a dead body into a plastic bag in the outskirts of Mariupol, March 9, 2022

A mortuary worker sits on body bags before they were transported to the outskirts of Mariupol, March 9, 2022

A man carries his child away from the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, March 9, 2022

The deputy mayor of Mariupol says he doesn't know how many people have been killed but the most recent estimate is 1,207.

Serhiy Orlov said: 'They are just bodies that we collected on the street.'

About half of those buried were killed in the intense shelling of the city, estimated an AP journalist who visited the burial ground.

Others died at home but authorities were unable to arrange for the collection of the bodies or their burial.

Mariupol has suffered at least eight major airstrikes in the past 48 hours.

Attempts to send aid and evacuation convoys have failed for six days.

Russian aircraft were targeting convoy routes on Thursday, Petro Andrushenko, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor, told Reuters by phone.

'We try and try and try, but I'm not sure if it'll be possible today - or other days,' he said.

A mortuary worker wheels a stretcher used to move dead bodies before they are buried on the outskirts of Mariupol

This image taken from video provided by the Mariupol City Council shows the aftermath of Mariupol Hospital after an attack, in the besieged port city of Mariupol, March 9, 2022

Ukrainian officials said at least 17 people were wounded in a Russian airstrike on a maternity and childrens hospital

'Air strikes started from the early morning. Air strike after air strike. All the historic centre is under bombardment,' he said. 'They want to absolutely delete our city, delete our people. They want to stop any evacuation.'

Russia has repeatedly pledged since Saturday to halt firing so at least some trapped civilians could escape Mariupol. Both sides have blamed the other for the failure of the evacuations.

Again today, no one was safely evacuated after Russia failed to observe the ceasefire.

'The only thing (I want) is for this to be finished,' Volodymyr Bykovskyi said as he stood by a freshly dug trench where bodies were being buried.

'I don't know who's guilty, who's right, who started this. Damn them all, those people who started this!'

When the series of blasts hit the children's and maternity hospital in Mariupol, the ground shook more than a mile away.

The aftermath of the Mariupol hospital attack shows the building and nearby area completely destroyed, but Lavrov claims it had been overtaken by Ukrainian radicals

A medical worker walks inside of the hospital after it was destroyed by shelling maternity on Wednesday

Babies hide inside a bomb shelter in Mariupol which has been under constant bombardment from Russia

People queue to receive hot food in an improvised bomb shelter

The deputy mayor of Mariupol says he doesn't know how many people have been killed but the most recent estimate is 1,207

Explosions blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building.

Pregnant women were forced to give birth in the basement in what President Zelensky described as an 'atrocity', a 'war crime' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians.'

The hospital, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said. Other bombs scored 'direct hits', according to President Zelensky, wounding at least 17 people.

Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of Mariupol, said he is 'absolutely sure' the Russians knew they were bombing a hospital when they launched the attack late yesterday - adding 'this is the third hospital they have destroyed' after a 300-bed Covid unit and blood bank were targeted on Tuesday.

Many of the pregnant women present at the hospital were hiding the the basement at the time of the strike on the orders of hospital authorities - a move indicative of the harsh bombardment suffered by Mariupol's citizens over the past week, and one which likely saved many lives.

Putin's attack dog Sergei Lavrov today made the extraordinary claim that Russia 'did not attack Ukraine' before admitting they deliberately targeted the hospital because it had been taken over by Ukrainian radicals and all the 'mothers and nurses were chased out of there'.

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

A Ukrainian woman injured by flying glass holds her head in her hand as she is evacuated from a maternity hospital that was bombed by Russian forces in Mariupol

A doctor navigates the ward of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, after it was destroyed by Russian bombs

Lavrov said: 'A few days ago, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, the Russian delegation presented the facts that this maternity hospital had long been captured by the Azov battalion and other radicals, all women in labor, all nurses, and in general, all the staff were expelled from there. It was the base of the ultra-radical Azov battalion.'

Zelensky himself posted a video showing the badly damaged hospital buildings, filmed inside a destroyed ward room with its windows blown out and ceiling partially collapsed. More footage showed a car park covered in rubble and the smoldering wrecks of vehicles as injured families staggered into the freezing air while snow fell.

'Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity,' the President tweeted.

He then took to Telegram, where he released a video statement from the presidential palace in Kyiv in which he said the hospital strike 'is the ultimate proof that what is happening is the genocide of Ukrainians'.

'Europeans, you can't say you didn't see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can't continue their savage war,' he said.

Ukrainian servicemen work inside of the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier examines a huge crater caused by one of the Russian rockets, which fell just in front of a hospital building at the maternity hospital in Mariupol

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

'What kind of country bombs hospitals? Is afraid of hospitals? Of a maternity ward?

'Was someone insulting Russians? Were pregnant women shooting in direction of Rostov? Was it the ''denazification'' of a hospital? What the Russians did at Mariupol was beyond savagery.'

In a separate interview with Sky News, Zelensky added that Russian invaders want Ukrainians 'to feel like animals' by preventing them from accessing food or water, and implored NATO and the West to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities... because they don't want our people to get some food or water.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say ''sorry we didn't do it yesterday.''

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meanwhile condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military.

'There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless,' the Prime Minister declared.

'The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes,' he added.

Mariupol's city council said the hospital had suffered 'colossal' damage but did not immediately give a figure of the wounded and dead.

The deputy head of Mr Zelensky's office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said authorities are trying to establish the number of victims.

Ukrainian MP Dmitry Gurin told the BBC: 'There are a lot of dead and wounded women. We don't know about children or newborns yet.'

The Kremlin said on Thursday that it would ask Russian military for details about the hospital strike, saying they did not have 'clear information' about what happened.

'We will certainly ask our military about this, since we don't have clear information about what happened there. Without fail, the military will provide some kind of information,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, as Moscow's advance into Ukraine entered its third week.

Video footage from the aftermath of the attack showed that large parts of the hospital had completely collapsed, while blood soaked mattresses were pictured lying in hallways.

'Russia committed a huge crime,' said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. 'It is a war crime without any justification.'

The head of the Ukrainian Red Cross said yesterday's strike will likely cause a complete collapse of paediatric care in Mariupol, as much of the hospital's equipment and the paediatric care wards were reduced to ashes.
Major shortcomings persist in the police force according to the outgoing chief inspector of the constabulary.

Sir Tom Winsor added that one of the most important things forces must do is 'rebuild public trust' in the wake of the Sara Everard case and Charing Cross scandals.

The IOPC exposed a cruel, toxic 'boys club' culture at Charing Cross police station in February this year.

It found cops made rape jokes, boasted about domestic violence and made vile racist remarks in WhatsApp exchanges.

Grim texts between officers about raping women, killing black children, pedophilia, Muslims, Auschwitz and disabled people were also published in the watchdog's report.

The revelations follow a torrid year for the force after serving officer Wayne Couzens was convicted of the high profile murder of Sarah Everard, the force's handling of a vigil for the murdered woman was widely criticised and two officers were jailed for taking photos of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.

Under-fire Dame Cressida Dick finally resigned as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on February 9.

Sir Winsor also said if police continue to use 20th century methods to try to cope with 21st century technology, 'they will continue to fall further and further behind' as he unveiled his final annual assessment of policing in England and Wales before he leaves the role later this month.

Setting out his view of the state of policing over the last decade, he said: 'In the past 10 years, the police service has come a long way.

'Critical advances have been made in several fields of policing, including domestic abuse, child protection, the quality of some investigations, relations with the public and workforce diversity. Police officers and staff have a very great deal of which to be proud.

Sir Tom Winsor added that one of the most important things forces must do is 'rebuild public trust' in the wake of the Sara Everard case and Charing Cross scandals. Pictured: A woman, Patsy Stevenson, is arrested at a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard

Ex-police commissioner Cressida Dick resigned on February 9 after presiding over a litany of scandals

'But major shortcomings in policing persist, and these need to be addressed. Criminality is often now complex and far more sophisticated, and investigations can take far longer. If the police continue to use 20th-century methods to try to cope with 21st-century technology, they will continue to fall further and further behind.

'The police service cannot meet 100 per cent of public expectations for, say, 70 per cent of their efficient cost. The public, through their elected representatives, must decide how much risk and harm they are prepared to accept, and whether they will pay more for higher levels of public safety.

'One of the most important things the police must do, especially in London, is to rebuild public trust, which has recently been damaged. Public confidence in the police is more than precious, it is essential.

The revelations follow a torrid year for the force after serving officer Wayne Couzens was convicted of the high profile murder of Sarah Everard (pictured), the force's handling of a vigil for the murdered woman was widely criticised

'As I reflect on the past decade in policing, I commend the courage and commitment of police officers and staff across the country.

'The severity of the problems that our police service now faces should not be underestimated, but the public should be reassured by the strong, pragmatic and professional approach of police officers and staff.

'They should stand in admiration of their fortitude and bravery in facing sometimes mortal danger and the worst things which happen to people and which people do to others.

'The public can and must trust the police.'

Watchdog finds toxic 'boys club' culture at Charing Cross police station The IOPC exposed a cruel, toxic 'boys club' culture at Charing Cross police station in February this year. It found cops made rape jokes, boasted about domestic violence and made vile racist remarks in WhatsApp exchanges. Grim texts between officers about raping women, killing black children, pedophilia, Muslims, Auschwitz and disabled people were also published in the watchdog's report. The revelations follow a torrid year for the force after serving officer Wayne Couzens was convicted of the high profile murder of Sarah Everard, the force's handling of a vigil for the murdered woman was widely criticised and two officers were jailed for taking photos of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman. IOPC is now doing another investigation into the station after a whistleblower named Liz spoke out and accused officers of horrifying behaviour, including claims officers slept with female suspects and called black colleagues 'monkeys'. She says she saw officers having sex down the station, caught a male cop in the act with someone he had arrested and she was victim to 'countless propositioning from male colleagues.' As the only woman in her team, she had to endure a night out at the Spearmint Rhino strip club where a sergeant bragged about having 'his favourite Russian girl'. On one occasion, she was sat in a carrier vehicle in Whitehall when all the male officers made lewd sexual comments about every woman that walked past. Black officers were referred to as 'monkeys' and officers said 'they better smile at night or we won't see them'. An autistic police community support officer was mercilessly bullied and 'mindf***ed' until he thought it was all part of him being 'part of the team', she claimed. She said she knew the behaviour was wrong but did not know who to turn to, fearing bosses would turn a blind eye and she would be ostracised by colleagues. Advertisement

He said he expected there could be 'pockets' of similar issues in other parts of the country after highlighting a recent Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) report which exposed violently racist, misogynist and homophobic messages exchanged by officers based at Charing Cross police station.

Asked about the scale of problems with culture and behaviour in policing, he told reporters at a briefing on Thursday: 'I don't think that what we saw in Charing Cross police station is limited to London. But we don't have evidence yet of just how widespread that is.

'I think these matters are taken very seriously... by all police forces. And while what has happened recently is London centric, it is not London limited in all probability.'

Revealing how a regional chief constable had told him within the last fortnight 'we have this problem too', without disclosing their identity, he added: 'I expect that there are pockets of those things in other parts of the country.

'How much and how bad it is, we don't know at the moment.'

Professional standards departments need to be 'well resourced, with some of the best detectives on the force' and made up of people who have 'an intensity of professional curiosity and a quality of investigation which is as high as those which are deployed in other serious offences in the community', he said.

His latest report, which sets out his view of the state of policing over the last decade, reiterated warnings that the 'sheer magnitude and speed' of the recruitment campaign to hire 20,000 police officers 'inevitably carries risks', adding that there is a 'heightened danger that people unsuited to policing may get through and be recruited'.

He said in too many cases the system 'fails' when, on occasion, organised crime groups try to infiltrate the police which can have 'catastrophic consequences'.

Sir Tom added: 'When unsuitable applicants lie on their application forms, conceal their social media activity or play down their criminal connections, the quality of vetting needs to be consistently high.'

Describing vetting as being of 'enormous importance', he told reporters it was 'essential' that recruitment and continual monitoring of the police workforce is of the 'highest standard'.

If during training or the probation period officers display attitudes such as a 'fondness for the abuse of power or the exercise of power with fellow citizens, homophobia, racism, misogyny, dishonesty' he said it is 'necessary' for the police to take that 'really seriously' and where needed 'weed them out and throw them out' otherwise they could be storing up what may become a '30-year problem'.

Asked how the police rebuild public trust, Sir Tom stressed trust and confidence in the police has taken a 'knock' but it 'has not disappeared'.

He said: 'They restore it by taking these cases very seriously, by improving - wherever necessary - their vetting and misconduct processes and by showing the public that these things, when they come to light, will never, ever be tolerated and they will be dealt with efficiently, promptly and severely.'
Maryland is set to become the second state in America to make it illegal to declaw cats, with lawbreakers facing fines of up to $5,000.

The Prevention of Cat Declawing bill - or HB 22 - passed the state's House today with 112 votes in favour, and only 25 opposed.

The bill had already passed the state's Senate, so it will now go to the governor's desk to be signed and passed into law.

New York was the first state to ban the practice in 2019, while it is also banned in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and Pittsburgh.

Maryland is set to become the second state in America to make it illegal to declaw cats, with lawbreakers facing fines of up to $5,000. Pictured: A cat's claws are trimmed (file photo)

The bill will ban veterinarians from declawing cats, unless under a specific set of circumstances - meaning removing a cat's claws for cosmetic purposes or to make handling the cat easier will become illegal.

The practice is common in the United States where pet owners often do it to stop themselves from being scratched or to protect their furniture.

But the vets, pet owners and activists say it can cause cats severe pain and psychological disorders and can also lead to the early onset of arthritis.

Any veterinarian found to be continuing with the practice could be fined $5,000 for a first offence, and even risk losing their license, according to the Washington Post.

Lawmakers have spoken of their surprise over the public support behind the bill.

'You can't ignore the fact that animal lovers are outspoken activists, and this is an election year, Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery), who sponsored the bill in the state's senate, said.

'There are a lot of interest groups that are highly paid and influential corporate interest, but these are, you know, average Marylanders who want to protect the cats.

'And they have no special interest other than doing the right thing by their pets. It's pretty inspiring and it's hard to ignore.'

Sen. Cheryl Kagan, who sponsored the bill, referred to de-clawing as 'de-knuckling'. Pictured: Kagan holds up her cat in a picture posted to her Twitter account in February

Sen. Kagan referred to de-clawing as 'de-knuckling', while others have called it an amputation. When declawing a cat, veterinarians take 'not just the nail, but also the nail bed and part of the bone and cut it off' Kagan said.

'What happens is that leaves a cavity there, and that makes it very painful for them to walk, to use their litter box or to just be happy little, little campers.'

The process involved cutting bone and tendon as well as the cat's nerves.

The Humane Society of the United States writes on its website that some people think of the practice as a simple surgery that removed the cat's claws.

This is not the case, the organisation says.

'Declawing traditionally involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe. If performed on a human being, it would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle,' its website says.

'It is an unnecessary surgery that provides no medical benefit to the cat. Educated pet parents can easily train their cats to use their claws in a manner that allows everyone in the household to live together happily.'

Some vets argued against the bill, however, saying that in some cases it is necessary. One argued that cats are better off declawed than left in a shelter, where their life expectancy is far lower than when cared for in a home.

Declawing, formally known as onychectomy, is banned in most European countries including Britain and Switzerland.

As the bill in New York was being debated in 2019, the New York State Veterinary Medical Society had opposed the bill and said the procedure should be allowed as a last resort for felines that won't stop scratching furniture or humans.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals tweeted about the New Tork Bill bill after it was signed in 2019 and said the move was a 'victory for cats'

They also thought it should be allowed when the cat's owner has a weakened immune system, putting them at greater risk of infection from a scratch.

In a memo the society said: 'Medical decisions should be left to the sound discretion of fully trained, licensed and state supervised professionals.'

Under the bill in New York, people who violate the ban on declawing a cat could face fines of $1,000.
MSNBC host Joy Reid has faced backlash for on-air comments this week criticizing the media's coverage of the conflict in Ukraine, a topic she says is being elevated above wars involving 'brown and black' people around the world.

During a Monday airing of The ReidOut, the progressive talking head argued that Americans only care about the war, which entered its 15th day Thursday, because Ukrainians are 'white and largely Christian.'

'If this was happening anywhere else, would we see the same outpouring of compassion?' Reid, 53, asked her viewers, as she herself reported on the crisis.

'We dont need to ask ourselves if the international response would be the same if Russia unleashed their horror on a country that wasn't white and largely Christian, because Russia has already done it,' Reid said, referencing Russia's deployment of troops to Syria in 2015 amid the country's still-ongoing civil war.

'We should also care this much for refugees and those facing occupation and war in the Middle East and Asia and Africa, too,' Reid continued, after conceding that Russia's invasion of the Eastern European nation was a pressing matter.

'But we haven't witnessed the same type of solidarity for the Yemenis as we do for the Ukrainians,' the African-American anchor added. 'We dont see historic sanctions or global campaigns, corporations like Airbnb and Netflix taking a stand.'

Reid declared: 'The coverage of Ukraine has revealed a pretty radical disparity in how human Ukrainians look and feel to Western media compared to their browner and blacker counterparts.'

Scroll down for video:

During a Monday airing of The ReidOut, host Joy Reid argued that Americans only care about the war because Ukrainians are 'white and largely Christian'

As she spoke, Reid played a montage of clips showing reporters from various outlets expressing shock at the events occurring in war-torn Ukraine, calling attention to the coverage the conflict has garnered from Western new stations since it began 15 days ago.

'This is a teachable moment for us in the media,' Reid said to close out her monologue, before commending herself for airing the observation.

'We aren't afraid to call out our own industry. There is a lot of soul-searching that we need to do in Western media about why some wars and lives seem to matter more than others.'

Reid's comments may come as a surprise to some of her viewers, as her show has largely mirrored its competitors when covering Russias invasion of Ukraine, while ignoring the war in Yemen and other international conflicts.

A search of transcripts in a TV script database called TV Eyes shows that prior to Monday, Reid had not mentioned the war in Yemen since at least September of 2021, Mediaite reported.

Conservative commentators this week were quick to lambaste Reid's remarks.

'All she likes to do is go out there and stir up racial hatred,' journalist Megyn Kelly said of Reid's comments, during a televised interview with Sky News Australia Wednesday.

'Her point, of course, is stupid and unsupported.'

'All she likes to do is go out there and stir up racial hatred,' journalist Megyn Kelly said of Reid's comments, during a televised interview with Sky News Australia Wednesday

Kelly, 51, continued: 'I was on Fox News when the Syrian crisis happened,' addressing Reid's comparison between Western coverage of the two conflicts.

'We led with that story all the way over here in America  night, after night, after night,' Kelly said. 'She was just too, apparently, moronic to pay attention.'

Of Reid's racially charged segment, the former Fox news firebrand said: 'The fact that NBC and MSNBC will allow this, is an absolute disgrace.'

Current Fox commentators were also quick to slam Reid and Comcast-owned NBC for the brazen bulletin, with 'Fox & Friends First' hosts Carley Shimkus and Todd Piro and contributor Joe Concha questioning Reid's and NBC's motives behind the tirade.

'How dangerous and counter productive are notions like that right now?' Piro, 43, asked Concha during a Wednesday morning airing of the news program, after viewing snippets of Reid's comments.

'And yet, Todd,' former Hill journalist Concha said, NBC brass allows this kind of divisive, so-called content on its air on a nightly basis.'

Current Fox commentators were also quick to slam Reid and Comcast-owned NBC for the brazen bulletin, with 'Fox & Friends First' hosts Carley Shimkus and Todd Piro and contributor Joe Concha questioning Reid's and NBC's motives behind the tirade

Concha, 52, went on to list other instances of Reid using her platform to air her own beliefs.

'This is the same person, by the way, who called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Uncle Tom on the air,' Concha said, referring to an instance in November 2020 when Reid referred to Thomas as 'Uncle Clarence,' after claiming that the African American jurist was in the pocket of then President Trump during the highly contested 2020 election.

Concha continued: 'The same person who said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is is rooting for Covid deaths of children in his state.

'The same person who said that white supremacists elected Glenn Youngkin and Winsome Sears, who I last checked is black, in Virginia  a state that Joe Biden won by double digits,' Concha went on, referring to the winning gubernatorial bids of the Republican Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the southeastern state earlier this year.

During the Wednesday segment Concha questioned how NBC brass allowed Reid's 'divisive, so-called content on its air on a nightly basis.'

'I can go on, but we have finite time here,' Concha said, after listing Reid's prior on-air offenses.

'Its no surprise that while women and children and innocent people across Ukraine are being systematically targeted and murdered by an insidious Vladimir Putin and his forces, Joy Reid makes it about the media being racist -which I guess includes NBC News, since they have been covering the war pretty heavily, just like everybody else,' the journalist continued.

'I guess that makes them racist.'

Concha then asked aloud how the owner of Reid's network, Comcast, allows such content on their air waves, citing the fact that Reid's show 'is a distant third in a three-horse race in cable news,' noting that she 'gets about one-third the audience of Jesse Waters on this network.'

'But nothings going to happen to her, because that would take a few ounces of courage to sell someone who has, or tell somebody who has no interest in informing people, that, maybe, cut this out.' Concha said.

'That this is irresponsible and reckless  but its not going to happen, and shes going to continue to be promoted and fail upwards in the process.'

'Its also just wrong,' Shimkus, 35, said in response to Concha's comments.

'This is a story about 44 million innocent people being attacked by a man, a person, with nuclear weapons, living in a sovereign nation.

'It has nothing to do with race,' the anchor said. 'Divisive comments [are] unhelpful.'

African-American civil rights attorney and frequent Fox contributor Leo Terrell also weighed in on the controversy Tuesday, in the form of a tweet, prior to an appearance on Hannity Tonight where he discussed the lack of fallout Reid has faced for her comments.

'Why does #MSNBC allow #JoyReid air-time. Is the race card protecting her??' Terrell, 67, wrote.

Onlookers on social media also weighed in on Reid's provocative comments.

'Ukraine gets invaded by Russia, and you make it about how another population is the injured party. Nice. If you can't see why this is different, I would say other journalists are more well qualified than you. If you can't see Russia reclaiming soviet era territory by force,' one social media user said of the host.

Another added: 'I stopped watching your show because you find racism in every story, which feels more like your personal expression than reporting what's happening. Ukraine is about tenacious people courageously fighting for democracy.'

The war in Ukraine entered its 15th day Wednesday. The UN has recorded at least 752 civilian casualties so far across the country since the invasion began, with 227 killed and 525 injured, including dozens of children

Meanwhile, as Ukraines war intensifies and spreads into multiple cities, casualties in the conflict are mounting.

The UN has recorded at least 752 civilian casualties so far across the country since the invasion began, with 227 killed and 525 injured, including dozens of children.

Those figures, which were calculated as of Monday, have likely grown as the conflict has escalated in more cities and towns across the war-torn nation.

On Wednesday, US officials estimated between 5,000 and 6,000 Russian troops have been killed so far in the conflict.
Security cameras captured the terrifying moment two armed men disguised as maintenance workers held up an Oklahoma couple in their own apartment.

Last Thursday, home surveillance footage captured two men dressed in reflective vests and hard hats forcing their way into a unit in broad daylight at the Indigo Apartments in Oklahoma City.

The footage shows a man sitting on his couch watching television answer the door after hearing someone knock, calling out 'Maintenance!'

Two suspects were captured on home surveillance footage breaking into an Oklahoma City apartment dressed as maintenance workers

The suspects tell the victim to lay on the floor and one suspect appears to tase him before they begin to tussle

When the man goes to open the door he speaks to the two suspects before they force their way in, pushing him to the floor.

As they enter the apartment, the suspects, one wearing a long sleeve red shirt under his vest and the other in a black shirt with a mask over his face, order the victim to lay on the ground. One suspect puts his leg on the victim's back while the other suspect appears to tase him.

The victim and the suspect in the black shirt and mask then tussle on the ground near the entrance to the apartment for several moments, knocking over a table and chairs.

At the same time, the other suspect goes to a back room where the victim's girlfriend tells Kfor.com she was sleeping.

'I guess what woke me up, which was a little too late, was a huge crashing sound,' the girlfriend, who did not reveal her identity over safety concerns, said.

Before departing one of the suspect points his gun at the victim, seemingly demanding he turn over money from his wallet

The victim is captured handing one of the suspects cash out of his wallet before one of the suspects snatches a phone and keys from the couch and calmly heads out

She says the suspect in the red shirt walked into her room with a pistol in his hand and asked: ''Where's the money?' or ''Where's it at?'' to which she replied: ''I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

'He was holding a gun and pointing it at me. And then, it all clicks together. I was like, 'Okay, something terrible is happening right now,' she added.

The suspect then runs back towards the front entrance to help his accomplice who began shouting for assistance as he was fighting with the victim.

After he pulls the two men apart, the suspect points his gun at the victim, seemingly demanding he turn over money.

The victim then appears to hand him cash out of his wallet and the suspect in the red shirt snatches a phone and keys from the couch before the two crooks calmly head out.

The two suspects were captured on surveillance footage fleeing in a white pickup truck

Last Thursday two men dressed as maintenance workers robbed a couple inside their apartment in the Indigo Apartments in Oklahoma City (pictured) in broad daylight

'I think he had like $5 or $6 or something. He was trying to offer it, like, "This is all I have, take it" the victim's girlfriend said. 'At the very end, he just reached over and grabbed a phone, keys and left.'

The victim's girlfriend called the robbery 'strange' and said she believes it was either the suspects' first robbery or they targeted the wrong apartment.

'This is definitely some, like, amateur work because if you watch the end of it, they kind of stand there like, "What do we do?" the girlfriend said.

The pair were then captured on surveillance footage fleeing in a white pickup truck and according to the victim's girlfriend, as they sped off her boyfriend ran after them with his shotgun and when one of the suspects aimed their pistol at them, he fired two shots before they got away.
Britain's oldest nightclub famed for its notorious sticky carpet is selling chunks of its vintage flooring for up to 50 a piece to nostalgic revellers.

The Acapulco in Halifax, West Yorks., is known to punters for its distinctive, swirly patterned adhesive floor covering as much as for its 75p drink offers.

And now boozers have the chance to buy a souvenir section of the sticky rug with prices ranging from 5 for an A4 sized piece to 50 for a larger, framed piece.

Owner Simon Jackson was inspired after hearing a young clubber celebrating his 18th birthday tell how his parents met at the club and his grandmother had worked there.

Now, having been on sale for just a day, it has sold more than 100 pieces already and raised 1,000 for the local Street Angels charity, which helps homeless people.

Owner Simon Jackson said: 'It started as a bit of a joke, I had a conversation with a lad celebrating his 18th and he said his grandmother used to work there and his mother met his father there.

The Acapulco in Halifax, West Yorks, (pictured) is selling off chunks of its infamously sticky carpet in a bid to raise money for the local homeless charity and they are selling like hot cakes

'There were three generations of the same family celebrating.

'The mother said "I remember the carpet, is it the same one?" and I said it probably is.

'I told her changing the carpet has been on the list of things to do for a few years but things kept getting in the way.

'They said "we should take a piece of it as it's part of their family history" and a few other people said they'd take a piece.

'We got to thinking how many people have met here and had first kisses, birthdays whatever here.'

The joke quickly snowballed and Simon - who worked as a DJ in the early 90s before buying the club in 1995 - decided to cut some pieces and sell them to punters.

He added: 'We knew Street Angels were struggling for money so we thought we'd try to get some money for them as they don't get any funding.

'Sales went live at 2.30pm on Wednesday and by 4.30pm we'd sold over 100 pieces.

Owner Simon Jackson came up with the idea after hearing a family discuss how three generations had links to the club, which opened in 1961, and started the fundraiser as a joke

'By 5pm that night we'd raised over 1,000 for the charity so hopefully we can get a few thousand for them. If we'd got a couple of hundred quid we'd have been happy.

'It's just blown up, we couldn't cope with the demand.

'We've had to dig it out of the skip and clean it up to the rest of it.'

The club has been a staple of nightlife in the former mill town since 1961 - before the first man landed on the moon and colour TVs - and generations have walked on its infamous carpet for more than 20 years.

Famous faces that have made appearances at the club over the years include former glamour model Katie Price and Eastenders hardman Steve McFadden who played Phil Mitchell.

There were fears for the club's future when it caught fire in 2019, but thanks to the quick response of firefighters, it reopened the following night.

Simon added: 'It's famous for three things; being really old, selling drinks for 75p and the carpet.

'It doesn't even look that bad, it's just going thin in places.'

The club has created a grid-like map so anyone interested in buying a piece of the carpet can identify the specific spot they would like.

Simon added: 'It would be great if people could buy the spot of the carpet where they had their first kiss or they first met.'
The wives of twin brothers Pedro and Margarito Flores - the star witnesses who helped the United States government send Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman away to prison for life - are now being accused of laundering money for the pair and squirreling away millions in drug money to splurge on clothes, concerts and vacations, court documents show.

Federal prosecutors allege in new filings this week that Vivianna Lopez, who is also known as Mia Flores, and Valerie Gaytan, who goes by Olivia Flores, dipped into a drug money stash of $5 million in cash that was concealed beneath the floorboards of a home so that they could continue to live the extravagant lifestyle they had been accustomed to.

They used at least $165,000 to pay for their children's schooling, authorities allege.

Lopez and Gaytan also took upwards of $99,000 from the stash to pay for luxury shopping trips across the United States and overseas. Lopez used $80,000 to cover her own rent payments and one of the women even used $11,000 of the money to pay child support to one of the twin brothers' previous partners while they were in prison.

The Flores twins turned themselves in back in December 2008 and were given favorable 14-year prison terms for their cooperation, which was central to the landmark case against Guzman.

They were released last year into witness protection - but a Chicago federal court last summer indicted the pair on separate money laundering charges alongside their wives, who chose not to enter witness protection but have said they have a government security team.

Lopez filed a motion last week to dismiss the case, arguing that she has an immunity deal with the federal government stemming from Pedro Flores' cooperation in the El Chapo case.

The U.S. government is demanding the wives pay back $504,858.

Vivianna Lopez, who is also known as Mia Flores, left, and Valerie Gaytan, who goes by Olivia Flores, right, were married to twin brothers who were convicted of trafficking drugs into the United States. Above, the pair appear on a CNBC show called 'American Greed'

Pedro Flores (left) and his twin brother, Margarito Flores (right), were instrumental in helping the United States government convict Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. Both were freed in 2021 but now their wives are accused by a Chicago federal court of laundering their drug dealing proceeds

Vivianna Lopez, the wife of Chicago drug trafficker Pedro Flores, is facing money laundering accusations from the U.S. government in a Chicago court. Authorities alleged she used drug money to pay for the schooling of their children as well as vacation trips overseas

Valerie Gaytan, who goes by Olivia Flores, is facing money laundering charges in Chicago. Her husband, Margarito Flores, helped the U.S. government build its case against El Chapo by providing recordings of conversations

After their husbands' arrest, both women continued to dip into a drug money stash of $5 million in cash that was concealed beneath the floorboards of their home so that they could continue to live the extravagant lifestyle they had been accustomed to

The multi-million dollar stash was hidden under a home's 'floorboards' in 2009 and 2010, court records reveal. At some point in 2010, Lopez and Gaytan handed over $4 million in drug proceeds to a Chicago-based 'criminal defense attorney.'

The lawyer, whose identity is unknown, turned around and reached out to federal prosecutors for guidance. The attorney deposited the money into an escrow account, which was eventually seized by the feds.

Lopez and Gaytan were among five people who were arrested and indicted on money laundering charges in June 2021 by the Northern District of Illinois.

During a span of 12 years, federal prosecutors said the wives and the three other defendants 'maintained portions of the drug proceeds' belonging to the Flores twins 'at multiple locations.'

Pedro Flores (left), a former associate of El Chapo (right), testified in front of the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel at a New York federal court in December 2018

Twin brothers Pedro Flores (left) and Margarito Flores (right) appeared before a federal court judge in Chicago on January 27, 2015

Lopez and Gaytan spoke about their experience as cartel wives on a CNBC show called 'American Greed,' telling an interviewer about the lavish lifestyle their husbands' illicit activities funded

According to Chicago federal court documents, Vivianna Lopez (left) and Valerie Gaytan (right) took advantage of drug proceeds that their husbands hid in the floorboards of a house and used it to maintain a lavish lifestyle while the twin brothers served a reduced jail sentence for snitching on Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

The United States government received recorded phone calls from Margarito Flores and Pedro Flores, Chicago-born drug lords-turned-informants, as part of the evidence that was used to convict Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

In 2017, Lopez and Gaytan published the memoir 'Cartel Wives: A True Story of Deadly Decisions, Steadfast Love, and Bringing Down El Chapo,' and told Vogue magazine that they decided to pen the book so that their children could know the truth.

'Our husbands wanted to break this cycle they were born into. We didn't write this book to justify anything,' Gaytan said in the June 2018 interview. 'We wanted to be transparent and honest. We're not the people we were back then. We were living a nightmare. Sometimes when we were writing this, we'd call each other and just ask, 'What were we thinking?' The world we were in wasn't glamorous; it wasn't worth it.'

The Flores wives shared details of the luxurious life, including the Mexico-based ranch where they lived that featured a small zoo that housed monkeys, toucans, llamas and tigers.

The wives of Margarito and Pedro Flores published their memoir, 'Cartel Wives: A True Story of Deadly Decisions, Steadfast Love, and Bringing Down El Chapo,' and provided an inside look into how their husbands helped the U.S. government convict Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

Known within El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel as the 'Twins,' the Flores brothers admitted to U.S. prosecutors that they were moving at least 1,500 kilos of cocaine from Mexico into the United States each month between 2005 and 2008.

The drugs were shipped from Colombia to Mexico via planes, boats and submarines before they were smuggled across the Mexico-United States border and were handed over to the siblings in Chicago.

Almost half of the cocaine shipment was distributed in Chicago and the remaining half was spread across the Ohio cities of Columbus and Cincinnati; Philadelphia; New York; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; and Vancouver.

As part of their deal with the federal government, Margarito met with El Chapo and his henchmen in northern Mexico in October 2008. In addition, Pedro handed Chicago federal investigators the recording of a conversation that detailed a drug deal and later testified against El Chapo in 2018.

' ... our husbands started gathering information and recording Chapo and getting his coordinates and passing everything along to the government contacts,' Gaytan told Vogue. 'But the U.S. government can't just pop into a foreign country and get this man. It doesn't work like that. Mia and I were terrifiedwe talked to each other in the bathroom with all the faucets running. If Chapo found out we were snitching, our whole family would die.'
Douglas Ross has attempted to end his feud with Boris Johnson by urging his party to end all talk of his resignation.

The Scottish Conservative leader was the most senior MP to call for the Prime Minister to quit over the Partygate furore.

But he has now said that all talk of his resignation should be paused while there is war in Europe.

He insisted that the Prime Minister has the backing of the whole Scottish Conservative party in responding to the actions of Vladimir Putin.

Mr Ross also confirmed he is withdrawing the letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson that he submitted to 1922 committee chairman Sir Graham Brady.

The dramatic change of position comes as it was announced that Mr Johnson is now scheduled to attend the Scottish Conservative conference in person next weekend.

He had previously been expected to attend only by video link following the breakdown in relations with Mr Ross and other senior Tories.

Mr Ross, the MP for Moray and MSP for Highlands and Islands, said: 'The middle of an international crisis is not the time to be discussing resignations, unless it's the removal from office of Vladimir Putin.

'There will be a time and place to debate Partygate but, as even Keir Starmer said at the weekend, we should put that on pause while there is war in Europe.

The Scottish Conservative leader was the most senior MP to call for the Prime Minister to quit over the Partygate furore.

But he has now said that all talk of the PM (pictured today in Birkenhead) resigning should be paused while there is war in Europe.

'It's essential that we all fully support what the UK Government is doing. In light of Russia's appalling actions, the government and Prime Minister need our backing, and they have mine and the whole Scottish Conservative party.

'We should all be focused on what we can do to help the Ukrainian people in any capacity.'

Mr Ross repeatedly called for Mr Johnson to quit following revelations about gatherings at Downing Street.

He first said in December that the Prime Minister should quit if he misled parliament over a Christmas party.

He then said in January that Mr Johnson's leadership was 'no longer tenable' after he admitted that he attended a Downing Street party during lockdown.

Mr Ross reiterated his call when the Sue Gray report was published, and highlighted a section which said that there was a 'serious failure to observe' the standards expected to the entire British population at the time.

The comments led to a major breakdown in relations between the Scottish Tories and Downing Street, with Jacob Rees-Mogg dismissing Mr Ross as a 'lightweight figure'.

But Mr Johnson offered an olive branch in an interview with the Mail during a visit to Scotland last month, by lavishing praise on Mr Ross's performance and insisting there is 'far more that brings us together than separates us'.

He also insisted they will both 'of course' still be in post at the next general election.

Mr Johnson was initially expected to not be invited to the Scottish Tory conference, which takes place in Aberdeen next weekend, but it was subsequently agreed he would give an address by video link.

However, the event is now expected to be dominated by the Ukraine crisis and it has now been agreed that the Prime Minister will attend in person.

A senior Tory source said: 'It was originally likely that the Prime Minister would address conference in a video.

'The war in Ukraine has changed the situation. This crisis is bigger than any disagreements we may have. In light of Russia's appalling actions, we asked that the Prime Minister address conference in person.'

A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: 'We welcome the Prime Minister appearing in person to speak about the war in Ukraine at Scottish Conservative conference.'

Kirsten Oswald, the SNP's Westminster deputy leader, said: 'This is a major blow to Douglas Ross's credibility and authority as Scottish Conservative leader  he has been humiliated and left to look utterly ridiculous.

'It beggars belief that Boris Johnson and Douglas Ross both believe they can remain in office and work constructively given everything that has happened in recent months.

'If Boris Johnson refuses to do the right thing and resign, then people will rightly question Douglas Ross's position.'
The Biden administration is set to extend the mask mandate for public transit another month beyond its March 18 deadline, according tor reports.

The order, which has been in place since February 2021 and has been extended numerous times, requires 'persons to wear masks over the mouth and nose when traveling on any conveyance (e.g., airplanes, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares, ferries, ships, trolleys, and cable cars) into or within the United States' and while in transportation hubs.

At the same time the Biden administration has pushed a message of moving on from the pandemic. The White House lifted its mask mandate last week two days after the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance and said that Americans in most areas of the country could enter public spaces without a mask.

A slew of Democratic governors had gotten ahead of the CDC and dropped their mask requirements before the guidance was updated.

President Biden urged Americans to return to the office last Friday during remarks. 'Because of the progress we've made fighting COVID, Americans can not only get back to work, but they can go to the office and safely fill our great downtown cities again,' he said.

'Most Americans can remove their masks, return to work and move forward safely,' the president said.

The U.S. is currently recording 37,524 cases per day, down 36 percent in the past week and over 95 percent since the Omicron variant's peak at around 800,000 cases per day in mid-January.

The average daily deaths as of Wednesday were 1,369, down 28 percent from two weeks ago.

Hawaii became the 50th and final state to drop its mask mandate this week. By the end of the month not a single U.S. state will have a mask mandate for all indoor public places.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said that he would force a vote next week to end the 'unscientific mandate.'

'Apparently government doesn't want to relinquish its power and plans to extend the mask mandate on planes & public transportation. Not on my watch! I'll be forcing a vote next week to end this unscientific mandate.'

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suggested the 'same rules' for the State of the Union, where masking was optional, be applied to public transit.

'Because of course they are,' the Texas Republican wrote on Twitter in reaction to news the Biden administration was extending the mandate. 'Heres an idea: how about the same mask rules on planes that we had at Bidens State of the Union address?'

Apparently government doesn't want to relinquish its power and plans to extend the mask mandate on planes & public transportation. Not on my watch! I'll be forcing a vote next week to end this unscientific mandate. https://t.co/h4sDuqaqUg  Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 10, 2022

Because of course they are.



Heres an idea: how about the same mask rules on planes that we had at Bidens State of the Union address? https://t.co/tXPvLBU0Fa  Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 10, 2022

But as much of the world moves beyond the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that a new 'Deltacron' variant, a strain of the virus that includes traits from both Delta and Omicron, is starting to spread across Europe.

Two cases are believed to be linked to the new variant as well.

The news comes just as the world on Friday will mark the two-year anniversary of the WHO declaring Covid-19 a worldwide pandemic.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the Russian government for ordering their military troops to attack a children's and maternity hospital amid the ongoing war between the two nations.

The city council of the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol posted videos of a destroyed children's and maternity hospital in the region. They accused Moscow's troops of dropping several bombs from the air.

Russia's Bombing of Children's Hospital

Authorities added that the damage to the hospital was tremendous and left the building of the medical facility that was dedicated to children's treatment completely destroyed. They added that they were still trying to get information about any injuries or casualties from the blasts.

The head of the Donetsk regional administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said that the Russian airstrike on Mariupol destroyed the maternity hospital in the city center, a children's ward, and a department of internal medicine.

Donetsk region police revealed that based on their preliminary information, there were at least 17 people who got injured from the bombing, including mothers and staff. They said that they were still investigating the situation to confirm the details, as per CNN.

Since the start of Russia's attack on Ukraine two weeks ago, Moscow has launched more than 710 missiles against its European neighbor. The Pentagon said that it had seen indications that the Kremlin's forces were also dropping what it called "dumb bombs."

The armaments are ammunition that are not equipped with precision guidance and thus have limited ability to hit their targets accurately. The senior U.S. defense official who made the remarks on Wednesday said that it remained unclear whether or not Moscow's use of the dumb bombs was by design or by default.

Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: Pentagon Admits Poland Jet Proposal Shows "Difficult Logistical Challenges"

According to The Hill, the American federal government sees the "increasing damage to civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties" with the combination of Russia's bombs and missiles. The comments come shortly after the bombing of the children's hospital in Mariupol.

Ceasefire Deal

The bombing in Mariupol comes amid a ceasefire deal to allow people in the region to flee and protect themselves from becoming casualties of war. The city has been home to hundreds of thousands of residents who have been sheltering without power or water for more than a week.

On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian troops were not told to fire on civilian targets. Since the beginning of the war, Moscow has called its invasion of Ukraine a "special operation" in its attempt to disarm the nation and dislodge leaders that it claimed were "neo-Nazis.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki commented on the images of the aftermath and called Russia's actions "barbaric." The UN Human Rights body also said that its monitoring mission was trying to verify the number of casualties at Mariupol.

UN spokesperson Liz Throssell noted that the recent incident has added to the agency's deep concerns of the indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas and civilians trapped in active hostilities in numerous areas in Ukraine. In a Twitter post, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that indiscriminate shelling by Russia was continuing in the region, Reuters reported.



Related Article: Volodymyr Zelensky Vows To Fight Russia "in Forests, Fields, and Streets"; Defiant Ukraine President Casts Doubt for Vladimir Putin's Victory

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Ukrainian refugees were left fuming after a visa application centre promised by the British Government failed to open.

Hundreds of Ukrainians who fled their war-torn country were told unequivocally by British officials that the visa centre would open in Lille today to process their documents as quickly as possible so that they could join relatives or those who had sponsored them in the UK.

Home Office officials also notified the media of the centre's opening earlier this week as part of its efforts to ease the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

Many Ukrainians were ferried in buses on Wednesday from Calais, where they had gathered and taken to the city of Tourcoing, which is located close to Lille so that they could be near the proposed visa application centre.

But they were left angry and disappointed when it did not materialise, protesting that it further underlined their callous treatment at the hands of the British Government.

Roksolana, 22 who fled Kyiv and travelled for more than week to get to Calais, said she was told that the visa centre would be open for business on Thursday

Hundreds of Ukrainians who fled their war-torn country were told by British officials that the visa centre would open in Lille today to process their documents. Pictured: A GV of the Bureaux de la Prefecture which is believed to be the site of the Ukrainian visa application centre

To add to their misery, they are being put up in a shabby hotel in Tourcoing which is normally used to temporarily house homeless people and drug addicts.

Roksolana, 22 who fled Kyiv and travelled for more than week to get to Calais, told MailOnline: 'We were told that the visa centre would be open for business on Thursday but nothing's happened. It's just one of the many lies that we've been told by the British Government.'

Adam, 26 who also fled the bombardment of Kyiv added: 'Every country is welcoming Ukrainians refugees except Britain. I was hoping that I could start my visa process today but sadly, that's not going to happen.

'I want to go to Britain because I speak very good English and it is a country that I have a lot of respect for. After everything we have gone through, I don't understand why we are being mucked around like this by the British government.'

Announcing the 'opening' of the visa application centre in Lille, Home Office officials stated that it would only for those Ukrainian refugees who had been referred by Border Force officials.

To add to their confusion, Ukrainians are now being told that a visa application will now open on Friday in Arras, which is an hour away from Lille.

Ioana, who fled the outskirts of Kyiv when the war started said: 'I'll believe it when I see it. It's hard to believe anything the British Government tells us.

Adam, 26 who also fled the bombardment of Kyiv, said he was hoping to start his visa process today but 'sadly, that's not going to happen'

'Every nation in Europe has made it easier for Ukrainians to stay in their country except Britain, who seem to want to kill us with bureaucracy and red tape. I have family there, I want to join them, and it should not be so complicated.'

Announcing the visa centre that never opened in Lille, the Home Office declared earlier this week: 'The UK stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Ukraine and we have taken urgent action to process visas at speed for all those eligible to the Ukraine Family Scheme, while carrying out vital security checks.

'In light of the risk from criminals actively operating in the area around Calais, we have set up a new temporary Visa Application Centre in Lille which will open tomorrow (Thursday) focused on referrals only for people in the area eligible for the scheme.'

A Government spokesperson said: 'We have announced new measures to simplify and speed up the process for people applying to the Ukraine Family Scheme. From Tuesday 15 March, Ukrainians with passports who are eligible for this route can do their application online and will not need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.

'To support those people in Calais who are eligible for the scheme, we have worked closely with the French to set up a new, larger temporary Visa Application Centre in Arras for referrals only.'
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Britain's resurging Covid outbreak showed no signs of slowing today as daily cases and hospital admissions rose once more.

Government dashboard data shows there were 71,259 infections confirmed over the past 24 hours, the highest in over a month and up 56 per cent on last Thursday.

Cases have been climbing for over a week, with the trend thought to be down to a combination of lifting the final restrictions in England and the rise of a more infectious version of Omicron.

Latest hospital data shows there were 1,406 virus admissions on March 6, up a third on the previous week and the seventh day in a row they have risen week-on-week.

Experts tracking the pandemic noticed that admissions began to spike before cases, despite there normally being a week-lag in the other direction.

There are a number of theories for the trend, including that the rise in infections was masked by the central testing being scaled back. Others have suggested it may be the early signs of booster jab immunity waning, following the initial roll out in September.

Whitehall sources say they are not 'overly worried' about the increase, although they insisted they were keeping an eye on the numbers.

Fourth jabs are set to be dished out later this month to over-75s, care home residents and people with weakened immune systems, who are most vulnerable to the virus.

Meanwhile, there were another 142 Covid deaths registered today in a 27 per cent drop on last Thursday. It brings the seven-day average number of fatalities to 104. MailOnline's analysis of separate figures suggests Covid is now less deadly than the flu.

The above graph shows the infection fatality rate for Covid in England (red line). Since Omicron became dominant in the UK it has dropped dramatically and is now around the same level as flu (blue area). Scientists today said it was certainly possible that Covid is now as deadly as flu. But they warned future variants could change the calculation

Government figures indicate the virus had a mortality rate of around 0.2 per cent before the ultra-transmissible strain erupted onto the scene. But this has since plunged seven-fold to as little as 0.03 per cent, meaning it kills effectively just one in every 3,300 people who get infected.

For comparison, seasonal influenza's infection-fatality rate (IFR) sits between 0.01 and 0.05 per cent, suggesting that the two viruses now pose a similar threat.

Is Putin to blame for the UK's Covid surge? Britain's Covid outbreak may be rebounding because Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has pushed the virus out of the headlines, scientists say. Covid  which has dominated the news cycle for almost two years  has been dwarfed by the war in Ukraine, which has gripped the world and produced harrowing images of civilian casualties on a daily basis. The crisis is causing Britons to act 'less carefully... now the virus is off the news essentially', according to Professor Gary McLean, an immunologist at London Metropolitan University. But he added that Ukraine was just one piece of the puzzle. 'It's almost like a perfect storm of several things has resulted in reduced care even though the virus is circulating at still high levels and immunity is slowly waning,' he told MailOnline. Government adviser Professor Stephen Reicher, a behavioural scientist on SAGE, said the Ukraine crisis was giving the impression Covid had become 'yesterday's news'. But he warned people were already changing their behaviour before Russia's invasion, as No10's rhetoric pivoted and ministers began stressing that we need to learn to live with Covid. Advertisement

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline it meant that Covid could actually be even less deadly than the flu. Although, he warned another variant could reverse the progress.

The UK is now now averaging 53,000 cases per day compared to around 35,000 on Freedom Day in late February.

Dr Raghib Ali, an epidemiologist at Cambridge University who advised No10 throughout the Omicron wave, said it was 'unlikely' that there would be a 'large' spike in hospitalisations or deaths.

However, Covid hospitalisations have been rising, with 1,300 people being admitted across the UK on average now compared to 2,500 at peak Omicron.

NHS figures suggest that up to 60 per cent of patients in English hospitals are not primarily sick with Covid, however.

Scientists have credited the build-up of immunity after repeated waves of the virus, the vaccine rollout and the fact Omicron is inherently milder than older forms of the virus.

England has been somewhat of a European outlier since the Covid vaccines first started to be rolled out.

It dropped most restrictions last summer despite high levels of Delta circulating and stayed open during the Omicron wave when many in the EU reimposed draconian lockdowns.

While at times it has meant England has had consistently high infection rates, scientists believe the strategy has given the country an unusually high level of immunity.

A rapid and successful booster rollout combined with the mild Omicron wave helped severe the link between infection and severe illness even more.

These factors have given ministers the confidence to ease all restrictions in England, taking the country out of economically-crippling restriction cycles and moving into a new phase of 'living with Covid'.

MailOnline compared estimates on the number of people catching Covid every day in England against deaths registered two weeks later  roughly how long it takes for patients to succumb to the illness.

Data from NHS England shows one in nine people in the country were waiting for routine treatment  such as joint replacement and cataract surgery  or diagnostic tests as of the end of January

Infection figures were taken from the Office for National Statistics' gold-standard infection survey, which randomly swabs tens of thousands of people every week to gauge how prevalent the virus is across the UK.

Fatality figures were also taken from the ONS's weekly death analysis, that looks at the number of death certificates in which the virus was mentioned.

NHS waiting list hits ANOTHER record high NHS waiting lists for routine operations have hit yet another record high of 6.1million, the first official data for 2022 show. An additional 30,000 people were on the list for routine operations such as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery in January compared to December. The 6.1m toll is 2m higher than when the pandemic hit, when NHS elective care was effectively frozen for months. Health Secretary Sajid Javid has come under increasing pressure to get a handle on the crisis, with charities warning that millions of Brits are living in pain while waiting for their surgeries. The number of people waiting over a year to start treatment increased to 311,528 in January, up from around only 1,400 before Covid hit. The Government and NHS England have vowed to eliminate all waits of more than a year by March 2025 as part of their pandemic recovery plan. The health service will get an extra 12billion a year from April, funded by the 1.25 per cent hike to national insurance. Almost 24,000 have been waiting at least two years for treatment, up from 20,065 in December, and over nine times the 2,608 who were waiting in April 2021. These patients will be contacted by the end of the month to be offered alternative appointments in places where queues aren't as long or in private hospitals. Their transport and accommodation fees will be covered. Advertisement

Out of the 52,000 estimated new infections a day in early September, when the Delta variant was still dominant, an average of 110 deaths involving the virus were being registered a fortnight later.

This equated to an infection-fatality ratio of around 0.2 per cent, or one in 500 infections resulting in a death.

But by the height of the Omicron wave, this had plunged three-fold with roughly 120 out of 190,000 daily cases dying two weeks later (0.06 per cent)  or one in 1,500 infections.

The most up-to-date IFR in the analysis  based on an estimated 245,000 people getting infected every day on and 83 deaths a fortnight later  stands at just 0.03 per cent.

For comparison, the IFR was thought to be above one per cent at the start of the pandemic when the novel virus first hit the human population and there was no immunity.

Professor Hunter told MailOnline: 'The recent data suggests Covid is now less deadly than flu, but there remains uncertainty about the impact of future variants.

'This is mainly down to immunity, though Omicron (possibly excluding BA.2) is also less virulent.'

When asked about a similar analysis done by the Financial Times, Dr Ali said: 'Is Omicron the same as flu? No. But the vaccines have made the risks to the individual very similar.'

Real-time IFR can vary drastically in every nation based on previous immunity, prevalence of obesity and other medical conditions, and the population age structure.

Government dashboard data shows vaccine uptake is high across the UK, providing what has been described as a 'wall of immunity' against the virus.

About 85 per cent of over-12s in Britain have already got two doses of the Covid vaccine, figures show.

While 66 per cent have also got the booster jab, although among the over-70s who are most at risk from the virus uptake rises to above 90 per cent.

The NHS is currently preparing to roll out a fourth Covid jab for the over-75s and the most vulnerable, including care home residents and everyone over 12 with a weakened immune system. The rollout is set to begin in just a week and a half.

Even more groups could be invited in the autumn to raise protection ahead of winter, ministers have hinted.

A total of 30million Britons  or half the population  have also already been infected with Covid, according to No10's top scientific advisers, in another boost for immunity levels.

But despite these high immunity levels, Covid infections have risen across the country consistently for an entire week.
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Russia has been slammed for peddling 'fake news' after claiming a pregnant survivor of the Mariupol hospital bombing was a beauty blogger in makeup as the Kremlin desperately attempts to deny attacking mothers and their babies.

Nadine Dorries, the UK culture secretary, denounced a tweet by Russia's London embassy which identified a bloodied patient seen evacuating from Mariupol maternity hospital on Wednesday evening as 'Marianna' - a beauty blogger from the city.

The tweet - which has since been deleted for violating Twitter's 'community guidelines' - claimed the blogger 'played' the roles of two victims in photos it said were taken by a 'propagandist', who is actually a photographer for respected news wire Associated Press.

It comes after Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, told a news conference earlier in the day that the hospital was a 'legitimate target' because there were no patients in it at the time of the attack and it had been overtaken by 'extremists' from the Azov Brigade which is defending the city.

Images and video from the scene clearly show several pregnant women taken out of the badly damaged hospital with injuries. Ukraine said three people died in the attack, including a six-year-old girl, while 17 others including hospital staff were wounded.

At the same press conference, Lavrov claimed that Russia 'never attacked Ukraine' and denounced international outcry over the hospital attack as 'pathetic'. President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the bombing as a 'war crime', while Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it 'depraved'.

Lavrov spoke out amid a slew of disinformation from the Kremlin over the last 48 hours aimed at justifying Putin's decision to invade Ukraine whilst also seeking to minimise or obfuscate Russia's role as instigator of the conflict.

Russia has been slammed for peddling 'fake news' after trying to claim that a victim of the Mariupol hospital bombing (right) is a beauty blogger (left) who faked her injuries

She had previously posted images with another man, believed to be her partner, while holidaying and in the later stages of her pregnancy

Pregnant beauty blogger 'Marianna' posted pictures on his Instagram weeks before the maternity hospital in Mariupol was bombed

The heavily pregnant woman was pictured evacuating from the Mariupol maternity hospital on Wednesday night after it was struck several times by Russian bombers in what Ukraine called a 'war crime'

Sergey Lavrov, earlier in the day, had sought to claim that there were no patients in the hospital at the time of the bombing and it had been taken over by 'extremists' - making it a legitimate target

Russian POW says he was told to shoot CIVILIANS and was part of a unit sent to capture Kharkiv in three days before being captured by Ukrainian forces A captured Russian commander has revealed he was told to shoot civilians and was part of a unit sent to capture Kharkiv in three days. The man, a platoon leader in Russia's military according to Ukrainian authorities, said Vladimir Putin had ordered the troops to occupy the city of Kharkiv before advancing and capturing other Ukrainian cities. The soldier, who has not been named, said they were told to 'open fire' on the civilian population in Kharkiv, after they landed in Ukraine at the beginning of Russia's invasion on 24 February. 'There was a command to capture the city of Kharkiv, occupy all the roads, block civilian exits and occupy the city,' the soldier, who was captured by Ukrainian forces after a shootout, said in a video released by Ukraine's Security Service. A captured Russian commander has revealed he was told to shoot civilians and was part of a unit sent to capture Kharkiv in three days When asked what other tasks the Russian troops were given when they moved in on Ukraine, he said: 'We had permission to open fire on command and on all city residents,' adding that there was an order to shoot civilians. The soldier, who said his platoon arrived in Ukraine on February 24, added that it was their mission to capture Kharkiv within three days. But two weeks after Russia began its barbaric invasion, Kharkiv is still under Ukrainian control. But the city is still being heavily pummelled by surrounding Russian forces, with local forces reporting artillery fire. Advertisement

Foreign ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday claimed that Ukraine was developing bioweapons in laboratories near the border with American help which 'forced' Putin to launch his attack, claims which have been dismissed by Washington as false.

Claims of WMDs in Ukraine are being pushed by Russia after its initial justification for the war - genocide against civilians in Donbass - was quickly abandoned after the Pentagon warned ahead of time that 'false flag' operations in the region would be used to create a pre-text for conflict.

Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of Mariupol, said he is 'absolutely sure' the Russians knew they were bombing a hospital when they launched the attack late yesterday - adding 'this is the third hospital they have destroyed' after a 300-bed Covid unit and blood bank were targeted on Tuesday.

Orlov accused Putin's men of trying to create a humanitarian crisis in Mariupol in the hopes of weakening Ukrainian defences and making it easier for Russian troops - which have surrounded the city for more than a week - to seize, having largely failed to take control of cities elsewhere.

It is hardly the first time that Russian commanders have been accused of deliberately striking hospitals.

During the bombing of Aleppo, in Syria, humanitarian groups said Putin's warplanes had systematically blown up medical facilities in the city before Bashar al-Assad's troops rolled in to seize it.

Observers have suggested that Russia is now using a Syria-style battleplan against Ukraine after its early precision strikes failed.

The Ukrainian Healthcare Center, a think-tank based in the country, says that between the outbreak of fighting on February 24 and today, their team documented 42 cases of Russian forces attacking either healthcare facilities or medics in order to deliberately provoke a 'humanitarian crisis'.

Hospitals had been struck in every theatre where Russian forces were operating, the think-tank said, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv.

'The humanitarian catastrophe is a part of Russia's hybrid war. [It] intends to spread panic, create a flow of refugees at the borders and force the Ukrainian government to surrender,' said Pavlo Kovtonyuk, co-founder of the think-tank.

The bombing took place during what was supposed to be a ceasefire in Mariupol so that civilians could evacuate. It marks the fourth time a so-called 'humanitarian corridor' out of the city has failed because Russian forces opened fire.

Ukraine now says that at least 71 children have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war on February 24, a Ukrainian parliament official said on Thursday.

The toll was announced amid outrage over the bombing Wednesday of a children's hospital in Mariopol that officials said killed three people, including a young girl.

The hospital was struck by several high explosive bombs which destroyed large parts of the buildings and courtyard, killing three people including a six-year-old girl and wounding 17 others

Ukraine has called the attack a 'war crime' while the city's deputy mayor has said he is 'certain' the Russians knew what they were targeting when they dropped the bombs

Wounded patients from the hospital are pictured staggering out of the building after it was bombed, triggering international condemnation of Russia's attacks

Ukrainian mothers say 'Russian b**tards' who ordered artillery strike on Mariupol maternity hospital as women were giving birth 'must be put to DEATH' Mothers across Ukraine have expressed their anger at the heartless bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol that has shocked the world. Women fought back tears as they told of their sympathy for the three who were killed and the dozens injured by the senseless bombardment by the Russian army. Mother Katia Poltorak spoke for many when branded the Kremlin leaders 'b**tards'. The 42-year-old, from Dnipro, who has a five-year-old son Miron, told MailOnline: 'The Russians are heartless b**tards. Anna Afinogenova (pictured) said she feared it could have been her who was giving birth as the bombs rained down 'These are not men, they are animals. My heart is broken. These killing are terrible. I cannot watch the news of the attack. It is too upsetting.' Anna Afinogenova told how she feared it could have been her who was giving birth as the bombs rained down. The 41-year-old from Kyiv, who has a one-year-old baby daughter Kira, said: 'I cannot think about what happened at the hospital without shedding tears. 'A year ago that could have been me, in hospital giving birth. My daughter had her first birthday only last week. 'To attack helpless and defenceless women and babies is unconscionable. The hospital is not a military target. Putin had no excuse to attack it. This was the worst kind of war crime.' Anastasia Pohorelova, added: 'Whoever ordered this operation must be put to death. It was worse than a war crime.' The 32-year-old had to flee from Dnipro with her sons Maxim, 6 and Yuroslav, 2. She said: 'We need to send a message to the world that this cannot be allowed to happen. It's such a terrible thing to have happened. These poor people were civilians.' Natalia Korniusha said: 'I am beyond angry. This is not war this is murder. To attack women and children like this is despicable. The people who ordered this atrocity need to be punished.' Advertisement

'From the start of the Russian invasion and up to 11:00 am on March 10, 71 children have been killed and more than 100 wounded,' Lyudmyla Denisova, parliament's point person on human rights, wrote in a Telegram message.

The hospital was hit as Mariopol, a southeastern port in Ukraine, is under siege from Russian troops and pro-Russian separatists from the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Sources said 17 adults were also wounded in the bombing.

In Malyn, in the western Zhytomyr region, three children and two other people were killed when seven homes were destroyed in air strikes, according to Denisova, who cited several examples of children dying in air strikes.

On Wednesday night, two women and two children were killed when a shell hit their home in Slobozhanske, a village in the eastern Izium region, Denisova said, adding that a five-year-old girl survived.

In Irpin, not far from the capital Kyiv, a 10-year-old girl was gravely wounded and is fighting for her life in hospital.

This afternoon, President Zelensky told Russian leaders that their country's invasion of Ukraine will backfire, by landing them in court and making their people hate them.

'You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes,' Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address.

The West has slapped harsh financial and economic sanctions on Russia because of the invasion, and the Ukrainian leader said the consequences will be felt by all Russians.

'And then, it will definitely happen, you will be hated by Russian citizens - everyone you have been deceiving constantly, daily, for many years in a row, when they feel the consequences of your lies in their wallets, in their shrinking possibilities, in the stolen future of Russian children.'

Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced by the fighting. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Thursday that about 2 million people - half the population of the capital's metropolitan area - have left the city, which has become virtually a fortress. Another 2.3million have fled the country.

'Every street, every house . is being fortified,' Klitschko said. 'Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands.'

Western officials said Russian forces have made little progress on the ground in recent days. But they have intensified the bombardment of Mariupol and other cities, trapping hundreds of thousands of people, with food and water running short.

Temporary cease-fires to allow evacuations and humanitarian aid have repeatedly faltered, with Ukraine accusing Russia of continuing its bombardments. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 35,000 people managed to get out on Wednesday from several besieged towns, and more efforts were underway on Thursday in eastern and southern Ukraine - including Mariupol - as well as in the Kyiv suburbs.

The Mariupol city council posted a video showing buses driving down a highway. It said a convoy bringing food and medicine was on the way despite several days of thwarted efforts to reach the city.

'Everyone is working to get help to the people of Mariupol. And it will come,' said Mayor Vadym Boychenko.

Images from the city, where hundreds have died and workers hurried to bury bodies in a mass grave, have drawn condemnation from around the world.

Residents have resorted to breaking into stores for food and melting snow for water.

The city has been without heat for days as nighttime temperatures fall below freezing and daytime ones hover just above it.

Mariupol, which has been under heavy bombardment for more than a week, continued to suffering shelling on Thursday as a humanitarian support convoy made a fifth attempt to get into the city

Burning buildings are pictured on the outskirts of Mariupol, with the mayor saying 1,200 people have been killed in nine days of Russian shelling with bodies buried in mass graves

The skyline of Mariupol lights up with the blasts from Russian bombs as the city suffers under another day of intense bombardment designed to break Ukrainian defenders before Putin's troops roll in

'The only thing (I want) is for this to be finished,' Volodymyr Bykovskyi said as he stood by a freshly dug trench where bodies were being buried. 'I don't know who's guilty, who's right, who started this. Damn them all, those people who started this!'

When the series of blasts hit the children's and maternity hospital in Mariupol, the ground shook more than a mile away. Explosions blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building.

Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying a bleeding woman with a swollen belly on a stretcher past burning and mangled cars. Another woman wailed as she clutched her child.

Regional Ukrainian police official Volodymir Nikulin, standing in the ruins, called the attack 'a war crime without any justification.' Britain's Armed Forces minister, James Heappey, said that whether the hospital was hit by indiscriminate fire or deliberately targeted, 'it is a war crime.'

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, on a visit to Ukraine's neighbor Poland, backed calls for an international war-crimes investigation into the invasion, saying, 'The eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed concerns about civilian casualties as 'pathetic shrieks' from Russia's enemies. He claimed without providing evidence that the Mariupol hospital had been seized by far-right radical fighters who were using it as a base - despite the fact that photographs from the aftermath showed pregnant women and children at the site.

Several rounds of talks have not stopped the fighting, and a meeting in a Turkish Mediterranean resort between Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, failed to find much common ground.

In their highest-level talks since the war began, the two sides discussed a 24-hour cease-fire but did not make progress, Kuleba said. He said Russia was still seeking 'surrender from Ukraine.'

'This is not what they are going to get,' he said, adding that he was willing to continue the dialogue.

Lavrov said Russia was ready for more negotiations but showed no sign of softening Moscow's demands.

Russia has alleged that Western-looking, U.S.-backed Ukraine poses a threat to its security. Western officials suspect Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to install a government friendly to Moscow in Kyiv as part of an effort to draw the former Soviet state back into its orbit.

Russia's military is struggling, facing heavier losses and stronger Ukrainian resistance than it apparently anticipated. But Putin's forces have used airpower to pummel key cities, often shelling populated areas.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, 91-year-old Alevtina Shernina sat wrapped in a blanket, an electric heater at her feet, as cold air blew in through a damaged window. She survived the brutal World War II siege of Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, and is now under siege again, her health too fragile for her to be moved.

Her daughter-in-law Natalia said she was angry that Shernina 'began her life in Leningrad under the siege as a girl who was starving, who lived in cold and hunger, and she's ending her life' in similar circumstances.

'There were fascists there and there are fascists here who came and bombed our buildings and windows,' she said.

Boris Johnson says he fears Vladimir Putin WILL use chemical weapons in Ukraine because it would be 'straight out of Russia's playbook' as he warns Moscow is already preparing a 'fake story' to blame the West

By Jack Maidment and James Tapsfield for MailOnline

Boris Johnson today said he fears Vladimir Putin will use chemical weapons in Ukraine because it would be 'straight out of Russia's playbook'.

The Prime Minister said Mr Putin is in charge of a 'cynical, barbaric government' and he believes Moscow could resort to deploying chemical weapons after its invasion stalled in the face of fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces.

Mr Johnson also said he believes Russia is preparing a 'fake story' which it could use to deny using the weapons and to blame the West.

The Prime Minister told Sky News Beth Rigby Interviews show: I will make you one other prediction by the way which is that the stuff that you are hearing about chemical weapons, this is straight out of their playbook.

They start saying that there are chemical weapons that have been stored by their opponents or by the Americans and so when they themselves deploy chemical weapons, as I fear they may, they have a sort of maskirovka, a fake story, ready to go. And you have seen it in Syria. You saw it even in the UK.

Asked if it was his expectation that Russia will use chemical weapons, the premier said: 'I just note that that is what they are already doing [preparing a fake story]. It is a cynical, barbaric government I am afraid.

Mr Johnson's comments came after Defence minister James Heappey insisted the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine was a war crime as he called for Mr Putin and Russian generals to be held to account.

Mr Heappey stressed that the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but said in a round of interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'

It has been confirmed three people, including a child, died when warplanes bombed the hospital in besieged Mariupol as pregnant women gave birth in the basement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attack as an 'atrocity' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians'.

Boris Johnson today said he fears Vladimir Putin will use chemical weapons in Ukraine because it would be 'straight out of Russia's playbook'. He made the comments to Sky News Beth Rigby Interviews show

The Prime Minister said Mr Putin is in charge of a 'cynical, barbaric government' and he believes Moscow could resort to deploying chemical weapons after its invasion stalled in the face of fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces

The hospital, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said. Other bombs scored 'direct hits', President Zelensky said, wounding at least 17 people.

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister, said there can be 'no doubt' the hospital was deliberately 'targeted' by Russia in a chilling echo tactics used during the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo while Putin's men were fighting alongside dictator Basahr al-Assad's troops. Moscow denies targeting civilian facilities.

And Mr Heappey told Sky News this morning: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.

'Clearly there is evidence to be gathered in which to prove it is a war crime, and Western countries are working together to make sure that evidence is gathered in the best way so people can be held to account.

'What Putin is doing is not a war waged between two militaries. Right now he has besieged a number of Ukrainian cities and he has waged a war against Ukrainian civilians.'

He added on BBC Breakfast: 'We ask ourselves the question how did this happen? Was it an indiscriminate use of artillery or missiles into a built-up area, or was a hospital explicitly targeted?

'Both are equally despicable, both, as the Ukrainians have pointed out, would amount to a war crime.

'So, what matters beyond the outrage of the fact that this has happened in the first place is to make sure all this is catalogued so when  and they surely will be  President Putin and everybody in the military chain of command beneath him  because war crimes are committed at every level not just the ultimate decisionmaker  people will be held to account for what they are doing in. It's utterly despicable.'

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Pressed on whether he thinks the attack constitutes a war crime, he replied: 'Yes, if you deliberately target a piece of civilian infrastructure like a hospital, yes.

'If you use indiscriminate artillery into an urban area without due regard for the reality, you could hit a protected site like a hospital, then that too in my view is.'

Many of the pregnant women present at the hospital were hiding the the basement at the time of the strike on the orders of hospital authorities - a move indicative of the harsh bombardment suffered by Mariupol's citizens over the past week, and one which likely saved their lives.

Zelensky himself posted a video showing the badly damaged hospital buildings, filmed inside a destroyed ward room with its windows blown out and ceiling partially collapsed. More footage showed a car park covered in rubble and the smouldering wrecks of vehicles as injured families staggered into the freezing air while snow fell.

'Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity,' the President tweeted.

He then took to Telegram, where he released a video statement from the presidential palace in Kyiv in which he said the hospital strike 'is the ultimate proof that what is happening is the genocide of Ukrainians'.

'Europeans, you can't say you didn't see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can't continue their savage war,' he said.

'What kind of country bombs hospitals? Is afraid of hospitals? Of a maternity ward?

'Was someone insulting Russians? Were pregnant women shooting in direction of Rostov? Was it the ''denazification'' of a hospital? What the Russians did at Mariupol was beyond savagery.'

In a separate interview with Sky News, Zelensky added that Russian invaders want Ukrainians 'to feel like animals' by preventing them from accessing food or water, and implored NATO and the West to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities... because they don't want our people to get some food or water.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say ''sorry we didn't do it yesterday.''

Mr Johnson has condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military.

'There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless,' the Prime Minister declared.

'The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes,' he added.

Mr Johnson later on Wednesday committed to enacting the 'maximum economic cost' on Russia in wake of the bombing, while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to say aggression like Vladimir Putin's must 'never again' be allowed to 'grow unchecked' in her speech tomorrow in Washington.

Ms Truss will make comparisons between the Russian president's actions and the World Trade Centre terror attack in 2001, and will urge the international community to change its approach to dealing with antagonistic world leaders.

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki also commented: 'As a mother - I know a number of you are mothers - it is horrifying to see the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country.'

Mariupol's city council said the hospital had suffered 'colossal' damage but did not immediately give a figure of the wounded and dead.

The deputy head of Mr Zelensky's office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said authorities are trying to establish the number of victims.

Ukrainian MP Dmitry Gurin told the BBC: 'There are a lot of dead and wounded women. We don't know about children or newborns yet.'

Video footage from the aftermath of the attack showed that large parts of the hospital had completely collapsed, while blood soaked mattresses were pictured lying in hallways.

'Russia committed a huge crime,' said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. 'It is a war crime without any justification.'

Mariupol has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week, with food, water and electricity cut off several days ago - with the Red Cross describing conditions there as 'apocalyptic'.

The head of the Ukrainian Red Cross said yesterday's strike will likely cause a complete collapse of paediatric care in Mariupol, as much of the hospital's equipment and the paediatric care wards were reduced to ashes.

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

The aftermath of the Russia bombardment on the children and maternity hospital in Mariupol

James Heappey said the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but added in interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the maternity hospital

A woman outside the maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

The wreckage of the maternity hospital after the Russian bombardment in Mariupol

Rescuers on the scene at a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol are locked in a race against time as they try to free survivors from the rubble after the complex suffered a 'direct hit' by Russian rockets yesterday

An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs in a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

An official death toll for the heinous attack has not yet been established but rescuers are working desperately to find and free those still trapped under the rubble with temperatures in the besieged city set to plunge to minus 4 degrees C overnight

A Russian attack severely damaged the children's hospital and maternity ward in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter that there were 'people, children under the wreckage' of the hospital and called the strike an 'atrocity'

The burning wreckage of a car is seen outside a destroyed children's hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week

A Ukrainian soldier examines a huge crater caused by one of the Russian rockets, which fell just in front of a hospital building at the maternity hospital in Mariupol

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military

Ukrainian citizens are pictured on the outskirts of Mariupol dropping bodies into a mass grave as the city's inhabitants work to remove the dead amid brutal shelling from Russian troops

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Local official Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the fears in a post on Facebook: The maternity ward in the city centre, the children's ward and the therapy ward at the hospital - all destroyed in the Russian air raid.'

Just hours before the hospital was hit, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that 3,000 babies were without food or medicines and begged for a humanitarian corridor to allow them to flee.

Moscow had promised a ceasefire in the city today so civilians could be evacuated, but failed for the fourth time to keep its word - a move Kyrylenko said 'crossed the line of humanity' before declaring Russians should 'stop calling yourselves human beings.'

Residents of Mariupol were pictured on Wednesday dumping bodies into mass graves dug on the outskirts of the city in a desperate attempt to remove the dead amid the sustained Russian bombardment.

It is not the first time that Russian airstrikes have targeted hospitals. While fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad in Syria in 2016, Putin's generals were accused of 'deliberately and systematically' blowing up hospitals as a way of weakening the city of Aleppo ahead of a ground assault.

Observers have suggested that Russia is now using a Syria-style battleplan against Ukraine after its early precision strikes failed.

The Ukrainian Healthcare Center, a think-tank based in the country, says that between the outbreak of fighting on February 24 and yesterday, their team documented 42 cases of Russian forces attacking either healthcare facilities or medics in order to deliberately provoke a 'humanitarian crisis'.

Hospitals had been struck in every theatre where Russian forces were operating, the think-tank said, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv.

'The humanitarian catastrophe is a part of Russia's hybrid war. [It] intends to spread panic, create a flow of refugees at the borders and force the Ukrainian government to surrender,' said Pavlo Kovtonyuk, co-founder of the think-tank.

The bombing took place during what was supposed to be a ceasefire in Mariupol so that civilians could evacuate. It marks the fourth time a so-called 'humanitarian corridor' out of the city has failed because Russian forces opened fire.

The mayor of Izyum, to the east of Kharkiv, said evacuations that were supposed to be underway there yesterday also had to stop because Russians were bombing the escape route. But in Sumy, a short distance away, some civilians had managed to make it out. Successful evacuations also took place in Enerhodar, in the south, with women and children able to leave.

It is feared the evacuations are simply a precursor to Russia stepping up its bombardment of the cities to wear down dogged Ukrainian defenders before rolling in troops and tanks to capture them. CIA Director William Burns, briefing Congress on Putin's state of mind Tuesday, warned the 'angry and frustrated' despot is 'likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.'

Giving an update on the military situation yesterday afternoon, Ukrainian commanders said Russian units continue to try and surround the capital Kyiv with attacks taking place to the west and north-east of the city, with several highways blocked.

New footage released on Wednesday purported to show Russian armour just 13 miles from Kyiv as the invaders pushed through the town of Irpin.

Fighting also raged close to the city of Sumy in an attempt to surround Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, commanders said. Battles also broke out around the city of Mykolaiv in the south, as Russians attempted to push out from Kherson towards Odessa but were turned back.

Ukrainian commanders also said Russian military police had rounded up 400 activists protesting against the invasion in the occupied city of Kherson - as the long arm of Vladimir Putin's police state reached across the border to grab people on foreign soil.

Russia's defence ministry meanwhile acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that some conscripts had been sent to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine, just days after Putin promised that only professional soldiers would be sent in.

Some associations of soldiers' mothers in Russia had raised concerns about a number of conscripts going incommunicado at the start of what Kremlin calls a 'special military operation' in Ukraine, suggesting they could have been sent to fight despite a lack of adequate training.

The revelation comes just one week after Russia's parliament passed a law imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally 'fake' news about the military.

'Unfortunately, we have discovered several facts of the presence of conscripts in units taking part in the special military operation in Ukraine. Practically all such soldiers have been pulled out to Russia,' the defence ministry said, promising to prevent such situations in the future.

Liz Truss described the hospital attack as 'absolutely abhorrent', but continued to reject Ukraine's request for a no-fly zone to be imposed over its skies.

Speaking in Washington, she said: 'The best way we can protect the skies is through anti-air weaponry which the UK is now going to be supplying to Ukraine.

'Of course the attack on the hospital is absolutely abhorrent, reckless and appalling.'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said US involvement in a no-fly zone could 'prolong' the conflict, making it 'even deadlier'.

'Our goal is to end the war, not to expand it, including potentially expanding it to Nato territory,' he said.

'We want to make sure it is not prolonged, to the best of our ability. Otherwise, it is going to turn even deadlier, involve more people and I think potentially even make things harder to resolve in Ukraine itself.'

Earlier, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the MPs that the Ministry of Defence was looking at whether they could supply anti-aircraft missiles as well as more anti-tank weapons.

A baby is evacuated as people flee near a destroyed bridge to cross the Irpin River, on the outskirts of Kyiv, as Russian forces try to surround it in ahead of an attack

Ukrainian servicemen evacuate a person across Irpin River below a destroyed bridge as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces train to operate RPG-7 anti-tank launcher during military exercises in Kyiv

Recent conscripts into the Ukrainian Territorial Defence are trained to use NLAW anti-tank launchers in Kyiv, as the city prepares to defend itself from a Russian assault

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces are pictured on training exercises in Kyiv, as Russian troops try to surround the city in preparation for an assault

A satellite image taken on Tuesday but released Wednesday shows the destroyed road bridge on the outskirts of Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which refugees have been using to flee the besieged city

Tracks created by Russian armoured vehicles are seen in the snow near Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, while heavily damaged buildings are seen to the right of the image

Putin meets his 'children's rights commissioner' in Moscow as rockets destroy hospital Vladimir Putin has met with his 'children's rights commissioner' in Moscow at the same time as shelling a maternity hospital in Mariupol in his latest vile display of hypocrisy. The Russian leader spoke with Maria Lvova-Belova at the Kremlin today after overseeing a savage two-week campaign in Ukraine which has seen children killed, orphaned or forced to flee their homes. Putin held the meeting to discuss changes to the law which will allow Russians to adopt Ukrainian orphans, after his forces killed their parents. The changes will mean children from Donetsk and Luhansk who do not have Russian citizenship will qualify for adoption. Putin said in the meeting: 'These are extraordinary circumstances and it seems to me that we need to think not about bureaucratic delays, but about the interests of children. 'I will make proposals, we will change the legislation. We will appeal to the State Duma, I am sure that the deputies will support you.' Lvova-Belova said 1,090 orphans have been evacuated to Russia from the two republics. An estimated one million children have been forced to flee Ukraine since the barbaric invasion was launched. Advertisement

'We can all see the horrific devastation inflicted on civilian areas by Russian artillery and air strikes, indiscriminate and murderous,' he said.

'It is vital, therefore, that Ukraine maintains its ability to fly and to suppress Russian air attack.'

Mr Wallace said that 'in response to a Ukrainian request' the Government was exploring the donation of Starstreak high-velocity man-portable anti-air missiles.

He also confirmed that 3,615 Nlaw anti-tank weapons had been supplied - up from the previously-announced figure of 2,000 - and 'small consignments' of the Javelin system would also be sent to Ukraine.

Other Western officials expressed concern that Putin could next resort to the use of 'non-conventional weapons' such as chemical weapons, in the conflict.

One official speaking on condition of anonymity said: 'I think we've got good reason to be concerned about possible use of non-conventional weapons, partly because of what we've seen has happened in other theatres.

'As I've mentioned before, for example, what we've seen in Syria, partly because we've seen a bit of setting the scene for that in the false flag claims that are coming out, and other indications as well.'

Before the rocket attack took place, Mariupol's deputy mayor spoke about the dire situation in the besieged city - saying residents had been forced to use melted snow as drinking water, as it runs dangerously low on supplies.

Serhiy Orlov admitted that he didn't know how long the blockaded urban centre would be able to continue under siege as he spoke to CNN's John Berman about the devastating bombings on Wednesday.

Orlov said today was their fifth attempt to provide a humanitarian corridor to get supplies and transport into Mariupol, but he added that by 3pm local time, the buses had not made it anywhere near the city.

He said many residents are unable to leave as Mariupol is being bombed 'each second', after Russian forces have broken their ceasefire agreement despite agreeing to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee.

'There is no ceasefire, any ceasefire in Mariupol, Mariupol is under continuous shelling from the artillery and bombing. Each hour, each minute, each second,' he added.

Mariupol, which has been under blockage for eight days, is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit since the invasion began, with Russian forces bringing widespread destruction to residential and administrative centres.

Speaking about the devastation across the city, Orlov said Russian forces had destroyed their biggest steel planter as he warned that the situation is 'unmanageable'.

He praised the bravery of the Ukrainian army, but warned that it is the humanitarian crisis is also worsening, adding: 'We are not able to protect our lives.'

President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday warned that the port city was running dangerously low on food, water and medicine.

Ukrainian territorial defence forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations.

Reiterating Zelensky's stark warning, Orlov said there is no more electricity, heating, gas or water supplies in Mariupol, adding that residents have had to resort to collecting wood to make fires for warmth and using melted snow as drinking water.

'It's an awful situation and I cannot imagine in my mind that it's possible in the 21st century, but it is true,' he said.

When asked how long the city might be able to continue under siege, Orlov admitted he 'didn't know' as he claimed there are at least 3,000 infants who are currently without food.

American talk show host Berman also asked the deputy mayor whether his own family are safe, after he previously spoken about being unable to reach his parents.

In response, a devastated Orlov said the district where his parents lived has been completely destroyed, saying it 'does not exist anymore', as he admitted he doesn't know if they are alive.

He added: 'The district where they live is flattened and I'm not sure that I can see them anymore. But I hope and pray they are alive.'

Ukrainian commanders said today that Russia's attack on the country has 'slowed significantly' with no major gains in any sector while its forces were bolstering defenses in key cities and 'holding the line.'

In the northern city of Chernihiv, Russian forces are placing military equipment among residential buildings and on farms, the Ukrainian general staff said. And in the south, it said Russians dressed in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv. It did not provide any details of new fighting.

In Kyiv, back-to-back air alerts Wednesday morning urged residents to get to bomb shelters as quickly as possible over fears of incoming Russian missiles. Soon after an all-clear was given for the first alert, a second alert followed.

Such alerts are common, though irregular, keeping people on edge. Kyiv has been relatively quiet in recent days, though Russian artillery has pounded the outskirts.

Kyiv regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said the crisis for civilians was growing in the capital, with the situation particularly critical in the city's suburbs.

'Russia is artificially creating a humanitarian crisis in the Kyiv region, frustrating the evacuation of people and continuing shelling and bombing small communities,' he said.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson continued to resist calls to drop visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the violence, insisting the security checks were vital to prevent President Putin infiltrating agents into the UK.

The Prime Minister said a thousand visas had been granted under the scheme allowing relatives of people in Britain to flee the war zone to join their families and he promised another programme allowing individuals to offer a home to Ukrainians would be set out in 'the next few days'.

More than 2 million people have now fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations.

'We know how unscrupulous Putin can be in his methods, it would not be right to expose this country to unnecessary security risk and we will not do it,' he said.

'We are going to be as generous as we can possibly be, but we must have checks.'

His comments in the Commons followed a call from Ukraine's ambassador to the UK to temporarily drop the visa requirement.

Vadym Prystaiko hit out at the bureaucracy of the British system, telling MPs: 'I don't want to see these pictures of people banging at the doors in Calais and scratching the doors which are quite sealed.'

Buses transport people out of the city of Sumy, in Ukraine's north east, in the first successful evacuation of a besieged city which took place on Tuesday. In total, 5,000 people were transported out

Russia said the evacuation route out of Sumy will be reopened Wednesday to allow more people to flee, though there are fears it could be a pre-cursor to heavier shelling in the coming days

A large number of foreign students - including hundreds from India and east Asia - were among those allowed to flee from Sumy on Tuesday, with more transports planned for today

Two convoys of civilian vehicles were allowed to leave Sumy on Tuesday, the mayor has said, marking the first successful evacuation after other routes came under attack by Russia

Debris is seen next to houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sumy

Debris and houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Houses damaged by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Debris is seen next to houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sumy

Natasha Sivek carries her two-month-old grandson Meron shortly after she and other family members, including her daughter, walked into Poland

Women and children arrive from war-torn Ukraine on a snowy day at the Medyka border crossing

Over one million people have arrived in Poland from Ukraine since the Russian invasion and some are journeying on to other countries in Europe

Most of those fleeing the war have entered countries on Ukraine's western border, like Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova

The majority have gone into Poland, where 1.33 million refugees have crossed according to the Polish Border Guard agency

Yulia Sivek carries her two-month-old son Meron and is trailed by her mother Natasha as they walk into Poland

Oxana Opalenko holds her friend Yulia's two-month-old son Meron shortly after they walked into Poland

A Russian tank with overhead armour meant to protect against American-made javelin missiles is pictured burned-out by the side of a road in Ukraine, after the makeshift protection apparently failed
Attorney General Merrick Garland said his Justice Department is not 'avoiding cases' because they are political and called the investigation into Donald Trump's supporters storming the Capitol on Jan. 6th 'the most urgent' they are pursuing.

'We are not avoiding cases that are political or cases that are controversial or sensitive,' Garland said in an interview with NPR. 'What we are avoiding is making decisions on a political basis, on a partisan basis.'

In the wide ranging interview, he also addressed the rise in hate crimes and how the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Right Act has hurt the Justice Department's efforts to prosecute voting issues.

Garland told NPR he is committed to uncovering the conspiracy behind the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol in what he calls 'the most urgent investigation in the history of the Justice Department.'

'We are not avoiding cases that are political or cases that are controversial or sensitive,' Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an interview with NPR

Lawmakers on the committee investigating the insurrection reallysufficient evidence to conclude that former President Donald Trump and some of his allies might have conspired to commit fraud and obstruction by misleading Americans about the outcome of the 2020 election and attempting to overturn the result

Some lawmakers on the committee investigating the insurrection said former President Trump could be charged with conspiracy and obstruction for his actions on Jan. 6. Trump spoke to his supporters at a rally outside the White House before they marched on the Capitol and he was crticized for taking too long to urge them to stand down.

Garland down played fears among some Democrats he would shy away from charging a former president with a federal crime.

'We begin with the cases that are right in front of us with the overt actions and then we build from there,' Garland said. 'And that is a process that we will continue to build until we hold everyone accountable who committed criminal acts with respect to January 6.'

On Tuesday a federal jury convicted Guy Wesley Reffitt on five counts related to the insurrection, including obstructing Congress's certification of the 2020 presidential election. It was the first conviction to come out of the cases being tried and tied to that day.

More than 750 rioters have been charged so far with crimes that range from trespassing to seditious conspiracy. More than 200 people have already pleaded guilty.

'Every FBI office, almost every U.S. attorney's office in the country is working on this matter,' Garland told NPR. 'We've issued thousands of subpoenas, seized and examined thousands of electronic devices, examined terabytes of data, thousands of hours of videos. People are working every day, 24-7, and are fully aware of how important this is. This had to do with the interference with the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another. And it doesn't get more important than that.'

Garland also said he meets with the FBI daily to go over threats to the country - including domestic, which often includes hate crimes.

'Every morning, I meet with the FBI to go over threats to the country, including threats, domestic threats and very often hate crimes. I spoke with the rabbi in that [Texas] synagogue just after the event occurred there,' he said. 'You know, this was a case in which we threw the hostage rescue team into the matter from the FBI. So I can assure you that the FBI has made this in its highest priority threat band and everything I see, every indication that that is the way they're treating this.'

Some Democrats have worried AG Merrick Garland wouldn't prosecute former President Donald Trump but Garland said he is committed to uncovering the conspiracy behind the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol - above Trump speaks to his supporters outside the White House on January 6th

In his NPR interview, Attorney General Merrick Garland was also critical of the Supreme Court, noting it took away some of its prosecutorial tools when it struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act.

Hate crimes have been on the rise, according to the FBI's annual hate crime statistics report released late last year.

It found more than 7,700 criminal hate crime incidents were reported to the FBI in 2020, an increase of about 450 incidents over 2019.

In his interview, Garland was also critical of the Supreme Court, noting it took away some of its prosecutorial tools when it struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act.

The court struck down the section of the law that determined which states must receive clearance from the Justice Department or a federal court in Washington before they made minor changes to voting procedures, like moving a polling place, or major ones, like redrawing electoral districts.

'You are right that the Supreme Court has taken away some of our tools, the most important one being Section 5, which allowed us to pre-clear changes in practices and procedures of voting so we could not have to look at every case one by one to determine whether there was discrimination in those patterns in those practices and procedures,' Garland said.

'We have Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which allows us to go after discrimination, individual cases. But again, you are right, the Supreme Court has narrowly restricted what I think is the correct view of Section 2 and which previously was the Supreme Court's view of Section 2. So we have problems in both of those areas.

Democrats have tried to pass new federal legislation to resurrect those parts of the Voting Rights Act but it has been stalled in the Senate where it needs the support of at least 10 Republicans.

'That has not prevented us from being bringing cases against states that have instituted practices and procedures... And we will continue to do that and we will make those decisions based on our best reading of the law and the facts,' Garland said.
The Government's long-awaited Covid inquiry will examine whether the NHS's lack of beds forced ministers into draconian lockdowns.

Officials today published a draft of the topics set to be probed, which include the 'preparedness, initial capacity and resilience' of the health service.

It also aims to examine the safeguarding of public funds during the pandemic, the procurement of PPE, the use of Do Not Attempt Resuscitation notices and the impact of the Covid on health staff.

The inquiry will have the power to compel documents to be handed over and summon witnesses to give evidence under oath  even the Prime Minister.

Baroness Heather Hallett will lead the inquiry, which No10 vowed would start this spring after Boris Johnson was accused of de-prioritising it in the wake of the Partygate scandal.

Campaigners warned in January it would be impossible to hit the spring deadline because of the delays in agreeing on the terms of reference.

The final scope won't be agreed upon for another month, pushing the actual inquiry back to potentially May.

MPs today demanded that the results of the inquiry are made public before the next general election, due in 2024.

The Government's long awaited Covid inquiry is set to examine a multitude of facets of the pandemic with a draft list of topics including the 'preparedness, capacity and resilience' of the NHS, the safeguarding of public funds and PPE procurement

Baroness Heather Hallett will lead the inquiry and has urged people to provide feedback on the draft topics they are set to probe

The Cabinet Office said the main role of the inquiry is to identify lessons that can to be learned about the Covid response so it can inform the UK's preparations for future pandemics.

There will now be a further public consultation of about four weeks led by the Baroness to consider any changes to the terms before they are finalised.

Baroness Hallett said: 'This consultation is independent of the Government and an opportunity for everyone across the UK to give me their views on what the inquiry should investigate.

Baroness Heather Hallett: A retired Court of Appeal judge who is no stranger to high profile inquests and inquiries Baroness Heather Hallett is no stranger to taking charge of high profile inquests and inquiries. The 71-year-old former Court of Appeal judge has been entrusted by Boris Johnson with chairing the long-awaited public probe into the coronavirus crisis. Her handling of the inquiry will be subject to ferocious scrutiny. But Baroness Hallett, who retired from the Court of Appeal in 2019, has experience of operating in the public eye. She is currently acting as the coroner in the inquest into the death of Dawn Sturgess who died in July 2018 following exposure to the nerve agent Novichok. A new chair for that inquiry is expected to be appointed early in the new year. She previously acted as the coroner for the inquests into the deaths of the 52 victims of the July 7, 2005 London bombings. She also chaired the Iraq Fatalities Investigations as well as the 2014 Hallett Review of the administrative scheme to deal with 'on the runs' in Northern Ireland. Baroness Hallett was nominated for a life peerage in 2019 as part of Theresa May's resignation honours. The married mother-of-two joined the House of Lords as a crossbench life peer. Advertisement

'I should like to hear views on the draft terms of reference from all those who have been particularly affected by the Covid pandemic, especially people who have been bereaved, experienced hardship or suffered other harm.'

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran who is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus called for the findings to be made public ahead of the next election.

'To ensure public confidence in this inquiry, it is imperative that the government is transparent in appointing its members, that the public consultation is broad and that crucially, findings from the interim report are delivered before the next general election.'

Becky Kummer, spokesperson for the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: 'The inquiry is a one-off and historic opportunity for the terrible suffering and loss of the past two years to be learned from, to ensure these tragedies are not repeated in the future.

'Sadly, today's announcement comes far too late. We will never know how many lives could have been saved had the Government had a rapid review phase in Summer 2020, as we called for at the time.'

Ms Kummer called for Mr Johnson to commit to implementing the chair's recommendations for the terms of reference in full to avoid risking its credibility.

'The fact his office is under police investigation for breaching their own rules means that if he attempts to interfere with what the inquiry looks into, it risks ruining its credibility before it's even begun,' she said.

NHS Providers also welcomed the inquiry, with its chief executive Chris Hopson saying while there was much the health service did well during the pandemic, there would obviously be lessons to be learned.

'We know that while there is much the NHS did well during the pandemic, it is right that the inquiry looks at areas where there were major challenges such as infection prevention and control, access to PPE, testing and robust epidemiological modelling,' he added.

'We are also pleased the draft terms indicate that the inquiry will explore the nation's preparedness, initial capacity, and resilience ahead of, and during the pandemic, and the important focus on inequalities.'

Mr Hopson added that families who lost loved ones and NHS staff who worked tirelessly throughout Covid deserved fair scrutiny into the pandemic and the response of the health and social care sector.

The announcement inquiry's scope comes amid a Covid resurgence outbreak with cases and hospital admissions rising once more according to the latest data.

The above graph shows the infection fatality rate for Covid in England (red line). Since Omicron became dominant in the UK it has dropped dramatically and is now around the same level as flu (blue area). Scientists today said it was certainly possible that Covid is now as deadly as flu. But they warned future variants could change the calculation

Government dashboard data shows there were 71,259 infections confirmed over the past 24 hours, the highest in over a month and up 56 per cent on last Thursday.

Cases have been climbing for over a week, with the trend thought to be down to a combination of lifting the final restrictions in England and the rise of a more infectious version of Omicron.

Latest hospital data shows there were 1,406 virus admissions on March 6, up a third on the previous week and the seventh day in a row they have risen week-on-week.

Experts have suggested it may be the early signs of booster vaccine immunity waning, following the initial roll out in September.

But every increase in cases has always led to a spike in admissions, although a large proportion are simply labelled 'incidental'.
House Republicans and Democrats joined forced on Thursday to demand that President Joe Biden give them more information on nuclear deal talks with Iran, claiming that aspects of the ongoing negotiations are already 'highly concerning.'

A bipartisan group of 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans sent Biden a letter urging him to reach a 'longer and stronger' agreement with Tehran than the US government did under former President Barack Obama.

It comes as reports indicate the months-long indirect talks in Vienna have hit a road bump after Western diplomats indicated they were nearing the end of discussions.

The Trump administration unilaterally withdrew the US from the multi-national Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018. Since then Iran has been building up its nuclear capabilities at an alarming rate.

The 2015 deal struck between Iran, the European Union and the five permanent members of the United Nations National Security Council -- which includes the US, Russia and China -- offered sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.

'Since the beginning of this Administration, we have hoped that renewed negotiations with Iran would achieve a longer and stronger agreement than the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), with clear nuclear restrictions and provisions addressing Iran's international terror and missile programs,' Thursday's letter reads.

Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey (left) and Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska are two of the 21 signatories to the letter sent to President Biden and State Secretary Blinken on Thursday

It was led by Democrat Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Elaine Luria of Virginia along with Republican Rep. Tom Reed of New York. The letter was also signed by GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Maine Democrat Rep. Jared Golden, among others.

'Among other issues, we are highly concerned about reports indicating the potential lifting of the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)1 and of the sanctions placed on members of the office of the Supreme Leader,' the lawmakers wrote.

'Without adequately addressing Iran's role as the world's leading state-sponsor of terror  which was noticeably absent from the 2015 JCPOA  and simultaneously providing billions of dollars in sanctions relief, the United States would be providing a clear path for Iranian proxies to continue fueling terrorism.'

Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act passed in 2015, the president must submit any new agreement with Tehran officials to Congress for approval.

The 21 bipartisan legislators who signed onto the letter threatened to withhold their support if 'satisfactory answers' were not provided to their written questions.

'We will review any agreement closely, but from what we currently understand, it is hard to envision supporting an agreement along the lines being publicly discussed,' they claimed.

They outline 16 questions for Biden to answer regarding ongoing talks in Vienna about a new nuclear deal as both sides accuse the other of making unnecessary demands and delaying the negotiation process

Among their concerns was which specific sanctions targeting Iranian entities and its leaders would be lifted, how much money Iran would generate in its first year re-connected to western markets, whether there would be any benefit to Russia and what, if any, guardrails would be in place should Tehran run afoul of its commitments.

They also sought guarantees that Biden would indeed seek Congressional approval before entering into a deal with Iran's Islamic republic government.

France's Foreign Ministry warned on Thursday that the window to reach a consensus on a new deal was closing.

But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki disputed that when asked about France's assessment at her daily briefing.

'Our view is that we are close, we have been close for some time now,' Psaki said.

'Before that the end of negotiations is always when the difficult and challenging parts of the conversation typically take place. So I wouldn't make that assessment or echo that from here.

'We are continuing to have these diplomatic talks. It is in all of our interests to stay at the negotiating table.'

There has been renewed interest in getting Iran back on board with a nuclear agreement since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded neighboring Ukraine late last month.

As one of the world's main exporters of oil and natural gas, Russia's unprovoked and bloody attack sent shockwaves through the global energy supply chain. Subsequent restrictions imposed by other governments and energy companies voluntarily severing ties with Moscow have helped further drive fuel prices to record highs in Europe and the United States.

A new agreement would help return Iran's oil to the global market at a critical time.

The lawmakers threatened to withhold support for a future Iran deal if their questions are not answered. Thanks to a 2015 law, the president must seek Congressional approval when entering into such an agreement with Iran

But Tehran is insisting that for any deal to move forward, the US must lift the 'foreign terrorist organization' label given to its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a branch of Iran's military, European officials told the New York Times. It was designated as such by Donald Trump in 2019.

The IRGC's terrorism designation was among the topics of interest for the lawmakers who wrote Thursday's letter to Biden, signaling he would face some opposition in Congress.

Moscow further complicated the talks over the weekend when its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov demanded a written guarantee that the US's sanctions on Russia -- levied in retaliation for its attack on Ukraine -- will not interfere with trade between the Kremlin and Tehran.

Meanwhile Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his nation would not give up elements of 'national strength' like its nuclear progress, which has been of concern to western governments

Lavrov said it was imperative to know that sanctions 'launched by the U.S. will not in any way harm our right to free, fully fledged trade and economic and investment cooperation and military-technical cooperation with Iran.'

Western governments including the US have dismissed Lavrov's demand as untenable.

Russia's ambassador in the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, told journalists in Vienna on Wednesday that 'maybe it will be finalized tomorrow, maybe - but it's not for sure.'

Iran also wants guarantees that no US president would pull out of the deal again -- a tough sell in Congress where Republicans have largely been opposed to cooperating with Tehran.

But Iran on Thursday said the United States has made extra demands and accused it of working to 'complicate' efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in major state policies, meanwhile, stressed his country will not give up on elements of 'national strength', such as nuclear progress and regional influence.

'There is no rational justification for some of the new demands made by the United States, and it contradicts the country's position on reaching an agreement swiftly,' Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a phone call with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, his ministry reported.

The Tehran official did not specify the demands, but said 'the US cannot pass on a new and different message to us every day through the coordinator', in reference to the EU.

Borrell called on the US and Iran to be 'more flexible in exchanging messages and make efforts' to reach an agreement quickly, according to the ministry.
For nine decades, the treasure-filled windows of the historic Margulis Jewelers made visitors rushing through Portland's busy downtown stop in awe at the sight of delicate, vintage-styled gemstones.

But despite major efforts, the business couldn't win the fight against 'broken downtown's vandalism, homelessness crisis, and sense of nighttime lawlessness,' owner David Margulis said.

'This was an agonizing decisionit was never our plan to close our doors,' Margulis, who took over the reigns from his father, Jerome, in 1985, wrote in a letter to customers.

'But Portland has experienced the perfect storm of adversity and independent businesses simply cannot withstand the economic forces which have caused the deterioration and resulting emptiness of Downtown Portland,' he added.

Margulis had long decried the area's descent into violence, blaming city officials for 'doing the talk, but not walking the walk,' and exacerbating the issue with woke policies.

In a last resort to save his decaying business three months ago, Margulis conducted a 'survival sale,' marking 20-40percent off the store's entire multi-million dollar inventory.

The measure was not enough to balance out the 72percent decrease from foot traffic in the downtown area - and the homeless encampments and riots driving away potential customers.

The Rose City has been seen robberies spike 47percent in the year to date through January and is on track to surpass last year's record-breaking homicide rate - with murders up 10 percent this year compared to the same time last year.

The city, which slashed its police budget in the wake of protests over George Floyd's murder, set a record last year with 92 homicides - the highest since there were 70 homicides in 1987.

The record violence comes despite the police department introducing a new Focused Intervention Team that hit the streets in January.

The team is designed to address gun violence and the proliferation of the deadly weapons in a city where around 75 percent of victims are killed through gun violence.

Despite major efforts, Margulis Jewelers couldn't win the fight against 'broken downtown's vandalism, homelessness crisis, and sense of nighttime lawlessness,' owner David Margulis said

Margulis took over the reigns of the store from his father Jerome Margulis in 1985 after he founded the business in 1932

The store was forced to shut down as homeless encampments, rioters and rising crime drove away even more customers

Portland has already had 22 murders since the start of 2022, up from the 19 in the same period last year and is predicted to have up to around 130 by the end of December. If it reaches 126, 2022 will surpass the record-breaking 2021, which had 92 murders - breaking the 34-year record of 70 murders in 1987

Like Margulis Jewelers, many businesses in the area will likely not bounce back from pandemic woes and the riots in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin.

Goldmark Jewelers, just a block away from Margulis, had to close its doors last year after 46 years in business.

Throughout the pandemic, businesses complained of homeless people in the area sleeping and using their storefronts as public bathrooms and rioters targeting the stores.

'In the daytime, you know, like the man peed all over the window,' Jen Habash, owner of The Blue Lobster, told CBS last year.

'Honestly, instead of it being a bathroom issue, I feel like it's more of a mental health issue,' he added. 'I feel like they're angry, and we just don't know what to do about it.'

Kassab Jewelers' downtown location shut down after the store was looted during a riot in May 2020, The Oregon Live reported.

Customers have yet to return to the downtown area, as businesses struggle

Margulis blames the fate of his business on city official's inability to tackle the rising crime.

'There is just a broken downtown and people don't want to come [here]. The employees aren't coming to their buildings. The shoppers aren't coming down,' Margulis told local news station KOIN.

'And our city has done too little, too late to help downtown and independent merchants.'

Last year, Margulis pleaded for help, asking Governor Kate Brown to send the National Guard to force rioters out of the area.

'They're a bunch of bored people out there making trouble and using the guise of social justice,' Margulis told KOIN. 'They're destroying our downtown.'

In his letter to customers on March 3, the owner announced he was selling jewelry at a discount between 40percent and 70percent off until Saturday, before shutting down the business in the following months.

Employees and visitors have yet to make their return downtown, with 1.3million customers going to the stores on December 2021 compared to 2.1 on December 2019, according to the Portland Business Alliance.

More than 1million people worked downtown pre-pandemic. Today, just over 350,000 are employed at the stores in the areas.

The historic jewelry stores will be closing its door in the following months

Margulis announced he was selling jewelry at a discount between 40percent and 70percent off until Saturday

Employees and visitors have yet to make their return downtown, with 1.3million customers going to the stores on December 2021 compared to 2.1 on December 2019, according to the Portland Business Alliance. More than 1million people worked downtown pre-pandemic. Today, just over 350,000 are employed at the stores in the areas

Portland topped off February with 22 murders - up from the 19 in 2021 - and is on track to hit around 130 by December, according to the Oregonian.

The Portland Police Bureau suffered through a rash of retirements and resignations after Portland politicians embraced calls to defund the police.

A total of $15million was initially chopped from the city's budget, with progressive Portland prosecutors also blamed for the spiraling crime for refusing to charge 70 percent of people arrested by the city's police.

The record violence comes despite the police department introducing a new Focused Intervention Team that hit the streets in January. The team is designed to address gun violence and the proliferation of the deadly weapons in a city where around 75 percent of victims are killed through gun violence.

Like Margulis Jewelers, many businesses in the will likely not bounce back from the pandemic woes and 2020-21's protests against police and racial tensions. Goldmark Jewelers, just a block away from Margulis, had to close its doors in 2021 after 46 years in business

Last year, rioters took over the downtown area, as the city slashed its police budget in the wake of protests over George Floyd's murder

Throughout the pandemic, businesses complained of homeless people in the area sleeping and using their storefronts as public bathrooms and rioters targeting the stores

A Portland gem that first gained its luster despite Depression Jerome Margulis, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, took a chance on opening his jewelry store in the heart of Portland 90 years ago as the country was in the midst of the Depression. Still, optimism was high in the Rose City, according to report from nine decades ago. Jerome Margulis opened his jewelry store in downtown Portland in 1932, in the midst of the Depression 'A visit was made by the editor this week over the city of Portland and surrounding vicinity, on a hunt for the brute, so called 'Depression,' an article by the Portland Herald read. 'The animal could not be found anywhere, neither any trace of him, but on the contrary we found the following.' The piece goes on to detail the seemingly bright future as a $70,000 high school was being built in 1932 - the same year Margulis opened his store at the corner of SW Broadway and SW Yamhill Street. On nearby Main Street, two new buildings and a state-of-the art hotel also had just been erected, according to the report. Those who had lost their jobs during the Depression were finally returning to the workforce, with the Strawberry Crate Company, which produced 'the best crates ever,' employing many. The article added: 'Tobacco barns were found overflowing with the finest air cured and dark fired tobacco. All outhouses were filled to overflowing with corn and hay, the barnyards and chicken yards were full of fine fowls, and all odd lots had pigs.' Advertisement

The unit was initially met with backlash, as some believed the police were reviving the Gun Violence Reduction team, which was accused of racial profiling, but Police Chief Chuck Lovell assured the public the team would focus on guns, not gangs.

The police department has also partnered with community outreach programs to fight the violence, including a Crisis Response Team - a group of trainee individuals that respond to critical incident calls involving death or other traumatic events, among others to 'organize resources and to focus on chronic offenders and locations to address neighborhood concerns.'

'What we want to see is that people start getting the resources that they need, so they're not turning to violence. And then hopefully, we'll start to see not only our homicide, but also our shooting numbers, go down,' Assistant Police Chief Jami Resch told the Oregonian.

Other groups include Girl Strength - a self-defense class for girls 10 to 14, the African American Advisory Council and the American Muslim Police Advisory Committee.

'We're trying to take a holistic approach, knowing that we can't just have a law enforcement, punitive answer,' Resch said.

The holistic approach has yet to yield results.

In addition to the surging murder rate, the city has also seen a significant number of shootings in the first two months of the year, totaling 264, up from the 190 during the same time last year. Gun-related injuries are also up - 68 compared to 64.

The Portland Police Bureau also reported that out of the 22 murders this year, all but one have been gun-related. Portland's 21st murder happened in Dawson Park during the daytime, a third murder there in the last 15 months.

Portland saw a dramatic increase in shootings and murders after Floyd's death. The city saw a 250 percent increase in murders within the first six months of Floyd's death and shootings rose almost 175 per cent.

In 2019, there were only 36 murders throughout Portland, but that increased to 57 in 2020 and 92 in 2021 - breaking the historical record.

Violent crime has risen across the board throughout the Rose City, with assaults, kidnappings and rape all seeing sharp increases.

The total number of crimes rose from 9,600 in 2020 to 10,200 in 2021, an almost six percent increase.
Troubling video showing an off-duty Kenosha cop putting his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl while breaking up a fight at a middle school has sparked fury in the Wisconsin city where Kyle Rittenhouse killed two people in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

The 17-second viral clip shows the officer trying to separate two girls before he was knocked to the ground by the sixth-grader in a rainbow sweatshirt in the cafeteria of Lincoln Middle School last Friday.

He then scrambles to his feet and restrains the pre-teen by putting his knee on her neck, a move that quickly brought back memories of the confrontation that led to the death of George Floyd.

It is unclear from the video how long the cop kept his knee on the girl's neck.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represented the Floyd's family, as well as the families of Blake, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, has demanded swift justice.

'An off-duty Wisconsin police officer placed his KNEE into a 12-year-old's neck after she was involved in an altercation w/ another student!' he tweeted. 'We KNOW just how dangerous this incident could have been, yet the officer has NOT faced any repercussions! He needs to be held accountable!'

The Kenosha Police Department would not release the cop's name but confirmed he is 37 years old and has been on the force for four years. The KPD has not revealed any disciplinary action against the officer.

'K.P.D. has seen the video clip and has seen the photo which has been widely shared on social media over the weekend,' the department said in a statement released Monday.

'We are keenly aware of the significant sensitivity surrounding the photo. K.P.D., together with K.U.S.D. is investigating the incident in its entirety while being cautious not to make conclusions based off of a small piece of information shared on social media.'

The unidentified off-duty Kenosha cop restrains 12-year-old girl by placing his knee on her neck in move reminiscent of the one used by Derek Chauvin to kill George Floyd

The cop intervened after the girl in the rainbow sweatshirt got into a fight with another girl

The cop wrestled the pre-teen to the ground before putting his knee on her neck, according to the17-second clip, which has since gone viral

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represented Floyd's family, tweeted that the police officer needs 'to be held accountable'

At the time of the fight, he was working off duty for the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) - which is allowed by the police department - but has now been placed on paid leave from the school, according to KUSD.

'This part-time KUSD employee, who was hired as an off-duty Kenosha police officer, is currently on a paid leave from the district. We appreciate your patience as we work with the Kenosha Police Department to investigate the facts surrounding this incident,' the school district said in a statement.

School district employees who were monitoring the cafeteria also intervened to stop the fight, with one staff member getting injured, police said.

The 12-year-old student's father, Jerrel Perez wrote on Facebook that his daughter was 'complaining of her neck hurting bad' following the incident and that police 'have the nerves to lock her up and fingerprint her.'

The unidentified girl is facing a juvenile disorderly conduct charge, the dad said, who added that she will not be returning to the school.

Drew Devinney, the lawyer of the 12-year-old student's family, refused to comment on the incident.

'We can't make any comments at this time until we've had an opportunity to do our own investigation,' he said. 'So, we're gonna stay mum for now.'

Perez compared the moment his daughter was being kneed on by the Kenosha Police officer with a picture of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd in May 2020 on Facebook

The 12-year-old student's father, Jerrel Perez, called the Kenosha Police officer a 'coward' on Facebook and said that his daughter was 'complaining of her neck hurting bad'

Perez, who has nine kids, said that his daughter would not be returning to classes and that she faces being charged as a juvenile

Kenosha Police Department would not confirm the identity of the police officer to Dailymail.com and did not elaborate on the chain of events that caused the incident.

KPD is still investigating the incident and said it 'will look to our respective policies and procedures for guidance in this circumstance.'

Meanwhile, Perez has been vocal about the incident on Facebook, sharing a picture of the moment the officer restrained his daughter side-by-side with a 2020 picture of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck.

'TELL ME WHATS THE DIFFRENCE LUCKILY HE AINT KILL MY BABIE,' Perez, who uses the Facebook handle Maserati Jizzle, wrote. 'I'M OVERLY BLEW (sic) AND TRYING TO KEEP MY ANGER FROM OVER COMING.'

The Kenosha Unified School District canceled a 'special' school board meeting' that was supposed to take place on Tuesday night.

'It's disheartening to see another negative and traumatic event in Kenosha schools receiving publicity and attention,' Kenosha Education Association President Tanya Kitts-Lewinski said in a statement sent to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

'Situations like the one at Lincoln Middle School continue to illustrate the need for adequate and frequent training in de-escalation tactics, proper restraint holds, and restorative justice practices for all adults in a school building,' she added.

'We hope everyone involved recovers from any injuries they may have sustained and that this incident can be the catalyst to evaluate current policies and practices in place around school conflict resolution.'

Kenosha gained infamy in 2020 after Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, shot dead two people and wounded a third during protests over the police shooting of Blake, 29, who is now fully paralyzed. Rittenhouse was cleared of all charges at the high-profile trial last year.
A man who says he was a dog-walker for sex trafficker and Jeffrey Epstein's madam Ghislaine Maxwell revealed that she forbid him from saying who he worked for and that she was often paranoid, believing someone wanted to murder her.

Rasmus Alpsjo, now 31, said he was one of several men - all young and Swedish, he noted - charged with the care of Captain Nemo, Maxwell's Vizsla for a few months back in 2015 and lived in her basement at the time.

Maxwell is awaiting sentencing at a Brooklyn jail after being found guilty of sex trafficking minors for her involvement in helping Epstein lure underage girls before he sexually assaulted them.

She is now facing 65 years behind bars in a federal prison - prompting speculation she could now 'flip' and discuss the actions of others within Epstein's circle in a bid to receive a lighter sentence.

Alpsjo said that while he had no idea of any of the crimes Maxwell, 60, was eventually sent to prison for, he alleges that Maxwell's secret husband Scott Borgerson was intimidating and he should never reveal who his boss was.

'He sat me down and he told me, like, "The woman that you're working for, living with, she's a very famous woman. So you can never say who she is, and you can never bring people to the house and you have to be quiet about all this,"' Alpsjo said on the Diaries of a Pretender podcast.

The podcast host, Raeden Greer, said she met Alpsjo bartending in New York City.

Rasmus Alpsjo said he was employed by Ghislaine Maxwell and husband Scott Borgerson as a dog walker

Maxwell, who is awaiting sentencing at a Brooklyn jail, was found guilty of sex trafficking minors

Alpsjo, now 31, said he was one of several men - all young and Swedish, he noted - charged with the care of Captain Nemo, Maxwell's dog for a few months back in 2015

Maxwell's secret husband Scott Borgerson is seen walking a dog in Boston in 2019

Alpsjo worked at Maxwell's five-story, 7,000-square-foot Beaux Arts townhouse on East 65th Street on the Upper East Side, which Maxwell left in 2015

'In walked a Swedish young man with the look to match - blonde-haired and blue-eyed - and opened a tab with a credit card bearing only the initials GM,' Greer writes in the episode description.

Alpsjo says he did everything from watching Captain Nemo to grilling hamburgers and getting coffee for Maxwell.

Nemo is a Vizsla, which according to the AKC is 'versatile' with a red coat 'built for long days in the field'. They are about two feet high, are athletic and hate to be left alone.

Alpsjo claimed that Maxwell would often display a paranoia that he - who did not learn who Maxwell was until after he finished working for her - didn't understand.

Maxwell and Epstein sitting together on Epstein's infamous 'Lolita Express'. Maxwell is now facing 65 years behind bars in a federal prison - prompting speculation she could now 'flip' and discuss the actions of others within Epstein's circle

Maxwell was notorious for being both Epstein's ex-girlfriend and a supplier of underage girls for the billionaire

Maxwell and secret husband Scott Borgerson (right) together at 2013 Assembly for Arctic Circle

One time, Maxwell chewed him out for letting a delivery man enter the socialite's Upper East Side townhouse.

'She's just like, "Who is this?" And "gimme your ID." And then she took the delivery guy's ID, like took a copy of it,' Alpsjo said, adding that 'when she told him to leave, 'cause he was at the wrong door, she was furious at me.'

'That could have been anyone,' she continued, according to Alpsjo. 'That could have been someone who wanted to kill me.'

Alpsjo, believing he'd made a huge mistake, said Maxwell then said she was thinking about sending him home.

The dogwalker told the Daily Beast he'd never heard of Maxwell before taking the job and had never even known who Epstein was until reading about his 2019 arrest, which led to him learning of his ex-boss' long-held ties to the pedophile.

Alpsjo alleges he did everything from watching Captain Nemo to grilling hamburgers and getting coffee for Maxwell

'It was quite a surprise. I had no idea she was connected to Jeffrey Epstein,' he said.

Alpsjo said he was paid $300 a week for the gig and took turns taking care of the dogs with what he claims was a group of men with a similar look.

'I guess I fit the description because all the guys who has been there looked like, well, they looked really, really Swedish, like blonde, tall, blue eyes. So we all had that in common,' said Alpsjo, who was 24 when he took the job.

He added that Maxwell told him she'd never been to Sweden but would love to go.

An undated photo shows Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The photo was entered into evidence by the U.S. Attorney's Office on December 7, 2021 during the trial of Maxwell

Ghislaine Maxwell listens in a courtroom sketch taken earlier in March as she attempts to get a new trial based on a juror leaving out that he'd been sexually abused in the past

Alpsjo saw Maxwell as powerful, connected and confident and said he was shown a copy of former President Bill Clinton's book, which was signed to Maxwell by Clinton himself with the message: 'To Ghislaine with love.'

He also noticed a grenade sitting on a desk in Maxwell's office.

'I thought that was weird. I mean, I was like, who has that?' Alpsjo recalled.

Maxwell is currently being jailed in the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn which she has repeatedly complained about, calling it a 'living hell' where she has been 'assaulted and abused.'

Maxwell hugs her attorney Bobbi Sternheim as they enter the courtroom for the questioning of juror number 50 by Judge Alison Nathan in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S., March 8

Alpsjo said he was paid $300 a week for the gig and took turns taking care of the dogs with what he claims was a group of men with a similar look

Maxwell - the jet-setting daughter of a wealthy British newspaper tycoon; a glamorous society darling who mingled with former presidents, billionaires and royals - complained that her treatment in the MDC amounted to torture.

Her family wanted to take the case to the United Nations, claiming that she was subjected to inhumane treatment - fed rotten food, kept in excessively hot and cold conditions, and lived in a cell that flooded with raw sewage.

Epstein committed suicide in his prison cell in New York on August 10 2019, while awaiting trial for a range of offences, including trafficking minors for sex, and multiple rapes.
U.S. intelligence chiefs on Thursday denounced what they said was a classic Russian disinformation campaign accusing Washington of backing biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine, which they said could set the scene for Russia to launch its own chemical attacks.

C.I.A. Director Bill Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines both said there was no evidence that Ukraine was developing weapons of mass destruction.

Instead, they joined a chorus of warnings that Moscow could be preparing a fake narrative before it unleashed its own chemical arsenal.

'I think it underscores the concern that all of us need to focus on those kinds of issues, whether it's the potential for a use of chemical weapons either as a false flag operation or against Ukrainians,' Burns told the Senate intelligence committee.

'This is something as all of you know very well is very much a part of Russia's playbook.

'They've used those weapons against their own citizens. They've at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere.

'So it's something we take very seriously.'

C.I.A. Director Bill Burns on Thursday told senators that the Russian playbook included sowing disinformation and using chemical weapons, amid warnings of a new brutal turn in Ukraine

The Kremlin has ratcheted up its disinformation campaign, with officials accusing the U.S. and Ukraine of developing weapons of mass destruction

The Ukrainian city of Mariupol remains besieged and subject to military bombardment

US underestimated Ukraine's will and ability to resist Russian invasion, admits senior intelligence figure Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Scott Berrier A senior intelligence official admitted the U.S. had underestimated Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia. 'My view was that, based on a variety of factors, that the Ukrainians were not as ready as I thought they should be,' said Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. 'Therefore, I questioned their will to fight. 'That was a bad assessment on my part because they have fought bravely and honorably and are doing the right thing.' Washington is under pressure to do more to support the Ukrainian armed forces, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeals for a no-fly zone. Plans for Poland to send Mig-29 warplanes collapsed this week in the face of U.S. opposition. Berrier gave his evidence with other senior figures before the Senate intelligence committee, and said the U.S. had underestimate Ukraine's strength - just like President Vladimir Putin had done. 'We made some assumptions about his assumptions, which proved to be very, very flawed,' he said. 'I think assessing will, morale, and a will to fight is a very difficult analytical task.' Advertisement

Concerns flared a day earlier, when Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed, without evidence, that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support.

The claims are not new, but have circulated as debunked conspiracy theories that have been spread by the likes of QAnon-linked websites.

On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that it had uncovered U.S. and Ukrainian plans to spread flu with birds.

'At least two species of migratory birds were identified, the routes of which pass mainly through Russia, and information on migration routes through the countries of Eastern Europe was also summarized,' it said in a release.

It comes as military analysts have warned that the war could take a brutal turn as Putin switches tactics after his forces failed to make the rapid breakthrough he expected.

Haines said there was no evidence at all that Ukraine was embarked on producing weapons of mass destruction.

'I ... want to be absolutely clear that we do not believe that Ukraine is pursuing biological or nuclear weapons, that we've seen no evidence of that,' she said.

'And frankly, this influence campaign is completely consistent with long-standing Russian efforts to accuse the United States of sponsoring bio weapons work in former Soviet Union.

'So this is a classic move by the Russians.'

World leaders have expressed their concern that Russia is preparing to deploy chemical weapons.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with Sky News: 'The stuff that you're hearing about chemical weapons, this is straight out of their playbook.

'They start saying that there are chemical weapons that have been stored by their opponents or by the Americans, and so when they themselves deploy chemical weapons, as I fear they may, they have a sort of ... fake story, ready to go.'

Instead, Russia has form when it comes to chemical agents.

Russia used the deadly Novichok poison in 2018 an attempt to assassinate a defector living in Salisbury, England.

And it is suspected of using a similar poison against opposition leader Navalny in 2020.

Analysts believe the Russian assault on Kyiv is now underway, as troops massed in both the west and east try to push into the city limits - with missions also underway to surround the capital from the south west

A destroyed Russian tank is seen abandoned by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, as Putin's men try to push into the outskirts of the capital

The attack on Brovary (pictured) came as Russian troops also attacked in Irpin, to the west, though they made 'little progress' with a Ukrainian counter-attack underway in the early hours

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines appeared alongside Burns at a hearing of the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday

Moscow has also offered diplomatic cover to Syrian use of chemical agents, for example accusing the West of being behind the 2017 attack on Khan Shaykhun with Sarin or similar nerve agent.

Officials have been quick to denounce any attempt by Russia to create a pretext for their own attacks.

And as he gave evidence, Burns said this was a crucial piece of work.

'It's one of the reasons, as Director Haines said earlier, that I am convinced that our efforts at selective declassification to preempt those kinds of false flag efforts in the creation of false narratives have been so important,' said Burns, who was Washington's ambassador to Moscow from 2005 to 2008.

'In all the years I spent as a career diplomat, I saw too many instances in which we lost information wars with the Russians.

'In this case, I think we have had a great deal of effect in disrupting their tactics and their calculations and demonstrating to the entire world that this is a premeditated and unprovoked aggression, built on a body of lies and false narratives.'

Burns also said that Chinse leader Xi Jinping was likely to be 'unsettled' by the way the war was unfolding and that its ugly nature risked guilt by association.

'President Xi is probably a little bit unsettled as he watches the way in which President Putin has driven Americans and Europeans more closely together and strengthen the Transatlantic alliance in ways that would have been a little bit hard to imagine before the invasion began,' he said.

A day earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the world should be 'on the lookout' for Russian use of chemical and biological weaponry.

'Its Russia that has a long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons, including in attempted assassinations and poisoning of Putins political enemies like Alexey Navalny,' she said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dropped the nearly $16 billion in COVID-19 relief from a massive $1.5 trillion spending bill after Democrats struggled with locking down votes due to a last-minute dispute within their party.

The move means that a portion of the domestic and international funds that aim to support the continued fight against the coronavirus pandemic will no longer come out of unspent state funding. While the decision paves the way for the House to pass other government and military funding, it jeopardizes the passage of the COVID relief fund in the Senate.

Dropping COVID Funding

This is because, in the Senate, the majority of Republicans are against the passing of new spending on the pandemic. They argue that officials should first provide a full accounting of the trillions that Congress has already provided in the last few years.

During a press conference, Pelosi acknowledged the impasse and said it was a situation that was obvious for a long time since the GOP has been opposed to COVID spending. The funding that has been scrapped is only half of what officials argue should be set aside for coronavirus programs such as testing, vaccination, and others, as per Politico.

Read Also: Joe Biden Wants To Bring Factory Jobs Back to US To Fight Inflation, But Expert Thinks It's a Bad Move

Lawmakers have spent months negotiating the massive spending bill that includes roughly $13.6 billion in relief aid to Ukraine. Officials released the legislative text, which runs 2,741 pages, at around 1:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, shortly before House leaders were planning on pushing it through the chamber.

Officials are facing mounting pressure to pass the bill, which is known on Capitol Hill as the omnibus, before the Friday deadline. The date is when government funding is set to expire and the move is made to avoid a government shutdown.

Democratic Revolt

According to CNN, many Democrats, however, revolted over a plan to use funding from the American Rescue Plan, a pandemic relief bill that U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law last year, in order to offset the cost of COVID response programs in the new legislation. If passed, the provision would have affected 30 states and the Democratic lawmakers representing those regions argued it would be detrimental because it would take money away from them.

In a statement, Pelosi said that Republican insistence and resistance from some Democrats were the causes of her decision to remove COVID funding from the spending bill. The official said that it was heartbreaking for her to make the choice but argued that they will continue to fight for urgently needed COVID assistance.

Rep. Branda Lawrence was among those who opposed the legislation, saying that she would not tolerate the proposal. Shortly after Rep. Annie Craig left Pelosi's office on Wednesday, the Minnesota official said that the deal was cut behind closed doors and noted that when members found out, they immediately opposed it.

Craig, whose home state of Minnesota was among the 30 areas affected by the proposal, said that there was more than $250 million in funding that was at stake for her and her citizens, The Hill reported.



Related Article: Senate Passes Massive $107 Billion Overhaul of US Postal Service For Modernization

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ISIS today confirmed the death of former terror chief Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi (pictured)

ISIS today named its new leader and confirmed the death of former terror chief Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi a month after he was killed in a raid by US Special Forces in Syria.

The jihadist group 'pledged allegiance' to their new leader 'Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as an emir over believers and the caliph of Muslims,' the group's spokesperson said in an audio recording today.

The recording confirmed the death of the former ISIS chief along with the group's ex-spokesman.

'Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi and the official Islamic State group spokesman... Abu Hamza al-Qurashi...were killed in recent days,' the new spokesperson said.

The former leader blew himself up in early February during a US raid in northwest Syria, according to Washington, in an area controlled by rival jihadists.

Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, who led ISIS from 2019, was an ethnic Turkmen from the Iraqi city of Tal Afar. He replaced ISIS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in a US raid in October that year.

Little is known about the new leader, who will serve as the group's third chief since its inception.

The former leader blew himself up in early February during a US raid on a building in northwest Syria, (pictured) according to Washington, in an area controlled by rival jihadists

Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, who led ISIS from 2019, was an ethnic Turkmen from the Iraqi city of Tal Afar. He replaced ISIS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in a US raid in October that year

Little is known about the new leader, who will serve as the group's third chief since its inception. He rises to the helm at a time when the group (pictured in October 2013) has been weakened by US-backed operations in Iraq and Syria aiming to thwart a jihadist resurgence

He rises to the helm at a time when the group has been weakened by US-backed operations in Iraq and Syria aiming to thwart a jihadist resurgence.

ISIS' self-declared caliphate, established from 2014, once stretched across vast parts of Syria and Iraq and administered millions of inhabitants.

A long and deadly military fightback led by Kurdish-Syrian and Iraqi forces with backing from the United States and other powers eventually defeated the jihadist proto-state in March 2019.

The remnants of ISIS in Syria mostly went to their desert hideouts from which they continue to harass Kurdish-led forces and Syrian government troops.

A UN report last year estimated that around 10,000 IS fighters remained active across Iraq and Syria.

Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi's death in February came two weeks after ISIS launched an attack on a northeast Syria prison housing fellow jihadists.

The jail break attempt from the sprawling Ghwayran complex in the northeastern city of Hasakeh triggered a week of clashes inside and around the facility, leaving hundreds dead.

But hundreds of IS prisoners, including senior leaders, are thought to have escaped, with some crossing to neighbouring Turkey or Turkish-held territory in Syria's north, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

The one-legged ISIS chief had rigged his house (pictured) with explosives and blew himself and his family to pieces when US Special Forces arrived, officials said on Thursday

Debris is strewn about inside of the house in northern Syria where ISIS leader al-Qurayshi blew himself and his family up as US special forces arrived

The building, in Atmeh, Syria, near the Turkish border, was destroyed when al-Qurashi detonated explosives, killing him and his family

A doll lies among the debris inside the house. First responders told the Associated Press that 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women

Pictures from inside the building show blood spattering the walls after the raid

An aerial image released by the Pentagon shows the compound where ISIS emir al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi lived. He ran his terror network through a lieutenant living on the second floor

American helicopters carrying 24 commandos arrived just after 1am. When they left two hours later ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was dead

Al-Qurashi blew himself up as US special forces conducted a raid on the building he was hiding in northwestern Syria, according to Washington's intelligence.

US military officials said last month that they believe the one-legged jihadist leader rigged the third floor of the building in preparation for an attack because the blast was much larger than one from a regular suicide vest, which often holds just five or 10 pounds of explosives.

Officials believe al-Qurashi, who was tracked down after a drone spotted him bathing on the building's roof last year, himself detonated the explosives that killed him and his family at his home in the sleepy village of Atmeh near the Turkish border on February 2.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said US forces killed the militant and his wife in a gun battle. One was barricaded in a small room and shooting from there; another fired while coming through the door.

They also revealed officials had thought they had a good chance of taking al-Qurayshi alive because of his issues with a suicide belt and had made plans to turn him over to another government.

The troops safely brought four children from the second floor out of the house. But a toddler was found dead there, and the military officials said Thursday that it is not certain how the child died.

They said no gunshot wounds were found and that the child was likely killed by the concussive effects of the third-floor explosion and not shot in the gunfight.

An ISIS member, described as a lieutenant of al-Qurayshi's, and his wife were on the second floor, with as many as five children. All are believed to have been killed in the blast.
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Boris Johnson today said he fears Vladimir Putin will use chemical weapons in Ukraine because it would be 'straight out of Russia's playbook'.

The Prime Minister said Mr Putin is in charge of a 'cynical, barbaric government' and he believes Moscow could resort to deploying chemical weapons after its invasion stalled in the face of fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces.

Mr Johnson also said he believes Russia is preparing a 'fake story' which it could use to deny using the weapons and to blame the West.

The Prime Minister told Sky News Beth Rigby Interviews show: I will make you one other prediction by the way which is that the stuff that you are hearing about chemical weapons, this is straight out of their playbook.

They start saying that there are chemical weapons that have been stored by their opponents or by the Americans and so when they themselves deploy chemical weapons, as I fear they may, they have a sort of maskirovka, a fake story, ready to go. And you have seen it in Syria. You saw it even in the UK.

Asked if it was his expectation that Russia will use chemical weapons, the premier said: 'I just note that that is what they are already doing [preparing a fake story]. It is a cynical, barbaric government I am afraid.

Mr Johnson's comments came after Defence minister James Heappey insisted the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine was a war crime as he called for Mr Putin and Russian generals to be held to account.

Mr Heappey stressed that the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but said in a round of interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'

It has been confirmed three people, including a child, died when warplanes bombed the hospital in besieged Mariupol as pregnant women gave birth in the basement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attack as an 'atrocity' and 'the ultimate proof of genocide against Ukrainians'.

Boris Johnson today said he fears Vladimir Putin will use chemical weapons in Ukraine because it would be 'straight out of Russia's playbook'. He made the comments to Sky News Beth Rigby Interviews show

The Prime Minister said Mr Putin is in charge of a 'cynical, barbaric government' and he believes Moscow could resort to deploying chemical weapons after its invasion stalled in the face of fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces

The hospital, in the besieged city of Mariupol, was hit 'several times' by high-explosive Russian bombs - one of which missed the building by yards and left a crater two-stories deep, officials said. Other bombs scored 'direct hits', President Zelensky said, wounding at least 17 people.

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister, said there can be 'no doubt' the hospital was deliberately 'targeted' by Russia in a chilling echo tactics used during the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo while Putin's men were fighting alongside dictator Basahr al-Assad's troops. Moscow denies targeting civilian facilities.

And Mr Heappey told Sky News this morning: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.

'Clearly there is evidence to be gathered in which to prove it is a war crime, and Western countries are working together to make sure that evidence is gathered in the best way so people can be held to account.

'What Putin is doing is not a war waged between two militaries. Right now he has besieged a number of Ukrainian cities and he has waged a war against Ukrainian civilians.'

He added on BBC Breakfast: 'We ask ourselves the question how did this happen? Was it an indiscriminate use of artillery or missiles into a built-up area, or was a hospital explicitly targeted?

'Both are equally despicable, both, as the Ukrainians have pointed out, would amount to a war crime.

'So, what matters beyond the outrage of the fact that this has happened in the first place is to make sure all this is catalogued so when  and they surely will be  President Putin and everybody in the military chain of command beneath him  because war crimes are committed at every level not just the ultimate decisionmaker  people will be held to account for what they are doing in. It's utterly despicable.'

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Pressed on whether he thinks the attack constitutes a war crime, he replied: 'Yes, if you deliberately target a piece of civilian infrastructure like a hospital, yes.

'If you use indiscriminate artillery into an urban area without due regard for the reality, you could hit a protected site like a hospital, then that too in my view is.'

Many of the pregnant women present at the hospital were hiding the the basement at the time of the strike on the orders of hospital authorities - a move indicative of the harsh bombardment suffered by Mariupol's citizens over the past week, and one which likely saved their lives.

Zelensky himself posted a video showing the badly damaged hospital buildings, filmed inside a destroyed ward room with its windows blown out and ceiling partially collapsed. More footage showed a car park covered in rubble and the smouldering wrecks of vehicles as injured families staggered into the freezing air while snow fell.

'Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity,' the President tweeted.

He then took to Telegram, where he released a video statement from the presidential palace in Kyiv in which he said the hospital strike 'is the ultimate proof that what is happening is the genocide of Ukrainians'.

'Europeans, you can't say you didn't see what is happening. You have to tighten the sanctions until Russia can't continue their savage war,' he said.

'What kind of country bombs hospitals? Is afraid of hospitals? Of a maternity ward?

'Was someone insulting Russians? Were pregnant women shooting in direction of Rostov? Was it the ''denazification'' of a hospital? What the Russians did at Mariupol was beyond savagery.'

In a separate interview with Sky News, Zelensky added that Russian invaders want Ukrainians 'to feel like animals' by preventing them from accessing food or water, and implored NATO and the West to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities... because they don't want our people to get some food or water.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say ''sorry we didn't do it yesterday.''

Mr Johnson has condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military.

'There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless,' the Prime Minister declared.

'The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes,' he added.

Mr Johnson later on Wednesday committed to enacting the 'maximum economic cost' on Russia in wake of the bombing, while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to say aggression like Vladimir Putin's must 'never again' be allowed to 'grow unchecked' in her speech tomorrow in Washington.

Ms Truss will make comparisons between the Russian president's actions and the World Trade Centre terror attack in 2001, and will urge the international community to change its approach to dealing with antagonistic world leaders.

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki also commented: 'As a mother - I know a number of you are mothers - it is horrifying to see the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country.'

Mariupol's city council said the hospital had suffered 'colossal' damage but did not immediately give a figure of the wounded and dead.

The deputy head of Mr Zelensky's office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said authorities are trying to establish the number of victims.

Ukrainian MP Dmitry Gurin told the BBC: 'There are a lot of dead and wounded women. We don't know about children or newborns yet.'

Video footage from the aftermath of the attack showed that large parts of the hospital had completely collapsed, while blood soaked mattresses were pictured lying in hallways.

'Russia committed a huge crime,' said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. 'It is a war crime without any justification.'

Mariupol has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week, with food, water and electricity cut off several days ago - with the Red Cross describing conditions there as 'apocalyptic'.

The head of the Ukrainian Red Cross said yesterday's strike will likely cause a complete collapse of paediatric care in Mariupol, as much of the hospital's equipment and the paediatric care wards were reduced to ashes.

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

The aftermath of the Russia bombardment on the children and maternity hospital in Mariupol

James Heappey said the West is gathering evidence that can be used in a future prosecution, but added in interviews: 'What you see on your TV screens is a war crime.'

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the maternity hospital

A woman outside the maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

The wreckage of the maternity hospital after the Russian bombardment in Mariupol

Rescuers on the scene at a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol are locked in a race against time as they try to free survivors from the rubble after the complex suffered a 'direct hit' by Russian rockets yesterday

An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs in a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

An official death toll for the heinous attack has not yet been established but rescuers are working desperately to find and free those still trapped under the rubble with temperatures in the besieged city set to plunge to minus 4 degrees C overnight

A Russian attack severely damaged the children's hospital and maternity ward in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter that there were 'people, children under the wreckage' of the hospital and called the strike an 'atrocity'

The burning wreckage of a car is seen outside a destroyed children's hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy Russian bombardment for more than a week

A Ukrainian soldier examines a huge crater caused by one of the Russian rockets, which fell just in front of a hospital building at the maternity hospital in Mariupol

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the strike as 'depraved' and vowed to step up support to the beleaguered Ukrainian military

Ukrainian citizens are pictured on the outskirts of Mariupol dropping bodies into a mass grave as the city's inhabitants work to remove the dead amid brutal shelling from Russian troops

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Local official Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the fears in a post on Facebook: The maternity ward in the city centre, the children's ward and the therapy ward at the hospital - all destroyed in the Russian air raid.'

Just hours before the hospital was hit, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba warned that 3,000 babies were without food or medicines and begged for a humanitarian corridor to allow them to flee.

Moscow had promised a ceasefire in the city today so civilians could be evacuated, but failed for the fourth time to keep its word - a move Kyrylenko said 'crossed the line of humanity' before declaring Russians should 'stop calling yourselves human beings.'

Residents of Mariupol were pictured on Wednesday dumping bodies into mass graves dug on the outskirts of the city in a desperate attempt to remove the dead amid the sustained Russian bombardment.

It is not the first time that Russian airstrikes have targeted hospitals. While fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad in Syria in 2016, Putin's generals were accused of 'deliberately and systematically' blowing up hospitals as a way of weakening the city of Aleppo ahead of a ground assault.

Observers have suggested that Russia is now using a Syria-style battleplan against Ukraine after its early precision strikes failed.

The Ukrainian Healthcare Center, a think-tank based in the country, says that between the outbreak of fighting on February 24 and yesterday, their team documented 42 cases of Russian forces attacking either healthcare facilities or medics in order to deliberately provoke a 'humanitarian crisis'.

Hospitals had been struck in every theatre where Russian forces were operating, the think-tank said, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv.

'The humanitarian catastrophe is a part of Russia's hybrid war. [It] intends to spread panic, create a flow of refugees at the borders and force the Ukrainian government to surrender,' said Pavlo Kovtonyuk, co-founder of the think-tank.

The bombing took place during what was supposed to be a ceasefire in Mariupol so that civilians could evacuate. It marks the fourth time a so-called 'humanitarian corridor' out of the city has failed because Russian forces opened fire.

The mayor of Izyum, to the east of Kharkiv, said evacuations that were supposed to be underway there yesterday also had to stop because Russians were bombing the escape route. But in Sumy, a short distance away, some civilians had managed to make it out. Successful evacuations also took place in Enerhodar, in the south, with women and children able to leave.

It is feared the evacuations are simply a precursor to Russia stepping up its bombardment of the cities to wear down dogged Ukrainian defenders before rolling in troops and tanks to capture them. CIA Director William Burns, briefing Congress on Putin's state of mind Tuesday, warned the 'angry and frustrated' despot is 'likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.'

Giving an update on the military situation yesterday afternoon, Ukrainian commanders said Russian units continue to try and surround the capital Kyiv with attacks taking place to the west and north-east of the city, with several highways blocked.

New footage released on Wednesday purported to show Russian armour just 13 miles from Kyiv as the invaders pushed through the town of Irpin.

Fighting also raged close to the city of Sumy in an attempt to surround Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, commanders said. Battles also broke out around the city of Mykolaiv in the south, as Russians attempted to push out from Kherson towards Odessa but were turned back.

Ukrainian commanders also said Russian military police had rounded up 400 activists protesting against the invasion in the occupied city of Kherson - as the long arm of Vladimir Putin's police state reached across the border to grab people on foreign soil.

Russia's defence ministry meanwhile acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that some conscripts had been sent to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine, just days after Putin promised that only professional soldiers would be sent in.

Some associations of soldiers' mothers in Russia had raised concerns about a number of conscripts going incommunicado at the start of what Kremlin calls a 'special military operation' in Ukraine, suggesting they could have been sent to fight despite a lack of adequate training.

The revelation comes just one week after Russia's parliament passed a law imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally 'fake' news about the military.

'Unfortunately, we have discovered several facts of the presence of conscripts in units taking part in the special military operation in Ukraine. Practically all such soldiers have been pulled out to Russia,' the defence ministry said, promising to prevent such situations in the future.

Liz Truss described the hospital attack as 'absolutely abhorrent', but continued to reject Ukraine's request for a no-fly zone to be imposed over its skies.

Speaking in Washington, she said: 'The best way we can protect the skies is through anti-air weaponry which the UK is now going to be supplying to Ukraine.

'Of course the attack on the hospital is absolutely abhorrent, reckless and appalling.'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said US involvement in a no-fly zone could 'prolong' the conflict, making it 'even deadlier'.

'Our goal is to end the war, not to expand it, including potentially expanding it to Nato territory,' he said.

'We want to make sure it is not prolonged, to the best of our ability. Otherwise, it is going to turn even deadlier, involve more people and I think potentially even make things harder to resolve in Ukraine itself.'

Earlier, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the MPs that the Ministry of Defence was looking at whether they could supply anti-aircraft missiles as well as more anti-tank weapons.

A baby is evacuated as people flee near a destroyed bridge to cross the Irpin River, on the outskirts of Kyiv, as Russian forces try to surround it in ahead of an attack

Ukrainian servicemen evacuate a person across Irpin River below a destroyed bridge as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces train to operate RPG-7 anti-tank launcher during military exercises in Kyiv

Recent conscripts into the Ukrainian Territorial Defence are trained to use NLAW anti-tank launchers in Kyiv, as the city prepares to defend itself from a Russian assault

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces are pictured on training exercises in Kyiv, as Russian troops try to surround the city in preparation for an assault

A satellite image taken on Tuesday but released Wednesday shows the destroyed road bridge on the outskirts of Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which refugees have been using to flee the besieged city

Tracks created by Russian armoured vehicles are seen in the snow near Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, while heavily damaged buildings are seen to the right of the image

Putin meets his 'children's rights commissioner' in Moscow as rockets destroy hospital Vladimir Putin has met with his 'children's rights commissioner' in Moscow at the same time as shelling a maternity hospital in Mariupol in his latest vile display of hypocrisy. The Russian leader spoke with Maria Lvova-Belova at the Kremlin today after overseeing a savage two-week campaign in Ukraine which has seen children killed, orphaned or forced to flee their homes. Putin held the meeting to discuss changes to the law which will allow Russians to adopt Ukrainian orphans, after his forces killed their parents. The changes will mean children from Donetsk and Luhansk who do not have Russian citizenship will qualify for adoption. Putin said in the meeting: 'These are extraordinary circumstances and it seems to me that we need to think not about bureaucratic delays, but about the interests of children. 'I will make proposals, we will change the legislation. We will appeal to the State Duma, I am sure that the deputies will support you.' Lvova-Belova said 1,090 orphans have been evacuated to Russia from the two republics. An estimated one million children have been forced to flee Ukraine since the barbaric invasion was launched. Advertisement

'We can all see the horrific devastation inflicted on civilian areas by Russian artillery and air strikes, indiscriminate and murderous,' he said.

'It is vital, therefore, that Ukraine maintains its ability to fly and to suppress Russian air attack.'

Mr Wallace said that 'in response to a Ukrainian request' the Government was exploring the donation of Starstreak high-velocity man-portable anti-air missiles.

He also confirmed that 3,615 Nlaw anti-tank weapons had been supplied - up from the previously-announced figure of 2,000 - and 'small consignments' of the Javelin system would also be sent to Ukraine.

Other Western officials expressed concern that Putin could next resort to the use of 'non-conventional weapons' such as chemical weapons, in the conflict.

One official speaking on condition of anonymity said: 'I think we've got good reason to be concerned about possible use of non-conventional weapons, partly because of what we've seen has happened in other theatres.

'As I've mentioned before, for example, what we've seen in Syria, partly because we've seen a bit of setting the scene for that in the false flag claims that are coming out, and other indications as well.'

Before the rocket attack took place, Mariupol's deputy mayor spoke about the dire situation in the besieged city - saying residents had been forced to use melted snow as drinking water, as it runs dangerously low on supplies.

Serhiy Orlov admitted that he didn't know how long the blockaded urban centre would be able to continue under siege as he spoke to CNN's John Berman about the devastating bombings on Wednesday.

Orlov said today was their fifth attempt to provide a humanitarian corridor to get supplies and transport into Mariupol, but he added that by 3pm local time, the buses had not made it anywhere near the city.

He said many residents are unable to leave as Mariupol is being bombed 'each second', after Russian forces have broken their ceasefire agreement despite agreeing to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee.

'There is no ceasefire, any ceasefire in Mariupol, Mariupol is under continuous shelling from the artillery and bombing. Each hour, each minute, each second,' he added.

Mariupol, which has been under blockage for eight days, is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit since the invasion began, with Russian forces bringing widespread destruction to residential and administrative centres.

Speaking about the devastation across the city, Orlov said Russian forces had destroyed their biggest steel planter as he warned that the situation is 'unmanageable'.

He praised the bravery of the Ukrainian army, but warned that it is the humanitarian crisis is also worsening, adding: 'We are not able to protect our lives.'

President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday warned that the port city was running dangerously low on food, water and medicine.

Ukrainian territorial defence forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations.

Reiterating Zelensky's stark warning, Orlov said there is no more electricity, heating, gas or water supplies in Mariupol, adding that residents have had to resort to collecting wood to make fires for warmth and using melted snow as drinking water.

'It's an awful situation and I cannot imagine in my mind that it's possible in the 21st century, but it is true,' he said.

When asked how long the city might be able to continue under siege, Orlov admitted he 'didn't know' as he claimed there are at least 3,000 infants who are currently without food.

American talk show host Berman also asked the deputy mayor whether his own family are safe, after he previously spoken about being unable to reach his parents.

In response, a devastated Orlov said the district where his parents lived has been completely destroyed, saying it 'does not exist anymore', as he admitted he doesn't know if they are alive.

He added: 'The district where they live is flattened and I'm not sure that I can see them anymore. But I hope and pray they are alive.'

Ukrainian commanders said today that Russia's attack on the country has 'slowed significantly' with no major gains in any sector while its forces were bolstering defenses in key cities and 'holding the line.'

In the northern city of Chernihiv, Russian forces are placing military equipment among residential buildings and on farms, the Ukrainian general staff said. And in the south, it said Russians dressed in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv. It did not provide any details of new fighting.

In Kyiv, back-to-back air alerts Wednesday morning urged residents to get to bomb shelters as quickly as possible over fears of incoming Russian missiles. Soon after an all-clear was given for the first alert, a second alert followed.

Such alerts are common, though irregular, keeping people on edge. Kyiv has been relatively quiet in recent days, though Russian artillery has pounded the outskirts.

Kyiv regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said the crisis for civilians was growing in the capital, with the situation particularly critical in the city's suburbs.

'Russia is artificially creating a humanitarian crisis in the Kyiv region, frustrating the evacuation of people and continuing shelling and bombing small communities,' he said.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson continued to resist calls to drop visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the violence, insisting the security checks were vital to prevent President Putin infiltrating agents into the UK.

The Prime Minister said a thousand visas had been granted under the scheme allowing relatives of people in Britain to flee the war zone to join their families and he promised another programme allowing individuals to offer a home to Ukrainians would be set out in 'the next few days'.

More than 2 million people have now fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations.

'We know how unscrupulous Putin can be in his methods, it would not be right to expose this country to unnecessary security risk and we will not do it,' he said.

'We are going to be as generous as we can possibly be, but we must have checks.'

His comments in the Commons followed a call from Ukraine's ambassador to the UK to temporarily drop the visa requirement.

Vadym Prystaiko hit out at the bureaucracy of the British system, telling MPs: 'I don't want to see these pictures of people banging at the doors in Calais and scratching the doors which are quite sealed.'

Buses transport people out of the city of Sumy, in Ukraine's north east, in the first successful evacuation of a besieged city which took place on Tuesday. In total, 5,000 people were transported out

Russia said the evacuation route out of Sumy will be reopened Wednesday to allow more people to flee, though there are fears it could be a pre-cursor to heavier shelling in the coming days

A large number of foreign students - including hundreds from India and east Asia - were among those allowed to flee from Sumy on Tuesday, with more transports planned for today

Two convoys of civilian vehicles were allowed to leave Sumy on Tuesday, the mayor has said, marking the first successful evacuation after other routes came under attack by Russia

Debris is seen next to houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sumy

Debris and houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Houses damaged by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are seen in Sumy

Debris is seen next to houses destroyed by shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Sumy

Natasha Sivek carries her two-month-old grandson Meron shortly after she and other family members, including her daughter, walked into Poland

Women and children arrive from war-torn Ukraine on a snowy day at the Medyka border crossing

Over one million people have arrived in Poland from Ukraine since the Russian invasion and some are journeying on to other countries in Europe

Most of those fleeing the war have entered countries on Ukraine's western border, like Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova

The majority have gone into Poland, where 1.33 million refugees have crossed according to the Polish Border Guard agency

Yulia Sivek carries her two-month-old son Meron and is trailed by her mother Natasha as they walk into Poland

Oxana Opalenko holds her friend Yulia's two-month-old son Meron shortly after they walked into Poland

A Russian tank with overhead armour meant to protect against American-made javelin missiles is pictured burned-out by the side of a road in Ukraine, after the makeshift protection apparently failed

Ukrainian military and civilians inspect a tank abandoned by the side of a road, as Russian continues to suffer losses

Boris Johnson reveals his 'deeply upsetting' conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukraine's demands for NATO to enforce a no-fly zone as the PM praises his counterpart as 'one of the most extraordinary leaders of recent times'

Boris Johnson on Thursday revealed conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky about Ukrainian demands for a no-fly zone have been 'deeply upsetting' but the UK must be 'realistic' about the consequences of such a move.

Mr Johnson said he had discussed the no-fly zone issue with the Ukrainian President 'at least a couple of times now' and it is 'agonising'.

But the Prime Minister again ruled out sending in UK fighter jets to shut down the skies above Ukraine as he said the world must avoid a conflict between nuclear powers.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson also praised Mr Zelensky as he described his counterpart as 'one of the most extraordinary leaders of recent times'.

Boris Johnson on Thursday revealed conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky about Ukrainian demands for a no-fly zone have been 'deeply upsetting' but the UK must be 'realistic' about the consequences of such a move

President Zelensky has repeatedly asked NATO nations to enforce a no-fly zone above Ukraine.

But the UK and other allies have rejected the plea on the grounds it would pit NATO jets directly against Russian jets in a situation which could quickly spiral into a major conflict between Moscow and the West.

Speaking to Sky News Beth Rigby Interviews show, Mr Johnson said: 'I think any leader in his position would be saying exactly the same thing.

'They'd be saying, why can't you provide that air cover? Why can't you, as the West, simply help to clear our skies of Russian planes and stop us being bombarded from the air, stop this, this evil going on in Europe?

'And you know, we've had some very frank conversations and ones in which have been deeply upsetting...'

But Mr Johnson said the 'difficulty' of enforcing a no-fly zone is that there is a 'line beyond which... the UK and NATO would be deemed to be in conflict, direct conflict, with Russia' .

He said: 'It's agonising. It's absolutely agonising. And I've had this conversation at least a couple of times now with Volodymyr, but I think the difficulty is that it will require me to order RAF jets, UK pilots into the air with a mission to shoot down Russian fast jets.

'And that is something that - all my life, literally all my life, all my childhood, I remember it's something that we did everything we possibly could to avert, because that will be conflict between two P5 nuclear powers, two members of the security council.'

Mr Johnson also praised Mr Zelensky as he described his counterpart as 'one of the most extraordinary leaders of recent times'

He added: 'I think we've got to be realistic and we're going to do everything we can to support the Ukrainian people, to support the amazing heroic Ukrainian resistance.'

Mr Johnson and Mr Zelensky have spoken almost every day since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion two weeks ago.

Mr Johnson said: 'I think Volodymyr has been one of the most extraordinary leaders of recent times in the way he's rallied... he's not only rallied his people. He's rallied the whole world to the cause of Ukraine.'

CIA director Burns says chemical weapon use is 'part of Russia's playbook' and Director of National Intelligence slams Russian nuclear lab propaganda - as Kremlin claims Ukraine is 'weaponizing birds to drop viruses'

U.S. intelligence chiefs on Thursday denounced what they said was a classic Russian disinformation campaign accusing Washington of backing biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine, which they said could set the scene for Russia to launch its own chemical attacks.

C.I.A. Director Bill Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines both said there was no evidence that Ukraine was developing weapons of mass destruction.

Instead, they joined a chorus of warnings that Moscow could be preparing a fake narrative before it unleashed its own chemical arsenal.

'I think it underscores the concern that all of us need to focus on those kinds of issues, whether it's the potential for a use of chemical weapons either as a false flag operation or against Ukrainians,' Burns told the Senate intelligence committee.

'This is something as all of you know very well is very much a part of Russia's playbook.

'They've used those weapons against their own citizens. They've at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere.

'So it's something we take very seriously.'

C.I.A. Director Bill Burns on Thursday told senators that the Russian playbook included sowing disinformation and using chemical weapons, amid warnings of a new brutal turn in Ukraine

The Kremlin has ratcheted up its disinformation campaign, with officials accusing the U.S. and Ukraine of developing weapons of mass destruction

The Ukrainian city of Mariupol remains besieged and subject to military bombardment

Concerns flared a day earlier, when Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed, without evidence, that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support.

The claims are not new, but have circulated as debunked conspiracy theories that have been spread by the likes of QAnon-linked websites.

On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that it had uncovered U.S. and Ukrainian plans to spread flu with birds.

'At least two species of migratory birds were identified, the routes of which pass mainly through Russia, and information on migration routes through the countries of Eastern Europe was also summarized,' it said in a release.

It comes as military analysts have warned that the war could take a brutal turn as Putin switches tactics after his forces failed to make the rapid breakthrough he expected.

Haines said there was no evidence at all that Ukraine was embarked on producing weapons of mass destruction.

'I ... want to be absolutely clear that we do not believe that Ukraine is pursuing biological or nuclear weapons, that we've seen no evidence of that,' she said.

'And frankly, this influence campaign is completely consistent with long-standing Russian efforts to accuse the United States of sponsoring bio weapons work in former Soviet Union.

'So this is a classic move by the Russians.'

Analysts believe the Russian assault on Kyiv is now underway, as troops massed in both the west and east try to push into the city limits - with missions also underway to surround the capital from the south west

A destroyed Russian tank is seen abandoned by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, as Putin's men try to push into the outskirts of the capital

The attack on Brovary (pictured) came as Russian troops also attacked in Irpin, to the west, though they made 'little progress' with a Ukrainian counter-attack underway in the early hours

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines appeared alongside Burns at a hearing of the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday

World leaders have expressed their concern that Russia is preparing to deploy chemical weapons.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with Sky News: 'The stuff that you're hearing about chemical weapons, this is straight out of their playbook.

'They start saying that there are chemical weapons that have been stored by their opponents or by the Americans, and so when they themselves deploy chemical weapons, as I fear they may, they have a sort of ... fake story, ready to go.'

Instead, Russia has form when it comes to chemical agents.

Russia used the deadly Novichok poison in 2018 an attempt to assassinate a defector living in Salisbury, England.

And it is suspected of using a similar poison against opposition leader Navalny in 2020.

Moscow has also offered diplomatic cover to Syrian use of chemical agents, for example accusing the West of being behind the 2017 attack on Khan Shaykhun with Sarin or similar nerve agent.

Officials have been quick to denounce any attempt by Russia to create a pretext for their own attacks.

And as he gave evidence, Burns said this was a crucial piece of work.

'It's one of the reasons, as Director Haines said earlier, that I am convinced that our efforts at selective declassification to preempt those kinds of false flag efforts in the creation of false narratives have been so important,' said Burns, who was Washington's ambassador to Moscow from 2005 to 2008.

'In all the years I spent as a career diplomat, I saw too many instances in which we lost information wars with the Russians.

'In this case, I think we have had a great deal of effect in disrupting their tactics and their calculations and demonstrating to the entire world that this is a premeditated and unprovoked aggression, built on a body of lies and false narratives.'

Burns also said that Chinse leader Xi Jinping was likely to be 'unsettled' by the way the war was unfolding and that its ugly nature risked guilt by association.

'President Xi is probably a little bit unsettled as he watches the way in which President Putin has driven Americans and Europeans more closely together and strengthen the Transatlantic alliance in ways that would have been a little bit hard to imagine before the invasion began,' he said.

A day earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the world should be 'on the lookout' for Russian use of chemical and biological weaponry.

'Its Russia that has a long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons, including in attempted assassinations and poisoning of Putins political enemies like Alexey Navalny,' she said.
Chilling CCTV footage shows a callous and calculating triple killer walking with a pregnant woman just moments before he raped the mother-to-be, murdered her then dumped her body by a river.

Heroin addict Anthony Russell killed three people in a sickening six-day spree during the pandemic.

The 39-year-old has now been convicted of raping Nicole McGregor on October 26, 2020, having previously admitting murdering her and dumping her body in woodland in Leamington Spa.

Russell has also pleaded guilty to the murders of David Williams, 32, and his mother Julie Williams, 58, at separate flats in Coventry on October 21, 2020 and October 25, 2020 respectively.

The killer lured Miss McGregor, who was five months pregnant, to Newbould Comyn Country Park to sell her drugs on a chance encounter, prosecutors said.

Russell assaulted her just hours after she had showed him a picture of her baby scan. He then strangled her with her own leggings so she could not complain to police about the rape, before dumping her body by a river with twigs, leaves and a piece of wood stuffed in her mouth.

Russell had also told the expectant father: I bet you cant wait for it to be born in the hours after she disappeared  knowing he had raped and murdered her  in a bid to cover his tracks.

The depraved killed was arrested in the village of Rolleston-on-Dove, Staffordshire, after one of the biggest manhunts in the history of West Midlands Police.

He is expected to be jailed for life on Friday.

Chilling CCTV footage shows a callous and calculating triple killer walking with a pregnant woman just moments before he raped her, murdered her then dumped her body by a river

Anthony Russell killed three people in a sickening six-day spree during the pandemic. The 39-year-old has now been convicted of raping Nicole McGregor on October 26, 2020, having previously admitting murdering her and dumping her body in woodland in Leamington Spa

Dramatic body-cam footage released by police shows the moment police smashed their way into a stolen car to detain Russell as he slept

Russell has also pleaded guilty to the murders of David Williams and his mother Julie Williams at separate flats in Coventry on October 21, 2020 and October 25, 2020 respectively

There was no known link between Nicole McGregor and her killer: Police statement Detective Superintendent Shaun Edwards, who heads West Midlands Polices homicide team, said: This was a violent series of killings which happened over a period of just seven days, but which have left two families devastated for the rest of their lives. We believe that David was killed due to Russells mistaken belief that he was in a relationship with his girlfriend. When Russell went to speak to Julie about her sons disappearance, we suspect that he confessed to Davids killing. He then killed Julie to stop her from speaking to the police. There's no known link between Russell and Nicole, and it appears to be pure chance that he has encountered her. The huge effort that went into tracking Russell down, including national media appeals, cant be overstated. We worked around the clock to bring him to justice, and Im glad that that is what has happened today. The thoughts of everyone involved in this investigation are with the families of David and Julie, and Nicole, as well as the victims he robbed, today. Advertisement

Dramatic body-cam footage released by police shows the moment police smashed their way into a stolen car to detain Russell as he slept.

Officers can be heard shouting armed police, get your hands up as they handcuff him inside the vehicle after breaking the cars rear windows.

Other chilling footage shows Russell walking alone with the pregnant victim at 7.45pm on October 29 just minutes before he raped and murdered her. He was also caught walking through the streets of Leamington glancing shiftily up at CCTV cameras while on the run from police.

The callous killer can be seen in further CCTV footage helping Miss McGregors boyfriend Christopher White look for his partner after he had already murdered her. He can also be seen walking through Coventry with Mr Williams on the day he was killed with the pair joking around with a shopping trolley and drinking together.

During her opening speech, prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC said of the footage: This is the last time Nicole is seen alive.

Just three hours after meeting the defendant it appears that Nicole has agreed to walk with the defendant into Newbold Comyn.

We suggest that the defendant lured Nicole on to the Comyn, not for sex but more likely for drugs. The defendant murdered Nicole McGregor shortly after that image was captured, just hours after they had met.

The court was told Russell, of Coventry, went on his callous and calculated campaign of crime between October 25 and 29, 2020.

He first murdered Mr Williams at his flat by strangling him with a lanyard and leaving him with 81 external injuries.

Russell strangled Mr Williams mother in a violent and sustained attack in which she was hit five times on the head and neck, prosecutors said. She had 113 separate injuries, and is believed to have been killed because she found out Russell had murdered her son.

Miss McGregors body was discovered in woodland in Newbould Comyn Country Park near the banks of the River Lea on October 29.

She had been lured there by Russell, who had befriended there while on the run for the other killings, before he raped and murdered her.

Miss McGregor suffered blunt force injury to her head and face as well as a bleed to the brain and died from external neck compression as a result of ligature strangulation.

Hours before she was killed, she had proudly shown Russell her baby scan during the chance encounter which led to her death.

Russell even callously helped Mr Williams mother and Miss McGregors partner look for their missing loved ones in a bid to cover this tracks despite knowing they were dead.

The callous killer can be seen in further CCTV footage helping Miss McGregors boyfriend Christopher White look for his partner after he had already murdered her

He was also caught walking through the streets of Leamington glancing shiftily up at CCTV cameras while on the run from police

He can also be seen walking through Coventry with Mr Williams on the day he was killed with the pair joking around with a shopping trolley and drinking together

Miss Johnson told the court previously: Anthony Russell embarked on campaign of crime.

He murdered three people and raped one of his victims before killing her. He attacked another leaving that person with serious injuries and robbed two other people. All were vulnerable. All the acts of violence were in order to get what he wanted.

The killer was eventually the subject of a national manhunt, and fled Leamington by robbing a 78-year-old man of his car.

Russell rung the pensioners doorbell asking for directions, and when the victim was distracted he hit him over the head from behind with a brick, leaving him with a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain.

The killer was arrested on October 30 after police spotted the stolen Ford C-Max parked on a road near Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, and found Russell on the back seat.

While being booked into custody, he told officers: I admit it, I did it.

Detective Superintendent Shaun Edwards, of West Midlands Police, said after the case: This was an appalling series of violent attacks.

At the heart of this are three people who have lost their lives and another three people who were subject to violent robberies. Each one of these were vulnerable, either due to mental health due to illness or age.

Other chilling footage shows Russell walking alone with the pregnant victim at 7.45pm on October 29 just minutes before he raped and murdered her

We believe that David was killed due to Russells mistaken belief that he was in a relationship with his girlfriend. His mum, Julie, was obviously concerned about David. She had not seen him. She went to Russell and asked if he had seen David, knowing that he was dead in his flat.

Russell had said he had not seen and helped look for David in another callous way.

When Russell went to speak to Julie about her sons disappearance, we suspect that he confessed to Davids killing. He then killed Julie to stop her from speaking to the police in a violent attack leaving her dead in her house.

He knew there was a murder enquiry and then fled from Coventry and went over to Leamington.

Theres no known link between Russell and Nicole, and it appears to be pure chance that he has encountered her. He befriended Nicole McGregor and killed her and left her body in a parkland.

Again, in another callous way, he spoke to her boyfriend, who was looking for her, and helped him look for her  another callous way of covering his tracks.

Russell was extremely dangerous and we needed to arrest him as quickly as possible. This was a significant manhunt. One of the biggest West Midlands Police has run. We worked with Warwickshire Police and Staffordshire Police who subsequently arrested him.

We worked around the clock to bring him to justice, and Im glad that that is what has happened today.

The thoughts of everyone involved in this investigation are with the families of David and Julie, and Nicole, as well as the victims he robbed, today.
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Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said today that Ukraine's capital city has been 'turned into a fortress' ahead of the Russian assault, with about 2 million people - half the residents of the metro area of the capital - having fled as Putin's troops draw ever closer.

'Every street, every house is being fortified, the territorial defence is joining,' Klitschko said in a televised interview today.

'Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands.'

The battle for Kyiv is now underway as Russian tanks this morning pushed to within just a few miles of the city outskirts, analysts and witnesses said, though initial assaults to the west and east were repelled as Putin's forces face a long and bloody campaign to try and take the capital.

Kremlin troops launched two attacks on Kyiv late Wednesday and earlier today - one via the besieged western city of Irpin and another through the eastern district of Brovary, with video showing the moment Russian tanks and armoured vehicles were bombarded with artillery in a devastating ambush and forced to turn back.

Colonel Andrei Zakharov, commander of the tank regiment, was also killed in the ambush according to the Ukrainian defence ministry and radio chatter intercepted from Russians on the battlefield. The same transmissions suggested the column suffered heavy losses, with one tank and an armoured vehicle destroyed.

It marks just the latest Russian commander to be killed in Ukraine, after two generals were slain by Kyiv's troops. Colonel Zakharov had been awarded the Order of Courage by Vladimir Putin in 2016.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry, said Ukrainian forces had also managed to stop the attack in Irpin and were counter-attacking on Thursday morning with battles underway. In an afternoon update, the military said it had foiled a Russian attempt to cross the Irpin River in the town of Moshchun.

'The night was quite difficult, but in general we can say that the Ukrainian army counterattacked near Kyiv,' he said. 'There is no further detailed information yet.' Fighting was also reported to the south west of Kyiv as Putin's men continued their efforts to surround the city.

It means the Russian mission to overwhelm the Ukrainian capital is now underway, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said, amid fears that devastating airstrikes on the city of Mariupol - which struck a maternity hospital killing three including a six-year-old girl - and Kharkiv could soon be seen in the capital.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is still in Kyiv, said Thursday that his 'heart breaks at what the occupants have done with our cities, our country, and at what they want to do to our people' who he said needed 'urgent help.'

In the capital, troops were also warning civilians not to stray beyond the outskirts of the city, because Russian vehicles had been spotted just a few miles away. If Putin's men can encircle Kyiv, they are expected to shell it as they have done with other cities such as Mariupol, Kharkiv and Chernihiv.

Zelensky said seven humanitarian corridors were urgently being organised from bombarded cities to get civilians out and aid packages in, which were meeting with mixed success.

Authorities managed to evacuate around 80,000 people from areas surrounding Kyiv and Sumy over the past two days alone, the Ukrainian government said today.

'We have evacuated more than 60,000 people in two days' from the northeastern city of Sumy and nearby places, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in Telegram, before adding 'some 20,000 people have been evacuated' from areas to the northwest of the capital Kyiv, with another 3,000 evacuated from Izyum to the east.

However, there has been no relief for the people of hard-hit Mariupol, which has been under bombardment for more than a week with no food, water, or electricity.

On Wednesday, a Russian airstrike targeted a children's hospital in Mariupol in the south, wounding at least 17 people. Mortuary workers were pictured putting corpses in body bags or carpets, taking them to the outskirts of the besieged port city, and then dumping them in mass graves.

A convoy was trying to reach the city today to bring supplies, but there was no word on whether it had managed to get through by early afternoon. Four previous attempts to bring relief to the city have failed, after Ukraine said Russia shelled the route it was intending to use.

Shelling in Kharkiv overnight killed four people, two of them children, with a five-year-old girl injured and rushed to hospital. Emergency workers said they are still working to pull people from the rubble of houses in the town of Slobozhanske. Three people were also killed in shelling on the city of Sumy - two women and a 13-year-old boy.

Bombs also fell on two hospitals in Zhytomyr west of the capital, the mayor said, as Russian forces intensified their siege of Ukrainian cities.

Giving an update on the situation on the ground on Thursday, Ukraine's military said Russian efforts to attack Kyiv had been 'restrained' with offensives also thwarted in the cities of Mykolayiv as Putin's men try to push towards Kryvyi Rih - to the northeast and birthplace of the President - and Voznesensk - to the northwest.

Mariupol continues to be surrounded by Russian forces but is still in Ukrainian hands, officials said. They said Ukrainian fighter jets and anti-aircraft missile units destroyed four Russian Su-25 attack jet and two Russian helicopters over the past 48 hours.

Kyiv estimates that Russia has lost some 12,000 troops in the fighting, along with 335 tanks, 1,100 armoured personnel carriers, 500 vehicles, 81 helicopters and 49 planes. Moscow has admitted suffering losses, but has not given an accurate figure.

There has been no word from Ukraine on casualties its military has suffered. Russia says it has destroyed more than 2,900 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities has has taken control of a number of neighbourhoods in besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Speaking about the Russian strike on the hospital in Mariupol, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday denied that any patients had been inside at the time - despite pictures showing pregnant women being taken out with injuries - and accused Ukrainian 'extremists' of occupying it.

In a stunning act of hypocrisy, he outright denied that Russia had attacked Ukraine and added that the Kremlin 'does not intend to attack anyone else' - raising fears that Putin does in fact aim to go beyond the borders of his ex-Soviet neighbour. Battle plans broadcast on TV by Belarus ally Alexander Lukashenko in the opening days of the war seemed to suggest that Moldova could be targeted.

He also vowed that Russia 'will survive' western sanctions on Putin's regime, and 'will do everything not to rely on the West ever, in any areas of our lives.' He added: 'We have no illusions the West can be a reliable partner, [it will] betray whoever, and will betray its own values.'

A Russian tank column that attempted to move into the outskirts of the capital Kyiv on Wednesday, through the satellite city of Brovary, was ambushed by artillery and missile strikes

A Russian armoured vehicle sits by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, after being destroyed in an artillery and rocket ambush that caused heavy casualties

Ukrainian servicemen drive off in a Russian tank they captured after fighting with Russian troops, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, outside Brovary, near Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2022

Ukrainian servicemen walk in front of a Russian tank that they captured after fighting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, outside Brovary near Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2022

Ukrainian servicemen gathered the personal belongings of the Russian soldiers they took from an armored personnel carrier (APC) they hit on March 10, 2022 near Brovary, Ukraine

Residents evacuate the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022. - Russian forces on March 10, 2022 rolled their armoured vehicles up to the northeastern edge of Kyiv, edging closer in their attempts to encircle the Ukrainian capital

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said today that Ukraine's capital city has been 'turned into a fortress' ahead of the Russian assault, with about 2 million people - half the residents of the metro area of the capital - having fled as Putin's troops draw ever closer

A child wait to be evacuated from the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 202

Kyiv's northwest suburbs such as Irpin and Bucha have been enduring shellfire and bombardments for more than a week, prompting a mass evacuation effort (Ukrainian soldier hugs his wife evacuating Irpin, north of Kyiv)

A man carries a baby as he crosses the Irpin river next to a destroyed bridge during evacuation from the Irpin town, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine March 10

Irpin, north of Kyiv, has been bombarded constantly for days and the town has suffered massive damage as a result

A destroyed Russian tank is seen abandoned by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, as Putin's men try to push into the outskirts of the capital

An aerial view of the destroyed Russian armoured vehicle abandoned on a highway in Brovary, east of Kyiv, after the convoy it was travelling in got struck by Ukrainian artillery

An aerial view of the Russian tank that was destroyed in an artillery ambush by Ukrainian forces in Brovary, near Kyiv

Damaged and destroyed Russian vehicles are seen after an armoured column was attacked by Ukrainian artillery at Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv, and forced to retreat

Analysts believe the Russian assault on Kyiv is now underway, as troops massed in both the west and east try to push into the city limits - with missions also underway to surround the capital from the south west

Colonel Andrei Zakharov (right, receiving the Order of Courage from Vladimir Putin in 2016) was killed in the Ukrainian ambush, according to the country's defence ministry

Dramatic new footage from Wednesday morning shows Kremlin 'peacekeeping' tanks driving through the town of Irpin

Footage filmed by the Ukrainian military on Tuesday and released today shows attacks on Russian armoured vehicles in Borodyanka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, as Putin's forces try to push into the capital

A Ukrainian serviceman aims towards Russian positions outside the city of Brovary, east of Kyiv

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

A doctor navigates the ward of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, after it was destroyed by Russian bombs

Explosions are seen on the skyline of Mariupol, southern Ukraine, as the city came under renewed bombardment today

Ukraine war: The latest Ukraine accuses Russia of a 'war crime' over a devastating attack on a children's hospital Some 1,207 civilians have been killed in the 10-day Russian siege on Mariupol, its mayor says Red Cross calls situation in Mariupol 'apocalyptic' after more than a week without water, power or heat 35,000 civilians are evacuated from other Ukrainian cities during a 12-hour ceasefire Fears are mounting Kyiv will also soon be encircled, with Russian tanks just a few miles away Two women and a 13-year-old boy are killed overnight in bombing near Sumy overnight Four people are killed in bombing on Kharkiv, with a five-year-old girl rushed to hospital wounded US lawmakers pass a $14bn aid package for Ukraine with Canada pledging more military equipment The International Monetary Fund approves $1.4 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine The United States deploys two new Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland Fearing a wider conflict, the Pentagon rejects a Polish offer to give MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are in Turkey to hold face-to-face talks Britain calls on the G7 to ban Russian oil, but move is opposed by France, Germany, Italy and Japan Nuclear watchdog says it is not receiving updates from either Chernobyl or Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, both of which are in Russian hands Washington rejects Russian claims it funded bioweapons research in Ukraine, and warns Russia could be about to use chemical or biological weapons itself UN says at least 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine, with more than half now in Poland Oil prices tumble while US and European and Asian stocks surge after days of market turmoil Advertisement

Lavrov was speaking after talks with Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on the sidelines of a summit in Turkey, which ended without an agreement to stop the fighting.

Kuleba, speaking after the meeting, said Russia had demanded that Ukraine 'surrender' - which he said 'we will not do'. Ukraine wants a diplomatic solution, he added, but is determined to keep fighting if needs be.

Ukraine's military warned on Wednesday that Russia is 'not abandoning its plans to encircle' Kyiv and that its 'defence forces are repelling and holding back' the offensive 'in all directions'.

The crisis in Ukraine is likely to get worse as Russian forces resort to increasingly brutal and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas in response to stronger than expected resistance.

CIA director William Burns on Tuesday said that Russian losses have been 'far in excess' of what Moscow expected, sparking fears that Putin's generals will ramp up their 'war of terror' on innocent civilians and strike further non-military targets.

An official told The Times in London: 'I think around Kyiv they are continuing to tighten the noose this is definitely not over. They are still set on moving in. It'll be utterly horrific when they do'.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said fighting continued northwest of the capital on Wednesday, with the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol being heavily pummelled by surrounding Russian forces.

Putin's troops are placing military equipment on farms and amid residential buildings in the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine's military said. In the south, Russians in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv, a Black Sea shipbuilding centre of 500,000 people, it said.

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, is building up defences in cities in the north, south and east, and forces around Kyiv are 'holding the line' against the Russian offensive, authorities said.

In Irpin, a town of 60,000, police officers and soldiers helped elderly residents from their homes. One man was hoisted out of a damaged structure on a makeshift stretcher, while another was pushed toward Kyiv in a shopping cart. Fleeing residents said they had been without power and water for the past four days.

Regional administration head Oleksiy Kuleba said the crisis for civilians is deepening in and around Kyiv, with the situation particularly dire in the suburbs.

'Russia is artificially creating a humanitarian crisis in the Kyiv region, frustrating the evacuation of people and continuing shelling and bombing small communities,' he said.

The situation is even worse in Mariupol, a strategic city of 430,000 people on the Sea of Azov that has been encircled by Russian forces for the past week.

Efforts to evacuate residents and deliver badly needed food, water and medicine failed on Tuesday because of what the Ukrainians said were continued Russian attacks. The city took advantage of a lull in the shelling on Wednesday to hurriedly bury 70 people, before a maternity hospital was targeted in a Russian airstrike.

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, making special reference to the 'atrocities' of bombing the maternity hospital.

Harris expressed outrage over the bombing of the hospital and scenes of bloodied pregnant women being evacuated, as well as other attacks on civilians. She stopped short of directly accusing Russia of having committed war crimes.

'Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching,' said Harris, noting that the United Nations has already started a process to review allegations. 'I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.'

Authorities announced new cease-fires on Wednesday morning to allow thousands of civilians to escape from towns around Kyiv as well as the southern cities of Mariupol, Enerhodar and Volnovakha, Izyum in the east and Sumy in the northeast.

Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors largely failed because of what the Ukrainians said were Russian attacks. But Putin, in a telephone call with Germany's chancellor, accused militant Ukrainian nationalists of hampering the evacuations.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was able to leave other cities on Wednesday, but people streamed out of Kyiv's suburbs, many headed for the city centre, even as explosions were heard in the capital and air raid sirens sounded repeatedly. From there, the evacuees planned to board trains bound for western Ukrainian regions not under attack.

Nationwide, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, in the two weeks of fighting since Putin's forces invaded. The UN estimates more than 2million people have fled the country, the biggest exodus of refugees in Europe since the end of the Second World War.

The fighting knocked out power to the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant, raising fears about the spent fuel that is stored at the site and must be kept cool. But the UN nuclear watchdog agency said it saw 'no critical impact on safety' from the loss of power.

 Slide me  Before/after: Two satellite images taken of the same district of Mariupol, in the south of Ukraine, show how virtually every building has been struck by artillery as Russian forces try to bomb the city into submission

 Slide me  Before/after: Satellite images taken over civilian areas of Mariupol show how Russian artillery strikes have reduced buildings to rubble, with others burned out from the inside

 Slide me  Before/after: Satellite images of Mariupol's largest shopping center show how it has been all-but destroyed by Russian artillery, which has been bombarding the city for more than a week

Ukrainian soldiers replenish their supplies from destroyed Russian convoys somewhere on the frontlines

Kyiv has said that its troops are capturing Russia weapons and vehicles, which are being repurposed to use in the defence

Ukrainian troops walk past a destroyed Russian armoured vehicle carrying ammunition looted from the convoy

A haul of Russian supplies captured by the Ukrainians after a successful attack on a Russian supply convoy

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces train to operate RPG-7 anti-tank launcher during military exercises amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces train to operate NLAW anti-tank launcher during military exercises amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv

New members of the Territorial Defence Forces wait for military exercises amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv

The aftermath of Russian artillery shelling on a residential area in Mariupol where a rocket hit a house, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Fires burn on the outskirts of Mariupol, in the south of Ukraine, which has been under heavy shelling for more than a week

Rubble litters the street in Mariupol as the city came under renewed bombardment by Russian forces today

Burned-out wreckage litters the road out of Irpin, to the west of Kyiv, while people evacuate (left) as fighting rages nearby

Zelensky warned on Wednesday that 'millions' of Ukrainians could die if NATO and the West wait for World War Three to start before imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He also warned that Russia wants Ukrainians to 'feel like animals' as he urged the West to act two weeks after Moscow launched an all-out invasion of his homeland  and added that Putin is 'going directly to hell'.

'They want us to feel like animals because they blocked our cities, the biggest cities in Ukraine and they blocked them because they don't want our people to get some food or water,' he said in an interview with Sky News.

'We can't stop all of this alone. Only if the world will unite around Ukraine.

'Don't wait for me to ask you several times, a million times, to close the sky. You have to phone us, to our people who lost their children, and say 'sorry we didn't do it yesterday'.

'The world did nothing. I'm sorry, but it's true. In future, it will be too late. They will close the sky but will lose millions of people [while they wait]'.

Ukraine has called on Putin's Russia to 'capitulate' as Kremlin lapdog Sergei Lavrov prepares for 'peace talks' with Kyiv's foreign minister in Turkey on Thursday.

Moscow's most senior diplomat arrived in the southern resort city of Antalya to negotiate with Dmytro Kuleba at a summit mediated by Ankara, which has supplied Ukraine with drones and condemned the invasion but criticised punitive global sanctions against Russia.

Russia and Ukraine's meeting will be the highest-level diplomatic encounter since the Kremlin launched a full-scale operation to 'demilitarise' and 'de-Nazify' the country  aims dismissed as baseless pretexts by Kyiv and the West to instead overthrow Zelensky.

But in a video on Facebook confirming that talks would proceed, Kuleba said his expectations were 'limited' and that the success of the negotiations would depend on 'what instructions and directives Lavrov is under' from the Kremlin at the discussions.

Russia has demanded that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality so it cannot join the EU or NATO, recognise Crimea as sovereign Russian territory and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent territories.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight on Wednesday, Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Verashchuk called Moscow's peace terms 'ultimatums' and thundered: 'There is only one discussion to be had: Russia's capitulation.'

'I think that in order to make demands you need to meet, you need to talk. But of course, the ultimatums that Russia has put forward are unacceptable: to recognize Crimea, to recognise the separatist republics as independent states, this is completely impossible,' she said.

'Of course we cannot trade away our territory, we would have to amend the constitution. How could we look the Ukrainian people in the eye and calmly give away a part of sovereign independent Ukraine. How will we look our children in the eyes? This is aggression, not just against Ukraine as you can clearly see. This is a challenge to the whole world.'

Asked what Ukraine wants from the West, Verashchuk went on: 'We want them to help us to impose a no-fly zone, at least over critical infrastructure. We would like air defence systems'.

When it was put to her that Britain and the US have ruled out no-fly zones because of the risk of nuclear war with Russia, Kyiv's deputy prime minister retorted: 'And the fact that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is no longer under our control? You don't think that is a nuclear standoff with Russia?

'Putin is raising the stakes, he knows that. Who do you think this is aimed at? President Zelensky, or President Biden?'.

Putin's actions have sparked an unprecedented Western diplomatic, economic and cultural boycott of Russia and all things Russian.

Victor, a volunteer of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, is treated at a hospital after being injured during fights with Russian forces near Brovary, north of Kyiv

Katya, 14-years-old, is treated in a hospital after being shot while fleeing with her family from a village near Brovary, Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier hugs his wife in the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, as Russian forces try to fight their way through the region

A Ukrainian woman shelters in the basement of a home in Irpin, near Kyiv, which has come under Russian bombardment

Valeriy Zukin, CEO of Leleka ('Stork') private maternity clinic, walks next to a bloodied stretcher, at a short distance from the frontline in Horenka, northern Kyiv

Residents and soldiers help civilians to flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv, which has seen heavy fighting today

A civilian is loaded on to a stretcher and evacuated from the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, as fighting rages nearby

Wounded civilians are stretchered out of the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, amid clashes in the city with Russian forces

A disabled civilian is carried across a temporary bridge out of the city of Irpin, near Kyiv, alongside their wheelchair

A soldier makes his way over a temporary bridge set up on the outskirts of Irpin to help civilians evacuate the city

An apartment building in the city of Mykolaiv, in the south of Ukraine, smoulders after being struck by Russian artillery

Firemen put out an apartment building in southern Ukraine after it was hit by Russian forces on Thursday

An interior shot of the apartment building shows it sustained heavy damage after shelling by Russian forces

The booster section of a Russian Smerch rocket is shown landed in the street in Mykolayiv, southern Ukraine

Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson has committed to impose the 'maximum economic cost' on Russia as the Foreign Secretary is expected to say aggression like Putin's must 'never again' be allowed to 'grow unchecked'.

In a call on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister joined Zelensky in condemning a reported Russian strike on a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol.

He noted that this, together with reports Russian forces had failed to respect ceasefire agreements, was 'yet further evidence that Putin was acting with careless disregard for international humanitarian law', Downing Street said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss prepared to call for a 'paradigm shift' in the wake of Russia's assault on Ukraine.

In a speech in the US on Thursday, she will make comparisons between the Russian despot's actions and 9/11, and will urge the international community to change its approach to dealing with antagonistic world leaders.

One of the three areas where she will say the UK wants to see stronger action is on forging stronger global alliances, including with countries not historically aligned to Britain, according to Foreign Office officials.

Giving the Makins Lecture at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, the Cabinet minister will say it is time to end 'strategic dependence' on hostile and authoritarian states, including a departure from using Russian energy.

It comes after the UK and the US on Tuesday announced they will phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year as part of increased sanctions on Moscow.

Truss will also argue that allies must strengthen deterrence by spending more on defence and NATO, warning that the 'era of complacency is over'.

The Foreign Secretary is expected to say that the West needs to become 'tough' in its approach to global security in the wake of the Ukraine crisis in order to prevent future aggressors from making advances.

She will urge leaders to ramp up global pressure and 'tighten the vice' on the Kremlin, including by implementing further sanctions, such as encouraging other countries to join in bringing about punitive measures and implementing a 'full Swift ban'.

Truss, who on Wednesday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is scheduled to argue that Putin has 'launched a full-frontal assault' not just on Ukraine but 'on the very foundation of our societies and the rules by which we coexist'.

She will add: 'The invasion of Ukraine is a paradigm shift on the scale of 9/11. How we respond today will set the pattern for this new era.

'If we let Putin's expansionism go unchallenged it would send a dangerous message to would-be aggressors and authoritarians around the world. We can't allow that to happen.'

Irina from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and her one-year-old Chihuahua 'Alissa' stand with other Ukrainian refugees in the queue in front of the Central Aliens Office in Hamburg, Germany

Residents wait to be evacuated from the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, amid fighting with Russian forces nearby

Residents wait to be evacuated from the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv

Families who have just fled Ukraine sit inside a bus provided by aid workers in Palanca, Moldova

Women and children arrive at a makeshift camp to board a train heading to Krakow after fleeing Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland
A California woman who answered the door to a young man pretending to be a candy vendor was ambushed by armed robbers during a brazen daytime home invasion.

The incident took place in Stockton, located 50 miles south of Sacramento, shortly before 2pm on Monday.

Video from the victim's doorbell camera, which has been released by the Stockton Police Department, shows a young man in a cloth facemask standing outside the front door of a home on Joplin Lane with a box of candy in his hand.

The victim, who is not seen on camera, hands the bogus candy vendor a $5 bill, and in exchange he gives her some sweets.

Police in Stockton, California, say this young man pretending to be a door-to-door candy vendor was part of an armed gang that burglarized a woman's home on Monday

The suspect rang the woman's doorbell and offered candy for sale. All the while, his accomplices were hiding around the corner, ready to pounce

After completing the transaction, three men armed with guns appeared around the corner and raced towards the front door

Moments later, a trio of people appear around the corner and race towards the front door with guns drawn.

The woman is heard screaming in terror as the bandits barge into her home.

The fake candy salesman turns around and begins to leave, but then he briefly returns to the door and puts on a ski mask, which he quickly takes off and then walks away.

According to investigators, the armed gangsters got away with unspecified 'personal belongings.' No injuries were reported during the robbery.

After ransacking the victim's home, the quartet of suspects fled in a black SUV.

The gun-toting bandits barged into the home of the unsuspecting woman, who was heard screaming in terror in the background

The bogus candy salesman stepped aside to let the other robbers through

The accomplice briefly put on a ski mask but then quickly removed it and fled

The phony sweets seller was last seen wearing rapper Pop Smoke's' 'Aim for the stars, shoot for the moon' T-shirt.

A spokesperson for the police department told DailyMail.com that prior to the home invasion, the same man was seen knocking on doors at neighbors' homes, but no one else fell for his ruse.

As of Thursday morning, no arrests have been made.

Police are appealing to the public for help with identifying the four suspects in connection with the robbery.

Anyone with information is being asked to 209-937-8377 or Crime Stoppers at 209-946-0600.
A father accused of running a sex cult out of his daughter's Sarah Lawrence College dorm room once handcuffed a naked woman to a chair and suffocated her with a plastic bag because 'she was slipping from his control,' prosecutors said at his sex-trafficking trial Thursday.

Ex-con Lawrence Ray was cast as a mob-like figure who coerced young women at the elite liberal arts college into joining his 'family' as he accumulated power, sex and money, prosecutors said in Manhattan federal court.

During opening arguments, they claimed Ray forced one alleged victim into a sex-work enterprise so lucrative that she brought in $1million in a single year.

Ray, 60, stands accused of 17 counts including sex-trafficking, extortion, money laundering, violent crime in aid of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and forced labor in a bizarre case that reaches back more than a decade.

In 2010, Ray - real name Lawrence Grecco  moved into his daughter Talia's dorm room at college just north of New York City.

Fresh out of jail following charges related to a custody battle with his ex-wife, Ray slept on a dorm room couch and, prosecutors allege, set about dominating the lives of a group of his daughter's friends.

Assistant US Attorney Lindsey Keenan began her opening statement with a description of a gruesome October 2018 alleged attack.

Keenan said Ray and another woman who served as his 'trusted lieutenant' found the victim they had 'forced into a life of prostitution' at a hotel, where Ray tortured her for hours to make sure she'd continue her sex work.

The prosecutor said Ray used 'violence, fear, sex and manipulation' to gain sex, power and money.

Santos Rosario, who introduced his two sisters, Felicia and Yalitzia, to Ray before they were allegedly lured into his sex cult, testified in court today.

Rosario described Ray holding a knife to his genitals, and calling him 'scum' and 'trash.'

Prosecutors said during opening statements on Thursday that Lawrence Ray manipulated his daughter's Sarah Lawrence College dorm roommates to join his 'family'

Prosecutors said Ray used techniques like those employed by Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere and isolated the students from their families, blackmailing them with videos and photographs, that he used to extort and control them

In September 2010, Ray moved into his daughter Talia's student apartment at Sarah Lawrence College. They are shown when she was a teenager

Santos Rosario, who introduced his two sisters, Felicia and Yalitzia, to Ray before they were allegedly forced into his sex cult, arrives to court Thursday

Ray's lawyer told the jury that Ray committed no federal crimes as he encircled himself with college-age 'storytellers' who claimed to have poisoned him and arranged to have him physically attacked.

'You'll see that Larry Ray is not guilty,' attorney Allegra Glashausser said.

Ray, who once served as the best man at a wedding of former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, has been incarcerated since his 2020 arrest.

Ray is accused of 17 counts including sex-trafficking, extortion, money laundering, violent crime in aid of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy

The abuse began in the fall of 2010 when Ray began living in his daughter's on-campus small townhouse dormitory dwelling at Sarah Lawrence College, where he persuaded his daughter's friends to stay the next summer at his Manhattan apartment, she said.

There, Keenan said, Ray learned their secrets and insecurities and exploited them, 'profiting off their labor, their money and even their bodies.'

'Once he gained control of their lives, ... he took over their lives,' she said.

Ray's daughter, now 32, has not been charged in connection with her father's alleged crimes but, in a surprise twist, one of the women whom the FBI initially viewed as a victim has since been charged as his co-conspirator and 'lieutenant.'

Isabella Pollok, Ray's daughter's former roommate, will be tried separately but was one of two former students with whom he was living and calling his wife when he was arrested at his New Jersey home on February 11, 2020.

Pollok has served time for securities fraud, began a campaign of coercion, abuse and attempts at mind control, forcing more than one student into prostitution to 'repay' the bogus debts he claimed she owed.

She has claimed that she was just 19 when she met Ray and 'wasn't in a good place' and that 'he started to help me kind of process and make sense of lots of things I just couldn't make sense of.'

Pollok's trial is slated to begin in July and until then she is free on $100,000 bail.

Ray, who once served as the best man at a wedding of former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, has been incarcerated since his early 2020 arrest

This is the student housing where Ray lived with the students in 2010. He at first charmed them by cooking them meals and taking them out but soon started controlling them with 'group' therapy and counselling sessions

Ray held court in a campus common room, presenting himself as a friend and father-figure. And he used 'therapy' sessions to gain students' trust, convince them they were 'broken' and that only he could 'fix' them.

During 2010's summer, he persuaded five students to move into a one-bedroom Upper East Side apartment with him. According to prosecutors, that is when he really flipped the switch.

Using techniques like those employed by Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere he isolated the students from their families and began amassing compromising material, including videos and photographs, that he then used to extort and control them.

The women were forced to do manual labor for Ray in 2013 in North Carolina at his stepfather's home and obey his commands after he convinced them they owed him money for damaging some of his belongings or for trying to poison him, the prosecutor said.

Against threats to release their secrets and embarrassing videotaped moments to friends and family or on the internet, the women and at least one man complied with Ray's demands, she said.

'When shame and embarrassment were not enough, he relied on violence,' Keenan said. 'The victims had no choice. They lived in fear of the defendant.'

The allegations against Ray attained public prominence with the 2020 publication of 'The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence,' a New York magazine feature.

Ray is shown in a 2016 interview where he described being assaulted by a mafia boss. He is accused of manipulating his daughter's friends by turning them into a cult-like group

Isabella Pollok (shown) was Talia's best friend. In 2010, Ray started sleeping in her room, claiming she needed him because she was going through a break-up

Among the evidence expected to be presented in court is data gleaned from the 44 hard drives, 37 cellphones, five laptops, four palm pilots, three cameras, seven recording devices and a polygraph machine seized by the FBI from Ray's New Jersey home.

They also discovered Ray's email account containing 200,000 messages and four iCloud accounts of videos, picture and audio files.

According to the federal indictment filed June 2020, 'Over the course of nearly a decade, between in or about 2010 to the present, Ray subjected the Victims to sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse.

Glashausser, an assistant federal defender, disputed the prosecutor's portrayal.

She said her client was seeking to reconnect with his daughter when he went to her dormitory and told stories about 'hobnobbing' with Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet Union president, being best man at Kerik's wedding and having friends who were U.S. military generals.

Soon, the college students told stories about their own lives, embellishing them with tales of having drugged drug dealers and other exploits, she said.

'This was not a criminal enterprise,' Glashausser said. 'This was a group of storytellers.'

Glashausser said some of the women battled mental illness issues and frightened Ray when they told him they had poisoned him, prompting him to seek help from prosecutors, the Environmental Protection Agency and journalists. She said they also set him up to be physically attacked.

She said the woman who became a sex worker 'started escorting' in 2015 when she could not afford her rent.

She said jurors would see videos her client had recorded and 'see some things that are hard to watch.'

'I'm not saying that Larry Ray is a saint,' Glashausser said. 'You don't have to like him. But these things were not crimes.'
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Stark before and after satellite images show how the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been reduced to rubble after being pounded by Russian shelling.

Pictures show a residential neighbourhood that was hit by Russian strikes overnight on March 9 and reduced to a fiery wreckage with apartment buildings and homes destroyed.

Other images show a shopping centre that lost its roof after it was destroying during Russian shelling - two weeks after Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine.

The pictures emerged after Russian rocket strikes hit a maternity hospital in Mariupol on Wednesday, killing three including a six-year-old girl and injuring at least 17 others. The West has accused Moscow of war crimes over the attack.

Mariupol continues to be surrounded by Russian forces but was still in Ukrainian hands as of Thursday afternoon, officials said. They said Ukrainian fighter jets and anti-aircraft missile units destroyed four Russian Su-25 attack jet and two Russian helicopters over the past 48 hours.

 Slide me  Satellite imagery before and after Russian shelling on March 9 shows the destruction of a residential neighbourhood in Mariupol, with apartment buildings and homes decimated by rocket strikes

 Slide me  Satellite images show a shopping centre that lost its roof after it was destroying during Russian shelling - two weeks after Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine

Footage of the aftermath of the hospital attack in Mariupol on Wednesday showed badly wounded patients and nurses being evacuated from decimated buildings, while pregnant women were carried out on stretchers into a courtyard covered in rubble and littered with huge craters.

Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky himself posted a video showing the badly damaged hospital buildings, filmed inside a destroyed ward room with its windows blown out and ceiling partially collapsed.

More footage showed a car park covered in rubble and the smouldering wrecks of vehicles as injured families staggered into the freezing air while snow fell.

Speaking about the Russian strike on the hospital, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday denied that any patients had been inside at the time - despite pictures showing pregnant women being taken out with injuries - and accused Ukrainian 'extremists' of occupying it.

In a stunning act of hypocrisy, he outright denied that Russia had attacked Ukraine and added that the Kremlin 'does not intend to attack anyone else' - raising fears that Putin does in fact aim to go beyond the borders of his ex-Soviet neighbour.

Battle plans broadcast on TV by Belarus ally Alexander Lukashenko in the opening days of the war seemed to suggest that Moldova could be targeted.

He also vowed that Russia 'will survive' western sanctions on Putin's regime, and 'will do everything not to rely on the West ever, in any areas of our lives.' He added: 'We have no illusions the West can be a reliable partner, [it will] betray whoever, and will betray its own values.'

 Slide me  Mariupol continues to be surrounded by Russian forces but was still in Ukrainian hands as of Thursday afternoon, officials said as satellite images emerged of the damage caused by Moscow's sustained bombing campaign

 Slide me  Stark before and after satellite images show how the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been reduced to rubble after being pounded by Russian shelling

Meanwhile shelling in Kharkiv overnight killed four people, two of them children, with a five-year-old girl injured and rushed to hospital.

Emergency workers said they are still working to pull people from the rubble of houses in the town of Slobozhanske. Three people were also killed in shelling on the city of Sumy - two women and a 13-year-old boy.

Bombs also fell on two hospitals in Zhytomyr west of the capital, the mayor said, as Russian forces intensified their siege of Ukrainian cities.

Kyiv estimates that Russia has lost some 12,000 troops in the fighting, along with 335 tanks, 1,100 armoured personnel carriers, 500 vehicles, 81 helicopters and 49 planes. Moscow has admitted suffering losses, but has not given an accurate figure.

There has been no word from Ukraine on casualties its military has suffered. Russia says it has destroyed more than 2,900 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities has has taken control of a number of neighbourhoods in besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
The stepdaughter of the Russian foreign minister has been enjoying a life of luxury based in a 4 million flat in Kensington, it emerged today as MPs campaigners called for her to be sanctioned.

Polina Kovaleva, 26, has been identified by Russian activists as the daughter of Sergey Lavrov's mistress.

Polina's mother is reported to be Svetlana Polyakova, 51, with whom Lavrov has had a relationship since the early 2000s and is said to be his unofficial wife.

Polyakova owns an apartment in Moscow worth 5million. She accompanies Lavrov on every foreign trip and has been on an official aircraft more than 60 times, according to the FBK, the anti-corruption foundation run by the jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

She is a powerful member of the Russian foreign ministry described as 'no ordinary bureaucrat' in an investigation last year by the respected Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

Polina Kovaleva is the stepdaughter of Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who has reportedly been in a relationship with her mother Svetlana Polyakova, 51, for two decades

Polina (pictured) has enjoyed a gilded lifestyle in London, which one observer described as a 'non-stop holiday'. She went to a private boarding school in Bristol before gaining a first-class degree in economics with politics at Loughborough University

Land Registry documents show Polina purchased an apartment (pictured above) in Kensington, west London, for 4.4million with no mortgage in 2016, when she was aged just 21

Lavrov, one of Putin's most trusted aides who was appointed in 2004, sparked fury yesterday when he refused to sanction a ceasefire in Ukraine and made the extraordinary claim that Russia did not attack Ukraine.

The 71-year-old diplomat - so admired by his boss that Putin refuses to allow him to retire - scorned the 'pathetic outcry' over the Mariupol hospital bombing as peace talks collapsed in Turkey yesterday.

He is sanctioned by Britain and the EU and is seen as an apologist for Putin's bloody invasion.

Polina went to a private boarding school in Bristol before gaining a first-class degree in economics with politics at Loughborough University and later completing a master's in economics and strategy for business at Imperial College London.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (above) is a trusted aide of Vladimir Putin

She went on to work for Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, where she helped with mergers and acquisitions and later worked at Glencore, the mining company. Before buying her own home, she lived in Holland Park, west London, in an apartment in a townhouse that is owned by the Russian embassy.

Records show that the nearby Ukrainian embassy alleged Russia had wrongly claimed ownership of the property.

Polina now lives in an apartment, which Land Registry documents state she purchased for 4.4 million with no mortgage in 2016, when she was 21, in a block just off Kensington High Street. It is still unknown who paid for Polina's flat and her mother, who is independently rich, has not been sanctioned.

She shares the apartment with a man, believed to be her partner, who also has a 10 per cent stake in the investment company she now runs.

The property is part of an award-winning development offering a swimming pool, gym, spa, cinema, golf simulator, games room and views across Kensington and Holland Park.

Lavrov (centre) is said to have been in a relationship with Svetlana Polyakova (right) for the past two decades. Polyakova is a powerful member of the Russian foreign ministry and is described as Lavrov's unofficial wife. She accompanies him on foreign trips

Maria Pevchikh, the head of investigations at Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, said that Lavrov and Polyakova had been together for 'around two decades'.

Questioning where Polina got the money to buy her apartment, Ms Pevchikh said: 'Polina's biological dad isn't superrich. She doesn't have an oligarch husband. Yet aged 21, she bought a prestigious apartment on Kensington High Street for 4.4 million, and her lifestyle is like a 'non-stop holiday'.

Polina's mother also enjoys 'substantial assets' that a Foreign Ministry apparatchik 'would almost certainly not be able to afford.

Property records show that she and her family own real estate in Russia and Great Britain worth about 1 billion rubles.

At the time this was worth $13.6 million, although the ruble has since collapsed due to the debilitating war in Ukraine.

MPs and campaigners want Polina and her mother put on to the UK's sanctions list

Lavrov is married to philologist wife Maria, and the couple have a daughter Ekaterina, 40, who was raised mainly in the US where he was posted as a diplomat. Despite this, Lavrov has been seen on foreign trips accompanied by Polyakova, who sometimes uses the female form of his surname, Lavrova.

Ms Pevchikh said Polyakova and her daughter should have their assets frozen along with oligarchs such as Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Oleg Deripaska, who were added to the sanctions list on Thursday. Her calls were backed by MP Chris Bryant.

MPs questioned why the government's list was still dwarfed by the hundreds of individuals and entities sanctioned by the EU and the US.

Layla Moran MP, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for foreign affairs and international development, told the Daily Telegraph: 'The government is still way behind the EU and the US. The legislation hasn't passed yet, so if they can act against Abramovich now, why not the others?'

Moran called for action against 35 named 'key enablers' of Putin in the House of Commons last month, many of whom have been sanctioned in the EU or US but not in the UK.

Polina went to a private boarding school in Bristol before completing a master's in economics and strategy for business at Imperial College London (pictured above at her graduation)

This includes Viktor Zolotov, the head of Russia's national guard whose family is one of the richest in Russia in the real estate sector; Anton Vaino, Putin's chief of staff; and Mikhail Mishustin, the Russian prime minister.

Moran said that officials should also look at 'the family and friends' of Putin's associates, as 'one of the ways that they get around sanctions is to transfer funds and assets to family members'.

'They should be included in the list and ideally it should be automatic,' she said.
Boris Johnson on Thursday revealed conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky about Ukrainian demands for a no-fly zone have been 'deeply upsetting' but the UK must be 'realistic' about the consequences of such a move.

Mr Johnson said he had discussed the no-fly zone issue with the Ukrainian President 'at least a couple of times now' and it is 'agonising'.

But the Prime Minister again ruled out sending in UK fighter jets to shut down the skies above Ukraine as he said the world must avoid a conflict between nuclear powers.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson also praised Mr Zelensky as he described his counterpart as 'one of the most extraordinary leaders of recent times'.

Boris Johnson on Thursday revealed conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky about Ukrainian demands for a no-fly zone have been 'deeply upsetting' but the UK must be 'realistic' about the consequences of such a move

President Zelensky has repeatedly asked NATO nations to enforce a no-fly zone above Ukraine.

But the UK and other allies have rejected the plea on the grounds it would pit NATO jets directly against Russian jets in a situation which could quickly spiral into a major conflict between Moscow and the West.

Speaking to Sky News Beth Rigby Interviews show, Mr Johnson said: 'I think any leader in his position would be saying exactly the same thing.

'They'd be saying, why can't you provide that air cover? Why can't you, as the West, simply help to clear our skies of Russian planes and stop us being bombarded from the air, stop this, this evil going on in Europe?

'And you know, we've had some very frank conversations and ones in which have been deeply upsetting...'

But Mr Johnson said the 'difficulty' of enforcing a no-fly zone is that there is a 'line beyond which... the UK and NATO would be deemed to be in conflict, direct conflict, with Russia' .

He said: 'It's agonising. It's absolutely agonising. And I've had this conversation at least a couple of times now with Volodymyr, but I think the difficulty is that it will require me to order RAF jets, UK pilots into the air with a mission to shoot down Russian fast jets.

'And that is something that - all my life, literally all my life, all my childhood, I remember it's something that we did everything we possibly could to avert, because that will be conflict between two P5 nuclear powers, two members of the security council.'

Mr Johnson also praised Mr Zelensky as he described his counterpart as 'one of the most extraordinary leaders of recent times'

He added: 'I think we've got to be realistic and we're going to do everything we can to support the Ukrainian people, to support the amazing heroic Ukrainian resistance.'

Mr Johnson and Mr Zelensky have spoken almost every day since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion two weeks ago.

Mr Johnson said: 'I think Volodymyr has been one of the most extraordinary leaders of recent times in the way he's rallied... he's not only rallied his people. He's rallied the whole world to the cause of Ukraine.'
The White House is charging North Korea with a 'serious escalation' in missile testing, saying Thursday that Kim Jong Un's regime recently tested parts of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system, breaking multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.

'After careful analysis, the U.S. government has concluded that the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]'s two ballistic missile tests on February 26 and March 4 of this year involved a relatively new intercontinental ballistic missile system that the DPRK is developing,' a senior administration official said Thursday.

The official said that North Korea was testing elements of the new system before trying it at full-range 'which they will potentially attempt to disguise as a space launch.'

People watch a news broadcast from Seoul, South Korea on March 5, one day after North Korea tested a part of a new intercontinental missile system, the U.S. government announced Thursday

'The United States strongly condemns the DPRK for these tests. These launches are a brazen violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, needlessly raise tensions and risk destabilizing the security situation in the region,' the official continued. 'We urge all countries to condemn these violations.'

The White House official said the administration decided to reveal the information publicly - and share it with allies and partners - 'because we prioritize the reduction of strategic risks and believe firmly that the international community must speak in a united voice to oppose further development of such weapons by the DPRK.'

The assessment was made in close coordination with South Korea and Japan, two U.S. allies in the region.

Information was also shared with the United Nations.

The ICBM system was on display at a Korean Workers' Party parade on October 10 2020 and then at a defense exhibition a year later, the White House said.

President Joe Biden's White House has told the North Koreans they would meet without pre-conditions.

'President Biden himself has previously made clear that he is open to meeting with Kim Jong Un when there is a serious agreement on the table, which would need to be based on working-level negotiations,' the official said, adding, 'Because, as you saw in the past administration, leader level summits along are no guarantee of progress.'

A senior administration official confirmed that Kim Jong Un's (left) government has not responded to correspondence from the U.S. government since President Joe Biden (right) was sworn-in

Former President Donald Trump met with Kim three times during his four years in office - first at the June 2018 Singapore summit, again in February 2019 in Vietnam, and finally Trump crossed into North Korea in June 2019.

Trump often boasted of the 'beautiful letters' sent to him from Kim.

Since Biden was sworn-in last year, the U.S. hasn't heard from the North Koreans.

'The DPRK continues to not respond,' the senior administration official confirmed Thursday.

In response to the missile tests, the official said the United States Indo-Pacific Command has beefed up surveillance in the Yellow Sea as well as enhanced the readiness of the U.S.'s ballistic missile defense forces in the region.

The official wouldn't elaborate when asked exactly what that meant.

On Friday, the Department of Treasury will announce new actions to prevent North Korea from accessing foreign supplies and technology they need to advance the weapons program.

'These actions are intended to make clear to the DPRK that these unlawful and destabilizing activities have consequences,' the official said.

'The international community will not accept these actions as normal and most importantly, that the only viable path forward for the DPRK is through diplomatic negotiations,' the official added.


EU leaders have balked at the US proposal to cut off their supply, proof the US does not understand how Putin's gas is a powerful weapon. The Biden administration is tone-deaf about the energy policy between the Brussels and Moscow is more complicated than expected.

In the meantime, the European Union will have to deal with its dependence on Russian gas supplies.

EU Energy Supply Dependent on Russian Gas

This relationship was warned to have dire consequences, and the bloc would be at a disadvantage as western experts have always thought Moscow has an edge, reported the Express UK.

Sources say that Brussels is trying to lessen its over-dependency on Russian gas supplies and oil this year.

Russia has been pumping 40 percent of the gas needed by Italy, Germany, and central European members, making them very dependent, including 25 percent supplies of crude oil for the union. Some members in control, like Germany, are under pressure to allow themselves a strategic position but needy of energy supplies.

The US and other bloc members forced German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to close down Nord Stream 2, but Nord Stream 1 is still working. After Crimea got annexed by Moscow, the NS 2 was in play which is one of the main reasons the conflict was brought about based on western opinion, noted Financial Times.

In 2015 when the deal was signed, several countries, including the US, Poland, UK, and Ukraine, were not at ease with the project. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at that time was saying it would not be suitable for the union to be dependent on the former USSR, and EU members would not benefit from Putin's gas.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth?

Ukraine's Problem With Pipelines of Russian Gas

Several factors exist why dependence on Russian gas is more convenient; it's cheap, easy to transport, and has a ready supply that makes it attractive for European leaders.

Russia owns the Siberian Fields, the largest supply globally in a vast world needing energy. Moscow started exporting to Poland in the 40s and built pipelines during the 60s to provide energy for all its members when the Soviet Union existed. The cold war raged until Perestroika, and after, supplies were flowing without issue.

After the disbanding of former soviet republics under the Soviet Union, Kyiv and Moscow have been squabbling over the pipelines laid down when the USSR existed. Other routes were made, bypassing Ukraine, things changed for the better.

About one-third of Russian gas pumped to the bloc would pass through Ukraine. Problems with greedy over-pricing and supply of gas via Ukraine sources lead the Kremlin to reroute the energy supply. A second shut down for two weeks in the middle of winter caused Slovakia and the Balkan belt to ration energy. Many factories got closed and less power to consumers, citing Reuters.

After that, many countries have avoided Ukraine and bypassed it, even US and Middle eastern suppliers were avoided for higher prices.

All the pipelines built by Russia to provide energy to Europe have given it clout and geopolitical weaponry against the west, making powerless problematic for the bloc. EU members are dependent on Putin's gas which is not overpriced compared to when it passed Ukraine.

Related Article: Chancellor Olaf Scholz Reluctant To Shutdown Nord Stream 1 as It Would Affect Germany's Natural Gas Reservoirs

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The wife of a British passenger who suffered a mental breakdown and told airline staff there could a bomb on his flight from Abu Dhabi has told how she fears he will be left to die in prison.

Army veteran Steve Long, who worked with bomb disposal units in Bosnia and Iraq, has been moved to a notorious desert prison from a psychiatric hospital where he was undergoing treatment.

His wife Heloise told MailOnline that with limited medical help at the Al Wathba prison she fears his condition will get worse and he might not survive his incarceration.

Long faces up to 13 years in jail unless he can pay a 103,000 fine after a court in the United Arab Emirates convicted him of making a bomb threat to Etihad Airlines staff.

Army veteran Steve Long (pictured with wife Heloise) worked with bomb disposal units in Bosnia and Iraq

Heloise, 43, a nurse, said her husband suffered a mental breakdown caused by undiagnosed PTSD as he was about to board a flight back to Manchester on January 28. He told airline staff he feared there was a bomb on his Manchester bound flight.

He was arrested and jailed for three days before being taken to hospital where doctors agreed he had suffered a psychotic episode and did not know what was happening.

Despite the doctors report a court in the UAE convicted him of making a bomb threat.

Describing his condition, Heloise said: 'He was having hallucinations and not making any sense. Steve had a complete psychotic break. He was standing up and sitting down and thought he was back in the army.

'He was not making a bomb threat but was completely paranoid and telling people he was being followed. He is not a criminal but the longer he is kept in prison he is just going to get worse.

'The treatment he had been receiving was beginning to work, and so they have discharged him from hospital and sent him to prison.

'I am just so scared of what is going to happen. He will not be able to cope in the prison and the surroundings will just make things worse. I don't know how long he can last in there as there is no way we have the money to pay the fine and I cannot bear the thought of him being locked up.'

The former soldier's ordeal began towards the end of a three-week trip to Abu Dhabi to visit a friend from their time working as paramedics for the US military in Iraq. The day before he was due to fly home the airport was bombed by rebels from Yemen.

Mr Long's wife Heloise said that with limited medical help at the Al Wathba prison she fears his condition will get worse and he might not survive his incarceration

Heloise, 43, a nurse, said her husband suffered a mental breakdown caused by undiagnosed PTSD as he was about to board a flight back to Manchester on January 28

Heloise said: 'Steve was becoming increasingly erratic towards the end of the holiday, but after the bomb attack it just got much, much worse.

'He must have been affected by the attack as afterwards he was just incoherent, and we urged him to come home. He was not making any sense. I am a nurse and recognised he was having a mental breakdown.'

When Mr Long, 39, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, arrived for his flight he mentioned to staff he was scared and feared there was a bomb on board the flight.

While some staff recognised he was having a psychotic episode police were called, and he was arrested.

He spent three days in a police jail before being taken to a psychiatric unit where he was treated with drugs.

He was made to face a court remotely without legal representation and sentenced to a 103,000 fine and jail.

Lawyers filed an appeal, and despite doctors agreeing he was mentally unbalanced at the time of the incident when he talked about a bomb, the court upheld the sentence.

Heloise, who is from Marseille, France, said she was only allowed to see her husband of six months for a short time after she flew out to the UAE.

He was so weak that he had to be supported by two guards having suffered kidney problems from dehydration.

She said: 'It was obvious he was in such a bad way. I had never seen him like that. He was not making any sense. Anyone could see that he was not well. It was so obvious from what he was saying and doing.'

Mr Long is not being allowed visitors while being held at desert prison of Al Wathba which has been condemned by human rights groups for its poor conditions.

Founder Radha Stirling said during the incident at the airport some Ethiad staff realised Long was having a breakdown while others called the police.

She said: 'Airport staff recognised that Steve was having a breakdown, police knew it, the judge knew it. Yet they all decided to treat him like a criminal. The British embassy knows that Steve will not receive medical or psychiatric treatment in prison, and his condition will only deteriorate.

'He is in urgent need of treatment, which is exactly why his family arranged for him to fly home from his holiday early. We are enormously worried about how he will cope in the harsh conditions now that he has been transferred to jail.

'Steve has been carrying trauma from his time working with bomb disposal units in the military, and while he was in the UAE he witnessed a number of drone attacks carried out by Houthi rebels in Yemen in retaliation for the Emirates' role in the ongoing conflict there.

'These attacks triggered a severe PTSD reaction for Steve, and he spiraled into a manic state, imagining that he was back in the armed services and in a war zone. In his mind, he was alerting the airport staff about a possible bomb out of a sense of duty and caution.

'However, when police became involved, they treated Steve like a terrorist, shackling him, denying him access to not only medication, but food and water, as well as not allowing him to call the British embassy or his family.'

A spokesman for Etihad said: 'We can't comment on an incident that is under investigation by government authorities.'
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Despite desperate please from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and pressure from lawmakers at home, President Biden killed the Polish plan to transfer MiG-29 jets to Ukraine, fearing the deal might be viewed as an escalation of tensions by Vladimir Putin.

The diplomatic blunder that began with a top European Union diplomat promising the jets to Ukraine ended when Poland suggested it would give the jets to the U.S. to deliver to Ukraine, and the U.S. said that was Poland's responsibility.

Then, U.S. defense officials killed the project entirely, saying they would not support either transferring the jets themselves or backing up Poland in doing so.

'We do not support the transfer of the fighters to the Ukrainian air force at this time and have no desire to see them in our custody either,' Press secretary John Kirby told reporters Wednesday, as he described the sentiment of a call between Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin and his Polish counterpart.

He said that the Pentagon had assessed the warplanes would not materially improve Ukraine's defense posture, while it would escalate the prospects of drawing NATO, of which both the U.S. and Poland are a part, into direct conflict.

Critics have noted that the U.S. has already delivered hundreds of millions in lethal aid to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to US lawmakers over the weekend and asked them help facilitate the transfer of jets, including MiG-29s, to Ukraine. Ukraine currently has between 37 and 70 MiG-29s.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the U.S. and Poland of playing games with people's lives. 'Listen,' the Ukrainian leader pleaded, 'We have a war! We do not have time for all these signals. This is not ping pong! This is about human lives! We ask once again: solve it faster.'

Despite desperate please from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and pressure from lawmakers at home, President Biden killed the Polish plan to transfer MiG-29 jets to Ukraine

The Pentagon has poured cold water on Poland's offer to hand all its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US, apparently as part of an arrangement to deliver the warplanes to Ukraine 's armed forces where they are desperately needed to fight off invading Russian forces

Poland said it was ready to deploy 'immediately and free of charge' all its MiG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the 'disposal of the Government of the United States of America'

'Do not shift the responsibility. Send us planes,' Zelensky demanded.

Zelensky spent 45 minutes on the phone with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, where he begged her too for more jets. But skeptics within the Biden administration pushed back on the idea, and Biden himself agreed, according to Politico.

'POTUS will do what the military advises here and the advice now is not to do this and instead send the Ukrainian government more things they can make good use of,' a senior administration official told Politico. Ukraine has 'many planes they already don't fly much because of Russian air defense.' The official added that it's 'not clear what sending more planes achieves.'

However, both Republicans and Democrats called on the Biden administration to heed Zelensky's calls for more aircraft.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said it was time to make Putin 'fearful.'

'It's time for Putin to be fearful of what we might do. This is war. People are dying. We need to get aircraft to President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine immediately,' he wrote on Twitter.

Senate Foreign Relations chair Bob Menendez, D-N.J., wrote to Blinken and Austin this week calling on the U.S. to commit to replacing any aircraft donated by Poland and other NATO countries to Ukraine with American planes.

'The Ukrainians are getting bombarded, and they do not have  at least as their country's leaders suggest and assert  the wherewithal to compete in the sky,' Menendez said during a committee hearing Thursday with defense officials.

'I understand why NATO and the United States are not engaged in a no-fly-zone  that it has potential direct conflict with Russia  but I don't understand why we are not working expeditiously to facilitate planes to Ukraine.'

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, questioned why the U.S. felt comfortable sending Javelins and Stinger missiles but felt providing planes was too escalatory.

'So you're saying that we would like to send something that's more effective that should offend Vladimir Putin more than the airplanes, and yet we cannot send the airplanes? What's the logic behind that,' said Portman during the hearing.

The U.S. had a long list of logistical concerns in transferring the aircraft - and as Biden has promised not to put boots on the ground in Ukraine, U.S. pilots could not fly the planes into the war zone.

The administration also considered the transfer of fighter jets to be a more aggressive move than providing Ukraine anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles.

Officials also said that the transfer may have been possible if it had been kept under wraps, Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign affairs and security policy chief, rendered a secret mission impossible when he announced to reporters that the European bloc would provide the jets, to the shock and dismay of many U.S. and European officials.

Kyiv was only interested in handful of aircraft that its air force is familiar with, (which excludes U.S. jets) - the MiG-29, the Su-25, and the MiG-21. These aircraft are currently used by Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, and Slovakia.

Of these, the MiG-29 is best-equipped to take on Russia's aerial forces. Poland currently has 28 MiG-29s.

The Ukrainians hear Borrell's comments and ran with the idea, boasting that they would soon get 70 new MiG-29s. They even sent pilots to Poland to seal up the deal and bring the planes home, a Ukrainian official told Politico.

But Poland killed such a deal when it announced no Polish jets would be given to Ukraine.

'Poland won't send its fighter jets to Ukraine as well as allow to use its airports. We significantly help in many other areas,' the Polish Chancellery of the Prime Minister wrote in a tweet Sunday.

Still, the Biden administration pressed forward with a three-way deal.

Sec. of State Antony Blinken first announced on Sunday that the U.S. was in talks with Poland to backfill their supply of MiG-29s with American F-16s if they offered the warplanes to Ukraine.

He said that Poland had a 'green light' to sent the war planes, and the U.S. would assist with backfilling their needs.

'We're in very active discussions with them about that,' Blinken said on CBS News' 'Face the Nation.'

Poland quickly said it would not be sending the jets directly to Ukraine, with both the U.S and Poland citing logistical issues but also quietly concerned with how the move could be viewed as an act of war on their part.

Poland then suggested they would fly their MiG-29 jets to the U.S.'s Rammstein Air Base in Germany, where it would be up to the U.S. to deliver the jets back east to Ukraine. Kirby said that proposal was 'untenable,' before killing the transfer idea altogether.

The administration was at first widely on board with assisting Warsaw in delivering the planes. But the Pentagon, along with members of the intelligence community, opposed the three-way plan, for fears it would provoke a direct conflict between NATO and Russia and concerns that the F-16s would have to be severely downgraded to provide them to Poland to avoid compromising the highly classified avionics systems installed in the planes.

Biden sided with the Pentagon. The White House reportedly said it would respect Poland's decision of whether or not to offer the jets, but made clear it could not guarantee a speedy backfill of F-16s. Poland then shocked U.S. officials with its proposal to give the jets to the U.S. to deliver.

U.S. troops fire Stinger missile from their Stryker armored fighting vehicle during Saber Strike military drill in Rutja, Estonia March 10, 2022. The U.S. and allies have delivered shoulder-fired Stingers to Ukraine

U.S. troops prepare to fire Stinger missiles from their Stryker armored fighting vehicle during Saber Strike military drill in Rutja, Estonia March 10, 2022. U.S. and allied forces carried out military exercises in Estonia Thursday

A Russian armoured vehicle sits by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, after being destroyed in an artillery and rocket ambush that caused heavy casualties

'We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland's proposal is a tenable one,' Kirby said after the offer.

The deal essentially fell through altogether when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he would not allow the Polish planes to land at Rammstein in Germany.

'We might've been in a different place if this hadn't turned into the Poles putting this on the table,' a senior State official said, according to Politico.

And after Kirby said the proposal was not 'tenable' he later took the podium before reporters to announce that the U.S. would not be party to the deal entirely.

Gen. Tod Wolters, the U.S. European Command chief, shortly after agreed with Kirby.

'The transfer of MiG-29 aircraft will not appreciably increase the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force. The Ukrainian Air Force currently possesses numerous mission capable aircraft that are flying daily. Adding aircraft to the Ukrainian inventory is unlikely to change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force relative to Russian capabilities. Therefore, we assess that the overall gain is low,' he said in a statement.

Most of the fighting in Ukraine remains a ground conflict, though the Russian air force has stepped up its airstrikes in recent days.
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President Bidens spokeswoman Jen Psaki White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested that Vladimir Putin using chemical weapons was not a 'red line' for the United States Bidens spokeswoman Jen Psaki has served as press secretary for Obamas White House and the State Department in her political career. She was born in Stamford, Connecticut in 1978 and studied English and Sociology at the College of William and Mary, before making her way up the Democrat Party to represent the US at the highest diplomatic levels. Her appointment as White House press secretary under Biden ruffled feathers on the Right after a photo emerged of her wearing a pink Russian hat next to John Kerry and Putins lapdog Sergei Lavrov. The photo was taken in January 2014 when Psaki represented the State Department. Sources close to Psaki told USA Today that the hat was a gift from the Russian government, and that she did not keep it. Advertisement

White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested on Thursday that Vladimir Putin using chemical weapons was not a 'red line' for the United States to prompt a military response.

She doubled down on President Joe Biden's stance that America won't have boots on the ground in the Ukraine. And she refused to say what - if anything - would change that.

'I'm not going to get into red lines from here,' Psaki said from her podium in the White House briefing room.

'I'm not going to get into hypotheticals,' she noted. 'But the president's intention of sending U.S. military to fight in Ukraine against Russia has not changed.'

American officials have expressed concern that Russia could use chemical weapons after the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine could make such a move, in what U.S. officials say could be a false flag operation to justify any moves by Moscow.

The Russian president has shown no sign in letting up of his invasion of the Ukraine. Officials for the two sides - meeting in Turkey - left the negotiation table with no ceasefire in place nor an agreement for safe passage for Ukrainian civilians caught in the war zone.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko also said on Thursday that Ukraine's capital city has been 'turned into a fortress' ahead of the Russian assault, with about two million people - half the residents of the metro area of the capital - having fled as Putin's troops draw ever closer.

But Psaki indicated there would be some kind of response to such a Russian move, saying the administration was trying 'to prevent a World War Three.'

'We have not let anything go unanswered that President Putin has done to date,' Psaki noted, adding 'what that would look like I can't give you an assessment of that from here at this point.'

The U.S. has responded to the Russian invasion with heavy economic sanctions on Putin himself, his inner circle, the oligarchs made billionaires by his policies, and Russian banks and companies. The Kremlin called those moves an 'economic war.'

Psaki noted that American concerns Moscow would use chemical weapons is based on past incidents. U.S. officials have raised the possibility Russia could escalate the fighting as Ukrainian resistance remains strong.

'They have a history of using chemical and biological weapons, and that in this moment, we should have our eyes open for that possibility use of chemical or biological weapons,' Psaki said.

Russia has wielded chemical weapons in the past.

Moscow used the deadly Novichok poison in 2018 an attempt to assassinate a defector living in Salisbury, England. And it is suspected of using a similar poison against opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020.

Russia also offered diplomatic cover to Syrian use of chemical agents. It accused the West of being behind the 2017 attack on Khan Shaykhun with Sarin or similar nerve agent.

Biden's administration is continuing its diplomatic efforts, pushing for a cease fire before fighting continues to escalate. Biden spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday after peace talks being held there failed to produce any progress.

The two men 'reaffirmed their strong support for the government and people of Ukraine, underscored the need for an immediate cessation of Russian aggression, and welcomed the coordinated international response to the crisis,' the White House said in a readout of its call.

'President Biden expressed appreciation for Turkeys efforts to support a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, as well as Turkeys recent engagements with regional leaders that help promote peace and stability,' the White House said.

U.S. troops prepare to fire Stinger missiles from their Stryker armored fighting vehicle during Saber Strike military drill in Rutja, Estonia March 10, 2022. U.S. and allied forces carried out military exercises in Estonia Thursday

U.S. troops fire Stinger missile from their Stryker armored fighting vehicle during Saber Strike military drill in Rutja, Estonia March 10, 2022. The U.S. and allies have delivered shoulder-fired Stingers to Ukraine

As of January the US has 60,000 troops in Europe and has since added more during Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Psaki and the White House has insisted since the start of the Ukraine invasion that the US will not send in troops

CIA director Burns says chemical weapon use is 'part of Russia's playbook' and Director of National Intelligence slams Russian nuclear lab propaganda U.S. intelligence chiefs on Thursday denounced what they said was a classic Russian disinformation campaign accusing Washington of backing biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine, which they said could set the scene for Russia to launch its own chemical attacks. C.I.A. Director Bill Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines both said there was no evidence that Ukraine was developing weapons of mass destruction. Instead, they joined a chorus of warnings that Moscow could be preparing a fake narrative before it unleashed its own chemical arsenal. 'I think it underscores the concern that all of us need to focus on those kinds of issues, whether it's the potential for a use of chemical weapons either as a false flag operation or against Ukrainians,' Burns told the Senate intelligence committee. 'This is something as all of you know very well is very much a part of Russia's playbook. 'They've used those weapons against their own citizens. They've at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere. 'So it's something we take very seriously.' Concerns flared a day earlier, when Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed, without evidence, that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support. The claims are not new, but have circulated as debunked conspiracy theories that have been spread by the likes of QAnon-linked websites. On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that it had uncovered U.S. and Ukrainian plans to spread flu with birds. 'At least two species of migratory birds were identified, the routes of which pass mainly through Russia, and information on migration routes through the countries of Eastern Europe was also summarized,' it said in a release. It comes as military analysts have warned that the war could take a brutal turn as Putin switches tactics after his forces failed to make the rapid breakthrough he expected. Advertisement

And Vice President Kamala Harris is in Poland where she vowed to defend 'every inch' of NATO territory Thursday as US troops fired Stinger missiles during military drills in Estonia and Russian troops moved within a few miles of Kyiv.

The exercises were a sign of both defensive might and coordination capabilities, amid concerns about Vladimir Putin's plans as his forces continued their brutal invasion of Ukraine.

The forces carried out air defense drills in cold weather exercises in coastal areas of Estonia, a NATO ally, with U.S., British, Estonian, as well as forces from Finland  NATO partner but not a member of the alliance.

'They take place in the winter to demonstrate the ability to operate in harsh conditions,' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in late February when announcing the Operation Saber Strike exercises.

During the exercises, allied troops used Stryker armored vehicles Thursday to fire Stinger missiles  the same weapons the U.S. and allies are rushing into the hands of Ukrainian forces resisting the Russian invasion. According to the Pentagon, Ukrainian forces have been using weaponry provided by allied nations to well  and video images have revealed a succession of destroyed Russian armor during the two-week old war.

The exercises are also meant to practice and demonstrate the complex coordinated maneuvers NATO forces have trained for  amid signs of severe Russian problems with supply lines and coordinated air and ground forces during their two-week old invasion of Ukraine.

But the White House said the move was not meant to be aggressive against Russia. The Biden administration has repeatedly said it doesn't want to start a war, using that as its reason to oppose Poland's plan to supply the Ukraine with Polish-owned MiG planes.

'I think, for people to understand how we look at this, which is that there's an escalation ladder, right,' Psaki explained. 'And there's difference between an anti tank weapon, a shoulder fired missile, and aircraft and a fighter jet that could cross the border and actually conduct operations on Russian soil.'

With temperatures in parts of Ukraine dropping to -10 C, military experts are warning Russian tanks stranded in a convoy south of Kiev could turn into ''40-ton freezers,' given fuel supply issues.

It call comes as Vice President Kamala Harris vowed in Warsaw that the U.S. would defend 'every inch' of NATO territory  while allied nations scrambled to funnel arms to Ukraine in what has become the largest arms effort since the Cold War.

'During Saber Strike, we're conducting air and missile defense training with our NATO allies,' U.S. Army Col. Patrick Thompson, commander of the 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, said in an Estonian Defense Ministry release, Estonian Public Broadcasting outlet ERR News reported. 'This training helps build interoperability between our NATO allies and our partners.'

The exercises took part in other NATO countries earlier in the week, with activities in Lithuania March 1. The Polish phase concluded March 5. It all involves 13,000 troops from 13 nations.

At the start of her trip to Warsaw, Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday announced that the U.S. had delivered two batteries of Patriot air defense missiles to the NATO ally.

'Today I can announce that we have delivered those Patriot missiles systems to Poland,' she said at the start of a press briefing with Polish President Duda.

The defense systems are positioned to allow Poland and other allies contend with any stray missiles or incursions from neighboring Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing assault.

She said the U.S. had recently deployed 4,700 U.S. troops to Poland, on top of a typical rotation of about 5,000.

Her comments came even after U.S. officials were caught off guard by Poland's statement this week about transferring MiG fighter jets to U.S. control for NATO delivery to Ukraine. The Pentagon said the idea was not 'tenable.'

'I want to be very clear. The United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop,' Harris said.

The United States is prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory. The United States takes seriously that an attack against one is an attack against all,' Harris said.

But there are still grave concerns among non-NATO members about whether Putin may be eyeing further territory.

A Russian armoured vehicle sits by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, after being destroyed in an artillery and rocket ambush that caused heavy casualties

The complex operations were deliberately set for cold weather conditions

Troops from the U.S., Great Britain, and Estonia all took part

Members of Lithuania Armed forces during Saber Strike military training on March 1, 2022 in Kazlu Ruda, Lithuania

DONETSK, UKRAINE - MARCH 8: A view of a tank after a shelling, in the pro-Russian separatists-controlled Donetsk, Ukraine on March 8, 2022

A destroyed Russian tank is seen abandoned by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, as Putin's men try to push into the outskirts of the capital

The attack on Brovary (pictured) came as Russian troops also attacked in Irpin, to the west, though they made 'little progress' with a Ukrainian counter-attack underway in the early hours

Drone footage released by the Ukrainian military showed shells raining down on the convoy, destroying a number of tanks and armoured vehicles - as intercepted radio chatter suggested 'heavy' losses among Russian troops

Air traffic is brisk on Thursday at the US Air Base in Ramstein. Since the crisis in Ukraine, flight movements on the largest US air force base outside the USA have increased significantly

Ukraine war: The latest Ukraine accuses Russia of a 'war crime' over a devastating attack on a children's hospital Some 1,207 civilians have been killed in the 10-day Russian siege on Mariupol, its mayor says Red Cross calls situation in Mariupol 'apocalyptic' after more than a week without water, power or heat 35,000 civilians are evacuated from other Ukrainian cities during a 12-hour ceasefire Fears are mounting Kyiv will also soon be encircled, with Russian tanks just a few miles away Two women and a 13-year-old boy are killed overnight in bombing near Sumy overnight Four people are killed in bombing on Kharkiv, with a five-year-old girl rushed to hospital wounded US lawmakers pass a $14bn aid package for Ukraine with Canada pledging more military equipment The International Monetary Fund approves $1.4 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine The United States deploys two new Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland Fearing a wider conflict, the Pentagon rejects a Polish offer to give MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are in Turkey to hold face-to-face talks Britain calls on the G7 to ban Russian oil, but move is opposed by France, Germany, Italy and Japan Nuclear watchdog says it is not receiving updates from either Chernobyl or Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, both of which are in Russian hands Washington rejects Russian claims it funded bioweapons research in Ukraine, and warns Russia could be about to use chemical or biological weapons itself UN says at least 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine, with more than half now in Poland Oil prices tumble while US and European and Asian stocks surge after days of market turmoil Advertisement

For some European countries watching Russia's brutal war in Ukraine, there are fears that they could be next.

Western officials say the most vulnerable could be those who aren't members of NATO or the European Union, and thus alone and unprotected - including Ukraine's neighbour Moldova and Russia's neighbour Georgia, both of them formerly part of the Soviet Union - along with the Balkan states of Bosnia and Kosovo.

But analysts warn that even NATO members could be at risk, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Russia's doorstep, as well as Montenegro, either from Moscow's direct military intervention or attempts at political destabilization.

President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili told DailyMail.com about the surprise shortcomings the fight in Ukraine revealed in Russia's military, which invaded Georgia in 2008.

'We know that after the Georgian Russian war, there has been a massive effort to modernize the [Russian] military, massive resources that were devoted to that. So it's a bit strange that they didn't get more for that money, so whether it's corruption, whether it's inefficiency, I didn't know,' she said.

A diplomatic effort between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine showed little sign of progress on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the various allied efforts to arm Ukraine has developed into the largest arms push since the Cold War, the Financial Times reported.

The nations have plowed in anti-armor weapons, drones, ammunition, fuel, and artillery shells.

In one odd but potentially crucial development, the Pentagon found a workaround to ship anti-aircraft Stinger missiles to Ukraine by removing a few screws from a controller that contained classified information, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The firepower has helped slow, but not stop, the Russian advance.

Russian tanks were able to push to within just a few miles of the outskirts of Kiev, though initial assaults to the west and east of the capital were repelled as Vladimir Putin's forces face a long and bloody campaign to try and take the capital.

Kremlin troops launched two attacks on Kyiv Wednesday - one via the besieged western city of Irpin and another through the eastern district of Brovary, with video showing how a column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles was bombarded with artillery in a devastating ambush and forced to turn back.

Colonel Andrei Zakharov, commander of the tank regiment, was also killed in the ambush according to the Ukrainian defense ministry and radio chatter intercepted from Russians on the battlefield. The same transmissions suggested the column suffered heavy losses, with one tank and an armored vehicle destroyed.

It marks just the latest Russian commander to be killed in Ukraine, after two generals were slain by Kyiv's troops. Colonel Zakharov had been awarded the Order of Courage by Vladimir Putin in 2016.

Russian President Vladimir Putin 'has said right from the start that this is not only about Ukraine,' said Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Fund's Warsaw office.

'He told us what he wants to do when he was listing his demands, which included the change of the government in Kyiv, but he was also talking about the eastern flank of NATO and the rest of Eastern Europe,' Baranowski said.

For some European countries watching Vladimir Putin's brutal war in Ukraine, there are fears that they could be next

40th Cavalry Regiment conducts an airborne infiltration and insert as opposing forces for Alaska's first Home Station Combat Training Center rotation

The parachute training came as part of Alaskas first Home Station Combat Training Center rotation

As Ukraine puts up stiff resistance to the brutal Russian attack, Baranowski said 'it's now not really clear how he'll carry out his other goals.'

But Western governments and NATO are acutely aware of deep concerns in Eastern and Central Europe that the war in Ukraine may be just a prelude to broader attacks on former Warsaw Pact members in trying to restore Moscow's regional dominance.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that 'Russia is not going to stop in Ukraine.'

'We are concerned for neighbors Moldova, Georgia, and the Western Balkans,' he said. 'We have to keep an eye on Western Balks, particularly Bosnia, which could face destabilization by Russia.'
GOP lawmaker Madison Cawthorn called Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky a 'thug' and said his government was 'corrupt, incredibly evil' and 'pushing woke ideologies' in an extraordinary speech caught on video.

Zelensky, elected in a landslide victory in 2019, has received praise from the international community for his bravery since Vladimir Putin first launched his attack on February 24.

The comments by North Carolina Republican Rep. Cawthorn not only fly in the face of those made by global leaders but also the majority of his fellow elected Republicans in Congress.

'Remember, that Zelensky is a thug,' the 26-year-old freshman Republican Congressman said in the short clip shared by WRAL.

He appeared to be discussing the US sending military aid to Ukraine before lashing out at leaders in Kyiv -- who refused to flee the country despite reports that many are on a Russian 'kill list' including Zelensky and his family.

'Remember the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and incredibly evil and it has been pushing woke ideologies,' he said.

According to CNN, Cawthorn made the comments to a group of supporters in Asheville, North Carolina, last weekend

It's not clear when or where the video of Cawthorn was taken, though local station WRAL notes that the freshman Republican lawmaker had multiple events last weekend

His comments disparaging Ukrainian President Zelensky as a thug directly contradict the international praise the young leader has received for his bravery

DailyMail.com has reached out to Cawthorn's office for comment.

About an hour after the video was first posted, the North Carolina lawmaker condemned Russia's invasion on Twitter but then stunningly accused Zelensky of pushing 'misinformation' to pull Americans into the conflict.

'The actions of Putin and Russia are disgusting. But leaders, including Zelensky, should NOT push misinformation on America,' Cawthorn said.

'I am praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Pray also we are not drawn into conflict based on foreign leaders pushing misinformation.'

He also linked back to an alt-right newsletter that appears to push anti-western narratives and undermine Zelensky's leadership.

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham distanced himself from Cawthorn's remarks during a Senate GOP press conference on Thursday afternoon.

'Like 90 percent of the country is with the Ukrainians,' Graham said. 'So when you see a member of Congress say things like this, the one thing I want you to know, they are outliers in the largest sense possible on our side.'

Cawthorn is facing a crowded GOP primary field of seven other candidates before he can defend his seat in November's elections.

A Ukrainian soldier hugs a woman as residents are evacuated from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv region, on Thursday March 10

Residents coming from Bucha town, which is currently controlled by the Russian military, walk with luggage past the Ukrainian checkpoint at the frontline in Irpin on Thursday

The United Nations estimates that more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia began its invasion two weeks ago

One of those challengers, state lawmaker Chuck Edwards, was quick to condemn Cawthorn's remarks.

'Lets be clear. The thug is Vladimir Putin. We must unite as a nation to pray for President Zelensky and the brave people of Ukraine who are fighting for their lives and their freedom. Anything less is counter to everything we stand for in America,' Edwards wrote on Twitter.

Miami attorney Aaron Parnas, whose father Lev Parnas was connected to ex-Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani's efforts to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate President Joe Biden before the 2020 election, also slammed the congressman.

'President Zelensky is a hero. Madison Cawthorn is a zero,' Parnas tweeted.

The national Democratic Party said 'we shouldnt be surprised this type of anti-Ukraine sentiment has found a place in the Republican Party.'

'Its only natural that a Republican Party led by Donald Trump, who regularly praises Vladimir Putin as a genius and savvy as he launches an unprovoked and unjustified war on the Ukrainian people, would evolve to attack the democratically elected president of Ukraine who has shown true heroism in the face of Russian aggression,' DNC spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement.

Just yesterday Cawthorn landed in hot water when it was reported that he was charged by police for driving with a revoked license last week.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham attempted to distance the Republican Party from Cawthorn's comments, calling him an 'outlier'

It's his third time running afoul of North Carolina police after two prior pending citations for speeding, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.

He was previously charged for driving with a revoked license in 2017, according to the newspaper.

The 26-year-old member of Congress is also in the middle of divorcing his wife, who he claims to have met at a fake CrossFit competition they were both invited to by a US military service member who Cawthorn met at a casino while on vacation in St. Petersburg, Russia. However gambling and casinos have been banned in Russia since 2009.

He announced their split in late December, just eight months after they tied the knot.

His stunning comments came after the House of Representatives approved nearly $14 billion in humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine as part of its mammoth $1.5 trillion government funding package.

Cawthorn was also one of 15 Republicans to vote against a ban on Russian energy imports, which was taken after the spending bill was passed. Two Democrats voted with them: Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

The 26-year-old lawmaker announced he was splitting from his wife of eight months in December

His calling Zelensky a 'thug' comes two weeks after his fellow Republican, former President Donald Trump, was widely panned for praising the start of Putin's invasion as 'genius.'

The day before Moscow's troops engaged in a three-front assault on Ukraine, Trump said the Russian autocrat was 'savvy' for declaring two Kremlin-backed separatist regions of the country to be independent and sending his soldiers into their territory.

Trump has since walked back his comments, calling the invasion a 'Holocaust,' while also accusing the media and Democrats of misinterpreting his glowing remarks about Putin.

Top GOP lawmakers have joined Democrats in condemning Putin as a 'dictator' as his forces bombard Ukrainian cities and slaughter civilians for more than two weeks.

In a rare break from Trump, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said during a Wednesday press conference that there was no place for Putin apologists in his party and said, 'I do not think anything savvy or genius about Putin. I think Putin is evil, I think he's a dictator, I think he's murdering people right now.'

Earlier this month Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell called Putin a 'ruthless thug' when asked about Trump's comments.
Chicago police Supt. David Brown has confirmed he placed two cops on desk duty after they stopped the niece of the department's head of internal affairs in a drugs bust last month.

Brown declined to answer any further questions about why the officers were seemingly punished after they pulled over Internal Affairs Chief Yolanda Talley's niece, whose passenger had allegedly thrown 84 bags of heroin out the window.

'Until we fully understand all of the conduct of every officer involved is why we pulled them,' Brown said at an unrelated news conference Wednesday.

He also refused to answer press questions as to why the niece, who has not been named, was not arrested and why her car was not impounded. Her passenger, 34-year-old Kenneth Miles, was arrested.

Chicago Police Department has referred the incident to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation.

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Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown called the shootings 'unacceptable' and plans to reduce the city's level of gun violence in 2022

Body camera video from a February 1 drug arrest shows the niece of Chicago Police Department's Internal Affairs Chief Yolanda Talley yelling at cops and repeatedly invoking her aunt

The incident began on February 1, when police officers conducting a drug investigation observed Miles walk up to a black SUV parked in the 3400 block of West Chicago Avenue, NBC Chicago reports.

Miles was allegedly seen bending down to pick up a multicolored bag that police believed contained illegal drugs. He then walked to the silver SUV belonging to Chief Talley, has been on the force for 26 years and was promoted to Chief of Internal Affairs in December 2021, and being driven by her niece, and got into the front passenger seat.

As the Lexus began to drive, police tried to pull the vehicle over.

According to the reports, Miles rolled down his window and tossed out the multicolored bag, which was later found to contain 84 baggies of a white power suspected to be heroin with a street value of $6,300.

Police eventually stopped the Lexus and arrested Miles, charging him with felony heroin possession.

Meanwhile, Talley's niece was allowed to walk away without any charges. An investigation concluded that she 'did not have any knowledge of said narcotics being inside the vehicle.'

Body camera video, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, shows Talley's indignant and irate niece yelling and swearing at officers, and demanding that they allow her to retrieve her belongings, including her house keys, from the Lexus.

During the foul-mouthed verbal exchange seen in the video, which has been edited to obscure the niece's face, the woman tells the cops: 'Don't even worry about it, my auntie is probably your boss.'

The niece repeatedly invokes her high-ranking aunt during the back-and-forth with the officers, telling them: 'My auntie is a police officer, too. This is her car.'

Police arrested Miles on drug charges but let Talley's niece go, writing in a report that she was a witness.

Chief Talley was the owner of the silver Lexus that was stopped by the police. She was not in the vehicle

Internal affairs chief Yolanda Talley's (pictured) niece was driving a Lexus pulled over in a drug arrest that netted 42 grams of heroin, according to a source and court records

The niece, who was not arrested, told police 'my auntie is probably your boss' and 'my auntie is a police officer, too.' The edited video released by the police does not show her face

Talley's niece's passenger, Kenneth Miles, 34, was arrested on a heroin possession charge after allegedly being observed tossing 84 baggies of white powder out the car window

Talley's Lexus was removed from the scene by the arresting officers, but instead of being taken to an impound lot, it was returned to the chief's niece.

On Wednesday, Brown deferred questions on why the niece's car was returned - while most cars in drug cases are detained - and other tough questions to the inspector general, who's currently in the process of creating a report on the incident.

One of the main questions surrounding the February 1 bust was why the officers were put on what police sources have called 'soft' desk duty.

'We are not commenting any further on the investigation,' Brown said when asked about such questions.

John Catanzara, head of the Fraternal Order of Police, questioned why the officers got desk duty but their bosses were allowed to continue as normal.

On Wednesday, the Sun-Times obtained a report from February 2 through the Freedom of Information Act, which revealed that police brass were on the phone discussing the bust just minutes after it happened.

The report showed that Deputy Chief Gilberto Calderon had called Counterterrorism Chief Ernest Cato about 26 minutes after the traffic stop.

In a report filed with Brown the next day, Cato said Calderon told him that Talley's niece was the person driving when Miles tossed the baggies of heroin from the car before being arrested on drug charges.

During their phone call, Calderon added that when officers asked for the niece's identification, she refused and told them 'her aunt is their boss,' according to the 'initiation report.'

Cato had reportedly sent Brown the report to let him know the matter was being referred to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability for investigation.

However, that agency passed the investigation along to the inspector general's office due to it being outside it's jurisdiction.
Thursday featured the odd occurrence of two vice presidents, one past and one present, in Poland amid Russia's devastating invasion of Ukraine.

Former Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Poland along with former first lady Karen Pence to meet with refugees, just as Vice President Kamala Harris was announcing the latest details of U.S. security aide.

The dueling events put Pence closest to the border, encountering refugees bundled up against the cold outside after leaving their country behind amid Russia's brutal invasion.

Harris met with world leaders and answered questions from the press, while hosting a select group of refugees at a roundtable.

Pence came with minister Edward Graham of Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical relief group.

Pence tweeted that the former second couple were there 'to meet with Ukrainian women and children seeking refuge from war. 2.4 million refugees have already fled Ukraine and nearly 400,000 have already come through the Korczowa border crossing.

Former Vice President Mike Pence met with refugees on the Ukrainian border along with wife Karen Pence. He was in Poland at the same time as the current vice president, Kamala Harris

Pence sported an olive fleece as he met with people who fled their country amid an onslaught of rocket and bomb attacks that hit cities and towns.

His visit comes two weeks after the potential presidential candidate called on Biden to ban Russian energy and re-start the Keystone XL pipeline immediately after the invasion.

The Administration ultimately did announce an energy ban, although the company that owns the pipeline said Thursday it is not restarting the project.

'I can tell you, I have met Vladimir Putin. I looked him right in the eye. I can tell you, Putin only understands strength,' Pence said in an appearance on Fox.

It also came a week after Pence said there was no room for 'apologists' for Putin in the Republican Party, in a line taken as further distancing from his partner former President Donald Trump, who called Putin 'smart' after the invasion.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki, asked by DailyMail.com about Pence's visit, didn't venture much comment. 'I'm certainly happy to check and follow up,' was all she offered.

Harris was back on the world stage in her trip, which also takes her to Romania. She met with world leaders at the Munich security conference shortly before Russia began its invasion.

Harris dodged a question about scuttled plan to have Poland provide MiG fighters to Ukraine by sending them to the U.S.-run Ramstein air base in Germany.

She was criticized for laughing at a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzeg Duda about refugees.

'A friend in need is a friend indeed,' she after an awkward silence where the two leaders appeared stalled over who should go first.

Vice President Kamala Harris visited Warsaw Thursday. She met with Polish President Duda, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and spoke with refugees during a roundtable

Pence tweeted that he went 'to meet with Ukrainian women and children seeking refuge from war. 2.4 million refugees have already fled Ukraine

Officials fear the refugee crisis could grow even worse amid ongoing Russian attacks

Vice President Kamala Harris during a visit to the School of the American Embassy in Konstancin, near Warsaw, Poland, 10 March 2022. The visit of the US vice president is a demonstration of the United States' support for NATO's eastern flank allies in the face of Russian aggression. EPA/ANDRZEJ LANGE POLAND OUT

Harris spoke alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda

Harris held a roundtable with seven people who fled Russian aggression in Ukraine, according to a

During the roundtable, the Vice President met with 7 people who have fled Russian aggression from Ukraine. According to the White House, this included: 'a Ukrainian advocate for persons with disabilities, a Moroccan university student, a professional film producer from Odessa, a Senegalese community leader and teacher, a LGBTQIA+ rights activist from Kyiv, and a Ukrainian energy expert and her young adult daughter.'

But pool reporters traveling with Harris didn't get to see much of her interactions with the refugees. Instead, they got to see her remarks while seated at a horseshoe shaped table with them.

'The conversation we will have this afternoon will help inform the president of the United States and the American people about what you have experienced so we can best support you and your family,' Harris said.

'You've been through so much. And the people at this table represent well over a million people,' she said. Then she told them: 'You are not alone. You are not alone. People around the world are watching. People around the world and expressing their support and asking how they can help.'

Pence tweeted about his trip to Poland Thursday
The federal government will launch a new Covid plan and spend $2.1billion as it prepares for cases to double, a new variant to emerge and a deadly flu season to run rampant in winter.

The winter plan was requested by national cabinet to ensure the country and health systems are prepared for spikes in respiratory illnesses and will be a major topic of discussion at Friday's meeting.

UNSW modelling has revealed cases will double within the next four to six weeks with a massive surge already recorded in NSW and Victoria.

NSW recorded 16,288 cases on Thursday - up from 11,388 on the same day last week - while Victoria reported 7,779 - up from 7,093.

University of Melbourne epidemiologist James McCaw said rising cases are likely due to immunity from booster shots starting to wane, rising mobility and a jump in BA.2 cases.

BA.2 is up to 30 per cent more transmissible than Omicron and is expected to make up 90 per cent of Covid cases by winter - raising fears unpopular restrictions could be reintroduced to curb the spread.

The federal government will launch a new Covid plan as it prepares for cases to double, a new variant to emerge and a deadly flu season to run rampant in winter

An epidemiology and vaccine rollout update will also be provided to national cabinet, with the leaders due to discuss moving onto the final stage of the national pandemic plan and the Japanese encephalitis virus

'Isolation and quarantine still have a role to play [in keeping infections down], but compulsory measures aren't required now. It is still too early to treat COVID-19 like the flu,' Professor McCaw said.

The World Health Organisation said last month that BA.2 'appears inherently more transmissible than [the initial Omicron lineage] BA.1'.

'Experience overseas has shown BA.2 can move quite quickly to become the dominant sub-lineage ... but we don't have any evidence that it is more or less severe clinically,' acting Chief Health Officer Marianne Gale told the hearing.

Professor Robert Booy eased concerns of the new variant saying residents were less likely to become seriously ill if they had received their booster.

'Vaccination still works very well,' he told Channel Nine's Today Show. 'There is a good incentive for those few people who have not had to go and get it.

'More than half of people have already had a booster, but those who haven't, it will find you, because it is even more transmissible.'

Professor Booy said the infection rate would slightly increase with the new variant.

'Instead of on average one person being able to infect up to 10, could be 12 or 13,' he said.

'Omicron in general is much, much different from the ancestral strain, the one we got first two years ago.

'It is dramatically different. That is why it can be immune evasive. Our immunity from vaccines or natural infection is not as strong as Omicron. So get vaccinated.'

According to the latest NSW Health coronavirus surveillance report, BA.2 cases made up about a third of sequenced infections in the last two weeks in February.

UNSW modelling has revealed cases will double within the next four to six weeks with a massive surge already recorded in NSW and Victoria

Booster shots have stalled in recent weeks, with about 56 per cent of people aged over 16 having received a third shot

Dr Gale said a rise in cases was likely due to a number of factors including the new sub-variant, increased mixing of young people in school and university, and the scrapping of restrictions such as mandatory masks.

The biggest increase in cases over the past week has been in people aged 10 to 19, who comprised about one in four infections.

Booster shots have stalled in recent weeks, with about 56 per cent of people aged over 16 having received a third shot.

Mr Hazzard said he was concerned 'people have gone to sleep on the virus, but the virus hasn't gone to sleep on the community'.

'People need to go out and get the booster fast,' he said.

Labor health spokesperson Ryan Park said there were concerns rising cases could 'add further stress on our hospitals', particularly as the state enters flu season.

'It's critical that the government outline exactly how they are going to prepare hospitals to face a potentially significant increase in hospitalisations given the staffing shortages already facing hospitals,' Mr Park said.

The government will shore up stock of Japanese encephalitis vaccines, with 130,000 doses to be purchased under a new $69 million package to combat the virus.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration gave the nod to the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine to apply to use it in children and adolescents

The government says it's spent more than $41 billion on Australia's health response since the start of the pandemic

At least two Australians have now died from the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause the brain to swell in serious cases.

Enhanced surveillance activities across mosquito, animal and humans, as well as further modelling and scientific capabilities, also form part of the package.

The Commonwealth will also extend its Covid-19 partnership with states and territories - which sees it cover half of health-related costs - for an additional three months to September 30, 2022 due to ongoing costs associated with the Omicron outbreak.

The government says it's spent more than $41 billion on Australia's health response since the start of the pandemic.

It comes as the Therapeutic Goods Administration gave the nod to the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine to apply to use it in children and adolescents.

Novavax is currently approved for use in adults aged 18 and over.

The company has indicated it intends to apply for the provisional registration for those aged 12 and older in April and for children aged between five and 11 later in the year.

An epidemiology and vaccine rollout update will also be provided to national cabinet, with the leaders due to discuss moving onto the final stage of the national pandemic plan and the Japanese encephalitis virus.
Pentagon investigations revealed on Thursday that negligence, poor leadership and a 'culture of complacency' all undermined efforts to fight off a 2020 attack by Somali militants that killed three Americans at a military base in Kenya.

Although the probes blamed al-Shabab militants for the deaths, they delivered a scathing account of failures at the Manda Bay air base.

Army Spc. Henry Mayfield Jr., 23, defense contractors Bruce Triplett, 64, and Dustin Harrison, 47, were killed in the dawn raid - the first time the jihadist group is known to have targeted U.S. forces in Kenya.

Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, head of U.S. Africa Command, which carried out the first review, listed his findings during a Pentagon briefing.

'First, inadequate focus on potential threats and force protection at multiple levels,' he told reporters.

'For a number of successive years, there was complacent leadership and command and control at the tactical level and poor oversight at the operational level.'

The reviews found fault at all levels of leadership, from special operations commanders to U.S. Africa Command.

They concluded there was an inadequate understanding of the threats in the region.

Three Americans were killed when Al Shabab militants launched a dawn raid on the Manda Bay air base in Kenya in 2020. Investigations found complacency and negligence contributed

Army Spc. Henry Mayfield Jr., 23, (left) was killed when his vehicle was hit by an RPG. Contractor Dustin Harrison, 47, (right) was killed when the militants fired at the plane he was piloting with Bruce Triplett, 64, who also died in the attack

Seven aircraft were destroyed in the attack - six U.S. and one Kenyan - which was believed to be the first time Al Shabab had attacked American forces inside Kenya

Manda Bay sits in an island archipelago close to the border with Somalia. Kenyan defense forces have used the base as a launch pad for operations against Somali terrorists.

On Jan. 5 2020 it was overrun by 30 to 40 gunmen of Al-Qaeda's East African affiliate.

Lt. Gen. Steven Basham, Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, described how the attack unfolded.

He said a runway clearance crew spotted thermal images through a handheld scope but realised too late that they were Al Shabab fighters hiding in the undergrowth, who opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades.

'The first RPG penetrated the front windshield but did not explode and one service member quickly escaped from vehicle,' he said.

'The second RPG penetrated the driver side door. A moment later, this device detonated and killed specialist Henry Mayfield instantly.'

The two contractors were killed when the gunman turned their fire on a aircraft that was preparing to take off.

'The fighters also destroyed six U.S. aircraft, one Kenyan aircraft, several vehicles and other property,' said Basham.

It took until about midnight for the area to be declared secure.

Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, head of U.S. Africa Command (left) and Air Force Maj. Gen. Tom Wilcox, who was part of the team that did the second review, presented their findings

An image distributed by al-Shabaab after the attack on a military base in Kenya shows Somalia's al-Shabaab militant group's flag, said to be at the Manda Bay Airfield in Manda, Lamu

An initial investigation was carried bout by U.S. Africa Command. Last April, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an independent review led by Gen. Paul Funk commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command.

In his report, he identified negligence as a factor.

'I further find that although misconduct or criminal negligence was not the direct or proximate cause of the attack or the losses suffered, the negligent actions or inactions of certain leaders, staff, and security forces personnel did contribute to the outcome of the attack,' he said.

The result was to make the base a more 'vulnerable target than it otherwise would have been with more aggressive force protection measures.'

Part of the problem stemmed from failing to adjust security at the base after 2016 when it became a full-time airfield. Before then it was a Kenyan base which U.S. service members would visit for training.

As a result, security troops at the airfield were not read to respond to the attack. Instead it was Marines at Camp Simba, about a mile away, who responded first.

There were also delays to building a fence around the base.

The Air Force now trains all deploying security forces together before they depart for the country, and it requires that personnel be more experienced in force protection to get senior jobs at the bases.
Vladimir Putin has 'overreached' in his invasion of Ukraine and the 'despicable operation will lead to his downfall', the former head of MI6's Russian division said today.

Christopher Steele, who was a member of the British secret service for over two decades and led MI6 operations in Russia from 2006-2009, said Putin will never be accepted back into the international community and his regime will ultimately collapse as a result.

'I don't see him surviving this in the long term. I think we've gone over a watershed here,' Steele declared in an interview with Sky News Thursday evening.

'An operation on this scale is really beyond Russia... I think there are several gross miscalculations here by Putin.'

It comes as a Russian assault on Kyiv was repelled earlier today by Ukrainian forces who successfully pushed back the invaders' advances towards the capital from the west and east, inflicting heavy losses with an artillery ambush of Russian armour outside Brovary, east of the capital, and killing a high-ranking commander in the process.

But Steele warned that the slow progress of Russian troops thus far could result in Putin ordering more violence and 'indiscriminate killings' in the short-term.

Christopher Steele, who was a member of the British secret service for over two decades and led MI6 operations in Russia from 2006-2009, said Putin will never be accepted back into the international community and his regime will ultimately collapse as a result

'I don't see him surviving this in the long term. I think we've gone over a watershed here,' Steele declared in an interview with Sky News Thursday evening. 'An operation on this scale is really beyond Russia... I think there are several gross miscalculations here by Putin'

It comes as a Russian assault on Kyiv was repelled earlier today by Ukrainian forces, who successfully pushed back the invaders' advances towards the capital from the west and east (Ukrainian servicemen walk in front of a Russian tank that they captured after fighting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, outside Brovary near Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2022)

Ukraine's troops inflicted heavy losses on the invaders with an artillery ambush of Russian armour, killing a high-ranking commander in the process

Steele went on to explain that Putin's dictatorial leadership style may contribute to his eventual downfall, reasoning that as regular Russian citizens and oligarchs alike see sanctions bite, the likelihood of his deposition increases.

'One of the problems is, when you run an authoritarian regime like he does and you don't welcome criticism or debates within the leadership, then you end up with bad advice and hearing the things you want to hear from your advisors.

'As people's living standards start to fall, they will be increased protests on the streets of Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. And I think that will play in to probably an elite attempt to remove Putin in due course.'

The progress of the Russian invasion force has been slow to say the least, with attempts to overwhelm Ukrainian defences on the outskirts of the capital in both Irpin to the west and Brovary to the east resoundingly defeated last night and earlier today.

Ukraine's military also reported today that a Russian onslaught in Mykolayiv was thwarted, as Putin's men tried to push towards Kryvyi Rih - to the northeast and birthplace of the President - and Voznesensk - to the northwest.

But Steele argued the poor progress may encourage Putin to step up the already brutal bombardment of several Ukrainian cities in an attempt to force the top brass into submission.

'As the Russian army becomes bogged down, more desperate, and clearly not realising its objectives militarily, you're likely to see more indiscriminate killing and bombardment and possibly the use of a [chemical] weapon,' Steele said.

The warning comes after the besieged city of Mariupol in the south of Ukraine saw its maternity hospital targeted in an airstrike yesterday, after the metropolis had already endured 10 days of bombardment with its citizens largely cut off from water, power and humanitarian aid.

A doctor navigates the ward of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, after it was destroyed by Russian bombs

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

At least three people were killed and 17 wounded in the strike, while elsewhere mortuary workers were seen carting dozens of dead bodies - mostly civilians - to the outskirts of the decimated port city and then dumping them in mass graves.

A convoy tried today to bring supplies, but there was no word on whether it had managed to get through by early afternoon. Four previous attempts to bring relief to the city have failed, after Ukraine said Russia shelled the route it was intending to use.

Indiscriminate Russian airstrikes have also targeted cities Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Zhytomyr, among others, resulting in further civilian deaths.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson meanwhile echoed Steele's concerns that Russia may resort to the use of chemical weapons to accelerate their invasion.

Boris Johnson today said he fears Vladimir Putin will use chemical weapons in Ukraine because it would be 'straight out of Russia's playbook'. He made the comments to Sky News Beth Rigby Interviews show

Johnson also said he believes Russia is preparing a 'fake story' which it could use to deny using the weapons and to blame the West.

The stuff that you are hearing about chemical weapons, this is straight out of their playbook,' he told Sky News today.

They start saying that there are chemical weapons that have been stored by their opponents or by the Americans and so when they themselves deploy chemical weapons, as I fear they may, they have a sort of maskirovka, a fake story, ready to go. And you have seen it in Syria. You saw it even in the UK.

Asked if it was his expectation that Russia will use chemical weapons, the premier said: 'I just note that that is what they are already doing [preparing a fake story]. It is a cynical, barbaric government I am afraid.
A former Department of Homeland Security whistleblower's death two years ago that generated a flurry of right-wing conspiracy theories envisioning a deep-state murder plot was officially ruled a suicide by a Northern California sheriff-coroner.

Evidence found during the investigation into Philip Haney's death has now spurred a new investigation into how he obtained 'contraband' documents.

Haney, 66, was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the chest on February 21, 2020, in a park-and-ride lot along a busy state highway in a rural area of Amador County, east of Sacramento.

The Sacramento County Coroners Office has ruled that Philip Haney, a former senior Department of Homeland Security official and a vocal critic of the Obama administration, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2020

Haney was found fatally shot in the chest next to his SUV in a park-and-ride lot along a busy state highway in a rural area of Amador County (pictured above)

He was a former DHS national security official for 15 years and self-described whistleblower critical of the Obama administration's handling of terrorism-related cases.

Investigators discovered Haneys car parked next to his body, a folding chair he appeared to collapse from, a suicide note on the dashboard of the vehicle, and a loaded .40 caliber Sig Sauer handgun with one spent shell casing near the gun.

TIMELINE OF PHILIP HANEY'S DEATH PROBE: February 21, 2020: Philip Haney, 66, is found dead from a single gunshot wound to the chest in an open park-and-ride area on State Highway 124 in Amador County, California. February 26, 2020: A forensic autopsy is completed by the Sacramento County Coroners Office. The cause of death is determined to be a 'Perforating gunshot wound of torso.' February 27, 2020: FBI joins the investigation to assist with gathering pieces of evidence to be processed by their laboratories. April 3, 2020: Numerous thumb drives and a laptop that that were recovered from Haney's motorhome are given to the FBI for forensic analysis. July 22, 2020: Amador County Sheriffs Office learns that the gun used by Haney was sold to him by a friend five years prior. August 6, 2020: DNA samples are collected and sent to the FBI for cross reference and elimination purposes. September 30, 2021: Sheriff's Office receives the final report on all DNA results produced by the FBI lab. January 3, 2022: FBI reveals many documents found at Haney's home are the property of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. January 24, 2022: Sheriffs Office receives a request from the CBPs Office of Professional Responsibility requesting to take possession of 'contraband' documents belonging to CBP on three thumb drives and a personal laptop. January 25, 2022: All of the evidence collected and processed by the FBI is returned to the sheriff's office, reviewed, and entered into a report. February 8, 2022: The thumb drives and laptop containing the contraband documents are turned over to CBP for their investigation into violations of CBP policy and numerous United States Codes. Advertisement

Haneys death was controversial enough for the Amador County Sheriffs Office to bring in FBI crime scene investigators and other analysts to assist.

Haney Investigators found that Haney left a suicide note with a signature that a forensic analysis determined was in his handwriting. The gun used, a Sig Sauer, was traced to him.

He also left behind neatly arranged financial documents with instructions on how he wanted his assets distributed, according to investigators. And a day before he was found dead, Haney gave away his potted plants to a neighbor, who said that the former DHS official 'appeared depressed lately.'

'After a thorough review of the evidence collected and processed by the Sheriffs Office and FBI, the Sheriffs Office has determined the manner of Mr. Haneys death to be suicide,' the statement from Sheriff Gary Redmans office said Wednesday. 'This case has been classified as closed.'

Haney published a book in 2016 titled See Something, Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Governments Submission to Jihad, which alleged inaction against terrorism by the Obama administration.

He testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee and appeared on Fox News The Sean Hannity Show the year his book was published.

Haney gained national attention after he called out the DHS under the Obama administration, of which he criticized for its handling of radical Jihadists and Islamic extremists, in 2016.

He would testify that DHS ordered him to delete hundreds of files pertaining to people with ties to Islamist terrorist groups and argued that several terrorist attacks in the U.S. could have been prevented if certain files were maintained.

'It is very plausible that one or more of the subsequent terror attacks on the homeland could have been prevented if more subject matter experts in the Department of Homeland Security had been allowed to do our jobs back in late 2009,' Haney wrote in an opinion piece for The Hill in 2016.

He also called out the administration for prioritizing 'political correctness' over safety.

'I can no longer be silent about the dangerous state of America's counter-terror strategy, our leaders' willingness to compromise the security of citizens for the ideological rigidity of political correctnessand, consequently, our vulnerability to devastating, mass-casualty attack.'

Haney said the devastating 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting and 2015 San Bernardino terror attack could have been prevented if DHS took the right precautions.

In a 2015 interview with Fox News, Haney said his and other DHS employees efforts were stalled after they were accused of unfairly targeting Muslims.

If not halted, he said, they could have prevented the San Bernardino attack orchestrated by Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik that killed 14 people.

Haney's death spurred conspiracy speeches by Republican Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King and another GOP congressman on the House floor.

'He was a target because of all he knew of Islamic terrorist coverups,' King tweeted at the time. 'Phil Haney didnt kill himself.'

Haney published a book in 2016 titled See Something, Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Governments Submission to Jihad, which alleged inaction against terrorism by the Obama administration

After Haneys death, the FBIs analysis of numerous thumb drives and a personal laptop in Haneys motorhome determined that 'many documents found are the property of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection,' according to the sheriffs detailed account of the death investigation.

That federal agency's Office of Professional Responsibility asked to take possession of what it called 'contraband' documents.

The sheriffs office said it turned over Haneys laptop and three thumb drives a month ago 'for their investigation into violations of CBP policy and numerous United States Codes.'

On the second anniversary of Haney's death - about two weeks before the conclusion of the investigation - his family members gathered at the scene of his death to pay their respects.

'Of course we want answers,' Philip's younger brother, Terry Haney, told the Ledger Dispatch. 'I dont know that we will ever get them. The one thing I do know, regardless of what comes in the future I cant change or fix this. My brother is gone.'
David Bennett, the first man to receive a heart transplant from a genetically modified pig, died on Tuesday, only two months after the historic surgery went viral among experts and social media users.

Medical professionals did not immediately disclose the patient's cause of death and doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center did not reveal whether or not it was connected to any complications from the surgery. On Wednesday, the hospital released a statement that said the 57-year-old's health began deteriorating several days prior to his death.

Pig Heart Transplant

The hospital added that when doctors observed the patient was not going to recover from his condition, they gave him compassionate palliative care. They said that Bennett was able to communicate with his family during the final fours of his life.

David Bennett, Jr., the patient's son, released a statement through the hospital where he expressed his gratitude to the doctors who took care of his father. He added that the exhaustive efforts and energy of medical professionals combined with his dad's insatiable will to live, gave hope to his family during their struggles, as per NBC News.

Read Also: COVID-19 Mild Case Can Still Damage Brain, Addle Thinking, Scientists Discover Along With New Gene Differences in Severe Patients

The tragic loss comes as doctors, for decades, have sought to use animal organs to save lives in transplant surgeries. Bennett, who worked as a handyman in Hagerstown, Maryland, was one candidate in the experimental procedure. Without getting the new heart, the patient faces certain death because he was ineligible for a human heart transplant.

Many previous attempts of similar transplants, which are called xenotransplantation, have seen failure after failure, largely due to the patients' bodies rejecting the animal organs. But the case with Bennett was different because scientists had modified the animal to remove pig genes that trigger the hyper-fast rejection and added human genes to help the patient's body accept the foreign organ.

Experimental Procedures

According to the Associated Press, the modified pig's heart was functioning properly in the beginning and the Maryland hospital issued periodic updates that Bennett's health was slowly getting better. In a video last month, the hospital showed the patient watching the Super Bowl from his hospital bed while working with his physical therapist.

The doctor who performed the transplant on Bennett, surgeon Bartley Griffith, said that after the surgery, the patient proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought for his life. The medical professional previously said that the procedure would allow the world to take "one step closer" to addressing the organ shortage crisis.

Currently, around 17 people die every single day just in the United States while waiting for an organ transplant and more than 100,000 are reportedly on the waiting list. The use of animal organs in human transplants has been studied for a long time. In October last year, a pig's kidney was successfully transplanted into a human, New York surgeons said. At the time, the procedure was considered to be the most advanced experiment in the field but it was noted that the recipient was brain dead with no hope of recovery, BBC reported.



Related Article: COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Experts Speak Out on Effectivity of Booster Shot, Possible Need for 2nd

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Zelensky's former press secretary Iuliia Mendel, who served from June 2019 until July 2021, tweeted Thursday it would be a 'tragedy' if Vice President Kamala Harris became president after she laughed during her press conference in Poland. She later deleted her tweet

Volodymyr Zelensky's former press secretary tweeted then deleted a post on Thursday saying it would be a 'tragedy' if Vice President Kamala Harris were to one day be president after she awkwardly laughed through questions at a press conference in Poland when asked about the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

'It would be a tragedy if this woman won the presidency,' Iuliia Mendel, who served Zelensky's administration from June 2019 until July 2021, wrote on Twitter before quickly deleting the post.

Harris is the first ever woman and person of color to serve as a U.S. vice president  before being selected as President Joe Biden's No. 2, she was running for his spot in the Democratic primary.

Mendel's comments were in response to another tweet with a video showing Harris laughing when asked about the refugee crisis resulting from people displaced from Ukraine fleeing to neighboring countries and saying through giggles: 'A friend in need is a friend indeed.'

The vice president held a joint press conference alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine during her three-day trip through Eastern Europe.

The trip comes as Poland already took in upwards of 1.5 million refugees fleeing Ukraine in the 15 days since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded.

Duda confirmed at the press conference that he had asked Harris to help speed up the consular process so Ukrainian refugees could go stay with family they have in the U.S.

He also said that a 'refugee crisis is unfolding' in Eastern Europe, and claimed that more than 1 million people arrived at his country's borders from Ukraine in just 10 days of the so-far 15-day conflict.

The United Nations predicts that at least 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded and more than half of those refugees are now in Poland.

During her Thursday remarks with Duda in Warsaw, Harris faced a slew of backlash for laughing off questions about the refugee crisis and dodging inquiries on why a deal fell through with Poland for sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

Ukrainian-born Republican Representative Victoria Spartz slammed the vice president by saying 'this is a very serious situation requiring action, not a laughing matter,' as critics tore into Harris' conduct at her press conference with Duda.

When asked about the issue of refugees, Harris looked at Polish President Andrzej Duda like she expected him to respond first.

'It would be a tragedy if this woman won the presidency,' Mendel tweeted, then quickly deleted, in response to the vice president laughing and deflecting her way through a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday

Harris (left) inappropriately laughed when a reporter asked the vice president and President Duda (right) about the refugee crisis in Ukraine. Harris said through giggles, 'A friend in need is a friend indeed,' and turned to have Duda answer the question

More than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Poland since the start of he conflict last month. Pictured: People wait to board buses after crossing the Ukrainian border into Poland, at Medyka borders crossing on Thursday, March 10, 2022

The vice president's now commonplace laughter at inappropriate moments with world leaders was met with widespread criticism.

'Kamala Harris has been very consistent during her live remarks with Poland's leader,' former Donald Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos tweeted Thursday. 'She is awkwardly laughing. Again. Discussing refugees is no laughing matter. Why she laughs at this is deranged.'

Turning Point USA's chief creative officer Benny Johnson posted: 'Only Kamala Harris would find it appropriate to laugh when talking about the topic of Ukrainian Refugees.'

Harris has faced backlash previously for laughing during inappropriate moments. After the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, Harris cut off reporters asking questions by giggling and saying 'Hold on, hold on  slow down, everybody.'

The vice president pledged during her Thursday press conference that the U.S. will send more than $50 million more in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, while also dodging questions on a failed deal to send the country warplanes.

'The issue facing the Ukrainian people and our allies in the Eastern flank is something that occupies one of our highest priorities,' the vice president said, calling it a 'dynamic situation' that 'requires us to be nimble and to be swift.'

Duda, however, did address the issue of warplanes, explaining that the situation is 'extremely complicated', and that the mix up came because Poland was making these aircraft available for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to decide if they wanted to send them to Ukraine.

'We are trying to do our best,' Duda said in a frank moment during his joint briefing with the vice president as Poland takes in millions of refugees fleeing their neighbor Ukraine.

'Some expectations were addressed in a very strong and a vocal way, also towards us, towards Poland,' he added. 'However, we are members of the North Atlantic Treaty alliance and as far as security issues are concerned we have to look at this not only through our own lens  through the prism of the security of Poland  but we also have to adopt the perspective of the security of NATO as a whole.'

Russian tanks push to within just a few miles of Kyiv's outskirts, analysts and witnesses claim, though initial assaults to the west and east of the capital were repelled Wednesday as President Vladimir Putin's men face a long and bloody campaign to take the capital.

At the same time, U.S. troops conducted military drills in Rutja, Estonia on Thursday by firing Stinger missiles from their Stryker armored fighting vehicles.

Harris left Wednesday for a three-day trip to Eastern Europe as the 15th day of Russian invasion continues in Ukraine and troops close in on the capital city of Kyiv.

The vice president had a much more tame stance toward the violence than President Duda during Thursday's joint remarks.

KAMALA'S NERVOUS AND AWKWARD LAUGHS: A HISTORY January 20, 2022: Harris is hit with a barrage of criticism for laughing during interviews where she said the COVID pandemic was under control January 20, 2022: Harris is hit with a barrage of criticism for laughing during interviews where she said the COVID pandemic was under control. August 23, 2021: Harris nervously laughed and dismissed a reporter's inquiry as she headed to Singapore amid Afghanistan chaos. Harris initially claimed to have had a key role and that she was 'the last person in the room' when Biden chose to follow through with the May 1 deadline to retreat US troops from Afghanistan. March 22, 2021: Harris was asked if she had plans to visit the US-Mexico border on Monday but appeared to laugh at the question when posed by a reporter. 'Do you have any plans to visit the border?' came the question while on the tarmac in Jacksonville, Florida. 'Not today,' responded Harris, before laughing. 'But I have before, and I'm sure I will again.' October 26,2020: Harris burst into laughter when asked if she would bring a 'socialist or progressive perspective' to the White House in an interview with CBS News. September 8, 2019: Harris apologizes for laughing when man at New Hampshire town hall described Trump as 'mentally retarded' - and claims she hadn't heard the words he used 'in that moment'. Advertisement

Harris held a press joint press conference in Warsaw with Duda after the United Nations said at least 2.2 million people fled Ukraine in the 15 days since Russia launched its invasion and at least half are now in Poland

Harris three-day Eastern European trip includes a stop in Poland and Romania, where the U.S. has sent troops to help defend the NATO ally countries

Analysts believe the Russian assault on Kyiv is now underway, as troops massed in both the west and east try to push into the city limits - with missions also underway to surround the capital from the south west

U.S. troops prepare to fire Stinger missiles from their Stryker armored fighting vehicle during Saber Strike military drill in Rutja, Estonia on Thursday, March 10, 2022

Ukraine war: The latest Ukraine accuses Russia of a 'war crime' over a devastating attack on a children's hospital Some 1,207 civilians have been killed in the 10-day Russian siege on Mariupol, its mayor says Red Cross calls situation in Mariupol 'apocalyptic' after more than a week without water, power or heat 35,000 civilians are evacuated from other Ukrainian cities during a 12-hour ceasefire Fears are mounting Kyiv will also soon be encircled, with Russian tanks just a few miles away Two women and a 13-year-old boy are killed overnight in bombing near Sumy overnight Four people are killed in bombing on Kharkiv, with a five-year-old girl rushed to hospital wounded US lawmakers pass a $14bn aid package for Ukraine with Canada pledging more military equipment The International Monetary Fund approves $1.4 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine The United States deploys two new Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland Fearing a wider conflict, the Pentagon rejects a Polish offer to give MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are in Turkey to hold face-to-face talks Britain calls on the G7 to ban Russian oil, but move is opposed by France, Germany, Italy and Japan Nuclear watchdog says it is not receiving updates from either Chernobyl or Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, both of which are in Russian hands Washington rejects Russian claims it funded bioweapons research in Ukraine, and warns Russia could be about to use chemical or biological weapons itself UN says at least 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine, with more than half now in Poland Oil prices tumble while US and European and Asian stocks surge after days of market turmoil Advertisement

'We are also very clear that any intentional attack on innocent civilians is a violation,' the vice president said, stopping short of calling Russia's actions 'war crimes.'

But Duda sayid: 'It is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes.'

While Duda explained that Poland is trying to act in the interest of their own country, Ukraine and NATO, Harris appeared on more shaky ground as she deflected and dodged.

'I want to be very clear, the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine. Full stop,' Harris said when she was asked about the lack of movement on a fighter jet deal.

'In terms of the work the United States has done so far, we have, as you know, given military, humanitarian and security assistance, and that is an ongoing process,' the vice president continued without addressing the defunct plan to send war planes to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the U.S. and Poland of playing games with people's lives after the Pentagon poured cold water on a plan to get them fighter jets.

Zelensky told D.C. and Warsaw to stop their 'ping pong' and hand over the MIG-29 combat planes to bolster Ukrainian firepower against Russian troops as they continued their relentless shelling campaign in cities across the country.

'There is an official decision of Poland to transfer the planes to the relevant base - the American base. We also have confirmation - we have all heard - that the agreement between the American party and Poland has been reached,' Zelensky said in a speech Wednesday.

'But at the same time, we hear that Poland's proposal is allegedly unfounded,' he continued. 'And that's what they say in Washington. We also read this. So when will the decision be made?'

'Listen,' the Ukrainian leader pleaded, 'We have a war! We do not have time for all these signals. This is not ping pong! This is about human lives! We ask once again: solve it faster.'

'Do not shift the responsibility. Send us planes,' Zelensky demanded.

Despite the Pentagon denying a deal to enter a war plane deal with Poland, Harris announced Thursday that the U.S. did deliver on its promise to send patriot missiles to Warsaw to ramp up their protection against possible attacks from Russia.

She also pledged that the U.S. will send $50 million more in humanitarian aid to help Ukraine as it faces attack from Russia.

'Today we are also announcing in pursuit of what must happen, which is to provide humanitarian assistance, that we will give another $50 million  the United States will  through the UN's World Food Program to assist in humanitarian aid,' she said.

A White House fact sheet on the new announcement Thursday claims: 'This assistance builds on the United States' announcement less than two weeks ago of nearly $54 million in humanitarian assistance to provide critically needed health supplies, food assistance, high thermal blankets, and other relief.'

Refugees from Ukraine stand near tents as they wait to be transported away from the border after crossing into Poland in Medyka on Wednesday, March 9

When asked Thursday about the building refugee crisis in Poland, Harris laughed and handed the question off to Duda, saying through chuckles: 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'

Duda (left) and Harris (right) met in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, March 10, 2022 as the Russian attack on Ukraine entered its 15th day and forces closed in on Kyiv

Ukrainian armed forces collect captured ammunition on Thursday, March 10, 2022 as Russia continues its 15th day of invasion and closes in on Kyiv

Thousands of U.S. troops were deployed to Eastern European countries to assist in defending NATO ally nations as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine. Pictured: U.S. troops during a military drill in Rutja, Estonia on Thursday

U.S. troops prepare to fire Stinger missiles from their Stryker armored fighting vehicle during Saber Strike military drill in Estonia on March 10, 2022

Vladimir Putin is going is on his 15th day of invasion in Ukraine. The Russia leader pictured above at a video meeting with government members in Moscow on Thursday

Although there has been no word on Ukrainian military casualties, Russia says it has destroyed more than 2,900 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities and has taken control of a number of neighborhoods in besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Kyiv estimates that Russia has lost some 12,000 troops in the fighting, along with 335 tanks, 1,100 armored personnel carriers, 500 vehicles, 81 helicopters and 49 planes. Moscow has admitted suffering losses, but has not given an accurate figure.

'The NATO alliance is stronger and Russia is weaker because of what Putin has done, that is very clear to us,' Harris said in her remarks with Duda on Thursday.

Zelensky shared a video Wednesday of destruction at a maternity hospital as buildings were turned to rubble in Mariupol, Ukraine.

'Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity!' Zelensky tweeted.

'How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror?' he questioned in a tweet. 'Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity.'

The devastating airstrikes on the maternity hospital killed three including a six-year-old girl.

Residents and troops help civilians flee on Thursday from the town of Irpin in the Kyiv region of Ukraine as Russia tries to take the capital city after almost a week of fighting in the area forcing thousands of people to escape the town

A Russian armored vehicle sits by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, after being destroyed in an artillery and rocket ambush that caused heavy casualties

Ukraine has rejected most Russian evacuation routes because they lead to Russian soil or that of its ally, Belarus, while routes that Ukraine has proposed have come under bombardment. The only successful evacuation to take place so far has been from Sumy to Poltava (in green)

Vadym Denysenko, adviser to the interior ministry, said Ukrainian forces had managed to stop the attack in Irpin and were counter-attacking on Thursday morning with battles now underway.

'The night was quite difficult, but in general we can say that the Ukrainian army counterattacked near Kyiv,' he said. 'There is no further detailed information yet.'

It means the Russian mission to assault the Ukrainian capital is now underway, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said.

Among the vehicles seen driving towards Kyiv before they were ambushed was a missile launcher which carries thermobaric warheads - missiles that suck oxygen out of the air and crush the lungs of victims.

Shelling in Kharkiv overnight killed four people, two of them children, with a five-year-old girl injured and rushed to hospital. Emergency workers said they are still working to pull people from the rubble of houses in the town of Slobozhanske. Three people were also killed in shelling on the city of Sumy - two women and a 13-year-old boy.

Mariupol continues to be surrounded by Russian forces but is still in Ukrainian hands, chiefs said. They said Ukrainian fighter jets and anti-aircraft missile units destroyed four Russian Su-25 attack jets and two Russian helicopters over the past 48 hours.
A 73-year-old wife shot her husband, 70, in the back of the head while he slept because she thought he was hacking her bank account, police said.

Linda Burton, 73, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, allegedly shot her husband, who according to public records is named Kyle Armstrong, 70, twice.

He was hit once in the back of the head and once in the torso while he took a nap at around 3.15pm on Wednesday in their modest, brick home on Olympia Avenue and 17th Street.

Armstrong woke up in the mid-afternoon after the first blow to the head and confronted Burton who then shot him again, hitting him in the hand and torso, Tulsa Police said.

Burton, who does not appear to have any criminal past according to public records, reportedly waited 15 minutes before calling the police and telling them her husband was sitting in a chair with no pulse, however when authorities arrived, they discovered two gunshot wounds and the man alive.

Paramedics transported him to the hospital, where upon arrival, he reportedly said: 'I can't believe the b**ch finally did it.'

It is unclear why he was unsurprised by her actions.

Linda Burton, 73, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, shot her husband, Kyle Armstrong, 70, on Wednesday because she thought he was hacking into her bank account. Armstrong had been sleeping when she shot him in the back of the head and when he woke up and began fighting her for the gun, she shot him again, hitting him in the hand and torso

She shot him inside their modest, brick home on Olympia Avenue and 17th Street around 3.15pm on Wednesday. After shooting him, she called authorities 15 minutes later and told him he was sitting in a chair and had no pulse. When EMS arrived, he was found alive and talking and told paramedics: 'I can't believe the b**ch finally did it'

Burton was taken into custody and the gun was recovered on the scene. When speaking with investigators, Burton told them that she had 'thought about shooting her husband for several days and she was upset because she thought her husband hacked her bank account.'

She also told investigators that the only 'lifesaving measures' she engaged in was putting a blanket over him.

The older woman was arrested for shooting with the intent to kill and domestic assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Paramedics transported Armstrong to the hospital, where he underwent surgery overnight and is said to be in critical condition.

DailyMail.com has attempted to contact the Tulsa Police Department for comment.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for help.
A primary school has been slammed by outraged parents for installing a mixed-gender toilet block.

The new toilet block at Mona Vale Public School, on Sydney's northern beaches, features a row of male and female amenities, including a unisex cubicle as an 'inclusivity option'.

It also includes an 'open hallway' with an entry and exit point enabling teachers to clearly supervise the toilet block.

A new mixed-gender toilet block at Mona Vale Public School, on Sydney's northern beaches, has outraged parents (pictured)

The toilets have undergone further renovations after parents expressed concern young female students were exposed to 'privacy breaches' due to the doors being too short and low.

Outraged parents have contacted NSW MP Mark Latham over the new design, citing safety issues for girls, reported The Daily Telegraph.

They pointed to an incident at another northern beaches school, where a six-year-old student was allegedly raped in a toilet cubicle by two 12-year-old boys in 2016.

But when parents complained to the school about the new design, they claim they were told the block would be monitored by teachers during lunch breaks.

'Whoever approved the design clearly never thought through the impact on the children,' one mum told the news outlet.

'I can imagine poor girls, already stressed with changing bodies, trying to use the toilets, with fear of someone peeping under. Kids will be kids,' said another.

The toilets feature six male and six female cubicles each with their own basin, including a unisex toilet at both ends (pictured)

One mother could not believe the new layout wasn't run through parents first: 'Did the person/s that OKd this decision think about girls as young as 10 experiencing periods for the first time, having to enter these toilets with Year 6 boys able to stand right (near) the door?'

Mr Latham described the new design as 'deeply disturbing' and was concerned it could jeopardise the safety and privacy of female students.

'They seem to have decided on a totally different toilet design than schools have traditionally had and it puts at severe risk girls' safety and privacy,' he said.

'It's incomprehensible.'

He also questioned why unisex cubicles were added to the end of each block, claiming parents believe it's an attempt to encourage gender transitioning.

The new blocks will be installed by the end of Term One and will cater to students in Year three to six.

A NSW Education spokeswoman said two parents had been involved on a reference group, and that the school is in 'extensive consultation' with parents via newsletters.

'Our schools work very closely with parents and the wider community when upgrading school buildings,' Ms Mitchell said.

'If there are serious concerns from parents raised with the school, my expectation is that they would be responded to accordingly.'
A Canadian man has been extradited to the United States to face charges in connection with ransomware attacks that netted tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, the Justice Department said Thursday.

Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, 34, was extradited on Wednesday and is to appear before a federal court in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, the department said in a statement.

Vachon-Desjardins, of Gatineau, Quebec, was arrested in Canada in January 2021 and sentenced by a Canadian court to nearly seven years in prison for his role in so-called NetWalker ransomware attacks.

Prosecutors say he deployed ransomware known as 'NetWalker' to target companies, municipalities, hospitals and law enforcement during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, 34, was extradited on Wednesday and is to appear before a federal court in Tampa, Florida on hacking charges

During a search of his home, officers seized 719 bitcoin currently valued at $28.15 million and $790,000 in Canadian currency, according to the Justice Department

Vachon-Desjardins' hacker lair is seen in evidence photos shared by the Mounties

NetWalker targeted HOSPITALS during COVID pandemic NetWalker was a ransomware gang that specifically targeted hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using ransomware of the same name, the gang encrypted the computer systems of victims and demanded ransoms ranging from $1,000 to $3 million. Leadership of the group were Russian speaking, and the virus was designed not to infect systems in Russia and former Soviet states. Hospitals and healthcare systems in Maryland, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and California were among the victims. Advertisement

During a search of his home, officers seized 719 Bitcoin, currently valued at $28.15 million and $790,000 in Canadian currency, according to the Justice Department.

According to a LinkedIn profile for a Sebastien Vachon that appears to match his description, he previously worked as an IT consultant for Public Works and Government Services in Canada.

'The department will not cease to pursue and seize cryptocurrency ransoms, thereby thwarting the attempts of ransomware actors to evade law enforcement through the use of virtual currency,' Assistant US Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr said.

Vachon-Desjardins is charged in the United States with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud, intentional damage to a protected computer and other offenses.

The Justice Department says NetWalker ransomware victims have included companies, municipalities, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, emergency services, school districts, colleges and universities.

'Attacks have specifically targeted the healthcare sector during the Covid-19 pandemic, taking advantage of the global crisis to extort victims,' it said.

According to Canadian press reports, Vachon-Desjardins was previously convicted of drug trafficking in Canada.

In January 2021, the DOJ seized the NetWalker gang's dark web site in a coordinated international law enforcement action

Ransomware is an increasingly lucrative form of digital hostage-taking in which hackers encrypt victims' data and then demand money for restored access.

The extradition of Vachon-Desjardins comes days after a Ukrainian man was flown to the United States from Poland to face hacking charges.

Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 22, was arrested in Poland in October as part of a global operation against ransomware attacks.

According to an August 2021 indictment, Vasinskyi was responsible for the notorious Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware attack against Florida software provider Kaseya.

In a statement on Wednesday announcing Vasinskyi's extradition and indictment, the Justice Department thanked Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police, among other agencies.

To some observers, it suggested that there may have been a nexus between the investigations into Vachon-Desjardins and Vasinskyi.

Vachon-Desjardins previously worked for the Canadian government. Experts believe he may have had ties to other hacker gangs, including REvil

Cash seized in the the raid on Vachon-Desjardins is seen in an evidence photo

Researchers with the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis have said that they believe that in addition to NetWalker, Vachon-Desjardins was involved in the deployment of other ransomware, including REvil.

'Ransomware gangs are interconnected and share 'business' partners such as the affiliates who carry out attacks and money-movers,' Brett Callow, a threat analyst with cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, told DailyMail.com.

'This means that when law enforcement is able to compromise one gang's operations, it may enable them to compromise other gangs too. So arrests such as these are of real concern to cybercriminals,' he said of Vachon-Desjardins.

'They don't know when their partners in crime have been compromised and whether there could be a trail of breadcrumbs leading to them. They're already a paranoid bunch, and this makes them even more paranoid - which means it's harder for them to operate,' he added.

'Ransomware became such a massive problem because the cybercriminals could make millions with a near-zero chance of being prosecuted. That's no longer the case and there's now a very real risk that they'll find themselves sitting in a US prison.'
A Colombian migrant's family is seeking answers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection after the married father-of-three died last month after crossing the United States-Mexico border and suffering a fatal fall.

Juan Rivera, 37, was found dead February 24 next to a steel border fence he had reportedly climbed after paying a smuggler $800 to ferry him into the U.S. before he abandoned him in along the border line outside Arizona.

Border agents assigned to U.S. Border Patrol's Yuma Sector encountered 19 migrants in San Luis and the group notified them of the possibility that another migrant may have died south of where they were stopped.

An agent canvassed the area and found Rivera's body between the primary and secondary border fences about 83 miles north of the United States-Mexico border.

Juan Rivera, of Bogota, Colombia, was found dead next to a steel border fence in San Luis, Arizona, on February 24. The 37-year-old had left behind his wife and three children in Colombia and intended to turn himself over to the U.S. Border Patrol after hiring the services of a smuggler, whom was paid $800. Family members say the smuggler left Rivera at the Mexican side of the border in Mexicali and told him to walk across the desert where he would meet other migrants who were headed to the U.S.

Juan Rivera (right) with his wife, Karen Sanchez (left), and their three children

San Luis (Arizona) Police Department lieutenant Marco Santana explained to Univision that Rivera scaled a wall that served as the international barrier between Mexico and the United States before proceeding to climb over the second wall - which he ultimately fell off.

'There is no other information that will shows that it was any other way than a fall in which he hit himself and ultimately lost his life,' Santana said.

Family members told Colombian news outlets that Rivera decided to migrate to the United States and was looking to settle in San Jose, California.

The Bogota native was working in his father's butcher shop, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic he was barely making enough money to support his wife Karen Sanchez and their three children, aged 3, 6 and 10.

He borrowed money to buy a car to use for his new job a rideshare app driver in 2021, but was fell behind on payments to cover the car loan and barely managed to cover the home expenses.

Juan Rivera (pictured with his wife and chidlren) was struggling economically due to the COVID-19 pandemic and quit his job at his father's butcher shop in Colombia. He purchased a car and used it on a local rideshare app, but still was having a tough to cover the loan payment for the vehicle and the expenses at home. He eventually sold the car and used the money to buy plane tickets to travel to Mexico and meet a smuggler, who for $800 would cross him into the U.S.

Blood stain remained at the site where Juan Rivera's body was located by a U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Yuma Sector moments after other agents had encountered 19 migrants, who told them that they there was another migrant who had possibly died in front of the fence

After watching online migration videos with his brother John Escudero in February, Rivera decided to give it a try and cross the border with the intention of voluntarily turning himself in to the border patrol.

He sold the car to cover the smuggler-assisted cross-border trek and boarded a flight for Mexico City on February 21 and then headed over to Cancun.

On February 23, Rivera was on a flight to Mexicali, the capital of Baja California that also borders with southern California.

He met the smuggler but texted his brother because he was having second thoughts about the migrant trafficker.

'In one of the voice not, at 8:20 p.m, mi brother was telling me that the person was very weird,' John Rivera told El Tiempo. 'I tried to calm him, told him it was normal because they could run into the Mexican police.'

Juan Rivera messaged his brother later that night to inform him that the smuggler had left him in a remote border area and instructed him to walk about 984 feet where he would meet a group of United States-bound migrants.

Rivera proceeded to walk through the desert and reached out to his wife to let her know that his phone battery was running low.

Colombian migrant Juan Rivera was found dead in front of a border fence in Arizona on February 24

The family did not hear of Rivera's whereabout until 48 hours later, when the Colombian consulate office in Los Angeles via email that he had died.

His loved ones are now questioning his death, recalling that Rivera told them he only had to climb over one short border fence in order to cross into the United States.

Further doubts were raised, they say, when they were asked for permission to cremate his body. The Colombian government has stepped forward to help repatriate Rivera's remains.

'We do not know what happened. They tell us that he fell when he was jumping the Mexicali wall,' John Rivera told Colombian online media outlet QHubo. 'But we doubt this version because at the point where he was going to (climb), according to the plan he had, it is not high, there was no way to die like that. As we have not been able to see his body and they wanted us to authorize him to be cremated there, this planted more doubts in us.'

According to border data collected by the International Organization for Migration, at least 650 migrants died at the border in 2021.

More 200 individuals were reported dead along the Arizona border region alone in 2021, according to Humane Borders and the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office.
A convoy of Russian tanks was destroyed in a Ukrainian ambush that saw Moscow suffer another setback in its goal of seizing Kyiv.

While the Red Army was still last night edging towards the capital, a number of Russian T-72 tanks and other vehicles were obliterated in the surprise attack from the front and back of the convoy, forcing those who survived to turn and flee.

The devastating artillery strike targeted a column of some 30 tanks and support units, including a fearsome TOS-1 thermobaric launcher, and left Russia mourning the loss of another senior commander.

Drone footage posted online captured the Battle of Brovary, named after the north-eastern Kyiv suburb in which it took place.

It showed explosions around the Russian tanks, releasing plumes of black and grey smoke into the air. Yesterday smouldering shells of Moscows machinery sat abandoned by the road.

In video released by Ukraines military, a Russian soldier could be heard saying: Commander, the commanders dead!.

Ukraines Ministry of Defence named the dead Russian commander as Colonel Andrei Zakharov, of the 6th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division, whom its statement describes as having been liquidated.

In 2016, he was awarded the Order of Courage by Vladimir Putin, and the two stood shoulder-to-shoulder in photographs.

The second voice asked for the message to be repeated  to which the first voice shouted: Hes dead! The commanders dead!.

Zakharovs death, which could not immediately be verified, is another blow for Putin, as it follows those of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of Russias 41st Army, reportedly killed in fighting in Kharkiv on Monday, and Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, the 41st Armys deputy commander, who perished early in the invasion.

While the Red Army was still last night edging towards the capital through Brovary, a number of Russian T-72 tanks and other vehicles were obliterated in the surprise attack (above) from the front and back of the convoy, forcing those who survived to turn and flee

A Russian armoured vehicle sits by the side of the road in Brovary, to the east of Kyiv, after being destroyed in an artillery and rocket ambush that caused heavy casualties

Ukrainian servicemen drive off in a Russian tank they captured after fighting with Russian troops, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, outside Brovary, near Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2022

Ukrainian servicemen walk in front of a Russian tank that they captured after fighting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, outside Brovary near Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2022

Residents evacuate the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022. - Russian forces on March 10, 2022 rolled their armoured vehicles up to the northeastern edge of Kyiv, edging closer in their attempts to encircle the Ukrainian capital

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said today that Ukraine's capital city has been 'turned into a fortress' ahead of the Russian assault, with about 2 million people - half the residents of the metro area of the capital - having fled as Putin's troops draw ever closer

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

Last night, in signs of growing confidence, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said they would crush the enemy while the defence ministry said heroic troops would not back down.

Meanwhile the British Ministry of Defence revealed: Due to strong Ukrainian resistance, Russian forces are committing an increased number of their deployed forces to encircle key cities. This will reduce the number of forces available to continue their advance and will further slow Russian progress.

It also noted reduced Russian air activity, perhaps due to the unexpected effectiveness of Ukraines air defence.

The deaths of officers are a growing sign of Russian desperation to seize new ground despite poor organisation and logistics.

Former SAS hero and paratrooper Robin Horsfall, who spent six years specialising in the use of anti-tank equipment, described the convoy as a military disaster.

The aftermath of the attack: A destroyed Russian tank is seen after the ambush on a main road near Brovary, just north of Kyiv

Drone footage showed explosions around the Russian tanks, releasing plumes of black and grey smoke into the air. Yesterday smouldering shells of Moscows machinery sat abandoned by the road (above)

A child wait to be evacuated from the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 202

Kyiv's northwest suburbs such as Irpin and Bucha have been enduring shellfire and bombardments for more than a week, prompting a mass evacuation effort (Ukrainian soldier hugs his wife evacuating Irpin, north of Kyiv)

Russia's youngest recorded death Russia said goodbye to an 18-year-old ex-conscript  its youngest declared victim of the war so far  amid a row over sending teenage soldiers to Ukraine. Yegor Pochkaenko was killed while fighting in Vladimir Putins special military operation. Russia has failed to give reliable figures on its military losses so far, but the US estimates the toll to be up to 6,000. Yegor Pochkaenko, 18, (above) was killed while fighting in Vladimir Putins special military operation Pochkaenko was hailed a hero in his home town of Belogorsk in the Amur region, but his death comes amid a dispute over the deployment of conscripts, usually aged 18 or 19, despite Putin having denied their use in Ukraine. Russian senator Lyudmila Narusova, 70, has claimed conscripts were forced to sign up as contract soldiers  or it happened without their knowledge. She also told parliament that in one company of 100 young soldiers ordered to fight, only four survived. Pochkaenko was posthumously honoured with the Order of Courage by Putin and a military salute. Advertisement

The Ukrainians are using simple tactics, he said. Mine the roads, drop bridges, use anti-tank weapons. The Russians are getting hit by artillery because they cant get off the road. Its amateurish.

'No general in the western world would get away with planning something like that. I think it is political, from Putin, not his generals, because I cant imagine generals being that incompetent.

The ground isnt suitable and theyre running out of fuel and food. Russias weak underbelly is being exposed. After this, no one is going to be scared of them.

On Putins tactics to seize Kyiv, he added: The Russians let everyone know they were coming and the Ukrainians were waiting for them and they are getting slaughtered.

'I feel sorry for the young conscripts. Russia has already lost this. For Putin, there is no face-saving way out.

On the official Twitter page of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said the battle in the direction of Brovary ended with the complete defeat of [Russian] troops.

'We will nightmare the enemy, crush it with equipment and weapons, will not rest another day or night.

Buoyed by the minor victory, Ukraines defence minister Oleksii Reznikov yesterday boldly called for Russians to leave the country.

He said he would accept Russian capitulation with understanding, adding: I recommend for every Russian soldier to follow a Russian ship before it is too late.

Despite the Ukrainian fightback, half of the population of Kyiv has fled since the war began, mayor Vitali Klitschko said yesterday.

He said a little less than 2million of the citys usual 3.5million residents had escaped but warned the capital was now a fortress.

Every street, every building, every checkpoint has been fortified, he added. Russias key goal is to capture Kyiv and its army has separate convoys in other strategically important positions on its outskirts, such as Irpin, with Ukrainian forces engaged in a firefight in the outpost city just 13 miles from the capital yesterday.

Meanwhile a Russian prisoner of war revealed that his team had been instructed to capture Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv, in just three days.

The unnamed man, said to be a platoon leader, claimed to have been given permission to open fire on command and on all city residents in footage released by Ukraines security service.

On the 15th day of the war, Kharkiv remained under Ukrainian control but was suffering from yet more attacks from the sky.

Four people, including two children, were killed in overnight shelling on a residential area.

Overnight strikes in the north-eastern city of Okhtyrka also reportedly killed a 13-year-old boy and two women. Yevhen Deidei, a former Ukrainian MP and father-of-three, was yesterday thought to have been killed near Kyiv.
Bill Shorten cried on morning radio as he paid tribute to Labor senator Kimberley Kitching who died of a suspected heart attack at 52 on Thursday.

The former Labor leader said Senator Kitching was under 'great stress' in the face of a move to kick her out of the Senate.

The Victorian senator was from the Right of Labor and faced a tough preselection fight for a winnable spot on the senate ticket for the upcoming election.

'She was under great stress. Preselection is never easy,' close friend Mr Shorten told ABC Radio National in an emotional interview.

'I'm not a coroner. I can't tell you why this woman at 52 was taken from us but I have no doubt that the stress of politics and the machinations in the back rooms had its toll.

'She's a very strong person. She could give as good as she could get. But you take all that home with you.'

During her maiden speech to parliament, Senator Kitching spoke about her hope to represent everyday Australian people. She is pictured with former opposition leader Bill Shorten

Senator Kitching is pictured with Labor Senator Kristina Keneally

Mr Shorten was audibly emotional in the interview, with his voice breaking up several times.

Taking lengthy pauses to compose himself, Mr Shorten explained: 'It wasn't clear what was going to happen to her ongoing role in politics and it's stressful.

'There were machinations and arguments going on.

'We have a woman who's 52 who's pulled over by the side of the road and died unexpectedly. That's shocking and terrible.'

Mr Shorten said he got a call from Senator Kitching's husband yesterday afternoon to say that she had passed.

He and wife Chloe rushed to a suburban street in Strathmore, Melbourne - where Senator Kitching had pulled over on the side of the road while having a heart attack at the wheel - and waited for the undertaker's van to arrive.

Senator Kitching had a thyroid condition which caused her to lose weight in recent months.

The day before her death the Labor Right had reportedly refused to re-endorse her preselection.

Mr Shorten discussed the move to kick her out of the Senate on the Today show.

'I have no doubt that some of the stress of politics, the machinations behind the scenes, some of the attacks you get - even from within your own ranks... contributed to her early passing. It's terrible,' he said.

Mr Shorten urged viewers to check their health.

'Bad things can happen to good people and just get your heart checked out. Just get your heart checked out,' he said.

Senator Kitching held doubts about Anthony Albanese's leadership. She was also a fierce China critic who teamed up with Liberal MPs Andrew Hastie and James Paterson to form an anti-Beijing club called the Wolverines.

Her death has shocked politicians from all parties and sparked touching tributes from Scott Morrison, Barnaby Joyce and Pauline Hanson.

On Thursday night Mr Albanese gave a heartfelt response to Senator Kitching's tragic passing, saying: 'The Labor family is in shock tonight at the tragic news that our friend and colleague Senator has died suddenly in Melbourne.

'My sincere condolences to her family. Kimberley will be missed by us all.'

The former lawyer, policy adviser, Melbourne City councillor and union official was elected to Parliament in 2016

Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching has died of a suspected heart attack

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews wrote: 'Terrible news tonight about Senator Kimberley Kitching. My thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison also shared a few words.

'Deeply saddened at the news Victorian Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching passed away suddenly today, aged just 52,' he said.

'Our deepest condolences go to her family, friends and colleagues.'

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce referred to Senator Kitching as a 'dear friend' in his response to the news.

'I am deeply, genuinely and so terribly upset to hear the tragic news about a dear person and dear friend, Senator Kimberley Kitching.'

'She was a beautiful woman and this is a tragic loss. 'I know she is with our Lord, and I offer my sincerest and deepest condolences to her family,' he added.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese announced Kitching's tragic passing on Twitter

Prime Minster Scott Morrison said he was 'deeply saddened' to hear about Senator Kitching's passing, while Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce referred to her as a 'dear friend' in his response

The former lawyer, policy adviser, Melbourne City councillor and union official was elected to Parliament in 2016.

During her maiden speech to parliament, Senator Kitching spoke about her hope to represent everyday Australian people.

'As a former Queenslander who grew up swimming, a proud holder of a bronze medallion, who continues to enjoy swimming in Victoria's chillier waters, I am daunted yet delighted to be thrown in the deep end right here and now,' she said.

'I am mindful and deeply humbled that only 591 Australians have ever served in the Senate,' she said.

'I am mindful that so much that is great about this nation comes from rising to meet challenges.'

She made a bid for Labor pre-selection for two electorates in the 2013 Australian federal election but was unsuccessful. Pictured with Dean Jones

In 2016, Senator Kitching won pre-selection to fill Stephen Conroy's seat following his resignation

Senator Kitching was born in Brisbane in 1970 and moved to Melbourne in 1995.

She made a bid for Labor pre-selection for two electorates in the 2013 Australian federal election but was unsuccessful.

In 2016, Senator Kitching won pre-selection to fill Stephen Conroy's seat following his resignation.

Mr Albanese, who is from the Labor Left, opposed her bid to enter politics but after the 2019 election he promoted her to the frontbench as shadow ministry as Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability.

Senator Kitching broke the story of former AusPost boss Christine Holgate handing out luxury watches as bonuses to her staff by quizzing the CEO during a senate estimates hearing.

Kimberley Kitching (pictured seond right) and Anthony Albanese (pictured left) are pictured with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and other Labor collegues in 2018
A massive crash on one of Australia's busiest motorways has sent seven people to hospital after a car crossed a median strip and hit multiple vehicles head-on.

All southbound lanes between Brisbane and the Gold Coast are closed after a car crossed the median strip and crashed in a number of other cars near exit 54 at Coomera on the northern end of the Gold Coast.

A woman in her 50s was initially trapped in her vehicle but was freed and transported to hospital in a stable condition.

Two other people are in a serious condition, two are serious but stable and two more are in a stable condition.

Long queues have formed for traffic heading north.

Queensland police have advised motorists should expect delays of more than hour in getting past the scene of the accident.

The accident occurred around 5.40am on Friday morning.

A serious accident at Coomera on the M1 Motorway (pictured) has sent seven people to hospital and caused hour-long delays for motorists on Friday morning

Two people are in a serious condition, two are serious but stable and three are stable patients as a result of the accident

Motorists headed south from Brisbane to Gold Coast are advised to take Yawalpah Rd in Pimpama to avoid the accident scene

Motorists headed south are advised to take Yawalpah Rd in Pimpama to avoid the accident scene.

Queensland Ambulance confirmed seven patients had been transported to Gold Coast University Hospital after the multi-vehicle crash.

'There was extensive force and damage to all vehicles,' Sam Thwaites from the Queensland Ambulance Service told reporters.

'These patients are all very fortunate to get away with the injuries that they have  it could have been a lot more severe.'

Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman told 4BC radio the crash was caused by a vehicle travelling northbound.

'We had a vehicle travelling northbound on the M1 thats unfortunately crossed over the median and collided with four vehicles.

'As a result, weve got five vehicles that have completely closed the M1 southbound.'

'We had a vehicle travelling northbound on the M1 thats unfortunately crossed over the median and collided with four vehicles,' Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said of the accident on one of Australia's busiest motorways (pictured)

A second accident at Ormeau occurred on the M1 around 7am, just north of the multi-vehicle accident.

Two men were injured in the accident after a motorcycle crash near exit 41 heading south on the motorway.

One man was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition, while a second man was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
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The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations broke ranks with the rest of the Biden administration on Thursday to declare Russia guilty of war crimes in Ukraine.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. was working with partners to gather evidence of wrongdoing.

'They constitute war crimes,' she told the BBC, a day after Russia was accused of bombing a maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol.

'They are attacks on civilians that cannot be justified by any in any way whatsoever.

'I still see images of a woman being rolled out of a hospital, pregnant, bleeding, people screaming, children crying

'It is just unconscionable.'

Her comments go further than other senior figures, who have demanded an investigation but stopped short of labeling the attack as 'war crimes.'

The State Department and White House on Thursday both said they were supporting efforts to document abuses.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, going further than other Biden administration figures who have demanded investigations into civilians being targeted

Explosions rocked Mariupol again on Thursday as Russian forces shelled the city, raising fresh accusations of atrocities

This image taken from video provided by the Mariupol City Council shows the aftermath of Mariupol Hospital after an attack, in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday March 9, 2022

The aftermath of Russian artillery shelling on a residential area in Mariupol where a rocket hit a house, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

CIA director Burns says chemical weapon use is 'part of Russia's playbook' and Director of National Intelligence slams Russian nuclear lab propaganda U.S. intelligence chiefs on Thursday denounced what they said was a classic Russian disinformation campaign accusing Washington of backing biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine, which they said could set the scene for Russia to launch its own chemical attacks. C.I.A. Director Bill Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines both said there was no evidence that Ukraine was developing weapons of mass destruction. Instead, they joined a chorus of warnings that Moscow could be preparing a fake narrative before it unleashed its own chemical arsenal. 'I think it underscores the concern that all of us need to focus on those kinds of issues, whether it's the potential for a use of chemical weapons either as a false flag operation or against Ukrainians,' Burns told the Senate intelligence committee. 'This is something as all of you know very well is very much a part of Russia's playbook. 'They've used those weapons against their own citizens. They've at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere. 'So it's something we take very seriously.' Concerns flared a day earlier, when Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed, without evidence, that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support. The claims are not new, but have circulated as debunked conspiracy theories that have been spread by the likes of QAnon-linked websites. On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that it had uncovered U.S. and Ukrainian plans to spread flu with birds. Advertisement

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said war crimes designations needed a thorough legal review.

'First, let me say the bombing of a maternity hospital is horrific. It's barbaric,' she told reporters.

'I don't think anybody who saw that could not have been emotionally deeply impacted.

'There's a review - a legal review process - that the United States undergoes to make considerations of labelling something as a war crime. That is the ongoing process that is we're pursuing at this point in time.'

However, Biden and his administration face growing criticism that they are not doing enough to head off Putin's invasion or deter his attacks on civilians.

With growing warnings that the Russian leader could be about to launch attacks with chemical weapons, Psaki refused to be drawn on whether such indiscriminate attacks would trigger an intervention by the U.S.

'I'm not going to get into hypotheticals,' she said.

'What we're saying right now is they have the capacity and the capabilities. I'm also not going to get into intelligence. But the president intention of sending US military to fight in Ukraine against Russia has not changed.'

Asked again, she refused to issue threats to Moscow, saying that the aim was to prevent the conflict escalating into a world war.

'I'm not going to get into red lines from here,' she said.

The discussion comes as officials say they fear a new, brutal turn in the war.

After Putin's hopes of a swift victory were dashed, they say he could now try to grind out a slower win by targeting civilians or even unleashing chemical weapons.

The question of war crimes took on new significance on Wednesday, when footage emerged of the rubble strewn remains of a maternity hospital in Mariupol.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as an 'atrocity.'

Thomas-Greenfield's comments will be seen as evidence of splits within the administration about how far to go in threatening the Kremlin and using Washington's power of deterrence.

Vice President Kamala Harris steered clear of labeling Russian actions as 'war crimes' earlier in the day.

'Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching,' she said alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda during a press conference in Warsaw.

'I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.'

A car burns at the side of the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, on morning

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

A woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage

And spokesman Ned Price said the State Department supported an investigation into the reports.

'The fact is that we've seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians, which would under the Genevae conventions constitute a war crime.'

He urged Moscow to change course.

'To every political leader sitting in Moscow, to every Russian commander on the ground in Ukraine, to every Russian service member on the ground right now, Our message has been clear: If you take part, order, or party to such crimes, such war crimes such abuses such atrocities, we will do everything we can to hold you accountable with every tool at our disposal,' he said.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the concerns about the Mariupol hospital.

'With regards to the maternity hospital, it is not the first time we have seen pathetic outcries concerning the so-called atrocities perpetrated by the Russian military,' he said, according to a BBC translator.

And he claimed Ukrainian forces had taken over building at the time of the strikes.

Ukraine said the attack amounted to 'genocide'

'What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?' said Zelensky in a televised address.
Nuclear Armageddon could be closer today than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis 60 years ago.

In 1962, as hawkish voices in the White House urged John F Kennedy to prepare for war with Russia, the President needed extraordinary skills of negotiation and statesmanship to avert the end of civilisation.

JFK's genius was to remain unemotional, facing down calls from his generals who believed a nuclear exchange was inevitable, while swallowing his own repugnance at doing a deal with the devil.

At all times, this master diplomat was calculating how to de-escalate the situation, always providing his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, with a 'way out'.

Today, as the world prays for the end of Vladimir Putin's war, we need to learn from Kennedy's example.

John F Kennedy with Nikita Khrushchev the year before the 1962 missile crisis

A man clears debris at a damaged residential building in a suburb on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv

With his invasion staggering from one calamity to the next, the dictator's tactics are becoming increasingly abhorrent: bombing maternity hospitals and shelling civilians fleeing along so-called 'humanitarian corridors'.

In the face of his barbarity, the temptation for Ukrainians and for the West is understandably to want to see every invading Russian going home in a body bag and the total capitulation and downfall of the warmonger in the Kremlin.

But that is a dangerous way of thinking. The fact is: the embattled Putin cannot afford to back down.

He can never look his people in the eye and tell them he failed.

Nor, however, can the world permit him to proceed on his course of murderous folly. So what should we do?

WHY SHOULD WE NEGOTIATE?

Let me be clear. Simply giving in to Putin's demands would be a disaster. As with Hitler in the 1930s, appeasement would only increase his fascist hunger to seize more territory.

But without efforts to sue for a swift negotiated peace, Ukraine will descend into a charnel house for both aggressors and defenders. As it does so, the risk of further escalation is clear.

Russia, its hopes of an early victory now in tatters, has committed flagrant war crimes and is clearly preparing chemical attacks  while Putin increasingly threatens using nuclear weapons.

The dictator believed that his invasion would be a breeze; that the Ukrainians would greet his troops clutching flowers, not guns.

Russian soldiers have been captured carrying enough ammunition for just two days' fighting  and with dress uniforms in their knapsacks, ready for the imminent victory parade.

As the Ukrainians fight like lions, Putin is becoming increasingly furious, frightened and desperate  and lashing out.

That's why we must get him talking. We need to save as many Ukrainian lives as possible, let alone those of Russia's luckless teenage conscripts whose corpses are now fertilising the steppes where they fell.

Ukraine will never surrender  and nor should she. Instead, she must negotiate.

WHAT MIGHT WE CONCEDE TO PUTIN?

A proper compromise is essential: the world cannot countenance wholesale regime change and the imposition of a Russian puppet government in Kyiv.

Thankfully, even Putin seems increasingly to realise this  and that, even if he did manage to capture Ukraine at a terrible cost in blood and treasure, he would be unable to occupy sustainably a hostile nation of 44million people.

Ferocious resistance movements, armed by the West, would render his new territory ungovernable.

Anything, therefore, that enables him to retreat while claiming success could be acceptable to him.

Army trucks approach the Perekop checkpoint on the Ukrainian border on February 24

Today, as the world prays for the end of Vladimir Putin's war, we need to learn from Kennedy's example

We need to offer him an 'off-ramp': so let's give him what he already has.

The Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014, is now sadly long gone from Ukraine's control.

When I visited eastern Ukraine that year  as one of the first people to report after Russian-backed 'separatists' had seized key areas  only about 1,000 people in a city of 1 million supported the takeover. But eight years is a long time. People in Crimea have Russian passports now.

Teenagers can barely remember a time when they weren't under Russian rule. It's a similar story in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, where Russian is widely spoken.

Any peace talks must acknowledge these harsh realities.

Crimea and Donbas already have de facto independence, whether Kyiv likes it or not.

One solution would be for these regions to become semi-autonomous and self-governing until each can hold a referendum to decide its future. Frankly, Ukraine is better off without them. Russian aggression since 2014 has galvanised Ukrainian identity: the country is united as never before.

There's one more practical concession, and it is something that the heroic President Volodymyr Zelensky has already hinted he would be willing to discuss.

Ukraine should drop its application to join Nato, enshrined in its constitution in 2019.

For the West, as well as for Russia, this is a sensible solution.

There's little advantage to the rest of the alliance in assimilating Ukraine, and Putin would never back down on his opposition to it.

WHAT SHOULD WE DEMAND IN RETURN?

First, Russia must immediately cease fire and withdraw to the Donbas lines.

Second, Putin must commit never to stage another invasion of Ukraine. But since he lies as easily as he breathes, the West must also draw up clear plans to protect Ukraine, so that this monstrous act can never be repeated.

The Ukrainian government will continue to be supported with money, arms and intelligence from its fellow democracies.

Kyiv must be in a strong position to defend itself against any new onslaught. Putin needs to understand that the balance has changed: that the world will not tolerate his aggression.

He must not imagine that he  or some equally belligerent future Russian leader  could ever march west again at a later date.

Third, though Ukraine will not join Nato, it should be welcomed into the European Union as soon as possible.

Let Kyiv exchange Donbas for Brussels. By heading towards economic and cultural union with Europe, Ukraine cannot be called (however absurdly) a military threat to Russia.

At the same time, becoming a member of the EU, cementing its ties with the West, will vastly reduce any risk of Ukraine being swallowed into Moscow's orbit.

HOW MUST WE DEAL WITH THE TYRANT?

Putin's delusions and monomania on Ukraine have fundamentally damaged his position.

In the weeks before the war, he was strutting on the world stage.

President Joe Biden was pleading for meetings, while France's Emmanuel Macron was humiliated, forced to sit at the far end of a preposterous table like a supplicant. This modern-day tsar acted like the head of a superpower, though his nation's per-capita GDP ranks below Costa Rica's.

Yet his hubris and miscalculations have earned him the world's fury and condemnation  even, increasingly, from his Chinese allies. He has backed himself into a corner.

The tough compromises I have outlined above present a way for him to escape that position  selling it as a victory to his people and ending the carnage.

It also paves the way for a collective Western response to aid Ukraine's reconstruction and see her triumph  in economic terms  over her former foe.

Vicious sanctions against Russia must be maintained for now.

It will remain a pariah nation until it sees its own 'regime change'; cosying up to the Kremlin warmonger and his gangster friends has ended for ever.

In time, and with hostilities stopped, the brutal sanctions will hopefully lead to the fall of Putin and his fellow kleptocrats, as public opinion rises against them and regime insiders finally decide enough is enough.

Until then, the free world has a responsibility to follow the example of President Kennedy. With cool heads, and an eye on our opponent's position, we must find a path out of this madness. If we fail, the price could be beyond anything we have ever seen.

David Patrikarakos is the author of War in 140 Characters: How Social Media Is Reshaping Conflict in the Twenty-First Century
Rep. Brian Babin called the Biden administration to blame the diminished oil production on someone else, not on them. The White House blamed the oil companies for not drilling enough, but the president decided to limit oil production. Democrats are allegedly trying to kill oil in the US to make way for eco-fantasies driving the US aground.

Biden Promises To Minimize Oil Price Hikes

Rep. Babin dismissed the Biden administration's assertions that decreased oil output is due to firms neglecting to use permits that have already been authorized for tens of thousands of locations, reported Newsmax.

He added that Biden said that the State of the Union message the other night that he just did and that he wasn't holding back the US oil productions.

Babin added that his district wants more oil refining facilities than any other member of Congress, noted Newsmax TV.

Rep. Babin heard the SOTU, and when Biden said he would be doing everything to minimize price hikes, which was not the truth since he comes from a district that is serious about reversing the diminished oil production.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth?

The president promised he would be doing everything to keep price increases in the United States to a minimum while announcing the US ban on Russian oil on Tuesday, but warned that easing economic laws would not improve US energy production, cited NPR.

US Oil Companies Cannot Start Production Immediately

Biden stated that oil and gas companies could be increasing domestic production already since they were given the permits to drill but not have used them. He added the land leases were available as well.

Babin struck back at the statements and commented about the activity of these companies not doing much. Still stressed that it was not true and the Democrat president is the culprit. He added that it is good that a Russian oil ban was issued, but there should be more action than words, or it's all for nothing.

Furthermore, there should be more data on the stance of the White House against the oil industry it's pushing against. One problem is the radical democrats that favor alternative energy wants nothing more than killing the oil industry. These people are getting fixated on getting more electric cars, but it places everyone in the red, but they don't give a care.

So, if the president wants to stop importing Russian oil now, then stop restricting oil and gas projects and press on with pipelines. He doubts there's no real intention for the Keystone XL pipeline. The representative said that Biden should start talking to energy producers then stop preventing the state with oil from getting then processing it.

Under former President Donald Trump, the US was energy independent, unlike now, with President Biden leading it. Everything is on Biden's terrible decisions and mismanagement of the US energy policy, creating all this trouble.

Getting oil companies to start drilling will take time, and the actions of this administration are questionable. Babin said Biden would use Russian oil rather than US oil, but he had no choice. Babin says the administration and the diminished oil production it has caused will not be easy to repair, but it suits the administration's ends.

Related Article: Donald Trump Aims at Joe Biden's Failure To Embargo Oil, Gas as Proof of Incompetency

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Russian forces are rounding up Ukrainian civilians and holding them as captives in areas they have seized, provoking fears they are being used as human shields.

The revelation of such sinister acts  a clear contravention of international law and coming after the horrifying bombardment of hospitals, schools and residential areas  has emerged from families fleeing from villages around Kyiv.

One traumatised woman told the Daily Mail her son was taken prisoner along with other men in the village of Dymer, 25 miles north of the capital, after it was captured on Tuesday following days of shelling.

The 33-year-old businessman was seized after 12 days sheltering with his wife and two children, aged seven and four, in the basement of their home, which stood in the path of Russian forces sweeping south from Belarus.

My daughter-in-law called me and said he had been taken as a hostage, said his mother Alla, 67, a retired accountant.

She said they came into the basement, told her and the children to leave but ordered all the men to remain.

All the men and the elderly people who could not walk had to stay, she said. Maybe they are using them as human shields like the Germans once did.

Russian forces are rounding up Ukrainian civilians and holding them as captives in areas they have seized, provoking fears they are being used as human shields (pictured, a woman injured in Russian shelling of Mariupol's maternity hospital stands outside wrapped in a blanket amid the carnage)

The revelation of such sinister acts  a clear contravention of international law and coming after the horrifying bombardment of hospitals, schools and residential areas  has emerged from families fleeing from villages around Kyiv (pictured, destroyed buildings after Russian shelling in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine on Wednesday)

Ukrainian servicemen walk in front of a Russian tank that they captured after fighting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, outside Brovary near Kyiv, Ukraine, March 10, 2022

Ukraine's troops inflicted heavy losses on the invaders with an artillery ambush of Russian armour, killing a high-ranking commander in the process

Her sons wife was made to leave on foot with five other women and all their children, walking for seven miles through the freezing cold until they reached a road.

It was all taken by the Russians  their tanks and soldiers were everywhere. Alla said her sons phone was taken by a soldier  yet he managed to call his wife the next day on a mobile they think was hidden by another captive.

He told her he was all right. They were not hurt, they were still in their houses, they had food and water but were not being allowed to leave the village, said Alla.

I just hope he can run away but where will he run? It is all taken by the Russians. There is no end to this horror.

Dymer and surrounding villages have seen some of the worst fighting in the war.

One local official said Russian troops had fired on pharmacies, shops and homes.

The allegations by Alla  who does not want to give her full name to protect her son  dovetail with reports emerging from other parts of Ukraine that have fallen under Russian control, especially in the critical battlegrounds surrounding Kyiv.

Iryna Badanova, from the Department for the Release of Prisoners of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said one woman in Zhytomyr region had told relatives she was being held hostage.

She said two dozen people from a mushroom farm in Bucha, close to Dymer, were held in a kindergarten.

There were elderly people, children, women. They were not made any demands, they were just told we will use you as a human shield.

Miss Badanova said families were being held hostage also in nearby Gostomel, where savage fighting has raged over a key airport since the initial hours of the invasion, including two women with their children and residents of a residential complex.

These people were taken straight from the apartments, she said. Then they were allowed to return to the apartments, take warm clothes and food so that they could be taken to Russia.

Dmitry Zhivitskyy, head of the Sumy Regional Administration which has seen fierce fighting, has also claimed that the Russian army is using civilians as human shields to protect military equipment, including anti-aircraft missile systems and tanks.

Hanna Mokrousova, head of Blakytniy Ptakh (Blue Bird), a human rights group that helps families of people taken hostage and missing people, said they had received dozens of calls for help.

A doctor navigates the ward of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, after it was destroyed by Russian bombs

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol

From the information we are getting we see that civilians are taken hostages, she said.

We dont know how many but it is definitely happening. We have information about women as well as men being taken.

She said it was hard to get precise data on numbers since many battlegrounds had limited communications, but hostage-taking fitted Russian tactics seen in previous conflicts  including using them to swap for prisoners-of-war taken by Ukraine in the Donbas.

Russia has always taken a lot of civilians as hostage, she added.

They did it on the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas before to exchange for the captured soldiers, so they might use the same tactics now.

Weve been watching Russia fighting across the globe for many years and they always use civilians. They use them as human shields and they attack civilian infrastructure. This is not a novelty. Its how Russia operates in military conflicts.
A former Tory candidate who once described women in his prospective constituency as hideous is the Governments choice to lead the charity regulator.

Barrister Orlando Fraser QC has been named as the preferred candidate to be chairman of the Charity Commission.

Mr Fraser, 54, is the well-connected son of author Lady Antonia Fraser and served on the commissions board between 2013 and 2017.

Yesterday Labour accused the Government of making another pro-Tory appointment to a public body.

While Mr Fraser has declared that he has not undertaken any political activity over the past five years, he did stand unsuccessfully as the Tory candidate for North Devon in the 2005 general election.

Barrister Orlando Fraser QC has been named as the preferred candidate to be chairman of the Charity Commission

Two years earlier he was overheard at a society lunch in Florida discussing marriage prospects in the constituency and saying that the local women were all notoriously hideous.

The comment made the front page of the North Devon Journal newspaper.

Mr Fraser had to explain that he was repeating a comment which some old buffer had made to me about not getting married down in Devon.

He added: The girls I have met down there are really cute. It is a silly subject and I was careless. There is no way that I would say something like that.

Mr Fraser became involved in charity work in 1992 when he took an aid convoy to Bosnia to help the Muslim population during the war there.

He went on to become a co-founder of the Centre for Social Justice, an independent Right-wing think-tank, as well as working as a commercial barrister for nearly 30 years.

Mr Fraser is married to Clemmie Hambro, 46, a great-granddaughter of Winston Churchill, and the couple have four children

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries named Mr Fraser as the chosen candidate and he will now appear before MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport committee for pre-appointment scrutiny.

The role would be for three years, and the job pays 62,500 a year for two and a half days work a week. Educated at St Pauls, the leading public school in west London, and Cambridge University, Mr Fraser is married to Clemmie Hambro, 46, a great-granddaughter of Winston Churchill, and the couple have four children.

At the age of five, Clemmie was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana in 1981.

Mr Fraser said: As I know from experience, the Charity Commission is a much-respected independent regulator, supervising world-class charities. I am honoured to be offered the responsibility of chairing it.

But Labour culture spokesman Lucy Powell said: The chair of the commission is an important post, and the public must have confidence that this role is independent, not party political, and that there is no conflict of interest in investigations the commission carries out. Instead, this is another case of the Tories looking after their own.

The charity regulator has been without a permanent head for more than a year.

The previous candidate, Martin Thomas, quit before taking up the post in December after it was revealed he was the subject of complaints while chairman of Women for Women International, an organisation that supports female war survivors.
A vengeful wife chopped off her husband's penis after stabbing him to death, a court has heard.

Lawyer Udeme Otike-Odibi, 47, is accused of murdering 50-year-old Sym Otike-Odibi, also a lawyer, after suspecting him of having an extramarital affair.

The murder took place at the couple's home in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, on May 2 last year as Udeme Otike-Odibi, who is a dual British and Nigerian citizen, was preparing to fly to the United Kingdom.

During the trial at Igbosere High Court in Lagos, homicide police chief Olusegun Bamidele said: 'She stated they were having marital issues.

Lawyer Udeme Otike-Odibi (right), 47, is accused of murdering 50-year-old Sym Otike-Odibi (left), at their home in Sangotedo, Lekki, Lagos, on May 2 last year

'She stated that the deceased was having extra-marital affairs and whenever she raised the issue with him, his responses were not satisfactory. He appeared nonchalant.

'She said that on May 2, 2018, she was preparing to travel to United Kingdom when she checked the bedside locker for her marriage certificate.

'When she could not find it, she went to the deceased where he lay on the bed and asked him about it. But the response given was not okay.

'She had a discussion with him and there was a hot exchange of words, which made her to go to the kitchen and get a frying pan and knife.

'When she returned to where the deceased lay, she hit him on the head with the frying pan and said ''Tell me, what is in your mind that you are withholding''.

'She stated that the deceased called his mother to report her conduct.

'She continued to hit the deceased on the head again and again. Finally, she confirmed that she used the knife to stab the deceased in his abdomen.

'She also said while the deceased was lying on his back, she was still angry.

During the trial, Igbosere High Court heard how Udeme Otike-Odibi took her husband Sym Otike-Odibi's (pictured) life

'She sat beside him and said: ''If your penis is the one that is giving you licence to have the feeling of another person, it's better we cut it off.''

'She proceeded to do so with the same knife she used in stabbing him.'

Assistant superintendent Bamidele said Otike-Odibi later sent her friend a WhatsApp message which read: 'I have done something terrible.'

She then sent another message to her mother which read: 'Sorry mum, we engaged in a fight.'

Police later seized a frying pan, a blood drenched knife and Otike-Odibi's Nigerian and British passports from her home.

Judge Adedayo Akintoye adjourned the hearing at Igbosere High Court in Lagos until February 25.

A Lagos State Police spokesman said: 'Before the arrival of the police, she had unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide after allegedly killing her husband and was rushed to a hospital for treatment by neighbours.

'The couple, both of whom are lawyers, married three years ago after the deceased divorced his first wife.

'The deceased's first marriage produced a daughter currently schooling in the United Kingdom. However, his second marriage is said to be without a child.'

Otike-Odibi is currently being held in jail after pleading not guilty.
House hunters continue to head for the coast, with the fishing town of Brixham in Devon seeing asking prices rise more than any other area over the last year.

The Devon hotspot saw asking values jump 25 per cent last month compared to a year earlier, reaching 329,699 on average, according to Rightmove.

Overall, in the borough of Torbay, where Brixham is located, asking prices are up 21 per cent during the past year, with buyer demand - defined as enquiries to estate agents via its website - up 6 per cent.

Nearly two years on from the start of the pandemic restrictions there seems to be no let up in desire for more open space, particularly near the seaside.

The fishing town of Brixham, Devon, (pictured) has seen asking prices rise more than any other area in Britain in the last year

Rightmove has revealed the places where asking prices have risen the most in the past year

While some seaside towns become incredibly quiet out of season, at the heart of Brixham is a fishing community that means it is busy throughout the year.

Estate agents said the area is continuing to attract city dwellers - and not just those seeking second homes but those who are moving to the area lock, stock and barrel.

Ben Strike, of Boyce Brixham, explained: 'Just half an hour from Exeter and nestled on the coast between the family resorts of Torquay and Dawlish to the North and the beautiful South Hams in the other direction, Brixham is perfectly positioned to take advantage of everything that South Devon has to offer.

'In a post-pandemic world, we have seen a marked influx of all types of buyers.

'City dwellers are keener than ever for that idyllic fisherman's cottage by the sea to retreat to at the weekend, and families are giving up the urban belts completely, in favour of a full-time move to the coast.'

The Devon hotspot of Brixham (pictured) saw asking values jump 25 per cent last month compared to a year earlier, reaching 329,699 on average, according to Rightmove

THE BIGGEST RISES IN ASKING PRICES DURING THE PAST YEAR Location Region Average Asking Price February 2022 Average Asking Price February 2021 Average Asking Price Change YoY Brixham, Devon South West 329,699 264,254 25% Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne North East 361,564 293,049 23% Farnham, Surrey South East 728,413 594,808 22% Raunds, Northamptonshire East Midlands 281,279 232,724 21% Gedling, Nottinghamshire East Midlands 256,897 212,570 21% Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside North West 203,150 168,133 21% Cowes, Isle Of Wight South East 342,834 285,060 20% Heysham, Lancashire North West 189,527 157,793 20% Childwall, Merseyside North West 305,483 254,395 20% North Walsham, Norfolk East of England 274,490 228,788 20% Source: Rightmove

He added: 'With prices considerably less than neighbouring Dartmouth and with a much shorter travel time to the area than Padstow and St Ives in Cornwall, the secret of Brixham is definitely out.

'With its world-famous fish market and fishing heritage at its very heart, Brixham has become a real destination for seafood aficionados.

'There is an abundance of new and well-established bars and restaurants, and unlike many seaside towns that close during the winter season, the thriving fishing community, which is busiest during the winter, ensures that there is life bustling through the town all year-round.'

Mike Williams, of estate agents Eric Lloyd & Co in Brixham, said: 'Brixham has always been a popular destination for tourism, but the lockdown has provided the opportunity for many people to work flexibly, and realise their dream of living by the sea.

'Interestingly, the demographic of retiring buyers has also changed. We are seeing far more people buying a cottage in the harbour area, and enjoying their retirement walking to the breakwater, or seal and dolphin watching off Fishcombe Cove, followed by a coffee or breakfast in one of the excellent cafes in the town.

'Demand for cottages for this purpose, or as second home or holiday let, has never been so high, and some of the achieved prices have exceeded even our expectations.'

This three-bedroom detached house in Brixham is for sale for 550,000 via estate agents Boyce Brixham

The detached property has far-reaching views of the sea and is only a five minute walk from the harbour

The spacious property has easy access into the town of Brixham and all of its facilities

Second in the list of areas where asking prices have seen the risen the most during the past year is the suburb of Jesmond in Newcastle Upon Tyne, where average asking prices are up 23 per cent over the last year, rising to 361,564.

The increase outpaces the wider Newcastle area where asking prices have risen 7 per cent on annual basis.

Farnham in Surrey is ranked third, with a rise of 22 per cent in asking prices during the past year, rising to an average of 728,413.

Pictured: Farnham in Surrey is ranked third, with a rise of 22 per cent in asking prices during the past year, rising to an average of 728,413

Also included in the list of top 10 are Gedling, Nottinghamshire, Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside and Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.

Across Britain, average asking prices are up 9.5 per cent annually in February and new listings are up 16 per cent compared to January.

Rightmove's Tim Bannister, said: 'The rise in the number of buyers looking for a home by the coast since the pandemic started is still being felt in asking price rises nearly two years on as Brixham takes the top spot for annual asking price growth this month.

'The data shows that prices in the Devon borough of Torbay grew steadily between 2020 and 2021 as supply kept better pace with demand, but have accelerated over the last year as the number of buyers looking in the area has outpaced the homes available.

'However, a recent uptick in the number of new listings compared to last year will be some welcome news for those looking to buy in Brixham.'
Yellow-bellied marmots have been found to virtually stop the ageing process while hibernating for up to eight months of the year.

Researchers from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) discovered that the biological ageing of the large ground squirrels was stalled during their dormant period.

The scientists tracked the 'epigenetic changes' - chemical modifications that occur to DNA - in blood samples taken from 73 female marmots over the age of two.

During hibernation, the 13lbs (6kg) animals only burn a single gram of fat each day and turn themselves into 'fuzzy, cold rocks', according to Professor Daniel Blumstein, who advised on the study.

Based on the findings, the researchers suggest that there may be biological advantages to humans adopting hibernation conditions, for example, during long-term space missions or when preserving organs for transplantation.

Blood samples taken from yellow-bellied marmots in Colorado found that the animals virtually halt the ageing process while hibernating, and is thought to be the secret to their long lifespan

The scientists tracked the 'epigenetic changes' - chemical modifications that occur to DNA - in blood samples taken from 73 female marmots over the age of two. During hibernation, the 13lbs (6kg) animals only burn a single gram of fat each day and turn themselves into 'fuzzy, cold rocks', according to Professor Daniel Blumstein, who advised on the study

What are yellow-bellied marmots? Yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) are one of the 14 recognized species of marmots - cat-sized, ground squirrels found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The yellow-bellied marmot is widely distributed through the Rocky Mountains, the Intermountain West and the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains in California. At this point, it's neither threatened nor endangered and thus makes a good species for detailed study of its population biology and behaviour. Source: UCLA Advertisement

Blood samples were taken every two weeks for over 14 summer seasons at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado, when the animals are active above ground.

From the data the scientists created a statistical model that allowed them to estimate what happens during their annual hibernation from September to May.

During the winter months the animals go through periods where their breathing slows and they lower their body temperature, which resultingly increases their metabolism.

Lead author and doctoral student Gabriela Pinho said: 'Our results from different statistical approaches reveal that epigenetic ageing essentially stalls during hibernation.

'We found that the epigenetic age of marmots increases during the active season, stops during hibernation and continues to increase in the next active season.'

Yellow-bellied marmots can live for up to 15 years, and researchers said this process helps explain why their average life span is longer than would be expected from their body weight.

Small mammals go through periods of metabolic suppression that last up to two weeks in order to survive cold temperatures and when food is limited.

During hibernation marmots only burn a single gram of fat each day and turn themselves into 'fuzzy, cold rocks' by slowing their breathing and lowering their body temperature

This alternates with shorter periods of increased metabolism, which generally last less than a day.

They use a miniscule amount of energy, burning only about a single gram of fat each day, allowing them to save energy and survive long periods without food.

During their active summer season, marmots eat double their weight in food so that they have sufficient fat to survive the next hibernation period.

The research team found these practices contribute to the marmots' youthfulness, and is likely to also occur in other hibernating mammals.

Blumstein, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, said: 'The fact that we are able to detect this reduced ageing during hibernation in a wild population means the effect of hibernation on slowing ageing is really strong.

'This study was possible only because we had access to blood samples from free-living animals whose ages are known.

'Not many wild populations have detailed information about individual chronological age, and this reinforces the importance of long-term field projects.'

Pinho added: 'This study is the closest scientists have gotten to showing that biological processes involved in hibernation are important contributors to their longer-than-expected life span based on their body weight.'
Almost nine in ten Britons are happier using emojis to express emotions than talking in person, a study claims.

A third said they would prefer sending someone a picture on a smartphone when they felt awkward rather than discussing their troubles face to face.

The research showed that 87 per cent of us find it easier to show emotions with visual aids such as emojis and memes.

Almost nine in ten Britons are happier using emojis to express emotions than talking in person, a study claims. [File image]

One in ten would even prefer to dump their partner using a GIF, a short repeating video.

The Samsung poll of 3,000 Britons found GIFs are being used by 81 per cent to express emotions on a regular basis.

Digital expert Professor Vyvyan Evans said smartphones had changed human interactions immeasurably, adding: Emotions and feelings can now be conveyed instantly to others in a single powerful visual.

Prof Evans added: Since the advent of the smartphone human communication has changed immeasurably.

GIFs, memes and emojis are the language of the internet, and have become the bedrock of popular culture, fundamentally transforming how we communicate with people on a daily basis.

On average, Britons send four Gifs a day, with happiness and love the most likely emotion they try to express. [File image]

With over 10 billion Gifs in circulation and over two million sent every day, 81 per cent of respondents said they used the format on a regular basis.

On average, Britons send four Gifs a day, with happiness and love the most likely emotion they try to express.

However, nearly half of those aged between 45 and 65 admitted they lacked the confidence in how to use them appropriately.

The research was commissioned by Samsung for the launch of The Samsung Galaxy GIF Project at Samsung KX which aims to curate the fill range of human expression through GIFs.

The project was commissioned to mark the 35th anniversary of the GIF and celebrate the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series which allows user to create their own GIF in both light and also low light settings using the Nightography feature.
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German carmaker Volkswagen has finally unveiled its all-electric ID Buzz vehicle, a modern take on the iconic 'hippy' camper van from the 1960s, which is set for release later this year.

Unveiled in Hamburg on Wednesday, the ID Buzz can seat five passengers including the driver and has additional room for 1,121 litres of luggage for retro holiday trips.

The eco-friendly car is made with recycled synthetic materials and the interior is completely free of any real leather  making it totally 'animal-free' but still giving a luxury, 'lounge-like' feel.

Autonomous features include the 'Car2X', which uses signals from other vehicles and the transport infrastructure to spot hazards in real time, and 'Memory Function' for automated parking on a previously saved route.

Volkswagen believes the five-seater van will be part of 'the future of inner-city transport', where trips are shared by multiple passengers in vehicles hailed by apps.

German carmaker Volkswagen has finally unveiled its all-electric ID Buzz vehicle, a modern take on the iconic 'hippy' camper van from the 1960s, which is set for release later this year

It also has some autonomous features, including the 'Car2X' warning system, which uses signals from other vehicles and the transport infrastructure to spot hazards in real time

THE 'RETRO' ID BUZZ CAMPER VAN Battery: 77kWh Motor: 150kW (electric) Luggage: 1,121 litres Passengers: Five Range: 250 miles Price: TBC (reportedly between 40k-50K) Advertisement

ID Buzz was first shown off in concept form at the 2017 Detroit motor show, with the promise that it would go on sale in 2022  a date that Volkswagen has actually delivered on.

First deliveries of the car are due in autumn in Europe, and advance orders can be placed in some countries, including the UK, from May.

Prices are still to be officially confirmed, although it will reportedly start in the region of 40,000.

Volkswagen has also announced a second version of the model called ID Buzz Cargo, which features space for two euro pallets for more heavy duty loads, which isn't due until 2025 and could cost 50,000.

'The ID Buzz is a genuine icon for the electric era  a car the likes of which only Volkswagen can build,' said Ralf Brandstatter, chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

'In the 1950s, the Volkswagen Bulli stood for a new feeling of automotive freedom, independence and great emotion.

'The ID Buzz picks up on this lifestyle and transfers it into our time  emission-free, sustainable, fully networked and now ready for the next big chapter: autonomous driving.'

Prices are still to be officially confirmed, although the ID Buzz (left) will reportedly start in the region of 40,000 and ID Buzz Cargo (right) in the region of 50,000

Volkswagen Group chief executive officer Herbert Diess speaks during an event to unveil the new Volkswagen ID Buzz electric van, on March 9, 2022 in Hamburg, Germany

These are Volkswagen's first two vehicle models that feature completely animal-free material instead of leather, which is made from animal skins. This shot shows the interior of the ID Buzz, with the 'cargo' model in the background

ID Buzz features space for five people - two in the front including the driver and three in the back - although the back seats can be pushed down to free up more space for luggage

According to Volkswagen, ID Buzz has an 'iconic front' with its V-shaped front panel between 'charismatic' LED headlights and two-tone paintwork.

With five people on board, there's room for 1,121 litres of luggage, but if the second row of seats is folded down, this load capacity increases to up to 2,205 litres.

ID Buzz is all electric, making it carbon-neutral, and has an on-board 77 kWh battery, which should achieve a range of 250 miles before drivers need to recharge.

170-kW charging also means the vehicle's battery can be charged from 5 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

A 5.3-inch display next to the driver's line of vision provides information including current speed and range remaining on the electric battery

The more expensive ID Buzz Cargo, which features space for two euro pallets for more heavy duty loads. Prices are still to be officially confirmed, although the ID Buzz will reportedly start in the region of 40,000 and ID Buzz Cargo in the region of 50,000

CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand Ralf Brandstaetter speaks during the presentation of the new Volkswagen ID Buzz electric van in Hamburg

ID Buzz and ID Buzz Cargo are zero-emission vehicles, letting owners 'counter the climatic challenges of our time', according to the firm.

A 5.3-inch display next to the driver's line of vision provides information including current speed and range remaining on the electric battery.

ID Buzz also has something called 'bidirectional charging', which allows users to take energy from car batteries and put it back to the power grid to help balance spikes in electricity demand.

In other words, it allows electric cars to be used as temporary energy reserves, potentially charging your TV and kitchen appliances for you.

Volkswagen's original camper van had a rear-mounted petrol engine. Production of the original continued until 1979, with an extended life span in Brazil until the end of 2013

As Wired points out, users could charge their ID Buzz during the day on cheap electricity, then feed this back into their home storage battery.

The new line is being produced by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at its main plant in Hanover, Germany.

'Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has begun a transformation process in order to be able to offer more electric models in the future,' the firm says.

Volkswagen's original camper van was a mainstay of the flower-power Sixties hippy trail that also served generations of families on their holidays at home and abroad.

Production of the original continued until 1979, with an extended life span in Brazil until the end of 2013.
A massive crater was formed after a 19 mile-wide meteorite struck the Earth just a few million years after the dinosaurs died out, a new study has revealed.

Scientists have finally managed to date the impact crater left by the Hiawatha asteroid in Greenland, and it is much older than previously thought.

A team from the University of Copenhagen's GLOBE Institute and the Natural History Museum of Denmark bombarded grains of sands from the impact site with laser beams.

This heated the sand to the point where it released argon gas, which they used to determine the crater was over 58 million years old.

Crystals of zircon from rock samples, that act as tiny time capsules, were simultaneously analysed at the Swedish Museum of Natural History using uranium-lead dating, and gave the same age.

Rock and sand samples were taken from the Greenland Ice Sheet and analyzed in order to date the 58 million-year-old Hiawatha impact crater hidden below the glacier

The crater was discovered underneath the ice sheet in 2015, and was formed after an asteroid hit the Earth just eight million years after the dinosaurs died out

A zircon grain from a crater rock sample contained crystals that formed as a response to the impact of the asteroid, which University of Copenhagen scientists successfully dated

Professor Nicolaj Krog Larsen, of the GLOBE Institute at the University of Copenhagen, said: 'It is fantastic to now know its age. We've been working hard to find a way to date the crater since we discovered it seven years ago.

'Since then, we have been on several field trips to the area to collect samples associated with the Hiawatha impact.'

When the Hiawatha asteroid struck Northwest Greenland, the area was covered with rainforest and wildlife and had average temperatures of around 36F (20C).

The impact released several million times more energy than an atomic bomb and left a 19 mile-wide, 0.6 mile-deep crater - large enough to hold the whole city of Washington DC.

Maps show the location of the Hiawatha impact crater in northwest Greenland (left) and the shape of Earth's surface beneath the ice, with the crater clearly visible (right)

Uranium-lead dating conducted at the the NordSIMS laboratory at the Swedish Museum of Natural History helped determine the age of the Hiawatha impact crater

WHAT IS HIDDEN UNDER THE GREENLAND ICE SHEET? The Greenland Ice Sheet is about seven times the size of the UK, and nearly two miles thick in places. It hides a landscape of structures, including; The 466-mile long canyon was discovered under the Greenland Ice Sheet in 2013 1. The world's longest canyon The canyon stretches 466 miles from the highest point in central Greenland to Petermann Glacier on the Northwest coast. It plunges up to 2,600 feet deep in places and is six miles wide. 2. Invisible mountains A mountain range was discovered underneath the ice after the sheet was mapped with radar in 2017. The mountains surround a bowl-like depression in the centre. 3. A primeval lake The lake basin covers 2,700 square miles and was once fed by at least 18 different streams. It is now filled with sediment, but up to millions of years ago was filled with water up to 800 feet deep. Rivers of bright blue meltwater flow over the surface of Greenland's Ice Sheet 4. 'Jewel-Like' Lakes There are over 60 small lakes filled with crystalline meltwater in northern and eastern Greenland. They are a sparkly blue colour, and the meltwater may flow in from the surface or have melted with geothermal energy or friction. 5. Fossilized plants An ice core that was dug up in a Cold War-era attempt to build nuclear weapons was found to contain fossilized plants from a million years ago. Scientists from The University of Vermont described the plants as 'freeze-dried' when they discovered them in 2017. Source: Space.com Advertisement

Over time the crater was buried in up to 0.6 miles (1km) of ice which formed the Hiawatha Glacier, and was only discovered in 2015.

It is thought to be bigger than about 90 per cent of the roughly 200 previously known impact craters on Earth.

Rivers flowing from the glacier uncovered sand and rocks that were superheated at the time of impact, and studied by researchers in Denmark and Sweden.

Michael Storey, of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, said: 'Dating the crater has been a particularly tough nut to crack, so it's very satisfying that two laboratories in Denmark and Sweden, using different dating methods arrived at the same conclusion.

'As such, I'm convinced that we've determined the crater's actual age, which is much older than many people once thought.'

The new research found the meteorite hit eight million years after the approximately 124 mile-wide Chicxulub asteroid struck present-day Mexico, and caused the extinction of Earth's dinosaurs.

The result, published yesterday, has allowed for the scientists to better understand what the impact of the meteorite had on plants, animals and local and global climate.

Dr Gavin Kenny of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, said: 'Determining the new age of the crater surprised us all.

'In the future, it will help us investigate the impact's possible effect on climate during an important epoch of Earth's history.'
Whether it's an evening in or dinner at a fancy restaurant, covering the price of your friend's meal has to be one of the most annoying experiences ever.

Recognising this, Uber has now launched a new bill splitting tool that makes it much easier  and fairer  to order and pay for group takeaways.

When placing an order, Uber Eats users who usually get lumped with paying a massive bill can now opt to select a group order.

Every member of a group then gets a link sent to their phone to pay for their own individual items within the group order.

The new feature should thwart the actions of that one friend who always says they'll pay you back for their dinner but never does.

With the new bill splitting tool, Uber Eats users can force their friends to pay for their dinner item up front so they can't escape paying their share of the bill

Uber Eats is an online food ordering and delivery platform launched by ride-sharing giant Uber in 2014 (file photo)

HOW TO PLACE A GROUP ORDER - On Uber Eats, pick a merchant you want to order from. Select 'Group order' in the app (or 'Start group order' if on ubereats.com) - Edit the details of the group order such as delivery address, an optional deadline for everyone to select their items, or an optional spending limit - Select 'Invite guests'. This will give you a link to send to everyone in your group - Add your own items - Once everyone else has added their items, select 'View order' and 'Go to checkout' - If the group order is ready, select 'Lock order & continue'. By locking it, guests can't edit or add more items. If it's not ready, select 'Go back' - Review the delivery details again and click 'Next' - Select 'Place group order' Advertisement

Uber has outlined the new feature, which it describes as a first for a delivery app, in a blog post on its website.

'We know that Uber Eats consumers love bringing people together,' the post reads. 'We also know that they don't like the financial responsibility of ordering for everyone. We get it.

'Now, for the first-time ever on a delivery app, anyone can create a group and allow individuals to order from the same restaurant and pay for whatever they'd like.'

Usually on a food delivery app, when someone is making a single order to cater for multiple people, they ('the host') have to pass their phone around so people can choose the dish they want.

The host is then the one who has to pay the entire bill, meaning they have to rely on the decency of their friends to pay them back  which doesn't always happen.

With the new tool, Uber Eats users can instead start a group order on the app, by going to a restaurant's page, tapping three dots in the corner and then selecting 'group order'.

They can then invite group members from their phone's contacts, who will receive a link via text to choose and pay for the food they want.

Uber points out that as all the individual food items are being ordered together, they won't all arrive at the chosen address separately.

If one of the people on the order does not pay, then they will not receive their part of the order, but the guests who have paid will receive their orders.

Uber's new tool makes it much easier - and fairer - to order and pay for group takeaways (file photo)

UBER EATS DELIVERS FOOD TO SPACE Uber Eats can officially be described as out of this world after the firm announced that it had sent an order to the International Space Station (ISS). The company teamed up with Yusaka Maeawa, the Japanese entrepreneur who traveled to the ISS, to hand deliver canned Japanese dishes to astronauts. The delivery was made on December 11 at 9:40am ET having traveled 248 miles and eight hours and 34 minutes since Maezawa's departure from Earth. The dishes include boiled mackerel in miso, beef bowl cooked in sweet sauce, simmered chicken with bamboo shoots and braised pork. Read more: Uber Eats sent to space Advertisement

As part of the tool, the host also has the option to set a deadline for everyone to select their items.

Deadlines can be set to a precise time (e.g. March 10 at 17:30), up to seven days in advance, giving the rest of a group plenty of time to get their order in for future events like group lunches at work.

Users who miss the deadline, will not able to add to the order. However, a warning message will appear, letting the host know that everyone has not placed their order yet and asking them to confirm if they'd like to proceed.

The bill splitting tool is optional, as there are of course people who are generous enough to pay for all their friends' meals.

If users are feeling generous, they have the option to pay for everyone but set a spending limit so their friends don't get too carried away.

The only potential problem is that group members who receive the text will have to download the Uber Eats app if they haven't already, which could lead to some creative excuses from the cheapskates  such as 'I don't own a smartphone'.

Uber Eats was launched by San Francisco-based ride-sharing giant Uber in 2014 and is operational in more than 6,000 cities across 45 countries.

Last year, the service gave users the ability to simply send a food emoji to order their favourite dish, whether it's pizza, sushi or a burrito.

Uber said the feature is useful for people on holiday, or looking to find something quickly while on their way home from work.

Uber Eats and Deliveroo may also soon have to content with new opposition in the market  from Chinese video sharing platform TikTok.

In December, it was revealed TikTok is working on a new service called TikTok Kitchen, which will serve up dishes that first came to prominence on the app, such as baked feta pasta, corn ribs and 'pasta chips'.
TikTok says it has resolved a technical issue that left some users unable to access the video sharing app for around four hours.

According to Down Detector, a website that monitors outage issues, there were more than 7,000 reports of problems from about 11:30 GMT (06:30 ET) today.

A spokesperson for the Chinese social network confirmed the problem had been fixed shortly after 15:30 GMT (10:30 ET), but did not reveal the cause.

'A small number of users had an issue with the TikTok app earlier which has now been resolved,' they told MailOnline.

Earlier, frustrated TikTok users took to Twitter to complain about the outage, with some complaining that their videos were not showing.

TikTok says it has resolved a technical issue that left some users unable to access the video sharing app for around four hours

Earlier, frustrated TikTok users took to Twitter to complain about the outage, with some complaining that their videos were not showing

Nathalie Miranda wrote: 'OK so TikTok is down in case anyone was wondering if it's just them!

'Thankfully we have our Twitter world here.'

Another user added: 'Is TikTok down for anyone else?'

Others told of being 'highly irritated' by the outage.

Jules wrote: 'Extreme yet effective way to collectively stop us from doomscrolling #tiktokdown'.

In the UK, most of the problems were reported in London, Birmingham and Nottingham, while in the US users in New York and Atlanta made numerous complaints.

According to Down Detector, a website that monitors outage issues, there were more than 7,000 reports of problems from about 11:30 GMT (06:30 ET) today

In the UK, most of the problems were reported in London, Nottingham and Birmingham

In the US users in New York and Atlanta made numerous complaints (pictured)

It comes just over a week after TikTok revealed it was ditching its three minute limit on videos and will soon allow all users to upload clips up to 10 minutes long.

It brought in the existing limit in July 2021, upping it from 60 seconds, having initially expanded it from the original 15 seconds.

The app has long been seen as a short-form video platform but is now manoeuvring itself to rival the likes of YouTube, Instagram and Facebook even more.

The expanded video length will allow TikTok users more flexibility when filming clips such as beauty tutorials, cooking demos and comedic sketches.

Currently anyone creating clips has to encourage viewers to follow them for a 'Part 2' or longer video.
Authorities have deemed the suicide of a Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffery Smith as a line-of-duty death and have granted the law enforcement officer's widow her late husband's full pension.

The District of Columbia's Police and Firefighters' Retirement and Relief Board wrote in a letter that Smith "sustained a personal injury on January 6, 2021, while performing his duties and that his injury was the sole and direct cause of his death."

Line-of-Duty Death

Furthermore, the board vacated the previous decision that denied the officer's wife, Erin, her survivor's benefits. The annuity that is granted to the widow is equal to her husband's salary while he was working.

For months, Erin spent her time petitioning the D.C. board to declare her husband's suicide as a line-of-duty death. Her attorney, David P. Weber, put forth video evidence that showed Smith being assaulted by a large, angry mob of Trump loyalists. The officer was seen getting hit in the head with a metal pole during the Capitol Hill insurrection, as per The Hill.

Weber noted that Smith committed suicide days after the Capitol Hill riot by shooting himself in the head while he was driving to work from his home in Virginia. He was supposed to make his first day back to the office after seeking medical attention for the injuries and mental trauma he sustained from the insurrection.

Read Also: Joe Biden Wants To Bring Factory Jobs Back to US To Fight Inflation, But Expert Thinks It's a Bad Move

The attorney, who is also a forensic accounting professor at Salisbury University in Maryland, said that Smith's case was, from the start, a forensic death investigation. He said that officials did not have knowledge of what happened to the officer at the beginning. Evidence was taken from the autopsy, testimonies from expert witnesses, body camera footage, and federal subpoenas proved that the deceased suffered a traumatic brain injury on Jan. 6, 2021.

According to CNN, last year, Weber said that while Smith's direct cause of death was the bullet he shot into his head, the chain of events caused by the injuries he sustained during the Capitol Hill riot led to the incident. The attorney said that there was no known previous case in which the suicide of a Metropolitan Police officer has been deemed as a link-of-duty death.

Defending the Capitol

Weber added that such a ruling was rare in the context of suicide and said he will use the declaration to request for a memorial service to be held by D.C. police and at the Capitol Rotunda. U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick was laid in honor at the Rotunda after his death following the Capitol Hill insurrection.

Sicknick's death was determined to be from natural causes but authorities arrested two men and charged them with assaulting the officer. United States President Joe Biden was one of the attendees of Sicknick's memorial.

Rep. Don Beyer represents Smith's family in Congress and released a statement on Wednesday night saying he fully supported "full memorial honors for Officer Smith." He added that if the D.C. police officer did not risk his life that day at the Capitol, he would still be alive today, the Washington Post reported.



Related Article: Donald Trump's Lawyer Targeted by Thieves To Allegedly Steal Confidential Documents Amid New York Civil Probe

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Billions of genetically engineered male mosquitos will be released in California and Florida over the next two years, as part of a mission to kill off biting females.

Oxitec, based in Oxford UK, is a biological pest control development firm, that has produced the edited version of the flying insects to combat mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, yellow fever and Zika.

Male Aedes aegypti mosquitos don't bite humans, but females do, and so the genetic modification causes females to die off soon after being born.

The project has been cleared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the first wave is due to be released this year, although it isn't clear exactly when this will happen, as it requires state regulatory approval in Florida and California.

It isn't likely to be a problem in Florida, as the state played host to a trial last year that saw millions of the same type of Oxitec mosquitos released in the Florida Keys.

Billions of genetically engineered male mosquitos will be released in California and Florida over the next two years, as part of a mission to kill off biting females

Not everyone supports the idea, including Friends of the Earth, which describes it as 'a destructive move that is dangerous for public health.'

The EPA cleared the technology, giving Oxitec an experimental use permit that allows them to release 2.4 billion edited mosquitos between 2022 and 2024.

In total two billion will be released in California, and another 400 million in Florida, where millions are already spreading through the mosquito population.

The male insects have been genetically modified to express the protein tTAV-OX5034, which results in the death of any newly born females.

Oxitec, based in Oxford UK, is a biological pest control development firm, that has produced the edited version of the flying insects to combat mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, yellow fever and Zika

The species, Aedes aegypti, isn't native to either California or Florida, but has started to become and invasive problem, bringing multiple human diseases.

It has been know to spread Dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever.

HOW IT WORKS Only female Aedes aegypti mosquitos bite and spread disease. So Oxitec has created males that pass on a gene that kills female offspring before they mature. Their male offspring continue mating and passing on the altered gene. Over time this reduces the population, slows the spread of biting females, and reduces disease transmission. The firm describes it as a sustainable form of pest control that only impacts the target, invasive species. Advertisement

The idea behind the modification is to kill off any female offspring before they reach maturity and are able to go out and bite humans, spreading these diseases.

This would also work to reduce the population of the invasive species, further slowing disease transmission, although that is still theoretical.

The modified species have been put through multiple tests and trials, to ensure the modifications won't harm eco-systems or humans.

Once released into the environment, genetically engineered mosquitoes cannot be recalled, Dr Robert Gould, President of San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility, said, speaking through Friends of the Earth.

Rather than forge ahead with an unregulated open-air genetic experiment, we need precautionary action, transparent data and appropriate risk assessments.

The Center for Food Safety isn't happy with the project either, with Policy Director Jaydee Hanson calling it a dangerous and unnecessary experiment as there are 'no locally acquired cases of dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya or Zika in California.'

Oxitec says the mosquitos are safe, and offer a sustainable form of pest control that doesn't harm beneficial insects within an ecosystem - only this single species.

Given the growing health threat this mosquito poses across the U.S., were working to make this technology available and accessible,' said Oxitec CEO, Grey Frandsen.

'These pilot programs, wherein we can demonstrate the technologys effectiveness in different climate settings, will play an important role in doing so.'

The latest EPA approval is actually an extension of the 2020 permit, that allowed Oxitec to release millions of modified mosquitos in the Florida Keys last year.

Not everyone supports the idea, including Friends of the Earth, which describes it as 'a destructive move that is dangerous for public health'

Oxitec will now have to submit permit applications to state regulators in California and Florida, so the release of the mosquitos isn't final.

Friends of the Earth hope to appeal to state regulators, to prevent the release of the billions of mosquitos, claiming there is no publicly available data to support the idea they will lead to a reduction in mosquito-borne disease.

Scientists have found genetic material from GE mosquitoes in wild populations at significant levels, which means GE mosquitoes are not sterile. GE mosquitoes could result in far more health and environmental problems than they would solve, said Dana Perls, Food and Technology Program Manager at Friends of the Earth.

EPA needs to do a real review of potential risks and stop ignoring widespread opposition in the communities where releases will happen.

The EPA did not publicly release any data from Oxitec field trials in Florida or Brazil and key information about health effects, including allergenicity and toxicity, was redacted from the companys application for a permit, according to Dana Perls.

There was also no requirement for scientific assessments that included endangered species reviews, public health impact analysis and caged trials ahead of release.
Quantum gravity sensors, used to detect the impact of gravity on different features of the Earth, can be used to detect pockets of ground water or tunnels in a planet.

The ultra sensitive versions of these sensors, required for accurate detection of tiny changes in the Earth's gravitational field, can be put off by the slightest vibration, but a team from the University of Birmingham in the UK say they have overcome this.

The new hourglass-like gravity measurement device, known as a gravimeter, use atoms pulsed with lasers to probe the gravitational field at two different points.

It has already been used to spot a tunnel buried about 3ft underground, and could be used in the future to study the subsurface of inhospitable planets and moons.

Peering down from space, it could be used to understand weather patterns in the clouds of Venus, or find underground caverns of water on the moon or Mars.

On a more practical level, the team say it could reduce the costs and delays linked to construction, rail and road projects, and improve prediction of volcanic eruptions.

Quantum gravity sensors, used to detect the impact of gravity on different features of the Earth, can be used to detect pockets of ground water or tunnels in a planet

The ultra sensitive versions of these sensors, required for accurate detection of tiny changes in the Earth's gravitational field, can be put off by the slightest vibration, but a team from the University of Birmingham in the UK say they have overcome this

The new work, by the British team, marks the first time an object hidden below ground has been detected using quantum technology.

This is a major milestone, as it is the first effective use of a quantum gravity gradiometer outside of laboratory conditions - where vibration can be minimized.

The quantum gravity gradiometer was used to find a tunnel buried outdoors in real-world conditions, winning an international race to use the technology outside.

The sensor works by detecting variations in microgravity using the principles of quantum physics, which is based on manipulating nature at the sub-molecular level.

The success opens a commercial path to significantly improved mapping of what exists below ground level.

Professor Kai Bongs, Head of Cold Atom Physics at the University of Birmingham said: 'This is an 'Edison moment' in sensing that will transform society, human understanding and economies.

'With this breakthrough we have the potential to end reliance on poor records and luck as we explore, build and repair. In addition, an underground map of what is currently invisible is now a significant step closer, ending a situation where we know more about Antarctica than what lies a few feet below our streets.'

The new hourglass-like gravity measurement device, known as a gravimeter, use atoms pulsed with lasers to probe the gravitational field at two different points

HOW IT WORKS The sensor works by detecting variations in microgravity using the principles of quantum physics. This is based on manipulating nature at the sub-molecular level. A pair of atoms, pulsed with lasers and sent out to two different points, impacts a gravitational field. Subtle changes in the behaviour of the atoms, reveals underlying structures. To overcome issues with vibration, the researchers behind the new study created an 'hourglass' with two bulbs. Each contains a cloud of rubidium atoms in a magnetic cage, that is pulsed through with a laser. Having two clouds means the device has a pair of gravimeters working together, rather than a single device. Researchers can measure the gravitational field at two different heights, comparing the two, and creating a more accurate result. Key benefits Reduced costs and delays to construction, rail and road projects.

Improved prediction of natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions.

Discovery of hidden natural resources and built structures.

Understanding archaeological mysteries without damaging excavation. Advertisement

Current gravity sensors are limited by a range of environmental factors, particularly around vibration, which limits the measurement time. If these limitations can be addressed, surveys can become faster, more comprehensive and lower cost.

The sensor developed by Dr Michael Holynski, Head of Atom Interferometry at Birmingham and lead author of the study, is a gravity gradiometer.

The system overcomes vibration and a variety of other environmental challenges in order to successfully apply quantum technology in the field.

The team say the breakthrough allows for cheaper, and more reliable gravity surveys that can be delivered ten times faster than current techniques.

Current gravity sensors compare slight differences in the positions of identical light waves - which is fine for large structures, but not hidden objects.

This new type of quantum gravity sensor includes a filter that uses the wave-like nature of atoms in free-falling, ultra-cold clouds.

Gravity has very very minor impacts on the atoms, but enough to show the composition of the ground underneath, showing gaps such as tunnels.

Professor George Tuckwell, Director for Geoscience and Engineering at RSK, said: 'Detection of ground conditions such as mine workings, tunnels and unstable ground is fundamental to our ability to design, construct and maintain housing, industry and infrastructure.

'The improved capability that this new technology represents could transform how we map the ground and deliver these projects'

Dr Gareth Brown, joint Project Technical Authority for Quantum Sensing and Senior Principal Scientist at Dstl, said accurate and rapid measurements of vibrations in migrogravity has a number of implications, including for national defense.

'As gravity sensing technology matures, applications for underwater navigation and revealing the subterranean will become possible,' he said.

Peering down from space, it could be used to understand weather patterns in the clouds of Venus, or find underground caverns of water on the moon or Mars. Or on Earth to detect deep tunnels under the ground

They also have uses in orbit, attached to Earth observing satellites, the European Space Agency could use them to measure underground water, circulation of oceans and the impact of hidden systems on climate change.

'This might be extended to the exploration of other planets in the solar system, understanding more about their inner structure,' Bongs told Space.com.

NASA has done just this, sending gravimeters to space on the GRAIL mission, mapping the gravitational field of the moon and peering under the surface.

It wasn't in the form of the more advanced, new quantum gravimeter, but still allowed astronomers to view layers of the moon's interior in unprecedented accuracy, even revealing what might be underground caverns.

If one of these new forms of gravimeter goes to space, it could be used to find evidence of underground water on the moon or Mars.

The findings of this new detection have been published in the journal Nature.
The number of green turtle eggs being laid per year has continued to rise for the past 50 years due to extensive conservation work, according to a new study

Turtles were hunted at Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles until a ban was introduced in 1968, followed by tracking and restriction on interaction with the creatures.

Over the past half century, the population of turtles has been tracked by estimating how many clutches of eggs are laid in any given year.

The team, from the University of Exeter in the UK, found the number of clutches has risen from 2,0003,000 per year in the late 1960s to more than 15,000 per year now.

The number of green turtle eggs being laid per year has continued to rise for the past 50 years due to extensive conservation work, according to a new study. Stock image

The study's results reveal that green turtle clutches have increased at Aldabra by 2.6 per cent per year overall, put directly down to conservation efforts.

The greatest increase in turtle numbers have been found at Settlement Beach on Picard, where exploitation of nesting females was historically the most intense.

Turtles were hunted at Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles until a ban was introduced in 1968, followed by tracking and restriction on interaction with the creatures

The study's results reveal that green turtle clutches have increased at Aldabra by 2.6 per cent per year overall, put directly down to conservation efforts. Stock image

The study's figures confirm Aldabra as the second-largest monitored green turtle rookery in the region, according to the British team.

The research also shows the considerable contribution of Aldabra to regional green turtle numbers and clearly demonstrates the benefits of long-term protection.

Furthermore, with Aldabra's turtle population still being well below estimated pre-exploitation population numbers, the increase is likely to continue.

'Green turtles have suffered massive historical population declines due to intensive harvesting of nesting females,' said lead author Adam Pritchard.

'Aldabra Atoll was the first green turtle nesting site to be protected in the Western Indian Ocean, with a ban on turtle capture in 1968, followed by continued long-term monitoring by Seychelles Islands Foundation researchers.'

Professor Brendan Godley, who helped supervise the research, said the ongoing population increase is testament to long-term protection.

The team, from the University of Exeter in the UK, found the number of clutches has risen from 2,0003,000 per year in the late 1960s to more than 15,000 per year now. Stock image

He said it 'offers some clear evidence of the fact that we can be optimistic about marine conservation, well enacted.'

Co-author Cheryl Sanchez, who is currently doing a Ph.D. on Aldabra's turtles, added to the praise for long-term monitoring benefits.

'This study demonstrates the importance of long-term monitoring, which is often seen as less glamorous and valuable than targeted research,' she said.

'It has taken decades of tireless commitment to collect the data to confirm this increase, and the foresight to protect the nesting population before it was too late.

'Aldabra's green turtles should continue to be an incredible conservation success story that we can follow for decades to come.'

The findings have been published in the journal Endangered Species Research.
Rio Ferdinand has launched a staunch defence of Mauricio Pochettino and believes he is not to blame for Paris Saint-Germain's latest exit from the Champions League.

A stunning 17-minute second-half hat-trick from Karim Benzema saw Real Madrid overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg to qualify for the last eight of the competition at the French giants' expense.

It means PSG's quest for a maiden Champions League title will go on for at least another season, with their appearance in the 2020 final against eventual winners Bayern Munich still their best finish.

Mauricio Pochettino is not to blame for PSG's latest exit from the Champions League, according to Rio Ferdinand

PSG's quest for a maiden Champions League title goes on after a 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid

Pochettino however is facing the sack following their implosion at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Le Parisien reporting he and sporting director Leonardo will both pay the price for the defeat.

This week however marked the five-year anniversary of PSG losing 6-1 to Barcelona having led 4-0 from the first leg under Unai Emery, just one of the examples under previous managers of the French giants capitulating in Europe.

And ex-United centre-back Ferdinand therefore believes Pochettino cannot be blamed given their recent history in the competition.

Asked whether criticism of the former Tottenham boss was fair, 2008 Champions League winner Ferdinand told BT Sport: 'I don't think so given the history at PSG.

The loss came in a week which marked the five-year anniversary of PSG losing 6-1 to Barcelona

'Many managers have been there now and won the league and failed in the Champions League.

'We saw today how the team folded, and this isn't just a one season episode, this is something that continually happens every single year where you go, ''do you know what, PSG with the talent they've got, especially in attacking areas, with the experience that they've got, an array of international big players they've got, they're gonna have a chance of winning it''.

'And they fall at the quarter-final, semi-final hurdles, they've lost in the final. This is something that just happens. [It is a] dysfunctional team, I think that sums it up quite well about the way that they play.

'So I don't think you can really point the finger too much at Pochettino when this has happened season after season.'

And Ferdinand believes their recent history in Europe suggests Pochettino is not the issue

Ferdinand also insisted PSG are hamstrung by the fact they are 'carrying' attacking trio Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, while 'massive egos' have also played their part in ensuring they come up short on the continent.

'I think it's up to the manager to create that culture (where they don't panic),' Ferdinand added. 'But also this team, there have been massive egos, which is part of managing big clubs, and there are players that are genuine superstars.

'You've got Mbappe, you've got Neymar, you've got Messi now in this team playing upfront. And each of those players are players that you would probably allow as a one-off in your team to be a passenger and you all work for that player.

'To have three of them, makes it near on impossible to do it at the top level. You can do it and get away with it in the French league like they do every year, they win the league.

Ferdinand also believes PSG are being hindered by having to 'carry' Lionel Messi (left), Neymar (centre) and Kylian Mbappe (right)

'But at this level, to carry three players that aren't gonna be able to work to the intensity that you probably need to win a tournament like the Champions League is very, very, very difficult.'

Ex-Real Madrid forward Michael Owen meanwhile labelled PSG 'soft' and said his former club demonstrated during their 'Galactico' signing era that Champions League glory is not guaranteed by signing global superstars alone.

'If you've got the same things happening every year, and it's a different manager every year, then I find it hard to say that manager's [not good enough],' Owen said.

Ex-Real Madrid forward Michael Owen meanwhile labelled PSG 'soft' following their defeat

'That team is like that. I've stood on here a couple of weeks ago and said Paris Saint-Germain will not win the Champions League, because they're soft and they always have been soft, for five, six, seven years.

'People get carried away and say, ''look at all those players, they're gonna win the Champions League''. It's virtually impossible to do it.

'Real Madrid proved that years and years ago, get all the best players in the world and you think you're gonna win it. It doesn't happen like that, it's much more about team work.'
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Every day already feels like a party at Disneyland Paris but this year, there is more to celebrate than usual.

Following intermittent closures during the pandemic, the French theme park has now fully reopened in time to usher in its 30th year. And this being Disney, you can expect something a little more extravagant than a birthday cake to mark the occasion.

I visited with my son for the launch of the festivities and found celebrations already in full swing at Europes number one tourist attraction. The number 30 is emblazoned everywhere from the main entrance to the Mickey-shaped balloons sold on Main Street. All paths still lead to the iconic pink Sleeping Beauty Castle but even this has been spruced up for the occasion, with a mammoth renovation requiring 370 gallons of paint and 41,200 sheets of gold leaf applied by hand. Soaring 141 feet tall against a blissfully blue Parisian sky, the sight is enough to impress even a resolutely princess-averse eight-year-old boy.

The iconic pink Sleeping Beauty Castle, pictured, has been spruced up for Disneyland Paris's 30th year, with a mammoth renovation requiring 370 gallons of paint and 41,200 sheets of gold leaf applied by hand

Other additions are more unexpected. In front of the castle, theres a themed kinetic art installation where 30 Disney and Pixar sculptures including ones from Big Hero 6 and Mulan suddenly appear to come to life as we walk by.

Fashion designer Stella McCartney has designed Minnie Mouses first-ever trouser suit plus a new range of merchandise, and theres even a specially-created celebration cocktail of tangy gin, elderflower liqueur, blackberry, green apple, grape and lemon  probably best enjoyed after youve finished riding the roller coasters.

Menus in the 59 restaurants across Disneyland Paris have also had a 30th-anniversary makeover.

After sampling Disneyland Paris's new range of desserts, Siobhan and her son tackle Big Thunder Mountain (pictured)

Fashion designer Stella McCartney (pictured on the left) has designed Minnie Mouses first-ever trouser suit in honour of the 30th anniversary. On the right is Disneyland Paris's specially-created celebration cocktail of tangy gin, elderflower liqueur, blackberry, green apple, grape and lemon

Siobhan experiences the 4D world of Ratatouille, which is located in the Walt Disney Studios Park

A glimpse inside the Ratatouille ride at Disneyland Paris

There are more than 60 new dishes to order including a vegan panini and Mickey Mouse-shaped pizza, but its the new range of distinctly French desserts that get our thumbs up, including rainbow-coloured macarons decorated with the obligatory 30, Mickey-shaped cookies on sticks and a feather-light white chocolate and strawberry dome cake.

Fuelled by  much needed - sugar, we tackle the rides with renewed determination, with Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Star Wars simulator Star Tours proving the biggest hits in Disneyland Park.

Just next door in Walt Disney Studios Park, we plummet to the floor on the Toy Story-themed Parachute Drop, experience the 4D world of Ratatouille and brave the Nemo-inspired spinning roller coaster Crushs Coaster (twice!)

Yet for all the thrills and spills, its the old-fashioned Disney charm that really wows my son. He giggles gleefully when hes tickled by a giant Goofy as they pose for a photo together and gladly receives a bear hug from Mickey, dressed in his brand new iridescent 30th-anniversary outfit.

Siobhan and her son enjoy Crushs Coaster so much that they go on it a second time. The spinning roller coaster ride is inspired by Finding Nemo

'We plummet to the floor on the Toy Story-themed Parachute Drop,' writes Siobhan. Pictured is the statue of Buzz Lightyear at the entrance to the ride

The Star Wars simulator Star Tours (shown above) proves to be one of the biggest hits in Disneyland Park, says Siobhan

Above are two characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland Paris - another big hit with visitors

Over in Walt Disney Studios Park, he barely bats an eyelid at the long queue to meet characters from Marvels Avengers and declares the wait well worth it once hes raced against Black Panther and even promised Captain America hell be good in school.

Its fair to say hell be keen to return once the dedicated new Avengers Campus opens later this year with rides based on blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man and Iron Man.

Elsewhere, even more Disney characters including Rapunzel, Princess Tiana and Aladdins Genie pop up in the impossibly uplifting new Dream and Shine Brighter show, performed daily on Central Plaza.

A scene from the 'impossibly uplifting' brand-new Dream and Shine Brighter show that's performed daily on Central Plaza

Above is the 'revamped' nightly firework show, which includes elaborate projections of characters from films including The Lion King on Sleeping Beauty Castle

But the real magic happens after dark. The nightly firework show has been revamped in dramatic Disney fashion, with illuminated dancing fountains, lasers and elaborate projections of characters from films including Frozen, Star Wars and The Lion King on Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Finally, over 200 illuminated drones form a twinkling 30 high in the sky in a dazzling state-of-the-art display that leaves the crowd open-mouthed.

Turns out every day at Disneyland Paris ends with a happy ever after.
'I'm glad to be stepping off the plane.'

That was the verdict on KLM's Boeing 777 economy class by a travel expert from The Points Guy UK. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, with 'poor service' and 'rubbery chicken' being two of the specific complaints.

He filmed his six-hour flight with KLM, from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Dubai, as part of a fascinating 'head to head' cabin review video in which his colleague tested out the carrier's business class. Life up front proved to be much more palatable, with a 'comfortable' lie-flat seat and food that was 'wild-looking', but tasty.

Nicky Kelvin, Head of The Points Guy UK, puts KLM's business class to the test

Nicky puts his business class seat into lie-flat mode on the Amsterdam to Dubai flight

Turning left for the video was Nicky Kelvin, Head of The Points Guy UK (TPG UK), who used 50,000 Virgin Points and paid 136 for seat 6K.

His trip got off to a splendid start, with the KLM lounge at Schiphol described as 'modern, comfortable and expansive'.

Nicky continued to be impressed on board.

Dining-wise he was treated to an appetiser of mushrooms, tuna, and wasabi and rice served in charming blue bowls, 'various delicious tarts', and a 'braised jackfruit rendang and cauliflower crepe'. Its bright-yellow crepe and green rice led him to declare: 'This is one of the wildest-looking main courses I've ever had.'

Taste-wise? 'A winner,' Nicky says. 'Coconutty green rice, a delicious spicy curry flavour, really delicious.'

During the flight Nicky is served 'various delicious tarts' (pictured)

Nicky's appetiser of mushrooms, tuna, and wasabi and rice served in charming blue bowls

Pictured is the 'braised jackfruit rendang and cauliflower crepe' that Nicky describes as 'wild-looking' but delicious

He added: 'The food onboard was unlike other food I had tried on a plane. And there were a number of touches such as local snacks and spirits and an end-of-flight ceramic Delft house gift that made the entire experience feel uniquely Dutch in a wonderful way.'

The main meal was below par with very rubbery chicken balls Liam Spencer, TPG UK

The lie-flat seat received a slightly more mixed reaction.

Nicky said: 'Whilst the seat was comfortable, it did lack storage and privacy and was not the best seat in the fleet. I would love to go back on board KLM to try out their newest product.'

Liam Spencer was the TPG UK flyer taking one for the team at the back.

He paid 544 for seat 33A, with his journey getting off to a flying start at the airport, then fraying around the edges once on board.

He said: 'I found Amsterdam Schiphol Airport bright and spacious with plenty of great options to grab some food and refreshments before the flight.'

On board though, while he enjoyed the dessert of apple crumble 'which was delicious', the main meal was 'below par with very rubbery chicken balls, made even more difficult to cut by the wooden cutlery'.

Liam Spencer was the TPG UK flyer taking one for the team in KLM's 777 economy section

The all-important legroom test gets underway on the footage

Perhaps the seat made up for the deficiencies in the catering department?

Nope.

Liam said: 'The seat was fairly rigid and became more uncomfortable the longer the flight went on.'

What's more, the service 'was poor throughout the flight'.

Liam said: 'The seat was fairly rigid and became more uncomfortable the longer the flight went on'

Liam's main course disappoints, with the chicken balls (above) described as 'rubbery'

Liam said: 'And during our signature "call bell challenge", my call bell was never answered. An hour went by without a cabin crew member even stepping foot in the economy cabin.'

After disembarking Nicky declares that his flight was 'brilliant', but Liam just looks relieved it's over.

For more information on travel tips and tricks, sign up to The Points Guy UK. Click here to see the full-length KLM review footage.
He's the FIFO worker who rose to fame after appearing on last year's season of Married at First Sight as an intruder.

And on Saturday, Chris Jensen made a rare public appearance as he stepped out to attend a book signing in Sydney.

The 33-year-old looked like he'd just walked out of a photoshoot as he was spotted arriving at Luna Park alongside author Monica James and fellow model Lochie Carey.

Remember me? Married At First Sight's Chris Jensen, 33, made a rare public appearance as he stepped out for a book signing in Sydney on Saturday

Despite failing to find love with Jaimie Gardner on the show last year, Chris looked anything but heartbroken as he helped push a suitcase of books towards the event.

Chris oozed confidence in a white T-shirt which he teamed up with plaid suit trousers and brown leather jacket that he carried over his shoulder.

He completed his look wearing a pair of designer sunglasses.

No heartbreak here! Despite failing to find love with Jaimie Gardner on the show last year, Chris looked anything but heartbroken as he made his way into the event

Stylish: Chris oozed confidence in a white T-shirt which he teamed up with plaid suit trousers and brown leather jacket that he carried over his shoulder. Pictured with author Monica James

Excited: Chris was seen chatting to Monica as they made their way to the event before spending several hours inside meeting hundreds of fans at an author convention

Chris was seen chatting to Monica as they made their way to the event before spending several hours inside meeting hundreds of fans at an author convention.

While the unlikely sighting will no doubt come as a surprise for many, Chris announced that he couldn't wait to be transformed into a Viking for Monica's latest tome.

Once inside, Chris and Lochie were swarmed by female admirers who lined up to get their books signed.

Unlikely gig: While the unlikely sighting will no doubt come as a surprise for many, Chris announced that he couldn't wait to be transformed into a Viking for Monica's latest novel

What hunk! Locky was seen holding up copies of Thy Kingdom Come, in which he appears on the cover of

Popular: Once inside, Chris and Lochie were swarmed by female admirers who lined up to get their books signed

Previously speaking to Daily Mail Australia about his gig as a cover model, he said: 'It worked out pretty well for me. I've actually got Danish-Viking heritage in me.

'Funny enough it had nothing to do with me being on MAFS, there were some other cover models that know my partner Tayla, and my name got popped up to the photographer,' he said.

'It was my most enjoyable shoot, getting into that character was so much fun,' he added.

Remember me? Married At First Sight groom Chris Jensen, 33, was paired with bridezilla Jaimie Gardner on last year's season of the Channel Nine dating show
He has fast become renowned for his role as Alfie, a dashing, London-born banker, in the second season of acclaimed Netflix phenomenon Emily In Paris.

And British actor Lucien Laviscount has laid bare why the latest rung on his career ladder was 'one of the most incredible times of his life' during an exclusive interview with MailOnline.

Lucien, 29, made it no secret that joining in the second season of a 'massive' show came with pressure, but he was highly complementary of the 'beautiful environment' that filming encapsulated.

EXCLUSIVE 'It was honestly one of the most incredible times of my life': Lucien Laviscount said filming Emily In Paris was a 'beautiful environment' as he lauded Lily Collins for her leading 'grace'

'It came with these pressures - I'm coming in the second season of a massive show and I was in Paris for the first time. That place is, honestly, it's like a museum with the roof taken off.

'It was honestly one of the most incredible times of my life,' he gushed.

The heartthrob swept into the series as the eponymous Emily's (Lily Collins) love interest and he lauded the leading lady for her grace on the set.

Latest role: The British actor, 29, swept into the series as the eponymous Emily's love interest and described actress Lily as a 'boss in her own right' (the pair pictured on the show)

Of their initial encounter via Zoom, Lucien explained: 'She was so lovely. She'd done like a 14 hour day and she jumped on and was still as perky and lovely as ever - as I'd expect. Emily but with this rawness that's Lily as well, who's like this boss in her own right.

'We just chatted for about 45 minutes. From that moment there, I was like, "this is going to be fun." At the same time, we're going to work hard and get the job done. She welcomes everyone with open arms.

'On any set you go on, it starts from whoever is leading the team. She leads it with such grace - it's a beautiful environment.'

Honest: Lucien made it no secret that joining in the second season of a 'massive' show came with pressure and described Paris as a 'museum with the roof taken off'

In January, Emily In Paris fans were thrilled to learn the series had been renewed for third and fourth instalments.

Lucien, while remaining coy about his character's future, teased: 'If Alfie has more stories to tell and more journey to give to Emily then great!'

Compartmentalising his role was pivotal for the Brit to 'get out of his head' when trying to delve deep into who Alfie was, a process which Lucien likened to 'Build-A-Bear'.

Upcoming: In January, Emily In Paris fans were thrilled to learn the series had been renewed for third and fourth instalments. Lucien teased: 'If Alfie has more stories to tell and more journey to give to Emily then great!'

He said: 'When I first stepped into my costume fitting, and I tried on a couple of suits, I was like, "right okay, this is Alfie now".

'I was like, "can I get some braces on there?" It was like Build-A-Bear. Then the voice kind of came with that and then everything just kind of comes together.

'Looking at it from the beginning, before you've put all the little pieces together, it can feel quite overwhelming!'

Characterisation: Compartmentalising his role was pivotal for the Brit to 'get out of his head' when trying to delve deep into who Alfie was, a process which Lucien likened to 'Build-A-Bear'

Both humble and honest, Lucien paid particular tribute to the show's director Darren Star, who is also behind Sex And The City reboot And Just Like That

'He's such an icon within the TV space. I just feel so so thankful and fortunate that Darren allowed me to bring him to life,' he said.

Lucien's additional credits include Grange Hill, where he first rose to prominence, and Waterloo Road, where he played school pupil Jonah Kirby from September 2010 - April 2011.

With news of the drama series' return sending fans into a whirl, the show's old-timer said he is excited to see 'what Waterloo Road is today.'

'I'm so so happy it's coming back! I can't wait to watch it. I was a massive fan of the show before I was able to get on. I'm really really excited, to see all the new and old characters take shape.'

Way back when: Lucien's additional credits include Grange Hill, where he first rose to prominence, and Waterloo Road, where he played school pupil Jonah Kirby from September 2010 - April 2011 (pictured above)

Emotions: Lucien's acting skills were recently put to the test when he marked the 35th anniversary of the GIF

A blast: 'I think everyone is in their own little world with how they communicate,' he said

Lucien's acting skills were recently put to the test when he marked the 35th anniversary of the GIF.

He was challenged to convey as many emotions as possible in a mere 60 seconds to launch the Samsung Galaxy GIF Project.

'I think everyone is in their own little world with how they communicate,' he said. Of the task, which he branded 'crazy', Lucien added: 'I just did the best I can. It was a blast of an afternoon!'

Lucien Laviscount launches The Samsung Galaxy GIF Project at Samsung KX which aims to curate the fill range of human expression through GIFs. The project was commissioned to mark the 35th anniversary of the GIF and celebrate the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series which allows user to create their own GIF in both light and also low light settings using the Nightography feature.
They have formed an alliance on Married At First Sight against 'mean girl' Olivia Frazer and adulteress Carolina Santos.

And BFFs Ella Ding and Domenica Calarco put on a united front as they hit Maroubra Beach in Sydney together last month.

In photos taken on February 19, before NSW was rocked by heavy rain and flooding, the pair flaunted their toned bikini bodies while sauntering across the shore.

Sizzling hot: Married At First Sight BFFs Ella Ding (right) and Domenica Calarco (left) put on a united front as they hit Maroubra Beach in Sydney together last month

Fun in the sun: In photos taken on February 19, before NSW was rocked by heavy rain and flooding, the pair flaunted their toned bikini bodies while sauntering across the shore

Domenica, 29, who is paired with fellow Italian-Australian Jack Millar on MAFS, showed off her jaw-dropping figure in a skimpy blue two-piece with tie-side bottoms.

The blonde makeup artist displayed her various tattoos, including a jar of Vegemite on her arm, and accessorised with a bracelet and her wedding ring.

Ella, 27, who is partnered with Mitch Eynaud, also turned heads in a mismatched bikini featuring ruched black briefs and a patterned top with criss-cross straps.

Eyes on the prize: Domenica glanced down at her chest as she readjusted her bikini top

Flawless: Dom, 29, who is paired with fellow Italian-Australian Jack Millar on MAFS, showed off her jaw-dropping figure in a skimpy blue two-piece with tie-side bottoms

Sensational: Ella, 27, who is partnered with Mitch Eynaud, also turned heads in a mismatched bikini featuring ruched black briefs and a patterned top with criss-cross straps

Daring: Her barely there swimwear drew attention to her collection of body art, including an elaborate floral tattoo across her hips and right thigh

Look closer: The beautician also has the words 'heavy soul' inked across her bikini line, and 'love her but leave her wild' on her right thigh

Her barely there swimwear drew attention to her collection of body art, including an elaborate floral tattoo across her hips and right thigh.

The beautician also has the words 'heavy soul' inked across her bikini line, and 'love her but leave her wild' on her right thigh.

Both women went for a refreshing dip in the ocean before emerging from the water minutes later with slicked-back hair.

Hitting the surf: Both women went for a refreshing dip in the ocean before emerging from the water minutes later with slicked-back hair

'Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the paps!' Domenica pointed at something in the distance

What's so funny? At one stage, the two women were seen laughing at something

Body art: Makeup artist Domenica displayed her various tattoos, including a rose on one arm

Fun personality: Dom also has a tattoo of a jar of Vegemite on her other arm

They had earlier been seen arriving at the beach carrying towels and tote bags.

Ella and Domenica have formed a close friendship on MAFS, and always have each other's backs when arguments erupt at the dinner parties and commitment ceremonies.

Tensions boiled over at the couples' retreat on Monday's episode when Domenica clashed with teaching assistant Olivia Frazer, who told her to watch her tone.

Squad goals: Ella and Domenica have formed a close friendship on MAFS, and always have each other's backs when arguments erupt at the dinner parties and commitment ceremonies

Bond girl moment: Domenica, who was still wearing her MAFS wedding ring, slicked back her blonde hair after going for a swim in the ocean

Arrival: They had earlier been seen arriving at the beach carrying towels and tote bags

'I just think you need to choose your words really carefully because when you swear, it comes off way more aggressive,' Olivia said.

'I really hate being told to choose my words wisely. Guess what? I'll choose my words. Because they're my words,' Dom hit back.

'I'm sick of hearing you. I'm sick of your voice yelling all the time. I'm bored of your voice,' replied Olivia.

New and improved: MAFS fans have dubbed Ella 'Martha 2.0' in reference to 2019 bride Martha Kalifatidis, who is also a curvy brunette

Same view: Both Dom and Ella have been vocal in their criticism of cheating MAFS bride Carolina Santos

Infidelity: Carolina (right) is having an 'affair' on the show with personal trainer Daniel Holmes (left), despite being 'married' to property developer Dion Giannarelli

Passing judgement: Dom and Carolina exchanged harsh words at the most recent commitment ceremony, and Ella said in a recent interview that Carolina and Daniel 'don't even deserve air time' because of their affair

'So my voice isn't okay?' Domenica snapped.

Olivia explained she thought it was rude that Domenica would always cut her off to chime in with her two cents.

'No, my entire life, I have been told my voice isn't okay!' Domenica then fumed, before smashing a wine glass on the table.

Twinning: The duo flicked their hair back in sync while walking towards the shore

Tone police: Tensions boiled over at the couples' retreat on Monday's episode when Domenica clashed with teaching assistant Olivia Frazer, who told her to watch her tone

Battle of the brides! Olivia (left) explained she thought it was rude that Domenica (right) would always cut her off to chime in with her two cents. 'No, my entire life, I have been told my voice isn't okay!' Domenica then fumed, before smashing a wine glass on the table

Aggressive: The other brides were horrified when Dom smashed the glass and yelled at Olivia

The pair's feud deepened on Tuesday's episode when Olivia, 28, embellished parts of the story while explaining to the other cast members what had happened.

While Dom had smashed a glass out of frustration, Olivia took things further by claiming she'd wielded the broken glass like a weapon, which she didn't do.

'She got up and stood over me and smashed her wine glass and then proceeded to wave the broken glass in my face while she stood over me and screamed,' she said, waving her hands dramatically.

Porky pies: The pair's feud deepened on Tuesday's episode when Olivia, 28, embellished parts of the story while explaining to the other cast members what had happened

Are you sure about that? While Dom had smashed a glass out of frustration, Olivia took things further by claiming she'd wielded the broken glass like a weapon, which she didn't do

However, footage from the incident clearly shows Domenica was sitting down when she smashed the glass, and at no point did she wield it like a weapon.

Meanwhile, both Dom and Ella have been vocal in their criticism of cheating MAFS bride Carolina Santos.

Carolina, 33, is having an 'affair' on the show with personal trainer Daniel Holmes, despite being 'married' to property developer Dion Giannarelli.

Dom and Carolina exchanged harsh words at the most recent commitment ceremony, and Ella said in a recent interview that Carolina and Daniel 'don't even deserve air time' because of their affair.

Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine and 9Now
Eric Stonestreet spoke about his close connection to his fiancee, Lindsay Schweitzer, in an interview with People that was published on Wednesday.

The 50-year-old performer spoke about several topics during the sit-down, including his upcoming game show and his life during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The former Modern Family star went on to discuss his life with his partner, to whom he became engaged this past April.

The one for him: Eric Stonestreet spoke about his close connection to his fiancee, Lindsay Schweitzer, in an interview with People published on Wednesday; they are seen in 2019

Stonestreet made a point that he was grateful for Schweitzer's ability to tolerate his personality during the interview.

'I joke all the time that she's uniquely qualified to be my fiancee because she can put up with me,' he said.

The Secret Life of Pets voice actor also described his partner as 'just a good person and a great mom.'

Stonestreet recalled asking his fiancee's children about toppling dominoes while he was developing a game show, which became his Fox series Domino Masters.

The right match: Stonestreet made a point that he was grateful for Schweitzer's ability to tolerate his personality during the interview, adding that she's 'just a good person and a great mom'

'I asked Lindsay's boys, who are nine, I was like, "Do you know much about this world?" And they were like, "We watch YouTube videos on this all the time."'

The actor and Schweitzer met in 2016 while they were attending a charity event in Kansas City.

The couple's romance was confirmed by People the following year, when a source expressed that the two were enthusiastic about their relationship.

'They are very happy to have met each other and are enjoying spending time together,' they said.

Starting off strong: The actor and Schweitzer met in 2016 while they were attending a charity event in Kansas City

Set in stone: The couple's romance was confirmed by People the following year, when a source expressed that the two were enthusiastic about their relationship

Stonestreet also discussed how his Modern Family castmates reacted to his engagement to Schweitzer during an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, where he noted that they were excited to hear the news.

The actor recalled that his costars 'were very happy when Lindsay and I started dating.'

He then pointed out that he was 'the last holdout' of the cast to start a relationship and expressed that 'everyone loved her right from the get-go.'

A potential wedding date for the actor and his fiancee has not yet been announced.
Ukrainian authorities are blaming Russia for the recent power cut-off at the Chernobyl power plant and warn that Moscow's continued attacks could lead to "nuclear discharge."

The problem arises due to the fact that, unlike an operating power plant that generates electricity by itself, the Chernobyl plant is completely dependent on outside sources of energy. This means that a power cut could cause severe problems.

Chernobyl Power Plant

The Chernobyl plant is where the worst nuclear disaster in the history of the world occurred when one of its four reactors exploded and burned 36 years ago. The plant operates primarily from the power produced by diesel generators.

A former longtime employee of the power plant who knew of the conditions said that some of the equipment was still functioning on battery power. The former official added that some firefighting systems and radiation monitoring systems have been affected by the power cut, as per the New York Times.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is a UN-backed global nuclear watchdog agency, downplayed concerns of an imminent radioactive release. However, a Ukrainian national emergency services agency said that if the cooling systems of the plant lost power, there could be a "radioactive cloud" that will blow over other regions of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Europe.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Slams Russia for Cruel Strike of Ukraine Children's Hospital; Pentagon Sees Signs of Russian 'Dumb Bombs'

Authorities warned that radioactive substances could be released from the plant if it is prevented from cooling used nuclear fuel. The warning was made by the state-run company that operates all of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, Energoatom.

According to CBS News, Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine's Minister for Energy, spoke on Wednesday saying that authorities in Kyiv were unable to confirm the status of the Chernobyl facility due to the monitoring systems being down. They noted that the plant's power supply required immediate fixing to address the potential threat.

Potential Catastrophe

On the other hand, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal underscored that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "committed to guarantee the security and safety of nuclear sites in Ukraine" during his phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.

The main reason that officials are worried about the Chernobyl power plant is that it is home to fuel rods containing 230 kilograms of uranium. The chemicals are submerged in water that is at least 15 meters deep and uses an active cooling system, said a Princeton University physicist, Frank von Hippel, who co-founded the Program on Science and Global Security.

With the power cut causing the plant's cooling system to potentially stop, the radioactive fuel rods could rise in temperature and boil away the water they are submerged in. The result could be a fire that could spread throughout the plant.

The nuclear power safety director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Edwin Lyman, said that the concern is an unlikely situation because the temperature of the fuel is inherently low. Von Hippel added that in the worst-case scenario, it would take several weeks or months for the 2,000 fuel assembly pieces in the power plant's deep water pool to boil away, the Associated Press reported.



Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War: Pentagon Admits Poland Jet Proposal Shows "Difficult Logistical Challenges"

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Linda Robson has shut down rumours she's fallen out with longtime pal Pauline Quirke.

The actress, 63, claimed that she still speaks to Birds of a Feather co-star Pauline, 62, and says her friend was a 'great support' to her when she battled drink problems and an OCD 'meltdown' in 2018.

Meanwhile, Linda also quashed reports of a rift between her and her Loose Women co-stars, with Linda defiantly remarking that the same questions of a feud wouldn't be asked if it were a men's show.

Nothing going on: Linda Robson has shut down rumours she's fallen out with longtime pal Pauline Quirke

Last year, it was said that Linda and Pauline were no longer on speaking terms, with it alleged that matters became so heated at one point that childhood friends had to be separated by crew members during filming at Teddington Studios in West London.

While it was said that they are not amicable after Pauline was involved in a tense face-off with fellow TV star Lesley Joseph, 76, outside TV studio toilets.

But addressing the supposed rift, Linda told The Mirror: 'People say Pauline and I have fallen out. Obviously I couldn't see her during lockdown but I've seen her since. She just doesn't want to act anymore. She's had enough - it's long hours.'

She added that she still sees fellow Birds of a Feather co-star Lesly Joseph, 76, 'all the time', joking that during lockdown, she would leave 'funny things' on her doorstep such as urinary incontinence pads and hair dye.

No drama: The actress claimed that she still speaks to Birds of a Feather co-star Pauline, 62, and says her friend was a 'great support' to her when she battled drink problems and an OCD 'meltdown' in 2018

Close: Linda and Pauline are longtime friends after starring on Birds Of A Feather together in 1998

However, despite not seeing much of Pauline recently, Linda insisted that there's no bad blood, telling how both Pauline and Lesley were a huge support to her in her hours of need.

She went on: 'When I was ill, both Pauline and Lesley rang me, or a member of my family, every couple of days to see how I was. They were both a big support and really there for me.'

Linda added that Pauline has taken a step back from acting to concentrate on her drama academies, adding that the actress is 'very hands on' with the project.

It comes as Linda also shared a selfie with Pauline to mark International Women's Day while noted several other people who have inspired her.

She wrote: 'Happy International Womens Day/ Heres a few inspirational ladies that inspire me everyday! And to all you women out there - you are all amazing!  Lots of love Nanny Linda x.'

Last year Linda said it was Pauline's 'choice' not to appear in the one-off Bird of a Feather episode in 2020 and that the cast had 'to respect' her decision.

What feud; People say Pauline and I have fallen out. Obviously I couldn't see her during lockdown but I've seen her since' (Linda and Pauline pictured in 1993)

Close: She added that she still sees fellow Birds of a Feather co-star Lesly Joseph, 76, 'all the time', joking that during lockdown, she would leave 'funny things' on her doorstep such as urinary incontinence pads and hair dye (pictured in 2015)

Pauline's character Sharon Theodopolopodous was written out of the episode as being 'stuck on a Covid cruise'.

It was later announced that the long-running sitcom had been axed despite attracting an audience of 7.9 million for the Christmas special, with ITV deciding against ordering more episodes after Pauline decided not to take part in the special.

Meanwhile, Linda addressed reports of an alleged fall out with her fellow Loose Women panelists.

She fumed: 'Just because it's a women's show people always ask "Do we get on?". We do get on. They wouldn't ask that of a man about a men's show would they? We all meet up with each other all the time.'

Linda went on to say that Janet Street-Porter kindly rang her everyday when she was off from work, while she also visited pal Brenda Edwards in the wake of her son Jamal's tragic death earlier this month.

Support: However, despite not seeing much of Pauline recently, Linda insisted that there's no bad blood, telling how both Pauline and Lesley were a huge support to her in her hours of need (pictured in 2012)

On how Brenda is coping, Linda told how she's not sure that Brenda 'knows what's hit her yet', insisting all her co-stars 'love' and are 'there for her'.

Elsewhere during the chat, Linda told how she was now 'absolutely fine' following her 2018 when she suffered an OCD meltdown, with the star also having anxiety and self-medicating with alcohol.

She told how she feels like her life is getting back to 'normal, though she noted that she still likes to be very organised, having her work clothes 'ready to go' the night before and will always have her house 'really clean and orderly' before heading out.

Back in July, Linda once again insisted she's not at war with Birds Of A Feather co-star Pauline, despite ongoing rumours of a cast feud.

The star told Good Morning Britain presenters Kate Garraway and Adil Ray that there was no falling out between them 'whatsoever.'

Hitting back: Meanwhile, Linda addressed reports of an alleged fall out with her fellow Loose Women panelists (pictured with co-star Nadia Sawalha)

Not impressed: She fumed: 'Just because it's a women's show people always ask "Do we get on?". We do get on. They wouldn't ask that of a man about a men's show would they? We all meet up with each other all the time'

Offering an explanation for the series coming to an end, she said: 'She just doesn't want to act anymore, she wants to concentrate on her academies. You have to respect her wishes.'

Pauline declined to take part in the Christmas special of the ITV series, leaving just Linda and Lesley starring in it. In May, ITV announced that the series had been permanently axed.

Speaking about the Christmas special, Linda said: 'They asked us whether we'd like to do it and we said we're happy to. It was a very good Christmas special.'

Adil joked with the TV personality, asking she would go solo, to which Linda responded: 'I'm not sure if I could do Birds of Feather on my own!'

Back in February, it was claimed Pauline is no longer on amicable terms with Linda after she was involved in a tense face-off with fellow TV star Lesley Joseph outside TV studio toilets.

'You have to respect her wishes': Back in July, Linda once again insisted she's not at war with Birds Of A Feather co-star Pauline, despite ongoing rumours of a cast feud

The Sun previously alleged the bust-up with Lesley could date back to 1997, when Pauline received a BAFTA nomination for her role in The Sculptress, and reportedly asked for a bigger salary for her Birds Of A Feather stint through her manager husband Steve Sheen.

The insider said: 'Steve was not especially popular on set. He asked for more money, which he felt was valid after her Bafta nomination, so the women started to drift apart.

'The sense now is that they will never repair their friendship. Linda does not believe they will ever speak again.'
Scott Disick's new girlfriend Holly Scarfone put on a sizzling display on Tuesday as she shared a snap from their recent trip to Paris on her Instagram.

The model, 23, stunned in a sheer black lace bra and matching underwear as she posed on the balcony of their hotel with the Eiffel Tower glowing in the background.

Shortly after posting, Holly received a cheeky comment from Scott, 38, demanding that she credit him for seemingly capturing the sexy snap.

Sizzling: Scott Disick's new girlfriend Holly Scarfone put on a sizzling display on Tuesday as she shared a snap from their recent trip to Paris on her Instagram

'Where is my photo credit?' commented the KUWTK alum.

Holly had captioned Tuesday's post, 'lounging in the city of amour,' followed by a black heart emoji.

Scott and Holly ventured to Paris last week to partake in the Paris Fashion Week festivities.

They were captured arriving to a popular Parisian night club on Thursday, March 3, in coordinating all-black outfits.

What gives?! Shortly after posting, Holly received a cheeky comment from Scott, 38, demanding that she credit him for seemingly capturing the sexy snap

Cheeky: 'Where is my photo credit?' commented the KUWTK alum; Scott seen in September

The sighting came just one week after Scott and Holly were seen together for the first time following a dinner date at Nobu Malibu.

The social media influencer notably bares a striking resemblance to Scott's ex-girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian's little sister Kylie Jenner.

She's been compared to the makeup mogul not only for her facial features but also for her long raven tresses and Kylie-inspired fashion sense.

City of love: Scott and Holly ventured to Paris last week to partake in the Paris Fashion Week festivities. They were captured arriving to a popular Parisian night club on Thursday, March 3, in coordinating all-black outfits

Holly appeared on the latest season of Netflix's reality show Too Hot To Handle, a show that centers around contestants who have to abstain from any sexual contact in order to receive the grand prize.

During her stint on the show, she was romantically linked to fellow contestant Nathan Sloan

Holly hails from Canada but lives in the US; she graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Colorado.

Reality star: Holly appeared on the latest season of Netflix's reality show Too Hot To Handle, a show that centers around contestants who have to abstain from any sexual contact in order to receive the grand prize

Seeing double: The social media influencer (pictured right) notably bares a striking resemblance to Scott's ex-girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian's little sister Kylie Jenner (pictured left)

The brunette has over 600K followers on Instagram; in addition to being a reality star, she is also an Instagram model and influencer.

Prior to Holly, Scott was in a relationship with Lisa Rinna's youngest daughter Amelia Gray Hamlin, 20, from October 2020 until their shock split in September 2021.

He jumped into the romance with Amelia following his breakup with Sofia Richie, 23, who is the daughter of music legend Lionel Richie.

Former flame: Prior to Holly, Scott was in a relationship with Lisa Rinna's youngest daughter Amelia Gray Hamlin, 20, from October 2020 until their shock split in September 2021

The former couple began dated for three-years before officially calling it quits on the relationship in August 2021

Scott and his baby mama Kourtney Kardashian dated from 2005 until 2015; they split in July 2015 after he was seen canoodling with stylist Chloe Bartoli in the South of France while still with Kourtney, 42.

Kourtney and Scott are parents to three children: Mason, 12, Penelope, nine, and Reign, seven.
Olivia Molly Rogers is no slouch in the style stakes.

The former Miss Universe Australia, 29, proved her fashion forward credentials as she stepped out in a $5000 Balenciaga pyjama-style outfit at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival on Wednesday.

The blonde beauty, who was a guest of PayPal, wore a pair of the label's new scribble pyjama pants, which retail for a whopping $2,050.

She woke up like this! Olivia Molly Rogers showed off her abs in a $5000 Balenciaga pyjama-style outfit at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival on Wednesday

She teamed it with a matching $2,350 top kept left open to flaunt her midriff.

Olivia kept it glam wearing her cropped locks in a messy style and a glossy makeup palette.

She carried a clutch and boosted her already statuesque height a pair of heels with bows on them.

Gorgeous: Olivia kept it glam wearing her cropped locks in a messy style and a glossy makeup palette

It comes after the model finally walked down the aisle with Justin Mckeone, after the pair were forced to cancel their wedding twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Olivia, who announced her engagement to her long-term boyfriend last year, revealed the happy news in an Instagram post last month.

'Mr & Mrs McKeone 05.02.2022,' she captioned a photo of the couple on their wedding day.

Accessories: She carried a clutch and boosted her already statuesque height a pair of heels with bows on them

Olivia looked radiant in the white, long-sleeved wedding gown by Marquise Bridal as the couple wed at the Terindah Estate on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula.

The date holds special meaning for the model, as it's the same day her grandparents wed in 1959.

Social media from guests at the wedding showed the ecstatic couple hoisted on friends' shoulders as they partied into the night.

Here comes the bride! It comes after the model finally walked down the aisle with Justin Mckeone, after the pair were forced to cancel their wedding twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic

It was third time's the charm for the beauty queen.

'I'm getting married next year. It's my third wedding date, so hopefully this one goes ahead without any issues,' she told Daily Mail Australia last December.

'Everything's sorted so far, except my dress. So hopefully that comes together in the next seven weeks,' she said.

Olivia explained that while she picked out her dress two years ago, she was excited to see it all come together.

The Melbourne-based couple had set a February wedding date so her fiance's Perth-based family can attend once borders reopen.

Olivia revealed the pair were planning to spend Christmas with her family in Adelaide before returning home to ring in the new year in Melbourne.

Big day: 'Mr & Mrs McKeone 05.02.2022,' she captioned a photo of the couple on their wedding day

'I'm excited to go back to Adelaide, my home city,' she said.

'I'm not sure what we're doing for New Year's [Eve] yet, but we'll be bringing in the new year in a big way.'

Olivia and Justin met at the start of 2018 before stepping out together at the Aussie Formula One Grand Prix.
Bob Saget's widow Kelly Rizzo shared an emotional post to mark two-months since the comedian's death.

On Wednesday, the 42-year-old media personality posted a photo of herself with the Full House star in which they were seen on a balcony overlooking Los Angeles.

'2 whole months. Ive experienced that now time means nothing and everything at the same time,' Rizzo wrote in the caption.

Sad: Bob Saget's widow Kelly Rizzo shared an emotional post to mark two-months since the comedian's death

She continued, 'You count the weeks, and the months, theyre strange and surreal milestones.

'How can it be 2 months without you?? But also it feels like yesterday you were here- and it still also feels like you never left? I like to say its all a very weird new universe. Learning how to navigate it is quite the journey.'

In the image, Rizzo was seen gazing lovingly at Saget as he wrapped his arm around her waist and she rested her hand on his shoulder.

Her post was quickly flooded with messages of support with Saget's close friend John Mayer commenting, ' X 1000' and his former Full House co-star Candace Cameron Bure writing, 'Cant send enough '.

The beloved comedian was found dead at the age of 65 in a Florida hotel room on January 8.

On Tuesday, Kelly celebrated International Women's Day by sharing an inspirational message with her fans.

Staying strong: On Tuesday, Kelly celebrated International Women's Day by sharing an inspirational message with her fans

She posted a snap in which she was seen on a hike, writing, 'Happy International Womens Day. Ladies, you got this.

'Even when the road is rocky, you can still find some sunshine and blue skies.'

The travel blogger concluded,'Thank you again to everyone for all of the endless love and support and kind words. (PS. Never underestimate the power of a good hike and some Vitamin D)

Last week, Rizzo posted a touching tribute to her late husband to her Instagram Story.

In her clips, she spoke about working through the grief that she had experienced after the comedian's passing.

Expressing her thoughts: Kelly posted a touching tribute to her late husband on her Instagram Story on Tuesday

Showing her gratitude: Rizzo began her message by expressing her gratitude to all of the fans who had helped her through her period of mourning

Rizzo began her message by expressing her gratitude to all of the fans who had helped her through her period of mourning.

'I just wanted to take a second to say to everybody that it has not gone unnoticed. I have been incredibly grateful and appreciative of all of you for the love and support,' she said.

She also pointed out that she had been able to connect with new people through the social media platform, stating: 'I have had people who were strangers that now have become friends on Instagram.'

Rizzo then spoke about expressing her grief after Saget's passing to the public ad noted that she was unprepared for the experience.

Opening up: Rizzo then spoke about expressing her grief after Saget's passing to the public ad noted that she was unprepared for the experience; she is seen with the late comedian in 2018

'Even though I'm still very new to this world, I feel I've had kind of a crash course in it. Especially doing it very publicly, it adds a whole other level that takes it to this different place that you understand in a certain way,' she said.

The social media personality remarked that she had 'been doing my best to try to even engage with people and respond to comments.'

Rizzo again stated that she wanted 'to tell everyone how thankful and grateful and appreciative I am of everything that you've all done to try to help me through this incredibly difficult time.'

She added: 'So many people have shared their stories with me of the loss that you've been through...and it's just really kind that you've tried to help me by sharing your stories.'

Adjusting: The social media personality remarked that she had 'been doing my best to try to even engage with people and respond to comments'

The social media personality made a point of stating that the outpouring of support from her followers had made her grieving process much less difficult.

'I can assure you that the kindness you all have shown has been a little bright spot and has made this a bit easier,' she said.

Rizzo concluded by expressing that watching all of the support from the late actor's fans had been especially heartwarming.

'The thing that has really helped is seeing how much you all loved Bob because this outpouring is something, like, I don't think anybody has ever seen,' she said.

Saget was found dead at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Orlando, Florida area on January 9th. He had been on a stand-up tour and performed at a venue in the area that same night.

RIP: Saget was found dead at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Orlando, Florida area on January 9th. He had been on a stand-up tour and performed at a venue in the area that same night; Saget pictured in December 2021

The late comedian was found by hotel workers who became concerned after he missed his check-out time.

A funeral was held for the former Full House lead on January 14th, and many of his former costars attended the event.

Saget was subsequently buried near the graves of his other family members at the Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

An autopsy later confirmed that the actor had died as a result of blunt force trauma, and People reported that he may have passed out in his bathroom and hit his head on the marble floor before stumbling into his bed and losing consciousness.

No signs of foul play were found by local police in the comedian's hotel room.

Saget's body was also tested for COVID-19, and although the tests yielded a positive result, the coronavirus was not thought to have been a factor in his death.
Hailey Bieber set temperatures soaring as she took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a string of glamour shots.

For the sizzling snaps, which were taken ahead of her husband Justin Bieber's concert on Tuesday night, Hailey donned a cropped Harley Davidson shirt that showcased her toned tummy.

The 25-year-old model contrasted her top with a set of purple drawstring pants and a pair of stark white sneakers.

Glamour girl: Hailey Bieber set temperatures soaring as she took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a string of glamour shots

The model accessorized with numerous articles of jewelry that gave her outfit some sparkle.

She let her beautiful dark blonde hair flow out from under a fuzzy black and red bucket hat.

Bieber also had numerous sequins applied to her lower back, which were visible in her video.

Showing off: For the sizzling snaps, which were taken ahead of her husband Justin Bieber's concert on Tuesday night, Hailey donned a cropped Harley Davidson shirt that showcased her toned tummy

Contrast: The 25-year-old model contrasted her top with a set of purple drawstring pants and a pair of stark white sneakers

The social media personality attended her husband's concert, which was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening.

Hailey and Justin were seen heading out of the venue in a pair of shots that were shared to the Canadian crooner's Instagram account on Wednesday.

The happy couple appeared to be enjoying each other's company as they stayed close during their departure.

Hailey and Justin were initially introduced in 2015, and they established a close friendship before starting a relationship that same year.

However, the two broke up and cut off all contact with each other the following year.

The pair eventually reconciled and shocked many when they announced their engagement in 2018.

The happy couple obtained marriage licenses that same year, and they held a wedding ceremony in September of 2019.

Making it official: The happy couple obtained marriage licenses that same year, and they held a wedding ceremony in September of 2019; they are seen in 2020

Hailey announced that she would not be publicly discussing her relationship with Justin during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, where she expressed that she was tired of having her words misconstrued by the public.

'It doesn't feel worth it to me anymore when I try to have an open conversation with someone...and then it gets taken out of context,' she said.

She did reveal, however, that she and her husband were planning to start a family in the near future.

'I think ideally in the next couple of years we would try. But there's a reason they call it try, right? You don't know how long that process is ever going to take,' she stated.
Interior Design Masters With Alan Carr

Rating:

Writing With Fire: Storyville

Rating:

One unwavering law in the world of reality telly is that when a contestant proclaims their own sheer brilliance, you can be sure disaster is looming.

Indeed, the gods of small-screen revenge must have been agog as Interior Design Masters With Alan Carr (BBC1) returned with ten new contestants.

Paul, a chap with a sweeping grey coiffure and a luxuriant moustache, who described himself as the Heston Blumenthal of soft furnishings, declared: 'I would class myself as a creative genius, a guru.'

The next hour was filled with a sense of delicious inevitability, as Paul made a series of terrible design decisions and engineered bitter stand-offs with his partner in the competition, Amy.

Alan Carr, host of Interior Design Masters, and Michelle Ogundehin, a judge on the programme

'I'm not a person who loves conflict,' Amy murmured diffidently, which Paul took as an invitation to trample all over her suggestions.

Their most intense clash came over a 'statement wall' in a home office.

Paul insisted on using a wallpaper with a hideous geometric design, in a shade he described as 'teal'. In fact, it was the colour of muddy denim.

Rather than admit he was wrong, Paul stubbornly claimed 'teal' could be green, blue or anything in between. It's no use arguing with people like that.

As Humpty Dumpty said, words mean whatever people want them to mean.

Amy confined herself to whispering in presenter Alan Carr's ear: 'It isn't what I'd choose.'

'Very diplomatic,' said Alan  but diplomacy was wasted. Confrontation is the only way to deal with the Pauls of this world.

Amy should have simply ripped the paper off the wall and told him to start again.

That would get us watching.

Naturally, the calamitous duo ended up in the show's 'relegation zone', to be subjected to a scolding from judge Michelle Ogundehin.

But they were clearly deemed too entertaining to be dismissed immediately.

And, instead, Michelle opted to expell social media 'star' Richard, whose velvet drapes were too short for the windows.

'Design is not decoration,' Michelle told poor Richard.

'It's how the room works, not just the colours you paint the walls.'

Richard burst into tears.

It all made for a lively start to a series that, in the past, has been too gentle and friendly.

This time, contestants like Paul have introduced a competitive edge  and that promises to be much more fun. Especially if, unlike Amy, you enjoy a bit of conflict.

The Storyville documentary, Writing With Fire (BBC4), revealed the shocking conflict and violence covered by the brave reporters of Khabar Lahariya  a newspaper and YouTube video channel run by a collective of courageous women in northern India.

All members of India's lowest caste of Dalits or 'untouchables', the women defy mafia gangsters and religious bigots to report on the appalling treatment of their community.

Rape and murder are common, and often go uninvestigated by police.

Children work in near slavery: one journalist, Sunetra, was a quarry worker at the age of ten.

Writing With Fire: Storyville tracked a group of female reporters from India's lowest cast as they deal with gangsters and bigots while simply trying to do their jobs

With no voiceover, the film was atmospheric but suffered from a lack of depth and explanation.

We didn't learn essential information such as how Khabar Lahariya was funded or who founded it.

Sunetra lived in utter poverty with her nagging father. The floor of their home was packed earth, the walls bare breezeblocks.

At work she had smartphones and laptops  but we weren't even told if she was paid for her reports.

I'd love to know more. The outstanding journalism of Sunetra and her colleagues deserves our support.
Karl Stefanovic seems to be getting a little too chummy with the Today show's new resident doctor Nick Coatsworth.

The larrikin TV presenter, 47, was wrapping up a segment about flu shots with the former deputy chief medical officer when he implied the pair had a private appointment together after the show.

'Always good to talk to you, doctor,' Stefanovic said, before adding cheekily: 'I look forward to seeing you... in my dressing room.'

This suggestive remark left his co-host Sarah Abo stunned as she burst out laughing and asked: 'What?!'

'I look forward to seeing you... in my dressing room': Today host Karl Stefanovic's (left) bizarre 'offer' to top doctor Nick Coatsworth on Thursday left co-host Sarah Abo (right) speechless

As infectious disease specialist Dr Coatsworth laughed good-naturedly, Stefanovic brushed off his bizarre remark and chuckled, 'No, no.'

Abo, a 60 Minutes reporter who is filling in for Today co-host Allison Langdon while she is on medical leave, also helped Stefanovic recover from his gaffe.

'You mean [you look forward to seeing Dr Coatsworth] at the clinic to get the flu vaccine,' she said.

Stefanovic was still laughing about his blunder when Abo signed off by thanking Dr Coatsworth, who smiled and laughed along during the odd moment.

He said what?! The larrikin TV presenter, 47, was wrapping up a segment about flu shots with the former deputy chief medical officer (right) when he implied the pair had a private appointment together after the show

Earlier in the interview, Stefanovic had gone on a rant about vaccines, which by his own admission was 'irresponsible'.

'I'm making this revelation on national TV: you can say whatever you want, but I've had my fill of vaccines. I know it's irresponsible and I shouldn't be saying it but I don't want it anymore,' he said.

Abo later joked Nine executives would be 'booking Karl in for his flu jab after the segment' as punishment for his attitude.

There's no suggestion Stefanovic is anti-vaccine, and the TV presenter is in fact fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Speechless: This suggestive remark left Abo, who is filling in for Today co-host Allison Langdon while she is on medical leave, stunned as she burst out laughing and asked: 'What?!'

But like many Australians, he is experiencing the 'vaccine fatigue' caused by endless reminders about booster shots.

Dr Coatsworth has been an outspoken critic of over-reaching government Covid restrictions since resigning as deputy chief medical officer in October 2020.

'I just want to remind people flu is an annual thing,' the doctor said on Today.

'While we have seen how devastating Covid is as a respiratory virus, what it needs to elevate in people's minds is just how devastating influenza can be across all age groups - from children all the way through to the most elderly in our society.'
Australian streaming platform Stan has released a trailer for the upcoming comedy series Minx.

Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the series sees Guardians of the Galaxy actress Ophelia Lovibond star as Joyce, a young feminist who joins forces with a low-rent publisher, played by Jake Johnson, to create the first erotic magazine for women.

The pair navigate their way through LA's porn scene with the goal of 'levelling the playing field between the sexes'.

First look: Australian streaming platform Stan has released a trailer for the upcoming comedy series Minx, starring Ophelia Lovibond (pictured) as a young feminist who joins forces with a low-rent publisher in 1970s Los Angeles to start the first erotic magazine for women

The start of the trailer sees Joyce unsuccessfully pitching a traditional feminist magazine to a group of publishers at a conference.

A defeated Joyce is then approached by a porn publisher named Doug, who convinces her to join forces with him to launch Minx, an erotic magazine for women, through his company Bottom Dollar Publications.

She meets Bambi, a scantily clad blonde who introduces herself as the 'centrefold coordinator', and the pair collaborate on a raunchy photo shoot with a male model.

Feminist crusade: The start of the trailer sees Joyce unsuccessfully pitching a traditional feminist magazine to a group of publishers at a conference

Revolutionary: A defeated Joyce is then approached by a porn publisher named Doug, played by Jake Johnson, who convinces her to join forces with him to launch Minx, an erotic magazine for women, through his company Bottom Dollar Publications

While Joyce admits to being 'in over' her head, she remains determined in her quest to 'level the playing field between the sexes' by objectifying men too.

What results is a publication that divides the community, with some describing it as 'filth' with 'no place' in the community, while others view it as revolutionary.

Minx is produced by Paul Feig, who directed the 2011 comedy Bridesmaids.

Ellen Rapoport created the series and takes on the role as executive producer.

Racy: She meets Bambi, a scantily clad blonde who introduces herself as the 'centrefold coordinator', and the pair collaborate on a raunchy photo shoot with a male model (pictured)

Making noise: What results is a publication that divides the community, with some describing it as 'filth' with 'no place' in the community, while others view it as revolutionary

'I'm so grateful to Feigco, Lionsgate and HBO Max for seeing the potential in this story from the first time I showed up in their offices with stacks of '70s porn magazines,' Rapoport said in April last year.

'Making Minx with our ridiculously talented cast was a dream come true and I'm just thrilled that I get to do it again.'

Minx premieres March 17, same day as the U.S., and only on Stan
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Thandiwe Newton stole the spotlight as she led the A-list glamour at a screening of her new thriller All The Old Knives on Wednesday.

The actress, 49, displayed her defined abs in a very sexy floral dress with straps covering her chest as she posed up a storm at the event, held at the The London West Hollywood in Beverly Hills.

Thandiwe and Chris Pine, 41, play CIA operatives and former lovers who reunite to reassess a mission in Vienna where a 'fellow agent might have been compromised,' according to IMDb.

Strike a pose! Thandiwe Newton stole the spotlight as she lead the A-list glamour at a screening of her new thriller All The Old Knives on Wednesday

From the edgy leather jacket to her elaborate green earrings, Thandiwe was dressed to impress for her big moment in the spotlight.

Her quirky yet sexy dress consisted of a beaded white floral skirt affixed to two straps which covered her cleavage.

She wore a glossy leather jacket and a yellow and blue pin signifying her support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.

Thandiwe looked fabulous with her hair styled into long braids and a winged slick of eyeliner by her eyes.

Wow! Thandiwe turned every head with her bold red carpet style

Co-stars! Newton and Chris Pine play CIA operatives and former lovers in All The Old Knives

Double trouble! The duo soaked up the spotlight together

She shared the spotlight with her handsome co-star Chris Pine, who wowed in a white suit.

The dashing actor wore a partially unbuttoned shirt, belted slacks and suede shoes.

He also proudly rocked his usual full beard and a chin length mane of hair.

Also looking sharp on the red carpet was Keegan-Michael Key, who sported a taupe blazer, white button down and jeans.

Man of style! The dashing actor wore a partially unbuttoned shirt, belted slacks and suede shoes

Look who's here! Pine struck a pose alongside a suited-up Matt Newman, the co-head of movies for Amazon Studios

It takes two! Keegan-Michael Key was looking sharp as he posed on the red carpet beside his wife Elle Key

He was joined by his wife Elle Key, who sported a white blazer, glossy blouse and stylish sneakers.

All The Old Knives also stars Laurence Fishburne, Jonathan Pryce, Corey Johnson and Jonjo O'Neill.

The film, which is based on the book by Olen Steinhauer, will be released in select theaters and on Prime Video on April 8.

Meanwhile, Chris is preparing to transition from being in front of the camera to behind it.

Red-y or not! Skye Townsend wowed in a crimson wrap dress and strappy gold heels

Red carpet fun! Jermaine Crawford was looking stylish in a coat and glossy trousers

Deadline reported last month the actor will be making his directorial debut in the upcoming film Poolman, which he will also be starring in.

Pine is also going to co-write the script with Ian Cotler, a partner at the actor's Barry Linen Production Company.

Poolman follows Pine's character, Darren Barrenman, described as, 'a hapless daydreamer and would-be philosopher.'

Picture perfect! Pine exuded confidence as he posed before photographers

Group photo! Pine and Newton posed with Julie Rapaport, All The Old Knives director Janus Metz, and Newman

He looks after the pool at the Tahitian Tiki apartment complex in Los Angeles and also spends his time crashing city council meetings with neighbors Jack (DeVito) and Diane (Bening).

Barrenman ultimately uncovers, 'the greatest water heist since Chinatown,' which leads him down some bizarre paths including an alliance with a beautiful femme fatale.

He chases down every lead he can from, 'corrupt city officials, burned out Hollywood types, and mysterious benefactors' to protect his beloved Los Angeles.

While no other casting was announced, the report adds that fans should expect some 'fun cameos and supporting cast to be added.'

The project is being pitched as, 'Big Lebowski meets LA film noir with a healthy splash of La La Land,' which is currently being sold at the European Film Market (EFM) by Stuart Ford's AGC Studios and is said to be one of the hottest projects at the virtual market.
She's become a popular influencer since debuting on the 2013 season of Big Brother.

And Tully Smyth flaunted her flair for fashion as she made an ultra chic arrival at Melbourne Fashion Festival on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old blonde beauty showed off her lean legs in a head-to-toe black ensemble, consisting of a Camilla and Marc blazer, retailing for around $800, and a $690 Dion Lee skirt.

Ultra stylish: Former Big Brother star Tully Smyth (pictured), 34, flaunted her leggy figure in a $1500 chic black blazer and mini-skirt ensemble at Melbourne Fashion Festival on Wednesday

Tully added a ribbed singlet and cut-out pointy-toe heels to the edgy look.

She concealed her gaze behind trendy narrow-frame Prada sunglasses, and carried her essential items in a black box clutch.

Her tresses were styled sleek and straight, and her makeup included a smoky eye, false lashes, bronzer on her cheekbones and a glossy nude lipstick.

Designer: The influencer wore a head-to-toe black ensemble, consisting of a Camilla and Marc jacket, retailing for around $800, and a $690 Dion Lee skirt

The future's bright: Tully concealed her gaze behind trendy narrow-frame Prada sunglasses, and carried her essential items in a black box clutch

Tully made headlines back in December when she went Instagram official with her boyfriend Daniel Parisi.

The reality TV star shared a series of photos to Instagram while enjoying a shopping trip with her new man.

She also shared a mirror selfie of the couple before they enjoyed dinner to celebrate their six-month anniversary.

'Date night for our six month anniversary,' she captioned the image.

Beauty: Her tresses were styled sleek and straight, and her makeup included a smoky eye, false lashes, bronzer on her cheekbones and a glossy nude lipstick

Tully rose to fame on Big Brother in 2013, where she started a romance with Anthony Drew while she was in a relationship with girlfriend Tahlia Farrant.

The pair continued to date following the show, but the romance was short-lived, with the couple splitting in January 2014.

Anthony and Tully reunited on her podcast Too Much Tully in 2020 and finally revealed what happened following their exit from the show.

Going public: Tully made headlines back in December when she went Instagram official with her boyfriend Daniel Parisi

Milestone: Tully shared a series of photos to Instagram while enjoying a shopping trip with her new man (pictured). She also shared a mirror selfie of the couple before they enjoyed dinner to celebrate their six-month anniversary

Tully explained that their 'sudden fame' and the additional 'problems' of her break up with Thalia affected their relationship.

'I was like how can you possibly start something new when you're trying to deal with the old, that was a constant problem,' she said.

But at the end of the day, she admitted that Anthony wasn't as invested in the relationship as she was, saying: 'I moved to Melbourne and I was all in, and he wasn't.'

Anthony admitted: 'I was a bit of a prick.'
The Chinese FC-31 Stealth Jet might soon be sold to Saudi Arabia after the US snub to get F-35s. The success of the first-ever World Defense Show might upset American sales in this region of the world.

A previous arms deal for a light attack jet fighter was inked with the UAE, and China is actively pushing its arms in the middle east as a major shift in world power occurs.

Offered an alternative to the Arabs who want cutting edge arms and equipment but not necessarily from the American is gaining traction in the Middle East.

China's Stealth Fighter a Game-changer in the Far-East

The four-day exhibition in Riyadh that started March 6, with eight Chinese defense firms that sold their best equipment on display for the first time in Saudi Arabia, reported the Eurasian Times.

Feature cutting edge technology from China was the LY-80 air defense system, the SR5 multiple rocket launcher, and another JY-27A anti-air warning radar.

On display were drones, heavy air transports, electronic warfare defense systems, several types of drones from marine to winged autonomous systems; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could adopt that, noted Global Times.

The up-ticket FC-31 was a favorite of the exhibition to the other systems on display. Last March 7, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) said it would display its newest plane.

An earlier report by the Eurasian Times said that AVIC would be selling their 5th generation jet abroad in several markets.

A Chinese outlet said that the exhibit of modern Chinese arms and hardware would get the attention of Middle East big shots like the FC-31 Stealth fighter, KSA Crown Prince, Yemen's Prime Minister, and Iraq's Defense Minister.

Read Also: Xi Jinping: 5 Things To Know About China's President

According to the Saudi Arabian general representative, Shen Yujie, China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO), the PLZ45A4 artillery system was an exhibit in the event. It is improved in firepower, reliability, and user interface over the former model.

The next interesting piece of equipment is the ZDK-03 early warning aircraft of CETC International Co Ltd; Tian Yaobin promoted it as a cheaper version of the Americans.

China Steps Into International Arms Market

The World Defense Show in Riyadh from March 6 to 9 in 2022 would have a total of 45 nation and their defense firm with 600 exhibitors competing to get sales in the four-day event.

Contracts will be top dollar from the nations that could spend for such modern yet affordable equipment.

Countries organize exhibitions by Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) sources military tech for the kingdom.

China is pushing for more advanced sales of its military products, with less cost and added support after sold; anyone can buy, unlike US equipment.

Readily sold to anyone who can shoulder the expenses, Beijing is the go-to for many countries who want to buy with no strings attached.

Chinese state media says that China's defense firms are willing to help the states with technology to make the arms at home. The objective is to support the locals to have jobs and develop defense technologies for themselves. The FC-31 stealth fighter could be a low-cost option over the F-35 and even a competitor for Russian Checkmate Fight later on.

Related article: China's 'New' Stealth Fighter FC-31: Is It a Match for the F-35 Lightning II?

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They recently revealed their plans to find the perfect 'family home' together.

And Deborah Hutton, 60, and her mediation guru partner Andrew Marsh, 51, proved their romance is stronger than ever when they shared a passionate kiss at local petrol station in Sydney on Wednesday.

The couple put on quite the PDA while filling up their Mini Cooper car as they prepared to travel down south.

Get a room! Former magazine editor and TV presenter Deborah Hutton and her meditation guru boyfriend Andrew Marsh passionately kissed at a Sydney petrol station on Wednesday

Former magazine editor and TV presenter Deborah threw her arms around Marsh's neck and kissed him on the mouth.

She was dressed casually in a pair of denim jeans, a blue T-shirt and Adidas sneakers.

Makeup free, she showed off her youthful visage and pulled her blonde locks back into a ponytail.

Marsh was also casual in shorts, a T-shirt and New Balance sneakers.

PDA: The couple put on quite the PDA as they filled up their Mini Cooper car

Casual Wednesday: Hutton was dressed casually in a pair of denim jeans, a blue T-shirt and Adidas sneakers

The couple's relationship has gone from strength-to-strength since Hutton finally confirmed it in September last year.

There had been chatter about the pair since they met in 2019, but she finally broke her silence in Stellar Magazine.

'It's something that's really lovely in my life,' she told the publication.

Deborah has been very private about the pair's relationship and said she only shares it with Andrew and 'very close friends'.

Passionate: Hutton threw her arms around Marsh's neck and kissed him on the mouth

Marsh made his name as a wellness and meditation guru and grew especially close to Hutton during a trip to India in 2019.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the pair grew so tight Marsh told others on the trip he believed he and Hutton must have been together in a 'past life'.

Hutton recently sold her stunning home in Bronte at auction, with a listing price of a whopping $10 million.

Going strong: The couple's relationship has gone from strength-to-strength since it was finally confirmed in September last year

She said that she is moving to a 'family home' which he hasn't yet selected, but will likely be in the northern beaches area, Wollongong or somewhere 'an hour and a bit' away from Sydney.

'My future is not me being solo', she told The Daily Telegraph, referring to her romance with Marsh.

'So that's why it's exciting for me to move on and plan more of a family home, you know -and no, I'm not pregnant,' she added.

How they met: Marsh made his name as a wellness and meditation guru and grew especially close to Hutton during a trip to India in 2019
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West Side Story star Ariana Debose dazzled in a strapless black gown at the 24th Costume Designers Guild Awards, which took place at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old North Carolina native - who relies on styling duo Zadrian Smith + Sarah Edmiston - slipped her fit 5ft5in figure into the dramatic dress featuring cut-outs at the bodice and a train, and she accessorized with Natalie Mills jewelry.

Hairstylist Takisha Sturdivant-Drew coiffed Ariana's curly natural pixie cut for the awards ceremony.

Glam moment: West Side Story star Ariana DeBose dazzled in a strapless black gown at the 24th Costume Designers Guild Awards, which took place at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Wednesday

Make-up artist Andrea Tiller applied DeBose's smoky eye shadow and nude lip for the purple carpet pre-show.

The biracial beauty - who came out as 'queer' in 2015 - opted not to bring her rumored girlfriend, Sue Makkoo.

The Costume Designers Guild Awards reunited Ariana with her costume designer for West Side Story and Hamilton, Paul Tazewell.

The 57-year-old Oscar nominee looked dapper in a black Alexander McQueen suit, sans tie, which featured embellished embroidery on one shoulder.

LBD: The 31-year-old North Carolina native - who relies on styling duo Zadrian Smith + Sarah Edmiston - slipped her fit 5ft5in figure into the dramatic dress featuring cut-outs at the bodice and a train, and she accessorized with Natalie Mills jewelry

Natural look: Hairstylist Takisha Sturdivant-Drew coiffed Ariana's curly pixie cut for the awards ceremony

Ready for her close-up! Make-up artist Andrea Tiller applied DeBose's smoky eye shadow and nude lip for the purple carpet pre-show

LGBT: The biracial beauty - who came out as 'queer' in 2015 - opted not to bring her rumored girlfriend, Sue Makkoo

DeBose also got to hang out before the ceremony with And Just Like That actress Karen Pittman and tick, tick...BOOM actress Judith Light.

The recent SNL host was there to present the trophy for excellence in contemporary film.

The winner was Ruth E. Carter for her work crafting the regal Zamunda-style clothing for Coming 2 America, having already dressed the regal Wakanda citizens for Black Panther in 2018.

Ariana has already won the Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of the 1957 stage musical.

Hello again! The Costume Designers Guild Awards reunited Ariana with her costume designer for West Side Story and Hamilton, Paul Tazewell (R)

Man in black: The 57-year-old Oscar nominee looked dapper in a black Alexander McQueen suit, sans tie, which featured embellished embroidery on one shoulder

Earth angels: DeBose also got to hang out before the ceremony with And Just Like That actress Karen Pittman (L) and tick, tick...BOOM actress Judith Light (R)

Hey girl! She also caught up with Encanto actress Stephanie Beatriz, who also opted for a strapless gown

And the winner is... : The recent SNL host was there to present the trophy for excellence in contemporary film

Champ: The winner was Ruth E. Carter for her work crafting the regal Zamunda-style clothing for Coming 2 America, having already dressed the regal Wakanda citizens for Black Panther in 2018

DeBose is next up the for best supporting actress trophy at the 27th Critics' Choice Awards, which air this Sunday on The CW/TBS.

The Schmigadoon actress faces heavy competition against the original Anita - West Side Story co-star Rita Moreno as well as Belfast's Caitriona Balfe, Mass' Ann Dowd, The Power of the Dog's Kirsten Dunst, King Richard's Aunjanue Ellis.

Ariana will also compete at the 94th Academy Awards, which air March 27 on ABC.

DeBose will guest star in the one-hour special Step Into...The Movies with Derek and Julianne Hough, which airs March 20 on ABC.

Frontrunner: Ariana has already won the Golden Globe Award (L) and a Screen Actors Guild Award (R) for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of the 1957 stage musical

Airing this Sunday on The CW/TBS! DeBose is next up the for best supporting actress trophy at the 27th Critics' Choice Awards

Who will win? The Schmigadoon actress faces heavy competition against the original Anita - West Side Story co-star Rita Moreno (R, pictured December 7) as well as Belfast's Caitriona Balfe, Mass' Ann Dowd, The Power of the Dog's Kirsten Dunst, King Richard's Aunjanue Ellis

Recreating classic sequences: Ariana will also guest star in the one-hour special Step Into...The Movies with Derek and Julianne Hough, which airs March 20 on ABC

The Tony-nominated triple threat - who played the bullet in Hamilton - also has upcoming roles in Matthew Vaughn's Argylle, Gabriela Cowperthwaite's I.S.S., and J.C. Chandor's Kraven the Hunter.

'[West Side Story] is one of the most thrilling things that's ever happened to me in my career,' Ariana told ABC7 New York on Wednesday.

'It feels like the sky's the limit at this moment in time. I'm an artist that likes to continually challenge myself. The next couple of projects that you'll see from me are not musicals, and so the running gag for me is like, "We'll find out if I can actually act then!"'

But DeBose's first brush with fame was at age 18 competing on the sixth season of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance in 2009 where she made it to the top 20.

'He's etched countless indelible images on the screen': Meanwhile, Judith (L) presented the CDG's Spotlight Award to her tick, tick...BOOM castmate Andrew Garfield (R), who looked sleek in a Saint Laurent suit

Wiping away his tears of happiness, the 38-year-old Oscar nominee said in his speech: 'Thank you for your art. Thank you for your hearts. And I hope we get to keep creating together'

Surrounded by the masked crowd: Andrew also had some laughs while seated beside the 73-year-old Tony winner (L) inside the 538-seat theater

Hey you! Emmy nominee Alfred Molina enjoyed reunions with Garfield and Light, whom he co-starred with in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and We'll Never Have Paris (2014), respectively

Lip lock: And the 68-year-old Englishman (L) shared a kiss with Girls alum Andrew Rannells (R) on the purple carpet

Meanwhile, Judith presented the CDG's Spotlight Award to her tick, tick...BOOM castmate Andrew Garfield, who looked sleek in a Saint Laurent suit.

Wiping away his tears of happiness, the 38-year-old Oscar nominee said in his speech: 'Thank you for your art. Thank you for your hearts. And I hope we get to keep creating together.'

Andrew also had some laughs while seated beside the 73-year-old Tony winner inside the 538-seat theater.

Emmy nominee Alfred Molina enjoyed reunions with Garfield and Light, whom he co-starred with in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and We'll Never Have Paris (2014), respectively.

Team: The 43-year-old Grammy winner suited up to co-host the Costume Designers Guild Awards alongside his Black Monday castmate Casey Wilson

She's a rainbow: Jurassic World Dominion star Laura Dern skipped the purple carpet, but posed backstage in her red pantsuit over a magenta pussy-bow blouse and yellow pumps

Honoring her friend: The 55-year-old Oscar winner - who relies on stylist Elizabeth Stewart - wore glasses over her minimally made-up complexion onstage

Congrats! Laura presented producers Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Little Women) and Rachel O'Connor (not in attendance) with the Distinguished Collaborators Award

And the 68-year-old Englishman shared a kiss with Girls alum Andrew Rannells on the purple carpet.

The 43-year-old Grammy winner suited up to co-host the Costume Designers Guild Awards alongside his Black Monday castmate Casey Wilson.

Jurassic World Dominion star Laura Dern skipped the purple carpet, but posed backstage in her red pantsuit over a magenta pussy-bow blouse and yellow pumps.

The 55-year-old Oscar winner - who relies on stylist Elizabeth Stewart - wore glasses over her minimally made-up complexion onstage.

Still going strong! Shining Vale star Mira Sorvino attended the CDGs with her husband of 17 years, Truth Be Told actor Christopher Backus

Fairytale frock: The 54-year-old Oscar winner resembled a Disney princess in her strapless blue embroidered ball gown tied with a black sash, which matched her opera gloves and clutch

HBIC: Mira presented the Excellence in Period Television Award to Sharon Long for her work designing costumes for Hulu's The Great

Laura presented producers Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Little Women) and Rachel O'Connor with the Distinguished Collaborators Award.

Shining Vale star Mira Sorvino attended the CDGs with her husband of 17 years, Truth Be Told actor Christopher Backus.

The 54-year-old Oscar winner resembled a Disney princess in her strapless blue embroidered ball gown tied with a black sash, which matched her opera gloves and clutch.

Mira presented the Excellence in Period Television Award to Sharon Long for her work designing costumes for Hulu's The Great.

Lovely in lace! Euphoria starlet Storm Reid took the plunge in a custom Prada dress and stilettos selected by stylist Jason Bolden

Pretty at the podium: Make-up artist Cherish Brooke Hill brought out the 18-year-old former child star's youthful natural beauty

Mandalorian spin-off: Storm was there to present Shawna Trpcic (L) with the Sci-Fi/Fantasy trophy for Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett

Looking 'fresh'! Reid also posed with Bel-Air stars Coco Jones (L) and Jabari Banks (M), looking sophisticated in a pink Sophie Couture gown and a blue velvet tuxedo.

Euphoria starlet Storm Reid took the plunge in a custom lace Prada dress and stilettos selected by stylist Jason Bolden.

Make-up artist Cherish Brooke Hill brought out the 18-year-old former child star's youthful natural beauty.

Storm was there to present Shawna Trpcic with the Sci-Fi/Fantasy trophy for Disney+ spin-off series, The Book of Boba Fett.

Reid also posed with Bel-Air stars Coco Jones and Jabari Banks, looking sophisticated in a pink Sophie Couture gown and a blue velvet tuxedo.

Never removed her sunglasses: All Rise actress Anne Heche struck several poses in her eccentric green backless dress and black embellished booties

Werrrrk! The 52-year-old Daytime Emmy winner was joined on the purple carpet by her gal pal, costume designer Ami Goodheart (Ed Sheeran's Shivers music video)

Shooter McGavin! American Crime Story actor Christopher McDonald and The Bold Type star Melora Hardin teamed up to give out a trophy

Leggy lady: The 54-year-old Emmy nominee showed a little leg in her black sequin dress featuring rainbow-print trim

All Rise actress Anne Heche struck several poses in her eccentric green backless dress and black embellished booties.

The 52-year-old Daytime Emmy winner was joined on the purple carpet by her gal pal, costume designer Ami Goodheart (Ed Sheeran's Shivers music video).

American Crime Story actor Christopher McDonald and The Bold Type star Melora Hardin teamed up to give out a trophy.

The 54-year-old Emmy nominee showed a little leg in her black sequin dress featuring rainbow-print trim.

Acceptance speech: The talented twosome presented B. Akerlund with the Excellence in Short Form Design award for the Swarovski commercial 'Welcome to Wonderlab'

Who wore it better? The 46-year-old Swedish tastemaker (L) stood out in a voluminous pleated red cape that rivaled Euphoria costumer Dawn Ritz's own red offbeat ensemble

Hey girl hey! Ritz and Akerlund - both rocking ornate black updos - kissed hello at one point rather than avoid each other for dressing too similarly

Lovely ladies! Other standouts on the purple carpet were (from L-R) Karen Pittman in Georges Chakra SS/22 couture, Suttirat Anne Larlarb serving Maude realness, and Derica Cole Washington in a cut-out pink creation

The talented twosome presented B. Akerlund with the Excellence in Short Form Design award for the Swarovski commercial 'Welcome to Wonderlab.'

The 46-year-old Swedish tastemaker stood out in a voluminous pleated red cape that rivaled Euphoria costumer Dawn Ritz's own red offbeat ensemble.

Ritz and Akerlund - both rocking ornate black updos - kissed hello at one point rather than avoid each other for dressing too similarly.

Other standouts on the purple carpet were Karen Pittman in Georges Chakra SS/22 couture, Suttirat Anne Larlarb serving Maude realness, and Derica Cole Washington in a cut-out pink creation.
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Zoey Deutch makes a bold fashion statement in a bright blue leather jacket and matching miniskirt to the premiere of her upcoming crime drama The Outfit with costar Dylan O'Brien in New York City on Wednesday evening.

While looking radiant at the star-studded screening, the 27-year-old Set It Up star owned the red carpet in her lime green blouse and black Christian Louboutin heels, which added a few inches to her petite five-foot-four stature.

She also sported a natural glam makeup look, which consisted of a soft contour, pink lipstick and lightweight foundation for a glowing, dewy complexion at The Whitby Hotel Screening Room.

Glam: Zoey Deutch makes a bold fashion statement in a bright blue leather jacket and matching miniskirt to the premiere of her upcoming crime drama The Outfit in New York City on Wednesday

Upon arriving to the event, Deutch appeared in high spirits as she gave a friendly wave to onlookers before posing for photos with O'Brien, 30, writer Johnathan McClain, director Graham Moore and costume designer Zac Posen.

O'Brien, who shot to fame in his lead role of Thomas Maze Runner science fiction film trilogy between 2014 and 2018, wore a white button-down with black buttons and a light grey plaid suit.

McClain sported a navy vest, matching pants and a tweed jacket, while Moore looked handsome in black suit, a striped tie and brown leather loafers.

Beautiful: Upon arriving to the event, Deutch appeared in high spirits as she gave a friendly wave to onlookers before posing for photos with O'Brien, 30, writer Johnathan McClain, director Graham Moore and costume designer Zac Posen

Working it: Deutch's miniskirt displayed her toned legs as she strutted down the red carpet

Busy schedule: Deutch, who is the daughter of director Howard Deutch, rose to fame for her roles in the film Everybody Wants Some!!, Netflix comedy series The Politician

Cool girl: The Set It Up actress owned the red carpet in her lime green blouse

Award-winning American fashion designer Posen, known for designing glamorous evening gowns and cocktail dresses for 20 years before retiring in 2019, cut a dapper figure in all black.

Stacey Bendet, the founder of Alice + Olivia, attended in a figure-hugging floral jacket over an orange top and light-wash blue jeans.

The 43-year-old fashion designer completed her romantic updo with an sparkly headband and black smokey eye.

Handsome: Award-winning American fashion designer Posen, known for designing glamorous evening gowns and cocktail dresses for 20 years before retiring in 2019, cut a dapper figure in all black

Smiling trio: Johnathan McClain, Graham Moore and Zac Posen posed for pictures together

Colorful: Stacey Bendet, the founder of Alice + Olivia, attended in a figure-hugging floral jacket over an orange top and light-wash blue jeans; pictured with Harrison Ball (L) and Posen (R)

Colorful: Stacey Bendet, the founder of Alice + Olivia, attended in a figure-hugging floral jacket over an orange top and light-wash blue jeans

The Outfit premieres hits theaters on March 18 and follows an expert tailor (played by Mark Rylance) who must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive and fateful night, as per the film's synopsis.

Earlier in the month on the Today Show, Deutch told Hoda and Jenna about her latest project, which she described as 'a crime thriller set in the '50s.'

'It's about an expert tailor played by Mark Rylance who has to outwit a bunch of very dangerous gangsters to survive one fateful night,' she said.

She added: 'It's like a chess match amongst all the different characters. It's fun cause it leads the audience having to guess who's telling the truth, who's not.'

Handsome: Award-winning American fashion designer Posen, known for designing glamorous evening gowns and cocktail dresses for 20 years before retiring in 2019, cut a dapper figure in all black

New chapter: Posen shut down his eponymous label back in November 2019 after eighteen years

Screening time: McClain pictured with actress Celia Weston, known for her supporting roles in The Talented Mr. Ripley, In the Bedroom, Hulk, and The Village

Stylish: Fashion designer Nicole Miller, who wore a structured black blazer, was also in attendance

Looking good: Fern Mallis, the former the executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, sported a black sweatshirt with the word 'love' down the front

When asked if she liked the true crime genre, Zoey admitted: 'I don't want to be anymore scared or paranoid than I already am. I'm already so insane.'

'I'm really into Love Island right now ... the complete opposite of Dateline. No one is actually ever doing anything, they just talk about what could happen and what they're going to do. Nothing happens and it's amazing.'

Deutch, who is the daughter of director Howard Deutch, rose to fame for her roles in the film Everybody Wants Some!! and Netflix's The Politician.

Coming soon: The Outfit premieres hits theaters on March 18 and follows an expert tailor (played by Mark Rylance) who must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive and fateful night, as per the film's synopsis
Andrew Garfield had to wipe away the tears while accepting the Spotlight Awards at the 24th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old actor was announced to receive the award in early February, honoring his career that personifies, 'an enduring commitment to excellence, including a special awareness of the role and importance of costume design.'

The actor is one of the front runners for Best Actor for his performance as Rent creator Jonathan Larson in tick, tick... BOOM!, and he broke down in tears while accepting the award at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.

Tearful Andrew Garfield had to wipe away the tears while accepting the Spotlight Awards at the 24th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards on Wednesday

Tears: The actor is one of the front runners for Best Actor for his performance as Rent creator Jonathan Larson in tick, tick... BOOM!, and he broke down in tears while accepting the award at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica

Garfield stepped out in a stylish black-on-black suit with a black coat featuring a silver lapel pin.

He also wore a black dress shirt with a silver watch on his left wrist and a silver bracelet on his right wrist.

He completed his look with black pants and shiny black shoes.

Andrew's look: Garfield stepped out in a stylish black-on-black suit with a black coat featuring a silver lapel pin

Garfield was presented the award by his tick, tick... BOOM! co-star Judith Light, who called him, 'extraordinary, infinitely talented and wildly generous.'

The actor began his speech by saying he was, 'so angry' and 'so upset' because he, 'wasn't supposed to cry this evening,' while wiping tears away.

'To be honored by the angel on Earth that is Judith Light is a moment that will keep me going for the next 30 years,' he continued.

Presenter: Garfield was presented the award by his tick, tick... BOOM! co-star Judith Light, who called him, 'extraordinary, infinitely talented and wildly generous'

Moment: 'To be honored by the angel on Earth that is Judith Light is a moment that will keep me going for the next 30 years,' he continued

He kept wiping tears away and said he was, 'just so surprisingly overwhelmed and touched' by receiving the honor.

Garfield won a Golden Globe for his performance as Jonathan Larson in tick, tick... BOOM! and he's a front runner for the Best Actor Oscar.

He will go up against Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos), Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Will Smith (King Richard) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog).

Overwhelmed: He kept wiping tears away and said he was, 'just so surprisingly overwhelmed and touched' by receiving the honor

Globe winner: Garfield won a Golden Globe for his performance as Jonathan Larson in tick, tick... BOOM! and he's a front runner for the Best Actor Oscar

Garfield also starred in the critically-acclaimed The Eyes of Tammy Faye earlier this year, and had a beloved return as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The actor will be returning to the small screen with new series Under the Banner of Heaven, where he stars as a devout detective whose faith is tested.

He also stars in the miniseries Brideshead Revisited with Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Joe Alwyn.

Recent roles: Garfield also starred in the critically-acclaimed The Eyes of Tammy Faye earlier this year, and had a beloved return as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home

Coming soon: The actor will be returning to the small screen with new series Under the Banner of Heaven, where he stars as a devout detective whose faith is tested

New role: He also stars in the miniseries Brideshead Revisited with Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Joe Alwyn

Andrew and Judith: Andrew Garfield and Judith Light pose on the red carpet at the 24th Annual CDGA Awards
She's a proud mother to sons Forest and Bear.

And on Wednesday, Skye Wheatley showed off her incredible figure as she enjoyed lunch with her two boys.

The Big Brother star, 27, shared a series of photos to Instagram of herself, three-year-old son Forest and one-year-old son Bear enjoying a meal at a restaurant.

Hot mama! Big Brother star Skye Wheatley flaunted her ample assets in a sheer white corset as she enjoyed lunch with her sons Forest and Bear on Wednesday

Skye flaunted her ample assets in a sheer white corset and jeans as she posed for the camera.

She tied her long blonde locks in a low plait and let her natural beauty shine, opting for a neutral palette of makeup for the outing.

'I'm such a lucky mumma,' she captioned the images.

Stylish: Skye flaunted her ample assets in a sheer white corset and jeans as she posed for the camera

Skye's outing comes after she filmed herself slurring words and hitting the camera with a razor while repeatedly poking her tongue out in a string of worrying videos posted to Instagram.

The former Big Brother star and influencer went on an often incomprehensible rant starting at 2.24am on Sunday while sitting alone in her bathroom in footage shared with her 656,000 followers.

Skye began by squealing and smiling at the camera, before saying: 'I am about to tell you guys something really f**king important, yeah? Like really important.'

Rant: Skye's outing comes after she filmed herself slurring words and hitting the camera with a razor while repeatedly poking her tongue out in a string of worrying videos posted to Instagram

She placed her phone down and bashed it with a pink razor while laughing, 'Really f**king important,' before bursting into giggles.

Skye then placed her head in her hands and smiled, before saying, 'My mum is going to die!' while referring to her behaviour on camera.

She proceeded to put on a fake voice mimicking her mother, adding: 'Mum's gonna be like, "I don't think that was the way to go about it, if you had an opinion I feel like you should have gone about it differently,"' before breaking into laughter again.

Odd behaviour: Skye bashed her phone multiple times with a pink razor

Skye then stuck out her tongue at the camera, before saying: 'To be honest, I'm having like a Britney Spears moment, and I know how she feels.'

She appeared to be referring to Britney's 2007 meltdown, in which the U.S. musician infamously shaved her head at a late-night salon in front of the paparazzi.

Skye went on to stick her tongue out two more times, then said, 'I hope you're all raising money to support the flood victims,' before poking her tongue out once again.

'That's like... really f**king important [to] raise money for the floods.'
Rachael Finch's company Kissed Earth has vowed to give back to flood-stricken citizens in northern NSW and Queensland.

Posting to her Instagram on Wednesday, the 33-year-old announced that all proceeds from her beauty and wellness brand would go directly to residents in the wake of their trauma.

'Today @kissedearth will donate 100% of proceeds from every sale to @givit_aus - an organisation dedicated to connecting impacted communities with the essentials they need,' she began.

Giving back! On Wednesday, Rachael Finch (pictured) revealed her company Kissed Earth has vowed to give back to flood-stricken citizens in northern NSW and Queensland

'Weve been following their work throughout and would love to help by donating what we can.'

The former Miss Universe Australia model also penned a heartfelt tribute to those suffering any hardship.

'Our hearts are with everyone not only impacted by the floods in NSW & QLD, but across the world during this uncertain time.

'We may not be there in person but we ARE here for you.'

Devastating scenes: Alongside her candid caption, Rachael included heartwrenching images of people's homes covered in water. Pictured, Lismore, New South Wales on February 28

Alongside her candid caption, Rachael included heartwrenching images of people's homes covered in water.

Her famous pals were quick to comment on the generosity shown by Kissed Earth, which is best known for their collagen products.

'This is why we love you Rachael Finch,' author Luke Hines, 39, wrote.

Support: Her famous pals were quick to comment on the generosity shown by Kissed Earth, which is best known for their collegan products

Meanwhile, wellness expert Lola Berry, 36, shared a series of clapping-hand emojis.

Fans also praised the stunner for her contribution to the worthwhile cause.

This comes after almost 340,000 residents in northern NSW went under evacuation orders or warnings as unprecedented flooding leaves hundreds unaccounted for in the regional town of Lismore.

The flood crisis has engulfed the northeastern part of the state, with major flood warnings in place for the Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Brunswick, Bellinger and Clarence rivers.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet described the floods as a one-in-1000-year natural disaster.
Heather Dubrow and Gina Kirschenheiter bonded during their trip to New York together on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County.

The 52-year-old reality star later was annoyed to hear from Emily Simpson, 45, that Shannon Beador's dinner party turned into a game of one-upmanship to see who could have more fun because the two of them were in New York together.

'I don't like it that there is this weird competition where 'we are having more fun than you,' said Heather in a confessional.

Triumphant return: Heather Dubrow made a triumphant return to her alma mater Syracuse University on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives Of Orange County

When they got off the phone, Heather turned to Gina and said 'what are we going to do with that. We have a lot of s****y friends.'

Shannon's dinner party started tame with Emily, Jen Armstrong and Noella Bergener, 36, coming over to her house for a cooking lesson and dinner party. Shannon said in a confessional that she enjoyed cooking for people and that it made her feel good and wanted to share that with the housewives.

When the women arrived, Shannon gave them all chef coats and hair nets for them to put on. Emily said that Shannon looked like the puppet character the Swedish Chef in her chef's hat.

Shannon first showed them how to make a crock pot meal of white chicken chili and tried to get the other housewives to participate.

Bonding session: Gina Kirschenheiter joined Heather on the trip and they bonded together

'It's like a blow job,' said Noella in a confessional about cooking. 'I can do it, I just don't want to.'

Jen helped make the shrimp and then told them she dreams of the day when her kids can make dinner at her house.

'Is six too young to do that?' asked Emily.

Dinner party: Shannon Beador gave her guests chef coats and hair nets for them to put on

Cooking comparison: 'It's like a blow job,' said Noella in a confessional about cooking. 'I can do it, I just don't want to'

After the hoC'I find it odd that there is only one shrimp that is raw and it happens to be the one that Noella's eating cooked by me,' said Jen later in a confessional. 'You are a liar.'

Shannon decided they should call Heather but it went straight to voicemail.

'What did I do?' asked Shannon when her call didn't get answered.

No answer: 'What did I do?' asked Shannon when her call didn't get answered

Heather and Gina did call them back a little while later after they checked into their NYC hotel.

'We love you and miss you guys,' said Heather.

When they got off the phone, Shannon told Emily that she was still irritated about how she thought she was jealous of Gina's friendship with Heather.

'She told me that,' Emily said of Gina. 'She thought that you were jealous of her relationship with Heather.'

Jealousy talk: Emily Simpson reminded Shannon that Gina thought she was jealous of her relationship with Heather

'For what reason?' asked Shannon. 'I'm not jealous.'

'Doesn't that girl deserve to have an inflated ego right now,' said Emily.

Shannon agreed and said she had been by Gina's side the whole time she went through her difficulties. Shannon then decided that they needed to be having more fun than Gina and Heather in New York.

True friend: Shannon said she had been by Gina's side the whole time she went through her difficulties

'Let's do it,' said Noella. 'F*** them.'

Before the party really got started, Jen told Shannon that she needed to leave. She said she was trying to work something out with Ryne and have him move out for a month. Shannon told the other women that Jen has stuff that she was dealing with.

Noella then whispered to Emily 'because we all don't have to deal with anything?' Jen saw Noella whispering to Emily and then walked by and said 'now he may be moving out. It was good to see you guys.'

Party time: 'Let's do it,' said Noella. 'F*** them'

Emily yelled at her that 'you can't leave mad.'

Jen walked out the door and later said in a confessional that 'grown women don't act this way. They don't whisper in each other's ears and try to put people down. And I don't need this s***.'

Emily, Noella and Shannon decided to go swimming and stripped off their clothes. Noella stripped down to just her underwear bottoms while Emily wore her underwear and bra to get into the pool. Shannon jumped in wearing her chef's jacket and hat. They drank champagne and liquor in the pool and even Shannon's dog jumped in and swam around with them.

Pool party: Emily, Noella and Shannon decided to go swimming and stripped off their clothes

'Who would have thought as I'm planning a cooking class that people would end up mostly naked in my pool with my dog?' said Shannon in a confessional.

The next day Shannon got up and her house was a mess. She called Noella to find out what had happened and if she had eaten any of the edibles that were now gone.

'My house is a crime scene,' Shannon told Noella over the phone.

Good times: Shannon got in the pool with her chef's hat on

The episode titled 'Apples and Oranges' opened with Gina, 37, getting on a private jet with Heather and her family for a New York City get-away. Heather's twin children were going to see East Coast schools and Gina tagged along for the adventure.

'Heather clearly knows how to travel in style,' said Gina in a confessional of her private jet experience.

On the beach in Orange County, Emily and Jen, 44, did a workout together with a trainer. After the workout Emily asked Jen how things were going with her husband Ryne.

Private jet: The episode titled 'Apples and Oranges' opened with Gina, 37, getting on a private jet with Heather and her family for a New York City get-away

'I don't know,' said Jen. 'I think we both want it to work, but we don't know how to make it work.'

Jen said that Ryne 'wants to be equal partners in everything that we do.' She wondered if she should just give into his request. Emily asked her what that meant and she said 'just owning things equally together.'

'I bought the Hawaii house before we were married,' said Jen.

Equal partners: Jen said that Ryne 'wants to be equal partners in everything that we do.' She wondered if she should just give into his request. Emily asked her what that meant and she said 'just owning things equally together'

'So separate property,' said Emily, who then understood what Jen was talking about. 'Do you think that would solve it though?'

Jen said 'maybe.'

In a confessional, Emily said 'as an attorney that to me sounds to me like I am ready to leave but I would like you to pay me a lot of money on my way out, so please sign on the dotted line.'

Separate property: 'So separate property,' said Emily, who then understood what Jen was talking about. 'Do you think that would solve it though?'

Jen said she had an idea of Ryne getting a rented property for a month and then going to counseling and on a date night once a week.

Emily said she always advocated towards fixing things and thought that people get divorced too easily.

'They think there is something better and then you just trade one set of problems for a whole new set of problems,' said Emily. 'Then you are single and you are trying to date these douchebags driving around in Lamborghinis. '

Meanwhile, Heather's plane landed and the group got into a car and drove to Syracuse University, her alma mater. After they checked into their hotel, Heather told Gina to get ready to go out. Heather gave her a tour of the town.

Alma mater: Meanwhile, Heather's plane landed and the group got into a car and drove to Syracuse University, her alma mater

'It's been 31 years since I've been back at Syracuse,' said Heather.

The two went to a local bar. Heather told her that she planned on taking her children on a campus tour and to her old sorority house. Heather said after that they would change for the live podcast she was doing on campus at the request of her alumni association before they jetted to NYC.

The next morning, Heather and her 18-year-old twin children - daughter Max and her son Nick went for a tour of Syracuse University's campus. Nick told their campus guide that he wanted to go into business and Max said she wanted to go into psychology.

Warm welcome: Heather was welcomed back with open arms at Syracuse University

'It's so trippy to be back here,' Heather said.

Heather said in a confessional that 'I'm not really sentimental about one of my children following in my footsteps. I want them to create their own paths.' She also said 'when I was younger I thought I was going to be a Broadway star. I went to school for musical theater. I thought I was going to go to New York. Nope.'

Nick said to her during the tour, 'Mom this looks like a place Grandma would send you, I'm not going to lie.'

Own paths: Heather said in a confessional that 'I'm not really sentimental about one of my children following in my footsteps. I want them to create their own paths'

When they got to Heather's old sorority, there was a hand-painted sign that said 'Welcome Heather.'

Heather shared in a confessional that instead of going to Broadway she did an episode of Divorce Court, which led to being flown out to Los Angeles, becoming a working actress in Hollywood and meeting her husband Terry, 63.

'The rest, as they say, is history,' said Heather.

In Syracuse, Heather spoke to a live audience for the podcast about her experience at the school. She said when she went to school that everyone else seemed so secure and 'I folded in on myself.' She told them that she didn't really just gain the freshman 15 pounds either.

Live audience: In Syracuse, Heather spoke to a live audience for the podcast about her experience at the school

'I ended up doing something that I never expected that completely changed my life,' Heather told the students. 'I entered the Greater Miss Syracuse pageant.'

Heather said that winning the pageant crown in 1989 helped transform her into a more confident person.

After her podcast, Heather and her family and Gina boarded the private jet and headed to Manhattan.

Heather and Gina walked around New York City and had pizza together.

Heather asked Gina if she would rather be cooking with the girls or here in NYC.

Rhetorical question: Heather asked Gina if she would rather be cooking with the girls or here in NYC

'Do you even have to ask?' said Gina.

At Jen's house, her couple's counselor Tina came over for a one-on-one session. Jen told her that this year had been challenging for her.

'I will do anything to make this marriage work,' said Jen in a confessional. 'If he has to move out, therapy, going and doing things that he likes to do. Like I don't want to go stand up paddle boarding in the bay, but he does. I just think about the bacteria in the water and I just can't get past it.'

Marriage issues: 'I will do anything to make this marriage work,' said Jen in a confessional. 'If he has to move out, therapy, going and doing things that he likes to do. Like I don't want to go stand up paddle boarding in the bay, but he does. I just think about the bacteria in the water and I just can't get past it'

Tina told Jen that their session was going to be about what she can change so that it would make life better for her, her children and as a couple. Tina said the baggage that she came into the marriage about the rejection she might have experienced were unresolved issues that she brought into her relationships.

'Do you feel rejected today?' Tina asked.

'Yes,' said Jen.

Probing question: 'Do you feel rejected today?' Tina asked.

Tina said that's a pattern.

'I feel nobody can be harder on me than I am on myself,' said Jen crying.

Tina said that her husband and her children can pick up on that. She asked her what she could take responsibility for.

Getting emotional: 'I feel nobody can be harder on me than I am on myself,' said Jen crying

'I think losing Ryne would feel like losing my Dad all over again,' said Jen in a confessional. 'And I don't want to lose my husband too. I don't know if I can go through another tragedy.'

Heather and Gina met up with their parents in New York for dinner at Tao. Heather's mother told the server who came over to take her cocktail order, 'I don't want to be rude but that's how you set the table' as she moved silverware around.

'She just reset the table because it's wrong,' Heather told Gina.

Table silverware: Heather's mother told the server who came over to take her cocktail order, 'I don't want to be rude but that's how you set the table' as she moved silverware around

'My mother is very proper, she likes things a certain way,' Heather said in a confessional. 'This is how we have dinner and this is how we speak. I' m similar in the decorum realm but in other ways we are vastly different.'

Gina said in a confessional that 'this explains a lot about where Heather came from, why Heather is the way she is.'

After dinner, Gina and Heather sat down at the hotel bar for a night cap. They watched a video from Shannon's party and Gina said 'she has no pants on' and called Emily to find out what happened.

Makes sense: Gina said in a confessional that 'this explains a lot about where Heather came from, why Heather is the way she is'

Gina said that that party seemed to have taken a crazy turn because when they first spoke to Emily at the dinner that things seemed subdued but she did notice that Emily seemed annoyed. Emily admitted that she was and said it was because Shannon insisted that she was 'not jealous of the two of you and your relationship.'

'Again?' said Heather.

'I tell you all the time how beautiful you look and how you're glowing and you're so happy, but it's just sad that I feel like friends can't be happy,' said Emily. 'They take it as arrogance instead of confidence.'

'Well, she's not my friend,' said Gina.

Gina said in a confessional that if Shannon was truly happy she wouldn't act like this.

The Real Housewives of Orange County will return next Wednesday on Bravo.
She's the co-founder and designer of popular activewear brand P.E Nation.

And on Thursday, Pip Edwards swapped her sport tights for a chic ensemble as she attended the Witchery x Ellery capsule collection launch in Sydney.

The 41-year-old looked stylish in a long white skirt and striped buttoned shirt as she arrived to the event.

Chic: Pip Edwards looked effortlessly chic in a striped shirt as she led the celebrity arrivals at the Witchery x Ellery capsule collection in Sydney

Stylish: The 41-year-old looked stylish in a long white skirt and striped buttoned shirt as she arrived to the event

She completed her ensemble with a pair of chunky black gum boots and glasses.

The fashion designer left her blonde locks out and appeared to be wearing a neutral palette of makeup.

Pip was joined at the event by Australian model Jessica Gomes.

The 36-year-old showed off her stylish figure in black flared pants and a brown top, which featured sleeves and a peephole.

Star-studded event: Pip was joined at the event by Australian model Jessica Gomes

Style statement: The model showed off her stylish figure in black flared pants and a brown top, which featured sleeves and a peephole

Olivia Rogers also made a style statement in a long white skirt and black top which featured a plunging neckline.

The model completed her look with a pair of strappy white heels and a black bag.

The 29-year-old left her short blonde locks out and opted for a natural palette of makeup.

Fashionista: Olivia Rogers also made a style statement in a long white skirt and black top which featured a plunging neckline

Beauty: The 29-year-old left her blonde locks out and opted for a natural palette of makeup

Meanwhile, Sally Obermeder dressed to impress in an all-black ensemble.

The former Daily Edition host showed off her figure in black pants and a matching coloured top as she posed on the red carpet.

She tied her brunette locks in a low bun and completed the look with a pair of black strappy heels.

Beauty in black! Sally Obermeder dressed to impress in an all-black ensemble as she arrived to the event

All smiles: The former Daily Edition host showed off her figure in black pants and a matching coloured top as she posed on the red carpet

Cheyenne Tozzi also looked effortlessly chic in blue jeans and a white T-shirt as she arrived to the event.

The 33-year-old completed her ensemble with a pair of colourful stilettos and a gold bracelet.

She curled her long blonde locks and wore a full face of makeup consisting of blush and a nude lip.

Casual: Cheyenne Tozzi also looked effortlessly chic in blue jeans and a white T-shirt as she arrived to the event

Accessories: The 33-year-old completed her ensemble with a pair of colourful stilettos and a gold bracelet

Meanwhile, influencer Tanja Gacic showed off her trim pins in a white mini skirt and off the shoulder top.

She completed her look with leopard print shoes, a clutch and sunglasses.

Tanja couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she posed up a storm shortly after she arrived to the event.

White on the mark! Influencer Tanja Gacic showed off her trim pins in a white mini skirt and matching coloured off the shoulder top
Julia Fox left her taut tummy on full display during her latest outing on Wednesday night.

Showing off her lithe figure in a backless glove crop top and low rise trousers, the 32-year-old actress looked sensational as she headed to contemporary French bistro Gigi's in Los Angeles.

Julia, who has snatched headlines of late owing to her brief relationship with rapper Kanye West, used her dabble in modelling to pose up a storm for the cameras.

Turning heads: Julia Fox exhibited her washboard abs in a backless glove crop top and low rise trousers for an upscale dinner in Los Angeles on Wednesday night

The Uncut Gems star completed her all-black attire with chunky-soled boots and carried her belongings in a large bag.

Stunning snaps taken from behind allowed Julia to proudly show off her lower back 'cello' tattoo, which was bound to capture attention.

The Italian-born beauty had her striking features drawn out by a glowing face of makeup and she wore her chestnut tresses loose for the evening.

Stunning: The 32-year-old actress looked sensational as she headed to contemporary French bistro Gigi's

Figure flaunting: Julia, who has snatched headlines of late owing to her brief relationship with rapper with Kanye West, used her dabble in modelling to pose up a storm for the cameras

All smiles: Stunning snaps taken from behind allowed Julia to proudly show off her lower back 'cello' tattoo, which was bound to capture attention

Posing up a storm: The Italian-born beauty had her striking features drawn out by a glowing face of makeup and she wore her chestnut tresses loose for the evening

Julia was accompanied by film producer A'Ziah King, who followed suit in stopping for a series of gorgeous shots.

A'Ziah, known for her work on Zola (2020) and Tamron Hall (2019), put on a revealing display in a figure-hugging leather dress which accentuated her hourglass frame.

The friends also attended the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica over the weekend.

Girls night: Julia was accompanied by film producer A'Ziah King, who followed suit in stopping for a series of gorgeous shots

Stylish: A'Ziah, known for her work on Zola (2020) and Tamron Hall (2019), put on a revealing display in a figure-hugging leather dress which accentuated her hourglass frame

Julia turned heads in a long, sleeveless dress that covered one half of her chest and featured a large hip cutout.

The artist showed lots of skin, wearing a string bikini top under the piece baring a chunk of her side.

Meanwhile, A'Ziah wowed on the blue carpet in a plunging black dress with thigh-high slit.
Benedict Cumberbatch scooped the Cinema Vanguard Award at the 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday.

The 45-year-old actor was supported by his stunning wife Sophie Hunter as he stepped out to accept his win at the Arlington Theatre, where he was also pictured draping himself in the Ukraine flag during his acceptance speech.

Clutching on to his award, Sophie proudly wrapped her arms around her husband and pulled him in to a loving embrace as they posed for photos backstage.

Sweet: Benedict Cumberbatch, 45, put on a loved up display with his wife Sophie Hunter as he scooped an award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday

Benedict looked effortlessly dapper in an all-black ensemble as he donned a smart pair of trousers and a matching blazer with a partially unbuttoned shirt.

The actor was beaming from ear to ear as he was supported by his stunning wife who looked sensational in a satin pattered dress.

Her incredible gold number featured a gold floral printed pattern with a sweetheart neckline and an A-line skirt.

Support: During the ceremony Benedict proudly held up the Ukrainian flag as he made a statement against the Russian invasion

Loved-up: The actor was beaming from ear to ear as he was supported by his stunning wife who looked sensational in a satin pattered dress

Stunning: Her incredible gold number featured a gold floral printed pattern with a sweetheart neckline and an A-line skirt

Sophie wore her brunette locks pulled back into a chic low bun with a sweeping side fringe.

She added height to her frame with a pair of strappy black heels and accessorised with a delicate pair of diamond stud earrings.

During the ceremony Benedict proudly held up the Ukrainian flag as he made a statement against the Russian invasion.

Winner: Benedict looked effortlessly dapper in an all-black ensemble as he scooped the Cinema Vanguard Award at the ceremony

Dapper: He donned a smart pair of trousers and a matching blazer with a partially unbuttoned shirt

Earlier this month, he also pledged his support for the people of Ukraine, and those in Russia who are opposed to Vladimir Putin's decision to invade their neighbors.

The star, who was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame during a ceremony in LA, used his speech to acknowledge the horrific events.

He said: 'I can't speak today at this amazing moment in my life, on this extraordinary platform, without acknowledging the obvious of what's happening in Ukraine and to show my support for the people of Ukraine, my support for the people of Russia who are opposing the Kleptocracy and the idiocy of their rulers to try and halt the progression of this atrocity.'

Speech: Earlier this month, Benedict pledged his support for the people of Ukraine, and those in Russia who are opposed to Vladimir Putin's decision to invade their neighbors

Support: The Doctor Strange actor has urged people to take steps to offer help and support in whatever ways they can

The Doctor Strange actor also urged people to take steps to offer help and support in whatever ways they can.

He continued: 'But it's more now for all of us to do than just have thoughts and prayers. We need to act, we need to go on to embassy websites, we need to see what we can do as citizens of the world, citizens of Europe and people who want a better place and a better outcome for this horrendous moment for these people with children, with families who are struggling to survive as rockets rain down on their cities.'

'We can't stand back anymore. This is no longer a time for avarice or sloth or inactiveness or ineptitude. We need to act, and there are things you can do.

'You can support organisations. You can support those who help refugees on the ground. You can support human rights organisations. You can pressure your politicians, your bank, your industries to recognise anything that you can do to help. It is possible, so I urge people to do that on this day.'

Well dome! Benedict posed for photos with critic Pete Hammond who also chose all black-attire

Co-stars: The Director Of The Power of The Dog Jane Campion also showed her support

Congrats! Benedict looked in high spirits as he accepted his award

This comes as Benedict looked dapper as ever while joining his fellow Oscar nominees at the annual Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon.

The actor was all smiles while posing at the red carpet for the annual luncheon, held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on Monday.

The Power of the Dog leads all Oscar contenders with 12 Oscars including Best Picture, with Cumberbatch also up for Best Actor as well.

All smiles: The outing came just days after Cumberbatch defended his new movie The Power Of the Dog from criticism from actor Sam Elliott

Acclaimed: The Power of the Dog leads all Oscar contenders with 12 Oscars including Best Picture, with Cumberbatch also up for Best Actor as well
Google has issued a warning to "high-profile" Gmail users working for the US government that they may be the target of a phishing assault by Chinese state-sponsored threat actors.

APT31 (also known as Judgment Panda and Zirconium) was after many people's sensitive information, according to Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), and phishing assaults were effectively banned in their email services.

Russia, Belarus, China Allegedly Target Ukraine, Europe Through Phishing

TAG (Threat Analysis Group) also warned earlier this week about Russian, Belarusian, and Chinese threat actors using "widespread" phishing and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assaults to target Ukrainian and European government and military organization endpoints. Since 2012, anytime Google detects attacks employing infrastructure related to state-sponsored threat actors, sending out alerts to affected consumers.

The previous time APT31 made news, it was discovered using phishing to target Russian-based firms before distributing never-before-seen malware.

APT31 was extremely sophisticated in building and delivering the malware, according to Daniil Koloskov, Senior Threat Analysis Specialist at Positive Technologies at the time. It not only used a variety of detection-avoidance strategies, but it also self-destructed after achieving its objectives, erasing all traces of the files and registry keys it produced, Tech Radar reported.

Other hackers linked to Belarus have also targeted the refugee issue, according to Proofpoint, with phishing emails sent from a hacked account of a Ukrainian military officer.

The prolonged war is significant to China, whose President Xi Jinping has developed close connections with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Beijing has been encouraged to do more to intervene and assist put the war to a conclusion, but it has so far avoided denouncing Russia as other countries have for its invasion of Ukraine. China's foreign minister has stated that the Red Cross of his nation will offer humanitarian help to Ukraine, according to Forbes.

Read Also: Russians Use the 'Z' Symbol on Military Hardware in Support for the Invasion of Ukraine Making the US, NATO Speculate

US Predicts Cyberattacks Amid Russia-Ukraine War

At the time of publishing, the Chinese embassy in London had not replied to a request for comment. Despite these attacks, the all-out cyberwar that some had predicted would coincide with the ground invasion has not materialized. Since 2015, when hackers, allegedly Russian, cut down power supplies throughout parts of Ukraine, Matt Olney, director of threat intelligence and interdiction for Cisco Talos, says his company has been assisting in protecting Ukrainian enterprises.

The hackers took advantage of a previously unknown flaw in a commercial off-the-shelf technology used by 18 states for animal health management, according to the report. They also used a software flaw called Log4j, which was discovered in December and was spotted in hundreds of millions of devices by US officials.

Hackers began exploiting the weakness just hours after an alert was released to the public, using it to re-compromise two state government networks.

The incident is tied to APT41, which was listed in a Justice Department indictment in 2020, charging Chinese hackers of hacking over 100 companies and organizations in the US and abroad, including social media and video game companies, colleges, and telecommunications providers, as per Independent.

Related Article: Does Wordle Make You Smarter? Experts Says It's a Big No

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Helena Bonham Carter has gushed about her love for boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe.

The Crown star, 55, has been in a relationship with the art historian, 33, for four years following her split from film director Tim Burton in 2014.

Speaking to the Daily Mail's Richard Eden at a recent event, Helena admitted she feels 'very lucky' to have met Rye.

Happy couple: Helena Bonham Carter, 55, has gushed about her love for boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe, 33, who she has been dating for four years (pictured together in 2019)

The actress added though that she's in no hurry to exchange vows, pointing out: 'I wasn't married the first time.'

Helena and her former long-term partner, director Tim Burton, 63, famously lived in inter-connecting houses during their 13-year relationship, with each property decorated to their own his 'n' hers tastes and personal styles.

However, the Daily Mail's Richard Eden reported last year that she had made the step of choosing to share a home with her academic boyfriend, even adding to their domestic bliss by adopting house rabbits.

The couple met at a wedding in 2018, following Helena's split from Tim in 2014.

Low key: Speaking to the Daily Mail's Richard Eden at a recent event, Helena admitted she feels 'very lucky' to have met Rye, who she lives with in London with their dogs and house rabbits

Explaining how they met, she told The Guardian: 'A totally random thing, which both of us nearly didn't go to, so it was one of those moments that was so chance and ended up determining so much. A really happy accident, and it's an amazing thing.'

Addressing the couple's 22-year age gap, the actress previously said in an interview with The Times:

'Everybody ages at a different rate. My boyfriend is unbelievably mature. He's an old soul in a young body, what more could I want?

'People are slightly frightened of older women, but he isn't. Women can be very powerful when they're older.'

She shares children Billy, 18, and Nell, 14, with ex-husband Hollywood director and writer Tim Burton.
The Wanted's Tom Parker had an emotional reunion with bandmate Max George after he was forced to pull out of the beginning of their tour.

Tom, 33, who has been diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, returned to Britain over the weekend after receiving three weeks of treatment at a specialist clinic in Spain to get him fit for the Wanted Reunion UK tour.

Having already surprised fans when he returned to the stage in Bournemouth on Monday, following him missing shows in Glasgow and Newcastle. Tom once again joined his band mates on stage in Cardiff, singing whilst sat on a gold throne.

Reunited: The Wanted's Max George took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a series of snaps of his emotional reunion with band mate and friend Tom Parker

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Max, 33, shared a series of snaps, beaming at his friends return from Spain.

Smiling for the camera Max embraced his pal, as they both gave the thumbs up, a Welsh flag behind them.

In another shot the whole band were on the Cardiff's Motorpoint arena stage draped in Welsh flags.

Tom sat on a gold throne wearing dark glasses as his pal Max - in matching specs - kneeled with his arm around him.

Back to the stage: Having already surprised fans when he returned to the stage in Bournemouth on Monday. Tom continued the trend in Cardiff on Wednesday

Fellow bandmates Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes were all smiles as they welcomed their friend back the stage.

The pair could be seen again, this time in black and white photo, where an emotional Max kissed Tom on the forehead.

The pair looked in their element as they once more sung together, with Tom smiling for his adoring fans.

Best friends: The pair can be seen again, this time in black and white photo, where an emotional Max kisses Tom on the forehead

Tom captioned the snap: 'Me me the man himself [sic] while Max replied: 'My man' with two heart emojis.

Bandmate and former Strictly winner Jay added: 'You special boys, you peas in pods, you northern monkeys, you literal GODS'.

It marked Tom's second appearance on stage following an appearance Monday in Bournemouth. The band wrote on their official twitter account: 'Like the king that he is! The f***ing legend that is Tom Parker. Bournemouth that was so special!!!'

Best friends: Tom captioned the snap: 'Me me the man himself' while Max replied: 'My man' with two heart emojis

Kicked off: The tour began on Thursday night without Tom, band mates Max, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes performed in Glasgow

As fans shouted out his name, Nathan told the audience: 'As you guys can probably tell there is a massive space in this band tonight. And we love Tom as much as you do.

'In fact we'll be big headed and say that we love him slightly more, which is a lot. We can't wait to have him back which will be very soon. He sees all your messages and everything.'

Tom's entrance, which coincided with his wife Kelsey's birthday, fittingly came just in time for the band's hit Glad You Came and he grinned away as fans continued to shout out their love for him while singing the anthem.

Welcome back: This is Tom's second appearance on stage following an appearance Monday in Bournemouth. The band wrote on their official twitter account: 'Like the king that he is! The f***ing legend that is Tom Parker. Bournemouth that was so special!!!'

The band has pledged one pound from every ticket sold on their tour to go to brain cancer charity.

Tom was receiving his treatment in a facility in the Costa del Sol, which charges 8,000 for two weeks or 11,600 for a three-week program - with wife Kelsey giving regular updates to Instagram.

The trip meant that Tom missed the first few shows on The Wanted tour due to a delay with his treatment.
South Korean pop megastars BTS made their triumphant return to the stage in Seoul after two years but with fan restrictions on singing, shouting, cheering, chanting, and standing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday evening, the seven-piece supergroup performed for the first time in their hometown since 2019 in front a crowd of over 15,000 who were given paper clappers to emulate crowd noise.

The show was the first of three concerts for the chart-topping septet titled Permission To Dance On Stage - Seoul at the capital's Olympic Stadium.

Icons: South Korean pop megastars BTS made their triumphant return to the stage in Seoul after two years but with fan restrictions on singing, shouting, cheering, chanting, and standing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Devoted: Fans of K-pop group BTS are seen arriving for the concert at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul

Interesting: On Thursday evening, the seven-piece supergroup performed for the first time in their hometown since 2019 in front a crowd of over 15,000 who were given paper clappers to emulate crowd noise

Since BTS' last performance for domestic fans in 2019, the band have gone from strength to strength despite the pandemic, with three Billboard-topping singles and two Grammy nominations.

Fans waved purple LED wands -- the official colour of BTS fandom -- in sync when the band appeared on stage, with rhythmic clapping filling the 60,000-capacity stadium, which was only a quarter full due to social distancing measures.

Chanting, singing, screaming or even standing up were all banned, as South Korea battles an Omicron spike, with more than 300,000 cases reported Thursday.

In a statement before the show BTS' management company Big Hit Music said: 'Cheering loudly, yelling, chanting and standing up during BTS Permission To Dance On Stage  Seoul is strictly prohibited according to government guidelines'

Band leader RM, whose real name is Kim Nam-joon, said they were thrilled to be performing in front of a live audience again: 'The fact that you are all seated in the stands shows a lot has changed'

In a statement before the show BTS' management company Big Hit Music said: 'Cheering loudly, yelling, chanting and standing up during BTS Permission To Dance On Stage  Seoul is strictly prohibited according to government guidelines.'

However, fans including Heo Min-hee, a 25-year-old office worker, said being at the concert was a 'dream' despite the restrictions.

'I still can't believe that this is my seat whenever I look at my ticket,' Heo told AFP before the concert.

Han Aeng-hee, a 53-year-old fan from Gyeonggi province, added: 'I prayed every morning to secure a ticket and miraculously, I got tickets to the first and last concerts.'

'I'm very grateful,' she said.

Clapper event  pic.twitter.com/04NK1fhdtK  Yeri The Mamakoo (@Yerimakoo) March 10, 2022

Tough times: Chanting, singing, screaming or even standing up were all banned, as South Korea battles an Omicron spike, with more than 300,000 cases reported Thursday

Ahead of the gig, the BTS members expressed concern over the rules but asked for fans' understanding.

'There is a certain energy that can be felt from a person's voice, and I wonder if clapping can be enough,' said J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok.

Fans were disappointed about the rules but acknowledged the changes were inevitable.

"Even though it's hard, I think it's a necessary change under the current circumstances," said Lee Chae-rim, a 28-year-old student.

"At least we can see them," added Darina, a 24-year-old student from Russia who lives in South Korea. "We can sing in our hearts."

Quite the production: Fans waved purple LED wands -- the official colour of BTS fandom -- in sync when the band appeared on stage, with rhythmic clapping filling the 60,000-capacity stadium, which was only a quarter full due to social distancing measures

South Korean fans of K-pop supergroup BTS will be seeing their favorite stars live for the first time since 2019

A handful of social media posts showed some fans were trying to sell their hard-won tickets after testing positive for the virus.

Many concert-goers said they had taken extra precautions, some even placing themselves in self-quarantine after securing a ticket so as not to test positive and risk missing the big event.

'I didn't go outside so I wouldn't catch Covid,' said Choi Jung-yoon, 16, who stayed home for around a week.

Her friend Jung Da-yeon added: 'I wore double masks when I had to go to crowded places.'

Lots of love: BTS fans are referred to as ARMY and they came out in full force

Tickets for BTS' three-night stand in Seoul sold out within minutes

Band leader RM, whose real name is Kim Nam-joon, said they were thrilled to be performing in front of a live audience again.

'The fact that you are all seated in the stands shows a lot has changed,' he said, referring to a livestream-only concert they performed to empty seats a few months ago.

'When would we get a concert where we get this much clapping? This is a concert to be remembered in history.'

Bandmate Kim Tae-hyung, stage name V, added: 'I'm so touched and thrilled that our ARMY are here.'

Tickets for the three concerts -- 45,000 in all -- sold out within minutes, despite stringent social-distancing requirements for the BTS fans, known as ARMY.

The floppy-haired musicians, all in their 20s and often sporting earrings and lipstick, appeal to a generation comfortable with gender fluidity.

A fan poses for pictures as she arrives for the gig

They are credited with generating billions for the South Korean economy, and their label enjoyed a surge in profits despite holding fewer concerts during the pandemic.

In 2020, BTS were forced to call off what was supposed to be their largest international tour, with almost 40 gigs, though they held some concerts online.

The group's first in-person show since the pandemic began was at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in November, with the four-night run grossing $33.3 million, according to Billboard.

The first and last shows of Permission To Dance will be streamed live online, while Saturday's concert can be watched in real-time at movie theatres around the world.
Judge Robert Rinder has revealed he's travelling to the Ukranian border to bring his Strictly partner Oksana Platero's grandparents to safety.

The criminal barrister, 43, tweeted his hopes to rescue her family from the war-torn country, in the wake of the Russian invasion.

In a series of tweets Robert explained he's travelling to Ukraine's border with Poland on Monday to hopefully meet Oksana's grandparents, as they join more than two million Ukranians who have fled their country during the crisis.

Scary: Judge Robert Rinder has revealed he's travelling to the Ukranian border to bring his Strictly partner Oksana Platero's grandparents to safety

'Oksana Platero my Ukrainian dance partner on @bbcstrictly gifted me so much,' Robert began.

'Right now her grandparents are a week into their struggle to find sanctuary in a safe country.

'I'll be trying to meet them on the border next week. They're just a few of the millions who need us.'

Robert added that it's currently unclear where he can meet Oksana's grandparents, but he's hoping to meet them somewhere on Ukraine's border with Poland.

Close bond: The criminal barrister, who competED on the show with Oksana in 2016, tweeted his hopes to rescue her family from the war-torn country, in the wake of the Russian invasion

He added: 'Depends on where they make it to but I'll be at the polish border from Monday.

'If they cross into Hungary the next step will be getting them to safety with their family.'

Robert and Oksana reached the quarter-final stage of Strictly, when they competed together in 2016.

The dancer herself also took to Instagram on Wednesday pleading for help from her followers, and explaining how her family fled their hometown last week to reach safety.

Worrying: In a series of tweets Robert explained he's travelling to Ukraine's border with Poland on Monday to hopefully meet Oksana's grandparents

She wrote: 'Dear Friends, as you already know, many families are going through such hardship with the war in Ukraine. My family and my cousins, @kateryna_klishyna, family are escaping and close to the border.

'My mother, my 10 year old brother, and Kateryna's sister, left their home the morning of March 2nd and arrived to safety March 6th.

'As you can imagine, the journey there was brutal but all that matters is that they made it, and they are safe. We are forever grateful to still have them as we know so many who can't say the same.

'The rest of our family which include our 3 grandparents, 2 who are not able to walk, and Kateryna's mom and dad are still in danger as they are currently still trying to escape. We are praying that they will make it out of Ukraine and into safety soon.

Worrying: The dancer herself also took to Instagram on Wednesday pleading for help from her followers, and explaining how her family fled their hometown last week to reach safety

'Whats next is unclear, unpredictable, and terrifying. This is where we'd like to ask for any support as they spend their time away from home.

'They will be in need of accommodations, food, and medical attention for quite some time. We are raising money to send to them and keep them in good hands. Anything you can do to help would be much appreciated.

'From the bottom our our hearts we thank you and please keep our family and the rest of Ukraine in your thoughts and prayers. Oksana and Kateryna.'

It's thought around two million Ukranian citizens have now fled their country in the wake of the Russian invasion, but the Government has come under fire for handing out just 500 visas to refugees.

New measures will mean Ukrainians already here for work or on other short-term visas will be able to apply for a free three-year visa that will let them bring relatives here, Home Office sources said.

Help: Posting a series of snaps of her family, she wrote: 'What's next is unclear, unpredictable, and terrifying'

In further moves planned by ministers, refugees who have visited Britain in the past five years will be able to re-use biometrics from earlier visa applications.

Downing Street insisted on Wednesday that Boris Johnson still has 'full faith' in the Home Secretary.

Ukraine's ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko also criticised 'bureaucratic hassles', telling the Commons home affairs committee that, for example, biometric checks should be dropped for child evacuees.

A 'pop up' VAC will open in Lille, France, on Thursday but will only deal with applicants referred by Border Force officers at Calais, where hundreds of Ukrainian refugees have already turned up.
She split from her boyfriend of two years, Eyal Booker at the start of the year so that she could have a 'fresh start' for 2022.

And Delilah Hamlin looks to be enjoying her life overhaul, as she was snapped giggling with Ray Nicholson, the actor son of movie icon Jack, after a cosy dinner in Santa Monica on Wednesday.

The daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, 23, dressed to impress for her date, looking stunning in a corset.

New romance? Newly single Delilah Hamlin was snapped giggling with a Ray Nicholson after a cosy dinner in Santa Monica on Wednesday

The model showcased her incredible figure in the racy top which she teamed with low-slung trousers in a coordinating yellow.

Throwing a leather jacket around her shoulders, Delilah completed her look with black sandals and a colourful shoulder bag.

She was seen leaving the restaurant with Ray, 30, who stars in Licorice Pizza,hopping in the passenger seat and laughing with her dashing pal.

Ray is the son of Jack and actress Rebecca Broussard and has been busy carving out his own career in Hollywood over the past few years, most recently appearing in the critically acclaimed Licorice Pizza.

Wow: The daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, 23, dressed to impress for her date, looking stunning in a corset and low-slung trousers

DailyMail.com exclusively reported on January 10 that Delilah had ended her romance with Brit Love Island star Eyal so that she could have a 'fresh start' for 2022.

'Delilah ended her relationship with Eyal before New Year's Eve. It was important to her that 2022 could be a fresh start and right now she wants to be single and focus on her career,' an insider shared.

'Last year, she experienced some difficult times, but she's come out the other side stronger than ever and is happy, enjoying time with friends and family, as well as looking positivity to the future.'

Father and son: Ray is the son of actor Jack Nicolson, and is making his own career on screen, most recently starring in Licorice Pizza (pictured together in 2021)

Delilah and Eyal, who was a fixture on Love Island back in 2018, had been jetting back and forth between Los Angeles and London throughout their two-year relationship.

The model revealed in November that she'd had some serious health issues in the preceding months, revealing that she had accidentally overdosed on Benadryl and beta blockers after getting hooked on a high dose of Xanax.

Although Covid-19 vaccines have been determined to be safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Delilah suggested in her video that some of her health issues may have begun after she was vaccinated.

Moving on? DailyMail.com exclusively reported on January 10 that Delilah had ended her two year romance with Love Island star Eyal Booker so that she could have a 'fresh start' for 2022

Although she stressed she was 'in no way an anti-Vaxxer,' she claimed her vaccination caused autoimmune diseases to 'flare up.'

'I didn't realize that the vaccine would cause an autoimmune response in my body that basically flared up and triggered certain autoimmune diseases that I didn't know I had,' she claimed in a 30-minute-long video.

The model said she had been suffering from painful migraines, as well as psychiatric issues including panic attacks and obsessivecompulsive disorder symptoms which led her to be afraid of eating meat.

She also claimed to have dealt with PANDAS, or Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections.

Delilah said she began seeing a psychiatrist to help get her panic attacks under control, and they began 'overprescribing' Xanax to her. The benzodiazepine is a common treatment for generalized anxiety and for panic disorders.

But Lisa's daughter was concerned that the doctor may have been prescribing her too much of the medication. She said the psychiatrist prescribed 20mg of Xanax three time per day, despite the medications history of being addictive.

Delilah claimed that she was also prescribed the beta blocker propranolol, which caused her to overdose when she also took the over-the-counter allergy medication Benadryl.

'I ended up in the hospital,' she said. She was subsequently diagnosed with several illnesses, including Lyme disease, which required her to be on multiple antibiotics and supplements.
Fresh speculation arose on Wednesday that she has been axed by modelling agency Storm over her wild lifestyle, cocaine addiction and cosmetic surgery.

But Lottie Moss was seemingly unfazed by the alleged career upheaval on Wednesday night as she threw up her middle figure during a night on the town.

The half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss, 24, did not refrain from putting on an animated display as she left the luxe Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, poking her tongue out with a pair of shades perched on her head.

Having fun: Lottie Moss swore during a night out in London on Wednesday - after being 'axed by Storm models over her wild lifestyle and cocaine addiction'

A high-spirited Lottie slipped into a sheer brown dress, which boasted a square print and a keyhole element completed with a loose tie.

The ensemble was bound to garner attention as she completed it with pristine platform sandals which elevated her frame.

The leather-jacket clad kept her blonde locks loose and applied her makeup to give a radiant finish.

Stepping out: The half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss, 24, did not refrain from putting on an animated display as she left the luxe Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone

Night out: A high-spirited Lottie slipped into a sheer brown dress, which boasted a square print and a keyhole element completed with a loose tie

Glowing: The brown leather-jacket clad kept her blonde locks loose and applied her makeup to give a radiant finish

Oh dear: Fresh speculation arose on Wednesday that she has been axed by modelling agency Storm over her wild lifestyle, cocaine addiction, and cosmetic surgery

Industry insiders have warned for months that Lottie was putting her promising fashion career in jeopardy by selling raunchy photos of herself on the downmarket erotic website OnlyFans.

Sources close to Storm Management suggest that the firm, which has nurtured the careers of many successful young models including Cara Delevingne , 29, may have finally run out of patience with Lottie and permanently cut ties with her.

As well as deleting her portfolio from the company's website, Storm haven't posted about Lottie to their Instagram profile, which is followed by 439K fans and industry professionals, since September 2020.

Conflict: Industry insiders have warned for months that Lottie was putting her promising fashion career in jeopardy by selling raunchy photos of herself on the downmarket erotic website OnlyFans

Interesting: Storm haven't posted about Lottie to their Instagram profile, which is followed by 439K fans and industry professionals, since September 2020

Retaliation: Lottie, in turn, has removed all mention of Storm from her social media where she now states that she is represented by We Are Verified

Troubled: A fashion source told MailOnline that the company was forced to distance itself from Lottie after she confessed to having a 'really bad addiction to cocaine' and checked herself into rehab

Issues: There was also growing concern amongst industry bosses over the amount of cosmetic surgery she has undergone when Storm models are banned from drastically altering their appearance

Lottie, in turn, has removed all mention of Storm from her social media where she now states that she is represented by We Are Verified, an independent agency based in Los Angeles that looks after social media influencers.

A fashion source told MailOnline that the company was forced to distance itself from Lottie after she confessed to having a 'really bad addiction to cocaine' and checked herself into rehab.

There was also growing concern amongst industry bosses over the amount of cosmetic surgery she has undergone when Storm models are banned from drastically altering their appearance.

Risque: An insider revealed: 'They are known for launching the successful careers of hundreds of models and the association with Lottie was beginning to tarnish their reputation'

An insider revealed: 'Lottie got caught up in the world of partying and drug taking and even confessed to having a cocaine addiction on social media.

'She left Storm Management with no choice but to sever ties because that's not the way they operate.

'They are known for launching the successful careers of hundreds of models and the association with Lottie was beginning to tarnish their reputation.

'Her partying lifestyle, sexualised content on Instagram, and her OnlyFans profile, made it impossible for Lottie to be signed for high fashion campaigns with the likes of Chanel and Calvin Klein, who she's previously worked for.'

Last week, Lottie's look at the NME Awards, which was her first public outing since being in rehab, sparked speculation from fans that she's altered her facial appearance after her jawline looked significantly sharper.

New look: Lottie's look at the NME Awards, which was her first public outing since being in rehab, sparked speculation from fans that she's altered her appearance with cosmetic work

Lottie has previously gone under the knife, admitting to having a breast enhancement in 2019 and has several tattoos, while also dying her hair.

A top cosmetic surgeon said: 'Lottie looks as though she's had filler inserted into her jaw, as well as her chin, which has now made it look pointier.

'It's possible she used tapes to give her an instantaneous lift to her brow for the ultimate red carpet look when she attended the NME Awards.'

Another source added: 'Top agencies warn their models against altering their appearances within their contracts and breaking such conditions could lead to them being dropped.

'Models are told not to drastically change their face, skin, body dimensions, tone, weight, and hair style and colour, or their contracts could be terminated.'

MailOnline contacted Storm and We Are Verified for comment.
She is known to champion body positivity.

And Great British Bake Off star Laura Adlington slipped into a formfitting wetsuit as she bravely took the plunge for a freezing cold late night swim on Wednesday.

The baking finalist, 32, confessed that she was 'really nervous' about wearing the one piece but defiantly announced that she will 'never again' miss out on opportunities 'due to her size.'

Such fun! Great British Bake Off star Laura Adlington, 32, announced that she will 'never miss out on opportunities' due to her size as she dons a wetsuit for a late night swim on Wednesday

Taking to Instagram, Laura excitedly threw her arms in the air as she donned her wetsuit and tucked her hair into an orange swimming cap.

Joined by her husband, Matt, the duo shared a flurry of hilarious snaps before they plunged into lake.

The body positivity champion added that despite her inner critique she fought past the negative thoughts to 'make memories.'

Making memories: Laura excitedly threw her arms in the air as she donned her wetsuit and tucked her hair into an orange swimming cap but confessed that she was 'really nervous'

The body positivity champion added that despite her inner critique she fought past the negative thoughts to 'make memories'

Alongside the photos she penned: 'We might look like a right pair of b******* (OK, we definitely do) but tonight was so special! We went for the most incredible late night swim in Ullswater Lake and made memories I will never forget.

'I'll be honest; it was cold, wet and windy before we were supposed to swim, and after a long day I really didn't want to do it. I was also really nervous about being in a wetsuit again (Will it fit me? What if I look stupid? What if people stare?)

'But as you all know by now I've gotten very good at having a 'f*** it' attitude to life. I have missed out on so many opportunities in the past because of my size. Never again.'

Sweet: Joined by her husband, Matt, the duo shared a flurry of hilarious snaps before they plunged into lake

Brrrrr! The body positivity champion added that despite her inner critique she fought past the negative thoughts to 'make memories'

Alongside the photos she penned: 'We might look like a right pair of b******* (OK, we definitely do) but tonight was so special!

She continued: 'Tonight was fun, freezing (the water was a chilly 4) and bloody fantastic.

'Huge thanks to our amazing guide @colin_hill_swims and to @anotherplacehotels for this amazing experienceone we'll never forget.'

This comes as Laura was moved to tears as she watched Alison Hammond break down live on This Morning as the television presenter spoke about her battle with obesity.

Support: Laura who appeared on GBBO in 2020, was moved to tears as she watched Alison Hammond break down live on This Morning as she about her battle with obesity

Former Big Brother star Alison, 47, burst into uncontrollable tears as she hosted ITV's This Morning alongside Dermot O'Leary, 48, with the broadcaster insisting she 'can't help' having the disease of obesity and that people 'look down' on her.

Body-positive Laura who appeared on GBBO in 2020, wrote on Instagram: 'Today I watched in tears as @alisonhammond55 talked about her struggle with her weight on This Morning.

'I love Alison (always have) and I fully support everything she said. Living in a bigger body is not a choice; it is a hard and real struggle, and there is little to no support out there for people who want it.

Moved: Body-positive Laura wrote on Instagram: 'Today I watched in tears as @alisonhammond55 talked about her struggle with her weight on This Morning'

'For a long time I have felt that people who grapple with their weight and disordered eating are, sadly, not met with the same empathy or support as people with anorexia or other eating disorders.

'We are made to feel worthless on a daily basis, told we are lazy, and encouraged to simply 'eat less, move more'.

'The reality is, it's not that simple. The reasons people over-eat are very complex.

'To see someone as high-profile and amazing as Alison talk about this today was heartbreaking but so refreshing.

'And I genuinely hope it leads to more acceptance and understanding.'
Brooke Blurton and Keira Maguire dressed to impress as they attended Timm Hanly's Front Runner fashion show in Melbourne on Thursday.

The reality TV personalities turned heads as they showed off their killer style in knee high leather boots.

Brooke looked stylish in a khaki dress which featured sleeves and a matching belt.

Making a statement! The Bachelorette's Brooke Blurton (pictured) and Keira Maguire showed off their killer style in knee high leather boots as they attended Timm Hanly's Front Runner fashion show on Thursday

The former Bachelorette star, 27, completed her ensemble with a pair of white leather boots and an orange bag.

Keira went for a similar approach, flaunting her figure in a navy playsuit and a pair of bright pink boots.

The Bachelor star teamed her ensemble with a pink handbag.

She left her long brunette locks out and opted for a natural palette of makeup to the event.

Turning up the heat! Keira flaunted her figure in a navy playsuit and a pair of bright pink boots

Married At First Sight's Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson also made an appearance at the event.

Bryce looked stylish in an all-back ensemble consisting of a T-shirt and jeans as he walked alongside his fiancee.

Melissa also looked effortlessly chic in black jeans, a grey top and a leather jacket.

Loved-up: Married At First Sight's Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson (pictured) also made an appearance at the event

Meanwhile, Jessica Brody showed off her ample assets in an off the shoulder white dress.

The Bachelor in Paradise star teamed her look with a pair of strappy heels and a clutch.

Jessica couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she arrived alongside Jackson Garlick, who looked stylish in checkered pants and a white T-shirt.

Dressed to impress: Jessica Brody showed off her ample assets in an off the shoulder white dress as she arrived alongside Jackson Garlick

Bombshell in black! Jessica Seracino also made a style statement at the event in a mini black playsuit, which featured a plunging neckline

Jessica Seracino also made a style statement at the event in a mini black playsuit, which featured a plunging neckline.

The MAFS star left her brunette locks out and wore a full face of makeup consisting of blush and a nude lip.

Meanwhile, Timm Hanly ensured all eyes were on him as she posed in black pants, a matching coloured T-shirt and blazer.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield struggled to hide their outrage while discussing the UK's 'shambolic' Visa requirements for refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine.

The pair were stunned to learn that just 100 applications have been processed out of 17,000 that have been opened, as the government continues to face backlash for the slow and complicated process for those hoping to seek refuge in the UK.

It came as Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that Ukrainians with a passport will no longer have to attend an in-person appointment at a visa application centre (VAC), and from Tuesday will instead be able to complete the process online.

Shocked: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield (pictured) struggled to hide their outrage while discussing the UK's 'shambolic' Visa requirements for refugees fleeing Ukraine

Holly and Phillip once again discussed Ukraine's ongoing war during Thursday's This Morning, cutting live to the House Of Commons to hear Patel's statement.

In it she announced Ukrainians with a passport coming to the UK, who have family already living in the country, will be able to apply for a Visa online from March 15.

This will allow VACs on the continent to focus on helping Ukrainians who do not have a passport.

'That's mad:' The pair were stunned to learn that just 100 applications have been processed out of 17,000 that have been opened from refugees under the Home Office's Family Scheme

Changes: Holly and Phillip discussed Ukraine's war with Russia during Thursday's This Morning, cutting live to the House Of Commons to hear Home Secretary Priti Patel's statement

Bombshell: Holly couldn't contain her shock as Camilla read out figures published by the Home Office reporting that just 100 Visa applications had been processed so far

Following Patel's statement, Holly and Phillip discussed the easing of restrictions with Camilla Tominay and Tom Swarbrick, and they agreed that this new application process hasn't come quick enough for the refugees waiting in France to cross the Channel.

Noting that it would still be five days before Ukranians could begin their online application, Phillip said: 'That is a long time to wait for families who have already been waiting for so long.

'That's a long time, what are you going to do for those five days? Where do you stay? What do you eat?'

Outraged: Stunned by this number, Holly gasped: 'That's mad,' before going onto brand the government's Visa requirements 'a shambles'

Angry: Suggesting that refugees are brought over to the UK and housed in one of the empty Nightingale Hospitals, Phillip noted: 'This wasn't a surprise - this happened weeks ago'

Back soon: This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV

He added that some refugees may not have internet access or enough credit on their phone to complete the application.

Holly couldn't contain her shock as Camilla read out figures published by the Home Office reporting that as of March 7, 17,700 Family Scheme Visa applications had been opened so far, with just 100 processed so far.

Priti Patel's Commons Statement in full 'This morning I received assurances which enable me to announce changes to the Ukrainian families scheme. 'Based on the new advice I have received I am now in the position to announce that vital security checks will continue on all cases. 'From Tuesday I can announce that Ukrainians with passports will no longer need to go to a visa application centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK. 'Instead once their application has been considered and appropriate checks completed they will receive direct notification that they are eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK. 'In short, Ukrainians with passports will be able to get permission to come here fully online from wherever they are and will be able to give their biometrics once in Britain. 'This will mean that these application centres across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports.' Advertisement

Stunned by this number, Holly gasped: 'That's mad,' before going onto brand the government's Visa requirements 'a shambles.'

Suggesting that refugees are brought over to the UK and housed in one of the empty Nightingale Hospitals, Phillip noted: 'This wasn't a surprise - this happened weeks ago.

'The minute those illegal, cruel, malicious forces crossed that border, everyone down there who could act upon it would have said 'there's going to be a refugee crisis here.'

The Government has put in place two routes for Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK.

The first is a family reunion route which allows British nationals and Ukrainians living in the UK to bring their relatives to Britain.

The second is a 'humanitarian sponsorship pathway' which will allow individuals, charities and business groups to offer to sponsor Ukrainian citizens with no family ties to the UK so they can come to Britain.

The first scheme is up and running but the second is yet to be launched. It was announced last week but ministers still have not published the full details of how it will work.

The current visa process requires people to submit an application online and to then attend a VAC in-person to submit biometric data, including fingerprints, which is used for security checks.

However, there is currently not a VAC open anywhere in Ukraine, with people required to travel to a centre in a neighbouring country like Poland, Hungary or Moldova.

Critics have argued that this requirement, along with strict rules on what must be included in the application, make it far too difficult for many Ukrainians to get out of the country.

More than 2.1million people have now fled Ukraine, according to UN estimates, but the latest statistics from Downing Street show Britain has granted just 957 visas.

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.
Bianca Wallace has shared a candid snap with her walking stick which she uses to help with 'spasms and loss of balance' due to her devastating MS diagnosis.

The new girlfriend of actor Ioan Gruffudd, 29, told in a Instagram post on Thursday how she has been 'too scared to go out in public with it yet' as she further detailed her symptoms.

In January, Bianca revealed she was diagnosed with 'aggressive' multiple sclerosis three years ago and told how she didn't know if she would ever walk again after being told she had the condition at the age of 25.

Brave: Bianca Wallace has shared a candid snap with her walking stick which she uses to help with 'spasms and loss of balance' due to her devastating MS diagnosis

In her latest post update she explained how she often loses her motor skills, stumbles and has a pain in her heel that feels 'like a giant pin'.

She looked stylish in the snap, donning a pair of black leather trousers and roll neck as she leaned on the walking stick.

Bianca penned in the caption: 'Seeing as though it is MS awareness month I thought I would share some more with you.

Difficult: Bianca recently revealed she was diagnosed with 'aggressive' multiple sclerosis three years ago

Honest: The new girlfriend of actor Ioan Gruffudd , 29, told in a Instagram post on Thursday how she has been 'too scared to go out in public with it yet' as she further detailed symptoms

'I got my first walking stick in May 2020 at my neurologists suggestion of wanting to preserve the damage and help during times of balance loss, flares and relapses. I have been far too scared to go into public with it yet! Baby steps

'I use my sticks as I need them, which honestly, is not too often! My right leg goes into a spasm which can vary from the typical neuro spasm (this is common), to my leg, or areas of my leg, seizing into a locked spasm.

'I struggle with balance and a tremor often and can lose my motor skills where my foot turns inwards and can also drag and drop. This ranges from a slight stumble at times (common), to total foot drag / drop. Very rarely, these can happen all at once.

'These issues are caused by MS attacks which have resulted in myelin and nerve damage in the brain. Recently, due to the activity in my brain, I had my first lesion growth (attack) in 2 years and 5 months and this created two new symptoms in my right leg: A pain in my heel that feels like a giant pin is up there and also wide spread numbness.'

Together: Bianca has recently hit headlines for her new relationship with Ioan, with the pair both frequently coming under fire from Ioan's estranged ex Alice Evans

She continued: 'Recently I decided to take control of my illness and the information that was heartbreakingly made public before I was ready. I made a video talking about it myself for the first time and I truly thought that would be the first and last time I discussed it and that I would move on with my life.

'However, what I did not except was to find out how much me opening up about my life was helping people who have been, or are, suffering in their lives. I realised that my health was outed because it was time for me to help show people a way of finding a little bit of light in some very dark situations.

She signed off by saying: 'I thank you so much for telling me your stories of heartbreak, suffering and how you found your silver lining! You're all so inspiring to me.'

Exciting: It comes after last month it was revealed that Ioan is set to co-star in a new drama with his girlfriend Bianca which will detail her experience with Multiple Sclerosis

Bianca has recently hit headlines for her new relationship with Ioan, with the pair both frequently coming under fire from Ioan's estranged ex Alice Evans.

Also on Thursday Alice took to social media to post sweet snaps of her daughter Elsie, eight, cuddling their pet dog in bed.

It comes after last month it was revealed that Ioan is set to co-star in a new drama with his girlfriend Bianca which will detail her experience with Multiple Sclerosis.

The actor, 48, announced that he is working on a project with his partner on his Instagram page, as he gushed: 'I am so proud to be able to bring Bianca's extraordinary story to life.'

Delighted: Ioan said he was 'looking forward to sharing this', while Bianca said in response: 'Two truly incredibly humans telling my story!? If only B 3 threes ago could see this... I can't believe my luck. I love you [heart]'

Bianca and Ioan both reshared a Deadline article which announced they would be working with director Jimmy Gadd on the drama, dubbed A Ray Of Sunshine.

Ioan said he was 'looking forward to sharing this', while Bianca said in response: 'Two truly incredibly humans telling my story!? If only B 3 threes ago could see this... I can't believe my luck. I love you [heart].'

Sharing the post on her own page, Bianca wrote: 'Incredibly excited to share this with you all. Love to all.'

Bianca has taken from her own experience of MS to write the script for the project, which will be co-directed by Ioan and Jimmy.

Sad news: Bianca has previously detailed how she now suffers with occasionally going blind in her left eye, has a tremor and that the whole right side of her body has nerve damage

The story follows a chronically ill newly married young woman finds herself alone at rock bottom, struggling to come to terms with her life-altering diagnosis.

Ioan, who announced his relationship with Bianca in October, told Deadline: 'Bianca's unique way of approaching such a sensitive and personal topic as Multiple Sclerosis, with such raw emotion and the perfect glimmer of humor, made me certain that there was something special ahead and I knew I wanted to be involved.'

He added: 'Jimmy was already signed on, but he graciously agreed to co-direct with me when I reached out expressing my interest. We both knew that we had to be a part of bringing this story to life.'

Bianca recently shared a nine-minute long video captioned 'I think it's time', where she explained that she didn't know if she would ever walk again after being told she had the condition at the age of 25.

Cute: Also on Thursday Alice took to social media to post sweet snaps of her daughter Elsie, eight, cuddling their pet dog in bed

She revealed that she first went to doctors after being unable to pick up a pen to write, and that after that 'everything changed'.

Bianca detailed how she now suffers with occasionally going blind in her left eye, has a tremor, and that the whole right side of her body has nerve damage.

The beauty went on to say that the diagnosis has actually been her 'lucky charm' and pushed her to get into acting and 'appreciate life for what it is'.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that attacks the myelin sheaths protecting neurons in the brain and spinal cord.

Common symptoms include tiredness, vision problems and problems with walking or balance. Multiple sclerosis cannot be cured, but medicines and other treatments can help ease some of the symptoms.

Bold move: In January Ioan's ex Alice dramatically quit Twitter after slamming the actor's new girlfriend Bianca over a perceived 'lack of empathy'
South Africa: Mining exploration is key to attracting investment

South Africa aims to gain at least 5% of global mining exploration expenditure in the short and medium term.

This is according to Mineral Resources and Energy Deputy Minister, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane.

Nkabane was addressing the Northern Cape Provincial Mining Investment Conference on Thursday.

Continued and enhanced mining exploration should be the cornerstone to the future of the mining industry in South Africa. Working with the industry, we have compiled an Exploration Strategy, which amongst others aims to ensure that we attain at least 5% share of global exploration expenditure within the short to medium term.

In the main, the strategy identifies barriers that inhibit exploration investment in South Africa that is commensurate with its geological endowments and proposes a coordinated approach amongst key stakeholders in resolving the existing challenges in the shortest possible time, Nkabane said.

The Deputy Minister encouraged those at the conference to propose innovative ways in which mining exploration can be accelerated.

There are already numerous mining companies across the country, but the drill and shovel will stop when the known mineral reserves get depleted. That is why we must look into ways of fast-tracking exploration in this investment conference.

On our part we hope the Exploration Strategy will pave the way in this regard and we will endeavour to ensure that relevant legislative instruments are in place to ease mining investment.

She highlighted that mining has continued to give strong showings in the past two years despite the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on the economy.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mining sector continued to make meaningful contributions to gross domestic product (GDP). This was because of concerted efforts led by the [department], working in conjunction with the Minerals Council of South Africa and mining companies to minimise the impact of the pandemic both to individual workers and the mining operations as a whole.

As a result, mining was the only sector that saw a marked increase and growth in contributions to the GDP, she said.

Turning to mining specifically in the Northern Cape, Nkabane said the department is making moves to legalise small-scale operations in the province.

The department is in the process of developing a legal framework for artisanal and small-scale miners, but illegal mining is a criminal matter that is to be addressed separately.

Mining permits have been issued to the Artisanal Miners of Batho-Pele Mining Primary Co-operative Limited and Goedemood Trading Co-operative Limited which must contribute to the redress of inequality in the mining sector, she said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Unethical Prosecution of an Assyrian Attorney

Attorney Robert DeKelaita speaking at a rally. On January 2, 2018, Judge Goldsmith from the federal court in Michigan ordered the release of Assyrian (also known as Chaldean or Syriac) Christian detainees who had been held for deportation. In his decision, the judge cited that the country conditions in Iraq precluded the possibility of returning the refugees to their homes safely. The determination came as no surprise to the Assyrian community in the US who have been well aware of the massacres and persecution inflicted on their remaining families in both Iraq and Syria. The judge's determination was also consistent with an official US State Department designation of genocide against Assyrian Christians and other minorities by ISIS. On March 15, 2016, after an agonizingly long, drawn out deliberation Secretary of State John Kerry finally declared that Assyrians had suffered genocide, thereby legally obligating the US to assist the beleaguered community.

Enter then Robert DeKelaita of Chicago. Mr. DeKelaita was a prominent immigration attorney who had for decades advocated for Assyrian Christians who had already managed to enter the US. Mr. Dekelaita had earned his Master's Degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago and his law degree from Loyola University of Chicago. On September 23, 2014, Mr. Dekelaita was indicted on 14 counts of numerous violations including immigration fraud. The basic gist of all of the counts could be summarized as alleging that Mr. DeKelaita fabricated the applicants' immigration applications. During discovery and the ensuing court case, it was revealed that the federal government had been investigating Mr. DeKelaita for over a decade including wire taps and possibly sending imposter clients in a brazen attempt at entrapment after their investigation failed to uncover anything of substance.

Of the original 14 counts, the number was whittled down to 5 after the prosecution themselves withdrew several counts, and the jury rejected another 1 and reduced 3 substantially. The Judge then tossed out what was left of the 3 counts, leaving one that he referred to as a "close call" for the Court. A final appeal is pending , but of all of the prosecutions' failed witnesses who had testified, only one case remained relevant in the remaining count of conspiracy. The remaining asylum applicant acknowledged in his testimony lying in order to get into the US on a marriage visa before even meeting Mr. Dekelaita. While on the stand, the asylum seeker acknowledged being very active in the Chaldean Church in Iraq. He acknowledged running or owning a liquor store and provided written proof of Islamist threats against him to shut down his store because of Islam's prohibition against drinking. He eventually had his store blown up and provided written proof of a police report. Finally, his business associate was killed by the Islamists. He understandably fled for his safety as he believed his life was in danger and emigrated to the US. Mr. DeKelaita subsequently helped him to prepare his case for asylum.

Shockingly, while on the stand, the refugee testified that despite the bombing of his store and assassination of his partner, he did not feel threatened while in Iraq and that Mr. Dekelaita had somehow compelled him to make that statement. For those in the community who had suffered the intense persecution and intimidation by Islamists, the statement defied credulity and led many to believe that this witness and others may have been coerced and pressured into testifying. Others have pointed out that an attack in Europe can provoke concern as far as the US, and yet this sole remaining prosecution witness seemed unfazed by personal threats, murder and bombings.

The peculiarity of the zeal with which the US attorney has continued to prosecute Mr. DeKelaita defies rational explanation. Quite ironically, on the very day that Mr. DeKelaita's trial began, the Obama administration, an administration overflowing with irony and contradiction, presented arguments before the US Supreme Court in support of the administration's executive action protecting Central American refugees from deportation. Although Central America may have various social and economic problems, no one with any remaining fairness would or could argue that the conditions faced by Central Americans reached those endured by Assyrian Christians facing genocide in Syria and Iraq.

The crux of the remaining count against Mr. Dekelaita is really whether or not a Christian minority in Iraq or Syria facing written threats, assassination, and bombing would indeed feel frightened or not. And, still more, if he in fact was genuinely frightened for his life to return, then what would have prompted him to testify in court that he was compelled by Mr. DeKelaita to lie? Could the asylum seeker himself already vulnerable due to his confessed marriage visa fraud have been compelled to change his story to suit the prosecution's narrative? Could he also be a victim, having been threatened with deportation (a certain death sentence for him) if he did not toe the prosecutor's line? One cannot be sure, but the strength of the prosecution's last count hangs precariously on a reasonable person's belief that their only remaining witness says he really wasn't fearful for his life despite all he had personally endured in Iraq.

In the meantime, the legal bureaucracy grinds on arguing for or against statutes of limitations as well as other legal machinations important only to those embedded in the process. It is difficult to gauge how much time and money the prosecution has spent over the last decade trying to prove that what Judge Goldsmith and the US State Department acknowledged as persecution and genocide of Assyrian Christians was actually fabricated by Mr. DeKelaita for his clients. But, estimates run into the millions, as deep state vendettas are never cheap. Mr. DeKelaita still has a couple of appeals left, but win or lose, by leveraging the seemingly infinite resources of tax payers, the prosecution has already won. Mr. Dekelaita has lost his law license, his home and has endured the breakup of his marriage. All done for the purpose of saying that Assyrian Christians really have not been victims in Iraq and Syria. But history and perhaps future oversight investigations will tell a different story. Let us continue to hope reason prevails.
Experts are concerned that Australians may acquire a drug-resistant variant of COVID-19, prompting requests for more surveillance to better control outbreaks. One of the major drugs used to treat individuals with severe instances of COVID-19, sotrovimab, is causing the virus to evolve.

If the mutation spreads across the community, people who are immunocompromised or old will be unable to get Sotrovimab treatment. Dr. Rebecca Rockett of Sydney University evaluated 100 COVID-19 patients in health care institutions across Western Sydney, New South Wales, between August and November during the Delta outbreak.

Australian Patients Develop Drug-Resistant COVID-19 Mutation

According to the findings, the virus mutated in four of the patients who got the medicine within six to thirteen days, rendering the treatment useless. After being cultivated in a laboratory dish, samples of the altered form acquired from the patients showed it could spread to others.

The fact that the majority of the individuals in the research were immunocompromised lends credence to the notion that variations evolved in persons with such illnesses. As a result, she believes that clinicians should conduct intensive surveillance of critically sick COVID-19 patients and find drug-resistant mutations early to prevent the virus from spreading.

Professor Vitali Sintchenko of the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases stressed the importance of genomic surveillance in reducing the probability of treatment failure and the spread of drug-resistant variations, according to Daily Mail. Another issue is that other virus strains may be able to adapt to avoid other monoclonal antibody therapies, and there is currently no good surveillance system in place since the COVID-19 crisis has compelled health officials to act rapidly.

Read Also: 15 Obstacles You Might Face as a New Nurse

COVID-19 Cases in Australia Surge

The findings come as the number of COVID-19 infections in NSW has increased, with 16,288 cases confirmed on Thursday. Compared to the preceding 24-hour reporting period, the number of daily cases registered by NSW Health increased by more than 3000.

As individuals return to work, school, and a regular way of life, the increase in new infections has been ascribed to a relaxation of COVID-19 limitations and much increased social mixing.vPreliminary data from UNSW modeling revealed that new COVID-19 cases would quadruple in the next four to six weeks, according to Health Minister Brad Hazzard, who spoke at a budget estimates meeting on Thursday.

She stated the sublineage was more transmissible, but there was no proof it was more or less severe, and that early forecasts suggest a potential increase in case of numbers from March to April and May, thanks to the spreading BA.2 subvariant, 7News reported.

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of eight persons in Victoria, five in Queensland, one in the Northern Territory, and four each in NSW and South Australia. With national daily mortality rates on the down, NSW is dealing with a novel Omicron subvariant spreading across the state, potentially doubling COVID-19 cases in weeks.

On Thursday, Health Minister Brad Hazzard testified at a budget hearing, saying that the state had registered 16,288 new cases, up from almost 3,000 the day before.

According to the University of NSW data, the BA2 sub-variant of Omicron is more transmissible. With just 56.3 percent of adults having had three vaccination doses, Hazzard is concerned that people have gotten complacent about receiving a booster injection.

According to Acting Chief Health Officer Marianne Gale, the scientific word for the Omicron BA2 sub-variant is a "sublineage," and the main type in NSW had been BA1, as per SBS News.

Related Article: COVID-19 Mild Case Can Still Damage Brain, Addle Thinking, Scientists Discover Along With New Gene Differences in Severe Patients

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As the smash hit period drama Bridgerton returns to our screens, star Simone Ashley, has opened up about the series in a revealing new interview.

The gorgeous actress, told Glamour Magazine UK how she never felt represented as a woman of colour in period drama before the Netflix series.

'I couldn't relate to them, maybe because I couldn't see myself within one, and then Bridgerton came along.'

Glamour girl: As smash hit period drama Bridgerton returns to our screens, star Simone Ashley, has opened up about her experiences on the show in a revealing interview.

The show which has been applauded for it's colour blind casting has broken ground in the world of TV and film.

'I just always saw myself for my personality and not for the colour of my skin,' the star continued.

'Representation matters, and yes, there is a minority that needs to be represented more, and I'm very aware of that Everyone should be seen. I think we can all relate to each other in some way'.

On screen: The gorgeous actress, told Glamour Magazine UK how she never felt represented as a woman of colour in period drama before the Netflix series

Speaking up: 'Representation matters, and yes, there is a minority that needs to be represented more, and I'm very aware of that Everyone should be seen. I think we can all relate to each other in some way'

The star's character Kate Sharma, features in the show as a love interest for heartthrob Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey.

And Simone teased of the romance: 'It's a very interesting enemies-to-lovers story, They have a lot of friction at the beginning because they resonate with whatever traits that annoy each other within themselves, and then that breeds chemistry'.

'They're both used to people walking away and being isolated, being left alone. I think they met each other and it was like, 'It takes one to know one. I see a lot of me in you, and I'm not going to walk away from you''.

She added of the differences in romantic portrayals between this show and her other major role in Sex Education: 'Bridgerton is hot and sexy and steamy. On Sex Education, that wasn't really our objective. We wanted to show 16-year-olds or adults in the show having real sex and facing real-life problems and whatever might happen. Bridgerton's more romantic than that.'

Love is in the air: The star's character Kate Sharma, features in the show as a love interest for heartthrob Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey

When it comes to behind the scenes gossip, the star revealed that she and co-star Jonathan have a secret ritual.

'I would always leave him his favourite snacks in his trailer. We had a very unspoken rhythm going on in that sense, leaving gifts in each other's trailers.'

But she says when it came to corsets eating anything for her was out of the question.

Steamy: Simone teased of the romance: 'It's a very interesting enemies-to-lovers story, they have a lot of friction at the beginning'

Cover girl: The star sparkled in the magazines photo shoot displaying her fantastic figure and a unique sense of style

The star sparkled in the magazines photo shoot displaying her fantastic figure and a unique sense of style.

With her long dark hair fashioned in curls as well as glossy and straight, the Sex Education star showed off long legs as well as her toned arms.

Simone wore a number of outfits for the spread which was shot in the sunshine, including a blush sequinned checked suit complete with sexy cut out.

Fabulous: With her long dark hair fashioned in curls as well as glossy and straight, the Sex Education star showed off a variety of glam looks

Sexy: Simone wore a number of outfits for the spread which was shot in the sunshine, including a blush sequinned checked suit complete with sexy cut out

When asked about the pressures of the second season, after the first season was such a huge hit, the star was relaxed and played down any worries.

'I'd like to think that I'm not a very fearful person. We're not performing heart surgery or curing diseases, that's real pressure'.

Planning her next career move, the actress was optimistic following her success in Bridgerton and the Netflix series Sex Education.

'I'm still very young, But this year onwards, I'd like to keep my foot on the gas. So I always think of it in that waybecause it's supposed to be fun, riding the wave.'

Read the full interview in the GLAMOUR UK March Digital Issue online now.
Paris Hilton looked flawless on Thursday as she modelled her new sunglasses line.

The sunglasses obsessed socialite, 41, has teamed up with Quay to unveil the Quay x Paris collection for the brand.

With the range encompassing 12 Y2K-inspired styles, the high-profile star proudly modelled a selection while drawing influence from her reality TV heyday in the 2000s.

Simply SPECtacular! Paris Hilton was every inch the chic fashionista on Thursday as she modelled her brand new sunglasses line during a stunning shoot

The blonde beauty told ELLE US: 'Well, as everyone knows, I'm obsessed with sunglasses. I wear them all the time, even at night.

'Sometimes, when I'm walking out of a club and there are cameras or flashes, or if I'm taking a million selfies, it's just better to have sunglasses on. When you wear sunglasses, you always look perfect.'

The former Simple Life star - who has also collaborated with non-profit organisation Project Glimmer to create the collection - went on to explain that working with a female-driven brand has helped her reach her goal of 'empowering women.'

Modelling: The sunglasses obsessed socialite, 41, has teamed up with Quay to unveil the Quay x Paris collection for the brand

Bling: With the range encompassing 12 Y2K-inspired styles, the high-profile star proudly modelled a selection while drawing influence from her reality TV heyday in the 2000s

She said: 'Collaborating with a brand that is both led by women, and has such a strong emphasis on empowering women, all while being able to give back with them to a charity like Project Glimmer is exactly what I aim to do.

'These frames give you that extra confidence to sliv (slay and live) your best life and go after your wildest dreams. The entire collection...loves it!'

The sunglasses range, starting at $55, comes in a variety of styles, including a Wanna Party collection design with lightweight metal arms and adjustable notepads.

Obsessed: The blonde beauty told ELLE US: 'Well, as everyone knows, I'm obsessed with sunglasses. I wear them all the time, even at night'

Working together: The former Simple Life star has also collaborated with non-profit organisation Project Glimmer to create the collection

Trendy: The sunglasses range, starting at $55, comes in a variety of styles, including a 'Wanna Party' collection design with lightweight metal arms and adjustable notepads

The Y2K range So Serious comes in three variations as Check Print/Brown Yellow/Smoke and Black/Smoke.

Paris has recently returned to the music industry and even enlisted the support of her friend Kim Kardashian West.

Speaking about her new single, which features Kim Kardashian West in the music video, to Sirius XM, Paris said: 'It's inspired by boss babes who roll the night and have fun and just get away from f**k boys. It's more fun to stare at your best friends a** basically.

'So it's a fun thing, making fun of social media and clubbing and guys who are just annoying.'
Rebel Wilson made a playful dig at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's move to the US as she danced to America from West Side Story on Thursday's This Morning.

The actress, 42, was being interviewed by Alison Hammond ahead of the BAFTAs and they had a boogie to the song from the film, which is nominated for awards at Sunday's ceremony.

Mid-dance Rebel then funnily quipped about the track: 'That's Harry and Meghan's new theme song!'

Funny: Rebel Wilson made a playful dig at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's move to US as she danced to America from West Side Story on Thursday's This Morning

The star then sent presenter Alison into fits of giggles with the joke as they had a good laugh together.

Elsewhere during the interview Alison pretended to be fuming that she didn't get an invite to host the awards.

To which rebel replied: 'I heard that they didn't have anyone funny in Britain so they flew in an Australian.

'Why I was she chosen I don't know. I have presented awards before at the BAFTAs and it's gone pretty well.

Jokes: Mid-dance Rebel then funnily quipped about the song: 'That's Harry and Meghan's new theme song!' (the couple are pictured last year)

'It's hard when you're the host because you're in charge of the whole show you've got the whole responsibility. You want to have a good show.'

Alison then asked her: 'I heard you want to bond with Daniel Craig, is that right?'

Rebel replied: 'Well.. shall we make that public? I think he is married technically I can still do a little cheeky flirt or something?'

Alison then let Rebel hold This Morning's Special Award Bafta award to feel the weight, Rebel said, 'I'd love to do an acceptance rap if I ever won one for real!'

Star: The actress, 42, was being interviewed by Alison Hammond ahead of the BAFTAs and they had a boogie to the song from the film, which is nominated for awards at Sunday's ceremony

It comes after on Wednesday Rebel revealed that she checks her jokes with friends in very high places.

The star appeared on The One Show and told how she has texted her material to a member of The Royal Family to see if it is okay before taking it to an audience.

She told hosts Jermaine Jenas and Lauren Laverne: 'I do have a connection with the Royal Family, who I send certain jokes to... to check they're OK'.

Hilarious: The star then sent presenter Alison into fits of giggles with the joke as they had a good laugh together

The blonde beauty refused to name who she texts, but said: 'They actually have a really great sense of humour, people think like, because of their position, but they like to laugh as well'.

It's no wonder Rebel's joke need a royal seal of approval as they'll be in the audience.

Prince William is president of BAFTA and always attends the ceremony alongside Kate Middleton.

Speaking about Sunday's award show the actress admitted her nervousness 'Everyone who could possibly ever employ me will be in the audience'.

Comedian: Alison then let Rebel hold This Morning's Special Award Bafta award to feel the weight, Rebel said, 'I'd love to do an acceptance rap if I ever won one for real!'

Inside info: It comes after on Wednesday Rebel revealed that she checks her jokes with friends in very high places

But when it came to risque jokes she laughed 'I wouldn't mind getting cancelled... I wouldn't have to work for two years'.

The comedian surprised the hosts by revealing before she began a career in comedy she trained as a solicitor in 'Space Law'.

Explaining the term, she said should a country land on the moon and claim ownership that's when space lawyers would get involved.

'If the BAFTA's don't work out Sunday night, I can go back to being a lawyer in space' she joked.'

Advice: The star appeared on The One Show and told how she has texted her material to a member of The Royal Family to see if it is okay before taking it to an audience (pictured are Kate and Wills)
Nicki Minaj did not hold back during her latest interview as she touched on several hot topics including Kanye West rejecting a potential fashion collaboration due to Kim Kardashian, getting butt injections, social media, and why she believes she deserves a Vogue cover.

The 39-year-old rapper - full name Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty - sat down for a nearly two-hour interview with media personality Joe Budden on his YouTube Channel released Wednesday.

The Starships hitmaker was an open book as she said that she had approached Kanye, 44, with the idea of working together on a fashion project but he turned it down out of respect for his wife Kim, 41.

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Unfiltered: Nicki Minaj did not hold back during her latest interview as she touched on several hot topics including Kanye West rejecting a potential fashion collaboration due to Kim Kardashian

'I have so much respect for him': The Starships hitmaker was an open book as she said that she had approached Kanye, 44, (they are seen together in August 2015) with the idea of working together on a fashion project but he turned it down out of respect for his wife Kim, 41

Nicki helped the sales of Italian luxury fashion house Fendi skyrocket after naming them on 2018 hit track Chun-Li and later earned a deal with them as she hoped that the Yeezy founder would work on her next collection.

She told 41-year-old Budden: 'I told Kanye about [my impact on Fendis sales]. I was like, "Hey look, Im about to do something and I just wanted to make sure I spoke to you first," because I have so much respect for him.

'And he was like, "Well, if I did something with you, I think my wife probably wouldnt love that idea because I should be giving that to my wife instead. If I was doing a female version of the Yeezys or whatever, it should probably go to my wife."'

Trending topic: The 39-year-old rapper - full name Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty - sat down for a nearly two-hour interview with media personality Joe Budden on his YouTube Channel released Wednesday

She said: 'And he was like, "Well, if I did something with you, I think my wife probably wouldnt love that idea because I should be giving that to my wife instead. If I was doing a female version of the Yeezys or whatever, it should probably go to my wife"'

Dynamic duo: Minaj and Kardashian are seen at the Met Gala in May 2018

Nicki did say that she understood where Kanye was coming from but had trouble understanding why he was so quick in turning her down when taking into consideration the obstacles that he faced as a Black designer with a background in hip-hop.

She explained: 'Kanye was very vocal about the fashion industry not letting him in at one time.

'So if a Black female rapper who you know has just shown her self to be sellable... then when I come to you as a Black man that I look up to, Im doing that because you inspired me, because you said if the fashion industry didnt want to let us in, even though were so influential.'

'Kanye was very vocal about the fashion industry not letting him in at one time': Nicki did say that she understood where Kanye was coming from but had trouble understanding why he was so quick in turning her down when taking into consideration the obstacles that he faced as a Black designer with a background in hip-hop

Now, Im not saying that [Kim Kardashian] said that, but thats what he thought how she would feel about it': The rapper went on to say she was not sure if the directive came from Kim directly or if it was something Kanye had assumed but it was frustrating as there are not enough Black women represented in the high fashion industry

The rapper went on to say she was not sure if the directive came from Kim directly or if it was something Kanye had assumed but it was frustrating as there are not enough Black women represented in the high fashion industry.

She said: 'And then when I did ask, just put it on his radar, he said how he thought his wife would feel about it, and we didnt really speak much more about it. Now, Im not saying that [Kim Kardashian] said that, but thats what he thought how she would feel about it.

'We have to be careful that when we put those things out there and when a door is opened, that we do figure out a way to have another Black face there in that space.'

As she has been highly influential to high-fashion, Nicki expressed dismay over not having a cover for American Vogue yet.

She said: 'You would think that right now hip-hop is the biggest, most influential genre in the world, you would think that the biggest female rapper of all time, who has set so many trends, would have been on the cover of American Vogue, but she hasnt.'

Nicki talked about Billie Eilish's March 2020 Vogue cover in which she could be seen sporting neon green roots in her hair during her rise to fame.

'You would think that the biggest female rapper of all time, who has set so many trends, would have been on the cover of American Vogue, but she hasnt': As she has been highly influential to high-fashion, Nicki expressed dismay over not having a cover for American Vogue yet

'When Billie Eilish comes out and sets a trend with her green hair, shes immediately put on American Vogue': Nicki talked about Billie Eilish's March 2020 Vogue cover in which she could be seen sporting neon green roots in her hair during her rise to fame

Worldwide: Nicki has been featured on some of the cover of international editions of Vogue including Japan (left) and Arabia

She said: 'When Billie Eilish comes out and sets a trend with her green hair, shes immediately put on American Vogue. But when a Black female rapper who has been setting the trend for 10 years does it, no one says anything. A big part of the reason why were not represented is becausewhat I think were doing now, I think were all speaking up for each other.

'So I think now, weve all made it so, "No, people have to pay attention to what theyre doing, how theyre treating Black artists and Black people, and there has to be representation."

Nicki has been featured on some of the cover of international editions of Vogue including Japan and Arabia.

Interesting: Nicki did not hold anything back as she admitted to getting butt injections in order to get her signature figure early in her career

She said: 'It wasnt acceptable to have surgery at all or anything. At that time, I had never had surgery. I had a** shots'

'At that time Wayne, he talking about big booties. Wayne would have a new chick in the studio every session so it was always a new big booty there': The star revealed that being around mentor Lil Wayne influenced in the decision at the time, as they are seen together in May 2013

Wow factor: Nicki is seen in an Instagram photo

Nicki did not hold anything back as she admitted to getting butt injections in order to get her signature figure early in her career.

She said: 'It wasnt acceptable to have surgery at all or anything. At that time, I had never had surgery. I had a** shots.'

The star revealed that being around mentor Lil Wayne influenced in the decision at the time.

Nicki explained: 'I was in Atlanta at the time and I kept on being around [Lil] Wayne and them. At that time Wayne, he talking about big booties. Wayne would have a new chick in the studio every session so it was always a new big booty there. They were his muses.

'I was a lot of people's guinea pig': As her career began taking off around 2006 during the infancy of Twitter, the Bang Bang hitmaker believes that she is one of the first high-profile celebrities who experienced the toxicity of social media culture

'But I just was around them all the time and I was like the little sister with Wayne and Mack [Maine].  All I would hear them talking about is big butts and I didnt feel complete or good enoughgood as those girls because Im like, Oh my god, this is what youre supposed to look like in the rap culture, and I dont look like that.'

As her career began taking off around 2006 during the infancy of Twitter, the Bang Bang hitmaker believes that she is one of the first high-profile celebrities who experienced the toxicity of social media culture.

She explained: 'Social media was just beginning when I started so I was a lot of peoples guinea pig.

'I was one of the first people to be s***ted on on the internet, on social media like non-f***ing stop. Every day I would go on and there was some new story, made-up story, or bad picture.'
Kimora Lee Simmons was spotted stepping out for a coffee run in Los Angeles this week with her daughter Ming Lee.

She shares Ming Lee, 22, as well as another daughter called Aoki, 19, with her ex-husband, the disgraced music mogul Russell Simmons.

During her latest outing Kimora could be seen laughing cheerfully as she chatted with her daughter on the sidewalk.

Laughing it up: Kimora Lee Simmons was spotted stepping out for a coffee run in Los Angeles this week with her daughter Ming Lee

Her sighting comes after her latest ex-husband, the two-time bigamist Tim Leissner, told a fraud trial about how he persuaded Kimora he was single.

Leissner, a former Goldman Sachs banker, posed as his ex-wife for years over email to try and convince Kimora that his marriage had ended and he was free to date her.

Leissner - who pleaded guilty to taking part in Malaysia's 1MDB corruption scandal in 2018 - told Goldman Sachs colleague Roger Ng's trial on Tuesday that he used an email account bearing the name of his then-wife, Judy Chan, to convince Kimora Lee Simmons he was divorced, Bloomberg reported.

Leissner, posing as Chan, used the account to woo Simmons for years, whom he later married. Simmons - a model and reality star - was so convinced by the ploy that she even invited the emailer she believed to be wine heiress Chan on vacation with her.

She shares Ming Lee, 22, as well as another daughter called Aoki, 19, with her ex-husband, the disgraced music mogul Russell Simmons

The email correspondences showed he routinely declined Simmons' invitations for Chan and her children to vacation with the former model and her family in Paris, Austria and on a private Caribbean island. In one message he even cited a car accident as reason they were unable to travel.

'It was an entire life you completely falsified because you made the whole thing up?' Ng's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, asked Leissner.

'The correspondence yes,' he reportedly replied. 'But an entire life may be too far.' Leissner is a double-bigamist who faked divorce papers from his unnamed first wife to marry Chan, before deploying the same tactic to marry Simmons while still betrothed to both other women.

Despite his history of deceit, Leissner is the prosecution's key witness in the trial against Ng. He alleges his former colleague conspired with him to help Malaysian financier Joh Low embezzle $4.5billion in funds from Malaysian government development fund 1MDB in a 'brazen' scam and divert the money to fund their lavish lifestyle.

Looking back: Her sighting comes after her latest ex-husband, the two-time bigamist Tim Leissner, told a fraud trial about how he persuaded Kimora he was single

The ex-banker also admitted in court last month that he faked divorce documents to marry Simmons, 46, in 2014 while he was still married to Chan, a former analyst at Goldman and the daughter of a coal-mining business owner in China. Chan's family also owns the nation's top winery and a slew of other businesses.

In an attempt to undermine his credibility as a witness, Agnifilo - who has branded the former banking executive as a 'rare cunning liar' - presented Leissner with an email he sent Simmons from the fake account.

In the message, Leissner, posing as Chan, told Simmons she had caused the banker to be audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

When asked about the email, Leissner told the court: 'I don't remember, but I see it here.'

Posing as Chan (left), Leissner used the accounts to have various conversations with Simmons (pictured on right with Leissner). The email correspondences showed he routinely declined Simmons' invitations for Chan and her children to vacation with the former model and her family in Paris, Austria and on a private Caribbean island. In one message he even cited a car accident as reason they were unable to travel

The former executive also admitted to using that same account to communicate with Low in 2016 when the financier reached out about using Chan's family connections to sell a collection of fine art, including a painting by Vincent van Gogh.

Leissner alleged he engaged in the conversation with Low in an attempt to protect his wife.

'Jho was trying to monetize the painting and several others and he wanted to see if Judy or her family could be of help,' Leissner said.

'I wanted to protect Judy from him. I wanted to pacify him or be friends. I wanted to make an effort or appear I was attempting to help him.'

Leissner (pictured in a courtroom sketch of his testimony from Feb. 16) also admitted to using the fake email account to communicate with Jho Low in 2016 when the financier reached out about using Chan's family connections to sell a collection of fine art, including a paining by Vincent van Gogh

Leissner claimed he engaged in the correspondence with Low in an attempt to protect Chan (pictured with her children). He said in court Tuesday: 'I wanted to protect Judy from him. I wanted to pacify him or be friends. I wanted to make an effort or appear I was attempting to help him'

The newest revelation about his personal life comes after Leissner admitted he had faked not one, but two divorces - and used false documents to marry Simmons.

'I photoshopped the divorce document,' Leissner told the courtroom in February.

He added that when he and Chan tied the knot in 2000, he was married to another woman, who has not been identified, and submitted fake records to the Hong Kong government to finalize their marriage.

Leissner claimed Simmons was not aware of his actions back then but that Chan was, saying the heiress and business woman was angered by it and refused to transfer $900,000 to his account so he could put a down payment on a new home for him and Simmons in Los Angeles.

'Judy did not want to make any transfers related to my new family life in Los Angeles,' Leissner testified, according to Bloomberg. 'I think she did some research on the Internet and found out I was trying to buy this house.'

Leissner had met Simmons, who was previously married to hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, in business class on a flight from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur.

The couple reportedly exchanged vows in 2013 - around the time his relationship with Chan fell apart - and had a son, Wolfe, who was born in 2015. They also adopted Gary, then 10, in January 2020.

He and Lee Simmons are estranged, her lawyers have said.

The newest revelation about his personal life comes after Leissner admitted he had faked not one, but two divorces - and used false documents to marry Simmons in 2013. The now-estranged couple a son, Wolfe, who was born in 2015 (The family is pictured in 2015)

Leissner and Simmons also adopted a son, Gary, then 10, in January 2020. The couple is pictured with Wolfe and her son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou, at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2018

The vague details of Tim Leissner's marriage history Tim Leissner was accused of bigamy during Roger Ng's money laundering trial. The accusation has prompted questions about the banker's vaguely detailed personal life. The former Goldman Sachs employee is currently married to model Kimora Lee Simmons. The pair had a secret wedding. The exact date and location of that ceremony remains unknown, as a marital records search did not yield any results. The couple was, however, pictured in Saint Barthelemy in December 2013 sporting rings on their left hands. Page Six alleged they may have had a Caribbean wedding during that time. Leissner and Kimora Lee Simmons share a son, Wolfe, who was born in 2015. They also adopted Gary, then 10, in January 2020. The couple has since become estranged, although it is unclear when they split. While marrying Kimora Lee Simmons, Leissner was married to Judy Chan, who currently runs Grace Vineyard, China's first family-owned winery. Chan and Leissner met at Goldman when she was working as a junior analyst. It is unclear when exactly they got married, but Bloomberg Quint reported that the feast 'included suckling pigs with electric lights flashing in their eye sockets.' Reports had suggested Chan and Leissner divorced in 2013, but Leissner revealed he was still married to Chan when he tied the knot with Simmons. Chan was using her married name in Grace Vineyard promotional materials in 2012. She appears to have begun using her maiden name in 2013. Information regarding his alleged first wife's identity was not disclosed, but Leissner said he was still married to her when he married Chen in 2000. Advertisement

The revelations came as Leissner was called to testify against Ng who is charged with conspiring to launder money and to violate an anti-bribery law.

Leissner in 2018 pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money and violate an anti-bribery law, and agreed to cooperate with the government's investigation and testify against his former associate for a reduced sentence, forfeiting $43million.

Prosecutors said that Ng, 49, received $35million in kickbacks for helping embezzle the $4.5billion in funds from 1MDB. Ng has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is standing trial in Brooklyn federal court.

In more than a week of testimony, Leissner has described his high-flying lifestyle as the lucrative 1MDB deals made him a 'star,' and the steps he took to avoid getting caught.

Leissner said he hoped coming clean would 'clear this chapter of my life.'

'It's not the proudest time of my life, but at the time I wanted to make more money, even though I was well-paid,' Leissner testified.

Last month, he admitted to having a decade-long affair with Rohana Rozhan, MEASAT Broadcast executive and former CEO of Astro Malaysia Holdings.

Leissner testified that Rozhan threatened to reveal his involvement in Ng's alleged $4.5billion scheme with the Malaysian government to embezzle money from the 1MDB account in 2013 if he did not siphon $10million from the fund to buy her a London home, Bloomberg reported.

'Ms. Rozhan was very upset that I was ending our relationship to be with my future wife, with Kimora,' Leissner told prosecutors, referring to his estranged wife, model and reality TV star Kimora Lee Simmons, 46.

'If I didn't buy her a house, she would tell the authorities about my involvement in the 1MDB scandal. She was threatening to expose me. At the time, 2013, I was very fearful of that.'

Leissner added that he informed his then-boss Richard Gnodde, head of Goldman Sachs' Asia business, about his relationship with Rozhan.

Gnodde had allegedly told Leissner to 'be careful about relationships with clients,' as Astro was one of the businesses Goldman Sachs was working with in Malaysia.

Leissner said their relationship, which spanned from 2003 to 2013, was an open secret.

'Pretty much everybody in our Southeast Asia territory knew it,' he testified.

Rohana Rozhan (above) was in a relationship with Leissner from 2003 to 2013, according to Leissner's testimony. He said their relationship was an open secret
Kim Kardashian and her eldest daughter, North, starred in a new TikTok video shared on Wednesday night where they rocked out on social media in black makeup.

The eight-year-old seemed to play creative director as she picked up the phone to sing along to a Machine Gun Kelly and Willow Smith song called 'emo girl' with her cousin, Penelope Disick.

The girls knew all the lyrics to the punk rock beat where Kim made an appearance with jet black makeup streaming down her face despite multiple efforts by her estranged husband, Kanye West, to keep North off the online platforms.

Rock out: Kim Kardashian and her eldest daughter, North, starred in a new TikTok video shared on Wednesday night where they rocked out on social media in black makeup

It seemed to be all fun and games for the girls as North danced around wearing smudged black makeup around her eyes and on her lips.

She showed off braces and braided hair while wearing a white T-shirt to match her cousin's threads as they sang: 'I fell in love with an emo girl.'

Kim played along with her long brunette hair tied back except for a few strands framing her face, and dark makeup dripping down her cheeks for the quick clip that had already amassed two millions likes overnight.

It's unclear if her estranged husband and North's father, Kanye West, gave the sign of approval for more social media coverage after he went on a winded rant last month about his kids being on the platform.

Impressive: The eight-year-old seemed to play creative director as she picked up the phone to sing along to a Machine Gun Kelly and Willow Smith song called 'emo girl' with her cousin, Penelope Disick

Good times: It seemed to be all fun and games for the girls as North danced around wearing smudged black makeup around her eyes and on her lips

Star power: Penelope, Kourtney's daughter with ex Scott Disick, was having a blast with her aunt and cousin as she stepped in for a cameo on the clip

In a since-deleted post, Ye shared a picture of North, eight, on Instagram last month asking in the caption, 'Since this is my first divorce I need to know what should I do about my daughter being put on TikTok against my will?'

Hours later, Kim hit back on her Instagram slamming Kanye's 'constant attacks' on her, accusing him of causing their family 'pain' in a lengthy statement, where she referred to herself as the 'main caregiver.'

Kanye then responded again, screenshotting Kim's statement and posting another response saying: 'What do you mean by main provider ? America saw you try to kidnap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address.'

Having fun: Kim played along with her long brunette hair tied back except for a few strands framing her face, and dark makeup dripping down her cheeks for the quick clip that had already amassed two millions likes overnight

Expert: She showed off braces and braided hair while wearing a white T-shirt to match her cousin's threads as they sang: 'I fell in love with an emo girl'

Custody drama: The former couple came to blows arguing about Kim putting their daughter North on TikTok 'against his will'

'You put security on me inside of the house to play with my son then accused me of stealing I had to take a drug test after Chicago's party cause you accused me of being on drugs. Tracy Romulus stop manipulating Kim to be this way.'

Tracy Romulus is the Chief Financial Officer of Kim Kardashian West Brands and a close friend of the Hulu reality star.

In Kim's lengthy rebuttal of Kanye's initial post, she wrote: 'Kanye's constant attacks on me in interviews and social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create.'

'As the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children, I am doing my best to protect our daughter while also allowing her to express her creativity in the medium that she wishes with adult supervision - because it brings her happiness.

'Divorce is difficult enough on our children and Kanye's obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all.'

Hitting back: Kim Kardashian has issued a fiery response to her estranged husband Kanye West after he claimed their daughter North is being put on TikTok 'against his will'

He's not done: Kanye then responded to Kim's initial rebuttal, claiming that he was made to take a drug test before entering Chicago's birthday party

Back for more: The rapper later posted the guidelines surrounding minors joining TikTok in another pointed dig at his ex Kim

'From the beginning I have wanted nothing but a healthy and supportive co-parenting relationship because it is what is best for our children and it saddens me that Kanye continues to make it impossible every step of the way.'

She finished her post by stating: 'I wish to handle all matters regarding our children privately and hopefully he can finally respond to the third attorney he has had in the last year to resolve any issues amicably.'

It comes just a month after Kanye stated in a podcast that he did not want North to appear on the social media platform, saying: 'I'm not there to approve that.'

Kim and North's joint TikTok account currently has 6.1million followers and says in the bio: 'Me and my bestie, Managed by an adult.'

Kim was declared legally single by a judge just last week after filing documents to change her marital status in December as the year-long divorce proceedings loomed with estranged husband Kanye West. They share four children together.

Kanye has not taken their separation well and has continued to exhibit aggressive behavior against Pete and a slew of other Kardashian affiliates online.

His outbursts have largely included sharing and then deleting private conversations on social media, threatening Kim's boyfriend, Pete Davidson, in addition to her friends and family, as well as grand gestures of forgiveness and overstepping boundaries while he was dating other people.
She strutted her stuff on the catwalk for Paris Fashion Week just days ago.

And now Gigi Hadid has arrived back home with a new 'do.

The 26-year-old supermodel was seen with newly-dyed platinum blonde hair shortly after touching down at JFK Airport in New York City on Wednesday.

Lighting it up: Gigi Hadid was seen with newly-dyed platinum blonde hair shortly after touching down at JFK Airport in New York City on Wednesday

The mother-of-one looked like a whole new person as she wore her lighter locks down flowing over her shoulders.

She looked casual chic in a all black look including leather jacket, top, and flowy trousers featuring a white stripe down the side.

Gigi also donned black and white sneakers along with small black designer shades and a matching protective face mask.

Gorgeous: The 28-year-old mother-of-one looked like a whole new person as she wore her lighter locks down flowing over her shoulders

She contrasted the dark look with a bright yellow Rimowa rolling luggage and a darker yellow leather traveling bag.

Gigi was last seen walking the catwalk for Vivienne Westwood on Friday with dirty blonde locks including darker roots.

This comes days after the runway queen pledged to donate her Fashion Week earnings to those affected by the war in Ukraine.

On-the-go: She looked casual chic in a all black look including leather jacket, top, and flowy trousers featuring a white stripe down the side

Fashion first: She is seen walking the runway for Vivienne Westwood's presentation on Friday during Paris Fashion Week

The supermodel shared a series of snaps from various shows and revealed she was making a sizable contribution to help those in need.

The fashion icon explained that despite her job on and off the runway, it was also her responsibility to give back, and she was doing so in a big way by giving her full earnings from the Fall 2022 campaign to Ukrainian organizations.

Hadid pointed out that her professional commitments kept her from actively reflecting on world events.

She wrote: 'Having a set Fashion Month schedule has meant that my colleagues and I often present new fashion collections during heartbreaking and traumatic times in history.'

Hadid added that she and her fellow models were interested in helping to create positive change through their work.

'We don't have control over most of our work schedules, but we would like to walk "for" something,' she wrote.

Making a difference: Hadid pointed out that her professional commitments kept her from actively reflecting on world events

Hadid then announced that she would be sending her income from walking in various shows to those affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

'Following in the footsteps of my friend @micarganaraz, I am pledging to donate my earnings from the Fall 2022 shows to aid those suffering from the war in Ukraine,' she noted.

She also expressed that she would continue 'to support those experiencing the same in Palestine.'

Hadid noted that she wanted to see world leaders looking past minor differences for the greater good in the future.

Hopeful: Hadid also noted that she wanted to see world leaders looking past minor differences for the greater good in the future

'Our eyes and hearts must be open to all human injustice. May we all see each other as brothers and sisters, beyond politics, beyond race, beyond religion,' she wrote.

She added: 'At the the end of the day, innocent lives pay for war- not leaders.'

Hadid concluded her message by writing: 'HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE. PEACE. PEACE. PEACE.'

Making it clear: Hadid concluded her message by writing: 'HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE. PEACE. PEACE. PEACE'; she is seen earlier this month

Hadid previously shared a statement regarding the conflict in Ukraine to her Instagram Story last month, where she noted that she was upset about the Russian invasion.

'My heart is hurting for Ukraine and all those affected by this unimaginable reality,' she wrote.

She then called out Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom she saw as the main aggressor in the conflict.

Speaking her mind: Hadid previously shared a statement regarding the conflict in Ukraine to her Instagram Story last month, where she noted that she was upset about the Russian invasion; she is seen in February

'Putin's actions are a threat to every Democratic country in the world, and must be stopped,' she wrote.

Hadid finished her message by encouraging her followers to raise awareness for the ongoing war.

'I pray that the support other countries provide can give Ukrainians what they have voted for and deserve,' she wrote.
Rose Leslie looked effortlessly stylish on Thursday, as she stepped out to walk her dog in London.

The actress, 34, exuded sophistication in a vibrant orange jumper over a white shirt, with the collar and sleeves peeking out.

She teamed the fashionable ensemble with casual blue jeans and a pair of white trainers.

Trendy: Rose Leslie looked effortlessly stylish on Thursday, as she stepped out to walk her dog in London

She carried her essentials in a green tote bag and added a coordinating green beanie on her head.

Her signature flame-coloured hair was left down to flutter in the breeze and she shielded her eyes behind a pair of tinted sunglasses.

Keeping the cold at bay, she later wrapped up warm in khaki green coat, as she held on to her pet whippet's leash.

Eye-catching: The actress, 34, exuded sophistication in a vibrant orange jumper over a white shirt, with the collar and sleeves peeking out

Casual: She teamed the fashionable ensemble with casual blue jeans and a pair of white trainers

Fashion forward: She carried her essentials in a green tote bag and added a coordinating green beanie on her head

Rose got her breakthrough role on the HBO fantasy series Game Of Thrones where she also met her future husband Kit Harington.

'It was an incredible experience, and for meas an actorit definitely opened a lot of doors with casting directors, and producers,' Rose has said of her three season stint on the global hit show.

The talented actress has also starred in other hit shows such as Downton Abbey, Luther and Vigil.

Her signature flame-coloured hair was left down to flutter in the breeze and she shielded her eyes behind a pair of tinted sunglasses.

Cosy: Keeping the cold at bay, she later wrapped up warm in khaki green coat, as she held on to her pet whippet's leash

Starring role: Rose got her breakthrough role on the HBO fantasy series Game Of Thrones where she also met her future husband Kit Harington

Rose will next be seen in big-budget film Death On The Nile, based on the novel by Agatha Christie, and co-starring Gal Gadot and Kenneth Branagh.

Rose married her co-star Kit in 2018 after the couple played unlikely lovers Ygritte and Jon Snow on the show.

The couple welcomed their first child together at the beginning of 2021, after announcing their pregnancy in October.

Loved-up: Rose married her co-star Kit Harington in 2018 after played unlikely lovers Ygritte and Jon Snow on the show

Speaking to the New York Post, in October 2020 Rose gushed of her baby news:

'I am thrilled to be expecting. I can't wait to meet the new member of our family!'

Ahead of the baby's arrival, the couple had added to their brood by getting a pandemic puppy in the form of a tiny whippet.

'It was a wonderful thing,' she told the newspaper. 'If we hadn't been forced to stay behind our front door, we couldn't properly train her and make sure she didn't poop all over the house.'
Photos presented as part of Selma Blair's restraining order request appear to show her injuries after she was allegedly attacked by her ex-boyfriend Ronald Carlson.

In the images, Blair, 49, has what looks like bruises and red marks around her throat and just under her chin.

The Hellboy actress was able to obtain a restraining order against Carlson, 52, whom she claims tried to strangle her during an altercation at her home in Los Angeles on February 22.

Disturbing: Selma Blair, 49, included pictures that appear to document injuries she received after her ex-boyfriend Ronald Carlson allegedly attacked her at her home on February 22

One photo shows Blair  seemingly topless  with her head throne back and her neck extended to reveal what appear to be red marks along the sides of her neck.

She also appears to have dark bruises on her throat just below her chin, along with some bloodied scratches.

It's unclear if Blair took the photos herself, though the close angle suggests they could have been self-shot.

The photos were included as part of the documents for the actresses' restraining order request.

Court victory: The Hellboy actress was able to obtain a restraining order against Carlson, whom she claims tried to strangle her during an altercation at her home on February 22; seen in October in LA

Marked up: Another view from the front with better lighting emphasizes what looks like a line of dark bruises extending from below her chin down to her throat as she tilts her head back

Alleged injuries: One photo taken from the side of Blair's face seems to show more bruising, along with dark marks that may be bloodied scratches

Another view from the front with better lighting emphasizes what looks like a line of dark bruises extending from below her chin down to her throat as she again tilts her head back.

One photo taken from the side of Blair's face seems to show more bruising, along with dark marks that may be bloodied scratches.

Other photos obtained by TMZ appear to show additional injuries, including a large scrape and bruise on her side and bruising on her arms.

After submitting the photos and other evidence in her documents, Blair was subsequently granted a restraining order against Carlson after claiming he physically attacked her last month while she was at her home in Los Angeles.

Blair alleges the incident occurred on February 22 after they had recently ended their long-term relationship, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ.

Following an argument, the Cruel Intentions star claims that Carlson lunged at her, jumped on top of her body and began to strangle her.

Carlson has denied the claims and has filed a petition for his own restraining order against the actress.

In the legal docs, Blair  who battles multiple sclerosis  alleges that Carlson 'strangled her, throttling her and shaking her head and shoulders aggressively' while she was lying on her sofa.

Claims: Blair was granted a restraining order against Carlson, claiming he attacked her... after he was arrested on felony domestic violence charge

The report claims that Blair had been medicated at the time of the alleged attack due to her ongoing illness and told Carlson that she had not been feeling well.

Carlson had reportedly arrived at Blair's home to return a television set when he allegedly became violent and frustrated with her.

She alleges he screamed at her, raging: 'You f**ked up, you can't do anything, you can't love anybody, you're f**king useless, you cripple.'

The Legally Blonde star alleges that he added: 'I don't f**king deserve this, I can do so much better than you.'

Blair further details the incident in legal docs, claiming that she stuck her fingers into his eyes and mouth, and Carlson responded by covering her face and mouth with his hands.

She alleges at this point she lost consciousness as she was unable to breathe.

Ordeal: Following an argument, Blair  who battles multiple sclerosis  claims that Carlson lunged at her, jumped on top of her body and began to strangle her (Pictured last year)

When police officers arrived at the scene and interviewed the actress, she claims her nose began to bleed heavily and she once again lost consciousness.

Paramedics then decided to take Blair to a hospital to evaluate her condition, the report claims.

Carlson was arrested for felony domestic violence with corporal injuries.

Police officers are said to have obtained a five-day restraining order against Carlson following the attack.

The actress then obtained a temporary restraining order through her attorney.

In response, Carlson filed a petition for his own restraining order against Blair, fifteen days after the incident.

In happier times: In a January 2020 post the Cruel Intentions star praised her ex-boyfriend

In his version of events, Carlson claims that he was at her home when she had asked him to sit with her.

Carlson alleges that Blair became 'angry and antagonistic' when he declined to sit with her, and claims she got in his face and said, 'Your daughter is a f***ing loser.'

Blair has a 10-year-old son, Arthur, who she shares with with ex Jason Bleick, while Carlson has a 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Family man: Blair shared this picture of Carlson and his daughter in 2020

Blair's ex then claims that she swung at him and struck him in his eye and attacked with both arms.

He alleges that Blair scratched him on the nose, eyes and cheeks.

He has denied attacking her and says that he only reached for her out of defense.

Carlson claims that her bloody nose is part of a long-term medical issue and provided a text message as proof.

Per the report, Carlson's petition for a restraining order has yet to be granted.

Health battles: Selma - pictured above in 2019 - has been open about her struggle with multiple sclerosis

Blair went public with her autoimmune disease diagnosis in October 2018.

In August last year after receiving stem cell treatment, Blair revealed that she was currently in remission.

MS sufferers who undergo treatment will go through periods of relapses and remissions.

The actress has been dealing with debilitating symptoms from the disease, including difficulty in speaking, and losing the ability to use her left leg fully, resulting in her using a cane to walk.

Battle: Last year, Blair revealed she underwent an 'aggressive' course of chemotherapy to treat the disease and restart her immune system (pictured above in her documentary)

In her recent documentary about her struggles, Blair said how an MS diagnosis can be 'isolating' but was determined to get through it for her son Arthur.

'I was so burnt out. If there was an option to halt me, to rebalance after being hit so hard with that last flare, it's absolutely for my son. I have no desire to leave him alone right now.'

The Cruel Intentions star also praised the wealth of support she received from her friends and family.

'People took great care of me. I never really like life. I do now - strange, huh?' she went on. 'Just because life's so weird. I was so scared in life. To suddenly start to find an identity and a safety in me, to figure out boundaries, time management and energy. I'm having the time of my life.'
Georgia Toffolo cut a stylish figure as she stepped out for dinner at Loulou's in London on Wednesday night.

The television personality, 27, wore a pair of flared floor-length white satin trousers with a high waistband that cinched in her waist to accentuate her hourglass figure.

Former Made In Chelsea star Georgia opted for a sheer blue floral print blouse which she wore open at the collar to create a plunging neckline.

Out on the town: Georgia Toffolo, 27, cut a stylish figure as she stepped out for dinner at Loulou's in London on Wednesday night in flared white trousers and a blue blouse

She wore a pair of white-souled shoes to match the colour of her trousers and was spotted as she entered the restaurant.

The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! winner wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features.

She wore her long blonde hair in loose waves and her tresses rested gently on her shoulders.

Fashion focus: Former Made In Chelsea star Georgia opted for a sheer blue floral print blouse which she wore open at the collar to create a plunging neckline

In style: The television personality wore a pair of flared floor-length white satin trousers with a high waistband that cinched in her waist to accentuate her hourglass figure

Stepping out: She wore a pair of white-souled shoes to match the colour of her trousers and was spotted as she entered the restaurant

Completing the look: She wore her long blonde hair in loose waves and her tresses rested gently on her shoulders

Accessorising: Georgia carried a green clutch with her to add a further splash of colour to her outfit

Georgia was greeted outside the eatery and escorted inside by one of the security staff.

The TV presenter was later seen leaving the establishment with a friend before heading home.

Reality star Georgia recently returned from a holiday in the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi.

Looking good: The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! winner wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features

Helping hand: Georgia was greeted outside the eatery and escorted inside by one of the security staff

Grateful: The star turned and waved to the security guard after he walked alongside her to the door

She took to Instagram during her trip to share a look at the getaway and her chic fashion choices as she enjoyed her holiday in the sun.

In one photo, the blonde beauty wore a long red macrame cover up over a matching swimsuit with cut out detail, which hugged her petite frame.

The star looked relaxed as she stood bare foot, with gorgeous views, a chic straw hat in her hand and circular sunglasses on her head.

Making a move: Georgia was spotted leaving the restaurant after her meal, with the star smiling as she headed home

Back again: The star returned to the restaurant briefly to look for something inside before departing again

Captioning the glamorous photo, she wrote: 'I'm always overdressed but who cares, I felt a million dollars (new motto)'.

In another post, Georgia shared a shot of herself on a boat in a stunning retro inspired swimsuit.

In another post, Georgia shared a shot of herself on a boat in a glamorous retro inspired swimsuit.

Good pals: The TV presenter was later seen leaving the establishment with a friend before heading home

The cream suit with black button detail extenuated the stars taut physique as she leaned out to enjoy the breeze.

Her hair blowing in the wind, she completed the look with a pair of large chic sunglasses.

The former I'm a Celebrity contestant, started her trip leaving Heathrow Airport in first class - where she sipped a glass of champagne.

Blonde beauty: Georgia took to Instagram this week to share a look at her getaway and her chic fashion choices as she enjoyed her holiday in the sun

Elephants: After arriving in Kenya, reality TV regular went on to share more photos of her adventures, in one picture she posed with a pair of elephants

Once arriving in Kenya, reality TV regular went on to share more photos of her adventures, in one picture she posed with a pair of elephants at an orphanage.

She wrote: 'Up early to go to the elephant orphanage just outside of Nairobi, It is the most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world!'.

The star also shared videos of her holiday, one of which was filmed by her friend and The Island With Bear Grylls star Barnes Thomas - who joined her on the trip.

The pals enjoyed a boating adventure on the ocean, where they swam and spotted dolphins.

However Georgia also posted that the group were covered in "guts" after they attempted to catch fish.
North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn gets charged with driving with a revoked license, the third traffic violation of the lawmaker in the past six months, according to the state's Highway Patrol.

According to a CBS News report, North Carolina Highway Patrol Spokesperson Marcus Bethea said the incident happened last March 3, wherein a traffic law patrol officer pulled over "a 2019 Toyota for a left of center violation on US 74B in Cleveland County," at around 10:30 a.m.

Authorities discovered later that his license is "in a state of revocation."On May 6, he is set to appear in court in Shelby, North Carolina.

One of three pending traffic violations against the Republican congressman in his home state is a Class 3 misdemeanor offense that may result in up to 20 days in jail.

Lawmaker Breaks Traffic Laws

According to Bethea and court calendars, the 26-year-old lawmaker also faces two further accusations of speeding given by the NCHP in separate incidents in different counties.

Congressman Cawthorn was pulled up in Buncombe County in a 2009 white Dodge on October 18, 2021, for "going 89 mph in a 65-mph zone," based on a synopsis provided by Bethea. Based on court records, his court date for that offense is May 3.

A CNN report indicated that on January 8, 2022, Cawthorn was pulled over in a Dodge by the state highway patrol in Polk County. According to Bethea, the lawmaker was apprehended for driving 87 mph in a 70-mph zone, with a court date of April 18.

As per court records, Cawthorn was charged with driving while his license was revoked in 2017 though the charge was dismissed in Buncombe County.

There are different reasons for revoking a driver's license in North Carolina. It includes driving offenses while the license is suspended, speeding, accumulating points, and others.

Cawthorn's license was revoked for undisclosed reasons. Under federal privacy rules, the record of a driver's license is kept private.

As of present writing, Cawthorn's camp has not commented on the issue yet.

Read Also: Pelosi Drops COVID Relief Fund From Massive Spending Bill After Democratic Revolt

A Passionate Trump Supporter

Congressman Cawthorn, according to his website, has filed more legislation in the United States than any other freshman member of Congress as of October 2021. He spent more time in the House consolidating his policy stances and determining the legislative agenda of his office.

Cawthorn serves as a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Veterans Affairs Committee, the House Freedom Caucus, the Republican Study Committee, and the vice-chairman of Freedom from Big Tech Caucus.

Representative Cawthorn has emerged as one of former President Donald Trump's most fervent supporters in the US Congress.

He helped lead the charge to defend election integrity after the presidential election in 2020, objecting to the House's certification of the presidential voting results.

As per GovTrack, Cawthorn is one of the Republican congressmen who participated in the attempted coup, including the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Cawthorn's website also mentioned that he is a "devout Christian who believes in the rule of law."

Related Article: Donald Trump's Lawyer Targeted by Thieves To Allegedly Steal Confidential Documents Amid New York Civil Probe

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Jennifer Garner beamed while holding hands with her 10-year-old son Samuel out in Los Angeles this week.

The 49-year-old actress shares her little boy as well as her daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 13, with her amicable ex-husband Ben Affleck.

She emerged for a stroll in a warm ensemble that warded off the wintertime chill, layering an anorak over a sweater over a t-shirt.

Hand in hand: Jennifer Garner beamed while holding hands with her 10-year-old son Samuel out in Los Angeles this week

Letting her dark hair tumble freely over her shoulders, she popped on a pair of cat-eye shades and slipped on a pair of black sneakers that matched her leggings.

This week she uploaded an Instagram video of herself preparing small Ziploc care packages and handing them out to homeless people in Los Angeles.

'Random act of kindness: gather these essentials in a quart sized Ziploc bag and keep them in your car to give away when you see someone in need,' she wrote.

She credited her 'kind friend' Whitney Williams, a Montana businesswoman from a local political family, with the idea.

Family matters: The 49-year-old actress shares her little boy as well as her daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 13, with her amicable ex-husband Ben Affleck

Jennifer advised that the package include: 'A pair of thick socks. Kleenex. Hand wipes. Disposable toothbrushes. Chapstick. A couple of granola bars. I forgot this time, but like to add feminine hygiene products, too. Add $5, $10, $20 and a smile.'

In a video set to the song Soleil qui Groove by Leiv le vrai, she could be seen slipping the items into a Ziploc to give to the needy.

As her video went on she could be seen handing out her donations on a Los Angeles sidewalk where homeless people were living in tents.

Her latest sighting came after she and Ryan Reynolds spoke onstage Wednesday at a Los Angeles screening of their upcoming film The Adam Project.

'God bless': This week she uploaded an Instagram video of herself preparing small Ziploc care packages and handing them out to homeless people in Los Angeles

Doing her bit: 'Random act of kindness: gather these essentials in a quart sized ziploc bag and keep them in your car to give away when you see someone in need,' she wrote

Jennifer advised that the package include: 'A pair of thick socks,' 'Kleenex,' 'Hand wipes,' 'Disposable toothbrushes,' 'Chapstick' and 'A couple of granola bars'

Ryan stars as the title character, a grown man in the future who inadvertently time-travels back to 2022 and meets himself as a child.

While attending this Wednesday's screening, Ryan and Jennifer posed up for the shutterbugs with Walker Scobell, 13, who plays the young version of Ryan.

The Adam Project was helmed by Shawn Levy, whose previous directorial output includes the Night At The Museum movies.

Thoughtful: 'I forgot this time, but like to add feminine hygiene products, too,' Jennifer noted, encouraging viewers to 'Add $5, $10, $20 and a smile'

With a top-flight cast that includes Zoe Saldana, Mark Ruffalo and Catherine Kenner, the film will bow this Friday on Netflix.

Jennifer's character in The Adam Project is the mother of the young version of Ryan's character as played by little Walker.

'My character's Ellie. I'm a recent widow, grieving the loss of my husband and dealing with a child who's an adolescent grieving the loss of his father,' she told Extra.

Dynamic duo: Her latest sighting came after she and Ryan Reynolds spoke onstage Wednesday at a Los Angeles screening of their upcoming film The Adam Project

'And really because of the magic of the movie it gets, all gets to be resolved in the most beautiful, heartfelt, satisfying way possible.'

She joked that she would be 'proud' to have Ryan 'for a son' while appearing on the red carpet during the film's New York premiere.

Jennifer explained that her own children will 'of course' watch the film 'if they want to. They don't always like to watch me in stuff but this one I think they will.'

The Texas-born actress added: 'And yeah, they haven't seen it. I cannot wait to watch it with them and with my parents.'
Denise Richards paid a birthday tribute to her and ex-husband Charlie Sheen's daughter Sami on Wednesday.

The 50-year-old mother-of-three appeared on Instagram to share a trio of photos of her daughter as she wished her a happy 18th birthday.

It comes just weeks after the actress gave an interview detailing her and the teen's 'strained' relationship.

Proud mom: Denise Richards paid a birthday tribute to her and ex-husband Charlie Sheen's daughter Sami on Wednesday

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star wrote in her caption, 'In a blink of an eye youre 18. !!!! Happy Birthday my beautiful Sami.'

It accompanied a photo of the young woman looking a lot like her mom as she smiled and showed off a red manicure.

Sami flaunted pink-dyed hair and gold hoops as she gazed out of the camera's frame.

Her mom continued, 'I love you so much. Privately many more words to share with you.'

Sweet words: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star wrote in her caption, 'In a blink of an eye youre 18. !!!! Happy Birthday my beautiful Sami'

Denise shared two throwback photos of her firstborn with her 1.4 million followers on the app.

In one, a much younger Sam sported a blonde bob haircut with bangs as she held a large heart-shaped paper that said 'I love you to pieces.'

A second snapshot showed the little girl with pig tails as she pouted, wearing a tank top.

The 50-year-old mother-of-two appeared on Instagram to share a trio of photos of her daughter as she wished her a happy 18th birthday

The Hollywood vet kept up the sentimental words as she went on to say, 'I love you unconditionally and I am very blessed & grateful to be your mom.

'And Nana is looking down celebrating with you.'

For a third time she wrote, 'I love you my sweet Sami,' and finished with 'Happy 18th Birthday!'

Her baby girl commented on the post, writing, 'Thank you so much mom i love you too.'

Adorable: A second snapshot showed the little girl with pig tails as she pouted, wearing a tank top

Last month the TV personality appeared on SiriusXM's Jeff Lewis Live and revealed that things have been 'difficult' since the 18-year-old moved in with her father and dropped out of school.

Richards, who also shares daughter Lola, 16, with Sheen, said, 'Honestly, I have a strained relationship with her. It's very difficult. I know we'll get back to where we were eventually but right now, it is strained.'



She touched on the teenager's living situation, saying, 'Obviously I would love for her to live with me. She lived with me all these years.'

She went on to say, 'But I think it's very difficult raising teenagers now and especially in Los Angeles when there's access to everything. We didn't grow up with Postmates and Uber where you have everything that you want.'

She also specified that she is 'not a strict mom,' but she does have 'rules and boundaries.'

Detailed interview: Last month the TV personality appeared on SiriusXM's Jeff Lewis Live and revealed that things have been 'difficult' since the 18-year-old moved in with her father and dropped out of school

Last September Sami shocked her TikTok fans by posting a video in which she labelled her mother's home an 'abusive household' and a 'hell house.'

Sami, who prior to moving in with her father had been living with her mother and stepfather Aaron Phypers, 49, showed emotional footage of herself crying while describing her dire circumstances.

'1 year ago today: trapped in an abusive household, hated myself, would go days without eating or sleeping, insanely depressed, hated school, etc.'

Now Sami appears to be happily living with her dad and working on her relationship with her mother.
A federal appeals court on Thursday said the pop superstar Katy Perry and her team were not liable to a hip-hop artist who claimed they copied her No. 1 hit Dark Horse from his Christian rap song.

In a 3-0 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Flame, whose given name is Marcus Gray, did not deserve damages for copyright infringement over a musical pattern he said Perry, 37, borrowed from his song Joyful Noise.

The Pasadena, California-based court said the eight-note pattern, known as an ostinato, consisted 'entirely of commonplace musical elements' that lacked the 'quantum of originality' needed for copyright protection.

A Los Angeles jury had in July 2019 awarded Flame and two other plaintiffs $2.79 million, including $550,000 from Perry and $1.29 million from her label Capitol Records, part of Universal Music Group.

A federal appeals court on Thursday said the pop superstar Katy Perry and her team were not liable to a hip-hop artist who claimed they copied her No. 1 hit Dark Horse from his Christian rap song; pictured 2010

A Los Angeles jury had in July 2019 awarded Flame and two other plaintiffs $2.79 million

But the trial judge, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, set aside that verdict the following March, saying Perry did not infringe any independently protectable musical elements.

Snyder ruled one week after the 9th Circuit decided in favor of Led Zeppelin in a similar case concerning the opening guitar riff to its song Stairway to Heaven.

The appeals court agreed that the Dark Horse jury verdict should not stand.

'If we were to hold otherwise, it is hard to believe that any collection of pitches arranged in a flat rhythm could fail to meet the originality threshold,' Circuit Judge Milan Smith wrote.

Michael Kahn, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said his clients were considering their legal options.

Determination: The Pasadena, California-based court said the eight-note pattern, known as an ostinato, consisted 'entirely of commonplace musical elements' that lacked the 'quantum of originality' needed for copyright protection; Perry pictured in the music video for her 2013 song Dark Horse

Dark Horse appeared on Perry's 2013 album Prism, and spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 2014

He said not granting Joyful Noise protection 'runs contrary to a series of simple and clearly distinctive 8-note opening melodies' as in Dave Brubeck's Take Five, the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

Perry's lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Christine Lepera, a lawyer for Capitol and Perry's producers Cirkut, Dr. Luke and Max Martin, said they were 'very pleased' with the decision.

Dark Horse appeared on Perry's 2013 album 'Prism,' and spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 2014.
Sarah Michelle Gellar paid homage to one of her most beloved on-screen characters in throwback snaps shared to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The 44-year-old actress was feeling nostalgic for the iconic program which debuted on this day in 1997 as she admitted it was the fans who truly kept the show alive through the years.

Gellar, who has since starred in a host of film and television roles, wrote that it was an 'uphill battle' keeping Buffy alive, but today was for celebrating the supernatural teen drama which first aired on The WB and concluded five years later in 2003.

Back in the day: Sarah Michelle Gellar paid homage to one of her most beloved on-screen characters in throwback snaps shared to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

'25 years ago today I had the honor to introduce the world to my version of Buffy Anne Summers. It was an uphill battle,' she wrote. 'A mid season replacement, on a new network based on a movie, that was by no means a giant success.'

The television show came nearly five years after the film of the same name, and was created under Joss Whedon's company Mutant Enemy Productions.

'But then there was you,' she added. 'The fans. You believed in us. You made this happen. You are the reason 25 years later we are still celebrating. So today we celebrate you as well.'

She asked her millions of followers in one Instagram story: 'What would Buffy do?' with the hashtag #WWBD.

Action: The 44-year-old actress was feeling nostalgic for the iconic program which debuted on this day in 1997 as she admitted it was the fans who truly kept the show alive through the years

'25 years ago today I had the honor to introduce the world to my version of Buffy Anne Summers. It was an uphill battle,' she wrote. 'A mid season replacement, on a new network based on a movie, that was by no means a giant success'

Nearly one year ago, the stars of the show banded together in support of their co-star, Charisma Carpenter, to condemn creator Joss Whedon after she branded him 'toxic' and 'cruel.'

Charisma, who starred as Cordelia Chase on Buffy for three seasons, said Joss called her fat and fired her from the spin-off Angel she got pregnant in 2003.

Carpenter said she decided to speak out to show solidarity with actor Ray Fisher. Fisher last summer accused Whedon of 'abuse' and 'unacceptable behavior' while on the set, in 2017, of Justice League.

'For nearly two decades I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day,' Carpenter wrote. 'Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

'While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers.'

Carpenter (left, in 1999) claims Whedon would regularly make 'passive-aggressive' threats to fire her throughout the filming of the two shows, which she said 'wreaks havoc on a young actors self-esteem'

Carpenter, who portrayed Cordelia Chase (second from right) in the drama series for three seasons, spoke out against Whedon in a Twitter post on Wednesday

Standing up to Whedon: Gellar appeared to validate Carpenter's claims in an Instagram post shared last year (pictured)

Not appropriate: Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy's younger sister Dawn on the show, reposted Gellars words and wrote a statement of her own

Sarah wrote at the time: 'While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don't want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon. I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic right now, so I will not be making any further statements at this time.

'But I stand with all survivors of abuse and of proud of them for speaking out.'

Michelle Trachtenberg claimed that Whedon was 'not allowed in a room alone' with her during filming.

When Whedon finally addressed the claims last month, he told Vulture he had no idea what she was talking about, but a source claimed an informal rule did exist, though it was possible Whedon was not aware of it.

Joss finally discussed the years of allegations and rumors - and admitted to having multiple affairs on the set of Buffy, insisting he was 'powerless' to resist, and said he was ashamed of his behavior.

He said he felt he 'had' to sleep with them, that he was 'powerless' to resist.

'I'm not actually joking,' he said, saying that he feared if he did not have sex with them he would 'always regret it.'
She recently debuted her new relationship with her handsome boyfriend Matt Parvizyar.

And Megan Blake Irwin's romance appears to be heating up.

The couple looked incredibly loved-up as they attended a friend's wedding in Mexico City this week.

Is she next? Model Megan Blake Irwin wore a VERY revealing dress as she attended a wedding in Mexico City with her new boyfriend Matt Parvizyar this week

The blonde bombshell was smouldering in a revealing black glitter cut-out gown.

She teamed the thigh-split halterneck frock with a pair of towering strappy heels.

Megan, who recently quit drinking, was glowing in minimal makeup and had her blonde locks out in a messy bedhead style.

Cut it out! The blonde bombshell looked smouldering at the nuptials, slipping her slender figure in a revealing black glitter cut-out gown

Megan confirmed her latest romance in a loved-up Valentine's Day post on Instagram.

The stunner shared several images with her new man.

Irwin captioned the post, 'Happy Valentine's Day to my better half.'

'Thank you for believing in me, for being the most loyal and loving human that has come into my life.'

'Everyday with you is better than any day before you.'

Kiss me quick! The couple shared a passionate kiss at the nuptials

A new start: Megan confirmed her latest romance in a loved-up Valentine's Day post on Instagram

Lovely: The stunner, 27, shared several images with her new man

It must be love: She concluded the caption, 'To put it simply I love you and thanks for choosing me. I'm a lucky lucky girl'

She concluded the caption, 'To put it simply I love you and thanks for choosing me. I'm a lucky lucky girl.'

The Adelaide-born bombshell enjoyed an on-and-off relationship with Kourtney Kardashian's ex Scott Disick.

The pair were first linked in 2016 before reconnecting in 2020.

Ex factor: The Adelaide-born bombshell enjoyed an on-and-off relationship with Kourtney Kardashian's ex Scott Disick

Prior to rekindling with the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, Irwin dated American actor Skeet Ulrich, for three months before splitting in August 2020.

The pair have since unfollowed each other on Instagram and also removed photos of one another.

Irwin has also reportedly dated AFL player and model Tom Derickx, and billionaire film producer David Mimran.
Bachelor couple Matty Johnson and Laura Byrne certainly have their hands full raising two young toddlers.

And Matty, 34, released a hilarious and relatable comedy skit on Instagram on Thursday, showing how parenting had 'aged him' over the years.

Parodying body transformation and 'glow up' videos, the marketing guru shared photos of his 'parenting transformation' from 2019 to the present day, and jokingly asked fans to 'send birth control'.

Hilarious: Father-of-two Matty Johnson (pictured here with his children and fiancee Laura Byrne) demonstrated how parenting had aged him in a comedy skit on Thursday

He added that he 'needs sleep' and has 'gastro' often thanks to his children.

A photo from 2019, the year he first became a father, shows Matty looking relaxed and fresh-faced while holding his newborn daughter Marlie-Mae, now two.

The slideshow moves on to other family photos, including snaps with the couple's youngest daughter, one-year-old Lola, before heading into 2022.

The way he was: A photo from 2019, the year he first became a father, shows Matty looking relaxed and fresh-faced while holding his newborn daughter Marlie-Mae, now two

In the most recent photo, Matty looks exhausted on the couch.

His fiancee Laura, 35, commented below the clip, 'Look out 2023,' while a fan jokingly wrote: 'I was just waiting to hear that baby No. 3 was on the way.'

Another young dad commented: 'Literally same here. I've had a glow down post kids. Is tired a style?'

New addition: The slideshow moves on to other family photos, including snaps with the couple's youngest daughter, one-year-old Lola, before moving into 2022

'2022': In the most recent photo, Matty looks exhausted on the couch

Last year, Laura shared a relatable parenting post on Instagram.

The jewellery designer admitted she was a 'hot mess' and said she was doing the 'best she can' as a mother of two.

'So we had to do some filming at my house this morning and which meant I had to clean the house for several hours before we had people come over,' she said.

It's not easy! Last year, Laura shared a relatable parenting post on Instagram. The jewellery designer, 35, said she was a 'hot mess' and doing the 'best she can' as a mother of two

'But I got really down on myself this morning, because I felt like, "Why do I find it so hard to keep a clean house and why does everyone else on Instagram seem like they have their shit together and I don't?"' she added.

'Then I realised that if I felt like this... one hundred per cent [or] probably most mums feel like this.'

She said she was aware the perfectly clean homes seen on Instagram aren't 'real' and yet she still spent her morning feeling like she 'wasn't doing a very good job'.

'The moral of the story is I just want to say to any other mums who are following me whose house is a pigsty - same!' she continued.

'I just want you to know I am a hot mess too and we're doing the best we can.'

Laura and Matt fell in love on the 2017 season of the Bachelor. The pair became engaged while on holiday in Fiji in April 2018.
Olivia Munn posted another aww-worthy moment of her son Malcolm to her Instagram account on Thursday.

The actress, 41, shared a sweet snap of her doting on her four-month-old child as he rested in her arms in a striped onesie and beanie.

'Photo by @baemnguyen. Big biscuit baby by me,' Olivia captioned the photo.

'Big biscuit baby': Olivia Munn posted another aww-worthy moment to her Instagram account on Thursday

Olivia was all cuddled up in a flannel outfit as she rested on her couch with her straight raven locks worn down and a pair of smart spectacles over her eyes.

She gently placed one hand on the back of her child's head as he lay next to her on the couch.

Olivia also posted sweet video of her friend, film director Bao Nguyen, holding her son.

The director gently bounced the child in his arms before the baby flashed a smile and Olivia squeezed his little leg.

Aww! Olivia also posted sweet video of her friend, film director Bao Nguyen, holding her son

So cute: The director gently bounced the child in his arms before the baby flashed a smile and Olivia squeezed his little leg

Olivia shares her son with her boyfriend John Mulaney, who was not pictured in the videos or photo.

The couple welcomed their son November 24.

Munn brought Malcolm from their home base in Southern California to New York last month as Mulaney hosted the February 26 edition of Saturday Night Live.

Munn last week shared a shot of the adorable baby on her Instagram account

The Hit-Monkey star on Instagram shared a shot of Mulaney as he held his son while in the dressing room at SNL.

'Malcolm visited SNL Thursday afternoon,' Munn captioned the shot. 'Here he is looking like your uncle being carried out of a wedding because he went too hard.'

Mulaney opened up about becoming a parent in his appearance on the NBC comedy staple last month.

Munn last month shared a shot of Mulaney as he held his son while in the dressing room at SNL

'Since I last hosted, different things have happened - life is a lot better and happier now - I have a 12-week-old son,' he said. 'I'm very excited, he is a pretty cool guy for someone who can't vote. His legs are like little calzones, and I want to eat him.'

Mulaney last July filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Anna Marie Tendler, 36, and the split was finalized in January.

Mulaney in September opened up on his relationship with Munn on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

'I got into this relationship that's been really beautiful with someone incredible,' Mulaney said. 'And we're having a baby together. I was nervous when I was about to say the news!'
Sesame Street star Emilio Delgado, who played the role of Luis the Fix-It Shop owner on the iconic show, died at 81 Thursday at his New York City home.

Delgado's wife Carol told TMZ that the actor was at home with his family when he passed away.

Delgado had been diagnosed with the blood cancer Multiple Myeloma in December of 2020, according to the outlet, and had been in hospice care as of late.

The latest: Sesame Street star Emilio Delgado, who played the role of Luis the Fix-It Shop owner on the iconic show, died at 81 Thursday at his New York City home. He was snapped at an event in December in NYC

Carol said that prior to the pandemic shutdown two years ago, Delgado had been consistently working, including the lead role in a theatrical production called Quixote Nuevo.

The Calexico, California-born actor had appeared on Sesame Street beginning in 1971, and also performed in stage shows for the franchise. On the show, he played the fix-it man who aspired to be a writer, and was in a storyline relationship with Maria (Sonia Manzano) with the characters eventually getting married.

In addition to an extensive stage career, he had also worked on a number of TV shows throughout the years, including Lou Grant, Quincy M.E., Falcon Crest, The Bravest Knight, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and House of Cards.

Delgado was born in California and raised in Mexico by his grandparents. He had worked in a fix-it shop and eventually honed his craft in the arts while pursing a career in show business, with his first role on TV coming in 1968 on the Mexican-American soap opera Cancion de la Raza.

In addition to an extensive stage career, he had also worked on a number of TV shows, including Lou Grant, Quincy M.E., Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and House of Cards

The actor was snapped with wife Carol at an award ceremony in NYC in October of 2010

Delgado in a 2020 interview with the Houston Chronicle said he that when he joined the cast of Sesame Street, he was focused on bringing a positive portrayal of Latino people to the mainstream.

'I'd been trying all my professional life to be somewhere I can change that, whether I was talking about it or trying to get into a project that showed Latinos in a good light,' Delgado said. 'That's why Sesame Street was such a good thing. For the first time on television, they showed Latinos as real human beings.

'We weren't dope addicts. We weren't maids or prostitutes, which were the way we were being shown in television in film. Here, on Sesame Street, there were different people who spoke different languages and ate interesting foods, and they were all Americans.'

The Calexico, California-born actor had appeared on Sesame Street beginning in 1971, and also performed in stage shows for the franchise

Delgado was seen performing in a clip from the show he spent four decades on

Delgado was seen alongside the Elmo character in an appearance for National Hispanic Heritage Month

The accomplished performer was seen on the set of the iconic series from the Children's Television Workshop

He was also involved in activism, as in December, he was appointed to the board of directors for the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice in Princeton, New Jersey, which is aimed at helping the LGBTQ community.

He told the Asbury Park Press in January that the center was 'just a continuation of whatever it was Sesame Street was trying to do with inclusion with showing different kinds of people [and] how they lived differently and they spoke different languages or they ate different food.

'And it was educating all those kids and families out there that had no idea that there were other people out there that were like this, that were different from themselves.'

Delgado added: 'I would hope that all of the excellent work thats being done there by the Bayard Rustin Center, that that mentality, that way of doing things, that way of showing people what kindness and love and cooperation is, that it would expand itself to not only New Jersey but to New York and wherever, the whole country.

'So that everybody can be part of it, can see what can be done that way.'

Delgado was seen celebrating Sesame Street's 45th anniversary in NYC in 2014 at a Sirius XM Town Hall

Delgado, who was involved in activism on many fronts, was seen in NYC at a Project Sunshine event in May of 2018

Delgado was seen on the set of the popular series with co-star Sonia Manzano

Delgado said that when he joined the cast of Sesame Street, he was focused on bringing a positive portrayal of Latino people to the mainstream

The center's Robt Seda-Schreiber praised Delgado and the legacy he had as a trailblazer in entertainment.

'When you talk to Emilio, at first obviously you are awe-struck because you are talking to Luis, you are talking to the fix-it man on Sesame Street and thats not for nothing,' Seda-Schreiber told the outlet. 'He was the first Mexican-American in that ... long-standing role on television, and he was absolutely, as far as representation is concerned, showing us what that community is all about and what being part of a greater community is all about.'

'But then you talk about Emilio the man, and you see that hes been doing all of this work. I mean, he was protesting the Vietnam War. He was in the streets. He was with Cesar Chavez with the United Farm Workers ... so youre awe-struck first by Luis, and then youre totally inspired by Emilio.'

On social media, a number of people paid tribute to the beloved late performer

On social media, a number of people paid tribute to the beloved late performer.

Journalist Rosy Cordero wrote, 'RIP Emilio Delgado. Luis and Maria were the first Latinos I ever saw on TV. They were a huge part of my family. They paved the way. #legend QEPD.'

Writer David Kamp said, 'RIP you proud Chicano, consummate entertainer & sweet man. Emilio Delgado always announced himself on the phone by saying, "Its Emilio - Luis from Sesame Street." As if he needed any introduction! He & Sonia Manzano made Latin-American kids feel seen, accepted, and sunny.'

One user wrote, 'Thank you for all of the wonderful memories,' while another said, 'Rest in peace, your contributions will not be forgotten.'

Delgado had been married three times. He had been married since 1990 to his widow Carole, with whom he shared one child, according to his iMDb bio. He was previously wed to Linda Lee Moon from 1977 - 1984; and Barbara Snavely from 1963 until 1975, who he shared a child with.
She is known for playing the formidable family matriarch, Eleanor Young, in Crazy Rich Asians.

But former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh, 56, displayed her more delicate side as she returned to the city were her career was launched.

Displaying a mint billowing gown with an embellished netted overlay, the actress looked sensational at the amfAR fundraising gala in Hong Kong on March 25.

Stunning: Crazy Rich Asians matriarch Michelle Yeoh, 56, displayed her more delicate side as she returned to the city were her career was launched

As the actress walked across the emerald carpet, she displayed her age-defying figure with a full-length low cut dress and a sky blue belt around her slim waist.

The Malaysian actress let her brunette tresses rest gently on her shoulders as she posed in front of the camera's at the annual black tie event.

The natural beauty paired the look with a chunky white watch, an emerald bracelet and dazzling earrings.

Looking as radiant as ever, the former Miss Malaysia and amfAR Ambassador completed her look with a touch of rouge on her cheeks and a swipe of mascara to her lashes.

Natural beauty: The former Bond girl donned a mint billowing gown with an embellished netted overlay

Glamorous: The Hollywood actress looked sensational at the amfAR fundraising Gala in Hong Kong on March 25

The event, which is now in its fifth year, sees stars come together to help raise money for HIV and AIDS research.

This year the gala honoured Hong Kong businessman and renowned entrepreneur and Adrian Cheng who is the executive director of company New World Development.

The actress first hit the public eye after winning the Miss Malaysia title at the age of 20 in 1983.

Smile for the cameras! The former Miss Malaysia displayed her age-defying figure with a full-length low cut dress

Looking good: The natural beauty let her brunette tresses rest gently on her shoulders as she waved for the cameras

Looking good: Dazzling the crowd, the actress completed her look with a chunky watch and emerald bracelet

Smile! Michelle stunned the crowd with her full-length gown and radiant look at the black tie event

Posing for the cameras: The event sees stars come together to help raise money for HIV and AIDS research

Dazzling: The actress first rose to fame after winning the Miss Malaysia title at the age of 20 in 1983

On stage: Michelle was later spotted speaking at the annual event which is now in its fifth year

The star then turned her talents to acting when she hit the screens alongside Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond classic Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997.

Last year, the Hollywood star, who always plays the fierce matriarch Eleanor Young in Crazy Rich Asians, praised the drama's success and shared how she would not endorse Asian stereotypes on screen.

In an interview with Stellar magazine she said: 'I will not endorse any stereotypical cliches of what an Asian woman should be.'
Due to engine failure over the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday night, a jet carrying Donald Trump was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans.

According to reports, the jet, a Dassault Falcon 900, flew around 75 miles from a New Orleans airport before returning to the city where he had made a speech earlier that evening.

Donald Trump Makes Emergency Landing

The jet was claimed to be returning Trump to his Palm Beach, Florida, residence after a private event in New Orleans where he spoke to Republican Party contributors. The jet belonged to a donor who gave it to Trump for the evening, and Trump staffers arranged for another donor's plane to fly him back to his Florida residence.

Secret Service personnel, support workers, and several of Trump's aides were among the other passengers. The pilot may be heard talking to air traffic control on the audio from the aircraft. Around 3 am, the former president arrived in Florida.

At least two of Trump's planes are his own. His $100 million Boeing 757 was dubbed "Trump Force One" during the 2016 campaign, but it fell into disrepair during Trump's time in the White House when he traveled aboard Air Force One.

Following the announcement, Trump sent an email to supporters asking for donations to help buy a new jet, as per Mirror. Trump had made a wide-ranging address on Saturday night, touching on various themes while adopting a harsh tone in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He joked that the US should hit Russia with planes flying the Chinese flag, sparking a war between the two partners while the US "sit back and watch."

Trump also slammed NATO, calling it a "paper tiger" and claiming that the US cannot just watch Ukraine being attacked. Trump allegedly stated many times throughout his administration that he intended to remove the US out of NATO, a move that advisers tried to oppose.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Vows To Fight Russia "in Forests, Fields, and Streets"; Defiant Ukraine President Casts Doubt for Vladimir Putin's Victory

Ex-POTUS Hints Comeback in 2021

Following recent tensions between him and Trump about the 2020 election, former Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech at the spring conference. It's unclear whether or not the two exchanged words. In addition, Trump stated that he is "looking...very, very strongly" for a return bid in 2024, according to Daily Mail.

The link directs users to a page where they may give to the Save America JFC PAC, however it's unclear if payments would go directly to the new aircraft's construction or the general PAC budget.

When recipients are offered the option to make a recurring gift, they are provided with a variety of messages. On March 5, Trump was purportedly on his way home from a Republican National Committee donor conference when an engine failed.

The plane had barely been in the air for about 30 minutes when it was forced to make an emergency landing. Instead of proceeding to the original destination of Palm Beach, Florida, the pilot turned the jet around and returned to New Orleans.

The landing was "emergency in nature," according to audio between the pilot and air traffic control. Secret Service agents, personnel, and advisors were onboard the plane with Trump, The Sun reported.

Related Article: Donald Trump's Lawyer Targeted by Thieves To Allegedly Steal Confidential Documents Amid New York Civil Probe

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Rich Manieri is a Philadelphia-born journalist and author. He is currently a professor of journalism at Asbury University in Kentucky.
Well, the downside is that consumerism itself is inherently unsustainable  regardless of how green its advertised to be.
United States Vice President Kamala Harris visits Poland to underscore America's commitment to promoting security in the region, with the announcement of the delivery of Patriot missile systems to the NATO member country.

In a news conference, alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda, Harris pointed out "the issue of the importance of defending sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Ukraine, which challenges the "guiding principles around the NATO alliance.

Harris noted that the US "is prepared to defend every inch" of territory under NATO." The United States takes seriously that an attack against one is an attack against all," the Vice President said, as reported by CNN.

An Important Sign

Harris mentioned that her presence in Warsaw is an "expression" of the United States' commitment to its "enduring and important" relationship with Poland.

It also indicates the two countries' "solidarity to support" the security and humanitarian needs of Ukraine, battered by Russian attacks. She noted that the US was granting Poland's request for Patriot missiles.

In a statement released Tuesday night, a spokesman for US European Command stated the US was delivering two new Patriot missile batteries to Poland as defensive weaponry to counter any potential danger to US and NATO partners in the wake of Russia's continued assault on Ukraine.

Patriots are air defense missile systems developed to intercept and destroy short-range ballistic missiles, sophisticated aircraft, and cruise missiles as they approach.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Vows To Fight Russia "in Forests, Fields, and Streets"; Defiant Ukraine President Casts Doubt for Vladimir Putin's Victory

Transfering of Fighter Jets is a High-Risk Move

Vice Pres. Harris' trip to Poland also allowed her to negotiate with Polish officials on the recent trouble of the transferring of fighter planes to Ukraine, as per the BBC.

On Tuesday, US officials immediately rejected as "not tenable" Poland's offer to hand over MiG-29 fighter jets to America as an initial step toward transferring the equipment to Ukraine. US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said such a move poses a "high risk" of escalating tensions and military retort from Russia.

The Polish proposal was also dismissed by a German government official, who described it as "not currently on the table."Officials from the United States have frequently stated that the decision on fighters is entirely up to the Polish government.

There's no hint that Harris' trip was intended to settle the issue. Instead, according to administration officials and supporters, her purpose is to bring the vital request to the President's attention and reiterate Washington's commitment to supporting Ukraine and other countries at being harmed by the Russian invasion.

Officials and allies in the White House say Harris' trip to Europe demonstrates President Joe Biden's confidence in her at this time, even in areas like national security, as per Politico.

According to Olga Oliker, program director of the International Crisis Group, the visit of VP Harris sends a "signal of reassurance and unity on the part of the United States" to NATO allies in Eastern Europe.

Harris is also scheduled to meet with the leaders of Poland and Romania and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is on a diplomatic mission in Poland. Then she will visit American troops and the thousands of Ukrainian refugees that moved to Poland.

Related Article: US Threatens To Blacklist Chinese Firms Defying Sanctions on Russia But China is Ready To Defend Companies

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Students protest at Gaither High in Tampa on Feb. 14 against what critics call the dont say gay bills.
On Tuesday, Gregs Seafood & BBQ was one of the vendors setting up along Dr. Mary McLeod Boulevard.
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The team recce for six months in various countries including Italy, Georgia, Budapest, Netherlands, etc., and have zeroed in various locations. (By Arrangement)

When he first heard the script of the Prabhas-starrer Radhe Shyam, Ravinder Reddy knew the romantic period drama would demand a lot of time and effort. And he was up for the challenge  to recreate Italy.

More than anything the film is a test of character, and to pull off such a massive project I need to have a great team, says Ravinder who is the production designer for the film.

The Radha Krishna Kumar directorial is set in 1970s backdrop in Italy, and it was Prabhas idea to shoot in the country. The team did recce for six months in various countries including Italy, Georgia, Budapest, Netherlands, etc., and have zeroed in various locations.

We believe the art work should compliment and be part of the narrative. Since the story is set in 1970 backdrop we wanted to get the vintage look in every frame, he says, recalling that Rome (Italy) is called the father of art, and they spent around six months scouting for locations.

Getting locations that have a vintage backdrop in the modern times is challenging. Hence, Ravinder had to build sets that replicate several locations. He had built around 101 sets for the film, including train, railway station, ship, wet market, vintage vehicles, hero and heroine house, hilltop, hospital, cafe, piano, etc.

We did a lot of R&D to understand what Europe was like during the 1970s. During our recce, we visited various art galleries and exhibitions and collected catalogues, spoke to painters and sculptors, collected magazines, newspapers references to recreate the times, explains Ravinder.

Talking about the teams approach to work, he said, We clearly defined and narrowed down our scope of work and started preparation. That made things a bit easy.

For the initial schedule of shooting, around Rs 2 crore worth set property was shipped from Hyderabad to Italy. The property includes artefacts, articles, cutlery and crockery, interiors, home appliances, bathroom fittings and accessories, wooden items, chandeliers, curtains, wall hanging, lamps, etc.

Its very expensive in Europe to buy these in large quantities, so we decided to buy them in Hyderabad and ship them to Italy, and use them in our film, he says, adding that around 300 vintage cars, buses and cycles have also been custom-made locally.

The unit had to travel around 300 kms from Rome to transport those vintage cars, buses and cycles. 90 per cent of the film will be shot in a set! It just shows the magnitude of work and detailing that goes into the art work.

No Caption

One huge container (40 ft by 12ft) of local flowers (around three thousand bunches) was used and more than three lakh meters of fabric was used for various aspects of design.

Around 2000 perfume bottles have been brought from various perfume factories in Europe to build a perfume store set. 5000 candles have used just for one romantic scene, Ravinder beams, adding that around a total of 1200 members have worked for all the sets in the film.

A 432 ft ship set that was built at a private studio in Hyderabad will be one of the highlights of the film. Around 400 crew members worked for three months to construct it.

Initially we planned to build the ship in Bulgaria or in Germany, but due to logistics problems, we couldnt go there, Ravinder said.

The films shooting lasted for more than three years thanks to the pandemic, but Ravinder suggests that they indeed needed that time to get the desired look and feel. If people can make out that its a set, then we are a failure. People should say, Wow, is this is a set? Thats when we are successful, says Ravinder citing that the level of detailing is the key to such films. Our whole objective is to transport the audience into the world of Vikramaditya (played by Prabhas) and Prernas (Pooja Hegde) Universe.

Italy was one of the worst affected countries during the first wave of pandemic in April 2020. However, by that time, the unit had already shot a couple of schedules.

But when we went to Italy to shoot after the first wave it was distressing to see some sorrowful scenes; most of the iconic locations sported a deserted look, rues Ravinder, adding that the film also showcases Italys rich heritage and culture.
To meet the goal of placing 45,000 internet satellites in low Earth orbit, SpaceX will be launching more than four dozen Starlink satellites into space on Wednesday, March 9 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX Will Launch 48 Starlink Satellites To Space This Week

At 8:45 a.m. EST, a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket carrying 48 Starlink spacecrafts will be launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Furthermore, Space.com detailed that "If all goes according to plan, about nine minutes later, the Falcon 9 first stage will come down for a vertical landing on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred miles off the Florida coast."

According to the 45th Weather Squadron at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida, there is an 80% likelihood that the weather will be suitable for launch on Wednesday.

Read Also: Elon Musk Warns Possible Attacks on SpaceX's Starlink Satellites in Ukraine

SpaceX Starlink Satellites

For those who do not know, Starlink is owned by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk claiming that it is the "World's Most Advanced Broadband Internet System."

To further explain Starlink, the company stated on their website: "Using advanced satellites in a low orbit, Starlink enables video calls, online gaming, streaming, and other high data rate activities that historically have not been possible with satellite internet. Users can expect to see download speeds between 100 Mb/s and 200 Mb/s and latency as low as 20ms in most locations."

With regards to how it operates, Starlink internet operates by transmitting data through the vacuum of space, where it moves considerably quicker than fiber-optic cable. It can also reach many more people and places.

As compared to most satellite internet services operating by single geostationary satellites, Starlink clarified that it is a constellation of numerous satellites orbiting the planet at 550 kilometers and covering the whole globe. This information appears to beat the other satellite internet services orbiting at 35,000 kilometers.

The following are the number of Starlink satellites launched via Falcon 9 this year:

January 6 - 49 Starlink satellites

January 18 - 49 Starlink satellites

February 3 - 49 Starlink satellites

February 21 - 46 Starlink satellites

February 25 - 50 Starlink satellites

March 3 - 47 Starlink satellites

Elon Musk aims to have a total of 45,000 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit.

How To Watch Starlink Satellite Launch

Digital Trends shared two simple ways to watch the said launch: through SpaceX's Twitter and its YouTube account.

To do so, head to SpaceX's Twitter and then click the follow button to have updates as well as to watch the stream of the said launch.

Aside from the Twitter account, SpaceX also has its own YouTube account where it posts the mission's early phases.

In case fans could not locate the YouTube account, the last option to watch the launch is through Starlink's official website.

Related Article: SpaceX Sends Additional Starlink to Ukraine, Focuses on Cyber Defense to Prevent Signal Jamming
A day after the major accident at Adriyala long-wall of RG-3 of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) Ramagundem, rescue teams found three bodies under the coal debris. (Photo: Representational Image/PTI)

Peddapalli: A day after the major accident at Adriyala long-wall of RG-3 of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) Ramagundem, rescue teams found three bodies under the coal debris. Tragedy struck around Monday 2 pm when miners were fixing a roof bolt on the top layer at 86th level of the coal mine. A huge block of coal which is of 30 meters in length and three meters height and five meters width collapsed and fell on the mine workers, seven of whom were stuck under the debris.

The Singareni rescue team had rescued Veeraiah, Jadi Venkateshwarlu and Pilli Suresh and Ravinder on Tuesday.

They found the body of deputy assistant manager Tejavath Chaithanya Teja at 11 pm on Tuesday and that of safety officer Jayaraj and contract worker Thota Srikanth Wednesday morning. The bodies were shifted to the government area hospital. After post-mortem, they were handed over to their respective family members.

The body of Chaithanya Teja was shifted to his native place Palvoncha and that of Jayaraj to Vijayawada.
Karimnagar: The central government has sanctioned Rs 2,146.86 crore for the four-lane works of National Highway 563 between Karimnagar and Warangal.

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari informed this to BJP state chief and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay through his twitter account.

It was in 2015 that the NHAI designated NH 563 between Jagtial-Karimnagar-Warangal as a national highway and included it under the Bharat Mala Pariyojana Scheme. However, it did not take up the promised developmental works so far.

The road remained badly damaged and riddled with potholes. The travel on the 120-km stretch is a nightmare and a back-breaking experience to commuters.

Several surveys had been conducted but neither the state nor the central government took up any repair work.

In 2020, MP Bandi Sanjay met the transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and pleaded for his intervention. Bandi had also provided photos and videos to Gadkari as evidence.

As the matter dragged on, the MP once again met the Union minister in New Delhi recently and urged him to take up the works of NH-563.

Under the Bharat Mala Phase-1, the NH stretch will be turned from a double lane road of 67km into a four lane expanse. A gazette notification had been issued to acquire 305.47 hectares of land for the purpose last year.

Bandi Sanjay expressed his happiness over the sanctioning of funds for the four-lane works between Karimnagar and Warangal and conveyed his thanks to both Gadkari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy has slammed the Telugu Desam for insulting the Governor through their inappropriate behaviour and protests over lack of reference in his speech to high court order on the 3- capitals issue.

The Telugu Desam members protest was held when governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan was addressing the joint session of the state Legislature.

The chief minister, in his address of the legislature later, said everyone has a responsibility to make sure that the governor is respected. He said the TD showed no concern for traditions or for age of the first citizen of the state.

He said, The Governor addressing the Legislature has been a tradition and the Opposition has its right to speak on the content, but the behaviour like tearing the papers, shouting slogans and bringing disrepute to the House is highly condemnable.

Jagan asked the TD members to mention a single good work the previous Naidu-led government did and compare the contrast with the present YSRC government. We are clearing the debts of the previous government, while the TD-friendly media has been spreading stories about the financial crunch the present government faced. In a lighter vein, he said even Chandrababu has been asking us to make Kuppam, his constituency, a revenue division while his brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna wants us to make his constituency Hindupur the district headquarters.

CM Jagan said, While we are busy making legislations in the house, the TDP has been instigating its men to file litigations and stall the good work we have been doing, be it the three-capitals, the distribution of the house sites to poor or other welfare schemes. The Opposition, along with its friendly media, has no concern for the poor.

Rolling out a large set of welfare schemes has been the strong point of our government. Pensions were increased, the RTC with 52,000 employees was merged in the government, some 39,000 posts were being filled in the Health department, 1.30 lakh village and ward secretariat staff has been appointed, 2.70 lakh volunteers were enlisted and another one lakh were employed through outsourcing, Jagan said.

The salaries of Asha workers, sanitary staff, mid-day meal staff, home guards, and the 104, 108 staff were hiked. PRC was implemented for government employees, the CM pointed out.
The exit polls earlier this week had prepared us for the score line on Thursday, though some of the details are sure to vary. The main task is therefore to interpret the continued success of the BJP in four of the five Assembly elections, especially in Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a telling comment in the last phase of the election campaign in the state when he said that there was a pro-incumbency trend in the country. Perhaps, he had in mind the electoral outcomes in West Bengal and Kerala as well.

The outrage among liberals over the BJPs victory in Uttar Pradesh must be moderated because it is not just the sway of the BJPs anti-Muslim Hindutva rhetoric that gave the party its winning numbers. Hindutva remains an important plank, and it is the clinching factor as in the case of Jats in western UP. In eastern UP, the Ram temple in Ayodhya surely had its impact as also the spruced-up Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. More important, what helped the BJP to get past the Samajwadi Party was the coalition of the non-Yadav Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and partly that of the dalits. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati had given a push to the BJP indirectly.

The Muslim vote has not helped the Samajwadi Party much in the face of the BJPs caste coalition, which included the upper castes, the OBCs and dalits. It gives the impression of a communally polarised scenario. But one cant press the point too far. The BJP would want the Muslim vote too, and it wants to be seen as a benign party that will patronise and protect Muslims as the Congress, SP and BSP had done earlier. It is for the different sections of the Muslim community -- there is no monolith here -- to decide their strategy. Conservative and reactionary elements among the Muslims will now negotiate with the BJP, and the BJP is not averse to the prospect. Organisations like Jamiat-ul-Ulema are already dealing with the BJP and RSS. Muslim liberals and socialists will remain arraigned against the BJP along with the Hindu liberals and socialists. Though the BJP has relentlessly and shamelessly labelled the Opposition parties as pro-Muslim and thus anti-Hindu, the SP and the Congress had played into the BJPs hands by distancing themselves from the Muslim question. The Muslims in UP and the BJP must now come to terms with each other.

Punjab has shown the way out of the communal problem as it has voted for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which moved away from the plank of Sikh politics and brought in a new political perspective of governance. The AAPs success shows that people are willing to opt for a new party when one is presented to them. The Akali Dal has proved itself to be a spent force, and the Congress is as jaded as the Akalis. The BJP perhaps sees itself as party of the future, but it has Hindutva baggage. The AAP has stolen the show because it moved beyond the traditional community-based calculations. The AAPs victory is in many ways the victory of the politics of governance, away from community and caste. It is necessary to remember that the AAP is not the traditional liberal party with secular values. It is a traditional conservative party which cunningly mixes Hinduism and nationalism, sometimes as blatantly as the BJP. It will be a mistake to interpret the election outcome in Punjab as the victory of liberal secular values as against the conservative, communal ones. India is now squarely in the zone of conservative politics, and that includes West Bengal.

In the smaller states of Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, the BJP is in a winning position but it is not the solve victor. It must share the political space with the Congress in Uttarakhand and in Goa, and with the regional parties in Manipur. It means that overarching ideologies do not matter in these smaller states, and local questions retain significance.

Looking at the result of the Assembly elections in these five states, it is possible to say that the health of the polity is robust. The BJP, despite its victories, in not the sole repository of power in these states and in the country as a whole. The BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will stay true to their habit of trumpeting their big and small victories as the dominating force in the country, but the party, though a big player, is not the only one. While the victory in UP reaffirms the BJPs dominance in the heartland, it does not have a monopoly of power even in the Hindi heartland. It shares political space with the Janata Dal (United) of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadavs Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, and with the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The BJPs electoral victories in these elections do not lend credence to the claim of its critics and supporters that Indian politics has turned saffron. The granular picture shows that there are many parties jostling with each other in the political space, even of the Hindi heartland. The hawks in the BJP are sure to crow after the victory in UP that the BJP is India and India is the BJP. And the liberals, like the chorus in a Greek tragedy, are sure to lament the saffron triumph. That will be misleading. India remains a politically complex country, and homogenous hegemony of Hindutva does not fit the bill.

The victory in UP in 2022 can be seen as a precursor to a BJP victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, but if the UP numbers are any indication, the BJP will have to content itself with a limited victory. Of course, for Mr Modi and his party, victory matters more than any margins. But a BJP victory in UP in 2022 and in the Lok Sabha in 2024 does not itself guarantee good governance. The BJP under Mr Modi is yet to establish its credentials on the governance front, despite the loud claims to the contrary by all and sundry in the party. Tough talk is not the same as good governance. Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath are only good at tough talk. The fair question to ask is why then do people vote for the BJP? The adage of a good democracy is that you choose the best of the worst. The beneficiary is the BJP.
By Saritha Rai and P R Sanjai

Add Amazon Inc to the list of companies that have been outmaneuvered by Mukesh Ambanis juggernaut. Not only has he jolted the US giant in the fight to dominate Indias retail sector, he now holds all the cards in a $3.4 billion dogfight to buy a local cash-strapped retailer.

Ambanis Reliance Industries Ltd. in late-February quietly began poaching employees and taking over rental leases of hundreds of stores once run by Future Retail Ltd. and Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd., even as Amazon furiously tried to block formal acquisitions through lawsuits and arbitration across India and Singapore. Ambanis bloodless coup forced Amazon to seek settlement on the bitter dispute and alarmed Futures investors and lenders wary of asset-stripping.

We did not expect Reliance Group to take such drastic actions, without even discussing the matter with us, Future Retails Chief Financial Officer Chandra Prakash Toshniwal wrote in a March 2 letter to Reliances retail units. Please confirm that there will not be any reduction in consideration payable.

Another letter, dated March 5 -- Bloomberg has copies of both the letters -- sent by Future Lifestyle expressed concerns and shock and requested Reliance not to undertake such actions that may be viewed seriously by the Lenders, who have charge on all current and fixed assets of the company. Banks may cut off Futures credit lines, crippling whats left of an already cash-starved retailer, the letter said.

Read | 'The shops are gone': How Reliance stunned Amazon in battle for Future

The Kishore Biyani-led Future Group got caught in the tussle between two large corporations after Amazon objected to Reliances August 2020 offer to buy Future Retails stores and warehouses for Rs 24,710 crore ($3.4 billion). The American e-commerce giant said the deal violated its 2019 agreement with another Future Group firm as it bled out Future Retail, which has missed debt obligations and faces bankruptcy risk.

Future Group ran Indias biggest retail grocery chain before the pandemic struck, making it a juicy target for two of the worlds richest men -- Ambani and Amazons Jeff Bezos -- as they jostle for control of the only billion-plus consumer market where foreign firms can compete.

Representatives for Reliance, Amazon and the Future Group didnt immediately respond to emailed queries seeking comments on the letters.

The fate of Future Group investors, including Blackstone Inc. and L Catterton, and lenders now hang in balance as Reliance, Future and Amazon hammer out an out-of-court settlement by March 15, when they need to report progress to Indias Supreme Court.

Reliances tactical win offers it the master key, giving it the strongest position at the negotiation table, according to Nirmal Gangwal, Mumbai-based founder of financial advisory firm Brescon & Allied Partners LLP.

Amazon is the latest player to witness how the Reliance conglomerate muscles in and eventually dominates nearly every sector it gets into -- petrochemicals, crude oil refining, consumer retail, telecom, digital services and, more recently, green energy.

Tacit Takeover

Last week, Amazon sought to bury a nearly two-year-old legal spat, five days after local media reported Reliances tacit takeover of about 200 stores by signing new lease agreements with landlords owning Futures stores and sending job offers to 30,000 workers from the Future Group.

Amazons disbelief at the turn of events came through during court hearing last week. The American e-tailers lawyer Gopal Subramanium said Future Group told them the deal with Reliance will take six months or more to close. It has hardly been 48 hours and people are taking over shops, he said.

But the drawn-out litigation hurt Future Group the most. The two Future firms owe 300 billion rupees in total debt, on the back of dwindling cash flows and operations.

Reliance will honor the definitive agreement they signed in the past, a person close to the development said, who did not want to be identified as the matter is private. It has also extended the period for closing the transaction by six months to Sept. 30.

Treading Carefully

Another person familiar with the developments said Future Group was treading carefully as it doesnt want to unsettle Reliance right now.

That tone of measured caution, bordering on desperation, comes through in the letters sent by Future firms.

We have always acted with full transparency and have considered Reliance Group as a partner, Future Retail said in the letter, adding that it was hopeful of closing the transaction soon. We would, therefore, request that you do not take any actions against us.

--With assistance from Upmanyu Trivedi.

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Where is counting take place:

Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Punjab are the states that went for the polls in seven phases. The results of the assembly elections for five states will be declared on March 10.

When does the counting of votes start:

The counting of votes will begin at 8 am on March 10 across counting centres in the five states, under the respective Returning Officers.

Key parties in the fray:

Uttar Pradesh

The BJP is seeking to retain power but is facing a tough battle against the SP-RLD alliance. BSP and Congress might also hold the sway in case of a hung assembly.

Goa

It is a straightforward battle between the BJP and Congress, while AAP and TMC may affect the poll outcome in case of a hung assembly.

Manipur

The Congress has allied itself with five others, including Left parties, and contested the polls under the banner of Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance. It will be a fight between the alliance and BJP.

Uttarakhand

It is a bipolar battle between the BJP and Congress, which have been alternating the governments in the recent past.

Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party is expected to make a splash in the face-off against the Congress and the BJP's alliance with former Congress man Captain Amarinder Singh and the Shiromani Akali Dal. Farmer leaders may also make their mark following their recent success in getting the farm laws repealed.

What exit polls predict:

The electoral battles over the recent past could be broadly categorised as a battle between BJP and Congress. However, this time around, exit polls have predicted a win for AAP in Punjab, while the Trinamool Congress has entered the Goa political fray, and also Uttar Pradesh, by lending its support to the Samajwadi Party.

While BJP has been predicted to win Manipur and Uttar Pradesh, the exit polls have predicted a close battle between the BJP and Congress for Goa and Uttarakhand.

Key constituencies:

Uttar Pradesh

The most keenly watched constituencies in this election will be Gorakhpur Urban from where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is contesting. He is up against Azad Samaj Party's Chandrashekhar Azad. In Karhal, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav will fight against BJP has pitted SP Singh Baghel against Akhilesh in Karhal.

Varanasi district, from where PM Modi contested in the Lok Sabha election, is also crucial as this remains a BJP stronghold even in the legislative assembly.

Lakhimpur will be a keenly watched constituency after protesting farmers were mowed down and union minister Ajay Mishra's son was arrestedand later releasedin connection with the case.

Punjab

Charanjit Singh Channi's constituencies of Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur will be followed closely. He is the Congress CM's face. The party is hoping to capitalise on the Dalit narrative with Channi's candidature.

The AAP's CM candidate Bhagwant Mann will be contesting from Dhuri. Jalalabad constituency from which Shiromani Akali Dal's Sukhbir Singh Badal is fighting will be crucial too.

Sidhu is contesting from Amritsar East and Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi. Former CM Amarinder Singh is contesting from Patiala.

Goa

Sanquelim, Panaji and Benaulim will be crucial constituencies for Goa this year. CM Pramod Sawant is fighting to secure his seat for BJP in Sanquelim while Utpal Parrikar is contesting as an independent candidate in Panaji.

Manipur

In Manipur, the contest is primarily between Chief Minister N Biren Singh and his former mentor in Congress Okram Ibobi Singh. Nongthombam Biren Singh is contesting from the Heingang constituency. Okram Ibobi Singh is contesting from the Thoubal seat.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhands electorate has never returned an incumbent government in the last four assembly polls. Khatima, from where CM Pushkar Singh Dhami is contesting and Lalkuan, Congress's Harish Rawat's stronghold are key constituencies to watch out for.

Impact on 2024 Lok Sabha elections:

The BJP has won successive elections at the central level, making Uttar Pradesh its stronghold since 2014. However, political parties from across India, including TRS, DMK, TMC, Left parties, NCP and Shiv Sena, have been mobilising to form an anti-BJP front with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in mind.

Even BJP's Amit Shah has acknowledged that the party must win Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections to clear the path to form a third successive government

Congress faces acid test:

The Congress is facing a battle to make its mark on Indian politics, after a dismal showing in the previous polls in Uttar Pradesh and Lok Sabha polls.

Smriti Irani also won the Amethi seat in the Lok Sabha elections, taking over the Congress bastion, from where senior Congress leaders were elected as parliamentarians.

At present, with parties forming an anti-BJP contingent in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress must show that it has the nous to lead the opposition front.

Richest candidates in the fray:

Uttar Pradesh

Nawab Kazim Ali Khan (Rampur constituency) of Congress  Rs 296.8 crore

Goa

Delilah Michael Lobo (Siolim constituency) and Michael Vincent Lobo (Calangute constituency) of Congress  Rs 92.9 crore

Uttarakhand

Antriksh Saini (Laksar constituency) of Congress  Rs 123.9 crore

Manipur

Alfred Kanngam S Arthur (Ukhrul (St) constituency) of Congress  Rs 51 crore

Punjab

Kulwant Singh (SAS Nagar constituency) of Aam Aadmi Party  Rs 238.5 crore

(Source: ADR report)

Candidates with criminal antecedents:

Uttar Pradesh  26% of 4,406 candidates

Uttarakhand  17% of 626 candidates

Manipur  20% of 265 candidates

Goa  26% of 301 candidates

Punjab  25% of 1,276 candidates

(Source: ADR report)

Covid-19 cloud:

The Covid-19 pandemic struck anew in January when the Omicron variant spread across the country, taking daily cases well over 4 lakh, even if it was milder than the Delta variant. This came at the height of campaigning, prompting the Election Commission to ban large rallies and in-person campaigning. It will be interesting to see how parties fared in reaching out to people via virtual campaigning.

Political parties set up war rooms for local campaigns and connected with voters through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram, among others.

The BJP had a slight edge over other parties in this regard. Not only was BJP one of the few parties to adopt social media for its campaigning before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, but it has also diversified its digital footprint to a large extent since. The party already has more than 1.5 lakh booth-level WhatsApp groups in the state, which were used for virtual rallies.

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The BJP headed for a second straight win in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and dominated the trends chart in three other states while the Aam Aadmi Party readied for a landslide win in Punjab, the two parties imprinting Elections 2022 with their triumph. As votes were counted for elections to five states held over February and March, BJP could end the day with a 4-1 score.

Here are the counting trends:

Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party appeared set for a clean sweep in Punjab having taken lead in 92 of the 117 assembly seats after several rounds of counting of votes on Thursday. Trends available at 5 pm showed the ruling Congress, SAD-BSP combine and the BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) alliance appeared to be decimated.

The Congress was leading in 18 seats, SAD in three, BJP two and an Independent candidate in one seat, according to trends available at 5 pm. Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was defeated from Amritsar East.

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing from in Chamkaur Sahib seat where he is the sitting MLA , and in Bhadaur, the second seat from where he had entered the fray.

Also Read | From stand-up comedian to Punjab CM: How Bhagwant Mann delivered the perfect punchline

Manipur

The BJP set the ball rolling in Manipur as Chief Minister N Biren Singh defeated his nearest Congress rival P Saratchandra Singh in Heingang. The ruling BJP won 14 seats and Nitish Kumar's JD (U) bagged four constituencies, ECI data showed.

Congress and the National People's Party (NPP) won three and two seats, respectively. Two Independent candidates have also secured a victory. The BJP was leading in 28 seats, while the JD (U) was ahead in seven seats and the Congress in four. Meanwhile, Naga People's Front (NPF) was leading in five constituencies and the NPP in six seats. The Kuki People's Alliance was ahead in two seats, while independent candidates were leading in three constituencies.

Also Read | Key takeaways from Manipur Assembly election results 2022

Uttar Pradesh

In trends available for the 403 seats in the state, the ruling party BJP was ahead in 254 seats, short of its earlier count of 312 but comfortably over the halfway mark in polls that come a year after the devastating second Covid wave. This will be the first time in over three decades that a party will get re-elected for a second term in the state. The ruling party has till now won in 21 seats.

The Samajwadi Party, which made a vigorous bid for power with its leader Akhilesh Yadav attracting huge crowds at campaign rallies, was trailing with leads in 113 seats, a significant jump from the 47 last time.

Adding to the saffron partys tally, BJP ally Apna Dal (Soneylal) was ahead in 12 seats. The Congress was virtually wiped out of the chart with leads in only two seats, notwithstanding its leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra focusing her attention on the state. The BSP, which barely made a campaign splash, was leading in one seat.

Also Read | Faith and food in BJP's big UP win

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Congress leader Harish Rawat, who led the campaigns of their respective parties in the assembly polls, were trailing on their respective seats on Thursday.

The ruling BJP looked all set to secure a second consecutive term in office in Uttarakhand leading in 29 out of the total 70 seats, and having won in 18 seats according to the latest trends till 5 pm.

Congress and BSP were leading in 19 and two seats respectively, the EC data showed. Prominent candidates trailing in their respective seats included Congress veteran Harish Rawat, who was behind Mohan Singh Bisht of the BJP by 12048 votes in Lalkuan and Subodh Uniyal of the BJP, who was trailing behind Om Gopal Rawat of the Congress in Narendra Nagar by 231 votes.

Also Read | Uttarakhand Assembly Elections 2022: 5 key takeaways

Goa

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant won the election from his traditional Sanquelim Assembly constituency on Thursday and expressed confidence that the BJP will form government in the coastal state.

The BJP in the coastal state was ahead with leads in 20 of the 40 seats while its nearest rival Congress was at 11. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) was ahead in two seats. The Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were leading in one and two seats respectively, while independents were ahead in three seats.

Independent candidate Utpal Parrikar, the son of Goa's former chief minister Manohar Parrikar, lost to BJP's Atanasio Monserratte from the Panaji Assembly seat.

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The Aam Aadmi Party has made a clean sweep in Punjab, decimating the Congress to shreds. Meanwhile the BJP has secured its fortress UP for a second term, a first in years. Stay tuned!
The saffron wave swept four of the five states that went to the polls earlier this year, with the BJP bagging a massive victory in Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand, and securing a comfortable majority in the Uttar Pradesh elections, albeit smaller than its 2017 mandate. General elections remain a couple of years away but the results declared on March 10 will have far-reaching consequences for national politics.

UP, a precursor to Lok Sabha polls 2024

CM Yogi Adityanath will return to power in Uttar Pradesh with a comfortable majority, with the saffron party leading in over 250 seats (59 confirmed) according to the Election Commission. The resentment towards Yogi's government due to farmers' protest, the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and the havoc wreaked by the second wave of Covid-19 was reflected in the reduced tally of 250-odd seats from 2017's whopping mandate of 312.

Still a big victory, it is sure to encourage the BJP which seeks a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. UP polls are considered a precursor to national elections, as the state sends the most number of MPs to the Lok Sabha (80). After a clean sweep in the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP won in 62 of the 80 parliamentary constituencies, a show the party will hope to replicate in 2024.

Yogi Adityanath led the party's fiery campaign through the state, with humorous barbs and catchy tunes. Not just that, the chief minister is set to win his maiden Assembly election from Gorakhpur Urban. This victory will boost Adityanath's image and cement his position within the party.

Threat to the Opposition front

BJP's four-for-one victory in these polls threatens the Opposition front in the making to counter the saffron party at the Centre in 2024. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is a main player for the Opposition, for whom West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had campaigned ahead of the UP polls.

BJP strengthens hold over Northeast

The BJP alliance is in power in all north-eastern states except Mizoram and Sikkim. Even in these two states, ruling parties are part of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). With positive news for the BJP in Manipur, it will strengthen its hold over the northeastern region. BJP won a majority in the latest elections of Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura; it won close to a majority in Assam in both 2016 and 2021.

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The Congress has allied itself with five others, including Left parties, and contested the polls under the banner of Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance. It will be a fight between the alliance and BJP.

Track how the parties perform this time compared to the Assembly elections 2017 below:
U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday to address a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies.

Biden's 82nd executive order seeks a government oversight of digital assets that mandates the U.S. Federal Reserve to determine if the central bank can create its own digital currency, ABC News reported. It also urges a consolidated and coordinated policy for a regulatory mechanism to cover cryptocurrencies.

The executive order was reportedly planned for release in February, but Biden seemingly pushed it back due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Crypto Industry Leaders, Lawmakers, Regulators Welcome Biden Move

U.S. industry leaders viewed the Biden executive order as a regulatory opportunity after reports suggested that Russia had been using cryptocurrencies to avoid U.S. sanctions, Cointelegraph noted in a report. Biden apparently would not waste time in issuing the order because of this.

The order detailed risks of evading sanctions, assertions similarly voiced by U.S. National Economics Council director Brian Deese and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The order, they said, would strengthen U.S. leadership in the global financial system, while protecting the long-term efficacy of critical national security tools, such as sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering frameworks.

Read Also: ESL Bars Esports Organizations, Individuals with Ties to Russian Government From Competing in Pro League Events

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the order would push a "fairer, more inclusive, and more efficient financial system" while fighting "illicit finance and preventing risks to financial stability and national security."

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren emphasized that Biden was "right to spotlight crypto's risks", further saying that the U.S. government necessitated "strong rules before it was too late."

However, Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, a Bitcoin HODLer, said that while she totally agrees with Biden's desire to fight money laundering and protect American interests, the EO "misses the fact" that a majority of cryptocurrency users are "law-abiding and trying to make our financial system better." Lummis added that there must be "thoughtful rules around stablecoins." The lawmaker stressed that even if she is unconvinced on the need for a central bank digital currency, she continues to "follow the Federal Reserve's work in this area closely."

Biden Executive Order Takes 'Holistic, Informed' Approach to Crypto

A coalition of crypto firms, the Crypto Council for Innovation, views the EO as taking a "holistic and informed approach" to cryptocurrencies that would likely lead to regulatory transparency, accountable innovation, and a more inclusive financial system.

The CCI, which includes top crypto exchanges Coinbase and Gemini, indicated that it was looking forward to partner with lawmakers and regulators to enact smart policies that strengthen America's stature as the worldwide leader in crypto technology.

The crypto coalition stressed that "collaboration is crucial" in this regard.

For his part, the CEO of crypto payments firm Circle Jeremy Allaire said that the EO must be considered as the "single best opportunity to engage with policymakers" on cryptocurrency. He said the "proverbial doors of policymakers are wide open," making cryptocurrency a "national conversation in the U.S."

Related Article: Anonymous Summons Hackers Around the World to Target Russia and Keep Ukrainians Online
Riding on its promise of peace and development, BJP in Manipur for the first time hit its target of absolute majority by winning 32 out of 60 Assembly seats on Thursday and is all set to form the government for the second term.

The party this time set its target to win 40 seats to avoid a coalition government owing to the "tough time" it had with coalition partners, National People's Party (NPP) and Naga People's Front since 2017 when it wrested power from Congress.

The Opposition Congress, which mainly banked on the demand for repeal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) saw its poorest show in Manipur elections as the party's tally was reduced to just five, from 28 in 2017. Congress had emerged as the single largest party in 2017 and was in power for three-straight term before that. Former CM and veteran Congress leader, Okram Ibobi Singh and his son Surajkumar Okram were among the Congress winners.

Interestingly, three NDA allies, NPP, NPF and Nitish Kumar's Janta Dal (United), which contested elections seperately with AFSPA's repeal as their main poll plank won more seats than Congress. NPP increased its tally from four in 2017 to seven this time, while NPF bagged five seats, particularly in the Naga-dominated hill constituencies. NPF had won four seats in 2017. BJP is likely to retain NPF as a partner in the new government.

JD (U), which contested elections in Manipur after a long time and gave tickets to candidates rejected by both BJP and Congress, won in six seats, most of which were won by Congress in the past. NPP and JD (U) contested in 38 seats each and also made AFSPA their main poll plank.

N Biren Singh, 61, retained his Heingang seat, where he has not lost an election since he took to politics in 2002. Singh switched from Congress to BJP in 2016 mainly due to his differences with Ibobi Singh and became the CM next year. Biren, although has not been projected as the next CM, is likely to don the mantle for the second term. Singh called it a historic victory.

BJP strongly highlighted its achievements that they ended the problem of frequent blockades through talks since it came to power in 2017, fulfilled the long demand for Inner Line Permit (ILP) and took up major infrastructure development projects to improve connectivity and create jobs. During campaigning, the party leaders sought another term to end militancy and drug menace, two big problems.

Congress insiders blamed the "neglect" by high command, dissidence and exodus of at least 16 MLAs to BJP since 2017 as the main reasons for the debacle.

Political commentator, Prasenjit Biswas said division of votes among Congress, NPP and JD (U) helped BJP sway ahead. "AFSPA, no doubt, is a big issue in the state that remains alive, inspite of elections," Biswas, an associate professor with North East Hills University in Shillong told DH.

Kuki People's Alliance, new party formed by two former bureaucrats, a doctor and a lawyer belonging to Kuki community in the hills constituencies, won the two seats it contested, Saikul and Singhat. The party aimed political representation of the tribal community.

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The story of this edition of Assembly election is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)  the Arvind Kejriwal-led party that has spread its wing beyond Delhi for the first time with a result in Punjab that catapults its national ambitions to a new height.

After an attempt that fell way behind five years ago, the AAP has finally managed to convince people in Punjab to give them a chance to repeat what they did in the national capital.

For the AAP, the immediate benefit of the thumping victory in Punjab, which almost all exit polls predicted, will be shedding the Delhi party tag. The Punjab result will add more political heft to the nine-year-old party that had pushed Congress into political irrelevance in the national capital.

AAP has shown Congress that it is a formidable opponent outside Delhi too. Punjab will be its first full state to rule and AAP leaders believe this would give people in other states the confidence to look at their party in a different light and consider it as a party of governance.

Also read: It's acceptance of Kejriwal's governance model: AAP on Punjab trends

It will also raise AAPs stature in the Opposition ranks, which is now led by the Congress, and brings Kejriwal to a prominent seat at the Opposition table and at par with leaders like Mamata Banerjee and K Chandrasekhar Rao who are looking at a non-Congress Opposition platform to take on the BJP. It is also inching closer towards securing national party status, as it wins two seats in Goa and a better vote share in Uttarakhand.

As results poured in, AAP leaders have started making claims of Kejriwal as Prime Ministerial material and some even setting a ten year deadline for it to become a reality. With the Trinamool Congress faring badly in Goa, where it entered with big claims and poaching of Congress leaders, the stock of AAP has grown and it has a head start when it comes to national ambitions.

"In the coming days AAP will become a national force...the party will emerge as the national and natural replacement of Congress," AAPs Punjab in-charge and Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha said.

The result will also have a positive impact for AAP in states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, where polls are due, as well as states like Goa, Uttarakhand and Haryana. AAP has already made its mark in Surat municipal elections and Gujarat is on its radar for the past couple of years.

The victory will also bring out an interesting anomaly  Kejriwal will be chief minister of a half state while Bhagwant Mann will have more powers than his party chief in a state the party rules.

Punjab has been on AAP radar since its inception in 2013 and it started on a solid foot by winning four Lok Sabha seats in 2014. Three years later, it was the favourite on social media to win the state but ended up bagging just 20 seats with a vote share of 23.72%.

Track Punjab Assembly Election Result 2022 Live updates here!

Opposition had started to write off the AAP in Punjab with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as it managed to win just one seat. But by then Kejriwal had learnt from the mistakes they made in 2017 by giving an impression that he will be Punjab Chief Minister.

Punjab voters also did not fall to a campaign against Kejriwal that he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Khalistani supporters. In 2017, Kejriwal's certain moves on those lines had worked against him.

The first thing Kejriwal did during his 21 June, 2021 visit to Amritsar, the first to Punjab with an eye on election, was to declare that AAP would declare a Sikh as its chief ministerial candidate. Early this year, he announced Mann as the chief ministerial face though the comedian-turned-politician had played his card well to ensure the announcement. In his second visit on June 29, he made the second definite poll pitch  promise of free power up to 300 units.

Aided by party in-charge Raghav Chadha, the Delhi Chief Minister made a series of poll tours in Punjab in the run up to the election and managed to convince them that they would see a repeat of Delhi model of governance.

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As Sidhu would say on any happy occasion, it's a 'thoko taali' moment for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab as it stares at a clean sweep victory, its first-ever win outside the national capital. Known for his crowd-pulling one-liners, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu who was once backed regardless has now become an embarrassment for his party as he failed to save the day.

He also came behind Bikram Singh Majithia, who he had dared to go toe to toe with him in the polls.

However, accepting the voice of the people as the "voice of God", he congratulated AAP on Twitter.

The voice of the people is the voice of God . Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab . Congratulations to Aap !!!  Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) March 10, 2022

The constant defiance of the Congress high command which had finally led to the ousting Amarinder Singh from the party was not of much help; instead, a lack of a united face in the party could be one of the major reasons for its defeat in the northern state. On several occasions, Sidhu was seen attacking top candidate Charanjit Singh Channi, directly or indirecty, while he was keen on being named the CM face. Later, when Rahul Gandhi announced Channi as the chief ministerial candidate, the first Dalit chief minister of the state was seen touching Sidhu's feet for his blessings, triggering reactions from the Opposition parties who termed it as an 'exposure' of the party's culture.

Sidhu, who owes strong allegiance to the Gandhi family, was also seen targeting his own party over the appointment of officiating director general of police Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, who was the head of the special investigation team formed by the previous SAD-BJP government to probe incidents of sacrilege. He had even stepped down as the Punjab Congress chief questioning the appointments of the AG and the DGP. Later, Sidhu withdrew his resignation but with a precondition that he would resume the charge the day a new advocate general is appointed.

Even as the infighting in the Punjab Congress was evident, the party did not take any step to save itself from the embarrassment, at least there was no significant effort. Sitting MLA from Amritsar East, Sidhu, as well as SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, were trailing from Amritsar East seat. AAP candidate Jeevanjyot Kaur was leading her nearest rival Majithia by 590 votes.

Apart from this, nine-year-old AAP playing its cards right was also a reason for Congress' failure. On one hand, an eerie silence descended on Channi's residence, on the other comedian-turned-politician and AAP's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann, confident of a victory, did not fail to make the 'jalebis' in advance and is now seen celebrating with party workers in Sangrur.

Check out latest DH videos on Assembly elections 2022 here
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Bhagwant Mann, who on Thursday won the Dhuri seat with a margin of 58,206 votes, is set to become Punjab's next chief minister.

AAP is heading to a landslide win in the 117-member legislative Assembly by leading at over 90 seats.

In his first public address in his home town Sangrur after winning the seat and seeing the meteoric rise of the party, Mann promised to fix unemployment as his first task in office.

"No government office in the state will have the photo of the Punjab CM, but will carry a portrait of B R Ambedkar."

Mann said he will take oath as the Chief Minister in Bhagat Singh's ancestral village Khatkar Kalan and not in Raj Bhawan.

Follow live updates on Assembly Elections 2022 Results

"We will ensure that the youth do not have to go abroad... Within a month, you will observe changes," he added.

Taking a dig at the opposition leaders, he said, "The elder Badal has lost...Captain (Amarinder Singh) Sahab has also lost. Majithia is also losing. Channi has also lost from both seats."

The AAP is leading in 91 of 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) website at 1.10 p.m. The Congress was leading in 17 seats so far.

For the AAP that was banking on 'Hun ek mauka Kejriwal nu (now one chance to Kejriwal)' -- arguably one of the biggest advertisement blitz campaigns -- two-time MP, Mann, took the lead as the chief minister's face.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the AAP had made inroads among Jat Sikhs by emerging as the second largest party with 20 seats, 18 of them in the Malwa region. However, it failed to make a mark in Majha and Doaba regions.

Mann held his fort despite Modi wave across the country in 2019 by retaining the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat for the second time in a row.

"The fight is not to save some political families but to save Punjab, the farmers, the agriculture, the industry and the youth. Owing to lack of employment and better education infrastructure, our youth is moving abroad," was the common talk of Mann in his folksy style in his elections campaigns.

Formerly a popular comedian-actor, Mann, known for his trademark 'basanti' turban, a colour associated with Shaheed Bhagat Singh, has had his fair share of controversies in recent years, especially linked to his drinking habit.

In these polls, AAP's vote share is estimated to be close to 42.45 per cent compared to 22.9 per cent of the Congress and 17.9 per cent of the SAD.

The meteoric rise of AAP in the 2014 Parliamentary polls and then in the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab followed by its nosedive owing to 'mass exodus' of its legislators proved a litmus test for the party in the 2022 Assembly polls in the state.

Political observers say AAP was seen as the alternative to the traditional parties that had dominated Punjab's electoral space for decades.

Learning a harsh lesson from its mistake during the 2017 Assembly polls of not declaring a chief ministerial candidate, this time AAP's CM face Bhagwant Mann was locked in a multi-cornered contest with Congress' 'Aam Aadmi' Charanjit Singh Channi, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Badal, Capt Amarinder Singh, whose new party Punjab Lok Congress is in alliance with the BJP and the Samyukt Samaj Morcha, the fledgling coalition of farm unions.

Channi, Sukhbir Badal and Captain Amarinder Singh faced humiliating defeat from their respective seats.

In 2017, AAP sought vote in the name of Arvind Kejriwal, and despite him being tagged an outsider, it managed to win 20 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, emerging as the principal opposition party, pushing SAD to the number three position.

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"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold," Yeats could have said this about Punjab's politics. As the fulcrums of power, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress, both more than century-old parties, fell by the wayside, the country actually wants to understand - what did the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) do to score such a landslide win?

Well, it was there, and that was all it had to do.

The rest of the work was done by its competitors, who were not found wanting in working hard and wholeheartedly for their own defeat and for the AAP's victory that left the SAD and the Congress decimated to an extent where an eventual two-party system in the country could mean the BJP versus the AAP.

For the entire duration of the Kisan Andolan that had kept politics paralysed for more than a year in Punjab, politicians did the bidding of farm union leaders, afraid that any decision by them to jump headlong into the electoral arena would squeeze the traditional parties out.

And then, Modi's capitulation on the farm bills was followed by a complete mess from the farm union leaders. Within days, the massive gains of the Andolan were frittered away, its leaders unity fell victim to their egos and hardcore stances, and soon, any remnants of the Andolan adamant on fighting elections were pushed to the margins.

But the Andolan had stoked massive anger as well as consciousness about politics. Punjab was asking tough questions of politicians. From the random heckler at a street-corner election meeting to a farm economist raising complex questions in simple language, Punjab was in search of an alternative with a vengeance.

It wanted change. Punjabis translated it as badlaav. And no one who looked and acted the same as they did for decades, could be that change.

Also Read: What turned fortunes for the AAP in Punjab?

Between the Congress government, first led by Amarinder Singh and later, for a little over 100 days, by Charanjit Singh Channi, and the principal Opposition party the SAD, led by Badal father and son duo, they had earned enough public opprobrium over the years as being the same side of the same coin but never felt the need to address the issue.

Amidst all this, Arvind Kejriwal and his Sancho Panza Bhagwant Singh Mann emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of a wave of anger consuming the people. While the rest of India saw the robust year-long Andolan merely as a resistance movement against three farm laws, in Punjab it had played out as a rejection of the way politics had been done by traditional parties for decades.

Both the Congress and the Akali Dal were seen as parties that thrived in their close connections with big business. Nearly all major business sectors, including real estate, liquor, sugar, sand, transport, cable, education and health, came to be suffixed with a word from the Queen's language that even the most illiterate of the Punjabis could understand and pronounce perfectly to the satisfaction of Professor Henry Higgins - 'mafia'. And politicians of one hue or the other were part of all these businesses.

The AAP was successful in spinning it into a people versus mafia narrative.

The SAD had borne the brunt of people's anger on the issue of sacrilege of holy Sikh scriptures in 2017, but neither the Badals nor the beneficiary of that anger, the Congress, could address the highly surcharged issue in the last five years.

In the past few years, a number of issues emerged in Punjab that found resonance with the Sikh community. In fact, the agitational phase of politics in Punjab saw both the Left liberal stream and the Sikh radical stream working together as well as clashing with each other. At times, the debate got very robust too though much of the national media either skipped it or simply did not pay attention.

Kejriwal's AAP had suffered in 2017 because he was doing the tango with some questionable radical Sikh elements. This time, he took a leaf from the BJP's playbook and directly appealed to the hardcore BJP voter as well as the middle class urban and rural Hindu population, talking of national security, carrying out tiranga yatras and peace marches in Punjab.

And he was promising the Delhi model of governance - to the utter exclusion of any politics. Free units of power, hard cash to women, sundry stuff to different demographics, plus the promise that you will not have to pay bribes at government offices. As posters of Kejriwal's guarantees, shorn of politics and easily quantifiable, splashed the countryside in Punjab, it also set a grammar of politics for others.

Only the ownership of the Sikh/peasantry constituency could have been claimed by the SAD, but it decided not to do politics on its traditional turf of federalism, Centre-Punjab relations or the larger questions of peasantry. The Congress, too, followed suit.

No more was there any talk about any conflict with the Centre. No questions were raised about why the Centre was denuding the states of powers through instruments like the National Investigation Agency or Dam Safety Act or sundry other laws or how Punjab is a major stakeholder in South Asia peace or conflict and must be consulted when it comes to Indo-Pak ties. Neither party wanted to indulge in serious talk about land reforms in Punjab, a hot-button issue that could have galvanised the entire Dalit spectrum, largely landless, because parties are led by land-owning honchos whose politics is often defined by the interests of upper caste peasantry or middle-, upper-class business sections.

Instead, the Akalis and the Congress decided to match free units of electricity, threw in collateral-free student loans and health insurance covers and claimed as their USP their intent to implement what they were promising. This was exactly the turf that Kejriwal could claim ownership of. "We have done it in Delhi. We will do it here," he told Punjabis.

Also Read: 'Oh guru!' Sidhu's semantics cost Congress its pride in Punjab

The intra-Congress power theatre played out to its utter disadvantage as Navjot Singh Sidhu proved he could keep the audience glued to the edge of their seats with his latest one-liners but never recognised that subtle difference between the show world and hard politics.

When the anti-farm bills agitation stoked the latent hatred of politicians, mainstream parties of all hues, except the BJP, rushed to climb on to the farmers' bandwagon, but by then, they had been seen as poseurs. What India has heard repeatedly in its political journey as Mera Neta Chor Hai translated in Punjab as both the Akalis and the Congress being one and the same thing.

The fact that a raid on miracle CM Charanjit Singh Channi's kin, howsoever politically-motivated, yielded Rs 10 crore of hard cash, hardly helped cement the first Dalit chief minister's probity credentials, particularly when Kejriwal had made imaandari a buzzword in his narrative.

For years, the Akali Dal kept alive the issue of federalism and Punjab's legacy wishlist of control over river waters and Punjabi-speaking areas and the Congress would work hard to keep up, often proving that it was one up on the Akali Dal in guarding the state's interests. The 2022 election was unique: It was depoliticised to the core and both the Congress and the SAD will live to regret it.

Meanwhile, the key issues that Punjab faces continue to stare it in the face. Peasantry continues to be in a crisis, unemployment remains rampant, law and order remain an issue, the state of Dalit and landless labourer remains pitiable, and an ecological crisis is threatening civilisational decimation.

Better governance promised by the AAP could possibly provide some relief in the education and health sectors but how will the AAP live up to its promise of punishing those who looted Punjab for decades when many of its MLAs have actually come from the same traditional parties, including the richest one. If even during a highly charged political campaign, not one contestant makes a single reference to the issue of electoral bonds, then you can safely assume that the politics will revolve merely around Kejriwal's guarantees.

The Kejriwal model of governance will have no element of Punjabiyat, a concept outside the remit of this piece, but his model for Punjab seems to be cast in the Modi mould: Link party and government, ensure service delivery to citizens, keep the free power unit supply line running, ensure teachers are in schools and do not let go of the narrative of nationalism.

Let me quote from Arvind Kejriwal's speech immediately after the election results: "Nothing was done earlier. We have wasted 75 years. Let us start building now. Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Vande Matram!"

It could as well have been Narendra Modi's first speech in 2014.

Has Punjab elected a BJP-Lite government? Only time will tell, or the next wave of agitational politics. Even after such a stupendous victory for the AAP, Punjab is rife with the signs.

(SP Singh is a Chandigarh-based senior journalist who has covered Punjab politics for more than two decades.)

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Riding high on its plank of nationalism, Hindutva and a perceived improvement in the law and order, BJP registered a massive win in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls bagging 272 seats in a house of 403 with its alliance partners Apna Dal and Nishad Party and scripted history by becoming the first party to win a second term in the state after 35 years.

The Samajwadi Party (SP), BJP's main challenger, managed to win 127 seats with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), its alliance partner.

BSP and Congress were completely decimated in the polls, which turned out to be a bipolar contest between the BJP and SP, and recorded their lowest numbers in the polls winning one and two seats respectively.

Also Read | UP re-elects ruling govt for the first time in 3 decades

Addressing party workers later chief minister Yogi Adityanath credited his party's resounding win to "nationalism, faith, welfare schemes for the poor, law and order" and 'development' and the leadership of prime minister Narendra Modi. "The victory is the result of our hard work during the Coronavirus pandemic, dynamic leadership of Modiji, schemes for the poor, nationalism and faith," he remarked.

Adityanath, with this win, broke the 'Noida jinx'. Adityanath, who was in the fray from Gorakhpur City seat, defeated his nearest SP rival by over 50,000 seats.

While a majority of the ministers of the Adityanath cabinet retained their seats, a few, including Education Minister Satish Chandra Dwivedi and Minister for Cane Suresh Rana, were defeated by their rivals. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who had contested from Sirathu seat, was trailing his nearest SP rival. UP minister Neelkanth Tiwari, who was in the fray from Varanasi South seat, where the Kashi Vishwanath Temple was situated, lost to his SP rival Kishen Dixit. Varanasi was the Lok Sabha constituency of Modi.

Also Read | UP Elections 2022: Adityanath busts 'Noida jinx' after three decades

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was in the fray from Karhal seat, defeated his nearest BJP rival and union minister S.P.Singh Baghel by over 55 thousand votes. Akhilesh's alliance partner Om Prakash Rajbhar, the president of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), won from Zahoorabad seat in Ghazipur district.

Former UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, who had resigned from the BJP days before the polls and joined the SP, lost from Fazil Nagar seat by a margin of over 25,000 votes. Another former minister Dharam Singh Saini, who too had resigned with Maurya, was also defeated.

Congress suffered a major setback in the polls with recording its lowest tally in the state's electoral history. The grand old party, which contested all the 403 seats, could win only two seats and was wiped out even its bastions of Raebareli and Amethi. UP Congress president Ajai Kumar Lallu also lost from Tamkuhi Raj constituency.

BSP was also decimated in the polls and recorded its lowest tally in the state. The party, which had gone solo in the polls, could win only one seat. It could not win any of the reserved seats in the polls.

An analysis of the results showed that the BJP, contrary to the perceptions in the wake of the farmers' agitation, won 51 of the 76 seats in the 'Jat' dominated western region. The saffron party also swept the Bundelkhand region winning 17 of the 19 seats. Its performance in the central UP region was also impressive as it won 82 of the 114 seats in the region. In Poorvanchal (Eastern) region also the BJP managed to win 87 of the 142 seats.

The saffron party also swept its strongholds of Agra, Mathura, Ghaziabad, Noida, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Ayodhya districts. Although the BJP, which had won 325 seats in the 2017 assembly polls in the state, saw its tally coming by around 50 seats, its vote percentage registered an increase of around three per cent. In the 2017 polls, BJP had secured a little over 39 per cent votes. In this election, it rose to over 42 per cent.

The saffron party scripted history by becoming the only party to win a second consecutive term after 1986 as the state had witnessed coalition governments until 2007. BSP ruled the state between 2007-2012 while SP formed the government after the 2012 polls. BJP had won a massive mandate in 2017.

Ecstatic BJP workers, bathed in colours of different kinds, danced to the beating of the drums as they made their way to the BJP headquarters here to celebrate the victory and listen to the speeches by the senior leaders.

Many BJP workers reached the party office in bulldozers (JCB), which had become a symbol for both Adityanath and SP president Akhilesh Yadav in the elections. Akhilesh had dubbed Adityanath as 'Bulldozer Baba' after the demolition of the buildings owned by alleged mafia elements in the state.

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Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) conspicuous absence from the campaign trail in the electorally charged Uttar Pradesh will extend to the legislative Assembly, as early numbers paint a grim picture for the Mayawati-led party.

BSP has put up a dismal show, with early trends from the Election Commission showing its lead in barely three seats, even fewer than its poor 2017 show.

As per ECI trends at 1 pm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the government in the state for a second consecutive term, something not seen in Uttar Pradesh since 1985, with leads in over 260 seats. In the 403-seat Assembly, the party needs a minimum of 202 elected members to form the government.

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Similar is the plight of Congress, already facing disappointment in its stronghold Punjab, which is ahead in only two seats.

The influence of BSP has waned in the state over the past decade as the number of seats fell, even as Mayawati's draw among the Dalits, her core votebank, remained strong.

In 2017, the party won 19 seats, finishing behind Samajwadi Party with 47 seats, stunned by BJP's landslide victory with a whopping 312 seats. This was a steep fall from the 80 seats BSP had secured in 2012.

Mayawati has been on the sidelines all throughout the election season and had virtually no interaction with voters, even though she reportedly held meetings with party workers and leaders.

Her chief rivals interpreted her silence as an acceptance of defeat, while others suspected an understanding between her and the BJP, which she dismissed as rumours later. Almost all the senior BSP leaders, including many from the Dalit communities, either deserted the party or were expelled on one ground or the other.

Also read: Why the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls are significant

This confused the Dalits, especially the Jatavs, who have been her traditional voters. The opportunist Samajwadi Party, which has put up an impressive show this year with leads in over 110 seats so far, swooped in to woo these voters and also fielded many Jatav leaders from key seats.

As the UP poll battle had emerged as a contest mainly between incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in the final phases of the polls, BSP's poll eulogy is not surprising. But the numbers hint at the end of the party's clout in the state.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has just re-written the entire formulae of caste mobilisation in Uttar Pradesh that has implications for the 2024 national elections. The state that gives the BJP its core seats has voted handsomely for the ruling party even though the Samajwadi Party (SP)-led front has dramatically improved its vote share. But the opposition has not been able to breach the walls necessary to defeat the ruling party. The BJP has made both faith and the delivery of food, through free rations, work for it. The electorate has endorsed both the national leadership of the BJP and its state leadership.

There are three big conclusions we must draw from the election results in Uttar Pradesh.

Also Read | Congress drowns in saffron wave as BJP, AAP near finish line

First, the distribution of rations across the state was a lifeline both for some citizens and the ruling party in a year of a terrible economic downturn and palpable distress in rural areas. In an impoverished state, the ruling party has indeed created a constituency of labharthi (beneficiaries) among the very poor sections of society. In the face of very visible and energetic campaigns by powerful peasant communities such as Jats and Yadavs for the SP-led front, this is also the story of quiet decision-making by the so-called silent voter who does not reveal their preference for fear of repercussions by either side.

Second, linked to this must be an examination of whether the dominant Jatav Dalit voter of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) shifted to the BJP as they saw the party led by Mayawati as having little chance at government formation. Dalits make up 21 per cent of the state voters, and 54 per cent of them are Jatavs. If this has indeed happened, this would be a tectonic shift in national politics and mark the beginning of the end of the subaltern movement led by the late Kanshi Ram and Mayawati that certainly empowered the most discriminated section of society historically in Uttar Pradesh.

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A more detailed examination of the vote shares is required, but the trends suggest that this could have happened. For, the core BSP voters would also be the core labharthi voter. The BJP had already over the last few decades won over the upper caste voters and large sections of the OBCs; it had breached non-Jatav Dalit voters as seen in the 2014 and 2019 national elections and the 2017 state poll, but now the national party could have made inroads into the most influential bloc among Dalits. This would be big for the BJP, but again we need to do a detailed post-poll analysis.

Third, the core Hindutva ideology of the BJP has also worked, albeit silently, since there was no communal disruption in the course of the long campaign and seven-phase voting. But in seats with large Muslim populations, the BJP has managed to prevail, which suggests there was a counter mobilisation. Again, this could be a marker of the fact that the core Hindutva constituency of the BJP has also gone up in actual numbers. As we head to 2024, the BJP will not just complete the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, but well-placed sources say they are also likely to invest in agitation over Krishnajanmabhoomi in Mathura in West Uttar Pradesh, actually just a two-hour drive from the national capital, Delhi.

Also Read | The Congress tragedy in BJP's near sweep

The BJP state leadership, therefore, possibly knew what it was doing when it stated that the election was between 80 per cent and 20 per cent. Although this was not overtly a Hindu-Muslim election, one must conclude that a certain sentiment is now acceptable and entrenched among voters in Uttar Pradesh.

Beyond the nation's most populous state, the extraordinary show by the BJP in Manipur and a respectable win in Uttarakhand also auger well for the national party. For in the end, after a year of economic downturn and joblessness, the party has done phenomenally well in this round of elections. It also shows that the leadership of the BJP also still enjoys great credibility among the voting masses, even as the other national party, the Congress, seems to have opened another chapter of their collapse.

We must also, in the future, understand the economic model that has apparently worked for the BJP. Investment in big infrastructure projects and lots of ration outreach seems to have been enough to overcome the challenge presented by the overall dismal economic indicators in what was, anyway, one of the nation's poorest states.

(Saba Naqvi is a journalist and author)

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It is quite an alphabetical victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh.

From 'Y, R, L to M and Y', the BJP has used these issues to break all jinx and ride back to power with a more than comfortable majority for a second consecutive term.

Y, R and L, party sources claim, are the three factors that have unleashed a pro-incumbency wave in the state in favour of the BJP.

"'Y' stands for Yogi Adityanath. He has acquired a cult status and is widely respected as a strict administrator and a compassionate leader. His popularity has been growing by the day and the crowds at his meetings clearly indicated that he was miles ahead of others staking a claim to the Chief Minister's position," said a party functionary even as the BJP office burst into celebrations.

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The source said the letter 'R' stands for ration kits that were distributed free among the poor. The ration kits connected the BJP to the people and even created a new vote bank of beneficiaries that cut across caste and religion.

'L' on the other hand stood for law and order. The Yogi government's crackdown on the mafia and criminals created a sense of security among the people and this feeling overrode the incidents like the one in Hathras.

Apart from 'Y, R, L', the BJP also dismantled the earlier meaning of M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) and replaced it with Modi-Yogi.

Narendra Modi's charisma and Yogi Adityanath's popularity formed a winning combination and helped the BJP overcome all speedbreakers in its ride back to power.

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Yogi Adityanath, in his maiden state election, is set to conquer Gorakhpur and win BJP a second consecutive term in the state. The Samajwadi Party put up an impressive show with leads in over 130 seats. The polls are a litmus test for the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where PM Narendra Modi will seek a third term. Stay tuned for updates.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) recently saw a glimpse of Earth's distant future.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) recently discovered potential signs of a rocky exoplanet orbiting a white dwarf star called WD 1054-226, per Space.com.

The white dwarf star and the exoplanet orbiting it is located 117 light-years away from Earth, in the Crater constellation, according to News 9 Live's article.

What did TESS see?

NASA's TESS saw planetary debris and objects the size of moons within WD 1054-226's habitable zone, possible hints that a rocky exoplanet the size of Earth could be 1.6 million miles from WD 1054-226, a distance that is in the white dwarf star's habitable zone.

The habitable zone, also known as the "Goldilocks Zone," is usually defined as where liquid water may exist on the surface of a rocky planet.

Read Also: Uber Eats Announces Group Ordering Features: Bill Splitting, Auto-Reminders, and More!

Researchers also noticed "pronounced dips in light," or times when a star's light gradually waxes and wanes for a significant amount of time. They did so using the ESO's 3.5-meter New Technology Telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile.

WD1054-226's dips in light match with 65 "evenly spaced" planetary debris clouds that go around the star every 25 hours, scientists noted. As such, the regular distribution of space debris suggests that an Earth-sized terrestrial planet might be keeping everything in place.

Only one other planet was discovered to be orbiting a white dwarf. However, that planet was found to be a gas giant, a planet similar to our solar system's Jupiter, and nowhere near the white dwarf star's habitable zone.

A white dwarf star is the final stage of stars eight times as massive as our solar system's Sun after they become a red giant. The transformation from a star to a white dwarf happens when a star runs out of hydrogen to fuel itself. Scientists predict that the Sun will undego this transformation in about five billion years.

What This Means for Science

Researchers were surprised with their findings initially. Astrophysicist Jay Farihi of the University College London said that the possibility of a major planet in the habitable zone is "exciting and also unexpected; we were not looking for this," according to the Royal Astronomical Society's website.

Should researchers be right, the discovery of the exoplanet would be a breakthrough for white dwarf science.

However, Professor Farihi cautioned about the necessary procedures to confirm the presence of the exoplanet as it can't be directly observed on Earth.

"We cannot observe the planet directly, so confirmation may come by comparing computer models with further observations of the star and orbiting debris," Professor Farihi said.

Professor Farihi is the Lead author of the study that discovered the hints of a rocky exoplanet around WD 1054-226, which is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Related Article: NASA's Perseverance Rover Successfully Collects its 7th Sample
Huge, frenzied crowds causing a near stampede at his election rallies across Uttar Pradesh had led many to believe that Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav was poised to give the BJP a run for its money, if not beat the saffron party with his alliance partners Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) in the Assembly polls.

Although Akhilesh managed to increase his party's tally of seats to 115 from 47 in 2017 and also better its vote share from 21 per cent to 34 per cent, he failed to dislodge the BJP from power, confounding political pundits.

While Akhilesh might be credited with taking on the BJP singlehandedly in the absence of his father and SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, his failure to lead his party to victory could be attributed to a variety of factors, including poor selection of candidates in the Jat-dominated western UP region, personal attacks on Yogi Adityanath, reposing too much faith in his alliance partners and 'Jinnah' and 'Pakistan' remarks in his rallies, which provided the BJP an opportunity to corner him and brand him 'anti-Hindu'.

Also Read | Akhilesh Yadav: Fought hard but failed to send Adityanath 'back to Gorakhpur'

An analysis of the results revealed that the SP-led alliance failed to click in western UP region despite there being a sense of resentment among the Jats as well as in the Yadav land in the central UP districts of Etawah, Mainpuri, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat and Firozabad.

"Too much reliance on the Jats resulted in many other communities like Sainis and Gujjars opting for the BJP in the western region.....fielding Muslim candidates from the seats where Jats outnumbered the Muslims also led many Jats to support the BJP," said Gurubachan Singh, a Baghpat-based scribe, who also hails from the Jat community.

Singh also said that contrary to the claims of Jat-Muslim unity by the SP alliance, it was observed during polling that many Jats, especially the elders, did not want to go with the Muslims. "The wounds of 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots were still fresh in their minds," Singh told DH from Baghpat.

Besides, Akhilesh's reference to Mohammad Ali Jinnah' and Pakistan at his election rallies gave the BJP an opportunity to polarise the polls along communal lines in western UP.

Akhilesh's attempts to weave a non-Yadav OBC combination to oust the BJP also did not bear fruit as the SBSP, a predominantly Rajbhar outfit, and Apna Dal (K) failed to bring the votes of their communities to the kitty of the alliance. SBSP president Om Prakash Rajbhar won his seat but a majority of his party's candidates lost. Similarly AD (K) president Krishna Patel also lost the election.

Compounding the woes of Akhilesh, neither former UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini  who had resigned from the BJP and joined his party days before the polls  could help the SP president as both lost from their respective seats.

Akhilesh may however draw solace from the fact that he has emerged as the only challenge to the BJP in India's biggest state as the two other players  Congress and BSP  have been rendered irrelevant in the state's electoral scenario. "Akhilesh can build on this opportunity and may emerge as a challenger to the BJP in 2024," said a Lucknow-based political observer.

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As the trend showed the saffron party leading in four states, the BJP claimed that voters have hugely responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to reject dynasty politics.

BJP Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe tweeted, "While the final tallies are yet to come, voters have hugely responded to PM @narendramodi Ji's appeal and REJECTED most Dynasty Based parties!SP in UP, Cong is Goa, Manipur, UK & Punjab, Akali in Punjab and TMC in Goa, facing huge defeat! Lessons for Shiv Sena and NCP if they learn."

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BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh tweeted, "BJP winning in UP: Declining democratic values, Dismantling of republic etc. AAP winning in Punjab: promise of alternative governance, New hope rising etc. Kuch log sudharenge nahin (some people will not mend themselves)."

Taking a dig at caste politics, Union minister of state and BJP election co-incharge Arjun Ram Meghwal tweeted, "Casteism lost, nationalism won."

BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi said that 'double engine governments are winning across India'.

"Double Engine Governments are winning across India under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi. It is very evident that Voters have more faith in the 'development politics' of BJP than the 'appeasement politics' of the Opposition," Ravi tweeted.

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The over a year long farmers' agitation against the now scrapped farm laws and the perceived anger among the electorally influential 'Jat' community had led many political pundits to believe that the BJP could suffer a serious dent in the UP polls, especially in the western region but the results indicated otherwise.

The saffron party not only managed to win 51 of the 76 seats in the 'Jat' dominated districts but it swept Mathura, Agra besides scoring impressive wins in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and in the strongholds of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a predominantly Jat outfit led by Jayant Chaudhary.

Also Read: BJP scripts history with resounding victory in UP

BJP also won all the eight seats in Lakhimpur Kheri district, where four farmers were mowed down by a vehicle allegedly being driven by Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajai Kumar Mishra, during a protest demonstration by the farmers in October last year.

BJP candidates registered wins in Khatauli, the native village of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders Rakesh Tikait and Naresh Tikait, who had publicly opposed the saffron party and extended support to the RLD. The saffron party also won Baghpat seat, a traditional stronghold of the RLD, dominated by the Jat community.

State BJP leaders here attributed the victory in the region to the withdrawal of the farm laws and the massive outreach exercise launched by the saffron party to placate the Jat community members through its own leaders hailing from the community. ''The withdrawal of the farm laws sent a positive message to the farmers. Amit Shahji also held meetings with Jat leaders to persuade them to support the party,'' said a senior UP BJP leader while speaking to DH here.

Also Read: Hindutva, Modi magic, Yogi's 'bulldozer': What worked for BJP in UP?

Union Minister Sanjiv Baliyan, who also hailed from the 'Jat' community, had visited the BKU President Naresh Tikait and closeted with him for over an hour at the latter's residence at Sisouli in Muzaffarnagar district on Monday.

A BKU leader said that the 'Jat' vote was divided and the elders in the community appeared to have opted for the BJP while the youngsters supported the RLD.

In Lakhimpur Kheri, the leader said, the party's decision not to sack Ajai Mishra did the trick. ''We knew all along that only a handful of people, who were not farmers, were against us and the common people were with us,'' the leader added.

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An air strike on a children's hospital in Ukraine's Mariupol triggered a row as the fighting between Russia and Ukraine continued on. The United States has moved to missile batteries to Poland to protect US and NATO allies in the region, but conclusively rejected a 'high risk' Polish jet transfer to Ukraine. The IAEA says it has lost contact with monitoring equipment at Zaporizhzhia NPP, shortly after concerns over radiation leaks were raised at Chernobyl. Stay tuned on DH for more updates.
At least 35,000 civilians were evacuated from besieged Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

In a video address late Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader said three humanitarian corridors had allowed residents to leave the cities of Sumy, Enerhodar and areas around Kyiv.

He said he hoped the evacuations would continue on Thursday with three more routes set to open out of the cities of Mariupol, Volnovakha in the southeast and Izium in eastern Ukraine.

The evacuations came after Moscow and Kyiv agreed on Wednesday to open more corridors, offering a glimmer of hope for terrified civilians trapped in bombarded cities.

Also Read | US warns Russia may use biological weapons in Ukraine

More than 5,000 people were evacuated a day earlier from Sumy, a city of 250,000 that lies close to the Russian border and has been the scene of heavy fighting.

But attempted evacuations from the port town of Mariupol, which has been besieged by Russia for days, have failed on several occasions, with both Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other.

On Wednesday, a Russian strike destroyed a children's hospital in the city, triggering renewed global outrage two weeks into Moscow's invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour.

Mariupol's mayor said more than 1,200 civilians have been killed in the siege, which has lasted more than a week.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has estimated the total number of refugees at 2.1 to 2.2 million.

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The Islamic State jihadist group confirmed the death of its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi in a statement Thursday and named Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as his replacement.

IS jihadists have "pledged allegiance" to "Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as an emir over believers and the caliph of Muslims," the group's spokesperson said in an audio recording.

The recording confirmed the death of the former IS chief along with the group's ex-spokesman.

"Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi and the official Islamic State group spokesman... Abu Hamza al-Qurashi...were killed in recent days," the new spokesperson said.

The former leader blew himself up in early February during a US raid in northwest Syria, according to Washington, in an area controlled by rival jihadists.

Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, who led IS from 2019, was an ethnic Turkmen from the Iraqi city of Tal Afar. He replaced IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in a US raid in October that year.

Little is known about the new leader, who will serve as the group's third chief since it's inception.

He rises to the helm at a time when the group has been weakened by US-backed operations in Iraq and Syria aiming to thwart a jihadist resurgence.

IS' self-declared caliphate, established from 2014, once stretched across vast parts of Syria and Iraq and administered millions of inhabitants.

A long and deadly military fightback led by Kurdish-Syrian and Iraqi forces with backing from the United States and other powers eventually defeated the jihadist proto-state in March 2019.

The remnants of IS in Syria mostly went to their desert hideouts from which they continue to harass Kurdish-led forces and Syrian government troops.

A UN report last year estimated that around 10,000 IS fighters remained active across Iraq and Syria.

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The police in Pakistan's national capital conducted a raid at the North Korean embassy earlier this week over inputs about the presence of a large amount of liquor in its premises, prompting the diplomatic mission to lodge a strong protest over what it called the violation of the Vienna Convention.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Thursday apologised for the police raid on the diplomatic mission, terming the incident as a "misunderstanding".

"We have apologised (to the North Korean mission)," Rashid said, adding that the incident happened out of misunderstanding.".

His remarks came hours after reports surfaced that the North Korean embassy wrote a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying the Islamabad Police violated the Vienna Convention.

A report published in The News daily said that the embassy had stated in a letter to the Foreign Office and Islamabad's police chief that police entered the mission's premises from the backdoor at approximately 5 pm (local time) on March 7 and harassed its workers.

The paper reported that the embassy in the letter said that the staff reminded the police that the embassy was exercising the inviolable sovereign territory of North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and asked them to immediately stop this brutal, the letter read.

However, the letter claimed that the policemen searched the storeroom in the backyard on the pretense of looking for something and threatened the mission staff with guns who tried to stop them.

The letter also stated that the policemen damaged the embassy's property.

In response, the Foreign Office spokesperson said the Islamabad Police had been informed that they did not have the authority to enter the embassy premises without permission.

"They have also been informed that they cannot perform such a raid next time without having clearance from the Foreign Office," the spokesperson said.

The Islamabad Police admitted that officers had entered the North Korean embassy and apologised for the violation of convention, according to the paper.

According to an Islamabad Police spokesperson, the law enforcement personnel who broke the law will face serious punishment.

"We apologise for entering the embassy," the spokesperson said.

He added that the Shalimar Police had raided the North Korean Embassy after receiving reports of the presence of a large amount of liquor in the premises.

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The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Turkey for face-to-face talks set for Thursday morning, officials said, in the first high-level contact between the two sides since Moscow invaded its ex-Soviet neighbour.

Officials from Kyiv and Moscow have held several rounds of discussions in Belarus, but the meeting in the southern city of Antalya represents the first time Russia has sent a minister for talks on the crisis.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had landed in Antalya for talks "on Russia ceasing its hostilities and ending its war against Ukraine," foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko tweeted Wednesday evening.

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His Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov has also arrived for the talks, a Turkish official told AFP.

Dialogue between Kyiv and Moscow has so far yielded several local ceasefires and humanitarian corridors to evacuate residents, but Russia has been accused of breaching those agreements.

Kuleba confirmed in a Facebook video that he would travel to Turkey for the talks but said his expectations were "limited", as Russia continues its brutal bombing campaign and siege of major cities.

He said the success of the talks would depend on "what instructions and directives Lavrov is under" from the Kremlin.

"I am not pinning any great hopes on them, but we will try and get the most out of" the talks with effective preparation, he said.

The sit-down comes as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pushed for Ankara to play a mediation role.

"We are working to stop this crisis from transforming into a tragedy," Erdogan said Wednesday.

"I hope the meeting between the ministers will open the way to a permanent ceasefire."

The Russian and Ukrainian ministers will be joined at Thursday's meeting by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, with NATO member Turkey keen to maintain strong relations with both sides despite the conflict.

It is the first trip abroad for Lavrov since Russia was isolated by the Western world with biting sanctions that have also targeted President Vladimir Putin's long-serving top diplomat.

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Threatening a pre-emptive strike, swiftly responding to missile tests, and telling "rude boy" leader Kim Jong Un to behave: South Korea's next president looks set to get tough on the nuclear-armed North, analysts say.

For the last five years Seoul has pursued a policy of engagement with Pyongyang, brokering high-level summits between Kim and then-US president Donald Trump while reducing joint US military drills the North sees as provocative.

For president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol  who won a close election by a razor-thin margin Thursday  this "subservient" approach has been a manifest failure.

Also Read | North Korea to launch satellites to monitor US and its allies

The outgoing administration of President Moon Jae-in "volunteered to play middleman between the US and North Korea but was dumped by both in the end," Yoon said in a pre-election Facebook post.

Since the start of the year, Pyongyang has conducted a record-breaking nine weapons tests, including of banned hypersonic and medium range ballistic missiles.

After the North test-fired what it claimed was a reconnaissance satellite component Saturday  Seoul said it was a disguised ballistic missile  Yoon, 61, said the youthful Kim needed to be taken in hand.

"If you give me a chance, I will teach him some manners," he said.

On the campaign trail, he said Kim was a "rude boy", and promised that once he was in power, he would make the North Korean leader "snap out of it".

The former prosecutor has threatened a pre-emptive strike on the North "if necessary"  something analysts say is wildly unrealistic and dangerous.

Even so, Yoon vowed Thursday to "sternly deal with the North's illegal and irrational acts," in his first comments as president-elect.

"Under Yoon, we'll probably see efforts to reset inter-Korean relations," Soo Kim of the RAND Corporation told AFP.

Instead of dialogue and engagement, she said, Yoon will take a harder line, having already called for more joint drills with the US.

"It's a departure from the Moon administration's prioritisation of inter-Korean engagement, to say the least," she added.

The "one-way love" displayed under Moon will come to an end, said Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha Womans University.

"Yoon will certainly want to put the issue of denuclearisation in the agenda," said Park, in contrast to the more piecemeal diplomacy pursued by his liberal predecessor.

"It's highly likely that North Korea will say no."

Yoon has even suggested buying an additional THAAD missile system from the US to counter the North -- despite risks that it could prompt new economic retaliation from China, Seoul's biggest trade partner.

"Seoul must also retool its complex relationship with Beijing," Yoon said in a policy statement in Foreign Affairs last month.

President Moon met with leader Kim Jong Un four times, and brokered high-profile talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

But negotiations collapsed in 2019, and diplomacy has stalled as Pyongyang has ramped up weapons testing and threatened to abandon a self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons.

Yoon has not ruled out the possibility of dialogue with Pyongyang, but analysts say his hawkish position puts him on a completely different footing and significantly reduces the prospect of substantive engagement.

Pyongyang will judge it has "nothing to gain" from talking to a hardline South Korean government, Hong Min, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification told AFP.

Keeping tensions on the peninsula high will work in Pyongyang's favour, Hong added, allowing it to keep momentum on Kim's avowed program of military modernisation.

"North Korea will pick up the tempo of its nuclear and missile development and use the hawkish South Korean government to justify its actions."

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Ukrainian's president accused Russia of carrying out genocide after officials said Russian aircraft bombed a children's hospital on Wednesday, burying patients in rubble despite a ceasefire deal for people to flee the besieged city of Mariupol.

The attack, which authorities said injured women in labour and left children in the wreckage, is the latest grim incident of the 14-day invasion, the biggest assault on a European state since 1945.

The Mariupol city council said the hospital had been hit several times in what the White House called a "barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians".

The destruction took place despite a Russian pledge to halt firing so at least some trapped civilians could escape the city, where hundreds of thousands have been sheltering without water or power for more than a week.

Also read: 35,000 civilians evacuated from Ukrainian cities on March 9, says Zelenskyy

"What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a televised address late on Wednesday.

Zelenskyy repeated his call for the West to tighten sanctions on Russia "so that they sit down at the negotiating table and end this brutal war". The bombing of the children's hospital, he said, was "proof that a genocide of Ukrainians is taking place".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked by Reuters for comment, said: "Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets." Russia calls its incursion a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour and dislodge leaders it calls "neo-Nazis."

Ukraine's foreign ministry posted video footage of what it said was the hospital showing holes where windows should have been in a three-storey building. Huge piles of smouldering rubble littered the scene.

The UN Human Rights body said it was verifying the number of casualties at Mariupol.

"The incident adds to our deep concerns about indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas and civilians trapped in active hostilities in numerous areas," said spokesperson Liz Throssell.

Also read: US warns Russia may use biological weapons in Ukraine

The Donetsk region's governor said 17 people were wounded in the attack.

Ukraine accused Russia of breaking the ceasefire around the southern port, which aid workers and officials say is running out of food and water after days of Russian bombardment.

"Indiscriminate shelling continues," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

Satellite image company Maxar said images from earlier in the day showed extensive damage to homes, apartment buildings, grocery stores and shopping centres in the port city.

Russia blamed Ukraine for the failure of the evacuation.

Among more than 2 million total refugees from Ukraine, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday that more than 1 million children have fled the country since the invasion started on Feb 24. At least 37 had been killed and 50 injured, it said.

Around 48,000 Ukrainians have been evacuated through humanitarian corridors, Interfax Ukraine news agency said on Wednesday, citing a senior aide to Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian officials said while some had departed from certain locations, Russian forces were preventing buses from evacuating civilians from Bucha, a town near Kyiv.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said houses had been destroyed all across Ukraine. "Hundreds of thousands of people have no food, no water, no heat, no electricity and no medical care," it said.

Thousands continued to flood into neighbouring countries. After hiding in the basement to shelter from Russian bombing, Irina Mihalenka left her home northeast of the Black Sea port of Odessa, she told Reuters in Isaccea, Romania.

"When we were walking, a bridge was blown up. And when we crossed over the wreckage, because there was no other way out, there were corpses of Russian people (soldiers) lying there," she said.

Russia's economic isolation

Russia has been hit by Western sanctions and the withdrawals of foreign firms. Nestle, cigarette maker Philip Morris and Sony on Wednesday joined the list of multinationals stepping back from the country.

The United States is weighing sanctions on nuclear power supplier Rosatom, a senior Biden administration official said on Wednesday.

The World Bank's chief economist said Moscow was edging close to defaulting on its debt. The Kremlin is taking measures to shore up the economy and planned to respond to a US ban on its oil and energy exports as the rouble dropped to record lows.

There was not much hope for diplomacy as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkey ahead of talks on Thursday with Kuleba in what will be the first meeting between the pair since the incursion.

Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire, liberation of its territories and to resolve all humanitarian issues, Kuleba said, adding: "Frankly ... my expectations of the talks are low."

Moscow demands that Kyiv take a neutral position and drop aspirations of joining the NATO alliance.

Zelenskyy told VICE in an interview on Wednesday that he was confident Putin would at some stage agree to talks. "I think he will. I think he sees that we are strong. He will. We need some time," he said.

The West says Russia is inventing pretexts to justify an unprovoked war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Ukraine a US colony with a puppet regime and no tradition of independent statehood.

The White House on Wednesday said Russia's claims about alleged US involvement in biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine were false.

Russian forces hold territory along Ukraine's northeast border, the east and the southeast. Fighting has taken place in the outskirts of Kyiv, while Ukraine's second city Kharkiv is under bombardment.

A Russian assault force is stalled north of Kyiv and Western countries say the Kremlin has had to adjust its plan to swiftly topple the government.

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday approved $1.4 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine to help meet urgent spending needs.
Tesla is giving financial assistance to its employees of Ukrainian nationalities.

Ukraine's President Zelensky recently called all Ukrainian reservists to return to their homeland.

Tesla vouched up to 3 months' salary for those who have been asked to return to Ukraine for active duty as reservists. The company also stated that it will continue to monitor closely its employees to tailor benefits, meaningful benefits, and compensation.

Ukrainian Tesla Employees

In an internal email acquired by CNBC, it has been reported that Tesla is paying its Ukrainian employees who are called back to their country to defend their homeland.

These employees who will act as reserves will still retain their monthly pay worth up to 3 months.

According to Tesla, Human Resources EMEA team members have made contact with Tesla employees who have been affected by the situation as well as their managers as a matter of priority to ensure that Tesla is up to date.

The company added that they will continue to work hard to ensure that their employees receive meaningful and targeted assistance.

In the case of any Tesla employees who are Ukrainian nationals and who have been asked to return to Ukraine for active duty as reservists, the company will maintain their employment and salary for a period of three months.

After the end of the 3 months that were given, Tesla stated that it would reassess the situation of its employees to help them on what more they need.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently called all Ukrainian reserves to defend their homeland with the recent aggression.

As recalled, the President prohibited males aged from 18 to 60 to flee the country and keep them for military conscription.

This email was addressed to Tesla employees who are located in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The email that circulated did not state about their North American employees.

At the endnote of the email, the company stated that they strengthened the Tesla EMEA Employee Assistance Program to better help employees. In addition to counseling, the Program provides employees with numerous resources and support.

Read Also: Elon Musk Warns Possible Attacks on SpaceX's Starlink Satellites in Ukraine

Tesla Employees Helping Starlink Setup in Ukraine

Tesla employees in Germany are also praised for their aid during times of need. Numerous Tesla employees from Giga Berlin and Germany Service team volunteered to test, configure, pack and ship several hundred Starlink units that were sent to Ukraine.

According to Tesla, "Tesla teamed up with SpaceX to provide coverage expansion for its Starlink services to help provide an alternative internet infrastructure."

Through the initiative of the company's CEO Elon Musk, SpaceX sent hundreds of Starlink terminals to help keep Ukrainian people online amidst the struggle in the country. The email also added that the solution was addressed as fast as 3 days, " in true Tesla fashion".

Tesla's Free Charge

Tesla does not have an official store in Ukraine, however, the country has 5,000 Tesla car owners.

With that Tesla emailed its local Ukrainian customers informing them that Tesla has made free Supercharging available at stations along the Ukrainian border in order to assist those who have been impacted by this recent crusade.

Tesla also informed everyone that the several Supercharger stations that were set up would be available for use by Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicles at no additional cost.

Despite the fact that Tesla does not officially operate in Ukraine, any of the estimated 5,000 Tesla owners in the country can take advantage of free Supercharging at select stations in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Related Article: SpaceX Sends Additional Starlink to Ukraine, Focuses on Cyber Defense to Prevent Signal Jamming
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said Russian President Vladimir Putin had made "a terrible mistake" by invading Ukraine and would "lose" the war there.

"We will always have slightly different perspectives from one democracy to the next. Vladimir Putin was counting on those slight differences between us to lead to ineffective sanctions," Trudeau said.

"But we have been strongly, unequivocally united on this," he told reporters alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.

"Vladimir Putin has made a terrible mistake. He's going to lose this war... because the ferocity and strength and resolve of the Ukrainian people defending their territory is inspiring us all," Trudeau said.

"And because our resolve as friends and allies -- friends of Ukraine, allies to each other -- and countries committed to democracy, to the rule of law, to the UN charter, cannot allow Vladimir Putin to be successful," he added.

"We deplore all the further threats that Russia continues to make but Putin needs to know that the consequences for his actions already will be severe and further escalations by him, further targeting of civilians.. is going to be met with the severest of responses both globally and individually on him."

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Unlike an operating nuclear plant, which can use some of the electricity it generates to power its operation, the long-defunct Chernobyl plant in Ukraine is completely dependent on outside sources of electricity.

So when that power is cut, as Ukrainian officials and the International Atomic Energy Agency say it has been by Russian troops, problems can result.

As of Wednesday, Chernobyl, the scene of the worst nuclear disaster in history when one of its four reactors exploded and burned 36 years ago, is operating mainly on power from diesel generators. A former longtime employee of the plant with knowledge of conditions there said that some equipment was functioning on battery power as well, and that firefighting systems, as well as radiation monitoring, had been affected.

Follow live updates of Russia-Ukraine crisis, here

The IAEA said Wednesday that it saw no critical impact on safety at the complex. But what could happen if all these backups failed and Chernobyl was left with no power at all?

The Chernobyl plant came online in the late 1970s, with the completion of its first two reactors. By 1983 the third and fourth units were operating, including the one that was destroyed three years later.

That accident, the result of an ill-advised and ill-executed test, killed more than two dozen people in its immediate aftermath, most from exposure to high levels of radiation. The burning reactor core produced a plume of radioactive particles that spread across parts of Europe, and many more people suffered long-term effects, including cancers, from exposure.

Contamination was worst in a large part of Ukraine and Belarus around the plant, which was declared an exclusion zone and remains largely off limits. Villages and a city were permanently abandoned.

Also Read | Ukraine accuses Russia of genocide after bombing of children's hospital

The plants remaining three reactors were eventually shut down, the last in 2000. The nuclear fuel has been removed from all of them, and the turbines and other equipment that generated power have mostly been removed.

With no operating reactors at the plant, there is no risk of a core meltdown as there would be if an operating plant lost power and could no longer circulate water through the reactor. This is what happened at the Fukushima reactors in Japan in 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami wiped out backup power systems.

But Chernobyl carries some other risks related to the large amount of nuclear waste on site.

The fuel inside a reactor eventually becomes used up and is replaced. As is common practice in the nuclear power industry, the fuel removed from all four Chernobyl reactors over the years, more than 20,000 assemblies in all, is stored in pools of water that dissipate the heat produced as the fuel decays radioactively. When fuel is newly removed from a reactor and is still highly radioactive, there is a lot of decay and thus a lot of heat, so plants need power to run pumps that circulate the storage water, removing excess heat in the process.

If the water in storage tanks got so hot it boiled off, the fuel would be exposed to the air and could catch fire. That, too, was among the risks in the Fukushima disaster.

The IAEA has said that the used fuel assemblies at Chernobyl are old enough and have decayed enough that circulating pumps are not needed to keep them safe.

The heat load of the spent fuel storage pool and the volume of cooling water contained in the pool is sufficient to maintain effective heat removal without the need for electrical supply, the agency said.

Also Read | 35,000 civilians evacuated from Ukrainian cities on March 9, says Zelenskyy

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, workers had started transferring some of these fuel assemblies to a long-term dry storage facility, which began operating in 2020. Fuel assemblies are ready for dry storage when they have cooled enough to be safely exposed to the air.

The other main source of nuclear waste, which is unique to Chernobyl, are the ruins of the destroyed reactor itself. An estimated 200 tons of fuel remain there, in a lava-like mix with molten concrete, sand and chemicals that were dumped on the reactor during the disaster.

This highly radioactive mixture is found throughout the remains of the reactor, having flowed through doorways and drain pipes and down stairwells and other parts of the structure before hardening. Some of these fuel-containing materials, as they are called, are in places that are completely inaccessible and have only been studied by boring into them.

In the chaotic, jumbled remains of the destroyed Chernobyl reactor, there is no cooling system for a loss of power to affect.

But in recent years there have been episodes in which nuclear reactions have started spontaneously in pockets of these fuel-containing materials, leading to spikes in radiation levels. They have been monitored and will have to be dealt with someday.

Without monitoring, of both humidity and radiation, workers would not know if any new episode was occurring. The former employee with knowledge of conditions at the plant said that ventilation systems that helped control humidity levels had stopped operating.

Since 2017, the destroyed reactor has been covered by a large arched structure, intended to confine the waste and safeguard against any release of radiation. The structure is also meant to allow the work of removing waste to long-term storage to begin, a process expected to take decades.

The facility was only granted an operating license by Ukraines authorities last year, so the work had only just begun. There are several large cranes and other specialized equipment to allow crews to work safely. With no power supply, most, if not all of that work, could not proceed.

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Any speech made against a government policy or action "cannot be seditious" and views in favour of fundamental rights have to be taken, said Supreme Court judge Justice L Nageswara Rao Wednesday while observing that it has been seen that the establishment reacts to comment or criticism against it and does not take it in a proper manner.

He also said that "hate speech" which is mischief committed by a few individuals to promote hatred amongst groups is something which has to be taken note of and there was a proposal for amending the relevant sections in the Indian Penal Code which has not been done till now.

Justice Rao, who was delivering The Soli J Sorabjee Inaugural Memorial Lecture, also expressed concern over the action of the executive interfering with social media, shutting down the internet by taking the ground of public interest and law and order.

The judge said the government has a duty to ensure that social, economic, and political justice is given to all citizens of the country and the Supreme Court has been reminding the citizenry that no one is above law.

"Unless there is a public discussion and awareness about political rights, there would not be a democracy which is worth its name," so discussion and speech are promoted by this court in several judgements, he said.

Justice Rao said the apex court in various judgements on fundamental rights and freedom of speech has promoted that every individual should be given an opportunity to openly discuss issues and in this country, if the truth has to come out it will be done only through discussion.

The judge, while speaking on the topic The role of the Supreme Court of India in augmenting the scope of fundamental rights, spoke about the golden triangle of Article 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution which stand for equality and rule of law and how the Supreme Court was instrumental in augmenting the scope of these rights.

He said these fundamental rights are inalienable and also impose negative restrictions on the state's power to not encroach on someone's liberty and added that these rights are not absolute and there can be restrictions placed on them.

Article 14 is in two parts: it protects rights of persons in so far as equality before the law is concerned and the second aspect is equal protection of laws. Equality before the law is that no one is above the law. The Supreme Court has been reminding the citizenry of this country about what Thomas Fuller has said Be ye never so high, the law is above you.'

He said that for ensuring that persons who are not equals with others are given opportunities to bring them up, the principle that has to be followed is providing them with some benefits and concessions.

Regarding freedom of speech, Justice Rao said there are three aspects-- discussion, advocacy, and incitement-- and the problem arises when there is incitement and the government can place a restriction on freedom of speech only on eight restrictions, one of which is the security of the state, public order, defamation, etc.

He also discussed one of the latest judgements of the Apex Court about freedom of speech which dealt with section 66A of the Information Technology Act where offensive speech was made punishable to three years imprisonment.

There is no problem with discussion and advocacy, the problem arises when there is incitement. So the test was when something curtailed discussion and advocacy, it could not be a ground to curtail free speech and only when it is on incitement to commit violence, it could be said to be on the lines of violation of freedom speech, he said.

He said there are so many examples where the top court has protected free speech and added that as and when there is a comment or a criticism made by the citizens against the government and whenever something is said about an establishment we would see that there is a reaction by the establishment and they would not take the criticism in a proper manner.

There were a number of criminal cases registered on the ground that the speech was seditious and is in violation of section 124A of IPC and section 153A IPC which deals with promoting hatred among religions and citizens of this country. This section 124 A was challenged in the Supreme Court on the ground that it violates the fundamental right of freedom of speech. This court refused to declare it as unconstitutional but it has said that every speech which is made against government policies or against whatever the government has done cannot be seditious speech, he said.

He added the court has said that you have to take a view in favour of the fundamental rights and not be swayed by whatever is the opinion of authorities about the speech being contrary to the interest or security of the state and it cannot be seditious speech.

On the issue of hate speech, Justice Rao said it is mischief committed by a few individuals to promote hatred amongst groups and that is not the tranquility of this country.

He said in this era of social media hate speech is something that has to be taken note of and there was a proposal for amending the relevant sections in the IPC which has not been done till now.

The other aspect which has engaged the attention of this court is the action of the executive in interfering with social media, shutting down the internet. A ground which is made for shutting down the internet in the interest of public, law and order, peace has been dealt with by courts, he said.

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The body of an Army soldier, who had gone missing three days back, was found in central Kashmirs Budgam district on Thursday.

Police said they are investigating militancy-related angle as well murder aspect in the death of soldier Sameer Ahmad Malla, whose role had earlier come under investigation in 2018 for allegedly driving Army officer Major Leetul Gogoi and a local girl to a Srinagar hotel.

"Body of soldier Sameer Ahmad Malla was found today and there was no mark of firearm on it, Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said.

'Investigation is going on. We are looking into both aspects, (militant) crime & murder," he added.

On Monday, Malla went missing from his village Lokipora in Khag Budgam. The body of the soldier from Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry was recovered from Khag in the same district today, a police official said.

Malla was posted in Jammu and had come home on leave as his wife had given birth to their second child recently.

In April 2018, Major Gogoi was awarded commendation award for his 'sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations, days after he had tied a villager  Farooq Ahmad Dar  to the bonnet of his jeep and paraded him through villages on election day in 2017

Later, for fraternising with the local woman, Gogoi was given six months loss of seniority by the Army. Malla's role had also appeared in the case.

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Two militants affiliated with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Thursday.

Reports said the encounter erupted in Naina, Batapora area of Pulwama, 26 km from here after security forces launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) following a specific input about the presence of two militants there.

A police official said both the militants were given ample opportunity to surrender, however, they refused and fired upon the security forces.

In the retaliatory action both the ultras were killed, he said and added they were locals and affiliated with the LeT.

Earlier Inspector General Police (IGP) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said that utmost precautions were taken to ensure no damage was done to the nearby masjid as militants were hiding in a separate structure.

30 militants, including eight from Pakistan, have been killed in Kashmir this year in 18 anti-terror operations while last year 171 ultras were neutralized.

Besides, the security forces have also arrested 14 active militants this year along with 23 overground workers (OGWs). The police categorize anybody who supports the militants as an OGW. A person providing a safe house, passage, information or acting as a messenger for suspected militants automatically comes under the radar of the police as an OGW.

According to police figures, 156 ultras, including 73 foreigners, were active in Kashmir on December 31. This is for the first time that the number of active militants in the Valley has come down to less than 200 since the insurgency erupted in Kashmir in 1990.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy has instructed that the services of school teachers should not be used for non-teaching activities.

The YSRCP government had faced flak for deploying teachers for some far from academic activities like the demeaning duties at the wine shops alongside the policemen to regulate the crowds of customers during the first Covid-19 wave.

Reddy held a review meeting on Wednesday on the implementation of decisions taken earlier under the New Education Policy (NEP).

Subject wise teachers are being appointed in the schools. The services of teachers should not be utilised for non- teaching activities as it will have a (negative) impact on the students' education,'' Reddy ordered.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to utilise the services of highly qualified government teachers effectively to provide better education to students.

Policies should be prepared in this regard. Teacher training centers (TTCs) should be set up in the new districts too and facilities should be improved in the existing TTCs under Mana Badi Nadu Nedu, Reddy said.

The CM instructed for the beginning of the second phase of Nadu Nedu, the state government's school facilities improvement programme, works from March 15.

Officials said that they have completed the mapping of schools according to the NEP and that students are being made to learn one new English word every day from February 14.

Digital Learning will be introduced for Class 8 students from the next academic year. The state is moving to ensure that one co-ed junior college and one women junior college is established in each mandal.

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Congress leaders in Kerala flayed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for mocking remarks over Congress's setback in the elections in five states.

Vijayan made a mocking remark at Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala at the inaugural function of a bridge in Alappuzha district on Thursday that it was not a happy day for Chennithala even as Chennithala said that it was a happy day for him as the bridge was being opened.

Kerala PCC president K Sudhakaran said that the political nexus of CPM and BJP was becoming evident from Vijayan's happiness over Congress's setback and BJP's victory. The 'Congress-mukt Bharat' agenda was posing a threat to the secular forces of the country.

Assembly Elections 2022 Results Live

Sudhakaran also said that the Yogi Adityanath government in UP managed to dupe the voters by offering free food kits and other sops ahead of the elections, which is on the lines of Pinarayi Vijayan's election strategy in Kerala.

Sudhakaran said that the election results reflected that communal polarisation was receiving the upper hand over democracy, which was a dangerous trend.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress said that lack of advance preparations for elections was the reason for the setback of the Congress in the Assembly election in Kerala last year and in five states this time.

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Asserting for more women representation in judiciary and legal education, Chief Justice N V Ramana on Thursday said the dream of fair and equitable society, will come true when women, from all backgrounds have a say in the judicial system.

He was speaking on the occasion of International Day of Women Judges.

The CJI said there are numerous factors behind the under-representation of women in judiciary and the primary reason is deeply ingrained patriarchy in our society.

Now we are having four women judges in the Supreme Court which is the highest ever in its history. In near future, we shall be witnessing the first ever female Chief Justice of India. But, I think, we are still far away from ensuring at least 50% representation of women in our judiciary," Justice Ramana said.

He said: The recognition of 10th March as International Day of Women Judges is an important step to create awareness and mobilise political will. I am a strong proponent of affirmative action. To enrich the pool of talent, I strongly propose reservation for girls in legal education. The data proves such a provision has yielded encouraging results in appointing women judicial officers at the district level.

Maintaining that every womans struggle and experience is unique to herself, he said, Growth in jurisprudence will occur only when our Bar and Benches have diverse voices. Diversity of experience brings in diversity in opinions.

He pointed out injustices faced by women are compounded by intersectional issues of socio-economic conditions.

Therefore, we need women from all classes and sections to find a place within the judicial system. The dream of fair and equitable society, will come true when women, from all backgrounds have a say," he said.

He said the legal profession still remains male dominated, with severe under-representation of women.

For the High Courts, we have recommended so far 192 candidates. Out of these, 37, that is 19% were women. This is certainly an improvement over the percentage of incumbent women judges in High Courts which stands at 11.8%," he said.

He pointed out that the issues confronting women are no longer private affairs of women and one of the marks of a progressive nation is the condition of female population.

He added that the presence of women as judges and lawyers, will substantially improve the justice delivery system.

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In the political sphere, a vacuum does not last for long. It helps a new force shoot up and, consequently, change the scenario altogether. In this round of Assembly polls, Punjab has proved this by presenting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with a huge victory.

But, the implications of what has happened in Punjab may go far beyond the state. The reasons: the AAP is ambitious, it has the capability to grow in some other states, and the potential to be a 'party with a difference', which anchors itself in a centrist position in the Hindutva versus secular debate, and being born out of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade, works for purifying Indian politics.

It also works for the AAP that it, within its ranks, does not have 'traditional 'politicians' who repel bright, young and honest women and men from joining politics. But, after being welcomed by the people of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal veered towards the hardcore secular liberal camp that the people are rejecting except in a few states. However, the AAP was not born to be hand in glove with other parties that face corruption charges.

Also Read | AAP leads the field in Punjab: A history of its time in the state

But then Kejriwal started correcting the course. The AAP is still secular, but no more part of the 'appeasement politics' practised by the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Left or even the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Slowly, it is establishing itself as a centrist party that is neither part of the staunch Hindutva force (exemplified by Yogi Adityanath in UP) nor the radical secular forces.

It is not that the AAP has already evolved to attain the highest standard of being a modern, progressive party. But the way it swept Punjab, particularly the Malwa region, is a pointer to the fact that it has become equally acceptable across religious identities, unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (dependent solely on Hindu votes), or parties like the TMC or SP (dependent heavily on Muslim votes). It makes the AAP different.

The AAP has achieved this feat by accepting that India is, essentially, both demographically and culturally, a Hindu country, and the sentiments of Hindus need to be honoured.

Follow live Assembly election results updates here

An example of this realisation was Kejriwal's tweet on December 3, 2021, that read: "A few days ago, when I had visited Shri Ramlala in Ayodhya, a thought came to my mind that I should bring all my elders of Delhi for a darshan of Lord Shri Ram. The first train of pilgrimage was flagged off from Delhi to Ayodhya today. These were very emotional moments for me. May everyone's journey be blessed. Long live Rama."

At the same time, the AAP has not shown any sign of not extending the concept of rajdharma to all the minorities of India. Neither has it shied in politically opposing the BJP on secular issues, like farm legislation.

Again, from the reactions of the AAP leaders after the remarkable victory in Punjab, it appears that the AAP has finally given up its confrontationist attitude towards the Centre. Such attitude, followed by leaders like Mamata Banerjee, may garner votes but harm their states. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has proved that it is possible to defeat, at the state level, the ruling party at the Centre handsomely and time and again, even after cooperating with the Centre and deriving benefits for his state.

Punjab Election Constituency-wise Result 2022: Party-wise performance, winners and losers

Thus, the AAP has reshaped its political direction in a way that may become more satisfactory and acceptable to a large section of Indian voters who do not like the extremity, or some other follies, like corruption or other moral turpitude, of either the BJP or the hardcore seculars like the Congress, SP or TMC. But at the same time, it may make the AAP 'untouchable' to both the opposing camps. The first welcome sign is that the AAP leaders are aware of it and did not join either of the camps in Goa, where they have won 2 seats in an assembly of 40 seats.

The AAP now has to its credit of being the only non-BJP, non-Congress party that rules more than one state. To make it a real turning point, Kejriwal needs to concentrate on making the party strong in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Uttarakhand as on reviving the party's original agenda in its entirety. It means the AAP leadership must recollect that the party was born out of an 'idea', the crux of which was the anti-corruption crusade.

The central government of the day may not be plagued by corruption charges like that of Manmohan Singh's, but corruption has not gone down significantly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation helped the rich launder their unaccounted money. Indian political scenario is still plagued by corruption. The AAP must start a dharmayuddha for purification of politics.

If it can do so, it will come up, in the long term, as a genuine third force to which people may prefer. Otherwise, the vacuum will be filled by some other party that may emerge out of the blue.

(The writer is a journalist and author based in Kolkata.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.

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The death of a companion is one of the most severe tragedies that human beings experience. Do animals have similar feelings? Though there are many anecdotal accounts and social media posts on how a dog behaves after its pet parent dies, there is barely any information on how humans best friend fares when a companion dog dies.

Interviewing more than 400 Italians who had two pet dogs of which one died, a group of European researchers showed that 86% of dog owners had observed negative changes in the surviving dogs behaviour after the death of their companion canine. In 32% of cases, such behavioural changes lasted between two and six months while in 25% cases, it lasted longer than six months. The findings appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.

When asked to describe the behavioural changes, 67% owners reported that the surviving dog became more attention-seeking while 57% reported they played less. Nearly 46% reported that the surviving dogs became less active. Thirty-five per cent of owners said the dogs slept more and became more fearful, 32% reported they ate less and 30% reported an increase in whining or barking.

Animal mourning

Grief responses are widely reported in social species such as great apes, monkeys, whales, dolphins, elephants and birds, which have been described to engage in death rituals including touching and investigating the diseased carcass.

In primates and cetaceans, individuals have been observed to physically support and carry a deceased mate (usually a young animal) for periods that range from some hours to a month. Different animals exhibit complex responses towards the dead as a consequence of several sensory characteristics and changes in biological motion perception. Many animal species are thought to have the ability to mourn, including dogs but evidence is currently sparse.

Nearly 15 years ago, Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, USA proposed that dogs might display grief as a result of a close relationship due to their highly social nature. However, behavioural responses towards another dead companion have rarely been observed in wild canids.

There was brief evidence of wild wolves (Canis lupus) burying the carcasses of two-week-old pups. A decade ago, Australian wildlife researcher Rob Appleby described the death of a three-month-old dingo pup and the associated response of the pups mother and fellow littermates  the deceased pup was transported to different locations in the days following its death.

As for pet dogs (Canis familiaris), there is a long history of anecdotal reports by owners about grief over the loss of a companion, but little evidence.

Mariangela Albertini, a specialist in veterinary medicine and animal sciences at the University of Milan who surveyed cases in which a companion dog died, and her colleagues also made note of the prior relationship between the dogs and their own distress levels after the bereavement. The responses were collected from 426 Italians (384 females and 42 males). The average ownership period was just about 10 years. More than 92% of participants reported that the two dogs had lived together for a duration greater than 12 months and 69% described the relationship between their dogs as friendly.

The dogs participated in several activities like sleeping (66%), grooming (27%) and playing (49%). Thirty-six per cent of the dogs even shared food, 86% shared resting spaces and 58% toys.

While the length of time the two dogs had lived together did not influence the surviving dogs behaviour, a friendly relationship with the deceased dog and having a grieving owner resulted in negative behavioural changes in surviving dogs.

On the circumstances leading to the dogs death, 52% of respondents said it was unexpected, while 57% had opted for euthanasia following health complications and 0.2% for behavioural reasons.

Close relationships

Domestic dogs are highly social animals who live in multi-species societies in which they develop very intense and close relationships. The present study is a part of a larger project that aims to study objectively the strong dog-owner and dog-dog emotional connections, Stefania Uccheddu from San Marco Veterinary Clinic and Laboratory in Padua, Italy, and the first author of the paper told DH.

The study suggests negative behavioural and emotional changes observed in surviving dogs could be due to both a grief-like reaction in response to the lost companion and a reaction to the grief of their owners. The authors conclude that grief-like responses among dogs are potentially a major pet welfare issue that has been overlooked.

"This is an interesting study because for the first time researchers have looked at pet dogs behaviour towards another pet in a social condition, commented Anindita Bhadra, a biologist at Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Kolkata, who is not associated with the European study, but specialises in dog behavioural research.
By Yoon Ja-young



Samjong KPMG has set its sights on helping residents of the country's east coast suffering from wildfires, as well as children in Ukraine threatened by war.





Samjong KPMG CEO Kim Kyo-tae
Enthused by victory in Assembly polls in four states, the BJP's top leadership is set to hold a meeting with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to discuss holding early assembly elections in Karnataka.

The CM is likely to come to Delhi next week to meet party top brass, said a senior leader in the party, adding that the leaders in Delhi are keen to take his view on early elections.

During the meeting with the CM, the party leaders will also discuss possible pre-poll alliance with JD(S) and rejig of his cabinet, said the leader.

A section leaders in Delhi have been suggesting that if the BJP wins in Uttar Pradesh, the party should hold Karnataka elections early, along with Gujarat Assembly polls.

Read | Faith and food in BJP's big UP win

Congress is now morally weak due to defeat in all the five states. Since Congress is the principal opposition party in both Gujarat and Karnataka, holding elections in both the states together would be advantageous to the BJP, said the leader.

By advancing polls in Karnataka and holding it along with that of Gujarat, the BJP is keen on encashing the hijab row and Hindutva agenda.

Many saffron party leaders Delhi believe that holding Karnataka elections separately would not be advantageous to BJP due to strong anti-incumbency wave following corruption charges against many ministers.

Gujarat assembly elections are due in December this year while Karnataka's polls are to be held in April-May next year.

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An FIR has been lodged against five people in Karnataka for thrashing a street dog and allegedly pouring acid on it, police said on Thursday.

The miscreants also threatened an elderly woman who questioned them.

Banashankari police have filed an FIR in this regard.

According to police, the accused would walk on streets at night in an inebriated state agitating street dogs. They enjoyed street dogs barking at them.

On March 4, the accused tied up a street dog at Ambedkarnagar in Banashankari and thrashed it for no reason. They then allegedly sprayed acid and petrol on it.

When a 50-year-old woman questioned them, they threatened her with the same treatment.

The woman has filed a complaint in this regard with the police after taking help from a social activist. The five-year-old injured male canine has been shifted to an animal rescue centre and is undergoing treatment. The centre has named the dog Bunny.

Police have booked a case under IPC Sections 34 (criminal act done by several persons), 428 (whoever commits mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless any animals), 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle e.t.c.) and 354 (any man who assaults or uses criminal force to any woman or abets such act with the intention).

Further investigation is on.

In an earlier case reported in February, a 23-year-old youth had deliberately ran his Audi over a street dog Lara and killed it in the limits of Siddapura police station in Bengaluru.

The CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral on social media and created public outrage.

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More than 900 children have been rescued from forced labour over a three-year period in Karnataka, data tabled by the government shows.

According to the data tabled by Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar in response to a question by Congress MLA Tanveer Sait, the government has rescued 972 children between 2018 and 2020.

While the government elaborated steps like taluk and district-level committees to rescue child labourers, much more work needs to be done.

Hebbar told DH that the government was providing training and awareness among officials. "We have appointed special officers at the district level and received feedback that they need better training in various provisions of the law. We are working on it," he said. He also said there were several social realities that needed to be negotiated, albeit strong laws.

In many instances, the mother takes the child to the work place. Children also get implicated in these cases, Hebbar said. "The only way the child's safety can be ensured is to place them in day care centres near work sites. We have set up several Kittur Rani Chennamma day care centres," he added.

Activists said the government must come up with a plan involving different departments. "The education, labour and home departments should work together. They should also rope in city corporations and Rural Development department," child rights activist Vasudeva Sharma said. The government should also focus on agriculture and related activities where there is significant child labour, he added.

Sumathi D G, state co-ordinator for Bachpan Bachao Andolan urged the government to ensure that the task forces provided for under the Child Labour Act were functional.

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Released: March 9, 2022

Delaware County is making progress towards its plan to resume full operational control and management of the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in early 2022 and is looking to fill many open positions spanning a variety of sectors, including security personnel, IT personnel, HR/Administrative support, Deputy Wardens, Program Coordinators, and more.

The County is also actively hiring staff for the new Delaware County Health Department, the Delaware County Courthouse, the County Sheriff's Department, Fair Acres, the Bureau of Elections, the Medical Examiners Office, Human Services, and the County's Park Police.

To help residents interested in applying for these positions, the County is holding a Job Fair on March 12 and 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Delaware County 911 Center, located at 360 N. Middletown Road in Media, PA.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet the Recruitment Team to discuss open positions to gain a better understanding of the job duties, the benefits offered, and have the team review their resume and skill set to determine if they are a candidate for that position (or give recommendations for different positions that might be a better match).

Interested applicants are advised to bring copies of their resume and will have the opportunity to apply in person during the fair. On-site interviews may be held for qualified attendees.

Full-time positions include: Correctional Officers, Administrative Assistant, Autopsy Technician, Bereavement Counselor, Case Managers, Caseworkers, Clerk Typist, Client Information Center Representative, Court Information Officers, Domestic Relations Officer, Executive Assistant, Fiscal Clerk Positions, Forensic Investigator, IT Help Desk, IT Project Manager, IT Specialist, Judicial Support Assistant, Judicial Support Technician, Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Technician, Marriage License Clerk, Office Manager, Re-entry Case Manager, Senior Financial Clerk, Social Services Aides and more.

Additionally, Delaware County Elections is looking for a number of short-term workers for the upcoming May primary, with positions ranging from a single-day to 6 weeks or more. Positions include hotline staff, ballot processers, drivers, and general administrative help. Details can be discussed during the Job Fair, and training will be provided to all interested individuals. High-performing temporary hires will be considered for future full-time positions.

Positions offer competitive employee benefits as well as opportunities for advancement. Interested individuals can also review open positions and apply online at delcopa.gov/jobs.
Derry, NH (03038)

Today

Rain. High 52F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Rain showers early with clearing later at night. Low 47F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
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Derry woman Janice, a single-working-parent living with severe arthritis, was forced to leave her nursing career and eventually file for bankruptcy as her only route out of debt.

Surviving on sickness and disability benefits and with three adult sons living at home, her income wasnt enough to cover her monthly bills and general living expenses and subsequently she began to accumulate problem debt.

When I started getting into difficulty with finances it was not having enough income to meet bills like my mortgage," she said.

"I just got deeper and deeper into debt. Eventually I knew I wasnt going to get out of it and I was at risk of losing my home."

After having to give up work sooner than she had planned and from the rising pressure of debt, Janice fell into a depression.

With letters from creditors arriving daily, she was unaware of any solution.

Janice continued: I had worked my whole life but my arthritis prevented me from doing my job and it was so bad at the time that everything crumbled on me.

"I thought of burying my head in the sand and thinking it would go away. It obviously didnt go away, and the letters just kept coming."

Janices close friends and family were aware of her circumstances, but she refrained from talking about it openly. As a mother of six adult sons who were working, she was also afraid that they would feel an expectation to help, I didnt want them to feel the pressure or that they should help me with the debts.

Janice was referred to the Foyle CAP Debt Centre by counselling staff at her local GP and this was the beginning of her accessing the advice and support she needed.

Foyle Centre Manager, Linda Leanord, met with Janice in her home to go over the paperwork outlining the debt she owed, which was sent to CAPs head office in Bradford, England.

Mediating with creditors on her behalf, CAP was able to freeze interest on her debts and Janice quoted her CAP reference number any time a creditor contacted her.

Describing the moment she accepted help from Linda, Janice said: Its hard to come to the decision that you need help, but it was one of the best things that could have happened.

"I used to question myself on how I got into this mess but with CAP, there was never any feeling of judgement.

The sale of Janices house wasnt enough to clear her debt in full and as her only solution, CAP prepared for Janice to file for bankruptcy.

The day she handed in the paperwork to the courts in Belfast was the beginning of the end.

Janice said: I felt hopeful when I knew that my nightmare would end. It was one of the hardest things Ive ever had to do.

"Ive had a divorce and raised my children on my own, but bankruptcy was one of the hardest things to have had to do and to accept.

"I still struggle with it at times, just knowing that thats what I had to go through in life.

Janices financial circumstances have since improved, learning new ways to manage her money following the support and guidance from CAP.

Now living in a rented house, she no longer carries the financial weight of the mortgage and has been able to set up home with the help of her sons. Describing her journey of getting out of debt she said: I had to accept that at 55 years old I wasnt able to work anymore, it was earlier than I had hoped but that was where I was at.

"Ive learned to live a simpler life and without the pressures of debt, theres a peace that I have.

According to a 2021 report by Christians Against Poverty, CAP clients in Northern Ireland earn the highest income compared to the rest of the UK, but also owe the highest amount of debt.

77 percent of total debt makeup is owed to non-priority creditors - for example, credit cards, unsecured loans and overdrafts- which is more than the 67 percent owed by CAP clients across the UK as a whole.

A new poll reveals that over half -57 percent- of people within the UK who

have problem debt would not ask family or friends for help and 37 percent of those are unaware of where to get financial advice from.

Speaking on her experiences working with clients in the Foyle area, Linda Leanord said: I see so many people in the community not having enough income to cope with the increase in domestic bills. Having worked with CAP for the past ten years, I can see such a change in benefits and the struggles people are experiencing.

"The role has proved to be very rewarding to see people coming out of debt and having a better quality of life.

Paul Livingstone, Partnership Manager for Christians Against Poverty Northern Ireland said: "Across the UK in 2021, 7326 appointments were booked in by our call team, 279 appointments of which were in Northern Ireland.

"We had 542 adult clients on our books here, inclusive of people who may access more than one of our services - debt advice, Job Clubs and Life Skills courses..

"Our services can make such a difference to people. People struggle with debt, trying to deal with it themselves for far too long; up to three years in about a quarter of cases.

"While they do so, living with debt impacts on their physical and mental health, their relationships and their daily lives - as they live without basics, like food, heat or toiletries.

"We can lift the weight from them, as we take on dealing with creditors and working out budgets, bringing relief, while also providing practical and emotional support and encouragement. We stay with them right through the process.

"We also help people, during their journey out of debt, become better equipped for life after they become debt free, so they are a bit more resilient going forward and stay out of debt."

Paul believes that the current cost of living crisis is only spiralling more people across the country into debt, "Even before this crisis we saw many people who were struggling to meet their bills," he said.

"People were paying for things like groceries on credit cards when there was no money left.

"People who were just about balancing their budget will find that much harder now. The risk is that this crisis pushes many more such people into problem debt."

Foyle centre currently sees around 24 people a year. This is similar to a number of other locations throughout Northern Ireland.

Paul continued: "Derry, like everywhere else across Northern Ireland, has people who need help who arent coming forward and we want to encourage them to do so.

"We need to get the word out that its okay to acknowledge you need help, youll not be judged, just treated with compassion. We also need to make sure people know where to get help."

CAP is largely funded by over 29,000 individuals, they call them Life Changers, who pay a monthly amount to CAP.

This allows the charity to help a large number of people. In addition, they receive donations from churches, trusts, companies and some Government funding in Great Britain.

Paul concluded: "We need poverty, given the impact it has on so many areas of peoples lives, to be a real priority of the Government as it affects so many parts of life."

If you have been affected by the issues discussed, get in touch with your local CAP Debt Centre please go to

https://capuk.org/i-want-help/ our-services/cap-debt-help/ free-debt-help-in-northern-

ireland
The war in Ukraine is not justifiable. It is a disaster, for Europe, for Russia and, above all, for Ukraine.

These were the words of former Ireland Ambassador to Russia, Derry man Jim Sharkey who was speaking to Derry Now as the conflict entered its third week.

A former pupil of St Columb's College, Mr Sharkey, who was appointed the first official representative of the Irish people in Moscow in 1974 and re-appointed in 2001, said the main priority was to find a way to bring peace, stop the conflict and find a solution which would stabilise the whole situation in central Europe.

He added: NATO expansion is a huge factor in why Russia is currently in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine is not justifiable. No war is justifiable. It is a disaster for Europe, for Russia and for Ukraine above all.

We are into a period when, God forgive us, there is always the danger of somebody miscalculating. NATO has been very careful to emphasis that, despite the demands of the Ukrainians, it is not going into Ukraine because it is not going to war with Russia.

I am somewhat relieved NATO spokespeople and the Americans keep saying they are not going to war but you still feel nervous because there is always some risk of miscalculation.

Sanctions work in a punitive but not a preventative sense. The solution will come from the Germans and the French creating space to negotiate with Russia, the United States and Ukraine. In a recent article, journalist Fintan O'Toole wrote there could be a divided Ukraine in NATO or a united, neutral Ukraine.

I hope the sides are not too far apart because I believe in diplomacy and I believe in human creativity and the ability of long term thinking to find short term solutions.

The former Ambassador said as an Irish person, he had to fully recognise Ukraine's right to exist.

He elaborated: However, that is not the same as saying there are no intimacies between Russia and Ukraine.

In terms of Irish foreign policy, for example, we would never think of joining any alliances opposed to England.

While we may not fully understand it, the idea of Ukraine joining NATO would be like Canada joining an alliance hostile to the United States of America.

Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

I hope that peace can be found and a ceasefire will come into play and negotiations can continue for a formal solution. European diplomacy and the citizens of Ukraine demand this, he said.

When he is not commenting on international affairs, Jim Sharkey, is steeped the the heritage of his maternal homeplace, Urris, the last Gaeltacht in Inishowen.

My maternal line comes from Urris, said Jim Sharkey. They were Boyle's and Doherty's. You know the Derry saying, 'My granny was Doherty,' well both my grannies were Doherty.

I have been going to Urris since I was born. My mother, Mary-Anne (nee Boyle) like many Clonmany people left to work in Derry in the shirt factories.

She met my father at that time. He was Willie Sharkey from Rossville Street. They had a wee shop in Rossville Street, run by my aunt Bridie, which was burnt down during The Battle of the Bogside (1969).

Although she left Urris physically, I don't think, like most Urris people, she ever left it spiritually. Even when I was a kid, I vaguely remember it, she would fill a lorry with furniture and head down to Urris for the summer months. I have the old family cottage in Urris now, which I modernised a bit. The McGonigle's are my cousins in Urris.

I have a big interest in the folklore of Urris. It is a very interesting area. It was the last Gaeltacht area in Inishowen. Roger Casement learned his Irish in Urris and there was an Irish school there up until the 1920s. Brian Friel's father learned his Irish there, as well as Bishop Neil Farren.

It was very good Irish too. It was praised by John O'Donovan, the Irish scholar of the Nineteenth Century who was part of the ordnance survey system, a bit like what is portrayed in Brian Friel's play Translations, which was set in Urris.

According to Jim, Irish survived in Urris until the turn of the Twentieth Century.

Jim's great grandmother was actually mentioned in the folklore of Urris.

He said: Nelis Ann Friel was one of the last seanchaithe in Urris. He gave interviews and told stories to people like Professor Heinrich Wagner, professor of Celtic at Queens University, Belfast in the 1960s and 1970s and Professor O'Toole of Trinity, who collected Irish dialects in Tyrone and Urris.

A series of Urris folktales was also recorded in Irish and translated into English by a Church of Ireland minister, Cosslett O Cuinn, Scian a caitheadh le toinn: Scealta agus amhrain as Inis Eoghain agus cuimhne ar Ghaeltacht Iorrais.

Charles McGlinchey, who wrote The Last of the Name, spoke about the Irish going, disappearing as fast as snow off the ditches. His mother was from Urris.

I am very interested in all of this heritage. I opened the Lands of Eoghain Festival before Covid hit us and inaugurated the Cholmcille Walk in August 2021 with Rosemary Moulden, my former next door neighbour in Urris.

Jim believed, from Dublin, Inishowen seems marginal or peripheral. However, he argued, in terms of the great sweep of Irish history, Inishowen, right up to the late middle ages and maybe as far as the Ulster Plantation and beyond, was very central to Irish and Irish Scottish history.

Recalling his diplomatic service in Russia he said, the first time he was there it was the Soviet Union.

It was a great muscular power, with armaments capability to threaten the world, a superpower along with the United States, he said.

I was the John the Baptist of the Irish Embassy. I was the first official representative of the Irish people in Moscow, a great honour. However, I also saw the failings of the system because I was dealing with the nuts and bolts.

The second time I went back it was after the fall of the Soviet Union and after Yeltsin had given control to his protege, Vladimir Putin. Putin's job was to rescue Russia because it was in very bad shape. There were food shortages, bank collapses, pensioners not getting paid, teachers not getting paid.

Putin came in to rescue the system around 2000. I saw a lot of the regeneration and recovery programme, which made him the darling of the Russians. He saved Russia. But this also made him the darling of the West.

Between 2000 to 2006, everybody was queuing up to meet with Putin. George Bush had looked into his soul and seen God. He was an admired figure, said Mr Sharkey, who witnessed the progressive alienation between Russia and the West, which he said was caused by growing distrust on both sides.

Mr Sharkey will be the keynote speaker at an event being hosted tonight by St Columb's College marking the 1500th anniversary of Derrys patron saint, St Columba (Colmcille).
People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol greets his supporters at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday morning. Yonhap



By Anna J. Park



With the new administration set to launch in a couple of months, financial industry leaders are calling on President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol to improve the country's capital market environment by proactively deregulating and enabling further potential innovation of the industry.



Korea Federation of Banks (KFB) Chairman Kim Gwang-soo, who used to lead NH Financial Group as CEO, asked the President-elect to handle outdated systemic hurdles that have been holding back the banking industry.



"The KFB hopes the new government understands that the banking industry is striving for constant changes and puts efforts into adjusting age-old regulations of the market," he said.









Kim added that the banking industry as a whole is now going digital by strengthening their platform competitiveness, and he urged the government to deregulate financial big data to allow banks to provide personalized financial services. He also urged the new government to expand the scope of banks' non-financial activities to enable innovative projects that combine financial and non-financial sectors.





Office buildings are located in the nation's financial district of Yeouido, Seoul, in this file photo. Korea Times file
Caoimhe McLaughlin is just five years-old but the Magherafelt schoolgirl has a big heart.

Last week as her grandparents rallied around collecting aid to be sent to Ukraine, Caoimhe, who attends Spires Integrated Primary School, took it upon herself to send her own message of hope.

The young girl penned her own letter in a card and slipped in some zloty (Polish currency) before carefully placing the envelope inside a child's coat.

The coat was then placed among other items which had been collected by Patsy and Carmel Cassidy and their family.

Patsy said his young granddaughter's gesture made him 'very emotional'.

Somebody had given her some Polish money down the line after returning home from Poland and she had held onto it. She got the wee card and wrote it herself and put the money inside. We hope it will help the child who receives it, said the Ballinderry man.

Members of the Cassidy family pictured with those who helped to collect supplies

The Cassidy family managed to collect supplies to the value of 4,800 in just 48 hours.

Carmel's sister Deirdre O'Boyle and her husband Malachy had decided to send aid to Ukraine and the Cassidy's decided come on board.

With just 48 hours before the van was due to leave, they set the task to try and collect supplies.

When you watch what is going on out in Ukraine on the television, it really would bring a tear to your eye, so we decided to help, said Patsy, who said the family did not want any praise for their efforts.

I think we were expecting just to get something in the back of the car but we were able to collect so much more.

Ballinderry Bridge Angling Club, which Patsy is a member of, also made a very generous donation which was used to purchase much-needed items such as food, clothing and medical supplies.

Caoimhe McLaughlin pictured writing her card.

Patsy said local shops, where much of the items were purchased, also made generous donations.

These shops included Ryan's Shop in Ballyronan, McCrystal's Shop in Ballinderry, McKenna's Shop in Ballinderry and Eamon Tennyson, Armagh.

Patsy added: With the help of Leo and Patricia, Lilly, Margaret Rose, Cahir and Cora our goal was achieved.

Many thanks also to Patricia and Liam McGuckin, Caroline Quinn and the staff of Ballylifford Primary school.

Thanks to Pat McKernan, John ONeill, Siobhan Little, Terence McGuckin, Wesley McClenaghan and all the Cassidy family circle for their generous donations and help. He added: A little tear was shed as we watched our grandchildren from two years up start loading the van with some of their shoes and most loved cuddly toys.

But the tears were nothing compared with the tears of the Ukraine war victims.

May God guide them all in the right direction.
County Derry was among the areas to benefit least from the Department for the Economy (DfE)'s High Street Scheme last autumn.

The scheme was introduced as part of a range of measures introduced by DfE to stimulate economic recovery in the region, with all residents eligible for a 100 Spend Local voucher.

Data released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has revealed just 13% of the scheme's 136.6 million total spend was carried out within County Derry's postal areas.

The county also accounted for just 13% of the total number of recorded transactions carried out using the vouchers during the same period.

Mid Ulster and Causeway Coast and Glens ranked second bottom and third bottom respectively for money spent in Northern Ireland, while Derry City and Strabane ranked slightly higher in 7th place.

Within the county, the more urban postcodes of BT47 and BT48 saw the highest spend, with 9,471,699 being spent in Derry City's two areas.

The figure means the city benefited from over half (52.3%) of the county's spend on the High Street scheme.

Elsewhere, Coleraine (BT52) saw a spend of 2,785,429 (15.4%), while Garvagh (BT51) and Magherafelt (BT45) ranked next highest with 10.4% and 10.3% respectively.

Portstewart's BT55 area saw the lowest spend at 414,936 (2.3%), while Maghera (BT46) and Limavady (BT49) ranked just above it on 2.8% and 6.6% respectively.

The data for the number of transactions followed a broadly similar trend, with 54.5% carried out in BT47 and BT48.

15.3% took place in Coleraine, 9.9% in Magherafelt, 8.6% in Garvagh and 6.6% in Limavady, with Maghera and Portstewart again taking the bottom slots with 2.5% and 2.6% respectively.

A comparison with population data indicated a trend in people spending their vouchers outside of their direct local areas, with a gravitation towards the higher populated areas.

Derry City's postal areas make up 49.4% of the county's population, but accounted for 54.5% of its total transactions, while Coleraine had 15.3% of transactions but just 7.3% of the population.

The trend was matched on a wider level, where Belfast saw the highest percentage of transactions across Northern Ireland.

The district accounts for 18.4% of the total population, but saw 23.4% of the total number of Spend Local transactions, while Antrim and Newtownabbey had 8.1% of transactions and 7.6% of the population.

All other districts saw a lower percentage of transactions compared to their share of the North's population.

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons told the Assembly last week that the scheme had been a 'tremendous success'.

The Scheme was designed to provide an economic boost to the local economy, he said.

To this end, 136.6 million has been injected into the local economy leading to an improved level of consumer confidence and increased levels of public spending.

Nearly 1.4 million customers visited our local shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, cinemas, hairdressers across all parts of Northern Ireland during the lifetime of the Scheme.

Over 3.7 million new transactions were made using the Spend Local card. Of course, we know that many of these customers ended up spending more than the 100 on local goods and services.

We worked tirelessly with local traders and business community to ensure their understanding of the Scheme, incentivise sales and encourage spending.

There is no doubt that the last two years have been tough for our local businesses but I am confident about the future for local businesses in Northern Ireland.

The pandemic has highlighted the resilience and creativity of our local businesses across Northern Ireland.
As we celebrate International Women's Day, Orla Mullan catches up with East Derry MLA Cara Hunter (26) to find out why she believes it's important to celebrate women and their successes.

OM: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

CH: I am the SDLP MLA for East Derry. I am originally from Portrush, and I lived in Los Angeles for five years, attended high school there and began my degree in California State University Northridge. In 2016, I attended to John Moores University to finish my studies and graduated in 2017 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism BA (Hons).

When I returned home to Ireland, I worked for Kelloggs in Dublin in their communications department. I loved it there, but I felt like I wanted to do more to serve my community, so I returned home and ran in my first council election 2019 and won a seat in the Derg DEA.

In 2020, I was the Deputy Mayor for Derry City and Strabane District Council and later moved onto my current role as MLA.

OM: Why did you choose to go into politics?

CH: I had lost someone I loved dearly to suicide, it completely changed me as a person.

The Assembly had just collapsed and I thought how can anyone collapse the Assembly when suicide continues to impact all our communities across the North? I couldnt grasp it.

I wanted political representatives who prioritised mental health, and that is where I found my political home in the SDLP.

I believe our people deserve correct investment into appropriate, available at point of need mental health counselling and initiatives and that change is too slow.

OM: Why do you think it's important to celebrate International Women's Day?

I think it is important because it is a day to celebrate women and their successes. I think it is a great opportunity to showcase the women in male-dominated spaces whether it be IT, agricultural businesses, construction, politics, engineering, etc.

OM: Have you faced any barriers in your political career due to being a woman? If so, how did you overcome them?

OM: I think entering politics aged 23 meant you were open to a lot of chauvinistic comments. Theres a lot of doubt if you have the intellect, maturity or political understanding.

I always disliked that. Everyone has a comment on how you should dress, but no-one would say that to a man. When campaigning there can also be an uncertainty as you knock the doors of strangers at all hours of the night.

OM: What are you most proud of achieving?

CH: Bringing forward a successful motion in the Assembly on calling upon the Justice Minister to introduce a comprehensive strategy to address violence against women and girls to include legislative provision making misogyny a hate crime.

OM: What's the most important piece of advice you have ever been given?

CH: The power of listening. I think in politics there is a lot of talking  but if we listened more, I believe it is then we would find more solutions through dialogue.

My politics has always been centred on helping everyone regardless of their background or how they identify. I really love to hear their stories, where they come from and why the feel the way they do.

OM: Are there any women you are inspired by?

CH: Monica McWilliams. Shes played so many positive roles in our history here from a peace activist, human rights defender and a former politician who founded the Womens Co-oalition. She has devoted her life to improving policies around domestic abuse, childcare and pushing for more women in politics.

OM: What would you change about the world for women if you could?

CH: Free childcare. This would change womens lives. I believe if we really care about a fair and equal society, childcare should be free. Accessible childcare is a huge barrier to women excelling in public life and leadership roles.

OM: What do you think is the biggest issue today facing women of your age?

CH: I think social media has placed incredible pressure on young women to be perfect and look perfect all the time. It normalises a false reality, and young people cant escape it as your phone follows you everywhere. Our children grow up with Instagram now.

I hope in years to come our education is fit-for-purpose and age appropriate to teach young people the dangers of social media with self-esteem, cyberbullying and the importance of body confidence.

Professor Siobhan O'Neill is one of Cara Hunter's preferred dinner guests.

OM: How do you believe we can challenge gender inequalities?

CH: Effective education in schools that celebrates women, highlights the importance of equality and effective relationship education teaching young people about healthy and happy relationships.

OM: On International Women's Day, what message would you send out to young women thinking about their careers?

CH: Go for it! You can achieve anything you put your mind to. There will be many challenges, doubters and setbacks, but you will only come out stronger. Youll always find a woman who has been where you have, walked in your shoes and willing to offer advice and support.

OM: How do you think we can encourage more women to pursue leadership roles in their careers?

CH: We need to empower women to want to go into leadership positions.

At school, I believe they should teach debating skills and confidence building exercises. We need to bring in laws that will allow for maternity leave for MLAs, Councillors and MPs.

Without it, I fear we will lose some of our best and brightest minds. If we want more women in leadership roles and to stay in these roles, we need to look at how we can improve working environments to meet the needs of women.

Stormont for example, has a bar but not a creche. These institutions were male dominated for years so they never had to modernise, I believe now is the time to change.

OM: If you could have dinner with three women, living or dead, who would they be, and why?

CH: Maya Angelou  I find her inspiring. He resilience, her faith, strength and ability to write.

Prof Siobhan ONeill  I think her work as NI Mental Champion has been committed to improving the lives of all who live here. It is inclusive and encourages people to speak up and reach out for help if theyre struggling.

Pat Hume  To say thank you for her commitment to the role she played in the peace process.
SuperValu and Centra in Limavady and Dungiven are helping to enhance biodiversity and create a habitat for wildlife at a Limavady farm by sponsoring the planting of 850 trees.

Landowner and farmer John OKane has received 850 trees thanks to a partnership between Trees on the Land  a charity and not-for-profit project from the Green Economy Foundation  and SuperValu and Centra, part of the Musgrave Group.

The project is part of a sustainability initiative from the retail brands which recently announced they will plant 50,000 trees across Northern Ireland over ten years. Already this year the retailers have sponsored 5,000 native trees, including 850 at this Limavady farm.

Staff from four SuperValu and Centra stores in the area pulled on their wellies and visited the farm to help plant a mix of oak, birch, Scots pine, alder, hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel and rowan trees.

Landowner John OKane said: These trees and native hedgerows will divide fields and provide additional habitat for wildlife as well as vital shelter and shade for livestock on the farm.

"Thanks to Trees on the Land, SuperValu and Centra, we can not only improve biodiversity and create habitat for wildlife but also soak up carbon. I was delighted to welcome volunteers from four local stores to help with the tree planting.

SuperValu and Centra operations manager Keith Tomlinson added: At SuperValu and Centra we believe that small changes can have a big impact and were very pleased to be involved with this project.

"It was great to be able to help with the planting and hear from John about the many benefits these trees will bring.

Centra Ballyquin Road store manager, Ruiari McBride agreed: This is a very worthwhile initiative and will create many long-term positive benefits for the area.

"We were delighted to get stuck in and plant some trees, and this project is just one that demonstrates our commitment to making a positive impact in the communities we serve.

A commitment to planting 50,000 trees is one in a list of steps being taken by SuperValu and Centra to make their stores and communities more sustainable, and each month, the brands will spotlight the tangible steps they are taking to become more sustainable, while encouraging shoppers to play their part.
By Michael Lei, Agile Analog

The complexity of integrated circuit design has expanded a billion-fold since the invention of the first transistor, guided by the famous Moores Law of semiconductor manufacturing. An important factor to this ever-growing expansion is the development of the digital design flow. A modern digital design consists of several steps, a simplified flow chart is shown below:



Click to enlarge

Digital design is initially done in a largely process agnostic way, guided mostly by the likely logic depth and its impact on the achievable performance. This enables excellent design portability between process nodes, without impacting verification quality. A comprehensive design tool flow and verification methodology to check consistency and compliance at each stage of the flow has enabled a huge growth in designer productivity as the level of design capture abstraction has increased. Along with the improved verification and signoff tools, it has enabled the automation of the digital design process to generate complex, high quality, right-first-time ICs that no longer rely on silicon validation for proof.

Although the digital design is process independent, the implementation of the design from synthesis through place and route takes full consideration of the target process node through the various models and signoff processes. Indeed, the same design can be implemented in a very different way and optimized to take advantage of the specific process features.

The process agnostic digital design allows full IP reuse across projects and product generations within a company. This it is a key reason why the digital IP business model has continuously grown and thrived over the years. The digital implementation process flow is process-specific and allows companies to reuse digital designs while keeping up with the newest generation of semiconductor manufacturing technology.

Over the past three decades digital design flow has been proven, improved and optimized, such that a first-cut design success is expected, even in the most advanced technology nodes.

On the other hand, the analog design flow is very different:



Click to enlarge

While there are analogies between the analog design flow and digital design flow, for example the architecture in analog flow is akin to the functional design in digital flow, and layout in analog flow to place and route in digital flow, there are distinguishing differences between the two.

First, the analog design flow is a circular iteration of several cycles, different from the linear digital design flow. Depending on the complexity of the analog circuit block, experience of the circuit designer, expertise in the technology node, and many other factors, the design flow will iterate several times in the analog design flow loop, often between layout and postsim steps. In some cases, the architecture chosen cannot fulfill the circuit specifications in the physical level, resulting in a restart from the first step. Simply speaking, the time and effort needed to complete an analog circuit are approximations, and the uncertainty increases as the complexity increases or change in technology.

Second, the technology or process node of an analog IP is decided at the beginning of the design, the available devices for architecture exploration and design, model cards for simulation, layout rules, and the metal R-C models are all process specific. If a project manager decided to change the process node, or even modify the process options available for use, the whole analog design often must start from square one.

Finally, there is very little CAD automation in each step of the analog design process. While there are excellent EDA tools for each design step, the different analog blocks have different design methods, simulations are circuit, process, and application dependent, and layout is fully custom.

The below table summarizes the key differences between analog and digital design methods, and these differences are the reasons why analog design takes more time, not easily scalable, and exclusive compared to digital designs.

Design Flow Process CAD automation Digital Design Flow Linear Fairly independent High Analog Design Flow Circular Highly dependent Low

What makes a good analog IP? More specifically, what is needed to create a good analog IP?

First, we need to choose a good circuit architecture that is stable, robust, and suitable for mass production.

Up-to-date PDKs (Process Development Kit) from foundries provide front-end (transistors, varactors, diodes, etc.) and back-end (resistors, capacitors, metals, etc.) models for simulation, various command files for DRC, LVS, and parasitic extraction. PDKs nowadays from major foundries have very good correlation between model and physical silicon. A proper PDK installation and choosing the process option is all that needs to be done.

Thorough behavior simulation and detailed circuit simulations at the required PVT (process, voltage, and temperature) corners will assure that the circuit will operate as expected. Circuit layout requires knowledge of the circuit of design, knowledge of process effects to analog performance, and meticulous attention to the details of every single trace.

The work above requires a seasoned team of experienced circuit designers and layout engineers with multiple-domain knowledge. For example, an analog circuit designer needs to have a working knowledge of layout rules and placement guidelines as well as the main process effects to the circuit performance, and a layout engineer need be able to identify the key requirements for each trace, whether a trace is for power, general signal, or sensitive signal.

With a good circuit architecture, accurate PDK, thorough simulations, detailed layout, and an experienced team to execute through the analog design flow, a high-quality analog IP will be delivered with minimum rounds of iterations through the design flow.

Good analog design teams are scarce and hard to come by, and high-quality analog IPs are rare and are quite valuable in the market as well. This often leads to the question from IC design companies whether a particular analog IP is silicon proven or requiring an analog IP to be silicon proven to be qualified for use. Hence, we come to the fundamental questions are, what is silicon proven? and is silicon-proven proof of IP quality?

The general definition of a silicon-proven IP is an IP that has been manufactured on silicon and its functionality benchtest measured, hence verified on-silicon. Once an IP is silicon-proven, it gains credibility that it will work as expected on a production chip, with the identical layout on the same process technology. However, such a silicon proof is only a single-point (or several points) validation of the design, usually based on pre-defined parameters and measured at specific voltage and temperature points; in other words, a sample of the IPs capabilities. Whether this silicon proven IP is production quality is determined before the manufacturing of this IP: the architecture chosen, the comprehensive simulations and design corners covered, the diligence put in the layout, and the effort in verification during development. In other words, an IP that is silicon-proven is merely a sanity check, only proving that the IP development flow seems to be okay. This does not seem to be a sufficient proof of quality.

Some silicon-proven IPs are IPs extracted from production chips, or used by other licensees in successful production, which have endured real-world high-volume tests under all sorts of conditions. These IPs certainly have credibility in its quality. However, these IPs are designed specifically for a particular product in a particular process node; for a project in a different node, process-porting is required, thus nullifying its silicon-proven status. In the case where a new project is using the exact node as the silicon verified IP, the IP may not match your need in terms of performance or area. For example, the PMOS driving device consists of over 50% of the entire LDO area, a silicon-proven LDO is often overdesigned for ones need, costing more silicon area than necessary. The dimensions are also fixed, so the other components need to fit the dimensions of the IP. Modifications to these silicon-proven IPs are possible, but the additional cost in money ($xxx k) and time (6 months to a year) for each instance is quite often too high to bear. Modifications also invalidates the silicon-proven status of the original IP.

Process choice, process option, design parameters over corners, functions are all factors determining the silicon-proven validity of the IP. Shown in table form, it is clear that silicon-proven is very rare in IP reuse.

In summary, silicon-proven IPs are tied to certain processes with defined performances and validated at specific points of the design parameters. They may not match ones need, and modifications to the IPs most likely invalidate their silicon-proven statuses. The quality of an analog IP is still based on the criteria addressed in the previous section, namely: good architecture, accurate PDK, thorough simulations, experienced design team, and a rigorous design flow to connect all these qualities together.

At Agile Analog, we have an experienced analog design team, with decades of experience with all sorts of analog and mixed-mode IPs. Our designers have designed and delivered analog IPs across standard CMOS processes, in both mature and advanced nodes, as well as specialty CMOS processes such as SOI and BCD processes.

In addition, Agile Analogs core technology is a formal-flow to the so-called art of analog circuit design. By applying software automation via rules-based AI to the generation of the IP and to the design flow, we are developing and delivering analog IPs in a revolutionary way. Our method not only defines the schematic, the what of the IP, but also the intent and the essence of the design, which is the why and the how an IP works. This allows us to develop and generate an IP in any process node, and the automated, comprehensive verification flow assures the performance and quality of the IP for every delivery.

Taking advantage of Agile Analogs IP generation engine, we can deliver analog IPs tailored to the specific needs of each customer. The specifications are exactly to spec," optimized for area and performance. For the front-end portion of the project, Agile Analogs initial deliverables include behavior models for system simulations. The behavior models are process-independent, which means that analog IPs can be introduced early in the system design flow, allowing customers to plan and simulate the system including the analog IPs early in product development. For the back-end portion of the project, in the case of a PDK update from the foundry, regeneration or re-verification of the IP can be quickly done. It is also possible to evaluate IP performance across different process nodes or device options.

Fundamental analog IPs such as power management (PMU), sensors, and data processing (ADC & DAC) are essential blocks in every SoC, but due to its repetitiveness, maturity in design and domain knowledge, these tasks are often mundane and unexciting to an analog expert. Agile Analogs ability to repeatedly generate these fundamental IPs allows customers to focus their team and experts on their differentiating analog and mixed mode designs, i.e., the addedvalue portion or secret sauce of their product.

A customers product lineup usually consists of several chips of varying features and configurations, which Agile Analog can sufficiently support by generating an assortment of analog IPs to meet each chips specific requirements. In addition, Agile Analog can also generate IPs in any process node of customers choice, as a customer migrates to newer process nodes, Agile Analogs IP delivery can follow customers development roadmap. Our automation technology brings consistency to our IP generation and delivery across technologies. Automation also applies to our quality checks, meaning less sensitive to human interference, and continuous improvement as new rules and features are added to our flow. Gone are the days of finding new analog IP vendors every time one migrates to a new technology node, Agile Analog can do it all.

Good architecture, thorough design and simulation, quality layout, and following a formal and automated design flow that ensure the above criteria are met at every step are the essential elements to developing high-quality analog IPs. Agile Analogs experienced design team and our IP generation engine assures that our deliverables will meet the quality and performance that our customers and the IC industry demands. Through our formal flow and automation, Agile Analog can deliver high quality analog IPs for all process nodes and optimized to customers individual needs in a repeatable and timely manner.

Agile Analogs customer can kick-off a project with the assurance that the fundamental analog IPs are available and will meet the projects specifications, without the need to shop around. Our approach to analog IP development can grow and evolve along with the customer, either horizontally across the product line, or vertically to newer technologies and process nodes.

Following the footsteps of the leaders in IC industry, Agile Analog is committed to bring success to our customers. Many thanks to Pete Hutton, Mike Hulse, Robert McCubbin, and Graham Woods for their valuable comments and contributions to this paper.

About the author:

Michael Lei is an FAE for APAC region at Agile Analog. Michael began his career in 2007 as an RF circuit designer and has designed RF circuits, led RF projects, led SoC projects, launched new products, managed customer projects, and done technical marketing for new projects at several IC design companies in Taiwan and China. His expertise is in RF and analog circuits and systems for cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and its use in IoT applications.

About Agile Analog:

Analog IP needs to be different for each design. That is why Agile Analog has made a new way of doing things, conceived by some of the best minds in the industry. We provide a wide range of analog IP that is customised to your needs quickly, to a higher quality, and on any semiconductor process. Contact us at www.agileanalog.com to find out more.

If you wish to download a copy of this white paper, click here






Ireland Changes its Entry Restrictions for International Travellers

News

From 6th March 2022, international travellers to Ireland will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative PCR test upon arrival. There will no longer be any requirement to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form for travel to Ireland. For further information, please consult the following: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/77952-government-advice-on-international-travel/



While the restrictions for persons travelling to Ireland have ended, other countries, such as Bulgaria, may require proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative PCR test. An EU Digital COVID Certificate can continue to be used as evidence of COVID-19 vaccination, booster vaccination, recovery from COVID-19, or proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Before travelling please consult travel requirements for your country of destination.

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Awards under Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund

News

The Department of Foreign Affairs has established a Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund as announced here.

The Fund aims to increase knowledge, understanding and citizen engagement in global issues, in the context of the Governments Global Ireland Programme - growing our footprint, impact and influence in the world. By building the capacity of media outlets, the Fund will support the provision of public information about major geo-political developments and the changing nature of Irelands role in the world across a range of topics and geographical regions. A desired outcome is that the public will, as a result of increased media engagement and ensuing debate, develop a greater understanding of international issues, including the context in which Irelands foreign policy is developed and pursued.

The Media Challenge Fund will be used for the purposes of generating media engagement on important global developments relevant to Ireland, arising, inter alia, from Irelands UN Security Council Membership, global challenges, and Irish foreign policy priorities. Complete editorial independence is one of the core principles of the Fund. The Terms of reference of the Fund are available here

An Expert Advisory Panel was established to provide independent expertise, and to help ensure good governance through informed decision making on all applications as announced here

Three submissions were received from media that have resulted in the awarding of grant funding. The organisations in receipt of funding, and the amounts they will receive in 2022 are as follows:

RTE - 360k

Virgin Media Television - 200k

The Journal - 90k

Applications to the fund will remain open through the year and adjudication of submissions will take place on a case by case basis. For further queries on the fund please mail at GIUmediachallenge@dfa.ie.

Previous DFA GIMCF Statements:

Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund announcement

December - Global Ireland Media Fund - Department of Foreign Affairs (dfa.ie)

Terms of Reference Message:

April - Terms of reference for the Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund - Department of Foreign Affairs (dfa.ie)

Expert Advisory Message

July - Expert Advisory Panel established for the Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund - Department of Foreign Affairs (dfa.ie)

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The First Assyrian Workers From Turkey in Germany

Alexander Maksiye and his wife Janet Maksiye in Wurzburg (2011). Wurzburg, Germany (AINA) -- The 60th anniversary of the German-Turkish recruitment agreement (German: Anwerbeabkommen) was officially celebrated in many cities across the country end of October 2021. In his speech at the state commemoration event in Berlin, Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, addressed the invited guests, stating that

"You helped building up Germany -- You have enriched our country, economically, but above all humanly! Your hard work, your passion and your humanity have made our country what it is today. For this I am deeply grateful to you, who are with us today as representatives of the first generation..."

With the recruitment agreement, which was signed with Turkey on October 30, 1961, not only Turks but also members of the minorities arrived in Germany. Thus, in the course of the opening of job opportunities abroad, the first groups of Assyrians, mainly from the city of Midyat, arrived in Germany.

Assyrians of different Christian denominations lived mainly in southeast, Turkey, especially in the districts of Tur Abdin, Mardin, Sirnak and Hakkari, in a region that was a restricted area for foreigners to enter until the early 1960s. Life was marked by insecurity and discrimination due to the unfavorable legal status as a non-Turkish and non-Muslim minority. Added to this was the difficult economic and social situation in the region.

Until the 1960s, Midyat was the only city in Turkey with a majorly Christian population. Midyat had a strong tradition of craftsmanship and trade. It provided the entire region with important services; at a young age, most young people began to learn a craft profession. Not all craftsmen were able to establish an own business of find permanent employment opportunity in Midyat to support their families. The younger generation dreamed of a better life and often did not want to continue their family's traditional agricultural work. Some moved to Istanbul or other Turkish cities in the west of the country to find work. My father, for example, gave up tailor workshop and worked since the late 1950s for US companies in Turkey who owned government licenses for drilling for oil, gas and water.

Germany had a special appeal to Assyrians, not only because of its reputation for quality products, but also because it was considered a Christian country. When Germany and several European countries began to recruit guest workers from Turkey, including Austria (from 1964), Holland (1964) and France (1965), many Assyrians saw this as an opportunity to come to Europe. This process of migration, triggered by domestic and foreign policy circumstances (such as the Cyprus crisis or the Kurdish conflict), continued in several waves and over several decades until the end of the 1990s.

Assyrian Work Migrant Pioneers

The very first Assyrian who came to Germany in the course of the recruitment agreement in 1961 from Midyat was Alexander Maksiye. The 84-year-old lives with his family in the city of Wurzburg. He is officially one of the very first 45 people recruited from Turkey to Germany in 1961 in context of the agreement. He was specially honored for this 2011 in the city of Wurzburg during the commemoration of anniversary of the agreement. His life story was even presented in a short stage play at the Wurzburg's City Theater.

With his support, his three brothers Habib, Johann and Sait followed him to Germany in 1962 and 1963. Johann, meanwhile 78 years old and grandfather, lives in his retirement in Wurzburg too. In our conversation about the early times in Germany, he told me that "Alexander, as a young man in Istanbul in 1961, worked for his cousin as a tailor; there he learned about the recruitment agreement between Germany and Turkey from the newspaper."

In Istanbul and other cities in Turkey, there were large advertising campaigns for the agreement with Germany. Posters and advertisements in newspapers announced that Germany was looking for skilled workers. Interested people had to apply to the local employment agency (Isci Bulma Kurumu), undergo an aptitude test if they did not have the necessary qualifications, and pass a health examination. The latter was performed by a German doctor accompanied by an interpreter in Istanbul.

Johann also tells me that Alexander "immediately went to the employment agency in Istanbul and filled an application to come to Germany and work as a tailor. At the employment office, however, he was told that they were looking for carpenters in Germany."

As it happens, Alexander Maksiye had a small carpenter's workshop in Midyat, knew the profession and thus had the qualification. He applied as a carpenter and, after completing his papers, passport and health examination, travelled to Stimpfach, a small town of 2500 south of Crailsheim in southern Germany.

After a year Alexander moved to Aalen in Baden-Wurttemberg, south of Crailsheim, about thirty minutes from Stimpfach, to work as a tailor in his dream job. There was the main factory of the Greiff-Werke. It was one of the well-known German manufacturers of men's and industrial clothing at the time, founded after the Second World War.

In 1962, Alexander initiated an invitation (work assurance) from the German company to his then 17-year-old brother Johann, who was still learning the tailor profession in Midyat. Johann made his way to Istanbul to take care of the necessary papers to leave for Germany.

Johann Maksiye in Germany, 1963. According to Johann:

When I arrived in Istanbul, my cousin, who had been living and working in Istanbul for some time, helped me with the formalities. At the passport office I was told that as a minor I could not get a passport without my parents' permission. I wrote a letter to my father in Midyat to send me an officially certified permission. This took several months; during that time, I worked as a tailor to earn my living expenses. I had the invitation from the Greiff-Werke in Aalen, which confirmed that I could work for them as an apprentice. Therefore, I did not have to go through the procedure of the Turkish Employment Agency, nor did I have to go for a health check. Finally, in February, I was able to complete my documents and board the train to Germany at the Istanbul's Sirkeci Train Station. The journey to Germany on the Orient Express, at that time the locomotive was coal driven, took two days. The route led via Bulgaria, former Yugoslavia, and Austria to Munich. Arriving in Munich on a Sunday, February 28th, I changed the train to Ulm in order to travel from there to Aalen/Wurttemberg, my final destination.

People who arrived via the Isci Bulma Kurumu were received by a German team in Munich and got guidance and support to get to their destinations.

"When I arrived in Aalen, I was surprised that my brother was not waiting for me at the train station, because I had sent him a letter about my arrival before my trip." It turned out that Johann's letter had not yet arrived from Istanbul.

Other Assyrians joining from Midyat

The group of Assyrian men from Midyat in Aalen grew over the next few years. In addition, my own father, Ibrahim, came to Aalen in the middle of the 1960s with other friends, most of whom also worked as tailors at the Greiff-Werke. According to Johann, the Assyrian group made up about a quarter of the 40 or so workers from Turkey who were employed at Greiff-Werke, most of whom were women.

During the holiday season in the summer months, many traveled back to Midyat to visit their families; others used the opportunity to get married. Through marriage and family reunification, the first small diaspora community of people originating from Midyat came into being in Aalen. In the course of family reunification in 1967, my own family settled in Aalen too. My younger sister and myself were the only Assyrian children in Aalen at that time. We were immediately registered by my father to schools nearby in Aalen. It was no coincidence that the group in Aalen came from the same quarter of Midyat and were most of them related to each other.

A few years later Alexander and his brothers, Ishak Mourike and Iskender Turker, moved to Wurzburg, a city in northern Bavaria, as did my family in 1969. Most members of the Aalen group continued to work for a subsidiary of the Greiff-Werke in the region and used to live with their families until early the 1970s in the same apartment complex.

According to Johann Maksiye, in the mid-1960s there were in total about 35 Assyrians from Midyat working in different countries in Europe, among them Austria, Holland and Switzerland; Johann knew most of their names. One can speak of them as the pioneers of migrant workers to Germany.

The residence permit for guest workers coming from Turkey was initially limited to two years. Accordingly, the employment contracts had to be also limited. In the sense of a rotation principle, the foreign workers were supposed to return home and be replaced by new workers. In contrast to Germany's other recruitment agreements with Italy or Spain, there was no provision for family reunification for the workers recruited from Turkey initially.

Assyrian worker group from Midyat in Aalen/Wurtt. mid 1960s. Standing from left to right: Ibrahim Abraham (author's father), Iskender Turker, Hanna Aydin, Konstantin Aydin and Johann Maksiye. Sitting from left to right: Alexander Maksiye and Ishak Mourike.

However, the principle of rotation could not be maintained in the long run. German companies particularly spoke out against letting semi-skilled workers leave after two years. A new version of the Agreement with Turkey, dated May 19, 1964, repealed the principle of rotation; the ban on family reunification was also lifted.

Shortly after the start of the oil crisis in 1973, the then German Social Democrats-led government under Willi Brandt decided to stop further recruitment, which affected all recruitment countries. Until then, according to official statistics, nearly 800,000 (680,002 men and 150,000 women) people from Turkey were living in Germany.

In 1973 the Assyrian community living in and around the city of Wurzburg and originating from Midyat and villages of Tur Abdin grew to nearly 50 Assyrian families.
A COVID-19 patient casts a ballot for the presidential election at a polling station in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, March 9. Yonhap





Korea confirmed more than 300,000 COVID-19 cases for a second consecutive day Wednesday as the dominant Omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to spur new outbreaks nationwide.







The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 327,549 new infections, including 327,490 local ones, raising the total caseload to 5,539,650.







Daily infections exceeded the 300,000 mark for the first time the previous day with 342,446 cases.







The accumulated virus cases also surpassed the 5 million mark on that day, meaning one-tenth of the country's 52 million population has been infected with the virus.







The country crossed the 1 million mark early last month.







The Omicron-fueled spike in infections has recently led to more COVID-19 deaths, and severe and critical cases.







The country added 206 more deaths, raising the total to 9,646, according to the KDCA, for a fatality rate of 0.17 percent.







Severe and critical virus cases came to 1,113, up 26 from the previous day. The tally's record high was 1,151, Dec. 29. (Yonhap)


Jio's new subsea cable system IAX to connect the Maldives directly to India and Singapore

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (Jio), Indias largest 4G and mobile broadband digital service provider, will land the next generation multi-terabit India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) undersea cable system in Hulhumale, Maldives.

The high capacity and high-speed IAX system will connect Hulhumale directly with Worlds major internet hubs in India and Singapore.

This is the first stride towards enhancing our connectivity infrastructure and opening vast opportunities for our people through providing secure, affordable and high-quality services. We also aim to diversify our economy and establish ourselves as a key communications hub in South Asia. Aside from economic development, this will accelerate social development through high-speed internet access throughout the Maldives allowing us to attain the equitable development we seek, Maldives minister of economic development Uz Fayyaz Ismail, said while speaking at the launch of the Maldives' first international cable system.

Todays global economy is driven by low-latency broadband, connecting people, businesses, content, and services. IAX will not only connect Maldives to the worlds content hubs, but it will also support the explosive growth in data demand expected from the new initiatives being launched by the government of Maldives, said Mathew Oommen, president, Reliance Jio. Jio is very pleased to be working with the government of the Maldives to help realise this ambition by providing high-quality, terabit capacity supporting Web 3.0-capable internet services, he added.

The IAX system originates in Mumbai in the west and connects directly to Singapore, with branches, including additional landings in India, Malaysia, and Thailand. The IndiaEurope-Xpress (IEX) system connects Mumbai to Milan, landing in Savona, Italy, and includes additional landings in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean.

IAX is expected to be ready for service end-2023, while IEX will be ready for service in mid-2024.

These high capacity and high-speed systems will provide more than 200Tb/s of capacity at speeds of 100 Gb/s, over 16,000 kilometers. Employing open system technology and the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units ensures rapid upgrade deployment and the ultimate flexibility to add/drop waves across multiple locations.

IEX and IAX together will be one of the most important developments intelecommunications infrastructure in this decade, linking India, Europe to Southeast Asia, and now the Maldives, say a Reliance Jio release.
Simon Coveney has warned Ireland is facing an increased threat from cyber attacks since the invasion of Ukraine.

The Oireachtas Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee heard from Minister for Foreign Affairs on Thursday, who said the Irish Government was taking precautions against potential cyber attacks.

His appearance comes amid the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, with Ireland poised to potentially take in tens of thousands of refugees from the war-torn country.

There is an increased cyber threat in our assessment. And we are taking the the appropriate precautions in relation to that in terms of a heightened sense of awareness and concern in that space, Mr Coveney told TDs and senators.

The Foreign Affairs minister, responding to a question from Fine Gael TD David Stanton, also indicated that Ireland is currently preparing to send defence equipment to Ukraine.

The country has already signed up to an EU-wide fund to provide arms and equipment to Ukraine, although Ireland as a militarily neutral nation has already committed to providing non-lethal equipment only.

Mr Coveney said: Were also looking to see what actual gear we can provide as well. Were making some decisions on that actually shortly having looked at what we have that is spare and available.

And youd be surprised  theres not as much as you might think.

But there is some military defence equipment that I think would be useful and were making decisions on that actually as we speak today. And well get it to Ukraine as quickly as we can.

Mr Coveney began his brief appearance at the committee by condemning the unconscionable attack on a maternity and childrens hospital in Mariupol.

This event speaks directly to the need for international pressure to be brought to bear, so that this senseless conflict can be halted, he told politicians.

That is an outrageous act of aggression that cannot go unchecked and we will, as I believe many other countries will as well, ensure there is accountability through all the legal mechanisms available and the legal entities available globally, to to respond to atrocities like that.

However, Mr Coveney was less than certain about the likelihood of Vladimir Putin appearing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to answer for alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.

The ICC has already announced that an investigation has begun into the situation in Ukraine and any possible war crimes.

Im a big supporter of the ICC. So is Ireland. But there are lots of powerful countries who arent and so its really important that this process has begun and in terms of gathering of information and evidence and so on. Whether it will actually result in a prosecution of a President Putin remains to be seen, he said.

Mr Coveney did not rule out the possibility of further sanctions being imposed on Russia by the EU.

The key priority now is the rapid and effective implementation of all of sanctions agreed to date. Discussions will also continue at EU level on possible additional sanctions, he said.

The implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for all of us in Europe, are profound. Every part of Government is working intensely, he said.

Stressing that Ireland is playing a key role in the global moves to resist Russian aggression in Europe, he said that it was vital that civilians are protected as the conflict continues.



Foreign Affairs minister Simon Coveney

Whatever is agreed, or not agreed  on humanitarian corridors or other measures  civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected.

This applies both to those who choose to leave and those who choose to remain. It is a core obligation under international humanitarian law.

Mr Coveney also said that around 45 Irish citizens remain in Ukraine, while 157 have left the country.

He added that the country remains a welcoming place to Russian and Belarusians and had no issue with the citizens of either country.

He went on: The Russian and Belarusian communities in Ireland are part of the fabric of this nation and it is important that we continue to show them that they are welcome here, just as we will for the many Ukrainians now seeking refuge here with us in Ireland.

Mr Coveney was also quizzed on reports that the Irish ambassador to Russia, Brian McElduff, was summoned by the Russian authorities in Moscow.

In terms of of our ambassador in Moscow, Im not going to go into conversations that have happened between the ambassador and authorities in Moscow apart from to say  its not that unusual when theres tension, for our ambassador abroad to be called in by a foreign office in another country.

Its happened in Israel many times, he said.

He was asked in, after the incident in the Russian embassy here in Dublin, which was an unfortunate incident actually, because its distracted away from some of the core messages that we need to be delivering.

But that was not an unexpected conversation. And Im not overly surprised by it at all.

Mr Coveney repeatedly expressed his admiration for the proactive response of the EU and the warm welcome Ukrainian refugees have received.

The generosity of the response has just been breathtaking as far as Im concerned. I mean, the most difficult issue, politically, in the European Union for the last 10 years has been migration.

We couldnt agree on anything in terms of how to deal with migration, how to burden share in the EU, how countries in northern and western Europe could support countries in the south that were being impacted by significant numbers of migrants and asylum seekers coming from North Africa and the Middle East and so on.

And within the space of 48 hours, the EU effectively signed off on a temporary protection mechanism, which essentially allowed an unlimited number of Ukrainians to come into the EU, anywhere in the EU, and effectively be treated as EU citizens.

The response from countries that are highly sensitive politically, to migration, generally, like Hungary, Slovakia and Poland in particular over the last number of years, have just set all of that aside, he said.
Duncan, OK (73533)

Today

Variable clouds with thunderstorms - possibly severe in the afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 74F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 61F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Young musicians from Louth will come together at St. Patrick's Festival Quarter in Collins Barracks from 1pm on Saturday 19 th March to showcase their talents.

Music Generations young community of harpers, rappers, classical, folk, and traditional musicians unite to mark the premiere of new Irish works and celebrate Irelands national emblem  The Harp.

Music Generation Louth is part of Music Generation, Irelands national music education programme which gives children and young people access to high-quality performance music education.

With a mission to remove barriers of access to music and create inspiring musical experiences for children and young people, Music Generation Louth are thrilled to collaborate with Irelands National Festival to create such a memorable live performance opportunity for its young participants.

Summoning a Harp Revival features The Harp Collective, a cross-county initiative made up of 52 young musicians aged 10 -17, from Music Generation Mayo, Music Generation Louth and Music Generation

Laois.

The collective will premier new work from prolific composer Michael Rooney.

This once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to perform for a national and international audience, has been long awaited by

these young musicians.

The young harpers had previously secured a performance opportunity to premier this new music at the World Harp Congress, Wales in July 2020.

With the performance postponed until July 2022, the young musicians are delighted to finally showcase their efforts and to

return to rehearsing together in-person after two years of maintaining momentum and keeping the

music alive.

Its so nice to have an end goal for all our work being done. Actually finally being able to play these

pieces.

They are brand new and its so exciting to be part of that!

Zoe Hennessy, Young Musician, Music Generation Louth joined by the acclaimed harper himself, the programme will also include arrangements of previous works composed by on Michael Rooney, performed by the Laois Trad Orchestra while Music Generation Mayos Harp Collective will take audiences on a thrilling journey of unique traditional arrangements.

Nos Nua, Louth Youth Folk Orchestra, a collaboration with the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann Regional Centre at Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol, includes young musicians from across Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Cavan and Armagh, who will perform an excerpt of Causeway, a suite of new music from Mohsen Amini.

This project is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland through its young ensemble scheme.

Music Generation Cork Citys The Kabin will also travel to the capital to dedicate original music to the harp.

The Kabins young rap artists in collaboration with Louth harper Donnchadh MacAodha, will bring their urban, meaningful and pure daycent energy to performances of new and traditional Irish music.

In 2019, the Irish Harp was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.




The United States is concerned about the recent increase in North Korea's missile testing and is taking necessary steps to counter any possible aggression, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said Wednesday.







John Kirby also denounced the North's recent missile tests as destabilizing.







"We've made clear our concern over the significant increase in DPRK missile testing activity, which we continue to believe undermines peace and security and is destabilizing the region, as well as the international community," the Pentagon press secretary said during a press briefing.







North Korea conducted nine missile launches this year, including seven missile tests in January, the largest number of missile launches it has conducted in a single month.






An uninsured south Armagh man who caused a two vehicle collision when he performed a u-turn on the outskirts of Dundalk, last week avoided a driving ban at Dundalk district court.

Gavin Ferguson (34) with an address at Carrickasticken Road, Forkhill was prosecuted for careless driving, driving without insurance and failing to produce his insurance arising out of the incident at Gibbstown, Ardee Road, Dundalk on October 23rd 2019.

Court presenter Sgt Jimmy McGovern told the court last Wednesday that no injuries were reported at the crash scene but the driver of the other vehicle told gardai he was travelling from Dundalk when the driver of a Citroen Berlingo performed a u-turn in front of him causing the collision.

The court heard one of the vehicles toppled over onto its side.

The defence solicitor said her client is repaying his insurer Zurich 200 per month as part of a repayment plan towards the cost of compensation that was paid to the injured party.

The court heard he had a number of previous convictions, but the solicitor stressed that he has turned his life around.

He is now married and paying the mortgage on the family home which would be at risk if he is not working due to the loss of his licence.

Judge Eirinn McKiernan imposed a 300 fine said in view of the specific circumstances she would not disqualify him from driving.
A large pool of blood at the base of a meat freezer and "extensive" evidence of rodent activity are among some of the problems flagged by food inspectors in February.

According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), closure orders were received by eight takeaways, restaurants and food shops in six counties across Ireland due to breaches of food safety legislation.

This includes Rongs Asian Supermarket, Feng Yuan Meats and Blanch Fried Chicken in Dublin, Green Heart CBD in Meath, Scran in Galway, The Magnet in Limerick, Spice Magic in Tipperary, and Grennan's in Offaly.

Other reasons for the closure orders include substantial accumulation of grease, dirt and food particles on surfaces, ready-to-eat foods stored uncovered and below raw food in the freezer, and no systems or procedures in place to allow for traceability information to be made available.

Staff in multiple businesses were noted as being unable to demonstrate that they were trained in food hygiene.

A lack of designated space for the preparation of raw chicken was also flagged, including the mislabelling of raw meat products, and the fraudulent misrepresentation of the meat products origin.

One establishment did not have any hot running water, and also had a history of persistent and recurring non-compliances.

Chief Executive of the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne, has emphasised all food businesses must operate stringent food safety procedures to protect consumers health.

She said, "The vast majority of food businesses in Ireland must be commended for adhering to high food safety standards, however, there continues to be a number of food businesses failing to do so. We are urging those food businesses to recognise that the legal onus is on them to ensure that the food they serve or produce for their customers is safe to eat, and to ensure there is ongoing compliance with food safety legislation and hygiene standards.

"Food businesses must ensure they have a strong food safety culture in place, including regular and ongoing training of both full and part-time staff. There is simply no excuse for negligent practices."
Claremont, NH (03743)

Today

Rain likely. High 53F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

Showers in the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 44F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
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President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, and U.S. President Joe Biden / EPA-Yonhap





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol held a phone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden, Thursday, during which they reaffirmed the strong alliance against North Korea's repeated launches of ballistic missiles, according to officials in Yoon's party.







Biden congratulated Yoon on winning the presidential election and invited the conservative president-elect of South Korea to the White House, officials of the People Power Party (PPP) said.







During the 20-minute conversation, Yoon emphasized the need for stronger cooperation between South Korea and the United States over North Korea's recent provocations, PPP officials said.







Biden told Yoon that the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation in North Korea and that close coordination among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo was important for policies on Pyongyang.






North Andover, MA (01845)

Today

Periods of rain. High 54F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy and damp with rain early...then becoming partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, second from right, and Ahn Cheol-soo, second from left, who merged his candidacy with Yoon's, clap in the People Power Party's situation room in the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap



By Kwon Mee-yoo



President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) will soon form his Presidential Transition Committee.



Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party, who merged his candidacy with Yoon's at the end of the campaign, has emerged as one of the possible names to lead the committee, as the two had announced that they would cooperate right from the outset, if Yoon were to be elected.



In the agreement for the candidacy merger between Yoon and Ahn that came out six days ahead of the election, the two said, "We will consult (with each other) on everything from the makeup of the transition committee to the makeup of the joint government."



Five years ago when Moon Jae-in was elected, he had no transition team and was inaugurated the day after winning the election, since the election was held after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.



Under the Presidential Transition Act, the committee consists of a chairperson, a vice chairperson and up to 24 committee members. It is in charge of forming a blueprint for the new administration. The committee is permitted to run for a period of 30 days after the new president is inaugurated.



Yoon's closest aides, including Reps. Kweon Seong-dong, Chang Je-won and Yoon Han-hong of the People Power Party (PPP), are expected to take part in the transition committee.



Among them, Chang played a key role behind forming the coalition with Ahn.





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and the People Power Party lawmaker Chang Je-won are seen campaigning in Busan in this March 4 file photo. Yoon named Chang as his chief secretary, Thursday. Yonhap
A WOMAN was put in fear by threatening calls and texts from her ex-partner even though she had a barring order against him.

Now at Cork District Court the 49-year-old man has been given a six-month suspended jail term for breaching the barring order.

Judge John King said: This lady wants no contact with him. I am going to sentence him to six months, suspended for two years. The conditions are that he has no contact with her, save in respect of court ordered access to children, that he remain away from her home and from her parents home, except for child access as provided by court access. Another condition requires the accused to be of good behaviour and not to re-offend.

The judge warned, If he is back before the court for any breach of barring order he can expect not to get mercy from the court.

Defence solicitor, Eugene Murphy, said at the in camera hearing in Cork District Court, on behalf of the accused, He knows he cannot behave like that to his wife.

It is clear the relationship is fractured beyond repair. It took him a long while to accept that.

Since this happened, he has not breached those orders any further. He has not sent this lady any text messages since.

The parties cannot be identified as the matters arose at an in camera hearing for dealing with matters under the Domestic Violence Act.
An environmental activist group called the Tyre Extinguishers has deflated hundreds of SUV tires in Britain in order to send the message that the luxury, off-road vehicles are not welcome in urban areas.

The group said it is the first in what is to be a series of protests.

Thus far, Tyre Extinguishers has disarmed SUVs in wealthy areas of London such as Chelsea, Notting Hill, Belgravia and Hampstead Heath, as well as let the air out of tires in Bristol, Brighton, Cambridge, Liverpool, Sheffield and Edinburgh, according to a press release, as The Independent reported.

The group is taking this action because SUVs are a climate disaster  if SUV drivers were a country, they would be the seventh-largest polluting country in the world, the press release said, as reported by The Independent.

Tyre Extinguishers wants SUVs banned from urban areas and for them to be taxed out of existence through pollution levies, according to the press release, as BBC News reported. They also want to see greater investment in public transportation.

In 2019, a similar campaign in Sweden resulted in a significant decrease in SUV sales.

Governments and politicians have failed to protect us from these massive unnecessary vehicles, Marion Walker, spokesperson for the group, said, as reported by The Independent. Everyone hates [SUVs], apart from the people who drive them. Politely asking for climate action, clean air, and safer streets has failed. Its time for action.

Tyre Extinguishers are a leaderless group, according to the press release, and when and where its actions happen are decided by its members, Walker told inews.co.uk.

Seventy-five percent of SUV owners live in urban areas, and the carbon emissions from the vehicles are about 14 percent higher than those of smaller cars.

When the group deflates the tires of a vehicle, it also puts a leaflet under the windshield wipers giving the reasons for its actions, such as SUVs being responsible for more carbon emissions in the past decade than the aviation industry.

The leaflets left on the vehicles are also to inform the owner of what has happened, for their safety, reported The Independent.

According to an International Energy Agency study, growing SUV sales were the second largest reason for an increase in carbon emissions, BBC News reported.

One upset Twitter user targeted in the action said, You let down my tyres and I didnt notice until I started driving with my three children in my car. My car is fully electric. We also had a child that required to be at the hospital for an appointment in the city. Thankfully we had a second car. Please think before you act, reported The Independent.

Walker said the group will keep up its actions as long as SUV ownership in Britain continues.

Members are free to repeat the action whenever works for them, so it could happen tonight, and the night after, said Walker, as inews.co.uk reported. We will repeat this until it is impossible to own an SUV in Britain.
While many homeowners are switching to solar power to help reduce or even eliminate their month-to-month utility costs, theres no arguing that startup costs of solar panels can be high. One way to save money upfront is with a DIY solar panel installation, but is the challenge of building your own system worth what you save on labor?

In this article, well take a closer look at the pros and cons of DIY solar panel installation, including safety factors, permitting and how much money it saves in the long run.

If youre looking to compare DIY costs to the cost of hiring a professional, you can use this tool or fill out the form below to start getting quotes from solar companies in your area.

Get Free Quotes From EcoWatch Approved Solar Installers

DIY Solar: Considering the Cost Savings

Lets talk dollars and cents. The cost of solar youll find in most research reflects more than just the solar panels themselves. It also takes into account other costs, including wiring, inverters, racking, administrative fees (permits and inspections) and labor.

The average cost of solar, when installed by a top solar company, can range from $10,000 to $20,000  and thats after tax credits, incentives and rebates are applied. Homeowners trying to save money might consider eliminating the labor associated with system design and installation, which can make up 10-25% of total costs.

Here in Louisiana, our market research shows the cost of solar averages around $2.57 per watt. A 5-kW system would cost me around $12,000 before the tax credit, so a DIY solar installation could save me over $2,000.

On the flip side, professional installers buy solar panels, solar inverters and solar batteries from wholesale distributors in bulk, accessing a wider range of products for lower prices than whats available to the general public. This price difference likely wont offset the savings on labor, however.

Consider the longevity of your system as well. How much value can you expect in the long run? Do you trust your own installation to last 25 to 30 years, matching the lifespan of the best solar panels installed professionally? Solar is a long-term investment, so before you set off on your DIY project, make sure your handiwork can stand the test of time.

Pros and Cons of DIY Solar Panel Installation

Beyond price, there are a number of pros and cons to weigh before attempting to install your own solar panel system.

Advantages of DIY Solar Panels

Here are a few of the major benefits of DIY solar:

Cost savings: The most obvious advantage of installing your own solar panels is the cost savings. If you go for a DIY project, youll be racking up the savings  both on your electric bill and solar system installation. By eliminating the need for design and labor help, you can save a decent chunk of change on your residential solar energy system.

The most obvious advantage of installing your own solar panels is the cost savings. If you go for a DIY project, youll be racking up the savings  both on your electric bill and solar system installation. By eliminating the need for design and labor help, you can save a decent chunk of change on your residential solar energy system. DIY system design: Installing your own system lets you keep complete control of your design and aesthetic. So, if youre an amateur solar enthusiast, electrician or DIYer and have a very specific vision for how you want your solar array to be assembled, going the do-it-yourself route can give you free rein to do as you please.

Installing your own system lets you keep complete control of your design and aesthetic. So, if youre an amateur solar enthusiast, electrician or DIYer and have a very specific vision for how you want your solar array to be assembled, going the do-it-yourself route can give you free rein to do as you please. Easing into solar: DIY solar panels can also be a smart option for those who are looking to start small, with a more modest home solar project. For example, maybe youre not looking to offset 100% of your energy use but want to try out a couple of panels to see how much they offset your energy costs. The DIY route can be very cost-effective, especially if you have low energy needs.

Disadvantages of DIY Solar Panels

While there are notable perks to the DIY solar approach, there are also some drawbacks worth noting:

Product availability: Installing DIY solar panels limits the range of products available to you. As mentioned, professional installers have direct access to the most efficient solar panels from leading distributors, and at better prices. As a consumer, your options are going to be more restricted. Being able to purchase the best solar panels can increase system efficiency, reliability and durability significantly, providing more savings on the back end.

Installing DIY solar panels limits the range of products available to you. As mentioned, professional installers have direct access to the most efficient solar panels from leading distributors, and at better prices. As a consumer, your options are going to be more restricted. Being able to purchase the best solar panels can increase system efficiency, reliability and durability significantly, providing more savings on the back end. Potential safety hazards: DIY solar installations are complex. To do it right, you need to be pretty knowledgeable about electrical systems and how solar panels work. Without that know-how, you run the risk of loose connections and other wiring problems. These issues can be real fire hazards, jeopardizing the safety of yourself, your home and your family.

DIY solar installations are complex. To do it right, you need to be pretty knowledgeable about electrical systems and how solar panels work. Without that know-how, you run the risk of loose connections and other wiring problems. These issues can be real fire hazards, jeopardizing the safety of yourself, your home and your family. Efficiency issues: Professional solar installers have the knowledge needed to design a solar system that helps you maximize your energy use. An installer can recommend the exact types of solar panels, roof mounts, inverters and battery banks you need, as well as the proper placement of those components. Without their expertise, you may wind up with a solar system that isnt as efficient as it could be.

Professional solar installers have the knowledge needed to design a solar system that helps you maximize your energy use. An installer can recommend the exact types of solar panels, roof mounts, inverters and battery banks you need, as well as the proper placement of those components. Without their expertise, you may wind up with a solar system that isnt as efficient as it could be. Legality: In some municipalities, DIY solar panels may actually be illegal. You should always check with your local zoning board to ensure that youre even permitted to do a DIY solar installation, especially if youre planning a completely off-grid system. If you plan to feed excess energy back to the grid, youll need to apply for interconnection with your local utility.

In some municipalities, DIY solar panels may actually be illegal. You should always check with your local zoning board to ensure that youre even permitted to do a DIY solar installation, especially if youre planning a completely off-grid system. If you plan to feed excess energy back to the grid, youll need to apply for interconnection with your local utility. Navigating savings opportunities: Professional installers have years of experience claiming all of the rebates and tax incentives in their operating areas. Identifying and securing these opportunities on your own is doable, but it will be time-consuming, and getting the details right will be important.

The bottom line: Installing your own residential solar system can yield some notable advantages, including cost savings, but that doesnt always mean its the best option.

Without the proper expertise, the savings on the front end of your installation may not offset the long-term benefits of a well-designed, efficient and durable system. Due to the safety hazards, limited product options and lack of real solar expertise, many homeowners decide that a DIY solar system installation just isnt worth it.

Starting A DIY Solar Project

If you do decide to go with DIY solar panels, make sure to check local zoning ordinances to be certain you can legally install your own system. Keep in mind youll have to apply for all permitting and interconnection, including fees and inspections. From there, start researching different solar panels, batteries and inverters, while also ensuring you have the right baseline knowledge regarding electrical work.

One thing to keep in mind is that many solar installers offer no-obligation estimates. Even if youre leaning toward a DIY solar system, theres no harm in considering your options and learning a bit more about the solar installation process. Many top companies will even complete a free home consultation and send you a proposal with their recommended system design.

If youre interested in a little bit of free professional help, you can connect with a certified installer near you using this tool or by filling out the following form.

Installing Your Own Solar Panels

Once youve weighed the pros and cons of solar and feel youre qualified to undertake a DIY solar project, heres a brief outline of the steps to take:

Size your system based on the energy use of your home and available roof space. Some zoning requirements require spacing of at least a foot between the solar panels and the edge of your roof. (Again, a free solar consultation can help with this.) Purchase your solar equipment (solar panels, inverters, wiring, racking, etc.) Install your racking or build a secure platform for the solar panels. Mount and secure the solar panels on the racking. Wire the solar panels. Connect your solar array to your homes control panel. Obtain permission to operate from your local utility company (if applicable) before turning the system on.

FAQ: DIY Solar Panels

Can I install my own solar panels?

You can install your own solar panels to save on labor and design costs. However, there are a few disadvantages to consider: Professional solar companies have access to wholesale prices of a wider range of solar equipment, and improper installation can lead to severe safety concerns or inefficient systems.

Is it illegal to install your own solar panels?

It is not typically illegal to install your own solar panels, but this will depend on your area. You should always check with your local zoning board to ensure that youre even permitted to do a DIY solar installation, especially if youre planning a completely off-grid system. If you plan to feed excess energy back to the central power grid, youll need to apply for interconnection with your local utility company.

Is it cheaper to install your own solar panels?

It can be cheaper to install your own solar panels, as youll save money on upfront costs like labor, design, transportation and more. However, by purchasing your panels online or directly from a distributor, you may not have access to the best solar panels or as wide a product selection as you might like.

Karsten Neumeister is a writer and renewable energy specialist with a background in writing and the humanities. Before joining EcoWatch, Karsten worked in the energy sector of New Orleans, focusing on renewable energy policy and technology. A lover of music and the outdoors, Karsten might be found rock climbing, canoeing or writing songs when away from the workplace.
One of the many negative health impacts associated with per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is immunosuppression.

Now, evidence is emerging that exposure to these toxic forever chemicals may increase a persons risk of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing a serious or potentially fatal case.

Theres clear science and evidence that immunological response and PFAS are connected and associated  thats why the Covid aspect is so important to pursue, Christel Nielsen of Swedens Lund University told The Guardian.

Nielsen was a co-author on a Swedish study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in October 2021. The researchers were concerned with whether or not exposure to PFAS would increase COVID risk. PFAS are a class of widely-used chemicals that persist in human bodies and the environment. They may have the ability to block, mimic or disrupt hormones, thereby reducing immunity. There is also some evidence that certain types of PFAS interfere with immunity after vaccination and that exposure can make people more likely to get sick.

The study focused on Ronneby, Sweden, where one third of the population has been exposed to drinking water with high levels of PFAS for decades. It found that the town had a COVID-19 infection rate 19 percent higher during the first year of the pandemic when compared to a neighboring town with less contaminated drinking water, according to The Guardian.

The results suggest a potential link between high PFAS exposure and susceptibility to COVID-19 that warrants further research to clarify causality, the study authors concluded.

The Swedish study is only the latest of four to find a link between PFAS exposure and COVID risk.

The first was published in December 2020 in PLOS One. It looked at the PFAS concentrations in the blood of 323 Danish COVID-19 patients and found that those exposed to a particular PFAS known as perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) were more likely to suffer serious infections.

If you had PFBA in your blood, then you were more likely to go to the hospital, and to stay longer, to get into intensive care and to die from the infection, study co-author and Harvard environmental health professor Phillipe Grandjean told The Guardian.

The next study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in March of 2021, looked at the mortality risk from COVID-19 infections in the Red Zone of Italys Veneto region. This is an area where drinking water was contaminated with PFAS for decades. The scientists found that the region did indeed have a COVID mortality rate 27 percent higher, according to The Guardian.

In conclusion, we observed a higher mortality risk for COVID-19 in a population heavily exposed to PFAS, which was possibly explained by PFAS immunosuppression, bioaccumulation in lung tissue, or pre-existing disease being related to PFAS, the study authors wrote.

Finally, a study published in Environment International in August of 2021 focused on the PFAS-exposed provinces of Shanxi and Shandong in China. The researchers looked at PFAS levels in the urine of 80 COVID-19 patients and 80 symptom-free individuals. They found a correlation between infection and exposure to the forever chemicals perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), as well as to PFAS overall.

While all of these studies show only correlation, not causation, they do indicate that PFAS and COVID-19 could very well be a deadly combination.

This is something that clearly warrants further research, Nielsen told The Guardian.

Another question that Nielsens team is also exploring is whether PFAS exposure might limit the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Grandjean published research in 2012 finding that children exposed to PFOS and PFOA had as many as 50 percent fewer antibodies after being vaccinated for tetanus and diphtheria, as WHYY reported.

There are currently three U.S. studies looking at the relationship between PFAS exposure and COVID-19-vaccine effectiveness.

Right now, particularly with the pandemic and vaccinations on peoples minds, we really want to make sure the vaccines are effective for everyone, especially for people who had high PFAS exposures, Laurel Schaider, a senior scientist for the Silent Spring Institute that is helping to conduct one of the studies, told WHYY.
HONORS CONVOCATION

What is Honors Convocation?

The Honors Convocation is an opportunity for ECSU to celebrate and recognize the academic achievements of undergraduate students with full-time enrollment. Awards will be based on academic identified in both Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 semesters.



Who Will Be Recognized?

All students enrolled in the University Honors Program will be recognized with Merit of Certificate Awards. Chancellors Scholars (who are also members of the University Honors Program) will receive academic blazers, as well as University Honors students who are graduating in Spring 2022 and are completing their honors theses.



Recognition is also given to eight students in each academic department for their high academic achievement. While only eight students can be chosen from each department, each discipline has the opportunity to highlight the academic achievements of their students. Also listed in the Program will be those students who have earned recognition for being on the Chancellors List, Deans List, and Honor Roll.



Who is invited?

Faculty, Staff, students, families, and friends are welcome to attend. According to Chancellor Dixons Communique, COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted but guests are welcome to wear a mask based upon their personal preference. Other families and friends that cannot attend are encouraged to join via livestream to support this years event.

Honors Convocation 2022

Striving for Excellence During Difficult Times

Tuesday, April 26 | 3:30 p.m.

Mickey L. Burnim Fine Arts Center

Honors Convocation Keynote Speaker

Brigadier General Richard A. Harrison









Brigadier General Richard A. Harrison assumed responsibility as the 44th Commandant of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School, Chief of Air Defense Artillery, and Deputy Commanding General of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on August 20, 2020. His prior assignment was the Executive Officer to the Commanding General of UNC/CFC/USFK.



A native of North Carolina, BG Harrison was commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer in 1994 from Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) in Elizabeth City, NC. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from ECSU, a Master of Arts in Policy Management from Georgetown University, and a Master of Science in Strategic Military Studies from the United States Army War College.



BG Harrisons military education includes the ADA Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), and the United States Army War College (USAWC).



BG Harrison's first duty station was Fort Campbell, KY, where he served as an Avenger/Stinger Platoon Leader and Battery Executive Officer in 2-44 Air Defense Artillery (ADA) from April 1995 to May 1998. He later served at Schofield Barracks, HI as the Deputy Assistant Division Air Defense Officer for the 25th ID (Light), Battalion S-1/Adjutant and Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-62 ADA from December 1998 to December 2001. He later commanded Charlie Battery, 1-62 ADA, in Fort Lewis, Washington, from February 2002 to March 2003.



BG Harrison served as an Army Intern in the Immediate Office of the Secretary of Defense from May 2003 to May 2004. From May 2004 to June 2006, he served as a Strategic Planner and Executive Officer for the Army Initiatives Group in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7. Also during this time, he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) serving in numerous positions at the headquarters for Military Transition Teams in Iraq.



Upon graduation from Georgetown University, BG Harrison was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC and served as the Executive Officer for 3-4 Air Defense Artillery Regiment (ADAR) from June 2007 to June 2009. After graduating from CGSC, he returned to Fort Bragg and served as the Deputy Commanding Officer for the 108th ADA Brigade and later the Battalion Commander for 3-4 ADAR from June 2010 to May 2013. He deployed with elements of his battalion to the CENTCOM AOR in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Following graduation from the U.S. Army War College, BG Harrison deployed to Doha, Qatar, where he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff G-3 (Forward) for the 32d Army Air Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) from June 2014 to March 2015 in support of OEF.



BG Harrison commanded the 69th ADA Brigade at Fort Hood, TX, from June 2015 to June 2017. While serving in brigade command, BG Harrison deployed with elements of his brigade to the CENTCOM AOR in support of OEF. In June 2017, BG Harrison relinquished command and was immediately assigned to the Joint Staff, Pentagon. During his tenure on the Joint Staff, BG Harrison served as the Division Chief for the Protection Division, Joint Staff J-3 and later as the Executive Assistant/Executive Officer to the Joint Staff J-3 from June 2017 to June 2019.



His military awards and decorations include Defense Superior Service Medal (1 OLC), Legion of Merit Medal, Bronze Star Medal (2 OLC), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (5 OLC), Army Commendation Medal (1 OLC), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2 OLC), National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Ribbon, Korean Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (w/ numeral 4), Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, Joint Staff Identification Badge, Army Staff Identification Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and German and Uruguayan Airborne Wings.



BG Harrison is married to the former Tyra Jones of Navassa, North Carolina and they have three children, Aliyah (24), Alexa (20), and Collin (15).

Contact:

Dolapo A. Adedeji, Ph.D., MSPHR, ACUE

Director, University Honors Program

Phone: 252.335.8726 | daadedeji@ecsu.edu
Edinboro, California, Clarion universities earn top national rankings in early childhood education

Early childhood educators play important roles in fostering academic, emotional, social and motor skills in young children. Degrees from outstanding higher education institutions prepare students and future teachers for addressing these basic skills in a variety of educational settings.

Online masters degree programs at California and Edinboro universities  which prepare teachers to be effective advocates for learning and positive change  recently earned high rankings from a national analytics website.

University HQ granted California University the No. 46 ranking and Edinboro University the No. 50 ranking in the national Best Online Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education.

Institutional rankings include the cost of tuition, admission rates, retention rates, graduation rates, graduating salary, number of programs offered, online programs offered, loan-default rate, diplomas awarded, number of students receiving financial aid and expert opinions.

Additionally, Clarion University received the No. 13 ranking in the annual Top Online Masters in Early Childhood Education list from OnlineMastersDegrees.com, which analyzes online programming array, students with institutional aid, academic counseling and career services.

Dr. Gwen Price, dean of the College of Education at California, Clarion and Edinboro universities, said early childhood teachers lay the critical foundation on which children build their education. If that foundation is shaky, students could struggle to learn and grow appropriately.

This is why preparing early childhood educators well is so vitally important, and we must keep striving to prepare them with evidence-based practices that will allow the teachers and the students to be successful, she said. I am proud to be involved with programs that focus on this important mission, and I am excited that they have been recognized for their dedication to excellence.

With nearly 5,000 graduate students between the three campuses, California, Clarion and Edinboro offer 100% online degree programs for certified and pre-service teachers in elementary, special or early childhood education.

During the masters degree program at California, students gain and apply in-depth knowledge of child development, families and best teaching practices in a variety of education settings.

This track at California is designed for individuals who wish to expand their career options by earning a masters degree, but do not wish to pursue early childhood education teaching certification.

Edinboro University's degrees in Early Childhood Education and Reading offer outstanding educational experiences at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. These accredited programs help students develop skills and dispositions necessary to become effective facilitators of learning in the classroom.

Clarion's online early childhood program allows students to earn a degree in early childhood education while working full time. The program is designed to prepare early childhood professionals for classroom positions through construction of knowledge, skills and dispositions related to child development and the importance of early care and education.

Early childhood faculty at all three campuses engage in ongoing research, scholarship, and service. More than 90% hold terminal degrees in their chosen fields.

All California, Clarion and Edinboro teacher certification and school personnel preparation programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), recognized by the National Association for the Education on Young Children (NAEYC) and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.


The leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) decided to resign en masse on Thursday following the party's loss in this week's presidential election, the party's chief announced.







DPK Chairman Song Young-gil announced the decision following a meeting of the party's supreme council after Lee Jae-myung, the DPK's presidential candidate, was defeated by Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) in Wednesday's election.







"We respect the people's decision shown through the votes and humbly accept the results," Song said at a press conference at the National Assembly. "I plan to resign by holding myself responsible for the election loss," he added.







The party will operate under an emergency steering committee, which will be lead by DPK floor leader Yun Ho-jung. The party is reviewing on electing a new floor leader before March 25.







With all the votes counted, the PPP's Yoon had 48.56 percent of the vote and the DPK's Lee took 47.83 percent in Wednesday's election, according to the National Election Commission.







The 0.73 percentage-point gap makes this year's election the closest ever. (Yonhap)






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A pedestrian walks past a mural, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in downtown Sandpoint, Idaho. The Mayor of Sandpoint and many residents worry that the trend of a growing number of real estate companies advertising to conservatives that they can help people move out of liberal bastions like Seattle and San Francisco and find homes in places like rural Idaho is not good for their community. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol poses for photos after receiving flowers in his party's election situation room at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10. Yonhap



By Jane Han



SEATTLE  Echoing calls from voters in their motherland, Korean nationals in the U.S. asked newly elected president Yoon Suk-yeol to usher in a new chapter of unity, equality and recovery from years of worsening economic disparity and generational and gender division.



Conservative opposition and political novice Yoon came out just narrowly beating liberal Lee Jae-myung from the ruling party in a nail-biting tight race  the closest ever in the country's political history  that displayed how sharply divided the country is.



Yoon garnered 48.56 percent of votes, while Lee brought in 47.83 percent.



''The numbers show exactly what the country needs from the new president,'' said Jin Lee, 42, a freelance photographer, who was one of more than 220,000 Korean nationals living overseas to cast ballots in the presidential election.



''One in two people did not vote for Yoon so what does that mean?'' said Lee. ''I hope the new president will work even harder for the people who didn't support him.''






Recent statements by US Secretary of State Blinken indicating that the White House had been considering the importation of Russian oils has generated worries over the supply of crude oil. Global oil prices began skyrocketing and reached US$139 per barrel, with brent crude prices rising by 18% within a minutes-long interval, though the price hike has narrowed to a mere 9% shortly afterwards, according to Bloomberg.

As the market fretted over the tight supply of oil in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, oil prices last week underwent the highest price hike within the past two years. In addition, Secretary Blinken indicated that the Biden administration and its various European allies have been planning to stop importing oil from Russian in an attempt to expand sanctions against the country.

The IMF warns that the Russian-Ukrainian war and the resultant sanctions against Russia will likely have severe impacts on the global economy. Although geopolitical relations remain unstable and outlooks seem massively uncertain, economic repercussions are already quite serious.

Last weekend, Saudi Arabia raised the prices of the Arab Light crude bound for Asia next month to US$4.95 per barrel, marking the highest price hike since Bloomberg began tracking such data in 2000. Libyan minister of oil and gas claimed that, as the OPEC member becomes increasingly entrenched in deep political crises, the countrys oil production has now fallen below one million barrels per day. These aforementioned factors are all expected to result in bullish oil prices.

(Image: Flickr/Roy Luck CC BY 2.0)
Athens, AL (35611)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
The European Commission has sent Google a request to remove Russian state media results for searches performed in countries within the EU. As The Washington Post reports, Google has uploaded a letter from EU officials to a database of government requests. In it, the officials explain how the commission's official order to ban the broadcast of RT and Sputnik in the European Union also applies to search engines and internet companies in general.

If you'll recall, the commission issued a ban on the state media outlets a few days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said back then that by doing so, the outlets "will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin's war." While it wasn't quite clear how the order applies to internet companies, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok promptly restricted access to RT and Sputnik across Europe. Google also announced its own restrictions, but only for the outlets' YouTube channels.

In the letter Google has uploaded, officials explained that search engines play a major role in disseminating content and that if the company doesn't delist the outlets, it would facilitate the public's access to them. Part of the letter reads:

"The activity of search engines plays a decisive role in the overall dissemination of content in that it renders the latter accessible to any internet user making a search on the basis of the content indication or related terms, including to internet users who otherwise would not have found the web page on which that content is published...Consequently, if search engines such as Google did not delist RT and Sputnik, they would facilitate the public's access to the content of RT and Sputnik, or contribute to such access.

It follows from the foregoing that by virtue of the Regulation, providers of Internet search services must make sure that i) any link to the Internet sites of RT and Sputnik and ii) any content of RT and Sputnik, including short textual descriptions, visual elements and links to the corresponding websites do not appear in the search results delivered to users located in the EU."

Google didn't return The Post's request for comment, but the publication says a search conducted within the EU didn't bring up links for "Russia Today." RT links still showed up for us, however, when we conducted searches using Google Austria and France.

The letter also said that the order applies to "posts made by individuals that reproduce the content of RT and Sputnik"  for example, screenshots of articles from those outlets  and that social networks must delete those posts if they get published. That could create a deluge of additional work for social media websites already struggling to moderate content posted by their users. According to The Post, though, the actual sanctions law doesn't define the order in the way that's written in the letter, so the officials' interpretation could be challenged in court.
As the conflict in Ukraine continues, Google is rolling out an Android feature it hopes will help people in the country stay safe. Ukraine's government asked Google to deploy an air raid alert system on Android phones, and it worked with the company to do so. Google says the feature complements the existing air strike alerts  it's based on alerts the government is already providing to its residents.

In the latest update to a blog post in which it details the steps it's taking to help Ukraine, Google says it has now suspended most of its commercial activities in Russia. Those include ads for all entities based in Russia , Google Cloud signups, payments on most services and YouTube monetization features for Russian viewers. Free services such as YouTube, Gmail and Search are still available in Russia for the time being.

Starting today, hotel owners in countries neighboring Ukraine can note on their business profile if they offer discounted or free stays to refugees . Businesses can share details on their business profile on Search and Maps about services and aid they're offering to refugees from Ukraine.

Google is also letting NGOs in Warsaw use one of its campuses to offer legal and psychological support to refugees. It previously announced similar support for NGOs in Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, as well as a $10 million pledge toward local organizations in Poland that are aiding refugees.

Meanwhile, Google's Threat Analysis Group has detected activity from FancyBear and Ghostwriter, hacking groups believed to have ties to Russia and Belarus, respectively. The team shared details about those threats earlier this week to increase awareness among those in the security community and those who may be at risk of cyberattacks.
Chatting with an iPhone user has always been frustrating for Android device owners, because iMessage emojis appear as text on Google Messages. As it previewed last month in a beta, Google has started rolling out a feature for Messages that translates iMessaging "Tapbacks" as emojis. It will first arrive to Android devices set to English, "with additional languages to follow," Google wrote in a blog post.

Until now, a "thumbs up" to a text that says "see you in ten?" sent from an iPhone would be translated to "liked 'see you in ten?'", for example. With the new feature, Android users receive emojis instead, though they may not match exactly what was sent  a "heart" reaction yields the "face with the heart eyes," for instance. To make that clear to the user, they'll also see "translated from iOS."

Google

That's not the only feature that will make inter-device communication easier. Taking the opportunity to slam iOS's lack of RCS messaging, Google pointed out that photos and videos can look blurry when shared with Apple devices. However, it's sort of fixing that by bringing Google Photos into Messages. "You can send your videos as Google Photos links right inside the conversation, preserving their clarity," it said. A similar feature for photos is "coming soon."

Google also launched other features within Messages to help keep you on top of things. Organized Inbox sorts your messages into personal and business tabs, much as Gmail can do. It'll also automatically delete one-time password text messages after 24 hours to further reduce clutter, if you want. And if you forget to reply to a message, "gentle nudges can remind you to reply to messages you may have missed or need to follow up on," Google said.

Other new features include birthday reminder nudges if you've saved someone's birthday in your contacts app. It also launched new emoji functions, letting you "create the perfect emoji if you have Gboard set as your keyboard in Messages." It added that Emoji Kitchen now has "over 2000 new emoji mashups available as stickers, letting you replace heart eyes with pretzels or rain disco balls," it cited as examples. And finally, Google revealed that YouTube videos will now appear directly in conversations if you send a link.
TikTok now has its own music distribution platform. The social network has launched SoundOn, which allows artists to upload their music directly to TikTok and to distribute it to various music streaming services. ByteDance, the app's parent company, won't be charging artists any distribution or transaction fees. Artists will get 100 percent of their royalties for an unlimited time when TikTok creators use their music for their videos, as well as for whatever they earn on ByteDance's music streaming service Resso.

For other streaming services that include Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora, artists will get 100 percent of their royalties in the first year and then 90 percent in the years after that. As TechCrunch reports, other similar music distribution platforms charge subscription fees or charge for distribution while paying out 100 percent in royalties to artists.

SoundOn users will be able to choose which streaming services they want to upload their music to. They'll also get access to audience insights, advice from the SoundOn marketing team and promotional support from TikTok. They'll get verified on TikTok, as well, and other users will see their profile under the song page for their tracks. As noted on SoundOn's FAQ page, artists will get to keep all the rights to their music, and they're not expected to use the platform exclusively.

TikTok already has a massive effect on the music industry, thanks to viral videos on the app that tend to use the same catchy tunes. The SoundOn platform, which could potentially expand TikTok's influence even further on today's music landscape, is now live in the US, UK, Brazil and Indonesia, and musicians in those regions can visit its website to register.
Fears that Russia could steal top-secret government documents has caused Ukrainian authorities to explore potentially moving its data and servers to another country, reported Reuters. While the original plan is still to protect the countrys IT infrastructure, moving the most sensitive data to another location is a viable Plan B, Victor Zhora the deputy chief of Ukraine's information protection armtold the news service.

Ukraine has already faced a litany of aggressive cyberattacks from the neighboring nation, including last months penetration of its military and energy networks. Russia also attempted to interfere with Ukraines 2014 presidential election and regularly launches attacks on Ukraines power grid, leading to outages that last for days.

The Ukrainian government made the precautionary move of migrating its computer systems in Kyiv in 2014, following Russias occupation of Crimea. Ukrainian cyber teams have developed plans to disable infrastructure and transfer back-ups if its networks become compromised, Zhora told Politico.

But the fact that Ukraines most sensitive data is centralized in Kyiv presents a problem if Russias military occupies the capital. At the time of publication, Russian troops are currently encircling Kyiv, and experts estimate they could attack the city within days. Ukraine is already moving some sensitive data and servers to remote areas, out of Russias reach.

Ukraine hasn't released details on where it might attempt to relocate its sensitive governmental data, but shifting it to an allied nation might provide more than just physical distance from Russian's military. Reuters reported that cyberattacks against said data, were it stored within the borders of an ally nation, might trigger NATOs collective defense clause, which requires all member nations to respond if one is attacked.

For now, Ukraines Parliament still has to give its seal of approval before the nations sensitive data can be moved.
Enid, OK (73701)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. High 61F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. Low around 55F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.


By Kang Seung-woo



Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) has been elected as the new president to lead Korea for next five years after defeating Lee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) by fewer than 250,000 votes, or 0.8 of a percentage point, in Wednesday's election.



The 61-year-old Yoon, who served as the prosecutor general under President Moon Jae-in, declared his presidency last July after resigning from the prosecution last March, following bitter clashes with the administration. He has never held any elected office before winning the presidential election.



Despite his inexperience in politics, more than 48 percent voted for Yoon. They turned out to vote against the ruling party, as they are frustrated by the soaring housing prices amid the ever-widening wealth gap between the haves and have-nots under the Moon administration, which led to the change of power.



In the lead-up to the election, public aspirations for a change of government had been hovering around 50 percent in polls, due to growing discontent with President Moon's policies. Yoon quickly emerged as a favorite to take on the ruling party in the presidential election.



On the campaign trail, Lee, a former Gyeonggi Province governor, appealed to voters, distinguishing himself from Yoon as an experienced politician who can manage state affairs stably and floating the idea of a coalition government for national unity.



East-west political divide



The nation's east-west political divide  with the eastern provinces giving sweeping support for Yoon and the western provinces overwhelmingly turning out in favor of Lee  returned once more in this election, showing how divided the nation is politically.



According to the National Election Commission (NEC), 75.14 percent of voters in Daegu and 72.76 percent of voters in North Gyeongsang Province favored Yoon, while Lee earned 86.1 percent of votes from South Jeolla Province, 84.82 percent from Gwangju and 82.98 percent from North Jeolla Province.



According to some polls ahead of the election, they said that the region-specific trend had weakened somewhat, after Yoon earned high approval ratings on parts of the ruling party's home turf, prompting PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok to boast that Yoon might earn 30-percent support in those areas, though Yoon's actual support ended up in the low-10 percent range.



"We can say regionalism in the presidential election was weaker than before, but it was still clearly visible in the two parties' strongholds, the DPK's Jeolla provinces and the PPP's Gyeongsang provinces," Hangil Research director and political analyst Hong Hyeong-sik said.



However, it may be a silver lining that Lee markedly gained 40.70-percent support from voters in Ulsan  the first time that a liberal candidate exceeded 40 percent there.










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In a new TikTok video released on Wednesday night, Kim Kardashian and her eldest daughter, North, rocked out in black makeup on social media. This, in spite of the public demand of Kanye West weeks back that for North West to stay out of that social media platform.

"Emo GIrl," the enigmatic song by Machine Gun Kelly and Willow Smith, was sung by eight-year-old and her cousin, Penelope Disick, on this fun clip.

Despite Kanye West's repeated attempts to keep North off social media, it is quite obvious that North is at the age that would not take such prohibition seriously.

The fact that Kim Kardashian is on the video, shows that this is not a problem for her. At least, she can supervise the children on their TikTok activities. North West certainly had the time of her life with that short clip, since she knew every word to the punk rock song that played.

Kim Kardashian was so game to be on the video that she readily wore jet black makeup that would be running down her cheeks.

The girls appeared to be having a good time as North danced about with smeared black eye and lip makeup.

In keeping with the theme of their song, she displayed her braces and braided hair while sporting a white T-shirt. She and her cousin mouted the words, "I fell in love with an emo girl."

Aside from a few loose strands framing her eyes, Kim kept the long brunette locks out of her face and applied just enough dark blush to give the short film its instant two million likes.

READ ALSO: Kim Kardashian's Ultimate Wish After Being Declared Legally Single Revealed

Her estranged husband and North's father Kanye West, who recently went on a tirade over his kids using social media, may or may not have given the green light for increased social media attention. But one cannot forget how he deliberately went on social media last month to ask his fans, "'Since this is my first divorce I need to know what should I do about my daughter being put on TikTok against my will?"

Hours later, Kim Kardashian hit back with fiery hints that she's the main caregiver and that Kanye West had caused the family enough pain. She specifically said TikTok is not as dangerous as Kanye West is.

"'Kanye's constant attacks on me in interviews and social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create," she wrote.

In reaction to Kim's comments, Kanye posted a screenshot of Kim's statement and wrote, "'What do you mean by main provider ? America saw you try to kidnap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address."

It was the start of something big. The coming days would have Kanye bashing Pete Davidson and posting random stuff that made his own friends worry about his mental health.

READ MORE: Renee Zellweger Plastic Surgery: Did She Go Under The Knife Again?
The cost of oil and gas has jumped sharply as talks in the European Union and the United States over boycotting energy from Russia gain momentum. The EU plans to reduce its dependence on Russian gas by two thirds before the end of 2022 as part of a plan to become independent from all Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, the European Commission announced on Tuesday (8 March). Since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago, the bloc has faced growing pressure to break away from Russian energy imports, which critics say is helping to fund the Kremlins war. We must become independent from Russian oil, coal and gas. We simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us. We need to act now to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices, diversify our gas supply for next winter and accelerate the clean energy transition, said Ursula von der Leyen, the chief of EUs executive arm. The plan will seek to diversify gas supplies, speed up the roll-out of renewable gas and replace gas in heating and power generation, according to the Commission. By the end of this year, we can replace 100 bcm of gas imports from Russia. That is two thirds of what we import from them. This will end our over dependency and give us much needed room to manoeuvre, EU climate chief Frans Timmermans said.

It came as the US President Joe Biden on the same day imposed an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, amid strong support from American voters and lawmakers, even though the move will drive up US energy prices.That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable in US ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putins war machine, Biden told reporters at the White House. The ban caps sweeping US and European sanctions imposed on Moscow for launching the largest war in Europe since World War Two. Biden consulted closely with European allies on the ban, but did not ask them to join in, knowing they are far more dependent on Russian oil, to isolate Russias energy-heavy economy and Putin. While three-fifths of Russias oil exports go to the EU, only 8% goes to the US, or 7% of the oil imported by the US. The United Kingdom announced shortly before Bidens remarks that it would phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called on the EU to finance gas interconnections with the rest of Europe, saying new infrastructure should also include green gas such as hydrogen. The Spanish government insists that it will be one of the least affected by the gas crisis thanks to its extensive network of LNG terminals, and has expressed willingness to facilitate interconnections with other countries in order to allow deliveries out of Spain. However Sanchez insisted that the costs of constructing the necessary infrastructure should be covered from the EU budget. The Spanish PM also supports the idea that the new infrastructure should be designed for green gas and hydrogen and financed by European budgets. Spanish citizens are already paying for re-gasification facilities. The price for the re-gasification is paid by us, the consumers. If we wish to offer Europe our reserve capacities, which are above 60% while the EUs is at 30%, it is not Spain but Europe that has to fund it, he explained. Sanchez also voiced his conviction that Brussels would not raise any objections on its part.
Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing a children's hospital in Mariupol during an agreed ceasefire, releases video footage.
Ukraine prepares for possible Russian advance to Kyiv

Ukrainian soldiers bolstered defenses around Kyiv, digging trenches, blocking roads and liaising with civil-defense units as Russian forces bombarded the surrounding areas and attacked towns and villages nearby.
Five members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee asked the Department of Justice to investigate Amazon 'for potentially criminal conduct' by the company and some of its senior executives.
Wednesday, March 9, 2022

GrowingFood Shortages & Food Insecurity

Theintensity of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict continues as Russian armed forces traversethrough the Ukrainian agricultural heartland. During this period of extreme globalmarket volatility and uncertainty, several fundamentals continue to supportpresent-day and near-future agricultural price gains.

LogisticalOperations

Theimmediate impact on agricultural goods price rise has been the prolongeddisruption of Ukrainian agricultural food exports. Draconian sanctions onRussian agricultural exports have compounded the global shortfall since thecombined Ukrainian and Russian production represents 30% of the agriculturalexport market.

TheRussian navy has prevented commercial shipping in the Black Sea from entering ordeparting key ports through which 90% of Ukraines agricultural goods are exported.According to the London-based shipping tracker Windward Ltd., there are 200maritime vessels unable to depart from Ukrainian ports. Furthermore, road, railand maritime infrastructure damage by the conflict has greatly inhibited the commercialtransport of goods.

AgriculturalOperations

Theconflict is adversely affecting present-day and future production ofagricultural crops. Some of the major issues are as follows:

1. MissedPlanting Season: With respect to mostUkrainian agricultural crops, particularly wheat, the planting season normallybegins in early March and must be completed by late April. Many of these fieldsare directly in the path of Russian forces moving northward from the southernregion. For this reason some of these fields may be mined or have unexplodedordinances which must be identified and removed before ploughing can safelybegin.

2. FertilizerFailure: The draconian sanctions onRussian energy exports has triggered high gas prices from elsewhere and aredramatically reducing the production of fertilizer. Gas is a key ingredient whorising prices may be unaffordable for Europes ammonia facilities to continueproduction. Less fertilizer means lower crop yield.

3. Labor Shortage: Because of the conflict there is a manpower shortagefor planting and harvesting. Many farm workers have joined the Ukrainian war effortwhile others are using farm equipment to remove destroyed or abandoned Russianmilitary equipment.

Evenif the war ended immediately and all Russian armed forces left Ukraine and theRussian navy in the Black Sea permitted the free passage of maritime vessels, therehas already been severe damage to the food supply chain in Ukraine.

TheAgricultural Commodity Super Cycle Has Just Begun

Myrecent SA article published March 5, 2022 and entitled How to Gain on Grains  More Opportunities In Wheat was wheat-specific because its classified as astrategic grain and highly political. For those investors who prefer to havea diversified agricultural portfolio, the following list of ETF and ETNinvestment options provides broad-based and crop-specific agricultural goods.

Agriculture | broadbased

 Teucrium Agricultural Fund (TAGS)

 iPath Series B Bloomberg Agriculture Subindex Total Return ETN (JJA)

 Elements Rogers International Commodity Index-Agriculture Total ReturnETN (RJA)

Wheat

 Teucrium Wheat Fund (WEAT)

Corn

 Teucrium Corn Fund (CORN)

Grains

 iPath Series B Bloomberg Grains Subindex Total Return ETN (JJG)

 ELEMENTS linked to the ICE BofAML Commodity Index eXtra Grains TotalReturn (GRU)

Thefollowing maps provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) ForeignAgricultural Services indicate thegeographical region in Ukraine for specific crops (wheat, corn, barley,soybean, sunflower seed) and where they are planted and harvested. These willenable investors to determine the level of risk of the planting and harvestingfor each crop.

Wheat

Ukraineis the worlds 6th largest exporter of wheat. Their largestpurchasers include China and Egypt.









Corn

Ukraineis the worlds 4th largest exporter of corn.

Barley

Ukraineproduces 12% of the worlds crop.

SunflowerSeed Oil

Ukraine is the worlds leading sunflower seed oil,planted in April harvested in September. Its their most profitable cropbecause of low production costs and high demand.

Soybeans

Ukraineis the worlds 7th largest exporter of soybeans.

Conclusion

Theglobal markets will continue to experience extreme volatility. However Ibelieve that the overall trend is for dramatic near-to-medium term increasingagricultural commodity prices based on the aforementioned fundamentals of logisticalblockages in Ukraine for present-day, ready-to-ship agricultural goods and acutenear-future reduction of crop yields.

Grainprices have risen considerably since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war inlate February as I forecast in my SA article entitled Buy Opportunities with Tightening Global AgricultureMarkets on February 19, 2022 beforethe Russian invasion 5 days later.

Ibelieve that agricultural commodity prices are still laggards and under-valuedbecause the aforementioned factors have not yet fully impacted consumer prices.Unlike energy needs whose usage is seasonal while declining during the warmermonths, global food requirements are consistent year-round.

Forthis reason there are still ample investment opportunities in the agriculturalsector to get onboard the once in a lifetime, inexorable surge of the commoditysuper-cycle on steroids.

 Copyright 2022 Cerulean Council LLC

The Cerulean Council is a NYC-based think-tank that provides prescient,beyond-the-horizon, contrarian perspectives and risk assessments ongeopolitical dynamics and global urban security.
Thursday, March 10, 2022

By Scott Lorenz

Westwind Book Marketing

TED or TEDx Talks are an invaluable resource for everyone, including authors. Whether youre an aspiring author, early on in your career, or have been on the New York Times Best Seller list multiple times, you can definitely learn something from them. Since there are countless TEDx Talks out there, Ive put together this list of the top talks for authors. No matter what your goals are as an author, theyre sure to motivate, inspire, intrigue, and educate you in some way shape or form.

Ive known Steve Harrison for 25+ years. He is a leading book marketing and book publishing expert whose company helped launch a number of bestselling books including Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Chicken Soup for the Soul. In his TEDx talk, youll learn a four-step method that will allow you to sell your book more effectively. All types of people, therapists, doctors, business owners, and authors reach out to him for advice on how to take their ventures to the next level.

Screenwriter Andrew Stanton and the face behind Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Monsters, Inc, Finding Nemo, and many others shares all the essential elements needed for a great story. He explains that storytelling is a lot like joke telling because you have to know your punchline. Stanton reinforces the fact that whatever you write should connect with others emotionally. Give them a reason to care.

Regardless of the genre, creativity is key to a successful book. Thats where this quick, five-minute TED talk by Marily Oppezzo, a behavioral and learning scientist comes in. According to Oppezzo, a simple walk can be all it takes to get your creative juices flowing. It might help you out the next time you get stuck during your next brainstorm.

Mattie Bamman is a culinary writer and editor who came up with this TED talk to explain why writers block happens and what you can do to overcome it. She suggests that its the words themselves that often make writing a challenge. Thats why you should view words as objects, estimate how many you need, and create a blueprint that will help you complete the books.

Author of six bestselling books and CEO of Self Publishing School, Chandler Bolt gave a TED talk called How To Write A Book In A Weekend: Serve Humanity By Writing A Book. It revolves around his belief that the best way to serve humanity is to write a book. Bolt also dives into what keeps most people from getting started and how you can get your rough draft done in just one weekend.

The Bottom Line: TEDs mission is ideas worth spreading, and I believe these TED and TEDx Talks firmly live up to it. Check them out. You wont be disappointed!

Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether its their first book or their 15th book. Hes handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Womans World, & Howard Stern to name a few.

Learn more about Westwind Communications book marketing approach at https://www.book-marketing-expert.com/ or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or 734-667-2090 or fill out the form below. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist. Want help titling a book? Check out Scott Lorenzs new award winning, bestselling book: Book Title Generator- A Proven System in Naming Your Book www.BookTitleGenerator.net
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol raises his fist during a campaigning event in Seomun Market in Daegu, Tuesday, ahead of the 2022 presidential election held on Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun



By Lee Hyo-jin



President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's landslide victory in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province was somewhat surprising for many, considering his bitter relations with ex-president Park Geun-hye, whose political stronghold was Daegu.



Conservative People Power Party's presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol eventually emerged victorious in Wednesday's election against his rival, Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, by a razor-thin margin of less than 1 percent point. Yoon garnered 48.56 percent of the vote, while Lee brought in 47.83 percent.



But the tightest race in the Korean presidential election history could have ended unfavorably for Yoon if it weren't for the strong support he gained from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the only regions where he garnered over 70 percent of the vote.



In Daegu, Yoon earned 75.4 percent of the vote, far outpacing Lee who received 21.41 percent. In the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, Yoon obtained 72.99 percent, while Lee drew 23.61 percent.






Gasoline prices hit a record high Thursday in San Antonio, a result of continuing fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

AAA Texas said the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in San Antonio reached $3.96  a penny more than the previous record set in 2008. It was up nearly 12 cents from Wednesdays average.

Diesel fuel prices shot up 24 cents from the day before, jumping to a record $4.88 per gallon.

Pump prices are rising along with the price of oil, which has reached highs not seen since 2008 and is expected to continue rising, AAA said.

State and national average pump prices also hit peaks of $4 and $4.32 per gallon, respectively. Thursdays record prices were nearly $1.50 higher than a year ago.

What drivers pay at filling stations is determined mostly by crude prices on the world market. Those prices have jumped about 35 percent since the invasion on Feb. 24.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios Valero Energy was a big buyer of Russian oil; with new ban, its looking elsewhere

Though oil prices had been rising for the past few weeks, President Joe Bidens decision Tuesday to halt U.S. purchases of Russian oil added a new twist. Industry analysts blame the risng prices on uncertainty in the global oil market as to how big of an impact the loss of Russian crude will have, AAA Texas said.

If crude oil prices keep rising, analysts say its not hard to see fuel costs reaching $5 a gallon on average.

Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at fuel-price tracking website GasBuddy, said there could be months of high or rising prices ahead  possibly through the summer  unless there is a drastic improvement in the Russia-Ukraine situation.

Still, Texas drivers were paying the 14th-lowest average gas price among U.S. states. The nations highest prices were recorded in California, where Thursdays average was $5.69 per gallon.

AAA said a survey it conducted at the end of February found most Americans will change their driving habits or lifestyle in response to gasoline prices above $4 per gallon.

Younger people are more likely to carpool, while those aged 35 and above will probably combine trips and errands, as well as cut shopping or dining out, according to the survey.

The rise in gas prices, however, isnt likely to have an impact on summer travel; 52 percent of survey respondents said they plan to take a vacation this summer. Of those, 42 percent said they wouldnt consider changing plans regardless of the price of gasoline.

AAA offered these tips for reducing fuel consumption:

Slowing down and driving the speed limit Avoiding jackrabbit starts Using cruise control on the highway to maintain constant speed Minimizing use of air conditioning Avoiding extended idling, even in colder temperatures Ensuring tires are properly inflated

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @Taylor Pettaway
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Bidens ban on Russian oil imports puts new pressure on U.S. drillers to help fill a supply shortfall that has sent crude prices to the highest levels since 2008. Among them: EOG Resources Inc. and Devon Energy Corp., two shale giants that are sitting on thousands of federal drilling permits, many of which could be used to produce more oil from the prolific Permian basin.

EOG and Devon hold more permits than any other company, according to a Bloomberg analysis of federal onshore permitting data, but neither plans to grow production beyond 5% even as U.S. oil futures top $120 a barrel and global markets face historic disruptions. That dissonance is at the center of tension between the U.S. shale industry  which argues it needs long-term government support before it can sustainably raise production  and the Biden administration  which says oil companies should use up the more-than 9,000 drilling permits they already have before asking for further concessions.

The war of words between the two intensified as the U.S. moved to ban Russian oil imports in response to the nations invasion of Ukraine. U.S. producers have 9,000 permits to drill now  they can be drilling right now, yesterday last week, last year, President Joe Biden said Tuesday. They have 9,000 to drill onshore that are already approved. So let me be clear, let me be clear: they are not using them for production now. The comments came a day after the American Petroleum Institute, the biggest U.S. oil lobby group, accused the administration of misusing facts when it comes to federal leasing data.

READ MORE: Biden Called to Unleash Shale to Counter Energy Crisis

Just because you have a lease doesnt mean theres actually oil and gas in that lease, and there has to be a lot of development that occurs between the leasing and then ultimately permitting for that acreage to be productive, said Mike Sommers, chief executive of the API.

A review of federal drilling permits shows that half of unused onshore permits are for acreage in New Mexicos Lea and Eddy counties, part of the Permian Basin thats responsible for most of U.S. oil output. EOG held the most permits there, followed by Devon and Occidental Petroleum Corp.

EOG is one of the most active producers in the Permian Basin this year, running an average of 17 rigs in 2022, the company said in a statement. Our standard practice is to maintain a healthy inventory of the permits necessary to provide flexibility for current and future development plans, said the company. Devon and Occidental declined to comment.

The American Exploration and Production Council, a trade group representing EOG, Devon and others, pushed back on the notion that holding permits constitutes an obligation to drill. This claim shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how exploration and production works, said Anne Bradbury, chief executive officer of the association.

While the U.S. is key to replacing Russian oil, it wont happen immediately or without more support from the Biden administration, Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub told Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston Tuesday. U.S. oil drillers simply cant significantly expand production in the near term because of personnel shortages and supply-chain snarls.

READ ALSO: Devon CEO Mystified Biden Doesnt Reach Out to Talk Oil

Oil companies may believe it prudent to hold onto drilling permits now in case Biden  who campaigned on pledges to combat climate change, accelerate the transition into renewables and limit new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters  clamps down on drilling later. The administration initially halted oil and gas lease sales  a move later reversed by a Louisiana-based federal district court  and the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management has yet to auction onshore oil leases under Biden. It is still issuing permits on existing leases, with nearly 4,000 authorized onshore last year, in line with recent, pre-2020 levels. And more of those leases actually have wells in production, according to Bureau of Land Management data cited by the industry.

There are barriers to ramping up output in Lea and Eddy counties. Oil produced on that side of the Permian tends to generate higher quantities of associated natural gas and water, which are more costly to dispose of in New Mexico, where air and water regulations are stricter than in Texas.

Publicly-traded oil and gas companies are also trying to limit production growth and return more cash to shareholders through dividends and buybacks after a decade of overspending burned investors. Oil CEOs have in recent weeks made clear that they want a nod from Biden before accelerating production, in part to give them cover with shareholders.

The energy industry doesn't have a permitting problem, said Aaron Weiss, a deputy director at the Center for Western Priorities, which is conducting its own analysis of federal drilling permits. It has a financing problem.

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
St. Marys University is the latest San Antonio school to be recognized for its cybersecurity training programs by the National Security Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The West Side university on Thursday was named a National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.

It joins San Antonio College, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Our Lady of the Lake University and St. Philips College, all previous designees.

But St. Marys is the only local school to receive recognition for a masters degree program in cybersecurity, according to Ayad Barsoum, an associate professor of computer science and cybersecurity graduate program director at St. Marys.

This means our cybersecurity program meets national standards, Barsoum said. We are producing students going through a validated curriculum.

The announcement comes as federal agencies ramp up efforts to hire cybersecurity workers.

In 2020, Texas counted 13,410 people working as information security analysts, earning an annual median wage of $113,400, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. job outlook for these positions is expected to increase by 33 percent to 188,300 workers through 2030.

San Antonio remains a hot zone of federal recruitment. Its the nations second largest cybersecurity hub outside of Washington, D.C., and home to the NSAs Texas Cryptologic Center and the Air Forces cyber warfare team at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

While the St. Marys designation doesnt come with federal funding, school administrators said it provides opportunities for students to apply for scholarships from the Department of Defense. And it could help when it comes time for St. Marys cybersecurity graduates to apply for jobs.

To receive this elite designation from NSA and DHS will open doors for the students and graduates of St. Marys University in this high-growth industry, said Ian Martines, interim dean of the St. Marys University School of Science, Engineering and Technology.

It took several years for St. Marys to get the federal stamp of approval.

When Barsoum began teaching at St. Marys in 2013, the university had two undergraduate cybersecurity courses, he said. The professor started talking with his colleagues about a strategy to put St. Marys on the cyber map in San Antonio.

Faculty members approached local security firm IPSecure, cloud-computing company Rackspace Techonology, the Southwest Research Institute and insurance and financial services company USAA, all struggling to hire workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

We didnt want to build the program in isolation of the market, he said.

In fall 2015, St. Marys launched its masters program in cybersecurity, offering courses in risk management, wireless security, computer forensics and interactive classes.

After the schools first graduate class received their degrees in December 2017, the school began applying to the NSA to become the next San Antonio campus to be named a National Center.

Its been a journey, Barsoum said. Now we are following NSA and DHS guidelines in a dynamic field of cybersecurity, which changes every year.

Gary Bevans, a former psychologist in the U.S. Army, is currently a student in the universitys cybersecurity masters program. Hes taken several courses with Barsoum.

I wanted to be well-rounded in cybersecurity, said Bevans, 34, a part-time graduate assistant. The courses here offer insight into how to prepare against cyber attacks that can hijack computer connections, as an example.

eric.killelea@express-news.net
In the 13 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, San Antonio motorists have seen gas prices spiral at the pump  and prices will likely surge again following President Joe Bidens ban on Tuesday of Russian crude oil.

But the ban will hit San Antonio in another way. The citys largest publicly-traded company, Valero Energy Corp., imports much of its crude oil from Russia.

With the ban on Russian oil in the news, here are the answers to five questions from Express-News readers about Valero:

Where does Valeros oil  from which it makes gas and other fuels  come from?

Last year, Valero imported nearly 122.9 million barrels of crude oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Russia was the companys third-biggest importer, after Mexico and Iraq.

Here is a list of the largest importers for Valero:

Mexico: 57.4 million barrels, or 46.7 percent of the import total

Iraq: 19.5 million barrels, or 15.9 percent

Russia: 15.6 million barrels, or 12.7 percent

Brazil: 8.9 million barrels, or 7.2 percent

Canada: 5.7 million barrels, or 4.6 percent

Ecuador: 5.5 million barrels, or 4.5 percent

Guyana: 3.9 million barrels, or 3.2 percent

Of course, this doesnt include the oil that Valero refines that was extracted in the U.S. It is unclear how much domestic oil the company processes. According to its annual report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, filed last month, it refines crude oil from West and South Texas at its refineries in Corpus Christi. It also uses crude from the Gulf Coast.

Who owns Valero?

Valero has been a publicly-held company since 1997, so it is owned by its shareholders. As of Wednesday, its share price was $87.14, with a market capitalization of nearly $35.7 billion, according to Yahoo Finance.

Bing Guan, Bloomberg / Bloomberg

Who is the CEO of Valero?

Joe Gorder took the helm of Valero as its chairman and CEO in 2014, when he was 56 years old. At that time, he had been with the company for 27 years, according to news reports. The prior CEO was Bill Klesse, a 45-year veteran of the company who had led it for eight years.

Before becoming CEO, Gorder served as Valeros president and chief operating officer. He has also served as chief commercial officer and president of Valero Europe, overseeing the companys assets in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

He earned a bachelors degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a masters in business administration from Our Lady of the Lake University.

Who owns Texaco, and does it have a relationship with Valero?

You could say their relationship is complicated.

Founded in Beaumont in 1902, Texaco grew over the course of the 20th century into a major oil company with operations in drilling, refining, and selling gasoline at retail stations. In 2001, it merged with Chevron Corp., which now operates Texaco as a brand, with retail locations in 16 states, according to its website. Chevron is headquartered in San Ramon, California.

Yet Valero operates the Texaco brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 2011, the company purchased Chevrons Texaco stations in Ireland and Britain, along with a refinery in Wales, as part of a $1.73 billion deal, giving Valero its first foothold in Europe, according to the Irish Times.

What gas station did Valero buy out?

Valero has acquired several chains of gas stations apart from Texaco. In 2001, it bought Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. for $4 billion in cash and stock, giving it ownership of an additional 5,000 gas stations operating under the Diamond Shamrock, Ultramar, Beacon and Total brands. Later, it converted many of the stations to the Valero brand. In 2008, the company bought 72 Albertsons gas stations.
Conventioneers toting swag bags and backpacks milled around the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center last week, perusing vendor booths and socializing at the Association for Materials Protection and Performances conference and expo.

After two years of mostly virtual meetings, attendees were eager to meet prospective clients, chat with vendors and see equipment demonstrations in person.

Sales happen face to face, said Cliff Dykes, a Melbourne, Fla., resident who works for a company that designs and builds concrete tanks.

Dykes said the five-day conference, which drew about 5,000 attendees before ending Thursday, was the biggest hed attended in a while. Seeing new technology was a draw  and nothing compares to spending time with customers laughing, eating, he said.

San Antonio is banking that such business, which supports a sizable chunk of the citys economy, is bouncing back from a big dip during the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 300 meetings have been canceled since the pandemic took hold in early 2020, representing a loss of about $500 million worth of business for San Antonio venues, hotels, restaurants, bars and other businesses. Though conventions are starting to return, their comeback has been hampered by coronavirus variants, lingering travel concerns and companies opting to have conferences online instead of in person.

Will come back

The rebound has been slow, said Paul Vaughn, senior vice president at local hotel consulting firm Source Strategies, but he thinks business could return to pre-pandemic 2019 levels by the end of this year or early next year at the earliest.

I feel like that will come back because there are intangible benefits from getting the group together and spending time with vendors and colleagues in person, he said.

Though some big meetings have returned to the city this year, Vaughn said hotel operators are telling him attendance still seems lower than it usually would be at conventions that have resumed.

Visit San Antonio, which markets the city to convention planners, has 327 meetings with an estimated 460,664 attendees on the books for 2022. That included the Texas Music Educators Associations convention in February, which drew 26,259 visitors.

While that was smaller than the 30,383 attendees in 2019, communications manager Karen Cross said the association was happy with this years turnout, especially considering schools difficulties scheduling substitute teachers.

In our post-convention survey, attendees commented on how important it was to be together to learn and celebrate the joy of music-making, Cross said. Several attendees expressed how attending this convention has renewed their spirit and commitment to teaching.

Visit San Antonios tally of meetings for 2022 is still well below the 526 events with 574,842 attendees it scheduled in 2019. But its up from 231 events with 242,979 attendees in 2021 and 160 events with 183,971 attendees in 2020.

Hotels rebound

Those numbers do not include meetings at large hotels such as the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, La Cantera Resort & Spa and the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, which organize events without Visit San Antonios involvement. Their business is rebounding as well.

We are seeing a huge return of large-scale event business, particularly in the last 30 days, Tiffany Rea, La Canteras director of meetings and events, said in an email. People are ready to get back to business!

The Northwest Side hotel expects to book about 85 percent of the group room nights this year that it booked in 2019.

While business slowed in January and February because of the omicron variant, it has been picking up in the past few weeks, and Rea said she expected that to last through the summer.

Small events also are resuming, but, Rea said, It should be noted that the increase in accessibility and comfortability with virtual meetings is certainly evident as some of the small corporate meetings are using this route.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association expects occupancy rates and room revenue nationally this year to get close to 2019 levels largely because of leisure travelers. Vacationers have returned to San Antonio and other U.S. cities more quickly than corporate travelers and convention-goers.

That was the case last year in San Antonio, as vacationers eager to hit the road after being cooped up at home during the pandemic pushed the average occupancy rate at area hotels to 59.3 percent. That was up from 42.1 percent in 2020 but still below the 66 percent rate notched in 2019, according to STR, a data firm that tracks the hospitality industry.

Business travel nationwide is anticipated to be down more than 20 percent for most of the year, and only 58 percent of meetings are expected to come back as compared with 2019, according to a Hotel & Lodging Association report.

The slow return of business travel and fewer meetings and events continue to have a significant negative impact, Chip Rogers, association president and CEO, said in a statement.

Companies have trimmed expenses by eliminating business travel during the pandemic, and its unclear how much of that will return, said Vaughn of Source Strategies.

If the businesses found that they could conduct their work as efficiently as they did previous to the pandemic without all the travel, then, yes, some of those savings may end up being permanent, he said.

Luxury hotels in San Antonio have been hit particularly hard, and revenues at some are still down about a third from 2019 levels, Vaughn added.

Sam Owens /San Antonio Express-News

Those are the properties that people who are here for conventions or business meetings  theyre on the company tab, and so theyre staying someplace nice, he said.

Downtown comeback

The outlook for downtown hotels is improving, Chelsea McCready, senior director of hospitality analytics at CoStar Group, said in January.

Group demand hasnt fully recovered in any major markets across the country, but it is recovering at a decent pace in San Antonio, she said.

The return of conventions and corporate travel this year will help the downtown/River Walk area, which has consistently trailed other areas of the city in hotel occupancy since the start of the pandemic, McCready added.

Back at the the Association for Materials Protection and Performance conference, CEO Bob Chalker said he was pleased with last weeks turnout.

Attendance pre-pandemic probably would have been about 7,000 people, but organizers expected a lower level this year because of pandemic restrictions and Russias war on Ukraine affecting international attendance.

A virtual conference last year drew about 3,000 attendees. People are itching to get back to in-person meetings and networking, Chalker said.

Sam Owens /San Antonio Express-News

You can just feel the energy and the excitement and the positivity of having the opportunity to be back face to face, he said. Relationships are incredibly important, and this is one of the key areas where they build those relationships.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
Dear Cathy,

I was interested in your column on leash-reactive dogs. My Delilah is a rescue, a 10-pound poodle mix about 7 years old, who has been with us for three years. She barks crazily at passing dogs while on walks or when in the yard, and even barks at my husband coming to bed, if she and my other poodle-mix are already in the bed with me.

Then, theres Juliet, 4, my other poodle-mix rescue, who screams in terror, lunges and nips when a larger dog gets close. Juliet accidentally bit my finger when I intervened in her fear-lunging at a 25-pound puppy who was jumping at her (my fault for not anticipating and protecting her better).

Were about to move to a community with many dog-friendly social events, and Im concerned about both dogs ability to manage their new home. Id like to tackle this more seriously before we move there. I gather you dont do personal pet parent training, but Id appreciate any thoughts, resources, or referrals to someone in the San Antonio area. Thanks so much!

Geraldine

Dear Geraldine,

Delilah is being overprotective of you. Thats fine with a stranger, but not with your husband.

If her barking makes it uncomfortable for him to get into bed, you need to tell Delilah no in a stern voice and promptly place her on the floor. Dogs are smart. She will figure out what she needs to do to regain bedtime privileges, but only if you are clear with her about your expectations.

For both dogs, call around to find a dog trainer who works with leash-reactive dogs and who uses positive reinforcement. An expert can observe your dogs triggers as well as your reactions to them and make recommendations on what things you should change and how to desensitize your dog to his triggers.

It may take weeks or months to correct this behavior, but I think its worth working with a trainer to be able to walk your dogs normally.

For now, if either is barking and lunging while on a leash, use a Pet Corrector (its a can of air makes a shh sound when you press the top) to get their attention. They will stop barking for a second. When they do, say quiet, and give them a treat if they remain quiet.

If they dont stop barking or they stop and start right back up, then abruptly turn around and walk in the other direction. You may find yourself suddenly turning and walking in the other direction more than a dozen times in a single walk. Your dogs will think youre crazy, but thats OK because this is how they learn to always look to you for guidance on where to go and what to do next. (You will need to walk and work with each dog separately until they are well-trained.)

As for Juliet, she sounds fearful. I agree you wont be able to include her in dog-friendly events until you work with a dog trainer or an animal behaviorist to address her specific needs. Visit the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (apdt.com) to find a trainer who can address her needs.

Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist, and pet expert. Send your pet questions, stories, and tips to cathy@petpundit.com.
Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

Frontier Airlines will be adding two nonstop flights out of San Antonio International Airport just in time for summer travels.

The low-cost airline will be bringing back flight service to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport starting May 26, and it will be introducing a new nonstop service to Philadelphia International Airport starting June 15, according to a Wednesday news release.
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Face masks will be optional at Edgewood Independent School District when students return from spring break March 14.

Harlandale ISD also rescinded its masking requirements as of March 1. At both districts, officials cited better coronavirus metrics in the region.

The decision was made as we enter a new phase of the COVID pandemic coupled with the improvement of the most recent metrics with the risk level in our city, the Edgewood community, and the district's high vaccination rate and low positivity rates, a letter from Superintendent Eduardo Hernandez stated.

While masking in schools will no longer be required, the district will maintain other safety protocols, such as voluntary weekly testing, frequent cleaning and provision of protective equipment, he said.

Edgwood ISD reported a test positivity rate of 1.7 percent for students and staff as of Feb. 25  the latest data published on the districts website  a fast drop from 6.86 percent two weeks earlier.

Daily case numbers across San Antonio have been decreasing since Feb. 8 after reaching an all-time high in late January, according to city data. The citys risk level was declared low after a two-week decrease in new cases.

But some districts remain cautious of possible exposure of students and staff outside of school during spring break.

Harlandale ISDs positivity rate has been under 2 percent. But Superintendent Gerardo Soto warned the numbers seen after spring break will dictate whether the district switches back to mandatory masking indoors.

"We want you to know that we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, and if cases do rise, especially after Spring Break, we will have to put the mandate back into place in order to protect the safety and well being of everyone at Harlandale ISD, he said in a letter to the community.

San Antonio ISD has kept its masking mandate active up to now, with only one attempt to switch to masking optional policies in December. At the time, school officials decided to keep masking requirements to assess post-holiday case numbers, a move that might have paid off considering the spike in the omicron variant that almost crippled other school districts at the beginning of the school year.

danya.perez@express-news.net | @DanyaPH
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A man in his 60s was found dead in a West Side home where a fire broke out late Wednesday night.

When firefighters arrived at the 5100 block of Grovehill Street just before midnight, they encountered heavy smoke and fire coming from the front of the home, officials at the scene said.

A 94-year-old woman and her 76-year-old daughter escaped from the blaze after a neighbor went into the house to save them.

Firefighters were told that there may be one more person in the home, possibly in the room where the fire started, a San Antonio Fire Department battalion chief said.

On ExpressNews.com: Man found dead after fire in West Bexar County home identified

The fire spread to the attic and throughout the house before firefighters contained the flames, officials said.

When crews were able to conduct a secondary search, they found a 68-year-old man dead in the front room.

The two women who escaped were taken to a hospital for possible smoke inhalation.

Arson investigators were called out to determine the cause of the fire.

Fire officials are asking San Antonio residents to ensure that they have smoke detectors installed and working properly. People who need a smoke detector for their home can call 211 to request one.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @Taylor Pettaway
During the State of the Union address, President Joe Biden said, The answer is not to defund the police. Its to fund the police. The reality is that as homicide rates and law enforcement staffing shortages increase across red and blue counties in Texas, its time we realize the solutions to reimagining police work are bipartisan. And it begins with how we handle mental health calls.

Conservatives are quick to fault progressive policies as the cause of these rising homicide rates and staffing shortages. They say that many of the cities where homicide rates are rising are in communities with Democratic leadership and are a direct result of the defund the police movement. The fact is we dont know the effects this movement has had on police forces and community safety. We can talk anecdotally about the perceived adverse effects, but the evidence suggests otherwise.

Progressives say conservatives are disinterested in police reform and use this issue to stoke fear and rally support. The reality is Republicans view fiscal conservatism and community safety as central to their platforms. Most Democrats look at issues from racial equality and social justice lenses. But when looking from a politically neutral vantage point, the police reform movement represents fundamental tenets of both parties.

Police officers spend a great deal of time on issues that may be better suited for other professions and agencies. Studies have shown that although calls involving individuals in mental health distress are low, the amount of time police officers spend responding to these calls is long.

Our state needs a comprehensive approach to dealing with police calls involving mental illness. I have seen firsthand the impact of sending mental health professionals instead of law enforcement. Often, individuals will be incarcerated when other solutions, such as intervention by a mental health crisis response team, are better suited to meet the persons needs. This simple solution provides alternatives to incarceration while allowing police to work in a focused line of duty and saves tax dollars.

On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: With police reform, better lives for all

The Police Executive Research Forum recently released a report with recommendations on rethinking the police response to mass demonstrations in light of the protests of the past two years. Part of one recommendation on improving police training was to emphasize de-escalation techniques. Imagine if we send mental health professionals who specialize in de-escalation, along with the police, to maintain order and peace.

The police budgets of Texas four largest cities represent between 33 percent and 40 percent of the general funds of those cities. We need to allow cities to fund other programs and services, such as mental health response teams and clinicians, rather than traditional law enforcement. Its time we use this funding on comprehensive data strategies to evaluate the role of police officers, community safety and needs, and alternative programs designed to address problems with nontraditional methods.

Dallas is just one example. The city has seen reductions in violent crime by using data-driven strategies to address crime with hot spot policing by concentrating police efforts on high-crime areas. The nationally recognized CAHOOTS mental health response team in Eugene, Ore., operates with a budget of $2.1 million but saves the city an estimated $8.5 million annually by responding to 17 percent of 911 dispatches. Combining innovative policing techniques with mental health response teams, clinicians and other social services offers solutions to addressing crime with a reduced police force.

Reimagining police work includes looking at the data and trying new solutions to old and new problems. This provides our community with innovative, efficient and fiscally responsible ways of working together while maintaining safety. Its time we move beyond political rhetoric and continue with bipartisan solutions.

Peter Arellano is a program administrator at the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin.
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly, Thursday. Joint Press Corps



President-elect seeks to restore values in democracy, market economy



By Nam Hyun-woo



President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) vowed Thursday to rebuild the nation based on justice and common sense and open an era of national unity. Yoon was elected as the 20th President of Korea by a razor-thin margin in Wednesday's election.



He also vowed to strengthen democracy and fight corruption to get the nation back on what he called the right track.



During a news conference held at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday, Yoon said the Korean public chose him to be their next president because they pin hopes on his 26 years of experience as a prosecutor who fought for justice to bring back fairness despite the odds.



"People are calling on me to rebuild the nation based on fair competition and common sense and work to achieve unity instead of dividing the country," he said. "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration will restore values in democracy and market economy, and open an era of unity and prosperity."



To integrate the nation, he vowed to end partisan politics and put national interests first.



Yoon has achieved the conservative bloc's long-cherished wish of ousting the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) from power, but daunting tasks await the former prosecutor general because the country remains sharply divided between those who support the People Power Party (PPP) and the DPK, amid social, economic and diplomatic challenges which will test the novice politician's capabilities.







Yoon clinched his victory after staging the closest presidential race in Korea's history. He secured 48.56 percent of ballots in Wednesday's presidential election to outpace Lee who won 47.83 percent. The gap between the rivals was 0.73 percentage point or 247,077 ballots.



The smallest gap before Wednesday's election was the 15th presidential election in 1997, in which National Congress for New Politics candidate Kim Dae-jung beat Hannara Party candidate Lee Hoi-chang by 390,557 ballots or 1.53 percentage points.





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, center, salutes to the national flag during his visit to Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps



Since it was a neck-and-neck race, the result was uncertain until nearly 98 percent of total votes were counted at 3:50 a.m. Just minutes before Yoon was confirmed as the winner, the DPK's Lee Jae-myung conceded his defeat and asked Yoon to pave the way for national unity.



Yoon vowed to reach out to the public through the media and strengthen communication with the National Assembly which is dominated by the DPK with 172 out of 300 parliamentary seats.





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a call with the U.S. President Joe Biden at the former's home in Seocho District, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of People Power Party



Yoon started his first day as president-elect by receiving congratulatory phone calls from President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden.



Yoon said he told Moon that he will visit the President "as soon as possible" and ask for his advice in running state affairs. According to Presidential Spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee, Moon said, "It is important to get away from the national conflicts and disputes during the campaign period and seek public unity."









"Even though there are differences in political views, there are many state affairs that continue in administrations, and there are things that Presidents need to transfer between themselves," Moon said. "I will assist the president-elect to ensure a smooth transition of office without a vacuum."



Yoon told reporters that Biden said he is looking forward to meeting the President-elect after his inauguration and wants to have discussions for the further development of Korea-U.S. relations.



According to the PPP's campaign team, Yoon expressed his respect for the U.S.' role of leading the international response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Biden said Korea is also playing a key role in the issue.



Biden was also quoted as saying that the U.S. is closely monitoring developments in North Korea, and stressed the importance of close coordination between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo in responding to Pyongyang's recent ballistic missile provocations.



During the call, Biden asked Yoon to visit the White House after his inauguration, and Yoon expressed his gratitude for the invitation, according to the PPP.





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, left, poses as People Power Party Rep. Chang Je-won, right, applauds during their canvassing in Busan, Friday. Chang was named as Yoon's chief of staff. Yonhap



Also on Thursday, Yoon reportedly appointed as his chief of staff, PPP. Rep. Chang Je-won, and People's Party head Ahn Cheol-soo as the chairman of the presidential transition committee.



During the press conference, Yoon said he has yet to consider detailed staff appointments, denying a news report that he had already picked Chang and Ahn. But he described Chang as his "chief of staff" during a meeting with Moon's Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min after the conference.



Chang is regarded as one of the closest aides to Yoon. The lawmaker has played a pivotal role in breaking a deadlock in the coalition between Yoon and Ahn, in which the rival gave up his presidential bid to endorse Yoon as the unified candidate.





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, left, shakes hands with former People's Party presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo after the former confirmed his victory in the presidential election at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Ahn gave up his presidential bid to support Yoon. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun
Russias invasion of Ukraine is being described as the end of the post-Cold War era. This isnt quite accurate. Since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, weve seen three different eras. Each lasted about a decade.

There were the End of History years of the 1990s, when Washington thought the main task of foreign policy was to usher the world into a more democratic, free-market, rules-based order. Those priorities faded after 9/11, when no international issue mattered more to policymakers than the fight against militant Islamism. A decade later, after Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, Barack Obama effectively called an end to the war on terror, saying it was time to focus on nation building here at home.

This was a decade whose animating instincts were typified by two telling reactions by two presidents to two crises  both involving Ukraine.

The first was Obamas tepid response to Russias 2014 seizure of Crimea, after which he refused to provide Kyiv with lethal military aid on the theory that Ukraines future was a core Russian interest but not an American one. The second was Donald Trumps attempted shakedown of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019, in which he tried to hold up security assistance to Ukraine in exchange for dirt on the Biden family.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: Pain at the pump hurts, but is also a worthy sacrifice

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: Russia also waging a war on the truth

In other words, Obama looked at Ukraine and asked, Whats in it for us? Trump looked at Ukraine and asked, Whats in it for me? For neither president was the question of staving off another Russian invasion, much less of encouraging Ukraines democratic development, a particular priority.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin looked at Ukraine and concluded: Its all for me.

The Russian president may have had various motives for invading Ukraine. But it would be foolish to suppose that he wasnt also enticed  by our seeming indifference to Ukraines fate; by the willingness of successive American presidents to continue to do business with him even as he invaded neighbors, poisoned dissidents, hacked our networks and meddled in our elections; by Europes military weakness and growing reliance on Russian energy; by the coalescing of an Axis of Autocracy bent on overthrowing the American-led liberal order.

All of this made Putins Ukraine gambit seem like a good bet  except for his failure to reckon with the courage of the Ukrainian people, their magnificent president and his own militarys ineptitude. That courage has given the West time to regroup to help save Ukraine. It should also be an opportunity to rethink the way in which we look at foreign affairs for the next decade. We need new rules for a new world.

What should they be? A few ideas:

Free trade for the free world. Economic nationalism never works. De-linking the Russian economy from the rest of the world is already painful. And the only long-term hope for decoupling from China is through deeper economic integration of free and allied nations. That means the revival of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and a free-trade agreement with the European Union and another one with Britain.

Help those who help themselves. If a lesson of the past 20 years is that we cannot fight for the freedom of those who wont fight for it themselves, the lesson of Ukraine is that we can at least give those who will fight the tools so they can finish the job. One model is the deal for nuclear-powered submarines that the U.S. and Britain signed last year with Australia, which the administration needs to accelerate if its going to be a deterrent to China. Another model is Israel, which we arm with American jets so that we never need defend it with U.S. troops.

Parallel global institutions. China has trashed the World Trade Organization by refusing to meet its commitments. Russia trashed Interpol by using the agency to persecute political dissidents. The Biden administration may not want to exit those legacy organizations, but it can downgrade their relevance by investing in new or nascent organizations in which democracy buys membership.

Be honest about energy. The world will need carbon-based fuels for decades to come. And we are better off extracting more of it in North America  including on U.S. federal land  than by asking Saudi Arabia to ramp up production or hoping to get more from Venezuela and Iran with sanctions relief. The alternative to increasing domestic oil and gas production isnt only clean alternative energy. Its also filthy petrostate energy.

Get serious about defense. The dumbest debate in foreign-policy circles is whether China or Russia is the graver threat. The real answer is that we dont have the luxury of choosing. But we do have the luxury of spending more on defense, which, at less than 4 percent of gross domestic product, is about half of what we spent in the prosperous 1980s. A 500-ship Navy  a 200-ship increase  should be a national priority.

Play to win. Heres my strategy on the Cold War, Ronald Reagan once told his adviser Richard Allen: We win, they lose. He said that in 1977, when it seemed like a pipe dream. Twelve years later, it was a fact. Lets aim for a world unhaunted by the likes of Vladimir Putin.
When bullies are afraid of the truth, they attack the messengers.

Vladimir Putins regime exemplifies such behavior with its crackdown on the media with laws in Russia and bullets in Ukraine.

As the world reacted to Putins aggression in Ukraine, Russia quickly passed laws banning false or mendacious information about the Russian armed forces, according to advocacy group Reporters Without Borders. Violators of the new law could face 15 years in prison.

In Russia, simply calling the war against Ukraine a war or invasion creates trouble. The government prefers special military operation.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: As Ukraine suffers, only Russia at fault

The law immediately chilled Russias beleaguered (and incredibly limited) independent press, as well as foreign media outlets in the country. Nonstate media outlets ceased operations, and international outlets like CNN, the New York Times, the BBC, ABC and CBS News have pulled their reporters from Russia, according to Reporters Without Borders.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement that Russia has also throttled access to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram platforms that tens of millions of Russias citizens rely on to access independent information and opinions and to connect with each other and the outside world.

And in Ukraine, Russian forces are apparently targeting journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports at least one Ukrainian cameraman killed by Russians. Reporters without Borders reports that Russian forces have attacked several news crews.

Russias retreat from international norms and press freedoms is a stark step back in an interconnected world. Only despots fear an informed public and wage war with the truth.


The European Commission has said it has no means to prevent Air Serbia from maintaining flights to Russia as the carrier plans to add another seven weekly rotations to Moscow from next week. The Serbian airline, along with Belarus Belavia are the only European companies still flying to the country amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, although the latter is sanctioned by the European Union and Serbia itself. In line with our measures, it is impossible for a Russian carrier to sell tickets from Moscow to Belgrade, or onwards from Belgrade to Brussels. However, if Serbia does not align its policy with the EU, then Air Serbia can sell those tickets, because we havent made these measures exterritorial, the European Commission said. It added that, at this point, it would be inappropriate to extend these measures outside of its jurisdiction. The European Commission has said it has no means to prevent Air Serbia from maintaining flights to Russia as the carrier plans to add another seven weekly rotations to Moscow from next week. The Serbian airline, along with Belarus Belavia are the only European companies still flying to the country amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, although the latter is sanctioned by the European Union and Serbia itself. In line with our measures, it is impossible for a Russian carrier to sell tickets from Moscow to Belgrade, or onwards from Belgrade to Brussels. However, if Serbia does not align its policy with the EU, then Air Serbia can sell those tickets, because we havent made these measures exterritorial, the European Commission said. It added that, at this point, it would be inappropriate to extend these measures outside of its jurisdiction.





Air Serbia has increased capacity on its Moscow service to meet increased demand, with tickets selling out quickly. Yesterday, return economy class fares on select dates next week were selling at over 1.000 euros. The airline has been deploying its 257-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft on the route. It will add frequencies from its usual eight weekly to fifteen weekly rotations next week, replacing Aerflot's flights. This has resulted in fares stabilising. The carrier is operating the flights in line with issued Notices to Airmen, by avoiding Ukrainian and Belarusian airspace. Instead, it maintains its flights via Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, before entering Russian airspace. Other European carriers are banned from entering Russian airspace after almost all European countries forbid Russian registered and operated aircraft.





The European Union has criticised Serbia, as a candidate state, for not complying with the blocks foreign policy measures and it is believed considerable pressure is being put for the flights to be discontinued. However, for now, the airlines services are continuing to operate as scheduled. At the same time, Turkey, a NATO member state, continues to welcome Russian carriers at its airports, while Turkish Airlines maintains operations to Russia.




The European Commission has approved the Slovenian governments plan to allocate seven million euros in incentives to airlines serving the country in a bid to continue supporting the recovery of tourism and, more broadly, the economy of Slovenia, which have been negatively affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Under the scheme, the support will take the form of direct grants. The measure will be open to all interested airlines operating flights to and from Slovenia. The level of support per beneficiary will depend on the number of passengers carried and the number of flights performed. The Commission found that the Slovenian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the EUs Temporary Framework on state aid, introduced two years ago to help with the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.





The state aid will not be able to exceed 2.5 million euros per airline and will have to be granted by June 30, 2022 at the latest. The blocks executive branch noted, The Commission concluded that the measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a member state. The Slovenian Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, said, The purpose of the tender is to maintain the existing schedule operated by international airlines, to encourage the resumption of suspended flights due to the consequences of the pandemic, and to encourage new airlines to fly to Slovenia. Lacking a national carrier, Slovenia is currently experiencing a very slow recovery.





Slovenia had previously allocated just over three million euros to airlines through 2020 and 2021 in order to mitigate and remedy the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the aviation industry in the country. Jointly, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines and Brussels Airlines pocketed just over 1.6 million euros, or some 45% of the total funds. The German carrier was awarded the most aid, followed by Turkish Airlines, Air France, Air Serbia, LOT Polish Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss, Wizz Air and Air Montenegro. Questions remain as to how Swiss was granted 22.050 euros in the first of three rounds of the subsidy allocations as it did not meet some of the criteria. On the other hand, easyJet, which was Slovenias busiest airline prior to the pandemic, received no funds and was disqualified from the first round of the subsidy allocation for undisclosed reasons.




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While my journey to the South last October and November gave me an opportunity to get a first-hand look at how newspapers were surviving, the trip was also about reconnecting.

In the early 1980s I was working part-time at The Jackson Sun in the mailroom to make a little spending money for college and technical school. My primary job was to deliver the newspapers in a van, just like the vans UPS uses.

I would deliver the papers to drop sites where the carriers would pick them up. The drivers also helped with getting the papers ready for the trucks, such as inserting advertisements into the papers on Saturday night for the Sunday edition.

It was during my time in the mailroom that I met Wally Strong, who was about six years younger.

Wally worked for the Sun for about 40 years  until the Sun made its final press run last year.

Wally was hired into the mailroom, and when there was an opening on the press, Wally, like many other mailroom workers before him, he was promoted onto the press.

Maybe promoted is not the correct word. At the time, the Sun was still using the outdated letterpress method to print, using a press that was installed when I was a year old. But, if you could learn how to run that old press, the new high-tech presses would be a breeze.

Wally made the switch to the Swiss-built KBA Comet press, a press known for putting out quality products. Wally loved printing, and he loved working at the Sun.

I had lost touch with Wally long ago. Before I took off for my trip, we re-connected via Facebook. Wally still had that West Tennessee accent as we talked over the phone (too much typing with Facebook). We talked about how our careers had gone over the years and we talked a lot about printing and newspapers.

Last October I told Wally I was headed back home for a visit. We agreed to meet over lunch.

I pulled into Jackson at about lunch time on a Saturday. We agreed to meet at Cracker Barrel. There was a waiting list to get in, and it looked like we would have to wait about an hour.

Neither of us were willing to wait, so there was a change of plans barbecue!

We drove a few miles and ate at Lathams BBQ, a traditional style of cue with the fixins is served there, and has been since before I left town.

Wally was wearing his trademark overalls. I told him the story of how my uncle, Allan Zachary, had gotten in trouble with Gannett for wearing overalls in the pressroom at the Jackson Sun. Wally worked with Zach, but he had never heard the story.

For some reason, the HR people at Gannett had decided overalls were not proper in a pressroom, so they gave Zach the order to comply with their dress code. Uncle Zach refused, and Gannett stood firm. To everyones surprise, Zach hired an attorney. It was a surprise since Zach was notoriously cheap. He would have a couple of years worth of uncashed paychecks in his wallet at any time. It drove the accounting department at the Sun crazy, having to re-issue checks.

The attorney went to bat for Allan, and won the case. Zach was still sporting overalls when he retired.

Over the few days I was in Jackson, Wally and I had lunch at some of the other old haunts around town. And we had breakfast at Bob Parkers, a truck stop in Jackson that has been there for as long as I can remember.

Wally filled me in on how things fell apart at the Sun, just like so many other Gannett newspapers. We talked about old friends and former co-workers.

During one of our meals, I reminded Wally of a story  one that he told me shortly after it took place - way back in the eighties.

As I tell this story, you have to imagine someone with a deep, deep Southern accent is telling it. Someone in overalls.

It was a Saturday night/Sunday morning, and we were making our deliveries of the Sunday morning Jackson Sun. My deliveries were on one side of Jackson; Wally made his deliveries to the outlying communities.

We delivered papers were at locations that could be sketchy, usually in the vicinity of honky-tonks and abandoned warehouses.

Wally was in one of the small towns that surround Jackson. He had gotten out of his truck and opened the rollup door on the back to drop several bundles of papers for the carriers to pick up. Wally didnt notice anyone lingering in the area when he stepped out of the truck.

As he dropped the bundles, he noticed two young men walking up to him. Were they going to rob him? Would they steal the papers? Right off the bat the idea of stealing bundles of papers could be eliminated. Even in their heyday, there wasnt much of a black market for newspapers.

As the men walked up to Wally, one of them said, Im the Fat Man, this here is Master Fuji. We dig the J.Geils Band when were tripping on acid.

After that, they walked off.

The next day, Wally told me that story. It wasnt the kind of story someone makes up, and I could imagine that happening to Wally, and that scene  in my mind  was so funny that I laughed as hard as I have ever laughed.

I remember asking Wally what the fellow meant. Wally made it clear that he didnt know, and sure as heck didnt want to know.

Over a country breakfast at Bob Parkers Truck Stop, I reminded Wally of that story. We both laughed until we had tears in our eyes.

I continued my trip, and Wally and I continued to chat via phone or Facebook.

On February 25, I noticed a post from Wally on Facebook about bad roads. Then there was a day or two of nothing from Wally. A short time later, another Brother Printer and Jackson Sun alumnus, Ronald Horne, posted on my Facebook page. A good man and old and dear friend was gone.

Wally is survived by his wife, Diana; son, Hunter; daughter, Amanda and four grandchildren; his mother and stepmother as well as brothers and sisters.
Somehow I managed to make the same mistake twice. I was overzealous about the beautiful spring-like weather and warm sunshine. I loaded my sons bike into the back of the car, packed a few snacks, and headed for the nearest bike trail.

The only thing predictable about the weather is its ability to change  quickly. Blue skies transitioned to gray when the clouds crowded together. The gentle breeze dropped in temperature.

I had allowed my kids to wear sweatshirts and shorts. Their pale Ohio legs were quickly speckled with goosebumps, and I was chilled to the bone.

They didnt care about the finicky weather at all; neither did the dog. We were fully committed to our plans regardless of the dropping temps.

Theres a very special place along the MetroParks bikeway in Canfield, Ohio. With an entrance and parking lot along Route 46, The Walnut Grove  Field of Opportunity fills the expanse that used to be empty wetlands between the road and the bike trail. It was once a dream, but now a reality.

All ages and abilities

The mission of the non-profit group The Walnut Grove  Field of Opportunity is, to provide a place where individuals of all ages and abilities can learn through play and enjoy the freedom to interact with their peers.

Members of the community realized there was a need for an inclusive play area, a place where all children regardless of a diagnosis or limitation could run and play.

Four years ago, after extensive fundraising, the first phase was completed with the installation of the Hine Memorial Fund Playground.

The brightly colored playground stands out for many reasons, not just the colors. It is accessible for all children. It has adaptive equipment like specially designed seats for the swingsets and zip lines. There are no curbs limiting entrances to all the fun. Multi-sensory areas are infused into every section of the playground. Interactive musical displays greet visitors at the entrance with mostly melodic sounds.

Theres also another area specially designed for children ages 2-5 set apart from the more hectic areas. The surface mimics grass and little visitors can learn about healthy food choices while exploring imagination-boosting displays. Kinesthetic awareness is encouraged by several other areas of the playground.

Children can find ways to do typical playground things like run, jump, and climb. In addition, there are adaptive areas for rolling, rocking and gliding for just as much fun and enjoyment. The surface is mainly flat to encourage the movement of children using wheelchairs or crutches. It also has a little spring to it in case a child falls.

Surrounded by trails

The playground is a gem in the middle of the wetlands, but we enjoyed the surrounding area as well. Several trails wind around a small pond. The main trail is paved, but there is a gravel trail to explore the area around the pond.

There are a variety of birdhouses scattered among the grasses, increasing the chances of children enjoying a birding expedition. It was quite a contrast to go from the squeals of the playground to hear the frogs, insects, and birds create a symphony along the trails.

The main trail crosses a bridge before it joins up with the MetroParks Bikeway. It is just over a mile on flat terrain to reach the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm. Bikes are welcome on the paved and gravel trails but are not permitted on the playground. The same limitation is true for dogs as well.

The Walnut Grove  Field of Opportunity is a work in progress. Phase one was completed in the spring of 2018 and phase 2 in the summer of 2019.

Future plans include adding a restroom facility and pavilion when fundraising goals are met. Ideas for the future are limitless and accessibility will always be the main goal.

We ended our trip to Walnut Grove with one last loop on the trails before jumping in the car and cranking up the heat.

With the accessible playground and enticing nature trails, the future is bright and sometimes warm for The Walnut Grove  Field of Opportunity.
Over the last few weeks, we have learned a lot about agriculture in Ukraine and how this country is critical to feeding the world with their excellent soil. They have 25% of the worlds black soils, that are very forgiving and regenerative. They have been continuing to improve their production practices exponentially increasing crop yields.

The southern portion of Ukraine sits at 45N, about the same place as the state line between Montana and Wyoming or the northern part of lower Michigan. The northern point of Ukraine is slightly above 52N, which is border between Quebec and Newfoundland, Canada.

Ukraine produces a lot of grain for livestock and human consumption, which, along with the rising increase in oil prices, will have a significant effect on U.S. dairy profitability this year.

Very little has been discussed about what the dairy industry in Ukraine looks like or if they are a net importer or exporter of dairy products. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, fluid milk production has been declining for the last 30 years causing the country to now be a net importer of dairy products.

Herds

Approximately 75% of cows are owned by private households, which often only own a couple cows and walk them out to the countryside to graze each day. The other 25% of cows are owned by larger herds that produce 35% of the countrys milk.

The household herds are shrinking the most of these two groups. While they tend to have lower cost of production, they also produce less milk per cow and have lower milk quality. Household herds tend to lack modern milking and cooling equipment, balanced feed rations and veterinary care. In some towns there has recently been efforts to pool milk for cooling to improve quality. The household milk is often sold in open air markets as sour cream, soft cottage cheese and occasionally butter.

Household milk production is the primary source of fluid milk in the country and, if not marketed locally, is used as dry milk or whey that gets exported. Household milk production is very seasonal. Since 2019 Ukraine has been a net importer of dairy products. Often imported dairy products sell for less than domestic production. They have slightly different taste than the local cheese but are growing in popularity.

Processing

Many of the processing plants in Ukraine are older and inefficient compared to neighboring countries, causing increases in natural gas prices to squeeze profitability. The primary dairy products that are exported include, butter, skim milk powder, whole milk powder and lower value cheeses. Ukraine cheese exports primarily go to Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Egypt. These exports are primarily low value cheeses and native cheeses. There was approximately 62 metric tons of cheese exported to the United States for sales through ethnic Ukrainian stores.

Imports

Ukraine is expected to remain a net importer of dairy products. Imports are centered around premium and mass-market segments. Domestic demand has been growing for sophisticated dairy products including high quality cheeses, with $109.9 million in cheese imported in 2020. Other major imports included butter, infant formula and yogurt. Mass market cheeses include Edam, Gouda, Emmental and cheddar with these imports primarily coming from Poland and other Baltic countries. The highest dollar cheeses are imported from France, Netherlands and Italy.

The European Union makes up almost 97% of cheese imports to Ukraine. Cheese makers and larger producer in Ukraine have been working hard to improve domestic cheese quality but they are expected to continue to see significant growth in imported cheeses.

U.S. genetics

While the Ukraine dairy industry does not directly purchase dairy products from the U.S., it is interested in our genetics. Dairy producer associations have expressed strong desires to improve production through better genetics and nutrition. Improvements in genetics are coming from imported semen from both the U.S. and European countries. USDA Foreign Agricultural Services has been working to facilitate market access to U.S. heifers that are vaccinated against brucellosis.

While the U.S. dairy industry has not been directly interacting with Ukraine, the Russian invasion will have reaching effects on our profit outlook. Hopefully be the time you read this peace has come back to the region and markets are beginning to stabilize.
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party delivers a speech at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Thursday, March 10, hours after he was elected as the country's next leader in the 2022 presidential election held the day before. Joint Press Corps



President-elect calls for stronger Korea-US alliance, mutual trust-based Korea-China ties, future-oriented relations with Japan



By Jung Da-min



President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) said he would make the Korea-U.S. alliance stronger, improve Seoul-Beijing ties based on mutual trust and bolster future-oriented Korea-Japan ties.



"I will respond decisively to the illegal and unreasonable behaviors of North Korea based on principles, while always keeping the door for inter-Korean dialogue open," Yoon said, during a news conference at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Thursday. His speech came hours after he was elected as the country's next leader in the 2022 presidential election conducted a day before.



Earlier in the morning, Yoon also had a phone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden, where the two leaders vowed to strengthen the ROK-U.S. alliance.





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party speaks to U.S. President Joe Biden over the phone at his residence in Seoul's Gangnam District, Thursday, hours after he was elected as the country's next leader in the 20th presidential election held the day before. Courtesy of People Power Party



"I will rebuild the ROK-U.S. alliance and strengthen the comprehensive strategic alliance, while sharing the core values of liberal democracy, a market economy and human rights. I will develop bilateral relations of mutual respect between Korea and China and create a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship," he said.



Diplomatic experts said that South Korea and the U.S. are expected to be in sync in their policies on regional and global issues, such as those regarding North Korea.



"(The) Alliance (between South Korea and the United States) will generally be in sync, run more smoothly on North Korea, China, regional or global issues. Some advisors (to Yoon) will want maximum pressure on North Korea, to normalize the U.S.-ROK drills, and to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence. North Korea will raise a fuss and justify (the weapons) tests it'd do anyway under Lee," Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at Washington-based think tank Center for a New American Security, wrote on her Twitter account, Thursday, following the announcement of the election results.





Yoon hopes for stronger coordination with Japan Yoon says Seoul-Beijing relations will develop further Biden invites President-elect Yoon to White House during phone conversation Another expert, Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said South Korea will need to develop what he called "democratic resilience" at home after the divided electorate has produced a divided government, at this time when the country's international role is growing in dealing with global challenges such as the pandemic or the climate crisis.



The professor said that South Korea should work together with the U.S., its longtime ally, as well as with Japan, another East Asian ally of the U.S.



"With challenges simultaneously escalating in Europe and Asia, U.S. allies South Korea and Japan can contribute to defense of the international order by speaking up at the U.N., participating in sanctions enforcement, and helping secure supply chains," Easley said, in an email to reporters, the same day.



He said that the countries can also work together to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions against it, and that doing so would also work for Seoul's interests, as the Kim Jong-un regime of North Korea is also closely watching the situation in Ukraine.



"The more that Seoul and Tokyo do to hold Moscow accountable, the more North Korea will be deterred from nuclear adventurism," he said.



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes a closing address at a meeting in Pyongyang, Feb. 28, in this photo provided by the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency a day after. AP-Yonhap

"The Kim regime is watching the situation in Ukraine, but it isn't historically accurate to draw negative lessons from Kyiv 'giving up nukes' because it didn't actually have operational control of Soviet nuclear weapons. In fact, the U.S. substantially helped Ukraine and Russia with their loose nukes problem. But that won't prevent Pyongyang from adding Ukraine to its list of excuses to avoid denuclearization," he said.



As for the growing U.S.-China rivalry, the professor said, U.S.-China relations are more complicated than the U.S.-Russia relations, which have long been in a Cold War frame.



"U.S.-China relations are more intertwined with the future of globalization  involving trade, climate change, and the ethics of technology  as well as any hope for the peaceful denuclearization of North Korea," he said.



Political watchers expect that Yoon will take rather a confrontational stance toward the North, as he has been saying that he would strengthen the military's three-axis air defense system  consisting of the Kill Chain preemptive strike system, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) plan  to counter potential nuclear threats posed by the North better.



Meanwhile, North Korea conducted nine rounds of missile launches since the beginning of this year, including those involving intermediate range and hypersonic missiles.



On Thursday, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, had visited the country's space agency, laying out a plan to launch a large number of reconnaissance satellites within the next five years. The KCNA report came days after North Korea fired a ballistic missile in the second such test in less than a week, which Pyongyang claimed was for developing a reconnaissance satellite.




WASHINGTON  The American Farm Bureau Federation recently honored eight young farm and ranch leaders as graduates of the organizations 10th Partners in Advocacy Leadership class. PAL was designed to help agricultural leaders accelerate their engagement abilities and solidify their roles as advocates for agriculture.

Graduates of PAL Class 10 are David Hafner, Florida; James Henderson, Colorado; Beth Hodge, New Hampshire; Jenny Holtermann, California; Sarah Ison, Ohio; Matthew McClanahan, Tennessee; Derek Orth, Wisconsin; and Kyle Wilson, Utah.

PAL training involves four learning modules designed to develop specific leadership skills while exploring components of leadership and its theories and philosophies. The modules build on one another over the two years of the program and include intense, in-person, hands-on training.
COLUMBUS  Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of the numerous fishing opportunities as rainbow trout are stocked in 71 public lakes and ponds this spring, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

Adams Lake

The first stocking will occur March 15 at Adams Lake in Adams County. About 80,000 of these coldwater fish will be stocked in March, April and May 2022.

Rainbow trout are raised at Ohios state fish hatcheries and measure between 10-13 inches when they are released by the division of wildlife. A complete list of stocking dates is available at wildohio.gov, along with fishing techniques used to catch them.

All fish will be stocked during the date listed for each location. Some locations feature a special event on the day of the scheduled release, including youth-only fishing.

Information about the trout releases, including a complete list of dates, any updates to the schedule because of weather, stocking locations and event information is available at wildohio.gov or by calling 800-945-3543.

By stocking these water areas throughout the state, anglers of all ages have the opportunity to get out and enjoy quality spring rainbow trout fishing in a family friendly environment.

Catch limit

The daily catch limit for inland lakes is five trout per angler with no minimum size limit.

License

Anglers 16 and older are required to have an Ohio fishing license to fish in-state public waters. The 2022-23 fishing license is available now, and an annual license is valid for one year after purchase. An annual resident fishing license costs $25. A one-day fishing license costs $14 and may also be redeemed for credit toward the purchase of an annual fishing license. Licenses and permits can be purchased online at wildohio.gov, through the HuntFish OH app and at participating license sales agents. Sales of fishing licenses along with the federal Sport Fish Restoration program support operation of division of wildlife fish hatcheries.

The Sport Fish Restoration program is a partnership between federal and state governments, the fishing industry, anglers, and boaters. When anglers purchase rods, reels, fishing tackle, fish finders, and motorboat fuel, they pay an excise tax. The federal government collects these taxes, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers and disburses these funds to state fish and wildlife agencies. These funds are used to acquire habitat, produce and stock fish, conduct research and assessment surveys, provide aquatic education and secure fishing access.
A coalition of the main farmers' organisations in the EU have voted to accept the Ukrainian National Agrarian Forum as a new partner organisation amid Russia's invasion of the country.

Copa and Cogeca, the EU's farming organisation which represents 22 million farmers, said it was a 'great honour' to welcome the Ukrainian National Agrarian Forum (UNAF) as a new member.

The decision to accept the group was taken "unanimously and in record time" by the members of Copa and Cogeca.

Ukraine produces a third of the worlds wheat exports, with the current conflict being waged there triggering wider concern over the fragility of food supply chains in Europe.

Fertiliser and numerous other fundamental aspects of food production are also under threat as a result of the war.

Copa President Christiane Lambert expressed solidarity with the farmers of Ukraine during an online meeting with UNAF's director, Mariia Dudikh.

Following words of admiration for the courage of Ukrainian people, Ms Lambert said: "It is our way of officially showing you all our support in the ordeal that has hit your country.

"As President of Copa and in a personal capacity, I want to reaffirm with great solemnity our solidarity with the Ukrainian people and with you, the farmers of Ukraine.

Despite the situation faced by Ukrainian farmers, Ms Dudikh expressed desire and commitment to the work of Copa and Cogeca.

She indicated rising concerns for food security in Ukraine and worldwide as a consequence of the ongoing conflict.

The difficulties currently faced by Ukrainian farmers was also outlined, in particular the lack of fuel and seeds and other inputs necessary for food production

I would like to express our respectfulness to your decision, that allows UNAF to join Copa and Cogeca as a partner organisation," Ms Dudikh said.

"Unfortunately, it happens in the light of the on-going war in Ukraine, with our country paying the high price for it.
John Deere has announced a suspension of shipments to Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The US machinery giant said on Thursday (10 March) it was 'deeply saddened' by the events unfolding in Ukraine.

It said the safety, welfare, and wellbeing of its employees in the region remained a 'top priority'.

"We continue to support and maintain close communication with our affected teams, providing necessary resources when possible," a John Deere spokesperson said.

"Our thoughts are with our employees, their families as well as our dealers, customers and all those impacted by this crisis."

"We continue to monitor the situation closely while we fully abide by U.S. and international sanctions."

The John Deere Foundation has additionally been working with organisations, including multiple UN agencies, to mobilise resources to support Ukrainians.

"Our mission is, and always has been, to help our customers feed the world," the spokesperson added.
A man who stole over 600 sheep has been ordered to pay back the proceeds of his crimes to affected farmers, a total of 11,000.

Daniel Smith, 26, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft at Hereford Magistrates Court in July 2021 and August 2021, he was sentenced to serve eight months imprisonment.

The sheep were stolen from four locations in fields in the Marden, Sutton St Nicholas and Cross Keys areas of Herefordshire between November 2020 and January 2021.

One of the victims identified sheep being sold as those stolen from his farm and subsequently 92% of the stolen sheep were recovered over the following two days in March 2021.

On 8 March 2022 at Worcester Crown Court, a Confiscation Order was made, whereby Mr Smiths benefit figure from the crime was agreed to be 11,000.

The amount he was found to have available was also 11,000, which he has been ordered to pay within three months. If he does not pay, a further period of imprisonment in default of payment will be issued.

Detective Inspector Emma Wright, of West Mercia Police said: Smith has been stripped of the trappings of his crime by powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act, as a result of a financial investigation by West Mercia Police Economic Crime Unit.

"A Confiscation Order imposed means he must pay back the full amount of 11,000, or face time in prison.

Wildlife Crime Officer, PC Josh Kitchen of West Mercia Police, said the force was 'pleased' with the result of this investigation.

"We hope that it reassures the farming community that livestock theft will not be tolerated and that police will fully investigate these incidents.

Livestock thefts across the UK totalled 2.3million in 2020 and the act often causes suffering for the animals and additional financial pressures for farmers.

I would like to thank the farmers involved for their assistance in this investigation as well as the cooperation of Hereford Livestock Market."
One of the UK's largest turkey producers has urged the government to consider vaccinations to tackle bird flu, as it 'may be the only way forward'.

Paul Kelly, owner of Kelly Bronze Turkeys, based near Chelmsford, Essex, said the disease was a 'major threat' to the poultry sector.

The government has confirmed 83 cases of highly-pathogenic avian influenza in England alone since late October 2021, the start of this year's bird flu season.

Defra Secretary George Eustice said in December that the UK was seeing its worst ever outbreak of avian influenza.

Avian influenza is a big worry for all of us as it seems the virus is now endemic in the wild bird population and is with us for good, Mr Kelly said.

"The authorities are trying to contain it exactly as the world tried to contain Covid. The difference is flocks can be slaughtered and the source eliminated.

I feel it is getting to the stage where we must accept AI cannot be controlled and the financial losses are so big it could decimate the industry, as it has in parts of Europe."

The turkey producer said authorities must 'accept defeat' in trying to control the disease, and instead look at vaccinations. "The same decision that was made for Newcastle Disease in the 1970s," he added.

It comes as scientists at the Pirbright Institute are trialling a potential bird flu vaccine for commercial poultry production.

The vaccine, currently in the development stage, is said to provide rapid protection and could even reduce the virus's spread substantially.

Many existing vaccines only protect birds from serious illness and death, but do not prevent them from transmitting the virus, enabling the continued spread of disease through flocks.

But Pirbright's new vaccine generates a faster and stronger immune response in chickens against the H9N2 strain of bird flu, compared to the current industry standard inactivated virus vaccine.

Professor Munir Iqbal, head of the avian influenza virus group, said: We have generated a powerful addition to the armoury of poultry vaccines.

"Our improved vaccine could help prevent the spread of flu amongst vaccinated birds, which is essential for protecting poultry welfare, increasing food production, and reducing the risk of avian influenza spreading to humans."
Warrenton, VA (20186)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Liberty Counsel Returns to Court in Military Case

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Liberty Counsel

March 10, 2022



TAMPA, Fla., March 10, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- Liberty Counsel is back in court today before Judge Steven Merryday in the military class action case, Navy SEAL 1 v. Austin. Prior to the hearing, Liberty Counsel filed opposition to the defendants' emergency motion for a stay pending appeal and for immediate administrative stay. The judge set an evidential hearing for today. On Tuesday this week, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the military defendants advised the court it will not bring any witnesses. The Department of Defense counsel refused to produce the Commodore of the Navy to be subjected to cross-examination.

Liberty Counsel intends to present testimony from one or both of the plaintiffs who are protected by the preliminary injunction. Liberty Counsel also intends to present testimony of three U.S. Army flight surgeons, one of whom was injured by the COVID shots. On the evening before the hearing, one of the witnesses was counseled by a superior to not testify. The bullying of those who apply for religious exemption and even plaintiffs and witnesses is unprecedented.

The DOD, led by Secretary Lloyd Austin, and other defendants in the case filed a motion at the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals requesting an immediate stay when Judge Merryday denied their request for the federal district court to stay the preliminary injunction granted for two of Liberty Counsel's plaintiffs from the shot mandates. The court declined to issue an immediate stay and gave the plaintiffs until March 14 to file their response.

The plaintiffs' response stated the defendants were "rebuffed in their attempts" to get an immediate stay or expedited consideration in the Eleventh Circuit. Liberty Counsel's response continued: "Defendants now want to avoid finishing what they started in this Court, notifying the Court today that they waive both evidence and oral argument in support of their motion and suggesting the hearing be canceled. Defendants obviously want to lose their stay motion in this Courtand they should."

The response also notes that the defendants are relying on "stale and inaccurate" medical evidence. The defendants' declarations "contain stale, generalized numbers that do not address the specifics of any Plaintiff's religious accommodation request." The evidence the defendants have presented does not answer how the military addresses the plaintiffs' rights under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

Liberty Counsel's response also shows that the Navy itself has admitted that Omicron is not impacting operations, according to a Navy Times article.

Navy Vice Admiral William Merz, deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy, was quoted as saying, "So, it's coming and going all the time, very small numbers, and really no operational impact.  And the teams are just very, very attuned to watching their indications and reacting to it."

Liberty Counsel argued, "In the absence of any operational impact on the Navy from COVID-19 in January, despite the ongoing service of thousands of unvaccinated sailors, Defendants cannot argue that allowing any Plaintiff to continue serving without vaccination will have an operational impact."

The military has adopted a "blanket policy of nondeployability of unvaccinated service members whereby it 'can feign individualized denials of religious accommodation requests,'" Liberty Counsel's response states.

"The military's claiming 'lost confidence' in service members for no other reason than their "disobeying" a final shot order pursuant to a federal court injunction vindicating their free exercise rights amounts to a military coup d'etat against the coequal branches of the United States Government that enacted and interpreted RFRA according to their respective constitutional authorities."

Liberty Counsel has been providing legal assistance to more than 700 service members from the Army, Air Force, Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Liberty Counsel maintains an internal "Service Member Final Denial List" for service members who have contacted Liberty Counsel and whose final Religious Accommodation Request appeals have been denied. Based on this list alone, the U.S. military will continue to lose highly qualified and experienced personnel.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "Liberty Counsel represents plaintiffs from all branches of the military who were denied religious exemptions from the COVID shot mandate. The military has violated the Constitution and the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act with this unlawful COVID shot mandate. The abuse of military heroes is inhumane and unlawful. The Department of Defense acts likes it is above the law. This abuse and unlawful action must end."

Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.



SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org



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New leader should bring change for the better



Yoon Suk-yeol, the candidate of the main conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP), was elected as the country's next president Wednesday. He scored 48.56 percent of votes, defeating Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who garnered 47.83 percent. Yoon, a former prosecutor general and political novice, won the election by the narrowest margin ever in the history of the Republic of Korea.



Yoon's victory reflected the people's aspiration for a change of government. Yet he failed to gain a majority vote. So he should accept the election results humbly and listen to the voices of those who supported his rivals.



Now the election is over and everyone needs to join efforts to usher in a new Korea and a better future under the new leadership. The two-way race was overheated with negative campaigns hindering the competition for better policy proposals. Voters were divided sharply along ideological, regional, generational and gender lines.



Thus the first thing President-elect Yoon and his party should do is to heal the divisions and bring the people together. They also must bring new politics to the nation as many Koreans have grown fed up with the political establishment, which is mired in ideological and partisan struggles. Besides, they should restore fairness, justice and common sense which have been severely damaged by the Moon Jae-in administration.



Equally urgent and important is to promote national unity and harmony. In his acceptance speech, Yoon said he will consider national unity as his top priority. "We must work together to become one for the people and for the Republic of Korea," he said. We hope that Yoon will leave no stone unturned to do exactly what he said.



Cooperative politics'



More than anything else, Yoon will have to work together with opposition parties to ensure bipartisan support for his policies. He cannot do anything without bipartisan cooperation because the PPP has only 110 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, while the DPK has a majority of 172 seats. Thus, "cooperative politics" is not an option, but a must. Yet, achieving this is easier said than done.



It is also necessary to keep his promise to form a government of national unity. He made the promise after his rival, Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor People's Party, dropped out of the race to field a single opposition candidate. And Yoon had better go the extra mile to set up a broader coalition government.



We positively assess Yoon's remarks that he will take the opposition-controlled National Assembly as an opportunity to develop democracy further. As he said, Yoon should make sincere efforts to forge partnerships with the opposition parties. He should not hesitate to seek the cooperation of the opposition to better serve the nation and protect the people's interests. He also needs to make thorough preparations to form a Cabinet by nominating competent and qualified figures for prime minister and other ministers before taking office in May.



Economic revival



It is also imperative to speed up economic recovery, while focusing on bringing the resurgent COVID-19 pandemic under control. Reviving the economy is, of course, a hard task, especially when the country is facing a series of downside risks such as the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. International economic sanctions on Russia and soaring oil prices are likely to deal a severe blow to Korea's export-oriented economy. But we cannot return to normal life without sustainable economic growth.



Yoon should concentrate on restarting the nation's growth engine by promoting deregulation, innovation and entrepreneurship as he promised during his campaign. He also must spare no efforts to create more jobs, particularly for young adults in their 20s and 30s. Besides, it is necessary to improve the livelihoods of low-income households and compensate small merchants and self-employed people for losses arising from COVID-19 restrictions on their business operations.



Yoon should also keep his promise to supply 2.5 million new homes to stabilize the overheated housing market. President Moon's failed housing policy was one of the key issues affecting the election results. Providing quality apartments at affordable prices is essential to tackling the housing shortage. At the same time it is important to ease tax burdens on homeowners who have nothing to do with property speculation.



New foreign policy



The incoming administration needs to map out new foreign policy to cope with a new Cold War between the U.S. and its rivals, China and Russia. As Yoon promised, it is necessary for Korea to strengthen its security alliance with the U.S. to deal with rapidly changing geopolitical situations and mounting security threats. Nevertheless, the country should not weaken its ties with China, its largest trading partner. It is getting more difficult to maintain President Moon's policy of striking a balance between the two great powers. But it would be better for Seoul to keep better ties with both Washington and Beijing to maximize its national interests.



Yoon is expected to take a hardline stance on North Korea. He needs to hammer out new strategies to prod the Kim Jong-un regime to move toward denuclearization and peace. He should work closely with the Biden administration to solve the nuclear issue based on dialogue and diplomacy. Most of all, Yoon should do everything he can to prevent the North from resuming ICBM launches and nuclear tests.








The purpose of the legislative session is for priority bills to become law. Thousands of bills are introduced; this year, 293 bills became law. Its hard to keep up with them all, so heres a brief rundown of major bills that became lawand bills that did not.
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By Donald Kirk





Nuclear weapons have an irresistible allure. Nations stake their prestige on them. Crowds have cheered at the news of a country's first nuclear test. For a nation to be called a "nuclear power" is evidence it's as strong as any other country, ready to annihilate enemy forces and hostile citizens by the millions.No country is prouder of its nuclear success than North Korea. After each of its half dozen nuclear tests, the North's state media has burst into applause for all the great physicists and engineers who made possible such a momentous accomplishment. North Korea, however, is still knocking at the door for formal admittance as the ninth member of the global "nuclear club."The U.S. has been refusing to recognize the North as a nuclear power ever since Kim Jong-un's father, Kim Jong-il, ordered its first nuclear test on October 9, 2006. CBS, for which I was filing radio reports from Seoul, had me madly gasping out the news. The next time Kim ordered a nuclear test, on May 25, 2009, I was driving in downtown Washington. Al Jazeera called asking for comment. I unloaded my thoughts at a red light.Kim Jong-un, having ordered North Korea's next four nuclear tests, is eager to test another but may be hesitating for several reasons. One is they cost multi-billions, maybe trillions, of dollars to make these devices, only to blow one up in a test. That's a lot of money for a destitute country that can't feed its people adequately. Kim himself has prattled no end about the need to uplift an economy suffering during the COVID pandemic, which North Korea refuses to acknowledge. The North is also hard hit by U.N. and U.S. sanctions imposed after each of its six nuclear tests, the last in September 2017.Now North Korea is warming up for test-firing an ICBM for the first time since November 2017. They say they launched a couple of satellites this month in order to test the electronics for a satellite. The great difference between a satellite and an ICBM is the former orbits the earth while the latter flies a parabolic course to a target. Otherwise, they have a lot in common. A pro-North paper in Japan, Choson Sinbo, has said the North will test its next satellite "at a time and place decided by the supreme leadership," as if we couldn't have guessed who'd order the launch.For his upcoming ICBM/satellite launch, Kim need not worry about more sanctions. The reason for testing ICBMs is to figure out how they can carry nuclear warheads to the U.S. Vladimir Putin should appreciate the need for Kim to be able to nuke an enemy. With his forces rampaging through Ukraine, Russia's president will block any move by the U.N. Security Council to scold Kim yet again for his transgressions.For Putin and Kim, nuclear power is a cudgel that both of them are wielding against a common foe, the United States. Putin has put his nuclear forces on alert against the NATO nations, led by the U.S., that are providing arms for the Ukrainians in a war in which they're badly outgunned and outnumbered.Might Putin be tempted to drop or fire a tactical nuke if NATO countries were to send their own forces into the fray and the fighting flared from the Ukraine into Russia? A crucial step toward all-out war would be for NATO nations to try and enforce a "no fly zone" over Ukraine, as Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has asked them to do.Shootouts between NATO and Russian planes would be inevitable. It's no exaggeration to imagine Putin pressing the nuclear button if NATO planes attacked the Russian bases from which his planes were flying.Kim Jong-un would understand completely. Like Putin, he believes "security" is the reason for deploying nukes even if his engineers are still not sure how to fix one to a missile.Nuclear power is at the apex of North Korea's military structure. Kim's 60 or so nukes add up to about one percent of Russia's nearly 6,000 nukes. His 1.2 million troops may be hungry, physically weak. Equipment may be dilapidated, short of spare parts, worn out. Kim, however, believes the sacrifice of hungry people makes it all worthwhile. He's sure the threat of using just one nuke will keep his enemies at bay.For Putin, the nuclear threat hangs over fears of an escalation of a war that could spread across Europe. He and Kim share a common bond: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.Donald Kirk ( www.donaldkirk.com ) writes from Seoul as well as Washington.
Akshay Kumar and Kriti Sanon have been lately making all the buzz with their upcoming film Bachchhan Paandey, helmed by Farhad Samji. The cast also includes Jaqueline Fernandez, Pankaj Tripathi, and Arshad Warsi. The duo has been clicked out and about in the city with their hectic promotions going on in full swing. The trailer and songs of the film released so far have garnered a lot of attention from fans as they are waiting for this Holi release to hit the screens soon.











The trailer of Bachchhan Paandey shows Akshay Kumar as a menacing gangster with an unquenchable thirst to kill while Kriti dons the character of an aspiring filmmaker. The movie is slated to release on March 18, 2022. To this Akshay Kumar added, I am sure everyone struggles. And mine is no different. Someone asked me to write a book, but I feel there isn't a need.The trailer of Bachchhan Paandey shows Akshay Kumar as a menacing gangster with an unquenchable thirst to kill while Kriti dons the character of an aspiring filmmaker. The movie is slated to release on March 18, 2022.

On March 9, the cast joined by the director was seen addressing a press conference. Kriti was asked to name an actor she feels could have a biopic made to narrate their story. To which Kriti answered in a jiffy that her co-star Akshay Kumars life would be rather interesting to be witnessed on the big screen considering the struggles he had to go through.
Back in 2019, filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta, known for his gritty and compelling portrayal of some of the most intriguing real-life stories in Hindi cinema such as No One Killed Jessica and Raid on the big screen, was working on a film based on the life of Ravinder Kaushik, an actor turned RAW agent also known as The Black Tiger. Ravinder Kaushik's family has granted Raj Kumar Gupta the exclusive rights to tell his extraordinary story on the big screen for the first time. Salman Khan was reportedly in talks to star in the project in 2021. According to the most recent reports, Khan and Gupta have cancelled the project.





The film was supposed to be co-produced by his sister Alvira Agnihotri and his brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri, and Salman Khan was supposed to start filming after wrapping Sajid Nadiadwala's Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali. According to a recent report in a news outlet, the project has been shelved. The duo has decided to abandon the project due to unforeseen circumstances and uncertainty surrounding the film.





For years, Raj Kumar Gupta and Salman Khan had been discussing a film project, and Black Tiger was supposed to be that project. They are now waiting patiently for a good script to come their way.



Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dubbed Ravinder Kaushik "The Black Tiger" for his bravery and valuable contribution to the country. Agent Ravindra Kaushik is widely regarded as India's best spy to ever penetrate the ranks of the Pakistan Army. Kaushik, also known as Black Tiger, enjoyed theatre and performing on stage, which led to the RAW spotting him and utilising his talents for the country. He was sent to Pakistan to finish his LLB, join the army, and become a commissioned officer. From 1979 to 1983, he provided critical information to the Indian defence forces, which was greatly appreciated.
PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / March 9, 2022 / Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. (NYSE:JEQ) (the "Fund"), a closed-end equity fund, announced today that it will pay a distribution of US $0.15 per share on March 31, 2022 to all stockholders of record as of March 24, 2022 (ex-dividend date March 23, 2022).

The Fund's distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy") is to pay quarterly distributions at an annual rate, set once a year, that is a percentage of the average daily NAV for the previous three months as of the month-end prior to declaration. In December 2021, the Board determined the rolling distribution rate to be 6.5% for the 12-month period commencing with the distribution payable in March 2022. The Distribution Policy is subject to regular review by the Board. The Distribution Policy seeks to provide investors with a stable quarterly distribution out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital.

The Board of Directors also approved that under the Distribution Policy, effective with the quarterly distribution payable in June 2022, distributions will be paid in newly issued shares of common stock of the Fund to all shareholders who have not otherwise elected to receive cash.

Shareholders may request to be paid their quarterly distributions in cash instead of shares of common stock by providing advance notice to the bank, brokerage or nominee who holds their shares if the shares are in "street name" or by filling out in advance an election card received from Computershare Investor Services if the shares are in registered form. To receive the quarterly distribution payable in June 2022 in cash instead of shares of common stock, the bank, brokerage or nominee who holds the shares must advise the Depository Trust Company as to their full and fractional share requirements by June 17, 2022 and written notification for the election of cash by registered shareholders must be received by Computershare Investor Services prior to June 17, 2022.

Under the amended policies, shares of common stock will be issued at the lower of the net asset value ("NAV") per share or the market price per share with a floor for the NAV of not less than 95% of the market price.

The quarterly distribution announced today and payable in March 2022 will be paid in cash to all shareholders not enrolled in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan.

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about a Fund's investment performance from the terms of the Fund's distribution policy.

Distribution Payment Details

Under applicable U.S. tax rules, the amount and character of distributable income for each Fund's fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related rules, the Funds may be required to indicate to shareholders the estimated source of certain distributions to shareholders.

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distribution for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the Rules adopted thereunder. The table has been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The table includes estimated amounts and percentages for the distribution to be paid on March 31, 2022 as well as the estimated cumulative distributions declared fiscal year to date (11/01/2021 - 02/28/2022), from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated composition of the distributions may vary from quarter to quarter because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies.

Estimated Amounts of Current Distribution per Share Fund Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains** Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital JEQ $0.1500 $0.0255 17% - - $0.1245 83% - -

Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year to Date Cumulative Distributions per Share Fund Fiscal Year* to Date Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains** Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital JEQ $1.1305 $0.1922 17% - - $0.9383 83% - -

**includes currency gains

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy").

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions for the current year will only be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. After the end of each calendar year, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders for the prior calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The following table provides the Fund's total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Funds' annualized and cumulative distribution rates.

Fund Performance and Distribution Rate Information Fund Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 02/28/2022 Current Fiscal Period's Annualized Distribution Rate on NAV Cumulative Total Return on NAV Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV JEQ 5.10% 11.91%3 -13.85% 11.91%

1 Return data is net of all fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan.

2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of February 28, 2022.

3 Due to the Fund's annual distribution policy in place in 2021, the percentage shown represents the per share annual distribution of income and capital divided by the Fund's NAV as of February 28, 2022.

While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market.

Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Funds may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Funds during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Funds, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received.

The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. Each Fund's Board has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances.

In the United States, abrdn is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., abrdn Australia Limited, abrdn Asia Ltd., Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC and Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. A Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

If you If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact Investor.Relations@abrdn.com.

For More Information Contact:

abrdn Inc.

Investor Relations

1-800-522-5465

Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

SOURCE: Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692399/Aberdeen-Japan-Equity-Fund-INC-Announces-Distribution-Payment-and-Approval-of-Elective-Stock-Distribution-Policy
The Foodstuff marketplace brings together ethically conscious foodies, with 'tried tasted' independent local restaurants, currently in six UK cities. Each order is delivered via 100% emission free vehicles, by drivers that are paid a fair wage for a real job.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220309005973/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

The Seed Round was led by Base Investments UK, with participation from among others hospitality investor Charlie McVeigh, who also joins the board as Non-Executive Chair. The funding will enable Foodstuff to accelerate its expansion into additional locations across the UK, as well as turbo-charging the future development of the recently-released Foodstuff mobile app.

"We're in a game-changing moment for Foodstuff and this funding gives us the firepower to scale-up and connect loads more foodies, with even more high quality independent restaurants." said Toby Savill, Co-Founder CEO. "Our next milestone is to take our brand of 'food delivery with a conscience' to 10 new operating cities in the UK, with a very ambitious plan beyond," said the Co-Founder CEO.

Shortly prior to the closing of Foodstuff's Seed Round, the Company released its very first mobile app to existing customers, making it easier for new and repeat customers to get great food from 'tried tasted' restaurants, delivered ethically. The Company anticipates the launch of its mobile app will have a significant positive contribution to customer growth and engagement going forward.

James Perry, Co-Founder CPO said of the recent mobile app launch, "We managed to reach tens of thousands of repeat customers without a mobile app. After months of website-only ordering we're very happy to serve our loyal customers with an easy-to-use and engaging mobile experience. Since launching the app in mid-November, we've already had over 20,000 total downloads."

The exciting news signals the next phase of the Foodstuff journey. Having delivered their very first order in May 2020, the company has enjoyed an impressive average monthly growth rate in excess of 10% since January 2021, prior to the launch of the Company's mobile app. Foodstuff is currently operational in Cambridge, Bristol, Bath, Oxford, Manchester and most recently Edinburgh. Since launching the app the average monthly growth rate has jumped to 36%. There are big plans for further expansion in 2022 too.

In conjunction with the raise, the Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Charlie McVeigh to the board as Non-Executive Chair. "I am very proud to be joining Foodstuff's dynamic team, led by Toby and James. It's abundantly clear that there is a community of independent restaurants and aspirational foodies out there who do not feel represented by the delivery giants. Foodstuff is already demonstrating in six UK cities that it can offer an ethical, curated, eco-friendly alternative and the accelerating viral success of each successive City launch confirms there is a market out there looking for something new," said McVeigh.

About Foodstuff

Food delivery with a conscience Independents only Riders on living wage Zero emissions delivery To learn more about Foodstuff and download the app, visit wearefoodstuff.co.uk and follow us @foodstuff_uk.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220309005973/en/

Contacts:

Press and Investment Enquiries:-

Toby Savill, CEO Co-Founder

toby@wearefoodstuff.co.uk

New Partner Restaurant/Vendor Enquiries:-

hello@wearefoodstuff.co.uk
LONDON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Beam Suntory is thrilled to introduce the limited-edition Bowmore 1965 Precious Metals, designed by master craftsman John Galvin, exclusively to Global Travel Retail.

Inspired by the rich heritage of Bowmore's remote island home in Islay for over 240 years, John Galvin captured centuries of tradition to create four individual presentation boxes that pay homage to legendary craftsmanship and the distillery's legacy.

Each handcrafted oak box is adorned with a brass plaque made from the former spirit safe, dating back to 1924.

Bowmore 1965 Precious Metals celebrates the evolution of the distillery as the 1960s represent the golden age of Bowmore, when some of the brand's most prolific and admired whiskies were crafted. Today, these whiskies are scarce, and the spirits are limited to only a handful of casks.

Radiating a shimmering amber hue, Bowmore 1965 has been elevated to legendary status through maturation showcasing the iconic fruit notes and deep flavour that are revered in Bowmore single malts. On the nose, this whisky offers elegant bursts of fragrant fruits, sweet bees wax and intense dark chocolate, developing into burnt heather and a fresh spring flower finish. Perfectly balanced with a touch of jasmine, dried fruit and apricots, this single malt is best savoured neat.

Each of the four bottles are available at a RRSP of $50,000, with each individual box being a bespoke collectable and artifact capturing over 240 years of heritage. The bottle will also be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and numbered to preserve their rarity.

The bespoke one-off art pieces represent the ultimate pathway into the Bowmore legacy for whisky collectors worldwide and will be available to travellers at airports in Dubai, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.

The first bottle will become available at the Taipei Downtown DF store from 11thMarch 2022.

Manuel Gonzalez, Marketing Director of Global Travel Retail for Beam Suntory, said: "We're delighted to present the exquisite limited-edition Bowmore 1965 Precious Metals exclusively to Global Travel Retail. Master craftsman John Galvin captured the essence of the Bowmore distillery and has a proven track record of designing incredibly desirable pieces for collectors. With only four bottles available worldwide, our customers are invited to get their hands on unique art that immortalizes the Bowmore craftsmanship and celebrates the brand's rich heritage."

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1763098/Beam_Suntory.jpg
PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / March 9, 2022 / The Board of Trustees of Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund (the "Fund"), has declared a cash distribution of $0.328125 per share of the Fund's 5.250% Series A Perpetual Preferred Shares (NYSE:ACP PRA) ("Series A Preferred Shares"). The distribution is payable on March 31, 2022 to holders of Series A Preferred Shares of record on March 21, 2022 (ex-dividend date March 18, 2022).

The Series A Preferred Shares trade on the NYSE under the symbol "ACP PRA", are rated "A2" by Moody's Investors Service and have an annual dividend rate of $1.3125 per share. The Series A Preferred Shares were issued on May 10, 2021 at $25.00 per share and pay distributions quarterly.

Distributions may be paid from sources of income other than ordinary income, such as net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. In January 2023, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders, which will state the amount and composition of distributions and provide information with respect to their appropriate tax treatment for the 2022 calendar year.

You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution.

In the United States, abrdn is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., abrdn Australia Limited, abrdn Asia Limited, Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC and Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

For More Information Contact:

abrdn Inc.

Investor Relations

1-800-522-5465

Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

SOURCE: abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692401/Aberdeen-Income-Credit-Strategies-Fund-Declares-Quarterly-Dividend-for-Its-525-Series-a-Perpetual-Preferred-Shares
KUALA LUMPUR & TAIPING, Mar 10, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Spritzer ("Spritzer" or the "Company") is aiding flood victims in Terengganu by ensuring that they have access to clean water for drinking purposes following flooding across the state after continuous rain.Due to the continuous heavy rain in Peninsular Malaysia, it has been reported that flooding has occurred in all eight districts in Terengganu affecting more than 17,000 people at 87 relief centres.The Company has arranged, with the help of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, to send Spritzer Natural Mineral Water to a centralised aid centre for flood victims located at the Hulu Terengganu Member of Parliament's office, as part of efforts to alleviate their suffering. Continuous rains across the state have affected thousands, who are being housed at relief centres.Spritzer urges everyone to be careful of contamination from the flood waters and avoid all unknown sources of water. People are encouraged to boil water from taps used for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth. Do not use discoloured water or water that have an odour and avoid contact with contaminated water on skin and eyes.Source: Spritzer BerhadCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Hexagon Agility has received an order from Scania Colombia, a world-leading bus and truck OEM, to deliver compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel systems for nine- and twelve-meter buses. These new low emission buses are built with bodies (the portion of a bus that encloses the bus's occupant space) from Busscar, a Columbian bus body builder and are ideal for urban operation.

This order represents an estimated value of USD 5.2 million (approx. NOK 46.3 million).

"As the City of Bogota, Colombia continues to drive towards reducing its carbon footprint, these new CNG buses are a game-changer, particularly the nine-meter buses suited for 'Stop and Go transport'," said Juan Carlos Ocampo, General Director of Scania Colombia. "We are committed to delivering sustainable solutions to customers like the City of Bogota, to help them achieve their sustainability goals."

"We are very pleased to partner with Scania Colombia by providing best-in-class CNG fuel systems for the transit bus OEM market," said Eric Bippus, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing of Hexagon Agility. "We believe that clean air is a right, not a privilege. This partnership with Scania is an important step in Hexagon Agility's efforts to make our vision, clean air everywhere, a global reality."

About the market

City of Bogota, Colombia is deemed to be one of the top five cities in the world with densest traffic. Transport emissions are the biggest contributor to health harming air quality in the city. To reduce the levels of pollution in the city and in Colombia, the Colombian government has confirmed during COP26 its plan to reduce 51% of carbon emissions by 2030. Compared to diesel, these new CNG buses play a critical role reducing NOx emissions by 80%, suspended particles by 96% and sulfur dioxide emissions by 100%. Additionally, it reduces noise emissions by 50%.

Timing

Deliveries of the CNG fuel systems are scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2022.

For more information:

Karen Romer, SVP Communications, Hexagon Composites ASA

Telephone: +47 950 74 950 | karen.romer@hexagongroup.com



About Scania

Scania is a world-leading provider of transport solutions, including trucks and buses for heavy transport applications combined with an extensive product-related service offering. Scania offers vehicle financing, insurance, and rental services to enable our customers to focus on their core business. Scania is also a leading provider of industrial and marine engines. With 50,000 employees in about 100 countries, its sales and service network are strategically placed where its customers need them, no matter where they operate. Research and development activities are mainly concentrated in Sweden. Production takes place in Europe and Latin America with facilities for global interchange of both components and complete vehicles. In addition, Scania operates regional product centers in Africa, Asia and Eurasia. Scania is part of TRATON GROUP. Under this umbrella the brands Scania, MAN and Volkswagen Caminhoes e Onibus work closely together with the aim to turn TRATON GROUP and its brands into a Global Champion.

Scania has been present in Colombia since 2010 and has more than 200 employees, 7 branches: Bogota, Medellin, Neiva, Bucaramanga, Sogamoso, Barranquilla, Cali and nine workshops at the clients' facilities.



About Hexagon Agility

Hexagon Agility, a business of Hexagon Composites, is a leading global provider of clean fuel solutions for commercial vehicles and gas transportation solutions. Its product offerings include natural gas storage and delivery systems, Type 4 composite natural gas cylinders, propane, and natural gas fuel systems. These products transport clean gaseous fuels and enable vehicles to reduce emissions while saving operating costs. Learn more at www.hexagonagility.com

About Hexagon Composites ASA

Hexagon delivers safe and innovative solutions for a cleaner energy future. Our solutions enable storage, transportation, and conversion to clean energy in a wide range of mobility, industrial and consumer applications. Learn more at www.hexagongroup.comand follow @HexagonASA on Twitter and LinkedIn.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act


By Kim Sang-woo





Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was elected as Korea's next president, beating his rival Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) by just 0.73 percentage points of the vote.



In a speech at the National Assembly early Thursday morning, Yoon said, "Now that the competition is over, we must all work together to become one for the people and the Republic of Korea." He promised to respect the Constitution and National Assembly, and "serve the people while cooperating with the opposition."



Identifying itself as the "candlelight government," the Moon Jae-in administration had promised to realize the values supported by the candlelight protesters  equality, fairness and social justice  but has largely failed to address them.



The Moon administration's failure to meet the expectations for social and political reforms have led many Koreans to believe that the governing DPK was no different from those they replaced.



So it stood to reason that Koreans would maintain their usual political stances for this election.



The first continuity can be found in the regional support of the two parties, the progressive DPK and the conservative PPP. Namely, the southwestern Honam region overwhelmingly supported Lee while the southeastern Yeongnam region solidly backed Yoon.



The second continuity is the effect of Korea's volatile party politics system. A 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 84 percent of Koreans said major change or complete reform is needed in Korean democracy, with only 53 percent satisfied with how democracy works in the country.



In part this decline in satisfaction with the political system in Korea may reflect the generational decline in party loyalty especially with those in their 20s and 30s who declare themselves as politically neutral.



Perhaps the most striking discontinuity in this election was the choice of candidates. The 2022 presidential election was noteworthy in that it wasn't an election between the standard-bearers of the conservative and progressive parties. On both sides, the candidates  neither of who possess experience in the National Assembly  won their party nominations.



Yoon, who formerly served as prosecutor-general under the Moon administration, campaigned for a change of government, championing fairness and justice.



In contrast, Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the DPK, was former Gyeonggi Province governor and promised to be a competent and pragmatic president, partly to distinguish himself from the inexperienced Yoon.



The presidential campaign, however, was mostly defined by personal attacks and mudslinging.



It has been labeled the "most distasteful" election ever, with people voting for the candidate they disliked the least.



Both major party candidates have been associated with scandals. Lee has been unable to shake a scandal surrounding a land development project in the city of Seongnam, where he served as mayor.



There have also been allegations that his wife ordered government employees to take on personal tasks.



Meanwhile, voters have questioned Yoon's past prosecutorial role, his seeming inability to manage his campaign, his wife's political indiscretions and her inclusion of lies on past job applications.



The Lee campaign relied on government-led solutions to manage the real estate market; promote public well-being through universal basic income, housing, and access to financing; and invest in a renewable energy-led economy.



In contrast, Yoon promotes market-led solutions through deregulation of the real estate market, the removal of government impediments on small and medium-sized businesses, and renewed support for nuclear energy.



However the manner in which the presidential race has unfolded has unmistakably populist characteristics, reflecting the conflict between the "elite"  or the establishment  and "ordinary people." This populism has two defining features: anti-elitism and anti-pluralism. In Korea, progressives (ruling party) regard the conservatives as the old elite, while conservatives (main opposition) view the progressives as the new elite.



Each accuses the other of representing the establishment, directing their political messaging at their own supporters. In such a polarized atmosphere, the qualifications of each candidate as a political leader becomes irrelevant. There has been little discussion or debate during the election over the future of Korea, from the economy to national security.



The emergence of "post-truth" in the information society also has a pervasive influence in Korea. This refers to appealing to subjective beliefs, instead of relying on objective facts. This further reinforces political and social "tribalism" in the public sphere and in civil society.



Politics then descends into a brutal struggle for power between competing "tribes," each held together by an unshakable commitment to commonly held beliefs and sentiments.



All these factors have appeared in the current Korean election, offering little space for rational discussion.



Korea's liberal democracy is on the line, as democratic backsliding has now become an undeniable reality. Korean society is deeply divided along the lines of ideology, class, generation, and gender, and even the courts and civil society are highly politicized.



The aftermath of this election are critical for the future of Korea's distressed democracy  will it be rescued from further decay, or will the country retreat into a new form of populist authoritarianism?



It can only be hoped that the president-elect will choose democratic values over populist impulses, pursue social integration over eradicating deep rooted evils, and emphasize the truth rather than resorting to a post-truth narrative.



The president-elect will inherit a Herculean task of healing a society wrecked by divisions and if the new government relies on politics of exclusivity and immediate political gain, it will damage Korean democracy and bring about its rapid downfall.



I hope that the president-elect will realize, as the old saying goes: "You can't have your cake and eat it."





Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com) is a former lawmaker and is currently chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.




TEL AVIV, Israel, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter and energy storage system solution supplier, forged a contract together with Afcon to supply the company's latest liquid cooled energy storage system solution to a 16 MW/64 MWh project in Israel. As Israel's largest standalone energy storage plant, the project is set to be integrated with the "Dalia Power Station" -- the largest privately contracted Power Plant in the country.

The Dalia Power Station, owned and operated by Dalia Power Energies Ltd., is a 912 MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired plant in Israel, boasting 8% of the total electricity production of Israel.

Located at the site of the Dalia Power Station, the energy storage project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023. The integration of storage enables the gas generators to be turned down immediately without impacting reliability, as well as enabling them to operate at optimal efficiency when they are turned on, dramatically improving gas-fired stations' speed and flexibility, resulting in improved efficiencies and lower emissions.

This agreement designates Sungrow to provide its ST2752UX energy storage system unit and its power conversion system (PCS) SC5000UD-MV, enclosures as well as providing maintenance services on this tranche of project. The innovative liquid cooled energy storage solution slashes capital and operating expenses due to its pre-assembled and easy installation design as well as a more effective cell working environment which substantially slows down the capacity loss rate. Furthermore, it enables a smaller footprint given the back-to-back installation structure, which perfectly meets the demand of the existing gas-fired power plant and its land constraints.

With Dalia Power Energies acting as lead Independent Power Producer (IPP) and playing a proactive role in paving the way to the energy transition, the EPC company Afcon EPC Division leads on the full planning, procurement and execution, as well as operation and maintenance of the project for quite a long time.

"As we move towards a more sustainable future, energy storage will improve the stability of the grid by vitalizing a variety of existing assets, such as gas, to gain more efficiency and more sustainability. We welcome Afcon as an experienced EPC contractor and Sungrow as a well referenced supplier that has global footprints on energy storage and offers the future-proof liquid cooled technology that fits our demand well," said Yuval Peleg, VP Engineering & Operation from Dalia Power Energies.

"We value the highly precise expertise and 25-year trusted experience of Sungrow. We look forward to collaborating closely with Sungrow to build and operate the lasting and sustainable project in the coming months," commented Yaki Spanko, Afcon EPC Division Manager.

Lewis Li, General Manager of Sungrow Europe said, "Sungrow is delighted to team up with the best-in-class entities such as Dalia and Afcon to deliver another landmark project in Israel. Dalia and Afcon have a shared passion and dedication to the energy industry, which is strongly aligned with Sungrow's mission of 'Clean power for all'. This project is the very start for us to team up together to genuinely help accelerate climate action at scale."

"As an early entrant in the Israel solar and storage market, Sungrow offers competitive products and services backed by a professional local team including sales, technical support, and after-sale services," said Tzvi Ben David, General Manager of Sungrow Israel. "The Company signed a 430MWh liquid cooled ESS package agreement in Israel at the end of 2021, adding to an already impressive track record of ESS milestones across the globe."

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 224 GW installed worldwide as of December 2021. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions, NEV driving solutions and EV charging station solutions. With a strong 25-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 150 countries. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting: www.sungrowpower.com.

About Afcon

The Afcon Holdings Group has led the Israeli market for decades, bringing its remarkable experience to bear on developing unique, comprehensive solutions for multi-system projects and technologies. Traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the Group specializes in infrastructure, electromechanical systems, control and automation, and communication, no matter how challenging or complex the project.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1763836/64MWh_ESS_Israel_contract_signing.jpg

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Ahead of World Oral Health Day on Sunday 20 March, FDI and prominent stakeholders from the dental industry will get together through a special online event (17 March) to discuss the role of innovation and technology in shaping the future of oral health.

GENEVA, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is celebrated every year, all around the world, on 20 March. In the spirit of the 2022 WOHD campaign, Be Proud of your Mouth for your happiness and well-being, that advocates a multisectoral response to addressing the burden of oral disease, FDI World Dental Federation (FDI) will convene prominent dental industry partners in a webinar to discuss the role of innovation and technology in shaping the future of oral health.

The 2022 WOHD campaign emphasizes that an unhealthy mouth can severely impact every aspect of life such as emotional, social, mental, and overall physical well-being. Therefore, concerted action across stakeholder groups - general public, governments and policymakers, and the dental industry - is needed to address oral diseases, which affect around 3.5 billion people globally, with tooth decay (dental caries) in permanent teeth being the most prevalent disease worldwide.

Today, new technologies are revolutionizing dentistry, easing the work of dental professionals, improving patient experiences, addressing access to care to underserved and vulnerable populations, and leading the transformation towards sustainable practices. The webinar, involving official WOHD industry partners, will highlight the contributions that key innovation leaders are making to improve the oral health and quality of life of people globally.

Prof. Paulo Melo, WOHD Task Team Chair, says "On 20 March every year, we ask the world to unite to help reduce the global burden of oral diseases, which affect individuals, health systems and economies everywhere. Good oral health is essential to general health, well-being and quality of life. Industry partners have a key role to play in providing the necessary products, technologies and equipment to facilitate prevention, early detection and treatment of oral diseases".

Valued campaign partners Unilever, Dentsply-Sirona and Align Technology will present their perspectives on strategies, technologies and tools that are shaping the future of oral health by helping dental professionals in the prevention, early detection and care of oral diseases so that people can be proud of their mouth.

Unilever will be highlighting their new "Don't Wait Until It's Too Late TalkToADentist" campaign, and the benefits of Teledentistry. The campaign is based on the belief that everyone should be able to access convenient and affordable expert dental care.

Align Technology will explain how digital dental technologies can help educate patients, enhance their treatment experience and support clinicians in establishing preventive care as part of a long-lasting oral health journey.

Dentsply-Sirona will discuss how their latest digital innovations are increasing access to high quality care, enabling patient-specific solutions with end-to-end digital workflows powered by artificial intelligence, allowing dental professionals to focus on what matters most: treating their patients and creating healthy smiles.

The online event, will begin at 2 p.m. Central Europe Time or 8 a.m Eastern Standard Time on 17 March and will be streamed on the Oral Health Campus. Join the webinar and discover how these disruptive innovations may have a huge impact on patients' oral health knowledge and behaviour in the future, and how dentists and dental teams will be able to deliver safer and more effective interventions, at both the individual and population levels.

Picture is available at AP Images ( http://www.apimages.com )

Media contact:

Chaz Jagait, FDI Communications and Advocacy Director

Mob.: +41 79 796 76 13

Email: cjagait@fdiworlddental.org

About World Oral Health Day

Celebrated annually on 20 March, World Oral Health Day (WOHD) was launched by FDI World Dental Federation to raise global awareness on the prevention and control of oral diseases. www.worldoralhealthday.org; WOHD22 MouthProud

WOHD Global Partners: Align Technology, Dentsply-Sirona, Unilever; WOHD Supporters: Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program, Listerine

About FDI World Dental Federation

FDI World Dental Federation serves as the principal representative body for over one million dentists worldwide. Its membership includes some 200 national dental associations and specialist groups in over 130 countries. FDI has the vision of leading the world to optimal oral health. https://www.fdiworlddental.org/; facebook.com/FDIWorldDentalFederation; https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/; twitter.com/FDIWorldDental; https://www.linkedin.com/company/fdiworlddentalfederation
HEERLEN, Netherlands, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal DSM, a global purpose-led science-based company, today announces the repurchase, starting 10 March 2022, of 1,330,000 ordinary shares: 600,000 ordinary shares to cover commitments under share-based compensation plans and 730,000 ordinary shares to cover commitments for stock dividend as part of the final dividend 2021. The share repurchase is equivalent to approximately 205 million based on the closing price of the DSM ordinary share on Euronext Amsterdam on 9 March 2022.

The share buyback will be executed within the limitations of the authority granted to the Managing Board by the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The total number of ordinary shares to be repurchased under this program represents approximately 0.8% of ordinary shares issued.

DSM has signed a Discretionary Management Agreement with a bank to commence the execution of the share repurchase program on its behalf and to make trading decisions under the Agreement independently of DSM.

In accordance with regulations DSM will inform the market about the progress made in the execution of this program through weekly press releases. The share repurchase program is anticipated to be completed in Q2 2022.

DSM

Royal DSM is a global, purpose-led company in Health, Nutrition & Bioscience, applying science to improve the health of people, animals and the planet. DSM's purpose is to create brighter lives for all. DSM's products and solutions address some of the world's biggest challenges while simultaneously creating economic, environmental and societal value for all its stakeholders - customers, employees, shareholders, and society at large. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be found at www.dsm.com.

Or find us on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DSMcompany

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DSM

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/3108

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/dsmcompany

For more information

DSM Media Relations Gareth Mead tel. +31 (0) 45 5782420 email media.contacts@dsm.com DSM Investor Relations Dave Huizing tel. +31 (0) 45 5782864 email investor.relations@dsm.com

Forward-looking statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to DSM's future (financial) performance and position. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of DSM and information currently available to the company. DSM cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these statements. DSM has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. The English language version of the press release is leading.

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Press Release

GENEVA, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wecan Group SA, the Swiss leader in Blockchain software used by the largest Swiss private banks, is favoring an expansion in France for its internationalization. Behind this choice: an investment from Michel Reybier, owner of La Reserve hotels, and a selection in the Swave program, an initiative of the French government to attract the most promising fintechs in France.

100 billion is the amount of assets under management of independent asset managers using the Wecan Comply platform. The Swiss software, Wecan Group's flagship product, enables the exchange of compliance information with the country's largest private banks, such as Lombard Odier, Pictet Group, Edmond de Rothschild and Julius Bar. Spotted by Swave, the solution was selected from among several hundred other applications.

" We are proud to be among the 5 companies selected by the Swave to join their fintech incubator program in 2022. We intend to replicate our banking compliance solution with their institutional players such as the Banque de France or Societe Generale. " says Vincent Pignon, founder and CEO of Wecan Group SA.

This collaboration is accompanied by the opening of new offices in the Grande Arche de la Defense, with the aim of attracting French financial players with its solution that simplifies and secures the exchange of compliance data.

" France has become a leader in innovation in recent years. The French Startup Nation is a reality and attracts more and more companies like ours looking to establish themselves in a robust and disruptive ecosystem." continues Vincent Pignon.

In parallel with this move into France, the group has finalized a CHF 3.5 million (EUR 3.4 million) fundraising round to expand its solution to new industries and markets. Among the investors is Michel Reybier, founder of the Aoste Group and owner, among others, of La Reserve Hotels.



" The arrival of new shareholders, including Michel Reybier, a seasoned and visionary investor, will allow us to benefit from new expertise in order to diversify our products towards the hotel, medical, wine and real estate industries in France. " adds Vincent Pignon.

About Wecan Group SA

Wecan Group SA is the first blockchain infrastructure enabling banks to manage their customers' compliance. The group offers a solution for the secure storage and exchange of structured data and documents between organisations and individuals. Whether it is with employees, suppliers, shareholders, partners or customers, it is now easy to have a Golden Copy of each piece of data and to ensure compliance in real time.



https://wecangroup.ch/



About Paris&Co (Swave)

Paris&Co is the economic development and innovation agency of Paris and its metropolis. It promotes the influence of the innovation ecosystem through the incubation of more than 400 startups per year, the testing of innovative solutions, the organization of national and international events, and the prospecting and hosting of foreign startups. It develops its activity in a dynamic of open innovation in close connection with more than 120 large companies and major institutions.

http://www.parisandco.paris/

About Michel Reybier

Michel Reybier is the founder and owner of the hotel group La Reserve and co-founder and shareholder of Mama Shelter Hotels and MOB Hotels. He is also a majority shareholder of Aevis Victoria SA, which owns the Victoria-Jungfrau Collection subsidiary, a luxury hotel group that operates several luxury hotels in Switzerland. In addition, Michel Reybier holds a stake in Seiler Hotels Zermatt AG, which includes the Mont Cervin Palace and the Monte Rosa in Zermatt. Michel Reybier has also created his own champagne brand and acquired the Cos d'Estournel grand cru in 2000. Finally, Michel Reybier is present in the health sector with numerous investments in private clinics in Switzerland.

Contact
GENEVA, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wecan Group SA, parent company of Wecan Comply, closes a second tranche of CHF 1.7 million with new shareholders including Michel Reybier. The Serie B of the Swiss leader in compliance software for private banks thus reaches CHF 3.3 million, with the CHF 1.6 million of its historical investors already announced in December.



"The arrival of Michel Reybier, as a seasoned and visionary investor, will allow us to benefit from his expertise in order to diversify our products towards the hotel, medical, wine and real estate industries," says Vincent Pignon, founder and CEO of Wecan Group SA.

"Together, we share strong beliefs in the potential for large-scale development of our product, providing our customers with a service of excellence and compliance," he adds.

Intended to support its expansion in Switzerland and internationally as it opens up new markets, this financing demonstrates the interest and confidence of well-informed investors who are keen to support Wecan Group in its growth.

This fundraising will allow the acceleration of its projects such as Wecan Comply, already used by 13 banks and more than 70 external asset managers in only 10 months.

"This investment is in line with my strategy of investing in innovative, digital and privacy-friendly companies. Wecan Group has already proven itself in Switzerland with private banks and we believe in the potential for development in other industries such as the hotel industry," says Michel Reybier.

About Wecan Group SA

Wecan Group SA is the first blockchain infrastructure enabling banks to manage their customers' compliance. The group offers a solution for the secure storage and exchange of structured data and documents between organisations and individuals. Whether it is with employees, suppliers, shareholders, partners or customers, it is now easy to have a Golden Copy of each piece of data and to ensure compliance in real time.

About Michel Reybier

Michel Reybier is the founder and owner of the hotel group La Reserve and co-founder and shareholder of Mama Shelter Hotels and MOB Hotels. He is also a majority shareholder of Aevis Victoria SA, which owns the Victoria-Jungfrau Collection subsidiary, a luxury hotel group that operates several luxury hotels in Switzerland. In addition, Michel Reybier holds a stake in Seiler Hotels Zermatt AG, which includes the Mont Cervin Palace and the Monte Rosa in Zermatt. Michel Reybier has also created his own champagne brand and acquired the Cos d'Estournel grand cru in 2000. Finally, Michel Reybier is present in the health sector with numerous investments in private clinics in Switzerland.

Contact
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Lithuania's merchandise trade deficit narrowed in January after widening in the previous month as imports declined faster than exports, preliminary data from the statistical office showed Thursday. The trade deficit shrunk to EUR 301.6 million from EUR 409.4 million in December. In the same month last year, there was a surplus of EUR 62.2 million. Exports decreased 6.8 percent month-on-month, led by a fall in shipments of machinery, fertilizers, medical and veterinary equipment. Imports fell 8.9 percent monthly in January, driven by a slump in arrivals of machinery, automobiles and electricity. On a year-on-year basis, exports grew 36.5 percent and imports jumped 53.9 percent in January. Germany, Latvia, Russia, and Poland were the main destinations for Lithuania's exports in January. Most of the country's imports also came from these four countries, led by Russia. The largest exports of goods of Lithuanian origin went to Germany, the United States, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Oslo, 10 March 2022: Scatec has today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE), the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), and the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), to jointly develop a green ammonia facility in Egypt with a production capacity of one million tonnes annually and with a potential for an expansion to three million tonnes annually.

The green hydrogen and ammonia facility will be located in the SCZONE in Ain Sokhna Industrial Zone and will be powered by renewable energy plants to be built in close proximity on an area of land allocated by NREA.

This is the first large-scale project for production of green ammonia in the country, which also includes the participation of the Government of Egypt and is a demonstration of the country's pledge to maximise low carbon and green energy production. Egypt will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP27, in Sharm Elsheikh later this year.

Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec, commented: "We are proud to partner once more with the Government of Egypt represented by SCZONE and TSFE, as well as with our long-term partners EETC and NREA, for the realisation of this exciting large-scale green ammonia project in Egypt. We believe that no effort should be spared to accelerate the energy transition, and we are thrilled to be contributing to Egypt's aspiration to become a hub for green fuel."

Eng. Yehia Zaki, Chairman of the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone, commented: "The SCZONE welcomes the opportunity of partnering with the distinguished public and private entities joining forces for the development of this mega project, and we look forward to witnessing its execution over the coming months as a first step towards the adoption of the green ammonia technology and creation of a green fuels' industrial hub in the SCZONE. We are ready to provide all the support needed to expedite the project's implementation".

Ayman Soliman, CEO of The Sovereign Fund of Egypt, commented: "This partnership further solidifies the fund's commitment to investing in the whole energy transition value chain in line with Egypt's roadmap towards zero emission targets. This project is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt to deliver an attractive investment opportunity to a global player like Scatec to develop a state of the art green ammonia facility, capitalizing on Egypt's natural resources and well-developed infrastructure. We are thrilled to play an active role in the green transformation towards a more sustainable future."

At a time where alternative energy is more important than ever, Scatec will leverage its expertise in renewables, project structuring and financing, as well as execution and operation to help establish a green energy hub and green corridor in Egypt.

Once developed, Scatec intends to implement the project in phases based on Scatec's integrated business model. Long term offtake agreements will be secured to enable non-recourse project financing for the green ammonia. The green ammonia will mainly be exported to European and Asian markets, where demand for clean ammonia is increasing rapidly.

For further information, please contact:

Andreas Austrell, VP IR

Tel: +47 974 38 686, andreas.austrell@scatec.com

About Scatec ASA

Scatec is a leading renewable power producer, delivering affordable and clean energy worldwide. As a long- term player, Scatec develops, builds, owns and operates solar, wind and hydro power plants and storage solutions. Scatec has more than 3.5 GW in operation and under construction on four continents and more than 600 employees. The company is targeting 15 GW capacity in operation or under construction by the end of 2025. Scatec is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol 'SCATC'. To learn more, visit www.scatec.comor connect with us on Linkedin.
New research from Metapack highlights the impact of COVID-19 amid home working shift

German retailers are bracing for an additional 33.9 billion of online home deliveries by 2025 as a result of the pandemic, new research from ecommerce delivery technology leader Metapack in partnership with research consultancy Retail Economics reveals. This comes as online is expected to account for 32.3% of total non-food sales by 2025 amid persistent home working.

Permanent shift online

Metapack's new Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark report shows that 15.0% of Germanconsumers now expect to permanently shift more of their shopping online on the back of new behaviours formed since the pandemic.

A new wave of 'digital shifters' (the consumer cohort permanently switching to shopping more online) is expected to support an additional 41.4 billion in online sales compared to a scenario where the pandemic had no impact on shopping behaviours. This acceleration online will lead to 33.9 billion of additional sales going through home deliveries alone by 2025, compared to a scenario where the pandemic had no impact.

However, the lasting impact of COVID-19 will not be felt equally across all retail categories. The research predicts that apparel, homewares and health beauty will experience a greater permanent shift online, brought about by online discovery since the pandemic.

A consequence of the shift online is that a fifth (20.8%) of German consumers expect to visit physical stores less in the future.

Working from home disrupting retail

Disruption is being felt by consumers working from home driving both an uplift in online spend and putting pressure on footfall to stores.

Around a fifth (18.9%) of German consumers work from home more since the pandemic, of which over a third (34.3%) expect to shop more online permanently, compared to just 13.8% of those whose place of work has not been impacted from the pandemic.

As more consumers work from home, it has boosted the success rate of first-time deliveries and opened a much larger number of possible delivery slots. By 2025, German home workers expect their proportion of online orders delivered to their home to rise by 9.5%, compared to an average of 8.1% among those that haven't faced change in their work.

New wave of online shoppers demand speed

The report delves into key consumer types and reveals that the new wave of online shoppers is more demanding of speed of delivery when considering their most important factors when shopping online. Across the markets analysed, 37.5% of 'digital shifters' value speed ahead of convenience, cost and carbon footprint of deliveries.

Duncan Licence, VP of Global Product at Metapack says: "Driven by the pandemic, online consumer shopping expectations have changed significantly over the last few years, and a lot of these changes are here to stay. Our new report takes a closer look at these developments and their lasting impact on both consumers and retailers. It is expected that, as home working becomes the norm for more and more people, their appetite for fast, convenient, and easy deliveries that fit their lifestyle, will continue to increase. Retailers have reached a crossroads, they need to diversify their delivery options and invest in the right infrastructure and technology to meet the new needs of their consumers or they will struggle to compete, especially as the shopping experience becomes synonymous with the delivery experience. The retail industry has evolved beyond bricks and mortar, it's time to step into the age of ecommerce."

Richard Lim, Chief Executive of Retail Economics says: "A permanent shift in consumer behaviour and vast investment across the ecommerce ecosystem has accelerated the shift to online. Structural changes in the labour market, with persistently higher levels of home working across households, has unlocked greater demand for home deliveries. Although the demand for speed will put pressure on supply chains, home workers have both a greater ability and greater willingness to pay for delivery and returns compared to average online shoppers, which is critical for profitability amid rising costs and elevated customer expectations."

Download the full report here: https://info.metapack.com/BenchmarkBericht2022.html

NOTES TO EDITORS

Express permission is granted for a link to Metapack and Retail Economics to be included in online news articles, blogs and posts.

https://www.metapack.com/

https://www.retaileconomics.co.uk/

Research methodology

Research findings were supported by nationally representative consumer panels across four countries including the US, UK, France and Germany. The sample comprised of more than 6,000 consumers, with survey data collected in November 2021 and analysed by Retail Economics. Market intelligence and forecast data has been modelled by Retail Economics.

For more information please contact: Amy Yates (amy.yates@retaileconomics.co.uk)

About Metapack

Metapack helps ecommerce and delivery professionals meet consumers' growing expectations of delivery, while maintaining and optimizing operational efficiency. Metapack's solution offers a wide range of personalized services, from delivery options to tracking and returns, through a catalogue of 400+ carriers and 4,900+ services available that span every country in the world. Thanks to Metapack, more than 550 million packages are sent annually by many of the world's leading ecommerce retailers. Metapack is a member of the Auctane family of companies and is headquartered in London. Auctane brands include ShipStation, Stamps.com, Packlink, ShippingEasy, ShipWorks, ShipEngine, Endicia, Shipsi, GlobalPost and Metapack, with offices in El Segundo, Austin, London, Madrid, Sunnyvale, Zielona Gora, Atlanta, and St. Louis. Find out more at www.metapack.com.

About Retail Economics

Retail Economics is an independent economics research consultancy focused on the consumer and retail industry. We provide independent thought leadership on major economic and retail trends and analyse their impact on the industry.

Retail Economics provides proprietary data on sector growth, behavioural trends, channel performance and forecasts.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220222006037/en/

Contacts:

Munveer Garcha

PR and Communications Manager, Metapack

munveer.garcha@metapack.com
NEW YORK and LONDON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eigen Technologies (Eigen), the global intelligent document processing (IDP) provider, announces today a number of appointments across the company. Despite the ongoing competition for tech talent, Eigen has a long-standing record of success in this area. This highlights the company's continued ability to add top industry talent as it scales rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic.

As part of the recent wave of new hires at Eigen, Dean Hervey has joined as VP of ISV & OEM Partners from ServiceNow where he drove substantial revenue by building a robust global ecosystem of over 700 independent software vendor (ISV) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners centered on the ServiceNow Store. He brings over 28 years of tech experience and will lead Eigen's drive to partner and integrate with other platforms with its complimentary IDP technology. This will further build on the success of Eigen's existing successful partnerships with the likes of Xceptor and NetDocuments. He will be based remotely in San Diego, California.

Chris Mullan has also joined Eigen as Principal Product Manager from Deloitte's insurance strategy practice, where he was Head of AI Insurance. A former actuary with many years' experience working in the London market, Chris will lead Eigen's program to commercialize the proprietary innovations developed by its Science team. He will be based in London, UK and will also support the company's work in the insurance market, where Eigen has grown significantly in the last year with customers such as Aviva.

Eigen is known for the ease of use of its low-code/no-code platform built around the user experience. Daniel White has joined Eigen as Director of Product Design to lead the company's in-house design team and its UX strategy. He joins Eigen with more than 20 years of experience in software design at both large tech businesses including Microsoft and Just Eat, and several hypergrowth start-ups. Daniel will be based in London, UK.

Completing this hiring wave, Mahesh Santhanam has joined Eigen's Product Team to head up its work and engagement with the Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) space. He joins with more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry at the likes of Wells Fargo and Bank of America. At Wells Fargo Mahesh led the development of the firm's strategy and product for CLM and document intelligence. He will be based in Charlotte, North Carolina and will lead Eigen's development of its key IDP offering for CLM software partnerships.

As an international business based across New York, London and Lisbon, Eigen is committed to flexible working that enables employees to combine the best of in-person and remote work across locations while continuing to deliver for its clients. Since the start of the pandemic, Eigen has brought in fully remote working for those who need it, provided wraparound support for all its people (particularly in mental health) and increased its compensation and benefits packages. Eigen is also significantly increasing investment in dedicated face-to-face events and offsites to maintain its culture while also providing maximum flexibility for its people.

Dr. Lewis Z. Liu, Co-Founder & CEO, Eigen Technologies said:

"We are delighted to welcome all four of these new hires, each of whom brings a specific expertise to support Eigen's growth strategy. These are part of our broader investments in our partner ecosystem, our product partnership with the CLM software market and our continuing push into insurance, where we are seeing excellent traction.

We are proud of our global culture and the technically excellent talent we have been able to assemble at Eigen so far. The fact that we have been able to do this in the current hypercompetitive hiring market shows just how attractive candidates find Eigen as an ambitious company with a great culture. We're excited to have the opportunity to recruit like-minded individuals who will undoubtedly play a vital role in helping deliver a high standard of service to our customers across the Americas, EMEA and APAC."

Eigen's team is still growing, and anyone interested in joining the team can apply on the website.

Contact

Thomas Cahn, Eigen Technologies

Email: tom.cahn@eigentech.com

Website: www.eigentech.com

About Eigen Technologies

Eigen is an intelligent document processing (IDP) company that enables its clients to quickly and precisely extract answers from their documents, so they can better manage risk, scale operations, automate processes and navigate dynamic regulatory environments.

Eigen's customizable, no-code AI-powered platform uses machine learning to automate the extraction of answers from documents and can be applied to a wide variety of use cases. It understands context and delivers better accuracy on far fewer training documents, while protecting the security of clients' data.

Our clients include some of the best-known and respected names in finance, insurance, law and professional services, including Goldman Sachs, ING, BlackRock, Aviva and Allen & Overy. Almost half of all global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) use Eigen to overcome their document and data challenges. Eigen is backed by Goldman Sachs, Temasek, Lakestar, Dawn Capital, ING Ventures, Anthemis and the Sony Innovation Fund by IGV.
March 10, 2022

Cloud-based Philips HealthSuite Platform, purpose built for health and life sciences, enables connecting data across the care continuum

Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that it has been included in the Gartner "Market Guide for Digital Health Platform for Healthcare Providers" report [1], as well as the "Competitive Landscape for Digital Health Platforms" [2]. According to Gartner, "by 2024, healthcare providers that have adopted a digital health platform approach will outpace competition and partners by 80% in the speed of digital transformation and new feature implementation."

Philips HealthSuite Platform combines the core strengths of industry-leading cloud hosting and security with expertise in healthcare including regulatory compliance. By combining the power of AI with deep clinical knowledge Philips creates solutions that integrate into the workflows of healthcare providers. By connecting devices, unlocking data and fostering collaboration, Philips aims to meet healthcare providers' needs to help deliver on the quadruple aim of care: Improving the experience for clinicians and patients, leading to lower costs and improved outcomes.

"We are pleased that Gartner has included Philips as a Representative Vendor in the Market Guide for Digital Health Platform for Healthcare Providers. We believe it is a testament to the ability of our cloud-based platform to help provide our customers with clinical and operational insights, while adapting to their changing needs", said Shez Partovi, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer, Philips. "Our purpose built HealthSuite Platform securely stores critical healthcare data and provides both advanced data analytics and AI capabilities, while delivering industry-leading interoperability, connectivity, and regulatory compliance."

According to Gartner , "the digital giants and healthcare specialized vendors have launched a range of cloud-first platforms that can liberate and connect siloed application data, provide prebuilt digital business capabilities and include tools to compose new digital experiences for end users." Philips HealthSuite Platform is an integrated, modular set of standards-based capabilities that support the development of digital health propositions. To date, more than 100 types of medical devices have been integrated into HealthSuite, with over 145 billion clinical images securely archived on the cloud platform.

In addition, Gartner highlights that "modern applications architectures such as the digital health platform offer healthcare delivery organizations greater ability to meet evolving business needs and become more resilient during times of rapid change". Philips has taken a platform approach to its informatics innovation to deliver data-driven actionable insights to advance precision care, support patient-centric, connected care and enable transitions of care.

For more information on Philips HealthSuite Platform please visit here . For more information on Philips' full portfolio of connected informatics solutions being showcased in booth #2501 at the HIMSS22 Global Health Conference & Exhibition, please visit www.philips.com/himss and follow @PhilipsLiveFrom for HIMSS22 updates throughout the event.

[1] Gartner, "Market Guide for Digital Health Platform for Healthcare Providers", Pooja Singh, Seth Feder, Mike Jones, Andrew Meyer, published 11 October 2021

[2] Gartner, "Competitive Landscape for Digital Health Platforms", Seth Feder, Pooja Singh, Andrew Meyer, Mike Jones, published 18 October 2021

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

For further information, please contact:

Anna Hogrebe

Philips Global Press Office

Tel.: +1 416 270 6757

E-Mail: anna.hogrebe@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips.

Attachment




South Korea's telecommunications regulator on Thursday unveiled a guideline to clarify potential violations of a revised law banning store operators, like Apple and Google, from forcing developers to use their own in-app payment systems.







Earlier this week, the country's Cabinet approved an enforcement decree revision of the Telecommunications Business Act that went into effect in September. South Korea became the first country in the world to introduce such curbs on in-app billing policies of the tech giants.







According to the guideline revealed by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), authorities will determine the store operators' violations based on several criteria, including whether app developers are given the freedom to choose their preferred app payment system.







The KCC will also determine whether the store operators cause harm to consumer benefit or impede fair competition.







The regulator said the in-app law will likely apply to app store operators with sales of at least 100 billion won (US$81.6 million) in the previous fiscal year and a daily average of least 1 million users, which includes both Google and Apple.







Under the new enforcement decree, app store operators will have to pay up to 2 percent of their revenue if they force developers to use their own in-app payment systems, and 1 percent for delays in reviewing apps. The new enforcement decree will go into effect on Tuesday.







The in-app payment law came amid growing global scrutiny of Google and Apple, which maintain a strong grip over mobile ecosystems, for requiring developers on their app stores to use their proprietary payment systems that charge fees of up to 30 percent when users purchase digital goods within apps. (Yonhap)






Notice is given to the shareholders of AB Industrivarden (publ), reg. no. 556043-4200, of the Annual General Meeting of shareholders to be held on Thursday, 21 April 2022.

Due to covid-19, the Board of Directors has decided that the Annual General Meeting is to be held only through postal voting in accordance with temporary legislation being in effect in 2022. This means that the Annual General Meeting will be conducted without the physical presence of shareholders, representatives or external parties. Shareholders will only be able to exercise their voting rights by postal voting in advance of the Annual General Meeting in the manner described below.

Information on the resolutions passed at the Annual General Meeting will be disclosed on Thursday, 21 April 2022, when the outcome of the postal voting has been confirmed.





Right to attend and notification

A person who wishes to participate in the Annual General Meeting must

- be listed as a shareholder in the presentation of the share register prepared by Euroclear Sweden AB concerning the circumstances on Monday, 11 April 2022; and

- also give notice of participation by casting its postal vote in accordance with the instructions under the heading "Postal voting" below so that the postal voting form is received by Euroclear Sweden AB no later than on Wednesday, 20 April 2022.

In order to be entitled to participate in the Annual General Meeting, a shareholder whose shares are registered in the name of a nominee must, in addition to giving notice of participation in the Annual General Meeting by submitting its postal vote, register its shares in its own name so that the shareholder is listed in the presentation of the share register as of Monday, 11 April 2022. Such registration may be temporary (so-called voting rights registration), and request for such voting rights registration shall be made to the nominee in accordance with the nominee's routines at such a time in advance as decided by the nominee. Voting rights registrations that have been made by the nominee no later than Wednesday, 13 April 2022 will be taken into account in the presentation of the share register.





Postal voting

Shareholders may exercise their voting rights at the Annual General Meeting only by postal voting in accordance with section 22 of the Act (2022:121) on temporary exceptions to facilitate the execution of general meetings in companies and other associations. A special form must be used for the postal vote. The form is available on the company's website www.industrivarden.net under the menu Corporate Governance/Annual General Meeting. The postal vote form is considered as notice to participate in the Annual General Meeting.

In order to be considered, the completed and signed form must be received by Euroclear Sweden AB no later than Wednesday, 20 April 2022. The completed and signed form must be sent by mail to AB Industrivarden, "Annual General Meeting 2022", c/o Euroclear Sweden AB, Box 191, SE-101 23 Stockholm, Sweden or by email to GeneralMeetingService@euroclear.com. Shareholders may also cast their votes electronically through verification with BankID via Euroclear Sweden AB's website https://anmalan.vpc.se/EuroclearProxy/. Such electronic votes must be submitted no later than Wednesday, 20 April 2022.

If the shareholder submits its postal vote by proxy, a power of attorney must be attached to the postal voting form. Proxy forms in Swedish and in English are available on the company's website www.industrivarden.net under the menu Corporate Governance/Annual General Meeting and also upon request. A power of attorney is valid one year from its issue date or such longer time period as set out in the power of attorney, however not more than five years. If the shareholder is a legal person, a registration certificate or other authorization document, not older than one year, must be attached to the form, listing the authorized signatories.

The shareholders may not provide special instructions or conditions to the postal vote. If so, the vote (i.e. the postal voting in its entirety) is invalid. Further instructions and conditions can be found in the postal voting form and at https://anmalan.vpc.se/EuroclearProxy/.





Shareholders' right to receive information

The Board of Directors and CEO shall, if any shareholder so requests and the Board of Directors believes that it can be done without material harm to the company, provide information regarding circumstances that may affect the assessment of an item on the agenda, circumstances that may affect the assessment of the company's or its subsidiaries' financial situation and the company's relation to another company within the group. A request for such information shall be made in writing to the company no later than ten days prior to the Annual General Meeting, i.e. no later than Monday, 11 April 2022, at AB Industrivarden c/o Board of Directors, Box 5403, SE-114 84 Stockholm, Sweden, or by email to legal@industrivarden.se. The information will be made available on the company's website www.industrivarden.net, under the menu Corporate Governance/Annual General Meeting, and at the company's head office, Storgatan 10, SE-114 84 Stockholm, Sweden, no later than Saturday, 16 April 2022. The information will also be sent to any shareholder who so requests and who states its address.





Processing of personal data

For information on Industrivarden's processing of personal data in relation to the Annual General Meeting 2022, see the privacy notice on the company's website www.industrivarden.net.





The Board's proposed agenda

1. Election of a Chairman to preside over the Annual General Meeting

2. Election of persons to check the minutes

3. Preparation and approval of the voting list

4. Approval of the agenda

5. Decision as to whether the Annual General Meeting has been duly convened

6. Presentation of:

a. the annual report and audit report, and of the consolidated accounts and audit report for the Group

b. the auditor's statement on whether the guidelines for executive compensation, which have applied since the previous Annual General Meeting, have been followed

c. the Board's proposed distribution of earnings and statement in support of such proposal

7. Decisions on:

a. adoption of the Income Statement and Balance Sheet, and the Consolidated Income Statement and Consolidated Balance Sheet

b. distribution of the company's earnings as shown in the adopted Balance Sheet and record date for dividend

c. discharge from liability to the company of the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO

8. Decision on the number of directors

9. Decision regarding directors' fees for each of the company directors

10. Election of Board of Directors and the Chairman of the Board

The Nominating Committee's proposal:

a. Par Boman (re-election)

b. Christian Caspar (re-election)

c. Marika Fredriksson (re-election)

d. Bengt Kjell (re-election)

e. Fredrik Lundberg (re-election)

f. Katarina Martinson (new election)

g. Lars Pettersson (re-election)

h. Helena Stjernholm (re-election)

i. Fredrik Lundberg as Chairman of the Board (re-election)

11. Decision on the number of auditors

12. Decision on the auditor's fees

13. Election of auditor

14. Decision regarding approval of the remuneration report

15. Decision on a long-term share savings program





The Board's other proposals

Preparation and approval of the voting list

The voting list proposed to be approved is the voting list prepared by Euroclear Sweden AB, based on the general meeting share register and received postal votes, verified and confirmed by the persons elected to check the minutes.





Dividend and record date

The Board of Directors proposes an ordinary dividend of SEK 6.75 per share.

Monday, 25 April 2022 has been proposed as the record date for payment of the dividend. Provided that the Annual General Meeting votes in favor of this proposal, the dividend are expected to be sent out via Euroclear Sweden AB on Thursday, 28 April 2022.





Approval of remuneration report

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves to approve the Board of Directors' report regarding compensation pursuant to Chapter 8, Section 53 a of the Swedish Companies Act.





Long-term share savings program

Background

Since 2012 the Annual General Meetings have resolved on the implementation of long-term share saving programs for employees of the company. The terms of the share savings program (the "Program") now proposed by the Board of Directors to the 2022 Annual General Meeting corresponds to the program adopted by the 2021 Annual General Meeting.

The Program entails that the employee after three years receives so-called performance shares, provided that certain conditions are fulfilled and that the employee has invested a portion of his or her base salary in Industrivarden shares and that the employee has not given notice or has not been served notice of termination at the time the shares were granted.

The purpose of the Program is to encourage Industrivarden's employees to increase their shareholdings and thereby further emphasize long-term shareholder value. The share savings program is deemed to increase Industrivarden's prospects for retaining and recruiting competent employees as well as the employees' interest and involvement in Industrivarden's business and development. The performance conditions, which are based on the total return for Industrivarden shares during the term of the Program, are deemed to further enhance the participants' long-term commitment and the mutual interests between Industrivarden's shareholders and employees. The Program is intended to be annually recurring and constitute the form of long-term variable salary.

The Board of Directors thus proposes that the 2022 Annual General Meeting resolve to implement a long-term share savings program for in total no more than 20 employees of Industrivarden.





The Board of Directors' proposal for resolution

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolve to implement the Program based on the terms and conditions set out below.

a. The Program is open to the CEO and a maximum of 4 other members of Industrivarden's management ("CEO" and "Management" respectively), to a maximum of 6 key persons employed by Industrivarden ("Key Persons"), and to other permanent employees of Industrivarden ("Employees"), however in total a maximum of 20 permanent employees of Industrivarden.

b. Provided that the CEO, Management, Key Persons and Employees (as applicable) have made an own investment in Class C shares in Industrivarden ("Savings Shares") during the Acquisition Period (defined in item c below), from a designated third party at the end of the Lock-in Period (defined in point d below), such participant is under the terms of the Program offered the opportunity to be granted shares free of charge, as follows:

(i) Provided that the total return for the Industrivarden Class C shares during the Lock-in Period is equal to or exceeds 10 percent, all program participants may be granted 0.5 Class C shares in Industrivarden ("Performance Share") per Savings Share,

(ii) Provided that the average annual total return for Industrivarden Class C shares during the Lock-in Period is equal to or exceeds SIXRX during the same period of time, the CEO and Management may be granted 1 additional Performance Share, Key Persons may be granted 0.5 additional Performance Share, and Employees may be granted 0.5 additional Performance Share, per Savings Share,

(iii) Provided that the average annual total return for Industrivarden Class C shares during the Lock-in Period exceeds SIXRX by 2 percentage points during the same period of time, the CEO and Management may be granted 1.5 additional Performance Shares and Key Persons may be granted an additional 1 Performance Share per Savings Share, and

(iv) Provided that the average annual total return for Industrivarden Class C shares during the Lock-in Period exceeds SIXRX by 3 percentage points during the same period of time, the CEO may be granted 1 additional Performance Share per Savings share.

In total, the Program thus entails that the CEO may be granted 4 Performance Shares per Savings Share, that Management may be granted 3 Performance Shares per Savings Share, that Key Persons may be granted 2 Performance Shares per Savings Share, and that Employees may be granted 1 Performance Share per Savings Share.

c. The maximum number of Savings Shares that each program participant may acquire is limited in such way that Savings Shares may be acquired for an amount corresponding to a maximum of 10 percent of the participant's gross annual base salary for 2022. Acquisition of Savings Shares shall take place during the period from 20 July 2022 until and including 31 October 2022, however with a right for the Board of Directors to extend the period in certain circumstances (the "Acquisition Period").

d. Grants of Performance Shares are expected to take place shortly after publication of Industrivarden's third quarter interim report for 2025. The time from the last day of the Acquisition Period to the date of publication of Industrivarden's third quarter interim report for 2025 is defined as the "Lock-in Period."

e. In order for a program participant to be granted Performance Shares it is required that, with certain specific exemptions, the participant has not been given notice or has not been served notice of termination of employment in Industrivarden during the Lock-in Period and that the participant, throughout the Lock-in Period, has retained the Savings Shares. Saving Shares disposed of prior to the expiration of the Lock-in Period will therefore not entitle to any grants of Performance Shares. Should a program participant retire during the Lock-in Period, the entitlement to receive allotment of Performance Shares shall be reduced in proportion to the time remaining in the Lock-in Period.

f. The Program shall comprise a maximum of 50,000 Class C shares in Industrivarden. Should Savings Shares be acquired at a share price such that the total number of Performance Shares exceeds 50,000, the number of Performance Shares that may be transferred to the program participants will be proportionally reduced.

g. The Board of Directors shall be authorized to establish the detailed terms and conditions for the Program.

h. In the event significant changes occur in Industrivarden or the market, or in the event the costs for the Program significantly exceed the estimated costs, and this, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, results in a situation where the conditions for grants of Performance Shares under the Program become unreasonable, the Board of Directors shall be entitled to make adjustments to the Program, including, among other things, a decision to reduce the grant of Performance Shares or to not grant any Performance Shares at all.

i. The number of Performance Shares shall be subject to recalculation as a result of intervening bonus issues, splits, rights issues and/or other similar company events.





Drafting of the proposal

The proposal regarding the Program to the 2022 Annual General Meeting has been decided on by the Board of Directors following preparation by the Compensation Committee.





Hedging, etc.

To hedge the financial exposure that the Program is expected to have, the Board of Directors intends to enter into a share swap agreement with a third party on behalf of Industrivarden, at market terms, whereby the third party in its own name shall be entitled to acquire and transfer Class C shares in Industrivarden to the program participants.

As proposed the Program may comprise a maximum of 50,000 Class C shares in Industrivarden, representing approximately 0.01 percent of all outstanding shares in Industrivarden and approximately 0.03 percent of all outstanding Class C shares in Industrivarden.

In accordance with the scope of the Program as described above, the cost upon full grant is estimated to approximately SEK 13 million, under the assumption all employees participate in the Program and that all program participants acquire the maximum number of Savings Shares.

The Program is expected to have only marginal effect on Industrivarden's and the Industrivarden Group's key ratios.





Majority requirements

The Annual General Meeting's resolution in accordance with the above requires a majority of more than half of the votes cast.





Nominating Committee's proposals

The Nominating Committee has consisted of Bo Damberg (Jan Wallanders and Tom Hedelius Foundation and others), Mats Guldbrand (L E Lundbergforetagen), Fredrik Lundberg (Chairman of the Board of Aktiebolaget Industrivarden), Stefan Nilsson (Handelsbanken Pension Fund and others) and Mikael Schmidt (SCA and Essity Pension Foundations and others). Mats Guldbrand has served as the Chairman of the Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee proposes the following:





AGM Chairman

The attorney Sven Unger or, to the extent he is prevented, the person that the Nominating Committee appoints instead.





Number of directors

Eight directors and no deputy directors.





Directors' fees

Chairman of the Board: SEK 2,180,000 (SEK 2,120,000).

Vice Chairman (in the event such is appointed): SEK 1,320,000 (SEK 1,280,000).

Each of the other non-executive directors: SEK 660,000 (SEK 640,000).

No separate fee is to be paid for committee work.





Board of Directors

Re-election of Par Boman, Christian Caspar, Marika Fredriksson, Bengt Kjell, Fredrik Lundberg, Lars Pettersson and Helena Stjernholm, and new election of Katarina Martinson, as directors. Annika Lundius has declined re-election.

Re-election of Fredrik Lundberg as Chairman of the Board.

Information about the proposed directors can be found on Industrivarden's website www.industrivarden.net.





Number of auditors

One chartered accounting firm.





Auditor

The Nominating Committee proposes, in accordance with the Audit Committee's recommendation, re-election of the accounting firm Deloitte AB for the period until the end of the 2023 Annual General Meeting. Deloitte AB has notified that if the firm is elected, it will appoint Authorized Public Accountant Hans Waren as chief auditor.





Auditor's fee

Fee in accordance with approved invoice.





Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee is of the opinion that there is no reason to amend the resolution regarding the Nominating Committee that was made at the 2011 Annual General Meeting, and which applies until further notice.





Other proposals

Election of persons to check the minutes

L E Lundbergforetagen proposes Bo Damberg (Jan Wallanders and Tom Hedelius Foundation and others) and Stefan Nilsson (Handelsbanken Pension Fund and others) or, to the extent both or any of them are prevented from participating, the person(s) appointed by the Board of Directors, as the persons to check the minutes. The assignment to check the minutes also includes checking the voting list and that the received postal votes are correctly reflected in the minutes of the meeting.





Other information relating to the Annual General Meeting

Documents

The financial statements, the auditor's report, the Board of Directors' report pursuant to Chapter 8, Section 53 a of the Swedish Companies Act on paid and outstanding remuneration that is covered by the guidelines for remuneration to senior executives, the auditor's statement pursuant to Chapter 8, section 54 of the Companies Act regarding these guidelines, and the Board of Directors' proposed distribution of earnings and statement in support of such proposal will be available at the company three weeks before the Annual General Meeting. These documents will also then be published on the company's website www.industrivarden.net, and will be sent to shareholders at their postal address upon request. The documents are presented at the meeting by being kept available on the company's website www.industrivarden.net. The same applies to information about the assignments of the proposed board members in other companies.





Number of shares and votes in the company

The total number of shares in AB Industrivarden is 431,899,108, of which 260,794,174 are Class A shares and 171,104,934 are Class C shares. Each Class A share carries one vote and each Class C share carries one-tenth of a vote. The total number of votes is 277,904,667. This data pertains to the conditions at the time this notice was issued.

Stockholm in March 2022

AB Industrivarden (publ)

The Board of Directors

The information herein was submitted for publication at 10 a.m. (CET) on 10 March 2022.

Attachment
LEVERKUSEN (dpa-AFX) - German pharmaceutical and life sciences company Bayer Group (BAYZF.PK, BAYRY.PK, BYR.L) Thursday announced its agreement to sell its Environmental Science Professional business to investment firm Cinven for $2.6 billion or 2.4 billion euros. Bayer had announced its decision to divest the business in February 2021. The company said the sale streamlines Crop Science portfolio and ensures greater focus on core agricultural business. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of this year, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The net proceeds will be used to reduce Bayer's net financial debt. North Carolina, U.S.-based Environmental Science Professional unit offers environmental solutions to control pests, diseases and weeds in non-agricultural areas such as vector control, professional pest management, vegetation management, forestry, and turf and ornamentals. In 2021, the business had approximately 800 employees supporting operations and sales in more than 100 countries. Pontus Pettersson, Partner and Head of Industrial at Cinven, said, 'As a long-established global investment firm, Cinven is well positioned to continue to drive innovation and accelerate growth at Environmental Science Professional, including the delivery of digital and data-enabled solutions, as well as make the business more agile in responding to the unique needs of its markets and customers.' BofA Securities acted as financial advisor to Bayer, while Hengeler Mueller acted as legal advisor. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
- MOW FORUM Andalucia is to hold a high-level event for automotive legislators, manufacturers and drivers

- The international event is to be held on 26-27 May in Seville

SEVILLA, Spain, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Regional Government of Andalusia and the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE), with the participation of the Seville and Malaga City Councils, presented today the first edition of MOW FORUM Andalucia, an event to be held on 26-27 May in Seville, under the honorary presidency of HRH the King of Spain.

This singular and unique international outreach event seeks to bring together automotive legislators, manufacturers and users to analyse and discuss the challenges, impacts and consequences the 2030-2050 Agenda and the European Green Deal (zero-emission objective) are having on the automotive industry and the mobility user.

According to the President of RACE besides its essential goals, "this forum is vital for users to become clearer as regards the future of the automotive industry and mobility".

In this respect, Sanz de Barros, President of RACE and President of the FIA Senate, pointed to the importance of the general public receiving "reliable information to enable them to prepare to continue enjoying and using the new vehicles and travel systems that the industry makes available to them."

For his part, the Andalusia Regional Minister of the Presidency, Public Administration and Interior, Elias Bendodo, stressed during the presentation of MOW FORUM Andalucia that this event conveys a "very valuable message" by "collaboration between administrations and public-private collaboration" for its organization.

On the other hand, Bendodo said that this forum on sustainable mobility is born to be a global benchmark that "will put Andalusia on the international map and strengthen the image of our land abroad".

In this regard, he also referred to the Andalusian Government's commitment to efficient mobility and listed some actions being carried out by the Andalusian Government as the Transport and Mobility Infrastructure Plan, which will be approved in the coming months; the 'Moves' Program, where 67.5 million euros have been mobilized for citizens to acquire alternative energy vehicles; or the acquisition of 147 vehicles (100% electric) to renew the fleet of the Andalusian Government "in a further step to the green revolution".

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Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks were moving lower on Thursday, with miners and banks leading losses as investors await the outcome of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey. The benchmark FTSE 100 dropped 34 points, or half a percent, to 7,157 after rising 3.3 percent in the previous session. Rio Tinto lost 2.2 percent after the miner said it was cutting all ties with Russian businesses. Evraz slumped 7 percent after the steelmaker decided to cancel an interim dividend payment, citing the conflict in Ukraine. Among banks, HSBC Holdings fell more than 4 percent and Lloyds Banking Group declined 2 percent. Outsourcer Capita surged 8.4 percent after it reported a swing to pretax profit in 2021. Hill & Smith Holdings jumped 5.4 percent after the engineering services company reported a significant rise in pretax profit for 2021. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute for Emerging Technologies & Social Impact (ITSI) is delighted to welcome Lord Anthony St John and William Je to its newly established Global Advisory Board. The board will help to support and shape the next stage of ITSI's evolution. The institute will begin to solicit external contributions to its website, partner with other think-tanks to commission original research, sponsor high-profile public events and donate to philanthropic initiatives in the emerging technologies space.

Founded in 2021 by entrepreneur and investor Mileson Qiang Guo, ITSI is committed to the effective application of new technologies to the enhancement of free societies - and in connecting those who share its vision.

Lord Anthony St John

Anthony St John is Non-Executive Chairman of Strand Hanson and a Crossbench Member of the House of Lords, as well as Lord-In-Waiting to HM Queen Elizabeth II.

He has recently served on the House of Lords Communications Select Committee and the Ad hoc select committee on artificial intelligence. He is currently Vice Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Africa Group, Zimbabwe group and South Africa group as well as the endangered species group. He served as Chairman of the charity, Citizens Online from 2001 to 2008. He is currently a trustee of Christel House Europe and trustee emeritus of Alexandra Rose Charities, Tusk Trust and Television Trust for the environment.

His special interests are foreign affairs, particularly Africa, clean technology, wildlife conservation and sport. He plays a proactive role in the charitable sector, as a trustee of 7 charities mostly focused on poverty reduction, education and wildlife conservation in Southern Africa.

William Je

William Je is an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the Founder and CEO of Hamilton Investment Management Ltd, a global fund manager with multi-billion assets under management. His portfolio includes private equity investments in licensed banks, crypto exchanges, payment systems, fintech & blockchain companies, social media projects, and multi-strategy algorithmic trading funds.

Prior to that, William was the Chairman of Equity Capital Markets, Greater China at the Macquarie Banking Group for 10 years, managing its Greater China capital markets and principal investment activities. Prior to Macquarie, William served as the senior executive of several investment banks including as the managing director of China Merchant Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Executive Director & Head of China of Credit Agricole Indosuze, Director of Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Vice President of NatWest Markets.

William is also the founder of The Hong Kong People Association, UK-based charity founded to better the lives of Hong Kong citizens starting a new life in Britain.

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SHERIDAN, Wyo., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CedCommerce, a leading eCommerce solution provider, announced its strategic partnership with Cdiscount Marketplace, one of Europe's most powerful marketplaces providing leading eCommerce capabilities for merchants of all sizes.

As the number of ecommerce and cross-border sales continues to climb, merchants increasingly seek to create modern and frictionless shopping experiences to meet evolving consumer expectations. CedCommerce's suite of integration solutions is designed to scale with business growth and helps merchants running their stores on Magento , WooCommerce and Opencart to seamlessly connect with Cdiscount Marketplace for free.

To support merchants in their effort to begin selling into Europe, the integrations further facilitates simplified multichannel operations by enabling:

Expedited onboarding to help merchants sell quickly,

One-click bulk upload process,

Steady Multi-Account Connectivity

Real-time Catalog and Inventory Synchronization,

Centralized order management enables merchants to cancel, or fulfill orders within their store

New merchants onboarding through CedCommerce will get the added benefits of free registration services for the first three months and will be aligned with a dedicated Cdiscount account manager from the first steps.

"CedCommerce always believes in creating new opportunities for businesses. Especially in these post-pandemic times when they need it the most," said Mr. Abhishek Jaiswal, CEO, and co-founder at CedCommerce. "The collaboration with Cdiscount is an excellent addition to our already strong multichannel capabilities. This is a next step to help merchants better facilitate online ecommerce and cross-border operations".

Sell on Cdiscount Marketplace, the French leader of e-commerce , to reach 23 million unique users per month.

"Great service by CedCommerce, we brought Cdiscount Extension and it works fine. We asked for some little customizations and they helped us very fast and for free. Really recommended!" quotes Fabio Palumbo .

Leverage CedCommerce's 365/24/7 support service with dedicated English account managers to help you through your sales journey.

About CedCommerce

CedCommerce is a leading eCommerce solution provider committed to connecting and optimizing global commerce by maximizing merchants' sales and presence by simplifying and automating their multichannel selling processes.

Having served over 30,000 merchants globally, CedCommerce helps them build their marketplace from scratch and caters to website owners by improving their website's ranking through expert digital marketing services.

Visit CedCommerce or follow them on Twitter, Linked In, YouTube, and Facebook for more.

Media Contact:

Mr. Krishna

+12027381623

pr@cedcommerce.com

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Maersk and WasteFuel have today announced a groundbreaking agreement focused on using green methanol at-scale.

Maersk intends to purchase over 30,000 tons per year of WasteFuel to fuel its vessels from 2024 on.

The order will support the fueling of 12 new green methanol powered Maersk ships each with a 16,000-container capacity.

WasteFuel and Maersk have today announced a commercial-scale bio-methanol partnership, which is set to help accelerate the decarbonisation of the shipping sector.

Maersk intends to buy 30,000 tons per year of WasteFuel bio-methanol, an order to help fulfil the demand of its 12 new green methanol powered ships planned to be operational by 2024.

Initially this green methanol will be made from the conversion of municipal waste in South America by 2024, but both partners expect expanding projects and production of green methanol further.

This announcement builds upon Maersk Growth's investment in WasteFuel last year, under Its decarbonisation theme, as part of Maersk's strategy to reach net zero by 2040.

This partnership has significant implications for some of the largest consumer product businesses in the world, with green fuel set to reduce the emissions footprint of the products bought and shipped globally.

Speaking from Copenhagen, Denmark, Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Fleet Strategic Brands, A.P. Moller Maersk said, "To drive the massive scale-up of green fuels we need to transition towards decarbonisation, production must increase in time. Green methanol is the only market-ready sustainable fuel available today for shipping and production must be accelerated through collaboration across the ecosystem and around the world. That is why these partnerships mark an important milestone to get the transition to green energy underway."

Speaking from WasteFuel's headquarters in Los Angeles, California, Trevor Neilson, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO said, "Last year, many of the world's largest companies including Amazon, Ikea, Apple, Nestle and Patagonia pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Ships transport nearly as much as 90% of globally traded goods by volume and produce nearly 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which rivals the annual output of Germany, the world's sixth-largest emitter. Without green fuel solutions, corporate net-zero commitments will be impossible to meet."

Compared to conventional fuels, WasteFuel aims for its marine fuels to reduce CO2 emissions by 95%, to cut Nitrogen Oxide emissions by up to 80%, and to eliminate sulphur oxide and particulate matter emissions.

Maersk Growth, the Corporate Venture arm of A.P. Moller Maersk announced their investment in WasteFuel in September 2021. With their investment, Morten Bo Christiansen, VP and Head of Decarbonisation at A.P. Moller Maersk joined Trevor Neilson, Guillaume Lucci, Par Lindstrom, Bradley Ferrell, and Guy Oseary on WasteFuel's Board of Directors.

WasteFuel, using proven technologies to convert waste which would otherwise decompose releasing greenhouse gasses into low carbon fuels, is driving solutions to decarbonise air, land, and sea transport. In addition to the green methanol project with Maersk, the company has several biorefinery projects underway including a project in the Philippines to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel and bio-methanol in partnership with Prime Infra and NetJets and projects across the Americas and Asia to produce Renewable Natural Gas and green methanol.

About WasteFuel

WasteFuel uses proven technologies to address the climate emergency and revolutionise mobility. We convert municipal (trash) and agricultural waste into low-carbon fuels, renewable natural gas, and green methanol.

WasteFuel investors include Maersk, Marc Benioff's TIME Ventures, i(x) Net Zero, NetJets, Prime Infra, Guy Oseary, and Aileen Getty.

For more information visit: www.wastefuel.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005116/en/

Contacts:

Abby Pick

Press@wastefuel.com
LONDON, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Annapurna Finance raised EURO 15 mn of senior debt from OeEB the Development Bank of Austria, this facility will provide financial assistance to its clients in microfinance space. EMGA advised on the transaction.



The EUR 15 million debt facility comes at a time when financial institutions world-wide are exploring new cross-border funding options to further deliver on their objectives.

"Increasing financial inclusion is one of our main strategic goals. We are therefore proud to work with Annapurna - an experienced partner in the field of microfinance," stated Sabine Gaber, member of OeEB's Executive Board. "Especially women often have very limited access to financial services, which is why we are particularly happy that our funds will support female entrepreneurs and contribute to improving gender equality in India."

Commenting on the transaction, Annapurna's CFO Satyajit Das said, "Annapurna is very pleased and welcomes OeEB as a new debt partner." He further shared that, "We continued to grow despite the pandemic and the funding provided by OeEB will help boost our activities while generating strong positive impact." He also praised EMGA advisory team in closing the deal.

EMGA's Managing Director and Investment Banking Head Sajeev Chakkalakal said, "It was a pleasure to be able to communicate Annapurna's vision of economic empowerment within India and successfully structure and negotiate this funding solution with OeEB." Managing Director Jeremy Dobson added "Annapurna's strong management and solid financial position were major factors that enabled Sajeev and EMGA's Investment Banking team to complete this financing in tandem with the deep institutional framework and financial capacity that OeEB represents."

Annapurna Finance is one of the top ten NBFC-MFIs in India. Annapurna Finance was established with a purpose of serving their clients by bringing them to mainstream, providing need based financial services at their doorstep. They currently operate in 19 states and manage assets of more than EURO 640 mn in microfinance and MSME space. They are headquartered out of Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG

Emerging Markets Global Advisory (EMGA), with offices in London and New York, helps financial institutions and corporates seeking debt or equity capital. EMGA's multi-national team combine the decades of experience necessary to complete transactions on behalf of their clients within the world's emerging markets and frontier economies, including India which remains a key market. With a proven track record in capital formation and strategic advisory throughout diverse economic cycles, EMGA continues expanding its geographic reach and service offering, solidifying its place in the market as one of the industries pre-eminent emerging markets focused niche investment banks.

info@emergingmarketsglobaladvisory.com
The clean power to be generated by Sofia-based developer Renalfa will be matched to the consumption profile of customer A1 Bulgaria by a subsidiary, utility business unit of the renewables company.Bulgarian renewables and e-mobility investor Renalfa says a ten-year deal it has secured to supply clean energy to a telecoms company is the first "sleeved" power purchase agreement (PPA) in the country. Renalfa yesterday announced it will supply 20GWh per year of solar electricity to Mexican-controlled telecoms company A1 Bulgaria. pv magazine print editionThe latest edition of pv magazine investigates ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


By Kim Hyun-bin



Kim Dong-kwan, the third-generation Hanwha owner, is set to be appointed as an inside director of Hanwha Corp. With the appointment, Kim is expected to oversee Hanwha's future businesses, including space ventures, according to company officials.



The company announced that its board of directors met Monday to vote to include Kim's appointment on the agenda of a general shareholders' meeting scheduled on March 29th.



"The decision was made in consideration of the rise in uncertainties in the post COVID-19 era, which will require more responsible management," Hanwha Corp. official said.





Hanwha Solutions CEO Kim Dong-kwan
Innovation and disruption ignites surge within the Blockchain industry, and the local regulators are supporting the progress.

Key Highlights:

The epicenter of the ecosystem - DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Center) - hosts now more than 230 Blockchain-specific organisations

The entire Crypto Oasis aspires to see more than 1,000 Blockchain organisations in its ecosystem by the Q2 2022

Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Middle Eastern Blockchain Ecosystem Crypto Oasis anticipates reaching an organisation target of 1000 in Q2 2022. The Middle East has officially connected to the global Blockchain ecosystem in a way that expresses community and embodies excellence. Crypto Oasis, the larger ecosystem of Blockchain-related organisations initiated out of the UAE, developed a strong footing for innovative talent inspired by the successful Swiss Crypto Valley environment, as well as the UAE's forward-thinking inventive leadership.





Crypto Oasis

Proponents of Crypto Valley in Switzerland, one of the world leading Blockchain ecosystems, formed a collaboration with DMCC in January 2020 during the World Economic Forum in Davos. In May 2021, DMCC Crypto Centre was launched in full force, and is with half of the Blockchain-based businesses registered within the freezone the core of the community.

"We have decided to bring our Crypto Valley experience and expertise to the Middle East because we believe in the region's potential. We have witnessed how regulators in the region are welcoming innovation and disruption, making it simpler for Blockchain-related companies to secure licenses and operate. As of March 2021, this fast-growing ecosystem, reached over 700 organisations operating out of the UAE," says Ralf Glabischnig, Initiator of the Crypto Oasis.

The ecosystem in the UAE builds on the foundations set into motion back in 2016 by the Dubai Blockchain Strategy under the Dubai Future Foundation. Crypto Valley's foundation in Switzerland began with less than ten Blockchain organisations in 2014, and by end of 2021, it had grown to over 1,100 Blockchain-related businesses with over 6,000 people contributing to it. With these numbers and rapid growth, Swiss Crypto Valley offers expertise in disruptive technology and it is only natural that such a thriving ecosystem would extend its reach and broaden its horizons.

The organisations that are active in the Blockchain space can be broken down into two different kinds. Native Blockchain organisations, that have Blockchain technology as their primary focus and reason of origin, and non-native Blockchain organisations which offer services or products related to Blockchain and do not have Blockchain as their primary focus. Native companies are 40% of the total number and non-native companies that have adopted Blockchain are 60%.

During the last 18 months, talent from around the world has joined the "always open for business" environment of Dubai. Local and international investments have fueled the upcoming Blockchain industry with venture capitalists such as Draper Goren Holm and the Woodstock Fund from Silicon Valley, establishing their presence in the Crypto Oasis. Local players like Cypher Capital and GHAF Capital Partners amongst others have also started to deploy capital in the industry.

The growth in the sector will be further supported by forward looking regulations like the Dubai Virtual Asset Regulation Law which was announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai on March 9th 2022. The first-of-its-kind law to regulate virtual assets in Dubai will present an advanced legal framework to protect investors and promote responsible business growth within a virtual asset (VA) Industry governance. The Dubai Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) will be responsible for the implementation of this law and will monitor digital transactions and protect the personal data of users.

The significance of Blockchain lies in its inherent transparency, trust and immutability. The Company's ecosystem embodies these characteristics and offers unique value to their partners. As the Company work towards their vision for the Crypto Oasis, they look forward to welcoming more organisations and aspiring entrepreneurs to their growing Blockchain ecosystem.

About Crypto Oasis

The Crypto Oasis is a Middle East focused Blockchain Ecosystem supported by initiators of Crypto Valley Switzerland. Our core elements are Talent, Capital, and Infrastructure. Our stakeholders are Investors & Collectors, Start-Ups & Projects, Corporates, Science & Research Institutions, Service Providers and Government Entities & Associations. Crypto Oasis' vision is to be one of the leading Blockchain Ecosystems in the world. Today it is the fastest growing, with more than 700 organisations in the UAE alone. Our mission is to grow this to over 1,000 established organizations across the region by Q2 2022. www.cryptooasis.ae

---- End ----

For more information contact:

Faisal Zaidi

E-mail: faisal@cryptooasis.ae

Cell: +971 55 2000 840

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116245
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices regained some footing on Thursday after having fallen sharply in the previous session on hopes that the huge amounts of sanctions-hit Russian oil could be largely replaced by sourcing from elsewhere. Benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 5.2 percent to $116.94 per barrel, while WTI crude futures were up 4.5 percent at $113.58. Both contracts fell over 12 percent on Wednesday amid hopes for peace talks between key producer Russia and Ukraine, and the talk of gradual supply increase. The United States is tapping Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela for oil but it's not clear any US diplomacy could get more crude oil on the market fast enough to help the current supply crunch. Iraq said on Wednesday that its crude oil exports are in line with the consumption in the world oil market, ruling out the need to increase oil production. There were conflicting comments from the United Arab Emirates on whether major producers would boost supply to help plug the gap in output from Russia due to sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine. With the Ukraine war still raging and crude oil supplies still tight, analysts say that oil prices will likely remain high for a longer spell. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
A Greentech start-up developing reversible fuel cell technology, Refhuel, has named former Sr. Director of R&D Product Development at StoreDot, Dr. Daniel Szwarcman, CEO of its R&D Centre.

The new business is the result of a partnership between Israeli University Bar-Ilan and Refhuel Limited, a subsidiary of investment company Decama Capital.

Reversible fuel cell company, Refhuel (www.refhuel.com), has announced Dr Daniel Szwarcman as its R&D Centre CEO. He will join the company after nearly a decade working for StoreDot, a developer of extreme fast-charging lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, most recently as Sr. Director, R&D Product Development. StoreDot is owned by BP, Daimler, Samsung, and TDK.

Dr Szwarcman has worked with StoreDot since its inception in 2012 after finishing his PhD in Chemistry at Tel-Aviv University. He will bring his extensive knowledge and experience of the energy sector to his new role as CEO of the Refhuel R&D Centre.

Along with Dr Szwarcman, Refhuel is also delighted to be welcoming three new scientists to the research team; Bar Gavriel, Noam Zion and Yan Yurko. They are currently in the final stages of completing their doctorates under the supervision of Professor Lior Elbaz, Co-Founder of Refhuel and Associate Professor in Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University, and are joining the Refhuel team.

The announcement of these appointments comes as Refhuel establishes its own lab at Bar-Ilan University. Just two weeks ago the Bahraini Ambassador to Israel, Khaled Al Jalahma, visited Professor Elbaz and his team at the lab. Ambassador Al Jalahma's visit was part of his tour of Israel's growing tech industry and reflects growing international interest in Refhuel.

Refhuel is developing a reversible fuel-cell based on a proprietary hydrogen carrier technology that will enable efficient storage and production of energy.

Dr Daniel Szwarcman, incoming CEO of the Refhuel R&D Centre, said:

"I am very pleased to be joining Refhuel which is at the forefront of transforming fuel cell technology. Refhuel is full of exceptionally talented individuals, and I look forward to leading our exciting work, building on my background in the energy sector. GreenTech is a fast-growing and incredibly important sector, and it gives me great professional and personal satisfaction to know that I am joining a company with a big vision to change the world for the better."

Nathanel Lorenzi, Co-Founder of Refhuel and CEO of Decama Capital Ltd, said:

"We are delighted to have appointed Dr Szwarcman as CEO of the Refhuel R&D Centre. He brings with him outstanding technical knowledge in energy storage as well as extensive management experience from his work at StoreDot. Alongside the appointment of our three research scientists, we are building the team to carry out our mission. This is an exciting moment for the Refhuel team as we look towards to the company's future as a world leader in innovative fuel cell technology."

ENDS

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005524/en/

Contacts:

Integra Group

Mr Zaki Cooper

Email: info@integra-group.co.uk

Phone: +44 (0) 203 921 0310.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Cabral Gold Inc. (TSXV: CBR) (OTC Pink: CBGZF) ("Cabral" or the "Company") is pleased to provide assay results from two diamond-drill holes testing the MG gold deposit within the Cuiu Cuiu gold district in northern Brazil.

Highlights are as follows:

DDH271 intersected 2.6m @ 28.9 g/t gold within the primary hard-rock MG gold deposit from 117.5m, including 1.0m @ 64.6 g/t gold from 119.1m. The hole cut a second high-grade interval further down the hole that returned 1.6m @ 32.8 g/t gold from 169.2m, including 0.6m @ 86.1 g/t gold

DDH271 also encountered significant lower grade gold mineralization within overlying unconsolidated sediments that comprise the gold-in-oxide blanket, returning 25.0m @ 0.6 g/t gold from surface

DDH270 intersected 10.2m @ 0.6 g/t gold from 93.5m depth, 2.4m @ 1.3 g/t gold from 135.7m and 7.3m @ 1.7 g/t gold from 164.3m all within the primary hard-rock MG gold deposit. DDH270 also cut 33.6m @ 0.3 g/t gold from surface within the overlying gold-in-oxide blanket

Alan Carter, Cabral's President and CEO commented, "These spectacular drill results from the primary MG gold deposit at Cuiu Cuiu continue to define a significant central high-grade core to the primary hard-rock MG gold deposit. That core is showing greater lateral continuity and extent than previously thought and remains open at depth and along strike. Such bonanza results continue to support the Company's thesis that there are significant high-grade zones within the current low-grade bulk tonnage resource at Cuiu Cuiu that can be identified and delineated with additional drilling".

MG Diamond-Drill Results

Assay results were returned on two diamond-drill holes (DDH270 and DDH271) that were recently completed within the central part of the MG gold deposit (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Map showing the outline of the primary MG gold deposit that was defined in the 2018 resource estimate (defined by E-W trending zones) and the interpreted grade x thickness contours of the overlying mineralized oxide blanket. The location of recently completed diamond-drill holes (DDH270 and DDH271) are indicated along with historic hole CC101. Very high-grade, or bonanza, intercepts have now been encountered in all six sections from DDH270 to CC101, and that high-grade core zone remains open both on strike and at depth.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/116246_6dda2f4e341adab6_002full.jpg

DDH271

DDH271 was drilled on section E553570 (Figure 1, Table 1). There was only one historic diamond hole previously drilled into fresh basement on this section (CC_108). Cabral's RC drilling on this section was designed to define the overlying gold-in-oxide blanket, rather than testing basement mineralization.

The unconsolidated gold-in-oxide blanket returned 25.0m @ 0.6 g/t gold from surface in DDH271 (Figure 2).

Within the underlying fresh basement, there were three separate mineralized zones intersected in DDH271:

A hanging-wall zone returned 23.7m @ 0.4 g/t gold from 70.8m within altered intrusive rock. It is interpreted to correlate with an intercept in CC108, which is 245m downdip. It is also interpreted to remain open at depth

A zone of bonanza-grade gold mineralization, associated with strong alteration and abundant quartz veining, was intersected from 117.5m (Photo 1). This returned 2.6m @ 28.9 g/t gold, including 1.0m @ 64.6 g/t gold from 119.1m. This is interpreted to be the main MG zone.

A second very high-grade interval occurs in the footwall. It is also associated with strong alteration and quartz veining, and returned 1.6m @ 32.8 g/t gold from 169.2m, including 0.6m @ 86.1 g/t gold from 169.2m.

Photo 1: Drill core displaying quartz veining and alteration encountered in DDH271, which intersected 2.6m @ 28.9 g/t gold from 117.5m, including 1.0m @ 64.6 g/t gold from 119.1m. The hole also intersected 1.6m @ 32.8 g/t gold from 169.2m, including 0.6m @ 86.1 g/t gold from 169.2m

To view an enhanced version of Photo 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/116246_6dda2f4e341adab6_003full.jpg

The two high-grade intervals are interpreted to be subparallel, and to correlate with mineralized zones that were intersected down-dip in hole CC108, which returned 6.7m @ 1.2 g/t gold and 1.0m @ 6.0g/t gold (Figure 2). The intervals in CC108 are located 160m and 100m below the two high-grade intervals encountered in DDH271, and both zones remain open at depth.

Figure 2: Cross section on line E553570 at MG through the primary MG gold deposit and the overlying gold-in-oxide blanket showing the location of DDH271, which intersected 2.6m @ 28.9 g/t gold from 117.5m, including 1.0m @ 64.6 g/t gold from 119.1m, and 1.6m @ 32.8 g/t gold from 169.2m, including 0.6m @ 86.1 g/t gold from 169.2m. All three zones remain open at depth.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3900/116246_6dda2f4e341adab6_004full.jpg

DDH270

Hole DDH270 was drilled 70m to the west of DDH271 on section E553510 (Figure 1 and 3). It is the same section as DDH257, the results of which were released previously (see Press Release dated February 24, 2022).

DDH270 intersected a thick mineralized interval within the unconsolidated gold-in-oxide blanket, which returned 33.6m @ 0.3 g/t gold from surface.

Within the underlying hard basement rocks, DDH270 cut 10.2m @ 0.6 g/t gold from 93.5m, 2.4m @ 1.3 g/t gold from 135.7m and 7.3m @ 1.7 g/t gold from 164.3m (Table 1).

DDH270 hole was drilled up dip from DDH257 (Figure 3), which returned 12.0m @ 4.4 g/t, within which was an interval of 6.0m @ 8.6 g/t, including 1.5m @ 32.6 g/t gold. This suggests grades on this section may improve with depth, or that these bonanza grades are controlled within high-grade ore shoots that are not constrained by the current drill density. Nevertheless, it is very important to note that the mineralization on this section also remains open at depth.

Figure 3: Cross section on line E553510 at MG through the primary MG gold deposit and the overlying gold-in-oxide blanket showing the location of DDH257, which intersected 6m @ 8.6 g/t gold, including 1.5m @ 32.6 g/t gold. DDH270 returned a thicker zone within the blanket (33.6m @ 0.3 g/t gold), but lower grades within the primary basement, including 10.2m @ 0.6 g/t gold from 93.5m, 2.4m @ 1.3 g/t gold from 135.7m and 7.3m @ 1.7 g/t gold. Note that DDH270 is up dip of DDH257 suggesting that grades may improve with depth. Note the mineralized zone remains open at depth.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

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Implications for the core high-grade zone at MG

E553510 is the westernmost section of high-grade mineralization defining the central high-grade core at MG. With the bonanza results identified in DDH271, very high-grade gold, or bonanza, mineralization has now been intersected in all six drill sections from E553745 to E553510, a lateral distance of 235m.

Whilst, there may be as yet unidentified controls defining ore-shoots that could control the higher-grade intercepts within the zone, recent drill results show a significant degree of lateral continuity of high-grade intercepts.

On a number of sections, the grade also appears to improve with depth. For example, on Section E553745, which defines the eastern end of the high-grade core, lower grade broad intercepts were encountered in shallower drill holes (see press release dated November 3, 2021), while very high grades were encountered towards the end of historic hole CC101. At 425.2m, CC101 is the deepest hole that has been drilled to date at MG (Figure 1) and the hole returned 25.0m @ 2.3 g/t gold from 396.0m, including 1.5m @ 14.0 g/t gold, 0.75m @15.0 g/t gold, and 1.0m @ 9.2 g/t gold.

Based on drilling to date, the main central basement high-grade mineralized core at MG remains open at depth on all of the six sections. It now has a strike length in excess of 235m, and remains open on strike, both to the east and west (Figure 1).

Drill Hole Weathering Mineralized Zone From to Width Grade # m m m g/t gold DDH270 Oxide/Saprolite Blanket 0.0 33.6 33.6 0.3 Fresh Rock 93.5 103.7 10.2 0.6 135.7 138.1 2.4 1.3 164.3 171.6 7.3 1.7 EOH 225.2 DDH271 Oxide/Saprolite Blanket 0.0 25.0 25.0 0.6 Fresh Rock 70.8 94.5 23.7 0.4 117.5 120.1 2.6 28.9 incl. 119.1 120.1 1.0 64.6 169.2 170.8 1.6 32.8 incl. 169.2 169.8 0.6 86.1 220.4 225.3 4.9 0.2 EOH 250.70

Table 1: Table showing drill results for recently completed diamond-drill holes DDH270 and DDH271 at MG

Drilling and Trenching Update

Results are currently pending on a further five diamond-drill holes at MG and drilling is continuing.

Results are also currently pending on seven diamond-drill holes at Central and drilling is continuing.

In addition to the extensive diamond-drilling program that is in progress at Central, RC drilling aimed at exploring for, and defining the extent of gold-in-oxide blanket material is also in progress in the Central area. That rig is testing within, and to the north of the northern limits of the current Central resource envelope. Results are currently pending on 25 RC drill holes.

Diamond-drilling continues at the PDM target located 2.5km NW of Central (see press release dated January 12, 2022). Drilling is currently focused on expanding and delimiting the recently discovered mineralized zone in basement granitic rocks. Results on nine diamond drill holes are pending.

A recently introduced fourth diamond drill rig has commenced drilling at the Indio target located approximately 1.5km SE of the MG gold deposit (see press release dated March 3, 2022), bringing the total number of drill rigs currently on site to five.

Following recent positive results from surface trenches west of the main Machichie zone, including 5m @ 8.3 g/t gold (see press release dated February 2, 2022), a series of additional trenches are currently being excavated. Results are currently pending on four additional trenches totaling 300m in length.

About Cabral Gold Inc.

The Company is a junior resource company engaged in the identification, exploration and development of mineral properties, with a primary focus on gold properties located in Brazil. The Company has a 100% interest in the Cuiu Cuiu gold district located in the Tapajos Region, within the state of Para in northern Brazil. Two gold deposits have so far been defined at Cuiu Cuiu and contain 43-101 compliant Indicated resources of 5.9Mt @ 0.90 g/t (200,000 oz) and Inferred resources of 19.5Mt @ 1.24 g/t (800,000 oz).

The Tapajos Gold Province is the site of the largest gold rush in Brazil's history producing an estimated 30 to 50 million ounces of placer gold between 1978 and 1995. Cuiu Cuiu was the largest area of placer workings in the Tapajos and produced an estimated 2Moz of placer gold historically.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

"Alan Carter"

President and Chief Executive Officer

Cabral Gold Inc.

Tel: 604.676.5660

Guillermo Hughes, MAusIMM and FAIG., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of the words "will", "expected" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. This news release contains forward-looking statements and assumptions pertaining to the following: strategic plans and future operations, and results of exploration. Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. The Company believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct.

Notes

Gold analysis has been conducted by SGS method FAA505 (fire assay of 50g charge), with higher grade samples checked by FAA525. Analytical quality is monitored by certified references and blanks. Until dispatch, samples are stored under the supervision the Company's exploration office. The samples are couriered to the assay laboratory using a commercial contractor. Pulps are returned to the Company and archived. Drill holes results are quoted as down-hole length weighted intersections.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116246
The "Estonia Defense Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Estonia Defense Market report provides an overview of the Estonian defense market, outlining future programs and predicted expenditures.

The defense budget of Estonia reached US$787 million in FY2021, the highest budget submitted and accepted over the historic period. Whilst small in comparison to many of its international allies, this budget is still over the 2% GDP NATO target which many of Estonia's peers fail to reach or maintain.

As such, this modest budget allows Estonia to continue international cooperation and alliances by boosting positive sentiment and demonstrating a commitment to national and collective security. This is especially important in the face of Russia's looming presence.

Key future programs include the acquisition of Mistral missiles, as well as purchases of artillery systems including K9 Howitzers. This report predicts future Estonian defense expenditures, and includes the likely affect of COVID-19 on the market.

The market entry strategy and regulations section outlines any issues with engaging with the Estonian defense market, and includes explanations of complex regulations.

This report also identifies major players in the existing market, and gives an overview of the competitive landscape.

Scope

Estonia's defense budget: detailed analysis of Estonia FY2021 defense budget broken down into market size and market share. This is coupled with an examination of key current and future acquisitions.

Regulation: the procurement policy and process is explained. This is coupled with an analysis of Estonia's military doctrine and strategy to provide a comprehensive overview of the country's military regulation.

Security Environment: political alliances and perceived security threats to Estonia are examined; there help to explain trends in spending and modernisation.

Import and Export Dynamics: analysis of prevalent trends in the country's imports and exports over the last five years

Competitive landscape and strategic insights: analysis of the competitive landscape of the Estonia defense industry.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Defense Budget Assessment

Budgeting Process

Defense Market Size Historical And Forecast

Drivers Of Defense Expenditure

Analysis Of Defense Budget Allocation

Military Doctrine And Security Environment

Military Doctrine And Strategy

Primary Threat Perception

Secondary Threats

External Threats

Political And Strategic Alliances

Market Entry Strategy And Regulations

Procurement Policy And Process

Market Regulations

Market Entry Route

Key Challenges

Major M&A, Financing and Partnerships of Estonian Defense Market

Market Attractiveness And Emerging Opportunities

Market Attractiveness, 2021 20256

Top Defense Segments By Value

Import And Export Market Dynamics

Import Market Dynamics

Defense Platform Acquisitions

Defense Platform Acquisitions By Value

Mistral

Spike

K9 Howitzer

Fleet Size

Competitive Landscape

Defense Companies Operating In Estonia

Main Defense Companies

Appendix

Companies Mentioned

Milrem

Milworks

General Electric Co

International Business Machines Corp

The Boeing Co

HP Inc

Cisco Systems Inc

Fujitsu Ltd

KPMG International Coop

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gd64a9

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005545/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

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
Largest ever I&T Career Expo kickstarts T2 Hong Kong's first ever Innovation Tech x Talent Month to multiply and create new career possibilities for local and overseas talent

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is hosting the Hong Kong I&T Career Expo 2022 (the Career Expo) from 10 March till 16 March 2022, posting a record number of over 2,900 I&T jobs to provide local and overseas young talent with potential new career paths and opportunities for a brighter future.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005491/en/

HKSTP today announces first ever month-long T2 innovation Tech x Talent Month (T2), kicking off with Hong Kong I&T Career Expo 2022 (the Career Expo), which sees a record number of over 2,900 I&T job opportunities provided by over 280 local and overseas participating companies to multiply and create new career possibilities for local and overseas talent for a brighter future. Platform for the Career Expo will be activated today, creating opportunities for global I&T talent to work in Hong Kong. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Despite challenging times facing businesses and communities across Hong Kong today, HKSTP and leaders across the I&T ecosystem continue to pour effort and resource into building the city's strength in I&T and unleash long-term potential. The first ever month-long T2 innovation Tech x Talent Month (T2), kicking off with the Career Expo, is another sign of I&T growth as HKSTP seeks to meet record demand by building a robust talent pipeline for the future. This year's Career Expo features over 280 local and overseas companies across multiple sectors seeking bright young talent to join the I&T ecosystem.

Opportunities at this year's Career Expo saw highest demand in the areas of AI Data Analytics, BioTech, Electronic Sensors and in Software Communications. The growing diversity in skills demanded aligns with HKSTP's vision to build a wider pool of talent from all education levels and backgrounds, professionals from non-tech sectors seeking new career paths, as well as aspiring overseas entrepreneurs. The week-long Career Expo is combined with the expanded T2 talent initiatives that cover three key tracks, namely "Deep Tech Training", "Innovative Thinking Workshops and Idea Pitching" and "Upskilling Series (Fintech)".

"While the COVID-19 situation has tested all communities across our city, HKSTP believes that I&T development must continue. We witnessed rapid growth in the deal number and total amount of funding attracted by our Park companies in the past few years, indicating a growing appetite to invest in the local I&T startups. Hong Kong must ride on this strong momentum and pursue all future opportunities to take the I&T ecosystem to another level," said Albert Wong, CEO, HKSTP.

"This year, we will launch the Shenzhen branch of Hong Kong Science Park to support talent and tech ventures from Hong Kong to seize opportunities in GBA and those from GBA to go global. We will also collaborate with our ecosystem partners to engage talents to develop their careers in I&T by providing internships, training and job opportunities through Career Expo and the various programmes. Despite the current challenges, I encourage young talent to stay confident, passionate and believe in the opportunities that lie ahead."

On the same day, HKSTP is also announcing a series of ongoing initiatives to advance I&T talent development:

HKSTP is working with Vocational Training Council (VTC) to provide sub-degree students with I&T on-the-job training and internships at HKSTP's partner companies in Hong Kong and the GBA, such as through HKSTP's "Deep Tech Training" during T2.

Partnering NVIDIA on Deep Learning Institute (DLI) Ambassador Program to train tertiary students in artificial intelligence and deep learning. Students who have completed HKSTP's "Deep Tech Training" satisfactorily during T2 will receive an industry-recognised NVIDIA DLI certificate.

Collaborating with Tencent Finance Academy (Hong Kong) to nurture I&T entrepreneurship among tertiary students and expand their industry exposure through internships in Hong Kong and the GBA.

HKSTP will work with CUHK and PolyU, while in discussion with other universities, to nurture and mould young talent into Hong Kong's next generation of leading tech entrepreneurs and innovators. Students will be enrolled into HKSTP talent programmes or partner companies in credit-bearing work placements and projects.

HKSTP will also launch its Hong Kong InnoAcademy Society with over 100 Hong Kong I&T Ambassadors and nine Founding Committee members. The Hong Kong I&T Ambassadors from different ages and backgrounds will proactively engage and inspire future talent to join the I&T ecosystem. The Founding Committee members, who are alumni from HKSTP talent programme, "Technology Leaders of Tomorrow", will organise career and networking activities for members to nurture and grow the I&T talent community across the HKSTP ecosystem in Hong Kong and the GBA.

HKSTP aims to create a one-stop platform to nurture, engage and inspire Hong Kong, mainland and overseas talent to work at I&T companies and become I&T entrepreneurs in Hong Kong and GBA. The Career Expo together with our T2 Talent Month activities provide an exceptional opportunity for I&T companies and talent.

Participating companies can converse with potential talent at their virtual exhibition booths on the interactive platform by holding on-demand live chats and presentations.

For registration and more information about T2, please visit: https://bit.ly/3JSN1uq

T2's event details are subject to change as indicated by updates on the HKSTP website.

Hong Kong I&T Career Expo 2022 key figures and highlights:

2,900+ job opportunities (InnoHK: 624; INNOPARK: 204)

280+ tech companies participating

70%+ open jobs for overseas and the Greater Bay Area's talent

55%+ companies with offices in GBA and overseas

80%+ jobs in areas of technology and R&D

65%+ jobs at entry level, 25%+ at middle level

65%+ jobs for bachelor's holders, 10%+ jobs for doctorate holders

About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has for 20 continuous years committed to building up Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub to propel success for local and global pioneers today and tomorrow. HKSTP has established a thriving I&T ecosystem that is home to three unicorns and Hong Kong's leading R&D hub with over 11,000 research professionals and over 1,000 technology companies focused on healthtech, AI and robotics, fintech and smart city technologies.

Established in 2001, we attract and nurture talent, accelerate and commercialise innovation and technology for entrepreneurs on their journey of growth in Hong Kong, to the Greater Bay Area, Asia and beyond. Our growing innovation ecosystem is built around our key locations of the Hong Kong Science Park in Shatin, InnoCentre in Kowloon Tong and three modern InnoParks in Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. The three InnoParks are realizing a vision of re-industrialisation for Hong Kong. The goal is sectors like advanced manufacturing, electronics and biotechnology are being reimagined for a new generation of industry.

Through our infrastructure, services, expertise and network of partnerships, HKSTP will help establish innovation and technology as a pillar of growth for Hong Kong, while reinforcing Hong Kong's international I&T hub status as a launchpad for global growth at the heart of the GBA innovation powerhouse.

More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005491/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Julia Cheung

Tel: +852 2629 6891

Email: julia.cheung@hkstp.org

Edelman Public Relations

Christina Sin

Tel: +852 3756 8626 6685 1075

Email: Christina.Sin@edelman.com/ Edelmanhkstppr@edelman.com
BARCELONA, Spain, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2022 Mobile World Congress (MWC) which attracted more than 2000 companies' participation was successfully held in Barcelona from February 28th to March 3rd. As the world's top mobile congress, MWC 2022 focused on hot topics such as 5G, AI, cloud network and the Internet of Everything. MWC2022 turn out be the first underline exhibition and the largest one since the epidemic.

Guests cannot ignore Huawei's green ICT technologies and practices, which have attracted thousands of people who want to see what this ICT giant will do in the Carbon Neutrality Era.

Dr. Fang Liangzhou, the VP and CMO of Huawei Digital Power, unveiled the Digital & Smart forest, the exhibition area named by the vision of Huawei Digital Power. In the fount of the HUAWEI exhibition era, Dr.Fang shared his observations and thoughts on Carbon Neutrality through new technologies, products and solutions.

In 1# Hall of the MWC Expo, Huawei's slogan Lighting up the Green Future which summarized Huawei's vision of continuously creating value for customers through continuous innovation and building a better, greener future, made a stunning appearance.

In order to support carriers' green development strategy, Huawei put forward the More Bits, Less Watts viewpoint, and adopted the green site-green network-green operation systematic solution to help carriers continually increase network capacity and reduce unit bit energy consumption. By adding 5G without adding energy OPEX, one site one cabinet, one site one blade, HUAWEI increased the energy efficiency from 89% to 97%, and reduced the cost per watt by 20%. The data gives us a beautiful scenery of the future of green 5G.

With the proliferation of digital services, acceleration and high density of Data Center, the traditional concrete architecture is becoming more and more complex, the construction, deployment, operation and maintenance, also management become time-consuming and laborious, along with reduced reliability. Therefore, on the basis of modularity, Huawei focuses on two-wheel drive of Modularity Intelligence, and through four major reconstructions, reconstruction of architecture, temperature control, operation &maintenance, and power solution, promoting next-generation data centers to a new level of minimalism, greenness, intelligence and reliability.

It is foreseeable that with the deepening development of ICT technology, acceleration of green ICT technology, equipment manufacturers as Huawei will take more practice on More bits, Less watts, make efforts to promote industries by breakthrough of theories, materials and algorithms to achieve carbon emission reduction and energy saving.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764042/1.jpg
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Moneta Gold Inc. (TSX: ME) (OTCQX: MEAUF) (XETRA: MOP) ("Moneta") is pleased to announce the final assay results from ten (10) drill holes at the 55 Zone, from the Golden Highway area of the Tower Gold project, located 100 kilometres ("km") east of Timmins, Ontario. The drilling was part of the 2020/2021 72,500 metre ("m") program in 130 drill holes designed to test extensions of the current mineral resource estimate of 4.0 million ("M") ounces indicated gold and 4.4M ounces inferred gold (see February 24, 2021 press release) on the Tower Gold project. Additional holes and assays from this drill program remain pending from the Garrcon deposit area.

This drilling successfully intersected gold mineralization as extensions to the current 55 Zone mineral resource estimate within and as extensions to the economic open pit, over a strike length of 800 m and a width of 250 m.

Highlights from the drilling include:

MGH21-200 intersected 37.00 m @ 1.04 grams per tonne "g/t" gold "Au", including 4.00 m @ 5.31 g/t Au, including 3.00 m @ 5.89 g/t Au

MGH21-200 intersected 36.00 m @ 0.96 g/t Au, including 3.05 m @ 3.14 g/t Au, and 4.00 m @ 4.18 g/t Au

MGH21-202 intersected 4.00 m @ 4.87 g/t Au, including 2.00 m @ 9.07 g/t Au, including 1.00 m @ 15.50 g/t Au

MGH21-200 intersected 40.00 m @ 0.59 g/t Au, including 12.00 m @ 1.33 g/t Au, and 4.00 m @ 2.57 g/t Au, including 1.00 m @ 5.97 g/t Au

MGH21-208 intersected 21.00 m @ 2.66 g/t Au, including 4.00 m @ 5.19 g/t Au, and 5.50 m @ 5.43 g/t Au, including 1.00 m @ 10.70 g/t Au

MGH21-222 intersected 4.00 m @ 6.09 g/t Au, including 1.00 m @ 7.64 g/t Au

MGH21-222 intersected 12.00 m @ 2.69 g/t Au, including 7.00 m @ 4.23 g/t Au, including 1.00 m @ 7.83 g/t Au

MGH21-205 intersected 19.00 m @ 0.59 g/t Au, including 3.00 m @ 2.05 g/t Au, including 1.00 m @ 3.51 g/t Au

Gary O'Connor, Moneta's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "These latest drill results have confirmed significant gold mineralization in step out drilling to the current mineral resource at the 55 Zone both within and as extensions outside of the current economic open pit. These drill results have the potential to expand the resource and fundamentally increase the economics of the open pit. The 55 Zone exploration drilling program was testing for gold mineralization over a large area located west of the Westaway underground resource. The 55 Zone occurs as the highest grade open pit deposit and the western most mineral resource on the Tower Gold project and remains open to the west and at depth. We look forward to releasing the remaining outstanding drill results from Garrcon when they become available and updating the mineral resource estimate and the preliminary economic assessment study for the Tower Gold project in the first half of 2022."

The latest assay results from the 55 Zone resource expansion drill program include the results from ten (10) new drill holes for 3,285.0 m and four (4) drill holes previously partially announced for the down dip extensions of the Westaway underground deposit and the new sampling of one (1) historical hole (MA-02-07). The drill program was conducted to test for extensions of the 55 Zone resources within the economic open pit and as extensions to the open pit constrained resource. The 55 Zone open pit gold deposit currently hosts 413,000 ounces gold at a grade of 1.30 g/t gold in indicated resources and 180,000 ounces gold at a grade of 1.10 g/t gold in the inferred category at a cut-off grade of 0.30 g/t gold (see December 10, 2020 press release). Full assays from an additional 10 drill holes for 6,249 m from the Garrcon area from the drill program remain pending.





Figure 1: Tower Gold Project: General Location Map



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

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Table 1: 55 Zone: Selected Significant Drill Results

Hole From To Length Au Gram metres (#) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g x m) MGH21-184 258.00 260.00 2.00 1.42 2.8 includes 258.00 259.00 1.00 2.13 2.1 MGH21-187 275.90 282.00 6.10 0.57 3.5 includes 280.00 281.00 1.00 1.34 1.3 MGH21-187 299.00 305.00 6.00 1.26 7.6 includes 300.00 305.00 5.00 1.48 7.4 includes 303.00 304.00 1.00 2.69 2.7 MGH21-189 200.00 202.00 2.00 1.60 3.2 includes 201.00 202.00 1.00 3.01 3.0 MGH21-189 231.60 233.00 1.40 4.22 5.9 MGH21-193 170.00 174.00 4.00 1.01 4.0 includes 173.00 174.00 1.00 2.32 2.3 MGH21-193 186.00 198.35 12.35 0.37 4.6 includes 197.60 198.35 0.75 2.23 1.7 MGH21-193 359.00 367.00 8.00 0.57 4.6 includes 364.00 367.00 3.00 1.00 3.0 includes 365.90 367.00 1.10 1.69 1.9 MGH21-195 76.00 84.00 8.00 0.54 4.3 includes 76.00 76.75 0.75 1.49 1.1 and 79.90 81.00 1.10 1.49 1.6 MGH21-195 100.00 110.00 10.00 0.29 2.9 MGH21-195 220.00 236.00 16.00 0.32 5.1 includes 234.00 236.00 2.00 1.10 2.2 MGH21-200 75.00 112.00 37.00 1.04 38.5 including 80.40 84.40 4.00 5.31 21.2 including 80.40 83.40 3.00 5.89 17.7 MGH21-200 131.00 171.00 40.00 0.59 23.6 includes 144.00 156.00 12.00 1.33 16.0 includes 145.10 146.00 0.90 2.05 1.8 and 152.00 156.00 4.00 2.57 10.3 includes 155.00 156.00 1.00 5.97 6.0 MGH21-200 259.00 261.00 2.00 5.44 10.9 includes 260.00 261.00 1.00 6.65 6.7 MGH21-200 349.00 356.00 7.00 0.73 5.1 includes 353.00 355.00 2.00 1.93 3.9 includes 353.00 354.00 1.00 2.47 2.5 MGH21-200 384.00 420.00 36.00 0.96 34.6 includes 399.95 403.00 3.05 3.14 9.6 includes 399.95 401.30 1.35 4.68 6.3 and 415.00 419.00 4.00 4.18 16.7 includes 416.00 417.00 1.00 5.48 5.5 MGH21-202 194.00 198.00 4.00 4.87 19.5 includes 194.00 196.00 2.00 9.07 18.1 includes 194.00 195.00 1.00 15.50 15.5 MGH21-203 104.00 115.00 11.00 0.50 5.5 includes 110.00 115.00 5.00 0.67 3.4 MGH21-203 133.00 145.00 12.00 0.51 6.1 includes 133.00 135.00 2.00 1.72 3.4 includes 134.00 135.00 1.00 2.28 2.3 MGH21-203 294.00 301.00 7.00 0.60 4.2 includes 300.00 301.00 1.00 1.01 1.0 MGH21-203 342.00 350.00 8.00 0.66 5.3 includes 343.00 344.00 1.00 3.82 3.8 MGH21-205 68.00 87.00 19.00 0.59 11.2 includes 76.00 79.00 3.00 2.05 6.2 includes 76.00 77.00 1.00 3.51 3.5 MGH21-206* 102.90 107.55 4.65 0.69 3.2 includes 102.90 103.50 0.60 2.31 1.4 MGH21-206* 124.35 130.30 5.95 0.45 2.7 includes 129.00 130.30 1.30 1.18 1.5 MGH21-208* 177.00 198.00 21.00 2.66 55.9 includes 178.00 182.00 4.00 5.19 20.8 and 189.70 195.20 5.50 5.43 29.9 includes 192.00 193.50 1.50 9.51 14.3 includes 192.00 193.00 1.00 10.70 10.7 MGH21-213* 270.00 276.00 6.00 1.43 8.6 includes 271.00 273.00 2.00 3.31 6.6 MGH21-222* 176.81 179.64 2.83 1.37 3.9 includes 177.75 178.75 1.00 2.38 2.4 MGH21-222 216.00 229.00 13.00 0.30 3.9 includes 216.00 224.00 8.00 0.42 3.4 MGH21-222* 312.00 316.00 4.00 6.09 24.4 includes 313.00 314.00 1.00 7.64 7.6 MGH21-222* 328.00 340.00 12.00 2.69 32.3 includes 329.00 336.00 7.00 4.23 29.6 Includes 334.00 335.00 1.00 7.83 7.8 MGH21-222* 347.00 355.00 8.00 0.75 6.0 includes 353.00 355.00 2.00 1.08 2.2 MGH21-222* 377.00 413.00 36.00 0.25 9.0 includes 387.00 400.00 13.00 0.38 4.9 MA-02-07 69.50 75.50 6.00 0.80 4.8 includes 69.50 70.20 0.70 3.73 2.6

*Previously partially released as part of Westaway. Note: Intercepts are calculated using a 0.20 g/t Au cut-off, a maximum of 3m internal dilution and no top cap applied. Drill intercepts are not true widths, are reported as drill widths, and are estimated to be 80% to 95% of true width.





Figure 2: 55 Zone Drill Program: Drill Hole Location Map



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

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Discussion of Drill Results

Drilling was targeting Timiskaming age clastic sediment hosted gold mineralized stacked quartz veins as extensions to the 55 Zone open pit resource located immediately south of the regional Banded Iron Formation "A" ("BIF A") unit and the Destor Porcupine Fault Zone ("DPFZ"). The drilling was testing a large area occurring within and as extensions to the current 55 Zone economic open pit in an area not currently in any resource category. The 55 Zone occurs as the highest grade open pit deposit and the western most mineral resource on the Tower Gold project. Gold mineralization remains open to the west and at depth.

Drill results from the current program at 55 Zone confirmed the occurrence of 2 main sets of veining, shallow north dipping and steeper east-west orientated stacked quartz vein sets and associated ankerite-albite-sericite-pyrite alteration haloes in large step-outs beyond the current gold resource. The latest assay results extended mineralization by 200 m to the west and 300 m to the east of the current resource and has now confirmed gold mineralization over an area 800 m long, 250 m wide, and down to depths of over 300 m. The drill program connected the gold mineralization at 55 Zone with the Westaway underground gold resource to the east. Continuous gold mineralization has now been confirmed over a strike length of 5 km at Golden Highway and a total of over 9 km for the entire Tower Gold project.

Table 2: New Drill Hole Details: 55 Zone

Hole Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Inclination Depth (#) (mE) (mN) (masl) () () (m) MGH21-184 569084 5368710 319 110 -55 441.0 MGH21-187 569049 5368658 318 110 -55 399.0 MGH21-189 569145 5368625 318 110 -55 300.0 MGH21-191 569238 5368591 317 110 -55 201.0 MGH21-193 568831 5368682 320 110 -50 399.0 MGH21-195 568920 5368650 318 110 -55 408.0 MGH21-200 569398 5368830 319 110 -50 468.0 MGH21-202 569506 5368819 322 110 -50 372.0 MGH21-203 569539 5368832 323 110 -55 366.0 MGH21-205 569429 5368798 320 120 -55 312.0





Figure 3: 55 Zone Drilling- Cross Section



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

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QA/QC Procedures

Drill core is oriented and cut with half sent to AGAT Laboratories Inc. (AGAT) for drying and crushing to -2 mm, with a 1.00 kg split pulverized to -75 m (200#). AGAT is an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. A 50 g charge is Fire Assayed and analyzed using an AAS finish for Gold. Samples above 10.00 g/t Au are analyzed by Fire Assay with a gravimetric finish and selected samples with visible gold or high-grade mineralization are assayed by Metallic Screen Fire Assay on a 1.00 kg sample. Moneta inserts independent certified reference material and blanks with the samples and assays routine pulp repeats and coarse reject sample duplicates, as well as completing routine third-party check assays at Activation Laboratories Ltd. Randall Salo, P.Geo. is a qualified person under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this press release.

About Moneta Gold

Moneta is a Canadian based gold exploration company focussed on advancing its 100% wholly owned Tower Gold project, which currently hosts a gold mineral resource estimate of 4.0M ounces indicated and 4.4M ounces inferred. The Company's 2020/2021 drill program was designed to test extensions of mineralization and expand the current mineral resource. An updated mineral resource estimate and Preliminary Economic Assessment study encompassing the entire Tower Gold project will be announced in the first half of 2022. Moneta is committed to creating shareholder value through the strategic allocation of capital and a focus on the current resource expansion drilling program, while conducting all business activities in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Gary V. O'Connor, CEO

416-357-3319

Linda Armstrong, Investor Relations

647-456-9223

The Company's public documents may be accessed at www.sedar.com. For further information on the Company, please visit our website at www.monetagold.com or email us at info@monetagold.com.

This news release includes certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, collectively "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as "may", "will", "plan", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend" and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to information with respect to the future performance of the business, its operations and financial performance and condition such as the Company's drilling program and the timing and results thereof; further steps that might be taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19; the impact of COVID-19 related disruptions in relation to the Corporation's business operations including upon its employees, suppliers, facilities and other stakeholders; uncertainties and risk that have arisen and may arise in relation to travel, and other financial market and social impacts from COVID-19 and responses to COVID-19. and the ability of the Company to finance and carry out its anticipated goals and objectives.

Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, competitive risks and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116176
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Goodbody Health Inc. (CSE:GDBY) (OTCQB:GDBYF) ("Goodbody Health" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, the unaudited revenue figures for the year ended 31 December 2021 confirm they are expected to be around C$29m which is over 8 times 2020. Even with the expected drop off from PCR testing in 2022, the Company generated revenue, in the first two months of 2022 to the end of February, of over C$6m showing that Q1 is still performing well.

The management team are rolling out blood testing and other services through the existing Goodbody clinic network and also opening up new clinics to mitigate the fall in COVID testing revenue. As at today, over 180 Goodbody Clinics and partner clinics are in operation or in progress of being opened, most of which can now offer blood testing. Goodbody Clinics have today carried out over 150,000 PCR tests as well as the increasing full range of other tests including blood testing from finger prick or blood draws, saliva tests and many more. offering a robust choice that help our customers 'know more, live better.' As at today we can now offer 34 different tests and this number will increase over the next few months.

At the same time the Group continues to ensure it is in the best position to increase CBD sales once the Novel Food registration process completes. Its CBD isolate and distillate produced in Poland and tested at every step, lead the field in Europe for quality, while Phytovista Laboratory with its more accurate, accredited test confirms the Group as leading the way in the sector as compliance requirements increase.

The group expects to see a dip in revenue in the first half of 2022 before it climbs back to previous strong levels in the latter part of the year and expects to close the year with a solid profitable position.

Geremy Thomas, Executive Chairman, said: "I am pleased that the strategy we have set ourselves is progressing well to secure the future position of the Company in the Health and Wellness sector and help everyone feel in control of their own health."

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Marc Howells Chief Executive Officer Goodbody Health Inc. +44 (0) 20 7971 1255 enquiries@goodbodyhealth.com www.goodbodyhealth.com Anne Tew Chief Financial Officer Goodbody Health Inc. +44 (0) 20 7971 1255 enquiries@goodbodyhealth.com www.goodbodyhealth.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Goodbody Health's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes" "plan is" or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur", "will be achieved" or "shortly". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to: the unaudited revenue figures for the year ended 31 December 2021 are expected to be around C$29m; an increase in CBD sales revenue subject to the Novel Food registration process completing; the expectation of revenue falling during H1 2022 before rising and the expectation of a close to the year of a solid profitable position.

Although Goodbody Health believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. This is due to the fact the group audits are yet to be concluded and the forecast position is based on assumptions about the sector, NHS provisioning, the economic environment and the comparative competitor services and other future health factors as well as the reliance on the growth of the partner clinic network and their ability to deliver the services as planned.

Goodbody Health does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws

SOURCE: Goodbody Health Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692339/Goodbody-Health-Confirms-Strong-2021-Revenue-Continuing-into-2022
COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. (OTCQB:NJMC) ("IDR", "Idaho Strategic" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the following Letter to Shareholders from IDR President & CEO John Swallow:

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Churchill

On the eve of our NYSE American listing, I encourage all our employees and stakeholders to take a moment to reflect and enjoy a drink to commemorate this hard-earned accomplishment. And in the wise words of Winston Churchill and keeping with the Idaho Strategic way of doing business, it is with great pride that we are marking the 'end of the beginning' of our corporate development with this NYSE listing and sharing this time with those responsible for making it happen.

It has always been my view that our most valuable assets and strategic advantage are the family members and communities that have worked alongside one another for generations and have come together to make this path and the future of our company their own.

In addition to having two of the top nationally recognized Rare Earth Element (REE) projects in the U.S., our foundation consists of an impressive land package and growing Gold production while being located within a world-class Idaho mining district. Furthermore, Gold and REE deposits are where you find them and our location in the mineral endowed and business-friendly mining jurisdiction of Idaho is a competitive advantage that few can match.

On a global level, in 2013 China announced its Belt and Road Initiative and together with Russia (among others) have discretely and openly worked against Americans for decades. And while we admit there was a certain inevitability to the current situation, the many levels of in-fighting in the U.S. and short-term profits at the expense of long-term logic hastened the avoidable reality of where we find ourselves today.

Idaho Strategics' positioning well ahead of the current environment has allowed us to capture multiple drivers of value and a jurisdictional first-mover advantage. Our journey to today was purposeful and deliberate and at no time was it considered easy, but we fully knew that going in. So, if this letter sounds like a post-game speech after a comeback victory, it is not. We have earned our place and cede the high ground to no one. Our point of view is that the days of importing deflation from countries like China, the future deglobalization and the need for domestic supply chain improvement are here to stay. The mass realization event brought about by the reaction to the Covid pandemic, fading reserve currency status and the long-term ramifications around the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine have created macro tailwinds unlike anything I have ever seen.

As a business, Idaho Strategic is in a unique situation to capitalize on the United States' awakening to the inherent problems surrounding reliance on foreign sources for minerals critical to our low-carbon future and our national security. As a country, we entered this new 'green age' without much of a plan and at a pace faster than our nation's current infrastructure is ready to support - and we now have some work to do.

In short, there is no more waiting and wishing for an alternate reality. We are sitting at the crossroads of what has the potential to become a testament to American ingenuity and cooperation. The folks at Idaho Strategic Resources are working toward an 'Idaho Solution' to address our domestic challenges - and we look forward to sharing this task with others.

Sincerely,

John Swallow

About Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

Domiciled in Idaho and headquartered in the Panhandle of northern Idaho, Idaho Strategic Resources (IDR) is one of the few resource-based companies (public or private) possessing the combination of officially recognized U.S. domestic rare earth element properties (in Idaho) and Idaho-based gold production located in an established mining community.

Idaho Strategic Resources produces gold at the Golden Chest Mine located in the Murray Gold Belt (MGB) area of the world-class Coeur d'Alene Mining District, north of the prolific Silver Valley. With over 7,000 acres of patented and unpatented land, the Company has the largest private land position in the area following its consolidation of the Murray Gold Belt for the first time in over 100-years.

In addition to gold and gold production, the Company maintains an important strategic presence in the U.S. Critical Minerals sector, specifically focused on the more "at-risk" Rare Earth Elements (REE's). The Company's Diamond Creek and Roberts REE properties are included the U.S. national REE inventory as listed in USGS, IGS and DOE publications. Both projects are located in central Idaho and participating in the USGS Earth MRI program.

With an impressive mix of experience and dedication, the folks at IDR maintain a long-standing "We Live Here" approach to corporate culture, land management, and historic preservation. Furthermore, it is our belief that successful operations begin with the heightened responsibility that only local oversight and a community mindset can provide. Its "everyone goes home at night" policy would not be possible without the multi-generational base of local exploration, drilling, mining, milling, and business professionals that reside in and near the communities of the Silver Valley and North Idaho.

For more information on Idaho Strategic Resources click here for our corporate presentation, go to www.idahostrategic.com or call:

Monique Hayes, Corporate Secretary/Investor Relations

Email: monique@idahostrategic.com

(208) 625-9001

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Such statements are based on good faith assumptions that Idaho Strategic Resources believes are reasonable, but which are subject to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected, or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the Company's ability to advance and expand its operations and gold production in Idaho, the risk that the Company's Rare Earth Elements projects are not advanced, the impact of supply chain risks and expanding needs of operations as inventory increases; an increased risk associated with production activities occurring without completion of a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability; environmental hazards, industrial accidents, weather or geologically related conditions; changes in the market prices of gold and silver and the potential impact on revenues from changes in the market price of gold and cash costs; a sustained lower price environment; risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreaks including the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential impact of COVID-19 on our workforce, suppliers and other essential resources, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and maintain employee productivity; the risks of increasing costs associated with production and operations; as well as other uncertainties and risk factors. Actual results, developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Idaho Strategic Resources disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692437/Idaho-Strategic-Resources-Issues-Presidents-Letter-in-Recognition-of-its-Listing-on-the-NYSE-and-the-Path-Forward




AMCHAM Chairman and CEO James Kim

By Lee Kyung-min



The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) and European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) issued official statements of congratulations to President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, Thursday.



AMCHAM Chairman & CEO James Kim warmly congratulated President-elect Yoon on behalf of the foreign investment community in Korea.



"We join the people of Korea in celebrating another successful presidential election," he said in the statement. "AMCHAM is grateful to have met with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol at a special meeting with AMCHAM member companies last December. We discussed his visions for creating a global investment environment to enhance Korea's competitiveness and boosting trade between the U.S. and Korea."











ECCK Chairman Dirk Lukat
Provides exploration update on ongoing drilling at Mountain Copper-Zinc Project

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSXV:BAY) (OTCQB:ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into exploration agreements with two private landowners to lease the mineral rights for more key parcels of land adjacent to the Company's Buckingham Gold Project in Central Virginia.

The newly signed exploration agreements add 532 acres (215.3 hectares) adjacent to the parcels that host Aston Bay's Buckingham Gold Vein Project, extending the potential strike length of the vein to over one mile (1.6 kilometres (km)), as well as adding other land highly prospective for additional gold mineralization. Negotiations with other landowners in the area are ongoing.

Figure 1: Composite gold-in-stream sample from several panned samples showing textural and size characteristics of gold grains panned on the property, from fine-grained flakes to coarse, angular grains.

Prior to signing the agreements, an expedited reconnaissance stream panning program yielded visible gold in 28 out of 45 panned samples in 10 feeder creeks on the properties. Gold was found in samples from all ten creeks, in the form of fine flakes to coarse angular grains up to 4 millimetres (mm) in length (Figure 1).

Subsequent to the initial reconnaissance program, timber has been harvested from a significant portion of the area, with the remainder scheduled for harvest within the next year. Aston Bay has initiated a surface prospecting program to investigate outcrop newly exposed by the timber operation as well as conducting a more detailed follow-up stream panning program. A comprehensive soil sampling program is also planned for this spring.

"We are pleased to partner with more private landowners in the area," stated Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay. "We have a great gold discovery at Buckingham and wanted to expand the potential for the possible on-strike projection of the vein system, parallel veins and cross structures. We have confirmed panned visible gold in all 10 drainages tested within the new block, which is precisely what led Don Taylor to the high-grade gold vein discovery on the existing property."

"Better yet," added Mr. Ullrich, "many of the pans on this new area have yielded more gold grains, and grains of a more coarse and more angular character, than those panned from streams that drain directly from the area of the Buckingham Vein. Coarseness and angularity are good indicators of proximity to bedrock source, so this is very promising for the potential for gold-bearing veins on the parcels. As well, the recent and ongoing logging operations on the parcels facilitate exploration by removing the dense underbrush and potentially exposing additional outcrops in road cuts. We have a geologist and prospector currently working on site looking for new discoveries of gold-bearing quartz vein like at the original Buckingham Vein area."

Buckingham Gold Vein, Virginia

Discovered at surface by prospecting in 2015 following up on a gold anomaly from a 1996/97 stream sediment survey, the NW-SE trending Buckingham Gold Vein is a subvertical mesothermal-style gold vein that outcrops at surface and has been intercepted in drill core at greater than 90 metres (m) in depth and over 200m along strike. Select significant gold intercepts from 2019 and 2020 Aston Bay drill programs are presented in Table 1, including drill core intervals of 35.61 grams per tonne (g/t) Au over 2.03m, 20.44 g/t Au over 3.30m and 34.25 g/t Au over 0.5m, and 24.73 g/t Au over 3.57m including 62.51 g/t Au over 1.39m. A longitudinal drill section showing select significant intervals is presented in Figure 2 (see also October 10, 2020 Aston Bay press release). The vein is open at depth and along strike to the SE. Follow-up drill programs to investigate the down-dip and along-strike potential are anticipated for 2022.

Ongoing Drill Program - Mountain Base Metals Project, Virginia

The Company is currently drilling the tenth drill hole of a 3,500m drill program at its Mountain Base Metals Project, located 100km southwest of the Buckingham Project in Virginia. Zinc and copper mineralization at the Mountain Project has been intersected in all 10 drill holes, where mineralization comprises stacked zones of disseminated and semi-massive chalcopyrite and sphalerite, with pyrite and pyrrhotite, hosted within metamorphosed carbonate rocks. The style of mineralization suggests a SEDEX (sedimentary exhalative) deposit model, previously unrecognized in Central Virginia. The current drill hole is expected to be the last of the twice-extended program, as the Company pauses to await assays and construct geologic models. Full assay results are pending, but the Company expects to release partial results with a preliminary geologic model by end of month.

Table 1: Select Significant Gold Intercepts from Buckingham Project (2019/2020 Drill Season) Drill Hole (m) (m) Length (m) True Width* (m) g/t Au BUCK19-001 36.40 38.43 2.03 1.62 35.61 BUCK19-003 23.20 26.50 3.30 2.64 20.44 and 30.90 31.40 0.50 0.40 34.25 BUCK19-004 55.73 59.30 3.57 2.85 24.73 including 56.51 57.90 1.39 1.11 62.51 BUCK19-005 56.73 58.30 1.57 1.25 17.45 and 95.00 96.50 1.50 1.20 19.30 BUCK20-014 44.71 51.00 6.29 5.03 5.81 including 45.43 46.35 0.92 0.74 29.90 BUCK20-015 44.60 47.00 2.40 1.92 4.47 and 53.00 54.40 1.40 1.12 19.25 BUCK20-016 95.70 96.76 1.06 0.85 14.65 BUCK20-018 35.31 36.60 1.29 1.03 33.50 BUCK20-020 38.10 40.28 2.18 1.74 6.56 including 38.53 40.28 1.75 1.40 8.07 including 39.11 40.28 1.17 0.94 10.68 BUCK20-022b 15.50 17.00 1.50 1.20 37.70 *assuming a 72 NE dip on the quartz vein, true interval width is 80%

Figure 2: Longitudinal section of the Buckingham Gold Vein with select Au assay intervals. View looking NE. (Assuming a 72 NE dip on the quartz vein, true interval width is 80%.)

Qualified Person

As per National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Andrew Turner, P.Geol., a consultant to Aston Bay, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has prepared, validated and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting its exploration activities.

About Aston Bay Holdings

Aston Bay is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for base metals and gold deposits in Virginia, USA, and Nunavut, Canada. The Company is led by CEO Thomas Ullrich with exploration in Virginia directed by the Company's advisor, Don Taylor, the 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award winner for his discovery of the Taylor Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit in Arizona. The Company is currently drilling the Mountain Base Metals Project in Virginia, exploring the Buckingham Gold Project, also in Virginia, and is in advanced stages of negotiation on other lands in the area.

The Company is also 100% owner of the property Storm Project, which hosts the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit and has been optioned to American West Metals Limited.

For more information contact:

Thomas Ullrich, Chief Executive Officer

thomas.ullrich@astonbayholdings.com

416-456-3516

Salisha Ilyas, Investor Relations

salisha.ilyas@astonbayholdings.com

647-209-9200

SOURCE: Aston Bay Holdings Ltd

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MONTREAL, PQ / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Quebec Precious Metals Corporation ("QPM" or the "Company") (TSX.V: QPM, OTCQB: CJCFF, FSE: YXEP) is pleased to announce drill hole assay results from three (3) new drill holes completed during the 2021 fall program. The results confirm the extensive gold mineralization at the La Pointe Extension gold deposit, on the Company's 100% owned Sakami project in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory of Quebec.

Highlights ( Table 1, Figures 1, 2 and 3 )

Two holes have intersected extensive mineralization over wide intervals:

Hole PT-21-187: 69.6 g/t Au over 0.6 m within 1.32 g/t Au over 94 m ; and

within ; and Hole PT-21-188: 1.51 g/t Au over 42.15 m within 0.95 g/t Au over 100.8 m .

within . These two new holes confirm the continuity and the depth extension by about 100 m of the central portion of the deposit which could be amenable to open pit mining.

Normand Champigny, QPM's Chief Executive Officer, stated: "These results are the best to date at the La Pointe Extension and validate our belief that the central portion of the deposit drilling continues at depth with greater mineralized widths. We look forward to receiving the results from drill hole 189 and the six drill holes from the winter drilling. They will add to the deposit's volume as we continue to prepare our maiden resource estimate."

This drilling aims to expand the La Pointe Extension deposit that could be amenable to open pit mining and will support the Company's maiden mineral resource estimate. The Company expects that the resource estimate will be available in Q3 2022. To date, a total of 40 drill holes have intersected the La Pointe Extension deposit. The interpreted mineralized zone has a strike length of 3,750 m. The deposit has a minimum depth of 400 m and with estimated true thickness of 41 m, up to 75 m in the central part of the deposit. There is generally a good spatial correlation between the gold mineralization and the abundance of disseminated arsenopyrite, pyrite and pyrrhotite hosted in a silicified paragneiss that is observed in drill holes. The La Pointe Extension deposit and the La Pointe deposit are part of the Sakami project located along a 23-kilometre-long favourable geological contact that hosts gold mineralization.

Results from hole PT-21-189 completed during the 2021 fall program are expected shortly. Results from the ongoing winter program at the La Pointe Extension deposit will be released in the spring. Recently announced induced polarization survey results identified additional drill targets along strike and south of the La Pointe Extension deposit. Testing of these targets could expand significantly the size of the deposit.

Complete assay results and calculated composite grades released to date are available on QPM's website (https://www.qpmcorp.ca/en/projects/sakami-technical-information/). For previously disclosed results in connection with the La Pointe and La Pointe Extension deposits, see press releases of June 9, 2021 , November 2, 2021 , and February 24, 2022 .

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

The drilling contract was awarded to Orbit Garant Drilling Inc., based in

Val-d'Or, Quebec. The hole diameter is NQ. Quality assurance and quality control procedures have been implemented to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of the core samples. The drill core was logged and then split, with one-half sent for assay and the other retained in the core box as a witness sample. Duplicates, standards and blanks were regularly inserted into the sample stream. The samples were delivered, in secure tagged bags, directly to the ALS Minerals laboratory facility in Val-d'Or, Quebec. The samples are weighed and identified prior to sample preparation. All samples are analyzed by fire assay with AA finish on a 30 g sample (0.005-10 ppm Au), with a gravimetric finish for assays over 10 ppm Au.

The Sakami Project

The Sakami Project provides the Company with a controlling position over a 23-km long segment of a favourable geological contact and comprises 281 claims (142 km2). It is located 570 km north of Val d'Or, Quebec, 120 km east of the municipality of Wemindji, 90 km from the Eleonore gold mine and 47 km northeast of the paved James Bay Road. Good infrastructure, including major access roads, a hydro-powered electric grid and airports, are present in the region. Drilling can be carried out throughout the year.

Qualified Person

Normand Champigny, Eng., Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and Qualified Person under NI 43-101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects, has prepared and reviewed the content of this press release. Francois Gagnon, P. Geo., Senior Exploration Geologist with Consul-Teck Exploration Miniere Inc. has also reviewed the content of this release.

About Quebec Precious Metals Corporation

QPM is a gold explorer with a large land position in the highly prospective Eeyou Istchee

James Bay territory, Quebec, near Newmont Corporation's Eleonore gold mine. QPM's flagship project is the Sakami project with significant grades and well-defined drill-ready targets. QPM's goal is to rapidly explore the Sakami project and advance to the mineral resource estimate stage.

For more information, please contact:

Normand Champigny

Chief Executive Officer

Tel.: 514 979-4746

Email: nchampigny@qpmcorp.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes forward -looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "continue", and "guidance", or other similar words and may include, without limitation statements regarding plans, strategies and objectives of management, anticipated production or construction commencement dates and expected costs or production output.

Forward-looking statements inherently involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and general economic conditions, increased costs and demand for production inputs, the speculative nature of exploration and project development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licences and permits and diminishing quantities or grades of resources or reserves, political and social risks, changes to the regulatory framework within which the entity operates or may in the future operate, environmental conditions including extreme weather conditions, recruitment and retention of personnel, industrial relations issues and litigation.

Forward-looking statements are based on the entity and its management's good faith assumptions relating to the financial, market, regulatory and other relevant environments that will exist and affect business and operations in the future. There are no assurances that the assumptions on which forward-looking statements are based will prove to be correct, or that the business or operations will not be affected in any material manner by these or other factors not foreseen or foreseeable by the entity or management or beyond the entity's control.

Although there have been attempts to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actual results, performance, achievements or events not to be anticipated, estimated or intended, and many events are beyond the reasonable control of the entity. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements in this release are given as at the date of issue only. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange listing rules, in providing this information the entity does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements or to advise of any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Table 1: Summary of significant drill hole assay results from the 2021 program,

Sakami project - Press release of March 10, 2022

Notes:

All widths are drill-indicated core length. Drill holes are generally planned to intersect mineralization as close to perpendicular to strike as possible. All gold values presented are not capped.





La Pointe Extension deposit

Hole # UTM E UTM N Length (m) Azimuth () Dip () Number of samples From

(m) To (m) Interval (m) Au

(g/t) PT-21-186 373924 5893841 404.7 140 -57 328 279.50 357.00 77.50 0.56 including 313.50 316.50 3.00 1.46 including 333.00 337.50 4.50 1.34 PT-21-187 373924 5893841 488 150 -70 403 336.00 430.00 94.00 1.32 Including 345.50 354.00 8.50 2.76 Including 382.00 389.00 7.00 8.70 Including 387.50 388.10 0.60 69.60 PT-21-188 373924 5893841 501 170 -70 412 192.00 198.50 6.50 0.44 362.35 463.15 100.80 0.95 Including 362.35 404.50 42.15 1.51

La Pointe deposit

Hole # UTM E UTM N Length (m) Azimuth () Dip () Number of samples From

(m) To (m) Interval (m) Au

(g/t) PT-21-184 374522 5895306 759 64 -52 652 NSV PT-21-185 374806 5895504 513 100 -50 385 NSV

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

LA SOURCE: Quebec Precious Metals Corporation

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Axelia Partners is headquartered in Boston (Massachusetts) with offices in New York

The acquisition is in line with ZEDRA's ambition to expand further into the US and be recognised as an international leader in global expansion services

Complements UK acquisition of Fitzgerald Law in 2020

ZEDRA, a global specialist in Global Expansion and Corporate Services, Active Wealth and Fund Solutions today announces the acquisition of Axelia Partners in the US.

Axelia Partners has been privately owned by Alexandra and Philippe Suhas since 2013 and is headquartered in Boston (Massachusetts) with offices in New York. The company facilitates the US expansion of predominantly European headquartered businesses and entrepreneurs by providing all the administrative and accounting services necessary to operate compliantly in the US. Services include Talent Search, HR and Operations alongside Accounting, Financial Control, Tax Compliance and Payroll.

The announcement boosts ZEDRA's Global Expansion and Corporate Service offering in the US, a core market for the firm, and enhances the company's geographical presence.

The announcement follows the acquisition of Fitzgerald Law in 2020, whose Global Expansion team already provide the full suite of award-winning tax, HR and financial compliance services to fast-growing US headquartered companies expanding into EMEA and beyond. The additional footprint of Axelia Partners will enhance ZEDRA's capabilities to further support companies from all over the world expanding into other territories globally.

Ivo Hemelraad, ZEDRA Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are delighted to welcome Axelia Partners to ZEDRA. The US is a key market for us, following the acquisition of Fitzgerald Law in 2020 when we started to expand our corporate services reach to the US West Coast. Now, with the addition of Axelia Partners, we have a lead operation in the US for corporate services. Axelia Partners perfectly fits with our ambitious growth strategy and entrepreneurial spirit. The majority of Axelia Partners' clients are European tech companies, so we see significant opportunities to extend the level of expertise and support we already offer to our international corporate clients. We are very much looking forward to working closely with Alexandra and Philippe's team and welcoming them and their clients."

Alexandra Suhas, Partner at Axelia Partners, said"This is a significant milestone for Axelia Partners to strengthen our position as an industry leader. ZEDRA's existing Global Expansion services across offices worldwide will bring additional scale, resources and expertise to our already fast-growing operations. ZEDRA's approach to business is very similar to ours. Hence it is a natural fit and a logical step forward in our international growth plans. Our clients will now have access to a growing range of services to support their business ambitions, as well as continued access to the same people, the same culture and the same level of service."

The deal will add 35 professionals to ZEDRA's US teams currently based in Miami, San Francisco and New York.

Last week, ZEDRA announced a strategic minority investment* from British Columbia Investment Management Corporation ("BCI"), one of Canada's largest institutional investors. This investment is made in partnership with ZEDRA's management team, led by Executive Chairman Bart Deconinck and CEO Ivo Hemelraad, and the Company's existing majority investor, Corsair, which remains the majority shareholder.

ENDS

*Subject to regulatory approval

Notes to Editors

About ZEDRA

ZEDRA is a global provider of Global Expansion and Corporate Services, Active Wealth and Fund Solutions. The firm's highly experienced teams deliver tailored high-quality solutions to clients who include high net worth individuals and their families seeking diversified active wealth solutions, as well as, medium to large sized companies, corporate pension schemes, asset managers and their investors.

ZEDRA's full range of services are designed to preserve and protect the real value of its clients' assets and businesses and the firm's entrepreneurial outlook helps and supports clients in unlocking their ambitions for growth and expansion, no matter how complex their challenges might be.

ZEDRA inherited a wealth of knowledge and experience following its acquisition of trust businesses of a renowned bank in 2016. This solid foundation combined with innovative thinking has allowed ZEDRA to grow rapidly in a competitive marketplace to a team of 680 industry experts across 16 countries spanning Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe.

www.zedra.com

About Axelia Partners

Axelia Partners mission is to facilitate the U.S. expansion of European businesses and entrepreneurs. We support them throughout their venture, by providing one-stop-shop resources necessary to operate efficiently and compliantly in the US. Our services include operations setup, back-office support such as administration, accounting, tax, paralegal and payroll, as well as advisory services such as recruitment and HR.

In business for over 30 years, Axelia Partners has accumulated deep cross-Atlantic business expertise. With a personalized approach to delivering comprehensive business solutions and advisory services, Axelia Partners has become the trusted partner of hundreds of companies at every stage of their US venture.

With Offices in Boston and NYC, and a presence in Miami, Axelia Partners relies on the experience and skills of 35 internal professionals, consultants, accountants, CPAs, paralegals and HR professionals.

www.axeliapartners.com

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Contacts:

For more information, please contact:

Greentarget

Jamie Brownlee Tom Engleback Eleonore Basle Sam Dynevor

+44 20 3963 1894

zedra@greentarget.co.uk
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Charge Enterprises Inc. (OTC PINK:CRGE), ("Charge"), consisting of a portfolio of global businesses with the vision of connecting people everywhere with communications and electric-vehicle ("EV") charging, announced Andrew Fox, Chairman, CEO and Founder, will present at the 34th Annual Roth Conference. Mr. Fox will discuss Charge and the Company's role in building infrastructures for Electric Vehicle Charging and 5G Wireless Networks.

Event: Charge Enterprises at the 34th Annual Roth Conference

Presentation: Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Time: 9:00 a.m. PT

Presentation Webcast: https://wsw.com/webcast/roth43/crge2/1879372

Webinar Webcast: https://wsw.com/webcast/roth43/crge/1808772

One-on-One meeting availability: March 14th and 15th

Webcast replay of the presentation session and a copy of Charge's latest investor presentation will be available on the company's website. To schedule one-on-ones, please contact your Roth representative.

About Charge Enterprises Inc.

Our Telecommunications Division?Our Telecommunications division ("Telecommunications") has provided termination of both voice and data to Carriers and Mobile Network Operators (MNO's) globally for over two decades and we will selectively add profitable products and services to this long-established business.

Our Infrastructure Division?Our Infrastructure division ("Infrastructure") has a primary focus on two fast growing sectors: electric vehicle ("EV") charging, and Telecommunications Network 5G, including cell tower, small cell, and in-building applications. Solutions for these two sectors include: Design and Engineering, Equipment specification and sourcing, Installation, Data & software solutions, and Service and Maintenance.

Our Investment Division?Our Investment division ("Investment") focuses on opportunities related to our global portfolio to expand our vision's impact. We aim to invest in opportunities that would complement our two operating divisions in addition to marketable securities, including money markets funds and other listed securities. Our Investment division provides services aimed at offsetting the overall cost of capital.

We offer our Investment services through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Charge Investments ("CI").

To learn more about Charge, visit Charge Enterprises.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events or Charge's future performance. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "continues", "forecasts", "projects", "predicts", "intends", "anticipates", "targets" or "believes", or variations of, or the negatives of, such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. All forward-looking statements, including those herein, are qualified by this cautionary statement.

Although Charge believes that the expectations expressed in such forward looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the business plans and strategies of Charge, Charge's future business development, market acceptance of electric vehicles, Charge's ability to generate profits and positive cash flow, changes in government regulations and government incentives, subsidies, or other favorable government policies, and other risks discussed in Charge's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks and uncertainties is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release or as of the date or dates specified in such statements. For more information on Charge, investors are encouraged to review Charge's public filings on OTC Market at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/CRGE/overview. Charge disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Media Contact:

Centigrade

Steve Keyes

Steve.keyes@centigrade.com

(248) 952-7022

Investor Relations Contact:

LHA Investor Relations

Carolyn Capaccio, CFA

ccapaccio@lhai.com

212.838.3777

SOURCE: Charge Enterprises Inc.

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CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / San Lorenzo Gold Corp. ("San Lorenzo" or the "Company") (TSXV:SLG)(OTCQB:SNLGF) is pleased to announce that a diamond drilling rig is mobilizing this week to its 100% owned Salvadora copper/gold/silver property. A drilling program consisting of up to 3,000 metres is planned and in connection with that program, the Company plans to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 10,000,000 units of the Company ("Units") at a price of $0.10 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $1,000,000. (the "Offering"). There is no minimum Offering. Each Unit will be comprised of one (1) common share of the Company ("Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each full Warrant shall be exercisable at $0.20 per Common Share for a period of 12 months from the date of closing of the Offering. San Lorenzo may pay a cash commission or finder's fee to qualified non-related parties of up to 7% of the gross proceeds of the Offering payable in cash together with warrants representing 7% of the common shares issued in connection with the Offering ("Broker Warrants"). Each Broker Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.10 for a period of 12 months following closing of the Offering. The proceeds of the Offering will be used for working capital including the costs for San Lorenzo's drilling program at Salvadora and to pay the expenses of the Offering.

The Offering is being offered to all of the existing shareholders of the Company who are permitted to subscribe pursuant to the Existing Shareholder Exemption. The Company anticipates that the Offering may close in tranches with the final closing to occur on or around March 31, 2022. Any existing shareholders interested in participating in the Offering should contact the Company using the contact information set forth below. It is expected that certain directors and officers of the Company will participate in the Offering.

As the Company is also relying on the Exemption for Sales to Purchasers Advised by Investment Dealers, it confirms that there is no material fact or material change about the Company which has not been generally disclosed. In addition to offering the Units pursuant to the Existing Shareholder Exemption and the Exemption for Sales to Purchasers Advised by Investment Dealers, the Units are also being offered pursuant to other available prospectus exemptions, including sales to accredited investors. Units will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Completion of the Offering is subject to regulatory approval including, but not limited to, the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Common Shares and Warrants issued under the Offering will be subject to a four month hold period from the date of the closing of the Offering.

The Corporation also announces the grant of 580,000 options at a price of $0.10 per share to officers, directors or other key personnel of the Company ("Options"). The Options will be for a term of 10 years from the date of grant and will vest as to one third on the date of grant and one third on each of the first and second anniversaries of grant.

For further information on the Company, readers are referred to the Company's website at www.sanlorenzogold.com and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About San Lorenzo Gold Corp.

San Lorenzo Gold is in the business of exploring for and advancing mineral properties. The Company currently has three 100% owned properties in Chile: Salvadora, Nancagua and Punta Alta. The Salvadora property is being explored for large scale copper-gold porphyry targets and high grade epithermal gold-silver-copper vein systems, Nancagua is a high grade mesothermal gold-silver prospect and Punta Alta is a copper - gold porphyry prospect with related disseminated and vein style copper-gold-silver-cobalt mineralization.

For further information, please contact:

Al Kroontje, Chairman

Email: al@kasten.ca

Ken Booth, President

Email: kbooth@sanlorenzogold.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release, publication, distribution or dissemination directly, or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information that involves substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the control of San Lorenzo. All statements included herein other than statements of historical fact, including statements pertaining to the completion of a private placement, are forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information involves various risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the TSX Venture Exchange does not approve the private placement. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, San Lorenzo does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

SOURCE: Kairos Metals Corp.

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The Chemours Company ("Chemours") (NYSE: CC), a global chemistry company with leading market positions in Titanium Technologies, Thermal Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions, today announced it has suspended business with Russian entities in response to the ongoing military conflict and humanitarian crisis.

"Chemours condemns the senseless violence taking place and views continuing business as inconsistent with our company values. As always, we will work to meet the needs of our global customers throughout this process, however, we believe suspending business with Russian entities is the right thing to do," said Mark Newman, President and CEO for Chemours. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and reassess in the future."

Chemours also announced a $100,000 donation to the International Committee of the Red Cross to support humanitarian efforts in the region.

"Every day we encourage our people to operate with the courage to make a difference. Over the past two weeks the people of the Ukraine have embodied such courage and perseverance. Now, we want to do our part and help make a difference by supporting those in need," said Newman.

Chemours has a small office in Moscow and is working closely with employees to ensure their safety.

About The Chemours Company

The Chemours Company (NYSE: CC) is a global leader in Titanium Technologies, Thermal Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions providing its customers with solutions in a wide range of industries with market-defining products, application expertise and chemistry-based innovations. We deliver customized solutions with a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals products for markets, including coatings, plastics, refrigeration, and air conditioning, transportation, semiconductor and consumer electronics, general industrial, and oil and gas. Our flagship products include prominent brands such as Ti-Pure, Opteon, Freon, Teflon, Viton, Nafion, and Krytox. The company has approximately 6,400 employees and 29 manufacturing sites serving approximately 3,200 customers in approximately 120 countries. Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol CC.

For more information, we invite you to visit chemours.com or follow us on Twitter @Chemours or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to a historical or current fact. The words "believe," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "target," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify "forward-looking statements," which speak only as of the date such statements were made. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, the outcome or resolution of any pending or future environmental liabilities, the commencement, outcome or resolution of any regulatory inquiry, investigation or proceeding, the initiation, outcome or settlement of any litigation, changes in environmental regulations in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that affect demand for or adoption of our products, anticipated future operating and financial performance for our segments individually and our company as a whole, business plans, prospects, targets, goals and commitments, capital investments and projects and target capital expenditures, plans for dividends or share repurchases, sufficiency or longevity of intellectual property protection, cost reductions or savings targets, plans to increase profitability and growth, our ability to make acquisitions, integrate acquired businesses or assets into our operations, and achieve anticipated synergies or cost savings, all of which are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events that may not be accurate or realized. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties that are beyond Chemours' control. In addition, the current COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the national and global economy and commodity and financial markets, which has had and we expect will continue to have a negative impact on our financial results. The full extent and impact of the pandemic is still being determined and to date has included significant volatility in financial and commodity markets and a severe disruption in economic activity. The public and private sector response has led to travel restrictions, temporary business closures, quarantines, stock market volatility, and interruptions in consumer and commercial activity globally. Matters outside our control have affected our business and operations and may or may continue to hinder our ability to provide goods and services to customers, cause disruptions in our supply chains, adversely affect our business partners, significantly reduce the demand for our products, adversely affect the health and welfare of our personnel or cause other unpredictable events. Additionally, there may be other risks and uncertainties that Chemours is unable to identify at this time or that Chemours does not currently expect to have a material impact on its business. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. Chemours assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220309005940/en/

Contacts:

INVESTORS

Jonathan Lock

SVP, Chief Development Officer and Investor Relations

+1.302.773.2263

investor@chemours.com



NEWS MEDIA

Cassie Olszewski

Media Relations and Financial Communications Manager

+1.302.219.7140

media@chemours.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Barksdale Resources Corp. (TSXV: BRO) (OTCQX: BRKCF) ("Barksdale" or the "Company") is pleased to announce additional assay results from its Phase I, 5,000-meter drilling program at the Cerro Verde zone on the San Javier project in Sonora, Mexico. These latest results have expanded the footprint of the Cerro Verde copper zone to the south and west.

Drilling Highlights:

Drilling results received from holes SJ21-31 and SJ21-35 continue to confirm and expand the footprint of the Cerro Verde zone. Key results include 48 meters of 0.54% copper from 90-135 meters (SJ21-31) and 15 meters of 0.35% copper from 45-60 meters (SJ21-35).

Additionally, hole SJ21-31 intercepted a thick interval of oxide gold mineralization 36 meters grading 1.11 g/t gold from 27-63 meters depth, including 15 meters grading 1.71 g/t gold from 30-45 meters depth. These results have extended the gold bearing portion at Cerro Verde by approximately 70 meters to the south.

Rick Trotman, President and CEO of Barksdale commented: "The additional holes from the Phase I drilling program continue to yield impressive copper and gold intercepts. The step out hole on the western flank of Cerro Verde has extended mineralization to the west and the SJ21-36 confirms that the copper zone extends to the south. Additionally, the oxide gold zone was extended to the south by SJ21-31, which encountered a very encouraging oxide gold intercept. Delivering these results in this copper and gold environment is very exciting and we look forward to continuing to push this asset forward."

Drill Hole Discussion

Hole SJ21-31 (Figure 1) was designed to test the extension of high-grade gold and/or copper mineralization encountered in hole SJ21-04 and SJ21-29 (see the press release dated October 25, 2021). The drill hole successfully intercepted a shallow oxide gold interval consisting of 36 meters grading 1.11 g/t gold, beginning at 27 meters. This extends the gold zone by approximately 70 meters to the south. Hole SJ21-31 also intercepted a thick copper oxide interval containing 0.54% copper over 48 meters from 90 meters depth. The hole ended in sulfide mineralization grading 0.54% copper over the final 3-meters of the hole from 144 meters depth. After reviewing the data, the Company has determined that hole SJ21-29, which is on the same section as SJ21-31, was likely ended too soon and should have been extended another 50-75 meters to intercept the copper zone. This hole is a prime candidate for extension during subsequent drilling programs.

Hole SJ21-35 (Figure 2) was designed to test the western extension of copper mineralization at Cerro Verde. The drill hole intersected multiple intervals that successfully extended mineralization to the west by approximately 50 meters, including: 15 meters grading 0.35% copper, 12 meters grading 0.22% copper, and 6 meters grading 0.24% copper. Further extensions of the deposit at Cerro Verde to the west will require construction of additional drill road access. This is currently being requested via an amendment to the current exploration permit.

Hole SJ21-36 was designed to test the potential for copper mineralization south of the Cerro Verde zone. The hole was collared approximately 75 meters south of the known copper oxide footprint and encountered a broad interval of lower grade copper oxide mineralization (0.11% copper over the first 42 meters). This included 3 meters of 0.24% copper from surface. Additional drilling to the south and southwest will likely be completed once permit amendments have been received.





Figure 1. Drill section highlighting copper and gold assay results from SJ21-31. True widths are approximately 70% of drill intercepts.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8531/116221_587cf848a43f08e5_002full.jpg





Figure 2. Drill section highlighting copper assay results from SJ21-35. Note that SJ21-02 was a metallurgical PQ-sized hole that is being preserved for future metallurgical and geotechnical studies - only one 11m interval was sampled/assayed as part of the ongoing column leach metallurgical testing program. True widths are approximately 70% of drill intercepts.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8531/116221_587cf848a43f08e5_003full.jpg





Figure 3. Plan view of the Cerro Verde zone showing the historic mineralization footprint, the extent of mapped oxidation at surface, and recently completed drilling by Barksdale. Mineralization remains open to the south, southeast, southwest, and northeast.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8531/116221_587cf848a43f08e5_004full.jpg





Table 1. Significant Drill Hole Results (Copper above 0.20% and/or Gold above 0.20 g/t). True widths vary between 70-90%.



From To Interval Cu Au Type of Hole (m) (m) (m) (%) (g/t) Mineralization SJ21-31 12 18 6 0.06% 0.28 Oxide

27 63 36 0.05% 1.11 Oxide including 27 42 15 0.03% 1.71 Oxide and 54 57 3 0.06% 1.89 Oxide

90 138 48 0.54%

Oxide / Enriched including 132 138 6 1.35%

Enriched

144 147 3 0.54%

Sulfide SJ21-35 9 15 6 0.24%

Mixed

27 39 12 0.22%

Mixed

45 60 15 0.35%

Mixed SJ21-36 0 3 3 0.24%

Oxide

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Drilling was completed using HQ size diamond drill core and core was logged by geologic consultants engaged by the Company. Drill holes were logged and marked for sampling prior to being sawn in half using a diamond blade saw, with one half of the sawn core being placed in a cloth sample bag, with a unique sample tag, while the second half was returned to the wooden core box for storage on site. Sample assays are being performed by Skyline Assayers & Laboratories, an accredited (ISO 9001) laboratory. Core samples are analyzed for total copper, acid soluble copper, cyanide soluble cooper, as well as well as a multi element ICP Analysis.

The analytical work has been and is subject to a QA/QC program that includes certified reference standards from OREAS North America. These standards are of similar composition to the rock types at San Javier. Several different standards are included in each batch of samples submitted to the lab. These controls are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. Results are all within acceptable limits.

Table 2. Drill Hole Information

Hole Easting Northing Elevation Depth Azimuth Dip Status SJ21-01 623292 3160798 942 100 0 -90 Metallurgical Hole SJ21-02 623138 3160631 967 100 0 -90 Metallurgical Hole SJ21-03 623140 3160622 967 90 180 -45 Metallurgical Hole SJ21-04 623341 3160588 1007 61 0 -90 Metallurgical Hole SJ21-04 623341 3160588 1007 201 0 -90 Extension of Met Hole (Previously Announced) SJ21-05 623258 3160598 1006 260 90 -72 Previously Announced SJ21-06 623258 3160602 1019 250 45 -50 Previously Announced SJ21-07 623432 3160791 922 200 90 -70 Previously Announced SJ21-08 623554 3160599 829 285 270 -50 Previously Announced SJ21-09 623462 3160563 893 150 270 -55 Previously Announced SJ21-10 623229 3160482 960 231 45 -50 Previously Announced SJ21-11 623440 3160641 903 176 0 -90 Previously Announced SJ21-12 623016 3160344 869 180 90 -51 Previously Announced SJ21-13 623332 3160401 896 120 0 -90 Previously Announced SJ21-14 623331 3160401 896 140 270 -55 Previously Announced SJ21-15 623129 3160534 931 155 90 -59 Previously Announced SJ21-16 623529 3160750 820 52.5 270 -51 Previously Announced SJ21-17 623529 3160750 820 55 0 -55 Previously Announced SJ21-18 623435 3160408 873 60 0 -90 Previously Announced SJ21-19 623435 3160408 873 80 245 -55 Previously Announced SJ21-20 623533 3160852 768 170 270 -45 Previously Announced SJ21-21 623533 3160852 768 30 0 -45 Previously Announced SJ21-22 623655 3160882 698 30 225 -50 Previously Announced SJ21-23 623584 3160911 771 30 260 -55 Previously Announced SJ21-24 623406 3161005 849 120 90 -64 Previously Announced SJ21-25 623602 3161009 786 195 90 -55 Previously Announced SJ21-26 623195 3160750 960 120 270 -80 Previously Announced SJ21-27 623200 3160549 969 63 0 -90 Previously Announced SJ21-28 623257 3160557 1009 185 0 -90 Previously Announced SJ21-29 623302 3160553 996 140 0 -90 Previously Announced SJ21-30 623352 3160556 1003 185 0 -90 Assays Pending SJ21-31 623311 3160435 920 147 0 -50 Announced in This Release SJ21-32 623138 3160586 951 166.5 0 -90 Assays Pending SJ21-33 623025 3160500 846 165 270 -60 Assays Pending SJ21-34 623017 3160600 850 130 270 -60 Assays Pending SJ21-35 623010 3160650 849 84 270 -60 Announced in This Release SJ21-36 623200 3160000 789 95 0 -90 Announced in This Release

Scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Lewis Teal, Senior Consultant to the Company and a 'Qualified Person' as defined under Canadian National Instrument 43-101.

Barksdale Resources Corp. is a base metal exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., that is focused on the acquisition, exploration and advancement of highly prospective base metal projects in North America. Barksdale is currently advancing the Sunnyside copper-zinc-lead-silver and San Antonio copper projects, both of which are in the Patagonia mining district of southern Arizona, as well as the San Javier copper-gold project in central Sonora, Mexico.

ON BEHALF OF BARKSDALE RESOURCES CORP

Rick Trotman

President, CEO and Director

Rick@barksdaleresources.com

Terri Anne Welyki

Vice President of Communications

778-238-2333

TerriAnne@barksdaleresources.com

For more information please phone 778-238-2333, email info@barksdaleresources.com or visit www.BarksdaleResources.com .

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes "forward-looking information" under applicable securities legislation including, but not limited to, the ability of Barksdale to verify or replace historic estimates at San Javier as current resources, the technical and drill program at San Javier and the timing thereof, the prospective deposits, targets and mineralization at San Javier and the anticipated receipt and timing of necessary governmental or third party approvals and permits. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on a number of estimates and assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information is neither a promise nor guarantee, and is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, delays in obtaining governmental or third party approvals and permits, actual results of exploration activities, unanticipated geologic formations, structures and characteristics, environmental risks, future prices of base and other metals, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, and other risks in the mining industry as well as general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets and lack of available capital. There are no assurances that the Company will obtain the necessary permits for and successfully complete the proposed technical and drill program at San Javier as currently contemplated or at all. In addition, there is uncertainty about the spread of COVID-19 and variants of concern and the impact they will have on the Company's operations, supply chains, ability to access mineral properties, conduct due diligence or procure equipment, contractors and other personnel on a timely basis or at all and economic activity in general. All forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116221
By issuing Municipal Bonds, Bank Financing, New Market Tax Credits and Grants, Smart City first phase estimated cost $200M USD, the Joint Partnership will begin development of a SMART City manufacturing facility, in hopes to develop Housing, Domestic Industries, create jobs and boost the regional economy.

SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / TPT Global Tech, Inc. ("TPTW" or the "Company") (OTCQB:TPTW) today announced that it intends to partner with the City of Tuskegee Alabama ("Joint Partnership") to locate and invest in the development, management and operation of a "Smart City". The discussions have included a multi-purpose Industrial Business Park, Smart Residential Living, a Film and Television Studio and much more. The City of Tuskegee is offering the Joint Partnership land, as needed and agreed upon, and proposes to support the financing of the project through Municipal Bonds, New Tax credits, Bank and Grant financing for the overall "Smart City" development. Completion of the project, estimated to be in three years, should add to the State's GDP while bringing jobs directly and indirectly to the region and creating a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Using advanced manufacturing robotics, TPT will support the Joint Partnership to recycle shipping containers as the initial core of the construction project. Each unit is intended to be joined together in a cutting-edge Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design "LEED" based "Stack" construction.

TPT intends to be involved in the Joint Partnership to develop the "Smart City" infrastructure consisting of new transportation capabilities, renewable energy generation and implementation, waste management technologies, telecommunications hardware, 5G wireless cell towers, medical facilities, fiber and broadband last-mile wireless technology and much more. The "Smart City" is intended to attract global companies from such diverse industries as aerospace and defense, telecommunications and satellites, semiconductor chip manufacturing, Biotechnology, IoT and Cyber Security, Electric Mobility.

"We are always seeking ways to enhance the economy of the city and this Joint Partnership with TPT will mean creating a self-sustaining "Smart City" with modern business parks, better roads, modern schools and universities, and an economic opportunity for everyone living here. We are proud to be able to make such an advanced technology announcement alongside a partner like TPT Global Tech," said Mayor Lawrence F. Haygood.

"The City of Tuskegee and TPT Global Tech, we are together" said City Councilman and former Mayor of Tuskegee, the Honorable Mayor Johnny Ford. "We are proud to partner with TPT Global Tech which should serve as an ideal concept for other cities in the United States and around the world".

"This is a huge day for Tuskegee and an even bigger opportunity for TPT and we are exceptionally proud to be a part of a major project like this one that will bring sustainability to the area and which should continue to benefit from it for years to come. The TPT Global Tech team is looking forward to returning to Tuskegee on March 21, 2022 to meet with the City Council, Mayor the Honorable Tony Haygood, the Economic Development Director, Mr. Joe Turnham, the City Manager, Mr. Derrick Swanson, and the City Attorney, Mr. Milton Davis, to discuss our intent in locating and investing in Tuskegee. At that time we look forward to discussing the cost and size of our Smart City development project, the land needed the method of financing (municipal bonds, new tax credits, banking, grants etc.), the environmental impact, our Strategic Partnership Agreement which is currently being reviewed by the City Attorney's office and whatever details are needed to be agreed upon, as we move forward" said TPT Chairman and CEO Stephen J. Thomas III. "With this initiative, TPT Global Tech should be able to help build a stronger global business corridor which should lead to developing domestic industries, attracting global companies, creating jobs and developing economic opportunity for the people of Tuskegee, Alabama while expanding TPT's reach and involvement in the type of "Smart City" projects where our expertise is maximized."

About TPT Global Tech

TPT Global Tech, Inc. based in San Diego, California, is a technology-based company with divisions providing telecommunications, medical technology and product distribution, media content for domestic and international syndication as well as technology solutions. TPT MedTech offers its QuikPASS and QuikLAB testing, check and verification systems for Covid-19 and other infectious diseases and is operating domestically and internationally. TPT Global Tech offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PAAS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS). It offers carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media, and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT Global Tech also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cell phone services, Mobile phones Cell phone Accessories and Global Roaming Cell phones.

For more information about how TPT Global Tech's technologies and to schedule a call with CEO Stephen Thomas, please contact Shep Doniger at 561-637-5750 and sdoniger@bdcginc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings, and pursuit of new markets are forward-looking statements. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases, the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.

CONTACT:

Shep Doniger

561-637-5750

sdoniger@bdcginc.com

IR-Frank Benedetto

619-915-9422

SOURCE: TPT Global Tech, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692475/Tuskegee-Alabama-City-Council-Passes-Resolution-for-Joint-Partnership-with-TPT-Global-Tech-to-Immediately-Start-Development-of-the-Companys-First-Smart-City-Project-in-the-United-States
The fact that antimicrobial properties of medical device coatings can help prevent the spread of HAIs drives the global medical device coating market.

PORTLAND, Ore., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Medical Device Coating Market by Coating Type (Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic), Material (Metals, Ceramics and Polymers), Application (Medical Devices and Medical Implants) and Device Type (Gynecology, General surgery, Cardiovascular, Dentistry, Neurology, Orthopedics and others): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030." According to the report, the global medical device coating industry was estimated at $7.28 billion in 2020, and is anticipated to hit $12.70 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 6.8% from 2021 to 2030.

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities-

The fact that antimicrobial properties of medical device coatings can help prevent the spread of HAIs drives the global medical device coating market. On the other hand, strict government implications in this field impede the growth to some extent. However, factors such as advancement & emergence of novel medical devices, increase in demand for implantable devices, and surge in disposable income of the global population are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.

Download Sample Report- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2603

Covid-19 scenario-

As the supply chain was hugely hit, especially during the initial phase of the pandemic, manufacturing of medical devices was pretty much disrupted, which gave way to declined demand for coatings for medical expedients. This, in turn, impacted the global medical device coatings market negatively.

Also, as the majority of elective surgical procedures were cancelled or postponed, a declined demand for medical devices was also noticed.

However, the market is anticipated to revive soon.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Medical Device Coating Market- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/2603?reqfor=covid

The hydrophilic segment to maintain the lion's share-

On the basis of coatings type, the hydrophilic segment accounted for the highest market share in 2020, generating more than four-fifths of the global medical device coating market. The same segment is also anticipated to cite the fastest CAGR of 7.1% from 2021 to 2030, due to its non-thrombogenic nature and resistance to abrasion.

The metals segment to lead the trail-

On the basis of material type, the metals segment generated the highest share in 2020, holding more than three-fourths of the global medical device coating market. The same segment is also expected to cite the fastest CAGR of 7.4% from 2021 to 2030. This is attributed to biocompatibility and surface modification qualities.

For Purchase Inquiry- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2603

North America to dominate by 2030-

On the basis of region, North America contributed to the major market share in terms of revenue 2020, holding around one-third of the global medical device coating market, owing to rise in cases of hospital acquired infections (HAI) in the region. Asia-Pacific, however, is projected to cite the fastest CAGR of 7.8% from 2021 to 2030, due to surge in enhanced surgical practices and technological advancements in the province.

Prominent market players-

Bayer Ag

Biocoat Incorporated

Surmodics Inc.

Covalon Technologies Ltd.

Royal DSM

Hydromer Inc.

Kisco Ltd.

Precision Coating

AST Products, Inc.

Harland Medical Services

Official Press Release- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/medical-device-coatings-market.html

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AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model):

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Next 9 Schools Represents Add-On Business from Long-Time Client

TOCCOA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. (OTCQB:GAXYD) ("Galaxy" or the "Company), a provider of interactive learning technology solutions, is pleased to announce the receipt of an additional rollout schedule for this spring and summer for its G2 Communicator from an existing client school district in Colorado.

This incremental business encompasses 9 schools for $500,000 of G2 Communicator, the software that controls all bells, paging and intercom as well as visual alerts and G2 Secure.

Gary LeCroy, Galaxy's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "At its core, communication leads to knowledge and our G2 Communicator provides key information to your school campus and district wide. G2 Communicator allows for virtually unlimited schedules playing throughout the entire school, specific zones, or single classrooms. We are thrilled about this continued relationship with this particular school district in Colorado and look forward to many more opportunities to come."

About Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

Galaxy Next Generation (OTCQB:GAXYD) is a provider of interactive learning technology solutions that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy's products include Galaxy's own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices. Galaxy's distribution channel consists of 22+ resellers across the U.S. who primarily sell the Company's products within the commercial and educational market. Galaxy does not control where resellers focus their resell efforts, although generally, the K-12 education market is the largest customer base for Galaxy products - comprising nearly 90% of Galaxy's sales.

For additional information, please visit our website at: www.galaxynext.us

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investors Contact:

IR@GalaxyNext.us

888-859-1274

SOURCE: Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692460/Galaxy-Next-Generation-Receives-Additional-500000-Rollout-Schedule-for-Its-G2-Communicator-from-an-Existing-Client-School-District-in-Colorado




Then-presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol speaks about his energy policy near a nuclear reactor in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, Dec. 29, 2021. Korea Times file



By Lee Kyung-min



The nuclear phase-out policy spearheaded by the Moon Jae-in administration will be scrapped, as President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to overturn his predecessor's unpopular energy policy and develop Korea into a global leader in nuclear technology, according to scholars and industry analysts Thursday.



Soon to be resumed is the construction of Shin Hanul reactors 2 and 3 in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, the long-stalled, politically disrupted plan that would have developed into a civil damage suit between plant builder Doosan Heavy Industries and the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP).



The use of 10 old plants scheduled for closure by 2030 will be extended following strengthened maintenance work for safety, and in turn function as a key energy source to advance the low-carbon economy.



Better late than never



"It is late, but nothing is never too late," said Lee Jong-ho, a senior researcher at the Nuclear Research Institute for Future Technology Policy (NIFTEP) associated with Seoul National University.






NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

This news release constitutes a "designated news release" for the purposes of the Company's prospectus supplement dated February 17, 2021 to its short form base shelf prospectus dated July 17, 2020.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK)(OTCQB:PKLBF)(FKT:PKLB) ("Perk" or the "Company"), the digital franchise company helping businesses transition to the digital economy, is pleased to announce that it is proposing a non-brokered private placement of up to 11,904,762 units ("Units") at a price of $0.042 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $500,000 (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional Common Share at a price of $0.05 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the Closing (as defined below).

The Company expects certain "related parties" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") to participate in the Private Placement. Any such resulting related party transaction will be exempt from the formal valuation requirement and shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of any Units issued to such persons will not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

The Private Placement is expected to close on or before April 8, 2022 (the "Closing"). Closing of the Private Placement is subject to customary closing conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day following the Closing. The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to sell and market Perk Hero's digital dine-in solution to potential franchisees and restaurants and for working capital.

The Company may pay finder's fees to eligible parties who introduce subscribers to the Company for the Private Placement.

The Company also announced today that it has published its updated Company presentation on its website at www.perklabs.io . The Company's presentation includes, among other things, additional information on the Company's future growth plans, as well as information regarding the Company's strategy and focus. The Company also noted today that as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce cash expenditures, three of its independent Board members have agreed to be compensated in RSUs only, rather than cash.

The securities to be offered pursuant to the Private Placement have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Perk Labs Inc.

Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK)(OTCQB:PKLBF)(FKT:PKLB) is the owner of Perk Hero, the mobile commerce platform on a mission to empower business owners with the digital tools to provide their customers with dining experiences that are more engaging, convenient and rewarding. Perk Hero is growing through a unique community-driven digital franchise business that is available to entrepreneurs at an attractive start-up price.

For more information about Perk Labs, please visit www.perklabs.io . Visit Perk Hero at www.perkhero.com . For more information on a Perk Franchise, visit www.perkfranchise.com .

For more information contact:

Jonathan Hoyles

CEO

Perk Labs Inc.

(833) 338-0299

investors@perklabs.io

Jules Gagnon

Director of Investor Relations & Community

(833) 338-0299

investors@perklabs.io

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "may", "believe", "thinks", "expect", "exploring", "expand", "could", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "pursue", "potentially", "projected", "should", "will" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, the discussion of the Company's business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations, including statements regarding the Private Placement and the expected use of proceeds therefrom. Although the Company considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions, or expectations upon which they are based will occur.

SOURCE: Perk Labs Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692444/Perk-Labs-Announces-Non-Brokered-Private-Placement-and-Updates-Corporate-Presentation
Stevanato Group (NYSE: STVN) (the "Company"), a global provider of drug containment, drug delivery and diagnostic solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences industries, today announced the acquisition of a facility in Zhangjiagang for a new plant where the Company expects to begin renovations in the spring 2022, as part of the latest phase of its expansion in China.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005572/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

The new facility is located near the Company's drug containment solutions facility in the Jiangsu Zhangjiagang Economic and Technological Development Zone, helping to cement the area as a major center of biopharmaceutical innovation. The facility is expected to be up to 32,000 square meters including engineering space. The Company is expected to employ approximately 270 people in the China hub. As a strategic hub for the Company's operations in the country, we believe the plant will support the Chinese pharmaceutical industry by streamlining the drug development supply chain in the country from lab through commercialization and help meet the increased demand for biologics.

The state-of-the-art facility is expected to host (i) production of high-value solutions, such as pre-sterilized EZ-fill syringes and vials, to meet the growing demand in the biotech and vaccine market, as well as (ii) a manufacturing area for visual inspection machines and glass forming lines, featuring cutting-edge production processes and technologies. Equipment production is expected to start in 2023, with the first EZ-fill lines due to be operative in early 2024.

In addition, the Company expects to enlarge its current standard drug containment solution production in Zhangjiagang, increasing the size of the existing facility by approximately 7,000 square meters. This site is expected to allow to almost double current production capabilities by end of 2024.

"We are excited to continue our expansion in China as part of our strategic priorities to optimize global footprint," said Franco Moro, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "Beginning construction on our new manufacturing hub is an important milestone for Stevanato Group in a key market, and will allow us to better serve local customers with premium drug containment solutions and machinery supply."

On March 10, 2022, the Company hosted a ribbon cutting event to celebrate the new hub at the presence of local Zhangjiagang and ZETDZ authorities, Italian Consulate representatives in China.

About Stevanato Group

Founded in 1949, Stevanato Group is a leading global provider of drug containment, drug delivery and diagnostic solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences industries. The Group delivers an integrated, end-to-end portfolio of products, processes and services that address customer needs across the entire drug life cycle at each of the development, clinical and commercial stages. Stevanato Group's core capabilities in scientific research and development, its commitment to technical innovation and its engineering excellence are central to its ability to offer value added solutions to clients. To learn more, visit stevanatogroup.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include forward-looking statements. The words "will", "expected", "expects", "due to", "believe", and similar expressions (or their negative) identify certain of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are statements regarding the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, expectations regarding the development of the industry and the competitive environment, the expansion of manufacturing capacity, the timeline of completion of the new Chinese plant, the Company's plans regarding its presence in the Chinese market, the Company's capacity to support the Chinese pharmaceutical industry, business strategies, workforce, the Company's capacity to meet future market demands, business decisions of key industry partners, and results of operations. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the Company's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behavior of other market participants, the actions of regulators and other factors such as the Company's ability to continue to obtain financing to meet its liquidity needs, changes in the political, social and regulatory framework in which the Company operates or in economic or technological trends or conditions. In particular, the Company may determine not to conduct a registered initial public offering in the time frame that it currently expects or at all, due to a number of potential important factors, including conditions in the U.S. capital markets, negative global economic conditions, potential negative developments in the Company's business, or unfavorable or regulatory developments. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. Except as required by law, the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005572/en/

Contacts:

Media

Stevanato Group

media@stevanatogroup.com

Investor Relations

Lisa Miles

lisa.miles@stevanatogroup.com
REDDING, Calif., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report titled "Real-World Evidence (RWE) Solutions Market by Component (Datasets [Clinical, Claims, Pharmacy, Integrated], Services), Application (Market Access, Oncology, Neurology, Post Market Surveillance), End User (Pharma Companies, Providers) - Global Forecast to 2028", published by Meticulous Research, the Real-World Evidence (RWE) solutions market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.8% from 2021 to 2028 to reach $4.4 billion by 2028.

Download Free Sample Report Now @ https://www.meticulousresearch.com/download-sample-report/cp_id=4954

Real-world evidence (RWE) is clinical evidence gathered via real-world data (RWD) analysis on a medical product's use and potential benefits or risks. RWE can be produced through various study designs or analyses, including but not limited to randomized trials, large simple trials, pragmatic trials, and observational studies (prospective or retrospective). For example, the role of RWE in drug development is expanding as RWE studies are significantly less costly and time-consuming than RCTs, providing easier access to long-term effectiveness data and helping overcome some of the feasibility barriers of running RCTs. RWE is regularly utilized in the drug development & approval process to inform aspects of drug development, such as the natural history and epidemiology of a disease, and provide data on treatment pathways and comparator interventions in clinical practice.

Real-world data (RWD) gathered from various sources associated with outcomes in a heterogeneous patient population in real-world settings. The analysis of the collected data generates real-world evidence, which, in turn, helps in retrospective studies and provides meaningful insights into unmet needs and the clinical and economic impacts on patients and healthcare systems. It also determines the outcomes based on much larger data samples, reduces costs, and improves the efficiency of clinical trials.

With the growing need for evidence generated from real-world data, the increasing importance of epidemiological data in decision making, and a shift from volume to value-based care, there has been an increased focus on patient registries, a rise in the adoption of EMR in hospitals, and exponential growth in mobile health data and social media which have resulted in the generation of huge amounts of medical data. In 2021, the real-world datasets segment accounted for the larger share of the overall real-world evidence solutions market.

Speak to our Analysts to Understand the Impact of COVID-19 on Your Business: https://www.meticulousresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/cp_id=4954

The pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries are facing a list of unprecedented challenges led by the global economic crisis, coronavirus pandemic, and concerns about escalating healthcare costs. A series of well-publicized recalls, and regulatory settlements have left policymakers and consumers questioning the safety of medical products and their trust in manufacturers. The pressures are more significant in the oncological department, where high-cost agents with similar effects compete in the market. With rising challenges, healthcare payers are increasingly focused on evidence of clinical value for making market access & reimbursement/coverage decisions.

Payers infrequently used real-world evidence (RWE), or information on how treatments work in the real world, to guide their medication coverage and reimbursement decisions. RWE helps and provides a means for demonstrating value, ranging from confirming randomized trial benefits in real-world populations to a fuller characterization of resource impacts. In 2021, the market access & reimbursement/coverage decisions segment accounted for the largest share of the overall real-world evidence solutions market.

The healthcare landscape is continuously developing and shifting towards value-based care from volume-based care. Pharmaceutical companies have been looking for new ways to provide the best treatments for patients. Pharmaceutical companies are focusing on evidence to create a more holistic picture of a drug's value and demonstrate the newly developed drug's value outside of clinical trials. Real-world evidence helps in understanding real-life clinical practices and actual health outcomes of drugs. It also helps generate broader scientific evidence and commercial insights, valuable for the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are increasingly utilizing real-world evidence for collecting real-time post-trial information about drugs, which helps healthcare providers and researchers understand the negative reactions, side effects, and medication errors related to the drugs, thereby enabling them to control the potential harm caused by the drugs.

Further, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, immediate and long-term consequences have been both for people and health systems worldwide. Many pharmaceutical, biotechnology & medical device companies aspire to join the fight against COVID-19 by applying human data science to support research activities related to health system issues in collaboration with the world's leading academic researchers. The desire to drastically accelerate R&D, reinforced by a greater understanding of data science, has made the healthcare community more receptive to expanding the use of RWE beyond traditional safety-related applications. In 2021, the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies segment accounted for the largest share of the overall real-world evidence solutions market.

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, stringent regulations for drug approvals, implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act, availability of electronic datasets, advanced healthcare industry, and rising big data in healthcare are the major factors responsible for the largest market share of North America. The 21st Century Cures Act helped accelerate medical product development and brought innovations, and expanded the role of real-world evidence in the U.S. The FDA has already begun to incorporate RWE in regulatory decisions in the U.S. This act required the FDA to release a comprehensive plan to continue advancing these efforts. In September 2021, U.S. FDA released a guidance document for accessing EHR and medical claims data using real-world data to support regulatory decision-making for drug and biological products would promote the adoption of RWE even further.

In addition to this, increasing focus on drug development and easy drug approval also drives the country's real-world evidence solutions market. According to the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), on average, 37 novel drugs per year were approved (including novel drugs, biosimilar, new formulations, and new dosage forms) between 2010 and 2019. The process of drug development requires evidence on population size, clinical disease progression, and adherence to similar therapies that can support decision-making.

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Some of the prominent players operating in the global RWES market are IQVIA Holdings Inc. (U.S.), ICON plc (Ireland), PPD, Inc. (U.S.), SYNEOS HEALTH, INC. (U.S.) , CLARIVATE PLC (U.S.), Medpace Holdings Inc. (U.S.), Symphony Innovation, LLC (U.S.), Clinigen Group plc (U.K.), Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S.), Oracle Corporation (U.S.), PAREXEL International Corporation (U.S.), PerkinElmer, Inc. (U.S.), SAS Institute Inc. (U.S.), UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (U.S.), and Flatiron Health (U.S.).

These companies are majorly focused on partnerships, collaborations, and agreements to accelerate the delivery of RWE datasets and consulting & analytics services and explore how real-world evidence can provide information for health technologies and improve clinical and cost-effectiveness. For instance, in April 2020, ICON plc (Ireland) signed a three-year agreement with Pfizer Inc. (U.S.), under which ICON provides expertise in the planning, execution, management, and conduct of clinical trials. Similarly, new solution launches & enhancements were the second most preferred strategy after partnerships, collaborations, and agreements in the market. New solution launches & enhancements enabled companies to broaden their product portfolios, advance the capabilities of existing products and services, and cater to the changing demands of users to ensure a competitive edge in the market. For instance, in May 2020, PAREXEL International Corporation (U.S.) launched the KeepingPatientsFirst integrated real-world evidence (RWE) research platform focused on aggregating, analyzing, and predicting real-world COVID-19-related disease progression and outcomes using state-of-the-art machine learning, artificial intelligence, and analytics. Thus, the key players in the RWES market are focusing on organic & inorganic growth strategies, which will help them increase their market shares in the coming years.

Despite all positives, the key players experienced an initial shrinkage in the market due to uncertainties associated with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The market shrinkage was mainly due to significant restrictions on travel in many countries, shifting resources on COVID-19 treatments in healthcare settings, and limited access to hospitals. This mainly affected the amount of real-world data generated globally. However, after initial shrinkage, real-world evidence (RWE) is set to become the most influential emerging technology to fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. Real-world evidence solutions can provide valuable insights to understand better, monitor, and prepare for the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. RWD has been used increasingly to map the progression of the disease and to discover vaccines and immediate treatments. Thus, the effectiveness of the use of RWD made a significant impact during the pandemic and continues to play a more significant role in the treatment of infection.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Real World Evidence Solutions Market - Global Opportunity Analysis And Industry Forecast (2021-2028)"

173 - Tables

47 - Figures

214 - Pages

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Scope of the Report

RWE Solutions Market, by Component

Datasets

Disparate Datasets



EMR/EHR/Clinical Data





Claims & Billing Data





Pharmacy Data





Product/Disease Registries Data





Other Disparate Datasets



Integrated Datasets

Consulting & Analytics

(Note: Other Disparate Datasets include data generated from mobile devices, wearable devices, and social media)

RWE Solutions Market, by Application

Market Access & Reimbursement/Coverage Decisions

Drug Development & Approvals

Oncology



Neurology



Immunology



Cardiovascular Diseases



Other Therapeutic Areas

Post Market Surveillance

Medical Device Development & Approvals

Other Applications

(Note: Other Therapeutic Areas include infectious diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, dermatological diseases, and respiratory diseases, Other Applications include regulatory and clinical decision-making)

RWE Solutions Market, by End User

Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, and Medical Device Companies

Healthcare Payers

Healthcare Providers

Other End Users

(Note: Other end-users include academic research institutions, patient advocacy groups, regulators, and health technology assessment agencies)

RWE Solutions Market, by Geography

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



France



U.K.



Italy



Spain



Rest of Europe (RoE)

(RoE) Asia-Pacific (APAC)

(APAC) Japan



China



India



South Korea



Taiwan



Singapore



Rest of APAC (RoAPAC)

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

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Related Report-

U.S. Real-World Evidence (RWE) Solutions Market by Component [Datasets (Clinical, Claims, Pharmacy, Integrated), Services], Application (Market Access, Oncology, Neurology, Post Market Surveillance), End User (Pharma Companies, Providers) - Forecast to 2028

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B2C2 is the first principal-at-risk crypto trading firm to become a Primary Member

B2C2, the counterparty of choice in the institutional crypto market, today announced that it has joined the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) as Primary Member, a category that includes 200+ global institutions trading derivatives.

Established in 2015, B2C2 is a crypto-native liquidity provider, with 450+ active institutional clients in 50+ countries. The vast majority of agency OTC desks, FX brokers, aggregators, banks and hedge funds rely on B2C2 to provide principal liquidity across market conditions. The firm provides a full service offering across spot, funding and derivative products with 24/7/365 global coverage and client support.

From the outset, B2C2 has sought to bring greater transparency, efficiency and best practice to the crypto market. In 2019, B2C2 was first to introduce a crypto-specific ISDA Master Agreement to replace the Digital Asset Purchase Agreement in use, providing clients with the gold standard legal framework under which to trade. In the same year, B2C2 was first to launch electronic pricing and execution; and was the first European firm to receive a MiFID regulatory licence for its derivatives business. Continuously innovative, in 2021 B2C2 traded the first-ever crypto non-deliverable forward (NDF).

Nicola White, President of B2C2 USA, said: "At B2C2 we provide a safe, efficient and resilient framework for institutional firms seeking to participate in the fast-growing crypto asset class. We are delighted to now be a part of ISDA and look forward to helping our clients advance their capabilities in crypto derivatives, a market segment with huge potential."

Ends

About B2C2

B2C2 is the counterparty of choice in the institutional crypto market. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in the UK, with offices in the US and Japan, B2C2 is relied on by aggregators, brokers, exchanges, hedge funds and OTC desks globally to provide 24/7 liquidity. In 2020, B2C2 was acquired by Japanese financial group SBI. B2C2 OTC Ltd. is authorised and regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 810834). For more information, please visit https://www.b2c2.com

About ISDA

Since 1985, ISDA has worked to make the global derivatives markets safer and more efficient. Today, ISDA has over 970 member institutions from 77 countries. These members comprise a broad range of derivatives market participants, including corporations, investment managers, government and supranational entities, insurance companies, energy and commodities firms, and international and regional banks. In addition to market participants, members also include key components of the derivatives market infrastructure, such as exchanges, intermediaries, clearing houses and repositories, as well as law firms, accounting firms and other service providers. Information about ISDA and its activities is available on the Association's website: www.isda.org. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Metallic Minerals (TSX.V:MMG)(OTCQB:MMNGF) ("Metallic Minerals", or the "Company") is pleased to announce final results of the 2021 exploration program at the La Plata silver-gold-copper project in southwestern Colorado within the prolific Colorado Mineral Belt. The campaign was successful in its primary goal of confirming the tenor of mineralization as reported in drill results from Rio Tinto, Freeport and others at the main Allard porphyry target. With that confirmation complete, Metallic Minerals is further pleased to report it has engaged SGS Geoscience to develop an inaugural National Instrument 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate from the combined database with delivery expected in the coming weeks.

Highlights

Diamond drill holes completed within the main Allard zone porphyry target confirm historical drill results and add new gold, platinum and palladium data.

SGS Geoscience has been engaged to complete inaugural NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate on the project based on 56 holes totaling 15,200 meters ("m") drilled on the property to date.

Exploration in 2021 included 1,980 meters of diamond drilling, resampling of historical drill core, underground sampling from the Allard tunnel and mapping and sampling across the broader property.

Drill hole LAP21-01 intersected 380.39 m of 0.27% Copper Equivalent ("CuEq") (0.21% Cu, 2.08 g/t Ag, 0.025 g/t Au), including multiple significant intervals of higher-grade mineralization (see Table 1).

Drill hole LAP21-02 intersected 416.28 m of 0.28% CuEq (0.23% Cu, 2.57 g/t Ag, 0.026 g/t Au), including, 128.02 m of 0.45% Cu Eq (0.38% Cu, 4.19 g/t Ag, 0.042 g/t Au).

Allard tunnel sampling returned 98.2m of 0.55% CuEq (0.46% Cu, 4.75 g/t Ag, 0.03 g/t Au), including 61.6 m of 0.65% CuEq (0.55% Cu, 5.55 g/t Ag, 0.03 g/t Au).

Historical drilling by Rio Tinto, Freeport and others returned intervals in the Allard porphyry system, starting at surface, that include 395 m grading 0.57% copper equivalent (0.51% Cu, 6.3 g/t Ag and 0.017 g/t Au) in LP-03 and 854 m at 0.26% Cu including 254 m grading 0.41% Cu in drill hole LP-01, both of which ended in mineralization.

The mineralized system remains fully open to expansion at depth and along strike.

Figure 1 - La Plata Cross Section with Significant Drill intervals and Mineralized Grade Shells

Metallic Minerals Chairman & CEO, Greg Johnson, stated, "Metallic Minerals is the first company to complete significant exploration on the La Plata project in nearly 50 years, applying modern technologies and deposit modeling techniques. Since acquiring the project in 2019, the Company has recognized and advanced the potential to rapidly extend the size of the known mineralized system, and to identify and expand the higher-grade zones within the broader porphyry and epithermal mineralized zones.

As a culmination of these efforts, the results from the 2021 drilling and sampling program have confirmed the significant tenor and scale of mineralization at the Allard target area and have enabled us to advance to an inaugural NI 43-101 resource estimate on the project. This new drilling has further allowed us to refine our understanding of the styles and controls to mineralization at the Allard system and has identified a potential new porphyry center at the adjacent Copper Hill target area (see Cross Section in Figure 1). The new resources at the Allard target area will cover a relatively small part of the 33 km2 property that remains highly prospective for new discoveries."

Mr. Johnson continued, "Looking ahead, through our ongoing collaboration with the team at Goldspot Discoveries using their proprietary Artificial Intelligence ("AI") machine learning technology, we are developing vectors to target areas for resource expansion at the Allard and Copper Hill target areas. To date, we have identified 16 new high-grade epithermal-style and porphyry-style mineralized zones across the broader property for follow-up work during the 2022 field season. The modelling work for the resource estimate on the Allard target is underway and we look forward to reporting the results over coming weeks, as well as further drill results from the Keno Silver project."

2021 Exploration Program

Exploration work in 2021 included 1,980 meters of diamond drilling, resampling of historical drill core and underground sampling from the Allard adit, along with mapping and sampling across the broader property. New core drilling was targeted to test the Allard porphyry center in proximity to the Allard adit, verifying spatial continuity and tenor of the copper, silver and gold mineralization. Channel sampling across the historic underground Allard adit, with modern analytical methods, compared closely with historic results and confirmed higher grade intervals of up to 0.65% CuEq over 61.6 m (0.55% Cu, 5.55 g/t Ag, 0.03 g/t Au).

This year's work, combined with the historic drilling, recent geophysical surveys (Airborne MT and ground-based IP), remote sensing, field mapping and surface geochemical sampling has helped to expand the scale of known targets and identify new untested centers for porphyry and epithermal mineralization. In addition, the application of expanded and new modern analytical techniques to areas previously only analyzed for copper has shown the potential for significant gold, palladium and platinum associated with the porphyry system, in addition to silver.

The main Allard mineralized porphyry system has been drill tested over an area of 3 km x 1 km and shows more than a kilometer of vertical extent. The system remains open to expansion at depth and along trend. An adjacent second porphyry center has been recognized at Copper Hill beneath an area of high-grade surface mining. An additional 16 potential porphyry and epithermal targets have been identified outside of the Allard and Copper Hill areas. Planning for exploration work in 2022 is currently underway to include resource expansion drilling, geophysics and follow-up exploration on newly identified targets.

About SGS Geological Services

SGS Geological services has an experienced and respected mining team focused on the domestic and international mining industry. The team has considerable experience in estimation and modeling of deposits of all types and practical and theoretical experience having realized hundreds of assessments for clients. The SGS team consists of a multi-disciplinary group of qualified persons with a strong understanding of the disclosure requirements for Mineral Resources set out in the NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (2016), CIM Definition Standards - For Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (2014) and a strong understanding of the CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines 2019.

Table 1: La Plata Highlight Drill Results

Drill

Hole From

(m) To

(m) Length

(m) CuEq

% Cu

% Ag

g/t Au

g/t Pt

g/t Pd

g/t LAP21-01 4.57 384.96 380.39 0.27 0.21 2.08 0.025 0.003 0.019 LAP21-01 49.38 146.91 97.53 0.34 0.27 2.78 0.032 0.003 0.018 LAP21-01 160.63 167.37 6.74 0.39 0.24 2.02 0.013 0.007 0.132 LAP21-01 223.42 256.95 33.53 0.4 0.33 3.01 0.031 0.004 0.018 LAP21-02 3.66 419.71 416.05 0.28 0.23 2.57 0.026 0.002 0.006 LAP21-02 69.19 197.21 128.02 0.45 0.38 4.19 0.042 0.002 0.007 95-1 680.2 887.5 207.3 0.27 0.21 2.14 0.03 0.03 0.02 995.2 1039.4 44.2 0.44 0.15 1.46 0.03 0.14 0.1 including 1005.9 1027.2 21.3 0.5 0.21 2.05 0.047 0.19 0.16 Allard Tunnel 48.6 146.8 98.2 0.55 0.46 4.76 0.03 including 51.7 113.3 61.6 0.65 0.55 5.55 0.03 LP-01 0 854.4 854.4 0.26 2 1 3 3 including 573.9 828.4 254.5 0.41 2 1 3 3 LP-02 422.67 718.11 295.44 0.21 3.51 1 3 3 LP-03 1.5 396.8 395.3 0.56 0.51 6.26 1 3 3 including 1.5 109.1 107.6 0.72 0.65 7.69 1 3 3 LP-04 1.5 304.8 303.3 0.44 0.40 4.68 1 3 3 including 4.6 102.7 98.2 0.74 0.69 5.74 1 3 3

Table notes: 1 - incomplete gold assay data; 2 - incomplete silver assay data; 3 - incomplete platinum and palladium assay data; Cu Eq. % calculated using $3.25 lbs. Cu, $1,650/oz Au, $20/oz Ag, $1,000/oz Pt and $2,000/oz Pd in US$. Sample intervals are based on measured drill intercept lengths and are believed to be representative of true widths.

About La Plata Silver-Gold-Copper Project

The road accessible La Plata project covers 33 km2 approximately 26 km northwest of Durango, Colorado within the historic high-grade La Plata mining district located at the southwest end of the prolific Colorado Mineral Belt. Mineralization is related to a large-scale precious-metals-rich porphyry copper system with associated high-grade silver and gold epithermal vein and replacement deposits.

The La Plata district has a long and rich history of mining with the first silver deposits discovered in the 1700s by Spanish explorers. High-grade silver and gold production has been documented from the 1870s through the early 1940s from vein structures, replacement bodies and breccia zones at over 90 individual mines and prospects1. Historical production from some of these high-grade structures exceeded 1,000 grams per tonne ("g/t") silver and over 15 g/t gold with some of the richest deposits delivering true bonanza grades for silver and gold.

From the 1950s to 1970s, major miners including Rio Tinto (Bear Creek) and Freeport-McMoRan (Phelps Dodge) explored in the La Plata district focusing on the significant potential for bulk-tonnage disseminated and stockwork hosted mineralization2. Freeport-McMoRan retained ownership of claims in the district until 2002 when they sold their holdings to the current underlying vendors during the lows of the last metal price cycle.

A total of 56 drill holes, totaling 15,200 m, have been drilled on the property since the 1950s which confirms the presence of a large-scale, multi-phase porphyry system with significant silver, gold and copper. This large-scale mineralized system is associated with a 10 km2 strongly magnetic signature with intense hydrothermal alteration.

About Metallic Minerals

Metallic Minerals Corp. is a growth-stage exploration company, focused on high-grade silver and gold projects in underexplored, brownfields mining districts of North America. Our objective is to create shareholder value through a systematic, entrepreneurial approach to exploration in the Keno Hill silver district, La Plata silver-gold-copper district and Klondike gold district through new discoveries and advancing resources to development. Metallic Minerals has consolidated the second-largest land position in the historic Keno Hill silver district of Canada's Yukon Territory, directly adjacent to Alexco Resource Corp's operations, with nearly 300 million ounces of high-grade silver in past production and current M&I resources. In addition, exploration at the recently acquired La Plata silver-gold-copper project in southwestern Colorado is targeting a silver and gold-enriched copper porphyry and adjacent high-grade silver and gold epithermal systems. The Company also continues to add new production royalty leases on its holdings in the Klondike gold district in the Yukon. All three districts have seen significant mineral production and have existing infrastructure, including power and road access. Metallic Minerals is led by a team with a track record of discovery and exploration success on several major precious and base metal deposits, as well as having large-scale development, permitting and project financing expertise.

About the Metallic Group of Companies

The Metallic Group is a collaboration of leading precious and base metals exploration companies, with a portfolio of large, brownfields assets in established mining districts adjacent to some of the industry's highest-grade producers of silver and gold, platinum and palladium and copper. Member companies include Metallic Minerals in the Yukon's high-grade Keno Hill silver district and La Plata silver-gold-copper district of Colorado, Group Ten Metals in the Stillwater PGM-nickel-copper district of Montana and Granite Creek Copper in the Yukon's Minto copper district. The founders and team members of the Metallic Group include highly successful explorationists formerly with some of the industry's leading explorer/developers and major producers. With this expertise, the companies are undertaking a systematic approach to exploration using new models and technologies to facilitate discoveries in these proven, but under-explored, mining districts. The Metallic Group is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada and its member companies are listed on the Toronto Venture, US OTC and Frankfurt stock exchanges.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Website: www.metallic-minerals.com

Phone: 604-629-7800

Toll Free: 1-888-570-4420

Email: cackerman@mmgsilver.com

Footnotes:

1) Eckel, USGS Prof Paper 219, Geology and Ore Deposits of the La Plata Mining District, 1949; 2) Bear Creek Mining (now Rio Tinto), Humble Oil (now Exxon) and Phelps Dodge (now Freeport-McMoRan) company reports; 3) Christoffersen, Geological report on the Allard Copper-Silver-Gold-PGM deposit, La Plata Mining District, Durango, Colorado, 2005.

Qualified Person

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding exploration projects on Metallic Minerals' mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Scott Petsel, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

All samples were prepared by Bureau Veritas Sparks, Nevada facility and analyzed at the Burnaby, B.C. facility. All samples were analyzed using a 30 g multi-acid digestion with an ICP-ES/MS analysis. Samples with over limit gold, platinum or palladium were re-analyzed using a 30-gram fire assay fusion with an ICP-ES analysis. Over-limit copper and silver samples were analyzed by multi-acid digestion and atomic absorption spectrometry analysis. All results have passed the QAQC screening by the lab and the company utilized a quality control and quality assurance protocol for the project, including blank, duplicate and standard reference samples.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, historic production, estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing and results of future resource estimates, permitting timelines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title and future plans and objectives of the company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Metallic Minerals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the companies with securities regulators. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Metallic Minerals and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Metallic Minerals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692470/Metallic-Minerals-Announces-Exploration-Results-from-the-La-Plata-Silver-Gold-Copper-Project-and-Retains-SGS-for-Inaugural-NI-43-101-Mineral-Resource-Estimate
- TIBSOVO is an inhibitor of the mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase-1(IDH1) enzyme

- TIBSOVO is the first IDH1 mutation specific targeted therapy submitted in Europe

- The submission covers countries of the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

PARIS, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Servier, a global pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for TIBSOVO (ivosidenib tablets) for two indications as a first line treatment, in combination with azacitidine, in patients with previously untreated IDH1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and not eligible for intensive chemotherapy, as well as in previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma. TIBSOVO is an inhibitor of the mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) enzyme. TIBSOVO is the first IDH1 mutation specific targeted therapy to be submitted for registration in Europe.

"This MAA submission is a further step towards the availability of TIBSOVO in Europe, a targeted therapy for patients with previously untreated IDH1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia, and previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma - two rare cancers for which therapeutic options are limited," said Claude Bertrand, Executive Vice President R&D of the Servier Group. "We look forward to working with the EMA throughout the evaluation process of TIBSOVO, which is the first IDH1 mutation specific targeted therapy to be submitted in Europe."

"At Servier, we are committed to finding new therapeutic solutions for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers with high unmet medical needs. With this filing submission to the EMA, we hope to soon be able to make TIBSOVO available to patients with newly diagnosed IDH1-mutated AML, and to patients suffering from previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma," explained Dr. Philippe Gonnard, Executive Vice President Global Medical & Patient Affairs of the Servier Group.

About Servier

Servier is a global pharmaceutical Group governed by a Foundation. With a strong international presence in 150 countries and a total revenue of 4.7 billion euros in 2021, Servier employs 21,800 people worldwide. Servier is an independent Group that invests over 20% of its brand-name revenue in Research and Development every year. To accelerate therapeutic innovation for the benefit of patients, the Group is committed to open and collaborative innovation with academic partners, pharmaceutical groups, and biotech companies. It also integrates the patient's voice at the heart of its activities.

A leader in cardiology, the ambition of the Servier Group is to become a renowned and innovative player in oncology. Its growth is based on a sustained commitment to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, oncology, neuroscience and immuno-inflammatory diseases. To promote access to healthcare for all, the Servier Group also offers a range of quality generic drugs covering most pathologies. More information: servier.com.

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GENERAL MEETING: RESULT OF SHAREHOLDER VOTE ON US PRIMARY LISTING

WOKINGHAM, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / The Company is pleased to announce that, at its General Meeting held earlier today, the special resolution was passed by 95.49% of the votes cast, and the full results of the poll are set out in the table below. Following the vote, Ferguson will transfer its listing category from a premium listing to a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange ("LSE") and its primary listing will be the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE").

Today's announcement follows strong support from shareholders voting to implement the additional US listing in July 2020, and the commencement of trading of Ferguson's ordinary shares on the NYSE on March 8, 2021.

Ferguson is a leading North American value-added distributor for its 34,000 suppliers and over one million customers across the US and Canada. Ferguson exists to make its customers' complex projects simple, successful, and sustainable. Approximately 75% of US revenue is generated from #1 or #2 market positions, helping deliver $23 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2021 and putting Ferguson in a strong position to take advantage of an estimated $300 billion market opportunity. Ferguson operates in large, growing and fragmented end markets with a scaled global supply chain, value-added customized customer solutions, and multiple sales channels and fulfilment options.

Geoff Drabble, Chairman, said "We are delighted to see strong shareholder support on today's vote as it marks the next step in our journey to a primary US listing. Ferguson's operations are 100% North American and the Board believes the US is the natural long-term primary listing location for the Company."

The full text of the special resolution is set out in the Notice of General Meeting contained in the Circular dated February 8, 2022 (the "Circular") and which is available on the Company's website, www.fergusonplc.com , within the Shareholder Center pages of the Investors & Media section.

As set out in the Circular, it is expected that the transfer of the Company's listing category on the Official List of the Financial Conduct Authority (the "Official List") from "Premium Listing (commercial company)" to "Standard Listing (shares)" will take effect on May 12, 2022, more than 20 business days after the passing of the special resolution in compliance with the Listing Rules.

General Meeting poll results

Resolution For %* Against %* Votes Total % Votes cast** Votes Withheld

*** To approve the transfer of the Company's listing category on the Official List from a Premium Listing to a Standard Listing 175,012,005 95.49% 8,275,399 4.51% 183,287,404 84.03% 10,868

* percentage of votes cast excludes withheld votes

** percentage of issued share capital (excluding 14,037,590 treasury shares)

*** For Jersey Law purposes, a vote withheld is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of the votes "For" or "Against" a resolution

As of March 8, 2022 the Company:

(i) had 232,171,182 issued ordinary shares of 10 pence, each ordinary share having one vote;

(ii) held 14,037,590 ordinary shares in treasury. The voting rights of treasury shares are automatically suspended; and

(iii) accordingly, had total voting rights of 218,133,592.

Second quarter and half year results

As per the announcement dated March 1, 2022, Ferguson will issue its second quarter and half year 2022 results on March 15, 2022. A call with Kevin Murphy, Group Chief Executive and Bill Brundage, Group Chief Financial Officer, will commence later that day at 11:00 AM GMT / 7:00 AM ET.

Enquiries:

For further information please contact

Ferguson plc



Brian Lantz, Vice President IR and Communications Mobile: +1 224 285 2410 Pete Kennedy, Director of Investor Relations Mobile: +1 757 603 0111 Graham Middlemiss, Group Company Secretary Tel: +44 (0)118 927 3800 Media Enquiries



Mike Ward, Head of Corporate Communications Mobile: +44 (0) 7894 417060 Nina Coad, David Litterick (Brunswick) Tel: +44 (0) 20 7404 5959 Jonathan Doorley (Brunswick) Tel: +1 917 459 0419

Notes to editors

Listing changes

Ferguson's operations are now 100% focused on North America and the Board believes the US is the natural long-term listing location for the Company. As previously announced, after extensive shareholder consultation, the Company set out a two-step process to achieve an orderly and equitable path to achieving this aim. The first step has been achieved, with the additional US listing of ordinary shares becoming effective on the New York Stock Exchange on March 8, 2021, having been supported by over 99% of shareholders voting. In line with the timeline previously set out, today shareholders passed the special resolution by the requisite majority of not less than 75% of votes cast by which Ferguson will transfer its listing category from a premium listing to a standard listing on the LSE, which is expected to take effect on May 12, 2022. Thereafter, the Company's primary listing will be the NYSE. Further details are available in the Circular on the Company's website here: https://www.fergusonplc.com/en/investors-and-media/shareholder-center/agm.html.

About Ferguson plc

Ferguson is a $23B leading North American value-added distributor providing expertise, solutions, and products from infrastructure, plumbing and appliances to HVAC, fire, fabrication and more. We exist to make our customers' complex projects simple, successful and sustainable. Ferguson plc is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: FERG) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: FERG). For more information, please visit www.fergusonplc.com or follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/ferguson-enterprises.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

Certain information included in this announcement is forward-looking, including within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involves risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements cover all matters which are not historical facts and speak only as of the date on which they are made. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will," "expect," "continue," or other variations or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the Company's intentions with regard to the relocation of the Company's primary listing to the US, which will be achieved by the transfer of its listing category from a premium listing to a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange, and statements or guidance regarding or relating to the Company's future financial position or growth. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: risks associated with the relocation of our primary listing to the US, expected to take effect May 12, 2022, and any volatility in our share price and shareholder base in connection therewith; weakness in the economy, market trends, uncertainty and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, and other factors beyond our control, including any macroeconomic or other consequences of the current conflict in Ukraine; adverse impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (or related variants) or by any current or future vaccination and/or testing mandates; unsuccessful execution of our operational strategies; and the risks set forth in our Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2021, under the heading "Risk Factors." Forward-looking statements regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. Other than in accordance with our legal or regulatory obligations we undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Ferguson PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692508/Ferguson-PLC-Announces-Result-of-General-Meeting
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Fashion allows us to tell the world who we are and how we see ourselves. It is an outward display of self-expression that is deeply intimate, but often takes a backseat in our daily lives. Yet, there is a transformative element to it that performers know all too well. American actress, Jane Levy, said it best, "Costume is a huge part of creating a character. Your body soaks in what you're wearing, and you turn into someone else."

If you've ever worn a new pair of shoes on the first day of school, then you know the feeling too. For the performers of Shen Yun , their costumes serve the same role. Their authentic attire plays a vital part in transforming them from dancers into storytellers.

While on the surface, Shen Yun is a dance production that combines harmony and motion to tell the story of ancient China, it relies heavily on fashion to tell these stories authentically and accurately.

Below, is a breakdown of the costumes behind the poetic Shen Yun show.

How Shen Yun Displays Ancient Clothing in its Performances

For the ancient people of China, clothing was an adaptation to their environment as well as a reflection of the values that they held dear. In the Shen Yun show, its performers also adapt to the clothing through storytelling and dance.

With so many storylines to explore, there isn't one garment that can sufficiently distill 5,000 years of rich history and culture into Shen Yun's two-hour performance. This is why audiences who have seen Shen Yun have been swept up in all the vibrant displays of wardrobe from all parts of this ancient world. From the unrestrained elegance of traditional Han clothing to the exquisite styling of Yi ethnic groups, these pieces are woven together like a beautiful tapestry to create an experience that transcends any form of art.

The Different Types of Ancient Chinese Clothing

Qipao

One of the garments featured every two or three years in a Shen Yun performance is the "qipao," an elegant statement piece worn by women of the Qing Dynasty. The name itself is a homage to the Manchurian people who popularized this dress, as it combines two words "Qi", another name for the Manchurians, and "pao" meaning gown. Often found in soft yet vibrant hues of blue and pink, qipao is known for its distinguished collar, and narrow-waisted slit skirt. The elegance of this piece finds its home in the production amongst the soft sounds of orchestral music, gracefully flowing through the serene choreography of Shen Yun .

The Tibetan Chuba

Standing in contrast to the elegance of the qipao, Shen Yun also pays tribute to the harsh and often brutal conditions the Tibetan people experience on the northern steppes. Life on the steppes isn't easy, but the practice of finding hope in tough times is best embodied in the traditional gown of the Tibetan people, called the Chuba.

Traditionally made from sheep's skin, this garment did well to insulate the people from the sandstorms and frigid temperatures they experience on the open plains. While the nature of life was rugged, the people who fashioned this piece infused it with contrasting colors around the hems as a reminder that even during difficult times life remains beautiful. Contrast was an important motif for these ancient people, as they would often pair shades of reds with clashing tones such as green, blues and orange hues. They would also wear rainbow-colored aprons around their waists, as well as earrings and necklaces adorned with precious metals and gems, all while tending to life on the plains. Shen Yun audiences can witness the beauty of the Chuba as thunderous orchestral swells usher the dancers through a story that bears the resilience of the Tibetan people.

Shen Yun is as much of an artistic triumph as it is a representation of ancient Chinese tradition, and wouldn't be what it is without the beautiful costumes of its performers. Over the past 16 years, this production has amazed audiences of all ages with its pageantry and spectacular performances.

To learn more about Shen Yun and for a complete list of dates, check out their website , and see when Shen Yun is coming to a city near you.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Denise C. Riley

979-554-1877

info@camdenmedia.net

SOURCE: Shen Yun

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692253/Shen-Yun-Explains-Why-Traditional-Costumes-Are-Important
A first-of-its-kind solution, the new and award-winning Sensata Xirgo OTAC (Over the Air Charging) Tracker Solution is ideal for fleet operators and large retailers who have shipping yards and distribution centers that can benefit from streamlining temporary asset tracking.

Sensata Xirgo has collaborated with Ossia to create this user-friendly asset tracking solution that helps enable the monitoring of high-value remote assets.

This over-the-air charging-based tracking solution was awarded the "HDT Top 20 Products" from Heavy Duty Trucking magazine (HDT), being recognized for standing out in the areas of innovation, ability to address important industry issues, and potential to improve a fleet's bottom line.

The award from HDT was presented at the TMC Annual Meeting Transportation Technology Exhibition in Orlando, Florida.

Sensata Technologies (NYSE: ST), today announced the Sensata Xirgo OTAC (Over the Air Charging) Tracker Solution which makes it easy for users to safely and simultaneously charge and store up to 400 compatible asset trackers per charging station that are used to track assets where permanent attachment or external power is an issue. The solution is ideal for fleet operators and large retailers who have shipping yards and distribution centers that can benefit from the cost savings associated with streamlining asset tracker charging and deployment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005428/en/

Sensata Xirgo's OTAC (Over the Air Charging) Tracker Charging Station makes it easy for users to safely charge, store and access up to 400 compatible asset trackers at one time. (Photo: Business Wire)

Sensata Xirgo collaborated with Ossia to create this charging solution using Ossia's Cota Real Wireless Power transfer technology to enable the monitoring of high-value remote assets where power is unavailable including semi-trailers, containers, forklifts, and other logistics-based assets. The mobile station is user-friendly, can wirelessly charge many OTAC-compatible asset trackers at once, including Sensata Xirgo's XT4700 IoT asset tracker, and can be customized to fit other asset tracking solutions in the supply chain.

Xirgo OTAC charging station's wireless power eliminates the need for wires, cables, charging pads, or specific placement orientation, providing an easy-to-use, reliable solution to keep asset trackers charged while minimizing the effort to ensure reliability in the field. The OTAC Tracker Charging Station provides an enclosed environment that is designed for safety so that when a user opens the panel doors to deposit or retrieve a tracker, charging is paused and resumes when the doors are closed.

Retailers spend countless hours searching for lost trailers in the yard of large distribution centers. Sensata Xirgo's charging system offers several advantages compared to traditional, wired charging solutions to help streamline asset tracker charging and deployment and make yard checks more accessible. The solution's benefits include:

Reducing/automating yard checks

Operational efficiencies

Dock and yard labor

Safety and liability of yard personnel

Preventing delayed goods to stores

Loading dock downtime

The new tracking solution was given an "HDT Top 20 Products" award from Heavy Duty Trucking magazine (HDT), being recognized for standing out in the areas of innovation, ability to address important industry issues, and potential to improve a fleet's bottom line. HDT presented Sensata Xirgo and Ossia, Inc. with the award at the TMC Annual Meeting Transportation Technology Exhibition in Orlando, Florida.

"Our award-winning OTAC Tracker is a first for the fleet industry," said Shawn Aleman,Vice President and General Manager of Sensata Xirgo. "We created a safe and easy turnkey solution that can efficiently charge and store many asset trackers at once, solving the challenge of recharging thousands of asset tracking devices between use and helping our customers realize cost savings."

"Ossia is thrilled to work with innovative companies such as Sensata Xirgo to bring the Cota technology to market for high-demand applications such as asset tracking," said Doug Stovall, Chief Executive Officer of Ossia. "Sensata Xirgo is a global, trusted brand that industries look to for innovative solutions. Integrating Cota Real Wireless Power into a broad range of Sensata Xirgo products will increase efficiency and safety, while making a positive environmental impact."

To learn more about Sensata Xirgo's OTAC solution, visit www2.sensata.com/XirgoOTAC

About Sensata Technologies

Sensata Technologies is a global industrial technology company striving to create a cleaner, more efficient, electrified and connected world. Through its broad portfolio of sensors, electrical protection components and sensor-rich solutions which create valuable business insights, Sensata helps its customers address increasingly complex engineering and operating performance requirements. With more than 21,000 employees and global operations in 13 countries, Sensata serves customers in the automotive, heavy vehicle off-road, industrial, and aerospace markets. Learn more at www.sensata.com and follow Sensata on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About Ossia Inc.

Ossia Inc. is leading the world on what is possible with wireless power. Ossia's flagship Cota technology redefines wireless power by safely delivering remote, targeted energy to devices at a distance. Ossia's Cota technology is a patented smart antenna technology that automatically keeps multiple devices charged without any user intervention and enables an efficient and truly wire-free, powered-up world that is always on and always connected. Ossia is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Visit our website at www.ossia.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005428/en/

Contacts:

Investors:

Jacob Sayer

+1 (508) 236-1666

jsayer@sensata.com

Media:

Leila Briem

(805) 452-2165

leila.briem@sensata.com
European and GCC leaders discussed policy actions to bridge the gender gap on International Women's Day at Expo 2020 Dubai

DUBAI, UAE, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The European Union co-hosted a series of high-level panel discussions on policy actions to enable broader participation of women in politics, different branches of government, STEM professions as well as in the creative sectors. The activities were part of EU's commitment to Inclusivity and Equality, with a special focus on women's empowerment, a theme which the EU has been consistently promoting throughout Expo 2020 Dubai. They were held in partnership with France and Italy, as part of the Team Europe approach.

Held under the "Widening the Pool: Harnessing Women's Talents and Abilities for the Fourth Industrial Revolution" theme, the events brought together top European and GCC leaders and experts to share best policy practices and inspire action to bridge the gender gap and enable a more meaningful role for women and girls in the post-pandemic economic recovery.

Speaking ahead of the opening ceremony, H.E. Andrea Matteo Fontana, EU Ambassador to the UAE and EU Commissioner General for Expo 2020 Dubai, said: "Gender inequality is not an issue that can be addressed on its own. If we are to make meaningful headway to reduce the gender gap, we should mainstream gender across policy actions and integrate a gender-perspective into everything we do to promote equality and tackle gender-based discrimination in all walks of life."

In her opening remarks, H.E. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, UAE Minister of State for Government, Development, and the Future stressed the importance of building alliances to support women in governments globally and emphasized the crucial role of female government leaders in inspiring and motivating the new generation of women to actively embrace the government work. Her Excellency stated that International Women's Day is an important occasion to celebrate women and their achievements around the world and to reflect on what needs have to be done to embrace women's empowerment. Al Roumi noted that female government leaders have a huge responsibility to inspire the new generation of women in governments, support young women, build their capacities, and invest in their talents to contribute to government development. Her Excellency further added that the World Government Summit, to be held later this month, is a platform for empowering women and promoting their roles in the government. The 8th edition of the Summit will host the Women in Government Leadership Platform aiming to improve the inclusivity of women at all levels of government leadership.

In his closing remarks, H.E. Xavier Chatel, Ambassador of France to the UAE, said: "France is making gender equality a priority, which we strongly promote in all international fora. Women and girls are more affected than men by poverty, conflicts - or even climate change. This is why France is committed to ensuring that by 2025, 75% of our projects financed by French public aid agencies will promote gender equality. Together we must continue our efforts to achieve gender equality."

Speaking on women's participation in institutions and culture, H.E. Paolo Glisenti, Commissioner General of Italy for Expo 2020 Dubai, said: "Italy at Expo 2020 Dubai intends to contribute to the bridging of gender gap by promoting an active global policy-making approach inspired by the importance of women in justice, in diplomacy, in science and women in culture to make sustainability and resilience a possible goal. The Expo has shown how women's leadership, vision and empowerment are fundamental for a future of growth, peace and innovation."

Other speakers included: H.E. Elisabeth Moreno, French Minister in charge of Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities; H.E. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, UAE Minister of State for Government; Development and the Future, H.E. Marta Cartabia, Italian Minister of Justice; H.E. Elena Bonetti, Italian Minister for Family and Equal Opportunities and H.E. Sheikha Hala Mohammed Al Khalifa, Director of Culture and Arts Directorate at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Bahrain.

In addition to these panel discussions, the European Union joined forces with the Women's Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier at Expo 2020 for a timely session on women and climate, calling for gender-responsible solutions in the fight against climate change. Many senior EU leaders also expressed their support to the "Break the Bias" pledge with three of the European Commission Vice Presidents contributing to the Letter to the Future Generation Initiative. The European Union also participated to UN Women SDG5 Summit that took place on 9 March 2022.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764120/European_Delegation_UAE_1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764119/European_Delegation_UAE_2.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1661792/Expo_2020_Logo.jpg




By Kim Jae-heun







BMW Korea plans to recall 180,000 vehicles equipped with an engine ventilation device that could spark an engine fire when overheated, the company said Thursday.







"There has not been a single case of a BMW car catching fire in Korea due to the defect in our engine ventilation device. Still, we are bringing cars in for examination and to prevent the defect from causing fires," a BMW Korea official said.







The official also said the exact date of the recall has not been decided yet and BMW Korea is in talks with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.







"Our warranty service centers will call the BMW owners to bring in their cars for a free examination within this year," he added.







The German carmaker plans to bring in more than 1 million cars worldwide. The vehicle models subject to BMW's recall are the 1, 3 and 5 series in the sedan category and X3 and X5 in the SUV segment, manufactured between 2006 and 2013.







The United States will return the most cars of 917,106, followed by 98,000 from Canada and 18,000 from Korea.







BMW has already recalled its problematic vehicles two times in 2017 and 2019 in the U.S. over the same issue. However, incidents involving fires breaking out in the German-made cars have continued and BMW conducted an internal investigation that found defects with a purge valve.







The company said a car parts supplier made a mistake while manufacturing the engine ventilation device, which can break over time due to frequent overheating.







BMW further warned that its customers should stop the vehicle if they see smoke rising from the engine or smell burning plastic while driving.


Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Microdose Psychedelic Insights, the leading guide to the business of psychedelics will be hosting the upcoming Psychedelic Capital: March 2022 Conference in an entirely virtual format on Thursday March 24th, 2022 starting at 1:30pm EST.

The virtual event will provide attendees with access to some of the top companies, latest IPOs, newest opportunities and deepest industry insights within the psychedelics sector.

'Over the last 18 months of hosting the Psychedelic Capital virtual event series, we've seen an ever-increasing desire for attendees to be able to take part in early stage investments. Today, we're excited to announce that our attendees' dreams have become a reality through PsyCap Deal Board, Powered by Mission Club,' said Patrick Moher, President, Microdose Psychedelic Insights.

"By bringing investments directly to the people, we want individual investors to feel as appreciated as family offices. With no minimum financial commitment required, we're opening the doors of early stage investing to just about everyone." - Connor Haslam, CEO, Microdose Psychedelic Insights.

As part of a bimonthly investor conference series that dives deep into psychedelic medicine investment, this event will introduce investors and attendees to a curated group of CEOs, capital advisors and investment luminaries from around the world.

Psychedelic Capital's March conference will kick off with an introductory talk from Patrick Moher, President of Microdose Psychedelic Insights, and Richard Skaife, Founding Partner at The Conscious Fund, an early-stage venture capital investor within the plant-powered medicine sector.

The March edition of PsyCap will engage in discussions on corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental, social and governance (ESG), market consolidation, as well as a potential investment opportunity.

This year every Psychedelic Capital features a new segment called Doing Good. These segments are presentations from a non-profit organisation from the industry. The March edition of PsyCap Doing Good presentation is hosted by the World Happiness Foundation.

The World Happiness Foundation is realising a world with freedom, consciousness, and happiness for all. With a focus on Mental Health, Smart Innovation, and Holistic Education World Happiness Foundation impacts millions of people around the world realising a world with freedom, consciousness, and happiness for all.

The Doing Good segment will be followed by a number of corporate presentations including Clearmind Medicine.

While Microdose is building the public-facing Deal Board, the first investment opportunity is now open with HIVE Bio. HIVE Bio is a global network of state-of-the-art psychedelic medicine therapy centres with their flagship locations in Malta and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where all psychedelic medicines can be accessed legally. Along with this flagship centre, HIVE is proud to announce a partnership with Med Plant Science as their manufacturing and research partner. This alliance will allow patients safe and legal access to every recognized psychedelic medicine.

The conference is designed to enable attendees to build relationships, network with professionals from across the psychedelics industry, and gain access to exciting and groundbreaking pre-IPO investment opportunities within the wider sector.

Additional information about the Psychedelic Capital: March 2022 Conference, as well as details for registration, can be found on the Psychedelic Capital conference website at the following link: https://microdose.buzz/pressrelease.

###

About Microdose Psychedelic Insights:

Microdose Psychedelic Insights is your guide to the psychedelic medicine industry. With a vision to shift the world's perception of psychedelic medicine, we distribute and create the most compelling content, financial analysis, engaging events, and groundbreaking education to drive the psychedelics industry to the forefront of modern medicine.

About Psychedelic Capital:

This bi-monthly online event programming is dedicated to providing investment grade information for the nascent psychedelic sector and presents a curated group of CEOs, financial experts, thought leaders and investment luminaries from around the globe. Presentations are 30 minutes in length, with 10 minutes always allocated to a one-on-one Q&A's session with the audience. Psychedelic Capital features the top companies, latest IPOs, newest opportunities and deepest insights into the emerging psychedelic space.

Event Contact:

Microdose Psychedelic Insights

kristina@microdose.buzz

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116263
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Rockland Resources Ltd. (the "Company" or "Rockland") (CSE:RKL) is pleased to announce the addition of a prominent new team member to its Mexican group and the commencement of a reconnaissance field program on its Elektra claystone lithium project located in northern Sonora, Mexico.

Senor Miguel Angel Romero Gonzalez joins our Mexican group to advise the Company on tenure and legal issues. Senor Romero is a prominent lawyer with the mining industry in Mexico, a former General Director of Mines in the Ministry of Economy from 2010 to March 2013, within that period he coordinated the efforts to update the Regulations of the Mining Law and collaborated to make public the mining cartography of the country. Senor Romero is also an Honorary Member of the Business Mining Council of Mexico (CONMIMEX).

The target on the Elektra project is lithium mineralization hosted in shallow claystone units in volcaniclastic sediment successions, similar to the adjacent feasibility-stage "Sonora Lithium" project, owned by Ganfeng ("Ganfeng") Lithium (following the acquisition of Bacanora Lithium plc). Gangeng (website) is the world's largest lithium producer and supplier to the American electric car maker Tesla.

The initial exploration activities on the Elektra project will include relocating the drill holes that were completed in 2017, mapping and sampling the lithium-bearing clay beds previously identified and mapping the stratigraphy. Upon receipt of assay results, a larger Phase 1 exploration program will be finalized by the Company for the Elektra project to commence later in March.

Lithium-bearing clay beds tend to weather recessively, and exposure can be limited, with extensive cover of alluvium and/or younger basalt flows. However, the lithium-bearing units exhibit strong continuity under the cover and remain attractive targets that were not drilled in previous programs. To date, only one modest reverse circulation drill program has been completed on the Elektra Project, comprising 1,762 meters in 16 drill holes. The best drill intercepts include hole AF 17-001 returning 1058 Parts per million lithium ("ppm Li") over 33 meters from a depth of 3 meters: and in hole AF 17-014, from 0 to 24 meters, 1050 ppm Li over 24 meters.

Claystone and clay units in volcaniclastic sediment sequences in closed basins are increasingly being explored as an alternative source of lithium to satisfy the high demand. In the United States areas of focus include the Hector deposit, in San Bernardino County, CA, and several basins (Clayton Valley, Big Smokey, Fish Lake Valley) in NV, and the McDermitt Caldera in NV, OR. In Nevada and Oregon several junior exploration companies are conducting major programs on numerous claystone lithium projects. While these deposits vary greatly in size, form and metallurgy, the Nevada deposits typically use cut-off grades of 400 to 600 ppm Li for resource calculations.

Rockland's CEO, Mike England stated ""Our team of geologists in both Mexico and Canada are a very diversified and adept collection of experienced industry individuals who are well poised to expand on, and make new, lithium discoveries at Elektra."

Rockland's team of industry professionals in both Mexico and Canada have worked on compiling all available historical data from the project to aid in determining a clear, concise exploration plan now set to commence.

Garry Clark, P.Geo , a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release as it pertains to the Elektra Lithium Property.

Lithium values and mineralization described on adjacent properties in similar rocks are not representative of the mineralization on the Elektra Project, and historical work and activities on the Elektra Project have not been verified and should not be relied upon.

About Rockland Resources Ltd.

Rockland Resources is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets for the benefit of its shareholders.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Richard Sutcliffe

President and Director

For further information, please contact:

Mike England

Email: mike@engcom.ca

Neither the Canadian Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at WWW.SEDAR.COM).

SOURCE: Rockland Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692526/Rockland-Resources-Strengthens-Its-Mexican-Team-and-Commences-Field-Work-at-Elektra-Lithium-Project
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc. (CSE: VEGI) (OTCQB: VGGIF) (FSE: 77I) ("Boosh" or the "Company") announces that it has closed the first tranche of $1,007,400 in its $2,000,000 non-brokered private placement.

The company issued 1,439,143 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.70 per Unit (the "Financing"). Each Unit is comprised of one common share and one share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant (a "Warrant") will entitle the holder to acquire an additional common share at a price of $1.00 per share until March 9, 2025.

Finder's fees of $40,432.00 in cash and 57,760 Warrants were paid in association with the closing of the initial tranche. The proceeds of the Financing will be utilized for general working capital, including payment of consulting fees of $502,000 over the next 12 months for marketing and investor relations, as well as ongoing product development and future plant based acquisition opportunities.

The Company reserves the right to increase the number of Units issued pursuant to the Financing to up to 3,571,428 Units for up to total gross proceeds of $2,500,000.

All securities issued in this initial trance of the private placement are subject to a four month and one day hold period expiring on July 10, 2022.

In other news, as a result of the recent acquisition of Beanfields assets the Company announces it has expanded its booth size and will be at #785 Hall "A" at The Natural Products Expo West, at the Anaheim Convention center March 9-11th.



"In the past several weeks we've had a tremendous increase in interest from the retail community to learn more about how we can work together," comments Jim Pakulis, CEO of Boosh. "Attending the Expo West provides an excellent platform for our sales team and senior management to hold meetings with buyers throughout the three-day event."

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Jim Pakulis

Chief Executive Officer

jpakulis@booshfood.com

Telephone: (833) 882-6674

www.Booshfood.com

About Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.:

Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Boosh Food (www.booshfood.com), offers high quality, non-GMO, gluten free, 100% plant-based nutritional comfort foods for the whole family. Through a separate subsidiary, Beautiful Beanfields, the Company owns Beanfields, a plant-based chips brand sold in over 7,000 stores throughout North America. Boosh, good for you and good for planet earth.

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's expectations concerning the size of the Financing, its ability to close the Financing in whole or in part or at all and its plan for the proceeds of the Financing.. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116267
Latest investment to accelerate Typeform's development of no-code solutions that engage audiences and grow businesses by turning online interactions into conversational experiences.

Typeform, a conversational interaction platform, announced today that it has raised $135 million in Series C funding led by Sofina. Returning investors including General Atlantic, Index Ventures, Point Nine Capital and Connect Ventures, as well as new investors Top Tier Capital Partners, GP Bullhound, Teamworthy Ventures and Trium Venture Partners, also participated in the round. This latest funding brings Typeform's total investment to more than $187 million.

With this investment, Typeform will accelerate product development, nurture emerging technologies, expand headcount and deepen strategic partnerships across its platform as it continues its efficient growth trajectory. "We're grateful for the support and guidance of our investors as we continue to build robust full-funnel solutions, expand our global team and help customers engage their audiences and grow their businesses by enabling more immersive online, asynchronous, human-led experiences," said Joaquim Lecha, CEO at Typeform.

Typeform is used by more than 125,000 businesses worldwide and typeforms drive over 500 million interactions every year across both paid and free products, with the vast majority of new users coming to Typeform through organic word-of-mouth referrals. The company has more than tripled its annualized recurring revenue since 2018.

"The accelerated consumer shift to digital channels and increasing importance of digital native brands are driving the need to build closer online engagement with customers," said Benjamin Sabatier, Principal at Sofina. "Typeform's conversational solutions generate higher response rates and provide richer insights to improve consumers' experiences. Sofina is proud to support Typeform's vision and dynamic team as it continues to build incredibly versatile solutions that serve a wide-range of use cases."

"We are in a strong position to continue empowering businesses and their employees to grow and engage their audiences as online interactions become increasingly central to building an enduring brand," said Lecha. "Our focus, as always, is on creating long-term value for our customers through Typeform's simple but powerful self-serve interaction experiences that can be embedded without complexity or coding across core business processes."

By emphasizing thoughtful and efficient design of both product functionality and aesthetic, Typeform offers simple, beautiful, personalized interfaces that connect with mission-critical data and workflows at every layer of the marketing funnel, seamlessly integrating with top apps such as HubSpot, Google Sheets, MailChimp, Salesforce, Slack, and more. "Typeform helps brands elevate online interactions with customers so that they feel more like a conversation, leading to better insights that can be seamlessly tracked and segmented in HubSpot dashboards," Scott Brinker, VP of Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot. "With the Typeform integration in the HubSpot ecosystem, businesses can drive authentic connections at scale and better understand their audience's journey all while significantly cutting down on conversion time."

Since raising Series B funding in 2017, Typeform has added robust capabilities to its conversational interaction offerings. The company launched new products such as VideoAsk, a video conversation solution that enables one-to-one asynchronous conversations at scale, and Typeform Chat, a no-code chatbot builder that was introduced to let businesses engage audiences with a life-like chat, while making the most of automation and efficiency to attract leads and recommend products. In 2021, Typeform appointed Irana Wasti to Chief Product Officer to lead Typeform's Customer Growth, Engagement, Product and Design teams. Irana was recently named to Womentech Network's list of 100 Influential Women in Tech to Watch in 2022.

"It's been our belief since day one that good design drives results," said David Okuniev, Typeform co-founder, head of research and development, and lead designer. "Now, as our time is increasingly spent online, that's more true than ever. Businesses of all sizes confront intense pressure to create a meaningful digital experience and find opportunities to make personal connections with their customers through online interactions."

The company is supported by a team of more than 450 Typeformers working fully remote with access to offices in both Barcelona and San Francisco. Typeform has increased its headcount 35 percent year-over-year and built a team that represents more than 55 nationalities.

Learn more about tailor-made Typeform Enterprise plans at typeform.com/enterprise. Find out how to join Typeform programs for Agency, Affiliate and Product partners by visiting partners.typeform.com. For information on joining Typeform's global team, visit typeform.com/careers.

About Typeform

Typeform is a no-code SaaS platform with thoughtfully-designed tools that help companies grow their business by engaging with their audience. Offering people-friendly forms, quizzes, surveys, and asynchronous video solutions, Typeform turns digital interactions into human connection. Launched in 2012, Typeform drives more than 500 million digital interactions per year and integrates with hundreds of other business-critical tools like HubSpot, Calendly, and Slack, to name a few. Typeform is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain with an office in San Francisco, California, and has a globally-distributed workforce of over 450 people. For more information, visit www.typeform.com.

About Sofina

Sofina is a family controlled and run investment company listed on Euronext Brussels, managing its own assets of circa 11 billion. Sofina aspires to be the preferred partner of entrepreneurs and families who lead growing companies by backing them with patient capital and supportive advice. Common vision and strong alignment of interests with its partners are paramount in the deployment of its strategy. For more information, visit www.sofinagroup.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005141/en/

Contacts:

John Costello

pr@typeform.com
Eigen Technologies (Eigen), the global intelligent document processing (IDP) provider, announces today a number of appointments across the company. Despite the ongoing competition for tech talent, Eigen has a long-standing record of success in this area. This highlights the company's continued ability to add top industry talent as it scales rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic.

As part of the recent wave of new hires at Eigen, Dean Hervey has joined as VP of ISV OEM Partners from ServiceNow where he drove substantial revenue by building a robust global ecosystem of over 700 independent software vendor (ISV) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners centered on the ServiceNow Store. He brings over 28 years of tech experience and will lead Eigen's drive to partner and integrate with other platforms with its complimentary IDP technology. This will further build on the success of Eigen's existing successful partnerships with the likes of Xceptor and NetDocuments. He will be based remotely in San Diego, California.

Chris Mullan has also joined Eigen as Principal Product Manager from Deloitte's insurance strategy practice, where he was Head of AI Insurance. A former actuary with many years' experience working in the London market, Chris will lead Eigen's program to commercialize the proprietary innovations developed by its Science team. He will be based in London, UK and will also support the company's work in the insurance market, where Eigen has grown significantly in the last year with customers such as Aviva.

Eigen is known for the ease of use of its low-code/no-code platform built around the user experience. Daniel White has joined Eigen as Director of Product Design to lead the company's in-house design team and its UX strategy. He joins Eigen with more than 20 years of experience in software design at both large tech businesses including Microsoft and Just Eat, and several hypergrowth start-ups. Daniel will be based in London, UK.

Completing this hiring wave, Mahesh Santhanam has joined Eigen's Product Team to head up its work and engagement with the Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) space. He joins with more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry at the likes of Wells Fargo and Bank of America. At Wells Fargo, Mahesh led the development of the firm's strategy and product for CLM and document intelligence. He will be based in Charlotte, North Carolina and will lead Eigen's development of its key IDP offering for CLM software partnerships.

As an international business based across New York, London and Lisbon, Eigen is committed to flexible working that enables employees to combine the best of in-person and remote work across locations while continuing to deliver for its clients. Since the start of the pandemic, Eigen has brought in fully remote working for those who need it, provided wraparound support for all its people (particularly in mental health) and increased its compensation and benefits packages. Eigen is also significantly increasing investment in dedicated face-to-face events and offsites to maintain its culture while also providing maximum flexibility for its people.

Dr. Lewis Z. Liu, Co-Founder CEO, Eigen Technologies said:

"We are delighted to welcome all four of these new hires, each of whom brings a specific expertise to support Eigen's growth strategy. These are part of our broader investments in our partner ecosystem, our product partnership with the CLM software market and our continuing push into insurance, where we are seeing excellent traction.

We are proud of our global culture and the technically excellent talent we have been able to assemble at Eigen so far. The fact that we have been able to do this in the current hypercompetitive hiring market shows just how attractive candidates find Eigen as an ambitious company with a great culture. We're excited to have the opportunity to recruit like-minded individuals who will undoubtedly play a vital role in helping deliver a high standard of service to our customers across the Americas, EMEA and APAC."

Eigen's team is still growing, and anyone interested in joining the team can apply on the website.

About Eigen Technologies

Eigen is an intelligent document processing (IDP) company that enables its clients to quickly and precisely extract answers from their documents, so they can better manage risk, scale operations, automate processes and navigate dynamic regulatory environments.

Eigen's customizable, no-code AI-powered platform uses machine learning to automate the extraction of answers from documents and can be applied to a wide variety of use cases. It understands context and delivers better accuracy on far fewer training documents, while protecting the security of clients' data.

Our clients include some of the best-known and respected names in finance, insurance, law and professional services, including Goldman Sachs, ING, BlackRock, Aviva and Allen Overy. Almost half of all global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) use Eigen to overcome their document and data challenges. Eigen is backed by Goldman Sachs, Temasek, Lakestar, Dawn Capital, ING Ventures, Anthemis and the Sony Innovation Fund by IGV.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005281/en/

Contacts:

Thomas Cahn, Eigen Technologies

Email: tom.cahn@eigentech.com

Website: www.eigentech.com
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Tego Cyber Inc. (OTCQB:TGCB), an emerging developer of proactive cyber threat intelligence applications and solutions, today announced that Brent Watkins will be representing Tego Cyber at the upcoming MSP World Conference to be held at the Orlando World Center, Orlando Florida, between March 21st to the 24th.

Mr. Watkins will be participating in three sessions:

Tue Mar 22, 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM EDT

MSP Regulation: 2022 and Beyond Panel Session

Brent Watkins - Panelist

Managed Service Provider (MSP) legislation is here. Legislation impacting MSPs does not, however, mean the end of the managed services profession. Quite the opposite. As more laws are passed directly naming MSPs, it only highlights the vital role MSPs play in our society today. Data privacy, cybersecurity, and other laws that impact both MSP and client, must be understood and internalized by every MSP practicing today. The panel of MSP experts will discuss current and pending legislation, the impact such legislation could have on the MSP market, and how MSPs can turn this legislation into opportunities for growth.

Tue Mar 22, 4:00 PM - 4:50 PM EDT

The Tabletop Exercise You Haven't Done

Brent Watkins - Main Speaker

The majority of cyber related organizations haven't done a security-related tabletop exercise, despite the known fact that those who practice a catastrophe do better in an actual catastrophe. Ironically, a tabletop is relatively inexpensive and requires only minimum input from the customer to the facilitator before the event. This presentation explains how a tabletop exercise is structured, who from the customer side needs to participate, and how much time is involved. Mr. Watkins will share observations and lessons learned after facilitating countless exercises to SMB and Fortune companies as. He will also detail security changes that are important to make.

Wed Mar 23, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM EDT

Security in Managed Service: Where do we go from here?

Brent Watkins - Panelist

The last few years have seen an unprecedented increase in security events, cyberattacks, and specifically the targeting of MSPs and their supply chain vendors. This increase in attacks reflects not just a test of MSP cybersecurity hygiene, but also represents the incredibly important role MSPs play in defending their customers against a wide variety of attacks with varying motives. The global MSP profession stands at the crossroads of increasing prominence and importance, or increased regulation and oversight; perhaps both. This panel discussion will center around the rapidly changing landscape of MSP security with a particular focus around current best practice methodologies for protecting MSP and customer alike.

About Brent Watkins

Mr. Watkins has over two decades of diverse experience investigating computer intrusions and international terrorism cases with the FBI. In 2016, he founded GlobalSec Partners, which provides diversified consulting services for critical infrastructure security, cyber security, and business continuity.Notably, Mr. Watkins was a member of one of the first FBI squads specifically dedicated to the investigation of computer intrusions and has investigated numerous high profile cyber-crime cases. While at the FBI, he also served as an InfraGard Coordinator, where he was responsible for outreach and development of relationships between the government and private sector for enhancing critical infrastructure protection. Prior to the FBI, Mr. Watkins was a military officer with the United States Air Force.

About MSPWorld

At MSPWorld you will hear from world-class speakers on a range of topics specifically created to bring you the relevant information you need as an MSP. With high-level business executives in attendance, along with ground-breaking educational and informative sessions, you will have unparalleled access to quality content and high-level, strategic networking and business development. We also have some new and exciting things in store for you this year; most notably, the MSPWorld Vendor Spotlight! A fast-track introduction of new and relevant technologies and tools to help you as an MSP, better understand what is available to you in the marketplace as well as an introduction to the MSPAlliance Vendor-Verify Community of vetted, trusted vendors that you as an MSP can put your trust in. At MSPWorld, YOU are in the driver's seat. This is YOUR conference, built specifically with YOUR success in mind. Reserve your spot today! For more information, please visit

https://www.mspworldconference.com/

About Tego Cyber Inc.

Tego Cyber Inc. (the "Company") was created to capitalize on the emerging cyber threat intelligence market. The Company has developed a cyber threat intelligence application that integrates with top end security platforms to gather, analyze, then proactively identify threats to an enterprise network. The Tego Guardian threat intelligence application takes in vetted and curated threat data and after utilizing a proprietary process, the platform compiles, analyzes, and then delivers that data to an enterprise network in a format that is timely, informative, and relevant. The threat data provides additional context including specific details needed to identify and counteract threats so that security teams can spend less time searching for disparate information. The first version of the application will integrate with the widely accepted Splunk SIEM to provide real-time threat intelligence to macro enterprises using the Splunk architecture. The Company plans on developing future versions of the Tego Guardian application for integration with other established SIEM systems and platforms including: Elastic, IBM QRadar, AT&T Cybersecurity, Exabeam, and Google Chronical. For more information, please visit www.tegocyber.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained in this press release, those which are not purely historical or which depend upon future events, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements regarding the Company's expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future constitute forward-looking statements. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements because of various factors. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. Prospective investors should also consult the risks factors described from time to time in the Company's Reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and Annual Reports to Shareholders.

Tego Contact:

Tego Cyber Inc.

8565 S Eastern Avenue, Suite 150

Las Vegas, Nevada 89123

USA

Tel: 855-939-0100 (North America)

Tel: 725-726-7840 (International)

Email: info@tegocyber.com

Web: tegocyber.com

Facebook: facebook.com/tegocyber

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/tegocyber

Twitter: twitter.com/tegocyber

Tego Investor Relations:

Crescendo Communications, LLC

Tel: 212-671-1020

Email: TGCB@crescendo-ir.com

SOURCE: Tego Cyber Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692436/Tego-Cyber-Inc-Director-of-Business-Development-Brent-Watkins-To-Present-at-Upcoming-MSP-World-Conference
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Mijem Newcomm Tech Inc. (CSE: MJEM), a North American social media and technology company, announces that it is has replaced Capital Transfer Agency as the registrar and transfer agent of the Corporation's common shares with Odyssey Trust Company. Shareholders do not need to take any action with respect to the change in registrar and transfer agent services.

All inquiries and correspondence relating to the shareholder records, transfer of shares, loss certificates, and or change of address, should now be directed to Odyssey Trust Company, through their offices in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.

For further information, please contact:

Corporate

Gord Tomkin, Chief Financial Officer

Mijem Newcomm Tech Inc.

gtomkin@mijem.com

(416) 915-4747

Investor Relations

Sean Peasgood

sean@sophiccapital.com

(437) 253-9222

About Mijem Inc.

Mijem is a Canadian-based social media and technology company that provides innovative solutions to create a vibrant social marketplace for Generation Z to connect and to efficiently buy, sell and trade goods and services. Mijem's patent-pending flagship technology currently permits thousands of university and college students across the United States and Canada to both connect on-line and engage in consumer-to-consumer commerce.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved".

Forward-looking information in this news release is based on certain assumptions and expected future events. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAW

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116272
The "Jewellery Watches Retailers in Europe" newsletter has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The database contains ranking, profiles and all key information about Jewellery Watches retail chains in Europe. The data includes data on turnover, number of outlets, number of employees, address information and information about the management.

All data on retailers are presented in the same style. In the ranking overview of the country, you can click on the name of the retailers which opens the full retail profile with address, phone, fax, key management, company website, turnover development, banners, number of stores, shop-types and much other relevant information.

For multinational retailers, the international head-office of the mother company is given with address etc. The focus is on Jewellery Watches retailers in Europe but many other countries are also well covered.

The database Jewellery Watches Retailers in Europe is updated four times a year.

Some of the Retailers covered include:

Aurum Holdings

Bucherer

Histoire d'Or

LMVH

Pandora

Richemont

Signet

Swarovski

Swatch Group

Wempe

For more information about this newsletter visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kremmt

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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005734/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

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
Ananda Developments Plc - Exercise of Warrants

10 March 2022

ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

("Ananda" or the "Company")

EXERCISE OF WARRANTS

Ananda announces that 66,370 ordinary shares of 0.2p each in the Company ("Ordinary Shares") have been issued following the exercise of warrants at 0.45p per share.

Application will be made for the new Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on the Access segment of the AQSE Growth Market and admission is expected to become effective on Wednesday, 16 March 2022.

Following this issue, the Company has 799,015,402 Ordinary Shares in issue, each share carrying the right to one vote.

This figure of 799,015,402 Ordinary Shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

-Ends-

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

Chief Executive Officer

Melissa Sturgess



Investor Relations

Jeremy Sturgess-Smith +44 (0) 7463 686 497

ir@anandadevelopments.com PETERHOUSE CAPITAL LIMITED

Corporate Finance

Mark Anwyl



Corporate Broking

Lucy Williams

Duncan Vasey +44 (0)20 7469 0930

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

About Ananda Developments

Ananda is an AQSE-listed medical cannabis company creating UK-based operations to grow and provide carbon zero, consistent, medical cannabis for the UK and international markets.

The UK medical cannabis market is predicted to be worth 450m by 2025 and the European market is predicted to be worth USD4.2bn by 2027.

Ananda, through its 50% owned subsidiary, DJT Plants Limited, was granted a Home Office licence in May 2021 to grow >0.2% THC cannabis in a new research facility to breed and stabilise 65 strains.

For more information, please visit: https://anandadevelopments.com/
MILWAUKEE, WI / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / IQ-AI Limited (OTCQB:IQAIF) (LSE:IQAI) is pleased to announce that the sponsored Phase I clinical trial for oral gallium maltolate (GaM) is open for enrollment. The trial is being led by Dr. Jennifer Connelly, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, and Dr. Christopher Chitambar, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Biophysics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, both at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). Patient recruitment in the trial is underway and potential volunteers that meet the inclusion criteria have already been identified.

In April 2021, IQ-AI announced it would finance the Phase I study which is designed to determine the optimal dose of GaM that can be administered safely. It is the first-in-human clinical trial for an oral form of GaM to be used in patients to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Motivation to fund this trial was provided in part by the results of a preclinical (animal) study led by Dr. Chitambar. In that study, treatment with oral GaM inhibited tumor growth and resulted in a significant increase in overall survival.

In September, the Company announced that a new encapsulation supplier was necessary to meet the demands of the trial and went through the efforts to secure and qualify a new supplier.

While the qualification of a new supplier imposed a delay to the start of the trial, a robust source of supply is now ready to provide an efficient and continuous distribution of capsules to enrolled patients for this Phase I as well as subsequent trials.

"I applaud the efforts of everyone involved in qualifying a new encapsulation supplier and preparing the necessary documentation to the FDA, and that the start of this much anticipated trial is now finally underway," said Trevor Brown, CEO of IQ-AI.

About IQ-AI Limited

IQ-AI Limited, (LON:IQAI) (OTCQB:IQAIF), the parent company of Wisconsin-based Imaging Biometrics, LLC (IB), develops and provides visualisation and analytical solutions that enable clinicians to better diagnose and treat disease with greater confidence. Through close collaboration with top researchers and clinicians, sophisticated advancements are translated into platform-independent and automated software plug-ins which can extend the base functionality of workstations, imaging systems, PACS, or medical viewers. By design, IB's advanced visualisation software seamlessly integrates into routine workflows. For more information about Imaging Biometrics, visit the company's website at www.imagingbiometrics.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," or the negative of these words and/or similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. For example, statements about future revenues and the Company's ability to fund its operations and contractual obligations are forward looking and subject to risks. Several important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the inability to raise capital to support the Company through its growth stage, the Company's inability to generate projected sales and trade relations between the United States and China. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations Contact:

Michael Porter, President

Porter, LeVay & Rose, Inc.

Tel: 212-564-4700

mike@plrinvest.com

SOURCE: IQ AI Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692530/IQAIs-Sponsored-Phase-I-Clinical-Trial-is-Open
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, March 9. AP-Yonhap





The Pentagon slammed the door on a Polish proposal for providing Ukraine with MiG fighter jets, Wednesday, saying allied efforts against the Russian invasion should be focused on more useful weaponry and the MiG transfer with a U.S. and NATO connection would run a ''high risk'' of escalating the war.







By rebuffing the proposal involving the Polish jets, the Pentagon appeared anxious to move beyond what had become an awkward disconnect with a NATO ally at a time when President Joe Biden has stressed the need for a unified and coordinated response to Russia's war.







Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded repeatedly for the U.S. to provide his military with more aircraft  presented as an apparent alternative to establishing a ''no-fly zone'' over Ukraine to suppress Russian air power. The ''no-fly'' idea was rejected earlier by Washington and NATO as an unnecessary risk of escalation.







Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said Washington was looking at a proposal under which Poland would supply Kyiv with the Soviet-era fighters, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly, and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for the loss.







But Poland wanted no part of that, concerned about involving itself too directly in conflict with Russia. Poland then said it was prepared to hand over all 28 of its MiG-29 planes  but to NATO by flying them to the U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany, from where they would somehow be flown to Ukraine.







That was the arrangement the Pentagon turned aside.







Marek Magierowski, Poland's ambassador to the United States, indicated the Polish government had gotten the message.







''Our American partners rejected this proposal, because they have come to the conclusion that it was too escalatory,'' Magierowski told CNN. He said Poland understands and ''this is what we need now to emphasize again  the unity and cohesion of NATO. So, let's move on.''







U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that in a phone call, Wednesday, Zelenskyy again asked urgently for the United States to provide warplanes, anti-aircraft missiles and other weaponry.







However, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed the MiG transfer proposal with his Polish counterpart and explained why Washington found it untenable.







Kirby said the Biden administration is talking with other countries about ''alternative options'' for supporting Ukraine's most pressing defense needs two weeks into its war, especially more ground-based weapons to counter Russian tanks and aircraft in what has been largely a ground war. Kirby said those could include surface-to-air missile batteries and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.






Belmont Village Senior Living mobilizes its BV Cares fund to support women, children, and the elderly in the Ukraine via CARE.org. BV Cares will match fund donations made through the BV Cares website up to $50,000, in the hopes of raising $100,000 for CARE that will be directed to relief for refugees at the border. Donations will provide lifesaving food, water, and hygiene kits to the most vulnerable in Ukraine.

"We stand with our Ukrainian team members who have been so deeply hurt by the tragic attack on their country. It is a crucial time to utilize our funding program, BV Cares, to help those that have been impacted by this humanitarian crisis," says Patricia Will, Founder CEO of Belmont Village Senior Living. "The tragedy unfolding in Ukraine and the mass migration the world is currently experiencing is a sight that no one imagined we would see in our lifetimes. It's not enough to wring our hands. We are blessed to have the resources to help women, seniors, and children during these difficult times no act of kindness is too small for those in need."

For 75 years, CARE has been helping the world's most vulnerable people. The first CARE Packages of lifesaving food and supplies were sent to those in need at the end of World War II for the post-war hungry, ultimately delivering 100 million of them to families around the world. Today, CARE is providing support to partners on the ground, helping people whose lives are at immediate risk as they flee the violence in Ukraine. CARE is aiming to reach 4 million people with immediate emergency assistance through the Ukraine Crisis Fund.

Established in 2008, the BV Cares fund offers support to associates experiencing financial hardship. The fund has helped support employees through hurricanes, wildfires, winter storms, and COVID-19 by aiding with medical bills and burial expenses, along with food assistance, clothing, and shelter. Belmont Village matches every donation dollar for dollar.

To donate: Text BV Cares at 76278 or visit https://bvcares.givesmart.com.

About Belmont Village Senior Living

Founded in Houston in 1997, Belmont Village is an integrated developer, owner, and operator of high-quality seniors housing with more than 4000 employees. Its communities are renowned for distinctive design, high standards of life safety, reputation for quality of care and leading edge, award-winning programs. Belmont Village is certified as a Great Place to Work and has been ranked as one of FORTUNE Magazine's 50 Best Workplaces for Aging Services since 2018. Learn more about Belmont Village at www.belmontvillage.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005780/en/

Contacts:

Dara Shlifka

dara@gcomworks.com

(847) 858-9933
CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / IIOT-OXYS, Inc. (OTC PINK:ITOX) announced it has received approval for a contract extension from a Department of Transportation (DOT) of a major northeast state to continue monitoring multiple bridges.

Cliff Emmons, CEO of IIOT-OXYS, Inc., stated, "The extension of this contract is validation of the solid value proposition of our bridge monitoring systems by this state's DOT and by the structural engineering firm that is providing oversight on this project. It also substantiates the strength of our strategic partnership with Aingura IIoT, S.L., and the proprietary AI & Machine Learning algorithms we've developed. Our data driven models provide adjunct insights to traditional visual inspections performed by the state's bridge inspectors, and if deployed more broadly, could potentially enhance the management of a state's DOT bridge assets. This bodes well for our company's Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) business, through potential expansion within the state, the rest of the U.S., and globally."

"This success is a direct result of the hard innovative work by Oxys and its partners: Aingura IIoT, S.L., university professors, and commercial structural engineering subject matter experts. It positions us to pursue contracts in SHM worldwide," stated Mr. Emmons. On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law. The law allocates $110 billion in funding to repair U.S. roads and bridges and support major, transformational projects. Specifically, the Federal Highway Administration will distribute $26.5 billion to upgrade bridges in states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over five years under the law. Other reports state that companies such as ours that are involved with connected infrastructure, which includes connected roads and bridges and the underlying "smart" sensor and software technology, are poised to benefit from the new law. Independent research shows that the world-wide Structural Health Monitoring market size is $2.0 billion USD will reach $4.0 billion USD by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 14.6%. Mr. Emmons concluded, "This contract extension in the U.S. and an active proof of concept on some Spanish bridges by Aingura IIoT, S.L. are key to winning future contracts worldwide, and we are confident they will lead to additional new business in due time."

About IIOT-OXYS, Inc.

IIOT-OXYS Inc. (OTC PINK:ITOX) is a technology company at the intersection of IIoT, AI & Machine Learning, Edge Computing and Manufacturing Operations. We provide actionable mission-critical insights for the Medical/Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Defense, and Structural Health, and other industries. IIOT-OXYS's edge computing open-source hardware and proprietary ML algorithms employ our Minimally Invasive Load Monitoring (MILM) technology to simply gather data and gain insights to monitor, scope, move from preventive to predictive maintenance, and even optimize development and manufacturing processes. For additional information visit www.oxyscorp.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that reflect Management's current views about future events and financial performance. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'intends,' or 'believes.' Our forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and events to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect us include, without limitation, the loss of major customers, our failure to obtain new contracts, our inability to patent products or processes, our infringement of patents held by others, our inability to finance our business and the other risks and uncertainties that are discussed in our most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made only as of the date of this news release. We undertake no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact Information:

IIOT-OXYS Inc.

Clifford L. Emmons

CEO

contact@oxyscorp.com

www.oxyscorp.com

SOURCE: IIoT-OXYS Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692561/IIOT-OXYS-Inc-Wins-Contract-Extension-from-a-Major-Northeast-States-DOT-for-Bridge-Monitoring
LONDON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Himalaya Exchange's newly launched Payment Application, Himalaya Pay, has facilitated the historic purchase of Ayrton Senna's McLaren 1989 MP4/5 F1 car for over $5m USD. The iconic vehicle was privately purchased by means of a Himalaya Pay member-to-member transfer of Himalaya Dollar (HDO), a stable coin listed on the Himalaya Exchange.

Ayrton Senna remains a legend to drivers and fans past and present. For three-time F1 World Champion Niki Lauda, Senna was simply "the best driver who ever lived." Lewis Hamilton, who credits Senna as his childhood idol, unveiled a special tribute helmet to Senna at last year's Brazilian Grand Prix.

Senna remains arguably unsurpassed in driving ability, but was known as much for his character as he was for his driving. He famously saved the life of French driver Erik Comas at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix. With Comas' engine screaming and close to explosion, Senna stopped and sprinted over to the Frenchman's car, shut off the engine so it wouldn't catch fire, then held his head to stabilise his neck until the paramedics could arrive. Comas, who sits on the Senna Foundation, stated: "I have no doubt that Ayrton Senna saved my life. He was an extraordinary person as well as a brilliant driver. Ayrton's legacy and reputation remains completely unique."

This reputation has understandably made the cars in which Senna drove some of the most valuable and highly sought-after sporting and engineering artefacts in the world. The deal underscores users' continued confidence in Himalaya Exchange and reflects how cryptocurrency is making its way into the mainstream of society and motorsports.

Zak Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, stated: "There are few vehicles in motorsports more iconic than Ayrton Senna's McLaren 1989 MP4/5 F1 car. Not only is it a beautiful piece of engineering, but represents a special chapter in the history of motorsports. To witness a transaction like this take place through the Himalaya Exchange reflects the constant pace of innovation that is a hallmark of the motorsport industry, both in the past and into the future."

Many businesses and individuals are now capitalising on the opportunities that well-managed cryptocurrency exchanges such as the Himalaya Group - which is registered as the Digital Currency Exchange Provider in Australia and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the United States - offer for transferring digital assets efficiently and securely.

Jesse Brown, CEO of Himalaya Exchange, said: "This symbolic transaction is a huge vote of confidence in the newly launched Himalaya Pay platform, but should also be a source of excitement for anyone interested in cryptocurrencies and their potential to offer secure and frictionless finance for all."

The deal comes as the first version of Himalaya Pay was recently launched on the Apple Store and Google Play store. Himalaya Pay V1.0 is an innovative digital gift card system for merchants and members in permitted countries.

The second version, V2.0, is in development and will be a next generation payment system. The platform will feature the ability to make instant cryptocurrency transfers around the world, automate payment schedules and offer the ability to shop with exclusive retailers with all types of cryptocurrencies.

William Je, the Founder and CEO of Hamilton Investment Management Ltd - a global fund manager with multi-billion assets under management - said: "Cryptocurrencies are evolving, and the future of cryptocurrency will belong to those platforms that can be used by anyone, at any time. People are looking for alternatives to the fiat system which they can trust. For F1 fans, Ayrton Senna's 1989 MP4/5 car is the encapsulation of elegance and performance. At its best, that's what cryptocurrency can represent too. Put simply, cryptocurrencies are a new asset class that no institutional investors or governments can any longer afford to ignore."

Himalaya is the first and only crypto platform to operate a fully integrated crypto ecosystem. It is unique for integrating a cryptocurrency exchange with a native trading coin (Himalaya Coin "HCN"), a stable coin (Himalaya Dollar "HDO") and a recently launched payment application (Himalaya Pay) across a single platform. The company's ultimate mission is to create a world where people have control over their money, data and destinies, empowering the individual with true financial freedom.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764314/Himalaya_Exchange_Ayrton_Senna_1989_McLaren.jpg
European digital services group SQLI today announces its results for the year 2020, which were approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on 8 March 2021, chaired by Philippe Donche-Gay. The statutory auditors have conducted the audit procedures.

Results are in line with management's targets, with a return to growth in activity (+5.4%) and an increase of more than 2 points in the current operating margin (+2.4 points).

In m - IFRS - Audited data 2019 2020 2021 REVENUES 238.7 213.7 225.4 EBITDA[1] 15.1 9.0 15.2 CURRENT OPERATING INCOME 13.2 7.2 13.1 OPERATING INCOME (EBIT) 9.7 7.5 11.7 NET INCOME 4.7 0.2 5.3

RETURN TO GROWTH IN ACTIVITY

SQLI returned to organic growth in Q2 2021 and ended the year with consolidated revenues of 225.4m, an increase of 5.4% in reported data and +4.8% at constant scope and exchange rates[2].

Sales momentum gradually improved in France (+3.9% to 119.1m, 53% of the Group's total), and remained solid internationally (+5.9% at constant scope and exchange rates at 106.2m, 47% of the total).

RECOVERY IN PROFITABILITY UNDERWAY

This renewed growth in activity, combined with a gradual improvement in operating indicators (utilisation rate, industrialisation of offers via Service Centres and optimisation of structural costs), enabled a recovery in margins. EBITDA thus came out at 15.2m (6.7% of revenues) and current operating income 13.1m (5.8% of revenues), a level comparable to that generated in 2019 before the health crisis.

After taking into account net other operating income and expenses (-1.4m), operating income (EBIT) came in at 11.7m versus 7.5m in 2020 and 9.7m in 2019.

Annual net profit was 5.3m, incorporating the cost of net financial debt (2.3m) and a tax charge of 3.7m (of which 1m related to the cancellation of deferred taxes).

NET FINANCIAL DEBT UNDER CONTROL AND POST-CLOSING REFINANCING

SQLI generated a solid gross cash flow margin (14.2m before the impact of IFRS 16), well above the increase in the working capital requirement (4.5m) due to year-end growth. Net financial debt was 16.4m at the end of 2021, or 16% of equity (100.9m) and 1.1x annual EBITDA.

In February 2022, SQLI fully refinanced, giving it a financial capacity in line with its development strategy. The company issued a seven-year bullet bond worth 28m, repaid all of its financial debt (including the state-guaranteed loan (PGE) of 25m) and negotiated two additional lines (CAPEX credit and 36-month RCF line) for a total amount of 30m. These operations, combined with factoring capacities, provide overall fire power of around 50m. The implementation cost as well as the costs of the takeover bid amount of around 5m will be recorded in the accounts for H1 2022.

SQLI will announce its Q3 2022 revenues figure on 22 September 2022 after close of trading.

Receive SQLI financial news free of charge by e-mail by signing up at: www.actusnews.com

About SQLI: Founded in 1990, SQLI is a European digital services group that supports major international brands in creating value through Digital.

Its creative and technical teams are committed to providing customers, consumers and users with new and engaging experiences based on the best technologies and methodologies, as well as their skills and convictions. They design, develop and deploy strong and effective architectures that improve companies' agility, increase their efficiency and promote their growth.

SQLI's 2,000 employees are spread over 13 countries: France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Morocco, Mauritius and Dubai. In 2021, the SQLI Group generated revenues of 225m.

SQLI has been listed on Euronext Paris (SQI) since 21 July 2000.

https://www.sqli.com

Follow SQLI on LinkedIn

Follow SQLI on Facebook and Twitter

Investor Relations

Olivier Stephan - +33 (0)1 85 64 20 20 - ostephan@sqli.com

Jerome Fabreguettes-Leib - +33 (0)1 53 67 36 78 - jfl@actus.fr

Financial Press Relations

Deborah Schwartz - +33 (0)1 53 67 36 35 - dschwartz@actus.fr

[1] EBITDA = earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (excl. IFRS 16).

[2] Redbox Digital, an e-commerce agency based in the UK and the Middle East, was incorporated in March 2020

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In response to current world events, AwareGO announces a quick and intensive cybersecurity training to help employees identify and prevent potential cyberattacks.

Security awareness training and human risk management company AwareGO today announces the immediate worldwide availability of a free 30-minute cybersecurity training course for up to 500 employees. This quick and intensive cybersecurity training will be available until March 31st, 2022, and is designed to quickly help organizations and their employees identify and prevent potential cyber attacks.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005816/en/

AwareGO is offerig a library of 14 one-minute micro-learning videos and reading materials making up a free 30-minute cybersecurity training course for up to 500 employees through March 31, 2022. (Photo: Business Wire)

AwareGO is providing free training in response to the imminent global cyber threats stemming from current world events. "Right now, we are living in historic times, with conflict and turmoil. In such a situation, there are serious concerns about increased cyber attacks against institutions and enterprises, with the aim of causing disruptions, acquiring funds, and stealing valuable data," said Ari Jonsson, CEO of AwareGO. "Having technical measures in place, such as firewalls and encryption, is good, but it is simply not enough as 85% of all successful cyber break-ins are done by fooling people rather than machines. The truly critical component in any organization's cybersecurity toolbox is up-to-date and aware employees."

The majority of cybersecurity breaches are not full-blown attacks but rather cybercriminals looking for vulnerabilities they can exploit to gain access. For example, ransomware and phishing attacks are all about casting a wide net, as it only takes one employee taking the bait to let them in. Small and medium-sized businesses are also increasingly being targeted, as their security posture is generally less robust.

According to a recent study by Global Market Estimates, only 25% of organizations provide cyber security awareness training programs to employees. This is despite most security breaches being primarily due to human error. Awareness training reduces the cyber security risks of organizations by 70%, by ensuring employees correctly respond to incoming threats.

All organizations, regardless of size, industry and geography are at risk. AwareGO's free cybersecurity training course enables organizations to take a top-to-bottom look at their cybersecurity status and raise awareness among employees. The training also enforces key behaviors among employees, such as avoiding clicking on suspect links, not reusing passwords, and ensuring that software is up to date.

The free training program contains 14 hand-picked, relevant, one-minute micro-learning videos, as well as supplementary reading materials that focus on the most common methods that hackers use to trick people and gain access:

Phishing tactics and how to recognize phishing emails

Ransomware attacks and how to avoid them

Best practices on password handling, including multi-factor authentication and good password habits

Updating software from trusted sources and the dangers of extortion emails

Other cybersecurity vulnerabilities rely on human behavior on an individual level to work, such as software updates.

In a recent study by Verizon, it was estimated that 85% of all cybersecurity breaches are due to human error. A general lack of knowledge about best cybersecurity practices, such as reusing passwords, leaving mobile devices open, accessing unknown wireless networks, and falling for fake links, creates exploitable threat vectors. Offering security awareness training and making sure employees know of the increased risk of cyber attacks will maximize any organization's cyber resilience while minimizing risk.

AwareGO's security training is the recipient of many highly-acclaimed industry awards and recognitions including four Gold 2022 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards for the best training, awareness, and education; Gartner Representative Vendor in the 2021 Gartner Market Guide; SC Awards Europe 2021 for Best Behaviour Analytics/Enterprise Threat Detection; Global InfoSec Awards 2021 for Cybersecurity Education for Enterprises; CyberTech100 2021 for world's top 100 most innovative CyberTech companies that every financial institution needs to know about in 2021.

Available through March 31, 2022, AwareGO's free cybersecurity training program is being offered to any organization worldwide for training of up to 500 employees. Once registered, organizations will receive immediate access to AwareGO's hand-picked training modules and can roll out the training program in a matter of minutes.

To register, visit https://www.awarego.com/materials/free-cybersecurity-training

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005816/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Kari Walker for AwareGO

kari@redironpr.com
/PRNewswire/ -- The McCourt Institute, which was established to advance technology for the common good with founding partners Sciences Po in Paris and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., today announced the 2022 recipients of research grants to advance ethical technology and digital governance. The awardees and their projects were announced during the McCourt Institute's inaugural event today in Paris.

"The McCourt Institute is thrilled to work with two world-class academic communities to better understand the problems that current technologies have caused and exacerbated and, more importantly, move us closer to the solutions we need," said Sheherazade Semsar-de Boisseson, Inaugural Executive Director of the McCourt Institute.

The McCourt Institute has pledged to provide $50 million over 10 years to Sciences Po and Georgetown University to support the development of new scientific work and advance research on technology for the common good. Beginning with the 2022 recipients, funded projects will be selected annually and administered directly by Georgetown University and Sciences Po.

"There is almost no civic challenge-or solution-in which technology does not play a role," said Maria Cancian, Dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. "Georgetown is committed to shaping ethical, equitable, and inclusive technologies that advance the common good. Our collaboration with Sciences Po and the McCourt Institute will help build on strengths in law, computer science, public policy, and ethics to tackle pressing issues at the intersection of technology and civil society."

"The selected projects address important questions about the impact of digital technologies on the public and private spheres," said Guillaume Plantin, Dean of Research and Faculty at Sciences Po. "This support from the McCourt Institute will enable Sciences Po's research teams to reinforce, and even extend, their work on essential topics such as the implementation of fact-checking mechanisms based on empirical evidence in order to fight against disinformation in online political debates, or the development of a robust legal framework adapted to the use of artificial intelligence for commercial or political purposes. Researchers will put these issues into perspective as they consider a more responsible, equitable and democratic digital governance."

A steering committee representing Georgetown University faculty, Sciences Po faculty, and the McCourt Institute selected 17 projects, to be conducted by 28 researchers from Georgetown's and Sciences Po's academic communities. The projects will focus on the impact of technology on individuals and society and explore new governance models, regulatory frameworks and technologies to mitigate harm and advance the common good. Detailed descriptions of each grant project can be found here.

As these research projects are finalized, the McCourt Institute will work with Georgetown University and Sciences Po and the grantees to make their findings available to the public in a variety of formats.

For interview opportunities with the McCourt Institute or any of the researchers, please reach out to Ana Ramic at ana.ramic@mccourt.com.

ABOUT

The McCourt Institute

Established in 2021 with founding partners Sciences Po in Paris and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., the McCourt Institute aims to ensure that digital governance is prioritized in the development of new technology and embedded in the next generation of the web. It supports the goals of Project Liberty, a visionary initiative launched by civic entrepreneur, business leader, and impact investor Frank McCourt to transform how the internet works, create a more equitable digital economy, and develop a new civic architecture for the digital world.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1759360/McCourt_institute_Logo.jpg
JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Rapidly growing and profitable cannabis company LFTD Partners Inc. (OTCQB:LSFP) (www.LFTDPartners.com), will be presenting at the 34th Annual Roth Conference on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 1:20 PM Pacific Time at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel.

A live webcast will be available on the day of the conference by clicking the following link: https://wsw.com/webcast/roth43/lsfp/1837012. A replay of the presentation will be available at the same link for 365 days.

About LFTD Partners Inc.

LFTD Partners Inc. (OTCQB ticker symbol LSFP) is focused upon acquiring rapidly growing and profitable companies that sell branded hemp-derived cannabinoid products, emerging psychedelic products, and other alternative lifestyle products.

LFTD Partners Inc.'s wholly-owned subsidiary is Lifted Made (www.LiftedMade.com), Kenosha, Wisconsin, which sells award-winning hemp-derived cannabinoid products and other psychedelic and alternative lifestyle products under its award-winning Urb Finest Flowers and Silly Shruum brands.

LFTD Partners Inc. also owns 4.99% of CBD-infused beverage and products maker Ablis Holding Company (www.AblisBev.com), and of craft distillers Bendistillery Inc. d/b/a Crater Lake Spirits (www.CraterLakeSpirits.com) and Bend Spirits, Inc. (www.Bendistillery.com), all located in Bend, Oregon.

LFTD Partners' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission more fully describe our business and the Risk Factors associated therewith. Learn more by subscribing to our newsletters at www.LiftedMade.com and www.LFTDPartners.com.

CONTACTS:

Nicholas S. Warrender, Vice Chairman and COO of LFTD Partners, and CEO of Lifted Made

Phone: 224-577-8148

Email: CEO@LiftedMade.com

William C. "Jake" Jacobs, President and CFO of LFTD Partners and of Lifted Made

Phone: 847-400-7660

Email: JakeJacobs@LFTDPartners.com

SOURCE: LFTD Partners Inc.



View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692583/LFTD-Partners-Inc-to-Present-at-the-Roth-Conference-on-March-15-2022
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Advance United Holdings Inc. (CSE: AUHI) (FSE: 9I0) (the "Company", or "Advance United" or "AU") is pleased to announce the company's commitment to the advancement of the Au Marketplace with open source technologies.

"Free and Open Source Software ("FOSS") offers indisputable benefits over closed-source alternatives," states Mr. Kevin Glendenning, Chief Technology Officer of Advance United. "The security, flexibility and cost afford us the opportunity to greatly enhance the Au Marketplace products by leveraging existing code without additional investment."

The Au Marketplace is being developed to bring together property owners and producers in a vertically integrated community. By leveraging open source geostatistical, visualisation, and modelling tools such as Quantum GIS and Geoscience ANALYST, Advance United will be able to offer property owners, producers, and investors a means of assessing properties in a way that wasn't previously available in a single tool. These technologies allow the company to integrate leading 3rd party platforms including artificial intelligence, crowdsourcing, and open registries.

"While businesses and governments are investing in efforts to migrate existing infrastructure components to open source software, we have taken an open source first approach at Advance United," states Mr. Glendenning. "Our technology stack is built on the FOSS model from the beginning and we're excited about the competitive advantage this grants us in an industry that traditionally relies on proprietary software."

"Examples of open source dominating the market are everywhere." Mr. Glendenning goes on to say, "The most interesting projects in the world - and out of this world - are built on open source. US Air Traffic Control, NASA's Curiosity Rover, and the International Space Station all leverage open source technologies in their mission-critical systems. The largest exchange, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Euronext, has been running on Linux since 2008. Their systems generate 1,500,000 quotes and process 250,000 orders every second, offering acknowledgments of each transaction within two milliseconds."1

FOSS is a cornerstone of Advance United's operations, offering its users a greatly enhanced feature set which otherwise wouldn't be possible without significant investment. The Company is committed to ethical technological sustainability and looks forward to contributing its own software development efforts back to the open source community.

"As the former U.S. Chief Information Officer Tony Scott, co-author of the Federal Source Code policy, blogged 'This is, after all, the People's code. Explore it. Learn from it. Improve it. Use it to propel America's next breakthrough in innovation,'" concludes Mr. Glendenning.

About Advance United Holdings Inc.

Advance United brings an entirely different approach to the mining industry. We don't mine. Rather, we've acquired a portfolio of undervalued gold properties and are increasing their value through the application of modern technology. We have a growing pipeline of similar properties that we are looking to acquire. And now we've launched the Au Marketplace. A first of its kind digital platform that connects owners of mineral commodities and deposits with developers and producers.

We are involved exclusively in the acquisition and advancement of past projects - with no intent to bring them back into production or to mine them ourselves. Our expertise is in identifying and acquiring undervalued properties with significant historical work, which were uneconomic at the time, but we believe have economic value at today's prices.

We fund the development of re-working historic data and applying modern technology to underwrite new qualified reports, document quantifiable resources and reserves to current standards, thereby recognizing the current value.

Our purpose is to bring immediate and long-term value to our partners and shareholders while seeking to eliminate exploration risk, so that we can all advance united in the shortest possible time frame.

For additional information about us, our projects, or to find out how you can list your project in the Au Marketplace, visit www.advanceunited.ca.

Advance United, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange in Canada under the symbol "AUHI" and the Borse Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany under the symbol "9I0."

Contact Information

James Atkinson, P. Geo., CEO

Email: jim.atkinson@advanceunited.ca

Tel: (647) 278-7502

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

This news release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the trading of the Company's securities and the focus of the Company's business. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company's ability to increase the value of its current and future mineral exploration properties and, in connection therewith, any long-term shareholder value, the Company's ability to mitigate or eliminate exploration risk, and the Company's intention to develop a portfolio of historic gold properties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the Company will continue its business as described above. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and other periodic filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law.

1 https://www.pcworld.com/article/481872/how_linux_mastered_wall_street.html

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116324
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 10, 2022 / Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE:ELEM)(OTC PINK:ELMGF)(FSE:7YS) ("Element79 Gold", the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a Letter of Intent ("LOI") to acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of Calipuy and all of its assets and undertakings of Calipuy Resources Inc. ("Calipuy") which holds 100% interest in two past producing high-grade gold-silver mines: the Lucero mine ("Lucero"), one of the highest-grade underground mines in Peru's history(1) at grades averaging 19.0 g/t Au Equivalent "Au Eq" (14.0 g/t gold and 373 g/t silver),(2) as well as the Machacala Project ("Machacala") which averaged production grades of 10.5 g/t Au Eq (6.0 g/t gold and 340 g/t silver).(5) Operations were suspended in 2005 at Lucero and 1991 at Machacala due to the persistence of low gold and silver prices at the time.

"Element79 Gold believes Lucero has the potential to be a world class deposit. Lucero and Machacala being recent past producing mines have the potential to be producers again in the near term," remarked James Tworek, President and CEO of Element79 Gold. "Peru has a mining friendly legislation that allows up to 350 tpd production while larger scale production permitting is underway. Element79 Gold intends to pursue the opportunities aggressively."

Lucero Project

Formerly operated as the Shila mine from 1989 to 2005, Lucero consists of 10,805 hectares located in the Shila range of southern Peru, which contains several historic high grade gold-silver mines.(1) Lucero consistently delivered high grades during 16 years of operations, and between 1998 and 2004 reported production averaging approximately 18,800 ounces of gold and 435,000 ounces of silver per year at grades of 19.0 g/t Au Eq (14.0 g/t gold and 373 g/t silver),(2) with recoveries at the ore processing facility averaging 94.5% for gold and 85.5% for silver.(1)

A recent NI 43-101 report has been prepared for the Lucero Project by Mining Plus. Samples collected by the Qualified Person (the "QP") returned up to 116.8 g/t Au Eq (78.7g/t Au and 2,856 g/t Ag).(1) Due to a lack of historical data, the project does not host any 43-101 compliant or historic resources. However, access to the historic workings is available, and the QP states the Project is underexplored and has significant exploration potential for extension of known veins, and to discover additional veins. (1)

Lucero is one of many low-sulphidation epithermal Au-Ag deposits hosted in tertiary volcanics of the Central Andes Cordillera of southern Peru. The project hosts 74 recognized epithermal veins, 14 of which have been partially exploited. The project also hosts unexplored high-sulphidation style mineralization which have returned 33.6 g/t Au at surface samples. High grade 'bonanza-style' direct shipping ore was mined in the past from low-to-intermediate-sulphidation quartz-carbonate massive sulphide veins. Prospecting by previous operator Condor Resources Inc. ("Condor") from 2012 to 2020 identified the high-sulphidation epithermal alteration zone with structures that returned peak sample values of 80.1 g/t Au Eq (33.4 g/t Au and 3,500 g/t Ag). This alteration zone, measuring approximately 1,300 metres by 1,400 metres, exhibited no evidence of prior sampling or drilling and is believed to host potential for a bulk tonnage disseminated gold-silver deposit.(1)

"Lucero offers a rare opportunity to explore for not only an underground high-grade low sulphidation system but potentially an open pit-able high sulphidation system as well," stated Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P.Geo, Director of Element79 Gold, "This project has never experienced modern exploration techniques and I am very confident that significant gold-silver resources are to be found."

Three-phase electrical energy from the national grid is available in the town of Chachas 40km from the property. Subject to permitting, surface water is available in streams and small lakes throughout the year. Structures endowed with precious metals have been exploited at Lucero and surrounding areas by artisanal and formal miners over many years. Mining activity targeting high-grade veins is thought to date back to the Inca period.(2)

A 0.5% NSR is retained by Sandstorm Gold Ltd., one of the largest gold royalty companies in the world.(2)

Machacala Mine

Machacala consists of over 4,000 hectares located in the District of Carabamba, Province of Julcan, Department of La Libertad. In 2004, Gold Hawk Resources, Inc. ("Gold Hawk") estimated a total inferred resource of 420,000 Au Eq ounces hosted within 1,560,000 tonnes, which equates to a gold equivalent grade of 8.4g/t, however individual gold and silver grades were not reported.(6) This historic estimate is the most recent historic resource estimate relevant to Machacala, uses only the categories set out in Sections 1.2 and 1.3 of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and was prepared to the quality and rigour as defined by NI 43-101 standards in 2004. A qualified person has not conducted sufficient work on the historical estimate required to categorize this resource to the CIM definition of a current mineral resource, which may include the preparation of a new NI 43-101 Technical Report. Element79 Gold is not treating this historic estimate as current mineral resources and a qualified person has not reviewed the work to define the quality of work associated with this historic estimate.

Machacala was first commercially mined in the 1950s before being acquired and operated by Minera Santa Isabel, S.A. from 1979 to 1991 which mined 230,000 metric tonnes averaging 10.5 g/t Au Eq (6.0 g/t Au and 340 g/t Ag) representing 78,000 Au Eq ounces.(6) Operations were suspended in 1991 due to the persistence of a low gold ($360/oz) and silver ($3.81/oz) price. Neighboring concessions include those owned by Fortescue Metals Group (ASX Listed) and by Fresnillo Peru S.A.C., a subsidiary of Fresnillo plc (LSE Listed).(4,5)

The project was most recently explored by Gold Hawk and Meridian Gold between 1997 and 2004, with a total of 8,500m in 45 core and RC drill holes completed. Highlights of this drilling include 11.6 g/t Au Eq (11.32 g/t Au and 23.6 g/t Ag) over 3.7m in the Casa Fuerza vein, and 15.7 g/t Au Eq (13.55 g/t Au and 164 g/t Ag) in the Fragua vein. Machacala hosts multiple low-sulphidation epithermal Au-Ag veins, of which only four have been only modestly exploited.(4)

"Machacala possesses significant historical data, as well as 8,500 meters of recent drilling, which will streamline the definition of NI 43-101 compliant resources," commented Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P.Geo, Director of Element79 Gold. "The project is also at a low elevation and has excellent infrastructure which will facilitate returning the project to production."

Figure. 1 Location Map of the Lucero and Machacala Projects.

Terms of the Letter of Intent

Under the terms of the LOI, Element79 will acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of Calipuy and all of its assets and undertakings, subject to the completion of satisfactory due diligence, and the execution of a Definitive Agreement. On closing of the Transaction, Element79 Gold will issue common shares (the "Consideration Shares") to Calipuy's shareholders having an aggregate deemed value of USD$15 million at an issue price of CAD$1.07 per share. All share issuances will be paid in CAD denominated shares with the USD exchange rate to be specified in the Definitive Agreement.

Shares issued to shareholders who hold greater than 8% of the issued and outstanding shares of Calipuy (approximately 90% of the common shares issued in the transaction) will become freely trading in two equal portions following holding periods of 6, and 12 months from the execution of the Definitive Agreement. Shares issued to shareholders who hold less than 8% of the issued and outstanding shares of Calipuy (approximately 10% of the common shares issued in the transaction) will become freely trading following a holding period of 4 months and one day from the execution of the Definitive Agreement. These voluntary escrow provisions are in addition to resale restrictions that may be imposed under applicable securities laws.

In addition, Calipuy has the ability to earn a Performance Bonus of an additional 20% warrant coverage paid in Consideration Shares, to be paid upon the properties reaching a minimum production target of 9,000 tons of ore yielding a minimum of 1,500 ounces of gold over a 30 day production period within 3 years from the execution of the Definitive Agreement. This Performance Bonus will be paid in warrants of Element79 Gold stock, priced at CAD $2.00 with a 3-year duration from their date of issue.

The directors of Calipuy will also be entitled to recommend two directors to the Element79 Gold board of directors, which will expand to 5 directors in total.

The proposed transaction is considered a related party transaction as the Company's COO is also a significant shareholder of Calipuy. The LOI was approved by the directors of the Company who are all arm's length to Calipuy and any interested parties.

"The Peruvian projects complement our recent Nevada acquisitions," Mr. Tworek stated. "Whereas Nevada brings scale with Maverick Springs's NI 43-101 compliant 3.7Moz Au Eq Open Pit inferred resource, Peru brings high-grades and the potential for near term production."

The Company is also pleased to announce that, pursuant to FINRA Rule 6432, it is in the final stages of filing its Form 211.

All gold Equivalent calculations were performed using $1,650/oz gold, and $22/oz silver in line with the Company's Maverick Springs 43-101 resource estimate, (see news release January 31st, 2022).

Qualified Person

The technical information in this release has been reviewed and verified by Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo., Director of Element79 Gold and a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Element79 Gold

Element79 Gold is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mining properties for gold and associated metals. Element79 Gold has acquired its flagship Maverick Springs Project located in the famous gold mining district of northeastern Nevada, USA, between the Elko and White Pine Counties, where it has recently completed a 43-101-compliant, pit-constrained mineral resource estimate reflecting an Inferred resource of 3.71 million ounces of gold equivalent (AuEq; 68.9 g/t silver equivalent) with an effective date of Feb. 4, 2022. The acquisition of the Maverick Springs Project also included a portfolio of 15 properties along the Battle Mountain trend in Nevada, which the Company is analyzing for further merit of exploration, along with the potential for sale or spin-out. In British Columbia, Element79 Gold has executed a Letter of Intent to acquire a private company which holds the option to 100% interest of the Snowbird High-Grade Gold Project, which consists of 10 mineral claims located in Central British Columbia, approximately 20km west of Fort St. James. In Peru, Element79 Gold has signed a letter of intent to acquire the business and assets of Calipuy Resources Inc., which holds 100% interest in the Lucero Mine, one of the highest-grade underground mines to be commercially mined in Peru's history, as well as the Machacala Mine. The Company also has an option to acquire 100% interest in the Dale Property which consists of 90 unpatented mining claims located approximately 100 km southwest of Timmins, Ontario, Canada in the Timmins Mining Division, Dale Township.

For more information about the Company, please visit www.element79.gold

Contact Information

For corporate matters, please contact:

James C. Tworek, Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: jt@element79gold.com

For investor relations inquiries, please contact:

Investor Relations Department

Phone: +1 (604) 200-3608

E-mail: investors@element79gold.com

Technical Disclaimer

This news release and related maps contain information about adjacent properties and properties with similar characteristics on which the Company has no right to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties or properties that share similar characteristics are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties. Readers are also cautioned that this news release contains historical technical information which is based on prior data prepared by previous property owners. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to confirm such information; significant data compilation, re-drilling, re-sampling and data verification may be required to do so.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the proposed transaction with Calipuy and its security holders; the expected terms of the transaction; the prospects for exploration and development at the Lucero and Machacala projects, including that the projects may be able to be put into production in the near term; exploration plans for the Company and Calipuy's projects; prospects for the Lucero and Machacala projects relative to adjacent properties; the terms for issuance of securities, and the proposed escrow thereof; the Company's business strategy; future planning processes; exploration activities; the timing and result of exploration activities; capital projects and exploration activities and the possible results thereof; acquisition opportunities; and the impact of acquisitions, if any, on the Company. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "forecast", "potential", "target", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements".

Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the parties may not be satisfied with their due diligence and may not proceed with the proposed transaction; the parties may not enter into a Definitive Agreement, or may not complete the transaction; the Canadian Securities Exchange may object to the transaction as proposed in whole or in part; the Company may not have sufficient financing to carry out its business plan; the duration and effects of the coronavirus and COVID-19; risks related to the integration of acquisitions; actual results of exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; commodity prices; variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; actual performance of plant, equipment or processes relative to specifications and expectations; accidents; labour relations; relations with local communities; changes in national or local governments; changes in applicable legislation or application thereof; delays in obtaining approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; exchange rate fluctuations; requirements for additional capital; government regulation; environmental risks; reclamation expenses; outcomes of pending litigation; limitations on insurance coverage as well as those factors discussed in the Company's other public disclosure documents, available on www.sedar.com . Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

Sources

Element 79 Gold makes no warranty as to the completeness, accuracy, verifiability, or suitableness of any of the information contained on the following third-party links and expressly undertakes no obligation to update the following links.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220308020414/https://condorresources.com/portfolio/lucero/ https://web.archive.org/web/20220308020532/https://www.sandstormgold.com/our-royalties/lucero/ https://web.archive.org/web/20220308020649/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1397970/000118374013000409/f8k08162013ex99-2.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20220308020657/https://www.affinitygold.com/machacala-highlights https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/Gold_Hawk_Buys_Machala_Project Gold Hawk Resources Inc News Release, 2004-04-26

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Element79 Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692601/Element79-Gold-to-Acquire-High-Grade-Peruvian-Gold-Portfolio
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Harvest One Cannabis Inc. (TSXV: HVT) (OTCQB: HRVOF) ("Harvest One" or the "Company"), a CPG leader uniquely positioned in both the OTC and cannabis space with a focus on non-infused and cannabis-infused health and wellness products, announced today that its subsidiares DreamWater TM and LivRelief TM have signed a sales and distribution agreement (the "Agreement") with leading distributor Pharmtick Limited ("Pharmtick"), based in Nigeria, Africa, to further expand their international distribution networks. Under the Agreement, Pharmtick will sell and distribute DreamWater TM and LivRelief TM products throughout Africa, for a term of three years.

"Aligning our core brands with one of Africa's leading healthcare and wellness distributors is an important step in the continuing advancement of Harvest One's international distribution strategy," said Gord Davey President and Chief Executive Officer of Harvest One. "Global expansion is a key priority for Harvest One. Our e-commerce sales in North America have grown significantly and expanded the reach of our brands. Gaining access to additional international markets, such as Africa, is an important milestone for Harvest One. Pharmtick has access to online distribution throughout several prominent countries in Africa and we strongly believe that Pharmtick is the right partner to lead our marketing and product awareness efforts in a new continent."

Pharmtick is a leading African consumer goods distributor representing prominent brands such as Pfizer, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, TEVA, Actavis, Accord and Vitabiotics. Pharmtick has a growing number of leading over-the-counter products including cold, flu, allergy, heartburn and immune booster products.

For more information on Pharmtick please visit their website at: www.pharmtick.com

About Harvest One

Harvest One is a global cannabis-infused and non-infused CPG leader that develops and distributes premium health, wellness and selfcare products with a market focus on solutions for sleeplessness and pain, resulting in the reduction of fatigue and anxiety. Harvest One is a uniquely positioned company in the cannabis space which is commercializing both cannabis-infused and non-infused products. Harvest One has established an impressive track record in product innovation, branding, marketing and distribution through its portfolio of CPG brands. Harvest One owns and operates two subsidiaries; DreamWaterTM and LivReliefTM. For more information, please visit www.harvestone.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates, and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements with respect to the magnitude of expansion of the Company's products into Africa, the continued success of the Company's international distribution strategy, global expansion being a key priority for the Company, growth of e-commerce sales of the Company in the future, additional access to international markets, the success of the transactions contemplated under the Agreement, future increased revenues and sustainable success of the Company, and future expansion plans, initiatives and strategies of the Company.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's operations; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the cannabis markets where the Company operates; changing consumer habits; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; employee relations and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution, and sale of cannabis and cannabis-related products in the markets where the Company operates. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

Additional information regarding this and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's AIF, and under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis dated March 1, 2022, for the three months ended December 31, 2021, filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Investor Relations:

Jack Tasse

Chief Financial Officer

IR@harvestone.com

1-877-915-7934

47893876.5

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116338








The first person to receive a heart transplant from a genetically modified pig has died two months after the medical milestone, the hospital that carried out the surgery said Wednesday.







The procedure raised hopes that advances in cross-species organ donation could one day solve the chronic shortage of human organs available for donation, and the team behind the operation say they are "optimistic" about its future success.







David Bennett, 57, had received his transplant Jan. 7 and passed away March 8, the University of Maryland Medical System said in a statement.







"There was no obvious cause identified at the time of his death," a hospital spokesman told AFP, adding that physicians were carrying out a review that would be published in a scientific journal.







Muhammad Mohiuddin, director of the university's cardiac xenotransplantation program, did however say in a video statement that Bennett was having "infectious episodes."







"We were having difficulty maintaining a balance between his immunosuppression and controlling his infection," he said.







Bennett's condition began deteriorating several days ago. After it became clear that he would not recover, he was given compassionate palliative care. He was able to communicate with his family during his final hours, a hospital statement said.







Following surgery, the transplanted heart had performed very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection, the hospital added.







Bennett was able to spend time with family, participated in physical therapy, watched the Super Bowl and spoke often about wanting to go home to see his dog Lucky.







"He proved to be a brave and noble patient who fought all the way to the end. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family," said Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who led the procedure.







Bennett came to the hospital in the eastern US state of Maryland in October 2021.







He was bed-ridden and placed on an emergency life support machine. He had been deemed ineligible for human transplant  a decision that is often taken when the recipient has very poor underlying health.







Mohiuddin said that the team had "gained invaluable insights" from the experience, adding: "We remain optimistic and plan on continuing our work in future clinical trials."







Reporting in US media also revealed Bennett was convicted of stabbing a man several times in 1988, leaving the victim paralyzed and wheelchair bound before he died in 2005.







Medical ethicists hold that a person's past criminal history should have no bearing on their future treatment.







David Bennett Jr. stands next to his father's hospital bed in Baltimore, Jan. 12, in this photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. AP-Yonhap









About 110,000 Americans are currently waiting an organ transplant, and more than 6,000 patients die each year before getting one, according to official figures.







To meet demand, doctors have long been interested in so-called xenotransplantation, or cross-species organ donation, with experiments tracing back to the 17th century.







Early research focused on harvesting organs from primates  for example, a baboon heart was transplanted into a newborn known as "Baby Fae" in 1984, but she survived only 20 days.







More recently, attention has turned toward pigs. Today, pig heart valves are widely used in humans, and pig skin is grafted on human burn victims.







Pigs make for ideal donors because their organ size is similar to that of humans, they grow rapidly and have large litters. They are also already raised as a food source, so there is less controversy surrounding their organs' use compared to primates'.







Bennett's donor pig belonged to a herd that had undergone genetic editing procedures.







Three genes that would have led to rejection of pig organs by humans were "knocked out," as was a gene that would have led to excessive growth of pig heart tissue.







Six human genes responsible for human acceptance were inserted into the genome, for a total of 10 unique gene edits.







The editing was performed by Virginia-based biotech firm Revivicor, which also supplied the animals used in three recent pig-to-human kidney transplants.







But while those procedures were carried out on brain dead recipients as proof-of-concept experiments, the surgery on Bennett was the first to actually help a patient who went on to live after the procedure. (AFP)


Vibe's newest dispensary, located in Ukiah, California, opens its doors to the public

Sacramento, California--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Vibe Growth Corporation (CSE: VIBE) (OTCQX: VIBEF) (FSE: A061) (the "Company" or "Vibe"), a vertically integrated California cannabis enterprise, is pleased to announce it has received all the necessary local and state regulatory approvals for the opening of its newest dispensary location in Ukiah, California.

The new Vibe By California branded Ukiah dispensary located at 441 State Street N, conveniently situated in the heart of Ukiah's vibrant downtown core, will open its doors to the public for adult-use sales on Friday, March 11, 2022.

The Ukiah store hours are from 9 am to 9 pm and will provide residents and visitors to the Mendocino Valley with a wide selection of leading cannabis brands and products. Vibe's Ukiah dispensary will offer a curated product assortment featuring top-tier California brands and the Company's Hype Cannabis Co. marijuana product lineup. Online ordering with same-day express pickup is available at www.vibebycalifornia.com.

Mark Waldron, CEO of Vibe stated, "We are thrilled to be opening our doors to the Ukiah community, and we look forward to providing our customers with the largest selection of premium cannabis products and a wonderful retail experience."

Ukiah is Vibe's seventh retail dispensary as the Company continues to expand its retail footprint. Vibe's California retail stores span locations in Sacramento, Stockton, Redding, Palm Springs, Salinas, and Ukiah, in addition to its Portland, Oregon dispensary.

About Vibe Growth Corporation

Vibe Growth Corporation and its cannabis retail brand, Vibe By California, is a trusted, vertically integrated California cannabis enterprise with retail dispensaries; cannabis greenhouse cultivation; premium indoor cultivation; commercial cannabis distribution; brand sales and marketing; e-commerce platform; home delivery; and Hype Cannabis Co. marijuana and Vibe CBD products. In California, Vibe is focused on maximizing shareholder value through accelerating organic growth, opportunistic acquisitions, distressed workouts, and new license applications. The Company operates retail and e-commerce under its iconic Vibe By California brand.

To learn more about Vibe, please visit: www.vibebycalifornia.com

Company Contact

Bill Mitoulas

Phone: +1 416.479.9547

Email: ir@vibebycalifornia.com

Website: www.vibebycalifornia.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Product & Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the parties' current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events, and may be impacted as a result of general economic conditions or the ongoing COVID-19 endemic. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the Company's expectations of revenue, EBITDA profitability and adjusted funds flow, higher sales volumes, and the Company's retail operations. Actual future results may differ materially.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the parties are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties, and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Risk factors related to the Company are described in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any State securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. securities laws.

Unlike in Canada which has Federal legislation uniformly governing the cultivation, distribution, sale, and possession of medical cannabis under the Cannabis Act (Federal), readers are cautioned that in the U.S., cannabis is largely regulated at the State level. To the knowledge of Vibe Growth Corporation, there are to date a total of 33 states, plus the District of Columbia, that have legalized cannabis in some form. Notwithstanding the permissive regulatory environment of medical cannabis at the State level, cannabis continues to be categorized as a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act in the U.S. and as such, cannabis related practices or activities, including without limitation, the manufacture, importation, possession, use or distribution of cannabis are illegal under U.S. federal law. Strict compliance with state laws concerning cannabis will neither absolve Vibe of liability under the U.S. Federal law nor will it provide a defense to any Federal proceeding, which may be brought against Vibe Growth Corporation. Any such proceedings brought against Vibe may adversely affect its operations and financial performance.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116342
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Solis Minerals Ltd. (ASX: SLM) (TSXV: SLMN) (FSE: 08W) ("Solis Minerals" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has engaged, subject to regulatory approval, Corporate Storytime to assist with the Company's investor relations and promotional activities, with primary focus on the Australian market.

Founded and managed by finance professionals, Corporate Storytime draws on 50 years of combined equity market experience to generate positive shareholder outcomes. They are the only IR firm in Australia to utilise big-data software, yet continue to focus on a winning one-on-one approach.

CEO Jason Cubitt commented:

"We are excited to formally add Corporate Storytime to our team. Stephen Moloney clearly understands the ASX market, and I look forward to a larger investor audience in Australia to champion our copper projects at Mostazal and in Peru."

Under the terms of the agreement, Corporate Storytime will receive A$5,000 per month. The agreement will continue for an initial three months, which can be extended. Corporate Storytime and Solis Minerals are unrelated and unaffiliated entities.

About Solis Minerals Ltd.

Solis Minerals is a Latin American-focused mining exploration company. The Company is earning into a 100% interest in the Mostazal Copper Project in Chile's Atacama Desert, one of the world's premier copper production jurisdictions. The Company also holds a 100% interest in a package of highly prospective IOCG (iron oxide copper/gold) and porphyry copper projects in southwestern Peru within the country's prolific coastal copper belt - a source of nearly half of Peru's copper production.

Issued on the directive of the board of Solis.

For further information please contact:

Jason Cubitt

President and CEO

Solis Minerals Ltd.

+01 (604) 209 1658

Stephen Moloney

Investor Relations

Corporate Storytime

+61 (0)403 222 052

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116337
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - US Copper Corp (TSXV: USCU) (OTCQB: USCUF) (FSE: C73) ("US Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has signed a drilling contract with Timberline Drilling Inc. to drill a minimum of 10,000 feet ("ft") at the Engels deposit, part of US Copper's Moonlight-Superior Copper Project in Plumas County, California.

This drill program will target an 800 ft by 400 ft by 700 ft envelope of open-pit grade copper mineralization surrounding the historic underground Engels Mine. This mineralization was initially recognized in underground drill holes during the 1915-1930 mining operation but was considered too low-grade for exploitation in an underground mine. More recent historical surface drilling, which was primarily focused on defining shallow copper oxide mineralization, encountered substantial thicknesses of good open pit grade copper sulfide mineralization:

DH#



From

(ft) To

(ft) Interval (ft)



Cu %



Comments



07E07 0 65 65 0.67 2007, Sheffield, oxide and 269 374 105 0.45 sulfide and 564 728 164 0.87 sulfide 07E18 125 257 132 1.20 2007, Sheffield, sulfide 08E37 282 394 112 0.59 2008, Sheffield, sulfide



"This mineralization is not closed off in any direction and has the potential to be a stand-alone, open pit copper mine on its own," commented Stephen Dunn, US Copper's President and CEO. "In conjunction with the Moonlight deposit and the Superior deposit, which was enhanced by last year's drill program, the combined 3-pit resource has the potential to be a long-lived profitable mining operation. Drilling is scheduled to start in the spring based on drill rig availability."

The Engels copper deposit is located about 6,000 ft (1,830 metres ("m")) east of our Moonlight deposit and 11,000 ft (335 m) north of the Superior deposit. Engels was mined in the 1915-1930 period, yielding approximately 2.7 million tons at a grade of 2.2 % copper. Mine workings are extensive and include many tens of thousands of feet of drifts, crosscuts, and stopes on ten levels accessed by adits and six levels accessed from a winze sunk from the No. 10 level.

Geologically, the Engels deposit lies outside the eastern margin of the Lights Creek quartz monzonite stock in an area of gabbroic intrusives and metavolcanic roof pendants. Engels is structurally-controlled in a shear zone striking northeast and dipping steeply. Mined and processed ore occurs in an 800 ft by 60 ft (240 m by 20 m) pipe like zone and is associated with breccias that exhibit features characteristic of both intrusion and hydrothermal breccia. Narrow high-grade ore shoots were mined to depths of up to 2,000 ft (600 m), and historical drilling indicates that good grade mineralization extends at least another 300 ft (91 m) down ~2,300 ft (670 m) below surface (16th level). The principal sulfide ore minerals are bornite and chalcopyrite, and copper grades exceeding 15% Cu have been encountered in several 6.5 ft (2 m) core intercepts. Remaining known significant copper mineralization from historical workings and drill holes varies from 0.2% Cu to well over 1.0%.

Copper mineralization at Engels is strongly oxidized to depths >230 ft (70 m) over an area of at least~1,000 ft by >300 ft. Assay analysis for sulfuric acid soluble copper in a portion of samples from the post-2004 drilling indicate copper oxides represent 90% of total copper within these depths. Copper oxide minerals consist primarily as malachite with lesser chryscolla and azurite.

US Copper had a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") prepared on its Moonlight deposit in 2018 that showed positive economics at $3.15 copper. It was determined that providing higher grade ore from our Superior and/or Engels deposits into the Moonlight mine plan would substantially enhance the Project's economics by increasing cash flows in the initial years of production. The recently completed drill program at Superior was designed specifically for that purpose, and this Engels drill program will outline a second starter pit for the Moonlight plant. Ultimately, the updated Engels and Superior resources will be incorporated into a revised Moonlight PEA.

The Company also announces that incentive stock options to purchase up to 400,000 common shares have been granted to various consultants of the Company pursuant to the Company's stock option plan and are subject to any regulatory approval. Each stock option vests immediately and is exercisable at $0.10 for a period of three years from the grant date.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by George Cole, M.Sc., Director of US Copper who is a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. George Cole is a Registered Professional Geologist through AIPG (CPG-11687).

About US Copper Corp

US Copper controls approximately 13 square miles of patented and unpatented federal mining claims in the Light's Creek Copper District in Plumas County, NE California; essentially, the entire District. The District contains substantial copper (silver) sulfide and copper oxide resources in three deposits - Moonlight, Superior and Engels, as well as several partially tested and untested exploration targets.

The Superior and Engels Mines operated from about 1915-1930 producing over 161 million pounds of copper from over 4 million tons of rock containing 2.2% copper with silver and gold credits.

The Moonlight Deposit was discovered and drilled by Placer Amex during the 1960's. Details of the resources on US Copper's property and the parameters used to calculate them can be found in the "Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Moonlight Deposit, Moonlight-Superior Copper Project, California, USA" dated April 12, 2018, on both the company's website at www.uscoppercorp.com or on www.sedar.com under the US Copper Corp profile.

For Further Information Contact:

Mr. Stephen Dunn, President, CEO and Director, US Copper Corp (416) 361-2827 or email info@uscoppercorp.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward-looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including "will", "hopes", "anticipates", "expected to", "plans", "planned", "intends" and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Company's management discussion and analysis as filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116343
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Giga Metals Corp. (TSXV: GIGA) (OTCQX: HNCKF) ("Giga Metals" or the "Company") announces today that further to its press release dated February 8, 2022 in respect of an overnight marketed public offering of units (the "Offering"), which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, the over-allotment option granted to the underwriters under the Offering, which was partially exercised on the closing date of the Offering on February 8, 2022, has expired and no further exercise occurred since the closing date of the Offering.



About Giga Metals Corporation

Giga Metals Corporation is focused on metals critical to modern batteries, especially those used in Electric Vehicles and Energy Storage. The Company's core asset is the Turnagain Project, located in northern British Columbia, which contains one of the few significant undeveloped sulphide nickel and cobalt resources in the world. The Company is also exploring for sediment hosted copper deposits in Brazil.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Mark Jarvis"

Mark Jarvis, CEO

GIGA METALS CORPORATION

Tel - 604 681 2300

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Suite 203 -700 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 1G8

T: 604-681-2300 E: info@gigametals.com W: www.gigametals.com



Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116361
TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Friday release January figures for household spending, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Household spending is expected to fall 3.0 percent on month but rise 3.6 percent on year after adding 0.1 percent on month and losing 0.2 percent on year in December. Japan also will see Q1 results for the BSI large manufacturing index; in the previous three months, manufacturing was up 7.9 percent on quarter. South Korea will provide January numbers for current account; in December, the current account surplus was $6.06 billion. The Philippines will see January data for imports, exports and trade balance. In December, imports were up 38.3 percent on year and exports rose 7.1 percent, resulting in a trade deficit of $5.213 billion. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
We are all used to thinking that the most powerful instrument of building a professional profile is a resume. Of course, no one doubts that a CV is a prerequisite for a successful career path. But have you ever considered other existing alternatives? Why not use all the opportunities provided to us by the 21st century?

Social media is one of the most popular ways to present oneself. Moreover, you can choose which side of your personality you want to demonstrate. It depends on the type of work you seek. You may show all your creative potential or emphasize your serious attitude and devotion.

Still, creating a professional page on Linkedin or Facebook does not mean it can replace a formal resume. A CV can be attached to your profile so that a potential employer could notice you at once. To ensure your online presence is arranged properly, it is best to choose your top rated resume writer service as a kind of assistant. Remember that success comes after hard work, so even social media activity may happen to be difficult at first.

Even so, building an online presence is a significant contribution to your future career growth. Thus, it is recommended not to neglect social media pages even while still studying at the university. The sooner you start, the quicker results you get. Below you will find some reasons to start your online activities as soon as possible.

Source: Unsplash

Increase Visibility

Nowadays, having no pages on social media is like having no voice in society. Indeed, can you even be considered alive if you do not appear online? In such a case, you must be either a toddler or a senior. Briefly speaking, a person who is unable to work. But if you are a job seeker, neglecting social media is not a losing game.

One of the most important ways to promote yourself or your business online is to create a blog and post high-quality content. It is a long-term strategy of creating a professional image, so it will not pay off overnight. Still, the importance of online marketing must be understood by every entrepreneur and freelancer.

Establish Connections

Business relations are the most valuable element of professional development. But what can be a better way to establish them rather than social media communication? For example, LinkedIn groups are a great instrument of a quick connection with people in a particular field. You can also promote your business through such groups. Of course, it is best to bring something valuable to the audience before throwing in your links.

Take Confidence-Building Measures

Modern people tend not to believe advertisements. They are so used to getting marketing messages every day that their trust is gradually perishing. Instead, they follow the recommendations of other users before buying some goods or services. The same situation is with professional profiles. For example, in Linkedin, people may leave comments about ones professional activity and achieved results.

If your page is advanced enough and you get a lot of positive reviews, there is a chance you will be noticed by hiring managers of large companies. Todays recommendations are much shorter than they used to be, but now the quality is way more important than length.

Become Valuable to the Audience

Even if you are already working and do not need social media to find a job, you still can be beneficial to your followers. Start sharing professional recommendations useful for those who are a novice in the field. In such a case you will kill two birds with one stone: help people and increase your authority.

For example, in Facebook, there are two types of pages available:

Company/brand;

Community/public figure.

If you are an entrepreneur offering products or services  the first type is suitable. This way, you can promote a brand or attract interested people through advertising. If you plan to increase the number of followers, communicate with them, and organize email distribution,  choose the second option.

Promote Your Brand

Previous passages were devoted to the development of ones career profile. But what about brands? How can social media help businesses flourish? Image formation is one of the primary tasks for a start-up company. For an enterprise that has already conquered its economic sector, building awareness is the way to increase the reach of the target audience and sales.

Here are some of the most valuable outcomes one can get if promoting a brand online:

Setting apart from the competitors.

Increasing the target audience, website conversion, trust, and customer loyalty.

Speeding up transactions.

Building a professional team. The more popular the company, the more specialists seek to work in it.

Presenting new products in the market effectively and quickly.

Setting prices above the market average.

Offline VS Online: Which One is Better

The online audience is much wider, so it can be influenced more quickly and effectively.

Social media platforms ensure a high speed of dissemination of information.

The online activity allows you to control the results and correct information.

Doing business online gives quick responses and feedback from clients.

Online promotion usually costs less than offline methods.

Final Words

No doubt, promoting a personal brand or business online takes time. But if you provide something of value and show passion for your activity, you are sure to succeed. Remember that sharing your experience, demonstrating results, avoiding common resume mistakes and interacting with people are the best ways to form your professional image.
Clinia Founding Team, L-R: Simon Bedard, CEO; Etienne Soulard Geoffrion, Tech Lead; Felix La Rocque Carrier, Data & Analytics Lead (CNW Group/Clinia)

Clinia, a Montreal, Canada-based personalized health navigation platform, raised $5m CAD in Seed funding.

The round was led by AQC Capital with participation from Anges Quebec, Groupe Benoit, Kastello, and Formentera Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to scale the growth of its health search infrastructure across North America, double the size of its 25-person team over the next year, with a continued focus on the expansion of its product, engineering, and data teams.

Led by Simon Bedard, CEO, Clinia enables organizations to leverage first-party health and demographic data to deliver personalized health navigation, connecting patients into trusted pathways within the health ecosystems of care providers, health systems, insurers, employers, and other health tech startups.

Its health search infrastructure currently supports organizations like Teladoc, Dialogue, and Telus Health to deliver personalized health navigation experiences for patients and their care teams.

Clinia makes it easy for any organization to integrate and catalog diverse resources and datasets from internal and third party sources, and implement the personalized Search API to create a unified navigation experience for clinicians, care teams, and patients. In 2021, the company delivered over 1 million unique searches across Canada through its platform.

FinSMEs

10/03/2022
Maxwell Biosciences, an Austin, TX-based preclinical stage drug platform company, raised $10.8M in Seed funding.

The round was led by DecentraNet with participation from Star Lake Bioventures, Joseph Ventures, Keiretsu Forum and members of Harvard Business School Angels.



The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the development of its innovative platform, recruit and retain talent, pursue clinical trials, and scale up manufacturing capabilities.



Led by CEO Joshua McClure, Maxwell Biosciencesis is developing a peptidomimetic drug platform that outputs low-molecular weight compounds that are functionally distinct from macromolecules because of their ability to easily penetrate membranes. These compounds are designed to functionally mimic human peptides for the treatment of disease. Maxwells biomimetic therapeutics have been shown by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to be effective against all coronaviruses tested including SARS-CoV-2, SARS-1, MERS, and Coronavirus Beta. The CLAROMER brand anti-infectives platform outputs a diverse library of oligomeric structures demonstrated to be well tolerated in animals and to potently disrupt the membranes of a broad spectrum of viruses and other pathogens, as shown in preclinical animal studies and electron micrograph imaging of bacterial, viral and fungal structures after CLAROMER treatment.

They have also been shown in preclinical studies to be well tolerated in human tissues in vitro and in vivo in animal studies. Maxwells technology is protected by granted patents and is led by a world-class team of experienced life science executives.

Since its founding in 2016, the company has benefited from non-dilutive financial support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects (DARPA), the US National Institutes for Health (NIH), the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan and the Australian government. Maxwell anticipates sharing results from a prioritized study in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the second quarter of 2022.

FinSMEs

10/03/2022
Tampa, FL (33646)

Today

Sunny early. Becoming mostly cloudy with showers developing later in the day. Thunder possible. High around 90F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Thuy Tien cancels trip to South America due to COVID-19 infection

A trip to South America by Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, Miss Grand International 2021, has been rescheduled after she recently tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, announced the events organisers on the beauty pageants fan page on March 8.









Miss Grand International 2021, Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien



New schedule will be announced soon. Fortunately, she's in great spirit and has mild symptoms, the organisers wrote on the fan page.



Thuy Tien had returned to Thailand on March 7 ahead of her mission to South American countries, including Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador.



She is due to participate in the Miss Grand Thailand 2022 pageant in Thailand in April before continuing her mission in Spain in May.



The Ho Chi Minh City native was crowned Miss Grand International 2021 in the grand final held in Thailand in December, 2021.



Tien received a warm welcome upon her return to Vietnam. Upon arrival, she gave long-term sponsorship to 15 orphans who lost their parents due to COVID-19 and provided assistance to disadvantaged women.



She also helped build a playground at a kindergarten in a northern mountainous area and used all of the money collected from livestreams on her social media platforms to support homeless people.
Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9. AP-Yonhap





A Russian air strike badly damaged a children's hospital in the besieged Ukranian port city of Mariupol, Wednesday, burying patients under rubble and injuring women in labor, Ukraine said.







The bombing, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called an "atrocity," took place despite an agreed ceasefire to enable thousands of civilians trapped in the city to escape.







The city council said the hospital had been hit several times by an air strike, causing "colossal" destruction. "Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage," Zelenskiy said on Twitter.







Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked by Reuters for comment, said: "Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets."







Ukraine's Foreign Ministry posted footage of what it said was the hospital showing blasted-out windows and piles of shouldering rubble.







The Donetsk region's governor said 17 people were wounded, including women in labor. The United Nations human rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine was verifying the number of casualties, a U.N. spokesperson in Geneva said.







Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia had broken the ceasefire around the southern port, which lies between Russian-backed separatist areas of eastern Ukraine and Crimea, annexed by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014.







"Russia continues holding hostage over 400,000 people in Mariupol, blocks humanitarian aid and evacuation. Indiscriminate shelling continues," he wrote on Twitter. "Almost 3,000 newborn babies lack medicine and food."







Ukraine said 67 children across the country had been killed since the invasion and at least 1,170 civilians had died in Mariupol.







It was not possible to verify the figures, but satellite image company Maxar said images showed extensive damage to homes, apartment buildings, grocery stores and shopping centers.







Russia's defense ministry blamed Ukraine for the failure of the evacuation.







A senior U.S. defense official said there were indications Russia's military was using bombs that are not precision-guided.







Local officials said some civilians had left several Ukrainian cities through safe corridors, including out of Sumy in the east and Enerhodar in the south, but that Russian forces were preventing buses from evacuating civilians from Bucha, a town outside the capital Kyiv.







People who were evacuated from areas around the Ukrainian capital, wait on a bus after arriving at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 9. UPI-Yonhap





The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said houses had been reduced to rubble all across Ukraine.







"Families are huddled underground for hours on end to seek refuge from fighting. Hundreds of thousands of people have no food, no water, no heat, no electricity and no medical care."







More than 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion Feb 24. Moscow calls its action a "special military operation" to disarm its neighbor and dislodge leaders it calls "neo-Nazis."







Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is inventing pretexts to justify an unprovoked war against a democratic country of 44 million people.






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Mila Anez has learned a lot in her 7 years, including how to read the reactions of her older relatives while they are engaged in phone conversations. So when her grandma received a call on the evening of Thanksgiving, during a small family gathering in Fort Bend County, Anez did not need an []
A view of the bow of the wreck of Endurance, polar explorer's Ernest Shackleton's ship is shown in this photo issued by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust. AP-Yonhap





Scientists say they have found the sunken wreck of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance, more than a century after it was lost to the Antarctic ice.







The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust says the vessel lies 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) below the surface of the Weddell Sea, about 6.4 kilometers (four miles) south of the location recorded in 1915 by its captain, Frank Worsley.







An expedition set off from South Africa last month to search for the ship, which was crushed by ice and sank in November 1915.







Mensun Bound, director of exploration for the Endurance22 expedition, said footage revealed the ship to be in remarkably good condition.







''This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen,'' he said. ''It is upright, well proud (clear) of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation. You can even see 'Endurance' arced across the stern, directly below the taffrail.''







A view of the stern of the wreck of Endurance, polar explorer's Ernest Shackleton's ship is seen in this photo issued by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust. AP-Yonhap





Shackleton's 1914-16 attempt to become the first person to cross Antarctica via the South Pole failed  he never set foot on the continent. But his successful bid to reach help at a remote South Atlantic whaling station and rescue his men is considered a heroic feat of endurance. All the men survived and were rescued many months later.







The expedition to find the ship comes 100 years after Shackleton's death in 1922.







British historian and broadcaster Dan Snow, who accompanied the expedition, tweeted that Endurance was found on Saturday, ''100 years to the day since Shackleton was buried.''







He said the wreck had been filmed, but wouldn't be touched.







''Nothing was touched on the wreck,'' he said. ''Nothing retrieved. It was surveyed using the latest tools and its position confirmed. It is protected by the Antarctic Treaty. Nor did we wish to tamper with it.'' (AP)


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A fleet of electronic scooters could be coming to downtown Albany as soon as this spring, connecting commuters to more transit options or just helping people get around.

The 12-month pilot program will see 50 e-scooters from Bird Ride Inc. deployed around the downtown's historic district with the possibility for 20 more in the near-term.

Each e-scooter will be activated through a smartphone app and charge riders by the minute along preprogrammed routes.

On Wednesday, March 9, the Albany City Council debated the finer points of the pilot program as spelled out in a memorandum of understanding between the city and Bird, which it approved during a virtual meeting.

Under the informal agreement, the standing vehicles will be subject to the same traffic laws as bicycles. The e-scooters must be ridden on streets, and where available, in bike lanes or bike paths.

Helmet and DUI laws will also apply to the e-scooters, which are capable of reaching a top-speed of 24 miles per hour on level ground.

Hours of operation will range from 4 a.m. to midnight for riders age 18 and older. Riders will be required to watch and read educational material before hopping on an e-scooter.

Bird will be responsible for insuring the fleet and sharing ride data with the city. No new installations will be needed to bring the e-scooters to town.

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Albany City Manager Peter Troedsson told city councilors on Wednesday that e-scooters represent an eco-friendly solution to surging gas prices pinching commuters at the pump.

"This is the free market moving in to solve a problem," Troedsson said. "The feedback will be from the market."

The memorandum of understanding between Albany and Bird may be terminated with 30 days' written notice by either party. Mike Butler, a senior account executive at Bird, said the rollout should happen in roughly five to six weeks.

Members of the City Council echoed concerns shared by the Albany Traffic Safety Commission this week that abandoned e-scooters could become a big headache for small business owners.

"People in Seattle are crazy with these things," Traffic Safety Commission member Nolan Streitberger said during a virtual Monday meeting. "They're all over the streets and sidewalks. Nobody cares about any of the rules."

Contacted separately, Derald Wooten Jr., the manager of the Mattcave comics and collectibles store on Jackson Street Southeast, said he's not concerned about neglected e-scooters taking up too much space in his part of town.

As far as his commuting habits are concerned, it probably won't involve an e-scooter.

"I doubt there will be a station for them near where I work," Wooten said. "If I'm going anywhere other than work, I usually need one of my vehicles because I got groceries and stuff to carry."

Cities like New York City and Chicago have set so-called "exclusionary zones" limiting where e-scooters can and cannot be parked when not in use. Albany has the same discretion to set such boundaries, city staff said on Wednesday.

Albany Councilor Matilda Novak said she was hesitant to see e-scooters out in the wild so soon.

"I don't feel like we're in a super big rush," Novak said. "Let's get things in place."

Among the other issues brought up at Wednesday's meeting was the risk of litigation against the city from injured riders.

Albany City Attorney Sean Kidd said any potential lawsuits related to e-scooter accidents against the city would likely be considered frivolous without burden of proof.

"We get sued several times a year for people falling on the sidewalk," Kidd said. "It happens."

Butler told the City Council the agreement approved on Wednesday is intended to set a high bar for not only litigation but the same public safety standards in its current partner cities nationwide.

"People get into accidents," Butler said. "It's not necessarily a private business's responsibility."

Albany City Councilor Bessie Johnson shared the same sentiment and said e-scooters are worth taking a chance on in the near-term.

"You can't fix stupid," Johnson said. "I'm sure there's going to be citations, but I think it's worth a try."

Troedsson told the City Council that Albany has ample time to polish the details of its agreement with Bird over the course of the pilot and beyond.

"Inevitably, we will learn from it, and I'm sure Bird will learn from it," Troedsson said.

The Albany City Council's next online regular session is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 23.

Editor's note: This article has been edited to clarify where e-scooters are able to be driven.

Tim Gruver covers the city of Albany and Linn County. He can be contacted at 541-812-6114 or Tim.Gruver@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter via @T_TimeForce.

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U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm speaks alongside Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson and Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas, March 9. Reuters-Yonhap





Any oil and gas company that can increase supply should do so quickly due to the growing energy crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Wednesday.







Russia exports roughly 4 million to 5 million barrels of crude a day, more than any other nation other than Saudi Arabia. With global demand exceeding pre-pandemic levels, markets were already tight before the Feb. 24 invasion and since then, prices have soared with global benchmark Brent crude this week touching $139 a barrel, its highest since 2008.







"In this moment of crisis we need more supply," Granholm told attendees at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston. "Right now we need oil and gas production to rise to meet current demand."







Granholm said the Biden administration has been reaching out to partners around the world to try to encourage additional output.







On Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates, one of the most influential members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said it would consider raising output.







"We favor production increases and will be encouraging OPEC to consider higher production levels," Ambassador Yousuf Al Otaiba said in a statement tweeted by the UAE Embassy in Washington. Later in the day, however, UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei, said the country is committed to the OPEC+ agreement and its existing monthly production adjustment mechanism.







OPEC and its allies has been slowly restoring 5.8 million barrels per day of crude supply, which were cut due to the pandemic, at the rate of 400,000 bpd every month, but has so far resisted calls to raise that output, citing limited spare capacity.







Granholm said President Joe Biden's administration wants to act as a partner with the energy industry, which has complained about the White House's push to hasten the transition to a lower-carbon economy.







On Tuesday, Biden banned Russian oil imports, a move that received some praise from several energy executives at CERAWeek in Houston. The White House had already imposed a series of sanctions on Russia that were affecting its vast oil and gas industry since it invaded Ukraine.







Granholm acknowledged that it was hard to balance the need for more oil and gas with the importance of transitioning to renewable energy to fight global warming.






Gettysburg, PA (17325)

Today

Showers in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. High 76F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
People who were evacuated from areas around the Ukrainian capital, wait on a bus after arriving at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, in the photo provided by Ukrainian State Emergency Service. UPI-Yonhap



Britain will next week streamline a system to allow Ukrainians to enter the country, its interior minister said on Thursday after an outcry over a requirement for people fleeing Russia's invasion to get biometric tests before being allowed in.



The Conservative government has repeatedly said it is being "generous" to Ukrainians who want to come to Britain by offering two routes, but critics say ministers are prioritizing bureaucracy over the welfare of those fleeing war.



"From Tuesday, I can announce that Ukrainians with passports will no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK," Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel told parliament.



"Instead, once their application has been considered and appropriate checks completed, they will receive direct notification that they are eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK," she said. The change in policy came on the advice of the security and intelligence services, Patel added.



"In short, Ukrainians with passports will be able to get permission to come here fully online from wherever they are and will be able to get a biometrics once in Britain."



While households across Europe have taken in Ukrainian families forced to flee their homes, Britain has demanded they secure a visa first, with some refugees in the French port city of Calais being told to go to Paris or Brussels to apply.



The right-wing Daily Mail newspaper said the "shambolic" visa system required refugees to produce paperwork showing they had been living in Ukraine before Jan. 1, and to have birth or marriage certificates to show links to Ukrainians living in Britain.



As a result, Britain has accepted far fewer Ukrainians than the likes of France and Germany, or Ukraine's nearest neighbors, which have waived the need for visas.



By Wednesday, Britain had granted over 950 visas to Ukrainians since the start of the war. By comparison, Poland, a neighbor of Ukraine, has taken in more than 1.2 million Ukrainians. Ireland has accepted 2,500. (Reuters)


Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 39F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 39F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, and Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, right, during a meeting at Turkish-Russian-Ukrainian talks at the Belek Regnum Carya Hotel, in the photo provided by Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yonhap



Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said no progress was made on achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine in talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, the first high-level talks between them since Moscow invaded its neighbor.



Kuleba told reporters after their meeting in Turkey the most critical situation was in the southern port of Mariupol but that Lavrov did not commit to a humanitarian corridor there and there was no progress on agreeing a wider ceasefire.



"I made a simple proposal to Minister Lavrov: I can call my Ukrainian ministers, authorities, president now and give you 100% assurances on security guarantees for humanitarian corridors," he said.

"I asked him 'can you do the same?' and he did not respond."



At a separate news conference, Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin would not refuse a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss "specific" issues.



Russia never wants to depend on Western states or companies again, Lavrov said, adding that the West was using Ukraine to undermine Russia and was creating a dangerous sitiation in the region that would persist for many years.



Responding to Kyiv's condemnation of Wednesday's bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Lavrov said the building was no longer used as a hospital and had been occupied by Ukrainian forces, though the Kremlin separately said the incident was being investigated.



Russia's invasion has uprooted more than 2 million people in what the United Nations calls the fastest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War Two.



Moscow has said that all of its demands - including that Kyiv takes a neutral position and drops aspirations of joining the NATO alliance - must be met to end its assault.



Moscow calls its incursion a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine and dislodge leaders it calls "neo-Nazis." Kyiv and its Western allies dismiss that as baseless pretext for an unprovoked war against a democratic country of 44 million people.



Turkey, which shares a maritime border with Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea and has good ties with both, has called Russia's invasion unacceptable and appealed for an urgent ceasefire but has opposed sanctions on Moscow.



While forging close ties with Russia on energy, defence, and trade, and relying heavily on Russian tourists, Turkey has also sold drones to Ukraine, angering Moscow. (Reuters)


Salt Lake City, March 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A real-time electronic decision support system helped clinicians at community hospitals provide best practice care for emergency department patients with pneumonia, resulting in decreased intensive care unit admission, more appropriate antibiotic use, and 38% lower overall mortality according to a new study by researchers at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

Results of the study are published today in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Treating pneumonia in emergency departments is challenging, especially in community hospitals that dont see severe pneumonia as often as urban academic medical centers, said Nathan Dean, MD, section chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Intermountain Medical Center and principal investigator of this study.

Pneumonia was the leading cause of death from infectious diseases in the United States, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to be a leading cause of death.

In the study, researchers at Intermountain Healthcare deployed the health systems electronic, open loop, clinical decision support (ePNa) system to 16 of its community hospitals between December 2017 to June 2019.

In that time, those hospitals had 6,848 pneumonia cases, and ePNa was used by a bedside clinician in 67% of eligible patients.

The Intermountain decision support tool gathers key patient indicators including age, fever, oxygen saturation, laboratory and chest imaging results, and vital signs to made recommendations on care, including appropriate antibiotic therapy, microbiology studies, and care setting recommendations (i.e., whether a patient should be sent to the ICU, admitted to the hospital, or is safe to go home).

Using the tool, Intermountain researchers found a range of positive outcomes for patients, including:

38% relative reduction in mortality 30 days after being diagnosed with pneumonia, with the largest reduction in mortality in patients admitted directly from the emergency department to the ICU

17% increase in outpatient disposition

decreased intensive care unit admission without safety concerns

lowered mean time from emergency department admission to start of first antibiotic

Researchers say results of the study are consistent with a prior study deploying ePNa in Intermountains larger hospitals.

In giving clinicians a real-time assessment tool that pulls together over 50 factors that can determine how a patient will do with pneumonia, our study found that clinicians were able to make better treatment decisions with this resource, noted Dr. Dean. Some of our community hospitals have as little as 20 beds. We wanted to validate the effectiveness of ePNa in very different healthcare settings.

During the time of this study, U.S. News and World Report also ranked Intermountain as high performing in pneumonia care with excellent outcomes.

Dr. Dean added that not only did ePNa make recommendations that helped clinicians, but it also enabled clinicians to be more structured and consistent in making decisions about patients with pneumonia.

Even if they dont follow the recommendation, decision-making is more consistent with best practices, he said.

For example, ePNa might recommend a patient be admitted to the intensive care unit, but a clinician knows that its not the right care setting for an elderly, stage IV cancer patient.

The study can be found here: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.202109-2092OC

###

About Intermountain Healthcare

Located in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada, Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, the Intermountain Medical Group with some 2,700 employed physicians and advanced care practitioners, a health plans division called SelectHealth, Homecare, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs.

Attachment
CHICAGO, March 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GAINSystems ("GAINS"), a leading provider of cloud-based supply chain planning solutions for inventory and supply intensive industries, today announced the appointment of experienced software executive and industry leader Joseph Olson as Chief Executive Officer. Olson brings 30 years of experience in the supply chain and SaaS market that will help enable GAINS to continue to drive ever-higher levels of performance and client satisfaction.

Olson joins GAINS after successful careers at E2open, RedPrairie, and other supply chain software companies, where he held leadership roles in professional services, product development, sales, and operations.

"Joe's supply chain background coupled with his proven ability to drive successful go-to-market strategies will help GAINS continue to grow and deliver value to our clients," stated Deep Shah, GAINS Board Member, and Francisco Partners Co-President. "He's an energetic and strategic thinker and will drive new levels of innovation at GAINS. We are thrilled to have him join the team."

After 11 years as CEO, Bill Benton will continue to support the company through his role as Co-Founder and will focus on representing the GAINS brand to the industry, the GAINS solution vision, and working to ensure clients "Move Forward Faster." "Bill has done a masterful job forming GAINS into the company it is today, with industry-leading products, world-class clients, and a dedicated team that has delivered exceptional value across a wide range of industries," said Shah. Benton adds, "Joe and I share a passion for delivering extraordinary results to the marketplace and are committed to bringing GAINS to the next level for our clients, our team members, and our partners."

Olson continued, "I am excited to join Bill and the team to help lead GAINS through our next phase of growth. At a time when supply chains are facing unprecedented challenges, our clients are counting on us to help them navigate this increasingly complex environment. We will continue to meet their needs while building on GAINS' reputation for delivering visionary solutions to the most progressive clients. It's time to change the way supply chain solutions are delivered, and GAINS will lead the way."

About GAINSystems

At GAINS, our quest is to democratize supply chain planning. The GAINS Supply Chain Performance Optimization Platform helps businesses large and small "Move Forward Faster" with greater agility, resilience, confidence, and sustainability. The GAINS AI-driven cloud platform delivers continuous cost and profit optimization via machine learning, proven algorithms, and actionable analytics for global manufacturing, distribution, retail, and aftermarket/maintenance operations. Innovative design combined with the GAINS Proven-Path-to-Performance (P3) sm methodology enables rapid onboarding and tangible results, including increased sales, inventory turns, and service levels at reduced operating costs in as little as eight weeks. GAINSystems proudly provides digital supply chain planning expertise to industry leaders like Graybar, Honda Motors, Menards, Rockwell Automation, Stuller, and Textron Aviation.

Media Contact

Emily Jensen

EJensen@GAINSystems.com

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CALGARY, Alberta, March 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX-V:CWV): Crown Point Energy Inc. (Crown Point or the Company) announces that it has received notice that the offshore oil loading facilities located at Cruz del Sur, Tierra del Fuego have been closed, effective immediately.



YPF, operator of the Cruz del Sur oil storage and offshore loading facilities, has given notice that the offshore loading facility has been closed due to technical difficulties. YPF had intended to decommission the offshore loading facilities in July 2022, but has now decided to cease offshore loading operations immediately.

Crown Point, together with its joint venture partners and YPF, have been building a 23 km 6 inch oil pipeline to connect the Cruz del Sur oil storage facility and the San Martin oil field with the Total Austral operated Rio Cullen marine terminal, in anticipation of the Cruz del Sur offshore loading facility closure in the second half of 2022. This project will be accelerated. However, in the interim Crown Point together with its joint venture partners are arranging to export oil by truck to the Enap refinery at San Gregorio, Chile and to the Total Austral operated Rio Cullen marine terminal in Tierra del Fuego. The sales price at both San Gregorio and Rio Cullen is indexed to the Brent oil price.

About Crown Point

Crown Point Energy Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and development company headquartered in Calgary, Canada, incorporated in Canada, trading on the TSX Venture Exchange and with operations in Argentina. Crown Point has a strategy that focuses on establishing a portfolio of producing properties, plus production enhancement and exploration opportunities to provide a basis for future growth.

Advisory

Abbreviations: "km" means kilometres. "NGL" means natural gas liquids.

Forward-looking Information: This document contains forward-looking information. This information relates to future events and the Companys future performance. All information and statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature constitute forward-looking information. Such information represents the Companys internal projections, estimates, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. This information involves known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Crown Point believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable; however, undue reliance should not be placed on this forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. This press release contains forward-looking information concerning, among other things, the following: that the construction of the oil pipeline to connect the Cruz del Sur oil storage facility and the San Martin oil field with the Total Austral operated Rio Cullen marine terminal will be accelerated; that Crown Point will export oil by truck to the Enap refinery at San Gregorio, Chile and to the Total Austral operated Rio Cullen marine terminal in Tierra del Fuego; that the sales price at both San Gregorio and Rio Cullen will be indexed to the Brent oil price; and the Company's business strategies. The reader is cautioned that such information, although considered reasonable by the Company, may prove to be incorrect. Actual results achieved during the forecast period will vary from the information provided in this document as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. A number of risks and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information contained in this document including, but not limited to, the following: that the Company experiences delays building the pipeline to the Rio Cullen marine terminal or is unable to build the pipeline at all; that the Company is unable to truck oil to the Enap refinery and/or the Rio Cullen marine terminal and/or that the cost to do so rises and/or becomes uneconomic; the price received by the Company for its oil is at a substantial discount to the Brent oil price; the risk that the Company changes is business strategies; and the risks and other factors described under Risk Factors in the Companys most recently filed Annual Information Form, which is available for viewing on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. With respect to forward-looking information contained in this document, the Company has made assumptions regarding, among other things: the impact (and the duration thereof) that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our operations, including the operations described herein; future commodity prices; the cost to build the aforementioned pipeline; trucking costs; the general stability of the economic and political environment in which the Company operates, including operating under a consistent regulatory and legal framework in Argentina; future oil, natural gas and NGL prices; the timely receipt of any required regulatory approvals; the ability of the Company to obtain qualified staff, equipment and services in a timely and cost efficient manner; and the ability of the Company to obtain financing on acceptable terms when and if needed to finance its operations. Management of Crown Point has included the above summary of assumptions and risks related to forward-looking information in order to provide investors with a more complete perspective on the Companys future operations. Readers are cautioned that this information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists of factors are not exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this document and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable Canadian securities laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Chinese military officers leave after the opening session of the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 5. AP-Yonhap





A conflict with China, which threatens to invade Taiwan, would be a disaster for all sides regardless of the outcome, the island's defense minister said Thursday.







China has largely backed Russia in invading Ukraine, a conflict that has echoes in Beijing's approach to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that it claims as Chinese territory to be annexed by force if necessary.







''Nobody wants a war,'' Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters. ''It really has to be thoroughly thought over.''







''If you really went to war, it would be disastrous for all,'' Chiu said. Taiwan's defense establishment ''watches and listens but we keep our mouths shut. We are following developments and preparing ourselves but we don't openly discuss or debate.''







At the annual meetings of China's rubber-stamp legislature, the National People's Congress, and its advisory body this week in Beijing, delegates blamed foreign influence and separatism in Taiwan while increasing China's legal and financial might to counter Taiwan support.







On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army delegation at the NPC said, ''Separatist activities and collusion with external forces are the root cause of the current tension and disturbance in the Taiwan Strait.''







Col. Wu Qian blamed Taiwan's ruling pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, adding that, ''The more the United States and Japan make waves on the Taiwan question, the tougher actions we will take to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.''







Wu also defended the defense budget increase, saying China has ''maintained reasonable and steady growth to tackle complex security challenges and fulfill China's responsibility as a major country.''







Separately, a member of the advisory body to China's ceremonial legislature proposed strengthening a 2005 secession law spelling out the grounds for an attack on Taiwan. Zhang Liangqi said new legislation was needed to target those promoting Taiwan's formal and permanent independence from China, from which it split amid civil war in 1949.







In what it calls a warning to Taiwan independence supporters and their foreign allies, China has been staging threatening exercises and flying military planes near the island's airspace, including Feb. 24, the day Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. (AP)


Pune, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A latest Fiber Internet Market report focuses on market size, share, growth revenue, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, technological advancement, and other crucial insights. Further it provides an extensive overview of regional segmentation, product development, sales channels, and distributors. The report also assesses key market aspects such as R&D operations, product offerings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and product trends. The report comprises an in-depth investigation of the Fiber Internet market, with latest growth trends and market dynamics.

Get a Sample PDF of report @ https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-sample/20365011

About Fiber Internet Market:

As the global economy mends, the 2021 growth of Fiber Internet will have significant change from previous year. According to our researcher latest study, the global Fiber Internet market size is USD million in 2022 from USD million in 2021, with a change of % between 2021 and 2022. The global Fiber Internet market size will reach USD million in 2028, growing at a CAGR of % over the analysis period.



The United States Fiber Internet market is expected at value of US$ million in 2021 and grow at approximately % CAGR during review period. China constitutes a % market for the global Fiber Internet market, reaching US$ million by the year 2028. As for the Europe Fiber Internet landscape, Germany is projected to reach US$ million by 2028 trailing a CAGR of % over the forecast period. In APAC, the growth rates of other notable markets (Japan and South Korea) are projected to be at % and % respectively for the next 5-year period.



Global main Fiber Internet players cover AT and T, Verizon Fios, Google Fiber, and Frontier FiberOptic Internet, etc. In terms of revenue, the global largest two companies occupy a share nearly % in 2021.

Corporate profiles include important information such as company reviews, products and services, financial data sources, as well as current programs and developments. Overall, the report provides a comprehensive overview of the Fiber Internet global market, which will help industry players, equipment manufacturers, and current players looking for expansion opportunities, new players as they grow older. Finding opportunities with other partners to support their strategy makes their business based on current data, and future prospects.

List of Top Key Players in Fiber Internet Market Report are:

AT and T

Verizon Fios

Google Fiber

Frontier FiberOptic Internet

Windstream Holdings

EarthLink

Ziply Fiber

Xfinity

TO UNDERSTAND HOW COVID-19 IMPACT IS COVERED IN THIS REPORT

A recent study by Fiber Internet Market provides an overview of market segmentation by product, application, and geography. This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Fiber Internet market by product type, application, key players and key regions and countries.

Segmentation by Type: breakdown data from 2017 to 2022 in Section 2.3; and forecast to 2028 in section 10.7.

FTTH

Fiber to The Curb

Fiber to Main Node

Segmentation by Application: breakdown data from 2017 to 2022, in Section 2.4; and forecast to 2028 in section 10.8.

Network Communication

Broadband Service

Others

The evaluation also focuses on worldwide corporate executives in the Fiber Internet global market, covering firm history, product photographs and descriptions, licensing, production, price, pricing, pricing, and contact information. The structure, volume, and value of the Fiber Internet market are examined at the global, regional, and company levels in this report. This research analyses historical data and future prospects to summarize Fiber Internet worldwide worth.

Enquire before purchasing this report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/20365011

Geographically, the report includes the research on production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate, and forecast of the following regions:

Americas

United States

Canada

Mexico

Brazil

APAC

China

Japan

Korea

Southeast Asia

India

Australia

Europe

Germany

France

UK

Italy

Russia

Middle East & Africa

Egypt

South Africa

Israel

Turkey

GCC Countries

Five Important Points the Fiber Internet Market Report Offers:

Benchmarking : It includes functional benchmarking, process benchmarking, and competitive benchmarking

Market Assessment : It involves market entry strategy, market feasibility analysis, and market forecasting or sizing

Corporate Intelligence : It contains custom intelligence, competitor intelligence, and market intelligence

Strategy Analysis : It includes analysis of indirect and direct sales channels, helps you to plan the right distribution strategy, and understand your customers

Technological Intelligence : It helps you to investigate future technology roadmaps, choose the right technologies, and determine feasible technology options

Get A Sample Copy Of The Fiber Internet Market Report 2022-2028

Reasons to Purchase:

Get useful marketing research and an entire understanding of the worldwide market and business environment.

Abatement by assessing production processes, key problems and solutions.

Acknowledge the driving and restraining forces of the market and their impact on the worldwide market.

Study the market strategies employed by large companies.

Understand future prospects and market prospects.

Additionally, to plain structured reports, we offer inquiries tailored to your specific needs.

Key inclusions of the Fiber Internet market report:

COVID-19 effects on growth figures.

Statistical analysis pertaining to market size, sales volume, and overall industry revenue.

Organized mentions of major market trends.

Growth opportunities.

Figures showcasing market growth rate.

Advantages and disadvantages of direct and indirect sales channels.

Insights regarding traders, distributors, and dealers present in the industry.

Purchase this report (Price 3660 USD for a single-user license) - https://www.industryresearch.biz/purchase/20365011

What Report Exactly Offers to the Buyers?

To gain insightful analyses of the Fiber Internet Industry and have a comprehensive understanding of the global market and its commercial landscape.

Market methodologies that are being involved by driving particular organizations

Get a detailed representation of the Fiber Internet Market.

The assessed growth rate, together with Fiber Internet Industry size and share over the forecast period 2022-2028.

Major Points from TOC:

1 Scope of the Report

1.1 Market Introduction

1.2 Years Considered

1.3 Research Objectives

1.4 Market Research Methodology

1.5 Research Process and Data Source

1.6 Economic Indicators

1.7 Currency Considered

2 Executive Summary

2.1 World Market Overview

2.1.1 Global Fiber Internet Market Size 2017-2028

2.1.2 Fiber Internet Market Size CAGR by Region 2017 VS 2022 VS 2028

2.2 Fiber Internet Segment by Type

2.2.1 FTTH

2.2.2 Fiber to The Curb

2.2.3 Fiber to Main Node

2.3 Fiber Internet Market Size by Type

2.3.1 Fiber Internet Market Size CAGR by Type (2017 VS 2022 VS 2028)

2.3.2 Global Fiber Internet Market Size Market Share by Type (2017-2022)

2.4 Fiber Internet Segment by Application

2.4.1 Network Communication

2.4.2 Broadband Service

2.4.3 Others

2.5 Fiber Internet Market Size by Application

2.5.1 Fiber Internet Market Size CAGR by Application (2017 VS 2022 VS 2028)

2.5.2 Global Fiber Internet Market Size Market Share by Application (2017-2022)



3 Fiber Internet Market Size by Player

3.1 Fiber Internet Market Size Market Share by Players

3.1.1 Global Fiber Internet Revenue by Players (2020-2022)

3.1.2 Global Fiber Internet Revenue Market Share by Players (2020-2022)

3.2 Global Fiber Internet Key Players Head office and Products Offered

3.3 Market Concentration Rate Analysis

3.3.1 Competition Landscape Analysis

3.3.2 Concentration Ratio (CR3, CR5 and CR10) & (2020-2022)

3.4 New Products and Potential Entrants

3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion



4 Fiber Internet by Regions

4.1 Fiber Internet Market Size by Regions (2017-2022)

4.2 Americas Fiber Internet Market Size Growth (2017-2022)

4.3 APAC Fiber Internet Market Size Growth (2017-2022)

4.4 Europe Fiber Internet Market Size Growth (2017-2022)

4.5 Middle East & Africa Fiber Internet Market Size Growth (2017-2022)

5 Americas

5.1 Americas Fiber Internet Market Size by Country (2017-2022)

5.2 Americas Fiber Internet Market Size by Type (2017-2022)

5.3 Americas Fiber Internet Market Size by Application (2017-2022)

5.4 United States

5.5 Canada

5.6 Mexico

5.7 Brazil

Continued.

Detailed TOC of Global Fiber Internet Market @ https://www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/20365011







Part II: Global Rural Internet System Market Outlook To 2028:

Global Rural Internet System Market report provides a meticulous analysis of market dynamics, current developments, and trending business strategies. This report gives comprehensive analysis of different segments on the basis of type, application, and region. The report offers qualitative and quantitative analysis of market size, share, future growth opportunities, and current trends. This comprehensive research offers a detailed analysis of market development and growth factors, product launches, joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions. The study recalibrates, the impact of macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that has the potential to impact the expansion of the Rural Internet System market.

Get a sample PDF of the report at - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-sample/20365012

COVID-19 sickness began to spread all over the world at the beginning of 2021, infecting countless individuals in general, and important governments all over the world imposed foot restrictions and work stoppage orders. Aside from the clinical supplies and life support items organizations, most endeavors have been significantly impacted, and Rural Internet System adventures have been severely impacted.

List of Top Key Players in Rural Internet System Market Report Are:

Rise Broadband

Mediacom

Viasat

HughesNet

Windstream Holdings

To Understand How Covid-19 Impact Is Covered in This Report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-covid19/20365012

This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Rural Internet System market by product type, application, key players and key regions and countries.

Type Coverage (Market Size and Forecast, Major Company of Product Type etc.):

DSL

Fixed Wireless

Wired Internet

Fiber Service

Satellite

Others

Application Coverage (Market Size and Forecast, Different Demand Market by Region, Main Consumer Profile):

Network Communication

Broadband Service

TV Media

Others

A detailed review of the report's restraints depicts the contrast to drivers and allows for strategic planning. Factors that overshadow market growth are critical, as they may be used to design diverse strategies for seizing the rich chances that exist in the ever-growing market. In addition, insights of market experts' viewpoints have been used to better comprehend the industry.

Enquire before purchasing this report - https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/20365012

Geographical Segmentation and Competition Analysis in Rural Internet System Market Report are:

Americas

APAC

Europe

Middle East & Africa

Reasons to Purchase this Report:

To investigate the rising use of Worldwide Rural Internet System in Industry and its impact on the global market landscape.

Using Porter's five forces analysis, examine various market viewpoints.

to understand the market modality and application that are projected to dominate

To learn about the regions that are predicted to develop the quickest over the projection period,

Determine the most recent advancements, market shares, and tactics used by leading market participants.

Purchase this report (Price 3660 USD for a single-user license) - https://www.industryresearch.biz/purchase/20365012

Global Rural Internet System Market Forecast provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance, direction for businesses and people interested in the market.

Major Highlights of TOC:

1 Scope of the Report

2 Executive Summary



3 Rural Internet System Market Size by Player



4 Rural Internet System by Regions



5 Americas



Continued



Browse complete Table of Contents @ https://www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/20365012

About Us:

Market is changing rapidly with the ongoing expansion of the industry. Advancement in technology has provided todays businesses with multifaceted advantages resulting in daily economic shifts. Thus, it is very important for a company to comprehend the patterns of the market movements in order to strategize better. An efficient strategy offers the companies a head start in planning and an edge over the competitors. Industry Research is a credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs.
Pune, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Final Report will add the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. "

Global Beer Market is a comprehensive research that provides information regarding Beer market size, trends, growth, cost structure, capacity, revenue, and forecast for 2027. This report also includes the overall study of the Beer Market share with all its aspects influencing the growth of the market. This report is exhaustive quantitative analyses of the Beer industry and provides data for making strategies to increase Beer market growth and effectiveness. The report further investigates and assesses the current landscape of the ever-evolving business sector and the present and future effects of COVID-19 on the Beer market.

Request for a Sample PDF of Report at https://www.industryresearch.biz/enquiry/request-sample/18669367

About Beer Market:

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugar. The basic ingredients of beer are water, a starch source and and a flavouring. Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, and the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea.

Global Beer key players include Anheuser-Busch InBev, SABMiller, Heineken, Carlsberg, MolsonCoors, etc. Global top five manufacturers hold a share about 65%.

China is the largest market, with a share over 15%, followed by America and Brazil, both have a share over 20 percent.

In terms of product, Value Beer is the largest segment, with a share over 65%. And in terms of application, the largest application is Corporate Hospitality, followed by Family Dinner.



Market Analysis and Insights: Global and United States Beer Market

This report focuses on global and United States Beer market.

In 2020, the global Beer market size was US$ 139630 million and it is expected to reach US$ 133130 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of -0.7% during 2021-2027.

The Major Players in the Beer Market include:

Anheuser-Busch InBev

SABMiller

Heineken

Carlsberg

MolsonCoors

KIRIN

Guinness

Asahi

Castel Group

Radeberger

Mahou-San Miguel

San Miguel Corporation

China Resources Snow Breweries

Tsingtao Brewery

Beijing Yanjing Brewery

Zhujiang Beer

KingStar

TO UNDERSTAND HOW COVID-19 IMPACT IS COVERED IN THIS REPORT

The report proves to be an effective tool that players can use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors and ensure lasting success in the global Beer market. All of the findings, data, and information provided in the report are validated and revalidated with the help of trustworthy sources. The analysts who have authored the report took a unique and industry-best research and analysis approach for an in-depth study of the global Beer market.

Based on product type, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share, and growth rate of each type, primarily split into:

Value Beer

Standard Beer

Premium Beer

Based on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share, and growth rate for each application, including:

Corporate Hospitality

Family Dinner

Other

With industry-standard accuracy in analysis and high data integrity, the report makes a brilliant attempt to unveil key opportunities available in the global Beer market to help players in achieving a strong market position. Buyers of the report can access verified and reliable market forecasts, including those for the overall size of the global Beer market in terms of revenue.

GET A SAMPLE COPY OF THE Beer MARKET REPORT 2021-2027

Key Reasons to Purchase Beer Market Report:

The report analysis by geography highlights the consumption of the product/service within the region also indicating the factors that are affecting the market within each region.

The report provides opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Beer Industry.

The report indicates the region and segment that's expected to witness the fastest growth.

The competitive landscape includes the market ranking of the main players, along with new product launches, partnerships, business expansions, and acquisitions.

The report provides extensive company profiles comprising of company overview, company insights, product benchmarking, and SWOT analysis for the main market players.

The report gives the present and future market outlook of the industry regarding recent developments, growth opportunities, drivers, challenges, and restraints of both emerging and developed regions.

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Some of the key questions answered in this report:

What will the market growth rate, growth momentum, or acceleration market carry during the forecast period?

Which are the key factors driving the Beer market?

What was the size of the emerging Beer market by value?

What will be the size of the emerging Beer market in 2027?

Which region is expected to hold the highest market share in the Beer market?

What trends, challenges, and barriers will impact the development and sizing of the Global Beer market?

What are the sales volume, revenue, and price analysis of top manufacturers of the Beer market?

Global Beer Market providing information such as company profiles, product picture, and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue, and contact information. Upstream raw materials and instrumentation and downstream demand analysis are additionally dispensed. The Global Beer market development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of the latest investment projects is assessed and overall analysis conclusions are offered.

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Years considered for this report:

Historical Years: 2016-2020

2016-2020 Base Year: 2020

2020 Estimated Year: 2021

2021 Beer Market Forecast Period: 2021-2027

With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Beer market trends, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.

Some Points from TOC:

1 Study Coverage

1.1 Beer Product Introduction

1.2 Market by Type

1.2.1 Global Beer Market Size Growth Rate by Type

1.3 Market by Application

1.3.1 Global Beer Market Size Growth Rate by Application

1.4 Study Objectives

1.5 Years Considered



2 Executive Summary

2.1 Global Beer Market Size, Estimates and Forecasts

2.1.1 Global Beer Revenue 2016-2027

2.1.2 Global Beer Sales 2016-2027

2.2 Global Beer, Market Size by Region: 2016 VS 2021 VS 2027

2.3 Beer Historical Market Size by Region (2016-2021)

2.3.1 Global Beer Retrospective Market Scenario in Sales by Region: 2016-2021

2.3.2 Global Beer Retrospective Market Scenario in Revenue by Region: 2016-2021

2.4 Beer Market Estimates and Projections by Region (2022-2027)

2.4.1 Global Beer Sales Forecast by Region (2022-2027)

2.4.2 Global Beer Revenue Forecast by Region (2022-2027)



3 Global Beer Competitor Landscape by Players

3.1 Global Top Beer Manufacturers by Sales

3.1.1 Global Beer Sales by Manufacturer (2016-2021)

3.1.2 Global Beer Sales Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2021)

3.2 Global Top Beer Manufacturers by Revenue

3.2.1 Key Beer Manufacturers Covered: Ranking by Revenue

3.2.2 Global Beer Revenue by Manufacturers (2016-2021)

3.2.3 Global Beer Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2016-2021)

3.2.4 Global Beer Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI) (2016-2021)

3.2.5 Global Top 10 and Top 5 Companies by Beer Revenue in 2020

3.2.6 Global Beer Market Share by Company Type (Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3)

3.3 Global Beer Price by Manufacturers

3.4 Global Beer Manufacturing Base Distribution, Product Types

3.4.1 Beer Manufacturers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters

3.4.2 Manufacturers Beer Product Type

3.4.3 Date of International Manufacturers Enter into Beer Market

3.5 Manufacturers Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans



4 Breakdown Data by Type (2016-2027)

4.1 Global Beer Market Size by Type (2016-2021)

4.1.1 Global Beer Sales by Type (2016-2021)

4.1.2 Global Beer Revenue by Type (2016-2021)

4.1.3 Beer Average Selling Price (ASP) by Type (2016-2021)

4.2 Global Beer Market Size Forecast by Type (2022-2027)

4.2.1 Global Beer Sales Forecast by Type (2022-2027)

4.2.2 Global Beer Revenue Forecast by Type (2022-2027)

4.2.3 Beer Average Selling Price (ASP) Forecast by Type (2022-2027)



5 Breakdown Data by Application (2016-2027)

5.1 Global Beer Market Size by Application (2016-2021)

5.1.1 Global Beer Sales by Application (2016-2021)

5.1.2 Global Beer Revenue by Application (2016-2021)

5.1.3 Beer Price by Application (2016-2021)

5.2 Beer Market Size Forecast by Application (2022-2027)

5.2.1 Global Beer Sales Forecast by Application (2022-2027)

5.2.2 Global Beer Revenue Forecast by Application (2022-2027)

5.2.3 Global Beer Price Forecast by Application (2022-2027)



7 North America

8 Asia Pacific

9 Europe

10 Latin America

11 Middle East and Africa

12 Company Profiles

13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis

14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

15 Research Findings and Conclusion

16 Appendix

Detailed TOC of Global Beer Market @ https://www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/18669367

Part II: Global and United States Beer Kegs Market Analysis and Insights: In 2020, the global Beer Kegs market size was US$ 986 million and it is expected to reach US$ 1443.9 million by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of 5.6% during 2021-2027.

Beer kegs are made of stainless steel, PET, or less commonly, of aluminum. A keg is the small barrel which is used for storing and transporting products such as beverages which includes alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic beverages, Cooking oil and Chemicals. Alcoholic beverages include alcohol types such as beer, wine, spirits and cider. The main reason for storing the alcoholic beverages in the kegs is that it maintains the original flavor and quality of the beer over a long period of time.

The global market is highly competitive in nature. Top players operating in the market include Blefa (Artemis Group), THIELMANN, Zhejiang Ningbo Major Draft Beer Equipment Co., Ltd., SCHAFER Container Systems, Lightweight Containers BV, Petainer, Dolium (Dispack Projects NV), Ningbo BestFriends Beverage Containers, Shinhan Industrial Co., Ltd. And PolyKeg S.r.l. Market players are resorting to mergers and acquisitions to increase product offerings and strengthen their position in the industry. Moreover, companies are focusing on expanding their production capacity and adopting innovative technologies owing to meet consumer demand.Of the major players of Kegs, Blefa (Artemis Group) accounted for 9.561% of the Global Kegs sales volume market share in 2018. Other players accounted for 8.001%, 7.685%, including Zhejiang Ningbo Major Draft Beer Equipment Co., Ltd. and THIELMANN.

Regions with low beer consumption per capita, such as Africa, South America and Southeast Asia, beer consumption is growing fast; in developed countries, such as Britain and the United States where beer consumption is mature, craft beer is growing rapidly. These two major trends have brought new business opportunities to beer kegs suppliers.

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The Major Players in the Beer Kegs Market include:

Blefa (Artemis Group)

THIELMANN

Zhejiang Ningbo Major Draft Beer Equipment

SCHAFER Container Systems

Lightweight Containers BV

Petainer

Dolium (Dispack Projects NV)

Ningbo BestFriends Beverage Containers

Shinhan Industrial.

PolyKeg S.r.l.

Based on product type, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share, and growth rate of each type, primarily split into:

Plastic Kegs

Metal Kegs

Based on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share, and growth rate for each application, including:

Alcoholic Products

Non-Alcoholic Products

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Some of the key questions answered in this report:

What will the market growth rate, growth momentum, or acceleration market carry during the forecast period?

Which are the key factors driving the Beer Kegs market?

What was the size of the emerging Beer Kegs market by value?

What will be the size of the emerging Beer Kegs market in 2027?

Which region is expected to hold the highest market share in the Beer Kegs market?

What trends, challenges, and barriers will impact the development and sizing of the Global Beer Kegs market?

What are the sales volume, revenue, and price analysis of top manufacturers of the Beer Kegs market?

Global Beer Kegs Market providing information such as company profiles, product picture, and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue, and contact information. Upstream raw materials and instrumentation and downstream demand analysis are additionally dispensed. The Global Beer Kegs market development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of the latest investment projects is assessed and overall analysis conclusions are offered.

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With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Global Beer Kegs market trends, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.

Some Points from TOC:

1 Study Coverage

2 Executive Summary

3 Global Beer Kegs Competitor Landscape by Players

4 Breakdown Data by Type (2016-2027)

5 Breakdown Data by Application (2016-2027)



7 North America

8 Asia Pacific

9 Europe

10 Latin America

11 Middle East and Africa

12 Company Profiles

13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis

14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

15 Research Findings and Conclusion

16 Appendix

Detailed TOC of Global Beer Kegs Market @ https://www.industryresearch.biz/TOC/18683904

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Oslo, 10 March 2022: Scatec has today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE), the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), and the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), to jointly develop a green ammonia facility in Egypt with a production capacity of one million tonnes annually and with a potential for an expansion to three million tonnes annually.

The green hydrogen and ammonia facility will be located in the SCZONE in Ain Sokhna Industrial Zone and will be powered by renewable energy plants to be built in close proximity on an area of land allocated by NREA.

This is the first large-scale project for production of green ammonia in the country, which also includes the participation of the Government of Egypt and is a demonstration of the countrys pledge to maximise low carbon and green energy production. Egypt will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP27, in Sharm Elsheikh later this year.

Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec, commented: We are proud to partner once more with the Government of Egypt represented by SCZONE and TSFE, as well as with our long-term partners EETC and NREA, for the realisation of this exciting large-scale green ammonia project in Egypt. We believe that no effort should be spared to accelerate the energy transition, and we are thrilled to be contributing to Egypts aspiration to become a hub for green fuel.

Eng. Yehia Zaki, Chairman of the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone, commented: The SCZONE welcomes the opportunity of partnering with the distinguished public and private entities joining forces for the development of this mega project, and we look forward to witnessing its execution over the coming months as a first step towards the adoption of the green ammonia technology and creation of a green fuels industrial hub in the SCZONE. We are ready to provide all the support needed to expedite the projects implementation.

Ayman Soliman, CEO of The Sovereign Fund of Egypt, commented: This partnership further solidifies the funds commitment to investing in the whole energy transition value chain in line with Egypts roadmap towards zero emission targets. This project is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt to deliver an attractive investment opportunity to a global player like Scatec to develop a state of the art green ammonia facility, capitalizing on Egypts natural resources and well-developed infrastructure. We are thrilled to play an active role in the green transformation towards a more sustainable future.

At a time where alternative energy is more important than ever, Scatec will leverage its expertise in renewables, project structuring and financing, as well as execution and operation to help establish a green energy hub and green corridor in Egypt.

Once developed, Scatec intends to implement the project in phases based on Scatecs integrated business model. Long term offtake agreements will be secured to enable non-recourse project financing for the green ammonia. The green ammonia will mainly be exported to European and Asian markets, where demand for clean ammonia is increasing rapidly.

For further information, please contact:

Andreas Austrell, VP IR

Tel: +47 974 38 686, andreas.austrell@scatec.com

About Scatec ASA

Scatec is a leading renewable power producer, delivering affordable and clean energy worldwide. As a long- term player, Scatec develops, builds, owns and operates solar, wind and hydro power plants and storage solutions. Scatec has more than 3.5 GW in operation and under construction on four continents and more than 600 employees. The company is targeting 15 GW capacity in operation or under construction by the end of 2025. Scatec is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SCATC. To learn more, visit www.scatec.com or connect with us on Linkedin.
Dublin, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Technologies and Global Markets" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report will cover solid oxide fuel cells used in transport applications as well as stationary power generation and storage applications. Target markets are based on optimistic, pessimistic and consensus alternatives, which are compared to the conventional power generation target and peak shifting opportunities. The current market is emerging with pre-commercial demos and subsidized pilot projects as well as fast-growing niche markets that are quickly becoming established specialty markets.

Over the next five years, these pilots will be expanding into commercial implementations. The 2026 market is also characterized with recent developments in the industry and government initiatives across the globe.

SOFC applications are described and analyzed. The following applications are considered:

Combined heat and power (CHP).

Power generation (stationary power units, remote power, and auxiliary power units [APUs]).

Portable product power.

Exotic (solid oxide electrolyzer cells and fuel cell hybrids).

Geographical scope of the report covers North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Rest of the World. SOFC companies are listed, and their detailed profiles are discussed in the Company Profiles chapter.

The Report Includes

79 tables

An overview of the global market and technologies for solid oxide fuel cells

Estimation of the market size and analyses of global market trends, with data from 2020, 2021 with projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2026

Highlights of the market potential for solid oxide fuel cells market, based on application, end-use industry, and region

Coverage of history, comparison and characteristics of major fuel cell types and cost analysis of SOFC; and information on recent commercial developments, government initiatives and subsidies

Discussion on environmental impact of various types of solid oxide fuel cells

Market share analysis of the key companies of the industry and coverage of their proprietary technologies, strategic alliances, and other key market strategies and a relevant patent analysis

Comprehensive company profiles of the leading players, including Bloom Energy, Fuji Electric, H2e Power Systems Inc., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems and Toyota

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Introduction

Study Goals and Objectives

Scope of Report

What's New in This Update

Information Sources

Methodology

Geographic Breakdown

Analyst's Credentials

Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights



Chapter 3 Market and Technology Overview

Technical Overview

History of Fuel Cells

Hydrogen Fuel Industry

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Background

SOFC Materials

Recent SOFC Material Developments

SOFC Technology: Current and Developmental Configurations

Market Overview

Value Chain

Government Initiatives to Promote Stationary Fuel Cells

Chapter 4 Impact of COVID-19

Combined Heat and Power

Employment

Projects

Auxiliary and Backup Power

Chapter 5 Market Breakdown by Application

Combined Heat and Power

CHP Developments

Power Generation

Recreational Vehicle Power

Anti-Idling APUS

Aircraft APUS

Marine Vessel APUS

Truck APU

Portable Power Unit

Military Applications

Exotic

SOEC

SOFC-T

Chapter 6 Market Breakdown by End-Use Segment

Residential

Commercial

Military

Chapter 7 Market Breakdown by Region

APAC

Japan

South Korea

Rest of APAC

North America

United States

Europe

Large-Scale Field Demonstrations

Rest of the World

Chapter 8 Industry Structure and Competitive Analysis

Competition

Conventional Turbine-Based Power Generation

Internal Combustion Engines

Ultracapacitors

Other Fuel Cells

Batteries

Industry Leaders

Market Tiers

Leading CHP SOFC Companies

Leading SOFC Generator, Remote and APU Companies

Leading Military SOFC Companies

Leading Portable SOFC Companies

Leading Exotic SOFC Companies

SOFC Companies that are No Longer Active

Channels of Distribution

Purchasing Influences

Price Influence

Price Trends

Early SOFC Research

Manufacturing Process

Chapter 9 Recent Developments in the SOFC Industry

Recent Developments

Chapter 10 Company Profiles

ACUMENTRICS HOLDING CORP.

ADELAN UK LTD.

ALPPS FUEL CELL SYSTEMS

ALSTOM TECHNOLOGY

ALTAIR NANOTECHNOLOGIES INC.

AMERICAN ELEMENTS

ARISTON HOLDING N.V.

BLASCH PRECISION CERAMICS

BLOOM ENERGY

BTU INTERNATIONAL INC.

BTU CHINA

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (CALTECH)

CERAMATEC INC.

CERES POWER

CHAO ZHOU THREE-CIRCLE (GROUP) CO., LTD.

CHUBU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC.

CLARA VENTURE LABS

CONVION OY

CUMMINS INC.

DANA INC.

DDI ENERGY

DELPHI AUTOMOTIVE

DOMINOVAS ENERGY CORP.

DOOSAN FUEL CELL

EBZ ENTWICKLUNGS

EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE

ELCOGEN AS

EMPRISE CORP.

ENERGIENED

ENTWICKLUNGS UND VERTRIEBSGESELLSCHAFT BRENNSTOFFZELLE

ENRG INC.

EZELLERON INC.

FEV MOTORENTECHNIK GMBH

FIDERIS

FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH

FUELCELL ENERGY

FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGIES

FUJI ELECTRIC

FUTURE E FUEL CELL SOLUTIONS GMBH

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PARK

H2E POWER SYSTEMS INC.

HALDOR TOPSOE A/S/TOPSOE FUEL CELL

HC STARCK GMBH

HOSOKAWA POWDER TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

ITN ENERGY SYSTEMS INC.

K-STYLE ADVANCED CERAMICS CO., LTD.

KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC.

KERAFOL (INELTRO HALMER ELECTRONICS GMBH)

LILLIPUTIAN SYSTEMS

LOGANENERGY CORP.

MATERIALS & SYSTEMS RESEARCH INC.

MEIDENSHA CORP.

MERIDIAN ENERGY, LTD.

MERLONI TERMOSANITARI SPA (ARISTON THERMO GROUP)

MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.

MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

NEXCERIS

NGIMAT CO.

NGK INSULATORS LTD.

NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE CORP.

NOAH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

ONTARIO POWER GENERATION INC.

PLANSEE SE

POHANG IRON AND STEEL COMPANY (POSCO)

POINT SOURCE POWER INC.

PRECISION FLOW TECHNOLOGIES

PRESIDIO COMPONENTS INC.

RAGAN TECHNOLOGIES INC.

ROLLS-ROYCE FUEL CELL SYSTEMS, LTD. (LG FUEL CELL)

REDOX POWER SYSTEMS

RISO DTU NATIONAL LABORATORY

SAFCELL

SAINT-GOBAIN

SANDVIK

SIENERGY SYSTEMS (ALLIED MINDS)

SOLIDPOWER

STAXERA GMBH (SUNFIRE)

SULZER HEXIS AG

SUMITOMO CORP.

TERMINUS ENERGY INC.

TOKYO GAS CO., LTD.

TOTO LTD.

TOYOTA

ULTRA ELECTRONICS AMI

UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON RESEARCH INSTITUTE

VAILLANT GMBH

VERSA POWER SYSTEMS INC.

WATT FUEL CELL CORP.

WEBASTO AG

ZIRCAR ZIRCONIA INC.

ZTEK CORP.

Chapter 11 Appendix: Acronyms and Report Sources

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/p7pbtn

Attachment
Indianapolis, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers, one of the largest autism therapy providers in the nation, has teamed up with Autism in Motion Clinics (AIM) to host a nationwide hiring event on Friday, March 18. The hiring day comes after the company recently announced its plans to hire 4,000 employees nationally and open 40 new centers to meet the growing demand for autism services.

Hopebridge National Hiring Day will take place across 115 Hopebridge and AIM locations in 12 states. Participants interested in learning more about available ABA therapist roles will be able to tour their center of choice, meet the leadership team and learn about the therapies used to care for children and families living with autism. Applicants are encouraged to bring a cover letter, resume and list of references for an on-the-spot interview and potential employment offer.

With the CDCs recent news that the rate of autism spectrum disorder has increased to 1 in 44 children, its imperative that access to quality services expands alongside it, said Hopebridge CEO Dennis May. In order to give these children the best possible care during their key developmental years, Hopebridge is bringing passionate, qualified behavioral health clinicians even closer to home for many of these families who require more support.

Although previous experience with ABA therapy is preferred, none is required. Hopebridge centers provide 80+ hours of extensive training to all newly hired therapists through a mix of online modules and in-class training sessions.

Our ABA therapists provide life-changing services to our patients every day, said Leigh Crick, Hopebridge Chief of Human Resources. One of our goals through Hopebridge National Hiring Day is to find mission-driven employees who are passionate about working with children and want to improve the lives of children with autism.

Hopebridges dedication to growth and learning for both its children and its employees stems from a range of career advancement opportunities at all levels. Hopebridge aims to provide employees with the tools they need to deepen their knowledge in behavioral analysis by providing opportunities to meet their university and certification requirements, leveling-up programs, behavior analysis fellowship programs, and continued education.

Those looking to elevate their careers from within Hopebridge have access to:

Monday through Friday Schedule

Competitive Pay and Benefits

Paid RBT Certification Exam

401k Retirement Options with company match

Mentorship with experienced BCBAs and Register Behavior Technician Trainers

Development programs to level up in their own roles

Company-sponsored CEUs

Students aspiring to become BCBAs, OTs and SLPs can take advantage of unparalleled mentorship, supervision hours and clinical rotations at Hopebridge through the Fellowship (BAF) Program and Fieldwork Experience Program.

More information about Hopebridge National Hiring Day can be found here. Those who are unable to attend in person on March 18 are invited to apply online.

###

About Hopebridge

Hopebridge was founded in 2005 to serve the growing need for autism treatment services and to improve the lives of affected children and families. Hopebridge is committed to providing personalized outpatient ABA, occupational, speech and feeding therapies for children touched by autism spectrum disorder and behavioral, physical, social, communication and sensory challenges. Hopebridge provides a trusted place where they can receive the care, support and hope they deserve.

From its start in Indiana, Hopebridge continues to open state-of-the-art autism therapy centers in new communities to reach patients and families who need services. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Hopebridge operates over 100 centers in 12 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio and Tennessee.





Attachments
LONDON, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Commonwealth of Dominica continues to strengthen its international ties, as reflected by the countrys recent signing of an agreement with Syria establishing mutual diplomatic relations.



The signing ceremony took place on 07 March 2022 at the headquarters of the permanent delegation of Syria to the United Nations in New York City, United States.

The diplomatic commitment between the two countries was formalised by their respective Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, namely: Loreen Bannis-Roberts (Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the United Nations) and Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh (Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations).

According to Ambassador Sabbagh of Syria, the Commonwealth of Dominica and Syria share the desire of continuing to pursue multifaceted bilateral communication with each other, with the official signing of the agreement establishing diplomatic relations as a prelude towards this goal.

Additionally, cooperation and coordination on multiple areas of focus as well as increased mutual support on international forums are also representative cases of joint actions that are prospected to further grow in future outlooks.

Similarly, Ambassador Roberts of the Commonwealth of Dominica spoke very positively of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations, by expressing the keenness of the Commonwealth of Dominica on discovering and developing all possible opportunities for bilateral cooperation across a varied range of realms.

Notably, the agreement signed by Dominica and Syria provides an example of the intention of both countries in adhering to the Charter of the United Nations and the universal principles that it stipulates in regard to friendly relations between Member States, in addition to their willingness in exchanging experience for mutual benefit and complying to the high standards presented by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations for the maintenance of bilateral partnerships.

Formalising diplomatic relations between the Commonwealth of Dominica and Syria represents another step for the so-called Nature Isle of the Caribbean towards the expansion of its bilateral relations across the globe, by bolstering the popularity of the island on a global sphere and enabling the nation to have strong travel prospects in several regions around the world.

Syria is, in fact, one of the several locations in the list of Middle Eastern countries with which Dominica has improved diplomatic ties and travelling arrangements over time, which recently included Kuwait in 2021 and the United Arab Emirates since early 2020. This significantly makes the Commonwealth of Dominica also favourably placed to develop global businesses and create strong ties with international communities.

The Commonwealth of Dominica gained political independence from Britain and gained membership in the United Nationals in 1978. The country has therefore, almost half a century of experience as a player in the global arena, building the foundations for further national development.

As a Small Island Developing State, Dominica is also readily prepared for potential social and economic vulnerabilities that may affect it and its neighbouring countries through the consistent revenue that it channels to finance the projects funded by the countrys Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme.

Initiatives subsidised by the direct foreign investment transferred through Dominicas CBI Programme, in fact, contribute to the islands education and tourism sector, healthcare infrastructure, as well as the creation of environmentally friendly resorts and villas and hurricane-resistant homes for Dominican families.

Citizenship by Investment programmes offer the opportunity to legally acquire citizenship of a country in return of a contribution to a government fund of that country or investment in one of its pre-approved real estate projects. CBI programmes ultimately provide a unique occasion for investors wishing to access increased business opportunities as well as for countries that may benefit from foreign direct investment to assure wider economic growth to its citizens.

Established in 1993, the Dominica Citizenship by Investment Programme is one of the longest standing in the citizenship by investment industry, welcoming foreign investors from across the globe to obtain citizenship of the nation from over 30 decades. Prospective applicants are, in fact, reassured by the reliability and validity of the Programme when applying to obtain citizenship of the country, as a process that many others have also chosen to undertake.

There are several additional attractive features of the Dominica Citizenship by Investment Programme.

As mentioned, the Commonwealth of Dominica enjoys worldwide diplomatic presence, and the global mobility the country grants to its citizens expands to around 150 countries and territories, including major global business hubs in Asia and Africa.

This permits businesspersons to enjoy enhanced financial geographical diversification where they become citizens of the island. The appeal and desirability of Dominicas global mobility is, in fact, reflected in its citizens ability of greater freedom to travel for business and leisure, as well as an insurance policy enabling prompt access to medical or safety emergencies. In fact, while maximising financial outlooks through global mobility to global financial centres, second citizenship of Dominica also allows for enhanced personal security for oneself and ones family against potential risk.

Significantly, citizens of Dominica can be considered as enjoying increased overall freedom and accessibility through the mobility that the countrys offers and the worldwide diplomatic ties it has established with nations.

The Dominica Citizenship by Investment Programme protects its international reputation and partner nations by ensuring a high standard of integrity during its robust due diligence process, a vital part of the Programmes proper functioning.

The due diligence process of Dominica allows for citizenship to be granted to the applicants that successfully pass stringent vetting, multi-tiered external and internal screening and submit all the complete and correct documentation through an authorised agent. In fact, the nation has been ranked as the worlds first citizenship by investment offering for 5 consecutive years in the Financial Times Professional Wealth Management magazine, the CBI Index, earning high scores in the Due diligence category amongst others.

CS Global Partners is the worlds leading government advisory and marketing firm, specialising in residency and citizenship by investment solutions which developed the 2022 World Citizenship Report. The Word Citizenship Report identifies the demands and needs of global citizens and the corresponding progressive and innovative countries that address these. Global mobility in therein included as one of the five main motivators which skilled, talented, and wealthy individuals consider important to continue thriving.

Contact details:

pr@csglobalpartners.com, www.csglobalpartners.com / +447824029952
RICHLAND, Wash., March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Isoray, Inc. (NYSE American: ISR), a medical technology company and innovator in seed brachytherapy, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Lori Woods will participate in a virtual fireside chat at the Oppenheimer 32nd Annual Healthcare Conference on Thursday, March 17 at 1:20 p.m. ET. CEO Woods and Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Hunt will also host virtual one-on-one and group meetings with institutional investors during the conference.



A live webcast of the virtual fireside chat will be available on Isorays Investor Relations section of the Companys website at https://isoray.com/investors/presentations/ . An on-demand replay will be available shortly after the conclusion on the Investor Relations section of the website and will be available for 90 days.
AIRPORT CITY, Israel, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NovaSight, a pediatric-focused eyecare company, announced positive pivotal data from its multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of CureSight, an eye-tracking based, digital treatment device for amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye". The study, which randomized 103 participants aged 4 to 9, compared the improvement in visual outcomes achieved by CureSight digital treatment versus eye patching -- the current gold-standard-of-care treatment. This is the first-ever pivotal study in which a digital device was shown to be non-inferior to eye patching for amblyopia treatment in children.

In addition to achieving the non-inferiority primary endpoint, the topline analyses from the pivotal study demonstrated that Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) improvement at week 16 was larger in the treatment group compared to the patching control group. In addition, a significant stereo acuity improvement was observed in both groups. No serious adverse events were observed in either treatment arms (CureSight or patching) and all non-serious adverse events were transient and self-limiting.

The study also evaluated adherence and patient satisfaction. The mean adherence to CureSight use during the study among subjects evaluated at the week 16 visit (N=43) was 93%, as measured by the CureSight's eye tracking system. In addition, 93% of parents reported that they are likely or very likely to choose the CureSight digital treatment over patching.

The pivotal clinical study was conducted in six medical centers, including Sheba Medical Center, which was ranked one of the top 10 best hospitals in the world by Newsweek, in 2021.

"We are delighted to have completed the CureSight study and further validate its safety and effectiveness as measured by visual acuity and stereoacuity improvement in comparison to patching and with a high safety profile and user satisfaction. Eye patching is effective when patients are compliant, however, patching is often associated with insufficient adherence due to the discomfort it brings to the patient and the social stigma that many children experience when wearing a patch," said NovaSight CEO Ran Yam. "The success of the CureSight study is a critical step toward bringing this treatment for lazy eye to children around the world and to potentially modernizing the standard of care."

CureSight is a digital device that trains the visual system to use both eyes simultaneously, while the user watches any streamed video content through red-blue treatment glasses. Using sophisticated algorithms and eye-tracking technology, CureSight blurs the center of vision of the image that is shown to the strong eye using real-time image processing. This encourages the brain to complete the image fine details from the amblyopic eye image and trains the two eyes to work as a team. The device is designed to be used at home, and it shares treatment reports with caregivers via a cloud portal. "Innovative solutions that make amblyopia treatment easier for patients to access and clinicians to prescribe and evaluate effectiveness are welcome and increasingly necessary," said Michael Repka, MD, MBA, Professor of Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University.

NovaSight has initiated a Series B financing round in addition to the $20 million the Israeli startup raised to date. Following on the recently granted CE mark approval for CureSight in Europe, completion of the CureSight pivotal trial represents a significant step forward to securing US FDA clearance. With three unique CPT codes for the CureSight treatment already effective since January 2022, NovaSight is poised to take the next step soon with the submission of its application for 510(k) clearance of the device.

NovaSight also announced that, in addition to the CureSight, its CE marked EyeSwiftPro system - a comprehensive eye-tracking based visual assessment system, which has a powerful portfolio of vision protocols such as myopia management and amblyopia monitoring - would be the subject of discussions with FDA regarding the premarket pathway to commercialization in the U.S. The EyeSwiftPro is the successor of the current generation EyeSwift device which is distributed globally by EssilorLuxottica.

NovaSight will be an exhibitor at the upcoming 47th annual meeting of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus (AAPOS), from March 23 to 27, at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, AZ. For more information or a demonstration of CureSight or EyeSwiftPro, see a NovaSight representative at Booth B-10.

About NovaSight

NovaSight is an Israeli company that focuses on bringing pediatric vision care into the digital age. Founded in 2016, NovaSight has experienced rapid growth by delivering complete end-to-end eye tracking-based solutions for accurate assessment and treatment of early vision disorders.

NovaSight offers two flagship products both ideally positioned for digital diagnostics and home treatment: The CureSight system is an eye tracking-based treatment for lazy eye designed to replace traditional eye patching. The EyeSwiftPro system is a comprehensive vision assessment device that accurately and objectively screens for multiple vision impairments within seconds. Additional pipeline products not yet in distribution include the ActiveGlass wearable solution for myopia (short-sightedness) control, targeted to bring significant advantages over existing solutions in order to combat the myopia global epidemic and TrackSight, a software solution that monitors real-time visual health and promotes myopia prevention during screens use.

NovaSight's management and advisory board are composed of executives, physicians, researchers, and key opinion leaders in the field of vision care.

Disclaimers

EyeSwiftPro and CureSight are investigational devices, limited by federal (or United States) law to investigational use.

Media Contacts:

Deb Holliday

412.877.4519

deb@hollidaycommunications.net

Jenny Goldman

Marketing Manager

jenny@nova-sight.com

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GREENSBORO, N.C., March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Whether treating a COVID-19 patient with a ventilator or nurturing premature infants with incubators, clinicians across North Carolina need the highest-quality equipment for patients in their care. US Med-Equip (USME), the nation's leading provider of rented medical equipment, is expanding to Greensboro, N.C., to meet the growing equipment and service needs of hospitals and other healthcare partners throughout the Eastern U.S.

USME partners with top hospitals across the nation for the rental, sales, service and asset management of movable medical equipmentdiagnostic and clinical devices ranging from infusion pumps and telemetry monitors to ventilators and more.

US Med-Equip is rapidly opening new branches to meet extraordinary demand from hospitals turning to USME, which continues to invest heavily in its equipment fleet and the technology and services to support it.

"Clinicians work with urgency to help their patients heal and need equipment to be patient-ready and within reach at a moment's notice," USME CEO Greg Salario said. "We're here in Greensboro now so we can provide faster-than-ever support to front-line healthcare workers across the region."

From major medical centers to rural hospitals, US Med-Equip serves thousands of hospitals from nearly 50 locations across the country with more on the way. The nine-time Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company designated as a Top Workplace is hiring in Greensboro and nationwide. Learn more at www.usme.com/careers.

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MEDIA CONTACT: US Med-Equip, 713-883-8860, news@usmedequip.com

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DALLAS, TEXAS, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cherry Petersen Landry Albert LLP is pleased to announce that Michael E. Crafton has joined the firm as a Litigation Associate. Crafton graduated from law school in 2021 and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in October 2021. Prior to his bar admission, Crafton worked at Federal Trade Commission in Dallas, and for a Dallas litigation boutique firm.

I am very happy to join the trial practice at CPLA. The firm has a tight-knit team of highly skilled litigators. I have already learned a great deal from them in my first few months at the firm, said Michael Crafton, Litigation Associate at Cherry Petersen Landry Albert. We regularly achieve success for our clients and the work we do is very impactful for them. I really enjoy the diversity of our litigation work as well; Ive handled cases involving theft of trade secrets, eminent domain disputes, and a variety of other types of cases.

Michael Crafton is a very talented young lawyer, and he has a promising future as a trial attorney. Were so glad he chose to join CPLA. He has already made valuable contributions as part of the litigation team, said Craig Albert , the chair of the firms trial practice group. Michael has a keen legal mind and a real dedication to client service.

Crafton attended law school at SMUs Dedman School of Law where he graduated cum laude in 2021. During his time at SMU, he served as an Assistant Director for the Board of Advocates, receiving the organizations Outstanding Service award during his last year of law school. As an advocate, Crafton was awarded the Frank and Debbie Branson Trial Scholarship for receiving the highest score in his Trial Advocacy course. He was also the winner of SMUs 2020 Arbitration Competition and the runner-up in SMUs 2020 Mock Trial Competition. Prior to law school, Crafton earned a double major in History and Political Science, B.A. from the University of Arkansas.

Cherry Petersen Landry Albert, LLP is a business law firm with 20 attorneys based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1991, CPLA represents clients in commercial real estate matters, business transactions and commercial litigation. The firm emphasizes cost efficiency, performance, and relationships. Learn more about the firm at www.cplalaw.com .

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures in a meeting with cabinet officials at the Malacanang Presidential Palace in Manila, March 7, in this photo provided by the Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division. AP-Yonhap





The Philippine president is ready to open the country's ''facilities'' to American forces under a 1951 mutual defense treaty if Russia's war against Ukraine turns for the worse and embroils the United States in the fighting, Manila's ambassador to Washington said Thursday.







Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said President Rodrigo Duterte made the remarks in a recent meeting in Manila where the president also expressed concern over the global economic impact of the unfolding crisis. The Philippines has condemned the invasion and voted yes on a U.N. General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate halt to Moscow's attack on, and the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine.







Duterte, whose stormy six-year term ends in June, has nurtured closer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping while often criticizing U.S. security policies in the first years of his presidency. But Romualdez said Duterte told him that that the Russian invasion was wrong.







''He says if they're asking for the support of the Philippines, it's very clear that, of course, if push comes to shove, the Philippines will be ready to be part of the effort, especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to the Asian region,'' Romualdez said in an online briefing with Manila-based journalists. ''Give them the assurance that if ever needed, the Philippines is ready to offer whatever facilities or whatever things that the United States will need being a major  our number one ally.''







Duterte did not specify in his remarks which Philippine facilities American forces would gain access to, but Romualdez said these could include the sprawling Clark and Subic Bay freeports northwest of Manila that used to be among the largest American air and naval bases outside the U.S. mainland until U.S. forces withdrew from them in the early 1990s.







There was no immediate comment from Duterte or his office.







The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty commits the United States and the Philippines to come to the aid of the other in case of an attack. American officials have repeatedly assured their Philippine counterparts in recent years that they would honor their treaty obligations if Filipino forces, ships or aircraft come under attack in the disputed South China Sea, including by China.







U.S. national security officials have scheduled a meeting at the White House with ambassadors of the Association of Southeast Asian nations this week to discuss the widening sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russia, including President Joe Biden's ban on Russian oil imports, Romualdez said.







Romualdez also said he learned that Ukraine has appealed to many nations, including the Philippines, ''to stop doing business with Russia'' but said he was unaware if the request has been officially conveyed to Manila.







Another topic at the meeting with U.S. officials this week is Biden's invitation to ASEAN heads of state to take part in a special U.S. summit on March 28. The 76-year-old Duterte may skip the event because it falls on his birthday and also because it will occur during the busy Philippine elections season, Romualdez said. (AP)


Lead DMT-assisted therapy candidate SPL026s clinical development program strengthened with the addition of two clinical trials planned for 2022



SPL028, a deuterated DMT candidate with Composition of Matter patent protection in the UK, moves towards Phase I clinical trial in H2 2022 on positive preclinical data

LONDON, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Small Pharma Inc. (TSXV: DMT) (OTCQB: DMTTF) (the Company or Small Pharma), a neuroscience company focused on psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health conditions, announces research and development updates on two N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) based candidates, SPL028 and SPL026. Small Pharmas pipeline of short duration psychedelics have the potential to offer effective, accessible and practical in-clinic treatments with patients and clinicians in mind for a range of mental health conditions. Two additional trials have been added to SPL026s development program while the SPL028 program moves towards a Phase I clinical trial in H2 2022.

SPL026 Update

Following the success of its lead DMT candidate SPL026s Phase I trial, Small Pharma is expanding its development program with the addition of a drug interaction study, planned for 2022. This study will assess the impact of antidepressants on the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of SPL026 with psychotherapy. These endpoints will be assessed in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), who are currently on a course of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) but have not achieved satisfactory results, compared with those not taking an SSRI. A better understanding of how DMT-assisted therapy interacts with existing antidepressants opens up the potential to reach the broadest population of patients suffering from MDD.

Small Pharma is also planning a further Phase I study of SPL026 with healthy volunteers in 2022 to compare the treatment profile of intramuscular (IM) versus intravenous (IV) modes of administration. IM injection would offer a simple injectable form that could further enhance convenience and accessibility for patients and clinicians.

Dr. Carol Routledge, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of Small Pharma said: We want to maximize access to DMT therapy for the greatest number of patients. We recognize that for some MDD patients, coming off antidepressants can be a difficult process. Additionally, we are looking to explore optimized treatment routes. By continuing our research in these new avenues, our ambition is to identify the best potential treatment options for patients with major depression.

SPL028 Update

Small Pharma has advanced its proprietary deuterated DMT candidate SPL028 through preclinical studies. The goal is to deliver a treatment with an extended psychedelic experience, as compared to SPL026, but still significantly shorter than the experience of other psychedelics, such as psilocybin and LSD. Through SPL028, Small Pharma is exploring whether an extended duration could offer a DMT treatment tailored for other mental health conditions. Additionally, the pharmacokinetic profile of SPL028 offers the opportunity for optimizing alternative routes of administration beyond IV.

The final candidate of SPL028 was selected after screening a range of deuterated DMT compounds through in vitro and in vivo studies. Importantly, preclinical studies suggest that SPL028 offers a similar safety and pharmacological profile to SPL026, while being differentiated by its pharmacokinetics, to offer a potentially extended psychedelic experience as compared to SPL026.

Key parameters include:

Safety profile: SPL028 has the potential for a similar safety profile to SPL026 in the clinic. In vitro and ex vivo binding: data suggest a similar binding affinity across a range of receptors including 5-HT receptor subtypes (5HT2A included), which are believed to induce psychoactive effects. Toxicology: SPL028 found to be safe and well-tolerated in vivo at all doses tested, demonstrating significant safety margins for progressing into first-in-human trials.

SPL028 has the potential for a similar safety profile to SPL026 in the clinic. Behavioral effects: Similar but prolonged behaviors induced by SPL028 in a number of preclinical models were observed in vivo, suggesting the potential for a similar but longer psychedelic experience as compared to SPL026.

Similar but prolonged behaviors induced by SPL028 in a number of preclinical models were observed in vivo, suggesting the potential for a similar but longer psychedelic experience as compared to SPL026. Pharmacokinetic profile: In vitro data of SPL028 demonstrated a reduction in clearance rate and significant extension in half-life compared to SPL026. Following IM administration in vivo, SPL028 demonstrated a marked decrease in clearance from the body, resulting in higher blood concentrations for an extended period of time versus SPL026.



Dr. Carol Routledge continued, The rapid effects of DMT, as highlighted in recent Phase I data, offers the flexibility to engineer alternative DMT candidates that could deliver extended yet convenient and accessible in-clinic treatment options for a broader range of mental health conditions. SPL028s promising preclinical data demonstrates its similarities to DMT from a safety and behavioral perspective, allowing for a potentially expedited route to the clinic.

In H2 2022 Small Pharma intends to initiate a Phase I study of SPL028 with psychotherapy among healthy volunteers to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of IM and IV administration. This study will allow Small Pharma to better understand the profile of SPL028 as a therapeutic candidate and identify the optimal route of administration in a clinical setting.

About Small Pharma

Small Pharma is a neuroscience company specialized in discovering and developing novel treatments for mental health conditions, with a current focus on depression. Small Pharma initiated a clinical program into DMT-assisted therapy in February 2021. This program includes a Phase I/IIa trial on the Companys lead candidate alongside development of a robust pipeline of proprietary preclinical assets.

About DMT

DMT is a naturally occurring psychedelic tryptamine found in plants and in the brain of mammals. Scientific evidence suggests DMT offers the potential for rapid-acting and long-lasting antidepressant effects. DMT is differentiated by its short psychedelic experience (< 30 mins), which allows for short treatment sessions and offers the potential for convenient supervised treatments within patient clinics. Small Pharma is advancing a pipeline of DMT-based therapies and is leading the worlds first DMT clinical trial for depression, in collaboration with Imperial College London.

For further information contact:

Small Pharma Inc.

Peter Rands

Chief Executive Officer

Email: ir@smallpharma.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0)2071 129118

Investor Enquiries:

Eric Ribner, LifeSci Advisors

eric@lifesciadvisors.com

Tim Regan, KCSA Strategic Communications

tregan@kcsa.com

Media Enquiries

North America

McKenna Miller, KCSA Strategic Communications

smallpharmapr@kcsa.com

Rest of World

Donna Curran, Hanover Communications

smallpharma@hanovercomms.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking information (forward-looking information) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Companys plans, expectations, timelines and possible outcomes with respect to its anticipated SPL026 drug interaction study, its plans, expectations, timelines and possible outcomes of the further Phase I study of SPL026 comparing IM versus IV modes of administration, its plans, expectations, timelines and possible outcomes of its proprietary deuterated DMT candidate (SPL028), SPL028s preclinical data, and the Companys ability to develop solutions to effectively address depression through DMT-based therapies.

In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include but are not limited to: compliance with extensive government regulations; domestic and foreign laws and regulations adversely affecting the Companys business and results of operations; the impact of COVID-19; and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information or otherwise.

Small Pharma makes no medical, treatment or health benefit claims about its proposed products. The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or other similar regulatory authorities have not evaluated claims regarding DMT-assisted therapies and other next generation psychoactive compounds. The efficacy of such therapies has not been confirmed by MHRA-approved research. There is no assurance that such DMT-assisted therapies and other psychoactive compounds can diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. Vigorous scientific research and clinical trials are needed. Any references to quality, consistency, efficacy and safety of potential therapies do not imply that Small Pharma verified such in clinical trials or that Small Pharma will complete such trials. If Small Pharma cannot obtain the approvals or research necessary to commercialize its business, it may have a material adverse effect on Small Pharmas performance and operations.

The TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV) has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/65d89090-cc0c-4e87-89b9-e1c1315293db
Detroit, Michigan, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., (OTCPK:AITX), today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD) has formally released RAD Light My Way, the first of its kind facility and campus safety solution where users can control the lighting and security conditions of their environment.



With RAD Light My Way, consumers whether theyre employees in a corporate office building, or students on a college campus can take control of their immediate safety surroundings while outdoors, especially at night, said Steve Reinharz, CEO of AITX. For years RAD has been producing remarkable security solutions based on our advanced artificial intelligence technologies, and corporate clients have benefited from the enhanced security and low cost they deliver.

RAD Light My Way offers property management and campus security professionals a new and better way to address security. This breakthrough solution puts the power of security in the hands of employees, faculty, and students through the combination of affordable, smart, interactive technologies, a mobile app, and live remote monitoring and response services.

The facility management industry has taken notice. RAD Light My Way is the winner of the 2021 Best Workplace Experience Award, part of CBREs annual Supplier Innovation Challenge.

Were seeing that students and faculty members on college campuses want to be more empowered over how their security and safety is implemented, said Michael Martin, CEO at Circadian Risk, a company which provides tools for risk analysis to optimize for risk solutions and help with OSHA, ISO, and unlimited compliance, threat, and hazard scenarios. RAD Light My Way will certainly give end-users the peace of mind thats often absent from outdated security systems, Martin concluded.

The foundation of RAD Light My Way is RADs suite of artificial intelligence-driven security robotic devices. Each features a combination of high-resolution cameras, human and vehicle detection, license plate recognition, responsive digital signage and audio messaging, lights, sirens, and two-way communication with remote monitoring security personnel. Units are available in several form-factors: tower, wall-mounted panel, overhead device, and rugged, autonomous 4-wheeled mobile robot. These devices have already proven effective at performing many of the same tasks as onsite human guards. They deter the occurrence of crime, identify security threats, provide autonomous and human-assisted remote response, and provide eyewitness documentation of events via high-resolution, recorded video. Remotely monitoring personnel receive alerts whenever a device senses the motion of a human or vehicle.

RAD Light My Way is a fantastic integration of technology that solves many parking lot security issues, commented Jeffrey A. Slotnick, CPP, PSP, President of Setracon Enterprise Security Risk Management Services. Almost every one of my clients has parking facilities. In the Pacific Northwest, we have short days and long nights in the winter, and often it is dark by 3:30 pm. I have spoken with many employees at various organizations. A primary concern is going from their workspace's protected environment and out to the unprotected parking lot. Its a cost-effective solution to a well-known problem and one I am recommending to any of my clients with parking lots.

RAD Light My Way will be on display at ISC West, March 22-25 in Las Vegas, in RADs booth #31053.

Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD) is a high-tech start-up that delivers robotics and artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex security challenges, and fuel new business ideas at reduced costs. RAD developed its advanced security robot technology from the ground up including circuit board design, and base code development. This allows RAD to have complete control over all design elements, performance, quality, and the users experience of all security robots whether SCOT, ROSA, Wally, Wally HSO, AVA, ROAMEO, or RAD Light My Way. Read about how RAD is reinventing the security services industry by downloading the Autonomous Remote Services Industry Manifesto.

CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" that are based on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the ability of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions to provide for its obligations, to provide working capital needs from operating revenues, to obtain additional financing needed for any future acquisitions, to meet competitive challenges and technological changes, to meet business and financial goals including projections and forecasts, and other risks. Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement(s) and/or to confirm the statement(s) to actual results or changes in Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions expectations.

About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX)

AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITXs RAD, RAD-M and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staffs and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai, www.r adsecurity .com and www.radlightmyway.com, or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz .

###

Steve Reinharz

949-636-7060

@SteveReinharz

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Company invests $10 MN in new service delivery center in Heredia, Costa Rica



Aims to build a team of 100 by the end of its second year of operations.

Plans to collaborate with tech academia and administration of Costa Rica to introduce an IAM focused curriculum within existing cybersecurity programs.



ALPHARETTA, Ga., March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simeio, a global managed identity, and access management services provider in the cybersecurity industry, announced its expansion to Central America with the opening of a global service delivery center in Heredia, Costa Rica. Andres Valenciano Yamuni, Minister of Commerce, Costa Rica, and Jorge Sequeira General Director, Costa Rican lnvestment Promotion Agency (CINDE) inaugurated the new 4000 SQFT office. This location is an extension of the strategic initiatives of Simeio, that resulted in exponential growth, including the addition of 25+ new clients in 2021.

Simeio witnessed significant growth in its client base over the past few years. Scaling the capabilities of its Identity Orchestrator (IO) platform and service delivery, Simeio plans to expand its offerings in 2022 in areas of identity remediation, identity monitoring, and convergence. These offerings would combat the increasing vulnerabilities enterprises expect to encounter in multi-cloud environments. In addition to the delivery centers in Alpharetta (USA) and Bangalore (India), the Costa Rica office will also implement these offerings for Simeio's clients.

Costa Rica has successfully established itself as a digital tech hub in the last few years, and the administration has been tremendously future driven. The leadership in the Ministry of Commerce, and CINDE have implemented exemplary tech initiatives to nurture economic growth that made Costa Rica a fantastic place to invest. said Chris Schueler, CEO, Simeio. Simeio is geared to bring IAM to the forefront in Latin America. By empowering and transforming the way cybersecurity is managed we hope to contribute significantly to digital and citizen identity programs through IAM.

The Costa Rica location, a part of The Free Trade Zone Park in Ultra Park is closer to the time zones where most of Simeio's clients are in North America. In addition to cost-efficiency, the easy availability of tech talent and the cultural and geographical proximity to North America made Costa Rica an attractive destination for Simeio. The company has immediate plans to grow its presence in the country with some strategic steps 

Investment of $10 MN has already been made towards the 4000 SQFT office space conveniently located in the city of Heredia.

Build a talent pool of 50 in its first year of operations and grow it to 100 team members by the end of its second year of operation. The company is also hosting a job fair from March 29 th to March 30 th , in the new office, towards this effort.

to March 30 , in the new office, towards this effort. The Costa Rica team would include Project Managers, Developers, Regulatory and Business Compliance, and Business Analysts from the cybersecurity industry specializing in IAM.

Simeio plans to engage and collaborate with the tech academia and the administration in Costa Rica to introduce IAM focused curriculum within the existing cybersecurity programs.

The new location is a strategic move to manage the exponential growth of the companys client base. The new office will support the existing service delivery teams not located in the US time zones to balance their life and work. It can be overwhelming for support teams at locations that are not in the same time zones as the client. This is an industry-wide scenario of the 24/7 operating model and can have a long-term impact on employees well-being. Simeio nurtures a culture that strives to attain a balance between, health, family, and work. We wanted to go that extra mile and invest to guarantee our clients with excellent support and services, yet ensure our people balance work and life, said Chris Schueler. Simeio will also establish a program to provide opportunities for internal transfers for employees around the globe to experience a different culture and cultivate the new Costa Rica team.

Software and cloud services companies are the fastest growing sectors opening offices in the Central American country and it has emerged as a tech hub for many global players. Simeio will thus join over 300 high-tech companies  including Fortune 500 companies  that have offices in Costa Rica, including some of its clients who have a presence in the country.

About Simeio

Simeio is an award-winning global managed services provider offering Identity and Access Management solutions delivered as a service and interoperable with leading IAM tools. With 700+ employees worldwide, Simeio secures over 160 million identities globally for large enterprises and government entities. Services and solutions from Simeio include Customer Identity & Access Management, Privileged Access Management, Identity Proofing, Access Management & Federation, Identity Governance & Administration, Application Onboarding, and Simeio Identity Orchestrator. The company has been recognized for its business and technical leadership and highly rated by Gartner, Forrester, and KuppingerCole, and was ranked by Great Places to Work.

For more information  visit www.simeio.com

For the latest developments follow Simeio on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Media Contacts:
Company announcement 04/2022

Sborg/Copenhagen, March 10, 2022

Resolutions from the annual general meeting of NNIT A/S

Today, NNIT A/S held its annual general meeting, at which the following were adopted:

Financial year 2021 and 2022

The Company's audited annual report 2021 was adopted.

Distribution of loss according to the adopted annual report 2021 was adopted.

The Companys Remuneration Report for 2021 was adopted.

The remuneration of the Board of Directors for 2022 was adopted.

The Companys revised Remuneration Policy was adopted.





Discharge of liability

A resolution to grant discharge of liability to members of the Board of Directors and Executive Management for liability towards the Company in relation to the adopted annual report 2021 was adopted.





Elections

Re-election of Carsten Dilling as Chairman of the Board of Directors and election of Eivind Kolding as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Re-election of Anne Broeng, Caroline Serfass and Christian Kanstrup as members of the Board of Directors.

Election of Nigel Govett as a new member of the Board of Directors.

Re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab as the Company's auditor.

Authorisation to acquire treasury shares

Authorisation to the Board of Directors to in the period until the annual general meeting in 2023 approve the acquisition of treasury shares with a total nominal value of up to 10% of the share capital, subject to the Companys holding of treasury share not exceeding 10% of the share capital.





Indemnification scheme

A general indemnification scheme covering the Board of Directors and Executive Management was adopted.





Composition of the Board of Directors and committees

After the annual general meeting, the elected Board of Directors held a Board meeting to appoint members of its Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee.

The Board decided that the Board of Directors, Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee shall be composed as follows:

Carsten Dilling (Chairman of the Board of Directors and member of the Remuneration Committee)

Eivind Kolding (Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee)

Anne Broeng (member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Audit Committee)

Nigel Govett (member of the Board of Directors and member of the Audit Committee)

Christian Kanstrup (member of the Board of Directors and member of the Remuneration Committee and Audit Committee)

Caroline Serfass (member of the Board of Directors)

Anders Vidstrup (employee representative)

Trine Io Bjerregaard (employee representative)

Camilla Krabbe Kongsted Christensen (employee representative)





Contact for further information

Pernille Fabricius

EVP & CFO

Tel: +45 3077 9500

Media relations:

Tina Joanne Hindsbo

Media Relations Manager

Tel: +45 3077 9578

tnjh@nnit.com

The NNIT Group provides a wide range of IT and consulting services internationally.



In Denmark, where the Group HQ is based, we are one of the leading IT companies, servicing both private and public sector customers across all industries. In the rest of Europe, Asia and USA, we are solely focused on companies within life sciences.

Supporting the entire supply chain, we help optimize internal company processes, production, sales and customer experiences:

We advise, build, operate and support, enabling digital transformation and customers to reap the full potential of their organizations. Our role is to foster innovation and make the mark our customers and we aspire to.

The NNIT Group consists of group company NNIT A/S and subsidiaries Valiance, SCALES Excellis Health Solutions and SL Controls. Together, these companies employ over 3,100 people in Europe, Asia and USA. Read more at www.nnit.com .

Attachment
Cincinnati, Ohio, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It is Osborne Coinages privilege to announce their partnership with the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, to mint their limited edition 50th anniversary commemorative round, recognizing fifty years of history, education and celebration. For nearly 200 years, Osborne Coinage has worked as Americas oldest privately owned and operated mint in Cincinnati, Ohio, to cement special moments through the intersection of art and history on first-rate collectible rounds.

After the out-of-this-world success of the first collectible coin minted by Osborne Coinage in 2019, featuring Neil Armstrongs lunar landing and honoring the 50th anniversary of the mission to the moon, there was inspiration to commission another. The proceeds from the sale of that first coin, commissioned by both the Armstrong Air and Space Museum and the City of Wapakoneta, served as a fundraiser, providing resources for the 2019 First on the Moon citywide celebration events. That memento sold out immediately upon release and is currently available on the secondary market at three and four times its original sale price.

Encouraged by this previous triumph, the Armstrong Air and Space Museum turned again to Osborne Coinage to mint their very own, limited edition, collectible round in celebration of the museums 50th anniversary spanning July 20, 1972, to July 20, 2022. The one-of-a-kind collectible, as defined by the artistry on the coin, serves to honor the commitment, value, and longevity of the museum.

The front of the commissioned coin displays an elegant engraving of the unique entrance to Wakaponketas paramount project, the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. The intricate image of a moonlike sphere embedded into the surrounding grounds of Wapakoneta reflects the sentiment and support of the community at the time of the first lunar landing. A direct line cuts through the coin along the walkway from the museum to the pressed Wapakoneta. This design mirrors, to an extent, the artistry from the First on the Moon coin and was meant to reiterate the appreciation for as well as solidify the connection between the community of Wakaponketa and the museums success.

The groundbreaking achievement of the hometown hero is also symbolized through the visual representation of a prolonged pathway, pointing patrons to this monument, and to Ohios contribution to aviation and space exploration. Each step toward the futuristic moonbase museum serves to represent the challenging and long-lasting journey of mankind to successfully travel to the moon and back.

The Fifty Year Anniversary text emblazoned on the back of the coin serves as a clear reminder of how long the museum has been successful as a result of the support of visitors from local, state, and national communities over the last half century. The 50 is stylishly embellished with a distinctive spherical symbol surrounded by stars to represent space travel as well as the missions destination of the moon. The museum was constructed with this symbolic shape in mind three years to the day after local legend Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on a celestial object outside of Earth. 22 and 72 artfully enclose the central 50 on the receding ribbon and add to the delicate details of this design.

The artistry and precision found in this rounds details demonstrate the selective skill and craftsmanship Osborne prides itself in producing, Gibson Olpp, Marketing Manager, Osborne Mint and Osborne Coinage, said. Our detailed process provides a unique experience for the creatives and consumers with the end result always being the ability to hold, appreciate and gain more as a collector. Projects like these enable us to be part of history in the making.

The Armstrong Air & Space Museum collaborated closely with Osborne Coinage to exclusively release these commemorative coins on February 19, 2022, to coincide with the anniversary of Neil Armstrongs Learjet 28 flights. A very limited quantity of only 250 silver and 500 golden style brass coins exquisitely designed and made in America are available for sale. A protective container is included for preservation as well as presentation.

The silver version of this collectible coin is a one-ounce .999 solid silver round, 39 mm in diameter with a reeded edge and a shared thickness of 0.12. Additionally, the edge of each silver coin is engraved with .999 F.S.. The brass version shares the same dimensions, weight and sophisticated style. Per the strict manufacturing standards at Osborne Coinage, each coin is held to the highest standards for purity, weight, and production. The limited-edition silver version comes with an attractive blue felt case imprinted with the Armstrong Museums logo on the interior of the lid. The silver coin is priced at $85, and the golden brass coin will cost $10. Make sure to seize these iconic coins before their value skyrockets!

The fuel for this fifty-year celebration began on July 20, 1969, when Ohio governor James Rhodes proposed a museum as a monument to the achievements of not only Neil Armstrong, but "all Ohioans who have attempted to defy gravity," as well as to the history and success of the space program itself. One year later Armstrongs hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio, came together to raise over a half-million dollars in matching funds to establish the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. Architecture plans for the museum debuted at the 1970 groundbreaking ceremony and featured a fifty-six-foot wide dome representing a futuristic moonbase design. Two years later on July 20, 1972, three years to the day Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, Mr. Armstrong himself christened the museum opening and became its first visitor. This grand opening ceremony serves as the catalyst for this years 50th-anniversary celebration, and the inspiration for this collectible coin.

For fifty wonderful years, we have endeavored to ignite imaginations and inspire visitors to see themselves as tomorrows explorers working to solve problems in the world today with courage and curiosity for the unknown, Logan Rex, Armstrong Air & Space Museum Communications Director and Curator, said. We strive to continually connect with recurrent visitors throughout our community and pull in new pilgrims with exciting programs and engaging educational environments.

In a world full of mass-produced items, collective coins provide a creative way for the public to preserve a piece of history in their hands as well as pass along something of value to future generations. Do not space out and miss this stellar opportunity to own the limited edition anniversary coin, which will only be sold through the museum.

Osborne Mint products are proudly Made in the USA and every purchase of an Osborne Coinage and Mint products supports American jobs.

###

About Osborne Coinage: www.OsborneCoin.com / #OsborneCoin

Established in 1835, Osborne Coinage is Americas oldest continuously operating private mint. The family of brands includes Osborne Mint, TokensDirect and Van Brook of Lexington. The mint, a 60,000 square foot facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, houses development, engraving and manufacturing of quality collectible rounds and coins. Products made by Osborne are manufactured to strict standards for metal purity, weight and dimensions. Osborne strikes millions of coins, tokens, medallions as well as numismatic quality rounds and bars that are sold through distributors, direct to consumer and B2B.

Stay in the know and follow our hashtags: #OsborneCoin, #OsborneMint

For more information on Osborne Coinage visit: www.OsborneCoin.com.

Attachments
Fort Worth, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fort Worth, Texas -

Moon and Owl Marketing, a full-service digital marketing agency based in Fort Worth, TX, is happy to announce that they are offering a free SEO audit and describes the LASIK SEO audit that they did for a certain ophthalmology practice. They believe that businesses can learn from the SEO audit that they performed and be able to avoid getting tricked into getting the services of an SEO agency that is not really capable of providing an effective SEO service. The audit case study allows LASIK practice owners and managers a framework for evaluating their own site with an application question for each graded section. The agency is offering free, 30-minute mini-SEO-audits for any LASIK practice wondering how their SEO is performing.

The SEO agency for the ophthalmology practice claimed to be doing ongoing SEO on the website. Unfortunately, the LASIK practice didnt really know what is being done, how well it is functioning, and what is the revenue return for those SEO activities.

With regards to brand appearance score, the LASIK practices SEO was given a grade of B minus. This score indicates how effective is the SEO effort is in informing potential clients how they can benefit from the practice, what the practice actually does, and the site visitors aesthetic impression of the brand. While the practice had an attractive website with a good benefit statement, it is not mentioned what they do as a service. Furthermore, a Google search indicated the practice to be an optometrist because the practices agency had never modified the home page title tag.

With regards to traffic and ranking score, the grade given was a D minus. It was observed that the LASIK practice had less than 15% of all traffic coming from organic traffic. And of the 15%, only about 3% came from unbranded, discovery searches.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the site structure score, the grade they gave for the practice was C minus. It was noted that the most important page on the site, which is the practices primary LASIK page, was three hops deep in the site. This is not good for SEO because it implies to the search engines bot that it isnt that important when it should be the most important part of the site. In addition, the site was found to fail when it comes to siloing, which is categorizing the various subjects discussed on the site to allow the search engine to better understand what the site is about.

And in terms of entity-tuned content, the LASIK practices site was given a grade of D. Because Google had shifted to natural language processing using AI, SEO has to shift its focus from keywords to topics. Thus, for LASIK, the search engine expects to see related topics, such as dry eye syndrome, refractive errors, refractive surgery, and more. It turned out that the LASIK pillar page on their website was missing most of the topics related to LASIK.

And with regards to the schema code on the LASIK website, the grade given was D plus. It was found that the practices site had no schema on any sub-page or article. With regards to backlinks, the site was given a grade of C plus. And in terms of GMB / GBP for maps ranking, the practice was given a grade of D. They had no tuned information or service content and the site failed to appear in the Map Pack rankings.

And finally, in terms of results tracking, the SEO for the practice was given a grade of F. This is because they didnt know how organic search was providing results in terms of the increased number of surgeries.

Founded in 2014 by Jordan P. Fowler, Moon and Owl Marketing has been structured in such a way that it is made up of a group of partners and participants who connect virtually as frequently as required. This virtual model allows the company to be streamlined and agile, and to minimize overhead costs, which allows them to provide significant results at a relatively lower price compared to other digital marketing agencies. Jordan Fowler has a lot of marketing experience due to his work has Communications Director of a globally-focused nonprofit organization. He was also a Senior Account Executive for a leading medical marketing agency. While Moon and Owl Marketing has many medical SEO clients, the intentional expansion of client verticals allows for better cross-sector learning.



Those who are interested in learning more about the services provided by Moon and Owl Marketing can check out their website, or contact them on the telephone or through email.

###

For more information about Moon and Owl Marketing, contact the company here:



Moon and Owl Marketing

Jordan Fowler

817-889-1487

press@moonandowl.com

2120 Ellis Avenue #4366

Fort Worth, TX 76164
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX:ERD; MSE:ERDN) ("Erdene" or the "Company") is pleased to announce operating and financial results for the year ended December 31, 2021 and to provide an update on its Khundii Gold District, including its Bayan Khundii Gold Project (Bayan Khundii or BK). This release should be read in conjunction with the Companys 2021 Financial Statements and MD&A, available on the Companys website or SEDAR.



Quotes from the Company:

During 2021, we executed upon our strategic objectives of expanding the Khundii Gold District, while advancing the Bayan Khundii Gold Project towards development, said Peter Akerley, Erdenes President and CEO. Our blind-top discovery at the Ulaan Southeast gold prospect and the expansion of the 1.5-kilometre Dark Horse Mane gold mineralized trend demonstrate the scale potential of the Khundii-Ulaan system within the Khundii Gold District. We are well on our way to confirming our two million ounce gold equivalent resource target in 2022, and see the potential to add resources beyond this target.

We also made solid progress advancing Bayan Khundii towards a construction decision, despite the continued impact of COVID-19, concluded Mr. Akerley. Over the past twelve months we completed 90% of the projects design, secured several key permits, including the Mongolian Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment, and advanced project finance with Export Development Canada and other financiers. The Company plans to commence preparatory site works in the coming months, with full construction ramping up in mid-2022. However, the Company is monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on the availability and costs of key inputs and will provide a more fulsome update on schedule and budget in the coming months.

2021 Highlights and Significant Subsequent Events:

Bayan Khundii Gold Project  100% Erdene

Progressed construction readiness activities for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project: Detailed design and engineering for process and non-process infrastructure 90% complete Contracts awarded for SAG and Ball mills and Gold Room and Elution plant Began recruitment of key personnel and developed project execution plans and manuals in advance of a construction decision Issued requests for proposal for all major mechanical and construction work packages Initiated confirmatory studies for mine water supply, with results expected in Q2 2022

Advanced local community programs: Executed a Cooperation Agreement with the local government in Q3 2021, supporting development measures in the local communities, including pandemic response support Undertook employment orientation and readiness training with over 120 local residents to prepare individuals for employment during construction and operations Launched local vegetation program in January 2022

Obtained key permits and advanced regulatory approvals required for mine development: Project Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) approved by Ministry of Environment and Tourism in November 2021 Regulatory review of detailed drawings well advanced, with nine facilities fully approved, including those planned during the site establishment and initial construction  received construction permits for eight of these facilities in February 2022

Prepared updated Bayan Khundii Resource Estimate, incorporating 2020 drilling at Striker West, Striker, Midfield and Midfield North, and reflecting current gold prices: 2021 BK Mineral Resource Estimate contains 61,700 more ounces gold (36%) in the Measured category and 2,700 more ounces of gold (1%) in the Indicated category Measured mineral resources within the minable pit, as defined by the 2020 Feasibility Study increased by 47,500 ounces (28%) Confirmed the high-grade nature of the BK deposit with an average grade of 6.59 g/t gold for combined Measured and Indicated Resources, at a cut-off grade of 1.0 g/t gold Additional near surface gold mineralization was identified at Midfield and at Midfield North, results from 2020 drilling allowed for the localized extension of the modeled mineralized domains



Exploration

Completed 2021 exploration program, drilling 19,706 metres over 154 holes at the new Dark Horse Mane prospect and the Ulaan Southeast discovery, adjacent Bayan Khundii: Provides further support to the Companys thesis that the broader Khundii-Ulaan hydrothermal alteration trend hosts a multi-million ounce gold deposit Targeting a total resource inventory of 2 million ounces gold equivalent by the end of 2022

Defined a 1.5-kilometre trend of alteration within the Dark Horse Mane characterized by near-surface, high-grade gold mineralization, that remains open to the north, south and at depth: Demonstrates potential for additional near-surface, high-grade oxide gold mineralization across the Khundii Gold District Notable intersections from the 11,608-metre, 126-hole, 2021 Dark Horse Mane program include: AAD-126: 30 metres of 5.63 g/t gold, beginning 10 metres downhole, including 24.12 g/t over six metres, starting 26 metres downhole AAD-137: 24.5 metres of 9.4 g/t gold beginning 1.5 metres downhole, including 13.5 metres of 16.1 g/t gold AAD-138: 25 metres of 6.1 g/t gold beginning 18 metres downhole, including 8 metres of 17.1 g/t gold AAD-177: 23 metres of 11.4 g/t gold beginning 1 metre downhole, including 4 metres of 59.8 g/t gold within 8 metres of 32.2 g/t gold AAD-178: 15 metres of 42.8 g/t gold beginning 11 metres downhole, including 3 metres of 160.4 g/t gold within 5 metres of 123.5 g/t gold 106 of 126 holes in 2021 program intersected anomalous gold mineralization (0.1 g/t gold) with the remaining 20 holes returning anomalous indicator elements, including antimony, molybdenum and arsenic

Intersected some of the thickest intervals of gold in the Khundii Gold District at the Ulaan Southeast discovery, 300 metres west of the Bayan Khundii deposit: Gold mineralization has been traced over a 200 x 250 metre area, to a maximum depth of 460 metres, that remains open at depth and to the north and west Multiple holes returned wide zones (30 to 75 metres) averaging over 3 g/t gold Highlights from 8,098 metre, 28 hole 2021 Ulaan program include: UDH-10: 258 metres of 0.98 g/t gold beginning at 92 metres downhole, including 3.77 g/t gold over 40 metres, starting at 99 metres downhole UDH-14: 217 metres of 1.07 g/t gold beginning 188 metres downhole, including 3.55 g/t gold over 53 metres UDH-15: 364 metres of 0.79 g/t gold beginning 97 metres downhole, including 1.98 g/t gold over 91 metres UDH-21: 77 metres of 3.19 g/t gold beginning 115 metres downhole, including 8.74 g/t gold over 27 metres UDH-22: 152 metres of 1.71 g/t gold beginning 85 metres downhole, including 3.11 g/t gold over 65 metres





Corporate

Progressed due diligence for the Bayan Khundii Project Finance with EDC and Mongolian financiers EDC mandate letter contemplates a senior secured debt facility of up to US$55 million EDC technical diligence report received in January 2022 and environmental and social diligence report finalized in August 2021 Loan term negotiation and drafting underway in advance of anticipated mid-2022 financial close Due diligence is proceeding in parallel with Mongolian financial institutions on subordinated debt

Received Mongolian Tax Stabilization Certificate for Bayan Khundii in December 2021 Guarantees the taxes applicable to the Bayan Khundii Gold Project are the more favourable of those currently in effect and prevailing future tax rates

Closed Mongolian Stock Exchange offering in October 2021 for gross proceeds of approximately US$5 million Received subscriptions from 1,867 institutional and retail Mongolian investors Offering was 46% over-subscribed and filled pro-rata to orders as is required by Mongolian regulations Company remains the only firm cross-listed on the Mongolian and Toronto Stock Exchanges Further C$2.3 million raised in 2021 through the exercise of 7,544,750 warrants



Advanced technical and strategic review of the Zuun Mod/Khuvyn Khar molybdenum-copper project RPMGlobal delivered updated technical and economic analysis in December Strategic discussions ongoing to optimize the Projects value, through options including sale, joint venture partnership, or spinout

Recorded a net loss of $5,570,523 for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to a net loss of $13,116,358 for the year ended December 31, 2020: Exploration and evaluation expenditures, including capitalized expenditures, totaled $12,391,867 for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $9,276,028 for the prior year, due to increased exploration work as the Company drilled nearly 20,000 metres in the current year, compared to approximately 15,000 metres in the prior year, as well as incremental expenditures on the Bayan Khundii Gold Project Detailed Engineering & Design work and Construction Readiness activities (including deposits on long-lead time items), that exceeded costs associated with the Feasibility Study and Detailed Engineering & Design work in the prior year. Additionally, Stakeholder relations costs were greater in the current year following the execution of a Local Co-operation Agreement (LCA) for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project Corporate and administrative expenses totaled $1,973,800 for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $1,868,905 for the year ended December 31, 2020, with the year on year variance largely due to higher administrative salaries and professional fees in support of pre-development and financing work for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project Non-cash, change in fair value expenses of $8,412,081 and interest expenses of $1,661,960 in the prior year were attributable to a convertible loan held by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which was converted in October 2020, resulting in EBRD becoming one of Erdenes largest shareholders





COVID-19 Update

In late January 2020, the Government of Mongolia instituted limitations on public gatherings, suspended in-person classroom learning, and implemented international border controls in response to COVID-19. The Canadian Government adopted similar measures in March 2020, as did most governments globally during 2020. With the first confirmed cases of community transmission of COVID-19 in November 2020, the Government of Mongolia further restricted the movement of people and the delivery of goods and services. While restrictions were eased in early 2021, precautionary measures were subsequently reintroduced in late Q1 2021 following an increase in the number of reported cases in Mongolia.

In March 2021, Bayankhongor Province, where Erdenes projects are located, reported its first confirmed case of community transmission of COVID-19, leading to the imposition of restrictions on the movement of people within and to/from the province. Furthermore, in late June 2021, Bayankhongor province and the sub-province of Shinejinst, the communities in which Erdene operates, imposed states of emergency due to worsening community spread of COVID-19 in the area. Although the Company temporarily halted field work in late June in response, Company staff and contractors returned to site in early August 2021 to commence follow-up exploration work, which has continued without interruption due to COVID since this date. Additionally, Canadian and International staff and consultants resumed travel to Mongolia in Q3 2021. On February 14, 2022, the Government of Mongolia fully reopened its borders to vaccinated international travelers, allowing the Companys staff and key contractors to travel to the Country with minimal disruption.

However, Mongolia continues to see disruptions at its land borders with China, given the latters zero COVID policies. These disruptions have impacted the availability and prices of industrial and consumer goods required for the construction of the Bayan Khundii Gold Project. Although the impact of COVID-19 on the Companys operations has been modest to date, COVID-19 has the potential to further delay or increase the costs of the Bayan Khundii Development. The Company is monitoring the situation and assessing the impact on the Bayan Khundii Gold Project construction schedule and budget. Erdene does not intend to ramp up to full construction until there is certainty that supplies can readily be imported to Mongolia. The Company will provide further details on the impact of COVID-19 on its operations and the Bayan Khundii Gold Project as they become available.

Erdene is working with Mongolian and Canadian authorities to implement and maintain controls to protect the health and well-being of its workers as well as the communities in which the Company operates.

Qualified Person

Peter Dalton, P.Geo. (Nova Scotia), Senior Geologist for Erdene, is the Qualified Person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

About Erdene

Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and base metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. The Company has interests in three mining licenses and two exploration licenses in Southwest Mongolia, where exploration success has led to the discovery and definition of the Khundii Gold District. Erdene Resource Development Corp. is listed on the Toronto and the Mongolian stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.erdene.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance, or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the ability to obtain required third party approvals, market prices, exploitation, and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE

Erdene Contact Information

Peter C. Akerley, President and CEO, or

Robert Jenkins, CFO
New York, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Container Closure Integrity Testing Services Market by Type of Container Closure Systems, Type of Container Materials Tested, and Key Geographical Regions : Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2022-2035" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06243857/?utm_source=GNW

Despite being well established, there are several concerns associated with the drug packaging process, such as the risk of contamination, filling errors (inaccurate dose dispensation), complex packaging systems, integrity related concerns (pores, cracks and scratches) of container closure systems (such as vials, syringes, cartridges, IV bags, ampoules), and labelling-related issues. In fact, experts believe that around 80% of product recalls may be attributed to packaging-related concerns. To ensure the safety of consumers, a lot of effort is put to eliminate contamination, filling errors and maintain integrity of packaged formulations. The industry has come up with several innovative techniques and technologies for the evaluation of both primary and secondary packaging components in order to maintain the sterility and stability of drug product. Moreover, regulatory bodies have enforced stringent guidelines to evaluate the integrity of container closure systems. As a result, container closure integrity testing has become a critical part of the overall manufacturing process. The techniques used for this purpose ensure precision and accuracy in leak detection, rapid results, non-destructive testing, affordable, reliable and easy integration in the manufacturing process.



Despite the benefits of container closure integrity testing methods, there is no one-size -fits-all solution to evaluate all the types of primary packaging. Additionally, the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies face various challenges in installing container closure integrity testing equipment due to limited expertise and infrastructure. Owing to these challenges, the drug manufacturers rely on container closure integrity testing service providers, which have well-equipped infrastructure and novel technology platforms, along with the required expertise. Moreover, outsourcing of container closure integrity testing assists the innovators to serve the clients in a timely and regulation-compliant manner. With the anticipated rise in the drug product market, the demand for packaging services is likely to increase in the future; this, in turn, will likely result in rise in demand for integrity testing services. Further advancements in testing methods and cost saving potential of such methods (by reducing the product wastage and ensuring the drug and patients safety) are expected to drive steady growth in the overall container closure integrity testing services market in the foreseen future.



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The Container Closure Integrity Testing Services Market by Type(s) of Container(s) Tested (Vials, Syringes, and Cartridges), Type(s) of Container Material(s) Tested (Glass and Plastic), and Key Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, MENA and Rest of the World): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2022-2035 report features an extensive study of the current landscape and the likely future potential of container closure integrity testing service providers, over the next decade. The study also features an in-depth analysis, highlighting the capabilities of various industry stakeholders engaged in this field. In addition to other elements, the study includes:

A detailed assessment of the current market landscape of container closure integrity testing service providers, featuring information on their respective year of establishment, company size, location of headquarters, location of analytical facilities, type(s) of analytical method(s) offered (probabilistic methods and deterministic methods), type(s) of probabilistic method(s) (microbial ingress analysis, aerosol testing, dye ingress analysis, bubble testing, and tracer gas detection (sniffle mode)), type(s) of deterministic method(s) offered (helium leak analysis, vacuum / pressure decay analysis, mass extraction analysis, high voltage leak detection, headspace analysis, and others), leakage susceptibility (solid, liquid, and gas), type(s) of container(s) tested (vials, syringes, cartridges, pouches, IV bags, ampoules, and others) and accreditations (EMA, FDA, USP, ATSM, JP, ICH Q2, ISO, and others).

A competitiveness analysis of container closure integrity testing service providers based on various relevant parameters, such as supplier power (based on the experience / expertise of the service providers and company size), service strength (type(s) of analytical method(s) offered, type(s) of probabilistic method(s), type(s) of deterministic method(s), and type(s) of container(s) tested) and service applicability (type(s) of container material(s) and leakage susceptibility).

Tabulated profiles of the key players providing container closure integrity testing, which are headquartered in North America and Europe. Each profile includes an overview of the company, information on the financial performance (if available), service portfolio, location of analytical facilities, type(s) of analytical method(s) used, types(s) of container(s) tested, recent developments, and an informed future outlook.

A case study providing the list of equipment used by various manufacturers to test container closure integrity, highlighting their key features, type(s) of analytical method(s) offered, type(s) of container(s) tested, container material(s) of container closure integrity testing technologies.

A detailed competitiveness analysis of container closure integrity testing equipment, taking into consideration several relevant parameters, such as the product strength (scale of operation, type(s) of analytical method(s) used) and product applicability (type(s) of material(s) used, and type(s) of container(s) tested).

A regional capability assessment framework, which compares the container closure integrity testing capability across key geographies, based on a number of parameters, such as the number of container closure integrity testing service providers, number of analytical testing facilities, number of container closure integrity technology manufacturers in that particular geographical region, number of container closure integrity testing technologies, number of patents and demand of container closure integrity testing service in that particular geographical region.

A detailed analysis of the various container closure integrity testing analytical techniques. It highlights the popularity of analytical techniques (in terms of number of service providers offering analytical technique for testing purpose, equipment providers developing equipment for particular technique, number of equipment and number of container closure systems tested) and offers a benchmark to compare analytical techniques.

A case study on the use of robotic machinery in pharmaceutical manufacturing and fill / finish operations, highlighting the advantages of using automation / automated technologies in such processes. Further, it presents the profiles of industry players that provide such equipment for aseptic processing of pharmaceuticals.

An in-depth analysis to estimate the current and future demand of container closure integrity testing service based on various relevant parameters, such as type of container closure system tested and type of material used, across different regions, for the period 2022-2035.

A discussion on affiliated trends, key drivers and challenges, under a comprehensive SWOT framework, which are likely to impact the industrys evolution, including a Harvey ball analysis, highlighting the relative effect of each SWOT parameter on the overall industry.



One of the key objectives of the report was to understand the primary growth drivers and estimate the future size of container closure integrity testing market. Based on multiple parameters, such as overall container closure systems market, and percentage of container closure system tested, we have provided an informed estimate of the evolution of the market for the period 2022-2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and future opportunity have further been segmented on the basis of [A] type of container (vials, syringes, and cartridges), [B] type of container materials tested (glass and plastic), and [C] key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, MENA and Rest of the World). In order to account for future uncertainties and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three forecast scenarios, namely conservative, base and optimistic scenarios, representing different tracks of the industrys growth.



The opinions and insights presented in this study were also influenced by discussions held with senior stakeholders in the industry. The report features detailed transcript(s) of interview(s) held with the industry and non-industry players.



All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.



RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The data presented in this report has been gathered via secondary and primary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews with experts in the area (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and technology segments. Wherever possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information.



The secondary sources of information include:

Annual reports

Investor presentations

SEC filings

Industry databases

News releases from company websites

Government policy documents

Industry analysts views



While the focus has been on forecasting the market over the coming 15 years, the report also provides our independent view on various technological and non-commercial trends emerging in the industry. This opinion is solely based on our knowledge, research and understanding of the relevant market gathered from various secondary and primary sources of information.



KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Who are the leading players offering container closure integrity testing service?

What is the relative competitiveness of container closure integrity testing service providers?

In which regions are majority of the container closure integrity testing facilities located?

Which type of equipment have the competitive edge over the other container closure integrity testing equipment?

What is the current and future demand for container closure integrity testing services?

How is the current and future opportunity likely to be distributed across key market segments?



CHAPTER OUTLINES

Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the key insights captured in our research. It offers a high-level view on the current state of the container closure integrity testing services market and its likely evolution in the short to mid-term and long term.



Chapter 3 provides a general introduction to container closure integrity testing, covering details related to the current trends in the domain. The chapter also highlights the primary packaging, type of container closure systems, problems related to these systems, type of contaminations, defects in container closure systems, type of methods used for testing integrity. In addition, it discusses the advantages of container closure integrity over sterility testing, role of service providers and future prospects.



Chapter 4 provides a comprehensive review of the current market landscape of container closure integrity testing service providers, featuring information on their respective year of establishment, company size, location of headquarters and location of analytical facilities. In addition, the chapter includes details related to container closure integrity testing services, along with information on type(s) of analytical method(s) offered (probabilistic methods and deterministic methods), type(s) of probabilistic method(s) (microbial ingress analysis, aerosol testing, dye ingress analysis, bubble testing, and tracer gas detection (sniffle mode)), type(s) of deterministic method(s) (helium leak analysis, vacuum / pressure decay analysis, mass extraction analysis, high voltage leak detection, headspace analysis, and others), leak susceptibility (solid, liquid, and gas), type(s) of container(s) tested (vials, syringes, cartridges, pouches, IV bags, ampoules, and others), accreditation(s) (EMA, FDA, USP, ATSM, JP, ICH Q2, ISO, and others).



Chapter 5 provides a competitiveness analysis of container closure integrity testing service providers based on various relevant parameters, such as supplier power (based on the experience / expertise of the service providers and company size), service strength (type(s) of analytical method(s) offered, type(s) of probabilistic method(s), type(s) of deterministic method(s), and type(s) of container(s) tested) and service applicability (type(s) of container material(s) and leakage susceptibility).



Chapter 6 features tabulated profiles of the key players providing container closure integrity testing services, which are headquartered in North America. Each profile includes an overview of the company, information on the financial performance (if available), service portfolio, location of analytical facilities, type of methods used, types(s) of container(s) tested, recent developments, and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 7 features tabulated profiles of the key players providing container closure integrity testing, which are headquartered in Europe. Each profile includes an overview of the company, information on the financial performance (if available), service portfolio, location of analytical facilities, type of methods used, types(s) of container(s) tested, recent developments, and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 8 provides a detailed case study on list of equipment offered by various manufacturers to test container closure integrity, highlighting the key features, type(s) of method(s) offered, type of container(s) tested, container material(s) of container closure integrity testing technologies.



Chapter 9 provides a detailed competitiveness analysis of container closure integrity testing equipment, taking into consideration several relevant parameters, such as the product strength (scale of operation, and type(s) of method(s) used) and product applicability (type(s) of material(s) used, and type(s) of container(s) tested).



Chapter 10 presents a regional capability assessment framework, which compares the container closure integrity testing capability across key geographies, based on a number of parameters, such as the number of container closure integrity testing service providers, number of analytical testing facilities, number of container closure integrity technology manufacturers in that particular geographical region, number of container closure integrity testing technologies, number of patents and demand of container closure integrity testing service in that particular geographical region.



Chapter 11 presents a detailed analysis of the various container closure integrity testing analytical techniques. It highlights the popularity of analytical techniques across key geographies, based on a number of parameters, such as the number of service providers offering analytical technique for testing purpose, equipment providers developing equipment for particular technique, number of equipment, number of container closure systems tested and offers a benchmark to compare analytical techniques.



Chapter 12 presents a detailed case study on the role of robots in the pharmaceutical manufacturing and fill / finish process, highlighting its benefits and capabilities. It provides a list of the various types of pharmaceutical robots, along with details on their respective manufacturer and applications. Additionally, the chapter features profiles of players that offer robotic equipment for pharmaceutical manufacturing and fill / finish operations, along with information on the key specifications of their respective machinery.



Chapter 13 features an analysis to estimate the current and future demand of container closure integrity testing service based on various relevant parameters, such as type of container closure system tested and type of material used, across different regions, for the period 2022-2035.



Chapter 14 features a comprehensive market forecast analysis, highlighting the future potential of the market till 2035, based on multiple parameters, such as current demand for respective container closure systems, percentage of container closure systems tested. It includes future sales projections of various container closure systems. We have segregated the current and future opportunity have further been segmented on the basis of [A] type(s) of container(s) (vials, syringes, and cartridges), [B] type(s) of container material(s) tested (glass and plastic), and [C] key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, MENA and Rest of the World). It is worth mentioning that we adopted a top-down approach for this analysis, backing our claims with relevant datapoints and credible inputs from primary research.



Chapter 15 provides a detailed analysis capturing the key parameters and trends that are likely to influence the future of the container closure integrity testing market within the biopharmaceutical industry, under a comprehensive SWOT framework.



Chapter 16 summarizes the overall report. In this chapter, we have provided a list of key takeaways from the report, and expressed our independent opinion related to the research and analysis described in the previous chapters.



Chapter 17 is a collection of interview transcripts of discussions held with various key stakeholders in this market.



Chapter 18 is an appendix, which provides tabulated data and numbers for all the figures provided in the report.



Chapter 19 is an appendix, which contains the list of companies and organizations mentioned in the report.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06243857/?utm_source=GNW



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ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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New York, NY, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: TAUG) (Tauriga or the Company), a New York based diversified Retail Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Development Company, today announced that it has been invited to participate in the upcoming Kroger Merchandising Planogram and Sales Planning event. This event takes place on March 23, 2022 and is part of the Kroger Supplier Inclusion Development Series. Kroger is the United States largest supermarket chain by revenue and the second-largest general retailer behind Walmart.



The Company is focused on continually building its relationships with Buyers from large retail companies with national footprints. The Company believes that once Federal Cannabis Legislation (Legalization Bill) is signed into law, it can establish a strong and reliable revenue base with mainstream retailers. The Company is hopeful that such Legislation will be introduced during the month of April 2022.

In other news, the Company continues to experience strong levels of growth and demand  with respect to its highest margin E-Commerce business segment. So far this Quarter, the Company has received more than 1,150 individual E-Commerce orders. The Company has now received a total of 9,690 individual E-Commerce orders (transactions), since the 2019 launch of that business segment.

E-Commerce Website:

www.taurigum.com

Amazon.com Website:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tauri-gum&crid=1WDI6A48F2GK3&sprefix=tauri-gum%2Caps%2C81&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

ABOUT TAURIGA SCIENCES INC.

Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (TAUG) is a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, engaged in several major business activities and initiatives. The company manufactures and distributes several proprietary retail products and product lines, mainly focused on the Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) Edibles market segment. The main product line, branded as Tauri-Gum, consists of a proprietary supplement chewing gum that is Kosher certified, Halal certified, and Vegan Formulated (CBD Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Mint, Blood Orange, Pomegranate), (CBG Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Peach-Lemon, Black Currant), (DELTA 8 THC Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Evergreen Mint), (Vitamin C + Zinc Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Pear Bellini), (Caffeine Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Cherry Lime Rickey), & (Vitamin D3 Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Golden Raspberry). The Companys commercialization strategy consists of a broad array of retail customers, distributors, and a fast-growing E-Commerce business segment (E-Commerce website: www.taurigum.com). Please visit our corporate website, for additional information, as well as inquiries, at http://www.tauriga.com

Complementary to the Companys retail business, is its ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative. This relates to the development of a proposed Pharmaceutical grade version of Tauri-Gum, for nausea regulation (specifically designed for the following indication: Patients Subjected to Ongoing Chemotherapy Treatment). On March 22, 2021, the Company announced that it had Converted its U.S. Provisional Patent Application (filed on March 17, 2020) into a U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application. The Patent, filed with the U.S.P.T.O. is Titled MEDICATED CBD COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, AND METHODS OF TREATMENT. On December 18, 2020 the Company disclosed that it had entered into a Master Services Agreement with CSTI to lead the Company's clinical development efforts.

The Company is headquartered in Wappingers Falls, New York. In addition, the Company operates two full time E-Commerce fulfillment centers: one located in Montgomery, Texas and the other in Brooklyn, New York.

DISCLAIMER -- Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which represent managements beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are often indicated by using words such as may, will, expects, anticipates, believes, hopes, believes, or plans, and may include statements regarding corporate objectives as well as the attainment of certain corporate goals and milestones. Forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on managements present beliefs with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences or timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in forward looking statements due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, such as are not guarantees of general economic and business conditions, the ability to successfully develop and market products, consumer and business consumption habits, the ability to consummate successful acquisition and licensing transactions, fluctuations in exchange rates, and other factors over which Tauriga has little or no control. Many of these risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in the Risk Factors section of Taurigas Form 10-K and other periodic filings made from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and Tauriga assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Tauriga Sciences, Inc.

4 Nancy Court, Suite 4

Wappingers Falls, NY 12590

Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Seth M. Shaw

Email: sshaw@tauriga.com

cell # (917) 796 9926

Company Instagram: @taurigum

Personal Instagram: @sethsms47

Twitter: @SethMShaw

Corp. Website: www.tauriga.com
Cluj-Napoca, Romania , March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Welthee, a crypto investment app, is launching a fundraising campaign for all those affected by the war in Ukraine. The Romanian start-up will donate 50% of its earnings from March token sales to partner organizations helping Ukrainian refugees: World Vision Romania, Save the Children Romania and Beard Brothers Romania. The teams goal is to raise $1 million in aid. This transformative effort seeks to reinforce the important role we all can play in this heartbreaking situation.



We can all play our part and help in this heartbreaking situation, which has already impacted millions of people. We stand in solidarity with the victims of this armed conflict and invite all our users to participate in this initiative. Our wish is to bring a glimmer of hope in times like these, said Cristian Voaides, founder and CEO of Welthee.

On behalf of my team, Id like to thank our partners from Welthee for joining us in taking care of our suffering neighbors. All donated funds will be used to provide food, shelter, medical and trauma support for those in need. Hundreds of volunteers and medical personnel are at the border with Ukraine, ready to assist those who had to flee their homes due to the war, said Mihaela Nabar, Executive Director of World Vision Romania.

Welthee is the friendly app you turn to for advice and the mentor that helps you learn your way through the crypto market. The platform is focused on bridging the gap between the real world and the crypto world by offering a digital wallet, featuring new crypto projects, and developing a unique way of investing with variable-risk.

During the current crisis, when people cannot send funds through bank transfers to those in the conflict zone, having a digital wallet could potentially make a difference.

Why would a larger adoption of digital wallets make a difference?

With the adoption of digital wallets and currencies, people would be able to receive and use funds without bank restrictions. Currently, ordinary people or refugees are not able to use cryptocurrencies to buy food or gas, for instance - as the number of shops, merchants, and individuals that can accept crypto as a form of payment is extremely small. This diminishes the impact of sending crypto to people caught in the conflict zone.

The team at Welthee sees their mission  to grow the adoption of crypto wallets, which will offer variable-risk investments as part of the solution to this crisis. The purpose of this fundraiser is two-fold. Welthee is eager to help as many people affected by the war while also raising awareness that digital wallets could be part of the solution during such humanitarian crises.

How can you get involved?

Download the Welthee app for iOS or Android. One easy step that will open doors to the world of blockchain and digital wallets. If you already have the app, please make sure you have the latest update. When opting to buy WELT, you will be prompted to select the organization where youd like Welthee to donate. After you finalize your WELT investment, you receive all the tokens you bought, while Welthee will donate 50% of that amount from our earnings to the specified organization. The donations will be paid out at the end of the campaign for all WELT earnings received between March 4 and March 31. The payouts will be made out to the partner organizations in early April based on the mutual agreement between Welthee and the partnering organization.

Please note that at the time of writing, Welthee is not available to the US public. Welthee has hired a team of legal advisors that are working on this issue. We hope to have our app available to the US public, soon!

Resources:

Welthee.com

worldvision.ro

www.salvaticopiii.ro

www.beard-brothers.ro

Media contact:

Andy Ban

andy.ban@welthee.com





Related images:

V1:

V2:

App view 1:

KISS PR Media Contact Agnes Zang az@kisspr.com

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UK freshman interior design major Caroline Slicer packs bags into the back of a car for spring break on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at the the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Michael Clubb | Staff
Meridian, Idaho, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scentsy, an international direct sales company that creates flameless candles and other richly-scented home and body products, is recognized by Forbes as one of Americas Best Midsize Employers for the third time since the companys humble beginnings on an Idaho sheep farm in 2004.

Scentsy President and Interim CEO Dan Orchard said Scentsy is honored to be recognized as number 203 among the 500 companies Forbes has acknowledged across the nation.

I am excited to share that for the third time, and the second year in a row, Forbes has recognized our ongoing efforts to make Scentsy one of the best places to work, Orchard said.

The recognition comes as Scentsy has enhanced parental leave policies and expanded employee training. Scentsy also continues to offer employees a free on-site fitness center with trainers and intramural leagues, an on-site restaurant and coffee shop, and flexible work arrangements to support its family-focused culture.

Each year, Forbes partners with research firm Statista to compile a list of companies based on an independent survey of 60,000 Americans at companies with 1,000 or more employees. Survey questions focus on respondents recommendation of their employer.

This is a very competitive national award and a tremendous honor for Scentsy, Orchard said. Were very grateful to again be recognized by such an esteemed global media publication as Forbes.

About Scentsy

In 2004, Scentsy co-founders Heidi and Orville Thompson launched a big idea in a small, 40-foot shipping container on a Meridian, Idaho, sheep farm. Today, Scentsy is a Forbes-recognized, billion-dollar, direct-selling leader known for connecting people through fragrance worldwide. Scentsy has been recognized by Direct Selling News, Idaho Private 100, the DSA Ethos Awards and others for workplace excellence and growth. Scentsy operates in 12 countries, employs over 1,800 people and delivers richly scented wickless candles, wax warmers, diffusers, oils, home, Pets and Body products through nearly 300,000 independent Consultants who share their Scentsy-product passion via home and virtual selling. At Scentsy, we believe that happy, healthy families build vibrant communities. Since 2010, Scentsy has donated $15.2 million to more than 175 global and local nonprofit organizations focusing on children, family and communities. To learn more about how we Warm the heart, Enliven the Senses and Inspire the Soul through fragrance, visit www.Scentsy.com and follow us world-wide on social media: www.facebook.com/Scentsy/, www.facebook.com/ScentsyUKandIreland/,https://www.facebook.com/ScentsyAustraliaandNewZealand, www.facebook.com/ScentsyDeutschland, www.instagram.com/scentsy/,www.instagram.com/scentsyeurope/.

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WASHINGTON, D.C., March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, leading animal welfare groups and farmers applauded the introduction of the Pigs in Gestation Stalls (PIGS) Act, H.R. 7004, by U.S. Reps. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, and Nancy Mace, R-S.C., to ban the extreme confinement of mother pigs. Along with a wide range of other organizations, Animal Wellness Action, the Animal Wellness Foundation, and the Center for a Humane Economy endorse this bipartisan legislation -- the first-ever federal policy proposal to ban gestation crates.

Suffering from physical and psychological torment, a breeding pig may spend up to three years intensively confined in a crate barely larger than the animals. The sow may weigh 400 pounds, and the two-foot by seven-foot crate immobilizes her, inhibiting her from even turning around or taking more than half step. Pigs raised for meat are not kept in these needlessly restrictive crates, and neither should pregnant pigs.

"A national policy against gestation crates levels the playing field for all producers, retailers, and consumers, providing certainty and consistency for all stakeholders, said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. Keeping a sow in a two-foot-wide crate is akin to stuffing a large-bodied animal in a tiny little closet and never letting her out. All animals deserve humane treatment, including animals raised for food.

Almost every major food retailer in the United States  from McDonalds to Costco to Aramark  has made a public pledge to phase out sourcing pork from factory farms that confine sows in gestation crates, with most pledges originally set to take effect in 2022. Smithfield Foods, the nations largest pig producer, pledged in 2007 to phase out gestation-crate confinement within 10 years in its company-owned operations due to consumer demand, and Hormel, Cargill, and other major producers made similar commitments. A report from Citigroup said that animal cruelty is a headline risk for restaurant companies. Additionally, a study from scientists at Iowa State University concluded that humane group housing alternatives allow for successful reproduction and cost less to build and maintain; the study points to an 11 percent reduction in the cost of raising a weaned pig. A federal policy on gestation crates will help drive the transition of the food retail industry and create regulatory certainty by establishing a minimum space allotment for the animals.

Pigs are sentient beings that feel pain and suffering. They are sensitive, gentle, and smart creatures that are treated with incredible cruelty before they are sent to be slaughtered, said Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. While there is much more work needed to reform the cruelty in our food industry, this is an important step in holding the swine industry accountable by limiting the horrific conditions pregnant pigs are kept in.

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has recently criticized McDonalds for hedging on its pledge to go completely crate-free in its supply chain by 2022.

Its inhumane to force animals to live in such small spaces that they are unable to stand up or turn around. It is also dangerous, said Congresswoman Nancy Mace, R-S.C. Extreme stress causes pregnant pigs to engage in self-mutilating behavior, making them more susceptible to diseases, such as zoonotic disease and swine flu, that can be passed on to humans. I support this bill because it will allow pregnant pigs the space to lie down, stand up, and turn around freely, a freedom that every living creature deserves.

Voters have approved all five ballot measures in four states to ban the use of gestation crates in Arizona (2006), California (two separate ballot initiatives in 2008 and 2018), Florida (2002), and Massachusetts (2016). Major pig-producing states, including Colorado, Michigan, and Ohio, are phasing out gestation crates by law. Two of the aforementioned states  California and Massachusetts, with 50 million customers between them  also forbid by statute the sale of pork that is derived from farms that confine the sows so severely and their laws take full effect in 2022. This means that every restaurant, supermarket, and other food-selling outlets must adhere to this sales standard. The EU also bans gestation crates.

Since inception, and for more than a quarter century, Niman Ranch has shunned the idea of keeping pigs in cages so small they cant even turn around, said Paul Willis, Niman Ranch's founding hog farmer, based in north central Iowa. We have over 600 hog farmers in our network today whose high welfare husbandry practices line up with the values of the vast majority of American consumers. That contrasts on factory farms where customary animal-rearing practices would shock people if they got an up-close view of what these smart, sociable animals endure.

Its not just California that has banned gestation crates, said Annie Harvilicz, D.V.M., president of the Animal Wellness Foundation. So have nine other states, the European Union, and more than 60 of the biggest food retailers in the U.S. Trapping an animal in a cage isnt farming, its cruelty.

All animals, livestock included, deserve to have the opportunity to express their instinctive behavior, said Will Harris, owner and proprietor of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia and former Small Businessperson of the Year. It is the responsibility of the stockman to provide an environment in which this is possible. Hogs were meant to root and wallow. Depriving them of this instinct is stressful to the hog, and a cruelty on the part of the hog producer. At the very least, they should not be immobilized.

Animals born and built to move and to turn around should at least be allowed to do so, added Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, and senior vice-president at the Center for a Humane Economy. Confining sows in crates that immobilize them is appalling and inhumane. We applaud Reps. Escobar and Mace for introducing the PIGS Act and working in bipartisan fashion to ensure that all animals are treated more humanely, including those raised for food.

Click here to read Animal Wellness Actions detailed blog on the PIGS Act.

Animal Wellness Action (AWA) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We champion causes that alleviate the suffering of companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife. We advocate for policies to stop dogfighting and cockfighting and other forms of malicious cruelty and to confront factory farming and other systemic forms of animal exploitation. To prevent cruelty, we promote enacting good public policies, and we work to enforce those policies. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and thats why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones dont. We believe helping animals helps us all.

The Animal Wellness Foundation (AWF) is a Los Angeles-based private charitable organization with a mission of helping animals by making veterinary care available to everyone with a pet, regardless of economic ability. We organize rescue efforts and medical services for dogs and cats in need and help homeless pets find a loving caregiver. We are advocates for getting veterinarians to the front lines of the animal welfare movement; promoting responsible pet ownership; and vaccinating animals against infectious diseases such as distemper. We also support policies that prevent animal cruelty and that alleviate suffering. We believe helping animals helps us all.

The Center for a Humane Economy (CHE) is a non-profit organization that focuses on influencing the conduct of corporations to forge a humane economic order. The first organization of its kind in the animal protection movement, the Center encourages businesses to honor their social responsibilities in a culture where consumers, investors, and other key stakeholders abhor cruelty and the degradation of the environment and embrace innovation as a means of eliminating both.

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New York, NY, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Modern business is evolving, and business education programs must continuously advance in order to prepare their graduates to meet the challenges of the 21st century workforce. The Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University is pleased to announce that its Full-Time MBA program has received STEM designation.

The designation affirms the programs commitment to integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics into dynamic curricula that addresses contemporary business solutions. Not only does fluency in STEM principles assist business leaders in driving economic growth, but it instills a distinct appetite for innovation, which is essential in an ever-changing business environment. International students graduating from STEM MBA programs and employed in STEM-designated occupations may apply for a 24-month extension to their post-completion OPT, providing up to 36 months of temporary employment in the U.S.

Technology continues to play an increasingly central role in how business is conducted. Advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics are shaping approaches to finance, marketing, operations, and beyond, stated Alex Markle, PhD, program director for the Full-Time MBA program. The STEM designation demonstrates our commitment to produce students with the future-proof skills that are most in-demand by employers in the modern business world.

The change will apply to all students entering Fall 2022 and beyond, and it comes two years after the school announced STEM concentrations in FinTech, Information Systems, and Accounting.

The newly STEM-designated Full-Time MBA program will also continue to advance environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles within various academica area curricula and extracurricular opportunities, in line with the Gabelli Schools #1 ranking in corporate, social and environmental responsibility after a 2022 Bloomberg Businessweek survey.

Future business leaders need to comprehend the competitive socioeconomic landscape through the lens of environmental, societal, and governance business models, said Barbara Porco, PhD, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the Gabelli School. Our new STEM designated Full-Time MBA program educates and prepares future executives to strategically anticipate risk and respond to environmental and social sustainability concerns to ensure the creation of long-term value.

The Fordham University Gabelli School of Business Full-Time MBA:

The Full-Time MBA is the Gabelli School of Business flagship two-year program in management and leadership. Selectively enrolling approximately 80-100 students per year, the Full-Time MBA combines industry-inspired hands-on coursework, individualized attention, and extraordinary network development in the heart of New York City. Gabelli Full-Time MBA graduates recently have secured post-graduation placements at Accenture, Blackrock, Deloitte, Gartner Consulting, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan, KPMG, Mastercard, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, UBS, and dozens of other firmsa testament to the value of studying right where the worlds largest companies do business. Learn More.
Toronto, ON, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VirgoCX, Canadas top regulated cryptocurrency trading platform, has announced that it is rebranding its full-service over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk to VirgoCX Wealth. The company believes that the creation of the Wealth brand for the OTC platform will better showcase the ideals and goals that the brand will be known for, an elite premium service.



VirgoCX Wealth allows high-net-worth and institutional investors to efficiently complete large cryptocurrency transactions while saving on fees. The company has been notable in its developments for the over-the-counter trading platform; clientele can utilize traditional broker-based services in which they can enjoy a personalized Wealth Account Manager or transact anywhere at any time using their revolutionary OTC Direct trading platform. While functioning very similarly to a traditional trading platform, OTC Direct also gives clients flexibility and accessibility, allowing a seamless transition from retail trading to over-the-counter trading.

Unlike other over-the-counter platforms, VirgoCX Wealth aims to combine the ease of traditional financial services with the cryptocurrency market to give access to a deep pool of liquidity that can fill any large order at the best possible market price. Investors avoid price slippage and are given peace of mind knowing that the price they see is the price they get. For investors who are constantly on the go, VirgoCX Wealth offers a wide range of global fiat currencies from USD to EUR to allow maximum flexibility. Along with having round-the-clock support, OTC clients can also take advantage of rapid settlement, with funds being accessible the same day in most cases. With their wide selection of over 40+ cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies, VirgoCX Wealth appeals to even the savviest of investors allowing them to exchange even difficult to access tokens such as USDT.

We are excited to unveil our newest Brand VirgoCX Wealth, said Managing Director Jonathan Han We feel that the rebranding from OTC more closely aligns with our vision of where Over-The-Counter trading desks in Canada will move and like our counterparts in traditional markets, we aim to cater to more advanced traders while providing best in class service.

In order to better align their services with the goals of the company, the rebranding of their over-the-counter division is just one of many progressive steps that VirgoCX has taken over the last year to continually push towards an efficient, trustworthy client experience. VirgoCX has been at the forefront of compliance and regulation, and the company looks forward to being a vanguard in the adoption of cryptocurrency in the country.

About VirgoCX

Founded in 2018, VirgoCX is committed to making crypto trading safe, easy, and affordable for Canadians. It is Canada's top regulated cryptocurrency trading platform and is dedicated to streamlining the trading experience and empowering clients with advanced technology, superior liquidity, and best-in- class security.

Media Inquiries:

Robert Jackson  Product Marketing Manager Robert.Jackson@wealth.virgocx.ca

Tel: 416-554-7296

KISS PR Media Contact KISS PR az@kisspr.com
SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Oak Street Health, Inc. (NYSE: OSH) investors with significant losses to submit your losses now. A securities fraud class action has been filed and certain investors may have valuable claims.



Class Period: Aug. 6, 2020  Nov. 8, 2021

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Mar. 11, 2022

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/OSH

Contact An Attorney Now: OSH@hbsslaw.com

844-916-0895

Oak Street Health, Inc. (OSH) Securities Class Action:

The lawsuit focuses on defendants' repeated statements about Oak Streets purported innovative community outreach approach to engage Medicare eligible patients and repeated claims that its strong at- risk patient and revenue growth are largely the product of its internal sales and marketing efforts.

According to the complaint, defendants misled investors by failing to disclose that: (1) Oak Street maintained relationships with third-party marketing agents likely to provoke law enforcement scrutiny; (2) Oak Street provided free transportation to federal health care beneficiaries in a manner that would provoke law enforcement scrutiny; and, (3) these activities might violate the False Claims Act.

Investors began to learn the truth on Nov. 8, 2021, when Oak Street announced its Q3 2021 financial results, which included a slight miss from the consensus loss estimate. However, the company also disclosed it received a civil investigative demand (CID) on Nov. 1, 2021, indicating the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the companys relationships with third-party marketing agents and whether the companys provision of free transportation to federal health care beneficiaries violated the federal False Claims Act.

This news sent the price of Oak Street shares sharply lower on Nov. 9, 2021.

Were focused on investors losses and proving Oak Street and senior management misled investors about the true sources of the companys patient and revenue growth, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you invested in Oak Street and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Oak Street should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email OSH@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deans Knight Income Corporation (the "Company") announces that the Company has been granted leave by the Supreme Court of Canada (the "SCC") to appeal the August 4, 2021 income tax decision of the Federal Court of Appeal (the "FCA Decision"). The FCA Decision overturned the earlier decision of the Tax Court of Canada and confirmed the Canada Revenue Agency's (the "CRA") reassessments of the Company's tax attributes in its 2009 to 2012 taxation years. The SCC will now hear arguments from the Company and the Crown regarding the notices of reassessment ("NORAs") issued by the Canada Revenue Agency ("CRA") in respect of the Company's taxation years 2009 to 2012, inclusive. At stake is whether the deduction of the Company's tax attributes in its 2009 to 2012 taxation years can be properly denied by the CRA on the basis of the general anti-avoidance rule in the Income Tax Act (Canada).



As previously disclosed, the Company received the NORAs in July 2014 in which the CRA denied the use of certain tax attributes by the Company. The NORAs indicated that the Company's tax liability for the 2009 to 2012 taxation years was approximately $22.7 million, including arrears interest and penalties. In order to limit additional interest and penalties from accruing, the Company prepaid the CRA. Should the Company ultimately be successful in defending its tax filing position, the amount prepaid to the CRA will be refunded to the Company with interest. However, if the Company is unsuccessful, the amount prepaid to the CRA will be forfeited.

Now that the SCC has granted the Company leave to appeal the FCA Decision, the Company anticipates that final resolution could take an additional 8  12 months.

"When the portfolio liquidation commenced in 2014, shareholders were required to retain over $2 per share in the Company, primarily consisting of funds on deposit with the CRA," said Dillon Cameron, CEO. "While this decision is a preliminary step in the appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, the Company is encouraged by the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada grants few leave applications in general, especially in income tax cases." Cameron continued, "Since the Initial Public Offering in 2009, management has maintained the view that the Company's tax filing position was appropriate. The original objective of the Company was to maximize total return for shareholders by investing primarily in corporate debt securities. For the first 5 years we executed this strategy and for the last 7 years we have defended the Company's tax filing position. We look forward to further updating our shareholders as information becomes available."

For further information contact: Dillon Cameron Kelsey Dunwoodie Director, Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer Deans Knight Income Corporation Deans Knight Income Corporation (604) 669-0212 (604) 669-0212




TORONTO, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patriot One Technologies (TSX: PAT) (OTCQX: PTOTF) (FRANKFURT: 0PL) (Patriot One or the Company) today announced that Kia Georgia, Inc. has implemented the companys Multi-Sensor Gateway screening technology, designed to detect guns, knives and other prohibited items on people at large workplaces. This deployment will be part of a larger service that includes the companys artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Platform to further enhance the current guard service for the entire manufacturing facility.



After evaluating a few options for physical security technology, we selected Patriot One because of its flexibility and innovative approach to weapons detection  it fits in well with what we wanted to achieve in our security operations, according to members of the Kia Georgia Environmental, Health and Safety department. Not only will the technology perform in all weather conditions, allowing us to use it outside, we can customize the look of the Multi-Sensor Gateway so that it fits into the welcoming atmosphere at Kia Georgia. This solution provides the flexibility to optimize alerting to how we run our security operations. Additionally, it is visually appealing, blending into the natural aesthetics of our facility, while also being highly effective in detecting weapons.

Patriot Ones Multi-Sensor Gateway unobtrusively detects guns, knives and other prohibited items on people using AI sensors, without them having to remove metal items from their pockets upon entry. The Companys AI-powered Platform with Facility Insights creates a holistic view of a facility, so security personnel can proactively respond to potential threats and protect employees. Alerts can be sent to multiple places, including a security operations center allowing the quickest possible response to a potential threat.

Kia Georgias facilities are state of the art, and they wanted the same for the screening technology solution they chose to deploy, said Peter Evans, CEO of Patriot One. Were delivering our system as part of a holistic service. The Multi-Sensor Gateway and our flexible, AI-powered Platform with Facility Insights software will send alerts to Kia Georgias security command center, as well as on-duty security officers, so they can respond to threats quickly and proactively. This process aligns closely with the innovative way Kia Georgia runs its security operations.

Multi-Sensor Gateway removes the hassle of people emptying their pockets of metal before entering a workplace, significantly speeding up the security process. This is ideal for a manufacturing plant setting.

To talk with a Patriot One representative about implementing unobtrusive screening solutions in your business, please contact us here.

About Patriot One Technologies

Patriot One Technologies makes unobtrusive, artificial intelligence AI-driven weapons and threat detection systems that enable arenas, casinos, schools, theaters and other businesses to provide unprecedented safety while also improving the patron experience. The companys Multi-Sensor Gateway enables companies to covertly screen for weapons at points of entry without disrupting the flow of traffic, and its AI-based Video Recognition System enables venue and building operators to identify weapons and other threats inside and outside of facilities, while also providing valuable intelligence for optimizing operations via their AI-powered platform. Follow us on Twitter @patriot1tech.

For further information, please contact:

Patriot One Technologies Inquiries

info@patriot1tech.com

www.patriot1tech.com

Media Contact

Caroline Metell

PatriotOne@threeringsinc.com

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:

No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to system sales, product development, licensing, commercialization and regulatory compliance issues and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects, believes, and similar expressions or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include counterparty default and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b7cc03d4-b9ea-45dc-bc0b-f94195f54eeb
Linthicum, MD, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NFM Lending is proud to announce that National Mortgage News has named it among the 2022 Best Mortgage Companies to Work For. NFM Lending has received this honor for the second straight year.

Each year since 2019, National Mortgage News has distributed an extensive survey to employees of mortgage companies. The survey analyzes the benefits and policies of the company, covering eight topics: Leadership and Planning; Corporate Culture and Communications; Role Satisfaction; Work Environment; Relationship with Supervisor; Training, Development and Resources; Pay and Benefits; and Overall Engagement.

NFM Lending is proud to be recognized as one of the best mortgage companies in the country by National Mortgage News, said Vice President of Communications Gene DiPaula. The fantastic culture is something that we experience every day, and we dont take it for granted. And it doesnt just come from the top. Employees at all levels are committed to making this the best mortgage company to work for and a top workplace of any industry.

NFM Lending prides itself on its exceptional culture. The company fills the employees work environment with encouragement and teamwork, building a positive workplace that rewards commitment and performance. Employees are also encouraged to voice their questions and concerns directly to management. Leadership takes all feedback in earnest and responds promptly. In addition, managers often surprise staff members for their birthdays. Finally, the company holds contests, holiday celebrations, and other initiatives to encourage collaboration and show employee appreciation.

NFM Lending is consistently recognized for its company culture. These awards include 50 Best Companies to Work For by Mortgage Executive Magazine; Top Mortgage Employer by National Mortgage Professional Magazine; Top Work Place by both the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun; and a winner of the Best Places to Work by Baltimore Business Journal. NFM Lending is proud of these accomplishments and its teams work to make it a Top Workplace.

About NFM Lending



NFM Lending is a national mortgage lending company currently licensed in 47 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1998. NFM Lending and its family of companies includes Main Street Home Loans, Bluprint Home Loans, Freedmont Mortgage Group, and Elevate Home Loans. They attribute their success in the mortgage industry to their steadfast commitment to customers and the community. For more information about NFM Lending,

visit www.nfmlending.com, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Instagram.

Media Contact KISS PR - Az@kisspr.com

Attachment
Gloucester, MA (01930)

Today

Periods of rain. High 51F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Showers in the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 46F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
SGA presidential candidate Andrew Laws (right) speaks during the SGA presidential debate on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, at the Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Jack Weaver | Staff
MANSFIELD [mdash] Patricia Ann Thursby-Daniels, 77, of Mansfield, Texas, formerly of Elkhart, Indiana, died Sunday April 10, at Mansfield Hospital in Mansfield, Texas. She was born May 30, 1944, in Elkhart, Indiana, to Robert James and Opal Mae (Allison) Thursby. On Feb. 14, 1965, she marrie
Mercedes has shown for a moment that you should not count them out for the world title by a long shot. As expected, the German racing team arrived in Bahrain with a car without side pods and there are more parts of the car that stand out.

Mercedes make impression

Mercedes had a solid first week of testing in Barcelona where the team drove plenty of miles. That way the team of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could work with all that data in the factory, but it soon became clear that the team have been keeping their cards close to their chests.

Read more LIVE | Day one of the 2022 Formula 1 winter test in Bahrain is underway

In Bahrain, Mercedes have arrived with an all-new car and those rumours turned out to be true. Photos taken on Thursday morning from the Bahrain International Circuit show Mercedes' side pods, or rather the lack thereof. We also now see the air intakes in the chassis, as we saw earlier with Ferrari.

Los no pontones de Mercedes . Queee???



The no sidepods of Mercedes . Whaaat?????#f12022 pic.twitter.com/WSlesjHOWf  Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) March 10, 2022
Max Verstappen looks ahead to the second week of testing in Bahrain in a calm manner. The Dutchman spoke with Verstappen.com about the upcoming test week and his expectations.

Confidence with Mercedes

Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen came out well in Barcelona during the first week of testing. The team drove a total of 357 laps, of which Verstappen managed 206 on his own. Sergio Perez drove the fastest time on the C4 tyre in Barcelona, but was four tenths slower than Lewis Hamilton's fastest time on the C5 tyre.

Read more LIVE | Day one of the 2022 Formula 1 winter test in Bahrain is underway

Because of this good first test week Verstappen is looking with a good feeling towards the second test week. "In itself quite relaxed. We've had pretty good test days in Barcelona and the car just works well. Before the first race there will be updates for the car," the Dutchman reassured his fans.

Read more Mercedes impress in Bahrain with no side pods on W13

Focus on Mercedes

"It's very important to do as many miles as possible again here in Bahrain and collect data to get everything right for the first race. Last year we also managed to do a lot of kilometers and had a good balance in the car. I think that's the most important thing."

In Bahrain, however, it is not Red Bull Racing, but Mercedes that is in the spotlight. Lewis Hamilton's team came into Bahrain with a revamped W13, which stood out mainly for its lack of sidepods. You won't miss a thing from the test with GPblog's liveblog.

Read more These drivers will be in action on Thursday during the winter test in Bahrain
Mercedes surprised the Formula 1 paddock when Lewis Hamilton rolled out of the garage with brand new sidepods on the W13 as 2022 Formula 1 testing in Bahrain got underway. The sidepods on the Mercedes car caused a storm in the paddock, with looks completely different to the sidepods used in Barcelona last time out. Ferrari once again looked good, with Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets with a 1:34.531.

Leclerc set the fastest time with a 1:34.531 on the C3 tyres. Alex Albon, in the Williams, was around half a second down on tyres one step softer. Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top three. Red Bull's Perez led the lap counter, with most drivers recording 40 or more laps. Only Lando Norris had an alarming reduction in lap count as a brake issue kept the Brit in the garage.

Porpoising

Porpoising is still causing headaches for the teams. Midway through the session, Hamilton opted to run a push fast lap with a low ride height, but the car violently bounced up and down the home straight into turn one. All teams seem to be struggling, whilst the Williams car was spotted with a skirt coming off the floor to try and solve the problem.

Most teams had visible changes to their cars. But the Mercedes car contained the most visible differences. Christian Horner allegedly said that parts were illegal on the Mercedes, but Red Bull Racing denied these comments. Ross Brawn admitted it was an innovation Formula 1 didn't see coming.

Is that an official comment?  Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 10, 2022

The four-hour morning session was completed without any significant drama. The red flag didn't come out, but Guanyu Zhou did stop at the top of the pitlane. The Alfa Romeo mechanics ran up to push him to the garage. Most drivers were seen locking up as they adjusted to track conditions. Temperatures raised to 32c as the afternoon went on. Teams will get the chance to run under similar conditions to the Bahrain Grand Prix later this afternoon under the floodlights.

Haas and Ricciardo

Due to the late arrival of a cargo plane, Haas didn't run during the morning session. It's expected that they'll be out on the circuit this afternoon. Daniel Ricciardo was due to drive the McLaren car this morning but felt unwell. Therefore, Norris went out on the circuit instead. McLaren ran less than 30 laps, as a brake issue kept them in the garage.

This afternoon Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon will stay in the car. All other teams will opt to change their drivers with Fittipaldi scheduled to drive the Haas this afternoon.
Max Verstappen also took note of the innovative design of the W13 on Thursday morning. The Red Bull Racing driver obviously took a look at it, but there is nothing that worries him at the moment. Verstappen let it be known that he will wait and see what happens.

"We are concentrating on ourselves, I have always said that. The cars may look different, but we all still have a lot to learn about them and how they perform," Verstappen was quoted at the press conference by Formule1.nl.

Read more LIVE | Day one of the 2022 Formula 1 winter test in Bahrain is underway

Horner very outspoken

Christian Horner was a lot more outspoken during the start of the test day in Bahrain. The Red Bull Racing team boss called the new Mercedes "against the spirit of the regulations". According to Horner, there were also some parts on display that might be illegal. Later Red Bull denied that Horner would have made those statements.

The real RB18 for next season was not seen on Thursday. Only on Friday or Saturday will more updates appear on the car of Verstappen and Sergio Perez. However, Helmut Marko already announced prior to the second week of testing that there are also updates from Red Bull that will only be introduced during next week's GP weekend.
At Mercedes they are not afraid that the FIA will label the W13 as illegal. Toto Wolff emphasised that the International Motorsport Federation has been kept informed of all developments in recent weeks. He said this at the press conference in Bahrain.

"The development process is very transparent. The FIA receives the CAD data from us and is constantly kept informed," said Wolff in conversation with various media including Auto, Motor und Sport. According to the Mercedes team boss, there would have been earlier intervention if Mercedes really went beyond the book.

Super majority

This season a new rule has been introduced in Formula 1 that deals with the so-called "super majority". If a minimum of eight out of ten teams speak against a certain innovation, even if it is within the rules, it can be decided that something is still prohibited. In this way the regulations can still change during the year.

This could also happen with, for example, the mirrors that Mercedes is currently using. Both Red Bull Racing and Ferrari have their doubts about the concept that the German formation uses.
Chinese lawmakers raise 487 proposals to annual legislative session

Xinhua) 08:16, March 10, 2022

Staff members of the secretariat of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) sort out suggestions from lawmakers in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, had submitted 487 proposals as of noon Tuesday, the deadline for proposal submissions at the ongoing fifth session of the 13th NPC, said the secretariat of the session.

The secretariat said it had also received around 8,000 suggestions, criticisms, and comments from the NPC deputies.

The majority of the proposals are about speeding up legislation on energy, the digital economy, pre-school education, elderly care, and protecting women's rights and interests.

National lawmakers also made suggestions about promoting rural revitalization, boosting the sound development of the digital economy, and fighting against abducting and trafficking women and children, among others.

Staff members of the secretariat of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) sort out suggestions from lawmakers in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Guo Zhenhua, an official with the secretariat of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), speaks in an interview in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Staff members of the secretariat of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) work in their office in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
The preparation for the new season is not going according to plan for Haas. They have already released Nikita Mazepin, and this week the necessary materials arrived late in Bahrain. It caused Haas to skip the morning session on Thursday. However, the FIA seems to have come up with a solution.

The Bahrain test days will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The original idea of the FIA was to give Haas Sunday to get ready for the new racing season, but several Formula 1 teams objected. According to the regulations, a test should last three days.

Read more Haas asks Formula 1 for extra test day in Bahrain after missed morning

The FIA, however, was eager to accommodate Haas, so it looked for other ways to help the American racing team. According to journalist Chris Medland, the FIA has found a way to help the American team, as there is a good chance that Haas will be able to go to the track after 19:00 in the next three days.

So we are likely to see Haas continuing after 7pm each night. Whether that changes remains to be seen. Wolff seemed to be against Sunday running for Haas earlier, McLaren is another team that said no. Not sure on the third #F1 #F1Testing  Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) March 10, 2022

Magnussen replaces Mazepin at Haas

In recent days Haas has been working overtime to find a replacement for the departed Mazepin. With Kevin Magnussen it found a driver who should be able to quickly reach the desired level. The driver was in fact already under contract to the Americans.
The FIA cancelled the Grand Prix in Russia due to the war in Ukraine. Since then the organisation has been busy looking for a replacement circuit, with two countries high on the list according to Auto, Motor und Sport journalist Tobi Gruner.

The race in Russia was scheduled for September, giving the FIA several more months to find a replacement. It is not leaving the current period unused, however, as the FIA is reportedly busy talking to various countries behind the scenes.

In the meantime, however, the list is said to be smaller and has two circuits in bold. Qatar, for example, would have a good chance of holding another GP in the country. Moreover, the FIA would consider organising an extra race in Bahrain. For the time being, however, the parties do not seem to have reached an agreement.

Who will replace the Russian Grand Prix this year? We hear there are talks about a second Bahrain race (on the Outer Circuit). Qatar is also still in the conversation. #AMuS #F1  Tobi Gruner (@tgruener) March 10, 2022

FIA thinks with Haas

Over the next three days in Bahrain, the Formula One teams are getting ready for the new season. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday they will have time to put their cars on the track to generate data. Due to earlier problems at Haas, the FIA is considering giving the American stable the opportunity to go on track in the evening as well.
Mercedes' sidepods are according to the rules set by the FIA. This is what the BBC said, after the English medium spoke to several sources around the team of the German racing stable.

Red Bull Racing expressed its concerns in recent days about the small sidepods used by Mercedes. The Austrian formation feared, for example, that Mercedes would not only be gaining time illegally compared to the competition, but that the sidepods would also make it more difficult to drive close behind a Mercedes car.

Read more LIVE | Day two of the 2022 Formula 1 winter test in Bahrain

Both of these are not the case, the FIA is said to have ruled. The medium reports that the FIA would have checked how the airflow of the car is with the current sidepods, concluding that it is within the regulations. Mercedes is certainly gaining time because of the sidepods, but according to the FIA, Mercedes is acting within the rules. It means Red Bull no longer has to worry about the situation.

Red Bull is busy with preseason

The next three days are scheduled for the Bahrain test days. In these, Red Bull hopes to make new steps towards the first race that will take place at the same track in just over a week. Next up are the Grands Prix of Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Pierre Gasly has recorded the fastest time of the first day of F1 testing in Bahrain. The AlphaTauri driver set this lap on the softest C5 tyres, two steps softer than most other drivers. Both Ferrari drivers rounded out the top three in what was another strong day for the Italian team. Despite not knowing fuel loads and engine modes, it looks likely Red Bull and Mercedes were hiding their true pace. The session ended under a red flag following Perez's spin in the gravel.

Sergio Perez didn't trouble the top of the timesheets, but the Mexican had a very impressive day. He topped the lap counter, but only managed P10 on the timesheet. However, Perez's fastest lap time took place on the C3 tyre, which is two steps harder than those at the top. Rumours suggest that new parts are coming to the RB18 tomorrow.

Busy day

Despite eight hours of green track time available, F1 teams and drivers looked to make the most of the cooler conditions at the start of the morning session. Less could be said about the start of the afternoon session as peak temperatures were recorded. A lot of teams, including Ferrari and Mercedes, opted to take the floor off their cars.

On the track, Perez stayed in the car the whole day. The RB18 was the most productive car, recording 138 laps. A busy day for the Mexican, who spent most of the time on long runs. Lando Norris wasn't expected to run the morning session but had to replace an unwell Daniel Ricciardo. The Brit, therefore, had the car to himself, but the McLaren was plagued by a brake issue.

After a really good test week in Barcelona, McLaren might be questioning themselves tonight. Norris struggled to keep the car under control and it didn't look hooked up to the track, with at least two trips to the run-off zone at turn 9/10.

Haas made their return to the track this afternoon with Fittipaldi. The team were unable to run this morning due to a late-arriving cargo plane. Despite a steering issue, Albon recorded over 100 laps in what could be classed as Williams' best testing day for a number of years. The session was completed with just two red flags. The first was caused by Lance Stroll. An aero rake on the Aston Martin car fell off and some of it dropped onto the circuit.

Under a virtual safety car, Perez spun at turn eight and decided to let the car roll backwards. The Red Bull backed into a gravel trap and ended the session 10 minutes early. With the sun setting and the floodlights taking over, temperatures dropped and drivers started to push hard. Locking under braking at turn 9/10 became a common theme.

Mercedes surprise

Mercedes surprised the Formula 1 paddock when Lewis Hamilton rolled out of the garage with brand new sidepods on the W13 as 2022 Formula 1 testing in Bahrain got underway. The sidepods on the Mercedes car caused a storm in the paddock, with looks completely different to the sidepods used in Barcelona last time out. It seems likely we haven't seen Mercedes at full power yet.

The Mercedes car contained the most visible differences. Christian Horner allegedly said that parts were illegal on the Mercedes, but Red Bull Racing denied these comments. Ross Brawn admitted it was an innovation Formula 1 didn't see coming.

Porpoising is still causing headaches for the teams. Midway through the morning session, Hamilton opted to run a push fast lap with a low ride height, but the car violently bounced up and down the home straight into turn one. All teams seem to be struggling, whilst the Williams car was spotted with a skirt coming off the floor to try and solve the problem.
Max Verstappen has not yet had to go on track on Thursday, but will start a day later. The Dutchman uses the test days to get ready with his team for the new season, although according to him there is little to say about the relations between the teams.

Where Mercedes and Red Bull Racing were the top teams in Formula 1 last season, the new regulations in 2022 might change that. The Formula 1 connoisseurs therefore follow the test days in Bahrain fanatically to see the renewed proportions, but Verstappen does not yet expect that there will be anything meaningful to say about this after Saturday.

Read more Why Red Bull drives relatively few miles on softest tyres

"You can drive here during the test days in Bahrain with tires that you are not allowed to use during a race weekend," the reigning World Champion explained to Verstappen.com. "And with less fuel you go through a corner faster and you can get on the gas sooner. In that respect, it's all not higher math and a team can easily appear faster than it is."

FIA takes away concerns from Red Bull

Earlier in the day Red Bull was still worried about Mercedes' car. According to the Austrian racing team Mercedes did not act according to the rules, but the FIA would have concluded that it did.

Read more Verstappen not at all worried about innovative design of Mercedes' W13
Mercedes' new car was the topic of the day in Bahrain. The team came to the second week of testing with new updates and the new design of the side pods is particularly noteworthy. Despite the impression Mercedes made, the team will still have to work hard to solve balance issues.

Mercedes did not look stable on the track today despite its impressive W13. In the afternoon session George Russell blocked his tyres several times and suffered extreme porpoising on the straights. Teams like Ferrari and Red Bull Racing seem to have this problem more under control by now. Engineer Andrew Shovlin explained more about the problems.

"Compared to Barcelona it's been harder to get the car well-balanced around the lap here. We do seem to have made a bit of progress through the day. We've got quite a lot of work still to do regarding validation of the update kit, so it's a bit early to say whether everything is working as expected," he said in an official Mercedes press release.

Work to do for Mercedes

Temperatures in Bahrain are much higher compared to Barcelona, so the Pirelli tires will have a harder time on the rough asphalt. However, with two more test days to go, Mercedes still has plenty of time to fix the problems and optimize the new updates.

"There is certainly more to find in getting the balance right between slow and high-speed corners, and there's also a bit too much tyre overheating. So, plenty to keep us busy for the next two days but we are on a steep learning curve with the new car and tyres - we'll analyse what we have from today and hopefully make a step forward for tomorrow," added Shovlin.
During the first three F1 testing days in Barcelona, Ferrari seemed very strong. Two weeks later in Bahrain, the Italian racing team is once again starting strong. At least, it seemed so. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc confirmed afterwards that it actually was.

Ferrari were very strong in Barcelona on the somewhat harder tires. Together with Max Verstappen, the Ferrari drivers formed the top three in the time standings on the C3 tyre. In addition, Sainz and Leclerc drove the most laps of all teams together. Sainz led with 236 and Leclerc was on P6 with 203 laps. After the first day in Bahrain, two weeks later, the two Ferrari men recorded the second and third times and together they also drove a solid 116 laps, nineteen laps less than Sergio Perez in his Red Bull.

Ferrari picks up the thread in Bahrain

Sainz therefore said in the Ferrari press statement that it was a good day of testing: "We continued where we left off in Barcelona; with a similar schedule, but with different set-ups. We were not able to finish our last run on the C3, but overall we were able to test two or three things that were very important for us." During Leclerc's morning session, things went even smoother. In fact, Leclerc was able to complete the full program.

Leclerc took the majority of the 116 laps. During his 61 laps that he drove in the morning, he mainly noticed that the conditions in Bahrain were very different from those in Barcelona. Obviously, it is a lot warmer in the desert of Bahrain. The Ferrari driver must have felt that especially from the rubber under his Ferrari F1-75. Finally, Sainz did his hat off to the pit crew who did a great job in the extreme heat.

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Canada-based Rock Tech Lithium has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Romania. The MoU provides for cooperation and support in the companys search for a location in Romania for one of the companys next planned lithium hydroxide converters and, in the longer term, the construction and operation of such converter.

The converter will refine lithium-bearing rock into high-purity lithium hydroxideapproximately 24,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year, equivalent to the volume needed to equip around 500,000 electric cars with lithium-ion batteries.

The Rock Tech converters produce lithium hydroxide in three steps: pyro-processing, hydro-processing and purification. The converters are designed to process all available forms of material: freshly minded raw material, intermediate products, and secondary (recycled) raw material. Rock Tech owns its own mine in Canada.

In October 2021, Rock Tech announced its intention to build Europes first lithium converter in Guben, Brandenburg, Germany. The company will locate all production steps of lithium refining in one overall plant at the Guben site. That converter is scheduled to start operations in 2024. (Earlier post.)

We want to initiate the construction and operation of five lithium-hydroxide converters in Europe by 2029 and are grateful for the Government of Romania to support us in finding the ideal location for one of our next converters. It took us almost two years to find and sign our first location in Guben, Brandenburg. To keep our ambitious targets, we plan wisely and long-term. We not only want to invest in Romania, but also build up know-how, create jobs and work closely with local partners. Rock Techs Chairman, Dirk Harbecke

Rock Tech believes that a key factor in the site selection process of its second proposed converter will be access to regional infrastructure, such as transportation links and a rail connection. Rock Tech will seek a close collaboration with authorities, experts, and local partners for all further planning steps.

Following the signing of the MoU, the company will start examining various locations in Romania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe for the site of its proposed converter, which will further Rock Techs strategy of building several converters across Western and Eastern Europe to supply the European electric vehicle industry with high quality lithium hydroxide.

With an estimated capital cost of approximately 400 million, the proposed converter is expected to provide significant and enduring economic benefits, including the direct and indirect creation of more than 500 jobs during its construction and operation.

The MoU establishes a framework meant to address a number of significant factors in the companys decision-making process, which include:
The Vertical Flight Society (VFS), a non-profit organization working to advance vertical flight, is holding the first public event in the United States on the use of hydrogen and fuel cells for aviation applications. The event, the 1st H2-Aero Symposium & Workshop, is being held 29-31 March 2022, in Long Beach, California.

The event. The first day and a half of the Symposium will feature keynote presentations by executives from aircraft developers Airbus, Bartini, Piasecki Aircraft and ZeroAvia, as well as hydrogen companies Shell, Plug Power, Universal Hydrogen and ZEV Station.

Representatives from the US Department of Energy (DOE), Argonne National Laboratory, the Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA will also talk of the plans and progress in this area. International hydrogen aviation developers will also be speaking, including one of Europes key aircraft and space research organizations, DLRThe German Aerospace Center, and aircraft developer H2Fly.

Representatives from the California government and the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) will be sharing their experience in zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure deployment opportunities. The president of the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition will also be speaking of the hydrogen & fuel cell developments in the Northeast.

The meeting will also feature representatives from academia (the University of Maryland), a major standards development organization (SAE International), a private capital investment bank (NEXA Capital), and a fuel cell technology innovator (HyPoint).

The afternoon of Wednesday, March 30, will be a kickoff workshop to gain public input to finalize the scope of the Vertical Flight Societys H2-Aero Team. The near-term goal of H2-Aero is to develop demonstration project(s) between hydrogen infrastructure and hydrogen aircraft, seeking to catalyze a public-private partnership (PPP) to accelerate the decarbonization of aviation. A further goal would be to leverage scale and develop a roadmap to H2-Hubs at airports.

On the morning of Thursday, 31 March, there will be tours of the Shell heavy-duty hydrogen refueling station at the Port of Long Beach which fuels zero-emission fuel cell electric trucks.

The background. In 2014, the Vertical Flight Society held the worlds first public meeting on electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and VFS has been leading eVTOL efforts ever since. With hydrogen fuel cell technology making rapid advances over the past decade, VFS sees a similar, pivotal moment in aviation for vertical and conventional flight aircraft.

Battery-electric and hybrid-electric energy systems are well known to be heavier and larger than comparable fossil-fuel based aircraft powerplants. But the capability for power-by-wire, distributed electric propulsion, zero tailpipe emissions and extremely low noise have engendered more than 600 eVTOL concepts from 350 designers worldwide, as cataloged in the World eVTOL Aircraft Directory. The directory is part of the VFS Electric VTOL News website.





Piasecki PA-890 hydrogen fuel-cell-powered electric compound helicopter. (Piasecki Aircraft Corp.)

Hydrogen holds the promise for abundant, clean, sustainable energy, with water vapor as the only byproduct. However, there are many challenges for use in aircraft, including the cost, weight, volume and complexity, as well as generating the hydrogen and transporting it to the point of need, affordably and without burning carbon fuels to do so.

The European Union, the United Kingdom and China have all announced major government initiatives to support hydrogen for aviation. The Biden Administration has allocated $64 billion to expand the hydrogen infrastructure in the US, though targeted toward ground transportation. In the past year, several traditional aircraft manufacturers (including Airbus, Mitsubishi and De Havilland) have partnered with hydrogen fuel cell makers to support retrofit and certification of hydrogen-electric propulsion systems on existing airplanes as demonstrators for potential future products.

Although initially focused solely on eVTOL, in recent years, VFS has expanded its support to electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) and electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) aircraft. The past few years has seen a blurring of the lines between rotorcraftcertificated by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Part 27 and Part 29 airworthiness regulationsand other small airplanes that are certificated under Part 23. Nearly all of the eVTOL aircraft developers are targeting FAA certification as a Part 23 small airplane and nearly all of the supporting technologies are highly common, whether developed for eVTOL, eSTOL and eCTOL. This is also true for hydrogen fuel cells powerplants for smaller Part 23 aircraft.

When VFS launched the first eVTOL meeting in 2014, the idea of VTOL aircraft was greeted with widespread skepticism, but growing technical progress, flight demonstrations, government validation and private investment have helped reverse public perception. It is now recognized that the vertical flight market is poised for significant expansion over the next few years as eVTOL aircraft enter service that can have higher performance than conventional helicopters for certain missions, as well as lower operating costs and lower noise.

Similarly, the Vertical Flight Society has supported eSTOL and eCTOL aircraft developments over the years in a collaborative environment. VFS helped run the CAFE Foundations Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS) for the past several years and has now taken over full responsibility for the event. VFS will hold this years 16th Annual EAS as a hybrid meeting on 2324 July 2022, in conjunction with AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

VFS was founded as the American Helicopter Society in 1943 by the visionaries of the early helicopter industry, who believed that technological cooperation and collaboration were essential to support this new type of aircraft. Today, VFS is playing a similar role helping to advance todays revolutionary electric flight aircraft.
Some of the best years of my life  I miss those people.

Good times and memories, but I have moved on.

Not my best days, but I have made peace with them.

Glad to be away from those people  I dont miss the high school experience.

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Despite plummeting rates of COVID-19 infections across Connecticut, most colleges and universities have not signaled any intention to pull back vaccination and testing requirements installed during the height of the virus omicron wave.

Many higher education institutions, including the University of Connecticut, Yale and Sacred Heart University, announced plans to require booster shots for eligible students and faculty returning at the start of the spring semester.

However, none have said whether those requirements will remain in place beyond the current semester.

On Wednesday, the state report the lowest positivity rate since Nov. 5 of last year. A total of of 330 new COVID infections were reported among 15,915 tests for a rate of 2.07 percent, state figures released Wednesday show. Hospitalizations increased by a net of 11 patients for a total of 162.

The latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that institutions of higher education should conduct regular testing at a minimum for students and staff who are not up to date with their vaccines and boosters.

At Quinnipiac University, officials have not altered a March 19 deadline for students to report their compliance with the schools booster requirement, according to spokesman John Morgan, who added that a decision has yet to be made about the fall or summer semesters.

Deborah Noack, a spokeswoman for Sacred Heart University, said Wednesday that the university will require non-exempt students to receive a booster shot by March 15, and that staff are already supposed to have received a booster shot.

We have not yet started to think about what we will do for the fall. We will decide when it gets closer based on the COVID climate at that time, and the guidance of the CDC and state and local health officials, Noack said Wednesday.

Stephanie Reitz, a spokeswoman for UCONN, said the university informed students and faculty of the booster requirement in December, but did not set a deadline for students to inform the university of compliance.

According to the latest data on UCONNs website, 98 percent of the nearly 11,000 students living at the universitys Storrs campus were either fully or partially vaccinated as of Wednesday. More than 80 percent of those students had also received a booster shot, though the reported rate of boosters was lower at the universitys other campuses and among commuter students.

We expect the booster reporting numbers to continue increasing, both as students reach the point at five months or more past their full vaccination when they are eligible for boosters; and also as those whove recently had COVID are fully recovered and their physicians say a booster would be allowable and appropriate, Reitz said in an email.

Reitz said that UCONN has yet to decide what restrictions will remain in place beyond the spring semester.

Other universities such as Yale and Wesleyan, have not announced any changes to their existing policies requiring all students and staff without an eligible exemption to provide proof of their vaccination and booster status to the school.

Opponents of vaccination mandates, meanwhile, have continued to push for universities to rescind their policies. On Wednesday, the anti-vaccine group UCONN Families for Medical Freedom promoted a radio segment featuring parents of Sacred Heart University students calling on the universitys booster mandate draconian.

Where there is risk, there must be choice. Students only have the protection of religious exemptions to rely on as doctors throughout the state are refusing to provide medical exemptions, the group said in a statement Wednesday.

Other schools, including Fairfield University and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, opted not to require booster shots and gave students the option of undergoing regular testing instead.

We recognize that boosters are essential in preventing severe illness and are strongly encouraging everyone who is eligible to get a booster. At this time we do not have a booster mandate for students or employees. Our vaccine or test requirements remain in effect, CSCU spokesperson Leigh Appleby said in a statement Wednesday. We expect to have updates on the remainder of the semester in coming days.

Jennifer Anderson, a spokeswoman for Fairfield University, said the school is requiring unvaccinated students to test at least once a week. More than 94 percent of Fairfield students are vaccinated, Anderson said, and 74 percent have received a booster shot.

As we look to the future, we continue to evaluate our current dashboard data for the University community, our state and local case rates, as well as CDC guidance, Anderson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, universities are beginning to roll-back mask mandates, citing the decline in cases and vaccine requirements.

UCONN lifted its mask mandate in most non-classroom settings earlier this month. Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart have adopted similar policies, while Fairfield rescinded its mask mandate entirely February 28 and now recommends that masks be worn indoors.

Yale and Wesleyan continue to require all students and faculty to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, according to policies posted on their websites.
Two months after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a plan for a powerful elections police force that would answer to him, state lawmakers on Wednesday passed a watered-down version that barely resembles what the governor asked for but still worries voting rights advocates.

DeSantis, R, had asked for nearly $6 million to hire 52 sworn officers who would be stationed around the state to investigate alleged violations of elections laws. The GOP-led House and Senate instead gave him $1.4 million for 10 police officers who will be assigned to the new Office of Election Crimes and Security.

The office will be the first of its kind in the nation. Its staff of 25 will be part of the Department of State, which answers to DeSantis. Both chambers approved its creation by wide margins after debate that had Democrats invoking the name of the late civil rights leader John Lewis and a Republican representative making reference to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The governor has indicated he will sign the measure into law.

"It's drastically improved from what the governor wanted, but I don't believe we should have an elections police force at all," said Joe Scott, the elections supervisor in Broward County. "These are people who will be looking for crimes where there are none. That has the potential to intimidate a lot of voters and the organizations who try to help voters."

The bill also includes harsh repercussions for some voting practices that were common in the state until last year, when the legislature, at the governor's behest, passed sweeping changes to state elections laws.

One of the most controversial penalties is for "ballot harvesting." The 2021 law made it a misdemeanor for anyone to have more than two ballots, which impacts efforts at churches and community centers to have volunteers gather ballots and deposit them at an elections office or in a drop box. The bill passed this week raises that to a felony, punishable with a fine of up to $50,000 and five years in prison.

"So now we're criminalizing certain acts around the elections process that most folks, particularly in the Black community, have long held as a way to assist those in need," said Genesis Robinson, political director of Equal Ground, a voting rights advocacy group. "To spend time in jail for simply trying to be a good neighbor, that's a problem."

The bill requires elections supervisors to cull voter rolls annually instead of every two years and imposes a $1,000 fine for switching a voter's party registration without their consent.

It also changes the name of drop boxes to "secure ballot intake stations." The law passed last year, which is being contested in federal court in Tallahassee, limits the number of ballot drop boxes and the times they can be available.

The changes in state election statutes in 2021 and this legislative session followed a 2020 general election that saw few problems. The governor touted it as "the gold standard" that should be followed by other states.

But as former president Donald Trump and his supporters spread falsehoods about election fraud nationwide, many Republicans in Florida pressed DeSantis, who is running for reelection and probably positioning himself for a 2024 presidential campaign, to take some kind of action.

"The whole point of this bill is to deter people from committing fraud," state Rep. Daniel Perez, a Republican from Miami-Dade County, said during debate on the bill this week. "We're trying to stop the bad actors."

The Department of State received 262 election-fraud complaint forms in 2020 and referred 75 to law enforcement or prosecutors. About 11 million Floridians cast ballots for president that November.

"They called it a flawless election, and then they immediately started to change things for the worse," said Cecile Scoon, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. "It's the constant chip, chip, chipping away of voting rights."
Editors note: The Pacific Daily News is collaborating with the University of Guam Press to support the islands creative minds by showcasing their work in Songsong Stories every month.

Songsong Stories was inspired by the magic of Guahans unique villages and how village life permeates island stories in both written and traditional oral forms. The website songsongstories.medium.com was launched with a series of excerpts written by creatives who participated in UOG Press Manelon i Mantitige Writing Retreat in February 2021.

This months feature is an excerpt from The River by Neena Carolino.

Although Nana told her that she was too old to be doing so, Juliana snuck out to the river almost everyday. Nana scolded her saying that the river was for washing and bathing only.

She thought that Juliana wasted too much time there. Juliana would sit at the bank, dipping her feet in the water. Sometimes, after knowing that she was truly alone, she would strip naked and swim.

Other days, like this one, Tomas would come to meet her. They would be married soon, so she would let him kiss her. She never told him to come on the days that he did. When he found out that she liked to go to the river, he would show up and they would talk and kiss.

Tomas lit a cigarillo that he had been rolling and let it hang loosely from his lips as he sat by Juliana on the bank. He wore a white cotton shirt that buttoned up to the middle of his chest and his pants were cut short below his knee. His hat was as wide as his shoulders. He took it off and placed it on her head. She laughed and took his loosely held cigarillo and put it between her own lips.

Tomas was strong. He worked in the rice fields. They grew up near each other and now their mothers were making arrangements for their wedding. He was 24, but looked much younger, as most of the men looked younger than their age.

Their families began their plans last year as soon as Juliana matured and began her monthly bleeding. His nana brought pugua that they all shared and chewed together in celebration. Unlike the others in the barrio, Tomas family were always kind to Julianas.

It was a longstanding promise that when Juliana became of age, she would marry him. It was the opportunity that the Aguon women had been longing for. And Juliana liked Tomas. He was handsome and kind and a hard worker. She did not know how to be a wife, but if she must marry, she was glad it was to a man like Tomas.

He took the cigarillo from her mouth and flicked it into the water. Holding her face in his hands, he began to kiss her as the river flowed past them. Whenever Tomas kissed her all the sounds seemed to grow louder. The river rushed as if it were flowing through her ears and the wind seemed to pick up and shake the leaves above them until it sounded like showers of rain were falling and birds were screeching.

The sounds whirled around them until they were interrupted by a loud crunch. Tomas stopped kissing her and cupped his hand over her mouth to cover her loud breathing. He whispered for her to go back up the bank into the treeline in the direction toward her house and he would split up in the other direction. He took his hat off of her head as she scurried into the tree line.

She hid behind a tree and peerking around it saw a man emerge from the opposite treeline. He crossed the cobbled stone bridge and made his way toward her. He was too close and would hear her if she ran. She pressed her back against the tree and closed her eyes, hoping he would pass by without seeing her.

But the click of a revolver told her otherwise. She opened her eyes and could now see that the man was a Spanish soldier from the Cuartel nearby and that he had his gun aimed directly at her head.

He was young, with barely a mustache to cover his lip. It trembled slightly as he smiled. What are you doing here? He asked as he positioned himself in front of her and shifted his aim from her temple to her forehead. She could feel her jaw clenching. You know that children are not allowed by this river. She puffed out her chest, I am not a child, I am a woman.

He smiled as he lowered his gun. Are you a woman? He began to inch toward her and as he got closer she moved back, pressing into the tree behind her. Show me, then.

He pressed himself against her, pinning her to the tree. With one hand he pulled her head back by her hair, burying his face into her neck and with the other hand he pulled her skirt up.

She clenched her jaw again to keep from screaming. His hand had just begun to run up her leg when she heard a sharp thwack. The Spanish soldiers hand froze. Juliana felt warm liquid dribble down her cheek. His grip on her hair loosened and his body grew heavier on hers. His mouth fell from her neck to her shoulder. Soon he dropped all the way to the ground. Juliana touched her cheek and saw that the liquid was red. Blood.

She looked down at the soldier and saw that a machete was lodged quite nicely into the back of his skull. After a moment, she looked up and saw Tomas standing where the machete was thrown from. He was heaving, with bloodshot eyes. He began to walk toward her when two more soldiers appeared from the treeline, shouting. They grabbed him and without him resisting, dragged him to the river. Juliana stood frozen.

They forced him to kneel. As he did, he looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something but a shot rang out before he could. His body landed in the river with a loud splash and his blood began to run downstream with its flow.
A family medicine doctor who has been accused of sexual misconduct will be required to have a chaperone present whenever he tends to female patients.

Members of the Guam Board of Medical Examiners moved Wednesday night to impose the restriction on Dr. Ugochukwu Akomas license while complaints against him are resolved. But the board wont go as far as suspending Akomas license, as board member Dr. Ariana Adolphson requested.

While the board keeps complaints confidential, Akomas complaint number was identified by a woman who said she filed a November complaint against him during a previous meeting. On Wednesday, Board member Dr. Annette David, who is handling Akomas case, said that a new complaint dated Feb. 10 was against the same doctor in question under Akomas complaint number. The new complaint also involved sexual misconduct, David said.

Acting Health Professional Licensing Office administrator Breanna Sablan on Thursday confirmed that the restrictions on Akomas license were public knowledge, and that her office would issue an announcement.

David on Wednesday said the added complaint was a point of concern.

These are two separate reports involving the same physician, both female. And this is a physician who, if you review his records, has a history of similar offenses in the past, she said.

Akoma signed a settlement agreement with the Iowa Board of Medicine in 2018, which required him to pay a $5,000 civil penalty, be chaperoned when seeing female patients, and attend a professional boundaries program, PDN files show.

The Iowa board alleged that he had made unwanted sexual advances to female co-workers dating back to 2007 in California, Arkansas and Texas, and violated appropriate examination procedures for female patients in Iowa. Akoma has said before that the complaints were filed by his ex-wife to discredit him, and that he hasnt been arrested or charged for sexual assault or harassment.

This may be a public safety issue, David told the board, requesting that Akoma be barred from seeing female patients altogether while the complaints were under investigation.

IHP Medical Group, Akomas former employer on Guam, filed a complaint against him in 2018 related to comments by Akoma that made a female coworker uncomfortable.

Adolphson wanted his license suspended. If you read the prior complaint  this particular licensee does not only have issues interacting with female patients, but also with female staff.

I myself would really like that, Assistant Attorney General Rob Weinberg, board counsel, said. But he said licensees are entitled to a full hearing within 30 days of a suspension, and the board was still searching for more attorneys to preside over suspension hearings.

If they suspended Akoma but were unable to give him a hearing, he could take them to court and demand his full license back with no restrictions.

The board has had issues getting legal counsel in previous years, and has not prosecuted a complaint against a licensee since 2015, PDN files show. The board is currently seeking full-time attorneys.

David ultimately motioned to require Akoma to have a chaperone present, until a prosecuting attorney could be brought on board. The board approved the motion, with Adolphson dissenting.

The board is seeking an investigator for the complaint filed against Akoma in November.

The PDN made numerous calls to Akomas office on Thursday. According to his staff, he had no comment.
Guam and the territories will narrowly avoid a Medicaid cliff once again, provided a piece of federal legislation is signed into law by midnight Friday in Washington, D.C.

Without an extension of Guams current funding rates for Medicaid, the roughly one-fifth of the islands population that relies on the Medicaid program could see delays in payment for services, and reduced access to health care providers that dont want to accept Medicaid, Department of Public Health and Social Services officials have said.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Del. Gregorio Kilili Sablan, Del. Michael San Nicolas, and other territorial delegates last week asked senior members of the U.S. House of Representatives to permanently increase Medicaid matching rates for Guam in a federal spending bill for 2022, according to a letter provided by Del. Sablans office. On Wednesday, the bill was passed by the House with a provision to extend matching rates for the CNMI to December.

Sablans Chief of Staff Bob Schwalbach confirmed that Guam will be included.

At the current Medicaid matching level, or FMAP, Guam pays only 17 cents for every $1 spent on Medicaid, while the federal government covers the remaining 83 cents. That matching level is set to revert to the typical rate of 45 cents for Guam and 55 cents for the federal government by Friday.

While the Biden administration permanently increased total federal funding to Guam to $130 million last September, the government of Guam would have to fork out about $106 million annually to use all the federal funds, based on the old matching rate.

At the current matching rate of 17 cents, GovGuams payment would only be about $26 million. Thats slightly less than the $27 million in collections from Medicaid that the Guam Memorial Hospital reported in fiscal year 2020.

Matching rate

Guam and the territories have the matching rate dictated by law, instead of based on per capita income like most states. Mississippi, the state with the lowest matching rate of $0.15 for every dollar spent on Medicad, has a per capita income nearly $5,000 higher than Guams.

The 17 percent match is effective only through Dec. 13, 2022, but Sablan has successfully led the insular area delegation in lobbying to keep the match at this level. They had it extended in October, December, and February in continuing resolutions, as well as in todays full-year funding measure, according to a release from Sablans office on Thursday.

Pres. Joe Biden has until midnight Friday in Washington D.C. to sign off on the measure, the Associated Press reported.

A permanent increase on Medicaid rates for the territories was included in the Build Back Better Act, which was tanked by opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin this year.
An officer-involved shooting that left one man dead Wednesday night is under investigation by a team from the Office of the Attorney General and the Guam Police Department.

At 8 p.m. Wednesday, police received a call about a man with a slingshot at a Shell gas station in Dededo.

Officers tried to detain the man, and a Guam Police Department officer discharged his service firearm, resulting in the death of a member of the public, according to a release sent by attorney generals office spokeswoman Carlina Charfauros.

The man was pronounced dead at the Guam Regional Medical City.

As a result of a uniform policy for investigations into the use of deadly force established in November 2021, the Independent Investigative Team was called.

GPD placed the officer on administrative leave while they conduct an internal investigation, according to spokeswoman Officer Berlyn Savella.

Investigative team

This is the second time the Independent Investigative Team has been activated.

The first time was in June 2021, when an off-duty police officer shot and killed a man in Tamuning by Hemlanis Commercial Building, near the intersection of Marine Corps Drive and Gov. Carlos Camacho Road.

Following the activation of the team, details of the investigation were periodically released to the public, including surveillance videos and a description of evidence found at the scene.

The investigation resulted in the off-duty officer not facing criminal charges, as the team found the officers actions were justified, according to PDN files.

Shell

According to a release sent by IP&E Holdings, Shells parent company, the Dededo gas station closed immediately after the shooting, and it remained closed until 12:40 a.m. Thursday.

IP&E added none of their employees or customers were injured at the time of the incident.

Everyone at IP&E is saddened that this tragic event occurred at one of our Shell Stations. We extend our thoughts and prayers to the family of the individual involved. The safety and wellness of our team and customers is paramount to our business operations, said IP&Es Managing Director Brian Bamba.
The number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Guam continues to drop, according to the Department of Public Health and Social Services, but the island still is considered high-risk, with a seven-day average of about 644 cases per 100,000 population.

On Thursday, two more deaths were announced by the Joint Information Center. A 74-year-old unvaccinated man and a 75-year old vaccinated man who didnt have a booster both died at Guam Regional Medical City on Wednesday. They both had underlying health conditions. The island has had 337 COVID deaths.

There were 33 people in the hospital Thursday, and 123 people were positive from 780 tests.

Guams test positivity rate is now 23%, compared to only 2.3% in Hawaii, according to Public Health. Hawaiis seven-day case average is 70.3 per 100,000 population.

Ongoing vaccination programs and improved treatments have contributed to the downward trend in Guam, according to Public Health, but the thousands of eligible residents who refuse to be vaccinated are a weak spot in the islands pandemic recovery.

Were now at about 150 cases per day, and were looking really good, said Ann Pobutsky, territorial epidemiologist. In late January, Guams new cases peaked at more than 500 per day during the surge in the Omicron variant. All ages are showing a decline (in cases), Pobutsky said, noting 45% of those who tested positive had symptoms of the disease. COVID hospitalizations, ICU and deaths are continuing to decline Were not out of it yet, though, she said.

Ways to go

We are still lagging behind the other states in the U.S., said Dr. Annette David, who is lead epidemiologist for Guams State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup. I think we will eventually get there, but we still have a ways to go.

David said the wearing of masks probably will be one of the last restrictions lifted here, because they are so vital in protecting individuals from COVID.

David said Guam last week had a seven-day average of 1,100 cases per 100,000 population, which has since dropped to 644 cases per 100,000. Thats still much higher than the 200 cases per 100,000 that it would require to be considered low-risk, she said.

I think its a combination of factors, Dr. Robert Leon Guerrero, chief medical officer at Public Health, said about the reason for the downward trend. Even though were not vaccinating as fast as we did before, were still vaccinating, he said.

He said those who recently had COVID-19 now have antibodies and are unlikely to get sick again for at least several months.

We are using  antiviral medication, so that decreases the severity (of illness). So thats why were seeing less hospitalizations and deaths, he said.

According to the Joint Information Center, 6,306 Guam residents are age-eligible for COVID-19 vaccines but are unvaccinated.

Ultimately, the state of our health for the island is really determined by those who choose, for whatever reason, not to get vaccinated, David said, adding some residents have legitimate health risks and should not be vaccinated. Vaccination is the shield that protects our island, and every single person who remains unvaccinated is a weak point in that shield. I think this situation really highlights how individual choices have an impact not just on an individuals risk, but on our collective risk as a community. This is, I guess, a test of citizenship.
A seventh man has been charged in connection with a riot that occurred at the Dededo skate park last week.

Vince Phillip Phillip, 22, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault as a third-degree felony after multiple witnesses said he was seen participating in the riot, a magistrates complaint stated.

A co-actor, Kayson Nick, who was arrested and charged earlier this week in connection to the riot said in an interview with police he saw Phillip bash a man in the face with another co-actor, Jame Repwak.

A witness also told officers he saw Phillip tackle a different man after Repwak and Darwin Fortes began punching him on the ground. The man, prior to being tackled, was hit with a glass bottle and is now permanently blind in his left eye, according to a magistrates complaint.

Phillip, when found and interviewed, invoked his right to counsel but officers saw he had injuries consistent with the altercation. Phillip then told the officer offering medical services that he sustained the injuries from falling during a fight at the skate park, the complaint stated.

According to a release sent by the Guam Police Department, Phillip was arrested on Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of assault, aggravated assault and rioting.

Six men

This week, six men that include Nick, 19, Repwak, 23, Fortes, 22, Mali Ios, 19, John Jashua, 18 and Chesrick Tom, 19, also known as Jesrick Honest Tom, according to his booking photo, all were charged with assault and aggravated assault in connection with the riot.

Witnesses reported the men had been drinking beer and Captain Morgan at the park when Repwak and Ios approached another group in an aggressive manner, documents stated.

Witnesses told police Repwak and Fortes tackled one of the men and punched him while he was on the ground. Fortes kicked and threw a skateboard at a car, cracking the vehicles front passenger window. Nick also was seen throwing the bottle of Captain Morgan, while Tom and another individual were seen punching people.

Ios was seen recording the altercation on his phone. The recording circulated on social media and assisted the Community Crimes Task Force in finding the suspects.

All six men were confined at the Department of Corrections. However, Nick was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond on Wednesday, court documents stated.
Startup Weekend Micronesia, an annual three-day event that aims to prepare aspiring entrepreneurs, will be held online April 27 through 29.

Startup Weekend Micronesia is affiliated with TechStars Startup Weekend, an organization dedicated to fostering local entrepreneurship and strengthening communities, according to the groups website.

The organization has hosted more than 5,000 events in over 150 countries worldwide, according to James Robinson, president of University of Guams Entrepreneurship Society.

The goal for Startup Weekend Micronesia 22 is to collaborate with islands throughout the Micronesian Region to promote sustainability through innovative ideas and to improve the quality of life for future generations, Robinson said.

Organizers said people will be attending from Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Kosrae, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Palau and the Marshall Islands.

Christasha Aguon, project manager of the Entrepreneur Society and one of the organizers of Startup Weekend Micronesia, emphasizes the advantages the event can offer island communities.

Startup Weekend Micronesia provides the tools, resources, and network for upcoming entrepreneurs that they can take with them even after the event. This is equitable access for communities throughout Micronesia that we hope to bridge the gap, while creating sustainable solutions on our islands and building economic empowerment, Aguon said.

The online event is open to the public.

Potential participants must be over the age of 18 and have the drive to be an entrepreneur.

There will be opportunities, assistance, and knowledge shared for entrepreneurs to shape the future of Micronesia through innovation and sustainability, said Jeresa Camacho, vice president of the University of Guam Entrepreneur Society and mentor lead of Startup Weekend Micronesia.

There is a $15 registration fee, and participants can register at https://tinyurl.com/SWM2022.
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George Chiu is president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Guam.
Michael Lujan Bevacqua is an author, artist, activist and the curator for The Guam Museum.
Trash is dumped and compacted during daily operations at Layon Landfills Cell 3 site in Inalahan. Guam Solid Waste Authority General Irwin Slike told Rotary Club of Northern Guam members that there are cheaper ways to expand the Layon Landfill at the organizations meeting on Wednesday.




Haiti - Diaspora Covid-19 : Daily Bulletin #720





GLOBAL SITUATION 2019-2022:

Epidemiological situation:



Thursday March 10, 2022 the number of people infected worldwide with the Covid-19 coronavirus and its variants since the start of the pandemic (March 11, 2020) amounts to 451,892,070 cases (+1,880,529 in 24 hours ), the day before (+1,811,864)



Number of infected countries: 224



*Healings: 386,321,716 people have been cured of Covid-19 worldwide (+2,059,397 in 24 hours), the day before (+1,886,311)

*Deaths: 6,044,813 people died of Covid-19 worldwide (+8,359 in 24 hours), the day before (+8,872)

*Active cases (minus deaths and recoveries) in the world is currently 59,525,541 cases (-187,227 in 24 hours), the day before (+83,319)



Average cure rate in the world: 85.48% (+)



Average mortality rate in the world: 1.33% (-)



World: Number of daily confirmed cases:





(Day-1)



Vaccination: 10.98 billion doses of vaccine injected (+20 million doses injected in 24 hours. Update March 9, 2022 (latest data available).



HAITI:

Epidemiological situation:

Warning: The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) did not make available after March 5, 2022 daily data on the Covid-19 situation in Haiti. Accordingly, the data below on the situation in Haiti are the latest available.



According to the Ministry of Public Health, +30 new cases of Covid-19 and its variants have been confirmed in Haiti as of March 5, 2022 (latest partial data available ) for a total of 30,430 confirmed cases throughout the national territory (48.7% women and 51.3% men), since the first case (March 19, 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html ). Previous update (+18 cases as of March 3, 2022).



Healings: 25,729 (+244)



Cure rate: 84.55% (+)



Deaths: 827 deaths (+2) (Center +1, North +1)



Death rate: 2.71% (=)



5th Wave (Omicron Dominant):

Total of the 5th wave (starting December 27, 2021) amounts to 4,435 confirmed cases and 61 deaths



Haiti: Active Cases Trend: (less recoveries and deaths)





(Day-1)



Screening since the start of the pandemic: 181,451 tests (+427 in 2 days) since March 19, 2020, latest data available. Note that the very small number of people screened every day at the national level out of a population estimated at 11.6 million citizens, does not statistically allow us to make a representative estimate of the situation in Haiti, which translates into a < B>number of daily confirmed cases largely underestimated.



TOP 5 of the most affected municipalities in the West (2022):

Delmas: 734 (+5); Petion-ville 613 (+0); Port-au-Prince 405 (+0); Tabarre 285 (+3); Croix-des-Bouquets 232 (+2)



Confirmed cases by department (2022 / 2021 / 2020):

West: 2022: 2,523 cases; (2021: 9.890); (2020: 6,945 cases)

North: 2022: 263 cases; (2021: 664); (2020: 677 cases)

Center: 2022: 220 cases; (2021: 1.001); (2020: 508 cases)

Artibonitis: 2022: 168 cases; (2021: 855); (2020: 593 cases)

Northeast: 2022: 147 cases; (2021: 404); (2020: 314 cases)

Southeast: 2022: 236 cases; (2021: 768); (2020: 274 cases)

South: 2022: 212 cases; (2021: 891); (2020: 262 cases)

North West: 2022: 245 cases; (2021: 383); (2020: 229 cases)

Grand'Anse: 2022: 158 cases; (2021: 861); (2020: 176 cases)

Nippes: 2022: 33 cases; (2021: 249) (2020: 149 cases)



Cumulative deaths by department (2022-2021):

West: 293 deaths (2020: 104 deaths)

North: 54 deaths (2020: 34 deaths)

Center: 78 deaths (2020: 13 deaths)

Artibonite: 40 deaths (2020: 39 deaths)

North East: 7 deaths (2020: 6 deaths)

South: 51 deaths (2020: 6 deaths)

Southeast: 14 deaths (2020: 9 deaths)

North West: 15 deaths (2020: 12 deaths)

Grand'Anse: 7 deaths (2020: 13 deaths)

Nippes: 27 deaths (2020: 5 deaths)



Distribution of deaths by age (since the start of the epidemic):

0-9 years: 15 deaths

10-19 years: 10 deaths

20-29 years: 31 deaths

30-39 years: 54 deaths (+1)

40-49 years: 78 deaths (+1)

50-59 years: 133 deaths

60-69 years: 186 deaths

70-79 years: 181 deaths

80 years and over: 137 deaths



Vaccination:

157,002 Haitians (1.35% of the population) +1,178 in 8 days have received a 1st dose of vaccine since July 16, 2021, date of the first injection through 149 open vaccination centers and 106,114 Haitians are fully vaccinated (2 doses, 0.91% of the population) +1.130 in 8 days. Update March 6, 2022 latest information available (source MSPP).



List of the 149 Vaccination Centers open in Haiti (and hours) by department:

(updated October 20, 2021, latest information available)

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35051-haiti-covid-19-list-of-149-vaccination-centers-open-in-the-country.html



DIASPORA:

Epidemiological situation:



USA:

*Cases since the first case (February 29, 2020): 81,064,103 cases (+51,148 in 24 hours), the day before (+32,978)

*Healings: 55,429,994 healings (+214,324 in 24 hours), the day before (+202,659)

National Cure Rate: 68.37% (+)

*Deaths: 989,473 deaths (+1,858 in 24 hours), the day before (+1,701)

National mortality rate: 1.22% (+)

*Active cases (minus deaths and recoveries): 24,644,636 (-165,034 in 24 hours), the day before (-171,382)

Tests: 961,448,814 last data available.



USA: Number of daily confirmed cases





(Day-1)



Vaccination: 555.99 million doses of vaccine injected since December 14, 2020, date of the first injection in the United States (+240,000 doses in 24 hours). Updated March 9, 2022 (latest data available).



DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

Confirmed cases since March 1, 2020: 576,220 cases (+91 in 24 hours) the day before (+126 in 24 hours). First case (March 1, 2020)

Healings: 571,339 healings (+555 in 24 hours), the day before (+531)

National Cure Rate: 99.15% (+)

Deaths: 4,372 deaths (+1), previous (+0)

Death rate: 0.75% (=)

Positivity rate over 4 epidemiological weeks: 3.07% (-)

Active cases: (excluding deaths and recoveries) 509 cases (-465 in 24 hours) the day before (-405)



Dominican Republic: Trend of active cases: (minus recoveries and deaths)





(Day-1)



TOP 5 Provinces with the most new cases in the last 24 hours:

Santiago: +55 new cases in 24 hours (+)

Santo Domingo: +7 new cases in 24 hours (-)

National District: +7 new cases in 24 hours (-)

La Altagravia: +4 new cases in 24 hours (-)

Monte Cristi: +4 new cases in 24 hours ()



Tests (since the 1st case): 3,154,505 tests (+3,899 in 24 hours), the day before (+4,695)



Vaccination: 15.32 million doses of vaccine injected since February 16, 2021, date of the first injection in the Dominican Republic (+10,000 doses injected in 24 hours). Updated March 9, 2022 (latest data available).



QUEBEC:

Confirmed cases since the first case (February 27, 2020): 932,176 (+1,426 in 24 hours), previous (+935)

Healings: 904,982 people (+1,053 in 24 hours), previous (+1,188)

Cure rate: 97.08% (-)

Deaths: 14,126 deaths (+6 in 24 hours), previous (+29)

Death rate: 1.51% (=)

Active cases: (excluding death and recovery) 13,068 cases (+367 in 24 hours), previous (-282)



Quebec: Trend of daily confirmed cases:





(average weekly trend)



Test: 16,823,262 people tested since the first case (+12,997 in 24 hours)



Vaccination: 18,490,870 doses of vaccine injected since December 14, 2020, date of the first injection (+4,942 doses in 24 hours), latest available data - MSSS dated March 9, 2022)



FRANCE:

*Confirmed cases since the first case (January 24, 2020): 23,234,062 cases (+69,190 cases in 24 hours), previous (+93,050)

*Healings: 21,929,017 healings (+92,178 in 24h), previous (+98,568)

National Cure Rate: 94.38% (+)

Deaths: 139,773 deaths (+155 in 24 hours), previous (+167)

Death rate: 0.60% (=)

Active Cases: 1,165,272 (-23,310 in 24h), previous (+5,685)

Test: 246,629,975 (last data available February 27, 2022)



France: Number of daily confirmed cases:





(Day-1)



Vaccination: 141.22 million doses of vaccine injected since December 27, 2020, date of the first injection in France (+10,000 doses injected in 24 hours. Update March 9, 2022 (latest data available)



Previous bulletin : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36138-haiti-diaspora-covid-19-daily-bulletin-719.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30165-haiti-flash-first-case-of-covid-19-in-the-dominican-republic.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Ukraine : A dozen Haitian students evacuated

According to the Haitian Chancellery, a dozen Haitian students were evacuated from Ukraine, some to Slovakia and others to Poland. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) provides assistance to all people in difficulty fleeing the war zone, including Haitians.



Of the 6 SIN agents arrested, 3 are believed to be members of a gang

Of the 6 agents of the National Intelligence Service (SIN) arrested on Saturday March 5https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36110-icihaiti-turgeau-6-individuals-arrested-8-weapons-seized.html 3 would be members of a gang operating at the southern entrance to Port-au-Prince according to Pierre Esperance of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH).



29% of Haitian women under 40 victims of violence

Data made public by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA - Haiti) since November 2018 reveals that "[...] 29% of women aged 15-49 have suffered acts of physical violence since the age of 15 years [...] Among non-single women, 34% reported having experienced, at some point, various forms of violence, either physical, emotional or sexual."



Tsunami simulation

Thursday, March 10, 2022, from 10:00 a.m., the Directorate of Civil Protection participates in the annual regional tsunami simulation exercise, "CaribeWave 2022". This exercise, carried out every year in the Caribbean, aims to strengthen the capacity of the disaster risk management system in order to provide better responses in the event of a possible tsunami and also to test all the communication channels of the system.



Jacmel Valley : Electricity grid almost ready

eWe are nearing the end of the construction of the electricity distribution grid in the Jacmel Valley. Now, we are looking for a private operator who is ready to invest in the construction of the photovoltaic solar power plant and the connection of customers" informed Evenson Calixte, the Director General of the National Authority Regulation of the Energy Sector (ANARSE) telling interested operators to write to appel@anarse.gouv.ht



France : Visit of Haitian students to the Embassy of Haiti

The Embassy of Haiti in France received the visit of about forty Haitian students who completed a two-week internship at the Universite Cote-d'Azur and the Ecole Polytechnique of Nice. While welcoming their willingness to serve Haiti, the Ambassador warmly congratulated them for their academic efforts and wished them success.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Romney, WV (26757)

Today

Rain showers early with some sunshine later in the day. High 71F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy in the evening with more clouds for later at night. Low 49F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Published on 2006/02/15 | Source

Korean film director Shim Hyung-rae plans to release his blockbuster movie "D- War" at major cities of the United States, including Los Angeles (LA), around the end of November, 2006.Director shim has been making efforts to complete the blockbuster movie " D-War " over the past six years. The movie features a number of serious battles in LA among pythons which try to occupy a cintamani."Almost all works for completion of the movie will be done around the end of May this year", Shim said. "The movie will be released to the U.S. audiences around the end of November, where Thanksgiving holidays usually start".When asked about why he chose pythons as characteristics for the film " D-War ", Director Shim explained, "Pythons are good characteristics in which I can make good contents, which are believed to intrigue audiences in the world as well as in the U.S".Shim also made explanations about why he chose L.A. as the background of the " D-War ". He remarked, "I picked up L.A. among other world's big cities because the U.S. city is very close to Hollywood, center of the world's film industry, and the U.S. film market is very large.Shim did not speak much about the total cost of producing the movie. "The cost of producing the film might amount to 250 million dollars if our staff, including graphic designers, not been directly involved in the production", he stated."I read on a story on the film " D-War " on an Internet website, and it is estimated that the production cost of the movie would reach 145 million dollars", Shim remarked. "However, the total cost of producing the film is more than the estimation.By Suni Kim

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Since its formation in 2020, the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority  BSPRA  has been successful in touting its mission to re-establish rail passenger service through Southern Montana. Enthusiasm for the project was heightened in November 2021 with the passage of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which  for the first time in the services 51-year history  has designated significant funding for Amtrak, Americas intercity rail passenger service.

But often lost in press releases by the BSPRA and in recent news articles are what should be the primary goals for the fund...
Demands continue to be removed from the list of "terrorist organizations" in the world, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). In this context, the members of the Martyrs' Families Council in Afrin called for its name to be removed from the list.

Member Asia Abdo called on the international community to remove the name of the PKK from the list of "terrorist organizations", and said that the international community should be well acquainted with the real work of the PKK.

She added, "The PKK was established to guarantee its legitimate rights and the rights of all oppressed peoples, and it always works for women's rights."

PKK 'an organization founded on humanitarian grounds'

Member of the Martyrs' Families Council, Hajar Maho, also called on every freedom-seeker to work to remove the name of the PKK from the list of "terrorist organizations". It also emphasized that the PKK is an organization founded on humanitarian grounds, and includes various components.

She went on to say that "the PKK has liberated marginalized and oppressed communities," stressing that no one has the right to include a name on the "terror list."

Member Hevin Alloush also called on international organizations to remove the name of the PKK from the list of "terrorist organizations", adding: "It is not the PKK who carries out terrorist acts, but the perpetrator is Erdogan and his mercenaries, who commit massacres against civilians and loot their property."

At the conclusion of her speech, Hevin Alloush said: "The practices of Erdogan and his mercenaries have exceeded the level of terrorism, and the violence they perpetrate against women and children reaches the highest levels of terrorism."

T/S

ANHA
A Knott County man was arrested on charges including wanton endangerment of a police officer after he allegedly threw a flaming can of gasoline at officers cruisers during a vehicle pursuit.

According to an arrest citation written by Kentucky State Police Trooper Patrick Bailey, in the evening hours of March 3, he and Trooper Adam Baker and Perry County Sheriffs Deputy Jessie Day were pursuing a vehicle due to the driver failing to stop.

During the pursuit, the citation said, the passenger of the vehicle lit what appeared to be a two gallon can of gas on fire and threw it out the window with the intent to strike the officers cruisers in an attempt to avoid being stopped.

The pursuit ended, Bailey wrote, after the vehicle stopped at a mine site and two male subjects and a female fled on foot, with the officers unable to locate the individuals.

At approximately midnight on March 4, the citation said, KSP Post 13 dispatch were contacted by Perry County 911 and advised that an individual who was aware the pursuit had happened was driving a side-by-side ATV on the mine site and come into contact with Corey James Mullins, 24, of Sportsman Lake Road, Fisty. Mullins, the caller stated, admitted to being one of the subjects involved in the pursuit and the caller was standing by with him.

Bailey and Deputy Tyler Day went to the location, the citation said, and, as the officers pulled in, Mullins jumped up from a sitting position and fled on foot over a steep embankment and into a wooded area.

The officers pursued Mullins, the citation said, but were unable to catch him initially. However, Bailey wrote, Mullins eventually yelled out, I think I fractured my shoulder, Im walking back to you.

Mullins began walking toward the officers, the citation said, until he got within approximately 7 feet of them, at which time he turned his back and acted as though he was going to run again.

Bailey wrote that he deployed his taser, striking Mullins in the back, at which time Mullins fell to the ground before attempting to rise back to his feet. The citation said Bailey used a second cartridge and Mullins stopped, but continued to resist as officers attempted to handcuff him.

Eventually, Bailey wrote, the officers were able to place Mullins under arrest, at which time he admitted to lighting the gas can on fire before throwing it out the window at law enforcement during the pursuit. Mullins, the citation said, also identified the alleged driver and that the female who fled was his mother. Neither of the other individuals had been charged in the incident as of presstime.

Mullins was lodged in the Kentucky River Regional Jail on charges of first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer (three counts), second-degree fleeing or evading police (on foot) and resisting arrest.
Henderson, NC (27536)

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Mostly cloudy in the morning with scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 84F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms before midnight. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
N.C. Senate fails to override veto of bill barring mask mandate in schools

RALEIGH  The state Senate voted Wednesday to adjourn the longest long session of the legislature in decades, effective Thursday. The adjournment resolution calls to reconvene the state legislature on April 4, then gavel out until May 4.

The beginning of the short session would officially begin on May 18.

The adjournment measure, Senate Joint Resolution 748, passed the Senate unanimously. It now goes to the N.C. House, where it will face a vote on Thursday morning.

The adjournment vote came just after the Senate failed to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of the Free the Smiles Act, Senate Bill 173, by a three-fifths majority. That bill would have given parents the right to opt out of a school mask mandate policy on behalf of their children without providing a reason. It would not have banned masks if parents wanted their children to wear them, and it provided liability protection for schools and boards.

The measure was passed by a bipartisan veto-proof majority in both chambers on Feb. 17. In the House, seven Democrats joined with Republicans to approve the bill, 76-42 (64%). Two Democratic senators voted yes on Free the Smiles, with the bill clearing that chamber, 28-17. It was then vetoed by Cooper on Feb. 24.

Along party lines, 27 Republican senators voted to override the veto while 22 Democrats voted against it. A three-fifths majority of the body is required to override a veto. Those Senate Democrats who originally voted in favor of it  Sen. Kirk DeViere, D-Cumberland, and Sen. Ben Clark, D-Hoke  changed their stance on the issue, voting not to override the veto.

Public school students in N.C. schools have been either masked or in remote learning for nearly two years amid restrictions and shutdowns due to the Covid pandemic. As infection rates are dwindling this spring, school systems across the state are rapidly dropping their Covid mask mandates. This week, 110 school systems have moved to a mask-optional policy, and five others are considering it. Supporters of the Free the Smiles Act say that, moving forward, parents should have the legal authority to determine masking for their children, not the government.

"Today I am asking that you support this motion so that we will ensure the full rights of parents to decide what is best for their children," said Sen. Deanna Ballard, R-Watauga, arguing in favor of overriding Cooper's veto.

Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, argued against the override. He said giving parents the decision rights on masks for children would tie the hands of school system administrators or health department officials if a future vaccine-resistant Covid variant spreads in the community.

"Todays vote is another attempt by the majority party to politicize masks and another example of legislative overreach," Chaudhuri said on the floor of the Senate.

S.B. 173 was re-referred to the Senate Rules Committee.
TONNES of aid from the people in the Henley area has been sent to Ukraine.

Businesses and individuals have organised collections of toiletries, clothes and food to send to neighbouring countries to help refugees, mainly women and children, escaping the invasion by Russia.

Town councillor David Eggleton and his wife Nicky have been organising collections in Henley where people can drop off donations at the town hall, the YMCA in Lawson Road and Swiss Farm in Marlow Road on weekdays.

He has already taken three vanloads to Marlow, where they have been sent on to London and then Ukraine.

On Wednesday, a van took more donations to London and another van headed directly to Poland.

It has been a bit manic, said Cllr Eggleton. Ive been going to the collection points two times a day going to pick up stuff. All I can do is work to get it to the people who are shipping it out there.

He has been working with Anastasiia Lypynska, a Ukrainian from Nettlebed, who has been

co-ordinating efforts to send money and resources to her homeland.

Cllr Eggleton said: Im in contact with people who are talking to people on the border and people in Ukraine trying to find the best way to get everything over there because theres loads of lorries heading there. Theyve got so many lorries going in with clothes that they are blocking roads and are just piling up. But none of the stuff will go to waste and it will get to those in need.

They particularly need underwear  mens, womens and childrens  and nappies, toiletries and first aid equipment. Dont give anything in glass.

At the moment Id urge people to give money and give to organised charities like the Red Cross.

Reading Blue Coat School in Sonning has received a large number of donations, which were due to be sent to Ukraine today (Friday).

Pupils have been making bags of essential items for individual refugees.

Gemma Mitchell, who leads the schools community outreach programme, said: The students, staff and school community have really pulled together and weve had lots of donations coming in from parents and the community.

The sixth form students and some volunteers from other year groups have organised for each of the tutor groups to fill a backpack over this week with items like toiletries, nappies and sanitary products.

A pub in Stoke Row helped fill a lorry with donations which have now been dropped off at the border of Poland and Ukraine.

Dan and Natalie Redfern, who run the Cherry Tree Inn, filled the pubs marquee with donations and had to stop collecting to avoid being overwhelmed.

The donations were then sorted by volunteers before being taken to Didcot on Thursday last week.

A paramedic who is a friend of Mrs Redfern then drove the goods and other donations in an articulated lorry to the Poland/Ukraine border, where he left his load on Sunday. Mr Redfern said: We were overwhelmed by the contributions. We had people going out and spending hundreds of pounds on nappies and things.

We were advised not to send too many clothes as they were looking more for food and blankets and childrens toiletries.

We had so many donations so we asked for people to help us sort it out and we had eight amazing volunteers who came forward.

The paramedic was originally going to drive a van out there but ended up going in an articulated lorry. On Sunday he dropped it off at the border in Poland.

Most of the refugees have been going to the Polish border and the Polish people have been so welcoming.

Theres still lots of people going over but weve been advised that enough is enough as the whole of Europe has pulled together.

Now whats needed is money because once the refugees have arrived in their new country they need to survive. People should donate to official registered charities to get things to the right place.

A man from Woodcote is on his way to the Ukraine/Poland border with a van filled with donations.

Kevin Shaw collected items including 334 boxes of sanitary items, 314 packs of nappies, 483 toothpaste and toothbrush sets, 182 first aid kits, 10 sleeping bags, 623 colouring books and pencils, 70 pieces of underwear, 198 batteries and 140 new baby grows.

He has also raised 15,820 via gofundme which he will spend at the border on other humanitarian aid.

Francois Peirce, who runs Kicking Goat Cider from Stoke Row has also set up a gofundme and plans to drive in a van with three friends to take first aid kits, sleeping bags and portable cookers to the border.

They aim to find an area of the border that has received fewer humanitarian deliveries.
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Saudi-American documentary photographer Tasneem Alsultan is best known for her work on gender and social issues in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. We sat down with her to talk about how she uses her photography to change the narratives that surround women and men in Saudi Arabia and the importance of having greater representation behind the lens.

How did you get into photography?

My interest in photography began when I was about nine years old and I asked my parents for a camera for my birthday. They bought me a cheap camera with about 30 frames on it, which I used to document everything.

Professionally, it wasnt until about 2010 that my career kicked off. It started when I moved to Saudi with my daughters, and I wanted to capture the move and their experience. At the time, I didnt know how to use lighting or the camera settings and manual functions. I had the tools, but not the knowledge. I played around with it and got some photos which I shared on Facebook. I ended up receiving around 1000 likes and all these messages from people wanting me to take photos of their children. At first, I was just shooting them on my camera and printing them at home to send to people and now my photos of Saudi women have been showcased in photography festivals around the world.

What, if any, barriers have you faced as a female photographer and how do you feel youve overcome them?

At the time I started photography, I was working as a lecturer teaching English as a second language. I had no background in photography  in fact, my Masters degree was in anthropology  but Id always had a dream to do something more artistic. I never expected that one day Id be a professional photographer, so in a sense the barrier I faced was my own  an internal mental block. I just didnt think I could do it. However, after a year or so of capturing photos of peoples children, I was asked to shoot a wedding. It was at this point that I became really invested in myself as a photographer, because if someone is paying you to document your wedding, then you really need to know how to use your kit and to predict when those special moments are coming.

What inspired you to capture gender and social issues in Saudi Arabia?

Well, my photography mirrors what I was focusing on in my thesis around Saudi women and their understanding of themselves in relation to Saudi men. Saudi has a variety of people with different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures, but they were united by the fact that women were seen as less important than men. Up until a year ago, my father was my legal male guardian. He allowed me to travel, but for many women their male guardians wouldnt have allowed this.

Now, with the leadership of the crown prince we are witnessing change. For instance, women are now able to drive. Analysing these changes in a written thesis is so different to having a visual archive. Thats why I am so passionate about capturing these sociocultural changes and one day being able to show my daughters how things have transformed for women.

How do you feel about the way women have historically been portrayed through imagery? Are there stereotypes or biases you feel have been reinforced by photos?

In photos, Saudi women tend to be portrayed as victims, and our men villainised and its just not always accurate. My grandparents insisted that all their daughters were treated the same as their sons. My mother was supported by her father to go to school, and she is a professor and dean of a university. In fact, many women of her generation became doctors, engineers and CEOs. I grew up surrounded by women who had careers and thats not like the stereotype thats perpetuated of Saudi women as stay-at-home princesses. People forget that the change we are seeing is not something thats just happened over night, its been happening for generations enforced by my parents and grandparents.

My job is to portray Saudi women with more respect than they are normally given. You can always tell if a photo of a Saudi woman has been taken by another woman or a local, because they will leave room for their story. I love photographing the women of Saudi in the way they see themselves  I let them instruct me when I take their picture. They usually choose the location and what to wear.

How important is it to have a woman behind the lens?

Its incredibly important to have representation. Even if I wasnt documenting Saudi women in relation to Saudi men, I have to be able to relate to my subjects beyond just seeing them as a stereotype. Many women in this part of the world have been marginalised and stereotyped by the rest of the world and thats incredibly harmful. They are not just subjected to this view by Saudi men, but the rest of the world.

When I photograph my subjects, I give them the agency to direct me in the way they want to be perceived. Even if one of my subjects has been abused, I dont want to just portray them as a victim  many of these women are superheroes. For instance, one woman I captured who wanted to get out of her marriage went and found her husband a second wife, she paid her dowry and then divorced him. It would be so inaccurate for me to just portray her as someone that was physically and emotionally abused, when she was strong enough to do all this and free herself. There are so many women that have surpassed the obstacles and constraints of society, religion and even our own government. Thats why its important to have photographers that relate to their subjects and try to understand them on a deeper level  not just by portraying a stereotype.

What can photography bring to this narrative that words cant?

Instead of writing a thesis that only a few people would read, one image can be as striking as a whole book. If that shot triggers emotion, then Ive succeeded as a photographer. Thats my aim  to have an impact on people around the world who may never get a chance to meet these women. I want to change the way the rest of the world sees Saudi women and help people relate to them. Emotionally we are all very similar  we grieve and celebrate in the same way, but a lot of the differences we see are portrayed by the media.

How important is education and what further action is needed?

My dream would be to have my images printed and displayed somewhere outside of the Middle East. Already, my images have been in a photo festival in Nepal and the impact of it was incredible.

Prior to the festival, I was a bit apprehensive about what the Nepalese opinion of Saudi women would be, but it was completely different to what I experienced. I remember being at the festival and a Nepalese man stopped and looked at one of the pictures and said, I can relate to this woman. I just got divorced and am a child of divorce. Another said, Oh I relate to this woman and the struggle of raising my kids on my own. They looked past the clothes and the homes and saw the person within. And thats my goal as a photographer to break down some of those borders.

If you are a female photojournalist inspired by Tasneems story, why not consider applying for Canons Female Photojournalist Grant (https://bit.ly/35CwoEN).

Applications will open on 15th March 2022.

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Yoon Suk-yeol elected S.Korean president amid people's aspiration for transfer of power

Xinhua) 08:23, March 10, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

SEOUL, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power.

Yoon garnered a 48.56-percent support in the election held on Wednesday, defeating his liberal rival by a narrow margin, according to the final results released by the National Election Commission on Thursday.

Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party gained 47.83 percent, and Sim Sang-jung of the progressive Justice Party won 2.37 percent of the votes.

Yoon celebrated with jubilant party officials at the National Assembly building, saying in an aired speech that it was a victory of the great people.

The president-elect expressed thanks to his rivals, Lee and Sim who competed with him to the end, saying that the whole country should work together and be united as the competition ended.

Yoon's election indicated a strong aspiration among his supporters for the transfer of power from the current liberal Moon Jae-in government to the conservative bloc.

"On March 9, 2022, I'll make the transfer of power a reality and my new government will create changes," Yoon said in his New Year's message earlier this year.

Yoon pledged to realize sustainable peace and safety on the Korean Peninsula through a complete, verifiable denuclearization of the peninsula.

He vowed to come up with all possible measures to resume the stalled denuclearization talks on the peninsula in cooperation with the United States.

Yoon said he will rebuild the South Korea-U.S. alliance and strengthen the comprehensive strategic alliance between Seoul and Washington, vowing to actively push for the economic security diplomacy.

He also pledged to build the South Korea-China relationship based on mutual respect while expanding the future horizon of the South Korea-Russia relations.

To boost economic growth, Yoon is expected to take a market liberalistic policy as he is opposed to the government's economic intervention based on his firm belief in economic liberalism.

"I'll firmly safeguard the constitutional values of liberal democracy and market economy," Yoon said at a forum in November 2021, vowing to listen attentively to the voice of experts and the market.

The two other major candidates in the election conceded defeat to Yoon when the votes counting was almost completed amid a neck-and-neck race between Yoon and Lee.

Lee of the Democratic Party said in a televised address that it was neither the failure of people nor that of the governing party, laying all the blame on himself.

Lee offered his congratulations to Yoon, hoping that the new president would open a new era of unity and harmony in South Korea.

Sim said in a televised speech that she humbly accepted her poor score in the election as it was the assessment of herself and her party, expressing gratitude to her supporters despite the tight race between the two biggest political parties.

Yoon is scheduled to be sworn in as the South Korean president on May 10.

The final turnout was 77.1 percent, or 34,071,400 voters among the electorate of 44,197,692 people. It was slightly lower than the previous election's 77.2 percent in 2017.

An early voting, which was adopted in 2013 and first applied to the 2014 local election in the Asian country, was held from March 4 to 5.

The early voting rate hit a record high of 36.93 percent, topping the previous presidential election's 26.06 percent.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Ocorian, a leading provider of corporate, fund and fiduciary administration services for private markets, announced today that it has selected the full eFront Invest suite to support the ongoing growth of its Global Funds business.

The announcement builds on Ocorians long-standing relationship with eFront by adding new capabilities such as Fund Administration, Investor Services, AIFM and Lite Depositary services.

Ocorians Global Head of Service Lines, Mike Hughes, commented, We have great ambitions for our Global Funds business. It is one of our fastest-growing business lines and we have built tremendous momentum with our clients over the last six months. Evolving our partnership with BlackRock and investing in eFronts fund administration platform enables us to become part of a select class of go-to technology-enabled fund services providers.

Ocorian provides bespoke technology-led specialist fund services across private market segments including private equity, venture capital, direct lending, real estate, and infrastructure focussed fund managers. Ocorians expert teams simplify complexity, deploy technology, and use our market expertise to deliver across the lifecycle of the structure they have established.

As the role of asset servicers rapidly evolves, we are working in lockstep with our partners to configure innovations that empower them to scale, automate operations, and ultimately, deliver a seamless experience to their clients, said Tarek Chouman, Global Head of Business Development for the Aladdin Business at BlackRock. This expansion is a true testimony to our decade-long collaboration with Ocorian and we are thrilled to evolve our partnership in support of their growth.

BlackRocks eFront platform will support Ocorian in offering full end-to-end asset servicing solutions to their global clients. On top of using eFront for its Central Administration and Transfer Agency support (which it does today), Ocorian will leverage the platform for its Depositary as well as Management Company services. Managing its full Global Funds business on the eFront platform will enable Ocorian to expand its product suite across multiple service lines and streamline data to better serve clients.

As part of the expansion, Investment Cafethe eFront investor relations portal, will also be available to all Ocorian clients to help manage Investor Services by streamlining communication and securely sharing client information.

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Greenville, TX (75401)

Today

Cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 84F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low 66F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we've all known individuals who have done more than their share to help their neighbors and communities with food, comfort, care, companionship and dozens of other needs. If you know of such a person, you can nominate them to be featured in our upcoming H
Women in Africa (WIA), the worlds leading international platform for the economic development and the support of African women entrepreneurs launched the 6th edition of its flagship programme WIA54 on March 1, 2022. Women entrepreneurs from Mauritius can now apply for an intensive programme by 31 May 2022 that will boost their businesses and confidence.

First launched in 2017, the programme promotes women entrepreneurs in Africa who are at the early stages of running a business. For 2022, 540 finalists from 54 African countries will be selected to participate in the bootcamp training and personalized mentoring programme and will become part of the WIA community. The best candidates at the end of the mentoring/pitch training phase will participate in the pitching phase which will give them access to investors and seed capital.

From this strengthened pool of entrepreneurs, the jurors will select the 54 country laureates and 9 sectoral prize laureates who will receive a comprehensive package of support to further boost their success. This year, 54 country laureates will have the opportunity to join an MBA programme of WIA partner Honoris United Universities and will also benefit from a communication highlight worth 5,000 on WIA social networks; 8 Revelations will benefit from a communication promotion worth 8,000 and the Gold Award will also receive a prize of 10,000.

Through its WIA54 programme, WIA is committed to supporting 10,000 African women entrepreneurs by 2030 through training, mentoring, communication and access to finance. Its goal is to contribute to the creation of 100,000 jobs and to contribute to the generation of $10 billion in revenue for the African economy by 2030. Women entrepreneurs in Mauritius are invited to apply by presenting their company and strategy on the form on the WIA website by 31 May 2022.

Opportunities for women entrepreneurs from Mauritius

Highlighting how this unique initiative can help women entrepreneurs in the island economy, Samantha Seewoosurrun, Women in Africa Ambassador for Mauritius, said:

The WIA 54 programme provides outstanding opportunities to women entrepreneurs in Mauritius and across Africa, and I would strongly encourage them to apply. In 2021, Mauritius had the sixth-largest number of finalists across Africa, across a diverse range of sectors. This led to 15 talented and dedicated women entrepreneurs from Mauritius being announced as finalists, and two of these were then recognised as the Country Laureate for Mauritius and African revelation in healthcare. This shows just how much women entrepreneurs from Mauritius have to offer. This year, the WIA 54 programme will once again offer practical training and mentoring with a strong focus on securing access to finance, which has a vital role to play in scaling the businesses of women entrepreneurs in Mauritius and across the continent, and it will also provide exceptional networking opportunities to connect with like-minded women in Africa.

15 finalists and two winners selected in Mauritius in 2021

Last year, WIA announced 15 finalists from Mauritius: Sita Jeeneea-Saminaden, Sanjana Jhumun, Nirusha Keerpaul-Toocaram, Sonya Mohadeb, Hethal Mohun, Madvee Muthu, Zaahirah Muthy, Lutchmee Nobaub, Diane Nuteau, Mokshda Pertaub, Tanvi Ramtohul, Davina Sawoky-Gowardun, Tej Soodaye, Poulavi Sornum and Sharanaz Subratty. These women entrepreneurs were recognised for their pioneering initiatives across a diverse range of sectors, including agriculture, digital and tech, education, climate and sustainable development, creative industries and health.

The winners were Hethal Mohun, CEO and Co-founder of Tamarind Leaf Yoga, who was announced as the Country Laureate for Mauritius, and Lutchmee Nobaub, CEO at Clinear Research Ltd, who was announced as the African Revelation in the healthcare category.

Application process and selection criteria

Candidates can apply in the following sectors: Agriculture and Agritech, Food and Foodtech, Education and Edutech, Fintech, Environment and Sustainable Development, Beauty Industries, Creative Industries, Health and Healthtech. The eligibility criteria is a business created or led by an African woman, with a first traction on the market in terms of sales, number of users, funds raised and she should be part of one of the eight categories as her primary business category. The selection criteria for the projects revolves around having an innovative product, service or technology, proven business model scalability, strong growth potential, ambitious team with strong execution ability, market traction in terms of revenue, number of users, funds raised and lastly, potential impact in Africa.

Applications can be made via the WIA website: https://wia-initiative.com/fr/wia54-2/

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Gragger - Pronounced GRAH-gur. Yiddish for "noisemaker." Graggers are used during the reading of the megillah (see below). When the reader speaks the name of Haman the congregation tries to drown out the evil name using noisemakers and booing.

Hamantaschen - Pronounced HAH-mun-TAHSCH-un. Yiddish for "Haman's pockets," known in Hebrew as "oznay Haman" meaning "Haman's ears." A triangular cookie with a filling (typically jam or poppyseed) inside, traditionally eaten on Purim .

Matanot l'evyonim - Pronounced mah-tah-NOTE leh-ehv-yon-EEM. Hebrew for "gifts to the poor." It is a command...
I'm heartsick...

My prayers are for Ukraine and its people, many of them Jewish.

According to Russian President (dictator) PUTIN, Ukraine is under Nazi control. (If anyone fits the description of Nazis, it's Putin!).

A former actor and comedian, President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY of Ukraine was elected president in 2019. He is brave and devoted to his country and its people. By the way, he is Jewish.

My ancestry on my mother's side is Ukraine ... Odesa, Kiev, etc. My maternal grandparents fled antisemitism and settled in Montreal, Canada, with their son and daughter, my uncle Jack and aunt Betty...
According to many modern Bible scholars, the festival of Purim did not have its source in the story told in the Book of Esther. According to Hayyim Schauss, Purim originally appeared among the Persian Jews and was adopted by them from their non-Jewish neighbors. The Jews of Persia observed, along with their neighbors, an annual festival that was celebrated in the middle of the last of the winter months. From the beginning, it had the characteristics of a spring masquerade and was a festival of merriment, play, and pranks. A very popular festival with both Persian and the Babylonian Jewry...
(JTA)  The University of Washington has put its five-year-old Israel Studies Program on hold after a major donor, angry about a professors criticism of Israel, took her money back.

Becky Benaroya, a prominent Seattle philanthropist, gave $5 million in 2016 to create the program. But after a professor who held the Jack and Rebecca Benaroya Endowed Chair in Israel Studies was among hundreds of Jewish studies and Israel studies professors to sign a widely circulated statement criticizing Israel last year, Benaroya became concerned about what was happening in the program she had funded....
A photo shows damages to a building in Kharkiv's Constitution Square after shelling by Russian forces, March 2, 2022.

(JTA) - Before Russian troops invaded Ukraine, the Hillel chapter in Kharkiv was preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary this spring. In fact, just one week ago, the group working with Jewish students and young adults was advertising a Saturday evening game night.

Now, its home has been destroyed, and Hillel International, the network of groups serving Jewish college students, is trying to figure out how to help its 600-plus students and employees in Kharkiv stay safe in their war-torn nation.

On Wednesday, the historic central Kharkiv building where Hillel has operated - located at 1 C...
Jews pray in the basement of a synagogue in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022.

(JTA) - Fleeing Odessa with 300 Jewish orphans, Rabbi Shlomo Baksht was terrified that Russian bombs would hit his convoy's three buses.

Twice during the 27-hour trip from the city in Ukraine's south to the Carpathian mountains in its western part, the drivers hired by Baksht's group, Tikva, had to stop and the children needed to leave the bus quickly due to sirens.

"Now it's calm and safe," said Baksht, whose 15 counselors and 300 children traveled during Shabbat to reach the Carpathian Mountains on Saturday evening.

Now, at the facility where the orphans are staying, Baksht and his team a...
(JNS)  Amid Russias invasion of Ukraine, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced on Saturday that he had instructed ambassador-designate to Poland Yacov Livne to leave for Warsaw ahead of schedule.

I made the decision  in order to enhance assistance to Israeli citizens crossing the border from Ukraine to Poland and in view of the importance of the events and the central role that Poland plays in them, Lapid wrote on Twitter.

Since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine, the Israeli embassy in Warsaw, headed by charge daffaires Tal [Ben-Ari] Yaalon, has work...
An Australian sign manufacturer will open its first U.S. manufacturing operation in the Lehigh Valley and create 130 jobs, Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday.

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Wolf identified the company as Easy Signs Inc. and, in a news release, he said the manufacturer will lease a 72,000-square-foot facility at 7346 Penn Drive in Upper Macungie Township.

The company, which has begun hiring and has been exporting to U.S. markets since 2019, anticipates a soft product launch in May, according to the release. The manufacturing site is off Route 100 and Interstate 78.

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We look forward to creating a wide range of jobs for Pennsylvanians in the Lehigh Valley, and developing a facility and culture that allows people to enjoy coming to work each day, said Andy Fryer, Easy Signs cofounder, in the release.

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The state is offering Easy Signs, which makes digitally printed signs, about $1.3 million in loans and grants, with a $75,000 grant to be used to train workers. It is also eligible to apply for a manufacturing tax credit through the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

The company has pledged to invest more than $2.8 million, with the 130 full-time jobs being created during the next three years.

Among its products, Easy Signs makes advertising teardrop banners, which appear on streets and roads, a construction signs, car magnets and a large range of digitally printed signage, according to its website. The privately held company, which is about 50 minutes southwest of Sydney, does not install its signs.

Easy Signs move into the Penn Drive location is replacing a maker of turbine blades that closed. Windkits shifted its work to Mexico last summer, putting 67 people out of jobs. The work done in the Lehigh Valley was transferred to a plant the company operates in Matamoros, a northeastern city near the U.S. border.

The move by Easy Signs will help the region, according to the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. Manufacturing ranks second, at $7.8 billion per year, in terms of the Valleys nearly $43 billion economic output, LVEDC spokesperson Colin McEvoy said. It trails the sector of finance, insurance and real estate, which is at $8.1 billion, he said.

Were an attractive location for overseas companies looking to invest, said McEvoy, noting LVEDC assisted state officials with regional data and identifying manufacturing sites for Easy Signs.

Morning Call journalist Anthony Salamone can be reached at asalamone@mcall.com.
(JNS)  Avi Zinger was so upset after Ben & Jerrys pulled the rug out from under him that he never picked up the phone to speak with them. Instead, hes taking them, and their parent company Unilever, to a U.S. district court.

The longtime Israeli manufacturer and distributor of the Vermont-based ice cream companys products wants his license agreement renewed, and damages for the losses hes suffered since Ben & Jerrys succumbed to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and refused to renew its agreement with Zinger unless he broke Israeli and U.S. law by pulling his...
Prospective immigrants to Israel en route from Lviv to the border-crossing with Poland, Feb. 26, 2022.

(JNS) - The Jewish Agency for Israel has opened six aliyah-processing stations at Ukrainian borders, the agency said on Saturday night.

The stations are located in Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary, and are being operated through a collaboration with Nativ and Israel's Foreign Ministry.

The ministry asked the agency's emissaries who had been stationed in Lviv to work out of Poland beginning on Saturday. Each day, these emissaries, together with Israel's diplomatic teams, will cross the border into Ukraine to assist individuals who are eligible and interested in immigrating to Israel....
(JNS)  The American Jewish Committee announced on Monday that U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) will succeed David Harris as the organizations CEO.

I have worked closely with AJC throughout my tenure in Congress and I am deeply honored to have been chosen to serve as the organizations next CEO, Deutch said in a statement.

For 116 years, AJC has worked to protect global Jewry, strengthen Israels place in the community of nations, and advance democratic values around the world. I couldnt be more excited to passionately lead AJC at this critical moment in history and feel i...
(JNS)  A fraternity at the University of South Florida was suspended after photos circulated of a Feb. 11 event in which members of the group, including a Jewish student, reportedly had swastikas drawn on their shirts or body parts.

Noting that the schools rules against hazing and alcohol were violated at the off-campus bid party by the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, university officials said in a letter to the president of the fraternity that the continual operations of the organization at USF likely pose an ongoing threat, disruption, or interference to the health and safet...
(JNS)  Promise me, Danny, that you will always believe more in the threats of our enemies than in the promises of our allies. Those were the words of the late Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel as he held my hands tightly at one of my final meetings with him in my role as Israels ambassador to the United Nations.

The very tragic situation in which Ukraine finds itself must be a lesson to all of us, and for Israel, above all. I took on board Elies comment then, and I believe him more than ever now. Assurances from the international community that can be ignored with no consequen...
(JNS)  The onslaught against Ukraine by Russias President Vladimir Putin is a horrific tragedy for all Ukrainians as well as a crisis for Europe and the west in general. Nevertheless, for the Jewish people, it has special and deeply troubling resonance.

During the Holocaust, an estimated 1.2 million to 1.4 million Ukrainian Jews were slaughtered. Volodymyr Zelensky, the countrys heroic president who is inspiring its resistance, is a Jew who lost relatives in that cauldron.

Now Ukraines Jewish community, which carries a long history of trauma from waves of pogroms over the centur...
(Jewish Journal via JNS)  The conventional wisdom is that Vladimir Putins naked aggression toward Ukraine is taking us back to more primitive times. Indeed, for most of human history, it was raw power that ruled. If a tyrant wanted something, he just took it.

The establishment of international norms and institutions in the wake of World War II was an attempt to regulate and minimize this gratuitous application of power. It didnt always work, of course, but at least there was a sense that the world was headed in a more civilized direction.

Now we come to a critical juncture: If Puti...
(JNS)  Ever since biblical times, the people of Israel have had to navigate the harsh terrain between clashing global powers. Now, here we are again, in Ukraine, having to maneuver between Russia and the West. The terrain this time around is exceedingly difficult, with significant security and ethical pitfalls along the way.

On one hand, our security situation requires us to keep all channels with Russia open. For the past seven years, ever since Russian forces entered the Syrian civil war, the IDF has managed to avoid any head-on collisions with Moscow, despite Israels intensive camp...
Youre aware of the phrase history repeating itself but I want to share a story of how history is being turned upside-down as millions of Ukrainians try to flee the Russian siege of their country. Its especially appropriate to do so from a Jewish perspective, and especially this month as we celebrate Purim, commemorating the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia, at a time when all Jews were threatened with murder by the evil Haman, a plot that was also turned around.

As recounted in the Book of Esther, rather than the Jewish people being killed, Haman, his relatives,...
When I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s, bullies were abundant, and it felt like you could find them around every corner. At times, it seemed like there were too many tough guys just looking for a fight to release their anger.

There was a playground bully who seemed bothered by anyone, either laughing, playing, or just having fun. I recall a classroom bully who resented and was angered by those smarter than him.

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Tony Iannelli, president and CEO of Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / Greater LV Chamber of Commerce)

Another bully would show up at the YMCA Friday night dance. I lived for those dances, but those bullies made it an experience Id sometimes like to forget. If you were dancing, laughing, or socializing with girls, he would create a reason to meet you in the parking lot. You see, bullies dont like anyone who makes them feel inferior.

It seems when you run into that one really relentless and aggressive bully, the one thing that you learn is to make sure you have some pretty tough friends around. You see, bullies are good at sniffing out weaknesses, but when they spot real strength, after a lot of huffing and puffing, they put up a real fight, but they ultimately disappear.

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By now, you may have guessed that Im alluding to the present-day bully of all bullies, Vladimir Putin. A mean-spirited bully who is willing to kill those who are not as tough or despicable as he is. Hes anxious to display his strength and kill to prove his power to the world. And right now, his targets have no limits. Children, the elderly, the sick, and defenseless, hell take them all on. Hes tough, hes powerful, hes above reproach, and most of all, has little conscience.

So, like all bullies, Putin picked on a much smaller opponent in Ukraine. The leader of this amazing country is a little guy. He is a tough little guy filled with fortitude. Hes a determined, brave, and strong-willed Ukrainian Jew who wont relent and wont let Putins aggression break his spirits. A former comedian who now seems more like Churchill than Seinfeld.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyys fortitude is built from the generations before him battling people who deserve a place in hell. Hes heard stories of ancestors lives lost to bullies. He knows the havoc they wreak on a people, on a country, on a globe.

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Maybe thats why when other leaders flee their country in fear, Zelenskyy stands tall. But this courageous guy could really use some tough friends right now. Good friends who dont start fights, but when they see atrocities happening around them, they finish them. Honorable and strong people who refuse to let women, children, and the sick die at the hands of a bully.

But like at the area playground, even though the bully is bigger and is beating up this tough little guy, his tougher friends arent jumping in. Maybe its because their little friend isnt getting beat up enough. Maybe theyre afraid the bully will beat them up. But so far, hes on his own and is holding his own.

At last count, over 20,000 brave individuals from countries across the globe have watched enough and volunteered to join the fight. Others have donated many millions of their hard-earned money to support the Ukrainian people.

As one Ukrainian woman said, we thought this would have a happy ending like in the movies, but not so far. The final chapter has yet to be written, but I pray that the hard-fighting people of Ukraine will prevail.

Im never sure why God would let things like this happen but Im hopeful in the end, good will triumph over evil and the suffering people of Ukraine that we currently see on our televisions daily will someday march home.

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A home where they can rebuild their lives without having to cower or live in fear of those who represent the worst of humanity.

Tony Iannelli is president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at tonyi@lehighvalleychamber.org.
The housing debate here on the coast has been brewing for years. There are some among us, in
The peanut butter bacon burger and Ragin Cajun Burger from Two Rivers Brewing Co., are on the menu Friday, March 4, 2022, at the Trolley Barn Public Market in Quakertown. (Rick Kintzel/Morning Call)

Just over a year ago, Quakertowns Trolley Barn Public Market brought new life to a dormant train station in the center of downtown.

Just as has been the case with the Lehigh Valleys other public markets, the Trolley Barn has seen some vendors change since it opened in the fall of 2020.

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We decided to check in and do an overview of whats changed since it opened.

Two Rivers Brewing

We have four words for you: The burgers are here.

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Until very recently, Two Rivers Brewing offered just its award-winning craft beer at the Trolley Barn. But now their kitchen is up and running and putting out incredible food.

The menu is Quakertown is smaller than Eastons but has all the restaurants favorites. Yes, they have the duck-fat fries.

Of course, the burgers are the main attraction. Two Rivers truly does some of the most creative burgers in the Valley. Tremendous care goes into each ingredient they used, starting with a half-pound Angus beef and fresh brioche buns.

Case in point: The Peanut Butter Bacon Burger, which is a controversial favorite in Easton and available now in Quakertown. If the peanut butter stops you in your tracks, dont let it. The burger is really interesting and balanced in flavor, thanks to the salty bacon and the acidic kick of the chili gastrique and pickled red onions. Salty, rich sharp cheddar cheese tones down the sweetness of the peanut butter and peanut brittle dust.

The duck fat fries, a favorite at Two Rivers in Easton, are available at their second location, inside the Trolley Barn Public Market in Quakertown. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

If youre more into a traditional burger, give the Bourbon BBQ Burger a try. It has blue cheese, smoked bacon, bourbon BBQ sauce, horseradish aioli and topped with a beer-battered onion ring.

Two Rivers in Quakertown also has other tasty options including its Buffalo Chicken Burger, which features a Raths deli half-pound Buffalo chicken burger, smoked bacon, blue cheese, banana peppers, lettuce and tomato, and hot sauce on a whole-grain roll.

Of course, you can still get Two Rivers award-winning craft beer. A good pick: The Broad Street Belgian Blonde.

Two new vendors

Taking the place of Blend Life is Frutella Crepes, offering a variety of sweet and savory crepes as well options to make your own.

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Oahu is now on the right side of the market, taking the place of what was the Bucks County Confections. Oahu offers authentic traditional Hawaiian poke with contemporary flavors.

A new-ish vendor

If you have a sweet tooth youll want to stop by Jaquelyns Sweet Shop, which is in the front of the market where Rail Yard Meats & Market once was. Gorgeous mini-cakes, cupcakes and more.

Whats to come

The front of the market to the right of the entrance is a large coming soon sign. We asked Christopher LaBonge, the markets manager, whats going into the space.

LaBonge said it will be a commercial kitchen that will be supported by St. Lukes University Health Network. LaBonge said St. Lukes will conduct healthy cooking classes and more in the kitchen, which is planned for a summer opening.

Info

Where: 116 E. Broad St., Quakertown

Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday to Wednesday.

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Info: trolleybarnpublicmarket.com/
Warehouses near Dutch Springs are now a go after Lower Nazareth Township officials approved their portion of a developers dual-municipality plan.

Township supervisors Wednesday voted 5-0 to grant final land development approval for their portion of a 3-lot subdivision plan proposed by the Trammell Crow Co. that also includes neighboring Bethlehem Township.

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As a result of the boards vote, both townships are now primed for industrial development on their portions of the land.

The Texas development companys plan for Lehigh Valley Trade Center III calls for the 100-acre parcel at 4733 Hanoverville Road to be carved into three sections, with Lot 1 in Lower Nazareth featuring a warehouse spanning 287,000 square feet.

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Lot 2, which includes both Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth townships, will be the site of a second warehouse sized at 301,000 square feet, with the building constructed on a portion of the property solely within Bethlehem Township.

As part of the agreement of sale between Trammell Crow and Dutch Springs, the third part of the subdivision, the 57.1 acres where the quarry lake is located, will remain open for recreational and professional use, including training for first responders.

A Trammell Crow representative had said Jim Folk of Atlantis Aquatics would run the scuba business.

[ Dutch Springs to remain open for scuba diving in revised proposal, Bethlehem Township officials say ]

The water park feature will cease, and Dutch Springs will liquidate all retail items, rental gear, and items around the property, according to its website. Its also offering refunds on multi-year season passes, unused admission tickets, gift cards and unused air fill tickets.

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Bethlehem Township signed off on the plan last month.

As a sweetener, Trammell Crow has pledged to donate $250,000 to the township for future traffic improvements along Hanoverville Road to supplement traffic impact fees, company principal Matthew Nunn said.

The additional funds, he said, could be utilized to improve the intersection of Hanoverville Road and Route 191, which has been discussed previously by the board and planning commission as a target for upgrading.

Weve heard these concerns, Nunn said.

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[ Dutch Springs warehouse development gets big step forward with Bethlehem Township vote ]

Trammell will also coordinate improvements along the road with another warehouse project being proposed so that the work is done simultaneously, said Kate Durso, an attorney representing the developer.

Final details related to environmental permitting and the intermunicipal agreement regarding public sewer service are still being finalized, she said.

Kevin Duffy is a freelance writer.
Just days after a visit to the Poland-Ukraine border, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild opened a town hall with a message to the Lehigh Valleys Ukrainian Americans.

My message is this: I stand with you. Our entire community stands with you, Wild said.

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At the town hall that about 20 people attended Thursday afternoon at the Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, Wild touted the $13.6 billion in humanitarian and military aid the House passed Wednesday as part of a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill. She added she is pushing the Biden administration to form a global coalition to oppose Russias invasion of Ukraine.

But she also addressed issues that many in her district are concerned about, including rising gas prices in Pennsylvania, where the average is $4.44 a gallon.

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I just had to fill up with gas on the way back from Washington, I get it, Wild said.

[ U.S. Rep. Susan Wild on her trip to Poland-Ukraine border: Every single one of us was in tears watching it ]

She called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate anti-competitive behavior of American oil companies, and said those companies need to increase oil production in the short term to relieve Americans from soaring costs. But the long-term solution, she said, is investing in renewable energy and moving away from oil dependence.

She hopes the U.S. has dealt a decisive blow to the pandemic, she said, and thinks its worst days are over. She lauded the one-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan Act, which brought $1.9 trillion in pandemic relief money.

Alexis Williams, a Liberty High School student, asked Wild how shell support her constituents mental health, particularly students who have struggled throughout the pandemic.

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Ive seen my friends and family struggle so much with their mental health, just like health care workers and nurses and teachers, Williams said. I just wanted to ask, what are you going to do about that? I think weve all acknowledged theres an issue going on, but Ive seen at my school, they havent done much about it.

Wild said schools need the resources to support students, including funding and mental health care professionals who can work in schools.

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Lauren Vargas, owner of Nowhere Coffee Co. in South Whitehall Township, told Wild she and her husband, Juan, quit their corporate jobs during the pandemic to open the shop. Because their business is so new, it does not qualify to apply for any federal relief programs like the Paycheck Protection Program, so she asked Wild if there would be funding for businesses that opened during the pandemic.

Wild said its unlikely the legislature would greenlight relief for new businesses as a pandemic initiative because officials need to make sure the money is not misused.

You cant just put a whole lot of taxpayer dollars out the door and not have some way of taking account for it, Wild said.

She said her district office could help Vargas find other small business programs.

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Morning Call reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at 610-820-6681 and liweber@mcall.com.
Stay in style at Hart Shoreditch, from Curio Collection by Hilton, located just a convenient 5-minute walk from Old Street Station and Shoreditch overground. From its opening in 2020, Hart Shoreditch offers a fantastic base in which to explore all of London's East End hotspots and is a unique celebration of the area's heritage of craftspeople and makers. Working with the internationally acclaimed, yet East London local design studio - Fabled Studio whom conceived a unique and captivating design that is deeply rooted in showcasing these historic London industries including furniture makers, metal works and silk weavers seamlessly blending these within the modern-day Shoreditch, for a warm, welcoming, one of a kind stay for those seeking a new stomping ground in the Big Smoke.

Communal Spaces and Community

Guests are immediately met with the hotel's craftsmanship links and unique touches at check in, with the reception desk's unique copper detailing hammered into the desk, harking back to the metal workers of Victorian Shoreditch. The hotel's bright and airy lobby is the perfect spot to bring local creatives together with its contemporary co-working space, featuring crafted dark mahogany lights designed to replicate cabinetmaker's boxes in homage to the area's rich carpentry past. Those seeking privacy for get togethers or meeting can make use of the hotel's bespoke and vibrant event spaces down the iron spiral staircase, designed to emulate the look and feel of 18th century Huguenot townhouses synonymous with East London and its silk weaving past.

Engulfed in the heart of the neighbourhood, the building stretches onto Great Eastern Street and is surrounded by authentic local shops from independent book shops, florists and more that flock to Hart as a hub of creativity.

Restaurants, Rooms, and Special Touches

Hart's distinctive design and historic homages continue through the restaurant and rooms and are reflected throughout the rest of the building. The hotels on site Eastern Mediterranean restaurant and bar, Barboun, boasts an industrial-luxe aesthetic with rattan and Thonet-style chairs and partition's inspired by the Victorian furniture makers workshops of Great Eastern Street. Settle into dinners with delicious freshly prepared dishes cooked over the wood fire and grill, in a contemporary and unique setting.

Guests can further delight in design and drinks at Tavla Bar, which hosts DJ's and emerging talent along with serving up signature cocktails and flatbreads inspired by the flavours of Anatolia. For a purely unique, post dinner caffeine fix, order a Turkish coffee cooked over hot sand and let the senses be awaken. The bar area is adorned with textured woven stools mixed with lounge chairs in muted tones and softened textures giving the space a modern, residential feel for guests to feel truly relaxed and at home in.

The rooms themselves exhibit and embody the design ethos of Hart, complete with soft textures, furnishings, warm lighting, raw materials, industrial touches, and workshop aesthetics. Guests can relax in one of the 126 elegant rooms or suites, which each offer an imaginative and sophisticated space with large floor to ceiling windows with London views. Those looking to unwind can do so in the luxurious marble showers and bathtubs in a warm, urban space.

Nightly rates at Hart Shoreditch start from 189 on a room-only basis. For more information or to book please visit www.hartshoreditch.com or call +44 (0) 20 3995 3655

Hotel website
The iconic Maldives twin-island resort officially unveils its extensive redevelopment, debuting reimagined spacious water villas, reinvigorated culinary venues, and an expansive new spa.

As the Maldives celebrates its 50th anniversary as a tourist destination this year, one of the idyllic islands' first luxury resorts, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, officially unveils its extensive renovation with never-before-seen spaces offering beautifully reimagined accommodations including 50 new overwater villas, as well as food & beverage venues and Over-water Spa. Following an extensive multi-year redevelopment, the resort's now-complete refurbishments elevate Conrad Maldives Rangali Islands' signature hospitality with thoughtful experiences and refreshed interiors.

Reputed for forward-thinking innovation in the design space as home to the world's first underwater residence, the Muraka, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island's refreshed offerings continue to showcase impeccable design capabilities that put a spotlight on the unique natural surroundings of the South Ari Atoll.

As part of its Grand Relaunch, guests of the twin-island resort can expect:

50 refreshed Overwater Villas in Rangali Island

Revamped Over-water Spa and brand new Gym

Elevated dining experiences with makeovers to three celebrated restaurants and bars

Brand new Teens Club and enhanced Kids Club

Overwater Villas in Rangali Island

The 50 refreshed overwater villas on the Rangali Island side of the resort have been revitalized to include stylish new interiors, combining integrated indoor-outdoor living spaces with uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean and direct access to a private sun deck. The updated villas demonstrate the resort's signature style of simplicity and laid-back luxury through clean lines and muted tones that emphasize the breath-taking surrounding landscape. Offering a minimalist aesthetic, the interior design gives the space a natural, bright, and airy feel intended to focus on the beauty just outside of the villa. Neutral hues and natural textures come together to highlight the stunning azure blues of the surrounding South Ari Atoll, and an open floor plan structure offers unparalleled views from every room. Exposed beams and matching wooden ceiling fans in the space are layered with various woodwork throughout augmenting the feeling of openness and elevating the classic Maldivian overwater villa, which originated at the hotel. Large mirrors are used throughout to maximize light and reflect the gorgeous scenery.

Characterized by spaces that transition naturally from indoors to outdoors, renovated villas offer brand new furnishings, appliances and reimagined interior architecture that elevates the hotel's already-top notch accommodations. Promoting a sense of harmony with the environment, the new design aims to awaken but not overwhelm the senses and provide absolute privacy and exclusivity.

Over-water Spa

The new Conrad Maldives Over-water Spa preserves the overall look and feel of the celebrated spa while offering refreshed reception and treatment areas alongside brand new indoor and outdoor relaxation spaces. The first of its kind to open in the Maldives, the Over-water Spa offers a fully immersive experience from start to finish, invigorating mind, body and soul through practices from soulful mediation to therapeutic pampering. As a result of the renovations, the passage between the resort and the spa will seamlessly transition guests through a portal into an open-air cocoon of wellness and elevated consciousness for a truly alchemizing experience.

In collaboration with ISUN, Conrad Maldives' Over-water Spa has created an exclusive treatment offering comprised of 17 rituals inspired by the unique setting, bringing guests to a higher state of consciousness and wellbeing through connection with the natural environment.

To bring the vision of the refreshed spa to life, Conrad Maldives worked with Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, acclaimed firm that is celebrated for their work in hospitality and wellness design. For the interior design, Conrad Maldives once again partnered with Tokyo-born, New York-based architect Yuji Yamazaki, who was the designer of the resort's Muraka residence, the world's first underwater villa.

In addition to the spa, a brand new and fully equipped gym will be available at the adults only island.

Restaurants and Bars

The hotel's restaurants and bars have been thoughtfully enhanced to consider guest experience above all else. The renovated dining venues include Atoll Market, an all-day dining buffet restaurant featuring live cooking stations, Rangali Bar, a relaxed social hub offering lunch, dinner or cocktails, and Vilu Restaurant at Rangali Island, an open-air restaurant located on the edge of the lagoon.

Kids & Teens Clubs

Now offering expanded and refreshed facilities for guests across all generations, the hotel's relaunch includes the unveiling of a brand new Furaavaru Club (Teens Club) and Majaa Explorer's Hub (Kids Club). Located on the lively, family-centric Rangali-Finolhu Island, the new spaces occupy an expansive complex offering engaging experiences for adolescents and children.

Hotel website
Silicon Valley is getting its newest luxury hotel with the opening of the TETRA Hotel, an Autograph Collection hotel, now officially open and welcoming guests. The hotel, located at 400 West Java Dr., Sunnyvale, CA, is just minutes from the San Jose International Airport and other nearby attractions such as Levi's Stadium, Shoreline Amphitheater, the Santa Clara Convention Center, and more.

TETRA provides an elevated hotel experience, from the highest-quality bedding to the in-room coffee experience and other modern, luxury touches throughout the property. The new hotel features multiple dining and drinking outlets, including the signature restaurant, Adrestia, Japanese whisky bar Nokori, and Coffee Manufactory, in addition to numerous indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces.

TETRA acts as an all-encompassing leisure hub in conjunction with its sister property, AC Hotel by Marriott Sunnyvale Moffett Park. Connecting the two properties is the Nexus, the social core of the hotels. The Nexus offers an indoor/outdoor communal and art space with dramatic sculptures created by artist David Franklin. Three distinct seating areas are available for guests to enjoy and will feature rotating pop-up activations, from wine tasting and a lending library to artist talks and more. A partnership with Content Magazine will bring fireside chats, podcast recordings, and more with leading South Bay voices.

TETRA features 186 stylish and serene guest rooms, including 14 suites across eight floors. The modern rooms will include luxury bathroom amenities from MiN NY, complemented by Dyson Supersonic hair dryers in every guest room, plus Bellino Fine Linen jersey knit hooded robes and custom jersey knit slippers. Guests can enjoy the rejuvenating outdoor, heated pool surrounded by olive trees and the state-of-the-art, fully-equipped fitness center featuring Peloton bikes. The hotel includes on-site parking with complimentary electric car charging stations and valet service.

Additionally, the hotel features 9,000 square feet of creative meeting and event space, ideal for professional and social gatherings. The three fully tech-equipped meeting rooms (2,044 square feet) offer innovative, flexible lounge spaces with mobile technology for in-person meetings and remote/video conferencing solutions.

Luxury Design Layered with Natural Elements

Designed by renowned designer Gabellini Sheppard (Rainbow Room, Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, The Istanbul EDITION Hotel), TETRA's sleek design is approachable and high-touch; elevated, understated, and layered with natural materials and modern finishes, visually blending the indoors and outdoors. The sleek design features intentional touches of technology and organic elements to create an environment of refined tranquility and balance. The public areas showcase dark palettes and guests will be drawn to the wood slats throughout the ceiling and large communal live-edge wood table near the reception desk. Modern art installations can be found throughout the property, including custom Mica hanging sculptures over the bar by artist Christina Watka and a canopy tree piece by Sharon Levy.

The guest rooms embrace modernity and relaxed luxury, offering a retreat and place to unwind. The bathrooms are enclosed by a translucent glass box, which creates a radiant glow. The open and integrated floating closet, desk, and bench in the room provide functional needs and ease of spatial flow. The light palette contrasts with accents of color and textures from the leather headboards to nickel wood finishes. Additional special touches such as the artisanal metal, decorative shell tabletop finish, and rich vanity marble elevate the space and add another layer of richness.

Signature Dining at Adrestia; Plus Nokori Whisky Bar and Coffee Manufactory

The TETRA Hotel provides guests with multiple dining and drinking options, including the onsite restaurant, Adrestia, the new home of Executive Chef Hideki Myo, featuring modern dining and genuine service. Chef Myo, formerly of the Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf, offers an eclectic California menu with Asian influences and a variety of Japanese ingredients and flavors. Adrestia will feature locally handmade ceramic servingware, steak knives by Pallares Solsona, a third-generation family maker based in Spain, and cotton linen napkins from Hawkins New York.

Adrestia is currently available for dinner service daily from 5:00pm-10:00pm.

The hotel also offers two other drinking and dining options including, Nokori, the hotel's Japanese whisky bar, serving Japanese bar snacks including Pork Belly Kakuni Bao Buns, Shishito Peppers and Crispy Sesame Shrimp, and Coffee Manufactory, the hotel's cafe and retail experience, featuring its own premium coffee in addition to take away items from Chef Myo including grab-and-go salads and Japanese sandos (sandwiches made with milk bread). Nokori will offer a selection of premium whiskies, Japanese beers, sake, and an innovative Suntory Highball Machine that dispenses a perfectly-ratioed, highly chilled and carbonated, highball. Inside the cafe, a wood case will feature retail items such as Ito Bindery notebooks from Japan, and several of the items used in Adrestia, including the handmade knives and local and imported ceramics. The retail offerings will later expand to include pastries from famed local shop Tartine Bakery. Nokori will be open daily from 4:00pm-11:00pm. Coffee Manufactory will be open daily from 6:00am-6pm.

Sunnyvale, San Jose, and the surrounding area are home to numerous artisan shops, restaurants, cafes, farmers' markets, nightlife, sporting venues, and more.

Hotel website
Hola Barcelona! The Hoxton will open its doors on Monday 25th April, in the creative neighbourhood of El Poblenou. Bringing its much-loved lobby culture, destination dining, community partnerships, and location-inspired bedrooms to Spain for the first time, The Hoxton promises to be something completely new for Barcelona. A destination for locals and guests, the hotel will have 240 rooms; an impressive rooftop and pool with views over Sagrada Famillia; Tope, a rooftop bar and taqueria; and Four Corners, a ground-floor pizza restaurant that will spill out onto a sunny terrace, slice shop and bodega. To one side of the large and bright lobby, three meeting and events spaces make up The Apartment, along with La Cave, a multifunctional basement space that will host local cultural programming and community events.

The brand's 11th hotel, The Hoxton has gone from strength to strength in recent years, having rooted itself into some of the most exciting and interesting neighbourhoods across Europe and North America. Locations currently include London (Shoreditch, Holborn and Southwark), Paris, Amsterdam, Rome (opened May 2021), New York, Portland, Chicago and Downtown LA. Each hotel is designed and curated with its neighbourhood front of mind, enhancing experience through brand and retail partnerships unique to that destination, hand-picked vintage furniture from local sellers, galleries showcasing independent, unsung emerging talents, community-focused social events, and charity-supporting Good Neighbours initiatives.

Hotel website
The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS) today announced the promotion of Steve Martin to chief human resources officer. In this role, Martin will lead the corporate human resources function and become a member of the company's executive management committee. Martin will also continue to oversee human resources for Marcus Hotels & Resorts, where he previously served as vice president of human resources.

Martin joined The Marcus Corporation in 2000 as director of human resources for Baymont Inn & Suites, a limited-service lodging division formerly owned by the company. During his tenure over the past 22 years, he held various key leadership roles in human resources for both Marcus Hotels & Resorts and The Marcus Corporation, including serving as vice president of human resources for Marcus Hotels & Resorts since 2014. Prior to joining The Marcus Corporation, Martin worked at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in both field and corporate human resources roles.

Martin holds a bachelor's degree in hotel, restaurant and institution management from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. He also holds the Society for Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certification as well as the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification from Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).
Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc. has revealed that its board of directors has appointed Robert Springer (pictured above), chief investment officer, to the additional role of president. Aaron Reyes, SVP, finance/treasurer, has been appointed CFO, replacing Giglia. Douglas M. Pasquale, chairman/interim CEO, will assume the role of executive chairman through August.

Mr. Springer joined us in May 2011 as Senior Vice PresidentAcquisitions. In February 2013, he was promoted to Senior Vice PresidentChief Investment Officer. Prior to joining Sunstone, Mr. Springer served as a Vice President in the Merchant Banking Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. ("Goldman") and in the firm's principal lodging investing activity, which investments were primarily placed through the Whitehall Street Real Estate series of private equity funds, as well as the Goldman Sachs Real Estate Mezzanine Partners fund. Mr. Springer's involvement with these funds included all aspects of hotel equity and debt investing, as well as asset management of numerous lodging portfolios. Mr. Springer joined Goldman in February 2006. Prior to joining Goldman, Mr. Springer worked in both the feasibility and acquisitions groups at Host Hotels & Resorts from 2004 to 2006 and was integral to the closing of several large lodging deals. Mr. Springer started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in the Hospitality Consulting Group from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Springer holds a B.S. degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.

Sunstone

Aliso Viejo, California

United States Website
Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and under public pressure, retail companies such as McDonalds, Coca-Cola and KFC, among many others, have temporarily stopped sales in Russia.

Western hotel firms, while condemning the military conflict, are not prepared to abandon franchise contracts in Russia quite yet, but are closely watching developments in that region of the world.

A spokesperson at France-based Accor told Hotel News Now that the global hotel company will continue to operate in Russia in some capacity as we play a key role in supporting employees, local communities, [non-governmental organizations] and international media on the ground.

We have never left a country in turmoil and presently have no plans to do so, the spokesperson said.

Accor has 53 hotels and 9,065 rooms in Russia across brands Adagio, Ibis, Ibis Budget, Ibis Styles, Mercure, Movenpick, Novotel, Pullman, Rixos, SO and Swissotel.

Read the full article at HotelNewsNow (part of CoStar)
Denver, CO, London, U.K & Madrid, Spain - OTA Insight, the global leader in cloud-based hospitality business intelligence, today announced the acquisition of Madrid-based Transparent, a market leading provider of data and business intelligence for the rapidly growing short-term rental industry.

The combination of OTA Insight and Transparent will create the world's most comprehensive platform for data and analytics across both hotel and short-term rental industries. Distribution channels are converging, with OTAs offering both hotel and short term rental accommodation. The lines are starting to blur between accommodation providers with hotel chains rapidly expanding their short term rental portfolios said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of OTA Insight. "Were delighted to join forces with Pierre Becerril and the incredibly talented Transparent team to help meet the needs of a fast changing industry. Founded in 2016, Transparent aggregates and structures data on more than 35 million listings across the globe. Transparents data originates from proprietary and public sources, including AirBnB, VRBO, Booking.com and industry partners.

Decision makers at short-term rental property management companies, destination marketing organizations, hotels, investors, OTAs and other industry service providers use Transparent data and analytics tools to drive their businesses. Transparents advanced analytical and integrative capabilities make quality market data delivered through the platform fully actionable, so that users can optimize their strategy.

"Transparents high-quality data is the fuel that has enabled thousands of customers to make smarter pricing, distribution and investment decisions, said Pierre Becerril, co-founder and CEO of Transparent. "With the increased levels of convergence of hotels and vacation rentals, we believe that the combined Transparent and OTA Insight teams will help to consolidate our position as a market leader. Today, we are proud to join the OTA Insight team. We have a lot of synergies to build on, which will ultimately benefit our customers, teams and investors as we continue to scale and grow.

To learn more about Transparent, visit: https://bit.ly/transparent-learn-more.

About Transparent

OTA Insight empowers hoteliers to deliver smarter revenue, distribution, and marketing outcomes through its market-leading commercial platform. With live updates, 24/7 support, and highly intuitive and customizable dashboards, OTA Insight integrates with industry tools including hotel property management systems, leading RMS solutions, and data benchmarking providers. OTA Insight's team of international experts supports more than 55,000 properties in 185 countries. Winner of the Best Rate Shopping & Market Intelligence Solution, Parity Management Software, and Business Intelligence categories in the 2021 and 2022 HotelTechAwards, OTA Insight is widely recognised as a leader in hospitality business intelligence.

Adam Swart

Global Head of Brand
Wreckage from the Feb. 24 plane crash that killed flight instructor Alfred George Piranian, of Chalfont, and pilot Brian Filippini, the owner of the 1965 Beechcraft 35-C33. (Jayson Wagner / The Morning Call)

A pilot practicing for a test was performing maneuvers at 2,000 feet when his plane went into a spin and crashed on a residential street in Bucks County last month, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The report does not conclude what caused the Feb. 24 crash that killed 55-year-old Brian Filippini of Philadelphia, owner and operator of the 1965 Beechcraft 35-C33, and his passenger, 74-year-old flight instructor Alfred George Piranian of Chalfont. Final crash reports can take up to two years.

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The NTSB said Filippini, under Piranians instruction, made the flight in preparation for the commercial pilot practical examination, having completed the written exam.

The plane took off from Doylestown Airport at 4:26 p.m. bound for Gunden Airport near Sellersville. It went into a left spin and crashed shortly before 5 p.m. at Brittany and Victoria lanes in Hilltown Township.

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A propeller blade detached in the crash and damaged a house. Debris and fire also damaged a pickup truck, No one on the ground was injured. (Jayson Wagner / The Morning Call)

Upon impact, a propeller blade detached from the craft and crashed into a house. Fire consumed most of the plane wreckage, the report says. No one on the ground was injured, but a pickup truck was damaged by debris and fire.

A copy of doorbell video footage of the crash was sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington.

Morning Call reporter Daniel Patrick Sheehan can be reached at 610-820-6598 or dsheehan@mcall.com
Plusell Blis acquires three Spanish hotels from Mutualidad de la Abogacia

Hotel investor Plusell Blis SL has acquired a portfolio of three hotels located in Andalucia, Southern Spain, from Spanish non-profit insurance company Mutualidad de la Abogacia, for a reported 62.5 million. The existing operating leases for all three hotels will be maintained. The sale of the properties, which are located in Vera Playa (Almeria), Almunecar (Granada) and Torremolinos (Malaga), has generated a reported capital gain of around 4 million for the seller. The sale includes the 281-room Hotel Vera Playa and the 227-room Almunecar Playa Spa Hotel, as well as a third property in Torremolinos.

Brookfield acquires Palladium Costa Del Sol from Pinebridge Benson Elliot

Canadian fund manager Brookfield Asset Management has acquired the 336-room Palladium Costa Del Sol in Benalmadena, Malaga, Spain from Pinebridge Benson Elliot, for a reported 55 million (164,000 per room). Benson Elliot, as the company was then known, acquired the property, which was then called Playa Bonita and which was previously leased to Senator Hotels & Resorts, in November 2017. They then entered into a management agreement with Palladium Hotel Group, which reopened the property in September 2019 after a major refurbishment. The resort, which includes two swimming pools, four bars, five restaurants and a spa, will continue to be operated by Palladium.

About HVS

HVS is the world's leading consulting and valuation services organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Established in 1980, the company performs more than 4,500 assignments per year for virtually every major industry participant. HVS principals are regarded as the leading professionals in their respective regions of the globe. Through a worldwide network of over 50 offices staffed by 300 experienced industry professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. For further information regarding our expertise and specifics about our services, please visit www.hvs.com.
Bangkok, Thailand- Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailands leading hotel operator, has revealed its recent business performance, expansion plans and strategic direction for the future, including multiple new hotels, fresh destinations and new brand concepts. This exciting era of growth will help the group reach its long-term goal of becoming a top 100 global hotel operator within five years  a vision that will see it reach a total of 200 hotels and resorts by 2026, up from 88 properties at present, and with approximately half of that growth coming from destinations outside of its native Thailand.

Centara has just confirmed that it achieved total revenues of almost THB 1.09 billion (USD 33 million) in Q4 2021, an increase of 54% year-on-year, despite the continued impact of the pandemic. The growth is expected to gain more momentum in 2022 with the acceleration of the global travel and hospitality recovery, which will be supported by the further relaxing of travel restrictions into Thailand, and is buoyed by the resilience and strong performance of Centaras key international destinations such as the Middle East and the Maldives.

Its not just Centaras existing portfolio that will enjoy the continued tourism rebound in 2022, as the group has announced its intention to open eight new hotels and resorts this year, comprising 1,066 keys. These properties will span Thailand, with openings in Bangkok, Korat and Ubon; and international destinations including, Laos, Oman and Qatar.

The group also revealed a core component of its growth strategy will be through collaboration with a strong development partner, specifically to launch new projects within Thailand, under both existing and new brands, and commencing this year. The luxurious Centara Reserve concept, which was launched in December 2021 with the debut of Centara Reserve Samui, will be enhanced with additional property in Krabi, and the group is also considering projects in up-and-coming Thai markets such as Koh Lanta and Cha Am. Centara is also exploring a new opportunity in the Medical Wellness segment with an established operator from Europe, and Koh Tao and Samui are the potential locations under discussion.

Internationally, Centara has been given the green light to develop two new upscale resorts in the Maldives, following successful Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for three idyllic islands in the Indian Ocean. These resorts are slated to open in 2024 and 2025, doubling Centaras presence in the Maldives to four properties. In Japan, a landmark high-rise hotel is currently under construction in Osaka, a joint venture between Centara, Taisei Corporation and Kanden Realty & Development, which will start welcoming guests in mid 2023, and in Vietnam, COSI Phu Yen Hotel is scheduled to open in 2023, marking this cutting-edge, affordable lifestyle concepts first location outside Thailand.

Centaras international growth focus will be centred on Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, Japan, China, and the Middle East primarily, including Saudi Arabia following the recent normalisation of the countrys diplomatic relations with Thailand. The group is also considering options in Europe.

Centara will evolve its business strategy to focus on emerging trends and market dynamics in the coming years. Within Thailand, the group is seeing rising demand for more experiential travel as well as workations, as guests escape the office and work remotely for a few days or longer, especially in beach destinations. It also foresees a strong rebound in international long-haul and leisure business in Thailand, due to the countrys reopening strategy and vaccination programme, but was quick to reiterate that it feels the remaining restrictions need to be removed imminently for the required potential to be reached.

At an operational level, Centara will continue to invest in the latest technology following its recent overhaul of its technology architecture. The group has recently revamped its entire website, booking, property management and reservation platforms and is currently concluding the rollout of its industry-leading Customer Relationship Management solution, all of which will serve to drive greater distribution, guest management, a seamless guest experience across all touchpoints and a superior and highly personalised guest experience. The group is also focusing on talent development through effective staff training programmes and is further emphasising its focus on sustainable solutions, with a target of reducing energy and water usage by 20% within 10 years, and certifying 100% of its portfolio with respected environmental accreditation bodies by 2025.

As the world emerges from the global pandemic and travel restrictions start to ease, we are highly optimistic that the hospitality industry will rebound rapidly. Despite the challenges of the last two years, Centara can reflect on its performance with pride. Now, as we enter 2022, we are delighted to reveal our expansion strategy for the months and years ahead. With multiple new hotels and resorts set to open in many dynamic markets, both in Thailand and overseas, including innovative brands, this is an exciting time for our company as we strive to become a top 100 global hotel operator, said Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts.

To learn more about Centara Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.centarahotelsresorts.com.

About Centara Hotels & Resorts

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand's leading hotel operator. Its 88 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, China, Japan, Oman, Qatar, Cambodia, Turkey, Indonesia and the UAE. Centara's portfolio comprises six brands  Centara Reserve, Centara Grand Hotels & Resorts, Centara Hotels & Resorts, Centara Boutique Collection, Centra by Centara and COSI Hotels  ranging from 6-star hotels and luxurious island retreats to family resorts and affordable lifestyle concepts supported by innovative technology. It also operates state-of-the-art convention centres and has its own award-winning spa brand, Cenvaree. Throughout the collection, Centara delivers and celebrates the hospitality and values Thailand is famous for including gracious service, exceptional food, pampering spas and the importance of families. Centara's distinctive culture and diversity of formats allow it to serve and satisfy travellers of nearly every age and lifestyle.

Over the next five years Centara aims to become a top 100 global hotel group, while spreading its footprint into new continents and market niches. As Centara continues to expand, a growing base of loyal customers will find the company's unique style of hospitality in more locations. Centara's global loyalty programme, Centara The1, reinforces their loyalty with rewards, privileges and special member pricing.

Find out more about Centara at www.CentaraHotelsResorts.com

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Pornchanok Thongrungrot (Pao)

Corporate Assistant Manager of Public Relations  International, Centara Hotels & Resorts

+66 2769 1234 Ext. 6733

Centara
The Steigenberger Academy has returned to the DH Family, and Deutsche Hospitality has thus become the only hotel group in Europe to have its own state-recognised initial and continuing training venue. Ulrich Bensel, CHRO of Deutsche Hospitality, will become Managing Director of the Steigenberger Academy. Responsibility for day-to-day running will remain with Bettina Wolf. Deutsche Hospitality has taken the Steigenberger Academy back in house with the aims of countering the shortage of skilled workers within the sector and of offering even more attractive continuing training opportunities to its approximately 11,000 employees. Located in Bad Reichenhall, the academy boasts a proud tradition which stretches back for more than 70 years. It formed part of Steigenberger Hotels AG during the period from 1972 to 2011.

The reintegration of the Steigenberger Academy means that a training venue steeped in tradition is coming back into the Deutsche Hospitality fold, said Marcus Bernhardt, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality. The well-founded quality of the training provided at the academy and the IT infrastructure of our shareholder Huazhu form a combination which will allow us to design a modern and hybrid training and development environment. Staff training and continuing training is an important strategic objective which makes a crucial contribution to the companys success.

Ulrich Bensel, CHRO of Deutsche Hospitality and now Managing Director of the Steigenberger Academy, went on: Pupils and students benefit from a friendly environment in which there is easy access to all facilities. This culture later opens the door to a highly variegated world of work within Deutsche Hospitalitys eight hotel brands. State-recognised courses and programmes are taught by experienced specialists to make sure that precisely tailored solutions are developed. We will also continue our collaboration with existing partners in the education and training sector, such as the International University of Applied Sciences. Our goal is to adapt the teaching provision of the academy to the current demands of our industry on an ongoing basis. We will also be seeking constant expansion.

The Steigenberger Academy is a state-recognised vocational school and school of hotel management. It has been one of the leading establishments of its type in Germany since being founded in 1948. A wide range of initial and continuing training programmes is available for all career levels. The academy also offers bachelors degrees in Hotel Management and Tourism Management in the form of a top-up degree programme which is delivered in conjunction with the distance learning arrangements of the International University of Applied Sciences. Generously proportioned and modern teaching rooms are available on the campus in Bad Reichenhall in order to prepare trainees and students for the professional demands that lie ahead. Those who complete programmes and courses at the Steigenberger Academy are perfectly equipped to pursue a career in the hospitality sector. Notable alumni include Eva Maria Ruhle, Deputy Chair of the Baden-Wurttemberg branch of the German Hotel and Restaurants Association (DEHOGA) and Managing Director of Reha-Klinik Schwabische Alb in Bad Urach, Gregor Lemke, Managing Director of Augustiner Klosterwirt GmbH and long-serving Board Member of the Alumni Association, Emanuel Grosch, General Manager of the Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort as well as Markus Frankle, Managing Director of the hotel Der Blaue Reiter GmbH & Co. KG.

About Deutsche Hospitality

Vision, passion and cosmopolitanism. Deutsche Hospitality delivers the perfect guest experience. Tradition and an eye for the future come together in an inimitable portfolio of eight brands operating across more than 160 hotels globally. "Celebrating luxurious simplicity.": Steigenberger Icons are extraordinary luxury hotels which combine historical uniqueness and modern concepts. The Steigenberger Porsche Design Hotels brand is generating innovative impetuses in the Luxury Lifestyle Segment. Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts represent the epitome of upscale hospitality on three continents. Jaz in the City's Lifestyle Hotels dictate the rhythm in the Upscale Sector. House of Beats unites a passion for the hotel business with the fascination of lifestyle, fashion and music. IntercityHotel is located at the very hub of any destination and offers a true home of comfort and mobility in the Midscale Segment. MAXX by Deutsche Hospitality is a charismatic conversion brand which is also positioned in the midscale area of the market. Zleep Hotels provide a smart marriage of design and functionality in the Economy Segment. All of these brands are unified under H-Rewards, Deutsche Hospitality's loyalty program which yields benefits from the first booking onwards. The vision is clear. In conjunction with its shareholder Huazhu, Deutsche Hospitality aims to advance to become one of Europe's leading hotel companies.

Sven Hirschler

+49 696 656 4422

Deutsche Hospitality
Addressing privacy compliance and cybersecurity is becoming more and more challenging for companies. At least 26 states are considering various kinds of data privacy laws. At the same time the rate, depth, and impact of ransomware, wiperware and data breaches has become more intense and more expensive, and there is no indication that the trend will end soon. Hotel companies, as holders of significant amounts of personal information and highly dependent on computer networks for daily operations, are particularly at risk in this environment.

A hotel company that seeks to comply with privacy mandates, and to prepare for and defend against a data breach, requires knowledge  it requires visibility.

What does that mean? To achieve visibility, a hotel brand, manager or owner needs to increase its knowledge of key elements of its data infrastructure:

See Your Network

Most hotel executives, other than chief technology officers and chief financial officers, have little knowledge of their network. But understanding what data is stored on the network, how the various parts of the network interact, and who has access to the network (and what kind) is essential to evaluating risks, complying with privacy laws, and preparing and defending against attacks. This means not only knowing what is supposed to be on the network, but the silent nodes as well  things like unused servers and the devices that attach to the network, such as personal laptops, smart phones and tablets. As hotels become increasingly automated  by relying on smartphones to substitute for keys and allowing touchless registration  being able to see the full scope of the network is challenging but essential.

Part of seeing the network also means seeing what is happening on the network. A hotel brand or manager needs to know when there is a threat, where it is, and how to contain it. Simply having firewalls and other endpoint security isnt enough; its too easy for hackers to gain access to the network. Being able to see what is happening on the network in real time is what can allow a company to defend itself. Age is good for wine, but not for a breach response. When a breach is in process, speed is essential.

See Your Data

Surprisingly, many hotel companies are not fully aware of the data they collect, save and process  but this is key to complying with data privacy laws. A hotel brand or manager needs to know:

What data does it collect?

What data does it need to collect?

to collect? How does it collect data  directly from users, clients, and consumers, or through third parties, such as OTAs and third party websites?

Where it store the data?

How does it use the data it collects  particularly personal information of guests and employees?

Who has access to the data?

The GDPR, the CCPA, the Virginia and Colorado privacy laws, the Utah privacy law being considered now, and each other statute currently proposed in the United States requires disclosure of each of these factors  and that knowledge is necessary to comply with consumer rights under those laws. A key question is differentiating between the data you collect and the data you need; companies need to recognize that there is no benefit in collecting data thats not necessary. There is often a sense that we might want to have this information in the future, but that rationale does not stand up in todays environment. Instead of being something of potential future value, collecting, storing, and using data that isnt necessary for running a hotel business creates liability.

See Your Software

During the past year, understanding the extent of the software a company uses  and the software that its key vendors and partners use  has become increasingly important. The Log4j experience made it clear that if a company doesnt know the software it relies upon, it cannot take preventative and reactive action to mitigate risks. Companies should create a Software Bill of Materials, identifying the software used by or for its business, and should understand how the software is managed, licensed, and supported. The hotel industry is particularly reliant on third party software, whether it be for property management, reservations, or point of sale operations.

The Log4j issues also emphasized how important it is for companies to consider their use of open-source software. Open-source software is ubiquitous, but it is not always well-managed or updated, and is often overlooked when evaluating a companys risk profile. Hotel companies need to understand what open source and other licensed software is imbedded into their essential software functions.

See Your Vendors

Hotels have always been aware that vendors not only provide essential services; they do not, however, always recognize the risks and vulnerability to bad actors those vendors create. Simply stated, when a vendor has access to a hotel network, a hacker can access a hotels network through the vendor. The situation is more complicated because vendors rarely act alone  they themselves have vendors, and those vendors have vendors, and so on. Even when a company can achieve a degree of comfort with a direct vendor, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to do the same with the vendors vendors, who do not have a direct relationship with the hotel.

The hotel industry can address some of these issues by taking a systematic approach to engaging new vendors and evaluating current vendors. Key steps include:

Qualifying vendors by doing a deep dive into their past performance, their privacy and security qualifications, and other key issues.

Enter into strong data security agreements, whether as part of a vendor contract or as an addendum.

Identifying their key vendors, and at least attempting to obtain similar information about those subvendors.

Regularly repeating this effort  vendors can change, and a regular (at least annual) review of their practices is essential, especially as vendors change ownership regularly.

Visibility, by itself, doesnt prevent a malware attack. Without taking other measures  such as a thorough incident response plan  it wont ensure an effective response or compliance with privacy laws. However, a company that fails to take elemental steps to understand its network, data, software, and vendors will be more vulnerable and non-compliant. The risks of not taking these steps far outweighs the time, effort, and cost of the effort.

You should be aware that you are not alone in this effort. Since the adoption of the GDPR and the CCPA, great strides have been made in overcoming what can, at first, seem to be an overwhelming task. The JMBM Global Hospitality Group, in coordination with the JMBM Cybersecurity and Privacy Group, works with hotel companies to understand and address their security and privacy needs, and we are ready to help you. For more information, contact Bob Braun ([email protected]).

JMBMs Cybersecurity and Privacy Group counsels clients in a wide variety of industries, including accounting firms, law firms, business management firms and family offices, in matters ranging from development of cybersecurity strategies, creation of data security and privacy policies, responding to data breaches and regulatory inquiries and investigations, and crisis management. The Cybersecurity and Privacy Group uses a focused intake methodology that permits clients to get a reliable sense of their cybersecurity readiness and to determine optimal, client-specific approaches to cybersecurity.

Further information about cybersecurity issues

If this article was of interest, you may also wish to read other articles by Bob Braun on Data Technology, Privacy & Security, which include the following:
Nearly five years after he and five other high-ranking Citgo employees were imprisoned on corruption charges in Venezuela, a Katy man is headed home after U.S. officials secured his release as part of negotiations with the oil-rich South American country.

Gustavo Cardenas was one of six executives from Houston-based Citgo were detained by Venezuelan authorities in 2017, after they were called to Caracas for what they were told was a budget meeting for PDVSA, the state-owned Venezuelan oil company of which Citgo is a subsidiary.

Cardenas, vice president of shareholder relations at Citgo, moved to the United States years ago to find a better life for his family, including his 21-year-old son who has special needs, his family said in earlier interviews.

His wife, Maria Elena Cardenas, said she was still in disbelief when she learned of her husbands release. She and the families of the other detained men have previously said they received almost no information about the arrests of their loved ones, who were detained in whats been described as a particularly dangerous prison. The families said the men were deprived of food.

We are so happy. We did not sleep all night, Maria Elena Cardenas told NBC News. I still cannot believe he is here.

Maria Elena Cardenas could not be reached for further comment Wednesday. The families of the other five men also could not be reached Wednesday.

Gustavo Cardenas said that his imprisonment has caused a lot of suffering and pain, much more than I can explain with my words. But he said he is praying for five colleagues of his company who were not released Tuesday night.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Citgo executives released from Venezuelan prison into house arrest

I got out of jail and got my freedom after about 1,570 days of wrongful captivity, he said in a statement to the Associated Press. It was a very hard time marked by deep pain, but also by faith, hope, love and survival.

President Joe Biden praised the release of Cardenas on Tuesday. Another American, Jorge Alberto Fernandez, who had been imprisoned in Venezuela for flying a drone was also released.

These men are fathers who lost precious time with their children and everyone they love, and their families have suffered every day of their absence, Biden said.

All of the Citgo employees detained by the government of President Nicolas Maduro lived in Texas or Louisiana, and most are U.S. citizens. They pleaded innocent to charges of corruption and embezzlement stemming from an alleged plot to refinance roughly $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50 percent stake in the company as collateral.

Maduro accused the so-called Citgo 6 of treason at the time.

They were each sentenced to prison terms of more than eight years, and languished behind bars as tensions between the U.S. and the oil-rich South American country continued to build after former President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Venezuela and offered a $15 million award for Maduros arrest.

Last year, the men were taken out of the prison and put on house arrest as the Biden administration considered a change in its relations with Venezuela, where political and economic upheaval has been ongoing for the last half-decade.

Citgo officials said in a statement that they were grateful to the leaders in Washington and many others who helped bring about the release of Gustavo Cardenas, and we urge them to continue their efforts so those still detained may also come home to their families.

Citgo is controlled by a board appointed by the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom the U.S. and about 60 other countries have recognized as the legitimate leader of Venezuela

Changing geopolitics

Cardenas release came hours after Maduro signaled an interest in improving relations at a time when Russias invasion of Ukraine has sparked concerns about replacing Russian oil and gas if other countries join the United States in imposing sanctions on the Russian energy products, which largely support the countrys economy. Gasoline, diesel and natural gas prices have risen rapidly in both the United States and Europe.

In a televised address, Maduro appeared to indicate he was willing to accede to U.S. demands that he resume negotiations with his opponents as a first step toward relief from U.S. sanctions that have been punishing the OPEC member for years.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Citgo executives, arrested by Maduro, forgotten in Venezuelas turmoil

The Biden administration described it as the first Venezuela visit by a White House official since Hugo Chavez led the country in the late 1990s, and a rare opportunity to discuss policy issues with the Maduro government.

One official described it as a constructive, diplomatic but very candid dialogue that did not entail any quid-pro-quo but allowed the Biden administration to share its view of the world with Maduro.

Senior administration officials declined to say how Cardenas and Fernandez were selected for release among nearly 10 American detainees held in Venezuela, but told the Associated Press that U.S. officials pushed hard for the release of all of them, and that the possibility of additional releases remains.

The Associated Press contributed.

robert.downen@chron.com
The nightmare is finally over for the family of a Citgo executive who was released from a Venezuelan prison this week after U.S. officials secured his return as part of ongoing talks with the oil-rich South American country.

Now, Gustavo Cardenas and his family are praying for the release of the five other members of the so-called Citgo 6 who are still detained in Venezuela.

We are just trying to adjust to this new life where everything is exciting, and trying to catch up on so many things, his wife, Maria Elena, said Thursday. But its bittersweet. (The other families) feel very happy to see that my husband is back. But they are still sad because they are in a situation that I have already been in, and I know that it is a nightmare.

Cardenas was one of six executives from Houston-based Citgo who were lured to Caracas in 2017 for what they were told was a budget meeting for PDVSA, the state-owned Venezuelan oil company of which Citgo is a subsidiary. Instead, a group of masked men with guns burst into the room and arrested the men on charges of corruption.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'Citgo 6' member from Katy released after 5 years in Venezuelan prison

The men all pleaded innocent, but were each sentenced to prison terms of more than eight years after being convicted of an alleged scheme to refinance roughly $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50 percent stake in the company as collateral.

Citgo is controlled by a board appointed by the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom the U.S. and about 60 other countries have recognized as the legitimate leader of Venezuela.

Maria Elena Cardenas said her husband and the other men were deprived of food, sunlight and a lot of other human rights at the prison, and that she received almost no information about her husband during the first two years of his imprisonment. He was later moved to house arrest, and was able to make occasional calls to his wife.

Still, it was horrible, Maria Elena said.

Cardenas was back at his Katy home Wednesday morning, and his wife and young son were still recovering from the shock of his return and the near-sleepless nights they had as they awaited his arrival.

The family had moved to the United States years ago, in part for a better life for their 21-year-old son, Sergio, who has a disability and was very excited and screaming when he saw his father for the first time since 2017.

Cardenas spent Thursday making appointments to see doctors after being deprived sufficient medical care for nearly a half-decade. His son returned to school after taking a day off to celebrate his fathers return to the United States.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Racial justice donations soared after George Floyds murder  so why can't many groups find funding?

I got out of jail and got my freedom after about 1,570 days of wrongful captivity, he said in a statement to the Associated Press. It was a very hard time marked by deep pain, but also by faith, hope, love and survival.

His release came as part of ongoing negotiations between the Biden administration and officials in Venezuela that were resumed recently, as the United States tries to find new oil sources to tap to combat gasoline prices that have skyrocketed since Russias invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on Russian oil announced by President Joe Biden Tuesday.

Citgo officials said Wednesday that they were grateful to the leaders in Washington and many others who helped bring about the release of Gustavo Cardenas, and we urge them to continue their efforts so those still detained may also come home to their families.

Senior administration officials have not said why Cardenas was selected for release as part of the negotiations, which included the first official visit by an American official to the South American country in two decades.

But officials told the Associated Press that U.S. officials pushed hard for the release of all of them, and that the possibility of additional releases remains.

robert.downen@chron.com
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Things are looking up for Gulf Coast gas as Russias war with Ukraine gets worse.

Now, the regions liquefied natural gas industry is playing a leading role in meeting Europes energy needs as gas from Russia, previously its primary supplier, slides from the market  vindication for a segment of the industry working to justify expensive liquefied natural gas projects.

The energy crisis in Europe underscores the role of gas as a bridge fuel for the energy transition, Houston's LNG leaders said Wednesday at CERAWeek by S&P Global. But hesitance from Bidens administration to recognize that and regulatory hurdles are impeding what LNG leaders say are projects essential to both global energy security and the energy transition.

LNG leaders said it is now inevitable Europe will need to revert back to coal to fuel its energy needs  an energy source they said is far more harmful to the environment that natural gas. Stable supply and then decreased demand during the pandemic afforded the world an opportunity to entertain unrealistic climate solutions, said Charif Souki, CEO of Houston-based LNG company Tellurian. Now, the long-term need for natural gas is clear.

Its made projects more difficult, more expensive, said Tellurian CEO Charif Souki. Its created a crisis that the Europeans are the first to experience now. At the same time, its promoted additional use of coal everywhere.

The Biden administration has, until now, lumped natural gas projects in with oil and other fossil fuels, LNG leaders said. Now, the tone toward their projects is warming as Europe grows more desperate to replace Russian gas and LNG companies step up to the plate. The European Union, too, backpedaled its position on natural gas by reclassifying natural gas as a green energy as the crisis began.

The administrations tone around LNG is already warming, Smith and other leaders said.

Hopefully this last week will change the narrative, said Michael Smith, Freeport LNGs chief executive.

Gas companies said they are eager to see increasing political support translate into more financial support, less paperwork and more pipelines. Weve got to be able to build pipelines to get the gas to the people, Smith said.

The need to accelerate LNG projects became a theme at the conference Wednesday. The projects typically cost scores of billions and take several years to build.

The best time to have invested in a new facility was five years ago, Souki said. The next best is today.

A new rule requiring an environmental impact statement on event clean LNG sites is an example of the additional paperwork bogging down the process, Smith said. Asked how much time that adds to projects, Smith said he didnt know. People have never done that before.

A fourth production unit at his companys facility in Brazoria County is moving along, Smith said, noting very, very active discussions with a large number of potential customers. He said he aims to start construction next year.

Souki said last month Tellurian would start constructing its Driftwood LNG facility in April  even if it means starting construction without financing. The energy crisis in Europe makes it inevitable the project will eventually receive financial support, he said.

The need for what were doing has become so obvious that its almost a cake walk at this point, he said, noting its sad it took so much to achieve widespread acceptance. I hate to benefit off peoples misery.

But need for more LNG was already setting the stage for a gas boom even before the war in Ukraine, Smith said. This was all going to happen eventually.

amanda.drane@chron.com
I am amazed at the staggering number of varieties of grapes there are in this world that are used. By last count, there are over 8,000 varieties of Vitis grapes. The Vitis genus consists of many species of woody fruit-producing vines. The classic European grapes generally belong to Vitis Vinifera. Within that species you will find Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, Mouvedere, Sangiovese, Charbono, Sagrantino, Tempranillo, Tannat, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Vinho Verde, Gewurztraminer, Muscadet, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and many more. Although these grapes originated in Europe, these grapes varietals and other members of the Vitis Vinifera family are now found in the New World, particularly California, Oregon, Washington State, and Texas. Such Vitis includes:

Vitis acerifolia Raf. (maple leaf grape),

Vitis aestivalis Michx. (summer grape),

Vitis amurensis Rupr. (Amur grape),

Vitis arizonica Engelm. (canyon grape),

Vitis californica Benth. (California wild grape),

Vitis cinerea Engelm. (graybark grape),

Vitis girdiana Munson (desert wild grape),

Vitis labrusca L. (fox grape),

Vitis monticola Buckley (sweet mountain grape),

Vitis mustangensis Buckley (mustang grape),

Vitis x novae-angliae Fernald (pilgrim grape),

Vitis palmata Vahl (catbird grape),

Vitis riparia Michx. (riverbank grape),

Vitis rotundifolia Michx. (muscadine),

Vitis rupestris Scheele (sand grape),

Vitis shuttleworthii House (caloosa grape),

Vitis tiliifolia Humb. and Bonpl. ex Schult. (West Indian grape),

Vitis vinifera L. (European or wine grape), V. vinifera L. ssp. sylvestris Hegi (wild grape), and V. vulpina L. (frost grape).

Accepted wines are generally made from Vitus Vinifera with some other grape genus used in making wines, but not many by my account. Dont forget the hybrid grapes like Blanc du Bois. I suspect there are around 1,000 or so grape varietals used for making commercial wines. So far, I have tasted wines made from around 500 grape varietals. In reality, it means that I have a lot more wine research to do!

Although wines got their start around 6,000 B. C in areas like Greece and what is today Bulgaria, our Western Society focused on that wonderful grapes from France. It was the grape-growing/wine-making techniques of the monasteries that catapulted France as the reigning hierarchy in the Wine World. It was France that ranked its wine-producing Chateaus in the 1800s, causing artificially high pricing for the higher ranked French growths. This hierarchy stayed in place until some wineries from California in 1976 showed in a blind wine tasting that they could also produce outstanding wines. As a result, the French ranked growths became status symbols for the wealthy while the rest of the world consumed outstanding wines made from the Vitis at reasonable prices. By the way, Texas got its first winery in 1976 after Prohibition ended in 1933. The Texas wine industry has also grown since that time with Texas having four wines in 1980, 50 in 2005, 700 in 2018 and almost 1,000 wineries today based on demand for great wines from Texas. The last year they measured the size of the Texas wine industry, being 2018, the Texas wine industry contributed $13.1 billion to the states economy.

Texas vineyard owners are testing out a large number of grape varietals to see what grows best in Texas. Texas vineyard owners have a lot of choices to make with over 8,000 grape varietals to select from. What is the most unusual grape varietal you have experience as made into a wine? For a red, it was an Ives Noir having an iridescent red color with a taste of cotton candy. My most unusual white wine was a Muscadet that is as clear as water and slightly salty due to the presence of nearby ocean winds. Please email me you unusual grape-wine encounters at rsaikowski@comcast.net.

Ron Saikowski may be reached at rsaikowski@comcast.net.
Police are investigating the third heist of a Lehigh County Ulta Beauty store in just over three months.

Police believe the robbers in the latest theft March 2 hit the store after stealing thousands of dollars worth of perfume from a Northampton County store that evening.

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Shortly after 5 p.m. March 2, three masked men entered Kohls in the 3000 block of Nazareth Road in Lower Nazareth Township, Colonial Regional police Detective Gary Hammer said. The men approached a Sephora display, removed $5,000 worth of high-end perfumes and left the store, Hammer said, adding that they didnt show any weapons or hurt anyone.

The men then drove away in a white Nissan with a temporary registration and a gray Nissan with an Illinois license plate.

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Police believe the men then robbed the Ulta Beauty in the 900 block of Airport Center Road in Hanover Township, Lehigh County. State police at Bethlehem, who are investigating that robbery, said it is still under investigation and have not released any details. Ulta Beauty employees declined to comment and the companys corporate representatives did not return a message seeking comment.

Robbers previously committed two thefts in less than two months at the Hamilton Crossings Ulta Beauty store in Lower Macungie Township. In those cases, groups of men grabbed $40,000 worth of merchandise in under 40 seconds Nov. 29 and $3,000 worth of merchandise in under two minutes Jan. 16, stuffing the items into trash bags in both instances.

Hammer said the robbers in the March 2 Kohls theft spent just minutes in the store, but could not say if they put the stolen items in bags.

Anyone with information on any of these incidents can anonymously contact Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-472-8477 or submit a tip online.

Morning Call reporter Andrew Scott can be reached at 610-820-6508 or ascott@mcall.com.
A person riding a motorcycle Wednesday that hit a van and another vehicle in north Harris County has died, according to the Harris County Sheriffs Office.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet that authorities are investigating in the 16700 block of North Freeway.
Meet Robert DeReuin Cook. Heights resident. Painter. Five-time husband.

Some of those marriages apparently overlapped, which landed him in the Harris County Jail on a charge of bigamy.

He shared his sad story with the Chronicle on this day in 1962.

Asked about his philosophy about marriage, Cook said:

"That's just like asking a fellow what he thinks about the world economic situation. Nobody can explain it."
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A Houston man has been convicted of capital murder in the slaying of a Cypress resident after a home invasion almost four years ago.

Jurors on Monday convicted 22-year-old Dwayne Wharton in the fatal shooting of Leandro Morales Jr.. The Harris County District Attorney's Office did not seek the death penalty in the case and Wharton was automatically sentenced to life in prison.
A man radioed for medical help early Thursday after finding a Harris County Pct. 4 constable's deputy unresponsive in Hockley, according to authorities.

The man got on a Pct. 4 radio and began speaking Spanish around 2:20 a.m. at the 28000 block of Old Washington Road, authorities said.

After another deputy was able to communicate with him, the man gave his phone number and told deputies that he came across the unresponsive deputy on the ground who was breathing but unconscious, authorities added.

Officials identified the deputy Thursday morning as William Bell, who has served in Pct. 4 since September 2021.

More on HoustonChronicle.com: One dead in southwest Houston shooting, police say

Deputies arrived to the location, evaluated Bell and dispatched Waller EMS, according to authorities. First responders performed life-saving measures before the deputy was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Medical Center where he remains in critical condition.

Bell had been assigned to a parking lot for senior citizens who were bused from Hockley to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Senior night, Constable Mark Herman said.

"At some point he went to lock the gate before leaving and it appears he had a medical episode having a stroke," Herman said, adding he had spoke with the deputy's wife.

More from Joel Umanzor: Carjacking suspect shot last month by Houston police dies at hospital

The individual who radioed for help told authorities he did not want to be identified but Herman said he is thankful for the man's actions.

"We're thankful to that individual because he probably saved his life."

No other information is available at this time.

This scene is breaking and updates will be added.

Joel.Umanzor@chron.com
A man suspected of carjacking an SUV and who was shot by police last month has died, Houston police said Wednesday.

Authorities identified the man as Marcelo Suarez, 24, and said he died on Sunday at Ben Taub Hospital.

Police said Suarez robbed a 19-year-old man at gunpoint for his SUV near Highway 59 and Hillcroft in southwest Houston around 7:49 a.m. on Feb. 27. Officers then spotted him on the Eastex Freeway near Little York  18 miles away  and began a chase.

More on HoustonChronicle.com: Accused serial killer in 1997 Laura Smither case returns to Texas to face charges, authorities say

Suarez lost control of the Chevrolet Tahoe on Tidwell near Wayside Drive in northeast Houston and then ran under a nearby bridge. A K9 officer and two patrol officers pursued him.

He shot toward the officers before all three returned fire and struck him, HPD Chief Troy Finner said in a news briefing at the scene. It is unknown how many times he was hit.

On Feb. 28, Suarez was charged with two counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer, according to court records.

More from Joel Umanzor: Body recovered from Buffalo Bayou near downtown, Houston police say

HPD identified the three officers involved in the shooting as P. Foster of the Tactical Operations Division, and D. Jenkins and C. Welch of the Northeast Patrol Division. Foster has served with HPD since April 2008, Welch since May 2017 and Jenkins since May 2019, according to a news release from the agency.

HPD Special Investigations Unit, Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office are investigating the incident, police said.

Joel.Umanzor@chron.com
Proponents of a measure that would have forced bail bondsmen to charge their clients a fee of at least 10 percent expressed disappointment and confusion Thursday that the resolution failed to pass a vote of the countys Bail Bond Board.

Eight of the 11 board members were present at Wednesdays meeting to vote on the measure, which needed a majority of those present to pass. Four supported the measure, two opposed and two abstained.

The abstaining voters and absentee board members, in particular, drew consternation from the measures supporters, who said they took the easy way out.

People have a desire to see where their elected officials stand on these issues, said board member and Harris County Treasurer Dylan Osborne. Most of the folks on that board are elected, and we are put in these positions to make tough decisions, thats why we have these jobs.

Osborne and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez voted in favor of the 10 percent minimum, as did Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, through their designated representatives. Attorney Troy McKinney and Mario Garza, president of the Harris County Professional Bonding Association, voted no.

Judge Angela Rodriguez, the boards interim chair, and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, through a representative, abstained from voting.

Harris County District Court Judge Amy Martin, Criminal Court Judge Shannon Baldwin and Municipal Court Judge J. Elaine Marshall did not return to the meeting to vote on the measure after public comments.

Marshall, the lone city employee on the board, said Thursday that she had to leave the meeting due to a family emergency, and would have voted yes had she been present.

I was prepared to vote in favor of the proposed requirement that all companies issuing bonds within Harris County charge a premium equal to at least 10 percent of the amount of the bond. If the opportunity to vote on this agenda item presents itself again, Im fully committed to voting favorably, Marshall said.

Mayor Sylvester Turner has previously said that he would pursue a local ordinance for a 10 percent minimum should the resolution fail to pass the Bail Bond Board, a sentiment that was echoed by his director of government relations, Bill Kelly, during the public comment period.

After the public comments ended, Martin and Baldwin stayed for a closed executive session, in which Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and his staff laid out the legal grounds for the 10 percent minimum, according to Osborne. Neither judge was present for the vote, however.

I understand judges maybe feel like theyre in a sticky position with this kind of votebut thats part of the job is to occassionally have to vote on sticky stuff, I can only assume they thought we would be tabling it (until April), Osborne said.

Neither Martin nor Baldwin responded to requests for comment left with their staff.

A Chronicle analysis in 2021 found that bail bondsmen in Harris County have for years initially accepted lower than the 10 percent of bail needed for release. As Harris County struggles with public safety and a lengthy criminal case backlog, critics have said the bail bond industry undermines judges who set high bails for violent offenders. Bondsmen and their supporters say the practice levels the playing field for poor constituents.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who spoke in favor of the 10 percent minimum, expressed frustration with the abstaining voters.

Im immensely disappointed and frustrated, we looked at this as an opportunity to yet again fix one aspect of our entire system, Garcia said. If we had just one of those abstentions, it would have pushed us over the edge.

Ive seen so many cases where there was definite talk of being tough on crime and this was an opportunity to bestrategic and smart, so I dont know what the reasoning behind that was, Garcia said, in reference to Oggs abstention.

Ogg, however, said Thursday that she had doubts about the measures legality as it was currently written. Her representative at Wednesdays meeting, Michael Butera, similarly questioned the point of passing a law that could likely invite lawsuits.

The proposal presented was not strong enough and not secure enough to protect the community. Our lawyers, like other lawyers in the room, had serious concerns about its legality and enforceability. We want bondsmen to be required to obtain a minimum of 10 percent from any criminal defendant for bail, Ogg said in a statement.

More importantly we need constitutional action by our State Legislature to remove the right to pre-trial bail in any amount for violent repeat offenders. We do not need unenforceable laws that give people a false sense of improved security, Ogg said.

Rodriguez, the other abstaining voter, did not return a request for comment left with her staff.

Blanca Mejia  the aunt of 16-year-old Diamond Alvarez, who was fatally shot 22 times in January  echoed Garcias sentiments, and said she plans to take the fight to the Texas Legislature. District 15 Senator John Whitmire separately announced on Thursday that he plans to sponsor a new state law during the next legislative session to make the 10 percent minimum a statewide standard.

Im mad and Im upset, but Im not discouraged, Mejia said. They gave us judges that didnt vote on such important decisions, and we needed those votes whether its good or bad, yes or no, we needed those votes.

Supporters of the minimum said Thursday that they will likely reintroduce the measure in some form during the Bail Bond Boards next meeting in April.
The Harris County Bail Bond Board on Wednesday voted against requiring bail bondsmen to collect a 10 percent minimum on bond payments, despite the county Commissioners Court unanimously approving a resolution to support the measure.

Of the eight members present on the 11-person board, four  Kathryn Kase, legal counsel and representative for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo; Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez; Harris County Treasurer Dylan Osborne; and Wes McCoy, representing Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess  voted in favor of the minimum fee.

Defense attorney Troy McKinney and Mario Garza, president of the Harris County Professional Bonding Association, voted against the measure, while Judge Angela Rodriguez and Michael Butera, a representative for the Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, abstained. Judges Amy Martin, Shannon Baldwin and J. Elaine Marshall were not present for the vote.

The measure would have included 14 violent or sexual felony charges, including murder, sexual assault and aggravated assault, under its umbrella. It needed a majority of votes from board members present to pass.

In February, the Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to encourage the Bail Bond Board to pass the 10 percent minimum.

I expected the people who represent us, the voters, to stand up and take a stand, said Paul Castro, the father of 17-year-old David Castro, who in July was killed in a road-rage shooting on his way home from an Astros game, citing the abstentions.

Butera said during the meeting that he would abstain from voting due to questions around the measures legality, and wanted to work toward a more solid version of the law. Rodriguez did not explain during the meeting why she abstained.

Its an insult to my sons memory and the memory of all the families who came here today on behalf of their children, who were murdered by people who are now out on bond, Castro said. His sons alleged killer, 34-year-old Gerald Williams, was released on $350,000 bond in September, though the exact amount he paid a bondsman to get out is still unknown.

The vote came after more than an hours worth of public arguments both for and against the measure at the Bail Bond Boards monthly meeting. Supporters of the minimum fee  including the families of children whose alleged killers were out on bond  argued that it would keep violent criminals off the street while the courts attempt to catch up on a massive backlog of cases.

Its important that we bring safety to my family because they cant sleep at night, said Blanca Mejia, the aunt of Diamond Alvarez, a 16-year-old girl who in January was shot 22 times. The alleged shooter, Frank DeLeon, was released on $250,000 bond.

We dont want to wait for him to be a repeated offender. Its unfair for my family, its unfair for the neighborhood, everyone is at risk with this killer in the neighborhood, Mejia said.

A Chronicle analysis in 2021 found that bail bondsmen in Harris County have for years initially accepted lower than the 10 percent of bail needed for release. As Harris County struggles with public safety and a lengthy criminal case backlog, critics have pointed to the bail bond industry as only exacerbating the problem.

But opponents at the meeting, most of them bail bondsmen or their attorneys, likened the measure to price fixing, and said that it would disproportionately affect poor defendants who might not be able to afford the minimum.

They also argued that any rise in crime around Houston was due to an increase in personal recognizance bonds  which allow a defendant to walk free until trial with the promise they will appear at their court date  rather than those released on surety bonds, such as the ones paid for by bondsmen.

Here we are saying we are no longer able to negotiate with the poor, we can only bond out those with money, said Shaun Burns, who said he has been a bondsmen for over 20 years. Ive yet to hear how this is going to make us safer here in Harris County.

After a lengthy public comment period, the board deliberated behind closed doors for over an hour before emerging with their decision. McKinney, one of the two no votes, said he voted against the 10 percent minimum because of perceived legal holes in the measure.

My concern is that the proposal put forth has been done fast and not right, there are clear legal problems, McKinney said. With respect to the families, if you think this is going to solve the issue of criminals being released on bond, youre going to be sorely disappointed because its not.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who pushed for the 10 percent minimum to be passed, expressed disappointment after the vote.

Regretfully, we will have to continue to figure out how to support the victims of violent crime through some other legal grounds, Garcia said.
The Texas A&M University System has moved to distance itself from Russia amid the countrys invasion of Ukraine, apparently becoming the first higher education institution in the state to do so.

Chancellor John Sharp on Wednesday directed school leaders to sever ties with Russian entities by immediately dissolving all agreements related to academics, research and intellectual property. He also asked them to review any other non-contractual agreements.

The Texas A&M University System will not tolerate or support Russia in any way as it continues its brutal, senseless and unjust attack on the sovereign nation of Ukraine and its people, Sharp wrote in a memo to his systems CEOs.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston real estate powerhouse Hines to halt new investments in Russia

Sharp said he made the decision after President Joe Bidens announcement of widespread sanctions and restrictions on the transfer of U.S. technology to Russia.

Texas A&Ms move could affect study-abroad programs, research grant agreements and intellectual property licensing agreements, among other things. It was not immediately clear exactly how many programs, students or faculty will be affected at A&Ms 11 campuses, eight state agencies, health science center and research campus in Bryan.

But university officials noted that they believe fewer than 10 research agreements exist across the system. The flagship in College Station only has two non-binding agreements that allow for faculty to discuss possible collaborations with faculty at Russian academic institutions, and those have not led to any signed agreements, they said.

Please note that this action is in no way an indictment of our faculty members of Russian descent nor a criticism of faculty working to improve conditions in Russia, especially for oppressed groups in that country, Sharp continued in the statement. I believe most, if not all, of our faculty oppose the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his cronies, and will support this action.

Some universities across the country have taken similar actions against Russia. Arizonas board of regents this week told Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University to divest their foundations, pension funds, and retirement plans from the country, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Massacusetts Institute of Technology has also announced the end of one partnership, to a graduate research university in Russia called the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com
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Three aspiring Texas Southern University students wont be enough to address a projected nationwide shortage of 120,000 pilots over the next 20 years. But some scholarships from United Airlines will provide a start.

The company on Wednesday announced a $100,000 partnership with the historically Black university, providing students in the schools aviation science and technology program with financial aid and mentoring as they pursue careers in the industry. Three aspiring pilots and two management hopefuls have already been selected to receive the funding, according to the university.

The new affiliation marks what leaders at Texas Southern hope will be a long relationship with United Airlines, which has a Houston hub. And maintaining that connection will be even more important as the industry works not just to increase its staffing, but also to improve its diversity, university President Lesia Crumpton-Young said.

Because were committed to transforming lives and addressing national challenges, I want everyone to know that Texas Southern University is prepared in their partnership with United Airlines to fill all 120,000 (positions), she quipped. And as Im frequently told  we will need more airplanes.

UNDERFUNDED: TSUs flight program prepares future pilots for a changing industry

Terence Fontaine, a certified pilot and director of TSUs aviation program, has worked for years to secure funding for the program  which the dean on Wednesday said was dying before Fontaines involvement. At his urging, the school improved its fleet and now has five planes and two flight simulators for training.

None of this works without having folks that are advocates for the program, Fontaine said.

TSU launched its aviation science management program in 1986 and offers courses on aviation weather, law, history and safety, and air traffic control. The pilot program began four years ago with the goal of building a pipeline that equips students with either a multi-engine commercial pilot license or a certified flight instructor license, allowing them to move directly to careers at airlines.

Texas Southern is one of nine HBCUs in the country and the only public four-year institution in Texas to have an aviation management system, a pilot program and a flight school. (Texas A&M University-Central Texas in Killeen has an all-online professional pilot program.)

Read Part One of Underfunded: A history of funding failures at Texas HBCUs

Aviation is an expensive field to enter, with costs beyond the typical tuition. TSUs program is about $82,000, with $45,000 for commercial license and flight fees, and $37,000 for tuition, Fontaine previously told The Chronicle.

Flight fees alone typically cost $165 an hour, with a requirement of at least 250 hours for a commercial license. Although those costs are more affordable than other pilot programs (and military veteran students have full costs covered by Veteran Affairs), lower-income students still need assistance.

Katherine Cabrera, a junior in the pilot program, said financial constraints initially caused her to change her major to aviation management. But in another change of plans, the United Airlines scholarship allowed her to continue her dream of becoming a pilot.

It literally changed everything, she said. Im really grateful to them, because I got to be able to keep advancing my flight training. When they told me, I started crying.

In 2021, the aviation science management program had 62 students enrolled, and the pilot program had 21 students, Fontaine said. Those numbers remain roughly the same in 2022.

Aerospace professionals, meanwhile, are in short supply because of the tens of thousands of pilots, technicians and cabin crew members who are set to reach the required retirement age of 65 over the next decade, according to research from Boeing, the worlds largest aerospace company.

And diversity is already lacking. A 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed that 94 percent of the nations pilots and engineers were white and roughly 94 percent were male. Less than 6 percent were women and around 3 percent were Black.

Some airlines are seeking to change that. United Airlines, the only major U.S. airline to own a flight school, announced last April that it plans to train 5,000 pilots by 2030, of which at least half will be women and people of color.

United has also launched partnerships with HBCUs including Delaware State University, Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina and Hampton University in Virginia, to recruit top talent and give scholarships to students who are admitted to Uniteds pilot development program.

Were trying to figure out how to do more of this type of financial support and mentorship, and were trying to figure out a way to do it on a really, really large scale, said Phil Griffith, vice president of airport operations for United Airlines at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. I dont think anyone in this room is going to argue that its (not) good to be at the front of the line.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com
My family has personal experience with evidence-based gender-affirming health care at Texas Childrens Hospital. An amazing team of professionals lovingly guided us through a process that involved months of discernment with an incredible array of best-in-the-world physicians, social workers and mental health professionals. And our childs quality of life immediately improved. Everything we did was medically necessary. We cannot imagine the devastation we would feel at being told our lawyers say we cannot provide the medically necessary health care you desperately need.

Last week, Texas Childrens announced that it would halt gender-affirming procedures. The hospital leaders should know that this is exactly the result Rep. Matt Krause, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott hoped would occur with their thinly-veiled circumvention of the democratic process: chaos and fearful reactions.

One of the bills considered  and rejected  in the last legislative session (Senate Bill 1646) sought to change the definition of child abuse in the Texas Family Code to include the types of gender-affirming health care Gov. Abbott has now unilaterally decided are child abuse. Having failed to pass legislation banning gender-affirming health care in Texas during last springs regular legislative session and multiple special sessions, they have worked around the Legislature, ordering investigations of parents who work with doctors to provide their kids with the gender-affirming care they need. This scheme perpetrated by Krause, Paxton and Abbott is reprehensible and the ACLU has sued to block it on the grounds that it exceeds the governors authority.

I know what happened at the Legislature because I was there month after month, with my family and many others from around the state, making sure they heard the voices of transgender children and their parents.

Not long after SB 1646 died in committee, Krause sent a letter to Paxton requesting a legal opinion on whether gender-affirming health care constitutes child abuse. Paxton delayed responding to Krause until the week before the final day of primary voting in February. It should be noted that Paxtons opinion contains two important limitations. Paxton states that the opinion does not address or apply to medically necessary procedures. The opinion also stops short of declaring that all gender-affirming health care is child abuse  instead claiming that certain procedures can legally constitute child abuse (emphasis added).

The disconnect between Paxtons opinion and reality (and consequently the legal and moral absurdity of the Abbott/Paxton scheme) lies in its conspicuous failure to consider two important factors: (1) the remarkable consensus of the medical community (including every relevant medical association) that evidence-based and age-appropriate gender-affirming care is medically necessary and often life-saving; and (2) the culture warriors opposing gender-affirming care cannot cite a single instance in Texas of parents imposing medically unnecessary gender-affirming health care on a child. The reality is that before any gender-affirming health care is considered or performed on minors, there is an exhaustively thorough discernment process involving the child, the parents and an experienced team of doctors and mental health professionals to determine the care is medically necessary. We have experienced this process and can attest to its efficacy.

Paxtons letter also grossly overstates several points. Contrary to Paxtons assertions, surgical procedures virtually never occur with transgender youth under 18 years of age. Puberty blockers very utilization is often to allow time for trans youth to process their identity and decide whether to pursue further steps in transition, including surgery. In other words, puberty blockers purpose is to delay the decision on surgery until transgender youth reach maturity  and they are reversible and do not cause sterility. Frankly, Paxtons attempts to compare evidence-based, life-saving, gender-affirming health care to the forced sterilization of minorities in this country is beyond offensive.

Abbott not only used Paxtons legal opinion but misrepresented it to instruct the state to investigate families. In his letter to Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Jaime Masters, Abbott states that the attorney general determined that the gender-affirming health care procedures about which Krause inquired constitute child abuse under existing Texas law. Abbott completely ignored the express limitations in Paxtons opinion. As a former Texas attorney general himself and a former justice on the Texas Supreme Court, it is fair to assume Abbott understands the difference. Frankly, the sheer political expedience of his actions seriously endangering the lives of the very children he should be protecting is beyond reprehensible  it is diabolical.

Finally, the simple truth is that Texas Childrens Hospital has allowed the Abbott/Paxton scheme to work by failing to stand up for the right of physicians (not politicians) to determine the medical standards of care for transgender youth. The hospital explanation was that it made the decision to halt care to safeguard our healthcare professionals and impacted families from potential criminal legal ramifications. While it is wrong for politicians in Austin to decide what the medical standard of care should be, it is also wrong for lawyers rather than physicians at the leading clinical and teaching childrens hospital in the world  located in the Texas Medical Center of Houston, literally the apex of medicine  to determine standards of medical care.

More importantly, the hospital has missed this opportunity to stand up for their patients. The hospital has left families like ours out in the cold and dashed the hopes of transgender kids just wanting to be their authentic selves.

Instead of using lawyers to dictate medical standards of care, put them to use in the legal arena fighting for medical independence of physicians and the rights of your patients. Dont succumb, fight back. File a petition in intervention or an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Texas and Lambda Legal. Show up. Be courageous. Make the voices of the best medical experts in the world heard on these issues. Your silence is deafening.

Neil Giles is a dad and lawyer who lives and works in Houston.
When the Hebrews told Samuel they wanted a king like the other nations of the earth, God told Samuel to tell them what their request meant.

The God of Israel said, This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons  He will  set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war.  He will take your daughters  And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. ...

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And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, [I] the Lord will not hear you in that day.

Upon hearing this, the children of Israel, nevertheless, demanded a king and God gave them Saul.

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Centuries upon centuries later, Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan (1651) asked what purpose kings and government served. He concluded they were designed to prevent life from being solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.

In his theory of the social compact, government was given ultimate power to define right and wrong and justice and to provide for the citizenry a world not defined by the dog-eat-dog world of man against man.

A few years later John Locke argued in his Second Treatise of Civil Government (1689) that Hobbes was correct that man, by nature, is violent and that government is needed to keep man in awe. But justice and right and wrong are not defined by government but they predate government, and governments role was designed to protect and enforce them.

Thus, government was not all powerful without limit.

Arthur H. Garrison (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / THE MORNING CALL)

Protesters against a COVID-19 mandate gesture as they are escorted out of the Clark County School Board meeting Aug. 12, 2021 at the Clark County Government Center, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File) (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/AP)

Western tradition is based on Locke, not Hobbes. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton wrote the Constitution of the United States to implement Locke.

The Declaration of Independence was born out of rebellion to achieve Locke.

American history can be summarized, in part, by the proposition that government is limited to protect society from the dangers of human nature but not from the natural injustices of life.

The battle in that history is defining each within specific political topics. One of those defining topics was, and is, race. Slavery and Jim Crow defined many political battles in American history. Those battles produced ancillary issues.

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In 1969, research on the national survey published by Newsweek in the same year concluded the middle American voter believed a shadowy enemy formed by a phalanx of  the rich, the liberals, the politicians, the government in general, the courts, the press, the professors, and others was united to destroy America; and this enemy  which is evil per se  must be opposed at all costs.

This belief, cited in The Troubled American by Richard Lemon has been the operating orthodoxy of social conservatives to this day.

Our current politics can be explained, in part, by this belief and the residue of the battles over Jim Crow in the 1960s and the reactions to those battles in the 1980s and 1990s.

When America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, America changed and one of the two wars resulting from that event ended only six months ago. Hard feelings over the two wars, and their end, and the war on terror policies and rhetoric that governed for more than a decade, added to the feelings of resentment in our political elections dating to 1992.

This is made all the worse because in America we replaced church with politics, replaced theology with policy, replaced pastors with politicians, replaced unity by faith with polarization. Today, it seems, we are more concerned with the price of gas than the value of the lives of others.

Add to all this the rise of the COVID-19 epidemic in March 2020. After two years, Americans have gone to political war over public health orders to stay in place, close schools and restrict social gatherings.

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A focal point of those orders was the required wearing of face masks. Masks, along with mandated vaccines, became political and a rallying point for opposition to government control by social and political elites. Regardless of whether they prevented sickness, they represented government power reaching into every home and life in America.

That was the rub.

Middle Americans were no longer free to do what they wanted and were subject to obedience. That experience was new to many in America.

Prior policies allowed police to stop, question and frisk and negatively impact the freedom of many, but that impact was not universally suffered. Masks and shutdown policies were universal. Those who suffered the forced obedience to these policies tasted government dominance that they had not tasted before.

Now it was middle America that could not go and eat and exist as they pleased. Police and store owners were now stopping them.

American politics have been increasingly divisive over the last 60 years. History tells us why.

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But the last two years have made that divisiveness more apparent because the reasons for it are a little more universally endured.

Arthur H. Garrison is a professor of criminal justice at Kutztown University and the author of the book Chained to the System: The History and Politics of Black Incarceration in America.
In the beginning there was the Republic of Texas.

The wild new country lured ambitious men like W.R. Baker of New York. Still a teenager when he arrived in Houston, he rose from shopkeeper to run a railroad company, later serving as county clerk, state senator and mayor. He also acquired land in the new city at the soggy confluence of bayous, and by the 1850s Baker had mapped out a neighborhood bearing his name northwest of downtown in what would become First Ward.

Decades passed before the city of Houstons surveyors began drawing lines across the neighborhood to mark the official street grid. Few would have noticed the bureaucrats occasionally took short cuts, creating small errors of geometry. As far back as the early 1900s, insurance maps of Bakers subdivision  now at the 1-45 and I-10 spaghetti overseen by the Mount Rush Hour statues  showed the measurements diverged 10 or more feet from existing boundaries containing homes, fences and yards.

People had been living here harmoniously for years before the city surveyors came in and changed the property lines, said Adam Salazar III, a surveyor and Realtor whose family has lived and worked in the neighborhood for decades.

That the neighborhood had two sets of boundaries a few feet apart didnt much matter much as long as lots were large and land was cheap.

Despite its proximity to downtown, Bakers old subdivision was passed over as Houstons suburbs expanded from the city center. Yet as the area has been rediscovered as a desirable, close-in neighborhood, developers have diced Bakers original parcels into tight tracts with modern homes squeezed together for maximum density.

Today, every inch of dirt counts. And for some, Houstons 100-year-old history of sloppy mapping has risen out of the ground like a litigious swamp monster, creating misery and heartbreak.

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Cody and Shanah Schlueter arrived in 2014, paying $325,000 for a new three-story townhouse, one of three crammed onto a former single-family lot on Holly Street. Another developer soon bought the parcel next door. When his survey showed the Schlueters townhome encroaching on his property, the townhome owners found themselves dragged into a legal snarl involving developers, surveyors, title companies and the city of Houston that would lumber through the decade.

At one point, the Schlueters were told simply to slice off the back wall of their new home. Later, the city said they could continue living there  if they promised to demolish the home when they left. The dispute prevented them from selling or borrowing against their homes for years. A real shshow, Cody Schlueter said.

Another of the three townhome owners, Kenneth Jurasek, became despondent. A boat captain, he was desperate to return to Florida, said his older sister, Marla. He talked about how it was such a burden on him. Just before he took his life, he told me he was fed up  just stuck and depressed.

Surveyors said that as the neighborhood continues to gentrify similar problems lurk just below the surface, thanks to the citys century-old mistakes. Everyone knows its screwed up, said Michael ODell, a 40-year surveyor who said he wont work in the neighborhood because of the confusion.

Other homeowners have the exact same problem, the townhomes occupants warned in a lawsuit filed against Houston. Yet the city does nothing.

'Still in jeopardy'

As with referees and airline mechanics, surveyors typically work invisibly until theyre wrong.

Yet the entire system of property ownership depends on the profession. Because the work is a zero-sum game  adding a foot to your yard means your neighbor loses a foot  even small errors can be consequential.

Old-timers decry a recent deterioration in the professions standards driven by developers who only want their legally mandated maps quickly and cheaply. So surveyors will do five or 10 jobs a day, ODell said. But for good surveys, youve got to do a lot of homework.

A lot of homework is Kent McMillans idea of a good time. Now 69, he learned early on he had an aptitude for the sort of deep-dive historical research other surveyors shun. He often found himself pleasantly lost among dusty maps and deeds stretching back to the original Republic of Texas or Mexican land grants.

Working out of his Hill County home with occasional field trips, McMillans meticulous boundary and ownership reconstructions soon attracted the attention of lawyers litigating land disputes. He estimates hes provided expert surveying research in more than 100 legal cases.

In 2015, McMillan was hired to get to the bottom of the Holly Street dispute. The townhome mess, he said, Is a classic case of what happens when the history is neglected.

McMillan traced the neighborhood to 1838, when Baker bought Lot No. 18, 100 acres between the bayous. Deeds buried in the Harris County clerks office showed the area was mapped 20 years later. Block 241 passed through several owners before Henry Vanderzee began selling off lots in 1882, including one that would become the Holly Street townhouse property.

By 1908, McMillan said, the Baker neighborhood was essentially built out, with well-established homes and fences. Ordinances showed Houston required a city surveyor to sign off on new properties, suggesting city officials knew about and approved of the areas historical boundaries.

What would become the citys official grid lines in the area, by comparison, were often shoddy, McMillan determined. For the Baker area, a city surveyor in 1919 simply had stationed himself on Crockett Street projected imaginary lines south to delineate the center of local streets, disregarding the boundaries of the already established neighborhood.

He was unbothered by the fact he was running his street through a whole row of houses, McMillan said. Overlaying the citys lines with a turn-of-the-century insurance map of the neighborhood showed them straying 10 to 20 feet from Bakers historic properties.

Despite that, surveyors said, the city today continues to insist that only those officially mapped center or reference lines be used to conduct property measurements. For a profession whose first allegiance is to the best historical evidence, the rule presents a dilemma.

We follow the footsteps of the original surveyor, not every time the wind changes, said Matthew Probstfeld, a veteran Houston-area surveyor.

No resolution has ever been reached covering the use of center lines, added William Merten, a long-time area surveyor who also served on the states professional licensing board. The result: Anyone selling or buying land in the old Baker area is still in jeopardy, he said. As things continue to fill in there, thats where this is going to rear its ugly head.

The old neighborhood first laid out by W.R. Baker in the 1850s sits in the shadow of downtown.

'The city is denying reality'

To walk through Bakers old subdivision is to see a neighborhood changing in real-time.

Small houses displaying their age sit side-by-side with primly restored historic residences and modern townhouses pressed together like three-story fence pickets. On a recent day water sat in dirt ditches next to the narrow streets. While its within easy view of downtown skyscrapers, in some ways This neighborhood is like a colonia, Adam Salazar III said.

My grandfather learned how to swim here  by accident  in Buffalo Bayou at age 12, he recalled. After returning from World War II, he opened a grocery store on the corner of Holly and Bingham, where he worked until 1964. When the store closed, the building became a beer joint, then abandoned, part of a neighborhood-wide deterioration. Salazar remembers demolishing it under order of the city in the mid-1980s.

The areas peculiar boundary lines are, or at least should be, common knowledge, he said. Just look down that street, he said, pointing at Hollys wavy progression north. Does that look straight to you?

In 2012, Gilbert Prida was hired to find the boundaries of the single-family parcel across from Salazars old grocery. He surveyed it as he always did, he recalled, locating existing monuments and other historical clues to confirm lines traced back to how the neighborhood was first settled and occupied more than a century-and-a-half ago.

Our profession goes with the monuments in the ground, he said. How can you change that?

The Schlueters moved in two years later. The neighborhood wasnt their first choice, but the couple was smitten by its eclectic streetscape and million-dollar views of downtown, Cody said.

Months later, the neighboring developers surveyor drew boundaries using the citys official reference lines. According to that map, the Schuleters new house encroached on the adjoining property and spilled into the citys right of way.

The legal fight paralyzed the family. The Schlueters had intended to move when they had their first child  three floors of stairs was too nerve-wracking  but now couldnt sell the home. When they needed money after oil prices crashed in the mid-2010s, no bank would refinance it. Eventually, they rented it out and moved away.

The next-door developer soon settled. But when Houston refused to budge about its right-of-way, the townhouse owners sued the city. By ignoring its own history, they claimed, Houston had created chaos among surveyors and disaster for the property owners. The owners find themselves trapped in this very unfortunate situation of the citys making, the lawsuit said.

The dispute slowed to a crawl. Cody Schlueter said city officials took more than a year to act on Houstons part of the settlement. The Schlueters finally sold their townhouse in June 2021.

Before Ken Jurasek took his life in 2019, his sister said he wrote a lengthy note describing the helplessness of being frozen in place by two diverging invisible lines on a map. That property put such a torment on him, Marla said.

It hasnt been the only boundary dispute in the area. In response to others, the Houston City Council in December passed an ordinance changing its official line in a single block along Edward Street, a short distance from Holly, a measure Merten described as a Band-Aid on an arterial flow.

Theres a bunch of potential lawsuits out there, McMillan added. The city is denying reality.

The citys lawyer in the Holly Street dispute did not return emails and phone calls. A spokeswoman for Houston Public Works declined to make City Surveyor Summer Chandler available for an interview and did not answer questions about the citys historical surveying in the neighborhood. She provided links to websites asserting that Houston ordinances require surveyors to use its official reference lines.

McMillan said his research shows the ordinances were never intended to apply to First Ward. The thinking probably was that someone else would figure it out later, he said. And here we are later, and no one has figured it out.
WASHINGTON  Pork barrel spending has returned to Congress and Texas is on tap for more than $280 million in federal funding for roads, schools, police and a slew of other local needs.

The $1.5 trillion government spending bill that passed the House on Wednesday night includes billions in congressional earmarks for the first time since the practice was banned in 2010 amid complaints of corruption and wasteful spending.

This time, there are stricter rules and a cap to hold earmarked spending at 1 percent of the budget. Members of Congress had to publicly swear they had no personal financial connection to the recipients of the funding, which could not be private or for-profit companies. And they had to document local support for the projects.

Already Texans are touting the funding they secured in the bill, which would pay for more than 140 projects throughout the state. The money would go to lab equipment for community colleges in San Antonio, LGBTQ-friendly affordable senior housing in Dallas and a Mahatma Gandhi museum in Houston.

OTHER FEDERAL SPENDING: GLO discriminated against minorities when denying flood aid to Houston, feds say

Houston and San Antonio projects The Houston region is on tap for at least $91 million in earmarked projects, including: $10 million for the TC Jester stormwater detention basin, requested by U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston $10 million for the Meyergrove detention basin, requested by U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston $10 million for detention basins and culvert improvement throughout Harris County, requested by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston $8.3 million for the Westador stormwater detention basin, requested by Crenshaw $3.4 million for detention basin improvements in Memorial City, requested by Crenshaw The San Antonio region is on tap for at least $45 million in earmarked projects, including: $22 million for a child development center at Joint Base-San Antonio Lackland, requested by U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio $10 million for a vehicle maintenance shop at Camp Bullis, requested by Gonzales $3.5 million for a water storage tank in Schertz, requested by Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen $2 million for a city project to rehabilitate single-family homes for low-income families, requested by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio $1.1 million for facilities upgrades and equipment for San Antonio College, requested by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-San Antonio See More Collapse

As we rebound from the pandemic, this funding will support good-paying jobs and expand our infrastructure of opportunity now and for years to come, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat, said in a statement detailing the $10.5 million in projects he requested.

They include $2 million for a city project to rehabilitate single-family homes for low-income families and $1 million for the San Antonio Housing Authority to expand internet access at its properties.

In all, earmarked projects in the spending bill would send more than $91 million to the Houston area and more than $45 million to San Antonio.

Its incredibly significant, John Hudak, deputy director of the Brookings Institutes Center for Effective Public Management, said of the return of the practice.

Hudak, who supports the use of earmarks, said they have been misunderstood by the public and have largely gotten a bad rap from high-profile examples of abuse. In reality, earmarks inject more local control in the budget process.

Earmarks dont add to the budget, they just decide how the pie is sliced, Hudak said. The question is not do you want earmarks or not. The question is do you want your member of Congress deciding how money is distributed, or do you want a Washington bureaucrat deciding?

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Still, many Republicans oppose the practice. Russell Vought, who served as former President Donald Trumps budget director, slammed the legislation on Fox News as a reckless spending bill with reams of earmarks.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, an Austin Republican who voted against the bill, dubbed it swamp spending.

Earmarks!! Roy tweeted. And the Washington establishment shouts, Can I get an amen?!

The spending bill easily passed the House on a bipartisan vote and Texans on both sides of the aisle got involved.

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Houston Republican, earmarked nearly $26.5 million for flood prevention projects in his district. They include nearly $10 million for the TC Jester stormwater detention basin and $1.6 million to improve drainage in Forest Manor. U.S. Reps. Lizzie Fletcher and Sheila Jackson Lee, Houston Democrats, also earmarked millions for flood prevention projects.

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a San Antonio Republican, requested nearly $40 million in funding for projects, including $10 million for a vehicle maintenance shop at Camp Bullis and $22 million for a child development center at Joint Base-San Antonio Lackland.

The $22 million child development center was the largest project earmarked by a Texas member of the House. The smallest was $40,000 that U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Houston Democrat, requested for equipment for Legacy Community Health clinics in Houston. Green also requested $3 million for a nonprofit working to establish the Eternal Gandhi Museum in Houston, which bills itself as the first museum dedicated to Gandhi in America.

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Earmarks are making their return just months before a heated midterm election when members are likely to hold up the funding they brought home as an accomplishment to fend off challengers, Hudak said. He said decades of research shows earmarks help incumbents by giving them tangible things they can show to prove their time in office is paying off.

In a period where the public tends to mistrust government, any situation in which an elected official can demonstrate palpably for their constituents what theyve done for them is a political win, he said. Its a perk of the office.

At least one Texas incumbent is already wielding earmark projects as he tries to hold onto his seat. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat who was forced into a runoff by progressive immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros, began touting the $19.2 million he requested for projects in his 28th District before the spending bill even passed the House. The projects include $2.3 million for the Starr County courthouse and $1 million for an emergency operations center in Zapata County.

Today is a historic day for South Texas! Cuellar, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, tweeted hours before the vote. The omnibus funding bill will provide critical projects in TX-28 that create jobs, support small businesses, and protect our most vulnerable neighbors. Proud to be a senior member on this committee  the only Texas Dem!

Cisneros was quick to hit back, pointing to a 13-day boil water notice that lifted this week in Laredo.

After 17 years of your leadership, the people of Laredo still routinely lack access to clean water, she tweeted. It's time for a change.

ben.wermund@chron.com
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City of Hudson Code of Ethics The proper operation of democratic government requires that public officials and employees be independent, impartial and responsible to the people; that government decisions and policy be made in proper channels of the governmental structure; that public office not be used for personal gain; and that the public have confidence in the integrity of its government. In recognition of these goals, there is hereby established a Code of Ethics for all City of Hudson officials and employees, whether elected or appointed, paid or unpaid, including members of boards, committees and commissions of the city. The purpose of this code is to establish guidelines for ethical standards of conduct for all such officials and employees by setting forth those acts or actions that are incompatible with the best interests of the City of Hudson and by directing disclosure by such officials and employees of private financial or other interests in matters affecting the city. The provisions and purpose of this code and such rules and regulations as may be established are hereby declared to be in the best interests of the City of Hudson.

Following a Dec. 6 Common Council meeting, a complaint was filed against a council member alleging a violation of the citys Ethics Code.

This was the first ethics complaint for the city of Hudson.

City officials and council members had to determine the ordinance process for the first time.

Their execution set precedent for future cases.

It sparked controversy among board members and residents as to how the code should be applied, whether or not it was being used or abused and how effective it was in its current state.

Council member Sarah Bruch brought her concerns to the council, particularly to determine if any one council member can be impartial and if due process was possible with the current procedural setup.

I had some concerns on how sitting council members, myself included, can really be impartial and not come forward with biases that we might have, Bruch said. I thought that was a really big responsibility and Im not certain if the way our policy is set up, if we can do it the justice it deserves.

As the council wrapped up its decision on the complaint against Hall, Bruch asked that a future meeting include revisiting the code.

Before the council could get to it, another ethics complaint landed in the in boxes of city staff and the Common Council.

Sherie Krisite filed a complaint against Mayor Rich OConnor, council member Randy Morrissette II, City Attorney Nick Vivian and City Administrator Aaron Reeves.

The first ethics complaint went to the ethics committee after an investigation conducted by appointed legal council, where Hall was subsequently asked to apologize to her complainant, John Kraft, or face censure.

The second complaint was dismissed by council before heading to the Ethics Committee for review.

Now, the council faces a tricky task  determining the future of the ethics code.

Krafts complaint

Hudson Common Council member Hall faced an ethics complaint filed by the former St. Croix County Republican Party chairman who resigned from his post following what Hall called a call to violence on the county partys website.

Kraft filed this ethics complaint after Hall asked the council not to appoint him as an election poll worker at the Dec. 6 council meeting. The council went ahead and approved Kraft as a poll worker.

Following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, Kraft made a post on the St. Croix County Republican Party website that read in part: If you want peace, prepare for war It is time to stand and be counted as a conservative warrior in the ongoing fight to preserve our Constitutional Republic. We need to start local by removing leftist tyrants from all local and County positions in the future April elections.

Hall contended that the post and other actions made Kraft unfit to be an elections worker.

Krafts complaint was sent to the councils Finance Committee, who sits as the Ethics Committee, on Jan. 13 to review a third party attorneys, 10-page report on her investigation.

The Ethics Committee unanimously voted to recommend a call for Hall to apologize to Kraft for the comments.

If Hall did not offer an apology at the Jan. 18 council meeting, censure was recommended.

Hall apologized.

Conflict of Interest Financial and personal interest prohibited. No official or employee, whether paid or unpaid, shall engage in any business or transaction or shall act in regard to financial or other personal interest, direct or indirect, which is incompatible with the proper discharge of his official duties in the public interest contrary to the provisions of this chapter or would tend to impair his independence of judgment or action in the performance of his official duties. Financial interest: any interest which shall yield, directly or indirectly, a monetary or other material benefit to the officer or employee or to any person employing or retaining the services of the officer or employee. Personal interest: Any interest arising from blood or marriage relationships or from close business or political associations, whether or not any financial interest is involved.

Kristies complaint

An ethics complaint against Mayor OConnor, council member Morrissette, City Attorney Vivian and City Administrator Reeves was dismissed by the Common Council at a special meeting on Jan. 27.

Until the Dec. 6 council meeting, community member Sherie Krisitie had not considered herself a political person.

I have better things to do, she said.

She found herself unable to stay out of politics, filing an ethics complaint following the Dec. 6 meeting as well.

She noted that those named had violated the code of ethics by obstructing and preventing the council from faithfully and diligently discharging its duties as it pertains to approving poll workers.

Vivian provided the council with an overview of his professional, third-party consultation, as had been done in the first case.

Another consulting attorney, Steven Sorenson, provided legal advice on the case, coming to similar conclusions as Vivian.

Both the city attorney and city administrator are employees under contract; therefore, different avenues of addressing ethics violations are stipulated.

An investigation would have been handled by outside employment counsel and will compare conduct of the city administrator to his agreement as an employee, the employment handbook and Wisconsin employment law.

Vivian noted no specific allegations outlined in the complaint against Reeves or Vivian, something Reeves said was important to the validity of a complaint.

Ultimately, all complaints were dismissed by the council and did not move forward for review by the Ethics Committee.

I think they owe Joyce an apology, Krisitie said. I think it's worth the fight.

Merriam Webster definitions Ethic ethic | the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation; a set of moral principles; a theory or system of moral values. Impartial impartial | not partial or biased : treating or affecting all equally. Partial partial | inclined to favor one party more than the other: biased. Bias Bias | a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc. are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly; a strong interest in something or ability to do something; an inclination of temperament or outlook.

Processes

As it stands, there is no official filing process for ethics complaints.

This is all new territory, OConnor said. Its new to me, to the whole council.

Kraft, who is not a resident of Hudson, felt the Code of Ethics had been violated against him, and he had to pave the way for how a complaint was to be submitted.

There had to be a specific complaint, City Administrator Reeves said. It couldnt just be investigate council member X for violations of the Ethics Code. There needs to be detail of what specific actions violated the code.

The ethics complaint filing process is broadly identified in the Hudson Code of Ethics.

With that basis, I researched examples of prior Ethics Complaint documents from other successful cases to use as a guide, Kraft said. I then wrote the complaint document, carefully articulating how Ms. Halls actions violated the code.

Kristie went through a similar process, though her first complaint was rejected for lack of detailed examples.

She went back to the drawing board with assistance from outside counsel to guide her in her submissions.

Though the filing process was broad in writing, the process for addressing a complaint was laid out in the code. It had just never been interpreted for action and execution.

The one thing the mayor knew needed to happen, based on the way the code was written, was any complaint filed needed to be addressed immediately.

Council voted to have Krafts complaint sent to the Ethics Committee after investigations by two parties.

City Attorney Nick Vivian conducted an investigation, absent from city or administrative influence, into the complaint filed by Kraft. Additionally, the city brought on Lida Bannink of Eckberg Lammers to investigate and provide a summary of conclusions as a third-party attorney.

I was skeptical when City Attorney Nick Vivian engaged Lida Bannink, another attorney from

Eckberg Lammers, the same firm that represents the city, as the investigator of the complaint, Kraft said. She assured me that she would be independent and impartial in her fact-finding mission in preparing her report for the Ethics Committee I did find the investigation process to be adequate. It clearly supports my complaint, which was found by the Ethics Committee to have merit.

This information was presented to the Finance Committee, which sits as the Ethics Committee in these situations.

I wanted to do justice to both parties and to make sure I was doing everything I could to honor the Ethics Code, Bruch, who sat on the committee, said.

After she spent time marking up the code, studying and evaluating it, Bruch determined that as humans, we bring biases to the table, regardless of our intent to leave them out of the conversation.

Every decision Ive made has been the furthest thing from a rubber stamp, she said. And so it gave me great concern, whatever the outcome was going to be.

Despite vocalizing these apprehensions throughout the investigation process, the code was still in front of Bruch and her fellow ethics committee members.

They had to make a decision based on the current code, not what she or anyone else for that matter, hoped to change about it.

The Ethics Committee recommended Hall apologize or face censure. After an apology was made, the council dismissed the complaint.

In its current state, Bruch sees the ethics code as an unattainable standard.

And so, at the Feb. 7 meeting, the council voted to inquire about bringing on an independent party to redraft the ethics code.

I think at this point it's clear that our code needs an outside review by someone who specializes on this issue in the state of Wisconsin and that will get done soon so more will be coming out in the coming months that should make this a much better process, Reeves said.

The future of the code is unclear, except for one thing. Council consensus is that it must be reviewed.

One thing I do know is therell be a lot of discussion, and I know that there will be a lot of different perspectives that come to the table, Bruch said. So I am hopeful the same for every meeting; that we will be able to meet at a common goal with the intention of serving our community.

Investigation costs

As important as the accessibility of ethics complaints is to fair democracy, there are costs, too.

The monetary cost to the city for the ethics complaint from Kraft was $6,540. The cost for the complaint from Kristie was $3,740.

The concern for the use of time was a common theme expressed to the mayor and council members by residents.

OConnor reflected on hearing sentiments like you guys need to get back to work.

As the first subject of an ethics complaint, Hall received both affirmations of support as well as comments of disdain.

The investigation and accusations against her were not easy professionally or personally.

I see that my integrity and my character has been attacked, Hall said during the Jan. 27 special council meeting. I take pride in being an ethical person and to have gone through this, it was very, very demeaning and difficult.

She continued by expressing the strain and impact the complaint had on her family.

This has woken a lot of people up, Hall said.

Additionally, tension rose within the council as colleagues were determining each others fates.

No one expected the proceedings to be pleasant.

You could tell during the meetings that everyone was frustrated, OConnor said. Nobody wanted to be taking these [ethics complaints] up.

This aspect of due process is one that Bruch addressed when she proposed an alternate body to address ethics complaints: an ethics board that did not consist of council members.

Though OConnor believes in the councils ability to work well together, thats not always the impression left as meetings are adjourned.

Bruch, council member Bill Alms and Hall all raised the concern of civility and cooperation among council members.

We need to work on civility, Hall said. Theres no question about that.

Alms and Bruch proposed inquiring with outside services to address the discontent they feel among the council, including bringing in a mediator or volunteering together.

Moving forward

Its an extremely uncomfortable situation, the mayor said. I hope that we can move forward.

Ultimately, the Code of Ethics is intended to protect elected officials, staff, residents and visitors of Hudson.

The city has had the code in place for that reason.

Until now, it hasnt been used.

It gives me hope that it becomes a really good way for elected officials to protect the residents that we serve, and will be a really nice thing for our residents to know what they can expect from their elected officials, Bruch said. Ultimately, as an elected official, its really all about the will of the people.

Before the Ethics Code was presented to the council for discussion, the mayor and staff got all their ducks in a row, OConnor said.

One of those ducks is looking to surrounding municipalities for their rules, regulations and histories. What do other ethics codes say? Do other communities have histories with complaints?

Both New Richmond and River Falls have ethics codes that are similar, practically word-for-word.

The proper operation of democratic government requires that public officials and employees be independent, impartial and responsible to the people.

In theory, its really good, Bruch said. I think weve really had time to put it into practice, and I think its become clear that its time for a re-look.
China ups legal protection of citizens, further advances law-based governance

Xinhua) 08:25, March 10, 2022

The fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

* China is "one of the safest countries" in the world.

* Legislation, law enforcement and the delivery of justice will jointly provide a strong legal guarantee as China moves to modernize with new growth drivers.

* China will by 2035 have in place an improved rule of law for the country, the government and society.

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China is stepping up its protection of the rights and interests of the citizens, consolidating its standing as one of the world's safest countries and creating a better legal environment.

These are the messages resonating in the Great Hall of the People, as lawmakers deliberate reports from the country's top court and top procuratorate at the national legislature's annual session.

Submitting the reports for review on Tuesday, both Chief Justice Zhou Qiang and Procurator-General Zhang Jun emphasized a tougher stance against crimes targeting women and children, in addition to other measures to further improve the country's law-based governance.

In 2022, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) will "severely crack down on sexual abuse and the trafficking of women and children." The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) will also "prioritize prosecuting crimes that infringe upon the personal rights of women and children," according to the reports.

The pledges followed the start of a 10-month special operation launched by the Ministry of Public Security last week to crack down on the abduction and trafficking of women and children.

Observers said that China has a sound legal framework for the protection of women and children, but the emphasis on the issue signals that authorities are willing to go the extra mile to ensure the people enjoy even better protection.

For example, in 2021, Chinese courts issued 3,356 personal safety protection writs to curb domestic violence.

"The reports are a positive response to address public concerns," said Wang Yan, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC). "People feel reassured."

Xue Yufeng, another NPC deputy, said that in addition to a tougher crackdown, efforts must be made to ramp up legal aid and assistance to foster stronger synergy in protecting the rights and interests of women and children.

SAFETY ENSURED

A woman learns about Internet security and anti-telecom fraud on a street in Yuping Dong Autonomous County, Tongren City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Oct. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Ying)

Protecting the safety of 1.4 billion people is an onerous task, but China has done a great job thanks to its increasingly sound legal framework and strict law enforcement.

Observers named long-term stability and rapid economic growth to be China's two "miracles." And underpinning these miracles is the rule of law.

The top court's work report says that China is "one of the safest countries" in the world.

Criminal cases of severe violence have seen a general trend of decline over the past decade, according to the top court. The top procuratorate's report also shows a drop in the number of prosecutions related to organized crime.

"Everyone has the feeling that this country is safe and peaceful," said national political advisor Liu Hongyu. The sentiment is also shared by many expats living in China, who often post photos and videos on social media about how safe it is to roam the streets at night in China.

PEOPLE'S CONCERNS ADDRESSED

"The fundamental goal of advancing law-based governance in all respects is to safeguard people's rights and interests in accordance with the law," Chinese President Xi Jinping has said.

On multiple occasions, Xi has stressed the need to let the people "see that equity and justice are served in every law, every law enforcement action, and every judicial case."

In the SPC report, Zhou said that courts must remain committed to upholding the principle of putting the people first, and always remain responsive so that the people feel that equity and justice are always with them.

A large number of cases concerning education, employment and medical service were resolved over the last year to address people's concerns, the report says.

China's top legislature has also stepped up legislation. The Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law, for example, was recently formulated.

"This legislation aims to safeguard people's basic rights," said Zhu Guoping, an NPC deputy who took part in the drafting process. "People now feel that many aspects of their everyday lives are being protected by law."

Chen Haiyi, an NPC deputy and a court official, said the Personal Information Protection Law, adopted last year, helps address people's concerns over the excessive collection of personal data.

SAFEGUARDING DEVELOPMENT

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 18, 2021 shows a view of the Pacific international container terminal at the Tianjin Port of north China's Tianjin Municipality. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

Chen went on to say that the adoption of the law is also conducive to the development of the digital economy, a burgeoning but relatively under-regulated sector that plays a key role in China's high-quality development.

Legislation, law enforcement and the delivery of justice will jointly provide a strong legal guarantee as China moves to modernize with new growth drivers.

National lawmaker Liao Hongyu said that the timely formulation of legislation for the Hainan free trade port last year is a good example as it turned a free-trade policy into concrete rules.

He noted that the legislation embodies the aim of law-based governance to prioritize laying down a legal framework before building a free trade port.

China has adopted strong measures to protect intellectual property rights (IPR) to promote innovation-driven development and spur new forms of business. Last year, courts in China concluded 541,000 cases related to first-instance IPR disputes, including cases related to 5G communication, biomedicine and high-end manufacturing, to protect and encourage innovation.

Strengthened judicial efforts were also made to combat monopolistic pricing, unfair competition and financial crimes. Last year, Didi Chuxing, the country's major ride-hailing platform, was removed from app stores for unlawfully collecting personal information. Online food delivery giant Meituan also was fined for abusing its market status.

"The rule of law is a vital criterion for evaluating the business environment," Liao said. And it directly determines the capability of a region to attract investment.

Data indicates that foreign direct investment in China is rising and businesses are upbeat about the market.

Delivering the NPC Standing Committee's work report to the national legislative session for review on Tuesday, top legislator Li Zhanshu said that high-standard legislation is required in many areas to accomplish the challenging mission of building a modern socialist China in all respects.

A modernized country is one under the rule of law. According to China's long-term development outline adopted last year, China will by 2035 have in place an improved rule of law for the country, the government and society.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
A recent letter to the editor published in The Morning Call claimed that every Biden voter should, to some degree, bear the responsibility for Russia invading Ukraine.

Then would I be correct that every Trump voter should, to some degree, be responsible for the Jan 6 insurrection?

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Ridiculous.

Jim Altenbach

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South Whitehall Township
CDs are making a comeback!

CD sales are up for the first time in over a decade, and we take a dive into the DIY market to explore the details of whats being hailed as a CD revival.

A guest post by Tony van Veen of Disc Makers Blog.

In recent weeks, there have been a number of breathless articles and reports about the CD revival that started in 2021.

In Is the CD Revival an Actual Thing? Pitchforks Marc Hogan reports:

Although millennials may have soured on CDs during the 2000s, the format has devotees among Gen Z. Andrea Cacho, a 20-year-old sophomore at New York University, tells me that she and her friends are on the CD wave. Cacho, a WNYU DJ from Puerto Rico, says she bought her first CD  a year ago, after arriving at school. She now has 62 CDs spanning punk, metal, screamo, pop, and Christian music.  I was tired of discovering music through YouTube or Spotify, Cacho tells me. I wanted to be surprised.

In Jewel-Box Heroes: Why the CD Revival Is Finally Here, Rolling Stones Rob Sheffield muses that CDs work. They just do. You pop in the disc, press play, music booms out. They delivered the grooves so efficiently, they became the most popular format ever. If youre looking to focus on something cool for an hour, without getting up to flip sides every 20 minutes, the compact disc has what you want, bigger and louder. It gives you room to get lost inside the music.

And indeed, it looks like industry unit sales of CDs were up a modest two percent in 2021. The first time in 17 years that there was any growth in CDs. Great, right?

Does one artist make a trend?

Then, theres a post on the blog Dada Drummer Almanach that says, no, theres no CD revival. Its mostly just Adeles album  which sold over 900,000 units, by the way  and that album pushed CD sales up for the year. And so, theyre somewhat-dubious, reasoning that if Adeles CD sales were excluded from market data, CD units continue to be down about two percent in 2021.

Up, down, which is it? And does it actually matter to anyone other me, because I happen to run a CD manufacturing company? Well, Ive done some digging, and Ill tell you what I found when I focus specifically on the independent artist; the unsigned artist, like you, who is releasing their own CDs, which is a category no one has reported on, mostly because theres no data available.

The conclusions Ive come to are pretty interesting.

1. The vast majority of self-released CDs are not tracked by Nielsen Soundscan or anyone else.

2. Unsigned artists represent 22 percent of all CDs sold in the US!

3. For emerging artists, CD sales have declined much less over the past decade than for major artists.

4. CD sales among DIY artists are up slightly in 2021.

Lets dig into each of these points

Most self-released CDs are not tracked by Nielsen Soundscan

DIY artists have always had a hard time getting their physical music products  i.e., CDs and vinyl  stocked in stores and at distributors. And thats because retailers just dont have confidence that your CDs will actually sell through.

And of course, over the past 20 years, the number of retail stores selling CDs has decreased drastically. So, independent artists sell the majority of their CDs at shows to make a few extra bucks when they perform. Plus, of course, some artists sell their CDs on Bandcamp and their own websites.

But it seems pretty clear to me that, with most self-released CDs being sold at concerts, there is no sales tracking for the vast majority of discs sold. Theyre mostly at small venues that dont report to Nielsen Soundscan and most indie artists just dont bother to report their live music CD sales to anybody.

Unsigned artists represent 22 percent of all CDs sold in the US

This claim comes from our own data. Lets check out this graph representing the US sales of albums by format as reported by Nielsen Soundscan.

Here we see that the CD unit sales, in green, did indeed go up industry-wide in 2021 after a pretty long slide over the past decade. Its actually more than a decade, but the chart gives us data from 2011 to 2021. We also see that vinyl, in black, has grown significantly  from almost nothing a decade ago  and that downloads (purple) are continuing to decline.

Now, heres whats interesting. According to Nielsen Soundscan, there were 40.6 million CDs sold in the US in 2021. In 2021, Disc Makers, alone, sold almost 12 million CDs to unsigned, independent artists. And if you agree with my first point, that most of those indie CD sales are not represented in the 40.6 million that are tracked by Nielsen, that means that the total CD market in the US last year is closer to 52 million units, and our 12 million make up a bit over 22 percent of that 52 million.

And while Disc Makers is by far the biggest manufacturer for independent artists, were not the only one out there, so the actual number of CDs made for DIY artists is even larger than that. That means one in five CDs sold last year in the US was self-released. Thats a pretty impressive stat and it shows the loyalty that fans have towards emerging artists and how eagerly they will support them by buying their discs and their merch at concerts.

But, is the CD market actually seeing a revival?

Lets look at my final points, that CD sales for emerging artists declined less than they did for major artists over the past decade and that CD orders for unsigned artists were up in 2021. For starters, take another look at the sales chart above. You can see the downward arc of the curve for CD sales is flattening industry-wide. In fact, you can see that unit sales declined from around 230 million CD units in 2011 to 40.6 million in 2021. Thats an 82 percent decline in CD sales for the US music industry over 10 years.

But what about the indie artist? First, Im going to make two assumptions.

Number one: Disc Makers is the only factory that works directly with emerging artists and is by far the largest CD manufacturer for indie artists in the US. And while we have nowhere near 100 percent of that market, Im going to assume the trends we are experiencing are a reasonable representation of the trends that the overall industry is experiencing for DIY artists.

My second assumption is that looking at units manufactured for unsigned artists may not be the right metric. At least not the optimal metric. After all, we dont know how many of those discs that weve made for emerging artists are actually sold to fans at concerts versus still sitting in a carton in a basement versus having been handed out as promos, etc.

What I think might be a better indicator of how the CD market is trending for DIY artists is to look at CD order trends  that is, the number of new orders and reorderscombined for disc manufacturing that we receive at Disc Makers. This way, were looking at both new CDs being manufactured and the number of times an existing CD title sold enough units to be reordered.

The DIY market tells a different story

Check out this chart of Disc Makers CD orders for the past 11 years, from 2011 to 2021.

You can see the number of CD orders manufactured by Disc Makers each year in blue bars and then, in orange, you can see some distinct trend lines. So let me make a few obvious observations.

Yes, over the past 11 years, there have been some notable declines, which shouldnt surprise anyone, right? Over this time period, Disc Makers CD orders have declined by about 44 percent, as compared to the industry declines of 82 percent. That means that CD sales in the mainstream music industry declined about twice as fast as CD sales for unsigned artists.

In my opinion, this is a clear result of the fact that streaming pays so little  indie artists still have to rely on the revenue stream from physical media. Its interesting how CD orders held relatively flat from 2011 to 2016, despite the industry shift to download sales and streams during that time period, which points to the strength of the CD format as a revenue generator at concerts. After all, you cant sell a download or a stream at your concerts.

Now, you can see that after 2016, when streaming had become the dominant revenue model industry-wide, we did see some notable declines in CD orders. However, orders started to stabilize in 2019. And then in 2020, the pandemic and venue shutdown created the biggest percentage drop in orders the format had ever seen, which supports my position that most unsigned artists CDs are sold at concerts.

Finally, there was indeed a modest two and a half percent CD order growth from DIY artists in 2021, which mirrors the two percent or so CD unit growth for the broader music industry. Although, in all fairness, we are comparing that growth to the worst year in CD sales history.

I think the revival is just around the corner

So, is there a CD revival? Well, one swallow does not make a spring. It feels a bit too early to call it a revival, but the format declines have certainly slowed way down and they seem to want to start slowly rising, as implausible as that might have seemed just a couple years ago.

There is also some anecdotal evidence that the decline of the CD format is coming to an end. My friend Sean Rutkowski, who for many years ran a vinyl pressing plant called Independent Record Pressing about half-an-hour up the road from Disc Makers, mentioned that the recent trends he has noticed for CDs at retail  at mom and pop record stores, used record stores, etc.  are starting to look like the trends he was seeing for vinyl way back in 2008, just as that format started slowly growing again.

Prices for used CDs in stores are rising. The selection is getting poorer because more people are picking through the racks, and used CD players are harder to find at thrift stores. This sentiment is actually echoed by the Pitchfork article mentioned at the top of this post. In fact, in addition to the vinyl TikTok thats become a phenomenon, there is also now CD TikTok.

So my conclusion is the CD revival may not be quite here yet, but its right around the corner. And you, dear artist, can say you were right there when it started. So dont wait too long to place that order before our presses fill all up again!

If you have an opinion on this topic, please leave a comment below. Ill be sure to respond.

Watch more great videos on the Disc Makers YouTube channel.

Tony van Veen is the CEO of DIY Media Group, the parent company of Disc Makers and BookBaby. As a college student, he played in indie bands, created his own LPs, cassettes, and t-shirts, and sold them at shows. Today, he collects CDs, vinyl LPs, and concert t-shirts to support the artists he loves.

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WMG joins Sony, UMG, Spotify others in Russia shutdown [Full Statement]

This morning Warner Music Group became the last of the major label groups to suspend operations in Russia. Here is the full official WMG statement:

Warner Music Group is suspending operations in Russia, including investments in and development of projects, promotional and marketing activities, and manufacturing of all physical products. We will continue to fulfill our agreed upon obligations to our people, artists, and songwriters as best we can as the situation unfolds. We remain committed to supporting the humanitarian relief efforts in the region.

Sony Music, UMG, Spotify, Apple and many other music companies have pulled out of the market in recent days.

Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.

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North Adams Approves New 3-Year Contract With Firefighters

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The City Council on Tuesday approved an updated compensation and classification plan for the Fire Department during a meeting that lasted less than a half hour.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey said the new scale is a negotiated contract with North Adams Firefighters Local 1781 that includes a 1.5 percent increase retroactive to July 1, 2021; 1.5 percent for fiscal 2023, and 2 percent for fiscal 2024.

Starting pay for Firefighter 1 is $43,675.94 on this scale; the scale also covers master mechanic (F-2), fire lieutenant (F-4), and fire captain (F-5).

The plan was passed to a second reading and to be published.

Council President Lisa Blackmer had opened the meeting with a statement reminding councilors and the audience that despite the personal concerns they may have over gas prices, health needs and the national political discourse, they weren't "hunkered down in a bomb shelter or public transit system, holding our children and pets and carrying what little we can and shaking as explosions go off all around us."

Blackmer didn't say Ukraine but her comments obviously referred to the conditions of the people under assault there by Russia, and she noted "democracy isn't perfect, but it's better than the alternatives. Sometimes we lose sight of this."

"I want to see this council returned to civil discourse, our issues pale in comparison to what we are seeing in Europe," she said. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Let's get on with doing the business of the city."

Tensions within the council have been apparent for months, and have prompted calls for professionalism. Councilor Ashley Shade (participating remotely on Tuesday) has been charged with bringing back language on how councilors should comport themselves inside and outside of chambers.

Shade at the last council meeting said a suggestion to the General Government Committee to include the employee handbook into Rules of Order was rejected because elected officials are not employees. Instead, she had motioned for the council to implement a code of conduct.

"I do think it was important to have a discussion with the full council and all of its members on a proposed code of conduct, based on recent history with the council has been made public about different people experiencing different issues. And there being a lot of conflicts, personal attacks and such outside of meetings," she said at the last meeting on Feb. 22. "It is extremely important that we are professional, courteous, and that we do our jobs to represent the people in this city. And I felt that this was something that needed to be discussed further."

Blackmer at that meeting asked Shade to return with language that could be reviewed by the entire council.

The council president on Tuesday also assigned new liaisons to local organizations. Those organizations had been removed over the years from the Rules of Order but Blackmer wished them to be returned, saying the community doesn't get as much coverage as it used to.

Some councilors objected, saying the reports would be out of date and it would be better for representatives of the organizations to report to the council. But the additions passed at the last meeting 5-4, with Councilors Jennifer Barbeau, Keith Bona, Bryan Sapienza and Ashley Shade voting against.

The new assignments are:

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts: Councilor Marie T. Harpin

1Berkshire: Councilor Michael Obasohan

North Adams Chamber of Commerce: Councilor Bryan Sapienza

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition: Councilor Peter Oleskiewicz

Northern Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee: Councilor Lisa Blackmer

North Adams Board of Health: Councilor Wayne Wilkinson

In other business, Wilkinson will replace Barbeau on the Public Services Committee. Barbeau resigned from the committee. Wilkinson will join Harpin and Oleskiewicz.

The council confirmed the appointment of Sara Russell-Scholl to the board of library trustees, for a term to expire Jan. 2, 2025.
Attorney Timothy Shugrue takes out papers on Wednesday for Berkshire district attorney with his wife, Joann.

Two Challengers Emerge for Berkshire District Attorney



Robert Sullivan launched his campaign late last year. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Well-known Pittsfield attorney Timothy J. Shugrue has entered the race for district attorney.

Shugrue is the second candidate to announce a run against first-term incumbent Andrea Harrington; Robert Sullivan, of Lee, a former assistant DA, launched his campaign last year.

Harrington hasn't formally announced but has been actively fundraising and has nearly $19,000 on hand.

Shugrue took to social media to make his initial statement.

"Many of you know me as an attorney, husband, father and friend. I'm a trial lawyer with over 36 years of litigation courtroom experience in all of Western Massachusetts," he wrote.

Shugrue also is a former assistant district attorney, in Springfield, but has been in practice as a private attorney for 28 years.

He is a founder of the Berkshire County Children's Advocacy and Domestic Violence Center.

"I enter this race to make Berkshire County a safe place for all the residents of our county. I'm committed to providing experience, integrity and justice for all," he wrote.

Shugrue unsuccessfully ran against then District Attorney David Capeless in 2004.

Sullivan announced his campaign late last year.

Originally from Boston, he graduated from New England Law in Boston. He moved to Berkshire County and was assistant district attorney under Capeless.

He now has his own practice in Central Berkshire.

Sullivan has been critical of Harrington in the past. According to his campaign website:

"Now my county needs a change. It needs a chief prosecutor that doesn't follow the trends of politics that reach far beyond our county, but rather focuses on the needs of the residents of Berkshire County. It needs a chief law enforcement officer who puts community safety and accountability over the false rhetoric of a certain political caucus or movement."

Harrington defeated Capeless' first assistant, Paul Caccaviello, who held the position in the interim when Capeless stepped down in 2018.

The election is in November.
North Adams Woman Announces Run for Governor's Council

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Tara Jacobs, a two-term member of the North Adams School Committee and chair of the North Adams Democratic City Committee, is running for the District 8 seat on the Governor's Council in the upcoming 2022 election.

"The diverse voices of the district, now more than ever, need to be brought loudly and clearly to the

governor and lieutenant governor, and I intend to make those voices, including ones that have

historically been underrepresented, heard in Boston," said Jacobs. "I plan to use my education,

experience, and my personal commitment to all the residents of western Massachusetts to bring equity, social and racial justice, transparency, and accountability to a process that benefits us all."

She cited her experience advocating for education, women, and the public library, at the state

level as a cornerstone of her candidacy.

"There is a great deal of navigation required to bring the unique needs of Western Massachusetts to the attention of Beacon Hill," Jacobs said. "I have been working to make sure our public schools have had the best opportunities to thrive and improve, and I am eager to expand that work to advocate for the entire district."

The seat is open after incumbent Councilor Mary Hurley, a Springfield Democrat, announced earlier this month that she will not seek re-election. The Governor's Council advises the governor on matters relating to judicial appointments, treasury warrants, pardons and commutations, and a number of other important executive functions.

The 8th District encompasses all of Berkshire and Franklin counties, most of Hampshire and Hampden counties, and one town in Worcester County.

Jacobs will appear as a candidate on the Democratic Party ballot in the Sept. 6 primary election.

She earned her bachelor's degree from Tufts University and a master of business administration from New York University. Before community work became her focus, she was an advertising executive in New York City, Dallas and Boston. Her campaign can be followed on Facebook and Twitter
The University of Montanas removal of the mask mandate in February was seen by many as a symbolic end to the COVID-19 pandemic thats ravaged campus for the last two years. But the struggle  and the resilience  weve seen at UM over these years wasnt for nothing. Weve learned what it me
Odessa man gearing up to fight on the front lines in Ukraine
UPDATE: Car thief confirmed to be alive after using undercarriage of Wenatchee bridge as means for escape
From left: Public Hospital District No. 1 Commissioner Gayle Weston, Mason Health Chief Executive Officer Eric Moll, Public Hospital District No. 1 Board President Darrin Moody, Clinic Scheduling Supervisor Tana Larsen, Medication Refill Team Supervisor Pam Corey and Chief Operating Officer Mark Batty pose at the ribbon cutting of the new Patient Access Center at Mason Health, March 8
Navy rescuer honored months after attempted rescue of hikers who fell into mountainous crevasse near Brinnon
Mumbai cyber police have arrested two suspects involved in the dissemination of misinformation about journalist Rana Ayyub on March 5. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes the action of the states police force and urges authorities to continue to prosecute those who commit crimes against journalists.

On March 5, Vidyanshi Krishkumar Trivedi and Ayush Chandramohan Srivastav, two journalists affiliated with online media platform The Scoop Beats, were arrested after Ayyub registered a formal complaint with Mumbai Police on January 27, seeking justice for targeted harassment and fake news against her.

On January 26, The Scoop Beats published a doctored video of Ayyub, a Mumbai-based Washington Post columnist, which accused her of being aided by Pakistan and alleged that she was banned from Saudi Arabia. The video resulted in over 26,000 posts to social media platform Twitter, with Ayyub accusing the majority of users of abusive behaviour, including rape and death threats.

In her complaint to Mumbai police, Ayyub mentioned that The Scoop Beats used a doctored tweet of hers in the background that said, I hate India and I hate Indians.

This fake news has led to a barrage of hate against meMy timeline has been inundated with rape and death threats. I and my family are in imminent danger, said Ayuub.

The arrests of Trivedi and Srivastav brings the total number of people apprehended under the case to three. On February 10, the Mumbai Police arrested Siddharth Shrivastav for his issuance of death and rape threats to Ayyub on social media.

Following the complaints by Rana Ayyub, The Scoop Beats claimed they were taking stern measures against the employees involved in the incident. The news portal also issued an apology to Ayuub on February 17 and removed video from its YouTube channel.

Ayyub, known for her criticism of the Indian government, had receivedrape and death threats in July 2021 after publishing posts about a Kashmiri victim killed by the Indian police.

Female journalists continue to be disproportionately targeted for their work across the Asia Pacific. On the eve of International Womens Day, the IFJ launched the results of two surveys conducted in early 2022 to assess the work of trade unions and media organisations in tackling online abuse of women journalists, finding that 79 per cent of IFJ unions and associations said they were aware of cases of online abuse among their members. A second survey found that only 20 per cent of media workers said their media employment adopted a protocol or mechanism that allows women journalists and media workers to report online abuse and be supported and protected in such cases.

IFJ said: The IFJ welcomes the authorities action on Rana Ayyubs case. Women journalists and media workers continue to be disproportionately targeted by online harassment, and further mechanisms must be introduced to protect against abuse in the name of media freedom. The IFJ urges the Indian authorities to continue action against the perpetrators of online abuse to ensure they are brought to justice.
Umakanta Pandey, a Nepali journalist living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) , was arrested by UAE police officials for social media posts he published, that criticised the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Nepali affiliate, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) condemn the arrest of Umakanta Pandey and urge the Nepali government to facilitate for his immediate release.

Pandey, a journalist affiliated with Ujjyalo Radio Network, was arrested on 15 February under cybercrime charges following a statement he published on Facebook when he was in Nepal in early January, in which he accused the Nepali embassy in the UAE of wrong doing in regards to Visit Visas in the UAE.

The problem of visit visa in UAE will never be solved because the [Nepali] embassy itself is promoting and supporting the visit visa, said Pandey. It is reported that more than 5,000 Nepali citizens travel to the UAE on a visit visa every month, with many suspected of engaging in illegal employment in hopes that they can remain in the UAE. The journalist claimed that he had substantial evidence regarding the misdeeds of the Nepali embassy.

According to the FNJ, following his arrest, a court in Dubai sentenced Pandey to three months in prison and issued him a fine of 20,000 Dirham (approx. USD 5444). The FNJ have further revealed that Pandey is facing additional difficulties with hiring a lawyer to represent him during his trial, as Nepali lawyers in the UAE are not willing to take his case for fear of persecution.

The FNJ met Nepals Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Narayan Khadka on March 3 to ask the ministry to facilitate release of Pandey. Following this discussion, the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi also agreed to aid with Pandeys case, despite earlier denying any involvement with the incident.

FNJ General Secretary, Roshan Puri, said: Complaining to the Nepalese embassy about the status written while living in Nepal and arresting and imprisoning a Nepali journalist by the UAE police for cybercrime is against the universal recognition of freedom of expression and a direct interference on freedom of expression. FNJ draws the attention of the Government of Nepal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepalese Embassy in the UAE to investigate the incident and take immediate steps for the release of Pandey.

IFJ said: No one should be arrested merely for their opinion. The IFJ urges authorities to immediately withdraw the charges against Umakanta Pandey, and calls on the Nepali government to facilitate his release, and take action on this blatant violation of media freedom.
PLDT and Smart, through its Better Today program, supported the Sugakod Series of the local government of General Santos (GenSan) City. Led by its Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), the storytelling series took a deep dive into GenSans community-based mental health program, Project Hinabi. Last years Sugakod series has garnered over 66,000 social media reach.

Present during the live session of the Sugakod series, mental health talk, are from left: John Salvador Demdam, Brgy. Calumpang SK Chairperson and GenSan SK Fed President; Kimberly Cloi Cancer, Brgy. Lagao SK Chairperson; Sharmiella Calinawan, Host; and Joshua Jemore Madria, Brgy. Baluan SK Chairperson.

Hinabi is a Cebuano word for conversation and the Tagalog word for woven. Project Hinabi is a series of woven efforts of the community to create safe spaces and conversations.

The youth of GenSan aims to cultivate a culture of empathy and kindness within our communities. When we launched Project Hinabi last year, we thought of ways where we can reach out to individuals who are in most need of mental health support. With Project Hinabi, we are creating safe spaces for people to seek help, said Sangguniang Kabataan for General Santos City Federation President John Demdam. Our Sugakod series is a place where we can talk about relevant issues and promote initiatives related to mental health. We are happy to share our different mental health programs made for and by the GenSan youth.

The City Mayors Office, through its Youth Affairs and Development Office (YADO) and SK, launched Project Hinabi last year, a youth-led community-based mental health initiative.

Better Today is a key part of PLDT and Smarts continuing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly UNSDG #3 that stands for good health and well-being, and UNSDG #16 that stands against abuse, violence, and exploitation of children.

We envisioned Better Today to be a safe space where the youth takes an active role towards changemaking and nation-building. General Santos is our model city when it comes to mental health initiatives, and we hope to replicate and create ripple effects of change among our other partner LGUs as well, said Jose Lukban Rosete, Smart Assistant Vice President for Government Relations.

The national government has prioritized General Santos City for transformation into a digital city. This is why it is important that we start creating safe spaces on the internet for the youth early, Rosete added.

For collaborations and conversations on wellness, safe spaces, and changemaking in the digital space, follow @BetterTodayPH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube.
Three-year-old tech brand realme continues to showcase its strength in the local market, having been hailed the no. 1 smartphone brand in the Philippines for 2021 based on global research firms Canalys and IDC.

According to Canalys, realme ranked first for Q4 2021 in terms of sell-in shipments, besting four other smartphone brands as it accounted for 20% of the local market share. The brand has held this position since Q1 2021 making it the leading vendor for the whole year with 23% unit share. Canalys reported a 19% year-over-year growth for the fast-rising tech and lifestyle brand as compared to its market share for 2020.

The brands market leadership for 2021 was further validated by International Data Corporation (IDC) as the research firm also reported the number 1 ranking of realme in its recent Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report.

According to IDC, realme clinched the top spot for the fourth consecutive quarter as it captured 20.6% of the local smartphone market, growing by 7.9% quarter-on-quarter.

For the entire year, the firm also reported a no. 1 finish for realme with an overall market share of 22.2%, generating 7.9% growth year-over-year.

These achievements ultimately demonstrate the brands steady growth and momentum in the local industry despite being a relatively new contender in the Philippines. realme entered the Philippines in November 2018 and has since gone on to achieve tremendous success by offering quality tech innovations at accessible prices. This month, realme is set to launch its highly anticipated Number Series line-up: the realme 9 Pro Series, offering flagship-level features at the midrange segment. This will be held on March 15, 6PM, on the realme Philippines Facebook page.

2021 has been an incredible year for realme and we cant thank our Filipino Squad enough for the love and support it has given the brand since 2018. This year, we dare to leap higher, further, and stronger by focusing on overall product innovation, portfolio expansion, and increased customer availability, providing only the best to our fans, partners, and stakeholders, shares Austine Huang, VP for Marketing, realme Philippines.

To know more about realmes latest updates, follow the realme PH Facebook page at facebook.com/realmePhilippines or visit the official realme website at www.realme.com/ph.
Every couple of decades, a new consumer generation takes center stage--standing in the spotlight while an audience of marketers and brand strategists analyze and dissect their every action and reaction. When I began as a marketer nearly two decades ago, my generation--Millennials--basked in that spotlight.

Millennials were admonished for disrupting long-held marketing norms and turning once successful engagement strategies on their heads. Brands unwilling or unable to cater to this new generation of consumers fell flat while others thrived under pressure to evolve. The clear winners became those who embraced change by presenting new and innovative products and services, ultimately catapulting brands to success.

Fueled only by the adoption (or rejection) of a singular generation, brands today are facing a similar crossroads. A new generation is gearing up to take the baton as one of the largest and most influential consumer groups in the world--Generation Z. Currently accounting for 40 percent of all global consumer spending (that's a buying power of roughly $143 billion), Gen Z has been the focus audience for brands planning for their future.

With so many businesses suffering at the hands of missed Millennial expectations (RIP Blockbuster, MySpace, and so many more), it's understandable that most marketers and brand strategists are eager to get ahead of the curve in engaging Gen Z sooner than later.

But here's something to think about--what if all this newfound attention on Gen-Z is misplaced? What if solely catering to Gen Z alienates a far larger, and more powerful, yet often overlooked consumer group?

If you haven't already, I think it's time you hear about Gen V.

Who Is Gen V? And Why Do They Matter?

Gen V, otherwise known as the Visual Generation, is a consumer category that brings together a unique cross-section of young Gen Xers, Millennials, and older members of Gen Z (people born between 1978 and 2008) and all of whom are united by one driving force: visual communication.

Visual communication is the act of graphically representing information to efficiently and effectively create meaning. It relies on bespoke visual elements to carry meaning forward while using as little text as possible to further understanding.

While visual communication may not have been top of mind for older generations, Gen V cannot get through a single day (dare I say a single waking hour?), without it.

Consider the following:

Gen V spends an average of 2.7 hours a day navigating between the apps on their smartphone.

91 percent of this audience demands visual content as their primary, secondary, and tertiary forms of information delivery from brands vying for their attention.

86 percent of this audience prefers to learn through visual content rather than text-based content.

This audience will only read, on average, 20 percent of the text brands present to them.

This generation sends at least 10 billion emojis every day.

In just a four-year span, this generation grew Giphy ten-fold, subsidizing the dissemination of 10 billion GIFs daily.

This generation spends an average of 4-7 hours every day watching videos online.

Gen V accounts for 89 percent of all TikTok users.

If these statistics tell you anything, it's that the Visual Generation doesn't just surround themselves with visual media, they use it to power their relationships and inform self-expression. So while many marketers begin to shift their focus to Gen Z, they might be missing the bigger opportunity: leveraging high-quality visual content to connect with a far broader audience.

Don't Ignore Gen V In Pursuit of Gen Z

As a disclaimer, this isn't to say that businesses should ignore Gen Z altogether; instead, it's important to recognize that Gen Z belongs to a much larger tribe motivated by a desire to speak and connect visually more than anything else. By leveraging the shared interests of Gen V, brands can accomplish their goal of engaging Gen Z while experiencing additional growth from relevant sub-sections of Gen X and Millennials--and reap the benefits of both.

The Visual Generation is unique in that they are simultaneously content consumers and content creators. By simply employing the many tools at their fingertips (smartphones with amazing cameras, apps to edit and alter media, and myriad online venues to display their content and build followings), Gen-V produces over 70 percent of the user-generated content online today.

This overwhelming participation in content creation is yet another factor that sets this generation apart from any other. Unlike older generations, Gen V understands the effort required to create great content. As a result, they have grown very discerning. Brands vying for their attention must produce content that is better than what this generation can create on their own. In fact, most of this generation views branded content as inauthentic and bases 94 percent of their first impression of a brand on the design of that content.
The Biden administration's long-awaited executive order for government agencies to take a closer look at issues surrounding the crypto market is being celebrated by industry participants despite it lacking a clear path on possible regulation. Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

On Wednesday, the White House announced that President Biden would enact an executive order to engage most of the federal agencies within the executive branch to evaluate the threats, opportunities, and obstacles that the cryptocurrency asset class presents. While Biden's edict contained no regulatory or policy recommendations directly, it set the expectation that the agencies tasked with this evaluative exercise of crypto would report back on how each department might address their findings within their respective remits.

Areas of focus for the crypto executive order

The president's new directive advised the regulatory research to target six primary areas of focus namely:

consumer and investor protection financial stability illicit finance U.S. leadership in the global financial system and economic competitiveness responsible innovation equal access to safe and affordable financial services

It's this last priority that could have the greatest impact on small businesses.

Safe, cheap access to financial services - including small businesses

The provision of Biden's digital money missive that focuses on providing safe, equitable, and inexpensive access to financial services in the "...U.S. national interest..." should also interest business owners.

Under this section of the order the U.S. Department of Treasury is tasked with, assessing the future of money, lending "...and payment systems, to include implications for economic growth, financial growth and inclusion, national security, and the extent to which technological innovation may influence that future."

Not only are more-and-more small businesses accepting crypto payment systems for competitive reasons and to eliminate credit card charge backs, they're also exploring blockchain-based decentralized finance (DeFi) as a viable lending option for small businesses to remain solvent.

Accessing traditional finance is getting tougher for small businesses

As this column has previously stated, traditional banking is lending less money, while small businesses are needing more capital. While alternative types of funding such as DeFi are available there are risks in that space due to a glaring lack of regulation and oversight.

Under the executive order, it's encouraging to see the Treasury Department tackling "...the critical need for safe, affordable, and accessible financial services as a U.S. national interest that must inform our approach to digital asset innovation, including disparate impact risk. Such safe access is especially important for communities that have long had insufficient access to financial services." This is a positive indicator for small businesses in need of alternative funding options.

A regulatory crypto fix won't be quick, but it will be welcome

Crypto regulation won't come quickly, and it might not even happen this year. The various agencies will likely have three or four months to conduct their respective research and develop policy proposals. Then the White House will have to evaluate those various crypto evaluations, which will likely take a few more months.
Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community!

Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said this week that President Biden would likely "make a decision about any cancellation of student debt before the conclusion" of a pause on student loans, set to expire late this summer. The news comes with roughly six months left until the midterm elections and as prominent Democrat politicians like Elizabeth Warren increased calls this week for the President to do more to ease the student debt crisis in the country. Do you believe President Biden should cancel all student debt and pass the costs onto taxpayers? Why or why not? Let us know in this week's poll question below.

You voted:
A2Z INFRASERVICES LTD, a material subsidiary of A2Z Infra Engineering Ltd has been awarded a contract by North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), for providing Facility Management Services (FMS) for Dr. 5.P.M. Civic Centre at JLN Marg for the period of three years (2021-24) vide Letter of Intent.Further, the aggregate amount for the said contract is Rs90,91,88,451/-, said company in a regulatory filing.At around 2:59 PM, A2Z Infra Engineering was trading at Rs10.40 apiece up by Rs0.41 or 4.1% from its previous closing of Rs9.99 apiece on the BSE.
Prevent Unauthorized Transactions in your demat / trading account Update your Mobile Number/ email Id with your stock broker / Depository Participant. Receive information of your transactions directly from Exchanges on your mobile / email at the end of day and alerts on your registered mobile for all debits and other important transactions in your demat account directly from NSDL/ CDSL on the same day." - Issued in the interest of investors.

KYC is one time exercise while dealing in securities markets - once KYC is done through a SEBI registered intermediary (broker, DP, Mutual Fund etc.), you need not undergo the same process again when you approach another intermediary.

No need to issue cheques by investors while subscribing to IPO. Just write the bank account number and sign in the application form to authorise your bank to make payment in case of allotment. No worries for refund as the money remains in investor's account."

www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others.
February 28, 2022, Perth, Ontario  A new collaborative between Watersheds Canada, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Raisin Region Conservation Authority, River Institute, and Great River Network will restore shoreline health in the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern (AOC) from 2021 to 2024.

Generously funded by the Great Lakes Protection Initiative  Areas of Concern Program by Environment and Climate Change Canada, this three-year project will support important shoreline restoration in the St. Lawrence River AOC. Through collaboration with local partners and waterfront property owners, 12,500 native species of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers will be planted to restore 12,500-square meters of vital terrestrial and aquatic habitat along 3 kilometers of degraded shoreline.

Our survey data and experience has shown that the largest barriers faced by shoreline property owners are a lack of knowledge regarding native plant species, and a scarcity of physical and financial resources, says Chloe Lajoie, Program Manager, Watersheds Canada. By eliminating these barriers with our Natural Edge Program, more landowners can participate in shoreline restoration activities on their land.

It has been thirty-five years since the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall was first designated as an AOC in 1987. Over the decades, immense pressure from industry, contamination, and population growth has strained the health of the river and the wildlife that live there. This new project will work towards addressing contributing factors of poor water quality and major shoreline habitat loss experienced within the St. Lawrence River AOC.

This project also contributes to the actions of the Remedial Action Plan to restore the St. Lawrence River (Cornwall) Area of Concern. According to the St. Lawrence River Remedial Action Plan website, the status of an AOC is determined by assessing the state of local environmental conditions against fourteen different beneficial use impairments, as identified in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The delivery of the Natural Edge Program will directly address the legacy issues of Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat and Eutrophication or Undesirable Algae that have contributed to the AOC status for decades.

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne - Environment Program is a critical partner which will ensure that the Natural Edge Program is effective and locally appropriate.

Erosion is a well-known issue in Akwesasne, and we are incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to work with such an experienced team of collaborators, says Abraham Francis, Environment Services Manager, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. We all bring our own expertise to the table and will work to improve the shorelines in and around Akwesasne as we seek to fulfill our roles and responsibilities to Creation. For us, the shoreline restoration is about more than restoring shorelines - it is about restoring the connection of families to Creation and understanding their part in making a healthy relationship. It is through a collective and community grounded approach that we can create this healthy environment in Akwesasne for future generations of Akwesasronon.

Eligible waterfront property landowners will receive a free site visit which provides advice and recommendations to improve shoreline health. If planting is recommended, a Shoreline Re-Naturalization Starter Kit can be purchased which includes the creation of a shoreline restoration plan for the property, native plants and materials, as well as education guides on how to maintain shoreline health. Each customized plan will provide detailed descriptions of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers suitable for planting based on site conditions and landowner preferences. To learn more about what is included in a kit and its cost, please visit naturaledge.watersheds.ca

Once the restoration plan is approved by the landowner, native plants and materials will be ordered and kits will be assembled for landowner pick-up. If landowners want assistance with planting, Natural Edge staff will do the planting for an extra fee.

Shoreline restoration is an important factor in preserving the aquatic habitats that support the health of the ecosystem, says Dr. Leigh McGaughey, Research Scientist, River Institute. Through Watersheds Canada and their partners, this program provides friendly guidance for landowners who are interested in naturalizing their shorelines.

Landowners with waterfront property in need of restoration along the St. Lawrence River on the Ontario portion of the Akwesasne Territory and along Lake St. Francis are eligible to participate in this project. If you are interested in learning more about the project or connecting with project staff for a confidential free site visit, please contact Tanice Jock at ne.stlawrenceriver.aoc@watersheds.ca
Counting of votes underway

Uttar Pradesh: BJP is headed for a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh, looking at 250+ figure.

BJP leading in 170 seats as against 140 of SP in initial rounds of counting in #UP. Among those leading include CM Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal, Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar, and DyCM Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu. #ElectionResults  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 10, 2022

Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections | Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav leading in Karhal Assembly seat, BSP and BJP in second and third spots respectively, as per EC pic.twitter.com/R3hVOYdjfx  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2022

Punjab: It's a win for AAP in Punjab

#Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia trailing from Amritsar East seat, according to initial poll trends. AAP candidate Jeevanjyot Kaur leading over her nearest rival Majithia by margin of 590 votes. #ElectionResults  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 10, 2022

Aam Aadmi Party takes big lead in #Punjab, ahead in 79 assembly seats out of total 117, according to early trends. #ElectionResults  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 10, 2022

Aam Aadmi Party has crossed the halfway mark in early trends, leading on 59 seats versus 33 for Congress.

AAP's CM candidate #BhagwantMann pays obeisance at gurdwara Mastuana sahib on counting day



We're 'aam aadmi' but when 'Aam Aadmi' rises mightiest of thrones shake. Today's an imp day in India's history,not only because AAP is winning one more state but because it has become a national force. AAP will become Congress' replacement: AAPs Punjab co-in charge Raghav Chadha pic.twitter.com/X4NJ0zxeC3  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) crosses the majority number of 59 in Punjab, currently leading on 64 seats as counting for #PunjabElections, as per EC. pic.twitter.com/3WFpreZpOH  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Amritsar East Assembly constituency, Punjab | Navjot Singh Sidhu trailing at second place, SAD's Bikram Majithia at third place, in the second round of counting, as per Election Commission  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Punjab Lok Congress leader and former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh trailing in Patiala Assembly constituency



(file pic) pic.twitter.com/nESfrlVXly  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Goa:

#GoaElections2022 | CM Pramod Sawant continues to trail in Saquelim constituency, Congress leader Dharmesh Saglani leading from the seat



BJP leading in 18 seats, Congress- 12, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak-5, Aam Aadmi Party-1, Independent-2 as per early EC trends  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

BJP is leading in seven seats in Goa while the Congress is ahead in two seats. Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party is leading in 1 and Independent in two. Utpal Parrikar is trailing BJP's Atanasio Monserrate by over 400 votes in Panaji.

#GoaElections2022 | Congress now leading on 15 seats, BJP on 13. CM Pramod Sawant trailing in his constituency, Sanquelim. pic.twitter.com/TV4G4dsaiM  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

BJP is leading in Manipur

In Manipur, the BJP has gone solo and contested all seats alone. The Congress, on the other hand, has forged an alliance of six political parties and named it Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance.





#ManipurElections2022 | BJP leading on 6 seats, JD(U) on 2, Congress on 1 as per EC. pic.twitter.com/Oo53WWF9Jt  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

#ManipurElections2022 | I have prayed to God, that the coming five years would be tantamount to the last 5 years with peace and development and that BJP forms government with full majority: Manipur CM N Biren Singh



BJP leading on 3 seats with an Independent leading on 1 seat: EC pic.twitter.com/zvTUg7tbk2

Uttarkhand: BJP leads with 30 seats, Congress at 24.

Counting of votes underway in Dehradun, Uttarakhand



Postal ballots are being counted right now. Around 550 police personnel are deployed here. The use of mobile phones is banned inside counting centers. Victory rallies can be conducted only with permission: SSP Janmejay Khanduri pic.twitter.com/bLDpxrBmTY  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2022

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is leading in 52 while the ruling Congress is ahead in 8 seats

The counting of votes began on Thursday morning amid tight security arrangements at nearly 1200 counting centres across the five states.



Political parties are bracing for the assembly election results on Thursday in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and politically volatile Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, sending out feelers for possible post-poll tie-ups.

EC removes three election officials

On the eve of the counting of votes, the Election Commission announced the removal of three officials, including the nodal officer for EVMs in Varanasi, after a massive controversy erupted over Samajwadi Party's allegation that electronic voting machines were being shifted in an unauthorised manner.

The poll panel also deputed Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer as a special officer in Meerut and the Bihar CEO in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary seat, to supervise the counting of votes.

It is a high-stakes election in Uttar Pradesh for the BJP and the Modi government as the state sends the highest number of 80 MPs to Lok Sabha and the party's performance is expected to have a bearing on the next general election slated for 2024.




Ukrainian authorities have said that a Russian airstrike has devastated a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol leaving at least 17 people injured.

"Today Russia committed a huge crime,'' said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. "It is a war crime without any justification.''

AP

The ground shook more than a mile away when the Mariupol complex was hit by a series of blasts that blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building. Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying out a heavily pregnant and bleeding woman on a stretcher as light snow drifted down on burning and mangled cars and trees shattered by the blast.

In Zhytomyr, a city of 260,000 to the west of Kyiv, bombs fell on two hospitals, one of them a children's hospital, Mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn said on Facebook. He said the number of casualties was still being determined. His report could not be independently confirmed.

AP

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Mariupol strike trapped children and others under the rubble.

"A children's hospital. A maternity hospital. How did they threaten the Russian Federation?'' Zelenskyy asked in his nightly video address, switching to Russian to express his horror at the airstrike. "What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?''

The World Health Organization said it has confirmed 18 attacks on health facilities and ambulances since the fighting began, killing 10 people. It was not clear if that number included the assault on the maternity hospital.

AP

This comes as the war in Ukraine has entered its 14th day.

Despite making significant ground, over the past two weeks, Russia has failed to take major cities including capital Kyiv amid the stiff resistance from the Ukrinian forces.

According to President Zelensky at least 35,000 civilians were evacuated from besieged Ukrainian cities on Wednesday.

AP

More than 5,000 people were evacuated a day earlier from Sumy, a city of 250,000 that lies close to the Russian border and has been the scene of heavy fighting.

For more on news, sports and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
A 19-year-old British teenager with no prior military experience has travelled to Ukraine to fight Russian troops.

The teenager, only known as Jamie, reportedly travelled to Ukraine on March 6 all by himself after contacting by online forums that are recruiting individuals to provide additional aid to Ukraine, ITV News reported.

ITV News

He has no military experience and does not speak Ukrainian or Polish.



His mother, who does not want to be named, said her son simply emailed a site to volunteer before booking a one-way ticket, travelling on a child's passport.

He hasnt got any military experience or anything like that. He did go to army cadets, but it was only the very early stages. Hes never shot a rifle or anything like that," she told ITV News.

Despite being "obsessed with the military", Jamies only connection to the army is his love for the video game, Call of Duty.

His family is now worried about his safety and have no idea where he has gone.

callofduty.com

"Every day you're just waiting, I'm constantly on my laptop, on my phone, just checking. It's taken over my life and I've got other kids as well and I explained it to my husband, it feels like I've split myself in two," the mother said.



"I am now two people, I am a mum to Jamie and a mum to my other two kids. For Jamie I am panicking constantly, constantly trying to find out where he is located, to know he's safe," she added.

The mother said her son first became interested in Ukraine a few days after Russia invaded, and was keen to find out all he could, constantly asking her questions and watching videos on YouTube.

He has since contacted his mother and has promised to update her daily on how he is doing.



Earlier, another UK citizen said he's flying to Ukraine to fight Russian troops - because he's "not doing much with life."

Wales Online

Harvey Hunt, 50, signed up to the Army nearly 34 years ago and served for more than three years. However, during his service he didn't see any fighting first-hand, Wales Online reported.



Hunt is reportedly set to fly to Poland, where he will then try and link up with fellow fighters.



He revealed to the outlet that he will head to the Ukrainian border via the pan-European E40 motorway and introduce himself as a former serviceman.

For more from trending stories, click here.
Woodbridge, VA (22192)

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Cloudy skies during the morning hours followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 81F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Since the start of the semester, the Student Advocacy Resource Center has received five times as many reports of roofies, or drug-facilitated assaults, than usual. The druggings happened at four different bars, and beg an important question: what should I do if a friend or I get roofied wh
The Write Method: An award-winning poet and writer inspires us to follow our dreams
Brandon Brown poses for photos in Los Angeles, Thursday, March 25, 2021. Brown, a former history teacher and assistant high school principal, is now a Billboard-charting educational rapper who performs around the U.S. He founded School Yard Rap, a California-based company that produces music about historical Black, Latino and Indigenous people often not found in traditional textbooks.
U.S. authorities on Tuesday filed criminal charges against a cryptocurrency executive and civil charges against him and his sister, accusing them of defrauding retail investors out of millions of dollars with a digital token known as Ormeus Coin.

In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the Justice Department said John Barksdale lied about the value and profitability of Ormeus Coins mining assets, including that the coin was backed by a $250 million mining operation generating more than $5 million of monthly revenue.

Barksdale and his sister JonAtina Barksdale were separately charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with conducting fraudulent unregistered offerings of Ormeus Coin.

The SEC said the Barksdales since 2017 raised $124 million from more than 20,000 investors through their multi-level marketing company Ormeus Global SA, and spent millions of dollars on travel, real estate and other personal expenses.

Authorities said the siblings promoted Ormeus Coin through roadshows and social media, as well as a Times Square jumbotron in Manhattan proclaiming: $250 Million Cryptocurrency Mining Farm Revealed in Legal Audit by Ormeus Coin.

The Barksdales acted as modern-day snake-oil salesmen in misleading investors, Melissa Hodgman, associate director of the SEC enforcement division, said in a statement.

Lawyers for the Barksdales could not immediately be identified.

John Barksdale has been arrested, and faces up to 65 years in prison on securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy charges, according to the Justice Department.

Both defendants are U.S. citizens, with John Barksdale, 41, having lived in Thailand and JonAtina Barksdale, 45, in Hong Kong, the SEC said.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler has called the cryptocurrency industry the Wild West of finance and wants cryptocurrency exchanges to register with the SEC.

The White House has been considering broad oversight over the cryptocurrency market, in part to address ransomware and other cyber crime.

President Joe Biden is expected this week to direct the Justice Department and other federal agencies to study possible ramifications from creating a U.S. central bank digital currency, a person familiar with the matter said.

The cases are U.S. v. Barksdale, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 21-cr-00684; and SEC v. Barksdale et al in the same court, No. 22-01933.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)

Topics Fraud
A cab driver who was wounded by an off-duty police officer in a 2011 road-rage shooting has settled his lawsuit against New Yorks Nassau County for $2 million.

Newsday reports that county legislative committees approved the payment to Thomas Moroughan on Monday.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said in a statement, I believe this is a reasonable settlement in light of all the factors surrounding the 2011 incident. The officer, who was off-duty at the time of the incident, was terminated, and institutional controls have been put in place since the shooting.

Moroughan was shot twice by then-Nassau County Police Officer Anthony DiLeonardo after DiLeonardo had been drinking. The shooting took place in neighboring Suffolk County, and Suffolk County officers initially accepted DiLeonardos claim of self-defense and arrested Moroughan.

Moroughans attorney, Anthony Grandinette, told Newsday that he also has reached a settlement with Suffolk County but cant disclose the amount prior to formal approval.

DiLeonardo was dismissed by the Nassau police three years after the shooting. His attorney, Bruce Barket, said DiLeonardo wont pay as part of the settlement.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics New York Personal Auto
Reflecting growing animosity across the United States toward Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, lawmakers in New Jerseys largest city have voted to suspend the licenses of gas stations branded with the name of a major oil company based in Moscow.

The Newark City Council passed a resolution 8-0 on Wednesday urging the city to suspend all licenses of two local Lukoil gasoline stations to show support for Ukraine.

This is a step on the city side to do what the rest of the world is doing to impose some pressure on Russia to stop this horrific invasion, said Council Member Anibal Ramos, who represents a part of Newark where many Ukrainian-Americans live.

Ramos said the citys business administrator will make the final decision on the resolution.

The measure comes as a flood of Western businesses cut ties with Russian entities while Washington imposes various sanctions against Russia.

It is unclear how the resolution may affect Moscow-based Lukoil, among the worlds largest oil producers. There are 230 U.S. franchises of Lukoil North America, a company subsidiary. New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania stations are owned by franchisees.

Newark franchisee Roger Verma said on Wednesday he supports Ukraine, but a suspension would cripple his business, which employs 16 workers.

I am baffled and confused how shutting down an American-based small business owner is sending a message to support, Verma said.

#BoycottLukoil was used on Twitter to urge Americans to stop patronizing the gas stations.

Were not going to help finance the war machine, said retired information technology specialist Jeffrey Andrew of Maplewood, New Jersey, after protesting at a Lukoil station in nearby Union, New Jersey.

Company officials were not available for comment. The board of Lukoil in Russia on Thursday called for the war to end, media reported.

(Reporting by Brendan OBrien in Chicago and Barbara Goldberg in Maplewood, New Jersey; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Topics Russia New Jersey
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the states top insurance regulator said Monday that a $3 billion transfer of surplus funds from the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association to car insurers will be completed this week. The companies will have 60 days to issue the refunds _ no later than May 9.

The state said eligible consumers who do not get refunds should contact their auto insurer or agent. Those who are unable to resolve questions or concerns can contact the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

The catastrophic care fund, which reimburses insurers medical and other costs for people seriously injured in crashes, is funded with an annual per-car fee that became optional under a 2019 law. The governor has attributed the surplus and refunds in part to the law that also curbed or cut what health providers and home aides can charge auto insurers, which said they were being gouged.

Critics say the slashed reimbursements have led to injured motorists losing quality care and access to care.

The law requires refunds, though Whitmer _ who is up for reelection _ successfully requested that they be issued sooner than required. She sought a $5 billion refund. The association agreed to a $3 billion refund.
Almost extinct are the days when only men sat on U.S. corporate boards. But the speed at which boards have brought more women to the table has slowed, and its likely to be a decade before boards are evenly split by gender.

One of every four directors at U.S. publicly traded companies was a woman at the end of last year, at 26.7%. Thats up from 23.5% one year earlier and just 15.1% five years earlier. The numbers come from an analysis by executive-data firm Equilar of companies in the Russell 3000 index, which includes 97% of all investable U.S. stocks.

So progress is continuing, with boards now more than halfway toward potentially having half their members be women. Across the country, women make up 50.8% of the population. But the pace of progress has slowed following big leaps in earlier years.

If changes continue at their current pace, Equilar says corporate boardrooms could be 50% female by 2032. Thats the same estimate it gave 12 months ago, showing progress has been steady. But in earlier years, that projection was rapidly moving toward the present, from 2055 to 2048 to 2034 to 2030, before stalling.

Another recent report from Deloitte said corporate boardrooms around the world could reach gender parity in 2045. Thats an acceleration from its prior estimate of 2052, published three years earlier.

One reason for the still-long timeline ahead may be that the easiest gains have already been made. Only 80 companies had all-male boards at the end of 2021, according to Equilars survey, or 2.7% of the total. Thats down from 738 five years earlier, or nearly 25%.

Much of the initial progress happened as companies faced heavy pressure to ensure at least one woman was on their board. In some cases, it was a requirement.

California enacted a law in 2018 requiring publicly held companies with principal executive offices in the state to have at least one female director by the end of 2019, for example.

But boards may increasingly see the benefits of having more diversity, rather than just checking the box after adding one woman and moving on.

In the past when I was on a leadership team, I had to really fight to have my voice be listened to, sometimes even at the executive table, said Mary Zimmer, who retired in 2019 after more than 35 years in the financial services industry. She recently joined the board of Alerus Financial, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and is one of five women on the 10-person board.

Now, she said, well-run companies are heeding the business case for diversity. Increased diversity can only help companies stay in better tune with their customers, who are becoming increasingly diverse themselves. It also sends a message to the companys workforce that women have career paths upward.

Oftentimes you get skipped over, and you dont even know it, said Zimmer, who said she wanted to join Alerus board after appreciating its team-oriented culture.

Investors in companies are also doing their own lobbying, with many saying they want more diversity of thought in the boardroom because it can lead to better performance and bigger long-term gains. More points of view can yield better discussions, preparations and decisions, proponents say.

Research suggests companies with more diverse boardrooms and executive suites tend to have stronger profits and returns over the long term, though researchers caution its tough to say definitively whether increased diversity causes the strength or whether better-run companies tend to have more diversity. A recent study by McKinsey said that companies whose boards are in the top quartile of gender diversity are 28% more likely than their peers to outperform financially.

I spent a lot of my career as the only woman in the room, said Ann Miletti, who oversees $84 billion as head of active equity at Allspring Global Investments. You dont ever want to be seen as the token female, a person placed there so the numbers look good.

But Miletti, who says the portfolio managers and analysts she oversees consider a boards gender diversity as they make the complicated decision on whether to buy a stock, said shes noticed a change in the conversation recently. Its not only with the CEOs and other executives she talks with at companies around the country. Its also with the clients whose money shes helping to invest.

Its not about just getting that number, she said about the drive to increase diversity, but its actually about `Why? Its because of performance.

Heres a look at the state of gender diversity on corporate boards today, according to Equilar:

Women made up nearly half of all the new directors who joined boards during the last three months of 2021, at 47.7%.

North Dakota companies have the highest prevalence of female directors out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. To be sure, North Dakota had only five companies in Equilars survey versus the 521 from California. But 39% of all the board seats at North Dakota companies were filled by women. California had 31.9%.

Alaska and West Virginia were at the other end of the spectrum, with 16.7% and 19.5% of board seats occupied by women, respectively.

Bigger, more valuable companies tend to have more female directors, perhaps because theyre also usually under more scrutiny. Among companies with a market value of greater than $10 billion, 29.7% of directors are women. That compares with 27.2% for companies worth between $2 billion and $10 billion. For the smallest companies, its 24.3%.

Utility companies tend to be the most likely to have women on their board, with 31.1% of their directors female. Companies that sell products directly to consumers also are more likely to have more women on their boards than others, with roughly 30%.

Energy companies tend to have the most male-dominated boards. Only 22.3% of directors at these companies are women.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Texas administration of flood relief money from Hurricane Harvey broke federal law by discriminating against Black and Hispanic residents in the Houston area, according to a decision by the federal housing agency that could channel millions of dollars of aid to communities battered by the 2017 storm.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that the Texas General Land Offices distribution process for more than $2 billion in flood mitigation funds caused there to be disproportionately less funding available to benefit minority residents than was available to benefit White residents.

The state agency drew bipartisan outrage from officials and residents in the nations fourth-largest city last year when it announced that Houston and Harris County would be getting only a small portion of the money Texas was awarding as part of an initial distribution of federal funding, despite the area having suffered the brunt of Harveys estimated $125 billion in damage.

In a March 4 letter, HUD warned Land Commissioner George P. Bush that if his office does not voluntarily comply with federal law it may initiate administrative proceedings or refer the matter to the U.S. Justice Department. The letter was released Tuesday by a housing advocacy group that filed a complaint against the state agency last year.

Spokesperson Brittany Eck said March 8 that the Texas General Land Office is considering litigation against HUD and accused the federal agency of politicizing flood mitigation efforts. Bush, a Republican grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, is running for Texas attorney general.

Last June, Texas Housers and Northeast Action Collective complained to HUD that the land offices scoring criteria for distributing disaster mitigation money advantaged areas with mostly white residents over largely Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

Texas Housers in a statement March 8 called the agencys decision a major civil rights victory for communities of color in Texas.

The top county executive, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, also welcomed the decision, issuing a statement saying that the county is ready to help GLO correct these violations.

Harris County was ground zero for the heartbreaking impacts of Hurricane Harvey, and continues to be exceedingly vulnerable, Hidalgo said. The share of mitigation funds we receive from the federal government should reflect that reality. 

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Catastrophe Natural Disasters Texas Flood Hurricane
Hub International Ltd. acquired the assets of Niedermeyer Risk Management LLC in Beaverton, Oregon.

Jon Niedermeyer, CEO & managing partner of Niedermeyer Risk Management, and the Niedermeyer Risk Management team will join Hub Northwest.

Niedermeyer Risk Management provides employee benefits consulting, commercial and personal insurance. Niedermeyer Risk Management specializes in the hospitality and construction industries.

Chicago, Illinois-based Hub is an insurance broker and financial services firm providing risk management, insurance, employee benefits, retirement and wealth management products and services.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Oregon Risk Management
A California judge has ordered an online, for-profit university and its former parent company to pay $22 million in penalties, saying they mislead students about the costs of their education, among other things, the states attorney general announced Monday.

The San Diego Superior Court ruled in favor of the state of California in its 2017 lawsuit against Ashford University and and its then-parent company Zovio, Inc. The University of Arizona has since acquired the university and rebranded the online school, the University of Arizona Global Campus. It is an independent university that is operated in affiliation with the University of Arizona.

Ashford made false promises to students about the value of an Ashford degree, leaving students with mounting debt, broken promises, and searching for a job, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement announcing the ruling. While we cant turn back the clock for these students, this decision should send a strong message: If you engage in deceptive practices in order to pad your bottom line, my office will hold you accountable.

Bonta said he will fight for the students to be given relief from their federal student loans, and urged U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to do that.

Zovio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Eddie C. Sturgeon wrote in his ruling issued last week that the university gave students false or misleading information about career outcomes, cost and financial aid, pace of degree programs, and transfer credits, in order to entice them to enroll at Ashford.

Sturgeon wrote that, during a bench trial held late last year, testimony from former Ashford employees revealed a high pressure admissions department whose north star was enrollment numbers and a work environment permeated by fear, where closing the sale was prioritized above providing students with accurate information.

The judge wrote that the school misrepresented how much financial aid they would receive, and downplayed the student loan debt they would incur and as such many dropped out and are saddled with debt.

In 2005, Zovio purchased the Franciscan University of the Prairies, a small religious school in Clinton, Iowa, so it would have students that attended an accredited university and be eligible for financial aid, according to court documents.

Zovio renamed the school Ashford University and turned it into an online university with more than 80,000 students at its peak. Zovio made hundreds of millions of dollars from Ashford, most of it from taxpayer-funded sources like Title IV loans, income-based grants and GI Bill funds, according to court documents.

The student body was older than traditional college students, with most in their mid-30s, largely low-income and roughly 50% were minorities. A bachelors degree cost between $40,000 and $60,000, and only about a quarter of students graduated with many defaulting on their loans, according to court documents.

In exchange for paying $54 million in a deal with the University of Arizona, Zovio will continue to receive almost 20% of the schools tuition revenue for the next seven to 15 years, according to court documents.

The judge denied a request by the state to impose an injunction on the company, saying it did not believe there was enough evidence that the problems continue today to warrant that.

The company continues to provide many of the educational services it provided to Ashford.

Topics Lawsuits California Education Universities
A federal appeals court ruled that a Las Vegas police detective can be sued for arresting protesters who chalked anti-police slogans on the sidewalk in front of the police station.

Three activists arrested in 2013 broke an anti-graffiti law but Detective Christopher Tucker failed to take other people into custody whose slogans didnt attack the police, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in reversing a lower court dismissal of their lawsuit.

A reasonable officer in Detective Tuckers position had fair notice that the First Amendment prohibited arresting plaintiffs for the content of their speech, the court said in a 3-0 ruling reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

If the ruling stands, it would apply to federal courts in California and eight other states.

Tucker could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision. His attorney wasnt immediately available for comment, the Chronicle said.

The protesters belonged to the Sunset Activist Collective and they began writing anti-police messages on Las Vegas sidewalks in 2011. In June 2013, they were writing slogans outside the police station. Officers asked them to stop, urged them to use protests signs instead and issued citations but didnt arrest them.

Tucker, however, reviewed the case and ordered their arrest at another protest in August, although authorities didnt prosecute them, and some participants whose messages didnt attack police werent arrested.

The ruling is a win for free speech and police accountability, said the plaintiffs lead attorney, Devi Rao of the MacArthur Justice Center in Washington, D.C.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation Civil Unrest
A 60,000 damages claim on behalf of a 17-month-old toddler, who was stung by wasps while on a visit to Dublin Zoo, has been dismissed by Judge Catherine Staines in the Circuit Civil Court.

Judge Staines told barrister John Martin, counsel for the zoo, that witnesses for Aimee Tobin, now aged seven, had failed to convince the court there had been negligence on the part of the wildlife park despite claims that a nest had fallen from a tree and she had been stung by a swarm of angry insects.

Mr Martin, who appeared with Louise Boughton of Ronan Daly Jermyn Solicitors, told the court that while the zoo did not deny little Aimee had been stung during her family visit on August 11, 2016, there had been no evidence of a wasps' nest having fallen or that her injury had in any way been caused through fault of the zoo.

Judge Staines said nobody had seen a nest of wasps or bees having fallen from trees overhanging a nature path or any sign of swarming insects. Retired chief horticulturist Stephen Butler had told the court he would have expected some sort of debris from a nest or hive had one fallen but there had been no evidence of any.

Family testimony

Aimee Tobins then-teenage sister, Daria, told the court Aimee had been attacked by a swarm of bees after a nest had fallen down. She had grabbed her by the shoulders, lifting her away from them. She and her mother and Aimee had been taken to reception where an ambulance crew had treated Aimee by giving her Calpol for pain.

She said the incident had been reported to staff and there were bees stuck in Aimees clothes, her hair and her nappies.

Daria, who broke down in tears during cross-examination, said that Aimee had been crying and screaming and her eyes had been rolling in her head. She could not say if she had been stung by wasps or bees. They were a swarm of stinging insects, she said.

Ms Tobin agreed with Mr Martin that it was summertime and wasps and bees would fly into houses, courtrooms and even cars. Mr Martin said there had initially been a report of nine stings, then it became six stings and she had clearly stated in her evidence there had been three stings.

Aimee had not been hospitalised and afterwards, the Tobin family had returned by train to their home at The Forts, Doon, Co. Limerick, and she had received further treatment from her General Practitioner.

Ms Tobin, who is deaf and gave evidence with the aid of a sign language interpreter, said she had not seen a nest fall but the air had been full of flying black things. She said they had been pulling Aimees clothes off when a young boy gave her tweezers to pull the stings out.

Ruling

Members of staff told the court there had been 7,000 visitors to the zoo on the day of the incident and there had been no other reports of stings. They claimed there had been no complaint from any member of the Tobin family about a nest having fallen or a swarm of wasps or bees.

Judge Staines said that while she felt sorry for the pain that Aimee had suffered, and for her sister Daria and Mrs Tobin, no case of negligence against the zoo had been established and she dismissed the case with an order for costs.

Aimee, through her mother Margaret, had sued The Zoological Society of Ireland, Phoenix Park, Dublin.
A former Garda superintendent charged over a drug seizure in Dublin is to draft a signed plea of guilty, a court heard on Thursday.

The Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) recovered cannabis herb during search operations on September 29 last.

John Murphy, 61, was charged with possessing cannabis worth over 13,000 at his home in a north Dublin suburb.

The offence is contrary to Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act which can carry a 10-year sentence.

On October 4, bail was set in his bond of 500, but a 20,000 independent surety must be approved.

Gardai submitted the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

He has not yet taken up bail and appeared via video-link on Thursday at Cloverhill District Court.

Detective Sergeant Brian Hanley told Judge Victor Blake that "the DPP has directed this matter should proceed on indictment".

It means the case will go to the Circuit Court, which has broader sentencing powers.

Judge Blake asked how long the State needed to prepare the book of evidence.

However, defence counsel Janet Winston told the court there was also "consent to a signed plea".

Judge Blake noted the directions for trial on indictment or that Mr Murphy could be sent forward for sentence on a signed plea.

The GNBCI detective sergeant agreed and said the defence had made the offer.

Counsel asked for an adjournment to draft the signed plea.

Judge Blake noted the defence was telling the court "he is to be sent forward on a signed plea". As a result, the State did not need to prepare a book of evidence due to the plea offer.

Judge Blake said two weeks should be adequate, and the matter should move forward as expeditiously as possible.

Mr Murphy spoke briefly to confirm his name and that he could see and hear the court proceedings.

Judge Blake remanded him in custody to appear again at Cloverhill District Court in person on March 24 for the draft plea to be in court.

On November 5, the court granted the former senior garda legal aid. It followed an application from his solicitor, who said the request was "based on the seriousness of the charges and his financial circumstances".

Documentation supporting the application was furnished to the court and the GNBCI.

Det Sgt Hanley agreed on bail terms with the defence at the first hearing in October.

He did not read out Mr Murphy's address for his security.

Mr Murphy must not contact four people, and they cannot be named for the same reason.

Gardai have seized his passport.

If he takes up bail, he must reside at an address he provided, sign on daily at a Garda station, and not apply for a duplicate passport.

He has to provide gardai with a contact phone number within 24 hours of release.

Mr Murphy "made no reply after caution" when charged.
Gardai in Cork are appealing for information on a late-night burglary in which a large quantity of cigarettes and a number of mobile phones were stolen from a business premises.

The incident took place at approximately 1.15am on the Mill Road in Youghal on Tuesday, March 8.
Russia appears to have shifted its stance over the bombing of a maternity hospital in the southern port city of Mariupol with a mix of statements veering between aggressive denials and a call to establish clear facts about the shelling.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said three people, including one child, were killed in the bombing on Wednesday.

A further 17 were injured.

"Like always, they lie confidently," President Zelenskyy said following the conclusion of high-level talks between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats in Turkey on Thursday afternoon.

In the face of international condemnation, there were rare signs of inconsistency in the response from Russian officials.

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin would be looking into the incident.

"We will definitely ask our military, because you and I don't have clear information about what happened there," he said.

"And the military are very likely to provide some information."

Other Russian officials took a more aggressive line, rejecting the hospital bombing as "fake news."

"This is information terrorism," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Russia's defence ministry later denied having bombed the hospital. Instead, it accused Ukraine of staging the incident.

"Russian aviation carried out absolutely no strikes on ground targets in the area," spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

"The alleged airstrike was completely a staged provocation... that can deceive the Western public but not an expert."

Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sits in front of his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, foreground left, during a tripartite meeting on Thursday, March 10. Picture: Cem Ozdel/Turkish Foreign Ministry/AP

At his own press conference following the talks in Turkey, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov attacked what he called "pathetic shouting about so-called atrocities by the Russian armed forces".

Mr Lavrov claimed that hospital building had for days been under the control of "ultra-radical" members of the Ukrainian armed forces - a remark condemned as a complete lie by President Zelenskyy and members of his government.

Some Ukrainian officials have called the medical facility attacked on Wednesday a childrens hospital, while others have called it a maternity unit. It was not clear if perhaps it hosted both services.

Reports on the ground say the ground shook more than a mile away when the series of blasts hit, with explosions blowing out windows and all but completely leveling one building.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the Russian invasion began 15 days ago.

It is a crime without any justification.

A woman walks outside a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying a bleeding woman with a swollen belly on a stretcher past burning and mangled cars.

Another woman wailed as she clutched her child. In the courtyard, a blast crater extended at least two floors deep.

Today Russia committed a huge crime, said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins.

"It is a war crime without any justification."

Fighting continues amid attempted evacuations

Elsewhere in Zhytomyr, a city of 260,000 to the west of Kyiv, bombs fell on two hospitals, one of them a childrens hospital, mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn said on Facebook. He said there were no injuries.

Two weeks into Russias assault on Ukraine, its military is struggling more than expected, but its President Vladimir Putins invading force of more than 150,000 troops retains possibly insurmountable advantages in firepower as it bears down on key cities.

Authorities announced new cease-fires to allow thousands of civilians to escape bombarded towns. Whether these ceasefires hold is another matter.

Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors over the past few days largely failed because of what the Ukrainians said were Russian attacks.

A man walks with a bicycle in a street damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

International Red Cross spokesman Jason Straziuso said safe passage corridors are welcome but have to be well planned, with details agreed on by all sides including the right to bring in food, clean water, medical supplies and other necessities.

Such guarantees are vital for places like Mariupol, a city of 430,000 on the Sea of Azov, where Mr Zelenskyys office said about 1,200 people have died during the nine-day siege.

We havent been able to resupply our teams in recent days in Mariupol, for example, Mr Straziuso said.

Local authorities hurried to bury the dead from the past two weeks of fighting in a mass grave in Mariupol.

Workers dug a trench some 25 metres long at one of the citys old cemeteries and made the sign of the cross as they pushed in bodies wrapped in carpets or bags.

Nationwide, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, since Mr Putins forces invaded.

The UN also estimates more than 2.3m people have fled the country.
Talks between Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Turkey this afternoon ended without any breakthrough.

After the meeting, Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of ignoring pleas for humanitarian access to rescue hundreds of civilians trapped in besieged cities across Ukraine.

"I made a simple proposal to Minister Lavrov: I can call my Ukrainian ministers, authorities, president now and give you 100% assurances on security guarantees for humanitarian corridors.

"I asked him 'can you do the same?' and he did not respond, Me Kuleba said in a press briefing after the high-level talks had concluded.

In a parallel briefing, Mr Lavrov suggested that a ceasefire was not meant to be on the agenda for the talks.

Mr Lavrov claimed Russias invasion had been going to plan so far, and accused the Ukrainian military of breaking previous ceasefire agreements.

Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov at Thursday's negotiations in Turkey. Picture: AP Photo

He went on to claim that the Mariupol maternity hospital hit by a Russian airstrike on Wednesday afternoon had been used to house radicals and that doctors and other medical staff had been emptied out of the hospital before it was attacked. Three people died in the shelling of the hospital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Mr Lavrovs remarks.

"Like always, they lie confidently," he said.

What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?

Graphic: PA

15 days into Russias invasion, more than 2.3 million Ukrainians have fled their country, with thousands killed and injured.

The United Nations human rights office said it has recorded the killings of 516 civilians in Ukraine in the two weeks since Russia invaded, including 37 children.

Here are some of today's other developments:

Despite Russia's claims that its military does not target hospitals, bombs also fell on two hospitals in a city west of Kyiv today. - READ MORE

Billionaire owner of Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich, has been sanctioned by the UK for his links to Vladimir Putin as the Government pressures Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. - READ MORE

The US house of representatives has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would ban Russian oil imports to the United States. -READ MORE

As more than two million refugees from Ukraine begin to scatter throughout Europe and beyond, some are carrying valuable witness evidence to build a case for war crimes. - READ MORE

In a harrowing account, Alevtina Shernina, who was a young girl during the brutal siege of Leningrad during the Second World War, spoke of her experience of living through Russia's shelling of urban areas of Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city. - READ MORE

What else happened in Ukraine today?

Women and children arrive at a makeshift camp to board a train heading to Krakow after fleeing Ukraine, at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland. Picture: AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu

Meanwhile, Russian forces have advanced in the south of Ukraine, but have yet to capture a single city in the north or east.

Western countries have said they believe that after a planned lightning strike on Kyiv failed in the early days of the war, Moscow turned to tactics involving far more destructive assaults.

Half of the population of the Ukrainian capital has now fled since the Russian invasion, Kyivs mayor Vitali Klitschko said this afternoon.

"From our information, one in two Kyiv residents has left the city.

"A little less than 2 million people have currently left. However, Kyiv has been transformed into a fortress. Every street, every building, every checkpoint has been fortified."

The situation in other cities like Mariupol is deteriorating rapidly, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access food, water, heat, electricity or medical care.

The humanitarian in the southern city is becoming increasingly dire and desperate according to International Red Cross.

In an audio message recorded on Wednesday, Sasha Volkov, the organisations delegation deputy head said: "People started to attack each other for food. People started to ruin someones car to take the gasoline out.

"All the shops and pharmacies were looted several days ago, he said, and people have been getting sick because of the cold.

"We keep the shelter, the basement, only for children and their mother. All other adults and children above twelve sleep in the office.

"We will have food for a few days. We have started to get sick, many of us, because of the humidity and cold that we have. We tried to achieve hygiene standards as much as possible but not always actually possible."

Smoke rises after shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine. Picture AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

Since last weekend, Russia has repeatedly pledged to halt firing so at least some trapped civilians could escape the city.

This has not happened, and both sides have blamed the other for the failure of the evacuation attempts thus far.

Two weeks into Russias assault on Ukraine, its military is struggling more than expected, but President Vladimir Putins invading force of more than 150,000 troops retains possibly insurmountable advantages in firepower as it bears down on key cities.

Despite often heavy shelling on populated areas, American military officials reported little change on the ground over the last 24 hours, other than Russian progress against the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, in heavy fighting.

What happened in Ireland?

- Public urged to donate medicines and batteries not clothes to Ukrainian refugees

Donations from Ireland outside the local school in Medyka, Poland which is being used as a drop-off point for supplies. Picture:

The public has been urged to donate medicines and practical items such as batteries rather than clothing for Ukrainian refugees as understanding of the crisis grows.

- HSE focused on access to medical services for Ukrainian refugees

HSE COO, Dr Colm Henry. File Picture: Leah Farrell/Photocall Ireland

HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry has said that the HSE is focused on providing access to medical services for refugees arriving from Ukraine.





- Billionaire Oleg Deripaska, owner of Aughinish Alumina in Limerick, hit with sanctions

The Aughinish Alumina Refinery on the Shannon Estuary near Foynes Co Limerick. File Picture

The UK has also sanctioned Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who, through his company Rusal, owns the Aughinish alumina plant in Limerick.





- Red Cross 'astonished' by 12,000 accommodation offers for Ireland-bound Ukrainian refugees

The Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin's city centre displays the colours of the Ukrainian flag as a show of support. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

The Irish Red Cross has said it is blown away by the generosity of the Irish public after close to 12,000 offers of accommodation to Ukrainian refugees were made to the charity.
Interview ICJs Acceptance of Junta Complicates Myanmar Peoples View of Intl Justice: Expert

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the Myanmar delegation attend the start of a three-day hearing in the Rohingya genocide case before the ICJ in The Hague, Netherlands on Dec. 10, 2019.

On Feb. 21, the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) held a fresh round of hearings into the genocide case brought by Gambia against Myanmar in 2019 concerning the military operations against the Rohingya in 2017.

The ICJ allowed the junta to represent Myanmar despite objections from international organizations and Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which said the move risked legitimizing the juntas unlawful seizure of power in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021.

Ahead of the planned court hearings, the NUG government released a statement saying it accepts the jurisdiction of the court and withdraws all preliminary objections in the genocide case and unsuccessfully urged the international body to cancel the planned hearings.

Junta-appointed representatives led by its international cooperation minister U Ko Ko Hlaing and advocate general Daw Thidar Oo presented four points at the hearings insisting that the case was inadmissible because the court lacks jurisdiction.

Human rights lawyer and Legal Aid Network founder U Aung Htoo recently talked to The Irrawaddy about the latest developments in the case.

Both Myanmar and Gambia have presented arguments at the ICJ. What is your overall assessment of the case? Do you think the junta-appointed defense team has made a better or worse defense than the team of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi?

Overall, the regimes lawyers were not able to present new facts. Most of the facts they presented were old ones [presented by the NLD governments team]. So I assume Gambias rebuttals are more legally plausible. I dont know how the court will decide. But in my opinion, the court will decide that it has jurisdiction over the case.

The ICJ accepted the regime as the representative of Myanmar at the hearings in February. Many raised objections to that. Is it fair to say that the regime has an advantage due to the courts acceptance of it as representing Myanmar?

The regime might have calculated so. It is possible that the courts acceptance [of the regimes representatives] could have a political impact on the NUGs bid for legitimacy on the international stage. The NUG might be concerned about that. But there are many legal problems on the side of the ICJ, I think.

Firstly, the ICJ is a part of the United Nations [UN], so it must comply with the principles and norms of the UN. The ICJ needs to acknowledge that the UN retains U Kyaw Moe Tun [who has declared his support for the NUG] as Myanmars representative to [the UN]. What the NUG has pointed out is correct. The ICJ is responsible for seeing that fact.

Secondly, international law states that there must be a fair and public trial. The ICJ is well aware that the defense team was led by [civilian leader] Daw Aung San Suu Kyi when Myanmar offered its defense before the coup, that the Myanmar military has since seized power in a coup, and that the new representatives of Myanmar are appointed by the junta. The NUG has proposed sending its own representative to the court hearings. The ICJ however did not make enquiries in response to the NUGs request, and allowed the junta-appointed representatives to speak at the court hearings on Feb. 21. This is contrary to a fair and public hearing, which is the established norm of international law.

Section 31 of the ICJs Rules of Court state that the President shall ascertain the views of the parties with regard to questions of procedure, and for this purpose he shall summon the agents of the parties to meet him as soon as possible after their appointment. But in the case of its latest hearings on Myanmar, the president did not apply that procedure. He made the decision on his own [to accept the junta as representing Myanmar].

The ICJ has violated the norm of a fair and public trial. At the same time, the prosecution, Gambia, did not point that out. It unquestioningly accepted the junta as representing Myanmar at the Court. This has prompted us to examine its intention in accepting it. Gambia knows that the military seized power in a coup, and Myanmars legal defense team has changed. But, it did not complain, and did not even bother to mention it.

The NUG has asked the ICJ to allow it to represent Myanmar at the court. But it did not explain why the jurisdiction of the court should be accepted. Perhaps Gambia is worried that the way the NUG is approaching the case might not move in its desired direction.

To what extent will the regimes post-coup atrocities impact the case at the ICJ?

The nature of the court is to seek justice. In so doing, a court has to take into consideration the events that happened before, during and after said crime. The ICJ will however not consider the events that happened after the coup in Myanmar, which is sad for Myanmar. It does not view [post-coup atrocities] as evidence [of the Myanmar militarys previous crimes]. Moreover, it unquestioningly accepted junta representatives without following standard court procedures. This clearly shows that post-coup events will not influence the court in its decision.

To what extent can Rohingya refugees expect justice in this case?

This concerns the entire Myanmar people. Firstly, the whole [population] need to change their mindset and stance. There are two views: One is to uphold the principle of national interests, and another is justice based on humanity. Before the military coup, many viewed the case from the perspective of national interests. It was about defending Myanmar and its national interestsMyanmar must win and Gambia must lose. Frankly speaking, that stance is not correct.

Today, we need to reconsider that stance. We need to change our stance in favor of justice based on humanity for the Rohingya people. If we do so, there will be real hope for Rohingya people to get justice.

Considering the delays and inconsistencies that are typical of international courts, are Myanmar people wrong to hope that international mechanisms can achieve justice in regards to oppression in the country?

It is a good question. In short, it is not a false hope. It can in no way be a false hope. Mostly it depends on how you approach the international judicial mechanism.

Since the end of the pro-democracy uprising in 1988, [opposition forces in Myanmar] have approached every issue from the perspective of national reconciliation, instead of punishing the military, which has committed serious crimes. Political leaders have never tried to take action against Myanmars military. The perpetrators were never punished. Even if the perpetrators of serious crimes could not be punished for the sake of national reconciliation, something should have been done. Reforms should have been undertaken of the judicial and security organizations to prevent military leaders from committing similar crimes in the future. I mean institutional reforms should have been carried out within the military, military intelligence, police and so on. But, it has not been possible to do those things for reasons of national reconciliation.

Secondly, restorative justice has not been done for victims of serious crimes. As a result, successive military leaders have become more daring in committing national crimes, believing they can do anything with impunity.

I mean we have failed to effectively stop the military from enjoying impunity, and we support it indirectly by covering up its crimes. So, military leaders have continued to commit crimes flagrantly. This ultimately resulted in the exodus of more than 700,000, or perhaps 1 million, Rohingya people. [Political leaders] continued to defend the Myanmar military even after it committed such serious crimes.

Before the coup on Feb. 1, 2021, Myanmar people, major political parties and political leaders did not rely on or effectively cooperate with international judicial mechanisms.

At the same time, the military elites led by Min Aung Hlaingwho is as evil as can bedo not deserve the loving-kindness of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. She wants to see peaceful change in the country. She paved the way for military leaders and defended them. But the traitors are ungrateful. They dont want to see peaceful change in the country. What they care about is maintaining their grip on power. Even a dog does not bite the hand that feeds it, but they dont just bite, they actually harm the person [who protects them] as well as the entire country.

The juntas lawyers claimed during the ICJ court hearings that Gambia is too reliant on the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission (UNFFM) report, and that they failed to assess the correctness of the report. In fact, the UNFFM report contains sufficient evidence to build a case. But the regimes lawyers argued that the report alone is not enough to charge Myanmar. Such cases are quite unpredictable. [The case] may be dropped if the prosecution side cant provide sufficient evidence to convince the court that the defendant had genocidal intent in committing those crimes.

So, we have to look for the reverse of what we had expected before. If Myanmar wins the case [at the ICJ], it amounts to putting a lethal weapon in the hands of a fool. So, we need to help Gambia win the case. Who will support that?

The military regime will never follow provisional measures adopted by the ICJ. So, the NUG, which has sought to represent Myanmar at the ICJ, can follow the provisional measures. At the federal level, there is the NUG. In Rakhine State, there is the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA). There is the [parallel] government formed by the ULA/AA in Rakhine. It is very good. So if the federal-level NUG and state-level ULA/AA governments work together and follow provisional measures, the truth will emerge, which is good for the international judicial mechanism and the Rohingya, as well as Myanmar.



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Burma Junta Court Charges Myanmar Journalist With Incitement

Mizzima news editor Than Htaik Aung / Mizzima

A Myanmar military regime court in the countrys capital Naypyitaw has charged a journalist with incitement after detaining him for nearly a year, continuing the juntas relentless crackdown on local independent media.

Mizzima news editor Than Htaik Aung was charged under Article 505 (A) of the Penal Code on Wednesday by the Zabuthiri Township Court.

He was arrested on March 19, 2021 along with a local BBC reporter in the capital while covering the trial of a senior leader of the ousted National League for Democracy. The BBC journalist was released three days later.

Than Htaik Aung denied the charges on Wednesday, pleading not guilty in court. The judge scheduled final arguments in the case for March 17.

U Sein Win, managing editor of Mizzima, told The Irrawaddy that Than Htike Aung was simply doing his duty as a journalist and didnt break any law.

The top leaders of the military are abusing their power. It is an unfair action, he said.

Since the coup, the regime has shut down at least six independent media organizations including Mizzima and arrested many journalists, making Myanmar the worlds second-biggest jailer of journalists after China since the takeover on Feb. 1 last year.

There are currently 46 journalists behind bars in Myanmar. Three have been killed by the junta.

The regimes crackdown on local media has made it impossible for many journalists to work, forcing them to flee the country or go into hiding. The junta has increased its crackdown on media workers this year, including seizing a number of journalists homes.

Currently, only a few reporters working for the BBC, RFA and VOA remain inside the country, though some media organizations less critical of the regime are still operating.



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Myanmar Junta Kills 10 Children in a Week

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Burma Junta Demolishes Homes in Striking Myanma Railways Town

Captions for all pics: Myanmar regime bulldozes houses in Myitnge. / CJ

Myanmar junta forces are demolishing the houses of civilians in Mandalay Regions Myitnge, a town whose population is mainly Myanma Railways (MR) staff, many of whom are on strike as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) protesting military rule.

The regime has been bulldozing houses in Myitnges 16 wards since Tuesday, declaring them to be squats. The town is home to a railway carriage and wagon factory run by MR.

Large numbers of junta soldiers arrived in Myitnge on March 5 and restricted travel in and out of the town, which is located in Amarapura Township. On Tuesday, they started demolishing buildings including houses and shops, according to local residents.

They cut the town off before bulldozing buildings. Two days ago, they distributed notices of eviction which say that we must move out within five days. But yesterday they said they were told to demolish houses and bulldozed them. Some houses that were built 70 years ago were all flattened, a Myitnge resident told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. Residents were continuing to move out of Mytinge on Thursday.

Although the military regime claimed the eviction orders were targeted at squatters, almost all the towns residents have been forced to move, he added.

Low-cost shops and houses that were built with funds from the carriage and wagon factory and sold or rented to MR staff and residents were also demolished.

Myitnge is located by the old Yangon-Mandalay Road. A railway workshop was built there in 1905 during British colonial rule, and started to run as a carriage repair department in 1912. Currently, Myitnge is home to some 80,000 people from 12,000 households.

The town covers over 630 acres and 12 wards were built to accommodate MR staff when the carriage repair department was established. Four more wards were built later.

As the factory grew busier, shops and houses were built [on its compound]. The houses have numbers and people who live in them pay rent to the factory. Residents do not have any ownership documents, but they have been living there for more than 70 years, said one resident of Myitnges Aung Mingalar Ward.

Over half of the 2,000 MR employees at the carriage and wagon factory joined the CDM after last years coup.

When the strike forced the factory to halt operations, the regime pressured the strikers, forcing them to move out of staff accommodation and then sealing it off. Myitnge residents believe the town is being targeted because so many people there support the CDM, according to a man assisting the striking MR staff.

The regime is not happy with MR because many staff have joined the CDM, and so it has targeted Myitnge and also demolished the houses of people who have nothing to do with the CDM, he said.

Myitnges multicultural population led to the town being dubbed a little San Francisco. With many of the original rail workers coming from India during the colonial period, the town is home to mosques, Sikh temples, Hindu temples and Christian churches.

Among the people who have been forced to move by the juntas demolition tactics are those who maintain religious buildings. Myitnge residents are concerned that those houses of worship may also be bulldozed.

They are demolishing the houses of everyone, apart from non-CDM staff. They checked the staff quarters thoroughly, asking the occupants if they are on strike or not. They removed all the possessions from the uninhabited houses of strikers and sealed them off. Over 500 units have been sealed off, said one MR striker.

The majority of the population in Myitnge are MR staff or retired MR employees. Successive generations have worked at the Myitnge factory, always living in government-provided staff quarters rather than private homes. Some strikers have reportedly registered to return to work following pressure from the junta.

With their homes demolished, many Myitnge residents have moved to villages to the west of the town or to the homes of their relatives elsewhere.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Kills 10 Children in a Week

Regime troops during a crackdown on a peaceful anti-regime protest in Pyinmana Township, Naypyitaw, in February 2021. / The Irrawaddy

At least 10 children were killed by Myanmars junta forces in less than a week this month, bringing the number of children killed since last years coup to around 120.

Among the recent victims were three siblings killed when junta artillery was indiscriminately fired at their village  which is not near the combat zone  near the Kayah State capital Loikaw on Tuesday afternoon.

The children, aged seven, 10 and 12, were playing under a tree at the time, according to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force. The shell also injured their father and 15-year-old sister.

On Tuesday, Mg Myat Bhone Naing, five, and Mg Swan Htet Naing, eight, were killed along with around nine others, including their mother and grandmother, when junta forces shelled a monastery sheltering displaced civilians in Lat Pan Taw village, Yinmabin Township in Sagaing Region.

According to photos seen by The Irrawaddy, junta troops burned the bodies in an apparent attempt to remove evidence.

They were killed when the junta fired artillery at the monastery. We saw their bodies as the troops burned them, including two children, behind the monastery but we could not do anything, a resident said.

A relative told The Irrawaddy there were no words to express the pain after seeing the pictures of the burned remains.

They did not even leave the dead to be recovered by their relatives. They just burned them all.

In Papun Township, Karen State, on Saturday night, junta artillery killed Naw Tar Lu, two, Naw Htoo Phaw, five and Naw Tin Nilar Win, 14. Four more residents were killed and others severely injured in the strike. The villagers were asleep when the strike occurred and had no chance to take shelter.

Other victims killed by junta forces include the four-year-old and 11-year-old daughters of Daw Aye Aye Win in Pauk Township, Magwe Region. Regime forces allegedly raped the mother before killing her and her two daughters last Saturday.

Residents said the younger girl was stabbed to death while the older child was one of several villagers detained as potential human shields and found dead three days later.

The civilian National Unity Governments Ministry of Women, Youths and Children Affairs reported on March 1 that the junta had killed at least 110 children.

Among the fatalities were a one-year-old in Mandalay and Khin Myo Chit, six, who was shot dead while sitting on her fathers lap as troops broke into her home.

Aye Myat Thu, 11, was shot in the head while playing in front of her home in Mon States capital Mawlamyine and Salai Van Bawi Thang was shot dead by junta forces in Thantlang, Chin State. Htoo Myat Win, 13, was shot dead while playing near his home in Shwebo, Sagaing Region.

The report said Sagaing Region saw the highest number of children killed, followed by Mandalay and Yangon.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Sentences Veteran Activist on his Birthday

Ko Mya Aye, veteran democracy activist.

A Myanmar junta court sentenced prominent democracy activist Ko Mya Aye to two years imprisonment under hate speech charges on Thursday.

The sentence was handed down to the activist, who has been under detention for more than one year since last years coup, on his 56th birthday in Yangons notorious Insein Prison.

A court source told The Irrawaddy that the democracy activist, who was twice jailed by former military juntas for his political activism after the 1988 uprising, mocked Thursdays sentence as an unusual birthday gift.

Ko Mya Aye, the former 88 Generation student leader and now a Federal Democratic Force leader, was among the first people whose homes were surrounded and detained at gunpoint on Feb. 1, 2021, during the coup.

The junta filed the case against the Muslim activist under Article 505(c) of the Penal Code based on a 2014 email about his work with ethnic armed organizations, Burman ethno-nationalism and the importance of working together for federal democracy. The email was found on his seized phone.

Article 505(c) prohibits statements which could incite anyone to commit an offense and carries up to two years imprisonment.

U Mya Aye allegedly told the court that he was arrested without any reason and condemned the unfair trials.

As family members, we prepared for any news but today I felt anger and sadness, his daughter Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, a human rights activist based in London, posted on Facebook on Thursday.

She said she wished her father could have a meal cooked by her mother with his family on his birthday, adding that he particularly likes her cooking.

He is not receiving proper medical treatment for the cellulitis in his leg, she added.

Happy birthday, Daddy. Wishing you a speedy return home, Wai Hnin Pwint Thon wrote.



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Burma Witness Disputes Myanmar Junta Allegation of Suu Kyi Power Abuse

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. / The Irrawaddy

A junta court heard a corruption case on Tuesday against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in which a prosecution witness disputed regime allegations that the detained State Counselor abused her power to purchase land plots at lower prices for her charity foundation in the Myanmar capital Naypyitaw.

U Ko Ko Oo, a department head from the Naypyitaw Development Committee, testified at a court hearing in Naypyitaw on Tuesday that the land was sold to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at the official price fixed by the development committee, a source close to the court told The Irrawaddy.

In 2018, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi bought more than 90 acres of land in Naypyitaws Ottarathiri Township for 700 million kyats ($444,000 at the time) for the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, a charity which she established in 2012 and named after her mother.

The land was earmarked for the La Yaung Taw project, which aimed to establish a vocational training school and a forest. The land was sold at five million kyats per acre, an official price set by the Naypyitaw Development Committee.

The military regime, which seized power from the civilian National League for Democracy government led by Suu Kyi in February last year, filed a corruption case against her regarding the land purchase, claiming that there was a difference between the land price set by the Internal Revenue Department and the price at which it was sold to the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation.

The witness testified frankly. The defense questioned him to highlight the fact that the decision [to sell land to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at the said rate] was made by the development committee, and that the Internal Revenue Department has never complained to the development committee, said the source close to the court.

Former Yangon Region chief U Phyo Min Thein, his wife Daw Khin Mi Mi Kywe and plaintiffs U Ye Htet and U Muang Maung Kyi were cross-examined by Suu Kyis lawyers on Monday and Tuesday over allegations that U Phyo Min Thein gave seven viss (around 11.4kg) of gold and US$600,000 to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in 2017 and 2018 while she was in office.

The plaintiff in another corruption case against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ousted President U Win Myint and former social welfare, relief and resettlement minister U Win Myint Aye also testified on Tuesday. The charge relates to the rental and purchase of a helicopter for use in the management of natural disasters and state affairs, including rescues and emergencies.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is on trial for nearly a dozen charges that carry a combined maximum prison sentence of more than 100 years. The regime has also filed multiple charges against U Win Myint. Both were handed jail sentences in December and January after being convicted of a number of charges.

Lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court of the Union in the last week of February to withdraw five corruption charges each against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, former Naypyitaw mayor Dr. Myo Aung, and former Yangon ministers U Ye Min Oo and U Naing Ngan Linn.

The Supreme Court will decide on March 15 whether or not to allow the appeal.



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Ithaca, NY (14850)

Today

Showers early, becoming a steady rain later in the day. High near 65F. S winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

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Photo taken on Feb. 17, 2022 shows the Cambodia-China Friendship Tboung Khmum Hospital in Tboung Khmum province, Cambodia. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

"China, your generous support will be in our hearts forever," a Cambodian hailed the Cambodia-China Friendship Hospital in the eastern Tboung Khmumas province as a key life-saving facility.

TBOUNG KHMUM, Cambodia, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Situated in the eastern province of Tboung Khmum, a huge and modern Chinese-aided public hospital, which was put into use on Monday, would serve as a key life-saving facility for locals in the eastern and northeastern regions of Cambodia.

Built by the China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. and funded by the Chinese government, the Tboung Khmum Cambodia-China Friendship Hospital is equipped with modern medical equipment for checkups, treatment and surgery.

Such a modern hospital had never existed in these regions previously when patients with moderate to serious conditions had to travel all the way to the capital Phnom Penh, but now it has changed. China has brought hospital close to their houses.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (C, front) and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian (2nd R) inspect the Cambodia-China Friendship Tboung Khmum Hospital in Tboung Khmum province, Cambodia on March 7, 2022. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

The five-story hospital has 300 beds and is divided into different units, including outpatient, emergency, imaging, endoscopy, laboratory and medicine, surgery, gynecologic outpatient, pediatric clinic, blood bank, pathology, hospitalization, maternity, oxygen plant, and infectious disease ward.

"Such a huge hospital had never been available in Cambodia's provinces before," Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said during the hospital's inauguration ceremony on Monday. "It is the largest modern hospital in Cambodia's provinces, except in the capital Phnom Penh."

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian believed that the hospital would serve people better as it was equipped with modern medical technologies.

"This is emblematic of the China-Cambodia friendship," he said. "I'm confident that the hospital will play an important role in protecting people's lives and well-being."

Aerial photo taken on Feb. 17, 2022 shows the Cambodia-China Friendship Tboung Khmum Hospital in Tboung Khmum province, Cambodia. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng said that developed on the land area of 24,300 square meters, the hospital is employing more than 350 medical workers.

It will also serve as a regional hospital for people in neighboring provinces, he said.

Eng Kheang, director of the Tboung Khmum Cambodia-China Friendship Hospital, said the hospital would make medical care more convenient for people, who previously had to travel to Phnom Penh for medical treatment.

"This hospital is a landmark project in Cambodia-China cooperation in public health and it was born of close cooperation between the two countries, especially under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative," he told Xinhua.

"It's a huge gift for the health sector that China has provided to Cambodia, and this new hospital will serve people better as it is equipped with modern medical technology that has not been available in this region before," he said.

With the assistance of medical supplies and equipment, and technologies from China, he believed that people would enjoy quality medical care services, Kheang said.

Lim Pichthearasy, a 29-year-old doctor at the hospital, said China has helped build the modern hospital, provided advanced medical equipment and held training courses for health staff.

"These have greatly contributed to the development of the health sector and the reduction of poverty in Cambodia," he told Xinhua.

"The hospital will not only help improve the people's health in eastern and northeastern regions of Cambodia, but also contribute to deepening people-to-people exchanges between the two countries toward a community with a shared future," he said.

Chheang Rotha, a resident in Tboung Khmum, said he was really elated to see such a huge and modern hospital here.

Previously, when people got moderately or seriously ill, they were very concerned about their conditions because hospitals were far away from their houses, he said, adding that if they were sick at night, it was even more difficult to travel to hospitals and it was sometimes life-threatening for seriously ill patients.

"But from now on, patients with moderate to serious illness will no longer need to travel in a long distance of more than 100 km to hospitals in Phnom Penh," the 36-year-old father of two children told Xinhua.

"It is now very convenient for people in these regions and this hospital will not only rescue our people's lives, but also save them both time and money," he said.

Resident Sout Seanghay, 32, said she was grateful to China for providing a great deal of assistance to Cambodia for the development in all fields, particularly in the public health sector.

"China, your generous support will be in our hearts forever," she said. 
Ithaca, NY (14850)

Today

Showers early becoming a steady light rain later in the day. High 63F. S winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 42F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Lenovo introduces IT infrastructure solutions for medium businesses with services to help them achieve intelligent transformation.

The new IT infrastructure solutions includes new server, storage, and service offerings to overcome resource limitations and offers remote work optimisation and innovation.

Lenovo says midsize businesses make up the majority of the worldwide economy and workforce, with 70% projected by IDC to significantly increase their IT spending by 2026.

As digital transformation continues to accelerate globally, growing businesses must be able to adapt to ever-changing market demands, achieve faster deployment, manage resources and reduce security risks.

Today, many organisations face limitations in IT staffing, skills and funding, creating barriers to infrastructure transformation.

Lenovos on-prem server-based solutions provide improves workforce productivity and allows businesses to start small, remain competitive and grow.

"From affordability and flexibility to global services and a wide partner ecosystem, our solutions will continue to support businesses in Australia and New Zealand to improve productivity and respond to an ever-evolving business environment. Investments in digital capabilities and infrastructure are key in enabling start-ups and larger ecosystem to fuel innovation and sustaining business growth, says Lenovo president APAC ISG Sumir Bhatia.

Future-ready transformation with flexible IT

Lenovos expanded portfolio features new single-socket ThinkSystem V2 Servers, Lenovo TruScale Infinite Storage and a range of services.

With robust reliability, the new ThinkSystem V2 servers provide solution for constrained spaces inside and outside the data centre. The new single-socket ThinkSystem ST50 V2, ST250 V2 and the SR250 V2 servers offer companies solutions tailored for running their business, including support for business-critical applications in retail, manufacturing and financial services.

In combination with ThinkSystem servers, the Lenovo ThinkSystem DM5100F storage system features SAN storage solution that adapts to new workloads over time, allowing businesses to start small and grow, as well as manage data from the edge to the cloud.

As Lenovo services handles our infrastructure management, we now devote more resources to building new digital services for clients, says STGT CEO Pedro Ramirez.

With Lenovo TruScale Infrastructure Services, we are becoming a more agile company, delivering higher-quality services to clients while significantly reducing our costs. In the years ahead, the Lenovo solution will help us to achieve sustainable growth.

Management made easy

Lenovo helps customers and simply manage their data and infrastructure solutions, using the built-in Lenovo XClarity management software.

Companies using the Lenovo XClarity will have a dashboard that can standardise, simplify, and automate IT management tasks, enabling systems to be configured in as little as three minutes and preventing up to 90% of service calls.



Enabling remote work is challenging. Lenovo TruScale for Hosted Desktops enables remote workers to be productive with enhanced security from anywhere.

To make it even easier, Lenovo offers Professional Services Tokens, which can be purchased for hourly increments of IT technical expertise and service support.

Enhanced recovery and protection

Historically, 43% of cyberattacks target small and midsize businesses. Of those that experience a security breach or cyberattack, nearly 60% go out of business.

Lenovos solutions for business continuity help reduce the risk of downtime. Lenovo offers ThinkSystem V2 servers with ThinkShield Security and ThinkSystem DM storage solutions with built-in automatic ransomware protection.

For example, with Lenovos backup and recovery solution, businesses can help better protect themselves from security risks, data loss and unforeseen disruptions.
COMPANY NEWS: Vultr, one of the worlds fastest-growing independent providers of cloud infrastructure, has announced the launch of its cloud data centre location in Melbourne, to power growth and digital transformation across the region. The move brings Vultrs easy-to-use, high-performance cloud infrastructure to Australian businesses and developers, offering a viable alternative to large incumbents at affordable, predictable prices.

Gartner forecasts that enterprise spend on public cloud services would grow to $10.6 billion in 2021 with expenditure on infrastructure as a service increasing by 38.5%. As Australias IT sector steadily adapts to new business conditions, accelerating digital transformation is high on the list of company policy.

Vultrs newest cloud data centre location is in Melbourne, and it empowers businesses and developers across Australia to innovate more quickly and at a reduced cost.

Vultrs infrastructure cloud services offer better price performance than the large alternatives. In comparison to the complex pricing structures of other big independent cloud providers, Vultrs pricing is easy to understand, with no hidden fees.

Our cloud data centre launch in Melbourne embodies our strategy of supporting innovative cities with high demand for cloud and edge computing and a large community of skilled developers. This strategy brings significantly decreased latency to end users by placing computing power closer to them, said Constant CEO and Vultr creator J.J. Kardwell.

Magic Millions sells thoroughbred race horses largely via online auctions, and we rely on Vultr to power our video and web servers. We've found Vultr's performance to be excellent, and we've also appreciated that the platform has allowed us to keep costs fairly low for some very network-intensive use cases. We're thrilled that, with its Melbourne launch, Vultr is further enhancing its presence in our home country of Australia, said racehorse auction house Magic Millions chief information officer Leigh Spiegel.

Vultr is also encouraging managed service providers and resellers within Australia to join the Vultr Partner Program, which has already attracted more than 500 managed service providers (MSPs), resellers, and technology innovators who are frustrated by the limited margins, high prices, and restrictive programs of the Big Tech cloud providers.

With the new Vultr Partner Program partners can earn industry-best margins on cloud compute and cloud storage, while building profitable value-added services and managed services on top of Vultrs platform. Vultr partners receive: high margins, channel-friendly packaging (including annual SKUs), lower prices commonly 50% that of the Big Tech clouds, and enterprise features (such as VPC and direct connect).

The company has recognised the comparatively high cost of Big Tech clouds and the effect these costs can have on startups and growing businesses. In response, Vultr has developed a disruptive business model which provides fair, accessible pricing with no surprises.

Vultr has experienced global success with this alternative pricing model, and now operates datacentres in 23 countries including Spain, Poland, India and Japan.

Vultrs streamlined interface of essential infrastructure services give developers the foundation to do anything they need, with the ability to deploy an instance in less than 60 seconds. Businesses looking to discuss larger cloud migrations are eligible for a free consultation with a solutions engineering expert.

About Constant and Vultr

Constant, the creator and parent company of Vultr, is on a mission to make high-performance cloud computing easy to use, affordable, and locally accessible for businesses and developers around the world. Constant's flagship product, Vultr, is a leading independent cloud computing platform. A favourite with developers, Vultr has served more than 1.3 million customers across 185 countries with flexible, scalable, global cloud computing and bare metal solutions.
German-Australian quantum hardware specialist Quantum Brilliance is the commercialisation partner in a $17.5 million research project funded by the German government.

The three-year project, led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, aims to develop a compact, scalable quantum computer demonstrator with spin-photon qubits leveraging synthetic diamonds.

Quantum Brilliance's role will be providing input regarding the economics of producing the system and the broad, practical applications that will benefit from its development.

"The aim of our work is, among other things, to ensure reliable operation of such an innovative quantum computer and to create a peripheral system to make computing power available to a broad group of users, for example via cloud computing," said Fraunhofer IAF project coordinator and managing director Professor Rudiger Quay.

Quantum Brilliance European head Mark Mattingley-Scott said "We are delighted to be part of this exciting BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research)-funded project led by Fraunhofer IAF. Quantum computing is one of the key industries of the future  with a potential that is second to none.

With its research landscape, local industry and the support of the public sector, Germany has the perfect conditions to be a leader in this promising industry.

Other participants include Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB, Forschungszentrum Julich, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Konstanz, Heidelberg University, Technical University of Munich, University of Ulm, Diamond Materials, NVision Imaging Technologies, Qinu, University of Stuttgart, and Swabian Instruments.
Lenovo says the workstation continues to be the only tier 1 professional workstation powered by AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO processor.

Built on power and performance in a single-socket platform, the ThinkStation P620 offers 25% performance improvement compared to the previous generation.

The tower workstation is available with a new 24 core CPU option.

The ThinkStation P620 removes bottlenecks to allow performance to scale and user productivity to soar while running a variety of applications for multi-threaded workflows.

This includes support for up to two Nvidia RTX A6000 graphics cards, up to 1TB of memory and 20TB of storage. The latest version of the P620 also offers:

PCIe Gen 4 for increased speed across storage, memory and graphics

Two times the L3 cache directly accessible per core compared to the previous generation CPU for reduced latency

Increased clock speeds up to 4.5GHz

Up to 64 core processor

10GB of built-in ethernet - a new standard in connectivity

Windows 11 support

DreamWorks Animation relies on Lenovos workstations. With each film requiring millions of compute hours and resources, artists can more quickly bring their creative ideas to life with the ThinkStation P620.

Lenovos ThinkStation P620 workstation provides impactful and innovative advantages that have elevated our various workflows, claims DreamWorks Animation technology fellow Skottie Miller.

As we deploy more of Lenovos workstations across all departments, we are excited about the opportunities their technology brings to our studio, Miller says.

In addition to enhanced performance and support of the latest professional graphics technology from Nvidia, the P620 combines Lenovos reliability, experience and innovation with professional manageability and enterprise-class support.

Lenovo says The ThinkStation P620 is well-suited for professionally managed IT environments and adheres to Lenovos rigorous standards and testing. Full ISV certification, ThinkStation Diagnostics 2.0, ThinkShield support, upgrades to Premier Support and three-year warranty deliver confidence to work securely.

In an era of ongoing uncertainty and hybrid work environments, our customers rely on us now more than ever to deliver innovative workstation solutions that allow them to gain a business edge in their respective industries and maximise employee productivity no matter where theyre working from, comments Lenovo general manager workstation and client AI business unit Rob Herman.

The next-generation ThinkStation P620, powered by the latest AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO processor, expands on the previous generations unrivalled performance so professionals can create, build and design faster and without compromise.

ANZ pricing and availability

The next-generation ThinkStation P620 will be available starting 21 March 2022 in both Australia and New Zealand. Local pricing TBD.
This Week in Review

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.
China, like-minded countries concerned by violation of children's rights at immigration detention centers

Xinhua) 08:35, March 10, 2022

GENEVA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China and a group of countries on Wednesday called on the UN rights body to continue to attend to violation of children's rights at immigration detention centers in some countries.

Delivering a joint statement on behalf of a group of countries at the ongoing 49th session of the Human Rights Council, Jiang Duan, minister of the Chinese mission to the UN in Geneva, said the world is still faced with multiple challenges in the protection of children's rights, including the violation of children's rights at immigration detention centers.

"Certain countries have held migrant children at immigration detention centers for a prolonged period of time where conditions are deplorable, and the rights of migrant children are seriously violated," he noted.

"We are concerned in particular that in some countries migrant children were forcibly taken away from their parents, many ended up losing touch with their parents and families, which led to grave human tragedies," he added.

In some countries, Jiang pointed out, immigration detention centers are run by private institutions, where widespread incidents of abuse and violence against children are perpetrated.

He urged countries concerned to immediately stop human rights violations at immigration detention centers, halt family separation, prevent private institutions from operating detention centers and hold the perpetrators accountable.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Attempting to shift Washington's responsibility for instigating the Ukraine crisis, some U.S. politicians and media have recently fabricated false information about the conflict to mislead the world and blame China, once again laying bare America's nature as a notorious empire of lies.

To preserve its hegemony, the United States must invent falsehoods. These range from a pretext to invade Iraq in 2003 to misinformation, such as "the collapse of the Cuban medical system under the pandemic."

America plays the same tricks on China. To contain China, the United States has smeared the Asian country over so-called "genocide" and "forced labor" and labeled China's firm actions to defend its legitimate interests as "wolf warrior diplomacy" and "economic coercion."

Meanwhile, the United States has long employed its propaganda machine to peddle these lies. From films to media outlets, from NGOs to online spammers, different parts of the U.S. propaganda chain cooperate closely to indoctrinate people worldwide with hollow and ideology-biased slogans and fallacies.

Julian Assange understands this all too well. The founder of WikiLeaks and whistleblower could reportedly face life in prison -- even kidnapping or killing by the CIA -- for exposing U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.

For some time, China has been the main target of the smear campaign waged by the empire of lies, during which the U.S. government, political groups and news media platforms spread falsehoods about China.

For example, news agencies overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media are instructed to produce fake news reports about China's Xinjiang in dozens of languages. The agency also coordinates with media networks in U.S. ally countries to disseminate such disinformation.

U.S. news media outlets themselves downplay or ignore information released by China regarding Xinjiang while providing technical assistance for anti-China forces to spread false information related to the region. Such efforts are also financially supported by the U.S. government.

Lies are lies, no matter how dressed up. The more it attempts to distort China's image, Washington's credibility is at stake. As criticism mounts over America's violations of international rules and human conscience, the country's moral bankruptcy is all the more apparent. 
Jacksonville, TX (75766)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Johnson City, TN (37604)

Today

Showers likely along with a possible rumble of thunder in the morning, then partly cloudy late. High around 75F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 51F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
VIENNA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna Wang Qun said Wednesday that the United States, Britain and Australia must address international concerns about the nuclear proliferation risks of their AUKUS deal.

Wang made the remarks when addressing a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on the "Transfer of nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons)."

The IAEA board on Monday decided by consensus to incorporate the AUKUS issue as a formal agenda item at China's proposal.

In September 2021, the United States, Britain and Australia announced the establishment of AUKUS, under which the United States and Britain will assist Australia in its acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

Wang noted the core issue is whether AUKUS involves the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials.

The issue bears on the integrity, effectiveness and authority of the NPT and the interests of all IAEA member states, and thus must be clarified, he said.

"If the AUKUS does involve the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials, the three countries must completely abolish the cooperation that openly and directly violates the NPT, impairs the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and undermines global strategic stability and international security order," he said.

"Otherwise, the IAEA member states have the right and responsibility to continue the intergovernmental discussion process to resolve the issue so as to safeguard the authority and effectiveness of the NPT as well as the integrity of the IAEA safeguards system," he added.

China has proposed the establishment of a special committee, open to participation of all IAEA member states, to continue in-depth discussions on AUKUS and submit recommendations to the agency's board and its general conference, according to Wang.

He stressed that before a consensus is reached on a resolution, the United States, Britain and Australia should not carry out cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines, and the IAEA secretariat should not negotiate safeguard issues with the three countries.

The envoy called on all IAEA member states to focus on the core issues of AUKUS and seek solutions to safeguard the NPT and the international non-proliferation regime. 
Joplin, MO (64801)

Today

Thunderstorms in the morning will give way to steady rain in the afternoon. High 61F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Rain showers in the evening will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 58F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China congratulates Yoon Suk-yeol on his election as the new president of the Republic of Korea (ROK), foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

China and the ROK are neighbors that cannot be moved away and important cooperative partners that cannot be separated from each other, Zhao said at a daily press briefing after Yoon won the ROK's presidential election held on Wednesday.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the ROK, Zhao said, adding the rapid development of bilateral relations over the past 30 years has brought tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples, and made positive contributions to regional peace and development.

"We are ready to make joint efforts with the ROK to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to promote the sound and stable development of bilateral relations and bring more benefits to the two peoples," he said. 
Reporter

Susan covers the towns of Somers and Enfield. She joined the JI in May 2021 and graduated from Skidmore College. She recently completed docent training for the Wadsworth Atheneum and hopes to start giving tours some time next year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday described a Russian air strike on a childrens hospital in the southeastern city of Mariupol as a war crime after it prompted international condemnation.

The air strike on the hospital, which officials said held both maternity and paediatric units, blew out windows, ripped down partition walls and set fire to cars parked outside, videos posted by officials showed.

We have not done and would never do anything like this war crime in any of the cities of the Donetsk or Lugansk regions, or of any region because we are people. But are you? Zelensky asked, switching to Russian to make his point.

What kind of a country is Russia, that it is afraid of hospitals and maternity wards and destroys them? he asked.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not deny the attack in comments at a Moscow briefing.

She said Ukrainian nationalist battalions were using the hospital to set up firing positions after moving out staff and patients.

Zelensky confirmed a figure of 17 wounded, given earlier by a regional official, saying that those in the hospital had started hiding in time from the air raid signal.

He said that a search of the rubble was ongoing, however.
An apparent Russian air strike destroyed a childrens hospital in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol on Wednesday, triggering renewed global outrage two weeks into Moscows invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour.

The strike came as Mariupols mayor said more than 1,200 civilians had died in the nine-day Russian siege of the southern port of almost half a million, with people left cowering without power or water under a barrage of shelling.

Condemning the hospital attack as an war crime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared video footage showing massive destruction at the complex, saying a direct strike by Russian troops had left children under the wreckage.

A local official said the strike on the recently refurbished maternity hospital, which included a paediatric unit, wounded at least 17 staff, though no deaths were reported.

On the Russian side, the foreign ministry  while it did not deny the attack  accused Ukrainian nationalist battalions of using the hospital to set up firing positions after moving out staff and patients.

But international condemnation was swift, with the White House slamming the barbaric use of force against civilians, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the attack depraved.

A UN spokesman said no health facility should ever be a target.

The attack came as women were in labour inside, the regional military administration in Donetsk told AFP.

Videos posted by the regional chief and city authorities showed a woman being evacuated on a stretcher, a huge crater in the hospital yard, branches snapped from trees and burning cars, and cladding ripped from the buildings facade.

 Escape routes 

The strike in Mariupol took place 14 days after Russian forces entered Ukraine in defiance of the international community  and on the eve of the highest-level talks to date between the two nations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov landed in Turkey for the face-to-face talks set for Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba  who warned in a Facebook video his expectations were limited.

So far, the parties have been engaged in lower level talks in Belarus, involving top Ukrainian officials but no Russian ministers and largely devoted to humanitarian issues.

On that front, the past days have brought some relief to terrified civilians with the opening of evacuation corridors out of bombarded cities, and Russia and Ukraine agreeing Wednesday to open several more.

For the first time the safe routes included Irpin, Bucha and Gostomel, a cluster of towns on the northwestern outskirts of Kyiv that have been largely occupied by Russian forces.

A corridor was also agreed for besieged Mariupol, where several previous evacuations have failed.

 Closing in on Kyiv 

While Moscow vowed to respect a 12-hour truce to allow civilians to flee via those corridors, its forces have made rapid advances towards the capital, approaching Brovary, a large eastern suburb, AFP journalists saw.

Fighting has intensified in the area, with Ukrainian forces trying to repel the Russian tanks, local residents and volunteers of the Ukrainian forces told AFP.

They shoot to scare people and force them to stay at home, steal what they can to get supplies and settle among the inhabitants, so that the Ukrainian forces do not bomb them, said Volodymyr, a 41-year-old resident of Velyka Dymerka, 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Brovary.

Russias war has sent around 2.2 million refugees across Ukraines borders in what the United Nations has called Europes fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II, and sparked fears of wider conflict pulling in the NATO alliance.

Fears of a potential nuclear accident also spiked Wednesday for the second time in a week  after Russia attacked and seized a giant power station at Zaporizhzhia  as Ukraine said power had been cut to the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

But the UNs atomic watchdog said that while the development violated a key safety pillar, it saw no critical impact on safety at Chernobyl, site of the worlds worst nuclear disaster in 1986.

 Missile defense, but no jets 

Reflecting fear that a Russian missile could  deliberately or not  cross the border from Ukraine into Poland, the United States said Wednesday it was sending two new anti-aircraft batteries to the NATO member state.

But it also definitively rejected a Polish offer to transfer fighter jets to Ukraine via a US air base in Germany, saying the high risk move could have been interpreted as an escalation.

Zelensky has appealed repeatedly  and did so again Wednesday  for Western powers to find a way to provide it with Polands Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, which Ukrainian pilots already know how to fly.

But while the United States and European allies have supplied an arsenal of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv, both have drawn the line at jets, for fear of being considered co-belligerents by Russia.

We do not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force at this time, and therefore have no desire to see them in our custody, either, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters, firmly shutting down Polands proposed scheme.

In the same logic, Western governments have baulked at Zelenskys increasingly desperate appeal for a no-fly zone to be declared over Ukraine, fearing it would trigger a conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.

Nevertheless, underscoring Western support, Britain said it was preparing to send more portable missile systems to help Ukraine, in addition to more than 3,000 anti-tank weapons sent so far.

And Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised an additional $50 million worth of military equipment.

 Call for G7 oil ban 

In tandem with military assistance to Kiev, Western allies have sought to choke the Russian war effort with unprecedented sanctions  including a US ban announced Tuesday on the oil imports that help bankroll the conflict.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss Wednesday urged the entire G7 to ban Russian oil imports, saying the worlds top economies should go further and faster in punishing Moscow for invading Ukraine.

But political leaders are also keenly aware of the lasting impact of the energy standoff over Ukraine, with French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warning the current spike in energy prices will produce effects comparable to the 1973 oil shock.

The European Union agreed in the meantime to add more Russian oligarchs to a sanctions blacklist, and to cut three Belarusian banks from the global SWIFT payments system over Minsks support for the Kremlins attack.

The global corporate boycott targeting Moscow also continued to snowball, with Dutch brewery Heineken and Universal Music joining the likes of McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Starbucks in suspending business in Russia.

The Kremlin, scrambling to limit the economic fallout, accused the United States of having declared economic war on Russia.

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International leaders and Ukraine accused Russia of a barbaric attack on a childrens hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol, as civilians continued to bear the brunt of the conflict two weeks into Moscows invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 35,000 civilians had managed to flee cities under Russian attack on Wednesday, but there was little relief in Mariupol where the mayor said relentless bombardment had killed over 1,200 civilians in the nine-day siege.

Zelensky shared video footage showing massive destruction at the recently refurbished hospital in the southern port city, condemning the attack as a war crime.

A local official said the attack wounded at least 17 staff, though no deaths were immediately reported. Zelensky said the direct strike by Russian troops had left children under the wreckage.

Russias foreign ministry did not deny the attack but accused Ukrainian nationalist battalions of using the hospital to set up firing positions after moving out staff and patients.

Video shared from the site by rescue workers showed a scene of complete devastation, with the wounded being evacuated, some on stretchers, past charred and burning carcasses of cars and a massive crater by the building.

Inside, debris, shattered glass and splintered wood littered corridors, administrative offices and bedrooms, with mattresses thrown from their frames.

The White House slammed the barbaric use of force against civilians, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the attack depraved.

A UN spokesman said no health facility should ever be a target.

The attack came as women were in labour inside, the regional military administration in Donetsk told AFP.

 Talks in Turkey 

It took place on the eve of the highest-level talks to date between the two nations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov landed in Turkey for the face-to-face talks set for Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba  who warned in a Facebook video his expectations were limited.

So far, the parties have been engaged in lower-level talks in Belarus, largely over humanitarian issues and involving Ukrainian officials but no Russian ministers.

Those discussions have produced several attempts to bring civilians out of cities under attack, many of which have failed after so-called humanitarian corridors came under attack.

But on Wednesday, at least 35,000 civilians were able to leave the cities of Sumy, Enerhodar and areas around Kyiv, Zelensky said.

He said he hoped the evacuations would continue on Thursday with three more routes set to open out of Mariupol, Volnovakha in the southeast and Izium in eastern Ukraine.

Previous attempts to allow civilians to leave Mariupol in particular have collapsed, with aid groups warning of a catastrophic situation in the city where basic services have halted.

And Moscows forces have continued making rapid advances towards the capital, approaching Brovary, a large eastern suburb, AFP journalists saw.

Fighting has intensified in the area, with Ukrainian forces trying to repel the Russian tanks, residents and volunteer Ukrainian forces told AFP.

They shoot to scare people and force them to stay at home, steal what they can to get supplies and settle among the inhabitants, so that the Ukrainian forces do not bomb them, said Volodymyr, a 41-year-old resident of Velyka Dymerka, 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Brovary.

Overnight, the Ukrainian General Staff said Russian forces were continuing their offensive operation to encircle Kyiv, while pressing attacks on a string of other cities across the country.

 US rejects fighter jet plan 

Russias war has sent around 2.2 million refugees across Ukraines borders in what the United Nations has called Europes fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.

The conflict has raised fears of a nuclear accident in a country with major nuclear plants and the site of the Chernobyl disaster.

The UNs atomic watchdog said Wednesday it saw no critical impact on safety at Chernobyl, location of the worlds worst nuclear disaster in 1986, despite a loss of power there.

But it warned it was not receiving updates from either Chernobyl or Zaporizhzhia, Europes largest nuclear plant, which is also now under Russian control.

The United States meanwhile rejected Russian claims that it was involved in bioweapons research in Ukraine, and warned Russia could be preparing to use chemical or biological weapons in the war.

Washington has strongly backed Ukraine, leading the push for tough international sanctions and sending weapons and other aid/

But it has ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone and rejected a Polish plan to transfer fighter jets via a US air base for fear of being drawn into the conflict directly.

Zelensky has appealed repeatedly for Western powers to find a way to provide it with Polands Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, which Ukrainian pilots already know how to fly.

Washington has however beefed up defences in Poland, where it said Wednesday it was sending two new surface-to-air missile batteries.

And Britain said it was preparing to send more portable missile systems to help Ukraine, in addition to more than 3,000 anti-tank weapons sent so far, while Canada pledged an additional $50 million worth of military equipment.

 Calls for oil ban 

The International Monetary Fund has also approved a $1.4-billion emergency package for Kyiv to provide critical financial support.

In tandem with military assistance to Kiev, Western allies have sought to squeeze Moscow with unprecedented sanctions  including a US ban announced Tuesday on the oil imports that help bankroll the conflict.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss Wednesday urged the entire G7 to ban Russian oil imports, saying the worlds top economies should go further and faster in punishing Moscow for invading Ukraine.

But political leaders are wary of the impact, with French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warning the current spike in energy prices could produce effects comparable to the 1973 oil shock.

The European Union agreed in the meantime to add more Russian oligarchs to a sanctions blacklist.

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On February 17, researchers of the Independence, Decolonization, Violence and War in Indonesia 1945-1950 program (IDVWI) presented their results. They concluded that Dutch armed forces structurally and systematically utilised extreme violence to stamp out the Republic of Indonesia that had declared itself independent on 17 August 1945. They added that politicians, civilian and military authorities, including their legal systems, looked away, condoned and silenced colonial violence both in Indonesia and The Hague, the Netherlands capital city.

Reactions came fast and furious. Prime minister Mark Rutte apologised to the people of Indonesia, but also to Dutch veterans and all the communities violently touched by the war, from 1945 onwards. The displaced Indo-European community feared rehabilitation of those who had forced them from Indonesia. Veterans, in turn, accused researchers of writing about matters they do not understand.

Yet more commentators, including the Histori Bersama collective,an anti-colonial group that translates publications about the Dutch colonial past, saw a colonial project deliberately phasing out Indonesian voices and victimhood. Theirs was an important observation that connects to a decades-old trend that again reared its head: It is the Dutch tendency to empathise with Dutch experiences, not with those of Indonesians or their revolution. Dutch perpetratorship and violence, then, again needs negotiation.

Escape Routes for Acceptance

Why do so many find squarely accepting the violent characteristics of the Netherlands colonial past so hard? We identify two main, well-trodden escape routes for acceptance. The first relates to a consistent focus on the 1945-1950 revolutionary period alone. This narrow scope leaves the entire colonial period out, and the idea that only the revolutionary tail-end of Dutch empire proved particularly violent, intact. The other route leading away from acceptance involves the inability of many to countenance Indonesian experiences altogether, whether during the war or before.

Veterans and survivors of Indonesian violence sometimes seem narrowly interested in their experiences as traumatised victims. Such mindsets facilitate phasing out other peoples suffering, which includes Indonesian, Arab and Chinese communities. With it squared away, recognizing perpetratorship seems less necessary or worse, unimportant.

So where do we go from here? While respectful to trauma, we need to open up to the experiences of Indonesians, their rightful resistance and their independence date of 17 August 1945. Only when our memory scripts include how Indonesians for centuries suffered from disenfranchisement, torture, burnings, food scarcity, executions and so on, and the Dutch recognise their resistance as legitimate, can they understand the impacts of Dutch empire fully, and get a grasp on Dutch perpetratorship. It is high time. If not, we tell ourselves half the story.

Narrow Time-frames and Longue Duree Resistance

The denouement of the Dutch empire in Indonesia between 1945 and 1950 and its aftermaths too often obscure the larger colonial picture. Empires tail-end forged Indo-European communities or veterans identities as victims of revolt, decolonization and an uncaring government. Scholars turn to the period to study colonialism at its most violent. Likewise, the same time-frame allowed IDVWI researchers to in-depth analyse Dutch armed forces and their actions.

Still, the programs focus on predominantly Dutch actions and considerations within five war years isolates this revolutionary period from centuries of Dutch oppression and Indonesian resistance before 1945. To larger audiences in particular, leaving out such pre-histories may dampen understandings of just how endemically racist, oppressive and violent Dutch empire had always been. Without such contextualization, for example, apologists or generalists may be encouraged to maintain that between oppression and predation, Dutch colonialism was a force of good, too.

Longue duree perspectives correct this, revealing that outside naked war, too, Dutch violence proved ubiquitous, transgressive and disproportionate. Moreover, beyond military and administrative classes, planters, bankers or ordinary Europeans also benefitted from repression. More so than IDVWI has done, considering the full span of the Dutch subjugation of the archipelago would specifically tease out the colonial mindset, which, high on superiority and discrimination, discarded the Indonesian thirst for independence as fancy.

More importantly, pre-1945 perspectives highlight how Indonesian individuals, politicians and popular movements had always resisted Dutch domination in realms of representation, law, education and outright confrontationboth domestically and abroad. The revolution, put differently, was no unorganized fluke led by unmoored youths.

By focusing only on the revolutionary period from 1945 to 1950, the debate in the Netherlands tends to leave out the entire colonial period and the centuries of Dutch oppression and Indonesian resistance before 1945. Here a drawing showing Dutch settlers and their Indonesian slaves.

The Limits of  Extreme Violence

The need for broader perspectives harks back to the equally broad conceptual catch-all that IDVWI has employed: extreme violence. The programme adopted the term to work with the issue of war crimes. Their invocation could slow down researchers with juridical frameworks whereas they set out to explain Dutch violence. War crimes would also exclude perpetration by militias. Extreme violence, conversely, would leave researchers free to chart all sorts of misdeeds.

Such a choice could hamper the much-needed societal familiarisation with Dutch perpetratorship. Due to its broad nature, extreme violence could seem yet another euphemism. The term could connote that if extreme violence was transgressive, many other forms of Dutch violence were unproblematic, or not worth studying. Regardless, extreme violence as a tool, and with its twin accepted violence in tow, is perhaps less useful to unpack Indonesian experiences.

To villagers whose houses had been razed and whose friends or livestock lay dead, it did not matter much whether indiscriminate fire or an exchange between two regular army units had caused this. What was so specifically extreme about Dutch violence during 1945-1950, apart from its scale? As journalist Piet Hagen recently stated: in Indonesia, five centuries of violence lie between the arrival of the first colonists in 1509 and the departure of the Dutch in 1950, which also included Portuguese, French, British, and Japanese violence.

Making Violence Humanitarian

Truncated time-lines of violence also potentially keep open the second escape route for those resisting Dutch perpetratorship and considering Indonesian perspectives. Some news outlets tend to allow agenda-setters to steer discussion away from casting Dutch troops as aggressors. Many journalists invariably ask how bad was Dutch violence, to which only veterans respond. This trend of blocking out other voices reflects national, colonial thought-patterns that refuse to go away: Indonesian suffering is second to Dutch suffering. Through such thinking, Dutch violence is reduced and placed on par with Indonesian violence, as if the two are invariably the same.

Part of the public debates before and after the release of the programs findings reflect this. The article entitled It was War. What should We have Done Then? (NRC, 19 February 2022) is exemplary. In it, an Indo-European survivor of Indonesian violence against anything colonial recalls his experiences during the infamous Bersiap period of the Indonesian national revolution which lasted roughly from August 1945 to early 1946. He relates how he and his family escaped from being slaughtered along with thousands of Dutch and Indo-Dutch, Chinese and Indonesians suspected of collaboration [with the Dutch].

Although we fully recognize the importance of the mans experiences, his memories figure in an article deliberately devoid of Indonesian experiences or historical origins of the revolution. Instead, two Dutch Veterans Institute spokespeople are quoted at length as they diminish Dutch violence: only a minority of troops, they claim, committed atrocities; often they avenged comrades whom Indonesians had killed in horrible ways. Better still, some military units really just completed a humanitarian mission.

Relativising and Justifying Dutch Atrocities

The selective, biased message is clear: while the downright attractive script of Dutch liberators is elaborated upon, Indonesians as political actors and victims of colonial warfare are unimportant. Only one Indonesian commentator speaks, but notdirectly on Indonesian experiences.

Other interest groups entrench this thinking. The Dutch Indische Federation (FIN), an interest-group for the Indo-Europeans who often forcibly left Indonesia for the Netherlands, takes this to another level. It translates its laudable objective to protect the memories of these displaced Indische communities, into a hard-nosed refusal to see Indonesians as anything other than rebels against Dutch authority.

The FIN, too, claims Dutch forces were sent to Indonesia to conduct a humanitarian mission. This misinterpretation of facts is one thing; worse is that they wish to derail any discussion that veers towards Dutch perpetratorship. Politicising the circa 6.000 Bersiap-deaths caused by Indonesians, they attempt to criminalize what they call Bersiap-denial. Taking their cue from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances Holocaust denial working definition, the FIN seems to take to court those who seemingly diminish the meaning of the Bersiap. Needless to say, such steps restrict open debate on the complex topic of Dutch culpability and victimhood.

Remarkably, this ex post facto relativising and justifying Dutch atrocities is seemingly similar to 1945-1950 narratives, the very narratives scholars Remco Raben and Peter Romijn have analysed for IDVWI. Responsible authorities, they state, worked hard to defend Dutch violence, going so far as to obscure from inquiries. In this sense, not much has changed.

Through the Lens of Today: The Road Forward

If anything, the discussions around the IDVWI results show that the Dutch, even beyond the understandably hyper-interested FIN and veterans, are still ill-equipped to deal with the Netherlands as a perpetrator nation in the Indonesian archipelago. The same commentators  veterans and other revisionist apologists among them  again stepped into that void to declare Indonesian experiences unimportant, unless they substantiate and validate Dutch suffering.

They tried to keep this old trend alive by undermining IDVWIs findings. They openly questioned the programs integrity, saying they deliberately applied modern standards to history. Put simply, anti-colonial researchers had passed judgement on politicians, administrators and soldiers actions and decisions well before setting foot in the archives. No wonder extreme violence was the ultimate verdict, they said. A quick Tweet to the same effect by Pieter van Vollenhoven, a member of the Dutch Royal House, lent a further sheen of respectability to these revisionist, colonial ways of thinking.

Not only are these attempts at whitewashing informed by fallacious reasoning  likewise, did we not all agree that slavery was a crime against humanity and needs to be studied from that vantage-point?  nor will the programs findings go away. They will force the renegotiation of Dutch stories of victimhood in Indonesia into a simultaneous acceptance of perpetratorship. The results, after all, incontrovertibly showed that extreme violence was used across the board, even if the concept itself may be a tad fuzzy.

Still, many accounts need settling. Foremost, Indonesias 17 August 1945 independence date needs to be formally recognized if the Netherlands wants to signal recognition of Dutch violence and Indonesian suffering in the name of independence. For now, the one-sided Dutch date is still 27 December 1949, when the kingdom transferred sovereignty to Indonesia. Ruttes apology said nothing about reparations to the victims of Dutch violence, nor about the billions Indonesia was forced to pay the Netherlands at the end of the conflict. Indonesian scholars and former politicians wondered about these issues, too. If the Netherlands truly wants to account for past transgressions, its narratives of victimhood must be considered alongside its perpetratorship. This means including visible Indonesian experiences to the Dutch National Remembrance Day on 4 May, when the Netherlands commemorates all war casualties of the long Second World War.

Recommended reading Indonesia: the Dutch no longer can see colonisation in rosy terms
The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the closing meeting. Wang Yang presided over the closing meeting and delivered a speech. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The annual session of China's top political advisory body concluded Thursday, calling on political advisors to contribute more to building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, presided over the meeting.

A resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, a resolution on a report on how the proposals from political advisors have been handled since the previous annual session, a report on the examination of new proposals, and a political resolution on the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee were approved at the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Wang Yang called on political advisors to center on the 20th CPC National Congress which will be convened in the second half of 2022, and make contributions to a stable and healthy economic environment, social stability and political integrity.

Recognizing the performance of the 13th CPPCC National Committee over the past four years, Wang stressed the importance of improving the capacity for political judgment, thinking, and implementation, and maintaining a high degree of unity with the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in thinking and action.

Wang asked political advisors to adhere to a people-centered approach in their work, and further improve the quality of consultation, improve the system of consultation, and foster a culture of consultation.

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Wang Yang delivers a speech while presiding over the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The military band of the Chinese People's Liberation Army performs during the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) leave the Great Hall of the People after the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) leave the Great Hall of the People after the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) pose for a group photo outside the Great Hall of the People after the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)
The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine held their first face-to-face talks Thursday after two weeks of war, amid international outrage over Moscows bombing of a childrens hospital that Kyiv says killed three people, including a young girl.

But Ukraines Dmytro Kuleba said they had made no progress on a ceasefire, 14 days after Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour, triggering a conflict that has caused 2.2 million refugees to flee across Ukraines borders.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow wanted to continue negotiations with Ukraine.

I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender, Kuleba told reporters after meeting Lavrov on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya.

Previous lower-level talks in Belarus had produced several attempts to get civilians out of cities, many of which have failed after so-called humanitarian corridors came under attack.

Meanwhile, Russian forces neared Kyiv on Thursday, with tanks just a few kilometres (miles) from the limits of the Ukrainian capital in some places, raising fears it could soon be encircled.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said 35,000 civilians had managed to flee cities under Russian attack on Wednesday.

But there was little relief in the southern port city of Mariupol, where the mayor said over 1,200 civilians had died in nine days of continuous shelling that have left residents without water, heat or communications.

Zelensky shared video footage showing massive destruction at the childrens and maternity hospital in Mariupol, blaming Russia for an attack he said was a war crime.

Local officials said Thursday that at least three people were killed, including a young girl. Officials had previously said 17 people were injured, including doctors.

 Barbaric attack 

Zelensky had said the direct strike by Russian troops had left children under the wreckage.

Russias foreign ministry on Wednesday did not deny the attack but accused Ukrainian nationalist battalions of using the hospital to set up firing positions after moving out staff and patients.

Lavrov reiterated the claim on Thursday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it would ask the Russian military for details, since we dont have clear information about what happened there.

Video shared from the site by rescue workers showed a scene of complete devastation, with the wounded being evacuated, some on stretchers, past charred and burning carcasses of cars and a massive crater by the building.

Inside, debris, shattered glass and splintered wood littered corridors, administrative offices and bedrooms, with mattresses thrown from their frames.

The White House slammed the barbaric use of force against civilians, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the attack depraved.

And there was no let-up in the violence overnight, with officials in Sumy in the northeast reporting two women and a 13-year-old boy were killed in bombing in the Velyka Pysarivka region.

He said a petrol depot and a residential area had also been hit in the area where heavy fighting has been taking place.

 The Russian tanks are over there 

The Ukrainian General Staff meanwhile said Russian forces were continuing their offensive operation to encircle Kyiv, while pressing attacks on a string of other cities across the country.

At a deserted service station on a motorway northeast of the city, a Ukrainian officer warned vehicles not to go any further on Wednesday.

The Russian tanks are just over there, two kilometres away, he told one car, ordering it to turn round and go back.

Drive in a zig-zag to avoid their shots, he advised.

On Wednesday, at least 35,000 civilians were able to leave the cities of Sumy, Enerhodar and areas around Kyiv, Zelensky said.

He said he hoped the evacuations would continue on Thursday with three more routes set to open out of Mariupol, Volnovakha in the southeast and Izium in eastern Ukraine.

Russias war has sent around 2.2 million refugees across Ukraines borders in what the United Nations has called Europes fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.

The conflict has raised fears of a nuclear accident in a country with major nuclear plants and the site of the Chernobyl disaster.

The UNs atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Wednesday it saw no critical impact on safety at Chernobyl, location of the worlds worst nuclear disaster in 1986, despite a loss of power there.

But it warned it was not receiving updates from either Chernobyl or Zaporizhzhia, Europes largest nuclear plant, which is also now under Russian control.

 US aid passes House 

The United States meanwhile rejected Russian claims that it was involved in bioweapons research in Ukraine, and warned Russia could be preparing to use chemical or biological weapons in the war.

Washington has strongly backed Ukraine, leading the push for tough international sanctions and sending weapons and other aid.

But it has ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone and rejected a Polish plan to transfer fighter jets via a US air base for fear of being drawn into the conflict directly.

Washington has however beefed up defences in Poland, where it said Wednesday it was sending two new surface-to-air missile batteries.

And Britain said it was preparing to send more portable missile systems to help Ukraine, in addition to more than 3,000 anti-tank weapons sent so far, while Canada pledged an additional $50 million of military equipment.

The US House of Representatives green-lit a spending package including nearly $14 billion for Ukraine and allies in eastern Europe. It will now need to be rubber-stamped by the Senate.

The International Monetary Fund has also approved a $1.4-billion emergency package for Kyiv to provide critical financial support.

Western nations and allies are also trying to squeeze Moscow with unprecedented sanctions.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Wednesday urged the entire G7 to ban Russian oil imports, saying the worlds top economies should go further and faster in punishing Moscow for invading Ukraine.

But some nations are wary, with French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warning the current spike in energy prices could produce effects comparable to the 1973 oil shock.

burs-sah-ar/spm
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday accused Russia of war crimes a day after a shocking attack on a childrens hospital in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

Were seeing how hospitals are being bombed. They are attacking civil society in an indiscriminate manner, therefore clearly violating human rights and more than likely committing war crimes, he said during a visit to a Ukrainian refugee centre near Madrid.

Such war crimes cannot go unpunished.
Besieging cities, shelling civilian infrastructure and arranging safe corridors: the tactics used by Russia in its war on Ukraine mirror those it tested and fine-tuned to drain resistance in Syrias conflict.

But unlike its Syria play book, the challenge Russia faces from a Western-backed army in Ukraine dwarfs that of Syrian rebels who lacked military might or broad international backing, analysts said.

Russia entered Syrias civil war in 2015 on the side of President Bashar al-Assads regime, allowing Damascus to clock up decisive victories in the decade-long conflict.

Since President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion on February 24, tens of thousands of Russian troops have swarmed into Ukraine, where they have shelled urban centres and forced people to flee, sparking international outrage.

Moscow denies targeting civilian areas in Ukraine, despite widespread evidence suggesting otherwise, with Western powers and rights groups accusing it of committing possible war crimes.

A French military source said Russias operations in Ukraine marked a change of scale.

Syria was a small theatre, he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

But many of the tactics deployed in Ukraine draw from Russias battles in Syria, where it tested weapons systems and gained vital combat experience.

For Russia, Syria is a training ground for men and equipment, said analyst Fabrice Balanche.

 Strategy to terrorise 

Russia has long been accused by rights groups of supporting Syrias regime in besieging civilian populations and bombing infrastructure to draw rebels out of key areas.

To bolster Assad, Russias first goal in Syria was to reconquer big cities, including the economic hub of Aleppo and rebel-held districts around Damascus, Balanche said.

In Ukraine, Russias push towards major cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa follows a similar pattern but is meant to strip legitimacy from authorities there, he said.

Balanche said indiscriminate Russian bombing of hospitals and schools is another aspect of the Syrian conflict playing out in Ukraine as part of a strategy to terrorise civilians.

At least 270 medical facilities in Syria have been attacked by Russia and Assads regime since 2011, according to the Syrian Archive, a non-profit organisation that archives digital material from the war.

Russia also targeted schools and markets during a blistering Aleppo offensive in 2016 and a devastating 2019-2020 campaign against rebels in neighbouring Idlib province, the countrys last major opposition bastion, according to rights groups.

Russia bombs military targets then health and energy infrastructure to make life impossible for civilians and to push them to leave, Balanche told AFP.

Once the civilians are gone, it is easier for the army to move forward.

Last month, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International accused Russia of using cluster munitions on a hospital and school in Kharkiv, saying the attacks could constitute war crimes.

On Wednesday, Russian forces reportedly bombed a childrens hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol that Kyiv says killed three people, including a girl.

That attack sparked international outrage with many global powers accusing Russia of committing an atrocity.

 Different battlefield 

In another parallel strategy, Russia has announced so-called safe corridors to allow civilians to exit Ukrainian cities it has laid siege to.

It is a strategy tried and tested in Syria, sometimes resulting in the death, injury and detention of civilians who try to escape besieged rebel districts without international guarantees, according to experts.

But Russia faces a different landscape in Ukraine, where it has deployed a much larger contingent, in a high-stakes intervention.

In Syria, Russia primarily relied on its air power and certain specialised units to advise and assist the pro-Assad forces, said Nicholas Heras of the Newlines Institute in Washington.

Whereas in Ukraine the Russians are the (main) fighting force, he added.

Another key difference, according to Heras, concerns the capabilities of Russias opponents.

In Ukraine, Russia is confronted by an army that is armed and supported by Western nations, Heras said, flagging its anti-air and anti-armour capabilities.

Meanwhile, Russia was involved in a minor league war in Syria where it had total dominance, he added.

According to Anton Mardasov, a non-resident expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, Moscow now has a sharper sense of its weapons systems.

It has corrected many of the shortcomings of high-precision ground, sea and air-based weapons that were identified during the use of missile systems in Syria, he told AFP.

In Ukraine, high-precision weapons are used quite actively and accurately.
EU leaders doused Ukraines hopes gaining membership of the European Union quickly on Thursday, as they met to urgently address the fallout of the Russias invasion.

The meeting at the palace of Versailles was set to be the high point of Frances six-month EU presidency, but President Emmanuel Macron is instead leading a crisis summit following Russian leader Vladimir Putins brutal disruption of decades of stability in Europe.

The Ukraine war and the EUs energy supply were to dominate the two-day meeting, with leaders sitting down for dinner in the same Hall of Mirrors where Western allies carved out a new map of Europe in 1919 after World War I.

Europe will change even faster and stronger with the war (in Ukraine), Macron said as he greeted his counterparts at the former residence of Frances Sun King, Louis XIV.

The 27 heads of state and government met as fighting raged for a 15th day in Ukraine, with an outcry over the bombing of a maternity hospital in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as a Russian war crime. Moscow denied carrying it out, calling it a staged provocation by Ukraine.

Macron dubbed it a disgraceful act of war, with leaders from across the bloc condemning the atrocity and Spain calling it a war crime that demanded punishment.

The conflict has seen a swell of support in the EU for Ukrainian President Zelensky, but leaders used the talks to reiterate that a speedy track to membership was impossible.

There is no such thing as a fast track, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said as he arrived for the talks.

I want to focus on what can we do for Volodymyr Zelensky tonight, tomorrow, and EU accession of Ukraine is something for the long term, if at all, he added.

Luxembourgs Prime Minister Xavier Bettel warned against giving Kyiv the impression that everything can happen overnight.

 Biggest issue 

Even before the war, Macrons ambition for the summit was to lay down a path to strengthen Europes stature on the world stage.

The issue took greater significance with Russias war on the blocs eastern edge and leaders were to explore ways to shore up Europes self-reliance in a starkly more dangerous world, especially on energy.

The conflict has seen energy prices skyrocket, threatened the economy and sparked a pressing discussion on where Europeans can turn for gas and oil.

The EU imports about 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia with Germany, Europes biggest economy, especially dependent on the energy flow, along with Italy and several central European countries.

About a quarter of the EUs oil imports also come from Russia.

Europes dependency on Russian energy even caused the first crack in the Wests unified response to Putins aggression, with the EU this week shying away from a ban on Russian oil imports implemented by the United States and Britain.

According to a draft of the meetings final declaration, the 27 leaders will cautiously agree to phase out the blocs dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal.

 Resolutely invest 

The EU leaders will also try to advance on ways Europe can gain independence in highly sensitive sectors, including semiconductors, food production and most notably defence.

Collective security in the European Union is primarily handled by the US-led NATO alliance, but France, the EUs biggest military power, would like the bloc to play a bigger role.

Since Russias belligerence against its pro-EU neighbour, bloc members have approved a total of half a billion euros in defence aid to Ukraine.

Berlin dramatically broke with long-standing doctrine when it announced it will plough 100 billion euros into national defence.

In view of the challenges, we must resolutely invest more and better in defence capabilities and innovative technologies, the leaders were expected to say.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday the barbaric Russian regime was indulging in a tried-and-tested ruse as it lays the ground for the possible use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.

The stuff which you are hearing about chemical weapons is straight out of the Russian playbook, he told Sky News, echoing US warnings that President Vladimir Putin could be set on a horrifying escalation.

They start saying that there are chemical weapons that are being stored by their opponents or by the Americans, so that when they themselves deploy chemical weapons  as I fear they may  they have a fake story ready to go, Johnson said.

You have seen it in Syria, you saw it even in the UK. It is a cynical, barbaric government Im afraid.

Britain blames Putins secret agents for a 2018 attack in the city of Salisbury that used the nerve agent Novichok against a former Russian double agent. A British woman died weeks later.

Both Washington and Kyiv have denied the existence of laboratories intended to produce biological weapons in Ukraine, which has faced an assault by tens of thousands of Russian troops since February 24.

Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Wednesday.

The West has already accused Putins forces of war crimes in Ukraine including the bombing of a maternity hospital in the port of Mariupol.
Mariupol residents have become so desperate that some have fought each other for food during Russias siege of the Ukrainian city, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday.

People started to attack each other for food. People started to ruin someones car to take the gasoline out, said Mariupol-based ICRC representative Sasha Volkov in an audio recording.

Many have no water at all for drinking. All the shops and pharmacies were looted four to five days ago.

Some people still have food but Im not sure for how long it will last. Many people report having no food for children.

Aid agencies have said the port city in southern Ukraine is facing an apocalyptic situation, with no water, power or heat for more than a week as Russian forces bombard it.

Attempted evacuations of civilians have failed, with Ukraine and Russia accusing each other of ceasefire violations.

Volkov said a black market has emerged where Mariupol residents can get vegetables but not meat, while medical supplies were scarce.

His audio message also depicted scenes where civilians struggled to keep warm and safe from Russian shelling in claustrophobic shelters.

People are getting sick already because of the cold. They have nowhere to go, he said.

Some ICRC workers had managed to collect food to last for a few more days from damaged or destroyed buildings.

We have started to get sick, many of us, because of the humidity and cold We tried to achieve hygiene standards as much as possible but not always actually possible, he added.

International outrage at Mariupols deteriorating humanitarian situation grew on Wednesday after an air strike hit a childrens hospital, killing at least three people including a young girl.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the European Union have called the incident a war crime.

But Russia has said the building was sheltering ultranationalist Ukrainian fighters, describing the attack as a staged provocation to stoke anti-Russian sentiment.

Taking the strategically located city would allow Russia to link up forces in the annexed Crimea peninsula with troops in the eastern Donbas region.
Popular webtoon-based K-drama "Work Later, Drink Now" has just been invited to be screened in the 2022 Cannes International Series Festival this April!

Keep on reading for more details.

'Work Later, Drink Now' To Screen in Cannes International Series Festival

True to the fact that Korean contents are currently dominating the world, popular tvN K-drama "Work Later, Drink Now" has been invited to Cannes International Series Festival!

A media outlet reported on March 9 that the drama, starring Choi Siwon, Lee Sun Bin, APink's Eunji, and han Sun Hwa, will go international as it received its ticket to enter the prestigious festival.

An official from TVING shared:

"'Work Later, Drink Now' and 'Monstrous' were officially invited to the 2022 International Series Festival Korea Focus Session."

He added that it is the first-ever official invitation to the Cannes International Series Festival among the original OTT contents in Korea.

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This year, the Cannes International Series Festival celebrates its fifth anniversary, and the major event is expected to happen in Cannes, France, starting from April 1 to 6.

"Work Later, Drink Now" is scheduled to screen at 11 a.m. (France Local Standard Time) on April 6, while "Monstrous," which stars Koo Kyo Hwan, Shin Hyun Bin, Kwak Dong Yeon, Park Ho San, Kim Ji Young, and Nam Da Reum, will be presented earlier at 9 a.m. on the same day.

'Work Later, Drink Now' Season 2 To Premiere This Year

Choi Siwon's series premiered in October 2021 and immediately drew attention to the audience. "Work Later, Drink Now" follows the friendship of three women in their 30s and their daily life as working adults.

An So Hee (Lee Sun Bin), Kang Ji Gu (Apink's Eunji), and Han Ji Yeon (Han Sun Hwa) enjoy meeting and drinking together after their hectic work. Kang Buk Gu (Choi Siwon), who works as producing director of a TV variety show, hangs out with the three women.

With its overwhelming support from viewers, the drama's production confirmed its sophomore season, set for release anytime this year with the original cast members on board.

"Work Later, Drink Now" Season 2 is currently in the works.

Visit KDramastars for more Korean drama, movie and celebrity updates.

Shai Collins wrote this. Kdramastars owns this article.
JTBC will release a special broadcast of "Thirty-Nine." starring Son Ye Jin, Jeon Mi Do and Kim Ji Hyun.

On March 4, the broadcast network announced that the upcoming episodes of the Wednesday and Thursday drama would be put on hold for one week.

From March 9 to 10, the K-drama will be on hiatus to give way to South Korea's presidential election coverage. It means that "Thirty-Nine" episode 7 will air on March 16, while the eighth episode will be on the 17th.

JTBC to Air Special Broadcast of 'Thirty-Nine'

Following the drama's one-week hiatus, JTBC announced that they would release a special broadcast featuring a rundown of the first half of the series, which includes "Thirty-Nine" episodes 1 till 6.

The 12-episode K-drama follows the story of three best friends, Cha Mi Jo (Son Ye Jin,) Jung Chan Young (Jeon Mi Do,) and Jang Joo Hee (Kim Ji Hyun), who unexpectedly met during their high school years.

Now that they are about to welcome the big 4-0, the trio wanted to have an unforgettable journey; unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

The first half of "Thirty-Nine" delivered a roller-coaster of emotions, illustrating the highs and lows in the lives of Mi Jo, Chan Young and Joo Hee.

Apart from the unexpected twists and turns, the Wednesday and Thursday drama received an overwhelming response from the viewers.

As noted by Nielsen Korea, "Thirty-Nine" viewership has been increasing from an average nationwide rating of 4.406 percent during its pilot episode to 6.9 percent for its sixth episode.

Interestingly, the drama peaked on episode 4, garnering a 7.5 percent viewership rating, making it the most-watched series on its timeslot.

As mentioned, "Thirty-Nine" episode 7 will air on March 16 via JTBC and Netflix.

'Thirty-Nine' Episode 1 to 6 Highlights

Son Ye Jin, Jeon Mi Do and Kim Ji Hyun's new drama illustrate a realistic story of the trio, about to embark on their milestone.

The first half featured an unexpected story of Jung Chan Young after Cha Mi Jo found out about her illness.

In "Thirty-Nine" episode 2, Chan Young was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Mi Jo couldn't find the right timing to tell it to her friends, so she endured it; unfortunately, she found herself at Kim Jin Seok's (Lee Moo Saeng) office and blamed it all on him.

She thinks that his complicated relationship with her friend affected her condition.

In the romance drama, Jung Chan Young retains her special connection with Jin Seok despite being a former lover and the latter being a husband and father.

On the other hand, Mi Jo is against their relationship, but things turn 360 after Chan Young's diagnosis.

She became overprotective of her friend to the point that she forgot herself.

In "Thirty-Nine" episode 6, Mi Jo, Joo Hee, Jin Seok, alongside Chan young's mother, were all having a nice dinner at her house but an unexpected visitor showed up, it was Jin Seok's wife.

Knowing that she was about to make a scene, Mi Jo dragged her out of the building and knelt, asking her to leave the place. For Mi Jo, she wants Chan Young to be happy in her remaining months and willing to do everything for her.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Yeo Jin Goo will return to the big screen for an upcoming movie, "Ajumma," joining "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" actor Kang Hyun Suk.

After five years since he made a cameo in "1987: When The Day Comes" back in 2017, the South Korean heartthrob shows his stellar acting skills through an overseas project.

Yeo Jin Goo to Make Cameo in 'Ajumma'

According to SpoTV News, the 24-year-old actor is making a special appearance in the Korean-Singapore joint film.

However, industry representatives have yet to announce Yeo Jin Goo's role in the forthcoming movie.

In February 2022, multiple outlets shared that Kang Hyun Suk will headline a movie and work, alongside veteran Singaporean actress Hong Huifang.

"Ajumma" follows the story of three individuals who go back and forth to Korea and Singapore.

In the upcoming movie, helmed by Shuming Hee and Chris Ong, Kang Hyung Suk will play the debt-ridden Kwon Woo. He makes ends meet by working as a tourist guide.

He lives a challenging life due to his ballooning debts after being separated from his family.

Yeo Jin Goo New Drama: 'Link: Eat, Love, Die'

Apart from his upcoming joint film, Yeo Jin Goo will also return to the small screen with a new K-drama.

After the mega-hit series "Beyond Evil" where he took the role of Detective Han Joo Won, alongside Shin Ha Kyun, Choi Sung Eun, Choi Dae Hoon and "Hellbound" actress Kim Shin Rok, the 24-year-old Jin Goo will be headlining tvN's "Link: Eat, Love, Die."

In December 2021, Sports Chosun confirmed that the actor would reunite with Moon ga Young for the upcoming mystery romance series.

To recall, this will be the duo's second project together after starring in the 2010 historical drama "The Reputable Family" as child actors.

"Link: Eat, Love, Die" is said to be a mix of romance, fantasy and mystery rolled into one, depicting the story of a chef named Eun Gye Hoon, played by Yeo Jin Goo, who started a restaurant in a town where his sister went missing two decades ago.

Amid his journey uncovering the mystery behind his sister's incident, Gye Hoon felt a series of strange emotions experienced by a woman named Noh Da Hyun, portrayed by Moon Ga Young.

Interestingly the production team hints at the on-screen chemistry between the lead stars, noting that Yeo Jin Goo and Moon Ga Young will show off their synergy through "solid acting skills."

At the same time, the production team also shared that the upcoming series "will be a unique romance drama created by two characters whose emotions are linked."

"Link: Eat, Love, Die," which will be released on April 25 via tvN, is helmed by "Dear My Friends" and "Life" directed by Hong Jong Chan, and penned by "Suspicious Partner" and "I Remember You" screenwriter Kwon Ki Young."

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks at a press conference after a tripartite meeting in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, agreed on continuing negotiations over the conflict but failed to make progress in declaring a ceasefire during their meeting in Turkey on Thursday.

The tripartite meeting, in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, was the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine started on Feb. 24. (Xinhua)

ANTALYA, Turkey, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, agreed on continuing negotiations over the conflict but failed to make progress in declaring a ceasefire during their meeting in Turkey on Thursday.

The tripartite meeting, held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, was the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine started on Feb. 24.

READY TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Kuleba said that he is ready to meet with Lavrov again in the same format with Turkey as a mediator, whereas Lavrov said that Russia wants to continue talks with Ukraine within the current format in Belarus.

"We had come here not to replace track of negotiations taking place in Belarus. We will not create a parallel track. If there is added value, we are ready to discuss it in different formats," Lavrov told reporters.

"Everyone is well aware that President (Vladimir) Putin never refuses contacts. We only want these contacts to be organized not for their own sake, but in order to fix some specific agreements," Lavrov said.

The Russian top diplomat said that the discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart were mostly focused on the "efforts of our friends in Turkey regarding issues related to the humanitarian field," referring to Ankara's mediation efforts.

He also warned that the West was behaving dangerously in reaction to the situation in Ukraine, adding that Russia's military operation there was going on in accordance with the plan.

At a separate press conference, Cavusoglu said that Turkey is ready to continue its "efforts for diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine" and has played a role of "facilitator" during the meeting, adding that both the Ukrainian and Russian sides are not opposed to further meetings in principle.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, though the negotiations ended without a significant breakthrough.

NO DEAL ON CEASEFIRE

Kuleba noted the failure to make progress in declaring a ceasefire.

Turkey stressed that humanitarian corridors in Ukraine should be kept open without any obstacles, Cavusoglu said after the meeting.

On Thursday, Ukraine continued evacuating civilians from conflict-torn cities and towns through seven humanitarian corridors in northern, north-central, eastern, and southern Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported, citing Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

On Wednesday, more than 40,000 civilians were evacuated from Ukraine in one day.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's state-run energy company Ukrenergo on Thursday also called for a ceasefire to allow repair teams to enter and restore power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

"We have everything ready to immediately repair the lines and resume power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that has been disconnected from power for more than one day. Just stop shelling and give a pass to our repair teams," Ukrenergo said in a statement on Facebook.

Earlier on Thursday, the Belarusian news outlet BelTA said on Telegram that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has instructed specialists to ensure power supply to the Chernobyl plant, though Ukrenergo later reported that Ukraine needs no assistance from Belarus in repairing the plant. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a press conference after a tripartite meeting in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, agreed on continuing negotiations over the conflict but failed to make progress in declaring a ceasefire during their meeting in Turkey on Thursday.

The tripartite meeting, in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, was the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine started on Feb. 24. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks at a press conference after a tripartite meeting in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, agreed on continuing negotiations over the conflict but failed to make progress in declaring a ceasefire during their meeting in Turkey on Thursday.

The tripartite meeting, in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, was the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine started on Feb. 24. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)
The Biden administration is set to extend the travel mask mandate for another month.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at the 2021 Freedman's Bank Forum event at the U.S. Treasury Department on December 14, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Ukraine's first lady emerges as a staunch defender of her nation on social media
Mike Greenley, president of MDA comments during the announcement of a Quebec government tentative agreement with Telesat LEO Inc. and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. to invest in Telesat Lightspeed in Montreal on Thursday, February 18, 2021. MDA Ltd. says it has won a $269-million contract from the Canadian Space Agency for the next phase of the Canadarm3 program. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has joined discussions with national lawmakers and political advisors on the country's economic and social development for the year during the ongoing "two sessions."

The "two sessions," the annual gatherings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), offer observers worldwide a window into how China formulates major policies and measures involving political, economic and diplomatic affairs.

Overseas experts have said that institutional strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics have been clearly manifested in the country's practices of tackling challenges and stimulating development, and enabled China to bring more benefits to the world.

INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHS

When visiting national political advisors attending the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC on Sunday, Xi said that through practices such as responding to COVID-19 and winning the battle against poverty, the strengths of China's political and governance systems have become more evident. Order in China stands in stark contrast with disorder in the West.

In the eyes of Yuri Tavrovsky, a professor with the People's Friendship University of Russia, socialism with Chinese characteristics has significant advantages.

With these advantages, the professor said, China has made notable achievements in such fields as pandemic prevention and control, and poverty eradication, which have improved people's well-being and advanced social development.

Azza Radwan Sedky, a columnist for the Egyptian newspaper Ahram, said China's political system and governance system are clearly accepted and enjoyed by its people, which can be seen in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and in the process of eliminating absolute poverty.

China has quickly brought the epidemic under control, while some Western countries are still plagued by it, said Sedky, who is also a professor of communication, noting that "the living standards of the Chinese people are constantly improving."

WHOLE-PROCESS PEOPLE'S DEMOCRACY

When it comes to the well-being of the public, there is no such thing as a trivial matter, said Xi during his meeting with political advisors, pledging to give extra attention and care to the people in difficulty, and to help them resolve problems.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Center for China Studies in Nigeria, said China's whole-process people's democracy is inclusive and participatory, noting that it addresses substantive issues of livelihood, and offers people opportunities to develop and to contribute to society. "This is the essence of democracy."

Natee Taweesrifuengfung, president of the Thailand-based Siam Think Tank, said whether a model of democracy works should be judged by the people.

Addressing poverty and ensuring that the people live a productive life concern a country's biggest national and public interests, he said, stressing that China's democracy is a true people's democracy.

HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

"Putting into practice our new development philosophy is the path we must take to develop our country into a strong nation in the new era," Xi said on Saturday when participating in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region delegation's deliberation at the fifth session of the 13th NPC.

Xi also expressed hope that people in Inner Mongolia would coordinate efforts in epidemic control and economic and social development, and unswervingly follow the path of high-quality development that prioritizes ecological conservation and pursues green development.

Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Ankara-based Turkish Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, said the Chinese government has been committed to green development, and set its goals for addressing climate change.

China will accelerate the transformation of its development model, promote high-quality economic development and strengthen environmental protection, he noted.

Greek scholar Pelagia Karpathiotaki said "China's role in the global economic recovery is extremely important as has been seen in the past," adding that China's economic stability and its initiatives to promote international economic cooperation would make major contributions in these difficult times.

Preserving nature, tackling climate change and establishing new forms of sustainable economic activity are "a human task of global dimension," said Michael Schumann, chairman of Germany's Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, adding that Germany and China can jointly make significant contributions to the cause. 
The World Food Program is warning that millions of people in the developing world and conflict zones are on the brink of starvation following the invasion of Ukraine, because of its impact on world grain supplies. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau tours a grain farm in the drought-stricken Interlake Region of Manitoba to discuss support measures for Manitoba and Canadian farmers impacted by extreme weather on Thursday July 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski
Before most of the members of Irpin Bible Church near Kyiv fled the region due to the Russian invasion, the church celebrated the baptism of two new believers, who stayed in town just for that purpose. Submited photo
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Three reports newly published by different research teams from different countries have revealed more evidence that some zoonotic origins were behind the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which caused the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

The studies were conducted by groups of scientists from the United States, Britain, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and also China. Though all reports are preprints and have not completed peer review at a journal, the conclusions have gained spotlight, given the researchers' background as renowned immunologists and virologists.

Their major findings include that lineage A and lineage B of SARS-CoV-2, which caused the early outbreaks, are genetically too different from one another, thus the coronavirus must have evolved in non-human animals and the two lineages spread to humans separately.

One report was released on Feb. 25 by researchers in China working with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutes after an analysis of over 1,000 samples collected from the environment and the animals within Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, in early 2020, while the other two were published on Feb. 26 by the U.S.-led international teams.

The international teams studied the data and information collected by the World Health Organization and other authority channels, as well as the early features shown in the spreading of the virus.

Michael Worobey, a virologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson and a co-author on the papers released by the international teams, told the Nature magazine that his thinking on the origins of COVID-19 has shifted. He once kept an open mind about whether the pandemic stemmed from a laboratory.

As more evidence has come to light supporting a zoonotic origin story, it's extremely improbable that two distinct lineages of SARS-CoV-2 could have been derived from a laboratory, Worobey said.

Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and an author of the two reports by the international teams, also confirmed that the two preprints provide the strongest evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic began from "live animals" instead of laboratories.

After posting on Twitter one report entitled "SARS-CoV-2 emergence very likely resulted from at least two zoonotic events," Andersen tweeted that the scientists need "more and better data" to approach the origin as there are still questions such as "What animals? Farmed or wild? Connectedness?" and "Future risk?" needed to be answered.

In spite of some clamor hyping up lab-leak hypothesis, more and more studies have proved that the COVID-19 origin tracing is a serious issue needed to be dealt with through the collaboration of global scientists on basis of scientific attitude and principles. 
Ketchikan, AK (99901)

Today

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low around 40F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low around 40F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
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In health information technology circles, interoperability has become quite the buzzword. A Google search for Interoperability in Healthcare yielded 28 million results. Given its pervasiveness, its not surprising that the precise meaning of the term is often obscured. The 21st Century Cures Act defined three key components of interoperability: (A) the secure exchange of electronic health information with, and use of electronic health information from, other health information technology without special effort on the part of the user; (B)  complete access, exchange, and use of all electronically accessible health information for authorized use under applicable State or Federal law; and (C) [technology that] does not constitute information blocking as defined in section 3022(a).

To understand what all of this means in practice, consider use cases in three arenas: clinical, social services, and administrative.

1. Better care in clinical settings. When a patient is receiving services from a provider, interoperability means that all relevant information is readily available at the point of service to both the patient and the provider. In an ideal world, that means that no matter where other services were received, the provider has all past history, diagnostic tests, treatments, and even social determinants of health (SDOH) at their fingertips. Similarly, appropriate information is readily available for both staff and patients as needed.

2. Coordination of health care and social services is enhanced. Our most vulnerable populations generally face an alphabet soup of service organizations that support their housing, transportation, educational, financial, and other social needs. The impact of these issues on health outcomes cannot be overemphasized. It is estimated that socioeconomic and behavioral factors drive over 80 percent of health outcomes. Interoperability among social service organizations as well as between social services and health care services will be critical to reducing health disparities across our communities. With appropriate information available no matter where, how, or when an individual seeks assistance, we could truly achieve a vision of no wrong doorseamlessly matching services to each persons needs. This may sound like a pipe dream, but efforts are ongoing in communities across the country to create these linkages, and many health information exchanges (HIEs) are driving the flow of information across the landscape of health care and social services.

3. Driving efficiency in administrative function. A study published in Academic Medicine in 2017 revealed that physicians were spending 24 percent of their working hours on administrative tasks. Often these tasks relate to requirements for specific information from regulators and insurance companies. The burden of supplying clinical justification for prior authorizations is a relevant example. In a fully interoperable environment, clinical information would be available to the payer without the need to fill out forms or make phone calls. Many of todays manual administrative processes could be fully automated. This would drive waste from the system and expedite patients care by reducing information-flow delays.

Foundation for success

Interoperability will not solve the lack of coordination and cohesion in our current health care system. There are other critical gaps in health care infrastructure, such as a lack of transparency and the primitive nature of current quality measures. That said, achieving true interoperability will be a critical and foundational component of success in our collective efforts to achieve improved outcomes for patients and communities, reduced cost trends, and improved provider morale.

Martin Lustick is a physician and senior vice-president and principal, NextGen Healthcare.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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An interview with Rich DiPentima, MPH, former chief of communicable disease epidemiology at the New Hampshire Division of Public Health.

Rosenberg: As the former chief of communicable disease epidemiology at the New Hampshire Division of Public Health and deputy public health director in Manchester, NH, you wrote an op-ed a few months ago that compared COVID-19 with previous pandemics. Can you elaborate?

Dipentima: With smallpox, the only reservoir was humans, and thus after the last human case the virus in the wild was eradicated. Diseases like COVID-19, influenza, and many others have multiple primary and secondary reservoirs causing the viruses to live, multiply and spread to other animals even when the hosts do not become ill. In some cases, various strains of a virus can mix within a single reservoir and exchange genetic material, creating a novel virus.

Rosenberg: Are these risks growing, and if so, what are the factors?

Dipentima: The risk of the emergence of novel viruses is growing due to greater encroachment of humans into animal habitats, climate change, and increased population growth. There are particular species like bats and migratory birds that are reservoirs for viruses because of their frequent and easy contact with domestic animals such as poultry, swine, and others.

This has been a particular concern in the wet markets in China and elsewhere, where multiple species of wild and domestic animals have close contact, and sanitary conditions are poor. There is a vital need to identify and quickly respond to the development of any novel virus, especially in these settings where various viruses can infect a common host and share genetic material.

Rosenberg: Arent international health groups doing this?

Dipentima: The global surveillance program conducted through the WHO should be greatly expanded, with teams of scientists spread around the globe to monitor unusual deaths in wild or domestic animals and surveillance of unusual cases of human disease presenting to local hospitals. Laboratory capacity must be expanded and easily available. High-risk areas such as the wet markets must be better controlled, and sampling of various species should be conducted to identify any emerging pathogen.

The WHO should hold monthly conference grand rounds with global surveillance teams to share information and establish a rapid alert system when any unusual event is taking place. A central database for all animal and human sampling, similar to the CDCs PulseNet, should be established to identify any common links between samples taken from around the globe. International treaties and agreements should be in place to allow for a swift international response to a possible emerging pandemic anywhere in the world. Greater international funding and cooperation are needed in vaccine and antiviral drug research and development.

Rosenberg: As a public health official, you addressed hazardous waste, water contamination/pathogens, radon, rabies, salmonella, swine flu, Legionnaires disease, Lyme disease, antibiotic-resistant TB, and AIDS. Which challenges have relevance to COVID-19?

Dipentima: For different reasons, different diseases that I have dealt with have relevance to the COVID-19 pandemic. Obviously HIV/AIDS is at the head of the list because it is a pandemic caused by a novel virus. The big difference is that HIV is not easily spread from person to person like influenza or COVID-19. In the very early phase of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there was a great deal of fear about how it was spread, discrimination against high-risk groups, and politicization of the disease.

The SARS outbreak in 2003 is also very relevant to COVID-19 since both are coronaviruses with similar epidemiological characteristics. The reservoir in SARS was bats, with a secondary reservoir, civet cats, the source of the initial human infections. While with COVID-19, it is suspected that bats are also the reservoir, but no secondary reservoir has yet to be identified.

Lastly, the 1976 swine flu is relevant. Concerns were related to the possibility of a novel virus, like the 1918 Spanish Flu. While the pandemic never took place, the public health response of vaccine development and distribution was very applicable to COVID-19.

Rosenberg: You were a New Hampshire state representative for four years. What are the COVID-19 lessons for lawmakers?

Dipentima: First, all elected officials must understand that the most important function of government at all levels is to protect the safety and wellbeing of its citizen and to, first, do no harm as is said with physicians. One of the most damaging effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic has been its politicization  the spreading of fear, doubt, and lack of respect for science and public health officials. This needs to stop.

Beyond that, especially at the state level, elected officials have a duty and a responsibility to carefully weigh the balance between public health and personal freedoms. When individual personal freedom interferes with the health and safety of the entire community, there must be reasonable accommodations made to protect the public. This has always been the case during times of crisis, like during WW II or after 9/11. The use of a pandemic or any crisis to further any political goals or objectives, either personal or broader, should be rejected.

Rosenberg: Did public health officials drop the ball with COVID-19?

Dipentima: The current pandemic has demonstrated all too vividly how weak our public health surveillance, epidemiological, and laboratory capacity is in the U.S. It also demonstrated how ill-prepared we were to quickly provide the necessary PPE to health care workers and the general public. Public health messaging was also very inconsistent, and much more attention must be given to preparing public health professionals to communicate risks during a crisis.

The leadership of CDC during the current pandemic was a disaster. The director of the CDC is now a political appointee and the system should be changed back to the way it was prior to 1982, when the director was appointed based on public health qualifications and experience. It is inevitable that another novel virus or other pathogen will emerge sometime in the future and the sooner such a pathogen can be identified, the better the chance to stop it before it becomes a global pandemic.

Martha Rosenberg is a health reporter and the author of Born With a Junk Food Deficiency.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Glowing and beaming.

Applying these terms to people has become somewhat dated, but to students of human nature, and especially doctors who meet people under all sorts of unusual circumstances, they still apply.

A former colleague of mine, who worked in general practice in Kansas in his early medical years, went on to an OB/GYN residency and practiced obstetrics until his retirement. He swore that he could tell when a woman was pregnant just by looking at her. This would be before any signs or symptoms, and usually before the woman knew it herself. Despite my incessant inquiries, he couldnt (or wouldnt) tell me how he did it. I think it had something to do with subtle edema around the eyes, and a blush to the cheeks, but the closest he could come was to say that they had a glow about them.

Beaming in an age of laser beams, tractor beams, and Beam me up, Scotty! has definitely fallen into misuse in relation to a persons demeanor. I can recall at least three instances when I observed this.

I was stationed in Newfoundland on a small U.S. naval base and was, among other things, in charge of all the obstetrics cases at the hospital. One of my colleagues, also a next-door neighbor and an internist, was over six feet tall and married to a very diminutive wife. She became pregnant, and when she went into labor, it was obvious the child was quite large and it was going to be a long night. Despite the constant threat of a Cesarean section, she persevered and delivered a bouncing eight-pound baby boy. There were lots of hugs and happiness tears, and I left the little family and went home.

Later that evening, I went out to empty the trash in the dumpster when an apparition appeared around the corner of the building, walking a small Scottish terrier. Dressed in LL Bean boots, totally unlaced, and with pants half stuffed into the boot, covered by a torn and stained overcoat with a scarf tied in a big knot around the collar of the coat outside the neck and topped with a black watch cap covering the whole head except the face. I knew it was the proud father, both from the size and the outfit, but the dead giveaway was the face. He was beaming! With eyes crinkled and a closed mouth smile from ear to ear, his face lit up the entire street. Obviously, he felt it was a good day!

Another instance was a beaming teenager. Sarah was a child I delivered who was diagnosed with microcephaly. Most of her developmental milestones were delayed, but with the help of special schools, she finally got there. Her parents adored her and cared for her in every respect, but except when she was with Thomas, her enormous black cat, she never seemed happy or joyous. She attended St. Colettas school, founded by Cardinal Cushing for his exceptional children. (No other term was to be used for these students, no matter what the diagnosis. ) I have a picture of Sarah at her senior prom in my office bookcase. Her date, a classmate, is in a tuxedo, and she is in a gown with upswept hair, and she is positively beaming! Looking at the picture brings tears to my eyes.

Celebrities are not immune to beaming. Dr. Joseph Murray was a staunch supporter of the Guild of St. Luke, and of me when I was president. Joe was a plastic surgeon post-WWII and worked hard with skin grafts and trying to prevent their rejection. In 1954 he and Dr. Francis Moore performed the worlds first successful kidney transplant and were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine. When we would have a guild lecture for medical students, I would prevail upon Joe to show the video of him being given the award by King Gustav V of Sweden. It was always a big hit.

I had a patient, Gail, whose three children I had delivered, who, at age 41, suddenly went into kidney failure. No one could figure out why and she had to go on dialysis. Because of her age and excellent health, she was a candidate for a transplant. Surprisingly, her husband was a donor match and gave her one of his kidneys. She has been fine ever since. In 2011 we were having the centennial celebration of the Guild of St. Luke, and I knew Joe would be there. When I mentioned it to Gail, she became very excited and made me promise to give him a message. It was a simple message, but she had me repeat it twice and even called me on the afternoon before the event.

I made sure my wife and I sat next to Joe and Bobbi for the dinner. Bobbi was curtailing some of his activities because of age, but she knew she couldnt keep him from the Centennial. During dessert, I told him about my patient, now a grandmother of four with all her girls married, and told him how excited she was that I would be seeing him. The message was simple; Thank you for saving my life! He sat back in his chair, got a little tear in one eye, then beamed. It was wonderful to see and well deserved by a great man.

We should be on the alert for these moments of glowing and sharing, as they represent physical evidence of joy in life. We all need more joy, and if we can facilitate it for another person, it is a great deed, a mitzvah!

Gerald P. Corcoran is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Describe a challenge and how you overcame it.

Is this an interview? It is. I see. Yes, the way you are looking at me like I should be providing an answer. OK, well. You see this is a challenge right here because you are two-dimensional and yet I have been told that you are threeand you look like you could have human-like qualities and maybe a catbut right now I see a whitewashed wall and a plant you may or may not have bought explicitly for this occasion. But seeing how you have come all this way (through space and time and whatnot), please, continue.

What motivates you?

Have you ever wondered how many times death has not come, but could have? On the corner of Church Street and Dubuque how close was I, pausing to assess an ice-sheeted puddle just before a woman turns, her head turned too, searching for what? A snack? A phone? A child crying? The summer I almost drowned, my mother said no you will not, and I did not. Hotel pool, a single cool eye seeking, floaters upstairs in the room. Every backseat I slid into under the cloaks of dark and youth and rebellion with every driver that palmed the wheel like a dareI will not be struck down tonight. How many near-deaths have I walked towards without hesitation, another door, another elevator another escalator on its way up. And nowevery mouth and nose just a house for fear. Oh, but how I dare to smile.

Tell us about your research experience.

Informally? Im investigating how long a tea kettle will last, waiting patiently for the concoction my husband brewed last summer to grow mold, and testing the edible nature of a variety of other substances that, yes, they tell me, intend to grow mold. Im also working on a handful of mysteries including several ongoing missing underwear investigations, how long you can love someone for, and the cold case of a favored jacket I lost several moves back. List of suspects pending. In my spare time, Im writing a case study concerning aging parents, the time and space the heart can tolerate without them.

Tell me about yourself.

When done right, the clementine peel unspools like a childs toy, a slinky collapsing down the stairs. I havent seen one in so long, though I feel it every day, a momentum urging me towards the next step to which I dive headfirst, pulled by nothing more or less than an enginethough Im empty: these ribs and vertebrae holding so much stale energy that has yet to pick a form.

Youve worked in mental health.

Is that a question?

What was the most interesting case you have been involved in?

A patient told me how her aunt used to care for baby racoons the time they stole the car keys, and, dangling them over the air conditioning vent, let go, how no one knew for thirty years and there was never enough money for a new set of keys so the car sat on its four tires in the driveway where things up and lived around it, weeds grew to make it more art than life, and the racoons they probably diedbut the keys, they found last week, just days after the car was sold. That was a case both solved  and unsolved.

What are some of your strengths/weaknesses?

My grandfather takes a nail and hammer from the toolshed, an old log he finds behind the back of the house. He teaches me to hold the nail straight when pummeling the head, not to hit my fingers like (here he holds up his bruised thumb ruefully). His attention is like water running like Im one bucket and bathtub too short. You have surgeons hands. Each strength has shown its weakness and every weakness, strength, when you push it around in your mouth tenderly enough and spit out the bones. Next question.

Do you see any problems managing a personal and professional life?

My personal life is fall leaves, a fox slinking over the back fence, snow, slow and steady. Professionally, I try to save life or keep it holding on or hold its hand before letting go. Personally, the sun is setting when I leave the hospital and every hand inside me grabs fistfuls. Professionally, you are wilting before my eyes. Personally, the ends of my hair are becoming cold and hard, knotted stalactites of saltthese tears and sweat, this cold. Professionally, your daughter comes to visit and shes five. The visiting hours are short but not short enough. I dont want her to see me like this. Personally, I skate home on a joyless ice rink. Professionally, there are no more options. Personally, I search. Professionally, your wife searches. Professionally, I explain metastatic cancer. Personally, the knife slips during dinner prep and I watch the cut coolly, command the blood to coagulate. By nightfall, my heart only beats when I tell it to. I breathe when I remember.

If we were to consider you for said residency, what would you fill your pockets with?

A taste of my last good dinner, the look of a whole moon on a pellucid night, every cicatrix that wears my skin and whispers in my ear, a watch pockets worth of crabgrass from my parents backyard wilting beneath the Slip n Slide, the suns tongue when it licks me between my shoulder blades, two rocks, not so much to sink me, but enough to remind me to swim.

Liana Meffert is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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There is a particular pang of regret I get when I think about the patients who I have failed to say goodbye to.

By this, I mean when a physician leaves a group or practice, they are often prevented from sharing their next destination. Like most young physicians, I had left my first employer within five years and was barred from sharing my next job details. I had learned in training that this was standard practice though we were allowed to tell people vague information like if we were staying in the area.

I had accepted without much analysis the premise that I should not steal patients from an old practice to create a new one. In my case, I did my best to tell people I was not moving far and to look on the internet in a few months. Two years on, I still have patients who show up saying, I finally found you!

I am reminded of how my patients must have felt when I meet new confused and upset patients whose previous doctors office suddenly closed their doors, or their doctors stopped working there without explanation. If the office is open, the staff are closed-lipped about the details or do not know themselves. I have too often heard from new patients, Couldnt they have left some bit of information? Did they move out of state? Why dont they take my insurance anymore?

When I hear these distressed queries, I immediately imagine my own former patient asking this to some of their new doctors after they were unceremoniously disconnected from me. The impersonality of this practice undermines any assures we give patients that we care about them. Some patients take it quite personally and have told me they avoided doctors and medical treatment for some time after such an experience.

This lack of courtesy is becoming a frequent phenomenon as competing health care systems buy out practices and trigger doctors to change locales after mergers. Young doctors enter the workforce with eyes open regarding the low likelihood that theyll stay at their first job. Severed physician-patient relationships are now often relayed by staff at call centers who inform patients that no doctor by that name works here or that this doctor no longer takes your insurance since these employees have no relationship to the doctors either. There is no mechanism for input or sanction from the physician. Many of my friends and colleagues have had to contemplate the potential harm caused or distress felt by patients at losing their doctors with no communication. The only exception to this standard is retirement when doctors are allowed to communicate personally because no business interests are threatened.

I am ashamed of the callous, avoidant goodbyes that have been made in my name, and I regret the distress caused by this widely accepted standard. The determined patients will figure it out anyway, and the less-resourceful ones are left confused, hurt, and more likely to avoid important medical care.

Karen Dong is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, held its closing meeting on Thursday.

Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the closing meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, delivered a speech at the meeting.

A resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, a resolution on a report on how the proposals from political advisors have been handled since the previous annual session, a report on the examination of new proposals, and a political resolution on the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee were approved at the meeting. 

Wang Yang delivers a speech while presiding over the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The military band of the Chinese People's Liberation Army performs during the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) leave the Great Hall of the People after the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) leave the Great Hall of the People after the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) pose for a group photo outside the Great Hall of the People after the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)
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A recent article in Smithsonian Magazine lauded a man in Indonesia for removing a motorcycle tire that had been stuck around a crocodiles neck for six years. Known by locals as buaya kalung ban, which means crocodile with a tire necklace, the reptile had successfully thwarted previous rescue attempts.

Though the outcome was considered a success  not once did anyone stop to consider whether the crocodile wanted the tire removed. While it is possible they could have eventually suffocated, perhaps they were not endangered and enjoyed their iconic status.

It is part of human nature to make assumptions about what others want or need, believing they want the same things we do. In this case, no one could ask the crocodile how they feltbut even if that were possible, would we?

In health care today, the answer is often no.

As a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital, I interview lots of people about their experiences making medical decisions. I spoke to a young breast cancer patient that turned to many medical experts for advice. After answering a few questions, she realized it was the first time she was ever invited to share what mattered most in her lifeyet that seemed vitally important when selecting the best course of treatment.

Unfortunately, studies on medical decision-making find doctors are twice as likely to make recommendations without asking patients what they want. This statistic would be less troubling if doctors were good at guessing what their patients want, but other studies indicate doctors frequently get it wrong. Some might argue patients can challenge doctor recommendations, but patients are often scared to do so. We are conditioned to believe the doctor knows best.

We believe medical science will provide the right answers, and if we gather enough information (and pose the right question to the right expert) the solution will magically appear. However, the biggest secret of medical science is there are shockingly few situations with a single right answer. This is partly because scientific advances often bring new treatment options that could carry greater benefits or greater risks.

For example, doctors now have the option to treat appendicitis with antibiotics in hopes of avoiding surgery altogether. But, new treatment options require a complete shift in conventional thinking that once viewed appendicitis as an emergency that must be treated with surgery. Depending on which doctor a patient visits, they could receive a referral for surgery or an antibiotic prescription.

Patients are often advised to get a second opinion from another doctor. But in this scenario, a third opinion could break the tie and still not identify the right solution for the patient.

The right solution is the one that best achieves a patients objectives, which requires their input. To make the right choice, doctors need to do more than just determine what is the matter with them. They also need to be skilled at figuring out what matters to them. Doctors should use that information to guide their treatment recommendations, and patients should readily volunteer this information if they are not asked.

Too often in medicine, health care providers assume what patients want or need. Like the crocodile, we may assume all patients would want a tire removed in order to help extend their life  even if the cure meant losing the only thing that made their unique life worth living. The burden of changing health care should not rest on the shoulders of patients facing major medical decisions, suffering symptoms, worrying about their future, and struggling to advocate for themselves. It is important we help patients recognize just how important their opinions are.

Karen Sepucha is a research scientist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Dmitry Grishko says even if the war ends before the care packages arrive, cities and villages have seen horrific damages, and many homes are decimated. The items provided will be much needed, whether the conflict has cooled or not.
China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna Wang Qun attends a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors in Vienna, Austria, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

If the AUKUS does involve the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials, the U.S., Britain and Australia must completely abolish the cooperation that openly and directly violates the NPT, impairs the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and undermines global strategic stability and international security order, said Chinese envoy.



VIENNA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna Wang Qun said Wednesday that the United States, Britain and Australia must address international concerns about the nuclear proliferation risks of their AUKUS deal.

Wang made the remarks when addressing a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on the "Transfer of nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons)."

The IAEA board on Monday decided by consensus to incorporate the AUKUS issue as a formal agenda item at China's proposal.

In September 2021, the United States, Britain and Australia announced the establishment of AUKUS, under which the United States and Britain will assist Australia in its acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

Wang noted the core issue is whether AUKUS involves the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials.

The issue bears on the integrity, effectiveness and authority of the NPT and the interests of all IAEA member states, and thus must be clarified, he said.

"If the AUKUS does involve the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials, the three countries must completely abolish the cooperation that openly and directly violates the NPT, impairs the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and undermines global strategic stability and international security order," he said.

"Otherwise, the IAEA member states have the right and responsibility to continue the intergovernmental discussion process to resolve the issue so as to safeguard the authority and effectiveness of the NPT as well as the integrity of the IAEA safeguards system," he added.

China has proposed the establishment of a special committee, open to participation of all IAEA member states, to continue in-depth discussions on AUKUS and submit recommendations to the agency's board and its general conference, according to Wang.

He stressed that before a consensus is reached on a resolution, the United States, Britain and Australia should not carry out cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines, and the IAEA secretariat should not negotiate safeguard issues with the three countries.

The envoy called on all IAEA member states to focus on the core issues of AUKUS and seek solutions to safeguard the NPT and the international non-proliferation regime. 
Looking to update your home? Watch the KHQ Spring Home Design Guide featuring the areas top home improvement businesses on Sat, May 7 at 4:30pm on KHQ. And click here to win a $500 VISA gift card, courtesy of our presenting partner - VPC Electric!
Right now, the rights of transgender youth are in limbo in the Gem State. A bill, which passed in the House 55-13, makes it illegal for transgender people under 18 years old to receive gender-related treatment.
Bob Geldof and Imelda May have been announced as part of the line-up for a musical and arts event launched to raise money for Ukraine.

The Night for Ukraine will be held at the Roundhouse in north London this evening (Wednesday March 9) with the funds raised being donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to provide aid to people fleeing Ukraine.

Ukrainian born pop duo Bloom Twins, who helped organise the event, will also perform alongside The Pretenders star Chrissie Hynde and Ukrainian baritone and principal artist for the Royal Opera House Yuriy Yurchuk.

Geldof said he was keen to get involved with the fundraising event and wanted to do what he could to support the Ukrainian people.

He added: At least it stops me feeling so utterly impotent if only for an hour or two. You can do the same by simply showing up and enjoying yourself. See you there.

Bloom Twins explained that as Ukrainians it had been humbling to see the support their country was receiving from the rest of the world.

We are really looking forward to being a part of this project, and not just as a one-off performance but as creative collaborators, they said.

This is an absolute honour to be representing our country and helping people caught up in this devastating conflict.

There is so much every one of us can do to make a difference and even though its called Night for Ukraine, the impact of it will last much longer than a night. It will belong in our memories forever.

The evening will also feature the resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet, Wayne McGregor, and a special performance from The London Community Gospel Choir.

A host of other artists are set to perform on the night including Jack Garratt, Eckoes, Peter Xan, Tom Baxter, Joseph Toonga, Nadeem Din Gabisi, Joseph Lawrence and Archive.

The project has been organised by the founder of Secret Cinema, Fabien Riggall, in collaboration with the Bloom Twins and Sunflower Relief, alongside Phoenix Court, Roundhouse, Sofar Sounds, Platoon and Lost.

Night for Ukraine is also encouraging other artists, organisers and venues to stage their own night across the nation to support DEC.

The DEC brings together 15 of the UKs leading aid charities, including British Red Cross, Oxfam UK and Save the Children UK, who are working on the ground in Ukraine and at the countrys borders to help those fleeing the conflict.

The Disasters Emergency Committee has launched an urgent appeal to help people fleeing conflict in Ukraine. #UkraineAppeal The UK Government will match pound-for-pound up to 20 million donated by the public to this appeal. #UKAidMatch Donate now: https://t.co/JRCP8NYvdB pic.twitter.com/APlGs0TJuc  DEC (@decappeal) March 3, 2022

The evening will also feature an address from DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed, who said they were grateful to the Night for Ukraine event for its help to fundraise during this critical time.

He noted that the public reaction to the appeal had been incredibly generous so far with 120 million raised in five days.

Saeed added: Our members are working tirelessly with local partners to reach people in Ukraine swiftly as the brutal conflict turns lives upside down.

Families, including many children, have been forced to leave everything they know behind to find safety and desperately need food, water and shelter.

The DEC exists to mobilise the British publics generosity and goodwill at times of crisis overseas, and this is one of those moments.2

Tickets for the Roundhouse event are on sale now at www.nightforukraine.org.
Kilkenny-based Iverk Produce has agreed a new 100 million five-year deal with Aldi Ireland to supply all of Aldis 150 Irish stores with its 100% Irish grown and packed potatoes.

Iverk Produce has partnered with Aldi since 1999 and currently supplies Aldi with Irish grown potatoes and carrots. As part of this contract extension, Iverk will supply 24,000 tonnes of locally-grown potatoes to Aldi annually. The producer is now responsible for supplying 75% of Aldis range of Irish Rooster, Maris Piper, Maritiema, Kerr Pinks, Golden Wonders and Baby Potatoes.

Founded by the OShea family in 1830 along the river Suir, Iverk Produce is one of the largest suppliers of fresh fruit and vegetables in Ireland. Based in Piltown, Kilkenny, Iverk works with over 50 local growing partners and now employs 150 people full time with a further 35 part time staff.

As a result of its contract with Aldi, Iverk Produce will have the security to invest in a new state-of-the-art packhouse, which will bring all their existing lines into a fully automated packhouse with new racking, fridges and an optical sorter that will allow for future growth and development.

Welcoming the new contract, John Curtin, Aldi Ireland Group Buying Director said: Iverk has supplied our Irish stores for more than 20 years and we are delighted to further extend our partnership for another five. Aldi is committed to supporting Irish growers so our customers can enjoy the very best vegetables.

James OShea, Iverk Produce added: We are delighted to have agreed a new contract with Aldi. This is a massive boost for both our staff and growers in this difficult climate we find ourselves in. Working with Aldi has given us the security to expand and invest in our business and we look forward to working with Aldi for many years to come.

Aldi is committed to growing its Irish supply base and increasing the number of Irish products available in its stores. Currently working with over 330 Irish food and drink producers, Aldi spent 1 billion with its Irish suppliers in 2021. It has invested more than 3 million in its Grow with Aldi supplier development programme since 2018, which offers up-and-coming artisan Irish food and drink producers the chance to have their products listed in Aldis 150 stores.
IFA President Tim Cullinan said the cut in excise of 2c per litre of green diesel will do very little to offset the rocketing price of fuel and will be seen as an insult by farmers given the importance of food security.



If the Government is serious about encouraging farmers to grow more grass and crops and produce more food, they should suspend all excise duty and carbon tax on agri diesel (Marked Gas Oil) for farmers and farm contractors, he said.



If farmers are to sow more crops and grow more grass, it will require increased use of farm machinery in the coming days and weeks. The Government must do more immediately, he said.

He said farm families are under huge pressure because of the savage increases in their costs. The Government has to get to grips with the issue and provide meaningful support to farmers.

At the meeting with the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue last night, Tim Cullinan said IFA put forward measures to support the growing of more grass for silage as well as more crops. The key issue here is to tackle input costs particularly fuel, fertiliser and feed.

Tim Cullinan said the lack of urgency at Government level is very worrying. At our AGM in January, I called on the Minister to pull the sector together to set up a task force on inputs. While the Minister has belatedly done this, he needs to come forward with concrete funded proposals, he said.
Irelands dairy sector is driving a rural mental health campaign by featuring Samaritans helpline signage on milk tankers travelling across the countryside.

The new partnership with milk processors - who are all members of the Ibec group Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) - aims to raise awareness of Samaritans freephone number 116 123among farmers and other people in rural Ireland, especially those living or working in isolation.

The signs will appear on approximately 500 milk trucks and agri-feed vehicles owned by some of the countrys largest co-operatives. It is supported by Arrabawn, Aurivo, Carbery(including Drinagh, Bandon, Lisavard and Barryroe co-ops), Dairygold, Glanbia, Kerry, Lakeland, North Cork, Ornua (Kerrygold), and Tipperary.

Conor Ryan, DII Chair and Chief Executive of Arrabawn Co-Op, said: The members of DII are delighted to support Samaritans and spread the message that help is there for anyone who is struggling to cope.

Our vehicles travel more than 50 million kilometres across the country every year, especially over the summer months, visiting some of the most rural areas in Ireland. If even one person who sees a sign makes a call for help, we know we will have made a difference.

The campaign was launched at Peter and Paula Hynes dairy farm in Aherla, Co Cork, by Martin Heydon, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility Farm Safety.

Minister Heydon said: Farmers are exposed to a lot of work pressures and often find themselves working long hours alone. This can lead to isolation and mental health issues which is a real concern for so many people living in rural Ireland.

I am determined to see a greater focus on farmer mental health and wellbeing given the inextricably link with farm safety. This initiative could make a real difference in reaching those who need support most and I want to commend the leadership shown by all those involved.

Peter Hynes has openly spoke about his own mental health struggles and founded AgMentalHealthWeek with Paula to show others in rural areas that support is available.

Farming is a demanding and tough occupation for some. Ensuring we highlight the importance of reaching out for support in times of crisis is crucial and the greatest way to reduce stigma around mental health and suicide is through a united voice, he said.

The scale of this message and collaboration between Samaritans Ireland and the Irish dairy industry is truly inspiring, ensuring rural Ireland know there is always someone willing to listen.

Samaritans volunteers answer over half a millions calls for help every year.

Samaritans Deputy Regional Director, Aileen Spitere, said the initiative will target those hard-to-reach groups who are often most at risk of loneliness and isolation, may have family, work or financial worries, have mental health problems, or feel suicidal.

We are delighted to have the support of the dairy co-operatives for this campaign, not just to reach dairy farmers, but anyone living, working or driving in rural areas who may see our helpline number on a vehicle, said Aileen, a volunteer in Samaritans Cork branch.

We want people to know that Samaritans is here for anyone struggling to cope, no matter who you are or where you are, on freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie.

Mental health challenges and suicide are complex, going beyond simply where you live or what profession you are in, but these can also be factors. The increased risk factors for those living in rural and agricultural settings such as poor access to services, isolation and persistent loneliness mean its essential for us to do more to reach people in these environments.
The Last Supper came to Castlecomer on Friday as the Wellie Race committee handed out over 13,000 to charities in Shortalls Lounge on Friday.

Seamus Walsh, vice-chairman of the Wellie Race Committee, welcomed all to the Last Supper, the annual presentation event, for the 42nd annual Wellie Race.

Its been a tough couple of years due to the pandemic, he said to the assembled guests and audience. Last year we ran a Virtual Race which was very successful. People took part from as far away as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several other countries.

This year we decided to run the race as normal as possible in line with HSE guidelines, he said. Thanks to everybodys co-operation it went very well.

I would like to thank a few people, the vice-chairman said. Our sponsors, all who took part in the race, runners and walkers. Those who helped on the day, taking in money, doing the handicapping. Dick and Anna Mai Mullins for the use of the Post Office, Aishling and Niall Cullen for the finish of the race, all our stewards, Gardai, Eurospar who sponsored and supplied bottled water, our MC on the day Emmet Kennedy, the Barrett family and friends.

Id also like to thank photographer Brenda Murtagh, Michael Kealy Video, Red Cross, Order of Malta, the local County Council who supplied bollards. Damien Lennon of THM who supplied the barriers, TJ Dunne for the use of his trailer and last, but not least, our hard-working committee.

Before I finish, I would like you all to take a minute to remember all those who passed away over the last two years, he added. During the pandemic we lost some great supporters of the race. On the night we also keep the people of Ukraine in our prayers.

The silence in the crowded lounge was palpable and appropriate. Treasurer Enda Healy reported on two very successful years of the race.

In 2021 we raised 12,000 from the Virtual Run, with a total of 10,000 distributed, he said. This years race generated 19,800. We are in a position to distribute 13,400.

I want to thank all who participated, the treasurer added. We had 25 Adult Merit Awards and 23 Children Merit Awards which given the circumstances was highly commendable.

MC Maurice Shortall then introduced the charities who were benefitting:

300 Firoda NS; 100 Presentation Convent NS, Moneenroe NS; 200 Wandesforde NS; 300 Coon Community Council, Defibrillator Group, Ballyragget/Ballyouskill Lourdes Invalid Fund, Deerpark Shrine.

500 Castlecomer Union of Parishes, Clogh Parish, Muckalee Parish, Castlecomer Parish, Conahy Parish.

800 St Patricks Centre, Family Carers Ireland, North Kilkenny Wheelchair Association, Carlow-Kilkenny Home Care Team, School of the Holy Spirit.

1,000 SOS Castlecomer; St Vincent de Paul, Castlecomer; Friends of Castlecomer District Hospital; Social Services, Castlecomer; Workhouse Graveyard, Castlecomer.
Saudi, Chinese firms sign deal on space technologies, satellites, AI cooperation

Xinhua) 08:37, March 10, 2022

RIYADH, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Three tech firms from Saudi Arabia and China on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of innovative space technologies, satellites, artificial intelligence (AI) and geospatial products.

The three companies, TAQNIA ETS and TAQNIA SPACE from Saudi Arabia and STAR.VISION from China, agree to engage in collaborative research and development to introduce localized innovative services and products that will support the strategic space and geospatial industry in Saudi Arabia and the region.

As the leading geospatial company in Saudi Arabia, TAQNIA ETS was keen to sign the MoU and to collaborate with STAR.VISION to utilize AI in producing high resolution and accuracy geospatial products that are compatible with the unique topographic and geographic features of Saudi Arabia, said Abdulaziz S. Al-Farraj, CEO of TAQNIA ETS.

Fan Lianghua, co-founder of STAR.VISION, said his company "looks forward to bringing its expertise in the space sector and AI applications to Saudi Arabia, and enable the young Saudi talents in these fields."

The signing took place on the last day of the World Defense Show in Riyadh that commenced on Sunday.

Founded by Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries, the event showcases the latest technological developments around the world and provides a platform for networking, collaboration, knowledge-sharing and discovery of new innovations.

Eight Chinese companies -- China Aerospace Long March International Trading Co. (ALIT), China National Precision Machinery Import &Export Corporation, China National Aero-Technology Import &Export Corporation, China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd (CSTC), China North Industries Corp. (NORINCO), CETC International Co., Ltd, ELINC China Co., Ltd (ELINC), and Poly Technologies Inc. -- joined the exhibition.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Taking a walk, giving a lecture, playing a musical instrument, reciting a literary work ... nothing seems out of the ordinary here. But have you ever thought about doing any one of these in space?

Chinese taikonaut Wang Yaping has done them all.

While fulfilling her duties as a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), she also manages to keep a decent work-life balance in space.

So, how exactly does she do it? And what's life like for an astronaut? Chinese NPC deputy in space and experts worldwide talk on China's space exploration.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
VIENTIANE, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A total of 5,136,399 people had received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Laos, equal to 70 percent of the country's population, according to a report by Center of Information and Education for Health under Lao Ministry of Health on Thursday.

A total of 4,367,592 people had been given a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, equal to 59.52 percent of the population.

In addition, 953,825 people have had a booster dose, accounting for 13 percent of the population.

In the 6-11 age group, 181,607 children, about 19 percent of this group, have received a first jab since the children's COVID-19 immunization program began just one week ago.

In the 12-17 age group, 580,871 children have taken a first dose, equal to 67.1 percent of this group, and 429,552 have had a second jab, equal to 49.6 percent of this group.

The focus of the vaccination rollout is now on children because they are at high risk of infection.

The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control is also focusing on vaccinating older people, those with an existing illness, pregnant women, and staff and service providers in offices.

The Lao government plans to vaccinate 80 percent of the population by the end of 2022. 
HANOI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Police of northern Vietnam's Dien Bien province have arrested four drug smugglers and seized over 220,000 pills of synthetic drugs, weighing about 21.5 kg in total, Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday.

Two smugglers were caught red-handed transporting some 180,000 pills or 16.7 kg of drugs in the locality. They confessed that they were hired to transport the amount for a wage of 70 million Vietnamese dongs (nearly 3,100 U.S. dollars).

Further investigating the case, competent authorities arrested two other members of the ring, seizing some 48,000 pills or 4.8 kg of synthetic drugs. All the detainees were from Dien Bien and aged between 19 and 21 years old, according to the report.

According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces the death penalty. 
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Children arrive at school in New York, the United States, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

In March 2022, "the country is currently experiencing about 5 deaths per million people per day from COVID-19" and the total deaths are nearly 1 million -- "Unfortunately, the United States has yet to arrive at the next normal."

NEW YORK, March 9 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. states roll back masking requirements for students, a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that masks helped cut COVID-19 infections in public K-12 schools that required them in the fall, reported CNN on Tuesday.

Overall, schools that required masks had 23 percent fewer COVID-19 cases on average than those that didn't. "This is a valuable finding consistent with other past data during the Delta wave," Kristen Nordlund, a CDC spokesperson, said in an emailed statement, according to the report.

Based on partnership between the CDC and the Arkansas Department of Health, the study looked at COVID-19 infections in Arkansas schools over a period of about seven weeks from August to October 2021, when the Delta variant was the major cause of infections.

The research compared COVID-19 infections in 233 public school districts, over 50 percent of whom imposed mask mandates while 48 percent didn't. Mask policies had the most effect for older students and in combination with higher vaccination coverage, the report said.

A woman jogs by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., the United States, on March 4, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

A FEW EXCEPTIONS

Mask mandates have disappeared rapidly in the last few weeks as Omicron cases have receded, but some school districts, cities and one state are holding out, and some teachers, parents and students fear that dropping mask mandates in schools is premature.

As of Monday, Hawaii remains the only U.S. state that is not lifting its statewide indoor mask mandate. About a third of the U.S. school districts still require masks, while from Jan. 7 through Monday, the number of school districts ending mask mandates had doubled.

As Americans enter a new maskless era, "some in the country have welcomed the new guidelines, while others worry that the moves are premature," reported The New York Times on Tuesday, noting over a third of the country was not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of Monday.

Experts have pointed out that while the risk COVID-19 poses to children is real, it is now about the same as the risk of the flu. Many doctors also cite the mental health strain children have faced during the pandemic and the educational value of seeing full faces, said the report.

People wearing face masks walk past a subway train in Chicago, the United States, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)

FAR FROM NORMAL

U.S. mortality rates due to COVID-19 are currently about 10 times higher than had been recorded during previous outbreaks of a major respiratory disease, experts have said, indicating that the country has some distance to go before it returns to a "normal" level of public health.

The current number of deaths still exceeds what would typically be expected in a "bad" flu season. "In that scenario, hospitals would fill, worker shortages would emerge, and more than 50,000 Americans would lose their lives in a year," reported Business Insider on Wednesday.

Citing a report by a group of the world's top scientists, public health doctors and policy experts published on Monday, the report said that to reach "the next normal," the United States should aim for an average mortality of less than 0.5 deaths per million Americans per day.

"Going into March 2022, the country is currently experiencing about 5 deaths per million people per day from COVID-19" and the total deaths are nearly 1 million, said the report, adding that "unfortunately, the United States has yet to arrive at the next normal." 
I'm currently a senior majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in political science. I'm a fan of all St. Louis sports, Oasis and pretty much any Kurt Russell film. Feel free to reach out to me at mgp89g@umsystem.edu or on Twitter @MattPasz2000.

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KCK police are investigating two cases of animal cruelty so outrageous, they've taken to social media to find their abusers. The pictures of the dogs are tough to look at. Police say these are not cases of neglect, but "outright cruelty." The abuse the animals suffered is not just heartbreaking, it's a crime.
Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam speaks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua in south China's Hong Kong, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Wednesday said the HKSAR government is firmly assuming the main responsibility in fighting a war against the COVID-19 epidemic and will better leverage the resources and the central government's support.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Lam said the HKSAR government aims to forge a fighting spirit and flexible strategies and make sure everyone is on the same page, noting that all the HKSAR government's over 60 departments and 180,000 civil servants should be mobilized to fight COVID-19.

Lam said the HKSAR government has taken into account the suggestions of mainland experts, who called for the anti-epidemic efforts to be currently focused on minimizing infections, severe cases, and the deaths in confirmed patients.

When infections are already widespread, the limited resources should be channelled to areas of greater need in order to ensure life and health of the Hong Kong people, especially the elderly, to be well protected from COVID-19, she said.

According to official data, as of Wednesday, the fifth wave of infections in Hong Kong has led to 2,656 deaths, and the vast majority of the deceased were the elderly whose median age was more than 80 years old. Most of them also had chronic conditions.

"Whether the old patients are at home, in an elderly care home, or already hospitalized, we need to provide them with better treatment, including both medication and personal care," Lam said.

The concentration of medical resources is also important, and similar cases should be hospitalized in designated facilities to expand the capacity of public hospitals, she said.

"Now we only have a few thousand beds for isolation treatment, and in a very short time, this number is expected to be increased to 16,000. As the total number of beds in all hospitals managed by the HKSAR Hospital Authority is more than 30,000, we will effectively allocate half of the hospital beds for COVID-19 patients," she said.

Treatment is of paramount significance so that mild COVID-19 cases will not become critical ones, Lam added.

Lam said the HKSAR government is particularly grateful for the central government's support in building community isolation facilities, which have greatly enhanced the local capacity. "There may be up to 70,000 community isolation units or beds in Hong Kong."

The second community isolation facility (CIF) in Hong Kong constructed with support from the mainland was handed over to the HKSAR government on Wednesday. The first CIF, located in Tsing Yi, started admitting its first batch of COVID-19 patients earlier this month.

"The Tsing Yi facility with 1,300 isolation units was built in seven days on a site of about 60,000 square meters. It is something Hong Kong certainly could not have done on its own," she said, adding that the HKSAR government will spare no effort to give full play to mainland-aided anti-epidemic facilities.

She said Hong Kong had weathered so many storms in the past few years and managed to get through them all with the support from the central government, and she believes that the strong support this time will further enhance Hong Kong people's centripetal forces toward the country.

"Hong Kong has emerged better and stronger from each major storm," Lam said. "This time will be no exception." 


By Choe Chong-dae





Over the last few centuries, some foreigners have made remarkable and very diverse contributions to Korean culture and society.



When Korea was still unknown to Europeans in the early 17th century, a trading ship from the Netherlands while sailing to Japan was shipwrecked in heavy winds off the coast of Korea in 1627. The survivors were well received by the Joseon Court of Korea.



Among them was a man called Jan Janse de Weltevree who later adopted the Korean name Park Yeon. Weltevree settled down and naturalized in Korea and he familiarized himself with the Korean way of living. Presumably, he communicated with Koreans initially by writing down Chinese characters, which he had picked up while living in China.



In 1653, 26 years after Weltevree's arrival in Korea, another Dutch commercial ship, the Sparrow Hawk, was grounded off the coast of Jeju Island with a crew of 64 aboard. Weltevree was dispatched to Jeju Island to investigate the newly arrived Dutch sailors, of which 36 had survived. Among them was a fellow called Hendrik Hamel. They were moved to Seoul and involuntarily assigned to serve as musketeers in the Royal Court guard.



In 1656, they were sent into exile to Gangjin County in South Jeolla Province because they had devised a plot to escape, begging the envoy from China to help them flee. During their turbulent life in exile, for more than seven years, Hamel and his companions familiarized themselves further with Korean culture and customs.



In 1663, severe famine, drought and contagious diseases forced the Dutchmen to disperse to three different areas. Of the 22 Dutchmen still alive, five transferred to Suncheon, five to Namwon and 12 including Hamel to the headquarters of the Left Provincial Naval District in the southwestern coastal city of Yeosu. Though many years had passed, they never forgot their homeland, the Netherlands.



Realizing Yeosu was the best place for an escape, Hamel and his companions purchased a small boat with money they had earned as itinerant beggars. In 1666, having lived in Korea for 13 years, they escaped to Japan. Hamel returned to the Netherlands by way of Nagasaki where the Dutch maintained a trading post with regular boat services to Batavia.



In 1668, he published an account of his extraordinary experiences in Korea, entitled "Hamel's Journal and a Description of the Kingdom of Korea 1653-1666." It was this account that first introduced Korea to the Europeans. A copy of the journal is now on display at the Hamel Memorial Museum in Yeosu. It was donated by the National Archive in The Hague in 2012.



Hamel's adaptation to life in exile in Korea reminded me of the phrase "survival of the fittest" coined by Herbert Spencer. It states that organisms that are best adjusted to their environment are the most successful in surviving.



I visited Gangin recently and was struck by the stone walls at Byeongyeong village arranged in a herringbone pattern. Remarkably, many parts of the wall had been built with thinner slated rocks and cobbles put in a zigzag shape between the thicker stones on the bottom and top. The distinctive construction of the stone wall is called "Hamel style" by the residents of the town.



As matter of fact, herringbone (comb) pattern also appeared in the Amsa-dong Prehistoric Settlement site in Seoul; other examples from the Neolithic period are to be found in Finland and its neighboring regions. Later, this pattern was widely adopted in Western Europe in places such as Rome and the Netherlands.



In recognition of his singular adventures, Hamel is called the Dutch Marco Polo. If it were not for Hamel's pioneering spirit, the "Hermit Kingdom" of Korea would have remained in the shadows and unknown to Western countries until the 18th century.





Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.






By Joseph S. Nye





CAMBRIDGE  Russia's invasion of Ukraine has revived many questions about nuclear deterrence. Whatever the outcome of what could be a long war, the issues it has raised will not go away.



In 1994, Ukraine surrendered the nuclear weapons it had inherited from the Soviet Union in return for security guarantees from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia.



But those guarantees turned out to be worthless, and because Ukraine is not a member of NATO, it is not covered by the extended deterrence of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.



What about the former Soviet republics that have joined NATO? Would U.S. extended deterrence actually work for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, or for its allies in Asia?



For deterrence to be credible, nuclear weapons must be usable. But if they are too usable, an accident or misjudgment could easily lead to a disastrous nuclear war.



To achieve an effective balance, we must consider the appropriate mix of nuclear, conventional, and other instruments, and then reduce the nuclear component whenever possible.



For example, whatever the appropriate response to North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal may be, it should not include a reintroduction of the tactical nuclear weapons that President George H.W. Bush removed from the Korean Peninsula in 1991.



Similarly, for Japan, the credibility of U.S. extended deterrence hinges on the stationing of American troops there, not on the presence of nuclear weapons. By sharing the vulnerability that Japanese troops face, the U.S. establishes a community of fate that reduces its allies' fear of abandonment.



While skeptics used to point out that the small contingent of U.S. troops in Berlin could not possibly defend that city against the Soviet Union, America's physical presence nonetheless proved to be essential to deterrence and a peaceful outcome to the Cold War. (There was also a time when the U.S. had nuclear artillery stationed in Europe; but, owing to the risks to command and control, these were removed.)



As the U.S. and other countries have continued to modernize their forces, the usability debate has persisted. Deterrence depends on psychology, and some analysts argue that perceived superiority in usable weapons can make a difference during crises.



Others, like the late Columbia University political scientist Robert Jervis, argue that all measures of nuclear balance are too crude to be useful in reaching such conclusions. Mutual assured destruction is a condition, not a policy.



In fact, history has shown that one does not need a high probability of use to create existential deterrence. Despite the overwhelming superiority of America's nuclear arsenal, President John F. Kennedy still felt deterred by even a small risk of escalation during the Cuban Missile Crisis.



Today, small, accurate nuclear weapons seem so usable that we have come to treat them as normal; but the dangers of escalation remain, and the location of some military targets near cities means the dangers will persist.



Avoiding catastrophe depends more on reducing the risks of nuclear war  both deliberate and inadvertent  than on changes in targeting doctrines.



Following a risk-reduction maxim, we can reject some policies outright. For example, a "launch-on-warning" protocol delegating nuclear launch authority to battlefield commanders may enhance deterrence, but it also raises the risk of unnecessary provocation. Defense hawks sometimes forget that deterrence depends on the opponent's psychology, not just their own.



On the other hand, defense doves' proposals to escape the usability dilemma and appease adversaries may create an impression of weakness, thereby tempting adversaries to take more risks. Dovish nuclear strategists are sometimes too clever by half when they devise elaborate strategies based solely on calculations rather than on experience.



Representing a middle ground between hawks and doves, defense owls place a premium on risk reduction. Whereas hawks have a hair trigger and doves have a sticky holster, owls offer a reliable safety catch.



Russia's invasion of Ukraine reminds us that we are still living in a world with nuclear weapons, and that we should be endeavoring to reduce (though not abolish) stockpiles over the long run.



As the physicist Richard Garwin once noted, "If the probability of nuclear war this year is one percent, and if each year we manage to reduce it to only 80 percent of what it was the previous year, then the cumulative probability of nuclear war for all time will be 5 percent."



The psychological effect of nuclear deterrence on our moral lives is another significant long-term consequence to consider. The theologian Paul Ramsey once likened nuclear deterrence to tying babies to the bumpers of cars as a means of slowing traffic and reducing the number of lives lost to road accidents.



But while that metaphor helps incite moral repugnance, it is not an accurate depiction, because people today simply do not suffer from the kind of anxiety that one would expect to see in Ramsey's scenario.



A lack of anxiety does not warrant complacency, of course; rather, it vindicates "just deterrence" (an extension of just war theory), combined with a long-term focus on reducing nuclear risk.



Although any effort to predict long-term change will almost certainly be frustrated, we can still sketch rough outlines of plausible future scenarios, while always remaining prepared for surprises  both technological and political.



In the past, technological improvements in accuracy made it possible to reduce the yield and volume of nuclear weapons. However, a whole new set of problems has come with the rise of cyberattacks on command-and-control systems, laser attacks on satellites, and autonomous weapon systems. These are the types of risks that we must seek to anticipate, understand, and reduce.



Politics, too, will change. During the Cold War, the ideological antagonists slowly developed a regime of tacit and explicit rules of the road, because each recognized that it had an interest in avoiding nuclear war.



Today's strategic competition with China and Russia could take any number of turns in the future. As we adjust to changes and surprises, we must continue to consider how our decisions will affect the long-term goal of reducing the risk of nuclear war.





Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is a professor at Harvard University and the author, most recently, of "Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump" (Oxford University Press, 2020). His article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).






Workers from Steury Builders and Grabill Drywall are busy working on the inside of a home being built on Linchel Court in Eastland Crossing on Angolas north side. This area of the city is where the majority of housing growth is taking place, something Angola needs more of, Mayor Richard Hickman said in his State of the City report.
Purdue Student Government hosted President Mitch Daniels and passed bills to create a new cultural center, allow students to edit their pronouns on Purdue websites, and remove the statute of limitations for Purdues anti-harassment policy Wednesday night.

Daniels attended via Zoom to answer the senators predetermined questions on various topics ranging from the future of Purdue to the environment to university resources.

The incoming class will be smaller to maintain the same total university size next year, he said. Purdue has put several applicants on its deferral list so Purdue brings in the (class) size (they) want.

He also said the universitys carbon emissions are down by 25% and on track to go down another 25% over the next three years. He attributed this to Purdues shift from coal to natural gas, but he didnt go into more detail.

Daniels reminded students there will be no requirement to wear masks after Spring Break, and he said he wants to keep standby equipment on hand for Protect Purdue to ensure the university can scale PPHC back up if there are any new COVID-19 variants.

Daniels said Purdues goal regarding sexual assault is to act decisively where we find (cases).

The good news I can report is that so far this school year, we are in single digits for complaints,'' he said. Some of those have yet to be substantiated. But again, until we get to zero and stay there, we're not going to be satisfied.

The Exponent reported in September that nine sexual misconduct cases, including four sexual assaults, were reported to the university. Since then, two more rapes and a sex offense have been reported. Purdue Police also investigated a fondling and a spiked drink during this school year so far.

MENA cultural center

PSG passed a resolution supporting the construction of a Middle Eastern and North African cultural center.

This (resolution) will be beneficial given that Middle Eastern students on campus have experienced discrimination and yet are unable to access all the resources and diversity efforts that are made by the university or underrepresented minorities, senator Eleanor Didonna said on behalf of authors Mariam Alyakoob and Amanda Shie, who werent present.

Middle Eastern students are mislabeled as white or referred to the Asian American and Asian cultural center or the Black cultural center, Didonna said, but are not viewed socially or inherently as members of those groups.

The resolution, amended by senator Lin Silver to add South Sudan and Israel to the list of the 32 countries, passed unanimously.

No timeline on the construction was given.

Editable gender-inclusive options in Purdue websites

The senate also discussed a resolution to add editable gender-inclusive options among Purdue-affiliated websites like Brightspace.

As the author of the resolution, Lin gave an example of students being able to change their pronouns.

Being able to change your pronouns is an option that Brightspace already provides, and Purdue has not enabled (it), and this would be great, Lin said. So if professors were to print off class rosters, they're able to refer to their students the way that they would like to be referred to.

Some other websites the resolution refers to are MyPurdue, MyHealth Push, RecWell, Boilerlink and Success Factors.

All senators voted to pass the bill except three. Evan Chrise, a junior in the College of Liberal Arts, abstained, and Matthew Stachler, a sophomore in the College of Liberal Arts, and Sophie Braun, a junior in the College of Liberal Arts, voted against the bill.

Stachler said he just (doesnt) support the bill and had no comment when asked about his decision.

Braun also refused to comment on her vote.

Removing the statute of limitations of Purdues anti-harassment policy

Senators reviewed the resolution to remove the statute of limitations of Purdues current anti-harassment policy, which says informal complaints must be filed with a Campus Equity Office within 120 days of the incident of discrimination or harassment, according to the resolution.

One of the authors of the resolution, Didonna said this resolution would follow the same statute of limitations as Title IX, allowing parties to file harassment at any point that both parties are affiliated with the university.

This resolution passed unanimously.
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People visit the exhibition area of Huawei during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on March 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

The one-year Seeds for the Future course will be offered to 15 university students with different technical profiles, and will focus on computer science, engineering, telecommunications, finance and legal issues at Huawei's own facilities.

MADRID, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on Thursday launched a new scholarship program for talented young people in Spain.

With the "Semillas para el Futuro" (Seeds for the Future) scholarship program, Huawei is promoting education and training in Spain for the 20th year running.

The program was developed in collaboration with the University-Enterprise Foundation (FUE), whose work aims to build long-term relationships between universities, companies, and society in general.

Staff members disinfect exhibits at the exhibition area of Huawei during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, March 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

The one-year Seeds for the Future course will be offered to 15 university students with different technical profiles, and will focus on computer science, engineering, telecommunications, finance and legal issues at Huawei's own facilities.

Huawei Spain's Corporate and Social Responsibility Manager, Valerie Sosto, said that young people are "the foundation of our future."

"We think it is essential to contribute to the development of attractive and quality training, based on close collaboration between the academic and business spheres," She added.

Seeds for the Future is part of Huawei's Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, "Creating Opportunities through Education."

Another scholarship project, "The Future of ICT," has already helped train 200 students from universities throughout Spain in digital skills.

A man stands in front of a poster showing a Huawei's foldable cellphone during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on March 1, 2022. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)
















BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Thursday expressed strong opposition to Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton's negative remarks about China.

Dutton's remarks fully exposed his Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, which has seriously damaged relations between the two countries and the two militaries, said Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the MND.

For some time, senior Australian military and political officials have, out of selfish political gains, frequently made negative remarks about China, clamored for confrontation with China in the South China Sea, and advocated alliances against China, Tan said.

The Australian minister's remarks constitute gross interference in China's domestic affairs and distort China's efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the spokesperson.

The Taiwan question is purely China's own affair and brooks no interference from external forces, said Tan, noting that Australia is in no position to make irresponsible comments.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army is determined to thwart any interference by external forces and foil any scheme by secessionists to split the island from the country, said the spokesperson.

Commenting on the encounter between a Chinese vessel and an Australian aircraft last month, Tan reiterated that the operations of Chinese ships were safe, standardized and professional, and were in accordance with the relevant international laws and practices.

The Australian aircraft's close reconnaissance of the Chinese vessels was malicious in intention and unprofessional in operation, posing a threat to the safety of the vessels, aircraft and personnel of both sides, Tan said.

Instead of engaging in introspection, the Australian side has repeatedly spread false information, made mendacious accusations against China and advocated antagonism and confrontation, Tan added. 
CIVIC society groups and residents associations yesterday blasted Energy minister Zhemu Sodas utterances urging Zimbabweans to park their cars and use Zimbabwe United Passenger Company buses (Zupco), while announcing another fuel hike on Wednesday.

Addressing the media, Soda said: Lets park our vehicles for now, that is an encouragement, yes, because the government has already gone ahead of this situation that we are into currently by providing these buses. Let us make use of the Zupco buses to and from our work stations in the interim while we watch what is happening on the international arena.

Reacting to Sodas utterances the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) tweeted yesterday: How about Zimbabweans say to the Energy minister and all top government officials: Park your cars and use Zupco, Cde ministers?

Later, the ZPP told NewsDay: It points to a government that is out of touch and insensitive to the plight of people. ZPP continues to raise concern about governments insensitivity to peoples transport problems and this is one example.

In its August 2021 report ZPP noted that the unavailability of safe and reliable public transportation had become a major human rights issue.

Members of the public, therefore, end up resorting to using trucks and other vehicles, popularly known as mushikashika as public transport or they spend hours queuing for Zupco buses, exposing themselves to COVID-19 and losing productive time, the ZPP report read.

Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) acting national spokesperson Andrew Chibanda said: Thats throwing a petrol bomb to the already delineating situation because the transport system is already in its doldrums. Private vehicles are playing a crucial role in bridging the gap. The minister should also use these public buses. He is not in touch with reality and his statement is careless rhetoric.

Chitungwiza and Manyame Rural Residents Association secretary Brighton Mazhindu said: Its unfortunate that the government is passing on the buck to the citizens, it is governments duty to provide affordable transport to the working population as this promotes production.

Chitungwiza Residents Association director Alice Kuveya said: We all know that Zupco buses are not enough to cater for citizens. We have witnessed women being abused waiting for buses for over three hours. At bus termini there are no benches for resting. We have people with disabilities who cannot stand for a long time.

Fuel went up on Tuesday from US$1,51 per litre for petrol to US$1,67 and US$1,68 for diesel from US$1,51 as the government alleged that Russias invasion of Ukraine was causing global oil prices to rise.

A comparison of fuel prices in the Southern Africa Development Community region shows that Zimbabwes fuel is exorbitant than the neighbouring countries.

In Angola petrol costs US$0,33 and diesel US$0,28. In Mozambique petrol costs US$1,08) and diesel US$0,96), Botswana (petrol US$1,08 and diesel US$,08), Zambia (petrol US$1,21); (diesel US$1,06), and in South Africa petrol costs US$1,38 and diesel costs US$1,39. Newsday
Press release from the Montana Attorney General's Office:

HELENA  Attorney General Austin Knudsen is encouraging Montanans donating to relief efforts in Ukraine to take precautions to ensure they support legitimate charities. It is very likely that scammers will set up fake operations to take advantage of those attempting to help the people of Ukraine during this time.

Unfortunately, scammers are always ready to use the latest crisis to try and take advantage of Montanans' good will. We have no reason to think the war in Ukraine will be any different, Attorney General Knudsen said. Keep the signs of scams in mind, always do your research before donating so that your money goes to the right place, and contact our Office of Consumer Protection if you suspect a scam.

When conducting a charity scam, scammers will typically call or email stating they are seeking a donation for what may sound like a well-known charity or for a current event  like the war in Ukraine. Scammers will oftentimes put pressure on prospective donors to donate immediately and refuse to provide details on the charity and how the money will be spent. In some instances, scammers may try to confuse the consumer by thanking them for a pledge they dont remember making. The most common forms of donations charity scammers will ask for are cash, courier, money wires, or cryptocurrency.

To avoid falling victim to a charity scam, keep these tips in mind:

Do not rush to give to a charity and ask callers to provide information by mail. Do research on the charitys name online with words like complaint and scam.

Contact the charity directly for answers on charity details and monetary allocations as some charity calls come from a paid fundraiser rather than the organization.

Ask questions about the charitys website, address, and mission. Do not be afraid to ask what percentage of donation goes to services rather than fundraising and where the services are provided.

Do not pay with wire transfers, gift cards, or cash. If donating online, make sure the website is secure.

After a donation is made, review bank and credit card statements to ensure the amount charged is the amount donated and keep all records of donations.

Do not trust caller ID. Listen carefully to the call and write down details to research before donating.

Before donating on social media or crowdfunding sites, research the person who posted the link or made the request. Do not assume it is legitimate because a friend posted it. If the post has a link, research the link and see where the money goes.

Utilize organizations like Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and Candid to research charities. To find out if a charity has registered with the IRS as a tax-exempt organization visit: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search

Charity fundraiser calls must follow specific rules: Only contact consumers between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Must disclose the name of the charity and purpose of call. Cannot deceive consumers regarding fundraisers connection to charity, mission or purpose of charity, donation is tax deductive, how donation will be used, and charities' affiliations to government.



Montanans can report any phone, email, or mail scams to the Montana Department of Justices Office of Consumer Protection at https://app.doj.mt.gov/OCPPortal/?q=node/396, contactocp@mt.gov, or (406) 444-4500 or toll free at (800) 481-6896.

The Department of Justices Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) has received 29 calls and reports since January 2021 regarding charity scams. Last year, the Office of Consumer Protection fielded 945 scam complaints and successfully saved Montanans from losing more than $1.3 million, including $869,600 that was recovered for Montanans who were victimized by scammers and $465,579 in prevented loss for consumers who called inquiring about whether they were being scammed.
POWELL, Wyo. - The Northwest College Board of Trustees is announcing Lisa Watson as the new NWC president.

NWC said in a release Watson has been the interim president of NWC since Nov. 19, 2020. In her eighth year working at NWC, she perviously served as the vice president of administrative services and finance.

After a strong recommendation from the Presidential Search Committee, the Board further deliberated and unanimously voted to retain Lisa Watson as President of Northwest College, Dr. Mark Wurzel, president of the NWC Board of Trustees said in the release.

NWC said the following about Watson in their release:

"Watson has spent close to 12 years in higher education, including four at Miles Community College where she also served as Interim President and Vice President. During her career, she has led and supported various initiatives and efforts designed to move these institutions and their students forward for success. Under her leadership, she has guided transformational work, developed facility master planning, improved budgeting and financial operations, and developed a strong understanding of the Wyoming Community College system and legislative process.

Before working in higher education, Watson held various positions in finance and has extensive experience in private industry. As a CPA, she has worked with various businesses, including family-held ag operators, downtown business owners, and fortune 500 companies with international operations.

Throughout her career, Watson has been involved in numerous activities related to her work and personal life. She has served on the National Association of College and University Business Officers sustainability board for chief business officers and is a proud member of Leadership Wyoming's class of 2018. Before living in Wyoming, she also served as a member of the Miles City Rotary Club, Holy Rosary hospital audit, Holy Rosary endowment, and Leadership Miles City. Additionally, she was the Treasurer of the Custer County Republican Women for ten years.

Watson holds a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in international business from the University of Miami, having graduated Summa Cum Laude. She is a certified public accountant, earning her bachelor's in Accounting from the University of Colorado - Boulder. Currently, she is a doctoral student in the higher education administration program at the University of Wyoming.

Watson grew up in Colorado but spent her summers and free time in Riverton, Wyoming, and Wibaux, Montana, where her family hails, and she considered home. Her husband, Thomas Watson, is a certified public accountant, and the couple has one son in elementary school."
The Northern New England Red Cross is installing smoke detectors this weekend. Do you have a fire evacuation plan for your home? How about when you are traveling?
On a snowy evening in late February, guests braved the weather for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouris signature event, Dessert First. Eight local chefs used a particular Girl Scout cookie as inspiration and as an ingredient in creating delicious desserts, which guests sampled before sitting down in the Khorassan Ballroom at The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta Hotel in St. Louis Central West End neighborhood. The Peoples Choice award went to chef April Mathews from Peachy Keen Culinary Consulting for creating an impressive gluten-free Toffee-Tastic cookie bar.

The announcement of a new fundraising campaign, the Her Future Is Our Future Campaign, was an important part of the evening, which involved awarding scholarships and recognizing corporate leadership. Dessert First raised $300,000 toward that campaign and Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouris efforts to ensure that every girl in the region, today and for generations to come, has the opportunity to be the leader she wants to be, according to a press release.

Dessert First is about bringing people in from across the community to support our girls, CEO Bonnie Barczykowski says. Their futures, their leadership development and all of us supporting them  that really means a lot to them and their families, but it means a lot to the community as a whole.
The current metal drivers licences will soon be replaced with a new plastic disc from June this year as Government through the Central Vehicle Registry moves Zimbabwe into line with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC) and SADC.

In the region, South Africa and some other countries already use the plastic licences also known as plastic polymer licences.

Currently, those who pass their Zimbabwe driving tests at the Vehicle Inspection Department depots countrywide, are immediately issued with a temporary paper licences before obtaining the metal licence a few months later.

One of the advantages of the new plastic licences is that they will be printed instantly and have security features that will make them difficult to forge, as well being scanable so checks immediately confirm authenticity and reveal any legal issues.

In a statement yesterday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona explained the need for the changeover.

The ministry through CVR is in the process of moving from the old metal disc to a new plastic disc. The old metal disc technology and equipment is now obsolete.

The proposed new disc is compliant with the COMESA, EAC and SADC Tripartite region. We urge our valued citizens to bear with us in our transition from the old to the new SADC compliant drivers license disc. This process is expected to be completed by end of June 2022, he said.

Some of the advantages of the plastic disc is that the authenticity of it can be easily verified by scanning the disc through a centralised VID database and that it will also have adequate security features that will make it difficult to forge.

A few years ago, Government also introduced polythene-synthetic identity cards which have enhanced security features, replacing the metal identity cards which are still valid and authentic, but the public was advised to replace them.

This latest development comes after early this month, Government warned VID examiners who were reportedly conniving with driving school officials to demand bribes from the public seeking learners and drivers licences.

The warning came after complaints from the public that to get a drivers licence must pay bribes to the VID officials through instructors from driving schools.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona recently met officers from the VID, Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe and officials from the driving schools where he read the riot act.

Minister Mhona said all those found receiving bribes will be discharged from their duties while driving schools will be deregistered.

We have been receiving reports that VID and driving schools are the centres of corruption. For one to get a drivers license he or she must pay a bribe of amounts ranging between US$100 and US$150. In this Second Republic, this must stop as we do not tolerate any form of corruption.

Adequate measures had been put in place to curb this scourge and CCTV will soon be installed at VID depots as one of the measures.

There is no way we can continue to be reported as being one of the most corrupt entities and I will not hesitate to recall officers found wanting. As for driving schools, we will deregister or cancel their operating licences, Minister Mhona said.

They are about 700 driving schools countrywide and Harare has a total of 250. Herald
OSAGE BEACH, Mo.  The 26th annual Winterfest, hosted by the Daybreak Rotary on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Margaritaville Lake Resort, was a smashing success. This years event was record breaking in funds raised, with more than $55,000 going to help Lake area charities! Nearly 270 attendees gathered to help support Rotarys Mission of Service Above Self.The theme Everything that Begins with R was well received and many dressed in costumes to make Winterfest 2022 even more festive.

Every year Daybreak Rotary gives to more than 40 Lake area charities with funds raised from Winterfest and the annual Muscle Car (Camaro) Raffle, which culminates at the Magic Dragon Street Meet in early May on the Bagnell Dam Strip. The more than $55,000 raised by Winterfest 2022 will help Daybreak Rotarians continue to financially support Lake area charities including Kids Harbor, CADV, Hope House, Lamb House, Medical Missions, Wonderland Camp, Lake Area Industries, the food pantries and many others. Daybreak Rotary holds a charity reception each year in August to distribute the funds to Lake area charities that are chosen by the club.

This years major Regal Sponsor was Lynn and Peg Griswold. Other major Sponsors for Winterfest included Heather Miller, Central Bank of Lake of the Ozarks, Shawnee Bluff Winery & Vineyard, Poly Lift Boat Lifts, Dr. Ron Massie (Premier Dental & Oral Health), Tom Cline Helicopter, The Beam Lighthouse Recovery Center, Joe and Carolyn Davinroy, Lake Regional Health System, the ReMax Foundation, and Hedges-Scott Funeral Home & Crematories.

The Daybreak Rotary club meets every Friday at Victory Church on Hwy 42 across from School of the Osage at 7:30 am. Breakfast is available, and visitors are always welcome.
The Laurie Terrace Mall is experiencing a swing toward more activity with several new businesses setting up shop including Phat Sals West, MoJava Drive Thru Coffee, Bleu Lemon Boards, a USPS drop box locker, Creatively Unique Art Shop, and most recently, Central Missouri Ozarks Clinic (COMC).

The expansion of COMC to Laurie offers low income, disabled, or self-employed patients an option for medical, dental, ob./gyn, and behavioral health providers at a reduced-price sliding scale affordable service.

With coverage in five counties, COMC has a lot of experience providing community health with its own in-house medical professionals, lab, and x-ray services. The ability to refer patients for surgeries to Lake Regional Hospital has a long-standing relationship since 1979. But the Laurie COMC will open the door for a new referral system to Bothwell Hospital in Sedalia, due to the closer proximity for west side towns such as Ivy Bend and Stover.

The Laurie Terrace Mall location is expansive, taking over the former Westside Clinic. Rooms are already in place for many services with little remodel necessary. But COMC has bigger needs and plans with the addition of a dental and mental health clinic, which will encompass a former accounting firms' space.

The Laurie Terrace Mall owners are excited at the prospects being realized with the malls growth the past year. We enjoyed this mall a long time ago when it was active, and hope to turn it into that again, Mike Maasen, part of the ownership team of the Laurie Terrace Mall stated at the COMC ceremony on Tuesday.

COMC staff, board members, and directors met last Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022 for a wall demolishing hard hat ceremony to officially announce their opening in the mall at Laurie. Only one wall needs to come out behind an existing reception area. Ireland Architects of Springfield and Bales Construction of Warsaw lead the remodel project. They were the team that constructed the state-of-the-art medical clinic for COMC in Camdenton.

Laurie city leaders were on hand to welcome the new clinic with City Clerk Cathy Daniels addressing the gathering. Ryan Wallace will staff the Laurie COMC facility as the Clinic Manager.

COMC CEO Kelly Miller greeted Laurie city leaders and COMC board members explaining what all the Laurie Terrace Mall location will offer to the community. Family practice, pediatrics, ob./gyn, dental, mental, case management will be provided with full time staff physicians and nurse practitioners.

The COMC network staffs over 170 employees in five counties with 48 providers.
CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo.  Leigh Ann Bauman, the Lake of the Ozarks real estate agent accused of conspiracy to murder, in a story that made national headlines, appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon for a pretrial conference.

According to prosecutor Caleb Cunningham, the pretrial did not introduce any new evidence to the case. However, Bauman did announce a change in lawyers, replacing local lawyer Simon Fawzy and Dean Price Jr., from Springfield. Bauman's new lawyer, criminal defense attorney Dan Dodson, is based in Jefferson City with the firm Dodson and Waters.

Bauman's trial is set to begin Monday, May 23. Watch LakeExpo.com for trial coverage and in-court video footage.

Case History

Worried she might lose custody of her children, Leigh Ann Bauman allegedly paid $1,500 to try and eliminate the woman she saw as the reason for that threat, according to the probable cause document for Baumans arrest and charging.

Bauman, a well-known real estate agent at Lake of the Ozarks, is facing a Class C Felony charge of Conspiracy To Commit Murder. If convicted, she would spend 310 years in prison.

The court document reveals the contents of the recorded conversation brought to law enforcement by the individual Bauman allegedly hired to kill her ex-mother-in-law. It also portrays a bizarre scene in which Bauman told investigators in her home that she was being set up, showed them her latest furniture refinishing projects, made a phone call to Lake Ozark Mayor Gerry Murawski, left for a botox appointment, and came back to finish the interview.

According to the probable cause document, investigators who knocked on Baumans door on Thursday, March 4, 2021 had clear evidence that Bauman had plotted to kill her ex-mother-in-law.

A woman came to Missouri State Highway Patrol investigators on March 3 saying Bauman had hired her two days prior. The woman told investigators Bauman had approached her on March 1, saying her children had refused to go with her when she went to pick them up, and she felt her ex-mother-in-law was the problem. Bauman reportedly texted at least one of her daughters, saying their grandmother would be dead. When the childrens father asked Bauman about this, according to the document, she said she just meant his mother was old and was going to die. After Bauman relayed this encounter to the witness who reported it to the Patrol, Bauman reportedly asked her, Do you know anybody?

The woman thought Bauman was referencing purchasing marijuana, according to the document, but Bauman replied, No, I want a hitman, somebody to get rid of her. The witness reportedly said she knew some people in St. Louis who could do the job.

That night, according to the document, the witness said she could not sleep and considered calling Baumans ex-mother-in-law to warn her, but worried the woman might call local law enforcement, whom she believed Bauman had a political connection with. The next evening, March 2, the witness says Bauman asked the woman to come over. The witness recorded the conversation she had with Bauman, which, authorities say, was hard to hear but depicted Bauman emphasizing that she wanted her ex-mother-in-law to be killed and would get the money to pay for it. Bauman was reportedly on the phone with a man on speaker-phone while the witness was at her house, and Bauman spoke to the man about the plan still being on, according to the witness testimony. The witness reportedly called her attorney at that time and told him Bauman was trying to give her money for the planned hit.

The next day, March 3, Bauman reportedly spoke on the phone with the witness again, discussing further the plan to kill her ex-mother-in-law.

On March 4, Missouri State Highway Patrol investigators showed up at Baumans home. Bauman told them she was glad to see them and invited them inside, the trooper who wrote the document explained, but when they told her why they were there, she reportedly interrupted them and began showing them the furniture she was refinishing.

When I told Bauman why we were there, she gasped and blamed everything on the witness, the trooper wrote. Bauman reportedly said the witness was a hustler who had come up with the plan to kill the woman herself and was just trying to get money from Bauman. During the interview Bauman was hard to keep on topic, the trooper added.

When the trooper told Bauman he knew she was not being honest, she asked if she needed a lawyer, the document states. She then reportedly called one phone number, and did not receive an answer, and then called then-Lake Ozark Mayor Gerry Murawksi. The trooper says Murawski told her to tell the truth and she would be fine.

The interview took an odd turn. Bauman handed the trooper her phone and said he could look through it, the document states, but then refused to give the trooper her pin number to access the phone. She reportedly asked for the phone back, but the trooper said he would be taking it as evidence. She then left the interview to go receive a Botox injection, but not before reportedly telling the trooper he needed to speak with the witness, and saying she would be back at 2:30 p.m.

Bauman reportedly returned at 2:50 p.m. The trooper says he informed her about what the witness had told investigators and about the audio recording of the conversation she had with the witness, urging Bauman to be honest and explain the entire event again. Bauman again talked extensively about things that had nothing to do with why we were speaking to her, and talked very briefly about the incident, the trooper said. Bauman reportedly denied agreeing to get $1,500 from the bank, the day before, but the trooper told her he know that was a lie and she said she had had a couple of glasses of wine and did not necessarily remember, the document states.

After her arrest and subsequent release on bond, Bauman was arrested again.

'Snack Attack'

The probable cause statement for Bauman's June 2021 arrest alleges she ordered gifts to be sent to her daughter for her 14th birthday. According to the document, the order was for 23 balloons, 3 large balloons, a "snack attack" candy bouquet, and a $30 Starbucks gift card.

To the contrary, Bauman says her mother is the one who sent the gift basket; she says the note was signed from an aunt and uncle and "their sister," meaning Bauman.

But the probable cause document depicts an interview Miller County detective Mark Kordula conducted with the employee of Hy-Vee grocery store who took the order for the gift basket over the phone.

The employee reportedly told the detective that the woman who placed the order over the phone called back the next day, asking if the order had gone out, to which the employee replied the order was getting ready to go out. The employee says the woman asked her to change the message on the greeting card from "love mom" to "love aunt, uncle and their sister" according to the document (the employee could not recall the aunt and uncles name but remembered writing it). The employee said the woman on the phone was crying through the whole conversation, and told her she had to change the greeting because her lawyer had told her she was prohibited from seeing or talking to her kids.

The probable cause document says the invoice for the order  written by the employee  showed the name of the person placing the order as "LeAnn Bauman."

Bauman has been charged with violation of a child protection order, a Class A Misdemeanor, as a result.
Nearly half of all American renters, 45.1%, are considered rent-burdened, meaning they spend at least 30% of their income on rent and utilities, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Fewer than four in 10 American renters have renters insurance.

That held especially, and unfortunately, true after the Feb. 25 fire that destroyed The Maples apartments on the 2300 block of Anthony Lane. Of the 16 units, only one of the leasers had renters insurance, according to the Racine Fire Department.

Not only were those individuals forced into crisis overnight, they likely wont recoup the thousands of dollars worth of lost property.

The human side of this story is noteworthy, Racine Fire Department Capt. Craig Ford said in an email. The fire at The Maples quantifies a concern shared by City of Racine fire investigators and firefighters. After the fire has been extinguished, we learn far too often that tenants do not having renters insurance ...

Affected individuals and families often receive emergency shelter from the Red Cross along with a few basic necessities. This emergency relief is intended to last just a few days.

Alexis Kirshner, who was displaced along with her boyfriend and three young children, said that $515 from the Red Cross was spent within a day.

Not having renters insurance is a mistake Darion Fondon, another former Maples resident, said he will never make again.

Several of those displaced set up GoFundMe crowdfunding pages, hoping community members will support their needs during their crises. Ford said this is not the best way to go.

Rather than relying on GoFundMe pages, tenants with renters insurance could have an insurance company addressing their loss and needs, Ford said.

The cause of the fire at The Maples remains unconfirmed. It likely started in the basement of the building, RFD officials have said.

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Area real estate brokerage and technology firm @properties has rebranded to @properties Christies International Real Estate, following its acquisition of Christies International Real Estate in December 2021.

The company announced the name in a press release on Wednesday, March 9. The new name applies to the firms company-owned offices in the Chicago area, northwest Indiana, southwest Michigan and Lake Geneva.

The updated brand reinforces the companys position as a locally owned brokerage firm and the owner of the Christies International Real Estate.

"When we established @properties in 2000, the name positioned us as a forward-thinking company and helped to differentiate us from the old-line brokerage firms in the market," Thad Wong, co-owner of @properties Christie's International Real Estate, said in a news release. "Over the years, it evolved into a brand that is synonymous with market-leading, relationship-focused, tech-forward real estate. Meanwhile, the Christies International Real Estate brand has come to symbolize the pinnacle of luxury brokerage and the industry standard for service and professionalism around the world. Were proud that each of these important ideas is now represented in our brand."

@properties Christies International Real Estate ranks eighth on the REAL Trends 500 list of the largest residential brokerage firms in the U.S. by sales volume.

During the past decade, the company has developed a proprietary suite of integrated technology applications called pl@tform, which includes marketing, transaction-management and client-relationship management systems.

Christies International Real Estate has been in business for more than 30 years.

Through its affiliate network, which includes 48 countries and territories, Christies International Real Estate offers services to clients from throughout the world at the luxury end of the residential property market.

The company has offices in London, New York City, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Palm Beach, and its affiliated brokerages have recorded about $500 billion of real estate transactions over the last five years.

For more information, visit atproperties.com.

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Change begins at the end of your comfort zone.  Roy T. Bennett

A change of seasons is in the air, and for me its not just the impending March 20th vernal equinox transition from winter snow and chill to spring showers and flowers.

The 290-mile trip south from Wisconsins Northwoods to Walworth County afforded me with the opportunity to ditch 16-inch lake ice and -27 morning commutes for receding lake ice and downright balmy temps in the 40s. The change in venue also afforded me a new professional change of seasons with my Feb. 28 arrival at the Lake Geneva Regional News, where I now hang my well-worn journalists fedora.

My beat will be covering the west end of Geneva Lake, along with other surrounding communities including Genoa City, Bloomfield, the Town of Geneva, the Town of Linn and whatever else comes up.

With my wife and I being empty-nesters, our daughter and son having fledged and flown the parental nest, our move south is an opportunity to live closer to our own parents, mine at Caledonia over in Racine County and hers on the other side of the Cheddar Curtain down under in Rockford. Lake Geneva nicely splits the difference in half, a serendipitous win-win for all.

Major life transitions always bring at least a measure of trepidation in stepping outside the comfort zone, whether its being the new-in-town kid in Mrs. Kadings third grade classroom at Washington Irving Elementary, or being the new-in-town face in the newsroom.

But just like juvenile jitters were quickly dissipated in short order come recess and lunch, so my adult angst was quickly laid to rest in the universal camaraderie of the newspaper business.

As it was, I already walked in the door knowing editor Stephanie Jones from our time working together at The Journal Times at 212 Fourth in Racine. And lively banter with reporters Dennis Hines and Travis Devlin over a welcoming lunch at Lake City Social made me feel at ease and at home in my new environs.

Making new community connections via phone and email from the newsroom and driving out and about on my assigned West End beat, I was warmly greeted as I reported on the culinary delights of Fat Tuesday paczki, the first information session on Genoa City Joint 2 School Districts upcoming referendum, and the success of Big Foot High Schools Future Business Leaders of America chapter at the recent regional competition at Oak Creek.

All of which brought my thoughts to my earliest cub reporter rookie days in journalism and my enduring 33-year love for writing and the news business.

Its been quite a ride from the low tech days of typewriters, light boxes, border tape, pica poles, X-acto knives, proportion wheels, rubber cement, paste-up boards and 35 millimeter film to the cutting-edge technological wonders of computers, digital content management systems, electronic graphic design programs, digital cameras and online e-editions.

But at the most basic level, the more things change the more they stay the same. And in the newspaper business, I find at least one thing  the most important thing in my estimation  remains unchanged.

People  on both sides of the reporters notebook and camera  are still the heart and soul of the newspaper business.

If you have story ideas or just want to say hi, feel free to contact me at ejohnson@lakegenevanews.net or call me at 715-892-2967.
With nations around the world lifting pandemic restrictions, the World Health Organization has issued new guidelines for COVID self-testing amid concerns the efforts are slowing as the health crisis wanes.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said that while cases and deaths were declining globally, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over  and it will not be over anywhere until its over everywhere. Despite the widespread drop in cases, he noted that many countries in Asia and the Pacific are still facing surges.

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Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Ghebreyesus said recent evidence has confirmed that patients can reliably and accurately self-test and that allowing users to diagnose themselves at home could address an inequity in testing.

Self-testing remains a vital tool in our fight against COVID as part of a comprehensive strategy, Tedros said, noting that abandoning testing would greatly hamper officials efforts to track the fast-spreading virus.

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Activists around the world have long blamed WHOs lack of guidance for self-testing as a key roadblock in diagnosing COVID-19 in poorer countries. Theyve argued that without clear guidelines from the agency, most donors have shrugged off buying the tests for nations in need.

Meanwhile, wealthier countries have had access for months to rapid tests and rapid kits that have not been available in most poor nations.

We hope that our new guidelines will also help to increase access to testing, which is too expensive for many low income countries where these tools could play an important role in expanding testing, Ghebreyesus said.

Unlike the sweeping effort to buy and fairly distribute COVID-19 vaccines, there have been few similar initiatives focused on ramping up mass testing in poor countries. Even with the release of the WHOs guidance this week, some experts estimate self-testing kits will not be available in developing countries until 2023.

With News Wire Services
To those of you who voted for Joe Biden for president. Are you now really happy with todays elevated costs of gas, groceries, clothing, cars and the totally avoidable war in Ukraine? I do strongly believe that Donald Trump would have quoted Clint Eastwoods famous line, Make my day! Mr. Putin, you cross the border to Ukraine and the country of Russia will no longer exist! The namby pamby threats of sanctions should at least provide President Putin some laughs!
Osage Beach, MO (65065)

Today

Cloudy skies early. A few showers developing later in the day. High 64F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Rain showers in the evening will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low near 55F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI/PNN): Nykaa Fashion is always proud to bring the best brands, latest trends, and newest styles straight to its shoppers. This Spring-Summer season, the multibrand e-commerce platform is taking a step further and ensuring that new international launches, exclusive collections, and all manner of newness come first on Nykaa Fashion.

This Spring-Summer season, look forward to the curation of sensational trends and hot arrivals that deliver an engaging customer experience. The range of summer-friendly textures, prints, and accessories by a mix of established and emerging designers is brought to life across womenswear, menswear, kids, home, and tech. New-season collections are being added daily alongside new brands to further expand our already wide portfolio of Indian and international offerings. From Puma, Forever New and Only to W, Aacho, and Global Desi, find the latest drops first on Nykaa Fashion.

Also Read | Etharkkum Thunindhavan Full Movie In HD Leaked On Torrent Sites & Telegram Channels For Free Download And Watch Online; Suriya's Film Is The Latest Victim Of Online Piracy?.

The curations are the epitome of trendy ensuring that each purchase is an investment that is ultra-trendy, ultra-stylish, and ultra-new. Be the first to invest in a trend that's going to blow up or the first to buy an experimental piece that's going to become a staple. At the helm of all curations is a simple fact - Nykaa is the first in fashion, and with us, you will be too!

#FirstOnNykaaFashion

Also Read | Fake Telegram Account of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Urges Ukrainian Forces To Surrender.

Discover the entire Spring/Summer 2022 range at Nykaa Fashion

This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)

(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], March 10 (ANI): The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained the Majuli assembly constituency after its candidate Bhuban Gam won the by-election of the constituency defeating the joint opposition candidate Chitraranjan Basumutary of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) with a margin of 42,141 votes on Thursday.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Assam office confirmed, "BJP candidate Bhuban Gam won by defeating AJP candidate Chittaranjan Basumatary with a margin of 42,141 votes."

Also Read | Gurugram: Liquor to be Dearer From Next Week As Vendors Announce Price Hike of 10 Percent.

The BJP candidate secured 67,242 votes while AJP candidate Basumatary came second by securing 25,101 votes. Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) candidate Bhaity Richong secured 2,265 votes and 1,642 voters cased their vote on NOTA.

The winning candidate was handed over a Victory Certificate by the Returning Officer of Majuli.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir: Two LeT Terrorists Killed in Encounter in Pulwama.

The main opposition party in the state, Congress didn't contest the by-poll and left the seat to Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) in a bid not to divide anti-BJP votes and Raijor Dal had also extended their support to the AJP candidate.

The bypoll in this constituency was necessitated after former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal tendered his resignation from the Assembly. (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], March 10 (ANI): The BJP's comprehensive win in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections finally broke a 36-year-old jinx of the incumbent government being voted back to power in the state.

The incumbent UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the BJP to poll victory, riding a high-decibel election campaign, with thrust on the development agenda along with welfare schemes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP's campaign from the outset, first by fully backing the Chief Minister and afterwards by leading an intense campaign in the state.

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According to the latest data of the Election Commission of India on the trends of the counting of the votes, the BJP has crossed the majority mark of 202 Assembly seats in the state while leading in more than 245 constituencies, whereas the Samajwadi Party is leading on 122 seats and Congress leading only in one constituency.

Moreover, the exit poll results had also predicted that the monk turned politician, Yogi Adityanath is on course to retain power in Uttar Pradesh for the second time.

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In Uttar Pradesh, the Indian National Congress had a stronghold in the 1980s as the party retained its power from 1980-88. However, the state witnessed political instability after 1988 with multiple political parties, including Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, and the BJP ruling the state in the 1990s.

However, BJP in 2000 again came to power by forming an alliance with the BSP and senior party Rajnath Singh was sworn in as the Chief Minister. In a major setback, the BJP could not even hold its government for a year as the BSP took back its support and broke the alliance.

Since then, the BJP could not come to power, and the state was ruled by the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party separately till 2017.

The BJP had swept 2017 polls in Uttar Pradesh, winning more than 300 seats and senior party leader Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as the Chief Minister.

The electorally-crucial state witnessed a multi-cornered contest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) vying for the popular mandate and creating history this time.

In Uttar Pradesh, the political parties held intensive electoral campaigns, but BJP and SP garnered most of the eyeballs. Congress also hit the ground hard, with the party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's vivacious campaigns. However, BSP seemed to lag a little behind its rivals.

The BJP fielded its top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in the campaigning to bolster the party's support base.

During the campaigns, Adityanath, who is in the electoral fray from Gorakhpur Urban constituency, got a new name "Baba Bulldozer".

"Bulldozer" is a reference to the action taken by the Yogi government to vacate illegally occupied land and properties using the Bulldozer machine.

Moreover, PM Modi himself was deeply involved in the BJP campaigning for the UP polls and ensured that there was no factionalism in the party. The Prime Minister heaped praises on the UP CM Yogi Adityanath for the development works done in the state and coined a new slogan on "UP plus Yogi bahut hai upyogi (UP plus Yogi is very useful)".

PM Modi held rallies in Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Bahraich, Amethi, and a massive roadshow in Varanasi which attracted a huge crowd.

On the other hand, Samajwadi Party also held numerous campaigns to challenge the Yogi Adityanath led government whereas Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also ran a campaign "Ladki hoon, Ladd Sakti hoon" and gave 40 percent seats to women.

Assembly elections were held in Uttar Pradesh from February 10 to March 7 in seven phases to elect all 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Dehradun, Mar 10 (PTI) The BJP headed for a big victory in the Uttarakhand Assembly polls on Thursday, winning 32 of 70 seats and leading in 15 even as incumbent CM Pushkar Singh Dhami lost by 6,579 votes in Khatima, a seat he had been winning for the last two consecutive elections.

The defeat of the man who led the party's campaign against the Congress in the state throws up a big question before the saffron party, which now may have to look for a new CM as it was banking heavily on Dhami seeking a full five-year term for him to deliver on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of development for Uttarakhand.

Also Read | Assembly Election Results 2022: AAP Sweeps Punjab, BJP Retains Power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

The Congress failed in its bid to stage a comeback despite being on a mission to dislodge the BJP to avenge its rout at the hands of the party in 2017 Assembly polls, where it had won just 11 seats against the BJP's 57.

Though throwing a spirited challenge to the BJP as the Congress poll campaign head for the state, Rawat could not pilot the party's return to power in the state nor could he save his own seat of Lalkuwa, which he lost to BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht by 17,527 votes.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Election Results 2022: Yogi Adityanath breaks Noida jinx As BJP Retains Power; Heres What it Means.

Thus the electoral drought that began for Rawat with his defeat from Kichcha and Hardwar (rural) in 2017 continues. He lost from Nainital constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and now from Lakuwa.

Rawat was fielded from Lalkuwa after his candidature from Ramnagar was opposed by his own party colleague and one-time close associate Ranjeet Rawat.

However, Ranjeet Rawat also could not get to contest from Ramnagar. He was shifted to Salt where he lost to BJP's Mahesh Jeena by 3,688 votes.

Another notable feature of this year's assembly polls in Uttarakhand is the fate of the Aam Aadmi Party, whose freebie politics appears to have fallen flat with the party not even winning a single seat despite fielding candidates from all 70 seats of Uttarakhand.

Even its chief ministerial face Colonel Ajay Kothiyal was trailing on the Gangotri seat, where the main fight remains between the BJP and the Congress.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia had made several visits to the state during the run-up to the polls, promising free electricity up to 300 units to every household, jobs to the unemployed or an unemployment allowance, a monthly allowance to women aged above 18 and free pilgrimage to the elderly to Ayodhya, Ajmer Sharif and Kartarpur Sahib.

Political pundits attributed the BJP's impressive poll showing in Uttarakhand to the Narendra Modi factor.

"The prime minister's special care for Uttrakhand and its interests was evident in major projects like the Chardham all-weather road, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line, Kedarnath and Badrinath reconstruction.

"Before Modi, none of the prime ministers had evinced such a keen and direct interest in the development of the state," Doon-based poll watcher S S Negi said.

"When Modi announced from Kedarnath that the decade belongs to Uttarakhand, his words carried weight because he was not talking in the void. The work done under his leadership for the development of the state was for everyone to see," he said.

"The double-engine factor also worked in the favour of the saffron party as people knew it was necessary for the continued development of the state with Modi going to be at the helm in New Delhi till at least 2024," he said.

The 2022 Assembly polls also saw the revival of BSP's fortunes as the party which had drawn a blank in 2017 polls bagged one seat and led in another.

BSP's Shahzad won the Laksar seat in Haridwar district by 10,440 votes, its nominee from Manglaur Sarwat Kareem Ansari was leading in Manglaur by 661 votes.

(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], March 10 (ANI): As Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is poised to return to power with a comfortable majority for an unprecedented second term in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that this victory shows that people have once again voted for nationalism and good governance.

He further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP will be forming governments in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, and Uttarakhand.

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"Everyone had their eyes on UP, given the vastness of the state. I am thankful to the people for making us win with the majority. Under PM Modi's leadership we will be forming governments in UP, Goa, Manipur, and Uttarakhand," said Yogi after winning Uttar Pradesh.

The Chief Minister said that the seven-phase election in the state were conducted peacefully. "It sets a great precedent," he added.

Also Read | Punjab Assembly Election Results 2022: Congress Could Not Overcome Anti-Incumbency of 4.5 Years Under Amarinder Singh, Says Randeep Surjewala.

"Amid the fervour, we have to stay focused...When we were fighting COVID, they (Opposition) were conspiring against us. By making us win people have once again voted for nationalism, good governance. It's our responsibility to continue working on these issues," he said.

He also showed a victory sign when he arrived at the BJP office in Lucknow as he was received by a huge crowd of party workers.(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, Mar 10 (PTI) The Congress, which has ruled Uttar Pradesh for the longest period of time among political parties but has been out of power for three decades, plunged into further wilderness in the state, winning just two seats.

While its seats tally came down to two from seven in 2017, its vote share declined to 2.35 per cent from 6.25 per cent.

Also Read | Assembly Election Results 2022: BJP Triumphs in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa And Manipur; AAP Decimates Congress in Punjab.

The two seats it won are Rampur Khas and Pharenda.

In Rampur Khas, Congress candidate Aradhana Mishra defeated her closest rival BJP's Nagesh Pratap Singh by 14,741 votes, while in Pharenda Virendra Chaudhary defeated the BJP's Bajrang Bahadur Singh by 1,087 votes.

Also Read | Assembly Election Results 2022: BJP Set to Retain Power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur; AAP Sweeps Punjab.

The party's poor show in Amethi and Rae Bareli, which were considered its strongholds not long ago, continued where it failed to get a single seat, its candidates getting a third or fourth spot at most places.

State Congress president and Tamkuhi Raj seat MLA Ajay Kumar Lallu also failed to make a mark.

In Rampur Khas also its winning margin has come down.

The Congress campaign was led by party national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who crisscrossed the state holding meetings and roadshows in an attempt to resurrect the party which had been on the sidelines since the past three decades.

Priyank's campaign centred around women with the slogan of ' ladki hun lad sakti hun' and had come up with the new experiment of issuing a separate manifesto for women who were also given 40% tickets.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 10 (ANI): An encounter has started at the Naina Batpora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, informed police on Thursday.

Police and security forces reached the spot after receiving the information about the encounter.

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"#Encounter has started at Naina Batpora area of #Pulwama. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice," Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.

More details are awaited. (ANI)

Also Read | Apple iPhone SE Reportedly Features 4GB of RAM.

(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], March 10 (ANI); Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday termed the massive victory of his party in Punjab as 'Inquilab'.

Addressing a people after the massive victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Kejriwal said, "'Punjab waalo tussi kamaal kar ditta' (Punjab you did amazing), we all love you, Punjab. The results show massive 'inquilaab' (revolution), big seats have shaken up."

Also Read | Assembly Election Results 2022: PM Narendra Modi Likely To Join Celebrations at BJP Headquarter in Delhi.

He further said that Punjab has done amazing, aam aadmi defeated big leaders like Sukhbir Singh Badal, Captain Amrinder Singh, Punjab has done amazing., Parkash Singh Badal, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Bikram Singh Majithia in the elections.

"The people's verdict is that Kejriwal is not a terrorist. The Delhi chief minister said that 'Inquilab' will spread across India and urged all women, youngsters, farmers, workers to join AAP," said Kejriwal.

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Kejriwal said that the people of Punjab have made the impossible possible.

"The public has given a befitting reply to leaders of all the parties that had joined forces to corner AAP," said the AAP chief said, while adding "People have spoken, they call me a terrorist, but the truth is, I am a patriot," Kejriwal said.

Slamming the Opposition parties in Punjab, Kejriwal said in the last 75 years, these parties and leaders had the same British system, they were looting the country, no schools and hospitals were made.

"Bhagat Singh once said if we don't change the system after the British leave, nothing will happen. Sadly in the last 75 years, these parties and leaders had the same British system, they were looting the country, no schools and hospitals were made. AAP has changed the system," said Kejriwal.

The Delhi Chief Minister said that his party will make India where no student has to go to Ukraine to study medicine.

"We will make an India where no student has to go to Ukraine to study medicine...With these results people showed that Kejriwal is not a terrorist but a real 'Desh Bhakt'," he added.

"I'd like to congratulate my younger brother Bhagwant Mann for becoming Punjab Chief Minister. AAP has crossed over 90 seats, results are still coming; people have put a lot of faith in us, we won't break it. We will change this country's politics," said Kejriwal.

He further added that the man who defeated Channi works in a mobile shop.

"Labh Singh Ugoke, the AAP candidate who defeated CM Charanjit Singh Channi in Bhadaur, works in a mobile shop. His mother is a sanitation worker in a government school and his father is a farm labourer. Similarly, the woman who defeated Navjot Singh Sidhu is a normal AAP worker. When the Aam Adami gets up, he can bring revolution," said Kejriwal.

AAP won 40 seats and is currently leading on 52 seats while Congress has won 4 seats and is leading on 14 seats.(ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chinese PLA cooperates with militaries of over 50 countries in COVID-19 fight: spokesperson

Xinhua) 08:38, March 10, 2022

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has played an active role in the global fight against COVID-19 while fully supporting domestic epidemic containment, a military spokesperson said Wednesday.

The Chinese military has provided COVID-19 vaccine aid for the militaries of over 30 countries, including Pakistan, Cambodia, Mongolia and Equatorial Guinea, said Wu Qian, spokesperson for the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force attending the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress.

The PLA has cooperated with militaries of more than 50 countries in fighting the disease by offering medical supplies, dispatching expert teams and holding virtual meetings to share anti-virus experience, he said.

The Chinese military will strengthen cooperation with foreign defense authorities and militaries in these trying times, and promote the building of a global community of health for all, Wu said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Suffocation, extortion, forced prostitution, assault -- they kept it all in The Ray Family.

Sarah Lawrence College sex cult leader Lawrence Ray smacked, berated and took money from his victims in the close-knit criminal enterprise he called The Ray Family, prosecutors revealed Thursday in opening arguments of the accused creeps Manhattan Federal Court trial.

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Charged in a sweeping racketeering indictment with mentally, physically and sexually abusing the small group of college students and other young adults between 2010 and 2020, Ray allegedly extorted his victims for millions of dollars using threats, physical violence and compromising information he held over them as collateral.

Lawrence Ray (HONS/AP)

Ray  who served as best man at former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Keriks 1998 wedding  even forced one wavering acolyte to keep working for him as a prostitute by asphyxiating her with a plastic bag over head for hours at a Midtown hotel on Oct. 16, 2018, prosecutors said.

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He berated her, questioned her, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Keenan. As he questioned her he took out a plastic bag and placed it over her head.

He watched as she suffocated. She was helpless, unable to move.

Prosecutors say Lawrence Ray met many of his victims through his daughter, who was a student at Sarah Lawrence College. (Luke Sheridan/AP)

He only relented after ordering the woman to return to selling herself for sex, earning money that went in Rays pockets, the feds say.

The incident was just one shocking example of Rays all-powerful role as head the family.

Ray, 62, allegedly took videos of his victims admitting to wronging him and committing crimes. He forced them to record false confessions in which they admitted to poisoning him, prosecutors say.

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But Ray was never actually poisoned, according to the government. Instead, the bizarre claims were a method to keep followers under his spell, prosecutors said.

Rays attorney, Allegra Glashausser countered that Ray  as well as his crew of storytellers  actually believed in the poisonings, which they thought were orchestrated by Kerik.

Kerik and Ray had a falling out after Ray testified against the former top cop at a corruption trial.

This must sound pretty strange. But through the looking glass. They all believed. They all believed this fantastic conspiracy, Glashausser said. At times the storytellers couldnt tell the difference between truth and fiction.

Evidence in the case has shown Ray remained obsessed with Kerik decades later. Kerik told the Daily News last week he never poisoned Ray, laughing at the idea.

Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik arrives to federal court in White Plains in 2009. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The leader of The Ray Family met many of his alleged victims through his daughter, Talia Ray, when she was a sophomore at Sarah Lawrence, the small liberal arts college in Westchester County, prosecutors said.

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When he first met Ray, Talias then-boyfriend, Santos Rosario, was inspired.

I thought he was very cool, very smart, very composed and very inspirational, Rosario testified in court.

But his relationship with Lawrence Ray took a dark turn in the fall of 2011.

It turned into an escalating pattern of verbal and physical abuse, Santos said. He would yell at me and call me derogatory names.

In a video played for the jury, Ray smacked the much younger man.

Hows that feel? Ray yelled.

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He was hitting me, Rosario recalled. He accused me of damaging his property, wasting his time, poisoning him and others.

The Barbara Walters Campus Center building on the campus of Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers. (Luke Sheridan/AP)

After spending time with the students at Sarah Lawrence in 2010, Ray convinced some of them to move in with him at an Upper East Side apartment where he abused them, all the while insisting he was going to help them live happier, more honest lives, prosecutors said.

Make no mistake, the victims had no choice. They lived in fear of the defendant. Of his never-ending accusations, his threats and the brutal violence he inflicted on them, Keenan said.

Glasshauser painted a different picture of her client, claiming The Ray Family was nothing more than a group of creative, wayward individuals losing touch with reality. She prepared jurors for a bizarre Alice in Wonderland experience as they immersed themselves in the case.

You are going to need to go through the looking glass, step through a magic mirror and into another world. Into the messy complicated, and yeah, strange lives, said Glashausser.

This was not a criminal enterprise. This was a group of storytellers, she added.

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Feb. 12, 2020: Feds: Kerik's best man ran sex cult at posh college. Turned own daughter's classmates into hookers. Lawrence Ray was indicted Tuesday on charges of sex trafficking students at Sarah Lawrence College. (New York Daily News)

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Prosecutors insisted Ray knew exactly what he was doing all along.

He lured his victims in. He gained control of them... He ruthlessly threatened and extorted his victims to get what he wanted: Sex, money and power, Keenan said.

Ultimately, Ray used violence to keep the family in line, prosecutors said.

He started small. A poke to the chest. A shove. A hard squeeze. Then he escalated. He hit victims with his fists. A belt. A hammer. Pliers. He threatened to dismember a victim while standing over him with a knife. He duct-taped a victims mouth shut, Keenan said.

Prosecutors in Rays trial are expected to elicit salacious and disturbing testimony from his accusers, with only the jury granted access to certain graphic audio and video.

Testimony and evidence will show that Ray had grand plans when he first arrived at Sarah Lawrence, prosecutors said.

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He was not there to help college students improve their lives. He was helping himself and his so-called family at their expense by profiting off of their labor, their money and even their bodies, Keenan said.
Bokaro, Mar 10 (PTI) A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped by two persons in Jharkhand's Bokaro following which agitators on Thursday blocked NH 23 prompting the police to lathicharge and fire tear gas shells to disperse them.

Police said the agitators blocked the National Highway 23 (Bokaro-Ramgarh-Ranchi) at Petarwar Chowk under Petarwar police station and pelted stones on them resulting in injuries to several policemen and people.

Also Read | Punjab Assembly Election Results 2022: AAP Sweeps Punjab With 92 Seats, Highest Tally For Any Party in Four Decades.

"A 17-year old girl was allegedly gang-raped by two persons of different community on Wednesday night at Bundu panchayat under Petarwar police station. Both the accused, who claim to be her friends have been arrested and an FIR has been lodged in the case," Bokaro Superintendent of Police, Chandan Kumar Jha told PTI.

Jha said agitators had blocked the National Highway 23 while some outsiders tried to create law and order trouble and pelted stones on police. The police in turn registered an FIR and arrested two of the agitators, he said.

Also Read | BJPs Historic Victory in Manipur Testament of Peoples Faith in Dynamic Leadership of PM Narendra Modi, Says CM Biren Singh.

The jam at Bokaro could be cleared this evening after about six hours as the local residents had resorted to it on Thursday morning demanding suspension of officer-in-charge of Petarwal police station. Apprehending communal tension the police have deployed a huge force in the area.

Bokaro Deputy Commissioner, Kuldeep Chaudhary said a magistrate along with police personnel are keeping a vigil in the area while Civil Surgeon has been directed for conducting medical examination of the victim.

Lambodar Mahto, MLA from Gomia earlier sat on a dharna at the state assembly's main gate and raised the issue in the Assembly later.

Mahto demanded a fast-track hearing of the case which was supported by Hazaribag MLA Manish Jaiswal.

Giridih MP Chandraprakash Chaudhary sat on dharna at Bokaro Sadar Hospital with his supporters demanding justice to the victim.

(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, Mar 10 (PTI) Crediting Narendra Modi for the BJP's victory in four assembly elections, BJP chief J P Nadda on Thursday said the people's massive support to the party shows their stamp of approval for the prime minister's schemes and policies.

Addressing BJP workers from the party's headquarters here, Nadda credited the prime minister for "changing" the culture of politics in India, saying elections are now fought on the basis of "report card politics".

Also Read | Assembly Election Results 2022: BJP Triumphs in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa And Manipur; AAP Decimates Congress in Punjab.

"Today, the results of the elections have come unilaterally in favour of the BJP, you all have come in such a large number in the order of its victory march. On behalf of crores of BJP workers, I welcome and congratulate the prime minister," Nadda said.

"In Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi has been blessed for the fourth time consecutively -- 2014 Lok Sabha, 2017 Vidhan Sabha, 2019 Lok Sabha and now, in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections," the BJP president said.

Also Read | Assembly Election Results 2022: BJP Set to Retain Power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur; AAP Sweeps Punjab.

Underlining that there are many firsts in the election results, Nadda said it is for the first time in 37 years in Uttar Pradesh that a party is forming the government after serving its full term, and the BJP's vote share has also increased.

Similarly in Uttarakhand, since the state was formed, governments have changed in every election. But this time, the state has voted for a party to continue for the first time in the state's history, Nadda said.

In Manipur, he said the party is set to form a government with clear majority, and in Goa, it will form government for the third time.

Lauding Modi, Nadda said the prime minister has ushered in politics of "report card, development and people's empowerment, replacing politics of nepotism, corruption, crime, casteism, communalism and regionalism."

"Prime Minister Modi has changed the culture of politics in India. Now elections are fought on the basis of report card," he said.

Stating that elections are not purely arithmetic, Nadda said it is more of a chemistry.

"The poor and needy people, women, youth, backward classes of India are all strengthening their chemistry with Prime Minister Modi," he said.

He also praised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for bringing what he described as rule of law in the state and claimed that fear ruled it five years back with terrorists and criminals being patronised by the previous dispensation.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Imphal, Mar 10 (PTI) The next chief minister of Manipur will be decided together by the BJP parliamentary board along with the state unit, state party president A Sharda Devi said on Thursday.

Also Read | BJP Hit Boundary of Victory, Assembly Poll Results Vindication of BJPs Proactive, Pro-Poor Governance, Says PM Narendra Modi.

The party will be ready once the governor invites the party to form the next government, she said.

Also Read | Punjab Assembly Election Results 2022: AAP Sweeps Punjab With 92 Seats, Highest Tally For Any Party in Four Decades.

BJP is set to cross the majority mark in the 60-member state assembly.

"As a national party we have a parliamentary board, which in consultation with the state unit will decide who will be the next chief minister," Devi said when asked if there will be a new chief minister or N Biren Singh will continue in office.

On how long it will take for the party to decide, she said "As per rule the governor will invite the winning party once the full results are out. So the process of government formation will happen and other processes will follow and by then we will be ready."

Earlier in the day, Devi said that BJP's impressive show in the Manipur assembly elections is a reflection of people's acceptance of the party and its governance.

Buoyant about BJP's win, she said the party will not only be able to meet its target of emerging victorious on its own, but also defeat big personalities of rival parties.

"This time we've been able to do well in areas where we have not won before. The party has gained majorly in pockets which are considered Congress strongholds. It shows that the people of Manipur have accepted us and the governance we've provided, she told PTI here in an interview.

Apart from targeting 40-plus seats, Devi asserted, "We had also set out to defeat big opponents of other parties in this election. I believe we have achieved that target as well."

She also said local parties like the NPF and NPP have hinted at supporting the BJP.

On what message she would like to send to the Congress, which is leading in just three seats, the BJP leader said it's the people of Manipur who will decide the future, growth and development of the state and elected political leaders should only follow their orders.

The Congress should always remember that, she added. PTI RKL

(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, Mar 10 (PTI) After scoring victories in four states, the BJP appears to have set its eyes on the next round of elections, including in Gujarat, with Prime Minister Narendra set to undertake a massive roadshow in Ahmedabad on Friday.

The term of the Gujarat assembly ends on January 8 next year, and the state is expected to go to polls this December. Besides, elections are also due in Himachal Pradesh alongside Gujarat.

Also Read | Assembly Election Results 2022: BJP Triumphs in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa And Manipur; AAP Decimates Congress in Punjab.

The Congress had sprung a surprise by defeating the BJP in three assembly bypolls in Himachal Pradesh in October last year. The BJP had also lost the bye-election to the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in the hill-state.

Elections are also due in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura early next year where the BJP or its alliance partners are in power.

Also Read | Assembly Election Results 2022: BJP Set to Retain Power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur; AAP Sweeps Punjab.

Earlier this week, Home Minister Amit Shah had visited Agartala to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the BJP-IPFT government and virtually set the tone for the election campaign next year.

Shah had promised to reserve 33 per cent of government jobs for women and sought a fresh mandate for the BJP in the polls next year.

"I assure you that we have managed Tripura well in these 4 years. After our 5 years completion next year, give us another chance and we will make Tripura number one state in the country," Shah had said.

The AAP has set its sight on emerging as an alternative to the BJP in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had won local elections in Surat last year and had also opened its election office in Ahmedabad.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kolkata, Mar 10 (PTI) TMC on Thursday asked Congress to merge with it and fight against BJP under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee after its rout in the assembly poll in five states where votes were counted on Thursday.

Also Read | Digital Technology Should Reach Every Nook and Corner of Country, Says Nirmala Sitharaman.

Also Read | Punjab Assembly Election Results 2022: Congress Could Not Overcome Anti-Incumbency of 4.5 Years Under Amarinder Singh, Says Randeep Surjewala.

This drew a sharp retort from the grand old party which accused it of being an "agent of BJP".

Asked to comment on the party's poor show in Goa, TMC leaders said the party is satisfied with the votes it secured given the fact that the party had opened its unit in the coastal state a few months ago.

BJP is racing to a second straight win in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and is dominating the score chart in Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur, while the Aam Aadmi Party won a landslide victory in Punjab and wrested the state from the Congress, diminishing the party even further.

Congress is now at an all time low, being in power only in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. It is ahead in only two seats in Uttar Pradesh with a vote share of just 2.3 per cent -- notwithstanding the high-decibel campaign by the Gandhi siblings Rahul and Priyanka.

"From the results, it is proven that Congress is now just limited to two states. Congress has failed to fight against the BJP.

"TMC has shown how you can put up a fight against the BJP and defeat it (in Bengal). It is high time that Congress merges with TMC and fights under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee," senior TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim said.

Echoing him, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said Congress's failure to put up a fight has led to BJP's victory in the assembly poll in four of the five states.

"We have been saying this for a long that Congress in its present form is not suited to fight against the BJP. To fight against a formidable force like BJP, you need a leader like Mamata Banerjee," he said.

Reacting to TMC's jibe, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said "agents of BJP" should not advise the party how to fight against the saffron camp.

"TMC is the biggest agent of the BJP ... Rather TMC should merge with Congress if it is so serious about fighting against BJP," Chowdhury, who is also the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, said.

On Trinamool Congress (TMC) drawing a blank in Goa, where it contested for the first time this year, Ghosh defended the party's performance saying "We had opened our units in Goa just a few months back. So we are happy that people of Goa are now aware of the party's symbol and flag. We are satisfied with the votes we got; we want to work hard to further increase our organisation in the coastal state".

The West Bengal BJP unit, which has lost much of its steam after the defeat in the state poll last year, said the party's performance in the four states is the victory of developmental politics pursued by it.

"We don't want to comment on TMC's proposal for merger of Congress as both are family-run parties," BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Love is in the air for 'Bridgerton' star Rege-Jean Page and his ladylove Emily Brown as they both were recently seen arriving hand-in-hand for a dinner date.As per E! News, the duo was made a stylish appearance at the Dunhill GQ Pre-BAFTA filmmakers dinner in London on March 9. The 'Bridgerton' star looked dapper in a traditional black tuxedo, styled with a white shirt, black tie and black loafers. On the other hand, Brown looked stunning in a glamorous, gold metallic slip dress and strappy high heel sandals. 'Bridgerton' Star Rege-Jean Page Makes Relationship with Emily Brown Official!

The couple who first sparked dating rumours in February of 2021, have only been seen out together on a few rare occasions. Back in October, they turned heads as they attended a screening of Macbeth at the London Film Festival wearing coordinated velvet ensembles. The month before, the pair also arrived at the 2021 British GQ Men Of The Year Awards, officially making their public debut as a couple. Rege-Jean Page To Star in Netflixs Heist Film by Noah Hawley and The Russo Brothers.

Meanwhile, on the work front, while Rege-Jean may not be returning to the second season of 'Bridgerton', his Netflix projects continue. The Emmy-nominated actor will appear alongside Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in the upcoming thriller 'The Gray Man', set to premiere on the streaming service later this summer.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Mar 11 (AP) President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that he intends to designate Colombia as a major non-NATO ally, a step that will provide the Latin American nation with certain benefits in the areas of defense, trade and security cooperation.

Biden made the announcement during a White House meeting with outgoing Colombian President Ivan Duque.

Also Read | Yoon Suk-yeol Elected President of South Korea.

"I'm proud to announce that I intend to designate Colombia a major non-NATO ally," Biden said. "That's exactly what you are, a major, major non-NATO ally, and this is a recognition of the unique and close relationship between our countries."

Duque said he appreciated Biden's decision, saying the step recognized "values and the principles that we have shared."

Also Read | Vladimir Putin Warns of Further Spike in Fertiliser Prices if West Creates Difficulties for Russia.

Major non-NATO ally is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense, trade and security cooperation, according to the State Department, and is a symbol of the close ties the US shares with such countries.

However, these countries are not entitled to the same security guarantees as full-fledged members of the NATO alliance, as NATO member countries are not obligated to defend a major non-NATO ally that comes under attack. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Seoul, Mar 10 (AP) South Korea's president-elect Yoon Suk Yeol said on Thursday he would solidify an alliance with the United States, build up a powerful military and sternly cope with North Korean provocations, hours after he won the country's hard-fought election to become its next leader.

Yoon, whose single five-year term is to begin in May, said during his campaigning he would make a boosted alliance with the United States the center of his foreign policy.

Also Read | South Korea Presidential Election Result 2022: US President Joe Biden Congratulates President-Elect Yoon Suk-yeol, Reaffirms Commitment to Address North Korean Threat.

He's accused outgoing liberal President Moon Jae-in of tilting toward Pyongyang and Beijing and away from Washington.

He's also stressed the need to recognise the strategic importance of repairing ties with Tokyo despite recent bilateral historical disputes.

Also Read | Amazon Suspends Shipments, Prime Video Streaming in Russia Over Ukraine Crisis.

Some experts say a Yoon government will likely be able to reinforce ties with Washington and improve relations with Tokyo but can't really avoid frictions with Pyongyang and Beijing.

I'll rebuild the South Korea-US alliance. I'll (make) it a strategic comprehensive alliance while sharing key values like a liberal democracy, a market economy and human rights," Yoon told a televised news conference.

I'll establish a strong military capacity to deter any provocation completely and protect the people's safety and property and our territory and sovereignty, Yoon said.

I'll firmly deal with illicit, unreasonable behaviour by North Korea in a principled manner, though I'll always leave door for South-North talks open.

After his election win, he spoke with US President Joe Biden on the phone. According to a White House statement, Biden congratulated Yoon on the election and emphasized the US commitment to the defense of South Korea.

The statement said the two also committed to maintain close coordination on addressing the threats posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea hasn't made any comments on Yoon's election. In recent weeks, it's launched a spate of sophisticated, nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in what experts call an attempt to modernize its weapons arsenal and pressure the Biden administration to making concessions like sanctions relief.

Moon, the departing South Korean president, has pushed hard to broker denuclearisation deals between Pyongyang and Washington and once helped arrange a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-US President Donald Trump in 2018.

But the US-North Korea diplomacy eventually collapsed due to disputes over US-led sanctions on the North.

On Japan, Yoon said that Seoul and Tokyo should focus on building future-oriented ties.

The two countries are both key US allies and closely linked to each other economically and culturally, but their relations sank to post-war lows during Moon's presidency over disputes related to Japan's 1910-45 colonisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The focus in South Korea-Japan relations should be finding future paths that would benefit the people of both countries," Yoon said.

During this process of future-focused cooperation, we also need to come together and discuss, find the truths and resolve issues related to the past.

Yoon, who ran on the ticket of the main opposition People Power Party, had previously served as Moon's prosecutor general.

But he left the Moon government and joined the opposition last year after high-profile infighting over his investigations on some of Moon's allies.

Wednesday's election was largely a two-way showdown between Yoon and liberal ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung. The two spent months slamming, mocking and demonizing each other in one of the most bitter political campaigns in recent memory, aggravating the country's already severe domestic division.

Lee and his allies attacked Yoon over his lack of experience in foreign policy and other major state affairs.

They said Yoon's hard-line stance on North Korea would unnecessarily provoke the North, and picking a side between Washington and Beijing would pose greater security threats to Seoul.

Yoon has accused the Moon administration of being submissive to Pyongyang and Beijing at the expense of Seoul's 70-year alliance with Washington.

Yoon's razor-thin victory against Lee was partly seen as a referendum on the liberal government, whose popularity waned in recent years over failures to deal with stark economic inequalities, decaying job markets and soaring house prices that paint bleak financial futures for many people in their 20s and 30s.

Yoon during the campaign focused much of his message on vows to create more jobs and restore social mobility by creating a fairer, competitive environment for young people.

He fiercely criticised Moon's government over the policy failures and high-profile investment scandals surrounding Moon's allies that he said exposed hypocrisy and disregard for law.

On domestic agendas, Yoon faces urgent tasks to suppress a record-breaking COVID-19 surge, ease widening economic inequalities and runaway house prices and heal a nation sharply split along regional antagonism, ideologies, age and gender.

Yoon was criticised during the campaign for stoking gender animosities by promising to abolish the country's Gender Equality and Family Ministry, which he accused of pushing policies unfair toward men.

While he was apparently trying win the votes of young men who decry gender equality policies and the loss of traditional privileges in a hyper-competitive job market, exit polls released after Wednesday's election indicated that his gains in male votes were largely canceled out by young women who swung toward Lee.

During Thursday's conference, Yoon rejected accusations that his campaign raised gender tensions but repeated a view that the country no longer had structural barriers to women's success.

Regarding gender issues, laws and systems are pretty much in place now, he said.

Instead of approaching the issue as a matter of equality and fairness between groups, I think the government should provide stronger response and protection regarding individual cases of unfairness.

Yoon said building a better pandemic response would be a priority for his power transition committee, which will have a dedicated team designing plans to reinforce the country's medical capacities and more effective financial packages to help devastated service sector businesses.(AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Mar 10 (AP) Colleges across the U.S. are pulling students from study abroad programs in Russia, ending research partnerships and cutting financial ties as part of a global wave of condemnation over the invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time, colleges have promised to support Russian students on their campuses, opposing calls from a few in Congress to remove them from the country as a sanction against their homeland.

Also Read | Fake Telegram Account of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Urges Ukrainian Forces To Surrender.

The moves are mostly symbolic  U.S. colleges have little power to sway Russia or squeeze its finances, and academic exchange between the nations has always been meager. But the suggestion that some or all Russian students should forfeit the opportunity to study here has drawn new attention to the role of universities in global disputes.

Last academic year, U.S. colleges hosted nearly 5,000 students from Russia, less than 1% of all international students. Advocates for international education say losing those students would forgo a chance to expose them to western ideals, and they say Russians who choose to study in America are already more likely to want change back home.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Maternity Hospital Among 18 Ukraine Medical Centers Hit, Says WHO.

Leaders need to make a distinction between Putin and Russian people who want a better life, said Jill Welch, a senior adviser for the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a coalition of university presidents. Sending anyone back wouldn't shorten any war by a day.

Many universities have called for compassion for students from Russia who, like those from Ukraine, may fear for the safety of family members or face sudden financial difficulty.

In a message to students, Columbia University's president said students from both countries face a bewildering and uncertain road ahead.

At the University of Washington, President Ana Mari Cauce said the campus stands with Ukraine but must also take care to not let the actions of Russia's authoritarian government affect our treatment of Russian students, scholars and community members who have no role in its policies.

Some in Congress have pushed for visa restrictions against Russian students. Speaking on CNN last month, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said the U.S. should consider kicking every Russian student out of the United States as a way to stir backlash against Vladimir Putin in Russia.

The idea has gained little support in Washington, but the White House later suggested that its separate sanctions against Russian oligarchs are partly intended to block access to U.S. universities.

What we're talking about here is seizing their assets, seizing their yachts, and making it harder for them to send their children to colleges and universities in the West, press secretary Jen Psaki said last week while discussing the sanctions.

College leaders aren't fighting the idea that oligarchs and their children should lose access to American education. But wider action against Russian students would carry echoes of America's discrimination toward Japanese and German immigrants during World War II, advocates say.

In our country, we do not punish children for the crimes of their parents, said Barbara Snyder, president of the Association of American Universities and a former president of Case Western Reserve University. You have to think carefully about the consequences of targeting people because of their country of origin.

For many colleges, the first priority has been to remove American students studying in Russia or Ukraine, although few are believed to have been there. A total of 1,400 Americans studied in those nations in 2018, and overall study abroad figures have plummeted during the pandemic.

Middlebury College in Vermont suspended a study abroad program in Russia at the end of February citing safety concerns, urging the 12 students to return home. Among them was Zavier Ridgley, who was studying in Moscow when he was told to book a flight home quickly.

The 22-year-old said he respects the decision but was disappointed. A senior at Tulane University, he had been trying to get into the Middlebury program since 2019, but it had been delayed by the pandemic.

The month I've been here has been nothing short of the opportunity of a lifetime, and to have it cut so short so abruptly really is terribly sad, said Ridgley, who has since returned home.

Other schools have joined in barring student travel to Russia, and some including Dartmouth College have canceled upcoming study abroad programs. A growing number are also severing financial and academic ties as a rebuke of Putin, but the U.S. response has been more scattered compared with Europe, where nations including Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark have ordered colleges to freeze academic exchange with Russia.

Soon after the invasion began, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said it was ending its partnership with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, a research university it helped found near Moscow in 2011. MIT officials called it a rejection of the unacceptable military actions against Ukraine.

After Colorado Gov. Jared Polis urged universities to cut investments with Russia last week, the University of Colorado said it was divesting all holdings in the country, including $3.5 million in mutual funds.

Several other states have also told colleges to pull investments, including Virginia, Ohio and Arizona.

Presidents of Arizona's public universities notified the state Monday that they were ending financial and academic ties with Russia in response to an order from the state's board of regents. Arizona State University announced it will part with a corporate training center in Moscow affiliated with its business school.

Other colleges are reviewing contracts or financial donations from Russian sources, but some had no plans to return the money or end deals.

Stanford University received $1.6 million through a contract with an undisclosed Russian source in December 2020, according to U.S. Education Department records. A university spokesperson said it's an agreement for online business courses and that Stanford is in full compliance with U.S. sanctions.

Last year, Rutgers University reported a new contract with Russia. The school said it's a deal with the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow for research and information exchange through November 2023. Officials said the agreement is currently inactive. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington [US], March 10 (ANI): Three prominent US lawmakers have called for a probe in newly-installed Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, for his links with terror outfits and sympathizers.

The approval of Khan's appointment generated criticism last month due to reports of his links to Islamist charities that have openly affiliated with terrorists and his praise for terrorist organizations.

Also Read | Mexico Shooting: 9 People, Including Three Women, Shot Dead at Private Residence in Atlixco.

In a letter sent to US Attorney General, US Reps. Scott Perry, Mary Miller, and Greg Steube asked for a probe of Masood Khan's ties with a number of Islamist groups in Pakistan which the lawmakers say represent a threat to US national security.

"On January 27, I wrote a letter to President Biden (attached) raising concerns about Pakistan's newly-installed Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan. In that letter, I requested that President Biden reject any diplomatic credentials presented by [Mr. Khan]' due to Khan's unmitigated sympathy and support for various US-designated terrorist groups in South Asia. While it defies reason that Masood Khan was approved, his close relationships with domestic actors linked with the Pakistani regime remains a critical concern," wrote Congressman Scott Perry along with Congressman W Gregory Steube and Congressman Marry E Miller in a letter dated on March 9.

Also Read | White House Warns Russia May Use Chemical Weapons in Ukraine.

In the letter, US lawmakers highlighted that Pakistan has an exhaustive history of using US actors as agents of their government.

They report that Khan met with the leaders of Friends of Kashmir after the organization hosted an event with two operatives with ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is designated by the US State Department as a terrorist organization.

The letter said that Masood Khan has also been tied closely to Pakistani efforts to marginalize India in the United States.

"Prior to Prime Minister Modi's 2019 visit to America, an organization named Friends of Kashmir - a 501(c)(3) group that works out of the Pakistani consulate in Houston and "frequently collaborates with the Pakistani government"- worked with other groups to organize large-scale protests against the Indian government after Imran Khan compared India's Modi-led government to the Nazis," the lawmakers said.

"Even as Friends of Kashmir hosted an event with two operatives with ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2017 (the US-designated terrorist group which carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 were murdered), Masood Khan continued to meet with the head of Friends of Kashmir on a regular basis, with social media posts highlighting several meetings at Mr Khan's residence in Pakistan," they added.

Moreover, the letter said Khan has also worked with groups such as the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA), whose subsidiary, has worked closely with Friends of Kashmir. "APPNA itself has been described by Imran Khan as Pakistan's "most powerful" lobbying group in the United States."

"In addition, while Masood Khan was President of Azad Kashmir, a registered 501(c)(3) organization called Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) repeatedly enjoyed praise from Khan and his official office, which declared its commitment to "cooperation" with the HHRD11 - even after the U.S. Congress raised concerns about HHRD's open cooperation with designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba," the letter reads.

Given the Ambassador's unusual closeness to the Islamist groups, the US lawmakers requested an investigation into the nature of Khan's relationships with them.

"It is vital to U.S. National security that our Government investigate any potential Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) violation with regard to Ambassador Khan. He clearly supports terrorists, and if this Administration is happy to provide him with a diplomatic visa, the American People deserve - at the very least - the due diligence from our Government for a thorough investigation and answers," the letter 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)
Mayor Adams and the NYPD dodged questions Wednesday about a judges stunning comments questioning the credibility of a cop involved in the bloody arrest of teen drill rapper C Blu.

The case against C Blu, whose real name is Camrin Williams, was thrown into doubt during a hearing before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Naita Semaj on Tuesday. The judge found that arresting officer Taulant Gjonbalaj had given incredible and unreliable testimony about the Jan. 18 confrontation with the teen  and that cops had no legal justification for stopping and searching him.

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During the scuffle, a gun in the 16-year-olds pocket went off, striking the legs of Williams and another officer, Kaseem Pennant.

Camrin Williams, who is also known by the rapper name C Blu, is pictured in the hospital after being shot by his own gun.

About 24 hours after the Daily News asked out about the judges comments, 1 Police Plaza released a statement vowing to press ahead with the case.

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A 16-year-old and a police officer were each shot and wounded in this incident. The bullet came from a gun being carried by a teenager who was released in a prior gun arrest. The officers were on patrol that night for the sole purpose of keeping our citizens safe. Those are the most critically important elements of this case, said Deputy Commissioner of Public Information John Miller. This is dangerous work but the intent is to foster peace and achieve just outcomes for all New Yorkers whether they are victims, witnesses, or young people who make wrong decisions to carry firearms. We may respectfully disagree with the judge, but we intend to litigate this case in the courtroom.

Like the NYPD, Adams did not address questions about the judges harsh comments about cops version of events.

I agree with the judge that there is no denying Mr. Williams had an illegal gun on him that night  a gun that ended up injuring both him and a police officer. This was Mr. Williams second gun-related arrest and exactly the reason why we need to work to get guns off the streets, Adams said in a statement.

Mayor Adams (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Earlier Wednesday, a peeved Adams brushed off a question from The News about the case as he bolted from an unrelated press conference in Queens. We said the conversation was over. Its over, Adams snapped.

Ten days after the shooting, Adams cited the case as further evidence the states bail laws should be amended to let judges consider the dangerousness of a defendant.

New Yorkers should all be outraged that a repeat offender, accused of shooting at a police officer, is today walking free on bond because judges are precluded from even considering danger to the community, Adams said Jan. 28, after Williams was released on $250,000 bail.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Naita Semaj (Carolyn Bongiorno/Carolyn Bongiorno)

The judge, after viewing video of the incident, blasted Gjonbalaj in scathing remarks from the bench.

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I cannot state how absolutely incredible his testimony was. It was inconsistent with the video, it was inconsistent with his fellow officers testimony, it was self-serving, it had no value, she said.

Semajs blistering comments reignited advocates outrage with Adams for using the case in his fight to amend the states bail laws.

Mayor Adams owes New Yorkers an apology, said Marvin Mayfield, a director at the Center for Community Alternatives. The mayor wrongly blamed bail reform for the release of a 16-year-old. Now, unsurprisingly, we learn that the police fabricated the circumstances leading up to the incident. Video proved that this young person was unconstitutionally assaulted, and it is now clear that he was the only person seriously injured as a result of police action.

NYPD Officer Kaseem Pennant, pictured leaving the hospital, was shot during a scuffle with rapper C Blu. (@NYPD48Pct)

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Cops initially asserted the young rapper, whose songs have attracted more than 1 million views on YouTube, was part of a disorderly crowd and refused orders to take his hands out of his pockets, leading to the tussle.

Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. >

Video showed the gun went off as Gjonbalaj and Pennant grabbed at Williams, the judge said. Both Pennant and Williams have recovered.

Police on the scene in the Bronx where an officer and C Blu were shot Jan. 18. (Sam Costanza/for New York Daily News)

The judge found that Williams had been illegally searched and that cops initiated the fight.

While there is no disputing the fact that Mr. Williams had a gun on him that night ... he literally does everything you tell your child to do when theyre approached by cops. He literally kept his hands up. He literally tried to record to make sure there was proof. He answered questions he had no obligation to answer, Semaj said.

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The gun belonging to Camrin Williams, who is also known by the rapper name C Blu. (NYPD / DCPI)

The judge ruled Williams should be tried as a juvenile. He has pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree assault and other weapons charges.

Adams has repeatedly called for the states bail laws to be amended to let judges consider a defendants dangerousness, which has been barred for decades. Under the current system, judges setting bail can only consider risk of flight and the likelihood a defendant will return to court.
Srinagar, March 10: An Army jawan missing for three days was found dead in an orchard in Kashmir Valley's Budgam district on Thursday, officials said.

Sameer Ahmad Malla, held guilty in 2019 by a court martial along with his company commander Major Leetul Gogoi for fraternising with a local woman and being away from the place of duty while in operational area, went missing from his village Lokipora in Khag area on Monday.

His body had no bullet marks but showed signs of blunt injuries, officials said, adding that it appeared to be revenge killing. A preliminary examination indicated he was hit with a rod on his face, killed and later buried. Jammu and Kashmir: 1 Killed, 15 Injured in Blast Near District Court Complex in Udhampur Town.

The 28-year-old Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry soldier, who was posted in Jammu, had been home on leave to be with his wife for the birth of their second child, the officials said. He last spoke to his mother from his mobile, saying that the phone battery was running low and he would call her if they get disconnected.

He was the one who drove Gogoi and a local woman to a hotel in April 2018.

A year earlier, Gogoi had hit the headlines for tying embroidery artisan Farooq Ahmed Dar to his jeep and using him as a human shield against stone pelting.
New Delhi, March 10: After over three decades, Yogi Adityanath returned to power in Uttar Pradesh by breaking the 'Noida jinx', according to which any Chief Minister who visited the city loses power.

After becoming Chief Minister in 2017, Yogi Adityanath has visited Nodia multiple times to inaugurate, lay the foundation of several development projects and administrative work. Uttar Pradesh Election Results 2022: Yogi Adityanath Scripts History, Becomes First UP CM to Return for Second Term After Completing One Full Term.

The Noida jinx was a talking point in the Uttar Pradesh power corridor after Chief Minister Veer Bahadur Singh had to step down in 1988 within a few days after his return from the city.

According to the latest trend, the BJP has won 21 and is leading in 231 assembly constituencies with 41.80 per cent vote share in Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is leading from Gorakhpur Urban seat by over 90,000 votes.

Former Chief Ministers Kalyan Singh, Rajnath Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav had avoided visiting Noida during their chief ministership. In recent times, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati visited Noida in 2007 after becoming chief minister and she lost the assembly polls in 2012. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akshilesh Yadav also followed the trend during his five-year tenure from 2012.

During his visit to the city in January, Adityanath took a dig at Mayawati and Yadav by saying that power was more important for them so they were hesitant to visit Noida. When asked about the jinx, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh, who is currently leading, had said that Chief Minister Adityanath has personally taken care of development of the city and its people by visiting multiple times.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2022 07:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi, March 10: Under its Illness to Wellness Campaign, ASSOCHAM, an apex body, organized 'Kidney Care: Preventive and Curative Actions' on the eve of World Kidney Day with the objective of spreading awareness about kidney diseases. Kidney diseases are silent killers, which can largely affect your quality of life. There are several ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.

"Kidney disease is mostly silent and thus neglected and not handled properly", said Dr Manju Aggarwal, Director and Head, Department of Nephrology and Kidney Transplantation, Artemis Health Institute. She went on to say that kidney disease is avoidable and that high-risk populations, such as those with diabetes and hypertension, should be educated and screened. Early detection and medical treatment can help postpone the onset of severe renal failure.

She addressed the audience by saying "Diagnosing renal illness can be a difficult experience for both the sufferer and those around them. It limits their capacity to engage in daily activities such as employment, travel, and socialising. Patients with kidney disease, including those who require dialysis or transplantation, require additional assistance from society, patient groups, networks, government agencies and health insurance providers in the long run", she added. World Kidney Day 2022: Netizens Share Messages, Quotes On Good Kidney Health, Greetings And HD Images To Mark The Special Day.

Kidneys are very important organs that remove waste, control blood pressure, make haemoglobin, and maintain bone health, according to Dr Rishit K. Harbada, Consultant Nephrologist, BSES MG Hospital, Andheri, S.R.V Hospital, Goregaon, Associate Consultant, Sir H.N Reliance, Foundation Hospital, Mumbai.

He said, "Symptoms or indicators of renal disease may not appear until 80 per cent of your kidneys have been damaged". As a result, early detection is critical. Controlling blood pressure, diabetes, eating properly, limiting alcohol intake, being active, avoiding over-the-counter drugs, painkillers, and regular follow-up are all critical for kidney health sharing precautionary measures in the session.

Dr Siddharth Vinod Lakhani, Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, Lakhani Kidney Clinic, Fortis Raheja Hospital, Global Hospital, Somaiya Hospital, Kohinoor Hospital, SRV Hospital, Zynova or Shalby Group of Hospitals, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to ASSOCHAM for organising this enlightening and interactive session. "Prevention is better than cure." Dr Lakhani stated emphatically. "Let us work together to avoid and battle chronic renal disease", he said. World Kidney Day 2022 Yoga Posses: From Camel Pose To Naukasana, 5 Yoga Asanas for People With Chronic Kidney Disease (Watch Videos).

Dr Rajesh Kesari, Founder and Director, Total Care Control, DelhiNCR, outlined his concern of the rising cases of kidney diseases in the nation and said, "Kidney disease has long been regarded as the most neglected chronic disorder." A variety of communicable and noncommunicable diseases can cause kidney problems, and many patients with kidney disease do not have access to treatment. Renal disorders' causes, consequences, and costs have implications for public health policy in all countries, as well as the problems that lie ahead.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2022 06:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The Daytona Beach Police on Wednesday identified a "person of interest" in the brutal stabbing, and murder of a married couple from Daytona Beach, Florida over the weekend.

According to the Florida police, they are still looking for a suspect in the gruesome crime. They also released the photos of the person of interest to seek help from the public, per CBS News.

THREAD (1 OF 2): Please take a look at these photos.



These are of the person of interest we're searching for in connection to the murders of a married couple this past weekend on beachside.#DaytonaBeach #DaytonaStrong #DBPDStrong pic.twitter.com/Act0ZABxIs  Daytona Beach Police (@DaytonaBchPD) March 9, 2022

"Please take a look at these photos. These are of the person of interest we're searching for in connection to the murders of a married couple this past weekend on beachside," Daytona Beach Police said in a tweet.

The photos released by the authorities showed a man wearing a black cowboy hat with a beige scarf. The man is also seen wearing a gray tank top. One photo also showed that the person of interest also has a faded tattoo on his right arm.

On Tuesday, the authorities also released a video of the person of interest walking along the street just after midnight on Sunday. In this video, the man was also wearing the same clothing they described in the photo they released on Wednesday, but the video showed that the man was wearing red gloves, per CBS News.

Despite the details released, authorities declined to explain why they consider the man in the photos a person of interest in the case.

Daytona Beach Police Spokesperson Messod Bendayan told Law and Crime that they are not releasing information at the moment due to the ongoing case.

THREAD (1 OF 2): A $50,000 reward is now being offered for anyone who has information leading to an arrest in the murders of Brenda Aultman & Terry Aultman. pic.twitter.com/pWxPfDPgPA  Daytona Beach Police (@DaytonaBchPD) March 9, 2022

On Tuesday, the Daytona Beach Police offered $50,000 in exchange for information that will lead to an arrest.

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Daytona Beach Police Identifies Florida Stabbing Victims

Earlier this week the Daytona Beach Police identified the victims of Sunday's attack as the married couple Terry and Brenda Aultman, per CBS. The said pair is 48 and 55 years old, respectively.

According to WESH, the victims were found on Sunday morning in the 700 block of North Wild Olive Avenue with multiple stab wounds and lacerations.

The Florida police also noted both victims had their throats slashed.

Officials suggest that the married couple tried to ride their bike home after participating in Bike Week festivities, as their bicycles were found nearby their dead bodies, per Law and Crime.

Authorities claimed that they found Terry Aultman lying face down while Brenda was lying on her back in a grassy area next to the sidewalk. Their dead bodies were found one mile away from their home.

Daytona Police Chief Jakari Young described the crime as the "most vicious and gruesome incidents" he witnessed in his 20 years of service.

Daytona Beach Police: Investigation for the Florida Victims Underway

To date, police have not yet suggested a possible motive for killing the Florida couple. Law and Crime mentioned that it also remains a mystery why anyone would kill Terry and Brenda Aultman.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said that they will "leave no stone unturned in order to solve this case." Young also assured that their detectives "will do all they can" in bringing justice to the relatives and loved ones of the Florida victims.

READ NEXT: Liga MX Brawl: 14 Under Custody in Connection to Atlas-Queretaro Brawl; Fans Barred From Matches

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Daytona Beach Police Release New Images of Person of Interest in Married Couple Stabbed to Death - From WESH 2 News
The government of Venezuela freed two imprisoned U.S. Citizens on Tuesday, following its talk with a high-level American delegation from Washington D.C. in Caracas.

According to Al Jazeera, the prisoners freed in Venezuela were named Gustavo Cardenas and Jorge Alberto Fernandez.

Cardenas is known to be one of the six Citgo oil executives arrested in 2017. BBC noted that Citgo is a U.S. refining company that was once controlled by Venezuela's oil firm.

According to reports Cardenas was convicted on charges of corruption, but the U.S. government claimed that it was fabricated.

Meanwhile, Jorge Alberto Fernandez, a Cuban American, was arrested last year in Venezuela and was accused of terrorism.

In a statement, President Joe Biden said that both U.S. citizens freed were "wrongfully detained" in Venezuela, per BBC.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the arrival of Gustavo Cardenas and Jorge Alberto Fernandez in the United States.

"We welcome the release of US citizens Gustavo Cardenas and Jorge Alberto, both of whom had been unjustly detained in Venezuela... They have recently arrived back in the United States, accompanied by Roger Carstens, our Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs," Antony Blinken said in a statement, per Al Jazeera.

President Biden also thanked Carstens and the diplomatic team for their "tireless efforts to secure their release," and reunite them to their families.

READ NEXT: Florida: Police Identifies 'Person of Interest' in Brutal Stabbing, Murder of Married Couple

American Oil Executive Freed by Venezuela Urges the Release of Other Jailed U.S. Oil Executives

On Wednesday, jailed Citgo Executive Gustavo Cardenas commented on his release and described his jail time in Venezuela as a "nightmare," per Associated Press.

"I got out of jail and got my freedom after about 1,570 days of wrongful captivity. It was a very hard time marked by deep pain, but also by faith, hope, love, and survival," Cardenas said.

Aside from describing his experience in Venezuela, Cardenas also called on the prompt release of the remaining members of Citgo 6, contending that "they and their families deserve the same blessing and freedom" that was granted to him.

A lawyer for the Citgo 6 said that there are remaining five oil executives detained in Venezuela, per BBC.

Cardenas then credited his release to President Joe Biden and other U.S. officials. He also mentioned New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Mickey Bergman from the Richardson Center, who reportedly worked to secure the release of Americans detained abroad.

Cardenas' comments came as he arrived in Houston at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, following his overnight flight from Caracas, Venezuela.

Venezuela and U.S. Talks

The release of Cardenas and Alberto Fernandez came hours after Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, touted his interest in improving relations with the U.S. amid the Russia-Ukraine War that affected the gas prices in the United States, per AP.

BBC noted that Venezuela is known to have huge oil reserves. However, the United States imposed sanctions on the South American country's oil sector in 2019, after President Maduro has sworn in to a second term.

Officials from the United States did not further on the outcome of their talks with the Venezuelan government. However, they pointed out that the release reflected months of relationship building.

READ NEXT: U.S. Capitol Riots Trial: Rioter Guy Reffitt Guilty, Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Arrested for Conspiracy in Attack

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Venezuela Frees 2 detained Americans, White House Says - From KTLA 5
The U.S. gas price hike has been caused by Russian leader Vladimir Putin after states are seeing record-high prices, according to officials.

The White House dubbed the jump in U.S. gas price as "Putin Spike," promising that U.S. President Joe Biden will do everything he can to prevent Americans from experiencing "pain at the pump," according to a Fox News report.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield tweeted that Putin has been "saber-rattling and gas prices have been going up since he started his military build-up.

Americans are seeing the highest gas prices since the 2008 financial crisis, with the national average gas price reaching more than $4 per gallon.

Biden announced a ban on all imports of Russian, oil, gas, and energy to the U.S. on Tuesday, attacking the "main artery" of Russia's economy amid Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

READ NEXT: California Gas Price Highest in the US; Russia Warns About $300 Per Barrel Spike After Oil Import Ban

U.S. Gas Price Hike 'Putin Spike'

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Americans were facing an increase in gas prices "because of the actions of President Putin," according to The Hill report.

Psaki then went on to say that what is happening is a "Putin Spike" at the gas pump, not one prompted by the U.S. sanctions.

Psaki would not project how high has prices could go in the coming weeks. However, she noted steps like releasing oil from the strategic petroleum reserve and working with other energy suppliers to ensure the disruption to global supply is minimal.

Psaki also argued that the anticipation of the Russian invasion was factored into increasing gas prices when a reporter stated that gas prices were on the rise before the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll noted that 80 percent of respondents said Americans should not buy oil or gas from Russia during the conflict "even if it causes gas prices to increase."

A senior administration official noted that Americans across the country understand that there is a price for the sanctions to put pressure on Putin.

U.S. President Joe Biden Sanctions on Russia

Biden announced on Tuesday a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil and gas, saying that Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports.

Biden also said that the American people will deal another "powerful blow to Putin's war machine," according to an NPR report.

The president also stated during his ban announcement that defending freedom will have a cost, and that it will cost "us as well in the United States."

However, Biden said that he will do everything to minimize the effect of Putin's price hike in the U.S.

He added that lifting environmental regulations would not up domestic energy production, instead, oil and gas companies have leased millions of acres of U.S. land.

The companies have received permits to drill, but have chosen not to use them for production, according to the president.

One official said that the U.S. and allies need to reduce dependence on fossil fuel and divert to more renewable sources of energy.

READ MORE: Gas Prices in California: How Much Will You Be Paying for Gas in California Amid Price Hikes?

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WATCH: U.S. ban on Russian oil imports will likely hike gas prices - from CBS News






Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has been pushing for a law that would allow mining on indigenous lands as the bill suffered setbacks on Wednesday.

Bolsonaro argued that it was necessary as Brazil needed fertilizer supplies, according to a Reuters report.

Congress did not agree to rush to a vote due to concerns that voters might be angered in an election year.

Speaker Arthur Lira noted that a working group would be set up to study the bill and report back in 30 days.

Bolsonaro has a history of cutting back environmental enforcement in the Amazon while also defunding indigenous protection agency Funai.

The right-wing Brazilian president has also long called for more mining and commercial farming in the Amazon to create jobs and decrease poverty.

Lawmakers were reluctant to vote on the indigenous mining bill, with several thousand Brazilians outside Congress protesting against legislative proposals.

Brazil is considered as one of the world's top food producers and the largest importer of potash, which is a powder that is obtained from ashes of burned wood sometimes used as fertilizer.

READ NEXT: Amazon Rainforest Nearing Dangerous Environmental 'Tipping Point'; Trees May Die Off en Masse - Researchers

Jair Bolsonaro Pushes More Mining

In 2018, Bolsonaro touted mining the Amazon, promising to dig the rainforest's vast mineral wealth, according to an Aljazeera news report. He has earned the support of prospectors and is widely expected to run for re-election in October.

Bolsonaro issued two decrees last month to drive gold prospecting, focusing on the Amazon rainforest area.

Environmental and rights groups claimed that Bolsonaro is pushing for the mining legislative using the pretext of the Ukraine crisis.

Suzi Huff Theodoro, a University of Brasilia geologist and professor, noted that certain activities are not allowed today on Indigenous lands.

The public prosecutor's office handling Indigenous cases noted that the bill was "unconstitutional," adding that it could trigger the disappearance of some Indigenous tribes in the Amazon.

The University of Minas Gerais has found that only one-third of these potash reserves are in the Amazon, with just 11 percent are under lands claimed by Indigenous communities.

Mining in Amazon Rainforest

Illicit mining operations on Indigenous lands and in other areas formally protected by law have hit a record-high in the past years during Bolsonaro's administration, according to Nature report.

Anthropologist Glenn Shepard from the Emilio Goeldi Museum in Belem, noted that it was definitely the worst it has been for Indigenous people since the constitution was signed in 1988.

Illegal mining operations, particularly small-scale gold extraction operations, have increased fivefold on Indigenous lands and threefold in other protected areas of Brazil, such as parks.

Indigenous territories play a part in protecting the Amazon's biodiversity and an enormous amount of carbon that is locked away in its trees and soils, apart from the area being their homes.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature challenged the governments to protect 80 percent of the Amazon basin by 2025.

Meanwhile, Indigenous representatives noted that they plan to fight for implementation across the Amazon.

READ MORE: Brazil: Mining Firms Eyeing to Expand to Protected Indigenous Lands in Amazon Rainforest

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WATCH: Scars of illegal mining blight Brazil's Amazon - from Reuters






On March 1, 2022, the state of Wisconsin's Office of Special Counsel released a report that validated LAA's findings of illegal ballots and election rigging.

The OSC Report

"This was not the only abuse of the indefinitely confined voting law. A flagrant example is that of State Senator Patricia Schachtner [...] and her husband signed statements indicating that they were indefinitely confined voters for the November 2020 election and opted to receive absentee ballots pursuant to Wis. Stat. 6.87(2). However, social media showed the Schachtner family to be active outside their home in the months prior to and during the election both for personal recreation and as Schachtner campaigned for reelection."

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LAA's Wisconsin Report documented 157,000 illegally cast ballots that abused the state's indefinitely confined status. The OSC report goes on to validate the findings of LAA's additional report, "Rigged: How Zuckerberg and the Left Bought and Election," that documented the Facebook founder and far-left activists gave pro-Biden counties in Wisconsin unfair advantages over voters in the rest of the state.

In one notable case of illegal ballots being cast, State Representative Gary Hebl and his wife claimed indefinitely confined status for voting. Yet, their social media records show that they were out hiking, biking, and on speedboats, as well as holding large social gatherings without facemasks.

Director of Research Ian Camacho made the following statement:

"The evidence is overwhelming that Wisconsin should never have certified its electors. The Office of Special Counsel reached the same conclusions that we did, and we hope that as a result they enact stricter protocols to protect every legal, law abiding Wisconsin resident's sacred right to vote."

To read the details of The Wisconsin Report, go to https://lookaheadamerica.org/wisconsinreport/. To read more on How Zuckerberg and the Left Bought an Election, see https://lookaheadamerica.org/rigged.

READ MORE: LAA Holds Justice for J6 Candlelight Vigil in New York
Nicaragua travel advisory has been raised to Alert Level 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to U.S. State Department. It means that travelers were advised not to travel to the Latin American country.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not yet issued a travel health notice for Nicaragua because of COVID-19. So if you are eyeing to visit Nicaragua, here are some travel guidelines that you should keep in mind.

READ NEXT: Honduras Travel: Safety Advisories and Tourist Attractions You Should See During Your Visit in Honduras

Nicaragua Travel Guidelines

The U.S. State Department has advised people to reconsider travel to Nicaragua due to limited healthcare availability and arbitrary enforcement of laws.

The agency said the government of Nicaragua arbitrarily imposes laws for political purposes. Government officials and law enforcement reportedly continue to target those opposing the leadership of President Daniel Ortega.

The government and its affiliated groups were allegedly systematically targeting opposition figures and detained pro-democracy advocates.

For political reasons, the government also prevents certain individuals from departing Nicaragua by air or land. U.S. citizens in Nicaragua have also reported being subjected to harassment and assault by masked individuals.

They also said there was increased criticism of alleged political speech and additional scrutiny by immigration officials. The State Department advised travelers to exercise caution and be alert to crime risks.

The CDC still urges travelers to ensure vaccination before traveling to Nicaragua despite not knowing its COVID-19 pandemic status.

Meanwhile, poor infrastructure in some areas of the country limits the Embassy's ability to assist U.S. citizens in emergencies, with U.S. government workers may be subjected to restrictions on their movements at any time.

Tourist Attractions in Nicaragua

Nicaragua has started attracting a significant income from tourism in the early 21st century. The country has recorded a total of 474,000 tourists in 2020.

Nicaragua generates around $544 million from tourism alone, with the sector growing 15 percent to 20 percent annually. According to the Welcome to Nicaragua site, the country boasts of eco-tourism, beaches, colonial cities, nightlife, and low cost of living.

Nicaragua is known for the Jose Coronel Urtecho Cultural Center, which is dedicated in memory of the famous Nicaraguan poet. The center is built within the walls of a Spanish colonial fortress turned prison that was later turned into a police station.

If wildlife is what you are looking for during your trip, the Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge can be the place for you. It consists of a system of wetlands that includes more than a dozen rivers and ponds.

The Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge was declared the first wetland of world importance in Nicaragua as a Ramsar site.

Travelers can bird watch, observe wildlife, and visit an orchid nursery and breeding centers for freshwater turtles and alligators, according to the country's tourism board site. There is also the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve holding hundreds of species of animals, insects, and trees.

Nicaragua is also known for impressive surfing locations, with the most popular destination called San Juan del Sur. San Juan del Sur was a stop on Quicksilver's The Crossing in 2003, a worldwide quest to search for the "perfect wave."

There are also active volcanoes that you can hike into for a more adventurous trip. The Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve has multiple trails for hiking. Nicaragua has 26 volcanoes.

READ MORE: Travel in Brazil Amid Pandemic: Here Are Things You Should Be Aware of Before Visiting the Latin American Country

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WATCH: 10 Best Places to Visit in Nicaragua | Travel Video - From SKY Travel






An 83-year-old serial killer was charged with second-degree murder after a womans severed head was found in the transgender suspects apartment, prosecutors said Thursday.

When cops went to Harvey Marcelins apartment to execute a search warrant and question her about a headless, limbless torso found dumped on a Brooklyn street, they found what they believe is the head of Susan Leyden, who was reported missing March 2, prosecutors said.

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Victim Susan Leyden

Marcelin served two stints in prison for killing two girlfriends in Manhattan and now identifies as a transgender woman, authorities said.

Marcelin was arrested for concealment of a human corpse on March 4 and ordered held without bail. She was indicted Thursday on second-degree murder and other charges.

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Harvey Marcelin is being held without bail at Rikers Island.

A source said the head found in Marcelins apartment was in a plastic bag.

Last week my office charged Harvey Marcelin with allegedly concealing the severed head of a woman in her home and discarding the victims torso in a bag on the street, said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

Today, the grand jury indicted Harvey Marcelin for murder, and my office is committed to vigorously seeking justice, Gonzalez said. The facts of this horrific case are gruesome and unsettling, and my heart is with the victims family and friends.

A contractor who worked on the newly opened affordable housing development where Marcelin lives said he saw the suspect in the hallways and remembered her distinctive wig, nails and lipstick.

Im a pretty social guy, the contractor said. But something told me to stay away. With some people, you just get a vibe. Murdering someone is one thing. But killing and chopping?

Leydens torso was found in a multicolored bag with a flower decal stuffed in a shopping cart at Atlantic and Pennsylvania Aves. in East New York last Thursday. The multicolored bag was wrapped inside a black garbage bag, cops said.

A human leg found nearby four days later has now been determined to be Leydens.

Police were led to Marcelin after she was identified as the person caught on video disposing of the torso.

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Spot where a severed leg was found inside an abandoned tire on Jamaica Ave. in Brooklyn. (Kerry Burke/New York Daily News)

Zeroing in on Marcelins address, cops recovered video surveillance of Leyden going into Marcelins building on Feb. 27  rolling behind her the same multicolored bag that would later hold her dismembered torso.

A few days later, on March 2, Marcelin was spotted rolling the same bag out of the apartment building and throwing it in the trash near the corner of Pennsylvania and Atlantic Aves., just a short distance from her home.

[Leyden] never exits the residence, court papers note.

I have no idea about the relationship between Susan Leyden and this person, said Nesrin Oncu, a close friend of the victim who was once married to the victims ex-husband.

This person doesnt seem like her caliber of person she would associate with, Oncu said of Leyden. She liked good things around her, good people. Im not sure what she was doing there, really.

Victim Susan Leyden

Marcelin was convicted of murder in Manhattan for the 1963 shooting of her girlfriend, Jacqueline Bonds, records show. At that time he identified as a man.

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Marcelin shot Bonds in the hallway of an Harlem apartment, then chased her into a bedroom and shot her again, according to court filings.

About six weeks earlier, Bonds said, with her mother present, that she was breaking it off with Marcelin, who pointed a finger at her and said, Ill get you! according to court documents.

When the jury couldnt agree on imposing the death penalty, the judge in the case sentenced Marcelin to life in prison. Marcelin was released on lifetime parole in 1984.

Marcellin struck again a year after being released, this time stabbing to death another girlfriend and dumping her remains by Central Park in October 1985, law enforcement sources said.

Marcelin pleaded guilty to manslaughter in that case, telling a judge in 1986 that she shared rent with her second victim, Anna Laura Serrera Miranda, according to court filings.

Well, sometimes she wouldnt come with the rent and sometimes she would steal stuff out of the house and bring people up there in the house. She kept screaming, Marcelin told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Carol Berkman.

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When the judge asked, You kept stabbing her so she would stop screaming? Marcelin responded, It was just  I was doing it, you know.

Marcelin was sentenced to an additional six to 12 years in prison in September 1986, concurrent with the life sentence in the first murder.

A year later, Marcelin detailed the crime to a state parole board, telling the panel she had problems with women, according to a court filing.

Marcelin was released to parole again in August 2019, records show.

Victim Susan Leyden

Leyden was remembered as a happy person who enjoyed helping people.

She was really a good person, Oncu said. Tragically, she lost her family members at such a young age. Her brothers and then her sister and her father and her mother. She was a survivor.

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Oncu said she never met the suspect.

Leyden was reported missing on March 2. She had been expected at a friend or relatives house on Feb. 28 but did not show, according to police. That person asked cops to perform a wellness check at Leydens Brooklyn home but she was not there.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

The person who reported Leyden missing talked to her by phone the day she was last seen walking into the suspects apartment, according to an NYPD missing poster.

Leyden, who suffered from high blood pressure and liver disease and was a cancer survivor, complained of feeling very ill that day.

Before she disappeared, Leyden was living at Stonewall House, a residence for LGBTQ+ seniors in Fort Greene that also caters to some homeless seniors through a lottery system. A next-door neighbor, who did not want to be named, said she had been trying to get Leyden active socially.

She was definitely looking for love, the friend recalled. I was trying to get her out of her shell. I was trying to set her up on a date with my best friend. We had a big potluck dinner last fall, and she came, and she made bean casserole.

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The friend said Leyden seemed to be estranged from her family.

What the hell was she doing here with the homeless cohort? the friend said. The only way that could have happened was if she was completely disowned by her family.

She was trying to impress me that she was upper middle class. She showed me pictures of her grandkids, said the friend. They lived in west Jersey. My sense was that she was sort of creating this whole middle class lifestyle, but there were significant gaps.
Nine individuals were shot dead inside a house in central Mexico's Puebla state, and authorities suspect that a drug cartel was behind it.

In a press conference Wednesday, Puebla Governor Miguel Barbosa said the "execution-style" killings of six men and three women took place in Atlixco town early Wednesday morning.

According to KRQE, Barbosa said the house in Atlixco, a middle-class neighborhood, was "used for the distribution and sale of drugs." The governor added that the killings seemed to be "an execution between gangs."

The Puebla Attorney General's Office said a 10th victim survived but was "in critical condition" at a hospital. The victim reportedly sustained gunshot wounds to the head, shoulder, and leg.

Barbosa said the victims, who were not identified, only came to the house and were not from Atlixco nor Puebla. The governor noted that there would be saturation patrols to combat rising crime in the state, and a police helicopter would also be used.

Barbosa said they "will not let Puebla go rotten" and let one gang "eradicate another gang in Puebla in their internal struggles because then we empower the winner and they become dominant."

According to Associated Press, Puebla was not yet famous for drug violence, but it was known to be home to violent gangs dealing in fuel theft from government pipelines.

READ NEXT: U.S. Agents Can't Just Step on Mexico's Soil to Arrest El Chapo's Sons of Sinaloa Cartel, Pres. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Says

Mexican Drug Cartels in Mexico's Puebla State

Crime groups operating in Mexico's Puebla state have reportedly changed over time due to government efforts, alliances, and groups' divisions.

In 2010, a map released by an intelligence consultancy firm showed that Puebla, especially the northern zone, appeared as an area in dispute between cartels operating out of Veracruz and Guerrero states like the Gulf Cartel and the Los Zetas Cartel.

A Colombian citizen noted that Puebla is like "Bogota 30 years ago," according to an Open Democracy report. The citizen said 30 years ago, Bogota was full of investments and investors just like Puebla now.

The citizen noted that there were also housing developments and luxury cars, but only later to be realized that it was from drug trafficking.

The Los Zetas Cartel in Mexico

The Los Zetas Cartel started as the enforcement arm of drug-trafficking Gulf Cartel and had broken away as an independent criminal enterprise in 2010.

According to Britannica, the Los Zetas Cartel is known for its violent tactics and strong organizational structure. Osiel Cardenas Guillen, the former leader of the Gulf Cartel, recruited about 30 former members of Mexico's special forces led by Lieutenant Arturo Guzman Decena. This group formed the core of the Los Zetas Cartel.

After Cardenas Guillen's arrest in 2003, the Los Zetas Cartel became more directly involved in the drug business. The Mexican drug cartel played a major role in beating back the attempt by the Sinaloa Cartel to seize the control of Nuevo Laredo between 2005 and 2006.

The Los Zetas Cartel has eventually expanded its operations to arms trafficking, kidnapping, smuggling people, and extortion.

READ MORE: Brother of El Chapo, 3 Other Sinaloa Cartel Members Charged on Drug Trafficking Charges

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Private Evictions by Criminal Gangs Hit Mexico City's Poorest - From DW News






A high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel known as "The Jaguar" has been sentenced to 40 years in prison by a federal judge in Texas after pleading guilty to three of 14 counts in a federal indictment.

According to Border Report, El Paso Judge Frank Montalvo recently ordered Jose Antonio Torres Marrufo, alias "The Jaguar" and "14," to serve 480 months in a federal correctional institution in Arizona.

He was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and spend five years under supervised release. Torres Marrufo was known to supervise the Sinaloa Cartel's operation in Juarez city in Chihuahua state, which includes moving drugs from Mexico to the United States and getting rid of competitors.

Witnesses said The Jaguar has quickly earned the reputation as one of the top enforcers of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera.

In a press release, DEA Special Agent in Charge Williamson earlier said they were bringing drug cartel leaders to justice through close and sustained cooperation with their partners in Mexico.

READ NEXT: Sinaloa Cartel Member' Chous,' Ex-Cop Who Worked for Mexican Drug Lord El Mayo, Gets Life in Prison

The Case of Sinaloa Cartel Member 'The Jaguar'

Jose Antonio Torres Marrufo was arrested in Leon city in Mexico's Guanajuato state in February 2012. He was extradited to Texas in May 2019 on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, money laundering, and drug distribution.

The Jaguar was among 24 alleged Sinaloa Cartel members indicted in 2012 over their roles in the group. The other defendants included El Chapo and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who allegedly took over the Sinaloa Cartel after El Chapo was arrested in Mexico in 2016.

According to a federal indictment, Torres Marrufo, together with other Sinaloa Cartel members and associates, "coordinated with transportation cells to arrange for large quantities of cocaine and marijuana to be imported into the U.S."

The indictment further noted that Torres Marrufo and other defendants "committed, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence" such as kidnapping, torture, and murder in an effort to maintain control of all aspects of their operations, WFXR reported.

Reports said Torres Marrufo formed Gente Nueva cell of the Sinaloa cartel to carry out attacks for El Chapo when war broke out between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Juarez Cartel in 2006.

Among the killings attributed to The Jaguar was a man from New Mexico who was kidnapped at his wedding ceremony in Juarez on May 7, 2010. Torres Marrufo was charged with ordering the murder of the groom, his brother, and his uncle. Their bodies were discovered by Juarez police a few days later in an abandoned pickup truck.

According to the indictment, Torres Marrufo also allegedly ordered the kidnapping of a man from his Texas home in August 2009. The victim was found dead and mutilated in Juarez after a month.

According to the Attorney's Office Western District of Texas, the war between the Sinaloa Cartel and Juarez Cartel led to the death of thousands of people in Juarez and throughout Mexico's states of Chihuahua and Durango. The violence gave rise to Juarez being named the "deadliest city in the world."

The Sinaloa Cartel Under El Chapo and El Mayo

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico's largest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations. The Mexican drug cartel has been known to carry out assassinations, murders, and torture to protect its turf.

Both El Chapo and El Mayo were among the people who established the Sinaloa Cartel from the remnants of the Guadalajara Cartel after its leader Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo was arrested in 1989.

El Mayo was reportedly left in command of the Sinaloa Cartel after El Chapo was arrested and extradited in the U.S. The U.S. State Department has already increased its offer from $5 million to $15 million for information that will result in the arrest of El Mayo.

Meanwhile, a federal court has found El Chapo guilty of drug trafficking, money laundering, murder conspiracy, and use of a gun in crimes involving drugs. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the ADX Florence "supermax" prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019.

READ MORE: El Chapo's Wife Emma Coronel Could Dismantle Sinaloa Cartel by Cutting Deal With U.S.: Report

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WATCH: 40 anos A "El Jaguar" Del Cartel De Sinaloa - From Grillonautas2






A driver of a stolen car rammed into approaching Queens police officers, throwing one of the cops onto the cars hood before another officer opened fire on the fleeing vehicle, police said Thursday.

It was the fourth time in less than a month that an NYPD cop has opened fire on an escaping vehicle in the city.

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Cops were rolling through Jamaica about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when they spotted a 2018 white Subaru Forester reported stolen a day earlier near the corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and Sutphin Blvd., cops said.

Two officers and a lieutenant boxed in the car and were approaching on foot when the driver nosed through an opening and gunned the engine.

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Police at the scene on E. 39th St. and Avenue J in Brooklyn on March 3. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)

The escaping car hit one of the approaching officers in the legs, knocking him onto the hood, police said.

Another cop pulled his weapon and opened fire on the escaping SUV, but it wasnt immediately clear if he hit the SUV or not.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

The two officers were taken to Jamaica Hospital with minor injuries. No arrests have been made.

NYPD policy discourages shooting at moving vehicles unless something other than the vehicle is being used as a weapon. But there are exceptions, based on circumstance.

On Sunday, Bronx teen Luis Manuel-Monsato was shot in the head and left with critical injuries as he tried to drive away from approaching cops who stopped him for blowing through several red lights  nearly striking one of the officers with the car in the process, cops said.

Police respond to the scene of a police involved shooting on Boston Road and E. 165th St. in the Bronx on Sunday. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)

On March 3, a sergeant shot at a reckless driver who nearly struck him and other officers during a Brooklyn car stop of another vehicle. The shot hit the back of the car that nearly hit the cop in Flatlands. The driver lost control, struck a parked car and ran off. A passenger was taken into custody.

On Feb. 15, a robbery suspect nearly clipped a cop in East Harlem. The cop fired one round but didnt strike anyone and the suspect got away.

On Nov. 3, a Brooklyn cop fired at least six shots at a Honda CR-V driven by a man trying to run him over in reverse after cops tried to stop and question the driver about a string of auto break-ins. The driver and passenger abandoned the vehicle in East New York and ran off.

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All four shootings are being investigated by the NYPD.
Laois entertainers and other show make live shows happen are being encouraged to apply for funding under a new scheme designed to help them recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Laois Offaly TD and Minister of State in the Department of Finance Sean Fleming said the Government has announced a new 15 million business restart grant scheme for the live performance sector.

"Many businesses in Laois were badly impacted by COVID restrictions. Many had little or no income during this period. These Laois producers and promoters can now apply for these new Restart Grants.

"The restart grant scheme Is open to venues, producers and promoters that stage events in the arts and culture live performance sector. Grants of up to 100,000 will be provided.

"This sector has been impacted significantly by restrictions these past two years so these grants will help with the recovery of these businesses.

"I would encourage eligible local business to apply for these grants," said the Fianna Fail Minister.

Applications will be invited for grant funding under this scheme from 1pm on Tuesday, March 22. The scheme will close for applications at 1pm on Wednesday April 20th 2022.

Applicants may make only one application under this scheme. The application form will be made available on the departments website at 1pm on Tuesday, March 22

This Scheme will operate with a fund of 15m, due to the high volume of applications anticipated, it may not be possible to allocate funding to all eligible applicants.

Applications will be considered strictly by order of date and time of receipt by the department.

Guidelines for the new scheme are available: https://www.gov.ie/en/ publication/d1d0c-live- performance-restart-grant- scheme-lprgs-guidelines/
Local Enterprise Office Laois in collaboration with Laois Chamber held a successful Women in Business Networking lunch on Tuesday, March 8 to celebrate International Womens Day.

The event also coincided with Local Enterprise Week. Over 60 people involved in local businesses attended the event which took place in the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise.

Special guest, Louise Phelan, CEO of Phelan Energy Group Ltd and former Vice President at PayPal, was in conversation with Ronan Berry, Presenter of the Taking Care of Business Show on Midlands 103, and spoke about her upbringing and her incredible career and success.

Louise also talked about the challenges and pressures businesses are currently facing, as well as providing attendees with an insight into sustaining success in business.

It is so important to network and meet other people, and to step outside of your own business and put yourself out there to get another nugget of information, Louise said at the event.

Louises leadership achievements have seen her win numerous awards. She was named Business Leader of the Year in 2017 and Businesswoman of the Year in 2013 and 2017. Louise was also named Irelands Most Trusted Leader at the Great Place to Work awards and Irish Innovation Champion at the 2014 Innovation Luminary awards.

In 2012, Louise was awarded the Sir Michael Smurfit Achievement Award by The Ireland Chamber of Commerce  United States. That same year, she was presented with an Outstanding Contribution to Irish Industry Award by the CCMA.
Laois truck delivery firm Hyland Transport have begun a collection as part of the Ukrainian Relief Appeal.

Rosenallis GAA along with all other local clubs have come on board to show their support for the people of Ukraine.

Numerous types of goods are being collected to ship to help refugees from the European country invaded by Russian troops on the orders of Vladmir Putin.

Items requested are: dried fruits, tea, coffee, sugar, toiletries, nappies (all sizes), baby formula, wipes, baby blankets, slings, sudocream, canned food, bottled water, energy bars, clothes, raincoats, masks, disposable gloves, disposable plates and cuttlery, antiseptic wipes and cream, bed linen, yoga mats, candles, plasters, bandages, sleeping bags, torches, powerbanks, batteries, emergency foil blankets and first aid kits.

The Rosenallis based firm is working with B&G International to ship all the goods to Poland and Romania.

There is a big link between the Slieve Bloom community and the Ukraine. Vadym Binko was working with Rosenallis GAA as a groundskeeper before deciding to return home to the Ukraine to fight the invaders. He left behind his wife Maryna and their two children to join the defence of his homeland against Putin's invaders.

If you wish to done any items please drop them to Hyland Transports yard R32 E264 on Saturday, March 19 from 10am to

4pm.
Plans are in the pipeline to deliver dermatology care at the main hospital in the Midlands.

The HSE has confirmed that staff at the Tullamore hospital are working towards the commencement of some services for the care of chronic conditions such as acne, psoriasis and dermatitis.

"There is a plan to commence a limited dermatology service in 2022 at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore. The details of which are currently under consideration," they told the Offaly Express.

Laois-Offaly TD Carol Nolan has also said that the General Manager of the Offaly hospital, Ms Catriona McDonald, has confirmed this intention to her.

Deputy Nolan was speaking after she made representations on the matter to the HSE following complaints from a number of constituents about the absence of HSE dermatology services in Co. Offaly

I welcome confirmation from MRHT that there is a plan in place to deliver this important service within the county, Deputy Nolan said," she said.

What I am concerned about however is the use of the words limited service. We need to understand what this means and what kind of care pathways will or will not be included when the service gets up and running.

The people of Offaly and indeed Laois are entitled to a high quality, efficient service when they need it.

As I understand it The National Clinical Programme for Dermatology is working very closely with the Acute Hospitals Division to deliver the kind of treatment that is urgently required by people who live with dermatological conditions such as acne, psoriasis and dermatitis.

I will continue to engage with the HSE and with MRHT to ensure that it is fully supported in the roll-out of the dermatology service, concluded Deputy Nolan.
A Brooklyn man used three-dimensional printers to make his own gun parts in what police said Wednesday was the first such case theyve seen among build-them-yourself ghost gun dealers.

Deonte Haynes, 30, was caught Tuesday with enough parts to make seven firearms  including an AR-15 rifle  cops said at a police headquarters news conference.

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Haynes possessed a fully-made gun and several other parts at his Brooklyn apartment  and he operated the 3D printers from a second location in Staten Island, cops said.

Deonte Haynes, 30, was caught Tuesday with two 3D printers and enough parts to make enough seven guns, including an AR-15 rifle, cops announced at a press conference at police headquarters Wednesday. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)

Haynes was also buying gun parts online, police allege.

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He was not only manufacturing ghost guns, but even more alarming, he was also manufacturing 3D printed personal firearms, said NYPD Chief of Intelligence Tom Galati.

Three-D printers used to manufacture firearms have been seen in different parts of the country, Galati said. But now weve seen it in New York.

Deputy Inspector Courtney Nilan of the NYPD's Intelligence Bureau displays a 3D printed lower receiver for a handgun at a news conference Wednesday. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)

Haynes also printed large-capacity magazines and auto sears, or Glock switches, which can turn semi-automatic pistols in to fully automatic guns, Galati said.

At least one of Haynes guns was sold on the street, NYPD Deputy Inspector Courtney Nilan, of the Intelligence Bureau said.

Theres no way to tell how many hes made sine he started, she said.

Police are recovering more and more ghost guns each year. In 2021, cops recovered 375 home-built firearms  up from 47 seized in 2019, Galati said.

So far this year, cops have recovered 85 ghost guns  compared to 20 recovered in the same period of 2021.

Ghost guns cost about $500 in parts to make, and sell on the street for about $1,500, said Det. John Uske. They dont have serial numbers, making them essentially untraceable.

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Police displayed manufactured and homemade gun parts at a news conference Wednesday. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Build-them-yourself firearms makers can use 3D printers to manufacture weapons plastic or polymer parts. It takes about 12 hours for a 3D printer to make a guns lower receiver, using blueprints that can be easily downloaded on the internet.

Gun makers have to buy metal upper receivers separately, Uske said.

Haynes also printed large-capacity magazines and auto sears, or Glock switches, which can turn semi-automatic pistols in to fully automatic guns, Galati said.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Information John Miller. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)

Today, people can sit at home in their living rooms, log onto their computer, access a piece of software, send a signal to their printer, and print out a machine gun that can kill people. Thats a problem, said NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Information John Miller.

Miller said he Haynes likely isnt the only New Yorker using 3D printers to make gun parts, and that police expect to see more such arrests in the future.

I will tell you right now, as we sit in this room, this is the first one  but it is not the only one, he said.

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Haynes, who faces several weapon possession charges, remains held on $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.
Mountmellick is set to show solidarity with Ukraine on the Children's Day part of its St Patrick's Day holidays Boglands Festival.

The festival organisers, the Mountmellick Central Hub, have announced that it will show support for the nation that has been invaded by Russia on the orders of Vladmir Putin.

"As a mark of solidarity to the people of Ukraine MCH would like you to join us on the evening of March 18 for a solidarity closing ceremony dedicated to the people of Ukraine," they say.

March 18 is dedicated to children due to the impact the pandemic has had on their lives. However the organisers feel they have a duty to show support for Ukrainians.

"We cannot stray away from the fact that in a neighbouring country in Europe right now thousands of children, women and elderly are being displaced from there homes and their communities are been torn apart by foreign forces.

"It is absolutely devastating and heart wrenching to watch it unfold in front of our very eyes. So we believe we all have a part to play here in supporting those effected," they say.

They say Irish people know this struggle better than most.

"So therefore we stand firmly shoulder to shoulder with you the Ukrainian people our complete solidarity is with you, we must be bold we must be loud and we must be clear to condemn this to the aggressors," says MCH.

They say Russian people are not to blame and they are also invited to stand in solidarity with Irish and people of all nations at the event.

"We invite you to join us in O'Connell Square Mountmellick for the closing ceremony of Boglands 22 wear your brightest Ukrainian colours bring a candle torch or phone", the say.

The Ukrainian national flag will be raised alongside the tricolour and the Ukraine national anthem also be played.






Nearly 500 people in County Kildare have registered on a Irish Red Cross portal to offer accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

Most of the offers are for cases where a household has a spare room.

Overall almost 12,000 pledges of accommodation have been received across the island.

Kildare has seen the fifth most number of offers.

There has been over 2,100 pledges in Dublin while there are 1,300 in Cork, 663 in Galway and 586 in Meath.

A spokesperson for the Irish Red Cross said The Irish Red Cross have been blown away by the generosity of the Irish people both from an accommodation pledge point of view and for donating money, they have been simply astonishing.

"We are asking those who have registered with us with offers of accommodation to bear with us and our contact team will be in touch over the coming weeks.

"We have almost 12,000 pledges of accommodation since just last Friday when we had just 180 offers and to out it in context it took a few months to reach 1,000 pledges during our Syrian refugee campaign a few years ago.

"The Irish business community have also come onboard our Ukraine crisis appeal in great numbers with more and more calling us everyday to offer help and so far over 125 companies have been in touch with our fundraising team and then so many community groups have also been reaching out to us about their fundraisers.

"We are just so grateful to such a wonderful reaction from the Irish people so far.



Over 2,500 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland so far, a third of whom are children.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Cabinet colleague, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys yesterday visited a new reception centre for refugees at Dublin Airport.

The centre can process 400 refugees a day.

Each refugee will receive a PPSN Number to access government public services and will get an income support called Supplementary Allowance (SWA), which is payable at rates up to 206 per week with increases for adult and child dependants.








Sinn Fein MEP Chris MacManus has commended Kildare Town Tourist Office and Heritage Centre for their work in promoting tourism in the county.

The Midlands Northwest representative was speaking after visiting the Heritage Centre and nearby Kildare Cathedral alongside his my Sinn Fein colleagues Cllr Noel Connolly and Patricia Ryan TD.

MEP MacManus said: I was delighted to visit Tom McCutcheon at Kildare Heritage Centre recently alongside my Sinn Fein colleagues Cllr Noel Connolly and Patricia Ryan TD. Tom was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the local area and the many activities and attractions available across Kildare that are of interest to tourists and locals alike.

The Legends of Kildare virtual reality experience available at the Heritage Centre is truly unique and brings to life the heritage and mythology of Kildare. The nearby Kildare Cathedral and Round Tower, which are breath-taking sights, are another fantastic experience for those with an interest in history.

These attractions and the service provided by the Heritage Centre are a huge asset to Kildare for promoting tourism within the County. Tourism is a very important driver of economic development in Ireland and undoubtedly the Heritage Centre and the many attractions across Kildare have provided a huge boost to the local economy. This can be seen both through direct employment at these sites and through spin-off benefits and jobs in local businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector.

It highlights the importance of promoting and developing the Irelands Ancient East initiative in order to encourage even more tourists into the local area. The work of the Centre proves that there is more to Ireland than just our cities and the Wild Atlantic Way. Places such as Kildare have a lot to offer and deserve greater recognition from our national tourism bodies.

I want to thank Tom for having us in Kildare and I wish the Heritage Centre continued success.
This Sunday, March 13 will see over 100 Cannonball super cars on display at Kildare Village before the gleaming convoy sets off on a road-trip to Lismore Castle in Waterford taking in the famous V Drive and a pitstop at CircleK Cashel.

The spectacular line-up of rare cars includes firm favourites SLR McLaren, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche GT3 RS, Maserati, Bentley, a BMW M8 Competition, an interesting selection of EV cars and much more.

Cannonball is a free family-friendly event and crew make it a priority to ensure it is accessible for people of all ages and abilities. The cars will be on display in the new Kildare Village car park from 9am to 11.30am. Cannonball and Kildare Village hosts will be on site to direct spectators to the location so you can get up close, meet the drivers and take pictures.

Cannonball Ireland is the most unique supercar fraternity in the world and the largest organised road-trip in Europe with 190 of the finest supercars on the planet. Think luxury, unforgettable experiences, breath-taking drives, incredible cars and, of course, those random funny and candid moments that make Cannonball so unique. To date the event has raised over 1,266,000 for Irish charities.

Founded by Kildare businessman Alan Bannon in 2008, the event is now the largest organised road trip in Europe. Cannonball is already on a roll this year with the best ever itinerary of road-trips planned for 2022. From the majestic castles on the Grand Highlands Tour to the all-new Retro Cannonball and 4x4 event in Ireland to the widely anticipated main event next September, this supercar story, that originated in Ireland, shows no signs of slowing down.
Seachtain na Gaeilge continues until March 17 in Kildare.

Many free events are taking place around the country everyday to celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge and further details are available at www.snag.ie and you do not have to be a fluent Irish speaker to attend any of them but must make every effort to use the Irish you have.

Aontu Cill Dara will have an Irish language information stall outside the Whitewater this Saturday, March 12 from 12 midday to 1.30pm.

Its Chair, Anita Mhic Gib says Seachtain na Gaeilge allows people a lovely focal point to use whatever Irish they have in their daily lives. This could be as simple as saying, 'Go raibh maith agat ' to the shop assistant, watching TG4 or reading a book with your children as Gaeilge.

Use it or lose it rings so true for our native language which is a beautiful, rich and lyrical language.

We will have lots of information on how people can access education through the medium of Irish for their children , Irish language classes, Ciorcal Comhra , using Irish in the home and on line resources.

We will also have plenty of Irish language promotional gifts and badges so people can show their support for the Irish language. There is a great appetite amongst people for Irish and we are looking forward to helping make it that little bit easier for people and have a bit of craic while were at it.

Bigi Linn. Labhair Gaeilge inniu agus gach aon la.
Over 60,000 Irish students will benefit from a 200 increase in the maintenance grant.

That's according to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, who today (Thursday March 10) announced the "real and tangible" changes for the new academic year.

The minister also announced a 1000 increase in income threshold for the standard rate of grant, as well as a reduction in distance for the higher non-adjacent student grant from 45km to 30km.

He said, "Im delighted today to sign these regulations, which will deliver much-needed assistance to students and families across the country.

I have just signed regulations to increase students grants for the new academic year including:



 200 increase in maintenance grants

 1000 income threshold increase

 Distance for non-adjacent grant reduced to 30km



More here: https://t.co/l6Noka0579 pic.twitter.com/KKkgcTjJdI  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) March 10, 2022

"The [sic] increase in the maintenance grant will offer direct financial assistance to over 62,000 students, and increasing the eligibility cut off point by 1,000 will ensure even more students qualify, and more families can access support.

"Reducing the distance for the higher non-adjacent student grant also means more students who are living away from home or travelling to college will qualify for the higher grant. This will make a substantial difference to many people."

The student grant system opens from today for renewals, and will open for new applications on April 28.

Minister Harris concluded: "We will continue to make changes to assist students. For any student experiencing difficulties currently, there is a significant allocation to the Student Assistance Fund and I would encourage students to contact their access offices to avail of these funds."
The cut to excise duty on petrol and diesel has been immediately eroded with fuels costs higher today (Thursday March 10) than earlier in the week, the Dail has been told.

Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty said that many filling stations are charging over two euro per litre and accused some fuel stations of engaging in price gouging at a time of crisis.

The Government introduced a cut of 20 cent per litre on petrol and 15 cent per litre of diesel, which took effect from midnight on Thursday.

The measure, introduced amid concerns about growing pressures on the cost of living, will last until August 31.

The Government estimates that the measure will cost 320 million euro.

Despite the slash in excise duty, many drivers were seeing prices above two euro a litre.

The price in most filling stations this morning is more than what they were on Tuesday morning, Mr Doherty said in the Dail.

The reduction has been immediately eroded and that is the likely trajectory.

Prices are going to continue to go up and up. Its something that ordinary workers, ordinary families simply cant afford because it comes on top of already skyrocketing cost of living.

People are panicking out there. People are struggling.

Theyre struggling to make ends meet and the Government doesnt seem to understand that, doesnt seem to understand the pressures of workers and families are under, doesnt seem to understand that businesses and farmers are now being pushed to the pin of their collar because half measures simply doesnt cut it.

You could have done more.

People need support from government. They don't need to be told to 'slow down'. They're telling you: Hurry up, get your act together and get these prices down further!  @PearseDoherty #Fuel #Energy #CostOfLivingCrisis pic.twitter.com/x5IOgODUYe  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) March 10, 2022

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said that when the Government made the decision to cut excise duty, they knew it would not cover the full cost.

The transport minister described the market as incredibly volatile and beyond precedent.

On Tuesday, the wholesale market for diesel in Ireland went up 22 cent, yesterday it went down something similar, Mr Ryan added.

Its yo-yoing, its dramatic. We cant be exactly certain where its going to go or where this war will go. We will have to manage it. It will serve no one if we panic, we have to be methodical and keep responding the same way we did to Covid by being flexible and quick.

Mr Doherty repeated his partys calls for excise duty to be taken off home heating oil, and called for further cuts to excise on petrol and diesel.

He accused the Government of not bringing in any measures to reduce the cost of home heating oil, which he said has more than doubled since January.

However, Mr Ryan said that tax on home oil is largely carbon tax.

The problem I have, as I said three weeks ago, that would in turn remove the money we use to give the 100% grant to peoples homes to help them cut their bills, he added.

We have to look at other means and other measures and we will, efficiency measures as well as price reductions.

We have to ultimately, more than anything else, switch from foreign fuels to using our own.

Switch the oil to wind and in that way provide security for our people and cut the bills.
The felling of forestry trees close to overhead power lines is causing power cuts regularly to residents around Aghacashel.



Independent Cllr Gerry Dolan said that foresters should first carry out an audit of the site regarding power lines and fell around these first.

At present, power is being cut off and on during the whole timeline of felling. This is causing major disruption to the area where it is being done, as is currently happening in Aghacashel."

He said that for over six weeks there have been power cuts in the community, with some households without electricity for over 12 hours at a time.

The councillor said this brings great hardship to the elderly, people with young children and those fighting illness and in need of oxygen pumps etc.

A spokesperson for Leitrim County Council said they do not grant felling licences but do make observations.

Any tree felling licence granted by the Department would include stringent health and safety requirements.

The forestry activity is not under the local authority charge, however, the use of the public infrastructure by forestry company's are monitored by local authorities.

Ballinamore area councillors supported the motion saying that what is happening at the moment and the disruption to people's lives is unacceptable behaviour by the forestry owners.
A teenage girl riding on the back of a motorcycle died two days after the 15-year-old boy operating the Yamaha crashed outside a Queens cemetery, police said Thursday.

Alexandra Allie Ariza, of Nyack, Rockland County, was seated behind the boy on a 2021 Yamaha motorcycle when he slammed into the front of a Mazda CX-30 just outside St. John Cemetery on Cooper Ave. near 88th St. in Glendale at 3:13 p.m. Feb. 21, cops said.

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Victim Alexandra Allie Ariza (GoFundMe)

Both Alexandra, 16, and the teenage boy were thrown from the motorcycle and found sprawled out on the asphalt.

Medics took the boy to Cohen Childrens Medical Center for a leg injury. Alexandra suffered a head injury and was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where she died two days later.

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Her smile could light up an entire room, and it lit up many! her family wrote in an online obituary. Her voice was elegant yet powerful. Though short lived, her life was full of laughter, love and impact! In her 16 years here on Earth, there is no doubt that Allie touched many lives and continued to do so even after leaving this Earth.

Cops investigate the crash just outside St. John Cemetery on Cooper Ave. near 88th St. in Glendale on Feb. 21. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)

The 30-year-old man driving the Mazda and his 27-year-old female passenger were taken to Jamaica Hospital with minor injuries.

No charges have been filed.
Kiltubrid GAA club have walked their way to a 1,500 voucher from O'Neill's thanks to the efforts of their members after the Leitrim club was announced as one of the lucky winners in a prize draw for clubs who achieved over 4,500km in the Irish Life GAA Healthy Club Steps Challenge.

Kiltubrid's name was selected among the Connacht winners as over 450 clubs around the country reached the target of 4,500 km walked by their members between January 19, and February 23. Their prize is a 1,500 voucher from O'Neills with St Mary's GAA Club in Sligo taking the top prize of a 2,500 voucher and Ballinrobe GAA club in Mayo taking the third prize of a 1,000 voucher.

GAA President Larry McCarthy was delighted with the response of the GAA community: "The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs Steps Challenge provides clubs with a healthy and fun way to keep physically active and connected during the dark winter months. It has also helped motivate thousands of participants to achieve their recommended weekly physical activity levels. It is one of our most popular community initiatives and its enabling of physical, mental, and social health couldnt be more timely."

28,600 GAA members from 690 clubs walk a combined total of five million kilometres between January 19, and February 23, and with every step once again tracked through Irish Lifes MyLife App, the distance covered is the equivalent of walking all the way to the moon and back five times; a combined step count of seven billion. Each participant walked an average of almost 190 kilometres in the five weeks.

Prof. Niall Moyna of Dublin City University said of the challenge: "The fact that we have had 28,600 people engaging from almost 700 clubs is phenomenal. The impact this will have on public health is incalculable. Its not just the acute effect [participants] get from engaging in that bout of activity  but the long-term effects are absolutely astronomical.

"It will reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, from many forms of cancer and will reduce their likelihood that they will become obese or will assist them in losing weight as well."

Head of Health & Wellbeing at Irish Life, Stacey Machesney said "Research has shown the importance having a sense of belonging to a community and making a contribution to society. That sense of inclusion is as important to ones wellbeing as physical and mental health.

"Over the course of the pandemic MyLife has been successful in providing this with the GAA community and our customers. We look forward to continuing this as we move through the next phase of coming out of lockdown."

The Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs will grow to 475 participating clubs on March 12th when 172 new clubs commence their journey with a national orientation day in Croke Park. For more details go to: www.gaa.ie/community

The full list of winners per province is as follows:
A significant cut in the excise duty on fuel has been announced by the Irish Government, which will kick in at forecourts from Thursday.

At a press conference in Government Buildings, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed a cut of 20 cent per litre on petrol and 15 cent per litre of diesel.

However, Minister Donohoe warned that there was only so much the Government could do to insulate businesses and consumers from a rise in costs exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

The measure, introduced amid concerns about growing pressures on the cost of living, will last until August 31.

The Government estimates that the measure will cost 320 million.

The move, which was agreed following a virtual Cabinet meeting, will take effect from Thursday.

Ministers said that the cut would reduce the cost of filling a 60-litre tank by 12 euro for petrol and nine euro for diesel.

They stressed that Government was acting in response to the spike in prices already witnessed, but also ahead of anticipated further rises in costs as the war in Ukraine continues.

In recent days, as the crisis in Ukraine escalated, the Government had softened on its previous cast-iron refusal to intervene again on the cost of living before the October Budget.

Mr Donohoe, who has shepherded the Irish economy first through Brexit and then the Covid-19 pandemic, said that the latest crisis is different.

What is happening here is, tragically, a conscious decision to inflict violence and terror on another country.

There is a man-made capacity behind this that we all hoped we would not have to confront again in Europe.

Now that is why we, even though, geographically, we are at a distance from what is now happening, we have obligations and we have commitments to help and we are determined to do.

After our calls yesterday, Government finally has accepted the need to act on fuel prices. They must intervene on home heating oil too. No half measures. We have a cost of living crisis. We can't afford a dithering government. We are continuing our pressure on these matters today pic.twitter.com/uJRIze1eTd  Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) March 9, 2022

The Finance Minister rejected calls from Sinn Fein to go further, with party leader Mary Lou McDonald calling for no half measures from the Government.

The times are too serious for auction politics, with the risks that Europe, our country faces, as we face the consequences of war, Mr Donohoe said.

The scale of the crisis on the continent of Europe will have an as-yet-to-be-determined effect on Ireland, ministers warned on Wednesday.

The Government has responded to help to ease the impact of these price changes. But we cannot protect citizens and businesses from the entire cost, Mr Donohoe warned.

The Government does want to be very honest about what we can do and the level of protection and support that we can offer. We can make a difference.

We can help in covering the costs and in helping make a contribution to the costs that many are facing. But we are not in a position to insulate our economy, insulate our country, entirely from the global pressures that are taking place at the moment.

Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath said that he expected hundreds of millions of euros will be spent by the Government welcoming and supporting refugees from war-torn Ukraine.

There will be a cost, but whatever the cost is, it is a cost that we can afford and its a cost that pales into insignificance compared to the suffering and the human misery the people of Ukraine are facing.

Eamon Ryan, environment minister, insisted that the best way to land a blow to Vladimir Putin was to stop buying Russian oil, gas and coal.

The best way of protecting our security in Europe and helping people in Ukraine and improving our economic situation is to switch, the Green Party leader said.

He said that this was something that was needed regardless as the country reaches for its ambitious climate change targets.

The minister suggested that people might drive slower to save on fuel.

However, Mr Ryan described the prospect of fuel and energy rationing in the weeks and months to come as low.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD today announced a major expansion of the DEIS  Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme that will see the programme extended to an additional 310 schools. For the first time since 2017 the DEIS programme is being significantly expanded and eligible schools will now gain access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. In addition, 37 existing DEIS schools are being reclassified and eligible for increased supports.

Schools in the DEIS programme avail of a range of targeted supports aimed at tackling educational disadvantage, including additional classroom teaching posts, home school community liaison coordinator posts, DEIS grant funding and access to the School Completion Programme.

Five Leitrim schools have been added to the programme:

Ballaghameehan NS in Rosinver,

St Hughs NS, Dowra,

Drumkeerin NS,

St Brigids Drumcong,

Naomh Mhuire Drumlea Carrigallen

Under this scheme new rural based schools are entitled to DEIS grant paid based on level of disadvantage and enrolment, the schools have access to school meals programme, planning supports, professional development, school books grant and much more.

Local Fine Gael Deputy Frank Feighan welcomed the inclusion of five more Leitrim schools to the programme. There are now over 12 DEIS schools in the county.



Schools have been identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model, which is an objective, statistics-based model which uses information from the Department of Education enrolment databases and the Pobal HP Deprivation index. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools stated Minister Feighan.
RUSSIAN oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who part owns Aughinish Alumina, is one of a number of Russian businessmen now facing sanctions by the British government because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Deripaska, who is reported to be worth 2.4 billion, is being slapped with a full asset freeze and travel ban as part of the British governments crackdown on Russian oligarchs.

Following the announcement by the UK government, Bloomberg reported that Rio Tinto plans to stop supplying bauxite and sourcing alumina from Rusals Aughinish refinery as the miner moves to sever ties with Russian companies.

However, it is unclear, as yet, what effect, today's developments will have on production and jobs at Aughinish but it is certain to raise concerns about job security for the 480 permanent staff and hundreds of other contract and downstream workers.

It could also increase pressure on the Irish government to take some action.

Earlier this month, the Limerick Leader reported that talks had taken place between Aughinish management and Tanaiste and Enterprise Minister Leo Varadker about the implications of the EUs ban on exports from the EU to Russia.

Aughinish is the EUs largest producer of alumina powder, the main constituent of aluminium.

In 2018, Aughinish also faced uncertainty when sanctions were imposed by the US Treasury in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the US elections and targeting Russian oligarchs including Oleg Deripaska.

The the Irish government mounted a diplomatic offensive with the Taoiseach, Tanaiste and other ministers, including Minister of State, Patrick ODonovan, visiting Washington and stressing the unintended consequences of the sanctions on Aughinish jobs.

As a result of number of reprieves were granted, during which time, Mr Deripaska took certain steps which allowed the sanctions to be lifted. He reduced his shareholding in the EN+ Group, which owns 48% of RusAl which owns Aughinish.

He also reduced his shareholding from 70%to 35% also reduced his control of seats on the boards from 75% to 33%.

At the time, the US Treasury Secretary stressed the sanctions were against Mr Deripaska and not against the companies he owned.

How Mr Deripaska deals with the new, British sanctions remains to be seen.
A LIMERICK man has described his nightmare experience after being discharged from the emergency department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

Brian Hayes, from Prospect in Limerick city, described what he felt was a lack of empathy and understanding from staff at the Limerick hospital after he presented at the emergency department, following a suicide attempt.

Mr Hayes wants to highlight the need for increased support for those going through the same hardship and wishes to scrutinise national hospital policy on discharging suicidal individuals from the emergency department.

From start to finish it was one of the worst experiences of my life and has left a scar on my mind, the 32-year-old father-of-two expressed.

He describes being on a plastic seat in a hallway, in the midst of serious emotional distress. As well as the bright lights, strangers passing by gave me anxiety he said.

While talking to a nurse, I saw no compassion and they clearly did not have enough relevant training, he claimed.

One of the last questions I was asked was - am I suicidal? the St Marys Park resident stated, adding that he does not remember sitting into his car and driving home after being discharged.

He describes being on autopilot on his way home, having to make his way past the same point where he first found himself in a suicidal state.

Mr Hayes is now calling for a strict programme to be implemented nationally, for those who are discharged from an ED, following a suicide attempt or checking themselves in.

Mr Hayes is urging for better facilities, training and education for staff as well as a more comprehensive dischargement and follow up service to those presenting to the ED as suicidal.

After being discharged, during out of service hours, he was handed a list of contact points and their relevant helplines. Only one of them picked up on the other end of the line that night, he claims.

My last hope let me down, he told the Limerick Leader.

I did not want to leave, and I do not want this to happen to any other person.

I think of my children and their future if they ever need help. Every time I see my daughters face I get that nightmare feeling of being abandoned by that hospital, he said.

In response to Mr Hayes allegations, Mid-West Community Healthcare, the Mental Health Services section of the HSE, told the Limerick Leader that they provide a crisis service through the emergency department at UHL.

The service provided, they said, is by clinical nurse specialists and non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHD) with the support of a consultant psychiatrist.

These staff are fully trained mental health clinicians. This service operates on a 24/7 basis, the statement states.

All presentations to the crisis service receive a mental health assessment. The outcome and care plan derived from this assessment will be tailored to the needs of each individual.

Anyone using this service is followed up by the appropriate community mental health team following their presentation, the statement continued.

It is important to remember that admission to an acute facility is only one way for people to access the help they need.

The service will work with people to ensure they have the supports they require in the community to facilitate their recovery, the statement concluded.

If you or someone you know is suffering, please contact The Samaritans  116123, Pieta House - 1800 247 247 or the Crisis Text Line - 086 1800 280.
AN BORD Pleanala has deferred its decision on the proposed Shannon LNG plant in Tarbert/Ballylongford, close to the Limerick border, and a new date of September 9 has been set.

The move comes at a time when the government is under severe pressure because of soaring fuel prices as a result of the invasion of Ukraine and sanctions on Russia and because of rising concerns about fuel security.

The Government has announced a cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel to take effect from midnight. Limerick Leader photographer @Adrian_Butler was out and about in Limerick city today. What is the price where you are? WhatsApp us at 085 885 9042 or email news@limerickleader.ie pic.twitter.com/uBabmRLvH7 March 9, 2022

The planning application for the LNG plant was submitted to An Bord Pleanala last August by New Fortress Energy. It was a new application as the High Court had ruled, in 2020, against a five-year extension to the original planning consent.

The new proposal from New Fortress Energy involved the development of a floating storage and regasification unit which would be moored at a jetty to receive and store the liquid natural gas (LNG).

The terminal would then regasify the LNG and send the gas to the power plant and to the national gas grid. This first phase, according to the company, was expected to cost 650m, creating 270 construction jobs over three-years and 70 permanent jobs.

It would take up 100 acres of the 600-acre land bank between Tarbert and Ballylongford which has lain empty for decades. But a masterplan for the remainder of the site proposed the development of a major data centre campus.

Since the idea of an LNG plant at Tarbert/Ballylongford was first mooted in 2008, it has been controversial. And the new proposal has also proved to be contentious.

Last October , more than 1,500 people, including over 70 TDs, Senators and councillors, signed a petition objecting to planning permission before the closing date for submissions.

Among those signing were MEPs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, Senator David Norris and TDs Holly Cairns and Ivana Bacik and Limerick councillor Elisa ODonovan. Dozens more have added their names to the petition afterwards.

The Green Party in Limerick, Kerry and Clare produced a joint document opposing the proposal which was also submitted to An Bord Pleanala.

Green Party TD for Limerick, Brian Leddin, speaking on behalf of Limerick party members, said at the time: The proposed development is against clearly-stated government policy and would lock Ireland into a highly polluting source of fuel.

The proposed Energy Park does not align with the urgent global ambition to maintain temperatures on earth at a level where it is safe for human civilisation, he added.

The submission also noted that the plant would only have a life-span of 13 years up to 2040, because of legally binding carbon emission reduction targets.

But there is also local support for the project and the jobs it promises for the area. A local petition, supporting the plan, attracted 800 signatures.

According to one prominent local supporter, an oral hearing on the proposal can now be expected.
Amid the war between Ukraine and Russia, a parliamentarian of the formed has praised India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for humanitarian steps. Ukraine's youngest Member of Parliament, Sviatoslav Yurash, lauded India for helping those affected by the Russian military operation and thanked PM Modi for speaking with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"India is one of those countries which will decide the fate of this century. As far as the Indian position on the Russian relationship is concerned, thankful for the call PM Modi made to our President. We're thankful for the humanitarian steps that India has been making," the Ukrainian MP told ANI news agency.

Further, the MP also asserted that India needs to reconsider its strategic partnership with Russia due to the current crisis. He said Russia needs to be punished by India.

"As far as India-Russia is concerned, you have a treaty on strategic friendship and partnership, I think that needs to be reconsidered in light of not just Ukraine but all misdeeds that Putin's regime has been doing for the last 20 years. Russia needs to be punished by India," the Ukraine MP told the agency.

The MP also appreciated the steps that Western nations are taking amid the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Ukrainian MP, when asked whether Ukraine feels that it is betrayed by its partner (Western nations), said, "We understand the West does the right thing after exhausting other options. The reality is, it takes time for those institutions to spring into action. We don't have time, so we're fighting Russian invaders."

"As far as the West is concerned, we have received a lot of aid, we have received a lot of help and we are thankful for that. But again nothing is enough, nothing is too much and all are welcome," he added.

Replying to a question whether the MP sees peace returning soon in Ukraine, he noted, "Depends on Kremlin. If Kremlin decides to continue pushing, we'll continue fighting. Fighting for fundamental rights that we want to safeguard as our ancestors had safeguarded. Not going to abandon all that we won."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine after recognizing the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics.

Russia continues to maintain that it started the "military operations" in Ukraine to save the residents of eastern Ukraine and "demilitarise" and "denazify" the political leadership of the country.
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A woman who ran a childcare service out of her Missouri home has been arrested after an 8-month-old died while in her care, police say.

According to a statement released Tuesday by the Springfield Police Department, Deborah Lundstrom, of Springfield, Mo., was charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death, endangering the welfare of a child resulting in substantial risk, and operating a child care facility without a license.

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Police say that on March 2, officers responded to a report of an infant not breathing at a residence on North Washinton Ave.

When first responders arrived at the scene, they found the 8-month-old boy, who was not breathing. They performed CPR on the baby and then transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

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Deborah Lundstrom

According to police, Lundstrom was taking care of nine children under the age of 3 at the time. She left her home for about 12 minutes, placing the infant into a car seat  and leaving all nine children unattended.

When she returned, the baby wasnt breathing and she called 911.

The cause of death is still under investigation, pending the results of an autopsy performed by the Greene County Medical Examiners Office.

Lundstrom, 47, was arrested by SPD detectives. She is currently incarcerated at the Greene County Jail.

The investigation is ongoing. Detectives ask anyone with information about the incident to please contact the Springfield Police Department at 417-864-1810.

Those who wish to remain anonymous are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 417-869-TIPS (8477).
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Belfast native Ciaran Hinds finally received the recognition hes deserved with an Oscar nomination for his role in the Focus Features picture Belfast. Hinds career has spanned over 120 films and television series, but he tells Varietys Awards Circuit Podcast that knew when he began to read writer and director Kenneth Branaghs script for Belfast that he wanted to be a part of it.

On this episode, Hinds talks about the impressive career that has seen him share the screen with the likes of Andrew Garfield and Daniel Day-Lewis and working under the guidance of master filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson and Steven Spielberg, whom he reunited with at this years Oscar nominees luncheon.

He also discusses what it was like to work with an outstanding cast that included Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan and the young Jude Hill. Finally, he discusses the movement for the release of the Snyder Cut, the extended version of Justice League, where he voiced the villain Steppenwolf.

Listen below:

Belfast tells the story of Buddy (Jude Hill), a young boy and his working-class family as they experience the tumultuous Irish city during the late 1960s. Hinds plays Pop, the grandfather of young Buddy, and provides life lessons and guidance on existing in a confusing world. For his efforts, Hinds received his first Oscar nomination for best supporting actor, as well as recognition from the Critics Choice and BAFTA awards, which take place this coming weekend.

Hinds has been a character actor for decades with memorable performances in films like Munich (2005), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) and the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones series.

Variety Awards Circuit podcast is hosted by Clayton Davis, Michael Schneider, Jazz Tangcay and Jenelle Riley and is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in movies. Michael Schneider is the producer and Drew Griffith edits. Each week, Awards Circuit features interviews with top talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much, much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post every week.

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At this years South by Southwest Film Festival, three documentaries  Camille Hardman and Gary Lanes Still Working 9 to 5, Julie Cohen and Betsy Wests Gabby Giffords Wont Back Down and Ron Howards We Feed People  use a celebrity lens to take a deep dive into hot button political issues.

Hardmans Still Working 9 to 5 explores the origins and success of the 1980 film 9 to 5, which addresses gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace and stars Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman. All four stars appear in the docu to discuss the iconic comedy. Rita Moreno, who starred in the 9 to 5 television series, Allison Janney from the 9 to 5 Broadway show, and womens movement activists also appear in the doc to discuss the movie and why gender parity in the workplace is still an issue forty-plus years after the release of 9 to 5.

I would categorize Still Working 9 to 5 as a political doc, says Hardman. But I think theres a very fine line of keeping audiences engaged and allowing for a little bit of education without the film becoming too dogmatic, didactic, and feminist. We wanted to stick with the same philosophy of the original film, which is fun and has comedic elements because if you can educate someone through humor, it stays with people and they dont walk away going, Oh my God, Ive just been beaten over the head.

Lane adds that, We would feel like we accomplished something if we finally gave [9 to 5] fans a sequel and if the [doc] helped women finally see the Equal Rights Amendment become a part of the Constitution.

Cohen and Wests Gabby Giffords Wont Back Down grapples with the Constitutions Second Amendment. While the CNN doc recounts former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords fight to recover following an assassination attempt in 2011, it also documents her emergence as one of Americas most powerful advocates for gun violence prevention.

As President Obama says in the film, you would think that 20 children being slaughtered in a classroom would have prompted some reasonable gun safety legislation, says West. That didnt happen, but what we loved learning about was the extent to which Gabbys organization  Giffords  has had an impact around the country, state by state, in various reform measures.

To tell Giffords story, Cohen and West relied on home movies taken during her hospital stay, current-day cinema verite footage documenting Giffords and husband, astronaut-turned-Senator Mark Kelly, as well as interviews with the couple and their friends and colleagues. Despite gun violence being a subject matter, the doc is an uplifting, inspiring watch.

Many of the reforms that Gabbys organization is fighting for when it comes to preventing gun violence havent come to fruition, says Cohen. Gabby has made great strides in recovery, but every day is still a challenge and yet she has this spirit of taking on challenges that makes you feel good when youre with her. We wanted to bring that spirit that transcends so many obstacles shes facing to audiences.

Another fight is explored in Howards We Feed People. The docu examines the 10-year evolution of Michelin-starred celebrity chef Jose Andres and his nonprofit organization World Central Kitchen, which makes and delivers food to people in need around the world following social disasters like Covid-19, and natural disasters caused by global warming. Andres fight to feed people in need doesnt involve political red tape and bureaucracy, which often allows World Health Kitchen to respond to catastrophes more rapidly than government run agencies delivering aid.

Although initially reluctant about having a docu made about his organization, Andres couldnt resist Howard.

Ive been approached by many people who want to do something about this work that I do, says Andres. I take this work very seriously, which is why I was hesitant about it being turned into something on film. But can you imagine Ron Howard telling you that he wants to make a documentary about you? Its like Cocoon but real life. Its a dream come true.

While the National Geographic docu addresses political matters like global warming and aid relief, Howard notes We Feed People is a bipartisan film.

We are not coming down on the side of anything other than making decisions built around the intelligent, empathetic understanding of what fellow human beings are going through, Howard says.

As for the docs impact, Andres says, I need to make sure that World Central Kitchen doesnt become a big organization, because while theyre full of great people, those same people will tell you that the red tape in those organizations makes them less effective than they should be. What Im trying to prove to them with our actions is that [providing aid] should not be so difficult.

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Veteran French actor Gerard Depardieu will remain under formal investigation for alleged rape after losing an appeal.

The decision, which was announced on Thursday (March 10) by the Paris Court of Appeal, said it wont drop Depardieus indictment, which stems from accusations of rape and sexual assault filed to authorities by Charlotte Arnould, an actor and dancer in her early 20s, in August 2018. The case was initially dropped in 2019 following a lack of evidence, but was reopened in 2020.

Depardieu, who previously said through his lawyer that he firmly rejected Arnoulds accusations, has been under formal investigation since Dec. 16, 2020, and filed an appeal in May 2021.

The Paris Court of Appeal considers that there remains, at this point, some grave and consistent clues that justify that Gerard Depardieu remains indicted, said the Paris chief prosecutor Remy Heitz in a statement sent to Variety. Following this investigation, the case will either be brought to trial or dismissed.

Arnould said she was raped by Depardieu on two occasions in August 2018 in his Paris home in the posh 6th district.

Contacted by Variety, Depardieus lawyer, Herve Temime, whose clients include Roman Polanski, declined to comment. Arnould, who was present in the courtroom on March 10, declined to comment on the decision. Her lawyer Carine Durrieu-Diebolt told AFP that her client was relieved. She recently waived her right to anonymity and took to social media to say that she could no longer live hidden in silence.

The actor recently starred in Xavier Giannolis Lost Illusions, which won seven Cesar Awards. His credits also include Abel Ferraras 2014 film Welcome to New York, in which he stars as Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former French presidential hopeful whose downfall was prompted by a rape accusation.

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Nippon TV and Disney have revealed a strategic collaboration agreement that covers content sharing and local language co-production.

The collaboration will include co-production of local language content ranging from drama series, animation to variety shows on Disney Plus for both Japanese and global audiences and the availability of both companies content on their respective platforms, the pair said in a joint statement.

The latest edition of Nippon TVs popular drama series The Files of Young Kindaichi, starring Shunsuke Michieda from Naniwa Danshi, will begin broadcasting on Nippon TV from next month. Thereafter it will be made available on Disney Plus for Japanese and worldwide audiences.

Though the companies have previously worked together, this show will be the first time that Nippon TV content will become available to viewers globally on Disneys direct-to-consumer platform.

The Files of Young Kindaichi is based on an original manga boasting over 100 million copies in circulation in 12 countries. It has immense popularity as an anime series. It is in its fifth season as a TV series.

With a 70-year history, Nippon TV now straddles a range of businesses from broadcast TV to fitness clubs. It is also the owner of streamer Hulu Japan.

Nippon TV has a strong track record in selling its shows as formats. It was behind the success of the Emmy Award-winning Dragons Den / Shark Tank business survival show that has 45 versions in 186 territories. Scripted formats included Mother and Woman (aka My Life for My Children) whose Turkish versions have become mega-hits that have gone on to air in almost 50 territories around the world, a first for a format from Japan. The company is also achieving success with gameshow formats Block Out, the award-winning show Mute It!, and Sokkuri Sweets, both sold to WBITVP and produced in the Netherlands. Sokkuri Sweets has also been adapted by The Roku Channel in the US, UK, and Canada.

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Warner Music Group has suspended all of its operations in Russia, the company has confirmed to Variety.

Warner Music Group is suspending operations in Russia, including investments in and development of projects, promotional and marketing activities, and manufacturing of all physical products, according to a statement from the company. We will continue to fulfill our agreed upon obligations to our people, artists, and songwriters as best we can as the situation unfolds. We remain committed to supporting the humanitarian relief efforts in the region.

The news comes less than an hour after Sony Music announced that it is suspending operations in the country, and less than two days after Universal Music Group. All three major labels  Universal, Sony and Warner  have local labels and operations in Russia; the three companies all have made donations to Ukraine relief efforts.

Warner Music became a publicly traded company in 2020 after being acquired in 2011 by Access Industries, a company owned by Ukraine-born entrepreneur Len Blavatnik, who is now a naturalized dual-citizen of the U.S. and the U.K. Before Russias invasion of Ukraine, the company had developed a strong presence in Russia and last year acquired the label Zhara Music, rebranding it Atlantic Records Russia.

Early Tuesday, the U.K.s performing rights organization, PRS for Music, said it has formally and immediately suspended its rights representation relationship with RAO, the Russian collecting society for musical works, pending confirmation of its separation from the Russian Government and those individuals and companies on the sanctions lists. BMI in the U.S. made a similar statement this week: BMI has suspended its copyright representation payments to RAO, the Russian collection society for musical works. Additionally, we are working with CISAC on a broader effort that will help benefit creators in the Ukraine and surrounding areas, while also providing humanitarian aid to those who are so desperately in need.

CISAC, which is the governing body of all global collection societies, launched a Ukraine relief fund on Wednesday and, sources say, is continuing to assess the status of Russian collection management organizations. Many in the publishing and songwriter community, including songwriter Ross Golan, have publicly called for collection societies to stop doing business with Russia.

A rep for France-based label and distributor Believe Music, which has a substantial market presence and 40-employee staff in the country, tells Variety that it has no plans to suspend operations in Russia for the moment but we are monitoring the situation very closely as it is developing constantly.

SIAE, the Italian performing rights organization, also has suspended payments to RAO. Sources say a number of publishers in the US have unilaterally stopped issuing sync licenses that include Russia.

Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer has admitted he helped others illegally bring commercial goods into the United States from Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

On Tuesday, Simon Medina III, 41, pled guilty to his role in a conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will sentence Medina on June 1.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), whose district includes Laredo, sent a letter to President Joe Biden on March 8 urging the president to make the U.S. a reliable producer and supplier of oil and natural gas for the foreseeable future. The letter, signed by three other Texas Democrats, comes as gas prices have soared across the state and the nation as a result of Russias war on Ukraine.

The national price average price for a gallon of gasoline is $4.252, according to the American Automobile Association. In Texas, the average price is $3.930 per gallon, up 33 cents per gallon from a week ago.
Courtesy photo /Laredo Police Department

Laredo police are asking the community for assistance in solving a homicide that dates back to 2004.

LPD launched an investigation into a woman found dead on the morning of Sept. 26, 2004. An autopsy would reveal that the woman had suffered several stab wounds throughout parts of her body. Her death was ruled a homicide.
The brother of Ashli Babbitt  the Donald Trump fanatic killed by law enforcement while storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021  reportedly faces battery and hate crime charges after an alleged attack on a city worker in San Diego.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Roger Stefan Witthoeft Jr. was arraigned March 1 on a misdemeanor charge of battery with a hate-crime enhancement, as well as violating the constitutional rights of a Latino San Diego Gas & Electric traffic controller by threat of force in September.

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Roger Witthoeft is facing charges. (CNN)

Prosecutors charge that Witthoeft, upset about a road closure, verbally and physically confronted the worker shortly after 11 p.m. on Sept. 14. in San Diegos Point Loma Heights neighborhood, where city employees were making repairs.

[ Woman alleges dead U.S. Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt attacked her when she exposed her extramarital affair ]

The 33-year-old suspect reportedly told the worker to go back to your country, used expletives and called the alleged victim an immigrant.

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Witthoeft is also accused of exiting his pickup truck, pushing the worker, swinging at him, and knocking off the mans construction helmet. He reportedly pleaded not guilty.

Ashli Babbitt (right) and Roger Witthoeft in 2015.

The Union-Tribune said Witthoeft and Babbitt were co-defendants in a 2018 lawsuit in which they were accused of failure to repay a cash advance for a pool service company they operated. According to the New York Times, prior to the lawsuit, $3,400 of a $65,000 loan had been repaid.

[ Capitol police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt IDd: Its my job ]

Babbitt was shot dead during the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol where thousands of Trump supporters, whod either been duped into believing the 2020 election was rigged or simply didnt like the result of it, descended upon the Capitol to stop the certification of President Bidens victory.

The Air Force veteran had reportedly gotten caught-up in far right-wing ideology and conspiracy theory culture. Babbitt, 35, was wearing a Trump flag as a cape when a police officer defending elected officials shot her.

Ashli Babbitt was a big fan of Donald Trump. (Twitter)

CBS reported shortly after Babbitt was killed that one San Diego man came forward to say he had stopped using her pool companys services after she went on a rant about politics during a phone call.

A lot of it didnt even make any sense, that California man said. It literally went on for about a minute and a half.

Babbitt has come to be known as a martyr in some corners of the far right. Trump has called her a truly incredible person and accused the police officer who shot Babbitt of murder.
TOPSHOT - A member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces walks near remains of the Russian Sukhoi Su-25 assault aircraft crashed into the State Scientific Production Enterprise Kommunar Corporation in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv on March 8, 2022. - On the 13th day of the war, the UN said the number of refugees flooding across Ukraine's borders had passed two million. (Photo by Sergey BOBOK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)
Lockport, NY (14094)

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Cloudy with rain ending in the afternoon. High 59F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

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A few clouds. Low 39F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
A group of north Longford students have decided to make a difference to in excess of 1m Ukranian refugees who have fled the war-torn country in recent days.

Up to 30 students aligned to Granard's Lus Na Greine Youth Club, are hosting a 5k walk in Derrycassin Woods this Sunday with all proceeds going to The Irish Red Cross.

Fourteen-year-old Chloe Spollen, a pupil at Ardscoil Phadraig, said the decision was very much a collective one in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

I know there is a lot of conflict in Ukraine right now and I am sure that whatever we imagine it to be like, it is one hundred times worse, she said.

 I do know however, that Ukraine needs help and we want to do everything we can to help them.

International condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's military assault on Ukraine continues to court criticism from across the globalpolitical spectrum.

Rhia Larkin and Glen Nea, both of whom played a key role in the decision to host this weekend's event said there was plenty of appetite to row in behind what is unfolding almost 2,500 miles away.

As a group we knew we had to do something to make a difference, so we decided to organise a 5k walk in Derrycassin Woods this Sunday at 12.30pm, said Glen.

All the money raised on the day will be donated to The Irish Red Cross and they can buy supplies needed for the families in the Ukraine."

A number of local businesses have added their support to the cause with Lus na Greine Preloved Boutique Charity deciding to donate all proceeds from its takings on Friday and Saturday to the fundraiser.

In a further boost, the club and its members even came in for national publicity last week when receiving a mention on RTE Radio One's Ryan Tubridy Show.

Community Development and Family Support Worker Ber Fagan told of her unerring pride at how the idea came from the club's youth themselves and was not one which had been foisted on them.

They are just a breath of fresh air, said a plainly proud Ber.

Normally they come in and there is a bit of music, disco lights and bean bags but last Thursday they didn't come out and they decided to come up with an idea to raise funds for Ukraine and this is the result of it.

They are just a great bunch of kids and I am so proud.

*The event gets underway this Sunday (March 13) at 12:30pm in Derrycassin Woods.
A Longford District Court judge has reluctantly suspended a five month prison sentence she handed down to a man charged with producing a false document and for driving without insurance.

Dawid Rosada, 72 Cartron Breac, Longford, appeared before Judge Marie Keane at last weeks sitting of Longford District Court.

Sgt Mark Mahon explained that Mr Rosada was stopped in Clondra by Garda Paul Stuart on February 28, 2019 at approximately 7.30pm and produced a Polish licence.

Gda Stuart noticed flaws in the licence and seized it. An examination was carried out and it was found not to be genuine, said Sgt Mahon.

On May 20, 2020, Mr Rosada was again stopped in Lisbrack, Longford, by Gda Stuart. He was asked again for his licence and Gda Stuart was satisfied that the licence provided was false.

Mr Rosada has three previous convictions, two of which were for no insurance.

So what happened in February 2019 is his third no insurance and May 2020 is his fourth no insurance, said Judge Keane.

Solicitor for the defence, Frank Gearty, explained that his client was unaware when acquiring the licence that it wasnt genuine.

He believed it was a real licence. He purchased it in Poland and thought it was real, he explained, but the situation is, its clear the licence is false and hes been made a fool of.

Sorry, where do you buy a licence in Poland? Do you not have to do a test? asked Judge Keane.

Mr Gearty admitted that a test does need to be taken in Poland, similar to Ireland.

If he bought it, how could he believe it was valid if he knew he had to do a test? asked Judge Keane.

Mr Gearty acceded that this was a totally valid point.

So he knew he was going around since at least 2018 with a false licence, said Judge Keane.

Mr Gearty explained that his client works in Dublin but gets a lift to work rather than driving himself. He also told Judge Keane that, since the offence occurred, Mr Rosada has not come to the attention of Gardai.

He also explained that Mr Rosada had insurance at the time but the issue was that the false licence invalidated everything.

Clearly it was very serious. But hes good at turning up to court. Hes very helpful and a steadying influence to his brother who has psychiatric issues and is very familiar to the court, he said.

Judge Keane noted a guilty plea but stressed the seriousness of the fact that Mr Rosada had previous convictions for no insurance.

For the April offence, Im convicting and sentencing him to five months, which I will reluctantly suspend on his own bond for a period of two years. Im also disqualifying him for ten years, she said.

She took into consideration the no insurance offence for December but fined Mr Rosada 300 with three months to pay for producing a false licence.

Im satisfied he knew full well he was going around with a false licence and was endeavouring to defraud the Gardai and this court, she concluded.
Three students from Longford were among a record number of students from every county in Ireland and 29 countries overseas have been awarded Entrance Exhibition Awards from Trinity College Dublin.

The awards go to the students accepted into the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme who achieve the highest points among Trinity entrants from their secondary school, above a minimum of 500 CAO points (or equivalent).

The Longford awardees are; Greatness Agwaze (Moyne Community School), Ellen Deneher (Cnoc Mhuire Secondary School, Granard) and Tabitha Richard-Akinyemi (Mean Scoil Mhuire, Longford).

Many former awardees have gone on to make a significant contribution to the economic, cultural, and political life of Ireland and beyond.

Of the 2021 entrants to Trinity, 686 students qualified for an award, up from 527 in 2020. The students come from a record 497 different schools, 458 schools on the island of Ireland (up from 438 in 2020) and 39 schools from overseas (up from 17).

The awards were delivered in a virtual ceremony (view here).

Provost of Trinity, Linda Doyle, said: "We are delighted to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our talented students, especially in a year when their lives and studies were so badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are pleased that, since we revised the Entrance Exhibition Awards in 2018 as part of our commitment to boosting diversity, more and more schools are being represented, including a growing number from overseas. We wish them all the best in their studies at Trinity. Maith sibh go leir!"

Changes made to the awards scheme in 2018 meant that students who achieve the highest points among Trinity entrants from their secondary school with a minimum of 500 points in the Leaving Certificate (or its equivalent second level final examinations) are eligible for an Entrance Exhibition Award. This includes bonus points for Mathematics.

Previously, any students receiving 560 or more points (excluding bonus points) were awarded Entrance Exhibition Awards, which meant that up to 20 students from any one school could qualify.

The Entrance Exhibition Awards were awarded to 426 students from Leinster, 97 from Munster, 63 from Connacht and 61 from Ulster.

Awards also went to 29 international students from Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece , Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UAE.

Awardees receive a certificate and a 150 book token.
An inspector generals request for information on security upgrades to the nations Capitol following the Jan. 6 attack was reportedly denied by the governing board tasked with that fortification.

Donald Trump loyalists aiming to stop the certification of the 2020 election managed to break through windows and force their way into the Senate chamber.

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The Los Angeles Times reports that it is in possession of a report detailing the inspector generals attempts to procure that information before it becomes public.

Windows that were made shatterproof following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the Pentagon and lower Manhattan survived the Jan. 6 attack, the Times reports. Windows that were not upgraded became weak points for Capitol Hill police who struggled to stave off attackers hoping to stop President Bidens electoral defeat of Donald Trump from being certified.

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Security bike fences stand near the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 5, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Architect of the Capitol Inspector General Christopher P. Failla reportedly inquired into what kind of upgrades have been made and why some windows were left vulnerable. The L.A. Times said Faila was told the projects architect declined to provide specifics on the grounds that could compromise physical security and classified programs.

Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. >

Failla, who was tasked with the assignment by a member of Congress, had statutory authorities to receive all requested information regardless of classification, the report said.

[ Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitts brother charged with hate crime and battery ]

His inquiries were referred to a three-member Capitol Police Board, which included the Capitol architect, who was given permission to answer some questions. Failla concluded that the windows broken on Jan. 6 had been repaired, further security enhancements and repairs needed to be addressed regarding Capitol windows and entrances  including ballistic protection.

The Times said the inspector general also recommended Capitol security focus not just on responding to attacks that have already happened, but also on potential threats against Congress moving forward.

Pro-Trump protesters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. (bstirton/Getty Images)

Multiple ground-floor windows and a pair of glass-paned doors were easily breached on January, according to the Times.

Those entryways were reportedly not part of a quiet 2017 to 2019 upgrade of the Capitols 658 single-pane windows. Windows that were reinforced saw wooden frames and glass augmented with metal frames and bomb-resistant glass.

[ First trial in Capitol riot ends with conviction all counts ]

The widows on the ground-floor, due to their subtle locations, were not seen by planners to be at risk in the event of an implosion, the Times reported.

The Capitol Police Board  which also included the House and Senate sergeants at arms  were also said to have declined providing the architect inspector general with information about the new windows.
Irish Water chiefs have come in for stinging criticism this afternoon following a decision by Longford County Council to refuse planning permission for a primary healthcare facility and 20 house development in Edgeworthstown.

Planning officials have turned down an application for the ambitious development along the Chapel Lane area of town after it was lodged at the end of January.

Applicant Fergal Sheridan had signalled his intention to build a healthcare facility spanning over 1,400 square metres alongside twenty dwellings, consisting of four single storey two bedroom dwellings and sixteen two storey three bedroom dwellings.

However, in correspondence seen by the Leader, Longford County Council said it was refusing permission on grounds linked to the town's sewage treatment capabilities.

"The planning authority are not satisfied that wastewater from the proposed development can be adequately dealt with and would give rise to the risk of pollution and pose a significant threat to public health in the longer term," read the statement.

In a further line of argument, the council said it also harboured concerns that the development was "premature" pending the completion of the town's wastewater treatment system.

Local Cllr Paul Ross called into question the decision and in particular how the refusal was intrinsically linked to Edgeworthstown's wastewater effectiveness.

"The town of Edgeworthstown and Ballymahon, two of the three largest towns in the county are being held to ransom by Irish Water over its lack of investment in carrying out these upgrades," he said.

The Fine Gael local politician said historically applications of such a nature would have been granted on the proviso that developments of a similar nature "linked in" with a local sewage treatment plant once it was upgraded.

"We are at the stage now of trying to encourage more and more people to live and work in rural locations," added Cllr Ross.

"And there has been massive investment in Edgeworthstown recently with a new remote working hub and library and this development was another step in adding to that.

"But Irish Water's lack of investment has put paid to that now and it is deeply disappointing."
Community, Charity & Cause

By Ls Cohen Published: March 10 2022

House was built by volunteers working with the non-profit organization.

The Medley family has a new home thanks to the Suffolk chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The mother and daughter were welcomed into their new East Patchogue residence at a home dedication ceremony on February 24. The home was renovated by volunteers working with Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk.

Habitat for Humanity is an international, non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976. Its mission is to build "simple, decent, and affordable" housing, and has addressed the issues of housing all over the world. The organization works in partnership with thousands of Suffolk County volunteers, to build and renovate homes in communities where people can live and grow.

During the ceremony, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine welcomed the Medleys to the community.

Its always a great day when a family moves into a new home, and I congratulate Nickesha and Shania and wish them many years of happiness, he said. Thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk for making the dream of home ownership a reality for this family.

Photo: On February 24, Supervisor Ed Romaine (left) was in East Patchogue for the Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk Home Dedication welcoming Nickesha Medley (third from right) and her daughter Shania (second from left) to their new home. They were joined by Habitat for Humanity CEO and Executive Director, Lee Silberman (center); Dave Knapp, president of the Island Outreach Foundation Board of Directors (second from right) and Suffolk County Legislator Dominick Thorne. (right).
Local News, Business & Finance

By Chris Boyle Published: March 10 2022

Options available to maximize energy efficiency, affordability, and comfort.

Governor Kathy Hochul has reminded New Yorkers of programs and options available to address rising energy supply costs. Families and businesses alike can take advantage of programs to adopt energy efficiency and electrification solutions for homes and buildings, which will make them more comfortable and help manage energy costs over time. Earlier this week, the Governor announced the Department of Public Service issued letters to all of New York's major electric and gas utilities requiring them to increase their outreach and education efforts regarding the impact on energy bills from surging energy supply prices. She also launched an enhanced statewide campaign to educate New Yorkers about the available programs low-income customers can tap into to access millions in aid.

"My administration is working closely with partners throughout the state to ensure we have a coordinated effort in helping families and businesses address rising energy costs," Governor Hochul said. "I encourage all New Yorkers to take advantage of the various programs available to help manage these rising costs, as well as ensure that best practices are being followed to reduce energy consumption."

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, "There are many ways for New Yorkers to save energy and lessen their energy bills over time, from easy steps like using LED lighting to signing up for a local community solar offering. These programs can offer an immediate lifeline for some of our most vulnerable residents during these challenging times, and we encourage all New Yorkers to help us spread the word about the assistance we are offering in the face of rising energy costs."

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) Acting Commissioner Daniel W. Tietz said, "As New Yorkers continue to feel the budgetary sting of rising fuel costs, we encourage all eligible households to apply for help from the Home Energy Assistance Program. The regular benefit and emergency supplements can provide an important stopgap for low-income individuals and families to defray the cost of heating their homes and make ends meet as we head into the final weeks of the cold weather season in the Northeast."

Department of Public Service (DPS) CEO Rory M. Christian said, "Given the sudden and sharp increase in energy prices, it's critically important for consumers to reduce their monthly energy bills by considering cost-effective energy efficiency investments such as using LED lights, better household insulation, and more energy efficient appliances. Many of these investments can be made by consumers themselves without the need to hire a contractor."

The costs of natural gas, heating oil and propane continue to rise sharply resulting in increases in utility and heating bills, with international geopolitical influences putting additional pressure on the price of oil and gas. As energy prices rise during the winter months, some steps New Yorkers can take to protect against higher energy costs are:

Apply for HEAP. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can provide up to $751 to eligible homeowners and renters depending on income, household size and how they heat their home. Administered by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, applications for HEAP are accepted at local departments of social services in person or by telephone, with funding provided on a first-come, first-served basis. A list of local offices by county can be found here . Residents outside of New York City may also apply online for regular heating assistance benefits. New York City residents may download an application and obtain program information here . To qualify for benefits, a family of four may have a maximum gross monthly income of $5,249, or an annual gross income of $62,983.

New York State is also providing $250 million in additional federal funding to help low-income households pay heating utility arrears up to $10,000 per household. Additionally, $58 million in emergency HEAP funding remains available to help low- and middle-income New Yorkers avoid having their home heating disconnected or their heating source exhausted amid fuel price increases this winter.

For low-income households facing no-heat situations due to non-working heating equipment, OTDA is also accepting applications for its heating equipment repair or replacement benefit. Eligible homeowners can apply for up to $3,000 for repairs or $6,500 for replacement of a furnace, boiler or other direct heating equipment necessary to keep the household's primary heating source working. Additionally, eligible households can receive energy efficiency services, which include the cleaning of primary heating equipment to allow for safe and efficient operation. Interested households can apply with their local HEAP contact.

Take immediate action to be more energy efficient. There are many simple steps consumers can take at home, such as lowering the thermostat by a few degrees, using curtains to help keep heat in, and adding weather stripping to windows and doors, all of which are no or low-cost to the consumer. NYSERDA offers energy saving tips for residents and homeowners as well as businesses that can be implemented to lower energy usage. NYSERDA also offers a range of home energy efficiency programs that can help save energy and reduce costs over the long-term. Income-eligible customers may qualify for reduced cost or free energy upgrades to their homes through EmPower New York and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR programs. Homeowners should also check with their local gas and electric utility companies to access discounted products and services that can help them lower their energy costs all year long.

Receive a customized list of energy-related assistance in the State. New York Energy Advisor can help homeowners, renters, and property managers locate programs that help them spend less on energy and create healthier and more comfortable spaces. With the New York Energy Advisor, consumers answer a few simple questions and are connected with energy-saving offers in New York State. Sponsored by NYSERDA and utilities, qualified New Yorkers can get help paying utility bills, receive special offers on heating assistance, and more.

Sign up for community solar. Community Solar allows New Yorkers, including renters, co-op/condo owners, and businesses, to save money every month on their electric bills. Consumers can subscribe to a community solar project where available and start receiving credits on their electric bill for the clean energy produced by a solar farm. Find more information on how to sign up for community solar on NYSERDA's website

Get a free energy audit. Homeowners across New York are eligible for a free home energy assessment through NYSERDA's Residential Energy Audit Program . Home energy assessments are available both in-person and using remote technologies. Trained and qualified contractors who provide energy assessment services can help homeowners decide which energy improvements are worth investing in, install the improvements, and assist in connecting homeowners with NYSERDA's low-interest financing programs.

Reduce your business or buildings energy costs. Community Energy Advisors across New York State can help residents, businesses and multifamily building owners reduce their energy use and costs.

Join a Clean Heating and Cooling Campaign. Participating in a campaign eases the process of replacing a community member's current heating or cooling system with clean heating or cooling technology by connecting members with pre-qualified contractors and outlining potential incentives, tax breaks, financing, and payment options. Experienced contractors can give a home or business owner a holistic assessment to determine if their home or business space will also benefit from weatherproofing upgrades that can further increase comfort and reduce energy bills. Visit NYSERDA's website to see if your community is participating in a Clean Heating and Cooling Campaign.

Know your rights and protections. The New York State Home Energy Fair Practices Act (HEFPA) has comprehensive protections for residential customers regarding their utility services. These rights include the option to pay bills in installments, a cap on late fees, sufficient notice prior to shut-off of services, and protections for those on a fixed income or with medical conditions. Learn about these from the Department of Public Service at AskPSC

Consider bill payment options. When getting in touch with your utility provider, inquire about billing options that allow for deferred payments or "budget billing" options that even out bills that are higher in one season and lower in another. This can structure your payments and make it easier to navigate costs.

Better understand the energy management of your building. Put Energy to Work for businesses provides a deeper understanding of tools and programs that help in energy management for commercial and industrial buildings and includes resources that can increase profitability, create a competitive advantage, and achieve greater resiliency.

Visit NYSERDA for more information about the programs, funding and technical assistance available to assist homeowners, renters and businesses manage their energy needs.

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy even as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enacted into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality.

It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $33 billion in 102 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035.

Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. The Climate Act will ensure that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause

By Chris Boyle Published: March 10 2022

Repeatedly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his citizens are in dire need of weapons to protect themselves from Russian forces invading their nation.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced a gun drive for Ukrainian citizens fighting for their lives against Russian forces. Blakeman was joined by Commissioner of Police, Patrick Ryder, Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry US Representative, Misha Migdal, Volodymyr Tsyalkovsky of Ukrainians of Long Island, and owner of SP Firearms, Jerry Sperduto, in Franklin Square.

Repeatedly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his citizens are in dire need of weapons to protect themselves from Russian forces invading their nation.

Brian Valenza, a military veteran, of the Long Island Chaplins task force also presented a check in the amount of $25,000.00 to Jerry Sperduto of SP Firearms to be used for this purpose.

County Executive Blakeman said Just watching the Ukrainian residents making Molotov cocktails in a brewery out of beer bottles shows theyre in a desperate flight and we cant stand by and do nothing Blakeman continued, As President Zelensky said: he doesnt need a ride, he needs weapons.

We are doing our job here in Nassau County, I am asking President Biden to do his job and help get these weapons to Ukraine immediately to those who desperately need them Blakeman Concluded

Misha Migdal said These people fighting there, they are not just fighting for their lives, what they are fighting for probably resonates with every normal American, they are fighting for their freedom, fighting to exist. Fighting to exist as free people, in their own country, under their own will. He continued. I don't know what else has to happen. I dont know what the world has to see, what else has to happen for people to feel feelings. All they want is Freedom. Misha Migdal concluded.

Volodymyr Tsyalkovsky of UALI said The People of Ukraine feel and appreciate the support we are giving them. We as a community, a small local organization on Long Island are trying our best to help them. The organized rallies, the 100% support initiative of the County Executive to arm the Ukrainian Army.
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Allied Minds PLC - Boston, Massachusetts-based intellectual property commercialisation company - Will hold requisitioned general meeting on April 5 to table resolution put forward by shareholder Crystal Amber Fund Ltd for the removal of Chair Harry Rein. Company has advised shareholders to vote against the resolution.

Company has also launched a formal review of its strategic options, which include a sale of Allied Minds itself, and a distribution of certain assets and cash reserves directly back to shareholders through a restructure.

"The costs of maintaining a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange are prohibitive for a company of Allied Minds current size and moving the company onto the AIM market is unlikely to create significant cost savings. Maintaining a public listing is expensive with more than 50% of the company's annual budget devoted to meeting the requirements of being a listed company," the company says.

"As such, in the opinion of the board, the status quo can no longer continue and the formal process of returning value to shareholders should now begin in line with previously stated strategic objectives," Allied Minds adds.

Current stock price: 18.64 pence

12-month change: down 35%

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Gore Street Energy Storage Fund PLC - London-based fund investing in energy storage assets - Will acquire a portfolio of eight energy storage assets in Texas from Perfect Power Solutions Texas LLC. Portfolio comprises eight 9.9 megawatts storage projects totalling 79.2 megawatts.

Sum for acquisition has not been disclosed.

"We are pleased to be able to announce a further landmark international acquisition shortly after our entry into the energy storage market in continental Europe, highlighting the manager's ability to acquire value accretive assets across the globe. The acquisition further underpins our push into international markets, where they exhibit the same favourable characteristics as in GB and Ireland, meeting our returns criteria," says Alex O' Cinneide, CEO of investment manager.

Current stock price: 117.00

12-month change: up 11%

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Five men have been charged with killing beloved Puerto Rican boxer Hector Macho Camacho in 2012.

Camacho and a friend were gunned down while sitting in a car outside a bar in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 20, 2012. Camacho died at age 50 after being taken off life support four days later, but the case remained unsolved for nearly a decade.

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Jesus Naranjo Adorno is transferred to the Police Headquarters after the filing of criminal charges, in San Juan on Wednesday. (Carlos Giusti/AP)

William Rodriguez Rodriguez, Luis Ayala Garcia and Joshua Mendez Romero were flown to Puerto Rico earlier in the week. The three men were serving federal sentences in Florida for unrelated crimes.

Another suspect, Juan Figueroa Rivera, was already in a Puerto Rican jail. The only suspect who had been a free man, Jesus Naranjo Adorno, was arrested before dawn at his home in Bayamon.

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Joshua Mendez Romero is transferred to the Police Headquarters after the filing of criminal charges, in San Juan on Wednesday. (Carlos Giusti/AP)

Cops also said two unnamed suspects were killed in separate incidents in 2013 and 2015.

Born in Bayamon, Camacho and his mother moved to Spanish Harlem when he was a child. His fast feet and quick gloves helped him rise as a boxer, and he was a three-time Daily News Golden Gloves champion.

Juan Luis Figueroa Rivera is transferred to the police headquarters after the filing of criminal charges, in San Juan on Wednesday. (Carlos Giusti/AP)

Camacho was the man who sent Sugar Ray Leonard into retirement in 1997, and he also defeated Roberto Duran twice late in the legends career. He earned fights with superstars including Oscar De La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez. Camacho finished his career with a record of 79-6-3 with 38 knockouts, and he was never knocked out.

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But outside of the ring, Camacho struggled with drug and alcohol problems. Authorities have not publicly speculated on the motive for the killing of Camacho and his friend, Adrian Mojica Moreno, but Moreno had 10 small bags of cocaine on him.

Wilfredo Rodriguez Rodriguez is transferred to the Police Headquarters after the filing of criminal charges, in San Juan on Wednesday. (Carlos Giusti/AP)

Im going to tell you the truth about Macho Camacho: He was a good man, a good friend, but the drugs killed him, Jorge Rosa, an ex-boxer who knew Camacho for decades, told the Daily News in 2012.

A documentary about Camachos life was released in December 2020.

In this March 1, 1997 photo, Hector "Macho" Camacho exults as referee Joe Cortez stops the fight with "Sugar" Ray Leonard in the fifth round in Atlantic City, N.J. (Charles Rex Abrogast/AP)

Whats so appealing about Camachos story is people identified with his failures, director Eric Drath said. He had a good soul. He was an entertainer who had the skills of a warrior.

Camachos mother, Maria Matias, celebrated the work of authorities on Wednesday.

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They gave me justice, she said. I can sleep in peace. I can eat and drink a little cup of coffee in the morning.

With News Wire Services
(Alliance News) - Just Group PLC on Thursday posted improved retirement income sales, better new business fortunes and announced it has finally reinstated its dividend.

Just Group swung to a pretax loss, however, as a net investment loss hurt revenue. It also posted a GBP226 million loss from the sale of a lifetime mortgage portfolio.

Just Group, based in Reigate, Surrey, provides retirement financial services to individuals and companies.

In 2021, total revenue fell 45% to GBP2.54 billion from GBP4.65 billion in 2020.

Gross premiums written rose by a quarter to GBP2.68 billion, though it posted a GBP130 investment loss, a wild swing from income of GBP1.78 billion in 2020.

Just Group swung to a GBP21.4 million pretax loss, from a GBP236.7 million profit in 2020.

"Economic variances" stemming from the sale of a lifetime mortgage portfolio led to a GBP226 million profit hit.

More promisingly, retirement income sales jumped 25% to GBP2.7 billion from GBP2.1 billion. New business profit rose 13% to GBP225 million from GBP199 million.

Also on the up was underlying operating profit. The measure excludes operating experience and assumption changes.

Underlying operating profit rose 8.8% to GBP210 million from GBP193 million.

What's more, Just Group said it eyes an average 15% annual increase in underlying operating profit in the medium-term.

The company also reinstated its dividend, with a 1.0 pence final payout. Its last dividend was in respect to its 2017 financial year.

Just Group added: "From 2022 onwards, we intend to declare dividends twice annually with an interim dividend to be declared at our interim results in August and paid in September and the final dividend to be declared at the final results in March and paid in May. In future we would expect the interim dividend to be approximately one third of the prior year full year dividend and if this policy had applied for 2021 as a whole the equivalent dividend for the full year would have been 1.5p."

Chief Executive David Richardson added: "This is an excellent set of results which demonstrate our ability to generate profitable growth within a sustainable capital model. New business premiums, underlying operating profits and underlying capital generation have improved significantly on the previous year. Furthermore, we have also attained a sustainable level of underlying capital generation and coverage ratio to be in a position to re-commence dividend payments."

Just Group shares were down 0.7% to 83.20 pence each on Thursday in London.

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London are seen opening slightly lower on Wednesday as investors await what is expected to be the biggest US Federal Reserve interest rate hike in over two decades....
Today

Sunshine along with some cloudy intervals. High near 90F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 88F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
SCOTTVILLE  West Shore Community Colleges Humankind series will host a faculty panel discussion of the novel, The Women of the Copper Country, at 7 p.m. on March 16.

This event is part of the colleges participation in the Michigan Humanities Councils Great Michigan Read.

The Women of the Copper Country is Mary Dora Russells retelling of the 1913-1914 Copper Country strike in Michigans Upper Peninsula. The novel looks at this event from multiple points of view, but primarily through the eyes of the determined women who were leaders of the strike  particularly Americas Joan of Arc, Annie Clements.

West Shores participation in the Great Michigan Read is particularly special this year because it coincides with the colleges ongoing humankind theme of movement, said Sean Henne, WSCC professor of English and education, who chaired the Great Michigan Reads regional selection committee, in a news release. The novel focuses attention on the role of immigrant communities in the cultural and economic development of the state. A novel as intense as this one provides a powerful starting point from which we can try to have better conversations about the intersections of immigration, culture, labor, religion, poverty and just growing up in America, both during the 1910s and today.

Henne will participate in the panel discussion to offer his perspective as a professor of English on the novels literary achievement. He will be joined by his colleagues Mike Nagle, professor of history, and Dr. Sonja Siewert, professor of chemistry.

Nagle will use his historical expertise to address issues of immigration, working conditions and the historical accuracy of this work of fiction, while Siewert will address the novel from a scientific perspective. For example, explaining the geology of that part of the Upper Peninsula and discussing the processes used to turn ore into purified metals.

The presentation is free and open to the public and will take place on Zoom. Use the link bit.ly/humankindwinter2022 to join. For more information, visit westshore.edu or email humankind@westshore.edu.
WEXFORD COUNTY  After several people were tracked along the Manistee River last month in connection to an attempted catalytic converter theft, a Wexford County resident received an award for helping with the Michigan State Polices investigation.

Preston Breitmeyer, of Springville Township, was recognized by Cadillac Post Commander Travis House on Thursday, according to a news release, for his help in the arrest of several people involved in thefts of catalytic converters in the region.

According to a Thursday afternoon news release, Breitmeyer reported seeing people in his driveway stealing the catalytic converter from his Jeep at about 12:57 p.m. on Feb. 1.

Mr. Breitmeyer called 911 and as the trooper was responding, the suspects left in a tan Chrysler minivan. The suspects were caught at the corner of North Nine Road and M-115, the news release said in part.

Photo submitted/Michigan State Police

Charges

Interlochen, Mesick and Kalkaska County residents are being charged.

According to a previous news release from state police, the responding trooper then conducted a traffic stop at the corner of North Seven Road and M-115. The trooper recognized several of the vans occupants.

The trooper reported seeing a freshly cut catalytic converter on the passenger floorboard of the van and tools used to remove the converter.

The trooper immediately informed the occupants they were under arrest and took one person into custody. While the trooper was securing the first prisoner, 49-year-old Willie Jarvis Storie, from Mesick, two of the suspects fled carrying bags, reads part of the release.

The release said the trooper then ordered them to stop, but they continued to run.

Evidence in the van was seized and three of the people were lodged at the Wexford County Jail. Several of them had outstanding warrants. Search warrants were also conducted at a suspects residence where several more items were seized at a storage unit.

More troopers responded to the area to set up a perimeter and a state police K-9 team was called. The K-9 team then tracked the group through the snowy terrain and across the Manistee River.

Jonathan Patrick Gustafson, 31, of Interlochen, and Janessa Anne Robinson, 34, of Kalkaska County, were found hiding in a camper trailer and then taken into custody.

The previous news release also stated that the group had attempted to hide evidence by throwing it into the Manistee River as they were running.

A regional issue

Stealing vehicle catalytic converters is something that Lt. Derrick Carroll, public information officer for the Michigan State Polices Seventh District, previously said he has seen a lot of in northwest Michigan.

In an emailed response to the News Advocate, Carroll previously said the thefts are tied to the price of precious metals that had increased.

These metals are used in converters and are worth a lot of money," he had said. Its not a new crime, but there has been an increase associated with the rise in (the) price of precious metals.

Carroll had said the best prevention against the crime is to keep vehicles in a locked garage when possible.

Its a crime of opportunity. If the perpetrators see a target, they think they can hit, they will, he said. This one was in the middle of the day in someones driveway while they were home.

Other local law enforcement leaders also suggested using property cameras and motion-activated lighting systems as a way to help prevent or catch a theft.

According to Manistee City Police Chief Josh Glass, people should observe and call police if they see a potential catalytic converter theft taking place.

At a recent Manistee County Public Safety Committee meeting discussion about catalytic converter thefts, Glass encouraged people to take video or photos if they can but to not engage with the person or people involved.
Michigan authorities announced the first criminal charges stemming from the state's review of child sexual abuse lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America this week, charging a former troop leader before his release from a New York prison on separate crimes.

In January 2021, the Manistee County Sheriffs Office was locally involved in the investigation.

Manistee County Sheriff Brian Gutowski, responded to an emailed inquiry from the News Advocate asking if the county was connected to the states investigation of Boy Scouts of America.

Gutowski said through the state investigation, the Manistee County Sheriffs Office had received information about a possible incident that occurred in Manistee County. However, during the local investigation, the sheriffs office learned that the suspect was deceased.

The Manistee County case's status was not immediately available as of Thursday afternoon.

Southern Michigan

Mark Chapman, 51, is accused of sexually assaulting two boys at the time he was a scoutmaster in the Detroit suburb of Roseville, where he also worked in and attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Starting in 2000, one victim was abused at the church  where the troop sometimes met  and other places from the time he was 13 or 14 until he was 17, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said on Wednesday. The second victim was assaulted for years beginning when he was about 11.

One of the men called a tip line.

"It's not just important for us to hold the person accountable for all the harm that was suffered by the victims ... but to prevent future crimes from occurring," Nessel said at a news conference in Detroit on Wednesday. The charges, she said, "are only the beginning."

Chapman, who is due to be paroled in New York this week after serving more than nine years for child abuse convictions there, was charged now so he cannot leave the criminal justice system, she said. Authorities were working to extradite him to Michigan.

The Associated Press could not immediately determine if Chapman has a lawyer.

The attorney general's office and the Michigan State Police last year launched a joint review of what now are 5,000 civil claims forwarded by the Boy Scouts. A completed review of 550 claims resulted in roughly 60 inquiries being sent to state police for further investigation.

The Boy Scouts last month reached a tentative settlement with a bankruptcy committee representing more than 80,000 men who say they were molested as children by Scout leaders and others. All told, the compensation fund would total more than $2.6 billion, which would be the largest aggregate sex abuse settlement in U.S. history.

Also Wednesday, Nessel gave an update on a yearslong probe of sex abuse by clergy in the Roman Catholic Church. It has resulted in 11 prosecutions.

The office has reviewed all but 245,000 of 5 million paper and digital documents from Michigan's seven dioceses. The review has identified 454 accused priests and 811 reported victims, she said.
SCOTTVILLE  The West Shore Community College Tech Center was filled Wednesday with health care-related organizations and universities eager to meet with the next wave of nurses preparing to join the workforce.

Rochelle Boes, WSCC director of nursing and Allied Health, said around 25 prospective employers turned up for the college's annual nursing career day.

"This is for our health care students. Our graduating RN students come here and have their resumes ready," she said. "It's mainly for them, but we also invite our graduating (licensed practical nurse) students and we have invited the Allied Health CTE students, as well. A lot of times they can get (certified nursing assistant) jobs or nurse tech jobs here, as well."

Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate

WSCC president Scott Ward said the event is beneficial for students and employers alike.

"You can see the demand that the employers have for this," he said. "It's a good opportunity for our students, so I'm happy we can help fill the market demand as a college. That's exactly what we're here for: to support these programs. And what a great turnout."

Angela Miller, who is set to graduate in May, said she was interesting in meeting with universities as well as perspective employers.

"It's really good for (the universities) to come out here. There are so many bridge programs to go from such a small community college to these larger universities and get these discounts, or you can get certain credits transferred over," she said. "I think it's really good for them to come out here. It's a great opportunity for us. ... A lot of these have bridges from RN  which is your associate degree  to a bachelor's degree."

Kelsey Bruno, Northern Home Care director of nursing, said the event was a great way to meet with a lot of potential hires in a single day.

"We are trying to recruit nurses. We cover from Frankfort down to the Muskegon area," she said. "Nurses are hard to come by, so I'm trying to sell everyone on Home Care. ... If they have (resumes) we take them, otherwise I take their contact info."

Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate

Boes said students were exposed to career paths they might not have otherwise considered.

"I was just talking to one of the hospitals and we were saying it's great because I think it really expands everybody's  from our nursing students to our Allied Health students  understanding as to what's available in health care," she said. "From correctional to community mental health  even within a hospital there are different positions for nurses. It really gives them a broader view of what's available."

Nicole Whitman, director of health home coordination for West Michigan Community Mental Health, said she met with a number of promising candidates.

"We've had several people stop and talk to us, not only about nursing positions but also other positions," she said. "We're also making sure we're bringing awareness of what Community Mental Health has to offer  what services we offer and things like that."

Miller said the career day was an efficient way to meet numerous organizations looking to bolster their staffs.

"They're very eager to scout us out," she said. Especially with COVID going on and they're getting burnt out, they're really wanting us."
South Africa: Cabinet welcomes oversight visit to N2 Nodal project

Cabinet has welcomed the service delivery visit to the N2 Nodal Project in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille and Minister in The Presidency Mondli Gungubele conducted an oversight visit to the project on Tuesday.

The project comprises 12 100 new housing opportunities with over 500 000 m retail, commercial, office and industrial facilities, as well as the full spectrum of community and social facilities.

The visit forms part of governments initiative towards a more regular direct assessment of the progress made on the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment Plan to reignite the economy and create jobs, said Cabinet in a statement on Thursday.

The N2 Nodal Development project is one of the 62 gazetted Strategic Integrated Projects and is an integrated mixed-use catalytic project located along the N2 in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.

The visit formed part of De Lilles duties to monitor progress of the 62 projects, which were gazetted as Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) as part of the Infrastructure Investment Plan approved by Cabinet on 27 May 2020.

The project is exciting in that it will bring different housing typologies together and building integrated developments where people on various income streams can live in a well-located development close to transport arterials and economic development, she said.

The N2 node has been identified and approved as a strategic development area for social and economic upliftment of the region and surrounding communities.

Minister Gungubele said the N2 project is a uniquely diverse and well-structured infrastructure project that includes residential, large-scale retail, light industrial and warehousing developments which will create much needed employment opportunities.

Catalytic projects such as the N2 nodal development are of strategic importance because they have the potential to transform the spatial and social landscape of the local area and help stimulate the local economy, Gungubele said.

The node comprises various property portions, centred around the super-regional Baywest Mall, located on the N2 national freeway.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-03-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China donates 3rd batch of COVID-19 vaccines to UNRWA

Xinhua) 08:44, March 10, 2022

A Palestinian worker displays doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines at the Palestinian Authority's storage facility in Gaza City, Feb. 21, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

RAMALLAH/GAZA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China has donated its third batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said the organization in a statement.

The vaccines had already been delivered to three UNRWA fields of operation, namely Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, by the last week of February, which would help protect the Palestinian refugees and contribute to the national vaccination programs of host countries, it added.

"This generous donation came as China's immediate response to the agency's needs amid global constraints in COVID-19 vaccine supply, as well as emerging uncertainties around the vaccination rollouts across the region," it noted.

Through the donation, the Chinese government "sends a clear message of solidarity with Palestinian refugees, who have been made increasingly vulnerable by the pandemic and enduring regional conflict," it added.

Akihiro Seita, director of the UNRWA Department of Health, said the donation "provides a crucial layer of protection for Palestinian refugees and promotes the equitable and timely vaccine access."

"This will also strengthen our collaboration with host countries as they kindly included Palestinian refugees in their national vaccination program," he noted.

For his part, Guo Wei, head of Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine, appreciates the continuous provision by the UNRWA of important assistance and services to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East for a long time.

He noted that "China will, as always, support the work of UNRWA and continue to provide practical assistance to Palestinian refugees."

"China's COVID-19 vaccine aid aims at implementing the Global Vaccine Cooperation Action Initiative, the core of which is to accelerate equitable access to vaccines in developing countries," Guo added.

Besides the vaccine donation, China also provides regular financial contributions in support of the delivery of emergency food assistance to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, according to the UNRWA.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Police in Honolulu are searching for two suspects after an elderly man was found dead, encased in concrete, in a bathtub.

The gruesome discovery was made in at a home in Hawaii Loa Ridge, a well-to-do gated community on Oahu, on Tuesday afternoon.

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According to local news reports, Scott Hannon, 34, and Juan Tejedor Baron, 23, were questioned by police Monday night but released.

(L-R) Juan Tejedor Baron and Scott Hannon. (Honolulu Police Department)

Police went to the home on Monday morning to perform a wellness-check on the 73-year-old man who lives at the home, after his brother, who lives out-of-state, expressed concern. No one was home when police tried.

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When missing persons detectives returned to the home around 4 p.m., Tejedor Baron told them he lived at the residence. He and Hannon left the house abruptly and were last seen nearby in the Waikiki neighborhood early Wednesday morning.

The brother of the missing man told police that his brother had an intimate relationship with one of the suspects. He told police he and his brother had not spoken since January or February.

Police returned Tuesday and searched the house, finding the body in a standalone tub.

According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, a police source said the odor of the corpse was very strong and became stronger when we started to chip away at the tub. There were coffee grounds on top of the concrete, likely placed there in an attempt to cover the stench.

Detectives later alerted airports to keep the men from escaping the island.

Police said it is unknown whether the suspects are considered armed and dangerous, but urged the public not to approach either man.
Mankato, MN (56001)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning with more clouds for later in the day. High 62F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low 43F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
One of the most-wanted men in Russia, Vladimir Osechnik, has claimed that Vladimir Putin could be planning to launch a military operation against the rest of Europe, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Osechnik has been leaking information from Russia's intelligence service, which has set a 100,000 euro bounty on his head.

He appeared on Spanish TV, in Cuarto's show 'Todo es Verdad', where he made clear that, according to his sources, "at this time Putin is in a situation of betting everything".

Putin's plans for war against the rest of Europe

Following Putin's decision to invade a neighbouring country, the European Union and United States imposed sanctions on Russia and sent arms to Ukraine to bolster their defences.

According to Osechnik, this is the reason why the Russia president could be planning a war against Europe, which could subsequently trigger a potential Third World War.

Back in February, British prime minister Boris Johnson predicted that Russia was preparing what could prove to be the worst conflict in Europe after the Second World War.

"The fact is that all the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun," Johnson said in an interview with the BBC.

"People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail.

"I'm afraid to say that the plan we are seeing is for something that could be really the biggest war in Europe since 1945, just in terms of sheer scale."

Putin's warning to Europe

Meanwhile, Putin warned the West about the economic sanctions they decided to impose on Russia and likened them to a declaration of war earlier this month.

"These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that," said Putin.

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have not been fruitful, although both countries agreed on ensuring humanitarian corridors to allow for civilians to flee Ukraine.
Weather Alert

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. * WHERE...Portions of Arkansas and Oklahoma, including the following counties, in Arkansas, Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Madison, Sebastian and Washington AR. In Oklahoma, Adair, Cherokee, Choctaw, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Haskell, Latimer, Le Flore, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pittsburg, Pushmataha, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner and Washington OK. * WHEN...From Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff will likely result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations, especially in areas that have already received heavy rainfall over the past few days. Several main-stem rivers could go into flood. A few locations could see significant flash flooding. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - A slowly moving upper low will move across the area Wednesday into early Thursday. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms are likely with the potential for very heavy rainfall. Widespread 2 to 3 inches of rain is expected with locally higher amounts of 5 to 6 inches. The heavier rain will begin to shift east of far southeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas early Thursday afternoon. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. &&
This bomb will be a wet one.

A last gasp of winter is heading our way this weekend, with a developing bomb cyclone that will bring heavy rain and strong winds to the New York City area and snow north and west of the city, meteorologists told the Daily News on Thursday.

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The bomb cyclone  a severe winter storm characterized by a steep pressure drop in a short amount of time that brings strong winds on top of all the other weather  was forming along the Gulf Coast and scheduled to track up the East Coast.

Essentially were looking at a pretty rapidly intensifying system that will approach the area late Friday into Saturday, National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Wunsch told The Daily News.

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New York City will most likely be spared the storms full fury, with Saturday the worst day to be outside.

It could be a pretty intense storm, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Walker told The News. Its going to be quite windy.

New York City and Long Island will probably see heavy rain, with potential for flooding in the streets and highways with poor drainage.

If you dont have to travel, I would advise not traveling Saturday morning, Walker added.

You'll probably need an umbrella Saturday . (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

AccuWeather.com predicted the storm would spread snow across most of the Northeast on Saturday, though little to no accumulation is in the forecast for the major cities along the I-95 corridor, but plowable snow is in the offing across the regions interior.

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Key Messages have been started for the upcoming winter storm that will stretch across the interior eastern United States beginning late Friday. pic.twitter.com/PN49ItczXS  National Weather Service (@NWS) March 9, 2022

The lower Hudson Valley, northern Westchester up into lower Duchess County, could get from 1 to 3 inches of snow; farther north in Duchess as far as Albany could see 3 to 6 inches, and north of that the storm could dump 6 to 12 inches, Walker said.

On Long Island, wind gusts could hit 50 to 60 mph, peaking Saturday morning and into the early afternoon. Wind speeds north and west of New York City could range from 40 to 50 mph.

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A family is pictured on Front Street at Washington Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn on Oct. 29, 2020. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

Overnight Saturday the temperatures will plummet below freezing, and anything that the winds have not dried out will freeze.

But spring-like weather is just around the corner.

It will still be a cold day on Sunday but then theres a warmup next week. Well be up to the lower 60s by early next week, Walker said. Winter isnt over yet, but spring is coming. Eventually it will get here. Spring likes to change back and forth.
ALBANY  New Yorkers with past pot convictions will be first in line to join the states budding recreational marijuana industry.

The first batch of retail licenses to sell adult-use cannabis in the Empire State will go to people convicted of weed-related crimes before the drug was legalized, or their relatives, according to regulations adopted by the Cannabis Control Board on Thursday.

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Id just like to underscore how significant these proposed regulations are, board member Jen Metzger said. They really address the spirit of the (Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act) that is being implemented, combined with the social equity funds. Im just really thrilled to see this happening and just want to thank everyone for their work on this.

Under the states Seeding Opportunity Initiative, between 100 and 200 dispensary licenses could be issued by this fall, with sales allowed before the end of the year. Six months earlier than projected, according to Gov. Hochul.

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Dried hemp plants are sorted and trimmed at Hepworth Farms in Milton, N.Y., April 12, 2021. (Seth Wenig/AP)

New York hemp farmers will also get the first crack at producing the cannabis products available for sale.

There are a few restrictions for retail licenses, as applicants must prove that they have operated a profitable business in the state, and convictions for other offenses could block their path to selling pot legally.

Applications for hemp farmers seeking to grow adult-use cannabis in the state will be accepted starting March 15.

The five-member board voted unanimously in favor of the regulations, which will now be subject to a period of public comment.

New York State is making history, launching a first-of-its-kind approach to the cannabis industry that takes a major step forward in righting the wrongs of the past, Hochul said. The regulations advanced by the Cannabis Control Board today will prioritize local farmers and entrepreneurs, creating jobs and opportunity for communities that have been left out and left behind.

Demonstrators march in the annual NYC Cannabis Parade & Rally in support of the legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use, on May 1, 2021 in New York City. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Officials are tailoring additional guidelines to assist those most impacted by the enforcement of past pot laws and ensure larger, multi-state operators dont flood the market as they have in other places where recreational cannabis is legal.

We arent stopping here, and work is already underway across all license types to open access to capital and develop supporting networks to build an equitable New York Cannabis Industry and set up our small businesses for long-term success, said Office of Cannabis Management executive director Chris Alexander.

Hochul earlier this year proposed $200 million in startup grants and loans for women or minorities, struggling farmers, disabled veterans, and people from minority communities disproportionately impacted by past pot policing looking to open stores and other related businesses.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)

The states goal is to allot 50% of licenses to applicants in those categories.

Sen. George Borrello (R-Chautauqua County) slammed the new rules, arguing that they reward career criminals.

The idea that we can turn career criminals into upstanding business people by giving them taxpayer-funded dispensaries in an all-cash industry is utter madness, he said. In the end, New Yorks taxpayers will be the collateral damage in this scheme.

State GOP chairman Nick Langworthy likewise panned the pot proposals and gave a glimpse of how Republicans will likely weaponize the issue in the upcoming election.

Classic Albany where everything is a rigged process driven by special interests rather than merit, he said. Under Democrat rule, drug dealers get lucrative contracts and law-abiding small business owners are treated like criminals. This madness must stop in the next election.

Mayor Adams voiced support for the new regulations, but said he will talk to Hochul and other officials about ensuring moneyed corporate entities dont attempt to use ex-convicts by bringing them in as partners to win the licenses for themselves.

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I dont recall one corporate executive being stopped on Tremont Avenue and having someone going through their pocket and pulling out a joint and then locking them up, he said during a press conference in the South Bronx. They were not front in line in the perp walk. They should not be front in line in benefitting from the cannabis industry.

The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, enacted last year, legalized the consumption of marijuana in New York and set the groundwork for the adult-use market, which is on track to become a billion-dollar-a-year industry.

With Michael Gartland
A Bronx building that became a towering inferno in January, leaving 17 dead, was scheduled to be examined by an FDNY fire inspector several months beforehand  but it didnt happen because the inspector was reassigned to conduct COVID restaurant inspections.

Seventeen people died after a smoky fire broke out inside a third floor duplex apartment at 333 E. 181st Street in the Bronx on Jan. 9. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

The troubling account came from Oren Barzilay, president of the union that represents paramedics and fire inspectors who testified Wednesday at a hearing held by the City Councils Fire and Emergency Management Committee.

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Local 2507 President Oren Barzilay. (Alec Tabak/for New York Daily News)

That building was scheduled to be inspected, but because they were sent to a task force, that building was not inspected, he testified.

Its terrible, he told the Daily News after his testimony. Im not blaming Eric Adams. Im blaming the previous administration for not thinking it through.

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The Jan. 9 blaze at Twin Parks North West in the Bronx killed 17 people and left dozens more injured. The fire was caused by a faulty space heater that burst into flames and made worse by malfunctioning doors that were designed to close on their own. Because the doors failed to shut, the toxic smoke spread quickly through the 19-story building.

The blaze was the deadliest in the city since the Happy Land night club fire killed 87 people in 1990.

Barzilay told the Daily News an inspector was assigned to Twin Parks about a year before the fire took place to examine the buildings stand pipe system, which would supply it with water in the event of a fire. Barzilay noted that while inspectors wouldnt have focused on inspecting doors, any problems they saw would have been flagged and addressed.

Firefighters are pictured making dramatic rescues using tower ladders and ladders after a fire broke out inside a third floor duplex apartment at 333 E. 181st St. in the Bronx on Jan. 9, 2022. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

If they had noticed anything else, they would have addressed the issue, he said.

Barzilay also noted a Brooklyn building that was the site of an explosion recently was also slated to be inspected before the incident, but was not because inspectors were diverted to enforce vaccine mandates at city restaurants. Mayor Adams rolled back those requirements, known as the Key2NYC, on Monday.

During testimony to the Council on Wednesday, Michael Reardon, the FDNYs deputy chief inspector, noted that during the course of that initiative about 90 fire inspectors were diverted from their normal responsibilities to perform COVID-related duties, like inspecting restaurants to make sure they checked vaccination cards and distributing masks. Overall, there are 450 fire inspectors citywide.

They were downsized to the point that some units were unable to do all the inspections they needed to do, he testified.

Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who heads the Councils fire and emergency management committee, called former Mayor Bill de Blasios policy of diverting fire inspectors to COVID-related matters unconscionable and said shed refer the matter to the Department of Investigation and the Councils oversight committee.

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Joann Ariola (Handout)

We looking forward to making sure these wrongs are righted, she said. It should be investigated.
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The bipartisan congressional committee looking into the Jan. 6 attack on the nations Capitol says that former Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller, 36, is on his parents cellphone plan.

The Duke University graduate is suing the committee to stop them from reviewing his phone records.

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Miller was one of the Trump administrations strongest advocates for whats been called The Family Separation Plan to deal with immigration on the United States border with Mexico.

Stephen Miller takes photos during a visit to the border wall near Pharr, Texas, on June 30, 2021. (SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)

[ SEE IT: White House adviser Stephen Miller's sudden hair growth draws ridicule after morning show appearance ]

The T-Mobile plan shared by Miller and his parents is assigned to a limited partnership entity that also includes his siblings. On Wednesday, the far-right wing political operator filed a lawsuit to prevent the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol from procuring his phone records.

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Miller used the family phone in the weeks preceding and following the attack to stop the certification of the 2020 election, the committee claims.

Millers lawsuit argues, that among other things, the committees request could compromise the privacy of other people on his familys cellular plan.

In 2018, Millers uncle, Dr. David S. Glosser, penned an essay for Politico calling Miller  whose family came to the U.S. from Belarus in 1903  an immigration hypocrite who wouldnt be alive today if this country practiced the strict immigration policies Miller advocates.

That, Glosser said, negatively impacted communications with Millers mom.

Miller commented on border security Wednesday on Twitter, where he was mocked for sharing a phone plan with Mommy and Daddy.
Epilepsy specialists, clinical pharmacists, pharmacologists, and cannabis researchers from Australia developed an interim "consensus advise" for prescribers. It was published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology . The document provides an overview of the different cannabis medicines currently available for treating epilepsy in children and adults, with information on dose, drug interactions, toxicity, and type and frequency of symptom and seizure relief.

New consensus advice provides an overview of the different cannabis medicines currently available for treating epilepsy in children and adults, with information on dose, drug interactions, toxicity, and type and frequency of symptom and seizure relief. Read More..

"In the absence of a registration dossier, scientific experiments and case reports are helpful to provide some guidance to optimized dosing.



But as in this guidance, observational data obtained from clinical practice, which often includes information not included in scientific experiments or even early clinical trial data, such as treating patients with other comorbidities, taking multiple medications, and patient diversitycan be very helpful to clinical practice", said senior author Jennifer H. Martin, MBChB, MA, PhD, FRACP, researchers at the University of Newcastle and the Director of the Australian Centre for Cannabis Clinical and Research Excellence.







Source: Medindia

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The consensus advice will be updated as new evidence emerges and will provide the structure for a more definitive guideline in the future.
Bollywood's handsome hunk Aditya Roy Kapur has gone on to reveal the first look of his upcoming movie "Om: The Battle Within".



The movie which also stars actress Sanjana Sanghi is set to release in theatres on July 01, 2022, and is expected to be a big-scale action film.

Directed by Kapil Verma and backed by Zee Studios, Ahmed Khan, and Shaira Khan, Om will be action packed-film that will see Aditya in a badass avatar.

The actor shared the look on Instagram by captioning it, "OM! Set to explode on cinema screens worldwide on 1st July 2022."

Aditya, who was last seen in filmmaker Anurag Basu's anthology movie Ludo, is one of the most in-demand actors in the industry and was also seen in Malang 2 which starred Disha Patani.

The actor had also shared another look from the film earlier, where he said, "A battle within to keep the fighting spirit alive! #firstlook #OM: The Battle Within"

This is clearly exciting news for us and for Aditya, who's really carved a name for himself in Bollywood.

The actor will also be seen in the Hindi-remake of Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie's Night Manager show.

 Prime Video

The shooting for the show recently kicked off in Sri Lanka and it's another project that will be very exciting for fans.



Aditya will be playing the role of Tom Hiddleston's character, and according to reports, he will be joined by Sobhita Dhulipala, who will play the female lead in it.

 Instagram

A source close to the development revealed, "The makers were on the lookout for a seasoned actor to play Elizabeth Debicki from the original with utmost conviction and they have locked Sobhita to play the part now. In fact, the actress was in conversations with the team even when Hrithik Roshan was in the conversations to do the series. While the casting of men has taken a turn, the actress continues to spearhead the show as the female lead,



There had earlier been reports of Hrithik Roshan spearheading the project but it was announced that he won't be in due to a clash of dates.

Source: Bollywood Hungama
It's been around two years since the nation lost a talented star like Sushant Singh Rajput. On June 14, 2020, the actor passed away, leaving a void in the hearts of his fans. Sushant had many interests and his love for astronomy was well-known among his fans. In the late actor's honour, Luna Society International has announced that January 21, 2023, would be dedicated to him.

For the unversed, January 21 marks the first new moon of 2023 along with Sushant's birth anniversary. Hence, America's Luna Society has shared that SSR's birth anniversary will be celebrated as Sushant Moon next year. Yes, you read that right!

The announcement has been made on the official website of America's Luna Society that January 21, 2023, will be the first observance of Sushant Moon. According to the society, Sushant Moon may become an annual event, although not always falling on the first New Moon of the year.

Viral Bhayani, a well-known paparazzi, too shared the great news with followers on his official Instagram account. Take a look at his post below:

As soon as he shared the development, Sushant's fans went crazy and shared their happiness in the comments section. An Instagram user wrote, "Legends never die (heart emoji) they shine everywhere, every time, every day"

Another fan commented, "Immortal Sushant Singh Rajput (heart emoji)".

Another third social media user wrote, "Our wonder boy is creating magic even now and will keep creating magic forever".

Here are the reactions:

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Reportedly, the decision was made after SSR's admirers sent over 5.2 million tweets with the hashtag #SushantDay.



Interestingly, Sushant was the only Indian actor to purchase land on the moon on his own. Apart from him, Shah Rukh Khan was gifted a piece of land by a fan.

On the career front, the late actor started his career with TV and became a household name after playing the lead role of Manav in Zee TV's Pavitra Rishta. In 2013, he entered Bollywood with Abhishek Kapoor's hit film Kai Po Che. Later, he delivered hits like Shuddh Desi Romance, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kedarnath, and Chhichhore.

Dil Bechara marks Rajput's final and posthumous appearance following his death. The film was released on Disney+Hotstar and broke several viewership records.
Beauty, they say, comes in all shapes and sizes. And Id like to believe that this adage extends to the idea of breasts as well, which too come in several forms.

We have pear-shaped, round, teardrop, asymmetrical and then there is of course a large, medium and small in all of these, giving men a multitude of options to pick from.

Not that men ever pick a woman based just on the size of their boobs, but in case they do, a study claims some hard-hitting facts that most men might not be ready to hear.

 iStock

There is a lot that has been said, discussed and discovered about female breasts and a mans obsession with them.



One of the most common tropes is - the bigger a womans breasts, the greater is a mans interest in her. And considering that there have been plenty of studies where the attention a woman got was directly proportional to how big her bra size was, we cant really turn a blind eye to the fact that there might just be a connection here, after all.

 iStock

However, another connection that a study seems to have found is that between a mans preference for big breasts and his oppressive beliefs.



Viren Swami and Martin J. Tovee, two researchers from the University of Westminster, London conducted a study with 361 men who viewed different figures of women that varied in breast sizes. Results showed that medium-breasts were rated most frequently as attractive (32.7 %), followed by large (24.4 %) and very large (19.1 %) breasts.

 Bays And Thomas Production

But it was what came next that surprised us more.



Turns out, men who went for bigger boobs had a direct correlation with the tendency of being benevolently sexist. These were the men, who were analyzed to objectify women, to be hostile towards them and hold oppressive beliefs towards them.

The study mentioned, It is arguable that benevolently sexist men perceived larger female breasts as attractive because larger breast size on a woman is associated with perceived femininity."

 iStock

Does that mean men who prefer big boobs are not nice men? Umm, we think not!



While there might be conjecture (and a single study) that claims there to be a connection in a mans tendency to be sexist with how big a bra her woman would wear, not all men tend to base their attraction towards a woman based on their bust. Come on, not everyone is Barney Stinson.

 iStock

Yes, it might be one of the factors, based on each guys preference and their social conditioning as to how they view femininity, a lot of men have gone on record to share that they make their choice based on the overall personality of a woman rather than just her boobs.



And while big breasted women get ogled way more than the ones who have small breasts, it is arguable that a mans feelings are more complex and not all that linear.

In a way, men who like big boobs might not all be sexist, but most men who were found to hold sexist beliefs preferred big boobs.

What do you think?
Americas COVID rates are on the right track, but mask requirements arent going anywhere on trains and planes quite yet.

The Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that it would extend its mask mandate for public transport until at least April 18, providing more time to hammer out modulated mask rules for flights and other types of travel.

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The TSA said it was extending its mask mandate by one month in accordance with a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During that time, CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor, the TSA said in a statement.

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This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data and the latest science, the statement added.

A passenger wears personal protective equipment on a Delta Airlines flight after landing at MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (John Minchillo/AP)

Airlines first began to phase in mask mandates in the spring of 2020, and the federal government introduced the TSA rule in January 2021, after President Biden took office.

Last August, the TSA said it was extending the mandate to March 18. The rule carves out exceptions for travelers under the age of 2, and for people with certain disabilities.

Under the mandate, mask usage is required in airports and train stations, and onboard planes, trains and buses. Repeat offenders who breach the rule can be fined up to $1,500, according to the TSA.

COVID case rates have dropped dramatically this winter, after a ferocious surge in January created by the spread of the heavily mutated omicron strain.

The nations weeklong case average on Tuesday was down about 95% since the middle of January, according to CDC data.

In New York, the statewide seven-day test positivity rate dropped Thursday to its lowest level since July 20, according to Gov. Hochuls office. The daily test positivity rate was under 1.4%.

Thanks to the millions of New Yorkers who got vaccinated, got the booster and encouraged their family members to do the same, we see our numbers continuing to trend in the right direction, Hochul said in a statement. Let us remain vigilant.
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People with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance who are treated or transported to a hospital by American Medical Response, the only ambulance provider in Owensboro, wont have the service directly covered by their insurance company.

That is true for people with Anthem insurance across Kentucky, an official for the company that owns AMR said Wednesday.

Owensboro and Daviess County officials, who entered into a contract with AMR for the company to provide ambulance service to the area in 2019, said there was little they could do except ask AMR to become part of Anthems provider network.

The city and county entered into the AMR agreement after Procarent, the company that owns Yellow Ambulance, informed local officials in January 2019 that it would be ending its service by July 1 of that year. The city and county have a contract with AMR in which they pay a $150,000 subsidy. The contract can be renewed annually for up to 10 years.

An official for Global Medical Response, which owns AMR, said in an email that the company bills any and all insurance provided, but is not in network with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in the state of Kentucky.

AMRs website says: If a patient does not have insurance coverage, the bill for AMR services will be due directly from the patient. Payment is due within 30 days of receipt of the invoice.

The company does offer payment plans and a Compassionate Care Program to assist patients who are experiencing financial hardship with out-of-pocket ambulance transportation expenses, the website said. The details of that plan were not included on the website.

Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson said Wednesday he was unaware that AMR was not part of Anthems network. County Judge-Executive Al Mattingly said the county is aware of the issue.

The unfortunate fact, and I commiserate with folks ... (is) you dont ask the ambulance driver, Will my insurance be accepted as payment?  Mattingly said.

The issue is one of the things we are trying to work to rectify, he said.

The city and county have an ambulance board, the Ambulance Contracting Authority. Daviess County Fire Chief Jeremy Smith, who is a member of the board but was not involved in the 2019 negotiations with AMR, said officials do ask AMR to get into Anthems provider network.

I know, in the beginning during the negotiations, they (the board) were aware AMR wasnt in network, Smith said. But I do know they were one of the only viable options.

Since then, I have had several discussions about getting them into Anthem. I do know theres not a lot of progress. I do know they are trying to get in network.

An email with additional questions about the issue between Anthem and AMR was not returned by Global Medical Response. Kentuckys Anthem media contact did not return a call for comment Wednesday.

According to the 2019 contract approved by the Owensboro City Commission and Daviess Fiscal Court, the cost for AMR to provide advance life support is $870 for emergencies and $562 for nonemergencies. The cost of specialty care transport is $1,125. Basic life support is $541 for emergencies and $387 for nonemergencies.

Other costs for ambulance transport include a $175 advanced life support supplies fee, a $15 per mile charge and a $100 fee if the patient is treated but not transported.

The costs of a medical helicopter were not included in the contract. According to an October article in the American Journal of Managed Care, the average charge in 2020 for fixed-wing air ambulances was $24,507.

County Attorney Claud Porter said there is nothing in the contract that requires AMR to accept payments from Anthem. The contract does require AMR to take Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements.

We dont have anything specific for any one network in the contract, Porter said.

Not having AMR in Anthems network affects county employees, who are covered by Anthem, Porter said.

I am not privy to what negotiations AMR has with Anthem, but its my understanding Anthem has a rate where AMR says, I cant afford to accept that rate,  Porter said.

Other ambulance providers did express interest in being the city and countys ambulance service provider.

We interviewed all of them, Porter said. Based on the information we had from the hospital, and given the time constraints, we felt AMR provided the logical solution.

The county and city do not have much leverage in forcing AMR to enter into an agreement with Anthem, Porter said.

We are not part of those negotiations, Porter said. There is not a lot we can do, because we are not the provider.

If there was any kind of leverage we could do, we would be willing to do it.

James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris trip to Warsaw to thank Poland for taking in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing Russias invasion took an unexpected turn before she even left Washington. Shes parachuting into the middle of unexpected diplomatic turbulence over fighter jets.

The Polish government on Tuesday came out with a plan to transfer its Russian-made fighter planes to a U.S. military base in Germany, with the expectation that the planes would then be handed over to Ukrainian pilots trying to fend off Russian forces. In turn, the U.S. would supply Poland with U.S.-made jets with corresponding capabilities.

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U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris disembarks from Air Force Two upon arrival at Warsaw Chopin Airport in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, March 9, 2022, as she travels on a 3-day trip to Poland and Romania for meetings about the war in Ukraine. (SAUL LOEB/AP)

But the Poles didnt run that idea past the Biden administration before going public with it, and the Pentagon quickly dismissed the idea as not tenable. Warplanes flying from a U.S. and NATO base into airspace contested with Russia would raise the risk of the war expanding beyond Ukraine.

Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday stressed that Polands support to Ukraine has been defensive and that any decision whether to make the MiG-29 planes available to Ukraine would be up to the U.S. and NATO  and then only if all nations agreed.

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Around the same time that Harris was arriving in Warsaw, the Pentagon was publicly rebuffing the idea of providing MiGs to Ukraine, even through a second country.

The plane issue provided a rare moment of disharmony in what has been a largely united effort by NATO allies to assist Ukraine without getting embroiled in a wider war with Russia.

And it meant Harris was flying into fractious terrain Wednesday as she opens a two-day visit to Poland and Romania and tries to patch things up.

This fighter jet situation is a messy deal, and Harris will have to go there and smooth things out, said Daniel Fried, who served as U.S. ambassador to Poland for President Bill Clinton and was a senior adviser in the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Theres plenty of discussion on the way ahead that needs to be had with the Poles that is better to have in an in-person conversation.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Harris trip was not focused on the aircraft issue and the matter would be worked through military channels.

Harris is slated to meet on Thursday with Morawiecki and Polish President Andrzej Sebastian Duda as well as with Ukrainians who have fled to Poland. Shell also meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while in Warsaw. Trudeau has been in Europe this week meeting with Ukraine allies.

Harris will travel on Friday to Bucharest, where shes to meet Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
A bomb threat Wednesday morning at Owensboro High School closed the school for the rest of the day, while officers searched the building and detectives began an investigation.

Nothing was found in the school.

The incident began at 11:41 a.m., when the OHS school resource officer received three calls in succession, claiming there was a bomb.

All of the calls were from the same number, said Jared Revlett, public information officer for Owensboro Public Schools. Our school safety team quickly evacuated the building. We got everybody out safe and sound.

Owensboro Police Department Public Information Officer Andrew Boggess said the department called in a bomb dog from another agency to do an initial sweep of the building, and then sent in officers and detectives to conduct a search.

We didnt find any suspicious packages, Boggess said.

Detectives were still on-scene Wednesday afternoon.

Revlett said the decision was made to arrange transportation and send students home.

School will be in session Thursday, March 10, Revlett said.

Boggess said detectives will work on tracking the source of the calls. If the caller is found, Boggess said it is likely he or she would be charged with first-degree terroristic threatening, a Class C felony.

The charge specifically makes it a crime when a person intentionally makes false statements that he or she or another person has placed a weapon of mass destruction in a school building, a university building, a government property or a facility being used for a school function. The charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.

Detectives are just beginning their investigation, Boggess said.

Detectives were assisting in the search of the building, Boggess said. The investigation is in the early phases.

James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse
Members of the McLean County Board of Health held an in-person, special-called meeting Friday to discuss COVID cases in the region and plans to improve the countys health departments facility.

Clay Horton, public health director for the Green River District Health Department, provided an update about how cases were faring off in the county and in the Green River region since the last meeting last July.

The short story  is were in a better place than we have been in the previous fix or six weeks, Horton said. ...Im a lot more optimistic than what we have been for the last year-and-a-half.

Horton said that much of the core messages regarding COVID have shifted due to the decline in cases in the county, region and commonwealth  stressing people to get vaccinated and boosted, use additional tools such as wearing a well-fitting mask in indoor public spaces, stay home if sick and to get tested if symptoms arise or if exposed to the virus and to be mindful that guidance will change depending on more information coming out.

...There is a speed limit to the knowledge that we can gain, and so as we learn more as recommendations and guidance comes out  I think we all should be ready to accept that and try to understand it and try to apply it to our businesses and our community, Horton said. I think thats caused a lot of frustration with the public. When you hear recommendations shift,  sometimes theres not an understanding because it may ... the amount of knowledge has increased or it could be that there have been changes with the virus  with the different variants.

Horton shared a graph to detail the epidemic curve detailing the average daily rates of new cases for the state, region and county; noting that the county has been experiencing both more and less cases compared to state levels.

That same general trend (and) pattern really follows not only the regional (and) local level, but the state level, Horton said. I think that that shows our communities are not isolated from each other. What impacts our neighbors also impacts us and that we, at various times, felt like we were isolated from whats going on from the rest of the world, but we really arent.

Horton also presented the recent introduction of how the state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shifted their metric regarding how to measure the risk of transmission through COVID-19 community levels of the virus by county, which is to be updated every Thursday.

This is a way that public health can communicate to the general public what the risk is in the area that you are in at the time, Horton said.

Horton said that the metrics are based not only on the number of new cases, but also on new hospitalizations and finding out the hospital percentages regarding capacity.

Though the county was surrounded by other counties that were considered to be high levels of cases last week, Horton said McLean fared off in the medium, or yellow, category.

As of Friday, Union County was the only county considered high, or orange, in the region while Muhlenberg County was identified as low, or green, and was one of the first in the state.

Im optimistic that over the next couple of weeks that well see more and more green ... and we will also see less orange , Horton said.

Additionally, Horton spoke about vaccination effectiveness and status since July 2021, highlighting that 93% of deaths for people under 60 were unvaccinated, while 71% of deaths for those over 60 were unvaccinated.

If youre fully vaccinated, your chance for death outcomes are much, much lower , Horton said.

Though Horton notes that the severe outcomes of people who receive the vaccines appear to be very low, there has never been a vaccine that has been met with as much attention and as much scrutiny.

Horton said that there is a possibility of a second booster in the works for people that are both older and immunocompromised but admits that there has not been any evidence for the general population that its needed at this time.

...I think thats something that well have to watch, and it may come to fruition, but as of right now, that robust protection against severe illness seems to be holding very strong , Horton said.

Horton revealed that people have been receiving the virus for the second time.

We didnt before omicron but since omicron weve seen it a lot, Horton said. Its a little difficult to track. For one thing, our surveillance system was completely overwhelmed with omicron  You didnt have this intensive case investigation on every single case, so sometimes it was difficult to tell.  I personally know people who got tested over a year ago and were positive and then caught omicron and took a home test and never told anyone  and isolated until they recovered. Theres a little bit of a blind spot out there, but reinfections are very common with omicron.

The board concluded the meeting with approving payments regarding improvements to the McLean County Health Department as part of the countywide energy efficient improvement project that was approved by the fiscal court last September.

Judge-Executive and Board Chairman Curtis Dame approached the board about the project, which is under contract with Perfection Group, a custom-designed service solutions company based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, which is focused on improving the infrastructure of the health department building, sheriffs office and courthouse.

...We tried to focus on the facilities that we considered had a grade C or lower rating for longevity, Dame said. We all know that we cant afford to rebuild this facility .

The total cost of the health department upgrades is projected to be $250,891, which includes upgrades to 223 LED lighting fixtures, replacement of four HVAC units that are over 20 years old, replacing domestic hot water with a new tankless Rinnai system and addressing continuous roof leak issues.

The boards payments would alleviate a large percentage of the $250,891 based on the health departments square-footage usage, where the board will pay between $10,000 to $12,000 over the next 20 years for a grand total of approximately $140,000 without interest, while the fiscal court will cover the costs of additional improvements such as exterior landscaping and entryway to the facility.
The Livermore/Eastern District Fire Department will welcome the public to its open house of the renovated facility at 3 p.m. Saturday at 213 E. Third St.

Im excited to finally get this thing done and moving on in the right direction where we actually utilize (the space), said Livermore Fire Chief Thomas Brown. From what we had before and what were moving to now, its totally two totally different places.

The fire department received a $500,000 grant from Green River Area Development District (GRADD) in August 2019 and was funded through the Community Development Block Grant by the Department for Local Government through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The renovation includes four new engine bays for larger trucks, while also including a training room, upgraded bathrooms, kitchen area and brand new roofing. The project is funded by the Community Development Block Grant by the Department for Local Government through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

...Its going to fit us very much a whole lot better (and) its so much nicer, Brown said. Its really going to be a lot better building for us and Im excited to see what everybody thinks about it.

Livermore Mayor Jesse Johnson said that the final cost of the project was approximately $1 million.

Johnson said that the previous layout of the building was not ideal, noting that it was cramped and that the doors for the units were awful close regarding overhead clearance.

It was just really tight and they didnt have  any elbow room at all, really, Johnson said. Its just going to give them a lot more room (and) a lot more ability to keep their gear handy . (and) well just (have) a more professional-looking fire department.

Last July, photos appeared online of the renovation progress for the training room and lighting with Brown hoping that the facility would have seen a grand opening that September.

However, things occurred beyond their control as one of the biggest things holding back progress was an air conditioner unit that was on backorder.

Brown said the air conditioner was necessary in order to complete the work because of the high summer temperatures and needing the room to be conditioned to complete the finishing touches.

(The contractors) really wanted to make sure that they were gonna put good quality equipment and material in there that was going to last us for awhile, Brown said. ...We cant do this every 10 years; this is going to have to last us for a long time.

It took a little longer than what I had hoped it would, but  were at the end, Johnson said. ...For the volunteer firefighters, Chief Thomas Brown and all the other guys and gals  were just so thankful that they have a more efficient place to operate out of. Were proud of how it looks in the community. Its been a long road but were glad that its come to completion.

Brown and Johnson believe that the upgrades to the fire department will help the community in a number of different ways.

...Its something we can be proud of when we have visitors come in and want to train with us or instructors come in from state fire rescue training , Brown said. And not only people like that but also people that come in from out of town or just anybody passing by thinking, You know, the city of Livermore (is) not just standing by and letting things cave in. Theyre trying to maintain what they have  and make things better and grow . 

One of our goals is to hopefully entice some more folks to join the force since we have a better facility, a better training room and the whole-nine yards, Johnson said. And its just the availability of the fire department to the community. I think our response time will be as good or better than what it was before; it was good before but hopefully this will be a little better. Were just excited about that.

Johnson is also glad that there will be ample room for the equipment, which has been housed two blocks away at Livermore City Hall during the construction.

...Weve got enough room for everything now in its own place, Johnson said.

The renovation joins some of the additional happenings that have been occurring in Livermore, such as the city becoming the 25th Kentucky Trail Town by Kentucky Tourism, the opening of BigOStop Smoke Shop last month, the announcement of the new business RiverTown Market and recently receiving a $100,000 grant through the Cleaner Water Program to purchase and install software and electronic meters to help with accurate billing and reduce water loss.

Johnson looks forward to keeping up this momentum for the rest of the year.

Weve got some more things going on here in town. Were excited because  the things that have happened in the last year-and-a-half (to) two years have been in the middle of the pandemic so Im real proud of the fact that we were able to go ahead and go forward even in the midst of all that, Johnson said. ...We have another new business that we will be announcing here in the very near future that will be opening here in town to bring some more employment in. We still have some work to do on our riverfront . Were excited about the things that are happening and going forward. Weve been blessed the past couple of years to see progress and hopefully well see more in the future.
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Workshop limited to 11 participants, May 1 deadline to register

Women with little or no previous experience who would like to expand or learn new turkey hunting skills will have a chance to do so through an upcoming Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop in Cass City.

The free BOW program will be held May 13-14, sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation, Cabela's and Ben's Great Outdoors.

"We are so appreciative of these sponsors for their continued support for this program," said Michelle Zellar, DNR BOW coordinator. "Ammo, shotguns and lunch will all be provided. However, overnight lodging will be the responsibility of the participants."

This two-day workshop is open to any properly licensed woman hunter, 10 years of age or older. No experience is required, proper safety and hunting techniques will be taught and followed.

On Friday, May 13, participants will gain knowledge of turkey biology, general turkey hunting techniques, turkey calls and calling techniques, hunting ethics, general firearm safety and shooting. Participants will then be paired with hunting mentors and set afield to hunt.

On Saturday, May 14, the participants and their mentors will meet at the DNR's Cass City field office (4017 Caro Road) for a light breakfast before an early morning hunt. Following lunch there will be an opportunity to participate in bird cleaning prior to wrapping up the workshop.

To attend this event, you must have a Michigan base license and turkey hunting license, which is available as an apprentice option and must be purchased prior to attending the workshop (Hunt Unit ZB, Hunt Number 0117).

Enrollment is limited to 11, and to first-time, participants only. Deadline for registration is May 1. Class information and registration materials are available online at Michigan.gov/BOW. This will be a rain or shine event.

For more information, contact Michelle Zellar at 906-293-5131 ext. 4004, Ron Sting 989-872-5300 or send an email to DNRBOW@michigan.gov.

For more information on Michigan's fantastic Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program, visit Michigan.gov/BOW.
WARSAW  Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, citing the atrocities of bombing civilians, including a maternity hospital.

Speaking alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda at a press conference in Warsaw, Harris expressed outrage over the bombing Wednesday of the maternity hospital and scenes of bloodied pregnant women being evacuated, as well as other attacks on civilians. She stopped short of directly accusing Russia of having committed war crimes.

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Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching, said Harris, noting that the United Nations has already started a process to review allegations. I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.

Harris visit to Poland came amid a kerfuffle between Warsaw and Washington over a Polish proposal to send its Soviet-made fighter jets to a U.S. and NATO base in Germany so they could then go to Ukraine. Poland, in turn, would receive American F-16s.

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US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a joint press conference with Poland's President Andrzej Duda on the occasion of their meeting at Belwelder Palace, in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

At Thursdays news conference, both Harris and Duda sought to brush aside differences on the fighter jets issue.

I want to be very clear, the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop, she said.

Duda said, it is obvious to us that in Ukraine Russians are committing war crimes. He added that in his view the invasion was bearing the features of a genocide  it aims at eliminating and destroying a nation.

Harris met with seven refugees who have fled from Ukraine to Poland since the Russian invasion began. She praised the refugees for their courage and said the conversation would help inform U.S. assistance efforts.

We are here to support you, and you are not alone, Harris told the group. And I know theres so much about the experience that youve had that has made you feel alone. You are not alone. We around the world are watching.

Already, more than 2 million refugees have fled Ukraine  with more than half coming to Poland  and even more expected to arrive in the days ahead.

The United States is absolutely prepared to do what we can and what we must to support Poland, in terms of the burden that they have taken on, Harris said.

Harris will travel on Friday to Bucharest, where she will meet Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
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MEOSTA COUNTY  The Mecosta County drain commissioner has jurisdiction over county drains and drainage districts created under the Michigan Drain Code, including the maintenance of those drains and construction of improvement projects.

Mecosta County has 39 county drains.

The 2021 annual report for the drain commissioner's office for the period January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, was presented to the county board of commissioners during its meeting last week.

The drain commission oversees the review of storm water site plans for Mecosta County, Big Rapids Charter Township, Mecosta Township, and Morton Township building and zoning departments at their request. The annual report is an accounting of the funds for the county drains and lake level accounts, and an overview of the projects in the works, drain commissioner Karla Miller told the board.

Highlights of the work completed in 2021 include:

Completion of Ford Drain petition project;

Completion of the Brady Lake Dam replacement;

Completion of the state mandated triennial inspections of Blue Lake, Chippewa Lake and Horsehead Lake Dams;

Legal review of select drains and dams;

Compliance with Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC) program audit; and

Issuance and inspection of SESC permits.

The report provided information on the following ongoing drain projects:

Ives Drain: Big Rapids Township, the city of Big Rapids

One of the major drain projects underway by the drain commission is the Ives Drain in Big Rapids, which is a .65-mile-long open channel watercourse east of Ferris State University discharging into the Muskegon River. The drainage district consists of 448 acres located in Big Rapids Township and the city of Big Rapids.

According to the report, the drain commissioners office was approached by the city regarding the potential to create a new county drain crossing under Ives Street and out-letting into the Muskegon River. A study of the area by an engineer determined the watershed (drainage district boundary), documented severe bank erosion, and documented exposed utilities.

In April 2019, following a petition of property owners in the drainage district, the drain commission accepted an order laying out and designating the Drainage District. This action created the Ives Drain Drainage District. In August 2019, the drain commission received a petition to locate, establish and construct the Ives Drain.

Regarding the Ives drain, it is pretty much business as usual, Miller said. It is in the process and getting closer. We have submitted for permits to EGLE (Department of Energy, Great Lakes and Environment). There are a lot of different stages that we must go through and we are meeting with stakeholders regularly to hash it out.

The report stated that the following steps remain for the Ives drain:

Completion of the final design;

Easement acquisition;

Incorporation of landowner comments;

Coordination with utilities;

Putting the project out for bids; and

Conducting a Day of Review of Apportionment.

Tonkin Drain: Big Rapids Charter Township

Another major project currently ongoing is the Big Rapids Charter Township Tonkin Drain. Established in 1904, the drain length is 1.25 miles and is an open ditch. The commission received a petition for maintenance on this drainage system in 2018. A Board of Determination was held, and the project was found necessary.

"We continue to look at options to help this drainage system, including but not limited to, extending this historic county drain all the way to the Muskegon River and upstream, to better control the water that flows into and out of the drainage system," Miller said in the report.

The following steps remain for this drain:

Completion of the final design;

Easement acquisition;

Incorporation of landowner comments;

Coordination with MDOT and utilities;

Putting the project out for bids;

A Day of Review of Apportionments;

Awarding contract to selected bidder; and

Beginning construction.

DRAIN MAINTENANCE

The annual report included annual and ongoing maintenance of the following drains:

Blanchard Intercounty Drain: Millbrook Township

Established in 1916, the Blanchard Intercounty Drain, is a combination of open ditch and tiled drain. According to the report, in 2021, a small area near the Blanchard Intercounty Drain was re-graded to improve drainage of a farm field.

Colby Lake Drain: Colfax and Martiny townships

Several beavers and their dams were removed from the Colby Lake Drain in Colfax and Martiny Townships. Colby Lake Drain was established in 1909 and is an open channel system approximately 1.98 miles in length. Beaver activity continues to be a problem for this drainage system, the report said.

Culp Drain: Millbrook Township

Culp Drain is an open ditch drainage system about 4.23 miles in length. An engineer was hired to inspect the entire Culp Drain, which was established in May of 1909, to determine its condition, the report said. Several downed trees were discovered, which need to be removed.

An attorney was also hired to review the historical documents for the drain to make sure it was created with all the proper papers and orders. The result was that it is a legally established drain and drainage district.

This drain will require maintenance in 2022.

Edgar Intercounty Drain: Montcalm and Mecosta counties

Edgar Intercounty Drain is an intercounty drain with Montcalm County and Mecosta County. Established in 1905, the 4.01 mile drain, is an open channel drain.

In 2019, both counties were contacted about the need to clear the drain to provide a good outlet for other county drains that flow into this drain. An engineer was hired to inspect the drain to evaluate the need for maintenance. In 2020, maintenance was done to dip out and remove debris from the channel. In 2021, the maintenance for the drain was completed.

Ford Drain: Aetna, Austin, and Mecosta townships

In August 2019, an engineer was hired to review the district boundaries and apportionments pertaining to the Ford Drain in Aetna, Austin, and Mecosta townships. A day of review of district boundaries and apportionments was held, and soon after a petition for drain maintenance was received.

The scope of the maintenance on the drain was determined in 2020. Work on the drain was substantially done in 2020 and the project was completed in 2021.

Sheridan Township Green Drain: Sheridan Township

Established in September 1916, Sheridan Township Green Drain is an open ditch drain approximately 1.53 miles in length. An engineer was hired to review the district boundaries and apportionments and hold a day of review of district boundaries and apportionments. The field review of the drain was begun in 2020 and completed in 2021.

Hills of Mitchell Creek Drain: Big Rapids

In 2008, the drain commissioner accepted the Hills of Mitchell Creek Drain and district, a series of drainage basins located within the Hills of Mitchell Creek subdivision, as a county drain. An attorney was hired to review the historical documents for this drain to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established drain and drainage district.

Jenkins Drain: Hinton Township

Hinton Township Jenkins Drain, a tiled and open ditch drain, was established in 1919 and is approximately 5.15 miles in length. In 2021 maintenance was done to dip out the channel and remove debris.

Northgate Drain: Big Rapids Charter and Green Charter townships

Established in 1990 in the Big Rapids Charter and Green Charter townships, Northgate Drain is 2.28 miles, including both open ditch and underground tile.

An engineer was hired to review the district boundaries and apportionments and hold a Day of Review of District Boundaries and a Day of Review of Apportionments. The field review was done in 2020, and review of the district was completed in 2021. An attorney also reviewed the historical documents for the drain to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established drain and drainage district.

Parks Drain: Sheridan and Wheatland townships

Parks Drain was established in 1906 in Sheridan and Wheatland townships. It is an open ditch system approximately 2.18 miles in length. Several beavers and their dams have been removed, but beavers continue to present problems on the drainage system.

Snow Drain: Hinton Township

Hinton Township's Snow Drain was established in 1907 and is a tiled and open ditch drain approximately 2.24 miles in length. An attorney was hired to review the historical documents for the drain to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established drain and drainage district. Additionally, historical easements for this document were filed with the County Register of Deeds.

Stevens Drain: Hinton Township

Stevens Drain in Hinton Township was established in 1924. The length of the drain is approximately 1.40 miles and it is a tiled drain. An attorney was hired to review the historical documents for this drain to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established drain and drainage district.

Waldron Drain

Waldron Drain is retention/detention pond system. An attorney was hired to review the historical documents for this drain to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established drain and drainage district.

Willmer Drain: Grant and Green Charter townships

This is an open ditch drain approximately 582 feet in length. Maintenance was done to clear debris from the downstream bank of the drain on Indian Village Road.

DAM MAINTENANCE

In addition to the drain maintenance, the report included information on the following dams that had work done during 2021.

Brady Lake Dam: Aetna Township

Due to the existing steel weir dam rusting and eroding, it was determined that an earthen dam structure would be built as a replacement. The dam was replaced in 2021. An attorney was hired to review the historical documents for the dam to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established lake level and special assessment district.

Chippewa Lake Dam: Chippewa Township

Beavers and their dams were removed from the channel near this dam in 2021.

Horsehead Lake Dam: Martiny Township

Horsehead Lake, Little John Brown and Big John Brown lakes are connected and are controlled by the county dam. The Road Commission widened 14 Mile Road and reduced the access to the dam from the road shoulder. A foot bridge was installed at the dam to allow easy access to the dam.

An attorney was hired to review the historical documents for the dam to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established lake level and special assessment district.

Pickerel (Burgess) Lake Dam: Wheatland Township

An attorney was hired to review the historical documents for this dam to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established lake level and special assessment district. The Mecosta County Road Commission removed downed trees from the downstream side of the dam along 18 Mile Road.

Pretty Lake Dam: Martiny Township

An attorney was hired to review the historical documents for this dam to make sure it was created with all the proper notices and orders. The result is that this is a legally established lake level and special assessment district.

DAM INSPECTIONS

In addition, the report said, three lake level control structures needed state mandated triennial inspections in 2021  Blue Lake Dam in Morton Township, Chippewa Lake Dam in Chippewa Township, and Horsehead Lake Dam in Martiny Township.

The drain commission is funded by special assessment district funds, the Mecosta County revolving drain fund, plat review fees and soil erosion and sedimentation control fees. The entire drain commission report can be viewed at www.mecostacounty.org/drain.html
A 47-year-old Imlay City man died March 9 as a result of gunshot wounds he received after reportedly opening fire on a Lapeer County Sheriff's deputy.

According to a Michigan State Police press release, two uniformed deputies responded to a residence on Willis Road in Burnside Township to locate a suspect, Robert Charles Raymond, wanted on a felony criminal sexual conduct warrant.

The homeowner of the residence allowed the deputies to search the premises for the suspect. When the deputies opened the door of an outbuilding on the property, the suspect reportedly opened fire and struck one of the deputies multiple times. The other deputy returned fire, striking the suspect.

The deputy who was shot was transported to Marlette Regional Hospital before being flown to Hurley Medical Center for treatment. The other deputy was not shot, but did sustain non-life-threatening injuries and sought treatment at a local hospital.

Raymond was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation. The MSP was assisted at the scene by the Lapeer County Sheriff's Office, MSP Traffic Crash Reconstructionist, MSP Aviation, MSP Forensic Laboratory, Brown City Area Fire Department, Lapeer County EMS and Lapeer County Victim Services Unit.
Laura Iden is one of the unsung heroes in our community. Lauras full time job is working for Consumers Energy while still maintaining a home and family.

In a field that has traditionally been male-dominated, Laura lays down piping while laying down new pathways for women to enter.

Although Laura arrived in Michigan in 1995 from California, Bad Axe is the place she calls home. She and her husband, Randy, have been married six years, and enjoy a beautiful blended family of seven children, five grandchildren, and are expecting the arrival of another grandchild to add to the family.

With a full work schedule, Laura still finds time to cook for her family and in-laws. When she can grab a minute to relax, she enjoys Dutch pour painting. Laura has created several beautiful works of art.

Tribune Photo

Randy and Laura also attend Model-T flea markets looking to acquire parts and accessories for their Model-T Randy is restoring. Lauras passion for her job is only second to her great passion for her family.

What is your official job title, and how long have you been employed with Consumers Energy?

I am a Gas Service Worker. I have been with Consumers seven years this month. I am a gas service worker 10, which is the highest you can get in gas service.

What led you to decide to work for Consumers Energy, and to this position for your career choice?

Well, I had a job I wasnt happy with, and I got online and saw they were looking for meter readers in this area. So I went through the testing then, and it was about a year later when they finally called me and I went through interviews. Then they said I had the position in meter reading. So I started out as a meter reader. I did a lot of walking, between 15 and 20 miles a day. A lot of walking. So when they put in the smart meters, I re-tested, and I was able to move up, and be promoted to service.

What type of special training was required for this position, and what does it entail?

I went to Flint for training. I dont remember for how many weeks, but I have the experience now, and I know how to do my piping, how to install the meters. They trained me, and I just took it from there, and I like it. I like the customers.

What routine does a typical day involve, and how many hours a day do you work?

We work from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and we get a half hour for lunch, and two 15 minutes breaks. So its an eight hour day unless we are on call, like I am on call tonight. Im on call Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week. So that on-call starts at 4:30 p.m. Something comes in, and they give it to the on-call person. So if a gas leak comes, in they would acros (send) me out, and I would hop in the van with my stuff, and go take care of what I have to take care of. I do a lot of installs, rebuilds, upgrades. Our job entails anything from gas leaks to piping, fuel lines to a meter. On-call is a rotation. Its either going to be a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday grouped together or it will be a Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday grouped together. Since Im on call this Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I have the next week normal but the following week I will be on Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday so we each get a weekend. We can get calls at 2 in the morning. So when the phone rings, you just answer it and go. We do our part.

What county or counties do you service?

Sometimes they have me go to Saginaw or Caro. Usually I am in Bad Axe. You know, Tuscola, I work in Caro sometimes if theyre short of people, and they need my help over there. We dont have any gas in Sanilac. I just get up in the morning, get on my computer, see where Im at, and thats where I go. Mostly Im in Huron County.

What do you consider to be the best part of your job, and the hardest part of your job?

The best part of my job is the customers. The hardest part is working in the cold, cold, cold. The work doesnt bother me, its the cold. The weather is the worst part. I dont care if there is a blizzard out there, if a gas leak comes in, you got to take care of it.

As you travel about, what do you like about working in the Huron County community?

The people. Customers make me want to go to work everyday. Everywhere I go people wave. They know me.

What advice would you offer someone considering this position, especially women?

Anyone can do it. I can do it. I didnt think I could. I didnt know how to pipe, to put pipe together, but with the right training, it can be accomplished. It really can. Its not easy, but you put your mind to anything. I had no idea how hard gas service was going to be but now that Ive been doing it awhile, its not hard. I encourage women to get in this type of field because its a good industry to be in. Consumers is a great company to work for.

Do you have a gas safety tip you could share with our readers?

If you smell gas, call it in. Dont wait. You would be surprised how many gas leaks Ive gone to where they say theyve been smelling it for the last four days. Dont ever wait. If youre not sure about that funky smell youre smelling, you call it in. Youd rather be safe than sorry because gas is something you dont want to mess with. You even think you smell it, you make that call.

Next time you see a Consumers Energy van give a wave to the women and men who keep our gas turned on. I guarantee they will smile and wave back.

For more information about Consumers Energy and their career offerings visit https://consumersenergy.com.
Stacy Washington recounted moments when she noticed her daughter was acting differently. Sometimes, she just didn't seem like herself.

Along the way, she lost her identity and she was just finding it again, said Washington, of Saginaw. But, she found it a little too late.

Beanitta Dawkins, 26, was a mother of three children who was enrolled in Delta College with the goal of pursuing an education to support her family.

Before Dawkins moved to Midland, Washington said she was concerned about the potential distance between her pregnant daughter and her support system in Saginaw.

That is when her mother's concern began.

Washington said Dawkins lost an aspect of control when she was moved away from her community of extended family members, loved ones and her church.

There were signs of both verbal and emotional abuse present in Dawkins' relationship, she said.

With her being her own person, you just try to be there to help her through and try to help her see what weve seen, she said.

Dawkins died Thursday from a gunshot wound in Midland in her Forest Glen home. The suspect in her shooting, who police said was dating Dawkins, was found dead later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Midland Police Department was still investigating the shooting as of Monday.

She was found after her father filed a missing person report with the Midland Police Department on Thursday morning last week. Washington posted on social media, calling out to friends on Facebook about her daughters potential danger.

According to the Underground Railroad of Saginaw, its not always easy to tell at the beginning of a relationship if it will become abusive. Though each case is unique to those involved, there are some commonalities amongst the signs of abuse.

The Saginaw advocacy group said it's common for an abusive partner to try and/or obtain power and control over the other partner. Some behaviors include monitoring where you go and punishing you by withholding affection and/or care, according to the group's website.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence adds an abuser may even be charming between periods of violence and/or often externalizes the causes of their behavior.

Possessive and controlling behaviors dont always appear overnight, but rather emerge and intensify as the relationship grows.

Just try to advocate to them and for them, Washington said. I couldnt make her  at the end of the day  try best just to help them see the different red flags.

Washington is remembering her daughter as a caring mother with her ability to keep family members together. She said theres multiple families and people impacted by the tragedy.

We're trying to bring unity between the families," she said. "The mind is very complex.We can't really grasp what a person has going on in their mind that causes them to react in a certain way."

For more on Dawkins' life, read here.

Editor's Note: In Midland County, if you or someone you know has been affected by domestic violence, you can contact the Shelterhouse in Midland at 24-hour Crisis Help Line: 877-216-6383 (toll-free) and/or visit shelterhousemidland.org.

Shelterhouse is a nonprofit organization which provides shelter, counseling and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence. Each year, it answers 2,500 crisis calls, provides 4,500 nights of shelter for those afraid to stay in their own homes, and impacts 12,000 additional people through community education and outreach.
Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune

Bad Axe police have closed eastbound M-142/Huron Avenue near city hall after a two-vehicle pin-in crash at Huron Avenue and Hanselman Street Thursday afternoon.

Members of the Bad Axe Fire Department and police responded to the crash around 2 p.m. Thursday. Officers were rerouting eastbound traffic north on Hanselman Street. Bad Axe police said the extent of the injuries was not yet determined and the department would release more information.
Southern Michigan's Maple Syrup Weekend falls on the first day of spring this year, the best season for producing maple syrup.

Organized by the Michigan Maple Syrup Association, treat yourself to the sweetness of the state by seeing how maple is harvested and made into delicious syrup at one of the many sugar houses participating in Maple Syrup Weekend on March 19-20 across Michigan.

The MMSA hosts Maple Weekend around the state so that local community members can visit maple sugar houses in the areas where they reside. The weekend opportunity provides a chance for residents to visit and see a maple syrup operation and learn more about the value of the maple syrup industry in Michigan's agriculture economy, according to the association.

For a full listing of participating locations visit here. The weather must warm to above-freezing temperatures for sap to flow and a "very rapid rise in temperature (from 25F to 45F) will enhance sap flow considerably," according to the association.

Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News

In the Michigan Thumb region, MapleWorxz will be hosting tours at its sugar house located at 3540 North Hurds Corner Road in Caro. The event will be hosted by MapleWorxz families that have "like kindred spirits" and enjoy making maple syrup the traditional way, according to the MapleWorxz website.

Graphic provided/ Michigan Maple Syrup Association

Additionally, the Chippewa Nature Center is hosting Maple Syrup Day 2022 at its sugar house on Saturday, March 19 with activities for all ages.

Located in Midland, the nature center's Maple Syrup Day includes a wagon ride to the sugar house, a photo booth, a scavenger hunt in the woods, plenty of maple treats, maple-themed games and crafts, a taste of "sugar on snow," also known as maple syrup taffy, an unlimited pancake meal and more.

Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News

The event is free for all CNC members and kids under 18 and costs $5 for non-member adults. A pancake meal is a separate ticket.

New to Maple Syrup Day this year, the pancake meal is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m in the visitor center and includes unlimited pancakes with real maple syrup, sausage, applesauce, milk and coffee. You can register in advance for timed entry into the meal. Members of the nature center receive a 20% discount. Tickets cost $9 for ages 13 and up, $6 for ages 3 to 12 and free for children under 3.

You can purchase tickets and view the complete event overview here.
Russia unleashed an unholy airstrike on a maternity hospital in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities said, as the Kremlin turned up the terror on Day 14 of the largest invasion in Europe since World War II.

The attack on the medical center in Mariupol, a besieged city on Ukraines southern coast, left an enormous crater in the earth outside the hospital, blew out windows, tore apart walls and sent shell-shocked people fleeing, according to video and images from the site.

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This image taken from video provided by the Mariupol City Council shows the aftermath of Mariupol Hospital after an attack, in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday March 9, 2022. (AP)

The result was a scene of dystopia: debris flakes wafted like snow above the deep canyon of dirt blown in the ground. Nearby buildings looked like shattered concrete skeletons; fire crackled in the remains of an auto.

The blast wounded at least 17, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Donetsk region governor, but the full extent of the casualties was not immediately clear. Russia kills civilians! Kyrylenko said on Facebook.

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An injured pregnant woman walks downstairs in the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (Evgeniy Maloletka / AP)

Serhiy Orlov, Mariupols deputy mayor, said he was having trouble wrapping his head around the attack. We dont understand how its possible in modern life to bomb a childrens hospital, he told the BBC. People cannot believe that its true.

A harrowing image snapped by an Associated Press photographer showed a pregnant woman being carried on a stretcher outside the bombed medical center, one of more than 30 that have fallen under attack during the war, according to the Ukrainian government.

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the damaged by shelling maternity hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (Evgeniy Maloletka / AP)

On Twitter, Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the UN, described the attack as horrific.

Civilians are paying the highest price for a war that has nothing to do with them, Guterres said of the brazen invasion that President Vladimir Putin began last month in Ukraine, a 30-year-old sovereign nation located in the former Soviet Union. This senseless violence must stop.

Dead bodies are placed into a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022 as people cannot bury their dead because of the heavy shelling by Russian forces. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Surrounded by Russian forces for a week, Mariupol has endured days without power or water, and corpses have gone uncollected in the streets. But defiant residents have so far refused to allow the city  home to about a half-million at peacetime  to fall into Russian control.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said the carnage at the Mariupol maternity ward was the product of a direct aerial strike carried out by the Russians, and that children were caught under the wreckage.

Atrocity! Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter, imploring Western powers to enforce a missile-stopping no-fly zone over his country, a move they have shunned, wary of sparking a third World War.

Mariupol. Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity. pic.twitter.com/FoaNdbKH5k    (@ZelenskyyUa) March 9, 2022

How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Zelenskyy said on Twitter. Close the sky right now! Stop the killings!

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Even as Ukraines European allies attempt to avoid a direct military conflict with Russia, they have joined the U.S. in aiming potent economic sanctions at Putin.

On Tuesday, Russia faced one of its steepest penalties yet. The U.S. said it was cutting Russian oil imports from its economy, despite the costs to American consumers, and Britain said it would match the move within the year.

Meanwhile, the director of the CIA, William Burns, warned that Russias 69-year-old authoritarian leader seemed poised to respond to Western sanctions and Ukrainian resistance by deepening the pain felt by his democratic neighbors.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Martin Meissner/AP)

Burns predicted Tuesday that Putin would double down, adding that Ukraine is in for an ugly next few weeks. At least on Wednesday, it appeared the intelligence experts ominous assessment was coming true.

Late Tuesday, the government in the Sumy region in northern Ukraine said that a single bomb had reduced six houses to ash and killed 22 people, including three children.

More than 2 million refugees have managed to flee Ukraine, by the UNs accounting, but some people hoping to escape the suddenly war-torn country have been caught in fatal Russian fire. Attempts to broker so-called humanitarian corridors for Ukrainians have proved elusive.

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Polish soldiers assist people, mostly women and children, board a train following their arrival from war-torn Ukraine on a snowy day at the Medyka border crossing on March 09, 2022 in Medyka, Poland. (SeanGallup/Getty Images)

John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, bashed a Russian plan to let Ukrainians escape through corridors into Russia and Belarus, a Kremlin-allied country to Ukraines north that was a staging ground for the Russian Armys mass of soldiers before the invasion.

Short of stopping the invasion  which is really what needs to happen here  short of that, we want to see that innocent civilians are given safe passage, Kirby told reporters Wednesday. It ought to be to places inside their own country, inside Ukraine.

I think the Ukrainians can be forgiven for not wanting to flee into the very countries that have invaded them, Kirby added.

A Ukrainian serviceman stands at a check point in the vilage of Velyka Dymerka east of Kyiv, on March 9, 2022. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

He said the Russians have been deploying long-range weapons that are not precisely guided, raising the chances of incidental civilian casualties.

It has become clear that Putins war has not played out as he planned. An anticipated swift siege of the capital Kyiv has instead turned into a grinding conflict beyond the city limits.

In the northeast, the Russian advance has also been stonewalled outside Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, even as airstrikes batter its civilian areas.

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Odessa, an architectural jewel box of a city located in the south, has been expected for days to become the next focus of the Russian invasion. But there, too, the Russian forces have yet to reach the city limits.

Servicemen attend funerals of Dmytro Kotenko, Vasyl Vyshyvany and Kyrylo Moroz, Ukrainian servicemen killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at Lychakiv cemetery in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 9, 2022. (YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images)

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More than 2,000 Russian troops have already died in the war, according to the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agencys estimates. The Ukrainian government said the Russian Army has suffered more than 12,000 casualties, but may be fudging figures to improve morale.

By any accounting, the Ukrainians have surprised Russia with their fortitude. And observers have warmed to the possibility that Russia may ultimately find itself routed.

But Putin appears intent on increasing the price to ordinary Ukrainians as he continues his brutal bombardment in the face of global outcry.

There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain said on Twitter on Wednesday. The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes.

A servicewoman reacts during funerals of Dmytro Kotenko, Vasyl Vyshyvany and Kyrylo Moroz, Ukrainian servicemen killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 9, 2022. (YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images)

In New York, home to the largest Ukrainian-American population in the U.S., Gov. Hochul has promised the state will open its doors wide to refugees fleeing Eastern Europe.

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The governor spoke with the Polish ambassador to the U.S. on Wednesday morning and relayed the message, she said.

Let the refugees come to New York, Hochul told a crowd at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Manhattan on Wednesday. There are homes and churches and relief services awaiting in every corner of the state.
MIDDLETOWN  The Board of Education hasnt yet determined its plan to replace the former superintendent of schools, who resigned last week, citing his familys safety after a letter sent to his home was alleged to contain racist content and death threats.

Former Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner, who had been on leave since October amid a workplace misconduct investigation, stepped down from his position March 3 after pointing to recent threats that caused him to reevaluate personal priorities, according to his resignation letter.

Middletown police are still investigating the 15-page page document mailed Feb. 24 to Conners home.

The school district and Board of Education declined to answer questions this week about their plans to fill the position. Communications Director Jessie Lavorgna said the district does not comment on confidential personnel matters.

At this time, the Middletown Board of Education needs to decide next steps with regard to the superintendent position, Lavorgna said Tuesday.

In mid-October, the district appointed Middletown Public Schools Chief Academic Officer Alberto Vazquez Matos as interim superintendent when Conner was granted family leave. Conner was later placed on administrative leave.

The Board of Education hired the law firm of Thompson Hine to investigate allegations of improper conduct by members of the districts central office leadership, including Chief of School Operations Marco Gaylord and Chief of Administration Christine Bourne, who have been out on paid leave since mid-January.

The investigation remains ongoing, Lavorgna said. As of Jan. 31, the district has paid Thompson Hine $226,981.59 for its services, Lavorgna said.

The probe is being led by Glianny Fagundo and Jason Carruthers, two labor and employment attorneys with experience conducting sensitive, workplace investigations, Cain has said.

In a letter to Gaylord, the acting superintendent said he had significant concerns about his conduct, while the notice to Bourne referenced allegations concerning her workplace behavior, the documents show.

Middletown police Lt. David Godwin said the investigation into the letter sent to Conners home remains ongoing.

The lead detective in the case, Officer Chris Iovene of the Major Investigations Unit, is planning to meet this week with the states attorney, Godwin said.

The Board of Education met Tuesday night and convened an executive session to discuss possible action on a personnel matter related to the superintendent. However, Cain adjourned the meeting before that took place, and what transpired in the private meeting was not disclosed.

Hes done a lot of great things in this district, Cain said during the meeting in reference to Conner. We wish you well, Dr. Conner. We wish you the best of luck.
MIDDLETOWN  The panelists at Feb. 26 talk at Wesleyan University about the war in Ukraine were in so many ways just regular college students, studying public administration or politics, seeking ways to improve their communities and live their lives.

Given recent events, no matter how much they yearn for peace, they may all end up being soldiers. The people who are defending us are putting up a hell of a fight, said Daria Bila, a college student speaking from Ukraine.

The students joined a discussion via Zoom hosted by the Fries Center for Global Studies called Ukraine-Russia Crisis: A Series of International Livestream Conversations with Students, Journalists & Civic Leaders in Ukraine.

The series started Feb. 25 in front of a rapt audience of about 40 Wesleyan students, faculty and local journalists. News reports released during the meeting noted that Russian forces were attacking the capital of Kyiv in an effort to topple the democratically-elected government.

We want to bring some humanity to what is going on in Ukraine, said Katja Kolcio, professor of dance, director of the Allbritton Center, and one of the event organizers.

Kolcio hoped that by bringing in students with first-hand experience of the recent Russian attack, it would combat some of the misinformation being spread by Russian President Vladimir Putin. We will get to see (the Ukrainian students) perseverance, the determination, and their incredible care and commitment to civil liberties and democracy, Kolcio said.

Several common threads emerged in the students statements  that Ukrainian forces are holding on thus far, and that the people are united in their efforts to support the military. They said that Russian forces are attacking civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools.

Ukraine is capable and willing to defend its sovereignty, but needs certain kinds of assistance from the United States and other democracies, they said.

We dont understand why we arent in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Yuriv Lemikowskyy said. I dont think they understand that war in Ukraine is a war against all of the democratic countries. Putin will never stop.

Oleksii Diatiov, a QA engineer in the state company Prozorro, Kiev, currently studying at the masters program at the School of Public Management in Ukrainian Catholic University, was forced to move his family from Kyiv because of the fighting. Diatiov is an officer in the Ukrainian reserves and had seen combat on behalf of his country in the Russian-Ukrainian War. Dictatorships and autocracies only stop when they are stopped, he said. If we fall, the consequences will be horrible.

Barry Chernoff, Robert Schumann Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies and moderator of the event, asked the group a simple question: If President Biden were standing in front of you right now, what would you ask him? Chernoff said.

We are looking for support from the United States and the West, said student Roman Stasiuk. We are glad you are with us.

President Michael Roth 78 weighed in on the situation in Ukraine on his blog. Ukrainians are facing a dire emergency with courage and determination. People who care about democracy and peace should stand with them. We must not accept the vicious Russian aggression as a normal part of geopolitics, Roth said.

Editors note: This article, which first appeared in the Wesleyan Connection, was reprinted with permission. Read the full story at newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu.
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BRIDGEPORT  Family members of two local women who said police never notified them of their loved ones deaths asked lawmakers to pass a bill mandating police do so within 24 hours.

The way that my daughter's death was handled was simply an atrocity, said Everett Smith, the father of one of the women, 23-year-old Lauren Smith-Fields. At first it was surreal. I couldnt believe it. And today its still surreal.

I know that this bill is not going to take care of everything, but its a start, Smith said later. Its common sense.

Speaking in front of the committee later, Mayor Joe Ganim spoke in favor of the proposed law and said he hopes new leadership will clean up the citys police department.

The legislation, House Bill 5349, requires police who respond to or otherwise encounter a deceased person or the remains of a person to ensure the persons next of kin are notified within 24 hours of the persons identification.

If they cant, the law would require cops to document the reason for the failure or delay of notification and any attempts made to make such notification.

Police officers who run afoul of the law could be reported to the states Office of the Inspector General for investigation and possible censure, suspension, or revocation of the peace officers certification.

When it comes to Black and brown people, you need to treat us like were human, Smith-Fields mother, Shantell Fields, said. I just need to be for everyone to be treated as a human being and notified of their familys loss and treated with respect and kindness.

The states Office of the Chief Medical examiner eventually ruled Smith-Fields died of an accidental overdose, and Brenda Lee Rawls, 53, who died the same day, Dec. 12, 2021, died of natural causes.

Members of the legislatures judiciary committee expressed bipartisan support for the bill during Wednesdays hearing, in contrast with debates over past police accountability measures.

State Sen. Gary Winfield, a co-chair of the committee, became emotional after hearing testimony from Smith-Fields parents.

There are lots of people who have been watching your situation and feel it deeply and I really appreciate you for fighting for your daughter and what youve gone through, he said. A lot of people, when we pass this bill, will be better for the work that weve done so thank you so much.

Two of Rawls sisters spoke in favor of the bill, but one, Dorothy Washington, called for it to include more oversight, a suggestion lawmakers said theyd look at more closely.

Another sister, Deirdre Owens, hoped no other family would have to go through what hers did, recalling how Rawls family had to track down her body at the medical examiners office after reacting to news of her death with disbelief.

I said to my sister If Brenda died we would have been notified. And if shes dead where is she? she said, calling the handling of the case incompetent, negligent, insensitive, and disrespectful.

The two Bridgeport detectives initially investigating the cases were suspended and are the subject of an investigation into alleged violations of the departments internal policy on next of kin notifications, which requires notifications to be carried out promptly and in a considerate matter.

Ganim expressed respect and sympathy to Smith-Fields and Rawls families and referred to the things that have happened to make this tragic time in their lives and their families lives even worse.

I guess what this bill cant do and we can only try to recognize and fix at this point and maybe look that it never happens again is the lack of sensitivity and respect and human decency that was nonexistent, not with one family but at least with two that weve heard from today, the mayor said.

Thats clearly unacceptable and we will do what we can on a local level, Ganim said.

After answering questions from lawmakers about why he hasnt called either family directly  Ganim said he had decided after consulting with their lawyer that the time was not right yet  the subject of an ongoing search for new police chief came up.

Its time for new leadership at that department, Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, a co-chair of the committee, said. I know youre conducting a national police search. Hurry up. We need new leadership in the Bridgeport Police Department, and fast.

Hopefully well have a new police chief in Bridgeport through the results of a national search and that leadership will demonstrate I hope all the qualities you and other members of the City of Bridgeport and this committee would hope and accept, Ganim said.

In a statement, the union representing Bridgeport police said officers are sympathetic with the legislation, but asked for it to be modified to put ultimate responsibility on police higher-ups.

Officers understand the heartbreak and anguish that families go through when a family member dies, especially under suspicious circumstances, Brian Anderson, legislative director for Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council Public Safety Chapter, said in written testimony. Our members do want all deaths properly investigated. We want families to get justice for their family members.

Anderson said his group does not oppose the bill.

We do urge that this bill be amended so that the responsibility for informing a decedents next of kin be given to the police chief or administration rather than to the discovering officer, he said. A first-on-the-scene officer often has his or her hands full in handling the death scene. It seems more proper to place such a notification responsibility with management rather than rank-and-file officers.

Stafstrom said he wrote the bill after meeting with Smith-Fields family, who reached out through Maria Pereira, a member of Bridgeports City Council who represents the district where Smith-Fields and Rawls lived.

A spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont said the governors office will review the proposal.

A law requiring police to notify families of untimely deaths in a timely manner was one of several demands Smith-Fields family made during a rally in front of the Margaret Morton Government Center that drew hundreds of people in January.
I fled Kyiv and the Soviet Union with my family in 1986, when I was 5 years old. Despite it being so long ago, I still have powerful memories of the city of my birth.

Witnessing the destruction of the place that shaped my early childhood has been utterly devastating. I still have family in Kyiv: My cousins there have small children, whose young lives have now been marked forever by this senseless violence. When the war started, they were all instructed to go to bomb shelters that were built during the World War II Nazi occupation. The images and videos that they sent me while they were there broke my heart. You could hear the explosions; you could see children clutching their mothers, crying in fear.

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My family was able to get to the outskirts of the city, but they cannot use their cars to get to safety as all the bridges have been blown up and the threat of getting killed on their way to the train station is very high. The grocery store shelves are often empty, and they fear what Putins 40-km convoy will do when it reaches Kyiv.

I am angry and at times feel helpless. What has kept me going is seeing the surge of support for my family and other Ukrainians in recent weeks. The international communitys response to rally to Ukraines aid  by donating time, goods or money; calling on elected leaders to levy sanctions against Putins powerful enablers and directing state aid to the frontlines  has for the most part been heartening. But as well-intentioned as these actions have been, some innocent people, including Ukrainians, are getting caught in the economic crossfire.

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Countries that were part of the USSR, like Ukraine, to this day have many intermixed families who can trace their lineage across Eastern Europe. For example, I am 60% Ukrainian and 40% Russian. As a child in the United States, I attended St. George Academy, a small Ukrainian Catholic school in the East Village where I first learned the beauty of Ukrainian traditions and how they are both unique from and connected to those of Russian, Belarussian and Latvian cultures. We learned the language, sang hymns and put on traditional clothes. It was there that I learned to be proud to be Ukrainian and Russian  a product of that beautiful melting pot.

New Yorkers know better than most that a melting pot of cultures makes the flavors that much richer, the music that much more beautiful and the traditions that much more vibrant. Many in the five boroughs from Eastern Bloc countries are part of that melting pot, too. Many Russian-American businesses are run by people who are also Ukrainian-American. So, however well-intentioned it is, when people boycott or direct hate to Russian-American businesses in a show of solidarity, they may actually be hurting Ukrainians.

In recent weeks, some of these businesses around New York City have been vandalized, received menacing phone calls and seen their business dwindle to a trickle. Business owners have felt compelled to change the name or signage of the business to remove any reference to Russia. I understand that people want to take action, but this is completely misdirected. These actions are hurting Eastern European immigrants of all stripes, none of whom have any power over Putins horrific war.

Not their fault. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Whats more, many Russians and Russian-Americans are standing with Ukraine, do not support Putin and are condemning his atrocities. Whether its our shared blood, traditions, history or a kinship forged in fighting for freedom, the solidarity is clear. Thousands of Russians are risking fines, prison time and worse by taking to the streets. They are demonstrating profound bravery, and I have no hatred towards them. This is not their war, it is Putins.

Instead, I urge New Yorkers eager to help the Ukrainian community to channel your feelings of anger and your desire to be supportive into helping those on the ground. The brave men and women who are staying behind to defend our homeland, the vulnerable families and students fleeing for safety in neighboring countries and the refugees who will be displaced for years to come all need your support. There are many worthy organizations you can give your goods, time or funds to. In particular, Chef Jose Andres World Central Kitchen has mobilized quickly to feed refugees entering Poland. Razom for Ukraine is coordinating medical supply deliveries to the hardest hit areas, using a network of local volunteers both in New York City and in Ukraine.

The desire to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainians trying desperately to survive this war is noble, and there are so many ways to express this solidarity. But I would urge everyone to be thoughtful about how these actions can negatively impact Ukrainians, or Russians who stand with the Ukrainian people, in your community.

Radchenko is a resident of Astoria and president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.
A bill that would require long-term care facilities to check if prospective residents have a criminal history or are on the sex offender registry before they are admitted drew some heated opposition Wednesday from organizations representing providers and an advocate for abolishing the sex offender registry.

The bill is sponsored by State Sen. Saud Anwar, whose district includes East Windsor, home of the Fresh River Healthcare nursing home. Last May, Miguel Lopez, a convicted rapist and a registered sex offender in Massachusetts with a warrant out for his arrest at the time, allegedly locked a female employee in his room at the nursing home and tried to force her to perform oral sex.

Fresh River officials sent Lopez back to Massachusetts the same day that the incident occurred. He was eventually arrested on a warrant by East Windsor police and charged with attempted first-degree sexual assault, third-degree sexual assault and first-degree unlawful restraint. He is being held on $300,000 bail. His next court appearance is March 29.

Lopez wasnt known to local police at the time he was admitted to Fresh River Healthcare because of a loophole in Connecticuts sex offender laws, which do not require nursing home operators to inform state police when they admit a registered sex offender from another state into one of their facilities.

The law currently places the burden on sex offenders themselves to register, but Anwar wants to hold the nursing home providers more accountable by requiring them to determine if any potential resident is a registered sex offender by seeking a criminal background check through the state Department of Public Health.

The bill would bar long-term care facilities from admitting people with a disqualifying offense without a waiver. Disqualifying offenses range from assault, rape and kidnapping to burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing.

Mag Morelli, president of LeadingAge Connecticut, an association representing not-for-profit provider organizations serving older adults, told the Public Health Committee during Wednesdays public hearing that from an implementation perspective, this proposal raises numerous concerns.

It appears that the facility will be barred from admitting an applicant until it receives notification of the background check from DPH. It is unclear how long an available bed might need to be held open for the duration of a background check, Morelli said.

Moreover, many applicants on waiting lists will need to be re-checked each time a bed becomes available given that a prior background check only remains effective for one month. While there are exceptions for short term rehab admissions, or for conditional admissions of 60 days or less, these situations will be affected by the discharge and eviction limitations discussed above, Morelli said.

She suggested that the committee convene a work group to evaluate and address the concerns that led to the bill being raised rather than pass the proposal.

Others in opposition to the bill said that legislators were overreacting to an isolated incident and that the legislation as proposed would punish more people than it would help.

The proposal is extremely overbroad and would potentially disqualify anyone, including a vulnerable or elderly person, from admission to a long-term care facility, nursing home, or an assisted living facility because they were convicted sometime in their life of certain offenses, even if such conviction occurred decades before, said Deborah Del Prete Sullivan, legal counsel for the Office of the Chief Public Defender.

Sullivan said that crimes for which a person could be denied admission include breach of peace, criminal trespass and criminal mischief.

While serious violent offenses are included in the list of disqualifying offenses, there is no look-back in the proposal, Sullivan said. As a result, a person convicted of a felony while in their late teens or twenties would not be admitted even if 10, 20, 30 or more years had passed since the conviction.

At one point, Anwar and Cindy Prizio, executive director One Standard of Justice, an advocate for restorative justice practices and a critic of the sex offender registry, got into a heated argument about the bill after she called it a public policy disaster in the making during her testimony.

Please dont allow one sensational crime to turn good intentions into bad policy, Prizio said. We all want to protect our vulnerable populations. OSJ stands ready to provide help to the committee in developing an effective solution.

Prizio said theres no need to create a new bill every time there is an isolated high-profile incident and that the bill is unfair to a class of people who already have had their rights sucked dry by the system.

Anwar responded that his bill is simply protect nursing home employees who had no idea a registered sex offender had been admitted to their facility.

This provides a safety net for the people who work in long-term care facilities, Anwar said. There is a risk assessment that will need to be done, and that doesnt mean someone still cant be admitted to a facility, but just that the people who work there will know who they are taking care of.
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PORTLAND  A culinary course at Portland High School is teaching students essential cooking skills while providing easy lunch options for teachers and staff.

Chandra Lawrence has taught a variety of family and consumer science courses at the high school for the last eight years where the classroom is a restaurant kitchen.

Im so proud of them and what weve created, Lawrence said.

The course operates out of two neighboring classrooms without desks. They were transformed into a fully operational kitchen and cafe-style, sit-down restaurant.

It honestly looks like you just walked into a Starbucks, she said.

Shortly after Lawrence began her position in Portland schools, she realized the potential of these two classrooms, but the equipment needed to be updated and facilities repaired.

Through local and state grants totaling close to $100,000, she was able to make the changes necessary to launch what has become a successful program, and open the Highlander Cafe. Sources for those funds included the Perkins Grant, Guildersleeve Grand, the Guidry Foundation and Ryan Fund.

The Highlander Cafe is open multiple days a week for staff to purchase lunch, snacks, coffee or dessert during their breaks. They have the option of ordering ahead for a quick pickup or eat in the cafe. The teachers love it, Lawrence said.

There are a few regulars, and some Portland Middle School staff will even make the long walk to the cafe, she added.

A health inspector recently gave the cafe an A+ rating, something the teachers are pround of, Lawrence said.

All money raised is used for supply and operation of the kitchen and cafe. We break even, Lawrence said. Its not-for-profit.

The menu is constantly rotating so students learn to make a variety of foods. With St. Patricks Day coming up, they will soon pivot to creating holiday-themed items.

In addition to teaching teens how to make different dishes, the course builds the communication and collaboration skills needed to work in a real restaurant, as well learn how to take direction, she said.

Its a fast-paced environment, Lawrence said. They come out with some really great qualifications.

Upon completion of the course, students will earn their Servsafe Food Handling certification, which will enable them to get a job in almost any kitchen. Its the industry standard, so most restaurants require it, Lawrence said.

She said multiple students have already gone on to get jobs in the food service industry. Lawrence even had a restaurant owner reach out to her about students as potential employees. So, weve got a little bit of a pipeline here, she said.

Preparing students for food service jobs is especially important now as many local restaurants are dealing with employee shortages, Lawrence said. Definitely theyve struggled with finding workers.

Some teens take the course for for a break from quizzes and worksheets. Some of them just wants hands-on experience in school, Lawrence said. Some might just like to eat.

She added that there is plenty of math, science and logic involved when it comes to operating a restaurant, which the students also learn.

Lawrence is very grateful to be able to offer this type of program to young people. I think were really, really lucky here in Portland, she said.
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SHELTON - Elena Swyrydenko was born in Ukraine in 1935. She spent her young years with her family running from communism, where people were jailed for being slightly late for work, and in a previous generation millions of Ukrainians were starved to death by Joseph Stalins man-made famine - her maternal grandfather among them.

The familys journey took them from their home village in Ukraine where they tried to live a low-profile life hiding from communism. They were captured by the Germans in 1943 during World War II as they tried to escape Ukraine and their life would be forever changed.

Even the Nazis were not so bad as they (Russians) were, she said, noting people welcomed Germany as hope for freedom from communism.

Today Swyrydenko, 87, still drives, works part-time as a hairdresser, and attends any rally she can in support of Ukraine, and also donates money, as the country fights to preserve their independence from Russia in a war of devastating loss.

I try to be strong, Swyrydenko said of watching the current war and atrocities in Ukraine unfold on television and social media. This whole thing opens it up again. Im not the only one in the world. I hope this time the younger generation will say, The world should not have war again.

For her, it feels like yesterday that she was just a little girl of 7  working in a labor camp - cleaning house, running errands.

And it feels like a few hours ago instead of more than 80 years that her father told guards who tried to stop her family from fleeing Germany and send them back to Ukraine: If were going to die, were going to die here. Were not going to die in Russia.

Swyrydenko believes communism has to be destroyed in the world, and she called communists evil people.

They (people of Ukraine) dont want their hands and mouths chained, Swyrydenko said. They are all scared about being under Putin.

When the family was captured trying to escape Ukraine, they were boarded onto a train with others and sent to work camps.

The Germans took all their possessions and when they arrived at the camp, the males and females were forced to part, disrobe and ordered to take showers. There was filth and lice all around.

Their clothes were put in a barrel and if their clothes couldnt be found they got a blanket to wrap around them. The barracks had wooden benches to sleep on and meals were bread, water and turnip soup. Her parents worked on a farm picking potatoes, as little Elena at 7  cleaned house and ran errands to the store.

The Germans tried to keep you in line, she said. They did not abuse me, in the work camp.

When the Germans started losing in 1945, Swyrydenko said the family tried to escape to make sure they didnt get into the hands of the Russians, noting, They would kill us.

One night the family - Swyrydenko, her mom, dad, a younger sister, managed to escape over night to the bridge on the Rhine River.

At one point in the journey to flee, her father had to fight fires set in the woods on purpose by soldiers meant to thwart peoples escape. The family discovered many people were hiding in the woods. She said the Russians wanted them and all others who had fled or been captured to go back to Ukraine.

Our goal was to not get in Russian hands, she said.

Once safely out of the woods, a few German soldiers caught them and tried to send them back to Ukraine.

Her father hit one of the soldiers, knocking the machine gun on the ground, and Swyrydenko, only about 10-years-old, picked up the gun and handed it to her father, who pointed it at soldiers and made his plea, she said. He made his case Ukrainian, as he couldnt speak German, but a woman nearby translated.

My father said, If were going to die, were going to die here. Were not going to die in Russia, she said.

Something in what he said or how he said it must have touched a nerve, as the soldier told her father to give back the weapon and run, while the guards covered their eyes.

Soon, it was 1945, the war had ended and the family took up residence in a refugee camp.

Her mother, pregnant with a boy, was taken away from camp to Hamburg where she would give birth. Swyrydenko said her father was worried about his wife and infant son being kidnapped - as the Russians were still looking for people - and so together, they each rode a bicycle to Hamburg - about 100 Kilometers - or 62 miles. Dad drove mom home on the bike while Swyrydenko put the baby in her bicycles basket.

Her parents tried to protect she and her sister from information as best they could, but I was a kid everything was heard from people talking.

Swyrydenko would ultimately grow up in Germany and meet her late husband, John, also from Ukraine and whose family suffered as well under communism and during World War II.

Her parents were notified in 1947 they could reside in America or Canada and chose America.

Elena and John Swyrydenko married in 1954 and he came to the United States ahead of her. Elena Swyrydenko was expecting a baby when John left but had to wait to come to America because John didnt yet have a job thar would cover the hospital bill, and those were the rules at the time.

She arrived in 1955 and the family members first settled in Bridgeport.

Swyrydenko visited Ukraine in 1974 with her adult children when it was still under communist rule and said KGB followed them because cameras and other circumstances made it clear they were tourists.

On the streets, Nobody was talking, out of fear, she said. God forbid you said anything against communism. Youd be shot, Swyrydenko said.

She said that while they were in Kyiv, a Black man tried to board the bus and was met by a racist remark in denying him boarding. Swyrydenko let out an angry stream of words in Ukrainian about prejudice and not treating people that way. She said the bus driver didnt know the language but listened to her because she was so emphatic and allowed the gentleman to board.

In 1991 after the Soviet Union had dissolved and Ukraine declared its independence, it was a much different place when Swyrydenko brought her mother to visit. They drove all over, visited relatives in the old village they came from and nobody was afraid to talk.

"Life like this makes you strong to survive," Swyrydenko said.
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GREENWICH  Kathy Flaherty, executive director of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, watched the 2022 State of the Union address with the hope long COVID  a disease she is undergoing treatment for  would be acknowledged.

Instead, she heard praise for the end of mask mandates. To her, it felt like another sign COVID-19s long haulers were being ignored.

The next day, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced the CARE for Long COVID Act. The bill seeks to encourage more research and provide resources for those suffering from lingering COVID-19 symptoms and other post-viral illnesses.

In a press release, Kaine acknowledged that he is enduring mild long COVID symptoms himself.

The Bill

The CARE for Long COVID Act calls for: $30 million in fiscal year 2023 to research registry of patients, compiling experiences; $15 million in fiscal year 2023 to research inequities in health care; $30 million for three consecutive years to educate doctors and patients on symptoms and related conditions; $30 million for three consecutive years to provide education to schools, businesses and other agencies about the impact of long COVID on the workforce and other disabling aspects; $3 million to research Medicare and Medicaid coverage of long COVID symptoms.

It also proposes partnerships with organizations that help patients access Social Security Disability Insurance.

The bill recognizes conditions related to long COVID-19, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and fibromyalgia. Both conditions are characterized by nerve pain and fatigue.

The Solve ME/CFS Initiative is one of the bills sponsors.

Symptoms

It is hard to determine what percentage of COVID-19 survivors have lingering symptoms based on current research. Published studies estimate that Long COVID, a term coined by patients, affects anywhere from 10 percent to over half of COVID-19 survivors.

Flaherty is part of Long COVID support and advocacy groups; she said members have a variety of symptoms.

She is worried that research may be used to disqualify patients with less common symptoms.

People love to point to objective test results and say, Well, above this level, you qualify. Below this level, you don't qualify, she said.

She was out of breath and couldnt exercise but received normal results on her pulmonary-function and cardiac tests, she said. Her doctor didnt recommend an exercise-stress test, which she said often detected a COVID-19 lasting toll on some patients, because there was no treatment anyway, she said.

Flaherty eventually got into a post-COVID clinic despite not having a positive PCR test. She was sick when tests were scarce, and she thinks that her status as a lawyer helped her talk her way in to the clinic.

She has heard stories of other people who were ill and unable to access tests in spring 2020 who now cant book an appointment in a post-COVID clinic.

There's a whole bunch of people waiting months for appointments, she said. Various benefit programs require you to have certain medical documentation. When you just can't get the appointment, then what do you do in the meantime?

She says there are many barriers for long haulers as they try to access benefits, including a lack of knowledge about long COVID.

Research

The National Institutes of Health has received $4.9 billion so far to issue in grants for COVID-19 research. NIH has given $5,154,815 toward Yale University and University of Connecticut COVID-19 research.

Both Peter Robinson, a professor of computational biology at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, and Ben Coleman, a predoctoral associate there, were part of a group of researchers that identified symptoms of Long COVID with the help of NIH funding.

The study mapped the Long COVID symptoms identified by 81 groups in the Human Phenotype Ontology, an internationally recognized resource for disease diagnosis. Robinson was part of the team that launched the HPO in 2008.

Robinson and Coleman worked with a large team of researchers to bridge patient-led studies and academic research into a shared understanding.

There was an initiative to bring together electronic health record data for all of these COVID patients because we were trying to figure out what the heck was going on in the early days of COVID. And then out of that, there was this realization that we really need consistent language and a consistent way to talk about these issues, Coleman said.

One of the simple but still difficult things is just that people use different words to describe the same thing, which impedes combining data to learn more, Robinson said.

Their dataset gives doctors a guide to diagnosing this two-year-old condition.

You don't have days with each patient, and there are just tons of things that could go wrong. So you have to focus your questions in some way, said Robinson, a researcher who was a physician. Just knowing what to expect for any given disease is really important.

The HPO entry can help validate patient concerns, Coleman said.

We were talking about MECFS earlier, and I think one of the challenges with those patients is doctors aren't willing to affirm them, he said. By highlighting some of the symptoms of long COVID, I think patients can read this and feel hopeful and feel like they're not crazy. It's not all in their head.

I think that's really important for patients to feel like doctors and researchers have their back and are really taking them seriously, Coleman said.

Flaherty said she went to a primary care doctor for help before she was accepted into a long COVID clinic. The doctor there asked if it might be all in her head.

I've seen far too many friends and colleagues complain about that happening to them, but I had never personally experienced it. And all I can say is that it really is such a profoundly devastating kind of breach of that relationship, she said. These are the things that marginalized communities have been actually complaining about for a really long time.

Coleman and Robinson, in a separate study, found a connection between long COVID and new onset mental illness.

Coleman said other factors, such as increased isolation during the pandemic, cant be ruled out.

The point is that there is something going on; there is an increase in new onset mental illness. And we need to be aware of that because that matters, whether it's because somebody is isolating or because there's something going on in the body responding to the COVID virus, he said.

Recognition

Flaherty is connected to the COVID-19 Long Hauler Advocacy Project, a group founded by long hauler Karyn Bishof for advocacy and patient support.

Bishof sent a letter requesting long COVID assistance programs and a long COVID task force to 3,500 federal and U.S. state governments in January. She received four responses, including one from Kaine.

Flaherty said she wasnt surprised because she often doesnt receive responses from the officials she contacts.

Sheldon Toubman, a litigation attorney with Disability Rights Connecticut, told Greenwich Time that there has been some progress for long haulers. Long COVID is recognized as a disability and able to receive Social Security Disability Insurance, he said.

People with HIV/AIDS spent years trying to get recognized by the Social Security Administration to get benefits, Toubman said. Theres been two years (of long COVID), and already there's recognition by Social Security.

Acceptance of long COVID as a disability also allows patients to ask for accommodations in the workplace and beyond, he said.

The research is helpful in having long COVID be accepted by officials and agencies and insurance companies, he said.

The future is uncertain for Kaines $228 million bill, but advocates like Flaherty and patient-led groups continue to push for research and legislation.

annelise.hanshaw@hearstmediact.com
MILFORD  The city has lost one its most steadfast supporters, a military veteran known for his service in local government and his role in the Irish-American community.

Martin Hardiman, 74, a former longtime alderman, Board of Education member and a founder of the Irish Heritage Society, died March 5  leaving many in the city remembering him as a pillar of the community.

He made a huge impact on our community, and this city is in a state of mourning right now because he was an alderman, Mayor Ben Blake said about Hardiman, who spent years running the citys St. Patricks Day Parade.

He made some big impressions on our community that are going to reverberate for a long time, Blake added.

Hardiman lived in Milford for 49 years, spending 18 years on the Board of Aldermen, five years on the Zoning Board of Appeals, six years on the Milford Board of Education and 10 years as an elected constable working for the Milford Tax Office.

He was first elected to the Board of Alderman with me when I ran for the first time in 2003, said Blake. He was a friend to everybody, and to know Marty is to like Marty.

He had an affable way about him, where he made everybody smile, Blake added. Above and beyond that, he used that affable way to make things happen, and he helped energize our communitys causes to do good things in town.

Born April 16, 1947, to the late Martin and Elizabeth Doherty Hardiman, he was a Vietnam Air Force veteran and a member of the VFW Post No. 7788 in Devon and the American Legion in Rocky Hill.

The Board of Alderman held a moment of silence in honor of Hardiman at its meeting March 7.

Alderman Hardiman was a dedicated public servant who will be sorely missed by all, said board Chair Philip Vetro.

James Richetelli, Milford Public Schools chief operations officer, fondly recalled the many years he worked alongside Hardiman.

Although we were on different sides of the aisle, mutual respect and friendship always transcended everything before us, he said.

The amazing traditions we enjoy here in Milford regarding all things Irish are largely due to Martys vision, hard work and dedication, Richetelli added. My heart goes out to (his wife) Linda and all of Martys multitude of friends. I will greatly miss him.

Hardiman was a founding member of the Irish Heritage Society of Milford (IHSM), serving as its president and vice president.

IHSM was founded in 2006, and as president, Marty took a lead role in growing the club and its well-respected reputation in the city of Milford, said Tim McNamara, the societys current president.

Marty will be remembered as a man with a huge heart who always put his country and community first, McNamara added. He was a pillar of the community that will be missed by many people even more than they realize.

One of Milfords most famous events  the St. Patricks Day parade, the latest of which will be held Saturday  was created through the Irish Heritage Society with Hardiman at the forefront.

He was the parade chairman, and the parade really happens each and every year, up until this year, because of Marty and his wife, Linda, said Blake. They were the people who got the parade going, kept it running and made it into what it is today.

The parade is going to be a tribute to Marty for his work as the chair of that parade, Blake added. The parade is this Saturday, and please wear your green in honor of Marty Hardiman.

Hardiman was the Milford St. Patricks Day Parade Committee chairman for three decades.

Michael McCabe, who is now the St. Patricks Day Parade organizer, said he feels inadequate trying to replace Hardiman.

There is a hole in the heart of the Milford Irish, he said. Marty was front and center in so many activities we worked on such as the clubhouse, the Irish Festival and the parade.
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon on Wednesday slammed the door on a Polish proposal for providing Ukraine with MiG fighter jets, saying allied efforts against the Russian invasion should be focused on more useful weaponry and the MiG transfer with a U.S. and NATO connection would run a high risk of escalating the war.

By rebuffing the proposal involving the the Polish jets, the Pentagon appeared anxious to move beyond what had become an awkward disconnect with a NATO ally at a time when President Joe Biden has stressed the need for a unified and coordinated response to Russia's war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded repeatedly for the U.S. to provide his military with more aircraft  presented as an apparent alternative to establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to suppress Russian air power. The no-fly idea was rejected earlier by Washington and NATO as an unnecessary risk of escalation.

Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said Washington was looking at a proposal under which Poland would supply Kyiv with the Soviet-era fighters, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly, and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for the loss.

But Poland wanted no part of that, concerned about involving itself too directly in conflict with Russia. Poland then said it was prepared to hand over all 28 of its MiG-29 planes  but to NATO by flying them to the U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany, from where they would somehow be flown to Ukraine.

That was the arrangement the Pentagon turned aside.

Marek Magierowski, Polands ambassador to the United States, indicated the Polish government had gotten the message.

Our American partners rejected this proposal, because they have come to the conclusion that it was too escalatory, Magierowski told CNN. He said Poland understands and "this is what we need now to emphasize again -- the unity and cohesion of NATO. So, lets move on.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that in a phone call, Zelenskyy on Wednesday again asked urgently for the United States to provide warplanes, anti-aircraft missiles and other weaponry.

However, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed the MiG transfer proposal with his Polish counterpart and explained why Washington found it untenable.

Kirby said the Biden administration is talking with other countries about alternative options for supporting Ukraine's most pressing defense needs two weeks into its war, especially more ground-based weapons to counter Russian tanks and aircraft in what has been largely a ground war. Kirby said those could include surface-to-air missile batteries and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.

Secretary Austin thanked the minister for Poland's willingness to continue to look for ways to assist Ukraine," Kirby said. He stressed that we do not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian air force at this time and therefore have no desire to see them in our custody, either.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Warsaw Wednesday night for consultations, but the White House said she was not directly involved with the matter of the planes.

Kirby cited three main reasons Austin rejected the Polish offer, starting with the U.S. view that it would be wiser to provide Ukraine with weaponry that would more directly strengthen its defenses, including anti-armor and air defense systems. Kirby said the Russian air force, while much larger than Ukraine's, has not played a lead role in the Russian offensive and has been of limited effectiveness due to Ukraine's use of ground-based air defenses, which include Stinger missiles.

Kirby said Ukraine still has a significant number of its own aircraft, and the U.S. believes that adding aircraft from other nations is not likely to significantly change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian air force relative to Russian capabilities.

Also, the U.S. intelligence community has assessed that transferring MiG fighters to Ukraine may be mistaken as escalatory and could result in significant Russian reaction that might increase the prospects of a military escalation with NATO," Kirby said. Ukraine is not a NATO member, but some of its neighbors are, and the alliance is trying to avoid a spillover of the war.

While Kirby's statement appeared to bring an end to the Polish proposal, the appearance of a public disagreement among allies could have more lasting impact. Last week, the U.S. government threw Poland a hot potato with the request to send the Soviet-made fighter jets.

That plan took the U.S. off guard. By late Tuesday, the Pentagon called it untenable. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Blinken said that ultimately each country would have to decide for itself how to help Ukraine.

Poland is a crucial ally in the Ukraine crisis. It is hosting thousands of American troops and is taking in more people fleeing the war in Ukraine than any other nation in the midst of the largest European refugee crisis in decades.

It has suffered invasions and occupations by Russia for centuries and still fears Russia despite being a member of NATO. It already had to contend with the Russian territory of Kaliningrad on its northeastern border and is uncomfortably aware of Russian troops across another border, with Belarus.

In a visit Wednesday to Vienna, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki insisted that Poland is not a party to the Ukraine war and that any decision on whether to send the fighter jets could not be one for Warsaw alone.

It carries the risk of very dramatic scenarios, even worse than those we are dealing with today," Morawiecki argued.

Michal Baranowski, director of the Warsaw office of the German Marshall Fund think tank, told The Associated Press the Warsaw government was blindsided and surprised by Blinken's public statement last week. This was seen as pressure from the U.S. on Warsaw. And therefore the reaction was to put the ball back in the U.S. governments court," Baranowski said.

It all should have been dealt with behind the scenes, he said.

___

Lolita C. Baldor and Eric Tucker in Washington and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
Chinese premier to meet press on Friday

Xinhua) 08:51, March 10, 2022

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will meet the press at the Great Hall of the People after the conclusion of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress on Friday.

Li will take questions from Chinese and foreign reporters via video link in consideration of epidemic prevention and control and public health protection.

The event will be broadcast live by China Media Group, and xinhuanet.com will provide live broadcast in photos and text.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Above all others, there is one question that Democrats cannot stop asking: Why hasnt Attorney General Merrick Garland indicted former president Donald Trump?

Garlands remarks today, on the one-year anniversary of his appointment by President Biden as Americas top law enforcement officer, did little to answer that question.

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The frustration with Garland has built steadily over the past 12 months. Recently, the polite Garland-nudging by Democratic politicians and media pundits has given way to a ferocious anger at Garlands failure to bring any significant accountability to what federal prosecutors, constitutional scholars and ordinary citizens legitimately see as an endless series of crimes and ethical violations by Trump.

Trumps campaign began with a porn star pay-off that landed his personal attorney in federal prison. His presidency included an extortionate threat to withhold American aid unless Ukraine manufactured dirt on his political opponent. His re-election bid ended with a demand that Georgias secretary of state find enough votes to give him a state he did not win. He instigated a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. And he burned, flushed and stole presidential documents on his way out of the White House.

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I get why people are angry; I count myself among them. Its fair to say that any ordinary citizen who committed similar offenses would have been swiftly indicted by the Justice Department. Want proof? Look at the 750 Capitol rioters who have already been arrested. They are minions compared to the man who instigated the attack and on whose behalf they acted  the man the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot recently referred to as a member of a criminal conspiracy.

But, having worked as both a state and federal prosecutor and as a defense attorney, I know that there are Justice Department considerations in play beyond a simple analysis of whether there is sufficient evidence to indict Trump on criminal violations.

Every competent prosecutor knows why Garland and the Department of Justice have not indicted Trump. Im going to say it out loud.

If Trump were charged, its unlikely he would negotiate a plea deal. Instead, he would go to trial and make every step of the process a platform to cast himself as a victim of a vindictive Biden administration. He would use the renewed attention to spew lies about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. And he would raise money, lots of money, to fund his anticipated 2024 presidential campaign.

But most important, despite a mountain of evidence that would convict most people many times over, Trump would not be convicted. Criminal convictions require a unanimous verdict. On a 12-person jury, there are going to be Trump supporters.

The Republican National Committee recently proclaimed that the people responsible for the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol were engaged in legitimate political discourse. Members of Congress, right-leaning media, and much of the Republican base consider the Capitol rioters patriots.

And so, it is a near certainty that at least one juror would accept the widely held Republican position that any prosecution of Trump is political persecution. That would all but ensure a hung jury in any case brought against him. Such a circumstance would have ramifications far beyond the prosecution of Trump.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Ninety-eight percent of federal cases are resolved short of a trial  mostly by guilty pleas. The federal court system would be crippled if many more defendants started exercising their right to a jury trial.

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Pulling back the curtain to reveal a Justice Department incapable of convicting the former president, despite overwhelming evidence, would be a disaster for DOJ. It could lead to defendants across the country taking their shot, hoping they too could convince at least one juror to hang their case. Garland and DOJ attorneys know this and must be terrified at the prospect.

I suspect that this concern has also motivated sentencing recommendations in the Capitol rioter cases that do not appear to appreciate the magnitude of the crime. The chief judge handling these cases has slammed federal prosecutors for making impassioned speeches about the seriousness of the insurrection, while simultaneously recommending misdemeanor plea deals and sentences of probation for all but the worst offenders. But DOJ attorneys know that if they dont offer sweetheart deals, and a Capitol rioter gets a hung jury with a patriot protester argument, others will demand trials and bring chaos to an already overburdened system.

It wasnt always this way. Until Trump made blatant political corruption acceptable to a large segment of the Republican base, rigorous jury selection and judicial admonitions  that instructed jurors to follow the law and not be influenced by personal beliefs  stood a chance. Those days are gone. Now, Republicans are only the law and order party until one of their own is caught breaking the law.

The Justice Manual, which sets forth the principles of federal prosecution that act as a guide for all federal prosecutors, states that a prosecution should commence when there is sufficient evidence to obtaina conviction. The same manual also considers the circumstance of a popular figure against whom there is strong evidence, but whom jurors are unlikely to convict. It allows, though does not require, prosecution.

Recognizing that he will not be able to secure a conviction, despite solid evidence, Garland can decline to indict Trump  proving that the rich and famous operate above the law. Or, Garland can indict Trump, ignite a political bonfire, fail to secure a conviction, and potentially debilitate a criminal justice system that has always relied on defendants pleading guilty because they believed that indictments lead to convictions. Whatever Garlands choice, Donald Trump will continue to do what he does best: Get away with it.

Stern is a former federal prosecutor.
BELGRADE, Serbia  For some European countries watching Russia's brutal war in Ukraine, there are fears that they could be next.

Western officials say the most vulnerable could be those who aren't members of NATO or the European Union, and thus alone and unprotected  including Ukraines neighbor Moldova and Russia's neighbor Georgia, both of them formerly part of the Soviet Union  along with the Balkan states of Bosnia and Kosovo.

But analysts warn that even NATO members could be at risk, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Russia's doorstep, as well as Montenegro, either from Moscow's direct military intervention or attempts at political destabilization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "has said right from the start that this is not only about Ukraine,'' said Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Funds Warsaw office.

He told us what he wants to do when he was listing his demands, which included the change of the government in Kyiv, but he was also talking about the eastern flank of NATO and the rest of Eastern Europe," Baranowski told The Associated Press in an interview.

As Ukraine puts up stiff resistance to the two-week-old Russian attack, Baranowski said it's now not really clear how he'll carry out his other goals."

But the Biden administration is acutely aware of deep concerns in Eastern and Central Europe that the war in Ukraine may be just a prelude to broader attacks on former Warsaw Pact members in trying to restore Moscows regional dominance.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that Russia is not going to stop in Ukraine.

We are concerned for neighbors Moldova, Georgia, and the Western Balkans, he said. We have to keep an eye on Western Balks, particularly Bosnia, which could face destabilization by Russia.

A look at the regional situation:

Moldova

Like its neighbor Ukraine, the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova has a separatist insurgency in its east in the disputed territory known as Trans-Dniester, where 1,500 Russian troops are stationed. Although Moldova is neutral militarily and has no plans to join NATO, it formally applied for EU membership when the Russian invasion began in a quick bid to bolster its ties with the West.

The country of 2.6 million people is one of the poorest countries in Europe, and it's hosting tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled the war. The invasion has prompted heightened concerns in Moldova not only over the humanitarian crisis, but also because of fears that Putin might try to link the separatists east of the Dniester River with Ukraine via the latter's strategic port of Odesa.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Moldova last week and pledged: "We stand with Moldova and any other country that may be threatened in the same way.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said there was no indication yet the Russian forces in Trans-Dniester had changed their posture, but stressed that the concern was there.

In this region now there is no possibility for us to feel safe, Sandu said.

Georgia

War erupted between Russia and Georgia in August 2008 when Georgian government troops tried unsuccessfully to regain control over the Moscow-backed breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia routed the Georgian military in five days of fighting and hundreds were killed. Afterward, Russia recognized South Ossetia and another separatist region, Abkhazia, as independent states and bolstered its military presence there.

The government of West-leaning Georgia condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but hasn't shown the same solidarity that Kyiv displayed during the Georgia-Russia war. Hundreds of Georgian volunteers were stopped by authorities from joining an international brigade fighting Russia in Ukraine.

Georgia's seemingly neutral stance has turned out thousands in nightly rallies in central Tbilisi in solidarity with Ukraine. Last week, Georgia's government applied for EU membership just days after declaring it wouldn't accelerate its application as fears of a Russian invasion grew.

The Baltics

Memories of Soviet rule are still fresh in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Since the invasion of Ukraine, NATO has moved quickly to boost its troop presence in its eastern flank allies, while Washington has pledged additional support.

To residents of the Baltic nations  particularly those old enough to have lived under Soviet control  the tensions prior to the Feb. 24 invasion recalled the mass deportations and oppression. The three countries were annexed by Josef Stalin during World War II and only regained their independence with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

They joined NATO in 2004, putting themselves under the military protection of the U.S. and its Western allies. They say it is imperative that NATO show resolve not just in words but with boots on the ground.

Russia always measures the military might but also the will of countries to fight, said Janis Garisons, state secretary at Latvias Defense Ministry. Once they see a weakness, they will exploit that weakness.

Blinken, who visited Latvian capital Riga on Monday, said the Baltics have formed a democratic wall that now stands against the tide of autocracy that Russia is pushing in Europe.

The Balkans

It would be hard for Russian troops to reach the Balkans without engaging NATO forces stationed in all the neighboring countries. But Moscow could destabilize the region, as it already does, with the help of Serbia, its ally which it has been arming with tanks, sophisticated air defense systems and warplanes.

The Kremlin has always considered the region its sphere of influence although it was never part of the Soviet bloc. A devastating civil war in the 1990s left at least 120,000 dead and millions homeless. Serbia, the largest state in the Western Balkans, is generally blamed for starting the war by trying to prevent the breakup of Serb-led Yugoslavia with brutal force -- a move resembling Moscow's current effort to pull Ukraine back into its orbit by military force.

There are fears in the West that the pro-Moscow Serbian leadership, which has refused to join international sanctions against Russia, could try to use the attention focused on Ukraine to further destabilize its neighbors, particularly Bosnia, where minority Serbs have been threatening to split their territories from the joint federation to join Serbia. Serbian officials have repeatedly denied they are meddling in the neighboring states, but have given tacit support to the secessionist moves of the Bosnian Serbs and their leader, Milorad Dodik.

The Russian Embassy in Bosnian capital Sarajevo warned last year that should Bosnia take steps towards joining NATO, our country will have to react to this hostile act. Joining NATO will force Bosnia to take a side in the military-political confrontation, it said.

EU peacekeepers in Bosnia have announced the deployment of about 500 additional troops to the country, citing the deterioration of the security internationally (which) has the potential to spread instability.

Kosovo, which split from Serbia 1999 after a NATO air war against Serbian troops, has asked the U.S. to establish a permanent military base in the country and speed up its integration into NATO after Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Accelerating Kosovos membership in NATO and having a permanent base of American forces is an immediate need to guarantee peace, security and stability in the Western Balkans, Kosovo Defense Minister Armend Mehaj said on Facebook.

Serbia said the move is unacceptable.

Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence is recognized by more than 100 countries, mainly Western nations, but not by Russia or Serbia.

Montenegro, a former ally that turned its back on Russia to join NATO in 2017, has imposed sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine and is seen as next in line in the Western Balkans to join the EU. The country is divided between those favoring pro-Western policies and the pro-Serbian and pro-Russian camps, raising tensions.

Russia has repeatedly warned Montenegros pro-Western President Milo Djukanovic, who led the small Adriatic state into NATO, that the move was illegitimate and without the consent of all Montenegrins.

Russia may hope to eventually improve its ties with Montenegro in a bid to strengthen its presence in the Mediterranean.

___

Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania, Matthew Lee in Washington, Sabina Niksic in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, contributed to this report.
A Pentagon review has confirmed an earlier U.S. Africa Command investigation that there was "no single point of failure" or any criminal negligence amid a 2020 al-Shabaab attack on a Kenya base that killed a U.S. service member and two contractors.

But the U.S. base and an adjacent airfield were more vulnerable due to a culture of complacency among forces deployed there, and several troops -- both enlisted and senior officers -- were punished through "performance evaluations, decorations, unfavorable information files, and control rosters," the Air Force said Thursday.

"These actions can affect the individual's career in terms of promotion eligibility, reenlistment, and assignments," according to an Air Force statement released along with the Pentagon findings. "For the officers who were identified, regardless of the action taken, the findings of the investigation will be documented in their Officer Selection Record."

Read Next: Army Won't Commit to April Rollout of Troubled Fitness Test

The service said it would not release the names of those punished due to privacy concerns.

Overall, a review of the initial investigation by Africa Command into the Jan. 2, 2020, attack at Manda Bay, Kenya, by Army Gen. Paul Funk agreed that there was no criminal negligence or misconduct by U.S. personnel who were stationed at the naval base with Kenyan forces.

"I concurred that the proximate cause of the death of three U.S. citizens, injuries to three other U.S. citizens, and the loss of U.S. aircraft and property was the attack by a masked force of determined, disciplined and well-resourced al-Shabaab fighters," said Funk, who is head of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command.

Funk briefed reporters at the Pentagon about the review's findings.

"No single point of failure directly caused the loss of life and damage to the property at Manda Bay," he said. "My review found that neither criminal negligence nor misconduct by any U.S. personnel was the proximate cause of loss of life or property at cooperative security location Manda Bay."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accepted the review conclusions, effectively shutting the book on the stunning attack that killed Army Spc. Henry "Mitch" Mayfield Jr., 23, of Hazel Crest, Illinois; and two contractor pilots, Dustin Harrison, 47, and Bruce Triplett, 64.

Austin ordered the review last year to "ensure the department had a complete look at the causes of the attack," Funk said.

Funk's review agreed with Africa Command that the disastrous attack was made worse by a lack of focus on force protection; inadequate understanding of the threat from the terror group; inadequate preparation by security forces; and poor mission command at the tactical level.

The incident has led to new training requirements for all troops who deploy to Africa, where the U.S. is working with countries like Kenya and Somalia to root out extremist groups and militias.

About 30-40 al-Shabaab fighters launched mortars at the U.S. Camp Simba before attacking an airfield at Manda Bay, in what the Pentagon deemed a complex attack. The Africa terror group is the largest affiliate of al-Qaida, which was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Mayfield and another service member were clearing the landing strip in the morning and saw the heat signatures of fighters hiding in the bush but mistook them for hyenas, according to Lt. Gen. Steven Basham, deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, who participated in the Funk review.

The fighters launched rocket-propelled grenades at the airfield, first hitting the men's vehicle and then the aircraft being flown by Harrison and Triplett, Basham said.

"The first RPG penetrated the front windshield but did not explode," he said. "The second RPG penetrated the driving side door and a moment later this device detonated, killing Spc. Mayfield instantly."

-- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten.

Related: US Service Member, DoD Contractors Killed in Kenya al-Shabaab Attack
WASHINGTON  Top U.S. intelligence officials admitted Thursday that they underestimated Ukraines ability to defend itself against Russias invasion, a mistake for intelligence agencies that have otherwise been lauded for accurately predicting Russian President Vladimir Putins intention to launch a war.

My view was that, based on a variety of factors, that the Ukrainians were not as ready as I thought they should be, said Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Therefore, I questioned their will to fight. That was a bad assessment on my part because they have fought bravely and honorably and are doing the right thing.

The White House has faced Republican criticism that it isn't providing enough weapons or intelligence to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Biden administration is currently opposed to a Polish plan to donate old Russian-made warplanes to Ukraine, out of concern that Putin may view that as an escalation by the U.S. or NATO.

Berrier testified alongside other top officials before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Generally, U.S. intelligence agencies have won praise from lawmakers of both political parties for their handling of the crisis.

Much of the hearing focused on the unprecedented U.S. campaign to declassify intelligence about alleged attempts by Russia to create a fake pretext for its invasion. Even though Putin ordered the invasion anyway, lawmakers say the campaign helped develop support for sanctions that have crippled Russia's economy and pushed previously reluctant Western countries to give military aid to Ukraine.

Two weeks into its invasion, Russia has failed to win control of Ukraine's airspace or subdue the capital of Kyiv or other major cities. But the war has had devastating consequences already: An airstrike hitting a maternity hospital, attacks on nuclear plants, and more than 2 million refugees having already fled the country with accounts of possible war crimes.

There's no sign Putin intends to de-escalate. Russian propaganda outlets in recent days have promoted false theories that the U.S. and Ukraine are developing chemical weapons. The White House in turn has warned Russia is setting the pretext for its own chemical or biological attack.

Berrier, who leads the Pentagons primary intelligence arm, said at Thursdays hearing that just as Putin appeared to have misjudged his armys ability to subdue Ukraine's much smaller armed forces, so did the U.S.

We made some assumptions about his assumptions, which proved to be very, very flawed, said Berrier. I think assessing will, morale, and a will to fight is a very difficult analytical task. We had different inputs from different organizations and we  at least from my perspective as the director  I did not do as well as I could have.

Berrier's admission follows another misjudgment in Afghanistan, whose U.S-backed government collapsed far more quickly to the Taliban than Washington expected. Officials believed the Afghan forces  long trained and funded by the U.S.  could hold out for potentially months after the American withdrawal. Instead, lacking U.S. air power and intelligence support, Afghan forces gave up many cities without a fight last summer.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said that Putin had underestimated the resistance he would face from the Ukrainians. But Haines added: We did not do as well in terms of predicting the military challenges that he has encountered with his own military.

Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who questioned Berrier and Haines, noted that assessing a foreign military's will to fight was particularly difficult.

But these mistakes had potentially real-world policy implications about the willingness of the president or other NATO leaders to provide weapons that they thought might have fallen into the hands of Russians in a matter of hours, he said.

Cotton and several other Republicans on the intelligence committee criticized the Biden administrations current refusal to support a Polish plan to donate Russian-made warplanes to Ukraine. Biden administration officials have warned that Putin might view that as an escalation of the conflict. They say planes would go beyond the weapons the Pentagon and Western allies have already given Ukraine, including anti-tank systems and surface-to-air missiles to shoot down Russian aircraft.

Asked if the White House was pressuring analysts to assess that the transfer of planes would be seen as escalatory, Haines responded that objectivity was a core ethic of intelligence.
This article first appeared in The Conversation

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

The prospect of a nuclear exchange between Russia and the United States seemed, until recently, to have ended with the Cold War. Threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin to use the weapons to keep NATO out of the Ukraine conflict have revived those decades-old fears.

The threats come amid the fraying of nuclear arms control agreements between the two nuclear superpowers that had stabilized strategic relations for decades.

As an arms control expert, I see the war in Ukraine as an added strain but not a fatal blow to the system that has helped to keep the world from nuclear devastation. That system has evolved over decades and allows U.S. and Russian officials to gauge how close the other side is to launching an attack.

Keeping an eye on each other

Arms control treaties rely on each of the nuclear superpowers sharing information about deployed delivery systems  missiles or bombers that could be used to deliver nuclear warheads  and to permit the other side to verify these claims. The treaties usually include numerical limits on weapons, and implementation of a treaty typically begins with baseline declarations by each side of numbers and locations of weapons. Numbers are updated annually. The two sides also regularly notify each other of significant changes to this baseline through what are now called Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers.

A key element of all arms control treaties has been the two sides ability to use national technical means, such as satellites, along with remote monitoring techniques such as radiation detectors, tags and seals, to monitor compliance. Remote monitoring techniques are designed to distinguish individual items such as missiles that are limited by treaty and to ensure that they are not tampered with.

The 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty introduced a major innovation: the use of on-site inspections. Before that treaty, the Soviets had resisted U.S. proposals to include such inspections in verification. But as Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev moved domestically to a process of glasnost (openness), he embraced on-site inspections, and similar provisions have been included in subsequent treaties. They include both regular announced inspections and a certain number of annual unannounced short-term challenge inspections to guard against cheating.

The history of keeping nuclear arms in check

National security scholars such as Thomas Schelling and Morton Halperin developed the concept of arms control in the late 1950s and early 1960s amid an accelerating U.S.-Soviet arms race. Arms control measures were designed to increase transparency and predictability to avoid misunderstandings or false alarms that could lead to an accidental or unintended nuclear conflict. As the concept evolved, the goal of arms control measures became ensuring that defenders could respond to any nuclear attack with one of their own, which reduced incentives to engage in a nuclear war in the first place.

The approach gained traction after the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis when the surprise deployment of Soviet nuclear-armed missiles less than 100 miles from the U.S. brought the world to the verge of nuclear war. Initial agreements included the 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Talks agreement (SALT 1), which put the first ceilings on U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons. Subsequently, Gorbachev negotiated the INF treaty and Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), which brought reductions in the two sides nuclear forces.

In this Dec. 8, 1987 file photo U.S. President Ronald Reagan, right, and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev exchange pens during the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signing ceremony in the White House East Room in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)

The INF treaty for the first time banned an entire class of weapons: ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (311 and 3,418 miles). This included U.S. missiles capable of hitting Russia from the territory of U.S. allies in Europe or East Asia and vice versa. START I applied to strategic nuclear weapons, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) launched from one superpowers homeland to attack the others territory. In 2010, President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed the New START agreement, which further reduced the two sides deployed strategic nuclear forces. And in 2021, President Joe Biden and Putin extended that treaty for five years. The treaties have supported dramatic cuts in the two countries nuclear arsenals.

New challenges for an aging system

Inspections under the INF treaty ended in 2001 after the last banned missiles were removed from deployment. Under the Obama and Trump administrations, the U.S. accused Russia of violating the treaty by developing, testing and deploying cruise missiles that exceeded its 500-kilometer limit, an accusation Russia rejected. Backed by NATO allies, the Trump administration withdrew from the treaty in 2019. This left long-range strategic weapons as the only nuclear weapons subject to arms control agreements.

Shorter-range non-strategic nuclear weapons  those with a range of less than 500 kilometers, or roughly 310 miles  have never been covered by any agreement, a sore point with Washington and NATO allies because Moscow possesses far more of them than NATO does.

In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, the Russian army's Iskander missile launchers take positions during drills in Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

Arms control has been declining in other ways as well. Russia has embarked on an ambitious nuclear weapons modernization program, and some of its exotic new strategic weapon systems fall outside of New STARTs restrictions. Meanwhile, cyberattacks and anti-satellite weapons loom as new threats to arms control monitoring and nuclear command and control systems.

Artificial intelligence and hypersonic missile technology could shorten the warning times for a nuclear attack. Russia has been deploying missiles that can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, sowing confusion. And Russia worries that U.S. missile defense systems, especially in Europe, threaten strategic stability by permitting the U.S. to carry out a nuclear first strike and then prevent an effective Russian nuclear response.

Before the Ukraine war, Biden and Putin had launched a Strategic Stability Dialogue to tackle these issues and lay the groundwork for negotiations on a replacement for New START before it expires in 2026. But the dialogue has been suspended with the outbreak of hostilities, and it is difficult to foresee when it might resume.

Putin turns up the heat  but not to a boil

Putins recent moves have further shaken the rickety strategic security architecture. On the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said that anyone who tries to interfere with us  must know that Russias response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never before experienced in your history and that Russia possesses certain advantages in a number of the latest types of weapons.

With the war underway, Putin announced an enhanced combat alert of the countrys nuclear forces, which is not a regular alert level in Russias system comparable to the U.S.s DEFCON status. In practice, the enhanced combat alert consisted largely of adding staff to shifts at relevant nuclear weapon sites. The announcement was designed to discourage NATO from intervening and to intimidate Ukraine.

Nonetheless, U.S. national security officials expressed concern that Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine if NATO forces were drawn into direct conflict with Russia. Use of the weapons is consistent with Russias military doctrine of escalate to de-escalate, according to the officials.

Even in the face of Putins strategic nuclear saber rattling and concerns about Russias use of tactical nuclear weapons, however, the arms control framework has held sufficiently firm to preserve strategic stability. U.S. nuclear commanders have criticized Putins moves but have not sought to match them. They do not see evidence that Putin has taken steps to escalate the situation, like placing non-strategic nuclear warheads on airplanes or ships or sending nuclear-armed submarines to sea.

So far, arms control has played its intended role of limiting the scope and violence in Ukraine, keeping a lid on a conflict that otherwise could become a world war.

Miles A. Pomper is a Senior Fellow, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
In 1942, a train in Vilnius, Lithuania, was loaded with Nazi German troops, headed for the Eastern Front. Its destination was unknown, but the hundreds of troops aboard it were off to fight the Red Army of the Soviet Union. As the train departed the station, it exploded, killing nearly everyone on board.

It was one of the first acts of resistance in occupied Eastern Europe, and it caught everyone by surprise. The Nazis didn't know there were partisan fighters in Lithuania. What neither the partisans nor the Nazis knew was that the bomb actually came from the Vilnius Ghetto. The Jewish people were fighting back.

Vitka Kempner grew up in Poland, which was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1939. She watched as the German Army rounded up the Jews in her hometown of Kalisz and expelled them from the city. She was appalled by the humiliation of the scene and decided she would not go quietly.

Kempner, who could pass for non-Jewish after dyeing her hair, escaped the roundup and made her way to Vilnius, hoping to find transport to the safety of the British Mandate for Palestine (today, Israel). By the time she was to set sail, the USSR had invaded the Baltic country. Soon after, the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa, its war with the Soviet Union.

She once again found herself and her people under the Nazi jackboot. By 1942, Vilnius' Jewish population was herded into a ghetto. Kempner entered the ghetto, too, but moved in and out with her non-Jewish looks and accent-free Polish. She joined a resistance group led by the poet Abba Kovner.

Kempner, a girl in her early 20s, was the group's primary smuggler and spy, moving material in and out through rooftops and sewers.

Vitka Kempner before World War II. (U.S. Holocaust Museum)

Though the Jews of Vilnius didn't suffer retaliation for the train bombing, the liquidation of their people continued. The most notorious site was 10 miles south of the city in the Ponar Forest. Kempner's resistance unit met a girl who survived being shot and thrown into a pit of bodies in the forest.

At the Nuremberg Trials after the war, it was estimated that as many as 100,000 bodies were in the pit. The group began planning its retribution.

Their first target, one of the first acts of resistance against German occupation in the east, was the troop train. The Germans thought it was an act of Polish partisans and didn't suspect Jewish resistance. After the German loss at Stalingrad, pressure began to mount, and the Nazis cracked down on the ghetto.

Kempner and her band of fighters began to move to the forest, where they continued attacking and sabotaging Nazi troops and operations. Before they could move, they were betrayed by a member of the band, and a shootout began. The partisans were trapped in three apartments in the middle of the city, surrounded by the German Army.

The Germans began destroying entire buildings to kill the resistance fighters inside. As building after building imploded, Kempner and what was left of her resistance cell moved out of their position. They escaped through the sewers of the city. The 10,000 Jews left in the ghetto were liquidated. In about a year, 55,000 Jewish people fell victim to the Nazis.

Kempner and her group escaped to Rudnicki Forest, where Soviet partisans were staging. There, they also found anti-Semitism. With many Soviet fighters unwilling to work with Jewish fighters, Kovner and Kempner, who married during their time as resistance fighters, formed their own Jewish resistance group, Ha-Nokmim, "The Avengers."

The group of around 50 Holocaust survivors lived in the forest for nine months, attacking Vilnius and destroying its power plant and water works. The Red Army recaptured Vilnius and expelled the Germans from Lithuania in 1944. When the Avengers returned to the city, it was a shambles. They also learned the full extent of the Holocaust.

With the war over, they became obsessed with revenge against the Nazis and the German people, forming a plan to kill six million Germans in retaliation for the six million Jewish people lost during the war. The idea was to poison German water supplies, but that plan was abandoned when Kovner was arrested on his way back to Lithuania with the poison.

All that was left was to kill the Nazis being held at Nuremberg. The group broke into the bakery providing food for the prisoners and laced thousands of loaves of bread with arsenic. To their chagrin, the bread made the Nazis sick but didn't kill them.

Many of the surviving members moved to Palestine after this failure and became Israelis in 1948. Kempner lived until 2012, at age 91.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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A lot of great technology was developed during the Cold War. Things like GPS, the internet and microchips were all developed as part of the arms-race tech boom. Unfortunately, so was the Novichok nerve agent, the world's largest nuclear weapon and Russia's doomsday device, just to name a few.

You read that right. Like something out of one of the worst James Bond movies, the Soviet Union developed a world-ending mechanism that would launch all of its nuclear weapons without any command from an actual human.

Russia currently has an estimated 1,600 deployed tactical nuclear weapons, with another 2,400 strategic nuclear weapons tied to intercontinental ballistic missiles. This makes Russia the largest nuclear power in the world. All of these weapons are tied into the Perimeter, an automatic nuclear weapons control system.

The RT-2PM ICBM was designed to be road mobile and is mounted on a heavy truck.

In a crisis that might mean a first strike from the United States, high-ranking government officials or military commanders could activate the Perimeter. Perimeter would guarantee that the Soviet Union (and now, Russia) could respond even if its entire armed forces were wiped out.

Once switched on, the Perimeter system can launch the entire Russian nuclear arsenal in response to a nuclear attack. It was part of the Cold War doctrine of mutually assured destruction, a means of deterring nuclear attacks by ensuring the side who initiated a first strike also would be annihilated.

Called "Dead Hand" in the West, the theory is that a command and control system measures communications on military frequencies, radiation levels, air pressure, heat and short-term seismic disturbances. If the measurement points to a nuclear attack, the Perimeter begins a sequence that would end in the firing of all ICBMs in the Soviet (now, Russian) arsenal.

Perimeter would launch a command rocket, tipped with a radio warhead that transmits launch orders to Russian nuclear silos, even with the presence of radio jamming. The rocket would fly across the entire length of the country. After a number of test launches to prove the viability of such a command rocket, the Perimeter system went online in 1985.

The Soviet Union never confirmed that such a system ever existed, but Russian Strategic Missile Forces Gen. Sergey Karakaev confirmed it to a Russian newspaper in 2011, saying the U.S. could be destroyed in 30 minutes. Russian state media outlets suggest the system was upgraded to include radar early warning systems and Russia's new hypersonic missiles.

In the United States, similar technologies were developed. Seismic and radiation sensors are used to monitor parts of the U.S. and the world for nuclear explosions and other activity, but the U.S. military never created an automatic trigger for its arsenal. Instead, it ensured that American humans with the ability and authority to launch a second strike would survive a first strike.

Since the Perimeter is reportedly still active, the danger of an automatic, computer-generated nuclear strike still exists. Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has put Russia's nuclear weapons on high alert, he might have taken Russia's doomsday device on notice as well.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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Military children, affectionately known as "military brats," grow up in a unique environment with unique challenges. Their parents deploy, spending months and years away from home, and they move much more often than civilian families and often grow up in the culture of the military.

Every April, the U.S. military celebrates its estimated 1.2 million military children around the globe with the Month of the Military Child. The best way to help people prepare for and join in on that celebration is curating some of the most unique facts about military children.

1. They're called "military brats" for a reason.

Before anyone starts emailing me about calling military children "brats," know that everyone used this term for them, including military brats themselves. It's a term of endearment and might be at least 100 years old.

In 1921, British Regiment Attached Travelers (as they were called) traveled abroad with British troops. BRAT soon became a term only for children of those troops. The name just stuck and, since it's obviously so perfect, was adopted elsewhere, including the United States.

2. There are more children than service members.

Since the 1970s, military families have grown so much that military children now outnumber actual U.S. troops by a ratio of 1.4 to 1. Sure, it's not a huge margin, but it tells you that military children and families are important to service.

According to the Department of Defense, the number will only grow. Active-duty service members are having kids younger and more often, as the average age of a military child is not five years old.

3. Military children are twice as likely to join the military.

For years, the media have been referring to the military as a "family business." They call it that because military children are not only twice as likely to join the military when they become adults, but also because as of 2016, 80% of troops who joined the military between 2012 and 2013 came from a family with at least one military-connected family member.

4. Deployments are hard on children, too -- and have long-term consequences.

In a 2019 study, researchers found children of deployed parents have higher rates of mental-health issues, compared to civilian children. The biggest differences between the two groups were features of anxiety and depression, likely stemming from worries about their parent's safety. The actions of the non-deployed parents also have an effect on military children.

The way the parent who isn't deployed handles their partner's absence shows in their children, especially external reactions, such as aggressive behavior. These reactions can manifest in the children. The greater the danger faced by the deployed parent, the more pronounced these impacts can be.

5. Military children are resilient -- and grow up to be resilient adults.

A survey conducted by the University of Texas found that despite the challenges they face in frequent moves and dangerous deployments, military children have healthy relationships with others, do well in school and are engaged in community activities.

Moreover, they also show more tolerance, resourcefulness and respect for authority. The challenges they face as a part of their youth helps prepare them for adversity throughout their lives. As a result, they adapt to change more quickly and easily than others.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 63F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Conrad Janis, famous for his portrayal of an overprotective father on Mork & Mindy, and a prolific actor and jazz musician, has died.

He was 94.

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Actor Conrad Janis arrives at the Opening Night Gala for the 1st Annual Burbank International Film Festival, held on March 22, 2009 in Burbank, California. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

Janis died of organ failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on March 1, his business manager Dean Avedon told The Hollywood Reporter. He died just six months after his wife, Maria Grimm, who died in September.

Conrad and his wife Maria were clients of mine for over 35 years, Avedon told People. They were two of the nicest, respectful, and generous people I know. I have many fond memories of Conrad telling me stories from his past. He was an amazing man that led a truly amazing life.

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Even before he became known to mainstream television audiences as Fred McConnell, the father of a woman who rooms with an alien sent to study Earthlings, Janis had already appeared on Broadway, his first appearance being at age 13 in Junior Miss and later, in The Dark of the Moon.

Spotted by a Hollywood scout, the son of art collectors and gallerists Sidney and Harriet Janis found roles in Airport 1975, Get Smart, The Untouchables, My Favorite Martian, Maude, Happy Days and other films and sitcoms, more than 100 credits in all.

But what put him on the map was his turn as Mindy McConnells (Pam Dawber) overprotective albeit loving dad on Mork & Mindy, which famously starred Robin Williams in his breakout role, along with Elizabeth Kerr, Tom Poston and Jonathan Winters.

After that series ended in 1982, Janis had guest spots in The Golden Girls, Mr. Saturday Night, The Cable Guy, Frasier, Maneater, Murder, She Wrote and St. Elsewhere, along with many other television shows.

Janis was also a prodigious jazz trombonist, recording albums with the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band, which also performed on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. During his years on Mork & Mindy he kept his hand in by playing regularly at the Ginger Man nightclub in Beverly Hills, according to Legacy.com.

Janis is survived by his brother as well as his children, Christopher and Carin Janis, plus two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, according to Variety.
Mrs Elsie Evelyn Avemegah, the mother of multiple award-winning dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale on Saturday 3rd March, 2018 decided to go before the Lord in prayer together with a womens group called Shatta Mothers to avert a death prophecy against her son (Shatta Wale).

Prophet E. K. Mensah of Christ Vision Prayer Ministry prophesied that Shatta Wale was going to die before the end of 2018.

The self-acclaimed dancehall king who has been on the neck of religious leaders following the prophetic pronouncements on his life - threatened to burn down churches if he does not die by the close of 2018.

Shatta Wale described the prophecies and prophets as fake, indicating that the spirit that lives " in me is bigger than those in the world."

As a way of averting the prophecy like a mother who really cares about her son, Shatta Mama organized a serious prayer moment.

In a video which was captured by Razzonline.com now RazzNews.com, Shatta Mama together with a women's group called 'Shatta Mothers' who were clad in all-white are seen praying and singing popular gospel songs.

The peak of the prayer session was how Shatta Mama together with the Shatta Mothers danced to the popular gospel song Victory sung by Nigerian gospel musician Eben, to signify their victory.

Speaking exclusively to RazzNews.Com, Shatta Mama Said: I refuse that prophecy in Jesus namethats why I am praying all over the whole GhanaI have been to Volta region and have come to Accra praying for my son and I am trusting God that my son will never dieI want my son to be 102 [years].

The intercessory program was held at the family house of the dancehall king at Dansoman (Banana inn) in Accra.

Well, after doing everything humanly possible to avert the prophecy, Shatta Mama has so far been abandoned by his rich son, Shatta Wale.

In an interview on Hot 93.9FM, a teary Shatta Mama indicated that she has been rendered homeless after being evicted from the house Shatta claimed to have bought for her six years ago.

According to her, all attempts to reach the 'My Level' hitmaker to get her a new apartment has failed. She said sorrowfully that," My son hires a private jet whilst I am not only rendered homeless but hungry".

Watch how Shatta Mama organised the prayer session in the video below.

--- hotfmghana.com
The National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joshua Akamba has asked a stalwart of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to take a second look at history lessons on the strides Ghana has made under the NDCs administration.

He reminded Nkrabea Effah Dartey that it was the gains that late president Jerry John Rawlings made after years of his military and constitutional rules that the former president John Agyekum Kufour came to build on.

Before the NPP came to power in 2001, the NDC under the late Jerry John Rawlings sent a team of experts to Germany to understudy that countrys health insurance programme. It was on the back of these pilot achievements of the NDC that the then NPPs administration was able to roll out the NHIS, Mr Akamba said.

The NPP could not have rolled out the NHIS programme without the NDCs pilot project, the NDC National Organizer argued.

On the matter of crude oil discovery, Mr Akamba revealed that a lot of work was done in the Salt Pond basin of the Central Region by Tsatsu Tsikata who was the then Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Petroleum Commission.

He noted that the actions of Mr Tsikata led to his incarceration by the NPPs administration.

He further revealed that It was under the NDCs administration that universities and polytechnics were established across the region.

He called out Nkrabea Effah Dartey to come clear on the contribution of the NPP in relation to the welfare of Ghanaians.

Even the infamous terminal three at the Kotoka International Airport(KIA) which is now a tourist centre was constructed by the NDC led by former president John Dramani Mahama, he maintained.

Today we have regional and district hospitals across the regions by kind courtesy of the NDC. I know the NPP likes to talk with nothing to show for, he added.

According to him, he laughs when he hears the NPP say they have the ordinary person at heart.

The NPP should enumerate some of the welfare successes they have chalked in government adding that the current NPP administration under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has nothing to show after borrowing to the high heavens.

He added that when the 1992 Constitution was being drafted by the Constituent Assembly, the leadership of the NPP refused to be part of the Assembly because it was made up of market women, and chiefs among others.

The NPP has no links with the needs of the ordinary man on the street, he added.

Mr Akamba said these on Accra FMs morning show today, Wednesday, 9 March 2022, in reaction to claims by Effah Dartey that all the NDC do in power is chop chop, while the NPP comes to power to build.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has said the Supreme Court ruling that Deputy Speakers of Parliament have the right to vote in decision-making while presiding over proceedings of the House is a judicial support for e-levy.

According to Mr Iddrisu, the Supreme Courts decision is also a travesty of parliamentary justice.

In a unanimous decision, the apex court, presided over by a seven-member panel led by Justice Jones Dotse held that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution, a Deputy Speaker, who is a Member of Parliament, does not lose his right to take part in decision-making in parliament.

The decision comes after a lawyer, who is also a law lecturer, Justice Abdulai, petitioned the court to declare as unconstitutional, First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusus action of counting himself as one of the MPs on the floor even while presiding over the proceedings of the house in relation to the formation of a quorum for the passage of the 2022 budget which had earlier been rejected and thrown out by the minority side.

Justice Abdulai was of the view that once a deputy speaker, who is an MP presides in the stead of the Speaker, he loses his right to vote.

The Supreme Courts ruling effectively means either of the two deputy Speakers can vote while presiding over the house.

Reacting to the ruling at a press conference shortly after it had been pronounced, Mr Iddrisu said: The decision of the Supreme Court of Ghana amounts to a judicial interference in a time-tested parliamentary practice and established conventions.

He noted: Everywhere in the world, in civilised democracies, including the United Kingdom, the presiding officers vote is discounted, so, its not for nothing that Article 102 provides that A person presiding shall have no original nor casting vote.

In his view, the Supreme Court ruling is just a judicial support for e-levy and nothing more, judicial support for a struggling economy in distress and a judicial support for the restoration of a matter that they have said is constitutional; its repugnant to the provisions of Articles 102 and 104.

Despite acknowledging that the Supreme Court has the mandate to interpret the law, Mr Iddrisu maintained this is a travesty of parliamentary justice and a stab in the growth and development of multiparty constitutional democracy built on the spirit of checks and balances

Source: Classfmonline.com
Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams has said those wishing his downfall will be disappointed because he will outlast and outlive them.

In a recent sermon, the founder of Action Chapel International said: Thirty years ago, before we came here, everything you see here and other places that we own, I declared it; and folks and people looked at me like something was wrong with me because I was saying things that my mind could not make sense of. Some thought I was arrogant, some thought there was something wrong with him but everything I proclaimed has come to pass and is still coming to pass.

And I stand to proclaim again before heaven and earth that I will outlast and I will outlive all those who desire my head and seek for an occasion to make a statement to prove a point that they shall be disappointed and disadvantaged and I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and I will outsmart, outlive and outlast all of them  known and unknown, he told the congregation.

You can go and mess me up, you can go and misrepresent me to anybody  which is very common in our society. Ye; people have this ministry and anointing to misrepresent other people, to go to the powers that be and lie about you, go and misrepresent you, say things that are not true; when somebody fights you and they realise that they are not winning and you are too powerful for them, they go and find someone else they think is powerful to get at you and they go and lie about, misrepresent you, the renowned preacher said without being specific about any issue.

He added: Men, presidents, first ladies, prime ministers, ministers of state, apostles, bishops, archbishops, [and] prophets can change their mind about you when people go and lie about you. They will not even check whether what they are hearing is true or not. Theyll just change their mind about you [and] their opinions and perceptions of you, but there is one who knows all things about you, there is one who knows your end from your beginning and nobody can change his mind about you. It doesnt matter what you go and tell God about me, you cant change His mind about me because he knows me in and out.  God doesnt change his mind of us.

He then led the congregation to pray against the enemy, saying: Anyone that calls themselves an adversary, anyone that calls themselves an enemy within our own dwelling, within our house and beyond; home or abroad, whoever they are that call themselves enemy  known or unknown  they will not proceed any further; ye, they will not do us any harm anymore; ye, their defences depart from them; ye, they shall fall by their own devices; ye, they will fall by their own sword; ye, they will fall into the very pit they have dug for us; ye, they will fall into the very net they have set for us, they shall be disadvantaged, they shall not prosper, they will be put to shame, they shall be disappointed [they] that seek and desire our head and waiting for an occasion to make a statement or to prove a point against us, our family, our loved ones, our country; ye, let them be as chaff before the wind, let the angel of the Lord persecute them, let them be as grass upon the field that withereth away before it grows up; ye, let them be like the flower that faded by the going down of the sun. But as for us oh Lord, our eyes are upon you.

The Lord shall deliver every known and unknown enemy into our hands and they will not go unpunished in the name of the Lord Jesus; they shall not rejoice over us; they will not have an occasion to say, Uh huh, uh huh, this is the way well have it; ye, they will never have an occasion to prove a point, he prayed.

Archbishop Duncan-Williams observed: Its amazing how the things we see and hear can impact the choices we make in life.

In his preaching, he admonished:  If we dont rehearse the promises [of God], well end up believing the things we see and hear on the internet, social media and television and the media.

Well end up like the children of Israel believing what they heard and what they saw. You cannot be moved by what you hear or by what you see because ladies and gentlemen, there is only one reality in life; only one reality and that one reality is what God says; everything else is a lie, he told the congregation.

Archbishop Duncan-Williams share his personal experience with the congregation, saying: Ive been dealing with so much and going through all kinds of situations and I see that the Lord is testing my faith. Through some of the things Im dealing with, I see the Lord is testing my faith and also my obedience and Hes also teaching me new skills.

Im dealing with a situation and it looks bad in the natural but in my spirit, I feel peace, green light and victory and yet, physically, everything is falling apart and everybody is saying: Papa, you got to do something, Papa what are you doing?, Papa, have you heard?, Papa, whats going on?, Papa, do something; and inside of me, I know there is nothing I can do because God is working it out and that I have the victory already; that the outcome is going to favour me but yet, physically, Im pressure, Im under pressure to say something and do something and the Lord is saying, You dont have to say anything, you dont have to do anything; Im handling it; just hold your peace and my humanity and my flesh [are] not allowing me; and people around me are not allowing me to obey God and to let the Spirit have His way, so, Im pressurised and sometimes my humanity tries to take over from my divinity and I say something I shouldnt say, I do something I shouldnt do and I feel grieved in my spirit and the Holy Spirit is very gentle and Hell whisper and say: But I told you Im handling it; why are you doing this? Why are you interfering with the process? Why dont you just let me handle it? Why dont you trust me? Why dont you lean on me?

Without letting out any details about the issue at hand, Archbishop Duncan-Williams said: I know its going to work out. I have a witness in my spirit. I have a green light that God is working it out but the things Im hearing [dont] look like anything is changing and the things Im seeing contradict the witness of my spirit and its like everything is falling apart: You got to do something Papa; act, do something! And the Spirit says, Do nothing. Then somebody says: Have you called So So and So? and the Spirit says, Dont call anybody; your life is in the halo of my hands; I am your defender, I am the God of the armies of Israel, I am Yahweh, I fight your battles; call nobody, say nothing, hold your peace; and, sometimes, I cant help it. Sometimes my humanity wants to prove a point, my humanity must say something and the Spirit says, You dont have to say anything; let me do it, let me handle this. And, then somebody will suddenly come to me and bring up the subject that the Spirit says Do nothing about and it triggers something in me and my humanity wants to step out and prove a point and then after Ive said something after the Spirit says, But you didnt have to say anything, so, what happens? I have to start all over again. I failed the test. So, He said, No problem; Ill give you another opportunity to see.

He said: To stand on a higher place and higher ground, you have to crucify this flesh, you have to be void of ego and self; you got to come to a place where nothing matters anymore but your relationship with God, where nothing matters anymore but gods approval of you.

Source: Classfmonline.com
The Minority in Parliament has reacted to the Supreme Courts ruling that says a Deputy Speaker presiding over proceedings in Parliament has the right to vote on matters and also be counted as part of the quorum for decision making in Parliament.

According to the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the judgment is a travesty of justice and failure of the judiciary on Parliamentary democracy.

From today, maybe there will be a new deviation of who a First or a Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament is. Maybe, they dont deserve us according to them the offices they occupy, maybe that is what the Supreme Court is ruling. We will just recognise them as MP of Fomena and MP for Bekwai and nothing more, Mr Iddrisu said in a reaction at a press briefing in Parliament.

In a unanimous decision Wednesday [March 9, 2022], a seven-member panel of the apex court held that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution, a Deputy Speaker who happens to be a member of Parliament does not lose his right to take part in decision making in Parliament, reports Graphic Onlines Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson who was in the courtroom.

In view of the decision, the apex court held that the passing of the budget on November 30, 2021 in which Mr Joe Osei Owusu , the first Deputy Speaker counted himself as part of the quorum, was valid.

Also, the court has struck down order 109(3) of the standing orders of Parliament which prevented a deputy speaker presiding from voting, as unconstitutional.

The court gave the decision today after it dismissed a writ by a law lecturer, Justice Abdulai, who was challenging the decision of Mr Owusu to be counted as part of the quorum to pass the budget.

The unanimous decision was given by Justices Jones Dotse, Nene Amegather, Prof Ashie Kotey, Mariama Owusu, Lovelace Johnson, Clemence Honyenuga and Yonny Kulendi.

The court did not give its reasons for the decision but said the reasons would be filed by Friday at the Courts registry [March 11, 2022].

They described the ruling by the apex court as a judicial interference in time-tested parliamentary practice and established conventions.

Reacting, the Minority Leader said This ruling by the Supreme Court, to put it aptly, is judicial support for Electronic Transfer Bill (E-levy), nothing more, for a struggling economy in distress and a judicial support for the restoration of a matter they have said that it is constitutional.

It is repugnant to the provisions of article 102 and 104 but they are clothed with the authority and mandate to interpret the law and this is a travesty of parliamentary justice and is a stab in the growth and development of multi-party constitutional democracy built on the spirit and principle of checks and balances

Mr Iddrisu said in civilized democracy everywhere in the world including the United Kingdom (UK), the presiding officers vote was discounted.

He thus said it was not for nothing that Article 102 provided a person presiding shall have no original nor casting vote.

He described as intriguing to hear that while the nation awaited the full reasoning of the Supreme Court, one of the justices of the apex court said the quorum in Article 102 is not the same as Article 104.

That is the ruling but we know that for quorum, Article 102 is authoritative on the composition of quorum for Parliament for the purpose of conducting business. We cannot see any material difference in the provisions of Article 104 but for their purposes they have said that interpret Article 102 differently and separately from Article 104.

The leader said the judiciary was also failing Ghanas Parliamentary democracy in their inability to appreciate the true meaning of Article 110 of the 1992 Constitution that Parliament shall, by Standing Orders, regulate its own proceedings.

We regulate our own proceedings and today reference is made to the 1992 Constitution and not to the Standing Orders of Parliament of Ghana in particular Standing Order 13.

---Graphic.com
Three men were jailed for between eight and 13 years on Wednesday for their links to the terrorists who murdered the Catholic priest Jacques Hamel during morning mass in his church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in northern France in July 2016.

Hamel was officiating at the service with four people - including two nuns - when teenagers Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Nabil-Petitjean burst into the Eglise Saint-Etienne brandishing knives.

They forced the 85-year-old onto his knees and repeatedly slashed at him.

Police shot the two 19-year-olds as they tried to escape after holding the rest of the group hostage.

Hamel's body was later found with 18 stab wounds. The Islamic Sate group claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Wednesday at the special assize court in Paris, Yassine Sebaihia, Farid Khelil and Jean-Philippe Steven Jean-Louis, who had been held on remand since the assault, were found guilty of having helped or encouraged the attack.

Sentences

Jean-Louis, 25, was jailed for 13 years, Khelil, Nabil-Petitjean's cousin, received 10 years and Sebaihia was imprisoned for eight years.

During nearly a month of hearings, the court was told that the three men did not play a role in carrying out the assault on 26 July but were part of the attackers' entourage.

The trio admitted that they voluntarily associated with individuals who were preparing to commit terrorist crimes.

But those ties did not define them as terrorists, the court heard.

Just before sentencing, 36-year-old Khelil told the court: "I carry ... I don't know if I can say it ... I carry my cross. I carry my pain.

"I have changed. These almost six years in prison have not been in vain. I will do everything to be a good father, a good citizen, a good man. Like Father Hamel was."

A fourth defendant, Rachid Kassim, who is presumed to have died in Iraq in 2017, was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment.

Dominique Lebrun, the Archbishop of Rouen, whose diocese includes the Eglise Saint-Etienne, said in a statement on Wednesday night: Justice was served. The court had to convict these men for the good of society.
09.03.2022 LISTEN

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George has indicated that he does not accept the Supreme Court ruling indicating that a Deputy Speaker of Parliament has the right to vote anytime he performs the duty of a Speaker.

According to the vocal lawmaker, Parliament is a master of its own affairs and hence a Deputy Speaker has no business voting when he acts as Speaker per the standing orders of the house.

They have given their ruling we have heard but I believe that there is a reason why our standing orders say that parliament is a master of its own affairs and that the procedure in Parliament resides in the bosom of Mr Speaker.

For me, I cannot, for the life of me, be part of what I will deem an illegality which will be that the person presiding in the House will take part in a vote he is superintending over. I do not know what position my leadership or my party will take but my principled position is one that states that anyone presiding, be it Mr Speaker or any of his two deputies has absolutely no business taking part in the vote on the floor, Sam George said in an interview with TV3.

The Ningo Prampram MP said the Minority will use every available legal means within Parliament to ensure the regulations in the Standing Orders of Parliament reign supreme regardless of the latest Supreme Court ruling.

We will employ every legal means within the Parliamentary procedure to ensure that this long time tested practice of parliament which is 30 years old this year, will be upheld until the Lord Justices decide to start expunging part of the constitution like 104(5) for us to see that the application of the law is not skewed and imbalanced. I do not see why anyone who has conflict of interest should be allowed to vote, Sam George added.

A seven-member Supreme Court Panel on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, gave the ruling, thereby legitimizing the approval of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy proposal of the government.

Late last year before Parliament went on recess, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei Owusu while sitting in for Speaker Alban Bagbin included his vote to give the Majority the needed numbers to approve the budget.

The decision raised a lot of issues as a petition was presented to the Supreme Court for clarity.

After taking up the case, the Supreme Court has today ruled that a Deputy Speaker has the right to vote when presiding over proceedings in the absence of a Speaker.

The official position of the Minority in Parliament is that the ruling is judicial support for the controversial E-Levy.
The General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, John Boadu has stressed that contrary to rumours, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is in full support of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy).

The new levy being introduced by the government will among others see the taxation of certain Mobile Money (MoMo) transactions.

Due to a declaration in the past where Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia shared that he does not believe Mobile Money should be taxed, many have indicated that perhaps he is still against the idea but unable to speak out.

Speaking in an interview on Starr FM on Wednesday evening during an appearance on Starr Chat, John Boadu emphasised that Dr. Bawumia is in full support of the controversial E-Levy.

I can tell you for a fact that he is in full support of E-levy. He supports it fully, the NPP General Secretary shared while arguing that he [Dr. Bawumia] cant comment on everything, he is not expected to speak on everything but I will tell him you [Nana Aba] want to hear him on E-levy.

The Electronic Transaction Levy according to government will among other things help in the construction of more roads in the country.

Unfortunately, it has been rejected by the Minority in Parliament who insists it will bring untold hardships on the Ghanaian people.

The Minority remains unwilling to change its stance and has vowed to continue opposing the levy until the government finally decides to scrap it.
The Libyan city of Gharyan sculpted a reputation for ceramics generations ago, but fragile demand is forcing potters to seek new markets on Instagram and Facebook.

Muayyad al-Shabani didn't even start out in the craft. He earned a physics degree but struggled to find a job in a country whose economy has been battered by a decade of war and instability since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Then Shabani started, almost by chance four years ago, to sell ceramics online from Gharyan, high in the Nafousa mountains south of Tripoli.

Operating out of a Gharyan workshop, his firm with around 10 employees takes orders directly through dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages, packages each item and despatches them around the world.

"First we tried to get ceramics delivered to Libyans living overseas, in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and it was a great success," he said.

A potter decorates ceramic pots at a workshop in Gharyan. By Mahmud TURKIA AFP

"Then we started tackling the problems linked to transport, like a lack of decent packaging. So we invested in packaging machines."

The 35-year-old said he wants to stake out a corner on a market with no borders, and compete with products made in China, Turkey and Libya's neighbours.

But he knows potters in Gharyan face a competitive disadvantage against rivals from more politically stable countries.

Potteries in Gharyan, a city of 160,000 people, essentially stopped developing in the 1980s and are struggling to keep pace with modernisation, he said.

Businesses across Libya face daunting logistical challenges and an archaic banking system -- a challenge Shabani overcomes by receiving payment through an account in Europe.

The money is then withdrawn in cash and delivered to merchants by hand.

At a neighbouring studio, Ali al-Zarqani would like to move online but is not yet equipped to do so and struggles to reach his markets.

Every morning he heads to the family's workshop in the centre of town.

The road is lined with shops selling a range of pottery creations -- dishes, jugs, pitchers, tajines and flower pots, enamelled and hand-decorated with traditional designs.

Some display hundreds of earthenware jugs, used for storing olive oil or cool drinking water in the baking Libyan summers.

'Part of our identity'

Zarqani, 47, learned the craft from his father a quarter of a century ago.

Locally made ceramics on display in front of a shop. By Mahmud TURKIA AFP

He starts by crushing and sieving clay-rich earth then kneading it to make it easier to sculpt, before efficiently crafting each piece on his wheel then leaving it to dry for up to 12 hours.

Once decorated with natural pigments, the piece is then baked at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 Fahrenheit) in an electric kiln.

"There's a lack of basic materials, which we have to import at high prices, and there are also few workers because of a lack of craft schools," said Zarqani.

"And moreover, demand isn't stable."

Gharyan sculpted a reputation for ceramics generations ago, but fragile demand is forcing potters to seek new markets on Instagram and Facebook. By Mahmud TURKIA AFP

Still, he hopes "the new generation will take over" to safeguard this "link to our land."

Shabani, with his online business, is part of that new era and has found ways around the challenges which have left Gharyan's once-prosperous potteries struggling.

He plans to keep expanding.

"Ceramics are part of our identity," Zarqani said. "We're attached to it because it represents the identity of Libya."
Former President John Mahama has described the ruling by the Supreme Court that says Deputy Speakers of Parliament have the right to vote while presiding over the House as an unfortunate interpretation.

According to the former President, the ruling by the Supreme Court is for convenience.

In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, 9 March 2022, the apex court, presided over by a seven-member panel led by Justice Jones Dotse held that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution, a Deputy Speaker, who is a Member of Parliament, does not lose his right to take part in decision-making in parliament.

The decision comes after a lawyer, who is also a law lecturer, Justice Abdulai, petitioned the court to declare as unconstitutional, First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusus action of counting himself as one of the MPs on the floor even while presiding over the proceedings of the house in relation to the formation of a quorum for the passage of the 2022 budget which had earlier been rejected and thrown out by the minority side.

Justice Abdulai was of the view that once a deputy speaker, who is an MP presides in the stead of the Speaker, he loses his right to vote.

The Supreme Courts ruling effectively means either of the two deputy Speakers can vote while presiding over the house.

Reacting to the ruling in a Facebook post on Thursday, 10 March 2022, Mr Mahama said: A unanimous 7-0? Shocking but not surprising.

The former President added: An unfortunate interpretation for convenience that sets a dangerous precedent of judicial interference in Parliamentary procedure for the future.

Source: classfmonline.com
It was a royal run-in for the ages.

The future Queen (Consort) of England came face-to-face with the actress who plays her on The Crown.

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Emerald Fennell finally met the real-life Camilla Parker Bowles after portraying her in the top-rated Netflix show.

The 36-year-old London-born actress, screenwriter and director was among the chosen few invited to an International Womens Day reception at Clarence House, which is home to Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall.

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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, President of WOW - Women of the World Festival, meets Emerald Fennell as she hosts a reception to mark International Women's Day at Clarence House on March 8, 2022 in London, England. (ARTHUR EDWARDS/Getty Images)

I was nervous I might be thrown in the tower but so far, so good, she told select media members during the event.

For me, its very reassuring to know that if I should fall off my perch at any moment, my fictional alter ego is here to take over, the duchess read from prepared notes. So, Emerald  be prepared!

Not everyone in the cast of The Crown can say they met the royal they played. And Fennell  who wrote and directed the award-winning film Promising Young Woman  knows she was in rarefied air.

You know what, Im going to be very discreet, because if Ive learned anything its loose lips sink ships,  the Academy Award winner reportedly said.

She is such an impressive person, it was fittingly nice to meet her today on International Womens Day because she does so much for so many particularly female-centered charities, she also said about Parker-Bowles.[Camilla] has been in the spotlight for a long time and has always weathered it with a lot of grace and good humor.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, President of WOW - Women of the World Festival, meets Emerald Fennell as she hosts a reception to mark International Women's Day at Clarence House on March 8, 2022 in London, England. (ARTHUR EDWARDS/Getty Images)

Spice Girls member Mel B was also among other honored guests at the reception, including Fawzia Amini, Ferozan Easar Qasimi, and Alia Popal, who were judges in Afghanistan before the Taliban returned to power.

There remain vast strides to be made  on the current trajectory, we will need more than 135 years to close the gender gap worldwide  but let us take a moment to thank the women and men who have, for decades, fought hard for justice and equality, the duchess wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
A week after an attack on pro-independence activist Yvan Colonna in prison, anger spilled onto the streets of Corsica overnight leading to the forced entry into an Ajaccio courthouse, with several injured in the clashes.

Colonna, who is convicted of the murder of the regional prefect Claude Erignac in 1998, has been in a coma after being violently attacked last week by a fellow prisoner incarcerated on terrorism charges.

Demonstrations have multiplied across the island - rallied by students, nationalist organizations and trade unions - who accuse the French state of bearing a heavy responsibility for Colonna's condition.

On Wednesday evening, several hundred people gathered in the cities of Ajaccio, Calvi and Bastia, but the situation quickly descended into violence when clashes broke out between some protesters and the police.

Courthouse attacked

In the Corsican capital Ajaccio, the scuffles continued until midnight and demonstrators broke into the city's courthouse, which was closed at the time.

Attempts to set fire the hall and facade of the court building were quickly extinguished by the fire brigade.

The director of the fire and rescue services in southern Corsica remarked: "There was a fire on the ground floor of the courthouse, but it did not spread to the upper floors."

According to the police, there were at least two arrests.

Similar demonstrations also took place in Bastia and Calvi, with police claiming protesters were armed with molotov cocktails, home-made bombs, iron balls and slingshots, with the CRS anti-riot unit responding with tear gas.

Too little, too late for pro-independence activists

Yvan Colonna has been imprisoned in the central prison of Arles, on the French mainland, and has consistently asked to be transferred to Corsica.

His requests have been systematically refused because of his status as a "high-profile prisoner".

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Jean Castex lifted this status, but the decision to return Colonna to Corsica is considered too little, too late for activists as the pro-independence leader is fighting for his life at a hospital in Marseille since the attack on 2 March.

Meanwhile, some nationalist movements are calling for the protests to continue, and are due to hold a rally in Bastia on Sunday.

This comes as Colonna's family have expressed their reluctance to support a continuation of the demonstrations.
10.03.2022 LISTEN

The Spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu has called on the administration of the Ghana Police Service to address challenges facing its enlistment process to ensure the right people are recruited.

Speaking to GTV on the morning breakfast show, Sheikh Aremeyaw stressed that the Police Service can and should do more to recruit the right people.

For me, the process of enlistment into the Police remains a challenge.

The Police Administration can do more to ensure that we get people of sound mind during the enlistment for this noble job.

Let's hope that we improve the Police Service and get the right people into the security services.

A certain stringent measure must be put in place to block people who want to destroy the image of the police service, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu shared.

The Spokesperson of the National Chief Imam was speaking on the recent arrest of some Police officers over their involvement in the bullion van robberies in the country.

He said the Police administration should be commended for not shielding officers fingered in the bullion van robberies.

The police is now showing a new face and courage and must be commended, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu noted.
10.03.2022 LISTEN

Founder and President of Worldwide Miracle Outreach, Dr. Lawrence Tetteh has applauded the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare for fishing out the bad nuts within the force.

The Ghana Police Service early this week said four of its officers have been arrested for their involvement in the bullion van robberies in the country.

Speaking on GTV 's morning breakfast show, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh heaped praise on IGP George Akuffo Dampare for gojng after his own people.

I will be quick to commend the IGP Dampare that within his own people, he has been able to fish out the bad nuts, the renowned Evangelist shared.

On the same platform, the spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu called on the administration of the Ghana Police Service to address challenges facing its enlistment process to ensure the right people are recruited.

For me, the process of enlistment into the Police remains a challenge.

The Police Administration can do more to ensure that we get people of sound mind during the enlistment for this noble job.

Let's hope that we improve the Police Service and get the right people into the security services.

A certain stringent measure must be put in place to block people who want to destroy the image of the police service, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu shared.

He said the Police administration should be commended for not shielding officers fingered in the bullion van robberies.

The police is now showing a new face and courage and must be commended, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu noted.
The High Court in Tema will today, Thursday, March 10 hear the bail application by #FixTheCountry movement convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor.

The lawyers for the convener filed the application for bail at the Tema High Court after the Supreme Court struck out a case brought before.

Meanwhile, the Attorney Generals (AG) office has opposed Mr Barker-Vormawors bail application.

The AGs office opposed the bail application on Wednesday, 9 March 2022 while making reference to a series of screenshots of Mr Barker-Vormawors social media posts.

This comes on the heels of the conduct of a search of the Conveners home and workplace as well the homes of his family and friends and other places pointed to by the Police intelligence.

The convener was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday, 3 March 2022 after taking ill.

The lawyer and activist, who is being detained for threatening a coup over the controversial e-levy, was rushed to the Police Hospital.

A few weeks ago, the Cambridge PhD student was sacked from the Ashaiman District Court during his second appearance after engaging the judge in a heated argument when the court sought to clarify from his lawyer about his application seeking the courts jurisdiction on personal liberty.

The accused person noted that he will not glorify the court.

The judge then asked his lawyers to take him out of the court.

The convener has been charged with treason felony by the police.

He made his first appearance at the Ashaiman District Court on Monday, 14 February 2022 and was denied bail and subsequently remanded into custody.

Presiding judge Eleanor Barnes said taking into consideration the nature of the offence, her court does not have jurisdiction to grant bail.

She, however, directed that Mr Barker-Vormawor be allowed access to his lawyer and three family members from 10 am to 4 pm daily.

Mr Barker-Vormawor was arrested on Friday, 11 February 2022 at the Kotoka International Airport when he returned from the UK for making suggestive coup threats on social media.

The police has indicated that his post contained a clear statement of intent with a possible will to execute a coup in his declaration of intent to subvert the constitution of the Republic.

Source: classfmonline.com
The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NDC), John Boadu has claimed that government spent more than what it received as grants and donations to support the fight against the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Speaking in an interview on Starr FM on Wednesday, the scribe of the ruling party said the impact of the Covid-19 was so high and required that government spent more than usual.

The effect of COVID was higher and bigger, for instance, if you take revenue shortfall in the year 2020 was close to fourteen billion Ghana cedis. As a result of non-collection of import duties and all that. If you take COVID expenditure alone this is an extraneous item. Because without COVID we have nothing like that as part of our expenditure for the year.

So the combination of just that two in the year 2020 alone is twenty-four billion Ghana cedis. Put together all the monies that we got as a result of a donation from IMF and all those places does it amount to twenty-four billion, it is not, John Boadu shared during an appearance on Starr Chat.

He continued, The negative effect is enormously more than the direct positive effect. The indirect effect is also huge the government lost a lot of revenue and it continues to lose as we speak now. So there is no argument at all as to the impact of COVID on the entire economy.

While agreeing with Ghanaians pushing for government to account for expenditure on Covid-19, the NPP General Secretary called for calm.

He said in the next Auditor Generals report, there will be information for the general public in relation to the expenses.

I am talking about the government but go to the departments and agencies the cost of running their businesses and all that. But that is not to say that Ghanaians should not be asking about the nitty-gritty of the expenses. It will come there, as I told you Public Accounts Committee or the Auditor General at the end of the year they will have the opportunity to go through, John Boadu said.
Member of Parliament for Wa West Constituency, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has painted dire consequences over the incidence of police personnel involved in suspected armed robbery cases in the country.

According to the retired police officer, one police officer who is involved in armed robbery is more dangerous than ten criminals put together.

Mr. Toobu expressed this fear in an interview with 3FM's Sunrise hosted by Alfred Ocansey on Thursday, March 10.

Sunrise sought to find out why two police officers who had been arrested earlier were taken to a scene to effect the arrest of other suspected criminals who have been involved in bullion van robberies in the country.

The member of the Defence and Interior Committee in Parliament wondered: How can you take a suspect on an operation?

I can't understand how it happened. Where were [the police suspects] going to be positioned? How were their lives going to be protected?

Mr. Toobu explained that one police officer who turns to an armed robber becomes more dangerous than ten armed robbers.

They are all well-armed. They have been given training. They are more dangerous than a normal criminal because they are trained officers. Police officers don't shoot anyhow. There are rules and regulations governing the use of gun.

Asked whether the police killed the arrested two police officers just to 'kill' the story, Mr. Toobu said, if they think by killing these people, the case will die, it will not because the IGP has vowed to go deeper into the case.

Criminals are not to be killed. They are to be arrested and prosecuted and reconstruction at the crime scene is to ascertain whether it was a failed strategy or otherwise. A crime cannot be coveredit's just a matter of time.

Salute IGP

The MP praised the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, for the tenacity to deal with suspected criminals in the Ghana Police Service.

I want to salute the IGP because having inherited over 40,000 police personnel; it's a huge challenge and he needs to kick these people out. I salute the IGP. I salute the men who are doing the job.

3news.com
Somw 10 students were illegally admitted into the Ghana School of Law (GSL) in 2021.

This was contained in a report by a committee of enquiry set up by the General Legal Council (GLC).

The report also recommended the withdrawal of the 10 illegally-admitted students.

The report said: Council decided that the ten (10) students who were identified in the Committee of Inquirys report as having been admitted illegally by the then Acting Director, Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, should be withdrawn immediately from the Ghana School of Law.

The students were to be informed of the GLCs decision to withdraw them by the Secretary.

The then Acting Director of the GSL, Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang is also to be subjected to disciplinary proceedings by a 3-member Disciplinary Committee, according to the report.

Some 790 students out of the 2,824 candidates who sat for the 2021 entrance examination to the GSL were admitted.

Another 499, who maintained that they had passed the exam after being denied entry to the GSL were later admitted.

Source: classfmonline.com
Ukraine has accused Russia of "genocide" by bombing a children's hospital in the city of Mariupol, which Moscow has rejected as "fake news" claiming the building was a former maternity hospital that had been taken over by troops previously.

Russia's war in Ukraine entered its third week this Thursday with none of Moscow's stated objectives having been reached despite thousands of people killed, more than two million displaced, and thousands more forced to find shelter in besieged cities under relentless Russian bombardment.

Moscow's intention of crushing the Ukrainian military and ousting the elected government of President Volodymyr Zelensky have remained out of reach, with Zelensky unshaken and Western military aid pouring across the Polish and Romanian borders.

Conversely, Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains the advance by his forces into Ukraine is going according to plan and to schedule.

The Kremlin insists on calling the invasion a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour and dislodge leaders it denounces as "neo-Nazis."

However, Western-led sanctions designed to isolate the Russian economy and government from international financial markets are beginning to impact the country's economy, with the Russian share market and rouble plummeting, forcing ordinary Russians to hoard cash.

The World Bank's chief economist says Moscow is edging close to defaulting on its debt.

Mariupol maternity hospital

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Voldomyr Zelensky has accused Russia of "genocide" after Russian aircraft allegedly bombed a children's hospital in the key port city of Mariupol on Wednesday, burying patients in rubble despite a ceasefire deal for people to flee the city.

"What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?" Zelensky said in a televised address late on Wednesday.

Wednesday's attack underscored warnings from Washington that the biggest assault on a European state since 1945 could become increasingly attritional due to Russia's early failures.

The White House condemned the hospital bombing as a "barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians".

However, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations retorted on Twitter: "That's how fake news is born,".

Mass exodus

According to the United Nations Children's Fund, among the more than two million total refugees that have fled Ukraine, there are more than one million children. UNICEF says at least 37 have been killed and 50 injured.

For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross says houses have been destroyed all across Ukraine leaving hundreds of thousands of people without food, water, heat, electricity or medical care.

Turkey opens diplomatic avenues

Amid hopes of kick-starting diplomatic dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey this Thursday.

The encounter will mark the first high-level talks between the two countries since Moscow invaded its neighbour, with Ankara hoping the negotiations could mark a turning point in the conflict.

Speaking in a video statement, Kuleba said: "Frankly my expectations of the talks are low."

Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire, liberation of its territories and to resolve all humanitarian issues, Kuleba added.

Moscow demands that Kyiv takes a neutral position and drop aspirations of joining the NATO alliance.

The meeting in Antalya comes as EU leaders are being hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at a summit in Versailles this Thursday, which will be dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the impending energy crisis.
The Queenmother of Apinto Divisional Council in the Western Region, Nana Abena Boadiwaa II, says she sees nothing wrong in a woman making a marriage proposal to a man she is interested in without fear of emasculating him.

In traditions in Africa and across the world, men usually pursue women for marriage, with the men being the ones who buy the rings and propose to the women.

However, Nana Boadiwaa has stressed that a lady can propose to a man as long as she loves him and is sure the man loves her too.

Speaking during the celebration of this years International Womens Day organised by Gold Fields Ghana Limited in Tarkwa in the Western Region, the queenmother said, If you are madly in love with your boyfriend and he has not any intentions of proposing to you anytime soon, you can break the bias and propose to him strategically, that is privately, adding that since the guy would know how much the lady loves him, he would be more likely to say yes.

Dr. Celestina Allotey, Vice President of Sustainable Development, West Africa, called for the prioritisation of the girl-child education by parents.

I am emphasising the education of girls because of the perception of people that even when the girls go to school they will end up in the kitchen. I am a woman, but because I was sent to school and took my education seriously, I am currently an engineer in the mining company, and I cook in the kitchen too, she charged.

Mary Vida Kwofie, Prestea Huni Valley Municipal Director of Education, also admonished girls to concentrate on their studies so they can become assets to their parents and the nation.

The International Women's Day is set aside to celebrate women for their immense contribution towards national development, while raising awareness on the need for equality in all spheres of life.

This year's theme was: Break the Bias.

DGN online
10.03.2022 LISTEN

On March 8, the Commander, Land Forces of Uganda Peoples Defense Forces, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, also son to President Museveni and his Advisor, announced his retirement from the army. Hours later this position changed, with him saying he is still serving for eight more years! The development comes with a number of implications politically and militarily.

In making the announcement and later rescinding it, both Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and the Commander-in-Chief, President Museveni did not follow the due procedure of the law; not due to ignorance or unaware of what they were doing. They are fully deliberate in their actions.

In his twitter handle, Gen Muhoozi published thus, After 28 years of service in my (mark, my) glorious military, the greatest military in the world, I am happy to announce my retirement.

The communication was widely picked by the world media on to their respective audiences. But later on a video clip featuring Muhoozi and Andrew Mwenda, a Kampala veteran journalist and strategy craftsman, went viral on the internet with both men stressing one point: retirementif not now, next time. Now implies political season 2o26 to 2030 and next time is season 2030 to 2036. By 2026 the General will be 51 and 56 by 2030. That is eight years from now, still energetic. The postponement from now to next time was attributed to the intervention of president Yoweri Museveni who is said to have denounced the hurried announcement.

Retirement from the Ugandan army is conditioned on voluntary application to the Commissions and Appointments Board chaired by the Chief of Defense ForcesCDF who forwards to the Commander-in-ChiefCIC, or after becoming 40 years of age for a Lieutenant and a Captain or after becoming 45 years of age for a Major, or after becoming 47 years of age for a Lieutenant Colonel. In other circumstances commanders may opt to retire an officer whose services are no longer needed or an officer can be retired based on medical reasons cited by the Medical Board. Whereas Lt Gen Muhoozi is 47 years and therefore can retire, there is no evidence of him adhering to any of the above procedures. Besides there is no requirement of him making retirement plans public except for personal strategic reasons.

Politically, in order to stand for president in Uganda, you must be a civilian. Therefore, Muhoozi must be home soon. The mere announcement of his retirement, even if not yet, is enough to send signals around that will help him to know who is or not with him within the ruling NRM party establishment, the official opposition as well as regionally and internationally. He needs this in order to install a formidable team in the shortest time of popularizing his candidature. So he now expects local, regional and international allies to line up with encouragement of him to go on with the aspirations. These will constitute a team to begin with and help him isolate enemies.

The developmentsuggests a possibility, mark, possibilityof Museveni not offering his candidature in 2026. This is demonstrated by his recent stepped-up maneuvers in the region to ensure that the East African Political Federation is achieved within the next few years, after the entry of the Democratic Republic Congo and Somalia into the bloc. He wants this to be the African center of gravity. He has since reconciled with Mr Raila Odinga of Kenya so that he can be on good terms with any candidate that emerges as Kenyas next president. He enjoys a warm relationship with the Tanzanian president, Samia Suluhu Hassan as is the case with those of Burundi and DRC; Evariste Ndayishimiye and Felix Tshisekedi respectively. He is working on restoring full relations with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda with his son, Muhoozi singularly playing the mediatory role. He is convinced that after becoming 81 years of age in 2026, he will be more peacefully accepted as East Africas maiden statesman president than continuing to hold onto Uganda where temptations of military violence against civilians have become integral to sustaining him in power. These practices are becoming more unattainable in the current digital space. But also reliance on the military is more inviting for a military coup which is historically a Ugandan hobby.

Militarily, because the Commander-in Chief had previously declined to approve retirement applications of other senior and veteran officers such as Gen David Sejusa he could not straight away approve that of his son, the first time it reaches his desk. He had to appear delaying it like he has done with others. This implies that Gen Sejusa will actually soon get his retirement granted shortly ahead of Gen Muhoozi. In the meantime, like at the political front, Muhoozi is going to use this time to measure the levels of military loyalty and readiness to propel him like they have always done his dad in the scenario that the population out rightly rejects him on account of his fathers long stay in power.

Simon Kimoyi

Kampala International University
Emilio Delgado, who played the beloved Luis on Sesame Street for more than four decades, has died at age 81 after a year-long battle with blood cancer.

We are saddened by the news of Emilios passing, Robert Attermann, CEO of A3 Artists Agency, which represented the actor and singer, told the Daily News in a statement Thursday.

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Delgado died Thursday at his home in New York City, surrounded by family, his wife Carol Delgado told TMZ.

Emilio was an immense talent who brought so much joy and smiles to his fans, Attermann told The News. He will be missed by many and we know his legacy will live on. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, including his wife, Carole.

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Sesame Street cast member Emilio Delgado attends a special screening for the HBO Documentary Film "Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street" at Symphony Space on December 10, 2021 in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)

Delgado was best known for the 44 years he spent playing Luis, from 1971 to 2015. He has the unofficial distinction of being the longest-running Mexican-American character on a U.S. television series, according to his Twitter profile.

Born in Calexico, Calif., he spent his early years across the border in Mexicali, Mexico, and as a child earned money shining shoes and working in his uncles bicycle repair shop while attending elementary school in the U.S.

After graduating from Glendale High School in Los Angeles, he studied acting while performing as a folk singer and guitarist, crooning traditional Spanish boleros with Mexican trios, according to his bio on IMDBpro.

His acting start came in 1968 in the PBS series Cancion De La Raza (Song of The People) on KCET-LA. When Sesame Street brought Latino actors into the fold, he landed the role of Luis, the Fix-it Shop owner.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Delgado also had numerous stage roles, including at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, INTAR Theatre, Round House Theatre and Manhattan Theatre Source.

Episode 2953 of Sesame Street, "Telly Breaks Luis' Vase" - Luis (Emilio Delgado) with Louie. (Sesame Street)

Away from Sesame Street, Delgado appeared on several primetime TV dramas of the 70s and 80s, including Lou Grant Hawaii Five 5-0, Quincy and Police Story.

He worked up until the pandemic began, according to his wife, playing the lead in the theater production Quixote Nuevo for a Houston theater company before lockdown called a halt after a three-city run.

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He was diagnosed at the end of 2020 with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, Carol said.

As recently as December, Delgado signed onto the board of directors of the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, a community center for LGBTQ youth in New Jersey, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Its just a continuation of whatever it was Sesame Street was trying to do with inclusion, Delgado told the paper, with showing different kinds of people (and) how they lived differently and they spoke different languages or they ate different food. And it was educating all those kids and families out there that had no idea that there were other people out there that were like this, that were different from themselves.
Ghanas Attorney General, Mr Godfred Dame has asked the Tema High Court to refuse the bail application of #FixTheCountry Movement convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor.

AG claims the youth activist, who is standing trial for treason felony after threatening a coup on social media in connection with the e-levy, has been uncooperative with the investigators.

The Minister of Justice, in a document to the court on Thursday, 10 March 2022 said the Cambridge PhD student, who has been in detention for about a month, is a flight risk.

The lawyer was reportedly rushed to the hospital recently after taking ill and put in a bail application through his lawyers.

According to Mr Dame, Mr Barker-Vormawor has defied some court orders issued against him with regard to the investigation, thus, must not be granted bail.

He said in addition to refusing the investigators access to his mobile phone as ordered by the court, the accused person has also refused to disclose his place of abode in Ghana for a search to be conducted, despite the court having granted a warrant for that purpose.

For those reasons, the AG argues that it would be untenable to grant Mr Barker-Vormawor bail.

That, having regard to the nature of the offence and the punishment which conviction will entail, the applicant, a person with no fixed place of abode in Ghana is not likely to appear to stand trial if granted bail, Mr Dame said.

The court could not hear the bail application on Thursday since the lawyers of the accused person said they had just received the AGs document.

The case has been adjourned to Monday, 14 March 2022.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Member of Parliament for South Dayi constituency, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor has described the Supreme Courts affirmation of First Deputy Speaker Joe Wises vote while presiding over the House as a judicial takeover of parliament.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, presided by Justice Jones Dotse ruled that a Deputy Speaker can be counted in a quorum for parliamentary decision making and voting whiles presiding.

This was after legal practitioner Justice Abdulai filed a case against the Attorney General to contest the First Deputy Speaker's decision to count himself while presiding over the vote on the approval of the 2022 budget.

Not mincing words on the AM show on Joy News today, he stated that, the country chose a specific type of democracy and parliament unlike the Westminster type where voting rights reside in the speaker, the Supreme Courts ruling was a judicial blessing for more chaos in Parliament.

According to him, by the Ghanaian structure of parliament, voting rights do not reside in the speakership adding that the Supreme Court ruling was wrong as Deputy Speakers of Parliament did not have voting rights whiles presiding.

He stressed that the ruling was an act of a "judicial coup detat."

This is a judicial coup d etat against the legislature and amounts to an intrusion on the legislature so to speak, it is a very sad interpretation that has come from the court yesterday. The Supreme Court as it were has given a judicial blessing to chaos in parliament. By our own architectural design, voting rights do not reside in the speakership. So when you are moved from an ordinary member to the position of a speaker you do not have voting rights, he intimated.

Mr. Dafeamekpor noted that the Supreme Court got the thinking legally wrong and jurisprudentially wrong arguing that per standing orders of the house on the rules of debate, Order 90 bars the presiding speaker from participating in debates. So which one is more deprivative? The right to cast a vote or the right to speak on matters on the floor? he quizzes.

To buttress his point, he referred to Article 101, which states that "speaker shall preside over all sittings and in his absence a deputy shall do so and Article 102 which also states that a quorum of parliament apart from the person presiding shall be one third of all the members of parliament."
One of the many threats climate change poses in Africa is reversing years of progress in bridging the gender gap.

Men and women experience the effects of climate change differently. Non-inclusive growth, cultural biases, and patriarchal systems have positioned women more vulnerable to climate change impact. However, women's voices are often been muted in the formulation of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

It is against this drop that the Youth Advocacy on Rights and Opportunities (YARO) with funding from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Economy Policy Competence Centre (FESEPCC) has organized a 3-day conference on Gender and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Region.

The conference is under the theme Towards Gender Equality and Climate Change Sustainability in Ghana: Perspectives, Policies, and Practices. About 60 participants mostly women, Chiefs, Queen mothers, and opinion leaders were drawn from the 5 Northern Region. It was organized as part of activities to commemorate International Womens Day (IWD).

In his opening address, the Executive Director of (YARO) Douri Bennin Hajei said issues of women being brought to the fore such as equality and equity have contributed and uplifted women, especially across northern Ghana. He said, without women, the world will be in darkness.

Mr. Bennin stated that women in Northern savannah, Upper East and West, and Ghana as a whole have proven that, women are real leaders, people who keep the home and communities whether security, forest, transformation, and peasant farming among others. "Our women have shown a resilience that when they are leading, we become smart in economics, business, planning, and design."

Mr. Hajei added that the empowerment of women is very crucial in building climate resilience since there are numerous examples where women are empowered in communities to exercise leadership positions that have contributed immensely to climate resilience ranging from disaster preparedness to better forest management and coping with drought. He said the northern woman most especially, are not just victims of climate change, they are also the agents, leaders, and champions in reversing the dangers of climate change.

The Programme Coordinator FESEPCC Eunice Asiedu indicated that the Womens Anniversary celebration brings to the fore, the impact made so far.

She said it reawakens women's consciousness of how functional the socio-economics systems are, inclusive growth rate, whether the vulnerable are made better or worse off as well as the level of inclusive growth the structural transformation has accorded women.

Ms. Asiedu stated that FESEPCC has been organizing conferences on how climate change is affecting employment and migration in the northern parts of Ghana. One thing that stood clear she lamented is how climate change has disproportionately affected women.
10.03.2022 LISTEN

Ghanaian entrepreneur, Nana Kwame Bediako, also known as Freedom Jacob Caesar has urged the Bank of Ghana to focus on tackling the constantly depreciating cedi instead of worrying about his yet-to-be-launched Freedom coin.

It follows a press release from the BoG on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, where it warned the public against Freedom coin.

In the press release signed by BoG Secretary Sandra Thompson, it stressed that the cryptocurrency has not been approved.

It has come to the attention of Bank of Ghana that there is an impending launch of a cryptocurrency named Freedom Coin. The public is hereby cautioned that neither this cryptocurrency nor the promoting company has approval from Bank of Ghana to operate in the banking and payment sector, parts of a BoG release said.

Having taken notice of the press release, Freedom Jacob Caesar who has been promoting Freedom Coin on his social media pages says the Bank of Ghana should rather focus on tackling the bad performing cedi.

In a Twitter post today, he said Good morning Ghana our cedi is depreciating almost 8 cedis to a dollar. I think the Bank of Ghana has more to worry about than a Freedom coin thats not even launched.

Freedom Jacob Caesar prior to the Bank of Ghana press release, shared a video on his Twitter platform telling the youth that Freedom Coin is coming to serve as a platform for investment and development.
The National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Opare Addo says the Supreme Court should have turned down the jurisdiction to interpret the role of a Deputy Speaker in Parliament when presiding over proceedings in the absence of the Speaker.

A seven-member Supreme Court panel on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, ruled that a Deputy Speaker retains his right of vote during decision-making when he takes over from the Speaker of the house.

Amid the discussions that have followed after the ruling, George Opare Addo has questioned the power of the Supreme Court to come out with such a ruling.

Claiming that the Supreme Court does not have the power to rule on the matter, the NDC National Youth Organiser insists that it is a bad precedent.

The Supreme Court trying to rewrite the constitution. The law defining the roles of deputy speakers has no ambiguity so why the need for an interpretation?

The Supreme Court must know it has no power to rewrite the laws of Ghana. The Supreme Court not setting a good precedent with its recent rulings.

The Supreme Court should have declined jurisdiction in interpreting the controversial issue of the roles of deputy speakers, George Opare Addo said in an interview on Asempa FMs Ekosii sen programme on Thursday afternoon.

Putting blame on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, George Opare Addo said he has failed and will go into the history books of Ghana as its worst president.

As for Akufo-Addo when his name is written in the history books of the country it will be written in black as the worst ever president, the NDC National Youth Organiser shared.
Several school children are reported to have sustained various degrees of injuries following a train accident at New Takoradi in the Western Region.

The accident per the information gathered happened on Thursday, March 10, 2022.

According to a report by Empire News, a Ghana Railways workers train that serves as a shuttle for the children from Kojokrom developed a fault causing chaos in the moving train.

Eyewitnesses say smoke was seen coming from the accident scene, alerting people that something bad might have happened.

Concerned people around rushed to the scene and offered a helping hand to the victims.

It is reported that some of the school pupils were injured by slashed glasses from the windows of the train.

At the moment, the injured school pupils have been sent to the New Takoradi Health Centre where they are receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) has announced that the Accra-Tema passenger train service will resume full operations next week after barely two years of suspension,

The Company said it had initially planned to resume operations earlier this week after series of successful test runs but had to reschedule to next week after another test run on Tuesday, March 08, 2022.

We have conducted series of successful test run. The plan was to start the commercial running on Tuesday but yesterday there was another test run. We are yet to get the actual date for the commercial running, but it will not go beyond next week, Mr Ernest Ahene, Acting Personnel Manager, GRCL told the Ghana News Agency.
President Nana Akufo-Addo , has said he was surprised by the noise that was resulted from whether or not Deputy Speakers of Parliament could vote, once they were presiding in the chamber.

He indicated that Articles 102, 104 of the Constitution make it absolutely clear, in black and white, that the Deputy Speakers, when they are presiding have the right to participate in the vote of the Parliament.

The apex court on Wednesday dismissed an application to pronounce as unconstitutional, Joseph Osei Wusu's action of counting himself for the purposes of quorum.

Justice Jones Dotse ruled that the Deputy Speaker of Parliament participation in voting was constitutional.

Private legal practitioner and law lecturer, Justice Abdulai subsequent to the November 30, 2021 clash between Speaker Bagbin and his First Deputy after the latter overturned an earlier vote of the House rejecting Government's 2022 Budget invited the Supreme Court to pronounce as unconstitutional, Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu's action of counting himself for the purposes of quorum.

He argued in the context of articles 102 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution that the Deputy Speaker was not permitted to count himself for the purposes of quorum, since he had neither an original nor a casting vote as Speaker presiding.

But the 7-member panel of justices ruled that the Member of Parliament for Bekwai exercised his right constitutionally, TV3's Laud Adu Asare who was in court reported.

The SC struck out the standing order 109(3) which says a Deputy Speaker or any other member presiding shall not retain his original vote while presiding.

It furthered that the Deputy Speaker can be counted during the quorum for decision making according to article 104(1)

Justice Jones Dotse noted that the full ruling will be made available on Friday, March 11.

President Akufo-Addo told the Daily Guide on Thursday March 10 that Indeed, and I believe that is part of the reasoning of the Court, all the Legislatures of the world, where the presiding person is a Member of the Legislature, like our Deputy Speakers are, like the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States of America or the President pro tempore of the Senate in the United States, or the Speaker of the British Parliament have the right to speak because they are Members of the Assembly, President Akufo-Addo said.

He continued, Our Speaker is expressly not a Member of the Assembly, that is why he doesn't have the right to vote. In fact, he really ought not to participate in the deliberations of the House, he is a referee making sure that the debate is conducted properly, or the orders of the House are complied with. That is his role. But he ought, strictly speaking, not to be part of the proceedings of the House. That is not the case with the Deputy Speakers, and that matter is transparent on the face of our Constitution.

The President noted that even the Presiding Members in the country's District Assemblies have the right to vote, because they are members of the Assembly.

Once you're a member of the Assembly, and you're representing certain constituencies. If you are denied your right to vote, it is tantamount to denying the right of the people you represent to have a say in the decisions of the Assembly. That will not be right. So, I could not understand what the furore and controversy that was artificially generated, he added.

3news.com
President Akufo-Addo has said he is so surprised that so much energy has been wasted on the debate about whether or not Deputy Speakers of Parliament could vote on the floor of the House when presiding over a matter, since, in his view, that debate was unnecessary since the 1992 Constitution clearly provides for it.

Reacting to the Supreme Courts 7-0 unanimous decision arrived at on Wednesday, 9 March 2022 that Deputy Speakers can vote on matters on the floor even when presiding over the proceedings of the House, the President told Daily Guide's Charles Takyi-Boadu on the sidelines of the Expo 2022 in Dubai on Thursday, 10 March 2022: Firstly, the noise that was generated over this at the time, I was extremely surprised because as far as I can see it  and I think the Supreme Court has confirmed it  the matters involved in this thing are open and sharp; they are black and white.

There can be no dispute about the issues that the gentleman took to the Supreme Court, he asserted, arguing: It is there for anybody who wants to see in Articles 102, 104 of the Constitution which make it absolutely clear, in black and white that the Deputy Speakers  Im not speaking of the Speaker; I mean the Deputy Speaker  when they are presiding, have the right to participate in the vote of the parliament.

In the Presidents opinion, the whole structure of the Constitution and, indeed  and I believe that being part of the reason of the court, all the legislatures of the world where the presiding person is a member of the legislature, like our Deputy Speakers are, like the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States or the President of the Senate in the United States or the Speaker of the British Parliament; all of those have the right to speak because they are members of the Assembly.

Unlike the Deputy Speakers, however, the President noted: Our Speaker is expressly not a member of the Assembly thats why he doesnt have the right to vote.

In fact, he indicated, hes a referee; making sure that the debate is conducted properly and the rules of procedure and the orders of the house are complied with; thats his role  in all strictness speaking, not to be part of the proceedings of the house.

That is not the case with the Deputy Speakers and that matter is transparent on the face of our Constitution, he stressed.

Indeed, the President added, even the presiding members of our district assemblies have the right to vote  look at the District Assemblies Law because they are members of the Assembly and once you are a member of the Assembly, you are representing certain constituencies. If you are denied the right to vote, its tantamount to denying the right of the people you represent to have a say in the decision of the Assembly. That will not be right.

So, I dont understand what this furore and controversy that was artificially-generated [was all about], the President said.

Both the Minority Caucus and former President John Mahama have described the decision of the court as an interference in the work of parliament.

In response to those criticisms, Mr Akufo-Addo said: Im not quite sure that the people who are saying this have actually taken the time to read the Constitution of our country; it says so in black and white.

He said the work of the Supreme Court, as far as interpreting the Constitution is concerned, is part of the checks and balances instituted to ensure power is not saturated in one arm of government.

The legislative power of the state that is vested in parliament is subject to the provisions of the Constitution. All organs of the Ghanaians state, including me, as head of the executive, are subject to the teachings of the Constitution, the President argued.

Theres nobody in the Ghanaian state that is above the fundamental law of the land. It will lead to the very matter that we have striven, for so long, to avoid  the concentration of unregulated power in our state. We dont want that. Weve had that experience before and we brought about this Constitution in order not to allow that to reoccur, so, Im astonished about how much public energy has been wasted  and I say so with the greatest of respect  in an area on an issue where theres so much clarity and Im happy that the court  and, as far as youre aware, the Supreme Court, when it is declaring the meaning of the Constitution and it does so unanimously, that is the most emphatic way which the court can pronounce.

The President urged all Ghanaians to put the matter behind us and move on now that the apex court has spoken.

I believe with the decision from the judges, the unanimous decision declaring what the constitutional position is; at least, we have an opportunity now to put this matter to rest and continue with the work of our parliament and the work of the ordering of our state.

To suggest that somehow rather that parliament is beyond the scrutiny of the Supreme Court with an issue of interpretation is to suggest that parliament is a law on itself. The whole principle of judicial review was developed by the judges, both in America and in England to be able to check the activities of parliament, he noted.

Source: Classfmonline.com
President Nana Akufo-Addo, says the decision of the Supreme Court on the voting rights of Deputy Speakers cannot amount to judicial inference in the work of Parliament.

According to president Akufo-Addo, the suggestion that Parliament is beyond the scrutiny of the Supreme Court is to suggest that Parliament is a law onto itself.

I'm not sure people who are saying this have actually taken the time to read the Constitution of our country. It says so in Black and white. The legislative powers of the State, which is vested in Parliament, is subject to the provisions of the Constitution. All organs of the Ghanaian State, including me as the Head of the Executive, we are all subject to the teachings of the Constitution, the President said.

He continued, There is no body in the Ghanaian State that is above the fundamental law of the land. It will lead to the very matter that we have striven so long to avoid  the concentration of unregulated power in our state  we don't want that. And we brought about this Constitution to allow that to not reoccur.

President Akufo-Addo made this known in an interview with Charles Takyi Boadu of the Daily Guide Newspaper, on Thursday, 10th March 2022, on the sidelines of Dubai Expo 2020.

Astonished by the public energy dissipated in the debate, he was happy with the unanimity of the decision taken by the Supreme Court, especially as it is the most emphatic way in which the Court can pronounce.

Touching on suggestions that the Parliament is beyond the scrutiny of the Supreme Court regarding issues of interpretation, the President indicated that the whole principle of judicial review was developed by the judges, both in America and England, to be able to check the activities of Parliament.

Indeed, in Ghana, he stated that the first major constitutional case, which looked at the work of Parliament was in the case Tuffuor vs Attorney General, where the Act of Parliament, the decision of the Parliament to subject the then Chief Justice, the late Frederick Kwesi Apaloo, to a vetting process in Parliament had been expressly forbidden by the Constitution.

And that is the reason why the late Dr. Amoako Tuffuor took the matter to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court made it quite clear that all the activities of all the insitutions of our Republic that impugn, that violate the Constitution are subject to the powers of the Court and to the Declarations of the Court, he said.

President Akufo-Addo continued, Me, I wat to repeat it, as President, Head of the Executive, I am subject to the Constitution and to law. I cannot set myself above it. Everybody has his remit, but those remits are subject to the operations of Constitution, and I am happy that the Constitution has been so declared in such an emphatic manner by the Supreme Court, I support the Supreme Court to continue to do its work.

DGN online
The country's food security could be threatened, if this year's rainy season falls below average.

This is because a below average season for this year, would culminate into the country experiencing a continuous below average down pour without break, for three consecutive years.

Madam Francisca Martey, Director, Research and Applied Meteorology, Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), said this to the Ghana News Agency, at this year's Seasonal Forecast Presentation of GMet in Accra.

"Three years running means our buffers could be threatened," she said, adding that there was the need for state authorities to seriously consider all other means of ensuring and securing food security, should this happen.

She said for this year's rainy season, a late to normal onset, a mostly normal cessation, with significant probabilities of slightly longer dry spells were expected.

Madam Martey said generally, normal rainfall was forecasted for the months of March, April May as well as April, May and June over most places south of the country.

She said some areas in the southeastern parts of the country would experience a below normal rainfall for both the March, April, May and April, May, June seasons.

GNA
Hes still fighting stormtroopers.

Actor and Twitter personality Mark Hamill, who famously plays space swashbuckler Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, tweeted Wednesday that hed been exonerated after people in Germany complained hed repeatedly typed the word gay on Tuesday.

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Thanks for informing me of the complaint from the German people, the 70-year-old star wrote.

Mark Hamill arrives at the world premiere of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" on Dec. 16, 2019, in Los Angeles (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Included in his tweet was a message from Twitter making Hamill aware there had been a complaint about his post protesting the Florida state senates passage of legislation prohibiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity. Critics have dubbed it the Dont Say Gay bill.

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The message to Hamill reads that by German law, he must be notified that Twitter had been ratted on by people from Germany.

He was informed the matter had been investigated and no disciplinary measures would be taken.

Thanks for informing me of the complaint from the German people- I had no intention of violating the Network Enforcement Act & am relieved to learn that tweeting the word "gay" 69 times with a rainbow emoji is NOT subject to removal under the @Twitter rules or German law -mh pic.twitter.com/0EJPFtvlFP  Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 9, 2022

I had no intention of violating the Network Enforcement Act & am relieved to learn that tweeting the word gay 69 times with a rainbow emoji is NOT subject to removal under the @Twitter rules or German law, Hamill wrote in response to the investigations conclusion.

Its unclear what Twitter rules or German laws Hamill was accused of violating or how many people complained.

[ GLAAD Media Awards switch from 'Housewives' to talents like Emmy Rossum, Naomi Watts and Kylie Minogue ]

Homosexuality was decriminalized in Germany in 1969 and formally removed from the books 25 years later. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates as many as 15,000 men labeled homosexuals were imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps between 1933 and 1945.

Twitter guidelines famously prohibit users from the dehumanization of a group of people based on their religion, caste, age, disability, serious disease, national origin, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
10.03.2022 LISTEN

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) report, over 80 million people, either skilled, unskilled or semi-skilled are reported to be working outside of their home countries. This indicates that labour migration is becoming a growing phenomenon.

Labour migrants are viewed as people who travel intending to work, while some people travel because of economic reasons and for purposes of gaining better employment opportunities or work, others embark on such travels to join their relatives and or spouses, and much more travel due to famine, war, political instability and also to further their education.

But for whichever rationale people move, migration has intrinsically become a right. Recognising the potential benefits of labour migration, it is prudent for government to put requisite structures in place to harness the benefits of labour migration for socio-economic development. However, there are some underlining issues in labour migration governance and Ghana is not an exemption in trying to deal with such issues of labour migration.

For instance, in Ghana, there is a general lack of requisite information for labour migrants, and this creates vulnerable surroundings for the unscrupulous agent(s) to abuse them. Additionally, the lack of information on the safe and unsafe pathways presents another scope of vulnerability for youthful migrants who risk embarking on a deadly voyage through unapproved routes; thus, Burkina Faso to the Mediterranean Sea to Libya and Europe. The effects of such Operandi results in death, inhumane treatments, indecent work, and illegal status in foreign countries. In light of this, embassies and consulates are unable to capture relevant data for the welfare of such persons.

Likewise, the operations of some unlicensed Private Employment Agencies (PEAs) that are regulated by the Labour Department to export labour outside Ghana unethically without the requisite procedures and processes.

The issue of unlicensed and unregistered travel agents is reportedly posing serious problems to migrants causing them more harm than good.

In efforts by the Government of Ghana to put in place structures to manage the labour migration space, through the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) in 2017, a ban was placed on direct-to-home (domestic work) following the increasing reports of abuses of female workers in the Gulf States.

Almost 5 years down the lane, the ban is still in force, and governments' efforts are still work-in-progress. Some interventions including the review of the Labour Act 2003, (Act 651), implementation of Domestic Workers Regulations (LI 2408), signing of bilateral labour agreements, and institutionalization of the National Labour Migration Technical Working Group are immediate interventions and strategies to collectively manage Labour Migration in Ghana.

Before this, in April 2016, the Government of Ghana (GOG) through the Ministry of the Interior (MINTER) developed and launched the National Migration Policy (NMP) to provide a framework for migration governance in the country.

The Policy further recommended the development of sectoral policies to deal with specific migration-related issues. As a follow-up to the NMP, the MELR with its partners developed the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) and received Cabinet approval for implementation in 2020. The overreaching goal of the Policy is an improved labour migration governance that harnesses the benefits of labour migration for socioeconomic development in Ghana between 2020-2024.

The NLMP has four (4) policy objectives which are, to promote good governance of labour migration, strengthen systems for the protection and empowerment of migrant worker and their families, enhance mechanisms for maximizing the developmental impacts of labour migration, to improve the labour market and migration information systems.

In pursuant of implementing the Policy holistically, MELR has put in place an inter-ministerial committee to solicit technical inputs and determine the collective requirement for ensuring its successful execution.

The writer is the Head of Public Affairs Unit of the MELR and a staff of the ISD.
A Paris court has rejected a bid by star actor Gerard Depardieu to have rape charges against him dropped, with the prosecution set to continue its investigation into the allegations.

The 73-year-old actor was charged with raping and sexually assaulting a young French actress at his home in Paris in 2018, an accusation he has consitently dismissed as "baseless".

But chief prosecutor Remy Heitz said in a statement Thursday that there was "serious and confirmed evidence that justifies Gerard Depardieu to remain charged" in the case brought by the actress, Charlotte Arnould.

The case will now go back to the prosecuting magistrate who is to resume work on the case.

Arnould, who was present in the courtroom, declined to comment on the decision, but her lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, reported that her client was "relieved".

Depardieu's lawyer, Herve Temime, gave no comment on the ruling.

Arnould filed her complaint against the actor in the summer of 2018 when she was 22, saying she had been raped twice by Depardieu in his Parisian mansion a few days earlier.

The actor was subsequently charged in December 2020 and ordered to be placed under judicial supervision, but was not jailed.

Hollywood star, Putin's friend

Depardieu became a household name in France in the 1980s with roles in The Last Metro and Cyrano de Bergerac, before shooting to international stardom following the success of the 1990 romantic comedy Green Card.

In 2013, he sparked an outcry in France by leaving the country and taking Russian nationality in protest against a proposed tax hike on the rich.

A personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Depardieu came out against the war in Ukraine last week, saying he was "against this fratricidal war" and has called for negotiations.
Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), has reminded labour unions of the need to use the rule of law to settle all labour agitations.

He said that was the best way to promote fruitful negotiations between employers and labour and to ensure industrial harmony.

Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo gave the advice when he inaugurated an eight-member governing board of the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

The Board is chaired by Mr Ransford Tetteh, a former Editor of the Daily Graphic and has Mr Peter Claver Nibepwo Sangber-Dery, a Chartered Accountant and Banker, Mrs Ivy Hoetu, an ICT Specialist and Mr Daniel Addai, a Legal Practitioner, as members.

The rest are: Dr N. A. Ibrahim Lartey, a Medical Doctor and Pharmacist, Ms Juliet Amoah, Executive Director of Penplusbyte, Dr Charles Kwening, Founder and CEO of Kwening and Associates and Mr Albert Kofi Owusu, the General Manager of GNA

Government and some labour unions have in recent times accused one another of bad faith in negotiations leading to protracted labour agitations and industrial disharmony.

The NMC Chair said labour disharmony affected production and eventually remuneration and, therefore, cautioned aggrieved workers against taking entrenched positions that could cost them their employment.

Touching on the recent tussle between the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the Labour Commission over the industrial action of UTAG, Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo said it was inappropriate for the leadership of UTAG to consult their members after a law court had directed members of the Association to go back to the lecture halls.

If they do not like it, they should challenge it through the due process and yet they decide that they will go and consult their numbers," said, adding: I do not know of any undemocratic process like that. It undermines the rule of law to the bottom because in any democratic setting, it is about rules. It is only when you follow the rules and regulations and you are unable to resolve the matter that you may go to numbers."

Numbers are not the determinant of a democratic process. Numbers are the last resort," the NMC Chair stressed.

Mr George Sarpong, the Executive Secretary of the NMC, commended management and staff of GNA for the industrial harmony at the Agency for the past four years and the show of resilience despite the numerous challenges it grappled with over the years.

He urged the Agency to continue to counter misinformation or falsehood, which had inundated the media landscape in recent times.

He said: GNA has capacity to contest falsehood in real time unlike the newspapers and most of the public communications. You have the trust, the credibility and the expertise. Continue to do this

Mr Tetteh, the Board Chair, said the Board would work towards ensuring that the Agency retained its internally generated funds to enhance its operations.

He assured of the Board's readiness to continue with projects the outgone Board initiated to sustain the Agency's position as the reference point for media excellence.

Mr Owusu, the General Manager of GNA, called on the Board to fast track the re-enactment of the Agency's Act to reposition it as a viable media organisation with a more business focus to generate significant revenue for its operations and the State.

He disclosed that the Agency was developing a scheme of service with the assistance of the Public Services Commission to align its human resource needs with the operations of the Agency and corresponding remuneration.

He appealed to the Board to support Management to seek better remuneration for the staff to avoid staff attrition.

...this is critical as management seeks to invest more in the training of staff to take on bigger projects. Staff retention will be key to the achievement of the Agency's goals. We hope that the new Board will assist management to engage stakeholders for a review of our employees' salaries, Mr Owusu said.

GNA
The position of both the Majority and the Minority group on deputy presiding speaker voting or otherwise is both sound and supported by good reasoning for many reasons. This issue has come up because the drafters of the 1992 Constitution did not anticipate the possibility of a hung parliament, as we have now.

This article therefore seeks to amplify and also explore the reasons for either position with the view to suggesting an alternative perspective to both positions in a manner that quashes the usual acrimony that clouds our body politic.

The position of the Majority to allow presiding Deputy Speakers who are elected Members of Parliament themselves to vote is a sound position based on fairness and justice.

The Deputy Speakers may have come to Parliament on the ticket of a political party whose interest, they must represent and articulate squarely.

They are also the voice of their constituents in whose authority they come to parliament. Their constituents must therefore have their voices heard on all issues of national importance through them as Members of Parliament who simultaneously act sa deputy speakers.

The position of the the Majority is therefore not strange as it, in fact, is consistent with the practices and conventions in another political milieu such as Canada.

In the House of Commons of Canada, "the Speaker does not participate in debate and votes only in cases of an equality of voices; in such an eventuality, the Speaker is responsible for breaking the tie by casting a vote" as captured by HOUSE OF COMMONS PROCEDURE AND PRACTICE Edited by Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit, 2000th Edition.

Therefore, Former President Mahama's post after the Supreme Court ruling that seeks to suggest judicial interference in the work of Parliament is neither here nor there. The point is the judiciary through judicial review could declare an act of public officials including laws as null and void and therefore of no effect if they cannot stand the test of time.

However, the position of the Minority is sound and is in sync with rules if natural justice which bar people to become judges in their own case. The point is, Deputy Speakers whose political party is incumbent automatically will support any motion that emanates from government.

Therefore, allowing such Deputy Speakers to vote interferes with their unique neutral position which earns them the respect required for them to able to bring all the members especially those from the Minority side under their control to be able to conduct the business of the house effectively.

The alternative solution therefore is to be crafty and creative to reduce the usual tension by nominating people from outside Parliament for onward election by the elected Members of Parliament to become Deputy Speakers as in the case of the main Speaker.

Political scientist

International relations expert

And above all teacher
10.03.2022 LISTEN

After the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the West demonstrates a high degree of hypocrisy, given that the wars abroad waged by the United States have never received deserved punitive measures. If the current events in Ukraine have proved anything, it is that the United States and its transatlantic partners are capable of roughly running around a shell-shocked planet  in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, and these are just some of the hot spots  with almost complete impunity.

First, let's clarify something up. Hypocrisy and double standards alone cant serve as an excuse for any country to launch military operations. In other words, just the fact that the countries of the NATO bloc have been paving the way for senseless destruction around the world since 2001 without serious consequences doesnt give any country the moral right to behave in this way. There must be a compelling reason for a country to authorize the use of force, thereby committing itself to what could be considered a just war. Thus, there is a question: it could be today's actions in Ukraine considered fair or at least understandable? I will leave this answer to the reader's discretion, but it would be in vain not to consider some important details.

It's no secret to anyone that NATO was expanding eight times since its inception (from 12 to 30 countries). As a thought experiment that even an illiterate person could conduct, imagine Washington's reaction if some country created an ever-expanding military block in South America.

In December 2021, draft treaties were handed over to the United States and NATO with demands to stop any further military expansion to the east, including by joining Ukraine or any other states.

Although people will have different opinions about the shocking actions in Ukraine, no one has said, is not saying and will not say about the belligerent behavior of the United States and their NATO henchmen over the past two decades.

Lets take the most famous example  the invasion of Iraq in 2003. This catastrophic war, which the Western media called an annoying intelligence failure, represents one of the most egregious acts of unprovoked aggression in recent times. Without going too deeply into the dark details, the United States, which had just suffered from attacks of the September 11, accused Saddam Hussein in Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction. However, instead of working closely with the UN weapons inspectors who were in Iraq trying to verify the allegations, the US along with the UK, Australia and Poland, launched a shocking and trembling bombing. In the blink of an eye, more than a million innocent Iraqis were killed, injured or displaced as a result of this blatant violation of international law.

The Bush administration, trying to find public support for the impending massacre, between 2001 and 2003 made more than 900 false statements about the alleged threat of Iraq to the United States and its allies. Nevertheless, for some reason, the Western media, which have become the most violent propagators of military aggression without exception, couldnt find a single flaw in the arguments in favor of war  that is, of course, until the boots and blood were on the ground.

In a more perfect world, one would expect the US and its allies to be subjected to some tough sanctions after this protracted eight-year mistake against the innocent. In fact, there were sanctions, but not against the United States. Ironically, the only sanctions resulting from this insane military adventure were imposed on France, a NATO member, which declined an invitation with Germany to take part in the bloodbath in Iraq. The global superpower is not used to such rejection, especially from its supposed friends.

American politicians, confident in their godlike exclusivity, demanded a boycott of French wine and bottled water because of the ungrateful resistance of the French government to the war in Iraq. Other agitators for the war betrayed their frivolity, insisting that the popular menu item known as French fries replaced with the name free fries. Thus, the absence of French Bordeaux, together with the tedious reworking of restaurant menus, seemed to have been the only real inconveniences suffered by the United States and NATO, indiscriminately destroying millions of lives.

Now compare this approach to the United States and its allies in children's gloves with the current situation related to Ukraine.
After independence Ghana adopted a democratic system of government. Our leaders thought it wise to allow every citizen of this noble country have a say in the administration through representative democracy which gave birth to the idea of electing representatives from our respective constituencies to represent us in then legislative Assembly now known as parliament.

These representatives known as members of parliament (MPs) have primary objective of acting as a mouthpiece for their constituents in making vital decisions that will help the development of the state and also Lobbying for developmental projects to their constituencies.

Immediately after These honorable members are voted into parliament, they seem to forget they were sent by larger portions of people which include eminent personalities such as traditional rulers, religious leaders and other opinion leaders in the constituencies. They rather turn doing the biddings of their political parties which sometimes go against the good wishes of the people that can bring progress to the country.

As representatives of the people, what is expected of them is to organize town hall meetings in the constituencies to seek the opinion of the constituents on certain issues of National interest such as the E-Levy.

However, these MPs although were sent by us and are being paid with our taxpayers money do whatever pleases them and their self-centered political parties thereby neglecting the interest of the people.

They sometimes absent themselves from the purpose of which they were voted and are being paid from the taxpayers' money to do, leaving their seats vacant in parliament when serious matters are been discussed in the house. When that happens, the entire constituency has been denied the right to partake in the decision making in the administration of the country.

Meanwhile the executive and other agencies who are expected to be committed in order to lure the entire populace to the patriotic fraternity in the ensuring rapid growth in economic, democratic and social development of the country are rather telling lies to the citizens and have neglected their role as good leaders as well, leaving the country in a state of disarray.

THE BIG QUESTION HERE IS, CAN OUR LEADERS BE DESCRIBED AS PATRIOTIC LEADERS WHO HAVE LIVED UP TO THE PURPOSE OF WHICH THEY WERE GIVEN THE MANDATE??

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Written by: Isaac Donkor (Distinguished)//student of the Ghana institute of journalism.
10.03.2022 LISTEN

The outstanding media personality Johny Hughes on his hottest show, the JOHNIES BITE on TV3 asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP) either Ghanaians are safe or not.

He then said, IGP Akuffo Dampare is trying to paint a good picture of the police service on social media even though their track record is not worth it.

You are trying to get back the positive image of the police, you are trying to get the police some reputational capital , There is fire on the mounting, your backyard is dirty. He said, So Im asking the IGP this morning, IGP Dampare are we safe? Enough of the social media Policing are we safe?  he asked.

His question was in effect to the recent happenings in the police service specifically some police personnel's indulging in all manner of criminal activities such as robbery.

In his view, all these malpractices in the police service are the results of too many protocols involved in recruiting police personnel which sometimes denies the qualified applicants the access but rather recruiting people who are not qualified to the service.

And you cannot just exonerate yourself from it because you have been at the top archon of the police for some time, you have said

There are some good men and women within the police Service but there are terribly bad people among you, how do they get there? Political police, protocol police, proper police thats what we have, so we are recruiting people because they have connections, we are recruiting people because their parents are rich.

When you start taking money from people which the police have not denied, so when they get the uniform and the guns they will try and get their money back, they consider it as an investment. You have not responded to that. He added,

And to him the country is not safe in the hands of the police service when this continues.

By: Isaac Donkor, student of the Ghana institute of journalism (GIJ)
While much has been said about corporate governance in India, when it comes to its implementation or practice, it is not the private sector but entities owned by the government, which are mostly non-compliant with the law and regulations. This was revealed in the second edition of Excellence Enablers Survey On Corporate Governance And Business Responsibility Report of Nifty 100 companies.

On almost every parameter selected for the survey, public sector units (PSUs) and public sector banks (PSBs) are lagging in compliance with corporate governance norms. For example, one factor that significantly influences a boards performance is its size.

However, as of 31 March 2021, the survey found that nine companies, including eight PSUs and one PSB, had less than the prescribed minimum of 50% board members. Thus, these companies were non-compliant with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirement (LODR) Regulations, 2015.

The report says, In our view, good corporate governance is no more than doing the right things, without having the lawmakers or the regulators laying down what requires to be done. Good governance practices by a handful of entities have often resulted in laws and regulations on the same lines for other entities in a similar universe.

According to Excellence Enablers, an initiative of M Damodaran, former chairman of SEBI, compliance and corporate governance are not synonyms for each other. Compliance is, as the name indicates, a response to a law or regulation that mandates certain activities and processes. The corporate is not the first mover on this chessboard. Playing black pieces, and responding in a tick-box fashion, more often than not, fails to reveal the true extent of governance in the corporate entity, it says.

Size of Board

There ought to be enough board members with five mandatory board committees to ensure that committees are properly constituted and do not have the same members on almost all committees.

In FY20-21, the minimum board size was five, making it non-compliant, and the maximum was 19.

As per Regulation 17(1)(a) of SEBI LODR Regulations, 2015, the board of directors should have an optimum combination of executive and non-executive directors (NEDs) with at least one woman director, and not less than 50% of the board of directors shall comprise non-executive directors.

Percentage of IDs

As per Section 149(4) of the Companies Act, 2013, every listed public company shall have at least one-third of the total number of directors as independent directors.

As on 31 March 2020, 14 companies, of which 10 were PSUs and one was PSB, had less than the prescribed minimum number of IDs, and were non-compliant with law and regulations.

As on 31 March 2021, 17 companies, including 11 PSUs and two PSBs, had less than the prescribed minimum number of IDs, and were non-compliant with law and regulations.

Percentage of Executive Directors (EDs)/ Whole-time Directors (WTDs)

As per Regulation 17(1)(a) of SEBI LODR Regulations, 2015, the board of directors shall have an optimum combination of executive and non-executive directors with at least one woman director and not less than 50% of the board of directors shall comprise NEDs.

It has been noticed that an effective board has an appropriate mix of EDs and NEDs. Minus this optimum mix, the board will not get the benefit of the insight of persons who have executive responsibilities and experience.

Boards with only one WTD in FY18-19 and FY19-20 are 24, while for FY20-21, it is 27 In the previous three FYs, 16 companies are common, the report says.

Separation of Posts of Chairperson and MD/CEO

As per SEBI LODR Regulations, 2015, separation of the posts of chairperson and managing director (MD) or chief executive officer (CEO) has been made voluntary.

The chairperson is the chairperson of the board, and the MD is the chief executive of the company. Combining these two roles in one person runs counter to the basic principle of corporate governance which is that the management, headed by the MD, shall be answerable to the board headed by the chairperson. If both the chairperson and the MD have executive responsibilities, the requirement of corporate governance does not get adequately addressed, the report says.

In the previous four FYs, the 12 PSUs did not have a separate chairperson and MD. One company had a non-executive chairperson in FY16-17 but has combined the posts of chairperson and MD ever since.

Presence of Former Senior Executive on the Board

According to the report, the presence of former senior executives on the company board could adversely impact or second-guessing executive management.

However, the survey finds out that out of the 100 Nifty companies, 15 have appointed former senior management personnel as NEDs on their boards.

Tenure of Chairs

As of 31 March 2021, the average tenure of the chairperson of 97 boards from the date of the first appointment was 16 years, with the longest term being 51.03 years.

Tenure of IDs

As per Section 149(10) of the Companies Act, 2013, an independent director shall hold office for a term up to five consecutive years on the board of a company but shall be eligible for reappointment on the passing of a special resolution by the company and disclosure of such appointment in the boards report.

According to the report, there were 1,028 director positions as of 31 March 2021.

As of 31 March 2021, the average tenure of 1,028 directors from the date of the first appointment is 7.65 years, with the longest tenure being 52.61 years.

As of 31 March 2021, there were two IDs, with the highest tenure of 34.04 years each!

Number of Board Meetings

The minimum number of board meetings prescribed by law and regulations is four. Experience has shown that companies that have at least six board meetings, of sufficiently long duration, can extract more value from the boards.

Happily, the survey says that most companies have exceeded the minimum of four meetings in the case of board meetings.

It says, More Board meetings should ordinarily add value, especially with the meetings, that do not focus on quarterly financial results, being able to devote quality time to other important items, such as strategy, succession planning and the like. However, if meetings are held far too often, they become routine engagements, with diminishing utility kicking in.

In all previous five financial years, two companies conducted four board meetings. Highest number of board meetings conducted in FY16-17 were 19 by two companies); in FY17-18 were 19; in FY18-19 were 21; in FY19-20 were 19.

It might be worthwhile for such boards to examine the productivity of, and the requirement for, such meetings, the report says.

Attendance of Directors at Board Meetings

Absence from board meetings has to be for extraordinary reasons, and not for reasons that could have been anticipated, the survey report says, adding the legal provision that each director has to attend at least one board meeting in a year is clearly unsatisfactory.

In FY19-20, 63% of board members had 100% attendance, and 14 directors had zero attendance. In FY20-21, 86% of board members had 100% attendance, and six directors had zero attendance.

The Second Edition of Excellence Enablers Survey On Corporate Governance And Business Responsibility Report gives a panoramic view of the extent to which companies have done what was expected of them in regard to several legal and regulatory prescriptions.

There are some aspects to which several companies do not appear to have paid adequate attention. This survey should serve as a mirror to the underperforming entities, to show them where they stand at present, concerning what many others have attempted and succeeded in doing, the report says.
Essel group entity, Dish TV India Ltd (Dish TV), has finally submitted voting results of its annual general meeting (AGM), which reveal that the company shareholders have rejected three proposals, including financial statements for FY20-21, report of the board of directors and auditors and re-appointment of a non-executive director. On Monday, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had asked Dish TV to disclose voting results of the AGM to both the Exchanges within 24 hours.

In a regulatory filing, Dish TV says, "...we wish to inform you that the re-appointment of Ashok Mathai Kurien, non-executive director, who was liable to retire by rotation at the 33rd AGM, has not been approved by the shareholders of the company. Accordingly, Mr Kurien has ceased to be a director of the company."

"Further, the audited standalone and consolidated financial statements for the financial year ended 31 March 2021 and report of the board of directors and auditors thereon has not been adopted by the shareholders of the company. Also, the remuneration of cost auditor for the FY21-22 has not been ratified by the shareholders of the company," Dish TV says.

Earlier, in the order passed on 7 March 2022, SK Mohanty, a whole-time member (WTM) of SEBI, had also asked depositories to freeze demat accounts of Dish TV's directors and compliance officer until the voting results are disclosed.

In its order, SEBI also mentions that while Dish TV has filed an intervention application (IA) before the Bombay high court (HC) the bench has clarified that the pendency of the IA has no bearing on the disclosure requirements under the LODR (listing obligations and disclosure requirements) regulations.

In a regulatory filing on Wednesday, Dish TV says that the outcome of the voting for all resolutions, considered during its 30 December 2021 AGM, has to abide by the decision of the Bombay HC.

"...in terms of the order dated 23 December 2021 passed by the High Court of Bombay in the interim application no29574 of 2021 filed by World Crest Advisors LLP in the suit no29569 of 2021, the outcome of the voting for all the resolutions considered at the 33rd AGM of the company held on 30 December 2021 has to abide by the decision in the above mentioned interim application, which is pending before the Bombay High Court," Dish TV says in the filing.

Dish TV had also filed an appeal before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) against the order passed by the market regulator. However, the Tribunal has declined to entertain Dish TV's plea against SEBI's 7th March order.

The present matter emanates from a complaint on 31 December 2021, filed by Yes Bank Ltd (YBL), alleging that Dish TV has wrongfully withheld the voting results on various proposals put forth in its AGM held on 30 December 2021.

This complaint was perfected by a representation dated 13 January 2022 of IndusInd Bank Ltd (IndusInd Bank) inter-alia, requesting SEBI to direct Dish TV to disclose the voting results of the AGM immediately. IndusInd Bank also requested the market regulator to take appropriate action against Dish TV for non-compliance with the statutory provisions of law by misinterpreting an order passed by the Bombay HC.

SEBI says it has also received complaints from other shareholders of Dish TV and investors in the securities market on the issue of non-declaration of the results of the AGM by Dish TV.

Dish TV is part of the Essel group, which has diversified business interests in India. As per the latest quarterly shareholding pattern disclosed by Dish TV to the Exchanges for the quarter ended 31 December 2021, the promoters hold 5.93% of the paid-up equity share capital and the public shareholders have 94.07% of the paid-up equity share capital of Dish TV.

In the list of public shareholders, YBL and IndusInd Bank are among the largest shareholders holding 24.78% and 3.78% of Dish TV, respectively.
The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved the order on sentence of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, found guilty of contempt in 2017 for disobeying the Court's order for not disclosing full particulars of assets in case between the SBI and Kingfisher Airlines.

A bench headed by Justice UU Lalit, after hearing detailed arguments in the matter, reserved the order.

Amicus curiae, senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, submitted before the bench, also comprising justices S Ravindra Bhat and PS Narasimha, that in the present situation, the issuance of a warrant of arrest won't serve purpose as Mr Mallya is in the UK.

The bench also considered the ministry of home affairs (MHA) stand that the UK Home Office has intimated, there is a further legal issue which needs to be resolved before Mr Mallya's extradition takes place and this issue is outside and apart from the extradition process having effect under the UK law.

The bench said: "They said there are proceedings in the UK. It's like a dead wall, something is pending we don't know, what's the number we don't know. How long can we go on so far as our jurisdictional power is concerned."

Justice Lalit said Mr Mallya is not in anyone's custody and he is a free citizen in the UK. "The only reason perhaps, is there's a proceeding which is pending, which will decide if a person is to be extradited," he added.

On 10th February, the top court gave final opportunity to Mr Mallya, seeking his appearance, before it pronounced sentence in contempt case filed by banks, in which he was found guilty.

The top court said it has found Mr Mallya guilty of contempt and punishment has to be imposed. It added that going by normal logic, the contemnor has to be heard, but he has not appeared before the court so far.

Justice Bhat observed that Mr Mallya has abstained from the hearing so far, and in the next hearing, the same thing will happen, then the court would have to pronounce sentence in absentia. Justice Lalit added that Mallya was given multiple opportunities.

Justice Bhat also said this cannot become a gateway for courts of first instance to adopt this method, and it has to be specifically mentioned that circumstances in the present case were extraordinary.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta clarified that it was not the Indian government's stand that some confidential proceedings against him are pending in the UK, rather it was the stand of the UK government which was delaying his extradition.

The bench clarified that if Mr Mallya is not present in the hearing, then the matter will be taken to its logical conclusion.

According to a judgment delivered on 14 July 2017, Mr Mallya was found guilty of contempt for not paying Rs9,000 crore worth of dues to the banks despite repeated directions. Additionally, he was also accused of not disclosing his assets and also secretly trying to dispose the assets to defeat the purpose of recovery proceedings.

On 6 October 2020, the MHA told the Supreme Court that the UK Home Office has intimated, there is a further legal issue which needs to be resolved before Mr Mallya's extradition takes place and this issue is outside and apart from the extradition process having effect under the UK law. The affidavit had said that Mr Mallya's surrender to India should, in principle, have been completed within 28 days otherwise.

On 2 November 2020, the top court had asked the Centre to file a status report on extradition of the fugitive businessman within six weeks.

On 30th November, last year, the Supreme Court said it will begin hearing on sentencing of him in contempt of court, in which he was held guilty in July 2017.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek told shareholders Wednesday the company quietly opposed Floridas dont say gay bill and that he would meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis about the controversial measure.

Chapeks announcement came a day after the Legislature approved the bill and sent it to DeSantis, who has indicated he will sign it.

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Chapek said he called DeSantis on Wednesday to express the companys concern the bill could be used to unfairly target LGBTQ children and families.

The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address that, he said.

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DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said Chapeks call was the first time we have heard from Disney regarding HB 1557. The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek. The governors position has not changed.

On Monday, Chapek had sent a letter to employees saying Disney hadnt taken a public position on the bill because corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds and instead are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame.

If signed by DeSantis, the bill would prohibit discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools up to the third grade and limits it to age-appropriate in higher grades.

Republicans argued the bill protects parental rights, while Democrats and LGBTQ groups contend it was intentionally vague and could have a chilling effect on teachers and students.

Chapek told the investors at Disneys annual shareholders meeting that its behind-the-scenes approach to the bill didnt get the job done.

We were hopeful that our longstanding relationships with those lawmakers would enable us to achieve a better outcome, but despite weeks of effort we were ultimately unsuccessful, he said.

He also said Disney will donate $5 million to LGTBQ organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign.

Disney is the largest employer in Florida, with about 60,000 workers, and the companys Imagineering department is in the middle of an ongoing move to a campus at Lake Nona in Orlando.

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Disney is not registered to lobby on the dont say gay bill, according to legislative records. The company has deployed lobbyists on other legislation in Tallahassee, including a bill to expand tax breaks for television or streaming projects and a measure targeting woke ideology in corporate training.

Although Chapek claimed corporate statements had no effect, Disneys previous CEO, Bob Iger, had vocally opposed a proposed Georgia law that would have allowed faith-based organizations to refuse services to LGBTQ people, saying the company would take our business elsewhere. The bill was vetoed by Georgias governor.

Disney had also come under fire for contributing to the bills sponsors, including Ocala Republican Dennis Baxley, while at the same time selling rainbow merchandise and welcoming visitors to Gay Days every June.

U.S. Rep Val Demings, D-Orlando, whose district includes Walt Disney World, has been pushing Disney to take a public stance against the bill.

She said she met with a senior Disney official on Thursday and followed up two days later with a letter to Chapek.

The point of this legislation is to silence discussion, to censor teachers, to drive gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children into hiding, and to punish anyone who dares to treat LGBTQ Floridians with the dignity and respect that they deserve as human beings, she wrote to Chapek. This bill is a threat to the safety, security, and well-being of Floridas children.
Production of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) as well as stainless steel, paint and alloy-based industries are expected to take a hit, as prices of a key raw material -- nickel -- have zoomed over 100 per cent in the past few days.

The Russia-Ukraine crisis has triggered the shortage which in turn led to a massive spike in prices.

On Tuesday, nickel prices surged as much as 111% to trade briefly above $100,000/tonne. The exponential rise in price led London Metal Exchange (LME) to suspend trading in the non-ferrous metal.

However, prices corrected soon after on Tuesday itself.

At present, Russia is one of the largest producers of the metal in the world. It is feared that new and more stringent sanctions against Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis will curtail global supplies.

"We have seen huge volatility in nickel prices which have jumped more than 200% this year till date. Shortage of supply and demand for nickel from EV industries is supporting the prices," said Anuj Gupta, VP research, IIFL Securities.

According to Kshitij Purohit, lead of commodities and currencies, CapitalVia Global Research: "Nickel prices increased almost 100% in the last few trading sessions.

"EV and steel industries are majorly using nickel as a raw material and the increased price will drag down their margins to lower levels which also impacts their profitability."

Tapan Patel, senior analyst (commodities), HDFC Securities: "Nickel prices have recently surged to record levels. It is currently halted at $80,010 per tonne after LME suspended trading for the remaining day.

"The global shortage due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis and higher demand from the EV segment were the bullish factors for Nickel prices."

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
The Patna High Court (HC) has directed Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to file its response, in writing on or before 25th March, on the matter pertaining to repayment to Sahara's investors.

It also directed that a "responsible officer" from the market regulator's head office at Mumbai be present in the court on 28th March to answer all the questions posed by it.

In a written response in pursuance of the summons issued by the HC, senior advocate Umesh Prasad Singh, appearing for Sahara, on Tuesday told high court that more than Rs24,000 crore have been lying idle with the SEBI but the investors of Sahara group companies have not been paid by the capital market regulator.

"SEBI has made repayment to the investors only about Rs128 crore in the last nine years. There is no bar in the order passed by Hon'ble Supreme Court that SEBI will not make repayment to the investors of other Group Companies," Sahara India Pariwar said in a statement on Wednesday.

Besides, Advocate Singh argued that there is no impediment or order passed by the Supreme Court or any other courts restraining SEBI from making repayment to the investors of the other companies or societies, other than the said two Sahara companies which are frozen by the apex court.

He also stated that a writ petition was filed before Lucknow High Court, SEBI has itself undertaken that money received from Sahara will be used for making repayment to all investors including that of the Sahara 'Q Shop' venture.

"However, in spite of such undertaking of SEBI and a clear order of Hon'ble Supreme Court dated December 5, 2012 that the surplus amount shall be refunded by SEBI to Sahara, SEBI has neither paid to the investors nor made refund to Sahara," the statement said.

"As such there are only course open for SEBI is to either refund the entire amount to Sahara or make repayment to the investors."

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
A panel of federal judges has ordered Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to use a court-drawn district map for this years Public Service Commission elections, shifting the district assignments for four Montana counties days before the March 14 candidate filing deadline for the two PSC seats up for election this year.

The order, issued Tuesday, also formally rules that the existing utility regulation board districts, which havent been updated by the state Legislature since 2003, have become so unbalanced that they violate voters rights to proportional representation.

Reluctantly, the answer here is to narrowly impose a federal court order to reapportion state electoral districts until the Montana legislature acts, wrote judges Donald Molloy, Paul Watford and Brian Morris. Because the current Commission districts impermissibly violate the one person, one vote principle of the Fourteenth Amendment, the districts are unconstitutional.

Montanas new court-ordered Public Service Commission map

The judges also said the Legislature is free to replace the court-ordered map with one of its own during either a special or regularly scheduled legislative session and noted that they had made an effort to defer to state policy. Their court-ordered map, they said, was based largely on a proposal submitted by state attorneys representing the secretary of state.

It bears repeating that this map remains in effect only in the absence of legislative action, the judges wrote.

Some Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Derek Skees of Kalispell, who is campaigning for a PSC seat, had pushed for a special session to draw a new map before the court took action. Negotiations aimed at getting a critical mass of the Legislatures Republican majority on board stalled, however, as some hardline Republicans advocated for a special session that would also delve into their concerns over the integrity of Montanas elections. Gov. Greg Gianforte had said he would consider calling a special session if it focused only on the PSC districting issue.

Prominent lawmakers have previously said publicly that they intend to bring legislation to redraw PSC districts during next years regularly scheduled session. If such legislation passes in 2023, the new, court-ordered map will be used only for the 2022 election cycle.

At oral arguments in the case March 4, the judges also floated the possibility of invalidating the current district map without ordering the state to use a new one. State attorneys said at the hearing that approach could have prevented new commissioners from being elected this year, creating vacancies that would then be subject to interim appointments by the governor.

The Public Service Commission, which consists of a five-member elected commission and professional support staff, is tasked with regulating energy utilities and other companies that operate with captive customer bases to ensure those companies dont use their monopoly power to overcharge consumers.

The commission has also been beset in recent years by a series of interpersonal conflicts and scandals, including an audit that discovered missing financial records. With all five of its seats held by Republicans, it has also faced criticism from climate activists who want the agency to be more aggressive about pushing utilities like NorthWestern Energy to more rapidly adopt renewable energy sources.

Under the old PSC map, the commissions District 1, which encompasses Great Falls and northeast Montana, had as a result of relatively slow population growth ended up with tens of thousands fewer voters than District 3, which includes fast-growing Bozeman and other parts of southwest Montana. As of the 2020 census, the two districts had a population deviation of 53,000 voters, or nearly 25 percent  giving Hi-Line voters more proportional representation on the commission than Bozeman voters.

Case law interpreting the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees Americans equal protection under the law, generally prohibits political districts that have a population deviation greater than 10 percent.

The new court-drawn map remedies the population imbalance by swapping a handful of counties between districts. Deer Lodge County (Anaconda) and Musselshell County (Roundup) have been reassigned out of the overpopulated District 3. Similarly, Glacier County (Cut Bank and Browning) and Pondera County (Conrad) have been moved into the underpopulated District 1.

State attorneys had submitted a proposal that produced districts satisfying the 10 percent deviation criteria by moving only three counties: Deer Lodge, Glacier and Musselshell. The newly ordered map is similar, except the judges chose to also shift Pondera County in order to bring the deviation to 6.7 percent and avoid splitting the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

Since PSC seats representing District 1 and 5 are up for election this year, the court notes, the new maps reassignments mean every voter who was slated to vote for a commission candidate this year will still get that opportunity.

In a statement, Speaker of the House Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale, reiterated the Legislatures position that the court should have given lawmakers a chance to redraw the districts when it meets for its regularly scheduled 2023 session.

I appreciate the court ordering a map that makes very few changes to prior legislative action and also for recognizing the Legislatures ultimate authority to adjust Montanas PSC districts, Galt said.

A spokesperson for Jacobsen, who was named as the instigating lawsuits defendant, said Tuesday she was reviewing the ruling in order to provide guidance to election officials.

The lawsuit was brought by a trio of Montana voters represented by attorneys Constance Van Kley and Rylee Sommers-Flanagan of Helena-based Upper Seven Law and Joel Krautter of Sidney-based Netzer Law Office.

Van Kley applauded the ruling in a statement Tuesday.

The court has affirmed that all Montanans have an equal right to vote, she said. This ruling is a victory for Montana voters and for democratic principles.
The following is a press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks:

THOMPSON FALLS, Mont. - A Sanders County man pleaded guilty to nine misdemeanor hunting violations, including the unlawful hunting of black bears over bait and unlawfully killing an elk out of season.

Alfred (Toby) Bridges pleaded guilty on Oct. 18, 2021, in Sanders County Justice Court. The charges stemmed from a year-long investigation into Bridges hunting activities by Game Warden Morgan Post and FWP Investigator Tom Chianelli.

The primary focus of the investigation was the unlawful hunting of black bears over bait, but other hunting violations were discovered during the investigation. Bridges used a variety of human foods, including barbecue sauce, to bait bears into his hunting area. It is unlawful to hunt black bears over bait in Montana.

Bridges pleaded guilty to two counts of killing black bears over bait, two counts of unlawful possession of those two black bears, one count of killing a cow elk after the general elk season ended, one count of unlawful possession of that elk, one count of loan and transfer of a license for a white-tailed buck he shot using another individuals license, and one count of taking an overlimit for the buck as he had already shot a buck during the 2020 general hunting season.

These charges resulted in $9,605 in fines and restitution, and the loss of hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges for 54 months. Montana is a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact and as a result his privileges are suspended in all 47 member states.

Bridges pleaded not guilty to two additional charges related to a third black bear shot over bait. Bridges has failed to appear on these two charges and multiple warrants have been issued for his arrest.

Anyone with possible information about crimes involving fish and wildlife resources and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks sites is encouraged to call FWPs 24-hour hotline, 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668). Callers may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 for information that leads to a conviction.
A fantastical world of adventure comes to life in Wonderland!, based on Alice, Through the Looks Glass by Lewis Carroll. Beloved characters like Humpty Dumpty, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are part of the cast.
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Jeff Hayward, president and CEO of Heart of Florida United Way, speaks beside Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings during a press conference at the Orange County Administration Building in Orlando on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Heart of Florida United Way announced that it is investing $1 million toward improving mental well-being. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

Two weeks after announcing a $49 million gap in Orange Countys mental and behavioral health care system, the Heart of Florida United Way on Wednesday took what the agency called the first step in addressing the problem  a $1 million awareness campaign in English, Spanish and Creole to help overcome the lingering stigma of seeking help.

The timing is particularly critical, leaders said, given the toll of nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of anxiety, isolation and profound grief.

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We know this impacted the mental health of our children. This impacted the mental health of all of us, said Nancy Alvarez, the local United Ways senior vice president of community relations and equity impact. The families we serve who already live paycheck to paycheck faced even greater fears and obstacles when the wave of furloughs began, when loved ones got sick  and in many cases, passed away.

Since the start of the pandemic, Alvarez said, the agencys 211 crisis line specialists handled over 10,000 suicide calls from residents in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties  an average of 20 a day last year.

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The money for the campaign comes from a historic $20 million donation to the Heart of Florida United Way by author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos, made in December 2020. Scott gave a collective $4.2 billion in pandemic aid to 384 charities and institutions across the nation and told nonprofit leaders to use it as they saw fit.

It allowed us to tackle issues that we never thought we would have the resources to do, said Jeff Hayward, the United Ways president and CEO. We have handled far too many suicide calls. ... But we also wonder how many people didnt call, how many people did not pick up the phone, because of that stigma.

Last month, Orange County Commissioners released a report from the United Way finding it will take at least $49.7 million to fix the countys broken mental and behavioral healthcare system.

The report cited the need for better insurance coverage, training for emergency responders, more mobile crisis units, an increase in providers and housing for people who are mentally ill and homeless. It also called for an awareness campaign so that residents seek help before winding up in hospital emergency departments or the Orange County jail  which the report said remains the largest provider of mental health services.

The initial $1 million will pay for television and radio spots, print and billboard advertising and a social media campaign in the three languages most commonly spoken in Central Florida.

But some people who are spurred to seek help may not be able to find it, Hayward acknowledged.

I dont think it would be wise to wait until the system is completely built and were all comfortable with it before we start  pushing people to [get help], he said. Many people have insurance, theyve got health insurance, but they dont reach out for services because of that stigma.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the $1 million for the campaign will be money well spent.

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When you think about 10,000 [suicide] calls, 1,100 of them since we commissioned this study, those are more than just a number, Demings said. It represents lives. It represents families. And when you think about the thousands of families that have been impacted, those are just the ones that we know about.  It is surreal, what we have all lived through.

The Health Report Weekly A weekly update on health news in Florida. >

Denisse Lamas, a licensed clinical social worker and executive director of Hispanic Family Counseling, said she particularly welcomed the outreach to Spanish-speaking residents, who have been disproportionately sickened and killed by the virus. They are even less likely to seek  and find  help, she said.

If [non-Hispanic] people think there is a stigma in talking about mental health, for our community the stigma is 100 times greater, she said. We do not talk about it.

Lamas also said many of the Hispanic therapists she knew left the profession during the pandemic  burned out by the stress and loss in their personal lives and the crush of demand from patients.

The awareness campaign is only the first phase of the agencys plan, Hayward said, and additional money could be used for other mental health programs, including one that trains community leaders on the front lines how to deal with people who are struggling. He also said the efforts will address populations that are sometimes overlooked, including LGBTQ residents.

At the LGBT+ Center Orlando, for instance, Executive Director George Wallace said the need for mental health care over the past two years prompted him to double the number of counselors, from three to six, and he is considering hiring a seventh.

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Specifically, when you look at LGBTQ seniors, they face a higher level of isolation, he said. For many, theres a great fear of having to have medical care or go into [long-term care], because theyre not out yet. And many dont have children and spouses, like the younger population does. It was just very, very isolating and difficult for them.

ksantich@orlandosentinel.com
An eighth-grader in Poinciana faces multiple felony charges after bringing a gun and ammo to school.

Polk County deputies arrested the student at Lake Marion Creek Middle School on Wednesday, according to a press release from the Polk County Sheriffs Office.

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A witness told school officials they heard the suspect would shoot up the school and shoot a teacher first.

The student reported the threat to the dean of the school, who contacted the school resource deputy via radio, the press release stated.

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Once the deputy arrived, they removed the suspect from his second-period class and asked him if he was carrying a gun. The student told the deputy the gun was tucked in his waistband. The deputy removed a Glock 9 mm from his waistband and a magazine loaded with one round from his pocket.

Another witness told the deputy they heard the suspect showed someone the gun on Monday. Deputies interviewed the student, who said the suspect lifted his shirt and showed her the gun.

On Tuesday, some students were making fun of the suspect. He responded by making a motion with his hand as if he had a gun and said, dont come to school tomorrow, according to authorities.

The suspect told deputies he took the gun from his parents locked bedroom while his parents were out of town.

The child who immediately reported this crime to school administrators is our hero  he heard something, and immediately said something. There is no telling what this eighth-grader might have done otherwise. This juvenile suspect is facing some serious felonies. said Sheriff Grady Judd.

Officials charged the suspect with several felonies, including possessing a firearm on school property, grand theft of a gun, and carrying a concealed firearm. All three charges are felonies.

He received an additional misdemeanor charge for unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor.
Every month Americans are bombarded by billions of anonymous robocalls, some in violation of federal laws that forbid contacting individuals who have registered their phone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry.

One Austin-area man has leveraged this distinction to fight back in court against illicit robocallers to the tune of thousands of dollars, according to a new report from KXAN's Arezow Doost.

Dan Graham, a financial accountant who splits his time between Dallas and Austin, told Doost he's won $75,000 in court decisions since launching a protracted effort to find and sue the companies behind intrusive telemarketing calls.

"I probably get, in any given day, 10 [calls] on average," Graham told Doost. "I counted one day...I got 24 that day."

Hoping to cut down on the noise, Graham listed his number on the National Do Not Call Registry. When the calls persisted, he contacted the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission and filed complaints.

Per the FTC, "companies that illegally call numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry or place an illegal robocall can currently be fined up to $43,792 per call." With this in mind, Graham began to identify and file lawsuits against telemarketing firms who contacted him in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which states marketers "must obtain prior express written consent before robocalling" potential customers.

According to Doost, Graham has filed 50 lawsuits in small business court seeking redress over illegal robo-dialing. Many of his early attempts failed, but eventually, he began to win decisions that resulted in thousands of dollars in penalties for the offending companies.

"If people knew how to push back and started doing so, we could make this kind of endless spam unaffordable for the people who do it," Graham told Doost. "The hope is that there's enough of us who stand up, start pushing back, that it becomes more expensive for companies to negligently hire these telemarketers and participate in these telemarketing practices."
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The Midland Festival Ballet will return to the Regional Dance America Festival in Richardson after the festival was canceled the last two years due to the pandemic.

MFB is returning with three performance pieces -- an unusual feat with all three pieces having been choreographed by Midlanders. Not only were three of the companys pieces chosen, but MFB will be opening and closing the festival.

MFB Communication Director and Choreographer Pearl Wamsley, 28, started choreographing in 2011 after graduating from high school.

Regional Dance America (RDA) was founded in 1988 and started hosting these festivals every year for participating companies, Wamsley said. Now, there are 17 participating companies in our region. ... Once a year, we get together for three days and they bring in master teachers of different styles, so students can take classes. Then at night, companies will perform.

MFB joined the RDA in 1998 as an intern company then became a full-fledged member two years later.

Choreographer, teacher and ballet mistress Rebekah Snell, 23, started choreographing in 2021 after taking a college composition class.

I created the first piece that will be performed at RDA, its called Pointe Shoes and Pumpjacks, Snell said. Its a country, hoedown-ish piece but in pointe shoes. Theres a lot of ballet, but it is also a high-energy piece that tries to get the audience involved.

Snell said she originally created the piece to let the students have some fun after the stress of working on The Nutcracker.

I grew up dancing in all of Pearls pieces so its been a full-circle moment, she said. I started dancing at the age of 6 at MFB. I did RDA for five or six years as a dancer, and now Im choreographing pieces for the festival.

Want to watch? Tickets are available for purchase at https://www.eisemanncenter.com/event/i/8143/d/rdasw-festival-2022-stream

and

https://www.eisemanncenter.com/event/i/8145/d/rdasw-festival-2022-stream#buy. The event also has livestream tickets of the performances available for those unable to travel to Richardson. See More Collapse

Snell said that the dancers had a lot of input when it came to her piece.

What I love about my piece a lot is that it wasnt just me creating the piece, she said. There was a lot of it that was influenced by the girls and I think that allows them to have more fun performing it.

Wamsley said that MFB has a history of alumni coming back to the organization in some way.

A very healthy amount of us (MFB alumni) enjoy coming back and contributing to the company with whatever new skills weve acquired, Wamsley said. It is a really special honor.

Native Midlander Andrea Williams also choreographed a piece based on various pieces of work by Picasso. The piece is called Picasso Pieces.

The students will be wearing these blue and red angular unitards, and there are moments when they kind of look like sculptures, Wamsley said. Its very hypnotic to watch.

Wamsleys piece will close the festival. Bambalam will bring back the MFBs iconic gold sequin jackets that were worn during their RDA performance in 2015. The piece is three minutes long to a Black Betty cover by Caravan Palace, which is an electro-swing band. She started working on the choreography in October while the MFB dancers were preparing for The Nutcracker and working on Aladdin pieces.

I thought at the time it was what we all needed but didnt really think about the piece being considered for the festival, Wamsley said. I wasnt sure a three-minute jam session would be the best decision for the festival, but the piece is what we needed to practice during that time.

Wamsley said she was really looking forward to the girls being able to do a short fun piece at RDA.

Whats so cool about this experience is that they have had to miss RDA twice but now they get to come back to RDA -- which is always exciting -- and they get to open performances, have three pieces chosen and also close the weekend, Snell said.
At 70 years old, many people are planning their retirements.

Mark Dettman is having none of that.

Last week, the attorney won election to become the next judge for County Court-at-law, No. 1. He earned 58.25 percent of the vote to have the opportunity to succeed Judge Kyle Peeler in January.

He and his wife Laquita also adopted their grandsons in 2019. He said this week that they are 6 and 8 years old, respectively.

I will be 81 when my youngest graduates from high school, Dettman joked.

Dettman served three terms as county attorney (1985-97). Coincidentally, he worked with the judge in the County Court-at-law No. 2 (Marvin Moore) decades ago when both were in the County Attorneys Office.

Midland County, on its website, states that its county courts-at-law have probate jurisdiction concurrent with the county court and concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts in:

Civil cases in which the amount in controversy exceeds $500 but does not exceed $500,000,

Family law cases and proceedings,

Texas Workers Compensation Commission appeals.

The county courts-at-law are the appropriate court in which to file eminent domain and condemnation cases. They also handle cases involving adult criminal misdemeanors, juvenile offenders, guardianship actions and mental health cases, according to the website.

About winning the Republican nomination  and therefore the seat as there is no Democrat on the General Election ballot  Dettman said he was grateful for the support of the public. He said running for office was a direction God was leading for me and that his involvement in county affairs made the decision to run easier.

He said becoming the next county court-at-law judge is about service to Midland and participating in the court system among a group of judges that he said work wonderfully together. A collegial judiciary was how he described the district and courts-at-law judges.

When you are on the bench, you have to have patience, have a good judicial temperament and wisdom, Dettman said. We have to pray for wisdom every day to handle each situation appropriately.

Dettmans journey to his bench is different than most. After serving as county attorney, he went to seminary and received a Masters in Divinity. He will tell you he is a pastor, a man who has received umpteenth second chances and that he also has been involved in private practice for around the last 15 years. Dettmans resume also shows that The Rev. Mark Henry Dettman is the Chaplain Unit coordinator for the Midland Police Department.

My lifes priorities are my faith in Jesus Christ and my family, Dettman wrote in an article last month.

Dettmans victory came a little more than 10 years after the death of good friend and Midland legend Judge John Hyde. Dettman called Hyde a mentor in a previous interview and when asked about what Judge Hyde would have thought about his victory, said, Judge Hyde would remind you to be humble, that you are a servant and look to God for guidance and to try to do the right thing.
Thank you to the oil producers in West Texas.

I have previously written that for your philanthropy, your contributions to the community and what you mean to our economy, but today there is a different reason.

With all the things happening in the world, I think those in the industry deserve our thanks for what they do for our nation. Across the country, we have heard politicians say that the production that happens here  particularly in West Texas  allows our country to not have to depend on bad actors and those who would like to harm others. Until recently, it was easy to believe this was part of a rattling off of political talking points.

We know now there is more to it.

Russia invaded Ukraine, and then the president called for the ban of imports of Russian fuel to the U.S. There is one reason that the president can do this  the strength of domestic production, particularly what is taking place in the Permian Basin.

I hope that those like the president, who have called for the transitioning away from the oil and gas industry, remember what is happening in West Texas matters on a global scale. I hope that they try to stop throwing the oil industry under the bus with comments about how there are 9,000 approved drilling permits that are not being used."

They want to distract the American public from what is being accomplished on the energy front and put the administration in a positive light.

They want to talk about the number of permits handed out in 2021 versus 2020 and not provide the context of oils plunge to negative territory and a drop in demand worldwide.

They want people to forget this is the same administration that on day 1 started its attack on the industry with executive orders to shutdown the Keystone Pipeline and to pause new oil and natural gas leasing on public lands and offshore waters.

I hope that a longer-term strategy for energy in America, allows for the development of more wind, solar and other alternative forms of energy, but I also hope that current and future administrations dont attempt to advance those efforts at the expense of oil and natural gas. We shouldnt have to be in discussions with OPEC, Iran and Venezuela about production because our leaders turned its back on the oil and gas industry when coming up with a longer-term plan so they could appeal to a select few.

I hope Midland residents are united in their praise for what is happening in the Permian Basin. We are making a difference in our state, nation and the world.

I dont know what is going to happen with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I dont know if a ban will matter or if there is another entity ready to take that Russian oil for its own consumption. I believe the ban will play a part in the increased cost in gas, and that will cause pain for Americans. Could that pain be avoided? I think that is tough to say. Producers seem disciplined in their production levels as to avoid workforce issues and an OPEC+ reaction.

But we also know that the political environment for the last 14 months hasnt been kind to those in the industry. We hope Russias invasion reminds us that everyone should be invited to decide on our nations future energy policies that are appropriate for the country moving forward.
A suspect authorities say is responsible for killing a man in the countys west end last August was arrested, the Orange County Sheriffs Office announced on Thursday.

An unsigned statement from the agency said Vincent Lawrence, 55, was arrested in Boston, seven months after 57-year-old Martin Marshall was found dead. He is facing a first-degree murder charge.

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On the morning of Aug. 8, deputies were called to a home on the 600 block of Delhi Street near Pine Hills, where Marshall was found dead.

No other details about the case have been released.

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creyes-rios@orlandosentinel.com
Editor

Zaldy Dandan is the recipient of the Best Editorial Writer Award of the Society of Professional Journalists, and the CNMI Humanities Award for Outstanding Contributions to Journalism. His four books are available on amazon.com
Florida Trooper Toni Schuck spoke for the first time after she used her car in a near head-on collision to stop a drunk driver. (Florida Highway Patrol)

Florida Trooper Toni Schuck spoke for the first time after she used her FHP vehicle in a near head-on collision to stop a drunk driver.

FHP posted Schucks dashcam video from the Sunday incident in Tampa Bay on its Facebook page Monday morning.

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The video shows the suspect speeding toward the Skyway 10K route, where thousands of runners were participating, according to the post.

Schuck drove her Chevy Tahoe directly into the drivers path to keep them safe.

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In a Thursday press conference, Schuck said she knew she was the last line of defense. She believed the driver would stop, but when she learned they wouldnt, she sprung into action. I am not trained to do that, she said. It was just an instinct.

Shuck said shes never made that sort of call in her 26-year career.

Ive never been in this position where Ive had to put myself for somebody else, she said. You go through the what ifs [but] I knew it was me. If it wasnt me to get her to stop, then who? I dont know.

Breaking News As it happens Be the first to know with email alerts on important breaking stories from the Orlando Sentinel newsroom. >

She also responded to the idea of her being a hero.

I did my job, she said. Hero is just a title. If thats what they say, thats great.

She added she did what I had to do. I didnt want to do it, but I did it.

State officers arrested 52-year-old Kristen Kay Watts, of Sarasota, on multiple charges of DWI with a serious injury, WWSB reported. Those charges include two additional charges of DUI to property or person of another and two charges of reckless driving damage to person or property.

Watts is facing multiple DWI charges after she crashed into a trooper during the Skyway10K race. (Manatee County Sheriff's Office)

Watts ignored a detour setup directing drivers away from the race and weaved through traffic cones and other barriers, according to WWSB.

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Court records showed Watts Blood Alcohol Level was 0.94 six hours after the crash, according to WWSB.

Floridas legal limit is 0.08.
The Telegraph

JERSEYVILLE  Two people have been arrested on methamphetamine possession and other charges in Jersey County.

Preston M. Kirby, 38, of Jerseyville was charged March 2 with possession of weapon by felon, possession of methamphetamine, possession of burglary tools and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer.
VIRGINIA  There's a new top dog in Cass County.

Echo, Cass County Sheriff's Department's new canine, already is earning his bones within the department after finishing training in December.

Deputy and canine handler Jeff Smith said Echo is 2 years old and has been with him since he was about a year old.

"It's helped immensely on developing a bond," Smith said. "We've been going anywhere and everywhere together."

Smith said he and Echo have been training together to develop trust in each other before Echo went on duty.

"We have to have a bond set and a mutual trust before we are able to graduate," Smith said.

The former K-9, Nitro, was retired last year. Nitro had a genetic disorder and wasn't able to continue as a police dog, Smith said.

"He's retired at my house," Smith said. "The vendor graciously gave us Echo for free."

Echo came from Hungary through the vendor Up-State K-9 in New York.

Smith and Echo began training in October after waiting several months to get into the training academy. They finished the academy in December.

Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn said in a post to the department's Facebook that they named him Echo because they hope he follows in Nitro's paw prints and is a great canine asset.

"In part because he wants to echo all of the good work that Nitro started and plus it's a cool name. Echo likes tracking people through the snow, wind, rain, and storms. He also enjoys sniffing out methamphetamine in Chevys. Echo loves police work."

Smith said having a canine back on the force is a great asset to the county.

Echo is trained in a variety of fields.

"One of the biggest benefits is getting narcotics off the streets," Smith said. "There's also increased officer safety, and search and rescue."

Echo's role primarily will be to help in searches of vehicles and for suspects as needed for the sheriff's department and neighboring agencies.

Smith said Echo has been trained for substance tracking, as well as people tracking.

So far, he's helped apprehend three suspects, Smith said.

"We've had three tracks and in all three he's been successful in finding the suspect," Smith said.

Ohrn said he is thankful to have the canine program in the county.

"It's been outstanding for many reasons, obviously for the drugs, but also in tracking people," Ohrn said. "We haven't had a person go missing, but it's helped in tracking down criminals  it's worked three times since the new dog's been here."
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Omari J.R. Johns, 22, of 342 W. State St. was arrested at 10:18 p.m. Tuesday on a domestic battery charge after being accused of picking a woman up from the floor and dropping her.

 A 15-year-old boy was arrested at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 200 block of South West Street on a charge of aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer.

OTHER REPORTS

 Police were called at 4:29 p.m. Wednesday to Subway at 1941 W. Morton Ave. because of multiple subjects chanting and causing a disturbance outside the business.

 Police spoke to two juveniles after they reportedly were seen throwing rocks at passing cars from a bridge at East College and Hardin avenues about 3:41 p.m. Tuesday.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
ASHLAND  An A-C Central FFA member is being honored as district proficiency winner in equine science entrepreneurship.

Student Tara Taft was selected by a committee of teachers and agriculture industry representatives and previously was selected for chapter and section awards. She will receive a plaque and now is eligible to compete in the state awards selection process, which will take place March 26 in Decatur.

Taft is the daughter of Mike and Tracy Taft of Springfield.

Illinois FFA recognizes students in 47 areas based on work-based learning, which is known as "supervised agricultural experience". Those who demonstrate outstanding skills and competencies can be considered for the award.

Mason Vincent and Spencer Laughlin are agriculture teachers and FFA advisers at A-C Central.
With the Omicron surge subsiding, many business leaders are again planning to urge  and even demand  that their employees return to their pre-pandemic offices. Its understandable: U.S. businesses are paying for countless thousands of square feet of expensive office space across the country, much of which is now vacant.

President Biden, in his State of the Union message, said it is time for America to stop letting the coronavirus dictate how we live.

But employees would be wise not to rush the office return. Most people who worked in offices prior to the pandemic are conflicted right now. They miss their colleagues and the amenities available at work  the coffee bar, access to high-speed copying machines and knowledgeable IT troubleshooters  but they dont miss the commute and theyre loving the freedom and flexibility remote and asynchronous work offers them.

Thats why business leaders should pay close attention to the recently released winter Future Forum Pulse survey, part of a series the consortium has been conducting quarterly since June 2020.

The new survey captures the views of 10,737 knowledge workers from the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom who were surveyed last November, before Omicron went wild. At the time, many of those surveyed probably were contemplating or getting ready to return to their offices  planning when and how often they would.

The survey findings should give business leaders pause:

78% of respondents said they want location flexibility  that is, the option to regularly work from home, a co-working space close to home or some other location of their own choosing.

95% said they want schedule flexibility. This means getting rid of the rigid (9 to 5, 8 to 6, or whatever) workday schedule that existed pre-pandemic.

One of the advantages of flexible work, as we learned these last two years, is being able to set your own pace and schedule, at least on certain projects, and being able to do other things (laundry, shopping, cooking, tutoring the kids, exercising, or just chilling) in between.

The Future Forum data tell me that business leaders pushing employees to return to the office could be creating huge problems for themselves  problems few businesses are prepared to handle in todays tight labor market, with record numbers of employee resignations in recent months.

If you dont think things can get much worse, consider another stat from the Future Forum survey: 72% of the respondents who said theyre dissatisfied with the current level of flexibility they enjoy at work said theyll likely be looking for a new job this year. Telling them to hightail it back to the office likely will hasten their exit.

Theres more to consider as well, especially for business leaders concerned with building a more-diverse and inclusive workforce. Significant percentages of Black and Hispanic respondents said remote work has increased both their sense of belonging and their sense of being treated fairly at work. Since May, Future Forum found, sense of belonging at work increased 24% for Black respondents and 32% for Hispanics, compared with only 5% for whites. Those are important gains business leaders shouldnt want to lose.

The Future Forum survey also showed something else: that flex work enjoys its highest support among non-white workers, with 86% of Hispanics and 81% of Blacks, Asian-Americans and U.S. residents of Asian descent favoring remote and hybrid work. Theyre sending the bosses a message.Theres already a clear disconnect between executive preferences and employee desires for flexible work. Many executives want to return to the way things were. Among workers, remote and hybrid work is strongly preferred.

The Omicron surge delayed plans for getting back together with colleagues, families and friends. The only silver lining is that it bought us more time to figure out who needs to return to the office, when and how.

Theres a lot at stake. Business leaders shouldnt rush things or push too hard. Their employees appear ready to push back.
Prior to any analysis of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prior to the casting of blame and outrage  at Putins hubris, at NATOs pernicious westward expansion over the last three decades  theres this:

Our world has become so interdependent that violent conflict between two countries inevitably impacts the rest of the world. War is outdated  non-violence is the only way. We need to develop a sense of the oneness of humanity by considering other human beings as brothers and sisters. This is how we will build a more peaceful world.

Too simple? Yada yada?

The words are those of the Dalai Lama, speaking a few days after the invasion, about the time Vladimir Putin was ordering his commanders to put Russias nuclear weapons on a special regime of combat duty alert and the world began convulsing in shock. There may be around 13,000 nuclear weapons still haunting Planet Earth but, since the end of the Cold War, theyve been sitting quietly at the far edge of public awareness and concern. Suddenly theyre back at the center of things.

Is the world on the brink of nuclear war?

I bring the Dalai Lamas words into the mix because, overly simple as they might sound, they cant be ignored. And, indeed, they are not simple. They transcend any talk of national sovereignty. All humanity  all life  is interdependent. If thats the case, how in Gods name do we move beyond this seldom-questioned world of borders and armed animosity?

Hatred unifies. And yes, Putins invasion  the murder of Ukrainians  not to mention his nuclear audacity, is a gash across the whole planet. But hardly the only one. As Jeff Cohen has pointed out:

Unfortunately, there was virtually no focus on civilian death and agony when it was the U.S. military launching the invasions. After the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 on false pretenses  made possible by U.S. mainstream media complicity that I witnessed firsthand  civilian deaths were largely ignored and undercounted through the years.

Any U.S. reaction to Putins invasion has to be in both directions. The West in many ways has been provoking Russias aggression since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Not only that, no country on Earth, in my lifetime, has invaded more countries, overthrown more democratically elected world leaders, than the United States of America. This doesnt excuse Putin, but how can it be so easily and quickly forgotten? The U.S. and its buddy, NATO, have not come close to anything resembling accountability for the wars they have waged over the years. Just the opposite. The trillion-dollar annual U.S. military budget, which grows larger every year, is beyond comprehension. To condemn Russia but ignore all this is, essentially, pointless  or worse. It revs up a unity of hatred.

Glenn Greenwald describes the climate that arises whenever a new war erupts, instantly creating propaganda-driven, dissent-free consensus. There is no propaganda, he writes, as potent or powerful as war propaganda. ... The more unity that emerges in support of an overarching moral narrative, the more difficult it becomes for anyone to critically evaluate it.

In other words, war itself is the enemy. As Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies write: We sincerely hope that Russia will end its illegal, brutal invasion of Ukraine long before it commits a fraction of the massive killing and destruction that the United States and its allies have committed in our illegal wars.

What I hear is an enormous, planetary cry for change. There is no such thing as a just or legal war  nor is there any sanity left in the process of preparation for war. And here, I believe, is where the words of the Dalai Lama start to make sense. Rather than the grotesque idiocy of the global military budget  including the maintenance and upgrading of those 13,000 nuclear weapons, 90 percent of which are in the hands of Russia and the United States  we need to begin consciously creating the future he describes: a future of oneness.

Whatever we do, we create the future. If we prepare for war  especially at a level that transcends virtually everything else  we create a future in which war is inevitable. And as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons pointed out on its website:

Right now, the dangerous policy of so-called nuclear deterrence is used to enable the continued invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It does not keep the peace, it allows for war to be carried out against Ukrainian people.

Any theory which is based on the willingness to mass murder civilians and is kept in check by little more than sheer luck will eventually lead to a horrific humanitarian catastrophe. Thats what is being risked right now, and it must stop.

I dont know how this will stop. I do know that protests against the Ukraine invasion are occurring all across the planet, including in Russia, where so far over 5,000 people have been arrested. Id love to see those protests not just expand, but transcend ... and turn into policy.

I wish I could personally embrace the whole planet, not with protest but with love.
Tanzania recommends adoption of Chinese Juncao technology to promote sustainable agriculture

Xinhua) 08:54, March 10, 2022

Tanzanian Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Mashimba Ndaki (1st R) speaks at the opening session of a national workshop on "Applications of Juncao Technology and its Contribution to the Achievement of Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania" in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on March 8, 2022. The government of Tanzania recommended the adoption of the Chinese Juncao technology to promote sustainable agriculture and the livestock industry in the east African nation. Juncao, which literally means "mushroom" and "grass," can be used, as its name suggests, to grow edible mushrooms, as livestock feed or as a green barrier to stop desertification. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

DAR ES SALAAM, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania recommended the adoption of the Chinese Juncao technology to promote sustainable agriculture and the livestock industry in the east African nation.

Juncao, which literally means "mushroom" and "grass," can be used, as its name suggests, to grow edible mushrooms, as livestock feed or as a green barrier to stop desertification.

Mashimba Ndaki, the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, said on Tuesday the government has launched the application of funds from the Chinese government for implementing the Juncao technology for livestock fodder and mushroom production.

Ndaki was speaking at the opening session of a national workshop on "Applications of Juncao Technology and its Contribution to the Achievement of Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania". The Juncao technology has been developed by the National Engineering Research Center for Juncao Technology of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) of China.

The technology has a multi-faceted approach of cultivating mushroom and fungi for food and medicinal purposes while at the same time addressing soil erosion for maintaining the volume of arable land, and also supporting livestock feed development.

"The Juncao technology will increase mushroom production and consumption which will contribute to food security in the country thus achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the country," Ndaki told the four-day workshop that has brought together national policy makers, academicians, researchers, farmers, livestock keepers and experts from FAFU and the UN.

He said Juncao technology will contribute to an increase in pasture availability and boost livestock productivity that will help in poverty reduction and raise the national income.

Lin Zhanxi, investor of Juncao technology, and chief scientist and director of the National Engineering Research Center for Juncao Technology of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) of China, said on a video conference that Juncao technology is helping in adapting and mitigating challenges posed by climate change.

Yuan Lin, Economic and Commercial Counselor in the Chinese Embassy to Tanzania, said during the past two decades, this handy and practical technology has taken root in more than 100 countries.

"It not only helps create hundreds of thousands of green jobs for local people, lift people out of poverty and realize gender equality by women economic empowerment, but also plays an important role in promoting the use of renewable energy and addressing climate change," he said.

Yuan said China stands ready to work with relevant parties to spread Juncao technology to more developing countries and make further contributions to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with China's wisdom and solutions.

Amson Sibanda, chief of National Strategies and Capacity Building Branch in the Division for Sustainable Development Goals in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), said in the past year, notable progress has been made to promote Juncao technology in Tanzania.

"To allow farmers to obtain first-hand knowledge of Juncao, a Juncao learning manual has been prepared in Swahili," said Sibanda, adding that a series of farmer workshops were organized in Morogoro, Shinyanga and Kilimanjaro regions.

"We have also seen strong interest in the Juncao technology from the government, research institutions and other stakeholders," he added.

Sibanda said Juncao technology, which is being transferred to developing countries through south-south cooperation, allows farmers in developing countries to grow several types of mushrooms without cutting down trees and damaging the environment.

"Such an environmentally friendly technology can help small scale farmers and farming communities to develop a low-cost , commercial scale mushroom cultivation industry that can provide sustainable livelihood for thousands," said Sibanda.

In addition, he said, the technology can also be used for producing cattle feed, methane gas and minimize soil erosion to combat desertification.

John Machiwa, former dean at the College of Agricultural Sciences and Fisheries Technology at the University of Dar es Salaam, said there are 5,000 mushroom growers in Tanzania producing 1,000 tons of mushrooms annually.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, center, leads the 15-member Senate Democratic Caucus. Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, is at left and Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, is at right. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/AP)

Florida elections have had disastrous consequences, putting the state in the hands of a divisive governor and a Legislature eager to give him almost anything he wants.

In the session that officially ends today (lawmakers plan to return Monday to approve the budget), Democrats were the only potential safeguard against the abuse of raw Republican power. But when they splinter apart and side with Republicans instead of holding tight, Democrats look weak  especially when they had the numbers to defend the publics right to know and the opportunity to hold the majority accountable.

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Repeatedly this session, Senate Democrats let Republicans off the hook, and let their constituents down.

In the latest case, the Senate voted 28 to 10 to create a public records loophole that keeps secret the identities of the companies that provide the mixture of chemicals the state uses to lethally inject death row inmates. This is a backroom drug deal at the publics expense.

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Manufacturers dont want it known that their drugs carry out a barbaric practice banned in much of the developed world. But nowhere is transparency more important than when the state carries out the ultimate punishment.

A real test

The vote Monday was a real test of Democratic unity, because a new public records exemption needs a two-thirds vote, or 26 of 39 senators, if everyone is present. At a morning caucus, Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, the groups most outspoken critic of the Republican agenda, reminded his 14 colleagues they had the votes. Its a bill we can block, Farmer said.

But too many accepted Republican fear-mongering that without this law, Florida would have to resurrect Ol Sparky, the archaic, unreliable electric chair of decades past.

A leading critic of the bill (HB 873), Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg, said: I hope you can find it in your heart to make a stand on one issue this year.

In an interview with the Sun Sentinel, Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg said of Senate Democrats: "On issue after issue, they have folded." (Steve Cannon/AP)

Everyone knew who Brandes was talking about. But six Democrats sided with Republicans: Loranne Ausley of Tallahassee, Janet Cruz of Tampa, Tina Polsky of Boca Raton, Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg and Linda Stewart and Victor Torres of Orlando. The roll call vote is online.

It was shocking, said Pam Marsh of the First Amendment Foundation, a watchdog group supported by Florida news organizations, including the Sun Sentinel and Orlando Sentinel. I was amazed at how many Democrats voted for the exemption.

The FAF website said legislators relied on unsupported hypotheticals to justify the exemption and provided no legal basis for it, but Marsh wonders if any senators even read her warnings. The bill is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis desk.

Four more folded

Four more Democrats folded on a second Republican public records exemption (SB 520) to make searches for state college and university presidents secret until 21 days before a hiring decision. The result will intensify backstage competition for highly lucrative jobs among ambitious Republicans. A united Democratic caucus could have killed that bill, too.

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The roll call vote is online. So is this weeks vote to raise the cost of rooftop solar panels and scale back a program of net metering, a bill pushed by Florida Power & Light. Three Republicans voted no on HB 741, but three Democrats came to the Republicans rescue to ensure passage.

A fourth fail is a bit more complicated and just as troubling.

All 15 Senate Democrats held together and voted against an extreme 15-week ban on abortion that will have catastrophic impacts, especially for poor young women and rape victims.

Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book of Plantation, a child sexual assault victim, urged an exception for rape, incest and human trafficking. She offered an amendment to the bill (HB 5) after a deeply emotional speech in which she revealed that she had been raped by a group of men when she was 13.

I wish it mattered, Book said as her voice broke. I wish that me telling my story, and the reality, mattered.

What might have been

Forcing Republicans to cast a yes-or-no vote on an abortion exception to protect crime victims could have killed the bill because the House was expected to reject it. But well never know, because Democrats gave Republicans a pass. Predictably, Senate President Wilton Simpson ruled that Books amendment failed on a voice vote, but it sure sounded close. (View the video on our website and judge for yourself).

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Book and her caucus made the strategic choice to not force Republicans to cast a separate recorded vote on the rape and incest exception.

Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. >

Were not going to raise hands on the amendment. Were going to do a voice vote, Book told senators in an unusual announcement.

Asked to explain her strategy in an interview, Book said she got caught up in my emotion ... my own reality. She said she made no prearranged deal with Republicans, and that the same amendment was defeated on a roll call vote in the 20-member Appropriations Committee.

A key Book ally, Democratic strategist Christian Ulvert, who watched the debate on TV from Books conference room, said a recorded vote didnt matter because senators are still on record on a bill with no rape exception, which passed on a party-line vote of 23-15.

The final bill is still a liability for some Republicans, Ulvert said, and Book led the fight against it.

Book said five senators could have raised their hands and demanded a recorded vote, but didnt. However, that would have forced senators to publicly defy their leader, who had assured Republicans they wouldnt have to vote on the amendment.

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On the most far-reaching bill of the session, Democrats should have used every available option to slow or stop an assault on womens reproductive rights. They rolled over  again. If Democrats wont look out for us, who will?

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick and El Sentinel Editor Jennifer Marcial Ocasio. The Sun Sentinel editorial board includes Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Anderson. E To contact us, email at insight@sun-sentinel.com.
Winter Park student protester fights Dont Say Gay

I was one of the organizers of the walkout in opposition to the Dont Say Gay Bill at Winter Park High School on Monday. The walkout created an opportunity to voice our opinions and to educate our peers on this hateful piece of legislation.

HB 1557/SB 1834 undoubtedly targets the LGBTQ+ community as it fosters outdated homophobic and discriminatory stereotypes. Proponents have argued it is intended for kindergarten to third graders. However, the legislation clearly states that classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity may not occur in K-3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students. That or is practically asking for a legal challenge in court. It would allow parents to sue schools or teachers that engage in these topics, adding an additional legal pressure onto teachers at any grade level. By using deliberately vague language, it impacts LGBTQ+ students of all ages.

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What happens when a LGBTQ+ student wants to go to their teacher for advice? Will they be silenced because their identity is deemed inappropriate for the classroom? What happens when a LGBTQ+ teacher has a photo of their spouse on their desk? Will they have to remove it because their family is deemed inappropriate for the classroom? This bill is a direct target of the LGBTQ+ community. It is riddled in homophobia and bigotry and it has no place in our schools.

Gov. DeSantis, please veto!

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Maddi Zornek Maitland

Disney floods dont fit Walts future vision

Joe Mario Pedersens article on page 6 of Wednesdays Orlando Sentinel, Disneys Epcot floods, proves what a visionary Walt Disney was. His Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (Epcot) intended to show the world what tomorrow will bring  Florida in ankle-deep water perhaps? Disney wanted to use Epcot to showcase how technology can make tomorrow a better place to live. Disney dreamed of a society that would use technology to prevent such things as flooding and wildfires. Making visitors wade through flooded walkways is a great way to illustrate such a lesson on saving our planet.

Joel N. McPherson Merritt Island

Lets export unhealthy habits to Russia

My first thought about all of the U.S. and global-based companies pledging to boycott business with Russia over their Ukrainian invasion was: Great, lets give them some pain and show our solidarity. But on second thought, maybe there are some products we should be exporting to the former Soviets.

Lets send them our fast foods and sugary soft drinks, loaded with nutritionless calories, and hope they develop diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Lets send them our tobacco and vaping products, hoping they develop lung and related cancers.

Lets send them our beer, wine and distilled spirit products. Lets send them our opioids. And lastly, lets send them our handguns and automatic weapons. Some products and services should definitely be on our list, others, maybe not.

Ted McKim Clermont
VIEW press/Corbis via Getty Images

Luxe-loving locals will soon be able to shop Gucci's inventory of high-end wearables without having to travel outside of San Antonio. The company confirms to MySA that The Shops at La Cantera will soon house a Gucci store.

The $1.5 million project is in the early stages, but a representative for the brand tells MySA Gucci is eyeing an early fall opening. Gucci was not able to disclose further details. Brookfield Properties, the parent company of the outdoor mall, was not immediately available to comment on the new tenant. It's unclear what part of the mall the Gucci store will open in.
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The Human Rights Campaign has rejected The Walt Disney Companys donation to its efforts to protect LGBTQ+ rights, demanding that the company take meaningful action to combat Floridas Dont Say Gay legislation.

The Human Rights Campaign will not accept this money from Disney until we see them build on their public commitment and work with LGBTQ+ advocates to ensure that dangerous proposals, like Floridas Dont Say Gay or Trans bill, dont become dangerous laws, Joni Madison, interim president of the HRC, said in a statement on Wednesday evening. While Disney took a regrettable stance by choosing to stay silent amid political attacks against LGBTQ+ families in Florida  including hardworking families employed by Disney  today they took a step in the right direction. But it was merely the first step.

The organizations statement continues by urging Disney to deepen and sustain its advocacy efforts beyond the impact of a single donation.

Every student deserves to be seen, and every student deserves an education that prepares them for health and success  regardless of who they are, the statement concludes. This should be the beginning of Disneys advocacy efforts rather than the end.

The Walt Disney Company provided a response to the HRCs decision to refuse the donation later Wednesday evening.

We signed the HRCs national business statement opposing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and pledged to financially support their efforts, and while we are surprised and disappointed that they will not take our financial support at this time, we remain committed to meaningful action to combat legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, a spokesperson for the company stated.

CEO Bob Chapek said Wednesday that The Walt Disney Company is pledging $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign and other organizations protecting LGBTQ rights following backlash to the companys initial quiet response to Floridas Dont Say Gay legislation, as well as a report that Disney has given money to all of the bills sponsors. Chapek, who is taking his first public stance against the bill, says he will also be meeting with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss Disneys concerns over the legislation.

The Dont Say Gay bill has been passed by Floridas House of Representatives and Senate and is now headed to the desk of DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.

The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss the ways to address them, Chapek said during Disneys shareholders meeting Wednesday, when he confirmed for the first time Disneys opposition to the bill, which would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

Gov. DeSantis committed to me that he wanted to make sure that this law could not be weaponized in any way by individuals in the state or groups in the state to unduly harm or target gay, lesbian, nonbinary or transgender kids and families, Chapek said, when asked by a shareholder during the Q&A what he expects to come up the meeting with DeSantis.

DeSantis was very open to learning about how to prevent the law from being weaponized to target LGBTQ people in Florida, according to Chapek.

Chapek noted Disney has championed underrepresented voices and made meaningful investments in minority communities, supporting them with nearly $300 million in charitable giving. What we stand for as a company matters, Chapek said, adding that one of its important values is inclusivity, which has been a key area of focus for us in recent years and will remain a priority.

Also during the Wednesday meeting, shareholders voted to approve a proposal requesting a report on both median and adjusted pay gaps across race and gender. The move is a noteworthy one, as the board had recommended against the proposal and previous pay-gap-report related requests have been voted against by Disney investors in years past.

In the wake of controversy over Disneys initial quiet response to Floridas Dont Say Gay legislation, as well as a report that the company has given money to all of the bills sponsors, Chapek expressed Disneys unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ+ community Monday in a company-wide email obtained by Variety.

In terms of our communities, we are and will continue to be a leader in supporting organizations that champion diversity, the memo reads. In 2021, we provided nearly $3 million to support the work of LGBTQ+ organizations. And, we have a long history of supporting important events like Pride parades.

The memo came just days after Disney drew criticism for its soft stance on the Dont Say Gay bill, and following the Orlando Sentinel reporting Feb. 25 that Disney has donated money to every single sponsor and co-sponsor of the bill.

In Mondays memo, Chapek stated, While we have not given money to any politician based on this issue, we have contributed to both Republican and Democrat legislators who have subsequently taken positions on both sides of the legislation.

Instead of initially denouncing the controversial legislation, Disney said in a statement last week, The biggest impact we can have in creating a more inclusive world is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create here and the diverse community organizations we support, including those representing the LGBTQ+ community.

In Mondays memo, Chapek stated, I do not want anyone to mistake a lack of statement for a lack of support. We all share the same goal of a more tolerant, respectful world. Where we may differ is in the tactics to get there.

Employees within Disney told Variety earlier this week that there is widespread disappointment across the company among LGBTQ+ employees and allies that this letter was not made public.

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I'm hesitant to admit this, in fear of losing my San Antonio card, but here we go: before this week I had never tried the legendary taste that is Pollos Asados Los Nortenos. Before you throw tomatoes at me, I have tried El Pollo King, another favorite that I recommend to my friends. I've always known Pollos Asados Los Nortenos, owned by Frank Garcia, to be an O.G. in the chargrilling game. I saw the lines at the Rigsby location, the usual headlines, the expansion to the Windcrest area, but I never had a chance to try it.

When the Walzem location announced the introduction of a bar with beer and tequila a few weeks ago, I prioritized a stop in.

Here's a quick taste of what to expect.

First impressions

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

The service is quick! As I pulled in to the parking lot just after noon, I reconsidered my decision to try the restaurant during the lunchtime rush. With a bit of apprehension, I made my way to the hostess stand and was pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately.Within 10 minutes, I had placed my order for a full chicken and margarita and was starting to dig in.

Judging by the packed dining room, Pollos Asados Los Nortenos seems like a go-to for quick lunches that don't skimp on flavor. Every law enforcement and first responder organization was well-represented. Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, constables, and Rackspace employees seem to all trust the speedy service as they squeeze in an backyard-style asada experience during their lunch break.

The taste

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

After spending a few minutes trying to get the chicken to model for photos for this article, I was finally able to dig in. The chicken was still hot. The whole chicken order is a mix of dark and white meat. I picked a breast and leg from the heap of marinated meat. Though charred, the chicken was juicy and seasoned. The meat fell off the bone and was flavorful on its own, but a magical green, tomatillo-based sauce made it crave-worthy. Our waitress was mum on the details of the sauce's recipe and I don't blame her for keeping the secret safe. I dunked my chicken in it, slathered more of it on the rice and beans  it was everywhere. I lucked out and grabbed a second portion to take home with my leftovers.

The $16.59 whole chicken order comes with rice, tortillas, grilled jalapeno and onion. I added a portion of charro beans for $1.50 to round out the experience.

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

The lime margarita, which I ordered with a chamoy rim, was tart and would be perfect to enjoy on the restaurant's patio during the summer. It was a bit too chilly to sit outdoors with a icy margarita during my trip, as San Antonio straddles winter and spring. As far as potency goes, the tequila taste was present but not overbearing. Two would probably be my limit.

Pollos Asados Los Nortenos' bar serves domestic and imported beers as well as tequila margaritas which come in 12- or 20-ounce cups. Tequilas on hand include 1800, Lalo, and Patron. Our waitress made sure to tell us that shots are not available from the bar, in case anyone was interested in doing that during their lunch break. You never know.

More to chew on:

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

The $16.59 chicken was more than enough to feed two people. Half-chicken orders are also on the menu.

Happy hour is offered from 3 to 6 p.m.

Pollos Asados Los Nortenos' Walzem location has plenty of covered outdoor seating.

Would I go back? Without a doubt. The Parrillada Grande, which comes with a pound of meat, sausage, and sides for $62 sounds like my kind of party. The sizzling fajitas, which demanded attention throughout the dining room each time someone ordered a plate, are also on my list.

Pollos Asados Los Nortenos (Windcrest) is located at 4822 Walzem Road. The original is at 4642 Rigsby Avenue.
TALLAHASSEE  State Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, a key ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis on issues such as student mask requirements and critical race theory, will step down at the end of April, he said Thursday.

Corcoran, a Republican former speaker of the Florida House, was appointed commissioner in December 2018 as DeSantis prepared to take office. He will return to private life to spend more time with his family, according to an announcement published on the state Department of Education website.

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Corcoran, a lawyer, came into the commissioners job after championing issues such as school vouchers for private schools while in the Legislature. He frequently clashed with teachers unions.

During the past three years, he has played roles in issues such as the education systems response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including trying to bar school districts from enforcing student mask mandates.

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Like the rest of the nation, Floridas school districts have had to weather some of the greatest difficulties they have ever experienced over the past two years, and I couldnt think of a better governor to serve, Corcoran said in a statement.

In this May 11, 2021, file photo, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran speaks during a bill signing ceremony at St. John the Apostle School in Hialeah. (Wilfredo Lee/AP)

Corcoran also led the education department during controversies about school curriculums.

Last summer, the State Board of Education approved a rule that placed strict guidelines on the way U.S. history is taught in public schools.

Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. >

The rule said that teachers, for example, may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.

DeSantis and Corcoran touted the rule, billing it as a way to combat critical race theory in classrooms. Critical race theory, which is not taught in Florida public schools, is based on the premise that racism is embedded within American society and institutions.

Richard has been a champion for students and families, and a great leader of the Department of Education, DeSantis said in a statement. During his tenure, both in the House and at the department, our state has become an education juggernaut and national leader for innovation.

The department did not provide information on a possible replacement for Corcoran. The State Board of Education will make an appointment, though DeSantis  who appoints state board members  likely will play an important role in the choice.

Corcoran last year applied to become president of Florida State University but did not make a final group of candidates. He drew opposition from faculty members, who disputed his qualifications for the job.

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The universitys Board of Trustees ultimately chose Richard McCullough, a vice provost for research at Harvard, to become president.

News Service Executive Editor Jim Saunders contributed to this report.
It was bound to happen someday. A California-based independent film studio has made NFTs of the Alamo because it's 2022 and just about anything can happen.

A collection of "special limited edition" non-fungible tokens (NFTs) known as the "Alamo Monument NFT" series will be sold on the online marketplace OpenSea.io starting March 25, according to a news release. The NFTs were created by ZapPictures.

RELATED: Whatever you do, keep crypto bros away from the AT&T Center

The "hand-made" NFTs  based off a 1904 photo of the Alamo  will be animated. One of the images shows roaches crawling all over the Alamo.

ZapPictures is an independent film studio led by writer and director James F. Robinson, according to its website. Robinson has directed and produced several independent film projects, including the 1997 film Still Breathing starring Brendan Fraser.

It's not known what Robinson's connection to San Antonio is other than graduating Magna Cum Laude from Trinity University, his website claims.

What is an NFT?

An NFT is another form of cryptocurrency that allows someone to purchase digital ownership of a digital product. In this case it's digital artwork sold as collectibles. NFT evangelists, mostly crypto bros, say the difference between a digital artwork and something physical like a trading card is that ownership of the image, essentially a JPEG, is tracked by a blockchain.

What is a blockchain? Look I'm trying not to make things too complicated, but a blockchain is a digital receipt that records data like transactions to show proof of ownership.

Fans of cryptocurrency say the blockchain never lies and proves that only the person who purchased the NFT is the sole owner of the original image.

Put simply, people are buying a token saying they own an original piece of digital artwork, and its possible for people to buy multiple units of an NFT. Any copies or screenshots of the image, however, are not original image.

Anyway. Here is another image of the Alamo NFT that will sold soon.

Courtesy of ZapPictures

NFTs are being sold as the future of cryptocurrency. They're viewed as an avenue for artists to sell their work and a way for someone to actually own digital property in Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse.

They're not cheap by any means. An NFT called "The Merge" by digital artist Pak was sold for $91.8 million.

But it's still an emerging technology tied to a cryptocurrency market that is highly volatile and filled with pump-and-dump scams. There are also environmental impact concerns of NFTs, or the carbon footprint of the amount of electricity used and heating pollution in the process of making and selling the digital product.

There is also the more questionable content of NFTs. Say hello to Meta Girlfriend NFTs. Their personalities range from tight-fitting nurse outfits to tight-fitting pirate outfits. Yikes.
Don't forget that almost everyone in the U.S. will spring forward this Sunday, March 13, as we move into daylight saving time. Yes. The one where you lose an hour of sleep.

The spring forward will happen at midnight automatically for most devices that update times based on the internet, such as laptops, computers, and smartphones. You will have to set time an hour ahead manually on clocks that aren't connected to the internet.

RELATED: La Madeleine offering freebie coffee deal for daylight saving time

This is a system that's been used by the U.S. for over a century, but ther's been recent pushback in state legislation to stick to either standard time or DST, according to a recent report from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Since 2015, there have been about 350 bills and resolutions filed into every state legislature in the U.S. In the last four years, only 18 states have enacted or passed those resolutions, according to the NCSL report.

However, none of those have had any significant impact until 2018 when Florida enacted legislation to permanently observe DST if federal law allows it.

The Texas legislature introduced two bills last year, House Bill 1405 and Senate Bill 471, proposing the Lone Star State permanently observes either DST or standard time. Neither passed.

DST has been observed by the U.S. since 1918 with the creation of the Standard Time Act to aid the Interstate Commerce Commission, the organization that monitored railroad transportation, according to the Bureau of Transportation.

It was abolished by the federal government under President Woodrow Wilson after World War I, where it was then observed inconsistently on a state-by-state basis. It didn't become a federal policy until 1966 under the Uniform Time Act.

Now DST is monitored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and we switch to DST every second Sunday of March and then standard time every first Sunday in November.
The Kerr County Sheriffs Office seized over $100,000 of drugs during a traffic stop this week. On Monday, March 7, law enforcement arrested Eric Demond Porter, Jr., 19, of Humble in connection with felony possession of marijuana, according to a social media post.

A seizure of this size disrupts criminal activity in other parts of Texas and may stop funding for other criminal enterprises, said Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha in the post. Whether human or drug cargo, we are working 24 hours a day to disrupt smuggling routes through Kerr County.

Police said the 13.62 pounds of marijuana belonged solely to Porter. The seized marijuana has an estimated street value of $127,400.

The traffic stop occurred near mile marker 480 on I-10, when investigators noticed Porters 2013 Nissan Altima driving erratically on the freeway, according to a social media post. Police said he was changing speeds rapidly, not maintaining a proper lane of travel and driving on the shoulder. Law enforcement pulled him over after seeing him change lanes unsafely in front of a semi-truck.

Police chief resigns: Castroville police chief resigns while on admin leave for N-word accusations

Upon approaching the vehicle, investigators discovered four occupants in the vehicle, and noticed the smell of marijuana. After a probable cause search, the police reportedly found two containers of marijuana in the passenger compartment, one in the vehicles console and another on one of the occupants.

Investigators discovered 12 large vacuum bags containing marijuana concealed under the carpet of the cars trunk, along with materials consistent with resale of smaller quantities. There were also thousands of dollars concealed in a backpack. All occupants were detained. The police learned through additional interviews that the group had traveled from the Houston area to Los Angeles and was returning from California with the marijuana, according to the social media post.

Teacher arrested: Hays County teacher arrested on suspicion of indecency with a child

Porter was arrested in connection with felony possession of marijuana between 5 and 50 pounds, and booked into the Kerr County Jail with bond was set at $15,000.

The newly established Multi-County Criminal Interdiction Unit, which includes deputies from Kerr, Gillespie, and Kendall County Sheriffs Offices, cooperated on the traffic stop.
Dear patient readers,

Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational environment ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of war  both real fog and stage fog  in comments. None of us need more cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that. Low-value, link-free pom pom-wavers will be summarily whacked.

And for those who are new here, this is not a mere polite request. We have written site Policies and those who comment have accepted those terms. To prevent having to resort to the nuclear option of shutting comments down entirely until more sanity prevails, as we did during the 2015 Greek bailout negotiations and shortly after the 2020 election, we are going to be ruthless about moderating and blacklisting offenders.

Yves

P.S. Also, before further stressing our already stressed moderators, read our site policies:

Please do not write us to ask why a comment has not appeared. We do not have the bandwidth to investigate and reply. Using the comments section to complain about moderation decisions/tripwires earns that commenter troll points. Please dont do it. Those comments will also be removed if we encounter them.

* * *

A spider as big as the palm of your hand could soon invade the East Coast, scientists say USA Today. On the bright side, they eat stink bugs,

Ants could be used to sniff out cancer because they can smell disease like dogs, study suggests Daily Mail

How Carnivorous Plants Evolved Smithsonian

Climate

#COVID19

China?

Myanmar

UK/EU

The Koreas

Syraqistan

New Not-So-Cold War

Biden Administration

Amazon accused of possible illegal obstruction of US House antitrust probe FT

Supply Chain

The container logistics implications of war in Ukraine Hellenic Shipping News

The Bezzle

Our Famously Free Press

Sports Desk

The NFL Has Been Using an Unproven Measure to Get Players With Covid Back on the Field Fast KHN

Guillotine Watch

Billionaire Says He Just Got Lucky When Friend Sold His Company To Microsoft Deal Breaker

Class Warfare

Why globalization in one tweet: "Map of the auto battle front"

1929 issue of Labor Age publication, from the Robert Dunn Papers at the @ReutherLibrary. pic.twitter.com/OCmGwr5ADk  UAW Archivist (@UAW_Archivist) March 9, 2022

In Praise of Whataboutism Black Agenda Report

Antidote du Jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here
Yves here. Your humble blogger is no fan of New York Citys new mayor, Eric Adams. The one-time police captain turned pol has shown a lack of concern about public interest in his effort to name his brother as police chief and a former police officer caught in a corruption scandal as deputy mayor of public safety. Under criticism, Adams had to back down and put his brother in a less important role. Adams is also a bitcoin tout. Political scientist Tom Ferguson said that crypto industry players have made a big push at the mayor level and appear to have funded at least eight mayors, Adams included sufficiently to turn them into promoters. So the gun gimmick well explain shortly should come as no surprise.

The tough on crime positioning that an official like Adams implicitly embodies is useful to a Team Dem that is vulnerable to attacks on policing. You cant co-opt Black Lives Matter, let it promote defund the police which is so vague as to enable the right wing to define it in the worst possible manner. Mind you, New York City does have more crime in the wake of Covid. But addressing that is not what this scheme is about. Instead it is likely to harm defendants who cant get exculpatory evidence, like DNA samples, processed quickly enough, without doing much about actual criminals.

By George Joseph. Originally published at THE CITY on Mar 8, 2022

New York Citys courts are implementing new rules designed to speed gun possession cases through the system, reacting to political pressure while sparking concerns that some defendants could be railroaded.

Court administrators in all five boroughs will now steer gun possession cases to specialized courtrooms, where judges will push prosecutors to provide evidence and plea offers, and hold routine check-ins aimed at moving cases along, THE CITY has learned.

The protocols also seek to limit delays, cut down on the time between hearings, and hasten judges decisions on motions and sentencing.

The mandate, detailed in a three-page memo sent by court administrators to judges last week and reviewed by THE CITY, came several weeks after Mayor Eric Adams blamed a backlog of court cases for contributing to gun violence, borrowing a page from his predecessor.

This pandemic has frayed the social safety net at every level, and has had a long-lasting, damaging impact on our justice system, Adams said at a speech in late January announcing his blueprint on gun violence. Our court system is operating at a fraction of its previous capacity, and it has put our communities at risk.

Adams is scheduled to present his blueprint to Congress on Tuesday, in a sign of his political influence on the issue.

Currently, the five boroughs Supreme Court divisions are juggling nearly 3,000 gun cases, just over half of which have stayed in the system for more than six months, according to Office of Court Administration data.

George Grasso, the administrative judge of Queens Supreme Court and an architect of the fast-track effort, said the new mandates  which build on an already existing speed-up program  show just how invested the courts are in tackling the systems long-standing gun case backlog.

How long have you been hearing, coming from district attorneys, coming from the previous mayoral administration, coming from the NYPD, How come the court isnt moving these cases faster? he said. Well, here we go. Here are the rules. This is how were going to try and do it.

A PR Strategy

Richard Aborn, president of the nonprofit Citizens Crime Commission, applauded the new rules, which he said could deter gun violence by signaling swift sanctions for the carrying of illegal weapons.

There have to be immediate consequences, he said. You have to understand that if you do something today, there are going to be consequences, very, very quickly.

Defense attorneys, and even some current and former prosecutors, argue that the initiative limits their ability to come to plea agreements that take into account the complex social realities that drive people in poor, high-crime neighborhoods to carry illegal guns.

An August 2020 Center for Court Innovation survey of more than 300 young New Yorkers deemed to be at risk for gun violence found that four out of five reported they had been shot, or shot at, at least once. The majority, nearly all Black and Latino, told researchers that they had obtained illegal guns between the ages of 14 and 17. Many viewed guns as a tool for survival, especially for those shunted into the black market economy.

One Manhattan defense attorney said speeding cases does no favors for her clients.

To resolve gun cases in an equitable manner that enhances community safety, we need time to investigate mitigating circumstances and assist our clients with accessing services for unmet behavioral and mental health needs, said Alice Fontier, managing director of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. Instead, [the Office of Court Administrations] policy pushes our clients to suppression hearings, trial and into incarceratory plea deals often before we even have complete discovery from the DAs office.

Adam Uris, a criminal defense attorney and former Brooklyn prosecutor, points out that the right to a speedy trial right is enshrined in New York state law for defendants, not DAs. People weighing whether they should go to trial or to take a plea deal, potentially resulting in several years upstate, should not be rushed in any jurisdiction, he asserted.

It makes you wonder, why are young black and brown kids not entitled to their constitutional protections, just as much as a kid in Westchester? he said.

Some in district attorneys offices assert that the new rules focus too much on pro-forma check-ins, and too little on processes, like DNA testing, which can take months to complete.

This is a PR strategy, not a gun violence strategy, said one city prosecutor, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. But after they got bashed by the mayor and the police, its nakedly clear that they want to make a public show of pushing gun cases forward with the emphasis being on public show.

In a phone call with THE CITY, Grasso dismissed the criticism. He said that the change could actually help defendants by getting them discovery materials and plea offers more expeditiously.

Everything that everybody is entitled to, they are still entitled to, he said. Were just looking to move everything faster.
My Nashville Post role has evolved since 2000 when I joined the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister publication in 2008 (when I began doing some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have been managing editor of the Post since late 2011.

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TALLAHASSEE  Florida lawmakers agreed to a record $112.1 billion budget Thursday with 5.38% raises for state employees, a one-month gas tax break and the most funding for affordable housing programs in over a decade.

Central Florida also was one of the big winners in the state budget, with UCF set to receive $20 million in recurring funding and an additional $29 million for its nursing school.

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The Florida Legislature is expected to approve the spending plan when it goes into overtime on Monday. The budget sets a $15 minimum wage for state employees and staff in nursing homes getting Medicaid funds.

This budget invests in the workers who serve our state and her people, Senate President Wilton Simpson said.

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Employees in some hard-to-recruit fields could see bigger pay bumps with a $20 minimum wage for corrections officers, state firefighters and probation officers.

The budget includes $362.7 million for affordable housing programs as home prices and rents skyrocket. Those funds will go to provide down-payment assistance for homebuyers and help developers build affordable rental housing.

Thats the most funding for affordable housing programs in 16 years, said Jaimie Ross, president and CEO of the Florida Housing Coalition.

Lawmakers are putting $100 million into a new program to help hometown heroes, such as police officers, teachers and nurses, with closing costs and down payments, but that meant less money for a program to build apartments with lower rents.

Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the budget needs more money to help renters facing massive rent hikes.

We desperately need more affordable apartments, she said.

Historically, lawmakers have shifted money for affordable housing into other uses, siphoning $2.3 billion from housing funds over the past two decades.

State lawmakers also reached a deal to provide a $200 million, one-month gas tax break in October, right before the Nov. 8 election. Drivers pay 26.5 cents a gallon in state gas tax.

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That tax break is being paid for from a portion of the $3.5 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid the state received.

The education budget includes $800 million to continue a push to raise the minimum starting pay for teachers to $47,500 a year.

State legislators also put nearly $886 million into Everglades restoration and $75 million into cleaning up springs. Nearly $471 million is devoted to address sea-level rise and flooding.

State leaders will be getting two new Embraer Phenom 300E executive jets worth $31.3 million. Gov. Ron DeSantis already has access to a state plane, which cost more than $15 million to buy and $3 million-plus a year to operate.

The budget includes $100 million for a planned University of Florida technology education campus in West Palm Beach, to further artificial intelligence, data science and related technologies.

UCFs $20 million in recurring funding should allow the school to hire faculty members and expand research.

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The school is also set to receive $29 million for a new building for its nursing school next to its College of Medicine in Lake Nona. The proposed $63 million, 90,000 square-foot building will include simulation and skill labs and classrooms for the nursing school, currently at the universitys main campus in east Orange County.

Among the other specific appropriations going to Central Florida were $4.3 million for the Orlando Urban Area Security Initiative, $110,000 for Orlando Health/Arnold Palmers Hematology/Oncology center, and $500,000 for a new transmitter for WUCF-TV.

The Kissimmee Shingle Creek Regional Trail received $400,000 for security and protection, while Valencia College and Seminole State College also received approval to acquire land and renovate facilities.

The $20 million for UCF was part of the House and Senates so-called sprinkle lists of earmarks, additional millions of dollars worth of supplemental appropriations beyond the main budget.

Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. >

Lake-Sumter State College received $2.5 million in operational enhancements and nearly $3.4 million for Emerging Media funding and renovations to its Fine Arts Center.

Also in Lake County, Minneola gets $8 million for the second phase of its Citrus Grove Road project and Mount Dora gets $103,000 for flood mitigation.

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AdventHealth Orlando is slated to get $475,000 for critically ill newborn treatment, while nonprofit group IDignity gets $1 million for its state headquarters in Orlando.

Also in Orange, Oaklands South Lake Apopka Initiative Alternative Water Project gets $1.25 million.

In Seminole County, Sanford gets $750,000 for a parking facility, while Oviedo gets $250,000 for work on a percolation pond.

In Osceola County, Kissimmee gets $300,000 for a Public Safety Training Support Annex, and $275,000 goes toward an expansion at its Military History Museum.

Staff writer Annie Martin contributed to this report.
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(Natural News) Insiders report that Apple scrapped plans it once had to encrypt iCloud backups after receiving a complaint from the FBI.

The bureau feared that encrypting files that are uploaded to iCloud by iPhone users would hinder law enforcement investigations. The complaint reportedly emerged a few years ago when Apple was working on the encryption, and the tech giant complied with the FBIs request and kept silent about it to avoid scrutiny. Current and former FBI officials and Apple employees have all confirmed the story.

At the time, Apple had informed the FBI that it would be offering end-to-end encryption to users who store iPhone data on their iCloud service. Apple would not have a key that could be used to unlock the encrypted data in a move aimed at deterring hackers.

The FBI often uses hacking software that capitalizes on security flaws to break into phones, but doing so requires them to have access to the phone  something that would tip off a person who is being investigated. However, without encryption, they can search iCloud remotely and secretly. Data shows that American authorities requested and received iCloud content and full device backups for nearly 1,600 cases during the first half of 2019 alone.

Apple says they hand over at least some data for 9 out of 10 requests they receive from law enforcement. If they were to offer end-to-end encryption, however, this would no longer be possible.

Legal killed it, for reasons you can imagine, one former Apple employee claimed, telling Reuters that they didnt want to risk attacks from public officials for protecting criminals. They also wanted to avoid opening themselves up to lawsuits related to moving data that was previously accessible outside of the reach of government agencies. They also feared the move could be used as justification for new legislation against encryption.

The source at Apple said part of the motivation was avoiding another scenario like Apples court battle with the FBI over accessing a suspects iPhone in the 2016 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California.

On that occasion, Apple appealed a court order forcing them to break into the suspects iPhone for the FBI. The government ultimately dropped their legal pursuit of Apple after finding a contractor who was able to break into the phone.

In another incident, Apple was asked publicly by Attorney General William Barr to unlock a pair of iPhones used by an officer in the Saudi Air Force who killed three Americans in a shooting at a Pensacola naval base. On that occasion, they did provide the shooters iCloud backups.

Encryption enhances privacy

End-to-end encryption ensures that only the two people who are participating in a chat can read its messages, locking out everyone else, including the company that owns and runs the service. The approach is chiefly aimed at preventing data from being read or secretly modified while being passed among the two parties involved. Only the two people who are directly involved in the conversation have the cryptographic keys required to access the content.

Decrypted conversations, in contrast, can be accessed by third parties, opening up the possibility of them being intercepted by law enforcement agencies and governments. Currently, the FBI can ask Apple to unlock the accounts of individuals they are investigating, and they claimed in private talks with Apple that encryption would take away one of their most effective methods of getting evidence against suspects who use iPhones.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Reuters.com
(Natural News) Belgium has rescinded several Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions following other European countries that also dropped mandates. This move came amid dwindling COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Brussels announced on March 4 that the nation of 11 million will go from code orange to code yellow by March 7. Under the Belgian system, code orange is the second most stringent classification of measures controlling COVID-19. The loosening of restrictions followed infections in the week ending March 5 falling by 24 percent compared to the previous week. New hospitalizations and intensive care cases also saw a rapid decline.

The Belgian government announced that masks will no longer be mandatory, but will still be recommended in indoor settings, crowded areas and locations where physical distancing cannot be implemented. School mask mandates were also lifted March 7. However, masks are still required in healthcare facilities and public transportation. Vulnerable people are still encouraged to mask up, the government added.

Furthermore, Brussels lifted proof of vaccination mandates for the entire country. It will no longer be necessary to use the COVID Safe Ticket in, among others, the hospitality industry and at events, said the announcement. Prior to the lifting, the COVID Safe Ticket  the countrys version of a vaccine passport  is required before Belgians can enter bars, restaurants, theaters and cinemas. Alongside this, the Belgian government also lifted capacity limits on events.

The country also announced revised travel rules set to take effect on March 11. Travelers who present proof of vaccination, recovery from infection or a negative COVID-19 test will no longer be required to undergo mandatory testing and quarantine. However, those coming from regions with a new COVID-19 variant of concern will remain prohibited from entering.

Belgian residents who fail to present proof of vaccination, recovery from infection or a negative COVID-19 test and are traveling from a country with an unfavorable situation must take either an antigen or PCR test a day after they arrive, according to the March 4 announcement. (Related: Belgium looking to lift coronavirus restrictions despite the highest death rate in the world.)

Belgium joins the list of nations lifting COVID mandates

Belgium joined the growing list of European nations lifting COVID-19 mandates after almost two years. Its announcement came nine days after Iceland announced a similar repeal of COVID-19 restrictions.

In a Feb. 23 statement, Icelands Ministry of Health announced the repeal of restrictions currently in place in the Nordic nation. Widespread societal resistance to COVID-19 is the main route out of the epidemic. To achieve this, as many people as possible need to be infected with this virus as the vaccines are not enough  even though they provide good protection against serious illness, the statement said.

Health Minister Willum Thor Thorsson confirmed the repeal of COVID-19 mandates in a Feb. 23 cabinet meeting. He said: We can truly rejoice at this turning point, but nonetheless  I encourage people to be careful, practice personal infection prevention measures and not to interact with others if they notice symptoms.

The loosening of restrictions in Iceland took effect on Feb. 25. All rules regarding limitations on social gatherings and school operations, as well as the quarantine requirement for those infected by COVID-19 are removed. Additionally, no disease prevention measures will be in place at the border, regardless of whether individuals are vaccinated or unvaccinated, the health minister declared.

The ministry cited the recommendation of Chief Epidemiologist Thorolfur Gudnason for lifting all COVID-19 restrictions. In a memorandum by the health official, he argued that widespread herd immunity can lead Iceland out of the pandemic. To achieve this, the chief epidemiologist said up to 80 percent of Icelands population needs to be infected with SARS-CoV-2.

More related stories:

Welcome to the life we knew before: Denmark is abolishing ALL COVID-19 restrictions.

Iceland drops all COVID mandates and bans; recognizes NATURAL IMMUNITY.

End of COVID-19 tyranny: European countries move to ease pandemic rules.

Poland declares the beginning of the end of COVID pandemic.

Austria announces end of COVID mandates beginning March 5.

Watch the video below showing protests against COVID-19 mandates in the Belgian capital of Brussels.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

Visit HealthFreedom.news for more stories about countries lifting COVID-19 mandates.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

Belgium.be

ABCNews.go.com

TheEpochTimes.com 2

Government.is

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) InfoWars host Owen Shroyer scoffed at the arrogance of people behind the experimental Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) injections.

We were reporting, and other outlets were reporting, that this was an mRNA technology. And they said, No, its not, theres no mRNA shot, theres no mRNA, theres no mRNA in these shots. Now they just promoted it as mRNA. Its like they expect us to not have a memory or something, said Shroyer during a recent episode of The Alex Jones Show.

Shroyer actually meant to say gene therapy instead of mRNA, but you get the point. Big Pharma is making a fool out of everyone.

Filling in for regular host Alex Jones, Shroyer played a video clip in which a Bayer executive essentially admitted that Big Pharma deceived people into taking the mRNA injections. (Related: Bayer executive admits mRNA vaccines are an example of gene therapy.)

In the video, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division President Stefan Oelrich said were it not for the pandemic, the experimental injection may have seen an extremely high rejection rate.

Oelrich made the statement at the opening of the World Health Summit 2021 last November. Ultimately, the mRNA vaccines are an example of that cell and gene therapy, Oelrich said at the time.

He also admitted that 95 percent of people would probably refuse gene therapy under normal circumstances. I think this pandemic has opened many peoples eyes to innovation, he said.

But even after Oelrichs statement, some media outlets maintained their stance that the mRNA injections are not gene therapies.

On January 4, Forbes published an article titled Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines are not gene therapies.

Poynter.org even published a fact-check claiming that the Bayer executive did not actually say that the mRNA vaccines are cell and gene therapies.

Oelrich did not say that mRNA vaccines against the COVID-19 are a gene or cell therapy. What he did point out is that mRNA-based vaccines are an example of technological innovation, just as the gene and cell therapy proposed by Bayer are an example of technological innovation, it said.

Biden, Harris dont support COVID vaccines before 2020 election

Its not really surprising, Shroyer said, because the biggest supporters of the mRNA injections are also a bunch of phonies. He pointed out that both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden said theyre never going to take the vaccine when Donald Trump was the president. (Related: TWISTED: Trump goes full pro-vaccine as Biden and Kamala say they wont trust any vaccine promoted by Trump.)

When CNN asked Harris before the 2020 election if she would take the vaccine once its approved, she refused to provide a clear answer. Well, I think thats going to be an issue for all of us. I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump, she said on September 6, 2020.

Biden, on the other hand, suggested on July 28, 2020 that the coronavirus vaccine wont be real and may not be safe. On August 6, 2020, Biden said the vaccine is not likely to go through all the tests and trials that are needed to be done. Finally, on September 7, 2020, Biden said he would take the coronavirus vaccine only if we knew all of what went into it.

But then when Biden became president, they loved it. The vaccine didnt change; the ingredients didnt change. And its just amazing. I mean, we have caught these crooks red-handed  theyve been caught. Its so pathetic, Shroyer said.

Its so pathetic that nobody wants to stop this crime. Nobody wants to hold the big pharmaceutical companies accountable. Its like nobody knows, and it makes you wonder really who is in charge? Are our officials in charge? Or is it entities like Big Pharma that are actually the ones that are in charge?

More related stories:

Dr. David Martin tells Clay Clark: mRNA vaccines are gene therapy designed to harm and enslave humanity  Brighteon.TV.

Richard Pan says Americans who refuse experimental coronavirus gene therapy injections are domestic terrorists.

mRNA-pimping Bayer executive GLOATS over pushing global acceptance of gene therapy injections disguised as vaccines.

Bidens WAR on America: Target the nations human infrastructure with mandatory, deadly gene therapy injections to mass murder all those who keep the country running.

Watch the video below as Owen Shroyer talks about the arrogance displayed by Big Pharma in admitting that the mRNA vaccines are actually gene therapies.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow Vaccines.news for more news related to COVID-19 vaccines.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Presidency.UCSB.edu
(Natural News) Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called upon his fellow justices to rethink how a 1996 law protects Big Tech companies from liability on their platforms.

(Article by Alexander Hall republished from NewsBusters.org)

Thomas may have opened Pandoras Box for Big Tech CEOs by calling to take a fresh look at Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. In a court case regarding Facebook users allegedly luring a Texas woman into sex trafficking, Thomas denied that Facebook itself could be prosecuted under the current laws in accordance with current precedent, but suggested that the United State Supreme Court instead take a new look at how section 230 works.

Here, the Texas Supreme Court recognized that [t]he United States Supreme Courtor better yet, Congressmay soon resolve the burgeoning debate about whether the federal courts have thus far correctly interpreted section 230, Thomas recounted in the Courts denial of a writ for certiorari. Assuming Congress does not step in to clarify 230s scope, we should do so in an appropriate case.

He said its hard to see why the protection Section 230 grants to publishers should also protect Facebook from liability for its own acts and omissions. Thomas said the court should make certain that is what the law demands, and that the court should address the proper scope of immunity under 230 in an appropriate case.

NBC News summarized Thomass statements by writing that Thomas said that interpretation of the law is too broad and goes beyond what the statute actually says. The same article cited Thomas as saying such an expansive reading results in courts dismissing claims against internet companies for not warning consumers about product defects or failing to protect users from malicious activities on the platform.

Annie McAdams, the lawyer representing the Texas woman who alleged having been trafficked, reportedly said she was disappointed the court did not take up the case, but said she agreed with Thomas that the court should clarify the scope of the law.

NBC News also noted that Facebook urged the court not to take the Texas case.

Read more at: NewsBusters.org
In this image provided by NASA, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft onboard is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41, Thursday, July 29, 2021 at Cape Canaveral. (NASA/Joel Kowsky/AP)

The Space Force has delayed its planned mission with United Launch Alliance that was slated to lift off this month from Cape Canaveral, so now the next Atlas V rocket aims to bring the long-delayed Boeing CST-100 Starliner to the International Space Station.

ULA announced in a press release Wednesday the plans to launch the USSF-12 mission for the Space Forces Space Systems Command with an experimental missile warning system was delayed due to a customer request. No new date has been set.

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So that queues up the Starliner for its Orbital Flight Test-2 mission still progressing toward a launch opportunity in May. A Boeing spokesperson said the program is hoping to provide more specific details next week but launch opportunities are dependent on spacecraft readiness as well as availability of the Eastern Range with all of the other launches on tap as well as a parking spot at the ISS.

The uncrewed flight is a redo of Boeings initial uncrewed test of the vehicle contracted with NASA to shuttle astronauts to and from the ISS. Boeing was one of two companies to win the contracts under NASAs Commercial Crew Program but has fallen behind SpaceX.

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The initial Orbital Flight Test in December 2019 managed to launch and land safely, but because of software issues, it was not able to rendezvous with the ISS. The mission was labeled by NASA as a high visibility close call that led to a post-launch review that recommended 80 changes to the program.

After running through all of recommendations, things were looking good for a launch attempt last August, but a new issue involving a malfunctioning valve scrubbed the attempt. Despite the company identifying the likely problem, Boeing and NASA decided to change out hardware pulling a service module off of the Starliner tapped for a future crewed test flight and handing it over to this uncrewed flight.

The Starliner team and successful completion of the spacecrafts development phase are critical to sustaining International Space Station operations through 2030, said NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich earlier this year. The teams dedication to developing effective remedies and corrective action after our first OFT-2 launch attempt demonstrates their continued commitment to safely flying NASA crews for years to come.

Work is being completed at Boeings Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center.

Go For Launch - Space News Weekly Fix your telescope on all space-related news, from rocket launches to space-industry advancements. >

Because this is not an operation that we normally perform, our team took the time to fully coordinate and assess the proper spacecraft and ground support equipment configurations, and then execute to plan to ensure the safety of our team, said John Vollmer, vice president and program manager of Boeings Commercial Crew Program.

The service module that was pulled off went to NASAs White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico so Boeing can further investigate why the valves got stuck last August. The likely culprit still remains that moisture interacted with an oxidizer used on the valves leading to corrosion.

For the replacement service module, Boeing has come up with some options so a similar issue wont happen on future launches.

Shifting service modules has created a domino effect. OFT-2 gets the one planned for the Crew Flight Test (CFT), which would be the first Starliner flight with passengers, and CFT is getting the module planned for Starliner-1, the first operational astronaut transportation mission expected after the spacecraft is certified by NASA.

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Both Boeing and SpaceX were initially given contracts for six missions each to bring crew to and from the ISS for normal six-month expeditions. To date, SpaceX has flown three of those missions with a fourth on tap for launch in April while also flying its Crew Dragon on a civilian orbital flight and another for Axiom Space set to send the first all-civilian crew to the ISS ever in a launch planned for March 30.

Boeings delays prompted NASA to reassign some of its astronauts from Starliner to Crew Dragon. Nicole Mann was originally assigned to the CFT while Josh Cassada was assigned to Starliner-1. Mann is now set to command the SpaceX Crew-5 mission this fall with Cassada tapped as pilot.

The Boeing CFT mission, which would only come after a successful flight of OFT-2, still has astronauts Butch Wilmore, Mike Fincke and Suni Williams assigned to the flight.
(Natural News) An emergency physician by the name of Dr. Joseph Fraiman is speaking out about the fact that just like many others in his field, he was deceived by the prevailing plandemic narrative.

Early on, Fraiman said during a recent Zoom call with proponents of the Great Barrington Declaration, it seemed like everyone just fell in line with the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) fearmongering because of all the rhetoric about saving lives.

The world was told that staying locked down and masked at all times  and later getting vaccinated  were the only ways to get out of the crisis. Fraiman believed all that at the time. But his views have since changed.

These policies were harmful, Fraiman said. You can watch a clip of him speaking below:

Dr. Joseph Fraiman: Personally, I would like to apologize to the three other scientists sitting with me here on Zoom, the proponents of the Great Barrington DeclarationIm sorry, because I believe now you guys were correct. And you were correct from the beginning. pic.twitter.com/a7AbdU5zRw  Michael P Senger (@MichaelPSenger) March 7, 2022

Initially, it was irrelevant because there were lives on the line. Im an emergency doctor  there are lives, we have to do it. But if the policies didnt really make a difference and only caused harm, then you really have to start rethinking what youre doing, Fraiman said.

Is it enough just to apologize?

Seeing the damage that was caused by these policies, Fraiman wants Americans and really everyone to think long and hard about whether or not we ever want to do something like this again in the event that another alleged pathogen emerges.

I think as a society we have to decide if we want to continue a public policy that is obviously producing large harm, Fraiman said.

Also, personally, I would like to apologize to the three other scientists sitting with me here on Zoom, the proponents of the Barrington Declaration, because initially I did think you all were crazy, or dumb, or maybe you just didnt understand what I was seeing. But I now realize, actually  Im sorry, because I believe now that you guys are correct, and you were correct from the beginning.

Fraiman said he wishes that more people, including himself, have figured it all out sooner. But better late than never.

And I hope more people realize that soon enough, he added.

The Great Barrington Declaration contains the signatures of many prominent doctors and other medical professionals, as well as scientists and researchers whose careers center around helping people.

Co-authored by Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a professor and epidemiologist at Harvard University, and Dr. Sunetra Gupta, also a professor and epidemiologist from the University of Oxford, the document calls for all lockdowns to end.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor and epidemiologist from Stanford University, is also a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration.

Everyone who told us the vaccine was safe and effective needs to be indicted and tried in a court of law, wrote someone in response to the video of Fraiman speaking. Plainly, we were lied to, and all those who refused the jab and lost their jobs as a result should be re-instated with full pay.

Another person suggested that Fraiman might just be trying to save himself from execution now that the truth is coming out.

They cannot get a pass on this, said someone else. It is their job to research and do no harm.

How convenient, wrote another. Lets be honest: you were looking out for yourself. You werent going to risk losing your license. So you knowingly administered a jab you knew had significant question marks. That is criminal.

More of the latest about peoples shifting plandemic viewpoints can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) As the conflict unfolds in Ukraine, youll notice how swiftly the media is pivoting all our attention onto war and Eastern Europe  just forget about COVID and all the harm that ill-advised pandemic policies have caused citizens. (Remember the Johns Hopkins study which found that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects but have imposed enormous economic and social costs?)

(Article by Sara Middleton republished from NaturalHealth365.com)

But many of us will NOT forget  we who have watched our loved ones suffer from the extreme impacts of mandates, socially-acceptable discrimination, job loss, and of course, COVID-19 itself (for which Big Pharma strongly suppressed early and innovative treatments). And we will be watching carefully as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies continue to push for more and more COVID shots  including what might turn out to be a yearly booster shot.

Follow the science or do they just mean follow the agenda? FDA reportedly looking forward to annual COVID shots

Citing the Wall Street Journal, the United Kingdoms Daily Mail recently reported that the FDA has laid out possible plans to recommend yet another COVID shot dose for the general public within the next few weeks. Allegedly, the government agency may even end up recommending an annual booster shot for most people.

This is despite the fact that local and state officials around the country are dropping vax and mask mandates like hot potatoes and that COVID cases in the U.S. have plummeted by nearly 90% since a mid-January 2022 surge and nearly 50% within just the past few weeks.

In the United States (and certain other countries, like Israel), a fourth dose of the mRNA COVID shot from either Pfizer or Moderna is already available and recommended for some Americans. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note on their website, anyone aged 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive a total of 4 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Thats four doses of a novel gene therapeutic in under a year, at least for some individuals (and possibly most individuals soon enough). Remember, this is a drug that:

Was originally sold to the public as the only way to end the pandemic and the best way to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that supposedly causes COVID-19

Was quickly found to NOT stop transmission, but (at best) reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19  all of which are extremely unlikely, to begin with for the VAST majority of people

Has yet to amass any long-term safety data and has triggered a meteoric rise in adverse event reporting to the official U.S. vax safety surveillance system

This is also a drug that has been shrouded in secrecy by the very agencies tasked with researching its effectiveness and safety.

More and more doses  despite lack of transparency about shot safety evidence

A genuine question: have ANY COVID shot recipients been able to provide true informed consent to their first, second, third, and perhaps fourth dose? We ask this, knowing that the CDC now admits to withholding COVID shot data in fear that it will lead to misinformation.

One has to wonder: what does this information contain, exactly? Wouldnt the public deserve to get as much official information as quickly as possible to make informed decisions about their personal health?

Wouldnt the public also want to know, for example, that the CDC recently found that booster shots are not beneficial for people between the ages of 18 and 49? Moreover, wouldnt this information be of the utmost importance to the small but growing number of hospital systems around the United States mandating booster shots for their employees?

Bottom line: why mandate a drug that has not been shown to be helpful? I thought we were supposed to follow the science.

Read more at: NaturalHealth365.com
(Natural News) Maria Baronova, former editor-in-chief of Russia Today (RT), has warned that the world is on the brink of a nuclear war. She believes the West will be the first to press the launch button.

I suspect the Western world will use it. This is a very dangerous situation, Baronova told Fox News. Her projection differed from most analysts, who claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use nuclear weapons against Ukraine and other countries supporting it. However, she said the Russian strongmans behavior will make the country the target of a catastrophic attack.

The problem is, I know these people very well. They never send threats, they just kill, so there is kind of [a] weird silence around me. But I really think were on the brink of a nuclear war right now. Im not exaggerating.

Baronova stepped down from the state-run RT after condemning Putins invasion of its smaller western neighbor. According to the journalist, a private message sent by her colleague on Instagram was the impetus for her resignation. Baronovas colleague wrote: If you are now ashamed of being Russian, dont worry  you are not Russian. (Related: Russian propaganda is the latest excuse to expand censorship.)

In return, the former editor-in-chief made a public response to the letter. If I chose to be with Russia, this does not mean that I should walk in a totalitarian system, be silent, or  rejoice that the regime  which I do not want for my country  is being exported somewhere. This regime will finally turn our life into one endless hell, she wrote.

Baronova left the state-run media outlet after her public response. That was the moment I decided, OK, thats it.' She added that she was really disturbed by that tone and level of support.

Baronova: Many Russians brainwashed by state-run media

Originally an opposition activist, Baronova joined RT in 2019 and eventually rose up the ranks. She became the managing editor of RTs Russian language unit until her resignation. Putins attack on Ukraine, which many of her erstwhile colleagues in the media outlet supported, served as the last straw.

The Russian presidents offensive did not only center on Ukraine, as the Kremlin also cracked down on both social media platforms and independent news outlets. They were either forced to shut down or blocked in the country for refusing to adhere to the official narrative on Ukraine.

Social media giant Facebook was among those targeted by Russian authorities. The platform owned by Mark Zuckerberg was blocked in Russia on March 4 by Roskomnazdor, the countrys media regulator. In a statement, the regulator accused Facebook of violating federal law by restricting access to accounts of several state-affiliated media outlets.

Baronova believes many Russians are brainwashed and fall for the Kremlin narrative that the operation serves to denazify Ukraine. We have internet like everybody else in this world, and you cant hide information from people in the era of the internet. So I dont understand how they can be brainwashed, she commented.

However, Baronova noted that some Russians are being rudely awakened from the brainwashing because of the sanctions imposed on the country and American companies pulling out.

People were in favor [during the] first day of invasion. Now they are less convinced and much more skeptical because they understand now. [They] are going to lose their jobs, their cars, their iPhones, everything. So, lets see what they are going to say in a month. The whole world is in a bad position.

Baronova concluded her conversation with Fox News by saying Russians love their children, too. Everybody, stay safe.

More related stories:

Russia blocks access to Facebook, accuses it of discriminating against state-owned media outlets.

STRATCOM commander sounds the alarm bell, says nuclear war very real possibility with Russia or China.

Big Tech eagerly blocks virtually all content from Russia while completely refusing to address Chinese propaganda.

Ben Armstrong warns Biden administration: Acting tough now against Russia could put the world on the brink of a nuclear war.

Watch InfoWars founder Alex Jones talk about a potential nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia below.

This video is from the Gustel Nobell channel on Brighteon.com.

WWIII.news has more stories about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Sources include:

FOX5NY.com

CNBC.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The longtime former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives was indicted on federal corruption charges on Wednesday.

(Article by Richard Moorhead republished from WesternJournal.com)

Mike Madigan, a Democrat who served as speaker of the Illinois House for more than 30, years, split between two tenures from the early 80s to his retirement last year, was the subject of a lengthy criminal complaint in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois.

In more than 100 pages, the document outlined 22 charges against him.

Former Illinois House Speak by WGN Web Desk

The charges follow a federal investigation into Madigan that has spanned years, according to WFLD-TV.

The indictment accuses Madigan of soliciting business for his own law firm during negotiations to turn a parcel of state-owned land in Chicagos Chinatown into a commercial development.

Another charge accuses Madigan of organizing a bribery scheme involving electric utility Commonwealth Edison.

One former Commonwealth Edison executive has already pleaded guilty to a plot for the company to pay off lobbyists connected to Madigan in order to secure the passage of legislation favorable to its financial interests, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Madigan had finally been forced out of office amid the beginning of an investigation into Commonwealth Edison in 2021.

Madigan also faces one count of extortion.

Prosecutors accuse the powerful Democrat of using coded language to shield the criminal nature of corrupt plots from law enforcement, and attempting to reduce law enforcements ability to intercept their communications.

A longtime Madigan associate, state legislator and lobbyist, Michael McClain, was also indicted in Wednesdays court filing.

The Chicago Democrat served in the Illinois House for more than 40 years, racking up time in office in a manner thatd make the most hardened career politicians jealous.

Madigan achieved tremendous power over Illinois government during his seemingly endless reign, leading critics of his Democrat machine brand of politics to term the state itself Madiganistan.

Its thought that Madigans influence over the state government surpassed even that of many Illinois governors, many of whom were flustered in attempts to control legislative processes by the states true master.

Welcome news that Mike Madigan has finally been indicted by a federal grand jury. Corruption has plagued Illinois for far too long because career politicians become entrenched and think the rules dont apply to them. https://t.co/xfPAeAsuPm  Rep. Mary Miller (@RepMaryMiller) March 2, 2022

Illinois has a long history of government corruption. In 2020, when then-President Donald Trump commuted the prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a WLS-TV report noted that four of the states governors or former governors  all but one of them Democrats  had been sent to prison since 1960.

Even by those standards, Madigans indictment could make him the most corrupt Democrat in the states history.

In a Twitter post, Chicago Tribune reporter Jason Meisner put the case in perspective.

By indicting Mike Madigan, a famously shrewd tactician who rarely used email or cell phones, the U.S. Attorneys Office has reached the apex of the states political food chain, even in the pantheon of political figures whove gone down before him, he wrote.

UPDATE: By indicting Mike Madigan, a famously shrewd tactician who rarely used email or cell phones, the U.S. Attorneys Office has reached the apex of the states political food chain, even in the pantheon of political figures whove gone down before him. https://t.co/frB2cOZtzk  Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) March 2, 2022

Madigan, 79, is the longest-serving speaker of a state house in modern American history, CNN reported.

Hes repeatedly maintained his innocence amid the sprawling corruption investigation. His arraignment is scheduled for March 9, according to CNN.

Read more at: WesternJournal.com
(Natural News) Last month, I covered the story of State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton Professor Ana Maria Candelas class policy for calling on students.

(Article by Alex Parker republished from RedState.com)

Fox News tended to the issue, too:

Binghamton University slaps down professors progressive stacking section of syllabus for non-white folks https://t.co/VbvHIePBre  Fox News (@FoxNews) February 21, 2022

Anas sociology syllabus laid it out  white people were banished to the back of the bus.

To quote the document:

If you are white, male, or someone privileged by the racial and gender structures of our society to have your voice easily voiced and heard, we will often ask you to hold off on your questions or comments to give others priority and will come back to you a bit later or at another time.

The policys purpose: to give priority to non-white folks, to women, and to shy and quiet people who rarely raise their hands.

According to the instructor, a dose of humiliation might teach em not to be treacherous:

Those who feel most privileged to speak begin to take the initiative to hold space for others who feel less comfortable speaking first, while those who tend to be more silenced in our society grow more comfortable speaking.

One student  economics major Sean Harrigan  filed a Title IX complaint.

Fast forward to a statement by the school and an update to the syllabus.

SUNY Binghamton promised Ana would now be in compliance with the Faculty Staff Handbook.

But was she wrong to begin with? Not according to gobs of supporters.

Professor William Martin  himself a member of the colleges sociology department  has launched a Change.org petition in support of Ana and her inclusive classroom.

As colleagues and students of Professor Ana Candela, we are deeply dismayed at the attacks upon her by Fox News and the failure of the SUNY-Binghamton administration to support her, William writes. Dr. Candela recognizes, as we do, that our classroom discussions are often dominated by a minority of persons reflecting societal class, racial and gender inequalities.

Its all about excellence in education:

Our lives and education take place within and are reproduced by limited choices and experiences. Many of our students all too often feel marginalized, and discussions are constrained and limited as a result. We should not pretend otherwise. Good teachers encourage students to engage and challenge these inequalities.

Less isnt more:

If we are to open up the doors of education and sustain lively interchanges and vibrant analysis, we need more Professors like Dr. Candela. Rather than admonish her as the SUNY-Binghamton administration has done, we celebrate and endorse her ability to foster a more equitable classroom and university.

As noted by Campus Reform, Anas got a friend in Binghamtom sociology Chair Gladys M. Jimenez-Munoz.

Gladyscommented on the petition that she signed it because the classroom is the space for us to challenge students to examine social inequalities in a concrete way. Dynamics, such as this one, is a pedagogical tool in the context of academia.

English Professor Joseph Weil waxed, Icannot fathom why anyone would attack her, except we seem no longer to live in a democracy, but in some tight-lipped oligarchy. She has my full support.

Professor/Sociologist Jakob Feinigs on board as well:

Fox is attacking one of my colleagues, Ana Candela, for promoting inclusive classrooms. Please consider signing a petition in her support.https://t.co/05zj7Kcwj9  Jakob Feinig (@FeinigJakob) February 22, 2022

Its been said that, in life, the pendulum swings. Much has been made of white people hogging control of the country.

Read more at: RedState.com
(Natural News) Western sanctions against Russia could lead to the fragmentation of the internet, with Russia beginning the process of cutting itself off from the wider internet much like China has already done.

Some of the worlds largest social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, have already moved to reduce so-called Russian propaganda and disinformation on their platforms by either restricting the content released by Russian state-owned media outlets like RT and Sputnik, or banning them from their platforms altogether.

In the end, the Russian governments internet regulatory agency, Roskomnadzor, would ban or throttle access to these social media platforms to the point of making them practically unusable. (Related: Russia blocks access to Facebook, accuses it of discriminating against state-owned media outlets.)

The goal of the Big Tech companies is to economically pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his military operations in Ukraine. Instead, what happened is that Russian-owned websites and platforms as well as those owned by countries sympathetic to Russia have started expanding their reach within the country.

Theres a distinct danger that well have a much less unified internet than we did before, warned Glenn Gerstell, former general counsel for the National Security Agency. As platforms make more determinations of what content to allow or block, they become subjective and that leads to fragmentation naturally  more pro-left platforms and pro-right ones, which creates more homogenous echo chambers that well have to battle against.

This fragmentation of the Russian internet from the wider web has been described as the dropping of a digital Iron Curtain. The Iron Curtain described the political boundary that divided pro-communist eastern Europe with the pro-capitalist West during the Cold War.

Much like Chinas Great Firewall, the digital Iron Curtain would create a standalone digital ecosystem that can only be accessed by users in Russia and within the countrys sphere of influence.

Any Western Big Tech companies that will be allowed to exist within the digital Iron Curtain will be forced to comply with the Kremlins directive regarding what content can and cant be shown on their platforms.

This will make continuing to operate in Russia unappealing, as taking down content critical of the Russian government will be looked at unfavorably by the rest of the world.

The crisis is definitely a flashpoint, and likely a turning point, for western platforms operating in Russia, said Jessica Brandt, policy director for the Brookings Institutions Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative.

The Russian government stands to gain from Big Techs exit, added Brandt. Its the Russian people that will lose enormously if they are stripped of access to non-government news and information and denied the means to organize.

Russians turning to VPNs to get past internet blockade

There are already signs that Russians are looking for ways to evade internet blocks and browse through websites and social media platforms that do not have the Kremlins stamp of approval. This is done through the acquisition of virtual private network (VPN) apps that allow users to access the internet on a more secure connection, away from the prying eyes of the Roskomnadzor.

On March 5, the day after Russia blocked access to Facebook, demand for VPNs in the country surged by 1,092 percent, according to Top10VPN.com.

ProtonVPN, a Swiss VPN service, said it has seen a more than 1,000 percent increase in new subscriptions for its VPN service in Russia in the first few days of March alone.

Its no surprise that VPNs and other encryption tools are seeing a major uptick in sign-ups right now, said Andy Yen, CEO of ProtonVPNs parent company, Proton Technologies. For citizens in Ukraine and Russia, its the only thing providing a semblance of online privacy and freedom.

According to Simon Migliano, head of research at Top10VPN.com, Russian authorities have already banned about 15 VPN services and are now in the process of trying to block other VPN traffic at the network level.

Whenever authoritarian regimes seek to control their citizens and suppress their access to information and their ability to communicate with one another, there will always be push-back, said Migliano. These VPN services are providing Russians with critical access to officially banned independent, foreign and social media, even if Russian users may have to deal with switching servers and even apps from time to time.

More related stories:

Cyber attacks now much more likely as Putin escalates ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russias invasion of Ukraine seen as perfect opportunity for World Economic Forum to launch its Cyber Pandemic.

Bidens handlers want him to launch massive cyberattacks against Russia ESCALATION of world war now guaranteed.

NRO Director Christopher Scolese: Russians could target satellites to disrupt communications and GPS services.

Biden regime claims Russia is about to unleash cyberattack against power plants, banks and water treatment facilities.

Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how Americans can survive a large-scale cyberattack.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

Read more stories like this at CyberWar.news.

Sources include:

WashingtonExaminer.com

Edition.CNN.com

Axios.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The collapse of retail outlets is continuing in big, blue cities run by left-wing Democrats where George Soros-installed district attorneys have refused to enforce laws, leading to massive spikes in theft and other serious crimes.

In New York City in particular, small businesses say they are regularly targeted by thieves who are robbing them blind and essentially depriving them of being able to earn a living  and they were already struggling to remain afloat after former Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo forced them to remain closed for a year over a virus with an extremely high survival rate.

One owner of some downtown boutiques has said that she has never felt more exhausted in trying to protect her businesses from shoplifters and criminal crews who are targeting shops like hers because they have been emboldened by DAs who wont file charges against them when they are caught. Also, New York City has essentially gotten rid of bail so when people are arrested they are often back out on the streets no later than they are processed by police.

The New York Times reports:

Someone shattered the front door overnight and ripped out the cash drawer. The new security gates cost $2,300. The streets became quieter after four neighboring businesses closed permanently during the pandemic, emboldening shoplifters. Two security guards quit.

For Deborah Koenigsberger, who has worked in retail for three decades, keeping her two clothing stores open in Manhattans Flatiron neighborhood has never felt so exhausting.

As small businesses, we are getting creamed right now in so many ways, Ms. Koenigsberger said. I might as well leave my store door open and say, Help yourselves.

But of course, because these problems and issues are directly the result of incredibly stupid and bad Democrat policies, the left-wing Times points the finger at other causes:

Her shops are among businesses in New York City grappling with a rise in crimes that has cascaded from the disruptions of the last two years. The pandemic exacerbated job losses, mental illness and drug abuse, which law enforcement officials and business owners say has contributed to increasingly brazen behavior from people walking into neighborhood stores, from shoplifting to assaults.

No, COVID isnt causing these thefts, nor is mental illness or drug abuse. These robberies are caused by New York Citys Democratic DAs refusing to enforce duly-passed laws.

Case in point: Newly elected Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg issued a directive shortly after he was sworn in back in January that he wont pursue charges for a host of additional crimes including theft. As reported by the New York Post, his Day One memo to all assistant DAs directs prosecutors to drop some misdemeanor cases, not seek bail or prison time for most defendants and to downgrade certain felonies to misdemeanors.

Needless to say, the directive sparked outrage in the city (which leaves you wondering why New Yorkers continue electing these society-destroying Democrats in the first place)  which then led Bragg to dial back on his soft-on-crime approach.

The Post in a separate report:

Embattled Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg reversed a pair of his most controversial policies in writing on Friday with a new memo calling for commercial robberies committed with knives to once again be prosecuted as felonies.

Braggs memo to staff also said that holding up a store or other business with a firearm will be charged as a felony, whether or not the gun is operable, loaded, or a realistic imitation.

But petty theft is still not considered very high on Braggs list, which is why NYC retailers continue to suffer.

And as usual, Democratic politicians in the city are living in la-la land denial.

Communities are safer when they have more resources, not when theyre overpoliced, state Sen. Gustavo Rivera incredibly said, without, of course, defining what he means by more resources.

New Yorkers, continuing to elect Democrats who obviously dont care what happens to you is the very definition of insanity. So stop doing it.

Sources include:

NYPost.com

NYTimes.com
(Natural News) Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump was accused by left-wing Democrats (and far too many RINOs) of coddling dictators.

In reality, Trump was attempting to bury the hatchet with leaders like Vladimir Putin and North Koreas Kim Jong-un because decades of adversarial diplomacy had not produced any progress at all towards making the world safer, since both are nuclear-armed countries.

But at the same time, Trump kept legitimate tyrants at bay including Chinas Xi Jinping, the Iranian mullahs, and Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

He removed the U.S. from the Iranian nuclear deal Barack Obama sold out to make; he refused to accept the business as usual trade approach with Beijing, which entailed America running a trade deficit of hundreds of billions of dollars per year for years; and he cut the U.S. off from Venezuelan oil, the countrys only real export.

But now his installed successor, Joe Biden, is reverting back to the bad old days and in doing so is literally preparing to enrich tyrants.

After shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office, Biden has steadily reduced the American oil industrys ability to keep our country energy independent, as it was under Trump; the average price of gas when he left office was around $2.50, but oil and gas have been rising steadily since Biden took office, spiking to new record levels this week after he banned the importation of Russian oil due to Moscows invasion of Ukraine (not that America should have been importing Russian oil in the first place).

To replace it, Biden is actually looking to Iran and Venezuela, meaning those regimes will see injections of billions in cash which they will then use in ways that endanger Americans, instead of allowing American oil producers to backfill the loss of Russian oil.

And by the way, both of those countries are allies of Russia.

Senior U.S. officials are traveling to Venezuela on Saturday to meet with the government of President [sic] Nicolas Maduro, according to people familiar with the matter, The New York Times reported, as the Biden administration steps up efforts to separate Russia from its remaining international allies amid a widening standoff over Ukraine.

Breitbart News added:

CBS News, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post all subsequently published similar reports, again citing anonymous people, claiming that the senior delegation was on its way to Miraflores palace, which Maduro illegally occupies. The Post claimed the intent of the visit was explicitly to discuss America buying Venezuelan oil to bring down domestic gasoline prices and attempt to cut off Russia.

A group of senior U.S. officials flew to Venezuela on Saturday for a meeting with President Nicolas Maduros government to discuss the possibility of easing sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports, as the Biden administration weighs a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas, according to two people familiar with the situation, noted the Post.

The Biden administration is seeking to ease oil sanctions on Venezuela as part of a broader U.S. strategy to temper oil prices that have skyrocketed because of Russias war in Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal similarly reported. U.S. officials began rare face-to-face meetings with Venezuelan officials in Caracas over the weekend, with a view to allowing Venezuelan crude oil back on to the open international market, these people said.

The Biden regime has not responded to the reports, but with so many mainstream outlets on the story, it almost certainly is true: This Democrat White House actually prefers coddling tyrants.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sees exactly what is going on.

#Biden secret talks with #MaduroRegime isnt about replacing #Russias oil, he said via Twitter. #Venezuelas oil industry is an incompetent mess that produces 10% of what Russia exports. Ukraine is just an excuse for pro-leftist former Obama staffers who already wanted to get close to Maduro & Cuba.

#Biden secret talks with #MaduroRegime isnt about replacing #Russias oil #Venezuelas oil industry is an incompetent mess that produces 10% of what Russia exports Ukraine is just an excuse for pro-leftist former Obama staffers who already wanted to get close to Maduro & Cuba  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 7, 2022

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

NYPost.com
(Natural News) The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine is not effective against the omicron variant, according to well-known scientist Dr. Robert Malone.

In terms of should people receive these mRNA vaccines based on a risk-benefit analysis, its getting a little bit tenuous. And heres the problem: They are not really very effective against omicron, Malone said during an interview with The Sentinel Report host Alex Newman.

And as Epoch Times nicely put out the other day, the data from various countries, mostly in Northern Europe, are increasingly demonstrating that the vaccines seem to be enhancing the risk of infection with omicron. Thats what the data show. Those are not peer-reviewed. Those are government statistics.

The inventor of the mRNA and DNA vaccine technology used in COVID injections added that these vaccines are associated with adverse effects like myocarditis. (Related: Dr. Robert Malone tells Stew Peters about the life-threatening effects of COVID-19 vaccines  Brighteon.TV )

COVID vaccines cant prevent infection, hospitalization

And their effectiveness at preventing infection, replication and spread is poor at best. And the argument that they are effective in preventing hospitalization is actually failing. We now have more and more papers coming out soon, including, I think, the Great Britain data set, suggesting that nine out of 10 people currently hospitalized in Great Britain with COVID-19 have been fully vaccinated. And four out of five that are hospitalized have had three jabs, Malone pointed out.

So were in a situation in which its the truth if you look at the risk-benefit ratio for omicron, which is what we have circulating. Its increasingly difficult to justify the vaccines for even the high-risk persons. And frankly, they are already all jabbed anyhow for the most part. And the rest of us have pretty much all have omicron so weve developed natural immunity.

Malone also mentioned that there are already 10 licensed vaccines in the United States, but National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci believes that the only ones that Americans should receive are the gene-based vaccines, which Malone said has something to do with Faucis bias or his pocketbook.

Genuine concerns that COVID-19 virus is engineered

The controversial medical doctor and a scientist added that there are genuine concerns about the virus and the antigen derived from it being the spike protein.

The evidence is there, that in my opinion, this virus was engineered. And as my friend Steven Hatfill likes to point out, there is a sequence that looks like it could be what we call a super-antigen. This is something that would broadly activate B cells and T cells for instance. And so that is a concern and it fits with some of the data that were starting to see about false-positive antibody-based assays for AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, which can be a consequence of nonspecific activation of antibody production from various B cell clones, Malone explained.

Malone, who is also the president of the International Alliance of Physicians and Scientists, stated that the Moderna gene sequence patent issue may not be a smoking gun relative to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) documents that were released to Project Veritas.

Malone also expressed concern about a recent cell paper that showed the RNA is sticking around for 60 days or more and that people are producing very high levels of spike protein for at least 60 days. He noted that this is a higher level of spike protein than a person can get with a natural infection.

More related stories:

Dr. Robert Malone: Theres an obvious attempt to hide the truth about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Robert Malone calls out CDC for scientific fraud and criminal activity.

Fauci and the CDC lied: mRNA vaccines do convert to DNA, altering the human bodys genome.

Dr. Robert Malone: The CDC hid Covid data and committed massive scientific fraud.

Dr. David Martin tells Clay Clark: mRNA vaccines are gene therapy designed to harm and enslave humanity  Brighteon.TV.

Watch the video below to know more about Dr. Robert Malones interview with Alex Newman in The Sentinel Report.

This video is from the BrighteonTV channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow Vaccines.news to know more about COVID mRNA vaccines.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

OpIndia.com
(Natural News) Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo issued guidance stating that the risks linked to Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines outweigh their benefits for healthy children.

Ladapo issued the recommendations regarding the COVID-19 vaccines for children on March 8. Based on currently available data, healthy children aged five to 17 may not benefit from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine, he said. The surgeon general instead recommended the vaccines administration for children with underlying conditions.

In general, healthy children with no significant underlying health conditions under 16 years old are at little to no risk of severe illness complications from COVID-19. For adolescents 16 to 17 years of age, the risk of myocarditis due to the COVID-19 vaccines may outweigh the benefits, said the guidance. Instances of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, have been linked to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that use mRNA technology.

The guidance also quoted the remarks of two experts working for the Food and Drug Administration regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Mark Sawyer said: Were all concerned about the myocarditis issue, and I do think the model has overestimated the hospitalizations [in COVID-infected children] prevented. Dr. James Hildreth, meanwhile, remarked that despite his belief in injecting high-risk children with the vaccine, vaccinating all the children to achieve that just seems a bit much for [him.]

Ladapo actually announced that he would release the recommendations a day before. The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children, he said at the close of a March 7 roundtable in West Palm Beach organized by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Were kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel, particularly with healthy kids, in terms of actually being able to quantify with any accuracy and any confidence the even potential of benefit. (Related: Florida the first US state to recommend AGAINST COVID vaccines for healthy kids.)

Vaccine effectiveness dwindles for kids

The Sunshine States top health official cited several studies to back up his recommendation. Among them was a Feb. 28 paper done by researchers from the New York State Department of Health and State University of New York. The study authors analyzed vaccination data among children aged five to 17.

The researchers divided the data into two groups  the five- to 11-year-old cohort and the 12- to 17-year-old cohort. They then scrutinized data from the two cohorts between Dec. 13, 2021 and Jan. 30, 2022  which coincided with a surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the B11529 omicron variant.

The vaccines ability to protect against omicron infection among children aged five to 11 dropped from 68 percent in December 2021 to a measly 12 percent a month later. Its ability to prevent hospitalizations for the same cohort dropped from 100 percent in December 2021 to 48 percent  more than half  come January of the following year.

The study authors also discovered the same results in the older cohort. The shots ability to protect against infection among children aged 12 to 17 dropped from 66 percent in December to 51 percent at the end of January. Protections against hospitalization also saw a decline, with 85 percent recorded in December to 73 percent the following month.

There is limited evidence on the effectiveness of the [Pfizer] BNT162b2 vaccine for children, particularly those [aged five to 11] and after the omicron variants emergence. In the omicron era, the effectiveness against cases of [the Pfizer vaccine] declined rapidly, wrote the study authors.

Nevertheless, Ladapos guidance on vaccines left the final say to both parents and medical professionals. Florida recognizes that parents should always be empowered to make the best health decisions for their children. It is essential that health care practitioners review all data to evaluate risks and benefits unique to each patient when determining what health care services to provide, including the administration of COVID-19 vaccines, Ladapos guidance stated.

More related stories:

NY health department study: Pfizers COVID shot for kids only offers 12% protection from omicron.

COVID vaccines found to increase risk of myocarditis in children by over 13,000 percent.

New study shows Pfizer vaccine is ineffective for children aged 5 to 11.

Watch Dr. Joseph Ladapo announcing his recommendation against the COVID-19 vaccine for children below.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

Head over to Vaccines.news for more stories about the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines for children.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FloridaHealthCOVID19.gov [PDF]

TampaBay.com

medRxiv.org [PDF]

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) It is now officially confirmed that the Pentagon is operating a network of bioweapons laboratories throughout Ukraine, which explains at least in part why Russia invaded the country.

Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told a Senate committee the other day that Ukraine has biological research facilities that the United States military-industrial complex is worried might now be taken over or destroyed by Vladimir Putin.

Nuland openly admitted that the swamp creatures in Washington, D.C., have been conspiring with Ukrainian officials to establish and run these biolabs, which manufacture biological weapons similar to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Confirming just about every conspiracy theory that has circulated since the first day of the invasion, Nuland has essentially blown the Pentagons cover. It is now an undeniable fact that the American Deep State government has been using Ukraine as a biological weapons proxy country, which we cover more in this piece.

Even though U.S. interests run these labs and the bioweapons contained inside of them, Nuland claims that Putin will somehow be responsible in the event that another one of them leaks, possibly causing another worldwide plandemic.

Ukraine has, uh, biological research facilities which, in fact, we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to, uh, gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces, should they approach, Nuland told Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who agreed with her sentiments.

Im sure youre aware that the Russian propaganda groups are already putting out there all kinds of information about how theyve uncovered a plot by the Ukrainians to release biological weapons in the country and with NATOs coordination, Rubio quickly interjected with a leading question.

If theres a biological or chemical weapon incident or attack inside of Ukraine, is there any doubt in your mind that 100 percent it would be the Russians that would be behind it?

Nuland immediately responded with: There is no doubt in my mind, senator, and it is classic Russian, uh, technique to blame on the other guy what theyre planning to do themselves.

Is the US-NATO planning to unleash a biological weapons attack that it will blame on Russia?

The irony, of course, is that it is actually a classic U.S. military-industrial complex technique to blame on the other guy what theyre planning to do themselves.

American history is littered with examples of Deep State hacks staging false flag events (i.e., 9/11) as a pretext for pushing some other agenda. In the case of 9/11, it was the Deep States way of justifying the takedown of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, even though none of the alleged terrorists were even from that country.

Now, the Deep State seems to be setting the stage for a false flag release of another bioweapon that its talking head hacks (i.e., Rubio and Nuland) are already preemptively blaming on Russia before it even happens.

Nuland, by the way, is the wife of Robert Kagan, founder of the Project for a New American Century. She oversaw a staged coup under Barack Hussein Obama that resulted in the installation of Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the former prime minister of Ukraine.

During Nulands tenure with the federal Deep State, NATO missile defense systems were relocated to within 500 miles of Moscow. It was Donald Trump who got rid of her during his presidency, only to now return under fake president Joe Biden.

Shes one of the masterminds of the current Ukraine/NATO mess as well, reported Strange Sounds about Nuland. Shes been around the foreign policy scene since the 90s and is one of the types who still has a Cold War mindset.

More related news can be found at WWIII.news.

Sources include:

StrangeSounds.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) As you may have witnessed, about a hundred million Americans are saying absolutely not to forced vaccination for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). That also goes for senseless and harmful mandates like lockdowns, masks and social distancing that have proven to fail and fail miserably for two solid years now.

Its time to move on. Now even the Senate passed a bill to end the also senseless State of National Emergency that no longer applies to dealing with COVID. President Joe Biden and his administration are just prolonging the agony to fit their sick agenda of laundering money, controlling citizens medical choices, and jabbing a couple hundred million people with clot shots and gene mutation injections.

Oh, but now Democrats across America are lifting COVID restrictions faster than the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can throw a fake ballot in a drop box, because mid-term elections are right around the corner.

Two years Americans suffered through lockdowns, masking, social distancing and vaccine propaganda and pressure  with no scientific justification

Welcome to the endemic folks. Its possible there was no pandemic, but the masking and mass-vaccination program have done so much damage already. How much can be undone, and how much is yet to come? What control do Americans still have left after losing many rights to personal privacy, medical choice, self-defense, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom to protest peacefully, freedom to access valuable health and safety information, and so on?

A big part of the scamdemic relied on fake news pushing the narrative for the federal government and pushing the deadly COVID injections as vaccines, which they are not.

Mainstream media was all in for universal forced vaccination (toxic medicine profiteering racket) for the Fauci Flu, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) paid hundreds of fake news outlets a fortune to run ads that promoted the clot shots as part of a contrived comprehensive media campaign.

Yes, the FAKE pandemic and FAKE election put hundreds of criminals illegally in charge of America; its time to vote them out of office, legally

Take a look at the real science behind the COVID jabs and youll see its all for creating health problems instead of preventing them. Got myocarditis right after the clot shot and you were healthy before? Not a coincidence. Politicians and evil scientists have conned and coerced two out of every three Americans into getting injections that clog the blood and suppress cancer prevention genes. Its time to vote them all out of office during mid-term elections. Its the optimal solution.

We all need to push for a fair and accurate election, with no Dominion voting machines switching votes by the thousands, and no fake ballots that come in late and are missing watermarks, serial numbers and signatures. Ballots should be like money, next to impossible to replicate or forge and easy to spot counterfeit.

Let no Democrats push Republican watchdogs out of the poll offices the night of election and the next early morning, while blaming COVID safety protocol. We know that all to be a farce now.

Dont believe anything you see or hear on fake news, because the Biden administration literally purchased advertising from all the major networks, including Fox, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC and CBS. They also bought ads in major newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the New York Post, not to mention ads on Newsmax and BuzzFeed.

It was blanket propaganda and no American should fall for it again. We see what it did to the health, safety and economy of this country. Its been devastating, to say the least, and it all can be blamed on misinformation. How ironic.

Tune your internet dial to Censored.news for updates that you will not find on mainstream media, ever.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com 1

NaturalNews.com 2

DailyExpose.uk

NaturalNews.com 3

NaturalNews.com 4

LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) After Monsanto Co. suffered its first courtroom loss over charges that its glyphosate weed killer causes cancer and that the company hid the risks, it is now Syngentas turn.

The mass crime machinery that brought down Monsanto has fixed its view on the Chinese-owned, Switzerland-based agrochemical titan Syngenta and its selling of a weed killer known as paraquat. (Related: Lawsuits piling in against Syngenta over paraquat weedkiller, which causes Parkinsons Disease.)

Paraquat is a toxic chemical commonly used for weed and grass control. It is available mostly as a liquid in different strengths in the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) categorizes paraquat as restricted use, which means that it can be used only by licensed applicators.

Several research studies have connected paraquat to the development of Parkinsons disease and attorneys representing people from around the U.S. claim Syngenta has known these dangers for decades but neglected to warn users.

A case management conference in the litigation was set in federal court Friday, March 4, after many of Syngentas top managers were forced in recent weeks to sit down for hours of questioning under oath by lawyers of the complainants.

Among the topics of questioning given to Syngenta were: the efforts it took to identify paraquat safety concerns; knowledge of certain paraquat studies; policies and procedures relating to complaints or health effects reported by users; safety procedures used in the manufacturing process; knowledge of alternative chemicals; and marketing efforts around paraquat.

Among the group of executives who testified were: Philip Botham, principal science advisor for Syngentas Product Safety Group; Montague Dixon, U.S. regulatory portfolio lead, Herbicides Regulatory and Stewardship North America; Clark Ouzts, product marketing lead; and Clive Campbell, Syngentas chief medical officer.

Roundup litigation lawyers join Syngenta case group

On the complainants side are several of the same lawyers who headed the Roundup litigation, including lawyers from The Miller Firm, which served the very first Roundup trial to a $289 million verdict against Monsanto.

As was the case in the Roundup litigation, there are several complainants filing lawsuits against Syngenta that the case has been enclosed in what is known as multidistrict litigation or an MDL.

Based on court records, more than 600 lawsuits are pending presently in the paraquat MDL under the management of Chief U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

A similar group of paraquat lawsuits is being tackled through Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP) in Contra Costa County Superior Court.

People filing the lawsuits are those who developed Parkinsons after working on farms and ranches, in schools or in jobs for municipalities where they were said to have been exposed to paraquat.

Parkinsons is an incurable ongoing nervous system disorder that can create tremors and loss of balance and leave victims seriously weakened until death.

Paraquat is used in agriculture and is known especially as an effective but hazardous herbicide. Regulators as well as companies selling it warn users that swallowing even small amounts can kill a person quickly.

But while the toxic nature of paraquat is recognized, accusations that it causes Parkinsons disease remains a heated discussion.

Dutch neurologist blames paraquat, other toxic chemicals for spread of Parkinsons disease

Dutch neurologist Bastiaan Bloem recently wrote a book about Parkinsons, blaming rampant exposure to herbicides like paraquat, together with other toxic chemicals utilized in agriculture and manufacturing, for the increase of the disease.

Syngenta and co-defendant and former paraquat distributor Chevron USA insist there is no connection between the chemical and the disease, and they contend that newer and more robust research has actually disregarded a tie between paraquat and Parkinsons.

While the lawsuit focuses presently on discovery and gathering of evidence, a crucial question still to be resolved is which of the many complainants bringing allegations will be the first to go to trial.

Lawyers for Chevron have questioned the legality of some of the complainants particular exposure claims, calling them dubious, and showing that some complainants searching trial dates have said they were using paraquat and/or were in another way exposed to the chemical at times and in places where paraquat was prohibited.

Chevron pointed out in a court filing that one complainant claimed exposure in 1940, which was two decades before the chemical was brought into the market.

Rosenstengel, in the MDL, has arranged a first trial date for November this year, although that date is likely to change. Meanwhile, the first trial in the JCCP is not expected until May next year.

More related stories:

Exposing the toxicity of the common weedkiller, Atrazine.

VICTORY: Court says Monsanto showed willful disregard for human safety with Roundup, implicates Bayer for selling cancer-causing glyphosate.

Scientists develop fast method of detecting toxin from pesticides and chemical weapons.

Bayer considers pulling Roundup from U.S. market after judge rejects $2 billion settlement deal.

Forever chemicals from biosludge fertilizers threaten existence of farms in Maine.

Watch the video below to know how Syngenta lose $218 million verdict in first GMO trial test.

This video is from the Natural News channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow Chemicals.news to learn more about the harmful effects of pesticides.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

Emergency.CDC.gov
(Natural News) The powers that be are finally admitting that the United States is running biological weapons facilities in Ukraine that are among the likely targets of the Russian invasion. But as we have come to expect, the military-industrial complex talking heads are already preemptively blaming Russia for a potential impending false flag attack.

Neoconservative deep state hack Victoria Nuland, who holds the title of Undersecretary of State under Joe Biden, told Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the other day that the Pentagon does, in fact, own and operate bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine. The corporate-controlled media, as you probably noticed, had been saying that this claim is a wild conspiracy theory.

Nuland set the record straight, however, she also spun the narrative to imply that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be trying to take over these facilities in order to release their biological weapons as part of a large-scale attack on the West. Rubio pressed Nuland on this matter and got her to verbally agree to this narrative.

While it certainly could be the case that Putin is the madman that the deep state and its media propagandists want us to believe he is, it could also be the case that they are using him as a scapegoat for their own planned false flag attack. All they would have to do is launch one, blame it on Putin, and watch as the next phase of their agenda manifests.

The U.S. has 336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone, announced Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier this month.

Russias Foreign Ministry issued a similar statement:

Russia obtained documents proving that Ukrainian biological laboratories located near Russian borders worked on development of components of biological weapons.

Marco Rubio is a deep state neocon hack

According to Glenn Greenwald, formerly of The Intercept, Russia and Chinas claims deserve the same level of skepticism as Nuland and Rubios claims. Remind us again what makes our own government any more trustworthy than those governments?

U.S. fact checkers, Greenwald points out, reflexively defaulted to siding with the Pentagon (Pentagram) on this matter, accusing anyone who denies the official story of being a QAnon conspiracy theorist. But the evidence seems to point more towards wrongdoing by the military-industrial complex as opposed to the Kremlin.

Nuland did something completely uncharacteristic for her, for neocons, and for senior U.S. foreign policy officials: for some reason, she told a version of the truth, Greenwald points out.

Her answer visibly stunned Rubio, who  as soon as he realized the damage she was doing to the U.S. messaging campaign by telling the truth  interrupted her and demanded that she instead affirm that if a biological attack were to occur, everyone should be 100% sure that it was Russia who did it. Grateful for the life raft, Nuland told Rubio he was right.

Unfortunately for Rubio, who is not looking too healthy these days, the cat was already out of the bag. Nuland let it out that Ukraine does, in fact, possess chemical or biological weapons  you know, the same types that we were told justified an invasion and takeover of Iraq during the George W. Bush years.

Nulands bizarre admission that Ukraine has biological research facilities that are dangerous enough to warrant concern that they could fall into Russian hands ironically constituted more decisive evidence of the existence of such programs in Ukraine than what was offered in 2002 and 2003 to corroborate U.S. allegations about Saddams chemical and biological programs in Iraq, Greenwald says.

More related news can be found at WWIII.news.

Sources for this article include:

Greenwald.substack.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Francis Collins, the former head of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), is once again in the news, this time for supporting research on aborted babies and sex change therapy in young children.

An alleged devout Christian, Collins gave the green light to research at the University of Pittsburgh involving aborted baby body parts, which were chopped up and had their scalps grafted onto the bodies of rats and mice.

Collins gave American tax money to Pitt to conduct this heinous research, which is part of the deep states transhumanist agenda. The results of these experiments were published in the Nature journal back in September 2020, along with photos showing patches of soft, wispy baby hair growing amid coarse rodent fur.

In an interview with PBS, Collins revealed that hundreds of thousands of baby embryos are currently stored away at in vitro fertilization clinics, which apparently makes this kind of research acceptable.

It is absolutely unrealistic to imagine that anything will happen to those other than theyre eventually getting discarded, Collins said casually.

So as much as I think human embryos deserve moral status, it is hard to see why its more ethical to throw them away than to take some that are destined for discarding and do something that might help somebody.

Try as he might to make them sound like cell clumps, those embryos are living human beings, albeit ones that were created in a petri dish by mad scientists funded by the likes of Collins.

Francis Collins is a prominent evangelical Christian revered by the religious

Collins also awarded $5.7 million to Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, head of the gender clinic at the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles.

That money was used to conduct experiments on young children and toddlers. They were given puberty blockers, sex-change surgeries, and other LGBTQ therapies to see what would happen.

The NIH funded Olson-Kennedys research at several clinics, writes Jonathon Van Maren for LifeSiteNews.

This research included exploring sex changes for children as young as Grade 3 and lowering the age at which girls could receive testosterone from 13 years old to eight years old. This is radical medical experimentation on children that includes treatments causing irreversible damage  all with money approved by one of Americas most prominent evangelicals.

The Daily Wires Megan Basham pointed out that Collins knew full well what was going on at the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles. The details of what was taking place were fully known by him, in other words.

Meanwhile, Collins continues to bill himself as an evangelical Christian. In 2006, he wrote a book called The Language of God  which begs the question, which god?

Russell Moore, a public theologian at Christianity Today, highly reveres Collins for being an alleged exemplary public Christian, while others have called him a faithful presence who represents what it means to be an evangelical.

The records and receipts of Collins time heading up the NIH tell a very different story, Van Maren explains. (Related: Collins also committed treason).

Two of the great American tragedies of the last several decades  the destruction of and experimentation on human embryos and the devastating transgender experiment on children  bear his signature. History will not judge him, or those who supported him, kindly.

In the comments at LifeSiteNews, someone wrote that the ghoulishness of modern American culture and the people who shape it mere words cannot convey.

Hitler would have been proud of a performance like this, wrote another. One day, these terrible actions will be judged by Almighty God. Heaven help us all.

Talk is cheap, but you know them by their fruit, wrote another. May the righteous Judge deal with him, and have mercy on those he has led astray.

More related news can be found at Evil.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) In late 2021, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman ordered Pfizer to release all relevant data on their covid-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tried to protect Pfizer, suggesting that the data be kept classified for the next twenty years. However, the courts ordered the speedy release of the information, demanding transparency for a product that has been used arrogantly and tyrannically to destroy peoples livelihoods and health.

As the documents are released to the public at the rate of 55,000 pages per month, researchers are documenting the truth about the covid-19 vaccines. For one, these injections use RNA replication technology to exploit the innate immune system, to mass produce a variant of the spike protein bioweapon. This has led to widespread immune depletion and enhanced disease, causing higher caseloads, hospitalizations and deaths. Furthermore, Pfizers own documents prove THEY KNEW their covid vaccines were not safe and effective. Pfizer also knew the mRNA nano-particles circulated throughout the body, causing damage to organs. The FDA granted emergency use authorization (EUA) anyway, lying to the public about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

Criminal negligence or criminal conspiracy: unraveling Pfizer and FDA deception about covid-19 vaccines

There are only two explanations for the FDAs behavior in this historic matter of medical malpractice: criminal negligence or criminal conspiracy. Either the FDA negligently disregarded the data in these documents, or they actively participated in a criminal conspiracy to commit fraud and cause harm to the population. Why would the FDA blindly trust a company (Pfizer) that previously promoted pharmaceutical products illegally, leading to the largest health care fraud settlement in the history of the Justice Department? With the Pfizer documents being made public, both Pfizer and the FDA should be charged. They should be charged for not only promoting pharmaceutical products illegally, but also for using deception and coercion to force harmful products on the population.

The Pfizer documents raise serious public health issues. At least 50,000 pages have been released thus far. In the documents, Pfizer reassured the FDA repeatedly that their vaccine would prevent covid-19, even though the study design utilized fraudulent diagnostic standards to manipulate end points, while ignoring absolute risk reduction. Pfizer understood that vaccinated individuals can still test positive for covid-19, and may still get the same respiratory symptoms, even after suffering from the side effects of the vaccine. Yet, Pfizer repeatedly claimed that their vaccine would prevent covid-19  lying to the FDA about is effectiveness.

In the documents, Pfizer indicated that the vaccine be used for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals ? 16 years of age. However, Pfizer and the FDA also had data showing that the efficacy of the vaccine waned quickly. The data shows that the effects of the vaccine wane in just one month, even after two doses are administered. However, the FDA did not warn the public that vaccinated individuals would need monthly boosters to make the vaccine work.

Pfizer and FDA had clear evidence that vaccine causes widespread damage

Pfizer also had overwhelming data on the adverse events of the vaccine. The drug company knew that the adverse events increased with each additional booster shot, yet the FDA approved a two-shot protocol from the start and even approved a third booster, despite evidence of mounting health risks. In a series of documents, Pfizer wrote on page 24 about the dose-dependent nature of adverse events, which included severe grades of edema and erythema along with muscle necrosis, fibrosis and increased spleen size and weight. The incidence and severity of the reactions were higher after the second or third injections compared with the first injection, Pfizer wrote.

Pfizer also had proof that the mRNA nano-particles migrated from the injection site, yet the government and the media repeatedly lied about the mRNA degrading and the whole process staying in the deltoid muscles. The vaccine ingredients migrated predominantly to the ovaries, liver and spleen, but also proliferated the adrenal glands, bladder, bone, bone marrow, eyes, large intestine, lymph nodes, pancreas, salivary glands, skin, small intestine, testes, thymus, thyroid and the uterus.

Pfizer and the FDA had clear data showing more systemic adverse events occurring in the vaccinated group over the placebo group, yet they both lied to the public, claiming that the vaccinated had mild disease and the unvaccinated were a public health threat. Pfizer knew that the vaccinated were two to twenty-five times more likely to experience negative health impacts from the vaccine.

In the documents, Pfizer adamantly preferred a passive adverse event surveillance system that relied on unsubstantiated reports that could be readily dismissed. Pfizer did not want to take on the added cost of accurately recording vaccine injuries, nor did they want to compensate families injured by their vaccines. Clearly, neither Pfizer, the FDA or the CDC gave proper informed consent for these vaccines, harming countless people for life, while lying to the public with disinformation and damaging the publics trust.

Sources include:

SteveKirsch.substack.com

NaturalNews.com

PHMPT.org

Justice.gov

NaturalNews.com

PHMPT.org [PDF]
(Natural News) Though he has not yet specified which goods will be restricted, Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised that some commodities and raw materials will soon be banned from export in response to Western sanctions against the Federation.

In a decree issued Tuesday night, March 8, Putin gave the Russian cabinet two days to come up with a list of countries that will be subject to the ban. The announcement came just hours after fake president Joe Biden of the United States announced a ban on imports of Russian oil.

Even though gas prices are already skyrocketing, impacting Americas working poor worse than anybody else, Bidens handlers decided that it was time to make that situation even worse by escalating their pissing match with Putin.

The European Union, which is controlled by NATO, also announced that imports of Russian natural gas will be cut by two-thirds this year in retaliation for Putins targeting of Pentagon-controlled bioweapons laboratories.

By the end of 2022, the United Kingdom, which is also controlled by the Deep State, is planning to phase out Russian oil imports entirely.

Russia is the third-largest oil producer in the world and the biggest exporter of natural gas, reported the Wall Street Journal. The exports fuel Russias economy and the West was believed to be too dependent on them to quit easily. The invasion of Ukraine changed that dynamic.

Will the war turn nuclear?

Since Russia is also a major world supplier of grains and metals, such as aluminum, nickel, and palladium, it is expected that these could be among the goods that Putins cabinet restricts from export.

A sweeping ban on exports could upend the global commodity markets, some reports claim. The recent nickel squeeze is already being lumped in with that, even though the exports ban has not yet commenced.

The Kremlin says that the goal of the commodity-export ban is ensuring the security of the Russian Federation and the uninterrupted functioning of industry. It will persist until December 31, according to the decree.

Ukraine has also imposed a ban on exports of key commodities such as wheat and other grains.

The breadbasket of Europe, as it is often called, has decided to hold onto its food until the conflict ends, which is bad news for countries like Egypt that rely on it for wheat and other grains.

As much as 20 percent of the worlds corn comes from Russia and Ukraine, along with 12 percent of all calories traded in general.

This means all shipments of farm goods from Ukraine have ceased, and commodity traders will have to search elsewhere, reports revealed.

All of this is shaping up to be more of an economic war than an actual war with weapons. We have heard some chatter about the big N (nuclear), but so far everything seems to have to do with the markets and Wall Street.

Lets all hope and pray that it doesnt go nuclear, wrote someone at Natural News about where things could be heading. Having Bill Gates buying up farmland here in the USA is bad enough.

There is widespread anger and indignation in the West at people and free media that are not automatically anti-Putin and anti-Russia, wrote someone else.

There are massive displays of support for the WEF/Nazi regime in Kyiv. Not so strange, in fact, given that this kind of extremist hate speech by the previous president [Petro Poroshenko], in which he literally announced that he would brutally repress the Russian-speaking population, have always been ignored.

The latest news about the Russian invasion of Ukraine can be found at WWIII.news.

Sources include:

WSJ.com

NaturalNews.com 1

NaturalNews.com 2
(Natural News) The Russian invasion of Ukraine has jump-started a massive global realignment that will have repercussions for the next several decades as the world once again increasingly becomes bipolar amid declining American influence thanks to the weakness of the feeble-minded Joe Biden.

In the wake of the invasion, the West is scrambling to further isolate and alienate Moscow by imposing as crippling sanctions as possible without pushing Vladimir Putin to nuclear war, including American companies.

For instance, VISA and MasterCard have announced they are suspending operations in Russia, which then led Russian banks to respond with an announcement last weekend they will soon begin issuing credit and debit cards using the China-based UnionPay card operator system in conjunction with Russias own Mir network.

Already, Sberbank, Russias biggest, in addition to Alfa Bank and Tinkoff have announced their switch to UnionPay.

The development has come amidst, Visa and Mastercard, both based in the United States, announced on Saturday that they were halting operations in Russia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine and that they would work with clients and partners to stop all transactions there, the International Business Times reports.

All transactions started with Visa cards issued in Russia will no longer function outside of the nation within days and any Visa cards issued outside of Russia will no longer work within the country, the company said in an official statement, the outlet continued.

The IBT also noted that the West has also barred Russian banks from participating in the SWIFT global payments system, which connects roughly 11,000 banks and financial institutions in more than 200 countries. Russias loss of access to the system normally would have had a major impact on foreign trade and international cash transfers, but here again, the move is liable to push Russia into Chinas equivalent, the Cross-Border Interbank Payments System, or CIPS.

Chinas CIPS connects participants inside China and out to do trade or investment and then settles those transactions using Chinese yuan, explained MarketPlaces China correspondent Jennifer Pak.

So lets say I sell you shoes. Normally, youd reach for PayPal to settle it in U.S. dollars, right? But instead, you could use CIPS and pay me in Chinese yuan. And it actually relies heavily on SWIFTs financial messaging services. So you can think of CIPS as being enhanced by SWIFT rather than working against it, she added, noting that the Chinese system isnt as prevalent as SWIFT.

CIPS says they have roughly 1,100 financial institutions from 100 countries, but theyre mostly from China, and also ones from Russia, Pak noted.

Following Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014, while the Obama regime stood back and watched, Russian banks have been working to minimize their reliance on the West, in part by issuing more Mir cards, though they still lag behind international competitors like VISA and MasterCard.

Also, Pak added, its feasible in theory that Russia could switch to CIPS but not in practice just yet.

For example, CIPS has its own messaging function, but this is going to take time to build up, and then, the Chinese currency isnt as popular  just 3 percent of global payments in January on the SWIFT network were in Chinese yuan versus 40 percent In U.S. dollars, Pak explained. Plus, CIPS might not be an alternative if foreign sanctions are against individual banks.

Still, the process of a new, much more dangerous multipolar world  dividing the West and the Russia-China alliance  is rapidly emerging, making conflict far more likely in the process.

While the world watches Russia dismantle Ukraine, other eyes are watching what moves China continues to make towards reunifying Taiwan with the mainland.

That will be the next domino to fall.

Sources include:

IBTimes.com

MarketPlace.org
(Natural News) Russian users of American Express, Visa and Mastercard have turned to Chinas UnionPay credit card system following Russias complete expulsion from the Western financial system.

American Express along with Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the companies to cease all business operations in Russia during a video call with United States lawmakers.

Russian banks issuing cards using Chinas UnionPay

Several Russian banks said on Sunday, March 6, that they would soon begin issuing cards using the Chinese UnionPay card operators system linked with Russias own Mir network, after Visa and MasterCard declared they were suspending operations in Russia, according to a Reuters report. The state-owned UnionPay is the contributor of most card payments in China.

Sberbank, Russias biggest lender, along with Alfa Bank and Tinkoff, made the announcements regarding the change to UnionPay on Sunday.

The move could allow Russians to make payments overseas with UnionPay operating in 180 countries and regions in the world. Visa and Mastercard stated that any transactions initiated with their cards issued in Russia will no longer work outside the country starting March 10. (Related: Bank runs begin in Russia, serving as a reminder for ALL people to question the stability of all banks around the world.)

The Bank of Russia is also temporarily decreasing the amount of information commercial banks are required to announce in an effort to limit the risks from international sanctions. Beginning with statements for February, banks will no longer have to issue accounts prepared to national standards or make any additional disclosures on their websites.

Russian citizens were informed by the central bank of Russia to use cash abroad. It said Mir cards could also be used in Turkey, Vietnam, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

American Express suspends operations in Russia, Belarus

American Express said on Sunday that it will also suspend its operations in Russia and Belarus, becoming the newest credit card giant to respond with actions condemning Russian President Vladimir Putins decision to invade Ukraine.

The company said in a statement that its globally issued American Express cards will cease to function at ATMs or merchants in Russia, while cards issued locally by Russian banks will no longer function outside of the country.

American Express stated that the moves are in addition to the previous steps we have taken, which include halting our relationships with banks in Russia impacted by the U.S. and international government sanctions.

Visa on Saturday, March 5, said that customers in Russia who have a card issued there can still pay for goods and services in the country, but the company wont process the transactions. The processing will be left to Russias National Payment Card System.

According to the Russian central bank, Visa and Mastercard products released by Russian banks will continue to function until they expire.

PayPal also announced on Saturday that it has shut down all its services in Russia due to the current circumstances. PayPal CEO Dan Schulman made the announcement in a letter sent to Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

The global payment processors are the newest companies to join a growing list of U.S. tech and internet titans who are boycotting Russia over the Putin-ordered invasion of Ukraine that started last week of February.

Governments from the West have released a package of sanctions directed at limping Russias economy. Several overseas companies have also decreased their operations in Russia in response to the conflict. After sanctions were enforced following Russias invasion of Ukraine, the ruble has plunged, its stock exchange has shut and assets worth billions of dollars have been frozen.

China, nevertheless, has resisted denouncing Russia and has stated that sanctions are a penalty that doesnt work. Russian businesses are also rushing to open accounts at Chinese banks in Moscow as they attempt to avoid the effect from sanctions. China is Russias largest trade partner for exports and imports.

More related stories:

Former US Treasury official warns about Russian economic crisis causing global financial collapse.

SWIFT sanctions against Russia may be pointless due to rising alternatives such as Ripple and CIPS.

France declares all-out economic and financial war on Russia before backtracking because Moscow controls European energy flows.

Watch the video below to know how the EU cut off some Russian Banks from SWIFT.

This video is from the Chinese ? CCP channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow Collapse.news to know more about the economic and financial sanctions Russia is facing.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

Reuters.com

BusinessInsider.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Ohio attorney Tom Renz issued a special notice regarding his investigation on the U.S. militarys data about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. His probe zeroed in on vaccine injuries among service members, which the Department of Defense (DoD) is covering up.

In a March 7 post on his website, the lawyer put forward critical evidence related to COVID-19, potential government corruption and the safety of our military and citizens amounting to almost 200 pages. With the assistance of health freedom group Make Americans Free Again, Renz sought to give the 200-page dossier to every congressperson, governor, state attorney general and as many other elected officials as possible throughout the nation.

By putting this document in the hands of every previously mentioned elected official, we are demanding they look at the facts and take a stand, wrote Renz. He also warned every elected official and person involved in COVID-19 that they will be put on notice.

The attorney continued that the dossier helps arm We The People with the ability to argue facts in different public venues, such as school board and town council meetings. He urged Americans to take this document, print it out, make copies and distribute it to as many people as [they] can.

The 193-page dossier included several documents, including a presentation from the Food and Drug Administration showing several categories of expected side effects after COVID-19 vaccination. It also included a DoD senior leader briefing document that revealed one-fourth of active duty troops have not completed their vaccination schedules. The document said these service members are subject to being dismissed due to non-compliance. (Related: Tom Renz slams Pentagon for HIDING vaccine injury data  Brighteon.TV.)

Renz called for accountability and redress of grievance in his special notice. He also issued a question to elected officials reading the dossier: Given the attached evidence of a cover-up related to the danger of the COVID-19 vaccines  will you stand with our soldiers and the American people or with billionaires, Big Pharma and special interests?

Pentagon covering up COVID vaccine injuries among military, Renz alleges

Prior to his March 7 announcement, the attorney  who also hosts Lawfare with Tom Renz on Brighteon.TV  presented this evidence to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI). During a January 2022 roundtable organized by the lawmaker, Renz cited data from the Defense Military Epidemiological Database (DMED) showing an increase of almost 1,000 percent in vaccine injuries.

Renz pointed out that as per DMED data, miscarriages and cancers following COVID-19 vaccination increased by 300 percent compared to the five-year average within a years time. Neurological issues after vaccination also increased from 82,000 to 863,000 within the same time period. Johnson remarked that the increase in post-injection neurological issues was a ten-fold jump.

The attorney also revealed the names of the three DOD whistleblowers who provided him with data. Weve got three whistleblowers who have given me permission at this point to share their names. All three have given me this data; I have declaration from all three [that] this data is under penalty of perjury. We intend to submit this to the courts, he told Johnson.

Renz named Lt. Col. Dr. Theresa Long, Dr. Samuel Sigoloff and Lt. Col. Dr. Peter Chambers as the individuals responsible for providing him the data.

Yet, after we presented this data to Johnson and after he wrote a letter to [Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin], the only response from the DoD was to a fact-checking organization stating that a glitch occurred in this database affecting the data from 2016 to 2020, wrote Renz.

According to a DoD spokesman, the dramatic difference in vaccine injury data stems from a glitch in the database. However, the DoD adjusted the figures from 2016 to 2020 to make it consistent with that of 2021  following scrutiny. The glitch then magically repaired itself in 2021 despite the fact that the error went unnoticed, until we shared this information in 2022, the attorney stated.

More related stories:

Cover up: DOD silent after whistleblowers expose COVID vaccine injuries in military.

Atty. Thomas Renz: Verified data proves severity of COVID vaccine side effects  Brighteon.TV.

Army surgeon warned that pilots could die in midair from COVID vaccine injuries but was ignored.

Tom Renz reveals the names of vaccine damage Pentagon whistleblowers during Johnson roundtable.

Watch Tom Renz denounce the DoD for hiding vaccine injury data on Lawfare with Tom Renz.

This video is from the BrighteonTV channel on Brighteon.com.

Truth.news has more stories about Tom Renz and others fighting for the truth about COVID-19 vaccines.

Sources include:

WND.com

Renz-Law.com

Brighteon.com 1

Brighteon.com 2
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Najla Al-Mangouch, has been honoured by the US State Department with the 2022 International Women of Courage Award as one of 12 extraordinary women from around the world working to build a better future for all
(Natural News) The U.K. Health Security Agency quietly published data showing that Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths have increased among the vaccinated population but declined in the unvaccinated in England.

In all, the reports stated that the vaccinated population now accounts for 90 percent of all COVID-19 deaths, with the triple-vaccinated making up 76 percent of those deaths.

Between January 31 and February 27, there had been a total of 1,090,929 confirmed COVID-19 cases in England, and the triple vaccinated accounted for 615,949 of them. On the other hand, the non-vaccinated population accounted for only 244,313 cases, with 169,482 among them children.

Overall, the vaccinated population accounted for 846,616 (78 percent) of COVID-19 cases.

There had been 7,931 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations between January 31 and February 27, with the triple vaccinated accounting for 4,558 of them. The non-vaccinated accounted for 1,832, with 812 of them among children.

Even so, this information does not make any sense when looking at historical data as children have never been at high risk for COVID-19. Furthermore, omicron is much less severe compared to the delta variant, which is why it is questionable why so many of the hospitalizations are among children.

It is possible that the National Health Service (NHS) and the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are fudging figures now that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) has outrageously recommended all children 5 to 11 years old to be offered COVID-19 vaccines. There may also be mass testing of children already hospitalized for other injuries to give the impression that experimental COVID-19 vaccinations would benefit them greatly.

When including children in hospitalization figures, it is found that the vaccinated population accounted for 77 percent of all COVID-19 hospitalizations between January 31 and February 27. In numbers that dont include the children, the vaccinated population accounted for as much as 86 percent of all COVID-19 hospitalizations among the over-18 age range.

In the same timeframe, there were a total of 3,939 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in England, with the triple vaccinated accounting for 2,704 of them. Meanwhile, the non-vaccinated accounted for only 397 deaths. (Related: COMPLIANCE MIND GAMES: United Kingdom to change definition of fully vaccinated to require COVID-19 booster shots.)

Things look bleak for fully vaccinated population

Whats even more concerning, however, is that things appear to be getting worse by the week for the fully vaccinated population, while it is improving in the unvaccinated population.

The numbers presented are not expected when data say omicron is much less severe than the delta variant. Moreover, the vaccinated population is supposed to have up to three doses of protection with an alleged 95 percent effectiveness against hospitalizations and deaths.

While the media is busy feeding the masses with propaganda and lies, the government quietly published these data confirming that 90 percent of all COVID-19 deaths across England are among the fully vaccinated population.

The cases are even more concerning worldwide, with the death toll surpassing six million since the beginning of the pandemic.

The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the nature of the pandemic, even as economies reopen and travels resume around the globe. Remote Pacific islands that had been protected from the pandemic for more than two years are now grappling with their first outbreaks, while Hong Kong is seeing deaths soar, leading to the testing of its entire 7.5 million population.

Despite vaccine availability, the United States is now nearing one million reported deaths on its own.

It took about seven months to record the first million deaths from the virus when the pandemic began spreading in early 2020. Four months later, another million people have died, and around a million have died every three months since. The death toll hit five million by the end of October 2021 and has now reached six million. (Related: RIGGED worse than a ballot counting machine: CDC allowing hospitals to classify fully vaccinated deaths as unvaccinated.)

Notably, most of the people dying this past few months are the fully and triple-vaccinated.

More related stories:

Alberta government deletes data showing that 56% of unvaccinated covid deaths are actually NEWLY VACCINATED deaths.

TOTAL FRAUD: CDC allows hospitals to classify dead vaccinated people as unvaccinated deaths.

Biden LIES about surge in COVID-19 deaths among vaccinated, blames unvaccinated.

RIGGED: CDC stops counting vaccine deaths to blame all covid cases on the unvaccinated.

Hospital covid outbreak saw many deaths among fully vaccinated, only minor symptoms among unvaccinated.

Watch the video below showing how fully vaccinated individuals now represent the vast majority of COVID deaths in England.

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow Pandemic.news for more updates related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources include:

DailyExpose.uk

NBCNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Russian President Vladimir Putin may have launched his invasion of Ukraine as a preemptive strike against the Great Reset agenda of the global elites or globalists. His willingness to continue the war despite the Wests severe economic sanctions against his regime also shows that a paradigm shift has occurred, and there are now multiple world powers.

This is according to conservative political commentator and radio host Glenn Beck, who talked about this in a recent episode of his show, the Glenn Beck Program.

Hes fighting the Great Reset because its a globalist movement, said Beck. And the globalists are fighting the nationalist, socialist idea  the idea that Russia is all-important or that China is all-important. Its the globalists against the nationalists. Thats what it really is.

Thats what our leadership all over the globe is fighting for  for Russia to put Russia back on top, China to make sure theyre on top, and the West to make sure we all come together in a nice, globalist, one unit package that will all march to the sound of the same drum, continued Beck.

He pointed out that the world people may have conceived of growing up, with the United States being the sole superpower in the world, is already gone.

Theres been a paradigm shift, he said. We believe that we live in a country that is free, that our republic represents us and that we have rights and the president of the United States actually represents the people of the United States. You dont live in that world anymore.

Beck explained that the world is now being dominated by the dictatorial systems in Russia and China, where the government can tell entire industries and sectors of society what to do and if they do not agree with the government, they will be imprisoned or worse.

Globalists may have enabled the invasion of Ukraine to test its strength

According to Beck, President Joe Biden may have indirectly given Putin the green light to invade Ukraine. (Related: FACT: Biden has sanctioned more American oil than Russian oil American consumers are PUNISHED while Putin gets REWARDED with extra revenues.)

When Putin started flexing his muscles, as Beck described it, Biden made it clear that it would not intervene if Putin limited himself to just a minor incursion into Ukraine. This limited military operation would have probably involved occupying all of the territories in eastern Ukraine claimed by the two pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

If Im Putin, I look at my advisors when I hear that and go, Did he just tell us we could take half of Ukraine, and it would be kind of cool? Lets go,' commented Beck.

What this means is that Putin pushed his luck by not just trying to take over the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk controlled by Ukraine, but also by attempting to occupy most of Ukraine proper.

Biden and his globalist allies may have planned this from the beginning. Beck believes the reason for this is so that this globalist alliance may be able to test its strength against another world power.

The first weapon of the globalists against Russia are the sanctions. Ive never seen sanctions like this ever before, commented Beck. Total and complete, except for that leaky oil problem.

Oil is one of Russias most profitable exports. Parts of Europe have been reluctant to sanction Russian oil because they are so dependent on it. But the pressure to do so is escalating. If the European Union (EU) caves and starts sanctioning Russian oil, Putin will have to rely on third-party oil trades to get around the sanctions and keep exporting Russian oil.

The second weapon of the globalists are their military-industrial complexes that are heavily arming Ukraine. At least 13 different nations, either in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or in the EU have already sent military aid to Ukraine to test if proxy wars are still capable of taking down the enemies of the globalists.

These countries have already sent billions of dollars worth of military aid to Ukraine, including over $1.3 billion of aid from the U.S. alone. These include ammunition, small arms, larger weapons like artillery pieces, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and military vehicles like fighter jets.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point, said Olaf Scholz, the globalist chancellor of Germany. It is our duty to do our best to support Ukraine in defending itself against Putins invading army.

More related stories:

Scott Kesterson: World finance system will collapse and dollar will crumble in Great Reset  Brighteon.TV.

Alex Jones: War in Ukraine advances the GREAT RESET desired by globalists.

Globalists need war to enforce the Great Reset.

Watch this clip from a recent episode of the Glenn Beck Program as host Glenn Beck talks about how the West engineered Russias invasion of Ukraine.

This video is from the Excellent Podcasts & Real News channel on Brighteon.com.

Globalism.news has more about how the globalists may have engineered the war in Ukraine.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

AnalisaGold.com

AlJazeera.com
(Natural News) Earlier this week, US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland publicly confirmed the presence of US-funded bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine. She even warned that Russia might seize the facilities and launch a biological weapons false flag attack on the world to blame America.

This is a direct confirmation that the US-funded labs contain dangerous biological weapons. Otherwise, why would Nuland be concerned if Russia seized the labs?

Nuland was being questioned by US Sen. Marco Rubio, a known RINO and war machine collaborator. It appears that Rubio and Nuland rehearsed this exchange and performed it for public consumption in order to set the stage for a US false flag bioweapons release that will be blamed on Russia.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland says Washington is working with Ukraine to prevent biological research facilities from falling into Russian hands. She just confirmed every conspiracy theory about the existence of those labs. pic.twitter.com/ynkd7hW6iK  Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 8, 2022

Whats fascinating is that today, State Department spokesperson Ned Price publicly denied the existence of these biological weapons research facilities in Ukraine, claiming it was all part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Is Ned Price saying that Victoria Nuland works for the Russians? Are we really to believe that the US has no biological weapons facilities at all? No one believes Ned Price. Not even the US Under Secretary of State.

The US built the SARS-CoV-2 bioweapon and handed it to China

Never forget the US government  directed by Fauci and Collins  violated international treaties and built the SARS-CoV-2 bioweapon via the US DoD and various universities (North Carolina / Baric, etc.). This bioweapon was then handed to China for gain-of-function enhancement, while in the USA, it was used to create depopulation vaccines modeled on the deadly spike protein.

The plandemic was then released upon the world via US and China deep state operatives, while the controlled media pushed a psychological terrorism campaign to drive people into masking, social distancing, lockdowns and domestic economic destruction. This was followed by strong coercion for vaccine injections which turned out to be mRNA gene therapy transhumanism jabs designed to exterminate billions of human beings.

This was all done by the United States and China, without any involvement from Russia, just for the record. So when the USA now points to Russia and screams, War crimes! it all seems incredibly absurd. Laughable.

The cover story for next next bioweapon / toxic nanoparticle dumping onto humanity?

Whether the bioweapons labs are actually producing self-replicating viruses or just really dangerous nanoparticles is almost irrelevant at this point. Either way, its now clear they plan to dump their bioweapons onto the populations of the world while blaming Putin for a bioweapons false flag operation. The release of this bioweapon / nanoparticle is probably imminent.

That means the globalists are really moving into what they hope will be the final phase of their extermination agenda, and its likely to be accompanied by a global financial reset, cyber warfare false flags and the complete suspension of elections and the Bill of Rights. This is the direction in which things are moving right now, and while there may still be time to stop the worst case scenario from being unleashed, there isnt currently any convincing evidence that the white hats are in charge.

All we see on a daily basis is Joe Biden deliberately unleashing economic destruction on America while his handlers (Obama, etc.) are plunging the US into what they hope will be a nuclear exchange with Russia. Yes, they are death cultists and they are hoping to achieve a scenario where Russia nukes the United States into oblivion. This is the goal of Obama, Biden and the top Democrats who currently appear to be in charge of US policy if you can even call it that.

Todays Situation Update podcast covers this in more detail, including some good news about why we can dismiss the psychological terrorism attempts by the complicit media and the science authorities (who are all fraudsters and liars, it turns out).

The bioweapons discussion starts at 36:40. The first 36 minutes contain a special discussion specifically directed to the audience, and most people wont understanding what were talking about unless they are frequent listeners:

Brighteon.com/6d56b21a-24f0-4a65-b344-aeeafd23913d

Discover more information-packaged podcasts each day, along with special reports, interviews and emergency updates, at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/HRreport

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(Natural News) United States Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has confirmed that the military-industrial complex does, in fact, operate bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine that are among the targets of the Russian invasion.

After the corporate-controlled media declared the biolabs revelation to be disinformation, Nuland confirmed that the Pentagon is engaged in bioweapons research in Ukraine and elsewhere, and that Barack Hussein Obama is the one who authorized it.

Ukraine has biological research facilities which, in fact, we are now quite concerned  Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of, Nuland testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.

Were working with Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach.

Glenn Greenwald, formerly of The Intercept, shared a video on Twitter of Nulands testimony that you can watch below:

Ukraine has biological research facilities, says Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, when asked by Sen Rubio if Ukraine has biological or chemical weapons, and says shes worried Russia may get them. But she says shes 100% sure if theres a biological attack, its Russia. pic.twitter.com/uo3dHDMfAS  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 8, 2022

U.S. Embassy caught deleting all evidence of Ukrainian biolabs from its website; U.S. and Ukraine in violation of Biological Weapons Convention

Just as the biolabs revelation really started gaining traction online, the U.S. Embassy quietly deleted all traces of their existence from its website.

The Russian military also says that Ukrainian authorities are hastily trying to destroy all evidence of bioweapons from said biolabs, which include highly pathogenic bacterial and viral agents similar to the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov further revealed that documents seen by the Russian military show that some of these biolabs were also working with anthrax.

The only reason that Kiev is reportedly moving to destroy the materials housed at these biolabs is because their exposure will highly likely prove Ukraine and the U.S. have been in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention, Kirillov said.

Marco Rubio, Nuland both blaming Russia for any potential release of U.S.-Ukraine bioweapons

Even though Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the development of U.S.-funded bioweapons in Ukraine, hence the recent invasion, Nuland of course took the side of NATO by preemptively blaming Russia for any potential release of hazardous materials amid the ongoing conflict.

Sen. Marco Rubio agreed with her, naturally. He says that if any incident or attack takes place at any point in the future, then it will automatically be the fault of Russia.

There is no doubt in my mind, senator, and it is a classic Russian technique to blame on the other guy what theyre planning to do themselves.

Interestingly, it is the U.S. military-industrial complex that continually stages false flags to blame on others. And any potential release of bioweaponry from Ukrainian biolabs will almost certainly be the fault of the Pentagon, not Russia.

Meanwhile, Kiev is denying that any bioweapons are being designed in the country. The Pentagon agrees, claiming that any allegations to the contrary are Russian disinformation.

Obama authorized creation of bioweapons labs in Ukraine during his White House occupation

One of the webpages deleted by the U.S. Embassy shows that Obama is the one who green-lighted the construction of biolabs in Ukraine where especially dangerous pathogens could be developed.

Originally published on June 18, 2010, an article called Biolab Opens in Ukraine explains that Obama, while still functioning as an Illinois senator, secured an agreement to create a level-3 biosafety lab in the Ukrainian city of Odessa.

Former Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) also contributed to the effort, announcing that plans for the facility began in 2005 when he and Obama together entered into a partnership with Ukrainian officials.

This Democrat-Republican duo  because lets face it, both parties are really the same uniparty  coordinated the effort between the U.S. and Ukraine, claiming that it was part of an effort to study and help prevent avian flu.

According to a 2011 report from the United States National Academy of Sciences Committee on Anticipating Biosecurity Challenges of the Global Expansion of High-Containment Biological Laboratories, the Odessa-based laboratory is responsible for the identification of especially dangerous biological pathogens.

This laboratory was reconstructed and technically updated up to the BSL-3 level through a cooperative agreement between the United States Department of Defense and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine that started in 2005, that report explains.

The collaboration focuses on preventing the spread of technologies, pathogens, and knowledge that can be used in the development of biological weapons.

The updated Odessa lab also serves as the Interim Central Reference Laboratory with a mission of depozitarium, or pathogen collection. Ukrainian regulations allow for it to work with both bacteria and viruses of the first and second pathogenic groups.

The latest news about the Ukrainian conflict can be found at Chaos.news.

Sources for this article include:

GreatGameIndia.com

NaturalNews.com

GreatGameIndia.com
(Natural News) Former Senator Tom Daschle  a board member of a new dark money, left-wing group targeting conservative election integrity lawyers  took a trip to China sponsored by a key communist influence group flagged by the U.S. government for its efforts to infiltrate American politics.

(Article by Natalie Winters republished from TheNationalPulse.com)

The new group  65 Project  seeks to deter right-wing lawyers from fighting on behalf of election integrity by attempting to disbar and intimidate lawyers who fought for the issue during the 2020 election. In addition to the former Democratic Senate Majority Leader from South Dakota, longtime Clinton ally and George Soros-funded Media Matters for America founder David Brock is also advising the 65 Project.

The National Pulse can reveal that Daschle took a trip to China sponsored by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a state-sponsored propaganda effort that seeks to influence foreign governments and other actors to take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijings preferred policies, according to the U.S. government.

CUSEF functions as part Chinas United Front, which the federal government identifies as Beijings covert operation to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party. The U.S. State Department also compares the United Front to the Chinese regimes magic weapon to advance its preferred policies by infiltrating American politics, media, and academia.

Despite these ties, Daschle joined a China-bound delegation comprised of scholars from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for American Progress (CAP) sponsored by CUSEF.

CAP, a think tank heavily influential under President Barack Obama, noted it was sending a distinguished group of experts and officials to Beijing on a fact-finding mission to meet with ministers and high-level officials from the Chinese government:

CAP President and CEO John Podesta led the delegation, which included Senator Thomas Daschle (D-SD), Ambassador Wendy Sherman, CAP Senior Vice President for National Security and International Policy Rudy deLeon, SEIU President Andy Stern, MIT Professor John Deutch, Chairman of Pritzker Realty Group Penny Pritzker, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Blue Engine Message and Media President Erik Smith, and Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission member Byron Georgiou. President of Fontheim International, LLC Claude Fontheim and CAP staffers Julian Wong, Sarah Miller, and Winny Chen were also in attendance to provide support for the trip.

The delegation met with officials and held a series of in-depth discussion sessions with renowned Chinese academics, businesspersons, religious leaders, and policy advisors on issues at the forefront U.S.-China relations, including climate change, economics, and national security, a summary adds.

CUSEF boasted about the event in its 2009 promotional brochure, describing discussion sessions that focused on geopolitical cooperation and military-to-military collaboration.

And delegation lead John Podesta emphasized that both countries now must exhibit commitment and determination to build a positive, cooperative and comprehensive China-US relationship for the future.

Daschle is pictured in a CUSEF brochure with Commerce Minister Chen Deming.

The unearthed linked between the 65 Project Advisory Board member and the Chinese Communist Party, which sought a victory for Joe Biden in 2020, raises questions about the groups motivations to fight for election integrity.

Read more at: TheNationalPulse.com
Australia has declared a national emergency in response to the disastrous floods along its east coast, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison faced protests during his visit to the disaster zone.

The emergency declaration would help cut red tape and speed up relief amid complaints of a tardy response to the floods, which have killed at least 21 people.

A national emergency has been declared by the prime minister

The royal committee on natural disasters, established in the aftermath of the 2019 bushfires, particularly suggested the establishment of a "national emergency" that the Prime Minister could proclaim.

It concluded that the federal government should take a more active role in reacting to and recovering from natural catastrophes.

As per ABC News, state and territorial governments would continue to take the lead, but when extreme catastrophes happen, especially if they crossed boundaries, the federal government may issue a broad disaster proclamation.

The plan was to put government agencies and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) on high alert in order to respond. And, if necessary, it would empower the government to intervene and the ADF to be deployed without being requested by a state administration.

The federal government accepted the idea, and legislation was approved in late 2020.

Because of the natural catastrophes, Australia is becoming a more difficult place to live in, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, March 10, after touring the worst-affected Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, as per Reuters.

Frustrated Northern Rivers residents, who have been without power and internet for several days already, have criticized officials for the poor pace and magnitude of relief operations.

Morrison, who is lagging in polls ahead of a federal election in May, said he kept the media away from his visits with flood victims to safeguard their privacy.

According to Aljazeera, demonstrators demanded greater assistance and tougher climate action as Morrison toured the flood-ravaged city of Lismore, which saw some of the worst floodings in a nearly two-week storm along Australia's east coast.

Protesters are pleading for aid, with many holding banners bearing statements, such as "Coal and gas did this" and "this is what climate change looks like."

Some protesters gathered in front of an emergency operations center visited by Morrison, chanting "the water is rising, no more compromise" and "fossil fuel floods."

Also Read: Australia Prompts Immediate Evacuation of 200,000 Due to Flash Floods Warning

Morrison adapted the 'net-zero carbon emission'

Morrison's conservative administration established a net-zero carbon emissions target for 2050 late last year, but climate campaigners are urging more dramatic action.

The prime minister told reporters that the destruction was caused by climate change, which he claimed had previously caused bush fire disasters--but that the larger problem was decreasing other nations' emissions.

Flood mitigation efforts, rather than stiffer limits on Australia's emissions, will save lives, he claims.

Military forces deployed to the region to assist with cleanup activities will be more than increased to 4,000, according to officials.

In the last week, the government has paid out approximately $385 million to flood victims across the country, and Morrison stated that aid would be increased in Lismore, one of the hardest-hit towns, and surrounding areas to provide food and shelter, mental health support, and legal and business assistance.

Related article:Flash Flooding Hits Australia, One Dead After Getting Trapped in Submerged Car
Recent research published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reveals the presence of SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses in pangolins captured from the illicit wildlife trade in Vietnam.

Only pangolins confiscated in China have previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses.

According to the study's authors, the findings provide evidence that the transnational existence of the trade-in wildlife can facilitate coronavirus and other viral transmitted and amplification along of the trade chain, demonstrating that pandemic and epidemic prevention must also focus on pathogen spillover from wildlife.

Coronavirus have found in Pangolins

According to a study, pangolins captured from the illicit wildlife trade in Vietnam carry SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses, suggesting that the risk from trading in the species extends beyond markets in China.

Only pangolins collected in China have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses, according to a team led by experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), as per Business Standard.

According to the study's lead author, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga of WCS's Viet Nam Program, SARS-like coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1) can cause severe illness in humans.

This investigation demonstrates the presence of SARS-CoV coronaviruses in trafficking pangolins in Vietnam. The abolition of the trade-in pangolins and other wild animals and birds would close this high-risk channel for viral spillover and disease development, as per ScienceDaily.

Since 2017, all eight pangolin species have been placed on CITES Appendix I, which prohibits all international commerce for commercial purposes.

All four Asian pangolin species, including the Sunda and Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla), are classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered across their range.

The researchers examined specimens from 246 pangolins confiscated during wildlife confiscation events in Vietnam from 2016 to 2018.

They discovered that specimens obtained from seven different pangolins in 2018 tested positive for a coronavirus linked to SARS-CoV-2.

In addition to assessing pangolins for SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses, the researchers combed through media reports on pangolin trafficking incidents involving Vietnam between 2016 and 2020.

Multiple pangolin confiscation incidents seen in Vietnam included additional live species such as non-human primates, reptiles, and birds.

Read more: Experts Alarmed as Omicron Variant in Deers May Cause Spillover of New Strains to Humans

Banishment of wildlife trade across the world

These findings support current recommendations on the regulation of live wildlife trade and markets, such as the WHO, UNEP, and the International Organization for Animal Health (OIEApril )'s 2021 Interim Guidance.

This urged governments to halt the trade in live caught endangered mammals species for meat or procreation as an emergency measure, and to close sections of farmers markets selling live caught wild animals of mammalian species, unless measurably effective restrictions and adequate risk evaluations are in place.

China, among other nations, has launched a multi-sectoral and continuous crackdown on illicit wildlife trading, as well as legislative reforms aimed at totally eliminating the farming/sourcing, trade, and eating of terrestrial animals as food.

As an immediate response to the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 in China, as stated in the July 2020 Vietnamese Government Prime Minister's Directive No. 29 on "urgent measures to maintain wildlife," Viet Nam explicitly banned the import of wildlife in January 2020 and urged increased enforcement of existing laws against illegal wildlife trading.

Related article: Pangolin Trafficking: Nigeria's Unauthorized Trading Iceberg Tip Uncovered
A new study by The Australian National University (ANU) researchers lifts the lid on more than a half-century of evidence outlining the impact of climate change on more than 60 distinct bird species.

It discovered that climate change is responsible for half of all changes in major morphological and behavioral avian features since the 1960s.

The remaining 50% is attributable to other unknown environmental elements that have altered concurrently with our climate.

The study, which was conducted in collaboration with James Cook University (JCU) and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focused on birds in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Climate change and birds

They've demonstrated that climate change is a primary cause of these changes in birds, but there's more going on than we expected, said main author Dr Nina McLean of the ANU Research School of Biology.

Not only were other undiscovered environmental changes equally significant in causing changes in the birds, but they often did so in the same direction as climate change, so their impacts were amplified, as per ScienceDaily.

The researchers examined three essential features as part of their study: egg-laying time, avian physical condition, and the quantity of young produced. All of the data was gathered by volunteers, sometimes known as citizen scientists.

Early occurrence of bird's egg-laying

In North America, the breeding date of the Common Murre has increased by 24 days per decade.

North American Tree Swallows are nesting up to 9 days sooner than they were 30 years ago, owing to higher average spring temperatures, as per Nature Canada.

Climate change, for example, caused chiffchaffs to lay their eggs six days earlier in the last 50 years, but other unidentified environmental variables added another six days, meaning they now lay their eggs 12 days earlier than they did half a century ago, according to Dr. Martijn van de Pol of the JCU College of Science and Engineering.

Shifting seasons in terms of migration

Birds are starting to migrate early in the spring.

A study of 63 years of data for 96 species of bird migrants in Canada found that 27 species had changed their arrival dates considerably, with the majority coming earlier as spring temperatures have risen.

Birds appear to be delaying their fall migration as well: in a study of 13 North American passerines, 6 species were shown to be delaying their departure dates in response to global warming.

Some European birds are even failing to migrate in unison.

Read more: How Birds Hear Without Ears

The rise of extinction risks to endangered birds

Birds most vulnerable to extinction as a result of climate change include those with limited ranges, limited capacity to migrate, tiny populations, or those already suffering conservation issues.

Migratory birds are especially sensitive to the impacts of climate change since they rely on a variety of habitats and places.

Arctic birds are especially susceptible since warming is accelerating here, and at least 85 of the world's bird species nest in Arctic areas. Large regions of habitat, such as tundra and sea ice, will be gone.

Ivory Gulls, which feed around sea ice, may suffer greatly when sea ice recedes. Over the last two decades, the population of Canadian Ivory Gulls has fallen by 90%.

Related article: Climate Change Has a Significant Impact on the Hibernation of Animals
Nature-based solutions such as preventing alien tree infestation on mountains have been proven to be a viable alternative in reducing the impact of climate change on drought, particularly concerning low river flows, according to a new study.

Researchers from South Africa conducted the study to improve measures against climate change. The study can also be considered as a response to the "Day Zero" drought incident in Cape Town back in 2018, wherein dams and local reservoirs became depleted, causing a local water crisis.

In light of the new study, the researchers have placed possible methods in using nature-based solutions of catchment restoration and alien tree infestation management the spread of alien trees from Cape Mountain.

Solutions Against Drought

In a new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on Wednesday, March 9, researchers put emphasis on nature-based solutions like catchment restoration by preventing alien tree infestation in mountains that can help mitigate the effects of climate change on drought.

The study was spearheaded by Dr. Petra Holden, a researcher from the African Climate and Development Initiative at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa.

In addition, Holden was accompanied by other researchers at the same university and another from the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The team conducted the method of "invasive alien tree clearing" and concluded that it has reduced the anthropogenic climate change impact on river flow or streamflow. The researchers acknowledged that this type of nature-based solution has rarely been done in the past.

According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science - EurekAlert, the research focused on the invasive alien trees since it has become a major problem in the country.

The study acknowledged this is because invasive alien trees consist of increased transpiration rate compared to the local trees and native vegetation in Cape Mountain.

Also Read: UN Report: Measures Against Climate Change and Global Warming not Sufficient

Day Zero

In light of the significant findings, the study hoped that the method should have been used during the "Day Zero" drought in Cape Town, a phenomenon wherein approximately 4 million people were left without water due to an unprecedented and severe drought, according to the BBC.

On April 12, 2018, local authorities labeled the drought as "Day Zero" since it depleted all the waters of the local reservoirs and caused a series of water crises affecting many residents in the region, according to Bloomberg.

Also called the "Day Zero water crisis," the drought was followed by anemic rainfall until 2021. The phenomenon is considered to be the largest case of drought caused by infrastructural municipal water failure in the modern period, as per Bloomberg.

Drought and Climate Change

The correlation between climate change and drought has been subject to ecological and environmental studies over the past decades. Climate change has been attributed to increasing the intensity and frequency of drought, especially during the start of the Industrial Revolution.

According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, climate change aggravates the duration, heating effect, and occurrence of droughts in Southwest US and across the world.

Following the South Africa study, the methods of catchment restoration and invasive alien tree clearing hopefully may be proven to be relevant in the long-term future against climate change-induced drought on both natural and artificial water resources.

Related Article: Drought in Western US Could Last Until 2030 Due to Climate Change
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As President Joe Biden decided this week to no longer purchase oil from Russia, one of the worlds top energy suppliers, gas prices have continued to soar, giving momentum to proposals to alleviate the pain Connecticut motorists are feeling at the pump, including suspending gas taxes and a gas tax holiday.

Gas prices in Connecticut hit a record-high Wednesday with AAA reporting the average price of a gallon was $4.41.

Republicans in the General Assembly plan to hold a press conference Thursday at the state Capitol to discuss their ideas, which are expected to include suspending or lowering the states 26.4 cents-per-gallon state gross receipts tax on gas.

Gov. Ned Lamont said at an event in Greenwich this week that he is working with the legislature on temporary relief ideas like a gas tax holiday, a rebate for state taxpayers and other ways to make it a little bit easier for the people of Connecticut to power through another complicated time.

Lamont said he supports the move by Biden to cut off Russian oil imports to increase pressure on President Vladimir Putin to end the war with Ukraine, which is expected to drive up gas prices even more.

Youre not serious about sanctioning Russia unless youre sanctioning oil and gas, Lamont said. Its something the president had to do and Im glad he did it.

At the national level, calls are increasing to suspend the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax through the end of the year  a proposal U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, pushed for this week.

Bob Stefanowski, GOP candidate for governor in Connecticut, called for a complete suspension of all state gas taxes through the end of the year in a statement released Wednesday, but did not include details on how the state would make up for the lost revenue. The governors mid-term budget projects revenue from state motor vehicle taxes to be $480.3 million in fiscal year 2022.

Lamont backs the idea to suspended the federal tax, but has indicated his opposition to temporarily cease the state tax given that money is used to fund transportation projects in Connecticut.

Some people think, Oh, you dont need to pay for transportation because Joe Bidens giving you all the transportation money you need, which is absolutely false, Lamont said at an event in East Hartford last week, referring to the federal infrastructure bill signed by Biden last year. Connecticut is expected to get nearly $6 billion in revenue under the law.

Much of the funding under the infrastructure bill requires a state match, which Connecticut needs to set money aside for, Lamont said. Mark Boughton, the governors tax commissioner, said that amounts to tens of millions of dollars.

We are going to have to set reserves aside for our state match, Boughton said. Most of these programs have an 80-20 or 90-10 match.

Boughton said its not true that as gas prices increase, the state brings in more revenue given the gross receipts tax on gas is capped at $3 per gallon.

We dont necessarily reap any more benefit, he said.

Staff writer Ken Borsuk contributed to this story.

julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com
CNHI Harrisburg Bureau

Eric Scicchitano is the CNHI Pennsylvania state reporter. He is a former CNHI Reporter of the Year and previously worked at The (Sunbury) Daily Item before until he took over the Harrisburg beat in January 2022. Email him at erics@cnhinews.com.
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U.S. spreading disinformation about China on Ukraine for own benefit

Xinhua) 09:00, March 10, 2022

(Source: Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese spokesperson on Wednesday said the United States criticizes China's position on Ukraine to "seek space for the plot of simultaneously suppressing China and Russia."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks in response to the media report that the two New York Times articles about China's so-called prior knowledge of Russia's military operation against Ukraine were both made-to-order. And the director behind all this is a U.S. official.

"The U.S. has been disseminating disinformation about China on the Ukraine issue, with the attempt to shift blame, stoke confrontation and profit from the issue," Zhao said. "The practice is despicable and malicious."

The ins and outs of how the Ukraine issue has evolved to what it is today are very clear. The moves by the U.S.-led NATO have pushed the Russia-Ukraine tension to the breaking point, Zhao said.

While looking away from its own responsibility, the United States criticizes China's position on Ukraine to seek space for the plot of simultaneously suppressing China and Russia, with a view to maintaining its hegemony, he said.

"The more it racks its brains to discredit China with lies and hype things up, the more it exposes its credibility deficit to the international community," he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
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Approximately 70 vehicles, mostly tow trucks, from as near as Champaign and Tuscola and as far as Newton, Greenup, Decatur, Springfield, Tilton, Danville, and Bloomington joined in the tribute.
Ethan Simmons is a reporter at The News-Gazette covering the University of Illinois. His email is esimmons@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@ethancsimmons).
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham gives plumber and heating contractor Hermann Candelaria an award for his involvement in organizing the response to the Dec. 17 snowstorm that left the Chama Valley without power for several days.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
To date, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has claimed more than six million lives worldwide. It has dramatically affected the global economy and the healthcare system. A range of symptoms is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as asymptomatic, mild, moderate, and severe.

Scientists have indicated that individuals aged 65 years or above and those with comorbidities, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, asthma, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc., are at a higher risk to develop severe SARS-Cov-2 infection.

Benzodiazepines and respiratory illness

Previous studies have reported that individuals who use benzodiazepines (BZD) and BZD receptor agonists are at a higher risk of suffering severe pneumonia and death due to pneumonia. These studies have also indicated an increased possibility of developing respiratory depression in people who use BZD and have pre-existing respiratory problems. Similarly, COPD patients who use BZD have been found to be at an increased risk.

Although few studies have focussed on evaluating the role of BZD in COVID-19 patients, the results have been inconsistent. BZD is a commonly used medicine for sedation or used in the treatment of anxiety and other mental illness. Hence, it is important to investigate the influence of BZD on the clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 patients.

Benzodiazepines and COVID-19: a new study

A new study currently posted to the Research Square* preprint server while under consideration for publication at the BMC One Health Outlook journal has evaluated the association of BZD use with the clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients.

In this study, scientists utilized nationwide cohort data from South Korea and evaluated three groups of COVID-19 patients. These groups were (a) those who required hospital admission, (b) those with severe symptoms requiring intensive unit care (ICU), and (b) those who died due to severe disease.

Scientists obtained National Health Information Database (NHID)-COVID data from National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) between 2015 and 2020. The study cohort, which comprised a total of 328,373 individuals, was divided into two groups, i.e., individuals who did not use BZD and individuals who used BZD. These two groups were matched via propensity scores.

Scientists reported that 444% of the study cohort were men and 556% were women. The majority of participants were around 2039 years of age. Additionally, researchers estimated that 591% of the study cohort had various comorbidities. Interestingly, in a nationwide cohort study from South Korea, scientists reported that 877% of BZD prescriptions were related to non-psychiatric diagnoses.

In this study, scientists identified the association between BZD use and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 positivity. After propensity score matching (PSM), they reported that the association between BZD use and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 positivity was not detected. Interestingly, models also predicted that there were no associations between chronic BZD use and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 positivity.

The authors reported that 55% of the BZD use group died while 103% required ICU or invasive ventilation support. 874% of COVID-19 patients who used BZD had required hospitalization. Importantly, scientists observed that after adjusting for potential confounding variables, the BZD use group was at a higher risk of requiring hospitalization due to COVID-19 compared to those who did not use BZD.

Implications

Scientists revealed that the chronic use of BZD resulted in an increase in the risk of requiring hospitalization among COVID-19 patients. They further highlighted that the use of BZD did not significantly influence the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, severe outcomes, or mortality.

The findings of this study are in line with previous research that reported BZD use increased susceptibility to superinfections associated with influenza-infected animals and humans.

Scientists revealed that the underlying mechanisms of this association could be related to the effects of BZD on the immune system. The main advantage of this study is that it could aid in developing strategies for managing COVID-19 patients associated with chronic BZD usage, i.e., who are at a higher risk of hospitalization.

Limitations

The authors highlighted some of the limitations of this study, which include possible miscalculations regarding the estimates of hospitalization of COVID-19 patients under BZD medication. Owing to the unavailability of data related to the BZD dosage and hospitalization period, scientists failed to make a full assessment. Additionally, as new data on clinical outcomes were not included, the effect of SARS-CoV-2 variants infection in individuals under BZD use could not be analyzed.

*Important notice

Research Square publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
They're old enough to qualify for Medicare, and their incomes are low enough to qualify them for Medicaid.

And when they have surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, a new study finds, they suffer more complications, stay in the hospital longer and have a lower chance of going home instead of a nursing facility than patients with Medicare alone  even when they go to a hospital that usually has low complication rates for their operation. And that ends up costing the health care system more.

The findings suggest that hospitals should be doing more to assess and support the needs of such "dual eligible" patients before, during and after their operations, to improve equity and reduce preventable costs. Past research has shown that dual eligible patients account for a disproportionate share of federal health care spending, totaling $300 billion in 2018 alone.

The study, published recently in JAMA Surgery by a team from Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan's academic medical center, looks at the fate of patients who had surgery for four types of cancer.

We found that although outcomes and spending are improved for dual eligible patients at the highest-quality hospitals, inequities still persist and improving quality alone will not fully close this gap. Given that we know dual eligibility is an indicator of social risk, interventions targeted to unmet social health needs are likely needed to improve outcomes in this population, such as screening and connecting to resources for food insecurity, housing instability, and transportation." Kathryn Taylor, M.D., surgeon and health care research scholar

Taylor is a National Clinician Scholar at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and member of the U-M Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, as well as a surgical resident at Stanford University.

The study used data from nearly 120,000 older adults who had cancer surgery for lung, colon, pancreas or rectal cancer between 2014 and 2018; 11% had dual eligibility for both public insurance programs. These patients were less likely to have their operation at a hospital that the researchers deemed "high quality" for that operation, meaning that complication rates for all patients having that operation were in the lowest fifth overall.

Across the board, dual eligible patients had more complications, longer length of hospital stay, a higher chance of being discharged to a nursing facility, and higher costs for the total episode of their care, with average differences of more than $2,000.

These differenced decreased  but did not disappear  when the researchers focused on the dual eligible patients who had their operations at high quality hospitals.

That suggests, says Taylor, that ongoing quality improvement programs for all types of hospitals  such as the Michigan Value Collaborative led by senior author Hari Nathan, M.D., Ph.D.  are important. But the persistence of outcome and cost disparities between dual eligible and traditional Medicare patients treated at high-quality hospitals suggest more needs to be done even at such facilities.

In an accompanying invited commentary, a team from Northwestern University said that "Medicare and Medicaid must continue to test novel care delivery models that better serve DE patients, and society must invest in robust upstream solutions for social determinants of health."
Thought Leaders Professor Dilip Jeste Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences University of California San Diego

In this interview, we speak to Professor Dilip Jeste about what 'wisdom' actually is, how it can be assessed, and what this can mean for our health.

Please could you introduce yourself? Tell us about your background within neuroscience and what inspired your latest research into wisdom.

I am Dilip Jeste. I am a professor of psychiatry and neurosciences and director of the Center of Healthy Aging at the University of California, San Diego. I am a geriatric psychiatrist and a neuroscientist.

I was born and raised in India where I went to medical school. Like most Eastern cultures, in India, it is thought that older people are wiser, and that wisdom is a real thing. However, I did not think much of it until decades later, when as a geriatric psychiatrist I started studying older people. I found out that, contrary to expectation, as people get older they seem to get happier.

Although their physical health is declining, people become more contented. And I wondered, what does that mean? Does that mean they are actually becoming wiser, and if so, what is wisdom? As a geriatric psychiatrist and neuroscientist, I thought it was an important thing to study because wisdom is an ancient concept in most religions and philosophies.

Empirical research on wisdom only started in the 1970s at Max Planck Institute in Berlin and at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. It has been growing since then. I thought that as a geriatric psychiatrist and neuroscientist, it was important for me to study what wisdom is. That is how I actually got into wisdom research.

Wisdom. Image Credit: intueri/Shutterstock.com I found out that, contrary to expectation, as people get older they seem to get happier."

What is meant by the term wisdom and how does this differ from the term intelligence?

Wisdom is a personality trait. It is a personality trait like resilience, optimism, neuroticism or extroversion. This means it describes a characteristic pattern of behavior in a person, but it is different from other traits in that it has multiple components. It differs from intelligence in the sense that although it requires some basic intelligence, it is much more than intelligence.

The biggest components that I will describe to you are not a part of intelligence. Also, intelligence usually does not increase much with aging. IQ remains pretty stable through most of life. Wisdom on the other hand is potentially modifiable - it can increase. Further, intelligence is useful for some things, but it is not necessarily useful for others because, for example, mass murderers are often very intelligent people: they do not lack intelligence, what they lack is wisdom.

Previous research has shown that wisdom is comprised of seven components. Please can you tell us more about the seven components of wisdom?

There are seven components. The most important single component is what is called prosocial behavior. That is the things that we do for other people rather than things that we do for ourselves selfishly. So, this includes empathy and compassion. Empathy means understanding and sharing somebody else's emotions or thoughts. Compassion means acting on it and helping somebody else. You cannot be wise unless you have more than enough empathy and compassion.

The second component, also important, is emotional regulation - control over your emotions. Think about a teenager, whose emotions fluctuate hour to hour, minute to minute, and think about a wise older person who is calm, collected, not ruffled easily, and takes things in stride. That is control over emotions or emotional regulation.

The third important component is self-reflection - the ability to look inwards and understand our own behavior, thinking, and feeling. Typically, when something goes wrong, we blame other people, or we blame something else. If you have self-reflection you will think did I do something wrong that caused a problem and how can I do better? It means understanding one's own strengths and limitations.

These are the three most important components: empathy and compassion, emotional regulation, and self-reflection; but there are also others that are involved. One is accepting uncertainty and diversity of perspectives.

So, I may have strong values about something, whether it is my philosophy, politics, religion, whatever it may be, but I should accept the fact that I could be wrong and that people who think differently from me may have a reason to think along that line. It does not mean that one of us is either evil or dumb. People can have rational differences of opinion. We need to accept uncertainty and diversity of perspectives.

The next one is decisiveness. Although we accept uncertainty, we have to be decisive when needed. Decisiveness does not necessarily mean making a quick decision, it depends on what kind of decision is needed. Some decisions have to be made right away. For example, if somebody is seriously sick, you need to do something right away. But many decisions can be delayed and given good thought to come to a rational conclusion. Decisiveness means rational thinking to come to a decision.

Next is social advising - the advice that we give to other people. If a wise person keeps things to herself or himself, that is not benefiting society. To be wise, you give advice that is not in your selfish interest, where you do not have a conflict of interest.

The last one is somewhat controversial: spirituality. Spirituality is different from religiosity. Atheists can still be spiritual. Spirituality means feeling constantly connected with something or someone that we do not see, hear or feel. People can call it spirit, soul, consciousness, God. There are some people who do not believe that spirituality should be a component of wisdom and some who do.

Those are the seven components of wisdom.

Helping others. Image Credit: KieferPix/Shutterstock.com

Do you foresee wisdom measures becoming more frequently used due to the increase in mental health research in recent years?

I do hope that there is more research on wisdom and more people studying it in more depth in the future. Why? Because wisdom is not only useful for the individual, it is also useful for society.

A number of studies have shown that wisdom is associated with more happiness, more contentedness, and greater compassion and empathy for others. It is useful not only to yourself but to your family, to your community, to your group, and to society as a whole.

Wisdom means not just focusing on how much money I have, but also how I can be a useful member of society and how we can help others. Humans need wisdom; the words homo sapiens actually means wise man.

Wisdom has to include this social connectedness. That is why it is useful and that is why there should be more research on wisdom: because it is useful for individuals, but also for society as a whole.

Wisdom means not just focusing on how much money I have, but also how I can be a useful member of society and how we can help others."

You previously developed the 28-item San Diego Wisdom Scale, SD-WISE-28, to help determine a person's level of wisdom. Why did you choose to shorten your scale?

We need to be able to study personality traits using a standardized, reliable, and valid rating scale. It is hard to measure wisdom objectively and that is also true for other personality traits like resilience, optimism, neuroticism, and extroversion.

Typically, the personality scales include a bunch of statements about behavior. You say to what extent you agree or disagree with that statement when it applies to you. I developed the scale with my colleague Michael Thomas, a psychologist and expert in scale development. Michael was at UC San Diego before, but now he is at Colorado State University and we collaborate.

We jointly developed the San Diego Wisdom Scale or Jeste-Thomas Wisdom Index. The original scale had 28 items, four items for each of the seven components.

The items are things like: "I have toruble thinking clearly when I am upset". That means when I am upset, my emotions take over, I have no control over them and I cannot do anything rationally. It is the opposite of emotional regulation. Some items are negatively worded like this. Some are positively worded, for example, you can say that "I treat others the way I want to be treated".

We have 28 items, four for each of the components of wisdom. There are some other scales for wisdom too, that have been in the literature and that have been used, but we wanted to develop a scale that was based on our definition, including these seven items and there is no other scale like that. As a neuroscientist, I had looked at the brain basis for these traits. We published a paper on the neurobiology of wisdom, looking at the areas of the brain that were involved and the prefrontal cortex and limbic Striatum.

Our scale is unique in that it is based around these seven components and has a potential biological basis in the brain. It is a good way to measure wisdom, although there is no perfect way of measuring anything because these qualities are subjective. You ask people to what extent they agree or disagree. It is possible that people lie, but usually, this does not happen in research because the data are anonymous. It is not like I am applying for a job and I have to describe myself: then I would say, oh, I am the most compassionate person in the world.

That is why, typically, you get pretty reliable and valid ratings from people, even though they are based on self-report. Then there are some psychometry properties like reliability and validity that have to be met for a scale to be published.

Can you describe how you designed your seven-item scale for wisdom and how you tested it? What did you discover when testing it?

We somewhat randomly selected large samples of people in the Diego community. They were selected using random digit dialing, ranging in age from 20 to 100+ across the adult lifespan. We gave them a number of items of wisdom that we had in mind, starting with a large number of items and then narrowing them down to 28.

In addition to these items, we also gave two other scales of wisdom that have been published and validated. As I said, wisdom is associated with better mental health, more resilience, and more happiness. We also use scales for resilience, happiness, and optimism, as well as physical health, mental health, cognitive function, and negative things like loneliness, depression, anxiety.

The expectation is that a valid scale of wisdom will be positively associated with happiness, optimism, and resilience, and negatively associated with depression, anxiety, loneliness.

That is what we found with our scale. It met the criteria for validity that we had and correlated with the other wisdom scale that had been published. It was not identical because it was based on different conceptualizations of wisdom, but all in all, we found it was quite reliable and we had a large sample in which we could test this and show that it worked.

How accurate is your seven-item scale in determining a person's level of wisdom? How could your wisdom scale potentially help us to further understand mental and cognitive health?

In terms of accuracy, there are no objective measures of wisdom because what we are measuring is a pattern of a person's behavior over their lifetime or at least over a number of years. There is no way to characterize that fully unless we videotape somebody 24/7, which has its own problems.

Somebody may say, how about asking other people how the person behaves? There is a different kind of bias here. If I like somebody, I will rate that person highly. If I do not like that person, I will give a low rating.

These personality scales are reasonably reliable, valid, and accurate. Nothing is hundred percent accurate, but they are significantly accurate based on the statistics used so long as you have a large sample size. The SD-WISE scale has been translated into several languages and we have used it in different populations. It looks like it is an accurate, valid, and reliable scale.

In terms of understanding mental and cognitive health, there are other measures of mental and cognitive health that must be used because they are not measuring the same thing. However, they correlate with each other and that is the important thing.

Wisdom study is important because wisdom is potentially modifiable. You can increase somebody's wisdom and you can decrease somebody's wisdom. There have been studies showing that people who have brain trauma in specific regions, or patients who have certain kinds of disease like frontotemporal dementia, can change in this respect.

Those people who were wise before, that is they had more empathy, compassion, self-reflection, and emotional regulation can become unwise after that trauma or disease. But on the other hand, wisdom can be increased with psychosocial behavioral intervention. We published a paper on a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to increase components of wisdom like empathy, compassion, emotional regulation, and spirituality.

To increase wisdom, we need to find out how wise a person is, whether the person needs help, and in what areas they need help. Once we know that, we can use intervention appropriately. That is why studying wisdom is important.

Wisdom study is important because wisdom is potentially modifiable. You can increase somebody's wisdom and you can decrease somebody's wisdom. "

Do you believe that with continued research into wisdom we will continue to see more factors that are associated with higher levels of wisdom?

I certainly hope so. We really need more research on wisdom because research in wisdom is only in the relatively early stages. We need broad-based multidisciplinary research including not only psychologists, philosophers, and ethicists but also neuroscientists, physicians, social workers, nurses, people who do brain imaging research, neurobiology research.

We really need these different groups to do joint research, then we will understand wisdom better.

What are the next steps for you and your research into wisdom?

We are looking at several different things, and one is to understand the biology of wisdom more. We are beginning to do some brain imaging studies, something called functional MRI or functional magnetic resonance imaging. You ask a person to do a certain thing when they are in the magnet, for example, you tell them to think about something or feel a certain way by looking at a picture.

Then you measure the blood flow in the brain or activation of different areas. That is how you can see how wise people differ from unwise people, or compassionate versus non-compassionate, emotionally regulated versus non-emotionally regulated, etc.

That is what will help us understand the brain better because once we know the basics of the brain, we can increase our interventions to biological interventions. For example, if we know that some part of the brain is critical for wisdom, then maybe if we stimulate that part the wisdom will grow.

Right now, we are not there because neuroscience is still growing. But in the near future, I think that will be possible. We need to understand the underlying neurobiology, which will provide more tools for us for promoting wisdom.

Loneliness. Image Credit: fizkes/Shutterstock.com

Is there anything else you wanted to mention at all or anything else you wanted to include?

One thing I want to mention is that one of the most consistent findings we have had is that wisdom, especially the compassion portion, and loneliness go in opposite directions. People who score high on wisdom are not lonely and vice versa. We found that in several cross-section studies and even in a longitudinal study. When people were followed longitudinally, those who had high levels of compassion and wisdom at baseline were much less likely to be lonely five to six years later.

Loneliness is bad for health. It is associated with diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression, dementia, and increased mortality to a significant extent. I know in the UK there is a Ministry of Loneliness. It is a major public health issue and we need to find solutions for that.

There are no good solutions at this time, but we are working on developing an intervention that will increase compassion and other components of wisdom to reduce loneliness because that will be a direct contribution to improve not just mental but also physical health and potentially longevity. We feel that this is an exciting new area to work on.

About Professor Dilip V. Jeste

Dilip V. Jeste, M.D. is the Senior Associate Dean for Healthy Aging and Senior Care, Estelle and Edgar Levi Memorial Chair in Aging, Director of the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at University of California San Diego, and Co-Director of the UC San Diego-IBM Center on Artificial Intelligence for Healthy Living. His main areas of research include schizophrenia, neuropsychiatric interventions, and successful aging.

He has published 14 books, including his most recent book titled Wiser in which he describes evidence-based findings on definition, measurement, and neurobiology of wisdom as well as its relationship with aging and interventions to promote wisdom. Dr. Jeste has published over 750+ articles in peer-reviewed journals and 160+ invited book chapters. He is Past President of the American Psychiatric Association, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, the West Coast College of Biological Psychiatry, and Founding President of International College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology.

Dr. Jeste is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is Past Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and currently Editor-in-Chief of International Psychogeriatrics. He was listed in The Best Doctors in America and the Institute of Scientific Information list of the world's most cited authors comprising fewer than 0.5% percent of all publishing researchers of the previous two decades.
Even as the Aam Aadmi Party is showing a dismal performance in the early trends in two of the three states where it was contesting the Assembly elections, the party leaders in the national capital are rejoicing over the trends in Punjab where it is heading for a comfortable victory.

"These are not the trends of the victory of any party, these are trends of the acceptance of the governance model of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi," AAP MLA Dilip Pandey told IANS.

He said that the consecutive governments in Punjab, during the past 50-60 years, have plunged the state into a quagmire.

Delhi Minister Gopal Rai, while speaking to IANS, also expressed similar sentiments.

"It is the result of Delhi's good governance," said Rai thanking the people of Punjab for voting for change.

The early leads on Thursday indicated that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is heading to a landslide maiden victory in Punjab, while the traditional parties -- Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) -- are trailing.

Congress rebel Capt Amarinder Singh, whose fledgling Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), is trailing from his 'royal' bastion Patiala (Urban).

AAP's chief ministerial face and sitting MP Bhagwant Mann is leading from Dhuri, the seat from where he's trying luck for the first time.

Apart from Punjab, AAP is contesting the elections in Uttarakhand and Goa, where early trends indicated that the party has failed to woo the voters.
Congress is moving toward completion of its annual spending bills for the fiscal year that started last October, but a last-minute snag jettisoned from the bill the Biden administration's requested funding for covid prevention and treatment.

Meanwhile, a federal court has ruled that the administration overstepped in the dispute-resolution portion of its measure to bar "surprise" medical bills, after doctors and hospitals charged that the formula would favor health insurers in billing disagreements.

This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Jessie Hellmann of Modern Healthcare.

Among the takeaways from this week's episode:

When the last-minute dispute arose over covid funding in the federal spending bill for 2022, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pulled that section of the bill. The House then passed the overall spending measure and sent it to the Senate. Pelosi said Congress will look at that spending separately later.

The dispute grew out of Republican complaints that they don't want to support new covid funding sought by the Biden administration until they have a full accounting of how much of past appropriations have been spent. So congressional leaders brokered a compromise to claw back about $7 billion from states in unspent covid funding to cover about half of the new initiative. But state governors  including Republicans  and some Democratic lawmakers balked at the deal.

Administration officials say they have used all the covid funds already appropriated and need more money to be ready for any future problems from the coronavirus. Their plan contains provisions to buy more drugs and vaccines to be given to the public and efforts to prepare for new covid variants.

Despite the dust-up over covid funding, the federal spending bill includes boosts in funding for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it gives the FDA authority to regulate "synthetic" nicotine, a key ingredient in some vaping products.

Republicans scored a political win in the bill, however, by insisting that it continue to include the so-called Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion services. Democrats had promised to delete that ban but could not muster enough votes to make it happen.

The administration's plan to set up "test and treat" protocols, in which people who test positive for covid could immediately be prescribed antiviral medication at drugstores, ran head-on into strong opposition from the American Medical Association, which says only doctors should be able to prescribe drugs. The administration says seeking a doctor's appointment or prescription often takes too long for patients since the medication, to work properly, must be started very early in the course of an infection.

A federal judge in Texas last week struck down rules specifying how insurers, hospitals, and doctors resolve billing differences when a patient has received a surprise medical bill. A new law protects patients from these bills, which may result when they receive emergency care at a facility they did not choose or when they are at a hospital that is in their insurance network but are treated unexpectedly by a doctor who does not contract with their insurer.

The judge, who ruled in favor of doctors in the suit, said the plan's rules do not follow the law passed by Congress. Under the Biden administration plan, the health care provider and the insurer each present their best offer on the billing dispute to an arbitrator, who can consider many factors but should give greatest consideration to the amount closest to the median in-network rate for the service in question. Doctors and hospitals say that is unfair to them, but the administration has argued that standard can help keep costs from escalating.

State legislators are busy anticipating a possible decision by the Supreme Court that would weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed access to abortion nationwide. In Missouri, a lawmaker has proposed that the state find a way to penalize residents who travel out of state for an abortion. And some states are looking for ways to limit access to abortion medications ordered online and delivered through the mail.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: The Atlantic's "How Did This Many Deaths Become Normal?" by Ed Yong

Joanne Kenen: Politico's "'I Almost Lost My Baby': Parents Demand Answers From FDA," by Helena Bottemiller Evich

Rachel Cohrs: Vox.com's "Maternity Wards Are Shuttering Across the US During the Pandemic," by Dylan Scott

Jessie Hellmann: NPR's "Delaware Is Shrinking Racial Gaps in Cancer Death. Its Secret? Patient Navigators," by Yuki Noguchi

Also discussed on this week's podcast:

The New York Times' "The Loophole That's Fueling a Return to Teenage Vaping," by Christina Jewitt

CNN's "Health Experts Warn Florida's Plan to Recommend Against Covid-19 Vaccine for Healthy Kids Is Irresponsible," by Travis Caldwell

Stat's "A Glaring Gap in Congress' Surprise Billing Law Leaves Patients on the Hook for Pricey, Out-of-Network Lab Tests," by Bob Herman
A recently published extensive systematic review showed a 28% reduction in mental health service use in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic among children and young people. Reductions were mainly recorded for ED visit due to mental health issues for which the services reduced on average by 40%.

The study included peer-reviewed studies that compared administrative data for psychiatric service use, self-harm, and suicide during and before the COVID-19 pandemic. The review included 18 studies with data from 19 countries published from 1 January 2020 to 22 March 2021.

The findings show the immediate impact the pandemic had on mental health services for children and young people." Dr. Wan Mohd Azam Wan Mohd Yunus and Dr. Laura Kauhanen, joint first authors, postdoctoral researchers, Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Finland

According to Assistant Professor David Gyllenberg, unmet mental health needs or delays in accessibility to appropriate care are a significant public health concern.

"Other studies are showing increased psychiatric symptoms among children and young people during the pandemic. Such large reductions in service use at the beginning of the pandemic raises questions on the role of treatment delays in how mental health issues have progressed during the pandemic," says Dr. Gyllenberg who led the study.

"Another relevant question is, what resources are needed to tackle them," he continues.

The study was published in the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health. The article was conducted by researchers from the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry and INVEST Research Flagship Center at the University of Turku in collaboration with the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Turku University Hospital, King's College London, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Tampere University. The study is part of the INVEST research flagship programme of the University of Turku and was funded by the Academy of Finland and the Juho Vainio Foundation.
After covid-19 arrived in Park County, Montana, the local health officer, Dr. Laurel Desnick, became the face of pandemic measures and the focus of attention as never before. She's been whispered about at the grocery store, yelled at on her way home, and called a tyrant.

She and other public health workers say they feel that they're living in a fishbowl and that everything they say will be scrutinized. "It almost sort of feels like youre being watched," Desnick said. "Its not a good feeling."

Her work once felt straightforward: to make research-based recommendations backed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other medical experts. But the process has become skewed in public debates with people who don't trust those baselines, she said. Public health workers across Montana have said they now uncomfortably accept that the perfect pandemic endgame isnt going to happen.

"I cant make anybody do anything," said Sue Good, the top health official in McCone County, Montana. "Everybody knows what covid is.  If they choose to not follow the recommendations and the guidance, thats their problem. Im not going to lose any sleep over it anymore."

KHN Montana correspondent Katheryn Houghton spoke with these and other public health workers who said they're tired of picking fights they feel they can't win. Montana Free Press reporter Alex Sakariassen dove into how that conflict has played out in one rural  and fiercely independent  county in the southwestern corner of the state.

In Episode 4 of "Shared State," the journalists explore how in the era of covid debates about public health, personal liberties, and science have reached a fever pitch. Those disagreements are tugging at tightknit towns and counties, making some residents wonder how their communities will survive.

"Shared State" is a co-production of Montana Free Press, Yellowstone Public Radio, and Montana Public Radio. This season shares stories about Montanans working through political quagmires.
The National Institutes of Health has called COVID-19 testing "the key to getting back to normal." Yet testing rates have dropped nationwide, even as the Delta and Omicron variants accelerated the virus' spread.

West Virginia University researchers Brian Hendricks and Brad Price are using machine learning and geographic information systems to identify communities in West Virginia where COVID-vaccine uptake is especially low. What the technology reveals can help get testing resources to the people who need them the most: those who live where low vaccination rates make persistent, localized outbreaks likely.

"In late 2020 and early 2021, when the vaccine came out, there was a one-third drop in testing," said Hendricks, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the School of Public Health. "That's a huge issue because a drop in testing hurts your epidemic modeling, your calculation of the basic reproductive number, your ability to plan for research allocation-;all of that. So, as the pandemic evolves, we have to keep testing to monitor localized outbreaks and understand when a new variant is introduced.

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities-;a division of NIH-;has awarded WVU $2.15 million for the project.

Hendricks, Price and their colleagues will create and validate new machine-learning tools and GIS analyses to maximize the use of localized information on case counts, testing trends, emerging variants and vaccinations. In doing so, they'll pinpoint counties that face an increased risk of potential outbreaks, and they'll predict where testing will be most crucial.

Machine learning is a form of artificial intelligence that uses huge amounts of frequently updated data to draw conclusions that grow more and more accurate. Because it's dynamic-;rather than static-;it's a boon for COVID researchers.

"We want to take into account the changes that can occur over time," said Price, an assistant professor or the John Chambers College of Business and Economics who focuses on machine learning. "Because we know the pandemic changes with time, right? We've seen variants pop up. We've seen surges in cases. We've seen cases fall off. We've seen masks go on and come off. And now we're talking about booster shots. So, there's a lot of things we have to take into account. If we're just saying, 'This is the data. Analyze it,' without considering how it's moved over time and how it will continue to move over time, we're missing a big piece of the puzzle."

Once the researchers know where the COVID hotspots are, they can work with community members in those locations to determine the best ways to get more people tested

"We're conducting interviews to understand-;from their perspective-;what are the barriers to COVID testing?" Hendricks said. "How does the community feel about COVID testing? What are some things we could do to motivate communities to participate in continued testing? And why is this important?"

By avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach and acknowledging that communities are unique, the researchers hope that efforts to increase testing rates will bear measurable successes.

What might such efforts look like? Local first responders, for instance, might attend a big cookout that's free, open to the public and advertised on social media. Staff from QLabs-;a research partner of Hendricks and Price-;could be available at the cookout to conduct COVID testing. The first responders might circulate among the community members and encourage them to be tested.

I want them to do what they do every day, which is go up to the people who are eating the food at these events and say, 'Hey, I care about you. How's your family doing? How's your mom doing? Have you gotten tested lately? You haven't? Well, I care about you. Let me walk you up to the table where you can get tested.'" Brian Hendricks, WVU Researcher

The awarded grant marks the second phase of NIH's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics for Underserved Populations initiative. RADx-UP aims to reduce disparities in underserved populations, whom COVID-19 affects disproportionately. The overarching goal of the initiative is to understand and ameliorate factors that place a disproportionate burden of the pandemic on vulnerable populations.

The prior phase of the program-;led by Sally Hodder, the associate vice president for clinical and translational science and the director of the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute-;focused on expanding the scope and reach of COVID testing interventions to reduce these disparities.

"The next RADx phase will be critically important as we address future COVID activity," Hodder said. "Drs. Price and Hendricks will focus on those areas of West Virginia with low vaccine uptake. We know that individuals who have not received COVID vaccines are at increased risk for severe COVID disease and even death. However, new oral drugs are now available that greatly decrease that risk. Therefore, testing is extremely important as folks testing positive for COVID will be able to receive pills that decrease their chances of hospitalization."

How Hendricks and Price collect and analyze the data could, in itself, prove useful in the future. After all, this wasn't the first pandemic the world has experienced, and it won't be the last. According to WHO, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and others, climate change is apt to increase the spread of infectious diseases in the years to come.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, we couldn't do anything because we didn't have data," Price said. "In the middle of the pandemic, we couldn't do anything because we didn't have an infrastructure for that data. Now we're starting to piece it together. And I think one of the things I'm going to be focusing on is making sure we have that infrastructure so that the next time this happens, we have our policies, protocols and systems built, and the second we have data available, we can hit the ground running."
Mrs. Janice Lindsey Seay, 80, of Pell City, Alabama passed away on February 10, 2022 in Birmingham. Mrs. Seay was a member of Pell City First United Methodist Church. She was a loving wife, mother, dedicated teacher and world traveler. She is survived by her husband, Ted Seay; sons, Phil (Mi


It is quite an alphabetical victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh. From 'Y, R, L to M and Y', the BJP has used these issues to break all jinx and ride back to power with a more than comfortable majority for a second consecutive term. Y, R and L, party sources claim, are the three factors that have unleashed a pro-incumbency wave in the state in favour of the BJP. "'Y' stands for Yogi Adityanath. He has acquired a cult status and is widely respected as a strict administrator and a compassionate leader. His popularity has been growing by the day and the crowds at his meetings clearly indicated that he was miles ahead of others staking a claim to the Chief Minister's position," said a party functionary even as the BJP office burst into celebrations. The source said the letter 'R' stands for ration kits that were distributed free among the poor. The ration kits connected the BJP to the people and even created a new vote bank of beneficiaries that cut across caste and religion. 'L' on the other hand stood for law and order. The Yogi government's crackdown on the mafia and criminals created a sense of security among the people and this feeling overrode the incidents like the one in Hathras. Apart from 'Y, R, L', the BJP also dismantled the earlier meaning of M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) and replaced it with Modi-Yogi. Narendra Modi's charisma and Yogi Adityanath's popularity formed a winning combination and helped the BJP overcome all speedbreakers in its ride back to power.




The poll workers volunteered to help with the local primary elections on Tuesday.
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(Newser)  A Republican county clerk in Colorado and her deputy have been charged with multiple felonies connected to tampering with election equipment as part of an alleged effort to support Donald Trump's election fraud claims. NPR reports that the "laundry list" of charges against Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters includes felony charges of attempting to influence a public servant, identity theft, and criminal impersonation, among others, while the misdemeanor charges include first-degree official misconduct. She was indicted by a grand jury on a total of 10 counts. Belinda Knisley, Peters' deputy, was indicted on six counts, including conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation.

The charges stem from investigations of a 2021 incident in which Peters and Knisley allegedly allowed an unauthorized person to access voting equipment servers, the Denver Post reports. Information from the equipment, including passwords, was later shared online by election conspiracy theorists. According to the indictment, the pair turned off security cameras before a May 2021 upgrade of the county's Dominion Voting Systems equipment and created access for a temporary employee, 9News reports. It was in the name of Gerald Wood, who had been contacted by Peters about work on the machinesbut he returned the security badge before the upgrade, and it's not clear who used it.

The indictment states that Peters and Knisley "devised and executed a deceptive scheme ... and set in motion the eventual distribution of confidential information to unauthorized people." Peters, considered a "hero" by supporters of Trump's discredited fraud claims, is running as a Republican for Colorado secretary of state, but the party issued a statement Wednesday urging her to drop out, the Post reports. "Any candidate who is indicted with felonies by a grand jury and who will be charged by a Republican District Attorney should suspend their campaign while they undergo the legal challenges associated with those indictments," the statement said, adding that the "Republican Party is the party of law and order." (Read more Colorado stories.)
Russia has hit back at western sanctions for invading Ukraine by imposing export bans on a string of products until the end of 2022, BBC reported.

The ban covers exports of telecom, medical, vehicle, agricultural and electrical equipment, as well as some forestry products such as timber.

The economy ministry said further measures could include restricting foreign ships from Russian ports.

It said: "These measures are a logical response to those imposed on Russia."

The ministry added that the bans on countries that have "committed unfriendly actions" were "aimed at ensuring uninterrupted functioning of key sectors of the economy", BBC reported.

Governments in the West have imposed a string of sanctions on Russia, notably on buying oil, and against billionaire oligarchs seen as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

About 48 countries will be affected, including EU and the US.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the ban would include exports of goods made by foreign companies operating in Russia. The items include cars, railway carriages, and containers.

It comes as Russia's former President Dmitry Medvedev warned that assets owned by western companies that have pulled out of Russia could be nationalised, BBC reported.

Firms have been leaving en masse or halting investment, including industrial and mining giants such as Caterpillar and Rio Tinto, Starbucks, Sony, Unilever and Goldman Sachs.

On Wednesday, Moscow approved legislation that took the first step towards nationalising assets of foreign firms that leave the country.
(Newser)  More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled Russia's brutal invasion of their countryand a smaller, but significant, number of Russians are trying to get out of their own country while they can. Thousands of Russians have departed for countries including Georgia, Armenia, and Israel in recent weeks, but with most international flights halted, it's getting harder for Russians to leave, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some of the people the Journal spoke to expressed worries about Vladimir Putin's crackdown on dissent and rumors of martial law while others said they were worried about the effects of sanctions. Many said they were opposed to the war and ashamed of their country's actions.

One woman, a director and actress from St. Petersburg, said she was arrested at an anti-war protest and fled the country for Armenia with her 5-year-old son after she was released. It's not clear how many people have left Russia since the invasion beganor how many of them do not intend to return anytime soonbut cities including Helsinki and Istanbul have reported influxes of Russian citizens and searches for terms including "political asylum" have spiked in Russia, NBC reports. Buses and trains are still going to Finlandthough with demand extremely high, tickets can cost thousands of dollars. The Finnish Border Guard says 44,000 people crossed from Russia last month, up from 27,000 in February 2021.

Maxim Kuvykin, a 54-year-old man who left Moscow to settle in Israel, tells the Journal that government propaganda was everywhere in the city and that it was alarming to see how "brainwashed" people had become about the invasion. "I knew for many years that Mr. Putin would be out of his mind and attack a neighbor," he says. "Now Im running away. I just dont want to be a part of it." (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Former CNN President Jeff Zucker has reached a settlement with the network that will include a payment of millions of dollars but will cost him his ability to sue. Zucker resigned last month after conceding he hadn't told his bosses about a romantic relationship with a subordinate. The deal between WarnerMedia, CNN's parent company, and Zucker includes a nondisclosure clause that prevents him from saying anything about his departure other than a statement both sides agreed to, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Deadline reports Zucker will receive a one-time payment this month of about $10 million, while the Journal reports he'll collect more than $5 million in a payment he's owed from his 2021 bonus. The network has hired Chris Licht of CBS to replace Zucker. About the time Zucker left CNN, he hired a Hollywood lawyer, Patricia Glaser, who immediately warned WarnerMedia that its comments about Zucker were getting close to being defamatory. (Read more Jeff Zucker stories.)
(Newser)  President Biden's spokesperson said Wednesday that false claims Russia made about US involvement with biological weapons in Ukraine fit a familiar pattern and raise a new concern. The allegations are the sort of "false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent," Jen Psaki said in a statement, adding that Russia has been known to accuse Western nations of the same violations that it's committing. Now that it's making accusations, and they're reverberating in China, the Hill reports, Psaki said, "We should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them."

The US has warned about the invention of such a pretext since last month. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson earlier Wednesday had said it had evidence that the US has backed a bioweapons program in Ukraine that's included plague, cholera, and anthrax. A Russian deputy ambassador to the UN called on Western news media on Wednesday to report "the news about secret biological laboratories in Ukraine." The US and Ukraine denied the claim, per the Guardian, with the State Department calling it "pure nonsense." Using a familiar description, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Wednesday called the Russian claim "a bunch of malarkey," per the AP. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Update: The House approved a massive spending bill Wednesday night that would rush $13.6 billion in US aid to battered Ukraine and its European allies, after top Democrats were forced to abruptly drop their plan to include fresh funds to battle COVID-19. Senate approval was assured by weeks end or perhaps slightly longer, the AP reports. Our original story from Wednesday follows:

Democratic congressional leaders abandoned plans for a fresh infusion of $15.6 billion for battling the COVID pandemic on Wednesday, clearing the way for House debate and passage of a vast government spending bill anchored by aid for Ukraine and European allies. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the COVID-19 spending would be removed after rank-and-file lawmakers objected that it would be paid for, in part, by cutting previously approved pandemic assistance to their states, the AP reports. "We must proceed" with the $1.5 trillion legislation because of the urgency of helping Ukraine and the bills spending for other programs, the California Democrat wrote to colleagues.

While Democrats had insisted on including the pandemic money in the sprawling, bipartisan legislation, Republicans demanded it be paid for with cuts elsewhere. After hours of talks, Pelosi relented to Democratic lawmakers who were refusing to let the measure move forward unless the earlier funds their states were supposed to receive were protected. It was unclear whether Congress will be able to revive the dropped COVID-19 fundswhich were largely aimed at providing more vaccines, treatments, and testsin future legislation. For now, the confrontation stood as a remarkable rank-and-file rebellion that eliminated pandemic spending that leading Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, had said was a top priority.

The money countering the Russian invasion that's triggered Europe's biggest refugee exodus since World War II ensured that the overall bill would ultimately pass with robust support from both parties. President Biden requested $10 billion for the military, humanitarian, and economic aid last week, and backing in Congress was so staunch that the figure grew to $13.6 billion in days. "The people of Ukraine are courageously standing up for freedom," Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern said as debate began. "Congress, the Biden administration, and the people of the United States must stand with them." Party leaders planned to whip the 2,741-page measure through the House on Wednesday and the Senate by weeks end.

(Read more Congress stories.)
(Newser)  The devastation in Mariupol, Ukraine, is unimaginable. It's been under siege from Russia for a week, and residents report there is no water, heat, or electricity. Food is running short, and Russian forces have the city surrounded. On Wednesday, a Russian airstrike hit a children's and maternity hospital in the port city. When someone is killed, residents have been urged to leave them where they fall rather than risk the danger of venturing outside, one woman who recently fled tells the New York Times. "There are just bodies lying in the streets," she says. Mass graves are being planned, with at least 47 people buried in one Wednesday. People are boiling snow for water or drinking from puddles. The mayor says a death toll can't even be determined with any degree of certainty because the attacks never cease. More on the tragic situation:

Why? The Times, which has much more on the devastation here, explains it this way: "Having failed to defeat the Ukrainian army in the wars first weeks, and encountering stiff resistance in major cities like Mariupol, Kharkiv and Kyiv, Russian commanders appear to be resorting to tactics used in previous wars in Chechnya and Syria: flattening cities with overwhelming and indiscriminate firepower."

Location: There's also the fact that Mariupol, just 35 miles from the Russian border, is located in a strategic land corridor between Crimea, the territory Russia annexed in 2014, and the Russia-backed separatist portions of east Ukraine. If Russia controls the city, it can send supplies to forces in the west and cut off Ukrainian shipping from the port.

There's also the fact that Mariupol, just 35 miles from the Russian border, is located in a strategic land corridor between Crimea, the territory Russia annexed in 2014, and the Russia-backed separatist portions of east Ukraine. If Russia controls the city, it can send supplies to forces in the west and cut off Ukrainian shipping from the port. 6-year-old dead: A girl reportedly died of dehydration Tuesday after her mother was killed in the attack. The child was reportedly found in the ruins of her home; the building had been shelled, Reuters reports.

A girl reportedly died of dehydration Tuesday after her mother was killed in the attack. The child was reportedly found in the ruins of her home; the building had been shelled, Reuters reports. "Apocalyptic": That's the word an aid worker used to describe the situation to Yahoo News, noting that Mariupol is not only cut off from the outside world physically but also digitally, with limited internet connectivity making communication nearly impossible. Relief supplies can't be brought in. A Doctors Without Borders coordinator calls the situation "catastrophic."

That's the word an aid worker used to describe the situation to Yahoo News, noting that Mariupol is not only cut off from the outside world physically but also digitally, with limited internet connectivity making communication nearly impossible. Relief supplies can't be brought in. A Doctors Without Borders coordinator calls the situation "catastrophic." Evacuation difficulties: Negotiations for a ceasefire have fallen apart, and safety corridors for residents have had very limited success due to a lack of cooperation from Russia. Russian forces are said to have shelled areas where civilians were getting ready to board buses out of the city and fired on other emergency corridors. Ukraines foreign minister said Russia is holding 400,000 people hostage in the city, the Guardian reports.

Negotiations for a ceasefire have fallen apart, and safety corridors for residents have had very limited success due to a lack of cooperation from Russia. Russian forces are said to have shelled areas where civilians were getting ready to board buses out of the city and fired on other emergency corridors. Ukraines foreign minister said Russia is holding 400,000 people hostage in the city, the Guardian reports. No-fly zone: The city's mayor called for a no-fly zone after the maternity hospital bombing. "Our will has not been broken, we will fight to the end. We have motivated soldiers and officers who defend our homeland," he said, per the Hill. "But today we need support. Close the sky over Ukraine."

The city's mayor called for a no-fly zone after the maternity hospital bombing. "Our will has not been broken, we will fight to the end. We have motivated soldiers and officers who defend our homeland," he said, per the Hill. "But today we need support. Close the sky over Ukraine." "Genocide": Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has also been calling for a no-fly zone, said the bombing of the hospital "is the ultimate evidence that genocide of Ukrainians is happening."

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has also been calling for a no-fly zone, said the bombing of the hospital "is the ultimate evidence that genocide of Ukrainians is happening." Walkthrough: CNN has a walkthrough video of the bombed hospital here.

CNN has a walkthrough video of the bombed hospital here. One of three: Two other hospitals were also bombed Wednesday in Ukraine, the AP reports. Overall, the World Health Organization has confirmed 18 attacks on health facilities and ambulances since Russia invaded, per the AP.

(Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Disney employees were outraged by the company's failure to condemn Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk, as it worked its way through the state legislature. Now, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has spoken out against the bill, though Human Rights Campaign says the company still has not done enough. Chapek called DeSantis Wednesday morning to oppose the bill, he told shareholders later that same day, per CNN. He said he told DeSantis the legislation "could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families," and that DeSantis "heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address them."

Per NPR, Chapek told shareholders the company didn't speak out against the bill right away "because we thought we could be more effective working behind-the-scenes, engaging directly with lawmakerson both sides of the aisle," but that he now sees that approach "didn't quite get the job done." Critics have accused Disney of a "too little, too late" approach. Chapek pledged $5 million dollars to organizations fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, including HRC, but HRC said Wednesday it will not accept any money until Disney takes more meaningful action. "Disney took a regrettable stance by choosing to stay silent amid political attacks against LGBTQ+ families in Floridaincluding hardworking families employed by Disneytoday they took a step in the right direction," says the group's interim president. "But it was merely the first step." (Read more Florida stories.)
(Newser)  Kim Jong Un says North Korea will launch "a lot" of spy satellites to monitor military actions by the US and its allies, following condemnation of its recent missile launches. The leader, who made the announcement while inspecting the country's National Aerospace Development Administration on Thursday, said the goal was "to provide the armed forces of the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] with real-time information on military actions against it by the aggression troops of the US imperialism and its vassal forces in south Korea, Japan and the Pacific," so as to protect the country's sovereignty, the state's Korean Central News Agency reported, per Reuters.

Kim, who last oversaw a satellite launch in 2016, said the reconnaissance satellites would enter sun-synchronous orbit over the poles. This would allow them to observe particular locations at the same time each day and monitor changes over time. As Reuters notes, the launch "could prove as controversial as the nuclear-armed country's weapons tests because they use the same banned ballistic missile technology." Authorities in the US, South Korea, and Japan say ballistic missiles were launched as part of two tests of satellite systems on Feb. 27 and March 5. This follows a record number of missile launches in January. North Korea said one was an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching Guam.

The US military said it increased surveillance and reconnaissance collection in the Yellow Sea and boosted its ballistic missile defense readiness in response, per Reuters. The US Directorate of National Intelligence has said the spate of launches could be a step toward North Korea's first test of a nuclear weapon or long-range intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 later this year. Recent satellite images show new construction at North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear testing site for the first time since it was closed ahead of Kim's meeting with then-President Trump in 2018, the Guardian reports. (The launches are apparently paid for with stolen cryptocurrency.)
(Newser)  Conservative candidate Yoon Seok-yeol is South Korea's president-elect after an election that had some parallels to the US presidential election in 2016: A populist candidate new to politics narrowly defeated a liberal ruling party candidateand both candidates were widely unpopular during a bitter campaign. With more than 99% of the vote counted, Yoon, of the People Power Party, had 48.6% to 47.8% for Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, making it the closest presidential election in South Korean history, the AP reports. More:

What this means for North Korea. Yoon has promised a "reset" of relations with China and North Korea and is expected to take a harder line against Pyongyang while strengthening ties with the US. "Peace is meaningless unless it is backed by power," he said during the campaign. Analysts tell ABC that Yoon is likely to demand denuclearization before talks can take place and plans to step up joint military exercises with the US.

A shift toward the US . The Sydney Morning Herald, which calls Yoon East Asia's "first populist president," reports that Yoon plans to swing toward the US-led security network aimed at countering China's massive influence in the region. Yoons party has close links to the ruling conservative party in Japan and both sides hope to repair relations between the countries.

. The Sydney Morning Herald, which calls Yoon East Asia's "first populist president," reports that Yoon plans to swing toward the US-led security network aimed at countering China's massive influence in the region. Yoons party has close links to the ruling conservative party in Japan and both sides hope to repair relations between the countries. The campaign. The bitter battle between Lee and Yoon deepened the country's division and led to speculation that the losing candidate might end up in prison over scandals their opponent had linked them to, the AP reports. "I did my best but wasnt able to live up to expectations," Lee said after hiss defeat. "I congratulate candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. I sincerely ask the president-elect to overcome division and conflicts and open a new era of unity and harmony." Turnout was high, at 77%, but both candidates were so unpopular that it was described as an election of the "unfavorables."

Yoon's background . Yoon, who will take office in May for a five-year term, has been widely compared to Donald Trump, but his pre-presidency career could hardly be more different. The 61-year-old spent decades as a prosecutor and helped convict former president Park Geun-hye, a member of his own party, the New York Times reports. Yoon also pursued charges against the head of Samsung and another former president.

. Yoon, who will take office in May for a five-year term, has been widely compared to Donald Trump, but his pre-presidency career could hardly be more different. The 61-year-old spent decades as a prosecutor and helped convict former president Park Geun-hye, a member of his own party, the New York Times reports. Yoon also pursued charges against the head of Samsung and another former president. Ministry of gender equality to be banned. Gender equality was a major campaign issue, along with soaring house prices and youth unemployment, the BBC reports. Yoon, who had strong support among young men, pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which spends most of its budget on family-based services, with less than 3% going to the promotion of gender equality.

(Read more South Korea stories.)
(Newser)  This story has been updated with remarks from the ministers. Talks between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine took place on the sidelines of a diplomatic summit in Turkey on Thursday. An official photograph showed Russias Sergey Lavrov flanked by two advisers sitting across from his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and his officials. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sat at the head of the table during the first high-level talks between the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago. Cavusoglu said the aim of the meeting is to pave the way for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents that would be facilitated by Turkeys president, the AP reports. After the meeting, Kuleba said Moscow is not ready to offer a ceasefire. He said: "They seek Ukraines surrender. This is not going to happen."

Kuleba said, however, that the two sides had agreed to seek a solution to humanitarian issues in Ukraine and he would be ready to meet again "if there are prospects for a substantial discussion and seeking solutions," the BBC reports. "I'm ready to continue this engagement with the purpose of ending the war in Ukraine, stopping the suffering of Ukrainian civilians and liberating our territories from the Russian occupying force," Kuleba said. He said Lavrov did not respond to a request for a 24-hour ceasefire and security guarantees for humanitarian corridors.

At a separate press conference, Lavrov denied that a ceasefire had even been discussed and said the talks in Turkey were no substitute for the lower-level meeting in Belarus, which he described as the "real, main diplomatic track," reports Reuters. He said Russia that in response to sanctions, is working to "ensure that we never again depend on the West in those areas of our life which have a significant meaning for our people." Cavosoglu, the Turkish minister, described the talks as "difficult." NATO member Turkey has positioned itself as a neutral party, seeking to facilitate negotiations between the warring sides. (Lavrov also slammed "pathetic outcries" in the West over the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine.)
(Newser)  The Russian strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol on Wednesday killed at least three people, including a child, the city council confirmed Thursday. Officials in the besieged Ukrainian city say at least 17 people were injured in the bombing, including women waiting to give birth, the AP reports. The strike, described as an atrocity by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has been widely condemned worldwide, but Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, has rejected criticism, reports the BBC. Speaking after a meeting in Turkey with his Ukrainian counterpart, Lavrov slammed the "pathetic outcries concerning the so-called atrocities perpetrated by the Russian military." He denounced "very emotional" reports on the attack in Western media.

Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian "radicals" had taken over the hospital days ago and "all the mothers and nurses were chased out of there," though photos from the scene showed bleeding, heavily pregnant women being evacuated from the wrecked building. Other Russian officials including deputy permanent representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy described the attack as "fake news," though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said information from the military was unclear and the Kremlin will look into the incident, reports Reuters. Ukrainian officials said Thursday that Russian forces had resumed bombing Mariupol and an aid convoy had been forced to turn back. (Aid workers describe the situation in the city as "apocalyptic.")
In a review paper published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, researchers followed ancient arts and recent genetics to trace the evolutionary origin of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a triploid flower crop and source of the spice and colorant saffron.

From Greece to Iran, from paintings and dyes to spice and perfumes, flavor and sparkly yellow color of saffron  the worlds most expensive spice  has made its trail in human history.

Saffron is extracted from the flowers of the saffron crocus, a species of flowering plant of the Crocus genus in the iris family Iridaceae.

Between 15,000 and 16,000 flowers, requiring between 370 and 470 person-hours to collect, yield a single kilo of saffron, worth between $1,300 and $10,000.

The Mediterranean is considered as the emergence site of many Crocus species, with Greece and Turkey possessing the highest number. Investigating ancient texts and artworks in these regions can help finding more information on early saffron domestication.

The first use of the word saffron dates back to the 12th century to the old French term safran that consecutively originated from the Latin safranum, the Arabic zafaran, and the Persian zarparan with the meaning gold strung.

As folk taxonomies were used to differentiate plant species prior to the formalization of the Linnaean system, different species of purple, autumn-flowering crocuses were not distinguished before the 18th century.

Hence, at the time, most crocuses were considered as one and we cannot rely on texts for clear species information. Nevertheless, scientists suggested that Crocus cartwrightianus, Crocus thomasii, or Crocus hadriaticus were the most likely species that were cited by ancient historians.

Regarding ancient arts, images can be categorized into two types: on one hand, those that are painted using pigments derived from crocus and on the other hand, those that depict saffron crocus flowers.

While the use of crocus-based pigments can be traced back about 50,000 years ago to prehistoric cave paintings in northwestern Iran (todays Iraq), early signs of cultivation and domestication were found later, at about 1700 BCE, during the time of the Minoan civilization in Crete.

As saffrons high medicinal value and antioxidant ability were recognized, its commercial value as a spice increased over the next eras, leading to its spread across the Mediterranean.

Both ancient artworks and genetics point to Bronze Age Greece, in approximately 1700 BCE or earlier, as the origin of saffrons domestication, said Ludwig Mann, a Ph.D. student at Technische Universitat Dresden.

Finding out where and when saffron was first domesticated isnt straightforward: the species is difficult to study genetically, because it has three copies of every chromosome instead of the usual two, and a large genome containing a high percentage of difficult-to-sequence repetitive DNA, added Seyyedeh-Sanam Kazemi-Shahandashti, a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences of the Forschungszentrum Julich.

As there are no ancient crocus remains preserved from ancient times, we here revisit ancient artworks that depict saffron-like plants. We expected that these could point us to specific regions.

Artworks from the Minoan civilization are likely the oldest to depict domesticated saffron, the scientists said.

For example, the dense patches of crocus flowers on the fresco The Saffron Gatherers from the island of Santorini (approximately 1600 BCE) suggest cultivation.

Another fresco on the same island, The Adorants, shows flowers with long, dark-red stigmas which overtop dark violet petals, typical of domesticated saffron.

Flowers with these traits are also depicted on ceramics and cloth from Bronze Age Greece, and symbolically rendered in the ideogram for saffron in the ancient Linear B script.

In Egypt, tombs from the 15th and 14th centuries BCE depict how ambassadors from Crete brought tribute in the form of textiles dyed with saffron.

An origin in Bronze Age Greece agrees with results from genetic studies from 2019, which showed that Crocus cartwrightianus, which only occurs in mainland Greece and Crete, is saffrons closest wild relative.

The modern saffron crocus with its three genomes arose naturally from the wild, either exclusively from Crocus cartwrightianus or from hybrids between Crocus cartwrightianus and another crocus species, the authors said.

The saffron crocus would then have been retained by the Bronze Age Greeks because of its superior qualities as a spice.

We will continue to trace saffrons properties, said Dr. Tony Heitkam, leader of the Plant Genomics group at Technische Universitat Dresden.

Around the globe today, all saffron crocuses are effectively clones dating back to saffrons emergence in ancient Greece.

Nevertheless, despite sharing the same genome, saffron can have different properties depending on the region.

We have started to investigate the molecular causes, in particular so-called epigenetic differences, for this regional variation.

_____

Seyyedeh-Sanam Kazemi-Shahandashti et al. Ancient Artworks and Crocus Genetics Both Support Saffrons Origin in Early Greece. Front. Plant Sci, published online February 25, 2022; doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.834416
(Newser)  Authorities pulled over a vehicle in Florida's Martin County over the weekend being driven by an apparently intoxicated woman, but she wasn't hit with typical DUI charges. CBS12 reports that sheriff's deputies made a traffic stop in Stuart on Sunday after witnessing erratic driving, and when they looked more closely inside the vehicle they say was driven by 31-year-old Katherine Theodore, they spotted something that raised their eyebrows, and suspicions. Per an arrest affidavit obtained by the Daily Beast, two spray cans of Right Guard deodorant could be seen lying on the front seat's floorboard. "Another few cans" were tossed onto the passenger's side floorboard, per the affidavit.

The affidavit also notes that Theodore didn't seem like she could stand well and had bloodshot, watery eyes with "constricted" pupils, with "a strong odor from the spray cans emitting from her person." One deputy on the scene suspected Theodore had been huffing, or inhaling, the deodorant spray, though when she was first asked about it, she said she'd simply sprayed the deodorant because she "likes the smell of it," per the affidavit. The document adds that later, after she'd been transported to jail and taken a Breathalyzer test, Theodore admitted she'd had two drinks earlier that day, then huffed the deodorant. Theodore was arrested and hit with DUI charges and was booked into the Martin County Jail. Court records note she was released after posting a $750 bond. (Read more strange stuff stories.)
(Newser)  As parents of transgender children in Texas grapple with the state's new law over providing gender-affirming medical care, Idaho parents are now facing similar issues, with even more restrictions piled on. The Idaho Statesman reports that on Tuesday, the Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill barring such medical care for transgender minors, tweaking existing state code that deals with female genital mutilation. The HB 675 legislation would make it a felony to give minors hormones or puberty blockers, which delay or stop puberty, or to offer them access to gender-reassignment surgery, which the Statesman notes is rarely seen in children.

NBC News notes that violating this law, if it came to be, could lead to life in prison for parents. The Statesman notes that if Idaho's legislation is signed into law, the state would join Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee in barring minors from receiving transition-related care. According to LGBTQ advocates and legal experts, however, this bill stretches beyond laws found in other states in that even parents bringing their children out of state to receive such medical care could still face charges. "We are seeing the severity of those policies start to really ramp up," Sam Ames of the Trevor Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing suicide in the LGBTQ community, tells NBC.

The House bill passed on a near-party-line vote, and Republicans are defending the legislation, saying it keeps kids from making a decision they might regret later, and that might affect their later desire to have children. "The ability to procreate is a fundamental right that must be protected," says Rep. Bruce Skaug, the sponsor of the bill, per the Statesman. "Don't let their bodies be sterilized." Democrats, however, are pushing back, noting such medical care is a "life or death" matter to prevent depression and suicide in transgender youth. "I hope those children know they are perfect and loved just the way they are, trying to live their truth," House Assistant Minority Leader Lauren Necochea says. The bill heads to Idaho's Senate next. (Read more transgender stories.)
(Newser)  Workers renovating a convention center in Oakland, California, made a disturbing find Wednesdaya mummified body inside an interior wall. Kim Armstead, a spokesperson for Oakland police, said the body, believed to be that of a man, was "in the late stages of decay" and had been preserved by time and conditions, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. "Under ideal conditions a body will harden and become like leather, similar to a mummy," Armstead explained. Police say the body appeared to have been there for "many years" and the case will be investigated as a homicide.

"The identity of the victim is unknown at this time and pending further forensic testing," Armstead said, per the East Bay Times. The Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center opened in 1914 as the Oakland Civic Auditorium. The city-owned building fell into disrepair after it was closed in 2005 due to high operating costs but is now being restored for use as a commercial space and performing arts venue, reports CBS San Francisco. The building's history includes use as a temporary hospital during the 1918 flu pandemic, and it has seen at least one high-profile death: Western swing musician Spade Cooley, who was serving a life sentence for killing his wife, received a furlough to play a benefit there in 1969. He died of a heart attack backstage during intermission. (Read more Oakland stories.)
(Newser)  Prince William is again facing accusations of racism after saying Britons were surprised by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Britons are used to seeing conflict in Africa and Asia, but "it's very alien to see this in Europe," the Duke of Cambridge, second in line to the British throne, said Wednesday as he and Duchess Kate Middleton visited a Ukrainian cultural centre in London, where volunteers were arranging aid packages, per the Independent. The couple had delivered homemade treats, per the Evening Standard. "We feel so useless" but "we are all behind you," William added. He quickly faced backlash on Twitter, with observers noting the royal family initiated conflicts in Africa and Asia.

"In India, they looted and plundered even as [many people] died of famine and their torture," tweeted Snehesh Alex Philip, an editor at India's Print news site who decried the comment as "racist," per the Washington Post. "How do you have a 1000 year history of colonialism, a literal 100 year war, launch 2 World Wars, allow multiple genocides, & bomb a dozen nations since 9/11 aloneyet make this type of a statement," asked human rights lawyer and activist Qasim Rashid, per the Independent. "This future King of England parrots racist rhetoric shamelessly," added British-Nigerian lawyer and activist Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, who said he must apologize. There's been no comment from Kensington Palace.

However, Evening Standard royal editor Robert Jobson defended William to the Post on Thursday, saying his comment had been "taken out of context." "To have a war in Europe to most Europeans is unfamiliar and deeply troubling" and "I am sure he didn't mean it to be racist," Jobson said. "He was only a small child when the Bosnia conflict started and this is perhaps his first experience of such terrible conflict happening in Europe during his adulthood." William faced similar backlash after complaining about human pressure on Africa's wild spaces last fall, per Newsweek. Kenyan ecologist Mordecai Ogada responded that "the average Western family of five will have a carbon footprint of a few hundred Maasai tribesmen in Kenya." (Read more Prince William stories.)
(Newser)  A 25-year-old woman who grew up in North Texas is suing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, alleging he's her biological father, per the AP. Alexandra Davis says in a lawsuit filed last week in Dallas County that she was conceived from a relationship Jones had with her mother, Cynthia Davis, in the mid-1990s, the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday. Davis and her mother reached a settlement in which Jones would support them financially as long as they didn't publicly identify him as her father, according to court documents. A hearing is scheduled on the new lawsuit for March 31. A spokesman for Jones declined to comment.

Alexandra Davis is asking the court to find she isn't legally bound by an agreement between Jones and her mother if she attempted to establish legally that Jones is her father. At the time of the agreement in 1998, Jones denied he was the father. According to court documents, Cynthia Davis was estranged from her husband when she met Jones. She was working as a ticket counter agent for American Airlines at the airport in Little Rock, Ark., court documents said. Jones "pursued" Cynthia Davis and the pair began a relationship, according to court documents. It's unclear how long the relationship lasted.

Alexandra Davis was born on Dec. 16, 1996, and shortly afterward, Cynthia Davis and her husband filed for divorce. During the divorce proceedings, it was determined through genetic testing that Alexandra Davis was not the child of Cynthia Davis' husband. After receiving the test results, Cynthia Davis told Jones that he was Alexandra Davis' biological father. According to court documents, Jones had told Cynthia Davis that he wasn't able to have children. Jones and his wife, Eugenia, married in 1963. They have three children, and all have a front office role with the Cowboys. Jerry Jones is the team president and general manager.

The settlement called for a lump sum payment of $375,000 to Cynthia Davis, and Alexandra Davis was to receive certain monthly, annual and special funding from the trusts until she turned 21, according to court documents. The younger Davis also was to receive lump sums when she turned 24, 26, and 28. The newspaper reported that Alexandra Davis and her mother starred in the final season of a Dallas-area reality showed called Big Rich Texas. At the time, representatives for Cynthia Davis said she was living off a trust fund. (Read more Jerry Jones stories.)
(Newser)  Not everybody in the West is a fan of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's handling of the Russian invasion. "Remember that Zelensky is a thug," GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina said at a town hall meeting last weekend, per a recording published by WRAL. "Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies." The comments were first brought to light in a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Karl Rove in which he urged Republican lawmakers to unite behind Ukraine. He called comments such as Cawthorn's out of sync with the sentiments of most Republican voters.

A rep for the 26-year-old Cawthorn defended the congressman's statements. He "was expressing his displeasure at how foreign leaders, including Zelensky, had recently used false propaganda to entice America into becoming involved in an overseas conflict," said the spokesperson, per Insider. Cawthorn himself tweeted a link that he says backs him up. Cawthorn's own party leaders have a different view of things in regard to who's responsible for the war: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called Putin "evil," and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell labeled the Russian leader a "ruthless thug."

Cawthorn, meanwhile, was making headlines for another matter. The Washington Post reports he was charged for a second time with driving with a revoked license, a charge that carries a possible penalty of 20 days in jail. He also faces two separate speeding citations in which he was alleged to have been going close to 90mph each time. Cawthorn drives a specially equipped vehiclehe has required the use of a wheelchair since being seriously injured in a 2014 car accident in which a friend was driving. (Former college classmates accuse Cawthorn of sexual misconduct and say the incidents usually occurred in his car.)
Turners Automotive Group (NZX: TRA ) now expects Net Profit Before Tax (NPBT) for FY22 to be between $42m and $43m, ahead of its earlier guidance of $40m - 42m. Based on this upgraded guidance and applying its dividend policy, Turners expects record full year dividends of at least 23 cents per share fully imputed (previously 22cps).

The company anticipates another record result, demonstrating resilience in the face of COVID-19, and delivering on the strength of a deliberate diversification strategy, coupled with annuity income from Insurance and Finance.

CEO Todd Hunter says the Omicron outbreak is understandably disrupting both the wider used car market, as well as Turners operations. Vehicle processing capacity has reduced with a number of staff currently isolating due to testing positive or as household contacts. Demand for used cars has dropped away in the second half of February, however Turners has continued to gain market share in Auto Retail, reflecting a widening advantage over competitors. Given the nature of the Omicron outbreak Turners expects a return to normal operating conditions reasonably quickly following the peak of this current outbreak.

The finance and insurance segments continue to deliver quality annuity earnings and despite the widely publicised regulatory changes of the CCCFA and challenges for some potential borrowers, the group is navigating the change well.

In Auto Retail the ability to source vehicles domestically (more than 90% of Turners stock) continues to prove an advantage as COVID-19 and government regulation effectively reduces the supply of imported used cars from Japan. Mr Hunter said our Tina from Turners brand campaign has exceeded expectations, enhancing our ability to secure more quality NZ cars, and reinforcing our strength of supply. The combination of consignment supply and our local purchasing means we are well positioned from a supply perspective.

Delivering another record year of earnings, despite near term COVID-19 challenges, further highlights the benefits of Turners geographic diversification, supply diversification and earnings diversification.

The company expects to report its full year results in late May.

ENDS

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By P Unnikrishnan



TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Israel plans to set up a civilian field hospital in Ukraine to aid refugees affected by war, said Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz during an exclusive interview with The Daily Tribune yesterday.

Mr Nitzan, who is on an official visit to Bahrain, said Israel wants to support Ukrainian people by sharing the Israeli experience of dealing with emergency medical situations.

In Ukraine, you have now a stream of refugees, who need a lot of medical attention and Israeli civilian field hospital is going to treat many patients in Ukraine. We are sending doctors, nurses, paramedics and required equipment in another few days, he said, adding that Israel has many times sent similar teams to many conflict zones across the world.

On areas of healthcare cooperation with Bahrain, Mr Nitzan said a mutual agreement has been signed between both nations. We discussed mutual recognition of universities, training of doctors, other medical staff, cooperation in digital health, cancer treatment apart from a whole array of issues that we have in common.

He said Israel welcomes Bahraini medical students to pursue their higher education. They can come to Israel and undergo training in specific areas such as cancer treatment, brain surgery, emergency relief operations and in other areas where Israel has gained expertise.

Regarding the battle against pandemic, Mr Nitzan congratulated Bahrain for its remarkable success, especially on the vaccination front. There are many things that Israel should learn from Bahrain in the healthcare field. I visited the cancer treatment centre at King Hamad Medical University and found that the institution, staff and others are doing a great job.

I think what we can contribute is the expertise in areas, where we have gained experience. For instance, we are one of the first countries in the world to carry out organ transplants in large numbers and this expertise could be of help to Bahrain, which, from what I have understood, has a long waiting list for organ transplants. Mr Nitzan said there has to be a global consensus on promoting stem cell research as it is vital in many modern treatments.

I understand there are many ethical issues involved, but this could be addressed by setting global guidelines for stem cell research as it holds the future. Israel is a pioneer in stem cell research.
TDT | ManamaCairo

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Palestinian issue will remain at the heart of the Arab nation, said Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, stressing the firm position of Bahrain that calls for achieving a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East as a strategic option. Dr Al Zayani emphasised that there is no solution to the Palestinian issue without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the two-state solution and the resolutions of international legitimacy.

He made the remarks as he participated in the work of the 157th session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the level of foreign ministers, held yesterday in Cairo and headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Republic of Lebanon, Dr Abdullah Bouhabib.

Dr Al Zayani delivered a speech in which he noted the challenges and threats facing the Arab world, calling for joint Arab action in order to preserve the security and stability of the region and its people.

The Minister expressed Bahrains condemnation of the attacks carried out by the terrorist Houthi militia against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, affirming the Kingdoms full support for all steps taken by the two brotherly countries to confront such attacks.

He congratulated Yemen on the issuance of the UN Security Council resolution on February 28, 2022, designating the Houthis for the first time as a terrorist group.

Dr Al Zayani expressed his thanks and appreciation for all the sincere diplomatic efforts made by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Yemen and the brotherly Arab countries in cooperation with friendly countries which resulted in the issuance of this important resolution.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

A Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) delegation arrived in Bahrain and visited several development projects it had funded within the Gulf Development Program.

They include Al Fateh Street Development Project, which is one of the major strategic projects in the infrastructure sector, Saar intersection of Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Street with Shaikh Isa bin Salman Street, Ramli housing project, and Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al Khalifa Dialysis Center in Riffa. Eng. Essam bin Abdullah Khalaf, Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, received SFD Chief Executive Officer Sultan bin Abdul Rahman Al Murshid and his accompanying delegation.

Khalaf praised the support provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to projects that advance development in Bahrain, noting that this indicates the depth of the strategic partnership between the two countries in various fields.

He expressed his appreciation for the efforts of those in charge of the SFD and their interest in following up on the completion of development projects funded by it.

During the visit, the Minister reviewed with the delegation the Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al Khalifa Kidney Disease Center in Riffa, including the cost of construction, equipment and medical equipment.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Appeals Court has upheld the imprisonment term issued against an Asian man implicated in scamming a Bahraini man and conning him out of BD3,000. According to court files, the victim received a phone call from a landline number, and the Asian man posed as a bank employee as he requested his ATM card details, citing update purposes.

I received a call and the one on the line told me that he was a bank employee and he needed my ATM card details in order to update his database. I gave him everything, shortly after which I received an SMS indicating that BD3,000 was withdrawn from my account, the Bahraini victim said. I immediately contacted the bank and I requested them to suspend my account, he added.

Investigations discovered that the defendant was behind the crime. He reportedly transferred the money to a man residing outside Bahrain, and he, in return, sent the money back to his account. Police arrested him and questioned him but he denied involvement in this scam. The defendant was earlier sentenced to five years in prison, followed by immediate deportation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law an amendment to the federal tax code that would establish a tariff-free zone on what Russia calls the Kuril Islands.

The Kurils include four islands claimed by Japan. Russia controls the islands. Japan calls the four islands the Northern Territories.

The amendment signed on Wednesday exempts companies registered with the Russian government from key taxes, including corporate, property and land taxes, for up to 20 years when doing business on the islands.

Putin suggested last September that Russia hopes to actively invite foreign investment to the islands.

Japan has argued that such plans run counter to the aim of the joint Japanese-Russian economic activities to be carried out on the Northern Territories without harming the legal stance of either country.

Russia on Monday included Japan in its list of countries and regions that have taken "unfriendly" action against Moscow, as Japan has joined in the Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The Japanese government maintains that the four Russian-controlled islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says the islands were illegally occupied after World War Two.
The Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and appointed ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar, Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, met with the Japan Special Envoy for national reconciliation in Myanmar and Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa, on Tuesday morning to discuss matters related to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.

According to a post made on Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn official Facebook page, the Cambodian Foreign Minister and the Japanese Special Envoy discussed how the implementation of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus has been slower than expected, however, both sides remain hopeful that the ASEAN Special Envorys upcoming visit to Myanmar will help create a more conducive environment for peaceful dialogue between all parties and return Myanmar back to normalcy.

Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn added that he believes Mr. Sasakawas vast expertise on Myanmar would be an asset which can contribute greatly to this common cause.

As the ASEAN Special Envoy, the Cambodian Foreign Minister will be headed to Myanmar from 20-23 March, where he will meet with different stakeholder groups involved in the ongoing Myanmar conflict, including representatives of the Myanmar military government and opposition groups. During his visit, he will also be distributing humanitarian aid to a local hospital.
The Japanese government has decided on an emergency cash handout program to support financially-struggling international students who enter the country following the easing of coronavirus border restrictions.

The students who will have entered Japan and enrolled at universities or other educational institutions by the end of this month are each eligible for aid of 100,000 yen, or about 860 dollars.

The money will be given to those who face economic hardship due to difficulty to find a part-time job because of the pandemic, among other reasons.

Japan eased its coronavirus border controls on March 1, resuming new entries of foreign visitors other than tourists.

The government will also launch a new program on Friday to receive more international students, using vacant seats on flights when there are fewer business travelers.

The government will also accept applications for the same cash handout amount for Japanese and other students already enrolled in universities, graduate schools, or other educational institutions who are suffering from an economic impact due to the pandemic.

Officials say the money will be provided by the end of this month after a screening of applications.
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As Connecticut awaits more than $90 million in federal funding to shore up state and municipal defenses against cyberattacks, Gov. Ned Lamont warned Wednesday Russian hackers are likely already trying to infiltrate the system.

But the governor said hes getting comfortable with the states ability to fend off attacks.

In June, Connecticut hosts the annual Cyber Yankee exercise with National Guard units from the New England states, with the goal of improving coordinated responses in the event of any major cyberattack on critical assets. Last November, Connecticut was one of four states to participate in GridEx along with California, Illinois and Utah, simulating a cyberattack on utilities.

We tend to focus on utilities and other big, integrated systems where the lights go out, Lamont said Wednesday during a cybersecurity forum at Fairfield University.

Think about those attacks that are probably a lot more vulnerable that would have a devastating psychological impact. For example, filtration systems at a local reservoir  not necessarily a high priority when you think of systemic outages, but think what that does to people psychologically, where people say, I cant drink the water.

As Russia positioned military units leading up to the Ukraine invasion, experts warned of the possibility of cyberattacks on U.S. government agencies and key businesses. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that hackers in China gained access to information systems in six states last year.

Lamont said when he took office in 2019, he viewed a cyberattack as the biggest potential threat facing Connecticut residents and businesses, before the COVID-19 pandemic the following year put the state into a prolonged state of emergency.

Lamont and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee have included cybersecurity among the topics they have prioritized as co-chairs of a pandemic and disaster response task force for the National Governors Association. At the task forces request, the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently produced a guide for governors in responding to a major cyberattack.

Ransomware and cyberthreats are scary, Jen Easterly, director of CISA, said in January to Lamonts and Lees task force. But what we really need to do is to reclaim that territory, and make cybersecurity  and most importantly cyberhygiene  a kitchen-table issue.

Last year, the state Bond Commission approved more than $11 million in additional funding for cyberdefense, and the Lamont administration expects at least $90 million to be earmarked to Connecticut under the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.

Lamont said the states most important step has been the ongoing process of moving data and applications to the cloud that had previously been housed in state computer servers, allowing for remote access and also data recovery in the event of an incident.

But internet access opens the possibility of infiltration, denial-of-service attacks or ransomware threats. As the case with many businesses, Connecticut trains state employees on how to recognize phishing attacks and other ploys to gain surreptitious access to systems. And the state requires password entries to trigger a second step to authenticate a person attempting to gain entry.

The most important thing is really defense in depth, said Jeff Brown, chief information security officer in the Lamont administration. We have multiple controls if something does fail or somebody does manage to get past something  theres multiple things after that to be able to catch it.

Brown said in any debilitating attack, Connecticut could call on other entities like the FBI, consultancies like Accenture, or the the Connecticut Military Department, which oversees Army National Guard and Air National Guard units and maintains a cybersecurity team. Brown said that unit played a critical role a few years ago in helping Hartford deal with a ransomware attack.

Consumers have already been under siege by identity thieves, including a T-Mobile incident last August in which more than 500,000 current and former customers in Connecticut had their information exposed.

The case ranked as the fourth-largest tracked by the office of Attorney General William Tong, after the Equifax breach of 2017 that affected as many as half the states residents, and major intrusions several years before into systems of Target and JPMorgan Chase.

To prod more businesses into strengthening their defenses  and by extension protecting more consumers  Connecticut enacted a law last year that shields entities from punitive legal damages, provided they can demonstrate they have invested in effective countermeasures.

A lot of this is being prepared for an incident, and not assuming that theyre not going to happen, Brown said. Cybersecurity ... used to be really focused on how do we stop cyberattacks from happening. Its the same way you stop crime from happening  you dont. You manage it and you react to it and you respond to it, when it happens.

Includes prior reporting by Veronica Del Valle and Mary Katherine Wildeman.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
Homestead, FL (33030)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will give way to occasional showers in the afternoon. Thunder possible. High 88F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Showers in the evening, then clearing overnight. Thunder possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
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DANBURY  Danburys blight-fighting crew is preparing to walk onto a private industrial property in the airport flight zone and do what decades of enforcement, fines, lawsuits, and a threat of eminent domain have failed to do: clean up the eyesore property.

I have never seen something this egregious where weve needed the assistance of the state court, said Shawn Stillman, coordinator of Danburys Unified Neighborhood Inspection Team, and a 14-year veteran of fighting the citys worst blight. If the property owner was more cooperative, we never would have never been in this situation.

Stillman on Tuesday was preparing a court-ordered plan to walk onto a debris-strewn property of scrap heaps at 89 Wooster Heights Road and assess what it will take to remove the abandoned vehicles, the garbage piles, and the litter.

The next steps would be to remove the garbage and return to court with the clean-up bill to charge the property owner, according to the city attorneys office.

If the property in question sounds familiar it may be because it was in the headlines before the pandemic as one of two properties near Danbury Municipal Airport that City Hall was set to acquire at market price or by eminent domain.

The plan was to acquire and clean up 89 Wooster Heights Road, just east of the airports runway 26 and a second property at 25 Miry Brook Road, just south of runway 35 for $790,000. The city would then seek reimbursement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

But as elected leaders learned last week, the FAA was unwilling to pay for the purchase and cleanup of the nuisance properties.

The hope was the FAA would provide some funds if the city were to take that property, but it turns out that the money will not be available and therefore the city will not proceed to condemn the property, said Laszlo Pinter, Danburys deputy corporation counsel, during a City Council meeting. So instead we went to plan B, which is about 80 percent complete.

Pinter explained the city pursued an action in court which has authorized us to enter upon the property, remove materials necessary ... and return to the court with costs and expenses.

As for the $790,000 the City Council authorized to buy and clean up the two properties, $720,000 was rerouted to cover soft costs of building a $164 million west side school at the Cartus campus off Kenosia Avenue.

If we abandon this project what happens to these properties in their current condition? asked City Council member Benjamin Chianese at a March 3 meeting. One of the reasons why we wanted to take them was because of their blight and we wanted to clean them up.

Pinter said there was no plan B yet for the property at 25 Miry Brook Road, but that the plan B for 89 Wooster Heights was proceeding.

Efforts to reach the property owner of 89 Wooster Heights Road were not immediately successful on Tuesday. In 2019, the property owner told Hearst Connecticut Media that he didnt dispute the property needed to be cleaned, but he didnt have the money to do it.

The City Councils Democratic minority leader asked what happened if Danburys enforcement officers got on the site and encountered complications with the cleanup.

The FAA did have some issue with some of the material on the side of that hill because it is essentially under a flight path, Paul Rotello said. Does the FAA have a problem with the site that is going to affect operations or are they patient enough to let this process work its way through?

Absolutely they are patient enough, said Michael Safranek, the citys airport administrator. We just dont know what we are getting into (because) there is so much unknown. Its been an ongoing violation for 20 or 30 years now.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
WESTPORT  Westporter Michael Gordon has withdrawn his name from the race for the states 26th Senate Districts open seat.

The former board of education chairman first announced his intention to run for the seat  set to be vacated by Democrat incumbent Will Haskell  in February. However, Gordon recently said that due to family and his career, he is unable to juggle the campaign.

After diving in a few weeks ago, Ive come to realize that I cant juggle effectively the multiple demands of family, work and this campaign and the State Senate, Gordon said. I will not be moving forward with the State Senate race.

Gordon, who has three teenagers and who owns a communications firm in New York called Group Gordon, ran on wanting to make a positive change after the enormous toll COVID-19 has had on children, seniors, small business owners and working parents.

He said as a longtime Democrat and self-proclaimed optimist, he would focus on the four areas of children, gender equality, seniors and COVID.

The simple truth is that I thought I could do all of it at a high level, but Ive learned that I cant, he said in a statement. I was excited both to campaign and to serve, but Im also clear that now is not the right time if I want to do the job well.

His withdrawal in the race leaves Democrats Ken Bernhard, of Westport, and Ceci Maher, of Wilton, running for the seat.

I want to thank our wonderful friends for their enormous outpouring of support, kindness and offers of help, Gordon said. I want to thank the many kind and new friends Ive made throughout the 26th district.

The 26th district will see its next change since Haskell was first elected in 2018 at the age of 22, defeating long-time Republican incumbent Toni Boucher.

Haskell said he wont seek a third term, electing instead to go to law school leaving his seat up for grabs in the 26th Senate District, which now includes Westport, Wilton, Weston, Redding, and parts of Ridgefield, Darien, New Canaan and Stamford.

I wish Ceci and Ken the best of luck, and I look forward to supporting our nominee this fall, Gordon said.

serenity.bishop@hearstmediact.com
Lenoir, NC (28645)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
If you're 16 to 24 years old and excited to help shape a better future for all Canadians, apply before midnight on April 10 to join the Prime Minister's Youth Council

OTTAWA, ON and GATINEAU, QC, March 10, 2022 /CNW/ - Young Canadians have innovative ideas and unique perspectives on how to shape the future of Canada.

Today, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth, are inviting Canadians aged 16 to 24, from every region, background and lived experience, to apply online for the Prime Minister's Youth Council at canada.ca/youth-council before midnight on April 10.

Council members provide non-partisan advice to guide federal ministers and government officials on a wide range of issues that matter to them and their peers, such as promoting equality and protecting rights; enhancing supports for mental health; fighting climate change; and supporting Indigenous communities.

During the pandemic, for example, the Council has advised how best to communicate effectively with youth about COVID-19 and vaccinations, and helped develop solutions to ensure marginalized youth can access mental health supports in their communities. Council recommendations on key issues, like the diabetes epidemic in Canada and high-speed internet access for all, were also included in Budget 2021.

The ongoing work of the Prime Minister's Youth Council is key to strengthening diversity and inclusion, as young Canadians are fostering a world where all ages, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, races, religions, sexual orientations and gender identities are recognized and celebrated.

Quotes

"Young Canadians are demanding real change and a better future for generations to come. I'm searching for new members from across the country to join my Youth Council to provide invaluable advice on the biggest challenges young people are facing, help me tackle these issues head on, and shape Canada's future."

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

"Across the country, young people have stepped up to break down systemic barriers, amplify diverse voices and create truly inclusive communities. They are actively sparking change to create a bright and progressive future. I want Canada's youth to know that I see them. I see their courage and how they are lifting up others. I value their voices and will keep them at the centre of our government's policy decisions."

The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Quick Facts

In 2016, the Prime Minister established the Prime Minister's Youth Council to provide him with non-partisan advice on issues of importance to youth and to all Canadians.

Officials from across the Government of Canada frequently consult the Council as one mechanism to incorporate youth perspectives in government policy.

The PMYC may have up to 30 members in total. Members typically serve for a mandate of two years.

As Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Minister Ien is the Council's vice-chair.

Associated Links

Apply to the Prime Minister's Youth Council

Prime Minister's Youth Council Website

Report of the Prime Minister's Youth Council

Canada's first State of Youth Report

Canada's Youth Policy

Images and Media

Prime Minister's Youth Council Apply Now|Same|Visual for the Prime Minister's Youth Council with the words Apply Now!

EN 1200x675: https://135gc.sharepoint.com/:i:/s/ext/csm-dmo/comms/cs/EWlxNrE_gD1FnoExSsXsQAABrjFV7a8TUx7N3TjEZx2sFg?e=ebFx7v

FR 1200x675: https://135gc.sharepoint.com/:i:/s/ext/csm-dmo/comms/cs/EYVSQ0DLhapMvgZLV9GBZ-kBlsZa3j_yuO-eqao_UQ_zyA?e=FTw8M0

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

For further information: For more information (media only), please contact: Johise Namwira, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth, 873-353-09-85, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]|
State-of-the-art facility will be home to Canadarm3 and over 700 highly-skilled employees at the forefront of the global space economy

BRAMPTON, ON, March 10, 2022 /CNW/ - MDA Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a leading provider of advanced technology and services to the rapidly expanding global space industry, today revealed details of its new purpose-built global headquarters and Space Robotics Centre of Excellence in Brampton, Ontario, a facility that will support the company's ongoing growth and lay the groundwork for long-term success in the evolving commercial space robotics market.

The modern 200,000 square-foot building will feature state-of-the-art labs, manufacturing, R&D, and assembly, integration and test facilities. The Centre of Excellence will also house a unique Space Robotics Mission Control Centre, enabling MDA to provide critical on-orbit operations capabilities to commercial and government customers worldwide.

"This new facility will be home to our growing team and will further unlock the potential of our world-class engineering and space mission expertise, while allowing us to bring to market a full suite of innovative commercial space robotics products that leverage Canadarm3 technology," said Mike Greenley, Chief Executive Officer of MDA.

"Ontario is home to the brightest talent and a thriving innovation ecosystem that make projects with incredible companies like MDA, a global leader in the space robotics industry, possible," said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. "Today's investment will strengthen Ontario's vibrant advanced technology sector, create exciting new jobs and ensure that scientific breakthroughs will continue to be made in our province."

"Investing in innovation is key to Ontario's economic growth, and with today's announcement, Brampton is positioned to continue playing a leading role in the province's high-tech and advanced manufacturing sectors," said Prabmeet Sarkaria, President of the Treasury Board and MPP for Brampton South. "Our government is investing in technology today to build the Ontario of tomorrowand made-in-Brampton innovation from leading-edge companies like MDA will be a major contributor to the growth of Ontario's aerospace sector and beyond."

The creation of the MDA Centre of Excellence for Space Robotics  which is currently under construction with the lab slated to be operational by the end of 2022  will be supported by a generous $25M grant from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. The project is also being actively supported by the City of Brampton Economic Development Office and Kaneff Group, a Brampton-based development, construction and property management company.

ABOUT MDA

Serving the world from its Canadian home and global offices, MDA (TSX:MDA) is an international space mission partner and a robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 50-year story of firsts on and above the Earth. With over 2,200 employees across Canada, the US and the UK, MDA is leading the charge towards viable Moon colonies, enhanced Earth observation, communication in a hyper-connected world, and more. With a track record of making space ambitions come true, MDA enables highly skilled people to continually push boundaries, tackle big challenges, and imagine solutions that inspire and endure to change the world for the better, on the ground and in the stars.

LINKS

www.mda.space

https://youtu.be/CSWH81c8Jrs

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: www.twitter.com/MDA_space

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MDAspace

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/mdaspace

YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/mdaspace

Instagram: www.instagram.com/MDA_space

SOURCE MDA Inc.

For further information: MDA MEDIA CONTACT, Amy MacLeod, Vice President, Corporate Communications, [email protected], 613-796-6937; MDA INVESTOR CONTACT, Shereen Zahawi, Senior Director, Investor Relations, [email protected], 647-401-3230
This recognition from Airports Council International  World underscores Pearson's ongoing commitment to passenger service excellence, health and safety

TORONTO, March 10, 2022 /CNW/ - For the fifth year in a row, Toronto Pearson has been named "Best Large Airport in North America" by Airports Council International (ACI) - World, the global trade representative of the world's airports. The win comes as part of ACI World's Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program, which recognizes airports across the globe that deliver the best customer experience in the opinion of their own passengers.

For the second year in a row, as chosen by passengers, Pearson also received the award for "Best hygiene measures by region" in North America. As travel restrictions ease, Pearson maintains a strong focus on science- and data-informed measures through its multi-layered Healthy Airport program to protect the health of passengers and employees alike, and to build trust in the air travel experience.

"I congratulate Toronto Pearson on their success in the Airport Service Quality Awards, which represent the highest possible recognition for airport operators around the world and recognize excellence in customer experience," said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General, ACI World. "Customers have spoken and recognized the successful efforts of the Toronto Pearson team in providing a superior customer experience under very trying circumstances during the pandemic."

"Amid the unprecedented impacts of the last two years to the travel industry, the staff and crew at Pearson Airport have continued to work hard and provide exemplary service and care to passengers while prioritizing their safety and security against the COVID-19 pandemic," said the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport. "This award is yet another demonstration of Pearson Airport's commitment to their passengers and to the air industry in Canada, and I want to congratulate them for this achievement for the fifth year in a row."

"As travel restrictions begin to ease and more and more travellers take to the skies, it's an exciting time for Toronto Pearson and for the aviation industry," said Deborah Flint, President and CEO, Greater Toronto Airports Authority. "This is a superb recognition from ACI of the smart, hard work that everyone at Toronto Pearson has put into prioritizing health and safety while still delivering a stellar passenger experience over the last two years.

"While the air travel experience is very different than it was pre-pandemic, we are urgent in our work with all of our partners to smooth the air travel journey," Ms. Flint added. "This includes working in close collaboration with all levels of government to further ease overly onerous travel restrictions where the science supports such an approach. With March Break upon us, our commitment to travellers is as strong as it's ever been. Whether heading to a sun destination, visiting family or simply getting away for a few days, we want passengers to focus on enjoying the journey knowing that their health and safety is top of mind at Pearson from curb to gate and back again."

The Airport Service Quality program is the world's leading airport customer experience measurement and benchmarking program, measuring passengers' satisfaction across 34 key performance indicators, in addition to survey questions on safety and hygiene at the airport.

About the Greater Toronto Airports Authority

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority is the operator of Toronto  Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Canada's largest airport and a vital connector of people, businesses and goods. Toronto Pearson has been named "Best Large Airport in North America serving more than 40 million passengers" for five years in a row by Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade representative of the world's airports. In recognition of its Healthy Airport program, ACI also awarded Toronto Pearson the "Best hygiene measures in North America" award two years running, and Toronto Pearson was the first Canadian airport to receive ACI's global health accreditation for its response to COVID-19.

For more information, please visit Toronto Pearson on Twitter ( English and French ), Facebook or Instagram .

SOURCE Greater Toronto Airports Authority

For further information: GTAA Media Office | [email protected] | (416) 776-3709
Veronica Gelormino / Contributed photo

TORRINGTON  Torrington Public Schools Theater Department and Torrington Middle School Drama Club will present the musical Aladdin Jr. at Torrington Middle School. Performances are at 7 p.m. March 18, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. March 19. Tickets are sold at the door.

Aladdin Jr. contains many of the familiar songs from the Disney movie including A Whole New World, Prince Ali, and Friend Like Me. It tells the story of a beloved thief, a genie in a lamp, and a beautiful princess who all learn that true magic is found in friendship and being true to yourself, according to a statement.
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For Julie Cialone and Marla Valentine, co-directors of Rock n' Rescue in South Salem, N.Y., adoption is not only about giving a home to a pet in need but also providing emotional support to the community. The organization, which has has cats, dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs for adoption, offers services to residents in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

"We started noticing that a lot of our adopters would report stories about how our animals had impacted their life on a more health and wellness side," said Cialone. "Then we started taking a more therapeutic approach and started thinking that we weren't just saving animals but we were saving the people involved in the rescue."

Rock n' Rescue offers pet therapy programs for nursing homes, hospitals and schools around the area. Some of the programs include the Kitty Clubs at nursing homes during which six to 10 kitten are brought to the facility to play and spend time with the residents.

One of Rock n' Rescue partners is Ann's Place in Danbury, a cancer support center. During the therapy sessions, participants gather in a circle around a play pen. Volunteers then go around and ask people what they're feeling as they play with the kittens. After that activity, participants get paired with kittens for "cuddle time."

"Some of the residents are unable to verbalize what they're feeling and their emotions, so we utilize the kittens to engage with their emotions," said Valentine, who is trained as a social worker. Other Connecticut facilities that collaborate with Rock n' Rescue include River Glen Health Care Center, a nursing facility located in Southbury.

Contributed by Rock n' Rescue

Even when residents at facilities don't want to participate in the activities, being able to just observe the kittens makes a difference to their mood, said Valentine.

"Laughter is an important part of the therapeutic process...Seeing people be happy with animals, makes other people happy too," said Cialone, who also added that sometimes Rock n' Rescue dresses the kittens in costumes.

On the adoption side of things, Rock n Rescue matches residents of neighboring states, including Connecticut, to the perfect pet for their family.

One of them is Weston resident Joy Goldblatt, who participates as foster pet parent and recently adopted her cat, Sven.

"Being able to love something and have comfort from something when we're upset, I think it's just good overall for everyone in the house," said Goldblatt, whose daughter named the cat after Disneys Frozen character.

Sven was found in the streets of Alabama without eyes. According to Goldblatt, he took almost no time to get acquainted to their house and he now jumps and runs around the house without any hesitation. In her two years as a foster parent, Goldblatt has welcomed around 25 kittens aside from Sven.

"It's really rewarding to be able to help out and to give back," said Goldblatt.

Contributed by Joy Goldblatt

Partnering with rescue shelters in southern states such as Kentucky, Alabama and Florida, Rock n' Rescue processes over 2,000 adoptions a year. The organization partners with over 75 pet foster families in Connecticut.

"We're always looking for fosters, that's huge for us. We know we can do so many more adoptions if we had more," said Cialone. Over the last two years, Rock n' Rescue has placed more than 1,5000 pets with Connecticut residents.

While Rock n' Rescue currently relies entirely on foster parents to host the rescued pets, the organization is looking to open a physical location in the near future.
Diary from Hong Kong: a patient's 1st day at Tsing Yi COVID-19 isolation facility

Xinhua) 09:02, March 10, 2022

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows a view of a community isolation facility (CIF) in Tsing Yi, south China's Hong Kong, on March 9, 2022. (Xinhua)

Editor's note: China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has been fighting its worst wave of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began. A mainland-aided, newly built community isolation facility (CIF) located in Tsing Yi started admitting its first batch of COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong on March 3. The facility, completed within just one week, is capable of accommodating about 3,900 asymptomatic or mildly ill patients.

A resident in Hong Kong hospitalized at the facility presents the first-person experience of how he -- along with his new neighbors -- feels at the facility.

HONG KONG, March 9 (Xinhua) -- I became a confirmed COVID-19 patient on March 8. As I had already taken three shots of COVID-19 vaccines, the infection did come as a surprise to me. But I must say that the vaccines had done a great job as I had basically no symptoms.

After triple tests produced all positive results, I was qualified for being admitted to the mobile cabin COVID-19 hospital. Not long after I called the special service hotline of the Fire Services Department, a vehicle picked me up as the only passenger to the Tsing Yi facility located near the Kwai Chung pier.

I checked in at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday and got a hot meal served by the facility. The room, about 20 square meters, is equipped with brand new bedding, toiletries, three large bottles of mineral water per person, a small desk lamp, and toilet paper.

Later I realized I had left home in such a hurry that I forgot to bring with me some of the daily necessities. Fortunately, I received a call from Tsing Yi staff asking me what I needed, and the plastic slippers and paper cups I asked for were delivered early Wednesday morning. I also learned a 24-hour response service is available for the patients.

The Tsing Yi CIF was built with the aid of a mainland construction company. It has a total of nearly 1,300 isolation rooms and a capacity of about 3,900 isolation beds. The compound of white cabins is divided into large areas marked by A, B, and C, with smaller units identified like A1 and B2.

Each small unit has about a dozen rooms, just like a small neighborhood. For me, the layout is also reminiscent of the tube-shaped university dormitory buildings in the 1990s in the mainland, with shared shower rooms and toilets.

Tuesday night, the public shower room in our zone had some drainage problems, creating a small area of waterlogging outside, and the dwellers walked on their tiptoes to navigate. Hospital staff soon covered the flooded ground with plastic boards and began working to get rid of the water. On Wednesday morning, the ground was almost dry.

The patients in my unit are mostly local residents. There are also some new arrivals from the mainland like me, and there is one family of an ethnic minority. Well, all people are equal before the virus.

After breakfast and lunch, everyone put on their masks and went outside to the open space. Different from Hong Kong people's daily greetings, people in Tsing Yi begin with "Have you (self) tested today? Is it negative yet?"

I saw people listening to songs with their cell phone speakers on, or shooting the breeze with family and friends via video calls. A few kids were playing with foldable lamps, and they told me they were acting as lightsaber-wielding Star Wars movie characters. One thing has seemed clear to me: the dwellers here would act as anything but a patient.

We are willing to live here to avoid cross-infection in the community, and we want to help ease the pressure on Hong Kong's medical system. And all these were done in the form of having a special period of leisure.

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows an isolation room of a community isolation facility (CIF) in Tsing Yi, south China's Hong Kong, on March 9, 2022. (Xinhua)

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows the toiletries provided to every patient in a community isolation facility (CIF) in Tsing Yi, south China's Hong Kong, on March 9, 2022. (Xinhua)

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows an isolation room of a community isolation facility (CIF) in Tsing Yi, south China's Hong Kong, on March 9, 2022. The room is equipped with brand new bedding, a bedside table, a small desk lamp, etc. (Xinhua)

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows a view of the B2 unit of a community isolation facility (CIF) in Tsing Yi, south China's Hong Kong, on March 9, 2022. (Xinhua)

Photo taken on March 8, 2022 shows an isolation room of a community isolation facility (CIF) in San Tin Tsuen Road, Yuen Long, south China's Hong Kong. The second community isolation facility (CIF) in Hong Kong constructed with the support from the mainland will start operation after it was handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Wednesday. (Xinhua)

Aerial photo taken on March 8, 2022 shows a community isolation facility (CIF) in San Tin Tsuen Road, Yuen Long, south China's Hong Kong. The second community isolation facility (CIF) in Hong Kong constructed with the support from the mainland will start operation after it was handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Wednesday. (Xinhua)

Aerial photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows a community isolation facility (CIF) in San Tin Tsuen Road, Yuen Long, south China's Hong Kong. The second community isolation facility (CIF) in Hong Kong constructed with the support from the mainland will start operation after it was handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Wednesday. (Xinhua)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
St Patricks Day Award

Many people worldwide, annually celebrate St Patrick's Day by going green, with many amateurs running special event stations as part of the festivities.

St Patrick's Day is a celebration of a legendary Irish saint and a national holiday that is about fun and celebration. We encourage you to get on the air with friends and family through this fun event, to show and enjoy all the benefits of amateur radio.

Saint Patricks Day stations will be running from midday (UTC) on the 16th March to midday (UTC) on the 18th March further information and to register as a participating station go to www.stpatricksaward.com
Jamie McDonald is no stranger to feeding people in crisis.

In 2017, the owner of Bear's Smokehouse BBQ and his son drove to Florida towing Cookshack smokers, joining Operation BBQ Relief to feed residents affected by Hurricane Irma. Three years later, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Bear's spent months donating food to healthcare workers and first responders. His restaurants in Hartford, New Haven, South Windsor and Windsor also regularly partner up with local organizations for fundraisers.

As McDonald saw tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, watching hundreds of thousands of people flee their homes as Russia invaded, he again knew he wanted to help.

"I just saw that...and in my mind, you can't have the opportunity and the ability to help these people and not do it," he said.

McDonald has been following the efforts of World Central Kitchen, founded and run by chef Jose Andres, which is currently on the ground helping Ukrainian refugees. Andres' team is feeding people in Ukraine and at a border crossing in southern Poland, according to the WCK website, and the organization has also expanded its efforts to serve people across the region in Romania, Moldova and Hungary.

McDonald registered to volunteer with WCK less than a week ago. Just a few days later, leaving his restaurants in the care of his team, he was on a plane to Poland, he said, arriving Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he joined a team cooking for thousands of refugees arriving in Medyka, a Polish village on the Ukraine border.

"It is insane how quickly they mobilize," he said of WCK. "In a week, they have a whole huge commercial kitchen built...it's amazing. We cook all day, and I've been going to the border to help serve."

Courtesy of Jamie McDonald

McDonald described a "constant stream" of Ukrainians entering Poland all day and night, with volunteers ready to feed them at all hours. The WCK teams are cooking hot, nourishing meals like borscht and other soups and stews, and offering coffee and hot chocolate to the people who've been waiting for hours in the cold winter temperatures. McDonald also brought along pounds of candy to hand out to children, he said.

"They've been traveling for days to get there, in overcrowded conditions, and their whole world is on their backs, in a backpack, [in a] suitcase. They're sometimes carrying their dogs and cats, babies, kids...they're crying, or they've been crying," he said. "You just try to keep a smile on your face, be pleasant and encourage them to eat."

Courtesy of Jamie McDonald

He's been documenting his experience on social media, posting photos and video to Instagram. There are heartwrenching moments, like a lost young woman in a pink parka wandering with a suitcase and parents trying to hold back tears in front of their young children. But they're contrasted with moments of heartwarming humanity, including a video of a German man playing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" on a piano for the refugees and volunteers.

"It's really horrific what these people are going through," he said. "You wish you could do more. ...They're running for their lives. It's totally senseless. There's no reason for this."

The Polish community that's turned out to help is "absolutely incredible," McDonald said, explaining that many have friends and family from Ukraine or who currently live there. Those who speak Ukrainian have been helpful with any language barriers, but food is a universal language.

"That's what's so nice about food, is everyone understands it and the comfort gotten from it," he said.

Courtesy of Jamie McDonald

McDonald expects to volunteer in Poland for another week, but is ready to stay longer if needed. Back home, Bear's Smokehouse BBQ is raising money for World Central Kitchen, donating 25 percent of the sales from its sauces and rubs. McDonald is also hosting a WCK fundraiser through Facebook, with a $50,000 goal.

Elsewhere in the state, five other Connecticut chefs are teaming up for an April 4 dinner to benefit World Central Kitchen. Carlos Perez of @ The Corner in Litchfield, Xavier Santiago of The Place 2 Be in Hartford and West Hartford, Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State in New Haven, and Ashley Flagg and Kristin Eddy of Millwright's in Simsbury will produce a five-course meal at the Litchfield restaurant, with all proceeds going to WCK.
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HAMDEN  Peter Vouras has a Greek word etched onto the storefront of Freskos, his Whitney Avenue restaurant: filotimo.

Literally, it translates to love of honor. It embodies a concept similar to the English phrase pay it forward, according to Vouras, in whose eyes it is about the idea that life is bigger than you.

Filotimo also explains why the business owner was giving out free gyros Thursday afternoon, and planning to donate the total value of the giveaway to Nova Ukraine, an organization that offers humanitarian aid to the country.

As Ukraine falls further and further into conflict amid the Russian invasion, Connecticut residents are looking for ways to help.

Even as he is pitching in abroad, Vouras is filling stomachs at home. Though he accepted donations during the event, the gyros were free.

Asked how he was able to raise money through the latter mechanism, Vouras said he was not.

He was simply tallying the free gyros and basing his donation on their total price.

Though the event helps raise his businesss profile, that wasnt what it was about, Vouras said.

It was about filotimo.

Vouras pointed to the word displayed near the entrance to his restaurant.

Inside, customers munched down pita bread sandwiches as Hamdens political elite began to file in to show their support: Mayor Lauren Garrett, Board of Education Chairwoman Melissa Kaplan, state Sen. Jorge Cabrera and Legislative Council member Justin Farmer, D-5, among others.

Farmer, the fifth district councilman, walked through the doors of Freskos because its important to support humanitarian efforts, he said. I definitely have prayed for those in Ukraine.

But he also has another group of people on his mind, one that may be farther from American sympathies: Russians. Not the oligarchs or autocrats, but the everyday Russians who will suffer from economic sanctions.

We also have to think about how we collectively heal afterward, Farmer said.

Around 3 p.m., Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined the group, adding her own donation to a plastic box set near the cash register.

She and Garrett offered remarks as Sean Grace, Garretts chief of staff, took out his phone to film.

Wearing a yellow sweater and a blue scarf  the colors of the Ukrainian flag  Garrett explained how Sana Shah, a member of the Democratic Town Committee, had a cousin in Ukraine named Oleg.

While his wife and child were now refugees in Poland, she said, Oleg remained in the country.

We are with you and support you, Garrett said, speaking directly into the camera  the team planned to send the video to Oleg.

Oleg, we want you to know that the state of Connecticut cares, said Bysiewicz, encouraging people to donate to organizations like the Red Cross if they had the means.

Ive been very inspired by people like (Peter Vouras), Bysiewicz later said.

So many people want to do something to help, she said when asked why she decided to attend the event.

She wants to spread the message that there are ways to help Ukrainians, such as by donating to organizations like the Red Cross, Save the Children and Doctors without Borders.

Bysewiecz hoped Connecticut residents would be generous, she said.

So far, that seemed to be the case.

It was crazy. It was a line out the door at lunch, said Vouras.

He even reported receiving a $1,000 donation from one customer.

It would all go to Nova Ukraine, Vouras said.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
WASHINGTON - Travelers will have to continue to wear masks until April 18 when flying commercially and in other transportation settings, including on buses, ferries and subways, officials announced Wednesday.

The mandate, which first was put into place by the Biden administration in early 2021 as a public health measure during the coronavirus pandemic, has been extended multiple times. It had been set to expire March 18.

"During that time, CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor. This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science," an administration official said in a statement.

The announcement comes as a growing number of states have rolled back rules that people wear masks indoors and as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its rules on mask-wearing. The revised guidance, released last month, details new metrics designed to help individuals assess the risk in their community so they could determined whether extra precautions are needed.

The shift also signaled the Biden administration's view that the United States has entered a different, potentially less dangerous phase of the pandemic and that after more than two years of living with the virus, most communities have greater protection against severe disease because of widespread immunity gained from both vaccinations and infections. It also acknowledged the increased availability of treatments testing and higher-quality masks.

The new approach is expected to be less disruptive to daily life at a time when cases and hospitalizations across the United States have plummeted, with the seven-day average of new cases now near 70,000, the lowest since late October and a drop of more than 85 percent from the end of January. Hospitalizations have dropped by nearly two-thirds, with under 55,000 covid patients.

Airlines began requiring customers to wear masks in mid-2020 as part of the effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The Trump administration declined to put a mask mandate in place, but shortly after taking office, Biden issued an order that required masks be worn in all transportation settings.

While numerous studies show mask-wearing can reduce the spread of the coronavirus, the mandate has fueled a rash of conflict on airplanes and in airports. The vast majority of onboard incidents reported to the Federal Aviation Administration have been mask-related, the agency said.

In 2021, the FAA received nearly 6,000 reports of unruly passenger behavior and more than 70 percent of cases were mask-related. The agency has proposed more than $1 million in fines related to disruptions that also have included assaults on crew members, other passengers and violations of airline alcohol policies.

In hope of deterring bad behavior, the TSA - charged with enforcing the federal mask mandate in airports, on trains and in other transportation settings - last year doubled fines for violations to as much as $1,000 for first offenders and up to $3,000 for second offenders. The agency said in February it has imposed nearly $400,000 in civil penalties against more than 600 mask violators.

The mandate has drawn the ire of several Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Paul and other Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at rescinding the requirement.

At a Senate hearing in December, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, pressed airlines executives on when the requirement would be dropped. Gary Kelly, then-chief executive of Southwest Airlines, told lawmakers he thought masks didn't add much protection because of air exchanges on commercial aircraft. The exchange drew pushback from Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, who also was on the panel. Kelly announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus the next day.

In requiring that masks be worn in transportation settings, the CDC did not include an end date. However, the TSA has the authority to further extend such transportation enforcement directives.

The mandate "will remain in effect unless modified or rescinded based on specific public health or other considerations," or when the secretary of health and human services finds there is no longer a public health emergency, the CDC's order said.

Children younger than 2 and those with certain disabilities are exempt from the mask requirement.
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NEW HAVEN  Police announced arrests Thursday stemming from a series of gun violence incidents, as officials praised the efforts of detectives, the regional shooting task force, and members of the community who had stepped forward to assist in the investigations.

Interim Chief Renee Dominugez said arrests had recently been made in a series of incidents, which occurred near West Street, Redfield Street, Fowler Street, Shepherd Street, Lloyd Street, Rosette Street and Lodge Street, respectively, over the course of the past two years.

The Rosette Street shooting was earlier this month, on March 4. A juvenile was arrested in connection with the incident on Shepherd Street, an alleged armed robbery in which a woman was shot in the finger; police have a warrant for Tyrone Thomas, 27, in connection with the matter.

Dominguez, Mayor Justin Elicker, Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson and State Attorney Patrick Griffin praised the officers involved for their efforts.

(Detectives) are working around the clock to be able to investigate and get some arrest warrants for these shootings, said Dominguez. These cases just really exemplify the hard work and dedication.

A lot of progress here. I think that we need to underscore always that theres a lot more work to be done, in particular to increase the solve rate that we have for shootings, shots fired and homicides, said Elicker. I wanted to thank so many folks that have been vital to the work here, and I just see it over and over and over again.

Jacobson, in addition to offering his thanks to a number of officials, underscored the importance of community residents coming forward with information.

I feel like the police department is getting the support it needed from the outside, not just within, said Jacobson. The most important part of this is: the community is helping us. Thank you. We thank the community; theyre helping us, and we need your help. If they continue to help us, well continue to solve crimes, and we appreciate that.

Jacobson also noted that Anthony Valerio, accused in connection with the fatal shooting of Natosha Gaines in October 2020, had been found guilty of first-degree manslaughter at trial. Valerio has not yet been sentenced, Griffin said.

Three of the incidents were investigated by the regional shooting task force, which was formed in June 2021 and features officers from New Haven, Hamden, North Haven, Wallingford and the Yale Police Department.

Griffin, noting the task force had been formed in the midst of a spike in gun crime in cities across the nation last year, spoke to the importance of solving such offenses.

We recognize that unsolved shootings have an impact on the community, and have an impact on the confidence that the community has in law enforcement, said Griffin. The community has made a difference. They have sent a message to us that violent crime is the priority, and I think were beginning to see significant benefits in cooperation from the community.

Dominguez said there had been 18 shootings and no homicides so far in 2022, as compared to 16 and seven at this time last year. The department has seized 42 guns, including six ghost guns, and made 36 associated arrests, up from 28 guns, none of which were ghost firearms, and 29 associated arrests last year. she said.

Elicker also said the city had issued a request for proposals to garner 500 cameras, which will be installed across the city as officials continue to strive to solve gun violence cases, including homicides.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
During the 300-year period of the Romanov dynasty, Ukraine was parcelled out between Poland and Russia more than twice. Under the agreement signed between Poland and Russia in 1654, Eastern part of Ukraine came under the Russian Tsar.

by Kusal Perera

Invading Ukraine over 14 days ago, Vladimir Putin the modern-day Tsar was out for a quick take-over either by eliminating Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky or by occupying Kiev expecting Ukraine forces to surrender. In fact, immediately after ordering the invasion, he called for Ukraine forces to lay down arms and surrender. Putins massive army yet could not overpower the Ukrainian Peoples determination to fight back for their independence and sovereignty. There is now a ceasefire offer from Moscow for negotiations. With heavy economic sanctions slapped on Russia by Western powers, Putin seems to be ready for a new era of undefined cold war.

Longest ruling Queen in imperial Russia - Catherine the Great

The question that yet remains to be answered is why did Putin invade Ukraine? Despite his claim that Ukraine belongs to Russia and his allegations over NATO interference, Neo Nazism and genocide against Russian speaking minorities by the Zelensky regime being way out of target, there is a long history that cements Putins feudal thinking of Great Russian dominance in regaining territory that was under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) when it collapsed in 1991.

All Soviets that were in the Socialist Republic created by the Bolsheviks after the 1917 revolution, were territories that belonged to the Tsarist empire. Romanovs were the last such dynasty from 1613 for over 300 years with two Greats; Peter the Great and Catherine the Great who expanded the Russian empire to be the largest empire on this planet. About 08 Centuries before in the 09 Century, the Kiev centred territory was occupied by a Slav population with a culture of their own and was known as the Kievan-Rus. Present day Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, all claim ancestral lineage to this Kievan-Rus culture.

During the 300-year period of the Romanov dynasty, Ukraine was parcelled out between Poland and Russia more than twice. Under the agreement signed between Poland and Russia in 1654, Eastern part of Ukraine came under the Russian Tsar. Again, after the Polish-Russian war from 1772 for 27 years, and the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine was divided between Imperial Russia and Hapsburg-Austria and remained divided for 100 years. Thus, Putins claim for ownership of Ukraine is a wild arrogant claim based on the same Great Russian psyche of the Tsarist empire.

The Great Russian majority ideology did not fall apart, though the Tsarist empire fell apart. It lived through the 1917 October revolution till the fall of the USSR and thereafter too. Tsarist Russia the revolutionary Bolsheviks captured was not a capitalist State by any definition. Russia under Tsars were nowhere close to a capitalist State. When the first revolution broke out in 1905, rural population in Tsarist Russia was 87 percent and in 1917 the year of the October Revolution, it was 85 percent rural. (Statistics of the Russian Land Commune - 1905 to 1917 / Dorothy Atkinson)

When Bolsheviks were planning for a revolution in Petrograd, the largest of all urbanised centres in Russia, the total industrial labour population in 1917 was roughly about 06 million in both private and State-owned factories. This was about 4.2 percent of the total population. (International Encyclopaedia of the First World - 1914 to 1918 / Michael S. Melancon).

Though the top Marxist leadership of the 1917 October Revolution including Lenin and Trotsky claimed they would establish a Dictatorship of the Working-class there was no working class proper in feudal Russia that could take over State power.

What was therefore effectively the most decisive factor in the 1917 October revolution was the war fatigued Russian army from the poor peasantry, the largest army in the world then at over 05 million soldiers. The Marxist Internet Archives note, the 1914 mobilization heralded a significant change among village men who took up arms - some with patriotic fervour and others with great reluctance. (WW I - Russia). It was this mutinous army and the pauperised rebellious large peasantry that basically deposed the Tsarist imperialism. A revolutionary decree thereafter announced the authority of the Bolsheviks over the whole Russian empire. As Trotsky says in his autobiography, The decree that announced our willingness to make peace was passed by the Congress of Soviets on October 26, when only Petrograd was in our hands. (My Life - p/362)

When civil war broke out in early February 1918, only part of Russia - Moscow, Petrograd and parts of its industrial territory was under Bolshevik control. Rest of the dismantled Tsarist empire was under local and provincial political and military leaders revolting and waging war for independence of their geographical territories. Finland and Baltic nations established independence in early 1918. Siberia and Caucasus established their independence too. Western Belarus and Ukraine joined the new Polish State. Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan had to be brutally crushed and annexed once again.

Lenins theoretical proposition for nation States to be in a loose union as a Soviet Socialist Republic in practise was overrun by the feudal imperialist Great Russian desire of the Bolsheviks. Central Committee chaired by Lenin thus decided to crush the civil war in the name of the socialist revolution. Personally proposed by Lenin as War Commissar, Trotskys ingenuity in military strategy and skills in assembling the Red Army into a disciplined fighting force while living in a train travelling from one front to another for two and a half years helped crush independent forces waging war to establish their own nation States. Advantage the Bolsheviks had in these scattered isolated wars was the Western allied forces did not want to commit themselves to another war immediately after the WW I was concluded in 1918 August.

When finally, the civil war was declared over in October 1922 almost the entirety of the Tsarist Russian empire had been regained by Bolsheviks for whom Great Russian dominance was vital for their Socialist Republic. Compromises were therefore worked out with different provincial forces to fit them with the broad framework of Lenins Socialist Republic. They subsequently became coerced compromises with Stalin emerging as the strong man of the Soviet Republic, after the demise of Lenin in January 1924.

Modern democratically structured and elected Soviets across the old empire was anyway not possible in a feudal society controlled by parochial nobility. Traditional peasant life was defined by patriarchy, religious orthodoxy, and communality says Sarah Badcock, an Associate Professor of History, University of Nottingham (in article - The 1917 Peasant Revolutions). There was no strong and large enough working class that could be the boulevard of an ideologically modern democratic State. The Bolsheviks had very little social space to engage ideologically in challenging the Tsarist Great Russian social mindset in a vastly primitive and backward, underdeveloped empire to establish an effectively functional modern democratic State. Nor were the Bolsheviks inclined to challenge the Great Russian dominance with which they regained the Tsarist empire under a new package.

Bolsheviks did catalyse an urban socio-political movement for change of political power with a change of State structure, but with insignificant change in feudal mindsets, as it happened here in Sri Lanka as well with the introduction of universal franchise in 1931 and the elected State Council. Political parties took over new State organs under them with elected representations in governance. Yet there was no change in feudal mindsets; caste, religion, gender disparities, feudal hierarchies and land tenure and ownership, all remaining with no significant change. Political parties adopted themselves to live with all those injustices and disparities, adopting the ideology of the majority ethno-religious constituency. Society is yet burdened with divisions, rivalry and hatred on majority ethno-religious dominance used by Sinhala-Buddhist political parties as social ideology for political power.

Putin in that sense is not alone on this planet this era. Most countries with economic downturns and utterly corrupt political leaderships rely on majority ethno-religious dominance with authoritarian power. Most conspicuous of them all were Donald Trump in the US playing for White Supremacist dominance, Narendra Modi creating a violent Hindutva frenzy in India and Xi Jinping in China creating larger space for Han nationalism while in different provinces with large minority Chinese ethnicities are seeing reducing space.

There nevertheless is a difference between Jinpings Chinese Han nationalism and the other 03 majority ethno-religious campaigners: Trump, Putin and Modi. All of them are using chauvinism of the majority hyped to a violent social expression against minorities in the absence of decent, developmental alternative to the utterly corrupt, mega city centred, neo liberal market economies, while China is subtle with its economic invasions of countries they decide as geo-politically important to them on their massively funded BRI Project. What is more covert in all these majority dominant politics in a global market economy is that they are all in the UN Security Council, three of them as Permanent Members and are all leading arms and ammunition manufacturers and dealers in the global market. Putin therefore is a necessary evil for all of them, except for Zelensky and the Ukraine People. Ukrainians who have come under the boots of Greater Russian expansionism and tussle for global dominance.
WASHINGTON - When Russia first invaded Ukraine just over two weeks ago, the near-unanimous global assumption was that it would score a quick and easy military victory over its neighbor to the west.

But now - with the Ukrainians waging a fierce resistance and Russian forces bogged down outside nearly every major city - the Biden administration and its allies say they see no clear end to the military phase of this conflict, according to interviews with 17 administration officials, diplomats, policymakers and experts. The situation seems destined to result in an even deadlier and more protracted slog, wreaking devastation on Ukraine and causing a massive humanitarian crisis.

As the war enters its third week, President Joe Biden and his team are also entering a murkier, more difficult stage of the conflict, where the new challenge is how to control the largely uncontrollable: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his endgame, whatever that may be.

The Biden administration has successfully encouraged NATO and other Western allies to use nearly every available lever of power to sanction and punish Putin, but those efforts so far have had little discernible influence over the Russian president, who has only escalated his military offensive on cities and towns across Ukraine.

Any outcome represents a lose-lose proposition, as even an eventual Russian defeat is likely to leave Ukraine decimated and its European neighbors bearing the brunt of the humanitarian crisis. So far, the United Nations human rights office reports that 516 civilians in Ukraine - including 37 children - have been killed since Feb. 24, adding that the actual toll is likely much higher. And during that same period, as many as 4,000 Russian troops may have died, a senior U.S. military officer said.

"The longer that this goes on, the likelier it will be that Russia ends up being defeated, but also more likely that more people will die," said a European diplomat, who like others requested anonymity to share a candid assessment of the crisis.

Jim Townsend, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy, said that right now, "everyone is kind of feeling their way forward."

"The endgame is going to be pretty complicated, and the endgame is going to have to deal with Putin as who he is, and it's also going to have to deal with getting Ukraine back on its feet and also deal with what to do with these sanctions," Townsend said.

The current U.S. strategy, according to senior Biden administration officials, is to ensure that the economic costs for Russia are severe and sustainable, as well as to continue supporting Ukraine militarily in its effort to inflict as many defeats on Russia as possible.

But U.S. military assistance remains limited, as Biden has made clear the United States is unwilling to get into a direct confrontation with Russia, a fellow nuclear power. Biden has said that he will not put any U.S. combat troops on the ground in Ukraine and he and other NATO leaders have resisted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's pleas to enforce a no-fly zone over the country.

And despite repeatedly engaging in diplomatic efforts with Russia in the run-up to the invasion, Biden officials have largely not pursued diplomacy with Putin since the conflict began, citing the Kremlin's lack of seriousness about such negotiations as the reason.

Now entering the third week of the crisis, for instance, the Biden administration has yet to engage directly with the Russian government over an off-ramp to curb the violence or any initial steps to bring an end to the war.

A senior administration official added, however, that the U.S. government has maintained channels to the Russians since the conflict began, including through the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, a "deconfliction channel" - a phone connection to the Russian Ministry of Defense, administered out of European Command Headquarters - and other existing channels that U.S. officials would not detail, citing security concerns.

In lieu of direct negotiations between the United States and Russia, the governments of France, Israel, Turkey, and Ukraine have all opened channels of communication with the Kremlin since the start of hostilities.

Discussions with those countries - which the Kremlin views as bit players in contrast to the United States - have failed to reach any constructive agreements. Foreign diplomats hope to convince Putin to soften his demands on the "full demilitarization" of Ukraine but U.S. and French officials remain skeptical those talks will bear fruit.

Talks between the top foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia in Turkey on Thursday failed to reach an agreement on a ceasefire or even modest measures to improve the humanitarian situation.

Despite the bleak prospects, U.S. officials say they are in no rush to directly engage Putin, whom they view as unserious about diplomacy.

"It's important to remember that throughout this crisis created by Putin and Russia, we've sought to provide possible off-ramps to President Putin," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. "He's the only one who can decide whether or not to take them. So far, every time there's been an opportunity to do just that, he's pressed the accelerator and continued down this horrific road that he's been pursuing."

Blinken added that the Biden administration ultimately expects "a strategic defeat" of Putin and Russia, despite any "short-term tactical gains it may make in Ukraine."

"We'll accomplish this by backing Ukrainians in their fight, by remaining united in holding Russia accountable through the devastating sanctions, the diplomatic isolation and other measures," Blinken said. "And we've already seen that Russia's failed at its chief objectives. It's not been able to hold Ukraine. It's not going to be able to hold Ukraine in the long term - again, no matter what the tactical victories it may achieve are."

A senior State Department official added that there are few "indications that the Russians are in any mood for serious diplomacy at the moment."

"It's hard to offer an overture when the Kremlin's position continues to be that 'We'll continue to pummel Ukraine until and unless Ukraine changes its constitution . . . demilitarizes [and] denazifies,' whatever that means," said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive U.S. decision.

But some analysts warn that the Biden administration doesn't have the luxury to sit back and allow others to negotiate with Moscow as the prospect of a full-scale Russian bombardment of Ukraine's biggest population centers looms.

"The Russians aren't going to make concessions when they sit across the table from the French, Turks, Israelis or Ukrainians," said Jeremy Shapiro, the research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Still, Shapiro added, "the advantage that a negotiated peace has is that it can limit the violence, save many people's lives, it can reduce the risk of escalation, and it can find a soft landing for both sides so they can try to move forward with a broader reconciliation."

Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the Rand Corporation, also said it makes sense to try to negotiate directly with Russia using some of the leverage created by sanctions and other economic measures in recent days - even if the chances of Putin backing down or changing his goals are slim.

"There is a case to be made for the president of the United States to be the one trying to push Putin to change his war aims, negotiate with Zelensky and cease fire," Charap said.

Meanwhile, European officials involved in the crisis discussions say that - as in Washington - their leaders at this point are exerting little energy toward trying to guide Putin to specific actions that could lead to a sanctions rollback, partly because they, too, remain skeptical that the Kremlin is ready to negotiate.

European leaders have also been spurred on by public opinion, which is now overwhelmingly in favor of tough measures against Russia. That dynamic helped drive the announcements a week ago of historically tough sanctions against Russia's banking sector and its foreign reserves.

"It's hard to see how this is going to end," said one senior European diplomat, one of those who requested anonymity to share their take.

"It sounds bad to say that there are no off-ramps - but diplomatic ones, I don't see them," the official added, explaining there are some issues on which they can't compromise, including neutrality for Ukraine if that's not something Ukraine itself desires.

Another senior European diplomat who was deeply involved in the sanctions discussions acknowledged there was a danger to imposing measures so powerful that they could eventually lead to Russia's economic collapse. But the diplomat said that failing to apply harsh sanctions following the invasion would be even more dangerous, since a weak response could also embolden Putin to keep pushing forward into NATO territory.

Part of the challenge for the Biden administration is how to handle an adversary such as Putin, who some officials and analysts worry is liable to lash out further if he feels cornered.

And despite initial miscalculations, the Russian president may indeed feel boxed in. When he announced the invasion, Putin publicly stated that his goal is to "denazify" and "demilitarize" Ukraine - meaning that anything short of changing the Ukrainian government will be interpreted as a loss by his inner circle. The more Russia suffers economically, many experts and officials say, the more he is likely to feel the need to double down and bring home a victory.

In the run-up to the invasion, the Biden administration relied on the threat of devastating sanctions to deter Russia from launching its military offensive. But once that deterrence failed, the United States and its European allies followed through on their threats, implementing a set of damaging economic measures against Moscow that included freezing the Russian central bank's foreign currency reserves.

One risk is that Putin increasingly sees the measures not as sanctions designed to change his behavior in Ukraine, but as an effort to topple his government in Russia. The Biden administration has stressed, both publicly and privately, that it has no interest in regime change in Russia, said someone familiar with the private discussions.

But Putin has long feared an attempt by the United States to push him from power, and Western leaders have sent mixed messages on the intent of their endgame. European foreign policy chief Josep Borrell specifically said the sanctions are not aimed at regime change in Russia, but a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the measures were, in fact, aimed at bringing down Putin's regime - comments Downing Street later recanted.

"If Putin believes he is in a fight for the survival of his regime, he is likely to be willing to escalate this - both within Ukraine and beyond, because the stakes become existential," Charap said. "When you are fighting for your life, maybe literally, or certainly for the survival of your regime, which he conflates with the survival of the country, you could go to extreme lengths."

Testifying on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, CIA Director William J. Burns articulated the challenge of dealing with Putin, noting that the Russian leader is increasingly isolated and that he is "angry and frustrated right now" after his series of strategic miscalculations and setbacks.

"He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties," Burns said.

And while administration officials don't know precisely how the conflict will end, they have been clear about how much of the outcome is dependent on Putin, as well as what their own preferred result is.

"The way this conflict will end is when Putin realizes that this adventure has put his own leadership standing at risk with his own military, with his own people, that he is hemorrhaging the lives of the people of Russia, the army of Russia and their future to his own vain ambition. And he will have to change course or the Russian people will take matters into their own hands," Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, the No. 3 official at the State Department, testified on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. "But from the U.S. perspective, the endgame is the strategic defeat of President Putin in this adventure."

- - -

The Washington Post's Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.
Last month, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England  Connecticuts largest abortion provider  had to cancel a third of its abortion clinics around the state because it didnt have enough physicians available.

Thats just one data point, but I think its a good example of the constraint on access to care that we are seeing, Amanda Skinner, the agencys president and CEO, said Wednesday at a hearing of the legislative Public Health Committee.

Skinner was testifying in support of a bill that would broaden who can perform surgical abortions in Connecticut, where state law limits the procedures to licensed physicians. While Connecticut state law has protected a persons right to choose since 1990, reproductive rights advocates say access remains an issue. Skinnner said the average wait time for an abortion is two weeks.

Under the proposal before the public health committee, advanced practice registered nurses, nurse-midwives and physician assistants licensed in Connecticut would be able to perform surgical abortions.

Those providers are already authorized to issue prescriptions for the drug for medical abortions, per a 2001 opinion issued by then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal following approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

For the past four years, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England has performed 36,170 abortions in Connecticut, about 65 percent of which were conducted with medication, according to data provided by the agency.

The proposal in the General Assembly comes as the U.S. Supreme Court will likely this year overturn the landmark case Roe V. Wade, which codified the legal right to abortion at the federal level. Pro-life activists say more than 20 states could ban or significantly limit access to abortions if the federal law is overturned.

That will lead some people to travel to Connecticut for abortion care, advocates said.

Dr. Nancy Stanwood, the associate medical director of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England and chief of family planning for Yale Medicine, said providers want to be prepared to meet the current need as well as caring for those who might come from out of state.

If the bill is successful, Connecticut would join 14 other states who permit advanced practice clinicians to perform procedural abortions, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

The Connecticut proposal faces opposition from pro-life advocates and several medical groups. The Connecticut State Medical Society testified that while it supports efforts to increase access to reproductive health, allowing mid-level providers to perform surgical procedures could result in unintended consequences.

We head down the slippery slope to allowing those procedures that are in fact surgical to be done by mid-level providers, creating patient safety concerns and significant scope of practice issues, the medical society said in testimony.

The group said there is some debate about whether abortion care constitutes a surgical procedure. Planned Parenthood, for example, refers to abortions as surgical procedures on its website. Whereas the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines vacuum aspiration, the most common method of abortion used within the first trimester, as procedural in nature.

Stanwood said early aspiration abortion procedures are similar to other reproductive health care procedures that nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives and physician assistants already safely provide, such as IUD insertion.

Abortion care is safe, with a complication rate 10 times lower than childbirth, she testified.

The Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference questioned the need for the bill and whether there is an access issue in Connecticut, citing data from the state Department of Public Health that shows as of 2019 there has been a 37 percent decline in abortions performed since the high of 14,534 in 2007.

Deacon David Reynolds, associate director for public policy, said the groups opposition is not solely based on its longstanding moral position to abortion, but about shortcomings in the law, including not addressing training that would be required if the state expands who could provide surgical abortions.

If this committee desires to specifically define which medical providers can perform abortions in the state, then it should also include a reference to the level of training in abortion procedures that these providers receive, Reynolds said.
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

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Cloudy. Periods of rain early. High around 60F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

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Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has debunked reports that policemen died in his convoy. His Special Adviser on Communicatio...





Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has debunked reports that policemen died in his convoy.





His Special Adviser on Communications, Hakeem Bello issued a rebuttal Wednesday night.





The aide said there was no fatal crash during Tuesdays inspection of the Second Niger by a Federal Government Team led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari.





The team comprised Fashola, Labour Minister Chris Ngige and Managing Director, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Uche Orji.





Bello noted that on arrival at the Asaba Airport in Delta, they visited the Interchange, along Owerri-Onitsha Road and the East approach to the Bridge in Onitsha, and walked across to the West approach.





He said after a media briefing, Gambari was conducted to the West approach at Asaba and the Toll Plaza of the Bridge before returning to Abuja.





It was discovered much later that one of the vehicles in the Team of the Commissioner of Police from Anambra State had a mishap during which two policemen sustained injuries.





It was confirmed from the Nigeria Police, Anambra State Command that they were treated at the Federal Medical Centre Asaba and had since been discharged, he said.





Fashola, however, expressed deep sympathies over the two injured men of the Anambra Police Command.
OAKLAND PARK  Life changed for Ciara Zimprichs family  husband Dan, children and grandchildren  on New Years Eve.

And in the weeks since Ciara Zimprich, 44, and son, Maguire Zimprich, 14, died after a car crash in Oakland Park, Dan Zimprich struggled with the thought that it may have been his fault.

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But investigators found that Jonathan Ilan Yuz, 18, was speeding at 80 mph in his Porsche a second before he struck the passenger side of the BMW that Zimprich was driving, the Broward Sheriffs Office said Wednesday.

Yuz, of Fort Lauderdale, faces two counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of reckless driving causing property damage and a count of reckless driving causing injury.

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[ RELATED: This is my first day here alone, vacationer says after New Years Eve crash in South Florida ]

Detectives received a search warrant Monday after their investigation ended, and Yuz was arrested Tuesday, the Sheriffs Office said.

On Dec. 31, 2021, Dan and Ciara Zimprich and Maguire were riding along East Commercial Boulevard about 5:30 p.m., having just left dinner at the beach and picking up 14-year-old Maguire from fishing in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Zimprich previously told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The three, along with 15-year-old daughter Mackenzie, had been visiting from Wisconsin.

Mackenzie Zimprich was not in the car that day. Nor were Ciara Zimprichs three other children  Mallory Rodriguez, 24, Max Grorich, 22, and Mason Grorich, 20  who were not vacationing with them.

Jonathan Ilan Yuz, 18, of Fort Lauderdale, faces two vehicular homicide charges. a reckless driving causing injury charge and two counts of reckless driving causing property damage for his involvement in the Dec. 31, 2021, crash that killed a woman and boy. (Broward Sheriff's Office)

Yuz was driving east in the middle lane on East Commercial Boulevard in a 2020 Porsche Taycan 4s near Northeast 15th Avenue when Yuz hit the passenger side of the 2021 BMW 330i, the Sheriffs Office said, as it turned south to cross the eastbound lanes.

The T-bone impact sent both vehicles rotating, flinging the BMW onto the sidewalk and into a light pole on the drivers side. Yuzs Porsche stopped across the eastbound lanes, deputies said.

[ RELATED: They were chasing the sun and a dream on a whim, just like they always did. But their last-minute getaway to South Florida veered tragically off course. ]

Zimprich would recall the crash unfolding so quickly he couldnt tell what happened.

When I turned, I looked. There was nobody even near there, he said Wednesday. I zipped over pretty fast too  but I know there was not a car in that vicinity.

Investigators also found Yuz had made an illegal U-turn two blocks before where the crash happened, the Sheriffs Office said.

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I knew by the damage to the vehicle that wasnt a 35 mph accident, Dan Zimprich said.

Yuz and the Zimpriches were all hospitalized that day. Yuzs injuries were not released. Dan Zimprich had four broken ribs. Maguire and Ciara Zimprich did not make it.

Ciara Zimprich died later that day at Broward Health Medical Center, and her son remained in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the same hospital before he was airlifted to a hospital in Wisconsin, their home state, a week later.

Dan Zimprich lost his his wife, Ciara, and son, Maguire, in a New Year's Eve car crash in Oakland Park while the family was on its annual South Florida visit. (Dan Zimprich)

Maguire Zimprich died Jan. 15 after his father decided to donate his sons organs and remove him from life support.

Yuzs arrest does not bring closure, he said. But he can now shed some of the weight hes been carrying.

There will never be closure, Zimprich said. Im hoping hes a good kid who just made a mistake.

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I feel bad. I shouldnt but I do. Obviously thats beyond reckless to be driving that fast on a road like that with all those businesses and stuff. Im just relieved it wasnt my fault.

Maguire Zimprich died Jan. 15 after a fatal car crash that also killed his mother, Ciara Zimprich, on Dec. 31, 2021. (Provided by Dan Zimprich)

Despite the painful memories that the thought of Florida now brings, he is hoping to make the trip south in a few weeks for his daughters Spring Break.

The trip would mean Dan Zimprich would spend his anniversary, March 25, in the place where he lost his wife and son.

I wanted to put some flowers on the crash site, he said.

Since their death, the outpouring of support from loved ones has not subsided. His daughter has remained strong, Zimprich said, while grieving the loss.

I have friends calling just about every day and see if Im all right. They touched a lot of lives, he said.

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Staff writers Eileen Kelley and Chris Perkins contributed to this report.

Editors Note: This article has been updated to include the names of all family members.
Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho has disclosed that a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, visited him in...





Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho has disclosed that a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, visited him in detention.





Igboho expressed surprise that Momodu could visit him while he was detained in Cotonou, Benin Republic.





The freedom fighter, who was recently released by the Benin Republic government, said the presidential aspirant risked everything to visit him while he was detained.





I was very surprised that Chief Momodu could do this when many big people were even afraid to speak up for me.





He prayed for me and told me to be calm and await Gods intervention.





He said all he wants is peace and that he will reach out to every part of Nigeria, he said in his first video released.





The Beninese government had released Igboho a few days ago on health grounds.





Igboho was arrested last year in Cotonou while travelling to Germany.





He had fled Nigeria to Cotonou after the Department of State Services, DSS, attempted to arrest him in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Rain. High 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 39F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
TAMARAC  A man who died in a hit-and-run crash in Tamarac while riding his electric bicycle wasnt found until more than 24 hours later when family members searched for him, officials said.

Deputies from the Broward Sheriffs Office want the publics help finding the 2017 or 2018 Nissan Rogue they think was involved in the crash.

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Neker Fleurosier, 49, of North Lauderdale, was hit about 1 a.m. Sunday in the 4400 block of Rock Island Road. But his body wasnt found until after 10:30 a.m. Monday when a family member traced his route home from work and found his body.

Deputies said Fleurosier was riding his bicycle north in the designated bicycle lane when the Rogue hit him from behind and knocked him forward and off the road.

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A Broward Sheriff's Office traffic homicide investigator on Monday looks over the scene of a hit-and-run accident involving an electric bicycle. The cyclist was killed. (Joe Cavaretta / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Family members got concerned when Fleurosier didnt answer phone calls or show up to work. After a search they found his body and called authorities.

Traffic homicide detectives are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sean Strzalkowski at 954-321-4845, Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or file online at BrowardCrimeStoppers.org.
Participants in the upcoming New Orleans Entrepreneur Week will likely speak of entrepreneurial ecosystems, a term implying the various factors needed to grow startups into sustainable enterprises. Among them are capital, diverse skill sets, a client pool, key infrastructure or facilities and apt government policies.

What yokes them together is geography  that is, the factors they need to intersect within a certain place.

Silicon Valley in California and Research Triangle in North Carolina are examples at the regional level. Many larger cities have their own entrepreneurial hot spots, be they trendy downtown districts or suburban office parks, where startups tend to cluster to their mutual benefit.

New Orleanians may draw inspiration from a fascinating aspect of local culture that catalyzed similar clusters in times past, and endure today in transmuted form.

It was New Orleans system of public food markets.

Seeds of commerce

Think of any present-day commercial cluster within the citys historic districts, and it likely originated around a now-vanished public market.

The system was born in the late 1700s in response to public health concerns. Hunters and farmers would sell to townspeople under the blazing sun, while peddlers plied victuals openly in the streets and fishmongers set up in what is now Jackson Square. Foodstuffs often spoiled before reaching the table.

The Spanish Cabildo (city government) understood that centralizing food retail would allow for both sanitary inspections as well as taxation. According to Cabildo records from Sept. 10, 1784, officials decided to construct a market large enough to accommodate all the daily food supplies [to] protect them from the bad weather and excessive heat  as well as from the heavy rains and extreme cold weather. . This public market should be centrally located.

In 1791, officials remodeled this early provisional structure into an enclosed stall market where now stands Cafe du Monde. Later known as the French Market, the emporium expanded in 1799 with a fish market, in the 1820s with a fruit and vegetable market, in 1840 with a wild game market, and later with a bazaar (dry goods) market.

A must-see

New Orleans first public market became a must-see for visitors. The French Market is one of the most lively and picturesque scenes of New Orleans, wrote Swedish traveler Fredrika Bremer in 1851.

One feels as if transported at once to a great Paris marche (except) that one here meets with various races of people, hears many different languages spoken, and sees the productions of various zones. Here are English, Irish, Germans, French, Spanish, Mexicans. . Most (who sell) are black Creoles, or natives, who have the French animation and gayety, who speak French fluently, (while) on the outskirts of the market you found Indians.

From the perspective of the city, public markets brought in revenue, through license fees and stall leases, and made inspection and sanitation easier thanks to centralization. From the perspective of vendors, the markets minimized overhead costs, such that stalls rented far cheaper than storefronts.

Vendors didnt need much start-up capital, nor special skills  just a supply chain and a strong work ethic. They didnt even need to speak the predominant language; pidgin sufficed.

Market workers rarely went hungry, around all that food, and affordable housing could usually be found nearby, as just about every neighborhood would eventually get a public market.

From Treme to Algiers

The 1830s saw the first big expansion. What is now the Warehouse District got the St. Mary Market, between North and South Diamond streets, while the present-day CBD got the Poydras Market in the neutral ground of 1000 Poydras.

The Faubourg Treme had its 350-foot-long Treme Market on Orleans Street, and the Faubourg Marigny and present-day Bywater got the Port and Washington markets.

In 1849, the Dryades Market opened at the present-day intersection of Oretha Castle Haley and Martin Luther King boulevards, serving a vicinity that later got the Keller, 2nd Street and Mehle markets.

Magazine Street formed a veritable corridor of food emporia, with markets named Magazine, 9th Street, Jefferson and Ewing, while nearby Prytania Street and Carrollton had their own eponymous emporia.

Algiers had two, St. John and Foto, and the high-population neighborhoods of the lower wards had a dozen public markets.

By the early 1900s, wrote UNO geographer Robert Sauder in a 1981 article, New Orleans operated more public markets than any city in the country and continued to operate them later than most other cities.

Neighborhood icons

Sauders map of the 34 public markets in 1911 reflected the population distribution of the city at the time. As such, markets became neighborhood icons and had an architecture to match, with stately facades and picturesque cupolas.

Because ethnic geography varied citywide, some markets became associated with certain groups. The French or Creole Market gained its name for its many French Creole vendors  until Sicilian immigrants came to dominate in the late 1800s, leading to the nickname Italian Market.

The St. Mary Market was known as the Irish French Market, and the Dryades Market had many Orthodox Jewish vendors.

Visitor Nathaniel H. Bishop witnessed this diversity during an 1876 visit to the French Market, where he noted the Sicilian fruit-seller with his native dialect; the brisk French madame with her dainty stall; the mild-eyed Louisiana Indian woman with her sack of gumbo(;) the fish-dealer with (an) odd patois; the dark-haired creole lady(;) the old Spanish gentleman with the blood of Castile tingling in his veins, (and) the Hebrew woman with her dark eyes and rich olive complexion.

Public markets spawned entrepreneurial ecosystems because the foot traffic they generated made adjacent streets ideal for businesses, be they barbershops, shoe repair, retailers, coffee stands (how Morning Call and Cafe du Monde got their start), or restaurants (such as Tujaques and Maylies).

Banks came next

All that cash flow captured the attention of bankers, who also set up shop adjacently. Branches Near All the Principal Markets boasted the Commercial-Germana Trust and Savings Bank in Daily Picayune ads from 1908, as it listed its French Market Branch, Treme Market Branch, Poydras Market Branch, Magazine Market Branch and Ninth Street Market Branch.

Bank co-locations brought capital and professional employment to the clusters, which in turn attracted additional economic activity  all of which injected ever more energy into the ecosystem.

The resulting economic rigor may be viewed as an example of the creative force of free-market capitalism. But there are some ironies here. The public markets were just that  government-owned  and their success derived from anything but privately private machinations.

The city, as Sauder pointed out, had a virtual monopoly on food distribution, thanks to regulations of its own making, which gave consumers who lived in the vicinity of the public markets  little alternative but to shop in them. That is, the very policy that spawned so many business opportunities did so by curtailing other opportunities  specifically those in private food retail.

Only when private enterprise started to make inroads into the government-controlled food-retail scene did the whole ecosystem phenomenon start to falter  or rather, change forms.

Corner groceries

That began to happen at the turn of the 20th century, as new technologies in ice-making and refrigeration, followed by new ordinances, allowed competition to arise in the form of the famous corner grocery.

Because of their ubiquity and convenience, corner grocery stores began to out-compete public markets; indeed, many of their owners, typically Sicilians, got their start running market stalls.

The city fought back in 1901 by prohibiting groceries to open within nine blocks of a public market. This rule enabled one final expansion of the market system, which peaked in 1911.

But with the concurrent rise of automobiles and parking needs, the quaint old public markets became increasingly inadequate to feed the expanding population.

Consumer needs and expectations also changed. Corner groceries found themselves competing with larger super markets, some of which became regional franchises like Canal Villere and Schwegmanns, and eventually gave way to national chains like Winn-Dixie or Walmart. Each had ever-greater supply and distribution systems, and their economies of scale enabled lower prices with greater variety.

Driven to the edges

The larger the supermarkets, the more they depended on efficient deliveries by large trucks  which drove them to locate near major automobile arteries, rather than within walking distance of neighbors. Now residents had to drive to make groceries, while those without cars would soon find themselves in food deserts.

By the late 1950s, only a handful of public markets remained, and in 1973, the French Market, the last city food emporium, largely shifted to a festival-marketplace format. Nearly two centuries after its inception, New Orleans public market system, once the most extensive in the nation, became a memory.

And yet it still affects our lives today.

Next time you go up Magazine Street, note those four commercial clusters set amid residential neighborhoods. Each corresponds precisely to an old market location  and in all four cases, the former market structures still stand, at 1911, 3138, 4301 and 5500 Magazine.

Likewise, that Mid-City business cluster (including Venezios and Braccatos) originated from the former Maestri Market, whose edifice (now a mattress store) also still stands. So too the shops along 2500 Bayou Road, traceable to the old LeBreton Market, whose pavilion-like building is still across the street.

Imprints remain

Orleans Avenue at North Claiborne Avenue is a busy commercial intersection because of the old Treme Market, and the stretch of Claiborne from Tulane Avenue to St. Bernard Avenue had upward of 300 small businesses in part because public markets anchored both ends. The former St. Bernard Circle Market still stands, as does a 1930s replacement of the 1830s Treme Market, at 1508 Orleans Ave.

Similar commercial zones may be found around the sites of the still-standing former markets of Keller (1802 Magnolia St.), Zengel (840 Piety St.), and St. Roch (2381 St. Claude Ave.), the last of which came back to life as a private food court in 2015. The old Carrollton Market (700 Dublin St.) and Prytania Market (between Lyons and Upperline streets) are long gone, but their bustle endures in the business clusters they spawned.

Times have changed, and the factors that once germinated entrepreneurial ecosystems may not work today.

But there are some themes worth noting.

Both the private and public sector play roles in fostering entrepreneurism. Food brings people together. Reducing overhead costs lowers entry barriers and increases profit margins. Diversity and accessibility are key. Proximity generates foot traffic, which in turn invigorates cash flow.

That is to say, geography matters.

Richard Campanella, a geographer with the Tulane School of Architecture, is the author of The West Bank of Greater New Orleans; Cityscapes of New Orleans, Bienvilles Dilemma, and other books. He may be reached through http://richcampanella.com, rcampane@tulane.edu, or @nolacampanella on Twitter.
A March 30 hearing has been set on a proposed $83 million lawsuit settlement for people who lost property and belongings in the collapse of a Surfside beachfront condominium building that killed 98 people.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said Wednesday that he would consider any objections to the proposal before deciding whether to give it final approval. Hanzman did say, however, that the settlement could achieve an excellent result in the Champlain Towers South case.

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It would be nice to do it all at one time, said Harley Tropin, one of the lawyers for victims in the case.

A preliminary order by the judge says that each unit owner will be paid a share based on their ownership portion of a condominium unit and for personal items that were lost. The money comes from insurance and from the sale of the beachfront property in Surfside, Florida. There were 136 units in the building.

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Objections in writing are to be filed by March 23.

[ RELATED: Lawsuit settlement by law firm, engineers to pay Surfside victims $55.55 million ]

The proposed settlement does not include money for wrongful death claims arising from the 98 people who died in the June 24 collapse of the 12-story building. Lawyers in the case are now looking for an expert to handle how to value each of those claims, which will be addressed separately.

My feeling is this process needs to get started sooner rather than later, Hanzman said. I want this process up in the next couple of weeks.

The lawsuit stemming from the Champlain Towers South collapse contends that work on an adjacent luxury condo building, known as Eighty Seven Park, damaged and destabilized an aging Champlain Towers building already in dire need of major structural repair. The defendants associated with Eighty Seven Park deny any negligence or wrongdoing.

The Surfside site where the building once stood will be put up for auction at the end of April, attorneys said. One offer for about $120 million has been on the table for months, but there may be others as the auction approaches.

We continue to get get great interest in the property, said Michael Goldberg, a lawyer appointed by Hanzman as the receiver in the case.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is the main agency handling the investigation into the collapse, which officials have said would take two or more years.
Tender dumpling wrappers enclose a delicate mix of shrimp, crab and ginger. Glass noodles swirl through a hot pot of seafood and broth dappled with fiery chili oil. Cakes and tarts look too artistic to eat, at least for a moment, but when you do, they hit that elusive balance of sweet yet not too sweet.

This mix of dessert and dim sum is the hallmark of Wishing Town Bakery Cafe, which has swiftly grown from its start as a home-based business.

The second Wishing Town location opened March 10 as a patio cafe on a busy Uptown corner of Magazine Street.

The address is a Victorian cottage that for three decades was home to Cafe Luna, before that coffee shop closed in the pandemic. Its a setting that finally seems to match the beauty and intricacy of Wishing Town creations.

Growing bite by bite

The founders are Vivi and Kevin Zheng, a couple originally from Guangzhou, China.

Vivi Zheng started making egg tarts at home, selling them mostly to other Chinese families. This highly discerning audience approved, and Zhengs repertoire kept growing with special requests for evermore elaborate cakes.

By 2018, the Zhengs opened their own bakery, and soon added a savory dim sum menu. It remained an out-of-the-way find in a strip mall on David Drive in Metairie, somewhat overshadowed by the standard American-Chinese takeout restaurant next door.

But they soon moved to a new location near Lakeside Shopping Center, in the address that had long been Morning Call Coffee Stand. It was one of many restaurant projects underway when the pandemic arrived, and the Zhengs managed to open in stages in the spring of 2020, starting with takeout.

A dim sum patio

The new Uptown location has the same menu, from the dim sum to the cakes, but the setting makes this feel like a much different restaurant.

The interior is small, with a handful of tables over a pair of parlors. Most seating is outdoors.

The wrap-around porch now looks over a new patio of decking and cafe tables. Table umbrellas and a large arching oak give shade; solar powered light fixtures illuminate the patio at night.

The restaurant uses table service, and soon after opening, it will begin using a semi-automated system to assist. From a device at the table, customers can press different buttons to request service, get a takeout box or settle the bill.

The second location is a big step, but Aisha Chen, business partner and manager for this location, said the spark came from customer feedback. Many patrons from the early days were driving out from the city.

When they were limited to takeout only at the start of the pandemic, the Zhengs learned that their dim sum and other dishes could stand up to travel. They expect that takeout orders will be a big part of the Uptown business, especially when weather rules out patio dining.

Bundles of flavor

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The dumplings are delightful anyway you get them, and the menu has grown steadily. The silver dollar-sized steam buns filled with pork or beef and a little ginger and scallion scented juice are familiar enough. And then there are dumpling pockets, served with their fillings overflowing from the noodle wrappers.

One with crawfish tails and hot chili sauce over a spoonful of sweet crab meat feels like a Louisiana crossover contender. A cheeseburger version brings the unlikely combination of beef, crumbled bacon and melted mozzarella tucked within the dumpling.

For one more pocket, barbecue pork and ground pork are stuffed into soft envelopes of fried tofu skin.

The restaurant serves soft drinks only; the partners remain unsure about BYOB status right now.

Inside the cafe, a dessert counter is lined with a colorful array of sweets, including minicakes already boxed up by the slice.

The mille crepe cakes are stacks of wafer-thin crepes separated by cream that all dissolves together of the palate.

The egg yolk puff pastries are shaped like eggs with salted yolks at their centers, encased in crispy pastry and different flavored fillings, like black sesame or sweet red bean. The bakerys party-sized sheet cakes are topped with lush landscapes of cream dollops, fruit slices, frosting flowers, real flowers and macaroons.

The Zhengs first arrived at the name Wishing Town through a creative blend of Chinese and English.

They started with the term wei xin tang, which they explained as summing up their dedication and aspiration for the bakery. When they spoke the words, they sounded like wishing town, and they heard a synchronicity with their hopeful ambition. It even sounded right for cakes, the types someone might make a wish over before cutting in.

Wishing Town Bakery Cafe

802 Nashville Ave., (504) 533-9166

and

3327 Severn Ave., Metairie, (504) 885-8272

Mon.-Sat.11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun.11 a.m.-7 p.m. (both locations)

+12 Royal China in Metairie changes hands, and Miss Shirley says goodbye after four decades The corner table by the register at Royal China Restaurant is known as the family table, where a rotating cast of regulars hold court as if on

+26 Ian McNulty: Fun and fierce, Uptown restaurant Mister Mao is a mystery wrapped in spice Mister Mao might serve the opposite of comfort food, and yet this restaurant has been giving me a great deal of solace and satisfaction.

+5 French Quarter dim sum fav Dian Xin is opening a second restaurant The Chinese restaurant Dian Xin specializes in small blissful bites of dim sum. Eat one and you automatically want another. Soon, the French Q
Sandra Scalise Juneau has lived St. Joseph's Altars all her life. At age 5 in 1945, she portrayed the Virgin Mary in the "tupa tupa" ceremony, representing the Holy Family knocking on the door, at her Nonna Accardos dining room altar. She learned from her two Sicilian grandmothers how to prepare and bake the special foods, and she has passed that knowledge on to thousands in classes, lectures and now a cookbook.

Juneau conveys the magic of the sacred ancient tradition in Celebrating with St. Joseph Altars ($29.95), part of The Southern Table series from LSU Press. This is, without question, the most comprehensive work on the local traditions, starting with the deep history transported from Sicily. Juneau includes everything from how to create an altar to the litany and rosary of St. Joseph to a chapter on miracles attributed to St. Joseph.

The book was published in March 2021 and represents Juneau's lifetime of research and teaching.

These were questions I was asking of my grandmother, Juneau said. Why is it this way? I did all the research and went back to my grandmothers hometown and baked with the ladies there.

The art of cuccidata

Juneau is known for teaching the art of baking cuccidata, the elaborate, symbolic fig cakes. She has her grandmothers simple carving tools, and each time I pick one up, I know she is still there beside me, guiding my hands in continuing this sacred tradition.

Juneau writes that her grandmothers altar grew so large after the war years, it was the first to move from the home into a public space, the Convent of the Good Shepherd in New Orleans.

Juneau created and supplied cuccidata for a gallery in New York in 1971 at the behest of legendary food writer Mimi Sheraton. The Italian village at the 1984 Louisianas Worlds Fair had an altar with her work, as does the American Italian Cultural Center and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

She cherishes the time she spent teaching freshmen at Xavier University, whose works are pictured in the book with their Kente cloth-covered altar.

Works on display

You wouldnt believe the national reaction to this book, Juneau said. The Italian American Museum in Los Angeles has a permanent St. Joseph's Altar and contacted me last year. I sent them three of my huge cuccidata pieces made in salt dough, which are now on permanent display there.

The 60 recipes in the book include some that are seldom seen, such as how to roast fava beans to turn them into (inedible) lucky beans, handed out at the altars. She explains pupa cu lova, dyed eggs surrounded by dough, literally puppets with eggs, often tucked into Easter baskets.

The many savory dishes range from stuffed eggplant in tomato gravy to froscia (Sicilian vegetable omelets) to pasta con le sarde, the traditional St. Josephs Day gravy, served with a sprinkle of mudica, seasoned breadcrumbs symbolizing the sawdust from Josephs carpentry workshop.

And, of course, there are many sweet confections, including a recipe for St. Josephs Day Cream Puffs passed down in the Angelo Brocato family. There are many fried treats, plus of course the biscotti, chocolate wine cookies, anise cookies, amaretti and sesame seed cookies. She gives detailed instructions for fig cookies and the fancy display cuccidata.

Juneau says she thinks her grandmothers who taught her the traditions would be thrilled with her book and its reception.

Everything else written about St. Joseph's Altars seemed to be from an outsider viewpoint, Juneau says. I wanted it to be from an insider and have a sacred viewpoint.

Caponatina (Eggplant Relish)

This Sicilian-style sweet and tart eggplant relish was a specialty of my paternal grandmother, Virginia Maturana Scalise, Juneau writes. Packaged into decorative jars, caponatina is always a welcome hostess gift. Makes 3 quarts or 12 8-ounce jars.

2 large eggplants, unpeeled, rinsed, dried

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Salt and black pepper

1 stalk celery, cut in -inch slices, leafy tops reserved

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar, divided use

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved

 cup sliced fresh basil

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 cups chopped olives with pimentos, rinsed, drained

1 cup pine nuts, toasted

 cup pickled capers, rinsed, drained

4-5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

For serving: Lettuce leaves or toasted Italian bread slices

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut eggplants into 1-inch cubes and place in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with 1/2-cup oil; lightly salt and pepper. Toss evenly to distribute. Roast until slightly browned, about 20 minutes. Turn and roast until lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes more.

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2. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm remaining  cup oil. Saute celery until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove celery. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 7 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low, add tomato paste, and bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 cup sugar and cinnamon. Stir constantly while mixture simmers. Cook until mixture turns a dark brick red color, about 5 minutes. Gradually blend in white wine vinegar.

4. Cut canned tomatoes into medium-size pieces. Gently stir into simmering mixture. Gradually add reserved tomato liquid. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

5. Stirring gently with a wooden spoon, carefully blend in eggplant and celery. Cook on medium, covered, 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Chop celery leaves and add with basil and oregano. Fold in olives. Add pine nuts, capers and 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more sugar if too tart, or remaining tablespoon of balsamic vinegar if too sweet.

6. To can, spoon hot caponatina into sterilized jars according to manufacturers directions. Cool completely to room temperature, then refrigerate up to two months. If not sealing into jars, cool mixture to room temperature. Before serving refrigerate at least overnight. Mixture that is not canned and sealed will keep, covered and refrigerated, up to 2 weeks.

7. Serve chilled as an antipasto with toasted Italian bread slices, or on lettuce leaves as a salad.

Sesame Seed Cookies, or Biscotti Regina

Crispy and only lightly sweetened, these queen of cookies are a favorite of many. Makes 10 dozen.

2 cups unhulled sesame seeds

1-3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided

4-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup white vegetable shortening

 cup milk

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a fine mesh strainer, rinse seeds under a thin stream of water. Drain thoroughly and spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with -cup sugar. Stir and spread seeds evenly on baking sheet and place in preheated oven. Bake 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, sift 4 cups flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with mixer until foamy; gradually add remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar. Add shortening and mix until fully incorporated.

3. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and fold in egg mixture. Mix in milk and vanilla. Dough should be workable but slightly sticky. If dough seems too sticky to knead, gradually add 1 tablespoon flour at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Knead dough a few minutes. Separate into 4 balls and return balls to bowl. Cover and set aside 10 minutes.

4. Spread half the warm seeds in a 12-inch line on a dry, clean pastry board. Pinch off  cup pieces of dough and roll into logs about  inch thick. Roll each dough strip in seeds, coating thoroughly on all sides. Cutting on a 45-degree angle, slice strips into 2-inch-long pieces. Place on an ungreased baking sheet 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough and seeds until all are used. Pat each to slightly flatten. Bake until brown on bottom and slightly browned on top, about 20 minutes.

5. Cool cookies thoroughly before storing up to 2 weeks in a sealed tin in a cool place. Or freeze up to 2 months.

Froscia, or Sicilian Vegetable Omelet

Local recipes for the Sicilian omelet are rare, but these can be regularly seen on altars. Use any type of cooked fresh vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, fresh or canned artichoke hearts, any variety of mixed greens, or cardoons, similar to artichokes, sold especially at this time. Makes 4-6 servings.

 cup olive oil, divided

2 cups plain or seasoned breadcrumbs, divided

3 cups fresh vegetables, blanched, thoroughly drained

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons fresh basil, cut in thin slices

For serving: Lemon wedges, 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1. In a 12-inch shallow skillet over medium heat, warm  cup olive oil. Sprinkle 1 cup crumbs evenly over skillet bottom. Add vegetables but do not stir. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and continue cooking vegetables until just warmed through. Top with cheese.

2. In a bowl, whisk eggs to a slight froth. Stir in basil. Drizzle eggs over vegetables, pouring from outer edge of skillet to the middle. Tilt skillet to evenly distribute eggs. Slide a spatula under vegetables to loosen bottom to prevent sticking. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup breadcrumbs over froscia, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Gently loosen froscia from edges and bottom of skillet. Slide onto a large plate with uncooked side up. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.

4. Add remaining  cup oil to skillet and warm over medium heat. Flip froscia back into skillet with uncooked side on the bottom. Cook to brown bread crumbs, 1 minute. Slide froscia onto a warmed serving plate. Froscia can be kept warm up to 15 minutes, without garnish, in a 200-degree oven. When ready to serve, garnish with lemon slices and fresh minced parsley. Serve immediately.
A jury convicted Samuel Hunter Jr. on Wednesday night of fatally shooting Anthony Bridges on Christmas 2020, in the first case personally prosecuted by Jason Williams since he became Orleans Parish district attorney 14 months ago.

Father to a now-three-year-old son, Bridges, 19, was gunned down on a sidewalk in the 1700 block of Monroe Street, in the Leonidas neighborhood. The jury deliberated for about four hours before delivering its verdict, concluding the three-day trial.

Bridges didnt get to spend the holiday with his family, Williams said at the end of the trial. In fact, he said, every Christmas [they] have for the rest of their lives, theyre going to think about the fact that they lost him on Christmas morning.

Jury trials suspended

Williams took office in January 2021, during a time when jury trials had been suspended in Criminal District Court because of the coronavirus pandemic. Three jury trials were adjudicated over just three months last year, before jury trials resumed Monday.

Matthew Derbes, recently named chief of trials, prosecuted the Hunter case with Williams. Judge Camille Buras presided.

Hunter, 29, was charged with second-degree murder, possession of a gun by a felon and obstruction of justice. The jury found him guilty of all three charges. Second-degree murder alone carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Street surveillance cameras recorded the shooting, showing a man dressed in a lemon-yellow hoodie, later identified as Hunter, shooting Bridges multiple times, then running away.

Two others stood by as Hunter fired: Hunters cousin, Danny Hunter, who has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder, and his father, Samuel Hunter Sr., who was never charged in the crime.

Self-defense, or intent to kill?

The prosecution and defense agreed throughout the trial that Hunter, a convicted robber, was guilty of illegally possessing a gun and disposing of the weapon that killed Bridges. But they diverged on Hunters intent as he fired that weapon repeatedly at Bridges.

Prosecutors argued that Hunter meant to kill Bridges, shooting even as the victim fell to the ground. But defense attorney Juan Fiol said Hunter shot Bridges in self-defense.

Hunter took the stand as the defense's only witness. He said he shot Bridges after the victim sold him a Glock, only to take back the pistol minutes later and point it threateningly at Hunter.

He said Bridges took the gun back to explain an issue with its ammunition clip. Hunter said he took a few steps away, and turned back to see Bridges wielding the weapon in his direction. Hunter admitted to emptying his own gun, firing after Bridges shot at him.

'I just reacted'

As Hunter fired, Bridges tried to run away. "But in my mind, I wasnt trying to have that, Hunter said, as one of Bridges' relatives stood up and left the courtroom, crying.

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I was scared for my life. I just reacted, Hunter added.

He told the jury that he fled in fear, and threw his gun into the Bonnet Carre Spillway.

Williams, who cross-examined Hunter, scoffed at the explanation. A New Orleans police firearms examiner testified that all of the bullet casings collected from the crime scene came from a single weapon, rendering it implausible that Bridges fired another gun, Williams said.

19 bullet casings

The district attorney also questioned why Hunter would have bought the gun, only to walk away without it. Were you buying a gun as a Christmas present for your father? For Danny? You walking away  after spending $250 for something  but not getting it? Williams asked.

The prosecution leaned heavily on the fact that Hunters cousin and father did not testify to support his claim of self-defense, as well as on the 19 bullet casings recovered at the scene.

Fiol said it was impossible that Hunter fired every shot because his gun could hold only a dozen bullets, and the videos dont show Hunter reloading. Prosecutors said Hunter used an extended magazine, a metal sleeve that holds extra bullets, to fire the shots.

In his closing argument, Williams hovered in front of a squat table upon which the 19 bullet casings lay. Look at this table, and you can see 19 separate decisions, 19 separate choices, some of them while a 19-year-old boy was already on the ground, most of them to his back.

Moments later, Williams returned to the table. Maybe if there was one of these, Williams said as he pinched a bullet casing between his left index finger and thumb, you could argue that this was manslaughter. Somebody makes you mad, you get hot, you pull your gun out. But to unload every single [bullet] youve got takes this to somewhere else: a specific intent to kill.

The verdict

Before it rendered its verdict, about a half hour into its deliberations, the jury asked to receive for the second time the definition of manslaughter, which carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. Another hour later, the jury came back into court to ask for the definition of second-degree murder, and to view some of the videos again.

As the verdict was read, Hunter hung his head.

Williams said he had been eager to prosecute a case but that he didnt choose Hunters trial. Instead, Williams said, he looked for a place where help was necessary. I just wanted to get in the mix.

The district attorney worked the trial in front of an audience dotted with lawyers and other spectators, some perhaps eager to see how the former defense attorney  who ran for district attorney on a progressive platform that promised an about-face from the administration led by his tough-on-crime predecessor, Leon Cannizzaro  would perform on the other side of the courtroom.

"It was a real pleasure to try it with Matt Derbes," Williams said after the trial, crediting Derbes' preparation for the guilty verdict.

He also thanked the jury for its time, pointing to a low response rate to jury summons earlier this week: "I'm really thankful for these folks who did come and stuck it out. We could not close this out without them."
As Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams grilled a defendant accused of murder on Wednesday in his first trial as a prosecutor, a federal appeals court panel downtown weighed just what evidence a jury will be allowed to hear at Williams' own pending trial on federal tax fraud charges.

A federal prosecutor asked a panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal to overturn a ruling in December by U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman, who barred the government from introducing evidence of Williams past civil tax woes, including delinquencies and a $90,000 lien.

Williams and law partner Nicole Burdett face an 11-count indictment that accuses them of conspiring to inflate Williams' business expenses over the five tax years ending in 2017, to the tune of more than $200,000 ill-gotten savings. Aiding the pair was tax preparer Henry Timothy, the government's star witness in the case.

But Williams and Burdett claim that Timothy bloated those returns with illegal business deductions on his own. Timothy has pleaded guilty in his own tax case.

Prosecutors have argued that Williams hired Timothy initially to clean up his faulty prior tax returns, as a kind of tryout for subsequent years of fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Forrest Phillips argued Wednesday that denying prosecutors the ability to show Williams tax lien, in particular, would leave jurors missing a big part of the picture.

That lien clearly serves a role in explaining why this conspiracy came about, Phillips said.

Feldman died in late January, the same week that Williams and Burdett were slated to stand trial before prosecutors lodged their appeal. The pair was indicted in June 2020, a month before Williams qualified to run for DA. He won the seat handily in a December runoff against Keva Landrum, a former Orleans Parish criminal court judge.

Williams, who campaigned as a criminal justice reformer, has claimed a political motive behind his prosecution.

In his ruling on the evidence, Feldman said he was concerned that Williams years of disputes with the IRS, which never amounted to a criminal case, would unfairly color him to the jury as the type of person who cheats and evades the IRS. Feldman ruled that any probative value of this civil tax history evidence is substantially outweighed, not only by a danger of unfair prejudice, but also confusing the issues and misleading the jury.

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Williams attorney, Billy Gibbens, argued that Feldman got it right.

It has nothing to do with fraud," Gibbens argued of Williams previous tax history, dating to 2002. "It's just late filings and liens.

After Feldman's death, the case was reassigned to U.S. District Judge Lance Africk, who has not set a new trial date.

Though the panel, which consisted of 5th Circuit Judges Jerry Smith, Gregg Costa and Cory Wilson, did not immediately rule Wednesday, Costa and Wilson both expressed doubt that Feldman abused his discretion in his ruling.

Neither Williams nor Burdett attended the hearing. Williams was in an Orleans Parish courtroom questioning Samuel Hunter, who took the witness stand to defend himself against a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of 19-year-old Anthony Bridges in the Leonidas neighborhood on Christmas Day 2020.

The appeals court hearing resulted in delaying a sentencing in another high-profile case Wednesday: Former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain, also represented by Gibbens, was scheduled to be sentenced in district court after pleading guilty to a single count of bribery over a kickback scheme involving a work release program.

Strain already was sentenced to life in prison last month after his state conviction for sex crimes against boys.

Staff writer Jillian Kramer contributed to this story.
A Mississippi man was fatally injured by a pickup truck on the West Bank Expressway in Marrero, Louisiana State Police said Wednesday.

Curry Ordogne, Jr., 33, was standing in the striped area separating the westbound expressway's upper and lower levels near Carmadelle Street, police said, when the vehicle struck him Tuesday at about 7 p.m. then fled.

Ordogne was taken to a hospital but died Wednesday, police said.

Police suspect the vehicle was a light-colored Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra from model year 2014, 2015 or 2016. The truck might have large chrome rims and damage to the passenger side front headlight and headlight housing area, investigators said.

Anyone with information about the incident may call State Police Troop B at (504) 471-2775.
Warren Woodfork Sr., the New Orleans Police Department's first Black superintendent, died Wednesday, the agency said. He was 85.

Born in 1936 in a New Orleans public housing complex, Woodfork worked as a postal clerk and served in the Air Force before his 28-year career in law enforcement. He began at the Police Department as a patrol officer, eventually serving as the first commander of the controversial Felony Action Squad, which operated for 10 years beginning in 1972.

Squad members cruised the streets wearing civilian clothes and drove unmarked Ford Mustangs, Ford Torinos and even a Chevrolet Corvette, exchanging gunfire or tussling with armed robbery, rape and murder suspects. During its existence, New Orleans' problematic crime rate stopped rising, although the unit drew scrutiny and criticism from civil rights leaders.

The squad disbanded in 1982, but it was a sort of precursor to the proactive patrols that the Police Department uses to stem New Orleans' perennial violent crime problem. Officers now try to stop offenses by roving through hot spots and well-trafficked locales such as the French Quarter, rather than simply reacting to calls for help.

Woodfork then became the superintendent in 1985 under Mayor Dutch Morial. During his career, besides his eye for innovation, officials said his primary strengths lay in delegating authority and dealing with people.

Ronal Serpas, a subordinate to Woodfork for 11 years and the police superintendent from 2010 to 2014, said Thursday that Woodfork was instrumental in making the Police Department's district commanders accessible to neighborhood residents and business owners. Now, many residents and entrepreneurs know who the top-ranking officers in their district are and exchange information with them regularly, but that wasn't the case before Woodfork, said Serpas.

"He helped the department's transition out of that 'Dragnet' era, where the cops know everything about crime but the public knows nothing," Serpas said. "He was seeing the future of community policing and embraced it."

Woodfork retired in 1991, amid a surge in violent crime, budget shortfalls and scrutiny from the Metropolitan Crime Commission. He cited a desire to spend time with his family and to go fishing.

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"I think the timing is right," Woodfork told The Times-Picayune when he announced his departure in November 1990. "It's time to make room for new leadership, and I'm ready to seek new endeavors."

Woodfork left office during Mayor Sidney Barthelemy's administration, having directed tax revenue toward training 200 new officers and buying police radios and cars.

"This is a chance for me to give my successor a better start than I had," he said in 1990.

A husband and father of three sons, Woodfork was preceded in death by his wife, Marie, and by his son, Warren Gene Woodfork, Jr., a 23-year veteran of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Filling potholes that shake, rattle and roll drivers has often been viewed as one of the most basic functions of city government.

But in New Orleans, it takes an average of 204 days before the Department of Public Works paves over potholes reported through 311, according to a report released Thursday by Inspector General Ed Michel. Only a quarter of complaints are resolved within a month. Another quarter of complaints take more than a year to be dealt with.

Those findings will surprise no one who has driven the pockmarked streets of New Orleans, where one TV station once featured a "pothole of the day." But they put a hard number on the laggard's pace of short-term fixes.

The road troubles in the city have been compounded by delays in the citys much more ambitious, $2 billion project to tear up and repave scores of streets.

In response to the inspector generals report, the city promised that new equipment and other changes will speed up the process. Michel said those fixes were long overdue.

The presence of potholes on our streets is a quality of life issue for citizens, Michel said in a prepared statement. Potholes damage vehicles and are a public safety risk for pedestrians, as well as those citizens who utilize bicycles.

Hundreds of complaints a month

Between January 2019 and May 2021, residents made an average of 204 new pothole complaints to 311 per month, for a total of nearly 6,000 service requests.

In response to the complaints, the city cleared an average of 154 requests a month. Of the complaints that were resolved: 40% were closed by fixing the problem; 34% were referred to other agencies like the Sewerage and Water Board; and 26% were closed for other reasons, such as being duplicates.

The city said that 60% of the "pothole" complaints it receives are actually about other issues, like service cuts, or altogether unfounded. But even though only a fraction of 311 complaints resulted in city roadwork, it often took months or longer to complete the fix, according to the report.

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Meanwhile, a quarter of requests to fix potholes were still pending by the end of the period covered in the IG report, last May. Those requests had been open an average of 348 days.

Other cities aim to fill potholes in a far shorter time than what happens in New Orleans. The inspector general surveyed the pothole policies of cities like Houston, Tampa and Memphis. Most have an official policy of repairing potholes between one and 15 days.

In New Orleans, that's about the time it takes for inspectors to put eyes on a street.

"The Department of Public Works (DPW) inspects the majority of its assigned 311 cases within two weeks of the initial reporting. Approximately one-third of all pothole cases are referred to other agencies following the initial inspection," where it becomes their responsibility, said Josh Hartley, acting director of the agency.

New equipment promised

The city says its trying to get better.

In a response included with the report, the Department of Public Works said it was reviewing its standard procedure for responding to pothole complaints, awaiting delivery of new equipment that will better preserve the streets and directing its inspectors to handle some of the older 311 complaints that have long lingered.

The department said it also hopes to revamp its public-facing tracking system so that citizens can follow the progress of complaints even when theyre duplicates. The city is also working to ensure that duplicate 311 reports don't tie up inspectors more than once, Hartley said.

The pothole report focuses on the chips and dips that pop up everywhere in a sinking city. At the same time, the Department of Public Works is under growing scrutiny for its $2 billion joint project with the S&WB to remake the streets using FEMA money.

Residents have complained that the long-term fixes seem to be dogged by delays and mismanagement. The city has blamed private contractors, who last month claimed that many of the delays can be chalked up to red tape at City Hall.
When a New Orleans Police Department officer led residents of an apartment complex to safety during a massive fire in January 2021, his lieutenant nominated him for an award. Three months later, the NOPD fired him for failing a routine marijuana test he took on the night of the fire.

The Civil Service Commission last week voted to give Officer Nicholas Martin his job back. On Thursday, the City Council unanimously approved a resolution that called for removing marijuana tests from pre-employment and other routine drug screenings, a move aimed at preventing other city workers from falling victim to Martin's fate.

Council President Helena Morenos symbolic resolution, if implemented, would only affect current or prospective city employees and doesn't seek to end testing for other illegal drugs.

It is the latest City Council action to reflect the shifting social attitudes toward marijuana, which is increasingly available for medical patients but remains illegal for recreational purposes in Louisiana. The council previously passed an ordinance to automatically pardon minor marijuana arrests.

Two-part pot plan

Morenos resolution has two components. First, it says that the city should eliminate cannabis testing as a part of pre-employment screening.

Second, the resolution asks the city to change its rules so that a positive cannabis test, in the absence of signs that a city worker was intoxicated or impaired on the job, cannot lead to termination.

While the language of the resolution is directed at the Civil Service Commission, the rules that restrict cannabis use by city workers are largely contained in a 1999 policy memorandum by then-Chief Administrative Officer Marlin Gusman.

In an interview, Moreno said she hopes the city will amend the rules. In a press release last month, the city said that it was planning to make some changes to its internal marijuana policies.

Moreno said the resolution is the natural next step for a city where attitudes toward pot have changed radically since 1999, and which is struggling to retain public employees.

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The council passed an ordinance fully decriminalizing marijuana, by way of issuing automatic pardons for possession of small amounts, last August. The Louisiana Legislature narrowly fell short of taking a step toward legalizing recreational pot, but it did allow access to smokable, medical marijuana.

As far as testing for employment purposes, it really is not something that is fruitful by any means, and in fact it is probably something that is more of a deterrent to keeping people around, Moreno said.

An unjust firing?

For Moreno, Martins firing was a case in point. He had to submit to a cannabis test because he suffered smoke inhalation while responding to the New Orleans East apartment fire. That counted as an on-the-job injury, which under NOPD rules resulted in a mandatory drug test.

Cannabis can linger in the system for hours or days after it has ceased to affect a user. NOPD policy states that officers cannot report for duty under the influence. Police officials conceded that there were no signs that Martin was stoned on the job but fired him anyway. The Civil Service Commission said the NOPD failed to show that marijuana affected Martins work or the department as a whole.

City policies train heightened scrutiny on police, heavy equipment operators and some other jobs. Moreno said that even if police are treated differently, officers shouldnt be automatically fired in situations like Martins.

Moreno said there are other drawbacks to the citys current rules. They may prevent an unknown number of people from even applying for city work. And they may unjustly penalize people who legally use medical marijuana at a time when its being expanded across Louisiana, she said.

The office of Mayor Latoya Cantrell declined to comment on the resolution or the policy.

The Civil Service Departments personnel director, Amy Trepagnier, said that it would consider Morenos resolution when it is transmitted it to the agency.
The New Orleans City Councils first meeting to kick off its once-a-decade revision to council district boundaries started with an apology.

On Feb. 16, with just a month left to meet a legal deadline for approving a new map, at-large council member JP Morrell acknowledged there should have been a more lengthy process" to redraw the council's political boundaries, one that included resident feedback.

I want to begin by apologizing to the public for the way the redistricting process has unfolded thus far, Morrell said at the meeting of the Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chairs. We are kind of under the gun.

Now, with a looming deadline for approving a new map, the council is scrambling this week to finish a series of five public meetings tailored to each district. For unexplained reasons, the meetings have been online only, and community organizers say residents haven't had enough of a chance to participate in a rushed process.

If youre an 85-year-old grandmother who reads a newspaper and doesnt get news online and doesnt even go near a computer, then shes not going to be able to comment on this, said Amy Stelly, an urban planner and community activist who lives in the Treme-Lafitte area.

'Public really not included'

Like the more closely followed redistricting process for the U.S. Congress and Louisiana House seats, the City Council redraws the lines of its districts to account for shifts in population after every decennial census.

Based on draft proposals and population movements, the biggest changes this time are likely to take place on the border of districts C and D in the Treme, St. Roch and St. Claude neighborhoods. The changes can produce big shifts in political power, and in the past have been the subject of heated debates over the compositions of districts as lines are being drawn.

The city charter sets a deadline for approving a new map within six months of the official release of census results, and blowing the deadline has consequences for council members pocketbooks: If they dont approve a new map on time, the administration must strip council members of their paychecks while a commission of university presidents completes the job.

The council first announced a deadline of Feb. 15, to line up with the release of the 2020 census results. But the deadline was pushed back a month at some point, without public notice. Council staff and administration officials later said the new deadline, March 16, is aligned with a secondary release of census results.

Online meetings

On Monday, the council held the first of four online, district-level discussions scheduled for this week. They allowed for public comment only via email or a YouTube chat feature. The four meetings lasted about 30 minutes apiece, with public comments  read aloud by Paul Harang, the council's chief of staff  taking just a couple minutes.

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Harang said Tuesday about 75 comments have been submitted through email or a telephone hotline for the meetings. As of Tuesday, a dozen people had used a feature on the council's website to draw their own maps and submit them.

Harang did not answer a question as to why the district meetings were online only, when the City Council had returned to in-person meetings last month. The council's redistricting consultant, FLO Analytics, unveiled the first draft of maps the week before Mardi Gras.

There was no question-and-answer period. There was no opportunity to engage or ask questions, said Morgan Clevenger, president of the Fairgrounds Triangle Neighborhood Association in District D, who watched the District A and District D meetings on Monday. The public is really not being included in a way that is appropriate, valuable or productive.

None of the seven council members responded to questions Tuesday about their thoughts on the redistricting process.

'That's why people don't vote'

Conflicting deadlines for submitting public comment have confused matters. On Monday, the day of the first district meetings, the council website listed both March 6 and March 9 as deadlines. A redistricting hotline indicated it was March 8.

On Tuesday afternoon, the council announced the public would have a chance to voice their opinions in person after all, in an all-day open house and evening listening sessions in the council chamber on March 14. By that time, the final maps that the council will consider will already be drawn.

Harang confirmed that the public comment deadline for the final versions of the maps is March 9 at midnight, although council members will continue receiving feedback until they vote on a final map.

Stelly questioned the purpose of gathering in-person comment from a public that has no chance to influence how the maps are drawn.

If you are going to ask people for feedback, then they need to know what they say is meaningful. Thats why people dont vote, because they think it doesnt count, Stelly said.

A redistricting schedule on the council website had not been updated to note the open house and listening sessions by Wednesday afternoon, more than 24 hours after the event was announced. (It was updated after this story appeared online.)

Clevenger said council members ought to consider giving up, forgoing pay and letting a redistricting commission take over.

Is a failed process OK? To say, 'OK, well, public engagement wasn't so great, but we're going to vote on it anyway.' Is that who we want to be?, Clevenger said.e
An unrestrained driver was killed early Thursday in a wreck on the West Bank Expressway in Marrero, the second fatal crash on the highway in less than 48 hours.

Louisiana State Police said Kenneth Mayeaux, 49, was westbound in a 2009 Nissan Sentra at about 4 a.m. when his car crashed into a traffic signal pole at Westwood Drive. He died there, police said.

Six blocks to the east on Tuesday night, Curry Ordogne, 33, of Mississippi was standing in the striped area separating the westbound expressway's upper and lower levels near Carmadelle Street when a pickup truck hit him then fled, police said.

Investigators suspect the truck was a light-colored Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra from model year 2014, 2015 or 2016. The truck might have large chrome rims and damage to the passenger side front headlight and headlight housing area, police said.

Anyone with information on the hit-and-run wreck was asked to call Louisiana State Police Troop B at (504) 471-2775.
A 911 caller said he saw a 79-year-old woman fall to her death from a drawbridge as she tried to cling to it when the bridge opened while she was still on it.

I dont know how to explain it, the caller told the 911 operator, but she fell out. Shes in the water right now.

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Shes in the water? the operator asked.

West Palm Beach police released the 911 call about Carol Wright, the woman who was halfway home from a 6-mile ride to Palm Beach on Feb. 6 when the Royal Park Bridge opened while she was walking her bicycle across. She tried to hang on to the railing but lost her grip and fell six stories to the pavement below.

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An undated file photo of Carol Wright was presented at a Feb. 14, 2022, news conference at the Royal Palm Bridge where she died on Feb. 6. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

The caller said he was on his skateboard and on his way to work and he saw a woman on the bridge, and then the bridge went up.

I think she fell, he said. I dont know if shes still alive. But she fell on the floor. I dont know if she went in the water or on the floor.

The 911 operator sought clarification.

You didnt see anything? You just saw her on the bridge and now you dont? she asked.

The caller reiterated he saw Wright near the middle of the bridge and then the bridge went up.

[ RELATED: Woman falls to her death from Intracoastal drawbridge ]

Did you actually see her fall? the operator asked.

Yes, I do, the caller replied.

You saw her fall into the water? the operator asked.

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Yes, the caller said.

The operator then told the man to stay on the line while she called medics.

The 911 operator told the medic they hadnt received a call from the bridge tender. At the end of the call the 911 operator said shed call the bridge tender, a 42-year-old Greenacres woman.

Wright, according to a family attorney, was returning home from a trip to a bookstore. The family attorney said she grabbed onto a railing when the bridge began lifting.

Wright was dead when first responders arrived.

Unfortunately, her 79-year-old arms and hands gave way, the attorney, Lance Ivey, said. And she falls. And she falls down into this little abyss.

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Chris Perkins can be reached at chperkins@sunsentinel.com
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Harrisburg, Pa.  The fate of Pennsylvanias popular vote-by-mail law now lies in the hands of the states highest court, which on Tuesday heard competing arguments on whether it violates the state constitution and should be struck down.

The law, known as Act 77 and approved overwhelmingly by the GOP-controlled legislature in 2019, ushered in the most sweeping expansion of voting access in Pennsylvania in decades, including the ability to vote by mail without having to provide an excuse.

It was challenged last year by a group of Republican lawmakers and elected officials who argue the legislature does not have the power under the state constitution to make such a change. A lower appellate court in January sided with them, ruling that such a change requires an amendment to the state constitution that must be approved by voters.

On Tuesday, justices on the seven-member Supreme Court pressed lawyers representing the Wolf administration and Republican challengers for nearly three hours about the law, focusing on the two sections of the state constitution at the heart of the dispute over its legality: one that dictates eligibility requirements for voting, and another that spells out the circumstances for voters to cast an absentee ballot.

Several justices on the Democrat-majority court also hinted at what voting rights advocates have argued for months: that the GOP-led lawsuit is little more than an effort to undermine voter confidence and suppress votes, spurred by baseless claims by former President Donald Trump and his supporters that the 2020 election was replete with fraud and stolen from him.

Lets be candid, Justice Kevin M. Dougherty, a Democrat, said while questioning the attorney for the GOP lawmakers who brought the suit. What it really looks like is that maybe some legislators are concerned because the no-excuse balloting  at least recently  shows that maybe one party votes overwhelmingly by mail-in ballot as opposed to another. So maybe this is an attack for supremacy at the ballot. I dont know.

Several justices, Dougherty among them, also took aim at specific language in the constitution that harks back to a time in history when the focus was on protecting the vote for white men only. That language, the justices said, is now being cited by Republican lawyers to defend their position that the phrasing requires people to vote in person, except in very narrow circumstances.

The best way to be certain that no one but a free white man votes is [to] make the voter show up at the polling place, said Justice Christine Donohue, a Democrat. If there is any policy reason for showing up to vote its to effectuate the intent to make certain that only the right people got to vote.

Lawyers for Republicans  several of whom voted for Act 77  have argued that Pennsylvanias Constitution requires voters to appear at polling places on Election Day, unless they qualify for an absentee ballot. No-excuse mail voting is not specified in the constitution, they said.

Adding that language would require a constitutional amendment, which calls for the legislature to pass a proposal in two consecutive sessions, and then hold a voter referendum on it.

Gregory H. Teufel, an attorney for the GOP lawmakers, said that when the legislature approved Act 77 in the fall of 2019, it disenfranchised 9 million registered Pennsylvania voters who were denied the right to vote on whether to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to allow no-excuse mail-in voting.

He added: It is not up to the legislature to contradict the will of the people.

Attorneys for the state have countered that to win, lawyers for Republicans must prove that the Pennsylvania Constitution clearly, palpably, and plainly prohibits the legislature from authorizing mail-in voting. They argue that there is nothing in the text or structure of the current constitution that prohibits lawmakers from doing so.

The constitution states that elections shall occur by ballot or by such other method as may be prescribed by law  a clause, the lawyers say, that gives the legislature the authority to make election changes without having to go through the lengthy process of amending the constitution.

Several justices Tuesday pushed back on that argument, asking lawyers for the state about two prior court cases that determined that the only constitutional exception to voting in person is voting by absentee ballot. Those cases, they noted, pose a problem to the states position.

The mail-in voting law remains in place as the justices weigh the question of its constitutionality.

It is unclear how quickly the court will rule. At one point during Tuesdays oral arguments, a lawyer for the state was asked whether keeping Act 77 in place through the May primary would allow the state enough time to sort out the aftermath of whatever decision the justices make.

I dont think so, responded Seth Waxman, one of the lawyers representing the state and national Democratic parties. There are millions and millions of people who would need to be reeducated, millions and millions of dollars that the state would have to spend in reeducating them.

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So youre planning a trip with your furkid and you need to fly to get to your destination. Wondering where to start? Flying can be somewhat stressful on our own, however, adding a pet to the equation means theres more to worry about. To help ensure a stress-free flight with your pet, there are some basic elements to consider that will help you best prepare.

In-cabin vs. below-cabin

All airlines have policies on whether your four-legged sidekick can stay with you on the plane, or if he must travel below-cabin. In either case, your pet must be in an airline-approved pet carrier at all times. When flying in-cabin, the carrier must be placed directly under the seat in front of you.

If your pet must fly below-cabin, theres some comfort in knowing that it is climate-controlled. However, be aware that many airlines have embargoes which restrict pet travel during high temperatures in summer months. The embargoes protect furry travelers from the extreme heat in the cargo area when the plane is in a holding area or terminal facility.

Certain breeds are prohibited

Pets with short muzzles and short flat snub noses, such as Persian cats and pugs, are susceptible to breathing problems. Therefore, it is quite possible that they will have a harder time adjusting to pressure changes during flight. Many airlines completely ban brachycephalic pets from commercial flights.

Special considerations

Your pets overall health and temperament should be taken into consideration before you book your flight. If your pet is fearful of crowds, aggressive, or highly anxious in new situations, flying may not be in his best interest.

Prior to travel, a trip to the veterinarian is recommended, just to be sure your pet is physically and mentally ready for this new adventure. Your vet should issue a health certificate that you will need to carry with you during your trip.

Cost of your pets ticket

Just as each airline has different pet policies, they also have varying fees. Generally, one-way fees range from $50 - $200, and the costs are usually a bit lower when pets travel in-cabin. Additionally, the fees can vary within each airline based on their own policies and restrictions, with certain airlines assessing the pet fee at the time of booking.

Booking your pet's flight

When booking your trip, your pets flight must be booked at the same time when you make your reservation. You must contact the airline directly in advance, and since you cant book your pets flight online, you must call to make the reservation. Additionally, airlines only allow a certain number of pets on each flight, so the sooner the better when it comes to your pet accompanying you on the plane.

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Muncy, Pa.  A woman who stole merchandise from a Lycoming Mall store was caught when she hit another vehicle in the parking lot, according to police.

Amy D. Humphries, 40, of Berwick, allegedly hit a vehicle on March 1 in the parking lot of Burlington Coat Factory as she was backing out of a parking stall, according to the arrest affidavit.

Humphries told the victim she did not want her to call police and did not provide her insurance information. The victim told Cpl. James Taylor of Muncy Township Police that she observed Humphries getting a red basket with clothing items out of the front seat and put it in the trunk. At least one of the items still had a sales tag on it, Taylor wrote in the affidavit.

Store employees told Taylor that Humphries had stolen merchandise. The store provided video surveillance that showed Humphries stealing clothing and walking out the entrance doors with a red basket containing the clothing, according to the affidavit.

Police pulled Humphries over a short distance from the mall. Humphries trunk lid was partially open, and Taylor observed the red basket of clothing inside. Humphries vehicle matched the description the victim gave him.

Police said Humphries consented to a search of the trunk and admitted she left the scene of the accident because she did not want to get caught with stolen property.

Total amount of merchandise stolen totaled $338.81, Taylor wrote in the affidavit.

Humphries was charged with a felony retail theft since she has several previous retail theft convictions. Humphries also was charged with a misdemeanor of receiving stolen property, and a misdemeanor charge for the hit and run accident. She was arraigned by District Judge William C. Solomon who set bail at $10,000 monetary.

Docket Sheet

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(The Center Square)  A Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations Committee hearing with officials from the Department of State focused on voting and election security more than the allocation of Gov. Wolfs proposed budget on Wednesday.

Election-related lawsuits were a drag on the departments budget: Acting Secretary Leigh Chapman noted the department spent $3.4 million on lawsuits in 2020.

Sen. David Argall, R-Mahanoy City, voiced his concerns over the security of dropboxes for collecting ballots and asked if Chapman opposed the enhanced use of additional voter ID laws in Pennsylvania.

I think its important to note that Pennsylvania already has voter ID, so for first-time voters, thats a requirement. Also for mail-in ballots, thats a requirement, Chapman said. So voter ID can take many forms, it really depends on the specifics of the provisions in the law.

Chapman also noted the small size of Pennsylvanias election bureau compared to other states. Though Pennsylvania is the fifth-largest state by population, its election department is smaller than every other states except Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Idaho, she said.

Its critical that we have an elections team thats robust, that can also support the counties, Chapman said.

Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Pittsburgh, expressed his concerns about getting votes counted quickly. Are we going to be able to have all the votes counted before we report them? Or are we going to continue to do this two- or three-day process? he asked.

Everybody would like pre-canvassing, Chapman said, referring to consensus among county elections officials, and noted its one of the departments election reform priorities. Counties have requested pre-canvassing time and we fully support that request.

Sen. Art Haywood, D-Abington, asked about the security measures for mail-in ballots.

The same security measures used for absentee voting are the same exact measures that are used for mail-in votingtheres an ID requirement, Chapman said. There are robust procedures in place and the counties, of course, verify eligibility.

Beyond security measures, the changing rules around voting was a sticking point.

We passed mail-in voting, we didnt dropbox voting, Sen. Daniel Laughlin, R-Erie, said, referring to Act 77, passed in 2019. All of that was changed arbitrarily by Gov. Wolf, Secretary [Kathy] Boockvar, and the PA Supreme Court. Thats why were having so many issues and butting heads in this room.

It was our commitment as a department to make sure that voters were safe when they were casting their ballot, Chapman said, in defense of dropbox voting.

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The Center Square  The Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee on Monday heard from community college leaders on the importance of a 5% budget increase.

The collegial response from Republican and Democratic representatives looks like it wont be hard to get the General Assembly to approve the funds.

Funding has been relatively flat in recent years and leaders are worried about the capital stock on campuses. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolfs budget proposal would direct a $15 million increase for community colleges and its capital fund.

Rep. James Struzzi, R-Indiana, asked about the infrastructure projects the capital fund would support.

There has not been an increase in that appropriation for several years, which means that there are no funds available for new projects, which is particularly problematic when youre trying to keep up-to-date with equipment and youre trying not to let your facilities fall into disrepair, said Elizabeth Bolden, the president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community colleges.

For concrete examples, Joy Gates Black, president of Delaware County Community College, described the difficulty some students have in reaching campus for classes, as well as building a child-care center to support students, a workforce training center, and expanding classroom space to cater to student demand.

Supporting projects for workforce training were a touchpoint for legislators. Rep. Ben Sanchez, D-Abington, asked for more information about how community colleges create local business partnerships.

Community colleges are colleges of community, really inextricably tied to the communities we serve and to our employers, said Mark Erickson, president of Northampton Community College. He pointed to weekly meetings with local employers and revising course offerings to ensure colleges teach the skills employers need, as well as adding company founders and leaders to their advisory boards.

[Community colleges] can move so much more quickly and so much more agilely to meet industry needs than any other sector of higher ed, Erickson said. I think the key for higher ed moving forward is affordability and agility.

In one way, the lack of funding compared to four-year institutions has benefited community colleges: a smaller bureaucracy means that they can change more easily.

Community colleges are nimble, fast-moving institutions. They do not have the type of large bureaucracies that characterize some of our other higher education institutions in the state, Bolden said.

However, leaders stressed that community colleges still need support, especially for building and equipment needs.

Its hard to evolve and change without investment, Erickson said.

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Springfield Twp., Pa - A Towanda woman who led police on a miles-long car chase in Bradford County had a suspended license and a warrant out for her arrest, according to charges.

Towanda State Trp. Brett Cohen attempted to stop Harley Alice Platt, 26, on Feb. 19 at 10:45 a.m. after he noticed her Chevrolet Cavalier allegedly had an expired inspection sticker. Platt, who was headed south on State Route 14, didnt pull over after Cohen activated his lights and sirens.

Instead, Platt sped up and began passing vehicles in no-passing zones and around blind corners, Cohen said. During the chase, troopers reportedly saw Platt toss two unidentified objects out of her window.

She lost control of her car as she tried to make a right turn onto Wetona Road and crashed into a field, breaking through a barbed wire fence. She continued through the field and crashed through another section of barbed wire fence to get back on to Wetona Road, arrest papers say.

The chase was stopped after Cohens patrol car became disabled in the field.

Platt was later picked up by police and interviewed at the Bradford County Jail. She admitted fleeing from police, saying she and her passenger, 28-year-old Joshua Engle, were wanted on previous charges and did not want to go back to jail.

Platt is charged with fleeing police, careless and reckless driving, disregarding traffic lanes, driving at an unsafe speed, driving with an obstructed view, failing to obey traffic control devices, and driving without a valid license or inspection.

Docket sheet

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A private plane intending to take former President Donald Trump to Palm Beach was forced to make an emergency landing Saturday evening, reports say.

Trump gave a speech at a Republican National Committee donor event in New Orleans, and then left from a local airport, according to Politico, which cited two sources familiar with the incident.

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The plane was in the air for 20 to 30 minutes before one engine failed, and the pilot turned back for a landing in New Orleans, Politico reported.

A flight from New Orleans to Palm Beach takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes, according to flight times from various airlines.

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Audio recordings of communication between the pilot and the air-traffic control tower showed the landing was emergency in nature, one source familiar with the recording told Politico.

The Washington Post reported the plane, which left from New Orleans Lakefront Airport, turned around to make the landing at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport shortly before 11 p.m.

Trump had been at the Four Seasons Hotel in New Orleans and was returning Mar-a-Lago, according to the newspaper.

Along with Trump, Secret Service members, several advisers and other support staff were aboard the Dassault Falcon 900 plane, which was borrowed from a donor for the evening, The Washington Post reported.

Trumps PAC said in a fundraising email that his team is building a brand new Trump Force One plane, according to a tweet shared by a McClatchy Washington bureau reporter Wednesday.

After the emergency landing, another donor offered a plane to Trump, according to Politico and the Washington Post. He landed in Palm Beach about 3 a.m. Sunday, Politico reported.
A contentious, months-long debate over boundaries at elementary schools in Boca Raton, including its newest one, is almost over.

Palm Beach Countys School Board voted unanimously to initially approve a plan that would redraw some boundaries for the upcoming school year and send some students to the new Blue Lake Elementary School.

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The initial plan was criticized by several parents of students at Calusa Elementary, who alleged it favored wealthier families while separating other children from their friends and neighbors.

[ RELATED: As school boundaries adjust in Boca Raton, some parents argue the plan favors wealthier families ]

Critics of the current plan include parents at Addison Mizner who say they bought homes near the K-8 school so their kids could attend. The plan would move some students to another school.

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My son has been at Addison Mizner for the last four years, so based on the current proposal, he would have to go to J.C. Mitchell for just two years, only to move again to middle school, said Sheila Cahoon, whose son attends Addison Mizer. Im a single mom, I work full time, but I spend countless hours participating in the ABC meetings because the current proposal is unacceptable.

Jacqueline Barrosos daughter attends Verde K-8 and said they live five minutes from the school. Under the new plan, her daughter would have to attend a school further away and then transfer again to a middle school.

Blue Lake Elementary will sit near Don Estridge High Tech Middle, at the southeast corner of Spanish River Boulevard and North Military Trail. It will accommodate about 1,000 students, and school district officials hope it will help with current overcrowding at Calusa and projected overcrowding at Verde K-8.

The Palm Beach School District's Advisory Boundary Committee has recommended a study on school boundary changes for elementary schools in Boca Raton. (Palm Beach County School District / Courtesy)

Parents and students in Boca Raton can expect the following changes, according to the school district:

An estimated 412 students are projected to be taken out of Calusa Elementary, 58 from Addison Mizner School and 205 Verde K-8.

Attendance at J.C. Mitchell Elementary will increase by about seven.

Blue Lake will see an enrollment of an estimated 736 its first year.

Current fourth-grade students and their siblings who attend the same school can remain at their current schools.

Calusa Elementary is currently at 106% of its capacity and Verde is at 98%, according to the school district. With the change, the capacities are expected to drop to 78% and 93%, respectively.

[ RELATED: Its going to be unique: New elementary school becomes reality for students in Boca Raton ]

Blue Lake is going to be a state-of-the-art build, Principal Seth Moldovan previously said.

The school will include a full-time gifted program; new technology, including 3D printers and new Chromebooks; and a fine arts program, Moldovan said.

Instructional staff are almost entirely hired, Moldovan said in an Instagram post Tuesday.

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A March 8, 2022 Instagram post from Blue Lake Elementary School shows progress of construction at Boca Raton's newest elementary school, set to open on Aug. 10. (Blue Lake Elementary School / Courtesy)

Im very eager to introduce the amazing staff Ive put together for the children of Blue Lake Elementary next year as we open on Aug. 10, Moldavan said at the meeting. We will definitely shine bright when we open up next year.

The School Board will hold a final vote on the boundary changes in at least 30 days.

Austen Erblat can be reached at aerblat@sunsentinel.com, 954-599-8709 or on Twitter @AustenErblat.
The people of Broward County will foot the bill, again, for Peter Avsenew, the former death row inmate who was granted a retrial in January based on a decision to allow his mother to testify against him without being able to look him in the eye.

Broward Circuit Judge Martin Fein appointed the Broward Public Defenders Office to represent Avsenew, 37, in his upcoming retrial for the Christmas 2010 murders of Stephen Adams and Kevin Powell, a Wilton Manors couple who took him in after he posted a sexually suggestive classified ad on Craigslist.

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The Broward Public Defenders Office, funded by taxpayers to represent indigent clients who cannot afford private attorneys, represented Avsenew at his first trial in 2017. After the jury found him guilty, Avsenew fired the defense team and represented himself during the trials penalty phase, putting on a defiant performance then all but demanding a death sentence by telling jurors and the judge he had no regrets, promising he would kill again if given the chance.

[ RELATED: Court overturns Avsenew's conviction ]

I will not ask for mercy and am not sorry.  I cant put into words the feeling of ending a life; its euphoric at the least, he wrote in a letter to then-Broward Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes, who presided over his trial.

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I plan on hurting people, he said in court. I wholeheartedly have nothing to lose, and Im going to take it out on everybody I can.

The Florida Supreme Court ruled in January that Avsenew was entitled to a new trial because his ailing mother was allowed to testify remotely, which enabled her to explain his suspicious and incriminating behavior after the murders without seeing her sons reactions.

Peter Avsenew smiles at an audience member before closing arguments in the penalty phase of his murder trial in 2018. (Rafael Olmeda/South Florida Sun Sentinel file) (Rafael Olmeda/Sun Sentinel)

That violated Avsenews constitutional right to confront his accusers, the Florida Supreme Court ruled. We cannot overstate the harmful effect of this testimony having come from not just anyone, but defendant Avsenews own mother, the court wrote. Without question, the impact of Ms. Avsenews incriminating testimony on the jury would have been even greater because she is Avsenews mother.

Avsenew did not object Thursday when Fein reappointed Assistant Public Defender Gabe Ermine to represent him for retrial. Unless he fires Ermine and his office again, Avsenew will be represented by the same office if he is convicted, and a new jury has to decide whether he should be sentenced to life in prison or death by lethal injection.

Rafael Olmeda may be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Twitter @rolmeda.
Sarah Robertson of Strasburg fuels her Toyota Rav4 at the Handy Mart on West King Street in Strasburg on Wednesday. Robertson paid $4.15 per gallon of regular gas.
When it comes to cardiac care, time is often of the essence.

With the goal of providing specialized patient care closer to Southland residents, Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute has announced the expansion of clinical programs and cardiovascular services at Palos Hospital.

By providing state-of-the-art services in Palos Heights, many residents will no longer need to travel to Chicago to see cardiology specialists.

Palos has a great track record in serving the community and always striving to bring the latest in heart care to patients, said Dr. R. Kannan Mutharasan, who has been named medical director of Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital. I see this as an acceleration to bring this care to the next level.

Through the expansion, patients will have easy access to nationally-ranked physicians who will work in partnership with local physician groups, Mutharasan says.

Our goal is really to work with doctors here in the community and to align and partner with those who are already providing excellent care, he said.

Along with the expansion of clinical services, construction is underway to create a new Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute Outpatient Clinic on the first floor of Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital.

The clinic will include 16 exam rooms, a waiting area, expanded diagnostic testing and dedicated workrooms for physicians and staff.

Additional plans include a remodel and upgrade of one of the cardiac catheterization labs and state-of-the-art MRI equipment that will improve access to advanced cardiac imaging, Mutharasan says. The new MRI is slated to go live in April.

Its the most advanced MRI thats on the market with a full suite of cardiac packages, he said. Well be able to implement all of the protocols at Palos that are being done downtown.

There are also plans to offer heart disease research clinical trials.

Before being named medical director, Mutharasan led the development of the Heart Failure Bridge and Transition Team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a model to improve care transitions and reduce heart failure re-admissions.

Hes joined by Dr. Surendra Avula, the new medical director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab; Dr. Albert Lin, the new director of electrophysiology network development; and Anny Sandoval, administrative director of Operations of Cardiovascular Services.

Dr. Vera Rigolin, director of echocardiography quality at Northwestern Medicine, will lead the standardization of echocardiography across the health system.

We are really happy and honored to be in a position to serve the South Side community alongside the doctors who are here, Mutharasan said. That sense of service and our patients first mission are really important to us.

With 425 licensed beds, Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital is the second-largest Northwestern Medicine hospital.

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Several Region teachers are recipients of this years Lilly Endowments Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program.

The Lilly Endowment made 103 grants to educators in schools across Indiana to fund renewal programs designed to help restore educators' enthusiasm for the profession and stimulate creativity. There were four grants awarded to teachers at Northwest Indiana schools.

Each fellow will receive up to $12,000 to fund personally and professionally meaningful activities. Grant recipients are from public schools, charter schools and private schools.

During another extraordinary year in which teachers, principals and other K-12 educators have faced ongoing pressures caused by the pandemic, meaningful renewal experiences take on an added value, Ted Maple, the endowments vice president for education, said in a news release. We are inspired by these individuals who seek to rejuvenate their commitment to their students and to the education profession.

Including the 2022 class, nearly 3,450 Indiana educators have received grants since the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program began in 1987.

Educators from Crown Point Community School Corp., Lake Station Community Schools, Portage Township Schools and Duneland School Corp. all received grants.

Crown Point High School teacher Lisa Keene received a grant for $12,000 to travel to Sedona, Arizona, to write a young adult book and curriculum pack. Her project is titled Yerd: A Yearbook Nerds Epic Quest for Spiritual and Grammatical Enlightenment.

Yerd will be used as a young adult novel to follow the basic plot pyramid and rubric Keene assigns to her English 9 students.

"I plan to include every literary device and grammar usage example I can reasonably squeeze into 55,000 words. I will accompany the book with a grammar and literary device unit that corresponds to the text," Keene said in a press release from Crown Point Community School Corp.

Lei Sensibaugh, an English language learning teacher for Duneland School Corp., plans to photograph the light of the past and explore the Hispanic and indigenous cultures of the American Southwest. Sensibaughs project is titled Ad astra per aspera: Photographing the Light of the Past.

Christina Elizondo, a teacher at Thomas Edison Jr./Sr. High School in Lake Station, will visit ranches in Texas and Tennessee to re-experience the heritage and memories from her childhood. Her project is titled This Wont Be My Last Rodeo: Preserving the Memories of My Father through Charreadas, Music, and Dance.

Debra Ekdahl, a teacher at Willowcreek Middle School in Portage, will volunteer on a rescue ranch and help heal abused and neglected horses to develop compassion and empathy. Her project is titled Equine Therapy and Mindfulness in the Classroom.

Fellowship recipients will have until 2024 to conclude activities funded from 2022 grants.

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CROWN POINT  A Gary man accused of robbing banks in St. John and DeMotte and crashing during a police pursuit in Porter County during a two-day crime spree in January 2021 pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lake Criminal Court.

Ronnie Adams Jr., 30, admitted in a plea agreement he robbed a Fifth Third bank branch at 9805 Wicker Ave. in St. John on Jan. 19, 2021.

According to charging documents, Adams jumped over a teller counter with a BB gun on his hip and said, "I'm taking all this (expletive)," before taking cash from several tellers' drawers. He jumped back over the counter and fled before police arrived.

In total, Adams was accused of robbing the bank of $3,113, St. John police said.

Adams pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbery, a level 5 felony.

In exchange for his plea, Lake County prosecutors agreed to dismiss a level 3 felony robbery charge in the St. John case and a second case in its entirety. In the second case, Adams was facing three felony counts of battery following an investigation by Gary police, court records showed.

If Judge Salvador Vasquez accepts Adams' plea agreement, Deputy Prosecutor Keith Anderson and defense attorney Sonya Scott-Dix would argue the length of Adams' sentence at a hearing set for April 5. Adams could face one to six years behind bars.

Adams has pleaded not guilty to robbery charges in Jasper Superior Court in connection with a robbery Jan. 20, 2021, at the Fifth Third bank branch in DeMotte. His next court date in that case was set for March 15.

Adams also has pleaded not guilty in Porter Superior Court to felony resisting law enforcement charges, which stem from a police pursuit that occurred after the alleged bank robbery in DeMotte.

Hebron police spotted a Buick LaCrosse that matched the description of a car involved in the DeMotte bank robbery and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver  later identified as Adams  continued north, records state.

The Buick struck a concrete median and became disabled in the roundabout at Ind. 2 and County Road 100 South, where Adams and a female passenger were taken into custody, police said.

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CROWN POINT  A St. John man received a two-year sentence for stabbing his ex-girlfriend's male co-worker 10 times outside a Schererville bar last year.

Anthony Miller, 26, pleaded guilty to battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a level 6 felony.

Lake Criminal Court Judge Samuel Cappas accepted Miller's plea agreement and sentenced him to two years, suspended in favor of probation.

Miller, who was represented by attorney Lemuel Stigler, admitted he was arguing with his ex-girlfriend outside Greg's Place, 21 E. Joliet St., when her co-worker attempted to intervene and Miller struck the other man 10 times with a knife.

As part of his plea agreement, Miller agreed to pay $1,200 in restitution to the victim before completing his probation.

Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Bradley Carter handled the case for the state.

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PORTAGE  An 18-year-old student was taken into custody at Portage High School this week and faces a criminal charge of bringing a knife to school, police say.

Kayla McNeary, who has been charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of a knife on school property, reportedly told police she did not intentionally show the knife to another student.

"(McNeary) advised she moved the knife from one pocket to another and another student may have accidentally seen it," Portage police said.

The Portage resident told police she sometimes carries the knife for protection.

Police said they were called to the school along U.S. 6 shortly after noon Monday and were told by staff they received a tip from a student about McNeary possessing the knife.

Staff had taken possession of the knife by the time police arrived, according to the incident report. It was described as a black Smith & Wesson folding knife.

McNeary was arrested and taken to Porter County Jail. Police said she was respectful and cooperative during their entire interaction.

An initial hearing is scheduled for April 13 before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Thode, court records show.

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He killed his Colombian wife and then carved up her her body. When a headless torso was unearthed days later in Boynton Beach, Roberto Colon blurted out his version of Humpty Dumpty also would never be put back together again.

Colon, 68, was sentenced Wednesday to spend the rest of his life in prison for the pre-meditated murder of Mary Stella Gomez Mullet after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder.

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[ RELATED: She forged a dream for a better life and was murdered -- buried in a backyard ]

Gomez, a one-time scientist in Colombia, had to reinvent herself after she came to the United States. In late 2020, the 44-year-old in search a green card started caring for Colons 86-year-old mother, Gladys Monagas.

Colon first heard about Gomez on Thanksgiving in 2020 when he visited his mother in Hialeah. During a visit at Christmas, he and Gomez met. A month later they married in a courthouse, officially inking the deal that he would marry Gomez to speed up getting her a green card, while she stayed with and cared for his mother.

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Roberto Colon, pictured with his attorney Stephen Arbuzow during his trial on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison in the death of his wife, Mary Stella Gomez Mullet, whose remains were found in the backyard of his Boynton Beach home in 2021. (Susan Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

The sham marriage was short-lived. Three weeks later Gomez was dead.

Colons attorneys tried to lay out a case that suggested Colon inadvertently killed Gomez with the hope that the jury would consider a lesser charge than pre-mediated murder, which in Florida is punishable by either life in prison or death.

Mary Stella Gomez Mullet, 44, a one-time scientist in Colombia, had to reinvent herself after she came to the United States. (Boynton Beach police)

Because of his age, Colon said in court that even a 15-year prison sentence for a lesser charge would amount to him dying in prison. Judge Daliah Weiss sentenced him Wednesday.

The state in its case laid out how Colon had been heard saying that he wanted to kill his wife and bury her in the backyard. After she was reported missing on Feb. 18, 2021, a tipster called police. Days later, the headless torso was discovered.

Eileen Kelley can be reached at 772-925-9193 or ekelley@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Twitter @reporterkell.
CALUMET TWP.  An opponent of Calumet Township Trustee Kimberly K. Robinson is calling on her to resign public office.

Calumet Township Board President Darren Washington, who is trying to unseat Robinson as trustee in the May 3 primary, claims Robinson is using politically motivated coercion to advance her reelection this year.

Washington attacked Robinson in the wake of an out-of-court settlement of a civil rights suit by Marsha Moore, a former township manager, who had claimed she was fired for political reasons.

Washington said Moores claims and documents in the case present a disturbing look at the trustees official practices.

Robinson answered this week. Im not resigning. Im going to win four more years, she said.

She said Washington is only making these accusations now to advance his own campaign for trustee.

Robinson said she has done nothing wrong, and Moore herself now has agreed to abandon her claims of political coercion under the terms of an out-of-court settlement to be finalized this week.

Moore claimed Robinson targeted her for supporting Robinsons 2014 political opponent, former Trustee Mary Elgin. Robinson has denied that, stating she didnt know Moores political views.

Robinson defeated Elgin in that years Democratic primary election and terminated Moore's employment two years later.

Robinson explained Moore was among several township employees she was required to lay off in 2016 to comply with a state mandate to cut the offices spending in the face of shrinking tax revenues.

Washington said Moore had 26 years of office seniority and shouldnt have been laid off.

Washington said he will demand Robinson disclose the settlements now secret terms at a future meeting of the township board because any cash settlement Moore received is public money for which Robinson should be publicly accountable.

Washington said he has seen disturbing statements by Robinson in a copy of a deposition Robinson gave two years ago to Moores attorney  in which an attorney asked whether Robinsons birthday is celebrated by township employees at the trustees office.

Robinson replied, There has been, yes.

Robinson is then asked, Isnt it true that the employees donate money toward a birthday gift for you?

Robinson replied, If they do, yes. It is a consideration I ask of them.

Washington said those quotations suggest Robinson was coercing township employees to give her money  much like former Township Trustee Mary Elgin did under her prior administration.

Robinson said she knows that Elgin was convicted of public corruption for extorting campaign money from township employees and that federal authorities are vigilant to stop future public corruption.

Robinson said this week she has been asking for political donations around her birthday since she started in public office as a Gary city councilwoman. She said no one, including employees, is required to donate money to her campaign.

Washington said he is also critical of Robinson using public township money to buy township employees T-shirts and sweaters imprinted with Robinsons name and in Robinsons campaign colors.

Robinson said she does provide uniform clothing for her employees imprinted with the trustees office and name to make her office staff look professional.

She said the uniforms have no campaign message on them.

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ST. JOHN  Residents in the area of a proposed roundabout say they do not want it rammed down our throats. They want state officials to consider alternatives, including turning lanes, at the intersection of U.S. 231 and Cline Avenue.

The Indiana Department of Transportation and the Troyer Group engineering firm of Mishawaka held a public hearing Wednesday at Suncrest Christian Church on the proposed intersection improvement project, which, as currently proposed, would convert the signalized intersection into a roundabout.

Construction is slated for 2024. The project would cost an estimated $2.7 million, all state funded.

Nearly 50 people attended the hearing, with most apparently agreeing with Wally Binner, who lives near the intersection and spoke against the project.

It should matter what we as taxpayers want, Binner said. The sole purpose of this project can be easily achieved by simply installing turning lanes at all four corners, thus eliminating the need to destroy more agricultural land."

That would "be more cost-effective, and, more importantly, we know it will work, Binner said.

INDOT officials report the need for the project stems from the intersections existing safety deficiencies. The intersection sees a high rate of traffic crashes and injuries. The current configuration has one lane in either direction, with a traditional stoplight and no turning lanes.

According to Erin Pipken, representing Troyer, from 2016 to 2020, 107 vehicular accidents were reported at that intersection. That amounts to 2.7 crashes per 1 million vehicles, which is twice the allowable average, Pipken said. Of those accidents, 74 were rear-enders and 10 were caused by left turns, with 37 injuries reported.

Pipken said adding turning lanes would reduce the number of accidents but not eliminate the possibility for dangerous turning movements. A roundabout, she said, would increase safety, slow traffic and make that traffic more efficient, and benefit the community.

Most of those at the hearing disagreed, citing concerns over worsening traffic with the roundabout, drainage and wetland issues, maintenance costs, impact on subdivisions and businesses, traffic backups, detours during construction, and impact on the nearby Barman Farmstead, a five-generation family-run business since 1852.

Nick Crnokrak, an engineer from Crown Point, did not believe INDOT considered all the factors, including safety. This roundabout will not allow myself, my neighbors, or the businesses in the area, to exit their subdivision/businesses safely, he said.

Russ Gower, of Cedar Lake, supported the roundabout, saying he trusted the engineers findings. This is their job, he said.

Roundabouts are becoming more commonplace in Indiana, with 256 built through 2016, according to INDOT, with the state considering a dozen more. This proposed roundabout would have two lanes along U.S. 231 and one lane along Cline Avenue.

The town of St. John is located north of the intersection; to the south is unincorporated Lake County, with the city of Crown Point to the south of that.

State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, and Lake County Commissioner Jerry Tippy both expressed their hopes that INDOT would consider alternatives to a roundabout.

We all know something has to be done at this intersection, Niemeyer said. Its not working.

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CROWN POINT  One by one candles were lit and voices raised in a song about peace as folks came to pray for those in Ukraine.

Among those participants who gathered on the cold Wednesday night at the First United Methodist Church were Kris and Don Hoffman, of Crown Point.

"We felt so moved watching events on TV and felt we had to do something. We feel prayer was important. God changes things," Kris Hoffman said.

The First United Methodist Church held the community prayer gathering in the front lawn of the church to show support for the people of Ukraine and to pray for peace in the world, Pastor Mark Wilkins said.

After everyone gathered, Wilkins gave a short speech in which he said that although none wanted to be there, but all who came together did so because of a commonality after watching with growing horror and disbelief the events occurring in the Ukraine.

"It leaves us with a feeling of sadness, anger and incredible helplessness," Wilkins said.

Wilkins said that the question, "What can I do?" can be turned into, "What we can do, we will."

"We gather to stand with Ukraine and all of humanity as we cry out for peace," Wilkins said.

Danno Lambert, an assistant church pastor, said, "Tonight we stand for the people and one thing is certain, they are hurting people."

Lambert said in addition to prayer, those wanting to help can donate money to ENCORE Ministry, which provides direct assistance to those in the Ukraine and those fleeing Ukraine.

"One-hundred percent of the donation will go to them," Lambert said.

A collection also was taken at the event.

"Keep the people of the Ukraine and Russia in your prayers. We thank you for standing with us on this," Lambert said.

Wilkins in his final prayer asked those who gathered to pray for those in Russia who dare to speak out.

He also said that although it's difficult to pray for ones' enemies that he also prayed for Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, in hopes of turning him around.

"We cry out for the day of peace," Wilkins said.

Earlier in the day preschoolers had planted 250 small Ukrainian flags near where the prayer gathering was held and flags were also placed in the downtown square.

An outside stage, on back of which was hung the United States and Ukraine flag, was used by the pastors and a group of musicians who played the song, "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

Al Fillmon and Arlene Malocha, both of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Merrillville, were among those who gathered in support.

"We are praying for peace above all," Fillmon said.

"It all goes back to God," Malocha said.

For more information about donations to the Ukraine, go to the First United Methodist Church of Crown Point Facebook page or call the church office at 219-663-1515.

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CROWN POINT  Preschoolers as young as 3 years old helped plant small Ukraine flags in front of the First United Methodist Church on Wednesday.

The 250 yellow and blue flags were placed as a show of support to those living in Ukraine who have been under attack by the Russians, pastor Mark Wilkins said.

"Peace to the Ukraine and peace to the world," Wilkins said as part of a short prayer following the placement of the flags.

Some 29 preschoolers, ages 3 to 5 from the churches' Play and Learn Preschool, helped with the placement, director Karen Artim said.

Artim said a careful discussion, based on the age of the children, will be held.

"We will tell them that the people in the Ukraine need to be kept in our thoughts," Artim said.

The placement in the ground of the flags by preschoolers and church parishioners was a prelude to the community prayer gathering held at 6:30 p.m. on the front lawn of the church.

Another 200 Ukrainian flags were to be placed around the Crown Point downtown square, Wilkins said.

"As a community, a nation and a world, we have all been horrified by the events in the Ukraine during the last several weeks. The cost in terms of human suffering, as well as loss of liberty and freedom has been heartbreaking for us to watch, leaving us sad and frustrated," Wilkins said in a message sent to church parishioners.

Wilkins said initially he was going to just fly the Ukraine flag outside the church then he came up with the idea of multiple flags.

"It was the snowball effect ... All of us have been watching the news and feel helpless and not knowing what to do," Wilkins said.

His next thought was to invite people to the church to pray.

"(The idea) got bigger and bigger and it evolved to everything," Wilkins said.

The event isn't without precedence since the church has had previous prayer vigils including one for school shootings.

The church also holds and annual 9/11 community service to honor law enforcement, first responders and victims.

"We try and make this area as busy as we can," Wilkins said.

Wilkins said the intent of the church is to give people in the community a venue to show support and lift up Ukraine and the world in prayer.

Leslie Essex, a church parishioner, came Wednesday to help place the flags in the ground.

"I can't come tonight so I wanted a way to help. It's a tragedy what they are going through over there so we will show solidarity," Essex said.

Another parishioner, Clark Kramer, echoed her sentiments as he helped place flags on the ground.

"I came to show our solidarity with the people of the Ukraine," Kramer said.

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PORTAGE  The 19th Annual Portage Community & Business Night, described as the biggest networking event in Portage, is April 21.

It's hosted by the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Samuelson Insurance Agency. The event gives businesses the opportunity to showcase their services and/or products to residents in the community.

It's from 4-7 p.m. at Woodland Park in Portage and free to the public. Donations of nonperishable foods are welcomed.

Tocayos will be selling Mexican food. The Portage Chamber is selling 50/50 raffle tickets for $10. Maximum 300 tickets sold. Tickets may be purchased at the chamber office.

Vendors are encouraged to have a Minute to Win It game at their booth for participants. Most creative game will win a free booth for 2023.

Questions regarding the event can be answered by calling the Chamber office at 219-762-3300, or by emailing nsimpson@portageinchamber.com or register online at www.portageinchamber.com.

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PLEASANT TOWNSHIP  Several first responders from across the Region gathered to rescue a person trapped in a grain silo Wednesday afternoon.

First responders were called around 2 p.m. to a farm just outside of Kouts in Pleasant Township, said Kouts Fire Department Chief Jeremy Gettler.

A man became trapped in a grain silo up to his chest, Gettler said. Crews from several agencies across Northwest Indiana, including the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, converged at the farm to rescue the trapped man.

After 2.5 hours of work, the man was extricated from the silo with no apparent injuries. He was taken to a hospital out of precaution.

The DNR called the rescue a very technical mission, with tons of soy beans trapping the man.

"We are extremely happy to report a successful grain bin rescue today," Gettler said. "Everyone worked together as one team to accomplish this great outcome. Thank you to every department that was able to assist us."

Morgan Township Volunteer Fire Department, Lacrosse Volunteer Fire Department, Crown Point Fire Rescue, Hobart Fire Department, Lowell Fire Department, Merrillville Fire Department, Valparaiso Fire Department, Indiana DNR Law Enforcement and Porter Northwest Health Ambulance and Co-Alliance assisted Kouts first responders at the scene.

A man became trapped in a grain silo up to his chest in soy beans.

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VALPARAISO  The powerful Beauty Creek has a long history of flooding, but some Valparaiso residents say the most recent incident could have been easily avoided.

A foundation had been laid in the creek in preparation for installation of an 80- to 100-foot box culvert that would allow extension of Vale Park Road from Keystone Commons to the Beauty Creek subdivision at Windsor Park. Workers were waiting to receive the box culvert, which would create a tunnel allowing the stream to flow beneath the road. The piece was supposed to come in January, but because of supply chain delays, it has yet to arrive, City Engineer Mike Jabo said.

Two weeks ago, after a bout of warmer temperatures followed by rain, a stream of rushing water went over and around the earthen wall keeping the creek out of the work area. The highly erodible clay soils and sediment rushed into the water, leaving it a muddy brown color.

"I dont understand why you would plug the creek and not have a way to relieve the water, nearby resident Dennis Alonzo said. "That creek can turn from sleeping beauty to a raging lunatic in under 24 hours.

The Vale Park Road extension is part of the 153-acre Brooks at Vale Park subdivision project. Located where East Vale Park Road meets Vale Park West Pathway, the subdivision will have 248 single-family units. Residents first voiced concerns about the project's impact on stormwater when the development was approved in 2019.

Alonzo said pumps should have been added to divert water around the work area.

"Why werent preventative measures put in? ... It is extremely frustrating and disappointing that we have ended up here and it was completely avoidable, Alonzo said. "You are playing with mother nature, and she is going to bite you.

The city entered into a public-private partnership with developer Jake Wagner to address stormwater concerns with two detention ponds and even bioswales, longtime Valparaiso resident and environmentalist Walt Breitinger recalled.

However, Breitinger said even with stormwater management in place, the project's high number of impervious surfaces were an instant concern.

"I was strongly opposed to it [the Brooks at Vale Park subdivision] way back in the beginning, Breitinger said. They packed in way too many houses in way too small of an area, and they were flushing way too much stormwater into Beauty Creek.

Once the subdivision is complete, rainwater that would usually soak into the land and percolate through the soil will instead wash off the many roofs, sidewalks, driveways and streets, collecting herbicides, pesticides and other contaminants, before washing directly into Beauty Creek. The Brooks at Vale Park is just the latest development to impact Beauty Creek. Before the creek's natural bends were straightened out hundreds of years ago, the water flowed slower and there was less erosion, Breitinger said.

As they built homes and subdivisions around Beauty Creek, their goal was to flush that water away from them as quickly as possible and dump it into the stream instead of allowing the creek to continue to meander and have natural banks, Breitinger said.

Beauty Creek is in the Salt Creek watershed, eventually flowing into Lake Michigan. Salt Creek is known for the many small-stream trout and salmon that call the body of water home. The muddied water makes it difficult for fish to see their prey, sometimes causing fish to starve.

When construction began, the creek banks were stripped of vegetation, making the precarious soils even more prone to erosion, Breitinger said. He said native plants with deep root systems stabilize banks while retaining and filtering rainwater.

After the storm a rock check dam was put in to control and filter the sediment, as were siltworms, a snake-like erosion control device. The city is also working with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to monitor the situation. Jabo said the Brooks at Vale Park developer has been issued a violation and will be coming to a March 11 Board of Public Works and Safety meeting to give an update on the project.

We have asked the contractor to be more diligent when we see storms coming, to be more prepared, and we will too, Jabo said.

Alonzo said the city needs to take drastic mitigation efforts as soon as possible, as spring will only bring more warm weather and rain.

"The Brooks has turned into a mud hole. We did not anticipate that, but we predicted that without proper management, it could be devastating, and our fears are realized," Valparaiso resident Gary Brown said at a Feb. 28 City Council meeting. "You don't just tear up the land and hope for the best."

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VALPARAISO  The Greyhound Bus Line that runs between Chicago and Indianapolis has added a stop in Valparaiso.

The stop is located at Valpos Village Station, 260 Brown St. The Greyhound runs daily and offers one northbound bus, departing at 7:05 a.m., and one southbound bus, departing at 10:55 a.m.

Previously, the Greyhound stop closest to Valparaiso was in Portage.

Greyhound service from Valparaiso connects our residents with even more options, said Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy. Greyhound is an excellent complement to our existing city-sponsored services, including our V-Line intracity bus, and both the Dash bus and South Shore Connect to Chicago."

The city's ChicaGo Dash travels from downtown Valparaiso to Chicago and the South Shore Connect Shuttle takes riders to the South Shore Line commuter railroad, with service to Chicago and South Bend.

Greyhound buses connect to 1,700 destinations nationwide, including several in Indiana, such as Indianapolis, Carmel, Fort Wayne, Lafayette and Bloomington. To book a trip, visit Greyhound.com or call 800-231-2222.

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He added that a dog sleeping in the same room or bed with humans wont make Sparky think hes top dog. Dogs can distinguish between the relationship with its human fellows and other dogs, and the way in which they regulate their interactions with humans in the house is not trying to establish a hierarchy, he said.

Some dogs may not belong in the bedroom, such as very young or old pets who may not sleep through the night, a sick pet or a reactive pet who might become aggressive when startled or woken up suddenly. Also, if a new baby is entering the family and will sleep in the same bedroom as the parents, Dr. Siracusa said, that might no longer be a good place for the pet to sleep  not because of concerns of a pet smothering a baby, he said, but because space may be an issue with that many human and furry bodies in one room.

If a pet is already sleeping in your bed or in the bedroom and interfering with your sleep, you can take steps to transition a pet out of the bedroom. Dr. Siracusa said it is best to make the transition a gradual one rather than abruptly kicking the pet out of the bed or bedroom. That may mean first moving a dog from the human bed to a comfortable spot elsewhere in the bedroom, and then moving the pet just outside the door.

The key is to create a similar sleeping experience for the pet. Dogs may be attracted to humans beds, especially if theyre elevated, because they are comfortable and strategically in a good position, letting dogs keep watch over their surroundings, Dr. Siracusa said. Creating an equally strategic place might mean that its also elevated, or that it has coverings that the dog can burrow under, or that it is near a heater that can simulate the warmth of the people in the humans bed.
Russia urges U.S. to explain purpose of biological labs in Ukraine

Xinhua) 09:04, March 10, 2022

Photo taken on Feb. 27, 2022 shows smoke rising in the sky in Kiev, Ukraine. (Xinhua/Lu Jinbo)

Peskov said the whole world would like to know the purpose of these labs.

MOSCOW, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Washington must explain to the international community the purpose of U.S.-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine.

"We remember for how many years and with what bloody results the United States searched for various types of chemical, biological, bacteriological weapons and so on all over the world, actually occupying lands and killing people," the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a briefing.

She said that Kiev has recently begun erasing traces of these biological programs.

"We received documentation from Ukrainian employees at the biological laboratories on the urgent destruction of especially dangerous pathogens, plague, anthrax, cholera and other deadly diseases on Feb. 24," she said.

Also on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this issue is of great importance and the whole world would like to know the purpose of these labs.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
A Broward jury may be among the first in the country to experience a new dimension in expert testimony, if a former prosecutor has his way.

Ken Padowitz, the defense lawyer representing a Coconut Creek man accused of trying to kill his neighbor by running over him with a Dodge Viper, wants to put jurors in the drivers seat through the use of the latest in technology  virtual reality goggles that promise to give them a look at the alleged crime from the perspective of the defendant.

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Padowitz filed a motion last week asking Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra to allow the jury that will decide his clients case to use virtual reality goggles to immerse themselves in the testimony of an expert witness in accident reconstruction.

It hasnt been done in Broward before. Padowitz is fairly certain it hasnt been done anywhere in the Unites States. It wouldnt be the first time Padowitz was on the leading edge of introducing computer animation in the courtroom.

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[ RELATED: Archive article about Broward's first use of computer animation in court ]

Back in 1992, Padowitz was a prosecutor in Broward County, looking to put a defendant behind bars for manslaughter in a hit-and-run case. He convinced a judge to allow jurors to view a two-dimensional computer animation on a television screen, a decision that was later upheld by an appeals court and paved the way for the use of computer animation in countless criminal trials since.

Now Padowitz is hoping to pave the way for 3-D animation and virtual reality. A hearing on his motion is scheduled for Friday. The Broward State Attorneys Office has not filed a response to the motion.

An experts opinion is admissible to present to a jury, Padowitz said. Were just taking it one step further. They are going to be able to look as if they are right there, able to look around, to see what the defendant saw.

Benjamin Siegel, 47, faces a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted of first-degree attempted murder. Padowitz hired an expert to testify that Siegel did not intentionally strike the victim with his car. The virtual reality presentation, designed by the Pompano Beach graphics company Eyewitness Animations, will illustrate the experts findings.

Its the experts testimony thats admissible, said Padowitz, and the illustration is an extension of the experts testimony. There was no intent to commit a murder.

Jack Suchocki, president of Eyewitness Animations, said the virtual reality headsets would put the juror between the two front seats of the vehicle.

The flexibility and ease of use are dramatic, Suchocki said.

The jurors field of vision will be 360 degrees, meaning anyone could turn around and get a look at an illustration of the cars back seat, though that would be an inappropriate use of the technology, he said.

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[ RELATED: How a salacious defense helped mask a lawyer's trial strategy ]

One of the benefits of this is we can actually record what each juror is looking at, Suchocki said. That would ensure each juror is focusing on the evidence, not the technology, he said.

Eyewitness Animations was the same company that produced the computer animation in the 1992 case that introduced the technology to South Florida courts. Suchocki said he foresees virtual reality headsets being used by juries in dozens of other cases, including car accidents and plane crashes.

Padowitz is preparing a similar motion to use VR headsets in a shooting case. That motion has not been filed.

Putting jurors in a goggles forces a tradeoff that affects both prosecutors and defense lawyers  if the technology works as promised, lawyers wont be able to see the initial reactions of their audience. You cant see the eyes of a juror wearing a headset.

The reality is, you want to see the jury and you want to see their face during the trial, Padowitz said. Were really watching the video with them and using that, after the jury sees it, to make our arguments.

If the judge allows it.

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Rafael Olmeda may be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-304-5256. Follow him on Twitter @rolmeda.
Ahead of a sentencing hearing on Thursday, celebrities and racial justice advocates like Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, the actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; and Derrick Johnson, the president of the N.A.A.C.P., have written letters pleading for leniency for Jussie Smollett, the actor convicted of falsely reporting that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.

Jussie has already suffered, the Rev. Jackson wrote to the judge handling the case. He has been excoriated and vilified in the court of public opinion. His professional reputation has been severely damaged.

Mr. Smollett, 39, was convicted of felony disorderly conduct  which carries a maximum of three years in prison  relating to conversations he had with the police just after reporting the attack. But defendants convicted of similar crimes in the past have been sentenced to probation and community service.

Many of the letters cite Mr. Smolletts history of volunteer work, the nonviolent nature of his offense and the reputational damage he had already suffered following charges that the 2019 attack was actually a hoax that he had planned to drum up publicity. Others who have written on his behalf include the actress Alfre Woodard and Melina Abdullah, a founder of Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles.
With no operating reactors at the plant, there is no risk of a core meltdown as there would be if an operating plant lost power and could no longer circulate water through the reactor. This is what happened at the Fukushima reactors in Japan in 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami wiped out backup power systems.

But Chernobyl carries some other risks related to the large amount of nuclear waste on site.

The fuel inside a reactor eventually becomes used up and is replaced. As is common practice in the nuclear power industry, the fuel removed from all four Chernobyl reactors over the years, more than 20,000 assemblies in all, is stored in pools of water that dissipate the heat produced as the fuel decays radioactively. When fuel is newly removed from a reactor and is still highly radioactive, there is a lot of decay and thus a lot of heat, so plants need power to run pumps that circulate the storage water, removing excess heat in the process.

If the water in storage tanks got so hot it boiled off, the fuel would be exposed to the air and could catch fire. That, too, was among the risks in the Fukushima disaster.

The I.A.E.A. has said that the used fuel assemblies at Chernobyl are old enough and have decayed enough that circulating pumps are not needed to keep them safe.

The heat load of the spent fuel storage pool and the volume of cooling water contained in the pool is sufficient to maintain effective heat removal without the need for electrical supply, the agency said.
Charles E. Entenmann, the last of three brothers who, with their mother, ran a Long Island bakery as it became one of the nations best-known producers of baked-goods, died on Feb. 24 in Hialeah, Fla. He was 92.

His daughter-in-law, Wendy Entenmann, confirmed the death.

At Bay Shore High Schools 50-year reunion in 1997, Mr. Entenmann told his classmates that he was just a baker, an understated description that conjured up the homespun image of a small shop like the one his grandfather started almost a century earlier.

But mass production had long since become a way of life at the companys Long Island plant, and Mr. Entenmann, who had a knack for engineering and administration, presided over the automation of the cake lines. He also oversaw the design of a computer-controlled system that carried ingredients to the mixing vats.

The product in the white boxes with the cellophane windows did not change, though, and he contended that that consistency was what had sustained Entenmanns.
So, people, how would you feel about an Andrew Cuomo comeback?

Hey, get back here.

New Yorks former governor has been in the news lately, running a TV ad that portrays him as a totally-not-guilty victim of political attacks. It reportedly cost him around $369,000. This from an old campaign fund thats worth about $16 million. Can you imagine what itll be like if he antes up the rest? Itd make Burger Kings promotions seem like public service announcements.

Cuomo also recently made a sparsely attended speech to a Black church congregation in Brooklyn, decrying the cancel culture that had messed up his life. Not entirely clear what he meant. That he had to resign from being governor after that sexual harassment scandal? That almost nobody wants him to run for anything again? That his brother, Chris, lost his CNN job after giving advice to Andrews top aides?

Lets deal with the Chris Cuomo issue first because its so very, very easy. Hed vowed, in his capacity as a news host, to keep clear of his brothers battle to stay in office. But familial loyalty dragged him right in. At which point Andrew obviously should have drawn a line, forbidden anybody to talk with Chris behind the scenes. Told Baby Brother something like, I love you, man  way too much to let you wreck your career just for me.

Yeah, didnt happen. OK, another easy question: Who out there thinks it would be a good idea for Andrew Cuomo to run for a fourth term as governor?
The Rev. William Barber II is a large man, but bent. He walks with a cane, with his helper nearby, placing each step with deliberation to make sure that his footing is sure.

For decades, Barber, who is 58, has suffered from ankylosing spondylitis, a painful form of arthritis that left him with a fused spine and conspired to cripple him, but he has objected.

On Sunday, I spent much of the day following Barber, and talking to him when I could, as he and others observed the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Ala., the day in 1965 that nonviolent voting rights protesters, including a 25-year-old John Lewis, were attacked in the city by state troopers wielding clubs and unleashing tear gas. Lewiss skull was fractured.

I walked the bridge alone the night before the official commemoration. I had been on it once before, when I traveled to Selma with President Barack Obama in 2015 for the 50th anniversary. But traveling with the president can be chaotic. I wasnt able to hear the faint babble of the river, or notice how the trees on one side leaned over the water as if they were bowing to take a drink or how the bluff rose vertically on the other side like the wall of a castle.
A Black manager of a Dunkin shop in Tampa, Fla., who fatally punched a 77-year-old white customer last year after he repeatedly used a racial slur in addressing him was sentenced this week to two years of house arrest, prosecutors said.

The employee, Corey Pujols, who was originally charged with manslaughter, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of felony battery under a plea deal that will allow him to avoid jail time. Under the sentence imposed on Monday by Judge Christine Marlewski of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, Mr. Pujols, 27, will be on probation for three years after he completes his house arrest. He also must perform 200 hours of community service, and attend anger management courses.

The fatal confrontation took place last May 4, when Vonelle Cook, a store regular, began berating staff members after being upset with the service he received at the stores drive-through window, the authorities said.

After being told several times to leave, Mr. Cook parked and went into the shop, while Mr. Pujols told another store employee to call the police, prosecutors said. The pair argued, separated by a counter. Then Mr. Cook used a racial slur, causing Mr. Pujols to walk through a swinging door and come face-to-face with Mr. Cook, prosecutors said.
WASHINGTON  The $1.5 trillion spending bill that passed the House on Wednesday was fueled in large part by bipartisan support for an emergency aid package for Ukraine, which would steer $13.6 billion in military and humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country under assault by Russia.

The emergency funds, details of which were released only hours ahead of Wednesday nights vote, are evenly split between military and humanitarian aid, with money earmarked to cover the costs of American troops deployed to Europe and to provide emergency assistance to both Ukrainians still living in the country and those who have fled.

The price tag of the package has ballooned from $6.4 billion, the initial request from the White House, reflecting the furious backlash in Congress to Russias brutal assault on Ukraine  and how, struggling to unite behind meaningful assistance for Kyiv, Republicans and Democrats have resorted to one of the few substantive tools available to them: sending money and weapons.

The brave, freedom-loving people of Ukraine and our allies in the region will receive urgently needed investments to fight Vladimir Putin and the Russians illegal and immoral invasion, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said in a joint statement detailing the spending.
WASHINGTON  The House on Wednesday voted to renew a lapsed law aimed at preventing domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, approving the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, a top priority of President Biden.

The measure was included in a sprawling $1.5 trillion spending package to fund the government through September. First written by Mr. Biden in 1994 when he was in the Senate, the law expired in 2019 under President Donald J. Trump and has languished since, even as Mr. Biden has pressed for Congress to strengthen and renew it.

The legislation goes next to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.

The expiration of VAWA three years ago put many lives in jeopardy, Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, said in a statement, using the acronym for the law. It is such good news that it is finally being reauthorized.

He called it one of the most important laws passed by Congress in the last 30 years.

Introduced by a bipartisan group of senators, the measure would expand protections for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, provide more resources and training programs for law enforcement, fund rape crisis centers and broaden access to legal services for survivors, among other things.
WASHINGTON  The House on Wednesday passed a sprawling $1.5 trillion federal spending bill that includes a huge infusion of aid for war-torn Ukraine and money to keep the government funded through September, after jettisoning a package to fund President Bidens new Covid-19 response effort.

Bipartisan approval of the first major government spending legislation of Mr. Bidens presidency marked the first time since he took office that Democrats were able to use their congressional majorities and control of the White House to set funding levels for their priorities, including climate resilience, public education and child care.

But the exclusion of the $15.6 billion pandemic aid package, amid disputes about its cost that threatened to derail the broader legislation, infuriated the White House and frustrated Democratic leaders, leaving the fate of the Biden administrations coronavirus strategy uncertain.

The presidents team has said it is in urgent need of funding for testing, therapeutics, vaccines and efforts to stop new variants. Officials had initially suggested they needed as much as $30 billion before requesting $22.5 billion, an amount that got whittled down in negotiations with Republicans, who resisted spending any new federal money on the pandemic.
WASHINGTON  A federal judge said on Wednesday that he would review 111 emails that the lawyer John Eastman, an ally of former President Donald J. Trump, is attempting to keep from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, as the panel works to force the release of documents from lawyers involved in plans to overturn the 2020 election.

Judge David O. Carter, of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, said in an order that he would review emails Mr. Eastman had sent and received between Jan. 4 and Jan. 7 of last year as he decides whether to release them to the committee.

Judge Carter made no mention of the committees most explosive argument in the case: that Mr. Eastmans emails are not protected by attorney-client privilege because they were part of a criminal conspiracy.

Ultimately, the court will issue a written decision including its full analysis and its final determination of which, if any, documents must be disclosed to the Select Committee, the judge wrote.
Family members of five people killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre have endorsed Jared Moskowitz for Congress.

Moskowitz, a Stoneman Douglas graduate, was a state representative from northwest Broward at the time of the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre, which killed 17 people and injured 17 others.

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His emotional floor speech in the state House of Representatives helped win passage of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which raised the age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21, created a statewide waiting period for long-gun sales and made it easier for law enforcement to seize weapons from people suspected of being dangerous.

[ RELATED: Jared Moskowitz is first major candidate for Ted Deutch congressional seat ]

It also earned him an F-minus rating from the National Rifle Association  a grade which Moskowitz has said meant he was doing the right thing.

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Endorsing Moskowitz Thursday were Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa was killed during the massacre; Debbi Hixon, whose husband Chris was a victim; Tony Montalto, father of Gina; and Max Schachter, father of Alex.

On Monday, Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed by the shooter, endorsed Moskowitz.

[ RELATED: Moskowitz cements frontrunner status in Congress race with dozens of endorsements  including people whod considered running themselves ]

Each of the five have become active in different ways, in government and politics and for school safety efforts. Alhadeff and Hixon have both been elected to the Broward School Board.

Moskowitz, a Democrat currently serving as an appointed Broward County commissioner, is running for the Broward-Palm Beach county congressional district thats open because U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch decided not to run again.

Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @browardpolitics
Guatemalan lawmakers have passed a sweeping new bill mandating up to 10 years of jail time for women who obtain abortions, explicitly banning same-sex marriage and preventing schools from teaching about sexual diversity.

The measure, which was approved Tuesday and is expected to be signed into law by Guatemalas conservative president within weeks, would impose the harshest punishment for abortion of almost any country in Latin America. It bucks the trend toward broadening access to the procedure throughout the region in recent years.

I voted for it because of what has happened in other countries, said Armando Castillo, a Guatemalan congressman who backed the measure. The point of this is to set a trend, so that can never happen here.

Human rights groups warned that the measure would most likely spur more women to seek abortion in unsafe settings, driving up maternal deaths.
Officials in Ontario said on Wednesday that the province was dropping its universal mask mandate, weeks after truckers paralyzed Ottawa during their protests over coronavirus restrictions.

Dr. Kieran Moore, the provinces chief medical officer of health, said at a news briefing that the province would end its mask requirement in most places on March 21, although he added that removing the mask mandate does not mean the risk is gone.

The move comes about a month after a caravan of truckers occupied Ottawas streets for three weeks, enraging residents and encouraging copycat movements, while they protested over the Canadian governments pandemic measures.
Evgeny Maslin, a Russian general who, after the fall of the Soviet Union, set Cold War-era enmities aside to work with the United States in securing his countrys nuclear arsenal, a process that included the withdrawal of thousands of warheads from Ukraine, died on Feb. 26 at a hospital in Moscow. He was 84.

His daughter Ekaterina Bankovskaya said the cause was cancer.

With Russias continuing war against Ukraine and the possibility that NATO could become involved, it may be hard to recall a time when Russia, Ukraine and the United States worked together to reduce a looming threat to global security.

It started in 1991, when the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union presented Russia, Ukraine and other successor states with an enormous challenge: how to make sure that an estimated 25,000 nuclear weapons, most of which were sitting in far-flung and often poorly secured sites, did not fall into the hands of criminals and terrorists.

It was up to General Maslin, who oversaw the 30,000 soldiers and engineers charged with maintaining Russias nuclear portfolio, to come up with an answer. He spent three years persuading Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus to hand over their atomic inheritance, only to hit on another snag: Russia didnt have the means to keep the weapons safe either.
Ukrainian government officials said Wednesday that damage by Russian forces had left the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant disconnected from outside electricity, leaving the site of the worst nuclear accident in history dependent on power from diesel generators and backup supplies.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that there was no need for immediate alarm over the condition of the decommissioned plant, where workers have safeguarded nuclear waste since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. But officials said the situation around the site remained a source of grave concern.

Russian troops have occupied the facility since the early days of the invasion last month. The I.A.E.A., a United Nations agency, said the loss of power violated a key safety pillar but said it saw no critical impact on safety at this time because the amount of water in cooling ponds and around radioactive waste was sufficient to keep the nuclear material under control, even without continuous power to the plant. Part of the reason is that the used fuel assemblies are old and not as dangerous as they once were.

The American Nuclear Society, a professional group, agreed. The loss of power is a serious matter but it does not pose a threat to the public, it said in a statement.
That thaw did not last long.

In late 2017, when President Donald J. Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, relations took another downturn. Mr. Erdogans strong criticism of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem has also proved a constant irritant. He has compared Israel to Nazi Germany and accused the Israelis of genocide after their forces killed scores of Palestinian protesters during clashes along the Gaza border fence in 2018, on the day that the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Yet bilateral trade and tourism have continued apace. Mr. Erdogan said on Wednesday that the volume of trade between the two countries reached $8.5 billion last year, and that he hoped it would reach $10 billion this year.

Mr. Erdogan has indicated a willingness for warmer ties since Israels new government formed last June, with Naftali Bennett replacing Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister, and since Mr. Herzog became president a month later.

Mr. Erdogan called Mr. Herzog to congratulate him when he entered office and the pair have spoken three times on the phone since. Mr. Herzog offered his well wishes to Mr. Erdogan last month after he contracted Covid, and in November 2021, thanked him for the release of an Israeli couple held for several days in a Turkish prison on suspicion of spying after they took photos of Mr. Erdogans residence in Istanbul. Mr. Erdogan also offered Mr. Herzog condolences when his mother, Aura Herzog, died in January.

Israels political leadership has been cautious in expressing optimism about a fresh start. Mr. Herzog said that his visit was fully coordinated with Mr. Bennett and Israels foreign minister, Yair Lapid, and that Israel would try to promote dialogue with Turkey and examine it through deeds.

Both sides have a clear interest in better ties, analysts say.

Mr. Erdogan, whose country is in the midst of a financial crisis, has repeatedly expressed a desire for Turkey to have a part in Israels lucrative natural gas discoveries in the Mediterranean, including a proposal to work with Israel in carrying its natural gas to Europe  an unlikely proposition for Israel.

Turkey is extremely interested in getting a share of the Eastern Mediterranean gas bonanza, said Dore Gold, an Israeli diplomat who is president of the Israeli think tank Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and who helped negotiate the 2016 reconciliation agreement with Turkey. Israel has signed agreements for the development of the fields with Cyprus and other eastern Mediterranean states, but it has not done so with Turkey.
Stop flitting around the house and take off that ridiculous outfit. These words, the artist Stephen Tashjian says, were often directed his way in the Armenian American household of his childhood in Leicester, Mass., when he was already a young professional puppeteer as well as a busy multitasker. They were prophetic because in the early 1980s, fresh from art school in Boston, Tashjian would land in New York and within days begin his rise to fame  in costume  as a drag performance artist on the East Village art scene, at the Pyramid Club and other establishments of gay downtown.

He quickly assumed the stage name of Tabboo! and also busied himself establishing the graphic style of the period with a multitude of grittily elegant posters, announcements and fliers for events at Pyramid and elsewhere. Their lavish curlicue lettering echoed, robustly, that of Warhols advertising work of the 1950s; their style often evoked German Expressionism by way of underground comics.
PARIS  Were going to listen to music that describes emotions  feelings like pain, happiness, loneliness, anger, love, Leonard Bernstein once said during an episode of his beloved, televised Young Peoples Concerts.

I guess most music is like that, he added. And the better it is, the more it will make you feel those emotions that the composer felt when he was writing.

Bernstein was introducing Tchaikovskys Fourth Symphony, but he could just as easily have been speaking about his own music  even his grim and spiky final opera, A Quiet Place. With a libretto by Stephen Wadsworth, this piece has had a tortured history, struggling to find its form before and after its 1983 premiere. It was heavily criticized, and revised several times, culminating in 2013 with a version by Garth Edwin Sunderland that could give this work  in a genre that kept eluding Bernstein  a brighter future.

That version, a sweeping rethinking of the pieces dramaturgy and orchestration, has been altered again for the Paris Opera, which is giving Sunderlands edition its most prominent staging yet in a new production that opened on Wednesday at the Palais Garnier.
How does the series address the experience of dementia?

MOSLEY A lot of people will see somebody whos experiencing dementia or Alzheimers, and they think, Theyre crazy. But in reality, theres something really going on in there, no matter how far gone they are. We allow an audience to identify not only with the character that Sams playing, but with our own lives. That was what the book meant to me, to be able to do that.

JACKSON Those of us who have had to deal with that know that when those people are sitting there, they may not answer your questions or be present for what you want them to be present for, because theyre busy inhabiting something else that gives them solace in the lost space that theyre in, or that we think theyre in. But they may not be lost at all. They just dont bother with what you are trying to put on.

I talked to my mom when she had dementia and shed be like, Youre disturbing me. Stop asking me things that Im supposed to know the answer to, or you think that I know the answer to, or that I dont want to be engaged in right now. When she wanted to engage, she engaged. So this story touched me in a real place.
Ragnars furtive longings for prominence are hardly idiosyncratic, but he nevertheless resists the urge to act on them. Although he is sometimes troubled by the meaninglessness of not achieving anything, he rarely lets his wariness tempt him into something as illogical as individualism. Individualism is instead the purview of his children, Erik and Elsa, whom his wife, Elisabet, welcomes into the world as a pair of blank pages. They can, in her mind, do as they please. Ragnar, on the contrary, is bound to do as the people do: eat instant foods, travel to Spain, read Ernest Hemingway, etc. He is, after all, one among them, a fact he considers obvious, but not so obvious that it doesnt bear perpetual reminding.

Although it has been described in the Swedish press as a feat of allegory, Son of Svea has very little interest in hidden meanings. Ragnar isnt a symbol of the welfare state; he is its literal manifestation, a relation, Andersson suggests, like biological inheritance. (Biological inheritance, for its part, is a fact of life best to be avoided. Ragnar Johansson would far rather ally himself with the cool clarity of the state, she writes, than with the familys cozy nook of smoldering injustice.) While reading, I wondered at times if the conceit needed to be so explicit. Novels, especially those concerned with allegory, are sustained on suspension of disbelief, but the simultaneity, for example, of Elsas declaration of independence and the falling of the Berlin Wall seemed an unnecessary, if astute, convenience.

In any case, such moments pale in the swell of the novels circuitous, laugh-out-loud wit, adroitly captured in Sarah Deaths elegant translation. For all his insistence on absolutes, Ragnar is mired in ambivalence. Its what keeps his twisted logic fresh, even as he ages, and his country, along with his children, evolves beyond the plot hes imagined for them. Eventually, Ragnar goes the way of his mother, becoming a relic of history. At the turn of the millennium, an ethnologist expresses interest in using Ragnars life as the raw material for her research on Swedish mentality in the age of modernity. But her supervisor, in a decisive flourish, deems him altogether too ordinary for anything like that.
It does help people who are suddenly stuck under bombardment to feel that their voices are being heard, said Boris Dralyuk, the editor in chief of The Los Angeles Review of Books and a translator of Russian and Ukrainian authors who has been commissioning, editing and publishing war dispatches and poetry from Ukraine. It helps to humanize this experience, to know whats going through the persons mind.

For Dralyuk, who grew up in Odessa, giving Ukrainian writers visibility in mainstream publications, and not just in rarefied academic presses and journals, feels not only urgent but overdue. Russias military aggression against Ukraine has been going on since Putin annexed Crimea in 2014; a robust body of recent Ukrainian war literature already exists, Dralyuk said, but has gotten very little attention.

Russias ongoing aggression over the past eight years prompted some prominent Ukrainian writers, including the poet Boris Khersonsky and the novelist Olena Stiazhkina, who had previously written in Russian, to switch to writing exclusively in Ukrainian, as both a political and a literary statement, Dralyuk and other translators said.

Its been this long struggle for Ukraine both politically and culturally to establish and recover its identity, he said. Now we see this demarginalization and centering of Ukrainian voices, and its very empowering.

As violence and chaos engulfed parts of Ukraine, the laborious process of commissioning and translating work has become even more complicated. Some of the authors are facing aerial bombardments and an escalating ground war. Others have enlisted in Ukraines territorial defense forces or are volunteering to help house and feed refugees.

To facilitate the rapid translation effort, Zenia Tompkins, who founded the Tault agency in 2019, reached out to Tsurkan, and started a project they called Operation Ukraine. Tsurkan put out a call for work from Ukrainian writers and posted another message in English to recruit more translators. The Tault agency has 10 translators who specialize in Ukrainian, and the list of Ukrainian authors it works with has rapidly grown to around 100 Ukrainian writers, up from 13 when it was founded.
TALLAHASSEE  Drivers in Florida could get some relief at the pump through a one-month, $200 million gas tax break in October agreed to by state lawmakers Wednesday night.

The tax holiday would come a month before Gov. Ron DeSantis and many other politicians face re-election. Motorists pay 26.5 cents a gallon in state gas tax.

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The gas tax plan, paid for with federal stimulus dollars sent to Florida because of the pandemic, emerged on a busy legislative day. The House also approved a statewide squad to combat voter fraud and a contentious immigration bill, two of DeSantis top legislative priorities.

Republican budget leaders said they chose October for the gas tax break because fewer tourists will be visiting. They insisted the timing has nothing to do with the election.

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Our goal was to make sure Floridians were able to have as much access to the $200 million reduction, said Rep. Jay Trumbull, the Houses budget chief.

DeSantis had called for a $1 billion gas tax holiday that he said would save Florida families an average of $200 and help them cope with rising prices that he blamed on President Joe Biden. DeSantis is widely seen as a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2024.

His proposal came before Russias invasion of Ukraine sent gas prices soaring. Floridians were paying an average of $4.21 a gallon for gas on Wednesday, according to AAA.

Motorists fuel up in two gas stations at the corner of West Gore Street and South Orange Avenue, on Monday, March 7, 2022. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel) (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

Lawmakers also passed legislation on two hot-button issues for conservatives seeking to bolster DeSantis political capital: election fraud and immigration.

The Office of Election Crimes and Security would be responsible for investigating election irregularities, making Florida one of the only states to have a statewide agency solely dedicated to voter fraud.

The new office would be under the secretary of state, who is appointed by the governor.

Republicans said even though Floridas presidential election ran smoothly in 2020, more could be done to make it more secure.

Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, said, people are trying to game the system.

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Our job is to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat, he said. Our job is to make sure our elections are secure as possible. Our constituents are demanding it.

Democrats said the office is unneeded and is responding to former President Donald Trumps baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

Election fraud is a unicorn, said Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura. It is not real except in very sparse, isolated incidents.

An Associated Press review found only 475 cases of potential voter fraud out of 25.5 million ballots cast in six battleground states in the 2020 presidential election, a number that would have made no difference in the outcome.

DeSantis proposed the election fraud office in November during a campaign rally-style event in West Palm Beach.

Lawmakers scaled back the staff assigned to voter fraud from 52 that DeSantis envisioned to 25. They also removed a provision that would have required mail voters to use an extra envelope and provide the last four digits of their Social Security or drivers license number.

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Alan Hays, Lake Countys elections supervisor, warned adding those steps to mail voting could create a recipe for disaster.

The legislation would also prohibit rank-choice voting where voters rank candidates, require more checks of voter rolls and extend prohibitions on third-party organizations funding election-related expenses, including litigation.

It renames ballot drop boxes secure ballot intake stations, a nod to DeSantis comments that he personally doesnt like drop boxes.

Lawmakers also approved an immigration measure that will bar the state from doing business with companies that transport undocumented immigrants, except to facilitate the detention, removal, or departure of the person from the state or the United States.

The measure is in response to DeSantis accusations that the federal government is flying undocumented immigrants into Florida in the middle of the night on so-called ghost flights.

A Washington Post analysis found that these so-called ghost flights involve the transport of unaccompanied children to relatives and caretakers as required by law and also took place during Trumps administration.

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State lawmakers are expected to vote on a $100 billion-plus state budget on Monday. That will wrap up the 2022 legislative session in overtime after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on spending by Tuesday, the deadline to allow for adjournment by the originally scheduled end date of Friday.

sswisher@orlandosentinel.com
The heavy toll of war on Ukraine

The death, destruction and deprivation of war are mounting in Ukraine, from which an estimated two million people have fled seeking refuge. In the southern city of Mariupol, Russian commanders appear to be resorting to tactics used in Chechnya and Syria: flattening settlements with overwhelming and indiscriminate firepower.

An apparent Russian strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol destroyed buildings and wounded patients and staff members. Across the city, hundreds of casualties have been reported. All escape routes have been blocked for days, and people are cutting down trees to build fires for heat and cooking. See maps of the invasion.

Efforts to negotiate a cease-fire to give civilians a chance to escape have failed repeatedly. For the past three days, the prospect that relief could reach the city though a humanitarian corridor fell apart in a hail of mortar and artillery fire.

Victims: My whole family died in what you call a special operation and we call a war. You can do what you want with me. I have nothing left to lose. The story of a family ripped apart by the violence.
Microsoft has an ambitious plan to cut its carbon emissions. But on Thursday, the company reported a big increase in the greenhouse gases emanating from its operations and its products, a reminder of the challenges that companies face as they try to clean up their businesses.

Microsofts carbon emissions were up 21.5 percent in the 12 months through June 2021, after small declines in 2020 and 2019. The increase was almost entirely driven by emissions from energy used to build data centers and make devices  like the Xbox and the Surface tablet  and from the power that Microsoft estimates its products consume when people used them.

Microsoft has sought to show that with committed leaders and sufficient funding, companies can effectively reduce their net emissions to zero in the coming years, bolstering international efforts to limit the rise in global temperatures. But the surge in Microsofts emissions suggests that it and other companies may have trouble meeting their goals. And since the increase resulted from strong demand for products, it is a reminder that robust business growth can often mean pumping more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Still, Microsofts leaders say they can be carbon negative by the end of the decade, by cutting emissions and using a variety of measures to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Were still absolutely committed to  and absolutely sure of our ability to meet  our 2030 commitment, said Lucas Joppa, Microsofts chief environmental officer.
The Internal Revenue Service said on Thursday that it planned a hiring spree this tax season as it tries to clear a backlog of more than 20 million unprocessed tax returns from previous years.

The agency said it intended to hire 10,000 new employees in the next year and hoped to bring on about half of those workers in the next few months. The I.R.S. described the blueprint as an all hands on deck approach to emerge from longstanding staffing shortages that were compounded by the pandemic.

To ensure inventory is back to a healthy level for next filing season, we are leaving no stone unturned  taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure as many employees as possible are dedicating time to return processing, Charles P. Rettig, the I.R.S. commissioner, said in a statement.

This tax season has been the most challenging in the history of the I.R.S., current and former employees say. Longstanding budget cuts and staff shortages collided with the pandemic, as the agency became the main distributor of stimulus relief, including direct checks and tax credits.
Chowhound, the website that began 25 years ago as a digital gathering place for obsessive food lovers, will close down on March 21, the site announced on Monday.

This incredibly difficult decision is due to limitations in the capabilities and resources required to maintain the site on an ongoing basis, its moderators said. Red Ventures, the media corporation that owns Chowhound, declined to comment further.

Chowhound was founded in 1997 by Jim Leff, a jazz trombonist and writer whose day jobs financed his fervid quest for deliciousness, along with a rather more silent partner, Bob Okumura.

In its heady early days it was a space to find recommendations for the best barbecue, arepas or Albanian bureks in New York, alongside passionate rants and relentless arguments over kimchi, lengua tacos and lahmacun.
Rogue Vine Itata Valley Grand Itata Blanco 2020, 12.5 percent, $20

Rogue Vine has been one of the leaders in demonstrating the appeal of wines made from old vineyards in southern Chile. One partner in Rogue, Leonardo Erazo, has had his hands in several exceptional labels, including A Los Vinateros Bravos, another Itata producer. Rogue is especially drawn to hillside vineyards in which the vines are trained into goblet shapes, without trellises, often referred to as head-trained or bush vines in English, and gobelet in French. This white is 45 percent muscat, 30 percent riesling and 25 percent semillon. Its floral, with an almost honeyed aroma, and lightly fruity, stony flavors that persist long after swallowing. (Brazos Wine Imports, Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Image Credit... Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Luyt Pipeno Blanco Itata Carrizal Familia Ernesto Soto 2021, 12.7 percent, $25, 1 liter

Pipeno can be white as well as red. Louis-Antoine Luyt, who is French and lives in Chile, makes his own wines while also highlighting interesting terroirs and growers. In this case, its the Ernesto Soto family, which farms ancient bush vines in the Carrizal area in Itata. This cloudy, unfiltered white is made of muscat, chasselas, semillon and torontel, otherwise known as torrontes. It is delicious and refreshing, fragrant with aromas of dried flowers and a kind of musky quality, beautifully textured with the flavors of tropical fruits. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)

Image Credit... Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Cara Sur Calingasta Valley Finca Maggio 2018, 13.5 percent, $25

Malbec is not the only red grape grown in Argentina. This red from the Calingasta Valley in San Juan, north of Mendoza, is said to be made of bonarda, a grape from the Piedmont region of Italy that is often called the second-most cultivated red grape in Argentina. However, studies have shown that the grapes called bonarda in Argentina can be any number of obscure grapes that came from northwestern Italy or southeastern France. Cara Sur is a personal project of Sebastian Zuccardi, the proprietor of the Zuccardi label in the Uco Valley, and three partners. The wine, which is aged in concrete eggs, is lightly tannic, with earthy, stony flavors. More than 15 different grapes in the vineyard are used for this wine, a mix that is called simply viejas tintas, or old red grapes. (Brazos Wine Imports)

Image Credit... Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Herrera Alvarado Cuero de Vaca Marga Marga Valley 2020, 11 percent, $28

Wines do not get much more traditional than this red from the Marga Marga Valley in central Chile, east of Valparaiso. Carolina Alvarado and Arturo Herrera harvest old vines of pinot noir and make the wine in an adobe facility without electricity, using the methods of old farmers who have been making wine for home consumption for centuries. The juice is fermented over old cow hides and then pressed through the hide, using it as a sort of natural filter. Rather than tasting gamy or leathery, this is fresh and juicy, almost like a nouveau. It will not remind you of a conventional pinot noir, yet its singular and beautiful. (Jose Pastor Selections/Llaurador Wines)
Given the muddled results on the effectiveness of vaccines and the mixed messages on the benefits of masks, families are weighing risks on their own  and coming to very different conclusions.

Jennifer Steinberg, a management consultant in Wilmington, Del., has two daughters who split their time with her and their immunocompromised father.

Yes, great, it protects against severe illness, Ms. Steinberg said of the vaccine. But if your kids are still going to get infected, this is a huge disruption to family lives. Im probably going to stay masked for the foreseeable future.

Katie Sunderland of Arlington, Va., has long been ready to give up masks. If her children, 7 and 5, do become infected, thats a trade-off Im OK with if they are able to unmask and see faces, she said.

Im not convinced that wearing a mask would significantly reduce the risk of getting Covid anyway  especially not the type of masks I see most kids wearing, Ms. Sunderland, 37, said. It doesnt make sense to me to impede my kids development for that very, very, very low risk.

But many other parents are still unsure of what to do. Ms. Gonzalez has a niece and nephew who have congenital heart defects and problems with lung capacity, and she will continue to wear masks to protect them, she said.

But if her sons school drops the mask requirement, we dont know what were going do yet.
While state and local governments will divide up billions from the Sacklers and Purdue for treatment and prevention programs, if the current draft  or some approximation  of the Purdue bankruptcy and settlement plan were adopted, individual victims will get far less. They can apply for compensation from a fund of up to $750 million and would be able to collect amounts ranging from $3,500 to $48,000.

Parents and guardians of about 6,550 children with a history of neonatal abstinence syndrome may each receive about $7,000. Many must show proof that OxyContin was directly implicated  a high bar, given the passage of time and the difficulty in locating records.

The hearing with the Sacklers emerged from the latest round of negotiations among the Sacklers, eight states and Washington, D.C., which, in addition to New Hampshire, voted against the last bankruptcy plan for Purdue Pharma. The latest terms include an increased contribution from the Sacklers for up to $6 billion. Though considerable hurdles loom for finalizing the deal, one condition, requested by a judge who mediated the talks, was what occurred on Thursday: People deeply affected by the opioid epidemic finally had their day in court.

One of the last to give a statement was Vicki Bishop, who spoke of her firstborn child, Brian, a construction worker who had been prescribed OxyContin after a work accident.

She concluded with a request: That when you, Richard, David and Theresa, put your heads down on your pillows tonight and close your eyes to sleep, that you see my son Brian, and you visualize his opioid-addicted life that led him at the age of 45 to a cold steel table in the Baltimore County medical examiners office, blue, alone and dead from a fatal overdose.

I want you to consider your personal role in this, she said. Because this is what I see every night when I close my eyes and try to find the sleep that rarely comes.
Taking its title from a book written by its subject, Playing in the FM Band: The Steve Post Story memorializes Post, a New York radio personality who, the movie insists, helped define what became known as free-form radio  a kind of programming without a strict format, in which the D.J. chooses the music and riffs on whatever they like, often soliciting call-in listener responses  beginning at the FM station WBAI in the late 1960s.

The documentary posits him as a pioneer but struggles to pin down how he was unique. We hear that he was influenced by Jean Shepherd, the radio personality whose wry storytelling brought him to prominence in the 1950s. And, sure enough, sometimes Post sounds an awful lot like Shepherd. Early in the movie, the director, Rosemarie Reed, chooses to highlight Posts humor by playing a skit Post did with the character actor Marshall Efron, in which Efron impersonates a swami and speaks with a straight up offensive accent. As the audio runs, Reed presents shots of statues that seem to depict South Asian deities.
The Exorcism of God opens with the possession of Magali (Iran Castillo), a nun at an orphanage in Mexico whose nipples get at least as much on-screen attention as her face. As soon as Magali and Father Peter Williams (Will Beinbrink), the priest performing her exorcism, are left alone, he rapes her. Such is the nature of this soulless film, directed by Alejandro Hidalgo and written by Hidalgo and Santiago Fernandez Calvete.

Eighteen years after that exorcism, Peter, still a clergyman, lives in a village where the residents believe he is a saint. When children start dying from what appears to be an incurable illness, he worries it is a punishment from the Lord. Indeed its a demon  the same one who possessed Magali has reappeared at a nearby womens prison. Peter calls upon his colleague, Father Michael Lewis (Joseph Marcell) to help him defeat it once and for all.
Months after remnants of Hurricane Ida crippled large parts of the state, killing at least 25 people, he did not utter the phrase climate change. There were no overt references to criminal justice, racial equity or immigrant rights. He cited a signature first-term win  lifting the minimum wage to $15  just once, and instead chose to talk about tax cuts and rebates and a one-year fee holiday that would allow residents to visit state parks and renew drivers licenses for free.

If you compare the really sharp racial justice messaging from last year to this year, there is a really big disconnect, said Sara Cullinane, director of Make the Road New Jersey, a left-leaning coalition focused on immigrant and worker rights.

It seems that theres a pivot, she added.

Instead of the unabashedly left-leaning budget message that set the tone for his first term, there were 24 mentions of the words affordable or affordability.

The Democratic Party is looking down at the 2022 midterms coming and knowing that its message needs to be revamped, said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University.

Many voters, probably most voters, are disenchanted.

Mr. Murphy is scheduled to move from vice chairman to chairman of the National Governors Association in July and to take over leadership of the Democratic Governors Association for the second time next year. Democrats must defend governorships in the key battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, races seen as must-wins to stave off Republican restrictions on voting rights.
Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, center, leads the 15-member Senate Democratic Caucus. Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, is at left and Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, is at right. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/AP)

Florida elections have had disastrous consequences, putting the state in he hands of a divisive, tyrannical governor and a Legislature eager to give him almost anything he wants.

Democrats are the only safeguard against the abuse of raw Republican power. But when they splinter apart and side with Republicans instead of holding tight, Democrats look weak  especially when its about the publics right to know and holding the majority accountable.

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Repeatedly this session, Senate Democrats let Republicans off the hook, and let their constituents down.

In the latest case, the Senate voted 28 to 10 to create a public records loophole that keeps secret the identities of the companies that provide the mixture of chemicals the state uses to lethally inject death row inmates. This is a backroom drug deal at the publics expense.

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Manufacturers dont want it known that their drugs carry out a barbaric practice banned in much of the developed world. But nowhere is transparency more important than when the state carries out the ultimate punishment.

A real test

The vote Monday was a real test of Democratic unity, because a new public records exemption needs a two-thirds vote, or 26 of 39 senators, if everyone is present. At a morning caucus, Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, the groups most outspoken critic of the Republican agenda, reminded his 14 colleagues they had the votes. Its a bill we can block, Farmer said.

But too many accepted Republican fear-mongering that without this law, Florida would have to resurrect Ol Sparky, the archaic, unreliable electric chair of decades past.

A leading critic of the bill (HB 873), Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg, said: I hope you can find it in your heart to make a stand on one issue this year.

In an interview with the Sun Sentinel, Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg said of Senate Democrats: "On issue after issue, they have folded." (Steve Cannon/AP)

Everyone knew who Brandes was talking about. But six Democrats sided with Republicans: Loranne Ausley of Tallahassee, Janet Cruz of Tampa, Tina Polsky of Boca Raton, Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg and Linda Stewart and Victor Torres of Orlando. The roll call vote is online.

It was shocking, said Pam Marsh of the First Amendment Foundation, a watchdog group supported by Florida news organizations, including the Sun Sentinel and Orlando Sentinel. I was amazed at how many Democrats voted for the exemption.

The FAF website said legislators relied on unsupported hypotheticals to justify the exemption and provided no legal basis for it, but Marsh wonders if any senators even read her warnings. The bill is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis desk.

Four more folded

Four more Democrats folded on a second Republican public records exemption (SB 520) to make searches for state college and university presidents secret until 21 days before a hiring decision. The result will intensify backstage competition for highly lucrative jobs among ambitious Republicans. A united Democratic caucus could have killed that bill, too.

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The roll call vote is online. So is this weeks vote to raise the cost of rooftop solar panels and scale back a program of net metering, a bill pushed by Florida Power & Light. Three Republicans voted no on HB 741, but three Democrats came to the Republicans rescue to ensure passage.

A fourth fail is a bit more complicated and just as troubling.

All 15 Senate Democrats held together and voted against an extreme 15-week ban on abortion that will have catastrophic impacts, especially for poor young women and rape victims.

Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book of Plantation, a child sexual assault victim, urged an exception for rape, incest and human trafficking. She offered an amendment to the bill (HB 5) after a deeply emotional speech in which she revealed that she had been raped by a group of men when she was 13.

I wish it mattered, Book said as her voice broke. I wish that me telling my story, and the reality, mattered.

What might have been

Forcing Republicans to cast a yes-or-no vote on an abortion exception to protect crime victims could have killed the bill because the House was expected to reject it. But well never know, because Democrats gave Republicans a pass. Predictably, Senate President Wilton Simpson ruled that Books amendment failed on a voice vote, but it sure sounded close. (View the video on our website and judge for yourself).

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Book and her caucus made the strategic choice to not force Republicans to cast a separate recorded vote on the rape and incest exception.

Were not going to raise hands on the amendment. Were going to do a voice vote, Book told senators in an unusual announcement.

Asked to explain her strategy in an interview, Book said she got caught up in my emotion ... my own reality. She said she made no prearranged deal with Republicans, and that the same amendment was defeated on a roll call vote in the 20-member Appropriations Committee.

A key Book ally, Democratic strategist Christian Ulvert, who watched the debate on TV from Books conference room, said a recorded vote didnt matter because senators are still on record on a bill with no rape exception, which passed on a party-line vote of 23-15.

The final bill is still a liability for some Republicans, Ulvert said, and Book led the fight against it.

Book said five senators could have raised their hands and demanded a recorded vote, but didnt. However, that would have forced senators to publicly defy their leader, who had assured Republicans they wouldnt have to vote on the amendment.

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On the most far-reaching bill of the session, Democrats should have used every available option to slow or stop an assault on womens reproductive rights. They rolled over  again. If Democrats wont look out for us, who will?

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.
There is little doubt that Mr. Rays life, before he moved to the Sarah Lawrence campus in Westchester County, had been unusual. It included an episode in which he arranged a meeting between Rudolph W. Giuliani, then the mayor of New York City, and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and claims that he worked at one point in Kosovo for a United States intelligence agency.

He was friendly in the 1990s with Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, who helped him secure a job with Interstate Industrial Corporation, a construction company reputed to have ties to organized crime.

Mr. Ray was charged in 2000 by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn with taking part in a scheme in which mobsters and stockbrokers were accused of swindling investors out of $40 million. Around the same time, Mr. Ray cooperated with prosecutors investigating Mr. Kerik, who ended up pleading guilty to state and federal charges stemming from their connections to Interstate.

In 2010, Mr. Ray emerged from state prison in New Jersey, where he had served time on charges related to a child custody dispute. He then moved into a dormitory where his daughter, Talia Ray, lived.

Mr. Ray, who was then 50 years old, quickly became a domineering force in the dormitory, called Slonim Woods, according to prosecutors. He began offering what prosecutors called phony therapy sessions to his daughters friends and roommates, gaining insight into their lives and vulnerabilities.

As those students fell under Mr. Rays influence, his behavior, as described in an indictment, became more aggressive. Over the years that followed, Mr. Ray ran what prosecutors said was a criminal enterprise  one that in many ways resembled a cult, with Mr. Ray playing the role of authoritarian leader.

He is said to have used psychological manipulation to convince the students that they were broken and in need of his fixing. Prosecutors said he indoctrinated the students into his system of beliefs; used threats and coercion to get them to confess to crimes they had not committed; and extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars from them.
Recreational marijuana was legalized in New York last year, and many previous convictions were expunged. But the retail rollout has been slow, with entrepreneurs on tribal lands near the Canadian border setting up unlicensed dispensaries and New Yorkers on the other side of the state heading to Massachusetts, which began selling marijuana in 2018.

New York officials, who expect the first licensed dispensaries to open by the end of the year, do not want so-called social equity applicants and mom-and-pop marijuana businesses shut out.

That has happened in other states where they ran short of capital or faced insurmountable competition from corporate operations. Chris Alexander, the executive director of the states Office of Cannabis Management, said that by focusing early on those who otherwise would have been left behind, New York would be in a position to do something that has not been done before.

Namely, the state could provide money to smooth the rocky road on the way to opening a new business in a new industry. Hochul has proposed  and the Legislature seems likely to approve  $200 million in this years budget to support the fledging cannabis businesses. The money will go to line up and renovate storefronts. Such assistance could make a difference for would-be marijuana retailers in New York City, where real estate prices have rebounded as the coronavirus pandemic has receded.

The state is setting aside half of all marijuana-related licenses  including licenses for growers and other parts of the supply chain  for women, minorities, distressed farmers, veterans and individuals who have lived in communities disproportionally impacted by the drug war. Black and Latino New Yorkers have been far more likely to be arrested on marijuana charges than white, non-Hispanic people.
Growing up in New York City, I learned street smarts early. I kept my head down, my money in my sock and my mind on my business. At 12, I started riding the subway alone, and in high school I commuted four hours a day from Queens to the Bronx. When a classmate was slashed in the face by a stranger at our schools subway stop, I still took the train home that day and every day after that. It takes a lot to faze me.

And yet, as an American of Korean descent, I now fear for my life and the lives of those who look like me.

The New York Police Department reported 131 bias incidents against Asians last year, up from 28 in 2020 and three in 2019. That increase doesnt account for last weeks most recent spate of hate: Police officers arrested a man and charged him with assaulting seven Asian women in Manhattan in two hours, during which he allegedly punched or elbowed most of the women in the face and shoved one to the ground.

And of course, not all attacks on Asians are recorded as hate crimes. In the past couple of months, Christina Yuna Lee was followed into her apartment building on the Lower East Side and stabbed to death, Michelle Go was shoved onto the subway tracks in Times Square, and Yao Pan Ma died after months in a coma after he was forced to the ground and beaten about the head in East Harlem. Of these, only Mr. Mas killing was labeled a hate crime.
And when young people are tried in family courts, it is no walk in the park. In the first year following the phase-in of New Yorks reforms, 16-year-olds charged in Family Court were detained more frequently than youths the same age charged in adult court.

But elected officials and law enforcement agencies are under pressure in New York and elsewhere to crack down. In promoting his own get-tough plan, Mayor Adams has argued that among all arrests of young people under 18, the percentage being arrested on gun possession charges has grown since six years ago. But lets put that in context. Youth arrests overall in New York City plummeted to 5,846 in 2020 from 23,191 in 2015. Of those arrests, in 2020, 470 were for dangerous weapons; in 2015, the number was 1,204. So while the percentage rose almost three points by 2020, the actual number of arrests fell by 734 compared with 2015.

In fact, in the 18 months between New Yorks reforms taking full effect and the advent of the pandemic, shootings in New York City remained the lowest they had been in decades, even as incarceration of 16- and 17-year-olds declined, according to research done by supporters of the reforms. It was only after months of lockdowns and school closings that gun violence among both adults and young people rose in New York City, as it did throughout the country. Prosecuting 16- and 17-year-olds in Family Court was not the reason violence escalated.

As in the superpredator era, some politicians are leaping to facile conclusions and taking it out on an easy target  young people of color. As youth corrections professionals, we believe that what we need to do is get creative and reconnect young people with supportive institutions to help them weather the storm were all in.

Research on New York Citys Summer Youth Employment Program found that youths randomly assigned to the program had felony conviction rates 38 percent lower than those who did not participate, suggesting that Mayor Adams is on the right track by expanding this endeavor. Another innovative effort, New Yorks Common Justice program, offers some offenders ages 16 to 26 convicted of violent crimes alternatives to jail, like counseling and reconciliation efforts between offenders and victims. From 2009 to 2018, fewer than 6 percent of participants were terminated from the program for committing a new crime. There are similar successes across the country.

Simplistic, knee-jerk solutions like prosecuting more 16- and 17-year-olds in the adult court system with the threat of permanent criminal records and lengthy time behind bars are not the answer to the crime problem. We need to rehabilitate young offenders, not shackle them with adult criminal penalties that will create lifelong barriers to work and school. Weve seen the carnage that caused and should not revisit it.

Gladys Carrion is a former commissioner of New York States Office of Children and Family Services and New York Citys Administration for Childrens Services. Vincent Schiraldi is a former commissioner of New York Citys Departments of Correction and Probation, and was a director of Washington, D.C.s youth corrections agency. Both are senior fellows at the Columbia Justice Lab, which is developing new approaches to criminal justice.
According to people with knowledge of Mr. Putins conversations with his aides over the past two years, the president has completely lost interest in the present: The economy, social issues, the coronavirus pandemic, these all annoy him. Instead, he and Mr. Kovalchuk obsess over the past. A French diplomat told me that President Emmanuel Macron of France was astonished when Mr. Putin gave him a lengthy history lecture during one of their talks last month. He shouldnt have been surprised.

In his mind, Mr. Putin finds himself in a unique historical situation in which he can finally recover from the previous years of humiliation. In the 1990s, when Mr. Putin and Mr. Kovalchuk first met, they were both struggling to find their footing after the fall of the Soviet Union, and so was the country. The West, they believe, took advantage of Russias weakness to push NATO as close as possible to the countrys borders. In Mr. Putins view, the situation today is the opposite: It is the West thats weak. The only Western leader that Mr. Putin took seriously was Germanys previous chancellor, Angela Merkel. Now she is gone and its time for Russia to avenge the humiliations of the 1990s.

It seems that there is no one around to tell him otherwise. Mr. Putin no longer meets with his buddies for drinks and barbecues, according to people who know him. In recent years  and especially since the start of the pandemic  he has cut off most contacts with advisers and friends. While he used to look like an emperor who enjoyed playing on the controversies of his subjects, listening to them denounce one another and pitting them against one another, he is now isolated and distant, even from most of his old entourage.

His guards have imposed a strict protocol: No one can see the president without a weeks quarantine  not even Igor Sechin, once his personal secretary, now head of the state-owned oil company Rosneft. Mr. Sechin is said to quarantine for two or three weeks a month, all for the sake of occasional meetings with the president.

In All the Kremlins Men I described the phenomenon of the collective Putin  the way his entourage always tried to eagerly anticipate what the president would want. These cronies would tell Mr. Putin exactly what he wanted to hear. The collective Putin still exists: The whole world saw it on the eve of the invasion when he summoned top officials, one by one, and asked them their views on the coming war. All of them understood their task and submissively tried to describe the presidents thoughts in their own words.
Writing in an article published on Thursday in the journal Science, Dr. Calais and his colleagues described what the citizen science seismometers revealed about the August earthquake. About 40 miles of the same fault that caused the devastating 2010 earthquake ruptured, but farther to the west. The data also revealed some surprises, Dr. Calais said: At the eastern end of this segment, the fault was not vertical, where two tectonic plates are sliding past each other. Instead, the two plates were also being pushed together, with the northern one sliding on top of the southern one.

If we hadnt had the aftershock distribution, then we would not have been able to put in our models the proper full geometry, Dr. Calais said. Then our assessment of what went on would have been wrong.

The Caribbean is sometimes a zone of overlooked seismic dangers with active volcanoes and earthquake faults. The Caribbean is its own small-scale Ring of Fire, said Susan E. Hough, a seismologist with the United States Geological Survey. Its like the Pacific Rim on a smaller scale.

But the tectonic plates are crashing together at a slower pace, and major earthquakes occur less often. The second half of the 20th century was pretty quiet in the region. People got kind of complacent about it, Dr. Hough said. The 2010 earthquake didnt surprise any earthquake professionals in the world, but it surprised a lot of people that werent aware of the scientific results.

Dr. Hough and Dr. Calais were two of the earthquake experts who traveled to Haiti in 2010. In the aftermath of the quake that year, international organizations provided financing to set up conventional seismometers, which cost tens of thousands of dollars each, in Haiti. When the magnitude-7.2 earthquake hit on Aug. 14, none of Haitis conventional seismometers were working, although a seismometer at the United States embassy was gathering data.
Some of the most disturbing images from the war have come from Mariupol, a port city in the southeastern coast. Shelling battered the region, killing several civilians who were trying to flee the area, during what was supposed to be a cease-fire.

But Russians got a different explanation online: Ukrainians had fired on Russian forces during the cease-fire, and neo-Nazis were hiding behind civilians as a human shield, according to the Russian state news website Tass.

Neo-Nazis have been a recurring character in Russian propaganda campaigns for years, used to falsely justify military action against Ukraine in what Russian officials have called denazification. Those claims have only continued during the conflict. To explain away attacks on other Ukrainian apartment buildings, the same article by Tass claimed that neo-Nazis had placed heavy weapons in apartment buildings, while some residents are forcibly kept in their homes, providing no evidence.

Russian social media accounts have used a mix of fake and unconfirmed photos showing Ukrainian soldiers holding Nazi flags or photos of Hitler. An analysis by the Center for Information Resilience, a nonprofit focused on identifying disinformation, showed that the number of tweets connecting Ukrainians to Nazis soared after the invasion began.

Propaganda works when it coincides with your existing assumptions, said Pierre Vaux, a senior investigator at the Center for Information Resilience. The stuff that chimes into the Nazi stuff is really effective.
Natalia Kaliada, one of the Belarus Free Theaters founders, said that when she and her husband, Nicolai Khalezin, decided to stage the play, they thought it would be a warning shot about the dangers of undemocratic leaders left unchecked. But planned performances in London and New York in 2020 were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now that warning shot appears to be too late.

As the war in Ukraine enters its third week, the Belarus Free Theaters performance may seem accidentally timely. But it is only the companys latest attempt in its 17-year existence to warn about rising authoritarianism in Eastern Europe.

The company knows those dangers all too well. Since forming in 2005, it has faced repression in Belarus, which is ruled by President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, who is known as Europes last dictator in part for his governments clampdown on opposition and its stifling of free expression. The troupe has long been effectively banned from performing in Belarus, but it continued to do so in secret venues in Minsk, the capital, even after Kaliada and Khalezin were forced into exile more than a decade ago. The couple settled in London  where they developed close ties to theaters including the Young Vic and the Almeida  but continued rehearsing with actors in Belarus via Skype.

Those clandestine shows, in venues including a converted car garage that once belonged to the American Embassy, also won the troupe high-profile supporters in the United States. In 2015, The New York Timess chief theater critic, Ben Brantley, visited the company in Minsk, and praised its spirit of defiant, exultant fraternity adding that this was something you rarely find among the young these days in money-driven, shockproof Manhattan.
PARIS  If elections are spectacles, Frances presidential campaign, caught between voter apathy and war in Europe, has so far struggled to connect with its audience. Yet on French stages, a number of artists are making hay out of the upcoming vote  and the picture is hardly flattering.

Across comedy and drama, performers and directors of varied backgrounds seem to agree on one thing: The countrys politicians are uniformly terrible and their performances a little too close to theater to be trusted.

Not that the political calendar is headline material in every playhouse. While many prestigious French theaters that receive public funding pride themselves on staging political works, they tend to refer to current events only obliquely. For highbrow theatergoers here, a lack of intellectual distance suggests a lack of taste. Shows actually addressing the presidential campaign are mostly found elsewhere, in smaller venues that rely on box-office revenues.

Two of them, the Cafe de la Gare and the Theatre des Deux Anes, are comedy venues. On the nights I attended, they drew large, albeit different, crowds. While visitors to the Cafe de la Gare skewed younger, the silver-haired audience at the Theatre des Deux Anes, in the Pigalle district of Paris, appeared to include many regulars, who cheered for several comedians as soon as they appeared onstage.
Liberals are often criticized for their hand-wringing and failure to walk the walk. But the progressive lawyer at the center of Peter Gil-Sheridans This Space Between Us intends to lead a life of purpose. Maybe we could all stand to feel a little more guilty, he says, without telling us exactly why.

His career move from cushy corporate job to international aid work, which rattles his loved ones, could be a compelling, if familiar, indictment of modern-day complacency. But there is neither urgency nor bite in the fallout of his decision, which the playwright uses as a jumping-off point for tired topical debates that rarely get off the ground.

This Space Between Us, an occasionally amusing but stalled new comedy that opened on Wednesday night at Theater Row, begins, ironically enough, at the races, where Jamie (Ryan Garbayo) delivers the news to his family. His dad (Anthony Ruiz), a conservative Cuban immigrant whose small business recently went bankrupt, doesnt get how Jamie could give up easy money. Neither does his mom (Joyce Cohen), who says that if they fall on hard times she and her husband may have to work at Home Depot to get by without his help. His boyfriend, Ted (Tommy Heleringer), and his best friend Gillian (Alex Chester) selfishly dont want to lose him when he is ultimately relocated to Nairobi. His aunt Pat (Glynis Bell), both supportive and wise, tells him to go with God (shes a nun).

Subsequent scenes offer different contexts for clashing opinions, mostly cross-generational, about what people are allowed to say these days and why others might be offended. The plays title largely seems to refer to the gap in understanding that widens as history barrels forward and people scramble to keep up.
When Florida legislators claim they are safeguarding the publics right to know, be afraid. Be very afraid.

Republican senators on Thursday rushed through a last-minute bill (HB 7049) that allows legal notices to shift from printed newspapers to publicly accessible websites run by county governments  an idea fraught with potential problems and rejected in previous sessions.

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These fine print notices notify the public about foreclosures, divorce petitions, new construction projects, government meetings and bid proposals. If your neighbors home is being converted to a law office, your first and perhaps only official notification of it will be through a public notice in your local newspaper.

A legal notice in the Sun Sentinel. (Sun Sentinel )

Lawmakers have decided that the public would be better served if these important notices disappear from newspapers permanently and migrate to county-run websites. If the goal is to hide information from the public, its hard to think of a more effective way to do it than this.

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The first of many reasons to be suspicious is that there has been no public clamor for this bill.

In fact, lawmakers struck a compromise last year with the Florida Press Association, a statewide lobby group for the newspaper industry. That compromise (HB 35), which required quarterly reports and included a revamped statewide legal notices website, floridapublicnotices.com, became law Jan. 1. Barely two months later, the same lawmakers unraveled last years work and replaced it with more change that will only confuse consumers.

The obvious question is why. The obvious answer is that Tallahassee politicians want to retaliate in the only way they can, by going after the precarious bottom lines of newspapers  including this one  that cover them, investigate them and editorially hold them accountable for their decisions.

The perennial legislative meddling in how legal notices are published goes back at least a decade. It borders on an obsession, especially in the House, with its greater number of thin-skinned politicians nursing grudges over critical stories in their hometown papers.

But this session, not a single senator agreed to sponsor a version of the bill. It was no ones priority. So Senate President Wilton Simpson had to use procedural tricks to move the 40-page bill in position for a vote.

The House bill passed March 2 on a 78-39 vote and it went to the Senate, where Simpson steered it to one committee, where it was debated Tuesday and passed on a 9-6 vote, with nine Republicans voting yes and Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes and five Democrats voting no.

Typically, a Senate bill is sent to two or three committees, but this bill got as little scrutiny as possible with one perfunctory Senate hearing in the sessions frantic final week. Some senators didnt even grasp the irony that they were minimizing public input on a bill while claiming they were protecting the public right to know.

More people will be able to see more notices for less money than weve ever had in history, said the bills sponsor, Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, who criticized his hometown paper, The Orlando Sentinel, during a Rules Committee hearing for burying public notices on its website below games and puzzles.

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Brodeur called his bill a step forward because it will allow people to peruse legal ads for free on a laptop in a library, rather than having to buy a newspaper.

But even Florida TaxWatch warns against more reliance on the internet for public notices, especially in rural and low-income areas where service is spotty or residents dont own computers or cant afford high-speed Internet. At the Senate hearing, a publisher from rural Madison, east of Tallahassee, described turtle slow internet that blocks many citizens from seeing the notices.

In a Senate emotionally spent after debates about race, homophobia and book censorship in schools, the bill drew little attention Thursday and passed 26 to 13 with the support of Democrats Janet Cruz of Tampa and Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg. Cruz cited a provision exempting free papers from the bills changes, such as La Gaceta, which is widely read in her diverse district.

Last-minute legislative deals are almost always not in the public interest. By habitually expanding the number of public records exemptions and by conducting so much business in secret, the Legislature has forfeited any claims of expertise in the publics right to know.

That includes deciding how legal notices reach the general public.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.
Tomorrow marks a pandemic milestone: California will lift its classroom mask mandate.

The decision, made jointly with Oregon and Washington, means that students in the Golden State will be able to attend class without a mask for the first time since Covid-19 shutdowns began two years ago. The mandate will be lifted after 11:59 p.m. on Friday.

But, as is often the case with Covid-19 rules, the reality is not quite that black and white.

In lifting the statewide requirement, California officials allowed counties, districts and even individual schools to maintain mask mandates if they chose. New coronavirus cases have plummeted in California in recent weeks, but there are still regions where infection numbers have flatlined or are rising.

So far, most school officials have chosen to follow the states lead and will not require masks after Friday. Some districts, especially in rural pockets, had already been defying mask mandates.

But a few districts have opted not to let students and teachers go mask-free yet. Some have announced they will instead do so next month, or will re-evaluate at a later date.
The death of Officer Jeffrey Smith, who killed himself nine days after confronting a mob at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was the direct result of an injury he sustained during the riot, a retirement board has found.

The ruling marks the first time in the records of Washington, D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department  and one of very few times across the country  that a suicide has been classified as a line-of-duty death.

The moment may be a tipping point in a crusade to lift long-held taboos against open discussion of depression, addiction and suicide in policing, with several groups pushing for officers to have greater access to confidential counseling and other emotional supports.

Their case was bolstered by the events of Jan. 6, when the nation watched as officers endured assaults, racist slurs and taunts. The names of Officer Smith and Officer Howard Liebengood, a Capitol Police officer who also took his own life, were mentioned in the same breath as those of Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after clashing with rioters, and Officer Eugene Goodman, who lured the mob away from the Senate chamber.
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba  A long-serving death penalty defense lawyer for one of the five men accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has asked to be removed from the case, stirring new uncertainty about when the trial might begin.

It is ultimately up to the trial judge to decide whether the lawyer, Cheryl Bormann, or any defense lawyer can resign. If she is allowed to leave, the judge could be confronted with the conundrum of whether to slow or halt pretrial proceedings until her replacement is hired and brought up to speed.

Or the judge could decide that the man she represents, Walid bin Attash, be tried separately as an accused conspirator in the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.

Ms. Bormann first appeared at the court in May 2012 for the arraignment of Mr. bin Attash and the four other accused plotters, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the attack. The only female capital defense lawyer on the case, she drew attention by wearing a head scarf and a black abaya, a traditional robe worn by women in Saudi Arabia, where her client grew up.
Follow the latest news on North Koreas ICBM launch.

WASHINGTON  The White House said on Thursday that North Korea had begun testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile in recent days, and that American forces were putting their missile defense units in Asia in a state of enhanced readiness for what they expect will be another launch intended to demonstrate the range of the new missile.

In a briefing on Thursday, a senior American official told reporters that in a departure from the past, North Korea had tried to hide the nature of the tests, both of which have taken place during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They identified the missile as the same one that the North had rolled through Pyongyang in October 2020. But until recently, it had not been tested.

It is not clear whether the tests were timed by Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, to come at a time of maximum distraction in Washington and fear of a broader war in Europe. Whatever the reason, the emergence of a new intercontinental missile, ultimately intended to show that North Korea could reach American cities, adds to the list of simultaneous national security challenges facing President Biden. At least two of them involve nuclear weapons in the hands of unpredictable dictators.

The White House said the North had tried to hide these escalatory steps, suggesting it was not ready to unveil a working version of the missile. While the missiles that were tested recently were designed as intercontinental missiles, the tests themselves were fairly short range. That suggests that components of the missiles were still being tested, and that the United States was trying, with the revelation, to short-circuit a more comprehensive test that might show whether the weapon could reach American shores.
For years, Americas congressional map favored Republicans over Democrats.

But that may not remain the case for long.

In a departure from a decades-long pattern in American politics, this years national congressional map is poised to be balanced between the two parties, with a nearly equal number of districts that are expected to lean Democratic and Republican for the first time in more than 50 years.

Despite the persistence of partisan gerrymandering, between 216 and 219 congressional districts, out of the 435 nationwide, appear likely to tilt toward the Democrats, according to a New York Times analysis based on recent presidential election results. An identical 216 to 219 districts appear likely to tilt toward Republicans, if the maps enacted so far withstand legal challenges. To reach a majority, a party needs to secure 218 districts.

The surprisingly fair map defies the expectations of many analysts, who had believed that the Republicans would use the redistricting process to build an overwhelming structural advantage in the House, as they did a decade ago.
WASHINGTON  A series of security lapses and an inadequate focus on threats on the ground helped lead to a deadly assault on a sprawling military base in Kenya in 2020 that killed three Americans, a Pentagon investigation has concluded.

The inquiry, led by the United States Africa Command, also found what the head of the command described as shortcomings in the sharing of intelligence and deficiencies in the preparation of security forces charged with guarding the base.

We were not as prepared at Manda Bay as we needed to be, Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, the commander of Africa Command, said in a video presentation of the findings at the Pentagon on Thursday.

The report found that certain senior officers contributed to the inadequate force protection posture at Manda Bay, and allowed a climate of complacency and poor understanding of the threat. Eight officers and enlisted personnel were disciplined for their actions or their failure to act, the Air Force said. But a spokeswoman for the service declined to describe the punishments or the fate of those personnel.
Prosecutors in Maryland have consented to a request by Adnan Syed to conduct new DNA tests on evidence used to convict him of the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, a case that intrigued many Americans when it was featured on the hit podcast Serial.

In a motion filed on Thursday in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, prosecutors said that additional forensic testing that had been requested by Mr. Syed was merited in his case because of advances in genetic profiling.

The motion was filed jointly by prosecutors in Baltimore and a lawyer for Mr. Syed, who is serving a life sentence in the killing of Ms. Lee. The body of Ms. Lee, a high school classmate who once dated Mr. Syed, was found in a park in Baltimore County. Mr. Syed was 17 at the time.

Mr. Syed, 40, has steadfastly maintained his innocence and is still seeking to be exonerated. An appeals court vacated his conviction in 2018, ruling that he had received ineffective legal counsel, but Marylands highest court overturned that decision in 2019.
The dispute in a famed liberal bastion has aroused passions, with some asserting that the university has finally been called to task for driving legions of students into neighborhoods not built to hold them. Others liken the lawsuit to generational theft by the older, whiter baby boomers who dominate the propertied classes in college communities throughout California.

Its like, I got my piece of the pie, too bad for you, said Riya Master, a senior at Berkeley who is majoring in integrative biology and is a vice president of the campuss student governing body.

George Kieffer, a Los Angeles civic leader and former chair of the University of California Board of Regents, said the conflict was multifaceted.

The residents want their community to stay the same, he said. The parents want their students to get into the U.C. The legislators want to respond to constituent needs. And then you have California law, which people have learned to use over the years to satisfy their interests.

All good motives. And theyre all competing. In an increasingly crowded place.

California offers its high school graduates a subsidized college education, with a guaranteed spot at one of the 10 University of California campuses for the top 12.5 percent. The states sprawling network of public campuses  community colleges, California State University and the University of California  enrolls more than 2.5 million students altogether.

But competition remains intense, particularly at marquee campuses such as Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Berkeley. Demand skyrocketed during the 2008 recession as in-state students flocked to the discounted tuition and the campuses sought to increase lucrative out-of-state enrollment.

Since then, legislators have exerted relentless political pressure on the university to add in-state students. Since 2011, overall system enrollment, which now stands at about 300,000, has grown by more than 63,000 students, enough to populate an 11th campus.
SEOUL  Elated fans of BTS gathered on Thursday for the K-pop groups first live concert in South Korea in over two years, an event that was expected to draw as many as 15,000 people  despite Covid restrictions that barred cheering, screaming or singing.

It still feels like a dream, said Park Hyunjun, 40, a freelance video producer from the city of Incheon, west of Seoul. Outside Seoul Olympic Stadium on Thursday, she held a poster bearing the concerts slogan: Of course, nothing has changed between us.

It was the first large-scale gathering of BTS fans in South Korea since the bands last concert in their home country, in October 2019. The multibillion-dollar act performed live in Los Angeles in November, but for most of the pandemic it has been livestreaming instead.

In 2020, the group set a Guinness world record for attracting the most viewers for a livestreamed music concert. The pandemic did not only pause the bands live concerts: Five of BTSs seven members have been infected with the coronavirus. They have since recovered from Covid-19.
LUCKNOW, India  Prime Minister Narendra Modis national governing party won re-election in Indias most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday, continuing the partys record of repeated success at the polls despite mounting economic hardship.

The victory by Mr. Modis Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P., marks the first time in more than three decades that voters have returned an incumbent bloc to power in Uttar Pradesh, home to about 240 million people. It further consolidates the rise of Yogi Adityanath, a hard-line Hindu monk who has been the states chief minister for five years and is increasingly viewed as a potential successor to Mr. Modi.

Outside the B.J.P. offices in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, a large crowd gathered through the day and the mood was jubilant. Young men broke into cheers and chants as television anchors tallied seats on a large screen.

The B.J.P. won more than 250 seats in the 403-seat assembly in Uttar Pradesh, according to Indias election commission, down by dozens from their performance in 2017 but still a comfortable enough margin to form a government.
As housing costs and rents skyrocket in South Florida, many residents are looking to other parts of the state to find a more affordable place to live and work.

The median sale price for a home in South Florida is $454,000, while the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,055, according to numbers from Apartment List.

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The South Florida Sun Sentinel analyzed the five largest cities outside of the tri-county region, based on population projections for the current year to see how they compared to South Florida in terms of median home price, rents and how many square feet you get for the money.

Heres what we found:

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Jacksonville

Population: 938,717

Median home price: $271,850

Rent: $1,400 for a two-bedroom apartment, a 22% increase from the year before.

Jacksonville is more affordable than South Florida in terms of rents and overall housing costs.

Buying a home at around $400,000 will land a home between 1,200 sq. feet on the low end and 2,800 square feet on the higher end, whereas in South Florida, $400,000 will generally land a home between 1,000 square and 1,500 sq. feet.

That doesnt mean the housing market isnt taking off in Jacksonville. The metro area there is 34% overvalued in terms of its long-term pricing trend, meaning many buyers are paying a premium for any house they get. South Florida is currently overvalued by 20%.

Major industries in the area include healthcare, finance and insurance, manufacturing, among others.

Though the quality school districts in South Florida varies wildly, Dade County is A-rated by the Florida Department of Educations, Broward is B-rated and Palm Beach County is A-rated.

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Duval County, where Jacksonville is located, is a B-rated school district, according to the latest report card from the Florida Department of Education.

In fact, Jacksonville has one the best rated public high schools in the country, Stanton College Preparatory School, ranking number 7 in the state, according to US News.

Tampa

Population: 407,104

Median home price: $357,500

Rent: $1,875 for a two-bedroom apartment, a 34% increase from the year before

The Tampa housing market is also booming, though rents and median housing prices are slightly more affordable in Tampa than they are in South Florida.

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Buying a home at around $400,000 will typically get a buyer a home between 1,200 sq. feet and 2,200 sq. feet, depending on the area, whereas in South Florida, $400,000 will probably land a home between 1,000 square and 1,500 sq. feet.

Homebuyers do run the risk of being stuck in a home that is overvalued, as in Tampa, homes are 43% overvalued.

Major industries include tourism, construction, maritime industry and finance, among others.

Hillsborough County is also a B-rated school district.

Orlando

Population: 292,059

Median home price: $324,950

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Rent: $1,887, a 35% increase from the year before

Both rents and home prices are cheaper than in South Florida, despites prices surging in the Orlando area as well. Homes there are also overvalued by 35%.

In Orlando, $400,000 can generally get a home buyer a home between 1,200 and 2,400 square feet. But in South Florida, a home that a buyer can get for that same price is usually a lot smaller, with only about 1,000 - 1,500 sq. feet.

Some of the biggest industries in Orlando include: healthcare, information technology, hospitality and tourism and aviation and aerospace.

Orange County School District is a B-rated school district, according to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Education.

St. Petersburg

Population: 268,006

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Median home price: $335,000

Rent: $2,200 for a two bedroom apartment, a 32% increase from the year before

The median rent here is $2,200, a little bit more expensive than the overall average rent in South Florida, but certainly cheaper than some areas. The median home price, at $335,000 is lower than South Floridas.

Homes here priced around $400,000 give a buyer roughly a home between 1,200-1,600 square feet, similar to what that same amount of money can get a buyer in South Florida.

Industries with the most potential for growth in the city include: Marine and Life Sciences, specialized manufacturing, financial services and data analytics.

Pinellas County School District is a B-rated school district, according to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Education.

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Port St. Lucie

Population: 222,960

Median home price: $350,000

Rent: $2,333 for a two-bedroom apartment, a 34% increase from the year before

Rents in Port St. Lucie are a little pricier than some areas in South Florida, like West Palm Beach, but the median home price is significantly less than South Floridas.

And in Port St. Lucie, a home that falls around $400,000 usually offers around 1,500-2,000 square feet. In South Florida, a home in that price range usually falls between 1,000-1,500 sq. feet.

With close access to West Palm Beach, its a viable option for buyers who want more land for their money.

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The St. Lucie County School District is a B-rated district, the most available numbers from the Florida Department of Education shows.
WARSAW  Vice President Kamala Harris called Thursday for an investigation into whether Russia had committed war crimes in Ukraine during a visit to a key NATO ally that has taken in more than one million refugees from the invasion.

President Andrzej Duda of Poland, standing beside Ms. Harris at a joint news conference in the capital Warsaw, said his country needed more direct assistance from the United States to support Ukrainians fleeing the war.

They both spoke after a meeting in which Ms. Harris sought to fortify the strong U.S. partnership with Poland, her top aides said, even after American officials said they were blindsided by a Polish offer to provide jet fighters to Ukraine, which Washington rejected out of fear that such a move could escalate the conflict.

When it comes to crimes and violations of international norms and rules, we are also very clear that any intentional attack on innocent civilians is a violation, Ms. Harris said when asked if there should be an international investigation into Russian war crimes. Absolutely there should be an investigation and we should all be watching.
LVIV, Ukraine  Russian forces have encircled and are laying siege to the ancient city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, the mayor said, adding that critical infrastructure for its 300,000 residents was rapidly failing as it came under repeated bombardment.

We are surrounded, the mayor, Vladyslav Atroshenko, said in an online statement. While Ukrainian forces are battling to keep some roads in and out open, the mayor said, Russian forces are trying to tighten a cordon around the city.

The mayor, in a message posted online on Wednesday, said the rising death toll from the fighting meant his city has run out of room to bury its dead. This is the first time in my life when I have to excavate the graves to bury five coffins together, the mayor said.

The entire city is without gas for cooking and heating, the mayor reported, after Russian shelling destroyed the pipes. Some neighborhoods have no clean water, he said, and the city has been disconnected from the national power grid, forcing residents to use their remaining gas supplies to keep the lights on. That gas supply is expected to run out in 24 hours, the mayor said.
PARIS  The face of President Emmanuel Macrons possibly fiercest rival in Frances coming election is not on any campaign poster. He has not given a single speech. His name will not be on the ballot.

He is not a candidate at all, but the man often described as Frances Rupert Murdoch: Vincent Bollore, the billionaire whose conservative media empire has complicated Mr. Macrons carefully plotted path to re-election by propelling the far-right candidacy of Eric Zemmour, the biggest star of Mr. Bollores Fox-style news network, CNews.

With the first round of Frances presidential election just a month away, polls show Mr. Macron as the favorite. But it is Mr. Zemmour who has set the themes of the race with the openly anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views he had put forth each evening on television for the past couple of years.

Bollores channels have largely created Zemmour, Francois Hollande, Frances former president, said in an interview.
The unassuming intersection in front of the Russian Embassy in central Oslo didnt really have a name until Tuesday, when its local council bestowed on it a particularly pointed one: Ukrainas Plass, or Ukraines Square.

We wanted to make a statement that we find Russias actions totally unacceptable, said Tore Walaker, a councilor for Frogner, the neighborhood where the embassy is, which has been the scene of spirited protests since the Russian invasion.

Russian embassy staff will soon have to pass a sign identifying the area as Ukraines Square on their way to work, said Jens Jorgen Lie, the chairman of the Frogner borough council.

Its not helping to stop the war, he said. But we do the little we can and must.

As Russian embassies have become a focus for protests in Europe and around the world against President Vladimir V. Putin, officials in some European cities are expressing their outrage at the invasion of Ukraine by trying to change street names.
Thirteen Democratic state governors wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra this week, urging him to extend the countrys public health emergency declaration for at least another three months beyond its scheduled expiration in April.

The governors said Tuesday that they need much more time to prepare before the emergency ends. Their states have been providing a number of services and benefits during the pandemic that rely on federal resources, and those things will take significant time to thoughtfully ramp down, phase out, or, in some cases, extend permanently, the letter says.

The benefits include support for expanded telehealth access, extra food aid for low-income families and other programs. The declaration has also given the states more flexibility to take measures such as allowing hospitals and clinics to set up alternate treatment sites and allowing Medicaid recipients to remain enrolled without redetermining their eligibility.

The Health and Human Services Department has promised to warn states 60 days before making any change to the declaration. The governors asked in their letter for the notice period to be increased to 90 days.
BEIRUT, Lebanon  The Islamic State on Thursday announced that it has a new leader, but provided little information on the true identity or background of the man who will now oversee the global terrorist organization.

The new leader, Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, was unveiled in an audio message released on Islamic State social media accounts that also confirmed the death of the groups previous leader, who American officials say blew himself up during a U.S. commando raid on his hide-out in northwestern Syria last month.

Mr. al-Qurashi takes the reins of a terrorist group that is a shadow of its former self in terms of members and power, but still causes havoc in poorly governed areas in Syria, Iraq, parts of Africa and elsewhere.

In January, Islamic State fighters carried out a daring attack on a prison run by a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia in northeastern Syria with the aim of liberating their detained comrades. Hundreds of attackers, prisoners and Kurdish militiamen were killed in more than a week of fighting before the prison was brought back under Kurdish control. It is still unclear how many prisoners managed to escape during the violence.
Originally built in 1936, but fully restored, the two-story gated home includes a boathouse, two kitchens, a den, a recreation room, guest cottage, a car-charging station and parking for 10 cars. (Bryan Cearra for ONE Sothebys International Realty)

A unique historic home in Sunny Isles Beach thats reminiscent of a European villa was listed last month for $13.9 million. The 6,984-square-foot mansion sits on a 1.6-acre lot with 350 linear feet of water frontage  and comes with its own private island.

The island is protected, so you cannot build on that, said Allan Kleer, a master broker with One Sothebys International Realty in Miami Beach, who holds the listing with colleague Fabian Garcia-Diaz. You can park a canoe, you can swim there, but you cant build there.

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The Old Spanish-style home is located at 334 Atlantic Ave., on a point lot fronting the Intracoastal Waterway. It has seven bedrooms, six full baths and one half bath.

Originally built in 1936, but fully restored, the two-story gated home has modern amenities but retained its unique architectural charm.

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Additional features include a boathouse, two kitchens, a den, a recreation room, guest cottage, a car-charging station and parking for 10 cars. The gourmet kitchen has appliances by Sub-Zero, Wolf and Gaggenau, as well as brass sinks with French-artisan plumbing and a solid walnut kitchen island.

The boat house has covered storage for a boat up to 27 feet long. There is no pool, but Kleer said there is sufficient room to build one.

[ PRIME PROPERTY: Check out luxury real estate in South Florida ]

This is the only single-family home thats designated historic by the City of Sunny Isles Beach, said Kleer. So, you cant change the overall look of the house without getting historic-board approval from the city.

Kleer said that the home offers privacy because it faces Oleta River State Park, a 1,000-acre urban park in North Miami Beach, which is directly across the Intracoastal from the property. Youre seeing green directly across from you instead of houses, he said.

Sunny Isles Beach is a 1.78-square-mile city in the northeastern corner of Miami-Dade County. It is home to a large population of Russian residents. Kleer said that the real estate market is strong in the city, and he doesnt expect the sanctions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to dampen demand.

It has a lot of Russian connections, but I dont think the current situation is affecting demand because the Russian speakers there have been in the United States for many years, so were still seeing strong demand since its such an iconic property, he said.

Public records indicate that the current owners purchased the property in 1993. Kleer said they are selling because they are considering a move abroad.
Today

Cloudy in the morning, then thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 76F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Cloudy skies. High around 60F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
Danone may have to junk its plan to be 100 percent B Corp compliant by 2023 following the $26B French dairy, specialized nutritional products and water marketer's decision to keep its Russian operations up and running.

B Corp status recognizes companies that have adopted the highest social and environmental standards and use their business to be a force of good.

Its hard to fathom that participating in the Russian economy at a time when its military is invading Ukraine, leveling its cities, and bombing fleeing civilians makes the B Corp grade.

The somewhat delusional Danone CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique doesnt foresee any reputational damage from operating in Russia.

It is very easy to get drawn into black-and-white thinking and demagogic positions, but in the end our reputation is about our behavior, he told the Financial Times on March 8.

Actually, Antoine, Russias strategy of committing war crimes in Ukraine is neither black-and-white thinking nor a demagogic position. And it certainly is not in keeping with the spirit of being a B Corp.

Danone has about 8,000 workers in Russia and a dozen production plants. They account for about six percent of overall 2021 sales. (The company's US arm, Dannon Yogurt, featured TV ads during the 1980s showing Soviet Georgians, who lived to be 100, eating its yogurt.)

The company claims that 62 percent of its 2021 sales received B Corp certification, up from 50 percent from the year earlier period.

Danones dithering about exiting Russia makes a mockery of its ESG boasts and goals.

De Saint-Affrique has only been at the helm since September. He needs some good PR counsel.

Cozying up with Russia is not the best strategy for a company that has put so much emphasis on being a good corporate citizen.

Danones corporate hypocrisy is breathtaking.

The Orthodox Public Affairs Committee, which launched in 2020 to expose and combat the alleged persecution of Christians throughout the world, is in a tough spot as members of the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox branches are killing each other in Ukraine.

Days before Russia's all-out invasion of the country, OPAC condemned actions by the Russian government in the eastern portion of Ukraine and urged calm and the protection of the holy cathedrals, historic monasteries and churches throughout Ukraine.

It noted that Ukrainians and Russians "are brothers and sisters in Christ, and no government should put them against each other in a state of war." OPAC also "mourns the deaths of the already 14,000 perished in eastern Ukraine" and "stands with the Ukrainian people and their national sovereignty."

On March 2, OPAC stepped up to the plate, decrying the Russian slaughter in Ukraine and calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of all of its forces.

It noted that the peoples of Ukraine and Russia are of the same family. "Do the mothers and grandmothers of Russia truly desire their sons and daughters to spill the blood of their spiritual brothers and sisters. This is war without cause and the imperialistic aspirations of one man can never justify this destructive fratricide."

Calling for the soldiers of Ukraine and Russia to lay down their arms, OPAC said: "The Ukrainian people have suffered at the hands of tsarist autocrats, soviet commissars and dictatorial kleptocrats for long enough."

OPAC's plea has fallen on the deaf ears of Vladimir Putin, who poses as a champion of the Russian Orthodox Church. He's not going to receive a warm welcome at the pearly gates.

Happy Early Saint Patricks Day Quinnipiac University has reversed course and will not shutter Irelands Great Hunger Museum that is on its Hamden campus, but instead will relocate its contents intact to the Fairfield-based Gaelic-American Club.

The Great Hunger occurred from 1845 to 1852 and led to the starvation deaths of 1M Irish people and the emigration of another 2.1M, which reduced the population of the island by about 25 percent. Ireland is the only western European nation that has a smaller population today then it did in the mid-19th Century.

The Great Hunger was caused by the failure of the potato crop and repressive policies of the British government that favored the absentee English landlords in Ireland.

Quinnipiacs initial decision to shut down the Museum drew the wrath of the Irish-American community who feared that pieces of the collection would be sold to private investors and be scattered to the four winds.

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal made that point during a November protest at the Museum:

Im here to say we need to keep this museum, we need to keep this collection intact here in Connecticut it should not be dispersed, divided, split up. Thats what happened to the Irish people as a result of the Great Famine. This is a moral imperative put aside the legal inquiry that is ongoing. There is a moral obligation here to the people who worked hard for this museum, who sacrificed to make it possible.

The 75-year-old GAC, which has more than 6,000 members, is one of the largest Irish-American organizations in New England. Its Fairfield location is only about 30 minutes from the Museums current location.

The University received multiple proposals for the Museum and selected the GACs pitch because of its established infrastructure, cultural and financial resources and location.

The goals of keeping the Museum collection together in Connecticut and cared for by the Irish-American community were paramount in our decision-making, said Arthur Rice, chairman of Quinnipiacs board of trustees.

Good move, Quinnipiac.
Four women have been fined for their part in a violent row in the Midlands which resulted in another woman receiving a number of punches to her body in front of startled shoppers.

Ann Lawrence (59) 17 Camlin Meadows, Farneyhoogan, Longford, Caroline Lawrence (25), 13 The Keys, Market Square, Longford, Mary Lawrence (30), 1 The Hollows, Longford, and Rebecca Lawrence (28) 39 Great Water Street, came before the court following an incident along Longford town's Ballymahon Street on June 5, 2019.

The court had previously heard how the incident had stemmed from an ongoing feud with members of a rivalling family.

Fifty-nine-year-old Ann Lawrence was charged with violent disorder, assault causing harm and the production of an article.

Caroline and Rebecca Lawrence were charged with violent disorder and a Section 3 assault.

Mary Lawrence, meanwhile, was charged with violent disorder arising out of the same incident.

The case had been adjourned previously in a bid to ensure there were no further difficulties between either of the parties involved.

When the matter came before Judge Bernadette Owens last Tuesday, the court was told there had been no subsequent incidents of trouble, something defence solicitor John Quinn was quick to vouch for.

They (defendants) were all extremely cooperative and dealt with the case at the first opportunity, he said.

Mr Quinn, in continuing his mitigation, implored Judge Owens to look favourably on each of the accused in view of their strained financial circumstances.

They are finding the cost of living quite difficult, he added.

Judge Owens fined Ann Lawrence, Caroline Lawrence and Rebecca Lawrence 200 each for the section 3 assault charge, taking all of the accompanying violent disorder charges into consideration.

Mary Lawrence, meanwhile, was fined 200 for her sole section 15 violent disorder charge.

Each of the accused were also given six months to pay their respective fines.
The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) astrophotography competition Reach for the Stars is back for its second year and is calling on people in Offaly with an interest in photography and astronomy to submit their images.

The competition, which is now open for entries, is seeking the best astrophotographs taken in Ireland over the period 1st April 2021 to 30th April 2022. It is calling for submissions under two distinct categories:

Out of this World: Images depicting scenes/features or elements of astronomical interest. For example, deep space images or images of the solar system.

Back on Earth: Astro-landscape images that depict a feature or element of astronomical interest and capture elements such as nature, cityscapes, buildings or monuments, land, or water.

Offaly man Tom OHanlon from Tullamore, Co. Offaly, was announced as a runner-up in the competition last year. His image North Star Jesuit House, is a series of tacked images, taking in The North Star, which demonstrates the Earths rotation, captured at Tullybeg House  the former Jesuit boarding school  in Rahan, Co. Offaly.

This amazing image, North Star Jesuit House, by @tomohanlonphoto was a runner up in #ReachForTheStars 2021. We had over 200 entries in 2021, really looking forward to seeing this year's shots from across the island of Ireland #astrophotography #DIASdiscovers pic.twitter.com/BIgH6kOXWq  DIAS (@DIAS_Dublin) March 3, 2022

Launching the competition, Dr Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS, said: DIAS is delighted to launch the 2022 Reach for the Stars competition. Following on from the huge success of last years competition, we are excited to see what entries will be submitted this year, what creativity people bring, and what images they have captured.

DIAS has a rich legacy and expertise in astronomy and it is fantastic to be able to showcase that, while also capturing the publics imagination and creativity through the wonders of space.

Last year we received entries from people in Offaly and right across the country, and this year we hope to see even more. The competition is open to everyone  whether they are a seasoned professional or amateur with a love for astronomy. We just asked that they follow the competition guidelines carefully when making the submission to ensure their images are eligible.

Also commenting, Professor Peter Gallagher, Head of Astrophysics at DIAS and member of the judging panel, said: As a member of the judging panel, we were blown away by submissions to the competition last year. From images that captured very complex astronomical features and others that captured the night-sky perfectly against beautiful Irish landscape  we had such a range of entries making our job as judges very difficult.

"As part of the competition, it was great to have the shortlisted entries printed for our outdoor exhibition at DIAS last year. Seeing them in large format really brings them to life and we hope to do the same again with this years shortlisted entries.

This year DIAS marks the 75th anniversary of the School of Cosmic Physics and we will be launching a full programme of events later in the month. As part of these celebrations, we will be awarding a special spot prize to a photograph that is entered into the competition that depicts the work of one or more of the research areas carried out at the School. These research areas include everything from solar and stellar physics and space weather to planetary science and star formation.

Were calling on people to get creative. Whether you have professional equipment, or simply just a smartphone  the competition is open to everyone over the age of 18 to enter. We look forward to seeing what astronomical events have inspired people this year, and what they have captured.
THE magnificent effort and the invaluable assistance from community groups and charities was highlighted during an official visit to West Offaly on Thursday last.

Minister for Community Development and Charities Joe OBrien visited community and voluntary groups in the region, during which he warmly thanked the local groups for their wonderful efforts during the pandemic.

The Minister visited four different locations, including Ard Aoibhinn in Mountbolus, Fiesta Hall Kilcormac, Faithful Fields Kilcormac and a Direct Provision project.

I was particularly glad to visit the Ard Aoibhinn Centre in Mountbolus village, he told the press afterwards, where I met with the team providing the Meals on Wheels service to the local community as well as a weekly Social Food event - which was in full swing when I visited. It was also of particular interest to me in my role as Chair of a government Working Group on Food Poverty.

The role of volunteers in the pandemic was particularly important and Im delighted that tomorrow I will be officially opening the Offaly Volunteer Centre. This means we will have a better resourced focal point for volunteerism in Offaly and it means we will be able to offer people interested in volunteering a more structured and supported experience and indeed likewise for organisations who are interested in engaging volunteers.

The Minister added that the government might engage with community and voluntary groups in Offaly (and across Ireland) in terms of the nations response to refugees from Ukraine.

The Government is currently developing its response to how we are going to welcome and support refugees from Ukraine. The pandemic has further shown us what a key partner the community and voluntary sector is in times of crisis. And indeed the sector is already responding to the current crisis. I think its likely we will be further engaging with the community and voluntary sector across the country in terms of developing a whole of society response to refugees arriving from Ukraine.

The Minister was met by Annette Meacle and Cllr John Leahy of Mid-Offaly Housing Association at Ard Aoibhinn. Annette is Chairperson of Mid-Offaly Housing Association and she said the role of the Association is to develop, offer, maintain and manage social housing for people in need in the greater Offaly area. She said Ard Aoibhinn was opened in 1991 and 90 residents are housed there. Many of them are living in 22 houses which surround a community centre. The minister visited this community centre where he saw the Social Food event.

Cllr Leahy said the Minister was looking at the benefits of schemes such as the Community Employment Scheme and the Rural Social Scheme, initiatives which are vital in communities.

The community centre's activities are greatly appreciated by those using them. They come here for music, a social, a bit of chat.

Annette said a Lunch Club also meets in the Centre once a week, another deeply appreciated event in people's lives.

Cllr Leahy said that with the easing of Covid restrictions the return of these social occasions means a massive amount to people. Annette said twelve of the houses surrounding the Centre are being lived in by OAPs.

There are also four new houses on the village's main street, she added, and three other houses out the country. The Chairperson said there's an Acquired Brain Injury rehab facility in Ard Aoibhinn as well.

Cllr Leahy commented that the government is very positively disposed towards essential schemes such as the CE and the RSS, which could mean more upgrading, more improvements, to the schemes.

Minister OBrien also visited Green Offaly, meeting its members at Fiesta Hall in Kilcormac. Green Offaly is involved in a 1.4 million project which will transform the Hall into a Green Headquarters for the region. The proposed transformation of Fiesta Hall is a Just Transition funded project. The Minister also met members of the Offaly Public Participation Network (PPN) at the Hall. (The PPN is a network which allows the local authority to connect with community groups).

Rebekah Keaveny, Project Development Officer of Green Offaly, told The Tribune that the Fiesta Hall project aims to facilitate the Green Regeneration of Offaly through the involvement of the people who live and work in the county.

Rebekah said Green Offaly is working in partnership with Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC) to deliver two key goals in OLDC's 17-goal plan. These two goals are  Creating sustainable communities; and combatting climate change.

She said Green Offaly and OLDC are focussed on transitioning Offaly to meet both the ambitious decarbonisation targets of 2050 and the full implementation of Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Achieving these ambitious goals is going to mean that we will all have to take partnership working to an unprecedented level. It is reassuring to know that such effective partnerships for the goals are already embedded here in Offaly.

Roisin Lennon, Rural Development Team Leader of Offaly Local Development Company, told the Tribune that the Fiesta Hall project is in the planning process. It's expected that the project will get planning permission during the first quarter of 2022, and the building work should start during the second quarter of 2022. It's hoped the revamped premises will open its doors to the public by the second or third quarter of 2023.

There will be a coffee shop at the front of the building. Offaly's new Green Headquarters will be devoted to climate action research, green business enterprises and sustainability training programmes. Bridie Costello of Green Offaly emphasised that the Green Headquarters will be very much a community-focussed enterprise.

Rebekah said one exciting project could be seeking UNESCO Biosphere status for Offaly's peatland region. She cited the fantastic success story of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere in Scotland. This special designation means that the areas chosen have been recognised internationally as a world class environment for people and nature. It recognises an area's fantastic array of landscapes, wildlife, cultural heritage and learning opportunities; all qualities which communities, businesses and visitors can experience and celebrate in a sustainable way. Biosphere status brings no new rules or regulations but rather encourages people to work together to create a better future for people and nature.

Minister O'Brien continued to Faithful Fields, Offaly GAAs Centre of Excellence, where he met the Secretary of Offaly County Board and those participating in the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and TUS scheme who maintain the grounds that provide a range of high quality facilities for training and games, as well as a walking track for use by the community. Cllr Leahy told the Tribune that the Faithful Fields wouldn't survive without the Rural Social Scheme and the TUS scheme. He praised the six workers under the RSS and TUS who do such excellent work in the maintenance of the grounds and building.

Finally, on Thursday, the Minister visited an activity project for Asylum Seeker Direct Provision Centre residents funded under SICAP (Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme). He met with Community Development Workers who have been assisting residents integrate into the community and helping them overcome barriers that prevent them getting jobs.

The next day, Friday March 4th, Minister O'Brien spoke at the ILDN (Irish Local Development Network) Council meeting at the Tullamore Court Hotel before formally opening the new Offaly Volunteer Centre in Tullamore.
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Harrisburg, Pa.  The fate of Pennsylvanias popular vote-by-mail law now lies in the hands of the states highest court, which on Tuesday heard competing arguments on whether it violates the state constitution and should be struck down.

The law, known as Act 77 and approved overwhelmingly by the GOP-controlled legislature in 2019, ushered in the most sweeping expansion of voting access in Pennsylvania in decades, including the ability to vote by mail without having to provide an excuse.

It was challenged last year by a group of Republican lawmakers and elected officials who argue the legislature does not have the power under the state constitution to make such a change. A lower appellate court in January sided with them, ruling that such a change requires an amendment to the state constitution that must be approved by voters.

On Tuesday, justices on the seven-member Supreme Court pressed lawyers representing the Wolf administration and Republican challengers for nearly three hours about the law, focusing on the two sections of the state constitution at the heart of the dispute over its legality: one that dictates eligibility requirements for voting, and another that spells out the circumstances for voters to cast an absentee ballot.

Several justices on the Democrat-majority court also hinted at what voting rights advocates have argued for months: that the GOP-led lawsuit is little more than an effort to undermine voter confidence and suppress votes, spurred by baseless claims by former President Donald Trump and his supporters that the 2020 election was replete with fraud and stolen from him.

Lets be candid, Justice Kevin M. Dougherty, a Democrat, said while questioning the attorney for the GOP lawmakers who brought the suit. What it really looks like is that maybe some legislators are concerned because the no-excuse balloting  at least recently  shows that maybe one party votes overwhelmingly by mail-in ballot as opposed to another. So maybe this is an attack for supremacy at the ballot. I dont know.

Several justices, Dougherty among them, also took aim at specific language in the constitution that harks back to a time in history when the focus was on protecting the vote for white men only. That language, the justices said, is now being cited by Republican lawyers to defend their position that the phrasing requires people to vote in person, except in very narrow circumstances.

The best way to be certain that no one but a free white man votes is [to] make the voter show up at the polling place, said Justice Christine Donohue, a Democrat. If there is any policy reason for showing up to vote its to effectuate the intent to make certain that only the right people got to vote.

Lawyers for Republicans  several of whom voted for Act 77  have argued that Pennsylvanias Constitution requires voters to appear at polling places on Election Day, unless they qualify for an absentee ballot. No-excuse mail voting is not specified in the constitution, they said.

Adding that language would require a constitutional amendment, which calls for the legislature to pass a proposal in two consecutive sessions, and then hold a voter referendum on it.

Gregory H. Teufel, an attorney for the GOP lawmakers, said that when the legislature approved Act 77 in the fall of 2019, it disenfranchised 9 million registered Pennsylvania voters who were denied the right to vote on whether to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to allow no-excuse mail-in voting.

He added: It is not up to the legislature to contradict the will of the people.

Attorneys for the state have countered that to win, lawyers for Republicans must prove that the Pennsylvania Constitution clearly, palpably, and plainly prohibits the legislature from authorizing mail-in voting. They argue that there is nothing in the text or structure of the current constitution that prohibits lawmakers from doing so.

The constitution states that elections shall occur by ballot or by such other method as may be prescribed by law  a clause, the lawyers say, that gives the legislature the authority to make election changes without having to go through the lengthy process of amending the constitution.

Several justices Tuesday pushed back on that argument, asking lawyers for the state about two prior court cases that determined that the only constitutional exception to voting in person is voting by absentee ballot. Those cases, they noted, pose a problem to the states position.

The mail-in voting law remains in place as the justices weigh the question of its constitutionality.

It is unclear how quickly the court will rule. At one point during Tuesdays oral arguments, a lawyer for the state was asked whether keeping Act 77 in place through the May primary would allow the state enough time to sort out the aftermath of whatever decision the justices make.

I dont think so, responded Seth Waxman, one of the lawyers representing the state and national Democratic parties. There are millions and millions of people who would need to be reeducated, millions and millions of dollars that the state would have to spend in reeducating them.

WHILE YOURE HERE... If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
Arab, AL (35016)

Today

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
COVID-19 has once again stood in the way of the Perth community attending WAs biggest ANZAC Day service.
Before she even stepped on the tarmac in Warsaw, the US vice presidents visit was overshadowed by a delicate dance around the transfer of Polish fighter jets that Ukraine desperately needs.
The ministry said that some of them, serving in supply units, had been taken prisoner by the Ukrainian army.

Jerusalem Post 09 Mar 2022
Russia has seen anti-war demonstrators take to the streets from the day the invasion of Ukraine began. So far, more than 13,000 protesters have been arrested. They won't be silenced.
German Chancellor Scholz and French President Macron told the Russian president that any resolution to the war needed to come through negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Follow DW for the latest.
Germany's top diplomat says the Ukraine conflict shows the importance of ties between the EU and the Western Balkans. Bosnia is seeking to join the EU, but accession negotiations have not begun.
Sky News 09 Mar 2022

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from two prestigious tennis competitions in the US as coronavirus rules prevent him from entering..
Russia has been aggressively expanding its influence in Africa in recent years. As numerous African nations remain silent on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the strategy seems to be a winning one
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Polish officials Thursday after the United States declined to accept fighter jets to send to Ukraine.


The Atlanta police report states that the 35-year-old filmmaker was detained and handcuffed after he went to Bank of America to make a transaction.
The assembly election results for Panjim (Panaji) Sabha seat in Goa will be out shorty. The assembly contest in the Panjim is seen..

Zee News 10 Mar 2022
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The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and civilian population is not in danger.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago, India has abstained on every United Nations vote condemning Russia's actions. This has invoked the opprobrium of the overwhelming majority of its NATO allies, including the U.S., with whom it has been forging a deeper strategic alliance in recent years.
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Rumble 27 Mar 2022
Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine has been shelled by the Russian army for two weeks. The capital, Kyiv, is preparing for the worst. Putin's war is driving people to flee  or to join the resistance.
The students had boarded a special train from Lviv for Poland. They are likely to board flights to India on Thursday. The students reached Lviv in western Ukraine from Poltava on another special train.
MBABANE  Lojaf (PTY) Limited, trading as Pick n Pay, is being sued for over E1.2 million by an elderly woman who reportedly fell at the entrance of one of its supermarkets in Matsapha after being tripped by a doormat.

In her particulars of claim, Matilda Shabangu (73) of Ludzeludze submitted that the claim against Lojaf (PTY) Limited, trading as Pick n Pay, was for payment of damages she allegedly suffered as a result of personal injuries she sustained at Matsapha Pick n Pay Supermarket on February 13, 2019. The applicant (Shabangu) narrated to the court that on or about February 13, 2019 at about 4pm, she was tripped by a loose doormat at the entrance of Pick n Pay Supermarket at Mahhala in Matsapha. She submitted that she lost balance and fell to the floor and her eye glasses and cellphone dropped to the ground and were broken.

Injuries

Shabangu told the court that she allegedly sustained serious injuries on her spine. She informed the court that after undergoing MRI scan, it was discovered that her discs at C2  C7and L1-S1 were ruptured. C1-C2 vertebrae are the first two vertebrae at the top of the cervical spine. Together they form the antlatoaxial joint, which is a pivot joint. She went on to tell the court that on or about August 2021, she had an operation on her spine for the fusion at the Manzini Clinic. The plaintiff said the operation was conducted by Dr Maseko, a neurosurgeon and it was successful. A neurosurgeon is a physician who specialises in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of disorders of the central and peripheral system, including congenital anomalies, trauma, tumors and infection.

These are allegations contained in particulars of claim whose veracity is still to be tested and the defendant is yet to file its papers. According to the plaintiff, after the operation she went for physiotherapy at Swazi Ortho & Physcio- Rehab Centre in Manzini for more than a month. She said she had recovered well from the operation and her doctor recommended that she should undergo another operation for the fusion at L4  S1. The personal injuries I sustained were a result of the negligence of the employees of Lojaf (PTY) Limited trading as Pick n Pay, she argued.

Shabangu averred that the supermarkets employees were allegedly negligent in one or more of the following; they allegedly placed a loose doormat at the entrance used by customers, allegedly failed to foresee that the loose doormat would trip customers using the entrance of the supermarket and purportedly failed to exercise a duty of care to its customers in the circumstances where they should. The plaintiff submitted that the defendants employees were at all material times acting within the course and scope of their employment. It was further her contention that before she sustained the personal injuries at the defendants supermarket, she was in the business of making uniforms and supplying various schools.

She highlighted that her annual income from the business was estimated at E50 000. As a result of the injuries I sustained, I have been unable to do business from 2019 to date. As a result of the negligence of the defendants employees, I suffered damages in medical expenses, pain and suffering, permanent disability, loss of income from the school uniforms business, future medical expenses and future loss of income, argued Shabangu.

Damages

She alleged that the total damages she suffered were in the sum of E1 256 301.67. Despite numerous demands the defendant has failed, neglected and/or refused to pay the plaintiffs claim. The defendant settled only for the plaintiffs claim for the value of the glasses and the mobile phone which were broken when the plaintiff fell on the floor, reads part of Shabangus particulars of claim. The matter is still pending in court and the defendant is yet to file its papers. The plaintiff is represented by lawyers from L.M and Associates.
Tech companies are continuing to take action as Russia's war in Ukraine rages on. Search engine DuckDuckGo is the latest platform to take measures in the information war that's being battled online.



According to DuckDuckGo's founder and CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, the privacy-focused search engine has "down-ranked" websites in its...
Vienna (AFP) March 9, 2022



The announcement on Wednesday that electricity had been cut to Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant has revived concern over the effect Russia's invasion may have on it's neighbour's nuclear installations. But experts have cautioned that for now the lack of electricity at Chernobyl - the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster - does not pose a major security risk at the plant itself.
Vienna (AFP) March 10, 2022



Power has been cut to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Ukraine said Wednesday, but the UN's atomic watchdog said there was "no critical impact on safety". The news from the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster came as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said data transmission was also lost at the Zaporizhzhia atomic plant, Europe's largest. Russian forces shelled and captured
The Ukrainian ambassador has called for an end to bureaucratic red tape blocking some refugees from seeking sanctuary in..

Belfast Telegraph 09 Mar 2022
The 14th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine saw more bloodshed and destruction as the unrelenting assault forced more citizens to flee. (March 9)


A Canadian aid worker and activist who was detained by the Taliban has been released, says her brother.
The global business community is increasingly moving to isolate Russia for the war it's waging in Ukraine, and video games are no..

Mashable 06 Mar 2022
Serhiy Perebyinis told The New York Times that he saw photos of his family's bodies lying in the Kyiv street on Twitter and recognised their luggage.
The EU has joined the US in sanctioning the head of Russian internet company the VK Group, in which Prosus  a subsidiary of Naspers - has a minority share.
Egyptian, Russian presidents hold phone talks over Ukraine situation

Xinhua) 09:06, March 10, 2022

CAIRO/MOSCOW, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed dialogue and diplomatic efforts to solve the Russia-Ukraine crisis in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

Sisi emphasized the importance of "prioritizing dialogue and diplomatic endeavors for swiftly settling the crisis politically to curb the deterioration of the crisis and to preserve the stability and security of the two countries," as the two leaders discussed the latest developments of the crisis, according to the statement.

Sisi voiced Egypt's keenness for working at the bilateral or the multilateral level for settling the crisis via diplomatic means.

"Egypt closely follows the latest field developments and attaches utmost priority to the safety and security of Egyptians in Ukraine," the statement said.

According to a statement released by the Kremlin, Putin, at the request of Sisi, explained the reasons and goals of the Russian military operation in Ukraine and briefed the Egyptian president about the Moscow-Kiev peace talks.

Sisi thanked the Russian side for the ongoing efforts to evacuate Egyptian citizens from the conflict zone, the Kremlin added.

Since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24, the impact of the two countries' exchange of fire on civilians has worried the international community. As of Monday, at least 474 civilians have been killed and 861 others injured in Ukraine, showed the latest update by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
SIKHUPHE  The two recently purchased planes by government through Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC) will from early June start servicing four regional routes, encompassing South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The South African routes are King Shaka International Airport in Durban, Cape Town International Airport and O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, together with Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe. Yesterday, the first plane landed at the King Mswati III International Airport at around 10:15am from O.R Tambo International Airport in South Africa.

Both planes were bought from Hop, a subsidiary of Air France for a combined price of E47.43 million.

One of the two planes, an EDC-EAA, 50 seater worth E24 million, has a half lifeline of 30 000 hours that will last its flight expectancy life for 15-20 years. Representing His Majesty King Mswati III during the welcoming function hosted inside a marquee at the airports premises was Prince Hlangabeza. Present were Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg, that of Public Works and Transport Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Thuli Dladla.

Analysis

RENAC CEO Qiniso Dhlamini, said their market analysis showed that in the next two to three years, the aircraft will realise profits in these routes as most of the travellers would opt to book directly to the country from Cape Town, O. R Tambo, Durban and Harare from their overseas trips. He said they had established that the four routes had travellers who used them to connect through their airlines from overseas and reach the country by road. Dhlamini said they discovered that many of the tourists who entered the country were from overseas, who had either connected from O.R Tambo International Airport and jetted into the country at the King Mswati III International. He said some jetted into SA via Durban and then used the Lavumisa Border.

The numbers according to our marketing analysis show that more tourists and investors will opt to directly book our aircraft when coming into the country for safe travelling and accessibility, he said. Dhlamini said the chosen destinations had a potential to lure more tourists and investors and had the capacity to grow once the aircraft had been marketed using the available social medial platforms and websites.

The CEO further stated that their pricing would be different and affordable in breaking the market space, considering that travellers would prefer direct flights than connecting flights to reach their destinations. He added that currently, they were looking at the volatile political situation due to the unstable fuel costs with the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

He elaborated that pricing of the airfares would be made available mid next month as currently they were still at an advanced stage of certification of the flights in these regional routes.

We are finalising the certification logistics, but operations will start late May or early June. Once we have finalised the certification, we will then do our pricing around mid-April. The airfares will be announced by the marketing department once we have monitored the situation, especially on the ongoing war as pricing will be determined by the fuel costs, added Dhlamini.

The CEO had been asked if his organisation had done a feasibility study to ascertain if the planes would make good business sense for the country. He had also been asked about the projected income in the first year of their operation, of which he declined to unpack the figures involved, citing that it could raise unnecessary debate and impression. Furthermore, the CEO said once the planes realised profits and an increase in the demand in bookings of the aircraft in the region, his organisation would then focus on expanding its routes in the North and East Africa.
US Vice President Kamala Harris visits Poland to underscore the United States' commitment to promoting security in the region, with the announcement of the delivery of Patriot missile systems to the NATO member country
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Jussie Smolletts sentencing is underway in Chicago criminal court. The former Empire actor was convicted on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for lying to police after h



#jussiesmollett
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Playson Stands with Ukraine During these Trying Times

Published March 9, 2022 by Florin P

Playson does its best to provide players with the same quality slots while overcoming the obstacles erected by the war in Ukraine.

Playson is an international gambling operator that provides players from dozens of countries with the finest online casino games. While it has offices all over the world and is licensed in 20 markets, many of its employees are based in Ukraine. This includes developers, designers, product owners, and integration managers, who diligently work to provide gamers with a service. All of them have been affected by the war waging in Ukraine, but they hold fast and look to the future with optimism.

Playson Keeps Fighting the Good Fight

The company continues to release amazing games during these uncertain times and intends to uphold all its commitments for 2022. Players are looking forward to seeing their latest slots and other games, something that developers try to accomplish. Meanwhile, the tight-knitted team is under tremendous pressure and everyone works together to overcome the obstacles.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Playson employees in the country found themselves in a very difficult situation. The company they represent firmly condemns the military action and supports the Ukrainian citizens and military forces. Their employees are helping in every way they can, by volunteering for the Army, helping the civilians and refugees with food and resettlement.

The gambling company stands with Ukraine and its people while trying to uphold its duty to its own audience. Playson keeps releasing new slots and intends to provide gamers with a reason to celebrate and be happy even during these difficult times. However, the major disruptions caused by the war in the Eastern European country are affecting their everyday processes and some deadlines might be missed.

Playson is on Track for ICE 2022

The gambling convention was delayed last year but in 2022 it returns to London. Playson is pleased to announce that the company will be present at the ExCel Center to connect with old friends and meet new people. The major trade exhibition is expected to bring together some of the biggest names in online gambling and Playson is not going to miss it. For the time being, they stay firm and do everything in their power to deal with the unexpected obstacles, while delivering the same amazing slots.

Employees are doing their best to release the games in a timely fashion and the company tries to normalize operations as soon as possible. Theres still a high level of uncertainty and delays are to be expected, but overall, the mood is optimistic. A part of the team from Ukraine might relocate to more secure regions, while the Playson global family provides support to all of them.
Oskaloosa, IA (52577)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 63F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain after midnight. Low near 50F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
MBABANE  Eight members of the Mnisi Clan under the faction of the late Chief Bhekumuzi Mnisi have been arrested for assaulting a subject of Princess Ngebeti at Mantjolo.

According to the charge sheet, the eight assaulted Albert Zitha with open hands and a wire several times all over the body. Interestingly, the eight were charged along with Zithas wife, Bonisile Mavuso, who is also accused of having a hand in the assault of her husband. It should be noted that Mavuso pays allegiance to the late Chief Bhekumuzis faction. It appeared the couple was unlawfully allocated a piece of land by some members of the late chiefs faction. However, with time, Zitha joined the princesss faction. The differences are said to have resulted in Zitha kicking his wife out of their matrimonial homestead. As a result, the couple started fighting over the homestead.

Assigned

It transpired that on the day of the incident, the eight were assigned by the elders of the faction to accompany Mavuso to her matrimonial homestead. The court was told that upon arrival at Zithas homestead, he rejected his wife, stating that there was no way they could be together in the same homestead. The eight quoted Zitha having said a cat and a mouse cannot live together. The late chiefs faction told the court that having learnt that Zitha did not want his wife back; they suggested that he responded directly to the elders. Zithas homestead is situated a few metres from the Mantjolo Royal Kraal, where the elders held the meeting.

They stated that they advised that Zitha should join them so that he could state his case, but he refused. I grabbed some keys and suggested that they should be taken to the police so that the house would be left unoccupied if he refused to open for his wife. We then proceeded to the elders. However, while on our way to the royal kraal, Zitha received a call from someone telling him not to worry because police officers were on their way. He then held on a log resulting in us dragging him to the royal kraal, said one of the eight. Police officers later arrived.

Mandated

They faction stated that the officers of the law advised Zitha to comply with the instruction of the royal kraal as it was mandated by the Mbabane Magistrates Court to deliberate on the disputed homestead. The police officers took the keys to the police station after both parties had agreed to vacate the homestead pending finalisation of the matter. However, we learnt that Zitha fetched the keys on a Tuesday and returned to his homestead, said the faction of the late chief. The court observed that the majority of the accused were from Eluvinjelweni under Chief Mthutha Mncina.

Do you mean to tell us that you came all the way from Eluvinjelweni to assault the resident of Mantjolo? What brought you to Mantjolo on the day? asked Mbabane Eswatini National Court President Chief Mgebiseni. In response, the men said they were at the Mantjolo Royal Kraal to celebrate a verdict from His Majesty King Mswati III, concerning the ongoing dispute between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the clan. They said it was during the course of the celebration that Mavuso and her family sought remedy after her husband defied the court orders regarding their homestead. The eight were found guilty and were sentenced to five months imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of E500 each.
Ottumwa, IA (52501)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 61F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain after midnight. Low 49F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
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As college students with West Central Michigan ties take a break from their studies during Spring Break, recognition for their hard work has been pouring in. Here are some of those students who have earned spots on the President's and Dean's lists at their respective institutions for the fall 2021 semester.

Carthage College, Dean's List: Students who achieve a minimum 3.5 grade-point average while carrying at least 14 credit hours during a semester.
MANZINI - South African national Amos Mbedzi, who is a political prisoner in Eswatini, is sick and admitted to hospital.

On top of that, there are reports that he could travel to South Africa for unknown reasons, but His Majestys Correctional Services (HMCS) Deputy Public Relations Officer (PRO) Senior Superintendent Mandla Sibiya asked not to comment on the matter. However, Sibiya confirmed that the inmate was sick and that he was receiving medical attention at a hospital, which he said he would not mention for security reasons. He mentioned that Mbedzi had been sick for a long time.

In fact, he said this was what he could say regarding issues around Mbedzi. Sibiya said he could not release any other information for security reasons. The belief that Mbedzi could travel to his home country was also compounded by a copy of a memorandum allegedly written by assistant commissioner of His Majestys Correctional Services directed to chief laboratory technologist yesterday. It was a request for the chief laboratory technologist to conduct a COVID-19 test as Mbedzi is supposed to leave the country of Eswatini soon as the test is a preriquisite.

Meanwhile, the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) Secretary General, Wandile Dludlu, released a statement yesterday afternoon and said earlier on the day they received reports about alleged critical and worsening health situation of Mbedzi. He alleged that according to the reports they received, Mbedzi was allegedly admitted to the Mbabane Government Hospital.

Unwell

Dludlu said Mbedzi had been unwell for quite a while now. As we amplify the call for his release, we wish to call upon all our members, fellow emaSwati, as well as political parties and progressive formations, to join us in a picket tomorrow (today) outside the Mbabane Government Hospital and later to deliver a petition to HMCS Headquarters, Mbabane, Dludlu said.

He said the picket would start at 9am by the main entrance to the government hospital. Mbedzi is the South African national who was convicted of five charges including sedition and murder. He was sentenced to 85 years and six months in prison by the High Court of Eswatini.
The Midland County Sheriff's office has identified the 72-year-old man who was found dead in an Edenville Township house after a fire on Tuesday, March 8.

Carl Lewis of Midland died late on the night of March 8.

While the fire remains under investigation, Sheriff Myron Greene said the fire is believed to have been accidental.

An anonymous 911 call tipped off authorities to the blaze around 10:41 p.m. Tuesday, said Edenville Township Fire Chief Roger Dufresne last week.

Something like that always sends up red flags, Dufresne said of the anonymous call.

The mobile home, located at 6920 N. Eleven Mile, just south of Midland-Gladwin County Line Road, was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. After the fire was extinguished, officers discovered Lewis's body. Edenville Township Fire Department Capt. Kevin Bettendorf was in command at the scene.

Greene said the Michigan State Police fire marshal is also assisting in determining the cause of the blaze. He said the damage estimates are unknown at this time.

Dufresne said the structure was a complete loss.

Edenville Township Fire Department was assisted by the Coleman Community Fire Department in battling the blaze. The Coleman City Police Department, Mid-Michigan EMS, and the Midland County Sheriffs Office all assisted at the scene.
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Many Sanford residents are happy to see the long-awaited return of Huntington Bank on Tuesday, with some of the previous bank employees back behind the counter.

The new bank, at 256 West Saginaw Road, replaces the former Chemical Bank that was demolished last summer. The building was flooded in May 2020 due to the dam failures and had to be razed and rebuilt. Within a short span of time in recent years, Chemical Bank was bought by TCF, which later merged with Huntington Bank, based in Columbus, Ohio.

Sanford Village President Dolores Porte is glad the newly-opened bank will have some of the same familiar faces helping customers.

Five of the eight employees working at the bank before it closed have returned. That includes bank manager Chris Bloom. The staff said it has been a long 22 months and they are happy to be back in the community they love. The other three original staff members have reportedly moved to other jobs within Huntington.

Were very excited to see them come back, Porte said. Its so exciting. We are glad they are still here.

In an earlier interview, Huntington Regional President Seth Perigo, who remembers the day the dams broke, said the financial institution wants to be a part of the Sanford community. He said the resurgence of Sanford is an amazing story and Huntington is happy to do its part in the community.

Huntington Bank, which has led its industry four years in a row in small business loans by volume, works with many customers to secure loans, including women, minorities, and veterans. Perigo said they offer loans for as little as $1,000 and as much as $150,000 in some programs.

In addition, Perigo said its important to have a face in the community, and Huntingtons headquarters is in Downtown Midland.

The Sanford Huntington branch is having a ribbon cutting/grand opening at 4:30 p.m. April 5.
To the editor:

Ever since President Biden announced his pool of prospective picks for the next Supreme Court justice, I have listened to racist propaganda from rabble-rousers. Such yammering rises from numerous figures who might not be remembered someday as much as those who have good things to say.

While racism grows in darkness like weeds, sunshine nourishes better ideas. It has been heartening to hear words of support from people like Lindsey Graham. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lit a torch decades ago that still burns today. Good will that glows in the darkness of fear and ignorance cannot be extinguished.

Some years ago, I listened to a radio station that was giving away free tickets to an Aretha Franklin concert in Detroit at the church where her father had preached. I called and was sent two. A good friend and I drove there; to our surprise we were the only white persons attending except for those operating the sound equipment. But I didn't feel a stranger. We were greeted warmly by the people at the church, and sat in comfort while Aretha thrilled us with gospel songs. We left the church with a sense of harmony. "What a nice neighborhood," I remarked as my friend and I drove back to Midland. A perfect evening. I wish everyone could experience what we did. What a blessed world it would be.

ANNE WOLFE

Midland
Sometimes I find it fascinating to observe the changes to Downtown Midland from the front window of the Daily News. As I watch cars and fire trucks pass by on East Main Street, I marvel that only a few months ago there were mats of grass in the roadway, part of the pedestrian plazas.

Just this week, I witnessed a winter storm blanketing trees, benches and sidewalks with a thick layer of snow, only to see it be partially melted the next day.

Then there are the businesses, some moving out and making room for new enterprises. One such business is Rancheritos Mexican Grill, which is housed in the former location of Daddy Os Diner at 405 East Main. It had been such a long time since I had visited Rancheritos that I decided it was time to give it another try.

In the past, Ive tried tacos and chimichangas, both very successful dishes at their respective restaurants, but I was looking for something a little different. My main craving was for something slathered in cheese sauce, perhaps a burrito.

I got to talking around the proverbial water cooler with a couple of co-workers, who confirmed they had been to Rancheritos in the past few weeks. They endorsed the tacos and a grilled chicken dish that incorporated cheese sauce. My interest was further piqued and I invited them along for a quick jaunt over to the restaurant.

The dining area of Rancheritos is split into three concentric circles, the first part completely outdoors in a fenced-in area  best used for the warmer months. One indoor section has tables spread out in an area dotted with windows that could easily let in a breeze. The inner and warmer dining room has a mixture of booths lining tan walls. As we arrived towards the end of the traditional lunch hour, there were plenty of tables available. The three of us picked out a cushy black booth near the front and settled in.

I ordered the grilled chicken lunch, which was comprised of grilled strips of chicken on top of a bed of Mexican rice and doused with cheese sauce. We didnt have to wait very long for our meals, but we made time to pick at the complimentary bowl of nachos and salsa. We shared some small shop talk that led to light conversations about our personal lives. It was nice to connect with colleagues, especially after we had spent quite a bit of time working from home these past few months.

Our lunches came out hot and fresh, the waitress cradling the plates with potholders. The grilled chicken lunch was a generous portion that was easily split into two meals. The rice, a light Sierra color, was plump and clumped nicely together. The chicken pieces were small enough to eat without the assistance of a knife. The sauce was made from a white cheese and studded with peppers that I can only assume were jalapenos, given their slow burn. The spice snuck up on me when I was swallowing my second mouthful, just as the next forkful touched my tongue. The rice became my biggest ally that day as I battled the heat. It turned out to be a very good meal indeed.

Change is the only constant in life. Thankfully, I have the good fortune to have good friends to weather those transformations with, and good places to meet over a good meal, like Rancheritos. Cheers!

Editor's note: Out to Lunch with Tori will appear each Thursday in the Midland Daily News. Victoria (Tori) Ritter can be reached at vritter@mdn.net
Tom Hanks Finally Speaks to Podcaster He Fired for Having 'Dead Eyes'

By Dustin Rowles | Podcasts | March 10, 2022 |

Its finally happened! After three seasons and 30 episodes, Connor Ratliff has spoken with Tom Hanks, and far from being awkward, the episode was a pure delight.

For the unfamiliar, Connor Ratliff hosts a podcast called Dead Eyes. Over 20 years ago, Ratliff auditioned for Tom Hanks Band of Brothers, and he was ultimately rejected for a small role on the project because, as Ratliff heard from his agent, the nicest guy in Hollywood had said he had dead eyes. The moment, for obvious reasons, has stuck with Ratliff, so much so that it initially derailed his career for many years, over a decade of which he worked in a Barnes and Noble. Ratliff eventually joined UCB and is now a working actor (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Search Party) and good friends with Ben Schwartz, among others, but that experience was so significant to Ratfliff that he eventually started a podcast to get to the bottom of it and perhaps exorcise it from his consciousness.

On paper, it sounds kind of pathetic, but its not: Ratliff uses the experience of being rejected by Tom Hanks to explore not just the audition process but also rejection, failure, insecurity, the nature of celebrity, the nature of storytelling, and, well, Band of Brothers. Over three seasons, Ratliff has spoken to several other actors who were rejected for Band of Brothers (Seth Rogen, David Krumholtz, Zach Braff, Adam Scott); hes talked to people who have worked with Tom Hanks (including the kid who played the young Tom Hanks character in Big); hes talked to people who were actually in Band of Brothers (Ron Livingston); hes talked to fans of the podcast, like Damon Lindelof and Rian Johnson; and hes even talked to Tom Hanks son, Colin, who is also a big fan of the podcast.

As Tom Hanks tells it on the podcast, it was his son Colin and his daughter Elizabeth who told him about Dead Eyes, and so Hanks emailed Ratliff, and after Ratliff confirmed it was actually Hanks email address and not a practical joke, they arranged to meet. I would encourage everyone to listen to the episode, but Id also suggest listening to a few earlier episodes first just to get a feel for the podcast (Id recommend the first episode, the Damon Lindelof episode, and the Colin Hanks one).

To his credit, Hanks was terrified about hearing the story, and though he could not remember the event  again, it was a nothing moment in the life of Hanks, but it obviously had a lasting impact for Ratliff  Hanks generously let Ratliff go through the entire ordeal. You could almost hear Hanks hiding his face behind his hands. Hanks tells a few stories from his career about times he has been rejected, and other times in which he has been responsible for firing people, and one particularly painful story where Hanks spent a pleasant half-hour on the phone with a director who had hired him for a film only to receive a call the next morning from his agent mysteriously telling him that hed been kicked off the project.

The story he told that I think was most germane to the podcast was about his experience on Big and working with Penny Marshall. He said that he thought that because he was the star of the movie, hed be able to watch the dailies, but when he went to do so, Penny Marshall kicked him out. You cant be here, she said. You cant be here. You cant watch dailies, and when Hanks said that he thought he should be able to see the dailies because he was the lead in the movie, she told him, No, no you dont. Because in this room, we have to talk uncensored. We are going to say terrible things about you. And the lighting and the props and the dolly movement, and you  we have to say all of these things, and if you are here to hear them, its really going to screw you up.

So, in the inner sanctum of this audition process, Hanks said, I could have said that guy has dead eyes, or that guys hair is too blonde, or I could have said hes too tall, or too short and slight. I could have said any of these things, and it would have been true, and it could have been my opinion  but, with that, whoever communicated to you what was said in the inner sanctum with such authenticity should have their kneecaps broken because that is not allowed. The inner sanctum is like the dugout. Its not quotable. Its off-the-record.

That makes total sense. Also, for the record  after this long, informative, and very pleasant conversation  Hanks also agreed to keep Ratliff in mind for any future projects for which Ratliff might be suitable. So maybe he didnt get Band of Brothers, but Ratliff did get a huge podcast out of it, and maybe hell end up getting an even better role in a future Tom Hanks movie. If he does, I hope theres a podcast episode about it.

Source: Dead Eyes



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Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.

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Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed "serious concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Algeria and the continuing and increasing repression against members of the pro-democracy Hirak movement"
Photo: (Photo : Getty images )

Last week, a 5-year-old student attacked his teacher at Pine Lakes Elementary School in South Florida. The teacher had to be hospitalized as the attack left her "dazed" and "unresponsive. Investigation on the incident is ongoing, the police said.

According to NBC News, the incident started when the five-year-old boy had to be removed from class for throwing things around and flipping the chairs.

The teacher took the troubled student to an "empty room" to cool down. That was where the five-year-old reportedly attacked the teacher with his fists and feet, the police reported.

The teacher radioed for help. Later, a staff helped the teacher out of the room to stabilize her and then called the police. The unidentified instructor was found by first responders "sitting on the ground against the wall" and in a "faint stage," the Pembroke Pines Police Department reported. The reports also said the victim was "clearly weak and dazed." Police also said the victim could not vocally respond.

The teacher was carried out of the school on a stretcher and was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.

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Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Students

The instructor leads an "exceptional student education class" with a group of children with some special needs, disabilities, and diagnoses. The teacher has 13 years in teaching special education classes. Parents described her as a sweet and remarkable woman. A parent even said that she is the kind of teacher she would "entrust her child at school as second mother."

Florida has Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program for children with disabilities. The students are given specially designed instructions and related services to support the child with disabilities to progress in school and prepare for life after school.

The victim is in her late 30s or early 40s and is about 5 foot four with a slender frame. After the "enraged" special education student attacked her, she suffered a concussion and other injuries.

Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco said that the kid punched the teacher, and she fell backward and smacked her head. It was a severe concussion. The five-year-old also jumped on her, kicking, punching, and biting.

The young student is now being investigated for aggravated assault with hands, fist, and feet. However, no criminal charges had been filed.

Proper support for special education classes needed

A mother whose child was in the same classroom said that this is not the first time this has happened in the same classroom and student. She also said that there needs to be proper support to the school or class as it is a special education class. However, the school is not prepared to handle such cases.

The parent also said the same troubled child was also attacking his classmates. The parent also suggested that the child's parent and the school district be held accountable for what happened to the teacher.

Related Article: Child Care Workers Experience Food Insecurity Due to Low Salary
Photo: (Photo : Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Sharna Burgess made a stunning revelation during a Q&A on social media platform Instagram on Monday, March 7, with the Dancing With the Stars pro revealing that her pregnancy with Hollywood actor Brian Austin Green was an accident and that she was on birth control at the time of conception.

Burgess was asked by a fan during that question and answer session if her pregnancy was a surprise. She did not hesitate with her reply, saying, "Ahhhh yes. Yes, it was. I was on birth control."

As per Page Six, the 36-year-old added that she and Green were thinking of "trying" to have a baby in the second half of this year. That plan went out the window, though, with the Australian dancer's surprise pregnancy, with Burgess saying that "the Universe made her own plan, found a window and went for it."

Burgess to give birth to a baby boy this coming July

Burgess added that they are big believers in everything happening for a reason. She wrote, "There was definitely Divine timing with this one, and we are excited about it, trusting in it. We knew it was on the cards for us, so why not now."

Burgess and Green revealed their surprise pregnancy news back in February when they went to Hawaii for their "babymoon." Burgess announced last month that they were expecting a baby boy, which she expects to deliver this coming July 4.

Burgess shared a black and white photo of her burgeoning baby bump with three little hands and one bigger hand resting on it. She then posted a caption, writing, "And suddenly my world would never be the same. Forever greater, forever expanded, and deeper. Forever abundant and unconditional. Baby Boy July 4th (ish) 2022."

Burgess then gave a message to Green, saying, "I love our family, I love that it's growing, and I love you. How did we get so lucky." Green's family is indeed growing as this will be his fifth child. He has a 19-year-old child with ex-girlfriend Vanessa Marcil named Kassius and shares three more children - Noah Shannon, 9, Bodhi Ransom, 8, and Journey River, 5 - with ex-wife Megan Fox.

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Burgess does not want to compare herself to Fox

Green got married to Fox back in 2010, but their union ended in 2020 when both of them decided to separate. Green was quick to move on, though, as he was spotted with Burgess just a few months later. The two of them were captured on camera spending the holidays together, sparking rumors that they were seeing each other.

Burgess was asked about this Fox-Green dynamic during Monday's Q&A, with the Aussie star saying that she does not compare herself to her current partner's ex-wife. Burgess wrote, "Normally I wouldn't answer these types of questions but I think many women struggle with comparing themselves to a partners [ex] or to other women in general." Burgess added that the notion of following in the footsteps of your partners' ex is dangerous and that it is important instead to create and make your own path.

Related Article: Actress Olivia Munn Shares Her Frustrations on Breastfeeding
Photo: (Photo : Omar Marques/Getty Images)

In the last couple of weeks, a Texas school district has allowed teachers armed with guns to report to classes and protect the students if necessary, and the initiative has the support of many parents in the community.

The Grand Saline Independent School District carried out its "Guardian Plan" to enable teachers to wear concealed weapons on the school premises. Superintendent Micah Lewis said that they did not enact this initiative without weighing the pros and cons and considering the inputs of the parents, the students, and the community.

Speaking with CBS19, Lewis understands that there may be questions about allowing teachers armed with guns in school. However, the most important thing is that their school community is behind the initiative.

"I think that handguns in schools are something that's necessary these days," Branda Hellums, a resident, said. Another local, Floy Davidson, echoed her sentiments, who noted that the teachers could protect the school and the kids.

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Three Years to Enact the Guardian Plan

Lewis said that the Guardian Plan had been discussed in the school board meetings for the last three years, especially when a school shooting incident occurred in another place in the U.S. They have had debates raising the possibility of a "crazy person" launching an attack on the kids. The Grand Saline Independent School District has over 1,170 students.

The superintendent said that not all teachers or school staff will be allowed to bring firearms because they will still need to apply to the program and undergo extensive screening with the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Guardian Plan will have one police patrol officer for all school buildings.

A school staff who wants to be a guardian will need to undergo 40 hours of training before entering the program. They will also have to present a legitimate license to carry a gun. To maintain their status, the guardians will be required to have continuous gun safety training.

Lewis also said that no one would know who are the teachers armed with guns. The guardians are also not allowed to store their weapons in school.

The superintendent added that 95 percent of the community is behind the program, and those against it are outsiders.

Armed Teachers Legal in Texas

In 2019, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into a law that would permit armed teachers in school who will also work with mental health counselors as part of the threat assessment teams. School districts are given a free hand on the number of armed teachers or school staff they could have on the campus.

The move comes a year after the horrific school shooting in Houston's Santa Fe High School, where eight students and two teachers died. Schools across the state were also issued metal detectors, new security doors, shooter alarm systems, and other protection.

The governor said that he's proud of the response of his fellow Texans after the Houston school shooting and vowed to make school safety a top priority in his governance.

Related Article: Police Arrest Grandfather for Unlawful Conduct After Grandson Brings His Gun to School to Shoot Zombies
Photo: (Photo : Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Surrogate mothers in Ukraine are being put in the spotlight at the moment following Russia's invasion of their country. Panicked parents of the babies they are carrying have appeared in the news lately, asking for help to get them out of war-torn Ukraine.

Julia Osiyevska, a director of a surrogacy agency in Ukraine, spoke to MyLondon about the intense pressure she has been facing ever since Russia started invading Ukraine. According to Osiyevska, the war has generated new levels of panic from worried parents, who want to get updates round the clock about their unborn babies.

With Osiyevska sometimes being the only link between the two parties, the burden of communication has been placed on her. As director of the New Hope Surrogacy Agency, her main responsibility is to ensure the safety of the pregnant women the company is handling and help affected foreign families calm down during this crisis.

Panic setting in for foreign clients of surrogacy agency

For Osiyevska, helping her foreign clients calm down is quite ironic as she is the one living in the country that Russia is bombarding. That fact is not lost on Osiyevska, who reminds her clients of the challenges they currently face in Ukraine.

Osiyevska said that she has told the parents to please respect their feelings and that the ones situated in Ukraine, particularly the surrogate mothers, are in a much more difficult position. Osiyevska emphasizes to her clients that the current situation might be stressful for them, but at least they are safe and do not have any bombs and rockets going off on them.

What makes the situation even more difficult for Osiyevska is that she wasn't prepared for Russia to wage war in her country, just like many Ukrainians. Osiyevska decided to transfer quickly alongside her son to her mother region in central Ukraine, which she says is safe at the moment.

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Surrogate mothers caught in crossfire between Russia and Ukraine

Osiyevska's life may be difficult now, but it is even more so for the surrogate mothers who are navigating this deadly war. There are plenty of them in Ukraine. The country's surrogacy-friendly laws make it one of the top international destinations for parents wanting to have a child via this method.

Surrogacy has become a life-changer for Ukrainian women living in poor rural areas. Foreign clients provide huge sums of money to surrogate mothers to carry their babies. The cash is enough to help them buy properties in Ukraine.

According to Osiyevska, salaries in Ukraine are very low, and surrogacy offers some women a fast way to buy accommodation. Surrogacy may be big business in Ukraine, but most mothers who do these still prefer to keep their pregnancies a secret to prevent other people from judging them.

That is the least of their concerns right now, with surrogate mothers desperate to escape the shelling and bombing in Ukraine. Osiyevska said that some mothers under her care are off to Moldova to seek refuge there.

Related Article: Ukrainian Doctor Warns Newborn Babies Are Going to Die in Ukraine as Russia's War Continues
Photo: (Photo : LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Good news has been hard to come by in Ukraine the past two weeks, with Russian forces increasing the intensity of their attacks in this war-torn country. Michael and Ami Kowalski delivered some, though, when they visited the American morning show TODAY, as they shared the miraculous story of baby Charlotte Marina, who was delivered by a surrogate during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Kowalskis arrived in Ukraine last month to witness the birth of their baby girl. Russia at that time was still adamant that it would not invade Ukraine, so the Florida-based couple did not hesitate in going to that country for this life-changing moment. According to Ami, nobody in Ukraine was really very concerned about a possible invasion by Russia.

That all changed on the morning of February 24 when Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine. Raid sirens were heard around Ukraine to signal that the country was under attack from Russian troops. What was supposed to be a happy moment for the Kowalski couple suddenly turned into a horror show.

Surrogate goes to labor in bomb shelter

The Kowalskis found a taxi to be with their surrogate, but the journey was problematic, with the parents-to-be taking four hours to go just 18 miles. Ami said it took them that long to reach their destination as all the roads were blocked, and some of them had been damaged by the blasts.

Circumstances surrounding Charlotte Marina's arrival were challenging, with the surrogate mother going to labor in a Ukrainian bomb shelter. The surrogate mother soon delivered baby Charlotte at a hospital in Kyiv that was under fire from the Russian army.

After a long wait, the Kowalskis finally met their baby girl on February 26. According to Ami, they literally pretty much took baby Charlotte, who weighed seven pounds and two ounces, from the womb to war zones. Alongside their translator and another baby, whose American parents were not able to get to Ukraine in time, Ami and Michael were able to make it to the train station.

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Kowalskis thankful to Ukrainians who helped their escape

Ami said that the thought of them not going home never crossed their minds, but the road back to the United States was challenging. They spent a couple of nights sleeping in train stations with two newborn babies and had to figure out plenty of detours because of the ongoing violence.

The trains they were riding had to be re-routed multiple times because of the fighting. Fortunately for Ami and Michael, they were guided safely to Slovakia by strangers they met in Ukraine.

Ami said that the community poured out at the train station, with people bringing formula, clothes, and blankets to help the babies in the middle of the night. She added that somebody put their safety and well-being at risk at every point in their journey to help them and their babies move safely and get out of Ukraine.

Related Article: American Couple in a Race Against Time to Get Preemie Twins Born via Surrogate Out of Ukraine
Photo: (Photo : Getty images )

A six-year-old girl died alone in her own home in Mariupol from dehydration after spending several days with no water, power, or heating supplies.

The Mariupol's City Council said that Russia had bombarded Mariupol the past weekend, cutting off water, heat, and power supply in the port city of around 400,000 people. The Russian forces also prevented emergency services from reaching places attacked.

Alone, exhausted, frightened, and thirsty

According to the Sun, the rescuers found the Girl eight days after the shelling, as she was trapped under her collapsed home.

The mayor said that Tanya was "alone, exhausted, frightened, and terribly thirsty at the last minutes of her life." Mariupol has no water, heating, electricity, or mobile connection.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said he could not say how long the six-year-old Tanya fought for her life. "We cannot imagine how much suffering an innocent child had to endure."

Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko posted a series of tweets, saying, "Her name is Tanya. She is eight. She lost her mother and was alone."

Her succeeding post said, "Eight days without food or water. This is f***ing genocide."

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it is unacceptable that a child could die of dehydration in the 21st century. The president announced the death this morning through a video address to Ukrainians.

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Status of Mariupol

Mariupol has around 430,000 people and is the country's 11th biggest city. The city was the first city attacked by Russia, days after its President, Vladimir Putin, recognized the independence of two breakaway regions.

Mariupol's Deputy Mayor said they are burying the dead in mass graves. Last week, Mariupol's city council said that Russian forces broke their food supplies and set up blockades. He added the Russian troops are also deliberately destroying Mariupol's critical life-support infrastructure for the past seven days.

The city has no light, water, or heat and remains under fire. The city council revealed that women, children, and the elderly are suffering and described Russia's actions as the "genocide of the Ukrainian people."

Plans to evacuate civilians from Mariupol

Ukraine will evacuate civilians from six besieged cities, including Mariupol, where people described the conditions as "apocalyptic," the country's deputy prime minister said.

The Ukrainian forces would hold their fire in areas concerned during a 12-hour window, from 9 AM to 9 PM local on Wednesday. The deputy prime minister also appealed to Russian forces to observe their official public commitment.

The appeal came as Ukraine has accused Russia of breaking the promise of a humanitarian corridor, shooting missiles at civilians three times.

The international community condemned Russia after its soldiers reportedly failed to respect humanitarian corridors leading civilians away from Ukraine.

International aid groups are most concerned about the successful evacuation of residents of Mariupol, where thousands have been sheltering from shelling and missile attacks since February 24.

Related Article : Death Toll, Number of Wounded Children Rise as the Ukraine-Russian War Enters Another Day
Photo: (Photo : Getty images )

A now-four-month-old baby girl was just a few hours from death due to an undiagnosed brain tumor that was initially just disregarded by the doctors who examined her swollen head, as per a report by the Daily Mail.

The baby girl, Molly Wai Wardle-Hampton, was born on November 7 last year in North Wales. She was born healthy. However, she started experiencing seizures at just three weeks old.

Her mother, Corinne Wardle, took Molly to a series of medical consultations over the succeeding weeks after the seizures. But she claimed that her worries, such as her child's swollen head, were brushed off as "normal baby stuff."

Brain tumor found

Corinne is a nurse by profession, and the general practitioners she took Molly to dismissed her concerns on multiple occasions. According to Corinne, had they been in other circumstances, her daughter would have died or ended up with severe brain damage. Molly struggled to move her eyes, and her head was swollen after she visited the doctor. However, she was told there was nothing to worry about, and they were sent home.

In February this year, Molly's condition took a turn for the worse, and Corinne rushed her to the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she works. She was then transferred immediately to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. A brain scan showed that Molly had a large brain tumor spreading throughout her brain. In addition, the scan showed that there was fluid in her head that was putting pressure on her brain and eyes. If they did not operate as soon as possible, the four-month-old baby girl could have died within 24 hours.

The mother of three was in a state of shock after the brain scan results were revealed to her. She described feeling numb and unable to process the news. She said she never expected that something like that would happen to her.

Read Also: KAWS, Eddie Martinez and other Big Artists Donate Art Works for Rare Childhood Disease Cure

Ependymoma

Corinne's youngest child then had to undergo a three-hour operation to remove the tumor. Molly's condition was severe because cancer had spread to three-quarters of her brain. Corinne had noticed early on that her daughter had health issues, but many of these went unnoticed by several doctors. At six weeks, Molly's head was quite large, and although she could look to the right, she could not do it on the left side. The baby was also vomiting and was quite fussy.

The intracranial pressure pushed her eyes in opposite directions and even made her head grow more prominent and off the charts.

Molly had been diagnosed with ependymoma, a rare cancer that affects the brain and the spine. Although Molly and Corinne are now home, the former has to undergo chemotherapy twice a week to address the remaining brain tumor. Corinne fears the agony that her child may experience but would not express, such as a tummy ache or itchy skin.

A fundraising page has already raised more than 1,600, and their family is grateful that there are still beautiful people despite the odds and the negativity.

Related Article: Unborn Baby Undergoes Rare Heart Surgery, Born 10 Weeks Later
Photo: (Photo : DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

The preemie twins born in Kyiv in the middle of the Russian invasion of Ukraine were finally in their father's arms. Alex Spektor and his partner Irma Nunez had a major problem in their hands. Their twin sons Moishe and Lenny, were born premature to a surrogate in the capital city of Kyiv in Ukraine. They had no way of reaching their preemie twins, however, as Russian forces launched their full-scale military attack in the country.

Desperate to get their young baby boys out of war-torn Ukraine, Spektor and Nunez contacted a specialist evacuation team of U.S. Army veterans to help them transport the twins to neighboring Poland. After a meeting between the two parties, Operation Gemini was hatched with the mission to evacuate the American twins.

The mission was dangerous to say the least with Russian forces intensifying their attacks on civilians. Time was of the essence for Spektor as the Russian army was closing in on Kyiv. Spektor himself has roots in Ukraine as he was born in Kyiv when it was still part of the Soviet Union. He and his family later moved to the United States as refugees.

Preemie twins arrive during war time

It has come full circle for Spektor with his twin sons the ones being born in Kyiv this time around. Spektor and Nunez, who live in Chicago, were increasingly getting worried about their surrogate Katya, as the tension between Ukraine and Russia grew as she approached her due date.

According to Spektor, the surrogate went into early labor on February 25. The journey to the hospital was difficult with Katya getting stuck in military traffic for three hours before reaching a facility that was equipped to handle the delivery.

The fighting probably contributed to Katya delivering Moishe and Lenny prematurely. That added to Spektor and Nunez's concerns as preemie twins needed vital care to survive. The war in Ukraine made it difficult for them to be transported to a city away from the fighting. With their medically sensitive status as preemie babies as well, Spektor and Nunez had no choice but to keep the twins in Kyiv in the middle of the war.

Time was of the essence, though, for Spektor as he knew Russian troops were going to storm the capital sooner rather than later. He flew to Poland and reached out to anyone who could help him get his twins out of the war zone.

Read Also: American Couple in a Race Against Time to Get Preemie Twins Born via Surrogate Out of Ukraine

Bryan Stern's Project Dynamo rescues preemie twins

Spektor's prayers were answered when Army and Navy veteran Bryan Stern came to his rescue. Stern runs a nonprofit specialist extraction team called Project Dynamo, a unit that goes into war zones and rescues people who are trying to escape.

He has been rescuing people, many of them American citizens, from besieged Ukrainian cities ever since the war broke out. The team that picked up the preemie twins included two neonatal specialists, two doctors, a nurse and a Ukrainian ambulance crew.

The journey was perilous with the team taking 13 hours to reach the border crossing in Poland from the Kyiv hospital. Operation Gemini was a huge success with an emotional Spektor finally meeting his tiny twin boys.

Related Article: Ukrainian Doctor Warns Newborn Babies Are Going to Die in Ukraine as Russia's War Continues
Meyer Group, a leading shipbuilding consortium with three modern shipyards in Europe, has joined forces with Admares Marine, global leader in floating real estate, to form a new joint venture targeting the Middle East in a big way.

The new company, headquartered in Turku, Finland, is named Meyer Floating Solutions, and is focused on developing and manufacturing high quality floating real estate.

The new company with extended capabilities will continue to serve Middle Eastern market in the future. There are several giga projects taking place, especially in Saudi Arabia, on which Meyer Floating Solutions can now assume the role of the main offsite manufacturer thanks to the new company structure.

Middle Eastern countries will be the global forerunners when it comes to overwater projects, the company said. Meyer Floating Solution is currently fully represented in UAE and have started to plan a potential expansion to other neighbouring countries as well in near future.

The Middle Eastern market has been the primary market area for Admares Marine as it can been seen from their most important references such as the Burj Al Arab overwater terrace extension.

Meyer Group had recognised great potential in the floating solutions business and identified Admares Marine as the market leader in this developing industry. At the same time, Admares Marine was looking for a strategic partner to strengthen its capabilities and maximise its potential in the market. The new venture combines the strengths of both companies and allows us to compete for the mega projects that are being built on the water, says Kaj Casen, CEO at Meyer Floating Solutions.

We are happy to enter additional business areas and use our unique know-how to create floating solutions for housing, tourism, infrastructure and many more. Meyer Floating Solutions is a natural addition to our current product portfolio and with Admares we have a great and experienced partner at our side, says Bernard Meyer, Chairman of Meyer Group.

The industry of building real estate on water is expected to grow exponentially, as it offers a whole new opportunity to develop high quality property in valuable locations. It has become even more valuable to build on water than by water.

For Meyer Group, the joint venture means natural additional business to its core business of shipbuilding.

The new company will continue to provide products manufactured and commissioned offsite in a controlled factory environment. Compared to conventional construction work, the companys advanced production methods enable shorter delivery times and minimised environmental impact since traditional construction sites can be completely avoided.

Traditional construction industry is a slow adopter of new technologies. With the two companies strengths combined, the joint venture accumulates unprecedented expertise in the field of developing and manufacturing floating solutions, Casen says.

Meyer Floating Solutions offers a variety of floating real estate from private villas up to the worlds largest overwater installations.

The new company will inherit Admares Marines product portfolio and patents. Thanks to Admares Marines significant R&D investments and pioneering expertise on overwater solutions, the new company can already offer market-ready concepts. The company has a selection of standard floating villas and hotels but also serves clients who are after fully customised overwater solutions.

Meyer Floating Solutions will continue to serve clients globally by providing turnkey services including design, manufacturing, transportation, and final installation at destination.

Meyer Group has recently set a goal to develop a climate-neutral cruise ship concept by 2025, and to achieve carbon neutral shipbuilding by 2030. The newly formed Meyer Floating Solutions will follow this path and has defined sustainability as one of their core values.

The floating real estate solutions are by standard not seagoing vessels and require energy for moving and manoeuvring. Therefore, theres a great potential in going into fully energy neutral solutions, where electricity is generated by solar panels and heat pumps use water body to ensure both heating during winter and cooling during summer, says Casen.

The entire lifecycle of the products is designed to minimise environmental impact. Overwater buildings are designed with sustainable materials and manufactured in controlled manufacturing facilities. According to studies, this can reduce waste by over 70% and provides significant cost benefits as well as sustainability compared to traditional construction completed on site.

The company expects to have a busy year ahead with multiple exciting overwater projects in sight.

We are constantly looking for talents to be part of our team, creating something truly unique on water, says Casen.-- TradeArabia News Service
Photo: (Photo : GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP via Getty Images)

A Texas dad has managed to collect more than $75,000 after filing several small claims and lawsuits against harassing telemarketers who phone him for insurance, student loan forgiveness, or other offers.

Dan Graham said via KXAN that he receives an average of 10 calls from telemarketers daily. Since he travels a lot for work between Dallas and Austin, ignoring calls was not an option because these could be emergency messages from his wife and young kids.

However, there were some instances where he got 24 spam and text messages from "spoofed phone numbers" after he had his number up on the National Do Not Call Registry from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This made it harder for the dad to ignore the incoming calls or text messages completely. According to the agency, spoofed phone numbers are spams from scammers who could manipulate trusted phone numbers of established companies, especially medical services.

Read Also: Stimulus Check Fraud: California Mom Pleads Guilty to $145K Scam With Son on Death Row

Texas Dad Confronts Telemarketing Companies

Finding no relief, Graham decided to push back and accept the calls to find out more about the companies of these telemarketers that have been harassing him. He used the details he gathered to file complaints with Better Business Bureau.

After more than two dozen complaints that never went anywhere, Graham decided it was time to sue these telemarketers under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). He said that the calls have become "blatant frauds," encouraging him to download or submit stuff to be able to claim prizes he has "won."

He filed his first lawsuit in April 2021 and has had 50 small claims in Travis County and North Texas courts since then. Not only has he collected $75,000 in settlements, but at least ten companies have acted on his complaints and changed their marketing strategy.

Overwhelming Violations from Telemarketers

The FTC said there were five million complaints against harassing telemarketing companies that used robocalls in 2021. During the pandemic, there were 18,000 complaints relating to COVID-19 spams like reducing debts on medical bills.

To address these calls, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched its latest directive to fine telemarketers $45 million if proven to be spoofing phone numbers. Graham encouraged consumers to take advantage of these enforcement actions and file the reports.

"We could make this kind of endless spam unaffordable for the people who do it," the Texas dad said.

Following his lawsuit, Graham said that the calls have indeed stopped coming in. Sometimes, it's the telemarketers themselves who inform him that his number has been blacklisted.

In February 2022, Texas had the most robocalls among all other states, followed by California and Florida. Dallas was the second U.S. city with most robocalls or live telemarketers next to Atlanta.

The telemarketers usually identify themselves as representatives from the Credit National Assist. However, the FCC said that if people get such calls, they should hang up the phone and instead call the agency to verify. Government agencies usually send direct mails before calling, especially if these are payment-related issues.

Related Article: Parents Warned 'Sextortion' Threats Among Teens Are on the Rise
Photo: (Photo : DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

It's not just the war in Ukraine that has erupted since Russian soldiers invaded its neighbors under the orders of Pres. Vladimir Putin. Russian families, who have different views on the invasion, are also clashing with each other on Facebook.

Jean-Michel Scherbak, a Russian actor, revealed to his followers on social media that his mother blocked him after posting that he feels shame for his country's actions. His mother, a loyal and long-time follower of Putin, tagged him as a traitor.

Clashing politics with his family is not new to Scherbak. As far as he can remember, his mother has always been trying to "talk sense" into him regarding his political opinions.

Scherbak is just one of many other Russians who do not support the Ukraine invasion. He's also one of the thousands who received criticisms from families or friends for speaking out against the war in Ukraine.

Read On: Virginia School Suspends Teacher Who Voiced Support For Russia's Ukraine Invasion

More Family Conflicts amid War

Alex, a Russian who works in Poland, said that his phone calls to his parents in his homeland these days would always end up in an argument. His mother also told him to stop posting his sentiments against the war in Ukraine as it could land him in trouble. His father, however, is more neutral because he has relatives fighting for Ukraine.

Daria, another young Russian, said that she tries to avoid discussing the war among family members or friends whose views don't align with hers. The 25-year-old said that she doesn't want to put herself or her family in an emotionally challenging position when more serious conflicts are happening around them.

Lisa, a young mom from Ukraine but have parents who live in Russia, said that her mother and father do not believe that the Russian soldiers have killed and attacked Ukrainian civilians. She said that the disinformation campaign and propaganda from the Kremlin had been effectively convincing the Russian people.

The mom also said that, before the invasion, she had a hard time convincing her parents that the threat was real, as per Yahoo news. Her mother told her that Ukrainians were crazy to panic about the war, and they never believed that Russia would launch an attack.

Cousins Killing Cousins

However, for some families, it's more than just Facebook blocking or arguments. There are cousins killing cousins in this war as many Ukrainians and Russians, who used to be part of the Soviet Union, have relatives on both sides of the fence.

Nina Ryakhovskaya, a Russian based in Ukraine, said that her cousins over the border believe that these are just military exercises. However, Ryakhovskaya's Ukrainian husband has joined the frontlines to defend his country. The mom and wife said that she would not be able to forgive her cousins if her husband was killed in action.

Dan Hubbard in America, on the other hand, said that he has cousins and relatives in Ukraine and Russia and dread the thought that they will end up killing each other. He has not been watching the news because it filled him with anguish and said that the thought of cousins killing cousins is a "madman's fantasy."

Related Article: Russian Police Allegedly Detains School Kids Protesting the Ukraine Invasion
La Paz County Administrator Megan Spielman met with the Parker Pioneer March 4 to discuss her first year in office. Among her challenges and accomplishments was dealing with the countys financial mess.
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In October 2021, Patently Apple posted a report titled "After the OLED display Project with Samsung for iPads was cancelled, LG is now developing the OLED panel that Apple originally demanded." Then on March third we posted a report titled " Samsung has begun development of a Two-Stack Tandem OLED Display first aimed for Apple's 2024 iPads and eventually Macs." While LG and Samsung will battle it out for next-gen two-stack OLED displays for iPad, BOE is now aiming to vie for Apple's next-gen iPad business.

While LG and Samsung are developing nex-gen two-stack OLED displays, Chinese display maker BOE is in talks with Chinese smartphone maker Honor for two-stack tandem OLED displays for next-gen smartphones that could debut as early as Q4-22. In the long run, BOE is aiming to join the battle for Apple's iPad business with two-stack OLED displays.

Sources claim that the use of this technology, where the OLED panel has two emission layers, can reduce the power consumption of the smartphone by approximately 30%. This also means the smartphone can use a smaller battery that will allow the phone to have a thinner design.

BOEs ultimate aim with its project with Honor is likely to secure experience to manufacture two-stack tandem OLED panels aimed at iPads.

Thus far, LG Display is the only display panel maker in the world that had succeeded in commercializing two-stack tandem OLED panels, which it manufactures and supplies for automotive applications. For more, read the full report by The Elec.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the ultra-low-cost national airline of the UAE, has launched an exciting new route from Abu Dhabi to Mattala, Sri Lanka.



The new destination provides affordable, hassle-free travel for tourists and residents in both the UAE and Sri Lanka with unique travel opportunities and a convenient WIZZ flight schedule on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tickets are already on sale on wizzair.com and the airlines mobile app with fares starting as low as AED179 ($48.7).



The airline introduces a new segment of travel by adding its first destination to South Asia which will allow customers from across the broader Wizz Air network to travel via Abu Dhabi to the exotic destination of Sri Lanka.



Mattala, nestled in pristine natural beauty, enjoys a tropical climate with easy access to neighbouring wildlife. Ideally located with easy access to Sri Lankas most famous tourist attractions, including stunning coastlines and abundant nature, adventurous travellers can sample the best of the famed attractions. CNN voted Sri Lanka one of the best destinations to visit in 2020 and Mattala is the gateway to the islands ancient, beautifully complex civilization with over 2,000 years of history.



Michael Berlouis, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said: Sri Lanka is an exciting destination that has everything; beautiful beaches, a diverse cultural heritage, historical sites dating back 1000s of years and even a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is truly a must-see travel destination. We are proud to be providing our customers ever more convenient, affordable opportunities for relaxation and adventure and look forward to seeing you on board our aircraft to the island paradise soon.



D V Chanaka, State Minister of Aviation and Export Zones Development, said: It is indeed a happy occasion as Wizz air announces its 3 times a week scheduled operations to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport. The airport is strategically surrounded by the most preferred tourist attractions in the island which makes it easy for the tourists to get about be it the sandy beaches, hill country, wildlife parks, etc.



With Wizz Air's low airfare rates we also anticipate the Sri Lankan employee market in UAE to vastly benefit from travel between the two regions which is expected to be extremely economical. Further, the tourism sector in Sri Lanka will vastly grow with short and long-stay tourists arriving to the island while increasing connectivity between cities and other airlines around Wizz Air schedules. I am positive that the route will be a success and wish Wizz Air a successful air operation here in Sri Lanka.



Strategically located within the UAE, the Wizz Air Abu Dhabi network also provides ultra-low fare, hassle-free and efficient travel options to Alexandria (Egypt), Amman (Jordan), Aqaba (Jordan), Athens (Greece), Baku (Azerbaijan), Belgrade (Serbia), Kutaisi (Georgia), Manama (Bahrain), Muscat (Oman), Sarajevo (Bosnia), Sohag (Egypt), Tel-Aviv (Israel), Tirana (Albania) and Yerevan (Armenia) among others.



Passengers can book tickets with confidence, thanks to WIZZ Flex, an airline statement said.



With WIZZ Flex, passengers can cancel their flight up to three hours before departure without any fee and receive 100% of the fare immediately reimbursed in airline credit.  TradeArabia News Service
On Wednesday, Microsoft announced two new apps that will be arriving on Windows 11 soonfirst on test builds for Windows 11, but probably soon on the stable release path, too: Microsoft Family and the Clipchamp video editor.

The two new apps are part of the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22572 for the Dev Channel, which normally means that the new changes and additions may not make their way to Windows 11 users in general. But, like many tweaks Microsoft has made recently, these have the feel of an early look of features all Windows 11 users will eventually receive.

The build also makes a significant change to the search feature within Windows 11: Search Highlights looks to be a subset of the Bing pages that are normally associated with Microsofts search engine. Microsoft will push new content to the search box, pepping it up but also potentially distracting you from your original search.

Microsoft Family

If youve followed Windows over the years, youre aware that Microsoft reorganizes as much as it addstransitioning from the older Control Panel to the Settings menu, for example, or by pushing subscription information from the web to within Windows 11. Microsoft Family feels like a similar type of reorganization.

Microsoft Family. Microsoft

What Microsoft Family does is take the Family Safety mobile app that Microsoft launched in 2020 alongside the consumer version of Microsoft Teams and makes it a built-in Windows app. All Family Safety did was to reorganize some of the features found within the Microsoft Account (as well as the misleadingly named Find My Device) and bring them front and center. Now you can go to Microsoft Family to limit screen time for your kids, set content restrictions, and geofence kids by tracking them on their phones, if they agree.

Interestingly, this is one occasion where you have an advantage with Windows 11 Home, as opposed to Pro. Microsoft Family will only ship with Windows 11 Home. Windows 11 Pro users will have to go to Settings > Accounts > Family within the Windows 11 Settings menu and download the Microsoft Family app from the Microsoft Store.

Clipchamp

In September 2021, Microsoft acquired Clipchamp, a small in-browser video-editing application that competes (and still does) with Microsofts own built-in Video Editor app within Windows 10 and Windows 11. Now, Clipchamp will also be a built-in Windows 11 app, at least for Insiders, initially. (If youre not an Insider, you can still download and use Clipchamp directly from the Microsoft Store.)

The Clipchamp interface. Microsoft

Microsoft believes that Clipchamps selling point is its timelinethe ability to go back and forth within a video, trimming and adding to the video. But the real impact may be from what it adds: a stock library filled with more than a million royalty-free videos, audio tracks, and images that can be added to videos. Theres even an Azure-powered text-to-speech generator capable of creating voice overs in more than 70 languages, Microsoft said in a blog post.

Search Highlights

Search Highlights is a new feature that Microsoft will roll out next week, the company said, within the Windows 11 search app. Youll see it in Windows 10, too.

Normally, you can just tap the Windows key on your keyboard to initiate a search of your PC. That will search apps, documents, and more. But you can also click the search icon on your taskbar, where youll see the results of recent searches, and some suggestions: today in history, for example. Search Highlights will take a search like today in history and essentially thrust it on youso if you search for pears, for example, you may find that the search box has already told you an interesting anecdote about pears from a hundred years ago.

Windows 11s Search Highlights. Microsoft

Search Highlights will present notable and interesting momentslike holidays, anniversaries, and other educational moments in time both globally and in your region, Microsoft said. Youll find rich, bold content in search home that highlights whats special about today.

It sounds like Search may become a miniature home page of sorts, with a word of the day, trending searches, Microsoft Rewards information, and so on. Its part of a livelier Windows 11 that sounds more like Windows 10, but it also might duplicate some of the content thats already in Widgets, which may prove interesting in the long run. Logging in with a Microsoft work account will generate results more specific to your workplace.

You will be able to control this, however: in Settings, youll be able to toggle this on and off with Settings > Privacy & security > Search settings and toggling Show search highlights.
Former Finance Minister, Dr Kwesi Botchwey, has said government can't return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance.



According to him, Ghana has borrowed so much money from IMF and government's arrears keep piling up. He furthered that generating revenue domestically will be a challenge for government.



Dr Kwesi Botchwey indicated that Ghana currently is in crisis and it's about time government realizes the problem and faces it squarely.



He pointed out that road contractors have not been paid their due, arrears keep piling up among other bills that government cannot settle.



Speaking at the Independence Day lecture in Accra on Monday, March 7, 2022, the former finance minister accused government of imposing more hardship on already burdened Ghanaians.



"We are in the crisisWe are unable to pay our bills, we are imposing hardship even on the vulnerable, contractors go unpaid, arrears are piling up and we have borrowed so much money that servicing it is going to create a huge problem, especially for younger generations," he said.



"In any case, you have borrowed so much that we cant go to that market anymore and even raising the revenue domestically is going to be a problem," Kwesi Botchwey stated.

Source: ghanaweb.con









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The current economic and financial challenges confronting the country make it even more imperative to pass the Tax Exemptions Bill to protect the countrys revenue base, Mr Vitus Azeem, Chairman of the Tax Justice Coalition, Ghana (TJC), has said.



Mr Azeem said various studies had shown that the existence of a Tax Exemptions Law would save the country millions of Ghana Cedis every year to support her development initiatives.



He stated this when making a presentation at a national stakeholders roundtable discussion in Accra on Ghana's Tax Exemptions Bill.



It was organized by the TJC Ghana with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ActionAid and Africa Centre for Energy Policy as part of its legislative advocacy project dubbed: "The Ghana Revenue Programme".



It was on the theme: "Sustainable Financing of Ghana's Development: Domestic Revenue Mobilisation and Exemptions Bill in Ghana."



More than 60 participants, including TJC Ghana Members, civil society organisations, private sector actors and the media attended the meeting.



For some time now, the country has been working to pass a Tax Exemptions Bill, to amongst others, rationalise the current exemptions regime by varying or limiting the scope, where necessary, and consolidating existing statutory provisions on exemptions, set clear eligibility criteria, as well as provide for monitoring, enforcement and evaluation of exemptions.



Mr Azeem said the passage of the Tax Exemptions Bill would help plug all the revenue leakage associated with unregulated tax exemptions, saying this is more than the yield of the tax increases that have been announced in the current budget.



He said, This absence of a Tax Exemption Act is one of the contributors to the new taxes (E-levy, etc) and other tax hikes to plug revenue shortfalls.



He, however, raised concerns with some sections of the Bill, including the one that gave powers to the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority to remit assessed tax or extend the date on which a tax was payable, saying this could be subject to a lot of abuse.



He, therefore, called on the Executive and the Legislature to incorporate the inputs gathered by the TJC Ghana as part of its nationwide consultations on the Bill to ensure a robust law that would effectively serve its intended purpose.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Izwe Savings & Loans Plc has earmarked GHS150m to support the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector this year. This commitment aims to strengthen the resilience of specific sectors and enhance their capacity to grow and create employment in the economy.



SMEs remain a critical sector of the economy. Building resilience amid COVID-19 remains a challenge for most SMEs to resolve. The Government statistician Professor Samuel Kobina Annim asserts that COVID-19 has undoubtedly had a devastating impact on households, businesses and the local economy in Ghana



As a development-oriented financial institution, Izwe Savings & Loans Plc is poised to work together with SMEs in identifiable segments as such wholesalers and retailers in the building materials, beverages, frozen foods, spare parts, second-hand clothing, pharmaceuticals, stationery, healthcare, education, agriculture, and transportation subsectors.



The Chief Executive Officer, Raymond Kwakye Bismarck reiterated that, analysing the continuous impact of COVID-19 on SMEs, we have come to the realisation that it is important to do our bit as a business with the resources, facilities and know-how to help businesses get back on their feet because without them the economy suffers.



Our Impact



Izwe Savings and Loans Plc is a subsidiary of the Izwe Africa Group, which is headquartered in Mauritius and has operations in South Africa with subsidiaries in 3 other African countries, Zambia, Kenya and Ghana. After 10 years of doing business in Ghana, Izwe has 10 retail outlets and currently seeking approval for 2 more branches in Tema and Kasoa as well as 4 sales centres in 8 regions of Ghana. The company proudly employs over 200 staff over 500 trusted agents across the country.



Izwe has been able to provide educational support to 138,166 people; enhanced the home and family lives of 88,142; helped 25,421 businesses to grow in three, years and helped 21,360 people save for their future. In the past year alone, Izwe has supported 285 SMEs. The impact of this support on businesses has been great hence the need to extend this support to all SMEs who need it.



With support from the Izwe Africa Group, whose successful track record remains undoubted across Africa, Izwe is indeed one of the most promising, trusted, and respected financial institutions in Ghana.









Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Oil prices rose on Tuesday, with Brent surging past $126 a barrel, as fears of formal sanctions against Russian oil and fuel exports spurred concerns about supply availability.



Benchmark Brent crude futures for May climbed $3.07, or 2.49%, to $126.28 a barrel at 0756 GMT.



U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for April delivery rose $2.29, or 1.92%, to 121.69 a barrel.



Russia is the world's second-biggest oil exporter and ships out about 7 million barrels per day of crude and oil products combined.



The United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, may move on its own to ban Russian oil imports following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.



However, Germany, the biggest buyer of Russian crude oil, has rejected plans for an energy embargo. Replacing the vast quantities of Russian fuel and oil in the market if they has raised supply concerns about oil traders, prompting the surge in prices. read more



A "ban of Russian oil exports of (about) 7 million barrels per day of crude and oil products is a big reason for a further expected spike in oil prices...Until then $125 to $130 would be a see-saw range," said N.S. Ramaswamy, head of commodities, Ventura Securities Ltd.



A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters on Monday that no final decision had been made but "it is likely (to be) just the U.S. if it happens." read more



A Russian halt to its energy exports in response to the sanctions already enacted has also pushed prices higher.



Russia on Monday warned it could stop the flow of natural gas through pipelines from Russia to Germany in response to Berlin's decision last month to halt the opening of the controversial new Nord Stream 2 pipeline. read more



If all of Russia's oil exports were blocked from global markets, analysts have said prices could rise to $200 a barrel, while Russia's deputy prime minister said oil could soar to more than $300.



"There is no capacity in the world in the moment that can replace 7 million barrels of exports," Mohammad Barkindo, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) told reporters at an industry conference in Houston on Monday. read more



Australia's two refiners, Viva Energy (VEA.AX) and Ampol Ltd (ALD.AX), said they had stopped buying Russian crude following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. read more



An apparent slowdown in talks with Iran over its nuclear programme, which would end sanctions against its oil sales, is also adding to price pressures after the European Union envoy on the talks said it was up to Iran and the U.S. to make political decisions to reach a deal.



"Additionally, a delay in lifting sanctions on Iranian oil is leading to a lot of jitters in the market," said Sugandha Sachdeva, vice president, commodity and currency research, Religare Broking.



Oil supply disruptions come as inventories continue to fall worldwide. Five analysts polled by Reuters estimated on average that U.S. crude stockpiles decreased by about 800,000 barrels in the week to March 4.



The poll was conducted ahead of weekly inventory reports from the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, on Tuesday and the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday.













Source: REUTERS









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Energy Minister Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has asked Energy Business leaders and Decision-makers to find in Ghanas energy sector, a friend and a partner. Speaking at an Energy Investment Forum organized by the Ministry of Energy on the sidelines of EXPO 2020 in Dubai, UAE, Dr. Prempeh said Ghanas energy sector is awash with plethora of opportunities that could be the basis for mutually beneficial partnerships.



The Energy Minister said in Ghana, Exploration and Production (E&P) licenses are awarded through open, transparent and competitive public tender processes. However, he added that E&P licenses may be awarded through direct negotiations without public tender if direct negotiations represent the most efficient manner to achieve optimal exploration, development and production of petroleum resources in a defined area.



There are also farm-in opportunities in some of the existing licenses for prospective investors to operate through existing Petroleum Agreements without having to go through block application and negotiation processes he said



He continued Ghanas sedimentary basins are de-risked and highly prospective and our petroleum industry is regulated by clear, predictable and suitable fiscal, legal and regulatory regimes.



In the downstream petroleum sector, The Minister who is also Member of the Parliament for Manhyia South said Ghana aspires to become a hub for refined petroleum products in the West African sub-region and beyond, and thus the establishment of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC). He said the hub will host infrastructure such as refineries, port terminal facilities, storage facilities, petrochemical plants as well as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals with a network of pipelines.



In the power sector, the Minister said the generation, transmission and distribution value chain presents opportunities to the private sector. Our quest to promote energy efficiency in electrical appliances, among others within the context of scaling up 10% renewable energy penetration by 2030 brings key opportunities for strategic investor partnership he added.



Through info-documentaries and presentations, the Ministrys agencies explained the current projects in their sectors that needs financing and strategic partnerships.

The Minister assured prospective investors of Ghanas robust legal and regulatory framework anchored on the respect for the rule of law and the high regard for democratic accountability.



I am confident that Ghana will impress you if you choose to invest in its energy sector Dr. Prempeh concluded

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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The Association of Moroccan Exporters (ASMEX) has placed premium on trade development in Africa.



Consequently, the organization, through the government of Morocco has devoted twenty million Euros investment into trading activities in the African continent.



President of the organization, Hassan Sentissel El Idrissi announced this when executives of the Association held talks with Ghanaian journalists currently in Morocco.



According to him, since His Majesty King Mohammed VI assumed office as leader of the Kingdom of Morocco, he has devoted significant resources to Moroccan institutions working in Africa to provide quality services.



Aside that, he said the Kingdom has deployed relevant technical assistance to many African countries through various initiatives for social and economic development.



Explaining the fundamental reason driving these initiatives, he said the Kingdom recognizes the challenges in Africa as a shared responsibility. We don't have oil or gas, its our Africanity"



He said manufacturing companies and service providers from Morocco continues to recognize these historic ties "We love to settle in Africa "



According to him although Morocco has made significant progress in terms of development, the country would love to grow with the rest of Africa.



He said the desire of Morocco and for that matter Moroccans is to see Africa rising globally and competitively so that the tremendous changes occurring in Morocco would manifest continentally.



Hassan Sentissel El Idrissi recalled the number of countries visited by King Mohammed VI since he assume office ostensibly to commit Morocco to bilateral co-operations and agreements for the ultimate objective of rekindling historic ties and break new grounds for social and economic partnerships.



In Ghana for instance, he said twenty Memorandum of Understanding (MoU's) were signed by King Mohammed VI during his visit to Ghana in 2017 to establish trade relations between Ghanaian companies and their Moroccan counterparts.



Unfortunately, he expressed regret that out of the twenty, only quarter of the total number of MoU's have so far been implemented and the remaining still in the pipeline.



He said the country also devoted one hundred thousand euros (100,000) investment into Europe through various trading activities.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare and his officers for apprehending the criminals involved in recent bullion van robberies.



Two officers named Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansan and Lance Corporal Stephen Kweku Nyame were allegedly killed in a shoot-out between the police and robbery gang members at Borteyman near Ashaiman in the Tema West Municipality.



According to a Police statement signed by the Director-General of Police Public Affairs, DCOP Kwesi Ofori, the two suspects died on arrival at the Police Hospital in Accra.



During the raid at Borteyman, near Ashaiman, there was an exchange of gunshots and two policemen, No. 58284 Constable Reindolph Ansah and No. 53549 Lance Corporal Stephen Kwaku Name who had been arrested in connection with the Bullion Van Robberies, were shot and were pronounced dead on arrival at the Police Hospital where they were rushed for treatment. Some other suspects believed to have sustained gunshot wounds managed to escape the scene.



Five of the gang members including four policemen and one civilian were further arrested Tuesday night, March 8, 2022 while others also escaped with gunshots wounds.



The arrested officers, the statement noted, have been interdicted and will be put before court on Wednesday, 9th March 2022.



Further investigations have led to the arrest of five other suspects, four of whom are policemen. We are pursuing five other civilian suspects who have gone into hiding."



Concerning the suspects who escaped, the Police appealed to the general public and health facilities within Accra and Tema areas to report to police if they find anyone with gunshot wounds.



Allotey Jacobs, during a panel discussion on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', was pleased with the work of the Police Service in the Dampare era.



" . . let me commend the Police Service that, at long last, in all their search [in all their investigations] they have found those who perpetrated this thing," he said.



He, however, called on the Police administration to beef up their security intelligence to avert crimes and swiftly apprehend criminals.



He advised the Police to "give Ghanaians that hope that we are in charge, we are in control, it will be well with us''.



Suggesting a way to achieve this goal of giving the citizenry hope, Allotey Jacobs stated; "There is the need to reorganize or redesign our security architecture. We are getting to a stage where the world has become so sophisticated that we have to redesign our architecture in such a way that Ghanaians will have in all the security setups".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan has taken with a pinch of salt the story by the Police Service concerning the death of two Police officers who were arrested in connection to recent robberies.



In response to public queries on how the two Policemen who were in Police custody as part of investigations into the recent bullion van robberies were killed in a shootout, the Police have disclosed the suspects led them to the hideout of the suspected criminal gang.



According to the Director-General of Police Public Affairs, DCOP Kwesi Ofori, the two suspects, Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansan and Lance Corporal Stephen Kweku Nyame, were arrested to assist the Police to a location at Borteyman near Ashaiman but they were shot during exchange of gunfires and pronounced dead on arrival at the Police Hospital in Accra.



In an interview with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's morning programme "Kokrokoo'', he narrated how the incident occurred.



''The two Police officers led us to Borteyman to show us the hiding place of the criminals. When we reached there, the criminals opened fire on the Police and the Police also retaliated...those two officers sustained injuries and we sent them to the Police Hospital for medical treatment but unfortunately they passed away'', he said.



When probed further as to how the suspects were shot, DCOP Kwesi Ofori said ''if you really appreciate such complex and high-risk operations of that dimension, we have operational successes and among other things. I can say that, unfortunately, the bullets from the criminals' guns hit them''.



He also refused to offer detailed explanation into the operation.



But Kwamena Duncan wonders how suspects assisting in investigations and susposedly in handcuffs would be marched by the Police to the hideout of criminals and they (the suspects) only would be shot to death.



To him, something doesn't add up as he finds it extremely difficult to believe the Police story.



''I cannot, for my simple understanding of security, that those two officers, they led the group that went to that point'', he stated, asking ''were they in the front line that during the exchange of gunshots, they took the bullets?...That you have arrested criminals and the criminals has shown the hideout of their companions in crime. How is it that the Police went with the criminals and nobody was caught in the crossfire other than the two criminals?''



Hon. Duncan called for further clarifications on the demise of the suspects is questionable.



''It's through them that you do your investigation and get more information. So, these are assets [in terms of] relative to the particular matter that you are investigating'', he told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Kokrokoo Wednesday morning.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Does Ukraine have courage enough to be a country worth fighting for?
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Sector Reforms Secretariat, Mr Thomas Kusi-Boafo says claims that Ghanas economy was already struggling before the worlds pandemic struck are untrue.



He maintained that the Nana Addo-led government had a fast-growing economy before the devastating effects of the pandemic left several developed countries with an ailing economy.



Speaking to Kwesi Aboagye on NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie', Mr Kusi-Boafo however, admitted that Ghanas economy "is not in good shape now.



But said, "Whoever will say it is not COVID that has devasted the whole world needs a mental check up.



" . . World bank became broke, let me tell everybody . . . World Bank, IMF was broke . . . all those financing World bank and IMF with big contributions like US, Germany, France, Japan, China were all suffering, then the World bank coffers were drying . . . World bank, IMF was completely broke . . I'm telling you the hard truth today, otherwise World bank would have collapsed by now, IMF would have collapsed by now . . " he told Kwesi Aboagye.



His comment comes after the World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Mr Pierre Laporte indicated that not every financial problem should be attributed to Covid-19, since the country's economy was already struggling before the outbreak of the pandemic.



Mr Laporte said his outfit had spoken to the Finance Minister, who acknowledges the severity of the situation.



Yes, COVID-19 has not helped, but even before COVID-19, there were signs that the situation was getting a little bit more challenging. The key thing is to be transparent with the people, he noted.



Adding that, Is it a really serious situation? Well, the numbers speak for themselves. The situation is very serious. At the World Bank, weve not hidden the fact when weve held discussions with government officials and even the head of state that, Ghana faces a very tough road ahead to restore macro sustainability.



This notwithstanding, the Public Sector Reforms boss believes anyone who has that opinion about the country's economy needs to perhaps have his or her head examined.







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public Sector Reforms Secretariat, Mr Thomas Kusi-Boafo says Ghanaian contractors should be considered first when lucrative contracts are being awarded.



According to him, the idea of awarding well-paid contracts to mostly foreigners needs to be reassessed.



He explained that the foreigners after executing their contracts leave with the money which is not helping out the economy.



I dont support that idea of government awarding most juicy contracts to foreigners, he said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Monte.



Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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The Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has described as "reassuring" the Ghana Police Service's arrest of "their own people" who were involved in some cases of bullion van robberies in the country.



Four police officers who were arrested for their involvement in bullion van robberies have been caged after they appeared in court on Wednesday.



A statement from the Ghana Police Service revealed that four more policemen and one civilian have been arrested in an ongoing intelligence-led police investigation into some bullion van robberies that have occurred in the country.



They are Constable Affisu Yaro Ibrahim, Constable Richard Boadu, Constable Rabiu Jambedu, Constable Albert Ofosu and suspect, Razak Alhassan, a civilian.



The statement also disclosed that a raid at Borteyman near Ashaiman, also led to the death of two other police officers who had been arrested earlier in connection with the bullion van robberies. According to the Service, the two died during an exchange of gunshots during the raid.



Meanwhile, "five other civilian suspects who have gone into hiding" are being pursued.



Mr Baako, contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme said: "The key point is that the police are cleaning up the system. It's good enough that their intelligence led to the unmasking of these criminal elements . . . the positive side is that they've been busted by their own people and that they'll ensure that the law will take its course".



He has meanwhile, backed calls for the review of the police recruitment process to check fraud, adding, "as we speak there's a motion before Parliament to look into the recruitment process for the last ten years to see how we can improve on it. It's a challenge . . . "



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for the Nhyiaeso Constituency, Dr Stephen Amoah has been appointed a Non-Executive Director of the board of GCB Bank PLC.



A press release issued Tuesday by the Ghana Stock Exchange said Dr Amoah's appointment took effect on February 24, 2022.



Also appointed to the GCB Bank Board in a separate release was Daniel Kweku Tweneboah Asirifi, a member of the Legal Service Board.



Profile of Dr Amoah



Dr Amoah is a Member of the Finance Committee in Parliament and a member of one of the Parliamentary Service Board Sub-Committees in charge of the unit responsible for Procurement.



He is also a member of the committee tasked to manage the selection of the Auditing Entity that will have the mandate to audit the Auditor General. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of GCB Bank Plc.



Dr Amoah was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre, MASLOC at the Office of President of Ghana where small and medium-size businesses were capitalized. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Zintex Portfolio Services Limited, a parent company with many subsidiaries: Zintex Finance & Investment Consult, Zintex Farms and Zintex Construction. Dr Amoah was formerly the Deputy National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Coordinator and later became the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Kencity Group of Companies. He is a Finance & Investment Consultant. Dr Stephen Amoah holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Actuarial Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST) with the option of Finance and Investment.



The research title for Dr Amoah's PhD was Optimal Pricing for Risky Assets in a Competitive Market with special emphasis on Finance and Macroeconomics. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Strategic Financial Management from the University Derby in the United Kingdom. Dr Amoah has a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from MIT in the US. He has BSc. in Computer Science from KNUST. Dr Amoah has participated a number of International Programs: seminars and conferences in countries such as Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Portugal. In Italy, Dr Amoah spoke on the Investment Opportunity within the Sub- Region of Africa and the Challenges Confronting the Continent. Other programs in Africa Dr Amoah has attended were in Botswana, Niger and Djibouti.







Source: graphiconline.com









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Over 1000 students studying medicine in Ukraine have been given a renewed sense of hope following a pact signed by the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat and the St Georges University of Medicine in the Caribbean island of Grenada.



The agreement comes at a time when most students in Ukraine feel their studies will be truncated as a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia.



The agreement was signed yesterday on behalf of Ghana by the Registrar of the Scholarships Secretariat, Mr Kingsley Agyemang with David Anthonisz, director of Recruitment and Commercial Engagement, signing for St. Georges University.



The agreement follows an earlier Memorandum of Understanding, signed in 2019 with the University.



Under the MoU selected students who have first degrees in medical sciences would be offered scholarships for post-graduate training in the medical field.



The scholarship packages ranged from 50 per cent to 100 per cent funding by the awarding institution, with the Scholarship Secretariat as the coordinating agency.



Respite for students



There have been concerns with regards to how students on Government of Ghana scholarships, especially those pursuing medicine, were going to complete their studies due to the Russian invasion of the country.



Speaking after the signing of the agreement yesterday, Mr Kingsley Agyemang held that the pact which takes full effect immediately will afford the affected students to have a smooth transition with their studies and continue at St. Georges University.



He disclosed that students will also have access to two of the best three hospitals in the world in the course of their studies.



The Government of Ghana under the leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo takes the education of Ghanaian students very serious no matter where they find themselves and therefore instructed me to quickly find a way to ensure that these students who are affected by the unfortunate situation in Ukraine can find a way to continue their studies. I therefore see the signing of this agreement as very important especially considering the timing as well, he said.



He added that the students who have so far left Ukraine and in Ghana through the efforts of the Government of Ghana will be contacted and the necessary arrangements done to quickly get them to continue with their studies in Grenada.



Mr Agyemang said the move was important because it will also complement Ghanas efforts to train medical professionals as it worked towards achieving universal health coverage.







Rep from St Georges University



David Anthonisz, for his part, said the St George University of Medicine was more than happy and ready to absorb the medical students and ensure that they continue with their studies. He assured the Government of Ghana, the Scholarships Secretariat and the students that they will be given the best of treatment.



He commended Ghana for having a reputation for creating great students at the international level, saying that was one of the reasons for the partnership.



He said the University had trained over 16,000 professionals with over 10,000 of them practicing in the United States and other countries.



He expressed the hope that the collaboration between Ghana and St George University would see to the grooming of great health professionals in the country.



Present at the ceremony were Molly K ONeill, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer of Medforth, a global healthcare education organisation; Richard Aidoo, Chief Accountant of the Scholarships Secretariat; Afua Gyasiwaa Gaisie, Head Education and Recruitment, Ghana High Commission, and Richard Gyamfi, in charge of Diaspora Affairs at the Scholarship Secretariat.



St Georges University



St Georges University School of Medicine is a private international university offering degrees in medicine and other related programmes.



It is reputed to be among the best universities that offer world class educational experience in the training of health professionals.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Residents and Traders at Krobo Odumase electoral area popularly known as (K.O) in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly are crying out over the increasing insecurity of lives and property as a result of the consistent rampage of robbery attacks.



K.O is a suburb of the Central Business District in Kumasi whereby there is a constituent activity of trade day and night yet due to lack of security, there are congruous robbery attacks which on several occasions have led to the loss of lives and properties.



A cross-section of residents and traders told GhanaWebs correspondent in the Ashanti Region that hoodlums are having a field day in the area yet the police service is unable to curb their activities for years now.



It has become very dangerous to trade in this area. Weve lost our properties including our equipment used for trading. These people steal and sell our items to people around therefore we need security in this area, the traders asserted.



Residents however attributed the state of insecurity to the abandoned police station in the area which has been useless since there are no police officers stationed there to curb the menace.



A resident noted that There is a police station right here but theres no policeman stationed there. Its just useless here making robbers have a field day.



Residents have appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akufo-Dampare to refurbish the abandoned police station in order to have policemen help restore sanity and security in the area.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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The headteacher of Hatsukope Basic School in the Volta Region allegedly committed suicide after taking part in the 65th Independence Day celebrations.



Apetorgbor Isreal Mawuli, 59, was found in a pair of jeans shorts hanging on nylon rope tied to a mango tree on his compound.



The Head of Public Relations of the Volta Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, confirmed the tragedy to the Ghanaian Times yesterday.



She said when the police and a complainant went to the compound, they found the body hanging on the rope tied to a mango tree.



DSP Tenge stated that a search on the body and at the scene and deceaseds room did not find a suicide note or any other thing that could serve as evidence.



She said that police gathered that Mawuli participated in the 65th Independent parade, at Hedzranawo, and there was no sign suggesting he was a troubled person.



DSP Tenge said Mawuli was said to have lost the wife some years ago and lived alone in the house.



She said the body was deposited at Ketu South Municipal Hospital mortuary, awaiting autopsy.





Source: The Ghanaian Times









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The Central Region has recorded a celebrated reduction in maternal deaths with a maternal mortality ratio, reducing from 109/100,000 live births in the year 2020 to 104/100,000 live births in 2021.



Additionally, the region also recorded a marginal reduction in stillbirth from 13.3 per cent to 12.7 per cent as teenage pregnancy slides from 11.8 per cent to 11.6 per cent over the same period.



Dr Mrs Akosua Agyeiwaa Owusu-Sarpong, the Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, disclosed this at the 2021 Central Regional health sector annual performance review meeting held in Cape Coast on Tuesday.



It was held on the theme: "Strengthening institutional systems, improving service performance and attaining excellence in maternal and child health service delivery in the midst of COVID-19: The role of stakeholders."



Dr Owusu-Sarpong commended the relentless dedication, commitment and collective engagement of all stakeholders in health care service delivery for the tremendous health successes.



She cited the collective engagement with all stakeholders for the achievements, saying the Regional Health Directorate had launched a three-year initiative to address the recurring challenges of maternal and child health mortalities.



Through the initiative, the Region had successfully implemented some key activities, including continuous surveillance on maternal deaths through the adoption of maternal death tracker and capacity building of staff on safe motherhood.



Others were lifesaving skills, strict supervision of maternal health services by specialists and community engagements.



As part of efforts to sustain the gains and improve quality services, Dr Owusu Sarpong said the region had adopted an Integrated Supportive Supervision of all facilities with the support of partners.



"Through these efforts, we have improved in most of our indicators, our aggregate holistic assessment scores improved from 3.6 in 2020 to 4.1 in 2021, making the region a high performing region."



" We, additionally, improved in areas of childhood immunization, family planning services and HIV services," she added.



A speech read on behalf of Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service by Dr Peter Obiri Yeboah, commended the region for the willingness to hold itself accountable to various stakeholders on its past performance.



Incidentally, he said, the year 2021 served as a watershed, as it marked the end of the Health Sector Medium Term Development Plan (2018-2021) heralded by the National Health Policy (NHP).



That provided the country's roadmap for attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as a guide to the new Health Sector Medium Development Plan (HSMTDP 2022-2025).







Source: GNA









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Digid, a digital onboarding and identity verification system, is about to be launched in Ghana's technology market, enabling businesses across multiple sectors, and specially in banking and financial services sector. This solution will help businesses to onboard new customers from anywhere, at any time, and via any channel.



ToCode Technologies is a deep tech company specialising in the development of cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions. On March 17, 2022, toCode along with CWG Ghana will host a sensitization event titled 'Digital Customer Experience - A Profitable Journey!'. Industry professionals from throughout Africa are expected to attend and contribute.



The traditional customer onboarding process, particularly in banks, requires the customer to be present in-person at the branch and provide all relevant papers along with the application form.



This application will then be processed via a series of processes that validate the customer's eligibility and complete the customer's KYC. This manual or semi-manual procedure is not only unsustainable in an increasingly digital age, but also limits new business opportunities too.



Digid enables banks and other organisations to onboard customers remotely from the comfort of their homes using their mobile phones. Customers will no longer be required to appear in person at branch locations to apply for loans or other products and services.



Ramesh Kannan, Founder and CEO of toCode Technologies said: The timing and introduction of Digid cannot be more right, as the main theme of any business has been digitalization for a few years now, and Digid fits right in. In Ghana, the government is working to centralise the identification verification process around the Ghana National ID Card, and Digid's capabilities perfectly complement this effort, increasing value and facilitating adoption." stated Mr Kannan.



Digid is a digital solution for onboarding new clients and verifying their identification. Using Digid, banks and businesses can process more applications and, as a result, acquire more customers too. Businesses can now offer their services more quickly by automating the whole onboarding process.



Net-net, Banks can use Digid to process 10 times more applications than before with better accuracy and lesser cost. Besides, businesses will also be able to give their customers faster access to their products and services, which can only lead to one thing; a happy customer and a good brand value, Mr. Ramesh Kannan indicated.



Apart from delivering a more feature-rich solution than the competition, Digid distinguishes itself by offering a full product suite that supports the end-to-end onboarding process. Comparable solutions in the market provide either 'Onboarding' or 'Identity verification' functionality. Howerver, Digid addresses both the requirements and provides unique advantage in places where both are required.



Harriet Yartey, Managing Director of CWG Ghana, added that: The partnership with toCode Technologies adds significant value not just in terms of the AI (artificial intelligence) and cutting-edge technology they bring to the table, but also in terms of how they solve business challenges as well.



Digitilization has been a priority for companies in Ghana over the past several years, and we couldn't be more enthusiastic about what Digid has to offer in this area.







Source: peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has hailed President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over what he believes is the most beautiful and successful independence anniversary ever in Ghana.



Ghana, on Sunday, March 6, 2022, celebrated her 65th Independence anniversary.



The ceremony was held at the Cape Coast Stadium in the Central Region with a colorful display by some students, workers and security personnel.



The celebration, which saw President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Veep Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia with their wives, high-profile dignitaries and many Ghanaians in attendance, was a sight to behold.



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Allotey Jacobs was exhilarated by what he saw on the Independence Day at Cape Coast.



Testifying about the event, he exclaimed; ''I haven't seen independence celebration like this before. It was extraordinary . . . for me, at my age, it is the best independence celebration I've witnessed."





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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General Secretary of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia says Ghanas Judicial Service has verified its alliance with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) with its ruling on the right of deputy Speakers to vote in parliament.



According to him, the judiciary has been biased towards the NDC on several occasions  hence, his decision to tag them as an affiliate of the Nana Addo-led government.



"I dont have any faith in this judiciary and the Supreme Court, he said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show 'Ghana Montie'.



Mr Asiedu Nketia was responding to the Supreme Court's ruling that will allow the deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei-Owusu to vote whiles presiding over proceedings in Parliament.



The court presided over by Justice Jones Dotse, held that the Deputy Speaker does not lose his right to take part in decision-making upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution.



The court, therefore, held that the passing of the budget on November 30, 2021, in which Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker counted himself as part of the quorum, was valid.



Also, the court has struck down order 109(3) of the standing orders of Parliament which prevented a deputy Speaker presiding from voting, as unconstitutional.



However, unhappy Asiedu Nketia said the ruling by the Supreme Court is just to aid the NPP in their quest to pass the E-levy bill.



He maintained the Supreme Court was immoral with its ruling.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Members of the Democratic Party of Korea react as they watch a television report on an exit poll of the new president at the party's situation auditorium in the National assembly on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP)
State ferry system and Transportation Department officials plan to gather this week in Ketchikan to consider options for fulfilling the advertised summer schedule amid a continuing shortage of onboard crew.

The department failed to meet its self-imposed timeline of hiring enough workers by March 1 to ensure that the Columbia on May 1 would return to service for the first time since fall 2019. The Alaska Marine Highway System had said it needed to hire at least 166 new employees to staff up its fleet  a gap of about one-quarter of its total authorized hiring level.

Failing to make the hir...
First a trade war, then a battle against an infectious virus and now a real war are all affecting Alaska seafood exports.

Shipments to China fell from as high as 30% of Alaskas total seafood export value in the 2010s to 20% in 2020. The U.S.-China trade war has displaced $500 million of Alaska seafood, Jeremy Woodrow, executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, told legislators last week.

And though people bought more seafood to prepare at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, sales to restaurants and food services fell by 70%, Woodrow said. The food service market ...
Welcome to the second and final day of EPT Prague's 2,200 Eureka High Roller. Today's action, which kicks off at 1 p.m. CET, sees 181 players return to Kings Casino Prague, where they will battle it out to become an EPT Champion.

Day 1 saw 1,149 entries which generated a total prize pool of 2,206,080. Only the top 167 players will make the money, meaning 14 players will exit the tournament area empty-handed.

Those fortunate to outlast the money bubble will lock up a minimum payday of 3,530. As is with tournaments, the mega money is up top, and the eventual winner will walk away with a massive 396,450 prize and a PokerStars Spadie Trophy.

2,200 Eureka High Roller Payouts

Place PRIZE Place PRIZE 1 396,450 16-17 17,540 2 236,050 18-20 15,330 3 166,120 21-23 13,130 4 124,860 24-27 11,010 5 95,080 28-31 9,290 6 69,930 32-39 8,100 7 53,060 40-55 6,880 8 37,880 56-71 5,740 9 29,470 72-95 4,790 10-11 24,470 96-119 4,320 12-13 21,950 120-143 3,880 14-15 19,740 144-167 3,530

Strong French Presence in Day 2

David Rubin

France is strongly represented in the tournament, with 20 players making it through to Day 2.

The relatively unknown David Rubin (489,000) bagged the biggest and he is joined by the likes of Romain Lewis, Guillaume Diaz, Antoine Saout and France's most decorated WSOP player, Julien Martini.

However, Carl Shaw and John Mooney have piloted monster stacks to Day 2. They'll be looking to take another EPT title back to the United Kingdom, just a few days after Sam Grafton took down EPT Prague Event #1 10,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller for 80,360.

The bubble is expected to burst early on when the event returns, so be sure to keep it locked in with PokerNews. Day 2 will resume on Thursday, March 10 at 1 p.m. CET. Play will pick up at Level 17 with the blinds set at 3,000/6,000/6,000a and you can follow all the action as it happens at the fabulous King's Casino Prague.
Argentinas Alejandro Papo MC Lococo leads the final nine players into the Day 4 finale of the 1,100 Eureka Main Event at EPT Prague. The first multi-flight event of the European Poker Tours return to Kings Casino Prague attracted 3,155 runners and generated a 3,028,800 prize pool. The final nine players will return on Thursday at 12 p.m. local time to fight for the top prize of 417,820.

Lococo, a PokerStars Ambassador, is fresh off his final table finish at the 2021 WSOP Main Event and the popular international MC is looking for a big score in his first EPT cash. He is followed at a distance by Jon Kyte in second and WSOP bracelet winner Alexandre Reard in third. Bartolomeo Tato and Ville Jantunen round out the top five chip counts.

1,100 Eureka Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts

Rank Name Country Chip Count Final Table Big Blinds 1 Alejandro Lococo Argentina 24,075,000 69 2 Jon Kyte Norway 12,825,000 37 3 Alexandre Reard France 11,900,000 34 4 Bartolomeo Tato Italy 10,300,000 30 5 Ville Jantunen Finland 8,950,000 26 6 Nicolas Cottin Chile 7,250,000 21 7 Jakub Koleckar Czech Republic 6,775,000 19 8 Merijn van Rooij Netherlands 6,450,000 18 9 Yann Nasser Luxembourg 6,200,000 18

Lococo Runs Wild

"Papo MC" went on a Day 3 tear that saw him finish at the top of the leaderboard with nearly double the chips of his closest competitor. It started early when Lococo made queens and tens to crack Jan Mach's ace-king. It was one of many eliminations that Lococo would pick up, with Firat Baltaci following closely behind after the Argentinian MC called his shove with a pair of kings. Lococo followed that up with a set of nines to eliminate Petr Kubenka, who shoved with ace-queen.

Perhaps the biggest hand of Lococo's night came when he emerged from a deep tank to call Dan Borlan with a pair of threes. Borlan turned over dust and was out the door in 13th place. Lococo finished the day strong and he will return for the final table with just over 24,000,000 chips.

Jon Kyte

Players will return at 12:00 p.m. for the Day 4 finale, and play will continue in Level 35 with blinds at 175,000/350,000 with a 350,000 ante. Each returning player is guaranteed a minimum payout of 32,860.

Remaining Payouts

Place Prize 1  417,820 2  249,000 3  174,130 4  131,900 5  99,920 6  75,690 7  57,340 8  43,430 9  32,860

Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team for updates live from Day 4 of the 1,100 Eureka Main Event and other marquee events throughout the return of EPT Prague.
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Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Mostly cloudy in the morning with scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 86F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening hours. Skies will become partly cloudy overnight. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
GOOSE CREEK  No-frills grocer Aldi is ready to open the doors on its fifth store in the Charleston area.

The discount food chain will welcome customers March 16 at 205 St. James Ave. in Goose Creek. The store will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

A grand opening celebration with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a $500 gift card giveaway is set for 7:50 a.m. March 24. Customers can enter the sweepstakes on the day of the grand opening at the new store by scanning a QR code with their mobile device.

"We have served the Charleston area for more than five years and look forward to continuing to offer Goose Creek residents high-quality, fresh foods and low prices," said Krysta Cearley, regional vice president for the German-based retailer's office in Salisbury, N.C.

The new store is less than two miles from rival low-cost grocer Lidl, which opened in 2017 at 435 St. James Ave.

Walmart Neighborhood Market, the retail giants small-store grocery format, offers a food-buying option just west of the new Aldi.

Aldi, with its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill., is one of America's fastest-growing retailers. It has more than 2,100 stores in 37 states. The company says it is on track to become the third-largest grocery store chain in the U.S. by store count by the end of 2022.

Arkansas-based Walmart tops the list with nearly 4,700 stores, followed by Cincinnati-based Kroger Co.'s more than 3,200 supermarkets. Kroger also owns Matthews, N.C.-based Harris Teeter.

Regional chains that serve the Charleston area such as Publix and Food Lion have more than 1,000 stores each.

The penny-pinching Aldi is known for requiring customers to insert a quarter to retrieve a shopping cart and then allowing them to get the coin back when the cart is returned. Also, it does not provide free shopping bags.

The chain stocks a variety of standard products, mostly under its own label, as well as fresh meats and produce.

The grocer launched its first store in the Charleston region in 2015 off Dorchester Road on the edge of Summerville and North Charleston. The company then followed with a second store on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant in 2017.

Aldi opened its third location in 2020 on North Main Street in Summerville, just south of the Earth Fare supermarket. The company added a fourth site later that year in the former Barnes & Noble Booksellers space on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston.

Lidl, its competitor that is also based in Germany, is building two new stores in the Charleston area: in the Cedar Grove Shopping Center on Dorchester Road in North Charleston, east of the Aldi location; and in Bowman Place Shopping Center on Bowman Road in Mount Pleasant, about a mile or so north of the Aldi store.

Both Lidl locations are nearing completion, but opening dates have not been announced. A company spokesman did not immediately respond for comment March 10.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Chefs will often join forces for one-off dinners, and wine pros frequently pop into each others shops to talk about regions and varietals.

In Charleston's craft brewing industry, collaboration has also become a key part of operations.

For Estuary Beans & Barley and Revelry Brewing Co., trips to the West Coast are leading to new brews back home in Charleston where there is more collaboration in the works.

Hop harvest

In September, Revelry Brewing Co. head brewer Ryan Coker visited Washington states Yakima Valley, home to approximately 75 percent of the country's yearly hop crop, for the 2021 Yakima Chief Hops Pacific Northwest Hop Harvest. Each year during the hop harvesting season (late August to early September), brewers nationwide descend upon the region to select hops for their breweries.

On the trip, Revelrys first time participating, Coker collaborated with brewers from Port Orleans Brewing Co. in New Orleans; Crank Arm Brewing Co. in Raleigh; Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton, N.C.; and Wooden Robot Brewery in Charlotte to decide which hop lots would be best for their breweries.

When selecting hops, brewers test samples from different lots, or homogeneous sets of baled hops. Throughout the selection process, brewers hold and smell the hops while conversing with the farmers who grew them.

Before attending the Hop Harvest, each brewery determines the amount they can purchase, and the group rates the hops and selects their preferred lot.

It was a really cool process. Theres something to be said about having gone to the farm, Coker said. In fact, the farmers were encouraging a direct line of access.

On the trip, Coker and Wooden Robot head brewer Dan Wade conversed about making a collaborative brew. The two breweries have a lot in common, after all; like Revelry Brewing Co. and its experimental offshoot The Hold, Wooden Robot operates a main brewery and an aging facility called The Chamber.

Earlier this year, Wade visited Revelry and together he and Coker brewed the Unnecessary Necessities IPA. The brewers used Citra and Simcoe hops procured from the Hop Harvest, along with Centennial hops, to brew what they call a cold IPA, a style of craft beer thats recently become more popular.

Its bright, its crystal, its quenching. It really just pulls out this amazing hop flavor," Coker said. "I think its the IPA Ive been searching for.

Charleston locals can currently get a taste of Unnecessary Necessities at Revelry, located at 10 Conroy St., while supplies last. If the beer is a hit, Coker plans to brew more.

Charlestonians can also sample other Wooden Robot beers at the grocery store or their favorite local bar after the Charlotte-based brewery partnered with Low Country Craft Distribution to get its beer into South Carolina in 2022.

From Colorado to Colombia

Prior to opening Estuary Beans & Barley in 2020, owner Scott Harrison, a Charleston native who previously co-founded Vail Brewing Co., had planned to collaborate with other breweries, but the pandemic slowed down that element of the brewery.

Now, hes picking up the collaborations after a trip to Vail to brew a beer with Vail Brewing Co. Alongside Estuary head brewer Ronnie Fink and assistant brewer Nate Trimble, Harrison visited Vail in January to brew a double IPA using three concentrated hop products: Incognito, cryo hops and spectrum.

Estuary was initially established to be a spot for collaboration, Harrison said. The brewing system out there (in Vail) is very manual  so it was great for these guys to see, as a basic entry brewery, how its grown over the last eight years.

According to Fink, collaborations that involve visiting other breweries can lead to more efficiency back home. Brewers are always picking up little things from others in the business, even if its something as simple as how they label their tanks.

While the double IPA is currently only available in Colorado, a Vail-Estuary collaborative brew will be coming to Charleston soon when Vail Brewing Co. head brewer Garret Scahill visits Estuary in the spring.

Before that, Fink this month will fly south to a country with a growing craft beer industry: Colombia. There, he will team up with Magdalena Cerveza Artesanal to brew a beer for an event in Cartagena, Colombia, benefiting the Newfound Freedom Project, a fundraising initiative spearheaded by Harrison.

Brewers from the Colombian brewery will visit Estuary this spring to brew another collaborative brew that will be served at Estuary.

Coming together

Two breweries so keen on collaboration were bound to come together at some point. That will happen in March when Revelry and Estuary will team up to brew a Belgian style ale.

Brewed at Estuary, the beer will be available this spring.

While the Vail, Magdalena and Revelry brews are coming in the future, one collaborative beer has already landed at Estuary Beans & Barley. Brewed in collaboration with upscale tropical clothing and lifestyle brand Kenny Flowers, the Hawaiinot 5 percent ABV Hazy Wheat Ale is now available at the Johns Island brewery, located at 3538 Meeks Farm Road. Estuary will host a release party for the new beer at 6 p.m. April 1.
Steve Genta donned his trilby hat and slipped on his patch-and-pin-covered lab coat, the trappings of South Carolina's only senior Welsh Honey Judge.

A yellow sign outside the conference room in Spartanburg where Genta and his colleagues gathered was labeled honey show. Inside, the tables were covered in black cloth and displayed white cards showing 20 available categories, such as mead, candles, bread, photographs and beekeeping gadgets. Participants deposited their entries with a group of three in the early stages of becoming honey judges.

Genta, a resident of Simpsonville, stood behind the crew, providing words of encouragement and advice. A multigenerational beekeeper and honey aficionado, his senior judge status makes the states honey judging program his responsibility.

The Welsh Honey Judge system is a multiyear program that trains interested beekeepers to judge a wide variety of products derived from honey. The program originated in the United Kingdom and eventually found its way to the Southeast through a partnership with two higher education institutions in Georgia during the early 2000s.

Its a very high-level training that we get, and we take it very seriously, Genta said.

Genta has been surrounded by hives his whole life. He is originally from California, where both his father and grandfather kept bees. He recalled how his grandfather used honeybee stings to help people with arthritis, a practice known as apitherapy.

He and his wife moved to South Carolina in 1978. Without much prior knowledge of Genta's generational ties to the insect, she gifted him classes on beekeeping.

"She just thought it would be a fun thing to do," Genta said. "That was her downfall because now I've jumped into it with all four feet."

He's kept bees for more than 30 years and describes it as "something that gets in your blood." At the start he had two colonies but now maintains about 20, the max he could handle while working full time. In late February, Genta officially filed for retirement from his full-time job.

Taking root in the U.S.

At honey shows, participants submit various bee products to be scored by judges. Before the introduction of Welsh honey judging to the United States, judging was wildly different from countries in Europe, according to Keith Delaplane, a professor of entomology at the University of Georgia who specializes in honeybees.

Delaplane compared the two systems to a chemistry lab and a wine-tasting class. The American honey-judging system is more analytical and the UK system more sensory.

The origins of the program in the states grew out of serendipity, Delaplane said. In 1992 he co-founded the Young Harris Beekeeping Institute, a collaboration between UGA and Young Harris College in Georgia. The institute added the honey judging program in 2001 after Delaplane collaborated with Northern Ireland professional chef and senior British Honey Judge Michael Young.

The inclusion of the term Welsh in the title is a nod to the roots of honey shows almost 700 years ago with The Conwy Honey Fair in North Wales.

Local beekeepers were first given the right to sell honey within the walls of the North Wales town, every September 13th, from midnight to midnight, without charge, The Conwy Beekeepers website said.

Tracing back to our roots, were pretty much like a food inspector, Genta said.

In the South Carolina Welsh Honey Judging program there are three levels: trainee, a standard honey judge and senior honey judge.

To become a trainee, a participant must attend the introductory honey judge training at an SC Beekeeper Association event. To achieve standard judge status, a trainee must complete six steps including stewarding three honey shows under three different judges, earning exhibitor points by submitting to shows, and passing an exam. An additional seven steps are required to become a senior judge, including judging shows under three different senior judges, earning more exhibitor points, and taking another exam.

The whole process can be done in as little as two years but that is not encouraged, said Brutz English, the program director for the Welsh Honey Judge Training Program at the Young Harris UGA Beekeeping Institute since 2017.

Becoming a senior judge, you have to have enough experience, not just where you can check off requirements," English said. It is usually encouraged that people take three to five years before applying for senior certification, English said.

When it comes to the honey shows, each potential entry is examined on a strict set of rules that varies from category to category. Failure to follow the rules exactly could lead to disqualification or reduction in placement.

Hypothetically, if one was to submit a dry mead to a show, they would have to enter one, clear, uncolored, glass standard 750ml wine bottle. The bottle must be closed by a tee cork and filled to a specific point. The mead must be made using honey produced by the exhibitor.

The dry mead will be judged on cleanliness, fill, color, clarity, lack of sediment, aroma, flavor, body, complexity and finish.

Cleanliness is paramount to what we do as a honey judge, Genta said. It's quite involved is what Im trying to say. Its not just: Oh, look at the pretty honey. Theres a lot more to it.

The system is described as stringent. Genta said that is intentional and intended to help producers understand the profitability of their goods.

Its teaching beekeepers that want to produce honey and sell it how to make the best product, the safest product, the cleanest product, because if you can do that, you will be able to demand a higher price for it, and thus make yourself more profitable.

English echoed this.

Its not just a friendly competition in our honey shows, English said. This is about training beekeepers to be better producers.

A regional marvel

A few years after the start of the Welsh Honey Judging program at Young Harris, Genta jumped on board. The judging system was still developing in South Carolina at the time, so when Genta was promoted to senior status, it was based more on his extensive experience than the formal completion of credits todays aspiring senior judges need.

I was being observed by not only my peers, but my superiors, in order to get that certification, Genta said.

Genta also co-founded the South Carolina Master Beekeeping Program in 1995 along with former Professor Emeritus of Entomology at Clemson University Mike Hood and North Carolina Master Craftsman Beekeeper David MacFawn.

While Genta is the only person to currently hold senior honey judge status in South Carolina, there are more than 15 at the trainee and standard level.

By comparison, Georgia has eight senior judges.

Nancy Simpson is a standard judge. She and her husband live on 30 acres outside of Charleston, where she raises dairy goats and four to six colonies of honeybees. Ten years ago she took a certified beekeeping class and was instantly hooked.

What hooked me is products of the hive," Simpson said. "Were talking wax, pollen, propolis, and honey. But to me, honey is the more minor thing."

She learned about the Welsh Honey Judging system in the mid-2010s and is on her way to senior status.

Its not a year thing, its a seasoned experience thing, Simpson said. So, Im not in a rush to become a senior.

Simpson has kept bees in a number of locations, including internationally. To her, Steve is the most level-headed, knowledgeable, least-drama guy, Simpson said.

Delaplane calls Genta one of his stalwarts, adding that hes a real good ambassador for beekeeping.

Hes known regionally, not just in South Carolina, Delaplane said.

English said that he and Genta collaborate frequently.

I cant say enough about Steve Genta  his ingenuity, his positive attitude, his commitment to growing and expanding our program in South Carolina, and his way of dealing with people is just extraordinary, English said.

Spilled honey

The South Carolina Beekeeper Association, a private, nonprofit organization with historic ties to Clemson University, held its spring conference on Feb. 25-26 in Spartanburg.

The association is aware of 31 local clubs statewide and it is growing, association President-elect Susan Marie Jones said in an email. Before the pandemic, the association had about 1,200 members statewide. By 2021, that number dipped closer to 800.

Folks are currently renewing their memberships for 2022 so our current numbers are incomplete, but we fully expect them to exceed the 2021 figure, Jones said.

During the conference vendors sold bee-related merchandise, speakers gave presentations and an artisan honey show was held using the Welsh Honey Judging system.

Right before entries were accepted on Feb. 25, Genta asked for the door to the conference hall to be closed. In those moments, final touches were made to the tables and the rules were clarified. Genta left his two stewards and the show secretary in the room alone temporarily so he could introduce one of the presentations at another part of the conference. Stewards act as assistants to the judges and the secretary works to check in entries. Each of them is working toward becoming judges themselves.

The first entry of the day was a sample of honey judged based solely on taste. The man chatted with the group about how this was his first show. He pulled out a funnel to drain honey from his Mason jar into the provided blue translucent cup. The viscosity of honey worked against the participant and it spilled slightly on the table.

Working quickly, the stewards and secretary cleaned up and helped him submit the entry.

When Genta returned, the three told him what happened. He shrugged and reassured the team that honey sometimes spills and it's nothing to worry about.

Thats how the day went. Genta provided support by reminding them occasionally that we are a team and the whole process is a learning curve.

In the past, some people have been intimidated by honey shows, especially since beekeepers are pretty private people to begin with, Genta explained. He said some people feared their creations being picked apart.

That is a way of looking at it but it's not the way that we prefer to look at it, Genta said. We're not telling you what's wrong with it, but these are the things that you need to do to improve it.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 63F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Itd be great if we had a silver bullet to protect us against corrupt sheriffs.

Unfortunately, we dont.

Despite the optimism expressed by some in a Monday news story about an obscure state law that seems to empower state prosecutors to identify problems, we agree with prosecutors who call it unworkable.

That doesnt mean, however, that state legislators should repeal the law and be done with it.

It means they should use the law as a jumping-off point for reforms that could make a real difference in helping to deter and, if that fails, identify and prosecute criminal wrongdoing and ethical missteps by sheriffs. After all, what we're doing now isn't working, as evidenced by 15 of South Carolina's 46 sheriffs being charged with crimes since 2010 (a 16th died before charges could be brought).

As The Post and Couriers Tony Bartelme and Glenn Smith report, a law dating to 1837 requires the attorney general and the states 16 circuit solicitors to conduct annual reviews of the sheriffs, clerks of court and registers of deeds in order to report to the courts and the Legislature the condition of said offices and of the manner in which said officers have discharged their duties.

The problem with the law isnt that its old. The law against murder is pretty old, as are a number of other perfectly good laws; the Legislature last reaffirmed this one in 1962, when it moved it to a different place in the Code of Laws. As one analyst suggested, the Legislatures decision to keep it on the books then at least suggests that lawmakers want someone looking over sheriffs shoulders. The problem is that the law is too broad and too general.

Although the intention might well have been to spur criminal charges  or at least to have sheriffs, clerks and registers fear that charges would be brought  what the law actually requires prosecutors to look at is competence: Are these officers doing the jobs theyre required to do? Are they issuing arrest warrants and keeping the jail open? Are they correctly recording deeds? Are they keeping the courts operational? You know, the sort of questions that their bosses would be asking during an annual performance review if they were county employees who are hired and fired, as they should be, rather than elected.

Its easy to imagine that if prosecutors were actually conducting those annual performance reviews, they would turn them into the same sort of check-a-box reviews that the Legislature requires of state agencies in their annual accountability reports. These are filled with a bunch of facts and figures that in most cases dont say much  and certainly dont reveal any abuse or even mismanagement that might be lurking beneath the surface.

A spokesman for Attorney General Alan Wilson noted that the attorney generals office is a prosecutorial agency, not a regulatory one. That  and the time and money it would take to conduct even one such review correctly, much less three, in every county, every year  is why the states prosecutors asked the Legislature either to repeal the law or to rewrite it and make it workable.

H.3124, which has been sitting in a Senate subcommittee since the House passed it last year, repeals it.

That would be fine, as long as that isnt the end of the discussion. Even if we need to implement annual performance reviews for local officials, solicitors arent the ones who should be doing them. Its not even clear that prosecutors are the ones who should be conducting the routine audits that would be far more likely to detect or deter criminal wrongdoing.

But someone needs to conduct those routine audits, even when there are no allegations of abuse. The state inspector general might be the right person for that job. Even absent such a mandate, the authority of the inspector general should be expanded to cover reviews of allegations against sheriffs and other local officials, as Gov. Henry McMaster requested in his state budget proposal.

Lawmakers also should give county officials clearer authority to question  and deny  sheriffs office expenditures.

We believe the epidemic of abusive sheriffs justifies the money it would require to conduct routine outside audits. But if our lawmakers cant find the money for that after they finish doling out another round of tax cuts, they should at least try crowdsourcing the job: Require sheriffs to post all their expenditures, from all sources, online in an easily searchable database.

That information already is by law public, but depending on how cooperative a given sheriff is  which a cynic would say is proxy for how much a sheriff has to hide  it can take some doing for anyone to get their hands on it, and then review it. Mr. Bartelme and other Post and Courier reporters spent five months sifting through more than 5,000 pages of bank statements, receipts, lawsuits, campaign filings and IRS records from the states 46 sheriffs to uncover numerous examples of abuse, some of which have since been prosecuted.

But that covered only a few years' worth of documents, and its been three years since that review  during which time sheriffs have spent countless millions more in public funds with little or no scrutiny. Make it easy for the public to review that information, and chances are good that theyll be able to point prosecutors to questionable patterns that fall well within their field of expertise to investigate.
COLUMBIA  South Carolina is steps away from joining a list of states seeking to change the U.S. Constitution through a first-ever national convention, despite concerns it could backfire and result in a complete rewrite of American rights.

The state Senate voted 27-13 March 9  largely along partisan lines  on legislation calling for a Convention of States, with the stated goal of forcing Congress to rein in spending, limit the federal government's power and cap how long federal politicians can remain in office.

"I think this is a Hail Mary, but I think we're in Hail Mary territory in pushing back against the federal government," Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said after the vote, accusing opponents of "just making stuff up" over two days of floor debate.

A perfunctory vote March 10 will send the amended bill back to the House, which passed its own version last year. If the House agrees to the slight differences, the measure will go to Gov. Henry McMaster's desk. The Republican governor has not indicated whether he'd sign or veto it.

Democrats argued supporters are blindly trusting in a process they can't control, with no preset rules on the debate, who presides over it, how delegates will be selected or even whether more populous states will have more votes.

"We're shooting blind," said Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg. "There is absolutely no control over this."

The cost of the convention alone could spiral, potentially bankrolled by billionaires on both sides trying to influence the writing of a new Constitution that fits their ideology, he said.

"It would take weeks and weeks, if not months and months. Who's going to pay for that?" he said. "Dark money. We cant even control dark money in our election cycle. How would we ever control it at a constitutional convention?"

If heavily Democratic states like Illinois control the convention, Second Amendment gun rights will be in the crosshairs, Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Columbia, warned his colleagues from the podium, as he waved goodbye.

Sen. Marlon Kimpson attempted to add to the measure's condoned convention topics "reparations to account for racial discrimination rooted in colonialism and slavery." Economic remedies could include more support for poor, rural schools and historically Black colleges, said the Charleston Democrat, noting that a large percentage of enslaved people came to the U.S. through Charleston.

His suggestion was defeated without debate, but Kimpson said he'll nonetheless encourage South Carolina's own delegates to "go rogue" and add reparations to the conversation. The first convention since the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788 must address slavery, noting it condoned that evil, he said.

Though it failed, his proposal highlighted opponents' contention of how wide-ranging the debate could become.

A separate bill, also on the Senate calendar for floor debate, seeks to keep South Carolina's delegates in line by threatening a felony conviction punishable by 10 years in prison if they discuss or vote on unapproved topics at the convention. But opponents noted there are no such limitations on delegates from other states.

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Still, supporters contend a runaway convention is just hyperbolic fear-mongering, saying the high threshold laid out in the Constitution prevents it.

There are two ways to amend the Constitution.

A supermajority of Congress can pass an amendment thats ratified by at least 38 states, which is three-fourths, as occurred for the 27 existing amendments. But people on both sides of the issue agree Congress won't vote to limit its own powers without substantial pressure.

The other option, as proponents are seeking to do, is to force amendments through a state-called Constitutional Convention, something thats never happened in U.S. history.

The United States only Constitutional Convention occurred in 1787. But the Constitution allowed a convention to occur if two-thirds of states, or 34, pass a resolution calling for one. So far, 17 states have passed legislation like South Carolina's proposal, though more states have passed laws seeking a convention using different reasons and wording. It's unclear whether Congress would count those toward the 34.

If a convention is called, any amendment proposed during it would then still need to be approved by 38 states.

"The founders gave us this path," said Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, who's been pushing for the legislation since he first introduced it in December 2013. "If people are feeling rebellious toward the federal government, this is the only lawful way to do it."

Even if the convention results in wild proposals or potential giant rewrites, it would take 76 legislative bodies  the House and Senate of 38 states  to ratify them and actually change the Constitution, Taylor argued.

Some consider that too high a hurdle for the convention to accomplish anything, he said, but "that is the safety valve of anything crazy happening."

Massey said he hopes a growing list of states calling for a convention would pressure Congress to act on its own.

Hutto argued supporters may not like the outcome, even if they're successful in getting through the few amendments they're seeking.

If, for example, an amendment requires a balanced budget, "they may be telling Congress, you must increase my taxes or you must cut my benefits.

"They want Congress to do this, but not if affects me. I want my Social Security. I want my Medicare. I want my Army to be strong. I want us to stand up to Russia," he said. "You cant afford to be the leader of the free world with a balanced budget."
Morgan Island, a remote spot out in South Carolina's ACE Basin, has some unusual inhabitants: 3,500 rhesus monkeys.

That's where one of the latest installments of The Post and Courier's Uncovered series about corruption and questionable conduct begins. Reporters Tony Bartelme and Shamira McCray explain how the South Carolina Department of Resources came to rely on millions of dollars in rent from a private company it regulates.

It's a story about monkeys, blood and money.

Read the investigation: SC agency rakes in millions from pharma company it regulates

Check out the rest of our Uncovered series.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and features Post and Courier reporters Shamira McCray and Tony Bartelme.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina.

Are there any stories you'd like to hear on the show? Contact us at understandsc@postandcourier.com.

Related reading:
Chinese doctors wrap up mission after treating over 3,000 Ghanaian patients

Xinhua) 09:19, March 10, 2022

ACCRA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The 10th batch of Chinese medical team wrapped up its one-year mission in Ghana Wednesday with more than 3,000 local patients treated.

Zhuang Shaohui, chief of the team, told Xinhua that the team has performed a total of 1,410 surgeries during their services at Ghana's LEKMA hospital, and some of the therapies they adopted were unprecedented in the hospital.

Over the past year, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the West African country, the team consisting of 11 top-notch doctors from southern China's Guangdong Province also joined their Ghanaian counterparts in the fight against the virus.

According to Zhuang, the team helped the hospital facilitate the procedure of medical supply donations and shared China's experiences of battling the pandemic with local medical staff, which has boosted the hospital's capacity of receiving and treating infected patients.

"All of us feel honored to use what we have learned in China to serve Ghanaian patients, and we are more than excited to see their recoveries," Zhuang added.

Since 2009, China has dispatched 10 medical teams to Ghana, playing an important role in improving the country's medical and health services.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
There have been contradictions about our local government's strategy on COVID-19 testing and limitations for those who have come in close cont Read more
Has the level of public discourse ever been lower? The Biden administrations energy policies have been a disaster, as an overwhelming majority of Americans recognize. So the Democrats are flailing wildly, trying to blame exploding energy costs on Vladimir Putin, while suggesting that their own failed policies demonstrate the need to stop pumping oil altogether and shift to wind and solar power, fueling electric vehicles.

This view was expressed by Senator Chris Murphy, who offered the following twisted logic:

Murphy said, I think theres a moral imperative for the United States to not send money to fund Putins war. But we are a very small share of Russias exports.

Thats right, and the only reason we are importing Russian oil at all is that we irrationally cut down on our own production.

Murphy said, The reality is if were not getting this from Russia, were likely going to be importing more from another brutal dictator, in Saudi Arabia, for instance, or we may have to go to Venezuela.

Actually, we should be getting it from Texas, New Mexico, North Dakota, etc. That is what would happen if the Democrats would get out of the way. This is the kicker:

We should learn our lesson here and become energy independent and choose to invest in clean domestic energy, so we never have to choose between one dictator versus another.

***

Murphy concluded, Renewable energy stays in the United States. When we are producing energy from solar panels or wind turbines  that stays on the American grid, if you really care about keeping American energy in the United States, you should be investing in renewables.

This is literally one of the dumbest things I have ever read. Clean domestic energy means wind and solar. Will wind and solar energy make us energy independent, like fossil fuels did until Joe Biden took office? No.

Where does Murphy think we get our solar panels? China controls over 70% of the world market, and that isnt going to changeits hard to compete on price with slave labor. How about wind turbines? Seven of the ten largest wind turbine manufacturers are Chinese, and China controls 60% of global wind turbine production.

Perhaps the dimwitted senator might suggest that we carry out a Manhattan project-style effort to promote solar panel and wind turbine manufacture here in the U.S. Only it isnt that simple. Apart from being inherently unreliable and unreasonably expensive, both solar panels and wind turbines require extraordinary amounts of copper, nickel, cobalt, rare earths, lithium (for the mythical batteries that greenies are always talking about) and other minerals. Where do you suppose those minerals are mined and processed? In the U.S.? No:

The reality is that relying on wind turbines, solar panels and batteries means turning our entire energy sectorour whole economy, reallyover to the Communist Chinese Party. It is the exact opposite of energy independence. And that isnt going to change, since Senator Murphy and other members of his party wouldnt dream of allowing the U.S. to mine its own copper, nickel, and cobalt, not to mention the other minerals where we lack adequate deposits.

It isnt unusual to see bad arguments made in the political arena, especially when parties are desperate as the Democrats are today. But what they are now saying about energy policy represents an intellectual nadir.
The Nigerian government has banned foreigners from purchasing agricultural produce directly from farmers.

It announced the ban Wednesday via its verified Twitter handle, saying only licensed and duly registered local buying agents can now buy products directly from farmers in the country.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) today approved a Ban on foreigners and their representatives purchasing agricultural produce at the farm gate.

Henceforth, only licensed and duly registered local buying agents can now buy products directly from farmers in Nigeria, the tweet read.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, said foreigners have been going to the farm gates to buy produce from the farmers at low prices, thus discouraging the farmers from continuing with their trade.

As part of the FEC approval, the Attorney-General will draft a law that will be sent to NASS to support the implementation of the new Policy.

We will also use Commodity Associations, to which the farmers belong, to ensure effective implementation, he said.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, the national president, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Ibrahim Kabir, welcomed the decision, which he said was because the low rates foreign middlement pay poor farmers at the farm gate.

I strongly support the government for taking that action, he said.

I know in the Kano areas, some Lebanese go to our farms to buy things and some Chinese also go to buy from the farm.

So, once you buy from the farm gate the farmers sell at a low bottom price but if you come to the market and sell directly that means you will get your small profits,  Mr Kabir said.

Some Nigerians have, however, worried about the implementation of the new policy. Others think the decision may constrain the market.

Allow the market to operate freely. Whoever knows the road to the market, let him go. Local farmers should also be able to make international contacts and sell directly, said a Twitter user, Ahmed Tijjani.
Rovingheights Bookstore has released the statement below announcing a book reading session.

Professor Pat Utomi, Professor of political economy, management expert and author of the book Why Not: Citizenship, State Capture, Creeping Fascism and Criminal Hijack of Politics in Nigeria will be discussing and signing copies of the book at Rovingheights Bookstore, it said in the statement.

Read the full statement below.

Prof Pat Utomis Book Reading and Signing Session at Rovingheights Bookstore, Lagos

Professor Pat Utomi, Professor of political economy, management expert and author of the book Why Not: Citizenship, State Capture, Creeping Fascism and Criminal Hijack of Politics in Nigeria will be discussing and signing copies of the book at Rovingheights Bookstore, Landmark Center, Oniru, Lagos on Friday 11th March at 5.30 p.m.

In 2018, a study showed that Nigeria had become the most miserable place to be human on earth. In the same year, political primaries showed no effort to find leaders that could tackle the myriad of problems tackling the country, thereby presenting a grave danger that the Nigerian state could degenerate into a criminal enterprise, according to the books synopsis.

The book Why Not? responds to the question Why Bother? which is posed by those who think that criminal capture of politics in Nigeria is complete and hands should be folded and observer- binoculars, rented. The book starts by mapping out a new path for fascism in Nigeria and reveals how a sense of shame met its death in Nigeria.

The event will be moderated by Kunle Lawal, politician, entrepreneur, and executive director of The Electoral College Nigeria.

According to Adedotun Eyinade, Rovingheights co-founder, we hope that the event will offer an opportunity for readers to critically engage with Prof Utomis latest book. The conversation on the book Why Not couldnt have been timelier. The themes are instructive, pertinent and should be on the front burners of engaging conversations about how to rescue Nigeria from the precipice it is tottering on.

On the choice of the moderator of the event, we see an alignment with the themes of Professor Utomis book and the broad objectives of The Electoral College Nigeria, he added.

Rovingheights is a bookstore chain that offers readers of all genres, original books at the best price points. With a vision to becoming the largest book chain in Africa coupled with our deep love for the community that books foster, we are driven to curate the best literary experiences for our customers. We are proudly Nigerian and are committed to fostering a thriving book culture in our community.

For seat reservation, please reach out to us on 09139069792 or send an email to hello@rhbooks.com.ng
As the 2023 elections draw close, the usual suspects have once again declared their intention to run for the highest office in Nigeria.

While their campaign and lofty promises gather momentum, a famous Nigerian actor, Richard Mofe -Damijo, has said that the lives of Nigerians and their welfare must come first.

The 60-year-old actor said this during an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on the set of a new movie, Conversations in Transit recently shot at the Mobolaji Johnson Station train station, Yaba, Lagos State.

Mr Mofe-Damijo, who served as the Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism of Delta State from 2009 to 2015, urged politicians and Nigerians to shun violence and mindless killings while advancing their ambitions.

He charged politicians to stick to an ethical code that nobodys ambition is more significant than the lives of Nigerians.

He said, The raid on communities, kidnapping, ritual killings, all of it is part of not caring enough, either for the commonwealth or our welfare, and living with the code that nobodys ambition is more significant than an individual life. The election should not be a reason for killing each other.

People separate Love to be  God kind of Love and humankind of Love. The day I stop seeing you as my neighbour, whom I should protect and care about, we lose humanity, and I think that is the state we are in now. And I am hoping that we should keep talking to ourselves to rekindle that.

Ease of doing films

The actor said they are pivotal parts of the story about the importance of infrastructure in movie making.

According to him, a good movie goes way beyond assembling the right cast and the crew alone.

He said: One of the things that are lacking in most of our stories is that our location does not tell enough. They are part of the story enough, and we need to have locations that are so pivotal to the stories that we tell.

With more infrastructures in place, the better stories we can tell, and the more ease of doing films, I mean if there were no train station, how would have thought about a film on a train. The ease of doing film would be a lot better with better facilities.

The actor, who played a lead role in the movie, also recounted how his infrastructural projects in public office also facilitated movie-making.

I remembered lighting up Asaba when I was in the government. I remember what it did to our movies because it meant that night shots were more picturesque, he said.

Asked to speak about his dream role, the actor, who began his acting career in the 1980s, has played several roles in over 300 movies, said, I have not even scratched the surface. I have not played God in a movie, and I have not played the role of a woman.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has plunged Nigerias judiciary into another controversy by sacking Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and his deputy for changing parties.

In its Tuesday verdict, the court sacked Mr Umahi, and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform they were elected in 2019, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The judge, Inyang Ekwos verdict contradicted recent verdicts of other courts of coordinate jurisdiction on the defections of other governors who similarly dumped the PDP for the APC last year.

Still smarting from last years embarrassing conflicting court orders issued by some judges on the same political matter, the Nigerian judiciary, with Tuesdays verdict, offered a reminder of its perennial affliction of inconsistency and uncertainty of its sense of legal interpretation.

Prior to Mr Umahis defection in November last year, the Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle, had similarly dumped the PDP for the APC in June. Mr Matawalles defection was about a month after his Cross River State counterpart, Ben Ayade, left for the APC.

Court verdict on Matawalles defection

Mr Matawalles defection was challenged by some PDP members at the Gusau Division of the Federal High Court.

But in its judgment delivered on February 8, 2022, the judge, Bappa Aliyu, struck out the suit on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear it, since it was neither a pre-election nor a post-election case.

Mr Aliyu added that the Nigeria constitution never prohibited a governor from defecting from one party to another.

He added that the constitutions of both the APC and PDP also did not make it unlawful for a governor to cross-carpet to other political parties recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The judge also ruled that the request by the plaintiffs to remove the governor on the grounds of defecting from the PDP, could not be granted, as only an election petitions tribunal or the state House of Assembly had the power to remove a governor from office.

Earlier court verdict on Umahis defection

Similarly, the Ebonyi State High Court in Abakaliki, the state capital, on February 28, dismissed a suit by a former senator, Sonni Ogbuoji, seeking the sack of Mr Umahi and his deputy on account of their defection to the APC.

Mr Ogbuoji, who represented Ebonyi South senatorial district in the Senate between 2015 and 2019, had urged the court to declare him the governor of the state having come second in the 2019 governorship election. Mr Ogbuoji was the APC governorship candidate in the election but lost to Mr Umahi, then of the PDP.

Dismissing the suit, the judge, Henry Njoku, held that Mr Umahis defection did not breach any provision of the Electoral Act or the Nigerian constitution to warrant his removal from office; a point similarly made by the Federal High Court in Gusau on Mr Matawalles defection.

The judge said the suit initiated against the governor was incompetent given that section 308 of the Nigerian constitution conferred immunity on him from criminal or civil proceedings while in office.

Abuja courts departure

But in a striking departure from the other judgements, Mr Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, sacked Mr Umahi, and his deputy because of their defection.

He similarly sacked 15 lawmakers who joined the governor in dumping PDP for the APC.

In sacking the governor and his deputy, he ruled that the votes polled by a political party could not be transferred to or utilised for the benefit of another political party or member of another political party.

The judge acknowledged that the constitution was silent on the implication of the defection of a governor or his deputy, but added that such a lacuna was not to be celebrated or even mischievously flaunted as failure of a remedy for situations of such nature.

In contradiction to the views of other judges, Mr Ekwo also held that that immunity from civil and criminal proceedings conferred on the president, the vice-president, governors, and their deputies, by section 308 of the constitution, did not apply to the case.

In this case, the cause of action and the remedy thereof cannot wait till the third and fourth defendants leave office, the judge said.

The constitution is put in jeopardy when the will of the electorate who voted for a political party can be brazenly merchandised by candidates without consequence.

The APC cannot govern Ebonyi State through the 3rd and 4th defendants (Messrs Umahi and Igwe), when it did not win the election that produced them, Mr Ekwo added.

Confronted with the previous decisions of other courts of coordinate jurisdiction validating the defection of other governors, Mr Ekwo said they were not binding on him.

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Controversy continues

In the ensuing controversy triggered by the Tuesday judgment, the PDP quickly presented Iduma Igariwey, a member of the House of Representatives, as the replacement for Mr Umahi, and Fred Udogwu to take the place of Mr Igwe.

But Mr Umahi insisted that he remains the governor. He also said he would not obey Mr Ekwos verdict as he had obtained judgments of other courts validating his defection.

He and his deputy have now filed their appeal against the judgment, which INEC says it is still reviewing.

But the judgment continues to divide legal circles, with some lawyers insisting that it cannot stand the scrutiny by the appellate courts, while others are saying the issues are not that clear.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, argued in an article that the judgment conflicted with the previous decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Citing the 2012 decision of the Supreme Court in Ngige versus Akunyili, Mr Ozekhome maintained that Mr Ekwo was wrong to hold that votes scored by a candidates belong to a political party and therefore not transferable.

The courts have since gone over the era of Amaechi V. INEC, where the Supreme Court had held that votes cast in an election belong to a political party, the senior lawyer argued.

Mr Ozekhome also said the verdict was against Section 308 of the constitution which grants absolute immunity to the president, vice-president, governor and deputy-governor from being proceeded against in any civil or criminal proceedings.

He added that the governor and his deputy could not have been sued at all, to be removed from office for defecting, this not being a pre-election or post-election matter covered by the Fourth alteration to the constitution, and which expired well over two years ago.

He also cited the Supreme Courts decision on the defection of then Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to the defunct Action Congress ahead of the 2007 presidential election, to say that Atiku could defect without losing his seat.

But speaking on Channels Televisions Sunrise Daily, on Wednesday, another senior advocate, Paul Obole, said the issues were not as clear cut as the critics of Mr Ekwos judgment suggested.

Because as many cases you will find for, you probably could find a similar number against, Mr Obole said.

He said, for instance, the Supreme Court which previously ruled that the ballots belonged to the candidate, indicated in 2016 in the case filed by James Faleke concerning the 2015 Kogi State governorship election that they belonged to the political party.

He added that while the Nigerian constitution was clear that lawmakers who change parties could lose their seats, It is not crystal clear for governors.

He urged the National Assembly to take advantage of the ongoing constitution amendment process to clearly spell out the implication of defection by the president and the vice-president as well as by governors and their deputies.

Once it is clear in the constitution, it makes the tasks easier for judicial interpretation, he said.

But, another senior advocate, Kunle Adegoke, who also appeared as a guest on the Channels Televisions programme, insisted that the Federal High Courts interpretations in Tuesdays judgment were against subsisting pronouncements of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has said the defection of the president or the vice president which applies to governors and deputy governors could not be a ground for removal from office, he said, adding That is settled and there has not been any contrary pronouncement to that effect.

He, however, supported the call on the National Assembly to amend the constitution to expressly make defection part of the grounds for the removal of president, the vice-president, governors and deputy governors.

Although, the final decision on Mr Umahis case will eventually come from the Supreme Court, the poignant question to ask is whether the Nigerian judiciary will ever be healed of its plague of inconsistency especially when they are cases involving political figures.
The deputy governor of Kebbi State, Samaila Yombe, has narrated how bandits attacked him while on a tour to encourage security agents fighting the outlaws in parts of the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the deputy governor, who is a retired military officer, escaped death when bandits attacked him in Kanya in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of the state.

13 soldiers and six policemen were killed by the bandits as reported by PREMIUM TIMES.

The attack on Mr Yombe came two days after bandits killed 63 volunteer vigilante members in Sakaba local government area.

Serious battle

While addressing journalists in Birnin Kebbi Tuesday evening, Mr Yombe said what happened in Kanya was a serious battle.

Yesterday in Kanya, a very serious battle took place. What happened was that the bandits mixed up with the people of Kanya in such a way that it was difficult for you to say let us fight these people because the collateral damage would have been great.

So, I advised the (Army) Commanding Officer (who was part of the convoy) that we should pull out of the town so that the bandits could follow. We did that but in the process, as you know in a battle situation, there is bound to be casualties. The bandits were vulnerable; we were also vulnerable and both sides recorded casualties. They had more casualties than we did, he said.

Mr Yombe commended the soldiers stationed in Zuru for what he called their bravery in dealing with the bandits.

The deputy governor said the bandits got the upper hand because they mixed up with residents but noted that the soldiers did their best because the bandits recorded more casualties.

You know they (bandits) dont leave their dead behind, if they must leave they set them ablaze. I saw one or two of the bandits sprinkling fuel on the dead bodies of their colleagues and set them on fire. Security agents even picked one or two of them but they came and recovered their corpses, he said.

Mr Yombe, who said the bandits came with sophisticated weapons, emphasised the need for security agents to be applauded.

The bandits could be 150 to 200 but the unit (of soldiers) was of 30 to 32 officers. They did their best and they were only escorting their Commanding Officer who was with me. I commend their professionalism because I saw what I saw. Little as they were, they did a good job of confronting bandits as three times the soldiers. They (bandits) were all equipped with AKPs and heavier weapons than AK-47s. If not because of the terrain, the number of our casualties would not have reached that, he added.

Why I was in Kanya

According to the deputy governor, he was in Kanya as part of the state governments efforts to support security agents and sympathise with residents who have been attacked.

The governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, promised to secure lives and properties of the people. A lot has happened. We have been able to supply necessary logistics to security agents to be able to carry out their job. In the process, I had to go and see. You know what we call military battlefield tour to see how they are executing the mission and what are the logistics problems so that I could brief His Excellency for us to meet up with the demands.

I had done so in Diri, Sakaba local government area where, unfortunately, Yan Sakai were killed by the bandits, he said.
Eighteen soldiers were on Tuesday killed while eight others were injured in a deadly attack on a patrol team by terrorists, alias bandits, in Kanya community of Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report.

Two other members of the patrol team have remained missing since the incident.

This newspaper had reported that the attack occurred while the Kebbi States deputy governor, Samaila Yombe, and the army commanding officer in Kebbi were visiting the community.

Sources had said 13 soldiers were killed during the attack.

But PREMIUM TIMES has now obtained credible updates that not less than 18 gallant soldiers felled during the battle. Eight others were seriously injured while another two are still missing.

Those familiar with the incident said the soldiers involved in the attack were from the 223 Army Battalion stationed in Zuru, Kebbi State.

They were part of the deployment for the Joint Task Force of Operation Hadarin Daji, military insiders said.

Our sources said the troops encountered the terrorists at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday at Kanya Village, with intense gunfire ensuing. The soldiers put up a gallant and spirited fight but were outnumbered and overpowered by the terrorists, witnesses said.

The remaining members of the patrol team had to retreat, with the injured personnel rushed to hospital.

During the encounter, the terrorists burnt one gun truck belonging to the Army while also carting away one AA Dushka gun and 18 AK-47 rifles.

The casualty figures on the side of the terrorists remained unclear as of the time of this report, but military insiders said an unknown number of them were also killed and injured.

Bandits, who have since been designated terrorists by the Nigerian government, have been perpetrating atrocities across the Nigerian Northwest and Niger State in the Northcentral, defying a military onslaught targeted at flushing them out of their hideouts in forests across the regions.

Two days before the attack on the soldiers, bandits on Sunday massacred 63 vigilantes also in the state.
The Oyo/Osun Customs Area Command has intercepted 101 drums and 609 kegs of premium motor spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, totalling 35,425 litres, being attempted to be smuggled out of the country.

The Customs Area Comptroller, Babajide Jaiyeoba, stated this on Thursday in Ibadan while showcasing various seizures of the command within three weeks of his assumption of office.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other items seized by the command included: 548 bags of foreign rice, 355 pieces of used tyres, 57 bales of second-hand clothing and five sacks of used shoes.

Others were: 10 cartons of used compressors, one sack of used bags and seven used vehicles, with duty paid valued (DVP) totalling N34,851,000.

Mr Jaiyeoba said it was difficult to imagine that some individuals would conspire to smuggle petrol out of the country despite its current scarcity.

He, however, stated that the command had started auctioning the seized petroleum product to the public to ease the current fuel scarcity.

According to him, the proceeds from the sale of the petroleum product will be remitted to the coffers of the Federal Government.

The comptroller said the command would not relent in its efforts at fighting smuggling to a standstill, adding that those who were bent on destroying the economy of the country would not have a place to stay.

He assured that the command would continue to improve on daily intelligence gathering and in deploying efforts and available logistics, in accordance with extant laws.

Mr Jaiyeoba warned smugglers to stay away from Oyo/Osun command, as there would be no safe haven for them.

He said the achievements recorded so far were made possible through timely sharing of credible intelligence and effective collaboration with the customs intelligence unit (CIU).

The comptroller said his command would maintain zero tolerance for smuggling, bearing in mind its negative impacts on the countrys economic growth.

He disclosed that the command had generated N8, 069,497,949 as of the end of February.

Mr Jaiyeoba commended the traditional rulers, local government chairmen, community leaders and the people of Oyo and Osun states for creating an enabling environment for the personnel to carry out their duties.

(NAN)
As the scarcity of petrol bites harder across the country, the products are now available at the black market at the rate of N500 per litre in most parts of Akure, Ondo State.

Most of the fuel stations are under lock and key and few stations with the product have unending queues.

Motorists who decide to queue for fuel spend all day at stations to get the product.

The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, set up a task force last week to monitor the sale of petrol by marketers.

But once the task force started invading the fuel stations and forcing them to sell, the marketers locked up the stations claiming there is no fuel for sale.

The governor had also issued additional measures banning the sale of the product after 7 p.m.

Hakeem Kajola, a driver who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES in Akure on Wednesday, lamented the scarcity, saying that while the product is available in neighbouring states at between N220 and N250 per litre, the product is not available at all in Ondo State.

He blamed the situation on the state government for its high-handedness, saying its action had further worsened the situation.

This reporter met with a seller of the product in kegs who said he bought the product at the filling station for N300 per litre and would only sell at N500.

The seller, who refused to give his name, also said they usually buy the product at night, despite the order by the state government banning the night sale of petroleum products.

We buy along the express at about 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., he said.

I am looking for more money to buy more.

Initially, the sellers were concealing the product, but as of Wednesday, many of the sellers were bold to display the kegs of the product by the roadside, especially along Oda Road.

I have no choice but to buy black market because there is no fuel anywhere and I have to go out, Olasunkanmi, a resident said

I started buying N500 per litre last week but this week, some of the black marketers are selling for N400 per litre.

We cant blame them, we dont have the product, if the product is readily available nobody will sell or buy black market.

Mr Akeredolu, along with the Task Force, stormed Sunbeth Petrol Station, along Idanre Road in Oke-Aro, in the state capital on Monday evening to ensure compliance with the N165 approved pump price.

He did that after receiving information that the station had products and was about selling at N250 per litre.

The governor forced the sale of the product to residents at the control price of N165 per litre.

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party(SDP) in Ekiti State, Segun Oni, has urged the state governor Kayode Fayemi to constitute a task force to enforce the sale of petrol at the control price in Ekiti.

Mr Oni, who sympathised with the people of Ekiti State on the lingering fuel scarcity that has lasted more than a month, said it was callous for marketers to be selling as much as N250 per litre, instead of N165 regulated price approved by the federal government.

It was very sad that the government of the state have decided to look elsewhere rather than tackling the problems occasioned by the scarcity, Mr Oni said.

One would have expected the governor Fayemi to take the bull by its horns by putting an effective task force in place that would not be bribed by those who deliberately hoarded the commodity in order to make huge profit at the expense of the masses and arrest them.

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He advised the governor to borrow ideas from his Ondo State counterpart, who left the comfort of his office to the fuel stations to ease the problem by force.
As part of activities marking this years International Womens Day, a group of experts in natural resources business, under the umbrella of Women in Mining in Nigeria (WIMIN) has launched an initiative that is aimed at building the future of mining experts in the country.

Tagged Girls 4 Mining, and abbreviated as G4M, the group said the initiative is part of efforts at breaking all biases against women in line with the theme of this years annual IWD celebration.

The event, which was held in Abuja, was aimed at sensitising and mainstreaming the secondary school girls into the male-dominated sector in a win them young approach, and thereby creating a sustainable mining sector.

Nigerias minister of state for mines and steel development, Uchechukwu Ogah, in his keynote address, charged the participating students to redefine the future by engaging in sustainable courses.

He said: I want to encourage the young girls that are here, the future of the world is mining and not oil and gas because in the next 30 years, fossil fuel will be gone and minerals will be the driver of every economy. We cannot drive a car without a battery and battery does not come from fossil fuel but minerals.

You should begin to have interest in the future courses, the future of the world and getting interested in the things of the future of the world. You can change the thesis and theory around mining.

Mr Ogah emphasised the need for the girls to redefine the future by engaging and building themselves in courses of the future, saying the current leadership in the country is set to exit the stage.

He said; In the next few years, some of us might not be there. You should endeavor to read courses that are related to mining and would help in the development of the mining sector.

In her remarks, the founder and president, WIMIN, Janet Adeyemi, said women are painstakingly paying for the injustice against them globally, adding; the rise of women is not the downfall of men.

Mrs Adeyemi noted that each years anniversary affords the world the opportunity to reflect on the existing gender gaps yet to be filled for the past century.

She said: This years IWD is unique and historic as we shall all witness the birth of the Girls 4 Mining (G4M) society today. The G4M is a club within women in mining which will embrace young girls in secondary and tertiary institutions and bring them into close interaction with women in mining for mentorship towards a career in mining for our young girls.

The G4M club will stimulate our girls interest in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and create a pipeline of knowledge and opportunities for the girls when they decide to join the mining sector.

The veteran miner said she hopes that the initiative would witness the influx of more females into the mining sector and significantly upscale the 6.8 per cent of female miners among the myriads of men in the mining sector.

The director, artisanal and small scale mining (ASM) department, Patrick Ojeka, said the sector is globally known to be patriarchy, explaining that; I just came back from the metals mine in Germany classed as the richest mine in the world where rock salt and potash have been mined since 1901.

Its 800 metres below the ground and never permits any female to go down. The females are only involved in processing, value addition and the final packaging.

He said the launching of G4M is, however, going to drive the understanding of the girl-child towards technical proficiencies.

Its important that creating girls for mining in the secondary school will now begin to create a mental focus, he concluded.

Also speaking, Abiodun Baiyewu, executive director, Global Rights- a non-governmental organisation, said despite being half of the countrys population, women in Nigeria are marginalised and unfairly treated, leading to economic stagnation, hence the poor global rating.
A prosecution witness, on Thursday, told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jabi, in Abuja, how a former Nigerian ambassador to the United States, Hassan Adamu, approached him over the incorporation of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, a firm at the centre of the controversies surrounding the highly lucrative oil block, OPL 245.

The witness, Aliyu Jabu, testified that he was given 20 per cent shares as a non-executive chairman and later the managing director of the company between 1998 and 2001.

Then petroleum minister, Dan Etete, had controversially awarded the OPL 245 to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, a firm in which he had interest, in 1998.

Years of ownership disputes over the oil block had culminated in a deal brokered by the Nigerian government in 2011 between Malabu Oil on one side, and oil giants  Shell and Eni, on the other side.

Investigators and prosecutors in Nigeria and abroad have maintained that about $1.1 billion proceeds of the deal, purportedly meant for Malabu Oil to concede to a final transfer of the OPL 245 oil well to Shell and Agip, was largely distributed to top Nigerian officials, officials of the oil giants, and others as bribes.

In the case pending at the FCT High Court, the EFCC accuses a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, of receiving a N300 million bribe in facilitating the alleged fraudulent 2011 deal between Malabu and Shell with Agip over the oil block.

Other charges include the forgery of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) documents concerning Malabu to implement a shady change of ownership and shares allotment structures of the firm.

The defendants face a total of 42 charges before the trial judge, Idris Kutigi.

Mr Adoke and other defendants have denied the charges.

The six other defendants standing trial along with the ex-AGF are: a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar (second defendant), Rasky Gbinigie (third), the company secretary of Malabu; Malabu Oil and Gas Limited (fourth), Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited (fifth), Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited (sixth) and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited (seventh).

Testimony

Testifying as a prosecution witness on Thursday, Mr Jabu, who said he was invited by a former Nigerian ambassador to U.S., Mr Adamu, to take up some shares of Malabu when it was being incorporated, denied having any dealings with Mr Adoke over the $1.1 billion deal.

Mr Adamu had earlier testified in the case as a prosecution witness confirming that he brought Mr Jabu in the registration of Malabu.

Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Offem Uket, who newly took over the case from the former prosecutor, Mr Jabu told the court that he served as the non-executive chairman of the Malabu for two years and later as the managing director for another year.

He said he sold his 20 per cent shares in the company which was valued at 400 million for $5 million to Pecos Energy Limited, a deal he said was finalised in London sometimes in 2011.

I knew Mr Adamu back in 1958. He was my school prefect. He called me sometime in 1998 from the USA that Dan Etete wants me to be a shareholder in a company, and promised I would own a stake of 20 per cent in the company.

He also asked me to go see Rasky Gbinigie, a lawyer, who was the company secretary and legal. When I got to Mr Gbinigies office located at 35 Kingsway Ikoyi Lagos State he told me that Mr Etete had already informed him about my coming and he also informed me that I would have a share of 20 per cent in the company. That was how I know Mr Gbinigie, Mr Jabu said.

When asked by the prosecution who the remaining owners of the 80 per cent stake in the company were, the witness stated that he was never notified about the other shareholders.

Cross-examination

Under cross-examination, the second defendants lawyer, Adeyemi Shekoni, asked Mr Jabu where he worked before being called to become a shareholder in Malabu Oil and Gas. The witness stated that he was the MD of Niger Brass Company, a shipping firm.

The lawyer asked if the agreement where he sold off his shares from Malabu Oil and Gas was a Settlement Agreement. Mr Jabu responded in the affirmative.

The defence lawyer later presented a copy of the Settlement Agreement to the court and the witness.

After studying the document, Mr Jabu said that he was unfamiliar with several of the signatories listed in the paperwork.

When I signed these documents, the signatures were not present, he said.

The witness further told the courts that the document looked different from what he signed.

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When the document was presented to the prosecuting lawyer, Mr Uket objected to the admissibility of the document on the grounds that he did not have prior knowledge of it.

The judge, Mr Kutigi, also noted the need for the defence lawyer to have served the prosecution with the document before trying to tender it as an exhibit.

He asked the lawyer to provide legal authority for the admissibility of the document, as the document was not primary and original but a photocopy.

In response, the defence lawyer said the original has been destroyed and lost and cited section 89(c) of the Evidence Act to argue for its admissibility.

The judge ruled that the document was inadmissible.

He later adjourned the matter until May 31, 2022, for continuation of trial.
Two siblings, Esther Kehinde, 20, and David Kehinde, 15, have been kidnapped at Oremeji street, Joga Orile area of Ayetoro, in Yewa north local government of Ogun State.

The siblings were abducted at their residence around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday while they were both washing their school uniforms.

A witness who does not want to be mentioned on security grounds, told a PREMIUM TIMES reporter that the gun-wielding kidnappers entered the house, grabbed the siblings, and forced their way out of the premises.

About 12 hours after the abduction, the kidnappers contacted the family requesting for N15 million before the children could regain their freedom.

They came into our house around 9:00 p.m., just behind our house where David and her sister were washing their uniform. Their grandpa too was seated there when the kidnappers appeared and held the two of them.

The grandpa challenged them but one of them hit the man on the head and he passed out immediately. Their mother heard the noise and rushed out but met the kidnappers stiff resistance.

They shot in the air for few minutes before taking to their heels.

Contacted, the spokesperson of the Ogun State Police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, saying the police is handling the matter.

We would like to also use this medium to appeal to the family of the victims to please carry us along in any conversation with these hoodlums.

Horrible incident

Meanwhile, a pressure group, the Yewa North Patriotic Forum, has expressed their displeasure over the incident, saying the state is no more safe for residents.

The group, in a statement signed by its Secretary, Ganiu Fatolu, and made available to PREMIUM TIMES, appealed to law enforcers to live up to their responsibilities.

The statement reads in part, We are highly devastated at the horrible incident which took place at a not too far distance to a police station. While the kidnappers shot in the air for minutes, they were left to have a field day.

As an association that fights for the interest of our people, we can only appeal to the law enforcers, especially the police, to be alive to their responsibilities and ensure a safe return of this two young but promising ones.

Although, we understand that the state is no longer safe for citizens not to talk more of investors, but our case in Yewa axis is more than terrible. People now keep vigils protecting their families.

Well, we know that this time too shall pass. But, we must all remember, that a king who turned a village into a city and the other who turned a city into a village shall both not be forgotten. But what they will be remembered for shall either be the evil or the good they did during their times.
The daughter of former Iya Oloja of Ibadanland, late Aminat Abiodun, was on Wednesday shot dead by gunmen at her house in Bashorun area of the city.

Fatimah Abiodun was said to have been shot in the head by the gunmen who stormed her residence in Bashorun area, Bodija, Ibadan.

It was gathered that the gunmen did not take any valuable from the house.

A family source, who preferred anonymity, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday.

Our sister, the daughter of the late Iya Oloja Abiodun, was assassinated in Basorun, Bodija area of Ibadan.

It was an unprovoked attack in her house, given that Fatimah was a peace loving person.

Information I have, revealed that she was shot several times by the gunmen.

This is a big loss to the family, the source said.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Adewale Osifeso, confirmed the incident, saying an update would be provided on the incident. (NAN)
The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, and his colleagues allegedly embezzled millions of naira belonging to the House, including forging the receipts of two filling stations, court documents filed before the Federal High Court in the state have shown.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is investigating the lawmakers over a N700 million alleged fraud.

The documents, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, showed that the Assembly, under the leadership of Mr Oluomo, had claimed to have spent the money on training and other miscellaneous expenses.

Part of the money, it was gathered, was also expended on the purchase of fuel from two fueling stations in Abeokuta.

On request, the Assembly had submitted receipts to the EFCC as proof that the spending followed due process.

Yazid Bawa, an operative of the EFCC who deposed to the commissions counter-affidavit, said after analysing the receipts, they invited the lawmakers to come and make clarifications on some discrepancies observed.

Despite several letters to the lawmakers, Mr Bawa said they refused to honour the invitation.

Fuel purchase

The EFCC said the Assembly submitted receipts of fuel purchases from NNPC mega station and Ashkash filling station, both in Abeokuta.

Our correspondent was told the franchise of the NNPC mega station in Abeokuta is owned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, while the immediate past Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi, owns Ashkash filling station.

Upon receipt of the documents from the Assembly, the anti-graft agency wrote both stations to confirm the veracity of the receipts, but both stations wrote EFCC confirming that the receipts presented to it by the Assembly are fake.

In their separate responses to the EFCC, it was seen that both companies clearly denied the receipts in question.

For the NNPC, through a letterhead by Obasanjo Holdings Limited (Mega station), the filing station responded saying, Your letter dated January 24, 2022, on the above subject refers. We write to inform you that the receipts being investigated were not issued by our filling station.

Please find attached copies of the receipt we issued in 2018,2019 and 2021 which differs from those in question. We hope this addresses your concern.

Also, Ashkash on its letterhead, Ashkash Nigeria Limited, responded that, Sequel to your letter with reference no CR: 3000/EFCC/LS/CMU/OG Vol 1/63. Dated January 24, 2022.

We have painstakingly and extensively gone through our records, nothing of such exists in our transactions records. By this, we did not know anything about the receipts sent for investigation. Thanks for your usual cooperation.

Financial records

The EFCC said it had received intelligence that principal members of the House connived to divert for personal use N700 million allocated for the running of the House of Assembly.

The agency said preliminary investigation into the intelligence showed there are criminal schemes perpetuated inside the Ogun State House of Assembly by its members and officials including but not limited to forgeries of documents, falsification of financial records and diversion of public funds by some elected members and civil servant.

The agency further said the financial records of the House were falsified in order to retire public funds the lawmakers had diverted or wanted to divert for their personal use.

Investigations have also revealed that some corporate entities that purportedly issued some invoices and receipts to the plaintiffs do not exist even though these receipts and invoices were used by the plaintiffs and their cohorts to justify the disbursement of funds.

The EFCC accused the lawmakers and their agents of threatening some possible witnesses that would help the agency in its investigation.

The commission denied claims that it was being used by Oludare Kadiri, the impeached Deputy Speaker of the House, adding that it was not aware of the political differences between the House and Mr Kadiri.

The House had impeached Mr Kadiri last year over allegations of gross misconduct.

The lawmaker had also accused his colleagues of forging his signature to swindle the Assembly of about N50 million.

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In its reaction to the EFCC, the Ogun Assembly approached a Federal High Court in Abeokuta seeking an order to stall the anti-graft agencys investigation pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The lawmakers attributed their failure to honour the EFCC invitation to the pending suit.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkeys foreign minister, has described the meeting between Russias Sergei Lavrov and Ukraines Dymytro Kuleba as civil.

He added the most important outcome of the talks, which failed to produce any ceasefire agreement, was establishing high-level contact between both sides, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking at a news conference after the meeting, Mr Cavusoglu said there was a need for both a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to allow for civilians to be evacuated from the city and for a sustainable ceasefire in Ukraine.

The meeting was an important start. No one should expect miracles at one meeting, he told reporters.

Both foreign ministers met for face-to-face talks in Turkey on Thursday in the first high-level contact between the two sides since Russia started attacking Ukraine on February 24.

Mr Cavusoglu brokered the talks between Mr Lavrov and Mr Kuleba as Ankara pushes to position itself as a mediator in the conflict.

Mr Kuleba, Ukraines foreign minister, in a tweet said he insisted on the urgent need to allow humanitarian help for Mariupol and a 24-hour ceasefire.

Unfortunately, FM Lavrov seemed to have come to talk, not to decide. I hope he will convey Ukraines requests back to Moscow, he said.

On the other hand, Mr Lavrov accused Western powers of behaving dangerously over Ukraine by supplying the country with weapons, warning the moves will affect the regions security for years to come.

Addressing reporters at a news conference following the talks, the Russian foreign minister also said Moscows special military operation was going according to plan.

We are not planning to attack other countries and we did not attack Ukraine either, we were just dealing with the issues there, Al Jazeera quoted Mr Lavrov as saying.

He added that Russia wants to continue negotiations with Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin would not refuse a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss specific issues.

Mr Lavrov said Russia would not have started the conflict in Ukraine if the West had not rejected our proposal on security guarantees.

Until the end, we wanted to resolve the situation in Ukraine through diplomatic means, he said.

Speaking of fears that the war in Ukraine could result in a nuclear war, Al Jazeera quoted Mr Lavrov as saying, I dont want to believe, and I do not believe, that a nuclear war could start.

We will come out of this crisis with refreshed views of the world  with no illusions about the West. We will try to never again be dependent on the West, he said.

According to Mr Cavusoglu, the aim of the meeting was to pave the way for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, which would be facilitated by Turkeys president.

Russia and Ukraine in the past week have been in talks but have yet to reach an agreement as to how to end the war.

Two weeks into the invasion of Ukraine, nearly two million people have fled the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv Mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said.

From our information, one in two Kyiv residents has left the city, Mr Klitschko said in televised remarks. A little less than two million people have currently left.
The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to reinstate its two top directors sacked last year for initiating investigations against Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu.

Faulting their dismissal in her judgement delivered on March 3, 2022, a copy of which PREMIUM TIMES saw on Thursday, the judge, Rakiya Haastrup, described it as arbitrary and unlawful.

The judge pointed out series of breach of due process and a violation of the two officials right to fair hearing in the process leading to their dismissal in June last year.

After declaring the dismissal unlawful, null and void, the judge ordered the NFIU and its executive director Moddibo Mamman-Tukur to issue a letter recalling and re-instating them into the service of NFIU and restoring all the privileges, entitlements and positions held by the claimants before their purported dismissal by the defendants.

Ms Haastrup, the judge, also ordered them to pay the claimants salaries, allowances and all their entitlements from the period of their purported dismissal to the period of re-instatement.

Suit, judgement

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the financial intelligence agency earlier suspended Mohammed Mustapha, its associate director, Intelligence and Investigation, and Fehintola Salisu, associate director, Compliance and Analysis, in August 2020.

The agencys executive director, Mr Hamman-Tukur, had accused the duo of various forms breaches, principal among which was that they wrote memos without authorisation to local and foreign authorities in an effort to initiate investigations against Messrs Abubakar (Atiku) and Tinubu.

Both Mr Abubakar, a former Nigerias vice president and top member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), are known to be aspiring to contest the 2023 presidential election.

This newspaper reported in June last year how the NFIU dismissed Mr Mustapha and Ms Salisu following a recommendation by the Appointments, Promotions, and Discipline Committee (APDC) constituted by the executive director of the agency to investigate the various allegations levelled against them.

The two officials subsequently sued the agency and its executive director at the National Industrial Court in Abuja, to challenge their dismissal. They defended their actions in their suit filed on December 7, 2021, saying they only responded to foreign partners request when Mr Hamman-Tukur was absent.

They argued that their dismissal was single-handedly carried out by Mr Hamman-Tukur in contravention of the law.

In their defence, the defendants urged the court to dismiss the suit for being allegedly academic and hypothetical, premature and for failing to disclose reasonable cause of action against them.

They also added that the claimants, having allegedly not been duly employed by the NFIU after they were inherited from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which used to oversee the agency, they lacked the legal right to institute the suit.

In her judgement, the judge upheld the claimants case and granted all their seven prayers, including ordering their reinstatement. This was after the judge identified a gamut of violations in the NFIUs disciplinary process against them.

Punishment for offences not contained in query

Among NFIUs procedural violations, the judge said, included the NFIUs disciplinary committee (APDC) finding the claimants guilty of breaches not contained in the queries issued to them.

The disciplinary committee, according to the judge, found the claimants guilty of negligence, dereliction of duty, and insubordination different from the allegations levelled against them in the queries issued to them.

She added that the queries failed to specify which provisions of the NFIU Act or the Public Service Rules (PSR) of the federal government were allegedly breached by the claimants.

The action of the defendants (NFIU and its executive director) in this regard is, to say the least, unconscionable, unlawful an does not accord with the principles of natural justice and I so hold, the judge ruled.

Punishment not commensurate with punishment

She also ruled that the punishment of dismissal meted out to the claimants was not commensurate with the allegations of negligence, dereliction of duty and insubordination they were said to be guilty of.

Such offences, the judge said, fall under conducts amounting to misconduct and not serious or gross misconduct as put by the defendants.

This is in addition to the fact that the punishment for same is termination or even retirement and not dismissal as meted out to the claimants, the judge also held.

Failure to refer disciplinary complaints to FCSC

The judge also held that since NFIU did not have any condition of service in existence, then it is the provision of the Public Service Rules (PSR) that is applicable in the discipline of the claimants.

She noted that under the PSR it was the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) that could take a disciplinary action against claimants, while the executive director of the agency only had the power to initiate the process.

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She ruled that it was the FCSC that should have constituted the APDC. This will forestall a situation of bias in any disciplinary proceedings against any employee.

Unlawful 10 months investigation

Also faulting the length of time it took the APDC to complete its investigation, the judge said: it is thus my finding that the exercise of the disciplinary action by the defendants which took 10 months which is well over the 60 days timeline stipulated was done in flagrant disregard of the guiding law and I so hold.

But the judge dismissed the plaintiffs claim that their right to fair hearing was breached because the disciplinary committees letter of invitation failed to specify the reasons for a meeting scheduled with them.

The judge said it was needless for the invitation letters to specify the reason for the scheduled meeting since they had been earlier queried and they had sent their responses.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to transfer the case involving N7.1 billion fraud allegedly perpetrated during the tenure of Orji Kalu as governor of Abia State, to its Lagos division.

Mr Kalu, a serving senator representing Abia North, was tried alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and Udeh Udeogu, a Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House during Mr Kalus tenure as governor.

In December 2019, they were convicted for diverting N7.1 billion from the Abia States coffers.

Mr Kalu was already serving a 12-year jail term for the offences when the Supreme Court, in May 2020, nullified the proceedings leading to his and his co-defendants conviction.

His co-defendant, Udeh Udeogu, was also jailed 10 years at the end of the trial and Slok, Mr Kalus firm, was ordered to be wound up.

Although, the Supreme Court ordered the defendants to be tried afresh, Inyang Ekwo, the judge that the case was re-assigned to at the Federal High Court in Abuja, controversially barred EFCC from prosecuting Mr Kalu afresh in a ruling delivered in September 2021.

Mr Ekwo, who also exempted Mr Kalus firm, Slok Nigeria Limited, from the fresh trial, had ordered that EFCC should only proceed against Mr Udeogu.

Thursday hearing

At the resumed hearing in the case on Thursday, the EFCC, through its lawyer, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, applied for the transfer of the trial to the Lagos division of the court.

Mr Atolagbe cited sections 18, 19, 22 and 45 of the Federal High Court Act 2010 and section 93 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

The judge, Mr Ekwo, said he would not take the application in view of the approaching Easter holidays.

The judge adjourned until May 17.

At the proceedings, Awa Kalu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), represented Mr Kalu while Solo Akuma (SAN) stood in for Mr Udeogu, and Goddy Uche (SAN), was counsel for Slok Nigeria Limited.

Grounds for seeking transfer

The EFCC, in its application, raised five grounds for seeking the transfer of the case to the Lagos division of the court.

One of the grounds is that the Abuja division of the court lacks the requisite territorial jurisdiction to entertain and try the defendants in respect of the charge.

The anti-graft agency recalled that the charges were originally filed at the Federal High Court Abuja in 2007.

The defendants were also said to have filed an application to challenge the competence of the charges.

Mr Atolagbe said following the decision of the Supreme Court that many of the ingredients of the offences occurred in Lagos and that most of the proposed prosecution witnesses were residing in Lagos, the EFCC applied to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to transfer the matter to Lagos.

Satisfied that many of the ingredients of the offences occurred in Lagos, Mr Atolagbe said, the Chief Judge transferred the case to Lagos division of the court where the defendants were prosecuted and judgment delivered in the matter.

He, therefore, asked Mr Ekwo to issue an order transferring the trial to Lagos in compliance with the Supreme Court order for a retrial.
On 10 March 2022, during the ongoing 28th Revised Kyoto Convention Management Committees Meeting, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), in his capacity as the depositary of the Convention, received the Instrument of Accession of the Republic of Guatemala to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention - RKC) from Mr. Marco Livio Diaz Reyes, the Superintendent of Tax Administration of Guatemala (SAT) in the presence of H.E Mr. Jose Gabriel Lambour Penalonzo, Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to the Kingdom of Belgium and Mr. Werner Ovalle, the Director General of Guatemala Customs, at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Secretary General Mikuriya had a meeting with the Superintendent of SAT and the Director General of Customs and acknowledged that Guatemala, as Vice-Chair of the WCO Americas and Caribbean region, is seen as a leader and showcase for the use of WCO instruments. He also highlighted that the RKC is recognized as a major trade facilitation instrument, as it includes key elements for the application of simplified customs procedures in a predictable and transparent environment, the optimal use of information technology, the utilization of risk management for efficient Customs control, a strong partnership with the trade and other stakeholders, and a readily accessible system of appeals.

At the RKC Management Meeting, the Secretary General welcomed Guatemala to the RKC family. While acknowledging the support of the Director General of Customs to the work of the WCO, the Secretary General indicated that the accession marked another sign of cooperation between the WCO and the Republic of Guatemala.

Mr. Werner Ovalle, the Director General of Guatemala Customs and Vice-Chair of the region, expressed his appreciation to the WCO for the technical support offered to the Republic of Guatemala during the accession process, and re-affirmed their commitment to be an active member of the RKC Management Committee. He also indicated that his country was ready to start implementing the provisions of the Convention by improving customs processes.

Ambassador Jose Gabriel Lambour Penalonzo thanked the WCO for its support and expressed the commitment of Guatemala to adopt international standards and enhance the performance of Customs.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a threat to the world, the WCO welcomes the growing number of Contracting Parties to the RKC, especially as it provides core provisions for the management of relief consignments during emergency situations and is at the core of the WCOs Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP). Having entered into force on 3 February 2006, and with the accession of the Republic of Guatemala, the Convention now has 131 Contracting Parties.
The Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has decried the rising state of insecurity in many states across the country

He also lamented the increase in cybercrime in Ekiti.

The governor, who blamed these menaces on several factors ranging from poverty to desperation among Nigerian youth, emphasised the need to seek urgent measures to tackle such. One of such measures he says is the establishment of state police.

He said this during a panel discussion on the peace and inclusive security initiative organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in partnership with the Centre for Democracy & Development (CDD).

Mr Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), expressed his view on federal and state police as a measure to curbing insecurity.

This was in response to a question on the rejection of state police by the federal government and the National Assembly in the just concluded Constitution amendment.

Although state police was part of the recommendations from participants at the public hearing of the Constitution review, the federal lawmakers threw it out when the report was presented.

Federal police, Mr Fayemi said, abuse the rights of citizens, including the rights of governors  even with immunity.

He recalled how he was abused in 2014 by the federal police  even as a governor with immunity.

In most countries, he said, there is a regulatory authority that is responsible for the punishment, and sanctioning of those who go beyond their own responsibilities.

And I think thats what we should be talking about. Rather than talking about the possibility of abuse, there would always be the possibility of abuse. We cant run away from that. But do we have effective policing now that is federal?

there are also crimes that are within the borders of our states in accordance with the statute thats been promulgated or enacted by our local state assemblies. And there are also crimes that are local, because they are local jurisdictions by local governments.

If you have not paid tenement rate, the local police should deal with you. It shouldnt be state police, because tenement rate is the responsibility of the local authority. Not the responsibility of the state. So thats my take on that.

When asked what states use security votes for, the governor said some state governors fund police more than the federal government.

We buy them vehicles. We pay them allowances. In some cases, we even buy ammunition, of course under the authority. And if we are to engage our military in aid to civil authority, which you will find, actually in 36 states in this country today, we pay them.

The governor also decried the rise in cybercrimes in his state  an issue he said, is becoming a major challenge for the government.

The popular cybersecurity, yahoo yahoo is becoming a major issue for us. Because a lot of our young people are becoming engaged in these nefarious activities.

And it is often not understood, because there is almost an inexplicable link between that and substance abuse, which is also on the rise in many of our communities. So these are things that we dont particularly pay enough attention to, but where you find substance abuse, youre likely to find cybercrime. And you are also likely to find arms proliferation, particularly small arms proliferation.

and ultimately, until we ensure that we address not just the conflicts and crime, but the causes of these conflicts. And we know some of them, out of school children, poverty in our communities, desperation amongst the young people in the communities and generally good governance, improving the quality of governance.

We may not be totally able to avoid what we are going through. Even when you have all that you will still have crime. But if you dont have it at all, then it becomes even more problematic for you.

Local government autonomy

Mr Fayemi was asked his view on local government autonomy and why states do not let local governments play a role in providing security independently.

The local government financial and administrative autonomy was one of the 47 bills that the National Assembly passed in the just concluded Constitution amendment.

The legislations seek to allow local governments to run their structure and elections independently.

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While Mr Fayemi said he has no objection to local authority playing a role in local security, he opposed the idea of letting local governments run and conduct their elections.

He said it does not suggest that local government autonomy is precisely the way people put it.

The principle of federalism is very clear about federating units. local government, as a federating unit is a unique innovation in Nigeria, I dont see it in any research work, in any book on federalism.

Local government autonomy is the business of the state, because the state is the federating unit. And most federating countries that you have today, dual federating syste, you have the federal and you have the state. So those who are clamouring for local government autonomy, (it) is a populist demand. I dont think ultimately it serves the purpose that they want it to serve.

Because we have capacity challenges at that level just as we have at the state level. But the result is what you matter. And the result is that you can have Security Council in local authority. We have in my state, the local governments have a Security Council almost on a monthly basis, and they get involved in our security operations. So it is what they do, it is not the name they are called, that should matter.

we can have a regulatory framework for addressing the challenges of state government or ruling party appropriating elections to themselves, but to suggest that the solution is to bring INEC to come run the state Electoral Commission. I do not agree with you.

On his part, the Deputy governor of Plateau State, Sonni Tyoden, who represented the governor, asked that vigilante groups be properly integrated into the mainstream security structure.

The existence of these vigilante groups are manifestations of the disenchantment with the existing security apparatus. And I think if we modelled the vigilantes properly, incorporate them into the security structure, I think we will get something better out of it, he said.

He also supported the call for community policing which he said is different from state policing and is being practiced in Plateau State.

At the event a handbook, by the CDD, on Peace and Inclusive Security Initiative was launched.
The REC supervises the elections in each State, including taking responsibility for the electoral staff and verifying election results. RECs are gods during elections and whether or not they get shuffled around on the eve of elections, it makes no difference to those of them who will peddle their powers. For example, in 2010, Ayoka Adebayo, the Ondo State REC, was accused of announcing illegal results in the Ekiti gubernatorial elections in return for N250 million.

By election day, 50 per cent of the battle for effective, inspiring leadership would have been lost because of the culture of undemocratic primaries of Nigerias major parties. Another 30 per cent is lost to pre-election manipulation, while 15 per cent is lost to outright rigging on election day. The remaining five per cent that we manage to wrest for ourselves, is lost through judicial rigging. The 2020 decision of the Supreme Court in the case of the Imo State gubernatorial election will haunt Nigeria for a long time. The role that the judiciary has played in corrupting and delegitimising our elections deserves an entire series of its own.

In the first part of How Elections Are Stolen, some of the ways in which the voter registration process, selection of election officers and interference of security forces are used to thwart the electorate are outlined. This week, it is the collation centres and resident electoral commissioners and other ad-hoc election officers that will be spotlighted.

Resident Electoral Commissioners

The role of the resident electoral commissioner (REC) is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution in Section 14(3). It is a secure and influential role, requiring two-thirds of the Senate to remove a person from that role, once appointed by the president. The REC supervises the elections in each State, including taking responsibility for the electoral staff and verifying election results. RECs are gods during elections and whether or not they get shuffled around on the eve of elections, it makes no difference to those of them who will peddle their powers. For example, in 2010, Ayoka Adebayo, the Ondo State REC, was accused of announcing illegal results in the Ekiti gubernatorial elections in return for N250 million. Considering the value of the naira and the return of investment that being in public office provides one, it is safe to assume that the price tag to compromise a REC would be higher today.

Their discretionary powers are immense and being stationed in states for a term of five years, gives governors decent time to build loyalty inspiring relationships with them. All ad-hoc election day officials have the same opportunity to compromise elections.

Collation Centres

In 2011 when I voted for the first time, I stayed doggedly at my polling unit (PU) until the votes were counted, as advised. I captured the results, went home and sat in front of the television, waiting to see my PU results flash on the screen, so I could verify that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had the results of my PU. I am still waiting.

The most important things to do to mitigate the risk of abuse of powers by RECs and election officials is to improve transparency. First, we must make it harder to manipulate election results at collation centres by returning to the way we voted in 2015, which is: Accreditation, first; public counting and announcement of those accredited, so we know the exact number of voters accredited in our PU before we start voting.

In the Report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Affairs of the Federal Electoral Commission (1979-83), also known as the Babalakin Report, there is this entry: In Kesa Ngala polling station the actual vote for the NPN during counting at the station was 55 but when the Presiding Officer carried the box to the collation centre, the result was altered to 1551.

The falsification of results is a popular rigging tool. The violence and armed security power concentrated at collation centres (CC) during the 2019 elections is a clue to how important it is to do-or-die politicians to compromise collations.

The result sheets are absolutely critical  and despite INECs best intentions, using colour codes and watermarks for different levels of the collation process, there are still too many stories about how the results sheets are hijacked and how past blank result sheets are smuggled into the process and used  especially when there has not been adequate education of election officials about the security features of the results sheets, to ensure they can spot the difference.

It is likely that over time it is now harder to change result sheets before they get to the collation centre, however when they get there, the public would be shocked at how unprofessionally and chaotic collations are done. Sometimes there are not enough chairs, and officers bend over desks, or sit on the floor, and instead of computers, officials add up figures on paper with all the attendant risks of unintentional and intentional adding errors. As of June 2021, Nigeria had 176,846 PUs nationally  verifying and adding results at the ward, local government and state levels is a massive operation that requires organisation, excellent logistics and people with project management skills that are typically missing from those collating votes.

What To Do?

The most important things to do to mitigate the risk of abuse of powers by RECs and election officials is to improve transparency. First, we must make it harder to manipulate election results at collation centres by returning to the way we voted in 2015, which is: Accreditation, first; public counting and announcement of those accredited, so we know the exact number of voters accredited in our PU before we start voting. Then we vote, count the votes, announce results and fill out the results sheet. Cumbersome and more times consuming, yes, but necessary to do from our history.

The growing sense of citizens that their role is an important one and the increased interest in protecting elections and democracy means that we have a large poll of Nigerians with integrity and the required skills to volunteer to serve as election officers. The state of Nigeria is too dire to continue to be lackadaisical about those who continually compromise our elections.

Second, we need the results of all 176,846 PUs published on INECs website within two weeks  if we collate the way we should  using excel spreadsheets and matching the results sheets to the numbers in the spreadsheet, we should not need more time for this. With electronic transmission of results and use of technology and applications, we can ensure that within weeks, millions of Nigerians become agents of election verification by crosschecking the published results for their individual PUs with what they witnessed at their PUs. This will improve the perception of integrity of our elections and likely increase voter turnout for the next elections.

Third, civil society organisations and the private sector should collaborate with INEC on how to get hold of the best, most secure, public buildings for collation. INECs review of the 2019 general election admits that the inability to secure the right kind of collation centres i.e., securable perimeters, electricity, water and restrooms, etc., have contributed to the invasion and compromise of collation centres. 11 months to the election, INEC should be able to confirm that it has learnt from the mistakes of 2019 and has since built a database, from previous elections and scouting, of suitable public buildings adequate to accommodate collation in 2023.

Finally, we must care who the RECs and other ad-hoc election officials are; we need to monitor them, engage them on our aspirations for the elections, and expose those within our communities whose track records indicate that they will not be worthy supervisors of our elections. Nigerians have an opportunity to influence the next 22 RECs who will be appointed before the 2023 elections by following the process and taking time to investigate and vet all nominees carefully, to ensure that we have a more level playing field in 2023.

While the idea, since 2011, of selecting academics from tertiary institutions to make up the ad-hoc team of collation and returning officers is a good one, more care needs to be taken in their selection. There is value in being random, but the list from which academics are selected and deployed (they should not cover areas where they work and live) must be vetted to ensure that only those with some technological skills, e.g., use of excel and strong ethical values are selected. We must also expand the pool of ad-hoc officers beyond academics  with all the stories of corruption, sexploitation and sale of results and handouts; it is not a given that every professor has integrity. The growing sense of citizens that their role is an important one and the increased interest in protecting elections and democracy means that we have a large poll of Nigerians with integrity and the required skills to volunteer to serve as election officers. The state of Nigeria is too dire to continue to be lackadaisical about those who continually compromise our elections.

Various stakeholders desirous of improving the credibility of elections have to continue to push for reforms, inch by inch, cycle to cycle, until we have the advancements that will give Nigerians more confidence to take part in elections as voters and candidates.

Ayisha Osori, author of Love Does Not Win Elections, will be writing for the Nigeria Decides 2023 series every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month.
The Defence Headquarters says troops of Operation Delta Safe have discovered and deactivated no fewer than 30 illegal crude oil refining sites in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Abia States.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Bernard Onyeuko, a major general, announced this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the ongoing military operations across the country.

Mr Onyeuko said the operations were conducted in the last two weeks in the South-south zone of the country.

He said 29 cooking ovens, nine receivers, 12 coolants, 73 storage metal tanks, 248 polythene bags, 16 boilers, pumping machines, 14 wooden boats and 29 dugout pits were destroyed.

According to him, two speed boats, four trucks, one bus, 44 drums of AGO, three outboard engines, one Berretta pistol, three locally made pistols and eight explosive devices have been evacuated by the troops

The defence spokesperson said the troops also destroyed 57 galvanised pipes and arrested 25 economic saboteurs during the period.

He said that a total of 2.8 million litres of crude oil and 3.8 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) were recovered within the period under review.

Mr Onyeuko said all the recovered items had been handed over to appropriate authority for further action.

(NAN)
The Alayi Community in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State has called for an investigation into the attack on the country home of a former member of the House of Representatives, Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje.

The community appealed to the state government and security agencies to come to its aid to bring the perpetrators of the heinous act to justice.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Elendu-Ukejes house in Alayi was torched in the early hours of March 1.

The attackers, who are still at large, also burnt vehicles and other valuable property in the compound.

Speaking with reporters after inspecting the level of destruction on Wednesday, the President-General Akoliufu Alayi Development Union, Uchechukwu Kalu, said the community gathered as a family to condemn the act in its entirety.

He called on Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, as the chief security officer of the state, to urgently step into the matter to uncover the masterminds of the attack and save the community from future attacks.

Mr Kalu also urged the governor to adequately fund the state vigilance group to enable it to function effectively.

He appealed to the youths of the community to remain calm and await the outcome of police investigations.

The security man on duty at Ukejes house, Chukwudi Ihendu, recalled that the hoodlums, numbering six, invaded the premises in three motorcycles by around 1.30 a.m.

He said two of them held him hostage at the gate, while four scaled the fence after cutting out a section of the barbed wire at the rear of the building.

Mr Ihendu listed the burnt items to include a bungalow, a Sport Utility Vehicle, a pick-up truck, two power-generating sets and a plant house, amongst others.

They did not come to steal but to destroy.

The hoodlums told me that l was lucky that they did not kill me, after they had beaten me mercilessly, he said.

Also, the traditional ruler of Ameke Alayi Community, Philip Ukeje, who is an uncle to the former lawmaker, expressed sadness over the development.

He said the community had not recorded such a dastardly act before and warned the perpetrators to desist from such crime.

Ngozi Elendu, a woman leader in the community, urged the government to fish out those behind the act to forestall a recurrence.

This kind of thing has never happened in Alayi before.

Now, we are living in fear because we do not know them and what their next plan is, she said.

Other community leaders, who took turns to speak, condemned the attack and called for the governments urgent intervention.

NAN reported that Mr Elendu-Ukeje represented Bende Federal Constituency of Abia from 2007 to 2019.

(NAN)
The construction of the Second Niger Bridge has provided job opportunities to over 5,500 Nigerians, according to the Federal Controller of Works in Anambra State, Adeyemo Ajani.

Mr Ajani disclosed this on Tuesday during the inspection of the project by a delegation led by Ibrahim Gambari, the chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Others in the delegation were the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; his Labour and Employment counterpart, Chris Ngige and a representative of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

At the peak of the construction of this project, we had over 1500 staff employed locally from here. Thats for direct employment. And when you look at the indirect employment, such as the vendors, suppliers and others, over 4,000 persons were engaged for this construction, he said.

Mr Ajani said the records showed the project had improved the socio-economic condition of the people living around the area.

The presidents chief of staff, Mr Gambari, in his remark, said the pace of socio-economic development would increase in the area when the project is completed.

The Second Niger Bridge would be commissioned by President Buhari in October 2022, the delegation said.

Mr Fashola, who said the delegation was satisfied with the level of progress, said the project has so far gulped over N400 billion.

Before now, some people said there was no bridge, but now we are walking on the bridge, Mr Fashola said while briefing reporters.

The new bridge, which is handled by Julius Berger Nig Ltd, is 1.6km long. It connects Anambra and Delta states, and is expected to reduce the gridlock and strain on the first Niger Bridge.
The governor-elect of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, has presented the Anambra 50-year Development Plan to outgoing Governor Willie Obiano.

Mr Soludo, chairman of the Development-Plan Drafting committee made the handover at the valedictory session of the Obiano administration held at the International Convention Centre, Awka on Thursday.

He described the document as one which would provide the development trajectory of the state in the next five decades.

Mr Soludo said it was a wholly home-grown document which had contributions from a cross spectrum of the society, traditional institutions, market women, civil society and youths.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria said the document would be adjudged as people and government-oriented.

According to him, as of the time this committee was set, I had no idea of becoming the governor.

But by divine providence, I become governor-elect and will likely be the governor to start implementing the plan, he said.

Mr Soludo said that Mr Obianos administration had laid a solid foundation for the economic transformation of the state, adding that he would continue in that stride.

Receiving the document, Mr Obiano thanked the Soludo-led committee for executing the 30-month task with commitment and altruism.

He said he was happy that his administration was able to provide a Development Plan that would guide the policies of Anambra government for the next 50 years

He thanked members of his executive for their contributions to the success of his administration.

(NAN)
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Wednesday evening presented a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV to the Olubadan-designate, Olalekan Balogun, ahead of his coronation as the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Emmanuel Alawode, Chairman of Ibadan South-East Local Government, on behalf of the governor, presented the cars key to the Olubadan-designate at his residence at Alarere area of Ibadan.

The younger brother of the new monarch, Kola Balogun (PDP- Oyo South), received the car and a Jac Pick-Up vehicle on behalf of the Olubadan-designate.

NAN reports that the appointment of the new traditional ruler of Ibadanland was approved by Mr Makinde on February 14.

Olubamiwo Adeosun, the Chairman of the Olubadan Coronation Committee, who is also the Secretary to the State Government, had on Wednesday, said the state government was ready to host a grand event, befitting the status of the highly revered oba.

NAN reports that all markets in Ibadan would be closed tomorrow as a sign of respect for the traditional institution of Ibadanland.

NAN findings also revealed that all the market leaders across all markets in the 11 local government areas in Ibadanland had ordered the closure of the markets.

They, however, advised traders to use the period to attend the coronation at Mapo Hall, in the ancient city.

(NAN)
Budding trees and blooming flowers.

The return of robins, loons and other migrating birds.

The return of bees, butterflies and frogs.

Melting snow and lake ice.

Longer days and light in the evening.

Shedding the winter garments.

The myriad scents of flowering trees and plants.

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Periods of rain. High around 55F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

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The fact that antimicrobial properties of medical device coatings can help prevent the spread of HAIs drives the global medical device coating market.

PORTLAND, Ore., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Medical Device Coating Market by Coating Type (Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic), Material (Metals, Ceramics and Polymers), Application (Medical Devices and Medical Implants) and Device Type (Gynecology, General surgery, Cardiovascular, Dentistry, Neurology, Orthopedics and others): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202030." According to the report, the global medical device coating industry was estimated at $7.28 billion in 2020, and is anticipated to hit $12.70 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 6.8% from 2021 to 2030.

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities-

The fact that antimicrobial properties of medical device coatings can help prevent the spread of HAIs drives the global medical device coating market. On the other hand, strict government implications in this field impede the growth to some extent. However, factors such as advancement & emergence of novel medical devices, increase in demand for implantable devices, and surge in disposable income of the global population are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.

Download Sample Report- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2603

Covid-19 scenario-

As the supply chain was hugely hit, especially during the initial phase of the pandemic, manufacturing of medical devices was pretty much disrupted, which gave way to declined demand for coatings for medical expedients. This, in turn, impacted the global medical device coatings market negatively.

Also, as the majority of elective surgical procedures were cancelled or postponed, a declined demand for medical devices was also noticed.

However, the market is anticipated to revive soon.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Medical Device Coating Market- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/2603?reqfor=covid

The hydrophilic segment to maintain the lion's share-

On the basis of coatings type, the hydrophilic segment accounted for the highest market share in 2020, generating more than four-fifths of the global medical device coating market. The same segment is also anticipated to cite the fastest CAGR of 7.1% from 2021 to 2030, due to its non-thrombogenic nature and resistance to abrasion.

The metals segment to lead the trail-

On the basis of material type, the metals segment generated the highest share in 2020, holding more than three-fourths of the global medical device coating market. The same segment is also expected to cite the fastest CAGR of 7.4% from 2021 to 2030. This is attributed to biocompatibility and surface modification qualities.

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North America to dominate by 2030-

On the basis of region, North America contributed to the major market share in terms of revenue 2020, holding around one-third of the global medical device coating market, owing to rise in cases of hospital acquired infections (HAI) in the region. Asia-Pacific, however, is projected to cite the fastest CAGR of 7.8% from 2021 to 2030, due to surge in enhanced surgical practices and technological advancements in the province.

Prominent market players-

Bayer Ag

Biocoat Incorporated

Surmodics Inc.

Covalon Technologies Ltd.

Royal DSM

Hydromer Inc.

Kisco Ltd.

Precision Coating

AST Products, Inc.

Harland Medical Services

Official Press Release- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/medical-device-coatings-market.html

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Edition: 7; Released: February 2022

Executive Pool: 379

Companies: 164 - Players covered include ADURO, INC.; Beacon Health Options, Inc.; Bupa Wellness Pty Ltd; Central Corporate Wellness; ComPsych Corporation; EXOS; Fitbit Health Solutions; HealthifyMe Wellness Products and Services PVT. LTD.; Marino Wellness; Morneau Shepell Ltd.; Privia Health, LLC; Sodexo Group; The Vitality Group, Inc.; Truworth Health Technologies Pvt. Ltd; Virgin Pulse, Inc.; Well Nation; Wellness Corporate Solutions; Wellsource, Inc. and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Service (Health Risk Assessment, Fitness, Smoking Cessation, Health Screening, Nutrition & Weight Management, Stress Management, Other Services); Organization Size (Small, Medium, Large)

Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; Rest of World.

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ABSTRACT-

Global Corporate Wellness Market to Reach US$90.4 Billion by the Year 2026

Workplace stress is an often neglected, silent factor that holds negative implications for worker productivity and health. Job stress has rapidly emerged as a major public health crisis and formidable threat for worker health, with detrimental effects on organizations. Workplace stress has increased gradually over the last several decades and represents the primary source of stress in adults. Workplace stress bears a close correlation with worker health and organizational performance. High level of workplace stress in the US claims 120,000 lives and leads to a staggering healthcare burden of $190 billion per year, representing around 5-8% of the national healthcare spending. Health issues related to workplace stress account for higher deaths than diabetes or Alzheimer's. Increased job stress with little control and high demands are related to high risk of disorders such as hypertension and heart attack. Excessive workplace stress increases depression and inflammation, impacts immune system and tends to damage the brain circuitry and structures. There is an increasing availability of scientific evidence suggesting the link between job stress and the risk of developing diabetes. The stress also leads to immune-deficiency disorders, gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, and musculoskeletal disorders such as chronic back pain. Workplace stress adversely affects mental health and increases the risk of burnout, anxiety, substance use disorders and depression. Medical conditions associated with workplace stress coerce companies to bear huge healthcare costs, which eventually erode profitability.

Corporate or employee wellness is an essential ingredient of the strategy to ensure organizational success owing to its direct impact on workplace culture, resources, productivity and bottom line. Corporate wellness encompasses metal and physical wellness of employees, the cornerstone for business strength, stability, sustainability and growth. Common programs include exercises for stress reduction, weight loss, smoking cessation, assessment of health risks, exercise activities and programs, health screenings, vaccination clinics, and nutrition education. Unhealthy lifestyles and associated chronic diseases coerce corporate offices to bear a loss of one trillion dollars in terms of lost productivity. These issues are prompting various organizations to focus on corporate wellness to promote healthy behaviors among employees. The quest to add value to employees and provide them with a positive culture for physical and mental wellbeing is driving organizations to invest in corporate wellness programs that hold numerous benefits for companies. By promoting healthier attitudes and lifestyles, these programs reduce employee absenteeism along with lost productivity associated with illness. Corporate wellness programs lead to a highly engaged and focused workforce and also benefit employee careers.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Corporate Wellness estimated at US$70.1 Billion in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$90.4 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% over the analysis period. Health Risk Assessment, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 6.5% CAGR to reach US$20.9 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Fitness segment is readjusted to a revised 6% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 12.9% share of the global Corporate Wellness market.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $27.2 Billion in 2022, While China is Forecast to Reach $6 Billion by 2026

The Corporate Wellness market in the U.S. is estimated at US$27.2 Billion in the year 2022. The country currently accounts for a 38.79% share in the global market. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$6 Billion in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 8.2% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 5.8% and 7.2% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 6.5% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$10.2 Billion by the end of the analysis period.

Smoking Cessation Segment to Reach $14.9 Billion by 2026

Cigarette addiction worldwide is expected to increase despite organizations and governments across the globe trying to spread awareness over the harmful effects of tobacco, imposition of high taxes on various tobacco products with an aim to reduce their usage, and approving tobacco products that are less harmful and innovative as a suitable substitute to traditional cigarettes. Millions of people worldwide are suffering from various diseases and ailments caused due to smoking with COPD being the chief killer disease. With many of the younger workforce vulnerable, the scenario is throwing the spotlight on the importance of workplace smoking cessation programs. In the recent years, an increasing number of organizations have started focusing on smoking cessation programs at workplaces for assisting employees in improving their health and eventually boosting the bottom line by pushing productivity and saving on healthcare costs. Smoking cessation programs assist smokers in selecting and receiving the right medication such as lozenge, gum or patches to reduce craving and mitigate withdrawal symptoms. In the global Smoking Cessation segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 5.7% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$9.1 Billion will reach a projected size of US$13.5 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$1.1 Billion by the year 2026.

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GlobalMedic sends medical supplies, trauma dressings and wound care supplies destined for Lviv, Ukraine

MONTREAL, March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - An Air Canada-operated humanitarian special cargo flight on behalf of Airlink and other aid organizations departed Toronto Pearson International Airport with a final destination of Warsaw, Poland on Wednesday, March 9. Through a partnership between Air Canada, disaster logistics non-profit Airlink, relief organization Project C.U.R.E., and freight forwarder Flexport, medical supplies and hospital beds, humanitarian and medical supplies were loaded onboard the Air Canada Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Medical and trauma supplies destined for a Ukrainian hospital provided by Canadian disaster relief and life-saving humanitarian aid organization GlobalMedic were also boarded.

After the flight arrives in Poland, Project C.U.R.E. will manage the distribution of supplies to hospitals treating Ukrainian civilians injured during the war, expanding the capacity of hospitals in border regions to provide care. More than two million people throughout Ukraine have now fled their homes after the invasion seeking safety in neighbouring countries. Primary care has been identified by aid agencies as one of the most pressing needs.

"Our hearts are with the Ukrainian people in need - all of us have seen the crisis they are facing. We know from our aid partners the critical requirement for much needed medical and humanitarian supplies and our global partner Airlink reached out to us to help transport these vital items quickly. Importantly, both Airlink and GlobalMedic have the infrastructure and teams on the ground to ensure that the shipments will get to their destinations right after our flight arrives. We are proud of our employees who have stepped up to help organize the complex logistics, handle and operate this special flight so quickly," said Jason Berry, Vice President, Cargo at Air Canada.

"This shipment will make a material impact on the lives of Ukrainians fleeing the conflict and support the communities hosting them," said Steve Smith, Airlink President and CEO. "Getting the shipment to Poland on behalf of our NGO partner Project C.U.R.E. meant overcoming a challenging logistical environment, but I'm thrilled we could do it with assistance from our long-time friends and supporters Air Canada. This is the first of many cargo movements Airlink will carry out in support of Ukrainian refugees."

"Project C.U.R.E. has an extensive history of working with our partners in Ukraine, and we remain committed to serving the people of Ukraine until the ravages of this war have been erased," said Dr. Douglas Jackson, President and CEO of Project C.U.R.E. "This first shipment of emergency medical supplies and equipment is just one of many to come. People all over the world are responding to this need, and they are cheering on our work from all corners of the globe. We are incredibly grateful to our partners at Airlink and Air Canada for making this a reality  together we are saving lives and delivering health and hope to the people of Ukraine."

"We are grateful to our friends at Airlink and Air Canada for giving us air cargo space to ship essential medicines and trauma supplies. The aid will land in Warsaw where our partners will grab them and truck them to a hospital in Lviv. Essential medicines are needed by patients fleeing the fighting who could not bring their prescription medicines with them and are facing shortages in local pharmacies. Trauma supplies especially dressings are needed to treat victims of this war," said Rahul Singh, Executive Director at GlobalMedic.

Earlier this week, medical supplies were picked up from the Project C.U.R.E. warehouse in Illinois, transported to Chicago O'Hare airport and tendered to Air Canada by Flexport. Air Canada Cargo subsequently transported the supplies to its Cargo facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Non-profit disaster logistics expert Airlink exists to help remove the cost of air transportation as a barrier to NGOs responding to disasters and other humanitarian crises. It was able to use its long-term partnership with Air Canada, and support from donors, to secure the cargo-only flight making the delivery of this shipment possible. Airlink also has transported 42 relief workers for 11 non-profit organizations providing medical care, food, mental health counseling, clean water, and other essentials to Ukrainian refugees.

Air Canada has worked together with Airlink and GlobalMedic to transport responders and aid on a number of missions, most recently in response to British Columbia's devastating wildfires and floods.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from the independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which in 2021 also named Air Canada as having the Best Airline Staff in North America, Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best Business Class Lounge in North America, as well as an Excellence award for its handling of COVID-19. Also in 2021, Air Canada was named Global Traveler's Best Airline in North America for the third straight year. In January 2021, Air Canada received APEX's Diamond Status Certification for the Air Canada CleanCare+ biosafety program for managing COVID-19, the only airline in Canada to attain the highest APEX ranking. Air Canada has also committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. For more information, please visit: aircanada.com/media, follow Air Canada on Twitter and LinkedIn, and join Air Canada on Facebook.

About Airlink

Airlink is a global humanitarian organization delivering critical aid to communities in crisis by providing airlift and logistical solutions to nonprofit partners, changing the way the humanitarian community responds to disasters around the world. Airlink exists to help remove the cost of air transportation as a barrier to NGOs responding to disasters and other humanitarian crises. Its network includes more than 130 aid organizations and 50 commercial and charter airlines. Since its inception in 2010, Airlink has flown more than 8,000 relief workers and transported nearly 5,000,000 pounds of humanitarian cargo. In 2021 the humanitarian aid Airlink delivered assisted 7.8 million people. For more information, please visit www.airlinkflight.org. Follow Airlink on Facebook and Twitter.

About Project Cure

Project C.U.R.E. was founded in 1987 to address the staggering shortage of medical resources around the world. Since our humble beginnings in a garage in Colorado, Project C.U.R.E. has become the world's largest distributor of donated medical supplies, equipment, and services to doctors and nurses serving the sick and dying in more than 135 countries. Each week Project C.U.R.E. delivers approximately three to five semitruck-sized ocean containers packed with the medical equipment and supplies desperately needed to save lives in hospitals and clinics in resource-limited countries. Project C.U.R.E. is supported by over 30,000 volunteers annually and operates distribution warehouses in seven U.S. cities. For more information, visit: www.projectcure.org.

Internet: aircanada.com/media

Sign up for Air Canada news: aircanada.com

Media Resources:

Photos

Videos

B-Roll

Articles

SOURCE Air Canada
PARDES HANNA, Israel, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today AIR , creator of eVTOLs for the consumer market, announced its partnership with Australia's FlyOnE , a pioneer of goods and services in the emerging green transport market and a leading supplier of electric aircraft. The partnership also marks the launch of the AIR Brand Ambassador (ABA) program, enabling strategic partners around the world the opportunity to share the freedom of personal flight with their communities.

FlyOnE will serve as AIR's local service and maintenance partner and will facilitate the delivery of 25 of the first AIR ONE vehicles to customers in 2025. As the first official AIR Brand Ambassador, FlyOnE will play a significant role in laying the groundwork enabling AIR's vision, the mass adoption of personal air vehicles, to come to life in Australia, where Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) regulation is already in motion.

In contrast with the Urban Air Mobility industry developing air taxis for commercial use, AIR's inaugural vehicle, AIR ONE, allows individual consumers to embrace the freedom of flight in their daily travels. The vehicle is a sporty, all-electric two-seater eVTOL offering a range of 110 miles (177 km) on a single charge at speeds up to 155 miles per hour (250 km). The AIR ONE allows owners to take off and land on any flat surface.

"We are thrilled to expand our reach to Australia, a trailblazing market with very high growth potential, with the help of such a forward-thinking partner as FlyOnE," said Rani Plaut, CEO and Co-founder of AIR. "As we continue to discuss future potential brand ambassadorships around the world, we believe FlyOnE's dedication to electric aviation adoption on all levels will significantly impact public acceptance of personal eVTOLs and help the industry take flight."

AIR is partnering with manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and other relevant players in the aerospace and automotive industries as part of its newly launched AIR Brand Ambassador program to fuel the personal air mobility revolution around the world. AIR believes the innovation and determination of the AAM industry coupled with the foresight of early adopters is a necessary step on the path to public acceptance of eVTOLs.

"At FlyOnE, we believe that AIR's vehicle and mission align perfectly with our own, which is why we're excited to facilitate their entry into the Australian market and serve as an AIR Brand Ambassador," said Korum Ellis, CEO and founder of FlyOnE. "We are committed to being at the forefront of the electric aviation industry in Australia, and the personal eVTOL adoption process will play a key role in its growth over the next few years."

AIR has begun taking preorders for AIR ONE on its website, www.airev.aero .

About AIR

AIR is revolutionizing everyday mobility for everyday people, empowering individuals to seize the power of personal flight. Combining aerospace innovation with the maturity of automotive technology and uncompromising safety standards, AIR's first-of-its-kind AIR EVs offers the ground-breaking opportunity to easily "drive the sky." Founded by Chen Rosen and later joined by Netanel Goldberg and Rani Plaut, based in the green fields of Pardes Hanna, near Tel Aviv, AIR is paving the way for a cleaner, more thrilling future of mobility, affording everyone the freedom to fly. For more information check out: https://www.airev.aero/

About FlyOnE

FlyonE is pioneering goods and services in the emerging electric aviation sector. Bringing together industry leaders and innovators in the manufacture, supply and distribution of electric aircraft, FlyOnE is establishing market leading ESG friendly air transport solutions for corporate bodies and recreational users alike. More information can be found at https://flyone.com.au/

Press Contact

Allison Grey

[email protected]

US:+1 323 283 8176

UK:+44 203 807 4482

IL:+972 53 820 2606

SOURCE AIR
Although the increasing healthcare spending worldwide, development of novel drugs and treatments, rising cases of anterior uveitis will offer immense growth opportunities, the high cost of healthcare, side effects associated with usage of anterior uveitis medicines, and stringent government regulations will challenge the growth of the market participants.

To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Anterior Uveitis Treatment Market 2022-2026: Segmentation

Anterior Uveitis Treatment Market is segmented as below:

Type

Medications



Surgery

Geography

North America



Asia



Europe



Rest Of World (ROW)

Learn more about the additional trends impacting the future of the market and the

positive and negative consequences on the businesses., download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR72239

Anterior Uveitis Treatment Market 2022-2026: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our anterior uveitis treatment market report covers the following areas:

This study identifies the increasing geriatric population as one of the prime reasons driving the anterior uveitis treatment market growth during the next few years.

Anterior Uveitis Treatment Market 2022-2026: Vendor Analysis

The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services. Some vendors are also adopting inorganic growth strategies such as M&As to remain competitive in the market.

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Anterior Uveitis Treatment Market, including some of the vendors such as AbbVie Inc., Alimera Sciences Inc., Allergan Plc, Bausch Health Companies Inc., Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Clearside Biomedical, Enzo Biochem Inc., EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Inc., Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Viatris Inc., Aldeyra Therapeutics Inc., American Academy of Ophthalmology, among others.

Find additional highlights on the growth strategies adopted by vendors and their product offerings, Read Free Sample Report .

Anterior Uveitis Treatment Market 2022-2026: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2022-2026

Detailed information on factors that will assist anterior uveitis treatment market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the anterior uveitis treatment market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the anterior uveitis treatment market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of anterior uveitis treatment market vendors

We offer USD 1,000 worth of FREE customization at the time of purchase. Speak to our Analyst now!

Related Reports:

Multiple Sclerosis Market in the US by Type and Route of Administration- Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

New Drug Delivery Systems Market by Route of Administration and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Anterior Uveitis Treatment Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.09% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 145.89 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 3.52 Regional analysis North America, Asia, Europe, and Rest of World (ROW) Performing market contribution North America at 32% Key consumer countries US, Canada, Germany, China, and India Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled AbbVie Inc., Alimera Sciences Inc., Allergan Plc, Bausch Health Companies Inc., Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Clearside Biomedical, Enzo Biochem Inc., EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Inc., Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Viatris Inc., Aldeyra Therapeutics Inc., American Academy of Ophthalmology, L V PRASAD EYE INSTITUTE, Melinta Therapeutics LLC, and Prometheus Laboratories Inc. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table Of Contents :

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Type

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Type

5.3 Medications - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Medications - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Medications - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Medications - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Medications - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Surgery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Surgery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Surgery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Surgery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Surgery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 44: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 45: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 47: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 48: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 49: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 51: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 52: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 53: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 54: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 55: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 56: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 57: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 58: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 59: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 60: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 61: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 64: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 68: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 69: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 76: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 77: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 78: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 79: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 80: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 81: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 82: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 83: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 84: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 AbbVie Inc.

Exhibit 85: AbbVie Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 86: AbbVie Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 87: AbbVie Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 88: AbbVie Inc. - Segment focus

10.4 Alimera Sciences Inc.

Exhibit 89: Alimera Sciences Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 90: Alimera Sciences Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 91: Alimera Sciences Inc. - Key offerings

10.5 Bausch Health Companies Inc.

Exhibit 92: Bausch Health Companies Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 93: Bausch Health Companies Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 94: Bausch Health Companies Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 95: Bausch Health Companies Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 96: Bausch Health Companies Inc. - Segment focus

10.6 Clearside Biomedical

Exhibit 97: Clearside Biomedical - Overview



Exhibit 98: Clearside Biomedical - Key news



Exhibit 99: Clearside Biomedical - Key offerings

10.7 Enzo Biochem Inc.

Exhibit 100: Enzo Biochem Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 101: Enzo Biochem Inc. - Key offerings

10.8 EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Exhibit 102: EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 103: EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 104: EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Inc. - Key offerings

10.9 Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Exhibit 105: Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 106: Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 107: Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Key offerings

10.10 Novartis AG

Exhibit 108: Novartis AG - Overview



Exhibit 109: Novartis AG - Business segments



Exhibit 110: Novartis AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 111: Novartis AG - Segment focus

10.11 Pfizer Inc.

Exhibit 112: Pfizer Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 113: Pfizer Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 114: Pfizer Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 115: Pfizer Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 116: Pfizer Inc. - Segment focus

10.12 Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 117: Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 118: Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 119: Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 120: Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 121: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 122: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 123: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 124: Research methodology



Exhibit 125: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 126: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 127: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
Automotive Diecast Scale Model Market 2021-2025: Scope

The automotive diecast scale model market report covers the following areas:

Automotive Diecast Scale Model Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

By end-user, the market has been segmented into collectors and non-collectors. The collectors segment will have significant market share growth during the forecast period. Collectors are automotive enthusiasts who are willing to spend significantly on accurate and detailed diecast scale models.

By application, the market has been segmented into cars and bikes. The cars segment will have significant market share growth during the forecast period. The diecast scale model cars segment is expected to expand owing to better sales of both smaller scale and larger scale size diecast models.

By geography, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA. North America will have the largest market share growth during the forecast period.

Learn more about the contribution of each segment. Download a Free Sample Report

Automotive Diecast Scale Model Market 2021-2025: Drivers and Challenges

The expected high resale value driving collection of diecast scale models is driving growth in the automotive diecast scale model market. The resale value of a diecast scale model becomes high with accrued appreciation cost from the base price of the model if its exclusivity and demand increase.

Consumer-specific cost challenges will hinder the automotive diecast scale model market. The resale value of a diecast scale model is determined by adding the accrued appreciation cost to the base price. The prices go up in proportion to the rise in rarity, exclusivity, base price, or collectible status of a particular model.

Automotive Diecast Scale Model Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the automotive diecast scale model market, including Amalgam Collection, Bburago International Inc., Exoto Inc., Hamleys of London Ltd., Hornby Hobbies Ltd., Jada Toys Inc., KYOSHO Corp., Maisto International Inc., Mattel Inc., and NOREV among others.

Subscribe to our "Lite Plan" billed annually at USD 3000 that enables to download 3 reports/year and view 3 reports/month.

Automotive Diecast Scale Model Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist automotive diecast scale model market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the automotive diecast scale model market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the automotive diecast scale model market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automotive diecast scale model market vendors

Related Reports:

Model Kits for Hobbyists Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Construction Toys Market by Distribution Channel and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Automotive Diecast Scale Model Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 1.19 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 5.36 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution North America at 35% Key consumer countries US, Germany, UK, Italy, and China Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Amalgam Collection, Bburago International Inc., Exoto Inc., Hamleys of London Ltd., Hornby Hobbies Ltd., Jada Toys Inc., KYOSHO Corp., Maisto International Inc., Mattel Inc., and NOREV Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Application

Market segments

Comparison by Application

Cars - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Bikes - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Application

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End user

Collectors - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Non-collectors - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by End user

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Amalgam Collection

Bburago International Inc.

Exoto Inc.

Hamleys of London Ltd.

Hornby Hobbies Ltd.

Jada Toys Inc.

KYOSHO Corp.

Maisto International Inc.

Mattel Inc.

NOREV

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
RIYADH, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Three tech firms from Saudi Arabia and China on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of innovative space technologies, satellites, artificial intelligence (AI) and geospatial products.

The three companies, TAQNIA ETS and TAQNIA SPACE from Saudi Arabia and STAR.VISION from China, agree to engage in collaborative research and development to introduce localized innovative services and products that will support the strategic space and geospatial industry in Saudi Arabia and the region.

As the leading geospatial company in Saudi Arabia, TAQNIA ETS was keen to sign the MoU and to collaborate with STAR.VISION to utilize AI in producing high resolution and accuracy geospatial products that are compatible with the unique topographic and geographic features of Saudi Arabia, said Abdulaziz S. Al-Farraj, CEO of TAQNIA ETS.

Fan Lianghua, co-founder of STAR.VISION, said his company "looks forward to bringing its expertise in the space sector and AI applications to Saudi Arabia, and enable the young Saudi talents in these fields."

The signing took place on the last day of the World Defense Show in Riyadh that commenced on Sunday.

Founded by Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries, the event showcases the latest technological developments around the world and provides a platform for networking, collaboration, knowledge-sharing and discovery of new innovations.

Eight Chinese companies -- China Aerospace Long March International Trading Co. (ALIT), China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation, China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd (CSTC), China North Industries Corp. (NORINCO), CETC International Co., Ltd, ELINC China Co., Ltd (ELINC), and Poly Technologies Inc. -- joined the exhibition. 
Ayrton Senna remains a legend to drivers and fans past and present. For three-time F1 World Champion Niki Lauda, Senna was simply "the best driver who ever lived." Lewis Hamilton, who credits Senna as his childhood idol, unveiled a special tribute helmet to Senna at last year's Brazilian Grand Prix.

Senna remains arguably unsurpassed in driving ability, but was known as much for his character as he was for his driving. He famously saved the life of French driver Erik Comas at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix. With Comas' engine screaming and close to explosion, Senna stopped and sprinted over to the Frenchman's car, shut off the engine so it wouldn't catch fire, then held his head to stabilise his neck until the paramedics could arrive. Comas, who sits on the Senna Foundation, stated: "I have no doubt that Ayrton Senna saved my life. He was an extraordinary person as well as a brilliant driver. Ayrton's legacy and reputation remains completely unique."

This reputation has understandably made the cars in which Senna drove some of the most valuable and highly sought-after sporting and engineering artefacts in the world. The deal underscores users' continued confidence in Himalaya Exchange and reflects how cryptocurrency is making its way into the mainstream of society and motorsports.

Zak Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, stated: "There are few vehicles in motorsports more iconic than Ayrton Senna's McLaren 1989 MP4/5 F1 car. Not only is it a beautiful piece of engineering, but represents a special chapter in the history of motorsports. To witness a transaction like this take place through the Himalaya Exchange reflects the constant pace of innovation that is a hallmark of the motorsport industry, both in the past and into the future."

Many businesses and individuals are now capitalising on the opportunities that well-managed cryptocurrency exchanges such as the Himalaya Group - which is registered as the Digital Currency Exchange Provider in Australia and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the United States - offer for transferring digital assets efficiently and securely.

Jesse Brown, CEO of Himalaya Exchange, said: "This symbolic transaction is a huge vote of confidence in the newly launched Himalaya Pay platform, but should also be a source of excitement for anyone interested in cryptocurrencies and their potential to offer secure and frictionless finance for all."

The deal comes as the first version of Himalaya Pay was recently launched on the Apple Store and Google Play store. Himalaya Pay V1.0 is an innovative digital gift card system for merchants and members in permitted countries.

The second version, V2.0, is in development and will be a next generation payment system. The platform will feature the ability to make instant cryptocurrency transfers around the world, automate payment schedules and offer the ability to shop with exclusive retailers with all types of cryptocurrencies.

William Je, the Founder and CEO of Hamilton Investment Management Ltd  a global fund manager with multi-billion assets under management  said: "Cryptocurrencies are evolving, and the future of cryptocurrency will belong to those platforms that can be used by anyone, at any time. People are looking for alternatives to the fiat system which they can trust. For F1 fans, Ayrton Senna's 1989 MP4/5 car is the encapsulation of elegance and performance. At its best, that's what cryptocurrency can represent too. Put simply, cryptocurrencies are a new asset class that no institutional investors or governments can any longer afford to ignore."

Himalaya is the first and only crypto platform to operate a fully integrated crypto ecosystem. It is unique for integrating a cryptocurrency exchange with a native trading coin (Himalaya Coin "HCN"), a stable coin (Himalaya Dollar "HDO") and a recently launched payment application (Himalaya Pay) across a single platform. The company's ultimate mission is to create a world where people have control over their money, data and destinies, empowering the individual with true financial freedom.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764314/Himalaya_Exchange_Ayrton_Senna_1989_McLaren.jpg

SOURCE Himalaya Exchange
MIAMI, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BCA IT, Inc., Miami, FL has received the highest level of recognition for an MSP that consistently follows security best practices, as validated by an independent, third-party review of their overall security posture. BCA is one of only four companies in the entire State of Florida and the only one in South Florida that has received this CompTIA Security Trustmark+.

CompTIA Security TrustMark+ BCA IT, Inc.

CompTIA is the voice of the world's information technology (IT) industry. CompTIA's Security Trustmark+ is a business-level credential based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and developed with the support of technology companies that are leading the IT security industry. This credential is designed to recognize, qualify, and differentiate IT service organizations that provide exceptional data and network protection services. These organizations demonstrate a commitment to industry recognized security standards and adhere to prescribed compliance measures of policies, procedures, and operations in place to identify, detect, protect, respond to, and recover from security incidents.

BCA has undergone an extensive third-party audit including an examination of its methodologies and management policies and has received the CompTIA's Security Trustmark+ as the highest ethical business security standards. CompTIA has recognized BCA as a solution provider that consistently follows security best practices. This Security Trustmark+ authenticates their ability to prevent data breaches and IT security intrusions in their clients' networks and systems, as well as in their own business.

"After a rigorous audit of BCA by IT industry experts, we are so proud to receive this recognition and certification that actually validates our security standards and measures. CompTIA's Security Trustmark+ positions our company as a leader with proven best practices. We now have tangible proof that we are indeed dedicated, knowledgeable, and experienced in providing the highest-quality cybersecurity services to our clients," said Kenneth Henao, President of BCA IT, Inc.

The Security Trustmark+ Directory is available on CompTIA's website.

About BCA

BCA IT, Inc. is a Managed Services Provider that provides managed IT services in Miami, FL and Orlando, FL. With over 30 years in the IT industry, BCA offers comprehensive IT network services and solutions that include managed IT, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. Within the last few years, there has been a peaked interest and high demand for advanced cybersecurity services for organizations due to a rise of persistent and sophisticated cyber-attacks. Companies are realizing how crucial it is to protect their business because the cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of protecting it. BCA provides consultation, proactive technology management, reactive support services, and network administration to ensure an effective and efficient IT infrastructure.

Contact

Kenneth Henao

[email protected]

305-716-1011

Related Links

https://www.bcainc.com

SOURCE BCA IT, Inc.
MUNICH and STOCKHOLM, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BMW Group, Qualcomm Technologies, and Arriver join forces to co-develop next generation of Automated Driving Systems. The cooperation combines BMW's current AD stack with Arriver's Vision Perception and NCAP Drive Policy products on Qualcomm Technologies' system-on-chip, with the goal of designing best-in-class Automated Driving functions spanning NCAP, Level 2 and Level 3.

BMW Group, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Arriver Software AB announced a long-term development cooperation for the development of Automated Driving technologies. The companies signed an agreement for a strategic cooperation, which will focus on joint development of next-generation AD technologies ranging from New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), Level 2 Advanced Driving Assistance Systems to Level 3 High Automated Driving functionalities. The co-development of software functions is based on the current BMW Automated Driving software stack first launched with the BMW iX in 2021, which will be further extended in the next generation through this cooperation. In November 2021 the companies announced that BMW's next generation Automated Driving System will be ported on the Snapdragon Ride Vision system-on-chip (SoC) including Arriver Computer Vision and the Snapdragon Ride Platform's compute SoC controllers managed by Snapdragon Car-to-Cloud Services platform.

The efforts will focus on creating a scalable platform for automated driving based on a common reference architecture, sensor-set specifications, and safety requirements with joint development, toolchain, and a data center for storage, reprocessing, and simulation. The cooperation will see more than 1,400 specialists working together in locations worldwide, including Germany, USA, Sweden, China, Romania, and the BMW AD Test Center in Czech Republic.

"This joint software development is an important milestone for the BMW Group with regards to our next generation Automated Driving platform. To enable sophisticated and safe functionalities in a vehicle you need state-of-the art software in all components of the digital value chain. This forms the backbone for intelligent driver assistance systems. The BMW Group is excited to further extend our partnership with global technology leaders Qualcomm Technologies and Arriver to include a long-lasting strategic co-development cooperation in order to continue delivering world-class driving experiences to our customers." says Nicolai Martin, Senior Vice President Driving Experience, BMW Group.

"We are proud of this long-term cooperation with the BMW Group and Arriver which focuses on co-development and deployment of Automated Driving systems from NCAP to Level 3 customer functionality in BMW upcoming series production vehicles," said Nakul Duggal, Senior Vice President and General Manager Automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Building on already commercialized stack components from BMW Group and Arriver, this cooperation will position us to extend BMW Automated Drive software to the Snapdragon Ride platform, and expand the accessibility of safer self-driving technologies to other automakers and Tier-1s in an open, flexible and scalable deployment framework. We believe Snapdragon Ride will create significant economies of scale and time-to-market benefits across the automotive industry with the launch of the automated driving software globally in BMW's series production vehicles, which have always been an exemplar of the highest quality, performance and safety standards in modern day automobiles."

"We are pleased that Arriver's Vision Perception and market proven NCAP features will be combined with the BMW Automated Driving software stack. Joining forces with Qualcomm Technologies and BMW Group Arriver's team will co-develop the next generation of open and scalable Drive Policy with world-class feature solutions and performance. This co-developed product will be offered to our customers globally. This cooperation is a key milestone for Arriver and a proof point of the rich competence of our teams through years of experience in ADAS & safety," said Giuseppe Rosso, President and Managing Director, Arriver.

The BMW Group, Qualcomm Technologies and Arriver are working closely together to establish and continuously develop an ecosystem for automated driving solutions but remain open to further partnerships.

Please address any queries to:

Press and public relations

Thomas Jonsson, EVP Communications & IR,

[email protected]

Telephone: +46 (0)8 527 762 27

Internet: www.arriver.com

Christophe Koenig,

Head of Communication of Digital and Driving Experience Communications

BMW Group Innovation, Design, Technology, Digital Car Communications

Telephone: +49-89-382-56097

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Claudine Ricanor,

Qualcomm Automotive Communications and Analyst Relations

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Telephone: 1.619.994.6543

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.qualcomm.com/news/media-center

E-mail: [email protected]

About Arriver

Arriver, a unit within Veoneer, is a software unit and brand focused on developing perception, fusion and drive policy software for the next generation cars. It builds on more than a decade of experience in Active Safety software development and delivers an open, scalable and flexible architecture solution running on Qualcomm Snapdragon Ride System on a Chip (SoC) platform. Snapdragon and Snapdragon Ride are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. Snapdragon and Snapdragon Ride are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or subsidiaries.

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world's leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries. In 2021, the BMW Group sold over 2.5 million passenger vehicles and more than 194,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2021 was  16.1 billion on revenues amounting to  111.2 billion. As of 31 December 2021, the BMW Group had a workforce of 118,909 employees. The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is the world's leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research, and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/arriver/r/bmw-group--qualcomm-and-arriver--to-form-long-lasting-strategic-cooperation-for-joint-development-of,c3522494

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Arriver
WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS) today announced that David W. Dorman, Independent Chair of the Board of Directors (the "Board") of CVS Health, will retire at the end of his current term, effective with the annual meeting of stockholders to be held on May 11, 2022. The Board has unanimously selected Roger N. Farah to succeed Mr. Dorman as Independent Chair. Director Tony L. White will also retire from the Board, having reached the Board's mandatory retirement age.

"On behalf of the Board, our leadership team and our 300,000 CVS Health colleagues, I want to thank Dave for his contributions to CVS Health," said CVS Health President and CEO Karen S. Lynch. "His vision has helped drive the growth of our company, and we have all benefitted from his guidance and insight as we have advanced our strategy to reshape the consumer health care experience."

Dorman commented, "It has been a great honor to serve on the Board and as Chair of CVS Health. I am proud of everything that we have accomplished and the challenges we overcame in building the nation's leading health solutions company. I could not be more excited about what the future holds for CVS Health. Finally, I would like to thank all my fellow directors and all of our CVS Health colleagues for their support and partnership during my time on the Board and as Chair."

Mr. Dorman was appointed to the Board of Directors of CVS Health in March 2006 and has served as Chair since May 2011.

Farah added, "It has been a privilege to serve with Dave since I joined the Board in 2018. Looking forward, I am excited to partner with Karen as she leads CVS Health through this transformative period. No other company is better positioned to both impact health care at scale and drive profitable growth while enhancing shareholder value."

Lynch continued, "I have worked with Roger for nearly a decade and I look forward to working with him during what is truly an exciting time for CVS Health. Roger's experience and expertise will help guide us as we continue to execute our strategy and become an even bigger part of our customers' everyday health."

Tony L. White will also retire in May at the end of his current term and has been a director on the Board since 2011.

"Tony has been a highly valued member of the Board and we thank him for all his contributions to CVS Health," added Lynch. "His deep level of health care and life sciences expertise was critical to me and the Board as we navigated through the pandemic to lead the delivery of COVID-19 testing and vaccinations."

Following the retirements of Mr. Dorman and Mr. White, the size of the Board will be reduced to 11 directors.

Roger N. Farah

Roger Farah has served as a director of CVS Health since the closing of CVS Health's acquisition of Aetna Inc. in November 2018, and prior to that time had served on the Board of Directors of Aetna since 2007. Mr. Farah currently serves on the Management Planning and Development and the Medical Affairs Committees of the CVS Health Board. During his 40-plus year career in retailing, Mr. Farah has served in a number of leadership and senior executive positions at leading companies. Mr. Farah served as Chairman of the Board of Tiffany & Co., a retailer of jewelry and specialty products, until its sale to LVMH in January 2021. He served as Co-Chief Executive Officer and a director of Tory Burch from 2014 to 2017; and as President, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice Chairman and a director of Ralph Lauren Corporation between 2000 and 2014. Mr. Farah has also served as a director and/or in executive positions with Venator Group, Inc. (now Foot Locker, Inc.), R.H. Macy & Co., Inc., Federated Merchandising Services, the central buying and product development arm of Federated Department Stores, Inc., Rich's/Goldsmith's Department Stores, and Saks Fifth Avenue, Inc. He was a director of Metro Bank PLC, a London-based financial services company, until his retirement from that board in March 2020, and he currently serves as a director of The Progressive Corporation, an auto and home insurance company.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and approximately 300,000 dedicated colleagues including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health whether that's managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications, or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system and their personal health care by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Learn more at www.cvshealth.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of CVS Health Corporation. By their nature, all forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and/or quantify. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to the risks and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the potential emergence of additional variants, vaccine and testing protocols, government testing initiatives, the geographies impacted by and the severity and duration of the pandemic, the pandemic's impact on the U.S. and global economies and consumer behavior and health care utilization patterns, and the timing, scope and impact of stimulus legislation and other federal, state and local governmental responses to the pandemic, as well as the risks and uncertainties described in our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section and under the heading "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Current Reports on Form 8-K.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on CVS Health's forward-looking statements. CVS Health's forward-looking statements are and will be based upon management's then-current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance, and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. CVS Health does not assume any duty to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, uncertainties or otherwise.

Media contact

T.J. Crawford

212-457-0583

[email protected]

Investor contact

Susie Lisa, CFA

401-770-4050

[email protected]

SOURCE CVS Health
CHATSWORTH, Calif., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DDN, the global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and multicloud data management solutions, and Aspen Systems, the premier manufacturer of HPC products, have partnered to deliver custom AI and HPC solutions that enable data-intensive organizations to generate more value and lower times for analyzing data, on premise and in the cloud. As datasets continue to dynamically grow in size, organizations require personalized high-performance computing (HPC) solutions that are quick to deploy and easy to use to successfully facilitate complex projects and generate faster time to results.

"Aspen Systems is passionate about the latest technologies that relate to our industry, and our clients value us for our precision craftsmanship and expert support," said Mako Furukawa, senior sales engineer, Aspen Systems, Inc. "The need to provide high-speed parallel storage to our customers drove the partnership with DDN over a decade ago. DDN is an excellent partner for us because of their technical knowledge, ongoing customer preference for their solutions as well as their depth of understanding customers' complex requirements."

DDN and Aspen Systems serve a breadth of organizations that conduct various forms of computational science research, including government agencies, higher education, aerospace, and automotive to pharmacology, psychology and biology. Each customers' needs are greatly varied and have specific requirements to fulfill in their architectural design. Aspen Systems' top engineers have over 100 years of combined experience in the direct HPC cluster marketspace. Together with DDN, they are able to work directly with customers to provide cost optimization and utilization from the cluster to meet the needs of their workload requirements.

This industry-leading expertise may be one of the reasons why Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) recently selected DDN and Aspen Systems solutions to fuel its Coastal Observations, Mechanisms, and Predictions Across Systems and Scales (COMPASS) project. The project comprises of a field study and a coastal modeling study and will help dramatically enhance the predictive understanding of coastal systems, including their response to short-term and long-term changes.

"Aspen Systems has the knowledge base to design a custom HPC solution around unique computing requirements, and DDN has the expertise to help customers manage at scale data better, faster and safer, today and in the future," said Jeff Jordan, vice president of federal sales, DDN. "Together, our goal is to provide our customers a premium end-to-end solution with the best performance for any application that allows customers to concentrate on what's most important, their research."

DDN's broad Intelligent Infrastructure solution portfolio including its A3I solutions, EXAScaler parallel filesystems, and Storage Fusion Architecture (SFA) appliances, ensure that Aspen Systems can meet the requirements of the most demanding projects by allowing data to be stored as efficiently as possible. No matter the size or complexity of the workload, DDN's solutions are meant to scale to meet any organizations' needs.

Supporting Resources

About Aspen Systems, Inc.

Aspen Systems, Inc., is a privately held company located in Wheat Ridge, CO. They are the premier manufacturer of High-Performance Computing (HPC) products specializing in supercomputers, technical storage solutions and low latency high-speed networking. Aspen is a single purpose company focused on HPC technology, with trusted partnerships with NASA, Lockheed Martin, NREL, the Department of Defense, National Laboratories, as well as top universities and research firms. Aspen Systems has proudly supported our clients for over 40 years, and previously built the 8th fastest computer on the top 500 list. Visit https://www.aspsys.com.

About DDN

DDN is the world's largest private data storage company and the leading provider of intelligent technology and infrastructure solutions for Enterprise At Scale, AI and analytics, HPC, government, and academia customers. Through its DDN and Tintri divisions, the company delivers AI, Data Management software and hardware solutions, and unified analytics frameworks to solve complex business challenges for data-intensive, global organizations. DDN provides its enterprise customers with the most flexible, efficient and reliable data storage solutions for on-premises and multi-cloud environments at any scale. Over the last two decades, DDN has established itself as the data management provider of choice for over 11,000 enterprises, government, and public-sector customers, including many of the world's leading financial services firms, life science organizations, manufacturing and energy companies, research facilities, and web and cloud service providers.

Contact:

Press Relations at DDN

[email protected]

Walt & Company, on behalf of DDN

Sharon Sumrit, 408.369.7200 x2981

[email protected]

2022 All rights reserved. A3I, DDN, EXAScaler and SFA are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by DataDirect Networks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE DataDirect Networks (DDN)
DALLAS, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After years of legislative advocacy and negotiation on Capitol Hill, Civitas Capital Group is proud to announce that the long-anticipated EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 has been included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 ("Appropriations Act"), the omnibus legislation to fund federal government operations. The Appropriations Act renews the EB-5 program for five years and contains integrity measures to increase transparency and protect our current and future clients.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the Appropriations Act late last night, and the U.S. Senate will approve the legislation before Friday, March 11th, for signature by President Biden. Civitas is grateful for the bipartisan work on Capitol Hill to reauthorize EB-5 and would like to celebrate the hard work of our home state Senator John Cornyn to renew this important tool for both rural and urban economic development. As we continue to recover from the pandemic, EB-5 will benefit the U.S. economy by creating American jobs and welcoming immigrant investors to the American dream.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elemental Machines , a provider of universal laboratory operations and asset management technology for research, clinical, and testing labs around the world, has expanded its footprint into the United Kingdom and European Union.

New dedicated customer support teams will serve LabOps leaders championing groundbreaking discoveries throughout France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Sweden, Great Britain, Ireland, and more.

Leading Elemental's EU support team is Constantin Fahom, based in Moessingen, Germany. Originally from Cameroon, Constantin studied biochemistry and has been active in life sciences for more than 12 years. He fluently speaks German, English, and French and has traveled to 56 countries on all seven continents.

Heading the UK support team is Christopher Austin, based in East Grinstead, England. Deeply experienced in cutting-edge solutions for chemistry research, analytical applications, and biotech companies, Chris brings a wealth of customer-facing experience to the Elemental team.

Elemental Machines' new territories will have access to all the cutting-edge solutions America's LabOps leaders have grown to love, including turnkey lab-wide data management , Smart Alerts , Elemental Calendar , brand-agnostic utilization insights , and more.

Rob Pemberton, Elemental Machines' Chief Commercial Officer, hailed the growth as a win for the LabOps community: "Our new European presence reflects what our customers are experiencing: the LabOps movement is growing  and Elemental Machines is championing the movement by serving its heros."

To learn more, visit www.elementalmachines.com

About Elemental Machines

Elemental Machines is the trusted data collection and reporting technology supplier to researchers and clinicians around the world. The Cambridge-based company equips labs with universal cloud-based dashboards and turnkey sensors that unite data from every asset, every metric, and every location, enabling universal collection, seamless sharing, and turnkey reporting.

SOURCE Elemental Machines
CHICAGO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Envista Forensics, a global forensic consulting firm, has announced its new Construction Practice Leader, Donna Friis, PE, former Principal Consultant on Envista's Construction team.

"Donna is a highly respected construction defect expert within the industry and has demonstrated that she's a thought leader as well, authoring and presenting on hot topics and emerging trends impacting the industry," shares Terence Kadlec, Director, Specialty Practices, Envista Forensics. "I firmly believe that Donna embodies the technical acumen and interpersonal qualities that will elevate Envista's construction practice to best serve our clients, colleagues, and the industry as a whole."

Friis, who has been in the engineering and construction industry for over 24 years, will continue to practice as an expert on construction, construction defect, and builders risk claims and litigation. She will also manage the group's matters, provide mentorship and technical oversight internally, and will continue to be a thought leader externally educating industry professionals on past, current, and emerging trends.

"I am honored to be given this opportunity to take the reins of Envista's Construction Practice and am excited to collaborate with Envista's experts coast-to-coast and internationally as we engage on larger, more complex projects," said Ms. Friis. "I am also excited to work more closely with our clients that entrust us to provide industry-leading expertise on all things construction related."

Additionally, Friis was nominated for the 2022 National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Women in Construction Award and recently won Technical Contributor of the Year by ASCE East Central Branch.

NAWIC, the leading association for women in construction since 1953, is a network for women working in a male-dominated field. Based out of Fort Worth, NAWIC has over 115 chapters throughout the US that provides opportunities for professional development, education, networking, leadership training, public service, and more.

Donna Friis can be reached at [email protected] or (407) 630-2127.

About Envista Forensics

Envista Forensics is a global leader in forensic consulting services. We provide failure analysis, fire and explosion investigations, digital forensics, accident reconstruction, building and construction consulting, geotechnical engineering, damage evaluations, and equipment restoration services following disasters of all kinds.

Envista has served the insurance, legal, and risk management industries for more than 30 years. Our experts travel globally to more than 30 offices located across North America, LATAM, Europe, Singapore, and Australia. Visit our website at www.envistaforensics.com for more information.

Jennifer Gaster

Chief Marketing Officer

Envista Forensics

[email protected]

224.406.9809

SOURCE Envista Forensics
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1. Asset Recovery Services - Forecast and Analysis: The asset recovery services will grow at a CAGR of 9.49% during 2021-2025. Asia Asset Recovery Pte Ltd., TES-Amm Singapore Pte Ltd., and Iron Mountain Inc. are among the prominent suppliers in asset recovery services market. Click the above link to download the free sample of this report.

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3. Celebrity Talent Management Services - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their celebrity talent management services requirements. Click the above link to download the free sample of this report.

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contact

SpendEdge

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Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

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SOURCE SpendEdge
Held under the "Widening the Pool: Harnessing Women's Talents and Abilities for the Fourth Industrial Revolution" theme, the events brought together top European and GCC leaders and experts to share best policy practices and inspire action to bridge the gender gap and enable a more meaningful role for women and girls in the post-pandemic economic recovery.

Speaking ahead of the opening ceremony, H.E. Andrea Matteo Fontana, EU Ambassador to the UAE and EU Commissioner General for Expo 2020 Dubai, said: "Gender inequality is not an issue that can be addressed on its own. If we are to make meaningful headway to reduce the gender gap, we should mainstream gender across policy actions and integrate a gender-perspective into everything we do to promote equality and tackle gender-based discrimination in all walks of life."

In her opening remarks, H.E. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, UAE Minister of State for Government, Development, and the Future stressed the importance of building alliances to support women in governments globally and emphasized the crucial role of female government leaders in inspiring and motivating the new generation of women to actively embrace the government work. Her Excellency stated that International Women's Day is an important occasion to celebrate women and their achievements around the world and to reflect on what needs have to be done to embrace women's empowerment. Al Roumi noted that female government leaders have a huge responsibility to inspire the new generation of women in governments, support young women, build their capacities, and invest in their talents to contribute to government development. Her Excellency further added that the World Government Summit, to be held later this month, is a platform for empowering women and promoting their roles in the government. The 8th edition of the Summit will host the Women in Government Leadership Platform aiming to improve the inclusivity of women at all levels of government leadership.

In his closing remarks, H.E. Xavier Chatel, Ambassador of France to the UAE, said: "France is making gender equality a priority, which we strongly promote in all international fora. Women and girls are more affected than men by poverty, conflicts  or even climate change. This is why France is committed to ensuring that by 2025, 75% of our projects financed by French public aid agencies will promote gender equality. Together we must continue our efforts to achieve gender equality."

Speaking on women's participation in institutions and culture, H.E. Paolo Glisenti, Commissioner General of Italy for Expo 2020 Dubai, said: "Italy at Expo 2020 Dubai intends to contribute to the bridging of gender gap by promoting an active global policy-making approach inspired by the importance of women in justice, in diplomacy, in science and women in culture to make sustainability and resilience a possible goal. The Expo has shown how women's leadership, vision and empowerment are fundamental for a future of growth, peace and innovation."

Other speakers included: H.E. Elisabeth Moreno, French Minister in charge of Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities; H.E. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, UAE Minister of State for Government; Development and the Future, H.E. Marta Cartabia, Italian Minister of Justice; H.E. Elena Bonetti, Italian Minister for Family and Equal Opportunities and H.E. Sheikha Hala Mohammed Al Khalifa, Director of Culture and Arts Directorate at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Bahrain.

In addition to these panel discussions, the European Union joined forces with the Women's Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier at Expo 2020 for a timely session on women and climate, calling for gender-responsible solutions in the fight against climate change. Many senior EU leaders also expressed their support to the "Break the Bias" pledge with three of the European Commission Vice Presidents contributing to the Letter to the Future Generation Initiative. The European Union also participated to UN Women SDG5 Summit that took place on 9 March 2022.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764120/European_Delegation_UAE_1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764119/European_Delegation_UAE_2.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1661792/Expo_2020_Logo.jpg

SOURCE The European Delegation to the UAE
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

SEOUL, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power.

Yoon garnered a 48.56-percent support in the election held on Wednesday, defeating his liberal rival by a narrow margin, according to the final results released by the National Election Commission on Thursday.

Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party gained 47.83 percent, and Sim Sang-jung of the progressive Justice Party won 2.37 percent of the votes.

Yoon celebrated with jubilant party officials at the National Assembly building, saying in an aired speech that it was a victory of the great people.

The president-elect expressed thanks to his rivals, Lee and Sim who competed with him to the end, saying that the whole country should work together and be united as the competition ended.

Yoon's election indicated a strong aspiration among his supporters for the transfer of power from the current liberal Moon Jae-in government to the conservative bloc.

"On March 9, 2022, I'll make the transfer of power a reality and my new government will create changes," Yoon said in his New Year's message earlier this year.

Yoon pledged to realize sustainable peace and safety on the Korean Peninsula through a complete, verifiable denuclearization of the peninsula.

He vowed to come up with all possible measures to resume the stalled denuclearization talks on the peninsula in cooperation with the United States.

Yoon said he will rebuild the South Korea-U.S. alliance and strengthen the comprehensive strategic alliance between Seoul and Washington, vowing to actively push for the economic security diplomacy.

He also pledged to build the South Korea-China relationship based on mutual respect while expanding the future horizon of the South Korea-Russia relations.

To boost economic growth, Yoon is expected to take a market liberalistic policy as he is opposed to the government's economic intervention based on his firm belief in economic liberalism.

"I'll firmly safeguard the constitutional values of liberal democracy and market economy," Yoon said at a forum in November 2021, vowing to listen attentively to the voice of experts and the market.

The two other major candidates in the election conceded defeat to Yoon when the votes counting was almost completed amid a neck-and-neck race between Yoon and Lee.

Lee of the Democratic Party said in a televised address that it was neither the failure of people nor that of the governing party, laying all the blame on himself.

Lee offered his congratulations to Yoon, hoping that the new president would open a new era of unity and harmony in South Korea.

Sim said in a televised speech that she humbly accepted her poor score in the election as it was the assessment of herself and her party, expressing gratitude to her supporters despite the tight race between the two biggest political parties.

Yoon is scheduled to be sworn in as the South Korean president on May 10.

The final turnout was 77.1 percent, or 34,071,400 voters among the electorate of 44,197,692 people. It was slightly lower than the previous election's 77.2 percent in 2017.

An early voting, which was adopted in 2013 and first applied to the 2014 local election in the Asian country, was held from March 4 to 5.

The early voting rate hit a record high of 36.93 percent, topping the previous presidential election's 26.06 percent. 

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly Library in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won a narrow victory in the South Korean presidential election amid people's aspiration for transfer of power. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The family of Brianna Maglio, the sole survivor of the July, 2021 head-on crash in Quogue that left five dead, has filed a complaint against the County of Suffolk, the Incorporated Village of Quogue, Police Officer Gennaro Descalo, Uber and the owners and operators of the two vehicles involved seeking unspecified damages.

Attorneys, Jerrold S. Parker and Brett A. Zekowski, partners in the law firm Parker Waichman LLP, filed a complaint on behalf of 25-year-old neonatal intensive care nurse, Brianna Maglio, the sole survivor of a devasting crash that killed her boyfriend, Ryan Kiess and brothers James Patrick Farrell, Jr. and Michael O'Brien Farrell, when the group of friends were in an Uber vehicle heading out for a night of dancing in the Hamptons. The Uber was struck head on by another vehicle on Montauk Highway, just west of Quogue Street, in Quogue, New York. Uber driver Farhan Zahid, 32, and Justin Mendez, the driver of the other vehicle, also died in the crash.

According to police records, the fatal crash took place at 11:19 p.m. on July 24, 2021 when a red Nissan Maxima, driven by Mendez, who was alone in the vehicle, was heading west on Montauk Highway when the Maxima left its lane of travel at the area of a known dangerous curve and crashed head-on with the Uber Prius, which was traveling eastbound on Montauk Highway and in which Brianna Maglio was one of four passengers.

The complaint alleges, among other things, that Brianna Maglio's devastating injuries were due to the negligence, carelessness, recklessness and gross negligence of the Incorporated Village of Quogue, Police officer Gennaro Descalo, the Quogue Police Department, the County of Suffolk in owning, operating, designing, creating, controlling and/or maintaining the aforesaid roadway; in failing to timely install traffic-calming devices, measures and/or technology for east and westbound traffic that would control the speed of vehicles before and at that known dangerous curve. Additionally, the complaint against the Village of Quogue and Police officer Gennaro Descalo acted in a reckless disregard for the safety of others by conducting a high-speed chase of the Mendez vehicle that went head-on into the vehicle in which Brianna Maglio was a passenger, in that the chase was at the point in the road where there was a known, very dangerous, very sharp curve. Damages are being sought for Brianna. Maglio's personal injuries, together with her pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, loss of income and medical expenses as well as other damages.

"Based on our experience in litigating thousands of automobile accidents in New York, we know that roads must be designed and maintained, to deal with real-life situations," said Jerrold S. Parker. "Furthermore, police officers have a duty to act responsibly and not with a reckless disregard for the safety of the public. Our investigation has revealed that this was not the case as to the roadway and the police actions."

Brett A. Zekowski added "not only were the drivers of the vehicles to blame for her injuries, but so was the roadway itself." That investigation, Zekowski stated, was ongoing. "There are professionals which study the mechanisms which cause motor vehicle crashes and roadway design including measures that should be undertaken to ensure vehicles travel at safe speeds especially where roadways have known dangerous curves and these are the very people we are consulting as this case develops. This is critical to ensure that roads are safe for travel now and in the future so incidents like this do not happen again." he added.

For further information, please contact: Brett Zekowski

Parker Waichman LLP

6 Harbor Park Drive

Port Washington, New York 11050

(516) 466-6500

[email protected]

http://www.yourlawyer.com

SOURCE Parker Waichman LLP
Investment made possible by Canadian Industrial and Technological Benefits Program

OTTAWA, ON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Gastops Ltd. today announced that it has received an investment from Raytheon Intelligence & Space under Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) program. The funding will support a multi-year research and development collaboration with Pratt & Whitney to develop the next generation of critical equipment intelligence solutions for commercial and military aircraft engines.

Both Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon Intelligence & Space are businesses of Raytheon Technologies.

Gastops has been enabling Pratt & Whitney's advanced diagnostics and engine monitoring solutions with MetalSCAN online Oil Debris Monitors (ODM) since their introduction to the F119 engine, which powers the F-22 Raptor, in the early 1990's. MetalSCAN technology has been included in major Pratt & Whitney engine developments including the F135 for the F-35 Lightning II and the GTF commercial engine family. This investment will fund the development of an advanced version of the ODM with increased sensitivity and reliability.

For Gastops' Adam Oszmian, Product Manager for MetalSCAN, this collaboration will revolutionize oil debris monitoring technology. Adam articulates, "We are eager to continue our partnership and to advance oil debris monitoring of critical oil wetted components. This investment in ODM will result in a significant improvement in prognostic health monitoring that will enable maintenance planning as well as reduce the through life maintenance costs of an engine, gearbox or transmission."

The collaboration will also drive advancement in Gastops' revolutionary ChipCHECK product line for portable debris analysis. Already deployed by airlines, maintainers, and military operators worldwide to reduce engine maintenance turnaround time, the instrument will be validated for inclusion in Pratt & Whitney engine maintenance programs.

Additionally, an advanced version of ChipCHECK will be developed with increased performance to provide analysis capabilities currently dependent on laboratory-based systems.

Says Stephane Daviault - Gastops Product Manager, "We are very excited to be jointly working with Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon Intelligence & Space to incorporate the ChipCHECK product line into the maintenance practice for operators of the PW2000, PW4000, V2500 and the GTF engines. ChipCHECK adds significant benefits by providing key decision-making data when and where you need it! The new version will be a major advancement in portable debris analyzer platforms that will enable Gastops to address the future prognostic needs of our customers."

"Pratt & Whitney has deep roots in Canada with more than 6,000 employees across seven facilities and a long history of collaboration with the Canadian aerospace industry on our commercial and military products," said Lisa Finklestein, Director, International Customer Solutions for Pratt & Whitney. "We look forward to working with the Gastops team on these projects to continue advancing engine diagnostic and health monitoring capabilities for multiple product applications."

"This program is the continuation of our long-standing partnership with Pratt & Whitney," says Shaun Horning, President & CEO of Gastops. "Through our successful support of multiple commercial and military engine programs with our MetalSCAN technology, we will be expanding our current product offering with Pratt & Whitney to include our at-line quantitative debris analysis offering, ChipCHECK. All projects will be completed over the next four years and will result in the expansion of our Engineering and Research technical teams. This ITB program represents a great opportunity for us to advance our technology and contribute to the future of the aerospace market."

About Gastops

Gastops is the world's leading provider of intelligent condition monitoring solutions used in Aerospace, Defence, Energy, and Industrial applications to optimize the availability, performance, and safety of critical assets. We offer peace of mind to our customers with innovative online monitoring sensors, at-line analysis, complex modeling and simulation, world class laboratory testing, engineering, design, and MRO services that predict performance to enable proactive operating decisions. Gastops has been providing powerful insights into the condition of critical equipment since 1979.

www.gastops.com

Media Contact:

Ruth Kearnan

[email protected]

+1 (613) 744-3530

SOURCE Gastops
"I took him to work with me like I often do," explained Jenkins, who lives in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. "The other guys really miss him when I don't bring him with me. That day we had a coolant line rupture, and a puddle had formed. It appeared that Duke had cruised right over the top of it, but I wasn't sure if he had ingested any of the liquid."

"They told me that 2-3 tablespoons of the coolant would be enough to cause death in a dog his size," said Nolan Jenkins."

Jenkins was working three hours outside of town, so when he got home, he called Pet Poison Helpline as a precaution. That's when the math started.

"One of the first things our toxicology experts do in a case like Duke's is to determine how much of the potential toxin would need to be ingested to be considered a lethal concern based on the type and size of pet we're evaluating," said Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist at Pet Poison Helpline. "Fortunately, Mr. Jenkins knew exactly what type of coolant Duke had encountered and we were able to calculate the amount he would have to ingest for it to be dangerous. With this coolant, the minimum lethal dose is a very small amount."

"They told me that 2-3 tablespoons of the coolant would be enough to cause death in a dog his size," said Jenkins. "Since I didn't know how much, if any, he had ingested, the experts at Pet Poison Helpline recommended I take him in for analysis and possible treatment."

Industrial coolant, like consumer vehicle anti-freeze, contains ethylene glycol, which if ingested can cause gastrointestinal upset, renal failure, central nervous system damage and potentially death. Clinical signs are often seen as early as 30 minutes after ingestion but can be delayed for up to 12 hours. Early and aggressive treatment is necessary to prevent the fatal effects of ethylene glycol. Once at Animal Medical Centre North, the veterinary team performed blood work which assessed Duke's serum osmolality. Animals with ethylene glycol poisoning will have an elevated serum osmolality, but fortunately Duke's results were within the normal range. They also performed a urinalysis to determine if calcium oxalate crystals were present, a clinical sign consistent with ethylene glycol poisoning that often indicates a poor prognosis.

"Typically, a patient who ingests ethylene glycol will have a significant increase in serum osmolality within an hour post ingestion," said Dr. Schmid. "Since Duke's serum osmolality was within the normal reference range, and there was a lack of calcium oxalate crystals seen in the urinalysis, it was unlikely that Duke ingested a lethal amount of the coolant. The hospital team determined no immediate treatment was necessary and they sent him home for further monitoring."

"Duke was lucky," added Dr. Schmid. "If he had ingested an amount of concern, the outcome could have been very different. Mr. Jenkins did the right thing for his peace of mind and Duke's health by calling us, and then following up with his local veterinary hospital."

Each call received by the veterinary professionals at Pet Poison Helpline is assigned a unique case number. Duke's case number, 3141592, just happens to match the mathematical number of pi.

"Since National Pi Day is March 14, and our experts relied heavily on math to determine his risk of concern, we thought it was appropriate to highlight Duke as our March Toxin Tails case," added Dr. Schmid.

Pet Poison Helpline created Toxin Tails to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered.

About Pet Poison Helpline

Pet Poison Helpline, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for poisoning cases of all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $75 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Contact: Dr. Renee Schmid

Pet Poison Helpline

(952) 806-3803

[email protected]

SOURCE Pet Poison Helpline
Global competitiveness and key competitor percentage market shares

Market presence across multiple geographies - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial

Online interactive peer-to-peer collaborative bespoke updates

Access to our digital archives and MarketGlass Research Platform

Complimentary updates for one year

Edition: 8; Released: February 2022

Executive Pool: 5202

Companies: 25 - Players covered include Abbott Laboratories; Arterius Limited; BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG; Boston Scientific Corporation; Elixir Medical Corp.; Kyoto Medical Planning Co., Ltd.; LEPU MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.; Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.; REVA Medical, Inc. and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Material (Polymer-based, Metal-based); Application (Coronary Artery Disease/CAD, Peripheral Artery Disease/PAD); End-Use (Hospitals, Cardiovascular Centers)

Geographies: World; Europe; Asia-Pacific; Rest of World.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-

Global Bioresorbable Stents Market to Reach $618.8 Million by 2026

Bioresorbable stents represent the latest innovation in angioplasty, the medical procedure wherein a round, tubular, metallic stent is inserted into a clogged artery to open it up and enhance the flow of blood. Technological advancements, over the years, have led to the development of bioresorbable scaffolds made up of polyactides. Also referred to as dissolving stents, biodegradable stents or bioresorbable scaffolds, bioabsorbable stents without any permanent implant, gets resorbed in the body and eventually completely disappear from the body. Bioabsorbable stents have emerged as a successful alternative to the conventional metallic stents that remain permanently in the body, and often cause issues such as late-stent thrombosis, in-stent restenosis and needs antiplatelet therapy for long-term in some patients. Metallic stents may also impede with MRI and CT imaging, and also avert chances of coronary bypass graft surgery. Since, bioabsorbable stents completely dissolve and disappear from the blood vessel following 2 - 4 years of placement, the risks often associated with metallic or drug-eluting stents are also eliminated. As the stent disappears from the artery, the vessel returns to its natural state, resulting in the return of vasoconstriction and vasodilatation.

Growth in the global market is set to be fueled by increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases such as peripheral artery and coronary artery diseases, increasing elderly population, and fast increasing obese population. Additional growth factors include an increase in number of PCI procedures performed each year, more patients favoring minimally invasive therapies, higher adoption of these stents by patients and physicians alike, and greater number of clinical trials evaluating the use of bioabsorbable stents. The popularity of bioabsorbable stents is influenced by the elimination of the need to perform stent-in-stent procedures, elimination of the requirement for dual anti-platelet therapies, higher degree of effectiveness in treating coronary artery diseases, and the possibility of achieving accurate stent placement as well as cost-effectiveness of the treatment.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Bioresorbable Stents estimated at US$390.2 Million in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$618.8 Million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 11.8% over the analysis period. Polymer-based Bioresorbable Stents, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to reach US$499.5 Million by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Metal-based Bioresorbable Stents segment is readjusted to a revised 10% CAGR for the next 7-year period. Bioabsorbable polymer stents represent the largest segment as these stents are made using materials that get completely dissolved in the body, and hence find use in procedures with respect to both coronary artery and peripheral artery diseases. Metal-based bioresorbable scaffolds, such as magnesium and iron, are preferred over polymer-based biodegradable stents, due to their superior performance. Magnesium-based bioabsorbable stents minimize thrombogenicity and cause rapid endothelialization, and involve a lesser degradation period.

European Market is Estimated at $213.6 Million in 2022, While Asia-Pacific is Forecast to Reach $159.8 Million by 2026

Bioresorbable Stents market in Europe is estimated at US$213.6 Million in the year 2022. Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$159.8 Million by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 10.3% over the analysis period. Rest of World is forecast to grow at 11.1% over the analysis period. Europe represents the largest regional market and growth in the region is being spurred by higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, an aging population at risk of these diseases, greater awareness with regard to and increased adoption of bioabsorbable stents. The significant demand for technologically advanced treatments for cardiovascular problems boosts usage of bioresorbable stents. Growing awareness with respect to peripheral and coronary artery diseases and an increase in number of people with higher cholesterol levels, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, is helping the demand expand for bioabsorbable stents in Asia-Pacific region. More

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Global competitiveness and key competitor percentage market shares

Market presence across multiple geographies - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial

Online interactive peer-to-peer collaborative bespoke updates

Access to our digital archives and MarketGlass Research Platform

Complimentary updates for one year

Edition: 7; Released: February 2022

Executive Pool: 676

Companies: 271 - Players covered include Armstrong Flooring; Beaulieu International; Congoleum; Flowcrete; Forbo; Gerflor; Interface; James Halstead; Milliken & Company; Mohawk Industries; Shaw Industries; Tarkett; The Dixie Group; Toli Corporation; Victoria PLC and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Product Type (Non-Resilient Flooring, Resilient Flooring, Soft Coverings, Seamless Flooring); Application (Residential, Commercial, Industrial)

Geographies: World; United States; Canada; Japan; China; Europe (France; Germany; Italy; United Kingdom; Spain; Russia; and Rest of Europe); Asia-Pacific (Australia; India; South Korea; and Rest of Asia-Pacific); Latin America (Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; and Rest of Latin America); Middle East (Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Rest of Middle East); and Africa.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-



Global Flooring Market to Reach US$474.5 Billion by the Year 2026

Flooring offers a unique feeling to the consumers and is made from durable materials such as hardwood and ceramic which increases the demand for hardwood and ceramic flooring for residential purposes. The growing urban populace, rapid urbanization, rise in disposable income of consumers, and industrialization resulted in the flooring global market's positive growth. The increased focus on remodeling offered an added stimulus to the market of flooring, particularly sustainable floorings such as reclaimed wood which is growing as retailers are concentrating more on eco-friendly and biodegradable products. Sustainable flooring installations, too, assist in increment of building's LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design points. Increased investments in interior furnishings and architectural beauty to glamorize the houses and an upsurge in housing units are the factors propelling the flooring market growth. Technological advancements made the flooring materials water- and stain-resistant and with the assistance of technology, raw materials have been designed aesthetically with protection against harmful chemicals and increased temperatures. Advanced materials are being utilized as temperature and noise absorbers to augment user safety.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Flooring estimated at US$369.6 Billion in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$474.5 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6% over the analysis period. Non-Resilient Flooring, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 6.1% CAGR to reach US$303.4 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Resilient Flooring segment is readjusted to a revised 6.7% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 15.9% share of the global Flooring market. The non-resilient product segment dominates the flooring market and attributed to more than half of the global revenue share because of an increase in commercial and residential activities worldwide. The resilient segment has been expected to witness rapid growth because of the increased demand for resilient flooring in commercial applications. Resilient flooring is cost-efficient, durable, and perfect for heavy traffic commercial and residential areas due to the noise reduction and easy maintenance capabilities.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $48 Billion in 2022, While China is Forecast to Reach $90.6 Billion by 2026

The Flooring market in the U.S. is estimated at US$48 Billion in the year 2022. The country currently accounts for a 13.17% share in the global market. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$90.6 Billion in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 7.6% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 4% and 5.3% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 4.8% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$37.2 Billion by the end of the analysis period.

The Asia-Pacific (including China and Japan) dominates the global flooring market because of increased applications of flooring in industrial and commercial sectors. The reforms of the Indian government for the construction sector's development in India remarkably contributed to the regional flooring market growth. Programs such as Housing for All by the Indian government are estimated to encourage the demand for floorings. Flooring materials' growing demand in different end-use industries in China is estimated to propel the flooring market growth further. The North American region's flooring demand is estimated to increase with consumers' shifting preferences and demand for better designs and product variation. The firmly established construction sector in Canada and the US with growing demand for single-family homes is estimated to offer growth opportunities for the flooring market.

Soft Coverings Segment to Reach $59.2 Billion by 2026

Softs floors have many advantages like flexibility and comfort. Rugs and carpets are common options for soft floors. Carpeting offers wall to wall coverage while rugs are basically used to cover spaces. This kind of flooring is generally used in interior spaces and is suitable for both high and low traffic zones. In the global Soft Coverings segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 4.2% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$29.6 Billion will reach a projected size of US$40.2 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$11.3 Billion by the year 2026, while Latin America will expand at a 5.5% CAGR through the analysis period.

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NAPLES, Fla., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLynked Corp. (OTCQB: HLYK) will host a two-day global conference that explores promising anti-aging innovations, genomics and other medical breakthroughs that will impact patient care for years to come.

Open to the public, the second annual Future of Healthcare Summit will be held on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19 from 7pm-9pm at Arthrex One Conference Center, 1 Arthrex Way in Naples, Florida. The summit is intended to help patients take charge of their healthcare decisions, and features presentations and discussions by eight distinguished speakers across medical disciplines.

Two-day general admission tickets for the Future of Healthcare Summit start at $90; one-day tickets start at $50. Two-day reserved tables, which seat four, start at $540; one-day reserved tables start at $300. Food and drinks will be available.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit FutureOfHealthcareSummit.com.

SUMMIT ITINERARY

Friday, March 18

Dr. Michael Dent (Improving Healthcare with Artificial Intelligence)

(Improving Healthcare with Artificial Intelligence) Dr. Pam Hughes (Nutrition & Menopause: How What You Eat Impacts Your Health

(Nutrition & Menopause: How What You Eat Impacts Your Health Bob Gasparini (Using Genetics to Detect & Treat Lung Cancer)

(Using Genetics to Detect & Treat Lung Cancer) Ryan Kellar (Nanoscope: The Future of Noninvasive Orthopedics)

Saturday, March 19

Ryan Smith (How Fast Are You Really Aging? Genomics Has the Answer)

(How Fast Are You Really Aging? Genomics Has the Answer) Dr. Jonathan Jay (Innovations in Prostate Cancer Treatments)

(Innovations in Prostate Cancer Treatments) Dr. Randy Miller (Stem Cells and Their Ability to Heal the Body)

(Stem Cells and Their Ability to Heal the Body) Dr. Eduardo Maristany (Environmental Toxins: Unseen Dangers that are Impacting Your Health)

"The Future of Healthcare Summit is an event like no other  a chance to hear from healthcare experts and researchers on the latest healthcare trends and technologies that are here today and will impact us all in the next 10 years," said Dr. Michael Dent, CEO of HealthLynked. "The summit allows people a chance to learn from experts from around the world about the latest advances in healthcare technology and what the future may hold."

HealthLynked, a global healthcare network focused on care management of its members and a provider of healthcare technologies that connects doctors, patients and medical data, created the Future of Healthcare Summit to bring patients together with global thought leaders specializing in diverse healthcare disciplines. Speakers and attendees will explore advances, trends and new technology in medicine, including genomics, artificial intelligence, cancer diagnostics, gene editing, anti-aging and implant devices.

HealthLynked have offers several applications that improve healthcare for its patient members including: Its Healthcare Network, DocLynk Telemedicine platform, CareLynk patient scheduling service, Qwik Check application, CostLynk cost estimator, COVID-19 Tracker and Oohvie, a menstrual tracking application.

About HealthLynked Corp.

HealthLynked Corp. provides a solution for both patient members and providers to improve healthcare through the efficient exchange of medical information. The HealthLynked Network is a cloud-based platform that allows members to connect with their healthcare providers and take more control of their healthcare. Members enter their medical information, including medications, allergies, past surgeries, and personal health records, in one convenient online and secure location, free of charge. Participating healthcare providers can connect with their current, past and future patients through the system. Benefits to in-network providers include the ability to utilize the HealthLynked patent-pending patient access hub "PAH" for patient analytics. Other benefits for preferred providers include HLYK marketing tools to connect with their active and inactive patients to improve patient retention, access more accurate and current patient information, provide more efficient online scheduling, and to fill last-minute cancelations using the Company's "real-time appointment scheduling" all within its mobile application. Preferred providers pay a monthly fee to access these HealthLynked services. For additional information about HealthLynked Corporation, please visit www.healthlynked.com and connect with HealthLynked on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our actual results, including as a result of any acquisitions, performance, or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by our management, and us are inherently uncertain. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. Certain risks and uncertainties applicable to our operations and us are described in the "Risk Factors" section of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings we have made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are publicly available at www.sec.gov.

Media Contacts :

Holly Boldrin, APR, CPRC, Priority Marketing, [email protected], 239-267-2638 or 239-887-9335 (cell)

Dave Breitenstein, Priority Marketing, [email protected], 239-267-2638 or 239-317-5424 (cell)

SOURCE HealthLynked Corp.
BATESVILLE, Ind., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillenbrand, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: HI) announced today that Robert VanHimbergen, former Vice President and Corporate Controller at Johnson Controls, will join the Company as Executive Vice President, Finance on March 14, and will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer on April 30. To ensure continuity and support an effective transition, Kristina Cerniglia, current SVP and CFO, will remain as CFO until April 29, at which time she will step down after eight years of dedicated service, to pursue other professional opportunities.

Mr. VanHimbergen was most recently Vice President and Corporate Controller at Johnson Controls, a Fortune 100 company with 2021 annual revenue of nearly $25 billion. He spent 15 years at Johnson Controls and led the global finance, accounting and reporting functions, was a member of the executive leadership team and was deeply involved in Johnson Controls' enterprise transformation initiative. He had previous roles with Johnson Controls, including CFO of a $9 billion automotive interiors business in Shanghai, China, and also led the battery division in Asia. Prior to Johnson Controls, Mr. VanHimbergen spent nearly a decade at PwC working with large multi-national manufacturing companies.

"With over two decades of global financial expertise and extensive global operations experience, we are excited to welcome Bob as Hillenbrand's next CFO," said Kim Ryan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hillenbrand. "Bob's strategic leadership and M&A experience will be extremely valuable as Hillenbrand continues to execute its profitable growth strategy."

"I am thrilled to join Hillenbrand and look forward to working with the team in executing the Company's strategic plan, accelerating growth, and continuing to enhance shareholder value," said Mr. VanHimbergen. "Hillenbrand has a strong operating model and rich history, and I am excited to join at a time of significant opportunity for the Company and its stakeholders."

As CFO, Mr. VanHimbergen will lead Hillenbrand's finance function globally and be responsible for ensuring the Company's continued strong financial and operating performance, while overseeing financial planning and analysis, controllership, tax, treasury, internal audit and investor relations. He will serve on the Executive Management Team and help lead the evolution and execution of Hillenbrand's long-term strategy.

"Over the past eight years, Kristina has been a valued member of Hillenbrand's leadership team, playing a critical role in creating high-performance finance and IT organizations and driving our transformation into a global diversified industrial company," said Kim Ryan. "On behalf of our board and entire company, we thank her for her contributions and wish her well in her future endeavors."

"It has been an honor to serve as Hillenbrand's CFO through a significant transformation and to collaborate with so many talented colleagues during my tenure. I want to thank our board, Kim, the leadership team, and all of our employees for their partnership over the past 8 years. I look forward to the Company's continued success," said Ms. Cerniglia.

About Hillenbrand

Hillenbrand (www.hillenbrand.com) is a global diversified industrial company with businesses that serve a wide variety of industries around the world. We pursue profitable growth and robust cash generation to drive increased value for our shareholders. Hillenbrand's portfolio includes industrial businesses such as Coperion, Milacron Injection Molding & Extrusion, and Mold-Masters, in addition to Batesville, a recognized leader in the death care industry in North America. Hillenbrand is publicly traded on the NYSE under "HI."

SOURCE Hillenbrand, Inc.
Situated on a 43,973 square foot lot in the prestigious River Oaks Country Club Estate subdivision, this home has had countless stories written and told for years describing the opulent parties and its previous owner's past. The recent sellers invested in a $7M, year-long renovation led by JD Bartell Designs that was completed in December 2004 and features meticulous design and craftsmanship at every turn  keeping with the luxurious history of the home. Among the many exquisite details throughout the property, the magnificent, 12,000 square foot indoor pool area truly makes this home one-of-a-kind and the center of the storied history of the home. Enclosed with a glass panel ceiling, the space features ornate chandeliers and multiple entertaining areas connecting the home's expansive living and dining areas.

This announcement comes on the heels of several other high-profile luxury homes sold by Almodovar, including The Woodlands, Texas mansion featuring the world-renowned three-story, 3,000 square foot closet. Another significant listing is the 9,500 square foot, full floor penthouse at The Astoria listed at $6.7M and currently under contract. Most recently, Nan and Company Properties made the announcement of two new luxury condominium projects in Galveston, Texas. Additionally, Nan and Company Properties has embarked on substantial growth across the Houston region over the last year with offices opening on Galveston Island, in Sugar Land, and a new ground-up flagship office in The Heights that will include a state-of-the-art production studio space for Nan's renowned in-house marketing and production team.

Among other notable achievements, Almodovar has most recently been named to the Texas Business Journal's Texas 100 list: Influential Texans to Know in 2022, as well as Houston's 50 Most Influential Women by Houston Women Magazine, 2022; and Real Estate Newsmakers  Achievers Hall of Fame Inductee by RISMedia in 2021. Additionally, Nan and Company Properties is consistently recognized year after year for their exceptional sales records and best places to work.

Almodovar is equally dedicated to giving back to her industry and community through various mentoring programs and charitable organizations. She served as Houston Area Women's Center Leadership Campaign Chair 2021, leads annual charity initiatives with Nan Cares serving underprivileged schools and disaster response, as well as collaborative fundraising programs with Houston's top professional athletes.

Additional information and details about 2115 River Oaks Blvd: https://www.nanproperties.com/real-estate/2115-river-oaks-boulevard-houston-tx-77019/31470244/116295641

PHOTOS (Craig Vance, TK Images): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/562k2s1018ntttk/AACQZNHWkD-RRdNes5Lnn81Ha?dl=0

Nancy Almodovar Head Shot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4slf6nt358rccd8/Nancy%20Almodovar.jpg?dl=0

About Nan and Company Properties

Nan and Company Properties, founded by Nancy Almodovar in 2014, is a digital-driven real estate firm with supreme market awareness and focus on customer service. Their services include representing residential buyers and sellers, developer services, builder services, and relocation through their exclusive partnership with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, and Christie's International Real Estate.

The company has skyrocketed to the top as Houston's premier luxury real estate firm. In 2019, Nan and Company Properties was named global Affiliate of the Year among Christie's International Real Estate Affiliate network, as well as Best Brokerage Website for 2020 by Houston Agent Magazine. The company was also awarded Houston's Best Realtor Team for the Nan New Homes Team by The Greater Houston Builders Association, 2019 Largest Houston-Area Residential Brokerages by Sales Volume, Houston's Best Places to Work by Houston Business Journal 2020 and 2021 by Houston Business Journal. Nan and Company Properties' CEO, Nancy Almodovar, also has contributed to the company's success by being named Houston Business Journal's Top Residential Real Estate Professional by Sales Volume, 2020; Houston Business Journal's Top Residential Real Estate Professional by Transactions, 2020, 2021; Houston Business Journal's Top Residential Real Estate Professional by Sales Volume, 2021. These continuous awards and recognitions allow the firm to further connect buyers and sellers to the world's most exclusive properties.

For more information, please call 713.714.6454 or visit www.nanproperties.com. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

SOURCE Nan and Company Properties
CLEVELAND, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyland, a leading content services provider named a Leader in the industry for the 12th straight year by Gartner, will host Hybrid Hyland Hackathon both at the company's Westlake, Ohio, headquarters and virtually on April 2-3.

High school and college students from around the country are eligible to participate in the event, whether they're seasoned hackers or curious beginners. The theme for this year's event is Coding for Good, giving students a chance to use their creativity and skills to help others or the local community  whatever Coding for Good means to them.

The Hyland Hackathon started with 55 students in 2015 and that number doubled by 2020, the last time the event was held in person; it was held virtually for the first time in 2021 due to COVID-19. Judges for this year's hybrid event include a quartet of Hyland executives:

Bill Priemer , CEO

, CEO Melissa Monter , AVP R&D Operations

, AVP R&D Operations Marcus Clark , Software Architect 5

, Software Architect 5 Michelle Abraham , Director, R&D

"Part of Hyland's mission is to build and inspire careers in technology, and this event is a fantastic way for us to connect with students who have shown interest in or are pursuing careers in tech," Priemer said. "We're excited to welcome students back to our campus and see their creativity and skills in action."

Teams are limited to five members and are encouraged to have an idea to work on prior to the start of the event due to the limited timeframe, though project work cannot begin until April 2. Hyland mentors will be on hand to help answer technical questions and guide teams in the right direction throughout the event. Teams will have full ownership of the projects created during the hackathon.

For more information and to register, interested students should visit Hyland.com/Hackathon.

About Hyland

Hyland is a leading content services provider that enables thousands of organizations to deliver better experiences to the people they serve. Find us at Hyland.com.

Media contact:

Joel Hammond

+1 216.213-2126

[email protected]

SOURCE Hyland
NEW DELHI, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the study undertaken by Astute Analytica, the Global Infant Food Market is estimated to witness a rise in revenue from US$ 77,837.3 Mn in 2021 to US$ 114,241.5 Mn by 2027. The market is registering a CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period 2022-2027. The growing impetus of the infant food market is attributed to an increase in demand for ready to use baby food and the rising demand in developing economies.

Growing urbanization, rise in number of working women and changing lifestyles have increased the demand for packaged baby foods in different societies and cultures. Infant food is considered to be an ideal substitute for breast milk, owing to the presence of essential nutrients that play a vital role in the infants' growth. Parents nowadays are becoming more aware of the impact of correct nutrition on the child's overall growth and development. Apart from this, due to the increasing consciousness among consumers, manufacturers are introducing organic, premium and minimally processed baby food and infant formula variants to increase their sales. Organic infant food is an emerging opportunity in the market. However, growing demand for homemade food will hamper market growth.

Request a Sample Report of Infant Food Market: https://www.astuteanalytica.com/request-sample/infant-food-market

Segmental Analysis

Baby Food Cereal leads the Global Infant Food Product Market

Based on product type, the global infant food product market is segmented into bottled baby food, baby food cereals, baby food snacks, baby food soup, frozen baby food, and ready-to-feed baby food. Among these, baby food cereal has the highest share in the global infant food market in 2021 and is further estimated to continue its dominance over the forecast period. The rising demand for organic based baby food cereal is estimated to propel segmental growth during the forecast period.

Milk Products holds the highest market share in terms of ingredients.

In terms of ingredients, the infant food market is segmented into cereals, fruits, meat products, milk products, and vegetables. Milk products segment holds the highest market share in 2021 and is estimated to have the highest CAGR during the projection period. Increasing incidence of lactating issues in infants has influenced increased adoption of milk-based baby food products.

Organic segment has the fastest CAGR in the infant food market over the projection period

Based on category, the global infant food market is segmented into organic and conventional. Among these, conventional segment has the highest share in the market in 2021; however, the organic segment is projected to have the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Organic baby food is gaining popularity due to strong concern among parents towards added chemicals, which in turn, is expected to propel market growth during the forecast period.

Offline distribution channel has the highest share in the infant food market

Offline distribution channels such as hypermarkets, supermarkets, and convenience stores, among others, holds the highest share in the global infant food market in 2021. However, the online distribution channel is registering the fastest CAGR over the projection period. The rising number of e-commerce sectors globally is leading to the rise in the online distribution channel in infant food market.

Request Free Sample Copy @ https://www.astuteanalytica.com/request-sample/infant-food-market

Asia Pacific dominates the Global Infant Food Market in 2021

Asia Pacific held the major share in the global infant food market and is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. China is the highest shareholder country in the region and India is estimated to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This is due to the rising population in APAC countries such as India & China and due to rising awareness among parents about the nutritional qualities of infant food.

Competitive Landscape

Nestle is a Swiss multinational company established in 1866 by the merger of a Swiss Milk Company and Nestle. The company offers a wide range of infant food products under the brand name of NaturNes and Gerber. Also, it also offers infant food products through various acquired brands such as SMA Nutrition.

Beech-Nut manufactures and sells a wide variety of natural, organic, and non-GMO fruit and veggie purees, cereals, and snacks, ensuring that these real foods are accessible to babies across the United States . Beech-Nut Nutrition is owned by the Hero Group, a private consumer goods company based in Lenzburg, Switzerland .

. Beech-Nut Nutrition is owned by the Hero Group, a private consumer goods company based in Lenzburg, . Ella's Kitchen is a company that makes organic baby and toddler food, sold in supermarkets internationally including in the UK, China , Norway , Denmark , Sweden , Ireland , Iceland , Finland , Belgium , Netherlands , Romania , Canada and the United States . It is a subsidiary of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. The company makes and markets a line of organic foods and snacks designed for preschool-aged children in squeezable packs.

, , , , , , , , , , and . It is a subsidiary of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. The company makes and markets a line of organic foods and snacks designed for preschool-aged children in squeezable packs. Sprout Foods, Inc. was launched by a small group to develop wholesome and organic baby food products. It launched the very first baby food in a pouch to provide on-the-go convenience to parents. It expanded its portfolio to toddler meals and, by popular demand, introduced Toddler Snacks and nutritious smoothies and snacks for sprouts.

Mead Johnson develops the markets safe, high quality, innovative products that help meet the nutritional needs of infants and children. With more than 70 products in over 50 countries, its products are trusted by millions of parents and healthcare professionals around the world. The company's portfolio of brands includes Enfamil, Embargos, Cocomilk, Lactum and others to encourage healthy growth, support brain development and address common feeding issues.

Strategies Adopted by Key Market Players

In 2020, Bubs Organic, LLC raised US$ 28.3 million to accelerate global growth.

to accelerate global growth. In October 2020 , Nutricia announced its acquisition with Real Food Blends, to bring even more unique and nutritious options to children and adults with feeding Tubes.

, Nutricia announced its acquisition with Real Food Blends, to bring even more unique and nutritious options to children and adults with feeding Tubes. In October 2020 , Little Dish launched 11 new products to highlight required nutrition for kids, maintain sustainability and to offer various flavored combinations with interesting options in kid's snacks.

, Little Dish launched 11 new products to highlight required nutrition for kids, maintain sustainability and to offer various flavored combinations with interesting options in kid's snacks. In 2020, Sprouts Foods announced to add more veggies to its baby food to help prevent obesity in later life.

Hain Celestial Group, in January 2021 , announced several new innovations including expanded product lines, updated packaging and a fresh advertising campaign.

Segmentation Overview

The following are the different segments of the Global Infant Food Market:

By Product Type segment of the Global Infant Food Market is sub-segmented into:

Bottled Baby Food



Baby Food Cereals



Baby Food Snacks



Baby Food Soup



Frozen Baby Food



Ready to Feed Baby Food

By Ingredient segment of the Global Infant Food Market is sub-segmented into:

Cereals



Fruits



Meat Products



Milk Products



Vegetables

By Category segment of the Global Infant Food Market is sub-segmented into:

Organic



Conventional

By Distribution Channel segment of the Global Infant Food Market is sub-segmented into:

Offline



Hypermarkets





Supermarkets





Convenience Stores





Drugstores/ Pharmacies



Online

By Region Segment of the Global Infant Food Market is sub-segmented into:

North America



The U.S.





Canada





Mexico



Europe



The UK





Germany





France





Italy





Spain





Poland





Russia





Rest of Europe



Asia Pacific



China





India





Japan





Australia & New Zealand

&



ASEAN





Rest of Asia Pacific



Middle East & Africa (MEA)

& (MEA)

UAE





Saudi Arabia





South Africa





Rest of MEA



South America



Argentina





Brazil





Rest of South America

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About Astute Analytica

Astute Analytica is a global analytics and advisory company which has built a solid reputation in a short period, thanks to the tangible outcomes we have delivered to our clients. We pride ourselves in generating unparalleled, in depth and uncannily accurate estimates and projections for our very demanding clients spread across different verticals. We have a long list of satisfied and repeat clients from a wide spectrum including technology, healthcare, chemicals, semiconductors, FMCG, and many more. These happy customers come to us from all across the Globe. They are able to make well calibrated decisions and leverage highly lucrative opportunities while surmounting the fierce challenges all because we analyze for them the complex business environment, segment wise existing and emerging possibilities, technology formations, growth estimates, and even the strategic choices available. In short, a complete package. All this is possible because we have a highly qualified, competent, and experienced team of professionals comprising of business analysts, economists, consultants, and technology experts. In our list of priorities, you-our patron-come at the top. You can be sure of best cost-effective, value-added package from us, should you decide to engage with us.

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SOURCE Astute Analytica
HONG KONG, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Six community isolation facilities (CIF) in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will be put into use within March, providing about 20,000 beds, the HKSAR government announced on Thursday.

Two isolation facilities located in Tsing Yi and San Tin Tsuen Road, Yuen Long, have already been handed over to the HKSAR government, while the rest will be put into operation in the coming few days or late March.

CIFs in Penny's Bay and the former runway area of Kai Tak are expected to be put into service in May in batches, providing about 20,000 additional beds, said Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam during a press conference on Thursday.

Lam said that the current sources of isolation facilities in Hong Kong are public recreational facilities, newly-built CIFs, unoccupied new public housing, hotels requisitioned or rented at government expense, and temporarily occupying two large transitional housing projects, providing over 70,000 units or beds upon completion, significantly boosting Hong Kong's isolation capacity.

The HKSAR government, with full support of the central government, has commenced the construction work of CIFs at nine locations. Lam added that 50,000 beds will be provided after all the construction at the nine locations were completed. 
PHILADELPHIA, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IntegriChain, delivering pharma's only comprehensive data, consulting, and business process platform for market access, today announced that Gross-to-Net (GTN) and Life Sciences accounting expert Jen Sharpe will present at Informa's upcoming Life Sciences Accounting and Reporting Conference. Sharpe has extensive experience in GTN automation, advising Life Sciences manufacturers of all sizes, business stages, and complexity on SaaS and managed services solutions for GTN forecasting, accruals, and analytics. IntegriChain is a sponsor of the hybrid conference, which runs March 21-24 in person and March 29-30 remotely.

Details of IntegriChain's session during the Conference are as follows.

Wednesday, March 23

GTN and Pricing Visibility

4:45 pm ET

Jen Sharpe , Executive Director of Gross-to-Net, Revenue Analytics Collaborative

Kinneret Klein , Director, Commercial Financial Planning and Analysis, Kyowa Kirin

Streamlining the process of GTN and government price modeling is critical for specialty drugs that are entertaining new channel designs or facing increased pressure to contract. Manufacturers may need to model a change in contract terms, a change in channel strategy, or increases or decreases in patient support programs. For this, they require access to data for nearly any fee and price concession including channel service fees, patient support program utilization, and any rebate or administrative fee. This workshop examines best practices for sourcing the data needed for "what if" analytics and how best to approach them.

About IntegriChain's Gross-to-Net Solutions and Advisory Programs

IntegriChain offers a full suite of Gross-to-Net Solutions and Advisory programs, including:

GTN Accrual Management. An end-to-end solution for Market Access and Finance departments, pre-configured for all standard line items with robust out-of-the-box accrual methodologies, including inventory and pipeline adjustments to accruals, balance sheet reconciliation to ERP systems, and true-up functionality.

GTN Accrual Forecasting. Based on industry-standard forecast methodologies configured for each liability line item with the ability to execute multiple scenario analyses for forecasts along with functionality to compare scenarios to improve forecast accuracy, GTN modeling, and financial close efficiency.

GTN Analytics. Delivering visibility to comprehensive market access datasets that power the accuracy of GTN accruals and forecasting processes, best practices GTN reports and metrics, and visualizations of GTN trends that allow for better accrual and net-price predictability and decision-making.

GTN Advisory. IntegriChain industry experts routinely advise manufacturers on GTN readiness for launch, GTN process assessments, and GTN market analysis.

About the Revenue Analytics Collaborative

The RAC comprises more than 800 Life Sciences business and financial professionals who own, support and analyze Commercial, Government, GTN, and Trade/Channel data, processes and systems in Pricing & Contracting, Pre-Deal Analytics & Performance Monitoring, Rebate & Chargeback Management & Adjudication; Government Pricing Reporting & Analytics, GTN Channel Forecasting & Scenario Modeling; GTN Accrual & Balance Sheet Management, Report, and Analytics, as well as Trade & Channel. The collaborative facilitates timely and relevant knowledge sharing via anonymous Collab forums, benchmarking, colleague connect for networking, lunch & learns, webinars, and the annual RAC Summit. For details or to join, visit racollab.org .

About IntegriChain

IntegriChain delivers pharma's only comprehensive data, consulting, and business process platform for market access departments. We provide the strategy, data, applications, and business process infrastructure for market access and therapy commercialization. More than 400 manufacturers rely on our consulting expertise and ICyte Platform to orchestrate their commercial and government payer contracting, patient services, and distribution channels. ICyte is the first and only platform that unites the financial, operational, and commercial data sets required to support therapy access in the era of specialty and precision medicine. With ICyte, pharmaceutical innovators can digitalize their market access operations, freeing up resources to focus on more data-driven decision support. IntegriChain is backed by Accel-KKR, a leading Silicon Valley technology private equity firm. We are headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, with offices in Ambler, PA; New York, NY Raleigh, NC, and Pune, India. For more information, visit www.integrichain.com, or follow on Twitter @IntegriChain and LinkedIn.

Contact

Jennifer Guinan, Sage Strategic Marketing, 610.410.8111, [email protected]

SOURCE IntegriChain
"I want to thank Paul for his passionate and focused leadership over the past six years," said First Student Chairman Jake Brace. "His many achievements during this time have helped ensure millions of children get to and from school safely each day. The entire student transportation industry has benefited greatly from Paul's leadership, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I am confident John will also drive the industry forward and build on the company's success, delivering on our promise to provide the best possible service to the school districts and families we serve."

Kenning brings a wealth of experience managing fleet-based businesses and distributed field workforces. He has a proven track record of leading through technological innovation, commercial excellence, and operational rigor to provide best-in-class services to customers.

"This is an exciting time for First Student as we lead the way in school bus innovation," said Kenning. "I look forward to building on the market-leading platform the company has established. These cutting-edge efforts include the electrification of our fleet, providing cleaner transportation options for communities, and implementing new technologies to further enhance the safe, reliable and vital service we provide for our school district partners and their students."

Kenning most recently served as the Americas' CEO at G4S, a security services and technology provider. Before joining G4S, Kenning was president, commercial business for OfficeMax, overseeing the global, business-to-business division. Kenning also served as president of North America commercial for ADT/Tyco International. During his tenure, he transformed the commercial business to become a technology services leader.

Osland joined the company in 2016 as chief operating officer and was appointed president and CEO in 2019. Under his leadership, Osland helped grow First Student through stronger customer retention, new business sales and reenergized acquisitions. An increased number of school districts have benefited from the company's preeminent driver training program, top safety record and custom technologies.

About First Student

As the leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. First Student completes five million student journeys each day, moving more passengers than all U.S. airlines combined. With a team of highly-trained drivers and the industry's strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, route optimization and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of about 40,000 buses. For more information, please visit firststudentinc.com.

Contact: Jen Biddinger

513.362.4600

SOURCE First Student
ST. PAUL, Minn., March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson // Becker, PLLC is a nationwide products liability law firm with experience representing victims of pressure cooker explosions. The firm represents over 500 clients who have been severely burned by exploding pressure cookers designed and sold by numerous manufacturers.

Johnson // Becker filed this Complaint on behalf of Ms. Amber Durham, a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, alleging that Instant Brands, Inc., the manufacturer of the Instant Pot pressure cooker, misrepresented the safety of its pressure cookers.

Ms. Durham's pressure cooker exploded on December 26, 2021. As a result of the explosion, Ms. Durham sustained severe burn injuries. According to the Complaint, the Instant Pot is marketed as having "safety mechanisms" which are supposed to prevent the unit from both building pressure if the lid is not closed properly, as well as the lid from being removed until all the pressure is released. However, Ms. Durham alleges that the Instant Pot pressure cookers contain defects which allow unsuspecting consumers to remove the lid while the cooker is still under pressure causing the scalding hot contents to be projected from the unit.

This suit is filed by Michael K. Johnson, Kenneth W. Pearson and Adam J. Kress of Johnson // Becker, PLLC. Michael K. Johnson is a founding partner of Johnson // Becker, PLLC . Michael, Ken and Adam exclusively handle injury cases, with an emphasis on national products liability litigation, including cases involving burn injuries from defective products. To learn more about Johnson // Becker's product liability cases, or to arrange a free, no obligation case review, please visit Johnson // Becker at https://www.johnsonbecker.com/product-liability/pressure-cooker-lawsuit/, or contact Johnson // Becker directly at (800) 279-6386.

Free Instant Pot Lawsuit Review

If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective Instant Pot pressure cooker, you may want to speak with the lawyers at Johnson // Becker. We are actively filing new pressure cooker lawsuits across the county and you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries.

We offer a Free Case Evaluation. Please contact us using the form below or by calling us at (800) 279-6386.

We would be honored to speak with you and respond promptly to every inquiry we receive.

SOURCE Johnson // Becker, PLLC
LONDON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Ribbon Asset Management Plc, an Indo-British financial services group building on the legacy of historical, cultural and socio-economic ties between the two countries, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with J P Jenkins Limited ("J P Jenkins") to facilitate the trading of preference shares on a matched bargain basis.

The indicative pricing for these preference shares (ISIN: GB00BN70RR93), as well as the transaction history will be available on the website https://jpjenkins.com/company/red-ribbon-asset-management-plc-pref-shares/.

Shareholders wishing to trade these securities can do so through their stockbroker. The facility starts on 9th March at 2pm GMT.

Trades will be conducted at a level that JP Jenkins is able to match a willing seller and a willing buyer. Trades can be conducted and limits can be accepted during normal business hours by contacting JP Jenkins trading desk via STX 76086. Shareholders or potential investors can place limits via their existing UK regulated stockbroker.

For more information please contact J P Jenkins at [email protected] or on +44 (0) 20 7469 0937.

About J P Jenkins

J P Jenkins is the well-known platform for dealing in unquoted securities. It provides a solution that enables companies to allow their existing shareholders and prospective investors to trade in their shares.

About Red Ribbon Asset Management Plc

Founded in 2007, Red Ribbon is an Indo-British financial services group building on the legacy of historical, cultural, and socio-economic ties between the two countries. As India's global economic role has burgeoned and it looks to a golden decade of growth  following the pattern of China's trajectory template 20 years ago  the UK is shifting into a post-Brexit phase where trading and commercial relationships outside the EU are coming to the fore.

The Group specialises in Mainstream Impact Investment opportunities  these are projects that achieve above market rate returns whilst delivering a measurable, positive social and environmental impact. The company verticals are split into direct investments into Fintech, Construct tech and hospitality as well as fully regulated funds within the jurisdictions of Luxembourg and Gibraltar.

SOURCE J P Jenkins
HOUSTON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR, Inc. (NYSE: KBR) announced today that it will host a conference call on Monday, March 14, 2022 at 7:30 a.m. Central Time (8:30 a.m. Eastern Time) to update its 2025 long-term targets to reflect the favorable impact of the award of the US Transportation Commands Global Household Goods Contract to a KBR-led joint venture. The company plans to issue a presentation in advance of the call, which will be available on KBR's website.

The conference call will be webcast simultaneously through the Investor Relations section of KBR's website at https://investors.kbr.com. A replay of the webcast will be available after the call on our website or by telephone at +1.866.813.9403; passcode: 325560.

About KBR

We deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 28,000 people performing diverse, complex and mission critical roles in 34 countries.

KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long- term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver.

Visit www.kbr.com

Forward Looking Statement

The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the significant adverse impacts on economic and market conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the company's ability to respond to the resulting challenges and business disruption; the recent dislocation of the global energy market; the company's ability to manage its liquidity; the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; changes in capital spending by the company's customers; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; the possibility of cyber and malware attacks; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company.

The company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that the company has identified that may affect its business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, the company undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

SOURCE KBR, Inc.
WILMINGTON, Del., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Egg, the machine learning powered, online credit and financial wellness platform that is owned and operated by Marlette Holdings, Inc, announced today that it has secured $225 million in committed preferred equity capital. The Series E capital round was led by the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), which manages over $80 billion in assets, with participation from investment funds advised by Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP, as well as a large international bank.

"We are excited to welcome these top tier investors to Marlette," said Jeffrey Meiler, founder and CEO. "This capital round not only reflects the success and industry leading profitability of our personal loan business, but also the huge potential in our recently launched Best Egg Visa Credit Card product and Best Egg Financial Health, our financial wellness tool."

Best Egg had a record-breaking year in 2021, with $300 million in revenue and $4.6 billion of personal loans facilitated. In 2021, Best Egg also launched two new products including the Best Egg Visa Credit Card and the free-to-all Best Egg Financial Health tool. Best Egg has facilitated over 1.1 million personal loans and already has over 23,000 Best Egg Visa cardmembers. Further, Best Egg Financial Health has welcomed more than 149,000 members, who are leveraging the website to improve their financial wellness. Best Egg anticipates continued growth and innovation in 2022 and beyond with a focus on helping consumers feel more financially confident and providing simple products and resources that help them with the challenges they face in their everyday finances.

"Marlette is a FinTech market leader with a proven track record for growing the business, delivering strong customer service and generating consistent results," said Jennifer Shum, AVP, derivatives & fixed income, HOOPP. "HOOPP is pleased to be a financial partner and to support Marlette's continued innovation and growth, which will serve their customers while also helping to deliver retirement security to HOOPP members."

Marlette recently announced several management changes, including the appointment of Jason Swift as president of Best Egg credit card services. The Best Egg Visa Credit Card provides access to credit for Americans with little or no savings who wish to build or rebuild their credit. Product features include state-of-the-art fraud protection, no annual fees, and spending controls.

"This capital raise allows us to fund our growing credit card business, explore expansions to our platform and evaluate additional strategic opportunities to create more value for our target consumer," said Andrew Deringer, chief capital officer of Marlette.

Guggenheim Securities LLC and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as financial and legal advisors, respectively, to Marlette in this transaction.

About Marlette Holdings, Inc

Marlette Holdings, Inc. is a leading financial technology provider whose subsidiaries develop and operate the Best Egg financial platform, which aims to help people feel more confident about their everyday finances. The team mixes decades of banking experience with deep customer knowledge and smart technology to deliver digital products, services, and experiences in a more relevant way. Since March 2014, the platform has delivered over $16 billion of consumer loans with strong credit performance. For more information, visit www.BestEgg.com .

Media Contact:

Mark Ladley

[email protected]

267-644-9077

SOURCE Best Egg
LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) visits Macy's Green Hills (Nashville, Tennessee) and Macy's Lenox Square (Atlanta, Georgia) to award a total of $100,000 to local AIDS-service organizations (ASO); Nashville CARES based in Nashville, Tennessee and Jerusalem House based in Atlanta, Georgia. In partnership with Macy's, each organization is receiving $50,000 to support a wide array of social support and case management services for women living with HIV, including peer support and mentoring groups to build high self-esteem and ensure success in their personal and professional lives.

In addition to the grant awards, women who benefit from each organization's programs are receiving an exclusive shopping experience and pampering session to further the self-esteem and confidence-building nature of the ASO programs. Every woman in attendance is also receiving a $250 gift card. With women being a key population disproportionately affected by HIV, both domestically and globally, there is a large need for emotional support programs that set them up for sustainable success.

"In the spirit of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we are so proud to honor the women benefitting from the programs at Jerusalem House and Nashville CARES. Mental Health and General Wellness for Women living with HIV are a priority initiative for ETAF and we are so thankful for Macy's continued support." Cathy Brown, Executive Director of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

"Macy's is proud to support incredible organizations such as The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation whose impactful work plays a vital role in strengthening and enriching the local community and beyond," said Kelli Lewis, Director of Corporate Giving for Macy's.

HISTORY OF MACY'S AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR

Elizabeth Taylor and Macy's have a long history of partnership in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Elizabeth Taylor was Founding Chair of Macy's Passport, an awareness-raising fashion show and gala event which began in the 1980's and continued for thirty years. In addition, Ms. Taylor was involved in related cause-driven promotions via Macy's, including Glamorama and Fashion Pass. In 2017, ETAF supporters, actress Judith Light and renowned HIV specialist Dr. Michael Gottlieb MD, presented Macy's with the inaugural Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Dr. Michael Gottlieb Partnership Award. Since the onset of the AIDS pandemic, Macy's has stood with top designers and community organizations to raise millions of dollars as well as invaluable HIV and AIDS awareness.

ABOUT ETAF

Working tirelessly on the AIDS crisis through the 1980s, Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to reach her vision of an AIDS-free world. ETAF works to provide the direct care needed for people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. Emphasizing Elizabeth's commitment to marginalized communities, ETAF's work ensures that HIV prevention education and access to treatment is available through domestic and international initiatives. HIV Decriminalization nationally is ETAF's primary advocacy initiative. We now have the necessary tools to stop the spread of HIV and end the AIDS crisis with sufficient resources. www.etaf.org.

For more information, contact Cathy Brown, ETAF at 310-339-3643; [email protected]

SOURCE The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
SAN ANTONIO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- To help organizations leverage the optimal tools and processes to achieve best-in-class marketing innovation, industry thought leader CapabilitySource has released the latest blog in their Insights series, "Making the Case for Marketing Innovation."

Reflecting key findings and industry statistics from CapabilitySource President & CEO Glenn Coward and Marketing Manager Eve Bova's presentation at the 8th annual Digital Marketing for Financial Services Virtual Summit last December, the blog provides a detailed roadmap for successful companies to define, implement and measure marketing innovation.

Defined by CapabilitySource as "new things or new ways that create value for the marketing team or to a consumer marketplace," marketing innovation is dynamic, strategic and bottom-line focused. With 18 to 21 percent of marketing leaders' budgets allocated to this critical and growing area, marketing innovation helps high-performing marketing teams interact better with themselves and their customers.

Marketing innovation falls into two key areas: operational and transformational. The former typically makes up the majority of a portfolio and introduces a new way of doing something to maximize an internal marketing team's performance. Operational innovations reduce costs, project set-up and time-to-market while improving capacity, productivity, quality and efficiency.

Transformational marketing innovations impact a company's consumer audience by introducing a new product, service, channel or communication vehicle. Designed to disrupt the marketplace and establish brand differentiation, successful implementation of these tactics increases demand and revenues.

The "Making the Case for Marketing Innovation" blog also includes information on how to leverage CapabilitySource's Planning Agility and Marketing Work Management Benchmark tools and other resources.

"This is the time to take advantage of marketing innovation," said Coward, whose company offers marketing technology, operations and alignment solutions to address their clients' unique challenges. "I encourage marketers to develop a balanced marketing innovation portfolio that includes operational and transformational innovations to help you build your brand, maintain a competitive advantage, and drive your business."

To learn more about CapabilitySource's fully digital, highly integrated and modern marketing experience, visit www.capabilitysource.com or call 866-406-2790. To read the "Making the Case for Marketing Innovation" blog, click here.

About CapabilitySource

Founded in 2011, CapabilitySource is a marketing operations consultancy that provides technology strategy, implementation, integration and support services with specializations in collaborative work management and marketing innovation. We help marketers in companies of all sizes use innovative approaches to solve operational challenges and establish unique competitive advantages. Our team delivers solutions that realize up to $1 million in annual cost savings while increasing marketing capacity by up to 30 percent.

Media Contact

Eve Bova

720-454-5837

[email protected]

SOURCE CapabilitySource
SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil, March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EMBRAER S.A.:

MATERIAL FACT

Embraer S.A. ("Embraer" or "Company"), in accordance with CVM Resolution No. 44, of August 23, 2021, and CVM Instruction No. 480, of September 7, 2009, informs its shareholders and the market in general of its projections for the year 2022.

(1) GUIDANCE 2022







Commercial Aviation deliveries 60 - 70



Executive Aviation deliveries 100 - 110



Consolidated Revenues (US$ bn.) $4,5 - $5,0



Adjusted EBIT margin (%) 3,5% - 4,5%



Adjusted EBITDA margin (%) 8,0% - 9,0%



Free Cash Flow (US$ mln.) $ 50 or Better



(1) Without Eve







This information will be available in the Reference Form (section 11), on the CVM website at http://www.cvm.gov.br/ and the Company's website at http://ri.embraer.com.br, within the legal period.

Embraer clarifies that this document contains forward-looking statements beyond the Company's control, which are estimates, and involve uncontrolled external factors. Therefore, they do not constitute a performance promise by the Company and its managers and may undergo changes that will be communicated diligently as soon as the events occur.

SOURCE Embraer S.A.
Medical Home Network is thrilled to invest back into the communities we serve. Tweet this

Data Science Fellowship Feeds STEM Education Pipeline

One of the fellows in the program, Oluwabusayo Adebayo, graduated in December with a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois' Technical Systems Management program. Adebayo also distinguished himself during his studies. He was the co-founder of Voribe, a Chicago startup that empowers future Nigerian American leaders with the tools and connections they need to become successful professionals.

Although Adebayo had developed apps, the MHN fellowship gave him exposure to professionals in the field, data analytics and confidence to explore new career options. "My goal is to go to Silicon Valley one day and start my own company," said Adebayo.

Genesis Martin, who is halfway through her yearlong fellowship, studied business economics at Harold Washington College and plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in data analytics. She says the program has helped her in many ways, including encouraging her to ask questions while engaging in STEM-topics that can often be complex.

"That's one of the things that I think a lot of people struggle with is not knowing when to ask questions if you're confused or when you're stuck on something because they think it's a bad thing, but it's actually not," said Martin. "That's something I can take with me."

Adebayo and Martin are both graduates of Gary Comer College Prep in Chicago's South Side neighborhood of Grand Crossing.

"Medical Home Network is thrilled to invest back into the communities we serve through programs like our Data Analytics fellowship," said Cheryl Lulias, president and CEO at MHN. "We were fortunate to have amazing young people like Oluwabusayo and Genesis as part of our inaugural program, and we look forward to seeing the great things they will accomplish in the future."

Health Analytics Projects Connect Data to Patients

The fellows build professional skills and relationships, learning about health plan operations and healthcare administration processes as they contribute to the MHN data analytics team.

Their activities are integrated directly into MHN's workflow. Initial projects during the full-time internship focus on understanding healthcare data concepts, problem-solving and analysis. As part of his training, Adebayo learned new software programs and programming languages. He helped develop a dashboard that will streamline the flow of data and communications from providers and pharmacies.

Mentorship was an important part of the program, Adebayo said. His mentors helped him navigate unfamiliar concepts and guided him through the development process. Adebayo concluded his fellowship by giving a presentation on the purpose and impact of his project.

Martin's time at MHN has included creating software user guides to help train care managers. She is also learning what data points are most critical to the relationship between care managers and patients. The new software helps the care managers better connect with their patients and track their health status in real time.

Adebayo and Martin said they are not only building skills to help secure employment in a high-demand field but also gaining confidence they can take with them in any career path.

About Medical Home Network

Medical Home Network (MHN) is transforming care in the safety net and building healthier communities. MHN, which was selected as one of the 2021 Best Places to Work in Healthcare, builds partnerships in the community to connect key stakeholders, from comprehensive primary care to community-based organizations. MHN enables healthcare providers to deliver integrated care. Our care teams build trusted relationships with patients and coordinate care with a focus on whole person health. The MHN model of care is powered by proprietary technology that enhances collaboration among community-based entities, which leads to improved outcomes, lower costs and reduced health disparities. Learn more at medicalhomenetwork.org and on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Christina Coons

Purpose Brand

[email protected]

SOURCE Medical Home Network
GENEVA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China and a group of countries on Wednesday called on the UN rights body to continue to attend to violation of children's rights at immigration detention centers in some countries.

Delivering a joint statement on behalf of a group of countries at the ongoing 49th session of the Human Rights Council, Jiang Duan, minister of the Chinese mission to the UN in Geneva, said the world is still faced with multiple challenges in the protection of children's rights, including the violation of children's rights at immigration detention centers.

"Certain countries have held migrant children at immigration detention centers for a prolonged period of time where conditions are deplorable, and the rights of migrant children are seriously violated," he noted.

"We are concerned in particular that in some countries migrant children were forcibly taken away from their parents, many ended up losing touch with their parents and families, which led to grave human tragedies," he added.

In some countries, Jiang pointed out, immigration detention centers are run by private institutions, where widespread incidents of abuse and violence against children are perpetrated.

He urged countries concerned to immediately stop human rights violations at immigration detention centers, halt family separation, prevent private institutions from operating detention centers and hold the perpetrators accountable. 
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MIT Sloan School of Management today announced the launch of its new Digital Product Management Certificate program, created in response to increasing demand from both students and employers. The certificate is available to students who are enrolled in MIT Sloan graduate degree programs.

Product managers play a number of important and complex roles, overseeing the processes of how a product is designed, engineered, marketed, and launched. Research from McKinsey & Company indicates that the role of product manager is growing and changing, with an increased focus on understanding the customer and using machine-learning tools designed to augment decision making. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of global technology leaders surveyed for the IEEE's Impact of Technology in 2022 and Beyond survey say recruiting for open tech positionsrequiring skills in technology, business and leadershipwill be challenging.

"The field of product management has changed dramatically, largely because of the need to deliver value in software," says Vivek Farias, Patrick J. McGovern (1959) Professor at MIT Sloan and faculty lead of this certificate program. "This is not just an engineering task, and often the types of problems solved with software can't be defined right away. It's an art to be able to manage a complex, iterative process and learn from the marketwhile not spending too much time or money. Good product managers are experts at that art."

Farias describes this certificate as being a "very MIT program," in that it reflects MIT's motto of mens et manus ("mind and hand"). Students start the program with a month of working on an actual product team at one of MIT Sloan's approximately fifty partner companieswhich cover a wide range of sizes. After that, students begin classes in which they gain a wide variety of skills and understanding. For example, students may undertake a project in which they build a working URL shortener on Google Cloud, as an exercise in gaining a better understanding of the challenges faced by those who actually create the software product.

"We are seeing tremendous growth in careers in product management," says Mark Newhall, Director of Employer Relations and Recruiting in MIT Sloan's Career Development Office.

"Employers are seeking product managers who have a blend of strong tactical execution and leadership skills. This new certificate will enable students to differentiate themselves as having a serious interest in pursuing a career in product management."

Newhall notes that product management (tied with finance) is now the second most popular career function for MIT Sloan graduates. For those going into the technology sectorwhich was about a quarter of the school's MBA '21 graduatesit is the most popular career function. Between 2012 and 2020, the number of MIT Sloan graduates going into full-time, product management roles has more than doubled. MIT Sloan's Digital Product Management Lab (PM-Lab)one of MIT Sloan's Action Learning Labs that allow students to integrate classroom learning with real-world management challengeshas experienced a 7.5x increase in the number of student applications between 2018 and 2021. Most PM Lab participants go on to recruit for product management roles over the summer and full-time.

The new Digital Product Management Certificate includes 12 units of required courses, comprised of the DPM Lab and the core Digital Product Management class, and the 27 units of electives in subject areas, which includes operations and product development, product strategy, marketing and sales, and finance.

Steve Papa, a serial entrepreneur who has built B2B products and companies creating $100B of peak market capitalization, and who lectures regularly in MIT Sloan's Digital Product Management class with Farias, emphasizes the outsize role product managers now play in the success of technology companies. "Product managers are the fulcrum for the success of a technology company to a much greater extent than the storied role of the general manager in the last century," he says.

"MIT Sloan is excited to offer this new certificate program, which builds on our already very popular offerings in product management," says Jake Cohen, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Master's Programs at MIT Sloan. "This certificate helps position our students for success in product management roles."

For further information, contact:

Patricia Favreau

Associate Director of Media Relations

617-253-3492

[email protected]

SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management
PHILADELPHIA, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- M&T Bank has awarded $250,000 to 20 minority- and women-owned small businesses in Southwest Philadelphia grappling with the economic repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bank funded grants between $7,500 and $15,000 that will help business owners comply with COVID-related safety protocols, hire more employees from the community, cover operating expenses or fund facade improvements consistent with the city's Storefront Improvement Program. The average charitable award was $12,500.

Launched in 2021, the Southwest Philadelphia Small-Business Grant Program is a partnership between M&T's Woodland Avenue branch, the neighborhood nonprofit Southwest Strong Community Association and Philadelphia-based community development financial institution Entrepreneur Works that benefits entrepreneurs of color in the city's 19142, 19143 and 19153 ZIP codes.

"Like many communities in the city, Southwest Philadelphia was hit hard by the pandemic and shaken by social unrest that followed George Floyd's death," said Bernie Shields, M&T's regional president for Greater Philadelphia. "As a part of that community, M&T wanted to do something impactful to meet the moment. The small-business grants program is one step in the right direction  and there will be more support to follow it."

The next step is providing grant recipients with help finding additional resources, writing business plans, budgeting and more. Entrepreneur Works, which has supported Greater Philadelphia's small businesses and entrepreneurs through access to microloans and other business resources for more than 25 years, will offer each grant award winner up to four hours of business training. M&T contributed another $12,000 grant to fund that support.

"We are delighted to partner with M&T Bank and Southwest Strong to invest these critically needed resources in the small businesses of Southwest Philadelphia," said Leslie Benoliel, CEO of Entrepreneur Works. "These grants provide welcome relief and are being used to help the businesses to get back on track and position themselves for future growth, which is what is needed to drive a more equitable economic recovery in the Southwest and other communities in Philadelphia."

Of the 20 grant award winners, 19 are owned by Black entrepreneurs and the other is Hispanic-owned. Women own 13 of the small businesses awarded grants through the program. All of them generated less than $150,000 in revenue in 2020.

The Southwest Philadelphia Small-Business Grant Program winners include:

Amari's

B&S Soul Food & Catering

Beyond Babysitting Early Education Center

Chester Mini Market

Chocolate City Hair Studio and Day Spa

Cosset Beauty Lounge

Famoijan & Son Tax Services

Ferguson Faces of the Future

Four Seasons Coffee and Donuts

Glad Center

Jam-Rock Restaurant

Mane Creations by Alex Foxx

Metro Financial Services Inc.

Mindful Arts Dance Academy

Nafisa's Kitchen

Parkside Impression Sign Shop

Promise & Possibilities Learning Academy

Sekpeh Prosperity

Southwest Fresh Hairstudio

White Seal Dry Cleaners and Laundromat

Samuel Perry opened Southwest Fresh Hairstudio on Saybrook Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia in 2017. When the pandemic started, Perry halted plans to remodel and expand his shop. Now, with a $15,000 grant from M&T, Perry said he plans to resume work on his shop.

"Navigating a business as a first-time entrepreneur does not come without its challenges, but closing the doors of my shop because of the pandemic was never something I anticipated," Perry said. "Proving their commitment to supporting the community, M&T helped me manage my finances, secure a Paycheck Protection Program loan and resurrect my dream of growing my business."

M&T is Greater Philadelphia's most active U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) lender and recently received 35 Greenwich Excellence and Best Brand awards for the customer service it provides business clients.

About M&T Bank

M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T's principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Trust-related services are provided by M&T's Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank. For more information about M&T's products and services, visit www.mtb.com .

About Southwest Strong Community Association

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For over 25 years, Entrepreneur Works, a nonprofit organization, has been dedicated to creating pathways of opportunity for talented, yet underserved entrepreneurs. Across the Philadelphia region, Entrepreneur Works' clients start and grow small-businesses, create jobs for themselves and their communities, and strengthen the local economy. Entrepreneur Works offers access to affordable loans, business training, and one-on-one guidance to hundreds of entrepreneurs each year, empowering small- business owners from all walks of life to prosper and build sustainable communities. For more information, visit www.myentrepreneurworks.org .

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Media Contact:

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SOURCE M&T Bank
Online Grocery Delivery Services Market 2021-2025: Scope

The online grocery delivery services market report covers the following areas:

Online Grocery Delivery Services Market 2021-2025: Drivers and Challenges

The increased popularity and adoption of e-commerce platforms is driving the growth of the online grocery delivery services market. The increasing internet penetration worldwide has enabled a large section of consumers to gain access to online retail platforms and promoted the omnichannel model of shopping. This, in turn, has increased the popularity and adoption of e-commerce platforms. The high availability of labor and low labor cost are other factors that have fueled the growth of e-commerce in developing regions, which supports and benefits the logistics operations of e-commerce players.

The end-user perception of online grocery shopping will challenge the grocery delivery services market. A large number of end-users still prefer offline grocery shopping, as they find the process more engaging and require a personal product experience of touch and feel. Many consumers are concerned about product quality as they want fresh items.

Online Grocery Delivery Services Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

By end-user, the market has been segmented into individuals and others. The individuals segment will have significant market share growth during the forecast period.

By geography, the market has been segmented into APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA. APAC will have the highest market share growth during the forecast period.

Learn more about the contribution of each segment of the online grocery delivery services market. Download a Free Sample

Online Grocery Delivery Services Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the online grocery delivery services market, including Albertsons Companies Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Amazon.com Inc., Ebates Performance Marketing Inc., Ocado Retail Ltd., SPAR International, Target Corp., Tesco Plc, and Walmart Inc., among others.

Subscribe to our "Lite Plan" billed annually at USD 3000 that enables you to download 3 reports/year and view 3 reports/month.

Online Grocery Delivery Services Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist online grocery delivery services market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the online grocery delivery services market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the online grocery delivery services market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of online grocery delivery services market vendors

Related Reports:

Retail Market by Distribution channel and Type - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Online Travel Booking Platform Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Online Grocery Delivery Services Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 25.25% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 800.00 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 23.29 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution APAC at 55% Key consumer countries China, UK, US, Japan, and France Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Albertsons Companies Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Amazon.com Inc., Ebates Performance Marketing Inc., Ocado Retail Ltd., SPAR International, Target Corp., Tesco Plc, and Walmart Inc. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table Of Contents :

***1. Executive Summary

***2. Market Landscape

**2.1 Market ecosystem

*Exhibit 01: Parent market

*Exhibit 02: Market Characteristics

**2.2 Value Chain Analysis

*Exhibit 03: Value chain analysis: Internet and Direct marketing Retail

*2.2.1 Input

*2.2.2 Inbound logistics

*2.2.3 Operations

*2.2.4 Outbound logistics

*2.2.5 Marketing and sales

*2.2.6 Services

*2.2.7 Industry Innovations

*2.2.8 Innovations

***3. Market Sizing

**3.1 Market definition

*Exhibit 04: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

**3.2 Market segment analysis

*Exhibit 05: Market segments

**3.3 Market size 2020

**3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

*3.4.1 Estimating growth rates for emerging and high-growth markets

*3.4.2 Estimating growth rates for mature markets

*Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 (billion $)

*Exhibit 07: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2020 - 2025 (%)

***4. Five Forces Analysis

**4.1 Five Forces Summary

*Exhibit 08: Five forces analysis 2020 & 2025

**4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

*Exhibit 09: Bargaining power of the buyer

**4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

*Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of the supplier

**4.4 Threat of new entrants

*Exhibit 11: Threat of new entrants

**4.5 Threat of substitutes

*Exhibit 12: Threat of substitutes

**4.6 Threat of rivalry

*Exhibit 13: Threat of rivalry

**4.7 Market condition

*Exhibit 14: Market condition - Five forces 2020

***5. Market Segmentation by End user

**5.1 Market segments

*Exhibit 15: End user- Market share 2020-2025 (%)

**5.2 Comparison by End user

*Exhibit 16: Comparison by End user

**5.3 Individuals - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

*Exhibit 17: Individuals - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion)

*Exhibit 18: Individuals - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

**5.4 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

*Exhibit 19: Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion)

*Exhibit 20: Others - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

**5.5 Market opportunity by End-user

*Exhibit 21: Market opportunity by End-user

***6. Customer landscape

*Technavio's customer landscape matrix comparing Drivers or price sensitivity, Adoption lifecycle, importance in customer price basket, Adoption rate and Key purchase criteria

**6.1 Customer landscape

*Exhibit 22: Customer landscape

***7. Geographic Landscape

**7.1 Geographic segmentation

*Exhibit 23: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%)

**7.2 Geographic comparison

*Exhibit 24: Geographic comparison

**7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

*Exhibit 25: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion)

*Exhibit 26: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

**7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

*Exhibit 27: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion)

*Exhibit 28: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

**7.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

*Exhibit 29: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion)

*Exhibit 30: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

**7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

*Exhibit 31: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion)

*Exhibit 32: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

**7.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

*Exhibit 33: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ billion)

*Exhibit 34: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

**7.8 Market opportunity by geography

*Exhibit 35: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

**7.9 Market opportunity by geography

*Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

***8. Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

**8.1 Market drivers

*8.1.1 Increased popularity and adoption of e-commerce platform

*8.1.1 Increased popularity and adoption of e-commerce platform

*8.1.3 Growing popularity of fast delivery services

**8.2 Market challenges

*8.2.1 End-user perception for online grocery shopping

*8.2.2 Huge competition from offline retail stores

*8.2.3 Lack of proper infrastructure in developing countries

*Exhibit 37: Impact of drivers and challenges

**8.3 Market trends

*8.3.1 Growth in demand for functional foods and beverages

*8.3.2 Entry of startups in online grocery market

*8.3.3 Increased M&A activities and strategic alliances

***9. Vendor Landscape

**9.1 Overview

*Exhibit 38: Vendor landscape

**9.2 Landscape disruption

*Exhibit 39: Landscape disruption

*Exhibit 40: Industry Risk

**9.3 Competitive landscape

***10. Vendor Analysis

**10.1 Vendors Covered

*Exhibit 41: Vendor Landscape

**10.2 Market positioning of vendors

*Exhibit 42: Market positioning of vendors

**10.3 Albertsons Companies Inc.

*Exhibit 43: Albertsons Companies Inc. - Overview

*Exhibit 44: Albertsons Companies Inc. - Business segments

*Exhibit 45: Albertsons Companies  key news

*Exhibit 46: Albertsons Companies Inc. - Key offerings

*Exhibit 47: Albertsons Companies Inc. - Segment focus

**10.4 Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

*Exhibit 48: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. - Overview

*Exhibit 49: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. - Business segments

*Exhibit 50: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. - Key offerings

*Exhibit 51: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. - Segment focus

**10.5 Amazon.com Inc.

*Exhibit 52: Amazon.com Inc. - Overview

*Exhibit 53: Amazon.com Inc. - Business segments

*Exhibit 54: Amazon.com Inc. - Key offerings

*Exhibit 55: Amazon.com Inc. - Segment focus

**10.6 Costco Wholesale Corp.

*Exhibit 56: Costco Wholesale Corp. - Overview

*Exhibit 57: Costco Wholesale Corp. - Business segments

*Exhibit 58: Costco Wholesale Corp. - Key offerings

*Exhibit 59: Costco Wholesale Corp. - Segment focus

**10.7 Ebates Performance Marketing Inc.

*Exhibit 60: Ebates Performance Marketing Inc. - Overview

*Exhibit 61: Ebates Performance Marketing Inc. - Product and service

*Exhibit 62: Ebates Performance Marketing Inc. - Key offerings

**10.8 Ocado Retail Ltd.

*Exhibit 63: Ocado Retail Ltd. - Overview

*Exhibit 64: Ocado Retail Ltd. - Product and service

*Exhibit 65: Ocado Retail Ltd.  Key news

*Exhibit 66: Ocado Retail Ltd. - Key offerings

**10.9 SPAR International

*Exhibit 67: SPAR International - Overview

*Exhibit 68: SPAR International - Product and service

*Exhibit 69: SPAR International  Key news

*Exhibit 70: SPAR International - Key offerings

**10.10 Target Corp.

*Exhibit 71: Target Corp. - Overview

*Exhibit 72: Target Corp. - Business segments

*Exhibit 73: Target Corp.  Key news

*Exhibit 74: Target Corp. - Key offerings

*Exhibit 75: Target Corp. - Segment focus

**10.11 Tesco Plc

*Exhibit 76: Tesco Plc - Overview

*Exhibit 77: Tesco Plc - Business segments

*Exhibit 78: Tesco Plc  Key news

*Exhibit 79: Tesco Plc - Key offerings

*Exhibit 80: Tesco Plc - Segment focus

**10.12 Walmart Inc.

*Exhibit 81: Walmart Inc. - Overview

*Exhibit 82: Walmart Inc. - Business segments

*Exhibit 83: Walmart Inc.  Key news

*Exhibit 84: Walmart Inc. - Key offerings

*Exhibit 85: Walmart Inc. - Segment focus

***11. Appendix

**11.1 Scope of the report

*11.1.1 Market definition

*11.1.2 Objectives

*11.1.3 Notes and caveats

**11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$

*Exhibit 86: Currency conversion rates for US$

**11.3 Research Methodology

*Exhibit 87: Research Methodology

*Exhibit 88: Validation techniques employed for market sizing

*Exhibit 89: Information sources

**11.4 List of abbreviations

*Exhibit 90: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
AUSTIN, Texas, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) today announced fiscal 2022 Q3 results. Total quarterly revenues were up 4% year-over-year in USD and up 7% in constant currency to $10.5 billion. Cloud services and license support revenues were up 5% in USD and up 8% in constant currency to $7.6 billion. Cloud license and on-premise license revenues were up 1% in USD and up 4% in constant currency to $1.3 billion.

Q3 GAAP operating income was $3.8 billion, down 1% in USD and up 3% in constant currency. Non-GAAP operating income was $4.8 billion, up 1% in USD and up 4% in constant currency. GAAP operating margin was 36%, and non-GAAP operating margin was 46%. GAAP net income was $2.3 billion, and non-GAAP net income was $3.1 billion.

Q3 GAAP earnings per share was $0.84 while non-GAAP earnings per share was $1.13, down 3% in USD and up 1% in constant currency. Q3 earnings per share was lowered by $0.05 primarily because of a decline in the share price of revolutionary gene sequencing company Oxford Nanopore, and an operating loss at Ampere, the maker of the world's fastest ARM Server Chips. We remain confident that our investments in these two cutting-edge technology companies will deliver very strong returns for Oracle.

Short-term deferred revenues were $7.9 billion. Operating cash flow was $10.4 billion during the trailing twelve months.

"In Q3, Oracle delivered over 7% constant currency revenue growthour highest quarterly organic revenue growth rate since we began our transition to the cloud," said Oracle CEO, Safra Catz. "This strong top line growth was coupled with a solid non-GAAP constant currency operating profit growth of 4%, but the big story is that our overall revenue growth is being driven by both our rapidly growing Cloud Infrastructure and Cloud Applications businesses. Q3 Cloud Infrastructure revenue was up 47% in constant currency. Q3 Cloud Applications growth was led by Fusion ERP, which was up 35% in constant currency and NetSuite ERP which was up 29% in constant currency. Total Cloud revenue which includes Cloud Infrastructure and Cloud Applications is now over $11 billion a year."

"In Q3, Oracle completed development of the multi-cloud version of our MySQL HeatWave open-source database," said Oracle Chairman and CTO, Larry Ellison. "The MySQL HeatWave database is already running in the Oracle Gen2 Cloud. In a few weeks, MySQL HeatWave will also be available in the Amazon Cloud and the Microsoft Azure Cloud. MySQL HeatWave was designed to compete with Amazon's version of MySQL called Aurora, Snowflake and other popular cloud databases. What customer and database analysts are saying about Oracle's new MySQL HeatWave database is simply astonishing. Here are a couple of examples of what the database analysts are saying."

"Oracle have shown AWS, Snowflake and other database providers how to design and architect a True MySQL Cloud Database. Customers can expect MySQL HeatWave to perform about 7 times faster than Amazon Redshift or Snowflake at 2-5 times lower cost. The benefits over Amazon Aurora are even greater."

The following is an approved quote from the database analysts at Wikibon:

"We believe that the technology underlying MySQL HeatWave is an inflection point in database design and architecture. The MySQL HeatWave technology is by far the best in the market now, and we believe that the MySQL HeatWave competitive advantage is sustainable for at least three years. We also believe customers will demand that AWS provide similar converged functionality as HeatWave."

The board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.32 per share of outstanding common stock. This dividend will be paid to stockholders of record as of the close of business on April 8, 2022, with a payment date of April 21, 2022.

A sample list of customers which purchased Oracle Cloud services during the quarter will be available at www.oracle.com/customers/earnings/.

A list of recent technical innovations and announcements is available at www.oracle.com/news/.

To learn what industry analysts have been saying about Oracle's products and services see www.oracle.com/corporate/analyst-reports.html.

Earnings Conference Call and Webcast

Oracle will hold a conference call and webcast today to discuss these results at 4:00 p.m. Central. A live and replay webcast will be available on the Oracle Investor Relations website at www.oracle.com/investor/.

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

"Safe Harbor" Statement: Statements in this press release relating to Oracle's future plans, expectations, beliefs, intentions and prospects, including statements regarding the future performance of certain of our investments and the competitive advantages of the MySQL HeatWave technology, are "forward-looking statements" and are subject to material risks and uncertainties. Many factors could affect our current expectations and our actual results, and could cause actual results to differ materially. We presently consider the following to be among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations: (1) The COVID-19 pandemic has affected how we and our customers are operating our respective businesses, and the duration and extent to which this will impact our future results of operations remains uncertain. (2) Our success depends upon our ability to develop new products and services, integrate acquired products and services and enhance our existing products and services. (3) Our cloud strategy, including our Oracle Cloud Software-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service offerings, may adversely affect our revenues and profitability. (4) We might experience significant coding, manufacturing or configuration errors in our cloud, license and hardware offerings. (5) If our security measures for our products and services are compromised and as a result, our data, our customers' data or our IT systems are accessed improperly, made unavailable, or improperly modified, our products and services may be perceived as vulnerable, our brand and reputation could be damaged, the IT services we provide to our customers could be disrupted, and customers may stop using our products and services, any of which could reduce our revenue and earnings, increase our expenses and expose us to legal claims and regulatory actions. (6) Our business practices with respect to data could give rise to operational interruption, liabilities or reputational harm as a result of governmental regulation, legal requirements or industry standards relating to privacy and data protection. (7) Economic, political and market conditions can adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, including our revenue growth and profitability, which in turn could adversely affect our stock price. (8) If we are unable to compete effectively, the results of operations and prospects for our business could be harmed. (9) Our international sales and operations subject us to additional risks that can adversely affect our operating results. (10) We are susceptible to third-party manufacturing and logistics delays, which could result in the loss of sales and customers. A detailed discussion of these factors and other risks that affect our business is contained in our SEC filings, including our most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, particularly under the heading "Risk Factors." Copies of these filings are available online from the SEC or by contacting Oracle's Investor Relations Department at (650) 506-4073 or by clicking on SEC Filings on the Oracle Investor Relations website at www.oracle.com/investor/. All information set forth in this press release is current as of March 10, 2022. Oracle undertakes no duty to update any statement in light of new information or future events.

























ORACLE CORPORATION

























Q3 FISCAL 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS



CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS





($ in millions, except per share data)































Three Months Ended February 28, % Increase % Increase (Decrease)

















% of

% of (Decrease) in Constant









2022 Revenues 2021 Revenues in US $ Currency (1)





REVENUES



















Cloud services and license support $ 7,637 73% $ 7,252 72% 5% 8%







Cloud license and on-premise license 1,289 12% 1,276 13% 1% 4%







Hardware 798 8% 820 8% (3%) 1%







Services 789 7% 737 7% 7% 11%







Total revenues 10,513 100% 10,085 100% 4% 7%





OPERATING EXPENSES



















Cloud services and license support 1,305 13% 1,064 11% 23% 25%







Hardware 244 2% 230 2% 6% 11%







Services 669 7% 621 6% 8% 11%







Sales and marketing 2,004 19% 1,915 19% 5% 7%







Research and development 1,816 17% 1,621 16% 12% 13%







General and administrative 335 3% 330 3% 2% 3%







Amortization of intangible assets 279 3% 347 4% (20%) (19%)







Acquisition related and other 20 0% 13 0% 47% 54%







Restructuring 19 0% 66 1% (71%) (70%)







Total operating expenses 6,691 64% 6,207 62% 8% 10%





OPERATING INCOME 3,822 36% 3,878 38% (1%) 3%







Interest expense (667) (6%) (585) (6%) 14% 14%







Non-operating expenses, net (315) (3%) (17) 0% * *





INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 2,840 27% 3,276 32% (13%) (8%)







(Provision for) benefit from income taxes (521) (5%) 1,745 18% * *





NET INCOME $ 2,319 22% $ 5,021 50% (54%) (51%)



























EARNINGS PER SHARE:



















Basic $ 0.87

$ 1.72













Diluted $ 0.84

$ 1.68











WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING:



















Basic 2,670

2,913













Diluted 2,754

2,994

























































































































(1) We compare the percent change in the results from one period to another period using constant currency disclosure. We present constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present this information, current and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than United States dollars are converted into United States dollars at the exchange rates in effect on May 31, 2021, which was the last day of our prior fiscal year, rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during the respective periods. Movements in international currencies relative to the United States dollar during the three months ended February 28, 2022 compared with the corresponding prior year period decreased our total revenues by 3 percentage points, total operating expenses by 2 percentage points and operating income by 4 percentage points.





* Not meaningful







































































































ORACLE CORPORATION

















































Q3 FISCAL 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS



RECONCILIATION OF SELECTED GAAP MEASURES TO NON-GAAP MEASURES (1)



($ in millions, except per share data)























































Three Months Ended February 28,

% Increase

(Decrease)

in US $ % Increase

(Decrease)

in Constant

Currency (2)









2022





2022



2021





2021

GAAP Non-GAAP GAAP Non-GAAP











GAAP

Adj.

Non-GAAP



GAAP

Adj.

Non-GAAP





















































TOTAL REVENUES

$ 10,513

$ -

$ 10,513



$ 10,085

$ 1

$ 10,086

4% 4% 7% 7%







Cloud services and license support

7,637

-

7,637



7,252

1

7,253

5% 5% 8% 8%



















































TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES

$ 6,691

$ (992)

$ 5,699



$ 6,207

$ (905)

$ 5,302

8% 8% 10% 10%







Stock-based compensation (3)

674

(674)

-



479

(479)

-

41% * 41% *







Amortization of intangible assets (4)

279

(279)

-



347

(347)

-

(20%) * (19%) *







Acquisition related and other

20

(20)

-



13

(13)

-

47% * 54% *







Restructuring

19

(19)

-



66

(66)

-

(71%) * (70%) *





OPERATING INCOME

$ 3,822

$ 992

$ 4,814



$ 3,878

$ 906

$ 4,784

(1%) 1% 3% 4%





OPERATING MARGIN %

36%





46%



38%





47%

(210) bp. (165) bp. (155) bp. (132) bp.





INCOME TAX EFFECTS (5)

$ (521)

$ (209)

$ (730)



$ 1,745

$ (2,442)

$ (697)

* 5% * 9%





NET INCOME

$ 2,319

$ 783

$ 3,102



$ 5,021

$ (1,536)

$ 3,485

(54%) (11%) (51%) (7%)





DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

$ 0.84





$ 1.13



$ 1.68





$ 1.16

(50%) (3%) (47%) 1%





DILUTED WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING

2,754

-

2,754



2,994

-

2,994

(8%) (8%) (8%) (8%)

































































































(1) This presentation includes non-GAAP measures. Our non-GAAP measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures, and should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. For a detailed explanation of the adjustments made to comparable GAAP measures, the reasons why management uses these measures, the usefulness of these measures and the material limitations on the usefulness of these measures, please see Appendix A.



















































(2) We compare the percent change in the results from one period to another period using constant currency disclosure. We present constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present this information, current and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than United States dollars are converted into United States dollars at the exchange rates in effect on May 31, 2021, which was the last day of our prior fiscal year, rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during the respective periods.



















































(3) Stock-based compensation was included in the following GAAP operating expense categories:

































































Three Months Ended



Three Months Ended





















February 28, 2022



February 28, 2021





















GAAP

Adj.

Non-GAAP



GAAP

Adj.

Non-GAAP

















Cloud services and license support

$ 55

$ (55)

$ -



$ 33

$ (33)

$ -

















Hardware

4

(4)

-



2

(2)

-

















Services

17

(17)

-



15

(15)

-

















Sales and marketing

113

(113)

-



82

(82)

-

















Research and development

421

(421)

-



307

(307)

-

















General and administrative

64

(64)

-



40

(40)

-

















Total stock-based compensation

$ 674

$ (674)

$ -



$ 479

$ (479)

$ -





























































(4) Estimated future annual amortization expense related to intangible assets as of February 28, 2022 was as follows:







Remainder of fiscal 2022

$ 267







































Fiscal 2023

744







































Fiscal 2024

501







































Fiscal 2025

142







































Fiscal 2026

24







































Fiscal 2027

6







































Thereafter

4







































Total intangible assets, net

$ 1,688



















































































(5) Income tax effects were calculated reflecting an effective GAAP tax rate of 18.4% and (53.3%) in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 and 2021, respectively, and an effective non-GAAP tax rate of 19.0% and 16.7% in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 and 2021, respectively. The difference in our GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 was primarily due to the net tax effects related to stock-based compensation expense and acquisition related and other items, including the tax effects on amortization of intangible assets, partially offset by the net deferred tax effects related to an income tax benefit that was recorded in the third quarter of fiscal 2021 due to the partial realignment of our legal entity structure. The difference in our GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates in the third quarter of fiscal 2021 was primarily due to a net tax benefit of $2.3 billion related to the partial realignment of our legal entity structure (refer to Appendix A for additional information), the net tax effects related to stock-based compensation expense, and the net tax effects related to acquisition related and other items, including the net tax effects on amortization of intangible assets.















* Not meaningful











































































ORACLE CORPORATION

























Q3 FISCAL 2022 YEAR TO DATE FINANCIAL RESULTS



CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS





($ in millions, except per share data)































Nine Months Ended February 28,

% Increase









% Increase (Decrease)











% of

% of (Decrease) in Constant









2022 Revenues 2021 Revenues in US $ Currency (1)





REVENUES



















Cloud services and license support $ 22,562 74% $ 21,311 73% 6% 6%







Cloud license and on-premise license 3,339 11% 3,254 11% 3% 4%







Hardware 2,328 7% 2,478 8% (6%) (5%)







Services 2,371 8% 2,209 8% 7% 8%







Total revenues 30,600 100% 29,252 100% 5% 5%





OPERATING EXPENSES



















Cloud services and license support 3,778 12% 3,139 11% 20% 21%







Hardware 718 2% 719 2% 0% 1%







Services 1,984 7% 1,875 6% 6% 7%







Sales and marketing 5,811 19% 5,605 19% 4% 4%







Research and development 5,254 17% 4,812 17% 9% 9%







General and administrative 953 3% 949 3% 0% 0%







Amortization of intangible assets 882 3% 1,037 4% (15%) (15%)







Acquisition related and other (2) 4,707 16% 107 1% * *







Restructuring 89 0% 337 1% (74%) (73%)







Total operating expenses 24,176 79% 18,580 64% 30% 30%





OPERATING INCOME 6,424 21% 10,672 36% (40%) (38%)







Interest expense (2,051) (7%) (1,799) (6%) 14% 14%







Non-operating expenses, net (348) (1%) (30) 0% * *





INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 4,025 13% 8,843 30% (54%) (51%)







(Provision for) benefit from income taxes (497) (1%) 871 3% * *





NET INCOME $ 3,528 12% $ 9,714 33% (64%) (61%)



























EARNINGS PER SHARE:



















Basic $ 1.30

$ 3.26













Diluted $ 1.26

$ 3.19











WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING:



















Basic 2,711

2,977













Diluted 2,800

3,049

























































































































(1) We compare the percent change in the results from one period to another period using constant currency disclosure. We present constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present this information, current and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than United States dollars are converted into United States dollars at the exchange rates in effect on May 31, 2021, which was the last day of our prior fiscal year, rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during the respective periods. Movements in international currencies relative to the United States dollar during the nine months ended February 28, 2022 compared with the corresponding prior year period decreased our operating income by 2 percentage points.





(2) Acquisition related and other for the nine months ended February 28, 2022 included the impact of litigation related charges totaling $4.7 billion.





* Not meaningful













































































































ORACLE CORPORATION

















































Q3 FISCAL 2022 YEAR TO DATE FINANCIAL RESULTS



RECONCILIATION OF SELECTED GAAP MEASURES TO NON-GAAP MEASURES (1)



($ in millions, except per share data)























































Nine Months Ended February 28,

% Increase

(Decrease)

in US $ % Increase

(Decrease)

in Constant

Currency (2)









2022





2022



2021





2021

GAAP Non-GAAP GAAP Non-GAAP











GAAP

Adj.

Non-GAAP



GAAP

Adj.

Non-GAAP





















































TOTAL REVENUES

$ 30,600

$ -

$ 30,600



$ 29,252

$ 2

$ 29,254

5% 5% 5% 5%







Cloud services and license support

22,562

-

22,562



21,311

2

21,313

6% 6% 6% 6%



















































TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES

$ 24,176

$ (7,578)

$ 16,598



$ 18,580

$ (2,876)

$ 15,704

30% 6% 30% 6%







Stock-based compensation (3)

1,900

(1,900)

-



1,395

(1,395)

-

36% * 36% *







Amortization of intangible assets (4)

882

(882)

-



1,037

(1,037)

-

(15%) * (15%) *







Acquisition related and other

4,707

(4,707)

-



107

(107)

-

* * * *







Restructuring

89

(89)

-



337

(337)

-

(74%) * (73%) *





OPERATING INCOME

$ 6,424

$ 7,578

$ 14,002



$ 10,672

$ 2,878

$ 13,550

(40%) 3% (38%) 4%





OPERATING MARGIN %

21%





46%



36%





46%

* (56) bp. * (45) bp.





INCOME TAX EFFECTS (5)

$ (497)

$ (1,680)

$ (2,177)



$ 871

$ (2,990)

$ (2,119)

* 3% * 4%





NET INCOME

$ 3,528

$ 5,898

$ 9,426



$ 9,714

$ (112)

$ 9,602

(64%) (2%) (61%) (1%)





DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

$ 1.26





$ 3.37



$ 3.19





$ 3.15

(60%) 7% (58%) 8%





DILUTED WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON

SHARES OUTSTANDING

2,800

-

2,800



3,049

-

3,049

(8%) (8%) (8%) (8%)

































































































(1) This presentation includes non-GAAP measures. Our non-GAAP measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures, and should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. For a detailed explanation of the adjustments made to comparable GAAP measures, the reasons why management uses these measures, the usefulness of these measures and the material limitations on the usefulness of these measures, please see Appendix A.



















































(2) We compare the percent change in the results from one period to another period using constant currency disclosure. We present constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present this information, current and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than United States dollars are converted into United States dollars at the exchange rates in effect on May 31, 2021, which was the last day of our prior fiscal year, rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during the respective periods.



















































(3) Stock-based compensation was included in the following GAAP operating expense categories:

































































Nine Months Ended



Nine Months Ended





















February 28, 2022



February 28, 2021





















GAAP

Adj.

Non-GAAP



GAAP

Adj.

Non-GAAP

















Cloud services and license support

$ 145

$ (145)

$ -



$ 99

$ (99)

$ -

















Hardware

11

(11)

-



8

(8)

-

















Services

49

(49)

-



41

(41)

-

















Sales and marketing

328

(328)

-



233

(233)

-

















Research and development

1,188

(1,188)

-



897

(897)

-

















General and administrative

179

(179)

-



117

(117)

-

















Total stock-based compensation

$ 1,900

$ (1,900)

$ -



$ 1,395

$ (1,395)

$ -





























































(4) Estimated future annual amortization expense related to intangible assets as of February 28, 2022 was as follows:







Remainder of fiscal 2022

$ 267







































Fiscal 2023

744







































Fiscal 2024

501







































Fiscal 2025

142







































Fiscal 2026

24







































Fiscal 2027

6







































Thereafter

4







































Total intangible assets, net

$ 1,688



















































































(5) Income tax effects were calculated reflecting an effective GAAP tax rate of 12.3% and (9.8%) in the first nine months of fiscal 2022 and 2021, respectively, and an effective non-GAAP tax rate of 18.8% and 18.1% in the first nine months of fiscal 2022 and 2021, respectively. The difference in our GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates in the first nine months of fiscal 2022 was primarily due to the net tax effects related to stock-based compensation expense, acquisition related and other items, including the net tax effects for litigation related charges (refer to Appendix A for additional information), and the tax effects on amortization of intangible assets, partially offset by the net deferred tax effects related to an income tax benefit that was recorded in the first nine months of fiscal 2021 due to the partial realignment of our legal entity structure. The difference in our GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates for the first nine months of fiscal 2021 was primarily due to a net tax benefit of $2.3 billion related to the partial realignment of our legal entity structure (refer to Appendix A for additional information), the net tax effects on stock-based compensation expense, and the net tax effects related to acquisition related and other items, including the net tax effects on amortization of intangible assets.















* Not meaningful





















































































































ORACLE CORPORATION





















Q3 FISCAL 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS



CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS



($ in millions)



























February 28, May 31,









2022 2021



ASSETS











Current Assets:













Cash and cash equivalents $ 22,682

$ 30,098







Marketable securities 707

16,456







Trade receivables, net 4,588

5,409







Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,698

3,604









Total Current Assets 31,675

55,567





Non-Current Assets:













Property, plant and equipment, net 8,609

7,049







Intangible assets, net 1,688

2,430







Goodwill, net 43,833

43,935







Deferred tax assets 13,109

13,636







Other non-current assets 9,730

8,490









Total Non-Current Assets 76,969

75,540





TOTAL ASSETS $ 108,644

$ 131,107





LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' (DEFICIT) EQUITY











Current Liabilities:













Notes payable, current $ 6,248

$ 8,250







Accounts payable 1,124

745







Accrued compensation and related benefits 1,626

2,017







Deferred revenues 7,871

8,775







Other current liabilities 3,964

4,377









Total Current Liabilities 20,833

24,164





Non-Current Liabilities:













Notes payable and other borrowings, non-current 72,165

75,995







Income taxes payable 12,168

12,345







Deferred tax liabilities 6,462

7,864







Other non-current liabilities 5,227

4,787









Total Non-Current Liabilities 96,022

100,991





Stockholders' (Deficit) Equity (8,211)

5,952





TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' (DEFICIT) EQUITY $ 108,644

$ 131,107



























































ORACLE CORPORATION



















Q3 FISCAL 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS



CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS





($ in millions)

























Nine Months Ended February 28,







2022 2021



Cash Flows From Operating Activities:











Net income $ 3,528

$ 9,714





Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:











Depreciation 1,409

1,127





Amortization of intangible assets 882

1,037





Deferred income taxes (983)

(2,475)





Stock-based compensation 1,900

1,395





Other, net 82

227





Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions:











Decrease in trade receivables, net 652

1,089





Decrease in prepaid expenses and other assets 71

609





Decrease in accounts payable and other liabilities (683)

(247)





Decrease in income taxes payable (661)

(1,181)





Decrease in deferred revenues (643)

(250)





Net cash provided by operating activities 5,554

11,045





Cash Flows From Investing Activities:











Purchases of marketable securities and other investments (10,134)

(26,775)





Proceeds from sales and maturities of marketable securities and other investments 25,735

19,035





Acquisitions, net of cash acquired (132)

(29)





Capital expenditures (3,088)

(1,418)





Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities 12,381

(9,187)





Cash Flows From Financing Activities:











Payments for repurchases of common stock (15,654)

(12,958)





Proceeds from issuances of common stock 357

915





Shares repurchased for tax withholdings upon vesting of restricted stock-based awards (1,011)

(597)





Payments of dividends to stockholders (2,603)

(2,146)





Repayments of borrowings (5,750)

(2,631)





Other, net (439)

241





Net cash used for financing activities (25,100)

(17,176)





Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (251)

400





Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (7,416)

(14,918)





Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 30,098

37,239





Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 22,682

$ 22,321

































































ORACLE CORPORATION



Q3 FISCAL 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS



FREE CASH FLOW - TRAILING 4-QUARTERS (1)



($ in millions)

































Fiscal 2021 Fiscal 2022







Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4





























GAAP Operating Cash Flow $ 13,092 $ 13,967 $ 14,659 $ 15,887 $ 15,325 $ 10,255 $ 10,396

































Capital Expenditures (1,614) (1,833) (1,851) (2,135) (2,761) (3,118) (3,805)

































Free Cash Flow $ 11,478 $ 12,134 $ 12,808 $ 13,752 $ 12,564 $ 7,137 $ 6,591

































% Growth over prior year (6%) (1%) 3% 19% 9% (41%) (49%)



























































GAAP Net Income $ 10,249 $ 10,380 $ 12,830 $ 13,746 $ 13,952 $ 10,262 $ 7,560

































Free Cash Flow as a % of Net Income 112% 117% 100% 100% 90% 70% 87%



























































(1) To supplement our statements of cash flows presented on a GAAP basis, we use non-GAAP measures of cash flows on a trailing 4-quarter basis to analyze cash flow generated from operations. We believe free cash flow is also useful as one of the bases for comparing our performance with our competitors. The presentation of non-GAAP free cash flow is not meant to be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net income as an indicator of our performance, or as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity.















































































































ORACLE CORPORATION





Q3 FISCAL 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS





SUPPLEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF GAAP REVENUES (1)





($ in millions)









































Fiscal 2021

Fiscal 2022





Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 TOTAL

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 TOTAL







REVENUES BY OFFERINGS





























Cloud services and license support $ 6,947 $ 7,112 $ 7,252 $ 7,389 $ 28,700

$ 7,371 $ 7,554 $ 7,637

$ 22,562







Cloud license and on-premise license 886 1,092 1,276 2,144 5,399

813 1,237 1,289

3,339







Hardware 814 844 820 882 3,359

763 767 798

2,328







Services 720 752 737 812 3,021

781 802 789

2,371









Total revenues $ 9,367 $ 9,800 $ 10,085 $ 11,227 $ 40,479

$ 9,728 $ 10,360 $ 10,513

$ 30,600









































AS REPORTED REVENUE GROWTH RATES





























Cloud services and license support 2% 4% 5% 8% 5%

6% 6% 5%

6%







Cloud license and on-premise license 9% (3%) 4% 9% 5%

(8%) 13% 1%

3%







Hardware 0% (3%) (4%) (2%) (2%)

(6%) (9%) (3%)

(6%)







Services (8%) (7%) (5%) 11% (3%)

8% 7% 7%

7%









Total revenues 2% 2% 3% 8% 4%

4% 6% 4%

5%









































CONSTANT CURRENCY REVENUE GROWTH RATES (2)





























Cloud services and license support 2% 4% 2% 4% 3%

5% 6% 8%

6%







Cloud license and on-premise license 8% (5%) 0% 5% 2%

(9%) 16% 4%

4%







Hardware 0% (3%) (6%) (6%) (4%)

(7%) (8%) 1%

(5%)







Services (8%) (8%) (8%) 6% (5%)

7% 7% 11%

8%









Total revenues 2% 1% 0% 4% 2%

2% 6% 7%

5%









































CLOUD SERVICES AND LICENSE SUPPORT REVENUES





























BY ECOSYSTEM





























Applications cloud services and license support $ 2,816 $ 2,901 $ 2,952 $ 3,043 $ 11,712

$ 3,041 $ 3,149 $ 3,187

$ 9,377







Infrastructure cloud services and license support 4,131 4,211 4,300 4,346 16,988

4,330 4,405 4,450

13,185









Total cloud services and license support revenues $ 6,947 $ 7,112 $ 7,252 $ 7,389 $ 28,700

$ 7,371 $ 7,554 $ 7,637

$ 22,562









































AS REPORTED REVENUE GROWTH RATES





























Applications cloud services and license support 4% 5% 5% 11% 6%

8% 9% 8%

8%







Infrastructure cloud services and license support 1% 4% 4% 6% 4%

5% 5% 3%

4%









Total cloud services and license support revenues 2% 4% 5% 8% 5%

6% 6% 5%

6%









































CONSTANT CURRENCY REVENUE GROWTH RATES (2)





























Applications cloud services and license support 4% 5% 3% 7% 5%

7% 8% 10%

8%







Infrastructure cloud services and license support 1% 3% 2% 2% 2%

3% 5% 7%

5%









Total cloud services and license support revenues 2% 4% 2% 4% 3%

5% 6% 8%

6%









































GEOGRAPHIC REVENUES





























Americas

$ 5,068 $ 5,259 $ 5,424 $ 6,076 $ 21,828

$ 5,321 $ 5,736 $ 5,849

$ 16,905







Europe/Middle East/Africa 2,738 2,852 2,981 3,324 11,894

2,784 2,953 3,014

8,751







Asia Pacific

1,561 1,689 1,680 1,827 6,757

1,623 1,671 1,650

4,944









Total revenues $ 9,367 $ 9,800 $ 10,085 $ 11,227 $ 40,479

$ 9,728 $ 10,360 $ 10,513

$ 30,600











































































(1) The sum of the quarterly information presented may vary from the year-to-date information presented due to rounding.

















(2) We compare the percent change in the results from one period to another period using constant currency disclosure. We present constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present this information, current and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than United States dollars are converted into United States dollars at the exchange rates in effect on May 31, 2021 and 2020 for the fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021 constant currency growth rate calculations presented, respectively, rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during the respective periods.





















































































APPENDIX A

ORACLE CORPORATION

Q3 FISCAL 2022 FINANCIAL RESULTS

EXPLANATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES

To supplement our financial results presented on a GAAP basis, we use the non-GAAP measures indicated in the tables, which exclude certain business combination accounting entries and expenses related to acquisitions, as well as other significant expenses including stock-based compensation, that we believe are helpful in understanding our past financial performance and our future results. Our non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures and should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our management regularly uses our supplemental non-GAAP financial measures internally to understand, manage and evaluate our business and make operating decisions. These non-GAAP measures are among the primary factors management uses in planning for and forecasting future periods. Compensation of our executives is based in part on the performance of our business based on these non-GAAP measures. Our non-GAAP financial measures reflect adjustments based on the following items, as well as the related income tax effects related to each of the below items, with the exception of the item described under income tax effects related to the partial realignment of our legal entity structure:

Cloud services and license support revenues : Business combination accounting rules as applicable to acquisitions closed prior to fiscal 2022 required us to account for the fair values of cloud services and license support contracts assumed in connection with our acquisitions. The non-GAAP adjustments to our cloud services and license support revenues, income tax effects and net income measures for the fiscal 2021 periods presented are intended to include, and thus reflect, the full amount of such revenues. We believe the adjustments to these revenues are useful to investors as a measure of the ongoing performance of our business as we generally expect to experience high renewal rates for these contracts at their stated values during the post combination periods.

Stock-based compensation expenses : We have excluded the effect of stock-based compensation expenses from our non-GAAP operating expenses, income tax effects and net income measures. Although stock-based compensation is a key incentive offered to our employees, and we believe such compensation contributed to the revenues earned during the periods presented and also believe it will contribute to the generation of future period revenues, we continue to evaluate our business performance excluding stock-based compensation expenses. Stock-based compensation expenses will recur in future periods.

Amortization of intangible assets : We have excluded the effect of amortization of intangible assets from our non-GAAP operating expenses, income tax effects and net income measures. Amortization of intangible assets is inconsistent in amount and frequency and is significantly affected by the timing and size of our acquisitions. Investors should note that the use of intangible assets contributed to our revenues earned during the periods presented and will contribute to our future period revenues as well. Amortization of intangible assets will recur in future periods.

Acquisition related and other expenses; and restructuring expenses : We have excluded the effect of acquisition related and other expenses and the effect of restructuring expenses from our non-GAAP operating expenses, income tax effects and net income measures. We incurred expenses in connection with our acquisitions and also incurred certain other operating expenses or income, which we generally would not have otherwise incurred in the periods presented as a part of our continuing operations. For all periods presented, acquisition related and other expenses consisted of personnel related costs for transitional and certain other employees, certain business combination adjustments including certain adjustments after the measurement period has ended, and certain other operating items, net. For the nine months ended February 28, 2022 , acquisition related and other expenses substantially consisted of litigation related charges totaling $4.7 billion that we generally do not expect to recur and we consider the $4.7 billion of litigation related charges to be outside our ordinary course of business based on the following considerations: (i) the unprecedented nature of the litigation related charges including the nature and size of the damages awarded; (ii) the dissimilarity of this litigation and related charges to recurring litigation of which we are a party in our normal business course for which any and all such charges are included in our GAAP operating results and non-GAAP measures; (iii) the complexity of the case; (iv) the counterparty involved; and (v) our expectation that litigation related charges of this nature will not recur in future periods; amongst other factors. Restructuring expenses consisted of employee severance and other exit costs. We believe it is useful for investors to understand the effects of these items on our total operating expenses. Although acquisition related and other expenses and restructuring expenses may diminish over time with respect to past acquisitions and/or strategic initiatives, we generally will incur certain of these expenses in connection with any future acquisitions and/or strategic initiatives.

Income tax effects related to the partial realignment of our legal entity structure : We recorded a net income tax benefit of $2.3 billion during the three and nine months ended February 28, 2021 which related to the partial realignment of our legal entity structure that resulted in the intra-group transfer of certain intellectual property rights. A portion of this net benefit will reduce cash taxes paid and give rise to a net deferred tax expense. We have excluded the net deferred tax effects related to this net income tax benefit from our non-GAAP income tax effects and net income measures for the three and nine months ended February 28, 2022 and 2021. We believe these adjustments to the fiscal 2022 and 2021 periods presented provides insight to our operating performance and comparability to past operating results.

SOURCE Oracle
TBC, the industry association behind the passage of two pieces of blockchain related legislation , is dedicated to making the Lone Star State a world leader in bitcoin, blockchain, and cryptocurrency. Rex's focus on empowering people by building innovative tech startups in the payments, security, and real estate space makes them a natural partner for the TBC.

According to TBC President Lee Bratcher, "Peter's vision to democratize real estate investing through blockchain technology will not only yield greater liquidity and lower investment thresholds, but will also benefit all Americans by bringing transparency and efficiency to an industry that is traditionally accessible only to those with significant financial means."

TBC's Digital Asset Committee is developing innovative policy proposals that will further advance Texas as a leader in blockchain and in the tokenization of real estate.

"For too long, real estate investment has been limited to those with means, locking out millions of Americans who have been unable to take advantage of historically the most effective way to build wealth," said Peter Rex. "Rex is changing that. Through blockchain technology, we can give everyone an opportunity to build wealth for themselves and their families via real estate investment. Rex is proud to be partnering with TBC to make Texas the Blockchain Capital of the world and create greater financial opportunity for all."

TBC is partnering with companies like Rex and their more than 80 member companies to host the second annual Texas Blockchain Summit in 2022, with details forthcoming.

For press inquiries, contact Lee Bratcher of the Texas Blockchain Council: [email protected] and for Peter Rex contact Christian McGuigan of Rex: [email protected]

SOURCE Texas Blockchain Council
"As we continue to grow, we have been looking for executives with global experience and broad capabilities to help our agencies be successful, particularly with their talent, their clients and with technology," said CEO Brett Marchand. "With this, I'm thrilled to announce two outstanding new members of the Plus Company executive team, Benita Meswania and Nathan Oliver."

Benita Meswania joins Plus Company as the Chief People Officer (CPO) as of March 1. In this role, Benita will oversee the company's people strategy including working with agency talent leaders on recruitment, career development and engagement; lead their corporate Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DI&B) initiatives; and oversee the HR due diligence for acquisitions. Based in London, Benita joins Plus Company from Accenture Interactive where she was previously the Global HR Lead at Droga5.

Nathan Oliver joined the company as Chief Growth Officer (CGO) in November 2021. In this role, Nathan is responsible for driving forward the Plus Company brand as well as network level new business, while proactively partnering with clients to ensure they are successful at reimagining and transforming their business for the digital age. Based in San Francisco, Nathan joined Plus Company from Publicis Sapient, where he previously was the Global Business Development Lead.

A results-driven global network of agencies with an illustrious brand portfolio across five continents, Plus Company's approach challenges interagency rivalries to inspire a culture of mutual respect, cooperation, and collaboration, growing partnerships organically through personal relationships, not corporate mandates.

"It is extremely exciting to be a part of this innovative model," shared Meswania. "Fostering a culture that aligns with the business strategy is no small task and I look forward to rallying around the company's ethos which focuses and invests in one of its most critical assets, its people."

With all these agencies coming together, it puts an assortment of knowledge and skills at clients' fingertips by steering away from the typical "holding company" dynamic, positioning itself instead as a "propel company" giving each agency the space and support it needs to do its best work, rather than tightly controlling from above.

"We care about the scale of thinking and the creativity that we can collectively bring to our clients," said Oliver. "The standard model for many holding companies is providing a scale of talent. We want to disrupt that and be able to provide a scale of ideas across our agencies that can create disruptive, authentic and meaningful interactions with our clients' and their customers."

Additional Executive Leadership Team appointments include:

Martin Faucher has been named Chief Financial Officer (CFO), responsible for overseeing the financial operations of Plus Company including overseeing the shared Management Services Company (MSC) in North America , which works for the agencies while helping Plus Company drive increased profitability through synergies.

has been named Chief Financial Officer (CFO), responsible for overseeing the financial operations of Plus Company including overseeing the shared Management Services Company (MSC) in , which works for the agencies while helping Plus Company drive increased profitability through synergies. He Shen has been named Chief Development Officer (CDO), working with agency leadership, the board of directors and integration teams to identify, attract and acquire world-class agencies to join the Plus Company family.

Sandra Giguere has been named General Counsel for Plus Company, responsible for providing the legal and governance advice to the company and to the board of directors, and has operational responsibility for corporate level contractual agreements.

has been named General Counsel for Plus Company, responsible for providing the legal and governance advice to the company and to the board of directors, and has operational responsibility for corporate level contractual agreements. Sharon Amster is being promoted to Chief of Staff for Plus Company, responsible for corporate-wide priorities and technology and data enabler initiatives in addition to supporting the CEO and corporate leadership team.

About Plus Company:

Plus Company, founded in 2021, is a 21st century alliance of best-in-class creative brands focused on collaboration and synergy through an integrated service model. With over 20 agencies that deliver creativity fueled by an innate understanding of culture, technology, and data. Plus Company agency brands include: We Are Social and its sister agencies, Socialize, Hello and Metta; fuseproject; All Inclusive Marketing (AIM), Camp Jefferson, Citizen Relations, Cossette, Cossette Media, Eleven, Gene Global, Impact Research, Jungle Media, K72, Level Eleven, Magnet, Middle Child, PathIQ, Septieme, and The Narrative Group (TNG). Plus Company has more than 3,000 employees, across 12 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

SOURCE Plus Company
In-Scope:

Consumer electronics:

The programmable application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) market share growth by the consumer electronics segment will be significant during the forecast period. The significant increase in the demand for consumer electronics such as smartphones, personal computers (PCs), and TVs will drive the market growth through this segment in the coming years. For instance, the smartphone penetration reached more than 75% in countries like the US, the UK, and Germany.

Out-of-Scope:

Telecommunication



Automotive



Others

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Highlights-

Segmentation- The report extensively covers market segmentation by Application (consumer electronics, telecommunication, automotive, and others) and Geography (APAC, North America , Europe , South America , and Middle East and Africa )

The report extensively covers market segmentation by Application (consumer electronics, telecommunication, automotive, and others) and Geography (APAC, , , , and and ) Key Companies- Achronix Semiconductor Corp., ams AG, Analog Devices Inc., Avnet Inc., Cobham Plc, EnSilica Ltd., GOWIN Semiconductor Corp., Honeywell International Inc., Intel Corp., Lattice Semiconductor Corp., MegaChips Corp., Microchip Technology Inc., Qualcomm Inc., QuickLogic Corp., Renesas Electronics Corp., Semiconductor Components Industries LLC, Socionext Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., Xilinx Inc., and Infineon Technologies AG among others

Achronix Semiconductor Corp., ams AG, Analog Devices Inc., Avnet Inc., Cobham Plc, EnSilica Ltd., GOWIN Semiconductor Corp., Honeywell International Inc., Intel Corp., Lattice Semiconductor Corp., MegaChips Corp., Microchip Technology Inc., Qualcomm Inc., QuickLogic Corp., Renesas Electronics Corp., Semiconductor Components Industries LLC, Socionext Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., Xilinx Inc., and Infineon Technologies AG among others Driver- Growing demand for customizable ICs to drive the market

Growing demand for customizable ICs to drive the market Challenge- Cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry to hamper the market growth

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Vendor Insights-

The programmable ASIC market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as the development of innovative products and an increase in research and development investments to compete in the market.

Intel Corp.- The company offers programmable application specific integrated circuits that provides lower unit-cost and lower power compared to FPGAs and faster time to market and lower non-recurring engineering cost compared to standard-cell ASICs, under the brand name of eASIC. It is a public company headquartered in the US. It is a global company generating USD 77,867 million in revenues and has around 110,600 employees. Its revenue from the global programmable application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) market contributes to its overall revenues along with its other offerings, but it is not a key revenue stream for the company.

Find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings. Download Free Sample Report

Learn More about Key Driver & Challenge of the Market-

Programmable ASIC Market Driver:

Growing demand for customizable ICs:



The increasing demand in the industrial, automotive, healthcare, and other industries, coupled with technological advances, contributes to the growth of the global ASICs market. In healthcare, customized ICs are used in different equipment such as electrocardiography ( ECG ) machines, ultrasound machines, digital X-rays, and computer tomography (CT) machines. In addition, owing to the increase in demand for compact electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, and wearables, IC manufacturers must reduce the size of ICs. This has given rise to the increased demand for ASICs . ASICs are becoming denser with the number of transistors installed in wafers, thereby spurring their use in the market. Such factors have increased the penetration rate of programmable ASICs in the market, which will positively impact the market growth in the forecast period.

Programmable ASIC Market Challenge:

Cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry:



Fluctuations in demand for semiconductor products, including mobile devices, and automotive equipment will impact the demand in the overall semiconductor market. This variation in demand is attributed to factors such as technological developments in the product, making the previous version less preferable in the market, and excess production of these semiconductor components. The rampant fluctuations can often lead to excess inventory levels in times of low demand and low inventory levels in times of high demand. For instance, in 2014-2016, there was an oversupply of NAND memory devices worldwide, which resulted in excess inventory, leading to low demand for wafer inspection equipment in 2014. Such factors are expected to limit the market growth in the forecast period.

Find additional information about various other market Drivers & Challenges mentioned in our FREE sample report .

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Near Field Communication (NFC) Chips Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025: The near field communication (NFC) chips market share is expected to increase by USD 2.20 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 12.53%. To get more exclusive research insights: Download Free Sample Report

Programmable ASIC Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 8.71% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 2.05 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 7.89 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 69% Key consumer countries US, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Achronix Semiconductor Corp., ams AG, Analog Devices Inc., Avnet Inc., Cobham Plc, EnSilica Ltd., GOWIN Semiconductor Corp., Honeywell International Inc., Intel Corp., Lattice Semiconductor Corp., MegaChips Corp., Microchip Technology Inc., Qualcomm Inc., QuickLogic Corp., Renesas Electronics Corp., Semiconductor Components Industries LLC, Socionext Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., Xilinx Inc., and Infineon Technologies AG Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization preview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Application



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Application

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Application - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Application - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Application



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Application

5.3 Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Consumer electronics - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Consumer electronics - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Telecommunication - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Telecommunication - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Telecommunication - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Telecommunication - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Telecommunication - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Automotive - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 36: Chart on Automotive - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Automotive - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Chart on Automotive - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Automotive - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 40: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 42: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.7 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 44: Market opportunity by Application ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 45: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 46: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 48: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 50: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 55: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 56: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 57: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 59: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 60: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 61: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 64: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 68: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 69: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 70: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 71: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 72: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 73: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 74: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 75: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 76: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 Achronix Semiconductor Corp.

Exhibit 77: Achronix Semiconductor Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 78: Achronix Semiconductor Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 79: Achronix Semiconductor Corp. - Key offerings

10.4 Analog Devices Inc.

Exhibit 80: Analog Devices Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 81: Analog Devices Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 82: Analog Devices Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 83: Analog Devices Inc. - Segment focus

10.5 Avnet Inc.

Exhibit 84: Avnet Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 85: Avnet Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 86: Avnet Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 87: Avnet Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 88: Avnet Inc. - Segment focus

10.6 EnSilica Ltd.

Exhibit 89: EnSilica Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 90: EnSilica Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 91: EnSilica Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 92: EnSilica Ltd. - Key offerings

10.7 Honeywell International Inc.

Exhibit 93: Honeywell International Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 94: Honeywell International Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 95: Honeywell International Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 96: Honeywell International Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 97: Honeywell International Inc. - Segment focus

10.8 Infineon Technologies AG

Exhibit 98: Infineon Technologies AG - Overview



Exhibit 99: Infineon Technologies AG - Business segments



Exhibit 100: Infineon Technologies AG - Key news



Exhibit 101: Infineon Technologies AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 102: Infineon Technologies AG - Segment focus

10.9 Intel Corp.

Exhibit 103: Intel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 104: Intel Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 105: Intel Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 106: Intel Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 107: Intel Corp. - Segment focus

10.10 Microchip Technology Inc.

Exhibit 108: Microchip Technology Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 109: Microchip Technology Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 110: Microchip Technology Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 111: Microchip Technology Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 112: Microchip Technology Inc. - Segment focus

10.11 Qualcomm Inc.

Exhibit 113: Qualcomm Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 114: Qualcomm Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 115: Qualcomm Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 116: Qualcomm Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 117: Qualcomm Inc. - Segment focus

10.12 Texas Instruments Inc.

Exhibit 118: Texas Instruments Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 119: Texas Instruments Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 120: Texas Instruments Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 121: Texas Instruments Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 122: Texas Instruments Inc. - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 123: Inclusions checklist

Exhibit 124: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 125: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 126: Research methodology

Exhibit 127: Validation techniques employed for market sizing

Exhibit 128: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 129: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
AUSTIN, Texas, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GDAA Property Management announced today its acquisition by Silicon Valley-based PURE Property Management, the fastest growing profitable residential property management and technology company in the U.S. Greg Doering, GDAA's Owner-Broker, is now Regional Director of Texas at PURE and will lead growth and acquisition efforts in Texas.

Greg Doering, Regional Director Texas, PURE Property Management

"We're excited that GDAA is now a PURE Property Management company and that we will continue to grow aggressively within Texas," said Greg Doering. "While the professional property management team at GDAA remains unchanged, the PURE culture and its 'band together, build together' mission is a perfect fit for us. My team and I now enjoy working with dozens of other operators and industry leaders, many longtime friends, as day-to-day peers across the U.S."

With a vision to make the process of renting a home a simple and satisfying experience for all, PURE launched in October 2020. PURE is consolidating independently owned property management companies operated by seasoned industry leaders and supporting them with proprietary property management technology and processes designed by industry experts. PURE recently announced that it raised $50 million in equity financing from Level Equity, which values the business at over $300 million. PURE's "from the industry, for the industry" mantra resonates with the owners of successful property management companies looking for the operational efficiency and resilience derived from the technology and scale that PURE provides.

"Greg and the GDAA team are well known and highly respected within the industry," said Mike Catalano, Co-founder and General Partner of PURE. "GDAA is one of only ten companies in Texas to be recognized as a Certified Residential Management Company (CRMC), a designation considered to be among the industry's premier credentials. We're thrilled to add GDAA's talent and experience to the PURE team as we expand in Texas and nationally."

Managing residential property investments has become increasingly complex. COVID-related regulations and market supply constraints, combined with remote workforce lifestyle demands by residents, are fueling rapid innovation and consolidation within the property management industry.

"I feel like a decade of change was thrown at us in the last two years," observed Doering. "This has led many do-it-yourself residential property investors to decide that it's too complex and not worth the hassle. GDAA grew over 50% last year, most of that attributed to investors turning over day-to-day management of their properties to us. It's a better use of their time and ultimately more profitable for them. Professional property management leads to better experiences for everyone, especially the residents."

GDAA Property Management continues operating under its established brand, now a PURE Property Management Company. For more information about GDAA, visit https://www.gdaapm.com

About PURE Property Management

PURE Property Management is the fastest growing profitable residential property management and technology company in the U.S. Led by a team of experienced industry professionals and seasoned technology innovators, PURE acquires single-family residential property management companies and invests in their people and processes. By deploying technology and providing operational efficiencies, PURE enhances resident and investor experiences. Owners of independent third-party property managers interested in joining PURE can reach Greg Doering at [email protected] or https://purepm.co/join

SOURCE PURE Property Management
PORTLAND, Ore., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruby.com, the premier provider of virtual receptionist and chat services for more than 14,000 U.S. businesses, celebrates three Stevie Awards wins for Sales & Customer Service, including two Golds, in the awards' 16th annual celebration.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals. More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, across 51 nations, were considered. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 150 professionals worldwide on eight specialized judging committees.

Ruby received a Gold Stevie award for "Customer Service Employer of the Year" in recognition of the company's unparalleled initiatives for its employees throughout the pandemic, including doubling down on Ruby's award-winning training program, increasing frontline wages by 10.5%, accelerating promotion timelines, adding schedule flexibility, and introducing new wellness programs. The Stevie Awards added this new category this year and Ruby is honored to be the first recipient.

Additionally, Anne Marie Grisham, Sales Manager at Ruby, received a Gold Stevie for "Sales Representative of the Year - Business Services Industries" in honor of her work as the highest-performing representative for the past two years, and her tremendous professional growth, having earned three promotions in 13 months. Patti Crume, Director of Customer Happiness at Ruby, received a Silver Stevie for "Customer Service Manager of the Year" for her work managing the integration of PureChat in 2020 and creating the first-ever performance ladder for Ruby's customer service department, which is comprised of more than 30 former receptionists.

"I'm so proud of our team and the time and energy they commit to our customers every day," says Ruby CEO, Kate Winkler. "Throughout the pandemic, especially, our teams have stepped up and creatively surpassed every challenge they've faced to better our customers' experiences and those of Ruby team members, too. These awards recognize their dedication to the small business community and to each other."

Ruby is currently hiring for its frontline roles across a variety of locations, including in Texas, where the company recently expanded, to meet the increasing demand for Ruby services.

To learn more about Ruby, visit https://www.ruby.com.

About Ruby

Ruby is a US-based live virtual receptionist and chat specialist company that creates meaningful human connections supported by proprietary technology. Trusted by more than 14,000 businesses, Ruby provides the services, products and analytics small businesses need to manage customer interactions and deliver exceptional experiences, 24/7, 365 days a year. Ruby helps small businesses build trust, foster loyalty and help win new business by meeting today's customer demand for quick answers and personalized service. Ruby has helped companies grow since 2003 and has earned national recognition from Fortune Magazine as a Best Small Company to Work For in the U.S., Inc. Best Workplaces, repeat Great Places to Work rankings, and a Silver Stevie for Customer Service Training Team of the Year. To learn more, visit ruby.com or experience Ruby for yourself by calling 844-311-7829. Follow along with @callruby on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About The Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors of the 16th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include Sales Partnerships, Inc., Thought Leadership Leverage, and ValueSelling Associates, Inc.

Media Contact

Lara Compton

VP, Growth & Brand Marketing

[email protected]

866-611-7829

SOURCE Ruby
SafeBase, Inc. Raises $18 Million Series A Round to Develop Security Trust Centers for Companies Tweet this

Security assessments have long been bottlenecks for enterprise adoption of new technology. Cybersecurity spending will top $174 billion in 2024 with 69% reporting regulatory compliance as the primary spending driver, according to a recent study published by TechBeacon. In addition, third-party breaches are becoming increasingly common, with 80% of organizations experiencing at least one such breach over the past year. When evaluating new enterprise technology from a third-party vendor, assessing security posture is essential, yet this process can be slow and arduous. SafeBase is designed to automate access and provide security and compliance information for industry standards such as GDPR, HIPAA compliance and SOC2.

"Security reviews are notorious for being disjointed and often complicatedwhich consequently leads to delayed sales cycles and implementations," said Hilarie Koplow-McAdams, Venture Partner, NEA. "SafeBase has developed a long-desired solution that streamlines and automates security reviews within a single platform, giving customers the confidence to make faster decisions for new technology. The product has already displayed impressive market traction and we're thrilled to partner with the SafeBase team as they continue to pioneer the future of vendor security for organizations globally."

SafeBase was started by founders Al Yang, CEO; and Adar Arnon, CTO; who met at Harvard and were admitted to Y Combinator's accelerator program amidst the Pandemic. Prior to Harvard, Adar served in Israeli Defense Forces Unit 8200, thus the company has strong engineering teams in both the U.S. and Israel. Al is a successful serial entrepreneur who personally felt the pain and inefficiency of vendor security assessments. Together they are on a mission to create a world in which companies with solid security programs can gain a competitive advantage in the sales process.

"At SafeBase, we want all companies, regardless of size or sector, to be able to easily communicate their security posture to the world," said Al Yang, CEO of SafeBase. "We're very proud that the investors at NEA share our vision and want to help us bring it to every company that's serious about building and maintaining trust with its customers."

In addition to security and compliance issues in the sales process, SafeBase also empowers business development and sales teams to streamline security and compliance processes for companies integrating third-party technology vendors. Now information security teams can access all the details of a company's security program from an organized, interactive dashboard. To book a demo with SafeBase, visit: https://safebase.io/schedule

About SafeBase

SafeBase is the smart trust center for sharing your security posture and automating access to sensitive documents. Gaining customer trust begins with the SafeBase Security Portal. InfoSec teams can learn everything about a company's security program from this interactive portal. For more sensitive information, security teams can share additional details with prospects using an automated NDA workflow, all while eliminating countless emails and allowing them to focus on what they do best: securing their companies. https://safebase.io/

About NEA

New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With nearly $24 billion in cumulative committed capital since the firm's founding in 1977, NEA invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's track record of investing includes more than 260 portfolio company IPOs and more than 430 mergers and acquisitions. www.nea.com

Media Contact

Macy Mody

Safebase

[email protected]

1-818-282-3055

Cara Harbor

Firecracker PR

[email protected]

1-888-317-4687 ext. 702

SOURCE SafeBase
BEIRUT, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization of Migration (IOM) on Wednesday launched a project to support the livelihood of Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities in Lebanon.

The one-year project aimed to shore up 604 Lebanese and Syrian people by fostering employment and income-generating opportunities in the communities lacking public services in North and Akkar governorates, and Beqaa Valley, according to the UN migration agency.

Sponsored by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), the program came "at a critical time when so many people in Lebanon are struggling amid the economic and financial downturn, the COVID-19 pandemic, and most recently, the explosions at the port of Beirut," said Mathieu Luciano, head of IOM's Lebanese Office.

For her part, Nouf Al-Kaabi, acting manager at the QFFD, said the program uses a holistic approach to mitigate economic hardships, address education needs, and instill "a sense of purpose" in these communities, with a focus on the unemployed and women.

Nearly 1.5 million Syrian refugees are currently living in Lebanon, of whom about 950,000 are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 
Senior Life's new AgentSync onboarding portal provides a central, seamless workflow to improve the agent experience. Tweet this

"Senior Life is a company founded by agents and run by agents," said Ron Powell, Chief Executive Officer & President of Senior Life "We are constantly looking for ways to improve the agent experience. This is why we have partnered with AgentSync  to help remove the burdens associated with the onboarding process and push our onboarding process to the next level. Utilizing Agentsync's customizable technology will help us to do just that. It creates significant efficiencies that improve the agent onboarding experience allowing agents to go to work the same day they contract."

For agents, getting set up to work with Senior Life is easier than ever. With the new onboarding flow, agents simply enter their personal information, submit for a background check, provide an e-signature on the agent contract, and start selling in the states they're licensed in same-day. The entire process happens all within the same onboarding workflow on the new custom portal, built by AgentSync.

This first-of-its-kind portal brings about cost and time savings for both agents and Senior life. With this new process, agents self-select the states they plan to start doing business in and are able to get appointed in additional eligible states when their first piece of business is submitted.

"The producer onboarding flow that we've worked in partnership with Senior Life to develop completely eliminates any friction from the agent onboarding process. Improving and accelerating the onboarding experience is at the heart of the value we create for our carrier customers and we're eager to use our learnings from our work with Senior Life to help other carriers modernize and improve the process for everyone participating," said Niji Sabharwal, CEO and co-founder of AgentSync.

To check out our self-serving onboarding portal, visit: https://go.agentsync.io/self-serve-onboarding-portal . To learn more about how we work with carriers, visit agentsync.io/insurance-carriers , or reach out to [email protected] to learn more.

About AgentSync

AgentSync powers rapid growth for insurance carriers, agencies, and MGAs by offering modern tools for producer management. With its customer-centric design, seamless APIs, and automation, AgentSync's products reduce friction, increase efficiency, and maintain compliance, ultimately helping to improve the broker onboarding, contracting, licensing, and compliance processes. Founded in 2018 by Niranjan "Niji" Sabharwal and Jenn Knight and headquartered in Denver, CO, AgentSync was named one of Forbes Magazine's Cloud 100 Rising Stars in 2020 and an Insurtech Insights Future 50 winner.

About Senior Life Insurance Company

Senior Life Insurance Company has been recognized as the fifth fastest-growing, yet steady-growing, life insurance company with less than a billion in premium in the years 2015 to 2020, in the nation. Headquartered in Thomasville, Georgia, employing over 200 home office employees and having over 6,500 agents in 40 states plus the District of Columbia, Senior Life offers final expense life insurance to anyone ages 0-85. Senior Life's sole mission is to help prepare families for the high cost of final expenses. Senior Life Insurance Company: Helping People. Building Leaders. www.seniorlifeinsurancecompany.com

SOURCE AgentSync
NEW YORK, March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Clariant AG ("Clariant" or the "Company") (OTCMKTS: CLZNY). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Clariant 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 14, 2022, Clariant disclosed that it will delay issuing Q4 2021 and full year 2021 financial results due an ongoing internal investigation into potential accounting fraud. Specifically, Clariant is investigating internal whistleblower complaints that the company has known about since September 2021, pertaining to booking issues aimed at boosting results to meet targets.

On this news, Clariant's American Depositary Receipt ("ADR") price fell $3.11 per ADR, or 14.55%, to close at $18.26 per ADR on February 14, 2022.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of SelectQuote, Inc. ("SelectQuote" or the "Company") (NYSE: SLQT). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether SelectQuote 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 7, 2022, SelectQuote reported its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022. Among other items, SelectQuote reported a quarterly loss of $0.84 per share and a 45% year-over-year revenue decline. The Company's Chief Executive Officer Tim Danker attributed the shortfall to "unexpected challenges" in SelectQuote's Medicare Advantage business. In addition, SelectQuote updated its 2022 guidance to forecast a net loss of $255 million to $236 million.

On this news, SelectQuote's stock price fell $2.99 per share, or 45.79%, to close at $3.54 per share on February 8, 2022.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
CAMBRIDGE, ON and DALLAS, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with Lone Wolf Technologies ("Lone Wolf") South Carolina REALTORS is bringing the agent and broker version of Transactions (zipForm Edition) and its suite of leading digital tools, including zipLogix Digital Ink, zipForm Mobile, and MLS Connect, to its more than 28,000 members as a free member benefit.

Lone Wolf's long-standing mission has been to provide leading software to real estate agents and brokers across North America. In this partnership, South Carolina REALTORS members will continue to be able to use their preferred transactions solution, Transactions (zipForm Edition), helping them process and manage the entire transaction management process digitallyand all in one place.

"We're really excited about this long-standing partnership with South Carolina REALTORS," said Lisa Mihelcich, GM, Associations at Lone Wolf. "As real estate continues to be pushed into a completely digitalized world, agents and brokers need tools that can help them work effortlessly with their clients through the entire transaction processwhether they are in the office or on-the-go."

In providing the suite of products as member benefits, South Carolina REALTORS aims to help their agent and broker members work smarter with clients while ensuring all pertinent transaction data flows seamlessly from their MLS through their solutions and into their hands. Whether it's pulling a listing in from the MLS, processing signatures digitally, or checking in on the status of a transaction from their smartphone, this suite of products gives members of South Carolina REALTORS the power to improve efficiency and amaze their clients along the way.

"With real estate trending more and more toward a completely digital process, we knew that we needed to provide our members with a set of solutions that will help them work seamlessly with their clients," stated Nick Kremydas, Chief Executive Officer of South Carolina REALTORS. "Lone Wolf Transactions gives our members the tools to deliver an unmatched experience to their clientswhether they are in office or working on the go from their mobile device."

Media Contact:

Lauren Dennard | Industry Relations

E:[email protected]

About Lone Wolf Technologies

Lone Wolf Technologies is the North American leader in residential real estate software, serving over 1.5 million real estate professionals across Canada and the U.S. With cloud solutions for agents, brokers, franchises, MLSs and associations alike, the company provides the entire real estate industry with the tools they need to amaze clients, build their business, and improve profitsfrom transactions to back office, insights, and more, all in one place. Lone Wolf's head offices are located in Cambridge, ON, and Dallas, TX.

About South Carolina REALTORS

South Carolina REALTORS (SCR), the largest professional trade association in the state, serves as the voice of real estate for more than 28,000 members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. REALTOR is a registered trademark that identifies a professional in real estate who subscribes to a strict code of ethics as a member of SCR and the National Association of REALTORS (NAR).

SOURCE Lone Wolf Technologies
"Edtech is a powerful way to help adult learners span the digital divide and experience a new world of learning. It removes the stigma and shame associated with low literacy and can break multigenerational cycles," stated Robinson. "Our partnership with Microsoft, T-Mobile and SphereGen is a perfect example of what is possible when corporate ingenuity and innovation align with the science of learning."

The partnership between the Barbara Bush Foundation, Microsoft, SphereGen, and T-Mobile will explore the potential for use of eye tracking and eye tracing technology from mixed reality head mounted displays to aid in the identification of low literacy and more effectively measure the progress of literacy interventions.

Panel moderator Andrew Sugerman, Barbara Bush Foundation Technology Advisory Council member and President of Sketchy, said, "When we unlock edtech's amazing potential, we can create much more scalable solutions to battle low adult literacy rates and help people experience the joys of reading."

Ellen Hisken, Senior Mixed Reality Specialist at Microsoft, focused on the ability of her company's products, like the Microsoft HoloLens 2, to enhance literacy learning and assessment through eye tracking technology. "Education is a priority for us. We are very excited to use HoloLens 2 and other technology to help make learning easier, less intimidating and a lot more fun."

Ted Dinsmore, President of SphereGen Technologies, emphasized the importance of using digital technology to address low literacy by explaining, "This partnership is a prime example of hardware and software working together to get the right help to the right people. It is a first step toward tackling the literacy problem in this country and we are thrilled to work with Microsoft and the Barbara Bush Foundation."

The SXSW EDU Conference & Festival is a reflection of the world's most critical social issues as seen through the lens of education, bringing together thought leaders from private, public and nonprofit organizations. Earlier in the week, President and CEO British A. Robinson also participated in a panel titled Literacy: The Key to Equity and Economic Recovery, alongside panelists representing Dollar General, Bessemer Trust, and the American Library Association.

About the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy: The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has been the nation's leading advocate for family literacy for more than three decades. Established by former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1989, the Foundation is a public charity dedicated to creating a stronger, more equitable America in which everyone can read, write and comprehend in order to navigate the world with dignity. To learn more, visit www.BarbaraBush.org.

SOURCE Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Opaque Pricing Model and Conflicts of Interest Existing proxy advisors have an opaque pricing model leaving investors uncertain whose interests are actually being represented: the company paying for so-called 'ESG certifications' or the investors who rely on the proxy advisory firm for objective analysis. Companies with all-white management teams with records of lawsuits on matters from sexual harassment to toxic dumps have been honored with high ESG marks. Do these companies pay the proxy advisors for consideration? If so, The Corporate Citizenship Project believes this amounts to a conflict of interest. It is important that proxy advisors transparently disclose the exact process by which ESG ratings are calculated to avoid the perception of any conflict of interest

ESG Focus as it Stands Risks US National Security

Proxy advisory firms' focus on Environmental, Social, Governance ('ESG') policies has harmed US National Security by punishing domestic oil producers thereby increasing our dependence on foreign oil including from autocratic countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Iran. Foreign oil companies owned by wealthy kleptocrats do not abide by ESG standards--- therefore the only impact of ESG policies is to hurt US energy jobs, reduce domestic energy production, and reduce the leverage the United States has in negotiations with foreign leaders. In the view of The Corporate Citizenship Project, the oil price shocks caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine are an illustration that the US should not be so quick to curtail domestic oil production especially as recent reports from The New York Times show US diplomats engaged in negotiations with hostile regimes in Venezuela and Iran to provide much needed oil supplies which is disturbing given these regimes have a long reputation of funding anti-American activities. While The Corporate Citizenship Project supports moving to 100% renewable energy over time, we know that we would prefer in the interim to produce oil in the US rather than rely on dangerous foreign actors.

Proxy Advisors Fail to Live Up to Their Own Standards

While proxy advisors push companies to accept mandatory racial quotas, they generally have mostly white or all white management teams themselves and at their parent companies. How can proxy advisors who fail to put single person of color to an executive role have a role in scolding companies for lack of diversity?

Ghadah Salahuddin, a long-time Public Affairs executive, has been announced as the CEO of The Corporate Citizenship Project and said in a statement that she looks forward to providing investors an alternative to existing proxy advisors.

Ms. Salahuddin made the following comment on the launch:

"Pension funds, investment firms, and retail investors deserve objective analysis that has their interests in mind. It is never in the interests of investors to put so-called ESG policies over what is best for a company's success or our nation's security. If the leading promoters of ESG cannot live up to their own standards then we need to re-think ESG itself and opt for 'Corporate Citizenship' instead. Corporate Citizenship means companies play a role in making their communities and our country a better place---not through arbitrary and selectively enforced rules forced upon them by unelected outsiders---but instead through their own initiative and based on their own needs and resources. The Corporate Citizenship Project will provide companies and investors an alternative for evaluating and commenting on corporate governance issues that puts investors and country first."

Over the coming weeks, The Corporate Citizenship Project plans to meet with pension fund executives, investment firms, retail-investor groups, and others to push for a new way of corporate engagement.

About The Corporate Citizenship Project

The Corporate Citizenship Project is a think-tank with the goal of offering objective reports and analysis on governance issues in corporate America.

Contact

Ghadah Salahudin

[email protected]

515-259-6929

www.CorporateCitizenshipProject.com

SOURCE Corporate Citizenship Project
MELBOURNE, Australia, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's first scientific paper offering a careful evaluation of the synergistic use of Virtual Reality (VR) and Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) was published today by psychedelic researcher Agnieszka D. Sekula and medical doctor Dr. Prashanth Puspanathan, the co-founders of Enosis Therapeutics Pty Ltd, a research & development company focused on psychedelic experience design, and a Swinburne University professor, Luke Downey.

Appearing in the globally recognized and peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology, the paper titled, "Virtual Reality as a Moderator for Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy," responds to the recent surge of interest in leveraging VR as an adjunct to psychedelic therapy that is driven mostly by commercial players from the VR space.

The paper synthesizes the highest quality scientific evidence on both PAP and VR therapy and examines potential advantages of this model against any limitations, side effects or adverse events that may occur.

VR is a powerful technology that allows for an infinite number of design solutions to be tested and personalized for every patient. However, authors warn that simply offering a beautiful or engaging VR scenarios may lead to a risk of misguiding or distracting from the profound, inner healing pathway that PAP facilitates. Instead, results of the synthesis suggest other, less obvious applications of VR in psychedelic treatment, which are largely based on the altered state mechanisms shared between VR and psychedelic experiences, including alterations of self-experience, sensory perception augmentation, and mystical-type experiences.

"VR enables patients to tap into non-cognitive, emotional and embodied processes of healing that are at the core of the psychedelic experience but are difficult to evoke with currently used talk therapy," explains Agnieszka Sekula. "In our approach, the patient takes leadership of their entire treatment program, and VR's capacity for simultaneous multisensory stimulation and self-expression encourages that. Through repeated use, VR also builds a cohesive trajectory for all phases of treatment, allowing for it to continue beyond formal integration sessions. As such, VR offers patients the sense of permanence and connection with their altered state experience, that current integration sessions do not."

Authors provide clear recommendations on how clinicians and research organizations can best utilize VR integrated into a robust PAP protocol and outline contextual VR design specifications that may benefit the treatment the most, whilst encouraging further empirical exploration of this unique combination.

"While there has been a tremendous focus on driving innovation in psychedelic treatment, the majority of it centres around drug discovery and compound identification, as well as therapist-led approaches and psychedelic training models," claims Dr. Prashanth Puspanathan. "We believe that greater exploration of the design of healing environments may offer sustainable, patient-driven solutions to anyone who works with psychedelics."

The research demonstrates that VR is an ideal candidate to be used for this exploration, simultaneously allowing a further glimpse into psychological and neurological mechanisms that are at play during an altered state.

Virtual Reality as a Moderator for Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy was published as part of the special research topic The Psychotherapeutic Framing of Psychedelic Drug Administration in Frontiers in Psychology (March 22) and can be accessed here .

About Enosis Therapeutics

Enosis Therapeutics Pty Ltd. is a psychedelic start-up founded by Agnieszka D. Sekula, a psychedelic researcher at Swinburne University, and Dr. Prashanth Puspanathan, a Melbourne based medical doctor and long-time psychedelic advocate. Enosis was formed to advance experiential design in psychedelic-based treatment by leveraging virtual reality's unique, state-altering properties.

Enosis sits at the intersection of research and industry, providing carefully designed virtual reality scenarios and clinical protocols that employ them at specific points of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to improve the quality of the patient experience and therapy outcomes.

Founders aim to empower patients to take leadership in their own healing journey by using VR to break away from the constraints of the analog system. Their therapeutic approach promotes non-cognitive, experiential, emotional and embodied aspects of treatment.

SOURCE Enosis Therapeutics
Showcasing the latest in market intelligence the event has attracted close to a thousand in-person attendees with over 200 presenting medtech startups being vetted by hundreds of investors and strategics.

The event has become an annual showcase for the future of life science technologies and will be held at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, CA the week of March 15. Having reached capacity the event is extending virtual badges for attendance.

Startups seeking funding at any stage find the process a near full time job, and inefficient. Demystifying how venture firms evaluate deals and what they are looking for gives a rare glimpse into their world. The panel will cover their approach from the initial screening and management presentations all the way to full diligence.

The panel is made up of seasoned investors from top venture firms and features the following thought-leaders:

David Uffer , Senior Partner & VP (Moderator)

Greg Madden , Partner, SV Health Investors (Panelist)

Tiffany Le , Healthcare Investor, New Enterprise Associates (Panelist)

Andy McGibbon , Managing Partner, Sonder Capital (Panelist)

Lu Zhang , Founder & Managing Partner, Fusion Fund (Panelist)

David Kereiakes , Partner, Providence Ventures (Panelist)

"Startups seeking equity investments should best prepare themselves with insights from the expert panel which will streamline their pitches, gain access more efficiently and ultimately optimize engagements from introduction to closing a round" shared David Uffer, panel moderator and Senior Partner and VP at Alira Health.

The panel aims to educate the hundreds of founders and presenting companies looking to secure funding to help take their product further in the adoption cycle and gain more market acceptance.

"The innovators and founders attending the summit are excited for this panel because the panel is made up of well-respected investors from top firms. The opportunity for these startups to gain insight directly from venture partners will help founders shed light on what they need to do before pitching to venture firms" commented Scott Pantel , Founder and CEO of LSI.

About LSI USA '22 Emerging Medtech Summit

Held annually in Southern California, the Emerging Medtech Summit brings together the industry's most innovative startups, active investors, and strategic buyers so they can connect, collaborate and build the future of healthcare. Learn more at https://www.lifesciencemarketresearch.com/medtech-summit-2022 .

About Life Science Intelligence (LSI)

LSI is a market intelligence & consulting company focused on covering the global medtech and healthtech markets. We help healthcare executives make more informed strategic decisions by better understanding market dynamics, trends, opportunities, and the competitive landscape. https://www.lifesciencemarketresearch.com

Media Contact:

Blake Matrone

[email protected]

SOURCE Life Science Intelligence
PHOENIX, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Technical Institute (UTI) a leading provider of transportation and skilled trade education and training is pleased to welcome Shannon Okinaka, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Hawaiian Airlines, to the UTI Board of Directors effective March 9, 2022. Ms. Okinaka will also serve as a member of the Audit Committee.

Ms. Okinaka brings to UTI more than two decades of financial and accounting leadership experience. Ms. Okinaka was appointed Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (HA) Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in 2015 having previously served as Vice President  Controller of Hawaiian Airlines. Ms. Okinaka joined Hawaiian Airlines as Senior Director in charge of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and special projects. Prior to joining Hawaiian Airlines, Okinaka worked for Hawaiian Electric Company and Coopers & Lybrand/PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Okinaka is a certified public accountant. Okinaka also serves on the Board of Directors of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Island Insurance Company.

"We are pleased that Shannon has agreed to join the board of directors," said Jerome Grant, UTI's Chief Executive Officer. "Her experience in the airline industry and extensive knowledge of skilled trades and workforce development will be a terrific addition as we expand our program offerings and campus locations in the coming months and years."

"The airline industry, like many other major industries in the United States, needs a skilled workforce. UTI is well-positioned to help deliver that workforce through its acquisition of MIAT College of Technology," said Okinaka. "It's an honor to join UTI's board of directors, and to be part of an organization with a strong focus on student outcomes and alignment to the needs of industry."

"We are excited to welcome Shannon to our board, and look forward to applying her aviation industry knowledge to the strategic decisions that we will be making as we expand our portfolio of educational opportunities," said Robert DeVincenzi, UTI's non-executive Chairman of the Board.

The company is also announcing that Kim McWaters plans to retire from the UTI board of directors effective March 9, 2022. Ms. McWaters has been affiliated with the company for more than 37 years, has been a member of the board of directors for 17 years and served as the company's CEO for 19 years until her retirement from her operating role in 2019. In early 2021 Ms. McWaters joined Fresh Start Women's Foundation as President and Chief Executive Officer. Celebrating 30 years of community service, Fresh Start has been providing education, resources, and support for women to positively transform their lives and strengthen our community.

"Those of us that know Kim personally admire her not only for her professional achievements but also for her commitment to helping people in our community," Grant said. "I want to thank Kim for her dedication to Universal Technical Institute, its students, and employees. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Kim in her new capacity by providing UTI educational opportunities to Fresh Start clients."

About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.

Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Phoenix, Universal Technical Institute's (NYSE: UTI) mission is to serve our students, partners, and communities by providing quality education and support services for in-demand careers. Approximately 250,000 students have graduated from one of UTI's 14 campuses located across Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Texas. UTI's campuses are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), and its employer-aligned technical training programs are offered under four brands: Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute / Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology. For more information and a complete list of all programs offered, please visit www.uti.edu or follow on LinkedIn @UniversalTechnicalInstitute and on Twitter @news_UTI.

SOURCE Universal Technical Institute, Inc.
This award follows accolades and acknowledgments in recent years for USSFCU's performance and financial strength. In 2018 and 2019, USSFCU was listed by LendingTree's DepositAccounts.com as one of the Top 200 Healthiest Credit Unions. Additionally, USSFCU was recognized as S&P Global Market Intelligence's Top Performing Credit Union for 2018.

"We are honored to once again be awarded BauerFinancial's top rating as a 5-Star credit union," said Timothy L. Anderson, USSFCU President & CEO. "Ensuring the organization is performing at its highest levels is always a goal, but our top priority has been and always will be our members. Providing them with a financial institution that delivers superior financial stability, security and service no matter the circumstances is at the heart of what we do."

United States Senate Federal Credit Union's deliberate focus on its members has been on full display since its inception in 1935. From its founding during the Great Depression to the uncertainty of the recent pandemic and all the ups and downs in between; for 87 years USSFCU has been an unflappable financial force. Consistency has been USSFCU's drumbeat, and this is reflected in 27 consecutive years of 5-Star ratings from BauerFinancial.

"United States Senate Federal Credit Union, and like-minded credit unions, are uniquely structured in a way that helps their members' specific needs. And, since those members are also owners, it comes back full circle to the credit union itself," stated Karen Dorway, president of BauerFinancial. "Even when times are unpredictable, the common bonds these members share give them an intimate knowledge of how given circumstances may affect other members and the credit union. That knowledge means that decisions can be made quickly and implemented effectively."

About USSFCU

USSFCU has provided the U.S. Senate and Capitol Hill communities with world-class financial stability, security, and service since 1935. Now a $1.2 billion credit union with 100 plus paths to membership, almost everyone has the opportunity to experience the USSFCU difference. Learn more at www.ussfcu.org.

View this press release on our website at ussfcu.org/press.

SOURCE US Senate Federal Credit Union
A waitress waits for customers in Bucharest, Romania, on March 9, 2022. Romania lifted almost all the remaining coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, including the requirement to show a digital COVID-19 certificate or a negative test result upon arrival in the country. The authorities also decided not to extend the state of alert, which was first enforced in May 2020. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

BUCHAREST, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Romania lifted almost all the remaining coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, including the requirement to show a digital COVID-19 certificate or a negative test result upon arrival in the country. The authorities also decided not to extend the state of alert, which was first enforced in May 2020.

Government spokesperson Dan Carbunaru told journalists on Wednesday that travelers entering Romania still have to complete the Passenger Location Form (PLF).

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca warned that "the virus has not yet been eradicated," calling on people to continue to follow the public health recommendations.

According to Health Minister Alexandru Rafila, people should continue to wear protective face masks in crowded open spaces, enclosed spaces and on public transportation.

The country's health authorities reported 4,176 new infections and 62 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours.

Currently, 4,340 people are hospitalized in Romania with COVID-19, 633 of them in intensive care.

To date, Romania, with a population of 19 million, has registered 2,781,086 coronavirus cases and 64,156 deaths. 

A woman walks on a street in Bucharest, Romania, on March 9, 2022. Romania lifted almost all the remaining coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, including the requirement to show a digital COVID-19 certificate or a negative test result upon arrival in the country. The authorities also decided not to extend the state of alert, which was first enforced in May 2020. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

People walk on a street in Bucharest, Romania, on March 9, 2022. Romania lifted almost all the remaining coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, including the requirement to show a digital COVID-19 certificate or a negative test result upon arrival in the country. The authorities also decided not to extend the state of alert, which was first enforced in May 2020. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

A man walks on a street in Bucharest, Romania, on March 9, 2022. Romania lifted almost all the remaining coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, including the requirement to show a digital COVID-19 certificate or a negative test result upon arrival in the country. The authorities also decided not to extend the state of alert, which was first enforced in May 2020. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

A pedestrian walks on a street in Bucharest, Romania, on March 9, 2022. Romania lifted almost all the remaining coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, including the requirement to show a digital COVID-19 certificate or a negative test result upon arrival in the country. The authorities also decided not to extend the state of alert, which was first enforced in May 2020. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)
NEW YORK, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In the latest market report, Fact.MR focuses on the key trends influencing the in the vacuum pumps market. It also provides compelling insights on growth drivers and opportunities through leading segments including pump type, lubrication, application, mechanism, pressure, flow, end use vertical, and regions.

Fact.MR  A Market Research and Competitive Intelligence Provider: The vacuum pumps market is anticipated to surpass US$ 719.09 Mn in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7% during the forecast period (2022-2032). The overall demand in the market is projected to reach a market valuation of US$ 1,415 Mn.

Increasing use of vacuum pumps for drying, evaporation, assembling, material handling, and others will drive the sales in the market over the coming years. Apart from this, growing demand for suction pumps for mechanical ventilators among the healthcare providers and equipment manufacturers will further create lucrative growth opportunities for the market.

High demand for vacuum pumps across diverse industries including agriculture, food processing, packaging, pharmaceutical, mining, and others is anticipated to increase the sales two-fold in the upcoming decade.

Growing use of solar panels, and 4G and 5G network testing is increasing the demand for vacuum pumps in semiconductors and electronics industries. This, in turn, is boosting the market.

For Critical Insights on this Market, Request for More Info at:

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=4889

Furthermore, vacuum pumps are essential in ensuring the quality of food and for aseptic packaging of food products. Hence, stringent government regulations imposed for food packaging safety and quality are likely to increase the demand for vacuum pumps in food and beverages industry.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sterility testing is a part of the stability protocol including human drugs, biologics, and others as per the stringent regulations under the Container and Closure System Integrity Testing. This is anticipated to boost the demand for vacuum pumps for aseptic packaging.

Report Attributes Details Estimated Year Value (2022E) US$ 719.09 Mn Projected Year Value (2032F) US$ 1,415 Mn Global Growth Rate (2022-2032) CAGR 7%

Key Takeaways:

In terms of end use, the chemical & petrochemical segment is projected to register growth at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period.

Based on lubrication-type, dry vacuum pumps are estimated to reach US$ 360 Mn by 2032 owing to increasing cases of oil contamination in various application areas.

by 2032 owing to increasing cases of oil contamination in various application areas. In the pump type segment, the regenerative application vacuum pumps is anticipated to exhibit growth at a CAGR of 8% by 2032.

China is estimated to hold 45% of the overall share due to the rising investments in the electronics & semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries.

is estimated to hold 45% of the overall share due to the rising investments in the electronics & semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries. Germany vacuum pumps market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.5%, leading the growth in Europe .

vacuum pumps market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.5%, leading the growth in . The U.S. is expected to account for 86% of the market share in 2022 on the back of increasing application of vacuum pumps in oil & gas, semiconductor, and other sectors.

Growth Drivers:

Growing focus on energy consumption in oil and gas industry will fuel the demand for liquid vacuum pumps

Rising development of smart cities and proliferation of IoT applications, will broaden the scope for the vacuum pumps in the coming years.

To Gain In-Depth Insights on Vacuum Pumps Market, Request Methodology at

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RM&rep_id=4889

Competitive Landscape:

As per Fact.MR, the market is moderately fragmented. Tier-1 players including Atlas Copco, Edwards, and Gardner Denver will hold majority of market share through 2022.

Prominent manufacturers operating in the global vacuum pumps market strengthening their global footprints by increasing their manufacturing capabilities. Some of the manufacturers are updating their product line to gain competitive edge in the market.

For instance,

January 2022 : Atlas Copco acquired HHV Pumps Pvt. Ltd, which is a manufacturer specializing in the design and fabrication of vacuum pumps and systems deployed in numerous industrial applications.

Atlas Copco acquired HHV Pumps Pvt. Ltd, which is a manufacturer specializing in the design and fabrication of vacuum pumps and systems deployed in numerous industrial applications. August 2021 : EDS designed the best dry screw vacuum pump with contaminant handling capabilities even in harsh chemical and industrial environments. This EDS range of pumps is available in both water-cooled and air versions.

Key Companies Profiled by Fact.MR

Atlas Copco

Ebara Corporation

Busch Vacuum Solution

Edwards (Atlas Copco)

Leybold GmbH

ULVAC

Becker Pumps Corporation

Garder Denver Inc. ( Ingersoll Rand )

) Gebr. Becker GmbH

Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH

KNF Neuberger Inc.

Sihi Group B.V (Flowserve)

Tuthill Corporation

Vooner FloGard Corporation

More Valuable Insights on Vacuum Pumps Market

Fact.MR, in its report, offers a market analysis on the global vacuum pumps market providing unbiased analysis for the forecast period of 2022 to 2032. This survey also reveals the growth of technology in the vacuum pumps market with detailed segmentation as follows:

By Pump Type

Positive Displacement Vacuum Pumps

Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps





Rotary Screw Pumps





Rotary Root Pumps

Dry Vacuum Pumps

Dry Screw Vacuum Pumps





Dry Scroll Vacuum Pumps





Dry Diaphragm Vacuum Pumps





Dry Clan & Hook Pumps





Others

Centrifugal Vacuum Pumps

Momentum Transfer Vacuum Pumps

Rotary Vane Vacuum Pumps





Turbo Molecular Vacuum Pumps

Regenerative Application Vacuum Pumps

By Lubrication

Dry Vacuum Pumps

Wet Vacuum Pumps

By Application

Assembly

Conveying

Dehydration/Drying

Engine Testing

Evaporation & Distillation

Filling

Holding/Chucking

Manufacturing

Material Handling

Thermoforming

Other Applications

By Mechanism

Gas Transfer Vacuum Pump

Gas Binding Vacuum Pump

By Pressure

Rough Vacuum Pumps (10.3 mbar-1 mbar)

Medium Vacuum (Pumps 1 mbar-10-3 mbar)

High Vacuum Pumps (10-3mbar-10-7 mbar)

Ultra-High Vacuum Pumps (10-7 mbar-10-12 mbar)

Extreme High Vacuum Pumps (less than 10-12 mbar)

By Flow

Vacuum Pumps Upto 85 ACFM

Vacuum Pumps Upto 150 ACFM

Vacuum Pumps Upto 550 ACFM

Vacuum Pumps Upto 1500 ACFM

Vacuum Pumps Upto 4500 ACFM

Vacuum Pumps Upto 8500 ACFM

Vacuum Pumps Upto 15000 ACFM

Vacuum Pumps Upto 17000 ACFM

By End Use Vertical

Aerospace & Defense

Automotive

Chemical & Petrochemical

Electronics & Semiconductors

Food & Beverage

Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals

Mining & Construction

Oil & Gas

Packing

Power Generation

Other End User Verticals

By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia & Oceania

& Oceania MEA

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Key Questions Covered in the Vacuum Pumps Market Report

Which are the key trends boosting global vacuum pumps market?

At what rate is global vacuum pumps market expected to grow during the forecast period (2022-2032)?

What was the market revenue of the vacuum pumps market in 2021?

Which region holds the largest share in the global vacuum market?

What is the expected market valuation of the vacuum pumps market during 2022-2032?

Who are the leading players operating in the global vacuum market?

Explore Fact.MR's Coverage on the Industrial Goods Domain

Oil Refining Pumps Market Trends - Rising power demand and a heavy reliance on oil in developing nations has led to the construction of oil refineries, which has boosted sales of oil refining pumps. Oil refining pumps integrated with new technology are expected to gain popularity in oil refineries.

Reciprocating Pumps Market Forecast - The market for reciprocating pumps is expected to rise significantly. The global need for oil and gas, particularly in the petrochemical industry, is influencing the expansion of the reciprocating pumps market.

Canned Motor Pumps Market Scope - Due to interrupted operations in end-use sectors, demand for canned motor pumps has decreased dramatically. In the worldwide canned motor pumps market, reverse circulation canned motor pumps had the majority of the market share.

Rotary Pumps Market Insights - In most developing countries, increasing access to water and the importance of sanitation is creating various chances for rotary pump market players. Furthermore, rising consumer disposable income is causing an increase in discretionary expenditure, particularly on chemicals and fuel, which is driving up demand for rotary pumps in developing countries.

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SOURCE Fact.MR
PHOENIX, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Google announced that V Digital Services has, again, achieved Premier Partner status, meaning the fast-growing digital marketing agency is among the top 3 percent of Google Partners in the United States.

Google reserves Premier Partner status for an elite group of companies that meet and exceed a series of performance and training metrics designed to measure how well they help clients perform well and identify new growth opportunities.

Google Partner Premier 2022

"We are honored to be named a Google Premier Partner for 2022! It showcases how hard our team has worked and continues to work to deliver high performance and results for our customers," said Taylor West, Vice President of Agency and Client Services for VDS. "Our entire team is thrilled and extremely proud of this accomplishment."

The Google Partners program is designed for advertising agencies and third parties that manage Google Ads accounts on behalf of other brands or businesses. Its mission is to empower companies by providing them with innovative tools, resources, and support to help their clients thrive online.

As the digital marketing arm of parent company Voice Media Group , V Digital Services operates in more than 300 American cities. The Phoenix-based agency offers premier white-label solutions for a growing number of affiliated media entities and agencies, drawing upon its diverse staff of specialists in local and organic SEO, paid media, social media management, web development, and pay-per-click advertising. Its team of Google-certified specialists also serves as the in-house digital marketing resource for iconic VMG publications Denver Westword, Phoenix New Times, Miami New Times, and the Dallas Observer.

The Google Partners program has undergone significant changes for 2022, including the addition of more stringent program requirements and a new set of benefits that help partner companies improve Google Ads performance for their customers.

"Congratulations to our Premier Partners for being among the top 3 percent of Google Partners in the U.S.," said Davang Shah, Senior Director of Google Ads Marketing. "These companies stand out based on their commitment to developing product expertise, building new client relationships, and helping their current clients grow. We look forward to supporting them as they help their customers succeed online."

As the digital marketing arm of VMG, V Digital Services operates in more than 300 American cities. The Phoenix-based agency offers premier white-label solutions for a growing number of affiliated media entities and agencies. Founded in 2013, V Digital Services employs an array of specialists skilled at crafting cutting-edge strategies in Local and Organic SEO, paid media, social media management, web development, and both programmatic and pay-per-click advertising.



High-performing individuals interested in pursuing a career with VDS should visit the company's careers page at https://www.vdigitalservices.com/work-with-us/

Media Contact:

Taylor West

VP of Agency and Client Services

602-407-1719

[email protected]

SOURCE V Digital Services
WELL has established a combined goal of donating $100,000 between a committed $50,000 corporate donation and a donation matching program between WELL's team members and its CEO. The donations will contribute towards efforts to support the 7.5 million Ukrainian children in immediate danger.

between a committed corporate donation and a donation matching program between WELL's team members and its CEO. The donations will contribute towards efforts to support the 7.5 million Ukrainian children in immediate danger. WELL is committed to working with Canadian authorities on supporting Ukrainians fleeing the war, with opportunities to work within our Canadian operations.

WELL is also providing increased funding to support its more than 2,500 employees, healthcare providers and consultants in Canada who may be impacted by the these events, to obtain free and timely access to therapy for mental health purposes.

VANCOUVER, BC, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) (the "Company" or "WELL"), a company focused on positively impacting health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and their patients globally, announced today that in response to the humanitarian emergency in Ukraine, it has established a combined goal of donating $100,000 to UNICEF Canada, from a committed $50,000 corporate donation and a donation matching program between WELL team members and WELL's CEO.

The Company has invited its entire network of employees, associates and consultants, which exceeds 2,500 team members globally, to donate to this cause. WELL Health's CEO Hamed Shahbazi will be personally matching the first $25,000 of WELL's own team members' donations with the goal of exceeding at least $100,000 as a combined contribution for WELL and its team members. The donations will contribute towards efforts to support the 7.5 million Ukrainian children who have been harmed or may be in immediate danger.

Shane Sabatino, WELL's Chief People Officer said: "It is clear that we are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe in the Ukraine especially as it relates to the most vulnerable subjects, the children caught in harm's way. WELL Health Technologies stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and supports UNICEF's much-needed humanitarian efforts."

WELL recognizes that these are challenging times for all and that this crisis in Ukraine may also be impacting our own WELL team members, especially ones with family and friends in Ukraine. So, in partnership with Focus Mental Wellness, a WELL Ventures company, WELL is providing increased funding to support its employees, healthcare providers and consultants in Canada to obtain timely access, at no cost, to therapy with a licensed practitioner.

Also, WELL is committed to working with Canadian authorities on supporting Ukrainians fleeing the war, with opportunities to work within our expansive Canadian operations including but not limited to our outpatient medical clinic network, which is the largest in Canada.

WELL Health stands with Ukraine. Our hearts are with all of those impacted by this tragic war.

WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"

Hamed Shahbazi

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director

About WELL Health Technologies Corp.

WELL is a technology enabled healthcare company whose overarching objective is to positively impact health outcomes to empower and support healthcare practitioners and their patients. WELL has built an innovative practitioner enablement platform that includes comprehensive end to end practice management tools inclusive of virtual care and digital patient engagement capabilities as well as Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) and data protection services. WELL uses this platform to power healthcare practitioners both inside and outside of WELL's own omni-channel patient services offerings. As such, WELL owns and operates Canada's largest network of outpatient medical clinics serving primary and specialized healthcare services and is the provider of a leading multi-national, multi-disciplinary telehealth offering. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL" and is part of the TSX Composite Index. To learn more about the Company, please visit: www.well.company.'

SOURCE WELL Health Technologies Corp.
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WellHive, the leader in digital care navigation within the federal government, today announced a novel partnership with Kyruus , the industry leader in provider search and scheduling solutions for healthcare systems. Together the two organizations will be uniquely positioned to offer a solution that makes it easy for Veterans to find and schedule healthcare appointments with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Drawing on years of experience with healthcare-focused IT initiatives in both the public and private sector, WellHive has focused on supporting federal healthcare , most notably the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), with FedRAMP authorized solutions designed to provide VA clinicians and staff with modern solutions that meet their unique needs. WellHive's complex orchestration of networks makes it the first digital platform to improve care navigation specifically for Veterans.

Kyruus, following a year of record-breaking growth , serves 300,000 providers across dozens of the nation's leading health systems, hospitals, and medical groups, helping connect people with care based on their unique clinical needs and personal preferences. Utilization of the Kyruus ProviderMatch  patient access platform continues to expand, with users booking nearly one million appointments through the company's award-winning scheduling solution in 2021 alone.

"Through this strategic partnership, we can accelerate the delivery of a comprehensive care navigation solution for VA by combining WellHive's long-standing history and knowledge of the federal government with Kyruus' patient access solutions and extensive network of providers and care delivery organizations," said Chris Bickell, CEO of WellHive. "WellHive and Kyruus are a powerful team, and together we will be well-positioned to optimize care navigation for the men and women who have served our country."

"For over a decade Kyruus has supported healthcare organization efforts to improve patient accesshelping to connect millions of people with care through our provider data management, search, and scheduling solutions," said Graham Gardner, MD, CEO of Kyruus. "We could not be more honored to offer our platform in service of those that have fought for our freedoms. We are excited to partner with WellHive and look forward to ensuring that Veterans everywhere receive the care they deserve."

About WellHive

WellHive is transforming the way health systems coordinate and deliver care through secure, modern technology. WellHive is the first and only healthcare platform designed with a multi-network architecture that addresses the challenges of coordinating care across healthcare organizations, providers, and locations. This proprietary approach seamlessly connects healthcare organizations and systems while integrating critical care processes across these connections. WellHive is FedRAMP authorized and has partnered specifically with the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve care for all Veterans. To learn more about WellHive's technology and how we are improving care for Veterans, visit www.WellHive.com .

About Kyruus

Kyruus helps healthcare organizations connect people with the right care across their key access points. The company's industry-defining provider search and scheduling platform enables leading health systems, hospitals, and medical groups nationwide  spanning more than 300,000 providers  to attract and retain patients with a modern and consistent access experience. Robust provider data management forms the foundation of the platform, helping people find the right providers and care settings for their needs based on rich, system-wide information. To extend its impact on care navigation, Kyruus acquired HealthSparq in 2021 to bridge payer and provider access channels like never before. For more on why A Better Match Means Better Care, visit www.kyruus.com .

SOURCE WellHive Holdings, LLC
SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Woodruff Sawyer , one of the largest independent insurance brokerages in the US, today announced Lenin Lopez has joined the firm as Vice President, Corporate Securities Attorney for the Management Liability practice. Prior to joining Woodruff Sawyer, Lenin served as Lead US Corporate Counsel at Takeda, where he was in charge of SEC and NYSE compliance as well as US governance functions. He also served in similar senior counsel roles at Sempra Energy, Shire, Baxalta, and CareFusion.

As Vice President, Corporate Securities Attorney, Lenin will support clients across Woodruff Sawyer's entire Management Liability practice lending his expertise in corporate securities, SEC reporting, and corporate governance. He will be based in San Diego.

Lopez says, "Working for an insurance broker wasn't even on my radar, but after I met the team, I knew this was an excellent opportunity to leverage my experience limiting risk for public companies in the service of a variety of different clients. I'm excited to work with Woodruff Sawyer's clients, which are some of the most interesting and innovative companies out there."

Priya Huskins, Senior Vice President, Management Liability adds, "Lenin's expertise is a strong complement to the Management Liability team, and I look forward to working with him as we advise clients on risk mitigation strategies. I believe our clients are going to be very pleased with the value his counsel brings to them."

Seth Pfalzer, Senior Vice President, Northern California Management Liability Practice Leader comments, "Woodruff Sawyer's Management Liability team is top-notch, not only in the depth of their expertise but in their ability to help clients understand and manage risk. The addition of Lenin will provide another valuable resource for our clients as they navigate a challenging market."

About Woodruff Sawyer

As one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the US, Woodruff Sawyer protects the people and assets of more than 4,000 companies. We provide expert counsel and fierce advocacy to protect clients against their most critical risks in property & casualty, management liability, cyber liability, employee benefits, and personal wealth management. An active partner of Assurex Global and International Benefits Network, we provide expertise and customized solutions where clients need it, with headquarters in San Francisco, offices throughout the US, and global reach on six continents. For more information, call 844.972.6326, or visit woodruffsawyer.com.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Woodruff Sawyer
HOUSTON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea & BenMaier PLLC, or SBSB Law, and Eastham, Watson, Dale & Forney, LLP announced today they have finalized a merger that brings together two of the most highly respected law firms in the country. The merger will combine Eastham's renowned Maritime and Catastrophic Claims practice with SBSB's highly respected Maritime, Longshore, Defense Base Act, and Insurance Defense practices, to create a legal powerhouse.

VIDEO: Click here for interviews with SBSB Eastham Partners John Schouest, Robert Klawetter, Christina Schovajsa and Susan Noe Wilson discussing the merger.

In the Maritime sector, the new firm, which operates as SBSB Eastham, combines SBSB's deep bench of maritime and trial lawyers with Eastham's decades-long history as a leader in Admiralty and Maritime law.

"Merging our firms allows us to leverage the expertise and depth of experience of both firms," said SBSB Founder and Managing Partner John Schouest, who leads the combined firm. "The result is a team that is even more formidable. When it comes to maritime groups, I don't know of any other with this much experience."

"We are very excited to be joining forces with SBSB," said SBSB Eastham Partner Robert L. Klawetter. "Not only will we be working with an outstanding group of lawyers, but we are also thrilled to be able to provide our clients with the experience, outstanding attorneys and resources this merger provides."

SBSB Eastham partner Christina Schovajsa added, "We are confident that Clarence Eastham would be very pleased to see the legacy of the firm he founded 82 years ago continue."

In just seven years, SBSB Law has become one of the nation's leading firms in Admiralty and Maritime law, among other areas. The firm's partners have decades of Admiralty and Maritime experience representing a wide array of clients, including activities associated with inland waterways, brown water commerce, offshore exploration and production, international and Jones Act shipping, and international cruise lines. The firm is also known for its deep bench of highly skilled litigators who handle a wide variety of defense work, from Defense Base Act and Longshore claims, to Class Action Defense, Commercial Litigation, General Liability, Trucking and Insurance.

Established in 1939, Eastham routinely acts on behalf of the world's leading Protection & Indemnity Clubs and other liability underwriters and has played a key role in representing parties in virtually all of the major maritime disasters on the Texas Gulf Coast for decades. It provides legal services to a wide variety of industries, including domestic and international shipping companies, the offshore drilling industry, inland towing companies, and intermodal equipment providers and freight brokers.

"The practice of maritime law is one of our cornerstones," said Susan Noe Wilson, SBSB Eastham Partner and Head of Litigation. "While SBSB's current maritime work is primarily brown water  energy field, oil and gas, waterways  Eastham is primarily a blue water maritime firm. Combining the two makes this a very good marriage for all involved, especially our clients."

The new firm's key practice areas include Admiralty and Maritime, Defense Base Act, Longshore, Business and Commercial Litigation, Business Transactions, Personal Injury Defense, Energy, Environmental and Toxic Torts, Transportation and Trucking, General Liability, Insurance, Labor and Employment, Federal and State Workers' Compensation, Premises Liability, Arbitration, and Appellate.

In all, SBSB Eastham has approximately 110 lawyers in six cities across the country  Houston, Corpus Christi, New Orleans, Chicago, Boca Raton, and Milwaukee.

SBSB Eastham is a group of experienced attorneys who have come together to form a law firm focused on client needs. The firm's goal is to be the go-to resource at every stage of the legal process, bringing deeper experience, deeper commitment, and deeper insights to help solve the most complex issues. In consultation or in the courtroom, the firm will aggressively pursue a client's best interests. For more information about the firm and its team of attorneys, visit www.sbsb-eastham.com.

Media Contact:

April Arias

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea, BenMaier & Eastham
Goes live with 118 businesses and $1.3 million in transaction volume.

LEKKI, Nigeria, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, blockchain payments startup Basqet announced the launch of its cryptocurrency payments gateway which will allow businesses to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment.

Basqet said it is launching a public beta and will be going live with 118 businesses already signed up to start accepting payments in Bitcoin and several other cryptocurrencies.

Prior to the launch of its beta launch, the team at Basqet also revealed that they had done about $1.3 million dollars in transactions with a handful of businesses.

According to Bunmi Eleshin, Senior Product Manager at Basqet, "We are creating a missing link between people who hold cryptocurrency and businesses who want to accept crypto as a means of payment. And we are doing it without merchants having to experience a loss due to crypto's price volatility."

Since Bitcoin entered mainstream media there has been a lot of discussion about crypto being the evolution of money, and Basqet could take crypto adoption steps ahead as people will be able to shop and pay for services using crypto besides using it for speculation.

Although one of the biggest concerns around crypto payments is the rapid price fluctuation that crypto is known for. According to Basqet, they resolve this is by allowing merchants to accept crypto as payment and get settled in US dollars, crypto, and over 5 other local African currencies without experiencing any volatility from cryptocurrency. So when a merchant is selling a product for $20 they will always receive the equivalent value in the currency they choose regardless of crypto's price volatility.

Cryptocurrency payment gateways like Basqet are similar to the likes of Stripe in the US as well as Flutterwave and Paystack in Africa but for crypto. They have the potential of enabling freelancers, business owners, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and fintech to accept different cryptos as donations, payments or deposits in over 120 countries. Also, they could help cut regular transaction fees by more than 60% with zero chargebacks.

The team at Basqet also stated that for its beta-launch merchants will be able to accept cryptos including; USDT, Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin with several more to be added over the next few weeks.

Merchants that sign up for Basqet's beta launch will have 3 ways to accept crypto; payment link, payment button, and Basqet API.

In its press release, Basqet mentioned that without a website businesses can use the payment link to accept crypto payment. Adding that it only takes 10 minutes for a business to sign up generate a payment link and send it via WhatsApp, Instagram or any other channel to their customer.

Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12905162



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Basqet
"I'm comfortable here, and MI has been like family to me." - Farid Igue

"I was looking for a job, and the pay was good," says Igue, who started on the manufacturing line and became a production supervisor in 2018. "I'm comfortable here, and MI has been like family to me."

Igue enjoys the challenges each day brings, and the planning required to ensure his team members have what they need each day to do their jobs.

Another benefit of working at MI is the company's philanthropic focus. Under the MI Charitable Foundation, Igue joins other team members in lending a hand at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in Harrisburg.

"Giving back is important to me and it's important to a lot of my fellow team members as well," he says.

To learn more about career opportunities available at MI, visit: WorkAtMI.com

ABOUT MI WINDOWS

MI is a residential window and patio door manufacturer that owns and operates three brands  MI Windows and Doors, Milgard Windows & Doors, and Sunrise Windows & Doors. MI is one of the nation's largest suppliers of precision-built and energy-efficient windows and doors. With more than 10 manufacturing plants located throughout the United States, MI brands manufacture stylish, high-performance, and market-preferred products for both new construction and replacement applications. For more information, visit www.miwindows.com.

SOURCE MI Windows and Doors
To understand more about Market Dynamics. Download our FREE sample report

According to the recent market study by Technavio, the Aircraft Electrical Systems Market's potential growth difference will be USD 4.70 billion from 2021 to 2026, with an accelerated CAGR of 4.64%. The report provides a detailed analysis of drivers & opportunities, top winning strategies, competitive scenario, future market trends, market size & estimations, and major investment pockets.

Europe will register the highest growth rate of 34% among the other regions. France and Germany are the key markets for aircraft electrical systems market in Europe. Market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in APAC and South America. Another key region contributing significantly to the growth of the market is North America. The demand resulting from increased global air travel and fleet replacement necessities of aircraft operators will facilitate the aircraft electrical systems market growth in North America over the forecast period.

Download FREE Sample: for more additional information about the key revenue-generating economies.

Vendor Insights-

The aircraft electrical systems market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as product quality, cost, and reliability to compete in the market. Our report provides extensive information on the value chain analysis for the aircraft electrical systems market, which vendors can leverage to gain a competitive advantage during the forecast period. Technavio categorizes the global aircraft electrical systems market as a part of the global aerospace & defense market.

Some of the major vendors covered in this report are:

AMETEK Inc.

Amphenol Corp.

Astronics Corp.

B and C Specialty Products Inc.

BAE Systems Plc

Carlisle Companies Inc.

Collins Aerospace

Crane Aerospace Electronics

EaglePicher Technologies LLC

Electric Power Systems

General Electric Co.

Honeywell International Inc.

Meggitt Plc

Nabtesco Corp.

PBS Aerospace Inc.

Safran SA

Thales Group

TransDigm Group Inc.

HEICO Corp.

Find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings. Download Free Sample Report

Key Segment Highlights

By Platform

Commercial aviation

The commercial aviation segment held the largest aircraft electrical systems market share in 2021. The segment will continue to account for the largest share during the forecast period. The growth of the commercial aviation industry can be attributed to factors such as technological advancement and the increasing preference of consumers for air travel. The global population has witnessed an increase in per capita income on average. Moreover, air travel has become more economical, which has led to increased passenger traffic. Such increasing demand will drive the segment growth during the forecast period.

The commercial aviation segment held the largest aircraft electrical systems market share in 2021. The segment will continue to account for the largest share during the forecast period. The growth of the commercial aviation industry can be attributed to factors such as technological advancement and the increasing preference of consumers for air travel. The global population has witnessed an increase in per capita income on average. Moreover, air travel has become more economical, which has led to increased passenger traffic. Such increasing demand will drive the segment growth during the forecast period. Military aviation

Business and general aviation

Download our FREE sample report for more key highlights on other contributing segments.

Latest Drivers & Trends Driving the Market-

Aircraft Electrical Systems Market Driver:

Growing Demand for Commercial Aircraft:

Emerging economies across the globe including India and China are focusing on introducing innovative solutions for production of aircrafts. India's civil aviation industry is moving from nascency toward the growth phase and progressing rapidly in aircraft manufacturing. The growth in commercial aircraft production results in subsequent increases in aircraft electrical systems such as engines and other electric components. Thus, the growth in the commercial aircraft segment will increase the application for aircraft electrical systems, which will drive growth in the market in focus during the forecast period.

Aircraft Electrical Systems Market Trend:

Technological Innovations:

Technological innovations in aircraft electric systems is another factor supporting the aircraft electrical systems market growth. For instance, in June 2021, Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies business, announced it has completed a critical design review and started fabrication of a 500-kilowatt electric motor for the Airlander 10 aircraft under a partnership with Hybrid Air Vehicles and the University of Nottingham. Similarly, in 2021, NASA chose two US companies to develop electric propulsion technologies for aircraft, with the aim of introducing this tech to US aviation fleets by 2035. These innovations will drive the market growth during the forecast period.

Find additional information about various other market Drivers & Trends mentioned in our FREE sample report.

Didn't Find What You Were Looking For? Customize Report-

Don't miss out on the opportunity to speak to our analyst and know more insights about this market report. Our analysts can also help you customize this report according to your needs. Our analysts and industry experts will work directly with you to understand your requirements and provide you with customized data in a short amount of time.

We offer USD 1,000 worth of FREE customization at the time of purchase. Speak to our Analyst now!

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Aircraft Electrical Systems Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 4.64% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 4.70 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 4.38 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution Europe at 34% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, France, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled AMETEK Inc., Amphenol Corp., Astronics Corp., B and C Specialty Products Inc., BAE Systems Plc, Carlisle Companies Inc., Collins Aerospace, Crane Aerospace Electronics, EaglePicher Technologies LLC, Electric Power Systems, General Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc., Meggitt Plc, Nabtesco Corp., PBS Aerospace Inc., Safran SA, Thales Group, TransDigm Group Inc., and HEICO Corp. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Platform



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Platform

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Platform - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Platform - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Platform

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Platform



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Platform

5.3 Commercial aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Commercial aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Commercial aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Commercial aviation - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Commercial aviation - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Military aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Military aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Military aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Military aviation - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Military aviation - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Business and general aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 36: Chart on Business and general aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Business and general aviation - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Chart on Business and general aviation - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Business and general aviation - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Market opportunity by Platform

Exhibit 40: Market opportunity by Platform ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 41: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 42: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 44: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 47: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 48: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 49: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 51: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 52: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 53: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 54: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 55: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 56: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 57: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 59: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 60: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 61: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 64: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 66: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 67: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 68: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 69: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 76: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 77: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 80: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 81: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 82: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 83: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 84: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 85: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 86: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 87: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 88: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 89: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 90: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 91: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 92: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 AMETEK Inc.

Exhibit 93: AMETEK Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 94: AMETEK Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 95: AMETEK Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 96: AMETEK Inc. - Segment focus

10.4 Amphenol Corp.

Exhibit 97: Amphenol Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 98: Amphenol Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 99: Amphenol Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 100: Amphenol Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 101: Amphenol Corp. - Segment focus

10.5 Astronics Corp.

Exhibit 102: Astronics Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 103: Astronics Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 104: Astronics Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 105: Astronics Corp. - Segment focus

10.6 Collins Aerospace

Exhibit 106: Collins Aerospace - Overview



Exhibit 107: Collins Aerospace - Product / Service



Exhibit 108: Collins Aerospace - Key news



Exhibit 109: Collins Aerospace - Key offerings

10.7 Crane Aerospace Electronics

Exhibit 110: Crane Aerospace Electronics - Overview



Exhibit 111: Crane Aerospace Electronics - Business segments



Exhibit 112: Crane Aerospace Electronics - Key offerings



Exhibit 113: Crane Aerospace Electronics - Segment focus

10.8 General Electric Co.

Exhibit 114: General Electric Co. - Overview



Exhibit 115: General Electric Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 116: General Electric Co. - Key news



Exhibit 117: General Electric Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 118: General Electric Co. - Segment focus

10.9 Honeywell International Inc.

Exhibit 119: Honeywell International Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 120: Honeywell International Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 121: Honeywell International Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 122: Honeywell International Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 123: Honeywell International Inc. - Segment focus

10.10 Safran SA

Exhibit 124: Safran SA - Overview



Exhibit 125: Safran SA - Business segments



Exhibit 126: Safran SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 127: Safran SA - Segment focus

10.11 Thales Group

Exhibit 128: Thales Group - Overview



Exhibit 129: Thales Group - Business segments



Exhibit 130: Thales Group - Key offerings



Exhibit 131: Thales Group - Segment focus

10.12 TransDigm Group Inc.

Exhibit 132: TransDigm Group Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 133: TransDigm Group Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 134: TransDigm Group Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 135: TransDigm Group Inc. - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 136: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 137: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 138: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 139: Research methodology



Exhibit 140: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 141: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 142: List of abbreviations





About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
CEOs meet in Chicago for a brief ceremony

CHICAGO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Amtrak President and CEO Stephen J. Gardner this week congratulated Canadian Pacific (CP) for earning an industry-leading "A" grade for the sixth consecutive year on the annual Amtrak Host Railroad Report Card, which ranks freight railroads for keeping Amtrak trains on-time. Gardner presented the host railroad award to CP President and CEO Keith Creel at Amtrak Chicago Union Station.

"We're proud of the Amtrak-CP partnership and we applaud you and your team's continued commitment to providing outstanding service to our passengers. Congratulations on six years straight as Amtrak's best performing host railroad," Gardner said.

"CP is honored to receive this recognition of the success we have achieved as a host railroad providing industry-leading service to Amtrak on our lines," Creel said.

In January, Amtrak and CP announced an agreement committing to maintaining CP's industry-leading role as a host railroad and to cooperating with Amtrak to implement its long-term strategic vision to bring new and expanded intercity passenger rail service to the Midwestern and Southern U.S.

"Given CP's consistent record as an Amtrak host, we are supporting CP's proposal to expand its network in a merger with Kansas City Southern," Gardner added.

"CP is pleased to continue to support Amtrak and its infrastructure projects to provide capacity needed to accommodate additional service and thankful to Amtrak for its support of our historic combination with Kansas City Southern," said Creel.

In addition to its strong dispatching performance from its Minneapolis-based rail traffic control center, CP was the first Amtrak host to certify schedules to measure on-time status at each Amtrak station.

About Amtrak

For 50 years, Amtrak has connected America and transformed transportation by modernizing train travel and building for the future. Amtrak will continue to play an important role in the national transportation network for the next 50 years and beyond by operating a safe, environmentally efficient and fiscally responsible business by providing travelers with an experience that sets a new standard. Book travel, check train status, access your eTicket and more through the Amtrak app. Learn more at Amtrak.com and connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to major ports on the west and east coasts. CP provides North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit www.cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP. CP-IR.

SOURCE Canadian Pacific
China sends first batch of humanitarian aid to Ukraine

(Global Times) 09:30, March 10, 2022

The Red Cross Society of China sent a batch of emergency humanitarian aid to Ukraine on March 9, 2022. Photo: from Beijing Daily

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the Red Cross Society of China had sent a batch of emergency humanitarian aid, including food and daily necessities, to Ukraine at its request.

According to spokesperson Zhao Lijian, supplies worth 5 million yuan ($790,000) left Beijing on Wednesday and will be delivered to the Red Cross Society of Ukraine as soon as possible in a proper way.

The batch of relief supplies includes 1,000 family kits that contain blankets, damp-proof mats, towels, cutlery, buckets and flashlights, and they will help homeless people in Ukraine affected by the escalating crisis, the Red Cross Society of China told media.

The association said it would continuously follow the situation in Ukraine, focus on local humanitarian needs, and do its best to provide aid. The humanitarian aid package is China's first batch of aid to Ukraine amid the crisis, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

China's humanitarian aid shipment came after Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Ministry Wang Yi's promise on Monday at a press conference on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing. Wang said China will continue to make efforts to resolve the humanitarian crisis, and the Red Cross Society of China will ship humanitarian relief as soon as possible.

Wang also proposed a six-point initiative to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Wang said that the humanitarian action process should comply with the principles of justice and neutrality without politicizing it; pay full attention to homeless people in Ukraine and make proper arrangements for them; effectively protect civilians from secondary humanitarian disasters; ensure the smooth and safe launch of humanitarian aid activities including a quick, safe and barrier-free humanitarian access; ensure the safety of foreigners in Ukraine by allowing and helping them to go back to their own countries; and support the UN to coordinate in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Wednesday said the HKSAR government is firmly assuming the main responsibility in fighting a war against the COVID-19 epidemic and will better leverage the resources and the central government's support.

According to official data, as of Wednesday, the fifth wave of infections in Hong Kong has led to 2,656 deaths, and the vast majority of the deceased were the elderly whose median age was more than 80 years old. Most of them also had chronic conditions.

Lam said the HKSAR government is particularly grateful for the central government's support in building community isolation facilities, which have greatly enhanced the local capacity.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
BETHESDA, Md., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Complimentary press passes are now available for the year's biggest virtual nutrition meeting, NUTRITION 2022 LIVE ONLINE. Join us June 14-16, 2022, for a dynamic program featuring leading scientists, cutting-edge research and the hottest topics in nutrition science.

NUTRITION 2022 LIVE ONLINE is the flagship online meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, which attracts tens of thousands of nutrition professionals each year. Top nutrition experts from around the world will share the latest research and examine its implications for practice and policy.

Register for a press pass to gain unparalleled access to nutrition researchers, practitioners, global and public health professionals, policy makers, advocacy leaders and industry professionals.

Qualifying journalists will receive:

Full, complimentary access to all virtual meeting sessions

24-hour access to two and a half days of live and pre-recorded content (available on-demand through December 31, 2022 )

) Opportunities to connect with a global community of nutrition experts

Early access to embargoed materials featuring high-impact research

Personal introductions for one-on-one interviews with featured scientists

To apply for a press pass, please check our Media Policies and submit a Press Registration Form.

Stay in the know by joining the discussion and getting the latest nutrition news:

Subscribe to email updates geared for journalists

Visit the NUTRITION 2022 LIVE ONLINE Virtual Newsroom

Virtual Newsroom Follow #NutritionLiveOnline on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Contact:

Anne Johnson

(571) 271-1986 (mobile)

[email protected]

About NUTRITION 2022 LIVE ONLINE

NUTRITION 2022 LIVE ONLINE is part of a new year-around experience featuring ASN's flagship annual meeting held virtually June 14-16, 2022, plus learning and networking opportunities that will be offered throughout the year. The online annual meeting is a dynamic virtual event showcasing new research findings and timely discussions on food and nutrition. Scientific symposia explore hot topics including clinical and translational nutrition, food science and systems, global and public health, population science and cellular and physiological nutrition and metabolism. https://nutrition.org/nutrition-2022/ #NutritionLiveOnline

About the American Society for Nutrition (ASN)

ASN is the preeminent professional organization for nutrition research scientists and clinicians around the world. Founded in 1928, the society brings together the top nutrition researchers, medical practitioners, policy makers and industry leaders to advance our knowledge and application of nutrition. ASN publishes four peer-reviewed journals and provides education and professional development opportunities to advance nutrition research, practice and education. http://www.nutrition.org/

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE American Society for Nutrition (ASN)
BOSTON, and ALBANY, N.Y., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- aptihealth, a leading provider of virtual-first behavioral healthcare, today announced the appointment of Erin McGarry as its Vice President of Finance and Accounting. Ms. McGarry brings nearly 30 years of experience leading accounting and finance teams, managing regulatory compliance, and overseeing human resources and business operations. As Vice President of Finance and Accounting, Ms. McGarry will serve as the company's financial steward, overseeing day-to-day accounting, and financial planning, analysis, and strategy.

Most recently, Ms. McGarry served as Chief Financial Officer for Pembroke Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. As a driver of internal controls and processes, she will work to continue to strengthen and improve aptihealth's structure of financial operations.

"Ms. McGarry joins our leadership team at a pivotal time, as we continue to establish new partnerships, onboard more behavioral health specialists, and most importantly, deliver virtual-first behavioral healthcare to even more patients in need," said Dan Pickett, CEO of aptihealth. "Erin will focus on driving the organization's continued success through data-driven decision making, and managing internal controls and processes. She will be key to financial planning, forecasting, and the company's overall continued growth, as we work to provide access to behavioral health services to more communities throughout the Northeast."



My belief has always been that an individual's wellbeing is the most important health measurement, and other chronic conditions and health issues directly relate to poor access to behavioral health," said McGarry. Reducing depression, substance abuse, and addressing the social determinants of healthcare, we can turn the curve on the escalating and unsustainable costs of healthcare in this country. I joined aptihealth because I believe we have the team, the model, and the ideals to be the leader in transforming behavioral healthcare.

McGarry has extensive experience working with healthcare systems and technology-driven start-ups, and joins aptihealth from Pembroke Hospital. Before Pembroke, she served as Controller of Ascend Wellness Holdings. Prior to that, she served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Finance, Culture, Compliance, IT, and Administration at MeYou Health, Inc. At MeYou Health, McGarry and the leadership team utilized Amazon Web Services (AWS) to make scalability and cost structure available, while maintaining HIPAA compliance.

A native of the Capital Region and Boston, Ms. McGarry received her BS in Accounting from Lehigh University College of Business in Pennsylvania. She is an active member of the Women Business Leaders of the US Health Care Industry Foundation (WBL), and the CFO Leadership Council.

About aptihealth

aptihealth is improving higher acuity behavioral healthcare for underserved populationsone member at a time. The company's virtual-first model and proprietary screening, assessment, and treatment programs give members fast, convenient access to precise, personalized care. Headquartered in Boston and employing over 150, aptihealth has raised over $65 million in funding from leading international equity firms. The company's care program and data insights are driving breakthroughs in mental health understanding, treatment, outcomes, and cost reduction. Learn more at: www.aptihealth.com.

SOURCE aptihealth
INDIANAPOLIS, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardagh Glass Packaging  North America (AGP  North America) , a business of Ardagh Group , collaborated with Constellation Brands, Inc. , to design and manufacture a highly decorated wine bottle for its Crafters Union brand.

The 360-degree decorated 750ml Claret wine bottle, manufactured by AGP  North America, delivers great shelf appeal in a premium, sustainable glass bottle. The incorporation of 'Crafters Union' debossed directly into the glass bottle increases brand awareness.

The impressive tattoo-style illustrations for the bottle, designed by One Design, Auckland, New Zealand, were replicated into the glass bottle design using Ardagh's sculptured embossing software. Utilizing this program, Ardagh's Product Design team was able to deboss the high-definition artwork into the glass, adding textures and enhancements to a higher standard than traditional glass packaging design. Unlike two-dimensional debossing, this sculpturing technique creates intricate, life-like detail, depth and dimension for premium glass bottles.

"Even with such an intricate design, Ardagh Glass Packaging brought our vision to life for the Crafters Union bottle," said Victoria Clark, Head of Marketing - Growth at Constellation Brands. "We are thrilled to see it on the shelf for our Australian and New Zealand consumers to enjoy."

The Crafters Union project employed Ardagh's Development Machine , a highly flexible glass forming system, for both the sampling process and the initial small-batch run, to provide speed to market for the custom bottle design.

"Ardagh Glass Packaging is passionate about innovation through glass decoration and enjoys pushing the technological boundaries of what we can achieve for brands such as Crafters Union," said Darrell Wineman, Vice President, Food, Wine & Spirits for AGP  North America. "We continue to focus on innovations in complex bottle texturing, as well as new design techniques and manufacturing capabilities, to create an extra dimension of creativity and branding for customers like Constellation Brands."

For more than 125 years, Ardagh has been producing innovative, 100 percent and endlessly recyclable glass bottles in the U.S., and offers a wide selection of premium wine bottles in a variety of colors, sizes, styles and finishes.

Throughout 2022, Ardagh Glass Packaging will celebrate the United Nations International Year of Glass (IYOG) , commemorating the essential role of glass packaging in a sustainable society.

In this IYOG, AGP  North America is focused on product and process innovations, as well as working on breakthrough projects, such as the custom bottle for Crafters Union, to celebrate the advancement of glass packaging in today's society.

To view Ardagh's extensive glass wine bottle stock portfolio, which offers a variety of colors, sizes, styles and finishes all made in the U.S.A., visit ardaghgroup.com/wine2022 .

Further information

Gina Behrman, Vice President, Marketing, Communications & NPD at Ardagh Glass Packaging  North America, [email protected] , 317.558.5717

Paula Polei, Manager, Marketing & Communications at Ardagh Glass Packaging  North America, [email protected] , 317.558.5732

Download image here.

Notes to the editor

Ardagh Group is a global supplier of infinitely recyclable metal and glass packaging for the world's leading brands. Ardagh operates 58 metal and glass production facilities in 12 countries, employing more than 17,000 people with sales of approximately $7.6 bn.

SOURCE Ardagh Group
PHOENIX, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Known best by locals for the Shamrock Farms milk once delivered to doorsteps by milkmen, to today featuring a multitude of farm-fresh dairy products in grocery aisles and beyond, Shamrock Foods Company is celebrating 100 years as an Arizona business mainstay. The 100th celebration kicked off with an official State of Arizona Commendation, city of Phoenix proclamation and a 100,000-meal donation to St. Mary's Food Bank.

Beginning in 1922 in Tucson as a family dairy with 20 cows, a truck and a dream, the McClelland's entrepreneurial spirit grew Shamrock Foods Company into a recognized dairy innovator and leader in restaurant and foodservice distribution industry, while staying true to its roots as a family-held company.

"We've grown a lot since my Irish immigrant grandparents, W.T. and Winnifred McClelland, established Shamrock dairy, and the principles they set forth have stood the test of time," said Kent McClelland, president and CEO of Shamrock Foods Company and third generation of McClelland family leadership. "It's been an incredible first 100 years in business growing, innovating and supporting our communities, and I'm excited for what's ahead."

Innovation is how Shamrock has grown into a full family of companies, including Shamrock Farms  one of the largest family-owned and -operated dairies nationwide and Shamrock Foods  the largest independent foodservice distributor in the West.

From farm to shelf in just two days, Shamrock Farms offers a full portfolio of delicious on-the-go beverages as well as creams, cottage cheese, sour cream and seasonal favorites like its award-winning Eggnog  all of which start with Shamrock's pure, fresh milk and have been perfected through a hands-on approach over three generations. With a herd of more than 20,000 cows, Shamrock continues to be the original, household name in Arizona.

"Arizona is ingrained in who we are and what we do. The community has been with us every step of the way, and we're excited to celebrate this milestone together," said McClelland.

In the last century, Shamrock Farms evolved milk beyond the traditional gallon, even creating entirely new categories like Rockin' Protein, the first ready-to-drink milk-based protein beverage. Rockin' Protein is a leading protein beverage in retail supermarkets and Shamrock Farms is the number one milk brand in quick serve restaurants nationwide and the number one dairy brand in its home state of Arizona. Its impressive portfolio of products can be found in nearly 100,000 locations nationwide, which include grocery and 56,000 quick serve restaurants.

Shamrock Foods offers a comprehensive portfolio of products including national and exclusive brands, with an extensive product line featuring fresh custom-cut meat, seafood, produce and dairy, as well as dry and frozen groceries, beverages, equipment and supplies. Shamrock Foods goes beyond delivery for customers by offering comprehensive business solutions and unique collaboration opportunities to help drive their growth.

"Entrepreneurialism is in our genes. We've gotten here by being nimble, focused, transparent and willing to take appropriate risks that lead to innovation and strategic growth," said McClelland.

In honor of the McClelland family's contributions to Arizona, Shamrock Foods Company received an official State of Arizona 100 Years of Shamrock Commendation on March 10. In addition, Shamrock Foods Company received an official City of Phoenix Proclamation declaring March 10 "100th Anniversary Shamrock Foods Day." The Shamrock Foods Foundation will also make 100,000-meal donation to St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix, which Norman McClelland helped establish. This effort aligns with the company's longstanding community pillars of faith, family, friends and freedom, and commitment to nourishing the community

The celebration continues with Shamrock Foods Company paying homage to its dairy roots by launching a limited-edition birthday cake flavored milk to be distributed to Arizona schools this spring. A variety of associate recognition activities are also planned to thank the company's more than 5,000 employees for their dedication to the business in addition to engaging customer and partner promotions and events throughout 2022.

"Our goal for this year and beyond is to show our appreciation and gratitude to our family of associates, communities, customers, suppliers and partners for making Shamrock what it is today," said McClelland.

Strategic growth continues to be a big driver for the company. Shamrock Foods is outpacing the foodservice industry in market share and Shamrock Farms is paving the way with fresh ideas and premium products that drive people to the dairy case.

"Our story may already be 100 years in the making, but we're just getting started," said McClelland.

For more information, please visit www.shamrockfoods.com .

About Shamrock Foods Company

Shamrock Foods Company specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of quality food and food-related products through a family of companies including Shamrock Foods  one of the top 10 food service distributors, and Shamrock Farms  one of the largest milk companies in the country. Founded 100 years ago with 20 cows, a truck and a dream, Shamrock has grown into a national leader serving customers coast to coast. Three generations later, Shamrock Foods Company is still family-owned and remains committed to The Shamrock Way: treating associates like family and customers and suppliers like friends. For more information, visit www.shamrockfoods.com .

Media Contact: Carly Pearline, (312) 404-3417, [email protected]

SOURCE Shamrock Foods Company
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced the acquisition of Bellevue, Washington-based insurance broker Hawley & Associates, LLC. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Hawley & Associates was founded in 2005 exclusively to provide specialized insurance services for adoption, foster care and child welfare agencies. Over the years its offerings have expanded into all aspects of social services for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations with US and/or international exposures. Phil Hawley and his associates will continue to operate in their current location under the direction of Jim Buckley, head of Gallagher's Northwest region retail property/casualty brokerage operations.

"The Hawley & Associates team offers deep expertise in the nonprofit and for-profit social services sector, particularly in the specialized and challenging child welfare, foster care and adoption segment," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "We are delighted to welcome Phil and his associates to our growing global team."

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 68 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Linda J. Collins VP - Investor Relations VP- Corporate Communications 630-285-3661/ [email protected] 630-285-4009/ [email protected]

SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
NEW YORK, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ArtsBerry held a photography exhibition and artists discussion panel at 19 W 26TH ST, New York, NY. The event showed the photographic works of two prestigious Asian artists, Man Zhu and Bingqin Zhang. At the same time, Lianjie Zheng, a well-known Asian artist in the U.S., was invited to join the discussion panel.

exhibition 1 exhibition 2

A total of 12 outstanding works from artists Man Zhu and Bingqin Zhang were presented at this exhibition. Approximately 60 guests attended this event. "Relationship is a body of photo-based works through which I explore my subconscious behavior by showing my relationships with people around me," Man Zhu said. Bingqin Zhang exhibited her series of works, One Kind of Touch, which explores photographic materials, processes, and the relationship between artists. Mr. Lianjie Zheng, one of the representative figures in Chinese contemporary arts, spoke highly of the photographic works by the two artists. At the artists discussion panel, three renowned photographers discussed the opportunities and challenges faced by Asian artists in today's world of arts.

This event provides a platform for artists to showcase their fine works and for audience to appreciate photography fused with Asian arts.

About Man Zhu

Man Zhu, fine art photographer, member of China Women Photographers Association, a scholarship winner and a representative of excellent student works of Savannah College of Art and Design, in the MFA degree of Photography at the School of Visual Arts. Her work has participated in art exhibitions in New York, Savannah, Cincinnati, and Minneapolis, and has made outstanding achievements in some international photography awards, such as IPA 2021, Chromatic Awards 2021, and New York Fine Art Competition.

About Bingqin (Zaccheo) Zhang

Bingqin (Zaccheo) Zhang is a Chinese artist, based in New York. After completing her graduate studies of Fine Art Photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design, she goes to the Fashion Photography program at the School of Visual Arts. Bingqin Zhang was a finalist in the 96th Print Center Annual Competition and won the Honorable Mention Prize in the ICP 2021. Her work is included as a case study in the book, "Photology: Photographers and Metaphor" by the author Aldo Branti, which was collected in the libraries of University of Oxford, Cambridge University Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales, and Trinity College Dublin.

About Lianjie Zheng

Zheng Lianjie, born in Beijing, is a U.S.-based, Chinese, contemporary artist, active in performance art, installation, photography, contemporary ink, and video art. As one of the representative figures in Chinese contemporary art, Mr. Zheng's artworks have promoted and greatly impact the development process of Chinese contemporary art in the 1990s. Mr. Zheng was awarded the "General Medal of Honor" by the Kentucky government of the United States, and the "United Nations Messenger of Peace Award" by the United Nations. His photographic artwork, Huge Explosion: Binding the Lost Souls was sold for US $30,000 at Sotheby's New York's first Asian contemporary art auction in 2006, setting a record for the top six Chinese in the world.

Media Contact

Stephanie Ren

3035578377

[email protected]

SOURCE ArtsBerry, Inc.
SEOUL, South Korea, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascenda, the technology company that makes payments and banking more rewarding, has partnered with Hyundai Card, a leading credit card issuer, to power the launch of a new lineup of consumer and corporate cards on the American Express Network in South Korea.

The new Hyundai American Express Card portfolio encompasses a total of six products for consumers and corporates. The reward program is brought to life through seamless digital experiences powered by Ascenda's advanced proprietary technology. This includes the broadest points exchange program in the market with over 20 transfer partners, plus instant travel redemption and fully digital benefit fulfillment. This innovative program provides issuers with turnkey access to world-class rewards, benefits and end-to-end points liability management.

Sebastian Grobys, Chief Commercial Officer, Ascenda, said: "This launch continues Ascenda's trajectory of enabling unrivaled new value propositions for leading financial services brands worldwide. We are excited to partner with Hyundai Card on this new card portfolio that makes payments truly rewarding and delights customers with aspirational benefits."

Youngho Cho, Head of PLCC AMEX Team, Hyundai Card, added: "This launch enables us to offer members a new set of compelling card propositions. Korean consumers are some of the most digitally savvy in the world, for this reason we're delighted to be able to deploy a set of products that deliver seamless unrivaled rewards and experiences."

About Ascenda

Ascenda is a global technology company that makes customer engagement simple for leading financial services brands and merchants.

Ascenda delivers digitally native, intuitive and easy-to-deploy rewards solutions that enable banks to build deeper customer connections across the entire financial relationship. The company serves financial services clients in more than 40 markets, including leading banks such as HSBC, Capital One, ICBC, and Standard Chartered as well as disruptors such as Virgin Money.

For more information about Ascenda, please visit ascendaloyalty.com

SOURCE Ascenda
ATLANTA, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlanta Housing (AH) is proud to announce the HUD Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition beginning today, Thursday, March 10 and tomorrow, Friday, March 11 in the city of Atlanta. The event, which explores creative design opportunities for the historical Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, kicked off there on site and will continue and end at the Southface Institute.

Now in its 10th year, the HUD Office of Policy Development and Research invites teams from accredited educational institutions in the United States to advance the design and production of livable and sustainable housing for low- and moderate-income people through research and innovation. "This is an excellent opportunity to bring innovative ideas to the table for this historic Atlanta venue," said Eugene E. Jones, Jr., president and CEO of Atlanta Housing. "We are proud to have won this nationally competitive opportunity  and by bringing together graduate students with policy makers and civic leaders at home, the intent is to produce a truly innovative approach to the redevelopment of the Civic Center."

Local elected officials and community leaders have been invited to the two-day design competition that includes site tours and briefings from a host of community and civic leaders. Students will have the opportunity to engage local leaders on a range of topics from planning and zoning to public transit and asset management. Teams are comprised of three to five graduate students from various disciplines. Their designs will be judged by jury members and student teams can receive awards of up to $20,000 for the most innovative designs.

"Graduate students in architecture, public policy and related fields can offer fresh pairs of eyes on innovative ways to provide affordable housing and lift up communities," said CEO Jones. "We can only end up with better housing outcomes for low-and moderate-income Atlantans with outside-the-box approaches to affordable housing."

ABOUT ATLANTA HOUSING

Led by President and CEO Eugene Jones, Jr., the Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, Georgia (AH), is the largest housing authority in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation. AH provides and facilitates affordable housing resources for nearly 22,000 low-income households comprised of approximately 50,000 people. These affordable housing resources include AH-owned residential communities, AH-sponsored mixed-income, mixed-finance residential communities, tenant-based vouchers, project based rental assistance, supportive housing arrangements and homeownership opportunities. AH's programs are funded and regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Visit AH at atlantahousing.org or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn at @housingatlanta.

SOURCE Atlanta Housing
ROCKVILLE, Md., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Author and CEO Robert Granader weaves together stories of hope, resilience, and the unfamiliar that are all inspired by the pandemic quarantine. This very readable story collection sprang from Granader's need to write during a time when schools closed, kids moved back home, offices went empty, and Starbucks delivered coffee at the curb. Writing in the Q: Finding Inspiration in a Pandemic by Robert Granader is available through Amazon.com and the Politics and Prose Bookstore.

Many of the stories in Writing in the Q were accepted and published by literary journals. Some are simply pandemic-tinged, while others are pandemic-laden. One story is about a man who spends his quarantine walking his dogs in a parking lot filled with other Covid nomads who need some space beyond their four walls. But the story takes a dark turn, and the endwell you'll have to read it.

Other stories include a woman who lives vicariously through the man who stole her credit card; a man who goes on a camping trip in memory of a lost friend; and the confusion and different perspectives of everyday citizens who think they all saw the same thing when a woman leaps off a building. Readers will also meet a Torah-saving Rabbi and a terminally ill man who chooses to do nothing. Even the return of the cicadas during the pandemic is explored when a father realizes his children don't return on nature's watch.

Rob Granader has published more than 400 short stories, articles, and essays in over sixty publications, including the Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, New York Times, Jewish Literary Journal, Doubly Mad: A Journal of Arts and Ideas and Umbrella Factory. He has won writing awards from Bethesda Magazine and Writer's Digest. Granader has a BA in English from the University of Michigan and a JD from The George Washington University. He is CEO of Marketresearch.com. More of his writing can be found at www.robgranader.com.

Contact Rob Granader for an interview:

[email protected]

+1 240.747.3030

Press Contact:

Corinne Gangloff

+1 440.842.2400

[email protected]

About MarketResearch.com

MarketResearch.com is the leading provider of industry intelligence for businesses, consultants, investors, and anyone seeking to understand where markets, countries, or companies are headed. With over 350 publishers covering every sector of the economy as well as emerging industries, we curate the most comprehensive collection of market reports and services updated daily.

SOURCE MarketResearch.com
ST. LOUIS, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hicuity Health, the nation's leading provider of high-acuity telemedicine services, announced the expansion of its telemedicine services relationship with Baptist Health, a 9-hospital system. In this expansion, tele-ICU services were extended to Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville, a facility which provides care to residents throughout western Kentucky.

The introduction of Hicuity Health tele-ICU at the Madisonville facility provides around-the-clock critical care support to its Baptist Health team members and their patients. Hicuity Health critical care specialists now provide 24/7 monitoring and intervention for the most critically ill patients in collaboration with Baptist Health clinicians.

"The Hicuity Health team serves as an extra layer of care that reassures doctors that their patients are vigilantly monitored even when they are not present in the room," said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mohan Rao. "There is a deep sense of relief knowing that emerging issues are dealt with immediately, and patients are receiving the highest recommended level of care at a moment's notice. We know having intensivists covering these patients reduces the risk of complications and improves patient outcomes."

"Hicuity Health is pleased to grow our Baptist Health system relationship with the addition of Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville to our community of clients," said Lou Silverman, CEO of Hicuity Health. "Our technology-enabled care supports the Baptist Health team and helps improve clinical outcomes for their patients, assisting Baptist Health to achieve its critical care goals."

Hicuity Health is currently contracted to serve more than 115 hospitals in 30 states. Hicuity Health's team of U.S. board-certified providers and other clinicians conducts 1.2 million patient interactions annually while caring for 120,000 patients.

About Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville

Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville is a 410-bed acute and skilled care facility with a special emphasis on community outreach and training students to provide medical care in rural areas. For its patients, the hospital has clinics conveniently located in nearby communities to provide care close to home. Overall, Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville offers 37 points of care by a network of providers representing a wide variety of specialties.

Specialized, comprehensive services include the Jack L. Hamman Heart & Vascular Center for heart care, including electrophysiology, the Merle M. Mahr Cancer Center and mother and baby care, including a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Recognized as a pioneer, Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville was the first Kentucky hospital outside a metropolitan area to offer open heart surgery.

The hospital has earned Pathway to Excellence designation for excellence in nursing services by the American Nursing Credentialing Center.

In 2012, the hospital  formerly known as the Trover Clinic and Regional Medical Center joined Baptist Health and in 2021 became Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville, a joint venture of Baptist Health and Deaconess Health systems.

About Hicuity Health

For more than 16 years, Hicuity Health has pioneered telemedicine innovations. Serving a diverse range of clients and care venues  including health systems, hospitals, and post-acute care facilities  with its expanding line of services that includes tele-ICU, remote inpatient telemetry, virtual nursing, virtual sitter, smart device monitoring, and shared services, the company is the leader in delivering expert care on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis to high-acuity patients in high-acuity environments. Our innovation is highlighted by our proprietary HUB workflow management technology platform, which enables seamless care delivery and informs patient management across our 11 clinical care centers that serve our more than 115 hospital partners located in 30 states nationwide. Hicuity Health cares for 120,000 patients per year, delivering enhanced patient outcomes, tangible ROI, and expert clinical support for the bedside teams at our partner hospitals.

Caring Edge Insights | LinkedIn |Twitter

SOURCE Hicuity Health
Israeli President Isaac Herzog (1st R, Front) addresses representatives of the Jewish community in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 10, 2022. Following a "historic" meeting with the Turkish president in the capital Ankara, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with representatives of the Jewish community in Turkey's financial and cultural hub Istanbul on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shadati)

ISTANBUL, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Following a "historic" meeting with the Turkish president in the capital Ankara, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with representatives of the Jewish community in Turkey's financial and cultural hub Istanbul on Thursday.

Addressing the community members at the Neve Shalom Synagogue in the Beyoglu district, Herzog praised Turkey for opening "its gates and heart to the daughters and sons of the Jewish people, who found a firm foothold here," according to a statement issued by the Israeli embassy.

The Israeli president also told the community that he had a "good, open, and honest" conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the previous day in Ankara.

"In our meeting, I told him how important the Israel-Turkey relationship is to me. I told him that I believe that all of us, the children of all religions in the Middle East, can and must live in peace," Herzog was quoted as saying in the statement.

In a tweet he shared the previous night, Herzog posted a photo showing him and Erdogan shaking hands.

"This is a key moment for the relations between Israel and Turkey," he wrote. "We won't always agree on everything, but I expect us to work together toward the stability, prosperity, peace, and security of our region for the sake of all nations here. Good neighborly relations in the Eastern Med are important to us all."

Herzog's visit has been described by many as a big step toward softening the long-lasting tense relations between the two countries.

Irfan Karsli, head of the Istanbul-based Ligarba Travel Agency, told Xinhua that Herzog carried very lucrative opportunities to Turkey in terms of promoting new business cooperation and partnerships.

"It is a very positive step for the normalization of relations between the two countries, and it is highly welcomed in the business world here," he told Xinhua.

Herzog's historic visit comes after more than a decade of deterioration in the bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel. Both sides recalled their ambassadors in 2018 when tensions over the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem caused a rift between them.

In recent months Erdogan has called for mending ties with Israel. 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (on the podium) addresses representatives of the Jewish community in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 10, 2022. Following a "historic" meeting with the Turkish president in the capital Ankara, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with representatives of the Jewish community in Turkey's financial and cultural hub Istanbul on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (3rd L) meets with representatives of the Jewish community in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 10, 2022. Following a "historic" meeting with the Turkish president in the capital Ankara, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with representatives of the Jewish community in Turkey's financial and cultural hub Istanbul on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (Front) attends a meeting with representatives of the Jewish community in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 10, 2022. Following a "historic" meeting with the Turkish president in the capital Ankara, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with representatives of the Jewish community in Turkey's financial and cultural hub Istanbul on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (C) meets with representatives of the Jewish community in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 10, 2022. Following a "historic" meeting with the Turkish president in the capital Ankara, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with representatives of the Jewish community in Turkey's financial and cultural hub Istanbul on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (C) meets with representatives of the Jewish community in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 10, 2022. Following a "historic" meeting with the Turkish president in the capital Ankara, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with representatives of the Jewish community in Turkey's financial and cultural hub Istanbul on Thursday. (Xinhua/Shadati)
CHICAGO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Baseus, a leading consumer electronics brand, announced today its launch of the Baseus Blade 100W Power Bank ($99.99). This all-new power bank is made for the traveler and everyday commuter, as it is designed to be easily carried around or packed away in luggage or a backpack. The Baseus Blade 100W Power Bank provides a 100W output and 65W input for all laptops and devices. In addition, the power bank includes a convenient digital display showing current battery life and remaining charging time.

Baseus Blade 100W Power Bank

"We created the Baseus Blade 100W Power Bank for on-the-go consumers who need their devices accessible at all times," stated Andy Li, product manager at Baseus, which offers reasonably priced premium electronics for consumers wanting high-quality and trendy products. "Power banks are typically bulky and create too much weight to throw into a bag for transportation. At Baseus, our latest technology has allowed our team to create an ultra lightweight product that has been in high demand among consumers everywhere."

The Baseus Blade 100W Power Bank features characteristics such as:

Lightweight Design: The 0.7-inch slim power bank is easy to carry around from room to room or throw into luggage, weighing only 1.08 pounds.

The 0.7-inch slim power bank is easy to carry around from room to room or throw into luggage, weighing only 1.08 pounds. Many Devices Supported: The power bank can support tablets, smartwatches and wireless earphones.

The power bank can support tablets, smartwatches and wireless earphones. Digital Display: The digital display shows the current battery, charging power and charging time.

The digital display shows the current battery, charging power and charging time. Charging Capabilities: With two inputs and four outlets, consumers can charge up to four devices at the same time.

With two inputs and four outlets, consumers can charge up to four devices at the same time. Low Current Mode: Through intelligent recognition, the power bank offers a charge to low-power devices such as watches and wireless earphones.

The Baseus Blade 100W Power Bank and other Baseus products are available for purchase on Amazon .

About Baseus

Founded in 2011, Baseus is an industry-leading consumer electronics brand that integrates design, research and development, production and sales. Baseus products have earned numerous top international awards in industrial design, including Reddot, IF, iDEA, Golden Pin and Pentawards. The products are available in more than 180 countries around the world with 30+ online shopping platforms and in 600 worldwide physical stores. For more information, visit https://us.baseus.com/ .

MEDIA CONTACT

COURTNEY LAPORTA

MEKKY MEDIA RELATIONS

708-899-0668

[email protected]

SOURCE Baseus
SEATTLE, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After an extensive regional search, Blendily has selected architecture and design firm Open Studio Collective for the design of their Seattle botanic kitchen. The firm is one of the few in the field to be owned and run by women.

Open Studio Collective is a woman-owned, anti-disciplinary design studio featuring women in leadership roles.

A 2017 survey conducted by Dezeen Architecture and Design Magazine revealed that only three of the world's leading architecture firms were headed by women and only two had management teams that were more than 50 percent female. According to a "Women in Architecture" study in 2020 by the American Institute of Architects, only 17 percent of registered architects were women.

For Blendily founder Ivy Chuang, it was important to select a firm headed up by women: "Female empowerment is a core value at Blendily, so it is fitting for us to align with and give opportunity to female designers. With every iteration of our concept, I see an opportunity to give a female designer a platform."

Blendily's flapship botanic kitchen in Portland, Oregon was a collaboration with Environmental Designer, Emily Steen .

Several new stores are in the works. Each will have its own version of the Blendily brand. Open Studio Collective's designers will transform the Seattle space into a warm, welcoming environment showcasing Blendily's botanic creations. Construction is expected to be conducted this Summer, looking forward to a grand opening in the Fall.

About Blendily: Blendily operates botanic kitchens where bioregional medicinal plants are blended with exotic botanicals to create a spectrum of cosmetic grooming products for selfcare head-to-toe. Blendily's botanic kitchens operate just like 'farm-to-table' restaurants, taking inspiration from the surrounding landscapes and seasonal offerings. Blendily offers a full range of skincare, bath & bodycare, hair care, mama & baby care, and herbal remedies.

About Open Studio Collective: Open Studio Collective is a woman-owned, anti-disciplinary design studio featuring women in leadership roles. The team consists of architectural, interior, and graphic designers. They create inspiring experiences through collaboration, respect of individual talent, and the belief that any idea can lead to a meaningful piece of work.

PR Contact:

Ivy Chuang

[email protected]

(206)488-6481



SOURCE Blendily
ANTWERP, Belgium, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) platform provider mintBlue has secured 2 million in a round led by Two Hop Ventures, with additional support from a Dutch angel investor and Ayre Ventures.

mintBlue is the go-to platform for developers to build with blockchain. mintBlue offers a proprietary API that allows companies large and small to migrate data to the public blockchain, thereby increasing data security, interoperability and traceability. As the leading blockchain development suite that provides data storage directly on the blockchain, mintBlue aims to become the 'decentralized AWS.'

mintBlue's solutions are non-custodial; this means that end users control their data and have no lock-in issues. The software supports a commercial level scale that allows for monetisation opportunities down to a thousandth of a cent.

mintBlue's software allows a growing list of companies to focus on their core operations without the need to devote time and resources to understanding complex blockchain infrastructure. Learn more about mintBlue's product offering  including NFT invoicing, data integrity and document verification  at mintblue.com.

mintBlue was recently selected by VISMA | yuki, a leading European cloud accounting solutions provider, to integrate blockchain-based functionalities into its bookkeeping. mintBlue has already handled over 700,000 NFT invoices for VISMA | yuki at an extremely low cost per invoice, improving efficiency while eliminating vectors for financial malpractice.

The Dutch angel investor backing mintBlue commented:

"Blockchain technology is fascinating, and the mintBlue team has managed to develop one of the world's first real-world use-cases for a public blockchain with VISMA, with more to come."

Commenting on the investment round, mintBlue CEO Niels van den Bergh said:

"With this investment, mintBlue will start its trajectory to become the de-facto blockchain infrastructure provider for web3. Platforms will lose market share over protocols, and we will be there to support that change."

Two Hop Ventures general partner Alex Fauvel said:

"mintBlue is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced teams in the blockchain industry, and Two Hop Ventures is proud to support them in their first funding round. With large partners and customers experimenting with putting and managing data on-chain, it is only a matter of time until traditional and modern enterprises are using mintBlue for all their blockchain integrations."

Ayre Ventures founder Calvin Ayre added:

"BitcoinSV (BSV) is the only public enterprise blockchain to offer unbounded scaling, and mintBlue exemplifies BSV's unique capacity to handle large transaction volumes at a minimal cost. I look at mintBlue as Europe's answer to Alchemy, the U.S. blockchain developer platform that recently raised $200m at a $10b valuation. As word spreads of mintBlue's capacity to boost business via the BSV blockchain, I see mintBlue mirroring Alchemy's meteoric rise."

ABOUT MINTBLUE

mintBlue makes blockchain development easy. Users can focus on their solution instead of the complex underlying blockchain infrastructure. We offer data solutions to store, share and monetise data without giving up ownership.

mintBlue is Europe's first public blockchain platform used at scale.

mintBlue PR Kit link

ABOUT TWO HOP VENTURES

Two Hop Ventures is a venture capital fund focused exclusively on start-ups building infrastructure for the next generation of the Internet. The infrastructure behind this leap forward allows data and other assets to be held by the users, not Facebook, Google etc., via the combination of the blockchain and Internet. Two Hop believes that the Bitcoin SV Blockchain is the only viable solution.

The fund has a traditional structure, is registered at the AFM in The Netherlands and operates under the EU AIFMD light regime. It holds no BSV or other crypto and is strictly equity and debt only. Investments are made exclusively in early-stage start-ups building on the Bitcoin SV blockchain and are without geographic limitation. The manager seeks to maximize investor returns by creating a balanced portfolio across the core infrastructure sectors of this flourishing ecosystem.

ABOUT AYRE VENTURES

Ayre Ventures, founded by celebrated entrepreneur and philanthropist Calvin Ayre, provides capital to scalable, high-growth businesses within the BSV blockchain ecosystem, the only infinitely scaling enterprise public blockchain. The Group targets investment in innovative ideas and ambitious projects that are 'positively disruptive', supporting their expansion with the Group's extensive network and industry partners.

SOURCE mintBlue
SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boost.ai, a global leader in conversational AI at scale for Fortune 1000 companies, today announced a major milestone for its implementation with MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) - delivering over 1,100 intents with 12,600 pieces of data, which are the topics a customer has in mind when typing in a question, for its virtual banking agent called Fran. As a result, Fran is now equipped to address thousands of different types of inquiries from MSUFCU's 330,000 members, 24/7. The milestone represents a 400 percent increase in intents since MSUFCU's initial rollout in 2019, supporting the credit union's rapid scale up to accommodate rapid growth.

With the industry's most robust intent portfolio, Boost.ai offers the most scalable conversational IT technology on the market - a critical differentiator at a time when studies show US digital banking users will surpass 200 million by 2022 . In spring 2020, MSUFCU saw a massive increase in the amount of incoming live chats, with a 130% growth from the previous month, but they didn't have the capacity to increase their member service workforce at the time. This necessitated a rapid scale-up from its initial Boost.ai installation, which launched initially with 250 intents. The integration has exploded in growth since 2021, with Q1 2022 already seeing a 20% growth in conversations compared to Q4 2021, while maintaining a resolution rate of over 96%.

"Digital Member Experience has always been a major priority for us with 14% of members living outside the state of Michigan, but it reached a peak in the last 18 months, as the pandemic saw many members trying digital for the first time or expanding their use," said Ben Maxim, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation at MSUFCU. "Boost.ai enabled us to meet the demand quickly and seamlessly, keeping our service levels high while freeing up our live agents to focus on the most pressing needs of our members."

Boost.ai's virtual banking agents come ready with thousands of intents to allow for fast and easy integration at scale. Each bot is highly configurable, giving individual clients the ability to customize specific responses to exact banking needs. Upkeep is important for any digital tool, and boost's optimized platform allows customers to quickly train a few employees to maintain and improve the virtual agent in a matter of hours. For MSUFCU, Boost.ai quickly rolled out and expanded Fran's functionality to offer a personal search engine for its members, supporting everything from simple to more complex queries. For instance, while Fran is most often asked for the credit union's routing number, the banking agent also quickly and automatically addresses questions such as how to create a new account, support in making a loan payment, and troubleshoot for digital tools. Fran also understands Spanish, allowing the MSUFCU team to best support their membership.

"Digital banking is accelerating more quickly than ever anticipated. It's more important than ever to move our industry beyond narrow scope chatbot tools that can't keep up with the increased volume or variety of inquiries today's consumers' demand," said Lars Ropeid Selsas, founder and CEO of Boost.ai. "With a broad scope model that's truly optimized for scalability, Boost.ai delivers a foundation for MSUFCU to support any magnitude of growth both now and in the future, without sacrificing quality or accuracy."

Boost.ai specializes in large-scale deployments, prioritizing both customer volume and conversation value to consistently deliver 90%+ resolution rates and up. Leveraging self-learning AI technology, MSUFCU's Fran will continue to learn from interactions with its members by scouring live chat logs and frequently asked questions. This allows the virtual agent to continually improve its understanding of a wide range of issues and leverage powerful algorithms to deliver accurate responses at a massive scale.

To learn more about boost.ai and its conversational AI offering please visit: https://www.boost.ai/ .

About Boost.ai US

Boost.ai is a global leader in conversational AI optimized for scale. Boasting the industry's most robust intent portfolio, Boost.ai is pioneering an era of broad-scope virtual agents to deliver the most advanced and scalable technology on the market. Boost.ai was recently named to the first-ever 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Conversational AI Platforms. With consistent resolution rates of 90%, Boost.ai's market-leading virtual agent supports enterprise customers across key industries throughout the United States and Europe, including banking, insurance, telecom, retail, and more. Key customers include Santander Bank, MSU Federal Credit Union, Silvercar by Audi, Create Room, Aspire General Services, Neogov, and more. Learn more at boost.ai.

About MSUFCU

Founded in 1937, MSUFCU has a national reputation for excellence and has received several top industry and workplace awards, including being named a Best Credit Union to Work For by American Banker for the fifth year, a Top Workplace by the Detroit Free Press for 11 consecutive years, a National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For winner for six consecutive years, and was named one of the top five Michigan credit unions in Forbes' Best-in-State Credit Unions 2021 list. MSUFCU was named a Best Workplace in Financial Services and Insurance by Fortune Magazine for two consecutive years and has been certified as a Great Place to Work for nine consecutive years. MSUFCU has been recognized by the Credit Union National Association, earning first place for the people-helping-people philosophy 2020 Louise Herring Award. MSUFCU is headquartered in East Lansing, Mich., has 22 branches, over 315,000 members, more than $6.6 billion in assets, and nearly 950 awesome employees. For more information, visit msufcu.org .

SOURCE Boost.ai
CHICAGO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Calamos Investments, a global investment management firm with more than $40 billion in assets under management, announced today that it has received the US 2022 Best Overall Small Fund Family Award from the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards. Granted annually, the award recognizes the fund company that has excelled in delivering consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers. The Small Fund Family peer group included firms with less than $99 billion in AUM.

Calamos President and Chief Executive Officer John Koudounis said, "John Calamos founded our firm more than 40 years ago on the bedrock belief that active risk management served investors best. Winning the best overall small fund company award based on performance during the past three years underscores the importance of this founding principle and the breadth of our investment talent."

Founder, Chairman and Global Chief Investment Officer, John P. Calamos, Sr. stated, "Throughout the market cycles, risk management has always been the cornerstone of our approach. This award recognizes consistent outperformance across multiple funds and is a testament to the consistency of our investment philosophy. We are honored by this recognition."

About Calamos

Calamos Investments is a diversified global investment firm offering innovative investment strategies including alternatives, multi-asset, convertible, fixed income, equity, and sustainable equity, currently managing more than $40 billion in assets under management. The firm offers strategies through separately managed portfolios, mutual funds, closed-end funds, private funds, and UCITS funds. Clients include major corporations, pension funds, endowments, foundations, and individuals, as well as the financial advisors and consultants who serve them. Headquartered in the Chicago metropolitan area, the firm also has offices in New York, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Portland (Oregon), and the Miami area. For more information, please visit www.calamos.com.

About Refinitiv Lipper fund Awards

For more than 30 years and over 17 countries worldwide, the highly-respected Refinitiv Lipper Awards have honored fund and fund management firms that have excelled in providing consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers and focus the investment world on top funds. The merit of the winners is based on entirely objective, quantitative criteria. This coupled with the unmatched depth of fund data results in a unique level of prestige and ensures the award has lasting value. Renowned fund data and proprietary methodology is the foundation of this prestigious award qualification, recognizing excellence in fund management. Find out more at www.lipperfundawards.com

*Calamos Investments LLC, referred to herein as Calamos Investments, is a financial services company offering such services through its subsidiaries: Calamos Advisors LLC, Calamos Wealth Management LLC, Calamos Investments LLP and Calamos Financial Services LLC.

SOURCE Calamos Investments
LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- California Credit Union has partnered with the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU) to provide urgently needed aid for Ukrainians, offering a $100,000 donation match for the organization's Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund.

Through the partnership, California Credit Union will match every dollar donated through its Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund campaign page, up to $100,000, through April 30th. The Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund initially will direct support to immediate humanitarian needs triggered by Russia's continued targeting of civilians, which has caused a crisis for those still in Ukraine and for more than two million Ukrainian refugees who have fled the country.

"We have watched this tragic and unnecessary crisis unfold in Ukraine along with the rest of the world, and our hearts are with the brave Ukrainian people and all those impacted by this senseless violence," said California Credit Union President/CEO Steve O'Connell. "Partnering with the WFCU is one way we can support our Ukrainian credit union family along with impacted citizens and communities, and we encourage everyone to support this very important humanitarian cause."

WFCU's Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund will help mitigate both short- and long-term impacts to Ukraine's credit union system and those that look to it for support, including both employees and members. WFCU, in partnership with the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), is leveraging its global network to identify the immediate priority areas where funding can be used to support displaced credit union members and staff.

"We recognize that money is needed to assist the Ukrainian people right now, which is why we are working to identify partner organizations that can put the generous donations from the international credit union community to good use immediately. But we also know that credit unions, their employees, their members and their communities will need long-term assistance to get back on their feet, which is something we have always worked to provide in times of crisis," said Mike Reuter, Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions' Executive Director.

WFCU will donate more than half of all dollars collected in the initial weeks of the campaign to vetted non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are providing emergency humanitarian assistance in Ukraine or in neighboring European countries hosting Ukrainian refugees. The remaining funds, along with continued fundraising, will go toward longer-term credit union recovery efforts.

To keep the international credit union movement up to date on the challenges credit unions in Ukraine are facing, WOCCU has started a Ukrainian Crisis Response Blog. Look for frequent updates on the changing conditions for credit unions in Ukraine, and how credit unions and their industry partners across the world are taking actions to support them.

About California Credit Union

California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 165,000 members and assets of over $4 billion, California Credit Union has 25 branches throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Visit ccu.com for more information, or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @CaliforniaCreditUnion.

About Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU)

WFCU is the fundraising and engagement arm of the World Council of Credit Unions, the global trade association and development platform for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach. World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 90 countries. Worldwide, 86,451 credit unions in 118 countries serve 375 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.

SOURCE California Credit Union
In 1972, after Mr. Tony retired for a second time, the 65-year-old did just that  writing and publishing his now infamous Cajun Country Cookbook . He sold the first 10,000 copies out of the back of his station wagon within weeks. Among the many recipes in the book was that of his favorite homemade seasoning, and Gulf Coast residents began asking where they could buy his trademark blend. Before he knew it, Tony Chachere's Famous Creole Cuisine was born.

Mr. Tony semi-retired (again) in 1981, at the age of 76, though he continued to develop new products and perfect his recipes.

Mr. Tony's famous seasoning has been used in dozens of cookbooks, cooking contests and even a couple of movies. In March 1995, Mr. Tony was honored as the first inductee into the Louisiana Chefs Hall of Fame. He passed away one week later; three months shy of his 90th birthday (June 14). Tony Chachere lived a legendary life and will always be remembered as a man who was "at home" with everyone who knew him.

Now, 50 years after the company's inception, the Chachere family maintains a tradition of Creole/Cajun authenticity in every recipe and product. The nationally recognized brand is still family-owned-and-operated, led by multiple generations of the Chachere family. With Mr. Tony's grandson Don at the helm, the company has reached new heights. It is still operated in Opelousas, Louisiana, but now in a 150,000 square-foot facility with more than 100 full-time employees.

"What started as my great-grandfather's life-long dream has now become a devoted mission for four generations of the Chachere family," said Celeste Chachere, Director of Marketing for Tony Chachere's. "Making the flavors of his beloved Cajun and Creole cuisine accessible to the world beyond Louisiana is what Mr. Tony was most passionate about, and we are continually looking for new ways to bring more flavor to every meal people eat, just as he always dreamed."

As part of the celebration, pick up your commemorative can of Tony's Original Creole Seasoning. Order it now at tonychachere.com.

About Tony Chachere's:

Tony Chachere's Famous Creole Cuisine is celebrating its 50th Anniversary! Founded in 1972 by Tony Chachere, the "Ole Master" of Creole cooking, Tony Chachere's continues to be family-owned-and-operated in Opelousas, Louisiana. The Louisiana family has carried on the tradition of authenticity and flavor through its line of seasonings, marinades, dinner mixes, salad dressings and more for both pantry and table.

tonychachere.com

#PassAGoodTime

#50YearsOfFlavor

@tonychacheres

SOURCE Tony Chachere's
LEXINGTON, Mass., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Christie Campus Health, one of the nation's leading providers of mental health services for college students, is partnering with The Healthy Minds Network (HMN), one of the nation's premier research organizations contributing to adolescent and young adult mental health, to provide Christie Campus Health's community college partners data to build strong campus communities.

HMN administers the Healthy Minds Study, a population-level survey of post-secondary student mental health, collecting over half a million responses from students at 500+ colleges and universities. Through this collaboration, Christie Campus Health will cover the cost of participation in the renowned Healthy Minds Study for current and future community college clients, to help them gather critical and actionable data on the issues affecting the mental health of community college students today.

COVID has ravaged the mental health of college and university students across the country, with a disproportionate effect on the lives of community college students whose demographics tend to be different when compared to their four-year counterparts. Students attending community college often work, many full-time, while juggling parenting and family responsibilities. With the added challenges of COVID, delving into the issues affecting community college students is critical to building a successful program to support their mental health.

"Our collaboration with Healthy Minds is rooted in our mutual support of colleges and universities as they grapple with issues around student mental health and wellness," said Kate Begley, CEO, Christie Campus Health. "We know through our experience working with community colleges that they often confront different challenges; the data the Healthy Minds Study provides will serve as a foundation for building successful programs on campus with measurable and favorable outcomes."

"There is an urgent opportunity to better understand and address mental health needs in community college settings," said Sarah Ketchen Lipson, Principal Investigator of the Healthy Minds Network and faculty member at the Boston University School of Public Health. "Student-reported data, like we collect through Healthy Minds, are essential for informing future efforts to support community college student wellbeing, including decisions about investments in new programs and resources. This work is especially important for advancing equity not only for student mental health outcomes but also for persistence and retention in higher education. We're thrilled to partner with Christie Campus Health in this important work."

Christie Campus Health partners with more than 150 college and university campuses across the country, delivering best-in-class, evidence-based mental health and wellbeing services from apps to self-guided online tools; in person and telehealth clinician visits to personalized concierge services - through its comprehensive solution, [email protected], seamlessly integrating with campus student counseling offices.

With [email protected] students can access:

Unlimited 24/7 in the moment support from a licensed counselor regardless of time or geographic location

In-person or video therapy sessions at no cost across the US and abroad

Personal Navigators who provide referral and care coordination and guide students to campus and community resources that meet their specific clinical, academic, and financial needs

Choice of licensed counselors by clinical specialty, race/ethnicity, gender, language spoken, and geographical location, with access to therapy in their native language in over 200 countries

Psychiatric prescribing resources available nationwide

A robust Wellness Hub and navigation app, simplifying access to all health and wellbeing services on campus

Headspace, a leading meditation, and mindfulness app proven to reduce stress and anxiety and improve focus, resilience and sleep

SilverCloud, a self-guided, internet-based, cognitive behavioral therapy platform (iCBT). Cognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term form of behavioral treatment, helping students problem solve and see relationships between thoughts, beliefs, and feelings and the behaviors that follow.

Community colleges interested in learning more about the Healthy Minds Study and the Christie Campus Health partnership are invited to participate in an informational webinar on Tuesday, April 5, at 12:00 pm, EST. To register for the event, click here.

About Christie Campus Health

Based in Lexington, Massachusetts, Christie Campus Health is led by a team with decades of experience in college student health, solely focused on partnering with colleges and universities to deliver efficient, high-quality mental health services to students. In response to the campus mental health crisis, Christie Campus Health's team of experts in public health, clinical psychology, student health insurance and higher education policy together created [email protected], a comprehensive solution that expands counseling center capacity and helps colleges reach and support students in need.

Christie Campus Health sponsors the Mary Christie Institute, a national non-profit think tank dedicated to improving the emotional well-being of college students. Through convening, research, journalism and advocacy, it is on the leading edge of initiatives and new ideas in college-age behavioral health.

About Healthy Minds Network

The Healthy Minds Network is one of the nation's premier research organizations contributing to understanding and addressing mental health in school settings. HMN is dedicated to improving the mental and emotional well-being of young people through innovative, multidisciplinary scholarship. This work includes the Network's annual Healthy Minds Studies for undergraduate and graduate students as well as employees at colleges and universities. HMN proudly serves as a resource for secondary and post-secondary education administrators, students, researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the greater public.

Contact:

Sonya Hagopian, Campus Christie Health, [email protected]; 617.594.2755

Amber Talaski, Healthy Minds Network, [email protected]

SOURCE Christie Campus Health
As part of this leadership expansion, Jeffrey Updyke has been appointed Head of North America Lower Middle Market, where he will lead all strategic efforts around providing distribution partners, and our mutual clients, with product and service offerings geared toward that particular segment. He will report to Ben Rockwell, Vice President, Chubb Group and Division President, North America Middle Market.

"Over the last few years, we have seen significant growth in both our small commercial and lower middle market businesses, requiring more dedicated support for both dynamic segments," said Mr. Lupica. "Ketan brings a strong technology and engineering background, and a proven track record in the digital space and will help evolve our capabilities to provide a cutting-edge approach to small business."

Mr. Lupica added: "Jeff has a strong reputation with our distribution partners across North America and is a trusted leader with a long track record of success in both branch and home office leadership positions. Our lower middle market segment is growing at a rapid pace, and this expansion of leadership will enable us to deliver products and services crafted for the unique needs of this underserved segment, such as our newest package offering, Benchmarq."

Mr. Vaidya has close to two decades of experience. Prior to joining Chubb, he served as Chief Digital Transformation Officer for Credit One Financial, where he led the company's digital product management and transformation strategy, as well as developed strategic partnerships and alliances with key technology companies. Earlier in his career, he held a variety of other digital leadership positions with companies, including Comcast NBC Universal, and Capital One Bank. Mr. Vaidya received an MBA in E-Commerce and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude and University Scholar, from North Carolina State University.

Mr. Updyke began his career with Chubb in 1991 as an Excess Casualty Underwriter. Prior to this appointment, he served as Division President of North America Small Business. Earlier in his career, he served as Chubb's Chief Operating Officer of North America Field Operations, a role he held since 2016. Mr. Updyke holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Saint Lawrence University.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com .

Chubb Insurance Company of Canada has offices in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver and provides its products and services through licensed insurance brokers across Canada. For additional information, visit: chubb.com/ca.

SOURCE Chubb
VANCOUVER, BC, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarius Mobile Health, a leading provider of high-definition wireless ultrasound systems, announced today that Ohad Arazi has been appointed as President. Arazi will transition into the role of Chief Executive Officer in the second half of 2022, succeeding Laurent Pelissier, Founder of Clarius, who will take on the position of Chief Innovation Officer. The company also announced today that Michael Berkson has stepped down as Chair and is leaving the Board after joining six years ago as a founding member. He will be succeeded as Board Chair by Don Listwin.

Ohad Arazi has been appointed as President of Clarius Mobile Health, a leading provider of high-definition wireless ultrasound systems. He will transition into the role of Chief Executive Officer in the second half of 2022, succeeding Laurent Pelissier, Founder of Clarius, who will take on the position of Chief Innovation Officer. Arazi has more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive and investor in digital health, medical imaging, and artificial intelligence. Ohad Arazi has been appointed as President of Clarius Mobile Health, a leading provider of high-definition wireless ultrasound systems. He will transition into the role of Chief Executive Officer in the second half of 2022, succeeding Laurent Pelissier, Founder of Clarius, who will take on the position of Chief Innovation Officer. Arazi has more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive and investor in digital health, medical imaging, and artificial intelligence.

These leadership changes are the culmination of the Board and leadership succession plan, with a goal of capitalizing on the strength of Clarius' performance in 2021, which delivered 100% revenue growth year-over-year, and increasing the focus on artificial intelligence and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to deliver a complete handheld ultrasound solution.

"With more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive and investor in digital health, medical imaging, and artificial intelligence, Ohad has a wealth of knowledge to share," says Pelissier. "His proven track record in scaling companies coupled with the deep domain knowledge in imaging AI and workflow solutions are exactly what our company needs for the next stage of our evolution," he adds. "Having a seasoned operator on board will allow me to focus on shaping the next wave of innovations to further push the boundaries of medical imaging."

Arazi's background spans executive management, strategy, and product management roles. He recently served as CEO of Zebra Medical Vision, a leading imaging AI company, and was formerly the Chief Strategy Officer at TELUS Health and a Senior Vice President with Change Healthcare and McKesson's Medical Imaging Group.

"We have tremendous tail winds propelling us forward, having doubled our revenue in the past year and launched a SaaS membership model that is gaining strong adoption with our users," says Arazi. "I believe that by fusing innovations from the digital health and medical device domains, handheld ultrasound can play a tremendous role in transforming outcomes, decreasing cost, and enhancing collaboration. I am humbled to take on this leadership role and excited to learn from Laurent, who is one of the true innovators in our industry."

Incoming Chair Don Listwin has been a member of the Clarius board since 2021. He is a 35-year veteran of the technology industry, recently serving as CEO of Rapid.AI, a diagnostic and decision support system for physicians treating stroke patients. He previously served as an Executive Vice President at Cisco Systems, where he spent a decade, and as CEO of Sana Security and Openwave. Listwin holds 10 board appointments, serves as a technology partner at Sequoia Capital and Rally Ventures, and is the founder of the Canary Foundation, dedicated to the early detection of cancer. "I'm looking forward to working closely with Laurent and Ohad to capitalize on this momentum and help Clarius enter the next stage of our growth journey. We are grateful to Michael Berkson for his exemplary service and stewardship of the company as our Chair since 2018."

Additionally, Clarius announced that it has raised $20M in a strategic investment round led by Nimbus Synergies and Export Development Canada, with participation from existing investor Pender Ventures. This new investment will enable Clarius to expand its commercial scale worldwide more rapidly and capitalize on the momentum created by the introduction of the company's third-generation product line earlier this year along with a new SaaS membership model. Designed for all medical specialists, the new pocket-sized scanners are available with revolutionary pricing and new features.

"Clarius is the most disruptive ultrasound company in the market today," says Paul Geyer, CEO of Nimbus Synergies, who will be joining the company's Board, "fusing high-performance ultrasound imaging, cloud data, and artificial intelligence in a powerful ecosystem that provides significant clinical value to improve patient care. The company has been extremely capital efficient to date, and we know these additional funds will fuel even faster growth."

About Clarius Mobile Health

Clarius is on a mission to make accurate, easy-to-use, and affordable ultrasound tools available to all medical professionals in every specialty. With decades of experience in medical imaging, the team knows that great ultrasound imaging improves confidence and patient care. Today, Clarius handheld wireless ultrasound scanners connect to iOS and Android devices, delivering high-resolution ultrasound images traditionally only available with bulkier, high-end systems at a fraction of the cost.

Nearly two million high-definition scans have been performed using Clarius wireless handheld scanners. Clarius wireless scanners are used in hospitals, private practices, and veterinary clinics available now in over 90 countries worldwide. Learn more at www.clarius.com .

Media Contact:

Genese Castonguay

Marketing Vice President

Phone: +1 (866) 657-9243 ext. 221 |

Direct: +1 (604) 260-7077

SOURCE Clarius Mobile Health
Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) attend an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Jin Penghui, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Lin Fanru, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Wu Gang, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Yang Zhongqi, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Yang Jie, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Zhan Chunxin, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Ma Xiaolin, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Ou Yanling, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

A journalist asks a question during an interview attended by members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Journalists work during an interview attended by members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Journalists work during an interview attended by members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) attend an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)
CHICAGO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) will host a webcast and conference call to review its fiscal 2022 third quarter results on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. ET. The company's news release will be issued at approximately 7:30 a.m. ET.

The live audio webcast and presentation slides will be available on conagrabrands.com/investor-relations under Events & Presentations. The conference call may be accessed by dialing 1-877-883-0383 for participants in the U.S. and 1-412-902-6506 for all other participants and using passcode 6945305. Please dial in 10 to 15 minutes prior to the call start time. Following the company's remarks, the conference call will include a question-and-answer session with the investment community.

A replay of the webcast will be available until April 7, 2023.

About Conagra Brands

Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye, Marie Callender's, Banquet, Healthy Choice, Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, and Vlasic, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Duke's, Earth Balance, Gardein, and Frontera, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

For more information, please contact:

MEDIA: Mike Cummins

312-549-5257

[email protected]

INVESTORS: Brian Kearney

312-549-5002

[email protected]

SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will hold a media teleconference on Monday, March 14 to discuss the upcoming debut of the agency's Mega Moon rocket and integrated spacecraft for the uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission.

Roll out of the integrated Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is slated for Thursday, March 17.

The media call will begin at 5:30 p.m. EDT after completion of a test readiness review, which will determine if the agency is ready to move forward with mission activities. The call will air live on the agency's website.

Teleconference participants include:

Tom Whitmeyer , associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters in Washington

, associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters in Mike Sarafin , Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters

, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters Charlie Blackwell-Thompson , Artemis launch director, NASA Exploration Ground Systems program, Kennedy

, Artemis launch director, NASA Exploration Ground Systems program, Kennedy John Honeycutt , manager, Space Launch System program, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama

, manager, Space Launch System program, Marshall Space Flight Center in Howard Hu , manager, Orion program, Johnson Space Center in Houston

To participate by telephone, media must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the event to: [email protected].

Live coverage for rollout begins at 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 17 and will include live remarks from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other guests. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website.

At the pad, NASA will conduct a final prelaunch test known as wet dress rehearsal, which includes loading the SLS propellant tanks and conducting a launch countdown.

The rollout involves a 4-mile journey between the Vehicle Assembly Building and the launch pad, expected to take between six and 12 hours. Live, static camera views of the debut and arrival at the pad will be available starting at 4 p.m. EDT on the Kennedy Newsroom YouTube channel.

Credentialing deadlines for in-person activities have closed.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

For updates, follow along on NASA's Artemis blog at:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

SOURCE NASA
FORT WORTH, Texas, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crestline Investors, Inc., ("Crestline") a credit focused institutional alternative asset manager, today announced that it has closed a series of funds across multiple strategies with commitments totaling more than $3.6 billion.

"We're excited to see such strong support from our investors," said Doug Bratton, Founding Partner, CEO and Co-CIO of Crestline. "Despite ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, we've continued to bolster our strategic capabilities and add to our growing team of experienced investment professionals, and we look forward to capitalizing on this momentum in the months to come."

"We're extremely pleased to see the overwhelming amount of investor support we received across each of our distinct credit strategies," said Keith Williams, Managing Partner and Co-CIO of Crestline. "We believe these recent fundraises are a testament to our investors' confidence in our ability to generate high quality risk adjusted returns while providing flexible, tailored financing solutions to companies, asset backed opportunities and financial sponsors."

Crestline Opportunistic seeks to provide capital solutions (ranging from senior debt to structured equity) to underserved or capital constrained middle-market companies, real estate lending and specialty finance programs across North America and Europe . Crestline Opportunity Fund IV closed with commitments of $1.6 billion .

seeks to provide capital solutions (ranging from senior debt to structured equity) to underserved or capital constrained middle-market companies, real estate lending and specialty finance programs across and . Crestline Opportunity Fund IV closed with commitments of . Crestline Direct Lending seeks to provide flexible senior debt capital solutions to lower-middle and middle-market businesses, with a focus on senior secured, unitranche and second-lien opportunities ranging from $20 million to $100 million . Crestline Specialty Lending Fund III closed with equity commitments of $1 billion .

seeks to provide flexible senior debt capital solutions to lower-middle and middle-market businesses, with a focus on senior secured, unitranche and second-lien opportunities ranging from to . Crestline Specialty Lending Fund III closed with equity commitments of . Crestline Fund Liquidity Solutions Group seeks to provide custom financing solutions to private equity, real estate, and infrastructure funds and other private asset vehicles seeking additional capital to support, grow, and protect underlying portfolio companies and to acquire new assets and support strategic initiatives at the management company and/or GP level. Crestline Portfolio Financing Fund II closed with commitments of $1 billion with additional overflow interest.

Since inception, Crestline's investment teams have closed over 250 transactions with more than $9 billion in commitments placed through its commingled vehicles, separately managed accounts, and co-investment structures. As of December 31, 2021, Crestline Investor's AUM is approximately $15.0 billion across multiple credit vehicles and separate accounts.

About Crestline Investors, Inc.

Crestline Investors, Inc., founded in 1997 and based in Fort Worth, Texas, is an institutional alternative investment management firm with approximately $15.0 billion in assets under management. Crestline specializes in credit and opportunistic investments, including providing flexible capital solutions to middle market companies, asset backed investing and financing and restructuring solutions for mature private equity funds. In addition, the firm manages a multi-PM equity market-neutral hedge fund and provides beta and hedging solutions for institutional clients. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, the company maintains affiliate offices in New York, London, Toronto and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.crestlineinvestors.com.

This financial promotion is issued by Crestline Management, LP and Crestline Europe, LLP (together "Crestline"). Crestline Europe, LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Media Contact

Prosek Partners

Ben Howard

[email protected]

9145524281

SOURCE Crestline Investors, Inc.
Cruise travelers owning 100 shares in Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or Norwegian can receive up to $250 in onboard credits. Tweet this

Cruise travelers who own at least 100 shares of stock in Carnival Corporation (CCL), Royal Caribbean (RCL), or Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) can receive up to $250 in onboard credits during their next vacation at sea. Follow the instructions below to secure shareholder benefits.

See more here CruiseCompete.com  Cruise Line Shareholder Benefits

Carnival Corporation

Shareholder Benefit Offer:

$250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 days or longer.

Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 days or longer. $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 7-13 days.

Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 7-13 days. $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 days or less.

The onboard credit is available exclusively to shareholders holding a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation or Carnival Plc. Employees, travel agents cruising at travel agent rates, tour conductors or anyone cruising on a reduced-rate or complimentary pass are excluded from this offer.

This benefit is not transferable, no combinable with any other shipboard offer and cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account. Only one onboard credit per shareholder-occupied stateroom.

Shareholders must provide the following information with the initial deposit to your travel agent:

Name

Proof of ownership of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc shares (i.e., photocopy of shareholder proxy card, shares certificate or a current brokerage or nominee statement).

Reservation number

Ship and sailing date

See more here CruiseCompete.com  Cruise Line Shareholder Benefits

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Shareholder Benefit Offer:

$250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights.

Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights. $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6-13 nights.

Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6-13 nights. $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less.

This exclusive benefit offer is reserved solely for shareholders owning a minimum of 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) at time of sailing. Onboard credit is valid for any cruise vacation on Royal Caribbean International or Celebrity Cruises. Excludes any charter sailings or Galapagos sailings. Additional terms and conditions apply. To redeem this special offer, simply provide your name, address, confirmation number, ship and sailing date along with proof of share ownership at least 2-3 weeks prior to sailing.

See more here CruiseCompete.com  Cruise Line Shareholder Benefits

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

Shareholder Benefit Offer:

$250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 15 Days or More.

Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 15 Days or More. $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 7 to 14 Days.

Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 7 to 14 Days. $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 Days or Less.

Offer is valid for any cruise vacation on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises or Regent Seven Seas Cruises, excluding charter sailings. Additional terms and conditions apply.

This exclusive benefit is reserved solely for shareholders owning a minimum of 100 shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) at the time of sailing.

To redeem this exclusive offer, simply complete the Shareholder Benefit Request Form which is available on the Investor Relations website at www.nclhltdinvestor.com and mail or email with accompanying documentation. You will be asked to provide your name, address, email address, telephone number, ship and sailing date along with a photocopy of your shareholder proxy card or photocopy of a current brokerage statement (brokerage account number must be blacked out before submitting) showing proof of ownership of at least 100 shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH). All shareholder benefit requests must be received at least fifteen days prior to sailing date. Please submit the Shareholder Benefit Request Form along with proof of ownership by mail or email to the Norwegian-owned cruise line that you are sailing on.

See more here CruiseCompete.com  Cruise Line Shareholder Benefits

CruiseCompete member-advisors are the most well-educated, forward-thinking and trusted cruise specialists in the industry. It's simple to use: Find the desired cruise. Request quotes. Compare personalized offers, prices, upgrades, cabin credits and more. Contact member-advisors with questions and to book.

About CruiseCompete

CruiseCompete has been the premier online cruise marketplace since 2003 (see media praises).

CruiseCompete now celebrates 18 years in business and serving close to 2 million members with almost 18 million cruise quotes. Consumers come to CruiseCompete to research and book cruise vacations. They can compare offers from trusted travel advisors, see consumer reviews of advisors and agencies responding, then contact travel advisors directly for more information and to book cruises. CruiseCompete is a member of the Family Travel Association, the leading authority and resource for family travel information and is home to the Sea Tales 2021 Family Cruise Travel Planner at Travel Resources.

CruiseCompete CruiseTrends offers monthly stats for an inside look at consumer trends and what consumers want in cruise vacations.

CruiseCompete takes top honors in Travel + Leisure's "Top 60 Best Apps and Websites for Travelers" with an honorable mention. The Wall Street Journal praised CruiseCompete as "Best Cruise Travel Site," The New York Times says, " independent travel advisors compete to offer you the best deal," and follows similar praise from Travel + Leisure, Kiplinger and The Washington Post. The Street says, "Score luxury cruises at bargain prices."

For more information, please

visit https://www.cruisecompete.com/ or https://www.cruisecompete.com/group_cruises/

CruiseCompete is an Iowa limited liability company, is not a travel agency or owned by a travel agency.



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SOURCE CruiseCompete
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cybersixgill, the premier vendor of real-time and actionable threat intelligence, announced today the company has raised $35 million in Series B funding led by More Provident and Pension Funds and REV Venture Partners. Additional participating investors include CrowdStrike Falcon Fund, Elron Ventures, SonaeIM, and OurCrowd.

Sharon Wagner, CEO of Cybersixgill, at company headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel.

This latest investment brings the company's total investment to $56 million. The funds will be used to build on customer momentum, continue innovation of Cybersixgill's threat intelligence solutions, expand global footprint and grow sales and marketing.

"We are extremely pleased to be working with world-renowned cybersecurity investors and tech leaders committed to fueling innovation and delivering the best cybersecurity solutions on the market," said Sharon Wagner, CEO of Cybersixgill. "As cybercrime rises faster and the velocity of ransomware attacks increases, the need for accurate and timely threat intelligence has never been greater. Through automation and machine learning, we have built the largest threat intelligence data lake that arms our customers with the earliest signals to stop attacks and secure their overall cybersecurity posture."

Cybersixgill has experienced accelerated growth, quadrupling its revenue and doubling its global footprint in the last three years. Cybersixgill's solutions harness the power of automatic collection and extraction of threat intelligence sourced from social media, instant messaging, and clear, deep, and dark webs to create a threat and risk intelligence data backbone that provides the context needed for customers to implement preemptive security responses that stop breaches in their tracks.

"We are thrilled to be investing in the outstanding team at Cybersixgill. This financing round will enable them to further strengthen their leading threat intelligence solutions whilst aggressively expanding their customer base," said Kevin Brown, Founder Partner, REV.

About Cybersixgill

Founded in 2014, Cybersixgill brings agility to cyber threat intelligence, with fully automatic threat intelligence solutions to help organizations proactively detect and protect against phishing, data leaks, fraud, malware, and vulnerability exploitation - enhancing cyber resilience and minimizing risk exposure in real-time. The company has hundreds of customers in North America, EMEA, and APAC, including global enterprises, financial institutions, MSSPs, government and law enforcement agencies. For more information visit https://www.cybersixgill.com / and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn .

About REV

REV Venture Partners is a global venture capital partnership. REV was an early investor in inter alia Palantir, Babbel and Recorded Future.

REV is backed by one of the world's largest content, technology, and analytics companies, RELX PLC (owner of LexisNexis & Elsevier).

Media Contacts:



Danielle Ostrovsky

Hi-Touch PR on behalf of Cybersixgill

+1-410-302-9549

[email protected]

Laurie Ben-Haim

Cybersixgill

+972-52-7831911

+1-646-300-9549

[email protected]

SOURCE Cybersixgill
MILAN, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dedalus Group ("Dedalus"), the leading healthcare and diagnostic software solutions provider in Europe, and Ibex Medical Analytics ("Ibex"), the market leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cancer diagnostics, today announced a strategic partnership to bring the power of artificial intelligence to digital pathology.

The partnership will bring the power of Ibex's clinical-grade AI algorithms into Dedalus' end-to-end digital pathology solution. This will benefit pathologists and patients through enhanced quality of diagnosis, at speed.

The increasing demand for pathology services posed by the growing number of cancer patients and global shortage of trained pathologists, leads pathology laboratories to actively seek efficiency-enhancing solutions that enable them to maintain high accuracy levels and reduce time to diagnosis.

Dedalus' end-to-end digital pathology solution addresses the needs of anatomic pathology labs and ensures interoperability with existing multi-vendor solutions, enabling a seamless, gradual evolution towards full digitization to meet the increasing demands of the healthcare system.

With over 30 years' experience in laboratory solutions, Dedalus has deployments in over 5700 laboratories globally, and has been instrumental in successfully bringing cutting-edge technologies into the laboratories to make the systems as agile, efficient, and accurate as possible.

Ibex transforms cancer diagnosis by harnessing AI and machine learning technologies at an unprecedented scale. The company's Galen platform has demonstrated outstanding outcomes in multiple clinical studies on various tissue types and clinical workflows. It is deployed in labs worldwide where it is used as part of everyday clinical practice.

Ibex's clinical-grade AI algorithms will seamlessly integrate into Dedalus end-to end digital pathology solution, enabling smooth workflows from a single application. The joint solution will analyse cases prior to human pathologists' review, providing decision support tools that will enable increased focus on cancerous slides and areas of interest, streamline reporting, improve laboratory efficiency, and increase diagnostic confidence.

"Dedalus is the leading healthcare and diagnostic software provider in Europe. As part of our commitment to accelerate the digital transformation in healthcare, we strongly believe in the value of artificial intelligence, specifically in pathology and cancer diagnoses. Therefore, we are proud to partner with Ibex Medical Analytics, which is a global leader in AI-powered solutions for pathology labs and cancer diagnostics," said Marlen Suller, Head of In Vitro Diagnostics Business Unit at Dedalus.

"Our AI solutions transform pathology and help physicians around the world provide on-time, quality diagnosis to patients," said Joseph Mossel, CEO and Co-founder of Ibex Medical Analytics. "Yet to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence, pathologists and health systems need AI-enabled workflows and integrated cancer pathways. We are excited to partner with market leaders Dedalus and to deliver end-to-end diagnostic modalities that improve the way laboratories work and support better cancer care."

ABOUT DEDALUS

Dedalus Group is the leading healthcare and diagnostic software provider in Europe, supporting the digital transformation of 6300 hospitals and 5700 Laboratories worldwide, processing its solutions for more than 540 millions of population worldwide. Dedalus supports the whole continuum of care, offering open standards-based solutions serving each actor of the Healthcare Ecosystem to provide better care in a healthier planet.

For more information, visit www.dedalus.com

ABOUT IBEX MEDICAL ANALYTICS

Ibex pioneers AI-powered cancer diagnostics in pathology. We empower physicians to provide every patient with an accurate, timely and personalized cancer diagnosis by developing clinical-grade AI algorithms and digital workflows that help detect and grade cancer in biopsies. Our Galen platform is the first-ever AI-powered integrated diagnostics solution in pathology and used in routine clinical practice worldwide, supporting pathologists and providers in improving the quality and accuracy of diagnosis, implementing comprehensive quality control, reducing turnaround times and boosting productivity with more efficient workflows.

For more information, visit www.ibex-ai.com

CONTACT

SOURCE Ibex Medical Analytics; Dedalus Group
DENVER, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Denver Commercial Property Services (DCPS), a leading commercial property services company based in Colorado, is excited to welcome Matt Schovel as General Manager of the plant health & tree care segment. As a second-generation certified arborist, Matt brings over 30 years of managerial experience and technical expertise to the organization.

Originally from the New York Hudson River Valley, Matt made the state of Colorado his home in 1982, where he built his own tree care company in Colorado Springs. After selling the company in 1998, he worked for multiple prominent local tree and plant health care companies. Matt has been awarded multiple accolades in his career including being named one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Salespeople in Colorado by Colorado Biz Magazine.

"Matt joins a seasoned leadership team that averages over 25 years of tree and plant health experience. His reputation for growing divisions while building a customer-centric operational infrastructure is exciting, and our customers will benefit from Matt's expertise and leadership," said Dale Heims, Owner of DCPS.

Matt has a history of streamlining the customer experience, making it easier to do business, which has been a key to his successful career in addition to his expertise and consistently high work standards. For Matt, success comes down to something simple: follow through. Do what you say you will do.

"I am thrilled to join DCPS. Their focus on quality and customer service aligns with my values and standards and reverberates throughout the organization. It is what sets DCPS apart, and I am excited to continue servicing our customers with my industry knowledge and experience," stated Schovel.

About Denver Commercial Property Services

Denver Commercial Property Services (DCPS) provides commercial property services to over 1,100 clients across Colorado. DCPS leverages unparalleled customer service to be the dominant, one-stop provider of commercial property services in Colorado. With 4 offices, more than 500 employees, and 8 divisions - Asphalt and Concrete, Waterproofing and Specialty Coatings, Commercial Cleaning, Snow Removal, Parking Lot Sweeping, Landscaping, Painting & Construction Services, and Interior Plantscapes & Holiday Decor DCPS provides specialized integrated service solutions to commercial property owner and managers.

For more information, please visit www.denvercps.com

Contact Information:

Gina Kelley

DCPS Marketing Director

Phone Number: (502) 930-2967

SOURCE DCPS
HACKENSACK, N.J., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Diamond Braces has always been on the cutting edge of technology  and it has helped them provide orthodontic care for thousands of patients across the New York tri-state area.

Thanks to iTero intraoral scanners, a product of Align Technology, Diamond Braces orthodontists can capture a patient's dentition with a quick scan and create a digital impression of their entire mouth. This method eschews the need for traditional impressions using dental putty. 3D scans allow patients to avoid extra doctor's visits and focus more on work, school, extracurricular activities, and more.

With the intraoral scan in place, the Diamond Braces orthodontic team can perform a few different procedures, including case diagnosis, as well as create Invisalign aligners or indirect bonding trays to place brackets prior to braces installation.

Indirect bonding trays, created using the patient's intraoral scan, are printed with a 3D printer on-site for added convenience and efficiency. The bonding trays can increase levels of precision when placing brackets when compared to direct bonding methods and can even result in shorter treatment times.

Diamond Braces can even create digital expanders using 3D printers. Expanders are an orthodontic appliance that creates more space in a patient's mouth, usually used in the upper arch. 3D printed arch expanders require less time to make, leading to less patient chair time, shorter overall treatment times, and a more pleasant experience.

As patients continue their treatment, Diamond Braces orthodontists can remotely monitor their patient's progress through virtual appointments.

Who is Dr. Oleg Drut?

Dr. Oleg Drut serves as Diamond Braces' Chief Clinical Officer and is the man who keeps the company ahead of the curve. Dr. Drut continues to introduce new equipment into Diamond Braces offices across the tri-state area to help service the area's busy customer base. As Diamond Braces offices become more efficient, they can provide care to more patients, leading to more Diamond smiles.

"Technology can help up to provide efficient treatments and lower costs," said Dr. Drut. "We can provide great savings to our patients by maximizing efficiency without compromising quality of care."

About Diamond Braces

Diamond Braces, a Diamond Plus Invisalign Provider, is a leader in high-quality orthodontic care on the East Coast. For over 20 years, Diamond Braces has been guided by its principles of affordability, accessibility, and amazing service. For more information, visit www.diamondbraces.com

Contact:

Jeff Kotuby

9084722844

[email protected]

SOURCE Diamond Braces
SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vial Dermatology CRO announced the addition of Dr. David Pariser, MD to the Vial Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Pariser is the Senior Physician at Pariser Dermatology Specialists. Dr. Pariser will share his knowledge and insights from his 40+ years as a practicing Dermatologist to the Vial CRO team and Dermatology sponsors.

Launched earlier this year , under the tag line, "The CRO Built for Sponsors", the Vial Dermatology CRO promises higher quality and faster execution of trials powered by the Vial Clinic Network of over 35 Dermatology clinical research sites across the country. The Vial Scientific Advisory Board's leading Dermatology KOLs will service sponsors in clinical strategy, regulatory strategy, trial design and overall clinical development plan pathways.

The Vial Dermatology CRO team is led by Betsey Zbyszynski as Head of Clinical Operations, Jason Shuris as Head of Sales, Janet DuBois, M.D. as Medical Director, and Justin Withers as Head of Dermatology. Together, the CRO executive team brings 100+ years of combined dermatology clinical trial experience to Vial.

Dr. Pariser stated: "I am excited to support the Vial team, along with their sponsors, as they utilize technology to advance the field of Dermatology research."

In 2009, Dr. Pariser was elected as the President of the American Academy of Dermatology and was awarded the Gold Medal of the AAD in 2017. Dr. Pariser is also a member of the International League of Dermatologic Societies, and has traveled to Tanzania on several occasions to provide patient care to under-served populations. His research has led to the publication of four textbooks and 300+ papers.

About Vial:

Vial's mission is to run clinical trials with faster execution and higher quality in order to bring new therapies to market. Vial has over 70 employees and is based in San Francisco, California. Vial partners with Dermatologists to support their research teams and has created a network of over 35 Dermatology clinics. The Vial network has contributed to over 150 trials for many of the leading sponsors in Dermatology having run trials across common Dermatology indications (Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Vitiligo, Alopecia Areata, Rosacea, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Prurigo Nodularis among others) as well as many Aesthetic Dermatology indications. The clinic network runs trials from Phase I through Phase IV.

For more information on our Dermatology CRO .

For full press release please visit our website.

SOURCE Vial
PLAINFIELD, Ind., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Duke Energy Foundation today announced it is awarding more than $300,000 in grants to 24 innovative K-12 education programs serving communities across Indiana.

"Our educators and students are facing tremendous challenges teaching and learning as we emerge from the pandemic," said Stan Pinegar, president of Duke Energy Indiana. "It's more important now than ever before that we support and invest in opportunities for our children in the communities we serve to thrive and reach their full potential."

The grants support a wide range of educational programming for K-12 students, including summer reading programs; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; programs that support underrepresented, low-income or diverse populations; and efforts to reverse academic declines due to disruption caused by COVID-19.

Among the grant recipients is the Maker Youth Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Fishers, Ind., that reaches youth with STEM education.

"Through fun, hands-on activities, we try to inspire kids to adopt a 'maker mindset,' or the belief they can learn to do anything," said Kim Brand, founder of Maker Youth Foundation. "It's our mission to help them develop timeless skills like curiosity, collaboration and problem-solving that will set them on a path to success. We're grateful for Duke Energy's investment, which will enable us to expand our programming and reach more students than ever before."

Over the past three years, the Duke Energy Foundation has awarded 76 strategic charitable grants totaling more than $1.1 million to nonprofit organizations working to bolster education in Indiana communities.

This year, grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Avon Education Foundation ( Hendricks County )  $10,000 . Funds will support the purchase of build-it-yourself, program-it-yourself smart speakers that teach kids how to code, while also learning about artificial intelligence.

Funds will support the purchase of build-it-yourself, program-it-yourself smart speakers that teach kids how to code, while also learning about artificial intelligence. Brownsburg Education Foundation ( Hendricks County )  $10,000 . Funds will be used to purchase classroom supplies and materials for students enrolled in Brownsburg High School's Project Lead the Way classes, which provide hands-on learning opportunities in engineering, computer science and biomedical science.

Funds will be used to purchase classroom supplies and materials for students enrolled in Brownsburg High School's Project Lead the Way classes, which provide hands-on learning opportunities in engineering, computer science and biomedical science. Camp Navigate ( Vigo County )  $5,000 . Camp Navigate is an after-school care and summer camp program for children pre-K through eighth grade. The organization focuses on developing employability/soft skills, promoting healthy lifestyles and creating servant leaders. Funds will be used to support Camp Navigate's Character Store. When students display leadership, teamwork and other positive traits, they will be rewarded with Camp Navigate "dollars," which will allow them to purchase objects or privileges from the store.

Camp Navigate is an after-school care and summer camp program for children pre-K through eighth grade. The organization focuses on developing employability/soft skills, promoting healthy lifestyles and creating servant leaders. Funds will be used to support Camp Navigate's Character Store. When students display leadership, teamwork and other positive traits, they will be rewarded with Camp Navigate "dollars," which will allow them to purchase objects or privileges from the store. Carmel Education Foundation ( Hamilton County )  $10,000 . Funds will be used to purchase robotics kits for each of Carmel Clay's three middle schools. Funds will also support Project Lead the Way curriculum focused on energy collisions and conversion, which will be utilized in fourth grade classrooms at each of Carmel Clay's elementary schools.

Funds will be used to purchase robotics kits for each of three middle schools. Funds will also support Project Lead the Way curriculum focused on energy collisions and conversion, which will be utilized in fourth grade classrooms at each of Carmel Clay's elementary schools. Clark-Pleasant Education Foundation ( Johnson County )  $7,600 . Funds will be used to purchase equipment for Whiteland Community High School's engineering classes, including a desktop wind tunnel and 3D printers that enable students to learn hands-on engineering skills.

Funds will be used to purchase equipment for Whiteland Community High School's engineering classes, including a desktop wind tunnel and 3D printers that enable students to learn hands-on engineering skills. Foundation of Monroe County Community Schools ( Monroe County )  $15,700 . Funds will be used to support specialized training for elementary and middle school teachers to address math learning gaps due to disruption caused by COVID-19, while keeping students advancing on grade level.

Funds will be used to support specialized training for elementary and middle school teachers to address math learning gaps due to disruption caused by COVID-19, while keeping students advancing on grade level. Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana -Michiana ( Huntington County )  $5,000 . Funds will be used to support the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE), which aims to nurture and champion girls' ambitions by providing the environment, knowledge and skills they need to fulfill their potential. Through GSLE, girls build skills in STEM and entrepreneurship.

Funds will be used to support the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE), which aims to nurture and champion girls' ambitions by providing the environment, knowledge and skills they need to fulfill their potential. Through GSLE, girls build skills in STEM and entrepreneurship. Girls Inc. of Shelbyville & Shelby County ( Shelby County )  $10,000 . Funds will be used to provide scholarships for girls from underserved communities to attend Girls Inc. of Shelbyville and Shelby County's summer literacy program.

Funds will be used to provide scholarships for girls from underserved communities to attend Girls Inc. of and summer literacy program. Hanover College ( Jefferson County )  $15,000 . Funds will be used to support Hanover College's Summer STEM Enrichment Program, which aims to increase the number of underserved high school students who attend college and introduce them to fields and careers in STEM. Students enrolled in the program will attend a weeklong residential academy on campus. Duke Energy funds will also be used to offer professional development and materials to area high school STEM teachers.

Funds will be used to support Summer STEM Enrichment Program, which aims to increase the number of underserved high school students who attend college and introduce them to fields and careers in STEM. Students enrolled in the program will attend a weeklong residential academy on campus. Duke Energy funds will also be used to offer professional development and materials to area high school STEM teachers. Indiana State University ( Statewide )  $40,000 . Funds will be used to support Indiana State University's Power of Reading and Power of Math summits, which provide teachers with the opportunity to hear from nationally renowned speakers who offer new techniques and research to help improve instruction and outcomes for K-12 students.

Funds will be used to support Power of Reading and Power of Math summits, which provide teachers with the opportunity to hear from nationally renowned speakers who offer new techniques and research to help improve instruction and outcomes for K-12 students. Ivy Tech Foundation ( Vigo County )  $10,000 . Funds will be used to support Cob and Cog, an annual competition held at Ivy Tech Community College's Terre Haute campus in which area high school students compete in STEM-related challenges that require problem-solving, teamwork, effective communication and ingenuity. Through Cob and Cog, students are exposed to a fun and energetic environment that sparks interest in career opportunities in STEM fields.

Funds will be used to support Cob and Cog, an annual competition held at campus in which area high school students compete in STEM-related challenges that require problem-solving, teamwork, effective communication and ingenuity. Through Cob and Cog, students are exposed to a fun and energetic environment that sparks interest in career opportunities in STEM fields. Kokomo School Corporation ( Howard County )  $20,000 . Funds will support Kokomo School Corporation's Summer READ UP with STEM! Discovery Program for students entering grades K-3. This four-week program is intended to bridge the summer reading gap for students and set a foundation for future interest in STEM disciplines.

Funds will support Kokomo School Corporation's Summer READ UP with STEM! Discovery Program for students entering grades K-3. This four-week program is intended to bridge the summer reading gap for students and set a foundation for future interest in STEM disciplines. Maker13 ( Clark County )  $10,000 . Funds will be used to expand the nonprofit's experiential learning programming in underserved communities and connect area youth with employers in STEM-related industries.

Funds will be used to expand the nonprofit's experiential learning programming in underserved communities and connect area youth with employers in STEM-related industries. Maker Youth Foundation ( Hamilton County )  $27,230 . Funds will support the Maker Youth Foundation's "Saturn Program: A Renewable Energy Mobile Field Experience and Design Challenge." Through this unique program, Hamilton County high school students will compete in a multiday design challenge and learn about renewable energy technologies.

Funds will support the Maker Youth Foundation's "Saturn Program: A Renewable Energy Mobile Field Experience and Design Challenge." Through this unique program, high school students will compete in a multiday design challenge and learn about renewable energy technologies. Milan Community Schools ( Ripley County )  $10,270 . Funds will enable Milan Community Schools to offer a summer learning camp for at-risk students filled with STEM, literacy, and social and emotional learning.

Funds will enable Community Schools to offer a summer learning camp for at-risk students filled with STEM, literacy, and social and emotional learning. Minority Engineering Program of Indianapolis ( Marion County )  $10,000 . Funds will be used to purchase supplies and materials for minority students pursuing engineering and information technology education.

Funds will be used to purchase supplies and materials for minority students pursuing engineering and information technology education. Mitchell Community Schools ( Lawrence County )  $14,274 . Funds will be used to purchase state-of-the-art supplies for digital fabrication and STEM programming at Shoals Middle School, Burris Elementary School and Orleans Elementary School. Supplies include a sublimination printer and heat press; a laser engraving and cutting machine; and microelectronics kits.

Funds will be used to purchase state-of-the-art supplies for digital fabrication and STEM programming at Shoals Middle School, Burris Elementary School and Orleans Elementary School. Supplies include a sublimination printer and heat press; a laser engraving and cutting machine; and microelectronics kits. Metropolitan School District of Martinsville ( Morgan County )  $13,715 . Funds will support a remedial reading program for students in need of extra support. Participating first, second and third grade students will meet for three hours per week after school at Brooklyn STEM Academy and South Elementary School of Communications.

Funds will support a remedial reading program for students in need of extra support. Participating first, second and third grade students will meet for three hours per week after school at Brooklyn STEM Academy and South Elementary School of Communications. New Castle Community School Corporation ( Henry County )  $9,419 . Funds will support Wilbur Wright Elementary's remedial reading program for first and second grade students. This immersive program will focus on comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonics and vocabulary.

Funds will support Wilbur Wright Elementary's remedial reading program for first and second grade students. This immersive program will focus on comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonics and vocabulary. Purdue University ( Tippecanoe County )  $20,000 . Funds will support Purdue University's "Trailblazers" program, which provides specialized mentoring and faculty training for historically underrepresented populations. Funds will also support the university's "Minorities in Engineering" program, which promotes diversity in engineering.

Funds will support "Trailblazers" program, which provides specialized mentoring and faculty training for historically underrepresented populations. Funds will also support the university's "Minorities in Engineering" program, which promotes diversity in engineering. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ( Vigo County )  $12,960 . Funds will support a summer professional development opportunity for sixth through 12th grade Indiana STEM teachers. The program emphasizes the integration of computer-mediated learning, adaptive pedagogy and advanced digital resources to augment online learning.

Funds will support a summer professional development opportunity for sixth through 12th grade Indiana STEM teachers. The program emphasizes the integration of computer-mediated learning, adaptive pedagogy and advanced digital resources to augment online learning. TechPoint Foundation for Youth ( Hendricks County )  $10,000 . Funds will support the State Robotics Initiative (SRI), which aims to engage traditionally underrepresented youth in STEM to build the next generation of leaders in the field. Each year, SRI provides 20,000 Indiana students with hands-on, experiential robotics training to develop their awareness, interest and growth in STEM skills and careers. Students learn hard skills for designing, prototyping and troubleshooting robots while building soft skills like communication, collaboration and creativity.

Funds will support the State Robotics Initiative (SRI), which aims to engage traditionally underrepresented youth in STEM to build the next generation of leaders in the field. Each year, SRI provides 20,000 students with hands-on, experiential robotics training to develop their awareness, interest and growth in STEM skills and careers. Students learn hard skills for designing, prototyping and troubleshooting robots while building soft skills like communication, collaboration and creativity. Vincennes Community School Corporation ( Knox County )  $10,000 . Funds will enable the Vincennes Community School Corporation to offer Project Lead the Way programming. Pre-K through fifth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities in computer science, engineering and biomedical science.

Funds will enable the Vincennes Community School Corporation to offer Project Lead the Way programming. Pre-K through fifth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities in computer science, engineering and biomedical science. Washington Carnegie Public Library ( Daviess County )  $10,000 . Funds will support "STEMspiration: Change the Equation," an out-of-school STEM program that aims to prepare students to step in and fill future STEM jobs in the community.

Duke Energy Indiana

Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), provides about 6,300 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 860,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana's largest electric supplier.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation contributes more than $2 million annually in charitable gifts to Indiana and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the Foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation.

Media contact: McKenzie Barbknecht

800.559.3853

SOURCE Duke Energy
BEIRUT, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday called on the United Nations to intensify international efforts to support Lebanon facing a difficult situation, according to a statement by the Council of Ministers.

Mikati's remarks came at his meeting with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka at the government palace, during which they discussed topics and suggestions in support of Lebanon to be made at the UN Security Council meeting on March 17.

For her part, Wronecka discussed with the prime minister possible proposals to include in the report that will be submitted to the Security Council, on ways to support Lebanon and updates of the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.

Lebanon has been going through its worst financial crisis and the country has so far failed to implement necessary reforms to unlock billions of dollars in aid from the International Monetary Fund. 
Company announces public initiative to help assess the conflict's impacts on the global agricultural supply chain

VANCOUVER, BC, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthDaily Analytics Corp. ("EDA" or the "Company"), a vertically-integrated data processing and analytics company pairing cutting-edge Big Data tools with proven Space technologies, today announced that the Company is terminating its operations in Russia, including the closure of its local agricultural geoanalytics office in Moscow. The Company has also terminated its development-stage contract with Russian Earth Observation company TerraTech, under which the Company would have provided Earth Observation data derived from the EarthDaily Constellation following its launch in 2023. These decisions are consistent with the Company's core values and adherence to ESG principles.

EarthDaily Analytics also recognizes the far-reaching global impacts the ongoing crisis will have, particularly with regards to agricultural supply chains and food security, and is in discussions with customers, as well as humanitarian and non-governmental organizations, to provide analysis to help address these issues. This analysis will also be made available to the public.

"We are shocked and saddened by recent events in Ukraine, and it is hard to comprehend the challenges our colleagues, customers, and their families and friends in the region face in the days and weeks ahead," said Don Osborne, CEO of EarthDaily Analytics. "As we work to support those directly impacted, we are also acutely aware of the profound broader impact that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will have on global agricultural markets. Wheat, corn, barley, and oilseed crops are crucial to global agricultural markets, and this conflict adds significantly to the pre-existing challenges of global food security. In an effort to support a better understanding and response to this issue, EarthDaily intends to produce regularly updated crop progress reports based on daily satellite and weather data. As appropriate, we will collaborate with and make this agricultural analysis available to approved humanitarian and non-governmental organizations focused on hunger prevention and food security."

About EarthDaily Analytics

EarthDaily Analytics (EDA), headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a vertically integrated data processing and analytics company, utilizing cutting-edge Big Data tools and proven Space technologies to provide value-added insights to the people, businesses, and governmental entities confronting the world's most pressing challenges. Through its EarthDaily Agro (formerly Geosys) subsidiary, EDA has a track record of more than 30 years as a leader in the collection and commercial application of Earth Observation data for agriculture analytics.

In 2021, EDA initiated construction of the EarthDaily Constellation with committed support from Antarctica Capital. Following planned launches in 2023, the EarthDaily Constellation will combine with the EarthPipeline data processing system to provide unprecedented, scientific-grade data of the world every day, positioning EDA to meet the growing needs of diverse industries including agriculture, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), insurance, disaster prevention and recovery, commodities trading, and more.

For more information, visit www.earthdaily.com.

Contact:

Tyler Coleman

[email protected]

SOURCE EarthDaily Analytics
The idea for the company was born on a truck bed parked in a dove field in South Texas. Love and his now business partners Royce Itschner and Dub Sutherland were mixing up Ranch Waters for a group of 30-40 wingshooters after the hunt. With a couple of bottles of premium blanco tequila, a flat of Topo Chico, a sack of limes, and a shaker of salt, the trio played bartenders the whole time. They could mix their favorite cocktails the best, so they were the anointed mixologists. As several more YETI rambler cups got refreshers, Love looked up to Itschner and said, "man, why hasn't someone made a Ranch Water like this in a can?" Fast forward a couple of months and a few Ranch Water products burst on the scene. The San Antonio boys were excited; someone had solved their problem. But a new and bigger problem presented itself: they all tasted flat and chalky, or were not even made with real tequila. Two months later, the trio decided it was time to create a real ranch water so they hopped on a plane to Jalisco. "Our mission is to give consumers the best tasting, healthiest spirits-based RTD cocktail they can find," Love exclaims. "We simply weren't going to start the company if we couldn't make our RTD cocktails in a can taste exactly how we make them at home." This commitment to quality is clearly paying off as Epic is expanding much quicker than expected.

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Epic Western Ranch Water has been on the market for 9 months now and sales have surpassed the Co-Founders' lofty expectations. Outselling nationally distributed peers in the same stores, the Ranch Water liquid and golden can truly outshine. This initial success, combined with brand innovation in the form of the Chispa Rita and La Paloma flavors, has led to an expedited state expansion strategy. The young company currently has statewide distribhution in Texas and Nevada, and plans to expand distribution to Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina by the end of the summer.

The company has grown from 4 full-time employees to 12 in the last two months, including the addition of James Elledge as Chief Marketing Officer. Elledge comes from the industry and has a knack for building disruptive brands. He helped build Texas-based Deep Eddy Vodka into a national brand, and most recently led Marketing & Sales as Partner/Owner of Austin-based apparel brand, Duck Camp. Epic has offer letters out to Sales Directors, a Creative Director and several Market Managers, highlighting the company's commitment to investing in exceptional and passionate employees. The company recently leased an office in Austin, TX, and is an official sponsor of the SXSW music festival with an activation at the outdoor stage concerts, March 17-19. With a vision to market the products through the brand pillars of Western lifestyle, Outdoors, Music and Sports, Epic Western has big plans to please palates nationwide.

For more information, please reach out to the Epic Western marketing department, which handles PR inquiries in-house.

Epic Western Cocktail Co.

Attn: James Elledge

5121 Bee Cave Road

Suite 202

Austin, TX 78746

[email protected]

Contact: James Elledge

[email protected]

SOURCE Epic Western Cocktail Co.
NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EverFocus Electronics Corporation (TWSE: 5484), the world-class AI solution-ready package (SRP) provider announced that they will attend Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) as a host on March 24-26 at booth number: 62212, Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, USA.

Within the outstanding development in smart transportation & smart city for 25 years, EverFocus can implement its solid video analytics skills to various transportation scenarios to increase driving safety in a smart way, such as commercial fleets, buses and ambulances. EverFocus is dedicated to providing the most suitable industrial PCs, CCTV, and mobile DVR for the customers to conduct AI functions. Since the last few years, EverFocus has earned several awards for its industrial PCs, and acquired ISO9001, ISO14001 certifications. EverFocus also joined Intel IPA as a Gold Tier member and NVIDIA Preferred Partner in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Besides, EverFocus has obtained Microsoft Azure service certifications for industrial computer products which earned the Taiwan Excellence and COMPUTEX d&i award.

In MATS, EverFocus will showcase demos of its AI functions for smart transportation via its powerful industrial PCs based on both Intel & NVIDIA platforms.

With the Intel platform, and third-party cameras, the eNVP-JNN-IV-V0008 (eIVP1570VE) can conduct Driver Fatigue Detection on the vehicle's devices. When the terminal camera receives the driving distraction message, the industrial PCs will analyze the data and send an alarm notification. Therefore, the eNVP-JNN-IV-V0008 will trigger the alarm when the driver is distracted to monitor the driving status. Besides, through the installation of multi-angle IP cameras and the serial connection of industrial computers, blind-spot detection (BSD) can be successfully performed, allowing drivers to detect blind spots within 360 degree viewing angle, thereby increasing driving safety. Furthermore, XFleet 2.0 is a unique software developed by EverFocus; it can conduct real-time GPS tracking and playback graphical analysis reports, which enhances the efficiency and accuracy of fleet management.

In terms of NVIDIA platform, the eNVP-JTX-AI-UB000 can be used in smart station, connecting to the central control center, virtual fence, face recognition and people flow can be successfully executed to ensure station safety and management efficiency. What's more, the eNVP-JAX-AI-V0008 is the most competitive module based on Volta GPU; it is eligible to develop smart railway inspection, which can be used to achieve track curvature detection and Bridge firmness detection.

In the customer service aspect, EverFocus upholds the customer-oriented core value and is committed to providing customers with highly customized services. In addition to smart transportation and smart city, EverFocus has successful cases in other vertical markets, such as smart retail and smart campus. According to the needs of customers, EverFocus can not only provide customized hardware but also the AiO (All-in-One) system that has been exclusively developed by EverFocus and can easily integrate various terminal devices, which not only reduces costs but also greatly increases integration efficiency.

It is a precious opportunity to explore what kinds of AI solutions EverFocus can provide for the customers at MATS. EverFocus are excited to see all of you soon.

https://everfocus.com

SOURCE EverFocus Electronics Corp.
The Michigan Manufacturers Association is the state's leading advocate focused solely on securing a prosperous future for Michigan manufacturers through effective advocacy, meaningful education and strategic business services. Established in 1902, MMA represents the interests and needs of more than 1,700 member companies, ranging from small manufacturers to the world's largest and most well-known corporations. The MMA Board of Directors is an elected entity featuring industry leaders poised to enhance manufacturing's growth and long-term competitiveness.

"We're thrilled to announce this partnership with FCCI. The Michigan Manufacturers Association strives to provide only the best business programs for our members and we're proud to add FCCI to our growing list of high-value member benefits and partnerships," said John J. Walsh, MMA president & CEO.

FCCI has been providing commercial property and casualty insurance since 1959, offering many business insurance coverages and services. FCCI is Rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best and valuated at $2.5 billion in total assets, and is available exclusively through a network of approximately 585 independent agents who can be trusted to know each client and their business.

FCCI has long been supportive of association programs, recognizing the value associations provide to their members as well as the contributions the skilled workers in the manufacturing industry make to our economy and the advancement of modern technologies. The company  which is the endorsed carrier for the Associated Builders and Contractors Association in four Midwest states  is also endorsed by Indiana Manufacturers Association and Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, as well as the Virginia Manufacturers Association and Virginia Craft Brewers Guild. FCCI provides a broad scope of insurance coverages to more than 3,000 manufacturers, enabling it to gain significant understanding of the needs and unique exposures of the industry. Its experience in risk management has been proven to be invaluable in helping manufacturers to forge their way to a safer business.

"We appreciate the confidence that MMA has placed in FCCI. In collaborating with FCCI as its commercial insurance partner, MMA has ensured its members are being entrusted to a carrier that will meet their needs," said Greg Kramer, senior vice president for FCCI's Midwest Region. "We pledge to uphold that trust and look forward to bringing our coverages and service to MMA members."

For more about FCCI, go to www.fcci-group.com or call (800) 226-3224.

About FCCI  Distributing exclusively through independent agents in 20 states and Washington, D.C., FCCI provides commercial property and casualty insurance coverage, services and commercial and contract surety across more than a third of the U.S. Established in 1959, FCCI is celebrating more than 60 years of keeping promises. FCCI is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company and is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, with regional and branch offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia. For more information, contact us at 800-226-3224 or visit www.fcci-group.com.

About MMA

For 120 years, the MMA has served Michigan manufacturers and related industries by providing effective representation at Michigan's Capitol, access to critical industry information, timely and relevant educational programs, and quality and competitive-rate insurance programs. Visit mimfg.org for more information or contact Delaney McKinley, at 800-253-9039 ext. 530 or 517-487-8530.

SOURCE FCCI Insurance Group
Flosum, a leading DevSecOps release management platform built on Salesforce, today announced record growth for 2022. Tweet this

With this product launch and three product release updates in 2021, Flosum successfully reached its product milestones for the year with numerous accolades along the way. Flosum earned recognition in the 2021 Salesforce Partner Innovation Awards, winning the Innovation Award in the Trailblazer category.

Key to the company's success is its focus on customer success. Flosum maintains a 117 percent net retention rate with its customers, significantly higher than the industry average. In 2021, new Flosum customers included Turnitin, DHI Group and The Hotels Network, among many others. Flosum also works with many government agencies in partnership with Accenture, Carahsoft Technology Corp and other firms, including the addition of Capgemini Government Solutions, KPMG Australia, Accenture India and Booz Allen Hamilton last year. While customer applications of its DevOps platform vary, most use Flosum to simplify the development process.

In addition to new customers and partners, Flosum's growth came from existing customers who expanded their use of the platform for increased developer productivity and enhanced integrations. Numerous new customer stories on the company's website provide details on Flosum deployments and their overall ROI.

International expansion into growing markets, such as Europe and Asia, also spurred growth. Flosum's sales in 2021 marked the third year in a row that the company experienced record growth. Year-over-year growth is further underscored by the company's doubling from the first half of the year to the second. The company anticipates this trend will continue.

Flosum also spent 2021 shoring up its growing team, adding new management in sales and partner management as follows: Tom Polivka - VP of Sales and Ron Dunagan  VP of Partners. Each brings decades of experience in the technology industry and within government and SaaS/Salesforce sectors. The company currently has nearly a dozen open positions and plans to continue hiring throughout the year.

Jashnani continued, "The evolution of Flosum matches the evolution of DevOps. It's all about integration and efficiency. Over the past year, we have fully embraced our category as DevSecOps and will focus significantly on new security offerings in the coming year. Security is so essential to our identity that we have updated our company branding to reflect this more holistic view of the development process."

About Flosum

Flosum is a leading end-to-end secure DevSecOps, Data Management and Data Protection platform, built 100% natively to Salesforce. Our mission is to enable IT leaders to manage the cloud with confidence and empower developers to innovate. Enterprises around the world use the company's platform to accelerate digital transformation by making the release process fast and easy, increase developer productivity and remain secure and compliant. For more information, visit www.flosum.com.

Salesforce and others are trademarks of Salesforce.com, Inc.

SOURCE Flosum
VANCOUVER, BC, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 400 franchise brands launch each year in North America but only a handful grow to more than 100 units. Most don't make it past 25. With the largest franchise industry in the world, North America has plenty of franchise start-ups but it has a scale-up problem.

Franchise expert John DeHart was tired of seeing so many franchise brands launch and stall.

Franchise GrowthLab Franchise GrowthLab Chief Strategist John DeHart.

After selling his stake in one of Canada's most successful franchise brands, Nurse Next Door, DeHart is drawing on 20 years of franchise experience to create a franchise "lab" to help steer emerging franchisors past common sticking points to accelerate their growth.

"The vast majority of franchises never grow past 10 locations. As the Past Chair of the Canadian Franchise Association, I watched for years as new franchise systems would launch, but never take off," says DeHart

The stats in North American franchising are revealing. Two years after launching a franchise system, 65 percent of franchisors have 0 locations and 27 percent have only 1 to 10 locations.

To change that, DeHart and his Franchise GrowthLab team have developed solutions to three common challenges that often limit the growth of franchisors:

DeHart and his team are proud to have created products that even small franchisors can afford. "Even though we have one of the most experienced teams in franchising, we are not too costly for the franchisors who need help the most," says DeHart. "We are in this for a larger purpose - we want to help scale the impact of franchise brands across North America and beyond."

Franchise GrowthLab is currently working with 25 companies to improve their systems and open more locations. "The team at Franchise GrowthLab is exactly what a fast-growth franchisor like me needs," says John Evans, CEO of Everline Coatings. "They have already been where I need to go. I am building a North American-wide brand, and they help me prepare for what lies ahead."

Franchise GrowthLab, powered by Hartify Franchise Consulting

Led by John DeHart, a seasoned franchise founder and past Chair of the Canadian Franchise Association, the Franchise GrowthLab team has sold, launched and helped grow 100's of franchise locations in North America. For more information contact us at 778-836-0469, [email protected], or visit us online at www.hartify.com

Contact:

John DeHart, Chief Strategist, Hartify Franchise Consulting

Phone: 778-836-0469

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndehart/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/hartify-franchise-consulting/

SOURCE Franchise GrowthLab
Frost & Sullivan observes that the Asia-Pacific region will see continued demand for CX outsourcing services, indicating the market's maturity as it moves beyond cost containment to delivering actionable insights and outcome-based business value. The challenges brought on by COVID-19 have also forced contact centers to innovate and implement advanced technologies to augment agents and deliver a complete CX journey across multiple channels.

Teleperformance successfully implemented its global business continuity model to weather the pandemic and develop remote delivery. Through its TP Cloud Campus, the company delivered a work-at-home solution that supports multiple languages and enables remote employee engagement and management.

To download the complimentary Frost Radar, please access: https://frost.ly/71j

"Over the years, Teleperformance has shown tremendous acumen in acquiring and integrating capabilities that result in organic and inorganic growth. From strengthening its value-added specialized services to delivering its innovative TAP (Technology, Analytics, Process) framework, the company has continually demonstrated why it remains a leading digital solutions provider in the region," noted Krishna Baidya, Director, Information and Communication Technology at Frost & Sullivan. "The company's high-tech, high-touch approach delivers a combination of technology and human empathy through NLP, automation, voice assistants, chatbots, self-service, and AI. In addition, it has integrated its CX services with D.I.B.S. (Digital Integrated Business Services) to offer digital solutions, high value-added BPM services, and consulting services."

"We are delighted to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the Growth and Innovation Leader in the Frost Radar on the Asia-Pacific Customer Experience Outsourcing Services Market," said David Rizzo, President Asia-Pacific, Teleperformance. "This recognition is a testament to our work in the region as we look to reshape the ways our clients interact with their customers."

Teleperformance continues to maintain its growth trajectory by:

Leveraging its position as the leading global outsourced CX services company with 420,000 employees in 88 countries supporting programs in over 265 languages and 170 markets.

with 420,000 employees in 88 countries supporting programs in over 265 languages and 170 markets. Continue to scale up proprietary digital platforms that enable transformations , including TP Client (omnichannel and workforce management), TP RPA (intelligent automation which include cognitive automation), TP Recommender (predictive analytics) and TP Interact (Text and speech, customer sentiment analytics).

, including TP Client (omnichannel and workforce management), TP RPA (intelligent automation which include cognitive automation), TP Recommender (predictive analytics) and TP Interact (Text and speech, customer sentiment analytics). Developing multilingual hubs to serve pan-European and pan-Asian programs, enabling the company to nurture long-term client relationships.

hubs to serve pan-European and pan-Asian programs, enabling the company to nurture long-term client relationships. Launching the Teleperformance Innovation Experience Center in Silicon Valley to showcase its global expertise and a full range of state-of-the-art digital solutions to drive innovative solutions for customers and partners.

in Silicon Valley to showcase its global expertise and a full range of state-of-the-art digital solutions to drive innovative solutions for customers and partners. Supporting clients from a wide range of industry verticals, including telecom, automotive, banking and financial services, healthcare, and the digital economy.

Frost Radar: Asia-Pacific Customer Experience Outsourcing Services Market provides results from an in-depth analysis built on a 360-degree research methodology where over 150 companies were evaluated. The team of industry analysts identified 24 industry leaders excelling at innovation, most poised for growth and ripe for investment, and recognizes them in the Frost Radar with insight into their innovative offerings, projected growth rates, strengths, and opportunities for the future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Melissa Tan

Corporate Communications

T: +65 6890 0926

E: [email protected]

http://www.frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
PRESTON, Idaho, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent decision by B.C. Supreme Court denying the province's mink farmers interim relief from a ban has been based on limited, outdated information.

Both the CDC and USDA have agreed that mink do not pose a significant risk in spreading SARS-CoV-2 to the public. The CDC states, "Currently, there is no evidence that mink play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people" while the USDA says, "There is currently no evidence that animals, including mink or other mustelids, play a significant role in spreading the virus to humans."

In a statement, the U.S. National Park Service noted that "the risk of getting Covid-19 from animals in the United States, including wildlife, is low." Zoonotic diseases, like Covid-19, are not "unique" to mink. Many other species can harbor zoonotic diseases and many other species have become infected with Sars-Cov-2. The CDC website lists the species in which confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been found: dogs, cats, ferrets, big cats, otters, non-human primates, mink, white-tailed deer, and others.

"We urge all to trust the authoritative pronouncements like those from the CDC and USDA and disregard the incorrect claims by the animal rights community regarding the threat of COVID-19 spread via farmed mink, to justify the prohibition of mink," says Fur Commission USA Executive Director Challis Hobbs.

The Fur Commission USA is a national, non-profit association representing U.S. mink farming families.

Media contact:

Challis Hobbs

FUR Commission USA

(435)915-6735

SOURCE FUR Commission USA
ALBANY, N.Y., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global geomembranes market is expected to register growth at a CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period of 2021 to 2031, according to a research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR).

Players operating in the global geomembranes market are focused on increasing the efficiency and productivity at their plants. Furthermore, many market enterprises are investing heavily in R&D projects in order to expand product innovation. Companies in the global market are using different strategies such as collaboration agreements in order to maintain their leading positions in the global market.

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Geomembranes Market: Key Findings

With surge in the pollution levels across the globe, there has been an increase in the need for addressing several critical issues, including extreme weather events and global warming. This factor is resulting in profitable prospects in the global geomembranes market.





Due to increase in urbanization and industrialization globally, rise in waste generation is observed around the world. Government as well as private organizations from several countries are taking initiatives in order to achieve precise waste management, thereby lowering the levels of pollution. This factor is creating sizable opportunities for revenues gains in the global geomembranes market.





Geomembranes liners are being utilized in different water management and waste management projects. These products are waterproof and manufactured using plastic. Hence, they are used for sealing dams, reservoirs, and canals. Moreover, surge in the number of waste and water management activities globally is resulting in sales in the geomembranes market. Furthermore, growing focus of several developing and developed nations on the infrastructure development activities is bolstering the market for geomembranes.





Geomembranes are gaining traction, owing to their ability to stop leakage of leachate. Besides, geomembranes find wide applications in the mining industry such as ditch and canal liners, pond liners, and bottom liners. Some of the important reasons for rise in the adoption of geomembranes in the mining industry include their ability of offer sturdy access roads, safety-enhancing and space-saving retaining structures, and highly efficient barriers. Hence, the expansion of the mining industry is projected to offer significant business prospects in the global geomembranes market.

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Geomembranes Market: Growth Boosters

Surge in the use of geomembranes in mining, plastics, agriculture, and construction industries is propelling the global geomembranes market





Increase in the use of geomembranes in the treatment of inorganic waste, including harmful heavy metals is fueling the global geomembranes market growth





Rise in demand for clean drinking water globally is projected to lead to revenue-generation opportunities in the global market for geomembranes

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Geomembranes Market: Regional Analysis

The geomembranes market in North America is prognosticated to gain prominent business avenues in the upcoming years, owing to many factors such as existence of key players, surge in the number of mining activities, and increase in use of geomembranes in water and waste management industry





is prognosticated to gain prominent business avenues in the upcoming years, owing to many factors such as existence of key players, surge in the number of mining activities, and increase in use of geomembranes in water and waste management industry The Asia Pacific geomembranes market is likely to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period, owing to the presence of many emerging economies, rise in urbanization and industrialization, and surge in the number of mining activities in the region

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Geomembranes Market: Key Players

Some of the key players profiled in the report are:

Agru America Inc

Solmax International Inc

Geosynthetics Limited

Exxon Mobil

Plastika Kritis S.A.

Atarfil

Carlisle Syntec Systems

Firestone Building Products

JUTA A.S.

NAUE GmbH & Co. KG.

Officine Maccaferri SpA

Raven Engineered Films

Cipatex

Geomembranes Market Segmentation

Raw Material

HDPE

MDPE

LDPE

LLDPE

mLLDPE

Recycled

Processing Type

Blown Film

Cast Film

Thickness

<1 mm

1-2 mm

2-3 mm

>3 mm

Application

Waste Management

Mining

Water Management

Construction

Agriculture (Water Reservoir & Canals, Covers, Aquaculture, and Others)

Others (Temporary Covers and Marine Industry)

Region

North America

Latin America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Chemicals & Materials Resources Industry battles Tangible Impact of Economic and Cultural changes, Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Chemicals & Materials Market:

Slow and Controlled Release Pesticides Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/slow-and-controlled-release-pesticides-market.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/slow-and-controlled-release-pesticides-market.html Dimethicone Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/dimethicone-market.html

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Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyse information.



Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/geomembranes-market.htm

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
DUBLIN, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Application; By Therapeutic Area; By Offering; By Technology; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2022 - 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global artificial intelligence in drug discovery market size is expected to reach USD 5,558.0 million by 2029



Artificial Intelligence (AI) uses complex algorithms and machine learning to acquire significant information from huge datasets. For instance, AI uses RNA sequencing data to recognize genes whose expression correlates with a given cellular condition.

It employs the most recent advancements in biology to create cutting-edge medicine discovery algorithms. The increase in computer processing power, the development of advanced algorithms, and the availability of large datasets are the main drivers that led to the developments in machine learning.



Based on application, the global artificial intelligence (AI) in the drug discovery market is clustered into drug optimization & repurposing, preclinical testing, and others. The optimization & repurposing segment accounted for the largest revenue share in the industry as it is economical and demands only Electronic Medical Records (EMR) for medicine repurposing.



Based on therapeutic areas, the global market is classified into oncology, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, and others. The oncology segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2020 as it deals with the diagnosis and prevention of cancer.



There are some pharmaceutical companies that are focusing on integrating artificial intelligence with medicine discovery and development. For instance, Pfizer associated with IBM Watson Health, an AI platform, to augment their search for immuno-oncology treatments. Sanofi partnered with Exscientia to discover metabolic-disease therapies.



The companies in the industry are engaged in collaborations and expansions with several market platform providers to develop medical treatment.

Key players operating in the global market include

Atomwise

Benevolent AI

Berg Health

BIOAGE

BioSymetrics

Cloud Pharmaceuticals

Cyclica

Deep Genomics

DeepMind

Envisagenics

Euretos

Exscientia

GNS Healthcare

IBM Corporation

Insilico Medicine

Insitro

NuMedii

Numerate

NVIDIA Corporation

OWKIN Inc.

Aria Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Verge Genomics

XtalPi Inc.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1. Report Description

1.2. Stakeholders



2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Highlights



3. Research Methodology

3.1. Overview

3.1.1. Data Mining

3.2. Data Sources

3.2.1. Primary Sources

3.2.2. Secondary Sources



4. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market Insights

4.1. Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery - Industry Snapshot

4.2. Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market Dynamics

4.2.1. Drivers and Opportunities

4.2.1.1. Technological advancements in AI

4.2.1.2. Rising industrial partnerships and collaborations

4.2.2. Restraints and Challenges

4.2.2.1. Inadequate accessibility of data sets

4.2.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.2.4. PESTLE Analysis

4.2.5. Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Industry Trends

4.2.6. COVID-19 Impact Analysis



5. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Application

5.1. Key Findings

5.2. Introduction

5.2.1. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Application, 2017 - 2029 (USD Million)

5.3. Drug Optimization & Repurposing

5.4. Preclinical Testing



6. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Therapeutic Area

6.1. Key Findings

6.2. Introduction

6.2.1. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Therapeutic Area, 2017 - 2029 (USD Million)

6.3. Oncology

6.4. Neurodegenerative Diseases

6.5. Cardiovascular Disease

6.6. Metabolic Diseases

6.7. Infectious Disease



7. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Offering

7.1. Key Findings

7.2. Introduction

7.2.1. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Offering, 2017 - 2029 (USD Million)

7.3. Software

7.4. Services



8. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Technology

8.1. Key Findings

8.2. Introduction

8.2.1. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Technology, 2017 - 2029 (USD Million)

8.3. Machine Learning

8.3.1. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, By Machine Learning, By Region, 2017 - 2029 (USD Million)

8.3.2. Deep Learning

8.3.3. Supervised Learning

8.3.4. Reinforcement Learning

8.3.5. Unsupervised Learning



9. Global Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market, by Geography

9.1. Key findings

9.2. Introduction

9.2.1. Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery Market Assessment, By Geography, 2017 - 2029 (USD Million)



10. Competitive Landscape

10.1. Expansion and Acquisition Analysis

10.2. Partnerships/Collaborations/Agreements/Exhibitions



11. Company Profiles

11.1. Company Overview

11.2. Financial Performance

11.3. Product Benchmarking

11.4. Recent Developments

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/69yh1r

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Li Zhanshu, an executive chairman of the presidium of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) and chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presides over the second meeting of executive chairpersons of the presidium at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)
DUBLIN, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Antibiotics Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Product; By Application: By End-Use; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2021 - 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global antibiotics market size is expected to reach USD 51.5 billion by 2028



The collaboration between pharma companies is boosting industry growth. Pharma companies across the globe are strengthening their research efforts to develop new therapies and to reduce costly burden of drug discovery. In this direction, in July 2019, Nosopharm partnered with Evotec to develop NOSO-502, a novel antibiotic to treat Enterobacteriaceae infections. Similarly, in April 2019, Forge Therapeutics and Basilea Pharma announced research and license agreement to develop new antibiotics.



Moreover, rising public-private collaborations to fund projects related to this industry are also expected to boost market growth. For instance, in March 2019, the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) announced a collaboration with Evotec to develop first-in-class antibiotics for the treatment of drug-resistant bacteria.



Market participants such as Abbott Laboratories, Allergan, Bayer AG, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Danaher, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Melinta Therapeutics, Merck & Co. Inc., Mylan, Nabriva Therapeutics plc, Novartis, Pfizer Inc., Roche , Sanofi, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Pharmaceutical companies across the globe are focusing on research and innovation to stay competitive and develop new anti-microbial therapies.



In line with this, in July 2020, more than dozens of pharma companies introduced AMR action fund, a collaborative effort to develop new three to four antibiotics, by the end of the decade. Group has already collected more than USD 1 billion to support clinical research for new antibiotics to address life-threatening infections.

The fund would provide potential antibiotic candidates for the most challenging drug development stages and enable individual governments to make favourable reforms for potential product pipelines.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1. Report Description

1.2. Stakeholders



2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Highlights



3. Research Methodology

3.1. Overview

3.1.1. Data Mining

3.2. Data Sources

3.2.1. Primary Sources

3.2.2. Secondary Sources



4. Antibiotics Market Insights

4.1. Antibiotics Market - Industry Snapshot

4.2. Antibiotics Market Dynamics

4.2.1. Drivers and Opportunities

4.2.2. Restraints and Challenges

4.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.4. PESTLE Analysis

4.5. Antibiotics Market Industry trends

4.6. COVID-19 Impact Analysis



5. Global Antibiotics Market, by Product

5.1. Key Findings

5.2. Introduction

5.2.1. Global Antibiotics Market, by Product, 2016 - 2028 (USD Billion)

5.3. Software

5.4. Device

5.5. Storage System



6. Global Antibiotics Market, by Application

6.1. Key Findings

6.2. Introduction

6.2.1. Global Antibiotics Market, by Application, 2016 - 2028 (USD Billion)

6.3. Drug Discovery & Development

6.4. Academic research

6.5. Disease Diagnosis



7. Global Antibiotics Market , by End-Use

7.1. Key Findings

7.2. Introduction

7.2.1. Global Antibiotics Market, by End-Use, 2016 - 2028 (USD Billion)

7.3. Hospitals

7.4. Biotech & pharma companies

7.5. Diagnostic Labs

7.6. Academic & research institutes



8. Global Antibiotics Market, by Geography

8.1. Key findings

8.2. Introduction

8.2.1. Antibiotics Market Assessment, By Geography, 2016 - 2028 (USD Billion)



9. Competitive Landscape

9.1. Expansion and Acquisition Analysis

9.1.1. Expansion

9.1.2. Acquisitions

9.2. Partnerships/Collaborations/Agreements/Exhibitions



10. Company Profiles

10.1. Company Overview

10.2. Financial Performance

10.3. Product Benchmarking

10.4. Recent Developments

Abbott Laboratories

Allergan

Bayer AG

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Danaher

GlaxoSmithKline plc

Melinta Therapeutics

Merck & Co. Inc.

Mylan

Nabriva Therapeutics plc

Novartis

Pfizer Inc.

Roche

Sanofi

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6u4wc8

Media Contact:

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Embedded Payment Business and Investment Opportunities - Q1 2022 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Embedded Payment industry is expected to grow by 40.4% on annual basis to reach US$124,755.7 million in 2022.



The embedded payment industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 23.1% during 2022-2029. The embedded payment revenues in the region will increase from US$124,755.7 million in 2022 to reach US$380,573.2 million by 2029.

Reasons to buy

In-depth Understanding of Embedded Finance Market Dynamics: Understand market opportunities and key trends along with forecast (2019-2028).

Insights into Opportunity by end-use sectors - Get market dynamics by end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunity across various end-use sectors.

Develop Market Specific Strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities to formulate embedded finance strategy; assess market specific key trends, drivers, and risks in the industry.

Get Sector Insights: Drawing from proprietary survey results, this report identifies opportunities across embedded lending, embedded insurance, embedded finance, and embedded wealth sectors.

Foreign players are launching new solutions to expand their foothold in Asian countries



The Covid-19 pandemic has hastened the expansion of the e-commerce sector in Japan, and as more Japanese people embrace online buying, electronic payments are becoming increasingly popular. With the growing demand for seamless payment options in Japan, the competition is growing intense among market players to provide an enhanced customer experience. Moreover, market players are launching new products to acquire more clients in Japan and tap the attractive opportunity.

In May 2021 , Dutch-based payment platform provider Adyen launched a new solution to expand its procurement capabilities in Japan . This new launch followed the launch of Adyen's local acquisition capabilities in Australia , New Zealand , Hong Kong , Malaysia , and Singapore .

, Dutch-based payment platform provider Adyen launched a new solution to expand its procurement capabilities in . This new launch followed the launch of Adyen's local acquisition capabilities in , , , , and . This announcement expands Adyen's local acquisition capabilities in Asia-Pacific . This new launch is fueled by growing demand from international and domestic merchants to serve Japanese buyers better.

Market players are obtaining new licenses in Singapore to expand their foothold in the country



Singapore's lengthy history of support for new sectors explains why many of the world's most innovative enterprises are looking forward to expanding their foothold in Singapore. The country has become a global hotspot for fintech start-ups.



However, the customers in Singapore still prefer making payments through cash. While Singapore has no plans to replace cash usage with contactless payment technologies soon completely, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has sponsored several initiatives altering the way people in the city-state use money.



With this growing support from the Singapore government, market players are obtaining the required licenses to expand their foothold in the country.

In May 2021 , a global platform provider, Adyen Singapore Pte Ltd, received approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Under this approval, the company can implement merchant acquisition and domestic money transfer services under the Payment Services Act 2019 (PSA).

, a global platform provider, Adyen Singapore Pte Ltd, received approval from the Monetary Authority of (MAS). Under this approval, the company can implement merchant acquisition and domestic money transfer services under the Payment Services Act 2019 (PSA). In January 2022 , Australia -based fintech platform Airwallex expanded its presence in Singapore . The company obtained its grant of a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore .

With the Singapore government's expanding support for fintech businesses, the country is anticipated to see an influx of new product launches and technological development in payment platforms in the next few quarters.



The unanticipated market scenario that caused a shift in the payments sector in early 2021 persisted throughout the year. These changes accelerated the development of three broad themes that continue to influence the competitive dynamics within the payment ecosystem across European countries: the rapid rise of e-commerce activities, the proliferation of innovative payment methods, and the development of next-generation payment infrastructure.



Embedded payment platform providers are focusing on the growth prospects of the hospitality industry in Europe



With the growing prospects for embedded payments across various sectors, the hospitality sector is no exception. Most European countries have been on the list of top tourist destinations and have a massive hospitality industry.



With the lifting of lockdown restrictions across European countries, the hospitality industry is ready to thrive again. Market players are planning to regain their positions in the market by providing add-on services to the clients.



Additionally, Embedded payment platforms providers are making strategies to tap the prospects in the hospitality industry through partnerships.

In December 2021 , Netherlands -based payment platform provider Adyen partnered with Portugal -based hospitality information technology & services provider Nonius. Under this partnership, both companies are planning to assist businesses in the hospitality industry in integrating guest technology with payment technologies. Under this partnership, Adyen plans to utilize Nonius's client base in the hospitality industry and expand its market share.

, -based payment platform provider Adyen partnered with -based hospitality information technology & services provider Nonius. Under this partnership, both companies are planning to assist businesses in the hospitality industry in integrating guest technology with payment technologies. Under this partnership, Adyen plans to utilize Nonius's client base in the hospitality industry and expand its market share. In September 2021 , Adyen partnered with the United States -based hospitality software and solutions provider Agilysys Inc. Under this partnership will extend Agilysys customers' access to global payments.

The Africa & Middle East embedded payment industry is going through a trial phase, and incumbents in the payments market ecosystem must evolve to stay relevant in the industry, as the everchanging demand from clients is making the current system outdated.



Established and new-age fintech companies have invested heavily in embedded payment solutions in the last four to six quarters, resulting in market growth.



Moreover, customers expect e-commerce platforms to provide a smooth buying experience. Embedded payment can be the solution to this ever-growing client requirements. This also allows the companies to provide value-added benefits to clients and increase loyalty. Consequently, the publisher expects strong market growth over the next four to eight quarters.



The embedded payments industry is still in its nascent stages of development in most of the big economies such as Egypt and the UAE. However, in the last six to eight quarters, it was observed that a spike in the number of start-ups in the embedded payment market, spurred by the collaborative efforts of the governments and other stakeholders, enhanced the payment systems.



The region has several diverse factors driving the market growth, including a vast economy, a large young population, and an abundant skilled workforce. As a result, the region has enormous potential to grow its fintech industry in 2022 and beyond.



Presently, the number of embedded payments providers is quite less in Latin America. With the growth in fundraising activities, the market is expected to grow from a short to medium term perspective. Market players are increasingly joining hands to combine their expertise and develop new embedded payments solutions to capture the massive untapped population. For instance,

In November 2020 , Brazil -based fintech company EBANX and ride-hailing app Uber announced a partnership on PIX (a payment system launched by the Brazilian government.

, -based fintech company EBANX and ride-hailing app Uber announced a partnership on PIX (a payment system launched by the Brazilian government. Under this partnership, EBANX will allow Uber clients' needs of payments, localization, and good user experience through their solutions." Since a large population of Brazil does not have a bank account, Uber's clients are anticipated to benefit from the newly introduced instant payment platforms, whereas EBANX is expected to utilize Uber's existing client base.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hik2ac

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: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
Global competitiveness and key competitor percentage market shares

Market presence across multiple geographies - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial

Online interactive peer-to-peer collaborative bespoke updates

Access to our digital archives and MarketGlass Research Platform

Complimentary updates for one year

Edition: 7; Released: February 2022

Executive Pool: 821

Companies: 252 - Players covered include Acoustic, L.P.; ActiveCampaign, LLC; Act-On Software, Inc.; Adobe Systems Incorporated; HubSpot, Inc.; International Business Machines Corporation; Keap; Klaviyo Inc.; Marketo Inc.; Microsoft Corporation; Omnisend, LLC; Oracle Corporation; Salesforce.com, Inc.; SugarCRM; SAP SE; SAS Institute Inc.; SharpSpring, Inc.; Thryv, Inc. and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Deployment (Cloud, On-Premise); End-Use (IT & Telecom, BFSI, Retail, Discrete Manufacturing, Healthcare, Other End-Uses)

Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Spain; Russia; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; Australia; India; South Korea; Rest of Asia-Pacific; Latin America; Argentina; Brazil; Mexico; Rest of Latin America; Middle East; Iran; Israel; Saudi Arabia; UAE; Rest of Middle East; Africa.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-

Global Marketing Automation Market to Reach $6.3 Billion by 2026

When marketing activities are automated using software, it is referred to as 'marketing automation'. Repetitive activities like posting on social media platforms and email marketing are being increasingly automated, as it offers businesses dual benefits. A successful marketing automation strategy would also aim at reducing the number of customer friction points. Lead nurturing, personalized email marketing, campaign management, CRM integration, forms & landing pages, lead scoring, lead management and social media management are the important features of marketing automation. Growth in the global is set to be driven by rise of digital advertising, growing usage of the Internet and other technologies, and surging popularity of social media networks. Companies are increasingly relying on the digital media marketing techniques such as search engine marketing, social media marketing, online advertising and mobile advertising while continuing to engage in traditional channels to gain benefits of both the worlds. Ensuring that the brand stands available, relevant and consistent on social media is difficult for various companies. In addition, organizations are required to regularly update blogs and information while tracking trends, measuring effectiveness of social efforts and engaging with customers. These issues have paved way for social media automation solutions that allow companies to realize the power of marketing automation along with social media to drive gains. Automation technologies present an effective companion for social media marketing, enabling organizations to streamline different processes and pushing up business gains.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Marketing Automation estimated at US$4.4 Billion in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$6.3 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 8.6% over the analysis period. Cloud, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 9.6% CAGR to reach US$4.6 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the On-Premise segment is readjusted to a revised 6.8% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 37.3% share of the global Marketing Automation market. Cloud-based tools allow marketers to gain more control over their marketing and business content. These tools allow for the proper implementation of strategies independently without the need to rely on other departments.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $1.3 Billion in 2022, While China is Forecast to Reach $898.4 Million by 2026

The Marketing Automation market in the U.S. is estimated at US$1.3 Billion in the year 2022. The country currently accounts for a 29.31% share in the global market. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$898.4 Million in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 10.6% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 7.1% and 7.4% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 8.3% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$989.3 Million by the end of the analysis period. In the US, the COVID-19 pandemic onset led to a significant impact on digital advertising during the early part of 2020. However, in the second half of the year, the holiday season and ad spend by political parties aided in compensating for the losses registered earlier in the year. Digital ad spend therefore increased at a double-digit rate for the year. The increase in online shopping, home deliveries, and connected TV helped maintain the market's growth. Thriving economies, growing employment opportunities, rising income levels, continuous development of cellular markets, rising 4G penetrations, and increasing spending power in major countries are driving growth prospects in the Asia-Pacific region. More

MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide.

Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.

CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

LINKS

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Journalists & Media

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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Global competitiveness and key competitor percentage market shares

Market presence across multiple geographies - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial

Online interactive peer-to-peer collaborative bespoke updates

Access to our digital archives and MarketGlass Research Platform

Complimentary updates for one year

Edition: 7; Released: February 2022

Executive Pool: 429

Companies: 48 - Players covered include AtlasElektronikGmbh; Deep Ocean Engineering, Inc.; Deep Ocean Group; DOF Subsea AS; Fugro NV; General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc.; Helix Energy Solutions Group; Houston Mechatronics Inc.; Kongsberg Maritime AS; Oceaneering International, Inc.; SAAB AB; Saipem SpA; Subsea 7 S.A.; Teledyne Technologies Incorporated and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Segment (ROV, AUV); Application (Oil & Gas, Defense, Scientific Research, Commercial, Other Applications)

Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Spain; Russia; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; Latin America; Middle East; Africa.

Complimentary Project Preview - This is an ongoing global program. Preview our research program before you make a purchase decision. We are offering a complimentary access to qualified executives driving strategy, business development, sales & marketing, and product management roles at featured companies. Previews provide deep insider access to business trends; competitive brands; domain expert profiles; and market data templates and much more. You may also build your own bespoke report using our MarketGlass Platform which offers thousands of data bytes without an obligation to purchase our report. Preview Registry

ABSTRACT-

Global Offshore AUV and ROV Market to Reach $7.2 Billion by 2026

Offshore Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is an untethered, self-propelled, and unmanned underwater machine utilized to perform simple tasks without any human supervision. Offshore AUVs are utilized extensively for mapping seafloor by surveying the platforms or to distinguish the chemical, biological, or physical properties of the water. Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) have become more important in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry for subsea construction and drilling support to allow deep-water exploration and development projects throughout the world. From decommissioning projects to exploration drilling, ROVs are widely used in the offshore sector. End-users are increasingly adopting AUV and ROV as a result of the high utilization of fossil fuels. The ever-increasing need for hydrocarbons has prompted corporations to concentrate their efforts on offshore drilling to boost green energy. In recent years, the importance of AUVs in researching seafloors before the installation of subsea infrastructure has driven demand for AUVs. Incorporating technologies like sensor-based steering and intelligent control systems are also expected to contribute to market growth. The use of AUVs in navigation applications like completing underwater surveys, and a rise in oil and gas demand are all boosting the offshore ROV and AUV market at the global level.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Offshore AUV and ROV estimated at US$4 Billion in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$7.2 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14.3% over the analysis period. ROV, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 13.6% CAGR to reach US$6 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the AUV segment is readjusted to a revised 16.4% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 25% share of the global Offshore AUV and ROV market. The rising use of ROVs in a variety of industries, including search & rescue, marine biology, military, oil and gas, submerged infrastructure, and aquaculture, as well as advancements in ROV technology, is anticipated to drive growth in the segment. The need for big AUVs for military and defense applications, as well as oil and gas exploration, is driving the expansion of the AUV market segment.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $654.1 Million in 2022, While China is Forecast to Reach $522.3 Million by 2026

The Offshore AUV and ROV market in the U.S. is estimated at US$654.1 Million in the year 2022. The country currently accounts for a 16.7% share in the global market. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$522.3 Million in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 13.7% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 10.8% and 11.5% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 11.3% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$605.1 Million by the end of the analysis period. The rising usage of ROV & AUV in the oil and gas industries has been instrumental in the growth of the offshore ROV and AUV market in the Middle East, the largest regional market. Another factor boosting the market in the area is the growing global demand for oil and gas-based goods. Presence of several oil-producing countries in the Middle East and Latin America is a key factor for large markets of offshore ROV and AUV in these regions. North America is another key market, due to growing number of oil & gas projects, particularly in the United States and Mexico. More

MarketGlass Platform

Our MarketGlass Platform is a free full-stack knowledge center that is custom configurable to today`s busy business executive`s intelligence needs! This influencer driven interactive research platform is at the core of our primary research engagements and draws from unique perspectives of participating executives worldwide. Features include - enterprise-wide peer-to-peer collaborations; research program previews relevant to your company; 3.4 million domain expert profiles; competitive company profiles; interactive research modules; bespoke report generation; monitor market trends; competitive brands; create & publish blogs & podcasts using our primary and secondary content; track domain events worldwide; and much more. Client companies will have complete insider access to the project data stacks. Currently in use by 67,000+ domain experts worldwide.

Our platform is free for qualified executives and is accessible from our website www.StrategyR.com or via our just released mobile application on iOS or Android

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. & StrategyR

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (www.strategyr.com) is a renowned market research publisher the world`s only influencer driven market research company. Proudly serving more than 42,000 clients from 36 countries, GIA is recognized for accurate forecasting of markets and industries for over 33 years.

CONTACTS:

Zak Ali

Director, Corporate Communications

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Phone: 1-408-528-9966

www.StrategyR.com

Email: [email protected]

LINKS

Join Our Expert Panel

https://www.strategyr.com/Panelist.asp

Connect With Us on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-industry-analysts-inc./

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Journalists & Media

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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
NEW YORK, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Promotional Products market will register an incremental spend of about USD 6.87 billion, growing at a CAGR of 2.98% during the five-year forecast period. A targeted strategic approach to Promotional Products sourcing can unlock several opportunities for buyers.

This report also offers market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Download free sample report

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Get a free sample report for more information

Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers:

Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the Promotional Products market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Promotional Products pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfil their category objectives.

For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, www.spendedge.com/report/promotional-products-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth:

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers.

Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors.

Identify favorable opportunities in Promotional Products TCO (total cost of ownership).

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes.

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities.

SpendEdge presents a detailed picture of this procurement market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our Promotional Products market procurement report covers the following areas:

Some of the top Promotional Products Market suppliers listed in this report:

This Promotional Products market procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Li and Fung

HH Global

Ennis

To get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment.

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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
SAN DIEGO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fred Finch Youth & Family Services (FF) announced today that it had received a grant from the Foundation for Developmental Disabilities (FDD) to spearhead a pilot program supporting high school students in Imperial Valley  a highly underserved and underrepresented community. The program model called BEST (Behavior Education and Skills Training), will assist 10 Southwest High School seniors from El Centro, CA who are looking to learn more about careers in behavioral health this summer.

"We are thrilled to be able to provide this paid pipeline program to these bright future behavior technicians," said Dr. Teresa Chapa, Southern California Regional Vice President at Fred Finch. "While Fred Finch has been working in Imperial County for a number of years and specifically with children with Autism and their families, this program is a new approach to address the ongoing shortage of behavioral health care."

The BEST program will provide participants with training in understanding Autism, Neurodevelopmental disabilities, Applied Behavior Analysis, and basic medical and mental health terminology. To remain culturally responsive to the needs of the community and representative of the population, the program will be delivered in English and Spanish. Participants will receive 64 hours of training over the course of 4 weeks. The training offered will include blended learning, experiential learning, hand-on activities, shadowing of Fred Finch staff.

"This provides the double benefit of supporting students at the beginning of their educational career path as well as providing them with the skills for a real job in the industry right away," said Sitara Sethi, CEO of FDD. "The developmental disability fields are truly impacted right now  and this program is a step in helping ease the pressures in Imperial Valley."

FDD has been working on addressing the impacts of the pandemic, as well as shortages in clinicians through carefully targeted funding with partner agencies with a known track record of success. The Foundation has been raising and distributing funds since 1986, to enhance the quality of life for persons living with developmental disabilities, supporting community integration, and increasing community awareness.

Media Contact:

Marcus Young

415-505-2524

[email protected]

SOURCE Fred Finch
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. and WASHINGTON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Guidehouse, a leading global provider of consulting services to public sector and commercial clients, is pleased to announce the opening of a new office at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, strengthening its long-term commitment in a strategic market. Located just outside the gates of the Redstone Arsenal, at 8000 Rideout Road SW, Suite 200, the office will primarily support clients from the Department of Defense and national security and federal law enforcement entities.

This significant investment in the Huntsville region underscores Guidehouse's commitment to scale existing capabilities that support national security and defense clients that call the Arsenal home. The office opening further supports the firm's longstanding partnership with the FBI, which recently broke ground on its Innovation Center to establish its Huntsville campus as the leading government technology hub.

With a presence in Huntsville since 2018, Guidehouse continues to grow in the region. Over the past four years, the firm has increased its footprint and is planning on continuing investment and solidifying its presence as a leading strategic advisor. With plans for further hiring in place, a current team of 60 employees at the new office supports missions with predictive analytics, data science, cybersecurity, capital project and infrastructure, and audit readiness and remediation services.

"We are thrilled to open our new office in Huntsville, a leading national hub for technology innovation and one of the fastest growing and most economically successful regions in the country," said John Saad, Guidehouse Partner and National Security Segment Leader. "This is a defining moment for Guidehouse and the Huntsville community, reaffirming our long-term commitment a top strategic consultancy and revamping our presence in this important market."

Guidehouse, a leading consultancy to the federal government and with a multi-billion-dollar global practice, leverages deep commercial and public sector expertise to help clients solve complex challenges. With a keen ability to bring innovative, strategic capabilities to such a diverse set of clients with incredible teamwork and collaboration, the Guidehouse team offers a unique cross-sector approach that allows them to achieve mission success in leading-edge, yet practical ways.

"Huntsville plays a critical role in our nation's national security and defense, aerospace, information technology and advanced manufacturing industries and we are proud to expand our shared commitment and support to this vibrant local community with leading edge capabilities," added Ed Meehan, Partner and Guidehouse Defense Segment Leader. "Our best-in-class teams seamlessly integrate expertise in public sector and regulated commercial markets to solve the most complex issues of our day, helping our clients truly outwit complexity."

To learn more about Guidehouse, please visit: www.guidehouse.com.

About Guidehouse

Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. By combining our public and private sector expertise, we help clients address their most complex challenges and navigate significant regulatory pressures focusing on transformational change, business resiliency, and technology-driven innovation. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and digital services, we create scalable, innovative solutions that help our clients outwit complexity and position them for future growth and success. The company has more than 12,000 professionals in over 50 locations globally. Guidehouse is a Veritas Capital portfolio company, led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets, and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit www.guidehouse.com.

Media Contact:

Guidehouse

Cecile Fradkin [email protected]

SOURCE Guidehouse
BOSTON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) announced today a new collaboration with Acclinate, Amgen, GSK, Lightship, Medable, Rubix LS, Sage Bionetworks, Savvy Cooperative, and THREAD Research to drive inclusion in digital clinical trials. The initiative aims to provide the tools and framework necessary to successfully integrate diverse perspectives during the planning process for trials that include a technology device for participation.

Digital capabilities  from social media to the use of new technologies to measure disease outside of the clinic  offer enormous potential to fix the longstanding disparities in participation and access to clinical trials and comprehensive representation of trial findings. However, technology access, literacy, and trust are not universal truths. These technology devices must be deployed intentionally in order to realize their potential and not simply exacerbate existing inequities along the digital divide. DiMe's new initiative will develop a fit-for-purpose framework that clinical study teams can use to ensure that the way their trials incorporate technology is inclusive for all trial participants.

"When we design a clinical trial, our expectation is that anyone is able to participate - regardless of race or ethnicity, whether they can afford the latest technology or whether they have access to the internet. We simply cannot design clinical trials just for the digitally enabled. If we do that, it leaves us with the same research disparities within clinical trials that we've worked so hard to get rid of over the past decade. Now is the time to ensure trial planning is mindful of the potential of technology as a barrier to participation by positioning digital health technologies for greater trust, use, and impact," says Pamela Tenaerts, MD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer at Medable.

"Clinical trials are a significant part of the process for developing medicines. Yet, for too long, trials have lacked diversity with underrepresentation of certain groups of people across many diseases," said Ponda Motsepe-Ditshego, VP, Global Medical Therapeutic Area Head, and Leader of Amgen's Representation in Clinical Research (RISE) team. "Having the means to engage these populations via new technologies helps us move towards a future where they are no longer underrepresented, understudied, and undertreated."

To date, clinical trials have struggled to recruit participants that are representative of the broader population. In the United States, the participation in clinical research by people of color is alarmingly low , and despite their interest in participating , older adults are also categorically excluded due to barriers such as transport and reliance on a caregiver.

"At Lightship, we are excited to be part of DiMe's mission to produce action orientated tools to tear down the barriers preventing the inclusion of underrepresented patients. Every day at Lightship we are meeting patients where they are. We are creating access by breaking down geographic barriers with virtual tools, in-home visits from nurses and clinical site staff. Patients now have a choice  they can participate in a clinical trial from the convenience of their own home, a 'third place' or at the research site. These efforts are driving equity in clinical trials because they're fair, flexible, and prioritize patient choice," says Lightship CEO, David MacMurchy.

"There has been a lot of discussion about the promise of digital to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical trials, yet there has been an equal discussion about disparities increasing across the digital divide," says Jennifer Goldsack, CEO of DiMe. "I'm incredibly proud of our collaborators for joining us as we move this conversation to action. The digitization of clinical trials is not a future possibility, they are a reality today. Our work will help ensure that these digital clinical trials are more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and that new medical products that are safe, effective, and apply to all patients go to market."

Collaborative partners for this project are still being considered prior to the project launch in April 2022. Please share your interest in participating in these efforts.

About the Digital Medicine Society: The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) is the professional society serving the digital medicine community, driving scientific progress and broad acceptance of digital medicine to enhance public health. At DiMe, our commitment to fully integrating experts from all of the disciplines comprising digital medicine is unwavering. From regulators to white-hat hackers, ethicists to engineers, and clinicians to citizen scientists, we are proud to welcome all experts committed to ensuring that digital medicine realizes its full potential to improve human health. Join us !

Media Contact: Jamie Gray, [email protected]

SOURCE Digital Medicine Society (DiMe)
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) today announced that it has mailed a letter to shareholders in connection with its upcoming Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled for March 25, 2022 ("Annual Meeting") urging shareholders to vote the WHITE proxy card "FOR ALL" of Huntsman's highly qualified directors standing for election. Stockholders of record as of February 1, 2022, will be entitled to vote at the meeting.

The letter can be found at voteforhuntsman.com or on the investor relations section of the Company's website. The full text of the letter follows:

Dear Fellow Huntsman Shareholder:

We continue to meet shareholders in preparation for the Annual Meeting and have been gratified by your strong support for the Company, our refreshed Board, and management's 'value-over-volume' strategy in the face of Starboard's unnecessary and distracting proxy fight. We remain puzzled, like most of you, as to why we are even in this fight. Regardless, your Board and management team remain focused on what matters most  continuing to deliver to you record results and sustained momentum in 2022.

Starboard has inundated you with more than 350 pages and nearly a dozen misleading arguments dependent on incredibly outdated views of the Company in order to convince you to replace four integral members of your Board with their handpicked candidates. Our message to you is simple and fits on one page:

We delivered you record results in 2021, and even increased guidance for Q1 2022



Our stock is trading near its all-time high and you've enjoyed a substantial share price increase since our Investor Day in November 2021 , beating our next best peer 1 by double digits

, beating our next best peer by double digits

We delivered you a five-year TSR of 98%, nearly 13% better than the S&P 500 2



We transformed our product portfolio to focus on higher-margin downstream, differentiated, and sustainable products and solutions



We deleveraged our balance sheet, achieved an investment grade rating, and facilitated a shareholder-friendly balanced cash allocation



We completed a substantial refreshment of our Board, adding eight new directors since 2018 who possess the right combination of experience, expertise, and diversity critical to oversee our transformed business

Rather than celebrate an incredibly well-timed investment and outstanding financial returns, Starboard wants you to put all our success at risk by electing their four nominees, none of whom have the relevant or incremental experience needed to oversee our transformed portfolio or 'value-over-volume' strategy. We're asking you to protect your investment and vote against Starboard's nominees.

Huntsman's successes are the result of thoughtful strategic initiatives well executed by management and overseen by our Board. Every one of our initiatives predates Starboard's investment in our stock and they have yet to offer a single suggestion we were not already doing. Instead, they want to replace four of our fit-for-purpose and fully refreshed Board members with nominees who have no relevant skills or experience in a proxy fight that is wasting Huntsman's resources and putting your investment in harm's way.

Reject Starboard and vote "FOR ALL" of Huntsman's nominees listed on the WHITE proxy card.

Thank you for your continued support.

Peter Huntsman Cynthia Egan Chairman, President and CEO Lead Director and Non-Executive Vice Chair

Advisors:

BofA Securities and Moelis & Company LLC are serving as financial advisors to Huntsman. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal advisor to Huntsman.

About Huntsman:

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals with 2021 revenues of approximately $8 billion. Our chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. We operate more than 70 manufacturing, R&D and operations facilities in approximately 30 countries and employ approximately 9,000 associates within our four distinct business divisions. For more information about Huntsman, please visit the company's website at www.huntsman.com.

Social Media:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Huntsman_Corp

Facebook: www.facebook.com/huntsmancorp

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/huntsman

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, financial targets, strategies, future events, future revenue or performance, capital expenditures, plans or intentions relating to acquisitions, divestitures or strategic transactions, including the review of the Textile Effects Division, business trends and any other information that is not historical information. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "likely," "projects," "outlook," "plans," "intends," "believes," "forecasts," "targets," or future or conditional verbs, such as "will," "should," "could" or "may," and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, management's examination of historical operating trends and data, are based upon our current expectations and various assumptions and beliefs. In particular, such forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products, prices and other factors as discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). In addition, there can be no assurance that the review of the Textile Effects Division will result in one or more transactions or other strategic change or outcome. Significant risks and uncertainties may relate to, but are not limited to, ongoing impact of COVID-19 on our operations and financial results, volatile global economic conditions, cyclical and volatile product markets, disruptions in production at manufacturing facilities, timing of proposed transactions, reorganization or restructuring of the Company's operations, including any delay of, or other negative developments affecting the ability to implement cost reductions and manufacturing optimization improvements in the Company's businesses and to realize anticipated cost savings, and other financial, operational, economic, competitive, environmental, political, legal, regulatory and technological factors. Any forward-looking statement should be considered in light of the risks set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which may be supplemented by other risks and uncertainties disclosed in any subsequent reports filed or furnished by the Company from time to time. All forward-looking statements apply only as of the date made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

1 Eastman Chemical Company

2 Timeframe of February 25, 2017, through February 25, 2022

SOURCE Huntsman Corporation
First introduced in Europe in 2020, INFUSE delivers ingredient solutions that meet new demands around nutritional balance, plant-based, and label-friendliness. It offers the ease of a blended solution that speeds up development cycles, so it can get innovations to market faster.

Local alternative to imported products

Located in Orhangazi, Turkey, the Application Center has an ability to offer solutions for the current consumer trends like calorie or fat reduction, fiber and protein enriched foods, or plant-based foods etc. Besides these emerging trends, Cargill wants to meet META dairy manufacturers' needs like offering more affordable products to market or solving their supply chain hurdles by offering them customized easy-to-apply blends. The center includes pilot facilities that mimic full-scale dairy processing production lines, enabling Cargill ingredient and application specialists to rapidly test ingredient solutions in real-world conditions.

Cargill Foods META Executive Committee Member & Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Cem Beysel, said that the center will serve as a regional innovation area. Beysel added, "As Cargill, we have been trying to support food and beverage manufacturers both in Turkey and in the Middle East and Africa with our ever-expanding products and services. With this investment in Bursa Orhangazi, we will serve our customers as if this place is their own R&D center. The Application Center offers manufacturers texturizing blends. Mixtures, which are used in very low quantities in order to ensure the fluidity, aftertaste, rough and/or smoothness of the foods, meet the special needs of the customers while creating the advantage of speed and low cost."

"We always start by understanding each customer's requirements, then use our technical expertise to land on the right combination and ratio of ingredients," Beysel said. "INFUSE, which sits at the heart of reformulation and innovation, represents the way Cargill helps our customers succeed."

The most suitable formulation

Three pillars serve as the foundation for Cargill's customer focus in META: an unwavering attention to providing on-trend solutions, a commitment to speed to market, and access to deep technical expertise and resources to create ingredient blends tailored to meet each customer's unique needs.

"With more than 300 ingredients in our toolbox, we can quickly develop, deliver and optimize prototypes, dramatically shortening bench development time," Beysel said. "Given today's complex formulation challenges, the days of solving problems with a single ingredient are gone. We understand how ingredients work together and how to create optimal solutions. Producers in the META region are in search of innovative products that are suitable for consumers' preferences and taste. On the other hand, manufacturers of new generation products, especially vegan dairy alternatives, are also in search of solutions for the localization and local production of imported formulas. With the application center, we will support the development of the most suitable solution for the needs in the fastest way possible."

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764261/Cem_Beysel.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1764262/INFUSE.jpg

SOURCE Cargill META
Hungarian President Janos Ader (4th R) listens to the speech of Katalin Novak (not in picture) before the voting in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

BUDAPEST, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines.

Novak, a former member of the government as minister without portfolio for family affairs, is taking over from incumbent president Janos Ader, who is ending his second term as president.

Hungary's president is not a member of any political party and represents the unity of the Hungarian state. The Hungarian president's duties are largely ceremonial. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (R) shakes hands with newly-elected President Katalin Novak in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Peter Rona (C), opposition party's candidate for presidency, walks into the room before the voting in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Katalin Novak delivers a speech during the presidential election in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Hungarian President Janos Ader (R) shakes hands with newly-elected President Katalin Novak in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Katalin Novak (C) takes oath in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Katalin Novak (front, C) is seen with her family before taking oath in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Katalin Novak (C) is seen with her family after taking oath in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)
NEW YORK, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research has selected four outstanding scientific research projects to receive $12 million in funding for its 2022 Endeavor Awards. Promoting collaborative science, Endeavor Awards are granted to multi-disciplinary teams pursuing innovative, unique approaches to understand and treat cancer. These four Endeavor teams, which bring together investigators from top cancer research centers across two continents and eight US states, will focus on cutting-edge topics in cancer research including inflammation, the microbiome, metabolism, and the humoral immune system.

"Collaboration is critical to success in science," said Raymond DuBois, MD, PhD, Executive Chairman of the Board of The Mark Foundation. "We're confident that the incredible projects selected for Endeavor Awards will have a direct and substantial impact on the lives of cancer patients." The Mark Foundation Endeavor Awards, launched in 2021, support collaborative research projects that bring together investigators from a wide range of disciplines to tackle the toughest challenges in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. The $3 million grants are awarded to teams of three or more investigators to generate and integrate data from diverse lines of research and transform those insights into advances for cancer patients that could not be achieved by individual efforts.

The response to the call for proposals was robust; grantees were selected from nearly two hundred applications received from host institutions around the globe. The Mark Foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee, chaired by Ross Levine, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, conducted a rigorous review process, including live interviews with the finalist teams to assess team chemistry and dynamics. "The response to the call for proposals demonstrates the hunger that scientists have for opportunities to work together across disciplines," said Dr. Levine. "Funding for team science has become increasingly scarce; The Mark Foundation's Endeavor Awards will serve as a critical resource to transform scientific research into advances for patients."

In recognition of how The Mark Foundation Endeavor awards foster the formation of strong, multi-disciplinary teams in cancer research, the MacMillan Family Foundation is supporting the Endeavor program by fully funding the work of the Salk Institute Endeavor team, headed by Reuben Shaw, PhD, William R. Brody Chair and director of the Salk's NCI-designated Cancer Center. "New therapies for difficult-to-treat solid tumors like lung cancer are urgently needed," said Dr. Shaw. "This Endeavor award will accelerate our efforts to identify novel metabolic targets and develop precision drugs for specific genetic subsets of non-small cell lung cancer." The MacMillan family's generous gift reflects their commitment to directly supporting scientists who think creatively to address the needs of cancer patients.

A total of seven Endeavor awards have been granted to date: three inaugural teams received grants for projects beginning in 2021, in addition to the four newly awarded teams starting in 2022. A new call for proposals for Endeavor teams will be issued in May 2022, with at least three additional awards expected to be granted. This substantial commitment to team science is enabled by the recently announced commitment of Alex Knaster, founder of The Mark Foundation, to fund an additional $500 million of cancer research over the Foundation's first decade.

Below are the new awardees' project titles, research teams, and institutions. The first investigator listed has been designated as team lead, and the first location listed is the host institution.

Dissecting Drivers of Inflammation and Clonality in the MDS Microenvironment

University of Alabama at Birmingham : Robert Welner , PhD, and Rui Lu , PhD

: , PhD, and , PhD Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: Stanley Lee , PhD

, PhD Vanderbilt University Medical Center: P. Brent Ferrell , MD

An International, Multicenter Study to Investigate and Validate Microbiome Configurations and Effectors in CD19-Targeted CAR-T Cell Efficacy and Toxicity

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ): Christoph Stein-Thoeringer, MD, and Eran Elinav, MD, PhD

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute: Michael Jain , MD, PhD, and Marco Davila , MD, PhD

, MD, PhD, and , MD, PhD The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Robert Jenq , MD

Identification of Metabolic Targets and Vulnerabilities in Genetically-Defined Cohorts of Lung Cancer

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Reuben Shaw , PhD, Susan Kaech , PhD, Christian Metallo , PhD, and Alan Saghatelian , PhD

Harnessing Tertiary Lymphoid Structure Function for Improved Immunotherapeutic Strategies in Cancer Patients

University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center: Tullia C. Bruno , PhD

and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center: , PhD The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Tina Cascone , MD, PhD, Kevin McBride , PhD, and Jennifer Wargo , MD, MMSc

MD Anderson Cancer Center: , MD, PhD, , PhD, and , MD, MMSc Yale University School of Medicine : Nikhil Joshi , PhD, and Aaron Ring , MD, PhD

About The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research actively partners with scientists to accelerate research that will transform the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. The Mark Foundation fulfills its mission by supporting groundbreaking science carried out by individual investigators, multi-disciplinary teams, and inter-institutional collaborations in the United States, Europe, and across the globe. Recognizing the obstacles that prevent scientific advances from improving patient outcomes, The Mark Foundation maintains a nimble, high-impact approach to funding cancer research that bridges the gap between bench and bedside through grants and early-stage venture investments.

Since 2017, The Mark Foundation has awarded more than $150 million in grants to enable innovative basic, translational, and clinical cancer research, including drug discovery. In 2022, The Mark Foundation received an additional $500 million commitment to fund cutting-edge cancer research in the Foundation's first decade. The Mark Foundation also has a robust and growing portfolio of investments in oncology companies developing novel therapeutics and diagnostics. Through its research and venture arms, The Mark Foundation supports projects throughout their life cycle to ensure their highest chance of success in impacting the lives of patients with breakthroughs in cancer care.

To learn more please visit www.TheMarkFoundation.org.

Media inquiries, please contact:

Linda Heaney

[email protected]

SOURCE The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
ST. PAUL, Minn., March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This Bella pressure cooker lawsuit alleges that Sensio, Inc. the manufacturer of Bella branded pressure cookers, has misrepresented the safety of its pressure cookers.

Johnson // Becker, PLLC is a nationwide products liability law firm with experience representing victims of pressure cooker explosions. The firm represents over 350 clients who have been severely burned by exploding pressure cookers designed and sold by numerous manufacturers.

Johnson // Becker filed this Complaint on behalf of Tosha Oretga and her minor son, M.G.O., in the District of Colorado alleging that Sensio, Inc., the manufacturer of the Bella pressure cookers, misrepresented the safety of its pressure cookers.

The Bella pressure cooker exploded while under pressure on January 5, 2020. As a result of the explosion, M.G.O sustained severe thermal burn injuries. According to the Complaint, Bella pressure cookers are marketed as having a "safety locking lid" which are supposed to prevent the lid of the pressure cooker from being removed until all the pressure is released. However, the Complaint alleges that the Bella pressure cooker contain defects which allow unsuspecting consumers to remove the lid while the cooker is still under pressure, causing the scalding hot contents to be projected from the unit.

This Bella pressure cooker lawsuit is filed by Michael K. Johnson, Kenneth W. Pearson and Adam J. Kress of Johnson // Becker, PLLC.

Michael K. Johnson is a founding partner of Johnson // Becker, PLLC. Michael, Ken and Adam exclusively handle injury cases, with an emphasis on national products liability litigation, including cases involving burn injuries from defective products.

We Offer a Free Case Review. If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective Bella pressure cooker, you may want to speak with the pressure cooker lawyers at Johnson // Becker.

The law firm is actively filing new pressure cooker lawsuits across the county and you may be entitled to financial compensation for your pressure cooker burn injuries.

To learn more about Johnson // Becker's product liability cases, or to arrange a free, no-obligation case review, please visit Johnson // Beckers main pressure cooker explosion page at https://www.johnsonbecker.com/product-liability/pressure-cooker-lawsuit/, or call Johnson // Becker directly at (800) 279-6386.

We would be honored to speak with you and respond promptly to every inquiry we receive.

SOURCE Johnson // Becker, PLLC
The first course offered in the series is a college-prep class, which is FREE for high school juniors and seniors who are considering attending college. The eight-week course will be held on Saturdays from March 19 through May 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the East Las Vegas Library. Space is limited, and prospective students can register for the class by calling 702-651-2750.

"The Library District and CSN share the goal of uplifting lives through education," said Kelvin Watson, executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. "Through this partnership, we are combining the Library District's infrastructure with CSN's educational content to provide local residents with easier access to college classes within our library branches. This is any example of how 21st-century libraries have evolved into the heart of the community, serving people from all walks of life and making room for educational support, activities, conversation, discovery, maker spaces, and hands-on learning for all ages."

More classes will be announced in the coming months and include career training, certificate programs, test preparation and more.

"CSN is thrilled to partner with the Clark County Library District to deliver the Academic Life Success course that will help students prepare for academic success at the East Las Vegas Library," said Dr. Federico Zaragoza, president, College of Southern Nevada. "Our commitment to helping students achieve, succeed and prosper has never been stronger and we are grateful for this opportunity to help our students pursue their goals in higher education. CSN students will be eligible to receive textbooks and a PC device at no charge."

About Las Vegas-Clark County Library District: The award-winning Las Vegas-Clark County Library District is an independent taxing entity that serves a diverse community across 8,000 square miles. Through its 25 branches and website, the Library District offers a collection of 3.2 million items consisting of books, movies, music (including streaming and downloadable), online resources, as well as free programs for all ages. The Library District is a vibrant and vital member of the community offering limitless learning; business and career advancement; government and social services support; and best of all, a place where customers find a sense of culture and community. For more information, please visit LVCCLD.org.

About CSN: The College of Southern Nevada empowers our students and communities to achieve, succeed, and prosper. Founded in 1971, CSN is a nationally recognized student success leader specializing in two-year degrees and a select number of bachelor's degrees in specialized fields. Connect with the state's largest and most diverse higher education institution on our Newsroom blog, via our press releases, or by following us on social media.

SOURCE Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
CARTHAGE, Mo., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leggett & Platt announced the election of Angela Barbee to its Board of Directors effective immediately.

Ms. Barbee, 56, served as Senior Vice President  Technology and Global R&D of Weber, Inc., a manufacturer of outdoor grills and accessories, from 2021 until January 2022. Prior to Weber, Ms. Barbee served in senior technology and product development positions at Kohler Company from 2018 to 2021. She served as Director  Global Creative Design Operations of General Motors, from 2013 to 2017, and in various other capacities since 1994.

Ms. Barbee holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University and a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. She also completed the Executive Education Program in the Ross Business School at the University of Michigan.

"Angela brings a wide-ranging knowledge of manufacturing, engineering and innovation, management, and operations in the consumer products and automotive industries. She also has extensive international experience in leading engineering, development, and innovation efforts," said Karl Glassman, Executive Chairman. "We are very pleased to have her join our Board."

Ms. Barbee was identified through a national search that was conducted by Diversified Search. To learn more about other members of Leggett's Board of Directors, visit www.leggett.com under the Corporate Governance and Directors tabs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit Leggett's website at www.leggett.com.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG) is a diversified manufacturer that designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products that can be found in most homes and automobiles. The 139-year-old Company is comprised of 15 business units, approximately 20,000 employees, and 130 manufacturing facilities located in 17 countries.

Leggett & Platt is the leading U.S.-based manufacturer of: a) bedding components; b) automotive seat support and lumbar systems; c) specialty bedding foams and private label finished mattresses; d) components for home furniture and work furniture; e) flooring underlayment; f) adjustable beds; and g) bedding industry machinery.

CONTACT: Investor Relations, (417) 358-8131 or [email protected]

Susan R. McCoy, Senior Vice President of Investor Relations

Cassie J. Branscum, Senior Director of Investor Relations

SOURCE Leggett & Platt
RESTON, Va., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology company, will participate in the J.P. Morgan 2022 Industrials Conference in New York City.

Roger Krone, Chief Executive Officer, will be presenting Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 1:20 p.m. ET.

A live audio webcast of the event will be available on the Leidos Investor Relations website at http://ir.leidos.com. A replay of the webcast will be available following the presentation at the same link listed above for 30 days afterward.

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

CONTACTS:

Media contact: Investor Relations: Melissa Lee Duenas Stuart Davis 571.526.6850 571.526.6124 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Leidos
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clutch, an independent B2B review platform, conducted a survey including 1,003 small business owners and managers and found that two out of three (67%) of small businesses are run by underrepresented groups .

Among those, less than half (43%) have a diverse-owned business certification that communicates their identities. Becoming certified helps businesses share their story and connect with clients looking to work with a diverse business.

67% of small businesses are owned by an underrepresented group. What certification benefits are diverse suppliers interested in?

Clutch's study examines the following groups: women-owned, racial and/or ethnic minority-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQ-owned, and disability-owned businesses.

This annual report explores state of small businesses, impact of certification, and significance of workplace diversity and inclusion.

2022 Supplier Diversity Small Business Statistics

Our team highlights the following 2022 trends in the report:

67% of small businesses are run by an underrepresented group.

Less than half (43%) of diverse suppliers have a diverse-owned business certification.

Diverse-owned small businesses still desire the perks of certification: industry networking groups (72%), professional development societies (64%), service provider directory listings (59%), mentorship opportunities (59%).

Suzanne Bucknam, CEO of travel and hospitality service The Connecticut Explorer , recognizes that many small businesses don't know about the benefits of becoming certified as a diverse or minority-owned business.

"I think minority-owned business certifications aren't as popular because many people simply are unaware. There is not as much information out there to assist minority business owners and share that this is even possible."

Interested in more small business supplier diversity statistics? Check out the full report .

About Clutch

Clutch is the leading ratings and reviews platform for IT, marketing, and business service providers. Each month, over half a million buyers and sellers of services use the Clutch platform, and the user base is growing over 50% a year. Clutch has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the U.S. and has been listed as a top 50 startup by LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Morgan Flores

Senior Manager of Content Strategy & SEO

(202) 350-4344

[email protected]

SOURCE Clutch
NEW YORK, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading health and wellness brand for women, Love Wellness, announces the appointment of beauty industry veteran, Joanne Hsieh, as the company's President & Board Director. Hsieh assumed the role officially in 2021 after serving as the Chief Operating Officer at Walker & Company Brands, makers of multicultural beauty brands Bevel and Form Beauty, which was acquired by Procter & Gamble in 2018, and previously as the SVP & General Manager of luxury skincare brand, La Mer, under The Estee Lauder Companies.

Joanne Hsieh portrait credit: BFA (PRNewsfoto/Love Wellness)

Since joining as President, Hsieh has led the company through a period of significant growth and expansion, evolving from a range of vaginal and gut health products to an omni-channel total body wellness solution, alongside Founder & CEO, Lauren "Lo" Bosworth. Together, the duo is changing the way women embrace the healthcare issues they face through education and clean, feel-good formulas.

"Joining as the President of Love Wellness has been an incredibly exciting opportunity to partner with Lauren and our investors, Encore Consumer Capital. This past year has been full of highlights, and it comes down to the fact that we have an incredibly powerful mission and a really special team. When you put those two things together, there are wins around every corner. Over the last 12+ months, we've seen tremendous growth and I am looking forward to the momentum our team will continue to build across all channels and all products," says Hsieh.

As the President of Love Wellness, Hsieh oversees the company's marketing, sales, operations, customer experience, and finance divisions. Furthermore, Hsieh works alongside Bosworth, who founded the company in 2016, on steering the brand's strategy and product innovation roadmap.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Joanne Hsieh to Love Wellness as our President and Board Director. Her ability to drive results while being a compassionate and thoughtful leader is unparalleled. She brings endless energy, knowledge, and strength to our team and is helping to maximize the full potential of the Love Wellness brand," says Bosworth.

"We are so excited to have Joanne Hsieh join Love Wellness in the newly created President role. Joanne is an experienced CPG executive with a track record of profitably scaling brands. She has made a significant impact on the company out of the gate and has been a critical resource to support the business as it doubled in size last year," says Kate Wallman, Managing Director at Encore Consumer Capital and Board Director at Love Wellness.

ABOUT LOVE WELLNESS

Love Wellness is the leading women's total body care brand that offers a range of supplements, multivitamins, and personal care products. Founded in 2016 by Lauren Bosworth, the Love Wellness mission is to create natural solutions for natural problems. The brand believes wellness should be accessible, affordable, educational, and made with love by the experts who have been there too. All products are made with a focus on innovating where others have not with clean ingredients, expert research, and talented guidance from a group of doctors, food scientists, microbiologists, nutritionists and holistic wellness practitioners. Love Wellness products have garnered over 50,000 5-star reviews and are sold on the brand's ecommerce site and at Ulta, Target, and Amazon. Love Wellness empowers you to feel supported, welcomed, and safe during your wellness journeys, and to Love Yourself Well.

www.lovewellness.com | @lovewellness

SOURCE Love Wellness
WOLLERAU, Switzerland and COPENHAGEN, Denmark, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Proman and A.P. Moller -Maersk (Maersk) have entered into a new cooperation agreement to identify and develop green methanol supply solutions for Maersk's new methanol-fuelled container vessels.

As part of today's agreement, Proman will aim to supply Maersk with 100,000  150,000 tonnes per year of green methanol from its new 200,000 tonnes per year methanol facility in development in North America. The project will be built by Proman with target start of operations in 2025, producing bio-methanol from non-recyclable forestry residues and municipal solid waste.

Proman and Maersk will further collaborate on developing global projects with the aim of producing and delivering green methanol for Maersk's vessels. Proman will leverage its expertise across the methanol value chain to optimise global supply at Maersk's key bunkering ports, alongside wider collaboration and sharing of operational and technological best practices to drive forward shipping sustainability.

Proman is evaluating multiple bio-methanol and e-methanol projects in South America, Europe and the United Kingdom, which Maersk and Proman will explore as part of a longer-term green methanol supply strategy for Maersk and for the shipping industry.

Proman continues to develop worldwide investments in new ultra-low emission natural gas to methanol plants, in which plants are designed to maximise efficiency and minimise emissions, to help serve the broader marine fuel demand.

Proman Chief Executive, David Cassidy, said of the agreement: "Maersk's industry-leading commitment to green methanol is fully aligned with Proman's belief that methanol should be a key part of the energy transition. Methanol-powered vessels are already in use today, with a proven track record of reducing and even eliminating major emissions like particulate matter and sulphur oxides. We are excited to bring our deep industry experience to help deliver on Maersk's bold ambitions, working together to deliver green methanol and clean shipping at a global scale."

"To transition towards decarbonisation, we need a significant and timely acceleration in the production of green fuels. Green methanol is the only market-ready and scalable available solution today for shipping. Production must be increase through collaboration across the ecosystem and around the world. That is why these partnerships mark an important milestone to get the transition to green energy underway," says Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Fleet & Strategic Brands, A.P. Moller  Maersk.

Key challenges remain in securing competitively priced green methanol globally. In order to help decarbonise the global shipping industry, further legislative action is required to help level the playing field and incentivise the adoption of lower-emission fuels. Consistent and transparent emissions calculation and accounting standards will be critical to allowing like-for-like comparisons between future fuels.

Proman and Maersk's agreement to produce green methanol emphasises the belief that methanol is one of the most viable fuels to meet the urgent challenge of maritime decarbonisation. With increasing investment in low-carbon methanol production and the potential net zero benefits of green methanol, today's announcement will enable the methanol industry as a whole to pave the way to a cleaner shipping future.

About Proman:

Proman is an integrated energy company and the world's second largest methanol producer.

Headquartered in Switzerland, with assets in the United States, Trinidad and Oman, and ongoing expansion into Mexico and Canada, Proman is a global leader in methanol, fertilizer and other products such as melamine. It has extensive experience in petrochemical plant operations, petrochemical and power plant construction, marketing and logistics, and project management.

Proman is committed to developing sustainable methanol and ammonia as cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, offering a pathway to drastically cutting emissions in power generation, overland transportation, shipping and industry.

Proman is also an investor in, and charterer of methanol-fuelled tankers, and is expanding its global supply of low carbon and green methanol for its own use.

Learn more about our work along the clean shipping supply chain here: https://www.proman.org/methanol-as-a-marine-fuel/

About A.P. Moller - Maersk.

A.P. Moller - Maersk is an integrated container logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers' supply chains. As the global leader in shipping services, the company operates in 130 countries and employs approximately 80,000 people.

SOURCE Proman AG; Maersk
C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

Fireside chat with Malala Yousafzai and Manulife CEO Roy Gori built on company's commitment to accelerate connection, shared mindset, and global growth in 2022

TORONTO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife today welcomed Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, for the company's stand-out annual colleague experience, Accelerate2022. The event provided an opportunity for Manulife's 38,000 colleagues to come together as one team, to connect globally, and to be inspired by Malala's incredible personal story. The event brought Manulife's culture of inclusion and continuous learning to the forefront as Malala spoke about the power both individuals and businesses have to create meaningful change, the value in building a resilient mindset, and why education and learning is so important.

"Achieving our goals requires us to empower ourselves through lifelong learning and education," said Malala Yousafzai, Co-Founder of Malala Fund and Nobel Laureate. "I am delighted to see Manulife championing continuous education for their team as a core part of its culture, because through promoting the right to education and lifelong learning we can all help make lives better."

"It was an honour to welcome Malala to discuss her incredible life story. Her ongoing mission in advocating for the universal right to education for women and girls is an inspiration for our global team and directly aligns to our values and mission of making decisions easier and lives better," said Roy Gori, Manulife President & CEO.

"Conversations like these underscore the impact that we can have together on each other, and the communities where we live and work. Thank you to Malala for inspiring us all, it was a privilege for me and a memory I'm sure our entire team will cherish."

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our global wealth and asset management segment, we serve individuals, institutions and retirement plan members worldwide. Our principal operations are in Asia and Canada, and the United States, where we have served customers for more than 155 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. In the previous 12 months we made CAD$31.8 billion in payments to our customers.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com .

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation
FORT COLLINS, Colo., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ranking organically on search engines, like Google and Bing, is extremely important for any small business. Doing so allows businesses to gain access to high-quality leads who are actively searching for exactly what they have to offer.

In this case study , Marketing 360 analyzes how a local med spa drove organic success with the help of the Marketing 360 content marketing strategy and their Content Marketing Specialist.

Over the last three month period, this business gained more than 800K impressions, 19K clicks and hundreds of conversions, with the vast majority of these results coming from content marketing efforts. Compared to the previous three month period, this resulted in a 8% increase in impressions, a 29% increase in clicks and a staggering 195% increase in conversions, as well as an increase in page visits, average time on site, and website visits.

The strategy? This business, with the help of their Content Marketing Specialist at Marketing 360, started by adding high-quality content to all of their website pages and giving their website a design overhaul, including updating the title tags and meta descriptions of all their pages. Then, the Marketing 360 content team started regularly adding fresh and valuable blog post content which included videos, infographics, and other eye-catching designs.

A full-fledged content marketing strategy doesn't start and end at a website. The team also created valuable content for their social media pages and posted regularly.

Regardless of where the content was being placed, this well-rounded content marketing strategy proved successful for this local business.

Through many tools and integrated apps, plus the backing of a fully integrated marketing team, the Marketing 360 platform makes it easy for small businesses to manage their business and marketing, all from one place, while saving time, money, and tons of manual work. Learn more about Marketing 360 at https://www.marketing360.com/ .

About Marketing 360

Marketing 360 is a technology company that provides business management and marketing software and services for SMBs and franchises. For over a decade, the Marketing 360 platform has given SMBs everything they need to manage and grow their business from a singular platform, including the ability to  build a professional website, accept and manage payments, manage leads and customers, book appointments, monitor reviews, manage social media, syndicate business listings, manage content marketing, run multi-channel digital advertising campaigns, and more. Marketing 360 was founded in 2009 with the mission of enriching communities by helping small businesses grow, and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado. Learn more about Marketing 360 at https://www.marketing360.com/.

Contact:

Farra Lanzer

[email protected]

970-541-3284

SOURCE Marketing 360
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Monks, nuns and followers of Tibetan Buddhism should turn their religious belief into the driving force for building their hometowns, serving the society and the country, the 11th Panchen Lama, Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, said during the annual "two sessions" held in Beijing.

"We need to sort out and elucidate the contents of Tibetan Buddhist doctrines that are conducive to the harmony of society, progress of the times, health and civility, and make the interpretation of Tibetan Buddhist doctrines better adapted to the new era," the Panchen Lama, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the national political advisory body, told Xinhua in an interview.

"As a political advisor from the religious circles, I should meticulously learn about the situation of believers and religious personnel at the primary level, and serve the country and the people through my own efforts," he added.

The Panchen Lama said the religious circles should take the initiative in interpreting the Tibetan Buddhist doctrines. This is a concrete manifestation of patriotism and devotion to religion, and a sincere manifestation of their responsibility for the country and the religion they believe in, he noted.

"People of all ethnic groups nationwide, including the Tibetans, are enjoying happiness in a prosperous, equal, civilized and harmonious life," he said, adding that only by upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee can the Chinese people overcome all difficulties and challenges in the future.

"It is an unequivocal mission for us to unswervingly uphold the leadership of the CPC without hesitation," the Panchen Lama said.

Every figure from the religious circles who loves the country, Tibetan Buddhism, hometown, and the people should take a clear-cut stance on upholding the CPC leadership, he said. 
TOLEDO, Ohio, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Martin Skie, MD, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Orthopedic Surgeon for his outstanding work in the field and in acknowledgment of his work at the University of Toledo Medical Center's Orthopaedic Center.

With over 25 years of experience, Martin Skie, MD, is a respected Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in hand and wrist surgery. He treats traumatic wrist injuries, deformity following forearm and distal radius fractures and elbow instability, and other hand and wrist issues. Additionally, Dr. Skie is the Chief of the Division of Hand and Microsurgery, and a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Toledo.

Highly educated in his field, Dr. Skie first pursued his medical career at Miami University, FL, earning his Bachelor of Science degree. He then earned his Medical degree from the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, OH. Dr. Skie then completed a residency in Orthopedic Surgery and a Fellowship in Hand Surgery at Loma Linda University Medical Center, CA, and affiliated hospitals.

Remaining abreast of developments in the Orthopedic Surgery field, Dr. Skie is a member of the ABOS, ASSH, and AMA. To give back to his community, Dr. Skie donates to and volunteers with the Cherry Street Mission. He enjoys spending his spare time with his family and going for walks.

He would like to dedicate this honorable recognition to his parents Diane and Chuck; his children Jordan, Zach, and Ryan; and his mentors, Dr. Nabil Ebraheim and Dr. Virchel Wood.

SOURCE Continental Who's Who
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream ("MCAAD") and Coursera, one of the world's largest online learning platforms, today launched The American Dream Academy, a new, free initiative that will equip up to 200,000 Americans with the skills needed to increase their career options or put them on a path to continuing their education.

MCAAD's mission to broaden access to the American Dream is being realized through a series of programs with corporate and non-profit partners that will provide Americans with skills and tools to increase their chances of higher-quality, higher-paid employment. The Academy, designed and built by MCAAD and Coursera, will provide free certified skills training to underserved Americans nationwide to advance social and economic mobility in the digital economy.

The fast-changing requirements for employment demand equipping the American workforce with the right skills and tools. Ninety-one percent of U.S. businesses accelerated their digitization plans in 2020, but skills among the workforce have not transformed at the same pace.1 The Academy's mission is to lead the way in helping companies upskill Americans for the evolving world of work and to position learners for the improved job paths and increased earning potential they need to access their American Dreams.

"Our mission with this partnership is to give underemployed young Americans the opportunity to learn skills that will qualify them for higher-level employment, so they are better positioned to prosper and work toward their ultimate dreams. Simultaneously, the program will provide a steady stream of talent to companies that want to diversify their workforce and focus workforce training on skills for the future, not the past," said Dr. Kerry Healey, President of MCAAD. "We encourage businesses across America to join us and Coursera in expanding opportunities to underserved youth to ensure a skilled workforce for the future."

The Academy's program consists of three components: coursework that leads to a certification in an in-demand technical skill; coursework focused on workplace skills including communication, critical thinking, and developing a growth mindset; and learner supports, such as community initiatives, to help learners progress through the courses. Learners will begin the program by sharing their aspirations, assessing their strengths, and setting clear goals after completion of the program.

"We are honored to partner with MCAAD to launch The American Dream Academy and enable 200,000 U.S. workers to develop the skills and credentials needed to advance their education and enter high-growth digital careers," said Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO. "This type of institutional collaboration, offering skills training at no cost to underserved communities, will be critical to revitalizing the American Dream and building a more equitable workforce in the digital economy."

The Academy will offer entry-level certificates created by some of America's largest companies, including Google, IBM, and Meta that equip learners who do not possess a college degree or technical experience for well-paying digital jobs in high-demand sectors. This includes access to content like Google Career Certificates , which prepare graduates for in-demand jobs in the high growth fields of data analytics, IT support, project management, and user experience (UX) design, and support Spanish language learners. There are currently 1.3M open jobs across the U.S. in these career fields, with an average entry-level salary of $69,000.

"Every young adult should have the opportunity to succeed in their career, and The American Dream Academy will help thousands realize their full economic potential," said Lisa Gevelber, Founder, Grow with Google. "We're proud to support this initiative by providing access to our Google Career Certificates, industry-recognized credentials that are accepted by over 150 employersincluding, SAP, Verizon, Wayfair, and of course Googlewho look to hire from the program."

Many entry-level certificates from Google and IBM have ACE Credit Recommendation, enabling more flexible pathways to pursue a college degree. Learners who complete a certificate are eligible to receive up to 12 college credits from participating colleges and universities in the U.S., or the equivalent of four college courses at the associate's degree level. Western Governors University will offer guaranteed admission to many of its career-aligned bachelor's degree programs.

Those who complete the program will earn an American Dream Scholars Badge. The Academy intends to build an online community of successful participants who can provide a support network for one another and help fund others through this program over time.

"The American Dream Academy's mission to support skills education, especially for underserved populations in the U.S., will help diversify our future workforce," said Charles H. DeBow, III, Executive Director of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. "The National Black Chamber of Commerce is proud to partner on this nationwide initiative and create fantastic opportunities for economic mobility. We encourage our members and their businesses to utilize these scholarships and prepare our communities for the evolution of work."

The American Dream Academy also has partnerships with EY, IBM, Meta, SV Academy, University of North Texas, Welcome.US, and Western Governors University.

For more information on the American Dream Academy and to register for the program, visit www.theamericandreamacademy.org. For partnership inquiries, contact [email protected].

About MCAAD

The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD)'s mission is to advance economic and social mobility for people in America and around the world. The Center celebrates people who exemplify the ideal of the American Dream, confronts barriers to opportunity, and catalyzes solutions that advance economic and social mobility for all. MCAAD focuses on expanding access to four pillars of the American Dream: education and the educator, public health and medical research, access to capital and financial empowerment, and entrepreneurship and innovation. Across these four pillars, the Center will offer a broad array of educational programs and inspirational content, events, convenings, research, and polling, as well as building partnerships with companies, non-profits, and civic organizations that can deliver impact on people's lives and broaden opportunity. In 2023, the Center will open its physical doors on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. to visitors around the world. For more information, visit www.mcaad.org .

Contact:



[email protected]

About Coursera

Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 92 million registered learners as of September 30, 2021. Coursera partners with over 250 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelor's and master's degrees. Institutions around the world use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in fields such as data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a B Corp in February 2021.

Contact:



Maria-Nicole Ikonomou

[email protected]

1 Coursera Global Skills Report 2021 Finds US Behind in Digital Skills, Ranked 29th Globally (June 2021) https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210609005235/en/Coursera-Global-Skills-Report-2021-Finds-US-Behind-in-Digital-Skills-Ranked-29th-Globally

SOURCE Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream
JACKSON, Miss., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has entered a statewide partnership with Paper to offer unlimited, 24/7 tutoring to all 350,000 public school students in grades 3-12. The service will come at no cost to school districts that opt-in to provide it to their students and families.

By being the first state organization to enter a partnership with Paper, the MDE is taking a massive stride to democratize academic supportsomething that has historically been difficult for schools and families to afford on their own.

"We're honored to take this major step towards educational equity alongside the state of Mississippi," said Philip Cutler, co-founder and CEO of Paper. "This initiative makes it clear that the state's highest-ranking education leaders view tutoring as a vital academic resource, and we look forward to partnering with them to create a world-class educational system in the Magnolia State."

No matter where, how, or when students need assistance, they can log on to Paper from any device to instantly access live tutoring in ELA and math, or they can upload any written work for detailed feedback from highly skilled tutors. Help is available in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin, and sessions can last for a few minutes or several hours. With full visibility into student activity, teachers can track progress, identify learning gaps and personalize their instructionwithout feeling pressure to be on call 24/7 for their students.

Given the urgent need to improve student outcomes at a larger scale than ever before, the partnership will support the MDE in achieving critical strategic goals such as ensuring all students are proficient and showing growth in Math and ELA, and every student graduates from high school and is college and career ready.

The MDE's partnership with Paper is part of a multipronged effort to elevate student safety and learning, with the department investing up to $49 million in COVID relief funding for statewide educational services, ranging from a school safety platform to college and career readiness support, online resources and web-based tutoring.

About Paper

Paper partners with school districts to deliver 1:1 tutoring that is equitable, scalable, and cost-effective. Students get unlimited 24/7 live help and writing feedback, teachers get insights to tackle individual learning gaps, and administrators get actionable data to inform strategic decisions. Paper's multilingual tutors add an extra layer of support across all content areas and grade levels, in and out of the classroomso students always have access to expert help exactly when, where, and how they need it. Paper supports some of the largest school districts in the nation, such as Clark County School District (NV), Hillsborough County Public Schools (FL), Boston Public Schools (MA), Atlanta Public Schools (GA), Columbus City Schools (OH), and Santa Ana Unified School District (CA).

Media Contact

Ava Paydar

Corporate Communications Manager

+1 438 376 2535

[email protected]

SOURCE Paper
FRANKLIN, Tenn. and DALLAS, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) and Santander Consumer USA Inc. (SC) today announce a new partnership to provide customer and dealer financing programs that will help MMNA achieve its goal of making the car-buying experience fast, fair and fun. The announcement comes as Mitsubishi Motors experiences record-breaking sales success, led by the all-new 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander, and welcomes a new generation of customers into the brand.

"Mitsubishi Motors is celebrating 40 years of doing business in the U.S. in 2022, and our future has never been brighter. We are turning heads with one of the freshest showrooms in the industry, we are shattering sales records, and our new partnership with Santander is going to play a key role in taking our success to the next level," said MMNA Chief Operating Officer Mark Chaffin. "Santander's history of delivering outstanding customer service to both dealer partners and customers will be the foundation for the next chapter in MMNA's growth."

Santander Consumer USA is a full-service consumer finance business focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to dealers and customers across the full credit spectrum. Santander has more than 25 years of experience in auto financing and servicing.

"Our experience creating and managing relationships, supporting dealer success and delivering industry-leading platforms, programs and training makes Santander Consumer USA the perfect finance and servicing partner to support the tremendous momentum that Mitsubishi Motors is experiencing," said Santander Consumer USA President of Auto Relationships Bruce Jackson. "We look forward to putting more customers in Mitsubishi vehicles, providing best-in-class service and celebrating many more successes in the future."

For more information on Mitsubishi Motors' full lineup, visit mitsubishicars.com.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Through a network of approximately 330 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. MMNA was the top-ranked Japanese brand in the J.D. Power 2021 Initial Quality Study, ranking third overall and tied with Lexus. In its Environmental Targets 2030, MMNA's parent company Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has set a goal of a 40 percent reduction in the CO2 emissions of its new cars by 2030 through leveraging EVs  with PHEVs as the centerpiece  to help create a sustainable society.

With headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, and corporate operations in California, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, Florida and Virginia, MMNA directly and indirectly employs more than 8,000 people across the United States.

For more information on Mitsubishi vehicles, please contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at 615-257-2698 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

About Santander Consumer USA Inc.

Santander Consumer USA Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a full-service consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to our more than 3 million customers across the full credit spectrum. SC, which began originating retail installment contracts in 1997, had an average managed asset portfolio of approximately $64 billion (for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021). The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Santander Holdings USA, Inc., and is part of Madrid, Spain-based global banking leader Banco Santander. For more information about Santander Consumer USA, please visit www.santanderconsumerusa.com.

SOURCE Santander Consumer USA Inc.
"Mitsubishi Motors is celebrating 40 years of doing business in the U.S. in 2022, and our future has never been brighter. We are turning heads with one of the freshest showrooms in the industry, we are shattering sales records, and our new partnership with Santander is going to play a key role in taking our success to the next level," said MMNA Chief Operating Officer Mark Chaffin. "Santander's history of delivering outstanding customer service to both dealer partners and customers will be the foundation for the next chapter in MMNA's growth."

Santander Consumer USA is a full-service consumer finance business focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to dealers and customers across the full credit spectrum. Santander has more than 25 years of experience in auto financing and servicing.

"Our experience creating and managing relationships, supporting dealer success and delivering industry-leading platforms, programs and training makes Santander Consumer USA the perfect finance and servicing partner to support the tremendous momentum that Mitsubishi Motors is experiencing," said Santander Consumer USA President of Auto Relationships Bruce Jackson. "We look forward to putting more customers in Mitsubishi vehicles, providing best-in-class service and celebrating many more successes in the future."

For more information on Mitsubishi Motors' full lineup, visit mitsubishicars.com.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Through a network of approximately 330 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. MMNA was the top-ranked Japanese brand in the J.D. Power 2021 Initial Quality Study, ranking third overall and tied with Lexus. In its Environmental Targets 2030, MMNA's parent company Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has set a goal of a 40 percent reduction in the CO2 emissions of its new cars by 2030 through leveraging EVs  with PHEVs as the centerpiece  to help create a sustainable society.

With headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, and corporate operations in California, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, Florida and Virginia, MMNA directly and indirectly employs more than 8,000 people across the United States.

For more information on Mitsubishi vehicles, please contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at 615-257-2698 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

About Santander Consumer USA Inc.

Santander Consumer USA Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a full-service consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to our more than 3 million customers across the full credit spectrum. SC, which began originating retail installment contracts in 1997, had an average managed asset portfolio of approximately $64 billion (for the first quarter ended December 31, 2021). The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Santander Holdings USA, Inc., and is part of Madrid, Spain-based global banking leader Banco Santander. For more information about Santander Consumer USA, please visit www.santanderconsumerusa.com.

Contacts

MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA: Jeremy Barnes Lauren Ryan Senior Director, Communications and Events Manager, Communications and Events [email protected] [email protected] Mobile: 714-296-1402 Mobile: 404-862-8286



SANTANDER CONSUMER USA: Laurie Kight

214.801.6455

[email protected]







SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
EL PASO, Texas, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mount Franklin Foods, a leading manufacturer of branded, contract and private label confectionary, nuts, snacks, and foodservice products, announces the appointment of Mayela Soto to Chief Financial Officer. Soto, who joined Mount Franklin Foods in 2015, was most recently Senior Vice President of Accounting and Finance.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Mayela Soto to Chief Financial Officer," said Enrique Grajeda, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mount Franklin Foods. "Mayela has been an integral part of the growth and success of our company and this promotion brings her strong financial leadership, mergers and acquisitions expertise and deep knowledge of multi-national regulations and compliance to the leadership team. She has been, and will continue to be, part of the dynamic and seasoned team that will lead us into the future ensuring our aggressive growth goals are shored up with the soundest foundation."

Soto joined Mount Franklin Foods in 2015 as Financial Planning and Analysis and Special Projects Manager. One year later, she was promoted to Director of Finance and Accounting-U.S. In 2018, Mayela stepped up to the role of Vice President of Accounting and Finance, incorporating oversight for Finance-Mexico, and then assumed her most recent role as Senior Vice President of Finance and Accounting.

Soto is the first woman to hold the position of Chief Financial Officer at Mount Franklin Foods. "We are thrilled to have Mayela step into this new role and are proud to be an organization that seeks to provide boundless workplace opportunities for all individuals," concluded Grajeda.

Soto holds a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at El Paso and recently obtained certification from Harvard Business School in Succeeding as a Strategic Chief Financial Officer.

About Mount Franklin Foods

Mount Franklin Foods, LLC is a leading North American manufacturer of high-quality confections, nut products, mints, culinary plant-based proteins, bake mixes, powdered beverages and ingredients headquartered in El Paso, Texas. The company proudly serves major retailers, wholesalers, co-manufacturing customers and foodservice distributors through its Sunrise Confections & Azar Nut divisions as well as thru affiliates: Hospitality Mints and Element Food Solutions. For more information, please visit www.MountFranklinfoods.com.

SOURCE Mount Franklin Foods, LLC
PITTSBURGH, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA), the global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of sophisticated safety solutions that protect people and facility infrastructures, today announced the donation of more than $400,000 of safety equipment to Ukrainian firefighters. This donation is made in partnership with FIRE AID, a UK-based non-profit organization that facilitates the donation of fire and rescue equipment around the world.

The donation comprises a wide range of fire safety equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus, fire helmets, firefighter protective apparel, fire boots, fire gloves, and safety goggles.

"For more than a century, MSA has been dedicated to one singular mission: helping to ensure that men and women may work in safety, and that they, their families and their communities may live in health throughout the world. For our 4,800 global associates, the devastation being faced by people in Ukraine reminds all of us of the importance of that mission," said Bob Leenen, President for MSA International. "Through our existing partnership with FIRE AID, we have the opportunity to help support the safety needs of firefighters doing everything they can to help others in their own cities and towns," he said."

Founded in 2014, FIRE AID is an association of charities and services with a mutual interest in providing ethical and sustainable donations of fire and rescue equipment, as well as training services, in more than 50 countries around the world. The non-profit organization has long-standing experience in coordinating humanitarian aid projects, facilitating product donations, and supporting the volunteer efforts of firefighters around the world to help train more than 5,000 firefighters residing in countries in need.

FIRE AID has a history of helping support firefighters in Ukraine, commented Claire Hoyland, FIRE AID Coordinator. "Because of our relationship with Ukranian first responders, we very much appreciate the donation of this equipment by MSA Safety. It will go a long way in helping protect emergency workers as they help to protect civilian lives," Ms. Hoyland said.

Stephanie Sciullo, Chief Legal Officer and Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility & Public Affairs for MSA, noted that in addition to the product donation, the company is also providing support through other humanitarian efforts, like the International Red Cross. "In the spirit of our mission, we are extending our support to those in need through multiple humanitarian efforts to help ease the burden so many are facing."

About MSA Safety

Established in 1914, MSA Safety Incorporated is the global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures. Many MSA products integrate a combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive product line is used by workers around the world in a broad range of markets, including the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, the fire service, the construction industry, mining and the military. MSA's core products include self-contained breathing apparatus, fixed gas and flame detection systems, portable gas detection instruments, industrial head protection products, firefighter helmets and protective apparel, and fall protection devices. With 2021 revenues of $1.4 billion, MSA employs approximately 4,800 people worldwide. The company is headquartered north of Pittsburgh in Cranberry Township, Pa., and has manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. With more than 40 international locations, MSA realizes approximately half of its revenue from outside North America. For more information visit MSA's web site at www.MSAsafety.com.

About FIRE AID

FIRE AID is a UK based charity, which brings together its 30 member organizations to deliver humanitarian aid to fire & rescue services worldwide. Our members have been working in this field for over 30 years and together have a wealth of experience across 53 countries implementing humanitarian projects. FIRE AID provides a unique database for fire and rescue services and suppliers to donate perfectly useable (but decommissioned) equipment to our projects, saving it from being scrapped and recycling it to save lives overseas. All equipment donations are accompanied by expert training, delivered by volunteer fire fighters and medics. For further information please see: https://fire-aid.org/

SOURCE MSA Safety
LAS VEGAS, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Steve Look, founder and CEO of Paradigm Search Group, became President of the National Association of Physician Recruiters (NAPR) on Feb 18th, 2022. Look previously served as Vice-President of the physician recruiters' professional association, which offers resources, education, and networking opportunities for recruiters from all types of healthcare organizations including search firms, physician groups and hospitals.

"As a tenured NAPR member and Officer, I'm honored to lead the NAPR in 2022," Look said. "I look forward to continuing our current path of positive growth, and to help the Association plot a course for the coming years. Enhancing our member resources and increasing opportunities for engagement will be a focus for us this year," he added. Look brings more than 20 years of experience in physician recruitment and leadership to the executive leadership role at NAPR.

Impacting the Healthcare Recruiting Industry

The healthcare industry has experienced some of its most uniquely challenging years recently. Effective physician recruitment strategies and teams are more critical to success of healthcare organizations than ever before, according to Look.

"The NAPR continues to serve as the preeminent resource for Ethics, Networking, and Education for physician recruiters across the country. Our members enjoy credibility among peers and clients alike, as part of an association that models and governs business practices with the utmost integrity."

Making valuable connections with other experienced physician recruiters is another valuable aspect of NAPR membership. "Networking is also a huge benefit, as our members collaborate to share best practices, expand their network, and grow their businesses," Look explained. "Recruiters continually gain knowledge and strategies via NAPR's education platform, which includes numerous resources and tools including a monthly newsletter, webinar series, and an annual convention."

This year's annual NAPR convention took place from February 17-19th, at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV. The convention is co-hosted by NALTO, the National Association for Locum Tenens, and brings together hundreds of recruiters from across the country each year.

About Paradigm Search Group (PSG):

PSG is a healthcare search firm established in 2021 by Steve Look, a tenured leader of the physician recruiting industry with more than 20 years of experience in recruiting and management. PSG serves healthcare organizations across the country from its headquarters in Dallas, TX. While extensively experienced with recruiting physicians and advanced practice clinicians among all specialties for any type of health system or medical practice, PSG offers particular expertise for private practice recruitment in surgical sub-specialties. For more information, visit www.ParadigmSearchGroup.com

About National Association of Physician Recruiters (NAPR):

NAPR is the national healthcare recruiting association for recruiters in all types of organizationssearch firms, management companies, health care organizations, and Locum Tenens firmsthroughout 30+ years as an industry leader. For more information visit www.NAPR.org

Media Contact:

Andrea Clement

[email protected]

678.779.7549

SOURCE Paradigm Search Group
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Adam Mellem has joined NeuAnalytics as Vice President of Product, bringing with him his veteran expertise and compliance management experience to further enhance and expand NeuAnalytics' industry-leading receivables platform.

Adam brings with him over 15 years of financial services experience. He has worked in many areas of indirect lending, from credit and originations to collections and recovery. Mr. Mellem holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Northern Iowa and an M.B.A. from the University of Iowa.
ATLANTA, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With images and stories of the Russia-Ukraine War flooding the world's social media feeds, media outlets and Internet, the launch of "Big Conversations with Little Children: Addressing questions, worries, and fears" by Dr. Lauren Starnes could not be better timed as caregivers grapple with how to discuss difficult topics with young children. The book is available for pre-order now on Amazon and will be released April 15, 2022.

"Big Conversations with Little Children: Addressing questions, worries, and fears" is the first comprehensive book for early childhood educators and parents on how to talk about difficult topics, such as war, divorce, gender fluidity, death, natural disasters, violence and more. Every topic is based on real experiences with young children and questions they have asked. The book is geared towards how to talk to toddlers to elementary school-aged children. Knowing how to discuss difficult topics with young children is vital to their mental health and can ease anxiety.

"Our children are faced with difficult topics in life, whether it's the loss of a loved one, divorce, violence reported in the news, or something else, and this book equips caregivers with techniques on how to talk about sensitive subjects without silencing the curiousand oftentimesscared children.

"We can't shield our children from everything, but we can support their wellbeing by listening to them and responding to their questions in the best ways possible," said Dr. Lauren Starnes.

About the author: Dr. Lauren Starnes is an expert in early childhood education. She serves in senior executive leadership for a national early childhood education company and she has worked at every level of early childhood education. Dr. Starnes has completed dual doctoral programs in Child Development and in Educational Leadership from North Carolina State University and Liberty University respectively; Masters in Child Development from North Carolina State University; and Bachelors in Psychology, from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. More information about Lauren is here.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Pinnacle Media
South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA) Head of Policy Gwen Ngwenya (2nd L) speaks about the party's position on migration in Cape Town, South Africa, on March 9, 2022. South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday said migration to the country could bring opportunities while the cost of xenophobia is high, as the country faces xenophobic sentiment. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

CAPE TOWN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday said migration to the country could bring opportunities while the cost of xenophobia is high, as the country faces xenophobic sentiment.

Migration to South Africa has many positive benefits but also challenges, and it is important to take legitimate concern seriously, while at the same time addressing xenophobia, said DA Head of Policy Gwen Ngwenya while updating the party's position on migration, after it was approved recently by DA's highest decision-making body Federal Council.

The party supported freer movement of people under safe, efficient and transparent borders and proper functioning home affairs department, which enables people to enter and remain legally, said Ngwenya.

Migrants contribute to South Africa's revenue and create jobs, she said.

The party proposes corresponding interventions to support its objectives on migration. 
BALTIMORE, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, New Story announced the opening of a new company of clinics, Your Life ABA, specialized in meeting the unique and exceptional needs of children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder and other complex challenges. With six clinics located across Chase City, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Northern Virginia, Petersburg, and Roanoke, Your Life ABA supports 85 children and young adults in Virginia in reaching new milestones.

Your Life ABA uses Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy to provide children and young adults the skills and resources they need to successfully manage real-life situations. By focusing on increasing language and communication skills, and honing other critical skills, such as attention, focus, memory, and academics, Your Life ABA aims to give student the long-term tools they need to find success, however that is defined for them.

"We are thrilled to provide our services across communities in Virginia, and I am sincerely looking forward to meeting local families, healthcare advocates, and potentially new clients at our open house," said Melanie Kells, BCBA, LBA, Director of Clinical Services, Your Life ABA. "Our programs and services offer the quality and consistency we know families and clients want and deserve, and our compassionate team of educated and trained staff are among best in the state."

Your Life ABA: Open House

Wednesday, March 23 from 2  4 p.m. ET

8550 Cinder Bed Rd, Suite 100

Lorton, VA 22079

For more information visit here.

Potential clients welcomed!

During the open house, visitors can expect to participate in a site tour, meet staff and therapists, and learn more about the life-changing results our program is helping clients achieve. Your Life ABA offers a range of services, including: after-school clinics, preschool clinics, daytime clinical programs, telehealth options, community-based programs and parent and caregiving training and support.

Your Life ABA is a clinical company owned by New Story, a leading provider of special education programs for children and young adults with serious and complex behavioral and academic challenges.

About New Story

New Story is a leading provider of special and alternative education and mental health services for children and young adults with serious and complex challenges. The New Story family of schools and clinics serve families across Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. For more information, visit www.newstory.com.

Your Life ABA is a clinical company owned by New Story. For more information, visit https://www.yourlifeaba.com/.

SOURCE New Story
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Edition: 4; Released: February 2022

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Companies: 358 - Players covered include Moderna, Inc.; Pfizer Inc./BioNTech; AstraZeneca/University of Oxford; Johnson & Johnson ; CanSino Biologics, Inc.; China National Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (Sinopharm); Sinovac Biotech Ltd.; Novavax, Inc. ; Inovio Pharmaceuticals ; Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Age Group (18 Years & Above, Under 18 Years)

Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Spain; Russia; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; India; Rest of Asia-Pacific; Latin America; Brazil; Mexico; Rest of Latin America; Middle East; Africa.



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ABSTRACT-



After months of what seemed to be a receding pandemic supported by vaccines and adherence to new COVID appropriate protocols as the new normal, the world is witnessing the ghosts of the past rising once again. Barely months after the Indian strain called the Delta, or B.1.617.2 which was 40-60% more transmissible than Alpha and almost twice as transmissible as the original Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2 took over the world as a dominant strain, a new variant dubbed as "Omicron (B.1.1.529)" has emerged. Originally detected in South Africa in mid-November 2021, Omicron is now spreading across the globe with Asia, Europe, and North America reporting infections from this strain.



In addition to acquiring the mutations of the delta variant, the Omicron variant has over 50 mutations with 32 of them seen on its spike protein, two times higher than Delta, indicating that the virus has further adapted to the human species. Even more worrisome and unsettling is the fact that the variant also includes the vaccine-resistant alterations seen in Beta variant. The worst variant the pandemic has thrown up till date and carrying the mutations P681H and N679K, Omicron is feared to reduce vaccine effectiveness by close to 40% to 50%. There are fears that this strain is capable of outsmarting monoclonal antibodies, such as Regeneron`s treatment, since these therapies target parts of the virus that have now mutated. Currently classified as `variant of concern`, fears over the spreading Omicron have once again pushed countries across the globe to re-impose international and domestic travel restrictions. Omicron is now expected to displace the circulation Delta and other variants. It`s only a matter of time before a newer more competitive virus emerges. With Europe already battling fourth and fifth waves of infections, the new Omicron variant is bringing back ghosts of the past year. Fears are again rising over possible increase in infections, mortalities, overburdened hospitals, healthcare systems and lockdowns resulting in yet another economic nightmare. Lockdowns, travel and movement restrictions will be back once again if infection from this new strain fails to be controlled. India which is just recovering from the intense second wave with hopes of the disease reaching an endemic state, the new variant is reigniting fears of a possible third wave.



With several countries facing repeated waves of infections, the world is up against a new challenge in this war against the virus. An uphill challenge confronts governments in rapidly stepping up efforts to accelerate the pace of vaccine administration, despite numerous challenges. It`s a race against time and to successfully end the pandemic, mass vaccination drives must outpace the speed with which the coronavirus is currently mutating. Vaccine inequality is the prime reason behind the emergence of these new series of mutant strains which are more infectious, transmissible and responsible for resurgence of infection outbreaks worldwide. With the rise in vaccination rates especially in developed countries, measures designed to limit the spread of Covid-19 like mask mandates and capacity limits have been relaxed. The subsequent relaxation strengthened consumer confidence and allowed economic activity to return to normalcy. However, with the Covid-19 virus rapidly mutating, new variants have emerged in many parts of the world, posing a threat of potential future waves. Different parts of Europe are currently witnessing fourth and fifth waves of infection spread. These new variants are more deadly than the original virus, more easily transmissible and can impact the effectiveness of vaccines.

Prolonging pandemic and new mutant strains means that immunity among vaccinated population is beginning to slip, throwing the focus on booster doses. The leading vaccine makers, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca announced plans to pursue development of booster shots to address the emerging threat of new virus variants. The booster shot will be essential to keep the immune system to the optimum level. A number of wealthy countries like the US, Germany and Israel are considering booster shots to increase protection against Covid-19. Germany is expected to roll out booster shots to vulnerable individuals. mRNA-vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will be offered as booster shots, regardless of the vaccine administered previously. In India, Bharat Biotech, the makers of Covaxin, received regulator`s approval for conducting trials for a third shot that will be administered as a booster dose. While a booster dose is typically an exact replica of the initial vaccine, it can also be tweaked. Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer are working on variant-specific booster shots. Recently, Moderna announced positive initial data from its ongoing phase 2 study.



The data revealed that the booster dose increased neutralizing antibody responses against the original virus as well as B.1.351 and P.1, in previously vaccinated individuals. Studies suggest that a third dose can boost antibodies even in immunocompromised patients. The rapid pace at which new strains capable of evading antibodies are rising is throwing the focus on vaccine tweaking and researchers are already working on updating vaccines with the new spike proteins to prepare for new variants with a new version of the vaccine. This however requires additional clinical trials, more time consuming research work, and regulatory approvals. The time-to-market remains a main challenge with the process taking six to eight months before vaccines can be updated and commercialized. This time-consuming development process is a major setback when compared to the rapid rate of infection spread from new strains.



In this race against virus evolution, swift and rapid vaccinations are the need of the hour to limit the spread of mutant strains, notwithstanding the fact that vaccines themselves are contributing to virus mutations. Rapid mass vaccinations will make the mutation process and threat more manageable. It is an undeniable fact that vaccines will see a slow erosion in efficacy and effectiveness over the long-term. Therefore it is important to slow the spread of the virus by vaccinating as many people as possible at the earliest. To end the pandemic, which currently seems to have received yet another setback will require more dedicated focus on vaccine equality, international cooperation in COVID research, more transparent information transfer and alert systems on new emerging strains, waiver of IP on vaccines, and science-based swift decisions regarding travel bans. All of these are vital to prevent squandering away "hard won gains" achieved against the virus over the last 2 years. More



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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
NextGen Benefits celebrates 10 years of dedication to health care benefits advisers & consultants. Tweet this

In celebration of its 10th Anniversary, the NextGen Benefits Mastermind is giving back to the industry with their "This is the Year, Gifts of 10 Investment:"

10 full scholarships to be personally mentored by Nelson Griswold in a 12-month NextGeneration Mentorship Program for progressive employee benefits advisers under 30 or with five or fewer years in the industry.

in a 12-month for progressive employee benefits advisers under 30 or with five or fewer years in the industry. 10 guest invitations to benefits agency owners & principals to attend one of the three members-only 2022 NextGen Benefits Mastermind Summits .

. 10 full scholarships to attend a 2022 NextGen Benefits Boot Camp , a three-day intensive workshop for benefits advisers on the NextGen Toolset | Skillset | Mindset .

, a three-day intensive workshop for benefits advisers on the NextGen . 10 full scholarships to participate in an Agency Growth Roundtable, a 12-month peer-to-peer mastermind group for benefits advisers that meets in-person quarterly and includes NextGen Benefits Boot Camp.

"We'll be soliciting nominations from the industry for the agency leaders and benefits advisers who will receive these scholarships and invitations," said Griswold. This is the year the NextGen Benefits Mastermind brings better health care benefits to even more companies, and it all starts with educating the C-Suite about the extraordinary options they have available to them.

Griswold and the Mastermind Partners are not resting on their well-deserved laurels, but are focused on driving more creative disruption to continue improving both employee benefits and the U.S. healthcare systemone employer at a time.

To find out more about NextGen Mastermind Partnership please visit www.nextgenbenefits.com/mastermind .

About NextGen Benefits

The NextGen Benefits Mastermind Partnership is the employer health care industry's premier peer exchange network committed to improving the quality of health care while making it affordable by managing the supply chain of employees' health care for quality and cost. The Mastermind's Vision Statement  "The highest quality health care, accessible and affordable for all Americans, beginning with the employees of our employer clients" is the group's "Why," driving each adviser/member to disrupt the broken benefits industry and the dysfunctional health care delivery system.

CONTACT INFO:

Toni Purry

NextGen Benefits

323.253.7966

[email protected]

SOURCE NextGen Benefits
SAN DIEGO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- North Island Credit Union has partnered with the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU) to provide urgently needed aid for Ukrainians, offering a $100,000 donation match for the organization's Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund.

Through the partnership, North Island Credit Union will match every dollar donated through its Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund campaign page, up to $100,000, through April 30th. The Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund initially will direct support to immediate humanitarian needs triggered by Russia's continued targeting of civilians, which has caused a crisis for those still in Ukraine and for more than two million Ukrainian refugees who have fled the country.

"We have watched this tragic and unnecessary crisis unfold in Ukraine along with the rest of the world, and our hearts are with the brave Ukrainian people and all those impacted by this senseless violence," said North Island Credit Union President/CEO Steve O'Connell. "Partnering with the WFCU is one way we can support our Ukrainian credit union family along with impacted citizens and communities, and we encourage everyone to support this very important humanitarian cause."

WFCU's Ukrainian Credit Union Displacement Fund will help mitigate both short- and long-term impacts to Ukraine's credit union system and those that look to it for support, including both employees and members. WFCU, in partnership with the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), is leveraging its global network to identify the immediate priority areas where funding can be used to support displaced credit union members and staff.

"We recognize that money is needed to assist the Ukrainian people right now, which is why we are working to identify partner organizations that can put the generous donations from the international credit union community to good use immediately. But we also know that credit unions, their employees, their members and their communities will need long-term assistance to get back on their feet, which is something we have always worked to provide in times of crisis," said Mike Reuter, Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions' Executive Director.

WFCU will donate more than half of all dollars collected in the initial weeks of the campaign to vetted non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are providing emergency humanitarian assistance in Ukraine or in neighboring European countries hosting Ukrainian refugees. The remaining funds, along with continued fundraising, will go toward longer-term credit union recovery efforts.

To keep the international credit union movement up to date on the challenges credit unions in Ukraine are facing, WOCCU has started a Ukrainian Crisis Response Blog. Look for frequent updates on the changing conditions for credit unions in Ukraine, and how credit unions and their industry partners across the world are taking actions to support them.

About North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union

California Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 165,000 members and assets of over $4 billion, California Credit Union has 25 branches throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Please visit northisland.ccu.com for more information or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @northislandcu.

About Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU)

WFCU is the fundraising and engagement arm of the World Council of Credit Unions, the global trade association and development platform for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach. World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 90 countries. Worldwide, 86,451 credit unions in 118 countries serve 375 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.

SOURCE North Island Credit Union
PEORIA, Ill., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OSF Ventures joins six other investors in a Series A, $12.5 million funding round for a wireless, wearable EEG (brain wave monitor) to detect seizures, even those that are non-convulsive with no obvious signs. Catalyst Health Ventures (CHV) and Genoa Ventures co-led the over-subscribed early financing along with participation from Dexcom, Inc. (DXCM), Wavemaker 360, and existing investors MedMountain Ventures and Salt Lake City Angels.

The prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders is rising as the U.S. population ages. The World Health Organization says one in 10 people will experience a seizure in their lifetime and there are approximately 3.4 million people in the United States diagnosed with epilepsy. However, two-thirds of Americans don't have easy access to EEG monitoring and most emergency departments lack the capability to screen for neuro-emergencies.

The one-inch square Epitel wireless sensor has a proprietary adhesive that easily sticks discreetly on a patient's scalp, just below the hairline. Two sensors can be worn on the forehead while the other two can be located behind an ear for early screening when a physician suspects cognitive impairment. Currently, Epitel's disposable wireless EEG sensors and remote access software known as REMI, are FDA cleared for in-hospital use, but the company plans to seek clearance for use across a variety of patient care settings.

Bedside nurses instead of EEG technicians can easily attach Epitel's miniature sensors within minutes, and brain wave activity can be recorded to see changes over time. Results are transmitted from the cloud to the REMI patient monitoring platform, easily accessible on a tablet.

"This technology really helps break down access barriers because it will not only reduce the time to EEG initiation, but the sensors and monitoring software give rural hospitals that do not have EEG resources the ability to screen patients suspected of seizure activity, in lieu of immediately requiring transfer to a larger tertiary hospital."

- Liridon Rrushaj, director of OSF Venture Investments.

"OSF HealthCare has many rural hospitals within its 15-hospital system, and the ease of use enables early detection of neurologic issues so doctors will be able to proactively address care options before the worst symptoms arise," adds Rrushaj.

The wireless technology prevents obstructions in the recordings of electrographic seizure activity or antenna noise that comes with tethered wires that are part of currently available hard-wired systems. Epitel's sensors can provide real-time monitoring of adult and pediatric patients suspected of having neurological complications, thus potentially speeding diagnoses and treatment in community hospitals.

"Epitel's system is truly an innovative solution to a widespread problem  EEG machines and skilled technicians are in short supply, with an ever growing demand," says Dr. Deepak Nair, director of Ambulatory and Virtual Neurology Services for OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute and a neurological hospitalist at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. "The Epitel team has developed a simple and powerful tool that allows us to provide remote EEG monitoring, increasing the speed of diagnosis and treatment. This approach to diagnostic medicine is exactly the transformative thinking that will help decentralize the delivery of advanced neurological care."

OSF Ventures will be collaborating with Epitel to further support its value proposition as the company works to commercialize its REMI platform.

Epitel Chief Executive Officer Mark Lehmkuhle, PhD, stresses, "We look forward to additional clinical input from the specialists at OSF HealthCare and we are honored to have the support of OSF Ventures as part of a strong investment syndicate that will help us advance our platform and our product pipeline. We're motivated by our belief that quick diagnosis and treatment enabled by our technology can lead to more effective treatment plans, better outcomes and improved quality of life for those with epilepsy and other neurological disorders."

For additional assets for this news release, please visit the OSF Newsroom.

OSF Ventures specializes in venture optimization, partnering financially and operationally in companies that improve patient outcomes and reduce costs to health care systems. OSF Ventures is a division of OSF HealthCare. More at osfventures.org.

OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare employs nearly 24,000 Mission Partners in 150 locations, including 15 hospitals  10 acute care, five critical access  with 2,089 licensed beds, and two colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 1,500 primary care, specialist and advanced practice providers. OSF HealthCare, through OSF Home Care Services, operates an extensive network of home health and hospice services. It also owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses and OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization. More at osfhealthcare.org.

Epitel, Inc. is building an EEG monitoring platform to provide accessible, affordable, and reliable diagnostics. The company provides critical EEG access in emergency, critical care, urban, and rural environments as well as systems to monitor patients at home via its proprietary wireless sensor. Epitel unlocks EEG monitoring for patients, caregivers, and providers anytime, anywhere. Learn more at epitel.com .

Contacts: Colleen Reynolds | Media Relations Coordinator, OSF HealthCare | cell: (309) 825-7255

SOURCE OSF Ventures
NEW YORK and SINGAPORE , March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Paxos, the leading regulated blockchain infrastructure platform, announced it has received in-principle approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), a premier financial regulator in Asia-Pacific, to operate digital payments token services under the Payment Services Act 2019. With this license, Paxos becomes one of the first blockchain services providers to meet the highest standard of regulation in both New York and Singapore.

MAS introduced the Payments Services Act as a framework for financial services companies to safely expand into the digital asset ecosystem, and with its Major Payments Institution License, Paxos is now able to offer its leading digital asset and blockchain products and services to customers domiciled in Singapore. Paxos is one of the earliest digital asset operators to secure this licensing, underscoring the company's commitment to operating with transparency and integrity for its customers. The license will also help Paxos to support its current partners in expanding their services into Asia.

MAS' in-principle approval follows Paxos' success in securing the first limited purpose Trust charter for digital assets from the New York Department of Financial Services in 2015. This achievement represents the company's latest efforts to expand its global regulatory stack.

Rich Teo, Co-Founder and CEO, Paxos Asia, commented, "We founded Paxos in Singapore in 2012 because of this jurisdiction's forward-thinking approach to innovation and oversight. Since then, we've distinguished ourselves globally as the most trusted blockchain infrastructure provider because we've relentlessly pursued regulatory oversight. We believe it's the only way for consumers and financial institutions alike to truly experience the benefits of the blockchain and digital assets. We're excited to have MAS as our regulator, and with their oversight, we'll be able to safely accelerate consumer adoption of digital assets globally by powering regulated solutions for the world's biggest enterprises."

About Paxos

Paxos is the leading regulated blockchain infrastructure platform. Its products are the foundation for a new, open financial system that can operate faster and more efficiently. Today, trillions of dollars are locked in inefficient, outdated financial plumbing that is inaccessible to millions of people. Paxos is replatforming the financial system to enable assets to instantaneously move anywhere in the world, at any time, in a trustworthy way.

Paxos uses technology to tokenize, custody, trade and settle assets. It builds enterprise blockchain solutions for institutions like PayPal, Interactive Brokers, Meta, Mastercard, MercadoLibre, Bank of America, Credit Suisse, Societe Generale and Revolut. Paxos is a top-funded fintech company with more than $540 million raised from leading investors including Oak HC/FT, Declaration Partners, Founders Fund, Mithril Capital and PayPal Ventures. With offices in New York, London and Singapore, Paxos takes a global approach to modernizing the financial system.

Media Contact:

Becky McClain

[email protected]

SOURCE Paxos
Crocker brings to bear more than 23 years of experience in sales and growth, management, risk advisory, and business transformation experience. Most recently, she spent nine years at Marsh, serving as Managing Director and Corporate Leader for Virginia, Maryland and DC since 2018 and head of the Virginia office since 2013. At Marsh, she was a results-oriented leader with a proven track record of maximizing operational effectiveness at the local and regional levels. Prior to Marsh, she served as a director at EY from 2000 to 2013.

Her primary focus has been on retail wholesale consumer goods and manufacturing throughout her career, with a particular focus on startup and entrepreneurial companies. She is known for keen turnaround strategies and has demonstrated superb skill in managing risk profiles of companies while enhancing profitability. In addition, Crocker is steeped in the development of revenue-producing growth strategies, indicated by a 32% increase in new business within one year.

"PCF and our partners and clients have already benefitted from Jenni's expertise through her role on our board," stated Peter Foy, Founder and CEO of PCF. "We are excited to now have her leadership and valuable industry insight in house and impacting our business on a day-to-day basis. She will be instrumental in our company growth going forward."

"I am thrilled to be joining PCF Services at this exciting point in the company's history," said Crocker. "I have witnessed firsthand as a board member how fiercely committed our partners and our leadership are to the firm's growth, and I look forward to contributing to that growth trajectory by generating revenue and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of our operations."

About PCF Insurance Services

Headquartered in Lehi, Utah, PCF Insurance Services is a leading full-service consultant and insurance brokerage firm offering a broad array of commercial, life and health, employee benefits and workers' compensation solutions. A top 20 U.S. broker, PCF's agency-centric operating model and entrepreneurial environment support its tremendous growth profile, offering partners alignment through equity ownership, significant leadership incentives and resources to over 2,000 employees throughout the United States. More information can be found at www.pcfins.com.

SOURCE PCF Insurance Services
Vendor Insights

The pet food market in Argentina is fragmented and is characterized by the presence of numerous large, medium, and small-scale manufacturers. These players are competing on various parameters such as price, quality, brand identity, and distribution.

The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including:

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

Grupo Molino Chacabuco

Mars Inc.

Metrive

Nestle SA

Schell and Kampeter Inc.

The J.M. Smucker Co.

Tiernahrung Deuerer GmbH

Tuffys Pet Foods

Wellness Pet Co. Inc.

Find additional highlights on the growth strategies adopted by vendors and their product offerings, Read Free Sample Report .

Key Segment Analysis

By distribution channel, the market share by the offline segment will be significant during the forecast period. The segment includes hypermarkets, supermarkets, and specialty stores that sell pet food. The availability of various kinds of pet food products under a single roof has been crucial in driving the growth of the segment. Moreover, offline stores offer discounts and give away free products when consumers purchase products worth a certain amount, which is increasing the sales of pet food products.

Similarly, by animal type, the market will generate maximum revenue in the dog's pet food segment during the forecast period. The growth of the segment can be attributed to the increasing number of dog ownership across the country. In addition, factors such as the rising dog population and the increasing awareness about the benefits of packaged dog food products will foster the growth of the market in the dog pet food segment.

View FREE Sample: to know additional highlights and key points on various market segments and their impact in coming years.

Key Market Drivers & Trends:

The pet food market is primarily driven by the growth of the organized retail sector. The proliferation of supermarkets, hypermarkets, and specialty stores has led to the growth of organized retail in Argentina. Many retail chains in the country are continuously strengthening their distribution networks and generating more revenue by opening new stores. This is increasing the availability of a wide variety of pet food products under a single roof. Besides, many organized retailers offer dedicated shelf spaces for branded and private-label packaged pet food products. All these factors will have a positive impact on the growth of the pet food market in Argentina during the forecast period.

Another factor supporting the growth of the pet food market in Argentina is the increasing demand for organic pet food. The rising focus on the health and wellness of pets among pet parents has increased the demand for organic pet food. In addition, the rising number of health issues caused by conventional food products has forced many pet owners to shift toward the use of organic pet food. It offers various benefits such as reduced skin allergies and ailments, fewer digestive disorders, and improved quality of health. This growing trend is expected to increase the demand for organic pet food, thereby driving the growth of the market.

Download a free sample for highlights on market Drivers & Challenges affecting the pet food market.

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Don't miss out on the opportunity to speak to our analyst and know more insights about this market report. Our analysts can also help you customize this report according to your needs. Our analysts and industry experts will work directly with you to understand your requirements and provide you with customized data in a short amount of time.

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Related Reports:

Dog Food Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

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Pet Food Market in Argentina: Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 2.76% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 207.80 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 2.54 Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Colgate-Palmolive Co., Grupo Molino Chacabuco, Mars Inc., Metrive, Nestle SA, Schell and Kampeter Inc., The J.M. Smucker Co., Tiernahrung Deuerer GmbH, Tuffys Pet Foods, and Wellness Pet Co. Inc. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents:

1. Executive Summary

1.1 Market Overview

Exhibit 01: Key Finding 1

Exhibit 02: Key Finding 2

Exhibit 03: Key Finding 3

Exhibit 04: Key Finding 5

Exhibit 05: Key Finding 8

2. Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 06: Parent market

Exhibit 07: Market Characteristics

2.2 Value Chain Analysis

Exhibit 08: Value chain analysis: Packaged Foods and Meats

2.2.1 Inputs

2.2.2 Inbound logistics

2.2.3 Primary processing

2.2.5 Outbound logistics

2.2.6 End-customers

2.2.7 Marketing and sales

2.2.8 Services

2.2.9 Innovations

3. Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 09: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 10: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2020

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

3.4.1Estimating growth rates for emerging and high-growth markets

3.4.2 Estimating growth rates for mature markets

Exhibit 11: Global - Market size and forecast 2021 - 2026 (million $)

Exhibit 12: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2021 - 2026 (%)

4. Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five Forces Summary

Exhibit 13: Five forces analysis 2021 - 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 14: Bargaining power of the buyer

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 15: Bargaining power of the supplier

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 16: Threat of new entrants

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 17: Threat of substitutes

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 18: Threat of rivalry

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 19: Market condition - Five forces 2021

5 Market Segmentation by Distribution channel

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 20: Distribution channel- Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Distribution channel

Exhibit 21: Comparison by Distribution channel

5.3 Offline - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 22: Offline - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 23: Offline- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Online - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 24: Online - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 25: Online- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Market opportunity by Distribution channel

Exhibit 26: Market opportunity by Distribution channel

6 Market Segmentation by Animal type

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 27: Animal type- Market share 2021-2026 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Animal type

Exhibit 28: Comparison by Animal type

6.3 Dog - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 29: Dog - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 30: Dog - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

6.4 Cat - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 31: Cat - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 32: Cat - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

6.5 Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 33: Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 34: Others - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

6.6 Market opportunity by Animal type

Exhibit 35: Market opportunity by Animal type

7. Customer landscape

Technavio's customer landscape matrix comparing Drivers or price sensitivity, Adoption lifecycle, importance in customer price basket, Adoption rate and Key purchase criteria

Exhibit 36: Customer landscape

8. Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.1.1 Growth of organized retail sector

8.1.2 Pet humanization

8.1.3 Increasing preference for functional and fortified pet food

8.2 Market challenges

8.2.1 Increasing instances of pet allergies

8.2.2 Stringent regulations

8.2.3 Risks of product recall

Exhibit 37: Impact of drivers and challenges

8.3 Market trends

8.3.1 Growing demand for organic pet food

8.3.2 Rise in product visibility and accessibility through online retailing

8.3.3 Rising expansion of product portfolio by leading pet food companies in Argentina

9. Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

Exhibit 38: Vendor landscape

9.2 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 39: Landscape disruption

Exhibit 40: Industry Risk

9.3 Competitive Scenario

10. Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors Covered

Exhibit 41: Vendor Landscape

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 42: Market positioning of vendors

10.3 Colgate-Palmolive Co.

Exhibit 43: Colgate-Palmolive Co. - Overview

Exhibit 44: Colgate-Palmolive Co. - Business segments

Exhibit 45: Colgate-Palmolive Co. - Key offerings

Exhibit 46: Colgate-Palmolive Co. - Segment focus

10.4 Grupo Molino Chacabuco

Exhibit 47: Grupo Molino Chacabuco - Overview

Exhibit 48: Grupo Molino Chacabuco - Product and service

Exhibit 49: Grupo Molino Chacabuco - Key offerings

10.5 Mars Inc.

Exhibit 50: Mars Inc. - Overview

Exhibit 51: Mars Inc. - Product and service

Exhibit 52: Mars Inc. - Key offerings

10.6 Metrive

Exhibit 53: Metrive - Overview

Exhibit 54: Metrive - Product and service

Exhibit 55: Metrive - Key offerings

10.7 Nestle SA

Exhibit 56: Nestle SA - Overview

Exhibit 57: Nestle SA - Business segments

Exhibit 58: Nestle SA - Key offerings

Exhibit 59: Nestle SA - Segment focus

10.8 Schell and Kampeter Inc.

Exhibit 60: Schell and Kampeter Inc. - Overview

Exhibit 61: Schell and Kampeter Inc. - Product and service

Exhibit 62: Schell and Kampeter Inc. - Key offerings

10.9 The J.M. Smucker Co.

Exhibit 63: The J.M. Smucker Co. - Overview

Exhibit 64: The J.M. Smucker Co. - Business segments

Exhibit 65: The J.M. Smucker Co. - Key offerings

Exhibit 66: The J.M. Smucker Co. - Segment focus

10.10 Tiernahrung Deuerer GmbH

Exhibit 67: Tiernahrung Deuerer GmbH - Overview

Exhibit 68: Tiernahrung Deuerer GmbH - Product and service

Exhibit 69: Tiernahrung Deuerer GmbH - Key offerings

10.11 Tuffys Pet Foods

Exhibit 70: Tuffys Pet Foods - Overview

Exhibit 71: Tuffys Pet Foods - Product and service

Exhibit 72: Tuffys Pet Foods - Key offerings

Exhibit 73: Tuffys Pet Food  Key news

10.12 Wellness Pet Co. Inc.

Exhibit 74: Wellness Pet Co. Inc. - Overview

Exhibit 75: Wellness Pet Co. Inc. - Product and service

Exhibit 76: Wellness Pet Co. Inc. - Key offerings

Exhibit 77: Wellness Pet Co. Inc  Key news

11. Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.1.1 Market definition

11.1.2 Objectives

11.1.3 Notes and caveats

11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 78: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.3 Research Methodology

Exhibit 79: Research Methodology

Exhibit 80: Validation techniques employed for market sizing

Exhibit 81: Information sources

11.4 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 82: List of abbreviations

About Us:

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
SEATTLE, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PitchBook, the premier data provider for the private and public equity markets, today announced the integration of new ESG data and insights to help clients identify opportunities, mitigate risk, and understand complex environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies. Although ESG risk factors are an increasingly vital component of industry, company, or transaction due diligence, available ESG data has historically been difficult to compile and even more difficult to interpret given varying definitions and methodologies. More than ever, investors need consistent and comparable ESG tools to identify and understand material ESG risks facing their portfolio companies. PitchBook's new sustainability insights, enabled by data from industry-leading provider Morningstar Sustainalytics, offer comparable materiality-driven ESG Risk Ratings on more than 13,000 global public companies. Clients can integrate Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings seamlessly into their existing workflows within the PitchBook Platform. In addition, the ESG Risk Ratings offer the transparency and depth of data needed to tailor insights to a wide array of investing strategies. LPs and GPs will now be able to view the contributing ESG factors that matter most to them with more than 70 underlying company-level datapoints, including peer and industry analysis, contextual information on risks, and performance over time.

"Between a rising emphasis on sustainable investing across the globe and increasing pressures on fund managers from their LPs to provide more transparency on the ESG performance of their investments, we're seeing greater demand for quality ESG data with apples-to-apples metrics that enable deep comparative analysis," said Tom Juarez, Product Manager at PitchBook. "With the addition of ESG data to our already comprehensive private and public market datasets, PitchBook continues to prove itself as the premier tool for PE and VC firms to better understand a company's risk profile."

"Morningstar Sustainalytics is delighted to provide our ESG research and ratings to PitchBook's clients," said Krishanti Daryanani, Senior Product Manager at Sustainalytics. "Our industry-leading data can fulfill the growing demand from both public and private investors seeking to integrate ESG risk information into their investment decision-making and reporting processes. We look forward to expanding our partnership with PitchBook."

Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings and sustainability insights build on PitchBook's ESG research and annual sustainable investment survey from the PitchBook Institutional Research Group. Survey results and new research indicate approaches to environmental, social, and governance and impact investing span a spectrum within both PE and VC, further underlining the need for comprehensive and customizable ESG risk assessment tools.

A webinar on March 31st at 10am PST with PitchBook analysts Hilary Wiek and Anikka Villegas will explore these differences within ESG and impact investing, explain claims of greenwashing in PE and VC, and provide frameworks for implementing ESG data and strategies. Register here for the webinar.

For more information on PitchBook's ESG Risk Scores and sustainable insights, click here.

About PitchBook

PitchBook is a financial data and software company that provides transparency into the capital markets to help professionals discover and execute opportunities with confidence and efficiency. PitchBook collects and analyzes detailed data on the entire venture capital, private equity and M&A landscapeincluding public and private companies, investors, funds, investments, exits and people. The company's data and analysis are available through the PitchBook Platform, industry news and in-depth reports. Founded in 2007, PitchBook has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, New York, London, and Hong Kong and serves more than 60,000 professionals around the world. In 2016, Morningstar acquired PitchBook, which now operates as an independent subsidiary.

SOURCE PitchBook
SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global point of entry water treatment systems market size is expected to reach USD 12.42 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2021 to 2028. Increasing water pollution and growing urban population leading to the increased demand for clean water are factors augmenting the demand for point of entry water treatment systems.

Key Insights & Findings from the report:

By technology, distillation systems are anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2021 to 2028, in terms of revenue, on account of their inexpensiveness and efficiency in water softening for small purposes, such as laundries, aquariums, and car washing.

The non-residential application segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 70.0% in 2020 owing to the increasing demand from the food and beverage, healthcare and hospitality, and other manufacturing sectors.

The residential application segment is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 3.4% over the forecast period on account of a rise in housing completions and redevelopment projects in the construction industry.

The U.K. accounted for a revenue share of over 19.0% in the European market in 2020 owing to the National Infrastructure Strategy expected to spur up construction projects in the country, along with growing immigration in the country.

Companies such as DuPont have been focusing on acquisitions, utilizing their cashflows with the acquisitions of inge GmbH, Desalitech, Memcor, and OxyMem Limited in January 2020 , in a move to benefit the purification business of the company

Request a Free Sample Copy or View Report Summary: " Point Of Entry Water Treatment Systems Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Technology (Reverse Osmosis Systems, Distillation Systems), By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028 ", published by Grand View Research.

Point of Entry Water Treatment Systems Market Growth & Trends

The increasing level of contaminants in water sources is anticipated to drive the demand for point of entry water treatment systems to ensure a safe water supply. Furthermore, shifting focus from conventional water purifiers toward technologically advanced water purifiers on account of rising contamination levels in water sources is expected to complement the market growth.

The exponential growth in the global population over the past five decades has exerted considerable pressure on the natural resources available on the planet, especially air and water. Rapid industrialization and increasing agricultural activities on account of population growth are anticipated to augment the demand for water treatment systems.

Governments across the country have introduced strict guidelines in order to restrict contamination in drinking water. Increasing awareness regarding public health is projected to complement the adoption of point of entry (POE) water treatment systems. This, in turn, is estimated to drive the market during the forecast period.

Point of Entry Water Treatment Systems Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global point of entry water treatment systems market on the basis of technology, application, and region:

Point of Entry Water Treatment Systems Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Reverse Osmosis Systems

Water Softeners

Disinfection Methods

Filtration Methods

Distillation Systems

Others

Point of Entry Water Treatment Systems Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

Residential

Non-residential

Point of Entry Water Treatment Systems Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

North America

The U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

Germany



Russia



Italy



U.K.



Spain

Asia Pacific

China



India



Japan



South Korea



Australia

Central & South America

Brazil

Middle East & Africa

& Saudi Arabia



UAE

List of Key Players of Point of Entry Water Treatment Systems Market

3M

Honeywell International Inc.

DuPont Inc.

General Electric

Pentair plc

BWT Aktiengesellschaft

Culligan

Watts Water Technologies Inc.

Aquasana, Inc.

Calgon Carbon Corporation

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

Water Treatment Systems Market - The global water treatment systems market size is projected to be valued at USD 44.01 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., exhibiting a 7.1% CAGR during the forecast period. Rising water pollution, along with growing awareness of a healthy lifestyle, is predicted to boost the market.

The global water treatment systems market size is projected to be valued at by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., exhibiting a 7.1% CAGR during the forecast period. Rising water pollution, along with growing awareness of a healthy lifestyle, is predicted to boost the market. Activated Carbon Market - The global activated carbon market size is expected to reach USD 14.66 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of 17.5% during the forecast period. Rising consumption of water and air purification in clinker cement industries and coal fired plants is anticipated to drive the demand for powdered and granular form of activated carbon.

The global activated carbon market size is expected to reach by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is projected to expand at a CAGR of 17.5% during the forecast period. Rising consumption of water and air purification in clinker cement industries and coal fired plants is anticipated to drive the demand for powdered and granular form of activated carbon. Industrial Water Treatment Chemical Market - The global industrial water treatment chemicals market size is expected to reach USD 18.3 billion by 2025 at a 4.2% CAGR during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising demand for water desalination systems owing to scarcity of fresh water is a key factor driving industry growth.

Browse through Grand View Research's Water & Sludge Treatment Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
DAR ES SALAAM, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Ministry of Agriculture announced on Wednesday that it has released 100,000 liters of insecticides to eliminate fall armyworms that have invaded food and cash crops farms in 39 districts in the country.

Hussein Bashe, the Minister for Agriculture, said the insecticides will be given to farmers free of charge in a move aimed at encouraging them to eliminate the destructive insects.

Bashe announced the release of the 100,000 liters of insecticides when he inspected part of 70,000 hectares of maize that have been invaded by the fall armyworms in Chamwino district in Dodoma region.

He urged district executive directors and agricultural officers in the 39 districts that have been invaded by the fall armyworms to ensure that the released insecticides reached farmers who are desperate to save their farm crops.

On Feb. 27, Tanzanian local media reported the destruction 12,000 hectares of food and cash crops in Tanzania's southern region of Lindi.

In addition, the fall armyworms destroyed 4,976 hectares of paddy and 228 hectares of maize in 12 wards in Kilombero district, located in eastern Tanzania. 
ATLANTA, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PureCars, a leading provider of digital marketing technology and services for automotive dealers, is excited to showcase its multitude of new services and offerings for dealers and dealer ad tech partners at NADA 2022 (booth #2163W) in Las Vegas from March 11  13.

Auto dealers and executives will be at NADA 2022 seeking solutions for several issues currently impacting the industry, including changing consumer behaviors with regards to online shopping and car buying, the many new advertising channels for dealers to consider for their marketing spend, and most timely - still-tightened inventory.

"The reality is that new cars are selling as fast as dealers can acquire them. Used cars, however: dealers are buying at a premium. Any change to pricing can put their inventory cost underwater in the blink of an eye," said Jeff Ranalli, President of PureCars. "With our proprietary insights, market data, and advertising platform, PureCars has the unique ability to deploy spend solely on vehicles that need the advertising boost, and conversely, pause spend when a vehicle would sell on its own, yielding the lowest ad cost per unit sold."

PureCars was also recently recognized in the top 3% of Google partners, becoming part of a select group of Premier Partners in the Google Partners program. This program is designed for advertising agencies and third parties that manage Google Ads accounts on behalf of other brands or businesses. Its mission is to empower companies by providing them with innovative tools, resources, and support to help their clients succeed and grow online.

Dealers can learn the advantages of working with a Google Premier Partner and meet with Google representatives in PureCars' booth (2163W) on Saturday from 1-3 pm. Dealers can also learn how to expand their advertising reach by accessing audiences with unprecedented reach - including Amazon, Disney+ Hulu, YouTube and more. For dealers wishing to learn more about advertising opportunities with Spotify, the global head of Automotive will be available Friday in the PureCars booth to answer questions. Additionally, dealers can also book one-on-one time with Amazon representatives throughout the weekend.

About PureCars

Since 2007, PureCars has helped thousands of dealers improve their advertising effectiveness, lower ad costs per unit sold and per repair order. Through our unique combination of advanced advertising solutions, digital merchandising and market analytics, we provide dealers and partners with best-in-class solutions that increase efficiency and profitability. We are a certified digital provider for 15 OEMs in the U.S. and 1 in Canada, compliant with 40+ brands and serve 65 of the top 100 dealer groups in North America.

SOURCE PureCars
"It is an honor to be recognized on the MSP 500 list in the Elite 150 category," said Bob Lamendola, Senior Vice President, Technology and Head of Digital Services Center, Ricoh North America. "With the acceleration of remote and hybrid work, supporting productivity through effective managed IT services is critical. We are committed to providing innovative and operationally efficient digital services and information management solutions to end users, regardless of where they're working, and to meet the increased demand for security and cloud migration in the age of digital transformation. This latest recognition speaks to our industry leadership in this crucial area."

Ricoh's comprehensive IT Services portfolio addresses the technology needs of Ricoh's customers so they can focus on their core business goals. By helping users manage information, Ricoh's advanced services portfolio, including its latest RICOH Capture & Conversion Services, empowers organizations with the services that enable flexible, secured workstyles and locationswhich is critically important with today's dispersed workforces.

"In addition to having to adjust their own business operations to account for the changed conditions during the pandemic, MSPs have also seen increased demand for their managed communications, collaboration and security services," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "The solution providers on our 2022 MSP 500 list deserve credit for their innovative and game-changing approaches to managed services in these unpredictable times, as well as their ability to optimize operational efficiencies and systems without straining IT budgets."

The annual MSP 500 list is divided into three sections: the MSP Pioneer 250, recognizing companies with business models weighted toward managed services and largely focused on the SMB market; the MSP Elite 150, recognizing large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of on- and off-premises services; and the Managed Security 100, recognizing MSPs focused primarily on off-premises and cloud-based security services.

The MSP 500 list will be featured in the February 2022 issue of CRN and online at www.crn.com/msp500.

For more information on Ricoh's IT Services offerings, please visit this page or follow the company's social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com

Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

 2022 The Channel Company LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

| About Ricoh |

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services that enable individuals to work smarter from anywhere.

With cultivated knowledge and organizational capabilities nurtured over its 85-years history, Ricoh is a leading provider of digital services and information management, and print and imaging solutions designed to support digital transformation and optimize business performance.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group has major operations throughout the world and its products and services now reach customers in approximately 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ended March 2021, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,682 billion yen (approx. 15.1 billion USD).

For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com

 2022 Ricoh USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are

the trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE Ricoh USA, Inc.
NEW YORK, March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Standard Lithium Ltd. (NYSE: SLI) between May 19, 2020 and November 17, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important March 28, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Standard Lithium 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 Standard Lithium class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=2746 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 28, 2022. 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 handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the LiSTR Direct Lithium Extraction ("LiSTR") technology's extraction recovery efficiencies were overstated; (2) accordingly, Standard Lithium's final product lithium recovery percentage at the Direct Lithium Extraction Demonstration Plant at Lanxess's South Plant facility in southern Arkansas (the "Demonstration Plant") would not be as high as the Company had represented to investors; and (3) as a result, defendants' 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 Standard Lithium class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=2746 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
SAO PAULO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Scala Data Centers, the sustainable hyperscalable data center platform, founded by DigitalBridge, an investment holding company in digital infrastructure, announces that Dell Technologies, one of the largest IT infrastructure companies in the world, chose Scala to host its colocation environment in data centers (DCs) SP1 and SP2, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Through Scala's platform, which features ultra-connectivity, renewable and certified energy to accommodate infrastructure expansions in long-term scenarios, and full 24x7x365 support, Dell brings to the market the ServicesSelect. The solution consists of a set of management services and support of IT infrastructure environments in as a service mode. With greater choice and savings, this type of hiring is a global trend as it facilitates the complexity of the digital transformation. According to IDC, more than 75% of edge infrastructure will be consumed as a service, as will more than half of DC infrastructure, by 2024.

ServicesSelect enables companies looking for digitization or a journey to the cloud to reach this level in a flexible, agile and simple way, both operationally and financially. Dell's new offering also supports customers to maximize their results and focus on their business goals through the quality of the DCs, the technologies selected for use and the IT responsibility transferred and assumed by the specialists from Scala and Dell itself.

Due to that, the choice of a strategic DC provider is an important step in the process of offering the managed infrastructure. "With Scala, we solve any customer concerns about the IT environment, generating more savings, due to the transformation of their budgets from CAPEX to OPEX, and greater innovation and efficiency for their business," says Christiano Lucena, Vice President of Storage Platforms and Solutions at Dell Technologies Latin America.

"We enable the infrastructure necessary for key partners like Dell to sell, through our platform, in a secure and highly scalable way," adds Cleber Braz, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Scala.

About Scala Data Centers

Scala Data Centers is the Sustainable Hyperscalable Data Centers platform based in Brazil and founded by DigitalBridge. Developed to meet and exceed the growing demand for digital access in Latin America, Scala has a highly qualified team of more than 300 professionals and applies a flexible and innovative approach to offer exceptional colocation services for hyperscale customers, service providers and cloud software, and large companies. We customize cutting edge solutions for each customer in the construction of state-of-the-art data centers, with high availability, high energy efficiency and very high density. All of this combined with the best sustainability practices guided by our ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) program. For more information, visit www.scaladatacenters.com.

About Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) helps organizations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play. The company provides customers with the industry's broadest and most innovative technology and services portfolio for the data era.

SOURCE Scala Data Centers
AMSTERDAM, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Scenic Biotech BV ("Scenic"), a pioneer in the discovery of genetic modifiers to enable the development of disease modifying therapeutics for rare genetic disorders and other devastating illnesses, is pleased to announce it has closed a Series A financing of ~$31 million (28 million).

The funds will be used to accelerate Scenic's transition into a development stage company, advancing its in-house pipeline and supporting the creation of new programs based on its Cell-Seq genetic modifier target discovery platform including new industry collaborations.

The investment round was co-led by seasoned European investors, Eir Ventures, a Nordic Life Science venture fund, Switzerland-based BioMedPartners and Luxemburg-based Vesalius Biocapital. Existing Dutch and UK investors Inkef Capital, BioGeneration Ventures and Oxford Science Enterprises participated, together with Scenic's founders and management.

Scenic will now advance its lead QPCTL small molecule immuno-oncology program into the clinic. In addition, by leveraging its Cel-Seq discovery platform, Scenic has generated a pipeline of disease modifying therapeutics to treat devastating inherited rare diseases. Three of these programs, which are based on druggable genetic modifiers, are being progressed towards IND enabling studies. The first program is centered on a small molecule to treat Niemann Pick Type C (NP-C), a rare lipid storage disorder that affects lipid metabolism, or the way fats, lipids, and cholesterol are transported in human cells. The second program is for Barth syndrome, an inherited mitochondrial disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding Tafazzin. Barth syndrome is characterized by defects in cardiolipin, a critical component of the inner mitochondrial membrane. And the third program is to treat a severe heritable metabolic syndrome.

Alongside its in-house pipeline, Scenic has a multi-year, multi-indication strategic collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to discover, develop and commercialize novel therapeutics that target genetic modifiers. The collaboration has been expanded twice and now includes six scientific areas.

Following the Series A investment, Stephan Christgau PhD, General Partner Eir Ventures, Michael Wacker PhD, General Partner BioMedPartners and Stephane Verdood MSc, MBA, Managing Partner Vesalius Biocapital will join Scenic's board of directors.

Commenting on behalf of the investors, Stephan Christgau said, "Scenic Biotech has the potential to become one of Europe's most exciting biotech companies. It is a pioneer in the ground-breaking and promising new field of genetic modifiers. We are impressed by the power of its Cell-Seq platform and how it's fueling a portfolio of in-house and partnered programs across multiple therapeutic areas. This financing will enable Scenic to continue to develop its platform and move its lead program into human clinical trials while bringing its rare disease programs to key value infection points."

Scenic Biotech's CEO Oscar Izeboud said, "I am delighted to welcome our new investors to the company and to thank our existing investors for their continued support. We have made very significant progress since our seed investment, proving the value of our platform, extending its utility, and expanding our team. We look forward to continuing our growth and delivering on our promise to develop novel treatments to improve patients' lives."

Scenic anticipates more than doubling its team in the coming 18 months including building its clinical capabilities. To accommodate the expansion Scenic will be expanding its facilities within the flourishing life sciences cluster at the Science Park in the East of Amsterdam.

About Scenic Biotech

Scenic Biotech is focused on identifying genetic modifiers, a completely new class of disease targets, for drug intervention. Also known as disease suppressors, genetic modifiers are genes that act to suppress or completely block the effect of a disease-causing mutated gene.

As a pioneer in the field, Scenic Biotech is leveraging its Cell-Seq discovery platform to identify genetic modifiers across multiple therapeutic areas. It is building a pipeline of disease modifying therapeutics to treat devastating diseases including inherited rare diseases and cancer. Its lead programs include an immuno-oncology program targeting QPCTL, and three rare diseases programs based on druggable genetic modifiers. The rare disease programs consist of; Niemann Pick disease, type C (NP-C1), a rare lipid storage disorder that affects lipid metabolism, or the way fats, lipids, and cholesterol are transported in human cells, Barth syndrome, an X-linked, lipid metabolism disorder that affects the heart, and a program to treat a severe heritable metabolic syndrome.

Scenic Biotech has a multi-year strategic collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to discover, develop and commercialize novel therapeutics that target genetic modifiers.

Headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Scenic Biotech was founded in 2017 as a spin-out of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and Oxford University. It is backed by a pan-European syndicate of Venture Capital investors that include Eir Ventures, BioMedPartners, Vesalius Biocapital, BioGeneration Ventures, Inkef Capital and Oxford Science Enterprises.

'Scenic Biotech' refers to all companies within the Scenic group, comprising Scenic Holding BV and its two fully owned subsidiary companies: Scenic Immunology BV and Scenic Biotech BV.

For further information, please visit: www.scenicbiotech.com

Follow up on LinkedIn

About Eir Ventures

Eir Ventures is a life science focused venture fund, with a strong foundation in the Nordic Biotech ecosystem, that will invest in companies at early stage, as well as more mature opportunities. The fund started its investment activities in 2020 and seeks investment opportunities addressing significant unmet medical needs for new therapies, medical technology, and digital health. Eir Ventures AB is led by a team of experienced life science investors, and backed by a strong investor syndicate including Saminvest, the European Investment Fund (EIF), Vkstfonden, Novo Holdings, private investors as well as Nordic universities. Eir Ventures is a registered alternative investment fund, under the Swedish Alternative Investment Funds Managers Act.

For further information please visit: www.eirventures.eu

About BioMedPartners:

Based in Basel, Switzerland, BioMedPartners is an independent European venture capital firm that acts as lead- or co-lead investor providing private equity to early- to mid-stage life sciences companies. Since 2002, BioMedPartners has invested in several highly innovative companies of which twenty-two have already either successfully been acquired by leading biopharma companies or have completed an IPO. With more than CHF 350 million in capital under management and a strong team of experienced industry experts as well as an extensive scientific and pharma network, BioMedPartners has established itself as one of the leading early-stage human healthcare investors in Europe. In February 2018 the company announced the closing of BioMedInvest III, their third equity venture capital fund of CHF 100 million. In this third fund BioMedPartners is focusing on the build-up of companies with highly innovative early-stage assets and technology platforms. One of the first investments of BioMedInvest III was in the Swiss immuno-oncology company Amal SA (Geneva) which has been acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in June 2019.





For further information please visit: www.biomedvc.com

About Vesalius Biocapital

Vesalius Biocapital is a European life science venture capital investor. The active fund Vesalius Biocapital III had a final closing in May 2019 with 120 million euro in commitments.

We are investing in appealing, later-stage companies in drug development, medical devices & diagnostics and eHealth / mHealth, predominantly in Europe. Our portfolio companies address unmet medical & market needs and operate on the basis of strong intellectual property protection.

For further information please visit: www.vesaliusbiocapital.com

For further information, please contact:

For Scenic Biotech

At the Company

[email protected]



Media Enquiries

Sue Charles, Charles Consultants,

[email protected]

+44 (0)7986 726585



For Eir Ventures

Stephan Christgau

[email protected]

+45 30674790



Magnus Persson

[email protected]

+46 73 731 41 46



For BioMedPartners

Michael Wacker

mailto:[email protected]

+41 76 417 4765



For Vesalius Biocapital

[email protected]

+352 26 84 56 82

SOURCE Scenic Biotech
SHELTON, Conn., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE: EPC) announced today that Schick is launching a new brand positioning that challenges the grooming industry status quo with the debut of "Be You. No One Else Can," a campaign that celebrates men as they are and encourages them to embrace their individuality. The rebrand includes a new logo, minimalist packaging, redesigned website ( Schick.com ), video-led creative and digital-first activations on Reddit and TikTok that give men a platform to join the conversation and tell their unique stories.

Schick's new positioning is informed by national research commissioned by the brand, which found that 81% of men would prefer brands to celebrate them for who they are instead of asking them to change.

As a thought leader in the grooming space, Schick commissioned a national survey to inform their consumer-first approach. The data revealed that 85% of men prefer to see real, everyday people depicted in ads, a message Schick took to heart. Schick worked with creative agency Partners & Spade and Academy Award nominated film director Mike Mills (C'Mon C'Mon, 20th Century Women) to partner on the brand storytelling featuring real interviews with men from across the country, capturing unscripted content that champions authenticity. Rather than featuring renowned celebrities, actors or models, the campaign spotlights everyday men because Schick is a brand for every kind of man. The rebrand brings Schick's legacy of listening to men to life and represents it in a new, different and engaging way.

The ad spots feature Mills' signature human-centric approach, bringing heartfelt, personal stories of men to life. The unfiltered spots are presented via a minimalist, black and white presentation, revealing the extraordinary within the ordinary and celebrating men with quirks, flaws, passions and everything else that makes them who they are.

"Shave category ads have put men in narrowly defined boxes for many years, and what we heard with our survey is that men want this type of advertising to depict real individuals. Grooming plays a key role in self-expression, so we're reshaping the category narrative by focusing on authentic representation to resonate with our existing and broader target audience," said Matt Bell, Senior Vice President of Schick North America. "Our survey also revealed that over 60% of men are not clean shaven, so we're leading the charge by offering an extensive product portfolio that is designed to fit individual hair and skin needs. Contrary to traditional ads, our product will not be featured in our hero film as we continue to push the boundaries of category expectations. Knowing Partners & Spade are synonymous with breakthrough creative strategy, we felt they were the ideal partner."

"We're thrilled to collaborate with an iconic brand with so much history, and to start an important conversation that needs to be had in 2022. By listening to men who are not always heard in traditional advertising, we realized that individuality and self-expression meant something completely different to every man. It was a poignant and fascinating process, sometimes funny, sometimes heavy, but always authentic," said Andy Spade, Creative Director of Partners & Spade. "What we learned from this creative process is that men have such varied preferences when it comes to expressing themselves  how they choose to groom and shave, is very deliberate in how they wish to present themselves to the world. Our non-traditional creative approach captures this sentiment in a nuanced and unexpected way. We want people to listen more to each other. We think it's what the world needs right now."

Additional findings from Schick's national survey include the following:

Majority of men (7 in 10) wish they could see men that look like them in personal care ads

75% of consumers look for brands that empower them to be their unique self

Personal grooming and facial hair contributes to freedom of expression for nearly 7 in 10 men

80% of men believe that they gain a sense of confidence after grooming

Schick is also taking to social media to continue listening to men in real time with the intention of leveraging insights in future communication. On Reddit, the brand is sparking a discussion with an Ask Me Anything (AMA) series that encourages men to share their unique stories. The brand will also launch a TikTok Hashtag Challenge asking consumers "What is something people would be surprised to know about you?" #SchickAsks starting March 10.

For more than 100 years, Schick has had a legacy of crafting trusted tools that meet its consumers' distinct and diverse needs. View the campaign ad spot here , and visit Schick.com to learn more about the campaign and Schick's portfolio of products.

About Edgewell Personal Care

Edgewell is a leading pure-play consumer products company with an attractive, diversified portfolio of established brand names such as Schick and Wilkinson Sword men's and women's shaving systems and disposable razors; Edge and Skintimate shave preparations; Playtex, Stayfree, Carefree and o.b. feminine care products; Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Bulldog and Jack Black sun and skin care products; and Wet Ones moist wipes. The Company has a broad global footprint and operates in more than 50 markets, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, Japan, the U.K. and Australia, with approximately 6,000 employees worldwide.[i]

Media Contact

Edelman

Hafsa Mulla

[email protected]

[i] SCHICK, WILKINSON SWORD, EDGE, SKINTIMATE, STAYFREE, CAREFREE, O.B., BANANA BOAT, HAWAIIAN TROPIC, BULLDOG, JACK BLACK and WET ONES and associated word marks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Edgewell Personal Care LLC (or an Edgewell affiliate company) in the United States and other countries throughout the world. PLAYTEX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries of Playtex Marketing Corporation and is used under license.

SOURCE Edgewell Personal Care
- AI platform enforces economic sanctions and investigates all other financial crime risks

- Capital will support technology functions globally, headcount to double by end of 2022

- Valuation quadrupled since last funding round in 2020

SINGAPORE, March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Silent Eight, a pioneer in the field of AI enhanced economic sanctions enforcement and financial crime prevention, today announces the closing of a $40m Series B funding round. The round was led by TYH Ventures and welcomed HSBC Ventures, the firm's latest customer to also become an investor.

OTB Ventures, Wavemaker Partners, SC Ventures (Standard Chartered Bank's venture unit), Aglaia, and Koh Boon Hwee, Chairman and General Partner of Altara Ventures, continued their investment from previous funding rounds. Kolya Miller from TYH Ventures is joining the board.

Everyday millions of financial crime professionals work diligently to stop illicit funds from entering and moving through the global financial system. Silent Eight's AI platform for financial crime investigates every suspicious transaction, beneficiary, and customer in real-time. Perfectly researched and explained every time at unparalleled speed and scale.

"HSBC has been pleased with the progress made by Silent Eight's AI platform," said Ore Adeyemi from HSBC Ventures. "We look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership through this investment, and we are excited that my colleague Tom Caine is also joining as a Board Observer to help drive this investment partnership"

Silent Eight has raised $55m to date. Today's round brings the firm's total valuation to four times its previous value in October 2020. In that time revenue has grown sixfold and headcount has tripled.

"Historic performance has been strong and the future revenue growth projections are even stronger. This is a business that's poised to scale," said Kolya Miller of TYH Ventures. "We have been incredibly impressed with Silent Eight's leadership and are fortunate to be involved in such an impactful enterprise."

Today's funding will predominantly be used to expand technology functions in support of Silent Eight's rapidly expanding customer base. The firm expects to hire over 150 data scientists, developers and engineers in 2022.

"We are here to support our customers and the policy makers of the world by ensuring that the benefits of the most advanced Artificial Intelligence systems are available on the frontlines of crime fighting," said Martin Markiewicz, Silent Eight CEO and Founder.

About Silent Eight:

Silent Eight is a technology company leveraging AI to create compliance platforms for the world's leading financial institutions. Our mission is to empower our clients in their fight to eliminate financial crime. Founded in Singapore and with global hubs in New York, London, and Warsaw, we are deployed in over 150 markets. For more information, visit: www.silenteight.com

About TYH Ventures:

TYH Ventures is a family office anchored firm that provides venture capital in the form of both fund and direct investments. TYH's core thesis includes investing in verticals across a diverse range of industries, and seeks to provide both equity and strategic relationships at the company's inflection point.

Contact:

Shana Schneider

Global Marketing Director, Silent Eight

+1 312-714-3797

[email protected]

SOURCE Silent Eight Pte. Ltd.
OXFORD, England, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tokamak Energy has announced that Sir David Harding has joined its Board of Directors.

Sir David, who has been at the forefront of systematic investment management for more than 30 years, saw the potential of the spherical tokamak path to fusion energy in 2014 when he first invested in the company, and brings world leading finance and commercial expertise to the board.

Dr. Chris Martin, Chairman of Tokamak Energy, said: "Sir David joins the board at an exciting time for the company and fusion energy and we look forward to his contribution as we advance fusion's potential to significantly decarbonise the global economy."

Sir David's appointment comes at the same time as the announcement of a world-first with the ST40 spherical tokamak achieving a plasma temperature of 100M degrees Celsius, the threshold required for commercial fusion energy. This is by far the highest temperature ever achieved in a spherical tokamak and by any private fusion energy company. The ST40 will now be upgraded and used to develop technologies for future devices.

The ST-HTS will be the world's first spherical tokamak to use high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets and is due to be commissioned in the mid-2020s. This device will demonstrate multiple advanced technologies required for fusion energy and inform the design of a world first fusion pilot plant, to be commissioned in the early 2030s.

Sir David Harding said: "The 100 million degree plasma temperature milestone brings Tokamak Energy significantly closer to making commercial fusion energy a reality. I am delighted to join the board as it enters an exciting new chapter to deliver a fusion demonstrator based on its world class technologies."

Tokamak Energy has raised 120 million to-date from leading UK and European investors, including institutional investor Legal & General, Sir David Harding, Lord Simon Wolfson, and Dr. Hans-Peter Wild.

Group CEO of Legal & General, Nigel Wilson, said: "After thirty years of limited progress in the sector, Tokamak Energy is now making great strides towards the delivery of fusion energy. Tokamak's latest milestone reaching the temperature required for commercialisation is further evidence of progress being made. Energy needs to be clean, green and cheap, plus we need energy security. Legal & General invested into Tokamak Energy in 2016 to help accelerate and support this ambition. We are privileged to have Sir David Harding joining the board of directors to continue to drive forward the growth of the business, helping to ensure the UK can lead the way in this area."

Contact

Email: [email protected]

Notes to Editors

Tokamaks use magnets to contain a plasma so that it can reach the high temperatures at which fusion occurs. High magnetic fields are necessary for tokamaks to contain the superheated fuel, and higher magnetic fields enable a smaller, lower cost tokamak.

About Tokamak Energy

Tokamak Energy is a leading global commercial fusion energy company based near Oxford, UK. The company is developing the fusion power plant of tomorrow while commercialising the technology applications of today.

Tokamak Energy is pursuing fusion through the combined development of spherical tokamaks, with high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets.

The company, founded in 2009 as a spin-off from the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, currently employs a growing team of over 180 people with talent from the UK and experts from around the world. It combines world leading scientific, engineering, industrial and commercial capabilities. The company has more than 55 families of patent applications and has raised over 100m of private investment.

Once realised, fusion energy will be clean, low cost, and globally deployable  a key enabler for meeting world energy requirements and climate policy goals.

www.tokamakenergy.co.uk

SOURCE Tokamak Energy
Dante and SodaStream worked in tandem to create cocktails that reflect the taste and sophistication you expect when visiting Dante, all while using SodaStream sparkling water to complement and enhance the flavor experience. The recipes featured within the cocktail book range in flavors, appealing to a variety of different palates including Dante's unique take on a Paloma, Moscow Mule and a Spritzer. Even better, these drinks are all eco-friendly as each SodaStream saves thousands of single-use plastic bottles from ending up in landfills or oceans.

As one of the key pillars of the partnership, SodaStream and Dante created an elevated cocktail kit that will bring Dante's mixology expertise to the world of at-home beverage making. The limited-edition SodaStream x Dante Art Limited Edition Cocktail Kit comes equipped with all the tools customers need to be their own professional mixologist: a cocktail book with three brand new, never-before-seen recipes created by Dante's elite mixologists, as well as a custom shaker and jigger. The cocktail kit perfectly complements the new Art Sparkling Water Maker as users seek exciting ways to utilize the functional yet stylish machine.

"Our collaboration with Dante is truly the perfect pairing. Dante is a brand that values taste, flavor and customization  three of our top priorities at SodaStream," says Mark Fenton, U.S. General Manager at SodaStream. "We truly believe that sparkling water is what you make it and we are excited to provide sparkling water aficionados with an exciting addition to their routine that gives them more creative freedom than ever before."

"The SodaStream Art Sparkling Water Maker is a beautiful machine that makes carbonating water even more fun and experiential, so we had a great time developing these recipes together," says Linden Pride, Principal at Dante. "We're happy to see this unique, one-of-a-kind collaboration come to life and provide a taste of Dante in the homes of SodaStream users across the country."

Consumers can purchase the SodaStream x Dante Art Limited Edition Cocktail Kit as a part of the Art Sparkling Water Maker bundle at SodaStream.com/Products/Dante for $179.99. The Art elevates the sparkling water experience and stands apart from other SodaStream machines with its slim silhouette, retro design, stainless-steel trim, and unique carbonating lever. The machine also features SodaStream's new patent-pending Quick Connect technology, allowing consumers to simply click the carbonating cylinder into place. Additionally, the Art comes with a BPA free 1-liter dishwasher safe reusable bottle, which saves thousands of single-use plastic bottles from ending up in oceans or landfills.

About SodaStream

SodaStream, part of PepsiCo, is the world's leading sparkling water-maker brand. SodaStream enables consumers to enjoy endless good bubbles at home, without hassle, and help save the planet. SodaStream bubbles are better for the consumer - healthy, easy to make, light to carry - and better for the planet  replacing up to thousands of single-use plastic bottles with one reusable SodaStream bottle. To learn more about SodaStream visit corp.sodastream.com and follow SodaStream on Facebook , Instagram and YouTube .

About Dante

An adored Greenwich Village neighborhood restaurant and bar established in 1915, Caffe Dante celebrates the traditional way of community in New York City. With the reopening of the restaurant in 2015, Australians Linden Pride and Natalie Hudson seek to preserve Dante's original heritage whilst striving for innovation. Most recently, Dante has earned top honors including #1 and #2 World's 50 Best Bars, Time Out New York's Bar of the Year and World's Best Bar and Best American Restaurant Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.

Media Contact:

Alison Brod Marketing + Communications

Dara Schopp

[email protected]

212-230-1800

SOURCE SodaStream
LOS ANGELES, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Solomon Growth Advisors LLC, which is well known for assisting both D2C and B2B brands with growth, scale, and exit strategy will be working with Acquco, a private-equity backed acquisition company that specializes in creating exit opportunities for Amazon entrepreneurs. With Los Angeles and New York locations respectively, this partnership unites decades of entrepreneurial leadership and experience on both coasts.

"Acquco leads with an exceptional level of operational expertise and has strategized the exit of seven and eight-figure brands," said Perry Solomon, Founder and CEO of Solomon Growth Advisors. "With their versatile deal structures and highly measured approach to identify, evaluate, and acquire leading Amazon brands, we are excited for this opportunity to further expand our reach into one of the fastest-growing sectors of entrepreneurship: Amazon exit strategy. Acquco's leaders have unique Amazon expertise that allows them to successfully grow the brands they acquire and maximize payouts.

"We are excited to partner with Perry Solomon and the Solomon Growth Advisors, who bring an exceptional level of experience and track record of success guiding Amazon sellers through the exiting process," said David Lam, the Vice President of Growth Strategy at Acquco. "His perspectives and insight will not only be invaluable to sellers, but also aligns with our Amazon operations expertise and mission to provide a quick, easy, and profitable acquisition process."

About Solomon Growth Advisors

Solomon Growth Advisors provides strategic advice to emerging businesses and mentors early to mid-stage entrepreneurs so they can reach their full potential. With over four decades of experience, Solomon Growth Advisors specializes in exit strategy, onboarding new e-commerce brands to Amazon, and assisting both emerging Amazon-based businesses and Amazon aggregators in managing and growing their presence. For more information, please visit SolomonGrowthAdvisors.com.

About Acquco

Acquco acquires and accelerates top Amazon brands. Acquco uses a highly measured approach to identify and evaluate each brand and scale it globally using proprietary technology and operating expertise. With in-depth due diligence, flexible deal structures, and a commitment to transparency, sellers can exit their businesses quickly and earn substantial payouts. Acquco's unmatched Amazon operator expertise assures sellers that their businesses will see substantial brand growth post-acquisition. Acquco is headquartered in NYC. For more information, please visit www.acqu.co.

PR Contact:

Kathleen Gonzales

Elevated Public Relations

619.368.2701

[email protected]

SOURCE Solomon Growth Advisors LLC
WINDHOEK, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is looking into the possibility of allowing persons who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the country for business and leisure (tourism business) without the requirement of 72 hours Negative PCR test, an official said Thursday.

The final outcome will be announced hereafter a collective decision has been made in a few months, hopefully, before the tourism high season starts this year, Namibia's Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta said in a statement on the occasion of the Namibia Travel and Tourism seminar, Dubai World Expo 2020.

"Namibia is not only open for tourism but for all businesses including business events such as meetings, conferences, seminars, summits, etc," he added.

According to Shifeta, the country has world-class infrastructure such as banking systems, mobile networks, medical health, roads, etc and the required political and economic stability to host international events.

Namibia has been participating in Dubai World Expo 2020 with the aim to share with the world what the country can offer in terms of tourism and business opportunities. At the same time to inform the world, and in particular the global travel and business sector that "Destination Namibia" is open for travel & tourism and international trade. 
BOCA RATON, Fla., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CSL Plasma, the plasma collection business of global biotherapeutics leader CSL Behring, today welcomes the regulatory clearance of the Rika Plasma Donation System developed by Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, a medical technology company based in Lakewood, Colorado.

As Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies has shared, anticipated benefits of the new plasmapheresis system include technology to support a safe, efficient, and improved experience for plasma donors, as well as an improved experience for CSL Plasma employees.

CSL Plasma believes additional features of the new Rika system can enable the collection of more plasma, in shorter periods of time, supporting quality and safety, and ultimately better serving patients who rely on plasma-based therapies. These benefits include:

Rika completes one plasma collection in 35 minutes or less on average.

When considering prior average CSL Plasma donation times, this could represent a nearly 30% reduction in average donation time for donors.

It ensures there's not more than 200 milliliters of blood outside the donor's body at one time. This is expected to improve the donor's comfort during the donation and reduce the occurrence of a red cell loss deferral.

It is designed with an advanced user interface to guide CSL Plasma front-line employees who operate the device.

"This milestone helps bring to life how we demonstrate innovation, collaboration and patient-focus, part of the CSL Values that underpin our commitment to manufacturing and delivering life-saving and life-extending medicines around the world," said CSL Chief Operating Officer Paul McKenzie. "We continue to evolve as a leading biotechnology company, investing in our core plasma business. Continued innovation that benefits our employees and plasma donors speaks to how we are driven by our promise to save and improve lives around the world."

CSL Plasma will begin implementation of the new device at centers in the Denver, Colorado, area in coming months.

"There is a critical and ongoing need for human plasma to produce life-saving medicines for people with serious and rare diseases," said CSL Plasma General Manager Michelle Meyer. "CSL Plasma's decision to work with Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is consistent with our business goals to improve the donor and employee experience through innovation, and remain the plasma donation center of choice. We look forward to rolling out this new technology."

About CSL Plasma

CSL Plasma, operates one of the world's largest and most sophisticated plasma collection networks, with more than 300 plasma collection centers in the U.S., Europe and China. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, CSL Plasma is a subsidiary of CSL Behring, a global biotherapeutics company and a member of the CSL Group of companies. Plasma collected at CSL Plasma facilities is used by CSL Behring for the sole purpose of manufacturing lifesaving plasma-derived therapies for people in more than 100 countries. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL; USOTC:CSLLY), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs more than 25,000 people. For more information about CSL Plasma visit, www.cslplasma.com.

About CSL Behring

CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by our promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients' needs by using the latest technologies, we discover, develop and deliver innovative therapies for people living with conditions in the immunology, hematology, cardiovascular and metabolic, respiratory, and transplant therapeutic areas. We use three strategic scientific platforms of plasma fractionation, recombinant protein technology, and cell and gene therapy to support continued innovation and continually refine ways in which products can address unmet medical needs and help patients lead full lives.

For inspiring stories about the promise of biotechnology, visit CSLBehring.com/Vita and follow us on Twitter.com/CSLBehring.

Media Contact in U.S.

Rhonda Sciarra

Director, Communications, CSL Plasma

Office: + 1 561 981 4207

Mobile: +1 551 228 3244

[email protected]



Media Contact in Australia

Jimmy Baker

Senior Communications Business Partner, CSL

+61 450 909 211

[email protected]

SOURCE CSL Plasma
TORONTO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Info-Tech Research Group, a global IT research and advisory firm, has published a new research blueprint that will enable organizations to support robotic process automation (RPA) delivery with strong collaboration and management foundations. Organizations have many business processes that rely on manual, routine, and repetitive data collection and processing work, and RPA can help automate these processes to meet strategic priorities.

RPA is a technology to automate rules-based, repetitive tasks performed by human workers to collect and process data. The "robots" in RPA are software bots that follow prescribed rules to carry out business processes. Bots distinguish RPA from other automation technologies by using an application's user interface (UI) to interact with data sources and output targets as a human user would, rather than relying on programmatic access.

"The biggest challenge with RPA is not the technology," says Senior Research Analyst Andrew Kum-Seun. "Rather, it is the organizational changes required to bring the business and IT together to jointly own and deliver successful RPA bots."

Many organizations see RPA as a component of their digital transformation strategy. Of those surveyed, 69% of IT practitioners said digital transformation has been a high priority for their organization during the pandemic (Info-Tech Tech Trends 2022).

Info-Tech indicates that not every business capability is suitable for RPA. Regulations, corporate policies, process complexities, and ethics may impede the end-to-end automation that stakeholders expect. Many operating models do not enable or encourage the collaboration needed to evaluate business processes and underlying operational systems.

Organizations have struggled to scale RPA beyond the initial proof of concept. Many of the scaling impediments are not specific to RPA but are foundational to business operations, which can include:

A lack of understanding or documentation of processes, or they do not reflect reality and are inefficient. Local automation adds to the process debt created by poorly designed and implemented processes.

Insufficient IT support for automation and a lack of business involvement during the delivery process.

Little desire to change how the business operates.

No buy-in to manage technical debt, resulting in fragile and error-prone RPA solutions.

RPA brings significant opportunities to improve business productivity in a continuously changing environment. However, organizations are struggling to understand what it is and how it can specifically fit in their context. Info-Tech recommends the following approach:

Establish the right expectations. Gain a grounded understanding of RPA value and limitations. Discuss current IT and business operations challenges to determine if they will impact RPA success. Build RPA governance. Clarify the roles, processes, and tools needed to support RPA delivery and management through IT and business collaboration. Evaluate the fit of RPA. Obtain a thorough view of the business and technical complexities of the candidate processes. Indicate where and how RPA is expected to generate the most return.

To learn more about Info-Tech Research Group and to download all our latest research, visit www.infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Media professionals are encouraged to register for Info-Tech's Media Insiders program for more research and insights. This program provides unrestricted, on-demand access to IT, HR, and software industry content, as well as subject-matter experts from a group of over 200 research analysts. To apply for access, contact [email protected] .

Supporting Resources

Download the complete Build Your First RPA Bot blueprint.

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is the world's fastest-growing information technology research and advisory firm, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. Info-Tech partners closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group
WHIPPANY, N.J., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SPH), a nationwide distributor of propane, renewable propane, and other energy sources; including low carbon alternatives, today announced it purchased a 25% equity stake in Independence Hydrogen, Inc., a veteran-owned and operated supplier of gaseous hydrogen solutions, for $30.0 million. The Partnership also announced the creation of a new subsidiary, Suburban Renewable Energy, LLC, as part of its long-term strategic goal of building out a renewable energy platform.

Suburban Propane is committed to investing in and fostering innovative solutions to support the economy-wide transition to a sustainable energy future, while also advancing the clean energy benefits of propane to support the transition. Hydrogen is a critical energy source to decarbonize the material handling, transportation and heavy industry sectors, and to provide grid resiliency as backup power and long-duration storage to enable the deployment of intermittent renewable energy sources.

Independence Hydrogen, Inc. is a veteran-owned and operated, privately-held company developing a gaseous hydrogen ecosystem to deliver locally-sourced hydrogen to local markets, with a primary focus on material handling and backup power applications. Independence Hydrogen's mission is to make communities cleaner, safer, and more energy resilient by providing a reliable supply of affordable hydrogen with an end-to-end carbon intensity score. The team of combat-experienced military veterans is committed to the highest standards for safety, integrity and service to others.

"We believe in the role that hydrogen will play in the move toward decarbonization across many sectors of the economy. In line with our commitment to the military veterans' community through our SuburbanCares corporate pillar, we are extremely excited to partner with the team at Independence Hydrogen to help them achieve their vision and mission of localized hydrogen production and distribution," said Michael Stivala, Suburban Propane President and Chief Executive Officer. "Suburban Propane's logistics expertise, unwavering focus on safety and localized service model are perfectly situated to support the adoption of hydrogen solutions in the marketplace and accelerate the growth of Independence Hydrogen. This investment is the most recent demonstration of our ongoing commitment to lead the industry in innovation as society transitions to a renewable energy future."

"I have the honor of leading a team of fellow veterans with fierce execution skills, and we are on a mission to make our communities safer and more energy resilient with reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly hydrogen," said William Lehner, Independence Hydrogen's Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "Suburban Propane joins our existing investors at Hivers & Strivers, a venture group that backs military veterans exclusively, to create a true partnership with a shared vision to supply clean hydrogen locally in resilient, networked hubs for powering the American energy transition. We are excited to collaborate with Suburban Propane who is a force multiplier with many synergies to further accelerate our rapid expansion."

Suburban Propane's formation of a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Suburban Renewable Energy, LLC ("Suburban Renewables"), will serve as the platform for its investments in innovative, renewable energy technologies and businesses. In addition to the investment in Independence Hydrogen, Suburban Renewables will also hold the Partnership's 39% equity stake in Oberon Fuels ("Oberon"), acquired in September 2020. Oberon is a developer and producer of renewable dimethyl ether ("rDME") which, when blended with propane, can significantly reduce emissions and carbon intensity. Additionally, rDME has the potential to be an efficient and cost-effective carrier of hydrogen. The Partnership is continuing to invest in Oberon's technology and is working toward the commercial sale of propane +rDME blended products.

For more information on the acquisition, please visit www.suburbanrenewables.com .

About Suburban Propane

Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. is a publicly traded master limited partnership listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SPH. Headquartered in Whippany, New Jersey, Suburban has been in the customer service business since 1928 and is a nationwide distributor of propane, renewable propane, fuel oil and related products and services, as well as a marketer of natural gas and electricity and an investor in low carbon fuel alternatives. The Partnership serves the energy needs of approximately 1 million residential, commercial, governmental, industrial and agricultural customers through approximately 700 locations across 42 states. The Partnership is supported by three core pillars: (1) Suburban Commitment  showcasing the Partnership's 90+ year legacy, and ongoing commitment to the highest standards for dependability, flexibility, and reliability that underscores the Partnership's commitment to excellence in customer service; (2) SuburbanCares  highlighting the Partnership's continued dedication to giving back to local communities across the Partnership's national footprint and (3) Go Green with Suburban Propane - promoting the clean burning and versatile nature of propane and renewable propane as a bridge to a green energy future and developing the next generation of renewable energy. For additional information on Suburban Propane, please visit www.suburbanpropane.com .

About Independence Hydrogen, Inc.

Independence Hydrogen, Inc. ("IH") is a privately-held company that is a pioneer in building the American hydrogen economy. Based in Ashburn, Virginia, IH opens the door to fuel cells with reliable, affordable, and clean hydrogen services. The IH team is 100% veterans from military and government service, many with combat leadership experience which define a company culture of integrity, service to others and an operational-driven performance mentality. IH's mission is to make communities cleaner, safer, and more energy resilient by providing access to affordable, low carbon hydrogen. For additional information on Independence Hydrogen, please visit www.ih2.us.

SOURCE Suburban Propane Partners, L.P.
AUSTIN, Texas, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The SXSW EDU Conference & Festival is proud to name Our Worlds, Inc . as the winner of this year's Launch competition and AUesome as the winner for this year's Student Startup Competition. It was announced at the Competitions Awards Celebration.

For over a decade, the Launch Competition, this year supported by Schmidt Futures and the Walton Family Foundation, has given early-stage startups the chance to pitch the emerging ideas, services, and products that they are developing to a cohort of leaders across the business, investment, and learning sectors. Out of the six finalists, whose innovations ranged from platforms supporting emotional literacy education to speech AI, the panel of judges selected Our Worlds, Inc., based in Pala Indian Reservation, CA, as the Launch Competition award winner. Our Worlds provides place-based, primary source, educational content about Native Americans in Extended Reality 360 throughout the world. The experiences are unique, immersive, and available to anyone with a smartphone. Our Worlds provides a portal to the indigenous stories that surround you.

"It's been such a joy working with SXSW EDU on the Launch Competition, which shines a big spotlight on amazing startups poised to make a huge impact on education. We're at a critical moment where teachers deserve the best that technology can offer, and I'm proud to support a competition that surfaces the most promising ideas," said Dan Carroll, middle school science teacher turned CPO and co-founder of Clever  and the 2013 winner of the Launch Competition.

"The Launch Competition at SXSW EDU is a true showcase for creativity, innovation, and positive impact. It's exciting to see new ideas coming to life  enriching the current landscape at a time when schools, educators, and professionals are rethinking engagement, learning, and achievement through technology," said Craig Narveson, general manager & director of strategic partnerships at Kahoot!  and a 2013 Launch Competition finalist.

Additionally, SXSW EDU selected AUesome based in Sunnyvale, CA, as the winner for this year's Student Startup Competition , powered by WIT - Whatever It Takes, with support from the Do-Or-Dier Foundation, Diamond Challenge, and Uncharted Learning. Like Launch, this competition has become a pinnacle of the SXSW EDU program, uplifting the budding young high school entrepreneurs certain to shape the future of education. AUesome was selected from five finalists and was recognized for its work to make therapy more accessible and affordable for children on the autism spectrum. Their kits, instructional videos, and app simplify the at-home therapy process for parents of children with special needs.

"This competition is important because it provides young people the chance to use their voice and share their ideas in places and conferences that are usually reserved for adults," said Sarah Hernholm, founder and president of WIT - Whatever It Takes. "SXSW EDU does a wonderful job of not only stating the importance of showcasing young entrepreneurs but actually doing it."

To learn more about these competitions, along with the winners and finalists, visit sxswedu.com/competitions .

About SXSW EDU:

The SXSW EDU Conference & Festival is a reflection of the world's most critical social issues as seen through the lens of education. This year's event will bring together the learner, the practitioner, the entrepreneur, and the visionary to share their groundbreaking stories, tackle complex issues, and build reimagined paths forward. As a community of diverse people who are united around a like-minded vision for the future, SXSW EDU serves as a place for attendees to renew their purpose in practice from both a personal and professional perspective. It is a place to reinforce the core principles of teaching and learning as well as an opportunity to express your creativity and passion for education. SXSW EDU is a component of the South by Southwest family of conferences and festivals that has grown from 800 to over 8,000 registrants in the last decade. Join the passionate and innovative community at SXSW EDU, March 7-10, 2022.

Contact:

Liz Stein

SXSW EDU Press & Publicity

[email protected]

240-461-3053

SOURCE SXSW EDU
Refugees are in urgent need of shelter, medical care, transportation through safe corridors, language assistance, and legal and administrative aid. This is only the first of many steps on the road to rebalancing their lives, which includes finding permanent housing, employment, language skills training, social relationships, and continued education for their children.

The burden of organizing temporary housing and transportation for refugees rests heavily on volunteers and NGOs, which often lack the digital resources to effectively manage a crisis of this magnitude.

"Tens of thousands of people have immediately joined the unprecedented wave of aid that has come from neighboring countries and around the world, saving countless lives. The overflowing aid needs to be structured, and efforts need to be streamlined and optimized. Technology is key to coordinating all humanitarian efforts. This is where Tech To The Rescue comes in," says Jacek Siadkowski, co-founder and director of Tech To The Rescue.

#TechForUkraine provides support for NGOs helping Ukraine

Tech To The Rescue is a Poland-based non-profit organization that matches NGOs in need of technological support with companies willing to provide them with technical skills. When the invasion of Ukraine began, the foundation pivoted to focus all its resources on the needs of Ukrainian refugees. It launched the #TechForUkraine campaign, which aims to provide pro-bono support to NGOs working to solve urgent problems related to the immediate and long-term impact of the war. The campaign intends to launch about 100 digital projects for NGOs in the region within the next 3 months and has plans to support even more projects over the long term.

Since its launch, 60 NGOs from Poland, Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States have submitted their projects. More than 450 IT companies from 40 countries pledged to provide their support to NGOs.

These companies include Amazon Cloud Services, Orange, Salesforce, Allegro, Netguru, Divante, Boldare, Nocodely, Astek, Servsoft, Droids on Roids, Twilio, Nord VPN, 10Clouds, Codility, RTB House, and Packhelp.

Projects already launched through #TechForUkraine

24 projects have already been matched through #TechForUkraine and several went live last week, including:

sosua.help  A platform that collects verified offers of support for Ukrainian refugees;

 A platform that collects verified offers of support for Ukrainian refugees; dopomoha.pl  The only map in Ukrainian which informs users about humanitarian and medical aid; and

 The only map in Ukrainian which informs users about humanitarian and medical aid; and peaceofheart.eu  A charitable NFT collection, supporting Ukraine and its citizens.

The team is currently working on about 45 projects simultaneously, and new projects are matched every day as regional NGOs continue to submit requests. Notable new projects include a system for coordinating NGO activities created for the NGO Forum and a chatbot being developed in collaboration with the Polish Prime Minister's Office to help refugees find education for their children.

The Tech to the Rescue fundraising campaign

The ultimate goal is to provide relief to two million people who have already fled their homes or will soon do so  half of the estimated total number of refugees.

Currently, the foundation is raising funds on Donorbox to support #TechForUkraine for the next year and to expand the team. The goal is $1 million.

"We are overwhelmed by the response to the #TechForUkraine campaign and are working around the clock to process all applications. Therefore, we appeal to the international IT community, startups, investors, and angels to support us. To meet the challenge, we need to increase our team and hire new people. This will help us help refugees on a large scale and assist twice as many organizations as we can now," shares Siadkowski.

The goals of Tech To The Rescue include hiring analysts who will help NGOs define their technology needs, and a team that will ensure there are enough technical resources to support projects. The foundation also wants to invest in translating resources and materials for service delivery in local languages and hire local Tech To The Rescue representatives, which will ease access for local non-profits.

Another goal is building a scalable humanitarian response model that will alleviate the suffering of millions of people in the case of another crisis.

The fundraising campaign has been backed by investor and entrepreneur Sebastian Kulczyk, owner of Kulczyk Investments and the founder of Manta Ray vc, a venture capital fund that provides support on an international scale for the top business talents concerned with developing ground-breaking technologies in the education system, biotech, health, infrastructure, and other areas.

About Tech To The Rescue

Founded in March 2020, Tech To The Rescue was created as a coalition of 10 Central European technology companies. Since then, over 250 technology companies and more than 300 non-profit organizations have joined the platform to implement technology solutions to solve the world's most pressing social and environmental problems. Projects delivered to date have positively influenced more than 1,000,000 people in 12 countries, including in areas covering:

Cybersecurity : CQure conducted an audit of the security standards at Polish Humanitarian Aid, introducing new systems to respond to so-called 'social-hacking'.

: CQure conducted an audit of the security standards at Polish Humanitarian Aid, introducing new systems to respond to so-called 'social-hacking'. Public health : Clorce built a system on the Salesforce platform to coordinate support for hospitals at the height of the pandemic.

: Clorce built a system on the Salesforce platform to coordinate support for hospitals at the height of the pandemic. Donations and partnerships: SEOFly supported Good Food Institute Europe increasing their website visibility to acquire more institutional partners, employee candidates, and donors.

For more information on Tech to the Rescue visit www.techtotherescue.org or contact Joanna Kocik, TTTR Communications Manager: [email protected]

SOURCE Tech To The Rescue
Revolving facility limit is increased from $25 million to $30 million

Certain eligible inventory to be included as collateral

Amendment provides additional working capital to support continued revenue growth

TORONTO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (the "Company" or "TGOD") (CSE: TGOD) (US-OTC: TGODF), a sustainable global cannabis company is pleased to announce that it has agreed to amend the terms of the amended and restated credit agreement dated September 29, 2021, as amended by a first amendment dated November 20, 2021 (the "Credit Agreement"), between The Green Organic Dutchman Ltd. (the "Borrower"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TGOD, and its Canadian lender (the "Agent").

The Agent and the Borrower have agreed to enter into the second amendment to the Credit Agreement (the "Amendment") to, amongst other things: (i) increase the revolving facility limit by $5,000,000 to $30,000,000; (ii) allow certain eligible inventory to be included as collateral; and (iii) relax certain covenants set forth in the Credit Agreement; subject to the satisfaction of the various conditions set out therein. All other terms of the credit facility will remain the same as before, including the maturity date of June 30, 2023.

As consideration for the Amendment, the Company has issued a total of 500,000 common shares to the Agent and certain affiliates of the Agent based on an issue price of $0.10 per common share.

"The continued support and confidence from our financial partner are a testament to TGOD's unique value proposition and the significant work our team has done to position the Company for long-term success. This Amendment provides us with the additional working capital needed to support our continued revenue growth as we move towards positive EBITDA," said Sean Bovingdon, Chief Executive Officer at TGOD.

About The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (CSE: TGOD) (USOTC: TGODF) is a sustainable cannabis company with a focus on innovation, quality, consistency, integrity and transparency. The Company is committed to cultivating a better tomorrow by producing its products responsibly, with less waste and impact on the environment. In Canada, the Company serves the recreational market with a brand portfolio including The Green Organic Dutchman, Highly Dutch Organics, Ripple by TGOD and Cruuzy, and the medical markets in Canada, South Africa, Australia, and Germany. All cannabis utilized in products for The Green Organic Dutchman and Highly Dutch Organics brands is grown through a certified organic process, which includes living soil, filtered rainwater, sunlight, and natural inputs.

The Company's Common Shares and certain warrants issued under the indentures dated December 19, 2019, June 12, 2020, October 23, 2020, and December 10, 2020, trade on the CSE under the symbol "TGOD", "TGOD.WS", "TGOD.WR", "TGOD.WA", and "TGOD.WB" respectively. The Company's Common Shares trade in the U.S. on the OTCQX under the symbol "TGODF". For more information on The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd., please visit www.tgod.ca.

Cautionary Statements

This news release includes statements containing certain "forwardlooking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forwardlooking statements"). Forward looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to statements about future revenues, EBITDA and operating cashflow, statements about the profitability of the Company, and about the future working capital of the Company. Forwardlooking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "should", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forwardlooking statements throughout this news release. Forwardlooking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties (including market conditions) and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forwardlooking statements, including those risk factors described in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form filed with Canadian securities regulators and available on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither the CSE nor the CSE's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of CSE) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Little Gym International, the world's premier enrichment and physical development center for children ages four months through 12, has named Jamie Eslinger as the next marketing leader for the brand. Part of the Unleashed Brands family, The Little Gym focuses on giving more opportunities to families for their kids to learn, play and grow.

Eslinger brings more than 20 years of experience overcoming challenges through product development, digital programs, branding, marketing and communications. She most recently led the North American market at PartyLite, overseeing eCommerce, marketing and customer service teams. During her years with the brand, she increased North American profitability 300% through a modernized approach that bolstered the ecommerce business. Prior to this role, Eslinger worked alongside The Little Gym CEO and President Nancy Bigley at Bottle & Bottega, where she served as head of marketing for the franchised brand. Eslinger has also held marketing roles at Bertucci's, an Italian restaurant chain with nearly 100 locations, as well as Dunkin' Brands in brand management roles for Baskin-Robbins.

"At Bottle & Bottega Jamie was instrumental in creating and executing a winning marketing strategy and ongoing innovation enabling success and profitability for our franchisees," said Bigley. "I look forward to working alongside her during this exciting time for The Little Gym as we move towards a more modernized guest experience both digitally and in our gyms."

"I'm excited to be once again, joining forces with Nancy through this new venture with The Little Gym," said Eslinger. "I look forward to integrating the marketing, product and technology initiatives as we continue to promote the brand and implement exciting new ideas with our growth through Unleashed Brands."

The Little Gym teaches kids social and physical skills appropriate to each stage of childhood by creating opportunities to experience achievement and build self-confidence. At the core of the international franchise's mission is becoming the foundation of a child's development that will set them up for success. Through three-dimensional learning including physical activities, cognitive skills and social and emotional learning, the core teaching methods create opportunities for children to experience achievement and build self-confidence.

About The Little Gym International

The Little Gym International is an internationally recognized program that helps children build the developmental skills and confidence needed at each stage of childhood. The very first location was established in 1976 by Robin Wes, an innovative educator with a genuine love for children. The Little Gym International, Inc., headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., was formed in 1992 to franchise The Little Gym concept. Today, The Little Gym International has nearly 400 locations in over 31 countries including the U.S., Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Thailand and more. For more information, visit The Little Gym at www.TheLittleGym.com .

About Unleashed Brands

Unleashed Brands, currently includes portfolio brands Urban Air, Snapology , The Little Gym and Premier Martial Arts and was founded to curate and grow a portfolio of the most innovative and profitable brands that help kids learn, play and grow. Over the last 10 years, the team at Unleashed Brands has built a proven platform and know-how for scaling businesses focused on serving families. Its mission is to impact the lives of every kid by providing fun, engaging and inspiring experiences that help them become who they are destined to be. For more information, visit www.UnleashedBrands.com .

SOURCE The Little Gym International, Inc.
COLUMBIA, Maryland, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mexico Fund, Inc. (NYSE: MXF) announced that, at its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, stockholders re-elected Messrs. Claudio X. Gonzalez, Edward P. Djerejian and Alberto Osorio as Class II Directors of the Fund for a three-year term expiring in 2025.

In addition, stockholders approved the election of Ms. Claudia Janez, to serve as a Class I Director until the expiration of the class's term in 2024. Ms. Janez has strong business and legal experience and is expected to provide significant insights to the Fund.

The results of the Annual Meeting were as follows*:



For % Outstanding % of Voted Withheld % Outstanding % of Voted Claudio X. Gonzalez 11,368,331 75.76% 91.71% 1,027,337 6.85% 8.29% Edward P. Djerejian 11,802,486 78.66% 95.21% 593,182 3.95% 4.79% Alberto Osorio 11,731,755 78.18% 94.64% 663,913 4.42% 5.36% Claudia Janez 11,807,204 78.69% 95.25% 588,464 3.92% 4.75%

*There were no abstentions or broker non-votes with regard to the election of the Fund's Class II or Class I Directors.

CONTACT:

Tofi Dayan

+5255-9138-3350

Email: [email protected]

About The Mexico Fund, Inc.

The Mexico Fund, Inc. is a non-diversified closed-end management investment company with the investment objective of long-term capital appreciation through investments in securities, primarily equity, listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. The Fund provides a vehicle to investors who wish to invest in Mexican companies through a managed non-diversified portfolio as part of their overall investment program.

This release may contain certain forward-looking statements regarding future circumstances. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Fund's current expectations and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements including, in particular, the risks and uncertainties described in the Fund's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results, events, and performance may differ. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Fund undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The inclusion of any statement in this release does not constitute an admission by The Mexico Fund or any other person that the events or circumstances described in such statement are material.

SOURCE The Mexico Fund, Inc.
BETHESDA, Md., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oakleaf Group has announced its appointment of Ed Draves as Senior Managing Director of Business Development. Oakleaf is a premier provider of mortgage loan due diligence, data analytics, financial modeling, and advisory services for the mortgage and financial services industries. Mr. Draves will work closely with the executive management team to lead Oakleaf's efforts to expand its service offerings and client base.

Mr. Draves brings 30 years of experience leading companies and business verticals as well as developing market segments within the client services ecosystem. Prior to joining Oakleaf, Ed served as Market Director and Client Services Executive for The Goal, a consultancy firm based in Reston, Virginia. Past experiences include executive roles in sales and talent acquisition with on and offshore based IT Services companies supporting Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FINRA, PNC and Zions Bank.

Chris Milner, Oakleaf's President and CEO, commented, "Ed Draves will make an excellent addition to the Oakleaf executive team. He is a dynamic, seasoned leader, whose contributions will enable Oakleaf to expand our product development and strategic approaches for growth. His experience in business development and human capital management will be invaluable to Oakleaf's next steps in the advancement of its service offerings."

"I'm very excited to incorporate my sales, strategic management, and leadership experience to expand Oakleaf's Resource Solutions offerings within the GSEs, financial institutions and their regulators, and other mortgage institutions," Draves commented.

About The Oakleaf Group

The Oakleaf Group is a Mortgage advisory firm providing a diverse set of services, solutions and outsourced business processes to all mortgage industry segments. Founded in 2007 by mortgage industry veterans, our clients include originators, servicers, trustees, investors, aggregators and securitization sponsors, government entities and agencies, mortgage insurers, law firms, capital markets firms, banks, fintech firms, and industry service providers. Oakleaf's passion is to enhance the mortgage finance industry with data-driven, model-informed, analytics-enabled and operationally-rigorous services and solutions.

Media contact:

Tara Johnston

[email protected]

SOURCE The Oakleaf Group
OXFORD, England, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tokamak Energy has demonstrated a world-first with its privately-funded ST40 spherical tokamak, achieving a plasma temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, the threshold required for commercial fusion energy.

This is by far the highest temperature ever achieved in a spherical tokamak and by any privately funded tokamak. While several government laboratories have reported plasma temperatures above 100M degrees in conventional tokamaks, this milestone has been achieved in just five years, for a cost of less than 50m ($70m), in a much more compact fusion device. This achievement further substantiates spherical tokamaks as the optimal route to the delivery of clean, secure, low cost, scalable and globally deployable commercial fusion energy.

With over 25 diagnostic tools in the ST40 and utilising the latest advanced measurement technologies, the 100M temperature result has been verified by an independent advisory board consisting of international experts. Tokamak Energy plans to share these significant results with the scientific community.

Chris Kelsall, CEO of Tokamak Energy said:

"We are proud to have achieved this breakthrough which puts us one step closer to providing the world with a new, secure and carbon-free energy source. When combined with HTS magnets, spherical tokamaks represent the optimal route to achieving clean and low-cost commercial fusion energy. Our next device will combine these two world leading technologies for the first time and is central to our mission to deliver low-cost energy with compact fusion modules."

The ST40 device will now undergo an upgrade and be used to develop technologies for future devices. The ST-HTS, which will be the world's first spherical tokamak to demonstrate the full potential of high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets, is due to be commissioned in the mid-2020s. This device will demonstrate multiple advanced technologies required for fusion energy and inform the design of a world first fusion pilot plant, to be commissioned in the early 2030s.

The company is also manufacturing a complete HTS magnet system, which will be the first validation of strong magnetic fields with HTS coils in a spherical tokamak.

Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said:

"Fusion energy could be the ultimate power of the future  low carbon, safe and sustainable  and this is another crucial step towards it. I congratulate all of those who contributed to this important milestone."

"The Government's fusion strategy, published last year, is designed to support companies like Tokamak Energy to make fusion energy a reality. I look forward to further milestones in the months and years ahead."

Notes to Editors

Tokamaks use magnets to contain a plasma so that it can reach the high temperatures at which fusion occurs. High magnetic fields are necessary for tokamaks to contain the superheated fuel, and higher magnetic fields enable a smaller, lower cost tokamak.

About Tokamak Energy

Tokamak Energy is a leading global commercial fusion energy company based near Oxford, UK. The company is developing the fusion power plant of tomorrow while commercialising the technology applications of today.

Tokamak Energy is pursuing fusion through the combined development of spherical tokamaks, with high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets.

The company, founded in 2009 as a spin-off from the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, currently employs a growing team of over 180 people with talent from the UK and experts from around the world. It combines world leading scientific, engineering, industrial and commercial capabilities. The company has more than 55 families of patent applications and has raised over 100m of private investment.

Once realised, fusion energy will be clean, low cost, and globally deployable  a key enabler for meeting world energy requirements and climate policy goals.

www.tokamakenergy.co.uk

Contact

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Tokamak Energy
US hijacks European allies on Russian energy ban

(Global Times) 09:36, March 10, 2022

Washingtons selfish tactic erodes EU autonomy

People walk past a screen of a currency exchange office displaying the exchange rates of U.S. Dollar and Euro to Russian Rubles in Moscow, Russia, March 1, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree introducing temporary economic measures to ensure the country's financial stability, the Kremlin announced Tuesday. Photo:Xinhua

Russia and the US showed no signs of stopping biting each other's head off despite progress to a certain extent in Russia-Ukraine talks, with a Russian official announcing Moscow's readiness to respond to sanctions that will be swift and sensitive for targeted countries, just hours after the US announced a ban on Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports and the UK outlined a plan to phase out Russian oil, as Washington took the opportunity of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to press further economic cutoff between Russia and the West, economists said.

The US' move to urge European allies on energy sanctions against Russia has a very "selfish" motive inside, as not only does the US look to weaken Europe's self-independence strategy by binding Europe's economic ties with the US, but also the country is using Russia-targeted sanctions as an excuse to ruthlessly extend its crackdown on third-party countries, including China, they said.

Chinese officials reiterated their stance in opposing unilateral sanctions on Wednesday, while experts said the chances are very small that China's energy supplies will have any severe disruptions as a result of the world energy crisis, although China will also feel the sting of global crude and natural gas price jump.

US President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the US is banning Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports, shortly after the UK said it would phase out imports of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022.

Dmitry Birichevsky, the director of Russia's foreign ministry's department for economic cooperation, was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying that

Russia was working on a broad response to sanctions that would be swift and felt in the West's most sensitive areas.

As the US moves to launch a campaign of "moral kidnapping" against China, with continued moves that aim for some coercion, China has clarified its stance that the Russia-Ukraine conflict cannot be resolved through sanctions and will require dialogue and negotiations.

China "firmly opposes" unilateral sanctions without basis of international laws, as frequent sanctions will not bring about peace or safety, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stressed on Wednesday during a press conference.

Split sanctions

Economists called the US ban on Russian energy, which it is actively instigating European countries to follow suit, is a long-premeditated tactic that is "not surprising at all," they said.

"The US is looking to replace Russia's role in many European countries as a major energy seller, not only for the good of their own oil and natural gas companies, but more importantly, to bind Europe's economic interests tightly with its own so Europe would be on the side of the US in terms of Asia-Pacific issues," Li Haidong, a professor from the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The US also has much more chips to interfere with EU's independence strategy once Europe becomes a major US energy buyer, Li said.

Dong Yifan, a research fellow with the Institute of European Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, also said that efforts to shift the EU toward the US in energy supply actually fit into the US' long-standing tactical intention of "kidnapping" Europe on the energy issue, tracing such tactics to the US accusation that Europe's natural gas ties with the Soviet Union during the Cold War funded the former northern Eurasian state.

Although those objectives are hidden behind the US' outcry against the Russian military operations in Ukraine, some interesting details have exposed the US' double standards about its Russia-targeting sanctions. For example, according to a Reuters report, the US' ban on imports of Russian energy products does not include uranium, which the US relies heavily on to power its nuclear power plants.

However, experts stressed that there remains a significant "discrepancy" between the US and Europe when it comes to banning Russian energy imports, which will largely weaken the influence of the ban on the Russian economy.

The EU showed somewhat of an ambivalent attitude, unveiling a vision to make itself independent from Russian fossil fuels in the coming years but not blindly following Washington's steps of sanction against Moscow. In particular, Germany reportedly pushed back against calls from the US and Ukraine for a ban on imports of Russian gas and oil.

"There's still a big question mark over to what extent the EU vision could eventually materialize," Dong said, saying the EU's heavy reliance on Russia energy will not lessen in the near future.

The EU sources about 40 percent of its gas from Russia and 27 percent of its oil, while the US gets no gas from Russia and around 7 percent of its oil, media reports showed.

How do US sanctions on Russia affect the West?

China's response

The extent to which Russia will suffer from the energy trade ban from the US and certain European countries is hard to predict, but most economists the Global Times talked to predict that Russia will take action to offset such influence, and one effective method is to shift energy exports from the West to countries in the East, like China and India, which will make China's trade structure more balanced.

"It goes without saying that Russia will increase energy intermediary trade with China or energy exports to China in the future to form an important channel to get foreign reserves," Yang Haiping, a research fellow at the futures research institute under the Central University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times.

On the other hand, China might also face some pressure due to the changing global energy trade pattern, and one major risk is that the US might extend sanctions on China on the excuse of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Signs of such extended punishment have already emerged. According to a New York Times report, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo noticed that the US government could cut off SMIC and other Chinese chip makers' access to US-produced tools and software if China violates the ban on exporting chips to Russia.

Experts cautioned that Chinese companies need to prepare for entangled restrictions on matters including energy from the US, and take active measures to safeguard their interests, such as by using the Chinese trade payment settlement system and arranging forward foreign exchange contracts to offset risks of exchange rate fluctuation.

"Chinese businesses, for their part, have been well-placed for responses to the US long-arm jurisdiction enforcement, especially since a flurry of tough actions targeting Chinese firms and entities since the Donald Trump era," Dong said.

Another side effect is that the ongoing energy sanctions would send global energy prices sky high, which would inevitably extend to China's commodity markets and add difficulties to the country's economic growth.

Chinese officials have taken the impact into consideration and expressed confidence that China's economy will not experience widespread harm caused by external geo-political volatility.

Lian Weiliang, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission, said during a recent press conference that China's costs of importing crude and natural gas would increase to some extent, but in general the impact is under control.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
RABAT, March 9 (Xinhua) -- At least two people have died and five are missing from the sinking of a fishing boat off the coast of the Moroccan city of El Jadida on Wednesday morning.

Both the deaths and missing are crew members, the Moroccan financial daily L'Economiste quoted local authorities as saying.

The boat went down 600 meters off El Jadida fishing port during the incident, according to local authorities.

An operation was underway to rescue the five missing crew members, using air and naval means of the Royal Gendarmerie and Royal Navy, said the authorities. 
DOVER, Mass., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TRZMO announced $1.2 million in funding from private investors and formation of a strategic advisory board to accelerate adoption of its free flagship app. It replaces multiple travel apps with one dashboard to manage flight updates, gate changes, ground transport, loyalty programs and a myriad of travel logistics from duty-free shopping to dining, weather and time-zones coupled with AI-driven, real-time recommendations and special offers.

TRZMO notifies you of real-time flight changes automatically, and the app shows you the best duty-free prices and shopping offers at locations along your route to be sure you get what you want at the best place, time and price with one search. TRZMO also manages loyalty cards so you can earn points, maximize value, and spend time enjoying travel instead of navigating a myriad of single-function apps. Follow TRZMO on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

First-generation travel and loyalty program apps are single purpose and don't integrate with one another, making their use unwieldy and value unrealized. TRZMO is the first app solving these challenges, available free on Apple App store and Google Play store.

Advisory Board members include Josh Wiess, an angel investor focusing on early stage tech start-ups and Conor O'Mahoney. Josh is a member of Hub Angel Investment Group and Launchpad Ventures. He was Founder and CEO of Nauticus Networks, a private company providing advanced networking products for global data centers. In 2004, Nauticus Networks was acquired by SUN. Prior to Nauticus Networks, Weiss, was co-founder and VP of Engineering at Prominet Corporation, which was acquired by Lucent Technologies. Weiss was a finalist for Ernst and Young's New England Entrepreneur of the Year Award and is on the boards of numerous start-ups.

Conor O'Mahoney said, "I'm thrilled to be part of TRZMO's team. This is an ideal time for TRZMO to form high-impact commercial partnerships, rapid consumer adoption and growth. And, I see massive pent-up demand for travel as COVID-19 evolves from pandemic to endemic status in many places."

Conor is an advisor, investor and independent board member and a top-performing entrepreneur, with a track record of leading successful product innovation, and scaling business. As Chief Product Officer at Klaviyo, Conor implemented a product-led growth approach that drove a 10x increase in revenues. As Chief Product Officer at SilverRail, he oversaw a 6x increase in revenues leading to acquisition by Expedia.

TRZMO CEO and Founder Myank Jain is a successful, experienced founder and entrepreneur having built and sold iQuest Analytics, Inc. to a Government Agency and then led numerous teams and organizations to high performance and growth prior to founding TRZMO. Jain attended the MIT Sloan School of Executive Management program and is deeply involved in the Cambridge, MA tech innovation community.

"First, we built a powerful consumer travel app with robust functionality. Now we're focused on growth, adoption and mutually-beneficial partnerships." Said Myank Jain, CEO and Founder of TRZMO.

He has been a Core Judge of the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge (IIE) for five years. IIC is the flagship initiative of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE). IDE has identified 160 organizations globally, awarding $5 million in prizes to accelerate their missions. In three years, those winners generated $170+ million in revenue, raised $1+ billion in capital, created 7,000+ jobs, and served 350 million people. Myank is member of Hub Angel Investment Group, OneWay Ventures and Pi Ventures, and is a Managing Partner at GreenPicks Partners.

About TRZMO

TRZMO is the ultimate travel app, available free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It presents flight itineraries, ground transportation recommendations and logistics, local weather, time, currency, and duty-free shopping recommendations on your route in one dashboard. TRZMO automatically pulls flight itineraries from your calendar, facilitating trip management without data entry like first-generation apps. TRZMO notifies you of real-time flight changes automatically, and the app shows you the best duty-free prices and shopping offers at locations along your route to be sure you get what you want at the best place, time and price with one search. TRZMO also manages loyalty cards so you can earn points, maximize value, and spend time enjoying travel instead of navigating a myriad of single-function apps. Follow TRZMO on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Press Contact:

Jackie Lucas

Vera Voce Communication

978-255-1159

[email protected]

SOURCE TRZMO
"I am excited for the opportunity to do this work on a national scale," Richman said. "I deeply believe that demonstrating Troutman Pepper's commitment to our pro bono program and facilitating even more opportunities for our employees to participate in meaningful and impactful work is not only the right thing to do but also essential to our current client relationships and to recruiting, retaining, and developing our legal talent."

Troutman Pepper Managing Partner Tom Cole said, "We see a real opportunity to build upon our strong legacy of pro bono work and create a re-invigorated, highly impactful pro bono practice that will add value to our communities, our clients, and the firm. There's no one better to lead this effort than Sara."

During her career, Richman, whose practice centered around counseling health sciences clients on complex regulatory schemes and representing them in government investigations and commercial litigation matters, has handled many types of pro bono matters. Most recently, she has been dedicating her time to election protection work and volunteering with the Support Center for Child Advocates, which represents children in the foster care system.

"There is tremendous value in elevating our pro bono program  for our firm, for our communities, for our clients  and it's a great privilege to lead that effort," Richman said.

Richman also is active in her local community, serving on the boards of Community Legal Services and Philadelphia Legal Assistance  two organizations that provide exceptional legal representation and advocate for systemic changes that will improve circumstances for many of our most vulnerable Philadelphians. In her new role, Richman will grow her relationships and partner with legal aid organizations around the country.

Each year, Troutman Pepper attorneys dedicate thousands of pro bono hours in support of nonprofits, military veterans, children, the wrongfully accused, and so many more. Learn more at troutman.com/pro-bono.

About Troutman Pepper

Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm's litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients' most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including construction, energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, private equity, and real estate, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.

SOURCE Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP
IRVINE, Calif., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ATTOM, licensor of the nation's most comprehensive foreclosure data and parent company to RealtyTrac (www.realtytrac.com), the largest online marketplace for foreclosure and distressed properties, today released its February 2022 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows there were a total of 25,833 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings  default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions  up 11 percent from a month ago and 129 percent from a year ago.

"February foreclosure activity looks a lot like what we can expect to see for at least the next six months  double digit month-over-month growth, and triple digit year-over-year increases," said Rick Sharga, executive vice president at RealtyTrac, an ATTOM company. "This isn't an indication of economic turmoil, or of weakness in the housing market; it's simply the gradual return to normal levels of foreclosure activity after two years of artificially low numbers due to government and industry efforts to protect financially-impacted homeowners from defaulting."

Foreclosure completion numbers decline from last month

Lenders repossessed 2,634 U.S. properties through completed foreclosures (REOs) in February 2022, down 45 percent from last month but up 70 percent from last year.

States that had at least 100 or more REOs and saw the greatest monthly decreases in completed foreclosures in February 2022 included: Michigan (down 81 percent); Texas (down 58 percent); California (down 52 percent); Florida (down 43 percent); and New Jersey (down 27 percent).

Those major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with a population greater than 200,000 that had 25 or more REOs in February 2022 and saw the greatest monthly decreases in completed foreclosures included: Detroit, MI (down 87 percent); Los Angeles, CA (down 63 percent); St. Louis, MO (down 50 percent); Riverside, CA (down 46 percent); and New York, NY (down 40 percent).

"The reduced number of foreclosure completions suggests that much of the activity we saw in January was a result of mortgage servicers catching up on processing loans that had been in foreclosure or very seriously delinquent prior to the pandemic and the moratorium," Sharga noted. "We can expect more month-to-month volatility as servicers and the court systems work through some of these backlogs."

Foreclosure starts increase monthly in 40 states including the District of Colombia

Lenders started the foreclosure process on 16,545 U.S. properties in February 2022, up 40 percent from last month and 176 percent from a year ago.

Those states that saw the greatest numbers of foreclosures starts in February 2022 included: California (1,868 foreclosure starts); Florida (1,527 foreclosure starts); Texas (1,488 foreclosure starts); Illinois (1,168 foreclosure starts); and Ohio (1,144 foreclosure starts).

Among the 220 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000, those that had the greatest numbers of foreclosure starts in February 2022, included: Chicago, IL (1,075 foreclosure starts); New York, NY (793 foreclosure starts); Los Angeles, CA (530 foreclosure starts); Houston, TX (471 foreclosure starts); and Atlanta, GA (415 foreclosure starts).

Highest foreclosure rates in New Jersey, Illinois, and Ohio

Nationwide one in every 5,320 housing units had a foreclosure filing in February 2022. States with the highest foreclosure rates were New Jersey (one in every 2,510 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Illinois (one in every 2,521 housing units); Ohio (one in every 2,801 housing units); South Carolina (one in every 3,001 housing units); and Nevada (one in every 3,112 housing units).

Among the 220 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000, those with the highest foreclosure rates in February 2022 were Cleveland, OH (one in every 1,483 housing units with a foreclosure filing); Atlantic City, NJ (one in every 1,832 housing units); Columbia, SC (one in every 1,890 housing units); Lakeland, FL (one in every 1,983 housing units); and Chicago, IL (one in every 2,058 housing units).

Other than Cleveland and Chicago, among the metropolitan areas with a population greater than 1 million, those with the worst foreclosure rates in February 2022 included: Jacksonville, FL (one in every 2,452 housing units); Las Vegas, NV (one in every 2,472 housing units); and Orlando, FL (one in every 2,655 housing).

Report Methodology

The ATTOM U.S. Foreclosure Market Report provides a count of the total number of properties with at least one foreclosure filing entered into the ATTOM Data Warehouse during the month and quarter. Some foreclosure filings entered into the database during the quarter may have been recorded in the previous quarter. Data is collected from more than 3,000 counties nationwide, and those counties account for more than 99 percent of the U.S. population. ATTOM's report incorporates documents filed in all three phases of foreclosure: Default  Notice of Default (NOD) and Lis Pendens (LIS); Auction  Notice of Trustee Sale and Notice of Foreclosure Sale (NTS and NFS); and Real Estate Owned, or REO properties (that have been foreclosed on and repurchased by a bank). For the annual, midyear and quarterly reports, if more than one type of foreclosure document is received for a property during the timeframe, only the most recent filing is counted in the report. The annual, midyear, quarterly and monthly reports all check if the same type of document was filed against a property previously. If so, and if that previous filing occurred within the estimated foreclosure timeframe for the state where the property is located, the report does not count the property in the current year, quarter, or month.

Interested in finding out more about our pre-foreclosure and foreclosure data?

Contact ATTOM for Foreclosure Data Licensing Details.

Visit RealtyTrac.com for Foreclosure Search and Listings.

About ATTOM

ATTOM provides foreclosure data licenses that can power various enterprise industries including real estate, insurance, marketing, government, mortgage and more. ATTOM multi-sources from 3,000 counties property tax, deed, mortgage, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation's population.

About RealtyTrac (Powered by ATTOM's Property Data)

RealtyTrac.com is the largest online marketplace for foreclosure and distressed properties, helping individual investors and real estate agents looking to gain a competitive edge in the distressed market. Realtytrac.com enables real estate professionals the ability to find, analyze and invest in residential properties.

Media Contact:

Christine Stricker

949.748.8428

[email protected]

Data and Report Licensing:

949.502.8313

[email protected]

SOURCE ATTOM
USAF FLITES Achieves "Run" Status within First Year Utilizing One Network's DevNet SDK and NEO Platform. Tweet this

"This is an excellent result of the implementation of an Agile process, tools, automation, and services. For our organization to achieve such a high status within the first year of the program, even with the COVID lockdowns, is a tremendous testament to the integration of government and contractor personnel, and the power and strength of the One Network Enterprises' NEO Platform and SDK," says Debora Sharp, the FLITES Program Manager. "We are very excited to achieve this high rating, a result of the successful collaboration between the Air Force and the One Network Enterprises team."

"The FLITES team has done a fantastic job of using agile principles and practices in conjunction with agile tooling for collaboration, traceability and transparency. Over the past year, the team has implemented automation to iteratively mature to a full DevSecOps approach and are continuing to mature that automation. They are an excellent example of how applying agile processes works to help a team on a large application achieve major milestones in small increments," says Herbert Hunter Jr., AFLCMC/HIS Division Chief.

As a part of the USAF's logistics modernization efforts, they also chose ONE to assist in establishing the hosting and cybersecurity environments for FLITES along with tailored training for ONE's NEO Platform, Defense Core and Developer Network SDK. With the system in place, the Air Force expects to manage ten times the amount of data they have today from OEMs and other sources.

"One Network Enterprises is pleased to be a part of this important USAF initiative to help deliver a federated Master Data Management solution that will streamline a key element of the Air Force's Logistics operations", says David P. Stephens, ONE's Executive Vice President and General Manager for Government Programs.

"The recognition that the Air Force has given to the FLITES program speaks volumes to the leadership and contributions within the USAF FLITES program office, and how our customers can utilize our Developer Network SDK to provide world class mission-critical readiness. We are incredibly proud to be supporting Ms. Sharp's team."

Programs are assessed on 12 Agile principles with results compared year over year. There are five levels of maturity for final assessment: Infant, Crawl, Walk, Run, and Fly. The achievement of the advanced "Run" status in the initial year of development is a significant accomplishment, particularly for a mission-essential program.

Since 2008, One Network Enterprises has supported mission-critical capabilities for multiple agencies of the US Department of Defense, including the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and current work with the Air Force, in conjunction with their teams and allies all over the world. One Network Enterprises and its partner, Huntington Ingalls Industries' Technical Solutions Division, have been supporting the FLITES program since 2020.

About One Network Enterprises



One Network is the leading global provider of supply chain control towers and the Digital Supply Chain Network. It is the only available solution that gives supply chain managers and executives end-to-end visibility and control with a single version of the truth, using one data model, from inbound supply to outbound order fulfillment and logistics, matching demand with available supply in real-time. This multi-tier, multi-party digital platform optimizes and automates planning and execution across the entire supply chain network. Powered by NEO, One Network's machine learning and intelligent agent technology, real time predictive and prescriptive analytics autonomously enable industry-leading performance for the highest service levels and product quality at the lowest possible cost. Leading global organizations have joined the Digital Supply Chain Network and are transforming industries like Retail, Food Service, Consumer Goods, Automotive, Healthcare, Public Sector, Telecom, Defense, and Logistics. Headquartered in Dallas, One Network has offices across the Americas, Europe, and APAC. For more information, please visit https://www.onenetwork.com.

Contact:

Michelle Gaubert

One Network Enterprises

+1 510 316 0590

[email protected]

SOURCE One Network Enterprises
One of the primary growth drivers for this market is the growing popularity of gas generators. In addition, power blackouts due to natural calamities and the high demand for residential gas generators from emerging economies will have a positive impact on the growth of the market during the forecast period. However, the availability of alternatives such as power packs will reduce the growth potential in the market.

Residential Gas Generator Market: Segment Highlights

By type, the residential gas generator market is segmented by stationary and portable.

The stationary gas generator segment holds the largest share of the market.

Stationary gas generators exhibit excellent operational reliability when addressing high-power requirements that can reach several kilowatts for extended periods. This is one of the key factors driving the growth of the segment.

Also, stationary generators can produce a higher power output than portable models, which is increasing their adoption.

The market growth in the stationary gas generator segment will be significant during the forecast period.

Regional Analysis

31% of the growth will originate from the North American region.

The region will continue to dominate in terms of revenue generation throughout the forecast period.

The rise in production activities in various industries, such as manufacturing and automobile will fuel the growth of the market in North America .

. In addition, the increasing severity and frequency of natural disasters, especially in the US will contribute to the growth of the regional market.

The US and Canada are the key markets for residential gas generators in North America .

are the key markets for residential gas generators in . Also, countries such as China , Germany , and the UK will emerge as prominent markets for residential gas generators during the forecast period.

Vendor Analysis

The residential gas generators market is fragmented and is characterized by the presence of many international and local vendors as well as smaller generator manufacturers. Large vendors are focusing on differentiating their product offerings in terms of enhanced quality and technological developments, such as the incorporation of bi-fuel technology and smart digital controls in gas generators. This is posing stiff competition to local players who find it challenging to compete with international vendors in terms of quality, features, functionality, and services.

The research report offers information on several market vendors, including Aggreko Plc, Briggs and Stratton LLC, Caterpillar Inc., Champion Power Equipment Inc., Cummins Inc., DuroMax Power Equipment, Generac Power Systems Inc., Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Kohler Co., PR INDUSTRIAL Srl, Pulsar Products Inc., Rolls-Royce Plc, WEN Products., Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd., and Atlas Copco AB

Notes:

The residential gas generator market size is expected to accelerate at a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period.

The residential gas generator market is segmented by Type (Stationary and Portable) and Geography ( North America , Europe , APAC, Middle East and Africa , and South America ).

, , APAC, and , and ). The market is fragmented due to the presence of many established vendors holding significant market share.

Learn about other dominant players, major segments, regions, and countries in the market. Download a Free Sample Now!

Related Reports:

High Capacity Gas Generator Market by Output Power Capacity and Geography Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Low and Medium Capacity Gas Generator Market by End-user, Application, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Residential Gas Generator Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 8% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 691.47 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 6.8 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 31% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Aggreko Plc, Briggs and Stratton LLC, Caterpillar Inc., Champion Power Equipment Inc., Cummins Inc., DuroMax Power Equipment, Generac Power Systems Inc., Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Kohler Co., PR INDUSTRIAL Srl, Pulsar Products Inc., Rolls-Royce Plc, WEN Products., Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd., and Atlas Copco AB Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Type

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Type

5.3 Stationary - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Stationary - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Stationary - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Stationary - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Stationary - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Portable - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Portable - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Portable - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Portable - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Portable - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 44: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 45: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 47: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 48: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 49: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 50: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 55: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 56: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 57: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 59: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 60: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 61: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 62: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 64: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 65: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 68: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 69: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 76: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 77: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 78: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 79: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 80: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 81: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 84: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 85: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 86: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 87: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 88: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 Briggs and Stratton LLC

Exhibit 89: Briggs and Stratton LLC - Overview



Exhibit 90: Briggs and Stratton LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 91: Briggs and Stratton LLC - Key offerings

10.4 Caterpillar Inc.

Exhibit 92: Caterpillar Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 93: Caterpillar Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 94: Caterpillar Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 95: Caterpillar Inc. - Segment focus

10.5 Champion Power Equipment Inc.

Exhibit 96: Champion Power Equipment Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 97: Champion Power Equipment Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 98: Champion Power Equipment Inc. - Key offerings

10.6 Cummins Inc.

Exhibit 99: Cummins Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 100: Cummins Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 101: Cummins Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 102: Cummins Inc. - Segment focus

10.7 DuroMax Power Equipment

Exhibit 103: DuroMax Power Equipment - Overview



Exhibit 104: DuroMax Power Equipment - Product / Service



Exhibit 105: DuroMax Power Equipment - Key offerings

10.8 Generac Power Systems Inc.

Exhibit 106: Generac Power Systems Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 107: Generac Power Systems Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 108: Generac Power Systems Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 109: Generac Power Systems Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 110: Generac Power Systems Inc. - Segment focus

10.9 Honda Motor Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 111: Honda Motor Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 112: Honda Motor Co. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 113: Honda Motor Co. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 114: Honda Motor Co. Ltd. - Segment focus

10.10 Kohler Co.

Exhibit 115: Kohler Co. - Overview



Exhibit 116: Kohler Co. - Product / Service



Exhibit 117: Kohler Co. - Key news



Exhibit 118: Kohler Co. - Key offerings

10.11 Pulsar Products Inc.

Exhibit 119: Pulsar Products Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 120: Pulsar Products Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 121: Pulsar Products Inc. - Key offerings

10.12 Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 122: Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 123: Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 124: Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 125: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 126: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 127: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 128: Research methodology



Exhibit 129: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 130: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 131: List of abbreviations

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CHICAGO, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global law firm of Winston & Strawn LLP announced today that the Firm will close its Moscow office, citing the escalation of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the consequent ongoing violations of basic human rights and international law.

This decision follows Winston's March 4 announcement that, in addition to complying with all applicable sanctions, the Firm would withdraw from the representation of Russian state-owned entities and any clients who the Firm reasonably believes have known ties to Russia's war efforts.

"Winston continues to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting loss of life, destruction, and needless suffering," said Winston Chairman Tom Fitzgerald. "We are closing our Moscow operations out of a sense of solidarity with the Ukrainian people. This decision is simply the right thing to do, and our clients understand and respect that."

Winston continues to provide support from the Winston Foundation to help Ukrainian citizens who are suffering as a result of Russia's war atrocities.

"As part of a global community, Winston & Strawn remains vigilant with respect to geopolitical events, and our further operational decisions moving forward will continue to reflect a careful evaluation of the current and potential impact of circumstances as they unfold," added Fitzgerald.

Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with 14 offices located throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. More information about the Firm is available at www.winston.com.

Contact:

Michael Goodwin

646-502-3595

[email protected]

SOURCE Winston & Strawn LLP
ALPHARETTA, Ga., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PCI GlobalCom, formerly known as Pyrgos Communications, is a leading telecom and wireless infrastructure company that works with federal and commercial agencies seeking dependable and secure wireless communications systems.

Military Communications and Cellular Installation Team PCI GlobalCom - formerly Pyrgos Communications

Since being founded in 2013, PCI GlobalCom has supported the wireless infrastructure needs of some of the largest telecommunication companies in the world. Furthermore, thanks to the company's 30+ years of in-house wireless, microwave radio system, and cellular infrastructure experience, PCI GlobalCom has grown by more than 50% and expanded its footprint internationally. PCI GlobalCom now partners and supports companies working in the North American, Asia Pacific, European, Latin America and Middle Eastern regions of the world.

"We are increasingly becoming a digital and data-driven world, and our company rebranded to reflect our recognition of that," said Michael Graham, President and CEO of PCI GlobalCom. "It is really an honor to be able to use our company's core competencies to grow while boosting wireless signal and bringing broadband infrastructure to urban, rural, commercial, and military bases all over the world," he added.

PCI GlobalCom, is especially known for their:

Cellular Antenna System Installation and Testing Service that ensures robust cellular signals and strong reliable connections.

that ensures robust cellular signals and strong reliable connections. Microwave Radio Systems Installation & Path Alignment Services that ensure a robust link across the airwaves.

that ensure a robust link across the airwaves. Tower Site Survey & Assessment Services that ensure comprehensive understanding of tower site conditions and promotes installation accuracy and realistic go-live dates.

that ensure comprehensive understanding of tower site conditions and promotes installation accuracy and realistic go-live dates. Distributed Antenna Systems that ensure outdoor venues, arenas, and high-rise buildings create a positive customer experience through strong wireless signals.

To learn more about PCI GlobalCom or to schedule an interview, please visit PCIGlobalCom.com or contact Joanne Sanders at [email protected] or 404.644.2779.

ABOUT PCI GlobalCom

PCI GlobalCom is a rapidly growing wireless infrastructure company that enables modern communications worldwide. They are known for their stellar standards of excellence, comprehensive safety measures, and telecommunications expertise. Whether enhancing cellular signals by modernizing broadband sites or installing microwave antennas, PCI GlobalCom makes reliable communications possible. To learn more, visit www.PCIGlobalCom.com.

SOURCE PCI GlobalCom
Marc has been a longtime contributor to the Forum and recently made prolific contributions to a 10-document release. Tweet this

Marc's selection was supported and applauded by all committee chairs. John Glossner, Forum President commented, "I am honored to be able to recognize Marc's many achievements to the Forum. He has consistently contributed to important projects and this recognition is much deserved."

To view the Forum's award winners from previous years, visit https://www.wirelessinnovation.org/sdr_achievement_awards.

About the Wireless Innovation Forum

Established in 1996 and supported by Platinum Sponsor Thales, the Wireless Innovation Forum (SDR Forum Version 2.0) is a non-profit mutual benefit corporation dedicated to advocating for spectrum innovation and advancing radio technologies that support essential or critical communications worldwide. Members bring a broad base of experience in Software Defined Radio (SDR), Cognitive Radio (CR) and Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) technologies in diverse markets and at all levels of the wireless value chain to address emerging wireless communications requirements. To learn more about The Wireless Innovation Forum, its meetings and membership benefits, visit www.WirelessInnovation.org.

SOURCE Wireless Innovation Forum
Global competitiveness and key competitor percentage market shares

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Edition: 10; Released: February 2022

Executive Pool: 4403

Companies: 679 - Players covered include AdvancedMD Inc; AirStrip Technologies LP; Alcatel-Lucent S.A; Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc; Apple Inc; Aruba Networks, Inc.; AT&T Communications, LLC; Athenahealth Inc; Biotelemetry Inc; Capsule Technologies, Inc; Cerner Corporation; Cisco Systems, Inc; eClinicalWorks; Honeywell International Inc; iHealth Lab Inc; Koninklijke Philips N.V.; McKesson Corporation; QUALCOMM TECHNOLOGIES, INC; Siemens Healthineers AG and Others.

Coverage: All major geographies and key segments

Segments: Technology (mHealth, Digital Health Systems, Healthcare Analytics, Tele-Healthcare); Component (Services, Hardware, Software)

Geographies: World; USA; Canada; Japan; China; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; UK; Spain; Russia; Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific; Rest of World.

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ABSTRACT-

Global Digital Health Market to Reach US$441 Billion by the Year 2026

The impact of digital technology on the healthcare industry has been profound, witnessing applicability, ranging from remote patient monitoring, medical equipment, in-vitro examination, imaging devices to pharmaceuticals. Digital health is anticipated to enjoy notable growth and abundance of lucrative opportunities as the area continues to remain relatively underinvested. Even though key digital health solutions such as telemedicine have been around for many years, the adoption of such technologies has been very low owing to lack of awareness, and resistance from stakeholders such as patients as well as healthcare providers. The wave of digital innovation around healthcare is supported by aging population and proliferating new diseases and chronic conditions. The digital health market is also driven by the transformation of patient data stored in the form of electronic forms saving time and space. Healthcare providers have been experimenting with different business models over the last decade. The emergence of personalized medicine and value-based healthcare (VBC) is among the most promising trends in healthcare. Both forms of healthcare delivery require advanced data aggregation and analysis, incentivizing healthcare providers to adopt digital health technologies. Innovations and next-generation technologies continue to sustain their era-defining impacts not only on medical therapies, but also the health care sector as a whole. Over the past several years, driven by the impact of wearable health care devices, connected gadgets, and mobility, as well as that of multiple other technologies, the worldwide health care industry is in a grip of revolutionary changes.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Digital Health estimated at US$216.4 Billion in the year 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of US$441 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 18.5% over the analysis period. mHealth, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 19.3% CAGR to reach US$246 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Digital Health Systems segment is readjusted to a revised 14.4% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 30.8% share of the global Digital Health market. mHealth care is the most prominent trend within the worldwide digital health care market. In several regions of the world, in which the penetration of mHealth care apps into the overall health care systems is complete, these apps are making significant contribution in preventing, treating, and managing several chronic diseases.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $89.9 Billion in 2022, While China is Forecast to Reach $45.5 Billion by 2026

The Digital Health market in the U.S. is estimated at US$89.9 Billion in the year 2022. The country currently accounts for a 41.3% share in the global market. China, the world's second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$45.5 Billion in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 22.5% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 14.8% and 17% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 16% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$20.8 Billion by the end of the analysis period.

The US is anticipated to dominate the digital health market led by high healthcare spending, government initiatives, including funding in EMR, adoption of high technologies and the adoption of healthcare information technology. Further, the usage of telemedicine and mHealth applications is on rise across the nation. Other factors driving market growth include implementing HITECH and HIPAA Acts, encouraging the usage of electronic health data, and rise in incidence of chronic diseases, and growth in the aged population. Europe is another major market for digital health led by increasing pressure to cut increasing healthcare costs, improved healthcare solutions, and innovative technologies. The Asia Pacific is forecast to be the fastest-growing region because of the increased usage of mHealth. Other factors driving the market in the region include continuous improvement in healthcare infrastructure, rising number of IT companies, increased usage of wearables and smartphones, countries such as India and China turning into medical tourism hubs, government initiatives for raising awareness about digital health, growing incidence of chronic disease, increase in aging population and increasing medical errors.

Healthcare Analytics Segment to Reach $88 Billion by 2026

Following an active role in COVID-19 response, healthcare analytics is anticipated to deliver an actionable performance through the recovery phase, enabling organizations to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. Healthcare analytics enabled hospitals to quickly gain insights into COVID-19 trends, practices and patterns to ensure proper operations under pressure. Healthcare analytics is anticipated to be also influenced by the impact of pandemic on population health strategy. A large number of organizations are unlikely to devote additional resources for incorporating population health strategy into the decision making process. In the global Healthcare Analytics segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 22.8% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$19.7 Billion will reach a projected size of US$83.6 Billion by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$7.5 Billion by the year 2026.

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SOURCE Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
BOGOTA, Colombia, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yuno, a Colombia-based startup, has raised a US$10 million seed round to bring to Latin American companies an easy online checkout solution that solves the pain point of managing multiple payment methods, and fraud detection tools, which can be costly and painful to manage.



Companies of all sizes across Latin America continuously face challenges in managing multiple payment methods and fraud detection tools for accepting online payments. A fragmented and complex market makes that a single solution doesn't solve all their problems. Companies are forced to integrate many different payment providers because of low acceptance, high fraud, and low conversion rates. Furthermore, the region has seen an increase in new alternative payment methods that have worsened the problem. "Accepting and optimizing online payments shouldn't be a pain for companies. We want to build the ultimate solution to help them make online checkout fast, easy and safe so that companies can focus on their core business," says Julian Nunez, co-founder at Yuno.



Yuno is already working with several large-sized e-commerce companies in Latin America, helping them reallocate resources from payments and fraud into their core business while dramatically improving their checkout conversions.



The company is led by world-class and experienced members coming from companies like Rappi, Ingenico, Worldpay, McKinsey & Co., and MasterCard. "We are focused on bringing the most talented people in the region to continue tackling this huge opportunity across Latam. We have already experienced the problem of optimizing payments at Rappi and have created a successful solution for the company. Now we are committed to bringing the solution to the market to make sure no other company suffers that same pain point in the future," says Juan Pablo Ortega, co-founder at Yuno.



Ortega and Nunez met at Rappi while working together in the payments team, solving this issue while the company was expanding to 9 different countries. Ortega built and scaled Rappi's Payments and Fraud teams and capabilities while architecting the buildout of Rappi's financial services arm, RappiBank. Nunez created Rappi's one-click checkout, Paga con Rappi, and led Rappi's e-commerce business unit.



Andreessen Horowitz, a VC firm based in Silicon Valley, provided an initial investment for Yuno as part of the firm's program for fintech startup founders.



Kaszek, who co-led the round, has become the largest Latin American based early-stage venture capital fund, led by founding members of Mercado Libre and Mercado Pago. The firm that recently raised a US$1B fund is an early investor in Nubank, Kavak, Quinto Andar, and Bitso. "Yuno is an extraordinary and unique company, given the level of experience, technical expertise and audacity to go after big opportunities. They are solving a key problem for the future of the region," says Nicolas Berman, partner at Kaszek.



Monashees, who co-led the investment, is one of Latin America's pioneer early-stage firm with almost two decades of successful experience investing in the region. The firm has invested in extraordinary companies such as Rappi, Loft, and Uala. "Latin America's payment ecosystem has been through a radical digitization process in the past couple of years. However, there are still huge pain points in how merchants get paid, how these payments are orchestrated and how to provide a seamless experience for customers. It's a multi-billion dollar problem in the region, and Yuno's approach will be the solution," highlights Fabiola Quinzanos, principal at Monashees.



Nazca, Latitud, OneVC, Opera Ventures, Saurabh Gupta, partner of DST Global, and angel investors including Simon Borrero, Co-founder and CEO of Rappi, Ricardo Weder of Justo, Sujay Tile of Merama, Gerry Giacoman Colyer of Clara, Enrique Villamarin of Tul, Maria Echeverri of Muni and the Bilbao brothers also invested in Yuno.



Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12908424



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Yuno
WINDHOEK, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is accelerating the implementation of the tourism Univisa in the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area, a move to facilitate easy access and movement of tourists among Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia, an official announced Thursday.

The tourism Univisa is expected to expand later to all partner countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, in a statement released on Thursday.

"The KAZA Univisa initiative will increase visitors' experience to southern Africa's major tourist attractions such as Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Okavango Delta, in Botswana and the famous wetlands of Zambezi Regions-formerly the Caprivi wetlands in Namibia," he explained.

Shifeta, meanwhile, urged international tourism companies to engage their Namibian counterparts to form strategic business partnerships to optimize investment and business opportunities in the sector and other service industries.

The KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area, the world's biggest Conservation area, comprises five countries, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, an area with the highest concentration of animal population of elephants, buffaloes and zebras in the southern hemisphere. 
BOSTON, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeta Surgical, a surgical robotics and mixed reality company, announced today the close of a $5.2M financing round led by Innospark Ventures and with the participation of TSVC, Y Combinator, Trevor Fetter, and others.

"To date, the use of surgical guidance has been limited to long, operating room-based interventions, due to its invasiveness and complex deployment. Our goal is to provide physicians with a robust, fast, and accurate guidance system deployable during any case, irrespective of where they are in the hospital or what hospital they are in," says Jose Amich, Co-Founder and CEO of Zeta Surgical. "We're thrilled to be partnering with such a strong group of investors who are aligned with our mission to improve access to safe and effective surgery."

Zeta Surgical will use the funds to finalize the development of their neurosurgical navigation platform, Zeta, and their non-invasive focused ultrasound system, ZetaFUS, to complete their initial clinical studies, to obtain FDA clearance, and to expand their growing technical and clinical teams.

"The Zeta AI-driven surgical platform will take the guesswork out of some of the most routine, yet highly consequential, aspects of acute neurological procedures. With physician precision in mind and patient comfort at the forefront, Zeta Surgical will be a gamechanger for procedures both common and uncommon, acute, and pre-planned, and in settings both urban and rural," says Dr. Venkat Srinivasan, Managing Director of Innospark Ventures. "We are very excited to support them. As a fund that places a heavy emphasis on AI for good, we are also incredibly excited to see what this technology can do for those who need it most around the world."

"TSVC is very excited to partner with Zeta Surgical to bring AI to precision surgical navigation, to make neurosurgery lower cost and more accessible," says Eugene Zhang, Founding Partner of TSVC.

About Zeta Surgical

Zeta Surgical is a digital surgery company focused on improving the accuracy, safety, and accessibility of image guided procedures. Its navigation and robotics platform, Zeta, leverages cutting-edge computer vision and artificial intelligence to enable image guidance directly at the point-of-care, creating new possibilities in fields such as emergency care and interventional medicine. Zeta Surgical was founded by Harvard graduates and faculty and is backed by leading investors. To learn more, visit: https://www.zetasurgical.com.

Media Contact:

Contact:

Jose Amich

[email protected]

SOURCE Zeta Surgical
Piedmont Lithium Inc has released the results of its preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for a proposed merchant lithium hydroxide plant to increase Piedmonts planned US manufacturing capacity to 60,000 tonnes per year.

These results demonstrate the potential for the company to expand its lithium hydroxide manufacturing business at the LHP-2 Project, using spodumene concentrate from market sources, including under existing offtake agreements with Sayona Quebec and Atlantic Lithium Ltd.

Growth of electrified vehicle market

The company plans to capitalise on the growth of the electrified vehicle market in the US.

Current and forecasted battery manufacturing capacity now exceeds 500 gigawatt hours, with public announcements of over $25 billion in capital investments to occur by 2025, said president and CEO Keith Phillips.

The potential lithium volume these battery plants will require reinforces the importance of developing a domestic lithium supply chain and solidifies our decision to aggressively evaluate and pursue expansion opportunities for a second lithium hydroxide plant.

Outstanding project economics

We are very pleased with the results of the PEA for our second planned US lithium hydroxide plant. The projects economics are outstanding, using a fixed price deck that is at a 66% discount to prevailing spot prices, said Phillips.

The company is encouraged by projections suggesting lithium shortages will grow into the 2030s, and believes the project offers significant leverage relative to possible higher lithium prices.

Piedmont aspires to be Americas leading producer of lithium hydroxide, and at 60,000 tonnes per year, the plants planned capacity would be around quadruple the entire domestic installed base today, which positions the company to be a critical supplier to the US supply chain.

Offtake agreements in place

Long-term supply agreements are in place with partners Atlantic Lithium and Sayona Mining, meaning that Piedmont has now locked in the raw material required for expansion and can capture the economics of an integrated production process.

The focus for the remainder of 2022 is on execution, with four major projects under development.

The company is targeting first spodumene concentrate production at North American Lithium in 2023, and at the Ewoyaa Project in Ghana in 2024.

US lithium hydroxide production will follow, with the integrated Carolina Lithium Project and LHP-2 Project to be advanced according to earliest practical timelines.

Lithium markets are strong, and we are fortunate to possess a strong project timeline to capitalise on the generational opportunity presented by the electrification of the vehicle business, said Phillips.

With spot prices at approximately triple the fixed pricing assumptions used under the PEA, Piedmont has substantial leverage relative to higher lithium prices across our entire portfolio of projects.
Orion Capital's Simon Francis discusses his recent note on Emmerson PLC (AIM:EML).

The company's developing the Khemisset potash project in Morocco. Francis says based on the project being approved, financed and a year or so out from cash flow he would expect EML to trade at 30% or more of its net present value - the stock is currently trading at around 3%.

He adds that Khemisset will supply a key commodity, over multiple decades and at a comparatively low cost.
Bitcoin and Ethereum both retreated, losing some of the gains made yesterday as the US and President Joe Biden move to regulate digital tokens.

Bitcoin fell 5.67%, back below US$40,000 to US$39,356, while Ethereum was down 5.18% to US$2,596.

The early executive announcement release by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had caused some respite as the markets bounced, with Bitcoin pushing past US$42,000.

However, according to Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at Swissquote, yesterdays unexplained optimism could give way to a soft session, as the news and fundamentals give little reason for optimism right now.

But Naeem Aslam, a market analyst at AvaTrade, said the news of regulation in the markets can only be a good thing.

Traders are still digesting the crypto regulation news and trying to make sense of them if they are healthy for the crypto industry, Aslam said.

One thing is clear and that is the fact that we have regulation for cryptos now. This means cryptos are here to stay and this should encourage other investors and companies to join the trend.

In other news, the EU reaffirmed that economic sanctions imposed on Russia include the ban against trading cryptocurrencies, downplaying the risk of oligarchs bypassing sanctions by using digital tokens.

According to Ran Neuner, host of CNBCs Crypto Trader, 2022 will be a pivotal year for crypto, claiming many have no option but to turn to digital currency.

They (governments) put people in a position where they had no choice but to flee to the other system, Neuner said in Al Jazeera.

Russians that are living in the US but have bank accounts in Russia have had their credit cards cut off. Essentially, people are forced onto the alternative financial system, Neuner added.

In some of the altcoins, Solana was down 7.73% to US$82.55, Terra was down 2.53% to US$95.33 and Polkadot was 4.83% lower at US$16.93.
Poolbeg Pharma's Jeremy Skillington and Brad Pryde, the co-founder and COO of OneThree join Proactive London to talk about their artificial Intelligence discovery deal signed with OneThree Biotech.

The first time human challenge trial data will be analysed using AI to gain valuable insight and identify new treatments for infectious diseases.

Poolbeg Pharma is a clinical stage infectious disease pharmaceutical company with a capital light clinical model, has signed an agreement with OneThree Biotech, Inc. a biology-driven artificial intelligence (AI) company, to identify new drug targets and treatments for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
Europes first Metaverse thematic exchange-traded fund will launch in London this month.

The UCITS Metaverse ETF, launched by HanEtf and ETC Group, will list on the London Stock Exchange, and will track the Solactive ETC Group Global Metaverse Index.

The Metaverse remains in a nascent phase of growth, with the potential for US$8.3trn in consumer expenditure and US$12trn global in market size.

The Metaverse ETD will provide pure-play exposure to metaverse companies like those active in VR/AR, 3D graphics, semiconductors and blockchanin technologies including NFTs and digital land.

The Metaverse has been hard for investors to avoid. It has gone from an obscure, theoretical idea to being variously described as everything from the evolution of virtual reality to the next iteration of the internet, said Bradley Duke, founder and co-CEO of ETC Group.

Our ETF will allow investors to gain exposure to this exciting investment opportunity.

The Metaverse ETF follows a partnership between HANetf and ETC Group following the launch of the ETC Group Digital Assets & Blockchain Equity UCITS ETF.

We are proud to have worked with ETC Group to provide another European market first, this time in the form of a Metaverse ETF, said co-CEO and co-founder of HANetf Hector McNeil said.

As Europes most extensive thematic ETF issuer, this is an exciting fund to add to our roster.
Chinese regulators are investigating the status of futures brokers in relation to their clients short positions in nickel following this weeks short squeeze, according to Reuters.

The agency spoke to three sources who said the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) had asked future brokers to submit information on how many clients held short positions on nickel.

A number of big players held massive short positions in Nickel prior to prices rising in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine. The ensuing rush among short sellers to buy back nickel drove the price of nickel briefly beyond US$100,000 in a short squeeze.

It is suspected that one Chinese tycoon, Xiang Guanda, also known as Big Shot, is under pressure to make margin call collateral payments to show he can cover billions of dollars in potential losses.

The Shanghai Futures Exchange suspended nickel trading on Thursday in response to the surge on metal prices, following the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday.

Shanghai will resume some trading in nickel futures contacts from 11 March.

Reuters also reported the regulators had asked futures brokers to submit information on their hedging status and if they have nickel for delivery.
The headlines are all over the place at the moment, for understandable reasons, and in the mining sector much of the recent focus has been on nickel.

But nickel isnt the only metal that has Russia as a major source of supply - its worth having a look at whats been going on with palladium too, given that its also been hitting record prices in the past few days.

Who controls the worlds palladium? Number one on the list is South Africa, but Russia is a very prominent number two. After that come a disparate set of nations, including Australia, one of the safest mining jurisdictions around.

And, serendipitously, one particular company is just in the final stages of acquiring whats likely to be a huge palladium deposit at Munni Munni  Alien Metals.

Alien seems to have a knack of hitting commodity price waves. It wasnt long ago that silver and iron ore both went on a coincidental tear, and the markets looked around for companies that had both. One of the few that does is Alien, which has silver in Mexico and Australia, and iron ore at Hamersley in the Pilbara.

Work at Hamersley continues apace, building on an existing 10mln tonne resource, and drilling is just restarting in Mexico after a covid-related hiatus.

But just as we speak, its the potential at Munni Munni that really looks most mouth-watering.

The new ground at Munni Munni is contiguous with licences Alien already holds at Munni Munni North and Elizabeth Hill, and creates a huge block of mineralisation for chief executive Bill Brodie Good and his team to go to work on.

Weve got the majority of the intrusion within our landholding, says Brodie Good.

For the non-geologists amongst us intrusions are where molten rock forces its way into older country rock, often bringing a rich endowment of metals and mineralisation with it.

In other words, its likely to yield plenty of goodies.

Theres already plenty on offer.

For one thing, Alien is looking to reopen the old high-grade Elizabeth Hill silver mine. And theres also significant exploration potential for nickel, that other record-breaking metal.

But to date, on the new ground at least, work has been largely focused on the platinum group metals. Back in the day, a historic resource was put together for Munni Munni that amounted to 2.2mln ounces of platinum group elements, including rhodium and gold.

Once the final bureaucratic boxes have been ticked, the plan is to get that resource verified, to put some serious effort into working out potential metallurgical processes, and to establish the potential for exploration upside.

The company raised money towards the end of last year, so the funding is in place to get to work.

Will the Munni Munni platinum group metals resource go higher than 2.2mln ounces? At this stage, thats an open question.

But what a time to be asking it.
Pearson PLC (LSE:PSON) has seen its share price target nudged higher by US bank Citi, which see the education specialist has a resilient business model in the current uncertainty.

The earnings profile should be able to stand firm almost regardless of the macro outlook and cash returns should also offer an element of technical support, said the broker.

More excitingly, we think there is significant long-term upside potential from secondary market recapture in Higher Ed and Enterprise Learning, which could add 30% plus to earnings per share.

Buy with a slightly increased target price of 1000p, is the brokers conclusion.

Shares rose 0.8% to 658.3p.
Westar Resources Corp. (TSX-V:WER)s Karl Jupp discusses highlight maiden drilling results from the Mt Finnerty farm-in joint venture with Ramelius Resources Ltd, which returned up to 5 metres at 66.7g/t gold from 175 metres, including a 1-metre intersection at 274g/t gold from 177 metres. The company has also been encouraged by drilling results from the Tasman prospect to the south, which returned 13 metres at 4.37g/t gold from 182 metres. There are still about 5,000 metres of aircore samples awaiting assay at the laboratory. At Westar's Gidgee North project, the company is chasing volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS)-style mineralisation with geophysical and geochemical exploration techniques, and is currently preparing to drill multiple targets at the project.
CAPE TOWN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Mayor of South Africa's Cape Town City Geordin Hill-Lewis has congratulated the crew on locating the wreck of Endurance, the renowned explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship which sank off the Antarctic continent in 1915.

An expedition team, Endurance22 Expedition, departed from Cape Town last month on a South African polar research and logistics vessel to locate, survey and film the wreck of Endurance. It announced Wednesday that it had found the ship at a depth of 3,048 meters in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica.

The discovery will contribute to historical and scientific research of the Antarctic region, the mayor said in a statement issued later Wednesday, adding that he expected to receive the crew at the Cape Town harbor on their return from the Antarctic.

The wreck is protected as a Historic Site and Monument under the Antarctic Treaty. 
In some European countries (UK, France, Eastern Europe) we see nuclear energy becoming a choice of energy.

An average UK utility bill could rise to 3,150 from 1,200 last year due to the ramifications of the Ukraine war, according to Barclays.

Analysts at the bank made the grim forecast after assessing the implications for European energy supplies and also the cost of finding alternative sources of supply to Russia.

Barclays says Russias invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the failure of European energy policy to provide for security of supply and diversity of energy policy and in the short-term, at least, that is going to cost.

Europe imported around 35% of all its gas needs from Russia in 2020 and 20% of its coal.

Alternatives are limited suggests the bank and limited to sourcing elsewhere, switching back to coal and restrictions on use.

Companies with power generation exposure could see significant EPS upside as power prices spike, said the note, though this might be socially unacceptable and prompt measures to claw back the windfall.

A tax has already been proposed by the European Commission and if UK bills soar as high as Barclays suggests, it sees the possibility here as well.

Barclays estimates that it might take between 5-8 years to find alternatives such as LNG plants and large-scale renewables and as a consequence it expects oil and gas prices to be 'higher for longer'.

Long-term, Barclays sees the switch from coal to renewables being doubled-down, with nuclear to the fore.

In some European countries (UK, France, Eastern Europe) we see nuclear energy becoming a choice of energy.

Investment ideas

Barclays' conclusion is that there will be material upgrades for power generators in the foreseeable future, though there is a small tail-risk for some if contracted gas is turned off.

"We see a reduction on the reliance on Russia as a permanent feature of European utility policy, regardless of the Ukraine outcome. Primary energy producers and renewable developers are likely beneficiaries."

British Gas owner Centrica PLC (LSE:CNA) is one of the banks preferred stocks with a price target of 112p and an 'overweight' recommendation.

Shares today were up 2% at 76.1p.
Meeka Gold Ltd (ASX:MEK) has identified broad zones of rare earth mineralisation in an analysis of aircore drill samples collected during the 2021 drilling at the Circle Valley Project in Western Australia.

Of 14 holes, 13 returned total rare earth oxide (TREO) grades above 300 parts per million (ppm), including:

 12 metres at 1,003ppm TREO within 36 metres at 672ppm TREO from 28 metres;

 4 metres at 1,177ppm TREO within 5 metres at 1,040ppm TREO from 36 metres;

 4 metres at 1,040ppm TREO within 10 metres at 665ppm TREO from 36 metres;

 1 metre at 1,521ppm TREO within 4 metres at 993ppm TREO from 20 metres; and

 4 metres at 877ppm TREO within 23 metres at 514ppm TREO from 48 metres.

The drill holes were selected from various geological domains and weathering profiles within the Circle Valley tenure to assess rare earth element (REE) enrichment potential across the project, with all samples above 300ppm returning an average weighted grade of 652ppm TREO.

Circle Valley offers REE exposure

Gold exploration continues to be our focus at Circle Valley, and based on the work we have done to date we have a view that there is a large gold system driving the anomalism we are seeing in the drilling results, Meeka Gold CEO Tim Davidson said.

Having said that, the geology team identified some interesting rare earth elements in the handheld XRF data, which we have now confirmed through laboratory analysis to be broad zones of mineralisation.

The broader zones of mineralisation appear to be coincident with lows observed in the aeromagnetic data and where the drilling log shows the upper saprolite has been preserved.

We are in the process of reviewing the regolith profiles logged during the current aircore program and will send prospective samples to the laboratory for REE analysis to better determine the distribution of REE mineralisation within the tenure.

In addition to the REE, results have shown elevated Scandium grades corresponding with elevated TREO grades, demonstrating a maximum Scandium grade of 63ppm and length weighted average grades of 18ppm in all samples above 300ppm TREO.

About Meeka Gold

Meeka Gold is a junior gold explorer with a portfolio of exploration projects across WA.

Meekas flagship Murchison Gold Project has a combined 343 square kilometre landholding in the prolific Murchison Gold Fields of Western Australia and hosts a large, high-grade 1.1-million-ounce mineral resource.

It also owns the Circle Valley Gold Project and the Cascade Rare Earth Element Project, both within the Albany-Fraser Orogen in southern WA.
Today's mineral exploration story is an update from Cooper Metals Ltd (ASX:CPM) chasing for Copper and Gold. Ian Warland, Cooper's Managing Director, an exploration geologist with more than three decades of experience shares the concepts of the Cooper Metals story.

The Rooster Talks about how things are progressing for Cooper Metals Limited since our first conversation in December 2021. The share price for the company has risen substantially as Carnaby Resources Limited (ASX: CNB) made a significant discovery nearby. The announcement on the 17th December 2021 had set the scene for similar discoveries in this region, as described below,

The RC pre-collar to NLDD044 has intersected a 34m down hole zone of copper sulphide including a 24m zone of mostly semi massive copper sulphide containing 5-40% chalcopyrite based on visual estimates.

When the next announcement on the 29th December 2021 came out with the assays, it was a race for the young and old.

"MAJOR COPPER GOLD DISCOVERY 41m @ 4.1% COPPER, INCLUDING 9m @ 10.3% COPPER AT GREATER DUCHESS PROJECT"

41m @ 4.1% copper, 0.5 g/t gold from 247m

Incl. 24m @ 6.5% copper, 0.7g/t gold from 251m

Incl. 9m @ 10.3% copper, 1.2g/t gold from 264m

Cooper Metal's ASX Announcement 1st Dec 2021

The Mt. Isa East project is now in play and Ian and his team are edging to get out there and prove that they too have similar potential.

What is on offer is that the company has a market capitalisation of $20M and it is just near discovery. I think that if (and there is a good chance) discovery happens for Cooper Metals, this will be north of $100M.

"Copper is where you see it on the surface", says Ian Warland.

I am seriously doing my own DYOR on this story. I like this project a lot. Rarely do I express my excitement but this is very different and the potential is still in the ground. As Ian mentioned in the video, this is just the beginning and the latest geophysical surveys are indicating some reasonable target.

In addition, Carnaby has shown the world that there is more in the ground than people have thought off in the last few decades. All the fruits may still be in the ground.

Let's listen to these chapters

Chapters:

00:00 Start

00:20 Introduction

01:14 Ian Warland updates.

01:58 What does the latest geophysical surveys mean for the current projects?

04:26 Is Python and King Solomon the key prospects in Mt Isa?

06:37 How has the recent news from your neighbours helped in the Cooper Metal Story.

08:48 Mt Isa has had a big gap between historical data and current exploration.

11:09 What is the market saying to you?

13:21 What's the news flow coming up?

15:02 When does the drilling happening?

15:40 Is it a case of "Don't Drill a Perfectly Good Project" ?

16:59 Last words from Ian Warland.

19:14 Conclusion

Podcast

About Ian Warland

Managing Director

A highly experienced and successful geologist with 25 years experience in Australia and internationally over a wide range of commodities. Notably, a career highlight, was being joint recipient for Explorer of the Year in 2006 for the discovery of the Jacinth and Ambrosia zircon-rich mineral sand deposits.

Ian holds a Bachelor of Applied Science Geology with First Class Honours and university medal from the University of Technology Sydney. He also has a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment and an Associate Diploma in Environmental Control.

In the last ten years Ian has worked primarily in the junior exploration sector as a geological consultant and in senior management positions for Musgrave Minerals and Marmota. After leading Twenty Seven Co Ltd (ASX:TSC) as their CEO for the last three years, Ian is now Managing Director of Cooper Metals.

About Cooper Metals Limited

Cooper Metals flagship Mt Isa East Cu-Au Project covers over 1300 sq km of tenure with numerous historical Cu-Au workings and prospects already identified for immediate follow up exploration. The Mt Isa Inlier is highly prospective for iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) and shear hosted Cu +/- Au deposits.

Mt Isa East is complimented by two early stage Projects in WA within proven well mineralised districts. The Yamarna Gold Project located along strike from Gold Roads 6.16 Moz world class Gruyere Gold Deposit (ASX: GOR) has an extensive length of untested Dorothy Hills Shear Zone that was important in the formation of Gruyere < 10 km to the southeast.

Lastly the Gooroo Cu and Au Project covers newly identified greenstone belt ~20 km from Silver Lakes Deflector mine. The 26 km expanse of covered greenstone belt has had almost no exploration and was only added to government geology maps in 2020 after reinterpretation of geophysical data.

Please let Samso know your thoughts and send any comments to info@Samso.com.au. Remember to Subscribe to the YouTube Channel, Samso Media and the mail list to stay informed and make comments where appropriate. Other than that, also feel free to provide a Review on Google.

For further information about Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talks visit: www.samso.com.au

About

Samso is a renowned resource among the investment community for keen market analysis and insights into the companies and business trends that matter.

Investors seek out Samso for knowledgeable evaluations of current industry developments across a variety of business sectors and considered forecasts of future performances.

With a compelling format of relaxed online video interviews, Samso provides clear answers to questions they may not have the opportunity to ask and lays out the big picture to help them complete their investment research.

And in doing so, Samso also enables companies featured in interviews to build valuable engagement with their investment communities and customers.

Headed by industry veteran Noel Ong and based in Perth, Western Australia, Samsos Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talk interviews both feature friendly conversations with business figures that give insights into Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) companies, related concepts and industry trends.

Noel Ong is a geologist with nearly 30 years of industry experience and a strong background in capital markets, corporate finance and the mineral resource sector. He was founder and managing director of ASX-listed company Siburan Resources Limited from 2009-2017 and has also been involved in several other ASX listings, providing advice, procuring projects and helping to raise capital.

He brings all this experience and expertise to the Samso interviews, where his engaging conversation style creates a relaxed dialogue, revealing insights that can pique investor interest.

Noel Ong travels across Australia to record the interviews, only requiring a coffee shop environment where they can be set up. The interviews are posted on Samsos website and podcasts, YouTube and other relevant online environments where they can be shared among investment communities.

Samso also has a track record of developing successful business concepts in the Australasia region and provides bespoke research and counsel to businesses seeking to raise capital and procuring projects for ASX listings.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this article is the writers personal opinion and is provided for information only and is not intended to or nor will it create/induce the creation of any binding legal relations. Read full disclaimer.
Antilles Gold Ltd (ASX:AAU, OTCQB:ANTMF) has recommended that a cluster of outcropping, large porphyry copper-gold deposits near Ciego de Avila in central Cuba be included in its Los Llanos Exploration Agreement with the Cuban Governments mining company, GeoMinera SA.

The decision follows a positive report on the deposits from the companys exploration director Dr Chris Grainger, who reviewed the potential of the cluster to host economical levels of mineralisation.

Antilles has also recommended that these previously explored and highly prospective properties be prioritised for early exploration. The deposits should be drill-ready within a few months.

Potential for "very large open pit prospect"

Antilles Gold executive chair Brian Johnson said that Dr Grainger, who has been a highly successful explorationist in Colombia and other Latin American countries before joining the company, believes the porphyry deposits could collectively become a company maker, and potentially the next project to follow Minera La Victorias near-term development of the La Demajagua open pit mine.

The Ciego de Avila Project was originally discovered in the 1990s and has undergone only shallow exploration.

Only a small area of the El Pilar and San Nicholas prospects has been drill tested with reverse circulation (RC) rigs, and even then, only to a depth of 75 metres, targeting gold oxide.

The report states that copper grades are widespread within the gold mineralisation, with surface exposures at the two deposits representing the leached phyllic caps to a cluster of copper-gold porphyry centres.

Sample of El Pilar copper-gold Porphyry Phyllic Cap

Dr Grainger also claims in the report that, given the size of the phyllic alteration zones at surface, the deposits have the potential to host large amounts of metal, potentially surpassing 500 million tonnes.

The report has been submitted to GeoMinera SA, together with the proposed work program and budget through to the end of 2023.

If exploration and studies during this period confirm the development potential for a major open pit mine as Antilles expects, the 212-square-kilometre Mining Concession holding the porphyry system will be transferred to the existing joint venture mining company, Minera La Victoria SA, for further exploration and possible development.

About Antilles Gold

Antilles Golds strategy is to participate in the successive development of previously explored gold and copper/gold deposits in mineral rich Cuba and on realising the value of assets it holds in the Dominican Republic.

The near-term project of its joint venture (JV) company, Minera La Victoria SA, is the proposed development of the La Demajagua gold/silver open pit mine on the Isle of Youth in southwest Cuba to produce gold and silver concentrate.

The objective of the JV is to invest part of the surplus cash expected to be generated by the La Demajagua mine to fund projects that follow, in order to achieve organic growth with minimal additional equity contributions, and with the aim of ultimately establishing Minera La Victoria as a substantial mining company in Cuba.
Capital Limited (LSE:CAPD) hoisted its dividend 64% after more than doubling profits last year and guided to a year of further revenue growth in 2022.

The mining services company, which earlier this year revealed turnover had grown 68% to US$226.8mln in the 2021 calendar year, today reported underlying profits (EBITDA) of US$73.3mln, a 116.9% increase on the previous year.

On top of the revenue growth, EBITDA margins increased to 32.3% from 25.0% on the back of what the company said was increased expenditure discipline.

Profit before tax increased 141% to US$82.0mln.

Profits benefited from US$33.7mln of net gains from equity investments, which executive chairman Jamie Boyton said have become a core pillar of group strategy, providing equity returns and serving as a highly effective business development tool for several years.

Despite a 9.6% increase in spending cash on capital expenditure to US$46.3mln, cash from operations grew 18.3% to US$42.6mln and the balance sheet ended the year with net cash including investments of US$28.3mln.

The board declared a final dividend of 2.4 US cents per share, which brings the total dividend for 2021 to 3.6 cents per share, compared to 2.2 cents a year ago.

Boyton said the mining business took a sizeable step forward in 2021 with the ramp up of the load & haul contract at the Sukari mine in Egypt, which was delivered ahead of contact expectations.

Operations are now fully commissioned and 2022 will be the first complete year with the earth moving contract at full run rate, he said.

Following the rise in commodity prices, we are seeing an increase in projects moving forward to development and therefore we expect the pipeline of new mining contracts to expand in the coming years.

For 2022 new revenue guidance was provided of US$270-280mln, driven by a net increased of 11 in the drill rig count, contract extensions and expansions from existing long-term contracts, a full year of Sukari at full capacity and the MSALABS geochemical laboratory services continuing to grow.

Capital expenditure is expected to be roughly flat at US$45mln to fund an increase to the drill rig count, the expansion of MSALABS, including a new hub laboratory in Saudi Arabia, as well as sustaining capex on the enlarged drill fleet and the Sukari mining contract.
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Mako Gold Ltd (ASX:MKG) has engaged a diamond drill (DD) rig to accelerate a 1,500-metre reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Gogbala prospect within the Napie Project in Cote dIvoire.

The drill program is targeted at testing mineralisation at depth to give a better structural and geological understanding of the deposit and accelerate the delivery of a maiden resource estimate in the second quarter of the year.

The diamond drilling in particular is extensional in nature, designed to define mineralisation at depth and add material increases to the upcoming resource estimate.

Testing mineralisation at depth

We are pleased to be accelerating the drilling with the addition of a second drill rig at Gogbala. Our RC drilling to date has been relatively shallow, generally down to about 100 metres vertical depth, Mako Gold managing director Peter Ledwidge said.

The DD rig will allow us to test mineralisation at greater depth, in order to show the potential to add ounces to the deposit at depth.

In addition, the oriented core samples from DD will unlock valuable structural and other geological information to better understand the deposit at Gogbala.

We are also pleased to have recently completed over 11,000 metres of AC (aircore) drilling on the Komboro and Tchaga North prospects with the aim of making a new discovery at Napie.

We look forward to providing AC, RC and DD assays results as they are received.

As stated, Makos drilling programs at the Komboro and Tchaga North prospects are progressing well, with a further 4,000 metres of scout aircore drilling to be completed.

Samples are being processing and assays will be reported once received.

About Mako Gold

Mako Gold is an exploration company focused on advancing its flagship Napie Gold Project in the West African Birimian Greenstone Belts, which hosts more than 70 deposits of over 1 million ounces.

The company is concentrating on a systematic exploration and growth strategy that aims to extend existing high-grade mineralisation and test multiple high-priority regional prospects.

Mako also has 100% ownership of the Korhogo Gold Project comprising two permits covering 17 kilometres of faulted greenstone/granite contact (high-grade targets) within 30 kilometres of Barrick Gold Corps operating Tongon Gold Mine.
How valuable is the San Matias copper-gold-silver project in Colombia?

Its a question thats worth asking because when the company that owns it, Cordoba Minerals Corp (TSX-V:CDB, OTCQB:CDBMF)., put out a Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) on the Alacran Deposit located within the San Matias project back in January of this year, a caveat was added to the stated US$415mln after-tax net present value (NPV) with an 8% discount rate.

At current spot metals prices, so the associated commentary read, the after-tax NPV increases to US$650.7mln.

Well and good.

But fast forward another month or so, and spot prices have shot up again. Exactly what the project might be worth now that the world has once more got the jitters about supply, following President Putins invasion of the Ukraine, is an open question.

But one things for sure, the internal rate of return is now proportionately higher again than the originally modelled after-tax 25.4%, or the January spot price estimate of 32.7%.

One way or another, the San Matias project continues to look highly investable, and thats even before all the other extraneous factors are taken into account.

Because the unfortunate fact was that while the pre-feasibility study was being put together the COVID-19 crisis was at its height. That in turn meant that access to site was significantly restricted, and the additional three satellite deposits that would otherwise have been plugged into the pre-feasibility numbers were of necessity excluded.

Theyll likely be coming back in as the project moves on to further studies in the second quarter of this year, and will add a potential 25mln tonnes of ore. So thats a significant easy win right there, never mind what metals prices are doing.

Theres also scope to improve the grade, which even as it stands isnt too bad at 0.41% copper, 0.26 grams per tonne gold and 2.3 grams silver across a probable-reserve which currently rings in at 102mln tonnes.

Getting the feasibility study done wont be cheap, though.

Operating in Colombia can be expensive, particularly in regard to drilling costs which can run to upwards of US$500 per metre.

Accordingly, Cordoba has budgeted a chunky US$40mln to get the feasibility study and environmental impact assessment completed, a number which sits in interesting correspondence to its current C$51mln market capitalisation.

But although that might be a stretch for some companies, Cordoba has very powerful backers and not much to worry about as regards to the immediate availability of funds.

The company sits firmly inside the stable of Robert Friedland companies. Chief executive Sarah Armstrong-Montoya jumped over from working for the great promoter himself last year, and many of the senior management positions are held by old Friedland stagers.

Around 63% of the equity is held by Ivanhoe Electric, which has backstopped financings on previous occasions when markets were difficult. And theres also a 19.9% block held by major Chinese investor JCHX.

In these circumstances, dilution isnt necessarily a bad thing, and it all puts Cordoba in a more enviable position in regards to future funding than comparable juniors.

We are in discussions right now, is all Armstrong-Montoya will say at present.

Im not overly concerned.

So planning for the feasibility work can continue apace, as can work on the companys Perseverance porphyry copper project in Arizona.

Here the company is exploring targets located under two-to-three hundred metres of cover and which show geological similarities to Rio Tintos famous Resolution project.

At the K-21 and K-22 targets Armstrong-Montoya talks of strong evidence of a porphyry copper system, which bodes well.

Weve been drilling since October, she explains.

We expect the results out after Easter.

Taken together, Perseverance and San Matias combine to create a copper portfolio with some heft, and at a time of rising copper prices thats not to be sniffed at.

Were copper first, copper second and copper third, says Armstrong-Montoya.

Very possibly there might be further additions to the portfolio in due course, and if there are, we already have a good idea what commodity they will be focussed on.
Challenger Energy Group PLC (AIM:CEG, OTC:BSHPF) has appointed a new managing director for its operations in Trinidad and Tobago.

Sohan Ojah-Maharaj will assume responsibilities in mid-April 2022 and will be responsible for day-to-day operations in Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname. He will work as a key member of the executive team on the twin aims of delivering organic production growth and seeking to add production growth inorganically, Challenger said.

Ojah-Maharaj is currently a senior reservoir engineer and business consultant at the petroleum consultancy, Gaffney Cline & Associates. In this position, he has worked extensively in Trinidad and Tobago and the broader Caribbean region, as well as internationally more generally.

Geoffrey Leid, the current head of operations in Trinidad and Tobago will stay on with the company for a transitional period, after which he will be available as a consultant.

As previously advised, Iain McKendrick has now commenced as non-executive Chairman, and our previous non-executive chairman, Bill Schrader, and our previous non-executive deputy chairman, James Smith, have both stepped down from the board after many years of diligent service and guidance, for which we are extremely grateful. Tim Eastmond has commenced as chief financial officer and joined the board, and Gagan Khurana has assumed the role of chief commercial officer, said Eytan Uliel, the chief executive of Challenger.
Products from Sagely Enterprises Inc are expected to be on the retailer's shelves by April 2022

HempFusion (TSX:CBD.U, OTCQX:CBDHF) Wellness Inc told investors it has struck a major distribution agreement with one of the largest retailers in the US.

The health and wellness company said products from its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sagely Enterprises Inc, are expected to be on the shelves at over 3,700 of the retailer's stores by April 2022.

The additional locations will increase its footprint from roughly 18,000 doors to just under 22,000 locations, including nine of the nation's 10 largest Food, Drug and Mass-Merchandise (FDM) retailers. Since launching its new line of non-CBD topical OTC pain relief products, HempFusion said Sagely Naturals has seen strong initial uptake, striking distribution agreements with some of the nation's largest retailers.

"Through this distribution agreement alone, HempFusion will exceed its distribution expansion for all of 2021 as we continue to position the company as a leading health and wellness business in the US," the companys co-founder and CEO Jason Mitchell said in a statement.

"With an initial launch into 75% of this large US retailer's stores, HempFusion has the opportunity to introduce our premium wellness products to their millions of loyal consumers who consider this retailer synonymous with America,'" he added.

While much of the CBD industry continues to stall, HempFusion said its diversified portfolio of health and wellness brands and products has positioned it for significant growth in 2022 and the years ahead. Big box retail remains a focus for the company, as it provides a significant strategic position in the event of regulatory change, it added.

HempFusion Wellness is a leading health and wellness company whose family of premium consumer brands include HempFusion, Sagely Naturals, Apothecanna, and Probulin Probiotics, one of the fastest-growing probiotics companies in the US, according to SPINs reported data.

Utilizing the power of whole-food hemp nutrition, the HempFusion family of brands product portfolio comprises 112 SKUs including USDA Organic Certified Tinctures, proprietary FDA Drug Listed Over-The-Counter (OTC) Topicals, probiotic supplements and skincare products, a Doctor/Practitioner line, a White Label division and more. With a strong focus on research and development, HempFusion Wellness has 43 products under development.

Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
DAR ES SALAAM, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's mining sector contribution to the national economy increased to 7.3 percent in 2021 from 6.5 percent recorded in 2020, an official said on Thursday.

Doto Biteko, the east African nation's Minister for Minerals, said the government's projection is to see the mining sector contributes 10 percent to the national economy by 2025 but this could be realized much earlier.

Biteko told a press conference in the capital Dodoma that the mining sector made history in the past one year when mineral sales reached 8.3 trillion Tanzanian shillings (about 3.6 billion U.S. dollars) and the government collected 597.53 billion Tanzanian shillings in taxes and royalties.

Biteko said Tanzanians' participation in the mining sector services increased from 43 percent to 63 percent when mining services collections were 579.3 million U.S. dollars.

He attributed achievements in the mining sector to reforms undertaken under the administration of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, including the improvement of mining conditions for artisanal miners who contributed to 30 percent of mining activities in the country.

Biteko said the reforms have led to the creation of at least 44 gold trading centers and 70 other minerals trading centers across the country which have helped to stop smuggling of minerals outside the country. 
The company said E3 has an executed contracts backlog representing gross revenue of more than CA$6 million which is expected to be fully realized in fiscal year 2022

SpotLite360 IOT Solutions Inc (CSE:LITE) revealed that it has acquired a majority equity interest in E3 Service Group in a cash-and-stock deal.

For the acquisition of its 51% stake in E3, SpotLite360 will pay US$1 million cash and 20 million shares of SpotLite360 stock at C$0.20 each.

On March 3, 2022, the logistics technologies solutions provider first announced that it had struck a definitive binding agreement to acquire E3. Denver and Vancouver-based SpotLite360 has since successfully completed the transaction based on the terms previously outlined in the definitive agreement.

E3 will now operate as a subsidiary of SpotLite360 and all E3 employees will be retained, said the company.

READ: SpotLite360 executes definitive agreement to acquire majority equity interest in E3 Service Group

E3 has successfully built an award-winning design, engineering, and implementation practice in the agricultural/cannabis environmental space. With 300-plus engineering projects in 13 states, E3 has supported customers with event-driven data to ensure that optimal environmental conditions are maintained for indoor cultivation facilities around the world.

SpotLite360 said the integration of its supply chain technologies and software with the operational capabilities of E3 will create a broader product portfolio capable of capturing additional event-driven environmental and facility information along with proof of sustainability, chain of custody, and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) data.

In a statement, SpotLite360 CEO James Greenwell said: "We are thrilled to forge this strategic relationship with the professionals at E3 who share our vision to deliver a sustainable agricultural supply chain.

He added: SpotLite360 looks forward to working together with E3 - shoulder to shoulder - to build a supply chain future in the agriculture industry that delivers process efficiency, supports regulatory and compliance mandates, improves product quality and provides the consumer with the proof of ESG claims. Our engineering designs and supply chain platform will drive best in class models for optimal agricultural cultivation."

Transaction details

SpotLite360 said consideration for the acquisition of 51% of E3 will be US$1 million cash and 20 million shares of SpotLite360 stock at C$0.20 each. Cash will be paid from the company treasury in two equal amounts, with a US$500,000 payment upon closing and the balance paid on or before the first-year anniversary of the closing. The shares, meanwhile, will be subject to the statutory four-month and one-day statutory hold period and a concurrent 12-month lock-up whereby the initial 25% of the shares will be released on closing with the remaining 75% released in equal tranches on the 6th, 9th, and 12th month from closing.

E3 also can earn up to 3 million warrants to purchase common shares of SpotLite360 upon achieving performance-based milestones over the successive 12 months following the closing. Each warrant is exercisable for a period of 36 months from closing to purchase one additional common share at $0.20 each.

The company said E3 has an executed contracts backlog representing gross revenue of more than CA$6 million, which is expected to be fully realized in fiscal year 2022.

Bryson Guyer, founder of E3 added: "We are delighted to join the SpotLite360 family and we look forward to sharing our expanded industry vision and capabilities with our current and future customers. Our combined staff of engineering and technology expertise will create a new data driven cultivation world."

Separately, SpotLite360 has announced the addition of Shawn Phillips as senior vice president of operations. He has had a distinguished 20-plus year career in finance and operations with CFO and CEO roles in several companies. Phillips has been granted around 500,000 stock options in keeping with SpotLite360s stock option plan. Each Option is exercisable to acquire a common share at the price of $0.15 per share, the closing price of the shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange on March 4, 2022 for a period of ten years from grant.

Meanwhile, SpotLite360 added that Peter Nguyen has resigned as a director on March 10, 2022.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
Golden Shield Resources (CSE:GSRI) Inc said experienced mining professional Janine Richardson has agreed to join the company's board of directors.

Richardson, a chartered professional accountant, has worked in the mining industry for over 30 years. She was chief financial officer of several public listed companies, including Atlantic Gold (TSX-V:AGB) Corporation, Primero Mining Corp (TSX:P), Yukon-Nevada Gold Corp, Rio Alto Mining Ltd, Goldgroup Mining Inc (TSX:GGA) and most recently, IsoEnergy Ltd from 2016 to 2022.

"We are excited and honored to have Ms. Richardson join the board of directors. Janine brings to us years of valuable financial experience in mining companies operating internationally, a complementary skill set to our existing board. Also, she will be an amazing addition to our audit committee, Leo Hathaway, Golden Shield chairman, said in a statement.

From 1985 to 1991, Richardson was a manager in the audit group (mining) at Ernst & Young LLP in Toronto. She then became director of group accounting at Placer Dome Inc, responsible for the financial reporting of global operations and integrating new acquisitions. Placer operated 17 mines across five countries at that time. Since exiting Placer in 2006, Richardson has been providing financial consulting services to several public listed mining companies.

Founded by professionals who believe that there are gold mines yet to be found in Guyana, Golden Shield has full control of three high-grade gold projects - Marudi Mountain, Arakaka and Fish Creek.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
Kodiak Copper CEO Claudia Tornquist joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has released more drill results from its MPD copper-gold porphyry project in southern British Columbia.

Tornquist telling Proactive the company is releasing 5 additional holes drilled in 2021 at the Gate Zone. Drilling has intersected significant copper-gold grades over substantial intervals, and now have extended the higher-grade central zone at Gate further to the east and to depth. Tornquist also shared with Proactive the company has announced a bought deal worth just over 8 million dollars.
Silver Range Resources (AIM:RRL, ASX:RRS) CEO Mike Power joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has completes a short geologic mapping, rock, and soil sampling program at the Roughrider Project in Nevada. The results have led the company to expand the Property, staking additional claims to the south covering historic workings.

Power telling Proactive a total of 12 grab and chip rock samples were collected during the 2021 program. These returned gold values ranging from trace to 8.09 g/t Au with 1 sample greater than 5 g/t Au and from 0.8 to 955 g/t Ag with 4 samples greater than 100 g/t Ag.
Fireweed Zinc CEO Brandon Macdonald joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has released diamond drilling results from the last two holes at Boundary West on the Macmillan Pass Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Yukon.

Macdonald shared with Proactive the results including a step-out hole at Boundary West which intersected 14.0% zinc, 0.2% lead, and 57 g/t silver over 3.05 metres. The other hole extends mineralization to a strike length of over 400 metres at Boundary West.
Ankara, March 10 : Turkey is ready to cooperate with Israel in the field of energy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday after a meeting with visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog that aimed at normalizing bilateral ties.

"I told Mr. Herzog that we are ready for cooperation in energy and energy security. Turkey has the experience to implement such projects," Erdogan said at a joint press conference with Herzog in the capital Ankara, Xinhua news agency.

"I believe that this historic visit will be a turning point in relations between Turkey and Israel," the Turkish president said, adding new opportunities will be brought for both regional and bilateral cooperation.

The Turkish ministers of foreign affairs and energy will pay visits to Israel in the upcoming period, according to Erdogan.

"Our common goal with Israel is to revitalize political dialogue between our countries, based on common interests and respect for mutual sensitivities," he said, adding Ankara has "clearly expressed" its sensitivity on the issue of Palestine.

Herzog is the first Israeli leader to visit Turkey since 2008, as the two countries' relations began to sour in 2010 when a Turkish-led flotilla attempting to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip clashed with Israeli forces, killing 10 Turks on board.

In a more recent spat in 2018 when the United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador from Ankara.

In recent months, the presidents of the two countries held several phone conversations in a bid to mend ties.

For his part, Herzog said "partnership and good neighbourly relations" between Israel and Turkey are "important to us all" in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

"We shall aspire to solve our disagreements with mutual respect and goodwill, by means of the proper mechanisms and institutions which we shall develop together," the Israeli president added.

A vocal critic of Israel, especially of its policies toward the Palestinians, Erdogan voiced in January Turkey's interest in resuming talks with Israel over transporting Israel's natural gas to Europe through Turkish territory.

In 2016, Turkey and Israel held a series of talks over the transportation of Israeli gas through Turkey as part of reconciliation efforts, but the discussions were fruitless.
Etawah, March 10 : Six people were killed while four others injured after a car in which they were travelling collided with a mini-truck coming from the opposite direction in Sefai police circle in Etawah.

The accident took place on Wednesday on the Mainpuri-Etawah highway.

The injured have been admitted to Sefai Institute of Medical Sciences where the condition of one of the injured is critical.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed condolences to the victims' families. He has directed officials to provide proper treatment to those injured in the accident.

Police said that all the deceased are residents of Jaswantnagar police circle and used to work in a photo studio.

"They were going to click photos at a marriage function," said a police official.

Police added that it came to fore that the car driver lost control over the vehicle because of a flat tyre and his car collided with the mini-truck coming from the opposite direction.

Police forces from nearby police stations also reached the spot. Police later shifted the bodies to Sefai Institute of Medical Sciences in ambulances.

The deceased have been identified as Manjit, 27, Sadaan ,23, Brajmohan ,23, Vishesh, 25, Karan , 29, and Vipin, 24.
Mexico City, March 10 : Nine people, including three women, were shot dead early Wednesday morning at a private residence in Atlixco, a town in central Mexico's Puebla state, state authorities confirmed.

One survivor was "in critical condition", with shots to the head, leg and shoulder, the Puebla Attorney General's Office was quoted as saying Xinhua news agency.

"Everything points to the fact that this was an inter-gang execution," Puebla Governor Miguel Barbosa said at a press conference.

According to preliminary investigations, the house where the victims were attacked was "a drug distribution and sales location," he said.

The victims have yet to be identified, but "apparently, they were not from Atlixco or Puebla," Barbosa said.

The governor said via social media that federal, regional and local authorities launched a joint operation following the attack.
C0handigarh, March 10 : Amidst the multi-cornered contest in Punjab, the counting of ballots for the 117-member Legislative Assembly began on Thursday morning with three-tier security system in place.

The polls for 117 constituencies were held on February 20 and a total 1,54,69,618 voters exercised their right to franchise.

The election results can be obtained from the official website of CEO Punjab -- ceopunjab.gov.in or results.eci.gov.in. Also, results can also be obtained from voter helpline mobile application.

As per exit polls, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is emerging as a major contender, while the Congress is struggling hard to retain power.

Counting of ballots started simultaneously at 8 am at 117 centres in 66 locations, Chief Electoral Officer S. Karuna Raju told the media here.

He said the three-tier security measures have been set up with the deployment of 45 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) at all the counting centres. As many as 7,500 personnel were deputed across the state.

A total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women and two transgenders, were in the fray.

The state recorded a voter turnout of 71.95 per cent, the lowest percentage compared to the voting percentage in three previous Assembly polls.

In the 2017 Assembly polls, the voting percentage recorded was 77.4. The percentage in 2007 and 2012 was 75.45 and 78.20, respectively. In the 2002 elections, the voting percentage was 65.14.

In the fray are three prominent parties -- the ruling Congress, the AAP and the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, and two alliances -- the SAD-BSP and the BJP-Punjab Lok Congress (PLC).

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the Congress had won an absolute majority by winning 77 seats in the 117-member Assembly and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years.

The AAP had emerged as the second-largest party, winning 20 seats.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won 15 seats, while the BJP, which had a coalition government with the Akali Dal in Punjab from 2007 to 2017, secured three seats.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Washington, March 10 : White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday warned against Russia's possible use of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, adding "we should all be on the lookout".

Psaki's remark came after Russia's Embassy in the UK referred to claims that "recently found documents" showed components of biological weapons were made in Ukrainian laboratories - with funding from the US Department of Defense.

In response, the Press Secretary tweeted: "Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. It's a clear pattern." She called the allegation "preposterous" and that it is the "kind of disinformation operation we've seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries, which have been debunked".

Psaki went on to say that the US was in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention and "does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere".

She further accused Russia of having a "long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons, including in attempted assassinations and poisoning of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's political enemies like Alexey Navalny".

The Press Secretary also said that Russia continues to support the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, "which has repeatedly used chemical weapons" against civilians.

"Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating. In December, Russia falsely accused the U.S. of deploying contractors with chemical weapons in Ukraine.

"This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine," she added.

Chemical weapons are banned under international humanitarian law regardless of a valid military target because their effects are indiscriminate by nature and designed to cause superfluous injury and unnecessary suffering.

Psaki's remarks come as Russia's war on Ukraine continued for the 15th day on Thursday.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
COLOMBO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan State Ministry of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals has agreed to revise the control price of imported medicines in proportion to the change in U.S. dollar, said an official here Thursday.

State Minister Channa Jayasumana told the media that gazette notifications will be issued announcing the revised prices.

A number of commonly used medicines in Sri Lanka are currently sold under controlled pricing, which include a number of medicines that are imported.

Jayasumana said that the state ministry plans to introduce a system to help change the imported medicine prices according to the fluctuation of the Sri Lankan rupee.

The central bank of Sri Lanka on Monday allowed the rupee to devalue to 230 per U.S. dollar considering the severity of the external shocks and recent developments in the domestic front.

The Sri Lankan government made the last price revision on medicines when a U.S. dollar was exchanged at 194 rupees. 
Panaji, March 10 : Counting of votes polled in the February 14 elections in Goa got underway here, a process which will decide the fate of 301 candidates who are vying for 40 Assembly seats in the state.

According to Chief Electoral Officer Kunal, counting of votes locked in electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be taken after counting of service votes and absentee ballots.

"The counting process will begin with the counting of service voters, then, absentee voter ballots will be counted, after which polling officials ballots will be counted. Then at 8.30 a.m. counting of EVMs will start," Kunal said.

"We have given training to all counting personnel and our observers have also come from the Election Commission of India for all constituencies. We are hopeful that our counting process will be over by 10.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. After that VVPAT mandatory counting will be taken up," he added.

Nearly 79 per cent voters cast ballot in the February 14 polls in Goa.

Exit polls have tipped a keen contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress and Goa Forward alliance, with neither being able to reach the magic figure of 21 in a 40-member state Assembly.

Both parties have been actively wooing other smaller political parties as well as independent candidates.

The regional outfit Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) could play the role of a kingmaker, with exit pollsters suggesting that the support of the party which is in a pre-poll alliance with the Trinamool Congress, could be critical to the government formation.

Apart from the four named parties, the Aam Aadmi Party and Revolutionary Goans, another regional party, is also in the fray.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kiev, March 10 : The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Thursday that Russia is not abandoning its plans to surround Kiev as Moscow's military invasion continued for the 15th day.

In its latest update on Facebook, the military said that Ukrainian forces are repelling and holding back Moscow's offensive operation in all directions despite attempts by Russian troops to advance towards the capital city.

It said the Russian troops have "lost their military capacity and are being introduced into the operation of reserves".

"To increase combat capacity, the enemy is moving to the borders of Ukraine unions and military parts from other strategic directions." The military added that Moscow was not abandoning plans to surround Kiev and it its continuing the offensive from the Polissya and Siversky directions.

It also accused Belarus of providing support to Russia in ensuring the supply of fuel and oil, the use of railway infrastructure and airfield network.

"Sabotage of military and civilian infrastructure remains likely." Meanwhile, Russian military operation is underway in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, while is also increasing troops in the Mykolayi region.

A top official in the Sumy region claimed on Thursday that Russia carried out overnight strikes in the city of Okhtyrka, the BBC reported.

The strikes hit residential areas and a gas pipeline at about 12.30 a.m., the official added.

About 10 minutes later the suburbs of the regional capital Sumy and the village of Bytytsia were also bombed, he said.

The official further said that three humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians are expected to open from 9 a.m. (local time) onwards.

On Wednesday, about 5,000 people were evacuated from Sumy, that has been under heavy Russian bombardment for days.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Farrukhabad : , March 10 (IANS) A case has been lodged against a principal of an intermediate college after a contractual teacher accused him of raping her over the pretext of providing her a permanent government job.

The case has been registered following the orders of the Superintendent of Police (SP) on Wednesday.

The woman, a resident of a locality in Kampil police circle, stated in her complaint that she was teaching on a contractual basis in an inter college in the district since 2015.

"During this time, the principal demanded Rs 15 lakh in lieu of providing her a permanent job," she claimed.

She further alleged that she gave him Rs 3 lakh while the rest was to be given after receiving the appointment letter.

However, after a few days, the principal called her to his room and offered her tea laced with sedatives. Soon after consuming it, the woman fell unconscious. Later, the principal raped her and also made a video of the act, said the complaint.

It was when she became pregnant, she asked the principal to marry her, but he refused," stated the complainant.

Kampil police station in-charge Digvijay Singh said that the matter is being investigated after registering a case under relevant sections of IPC including 376 following a complaint by the lady teacher.

"Action will be taken after the investigation," Singh added.
Kabul, March 10 : Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed on a document to allow the free movement of trucks between the two neighbouring nations.

According to the Temporary Admission Document (TAD), Afghanistan's Consulates in Quetta and Peshawar would issue documents for Pakistani trucks, while Pakistan's Consulates in Kandahar and Khost will issue documents for Afghan trucks, reports TOLO News.

The agreement will come into effect on March 21.

The Joint Chamber of Commerce between Afghanistan and Pakistan said that the agreement will allow the Afghan trucks to freely move in all Pakistani cities.

"The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed on it and it will soon become effective in practice," said Naqibullah Sapai, head of the Joint Chamber.

Afghan traders said that the free movement of the trucks in Pakistan would help reduce the price of commodities.

"Previously, the Afghan trucks were being fined while importing commodities from Karachi, but now these problems are resolved," said Zalmai Azimi, a trader.

According to Abdul Razzak Dawood, adviser to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment, said the decision on the free movement on trucks was taken during a meeting between officials of the two countries on March 1, Khaama Press reported.

"We have finally done it! Historical development on regional connectivity front! We wish to share that Pakistan & Afghanistan have allowed free movement of each other's trucks between the two countries and cross (staffing) Temporary Admission Documents (TAD)," he tweeted on Wednesday.
Antigua, March 10 : An unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 75 runs between Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder helped West Indies recover from a mini collapse and advanced to 202 for four on the second day of the first Test against England on Wednesday.

West Indies will resume 109 runs behind and with six wickets in hand in reply to England's first innings total of 311 on the second day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

England's reshuffled bowling attack served up a mixed bag on a tricky day in Antigua, after Jonny Bairstow and co. added 43 to the overnight score to post 311 in the first innings - more than England had managed in any of the five Ashes Tests in their defeat to Australia.

A wayward start with the ball from England's new opening pair of Chris Woakes and Craig Overton helped the West Indies openers build a stand of 83 from just 19.3 overs as the reply got off to a rapid start.

Mark Wood, Ben Stokes and Jack Leach bowled tidily, and four quick wickets in the afternoon session threatened to swing the momentum back in England's favour.

But a stand of 75 after Tea between Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder helped West Indies to 202/4 by the close, 109 runs behind against a bowling attack who failed to immediately justify England's unorthodox selection policy for the Caribbean tour.

England had resumed on 268/6 and picked up where they'd left off on the first evening, with Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes looking largely untroubled early on.

However, the prospect of a giant first-innings score evaporated when Jayden Seales came on in the fifth over of the morning and snaffled the scalps of Woakes for 28 and Craig Overton for a two-ball duck.

And with the West Indies amongst the England tail, Bairstow opened up, farming the strike and taking his team's score beyond 300 for the first time in Tests since the win over India in Leeds back in August.

Alzarri Joseph rescued his figures after a tricky outing by taking the final two wickets, luring Mark Wood into a wild swing that looped to point and having Bairstow caught off a top edge.

And Bairstow left the field to warm applause from the Antigua crowd, out for 140 from 259 balls. Much of the talk surrounding England prior to the start of the series focused on the decision to leave James Anderson and Stuart Broad out of the squad as part of a Test 'reset'.

But the rejigged England attack struggled badly early on with the new ball, as runs flowed at a brisk rate, with the usually reserved Kraigg Brathwaite scoring at a run a ball to steer his side to 44 without loss at lunch.

Opening bowler Chris Woakes was particularly wayward, leaking 23 runs off his first three overs of the innings, with Craig Overton offering little more control, although Mark Wood did hit high pace early, with his third delivery clocked at 149kmh.

The runs continued to flow after the lunch interval until Overton fortuitously dismissed John Campbell, strangled down the leg side.

And fellow opener Brathwaite was next to go for an uncharacteristically rapid 55 from 70 balls, expertly pouched at gully by Overton off a quick and wide delivery from Wood.

England continued to leak runs, but the introduction of Ben Stokes helped stem the tide, as the allrounder and Wood introduced some much-needed control to proceedings. And Stokes picked up the wicket that his spell merited, drawing an edge from Shamarh Brook to send him back for 18.

And the gloss was further taken off West Indies' fast start when Jermaine Blackwood was caught at gully off the thigh pad via an inside-edge, giving Woakes a morale-boosting wicket with what turned out to be the final ball of the session thanks to a short rain delay.

Blackwood's departure meant West Indies had lost four wickets for 44 runs having been 83 without loss, leaving England well-placed with the score at 127/4 at Tea.

England's hopes of gaining a sizeable first-innings lead slipped away during a frustrating final session for the visitors, with the soft ball making the bowling attack even less threatening.

A couple of further short rain breaks did little other than put moisture into the pitch and ball, removing the hint of reverse swing, and West Indies rebuilt after their pre-Tea collapse.

Bonner with 34 ( not out) from 103 balls and Holder's 43 (not out) from 104 balls helped the home side beyond 200 before another rain shower brought an end to the day's play, with England still 13 overs away from the new ball.

The wickets were shared one apiece between the seamers, with Wood (1/24) and Stokes (1/20) impressing along with the tidy Jack Leach, who conceded less than two-an-over through the day.

But Woakes 1/54 from 12 and Overton 1/58 from 16 will be looking for significant improvements on the third day with the match finely poised approaching the midway point.

Brief scores: England 311 all out in 100.3 overs (Jonny Bairstow 140, Ben Stokes 36, Ben Foakes 42, Chris Woakes 28; Jayden Seale 4/79, Kemar Roach 2/86, Jason Holder 2/24, Alzarri Joseph 2/70) vs West Indies 202/4 in 66.5 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 55, John Campbell 35, Nkrumah Bonner 34 not out, Jason Holder not out 43; Chris Woakes 1/54, Craig Overton 1/58, trail by 109 runs.
New Delhi, March 10 : Amazon has suspended shipment of retail products to customers based in Russia and Belarus, and will no longer provide customers with access to its streaming service Prime Video in Russia.

The company said that it will no longer be accepting new Russia and Belarus-based AWS customers and Amazon third-party sellers.

"We are also suspending access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia, and we will no longer be taking orders for New World, which is the only video game we sell directly in Russia," the commerce giant said in a statement.

Amazon stopped any new orders of the open-world MMO New World, the only game title it sells in Russia.

Several other gaming giants like EA Games, CD Projekt Red, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, and Epic Games, have suspended sales in the country.

Unlike some other US technology providers, Amazon and AWS have no data centres, infrastructure or offices in Russia.

"We have a long-standing policy of not doing business with the Russian government," said Amazon.

Amazon's cloud-computing unit AWS has also announced that it is no longer accepting new customers based in Russia or Belarus, following the invasion of Ukraine.

The company said it is continuing to partner with several NGOs and organisations to support humanitarian needs in the region.

"Amazon donated $5 million to support those impacted. We continue to match our employees' donations, and we're happy to report that over 10,000 employees have donated to the effort," it informed.

Tens of thousands of customers around the world have also made donations via Amazon home pages.

In addition to Amazon, several tech players like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Netflix, and PayPal have stopped doing business with Russia. Visa and Mastercard have also shut down operations in the country.

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New Delhi, March 10 : The Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in the early trends of the bypoll results in Assam's Majuli Assembly constituency.

The bypoll at this constituency was necessitated after former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tendered his resignation from the Assembly.

As per Election Commission update around 10.00 a.m., BJP's candidate Bhuban Gam had secured 9,173 votes while Assam Jatiya Parishad's Chittaranjan Basumatary was trailing with 2,515 votes.

Socialist Unity Centre of India's (Communist) Bhaity Richong had so far secured 180 votes while 192 of the voters chose not to vote for anyone and cast NOTA.
New Delhi, March 10 : As per the early counting trends, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat is now trailing by over 7,000 votes from his nearest rival BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht in the Lal Kuan constituency.

At 10.30 a.m. as per the Election Commission data, Rawat got 7,939 votes while the BJP candidate is leading with 14,724 votes.

Rawat was a top contender for the Chief Minister's post if Congress gains a majority.

Congress' Special Observer for Uttarakhand Mohan Prakash on Wednesday expressed confidence that his party will get a full majority in the state and that the elected MLAs will decide the name of the Chief Minister's post. But, now it seems that Dehradun is quite far from the Congress as per the trends which may change in due course.

Prakash had said that the Congress will form its own government in the state without any support. However, it has a 'Plan B' and has reached out to BSP candidates who could be potential winners.

The Congress has rejected the exit poll claims that the party may not reach the magic figure and has asked the party workers to prepare for the big fight and not leave the counting centres till the last vote is counted.
Srinagar, March 10 : An encounter has broken out between terrorists and security forces at Naina Batpora area in South Kashmir's Pulwama district, officials said on Thursday.

"Encounter has started at Naina Batpora area of Pulwama. Police and security forces are on the job," police said.

The firefight between terrorists and security forces took place after a joint team of the police and the security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
New Delhi, March 10 : India logged 4,184 fresh Covid infections, a marginal decline from 4,575 the previous day, and 104 deaths in the past 24 hours, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday .

With the fresh fatalities, the death toll mounted to 5,15,459.

Active Covid cases have further reduced to 44,488 which constitute 0.10 per cent of the country's total cases.

With 6,554 patients getting cured of the virus in the same time period, the number of recoveries mounted to 4,24,20,120. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.70 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 8,73,974 tests were conducted across the country, taking the cumulative tests to over 77.60 crore.

The weekly positivity rate has further come down to 0.58 per cent, while the daily positivity rate declined to 0.48 per cent.

With the administration of over 18.23 lakhs Covid vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, the country's Covid inoculation coverage has reached 179.53 crore as of Thursday morning. This has been achieved through 2,09,22,227 sessions.

More than 16.24 crore balance and unutilised Covid vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs, the ministry added.

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Jaipur, March 10 : In the wake of show of strength displayed by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on her birthday on March 8 and the controversial statements made by her supporters, Rajasthan BJP in-charge Arun Singh issued a warning to such workers.

He said that the party is maintaining a record of all such statements and will take action at the right time.

Singh also said that such party workers should not come complaining if action is taken against them.

While replying a media question, he said, "Celebrating birthday is ok but one should remember that the party is supreme and everyone comes later. Also one should remember that our party leaders are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda among others and he should contribute more to party events also," he said.

"If someone treats us as an anti group, then we will also take them as our rivals," he said adding, "party is our mother and we should think of expanding and growing it. Those trying to weaken the party with their cheap statements are being monitored," he added.

It needs to be mentioned here that Raje followers, namely Bhavani Singh Rajawat and Rajpal Shekhawat during her birthday preparations said that "entire state is eager to handover the state's command to Raje. There are many candidates eyeing the Chief Minister's chair," the duo said, which was an indirect comment on BJP state president Satish Poonia.

Meanwhile, Vasundhara Raje clarified that her birthday was not a moment to show her strength but it was meant for 'Devdarshan'.

She also thanked the people from all parts of the state and people from neighbouring states too, who came to Bundi to be a part of her birthday celebrations.

Raje's differences with BJP state president Satish Poonia is not an open secret in Rajasthan.
Film: 'Parallel Mothers' (Running in Theatres), Duration: 123 minutes Director: Pedro Almodovar

Cast: Penelope Cruz, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Julieta Serrano, Rossy de Palma, Daniela Santiago

IANS Rating: ***1/2While on the surface, director Pedro Almodovar's 'Parallel Mothers' is an ordinary story of two women who became mothers on the same day at the same hospital and how their lives intertwine. But, if you look deeper into the narrative, you will find stories of many more mothers, including grandmothers, thus making the film rich and compelling.

The film begins with Madrid-based Janis (Penelope Cruz), a middle-aged and successful professional photographer doing a photoshoot with forensic anthropologist Arturo (Israel Elejalde) for a magazine article. After the shoot, she seeks his help in securing permits and funding from a historical society to excavate a mass grave in her ancestral village, where- according to her family- the body of her great grandfather was dumped during the Spanish Civil War. Janis and her relatives hope to exhume the dead to give them a proper burial.

During this period, romance brews between Janis and Arturo, and an ecstatic Janis finds herself pregnant. She decides to go ahead with the pregnancy and be a single mother.

In the labour room of a maternity ward, during the final stages of her delivery, she meets Ana (Milena Smit), a rebel teenager who, given her circumstances, is anything but happy about having a baby. Janis and Ana bond while their daughters owing to some health issues- are isolated in the observation room, after which they go their separate ways.

Janis names her baby Cecilia after her grandmother. And Ana names her daughter Anita.

While Janis has the support of her dear friend Elena (Rossy de Palma) and an au pair, Ana has Teresa (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), her actress mother, who promises to help raise her granddaughter.

Janis and Ana lead their lives independently as conscientious mothers till fate reunites them to propel the narrative forward.

Visually, in the maternity hospital, with tight closeup frames of the mothers in agonising pain, the film highlights the drama of birth.

And similar to the drama at birth, the film ensures a rhythmic progression that leads to the inevitable resolution. But unlike the high-pitch drama of childbirth, the tension and suspense in the plot are subtle and low-keyed.

Penelope Cruz is spot on as Janis, who is willing to bend her principles to protect her happiness. Similarly, Smit as Ana is commendable. She is radiant in essaying her role as a vulnerable and anguished teenage mother, who is all out to put her stamp on motherhood.

Aitana Sanchez Gijon as Teresa is equally compelling, offering a different dimension to what a conventional mother should be.

Rossy de Palma as Janis' flamboyant friend Elena, and Israel Elajalde as Arturo are prominent despite having miniscule roles.

Overall, 'Parallel Mothers' is an engaging film. You would appreciate it more, only if you knew the customs, traditions, and history of its cinematic universe.
Film: 'Dog' (Running in Theatres); Duration: 101 minutes Directors: Reid Carolin, Channing Tatum

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jane Adams, Kevin Nash, Ethan Suplee, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Q'orianka Kilcher, Nicole LaLiberte, Luke Forbes, Ronnie Gene Blevins

IANS Rating: ***1/2The premise of this film, 'Transporting a PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) canine to her former handler's funeral conjures an image of a sentimental and emotion-laden film. But alas! 'Dog' struggles to be a goofy road film of a human and a dog, who are a lot alike, at least in their mental state.

Tatum plays Jackson Briggs, an Army Ranger who is desperate to get back into action after getting sidelined by a brain injury that induces seizures. His desire to return to the service only intensifies after the death of Riley Rodriguez, a Ranger and one of his best friends. Briggs pleads to his former commanding officer to recommend that he - be allowed to return to the service.

So, to be in the good books of his commanding officer, he accepts an assignment to drive Lulu, an Army dog who served in Afghanistan, so that she may attend the funeral of her late handler in Arizona, and later to deliver her to an Army base near the funeral site to be euthanized, as Army dogs with PTSD are not fit for adoption.

The trip involves a 1,500-mile drive down the Pacific coast, and it is a combination of a 'Buddy' cum 'Road' film. Its plot chronicles the series of misadventures the duo face and how they gradually bond over some time.

Their trip begins with Lulu destroying the interior of Briggs' lovingly restored utility vehicle. This sets the tone of what lies ahead for them. With Lulu being a complicated dog and Tantum having his complications, both need healing in one form or the other, but the narrative chugs along with other insensitive portrayals and half-hearted sentiments.

This includes; Briggs' ill-fated romantic encounter with a pair of aging wanton women, then becoming captive of a suspicious marijuana grower (Kevin Nash) and his psychic wife (Jane Adams), followed by getting arrested for impersonating a blind man to get a complimentary stay in a fancy hotel, and the list continues.

In short, the script progresses dispassionately in an episodic format that oscillates between social drama and broad comedy as the two of them encounter numerous obstacles and a variety of eccentric characters, stretching the credibility of the narrative along the way. Also, the tonal imbalance and mismanaged themes make the entire trip appear perfunctory. It is only in the last twenty minutes of the screen time that the sentimentality of the journey sinks in, but by then, it is too late.

Mounted with moderate production values there is nothing to write home about the performances too. Tatum and the entire cast are just average in their delivery.

Overall, the film is technically well-made but lacks depth in emotions and gravitas.
Results of the assembly in five states are gradually becoming clear. Even before the results, celebrations have started at the Aam Aadmi Party's headquarters. Image Source: IANS News

Results of the assembly in five states are gradually becoming clear. Even before the results, celebrations have started at the Aam Aadmi Party's headquarters. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, March 10 : Even as the Aam Aadmi Party is showing a dismal performance in the early trends in two of the three states where it was contesting the Assembly elections, the party leaders in the national capital are rejoicing over the trends in Punjab where it is heading for a comfortable victory.

"These are not the trends of the victory of any party, these are trends of the acceptance of the governance model of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi," AAP MLA Dilip Pandey told IANS.

He said that the consecutive governments in Punjab, during the past 50-60 years, have plunged the state into a quagmire.

Delhi Minister Gopal Rai, while speaking to IANS, also expressed similar sentiments.

"It is the result of Delhi's good governance," said Rai thanking the people of Punjab for voting for change.

The early leads on Thursday indicated that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is heading to a landslide maiden victory in Punjab, while the traditional parties -- Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) -- are trailing.

Congress rebel Capt Amarinder Singh, whose fledgling Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), is trailing from his 'royal' bastion Patiala (Urban).

AAP's chief ministerial face and sitting MP Bhagwant Mann is leading from Dhuri, the seat from where he's trying luck for the first time.

Apart from Punjab, AAP is contesting the elections in Uttarakhand and Goa, where early trends indicated that the party has failed to woo the voters.
Berlin, March 10 : Germany's defence expenditure increased by 35.8 per cent to 38.7 billion euros ($42.6 billion) between 1991 and 2021, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said.

However, total government spending increased four times as fast during this period, reports Xinhua news agency citing Destatis as saying.

The share of Germany's defense expenditure almost halved from 3.9 per cent in 1991 to 2.1 per cent in 2021, according to Destatis.

Germany's government spending increased the most in health care and was more than three times as high as in 1991. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the increase was particularly strong in 2020 and 2021.

In light of the situation in Ukraine, the German government announced a special defence fund of 100 billion euros from the 2022 federal budget.

"We need to invest much more in the security of our country," said Chancellor Olaf Scholz days ago when announcing higher investments in Germany's armed forces during an extraordinary session of the Bundestag, lower parliament.

In 2020, the share of defence spending was 2.2 per cent of government spending in Germany, below the European Union (EU)'s average of 2.5 per cent, according to Destatis.
March 10 : Ranveer Singh was all praise for Yash Raj Films Pathaan, and updated his fans about the films shoot in Spain. The Gully Boy actor held an Instagram live session on Wednesday night, and said how he and Deepika fawn over John Abrahams body. The Pathaan team including Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone are currently shooting in Spain.

Ranveer confirmed to his fans that Deepika is currently in Spain for the shoot of Pathaan. My wife is in Spain shooting for Pathaan. Big ol' actioner for Yash Raj with the king Shah Rukh Khan and sexy, sexy John Abraham. The actor added that Deepika and the team are shooting for a song in Spain. She is in Mallorca shooting a very glamorous song for Pathaan. I've heard the song. It's amazing. It's Sid Anand and Vishal-Shekhar. You get the vibe. I think Vaibhavi (Merchant) ma'am is shooting the song. So, she is now with Deepika in Spain."

The actor said that Deepika was stunned by Johns body and he agreed fully with her. Ranveer said, She's telling me, My God, baby, youre gonna look at John's body'. I was like, Yeah baby, I know. He's got one hot bod on him.

Ranveer also joked that its a privilege for him as Deepika often shares her look from a song or a film to him, before anyone else can see it. "It's exciting because I have the privilege of being her husband so she gives me a sneak peek of how she's looking (rolls his eyes) my god. You guys will have to wait for it man. She's just scorching it. Superfit and super glamorous. Shaleena (Nathani) is styling her. I have seen a sneak peek and it looks like aag lag jayegi screen pe (the screen will be set on fire). So that's the wifey update!"

Ranveer also jammed to some of the best songs of Sunidhi Chauhan and also gave shoutouts to his friends who said hi during his live session. Ranveer concluded his session by advising his fans, Just stay bright, keep your chin up, keep smiling, count your blessings, be positive, think positive, speak positive, give out good energy. Be nice and kind to people. All of that.. whatever you give, you will get. If you give goodness, then all of that will multiply and circle back to you. Good karma will bode you well.
Imphal, March 10 : Like the last assembly elections in 2017, Manipur once again is heading for a hung assembly with the ruling BJP, according to the latest trend, emerging as the single largest party securing 20 seats in the 60 member House.

BJP's estranged ally National People's Party (NPP) has bagged seven seats.

The BJP, however, is confident of forming the government in Manipur for the second term with the support of smaller parties. Political observers felt that the NPP is likely to play a crucial role in government formation.

This time the NPP and BJP's another estranged ally Naga People's Front (NPF) had contested the polls separately and had fielded candidates against each other.

As per the Election Commission's latest trends, in 41 of the 60 seats, the Naga People's Front got six seats, Congress three, Janata Dal (United) two, independents two seats and Kuki People's Alliance is leading in one seat.

Among the notable candidates, Chief Minister and BJP candidate Biren Singh is leading from his traditional seat Nongthombam. Former ministers and BJP nominees Thokchom Radheshyam Singh (Heirok), Nemcha Kipgen (Kangpokpi), Deputy Chief Minister and NPP candidate Yumnam Joykumar Singh (Uripok) are all leading.

Former three time Chief Minister (2002-1917) and Congress veteran Okram Ibobi Singh (Thoubal), sitting Congress MLA and former state party chief T.N. Haokip (Saikot), former speaker of the Manipur assembly Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh (Khundrakpam) and top Janata Dal (United) leader Khumukcham Joykisan Singh (Thangmeiband) are also leading against their rivals.

Counting of votes is underway across 16 districts in the state amid tight security, officials said. The state's Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Agrawal said there is a three-tier security arrangement in and around the counting centres and adjoining areas to avoid any untoward incident.
Panaji, March 10 : The BJP claimed victory in the state Assembly polls, with the party which is contesting the elections on its own, leading trends on 19 seats and the Congress-Goa Forward alliance leading in 11 constituencies, according to the Election Commission of India statistics.

"This is a victory of Goan people and a victory for the government, a victory of the Prime Minister," BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi told reporters in Panaji.

While the Election Commission has not formally declared any winners so far, several contests are witnessing a close battle, with margins in some cases down to two digits.

When asked if the BJP would be speaking to other parties like the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party for support to reach the magic number of 21, Ravi said that the decision would be taken after the final results are announced.

"Wait and see," Ravi said.
Mumbai, March 10 : Choreographer Saurabh Prajapati has been gaining attention for his choreography in the recently released music video 'Shonk Se', starring Mohsin Khan and Sonarika Bhadoria. It is sung by Afsana Khan.

"When they offered me the song, 'Shonk Se' and when I heard it for the first time, I fell in love with it. The composition, the lyrics were so powerful. Afsana Khan's voice! The way she has sung it... That's when I was like, I want to do something different in this song as well, and that's when I decided to use different vocabulary, different techniques of contemporary dance in the song." "The emotion that she is expressing, was what I wanted to express through my dance moves. When words can't express your feelings, it's art that helps you," he says.

The choreographer adds that he has always wanted to do something different in each of his projects, and 'Shonk Se' offered him an opportunity for trying something unique.

"Contemporary dance is my personal favourite dance form and I have always wanted to introduce this dance form in Bollywood numbers. This was a challenge that I took a few years back and I finally introduced these international dance forms and techniques in a few of my projects. In Shonk Se, if you see, you will find very different visuals. I have used smog and also a big cloth in my choreography to give it a different look." "This is not what is usually done in Bollywood numbers. For me, the idea is always to do something which is new to the audience. There have to be some new creative ideas that we add so that it should look fresh," says Saurabh, who has choreographed and directed the numbers 'Tenu Meri Umar Lag Jaave' featuring Terence Lewis and 'Fidaai' featuring Elli AvRam and Salman Yusuf Khan.

Talking about working with actors Mohsin Khan and Sonarika Bhadoria in 'Shonk Se', Saurabh says: "It was a pleasure working with them, both of them are very friendly and chilled out. We share a great bond. Most importantly, I want to mention that Sonarika has never taken professional training when it comes to such dance styles as contemporary dance." "Apparently, she only got one day, in fact, only a few hours to learn this choreography. But I respect her for putting in her 100 per cent effort. I was so impressed because of the kind of passion she showed. I was like, 'Let's do it!'. I cannot thank Manish Shunty enough for his amazing work! I want to thank each and everyone from the technical department to all the dancers... Everyone plays an equally important role to make it look great." Meanwhile, the choreographer has a lot more planned for the future.

"I am so happy that everyone is loving this music video. The choreography, the visuals...there is so much more interesting stuff coming on the way. I can't wait to share it with everyone. I have given so many years to train myself in these international dance forms and finally, I am putting it out there in front of you guys."
Chandigarh, March 10 : In a major embarrassment for two-time Punjab Chief Minister and Congress rebel Capt Amarinder Singh in a fag-end of his political career, he faced a humiliating defeat from AAP's greenhorn Ajit Pal Kohli with over 13,000 votes on Thursday from his stronghold Patiala (Urban), the seat that he has won for four consecutive terms since 2002 when he first contested.

He is seen as a nationalist, and widely respected leader of the BJP-led alliance.

The former's fledgling Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) was contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), an Akali Dal rebel.

In the Congress-ruled state, Arvind Kejriwal's AAP is heading for a landslide win, with the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP far behind.

Capt Amarinder Singh left the Congress just ahead of the polls after the Congress unceremoniously removed him from the helm and he floated his own party.

A day ahead of the counting of votes, Capt Amarinder Singh exuded full confidence, saying he expected positive verdict by the people of Punjab in favour of his party Punjab Lok Congress and the alliance partners, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal-Samyukt.

In his statement, Capt Amarinder Singh had said, "the counting of votes marks the conclusion of the electoral festival of democracy and we are confident of outstanding results".

Capt Amarinder Singh said people of Punjab had understood the importance of a "double-engine" government in Punjab which will watch and safeguard the national interest and help in reviving Punjab's economy. "Promising days are ahead for Punjab", he had remarked.

In the 2019 parliamentary polls, Capt Amarinder Singh steered his former party -- the Congress to a victory in his ruling Punjab in eight out of 13 Lok Sabha seats despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wave across the country.

At a public meeting ahead of the polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had a special praise for Capt Amarinder Singh that he always rose above partisan considerations when it came to the issues concerning national security.

He said when he became the Home Minister in 2019, he felt quite concerned about the security along the Punjab border. "But once I spoke to Capt Amarinder, I felt relaxed," he had recalled at his rally in Patiala town.

In 2017, Capt Amarinder Singh, now 80, polled 72,217 votes against nearest rival Balbir Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, who got just 19,852. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate and former Army chief Gen J.J. Singh (retd) got just 11,613 votes. Gen Singh is now with the BJP.
SYDNEY, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The University of Queensland (UQ) has entered into a partnership with biotechnology company Moderna, as Aussie researchers delve into the cutting edge of mRNA vaccine research.

The new partnership, the first in Australia announced on Thursday, was the result of efforts from UQ scientists Mark Walker and Paul Young, who said the access to Moderna's mRNA platform would allow for the development of vaccines for neglected and emerging viruses.

"This partnership is a coup for UQ with advances in vaccine delivery potentially saving thousands of lives in developing countries," Young said.

He said there were at least 10 disease research projects underway at UQ that could benefit immediately from the mRNA Access partnership.

"Moderna will set up a portal where researchers in this collaborative agreement will have access to their mRNA technology to target these identified pathogens," Young said.

The partnership would allow researchers at UQ to provide sequences for vaccines that could then be produced in labs in the United States and delivered for clinical use in as little as 100 days.

"There is no doubt that the production of vaccines to target these diseases will be delivered more quickly by this collaboration," said Young.

The researchers would focus on developing vaccines for both future diseases and diseases that are currently a problem in low- and middle-income countries, like dengue, malaria, tuberculosis and zika virus.

Walker added that the opportunity would allow them to create vaccines for these bacterial diseases that have shown resistance to antibiotic forms of treatment.

"While much of the recent narrative has been around viral and pandemic vaccines, targeting anti-microbial resistant bacterial diseases is another important goal of this partnership," he said.

"Researchers are starting to think about trying to resolve this growing global threat via vaccines instead of antibiotics." 
New Delhi, March 10 : Domestic cloud kitchen company Curefoods housing brands like EatFit, YumLane, CakeZone, and Great Indian Khichdi on Thursday announced a majority stake acquisition of the leading milkshake brand, Frozen Bottle.

Started in 2017 by first-time entrepreneur Pranshul Yadav, Frozen Bottle shortly became a category creator in the cold milkshakes, dessert space and is now one of India's trendiest milkshake brands.

"Going forward, we will keep adding more brands to Frozen Bottle's portfolio to appeal to the consumer base that wants to grab a quick snack along with their cold beverage. This partnership will also help us improve our supply chain as we consolidate our position as India's largest online dessert company," Gokul Kandhi, Chief Business Officer at Curefoods, said in a statement.

It is currently present in over 25 cities with over 110 outlets and offers a wide selection of signature thick shakes, milkshakes, and one-of-its-kind ice cream jars that are 100 per cent vegetarian.

"We now aim to ramp up our efforts in becoming the go-to cold dessert brand and also widen our breadth of offerings. We look forward to working with the Curefoods team and bolster their ambitious upward trajectory in the cloud kitchen space," Pranshul Yadav, Founder and CEO at Frozen Bottle added.

Under Curefoods, Frozen Bottle is set to expand its dessert portfolio, becoming the single stop-shop for all cold dessert products.

Curefoods also aims to expand Frozen Bottle's footprint taking it to a total of 50 cities with over 250 outlets.

Curefoods also recently announced its merger with Mumbai-based Maverix and the acquisition of south India franchise rights of US-based pizza chain Sbarro.
New Delhi, March 10 : The latest trend shows that the BJP is going to sweep assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh while the saffron party is ahead in Uttarakhand and Goa. The Aam Aadmi Party is heading for a landslide majority in Punjab.

According to the Election Commission update at 12.20 p.m., the BJP is clearly moving ahead in all four states which went to polls -- UP, Uttrakhand, Goa and Manipur while the AAP is ahead in Punjab.

As per the trends updated by the Election Commission of India, the BJP is leading in over 248 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh with 43.8 per cent vote share while Samajwadi Party is leading in 112 seats with 31.6 per cent vote share. The Rashtriya Lok Dal is leading in 11 seats with 3.46 per cent vote share whereas the Bahujan Samajwadi Party is leading in five seats with 12.9 per cent vote share.

In Uttarakhand, the BJP is leading in 41 seats with 44 per cent vote share while the principal opposition party Congress is leading in 26 constituencies with 39.3 per cent vote share. The BSP is leading in one seat with 4.08 per cent vote share while two independents are also leading there.

In Goa, till 12.20 pm, the BJP is leading in 19 constituencies with 33.4 per cent vote share, Congress in 11 with 22.94 per cent vote share, Goa Forward Party in one seat with 1.44 per cent vote share, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) in three seats with 8.13 per cent vote share and the independents are leading in three seats.

Similarly in Manipur, the BJP is leading in 21 seats and is likely to retain power in the state whereas the Congress is leading only in three seats, Janata Dal (U) in one, Kuki People's Alliance in one seat, Naga Peoples Front in six seats, National People's Party in seven seats and independents are leading in two constituencies.

In Punjab, the AAP is far ahead of all political parties and is leading in 90 constituencies with 42.2 per cent vote share, Congress in 17 seats with 23.01 per cent vote share, BJP in two seats with 6.7 per cent vote share, the Shiromani Akali Dal in six seats with 17.76 per cent vote share.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, March 10 : As the incumbent BJP was moving towards a thumping majority in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party even though managing to better its tally from the previous election, has failed to reach the magic mark. The failure could bring focus upon the team on which Akhilesh Yadav was relying for feedback and action.

Criticism will mount on the Akhilesh team comprising leaders like Udayveer Singh, Rajendra Chaudhary, Abhishek Mishra, Naresh Uttam Patel and others for giving wrong ground reports. It was based on these reports that tickets were distributed. After the failure, it is likely to be said that the party distributed wrong tickets which led to the defeat on many seats which the SP could have won. On some seats, the SP leader fielded new candidates and the old timers either worked against the party candidate or contested from other parties which led to the defeat of the official nominee.

For having a wide and effective media coverage, the team led by Ashish Yadav was deciding on the coverage. It, however, relied on National News Channels and in those interviews Akhilesh Yadav was asked hard questions, which led to a dent in his image. The media narrative could not be set up in favour of Samajwadi Party despite drawing huge crowds in elections. The media narrative could have been built up in favour if good media strategy was drawn, and better preparation during the interviews could have led to good perceptions.

The party insiders blame the wrong strategy, ticket distribution and last minute entrants from the BJP for the loss in the elections.

The former Chief Minister over-relied on its non-political team and ignored the party leaders in the ticket distribution in the state. He could not match Mulayam Singh Yadav's strategy and could not establish a team of second rung leaders like his father did with Janeshwar Mishra, Reoti Raman Singh, Mata Prasad Pandey, Beni Prasad Verma and Mohan Singh.

The three elections, which Akhilesh Yadav fought in 2017, 2019 and 2022 he experimented and failed. In 2017, he allied with the Congress and was reduced to less than 50 seats, then in 2019 his alliance with the BSP failed, and in 2022 inducting BJP rebels and giving tickets to the new leaders have not paid well, said sources.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, March 10 : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought an explanation from Uttar Pradesh's Additional Chief Secretary, Mining, for not responding to illegal mining complaints in Banda district, even after several deferments in the matter.

The green court has noted that no steps are being taken by the state for compliance with its directions.

On July 2, 2021, the NGT had asked the officials to furnish a report on grievance on illegal mining in Kanwara, Bendakhadar villages in Banda.

"In spite of above, no response has been filed even though more than six months have expired and matter has been deferred several times, awaiting response. Let the Additional Chief Secretary, Mining, UP remain present in person by video conferencing with compliance status and explanation why coercive measures be not taken for failure to comply with the orders of this Tribunal," the NGT bench headed by Chairperson, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel (retd), said in an order dated March 8.

"We also direct District Magistrate, Banda, and State Pollution Control Board to furnish a factual report on the subject before the next date." In case anything adverse is found by the authorities against the project proponents --Durga Trading Company and Ashok Kumar Gautam, they may be put to notice of these proceedings for their response, if any, before this Tribunal before the next date, the order read.

Further hearing in the matter will be on April 8.
Los Angeles, March 10 : Amazon has joined the growing number of businesses suspending commercial activities in Russia in the wake of the countrys unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

The e-commerce giant said in a statement that it is cutting off access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia, given "the ongoing situation in Russia and Ukraine." Amazon said it also has ceased shipment of retail products to customers in Russia and Belarus and said it will no longer be taking orders from Russian customers for its video game "New World," the only game the company sells directly in the country, reports variety.com.

In addition, the company will no longer be accepting new Russia- or Belarus-based customers for its AWS cloud computing services, nor will merchants in those countries be accepted as Amazon third-party sellers.

"As a reminder, unlike some other U.S. technology providers, Amazon and AWS have no data centers, infrastructure, or offices in Russia, and we have a long-standing policy of not doing business with the Russian government," the Seattle-based company said in a statement released March 8.

According to Amazon, it has continued to partner with several nongovernmental organisations to support "the immense humanitarian needs in the region." The company said it donated $5 million to support people affected by the war and it has continued to match employees' donations; to date, more than 10,000 Amazon employees have donated to the effort.

According to Amazon's homepages, "tens of thousands of customers around the world" have also made donations to benefit Save the Children and the Red Cross on the ground in Ukraine, according to the company.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Seoul, March 10 : The leadership of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party (DP) decided to resign en masse on Thursday following its loss in this week's presidential election.

DP Chairman Song Young-gil announced the decision following a meeting of the party's supreme council after Lee Jae-myung, the party's presidential candidate, was defeated by Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) in Wednesday's election, reports Yonhap News agency.

"We respect the people's decision shown through the votes and humbly accept the results," Song said at a press conference at the National Assembly.

"I plan to resign by holding myself responsible for the election loss," he added.

The party will operate under an emergency steering committee, which will be lead by DP floor leader Yun Ho-jung. The party is reviewing on electing a new floor leader before March 25.

With all the votes counted, the PPP's Yoon received 48.56 per cent of the vote and the DP's Lee got 47.83 per cent in Wednesday's election, according to the National Election Commission.

The 0.73 percentage-point gap makes this year's election the closest ever.
Chandigarh, March 10 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Bhagwant Mann, who on Thursday won the Dhuri seat with a margin of 58,206 votes, is set to become Punjab's next chief minister.

AAP is heading to a landslide win in the 117-member legislative Assembly by leading at over 90 seats.

In his first public address in his home town Sangrur after winning the seat and seeing the meteoric rise of the party, Mann promised to fix unemployment as his first task in office.

"No government office in the state will have the photo of the Punjab CM, but will carry a portrait of B.R. Ambedkar." Mann said he will take oath as the Chief Minister in Bhagat Singh's ancestral village Khatkar Kalan and not in Raj Bhawan.

"We will ensure that the youth do not have to go abroad... Within a month, you will observe changes," he added.

Taking a dig at the opposition leaders, he said, "The elder Badal has lost...Captain (Amarinder Singh) Sahab has also lost. Majithia is also losing. Channi has also lost from both seats." The AAP is leading in 91 of 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) website at 1.10 p.m. The Congress was leading in 17 seats so far.

For the AAP that was banking on 'Hun ek mauka Kejriwal nu (now one chance to Kejriwal)' -- arguably one of the biggest advertisement blitz campaigns -- two-time MP, Mann, took the lead as the chief minister's face.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the AAP had made inroads among Jat Sikhs by emerging as the second largest party with 20 seats, 18 of them in the Malwa region. However, it failed to make a mark in Majha and Doaba regions.

Mann held his fort despite Modi wave across the country in 2019 by retaining the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat for the second time in a row.

"The fight is not to save some political families but to save Punjab, the farmers, the agriculture, the industry and the youth. Owing to lack of employment and better education infrastructure, our youth is moving abroad," was the common talk of Mann in his folksy style in his elections campaigns.

Formerly a popular comedian-actor, Mann, known for his trademark 'basanti' turban, a colour associated with Shaheed Bhagat Singh, has had his fair share of controversies in recent years, especially linked to his drinking habit.

In these polls, AAP's vote share is estimated to be close to 42.45 per cent compared to 22.9 per cent of the Congress and 17.9 per cent of the SAD.

The meteoric rise of AAP in the 2014 Parliamentary polls and then in the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab followed by its nosedive owing to 'mass exodus' of its legislators proved a litmus test for the party in the 2022 Assembly polls in the state.

Political observers say AAP was seen as the alternative to the traditional parties that had dominated Punjab's electoral space for decades.

Learning a harsh lesson from its mistake during the 2017 Assembly polls of not declaring a chief ministerial candidate, this time AAP's CM face Bhagwant Mann was locked in a multi-cornered contest with Congress' 'Aam Aadmi' Charanjit Singh Channi, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Badal, Capt Amarinder Singh, whose new party Punjab Lok Congress is in alliance with the BJP and the Samyukt Samaj Morcha, the fledgling coalition of farm unions.

Channi, Sukhbir Badal and Captain Amarinder Singh faced humiliating defeat from their respective seats.

In 2017, AAP sought vote in the name of Arvind Kejriwal, and despite him being tagged an outsider, it managed to win 20 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, emerging as the principal opposition party, pushing SAD to the number three position.
K'taka BJP celebrates party's victory in UP, Uttarakhand, Chide Cong to take up teerth yatra instead of Padayatra. Image Source: IANS News

K'taka BJP celebrates party's victory in UP, Uttarakhand, Chide Cong to take up teerth yatra instead of Padayatra. Image Source: IANS News

Bengaluru, March 10 : The leaders of Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday celebrated the saffron party's victory in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.

As the results confirmed a big lead for the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP in Uttar Pradesh, ministers and legislators distributed sweets among themselves in the office of the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Taking a jibe at the Congress, Minister for Revenue R. Ashok said: "Going by the election trends, the Congress leaders should take up 'theerth yatra' (pilgrimage) instead of 'padayatra'. The BJP is registering a stellar victory. It is achieving a majority in four states among five states for which elections were held," he said.

People claimed that there is a neck to neck fight in Uttar Pradesh, however, BJP is repeating the trend of victory. Congress was only surviving in Punjab state in the country and it had miserably lost it, he said.

Education Minister B.C. Nagesh, Minister for Transport B. Sriramulu and legislators exchanged greetings for the stellar performance of the party.

"This is a victory of development and victory which is in the interests of the nation," V. Somanna, Minister for Housing and Infrastructure Development, said.

The election results of five states have shown public opinion swinging towards BJP. This result is in the favour of Yogi Adityanath, which also indicated the future developments, he said.

Answering a question on changes in the state politics in the backdrop of BJP's victory in Uttar Pradesh, and other states, Minister Somanna stated Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is delivering pro-development governance and carrying forward the administration with intelligence.

Health Minister K. Sudhakar said that people have shown that they will not let go of the BJP government wherever it is in power. "The Congress knows this and people will again vote BJP to power in 2023. People have taught a lesson to the Congress party," he said.

"We have retained four states. The people of four states have expressed their wanting for a double engine government. The people have taught a lesson to the Congress party which indulges in caste appeasement," he stated.
Patna, March 10 : A day after Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav furnished data on MGNREGA in Bihar Assembly, Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar on Thursday claimed that the figures were "inaccurate" and aimed at misleading the people.

Soon after the allegation, the House witnessed a huge uproar with Tejashwi Yadav rising from his seat and challenging the minister's claims.

The figures pertaining to MGNREGA jobs are based on the data issued by the central government and is 100 per cent true, asserted Yadav.

"I am ready to challenge the claims of the cabinet minister. I don't know who has told him that my data is incorrect," Tejashwi asked.

The entire RJD members stood up in solidarity with their leader and protested against the minister leading to a chaos.

"The government has given false statements to mislead the people of Bihar. Shravan Kumar should apologise for the 'fake' statement he has furnished. I will not enter the house till he issues an apologetic statement," Yadav asserted.

On Wednesday, Tejashwi Yadav said that the 3 crore, 21 lakh, 77 thousand active job cards under the MGNREGA are available in the state and that 94 lakh 66 thousand are active workers.

Interestingly, the central government website says that only 14,590 persons were given 100 days jobs under this scheme last year.

As per MGNREGA scheme, respective governments should give at least 100 days' jobs to people who have registered their names in the scheme.
Kiev, March 10 : Authorities in Mariupol on Thursday said that at least three people were killed and 17 others injured after a maternity and children's hospital in the besieged Ukrainian city was hit by a Russian strike the previous day.

In a social media post, the Mariupol City Council said the victims included one girl child, while doctors and women were among the injured.

"Russian troops are purposefully and ruthlessly destroying the civilian population of Mariupol. The whole world should know about Russia's crime against humanity, against Ukraine and against the people of Mariupol," the post added.

Sergei Orlov, the Deputy Mayor of Mariupol, told the BBC that he was "absolutely sure they (Russians) know about this facility and this is their third hospital that they are destroying in this city".

He added that a 300-bed hospital dedicated to treating Covid patients had been destroyed by artillery shelling on Tuesday, along with a blood-collection centre in Mariupol.

"I'm absolutely sure (these are their) targets," Orlov added.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 18 different attacks on health facilities in Ukraine since the invasion began.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has termed Wednesday's attack on the maternity hospital as an act of "war crime".

In his nightly video, the President said that "everything that the invaders are doing to Mariupol is beyond atrocities already".

"What kind of a country is Russia, that it is afraid of hospitals and maternity wards and destroys them?" he asked.

The attack has triggered widespread condemnation.

While the White House termed the attack as a "barbaric use of force against innocent civilians", UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter that "there are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless".

Mariupol has been surrounded by Russian forces for several days, and repeated attempts at a ceasefire to allow civilians to leave have failed, the BBC reported.

According to Deputy Mayor Orlov, at least 1,170 civilians have been killed in the city since Russia began its war on February 24.
COLOMBO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Masatsugu Asakawa arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday on his first official visit to the country, local media reported here.

A statement by the government information department said that during his visit, Asakawa will hold discussions with Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

Asakawa previously visited the country with former ADB chief Kimimasa Tarumizu in 1991 as his chief advisor, the statement said.

Sri Lanka will in September host the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank, which is expected to have over 3,000 participants.

Sri Lanka is a founding member of the ADB. 
New Delhi, March 10 : Russia's Defence Ministry has claimed that experiments were carried out with samples of coronavirus from bats in biological laboratories in Ukraine.

"In the bio laboratories created and funded in Ukraine, as the documents show, experiments were carried out with samples of bat coronavirus," RT News quoted Major General Igor Konashenkov, the Ministry's chief spokesman, as saying.

Konashenkov said the Minitry would soon publish another package of documents on secret military biological activities of the US in Ukrainian territory and present the results of their examination.

"In the near future, we will publish another package of documents received from Ukrainian employees of biological laboratories and present the results of their examination," he said.

Konashenkov noted that "Russian experts have already studied all the documents on the transfer of human biomaterials taken in Ukraine to foreign countries on the instructions of American representatives".

"The presence of biological laboratories in Ukraine under the leadership of the US completely changes the role of Washington, it is an instrument of a direct threat to Russia," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova had said earlier.

She added that such laboratories were the points of American military experiments in the biological field.

"This completely changes the picture of US involvement in the fate of Ukraine: it is not just an instrument of influence, it is not just an instrument of containment, it is an instrument of a direct threat to our country," she added.

Earlier, Russia had claimed that more than 30 laboratories in Lviv, Kharkiv and Poltava were working with dangerous infectious agents as part of the US-led military biological programme.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Guwahati, March 10 : The ruling BJP is all set to retain the prestigious Majuli Assembly constituency in Assam as its candidate Bhuban Gam is leading by a margin of 29,126 votes over his nearest rival Assam Jatiya Parishad nominee Chittaranjan Basumatary in the bypoll.

According to the latest trends, Gam secured 45,670 votes (70.29 per cent) against 16,544 (25.42 per cent) votes bagged by Basumatary and 1,633 votes (2.5 per cent) by Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) candidate Bhaity Richong.

The Congress and other opposition parties are supporting Basumatary. So far 1,159 votes were registered for the NOTA. The counting of votes in the Majuli Assembly constituency is still underway.

Around 72 per cent of the 1,33,227 voters had cast their votes in the by-election to the politically important Majuli Assembly constituency in eastern Assam on Monday. The by-election to the politically crucial constituency was necessitated after former Assam Chief Minister and Central minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who won the seat in the March-April elections last year, resigned and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in September last year paving the way for Himanta Biswa Sarma to become the Chief Minister.
Wellington, March 10 : New Zealand's Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) is beginning to scale down its operations, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Thursday as 21,015 new community cases were reported in the country.

"With New Zealand now reopening to the world without the requirement to isolate for most, there is a significantly reduced demand for MIQ. This of course means that we no longer need the number of facilities we currently have," Hipkins said in a statement.

By the end of June, 28 of the current 32 facilities will leave the MIQ network and return to being hotels, Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying.

Among the new community infections reported on Thursday, 7,234 were in the largest city Auckland.

Fifteen new cases were detected at the New Zealand border, according to the Ministry of Health.

Currently there are 845 Covid-19 patients in New Zealand hospitals, including 16 people in intensive care units or high dependency units, according to the Ministry.

New Zealand has reported 306,919 confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020.

New Zealand is currently at the highest Red settings under its Covid-19 Protection Framework.

At Red settings, face masks are mandatory in many indoor environments and gatherings are limited to 100 people.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 10 : With the resounding poll victory of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, at least now Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should stop criticising the former, said Kerala BJP President K. Surendran.

"People saw what Vijayan was saying against Yogi and even went to the extent of advising him that Uttar Pradesh must adopt the 'Kerala model'. Now we (BJP) will say Kerala should adopt the Uttar Pradesh model as the so-called Kerala model has been rejected by the people there," Surendran added.

During the election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, a political war of words had broken out between the two Chief Ministers.

According to a video, Yogi told the people that their vote will decide the future of Uttar Pradesh.

The Uttar Pradesh CM said the state could soon become a "Kashmir, Bengal or Kerala" if the people repeat the mistake of not electing the BJP government back to power..

"Many good things have taken place in five years. Vote cautiously or the work done in the past five years will be ruined. Uttar Pradesh could become Kashmir, Kerala and Bengal. This is a time for taking major decisions," Adityanath added.

The Kerala Chief Minister retorted to Yogi and wrote on his Twitter account, "If Uttar Pradesh turns into Kerala as @myogiadityanath fears, it will enjoy the best education, health services, social welfare, living standards and create a harmonious society in which people won't be killed in the name of religion and caste. That's what the people of Uttar Pradesh would want." Slamming the Congress and its former President Rahul Gandhi, the Kerala BJP President said the Congress is on the verge of being routed from the country and now Gandhi can only dream of becoming the Prime Minister of Wayanad.

"The election results show the people of all five states have voted for Narendra Modi and the way he is charting the growth trajectory of the country," Surendran added.
New Delhi, March 10 : A low inventory level of aluminium globally amid tight demand-supply situation in addition to any potential sanction on Russian aluminium exports are expected to aggravate the availability of the commodity in the rest of the world, and thereby keeping its prices at an elevated levels till normalcy is restored, rating agency ICRA said in a report.

Russia contributes almost 12 per cent to global trade in aluminium with exports primarily to Europe.

"Further, aluminium prices have touched an all-time high of $3,875 per tonne in the first week of March 2022 and currently at $3,320 per tonne, indicating severe tightness in the global supply." Another major factor contributing to the aluminium price rise is the elevated power prices in the European countries.

"he energy exchange rates have increased by almost 3 times in Europe since September 2021, resulting in significant smelting cost pressures." On impact on Indian aluminium producers, Jayanta Roy, Senior Vice-President and Group Head, Corporate Sector Ratings at ICRA, said: "Domestic primary aluminium producers are better placed as their energy requirements are met primarily through coal-based captive power plants, and over 2/3rd of their overall coal requirement is met through captive mines/linkage coal from Coal India." Also, favourable aluminium prices would strengthen profitability of domestic players in FY23.

"Besides the favourable domestic demand, the export prospects too remain bright, given the global supply tightness," Roy added.
Ankara, March 10 : A meeting between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Russian counterpart Seegey Lavrov took place in Turkey on Thursday, marking the first face-to-face meeting of top diplomats from the two nations which are currently at war.

Citing local media reports, Xinhua news agency said the meeting in the resort city of Antalya came on the sidelines of an international forum in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has pushed for Ankara to play a mediation role, has expressed hope the talks can avert a tragedy and even help agree a ceasefire as the war has now continued for 15 days, reports the Hurriyet Daily newspaper.
Lucknow, March 10 : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), a Dalit-centric party that had a Brahmin as its most visible face in the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, has come up with its worst ever performance and not quite unexpectedly either.

With Mayawati making a very restricted appearance in the election campaign, it was left to BSP MP Satish Chandra Mishra, a Brahmin, to carry the campaign on his shoulders.

Kanshi Ram, who had founded the BSP in 1984, had formed it to represent Bahujan -- referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBC), along with religious minorities.

After 2012, Mayawati gradually promoted Mishra as the new face of the party and expelled or marginalized all Dalit leaders in the party.

The BSP now has no second rung leadership and even Jatavs, who had stood behind Mayawati during all her politically turbulent years, now seem to have deserted her.

Jatavs, the sub-caste to which Mayawati belongs, hold a 14 per cent share in the scheduled caste category. The BSP, till now, has managed to secure only 12.7 per cent votes which clearly shows that even Jatavs have moved away from the BSP.

This implies that the party has lost nearly 10 per cent of its vote share. In 2017, the BSP had got 22.2 per cent votes and 19 seats. The party, as of now, is leading only on two seats.

A former BSP MLA said, "The party is on its way to complete disintegration. The signals were clear when the party moved away from Kanshi Ram's ideology and began promoting Brahmin leaders - the same community that Kanshi Ram had warned us against. Mayawati has ow started promoting her family in politics and this also goes against Kanshi Ram's ideology. This is probably the BSP's last election. The elephant has outlived its utility." Political pandits, meanwhile, say that the BSP's conflicting stand during the campaign has almost eradicated it from the political centre stage in Uttar Pradesh.

"She repeatedly issued statements that seemed supportive of the BJP and Amit Shah reciprocated when he testified BSP's relevance in UP politics. Naturally, the anti-BJP vote moved away from BSP because they sensed a post poll alliance with the BJP. Moreover, the absence of Dalit leadership in the party made the Dalits search for greener pastures. Some went with BJP and some with SP," said senior political analyst Prof RK Dixit.

Incidentally, most of the former BSP leaders have contested these elections on a SP ticket and with them, they have taken their own supporters.

The BSP will now have negligible presence in the state assembly and will be in no position to support or oppose the ruling BJP.

Mayawati has already burnt bridges with the Congress and Samajwadi Party, with whom she had allied in 2019, and for the time being at least, the party is almost over for Mayawati.

Sources within the party, meanwhile, claim that the party president is no longer interested in electoral politics and is eyeing the post of President of India.
Srinagar, March 10 : Following the recovery of the missing Indian Army soldier's body, the Jammu & Kashmir police on Thursday said they are investigating whether it was a terror incident or a murder.

Sameer Ahmad Malla went missing from his native village Lokipora in Khag area of Budgam district on Monday and his body was found on Thursday in the Khag area.

He had gone to his native village from Jammu where he was posted on duty in the J&K Light Infantry regiment.

The family members of the deceased soldier had said Malla had been abducted by terrorists.

Vijay Kumar, IGP (Kashmir), told the media that the police is investigating both angles, whether it is a terror incident or murder.

The slain soldier's role had come under investigation in 2018 for allegedly taking army officer Major Leetul Gogoi and a local Kashmiri woman to a hotel in Srinagar.

After being found with a local woman, Gogoi was punished by the Indian Army with loss of seniority for six months.
New Delhi, March 10 : India is home to about 36 species of owls, all protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and yet, they are most vulnerable to and often traded illegally.

Not just the hunting, trading, or any other form of utilisation of owls is a punishable offence as per the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; all owl species found in India are also enlisted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which restricts their international trade.

Since 2019, at least 20 seizure incidences related to the poaching and trafficking of owls have been reported across India but many more go unreported, experts said. The ecological role of the owls in the ecosystem is neglected and these endangered birds are commonly found in the illegal wildlife trade in India due to various superstitions and taboos attached to them.

Against this backdrop, for strengthening owl protection, TRAFFIC and WWF-India launched new identification (ID) tools that are in the form of ID cards to enable law enforcement authorities to accurately identify 16 commonly found owl species in the illegal wildlife trade.

The ID cards are available in English and Hindi and would be distributed free to wildlife law enforcement agencies across India, a release from TRAFFIC said on Thursday, adding, these were launched last week.

Authored by Saket Badola, IFS, Head of TRAFFIC's India office and Merwyn Fernandes, coordinator, TRAFFIC's India office, the new ID tools provide essential information related to the species' legal status, habitat, and distribution. The ID tools provide valuable tips on identifying the owls at species level and highlight common threats.

Badola said: "The main strategies to recover key wildlife species are to provide them a safe habitat and protect them from the threats of poaching and illegal trade. Protecting owls will support ecosystem restoration and biodiversity. We are releasing these ID cards that will help wildlife law enforcement officials in their endeavours to protect the wildlife of India." Secretary general & CEO, WWF-India, Ravi Singh, added: "Owls play an essential ecological role in our ecosystem. They enhance agricultural productivity by keeping a check on the rodent populations. Unless trafficking and illicit trade of owls is controlled, the owl populations will remain under threat. Adequate conservation and protection efforts for owls and other endangered species are crucial for maintaining a healthy ecosystem."
Perth, March 10 : As Covid-19 cases continued to increased sharply in the state of Western Australia (WA), health authorities on Thursday warned that a peak of hospital cases is expected later this month.

On Thursday, the state recorded 4,535 new cases in the 24 hours, the first time for the daily infections to exceed 4,000, and an increase of more than 25 per cent compared to Wednesday's 3,594 cases, reports Xinhua news agency.

The state has recorded 34,250 cases since the Covid-19 pandemic began, with more than half of those being recorded in the last seven days after the state opened its border on March 3.

The number of hospitalisation and cases needing intensive care is increasing as well. There are 80 people infected with Covid-19 in hospital, up from 67 on Wednesday. There are also three people in ICU after a long streak of days with no cases in intensive care.

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the state was at the beginning of its curve upwards of hospitalisations, and the peak in hospital cases is expected to come later this month.

"This is going to get difficult. We will see more people in hospital and more people in ICU," she said.

WA is now expected to reach the peak number of daily infections on Monday, with modelling suggesting about 10,000 people will test positive then, according to national broadcaster ABC.

Sanderson also revealed that about half of the cases in hospitals were unvaccinated, and urged people to get vaccinated.

According to the latest figure from the state's health department, more than 95 percent of WA residents aged over 12 have been double vaccinated.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
CANBERRA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in South Australia (SA) have launched an investigation into a possible Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) death.

The SA Department of Health on Wednesday reported four cases of JEV, its first confirmed human cases amid the current national outbreak.

The cases were identified after the department began investigating 10 people who were hospitalized with acute encephalitis since February.

Chris Lease, the department's executive director of health protection, said it was possible another one of the acute cases who died also had JEV.

Besides the cases in SA, there have been nine confirmed human cases of JEV reported in Australia, including two in New South Wales, one in Queensland and six in Victoria. And one person in Victoria has been confirmed to have died of JEV, according to the Department of Health.

JEV, which is spread by mosquito bites to humans and livestock, can cause severe illness and death in a small percentage of cases.

It has been detected in humans in four Australian states and in animals at 21 piggeries, prompting the federal government to declare it a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance.

A national working group of communicable disease, vaccine and arbovirus experts has been established to support the response, including mosquito surveillance and control measures and identification of those at direct risk, and for the rollout of vaccines.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sonya Bennett said this virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. But the main way that mosquito gets infected is when it bites a pig with the disease.

"We certainly have JEV outbreaks in the Torres Strait, and for that reason, there is a vaccination program there. But not this far south in Australia, so that was certainly alarming," Bennett told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday afternoon.

"We've heard a lot about the flooding, and people should certainly be protecting themselves against mosquitoes by wearing long, loose fitting clothing, using mosquito repellent and reapplying it when necessary." 
Panaji, March 10 : With BJP victory confirmed in 20 seats and the party likely to win two more, staking claim to form the government in Goa is a mere formality now, Bharatiya Janata Party's election in-charge for the state Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis also said that even if the BJP wins majority in Goa, it would take along some winning independents and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, a regional outfit in the government formation process.

"We have majority. Before staking claim, we need to take permission from the central parliamentary board. Accordingly we will fulfil that process and then will stake claim. Staking claim is now a formality. The BJP will form the government, there is no doubt about it," the former Maharashtra Chief Minister said.

"Even if we get a majority, we are going to take some independents along with the MGP. We have spoken to them. Now they have to take a decision. Even though we have won a majority we are of the opinion that we should take the MGP along," he also said.

According to Election Commission figures so far, the BJP has won 10 seats and is leading in 10 more, while the Congress and its alliance partner Goa Forward has won five seats so far and is leading in seven. The majority mark for the 40-member state assembly is 21 seats.

Fadnavis gave credit to the people of Goa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the poll victory.

"I am very happy that the results coming out in Goa show BJP is going towards absolute majority. We are confirmed in 20 seats and we are in the fight in two more. In reality, the credit for this goes to the people of Goa and our leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This victory is the result of the sense of confidence instilled in India by Modi and the double engine government in Goa," he said.
Dhaka, March 10 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday called for greater collaboration among Asia-Pacific countries to ensure food security.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the remark at the 36th session of the Asia-Pacific regional conference (APRC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Food security is surely the most pressing issue for humanity. About 305.7 million people in South Asia still suffer from hunger. We can arrange food for them easily if we all make sincere efforts," she said.

The Prime Minister Sheikh stressed the need for transferring and sharing of technologies like biotechnology, nanotechnology and robotics in the agricultural sector to step up cooperation among FAO members in the region.

"As modern agriculture needs huge investment, a special fund could be created to finance and support the agri-sector," said Hasina.

She officially inaugurated the event held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).

The virtual-hybrid conference opened on Tuesday brings together 46 Asia-Pacific FAO members and a wide range of observers including representatives of UN bodies to discuss country's and region's priorities currently as well as pressing issues in the region such as the impact of Covid-19, the state of agriculture, natural resources management, food security and nutrition situation.

FAO officials said government ministers from more than 40 countries in Asia and the Pacific are expected to join in-person and virtual interactions to reach consensus in response to the damage dealt by the pandemic to lives and livelihoods of those involved in the food and agriculture sectors in the world's most populous region.

On the first day of the conference, senior officials, agriculture secretaries and experts participated in different sessions and discussed regional and global policy and regulatory matters.
New Delhi, March 10 : The first regional party that has won outside its state of origin, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to foray into national politics.

The landslide win in Punjab has positioned AAP in direct competition to the nation's grand old party, the Congress.

In the five-state Assembly polls, which were regarded as a kind of semi-final, the Congress has been decimated. After the loss in Punjab, Congress is left with only two states -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing the party workers at the party office in Delhi on Thursday after the results, said that this was a stamp on honest politics and "Bhagat Singh said that the system has to be changed and the people of Punjab have changed the system." The party has often made a mention of its national ambition, and has fielded candidates in several states. With the Punjab win, the ambition finally seems to be taking shape.

The elated party workers say that Kejriwal will be the Prime Ministerial candidate in future as an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kejriwal shares a good rapport with non-BJP leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar and Akhilesh Yadav. He may become a joint opposition candidate at the cost of Congress in view of the latter's continued downslide since 2014.

AAP's Punjab in-charge Raghav Chaddha said that the BJP took 10 years to form its government in a state, but AAP has expanded its base to second state in Punjab and in both the states the AAP has got landslide victory.

Apart from Punjab, AAP has performed well in Goa where it secured around 4 per cent votes. In Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the party has contested and though it has not won, but they have tried to make their organisation alive in each district of the state.

AAP's Bhagwant Mann, who is the Chief Ministerial candidate, won Dhuri seat with a margin of 58,206 votes. The party is heading for a landslide win in the 117-member legislative Assembly.

In his first public address in his home town Sangrur after winning the seat and seeing the meteoric rise of the party, Mann promised to fix unemployment as his first task in office.

"No government office in the state will have the photo of the Punjab CM, but will carry a portrait of B.R. Ambedkar....We will ensure that the youth do not have to go abroad... Within a month, you will observe changes," he added Mann said he will take oath as the Chief Minister in Bhagat Singh's ancestral village Khatkar Kalan and not in Raj Bhawan. Taking a dig at the opposition leaders, he said, "The elder Badal has lost...Captain (Amarinder Singh) Sahab has also lost. Majithia is also losing. Channi has also lost from both seats."
New Delhi, March 10 : German brand Blaupunkt on Thursday announced that it has added two new premium TVs to their smart TV portfolio in India.

The new models -- 40-inch HD ready and 43-inch FHD TV -- start from Rs 15,999 and 19,999, respectively and will be available on Flipkart from March 12.

"Following the commitment to create a more inclusive Digital India, we are excited to launch two new models on Flipkart. Seeing a paradigm shift in product innovation, we believe these are the products which will be the best fit for every Indian Household," Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, SPPL, an exclusive brand licensee of Blaupunkt TVs in India, said in a statement.

Both the TVs support 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM, 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports. These models come with HDR10 to ensure that users enjoy every visual in sharp details and vivid colors.

Powered by the Android operating system, users will have access to multiple apps and games through the Google Play Store. To top it all off, users can access Amazon Prime, YouTube and Sony Liv through the single touch of the remote.

The company said that customers will receive a one-of-a-kind high audio-visual cinematic experience on a 40-inch TV with 400 nits of brightness and an ultra-thin bezel. The 43-inch TV, which has no bezels, offers 500 nits of brightness, and an in-built Chromecast.
Antalya, March 10 : Following a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Turkey's Antalya, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba said on Thursday that the two nations have agreed to continue efforts to seek a solution to humanitarian issues as Moscow continues its war on Kiev.

This was the first face-to-face meeting between the two diplomats since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Addressing a press conference, Kuleba said: "I'm ready to continue this engagement with the purpose of ending the war in Ukraine, stopping the suffering of Ukrainian civilians and liberating our territories from the Russian occupying force," the BBC reported.

The Minister also highlighted two tasks of priority -- organising a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol and reaching a 24-hour ceasefire.

He further expressed hope that Lavrov will urge authorities in Kremlin to enable the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to start working.

Kuleba added that the war cannot be stopped if Russia does not want it, reports the BBC.

In his remarks at a separate presser, Lavrov said the discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart were mostly focused on the "initiative of our Turkish friends regarding humanitarian issues".

He however, repeated Russian claims that "civilians are being used as hostages" by what he described as "so-called territorial defence forces".

Lavrov added that Russia was continuing to operate humanitarian corridors for civilians to escape the besieged cities of Ukraine.

Regarding Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine, the Minister said it is "proceeding to plan overall".

Kuleba and Lavrov's meeting came on the sidelines of an international forum in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, reports Xinhua news agency.

While Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, the negotiations ended without any substantial progress on ending the conflict.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Mumbai, March 10 : Actor Vishal Gandhi shares how he prepared himself for his role in the show 'Meet'. He is seen playing the role of Tejvardhan Ahlwat.

The actor who was seen in shows such as 'Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani' and 'Tamanna' talks about how difficult and different it has been for him to play such a character on-screen. As we all know Tej's character is someone who has been through trauma in the past and has apparently lost his memory. Vishal reveals how he has been preparing for it.

Vishal mentioned: "I took this character because it makes me challenge myself to go beyond my comfort zone. While preparing for the character, I chose to stay away from any references as I wanted to avoid being influenced by any previous scripts. I hope my efforts impress my audience." He further added: "Both my directors have been very kind to me, they have given me my space to perform the way I want to, not adding any extra pressure by not giving me references to the character. I believe in playing it by the ear." 'Meet' airs on Zee TV.
Los Angeles, March 10 : Label T-Series's head honcho Bhushan Kumar has revealed plans for a 100-film slate across various Indian languages in an interview to Variety.

The company was founded by the late Gulshan Kumar in 1983 as a music business. He soon grew it into India's biggest music label. Bhushan Kumar took over as chair and MD of the company in 1997.

In a conversation with variety.com, Bhushan Kumar spoke about the company's plans.

Talking about the 100-film slate and in what languages will the slate be in, he said: "Over the years, T-Series has backed films and graced the audience with commercially and critically acclaimed films like 'Aashiqui 2', 'Baby', 'Hindi Medium', 'Kabir Singh', 'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior', 'Thappad', 'Sherni', 'Ludo', 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' and 'Atrangi Re' amongst various others." "In the coming years too, we look forward to bringing a healthy mix of films that are relatable, entertaining, and highly appealing to the audiences globally. We are already working on various projects across genres with around 100 projects in the pipeline that we aim to bring in the next three years." He added: "Our much awaited magnum opus 'Adipurush' with Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan with Om Raut at the helm of it is a prestigious project for us with roughly an INR400-crore investment, making it even more special. Adding to that we have Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor's (as-yet-untitled) film with Luv Ranjan and 'Animal' which is a Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial and has the ensemble cast of Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra." "One more exciting project in the pipeline for T-Series is the Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon starrer 'Shehzada', which is currently on floors and along with that we also have Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Action Hero' which we are producing along with Aanand L. Rai. That's not all, 'Bheed' starring Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar is helmed by Anubhav Sinha and 'Vikram Vedha' with Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan too is in making. The list goes on with varied films and genres which we are extremely excited about." Bhushan said that they are diversifying their content pool by working on films in regional languages as well. As music producers, they have "enjoyed working with a fusion of regional languages and we understand the importance of regional cinema and music and thus have always made it a point to include these languages in all our projects." What's the total budget for the slate?

"Most of the movies in this slate are in the making stage or planning stage. We don't have a designated budget as we are treating each project individually on its merit and requirements. Even to market a movie - budgets are always a secondary thought; the primary objective is to create good content for the consumer to enjoy," he said.

You've recently forayed into producing streaming shows, what can we expect on that end? The number of OTT (streaming) content consumers has too steadily risen and is at an all-time high at the moment so venturing into the world of OTT is simply the call of nature, especially for a production house and music label like T-Series. While in the past we have had a few films which released digitally, we now look forward to churning out some great shows that will pique the audiences' interests.

"We are already working with a few platforms and are collaborating with powerhouse content makers such as Aanand L. Rai, Anubhav Sinha, Nikhil Advani, Hansal Mehta, Sanjay Gupta, Bejoy Nambiar, Suparn S Varma, Mikhil Musale and Soumendra Padhi among several more stalwarts." Bhushan Kumar talked about a biopic on late choreographer Saroj Khan. It will be a series that will take audiences on a truly incredible life and career journey of India's first female choreographer, reports variety.com.

Asked what are their plans for growing the Indian music market, Bhushan shared that: "T-Series has revived that era of classic melodies again during the pandemic by reintroducing music with similar styles, from romance to traditional singles and albums. Our music label is constantly giving new sound to music.

"Not only that, we also analysed that the masses are more receptive towards the soulful and romantic genre of music and singles like 'Lutt Gaye', 'Taaron Ke Sheher', 'Meri Aashiqui', 'Chhor Denge', 'Bewafa Tera Masoom Chehra', all of which went on to break records." Bhushan Kumar added: "Along with this we also experimented by bringing peppy numbers like 'Nach Meri Rani' and 'Saiyyan Ji' which too were received well by music lovers across the globe. I firmly believe in the power of trying something new and we have never shied away from experimenting and introducing a new genre of music.

"The massive success of "Dance Meri Rani," where we used Afrobeats, is a strong testament to our conviction. Retaining the same, we are looking to explore, experiment as well as collaborate with various artists and create a vibrant spectrum of music themes." He added that while "keep focusing on Hindi music, we are looking forward to dive deeper into the regional language space. Regional and devotional music has also gained momentum and will continue growing further."
Chennai, March 10 : Actor Arya's lovely post, wishing and greeting his wife, actress Sayyesha, on their third wedding anniversary on Thursday is fast winning hearts on the Internet.

Taking to Instagram, Arya wrote, "Happy third anniversary to the best partner I can wish for in this world. Thank you so much for caring, motivating, supporting and loving me the most ( actually 2nd most now) Love you!" Sayyessha too put out a post of her own on Instagram.

She said, "Happy anniversary to the man I love, cherish, respect and adore forever! Thank you for being mine...the best husband and daddy on the planet! Holding on to you till eternity!" Several people including actors like Raashi Khanna, Khushbu Sundar and Sibi Sathyaraj were among those who greeted the actors on the occasion of their third wedding anniversary.

Both Arya and Sayyessha, who worked together on a Tamil film called 'Ghajinikanth', two fell in love with each other while shooting for the film.

They eventually got married with the blessings of both their families. The couple were blessed with a baby girl in July last year.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, March 10 : The Indian equity markets managed to keep their early gains intact to close Thursday's trade on a positive note.

With Thursday's rally, indices have now risen for three consecutive days.

Sensex settled 1.5 per cent or 817 points higher at 55,464 points, while Nifty ended 1.5 per cent or 250 points up at 16,595.

"The outcomes of Assembly election results are also acting as a tailwind for the Indian equity markets. However, this is the impact of only one day, and the main focus of the market will remain on the Russia-Ukraine crisis because there are still uncertainties," said Santosh Meena, Head of Research at Swastika Investmart.

At present, the preferred sectors are capital goods, infrastructure, real estate and financials. However, rising commodity prices are a major challenge in the near-term, Meena said.

"With hopes of progress in high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine and a surge in the Asian market, the Indian market started with a strong gap-up. The outperformance was supported by positive state election results being in line with the expectations," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

On the individual stocks front, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Steel, Grasim Industries, State Bank of India and JSW Steel were the top gainers among the Nifty 50 companies on Thursday, rising 5.2 per cent, 4.3 per cent, 4.1 per cent, 4.5 per cent, and 3.4 per cent, respectively, NSE data showed.

Coal India, Tech Mahindra, Dr Reddy's, UPL, and ONGC, on the other hand, were the top five losers during Thursday's trading session.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Srinagar, March 10 : Militants on Thursday fired at an employee of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Pulwama district, police said.

According to police, the incident happened in Murran village of Pulwama district.

"The employee, identified as Abdul Hamid Wani, was shifted to hospital for treatment. Searches have been started in the area to nab the militants," police said.
BUDAPEST, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines.

Novak, nominated by the ruling Fidesz Party, which with its ally, the Christian Democratic People's Party, holds 133 seats in the 199-member parliament, won the election in a vote of 137 to 51, and will take office on May 10.

The Hungarian president, whose duties are largely ceremonial, is elected by the parliament, and a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of all incumbent members of parliament to be elected in the first round of voting, otherwise a second is held.

Novak, a former member of the government as minister without portfolio for family affairs, will become Hungary's first female president.

"Hungarians want peace. We women do not want to win the war, we want peace," Novak said, before taking oath in the immense neo-gothic building of the Hungarian parliament.

"Let there be peace, freedom and understanding," she said.

Novak is taking over from incumbent President Janos Ader, who is ending his second term.

Novak started her political career in 2001 at the foreign ministry, specializing in European matters. In December 2021, Novak stepped down as minister upon her nomination. 
Seoul, March 10 : South Korea's telecommunications regulator on Thursday unveiled a guideline to clarify potential violations of a revised law banning store operators, like Apple and Google, from forcing developers to use their own in-app payment systems.

Earlier this week, the country's Cabinet approved an enforcement decree revision of the Telecommunications Business Act that went into effect in September. South Korea became the first country in the world to introduce such curbs on in-app billing policies of the tech giants.

According to the guideline revealed by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), authorities will determine the store operators' violations based on several criteria, including whether app developers are given the freedom to choose their preferred app payment system, reports Yonhap news agency.

The KCC will also determine whether the store operators cause harm to consumer benefit or impede fair competition.

The regulator said the in-app law will likely apply to app store operators with sales of at least 100 billion won ($81.6 million) in the previous fiscal year and a daily average of least 1 million users, which includes both Google and Apple.

Under the new enforcement decree, app store operators will have to pay up to 2 percent of their revenue if they force developers to use their own in-app payment systems, and 1 percent for delays in reviewing apps. The new enforcement decree will go into effect from March 15.

The in-app payment law came amid growing global scrutiny of Google and Apple, which maintain a strong grip over mobile ecosystems, for requiring developers on their app stores to use their proprietary payment systems that charge fees of up to 30 percent when users purchase digital goods within apps.
Bengaluru, March 10 : Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said the election results in the five states will have a positive impact in Karnataka.

Bommai added that he is also confident of continuing the poll performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka as well by ensuring victory in the 2023 Assembly elections.

Speaking to the media, he said the poll victory in four states will inspire and empower BJP workers with more vigour.

"Our (BJP) government will now focus on implementing programmes given in the Budget and win the confidence of people to register a resounding victory in the state," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Karnataka in April and he will be launching all the state programmes for the people, Bommai said.

The election results have given a positive feedback to the people and the party, the Chief Minister added.

The BJP has won the mandate in four states to form the government, especially in Uttar Pradesh, where the people have voted for a double-engine government, he said.

"I congratulate the people of all five states. I also congratulate our leaders -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of the concerned states," he added.

"The policy and programmes of Modi are in favour of the poor, farmers and women. The people have appreciated the management of Covid-19 and empowerment of the economy. The opposition has been left decimated." "Our party leaders have pledged to be involved in more development work. The results have shown that Modi is the only leader with a connect with the people throughout the country," Bommai said.
New Delhi, March 10 : The BJP's show in the Assembly elections in five states is a reflection of the people's faith in the party which is growing rapidly, said Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday while commenting on the party's performance.

Talking to IANS, the Minister said that the result is the testimony of a new kind of politics based on the development models which have been initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The culture of development which has been brought by Prime Minister Modi has shown the results on the ground level," Naqvi added further.

On being asked about the performance of the Congress, he said that the Congress needs to come out of the ambit of family-oriented politics. "All were contesting elections to stop BJP, but the public has decided to bless the party which is being reflected in the trends," said the Union Minister.

As per the latest trends, in Uttar Pradesh the ruling BJP has registered victory on 17 Assembly seats and is leading on 235 seats, while Samajwadi Party is leading in 116 seats. Congress is currently leading in two assembly constituencies and BSP on one seat in the state.
New Delhi, March 10 : The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved the order on sentence of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, found guilty of contempt in 2017 for disobeying the court's order for not disclosing full particulars of assets in case between the SBI and Kingfisher Airlines.

A bench headed by Justice U.U. Lalit, after hearing detailed arguments in the matter, reserved the order.

Amicus curiae, senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, submitted before the bench, also comprising Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and P.S. Narasimha, that in the present situation, the issuance of a warrant of arrest won't serve purpose as Mallya is in the UK.

The bench also considered the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stand that the UK Home Office has intimated, there is a further legal issue which needs to be resolved before Mallya's extradition takes place and this issue is outside and apart from the extradition process having effect under the UK law.

The bench said: "They said there are proceedings in the UK. It's like a dead wall, something is pending we don't know, what's the number we don't know. How long can we go on so far as our jurisdictional power is concerned." Justice Lalit said Mallya is not in anyone's custody and he is a free citizen in the UK. "The only reason perhaps, is there's a proceeding which is pending, which will decide if a person is to be extradited," he added.

On February 10, the top court gave final opportunity to Mallya, seeking his appearance, before it pronounced sentence in contempt case filed by banks, in which he was found guilty.

The top court said it has found Mallya guilty of contempt and punishment has to be imposed. It added that going by normal logic, the contemnor has to be heard, but he has not appeared before the court so far.

Justice Bhat observed that Mallya has abstained from the hearing so far, and in the next hearing, the same thing will happen, then the court would have to pronounce sentence in absentia. Justice Lalit added that Mallya was given multiple opportunities.

Justice Bhat also said this cannot become a gateway for courts of first instance to adopt this method, and it has to be specifically mentioned that circumstances in the present case were extraordinary.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta clarified that it was not the Indian government's stand that some confidential proceedings against him are pending in the UK, rather it was the stand of the UK government which was delaying his extradition.

The bench clarified that if Mallya is not present in the hearing, then the matter will be taken to its logical conclusion.

According to a judgment delivered on July 14, 2017, Mallya was found guilty of contempt for not paying Rs 9,000 crore worth of dues to the banks despite repeated directions. Additionally, he was also accused of not disclosing his assets and also secretly trying to dispose of the assets to defeat the purpose of recovery proceedings.

On October 6, 2020, the MHA told the Supreme Court that the UK Home Office has intimated, there is a further legal issue which needs to be resolved before Mallya's extradition takes place and this issue is outside and apart from the extradition process having effect under the UK law. The affidavit had said that Mallya's surrender to India should, in principle, have been completed within 28 days otherwise.

On November 2 2020, the top court had asked the Centre to file a status report on extradition of the fugitive businessman within six weeks.

On November 30, last year, the Supreme Court said it will begin hearing on sentencing of him in contempt of court, in which he was held guilty in July 2017.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 10 : With the Assembly poll results in five states on Thursday giving nothing for the Congress to cheer about as it lost Punjab, while failing to make headway in the other four, it does not also portend well for the party's faction-ridden Kerala unit.

In the Kerala unit, ever since the 2021 Assembly poll reversal, it was the party high command, especially senior leader Rahul Gandhi, along with his now close aide K.C. Venugopal, calling the shots, and this had ruffled seasoned veterans like Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala.

The high command, perhaps for the first time, decided to ignore veterans and brought in K. Sudhakaran as the new state chief and V.D. Satheesan as Leader of Opposition and since then, affairs in the party have not been smooth.

The first hurdle to cross in Kerala in the wake of the near washout in the current round of Assembly polls is that the party will have to clear a nominee for the one Rajya Sabha seat which it can win out of the three to which polls, if required, will be held on March 31.

"That could be a problem because there are quite a good number of senior leaders hoping against hope and are looking forward to the lone seat. In the bargain, the high command will be able to please just one leader and those who are left out will certainly be displeased. Another issue which is on the cards is the revamp of the district level office bearers and here too, with factional feuds also in the air, it could lead to washing dirty linen in public and a free for all," a political commentator, who did not want to be identified, said.
New Delhi, March 10 : Under its Illness to Wellness Campaign, ASSOCHAM, an apex body, organized 'Kidney Care: Preventive and Curative Actions' on the eve of World Kidney Day with the objective of spreading awareness about kidney diseases. Kidney diseases are silent killers, which can largely affect your quality of life. There are several ways to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.

"Kidney disease is mostly silent and thus neglected and not handled properly", said Dr Manju Aggarwal, Director and Head, Department of Nephrology and Kidney Transplantation, Artemis Health Institute. She went on to say that kidney disease is avoidable and that high-risk populations, such as those with diabetes and hypertension, should be educated and screened. Early detection and medical treatment can help postpone the onset of severe renal failure.

She addressed the audience by saying "Diagnosing renal illness can be a difficult experience for both the sufferer and those around them. It limits their capacity to engage in daily activities such as employment, travel, and socialising. Patients with kidney disease, including those who require dialysis or transplantation, require additional assistance from society, patient groups, networks, government agencies and health insurance providers in the long run", she added.

Kidneys are very important organs that remove waste, control blood pressure, make haemoglobin, and maintain bone health, according to Dr Rishit K. Harbada, Consultant Nephrologist, BSES MG Hospital, Andheri, S.R.V Hospital, Goregaon, Associate Consultant, Sir H.N Reliance, Foundation Hospital, Mumbai.

He said, "Symptoms or indicators of renal disease may not appear until 80 per cent of your kidneys have been damaged". As a result, early detection is critical. Controlling blood pressure, diabetes, eating properly, limiting alcohol intake, being active, avoiding over-the-counter drugs, painkillers, and regular follow-up are all critical for kidney health sharing precautionary measures in the session.

Dr Siddharth Vinod Lakhani, Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, Lakhani Kidney Clinic, Fortis Raheja Hospital, Global Hospital, Somaiya Hospital, Kohinoor Hospital, SRV Hospital, Zynova or Shalby Group of Hospitals, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to ASSOCHAM for organising this enlightening and interactive session.

"Prevention is better than cure." Dr Lakhani stated emphatically. "Let us work together to avoid and battle chronic renal disease", he said.

Dr Rajesh Kesari, Founder and Director, Total Care Control, Delhi-NCR, outlined his concern of the rising cases of kidney diseases in the nation and said, "Kidney disease has long been regarded as the most neglected chronic disorder." A variety of communicable and noncommunicable diseases can cause kidney problems, and many patients with kidney disease do not have access to treatment. Renal disorders' causes, consequences, and costs have implications for public health policy in all countries, as well as the problems that lie ahead.
Mumbai, March 10 : The Maharashtra economy is in the pink of health and slated to grow by 12.1 per cent in 2021-2022, surging ahead from the -8 per cent (minus-eight per cent) recorded in 2020-2021 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, as per the state Economic Survey.

The state's Gross State Domestic Produce (GSDP) growth will be higher than that of the Indian economy at 8.9 per cent, with the services sector set to grow from 13.50 per cent (against 9.0 per cent previous year), followed by industry sector at 11.90 per cent (against -11.3 per cent), and agriculture & allied sectors to grow by 4.4 per cent (against 11.7 per cent).

As per the advance estimates, the nominal GSDP for 2021-2022 is expected to be Rs 31,97,782 crore (at current prices) and real GSDP would be Rs 21,18,309 crore (at constant prices of 2011-2012 prices).

As per the revised estimated, the nominal GSDP for 2020-2021 is Rs 27,11,685 crore (against Rs 27,34,552 crore in 2019-2020), the real GSDP is Rs 18,89,307 crore for 2020-2021 (against Rs 20,43,983 crore for 2019-2020).

The state's per capita income for 2020-2021 is Rs 193,121 against Rs 196,100 during 2019-2020, which is expected to touch Rs 225,073 for 2021-2022, according to advance estimates, said the Economic Survey.

The state's revenue receipts stood at Rs 3,68,987 crore for 2021-2022 (Budget Estimates) against Rs 2,89,498 crore during 2020-2021 (Revised Estimates).

The tax and non-tax revenue including central grants are Rs 2,85,534 crore (BE-2021-2022) and Rs 83,453 crore. Respectively, and the actual revenue receipts during April-November 2021 were Rs 180,954 crore (49 per cent of BE).

The state's revenue expenditure is Rs 379,213 crore (2021-2022 BE) against Rs 335,675 crore (2020-2021 RE).

According to the BE (2021-2022), the share of capital receipts in total receipts is 23.8 per cent and capital expenditure in the total expenditure is 21.7 per cent, and the share of development expenditure in the revenue expenditure is 68.1 per cent (2020-2021 RE).

The percentage of fiscal deficit to GSDP is 2.1 per cent and debt stock to GSDP is 19.2 per cent (2021-2022 BE).

The state's average share in the All-India nominal GDP is 14.2 per cent, the highest among all states in the country.

Till December 31, 2021, as many as 1,485 Shiv Bhoja Thali Centres are functioning in the state and from inception, over 8.24 crore plates have been sold at Rs 10 since the launch on January 26, 2020, then sold for Rs 5 during the pandemic and later distributed free to the poor people till September 2021.

Till January 19, 2022, 3.11 crore accounts were opened under the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana, of which 56 per cent were in rural/semi-urban areas.

The state ranks at No. 2 in India (22 per cent) in terms of organic farm production after Madhya Pradesh and exported 1.26 tonnes of organic farm produce in 2020-2021.

Till December 2021, under the Mahatma Jyotirao Shetkari Karjamukti Yojana 2019, a total of Rs 20,243 crore was distributed to 31.71 lakh farmers.

Till February 2022, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme, a total of Rs 18,120.23 crore was credited in the bank accounts of 109.33 Lakh small-marginal farmers.
Lucknow, March 10 : It is quite an alphabetical victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh.

From 'Y, R, L to M and Y', the BJP has used these issues to break all jinx and ride back to power with a more than comfortable majority for a second consecutive term.

Y, R and L, party sources claim, are the three factors that have unleashed a pro-incumbency wave in the state in favour of the BJP.

"'Y' stands for Yogi Adityanath. He has acquired a cult status and is widely respected as a strict administrator and a compassionate leader. His popularity has been growing by the day and the crowds at his meetings clearly indicated that he was miles ahead of others staking a claim to the Chief Minister's position," said a party functionary even as the BJP office burst into celebrations.

The source said the letter 'R' stands for ration kits that were distributed free among the poor. The ration kits connected the BJP to the people and even created a new vote bank of beneficiaries that cut across caste and religion.

'L' on the other hand stood for law and order. The Yogi government's crackdown on the mafia and criminals created a sense of security among the people and this feeling overrode the incidents like the one in Hathras.

Apart from 'Y, R, L', the BJP also dismantled the earlier meaning of M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) and replaced it with Modi-Yogi.

Narendra Modi's charisma and Yogi Adityanath's popularity formed a winning combination and helped the BJP overcome all speedbreakers in its ride back to power.
New Delhi, March 10 : After over three decades, Yogi Adityanath returned to power in Uttar Pradesh by breaking the 'Noida jinx', according to which any Chief Minister who visited the city loses power.

After becoming Chief Minister in 2017, Yogi Adityanath has visited Nodia multiple times to inaugurate, lay the foundation of several development projects and administrative work.

The Noida jinx was a talking point in the Uttar Pradesh power corridor after Chief Minister Veer Bahadur Singh had to step down in 1988 within a few days after his return from the city.

According to the latest trend, the BJP has won 21 and is leading in 231 assembly constituencies with 41.80 per cent vote share in Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is leading from Gorakhpur Urban seat by over 90,000 votes.

Former Chief Ministers Kalyan Singh, Rajnath Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav had avoided visiting Noida during their chief ministership. In recent times, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati visited Noida in 2007 after becoming chief minister and she lost the assembly polls in 2012. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akshilesh Yadav also followed the trend during his five-year tenure from 2012.

During his visit to the city in January, Adityanath took a dig at Mayawati and Yadav by saying that power was more important for them so they were hesitant to visit Noida. When asked about the jinx, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh, who is currently leading, had said that Chief Minister Adityanath has personally taken care of development of the city and its people by visiting multiple times.
Srinagar, March 10 : A terrorist killed in an encounter between terrorists and police at Hazratbal on the outskirts of Srinagar has been identified, police said on Thursday.

The slain terrorist was a Pakistani national associated with the LeT.

"The terrorist identified as Manzoor alias Haider alias Hamza, a Pakistani national, affiliated with proscribed #terror outfit LeT/TRF. He was associate of top LeT/TRF commander Mehran. His killing is a big success," Jammu and Kashmir police quoting Inspector General Police Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar tweeted.

The firefight between terrorists and police took place after security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists.

As the police zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
China welcomes UN human rights chief's visit to Xinjiang but rejects political tactics: FM

(Global Times) 09:38, March 10, 2022

China welcomes UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet's visit to China and her planned trip to the country's northwestern Xinjiang region, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, reiterating China's consistent stance on opposing certain countries' use of this event for political manipulation.

Experts called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights not to be influenced by disinformation from the West and to look objectively at Xinjiang's progress.

China and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights are working on detailed arrangements for her visit to China, and the country is willing to offer convenience for her visit, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said at a routine press conference on Wednesday, while stressing that China's stance on related topics is consistent and clear.

Zhao said the purpose of the visit is to promote exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

The news of Bachelet's visit to China has attracted wide attention, as anti-China forces in the US and some Western countries ramped up efforts to hype groundless "genocide" accusations about China's Xinjiang region, which have been refuted multiple times by China. Discussions over Bachelet's visit to Xinjiang region began last year.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced the visit in a video message released to the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, Reuters reported, noting that Bachelet's advance team would leave in April for China to prepare for her visit.

On the same day, China's permanent representative to the UN Office at Geneva, Ambassador Chen Xu, reiterated China's welcome for Bachelet's visit at the ongoing 49th session of the Human Rights Council, and noted in a speech that "We expect the High Commissioner and her Office to respect the sovereignty of all countries as well as the human rights and development paths independently chosen by countries in light of their national conditions, promote dialogue and cooperation, and make joint efforts to make global human rights governance fairer, just, reasonable and inclusive."

The visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights should be on the premise that it is not an investigation with a pre-set guilty conclusion as some Western media have hyped, Wang Jiang, an expert at the Institute of China's Borderland Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, told the Global Times.

Some Western countries have criticized and smeared China's policies in countering terrorism, extremism and separatism in its Xinjiang region, and they have released disinformation about the human rights situation in the region, Wang said.

China's attitude in welcoming Bachelet also underscores its role as an active contributor to the UN human rights platform, and the visit to Xinjiang should be a way for her to learn the truth of the region amid the disinformation of the West, Wang said.

Some anti-China forces in the US and Western countries have increasingly pressured the UN Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner to accuse China of "genocide" in Xinjiang region.

After news of Bachelet's visit to China emerged, some forces urged the UN Human Rights Council to release an alleged report on the so-called abuse of Uygurs in Xinjiang, and some even claimed Bachelet's visit will be limited to what China wants her to see.

"It is not surprising to see such remarks from anti-China forces and the Western media. You can never wake up a man who is determined to play possum. Even though journalists from some Western media outlets have visited Xinjiang, their reports were biased and full of lies," Wang Yuting, associate professor of the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Wang Yuting noted that as China has done nothing that needed to be hidden in Xinjiang, its welcome for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is open and sincere, with the purpose of showing that the situation in the region is opposite to the disinformation and smearing in Western media.

"Xinjiang is open for anyone to visit, since it has received so many diplomats, scholars and foreign reporters. But not everyone wants to tell the truth without bias, or even has the courage to come here," Wang Yuting said.

The Global Times learned that China first invited Bachelet for a visit in 2020, but there were no results for unknown reasons. Previously, China also invited EU diplomats in China to visit the Xinjiang region, but was declined, and some diplomats later put forward requests to visit criminals serving prison terms who were punished by law for splitting China.

Wang Yuting noted that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights should not be influenced by disinformation spread by anti-China forces in the West when she arrives in China.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (1st L) meets with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (1st R) in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (C) in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022. It is the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24. (Turkish Foreign Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)

ANTALYA, Turkey, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba are meeting in a small resort town in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, local media reported on Thursday.

The meeting comes on the sidelines of an international forum in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

It is the first high-level meeting between Moscow and Kiev since Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The three ministers are scheduled to hold separate press conferences following the talks in Belek, a resort town about 30 km from Antalya's provincial capital.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting is "an important continuation of the negotiation process."

While Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, the negotiations ended without any substantial progress on ending the conflict. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (4th L) meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (4th R) in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (2nd R) meets with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (2nd L) in Antalya, Turkey, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua
Lucknow, March 10 : Gorakhpur, Lakhimpur and Agra were termed as trouble spots for the BJP, but the results of the Assembly elections out on Thursday clearly indicate that for the people, the incidents in these cities did not affect their decision to vote for the saffron party.

Gorakhpur hit the headlines last year when Manish Gupta, a businessman from Kanpur, died, allegedly after being beaten up by the police during a raid in his hotel.

The opposition was quick to use the incident as an example of 'law-and-order' situation in the state.

However, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promptly handed over the case to the CBI and gave compensation and a job to Gupta's widow. The matter died a natural death, and Gorakhpur has now given a clean sweep to the BJP with Adityanath winning his first Assembly election with an appreciable margin.

The Lakhimpur incident in October last year, when an SUV, owned by Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish Mishra, mowed down four farmers who were returning from a protest.

The incident provided fuel for the farmers' agitation as opposition parties rushed in to cash in on the bereavement of the families.

Ashish Mishra, who had been arrested, was released on bail recently, but Lakhimpur, apparently, put the incident behind and voted on all seats for the BJP.

In Agra, the death of a Dalit youth -- Arun Valmiki -- in police custody also became fodder for opposition politics, but now that the BJP has won all the seats in Agra, the incident is on the backburner.

"The manner in which the Yogi Adityanath government handled the action in these incidents became more important. The accused were arrested, the victims were given compensation an investigation continued without any pressure. People understood that the government did not wish to hide anything when it came to dealing with culprits," said Vijay Pathak, state Vice-President of the BJP.
New Delhi, March 10 : Kidney disease usually remains silent for a longer period of time, delaying diagnosis and treatment which can at times result in life-threatening conditions, said experts on Thursday on the occasion of World Kidney day, advising regular screening.

World Kidney Day is a global campaign observed annually on March 10. It is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of the kidneys.

Kidneys play a pivotal role in the body. They not only purify the blood of various metabolic waste, but also it helps in regulating blood pressure, maintaining health of the bones, normal haemoglobin (essential for transferring oxygen in the blood from lungs to the tissues), among others.

The common symptoms of kidney disease include fatigue and tiredness, high blood pressure, swelling on feet, puffiness of face, urinary abnormalities, among others.

"Kidney disease may be silent in many patients in the initial stages and be manifested when the disease becomes advanced. Many times the patient may become symptomatic (only) when the disease is advanced," Dr Amit Gupta, Director & HOD, Nephrology and Kidney transplant, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Lucknow, told IANS.

"Kidneys can be a asilent killer' because kidney disease usually remains silent for a longer period of time. But regular and routine investigations can detect the kidney disease well in time and can be managed before hampering the health of the patient," added Dr P.N. Gupta, Director & HOD, Nephrology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) - a progressive kidney failure over months to years - is majorly caused by diabetes and hypertension. Individuals with a long standing history of diabetes, hypertension, frequent usage of painkillers and family history of kidney disease are more prone to developing CKD, and these must be "screened regularly".

People at risk should monitor their kidney functions by doing blood and urine tests once in 6 to 12 months, Gupta said.

According to Dr Parth Rana, director of Netralaya Hospital, Ahmedabad, "Approximately 50 per cent patients who have diabetic retinopathy (DR is diabetes complication that affects eyes) suffer from chronic kidney diseases (CKD)".

In India, over 62 per cent CKD diseases are due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy affects 18 per cent diabetic population in urban India.

"The prevalence of CKD and DR increases proportionally to the disease duration in Type 2 Diabetes. Additionally, as CKD and DR share common risk factors such as smoking, poor glycemic control, systolic hypertension, or dyslipidemia, development of DR may predict development and progression of CKD," Rana told IANS.

The common thread between CKD and Diabetic retinopathy is the damage caused by high sugar levels to small blood vessels in the body, he explained.

Patients with CKD are also at a higher risk of age-related ocular diseases. Age-related ocular diseases such as cataract, retinopathy, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, are leading causes of blindness in middle aged and elderly adults.

Further, Covid also contributed to an increase in kidney problems among patients already suffering. Multiple studies have shown that individuals with kidney failure are at an increased risk for Covid severity; while others showed that those undergoing dialysis are likely to mount weaker antibody responses after vaccination.

"It is well known that patients with CKD are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality secondary to Covid infection," said Dr Salil Jain, Director & HOD, Nephrology & Renal Transplant, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram.

"There was approximately 30 per cent mortality rate in patients on hemodialysis during the second wave as compared to a normal population where the mortality rate was 10 per cent," he added.

In hemodialysis, a machine filters wastes, salts and fluid from the blood when the kidneys are no longer healthy enough to do this work adequately.

To keep kidney disease at bay, one should drink plenty of fluids, avoid medicines which are potentially harmful to the kidneys such as pain killers or indigenous medicines, maintain good control of blood pressure and diabetes, stop smoking, reduce salt intake, and maintain adequate physical activity, the experts advised.
New Delhi, March 10 : The latest counting trend shows that the Aam Aadmi Party is heading for a landslide victory in Punjab assembly elections while the BJP is to retain power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur with a comfortable margin, according to the Election Commission's latest update at 5 p.m.

The AAP has won 73 seats and is leading in 19 others with 42 per cent vote share in Punjab, while the Congress has won 13 seats and is leading in five others with 22.92 per cent votes. The BJP has won two seats with a vote percentage of 6.6. The Shiromani Akali Dal has won two seats and is leading in one with 18.4 per cent votes. The Bahujan Samaj Party has won one seat with 1.78 per cent while one independent candidate has also won election in Punjab.

In Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP has won 25 seats in UP and is leading in 277 others with 41.8 per cent vote share whereas the Samajwadi Party has not won any seat so far but is leading in 115 seats with 31.8 per cent vote share.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal is leading only in seven seats with 3.14 per cent votes whereas the BSP has won one seat and was leading in five others with 12.9 per cent votes.

Till 5 p.m. in Uttarakhand, the BJP won 15 seats and is leading in 32 others with 44.3 per cent vote share while the principal opposition party Congress has won four seats and is leading in only in 15 others with 37.97 per cent vote share. The BSP is leading in two seats with 4.86 per cent vote share while two independents are also leading with 3.51 per cent vote share.

In Goa, the BJP has won 20 seats with 33.3 per cent vote share, the Congress nine seats and is leading in two others with 23.49 per cent vote share, Goa Forward Party won one seat with 1.84 per cent votes, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) won two seats with 7.60 per cent vote share and the independents have won three seats.

Similarly in Manipur, the BJP has won 15 seats and is leading in 14 others and is likely to retain power in the state whereas the Congress has won three seats and is leading in one. Janata Dal (U) has won five seats and leading in two others with 10.85 per cent votes, the Kuki People's Alliance has won one seat and is leading in one constituency, the Naga Peoples Front has won three seats and is leading now in two seats. The National People's Party has won two seats and is leading in five others while the independents have won two seats and are leading in one constituency.
New Delhi, March 10 : After reports surfaced that government regulators may expand their probe into BharatPe's financial books after the Ashneer-Madhuri Grover saga that rattled the startup ecosystem, sources close to the developments said on Thursday that the fintech platform has not received any government notice to date and would fully comply with the law of the land, in case the need arises.

BharatPe has already conducted a thorough internal governance review via Alvarez and Marsal, a leading management consultant and risk advisory firm, and global audit firm PwC into the financial irregularities at the firm during Ashneer-Madhuri's tenure.

The company sacked Madhuri Jain after the probe found misappropriation of funds during her time as head of controls, while Ashneer quit as BharatPe accused him, his wife and their relatives of being engaged in extensive misappropriation of company funds and grossly abusing company money to fund their lavish lifestyles.

Reliable sources told IANS that the company is set to join any preliminary probe by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure they have all the required information.

The company "highly respects and abides by the law of the land and will fully cooperate with the authorities concerned", if required, the sources added.

Reports also surfaced that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) officials have expanded their probe into the company, trying to find out if fake invoices were used in the last four years across services during co-founder Ashneer's tenure as managing director.

Sources told IANS that the GST probe, which started in October last year, is ongoing.

The GST probe team is currently scanning the books of accounts of BharatPe, which was founded in April 2018, and is expected to submit its report in two weeks' time.

The latest development comes after a fresh controversy erupted regarding the fintech company's original founder Bhavik Koladiya and his stake in the firm.

According to sources, Koladiya, convicted in a credit card fraud case in the US in 2015, is believed to have split his holding between Ashneer and another co-founder, Shashvat Nakrani.

Till about 2018, Koladiya held over 30 per cent stake in the company, but this was diluted as the fintech company received more funding.

His stake in BharatPe was distributed between Ashneer and Nakrani. Ashneer has 8.5 per cent stake in the company, while Koladiya's would be around 4 per cent of this figure. There was a similar agreement between Koladiya and Nakrani as well.

Currently, the company's key investors are Sequoia Capital that has nearly 19.6 per cent stake, Coatue has 12.4 per cent stake, Ribbit Capital has 11 per cent, and Beenext 9.6 per cent stake, among others.

Sources had earlier told IANS that Bhavik and Ashneer have to personally sort out their stake among each other and the BharatPe board will not intervene in this.
New Delhi, March 10 : Two former Chief Ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh along with incumbent CM Charanjit Singh Channi and several other heavyweights of the Punjab politics, unbudgeable for decades, were trampled under the winning chariot of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

It was not just a simple victory. In fact, the AAP trounced the 2022 Assembly polls this time by winning over 90 seats in the 117-seat Punjab Assembly. It is the first time that the party has expanded its political footprint beyond Delhi.

But how was a 9-year-old party able to achieve this momentous feat? After the AAP formed a government in the national capital for just 49-days in December 2013, it immediately caught the national attention. The party's image was carried by the image of its national convener Arvind Kejriwal, an anti corruption crusader at that time.

Not even one month had passed, the AAP, portraying a clean image, started reaching out to the people out of Delhi.

It was then in January, 2014, a senior advocate of Delhi High Court, known for spearheading the legal battle to gain justice for the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots -- HS Phoolka -- joined the Aam Aadmi Party. However, in 2019, he quit the party.

Two months later, in March 2014, comedian-turned-politician Bhagwant Mann also joined the party factions. It was Mann who completely turned the tables for the party.

With just two months remaining for the General elections, Mann started visiting several villages and making people to people contact which finally fetched results as just a year old party managed to get 4 MP seats in the May 2014 parliamentary polls that was dominated by the Narendra Modi wave. All four seats were from Punjab.

The darkhorse Mann trounced the polls by defeating the Akali Dal's senior leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and that too by over 1 lakh votes.

A year later in 2015, the AAP also formed a government in Delhi with an overwhelming majority of 67 seats in the 70-member Assembly, with its opponent BJP reduced to just three seats and the Congress drawing a blank.

Mann, 48, started rising day by day, prominently through his powerful speeches in Parliament on a range of issues.

In 2019, the party, though it was talk of the town and also got media attention, yet was able to win only 1 constituency in the General Elections. That one seat was also of Bhagwant Mann from Sangrur, Punjab.

Then came a year of massive farmers' protests where the AAP and its leaders lent extensive support to the farmers. Pertinent to mention that it was the Delhi government that first notified one of the three contentious farm laws.

The year 2021 also saw massive infighting within the ruling Congress party in Punjab which 'directly or indirectly' boosted the prospects of AAP winning the Punjab Assembly polls.

And finally today on March 10, 2021, the 48-year-old comedian-turned-politician has scripted history with a thumping victory in Punjab.

(Ujwal Jalali can be reached at ujwal.j@ians.in)
Geneva, March 10 : The last two years of Covid-19 infection has seen more than 500 million cases and over six million deaths globally, yet the pandemic is "far from over", warned the World Health Organisation even as several countries have eased restrictions and opened borders over declining cases.

"Although reported cases and deaths are declining globally, and several countries have lifted restrictions, the pandemic is far from over," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, during a media briefing.

"It will not be over anywhere until it's over everywhere," he added even as many countries in Asia and the Pacific are facing surges in Covid cases and deaths.

"The virus continues to evolve, and we continue to face major obstacles in distributing vaccines, tests and treatments everywhere they are needed," the WHO chief said.

The global health body is also concerned that several countries are drastically reducing testing. The WHO recommends countries to offer self-tests in addition to professionally-administered testing services.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also supported the WHO chief's assessment.

In a statement, he warned that it would be "a grave mistake" to think the virus was now in the rear-view mirror.

Guterres reiterated that the distribution of vaccines remains "scandalously unequal".

"Manufacturers are producing 1.5 billion doses per month, but nearly three billion people are still waiting for their first shot," he highlighted.

The UN chief blamed this "failure" on policy and budgetary decisions that prioritise the health of people in wealthy countries, over the health of people in poor countries.

"This is a moral indictment of our world. It is also a recipe for more variants, more lockdowns and more sorrow and sacrifice in every country. Our world cannot afford a two-tier recovery from Covid-19," he said.

Guterres added that despite the numerous other global crises, the world must reach the goal of vaccinating 70 per cent of people in all countries by the middle of this year.

"Science and solidarity have proven to be an unbeatable combination. We must re-dedicate ourselves to ending this pandemic for all people and all countries, and closing this sad chapter in humanity's history, once and for all," he emphasised.
New Delhi, March 10 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied Ukrainian claims that Russian troops had shelled an operating maternity hospital in Ukraine.

The building had been used as a base by the far-right Azov Battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard, the top Russian diplomat claimed on Thursday, during a press conference in Turkey, RT reported.

The hospital in question has been for days under the control of a Ukrainian paramilitary group and Moscow presented evidence of this to the UN Security Council several days ago, Lavrov said.

"The Azov Battalion and other radicals kicked out all the expectant mothers, the nurses and other staff members. It was the base of the Azov ultra-radicals," he said, speaking after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey's Antalya.

Lavrov added that reports coming from Ukraine that contradict this were obviously meant to "manipulate global public opinion" about what is happening in the country, and he also chastised Western media for taking part in the propaganda effort.

"I have seen reports... that were really emotional. Unfortunately, the other side of the situation, which would allow one to form an objective opinion, was not given any prominence," Lavrov said.

The Russian diplomat was commenting on claims raised by Ukraine that Russian troops had deliberately attacked a medical facility in the city of Mariupol on Wednesday.
Imphal, March 10 : The BJP, which won 19 seats and leading in 12 others in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, is heading for a returning to power in the state for the second consecutive term.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's estranged ally Naga People's Front (NPF), which won and leading in five seats, has indicated to support the saffron party in forming the government.

As per the Election Commission's result and latest trends, BJP's another estranged ally National People's Front (NPF) and Janata Dal (United) secured and leading in nine and six seats respectively, two independent candidates won their seats while another is leading and Kuki People's Alliance, a local party, won two seats.

The main opposition Congress, which had become the single largest party in the 2017 assembly polls by securing 28 seats, won only four seats. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who won from his traditional seat Heingang for the record 5th time, told the media that the BJP would form the government with the support of the smaller parties.

"In consultation with the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), Home Minister (Amit Shah) and National party President (J.P.Nadda), the strategies and decision to make a coalition government would be decided," the Chief Minister told the media after offering puja to Shri Shri Govindaji Temple accompanied by BJP's National Spokesman Sambit Patra.

BJP's estranged ally NPP, which had won four seats five years ago, won and leading in nine seats this time. This time, the NPP and BJP's another estranged ally NPF had contested the polls separately and had fielded candidates against each other.

Among the notable candidates, former ministers and BJP nominees Thokchom Radheshyam Singh (Heirok), Nemcha Kipgen (Kangpokpi) won their seats.

Former three time Chief Minister (2002-1917) and Congress veteran Okram Ibobi Singh (Thoubal), former speaker of the Manipur assembly Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh (Khundrakpam) and top Janata Dal (United) leader Khumukcham Joykisan Singh (Thangmeiband) are also won their seats.

Ibobi's son Okram Joy Singh lost his Langthabal seat to BJP candidate Karam Shyam.

Counting of votes is underway across 16 districts in the state amid tight security, officials said.

The state's Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Agrawal said there is a three-tier security arrangement in and around the vote counting centres and adjoining areas to avoid any untoward incident.
Patna, March 10 : A man was killed in Bihar's West Champaran district in a dispute over property on Thursday. The accused also mutilated the body by chopping both the legs in full public view.

The incident happened in Marsauni village under Inarwa police station around 10 a.m.

The deceased was identified as Kamuddin Mian. He had a property dispute with a neighbour named Sadhu Paswan.

The police said that Kamuddin started the construction of his house on Thursday morning when Sadhu Paswan along with four other persons reached the place and asked him to stop the construction. This led to an exchange of hot words and Sadhu Paswan shot him twice in a fit of rage.

The accused also chopped both the legs of Kamuddin Mian in a bid to terrorise his family members. They fled from the spot without any resistance from any of the villagers.

"We immediately reached the village and recovered the body. It has been sent for postmortem. The accused are on the run. We went to the houses of the accused which are located in the same village to quiz their family members and know their hideouts. Efforts are on to nab them," said Kundan Kumar, SHO of Inarwa police station.
Bengaluru, March 10 : Leaders from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in Karnataka have been toiling hard since the Goa Assembly election campaign began to help their parties form the government.

Both the parties are now focusing on the post-poll scenario as the state seems headed for a hung assembly.

The BJP has made staunch Hindutva leader C.T. Ravi the party's National General Secretary in-charge of Goa while the Congress has made party loyalist Dinesh Gundu Rao the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Goa in-charge.

Most of the prominent north Karnataka leaders, especially from Belagavi and surrounding regions, camped in the coastal state for campaigning.

Though the BJP seems likely to form the government in Goa as it is leading in the most number of seats (20), the Congress has still not given up hope of forming the government as it leads in 12 seats.

Karnataka Congress leaders have the experience of wresting power from the BJP and formed the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2019 and countered the BJP's strategy to poach opposition party MLAs.

BJP leaders have first-hand experience of carrying out 'Operation Lotus' to bring the party to power twice in Karnataka.

In the Goa elections, the AICC has sent Karnataka party President D.K. Shivakumar, the party's troubleshooter, to Goa.

The drama in Goa politics is likely to continue for some more time, even as the BJP is staking claim and is confident of mustering the required strength of 21 seats.

Sources from both the BJP and the Congress claim that Goa is going to witness the drama of resort politics with 'Operation Lotus' as well as 'Operation Hasth'.

Both parties have asked their top leaders from Karnataka to chalk out the strategy to form the government in Goa.

Though the Congress had emerged as the largest party in the 2017 Assembly elections by winning 17 seats, the BJP seized the opportunity and manipulated to form the government in Goa.
COPENHAGEN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- As Norway is preparing to increase its gas exports to Europe, the country's Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Store, on Wednesday called for increased investments in renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.

"Norway stands by its commitments to supply gas to Europe. We supply as much as we can. We must be bigger on renewables and produce more energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar," Store said in a press conference here held jointly with his host, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

"I would much rather have energy from Norway than from Russia," Frederiksen said, recalling that Norway's gas pipelines to Europe are operating at full capacity.

"The whole security of (energy) supply in Europe, we believe, is very much a Danish-Norwegian responsibility," she said.

The European Commission presented a proposal on Tuesday to make the EU independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030.

With Norway already delivering natural gas to Europe at near-maximum capacity, Gahr Store said that his country aimed to increase liquified natural gas (LNG) deliveries by this summer. 
Chennai, March 10 : After the Supreme Court granted bail to Perarivalan, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and serving a jail term since 1999, his mother Arputhammal is now planning his wedding.

The Supreme Court, amid stiff resistance from the Central Government, had granted bail to Perarivalan on March 9. A petition for remission of his life imprisonment is pending before the President of India for approval.

Arputhammal, who had been running from pillar to post to secure bail for her son, while speaking to the media in Chennai said, "My son had earlier said that he was not interested in marriage and that I was already running between prison and home and he didn't want one more woman to go through it, but now the situation has changed and hence it will be the next step." Perarivalan's mother had met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on May 28, 2021, immediately after he assumed office, and told him that her son was suffering from bladder infection and requested 30 days' leave for him. The leave was granted which was extended every month for another 30 days.

She told mediapersons that Perarivalan was at home for the past nine months and had undergone treatment for various ailments and was much better now.

Arputhammal added that Perarivalan was innocent and after securing bail from the Supreme Court they were expecting his acquittal in the case. The Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence of the four convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Murugan, Nalini, Shanthan and Perarivalan, in 1999.

While Nalini's death sentence was commuted under Article 161 of the Constitution, the death sentences of the other three were commuted by the Supreme Court to life imprisonment in 2014.

Stalin had, after assuming office as CM, written a letter on May 20, 2021 to President Ram Nath Kovind requesting him to remit the life sentences of all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. He also sought the release of S. Nalini, Murugan, Shanthan, AG Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas and P. Ravichandran.
San Francisco, March 10 : Tech giant Microsoft has reportedly started testing tabs in File Explorer on Windows 11.

Rafael Rivera, one of the developers of the EarTrumpet Windows app, has discovered the new tabs support hidden inside Microsoft's latest Windows 11 test build. This feature appears to be one of the secret additions Microsoft has started testing in Windows 11 recently, reports The Verge.

The addition of tabs to File Explorer in Windows 11 allows for multiple folders to be open in one window. The company first started testing tabs in Windows 10 apps, under a feature named Sets.

This included support for tabs inside File Explorer and tabs in every Windows app, but Microsoft cancelled the project and never shipped it to Windows 10 users.

Microsoft does not appear to be overhauling its File Explorer interface as part of this tab support, though. The Windows File Explorer has existed in the operating system since Windows 95, and a variety of designers have created concepts to try and improve and modernize it in recent years, the report said.

While Microsoft has made some improvements to File Explorer in Windows 11, a developer has gone even further and created a new File Explorer app. Files, an app available from the Windows store, already supports tabs and includes themes and other modern features.
New Delhi, March 10 : Femina, a women's magazine, pays tribute to women in its March issue. The magazine salutes the spirit of real women who defy stereotypes and choose to be in control of their lives, bodies and stories every day.

The cover depicts ten inspiring and empowering women who reflect the Indian women of today. Because every story is important. Every single story is true.

Deepak Lamba, CEO -- Worldwide Media, said at the launch of the March issue, "Women have always set the standard for self-acceptance, self-love and inner beauty." "Femina's March issue features ten extraordinary women, each with their own unique take on what it means to be a woman. This is yet another step in Femina's ongoing effort to highlight and normalise the notion that beauty extends beyond the conventional imagery conformed by society." "This issue is dedicated to the women we all know, as well as the un-airbrushed reality we inhabit," says Ambika Muttoo, Editor-in-Chief -- Femina.

"As a woman, I understand the struggles and challenges we face along the way as we take control of our own stories. Femina has always been and continues to be a part of the evolving female narrative." The March issue of Femina includes heartfelt messages from real women from all walks of life. They discuss what it means to be a woman and how they are the physical manifestation of power.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Gandhinagar, March 10 : The Gujarat government on Thursday disclosed during the ongoing budget session of the assembly that the state saw over five rapes a day in the last 2 years, with over 60 cases of gang rape during 2020 and 2021. A total of 3,857 cases of rape were registered by the Gujarat police during the two years.

Replying to a series of questions by Congress legislators, the Minister of State (MoS), Home, Harsh Sanghavi informed the House that during the period of two years a total of 3,857 cases of rape were registered, including 61 cases of gang rape. The maximum cases were registered in the financial capital of Gujarat, Ahmedabad - 729, followed by 508 in Surat, Vadodara- 183, Chhota Udaipur- 175, Kutch- 166, Rajkot -145.

The minister said that out of the 61 gang rapes, the maximum were registered in Ahmedabad 16, 7 were registered in Rajkot, 5 in Surat and 4 each in Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Kutch.

The deputy Leader of Opposition Party, Shailesh Parmar asked the Minister, "Despite the so-called safe Gujarat and despite the government carrying out programmes like 'Suraksha Setu' a leading state like Gujarat saw over 5 rapes a day, why is it so? I also want to know how many women, girls were trained in self defence through Suraksha Setu and will the Minister please inform us of one exemplary incident where such trained daughters of the state defended themselves or any other daughter's dignity?" The MoS however, was not able to cite any exemplary case, but said, "In 2020, 43,475 women were trained while in 2021, 58,136 women were trained."
New Delhi, March 10 : The family of India's representative to Palestine Mukul Arya on Thursday approached the Delhi High Court seeking a judicial probe into the IFS Officer's death and also a second post-mortem examination of the body.

The 2008-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, posted in Ramallah, was found dead in his office premises on March 6.

The plea which was mentioned before a division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Dinesh Kumar Sharma was later listed for hearing before Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar.

In the plea, Arya's family sought a panel of doctors from the AIIMS be constituted on an urgent basis for conducting a post mortem and autopsy. The plea also sought to constitute a commission for inquiring into the suspicious circumstances under which the envoy died and submit a report before the court within a stipulated period of time.

Allowing the request for autopsy, the court stated the post-mortem examination to be video-graphed and same made part of the record.

During the course of the hearing, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra appeared on behalf of the petitioner family.

Centre's counsel Anurag Ahuluwalia apprised the bench that the Ministry of External Affairs will facilitate the autopsy to be conducted at AIIMS as per the family's plea.

On March 8, the MEA had said that Arya died of natural causes, denying speculative reports about the nature of his death.

"We have seen some irresponsible comments on the passing away of Mukul Arya, Representative of India in Ramallah. He died of natural causes. We urge that the tragic demise of a young diplomat be treated with decency and respect," read the statement of MEA.
Gandhinagar, March 10 : The Gujarat government on Thursday informed the House during the ongoing budget session of the assembly that an average of 20 suicides, 25 thefts, five kidnappings and two murders occurred every day in the state in the last two years.

Informing the House in response to the questions raised by Congress MLAs during Question Hour, the Minister of State (MoS), Home, Harsh Sanghavi, said that during the period of two calendar years of 2020 and 2021, 1,893 murders, 1,679 incidents of attempt to murder, 3,911 incidents of abduction and over 15,000 cases of suicide were reported in different parts of the state. Moreover, 18,658 incidents of theft and 1,024 incidents of loot were also reported.

While the maximum number of 308 murders took place in Surat district, Ahmedabad topped the charts in loot (288) and theft (5,343), he disclosed.

Ahmedabad witnessed the highest number of 536 kidnapping cases in these two years.

The home department informed the House that 2,619 accused, named in these complaints during the last two years, are yet to be nabbed.

The opposition Congress party alleged that due to various reasons, people are ending their lives but the insensitive government is putting such cases under the head of accidental deaths. "These numbers are worrisome and are increasing. It is failure and mismanagement of the government. The government must take action to bring down the crime figures in the state," said a release from the party.
Guwahati, March 10 : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday retained the Majuli Assembly constituency in eastern Assam as its candidate Bhuban Gam won the seat defeating his nearest rival Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) nominee Chittaranjan Basumatary by a record margin of 42,141 votes, election officials said.

According to the Election Commission's declaration, Gam secured 67,242 votes (69.86 per cent) against 25,101 votes (26.08 per cent) bagged by Basumatary and 2,265 votes (2.35 per cent) by Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) candidate Bhaity Richong.

As per the alliance with the AJP, the Congress and other opposition parties were supporting the Majuli AJP candidate.

As many as 1,642 votes (1.71 per cent) were registered for NOTA.

Nearly 72 per cent of the 1,33,227 voters had cast their votes in the by-election to the politically significant Majuli Assembly constituency in eastern Assam on Monday.

The by-election was necessitated after former Assam Chief Minister and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who won the seat during the 2021 Assembly elections, resigned and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in September 2021 paving the way for Himanta Biswa Sarma to become the state Chief Minister.

With the win in the Majuli seat, the BJP's strength in the 126-member Assembly increased to 63, still one seat short of the absolute majority number of 64.

However, BJP's old ally Asom Gana Parishad has nine members and another alliance partner United People's Party Liberal has seven MLAs.

Among the opposition parties, Congress has 27 MLAs, followed by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) with 15, Bodoland People's Front three, while Communist Party of India-Marxist and Raijor Dal have one seat each.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma thanking the people of Majuli tweeted, "Thank you Majuli for reposing your faith on us (BJP government). The massive win of BJP candidate Bhuban Gam in the bypoll to Majuli Legislative Assembly Council reflects people's trust on Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's agenda of growth and his vision of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas"."
New Delhi, March 10 : The Supreme Court on Thursday said the state, while formulating a policy for its own employees, has to give due consideration to the importance of protecting family life.

A bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Vikram Nath said: "How a particular policy should be modulated to take into account the necessities of maintaining family life may be left at the threshold to be determined by the state." Justice Chandrachud, who authored the judgment on behalf of the bench, said in crafting its policy, the state cannot be heard to say that it will be oblivious to basic constitutional values, including the preservation of family life which is an incident of Article 21.

"The state while formulating a policy for its own employees has to give due consideration to the importance of protecting family life as an element of the dignity of the person and a postulate of privacy," he added.

The bench said that an employee has no fundamental right or, for that matter, a vested right to claim a transfer or posting of their choice. It noted that policies which stipulate that the posting of spouses should be preferably, and to the extent practicable, at the same station, are subject to the requirement of the administration.

The top court's stance came as it upheld the Kerala High Court judgment, which said that withdrawal of a circular by the Central Board of Excise and Customs on Inter-Commissionerate Transfers is not invalid, as it will violate the unique identity of each cadre.

"Hence, while we uphold the judgment of the division bench of the Kerala High Court, we leave it open to the respondents (Union of India and others) to revisit the policy to accommodate posting of spouses, the needs of the disabled and compassionate grounds," said Justice Chandrachud.

The bench added that the policy, above all, has to fulfil the test of legitimacy, suitability, necessity and of balancing the values which underlie a decision-making process informed by constitutional values.

"Such an exercise has to be left within the domain of the executive, ensuring in the process that constitutional values which underlie Articles 14, 15 and 16 and Article 21 of the Constitution are duly protected. The appeals shall be disposed of in the above terms," added the bench.

Citing gender discrimination at workplace, the bench said it becomes necessary for the government to adopt policies through which it produces substantive equality of opportunity as distinct from a formal equality for women in the workplace.

"Women are subject to a patriarchal mindset that regards them as primary caregivers and homemakers and thus, they are burdened with an unequal share of family responsibilities," it added.

The bench emphasised that measures to ensure substantive equality for women factor in not only those disadvantages which operate to restrict access to the workplace but equally those which continue to operate once a woman has gained access to the workplace.

"The impact of gender in producing unequal outcomes continues to operate beyond the point of access," said Justice Chandrachud.

The bench said that this court, in the exercise of judicial review, cannot direct the executive to frame a particular policy, yet the legitimacy of a policy can be assessed on the touchstone of constitutional parameters.

"Moreover, short of testing the validity of a policy on constitutional parameters, judicial review can certainly extend to requiring the State to take into consideration constitutional values when it frames policies," it added.
Mumbai, March 10 : Three workers were killed while cleaning a septic tank at Ekta Nagar in Mumbai's Kandivali West suburb on Thursday afternoon, the BMC Disaster Control said.

The incident occurred at 3.15 p.m. when the three workers hired by a private contractor fell inside the tank during the cleaning-up operations and reported to have drowned.

Locals and the fire department managed to retrieve the workers and were rushed to the Shatabdi hospital where they were declared dead.

It is not clear if the workers were equipped with proper safety gear during the cleaning operations as deadly toxic gases are formed in septic tanks, though details of the exact cause of death are awaited.
New Delhi, March 10 : The success of animal-to-human transplantation is unlikely in the near future, but possible in the next 30-40 years, said experts on Thursday.

The process, known as xenotransplantations, dates back to the 17th century, when attempts were made to use animal blood for transfusions. Due to paucity of organs from humans, scientists started looking at non-human primates like monkeys, chimpanzees, and baboons, and even pigs. The experiments in pigs have shown more positive results as their organs are comparable to humans.

However, nobody has, so far, made any lasting progress in animal-to-human transplant, Dr. Sudhindran S., Professor, Dept. of Gastrointestinal Surgery, at Amrita Hospital, Kochi, told IANS.

"We are unlikely to see a major breakthrough in the next 30-40 years because the process involves a situation where an animal organ becomes acceptable to the human body. To overcome the rejection process, it requires a multitude of steps that are intricately complex and definitely not going to be easy for long term success," he said.

However, Dr Udgeath Dhir, Director and Head, CTVS, Fortis Hospital, Gurugram disagrees. According to him, xenotransplantation may be a success as animal organs would be made more compatible with the human body.

"In the near future, we are damn confident that we will be able to go for xenotransplantation where we are going to modify the immune system or rather balance the immune system in such a way that the body accepts these organs as a part and doesn't reject it," Dhir told IANS.

He noted that "the field is diversifying a lot. We have gone to the genetic level where we are capping those or masking those cells which would cause immediate or late rejections of these organs. And with the development of new cellular technology, we can modify the DNA that becomes a part of our body. So in the near future, we would definitely have much more successful results".

In a rare medical feat, the US doctors in January successfully transplanted a genetically-modified pig heart to 57-year-old David Bennett suffering from terminal heart disease. Following surgery, the transplanted heart performed very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection. The patient was able to spend time with his family and participate in physical therapy to help regain strength. But two months later, he died.

Although it's unclear whether only organ rejection played a role in Bennett's death, researchers involved in xenotransplantation procedures have said that early, positive outcomes don't necessarily mean long-term success.

The main challenge in the process have been the immunological barriers that lead to rejection of pig organs by the human immune system, the doctors said.

Yet several recent xenotransplantations have included only pigs. Researchers at University of Alabama at Birmingham, US, successfully conducted transplant of pig kidneys into a brain-dead human, which were not rejected and also produced urine.

In September 2021, a study published in the American Journal of Transplantation, showed a transplantation of a gene-edited pig's two kidneys onto a brain-dead patient. Again in October, doctors at NYU Langone Health, New York performed a similar surgery.

But why only were pig organs picked for the process? "The pig model has been the focus of research for the last two decades because of physiological similarities to humans, large litter size of 10 or more, short gestation period of less than 4 months and less risk of transmission of infections as compared to non-human primates," Dr Avnish Seth, Head, Organ Donation and Transplant at Manipal Hospitals, told IANS.

"Pigs are most commonly used as their genetic sequencing can be easily matched with humans, organ size is anatomically same and risks of cross infections is less," added Dr. Vikram Raut, Consultant, Liver Transplant & HPB Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai.

The ethical aspects of using animal organs for humans have also raised many concerns.

Dr Ankita Pandey, a toxicology researcher and the science policy advisor to PETA India, told IANS that "to solve the organ shortage, we need more awareness, not more animals".

"Animal-to-human transplants are nothing more than vanity projects that seek to grab sensational headlines, and they are fraught with danger," Pandey said.

(Rachel V. Thomas can be contacted at rachel.t@ians.in) --IANS

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OTTAWA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Department of National Defence announced Wednesday the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the United States military have joint exercises in Arctic area in February and March to strengthen military ability.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, National Defence said the CAF is participating in several recurring joint Arctic exercises alongside the U.S. military in Alaska and other locations across North America to enhance the ability of their military organizations to operate effectively together.

The CAF took part in Exercise ARCTIC EDGE, led by U.S. Alaskan Command and supported by U.S. Northern Command; Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC), led by the U.S. Army in Alaska; Exercise ARCTIC EAGLE-PATRIOT, led by the Alaska National Guard; and ICE EXERCISE (ICEX), led by the U.S. Navy.

"Arctic exercises strengthen situational awareness, information sharing and operational capabilities in the Arctic," the release said.

According to the release, in addition to these exercises, Arctic activities in February and March 2022 also include Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT that concluded on Feb. 28, 2022, and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)'s Operation NOBLE DEFENDER to take place on March 16, 2022 in Alaska, northern Canada, and off the coast of Greenland. 
Tehran, March 10 : A top Iranian security official on Thursday slammed the US approach to the ongoing talks in Vienna on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal, saying Washington is not willing to reach a "strong deal" that would satisfy both sides.

"The US approach to Iran's principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that the US is not interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties," Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted, Xinhua news agency reported.

He stressed that in the absence of a political decision by the US, the negotiations in the Austrian capital get more complicated every hour.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015. However, former US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran.

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA, namely Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, with the US indirectly involved in the talks, in a bid to revive the landmark deal.
Beijing, March 10 : China has congratulated Yoon Suk-yeol on his election as the new South Korean President, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

China and South Korea are neighbours that cannot be moved away and important cooperative partners that cannot be separated from each other, Zhao said at a daily press briefing after Yoon won South Korea's presidential election held on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, Zhao said, adding the rapid development of bilateral relations over the past 30 years has brought tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples, and made positive contributions to regional peace and development.

"We are ready to make joint efforts with South Korea to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to promote the sound and stable development of bilateral relations and bring more benefits," he said.
Chandigarh, March 10 : The century old regional political outfit Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), fighting these Assembly polls in Punjab to save its 'sinking ship' after a humiliating defeat in the 2017 Assembly polls, was largely banking on the charismatic Parkash Singh Badal, 94, whose feet were touched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after filing his nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in 2019. But even he could not retain his seat that he had won for five consecutive terms.

Also, for the first time the SAD was testing the waters after severing its ties with the BJP with which it had joined hands in 1997 during the state polls and remained its oldest ally for 23 years.

SAD patriarch Badal, a founding member of the NDA who before parting ways had always referred to ties as 'nau-maas da rishta' (nail-and-flesh ties), the eldest candidate at 94 in the fray for the 117-member Punjab Assembly, as well as his four family members, including son Sukhbir, lost to the AAP's greenhorns.

The eldest Badal, who won the seat five times in a row since 1997, lost to Gurmeet Khuddian from Lambi by 11,357 votes, while his son and SAD chief and Member of Parliament Sukhbir Badal faced a humiliating defeat in Jalalabad. His son-in-law Adesh Partap Singh Kairon was defeated in Patti in Tarn Taran district by the AAP's Laljit Singh Bhullar.

Parkash Singh Badal had filed his nomination from his bastion Lambi in Muktsar district for the sixth time in a row. With this he was the oldest candidate in the fray in the state. This was his 13th Assembly election.

His son Sukhbir Badal, the Ferozepur Lok Sabha member, was contesting from his stronghold Jalalabad for the fourth time.

After filing his nomination papers, the elder Badal had said, "I am continuing my relationship with the people of Lambi who have stood by me through thick and thin. I am also committed to nourishing the constituency always." He said he has complete confidence in the constituents.

"The people have made my campaign their campaign and informed me that they will ensure my victory with a thumping majority," Badal, who just recovered from Covid-19, had told IANS.

Badal's party, which is just six years older than him, came into being on December 14, 1920, to free gurdwaras from the control of mahants (priests) appointed by the British government.

The Akali Dal, which aligned with the Congress during the pre-Independence period, is toeing its core 'panthic' ideology to safeguard the interests of Sikhs. It was set up a month after the formation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

Ever since 1997, the Akali Dal had fought all the elections in the state in alliance with the BJP, winning three Assembly elections, till 2020 when it objected to the three now revoked contentious farm laws.

Ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to Punjab last month, Parkash Singh Badal had asked Modi to create the right atmosphere for his much-delayed visit to Punjab by first taking some concrete steps to expose the conspiracy behind the on-going incidents of sacrilege against the Sikh faith and resolving the other major political, religious and economic issues facing the state.

He listed five major issues on which he said a prime ministerial package would lend credence and respectability to Modi's visit to Ferozepur.

The former Chief Minister, whose political journey spans over 75 years, during the campaign said only the performance of a political party on past promises should determine the people's choice.

He had challenged both the Congress and AAP leaders to name just one thing on which the SAD governments did not fulfil the promises the party had made to the people in its manifestoes in the past.

Badal, who became the youngest Chief Minister of Punjab in 1970, said that he had chosen to contest the elections mainly to stop the outsiders from putting roots in Punjab and enslaving its people.

"I am here to ensure political stability in the state, as peace and communal harmony are prerequisites for development and progress," he had said.

The Akali Dal was fighting these elections in alliance with the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Snapping the over two-decade long ties, the Akali Dal pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2020 after sharp differences emerged over the three controversial farm laws.

The Congress, which was out of power in Punjab for a decade (2007-17), got 77 seats in the 2017 Assembly elections after drubbing the Akali Dal-BJP combine.

At that time, Badal had won the Assembly election from Lambi by defeating Congress candidate Amarinder Singh by 22,770 votes.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
New Delhi, March 10 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to retain power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured a landslide victory in Punjab.

The AAP is the first regional party which will form a government in another state apart from New Delhi.

According to the Election Commission's counting update at 8 p.m., the ruling party BJP has won 171 seats in Uttar Pradesh and is leading in 82 Assembly constituencies, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) has won 63 seats and is leading in 50 constituencies.

Rashtriya Lok Dal, which contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in alliance with the SP, has won seven seats so far and is leading in one constituency, whereas the BJP's ally Apana Dal (Sonelal) has won six seats and is leading in five constituencies.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is limited to just one seat from where it is leading so far.

The Congress has won only two seats while the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) has managed two seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The state-level Nishad Party (Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) won two seats and is leading in five constituencies, whereas another local party, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, won two seats and is leading in four constituencies.

In Uttarakhand, the BJP has won 40 seats and is leading in seven others, while the Congress has managed only 16 seats and is leading in three constituencies.

The BSP won a single seat in the state and leads in one constituency, whereas one Independent candidate has won and another is leading in Uttarakhand till 8 p.m.

The final election tally of Punjab has come and the AAP has secured a landslide victory with a thumping majority of 92 seats. The BJP has won just two seats, Congress 18, BSP one, Shiromani Akali Dal three while one seat went to an Independent candidate.

In Goa, the ruling BJP is short of the majority mark by just one seat as it bagged 20 seats in the 40-member Assembly.

The Congress has been confined to 11 seats, AAP won two seats, Goa Forward Party one, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party two, Revolutionary Goans Party won one, while three seats were won by Independent candidates.

In the 60-member Manipur Assembly, the ruling BJP retained power by winning 32 seats, while the Congress could bag only five seats.

Surprisingly, the Janata Dal(United) won six seats in Manipur, whereas the Kuki People's Alliance won two, Naga People's Front five, National People's Party six and three seats went to Independent candidates.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, March 10 : Oil prices rose on Thursday amid confusion over whether major producers would help to plug a gap in supplies from Russia, BBC reported.

The United Arab Emirates had appeared to push the members of the Opec producer group to raise output, only for the UAE's energy minister to quash hopes. The oil price rose more than 5 pert cent, after a 17 per cent fall on Wednesday.

"To suggest the oil market is confused would be an understatement," said analyst Stephen Innes.

US President Joe Biden and other leaders have pledged to try to ease the price pressures for households. Officials from the US have been in talks with oil producers aimed at boosting supply.

"We favour production increases and will be encouraging Opec to consider higher production levels," Ambassador Yousuf Al Otaiba said in a statement tweeted by the UAE Embassy in Washington, BBC reported.

But Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said later that the Gulf state remained committed to the existing Opec monthly output agreement, which fixes how much crude is produced by member countries.

Oil prices have jumped more than 30 per cent since February 24, when Russia launched military attack against Ukraine, touching $139 a barrel at one point this week.

The oil price had fallen back to about $106 a barrel at one point on Wednesday, but by Thursday morning it was trading at around $116 per barrel.
Patna, March 10 : After the party's victory in Uttar Pradesh, a BJP leader in Bihar on Thursday demanded removal of VIP chief Mukesh Sahani as minister in the Nitish Kumar government.

Sahani was one of the leaders vocal against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, and appealed to the state's people to avoid giving votes to the saffron party.

During the 2020 Bihar Assembly, Sahani's VIP contested on 11 seats, which BJP had given it from its own quota. The VIP managed to win 4 seats but Sahani lost the election. After the demise of one of its MLAs, it has only three seats in the Assembly.

The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government needs the support of VIP. Hence, he was elected as MLC and given the portfolio of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.

However, his role in Uttar Pradesh has irked the BJP.

Party lawmaker Hari Bhushan Thakur is among those who want him to be dropped from the cabinet.

"He went to Uttar Pradesh to become a big political face of the country. Now, he has lost all the seats. Now, he has to resign from the cabinet minister post on moral ground," Thakur said.

"He worked against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. I will ask the leadership of our party to remove him from the post of minister. The MLC tenure of Mukesh Sahani is ending later this year and we will not allow him to be elected again. We have the support of (VIP lawmakers) Madan Sahani, Arjun Sahani and Ajay Sahani. His chapter is closed now," he added.
Imphal, March 10 : In the northeastern region, after Assam, the BJP, securing absolute majority on its own, retained power in Manipur for the second consecutive term by winning 32 seats in the 60-member assembly.

According to the Election Commission's announcement, the ruling BJP managed 37.83 per cent votes this time against 21 seats and 36.3 per cent votes in 2017, when the party came to power in the northeastern state first time in alliance with the four National People's Party (NPP) MLAs, four Naga People's Front (NPF) members, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent member.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's estranged ally Naga People's Front (NPF), which won five seats, has indicated its support to the saffron party led government.

As per the Election Commission's results, BJP's another estranged ally NPP got seven seats, and Janata Dal (United) secured six, three independent candidates won their seats and the Kuki People's Alliance, a local party, won two seats.

The main opposition Congress, which had become the single largest party in the 2017 assembly polls by securing 28 seats, won only five seats.

The Congress had secured 35.5 per cent votes in 2017 polls, but managed only 16.83 per cent votes this time.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who won from his traditional seat Heingang for the record 5th time, told the media that the BJP would form the government with the support of the smaller parties.

"In consultation with the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), Home Minister (Amit Shah) and national party president (J.P. Nadda), the strategies and decision to make a coalition government would be decided," the Chief Minister told the media after offering puja to Shri Shri Govindaji Temple accompanied by BJP's spokesperson Sambit Patra.

BJP's estranged ally NPP, which had won four seats five years ago, won seven seats this time emerging the second largest party in Manipur.

Headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, the NPP is the dominating party in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government. BJP with two MLAs is also the partner of the MDA government.

This time, the BJP, NPP and NPF had contested the polls separately and had fielded candidates against each other.

Among the notable candidates, former ministers and BJP nominees Thokchom Radheshyam Singh (Heirok), Nemcha Kipgen (Kangpokpi) won their seats.

Former three time Chief Minister (2002-1917) and Congress veteran Okram Ibobi Singh (Thoubal), former speaker of the Manipur assembly Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh (Khundrakpam) and top Janata Dal (United) leader Khumukcham Joykisan Singh (Thangmeiband) are also won their seats.

Besides several senior Congress leaders, Ibobi's son Okram Joy Singh lost his Langthabal seat to BJP candidate Karam Shyam.

Deputy Chief Minister and senior NPP leader Yumnam Joykumar Singh lost his Uripok seat to BJP candidate Khwairakpam Raghumani Singh by a margin of 909 votes.
New Delhi, March 10 : Russia has hit back at western sanctions for invading Ukraine by imposing export bans on a string of products until the end of 2022, BBC reported.

The ban covers exports of telecom, medical, vehicle, agricultural and electrical equipment, as well as some forestry products such as timber.

The economy ministry said further measures could include restricting foreign ships from Russian ports.

It said: "These measures are a logical response to those imposed on Russia." The ministry added that the bans on countries that have "committed unfriendly actions" were "aimed at ensuring uninterrupted functioning of key sectors of the economy", BBC reported.

Governments in the West have imposed a string of sanctions on Russia, notably on buying oil, and against billionaire oligarchs seen as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

About 48 countries will be affected, including EU and the US.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the ban would include exports of goods made by foreign companies operating in Russia. The items include cars, railway carriages, and containers.

It comes as Russia's former President Dmitry Medvedev warned that assets owned by western companies that have pulled out of Russia could be nationalised, BBC reported.

Firms have been leaving en masse or halting investment, including industrial and mining giants such as Caterpillar and Rio Tinto, Starbucks, Sony, Unilever and Goldman Sachs.

On Wednesday, Moscow approved legislation that took the first step towards nationalising assets of foreign firms that leave the country.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 10 : Hours after the results for the Assembly elections announced on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged concerns over dynastic politics and also slammed those who raise questions on India's abilities and those who bring in religion and caste in every issue.

The Prime Minister, while addressing the party cadre at the BJP headquarters here, came down heavily on people, who try to stop action against the corrupt.

"There has been a conspiracy to stop action against corruption. Some people have the uncanny tendency of filing up their own treasure/chests. People of India are expecting from us (BJP) that our honest government will punish the corrupt. Should we not rise up to this expectation of the common people," Prime Minister Modi asked to a loud cheering party workers, who were assembled to celebrate the party's victory in four out of five Assembly elections.

"If we take any actions against the corrupt, these people, their ecosystem raise doubts about the institutions that are investigating cases of corruption and find out ways and means to demean the institutions for investigations. They even raise questions on the judicial institutions," he added.

The Prime Minister also drew attention towards "those people who bring religion, region and caste just when any action is taken against the corrupt, when the judiciary gives out a decision." "I want to appeal the honest people to think if such corrupt people, such mafia can be and should be outcasted from their society, their caste and thus, strengthen the society as a whole," he said.

Prime Minister Modi asserted that "one of the reasons of BJP's massive win in Uttar Pradesh was a result of the development politics that has ensured corruption free reign." Earlier, the Prime Minister said, at a time when the common man is engaged in constructive work, "there are some who are busy downgrading that positive work." Without naming anyone, he said, "These people raised questions on our vaccination programme, largest in the world. Similarly, when there were hundreds of citizens stuck in Ukraine with their families anxiously waiting for their return, these very people tried to pin down the 'Operation Ganga' by colouring it with regionalism." In an opaque reference to Congress' leadership of Gandhi family, Prime Minister Modi reminded the party workers that he has often cautioned people about dynastic politics (parivarvaad). "I told the people how I am not against a particular family but it is the dynastic politics that have hindered the progress of our nation and people have reciprocated positively on the issue." "People of India will ensure the end of dynastic politics one day. And the results today are an indication towards the same," he asserted.
Srinagar, March 10 : Two terrorists were killed and three Indian Army soldiers were injured during an encounter between the militants and security forces at Naina Batpora area in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, the police said on Thursday.

The Indian Army said that based on specific intelligence inputs received from J&K Police regarding the movement of unidentified terrorists at Batpora village in Pulwama, the army along with the police and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on Thursday.

"The security forces established an initial cordon comprising 25 houses. During the search, it was discovered that the terrorists had taken shelter inside a mosque. They were seen hiding on the top floor of the minaret of the mosque. Simultaneously, civilians from nearby houses were evacuated. The security forces maintained continuous surveillance on the movement of the terrorists," the army said.

The army said that at 10:10 a.m., the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire and lobbed grenades from the top of the minaret onto the troops.

"Fire was retaliated upon by our troops who had occupied dominating positions, resulting in the neutralisation of two terrorists. Earlier, the grenade lobbing by the terrorists caused splinter injuries to three soldiers of the Indian Army," the army added.
WASHINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. researchers are conducting a clinical trial designed to help understand rare but potentially serious systemic allergic reactions to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on Wednesday.

The single-site trial will enroll up to 100 people aged 16 to 69 years who had an allergic reaction to a first dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.

Study participants will receive a second dose of vaccine as inpatients under carefully controlled conditions at the NIH's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

At admission and during the inpatient stay, participants will have breathing tests and frequent blood draws, which will be used by medical staff to discern details of any allergic or other responses to the vaccine.

The enrollees will also complete mental health questionnaires prior to, at the time of, and in the months following vaccination, according to the NIH.

"People who experienced an allergic reaction after receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine may be hesitant to complete their vaccine regimen," said Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"This study will help us determine if individuals who experienced moderate systemic allergic reactions can safely receive a second dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine," he said. 
New Delhi, March 10 : Addressing the boisterous party worker after landslide victory in four of the five Assembly elections, BJP National President J.P. Nadda on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has altered the culture of elections in India.

"PM Modi has changed the culture of politics. For decades, the politics was dominated by dynasts, by regionalism, sanskritikvaad (cultural dominance) etc., but today, it is the politics of development, of empowerment, empowerment of youth, women and farmers," Nadda said while addressing the party workers.

Referring to the coalition of parties against the BJP, Nadda said, "I have always maintained that the voter knows how to safeguard his interest even if different leaders or parties join hands. Elections are not mathematics or arithmetic but it is chemistry." "And when I say chemistry, we should all remember that the poor people of India, those who have been exploited over the years, our mothers, our sisters, our youth, and our farmers. They all have a bond with Narendra Modi, just as a chemical bond. It is Modi's chemistry that prompted him to empower the poor masses and benefit the masses with his chemistry of development." He went on to list the multiple schemes that the Centre is running for "empowering the common masses" that then have resulted in votes at the time of elections.
New Delhi, March 10 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for its clean sweep in the Punjab Assembly elections, and assured the party of all possible help from the Centre.

In a series of tweets, Modi expressed his gratitude to the voters and party workers and congratulated AAP for winning Punjab.

The Prime Minister also assured AAP of all possible support from the Centre for the welfare of Punjab.

"I would like to congratulate AAP for their victory in the Punjab elections. I assure all possible support from the Centre for Punjab's welfare," he said.

In another tweet, Modi said, "The people of UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur have showered @BJP4India with great affection. My gratitude to the people of these states. Our party cherishes these blessings and will keep working for the development of these states." Lauding the hard work put in by BJP workers in the five states that went to the polls, Modi said, "Our party 'karyakartas' worked tirelessly among the people. They spoke about our good governance agenda and highlighted our pro-people efforts. I salute each and every party 'karyakarta' for their exceptional efforts."
Imphal, March 10 : Five women were elected to the 60-member Manipur Assembly in the 2022 polls, the highest-ever in the electoral history of the state, where 10,57,336 women voters (52 per cent) outnumbered the male electorate of 9,90,833.

S.S Olish (Chandel), former Minister Nemcha Kipgen (Kangpokpi), Sagolshem Kebi Devi (Naoriya Pakhanglakpa), all BJP, and Irengbam Nalini Devi (Oinam seat) and Pukhrambam Sumati Devi of National People's Party (NPP) won their seats, defeating their male rivals.

Firebrand women leader and JD-U candidate Thounaojam Brinda, who was the Additional Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), also contested the elections from the Yaiskul constituency but came third, bagging 4,574 votes (18.93 per cent).

In all, 17 women candidates, or 6.42 per cent of the total 265 contenders, from various parties, were in this fray - again the highest. They included four from the Congress, three each from the ruling BJP and NPP, two of the Nationalist Congress Party, one each from the Communist Party of India, Janata Dal-United and a local party and two are independent aspirants.

In 2017 Assembly polls, 11 women candidates had contested but only two had won, down from three in the 2012 elections. In 2017, firebrand rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu drew the attention of every one when she contested the polls on behalf of the People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance party breaking her 16 year-long fast against the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, but lost.

Manipur has had less than 10 women legislators and just one women MP - Kim Gangte in the 12th Lok Sabha - since 1972 when it became a full-fledged state.

It was only in 1990 that the state saw its first woman legislator, Hangmila Shaiza (wife of Yangmasho Shaiza, the fourth Chief Minister of Manipur) from Ukhrul Assembly constituency.

Various organisations, researchers, and political analysts said that political parties and leaders are always talking about the significant role of women in the Manipuri society but they nominate a negligible number of women in the elections, especially in the parliamentary and assembly polls.

Imphal-based writer and political commentator Iboyaima Laithangbam said: "Unless women become a part of the policy making bodies, their actual empowerment is not possible. By allowing fewer numbers of women to contest the elections, the political parties are depriving the women from the equal rights' terms." "In the Manipur economy, women are playing a very crucial role. Since the British period, the unique 'Ima Keithel' has become a symbol of women's empowerment and independence. Ima Keithel is not only a simple marketplace or trading centre, but these are apex hubs for campaigns on various societal issues and institutions against anti-social activities," Laithangbam told IANS.

The century old and world's largest all-women run market 'Ima Keithal' or the 'Mother's Market', located in Imphal and other smaller all-women markets functioning in different parts of the northeastern state boost the local economy to a large extent and are a source of livelihood for thousands of women.

Political analyst and retired Associate Professor of Manipur University, Dr Chinglen Maisnam, said that women are always being treated as non-entities in the Manipuri society and the men dominate all aspects including governance.

"Muscle power and money power dominated Manipur politics leading to the insignificant women's participation in the state politics and electoral fray. Gender bias is very strong in the mindset of most leaders of the political parties," Maisnam told IANS.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
New Delhi, March 10 : BJP alliance partners Apna Dal and Nishad party have outperformed the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

As per the latest trend, both the BJP's alliance partners are together either leading or winning in 19 seats while Congress only won two and BSP is leading in one seat.

Union Minister Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (Soneylal) has contested on 17 seats and has won eight and leading in four seats. Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (Nishad) party has won five and is leading in two.

BJP top leaders supported alliance partners by seeking votes for them during campaigning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared stage with Patel in election rallies.

Grand old party Congress has recorded its worst performance and was able to win only two seats with 2.35 per cent votes shares. People have rejected the Congress party led by the general secretary Priyanka Gandhi.

BSP has also registered its worst ever performance as the party leading in only one seat with 12.82 vote shares. Jatavs, the sub-caste to which BSP chief Mayawati belongs, hold a 14 per cent share in the scheduled caste category in the state.

The BSP, till now, has managed to secure only 12.7 per cent vote share which clearly shows that even Jatavs have moved away from the BSP.

Commenting on alliance partners "stunning" performance, a BJP leader said that performance of alliance partners shows that the BJP's votes transferred to them on the seats they contested.

"Results show that people have faith in BJP and its alliance partners and voters whole-heartedly supported them on the seats they contested by blessing with the votes," he said.

An Apna Dal insider said, "In alliance with BJP, Apna Dal performance has improved in comparison to the last Assembly polls. In 2017, we contested 11 and won nine, this time we won 12 out of 17 contested."
Bengaluru, March 11 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, reacting to the BJP's victory in four out five state Assembly elections, has said that the time has come to ensure that the party emerge victorious in the state Assembly polls, due next year.

Participating in a function to celebrate the party's victory on Thursday, Bommai said that the Congress has been "sinking" everywhere and "it will sink in Karnataka too".

"The time has come to ensure that the BJP's lotus blooms in the 2023 Assembly elections," he said.

Assembly elections in Karnataka are to be held in May 2023 and Bommai has just completed his first six months as the state's Chief Minister.

"Our responsibility has increased. We have to work more actively to implement the welfare programmes announced in the state budget. I have already instructed the officials to prepare the files before the end of this month and get the work orders issued before the month of April," he added.

"Implementation of all the programmes will be started without any delay and it is our responsibility ensure that its benefits would reach to the common man," Bommai asserted.

Further, he asked the party workers to "aggressively" publicise the government's welfare programmes at booth level and help the people to avail the benefit of these programmes.

"We have resolved to see the lotus bloom and win the 2023 Assembly election by winning the hearts of the people through the public welfare programmes of our government and organisational strength of the BJP. We have taken a pledge to build a prosperous state by returning to power for the next 5 years." "We will undertake a state tour with our senior leader B.S. Yediyurappa and Central leaders to further strengthen the party in every part of the State. We are already on the job," he said and called upon the party workers to be ready to work hard to bring BJP to power again.

Bommai also targeted the Opposition Congress party's dismal performance in all the five states, and said, "Congress has sunk in the rest of the country and it will sink in Karnataka too. Congress is fighting for survival. It has lost direction at the national and state level. It has lost its base all over the country." "While BJP is fighting for a bright future of the country, Congress is fighting for existence. That is the difference. BJP has won in four states. We will win in Gujarat in the coming days. The victory of BJP in Karnataka is as true as Sun rising in the East," the Chief Minister asserted.
Deksia CEO Aaron VanderGalien Anvils legacy brings advanced understanding of search analytics, organic social strategies and a full-service approach to integrated marketing to pair with Deksias process-driven creative work to give our collective clients a fighting chance, said Aaron VanderGalien, Deksia CEO.

Deksia, a process-driven creative, marketing and digital company, announced today that it has agreed to combine in a merger of equals with Anvil Media, an award-winning, legacy integrated digital marketing agency, to create a family of transformational solutions, and a powerful agency experience for marketing, advertising and digital clients.

For nineteen years, Deksia and Anvil have been on parallel paths, building organizations with the skills and expertise to manage almost any marketing strategy and tactic. Combined, the two will offer a 360-degree view of multiple markets and offer deeper expertise across multiple practice groups and verticals. Joining forces will provide all clients deep strategy, proprietary processes, and advanced digital capabilities, specifically in areas such as performance marketing and experience design.

Our transformational, measurable outcomes and enthusiastic energy in digital marketing, paired with Deksias strategic, visionary processes are an opportunity to decisively engage with emerging technologies and mature businesses, and give them a fighting chance, said Kent Lewis, Anvil Media President and Founder. Deksia and Anvil's shared purpose mean we can bring meaningful impact to our clients and our community, through creative problem-solving, bespoke digital tools and insights that make a difference.

During the past two decades, digital marketing as an industry has evolved significantly, and weve come to the realization that critical mass is essential to achieving our goals and that of our clients, said Kent Lewis, president and founder of Anvil Media. With a larger organization fueled by Deksias considerable strategic marketing prowess, we can provide a broader array of high-value services while also building a deeper bench in our core competencies.

Together, Deksia and Anvil will employ more than forty full-time employees and have offices in Grand Rapids, Mich., Des Moines, Iowa, Indianapolis and Portland, Ore. The leaders of the two agencies met through their shared affiliation with Entrepreneurs Organization (EO). With both organizations founded by serial entrepreneurs, they are combining their shared passions to help other entrepreneurs achieve their full potential through the power of story and analytics.

Anvil was founded literally two years after the founding of Google and it was through leaders like Kent that defined what we know today as search engine and digital marketing, said Aaron VanderGalien, CEO of Deksia. Anvils legacy brings advanced understanding of search analytics, organic social strategies and a full-service approach to integrated marketing to pair with Deksias process-driven creative work to give our collective clients a fighting chance.

Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. All the members of the Anvil and Deksia executive teams will remain in leadership positions with VanderGalien serving as chief executive officer of the newly combined company.
Long time wine industry executive and thought-leader, Laura Booras, has joined her familys business, Freedom Beverage, where she will be assuming the role of Vice President of Sales full time. Founded in 2002 by her father, Tim Booras, Freedom Beverage is a specialty wine and beer distributor based in Greensboro, serving the entire state of North Carolina. Their impressive book of supplier clients includes storied champagne house, Billecart-Salmon, for which they are the exclusive distributor statewide. Freedom Beverage also represents Scarpetta, DuMol, Niepoort and Martines Wines, among numerous others.

I am looking forward to working alongside my daughter, says Founder and President Tim Booras. We have long shared a mutual love of wine and North Carolina, so to have her home and working at Freedom Beverage is an exciting prospect. She will undoubtedly bring a fresh perspective to our family business. As Vice President of Sales, Booras will create and implement corporate sales strategies; oversee a 20-person sales team located throughout the state and direct the companys wine and beer education program.

Previously, Booras was at Riverbench Vineyard & Winery in Californias Santa Barbara County, where for 15 years she rose through the ranks from Brand Manager to General Manager, to Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. In this role, Booras had full operational control, including oversight of all financials, facilities, vineyard management, production, and sales channels. Originally intended by its owners to only produce still wines, it was Booras who steered the Riverbench team and ownership towards the production of ultra-premium, vineyard-designated sparking lines. Riverbench subsequently became a leader in the domestic ultra-premium sparkling wine category. Additionally, among her many achievements while there, Booras was central to the development of the companys successful tasting room in downtown Santa Barbaras funk zone, as well as the introduction of Sparkling Pinot Meunier (Santa Maria Valley) to the winerys lineup of products; still considered a rare offering domestically.

Simultaneously, Booras was recruiting Santa Barbara-based supplier talent for the Freedom Beverage book, introducing Brewer-Clifton, Liquid Farm, Margerum, Laetitia and Lucas and Lewellen, noteworthy Central Coast producers, to North Carolinians. Throughout her tenure in Santa Barbara County, Booras traveled frequently abroad, representing Freedom Beverage as Winery Liaison in Chile (Maipo Valley and Colchagua Valley), Argentina (Mendoza), France (Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis, Beaujolais, Loire), Italy (Piemonte) and Australia (Barossa, Clare Valley, Coonawarra). During one of her trips to France, Booras enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu Paris, where she received her Basic Cuisine Diploma (Mention Bien).

Throughout her career thus far, Booras has been an avid supporter of Californias Central Coast and its wine industry in general, having served as Regional Director for The Wine Institute; President of the World of Pinot Noir, Board Member of the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association (twice) and the President of the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association.

Nicholas Miller, of the Miller-family-owned iconic Santa Barbara County vineyard designate, Bien Nacido Vineyards, says of Booras, While I am excited for Laura to advance in the next step of her career in the wine industry, it is a true loss for Santa Barbara County to be losing one of our great advocates and leaders. Laura made a profound impact on Santa Barbara County as an inspired leader for numerous organizations and events. She was a road warrior carrying the wines of Riverbench to sale all over this country, but also a presence here locally. She led Riverbench into being one of the early adopters of the Funk Zone, opening up a second tasting room in the heart of it. Im sure Laura will excel in her new role, but Santa Barbara County will miss her.

During her leisure time, Booras enjoys traveling throughout North Carolina in an Airstream trailer with her partner, William, and their pets. She is an avid home chef, drummer and together with William, is currently cultivating a truffle orchard near company headquarters.

To learn more about Freedom Beverage, please visit freedombev.com.
Franciscan Sisters offer Single Catholic Women 20-35 Online and In Person Discernment Events and Resources designed for them

According to Sister Anne Marie Lom, OSF Spiritual Director and Retreat Minister, Discernment is not for the faint hearted! Discernment is choosing between two good courses of action with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and other individuals. When discerning, my first question is always, With whom?. Discernment is a communal process, not an isolated one. One discerns with a spiritual director, with the input of family, friends, teachers, mentors, clergy etc. 

A special retreat experience or vocation visit can be an insightful and inspiring step forward, moving from discernment to action in following Gods will. Upcoming opportunities include:

Called to Pray with Saints Francis and Clare: Prayerfully join us for this Franciscan-focused virtual retreat March 18-20, with a conference each evening and individual spiritual direction. Discern how God is working in your life and calling you. Franciscan Sister Anne Marie Lom facilitates this discernment event. By immersing ourselves into the prayer of Saints Francis and Clare, we will unfold how God is working in our lives in this twenty-first century.

In our Praying with Francis and Clare, we explore how God called each of them in a unique way to religious life. In experiencing their call, praying their words, and responding to questions applying their experience to ours, we learn how to better discern our call to both an active and/or contemplative life as a religious. 

Career or Calling: Young adult women are at a decisive time of life. Our Sisters respect your life experiences, perspective and gifts of those with professional responsibilities and educational goals while still young adults. Talents and background in a variety of areas, from social services to health care to education to IT skills may be part of Gods plan in a Franciscan ministry.

As you take time for quiet and personal prayer, we are here willing to listen. If you have questions about the call to be a Franciscan Sister or would appreciate talking to a trained spiritual director, please call or text Sister Julie Ann at 920-323-9632. Now is a good time to take steps in discernment.

Design Your Own Convent Visit: You are invited to come visit us at our Wisconsin Motherhouse or one of our convents in various geographic locations for a portion of a day or a few days while discerning Gods call. It is our best way of sharing our spirit with you. Meet those in Initial Formation, and also many of our Sisters who have fully lived our Franciscan vocation with experiences to share. Dates can be quite flexible.

Spring 2022: We will be offering an Icon Retreat for those who have expressed a desire to discern with this experience. Each person will choose a saint and pray with that holy one of God for the weekend as the icon is written.

Discernment can be challenging because one is asked to put aside personal preferences, comfort, preconceived notions, prejudices, and self-will. A person in discernment may be encouraged to read, study, pray, interview, and become knowledgeable regarding alternatives. One may be asked to test the choice by seeing if health, spiritual development, openness and docility are present. Seasoned religious help in the discernment process by observing and giving honest feedback as to the ability of the person to live the call on a day-to-day basis. Prayer is incorporated into the process along with others and with Jesus as the center.

Since 1869, we Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity have served in Catholic Health Care, Education, Campus Ministry and Parish-Community Service throughout the United States. From Missions on Dioceses in Arizona, to the Dioceses of Lincoln and Omaha; from Columbus and Steubenville, to Mississippi, and Wisconsin and Michigan. Recently, Discerning women have been joining us from North Carolina, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin and Colorado.

Would you like to know more about us? Visit https://fscc-calledtobe.org/
The Business Intelligence Group announced today the winners of its 2022 Best Places to Work award program, which identifies the organizations doing all they can to improve performance by challenging their employees in fun and engaging work environments. The Business Intelligence Group is honoring these companies for helping their employees accelerate their careers, knowledge and performance.

Employee satisfaction and engagement are more important than ever as we continue to evolve our work schedules and locations, said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer of Business Intelligence Group. The Best Places to Work rewards those who are putting those metrics ahead of others to improve their business. Congratulations to all of the winners.

2022 Best Places to Work Award Winners

Large Business



L&T Technology Services

Synechron

TaskUs

Tupelo Honey Hospitality Corp

Medium-Size Business



Farbman Group

Gateway Management Company

ParcelShield

SADA

Vim

Wasabi Technologies

Small Business



1440 Multiversity

Abveris Inc.

Arch RoamRight

BookJane

CI Web Group, Inc.

Empire Technologies Group Inc

Juice Technology AG

mabl

Makers Nutrition

MN Custom Homes

Money Concepts

Motivosity

Smith.ai

We Are Rosie

Very Small Business



Hivehouse Digital

Those companies whose overall score met or exceeded the 2022 benchmark were also named Finalist in the 2022 Best Places to Work awards. Finalists include: AdCellerant; Amivero; AnalyticsIQ; AuditBoard; Biosero; Chatmeter; Circa; Cordial; Cynet; DermaConcepts; Fluxon; Hubilo Technologies Inc.; Hunters; MTI; Netography; NewtonX, Inc.; Talent Resources; Thirdera; TimeXtender; TrackTik; Trust Point; Userful Corporation; Very; YCharts; and ZenBusiness.

About Business Intelligence Group

The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior performance in the business world. Unlike other industry and business award programs, business executivesthose with experience and knowledgejudge the programs. The organizations proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards those companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers.
Lisa Dority, Founder of PropertySmart Real Estate For years, my team has developed creative, personalized services that our clients love

Top agent Lisa Dority today announced the launch of PropertySmart Real Estate and its partnership with Side, the only real estate technology company that exclusively works with high-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages to transform them into market-leading boutique brands. The alliance will ensure that PropertySmart Real Estate, a firm dedicated to the idea that a persons home is too important to leave to an algorithm, is powered by the industrys most advanced technology.

PropertySmart Real Estate is led by Dority, who has lived in Miami for over three decades. She has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and a previous career in public relations and communications, so she brings decades of real estate marketing, communications, and event planning experience to each transaction. After winning numerous awards at RE/MAX, Dority received the Lifetime Achievement Award from RE/MAX International in 2021. Her real estate certifications include Seller Representative Specialist, Pricing Strategy Advisor, and Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, Million Dollar Guild. She is also an invited member of the Master Brokers Forum of South Florida.

For years, my team has developed creative, personalized services that our clients love, Dority said. There are so many models that buyers and sellers have to choose from when they decide to buy or sell a home. I want PropertySmart to cut through that noise and make the experience easy, successful, and stress-free.

PropertySmart embodies Doritys commitment to delivering unrivaled service to South Florida buyers and sellers in an atmosphere of mutual respect and partnership. Serving a range of clients throughout Miami-Dade County, the company has specialized experience in representing sellers and buyers, luxury home marketing, and pricing strategy advisement.

When asked about PropertySmarts partnership with Side, Dority said: I have been evaluating the monumental changes brought about by the national internet-based disruptors. They want to guide clients without ever having a single conversation with them about their dreams and aspirations. This may be expeditious, but I believe it will ultimately undermine the historical role homeownership has played in creating wealth for homeowners. A home is too important to entrust to an algorithm! Side enables us to give our clients the efficiency of an iBrokerage combined with the expertise that only experienced agents can offer.

Partnering with Side will ensure PropertySmart Real Estate remains on the cutting edge of the evolving real estate market while continuing to deliver premium services to its clients. Side works behind the scenes, supporting PropertySmart Real Estate with a one-of-a-kind brokerage platform that includes proprietary technology, transaction management, branding and marketing services, public relations, legal support, lead generation, vendor management, infrastructure solutions, and more. Additionally, PropertySmart Real Estate will join an exclusive group of Side partners, tapping into an expansive network from coast to coast.

About PropertySmart Real Estate

The agents at PropertySmart Real Estate have a long list of successes in the wildly competitive Miami market, and nearly all of their business comes from repeat clients and referrals. Beyond being each clients strongest advocate and most trusted real estate advisor, the team is committed to delivering concierge service, along with the peace of mind and joy that comes from a job well done. For market smart, people smart, tech smart service, visit http://www.propertysmartre.com.

About Side

Side transforms high-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages into successful businesses and boutique brands that are 100% agent-owned. Side exclusively partners with the best agents, empowering them with proprietary technology and a premier support team so they can be more productive, grow their business, and focus on serving their clients. Side is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.sideinc.com.
Today, Avant-garde Health, announces the release of its CareMeasurement analytics platform across all surgical and procedure-based care areas, and $12M in Series A funding.

After seven years of development and close collaboration with its clients, Avant-garde has now completed rolling out its CareMeasurement analytics software across all surgical and procedure-based care areas. Avant-garde built its CareMeasurement software clinical area by clinical area (e.g. beginning first with joint replacements in 2015) to make sure it resonates with physicians given the complexity of care choices in each clinical area.

CareMeasurement provides comprehensive insights into surgical care to hospitals, surgery centers, and physicians. The software measures the true costs of care processes, analyzes multiple types of clinical outcomes, compares treatment-specific data, and provides benchmarks from other hospitals across the country to give health care providers actionable insights to improve their care. For instance, Avant-garde will surface how to improve operating room efficiency, the selection and cost of medical supplies, and the care processes to follow to discharge patients home safely on time.

"We have been working with Avant-garde since 2016 and there is no other company like them that I have seen with their ability to robustly examine our care delivery and identify how we can continue to do better in a way that resonates with our surgeons. Their attention to detail and commitment to squeezing every bit of health care value is incomparable, says Dr. Steven Schutzer, Physician Executive for the Orthopedic Service Line at Trinity Health of New England.

Avant-garde Healths CEO, Derek Haas, founded the business based on his work with Professors Michael Porter and Robert Kaplan at Harvard Business School around value-based health care. It was clear health care providers needed better analytics to inform their care, which I also saw through the experiences of my familymy parents, brother and sister are all physicians. We are now working with dozens of hospitals across the country. The Series A funding will enable us to empower even more health care providers with the best possible care improvement analytics, said Derek Haas.

Avant-garde will also use the funding to more than double its team this year, and further accelerate its mission of advancing knowledge around improving health care delivery. The team has published dozens of articles across Harvard Business Review, The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and other medical journals.

The Series A funding is led by Fulcrum Equity Partners. Prior investors General Catalyst, Founder Collective, and Tectonic Ventures also participated, as did Sparta Group, and former health system and physician group CEOs. "We knew that Avant-gardes software was unique and powerful, and now being able to improve all surgical care is an incredibly important milestone. The amazing culture of the team also really shines through for us," said Fulcrum Partner Philip Lewis.

About Avant-garde Health

Avant-garde Health is building a national network of leading health care providers committed to improving the value of their care. Avant-garde Health enables health care providers to understand their costs, outcomes and processes across the care continuum, and then achieve improvements. Its analytics platform measures the true costs of care processes, analyzes multiple types of clinical outcomes, compares treatment-specific data, and provides benchmarks from other hospitals across the country to give health care providers actionable insights to improve their care.

Learn more at http://www.avantgardehealth.com.

About Fulcrum Equity Partners

Fulcrum Equity Partners is an Atlanta-based growth equity firm that manages over $600 million and provides expansion capital to rapidly growing companies led by strong entrepreneurs and management teams. Fulcrum targets companies within healthcare services, healthcare IT, B2B software, and technology-enabled services. Fulcrums initial target investment is $5 million - $25 million to provide financing to meet a wide range of needs, including internal growth initiatives, acquisitions, divestitures, shareholder liquidity, and recapitalizations. The partners have over 140 years of relevant experience in Fulcrums target markets, including significant operating experience in senior executive positions at companies that grew rapidly and enjoyed successful exits. Additionally, Fulcrums limited partners include over 100 current or former business owners/CEOs of leading companies in a wide variety of industries that provide a rich resource for the firm and portfolio companies.

Learn more at http://www.fulcrumep.com
Bach to Rock, America's Music School for students of all ages. The franchisee spotlight campaign is an opportunity to connect with some of our top owners to learn insights and tips. They offer practical and proven suggestions for starting, owning and operating a Bach to Rock music school, said Brian Gross, President of Bach to Rock.

Bach to Rock, Americas music school for students of all ages, today announces the launch of its franchisee spotlight campaign, which will profile top Bach to Rock music school owners sharing their tips for success in starting, owning and operating a Bach to Rock franchise. The 4-part series kicks off with the profile of Chris Achzet, owner of the Bach to Rock music school in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Achzet is a highly regarded music industry professional, having founded his own drum and production company which provides tech support to some of musics most recognized performers. Future profiles in the series will feature the owners of Bach to Rock music schools in: Plymouth, Minnesota; Tampa, Florida; and San Diego, California.

The franchisee spotlight campaign is an opportunity to connect with some of our top owners to learn insights and tips for running a successful franchise. They offer practical and proven suggestions for starting, owning and operating a Bach to Rock music school, said Brian Gross, President of Bach to Rock. Our first in the series is Chris Achzet, a really dynamic guy, who manages parallel careers as the owner of both Bach to Rock, Mount Juliet and his production company, where he continues to provide tech support to music industry legends such as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. The spotlight campaign will provide essential information for others considering a livelihood as a Bach to Rock music school owner. Click here to check out Chris Achzets spotlight profile.

Chris Achzet has more than 30 years of diverse experience in drums, backline and production management. He has worked with many famous bands and artists, such as Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Cher, Peter Frampton, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and more. I discovered music at an early age when the arts were still funded in schools. I played snare drum from grades 3-6 before I sat behind a full drum kit. Junior high and high school was all about playing with my buddies. Of course, we started a band, said Chris. Fast forward to July 2021, after 30 years, 92 countries visited, and over 3 million miles flown, when Chris opened Bach to Rock/Mount Juliet to help get kids into music like when he was in grade school.

Chris attributes a couple of key factors that have led to the schools early success. We had a strong start. We did lots of networking and outreach prior to opening, so we had over 60 students in our first month, Chris shared. Bach to Rock corporate provides a great deal of information and support to help franchisees. Digest the information, know your area, and location, location, location. Once youve done that, its about putting in the effort and being passionate about it. And hire good people, recommended Chris.

I have had a blessed career in live music performance, and I wanted to bring the same level of passion and commitment to children in the Mt. Juliet area, said Achzet. Bach to Rock offers a curriculum-based music program that teaches all instruments with a strong focus on performance, and its really fun for kids.

Chriss big break came in 1987 with the opportunity to do stage assembly for Pink Floyds Momentary Lapse of Reason stadium tour. Lots of physical labor and long hours, but what an experience at 20 years old. I did a couple of other tours doing stage work before moving to Los Angeles, where my efforts became focused on backline tech opportunities (drum tech), he added. Click here for Chriss complete spotlight profile.

Bach to Rock  A Franchise Opportunity with Industry Stature

Bach to Rock has earned numerous accolades including being named: a Top 500 Franchise for 2022 and 2021 by Entrepreneur Magazine; a top 100 Franchise for 2021 by Franchise Gator; a number one franchise for Childrens Enrichment Programs and a Top 150 Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur Magazine; and one of the 500 Powerhouse Brands by Franchise Times. To learn more about franchise ownership opportunities and veteran and franchise referral programs, contact Ralph Rillon, vice president of franchise development, at 1-855-227-7570 or franchise@bachtorock.com, or visit bachtorockfranchise.com.

About Bach to Rock: Changing the Way Students Learn Music

Bach to Rock is a music education school for students of all ages, from early childhood through high school and beyond. B2R knows learning music should be fun and students learn best when they play music they enjoy. B2R is the music school kids would have designed for themselves, with weekly ensemble instruction and band formations leading to public concerts, Battle of the Bands and recording sessions in B2Rs professional recording studios. B2R builds technique, fosters teamwork and enhances self-esteem through private lessons, band instruction, and public performances. Bach to Rocks Beat Refinery DJ school is Serato certified, making it one of only a handful of schools in the United States and worldwide to offer the elite training developed by Serato. Serato, founded in 1999, is the premier provider of audio software to the DJ industry. The Serato certification ensures that select Bach to Rock DJ instructors have been trained and authorized to teach using Serato software and equipment.

Bach to Rock has instructed over 170,000 aspiring musicians since launching in 2007 and is on track to become a $25 million brand. The brand is comprised of 49 music schools, 39 of which are franchisee-owned. Twenty-six (26) of those schools are in Top Ten markets, ranked by population. Follow B2R on Facebook and on Twitter. For more information, visit bachtorock.com or call 1-877-227-8558.

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Los Medanos College students interested in early childhood education careers gain essential experience at the college's Child Study Center. Students who complete the Childhood Development Certificate at Los Medanos demonstrate they have the abilities and motivation to complete a bachelors degree in early childhood education, UMass Global Chancellor Gary Brahm said.

A greater number of East Bay working parents whose young children attend preschool or other out-of-home learning activities will soon be able to do so with the assurance that more early childhood education professionals will be available to serve local families.

Los Medanos College (LMC) and the University of Massachusetts Global today announced a partnership through which LMC students holding a Certificate in Child Development will be able to receive $2,500 scholarships when they transfer to UMass Global to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education. By earning both credentials, aspiring early childhood educators will receive a wealth of knowledge and experiences preparing them to help young children learn and form friendships in kindergarten  and beyond.

Los Medanos College is very proud of this collaboration with UMass Global. It has been incredibly impactful for our Early Childhood Education students and our community, and we thank all involved for developing such a successful program, Los Medanos College President Bob Kratochvil said. I also want to congratulate our participating ECE students, who have worked so hard in achieving the next level of their educational goals.

An anonymous donor provided an unrestricted grant to UMass Global, which is helping to fund the program. UMass Global determined that helping early childhood educators receive bachelors degrees is among its top priorities.

Students who complete the Childhood Development Certificate at Los Medanos demonstrate they have the abilities and motivation to complete a bachelors degree in early childhood education, UMass Global Chancellor Gary Brahm said. We look forward to welcoming these well-deserving students to our university. We are also grateful to our anonymous donor for providing the financial support for this program, along with the flexibility of an unrestricted grant that enabled us to join this partnership helping East Bay families.

UMass Globals early childhood education degree program includes 60 hours of practicum experience. Clinical experience is among the best practices Learning Policy Institute researchers recommended to state governments as a necessary qualification for early childhood educators in their 2019 report, Promising Models for Preparing a Diverse, High-Quality Early Childhood Workforce.

We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with UMass Global. Anything that we can do to support students transferring through this partnership supports both the students and the field of early childhood education, said Janice Townsend, Child Development Professor and Department Chair at Los Medanos College.

Multiple studies affirm very young children whose teachers are equipped with bachelors degrees receive significant advantages. A 2010 report from The PEW Center on the States, A Matter of Degrees, Preparing Teachers for the Pre-K Classroom, points to findings from several studies identifying near- and long-term benefits for young children whose teachers have earned bachelors degrees. Research shows degreed early childhood educators give students an edge in math, reading, and social skills. Additionally, reviews of top-performing early childhood programs have shown well-prepared educators boost young students toward high school graduation.

ABOUT LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

Los Medanos College (LMC), one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District, has served the east Contra Costa County community since 1974. LMC offers award-winning transfer and career education programs, high-quality support services, and diverse academic opportunities in an engaging and inclusive learning environment. With exceptional educators, innovative curricula, growing degree and certificate offerings, strong regional partnerships, and state-of-the-art facilities, the College prepares students for success at four-year institutions, in the workforce, and beyond. LMC offers classes and support services at its 120-acre Pittsburg Campus and new permanent Brentwood Center. For more information about Los Medanos College, please visit http://www.losmedanos.edu.

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS GLOBAL

University of Massachusetts Global, formerly Brandman University, is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, credential, and certificate programs designed to be relevant to more than 90 career paths. UMass Global serves nearly 23,000 students, about 16,000 of whom are enrolled in academic credit programs, at 25 physical campuses in California and Washington, as well as online. UMass Global offers fully online courses for students anywhere in the United States and for military personnel serving abroad. For more information, visit the universitys website.
We're honored to be Great Place to Work-Certified again, and its even more gratifying to be recognized repeatedly, which tells me were the restoration company of choice when people are choosing their career path. ~Drew Bisping, BluSky CEO

BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC, the premier restoration service company in the U.S., today announced that it is Great Place to Work-Certified for a fifth consecutive year. Using validated employee feedback gathered with Great Place to Works rigorous, data-driven methodology, certification confirms nearly 90 percent of employees have a consistently positive experience at BluSky. Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue and increased innovation.

This certification is a testament to our employees passion for our company culture, our clients, and each other, said Drew Bisping, CEO at BluSky. Were honored to be Great Place to Work-Certified again, and its even more gratifying to be recognized repeatedly, which tells me were the restoration company of choice when people are choosing their career path.

In 2022 over 700 BluSky employees participated in the survey process. Notable among their responses is 92 percent of employees said they have a sense of pride when they look at what the company has accomplished.

We congratulate BluSky on their certification, said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work. Organizations that earn their employees trust create great workplace cultures that deliver outstanding business results.

About BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC

Denver, Colorado-based BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC is a full-service national restoration, renovation, environmental and roofing provider for properties damaged by water, fire, storms and other disasters across the nation. For more information about BluSky Restoration Contractors, please visit GoBluSky.com or call (800) 266-5677.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Emprising, their culture management platform, empowers leaders with the surveys, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Their unparalleled benchmark data is used to recognize Great Place to Work-Certified companies and the Best Workplaces in the US and more than 60 countries.
Dr. Richard Hartwell

NJ Top Docs has reviewed and approved board-certified neurosurgeon, Dr. Richard Hartwell. For over 30 years, Dr. Richard Hartwell has provided a broad range of neurosurgical services to the residents of Ocean and Monmouth Counties.

After receiving his B.A. degree from Columbia University, Dr. Hartwell attended the University of Chicago receiving a Ph.D. in Biophysics. After completing his neurosurgical residency at the University of Pennsylvania, he began a neurosurgical practice in Ocean County in 1988. He has been Board Certified in Neurosurgery since 1991.

Dr. Hartwell is currently an active member in the American Medical Association, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, as well as numerous neurological societies of New Jersey,

A few services Dr. Hartwell provides for his patients include: microsurgery for spinal stenosis pain and radiculopathy, minimally invasive deep brain biopsy, non-invasive brain tumor surgery with stereotactic Cyberknife radiosurgery, surgery for traumatic brain injury, and intracranial programmable shunts for normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and gait disorders.

Outside of his practice, Dr. Hartwell is an Attending Physician at Hackensack-Meridian Ocean Medical Center in Brick, New Jersey and Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey. He is also the Chief of Neurosurgery at Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey.

To learn more about this NJ Top Doc, please visit: https://njtopdocs.com/nj-doctors/drrichardhartwell/

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About Us

NJ Top Docs is a comprehensive, trusted and exclusive healthcare resource featuring reviewed and approved Top Doctors and Dentists in New Jersey online in an easy to use format. NJ Top Docs only reviews and approves providers based on merit after they have been extensively vetted.

NJ Top Docs is a division of USA Top Docs which allows patients to meet providers online before making their appointment.

For more information, please click here to contact us or visit http://www.NJTopDocs.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
I am beyond honored to win this award. Id like to express many thanks to my family, friends and British Swim School for their support. My entrepreneurial journey with British Swim School has been remarkable - Pamela Resser, British Swim School Bay Area franchise owner

British Swim School, the nations leading learn to swim company, is thrilled to announce that the International Franchise Association (IFA) as honored Pamela Resser, owner of British Swim School Bay Area in San Francisco, California, with a Franchisee of the Year Award. The honor was announced at the IFAs 62nd Annual Convention in San Diego, California.

The Franchisee of the Year Award recognizes leading franchisees that exemplify at least one of IFAs core pillars: Community, Workforce, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Veterans.

I am beyond honored to win this award. Id like to express many thanks to my family, friends and British Swim School for their support, says Pamela Resser, British Swim School of Bay Area franchise owner. My entrepreneurial journey with British Swim School has been remarkable so far and I am so excited to see what the future holds for our franchise.

Despite only launching her business in 2018, Pamelas prowess as a businesswoman has launched her to the top of the British Swim School system as the 3rd highest-producing franchisee in the system.

As a female leader, she continues to motivate those around her, demonstrating a grace in her ability to manage the demands of her business while being a single parent amidst the pandemic  an exhausting task for anyone who has experienced this firsthand.

Shes operated a successful swim school in one of the most COVID-restricted cities in the United States, navigating ever-changing protocols, customer safety concerns and staffing challenges while maintaining the integrity of a survival-first swim program.

Pamela is also an active partner and supporter of Hope Floats Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at providing underprivileged children with swim scholarships, so they can become safe swimmers.

In addition to being a willing volunteer to pilot new programs and initiatives, Pamela serves as a mentor to other franchisees across our system, always open to providing guidance and support where she can, says Ashley Gundlach, British Swim School President. She is an inspiration to our system. We are honored to be able to nominate Pamela for this award and have her as part of our dynamic group of franchisees. We are thrilled she is getting the recognition she deserves from the International Franchise Association.

The franchise industry on average provides higher wages, better benefits, and more leave than non-franchised businesses, as well as greater opportunities to underserved communities and aspiring entrepreneurs, according to Oxford Economics research.

Franchisee of the Year Awards are the highest honors presented to individual franchisees, said Matthew Haller, President and CEO of the International Franchise Association. Pamela Resser is one of the best entrepreneurs in the country, and we are proud to recognize her contributions to the community, her employees, and all those they serve.

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About British Swim School

British Swim School, the nations most established swim school franchise with over 40 years in business believes that every individual, regardless of age or ability, should have the opportunity to become a safe and happy swimmer. Offering lessons for babies, children, and adults, the brand is dedicated to its mantra, Survival of the Littlest, focusing first on the survival skills needed to survive a water accident, then moving on to stroke development and more advanced skills. Not only does British Swim Schools give peace of mind to countless families who seek the essential life skill the brand offers their children, the purpose-driven franchise offers an exceptional opportunity for entrepreneurs who seek a fulfilling business venture with a sound foundation, low investment, and easily scalable model. Part of the Buzz Franchise Brands family, British Swim School currently operates over 215 schools across the United States and Canada.

For more information about British Swim School, visit http://www.britishswimschool.com.

To learn more about the benefits of British Swim Schools franchising opportunities, visit http://www.britishswimschoolfranchise.com.
TWERGO XTREME By rethinking how products are designed and employing the latest technology to develop material handling systems, were helping manufacturers work more efficiently, said Caster Concepts President Bill Dobbins.

With more manufacturing jobs than there are people to fill them and the demand for products increasing, Caster Concepts Inc.(casterconcepts.com) announces a product design initiative to help manufacturers cope with labor shortages and move more materials with smaller teams of employees.

Caster Concepts engineers have released a variety of casters that improve the use of manual dollies, especially those used to transport heavy EV batteries at automotive plants. These ergonomically designed casters like the new TWERGO Xtreme, allow manufacturers to keep pace with demand and improve efficiency.

The company has also unveiled casters (95HD, 97, 97HD, and Swivel on Swivel) specifically designed to enhance the use of automated guided vehicles (AGV) popular with aerospace, automotive, agriculture and heavy-industry manufacturers. With a high-capacity swivel section, these casters reduce the turning force, making it easier for AGVs to maneuver. Enhanced maneuverability results in less strain on AGV batteries, which reduces overall maintenance costs.

We recognize the workforce challenges on the industry and to a certain extent we feel it in our own business, said Caster Concepts President Bill Dobbins. By rethinking how products are designed and employing the latest technology to develop material handling systems, were helping manufacturers work more efficiently.

Product overview



TWERGO and TWERGO XTREME allow smaller manufacturing teams to move loads up to 3000 pounds while staying below the 50-pound start push force safety limits established by OSHA. Xtreme improves the efficiency of EV dollies by reducing the push force to 44 pounds and allows operators to move more batteries per dolly. Manufacturers can save upwards of $4 million by reducing their fleet of dollies and simply using TWERGO and TWERGO Xtreme.

The Drive Caster is a motorized caster system designed to move heavy loads with fewer people. The strain previously required to move thousands of pounds can be replaced with the push of a button. An easily customizable control box allows for a number of power and control options.

The Swivel on Swivel Caster is specifically designed to save AGV battery life and reduce motor torque. It also allows for more precise movements with little vehicle sway. By decreasing resistance when turning and moving, AGVs can move heavier loads without the need for a larger drive system.

95 HD, 97 & 97 HD Series: With a high-capacity swivel section, the caster reduces force load, making it easier to move and maneuver. Automation is definitely a major part of modern production processes by improving productivity, among other benefits. The 95 and 97 HD casters easily maneuver around tight corners, reduce the drain on motor-powered platforms, and carry between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds per caster, respectively. Theyre the newest muscle in motor-powered material handling.

The workforce challenges felt in the manufacturing industry stem from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of furloughed workers didnt return to their jobs once plants reopened. Many left the industry entirely, stalling production and forcing manufacturers to hire inexperienced workers.

The National Association of Manufacturers foresees that 2.1 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030. These vacancies could cost the industry upwards of $1 trillion.

Years ago, we focused on designing products to meet the highest ergonomic standards in the industry, Dobbins said. That move improved manufacturing efficiency and reduced injuries. Now were taking our engineering efforts further, employing technology so companies can continue to produce at a high level with smaller teams of employees. Our industry demands the change, and were staying in tune with its needs.

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About Caster Concepts

Caster Concepts designs and builds industrial casters and wheels for virtually any application. Proudly built in America, these caster products range from medium-duty series to heavy-duty series to meet any application. Companies depend on the many ergonomic innovations of Caster Concepts to help them increase productivity and reduce the risk of worker injury. Caster Concepts also manufactures caster wheels to withstand impact, corrosion, temperature extremes and chemicals found in harsh industrial environments. Caster Concepts is ISO 9001-2015 certified and offers one of the industrys shortest lead times, making it the premier choice for many industries. Visit CasterConcepts.com.
Sandy Hill, EVP of Operations, commented, These individuals demonstrate a consistent approach to professionalism and are an excellent representation of COCMs missions and values. I am honored to recognize them with these well-deserved promotions."

In December of 2021 Brian Kraft was promoted to Associate Vice President of Operations. Since joining COCM in May of 2009, as a General Manager at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Brian has served COCM as a Regional Manager, Regional Vice President, Assistant Vice President, and now as Associate Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining COCM, Brian worked as a Hall Director, Coordinator of Residence Life, Conference Coordinator and Assistant Director of Residence Life at institutions including the University of North Florida, the University of San Francisco, Miami University and Ohio Dominican University. Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Mathematics and Psychology, a Master of Teaching from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Arts in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland  College Park.

In recognition of Becky Sierps outstanding efforts and performance, COCM is pleased to announce her promotion to Regional Vice President. Becky joined COCM in 2008 as an Assistant Manager at University of Maryland College Park, and was promoted in 2011 to serve as General Manager at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Becky has also served as an Area Manager and Regional Manager for COCM. She earned an undergraduate degree from Rider University, and a graduate degree in Student Personnel Services from Rowan University. While a student, Becky was a Resident Assistant, Residence Director, and a Housing Assignments Coordinator. She also interned at Arkansas State University and Florida State University through the ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program. Becky is a former member of the MACUHO Executive Board and hosted the first ACUHO-I Intern from Australia in 2009.

Vallyn Merrick, who joined the COCM family in 2011 has been promoted to Regional Vice President. Vallyn began her accomplished career with COCM as the Director of Housing at Coppin State University. While with COCM, Vallyn has also served as Director of Affiliated Housing at Bowies State University and as a Regional Manager. She has worked in student housing for over 10 years, holding positions such as Resident Assistant, Graduate Assistant, and Community Director of a five-building undergraduate complex at Howard University in Washington, DC. She also enjoys presenting at conferences. At the 2012 NACAS conference, Vallyn offered insight into the topic of, Why Outsourcing Is In: Achieving Housing Success Through Partnered Management. Vallyn is a graduate of Howard University with a Bachelors in Fine Arts and a Masters in Education.

Kern Williams, a ten year COCM employee has received a promotion to Regional Vice President. Kern joined COCM in January 2012 as the Director of Housing and Residence Life at The Towers at City College of New York. He has also served as a Regional Manager and Co-Chaired COCMs DEI Taskforce. Kern holds a Master of Arts degree with a concentration in Student Affairs and Diversity from Binghamton University where he also began his professional housing career. After Binghamton, Kern was an area director at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and went on to become the Associate Director for Residential Life and Student Conduct at the University of Bridgeport. He has also led national webinars and conference presentations about undocumented students and access to higher education.

The COCM Corporate Marketing Division has grown with Brittany Oliver being promoted to Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Leasing. Brittany, who has worked with COCM since 2019, is responsible for the marketing and leasing success of COCM's on-campus housing portfolio, providing critical leadership and support to all its regional and on-campus staff. Brittany joined COCM as the Site Marketing Coordinator in 2019 and was promoted to Director of Leasing and Marketing in 2020. Since then, she has worked with a variety of ownership groups and institutions and been involved with multiple start-ups. Brittanys skills, experience, and dedication to COCM make her a great fit for this new leadership position.

COCM is also pleased to announce the addition of a Senior Leasing and Marketing Specialist to meet the increasing demand to assist existing and new campus housing partners with leasing and marketing initiatives. Rose Williams, previously the Assistant Director of Operations at the recently completed Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community (ELLC), at Bowie State University, made the shift into this new role in November 2020. Rose brings experience with creation and implementation of marketing plans, brand and reputation management, digital marketing, site-level training, as well as supporting various student housing communities with marketing challenges. Rose will work with the COCM on-campus management portfolio to increase occupancy, leasing, and marketing outreach for prospects within a strong competitive housing market.

ABOUT COCM

COCM is a company of talented student housing professionals focused on providing management and consulting services for on-campus housing communities. Their student housing professionals focus on helping their partners leverage campus housing to do greater things: recruit and retain students as well as enhance student success and satisfaction. Based in Birmingham, AL, they were recently recognized as the leading provider of on-campus, third-party management services by Student Housing Business magazine. COCMs current portfolio serves over 34,000 students at 36 campuses across the United States. For more information, visit http://www.cocm.com.
We look forward to further expanding our support to CMS and its missions, helping improve access to care and protecting medical care recipients from surprise medical bills

Cognosantes customer experience (CX) business sector, CognoConnected, has been awarded the No Surprises Help Desk (NSHD) contract by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The three-year contract consists of a base year and two option years with an approximate value of $26 million.

Cognosante will support CMS implementation of the No Surprises Act (NSA) by providing a multi-tiered help desk to identify, track, triage, and manage all calls and web-based submissions related to NSA complaints and violations. The company will also leverage its CX expertise to provide advanced level support for complex NSA case inquiries. Additionally, Cognosante will support continuous service delivery excellence by providing performance data used to monitor program integrity and identify areas for process improvement.

We are proud to have been selected by CMS for this critical effort to deliver and improve the customer experience related to the No Surprises Act, said James Gordon, CognoConnected president. We look forward to further expanding our support to CMS and its missions, helping improve access to care and protecting medical care recipients from surprise medical bills.

This contract award reaffirms the companys commitment to continued growth and expansion in the CX space, building on the recent award of the $200 million Enrollment Resolution & Reconciliation (ER&R) and Form 1095-A Data Reporting contract.

About Cognosante

Cognosante is a mission-driven technology company delivering innovative and transformative solutions that improve the health and safety of Americans. With more than a decade of experience working with Federal and state government agencies, we aim to expand access to care, improve care delivery, deliver solutions addressing social determinants of health, and ensure safety and security through multi-faceted technology and customer experience (CX) solutions. Our broad range of capabilities includes enterprise IT and cloud, data science, telehealth, interoperability, public health surveillance, clinical performance, eligibility and enrollment, and consumer engagement. For more information, visit http://www.cognosante.com


To support our next stage of growth, we wanted to form a leadership team of individuals who have a track record of helping organizations solve hard problems.

risk3sixty, a firm that helps high-growth technology companies assess, build, and manage security, privacy and compliance programs that secure their clients data and inspire stakeholder confidence, today announced the formation of its Executive Leadership team. As a team, the executives will work to support and advance risk3sixtys vision of becoming the professional services firm of the future. This decision was propelled by risk3sixtys tremendous growth in 2021, during which the firm doubled in size.

Our 2021 growth is truly the capstone of a remarkable five-year success story, said Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Christian Hyatt. To support our next stage of growth, we wanted to form a leadership team of individuals who have a track record of helping organizations solve hard problems. This is a talented group of leaders  and they have the experience and desire to help our clients meet their most important business objectives. They know how to inspire the team to do the same.

Hyatt has helped dozens of unicorn start-ups (start-ups with $1B+ valuation) scale their organization. With 15 years of experience in security, privacy and compliance, Christian brings a unique perspective to cybersecurity, privacy and what it takes to build a successful business. Accompanying Hyatt on the Executive Team are President and Co-Founder Christian White, Director of Talent and Culture Jessica Lucas, Chief Technology Officer Kevin Ketts, Chief Revenue Officer Ryan McGowan, and Director of Operations, Timothy Palmer.

White leads risk3sixty's Services, which include SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, Privacy, vCISO, Penetration Testing, and HITRUST services. White graduated from United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger for more than six years. After completing his service, White received his M.B.A from the Georgia Institute of Technology where he met Christian Hyatt and began the risk3sixty journey.

Lucas, is an experienced leader and Army veteran, who has been instrumental in building the companys culture of Investing in People. Lucas graduated from United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the U.S. Army as an officer, where she specialized in the management, training and development of people. After completing her service, Lucas received her Masters in Leadership from Georgetown University.

McGowan, an experienced sales, marketing and channel leader with a demonstrated ability to lead teams and deliver exceptional results, brings more than 20 years of industry experience to risk3sixty and is tasked with leading the team into its next phase of growth. In McGowans prior role, he helped grow a nationally recognized security organization from less than $2 million to more than $100 million in annual revenue as the VP of Sales.

Ketts is an accomplished IT Management and Information Security Executive and is a seasoned executive with 25 years of experience leading Technology and Security teams. He has been on several technology advisory boards for startup companies and received industry accolades. In his prior role, Ketts helped his company scale their technology footprint and double revenues to over $500 million as VP of Technology.

Palmer is an experienced business leader and former Army officer. He brings a focus on business strategy, growth, and operational excellence that has enabled the firm to scale its service offerings. Palmer attended the University of Wisconsin and obtained his M.B.A. from the Olin Business School.

About risk3sixty

risk3sixty, an Atlanta based cyber security consulting company, works with high-growth technology firms seeking to grow and scale, go public, or negotiate a merger or acquisition. risk3sixty helps leadership build, manage and certify security, privacy and compliance programs that underpin public and stakeholder trust yet never hinder business goals. These efforts are propelled by the companys cybersecurity playbook and expert leadership paired with the powerful security, privacy and compliance platform, Phalanx GRC.

The firm has a proven track record of helping accomplish these missions for unicorns, high-value clients that have a valuation of $1 Billion or more. After doubling in size in 2021, risk3sixty is one of the fastest growing cybersecurity advisory firms in the nation, and has been on the Atlanta Pacesetters Fastest Growing Companies list for three consecutive years and Atlantas Best Places to Work for two consecutive years.

risk3sixtys services include SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 9001, PCI DSS, Privacy advisory and virtual data privacy officer (vDPO) services, virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) services, Penetration Testing and other Renegade Labs offensive security services, and HITRUST services. Its Security Experts hold all major, relevant certifications, including CISSP, CISA, CRISC, CISM, GPEN, CEH, PCI QSA, PCIP, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor/Lead Implementer, and much more. Its Privacy Experts maintain an array of privacy certifications including CIPP/US, CIPM, IAPP Privacy Fellows, ISO 27701 Lead Auditors/Lead Implementer, and more.

To learn more, visit https://risk3sixty.com or subscribe to its podcast, The Tuesday Morning Grind: https://risk3sixty.com/tuesday-morning-grind-podcast/
Cybersecurity is an ever evolving field, with exciting new problems and issues constantly thrown at scholars and researchers. This is an exciting time to join the workforce, and input from multiple disciplines is proving key to success.

Cybersecurity expert Dr. Anna Squicciarini, Frymoyer professor at Pennsylvania State University and Cyber Area Chair, is one of the esteemed keynote speakers who will present at the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) conference, March 17-19, in Cleveland, Ohio.

The WiCyS conference is a unique event because it will focus on recruiting, retaining, inspiring and advancing women in cybersecurity careers while involving students, educators, industry, government, military and research organizations. It will showcase four keynote speakers, including Squicciarini.

Squicciarini received her Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Milan in Italy. She is currently a chaired professor at the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at Pennsylvania State University. Since 2008, she has worked in the cybersecurity area in the College of IST, which she currently leads as Cyber Chair. Prior to that, Squicciarini was a postdoctoral research associate at Purdue University. Squicciarini is also a Fulbright Scholar for the US-UK cybersecurity program 2022.

Squicciarinis work focuses on data privacy and the development of applied machine-learning methods for scalable user-centered privacy protection. She applies machine-learning models and game theoretic algorithms toward detection and understanding of online deviance. Her work has been funded and supported by industry and funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, Air Force, Army Research Office, Google and Hewlett-Packard Research Labs.

Squicciarini published more than 90 contributions as papers in international conferences and journals, and she is associate editor for three IEEE and two ACM Transactions.

Cybersecurity is an ever evolving field, with exciting new problems and issues constantly thrown at scholars and researchers. This is an exciting time to join the workforce, and input from multiple disciplines is proving key to success Squicciarini said.

Squicciarini is set to talk about cybersecurity research in interdisciplinary units, challenges and opportunities.

Journalists are invited to attend and should email info@wicys.org to request a media pass. For more information on WiCyS or the conference, visit http://www.wicys.org.

Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) is the premier nonprofit organization with international reach dedicated to bringing together women in cybersecurity. Founded by Dr. Ambareen Siraj from Tennessee Tech University through a National Science Foundation grant in 2013, WiCyS offers opportunities and resources for its members and collaboration benefits for its sponsors and partners. Strategic partners include Tier 1: Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg, Carnegie Mellon University  Software Engineering Institute, Cisco, Fortinet, Google, Intel, Lockheed Martin, Meta, Microsoft, Optum, SentinelOne. Tier 2: Abbvie, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Linkedin, McKesson, Navy Federal Credit Union, Nike, Wayfair, Workday. Tier 3: Haystack Solutions, MITRE, Smoothstack. To partner, visit https://www.wicys.org/support/strategic-partnerships/.
Drivers in Lake Charles, Louisiana, can now schedule express maintenance at Lake Charles Toyota.

Drivers who want to get their Toyota vehicles serviced quickly and efficiently can take advantage of the express maintenance service available at Lake Charles Toyota, an automotive dealership in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The dealership has a trained crew that services a Toyota in no time at the right price and with the quality you expect. Interested individuals can schedule an appointment for express maintenance by clicking here.

As a part of the express maintenance, the dealership will perform the following on a Toyota vehicle:



Oil and filter change

Brake inspection

Tire rotation

Multi-point inspection

And fluid inspection

If the dealerships trained professionals find a repair or some other issue in a vehicle, they will inform the customer upfront about the charges. Moreover, at the Lake Charles Toyota service department, cars are repaired with genuine OEM parts only. Besides the services included in the express maintenance, the dealership also offers the following services:

Front end alignment

Maintenance

Muffler/exhaust repair

Coolant flush

Transmission flush

Electrical service

And much more!

Drivers who want to get their Toyota models serviced can schedule a service appointment at Lake Charles Toyota on their website. Moreover, they can contact the dealership by dialing 337-419-2993 for additional information.
His vision and leadership have enabled us to expand our community at many levels

Earth Charter International (ECI) has announced the appointment of Michael J. Bracken as Chairman of the Board. Bracken earned his undergraduate degree at Emory University in Atlanta, GA., and his MBA from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He serves as the President of Medcom Benefit Solutions in Jacksonville, FL.

Earth Charter International is an international organization that serves as the coordinating body for the Earth Charter Initiative. The Earth Charter is a document with sixteen principles that drive a movement towards a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. To support the Earth Charter movement, ECIS Education Center, located at the University for Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica, offers courses, resource materials, live symposiums by international thought-leaders, and network opportunities to turn conscience into action.

Mirian Vilela, Secretariat at Earth Charter International, stated that We are excited to appoint Michael J. Bracken as Chairman of the Board at ECI. His vision and leadership have enabled us to expand our community at many levels. We welcome his transition to Board Chairman with confidence and excitement as we expand our mission of making the world a more just, sustainable, and peaceful place.

Bracken emphasized that I am humbled and honored by my appointment as Chairman of the ECI Board. We continue to inspire thought leaders and activists around the world with our focus on respect and care for the community of life. Our UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development is coordinated by the Earth Charter Center for Education and the University for Peace. We implement dynamic educational programs and research activities in sustainable development at the intersection of sustainability, ethics, and education. In 2022, we introduced a series of powerful Masterclasses to complement our strong academic curriculum. Our recently introduced EC Index project will challenge traditional mindsets and governance at a country level, as we quantify contributions to planetary well-being.

The Earth Charter was launched at The Hague in 2000 and continues to inspire networks of committed citizens from all over the world. We invite all interested parties to contact us at earthcharter.org and to get involved in our work and educational programs. Stay tuned for more information about ECIs Annual Conference at the University for Peace on December 1-2, 2022.
www.elev8cg.com Marketing is an ever-changing landscape and technology is moving at warp speed. In this industry, its important for businesses to evolve and adopt new technologies to consistently and efficiently provide their valuable services, says Angela Delmedico, CEO and founder of Elev8 Consulting Group.

Angela Delmedico, CEO and founder of Elev8 Consulting Group, presented on marketing, publicity and technology integrations at the Natural Disasters Expo in Miami. Other speakers included Robert McSwain, aerospace engineer at NASA; Christopher Landsea, Ph.D., branch chief at the National Hurricane Center; Ken Graham, director at the National Hurricane Center; Antwane Johnson, director of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) at FEMA; William P. Mahoney III, director of research at the National Center for Atmospheric Research; Robert Molleda, warning coordination meteorologist, National Weather Service. Held for the first time, the event took place on Feb. 7-8 from 10 a.m.  4 p.m. at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The conference included 300 vendors, along with seminars and live demos for participants to learn the latest in cutting-edge technology and emerging global trends.

Marketing is an ever-changing landscape and technology is moving at warp speed, along with our weather patterns. In this industry, its especially important for businesses to evolve and adopt new technologies to consistently and efficiently provide their valuable services. Im passionate about educating others on staying ahead of the curve in marketing and communication integrations, says Angela Delmedico, CEO and founder of Elev8 Consulting Group.

With over 20 years of experience and a background in corporate, nonprofit, military, and government sectors, Delmedico has presented at numerous conferences and panels throughout the nation. Delmedicos presentation, Marketing, Publicity & Technology Integration & Strategies, featured tips and trends in marketing and automation tools to ramp up communications, branding, and outreach to target markets throughout the globe.

Elev8 core competencies include business strategy, marketing partner services, publicity, media relations, web design, digital marketing, social media, content marketing, email marketing, automation and technology integrations. With over 20 years of experience, Elev8 Consulting Group helps businesses, government entities, and nonprofits throughout the nation create and execute stellar Marketing & Publicity campaigns.

Delmedico is a proud member of the Forbes Business Council, an invite-only organization that includes a vetted global network of business trailblazers, disruptors, and game-changers. She is a founding member of the YEC Founder Society. Entrepreneur Magazine hails YEC Consists of Some of the Most Well-Respected Minds in Entrepreneurship. Angela has been published in numerous media outlets including Forbes, Tech.co, Medium, Huff Post, All Business, Recruiter, and Business Collective on trends in marketing, publicity, branding, leadership, business strategy, and entrepreneurship. Angela is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from the University of Minnesota.

Other speakers included experts from industry-leading organizations and departments throughout the nation. The presenters shared developing trends in the industry, including the potential impact of future natural disasters, emergency response management, and business recovery post-disaster.

About Elev8 Consulting Group

Elev8 Consulting Group specializes in marketing, publicity, branding and business strategy development. With over 20 years of experience, Elev8 Consulting Group helps businesses, non-profits and government entities launch and implement strategic, engaging campaigns and maximize on ROI. Elev8 Consulting Group is dedicated to building brands from concept to company, every step along the way. CEO and founder Angela Delmedico is a proud member of the Forbes Business Council and has been published in numerous media outlets including Forbes, Medium, Tech.co, The Huffington Post, All Business, Recruiter.com, and Business Collective. Elev8 Consulting Group is a detail-oriented, max performance driven, veteran-owned business. Learn more at http://www.elev8cg.com or call 386.24.ELEV8.

About Natural Disasters Expo

The Natural Disasters Expo brings thousands of disaster specialists, government service providers, weather experts, insurers, and disaster relief efforts from across the globe all under one roof. The event includes the Storm Expo, Flood Expo, Heat & Flood Expo, and the Earthquake Expo. Learn more at https://www.naturaldisastersshow.com/.

Media Inquiries:

Alexis Bott

Elev8 Consulting Group

Ph: 386-243-5388

Web: http://www.elev8cg.com
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Port Plastics, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The Santa Clara employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Port Plastics, Inc. violated the California Labor Code. The Port Plastics, Inc. class action lawsuit, Case No. 22CV394403, is currently pending in the Santa Clara County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit, Port Plastics, Inc. allegedly failed to properly maintain job sites or maintain standard safety measures. Plaintiff reported various safety violations, in addition to racial discrimination. Port Plastics, Inc. allegedly subjected Plaintiff to adverse employment actions by retaliating against him until Plaintiff's termination.

Additionally, Port Plastics, Inc. allegedly failed to pay employees for all the time they were under the employer's control. This, allegedly, includes the time Plaintiff and other California Class Members had to submit to mandatory COVID-19 screening prior to clocking in for the day. To the extent that the time worked off the clock did not qualify for overtime premium payment, Defendant allegedly failed to pay minimum and overtime wages for the time worked off-the-clock.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Port Plastics, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
The work of the House and the Senate this year to tackle another set of critical election reforms will greatly increase transparency and trust in the democratic process, said Rep. Daniel Perez, Chair of the Public Integrity and Elections Committee.

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) applauds the Florida House of Representatives for passing Senate Bill 524, once again leading the nation in securing future elections. This legislation, coupled with the election integrity measures passed in last years Senate Bill 90, will make Floridas elections among the most transparent and trusted in the country.

S.B. 524, which passed on the floor today with a 76-41 vote, includes provisions that:



establish an Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Florida Department of State to investigate and defer matters for prosecution against alleged occurrences of election law violations or irregularities;

move toward ID requirements for absentee vote-by-mail ballots;

prohibit ranked-choice voting;

clean voter rolls;

create harsher penalties for ballot harvesters;

discourage non-citizen voting, illegal signature collection practices for ballot initiative petitions, and premature disclosure(s) of election results; and

strengthen last years ban to prohibit private funding of elections (Zuckerbucks ban).

The bill is now headed to Governor Ron DeSantiss desk for signature. Gov. DeSantis and Secretary of State Laurel Lee have continued to push to make the Florida elections process better and better each year.

The work of the House and the Senate this year to tackle another set of critical election reforms will greatly increase transparency and trust in the democratic process, said Rep. Daniel Perez, Chair of the Public Integrity and Elections Committee. We wont stop our continual pursuit of commonsense election reforms that protect Florida voters.

Last years election integrity bill, S.B. 90, enforces voter ID, prevents ballot harvesting, secures drop boxes, prohibits the private funding of elections, and helps ensure that voter rolls are up to date and accurate for each election.

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that promotes public policy solutions to create opportunities for every American to experience the American Dream. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
3x Inc. 5000 honoree, classically trained violinist, celebrated jazz vocalist, and business owner, Natasha Miller, is launching her new book Relentless: Homeless Teen to Achieving The Entrepreneur Dream. She is on a mission to help readers change the way we look at unfortunate circumstances and inspire us to rewrite our own historyno matter the origin of our story.

Just looking at Natasha now, you would never guess the cruel, lonely childhood she endured in Des Moines, Iowa. On Christmas night, when she was just 16 years old, she was abandoned at a youth shelter and never returned home.

Finding herself through music, Natasha Miller took the reins of her own life and fate to create a life that is full of joy, fulfillment, success, and stability.

Jack Canfield, the New York Times bestselling author of Chicken Soup for the Soul series calls it A powerful and moving memoir. I literally could not put it down brilliant writing.

From a homeless shelter for youth to the Inc. 5,000 list of fastest-growing companies in America, Relentless is a raw and powerful memoir about one woman's tenacity that helped her break free from an abusive childhood, the irreversible decisions of her parents that left her transient, and the grittiness that has followed her through growing a multi-million dollar corporation of her own.

Shocking, poetic yet unfiltered, Millers voice is honest and her fervor for life is infectious. Rich with personal anecdotes and nuggets of wisdom, Relentless is a book to come back to when youre in need of advice from an old friend, a jolt of energy to kickstart your life, or simply a reminder that you can do it, whatever "it" may be.

In honor of her experience, select proceeds from the sale of the book and speaking engagements will be donated to Covenant House.

The book launch celebration will be held inside the Metaverse Mar 22, 2022. Registration is open at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/249915041617

There will be a special live performance event held at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on March 26, 2022. Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/261357396007

Relentless: Homeless Teen to Achieving The Entrepreneur Dream can be preordered from Amazon.
Golden Bridge Awards by GLOBEE All organizations operating anywhere in the world  large to small and startups, government, public and private, for-profit and non-profit are eligible to submit nominations to the 2022 Golden Bridge Awards in a wide range of categories honoring achievement in every aspect of business + work life.

The Globee Awards organizer of the worlds premier business awards programs and business ranking lists is now accepting nominations and entries for the 2022 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards. To celebrate achievements Globee Awards has introduced new commemorative items.

The Golden Bridge Awards is the worlds premier business awards program honoring achievements in every industry around the world. Everyone deserves commendation for job well done. Identify, recognize, and nominate executives, professionals, and employees for their achievements no matter how small or large. There are many categories in which your organization, products and services, and the people behind their success can be nominated. Categories are classified under the following groups:



People | Innovator, Lifetime Achievement, Maverick, and Women Awards Categories Group

People | Entrepreneur Awards Categories Group

People | Executive, Management, and Professionals Awards Categories Group

People | Professional and Staffer (non-executive) of the Year

New Product & Service Innovation | AI, Information Technology & Cyber Security Awards Categories Group

New Product & Service Innovation | Content Technologies and Information Management Awards Categories Group

New Product & Service Innovation | Education Awards Categories Group

New Product & Service Innovation | Energy/CleanTech Industry Awards categories

New Product & Service Innovation | Health Care Awards Categories Group

New Product & Service Innovation | Industry and Vertical Markets Awards Categories Group

New Product & Service Innovation | Best New Product or Service Awards Categories Group

Product & Service Development | People Awards Categories Group

Product & Service Development | Campaign, Outstanding Achievement, Project or Initiative, and Team-Department Awards Categories Group

Company | Innovative Company of the Year Awards Categories Group

Company | Best Company Awards Categories Group

Company | Startup Awards Categories Group

Corporate Communications and PR | People Awards Categories Group

Corporate Communications and PR | Campaign, Outstanding Achievement, Project or Initiative, and Team-Department Awards Categories Group

Creative | App & Mobile Website Awards Categories

Creative | Live Events Awards Categories

Creative | Publications and Print Awards Categories

Creative | Digital and Online Campaign Awards Categories

Creative | Video, Commercial, Advertising, and Film Awards Categories

Creative | Web, Social Media, and Online Presence Awards Categories

Creative | Campaign, Outstanding Achievement, Project or Initiative, and Team-Department Awards Categories Group

Customer Service & Support | People Awards Categories Group

Customer Service & Support | Campaign, Outstanding Achievement, Project or Initiative, and Team-Department Awards Categories Group

Customer Success of the Year Awards Categories Group

Human Resources | People Awards Categories Group

Human Resources | Campaign, Outstanding Achievement, Project or Initiative, and Team-Department Awards Categories Group

Information Technology Users | People Awards Categories Group

Information Technology Users | Campaign, Outstanding Achievement, Project or Initiative, and Team-Department Awards Categories Group

Marketing | People Awards Categories Group

Marketing | Campaign, Outstanding Achievement, Project or Initiative, and Team-Department Awards Categories Group

Milestone of the Year Awards Categories Group

COVID-19 Business Response Awards Categories Group

Learn more about the 2022 Golden Bridge Awards and how to nominate here: https://globeeawards.com/golden-bridge-awards/

Winners of previous years are listed here: https://globeeawards.com/golden-bridge-awards/winners/

Stay posted and read success stories of organizations.

Subscribe to the Globee Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe to Globee Awards YouTube channel

Follow Globee Awards on twitter

Follow Globee Awards on LinkedIn

The coveted annual Golden Bridge Awards program recognizes and honors the worlds best in organizational performance, products and services, innovations, executives and management teams, women in business and the professions, case studies and successful deployments, public relations and marketing campaigns, product management, websites, blogs, white-papers, videos, advertisements, creativity, partner programs, and customer satisfaction programs from every major industry in the world.

A worldwide judging panel of executives and professionals representing a wide spectrum of industries will determine the winners. Winners will be presented and honored in a virtual ceremony attended by the finalists, winners, judges, and industry peers from all over the world. Industry experts and end-users or consumers of products and services can participate in the judging process.

More details to register as an industry expert and help as a judge are available at https://globeeawards.com/golden-bridge-awards/judges/

About the Globee Awards

Globee Awards are conferred in ten programs and competition: the American Best in Business Awards, Business and Communications Excellence Awards, CEO World Awards, Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards, Disruptor Company Awards, Golden Bridge Awards, Information Technology World Awards, International Best in Business Awards, Sales, Marketing, & Service Excellence Awards, and Women World Awards. Learn more about the Globee Awards at https://globeeawards.com

All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Mary brings a unique and extensive background in finance, operations and expansion initiatives within the insurance brokerage industry.

Graham Company, one of the countrys largest insurance brokerages, today announced it has elected Mary Sklarski, CPCU, ARM, to its Board of Directors. Sklarski joins Graham after 16 years with Woodruff Sawyer, a national insurance brokerage and consulting firm, where she served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Growth Officer.

We are thrilled to welcome Mary as the newest addition to our Board of Directors, said Bill Graham, Chairman of the Board, Graham Company. Her depth of knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to pursue a strategic plan to better service our unique client base.

Mike Mitchell, Vice Chairman, Graham Company, added: Mary brings a unique and extensive background in finance, operations and expansion initiatives within the insurance brokerage industry that will make a meaningful impact on Graham in many key areas. In particular, her success in building Woodruff Sawyers national footprint will be a critical asset to us as we continue to expand our client portfolio, service capabilities and employee base.

Sklarskis long career in insurance started at Chubb Insurance Company as a Property Underwriting trainee. She went on to work in four West Coast offices in various management positions across the organizations departments, including Financial Institutions, International, Risk Management and Marketing. She later served as a Branch Manager in Portland, Oregon before taking the next step in her career at Woodruff Sawyer in San Francisco.

During her time at Woodruff Sawyer, Sklarski led key company practice areas, including Technology, Life Science and General Commercial. She was named the Chief Operating Officer in 2008 and took on the newly created role of Chief Growth Officer in 2015. After nearly 40 years in the insurance industry, Sklarski retired in 2019.

Joining Graham Companys Board of Directors felt like a natural fit for me, said Sklarski. I am excited to share the knowledge and experiences I have acquired over the years to make a positive impact on the organization during this pivotal point in the companys trajectory. I look forward to the great work ahead with an incredible group of leaders.

Sklarski was named one of Business Insurances Women to Watch in 2008. She received an economics degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and later attended the Smith College Womens Executive Leadership Program.

About Graham Company

Graham Company is one of the largest insurance and employee benefits brokers in the country, committed to enhancing employee safety and business viability through an action-oriented approach to risk management. In business for more than 60 years, Graham Company designs customized and effective property and casualty, surety and employee benefits programs for its clients to protect employees and prevent losses. With offices in Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, DC and clients in all 50 states, Graham Company became 100% employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan in 2017. Through its innovative insurance and safety training programs, Graham Company is redefining what it means to be an insurance broker. To learn more, visit http://www.grahamco.com.
We are extremely excited to partner with FieldWise, a market leader in deployment of center-pivot irrigation control monitors, pump/flow monitors, tank monitors, bin fan monitors, weather stations and soil monitoring.

GroGuru and FieldWise have signed an application program interface (API) access agreement, which gives GroGuru access to data from FieldWise connected devices on irrigation monitoring sites when end customers grant permission to GroGuru to access their information and data.

GroGuru is all about strategic water management for commercial farmers. GroGuru helps farmers make more money by increasing crop yield and more efficiently using water and other scarce resources in a sustainable way. GroGuru has a strategy to partner with market leading providers of field telemetry that connects famers fields that contain soil monitoring sensors to the Cloud. FieldWise believes in empowering farmers to do their lifes work by providing innovative and sustainable technology. The result is lowered costs and increased efficiency in the field, while substantially lowering the waste caused by obsolete hardware and inferior systems.

This partnership allows for another option for growers to make use of their existing hardware solutions and expand on their options by allowing access to GroGuru InSites, said Patrick Henry, president and CEO of GroGuru. We are extremely excited to partner with FieldWise, a market leader in deployment of center-pivot irrigation control monitors, pump/flow monitors, tank monitors, bin fan monitors, weather stations and soil monitoring."

Adding GroGuru as an API partners gives FieldWise the opportunity to offer a leading Ai-enabled SaaS solution to our customers, said Brian Klawinski, president and CEO of FieldWise. We are looking forward to working with the GroGuru team to expand both of our market footprints.

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About GroGuru

GroGuru, Inc. is a privately held company based in San Diego, CA, founded in 2014. GroGuru supplies precision soil and irrigation monitoring and management systems to the commercial agriculture industry. GroGuru is all about strategic irrigation management, helping farmers make more money by increasing crop yield and more efficiently using water in a sustainable way.

GroGuru has a patented wireless underground system (WUGS) for soil monitoring, an AI-based recommendation engine in the Cloud, and an intuitive farmer-friendly user interface that farmers can access on their tablet, computer or mobile device. GroGuru sells an innovative hardware-enabled subscription-based solution to farmers that enables optimal irrigation, as well as a software as a service (SaaS) marketed as GroGuru InSites.

GroGurus patented WUGS technology enables a permanent installation of soil sensors, even in annual field crops. GroGuru has been a part of the OCTANE LaunchPad, EvoNexus, AgLaunch, the Yield Lab, SVG-Thrive and Plug & Play AgTech accelerator programs.

About FieldWise

FieldWise is a family-based technology provider established in 2008 that specializes in telemetry for agriculture. Over the years, weve built our reputation by providing exceptional products and service to our customers and dealers world-wide.

We are the only pivot monitor manufacturer with a significant deployment that operates independently of any pivot manufacturer. Our products and future products will continue to work with virtually every pivot made.

At FieldWise, were proud of our unique position in our industry, and remain inspired and committed to creating sustainable cutting-edge technology at affordable prices.
HLRBO "As we continue to expand our reach, we are proud to offer our services to more and more hunters and landowners, making finding hunting lease or leasing out land as easy as the click of a button,

HLRBO and Bow Ridge Outdoors Join Forces to Capitalize on Growth Momentum

New affiliate partnership grants HLRBO users access to New York hunting properties for first time.

Hunting lease platform HLRBO is thrilled to announce it is expanding its reach through a new partnership with multi- dimensional outdoor company Bow Ridge Outdoors.

Bow Ridge Outdoors offers an array of hunting services, including hunting leases, land and wildlife management services, timber stand improvement services, food plot services, and semi-guided hunts throughout the state of New York.

"We are excited about the opportunity to work with Bow Ridge Outdoors and look forward to having them in our affiliate network, said HLRBO CEO Heath Schubert.

The new partnership will allow HLRBO to continue growing its robust portfolio of hunting lease options across the United States.

"As we continue to expand our reach, we are proud to offer our services to more and more hunters and landowners, making finding a hunting lease or leasing out land as easy as the click of a button, Schubert said.

Seasoned hunting pro Robert Babbitt is at the helm of Bow Ridge Outdoors. Babbitt and his team are top-notch, knowledgeable professionals, ready to meet and exceed the expectations of their customers.

For more information on leasing hunting land with HLRBO, check out http://www.hlrbo.com

About HLRBO

HLRBO is the premier online hunting lease network. HLRBO's mission is to be the first stop for hunters searching for a place to hunt. To fulfill that mission, HLRBO provides listing options for private landowners, hunting businesses, hunting guides, and public land. HLRBO provides the flexibility for landowners and businesses to set their pricing and availability based on a traditional year lease, a monthly rental, weekly rental, daily rental, and even by hunting season. This makes it easier than ever for hunters to find the hunting opportunity they are searching for while giving landowners and businesses the flexibility they desire.

About Bow Ridge Outdoors

Bow Ridge Outdoors was founded by Robert Babbitt in 2020. Robert has 25 years of experience in the outdoor world. Along with hunting, wildlife and habitat management is a lifestyle for Babbitt. He is a certified New York State Hunting Guide and a Level 1 Deer Steward through the National Deer Association. Robert has been a member of the NWTF for 15+ years. He's been managing land for Turkey and Deer for the last seven years.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Heath Schubert

CEO

media@hlrbo.com

(855) 664-6676
Sertainty is thrilled about this partnership and that Initiativa-SeguriData believes Sertainty will play an integral role in maximizing success, says Amir Sternhell, CSO of Sertainty.

Nashville-based data privacy company Sertainty is pleased to announce its new partnership with Iniciativa-SeguriData, a pioneer in the integration of information security services in Mexico.

With support from Sertainty, Initiativa-SeguriData recently finished a successful demonstration for the Supreme Court of Mexico pertaining to the Sertainty UXP Technology and its self-protecting data. Currently, Initiativa-SeguriData is in the process of solving additional pains associated with data security management. Their intent is to integrate the Sertainty Data Privacy Platform into a secure workflow tool.

Sertainty is thrilled about this partnership and that Initiativa-SeguriData believes Sertainty will play an integral role in maximizing success, says Amir Sternhell, CSO of Sertainty.

Iniciativa-SeguriData plans to utilize Sertaintys proven technology platform to help them continue innovating and expanding within their industry, expanding reach and regional penetration.

The collaboration with Sertainty enabled our initial demonstration to the Mexico Supreme Court to be successful, so we are delighted to develop a deeper partnership that will benefit all parties involved, says Sergio Garcia-Bulle President of Iniciativa Innovacion Mexico.

Sertainty adheres to improving global data security by making its solutions ubiquitous and working with integrators that are market movers, horizontal in their approach, and strong players in their industry  such as Iniciativa-SeguriData. Sertainty has also secured partnerships in India and plans to empower more companies to utilize the Sertainty Data Privacy Platform.

The revolutionary security innovations developed by Sertainty ensure data privacy by enabling data to defend and protect itself, making data breaches a concern of the past. Sertainty has chosen to partner with like-minded companies and integrators to foster the safe sharing of information without loss of privacy rights and security.

The Sertainty Data Privacy Platform is an integral part in safeguarding the anonymity and privacy associated with influencers and their followers. Such a construct will be the undercarriage of Skylab and its crown-jewel data, noted Yasser Elgebaly, CEO and founder of SanApptX and CTO of Skylab.

Through this new partnership with Iniciativa-SeguriData, Sertainty is showing that their platform is not just innovative but provides a versatility which will allow the solution to be utilized and implemented across a variety of markets and industries worldwide. Sertainty is open to collaboration and stands ready to reinforce the security of any global companies and entities seeking solutions emanating from the data layer.

About Sertainty

Sertainty (http://www.sertainty.com) is a technology company specializing in embedding intelligence into any type of dataset. Sertainty technology transforms ordinary data that is inherently passive and vulnerable into a self-protecting, self-governing asset that mitigates risk in real-time  modernizing your approach to security and data's ultimate role in your enterprise. The goal of Sertainty is to prevent theft of intellectual property, proprietary data, and confidential information. The company is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

About Initiativa-SeguriData

Iniciativa Innovacion Mexico is a leading consulting and market maker in the markets of Central America and Mexico. Sergio Garcia-Bulle, the President, was the former Managing Director of AT Kearney, Booz Allen Hamilton, CONOCER, and Unisys.

SeguriData is a world-class Mexican company founded in 1996 and a pioneer in data security innovation through the development and implementation of cryptographic software (PKI). SeguriData specializes in electronic signature solutions, digital certificates, and time stamping. For more information, please visit http://www.seguridata.com.

For media inquiries:

Daniel Klein

Joseph Studios

pr@josephstudios.net

1-800-663-0126
Image of the JVS Toronto virtual event lobby

JVS Toronto announced today that it will be hosting its national Virtual Employment Connections Fair, on March 17th, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET. The free event will take place through the vFairs virtual event platform, and registration is now open.

Canada InfoNet is a national program run by JVS Toronto that provides employment and mentorship support to immigration approved professionals even before they arrive in Canada. Canada InfoNet, along with other newcomer programs, is hosting the Virtual Employment Connections Fair where employers will connect with skilled internationally trained professionals who have been approved for immigration as permanent residents and have recently arrived in Canada, or will be arriving soon. Additionally, representatives of large employers across Canada are encouraged to register and join in order to network with and promote open roles to new talent.

The event will provide a space for professionals to meet with representatives of employers across a number of industries including IT, Finance, Banking and Accounting, Engineering, Business, Healthcare, and Sciences. Job seekers will be able to browse job opportunities, network with company representatives and interview with hiring managers through the online platform. The event will also include webinars related to employment in order to help educate new Canadians about the changing employment landscape.

This is JVS Torontos fourth time using vFairs for their virtual recruiting efforts, and they anticipate that this event will exceed the successes seen in previous years. Between 2020-2021, JVS Toronto supported 5,571 clients originating from 137 countries pursuing their vision of a career in Canada. Based on their single-day 2021 event, JVS Toronto saw approximately 800 users connect with almost 20 employers at the virtual event.

We are so happy to once again be the events platform of choice for JVS Torontos virtual recruiting fair, said Muhammad Younas, CEO of vFairs. JVS Toronto has used the vFairs platform in such an effective manner. Many new Canadians can attribute their career achievements directly to past Virtual Employment Connections Fairs, which speaks to the impact JVS Torontos virtual fairs truly have.

To learn more or to register about the event, please visit the event site here.

About JVS Toronto

JVS Toronto is a non-profit leader in career and employment services for jobseekers and employers. For almost 75 years, JVS Toronto has played a vital role providing career and employment services across the Greater Toronto Area, supporting more than 21,000 individuals annually.

About vFairs

vFairs strives to deliver top-class virtual events for all audiences, with an intuitive platform that recreates physical events through an immersive online experience. With a range of powerful features and dedicated support for users around the world, vFairs removes the hassle from organizing, exhibiting at, and attending events such as conferences, trade shows, and career fairs. vFairs is a 2021 Mid-Market Leader in the Virtual Event Platforms Category by G2.

Contact the vFairs team to learn more or request a demo to see a virtual event in action or visit http://www.vfairs.com


The National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO) recently introduced new and re-elected members to its Board of Directors at its 2022 Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jarin Dana of Fusion Healthcare Staffing was elected President-Elect, and Liz Hale of MPLT Healthcare was elected Vice President of the organization.

It was extremely important to both me and the Board of Directors to ensure we had a proper succession plan in place and ensure organizational stability for many years to come. Both Jarin and Liz have spent countless hours assisting NALTO members over the years by serving on various committees and on the board itself. Many of the initiatives that NALTO members enjoy today, risk management and lobbying most prominent among them, are a direct result of their many contributions, said Matt Young, COO of All Star Healthcare Solutions and President of NALTO.

Both Michelle Lathan of Floyd Lee Locums and James Heil of Austin Major Group were re-elected for three years.

In addition, Mark Stinnett of MEDSTAFF was elected to the Board of Directors for three years.

We want to officially welcome Mark Stinnett of MEDSTAFF to the NALTO Board of Directors, and welcome back both James Heil and Michelle Lathan as well. Michelle and James have had a tremendous impact on our association over the years, and I know I speak for the board when I say we were very pleased to add someone with Marks many years of experience to our group as well. We look forward to working with our entire board this coming year to advocate for the locum tenens industry while adding exceptional value to our members, continued Young.

And lastly, Id like to express my appreciation to Joe Caldwell for his many years of service to the NALTO Board and NALTO members. Joe was, and will continue to be, and outstanding resource and spokesman for the industry that we are all so passionate about. Thank you once again for your service! said Young.

The full list of Members of the NALTO Board of Directors includes:

Matt Young, President, All Star Healthcare Solutions

Jarin Dana, President-Elect, Fusion Healthcare Staffing

Liz Hale, Vice President, MPLT Healthcare

Jim Chandler, Secretary/Treasurer, Health Carousel Locum Network

Milan Boulette, Director, AB Staffing

Karen Hayes, Director, Hayes Locums

James Heil, Director, Austin Major Group

Michelle Lathan, Director, Floyd Lee Locums

Michael Lynch, Director, CompHealth

Scott Selby, Director, LocumTenens.com

Mark Stinnett, Director, MEDSTAFF

About NALTO: The National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO) is the only professional association of temporary physician staffing firms committed to a code of ethics and to maintaining the highest industry standards.

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Contact:

Dawn McKnight, Executive Director

National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO)

(407) 774-7880

info@nalto.org
The United States Navy Memorial Visitor Center will be reopened to the public on Friday, March 11th, following a temporary closure for renovations.

Located in the heart of Washington D.C. halfway between the White House and Capitol Building, the Navy Memorial has served as a living tribute to members of the United States Sea Services for more than 30 years.

This reopening will give the public free and immediate access to treasured exhibits, including The American Sailor: Agile, Capable, and Talented; Zumwalt: The Current that Brought the Navy to the Shores of the 20th Century; the National Chief's Mess, and the Navy Log Room.

Visitors will also be able to view the Commemorative Plaque Wall, which features hundreds of sponsored plaques dedicated to an individual, group, ship, squadron, command, battle, or event within the Sea Services.

The Navy Memorial also encourages visitors to spend time on its outdoor plaza, managed by the National Park Service and home to the iconic Lone Sailor statue, towering masts with signal flags, fountain pools, and 26 bronze sculptures depicting Navy history.

The Visitor Center will be open from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily. Masks will be optional for guests, and the Navy Memorial will continue to monitor the latest CDC guidelines and recommendations. Additionally, recently renovated on-site restrooms will be available to the public.

Tour groups and Honor Flight groups are also encouraged to begin making plans to visit the Navy Memorial Visitor Center in person soon. If you are organizing an Honor Flight and would like to plan a visit or learn more about the organization, please contact Mr. Andrew Campbell at 202-380-0730 or acampbell@navymemorial.org.

The US Navy Memorial is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to Honor, Recognize and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present and future; and to Inform the public about their service. Our offices are located at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 123, Washington, DC 20004. To learn more, visit us online at navymemorial.org.
NetFortris Vice President of Marketing Raquel Wiley Named 2022 Channel Influencer by Channel Futures NetFortris congratulates Raquel for being recognized as a Channel Influencer by Channel Futures. She is a strong advocate for diversity in the channel and a proven leader, who has made a significant impact on our organization and the industry-at-large.

Raquel Wiley, Vice President of Marketing at NetFortris, was named a 2022 Channel Influencer by Channel Futures, a leading media platform for the IT and communications channel.

Wiley is one of 50 individuals recognized as a channel leader who will impact the direction of the information and communications (ICT) indirect sales channel in 2022. She is profiled in a gallery on the Channel Futures website and in the 2022 Channel Influencers digital issue available now.

The Channel Futures Influencers is an exclusive group of executives who are at the pinnacle of leadership, said Bobby DeMarzo, Vice President of content, Informa Tech Channels Group. Our editorial team and key advisers carefully selected individuals based on their accomplishments and thought leadership in the partner ecosystem. These individuals stand head and shoulders above all others in the entire channel.

Wiley, a 25-year veteran of the telecom industry and a channel marketing professional, is Vice President of Marketing at NetFortris, an end-to-end provider of managed cloud communications solutions and secure network services.

A results-oriented technology marketer Wiley leads direct and indirect channel marketing programs and initiatives at NetFortris. She is charged with developing strategic marketing plans to attract and nurture business customers and channel sales partners to adopt NetFortris managed solutions.

A recognized leader in the telecom channel, Wiley is a former officer and member of the Board of Directors for Alliance of Channel Women (ACW), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of female leaders in the technology channel.

Wiley is a rising voice for DEI in the telecom channel and a sought-after expert and frequent speaker on DEI topics, such as gender and racial diversity. She serves as Chair of ACWs Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee and also is a founding member of the DEI Advisory Board for Channel Futures.

NetFortris congratulates Raquel for being recognized as a Channel Influencer by Channel Futures, said Jamie Minner, CRO at NetFortris. She is a strong advocate for diversity in the channel and a proven leader, who has made a significant impact on our organization and the industry-at-large.

Our editorial team is on top of whats going on in the channel every day, said Craig Galbraith, editorial director for Channel Futures. Certain individuals stand out for the impact they have on the channel with their thoughts, actions and words. This exclusive lineup of leaders represents the entire channel. Its a diverse group that includes key decision-makers from top vendors as well as technology solutions brokerages (formerly master agents) and traditional tech distributors. These honorees have demonstrated dedication to the channel and a willingness and ability to inform and inspire the entire community.

Wiley and the other 49 Channel Influencers will be honored at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, April 11-14, 2022, at the Venetian Resort & Expo in Las Vegas.

Since launching in 2018, the Channel Influencer Awards have recognized the people, technologies, trends and organizations expected to shape the channel in the next year. But the awards have been revamped for 2022. The technologies, trends and organizations categories have been eliminated. Instead, the focus will be solely on individuals, with the list of influencers expanded from 10 to 50 honorees.

About Channel Futures

Channel Futures is a media and events platform serving companies in the IT channel industry with insights, industry analysis, peer engagement, business information and in-person events. Our properties include Channel Futures MSP 501, recognizing the most influential and fastest-growing providers of managed services in the technology industry, Channel Futures DEI 101, honoring and celebrating those who have often been under-represented in tech channels; Channel Partners Events, delivering unparalleled in-person events, including Channel Partners Conference & Expo, The MSP Summit, and Channel Evolution Europe; and DEI Community Group, our initiatives to educate, support, promote, and sustain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the IT channel industry.

Channel Futures is part of Informa Tech, a market-leading B2B information provider with depth and specialization in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Every year, we welcome 7,400+ subscribers to our research, more than 3.8 million unique visitors a month to our digital communities, 18,200+ students to our training programs and 225,000 delegates to our events. Channel Futures is where the world meets the channel; We are leading Channel Partners forward. More information is available at channelfutures.com.

About NetFortris

NetFortris is a nationwide managed services provider that delivers secure, reliable end-to-end communications and networking solutions to organizations of all sizes  from small and medium businesses (SMBs) to midmarket and enterprise customers. Uniquely, NetFortris offers cloud-based solutions housed in geo-redundant data centers and carried over a private nationwide MPLS network. Their award-winning portfolio of solutions includes Unified Communications and Collaboration, SD-WAN, Managed Network and Data Security. NetFortris services are managed 24/7 with or on behalf of business customers by an expert network engineering and operations team. The company provides concierge customer advocacy, 24/7 in-house customer support and consolidated billing for multiple services and locations. For more information, visit http://www.netfortris.com. Follow NetFortris on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Approximately 150,000 construction accidents are reported in the United States every year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S companies pay out $62 billion for workplace injuries in a year, but many cases do not achieve fair compensation. Experts warn that the first few steps following the accident can determine the outcome of the construction accident claim or lawsuit.

In their recent YouTube episode, Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein, P.C., a New York firm with over 60 years of experience, outlined the four steps injured parties should take after a construction accident to ensure fair workers compensation in a personal injury claim.

According to the law firms Managing Partner Brad Bernstein, immediately following the accident, the injured party should:



Remain on the site of the accident and call an ambulance to ensure the emergency response team records the exact location of the accident;

Take pictures or videos of the site or ask co-workers to do it;

Refrain from communicating with the site safety inspector as they work in the insurance companys interest;

Avoid signing documents without the presence of a trusted lawyer and doctor.

The most common construction accidents recognized by the New York State Law include:



Falls

Faulty equipment

Falling objects

Electrocution accidents

Being caught in or between equipment

Bernstein highlighted that in the State of New York, a person injured in a construction accident can request worker's compensation as well as file a lawsuit for:



Pain and suffering

Lost earnings

Past and future medical bills

Spar & Bernsteins team publishes YouTube videos and podcasts to educate viewers and answer their questions on all matters personal injury and immigration.

My goal is to make the law usable and easy to understand so you can use the justice system to your advantage, Bernstein said in his recent episode.

Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein attorneys provide a free initial consultation for construction accident cases in the State of New York.

About Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein P.C.:

Founded in 1958, Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein, P.C. provide legal services in the fields of immigration, personal injury, tax relief, family law, divorce, criminal defense and more.

The firm handles all phases of immigration, from permanent residence and green cards to training and investor visas, work, corporate immigration, family immigration, violations of immigration law and deportation defense.

Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein, P.C. offer legal representation in personal injury cases including construction and motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death and medical malpractice, premise accidents, product liability and more.

*Disclaimer: attorney advertisement. prior successful results do not guarantee a similar outcome
National Foundation for Credit Counseling

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) proudly announces the addition of its newest member, Christian Credit Counselors. As a nonprofit provider of debt management and financial counseling, the mission of Christian Credit Counselors is closely aligned with other organizations that comprise the national network of NFCC members.

We are pleased to welcome Christian Credit Counselors to the NFCC member network, said Bruce McClary, Senior Vice President of Membership and Communications for the NFCC. At a time when financial pressures on American families continue to increase, we look forward to helping our newest member grow and succeed in carrying out their mission.

For more than 30 years, Christian Credit Counselors has assisted over 300,000 Americans seeking trusted help to overcome financial challenges. Christian Credit Counselors is committed to helping individuals and families move beyond their financial challenges and begin to enjoy the benefits of financial freedom.

For us, its not about the numbers. Its about empowering people to be all that God has created them to be in life. We are different; our passion is to help people to shift from survival mode to a life of financial freedom, said Greg McTaggart, President of Christian Credit Counselors.

As a new member, Christian Credit Counselors will maintain accreditation through Council on Accreditation (COA). As a requirement, all NFCC Members must maintain independent accreditation through COA or ISO 9001 certification through Bureau Veritas. The NFCC is also recognized within the sector, and by creditors, for its trademarked Counselor Certification Program. All NFCC certified counselors must be employed by an agency of the NFCC member network and must complete the NFCCs comprehensive training program to ensure they are prepared to serve as objective financial advocates and provide quality education and assistance to consumers.

About the National Foundation for Credit Counseling

Founded in 1951, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is the nations first and largest nonprofit dedicated to improving peoples financial well-being. With a national network of member offices serving all states and US territories, our NFCC Certified Credit Counselors are financial advocates, empowering millions of consumers to take charge of their finances through one-on-one financial reviews that address credit card debt, student loans, housing decisions and overall money management. Make one of the best financial decisions of your life. For expert guidance and advice, call (800) 388-2227 or visit http://www.nfcc.org today.

About Christian Credit Counselors

Christian Credit Counselors is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization offering credit counseling, debt management, and financial education. Our debt management program helps people get out of debt up to 80% faster by consolidating their unsecured debt into one monthly payment. This helps people avoid bankruptcy, debt settlement scams, and quick fixes that ruin credit. Established in 1990, Christian Credit Counselors has relationships with more than 400 creditors, which allows us to provide an individualized debt consolidation plan that is beneficial for each persons financial situation. We are located in San Diego, California and are licensed and bonded in 36 states across the nation.


Combining old and new at Nihon U: Flanking the renovated 1892 Newcastle Courthouse building, the two Azusa Sekkei-designed additions are home to new classrooms and student facilities. Numerous lab tests and field trials have confirmed that PENETRON ADMIX can add up to 60 years to the service life of concrete by markedly decreasing permeability and enhancing overall durability.

Tokyo-based Nihon University welcomed the first students to its new international campus in Newcastle, Australia in January 2022. PENETRON ADMIX, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, was specified to protect the new concrete structures from high groundwater levels and the climate.

With over 70,000 students, Nihon University is the largest private educational institution in Japan. Originally founded in 1189 as the Nihon Law School, the University now comprises 16 colleges, 20 postgraduate schools, and 32 research institutes. The Newcastle campus is the Universitys first overseas location.

The Newcastle campus on the Pacific Coast in New South Wales is about 160 km north of Sydney and serves as a hub for international exchange programs between Australian and Japanese students, adds Jozef Van Beeck, Director of International Sales & Marketing for The Penetron Group. The campus new curriculum will also extend to the nearby University of Newcastle.

Combining Legacy with Modernity

Built on the site of the former Newcastle Courthouse, a heritage-listed courthouse completed in 1892, the $41 million transformation was designed by Azusa Sekkei, a Japanese architectural and engineering firm. The three-year project comprised complete restoration of the original courthouse, including the original retention cell. More recent additions to the courthouse were demolished to make room for two new four-story buildings that flank the renovated courthouse, which house classrooms, and student facilities.

During the extensive renovation and restoration of the 1890s courthouse building  including the repair of extensive water damage  the construction team needed to stabilize the site, which revealed the remains of an old coal mine connected to a coal seam about 20 meters below one of the demolished buildings, adds Jozef Van Beeck. Several tons of grout were used to stabilize the area before construction of the footings of the new building could progress.

Protection from the Subtropical Climate

Penetron Australia was asked by by Northrop Engineers, the projects engineers, to supply a concrete waterproofing solution to protect the below-grade and exposed structures from high groundwater levels and the humid subtropical climate typical for the Australian east coast, with its rainy season in late autumn. Supplied by Boral, the projects ready-mix concrete supplier, the concrete for the below-grade foundation slab, retaining walls, elevator pits and roof slab structures were treated with PENETRON ADMIX.

Numerous lab tests and field trials have confirmed that PENETRON ADMIX can add up to 60 years to the service life of concrete by markedly decreasing permeability and enhancing overall durability, concludes Jozef Van Beeck. This substantially increases the life cycle of concrete treated with PENETRON ADMIX - and has far-reaching consequences for all concrete structures like the new Newcastle campus."

The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives, and distribution channels.

For more information on Penetron waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron.com or Facebook.com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept@penetron.com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.
"After becoming an executive in a financial company, I lost the ability to walk after a tragic fall and had to start life all over again essentially. Ive been knocked down before and have the experience and determination to get back up again."

Blake Harbin officially qualified for the ballot to represent the voters of Georgias 6th Congressional District in the May 24, 2022, Republican Primary. Along with numerous supporters, Blake submitted his registration forms for his candidacy at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Blake Harbins journey leading to this moment has been filled with overcoming adversity, persevering, and embracing the American dream. After completing the qualification process Harbin said, Ive built my life and my home in the 6th district. Raised by a single mother with hardly any resources, I know the importance of community and opportunity and what they can do to help us change our lives. It would be a tremendous honor to help Georgians in the 6th district.

Harbin continued with the reasons he is running, saying, Our great country is under attack. It is headed in the wrong direction and we need to turn it around. Putting America First is not just a policy agenda, it is a mantra for us to do the right thing for our fellow Americans. Blake believes the American dream saved him saying, Only in this country can a boy who grew up with literally nothing work hard to find success. You have to earn it but it is there if you want it. The values this country and this great state were built upon are today under assault, and we need a fighter and a doer in Congress to protect them.

He went on to say, I know what adversity is and how it can shape our lives. In 2007, I lost the ability to walk after a tragic fall and had to start life all over. Ive been knocked down before and know what it takes to get back up again and again. Determination and experience set me apart and I want to use the lessons I have learned to help our residents in the 6th district. I am an outsider. I am not connected to establishment politicians and I dont commute to our district. I live in it.

For more than 20 years Blake has built small businesses in financial management and home mortgages. He has created hundreds of jobs and helped others achieve their dreams saying, This is the type of track record and experience we need to turn around our state and our country. I am asking the voters to support my candidacy and hire me to work for them. We can all realize the American dream. We all deserve a chance at it.

For more information please visit: https://blakeharbin.com/

CONTACT: To schedule an interview with Blake Harbin, contact Jerry McGlothlin at 919-437-0001 jerry@specialguests.com
Quality Health Network (QHN) and Colorado Community Managed Care Network (CCMCN) announced today that the QHN and CCMCN Boards have executed a Letter of Intent to enter into a formal due diligence process to determine if the two organizations can integrate vision, mission, governance, programs and services to the benefit of the members and communities they serve.

The pandemic shows the critical need to make health data meaningful at the local, regional, state and national level, said Dick Thompson, Executive Director and CEO of QHN. We are providing needed and essential products and services especially targeted to those organizations - typically smaller - that dont have access to the resources or abilities to create the infrastructures that larger organizations can.

Both organizations have complementary services and bring strong reputations built on delivering high-quality, innovative solutions, said Jason Greer, Chief Executive Officer of CCMCN. Our joint efforts will allow us to do more for existing customers, while opening new opportunities to strengthen our support for communities and state agencies.

QHN has successfully served rural providers in western Colorado, covering 100-percent of hospitals and over 90-percent of providers in the area. CCMCN supports Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Critical Access Hospitals, Regional Accountable Entities and Health Alliances across Colorado with data, care coordination and analytics solutions.

As part of the integration exploration, Marc Lassaux, currently QHN Chief Technology Officer, will serve as QHNs interim-Chief Executive Officer beginning April 2, following the retirement of Dick Thompson.

QHN is successful because we have focused on our mission and our values, and this will continue to drive us during this exciting process, said Lassaux. I am grateful to Dick for his leadership to QHN and across our state and for the foundation that he has provided. That foundation is essential in helping us look to the future working with a great organization like CCMCN.

For additional questions and media inquiries, please contact QHNs Charity Meinhart at (970) 248-0033 or CCMCNs Michael Feldmiller at (720) 925-5391.

About Quality Health Network (QHN)

QHN is an award-winning, not-for-profit community partnership established in 2004 to facilitate the availability of information to optimize the health of our communities. Our unique technologies for expanding HIE services including social data via the Community Resource Network (CRN) help our network participants improve whole person care. http://www.qualityhealthnetwork.org

About Colorado Community Managed Care Network (CCMCN)

Colorado Community Managed Care Network (CCMCN) is a non-profit Membership organization governed by 20 Section 330-funded Community Health Centers (CHCs). CCMCNs network provides care to approximately 35% of Colorados Medicaid population and one out of eight Colorado residents. CCMCN supports the Colorado safety net by providing data management, care coordination, data analysis and performance improvement systems for organizations statewide. CCMCNs Mission is to provide services that enable its members and their community partners to succeed as efficient, effective and accountable systems of care. http://www.ccmcn.com
Crazy Bear: an enjoyable journey that teaches important lessons on faith, trust, and listening to the voice of Jesus. Crazy Bear is the creation of published author R.J. Locklear, a worship and youth pastor serving in Pembroke, North Carolina. As members of the Lumbee Native American tribe, he and his wife, Elayna, have a heart to serve unreached indigenous peoples and share with them the love of Christ.

Locklear shares, Is he crazy? This young bear finds himself following a call none of his friends can hear. This short story is about the journey of faith, the necessity of trust, and how easy it can be to give up on the call of God. Follow these friends on their journey to uncover the mystery of this, knock, knock, knocking!

You may find that you are not that crazy after all.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, R.J. Locklears new book is a delightfully crafted tale that encourages a sense of spiritual awareness.

Locklear shares in hopes of helping others to find and welcome God into their heart and home.

Consumers can purchase Crazy Bear at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Crazy Bear, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
We are excited and honored to work with Japan Lifeline on this important topic of occupational protection. We are aligned in our mission to protect interventional teams in Japan, one of the largest medical markets in the world. Tom Livingston, Rampart IC CEO.

Rampart IC, a medical device company specializing in radiation shielding and orthopedic protection, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Japan Lifeline (JLL), securing distribution to the Japanese market. The product should launch this year, pending regulatory approval.

Known for their expertise in the cardiovascular field, JLL is a full service manufacturer and distributor of medical devices in Japan. Japan is currently the second-largest medical device market in the world, after the United States.

The Rampart M1128 is a device developed for interventional cardiologists (ICs), but has found its way into several interventional specialties. Interventionalists and their teams spend extended time in catheterization labs and, therefore, rank as the occupation with the highest level of radiation exposure in the world(1). ICs often face debilitating injuries resulting from the 20-30 pound lead aprons traditionally worn to reduce radiation exposure(2). Sixty percent of cardiologists suffer from work-related back issues, with many physicians experiencing ruptured discs and other chronic spinal problems that often require surgery(2).

The Rampart M1128 is a fully adjustable and portable system equipped with radiation-attenuating panels that have 1mm lead equivalency, creating a wide shielding area, protecting the physician and surrounding medical personnel. The electric device is easily configured and adjusted, allowing for subtle positioning to suit the body shape of the patient.

We are excited and honored to work with Japan Lifeline on this important topic of occupational protection. We are aligned in our mission to protect interventional teams in Japan, one of the largest medical markets in the world. Our global partners are facilitating adoption of Rampart because it is a solution for a universal problem, said Tom Livingston, Rampart IC Chief Executive Officer. "Dr. Bob Fosters mission to create a safer cath lab experience for himself and his colleagues will benefit future generations of interventionalists worldwide. Our partners share our vision and mission to facilitate quality care for patients, without compromising the health and safety of the interventional team.

Based on our long experience in the cardiovascular space, we believe that there is a great need to reduce the radiation exposure and physical burden of the medical professionals, said Keisuke Suzuki with Japan Lifeline. By expanding the number of facilities that adopt this product, Japan Lifeline will strive to support the medical professionals so that they can provide high quality medical care to their patients with confidence.

JLL joins Ramparts group of global distribution partners including the parent company Uniphar in Europe which owns EPS in Scandinavia and sub-distributors in eastern Europe; M3 Medical in Ireland; Correct Medical in Germany, and Angiocare in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Vascular Perspectives distributes to the United Kingdom; Nexamedic to Switzerland; Bioquantek to Italy; Biomed Solutions to Cyprus; Gulf House Medical to Bahrain, Eastern Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; Heartbeat Medical to UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Egypt; Wilhelm Integrated Solutions to Australia, and Universal Link to Brunei.

The Rampart IC system is in use with American healthcare systems including Ascension, Sutter Health and Northwell. The technology has been adopted by renowned medical institutions like Emory University Healthcare System and University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center.

Rampart IC is a Birmingham, Alabama-based medical device company specializing in radiation shielding. Praised by the leading interventional cardiologists in the field, Ramparts technologies have been adopted by prestigious health systems around the globe.

Visit us at http://www.rampartic.com.

1. Zakeri F, Hirobe T, Akbari K. Biological effects of the lowdose radiation exposure on interventional cardiologist. International atomic energy agency: Occ Med (Lond) 2010;60(6): 464-9

2. Orme NM, Rihal CS, Gulati R, et al. Occupational health hazards of working in the interventional laboratory: a multisite case control study of physicians and allied staff. J Am Coll Cardiol 2015; 65: 820-6.
Far more than just an email program, Microsoft Outlook delivers essential tools to help users make the most out of their time at work.

Messaging Architects, an eMazzanti Technologies Company and Microsoft 365 expert, explains how to read Microsoft Outlook email faster and shares other productivity tips in a new article. The informative article first discusses how to use the Outlook Message Reading Pane to read email faster.

The author then reviews using Priority Folders and Search Folders to streamline email. He also discusses customizing the To-Do Bar to display people, tasks and/or the calendar to increase productivity.

Far more than just an email program, Microsoft Outlook delivers essential tools to help users make the most out of their time at work, stated Greg Smith, Vice President of Services Delivery at Messaging Architects.

Below are a few excerpts from the article, Read Email Faster with Outlook Reading Pane and Other Productivity Tips.

Read Email Faster with the Message Reading Pane

Outlook provides an optional Message Reading Pane that displays the full email selected. Using it saves time because you dont have to open any emails to see whats in them. So, you just look and then delete, and the next one pops into the reading pane. Repeating the process gets you quickly through a long Inbox. Its a big timesaver!

Adding Priority Folders to the Top of the Outlook Folder Pane

The folder pane displays on the far left of the screen. Outlook includes several options that allow users to tweak the display to help them work more efficiently. For example, by default, the top of the folder pane displays Favorites, and you can customize this section to show priority items.

Using Search Folders and Rules to Streamline Email

Outlook search folders and email rules provide additional tools for improving productivity. For instance, search folders provide a handy way to easily locate emails from a specific user or about a specific topic. And once users create a search folder, they can add it to the Favorites section as described above.

Customizing the To-Do Bar to Drive Productivity

On the to-do bar, you can choose to display a snapshot of key productivity items. For instance, you can show your calendar and upcoming appointments, as well as tasks and favorite contacts.

Microsoft 365 Experts

Outlook provides numerous options to help people work smarter. For additional Outlook tips, contact the Microsoft 365 email experts at Messaging Architects. With deep expertise in Outlook and email migrations, its consultants help users unlock powerful features to drive collaboration and productivity.

Have you read?

7 Common Email Mistakes That Kill Your Professionalism And How to Avoid Them

Microsoft 365 for Law Firms Improves Client Relationships and Powers Office Productivity

About Messaging Architects

Messaging Architects specializes in effectively managing and securing an organizations most precious asset, its information. With over 20 years of information management and technology consulting experience, the Messaging Architects team has provided corporations, educational intuitions, health care facilities and nonprofits with methodologies, procedures, and technology to keep their data organized, compliant and secure.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzantis team of trained, certified IT experts rapidly deliver increased revenue growth, data security and productivity for clients ranging from law firms to high-end global retailers, expertly providing advanced retail and payment technology, digital marketing services, cloud and mobile solutions, multi-site implementations, 247 outsourced network management, remote monitoring, and support.

eMazzanti has made the Inc. 5000 list 9X, is a 4X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP, NJ Business of the Year and 5X WatchGuard Partner of the Year! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, info@emazzanti.net or http://www.emazzanti.net Twitter: @emazzanti Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies.


Your Career In Automotive Is Waiting

The Richie Bello Institute of Leadership and Management is hosting a by invitation cigar night for dealers and veterans in thanks to its supporters. Hosted by its founder Richie Bello, the institute is holding the event on April 6th at The Man Cave in Fort Lauderdale. With Miami as headquarters for Shop Smart Autos, Bello made Fort Lauderdale his home base. Bello then adopted The Man Cave as his home away from home in Fort Lauderdale. This event is limited to a few strong influencers who will carry the flag for our veterans. These folks will spread the word through their networks in automotive and veteran affairs, said Bello. Each one of Bello's guests will receive 3 Cigar Aficionado award-winning cigars. The event is being sponsored by Shop Smart Autos.

Veterans currently represent about 20% of the. automotive workforce. The Institute currently focuses on sales, management, and ownership. Bello himself has years of training experience, which is consistently used in his digital platform. Shop Smart Autos is a digital media platform driven by big data and advanced technologies that provide dealers and enterprise organisations with. performance-based programs in lead generation and data.

The Institute took a back seat in 2020 just as things started to take momentum. About to launch Career Nights for veterans, COVID hit, and all group functions discontinued. Bello raised money to sponsor veterans at no cost to the veteran and the dealer. "We fell a little behind with our full attention on Shop Smart Autos and COVID stopped our outreach, but we are. planning our next push in April of this year." continued Bello, The Institute will train and place qualified veterans in dealerships across the country. For more information about the Richie Bello Institute of Leadership and Management write to info@shopsmartautos.com.
SemaConnect's portfolio of EV charging stations for residential, commercial, and fleet. I invite NADA attendees to visit the SemaConnect booth during the conference and ask us your EV charging questions.

SemaConnect, leading provider of electric vehicle charging solutions to the North American commercial, residential, and fleet market, announces its attendance at this weekends NADA Show 2022. Organized by the National Automobile Dealers Association, the annual conference and expo brings thousands of automotive professionals and subject matter experts together for sessions and demonstrations on the latest trends at the Las Vegas Convention Center. SemaConnect will display the Series 6 commercial charging station and new Series 4 home charging station in Booth 1758W during the expo on March 11-13.

Electric vehicles are coming en masse to dealerships, in large part, for the first time this year, said Joseph Inglisa, vice president of business development at SemaConnect. Dealers are a key part of the distribution of EVs because they need to be able to provide customers with a complete solution, a car, and a well-crafted home charging solution. I invite NADA attendees to visit the SemaConnect booth during the conference and ask us your EV charging questions.

SemaConnect brings the Series 6 Commercial and Series 4 Home charging stations to booth 1758W. With a J-1775 plug, the Level 2 stations are compatible with all plug-in electric vehicles in North America. The Series 6 is SemaConnects flagship charging station for all commercial uses including workplace and retail. The SemaConnect Network allows station owners to manage access, set custom pricing, and view usage and sustainability reports. The Series 4 is SemaConnects solution for flexible home charging at 30-50amp. With the SemaConnect App, home station owners can manage their charge, find a public station, or start charging at one of SemaConnects 15,000 commercial charging stations nationwide.

SemaConnect representatives will be available for questions and station demonstrations on all three days of the expo at Booth 1758W. For more information about NADA, visit show.nada.org.

About SemaConnect:

SemaConnect is a leading provider and pioneer of electric vehicle charging infrastructure solutions to the North American commercial, residential and fleet market. A complete EV support partner, SemaConnect is making transportation electrification possible in this decade through innovative, elegantly designed charging stations, a robust and open network platform, and an unparalleled charging experience for drivers and station owners. Since our founding in 2008, SemaConnect has installed thousands of smart charging stations at top companies like CBRE, JLL, Hines, Greystar, Nike, Electrify America, and SP Plus. SemaConnect remains the preferred charging solutions partner to municipal, parking, multifamily, hotel, office, retail and commercial fleet customers across the United States and Canada. For more information, visit semaconnect.com.
(L-R) SIUE's Sharon Locke, PhD; Adriana E. Martinez, PhD; Alan W. Black, PhD; Rohan Benjankar, PhD; and Carol E. Colaninno, PhD. The Watershed Scholars Program will develop scholars whose research will contribute to the scientific understanding of sustainable watersheds using a variety of interdisciplinary approaches and cross-cutting skills frequently sought by local and regional employers.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has received $1.5 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of a novel model for graduate education that removes financial barriers and increases diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

The project, At the Confluence: Supporting Critical Transitions for Graduate Students in Sustainable Watersheds Research, is led by principal investigator (PI) Adriana E. Martinez, PhD, associate professor in the Departments of Environmental Sciences and Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

The program is now enrolling its first cohort, and will contribute to the national need for educated STEM professionals by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need.

Participating graduate students will receive a tuition waiver and a $10,000 scholarship for each of the two years of their masters program. Over the projects six-year duration, 45 scholarships will be funded for students pursuing graduate degrees in environmental sciences, civil engineering, biology or chemistry.

The Watershed Scholars Program will develop scholars whose research will contribute to the scientific understanding of sustainable watersheds using a variety of interdisciplinary approaches and cross-cutting skills frequently sought by local and regional employers, said Martinez. Graduates will be prepared to address the significant environmental challenges posed by human modifications and alterations to watersheds, including impacts resulting from climate change.

According to Martinez, the projects leadership team reflects a variety of subdisciplines within watershed sciences including faculty in civil engineering, climatology, geomorphology and hydrology, watershed biotic populations and communities, and geology.

Co-PIs include:



Rohan Benjankar, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering

Alan W. Black, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Geography and GIS

Carol E. Colaninno, PhD, research associate professor in the SIUE STEM Center

Sharon Locke, PhD, professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and director of the SIUE STEM Center

Students will develop close relationships with our research team so that they are provided with multiple mentoring and research opportunities, Martinez explained. Students will study watersheds from multiple disciplinary perspectives, which will prepare them to solve complex problems related to watershed sustainability and resiliency. Involvement in faculty research has a positive impact on a students science identity, ultimately making them more successful in their science pursuits.

The research team will lead professional workshops, conduct group advising of students as they progress through their programs, offer a new course in sustainable watersheds, and connect participants with internships and professional networks in watershed science.

The program enhances opportunities for students to pursue STEM disciplines regardless of their backgrounds and family circumstances.

I am a first-generation graduate student who didnt know how to navigate the system, shared Martinez, By removing financial barriers through this program, were also helping to eliminate some of the mental stress of graduate school. Our group advising approach increases the likelihood of success in graduate school. Plus, our program provides an academic social network for students to support each other in their time at SIUE, which helps create a sense of belonging.

The project team aims to better understand how to support STEM students to transition successfully to graduate school. The teams education researchers will evaluate the effectiveness of mentoring and professional development and share the findings at national conferences and in publications. By testing a new model, SIUE is contributing to improving U.S. STEM graduate education.

To learn more about the S-STEM Watershed Scholars Program and to apply, visit SIUESTEMCenter.org/s-stem-watershed-scholars-program.

This project (2130471) is funded by NSFs Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.

By preparing the next generation of leaders in a knowledge-based economy, SIUEs Graduate School fulfills the regions demand for highly trained professionals. Graduate program offerings include arts and sciences, business, education, engineering, nursing and interdisciplinary opportunities. SIUE professors provide students with a unique integration of theoretical education and hands-on research experiences. Students can obtain graduate certificates or pursue masters degrees, and be part of a supportive learning and rich intellectual environment that is tailored to the needs of adult learners. The Graduate Schools Office of Research and Projects supports and raises the visibility of research and creative activity at SIUE, which ranks highest among its Illinois Board of Higher Education peers in total research and development expenditures according to the National Science Foundations Higher Education Research and Development Survey.
Poster for the virtual construction job fair

The St. Lawrence College (SLC) has announced it is hosting its Eastern Ontario College Consortium (EOCC) SLC - Construction Fair on Mar 15, 2022, using the vFairs platform. This event is geared towards job seekers in the construction industry. Specifically, it targets people interested in the industry in the Kingston area. Pre-registration is currently open, and qualified candidates can contact Liz Grady at LGrady@sl.on.ca.

The fair offers fully funded training opportunities to eligible potential employees before they start working in the field. The Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada are partially funding this event as a way to get more skilled workers in the construction industry. This is because the Ottawa region is undergoing major infrastructural development. Therefore, this event will help job seekers participate in this development. It opens up opportunities with various unique aspects like:



Pre-registration for easy access

Hiring and interview opportunities at the event

Free training for employee skill development

vFairs has been a crucial part of the marketing and setup of this event. With its tools and support, EOCC has been able to plan an event that will offer some great job opportunities in the construction industry.

Beth Steel, Project Coordinator at St. Lawrence College stated, This EOCC Construction initiative is designed to help both employers and job seekers and to strengthen the construction sector as it experiences huge growth and demand.

The CEO of vFairs, Muhammad Younas, added, Its heartening to see this focus on development and training, along with employment opportunities in the construction sector. Kingston has a lot of potential for infrastructural development, and were proud to contribute our expertise in helping this along.

Interested candidates can learn more here, and pre-register for the event by contacting Liz Grady at LGrady@sl.on.ca.

About St. Lawrence College

St. Lawrence College is an integral part of the economic life and social fabric of Eastern Ontario, with campuses in Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall. St. Lawrence College consistently ranks as one of Ontarios leading community colleges, preparing students for the global economy with relevant, practical, and experiential learning opportunities. Offering over 100 full-time programs, St. Lawrence College is a close-knit community of 10,000 full-time students and more than 100,000 alumni.

About vFairs

vFairs is a virtual & hybrid events platform that helps organizations reach global audiences. We help organizations of all sizes host amazing online conferences, trade shows, job fairs & more. The platform offers an intuitive virtual experience along with interactive features such as audio/video chat, excellent scalability, and several customization options.
ACLS Announces Recipients of the 2022 Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art "This research can amplify voices and perspectives of indigenous populations, communities of color, and on complex historical narratives that have often been muted in retellings of our American history."

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to announce the 2022 Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellows in American Art. This year, the fellowships recognize seven outstanding doctoral candidates for their promising research in American art history. The program is made possible by the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation.

Since 1992, the Luce/ACLS program has supported more than 300 early-career scholars as they pursue dissertations on the history of the visual arts of the United States, including all facets of Native American art. The awards are designed to promote emerging leaders and advance cutting-edge scholarship in American art history, welcoming research approaches that elevate voices, narratives, and subjects that have been historically underrepresented and under-studied in the academy. The 2022 fellows join previous recipients who are now some of the country's most distinguished college and university faculty, museum professionals, and leaders in the cultural sector.

The winning research projects explore timely and engaging topics that advance and expand the field of art history, including an examination of four contemporary Latinx artists and their relationship to maps, geography, and space; self-representation in Hawaiian royal photography; and artistic responses to the legacies of nuclear weapons testing and the global inheritances of the Cold War.

ACLS is proud of our continued partnership with the Luce Foundation in supporting the exciting work of these emerging scholars, said ACLS President Joy Connolly. Their research can amplify voices and perspectives of indigenous populations, communities of color, and on complex historical narratives that have often been muted in retellings of our American history.

Each fellow will receive $42,000 to support one year of research and writing as well as fellowship-related travel during any nine-to-twelve-month period between July 2022 and May 2024. The 2022 fellowship recipients are:



Emily Cornish, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Indigenous Women and Photography in the Kingdom of Hawaii: Tradition and Modernity through Self-representation and Patronage

Taryn Ely, University of Rochester, A Medium of Madness: Neurodiversity in American Experimental Cinema

Katherine Gregory, University of Texas at Austin, Freedom of Movement, Freedom of Mind: Robert S. Duncanson in Europe and America

Angela Pastorelli-Sosa, University of California, Berkeley, X Marks the Spot: Latinx Artists Mapping Space (Ellen Holtzman Fellow)

Dylan Volk, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Lips Touch: Lesbian Aesthetic Strategies and the Body Impolitic, 1990-1999

Zoe Weldon-Yochim, University of California, Santa Cruz, Atomic Afterlives: Visualizing Nuclear Toxicity in Art of the United States, 1979-2011

Serda Yalkin, Duke University, Diasporic Visions: Nuyorican Photography in the 1970s and 1980s

Meet the New Luce/ACLS Fellows and Learn About Their Research Projects.

Additional information about the Luce/ACLS Fellowship program can be found here.

Formed in 1919, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 78 scholarly organizations. As the preeminent representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS holds a core belief that knowledge is a public good. As such, ACLS strives to promote the circulation of humanistic knowledge throughout society. In addition to stewarding and representing its member organizations, ACLS employs its $180 million endowment and a more than $30 million annual operating budget to support scholarship in the humanities and social sciences and to advocate for the centrality of the humanities in the modern world.

The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy.
Bia Watches Our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people in this time of despair and displacement

Time Concepts announced today that they will donate 100% of the profits from sales of their Bia and 420 Waldo watches. Bia and 420 Waldos watches are cause brands that were conceived to support women's empowerment and medicinal cannabis respectively, but with the state of the world today and the crisis in Ukraine, Time Concepts is immediately shifting its benevolence to support Ukraine and donate 100% of its profit on both brands to support Ukraine in their time of need.

Each Bia wristwatch features a superior illumination system called Visible247 that is the highest-performing photo luminescent technology in injection molded polymers ever created. With just 10 minute exposure to any light source, every Bia timepiece stays illuminated for at least 10 hours.

The 420Waldos brand includes two series, Bud (41mm) and Mary Jane (34mm). Both offer a wide mixture of colored dials housed in stainless steel cases with scratch resistant, hardened mineral glass crystals. A leaf at 4:20 on each dial adds a fun, casual flavor to the simple design. The various color leather straps are made of soft calfskin and have easy on/off spring pins that allow for quick strap changes in a matter of seconds. The watches are powered by Japanese Quartz movements to ensure accuracy and dependability.

Our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people in this time of despair and displacement, said Barry Cohen, Managing Partner of Time Concepts. It is our sincerest hope that by donating 100% of the profits from our Bia and 420 Waldo collections, that we can make a difference in peoples lives by providing donations to aid in shelter, food, and other necessities in their time of need. We ask that consumers please consider buying a watch (or watches) from either or both brands, for a true win-win situation  they will get a nice well-made watch for themselves or as a gift for someone and know that in doing so we will donate every penny of the profit to Ukraine.

For purchases to support Ukraine, please go to http://www.BiaWatches.com and http://www.420WaldosWatches.com. To learn more about Time Concepts, please visit http://www.TimeConcepts.net

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About Time Concepts, LLC

Time Concepts, LLC was started by Barry Cohen, the founder, former owner and CEO of the Swiss-made watch company Luminox, the maker of the official watch of the Navy SEALs. Time Concepts was launched as a platform to develop private label watches. As the business evolved, it added its own Szanto vintage brand and the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association brand of dive watches. In 2022, Time Concepts is introducing the ProTek line of mens watches. Time Concepts develops watches in Switzerland and Asia and uses only top-quality manufacturers. Most of the companys watches are manufactured in a dust-free, temperature- and humidity-controlled clean-room environment to ensure years of dependable service. For more information, please visit http://www.TimeConcepts.net.
We are pleased to offer this portfolio for auction in the strong St. Louis market where bidders can bid their price and win their preferred property

Higgenbotham Auctioneers International is presenting a terrific opportunity to future homeowners, developers, and investors to purchase a home or land for construction. The sale will take place on-site Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 10:00AM at the Millennium Student Center on the campus of University of Missouri, St. Louis with online/app bidding available with preregistration starting on March 15, 2022, 8:00AM. Previews of the properties will be held on Tuesday, March 29th, 9AM  12:30PM.

There are a total of 15 properties being sold at public auction close to the University of Missouri  St. Louis. There are 5 single-family homes and 10 vacant residential lots with opening bids from $100 to $13,000. These homes are handyman specials, perfect to fix and flip for sale or rent and the lots are ready for construction of new homes with all utilities and infrastructure in place!

The sale is subject to government approval.

We are pleased to offer this portfolio for auction in the strong St. Louis market where bidders can bid their price and win their preferred property. stated Marty Higgenbotham, President for HAI.

Please visit the website at http://www.AuctionStLouis.com for complete preview information, property list, photos, and information.

About the Company | Founded in 1959, Higgenbotham Auctioneers International (HAI) utilizes the auction method of marketing to sell real estate throughout the United States and the world. Higgenbothams success is attributed to the companys stellar track record in marketing unique properties and the firm enjoys continuing relationships with Fortune 500 clients such as Alcoa, Wal-Mart and Albertsons Supermarkets, as well as many publicly-traded and closely-held companies. For more information, please visit http://www.higgenbotham.com.
VCCS, an employment services has announced it will be hosting its second Eastern Ontario Virtual Job Fair on March 24th through virtual event platform vFairs. The event is free and registration is now open.

This event is being hosted on the heels of VCCS's successful first Eastern Ontario Virtual Job Fair on Feb 24, 2022 using vfairs as the hosting platform, which featured 11 virtual employer booths with over 492 booth visits. These booth visits helped bring in ample job opportunities and led to many job applications being filled.

The March 24th event is targeted at employers and job seekers in the Kawartha Lakes region. The upcoming Spring Job Fair aims to connect employers with job seekers and go beyond the success of the Winter Job Fair by helping even more people in the region to find jobs suited to their skills. So, job seekers and employers alike can participate in this upcoming event.

VCCS staff shared that February's Virtual Job Fair provided a great opportunity for employers and job seekers to connect similar to a real job fair setting. Feedback from participants included that the fair was dynamic, informative, user-friendly, fun, and a great opportunity to meet 1:1. Employers noted that it was an efficient way to interact with potential candidates.

Muhammad Younas, CEO & Founder at vFairs, added, "The previous event with VCCS was quite successful, so it comes as no surprise that they would want to host their next event with us as well. I'm looking forward to a sustained and long-term professional relationship with the company."

For more details about the Spring Job Fair or to register, please visit http://www.vccs.work

About VCCS

VCCS Employment Services delivers employment programs and related services to residents in the City of Kawartha Lakes and surrounding areas and managed by Muskoka Kawarthas Employment Services and funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario

About vFairs

vFairs is a virtual and hybrid events platform that helps organizations reach global audiences. We help organizations of all sizes host amazing online conferences, trade shows, job fairs and more. The platform offers an intuitive virtual experience along with interactive features such as audio/video chat, excellent scalability, and several customization options.


We are honored to be included among a prestigious group of companies making innovations to improve the quality and safety of patient care.

VirtuSense Technologies has been named to Fast Companys prestigious annual list of the Worlds Most Innovative Companies for 2022.

This years list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a wholeultimately thriving in todays ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. In addition to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations are recognized across 52 categories.

We are honored to be recognized as one of Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies in Medical Devices and are humbled to be included among a prestigious group of companies making innovations to improve the quality and safety of patient care, said VirtuSense CTO, Deepak Gaddipati. We are proud of our advancements in delivering proactive medical care, and we remain committed to expanding our AI-powered technology to help care providers better protect their most vulnerable patients.

VirtuSenses AI-powered sensor technology detects and prevents patient falls before they occur. Implemented across acute and post-acute care settings, the technology is reducing patient falls with injury by 96%, resulting in $289 million cost savings to date. Without using cameras that invade patients privacy, the AI-powered sensors detect and predict bed and chair exits by 30 to 65 seconds in advance, thereby alerting care teams of a potential patient fall before it occurs. In addition, VirtuSenses algorithm learns the habits of the monitored patient, leading to 95% fewer false alarms and drastically reducing alarm fatigue.

As healthcare technology continues to evolve, so does VirtuSense. The company has developed a suite of solutions, such as telehealth, telenursing, wireless vitals monitoring and virtual rounding, to support clinical staff and prevent adverse health events. In a time where nursing burnout and shortages are at an all-time high, it is critical to equip nurses with the tools to make them more efficient while simultaneously reducing their workload.

Fast Companys editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

The Worlds Most Innovative Companies is Fast Companys signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

The worlds most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether theyre fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions, said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

For the second year in a row, to coincide with the issue launch, Fast Company will host its Most Innovative Companies Summit on April 2627. The virtual, multiday summit celebrates the Most Innovative Companies in business, and provides an early look at major business trends and an inside look at what it takes to innovate in 2022. Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here, as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

ABOUT VirtuSense

VirtuSense Technologies (Peoria, IL) is advancing the transformation of proactive healthcare for all. The company was founded in 2013 by an engineer who wanted to prove that you dont have to wait for a fall or a heart attack to receive care. Predictive AI can make healthcare simple, affordable, and accessible without compromising the quality of care.

ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at http://www.fastcompany.com.
Known for his award-winning books about Darius, an introspective half-Iranian teen who loves tea and science fiction and is living with depression, Adib Khorram has a new YA novel coming out this month. Kiss & Tell features Hunter, a member of a popular boy band confronting being an out gay teen living under the media spotlight. Khorram spoke with PW about writing as an out gay author, the unspoken social codes that govern masculinity, his dream of an Iranian Jonas Brothers band, and the difficulties of writing during Covid.

What got you interested in writing about a boy band? Are you a fan?

I am a fan. I came of age during the NSYNC and Backstreet Boys wars of the late 90s and early aughts. And I spent a lot of my adulthood in the event productions industry, doing concerts and theater, so Ive been around music in a lot of ways. Im also a musician, a terrible one. The intellectual reasons were that when youre writing for young adults, boy bands are part of the zeitgeist; theyre so anarchic and fun, and they also have a complicated relationship to queerness. But also, the idea for the book just came to me out of the blue, and it seemed fun. Sometimes you just have to follow the muse.

The book is dedicated to everyone whos ever been afraid to sing along to boy bandsbut secretly wanted to. Whats that fear about?

Most boy bands cater to the female gaze, particularly the young female gaze, but boy bands are also five boys hanging out all the time, goofing off on stage, so theres always going to be subtextual stuff there. When youre young and gay and trying to pretend to be straight, rejecting anything that girls like is a toxic, but unfortunately common, strategy. Its an outcropping of toxic masculinity and the patriarchy to kind of demonize and diminish anything that even hints at the feminine.

Did this affect you personally?

Very much so. I was a pretty closeted teen in high school, so I didnt realize what a huge crush I had on Nick Carter, but it was definitely a crush. I knew that it would be social suicide to admit to liking the Backstreet Boys or to sing along when anyone could hear me. It was one of those unspoken social rules.

In Kiss & Tell, the protagonist Hunters ex makes their texts public, and Hunter gets shamed about his sexual choicesshaming that comes in part from the gay community. Is that toxic masculinity again?

I think it very much is. Stereotypes abound, not in the entire gay community, but certain segments of it. Theres the bleed-through of toxic masculinity. Its a weird thing; the call is coming from both within and without the house. Often the same people who desperately desire queer liberation will turn around and attack fellow queer people for the way they choose to exist.

Relatedly, one thread in the book is about privilege and representation, with white, cis Hunter asking himself if he should be the public face of the gay community. What made you want to incorporate these questions?

These are questions I ask myself as an out gay author. In the before times, I talked to young people at schools and libraries, and I was aware of who I was and what I might mean to these young queer people. And as a consumer of media, Ive seen lots of queer celebrities alternately lionized or condemned for the way they move through the world. I think with any public figure, theres a strange dehumanization that happens where we expect and demand perfection from them and then are personally offended when they inevitably fail. I was thinking a lot about what it means to be a queer public figure, and especially as an artist, as Hunter is.

When you create things, in a way, you become the product; how do you draw the line between what you share and what you keep to yourself? When youre rich and famous and privileged, what is your responsibility to the world and whats your responsibility to yourself? I dont think there are any easy answers, and everyone has to find the right balance for themselves.

You incorporate a lot of social media in the book, which makes sense, since Hunters a celebrity. Were you also interested in critiquing social media?

I think it was my goal to implicate the reader in the media landscape theyre taking part of. To spend most of the book inside Hunters head and see how he struggles and then have to step outside and see how hes being attacked as if hes not a person with feelings. We all do that to some extent: we live in a capitalist landscape and we forget that celebrities are human, too, no matter how rich or successful they seem to be.

One way Hunters humanity comes into play is that hes much more aware of how media hurts him than he is of how it affects his non-white bandmates. What made you want to include that?

In a lot of ways, this was my critique of a certain strain of white queerness, of some cis-gender white men who forget that theyre not the most oppressed people on the planet. Hunter tends to be shortsighted about some thingslike many people, the oppressions hes personally felt and experienced puts blinders on him. Its really easy to feel alone and forget that youre part of a greater struggle.

Are you hoping that seeing Hunter realize this will help readers do so as well?

I hope theyll see that even when he stumbles, he tries to do better, and that he has good friends who love him and try to extend him grace. And also that he extends grace to the people who hurt him. It was important to me to show him not holding onto anger at his ex.

Hunters new boyfriends band PAR-K is described as pop with a lot of Iranian influences. Is there such a band?

To my knowledge, there is no such band. I think the closest is a band called Young the Giant. Its a great, multicultural band that does amazing songs about the diaspora experience, or at least thats how I read their songs. As far as an Iranian Jonas Brothers, which is basically what PAR-K is, I wish there were one.

Darius, the protagonist in your two previous books, is very involved with his family. Hunter, in contrast, is on tour, in a peer group/fame bubble. Were the bonds similar or different to write?

It was really different for me to explore that kind of broad friendship. It was a challenge to treat this book almost as an ensemble book, but in some ways, it was also easier. When I was younger, I was more like Hunter than Darius. I had a big friend group. I was a theater kid, I thrived in a found family. And given how keen I am to examine and dismantle toxic masculinity, it was very fulfilling to write about five boys on a tour bus, goofing off and yet being there for each other and being honest and vulnerable.

The guys in the band really support each other, and theres no homophobia. Is this something you think is real or are you hoping it could be real?

Its a little of both. Maybe its my outsider perspective, but when I talk to young people, when I see the way they move through the halls at school, they seem nicer to each other than my peers and I were. I think todays teenagers are more empathetic. I think theres progress, as shown by the proliferation of gender and sexuality alliances, of antiracist work in schools. At the same time, people can be cruel, and its not unilaterally better everywhere. Part of being a writer for young people is balancing the world as it is with the world as I wish it to be. I think Hunter and his friends are a little of both, because I think friend groups like that exist, and at the same time, I want more of them to exist.

You wrote this entire book during Covid. What was that like?

I wrote the first chapter in February, and in March things started going south. Honestly, it was the worst. Every draft was hard. My whole routine was turned upside down when I couldnt go to coffee shops and write or meet up with friends and write. Writing is a solitary thing, but I used to be able to be solitary with other people. And being completely solitary while the world was so terrible was really hard.

My editors note on my draft was Somehow the book came out heavy, which is strange because boy bands are supposed to be fun. And I thought, Oh my god, youre right. Boy bands are supposed to be fun. Putting joy back in the book was one of the biggest challenges. The last round of edits coincided with a nasty winter storm in Kansas City and I had to stay inside for two weeks while I was editing. But I think it did come out joyful, and Im proud of that.

Whats next for you?

I am working on several things in multiple categories. My very first short story is coming out this August in an anthology called Eternally Yours, edited by Patrice Caldwell. Its a paranormal romance anthology. I never expected Id write a story that fit there, but when I had an idea about gay merfolk, I thought yes, this is for me.

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram. Dial, $18.99 Mar. 22 ISBN 978-0-593-32526-1
March is Womens History Month and this year, four new and forthcoming illustrated books are among the new releases for young readers that shine a spotlight on a variety of women and girls around the worldsome leading ordinary lives, others more unconventional livesbut all of them doing extraordinary things that have inspired their contemporaries. Their stories also resonate with readers born long after them, who benefited from their trailblazing efforts to make society more gender-inclusive and equitable for all. Here we look at those projects and speak with their authors.

Revolutionary Prudence Wright: Leading the Minute Women in the Fight for Independence by Beth Anderson, illustrated by Susan Reagan (Astra/Calkins Creek, Feb.) is not a typical biography, its author explained, but rather a dramatic events story. In April 1775, Prudence Wright, a 35-year-old mother of six children, recruited a group of 3040 women in Pepperell, Mass., to defend their community against the British by standing guard at a bridge into the town. While doing so, the group intercepted a Tory spy and confiscated documents that were being transported to the British.

Anderson said that she wrote Revolutionary Prudence Wright to fill a gap in the history books concerning the female colonists who foiled the British on the home front during the American Revolution while their husbands were away, fighting battles.

Children learn about the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere and the Battle of Concord in school, Anderson said, but they never see whats going on behind the scenes, and that there are other ways to fight in a revolution than just war.

In addition to telling the story of a mighty woman who rallied other women to protect their community, Anderson also shares snippets of information about Wrights daily life, beginning with scenes from her childhood. By the second spread, Anderson said, shes an adult, but you see that spark of independence from the beginning. It shows what family life was like during that era and lets children see that we are all a part of history.

Anderson said that she discovered Wrights story by chance, while browsing through historical accounts about women during the American Revolution. I am fascinated by that time period and how revolution takes many forms, she said. A little blurb on Wright caught my eye. Anderson was intrigued and dug in, researching Wrights life through genealogical records, as well as primary and secondary sources.

Noting the scarcity of information on Wright, Anderson confessed that she initially was hesitant to write a book, because there are missing pieces, such as the identity of the captured spy. There are different versions in the dispatches, and we dont know which version is true, she said. I chose the most verifiable version. If you dont tell a story because you dont have a complete historical record, then those stories will never be told. For me its better to go with historical fiction, technically, than to leave the story completely [untold].

When asked what she wanted young readers to take away from Revolutionary Prudence Wright, Anderson responded that she wants children to understand the power of telling ones story. Were all regular people participating in history all the time, and our actions matter, she said.

Feminist podcaster Kate Kellys debut book, Ordinary Equality: The Fearless Women and Queer People Who Shaped the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment (Gibbs Smith, Apr.), focuses not just on a single woman, but a group of women whose contributions have been overlooked by historians and others. Kelly said that she wrote Ordinary Equality because she wants a new generation to embrace the history of the struggle to add an Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and all of the incredible people involved with it for the past 100 years. There is also a personal reason, she added. I want younger people to engage with the ERA because at the ERA meetings I go to, I am the youngest person in the roomand Im 41 years old.

Noting that she is a lawyer as well as a podcaster, Kelly explained that there already are a number of law review articles and heavy tomes about Constitutional law, but not many books on the subject for the average reader. Dense legal treatises dont appeal to very many people, she said, describing Ordinary Equality as a crossover read meant to appeal to adults as well as to its target audience. I wanted something that was accessible, as I want people not just to know about the history of the ERA but that its pending; its still possible that we can have a guarantee of gender equality in the Constitution.

Kelly is also committed to dispelling stereotypes about the Americans who have fought over the years to get the ERA passed. Describing the visual culture of the ERA as very dated, Kelly noted that when most people think of the ERA, they think of white ladies in the 1970s, or Gloria Steinem. Thus, Ordinary Equality is illustrated with historical photographs of the male and female activists on the frontlines of the struggle. There were so many of them, she said. Black people, queer people, women of color, Latinas, Asian American women. All kinds of people have been at the forefront of the fight for the ERA since the very beginning. This has never been just a white lady movement.

Kelly said that she selected the subjects of her profile according to her personal fascination and out of a wish to excavate history that is seldom told, adding, I wanted to tell stories about the lives of people that many people have never heard of before, starting from before the Constitution was even written or conceived. The first profile is of Molly Brant, an Iroquois leader in British New York during the American Revolution. According to Kelly, the Founding Fathers modeled the Constitution on the tenets of the Iroquois Confederacy, a system of government under which women participated equally. The Founding Fathers basically copied and pasted an idea and then stripped out the women, Kelly explained.

Im not a trained historian, Kelly pointed out. But what I am is a storyteller. Her goal is that the ERA should seem so ordinary, so quotidian, that it doesnt make sense not to have it. I want people to understand that these ordinary people accomplished extraordinary things. These are not complete biographies of each person. What I wanted is for readers to access them as real people.

Bucking the Status Quo

Moving beyond ordinary people stepping up and doing extraordinary things, Sara Albees Troublemakers in Trousers: Women and What They Wore to Get Things Done, illustrated by Kaja Kajfez (Charlesbridge, July), profiles 21 women whose unconventional attitudes towards traditional gender roles resulted in their leading their lives on their own terms.

Albees interest in women who defied social expectations by dressing in mens clothing was sparked when she wrote a book for National Geographic, Whyd They Wear That?: Fashion as the Mirror of History (2015). I was really interested in, not the fancy clothes that people wore, she said, but who picked the cotton and sewed the lace and dyed the wool. My new book starts at the fashion end of it.

Albees profiles, which are organized chronologically, begin in ancient Egypt with a profile of Hatshepsut, who declared herself pharaoh and ruled solo between 14731458 B.C. It ends in World War II-era San Francisco with Marguerite Annie Johnson (19282014), who at age 16 became the first Black female streetcar conductor in the U.S. And then she grew up to be Maya Angelou, Albee said. I let out a whoop in the library when I read her story.

In between Hatshepsut and Johnson/Angelou are, Albee said, Hypsicratea, an Amazonian princess; Khutulun, a Mongol warrior princess who nobody could defeat in wrestling; Joan of Arc; a couple of pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read; and artist Frida Kahlo.

A really cool one is Jeanne Baret, who was an illiterate healer and an herbalist in the 18th century, Albee said. After Louis Antoine de Bougainville was tapped in 1766 by the King of France to lead a three-year expedition around the world, a naturalist who was hired to join the expedition brought Baret along with him to collect plant specimens. She was disguised as a male servant and ended up being the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.

Women dressed as men for a variety of reasons, whether to fight for their country, or to travel safely, or to declare herself a pharaoh, Albee noted. Its important that these women are known to this generation of children. I dont think even many grownups realize what life was like in pre-modern times. Not only could women be arrested for dressing in mens clothing, they could be executed, as Joan of Arc was in 1431. I think its important for kids to understand that.

Albee said that she selected her 21 subjects with an eye towards diversity, explaining that she wanted to focus on women of color. I could have stuck with Europe and America and filled the book with fascinating women, she said. But I really wanted to have geographic, racial, and religious distribution. I wanted to represent as much as possible.

Noting that some of the women profiled already were familiar to Albee, she disclosed that she found others by happenstance, after wondering, for instance, who would have been the first Black female streetcar conductor. If you target a subject, you can find them, she said. You just have to know where to look. Doing the research was great fun, Albee said. It was everything I am fascinated by: fashion, womens history, cool stories.

Like Albee, Catherine Thimmesh was inspired to write a book about women who fascinate her on a personal level: social entrepreneurs. Her book, Girls Solve Everything: Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Building a Better World, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (HarperCollins/Clarion, Mar.), a companion volume to Thimmesh and Sweets Girls Think of Everything (2000), profiles female social entrepreneurs.

Ive been interested in social entrepreneurship and creative problem solving for some time, Thimmesh says. Being women, being girls, and doing all different kinds of things out in the world really is crucial, in terms of moving towards the goal of gender equity. We should celebrate womens accomplishments and learn from their failures.

Thimmesh noted that the 16 profiles, plus [three or short entries]?, in Girls Solve Everything are the teeniest, tiniest sampling of all the social entrepreneurs out there, busy in the world today. She added, I wanted a diverse range of women. I dont want everybody to be in the micro-lending business. I want each story to have a different topic.

In selecting which entrepreneurs to include, Thimmesh said, it did not matter whether or not that person is already well-known; most of the entrepreneurs she profiled, in fact, are not household names. What mattered to her, Thimmesh said, was that the womans story actually matters, that it appealed to Thimmesh on a personal level, and that it would also resonate with children.

If theres one point from Girls Solve Everything that Thimmesh hopes readers take away with them, its this: The idea of perceiving and then solving a problem is very do-able. You think of big problems, like hunger. How are you going to solve world hunger? Many people, myself included, say, Well, theres nothing I can do to solve world hunger. But then you read the story of Komal Ahmad who took steps to make a difference in peoples lives.

Ahmad, 32, founded Copia in 2015, a technology company that uses both algorithms and logistics to reduce food waste by donating to food banks and other organizations serving people in need the excess food generated by restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and other entities.

One person can step up, Timmesh said, and by doing some creative problem solving, affect lives and the livelihoods of a number of people and really empower them.

For more new childrens and YA books shining the light on female empowerment, click here.

Revolutionary Prudence Wright: Leading the Minute Women in the Fight for Independence by Beth Anderson, illus. by Susan Reagan (Astra/Calkins Creek, Feb., $18.99, ISBN 978-1-64472-057-8)

Ordinary Equality: The Fearless Women and Queer People Who Shaped the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment by Kate Kelly, illus. by Nicole LaRue (Gibbs Smith, Mar. 29, $27.99 ISBN 978-1-4236-5872-6)

Troublemakers in Trousers: Women and What They Wore to Get Things Done by Sarah Albee, illus. by Kaja Kajfez (Charlesbridge, July 26, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-62354-095-1)

Girls Solve Everything: Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Building a Better World by Catherine Thimmesh, illus. by Melissa Sweet (HarperCollins/Clarion, Feb., $17.99, ISBN 978-0-358-10634-0)
Margot Atwell has been named executive director and publisher of the Feminist Press at CUNY.

Atwell is a writer, editor, publisher, and community funding expert. Most recently, she served as director of outreach and international for Kickstarter. Previously, she was publisher of Beaufort Books, an independent book publisher based in New York, where she published four national bestsellers. She also founded and ran the micropress Gutpunch Press.

In 2019, Margot created and led the Next Page conference, Kickstarters free digital conference focused on the publishing, comics, and journalism fields. She is also the coauthor of The Insiders Guide to Book Publishing Success (Beaufort) and Derby Life: Stories, Advice & Wisdom from the Roller Derby World (Gutpunch).

As publisher of FP, Atwell plans to build on the Presss mission of centering marginalized voices. Part of creating good representation is publishing a broad range of different stories so one writer or one story doesnt have to do all the heavy lifting to speak to an entire communitys experience, said Atwell. During her tenure, Atwell also aims to publish books about economic justice written in accessible language, feminist speculative fiction that explores the human condition, and novels and nonfiction by queer, trans, disabled, and neuroatypical writers.

Margot possesses the ideal global vision, exceptional talents, and expertise to lead the Press into an exciting new chapter," former FP executive director and publisher Jamia Wilson said. "I deeply respect her literary citizenship and innovative leadership in the publishing community and beyond.
Mental Health Awareness week T-shirts given out by each booth shown off by CAPS staff therapist Laura Wagner. The t-shirt has information about mental health action week such as the dates.
New York City, NY (11385)

Today

Rain showers in the morning will evolve into a more steady rain in the afternoon. High 63F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Protesters call for healthcare coverage for all immigrants, regardless of legal status, at the state Capitol. The sign says in Spanish, The people united will never be defeated, a phrase long used by activists in Latin America.
Could the success of the Jamaica-JFK AirTrain be duplicated between Jamaica and LaGuardia Airport? That is one of 14 proposals being studied by the Port Authority.
Commentary: China -- a staunch advocate of peace, cooperation

Xinhua) 09:40, March 10, 2022

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- In a rapidly-changing world riddled with various risks and threats, China has always been a firm defender of peace and cooperation.

In the year of 2022, the world is set to rise to such challenges as profound transformations rarely seen in a century, recurring waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a more complex and volatile international situation complicated by the Ukraine crisis.

Against such headwinds, China remains a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a guardian of the international order, standing in solidarity with the rest of the world toward a bright future.

In a period of turbulence and transformation worldwide, China has always served as the bulwark of preserving stability and a force of positive energy, formed its own position and policy based on the merits of the matter itself and stood on the side of fairness and justice, offering Chinese solutions to various global hot issues and thorny problems and demonstrating its sense of responsibility as a major country in the world.

The world, however, should stay vigilant to the fact that a certain country, deeply entrenched in hegemonic paranoia and the Cold War mentality, is bent on creating division and confrontation, and has thus brought more uncertainty to the turbulent world.

Firmly opposed to hegemonism and bloc politics, China sticks to the path of peaceful development and has always been speaking up for developing countries. China has contributed more peacekeepers than any other permanent member of the UN Security Council and is the second largest funding contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, earning global recognition and respect.

As the pandemic has severely hampered global development, resulting in such problems as a weak global recovery, eroded poverty reduction gains and a widening North-South gap, China endeavors to be a powerhouse for global development.

From the Boao Forum for Asia to the World Economic Forum, from the China International Fair for Trade in Services to the China International Import Expo, China has opened ever wider to the world and shared its development dividends with other countries.

China has also been a staunch supporter of economic globalization and the multilateral trading system, which is exemplified by its role in facilitating the entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and its applications for joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement.

Working together with the rest of the international community, China is endeavoring to make the Belt and Road a "belt of development" to the benefit of the world and a "road to happiness" for people of all countries.

As another global public good provided by China, the Global Development Initiative has drawn up a road map for narrowing the North-South gap and addressing development imbalance, and has thereby given a boost to fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Meanwhile, China is playing a pioneering role in improving global governance.

China has been championing true multilateralism, safeguarding the UN-centered international system and working to make the global governance system fairer and equitable.

Pushing for the continuous development of the BRICS mechanism and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China believes that the global governance system should be more balanced in reflecting the interests and wishes of the majority of countries in the world.

In the face of pressing global challenges, only by strengthening solidarity and cooperation can mankind enjoy a better future. China has presented to the world a streamlined, safe and splendid Winter Olympics, which has shed a light on the path for humanity to jointly forge ahead into the future.

From fighting the pandemic to tackling climate change, from combatting terrorism to safeguarding cybersecurity, China and the rest of the world have worked together to overcome difficulties, opening a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Holding high the banner of peace, development and win-win cooperation, China will continue to promote the building of a new type of international relations and work together with all progressive forces in the world for common development and a shared future.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
As part of a new partnership, the new channel is designed to give audiences in the UK and across Europe the opportunity to enjoy a range of documentaries and video journalism content from Guardian. These include an Oscar-winning short film and a BAFTA-nominated documentary to hard-hitting original series, the Guardian will bring its world-class video journalism to life on Rakuten TV.The Guardian FAST channel will be available in the 43 countries where Rakuten TV is distributed, with a potential reach of more than 110 millions households via its branded remote-control button and pre-installed app on select Samsung, LG and Vestel Smart TV devices, among others, as well as on Samsungs own FAST TV service Samsung TV Plus in select countries.The deal also marks the first time the Guardians documentaries and videos will appear on a scheduled, linear channel.At the Guardian, we have always sought to make our journalism available to people around the world, remarked Robert Hahn, director of business affairs and platform partnerships, Guardian News & Media . Through this new agreement with Rakuten TV, we hope to broaden the distribution of Guardian content even further and make a selection of our brilliant video series and documentaries even more discoverable. Rakuten TV CEO Cedric Dufour added: The addition of the Guardian to our linear channels bouquet further demonstrate our commitment in expanding the platforms free offer with top tier content and brands, opening up new opportunities for our users as well as for advertisers to get in front of the Guardian audiences.
AMC is giving a glimpse of Better Call Saul Season 6.

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The network shared a trailer for the crime drama's sixth and final season Thursday.

The preview shows Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) embrace his persona as criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. Jimmy has clients pouring in, but his partner Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) questions if they've become wicked.

Meanwhile, Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) is building a case against Jimmy, and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) prepares for a showdown amid the war between Gus Fringe (Giancarlo Esposito) and the cartel.

"From the cartel to the courthouse, from Albuquerque to Omaha, Season 6 tracks Jimmy, Saul and Gene as well as Jimmy's complex relationship with Kim, who is in the midst of her own existential crisis. Meanwhile, Mike (Banks), Gus (Esposito), Nacho (Michael Mando) and Lalo (Tony Dalton) are locked into a game of cat and mouse with mortal stakes," an official description reads.

Better Call Saul is a prequel spinoff series to Breaking Bad, which had a five-season run on AMC from 2008 to 2013. Vince Gilligan created Breaking Bad and co-created Better Call Saul with Peter Gould

Season 6 will be split into two parts. The first seven episodes will premiere April 18, while the final six episodes will begin airing July 11.

Odenkirk had a heart attack in July while filming Better Call Saul Season 6. The actor said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in February that his health issues have made him "appreciate my life more."
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/09/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

stars Lindsey Georgoulis, Jasmina Outar and Noi Phommasak have slammed Olajuwon Dickerson for suggesting his wife Katina Goode wasn't "woman enough" for him.Katina, 29, and Olajuwon, 29, were matched by experts Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Dr. Viviana Coles and Pastor Calvin Roberson to wed on Season 14 of the Lifetime reality series.Katina and Olajuwon were immediately attracted to each other and enjoyed a wonderful and romantic honeymoon in Puerto Rico, but once the couple moved into a Boston apartment together, Katina immediately felt pressure to cook several meals a day for her husband and live up to the high "standards" he had set for his wife.During Wednesday night's episode of : Afterparty, Lindsey, Jasmina and Noi watched back a Season 14 clip of Olajuwon confronting Katina about her supposed lack of effort in their marriage and not fulfilling what he believed her wifely duties should be.After taking Katina to a cooking class, Olajuwon says in the clip, "I need to see where you are as a woman.""If you're not going to cook, what are you going to do?" Olajuwon vents in a confessional. "Are you going to clean?"Katina then tells Olajuwon that she needs a break from this conversation, as she was clearly feeling put down and personally attacked."I get where you're coming from," Olajuwon says. "I hear where you're coming from, but I have to be real with you at the same time. As much as I'm loving you, I've got to be real with you."The clip ends with Katina walking away from Olajuwon and crying."He made my friend cry," Jasmina complained to Afterparty host Keshia Knight Pulliam And Lindsey said she was "really proud of Katina for saying, 'I need a break.'""Because she did not deserve the way [Olajuwon] was speaking to her," Lindsey commented. "Speaking to any woman, especially your wife, like that, that don't f-cking fly."Noi proceeded to point out "another issue" with Olajuwon and Katina's conversation."He is making her feel like she needs to validate her worth to him," Noi said."Right," Keshia agreed, "and that's the biggest thing, is that a woman's worth is not wrapped up into her cleaning, her cooking -- because that's [no good]!"Jasmina, however, went on to defend Katina and support her friend."I know sometimes in those scenes when we're watching Katina back, she's not that expressive and she doesn't speak that much, and to some people it might come off as her being weak," Jasmina reasoned, "but she's really not.""I have had conversations with her where I know everything that she's been through, and she's been through worse than that," Jasmina explained."So when she's quiet, it's not because she doesn't know what to say or she feels like, you know, he's attacking her," she continued. "It's just she's like, 'Okay, if you need to speak and get that off [your chest], then speak and get that off."Lindsey said she agreed with Jasmina that "Katina is not a weak woman.""But I want to say that just because she's been treated worse does not mean she deserves to be treated like that," Lindsey pointed out."I didn't say she did," Jasmina argued."No, you said, like, she's been through a lot before, but she still doesn't deserve that," Lindsey said.Jasmina repeated, "I didn't say she did deserve it.""I didn't say you did [think that]," Lindsey clarified. "I'm just saying that I think Katina is a beautiful woman who's worthy of everything her heart desires."On the latest fourteenth-season episode of , Olajuwon said that while he really cared for Katina and had developed strong feelings for her, she wasn't living up to his expectations of what a wife should do and how she should behave.Olajuwon said Katina wasn't stepping up to the plate when it came to cooking and cleaning, and he accused her of being sheltered and lacking necessary life skills to be a good partner."I get so irritated. If this was a different situation, I would've walked away. I'm having a real tough time... but time is not on our side. Since Pastor Cal came by, I really haven't seen a difference," Olajuwon complained to his pals.Olajuwon wondered if Katina could satisfy him, and he questioned in a confessional, "Is she enough woman for me -- as a wife?"But in Katina's mind, she was trying very hard to please Olajuwon and meet his demands -- and she even promised him to do more."I know that cooking is the way to his heart, which he has told me three or four times," Katina told the cameras. "I'm going to make sure that I do that for him, so that it will be a 'yes' on both ends on 'Decision Day.'"Olajuwon said he couldn't say "yes" on "Decision Day" unless he was convinced Katina could "hold sh-t down" for them and get things done without him."I can't say that about you right now," Olajuwon noted to his wife after the cooking class."I don't know what else to say other than, like, I guess, only time can tell," Katina replied. "I'm not going to sit here and be like, 'I'm woman enough!' I'm not. I'm never going to do that."Katina left the conversation feeling hurt and deflated, and she cried about how Olajuwon had made her feel really bad., which currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime, also stars Noi and her husband Steve Moy, Lindsey and her husband Mark Maher, Jasmina and her husband Michael Morency, and Chris Collette and Alyssa Ellman.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our newspage!And click here for more updates on former cast members and info on where they are now!
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/09/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

bachelorette Teddi Wright has explained her cryptic comment at The Women Tell All in which she said she hopes Clayton Echard is okay after how his season ended.During Monday night's : The Women Tell All broadcast on ABC, Teddi told Clayton about what's to come on Season 26, "I think I'll just leave it at, 'I hope you're okay.'"Considering Teddi's remark could be about so many different things regarding finale, she shed a little more insight on the messy situation during an interview with Us Weekly."I'm in a unique situation where I do know some things of how this all will play out," Teddi told Us about her comment."I hope that he's doing good. I think like we can see from the promos that a lot goes on and he continues to do some things wrong."Teddi continued, "I'm happy that it's all going play out soon and everyone will kind of know, and, like, he'll be able to have the conversations he needs at After the Final Rose."As fans saw on Tuesday night's episode , Clayton had sex and confessed he was in love with both Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia during their overnight Fantasy Suite dates in Iceland, but then he told Susie Evans on his third date of the week that he was "the most in love" with her.Susie, wanting to be Clayton's one and only in order to feel good about possibly getting engaged in one week, expressed how she couldn't see herself moving forward in the process due to Clayton's apparent willingness to jeopardize their strong relationship.But just as it appeared Susie was going to quit the show, Clayton essentially beat her to the punch and determined he was "done" with her.Clayton said Susie's lack of desire to forgive him and fight for their love completely "invalidated" everything about their relationship.Clayton scolded Susie for not expressing her dealbreaker and/or giving him an ultimatum about sex earlier in the process, and Twitter exploded with tweets about how Clayton "is a gaslighter" who flipped the script on Susie and made her feel at fault for his own mistakes.It also appears, based on a preview of next week's two-night finale event, that Rachel and Gabby are both furious when they learn about Clayton's actions and his love for three women.Gabby was shown yelling at Clayton about how she could no longer trust a word he said.Although during Teddi's chat with Us at The Women Tell All, she dished on that DM one of Clayton's brothers had allegedly sent her after the show premiered."When they announced that we were all in the show, and, like, we all made our social media public, he did follow me, but it kind of just stopped there. And then, during the first episode, he did DM me," Teddi said, without naming whether it was Nate or Patrick who had reached out to her."It was so -- I can't remember [what he said]. It was a really sweet message. It was just like, 'Oh, I'm so excited to watch tonight. My friends in Oregon are spoiling it for me.' It was a normal message."But Teddi confirmed she and Clayton's brother had "never talked before" and she "never met him.""I didn't reply," added Teddi, who received Clayton's First Impression Rose on Night 1.Teddi also quipped she definitely "would not" go there with one of Clayton's two brothers and "one Echard was enough" for her "for sure."After Teddi dropped that bombshell at The Women Tell All , Clayton tweeted that his brothers "have been vehemently denying sliding in the DMs.""So Teddi, please give the people (including me) what they want and release the DMs #TheBachelor," he wrote. "Let me just clarify here... I 1000% believe Teddi. There's absolutely no way she made this up at all #TheBachelor."Clayton also added crying-laughing emoticons to his post.Although Teddi was shocked and brokenhearted over her elimination on , she announced at The Women Tell All, "Starting on such a high, it did make my low feel even lower... but I am so open and ready to find love now. I'm going to make an amazing wife one day and an amazing mother one day."Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
TRAVERSE CITY  As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decline in the region, residents face new decisions about how and when to begin resuming less-precautious routines.

Its a transition that presents new questions and challenges as Michigan moves past the two-year mark of the pandemic, and new infection rates plummet.

The latest on COVID-19 Continuing coverage of COVID-19 and its impact. If you have a question about the novel coronavirus pandemic and haven't been able to find an a

Were doing great. I think Traverse City is very forward thinking. I think thats why were doing so well, said Traverse City resident and social worker Stephanie Feibing while playing chess Wednesday afternoon at BREW with her friend, Mersadies Lovano.

The percentage of COVID-19 test results that turn up infections each day (percent positivity) in the Grand Traverse region has been on the decline since February. And by Wednesday, percent positivity for the past 14 days dipped below 10 percent for the first time since Sept. 13.

Percent positivity statewide now is 5.5 percent for the past 14 days  a dramatic decline from rates that hovered above 20 percent for months as two variants of the virus  Delta and Omicron  spread rapidly in communities.

Also by Wednesday, the number of beds occupied by COVID-19 inpatients in Munson Healthcare hospitals had dropped to 34, with 22 of them at Munson Medical Center.

Munson Healthcares Chief Quality and Safety Officer Dr. Joe Santangelo said the number of inpatients systemwide at Munson has hovered in the 30s for the past five days.

Now, as positivity rates retreat, the hospital system is nearing a transition down another level in its pandemic response classification system  from orange to yellow, which requires positivity to drop below 10 percent.

The hospital system last was at pandemic response level yellow on Sept. 8.

The ongoing decline in new COVID-19 infections also means the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced Grand Traverse County from high to medium risk rating on March 4.

I think that were progressing in a different way. Were being more conscious. I think that people are being self-conscious and they are washing their hands more, social distancing, being more respectful in different ways; therefore, its a relief that were changing, I guess, as a whole, Fiebing said.

Ginger Smith, Traverse City Area Public Schools executive director of communications, said via text on Wednesday that she asked her son what his impressions were about no longer wearing a mask on the bus.

Relief, was all he said. Then again, hes 14, so he doesnt tell me much, she said.

Smith said a TCAPS bus driver recently commented on how great it is to see childrens smiles again after masking requirements were dropped for buses.

Still, Smith said despite loosening mask requirements as case rates decline, TCAPS has not pulled back on mitigation efforts, including recommended use of and access to masks, hand sanitizer and cleaning protocols.

During a stop for coffee at Table 12, Mark McClure, a 64-year-old retired Delta Airlines pilot who lives near Arbutus Lake, said he felt that while the decline in cases and hospitalizations was a good thing, he doesnt think the pandemic is over.

I think that anything that moves toward openness, liberty and personal responsibility I think is moving in the right direction, he said.

But McClure said, for people to come back together, folks need to clear the air of misinformation regarding COVID-19, which he felt had been politicized.

Cheya Potter, a circus artist from Seattle visiting her boyfriend in Traverse City and working on her laptop at BREW on Wednesday evening said she caught Omicron at the beginning of January and it impacted her work.

Nonetheless, she said she didnt think getting COVID-19 was so bad because she was vaccinated and boosted.

Dr. Santagelo said, while officials were a little worried about a post-spring break bump in cases, it was important for people to manage the risk of COVID-19 as best as they can.

He said he expects cases to continue to decline as the weather gets warmer and more people are outside.

I think the important thing for people to keep in mind is that really, were at the stage now where its really all about managing your risk, he said, adding people have more tools and information at their disposal now than before.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy early with partial clearing expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High near 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy early with partial clearing expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
Rep. Cara Pavalock-DAmato, R-Bristol, the married mother of a 4-year-old boy, attests in her reelection registration that since selling her 3,000-square-foot colonial on Nov. 30, 2021, she has lived in a 250-square-foot efficiency apartment in a building fronted by a vacant pawn shop.

Leasing the modest apartment was intended to be a way for Pavalock-DAmato to maintain a bona fide residence in the 77th House District that she represents for the remainder of her term, a legal necessity once her family sold the colonial at 182 Rossi Drive and moved to 1960 Perkins St., a Bristol neighborhood in the 78th District.

Her ability to run for reelection from the new home is not in question: A new legislative district map adopted by the bipartisan Reapportionment Commission moved the Perkins Street neighborhood from the 78th to the 77th, effective with the 2022 election.

At issue is whether she currently is a bona fide resident of the 77th District living at 467 Farmington Ave. #20  as Pavalock-DAmato, a practicing attorney, certified under penalties of false statement when she registered as a candidate for reelection on Jan. 12, 2022.

I sleep there every night, Pavalock-DAmato said.

Morris Patton, the Democratic town chair of Bristol, isnt buying it. He filed a complaint Wednesday with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, asserting Pavalock-DAmato is no longer an elector in the 77th House District and should be removed as its representative in the General Assembly.

Patton says it is laughable to believe she lives in an efficiency whose neighbors are Kentucky Fried Chicken, a Harley-Davidson dealership and an Auto Zone, and not with her husband and son in the three-bedroom Cape with an in-ground pool on 12 acres purchased for $850,000 in June 2021.

Pavalock-DAmato grew up in Bristol in a prominent family, the daughter of a dentist. She got a law degree from Georgetown, relocated to South Florida and then returned home and married Tony DAmato, an executive at DAmato Construction, the company founded by his grandfather in 1961 and now involved in a federal investigation into school construction contracts.

Ive known Cara since I was 14 years old. We were very good friends for a very long time, Patton said. Youd have to be crazy to believe that the daughter of a prestigious dentist  a graduate of Georgetown Law, married to a guy from one of the prestigious families in our town, lives in a 250-square-foot efficiency apartment above a former pawn shop.

Pavalock-DAmato said her husband used to own the building. Land records show it was sold in June 2019 for $2.1 million to a New York-based LLC, which she says rehabbed the apartments.

Ive lived in worse, Pavalock-DAmato said.

While she says she sleeps every night at the apartment, the mailing address she used to file for reelection is the home at 1960 Perkins St. The mailbox on Farmington Avenue was not secure, she said.

In his complaint, Patton said he has regularly checked the parking lot at 467 Farmington Ave. For at least three months, her car has not been observed parking at the apartment complex on Farmington Avenue, but it has been observed regularly at 1960 Perkins Street.

There is no definition in state law of what constitutes a bona fide residence.

But the elections commission, citing case law, has concluded an individuals bona fide residence must qualify as the place where that individual maintains a true, fixed, and principal home to which he or she, whenever transiently relocated, has a genuine intent to return.

In other words, bona fide residence is generally synonymous with domicile, where a person actually lives, the commission said.

However, the commission has reserved a degree of wiggle room regarding students, the homeless and individuals with multiple dwellings.

The State Elections Enforcement Commission has no authority to remove a lawmaker. Its jurisdiction in determining bona fide residence relates to the eligibility of a voter to vote in a particular district or town.

In the course of an investigation in which violations of election law are alleged, SEEC has the authority to make bona fide residence determinations for purposes of determining who is qualified to be an elector in any particular municipality or district, but that does not extend to making determinations about a persons qualifications to hold public office, said Joshua Foley, a staff attorney.

Under the state Constitution, any question of expelling a member is up to the House of Representatives.

House Republicans had expected Pavalock-DAmato to step away from the legislature when she informed them that she and her husband had purchased a new home in the 78th, a district represented by Rep. Whit Betts, R-Bristol. In fact, 1960 Perkins is next to Betts home.

(Technically, the home was purchased by an LLC controlled by her in-laws, Edward DAmato Jr. and Lori DAmato.)

Then Betts announced he would not seek reelection after two decades in the House, freeing House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, to negotiate new district lines that would allow Pavalock-DAmato to keep much of her district, while encompassing her new home.

The new map was adopted on Nov. 19, and Pavalock-DAmato and her husband sold their Rossi Drive home on Nov. 30. She already had rented the apartment, advised she would need a residence in the district.

Our staff looked into the legalities and confirmed that she does need to live in the district, the old district, until her term expires. Candelora said.

Pavalock-DAmato announced her new living arrangement in a Facebook post on Dec. 7.

All moved in to the new apartment! Recently, Tony & I sold the first home we bought together. I had the best neighbors. I will miss them and my closet. I will be living in an apartment in district so that I can carry out my duties as state representative. Love you guys! Merry Christmas.

Her post said nothing about the new house.

One man replied, Hope your constituents appreciate your sacrifice!

Patton said the Facebook posting sparked a backlash, at least in his circles.

Some of the people in her district have said, Hey, are you guys gonna escalate this? And someone took it upon themselves to say Ive been to her real house several times, and her car is always there, Patton said. It has never been at this efficiency apartment.

Pavalock-DAmato said it is there every night, though it does not have legislative tags.
Ron Chapple / Getty Image

A Hartford man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, according to federal prosecutors.

The charges came after a jury found Jose Perez, 40, of Hartford, guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in September 2021. A federal judge in Hartford sentenced Perez to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release Wednesday, according to Leonard Boyle, the United States attorney for the District of Connecticut.
State of Connecticut / Contributed photo

HARTFORD - Connecticuts National Prevention Week Planning Committee, including state and local organizations, and communities, are celebrating May 8-14 with a K-12 student art contest, among other activities. Selected submissions will be featured in a prevention-themed coloring book, available to residents across the state, according to a statement.

According to the committee, all students in grades K-12 in Connecticut are encouraged to submit black-and-white artwork for a coloring book using Connecticut's National Prevention Week mascot, Starfish Stella. Submissions must be linked to a theme from the eight categories of developmental assets, including: Support, Commitment to Learning, Empowerment, Positive Values, Boundaries and Expectations, Social Competencies, Constructive Use of Time, and Positive Identity.
Pottsville, PA (17901)

Today

Cloudy with occasional light rain...mainly in the morning. High around 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 51F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
President Joe Biden had invited leaders of the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc for a summit on March 28-29.

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) taking part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-U.S. Summit on the sidelines of the 2021 ASEAN summit held online from Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, October 26, 2021.

UPDATED at 9:22 A.M. ET on 2022-03-10

A summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) slated for the end of this month has been postponed, Cambodia's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Biden had invited leaders of the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc to Washington, D.C., for a summit on March 28-29. The U.S. sees the region as critical to its efforts to push back against China's rising power in the South China Sea and across the Indo-Pacific region.

The summit "will be delayed because some ASEAN leaders cant join the meeting as scheduled, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn told the pro-government outlet Fresh News on Wednesday.

Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN.

On Monday Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said at least three ASEAN leaders wanted to reschedule the meeting.

"Some ASEAN leaders wanted the meeting to be held between March 26-27 but the U.S said it couldnt accommodate 26-27, while three ASEAN leaders couldnt join the 26-27, Hun Sen said. He did not identify the countries.

In response to a request for comment from RFA-affiliated Benar News, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Thursday that "the proposed date does not allow all ASEAN heads of state to participate," without providing further details. Indonesia is the coordinator of the summit.

The U.S. State Department had yet to confirm the postponement on Thursday, and there were no immediate comments on the summit from other members of ASEAN.

Washington, under the Biden administration, has been ratcheting up its engagement with Southeast Asia, where it has traditional treaty allies as well as other partners.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Indonesia and Malaysia in December, a trip that followed visits to the region by Vice President Kamala Harris, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and State Department Counselor Derek Chollett.

Blinken had earlier laid out a new, comprehensive Indo-Pacific Strategy, that emphasized the U.S. view of ASEAN and Southeast Asias importance to the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaking last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: It is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration to serve as a strong, reliable partner and to strengthen an empowered and unified ASEAN to address the challenges of our time.

ASEAN has been grappling with a 13-month-old crisis in bloc member Myanmar, where a military junta is bombing and burning swathes of the country to quell resistance to the overthrow of the elected government in February 2021.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also posed a challenge to ASEAN unity, with the bloc as whole calling for a ceasefire without naming Russia or using the word invasion while members supported much a tougher U.N. General Assembly resolution against Moscow.

Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun, Written in English by Paul Eckert.
Authorities in Cambodias capital Phnom Penh on Wednesday released around 200 workers detained a day earlier for violating COVID-19 protocols while demanding a resolution to their long-standing labor dispute, which had prompted condemnation from both the U.N. and Washington.

NagaWorld Casino workers told RFAs Khmer Service that police carried out a violent crackdown on their strike Tuesday and ferried them against their will to several quarantine facilities, allegedly to be tested for the disease caused by the coronavirus. However, authorities released them on Wednesday after they refused submit to the tests without an official order.

Chhin Ouksaphea, a worker who was quarantined in a center on the outskirts of the city, said she and her fellow strikers were told to walk home upon their release and were denied medical attention despite being roughed up by police the day before.

But she expressed hope that the government would help to resolve the dispute following an inter-ministerial meeting held later Wednesday to address the matter.

Thousands of NagaWorld workers walked off their jobs in mid-December, demanding higher wages and the reinstatement of 11 jailed union leaders and workers and 365 others they say were unjustly fired from the hotel and casino, which is owned by a Hong Kong-based company believed to have connections to family members of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Cambodian authorities have called the strike illegal and alleged that it is supported by foreign donors as a plot to topple the government. But a series of mass arrests in recent weeks have been attributed to alleged violations of pandemic health regulations in Cambodias capital. Activists said the charges were trumped up to break up the strike.

Details of Wednesdays inter-ministerial meeting  presided over by Cambodian Minister of Interior Sar Kheng and expected to include ministers of the health, labor and justice departments and the heads of the Phnom Penh city government, municipal court, and the national police  were not made public and attempts by RFA to contact Phnom Penh City Hall spokesman Met Meas Pheakdey went unanswered.

Global criticism

The dispute and its handling by the government has drawn the attention of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who in her statement at the 49th session of the Human Rights Council on Monday said she was troubled by authorities use of COVID-19 restrictions to further erode democratic and civic space, including as a pretext to break a lawful strike by the casino workers.

I call on the authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly and engage in dialogue to address the strikers legitimate requests, Bachelet said.

Cambodias Permanent Representative to the U.N. Sokkhoeurn An responded to Bachelets statement on Tuesday by calling the human rights chief ill-advised and selective about the situation in his country and dismissing her claim that the strike was lawful, citing a court decision in December. He added that authorities had exercised the utmost restraint in detaining the protesters  130 of whom he said had tested positive  and suggested that the strike was an abuse of the right to peaceful assembly.

The governments response to the strike also drew condemnation from the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, which applauded the courage of women union leaders in Cambodia who have bravely led their union at the NagaWorld casino in marking International Womens Day.

The United States has serious concerns about the use of criminal charges against those peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement, calling on authorities to release all detained unionists, drop charges against them, and move to constructively resolve their dispute.

Ny Sokha, the director of Cambodian rights group Adhoc, told RFA on Wednesday that NGOs are calling for the unconditional release of the 11 jailed union leaders and for the authorities to facilitate talks to end the labor dispute.

The government should first drop charges against the workers, he said. We NGOs want to see all of the workers released.

Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Authorities in Hong Kong have revoked bail for former healthcare union chief and democracy activist Winnie Yu, putting her back behind bars on International Women's Day.



Yu, 34, had been out on bail awaiting trial for "subversion" under a draconian national security law imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from , 2020.



She is among 47 defendants charged with the same offense in connection with an unofficial democratic primary election in the summer of 2020 that was deemed to be an attempt to overthrow or undermine government power because it aimed to maximize the number of pro-democracy members of the city's Legislative Council (LegCo).



Soon after the primary, the government announced that LegCo elections slated for September would be postponed to , and rewrote electoral rules to ensure that only candidates loyal to the government and the CCP would be allowed to stand.



The Hong Kong national security police issued a statement on saying that a 34-year-old woman had her bail revoked "on suspicion of violating her bail conditions."



Media reports later identified the woman as Yu, a nurse and founder of the now-disbanded healthcare union, the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, for public sector healthcare workers.



Yu was arrested after reporting as required to her local police station, the reports said.



She had been granted bail by the High Court on , 2021 on condition that she refrain from "directly or indirectly making, distributing or reproducing in any way any remarks or related acts that violate the national security law or that amount to crimes of national security under Hong Kong law."



Yu was also proscribed from "directly or indirectly organizing, arranging or participating in public or private elections of any level in any way, except by voting, contacting foreign officials, parliamentarians or members of parliament at any level and other persons serving the above in any way, directly or indirectly, and leaving Hong Kong."



Yu's bail was revoked because of posts she made to social media criticizing the government's handling of the current wave of COVID-19 in the city, which has left nearly 3,000 people dead and hospitals overwhelmed.



The national security law judge at the bail hearing found that Yu had violated the conditions of her bail, and couldn't be sure she wouldn't do so again.



As Yu left the court, she called out to her supporters in the public gallery: "Take care of my cat for me!"



Her jailing came as top Chinese lawmaker Li Zhanshu praised the electoral changes that followed the democratic primary, saying they ensured the city is being "administered by patriots."



"The new system provides fundamental political and institutional safeguards for good governance of Hong Kong," Li told the annual session of China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC).



Meanwhile, Hong Kong politician Tam Yiu-chung, who sits on the NPC standing committee, said Li's comments suggested that further electoral changes could be in the pipeline.



"Theres no mention of any concrete details," Tam said in comments reported by government broadcaster RTHK. "I believe maybe something is still being studied. If the NPC standing committee needs to enact laws, well do it."



"These are matters for the central government to decide," he said.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Officials seize U.S. $20 million worth of crystal meth in undercover operation north of Manila.

Philippines anti-narcotics agents present some 160 kilos of crystal meth worth more than U.S. $20.3 million seized from a Chinese suspect and his Filipina companion, in Manila, March 9, 2022.

The Philippine national police and counter-narcotics agency said Wednesday that they had arrested a suspected Chinese drug kingpin and seized a huge cache of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of more than 1.1 billion pesos (U.S. $20.3 million).

The illegal stash, weighing about 160 kilos, (351 pounds), was recovered during an undercover operation Tuesday in Valenzuela, a suburban city north of Manila, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Wilkins Villanueva said.

The suspects sold the shabu to undercover law enforcement operatives, Villanueva said in a statement, referring to crystal meth by its local name.

Apart from the drug evidence, also seized from the two suspects were three mobile phones and identification cards.

He identified the suspects as 32-year-old Tianzhu Lyu, from Fujian in China, and his companion, Meliza Villanueva, a 37-year-old Filipina.

Gen. Dionardo Carlos, chief of the Philippine National Police, said the operation included intelligence agents from the military and operatives from his departments drug enforcement unit.

The PNP vows to sustain with vigor anti-illegal drugs police operations with a greater focus on high-value targets engaged in trafficking and distribution of illegal drugs to help boost the governments campaign for criminal justice, Carlos told reporters.

In 2020, anti-drug personnel seized more than 800 kilos of crystal methamphetamine in Bulacan, a province north of Manila.

Tuesdays haul was the biggest this year and came months after the International Criminal Court (ICC) in September approved a request by its former chief prosecutor to investigate alleged extrajudicial killings tied to the drug war launched by President Rodrigo Dutertes government.

Duterte, who took office in 2016, campaigned on a pledge to rid the Philippines of illegal drugs and drug addiction.

Since he took power, the police say about 8,000 suspected dealers and addicts have been killed in shootouts, although rights groups say the figure was understated, and that there could be anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 victims of the drug war.

Duterte has denied sanctioning those killings and said they could have been carried out by rival gangs to discredit the government. He has said that he would not allow ICC prosecutors into the country, and that if he were to go to prison, it should be ordered by a Filipino court.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news service.
The crash provides a possible explanation for Chinas closure of a part of the Gulf of Tonkin near Hainan island.

A file photo of a Y-8 Chinese military plane flying IN airspace between Okinawa prefecture's main island and the smaller Miyako island in southern Japan, taken Oct. 27, 2013, by the Japan Air Self-Defence Force.

A Chinese military aircraft crashed in the South China Sea earlier this month, the Taiwanese intelligence agency said Thursday, providing a possible explanation for Chinas closure of a part of the Gulf of Tonkin near Hainan island.

Chen Ming-tong, director general of the National Security Bureau, told the Parliaments Foreign and National Defense Committee that the crash prompted the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to set up a navigation exclusion zone in the adjacent waters to carry out search-and-rescue, and also military training.

Chen didnt provide any further details, citing sensitivities surrounding the source.

He did however warn that as the world is focused on the war in Ukraine, China is taking advantage of the situation to "test the limits of the U.S. and other South China Sea claimants."

On March 4, the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning banning ships from entering an area in the Gulf of Tonkin that was closed for military drills until March 15.

Part of the area lies within Vietnams exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry protested, asking China to respect its EEZ and continental shelf.

Chinas Foreign Ministry replied, saying that "it is reasonable, lawful and irreproachable for China to conduct military exercises on its own doorstep."

Vietnam and China reached an agreement to demarcate their share of most of the Gulf of Tonkin in 2000 but their negotiation on the mouth of the gulf has stagnated.

China has not acknowledged any plane crash recently and continues to conduct daily incursions into Taiwans air defense identification zone.

A Chinese military spokesperson said at the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing on Wednesday that the PLA will not tolerate any "Taiwan independence" move.

Wu Qian reiterated the threat that the PLA would hit every time there are such moves, according to the state-run Global Times.
Manila is ready to accommodate U.S. forces if Ukrainian crisis spills over to Asia, Filipino envoy says.

President Rodrigo Duterte is willing to allow American forces to use Philippine bases and facilities if the crisis in Ukraine stemming from the Russian invasion spreads to Asia, the Filipino ambassador to Washington said Thursday.

The Philippines would honor the decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), which binds the two allies to aid each other in times if a foreign power attacks either country, and would allow the U.S. to use former American naval and air bases here, envoy Jose Manuel Romualdez said.

If the U.S. asks for support, Duterte was very clear that  if push comes to shove  the Philippines will be ready to be part of the effort, especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to the Asian region, Romualdez told reporters in Manila during an online forum.

He offered that the Philippines will be ready to open its doors, especially to our ally the U.S. in using our facilities, any facilities they may need, Romualdez said, speaking from Washington.

Officials at Malacanang, the presidential palace in Manila, did not respond immediately on Thursday to an inquiry from BenarNews for further comment on what Duterte told the Philippine ambassador.

Romualdez, who met recently with the president in Manila, said that Duterte indicated his approval to open former military bases in the event of an emergency situation and allow the U.S. forces to come back to the Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base if the Ukrainian conflict spills over in Asia.

The two bases were among United States militarys largest overseas installations but were shut down after the Philippine Congress voted to end their lease in the early 1990s, at the end of the Cold War. Since U.S. forces vacated both sites, they have been transformed into free ports and investment zones.

Im pretty sure that the president meant this to be in an emergency situation where  lets pray it does not happen  but, if it spreads out in the Asian region for some reason or another, the President obviously sees that need for us to make a choice, Romualdez said.

And our choice is  since we have an MDT with the United States, we have this special relationship and military alliance, he [Duterte] said he is allowing the use of facilities, the ambassador said.

Filipina activists protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, during an International Womens Day march in Manila, Mar. 8, 2022. Credit: BenarNews Since Duterte came to power in mid-2016, he has tried however to forge closer economic and bilateral relations with Americas rivals, China and Russia.

Still, the U.S. has not wavered in the military alliance and has helped the Duterte administration defeat pro-Islamic State militants when they took over the southern city of Marawi for five months in 2017.

In February 2021, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III reaffirmed Washingtons commitment to the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty during his first official phone call with his Philippine counterpart, Delfin Lorenzana.

The VFA, which came into force in 1999, provides legal cover for large-scale joint military exercises and allows U.S. troops to operate in the Philippines on a rotational basis. It has remained in effect since Manila deferred its termination.

The comments by Romualdez to reporters came less than a week after Duterte said that the Philippine should remain neutral over the Ukraine crisis because it was too far from Russia geographically.

The ambassador made the comments hours after remarks during a congressional hearing in Washington by Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who called on the United States to strengthen its defense ties in the Indo-Pacific region in light of the Ukrainian crisis and a potential similar one involving China and Taiwan.

Russia started attacking Ukraine on Feb. 24, drawing international condemnations and strict economic sanctions, led by the U.S., in a bid to stop President Vladimir Putins punishing military offensive.

On Mar. 2, the Philippines joined 140 other U.N. member-states to vote in favor of a General Assembly resolution that condemned Russias military strike on Ukraine.

Romualdez said that while Duterte values the friendship he made with President Putin and President Xi [Jinping of China], he knows that this thing happening right now in Ukraine is something that should not have happened because it was unprovoked.

The president was very concerned about it, and his major concern was how it will affect our economy, which already is, Romualdez said, adding it was the top priority in their discussion.
The head of a congressional military committee voices concern about China being combative toward Taiwan, neighbors.

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and other U.S. Navy ships sail in a passing honors ceremony with the JS Ikazuchi and JS Chokai, destroyers in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 19, 2021.

The United States should strengthen defense relationships in the Indo-Pacific region in light of Russias invasion of Ukraine and a potential similar one involving China and Taiwan, the leader of a congressional committee on military affairs said Wednesday.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith discussed his concerns while presiding over a hearing on national security challenges and military activities in the Indo-Pacific region. Lawmakers heard from Ely Ratner, an assistant secretary of defense for the region; Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, commander of U.S. Forces in Korea.

The entire world is a challenge with Russias unprovoked and devastating invasion of Ukraine, Smith said in his opening remarks. We have been reminded that we cant just focus on one part of the world, but the Indo-Pacific region is clearly one of the most important regions in the world.

Smith noted that China is the country most capable of competing with the U.S. in terms of economic and military strength.

We all want a world where China and the U.S. peacefully coexist, he said while questioning if China had the same wish. It has become clear that president Xi [Jinping] and China intend something more combative than that.

Lawmakers asked questions about Chinas actions in the Indo-Pacific  specifically toward its democratic neighbor Taiwan in light of the Russian invasion.

Ratner said the U.S. had not changed its position related to the One China Policy  under which Washington recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan.

Aquilino, for his part, said the military had to take a more robust approach in the region.

This is a real wakeup, he replied when asked to compare the Russian invasion with what China could do against Taiwan.

We have to look at this and say hey, this could happen, and I have a sense of urgency to execute the mission the secretary has assigned, which is to prevent this conflict.

Balancing force for peace

Aquilino said China has learned from watching Russias actions in Ukraine  specifically about the investment in blood that would be required to launch such an attack, the international condemnation that followed and the reactions of people to being attacked.

Asked if China wanted war with the U.S., Aquilino said Beijing had not ruled out the use of force.

My task has been to be ready.

He said the U.S. participates in 120 exercises a year across the globe and is looking to expand.

He noted that troops had been in Thailand for the annual multi-nation Cobra Gold and would be in the Philippines for the upcoming bilateral Balikatan training exercises. The exercises have been scaled down in recent years as the world has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asked about U.S. efforts in the region, Ratner replied that the trend line is in the right direction.

Aquilino agreed, noting that military-to-military operations are strong.

Smith, the committees chairman who is a Democrat from Washington state, said China had taken an authoritarian approach to the region.

We need to compete against that to convince the world to go in a different direction, Smith said about U.S. efforts to spread democracy abroad. To do that, we need a robust presence in the Indo-Pacific region.  Our military is a huge part of that.

We have important defense relationships certainly with Japan and South Korea but with a number of other countries as well. We must maintain and strengthen those relationships and we must attempt to be a balancing force to keep the peace in Asia.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news service.
The new president will try to bring Seoul and Washington closer together, analysts say.

Yoon Suk Yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, who was elected South Korea's new president on Wednesday, holds bouquets as he is congratulated by party's members and lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 10, 2022.

The election of conservative Yoon Suk-yeol as South Koreas next president Wednesday is likely to bring more hawkish policies toward North Korea and less deference toward China, analysts told RFA.

Yoon, representing the main opposition People Power Party, won with 48.6 percent of the vote, edging out the ruling Democratic Partys Lee Jae-myung by a margin of only 0.8 percent. The 20th presidential election was the closest in the history of South Korea, a U.S. ally and leading Asian democracy.

The election was largely seen as a referendum on the policies of current term-limited president Moon Jae-in, and turned on domestic issues such as housing costs and job creation.

On North Korea, an issue always lurking in the background of South Koreas vibrant democracy, Yoon will likely be far more hawkish than his predecessor, analysts say.

The Moon administration was very eager to engage with Pyongyang, with the president in 2018 even meeting personally with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in three inter-Korean summits, and a trilateral summit with Kim and then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019.

Moon also pushed for an official end of the Korean War to replace the current armistice agreement that ended hostilities in 1953, and he toned down joint military exercises with the U.S. in hopes of coaxing North Korea to the denuclearization negotiating table.

President-elect Yoon, who has never held political office and takes power in May, will likely step-up the frequency of the joint exercises, the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) said in a report Wednesday.

Yoon will not press for an end-of-war declaration before denuclearization advances and will respond more decisively to North Korean provocations, CSIS said.

He will expand defense and deterrence capabilities in conjunction with the U.S. alliance, including offensive strike capabilities and enhanced missile defense.

The White House congratulated Yoon in his victory, telling RFAs Korean Service that the alliance between Washington and Seoul was ironclad.

President Biden looks forward to continue working with the new President-elect to further expand our close cooperation, a White House spokesperson said.

National Election Commission officials sort out ballots for counting in the presidential election in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Photo: AP

In sync with Seoul

With the ROK election of Yoon Suk-yeol, the focus will be on ensuring that U.S.-ROK allied relations are totally in sync, especially as it relates to North Korea and the goal of complete, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Joseph Detrani, the former U.S. Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks with North Korea, told RFA.

Detrani said that the two countries militaries would also need a strong relationship, suggesting that the two sides would discuss the possibility of South Korea joining the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), a strategic security dialogue among the Indo-Pcific democracies.

He said Seoul and Washington would likely discuss the advisability of enhancing the missile defense system in the ROK, given North Korea's eleven missile launches in 2022 and indications that Pyongyang may resume nuclear tests and long-range ballistic missile launches.

A Yoon presidency would lead to improved coordination between South Korea and the U.S. in their alliance and on North Korea strategy, Bruce Klingner of the Washington-based Heritage Foundation told RFA.



His advocacy for reciprocal engagement with Pyongyang, in which the regime must take steps toward denuclearization prior to receiving benefits, as well as his resistance to showboat summits are the same positions as those of the Biden administration, said Klingner.

Yoon will go further than Moon on improving relations with Japan, as well as South Korea assuming a larger regional security role. However, progress on both issues will be difficult, due to contentious historic issues for the former and Seoul's reluctance to antagonize China for the later, he said.

Yoon is likely to take a less deferential policy stance toward Beijing than the previous administration in part due to a recognition of Chinese bullying tactics and a lack of confidence that China can deliver North Korea, said the CSIS analysis.

With Washington and Seoul working closer together, though, the scope of their coordination will extend beyond immediate defense and North Korea issues, Soo Kim, a policy analyst at the California-based RAND Corporation told RFA.

This, by extension, could help the allies work together on other broader challenges, including China, she said.

In light of ongoing geopolitical challenges and contingencies, this new administration might be welcomed by the Biden Administration, said Kim.

Speaking before the result in Wednesdays election was determined, the Brookings Institutions Patricia Kim told RFA that regardless of who wins, the geopolitical climate will be challenging.

Pyongyang has shown a complete lack of interest in coming to the negotiating table and has doubled down on its determination to advance its military capabilities citing hostility from the outside world. Its unclear what offers a new South Korean administration could provide to induce North Korea to the negotiating table, said Patricia Kim.

She also said that Washington and Beijing need to cooperate with each other to advance peace on the Korean peninsula.

But the chances for such coordination have been low due to escalating U.S.-China tensions, and have become even more remote due to Chinas unwillingness to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its doubling down on its strategic alignment with Russia, she said.

In short, the new South Korean president faces an uphill battle on managing South Koreas geopolitical challenges, especially on the key objectives of advancing peace on the Korean Peninsula and maintaining good relations with the major players in Asia, said Patricia Kim.

A voter wearing a plastic glove as a precaution against the coronavirus, casts a ballot for the presidential election at a local polling station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Photo: AP

Emphasis on rights

Two North Korean human rights advocacy organizations told RFA that they support the change from Moon to Yoon, citing the formers reluctance to bringing up the rights situation in dialogue.

This regime change was what all North Korean refugees had hoped for, Park Jihyun, the co-director of Stepping Stones, a U.K.-based advocacy group, told RFA.

I dont know whether the new regime will place North Korean human rights issues at a high priority, unlike the past five years, but I would like to see them develop things differently from the Moon Jae-in administration, , said Park, who escaped from North Korea herself prior to resettling in the U.K.

The past five years have been difficult for people and organizations interested in improving North Korean human rights, Greg Scarlatoiu of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), told RFA.

It can be seen that the human rights issue was sacrificed to appease the Kim Jong Un regime, he said. Now, I think this situation can change in a positive direction.

South Korea should focus on the people of North Korea rather than trying to make overtures to its government, Kim Doo-hyun, who settled in South Korea in 2009 after escaping North Korea, then moved to the U.S. four years ago to pursue educational goals.

I hope the new president implements a North Korean policy that focuses on the North Korean people, rather than on Kim Jong Un and his regime, said Kim Doo-hyun.

I, as a North Korean defector, expected that President Moon Jae-in, a former human rights lawyer, would have a lot of interest in North Korean human rights, but I was disappointed that he did not.

Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Residents are demanding justice for military atrocities and taking up arms to fight.

Junta troops have burned more than five dozen civilians to death since the end of December in three regions of Myanmar where they have encountered heavy armed resistance to military rule, sources in the regions said Wednesday.

Residents told RFAs Myanmar Service that at least 65 people had been set on fire and killed in the 10 weeks leading to March 7, including 35 and three in Kayah states Hpruso and Demoso townships, and five in Magway regions Gangaw township.

In the Sagaing region, troops burned 10 people to death in Salingyi township, four in Ye-U township, three in Kalay township, and five in Myinmu township, they said.

Fighters with the anti-junta ethnic Karenni State Police (KSP) in Kayah state told RFA that over the same period, at least 49 people were burned to death in Hprusos Moso village, including 45 civilians and four members of the prodemocracy Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) paramilitaries who operate as border guards in the area.

In one incident, on Feb. 24, residents of Sagaings Kalay township discovered the charred bodies of a woman and her two young children who had been detained by the military the previous day. The father of the two children told RFA he was only able to identify the remains after seeing his daughters earring.

Myanmars military has killed at least 1,640 civilians since seizing power in a Feb. 1, 2021 coup and arrested nearly 9,560 others  mostly during peaceful anti-junta protests.

The junta has mounted a series of major offensives against armed ethnic groups and anti-junta Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries in the countrys remote border regions in recent that have seen troops commit acts of rape, torture, arson, and murder against civilians, according to reports.

In the typical pattern in the conflict, after firefights with local anti-junta militia fighters, regime troops raid villages suspected of harboring resistance groups and burn all structures after stealing livestock, food and valuables.

Residents of Gangaw townships Shwe Bo village told RFA that a combined forced of military troops and pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia members killed two people with gunfire and burned five people to death during a raid there on Feb. 28.

A villager who spoke on condition of anonymity said that atrocities like those committed in Shwe Bo and elsewhere were driving civilians toward armed resistance against the junta, rather than frightening them into subservience.

The villagers know nothing but anger and want to strike them back, he said.

We might face punishment in the future, but for now, we will do whatever it takes to get rid of them. We want to see them eliminated by either [the shadow National Unity Government] NUG or any other group.

In Salingyi townships Done Taw village, where the burned bodies of ten people  including four ranging in age from 14 to 17  were discovered following a military raid in December, another source who declined to be named told RFA that residents want to see the perpetrators sentenced to death when a civilian government is returned to power.

If the peoples government takes control, we want to see the crimes of the junta and everyone who killed innocent people exposed, he said. We want to see the people responsible for these brutal murders to pay for them.

Demanding justice

When asked about military acts of arson and reports of civilians being burned to death, junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen Zaw Min Tun denied that troops were responsible.

We have no reason to do that when we are protecting the civilians, as is our duty, he told RFA.

In Sagaing region, terrorist groups calling themselves the PDF are forcing local people to engage in terrorist activities. Many villages in the region have formed militia groups to protect themselves against NUG and PDF terrorist groups. The terrorists from the PDF attack the villages and burn them down.

However, a surgeon who claimed to have inspected the victims of what has been dubbed the Christmas Eve Massacre of 35 people in Hpruso townships Moso village called the killings a deliberate act of brutal murder by the military in a Jan. 3 press conference held by the NUG.

He described the bodies as having their hands tied behind their backs and mouths gagged; missing parts of their skulls, genitals, and chest; and burned so badly that their internal organs had disintegrated. It is believed some victims were killed before being set on fire.

Rights activists and medical experts have said those responsible for the burning deaths intended to eliminate the evidence of their actions.

Phoe Phyu, a human rights lawyer, told RFA that the perpetrators of such atrocities will be prosecuted under Myanmars Criminal Penal code.

For the time being, the testimony of witnesses and evidence shall be collected to later find justice for the victims  this is called transitional justice he said.

One day when a government elected by the people comes to power and takes responsibility, it will open the door for securing such transitional justice.

The NUG has vowed to launch an investigation into the deaths with the assistance of the international community.

New information about the number of civilians burned to death by junta troops came as research group Data for Myanmar reported that, as of Monday, the military had used arson to destroy a total of 6,719 homes in 186 locations across nine regions and states since last years coup.

The group, which documents the impact of conflict in Myanmar, warned in a statement on Wednesday that its report was compiled from publicly available data sources and excludes incomplete records, suggesting that the actual figures on military arson incidents may exceed the reported data.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
The call comes a day after Michelle Bachelet announced a trip to China planned for May.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet attends a session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 13, 2021.

UPDATED at 11:20 A.M. ET on 2022-03-10

The U.N. human rights chief must issue an overdue report on serious rights violations by Chinese authorities targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic communities in Xinjiang, some 200 human rights groups said in an appeal on Wednesday, a day after she announced that she would visit China and the turbulent region in May.

Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR), committed in 2021 to issuing a report on rights violations in Chinas far-western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities have been held in a vast network of internment camps operated by the Chinese government under the guise of preventing religious extremism and terrorism among the mostly Muslim groups.

Various Western legislative bodies have accused China of committing a genocide against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Among the rights organizations that signed the open letter to Bachelet were Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, World Uyghur Congress (WUC), Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), and Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU)  groups that have repeatedly raised alarm to Bachelets office about extreme measures taken by Chinese authorities since 2017 to eradicate the religion, culture and languages of Xinjiangs ethnic groups.

The release of the report without further delay is essential  to send a message to victims and perpetrators alike that no state, no matter how powerful, is above international law or the robust independent scrutiny of your Office, said their open letter to Bachelet.

The NGOs, some of which have published reports about the arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and the commission of crimes of humanity against them and other Muslims, went on to say that they have been concerned by the relative silence of [Bachelets] Office in the face of these grave violations.

They noted that Bachelet still had not issued the report, despite saying in September 2021 that her office was finalizing an assessment of available information on allegations of serious human rights violations in Xinjiang with a view to making it public, and despite that her spokesman said in December that the report would be issued in the coming weeks.

We urge you to fulfill your mandate, release the report without further delay, and brief members and observers of the UN Human Rights Council on its contents as a matter of urgency, the letter said. Accountability can wait no longer.

On Tuesday, Bachelet told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council by videoconference that she had reached an agreement with the Chinese government for a visit foreseen to take place in May.

The Government has also accepted the visit of an advanced OHCHR team to prepare my stay in China, including onsite visits to Xinjiang and other places, she said.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on Wednesday that the Chinese government and the OHCHR are holding consultations on the specific arrangements for Bachelets visit.

Chinas position on [the] relevant visit is consistent and clear, he said. The purpose of such visit is to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation. We always oppose certain countries political manipulation of this matter.

She really is at risk

Bachelet, a former president of Chile who took office in September 2018, has been working with China to arrange a trip with mutually agreeable parameters for more than three years.

At the beginning of March, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres repeated a call for China to allow outside officials to visit Xinjiang to observe how the government is treating Uyghur Muslims there.

Sophie Richardson, HRWs China director, said that if Bachelet wants her May visit to be credible and transformative from a human rights perspective, especially for Uyghurs and in response to crimes against humanity, she first must release her report.

She has to show that she is serious and aware of and educated about and driven by a motivation to investigate and find redress and accountability, not just show up uninformed and without having made very strong interventions on behalf of victims and survivors, Richardson told RFA. And then she really is at risk, not just jeopardizing her own credibility and legitimacy, but the credibility and the legitimacy of the U.N. human rights system.

The U.S.'s top diplomat to the U.N. and rights groups said China must give Bachelet unfettered access to Xinjiang so she can gather evidence of whats taking place there and cautioned about Chinese moves to cover up crimes that have occurred there.

We call upon the People's Republic of China to ensure that her visit is accorded unhindered and unsupervised access to all areas of Xinjiang and to private meetings with a diverse range of Uighur individuals and civil society groups, said Sheba Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to the permanent mission to the U.N., in a statement on Wednesday.

A credible visit should include access to the locations where atrocities, human rights violations, and abuses such as forced labor, have been reported, and should be followed by a timely, report on the visits findings, she said.

Access to Xinjiang for human rights monitors is an absolutely vital step towards accountability for human rights violations committed by the Chinese government against Uyghurs and other Muslims living in the region, Joanne Mariner, Amnestys crisis response director, said in a statement. However, it is equally vital that any visit by High Commissioner Bachelet be independent and unhindered.

WUC president Dolkun Isa pointed out that Bachelet didnt mention the terms of her agreement with the Chinese government for visiting Xinjiang, where previous visits by journalists and others have been stage-managed by Chinese authorities who have made concerted efforts to disseminate misleading information about the human rights situation there.

If High Commissioner Bachelets visit to East Turkestan is not independent and unconditional with unfettered access, but rather follows Chinas agenda with limited access, then her visit will be seen as the U.N. essentially colluding with China to cover up the ongoing Uyghur genocide, he told RFA. The international community will not accept the results of such a visit.

Rushan Abbas, executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs, said Bachelet must be able to interview whomever she wants while in Xinjiang.

This visit must be in a pure form situation free from government intrusion, she said in a statement. It must be a space where individuals may speak freely without repercussions or ramifications for any testimony given.

It must be ensured that Bachelet is able to visit the confirmed locations of the geo-located concentration camps confirmed by researchers and satellite experts in order to draw independent conclusions on the truth, said Abbas.

China will exploit the visit

German researcher Adrian Zenz, who has documented Chinas abuses of the Uyghurs, said that the Chinese government will put up a facade in Xinjiang during the visit, ensuring that no one in the region says anything wrong.

The problem is her visit is probably not going to be genuine field work, and so the Chinese will use it to whitewash, he told RFA. I think it does a great danger that the Chinese propaganda will exploit the visit to show that actually everything is fine in the region.

She should not go because shes a high-profile person, said Zenz. The Chinese will just exploit that. Instead, she should send a team of researchers to spend half a year in the region and to find out all kinds of things, with no restriction.

Bachelet must not allow her visit to become a public relations victory for the Chinese government, said UHRP executive director Omer Kanat in a statement.

While a visit may help U.N. investigators further assess the situation on the ground, they must remember that the Chinese government has done everything in its power to promote a story about their treatment of Uyghurs that does not align with basic facts, he said.

UHRP board chairman Nury Turkel, who is also vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, called the announcement of the visit a positive development but warned that China would have plenty of time to conceal evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.

Why does China agree in March to have the U.N. be granted access for a visit in May?, he asked. That obviously likely means that China is preparing perfect Potemkin villages for the next two months to hide and whitewash industrial-scale concentration camps and forced labor facilities.

Translated by RFAs Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Clarification: The updated version of the article includes comments by Zhao Lijian and Sheba Crocker.
More than 100 people who were evacuated from a steel plant in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol have arrived in Zaporizhzhya, the Mariupol city council said, as Russian forces resumed their assault on the complex.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The council said in a statement that the people who arrived in Zaporizhzhya -- a city about 230 kilometers northwest of Mariupol -- were receiving assistance after emerging from weeks in the bunkers of the sprawling Azovstal plant.



Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 156 people were evacuated. She said several hundred more people remained inside the plant and tens of thousands of women, children, and elderly remain in Mariupol.



"There is no medicine, water, or communication services," she said at a briefing on May 3, adding that the authorities needed to rescue everyone who wants to escape.



The United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross coordinated the evacuation of women, children, and the elderly from the steel works.

"We would have hoped that many more people would have been able to join the convoy and get out of hell. That is why we have mixed feelings," Pascal Hundt of the ICRC told journalists on a video conference call.



Osnat Lubrani, UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said that 101 women, men, children, and older people could finally leave the plant, and several dozen more joined the convoy in a town on the outskirts of Mariupol. Some evacuees decided not to stay with the convoy and headed to destinations other than Zaporizhzhya, Lubrani said.



A few women who arrived in Zaporizhzhya held up handmade signs calling on the Ukrainian authorities to evacuate soldiers still holed up in the plant and their relatives and loved ones who are trapped.



UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hoped the continued coordination with Kyiv and Moscow will lead to more humanitarian pauses that will allow civilians safe passage from the fighting.

WATCH: Current Time reporter Borys Sachalko comes under fire as he accompanies a Red Cross team attempting to evacuate a village that lies between Russian-occupied Kherson and Ukrainian-held Mikolayiv in southern Ukraine.

Despite the calls for additional evacuations, Russian troops began to storm the plant soon after the latest group of people got out, Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications under the National Security and Defense Council said in a statement on May 3.



According to the Vereshchuk, Russia purposely resumed the assault after some civilians got out.



"This was their plan: to allow some civilians to leave and then continue bombing. However, civilians remain there, there are people who did not have time to get out from under the rubble because the blockages were so heavy that in two days they simply could not lift them physically. We need to continue the humanitarian operation, including Azovstal," Vereshchuk said.

French President Emmanuel Macron also urged that evacuations from the steel plant be allowed to continue.



Macron spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on May 3, calling on Russia to rise to the level of its responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council by ending its devastating aggression, an Elysee statement said.



The storming of the plant comes days after Putin said he had called off plans for such an operation. Putin instead said he wanted Russian forces to blockade the sprawling plant "so a fly can't get through."

Later on May 3, Russian strikes began targeting the western city of Lviv. The strikes happened just before 8:30 p.m. local time. It wasnt immediately clear what was targeted.



Mayor Andriy Sadoviy wrote on social media that people in the city should take shelter. Train service out of Lviv was suspended.



Sadoviy acknowledged in another message that the attacks had damaged power stations, cutting off electricity in some districts.



The governor of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine said Russian troops shelled a coke plant in the city of Avdiyivka, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 more.



"The Russians knew exactly where to aim -- the workers just finished their shift and were waiting for a bus at a bus stop to take them home," Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post. "Another cynical crime by Russians on our land."

Kyrylenko said 11 more people were killed in the shelling of four towns in the region. The number includes five killed in the town of Lyman and four in Vuhledar.



Kyrylenko said the death toll on May 3 was the highest on a single day since a Russian strike on a train station in the city of Kramatorsk killed 57 people on April 8 and injured 109 others.

WATCH: Ukrainian troops southeast of Kharkiv survey heavy damage to a community cultural center, reflecting on the impact on locals, now all but gone.

Ukrainian officials say the Russian military also struck railroad infrastructure across the country on May 3.



Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of the state-run Ukrainian railways, said the Russian strikes hit six railway stations in the countrys central and western regions, inflicting heavy damage.



The governor of the Dnipro region, Valentyn Reznichenko, said Russian missiles struck railway infrastructure in the area, leaving one person wounded and disrupting train service.

Earlier on May 3, in a video address to the parliament in Kyiv, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced 300 million pounds ($376 million) worth of extra military aid for Ukraine.

Britain has already sent military equipment, including missiles and missile launchers, to Ukraine. The new aid will consist of electronic warfare equipment, a battery radar system, GPS jamming equipment, and thousands of night vision devices.



In his speech, Johnson referred to a 1940 address by World War II leader Winston Churchill as Britain faced Nazi Germany's aggression.

"The British people showed such unity and resolve that we remember our time of greatest peril as our finest hour," Johnson told the Verkhovna Rada. "This is Ukraine's finest hour, an epic chapter in your national story that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come."

"We will carry on supplying Ukraine...with weapons, funding, and humanitarian aid, until we have achieved our long-term goal, which must be so to fortify Ukraine that no one will ever dare to attack you again," Johnson said.

In Brussels, the EU's executive indicated it was prepared to propose another sanctions package to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine. But Slovakia and Hungary will not support sanctions against Russian energy, including on oil imports.



The two countries say they are too reliant on Russian oil and there are no immediate alternatives.

The sanctions will also target the Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, which will be excluded from the global banking communications system SWIFT, unnamed diplomats said.

Fighting also raged in the strategic port city of Odesa and across Ukraine's east. A 15-year-old boy was killed in a fresh Russian strike on Odesa, the city council said.

Ukraine's second-biggest city, Kharkiv, was under shelling, the military said on May 3, while the General Staff said Ukrainian forces were defending the approach to Kharkiv from Izyum, some 120 kilometers to the southeast.



Since Russia launched its unprovoked war on February 24, its troops have failed to completely take over any major Ukrainian city.

On the diplomatic front, Germany's conservative opposition leader traveled to Kyiv on May 3 for meetings with Ukrainian officials, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz made clear that he wouldn't be visiting Ukraine any time soon.

Friedrich Merz, who heads former Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Union bloc, visited the town of Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, which has been heavily bombarded by Russian forces.

Scholz refused to go to Ukraine because of Kyiv's refusal to invite Germany's head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whom Ukrainians accuse of cozying up to Russia during his time as foreign minister.

"It can't work that a country that provides so much military aid, so much financial aid...you then say that the president can't come," Scholz told public broadcaster ZDF late on May 2.

The United States warned that Moscow was planning to formally take over regions in Ukraine's east.



Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, said Russia is planning to imminently annex the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, using referendums after failing to overthrow the government in Kyiv.



Russia encountered surprisingly staunch resistance in the north around the regions of Kyiv and Chernihiv, which forced it to redeploy its troops in the south and east, where fighting has intensified in recent days.



Ukraine's east and south are seen as key strategic goals for Russia, allowing it a land link to Crimea.

Separately, Russia's state news agency TASS quoted the Defense Ministry on May 3 as saying that more than 1 million people, including nearly 200,000 children, had been taken from Ukraine to Russia in the past two months.



Defense Ministry official Mikhail Mizintsev said those civilians "were evacuated to the territory of the Russian Federation from the dangerous regions" of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, and from other parts that came under Russian control.

No details were provided on the location or circumstances of the moves.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, BBC, and dpa
Garbed in military fatigues, faces masked by balaclavas, and fingers poised on the trigger of their guns, four men stand against a black backdrop and issue an appeal to fellow Georgians to retake lands lost in the 2008 war with Russia.

They call on Georgians to exploit the situation in Ukraine, where Russian forces are increasingly bogged down, facing fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his unprovoked assault on February 24.

"It is very hot in Ukraine today, and we Georgians have a unique opportunity to reclaim our land," one man says in a video uploaded to social media and apparently filmed somewhere in Ukraine, according to RFE/RL's Georgian Service.

"We Georgians who have been fighting for freedom in Ukraine...are also ready to fight for the freedom of Georgia.... Therefore, we urge you to take up arms and strike at the enemy. We will never have such a chance again."

The video with the appeal by the four individuals for Georgians to take up arms and reclaim South Ossetia and Abkhazia, breakaway regions lost in the 2008 war with Russia, was uploaded to YouTube on March 4. It quickly went viral, spreading across social media in Georgia, racking up tens of thousands of views and comments.

It's unclear who the men are, although they say they're fighting in Ukraine. Georgian fighters have been active in eastern Ukraine since 2014, when Russia began fomenting unrest by backing local separatists.

To help defend his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appealed to foreigners to travel to Ukraine to join an international legion. Some 20,000 people from 52 countries have volunteered to fight in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Doubts About Video's Authenticity

Some commentators aired concerns that the video was a provocation.



"Report this provocation! (Promotes terrorism) We must return our territories peacefully. We must live peacefully with Abkhazians and Ossetians," one commentator wrote on YouTube.



Ucha Nanuashvili, the head of the Georgia-based Democracy Research Institute Defender, told RFE/RL's Georgian Service that "spreading such messages may be in Russia's interests as well."



The video could also help fuel the Georgian government's narrative that the country's opposition, along with Ukrainian forces, is trying to drag Georgia into another war.

Any such moves will lead to an open confrontation with the Russian troops stationed in the breakaway regions."

Russian forces are facing setbacks in their invasion of Ukraine, U.S. intelligence officials have said, casting serious doubt on Putin's apparent ultimate plan to install a puppet regime in Kyiv.

But whether Russia's military troubles in Ukraine could spell opportunity for Georgia may be wishful thinking, says Olesya Vartanyan, a regional analyst from the International Crisis Group.

"Any such moves will lead to an open confrontation with the Russian troops stationed in the breakaway regions," Vartanyan explained to RFE/RL in e-mailed remarks, noting that Russian forces in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia are estimated to total 8,000.

In August 2008, Georgia attempted to recapture South Ossetia, which had fought a separatist war against Georgia in the 1990s.

Russia poured troops in, ousting Georgian forces from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, displacing more than 190,000 people. Now, Moscow recognizes both as independent states and maintains a major military presence in both regions.

Those geopolitical realities have likely impacted how Tbilisi has reacted diplomatically to Putin's unprovoked aggression in Ukraine.

WATCH: As Russia wages a brutal war against Ukraine, targeting civilian areas and drawing global condemnation, many people living in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea consume false narratives promoted by Kremlin-controlled media. Calling the invasion a war and not a "special military operation" is a criminal offense under Russian law.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili has made clear that Georgia would not join Western sanctions against Russia, claiming national interests and potential damage to Georgian producers.

Not surprisingly perhaps, Tbilisi's stance has meant the Caucasus country of 3.7 million has been excluded from Russia's list of "unfriendly countries," which includes all of the EU, the United States, Britain, Canada, and dozens more.

Moreover, on March 5, Russia's food-safety watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, announced it would lift sanctions on 15 Georgian milk and dairy suppliers, allowing it to import such products into Russia.

Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, made a public statement following the lifting of Russia's sanctions on milk and dairy, saying, "Don't you see the people of Georgia who go to the squares of their cities and towns support Ukraine and not your muddy deals?"

WATCH: Devastating Russian military attacks on civilian residential areas northwest of the Ukrainian capital are driving more people to make the difficult journey to Kyiv. Ukrainians fleeing from Irpin, Bucha, and Hostomel must cross the Irpin river under a broken bridge to move toward relative safety. On March 9, evacuees spoke of living in their basements until they decided to flee.

Founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the ruling Georgian Dream party is widely criticized for presiding over corruption, democratic backsliding, and harboring sympathy for Russian policies. Its reluctance to impose sanctions against Russia has been seen as evidence by many in Georgia of the party's alignment with Putin's regime.

The government's stance has angered many, especially given the country's own tragic experience with the Russian military invasion in 2008.

Demonstrations in support of Ukraine have taken place in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, attracting tens of thousands of people.

On March 1, a rally in Tbilisi in front of parliament demanded the resignation of Gharibashvili and his government, active steps to support Ukraine, as well as backed an official request for EU membership.

"First, Irakli Gharibashvili must leave.... Second, we must move to concrete and effective steps to help Ukraine," Droa party leader Elene Khoshtaria said at the rally.

The protesters said they felt shame after Zelenskiy recalled Ukraine's ambassador to Georgia because Georgian officials created "obstacles" for volunteers who want to help Ukraine and for "holding an immoral position regarding sanctions" against Russia.

On February 28, Georgian authorities did not allow a Ukrainian plane that was supposed to shuttle 30 Georgian volunteers to Kyiv to land at Tbilisi's airport.

Perhaps due to that public pressure, Tbilisi pivoted a little, announcing on March 2 that it would formally submit an application to join the EU, speeding up a process it originally planned to begin in 2024.

The next day, Georgia, along with Moldova, where Russian troops are also stationed in defiance of local and international opposition, formally applied for EU membership.

Another message calling Georgians to arms was delivered by Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko on Facebook on February 26.

"Dear Georgians, the weather outside is wonderful. Can you go for a walk in Tskhinvali and Sukhumi? Can you destroy a few armored vehicles, tanks? Go, Georgians, get back what belongs to you. Georgia. It's time," Honcharenko wrote, referring to the regional capitals of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, respectively.

But the chances anyone in Georgia will answer that call is very unlikely, regional expert Vartanyan says.

"I am very confident that there is no planning to initiate any attacks on the breakaway regions. We do not see any such movements or preparations on the ground," he said.
After nearly a year of painstaking negotiations, Iran and world powers were on the brink of agreeing to restore the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.

But last-minute demands from Russia, one of the parties to the deal, have threatened to derail efforts to revive an agreement that curbed Tehrans nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

Moscow has demanded guarantees from Washington that Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine will not affect its trade and military cooperation with Tehran.

The United States has described Russia's new demands as "irrelevant." France, another signatory of the original deal, warned they could dash hopes for a revived nuclear accord.

Moscow actions have been met with surprise and anger in Tehran. Irans foreign minister told lawmakers on March 7, without naming Russia, that Tehran would not let its interests be undermined by foreign elements.

WATCH: Russian negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov speaking to reporters in Vienna on March 9:

Experts warn that Russias demands could complicate and ultimately scuttle the already fraught negotiations between Iran and world powers.

If the talks collapse, Iran could further advance its sensitive nuclear activities. It could also lead to Western countries further tightening sanctions against Tehran.

Observers say Iran and world powers could sideline Russia from the negotiations, although it is unclear whether Tehran would be willing to risk jeopardizing its relationship with Moscow, an ally.

Iran and world powers have been holding negotiations in Vienna since April 2021, with the United States taking part indirectly. In 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the deal. Tehran responded by gradually exceeding the limits imposed by the pact on its nuclear activities. U.S. President Joe Biden has said he is willing to rejoin the pact if Iran return to full compliance.

'Stabbed In The Back'

Ali Vaez, the director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, says that by inserting the war in Ukraine into the complicated nuclear negotiations, Russia appears to be determined to upend the talks and take Iran down with it.

He suggested that Russia appears no longer to be interested in reviving the nuclear deal, which would allay Western concerns over Irans nuclear activities and allow Tehran to sell its oil. And that could bring global oil prices down.

Neither Iran's return to the oil market nor the peaceful resolution of a Western security concern in the Middle East benefits the Kremlin, Vaez told RFE/RL. The leadership in Tehran is waking up to the reality that you often get stabbed in the back by those you believed to have your back.

'Tank The Talks'

Analysts say the scope of Russias demands will determine whether they complicate or scuttle the negotiations entirely.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on March 5 said that Moscow wanted written guarantees that sanctions launched by the U.S. will not in any way harm our right to free, fully fledged trade and economic and investment cooperation and military-technical cooperation with Iran.

Russias new demands coincided with mounting international pressure on Moscow over its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, a move that has resulted in unprecedented Western sanctions.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed Russias demands on March 6, saying U.S. sanctions that are being put in place and that have been put in place on Russia have nothing to do with the Iran nuclear deal.

If it is simply exemptions that allow Russia to help Iran meet its nuclear obligations in the deal, that is one thing, Eric Brewer, a senior director at Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a Washington-based think tank, told RFE/RL.

But Lavrov's comments suggest Russia is after something much bigger. I don't see the United States giving Russia that type of sanctions relief, even if it endangers a revival of the [nuclear deal], he added.

Brewer says the United States and Russia have been able to cooperate on shared nonproliferation interests in the past, even when tensions have been high. But he says it is possible that Russias recent demands "tank the talks."

'Critical Decision'

Vali Nasr, a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University, says Russias demands have forced Iran to make a difficult choice: to stick by Russia and incur the diplomatic and economic costs of the talks collapsing or to ditch Moscow and endanger its ties with an ally.

Iran would have to decide how important an agreement is to its national interest, and whether it will allow talks it has invested so much in and built its economic and foreign policies around [to] be taken hostage by Russia, Nasr, who served as a senior adviser to the Obama administration, told RFE/RL. It will be a critical decision for Tehran.

Nasr suggested that sidelining Russia was possible.

The nuclear side of things is in Irans hand. The sanctions are in the hands of the U.S. and Europe. Russia's only leverage is to prevent a deal, Nasr said.

Brewer says the other parties to the deal would have to find ways to replace Russias technical role under the deal, including removing excess enriched uranium from Iran.

Given enough time, you could probably come up with some workarounds for other parties to take Russia's place on these technical areas, he says. "But it won't be easy, and time is in short supply.

"At a practical level, it would be incredibly challenging to reimplement the deal if Russia, the United States, and Europe are not in alignment on the [nuclear deal] and if Russia is actively trying to play the role of spoiler.
More than 2 million people have fled from Ukraine to escape the onslaught of Russia's military forces. On March 8, Current Time spoke to Ukrainians on the move in Kyiv and Lviv who hope to find a safe haven inside or outside the country. Current Time is the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
As Russia wages a brutal war against Ukraine, targeting civilian areas and drawing global condemnation, many people living in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea consume false narratives promoted by Kremlin-controlled media. Calling the invasion a war and not a "special military operation" is a criminal offense under Russian law. When RFE/RL spoke to people in Crimea, part of Ukraine seized by Russia in 2014, there was ignorance about what is going on. The interviews in this report were conducted before RFE/RL was forced to halt its operations in Russia and Crimea on March 6, amid intense government pressure to stop independent reporting there.
Ukrainian troops launched a counterattack to drive occupying Russian forces from a village in the Kyiv region on March 10. Maryan Kushnir, a reporter for RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, joined them as they battled for control. For security reasons, the exact location of the village could not be revealed. The Ukrainian military has not made any statement about casualties or if the mission was successful.
A column of Russian tanks was ambushed by Ukrainian forces on March 10 near the city of Brovary on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said the Russian convoy was forced to retreat after taking heavy losses. Several Russian tanks in working order that remained on the battlefield were taken away by the Ukrainian military.
West escalates sanctions on Russia over Ukraine crisis, countries intensify mediation efforts

Xinhua) 09:43, March 10, 2022

U.S. President Joe Biden leaves the White House in Washington, D.C. March 8, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

KIEV, March 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday the imposition of an energy embargo on Russia, a latest move against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, even though analysts have warned of potential huge consequences and spillovers.

Meanwhile, a new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine could draw near, with countries in Eurasia stepping up their efforts to mediate a political settlement.

WESTERN SANCTIONS

Since the start of the Russian special military operation, Western countries have imposed batches of sanctions on Russia.

On Tuesday, Biden declared the decision to ban U.S. imports of oil, liquified natural gas and coal from Russia over its ongoing military operations in Ukraine, noting that the new embargo "means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable to U.S. ports," while admitting it will backfire on Americans at home by causing continued price hike at gas stations.

The European Union, which relies on Russia for some 40 percent of its natural gas supplies, announced earlier Tuesday a set of comparatively limited measures, reducing imports of Russia natural gas by two-thirds this year and aiming to be free from dependence before 2030.

On March 3, Japan decided to freeze assets held by four Russian banks, following the decision by EU members one day earlier to exclude seven Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging system, the main system underpinning global financial transactions.

During a recent meeting with women flight crews of Russian airlines, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the wave of Western sanctions is akin to a "declaration of war."

In retaliation, Russia on Monday said it had approved a list of countries and regions that took "unfriendly actions" against Russia, its companies and citizens and would take reaction steps.

Actually, sanctions often do not work well and may cause devastating impacts in certain cases, while negotiations are the only way out of the Ukraine crisis, Panitan Wattanayagorn, chairman of Thai prime minister's Security Advisory Committee, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"In the new era, we are all connected in a global market. Sanctions imposed on one country will hurt many others, and eventually may also hurt the country that imposed the sanctions," Panitan warned.

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows a view of the third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. (Belta news agency via Xinhua)

TALKS MOOTED, MEDIATION INTENSIFIED

A possible fourth round of Russia-Ukraine talks could take place in "the very near future," a Russian negotiator said after the third round of peace talks in Belarus on Monday, which failed in achieving major breakthroughs, but addressed the issue of civilian evacuation.

"The next round, given that the rounds take place almost every other day, so the next, fourth round will take place in Belarus in the very, very near future. I can't name the exact date yet," said Leonid Slutsky, member of the Russian delegation and head of the International Affairs Committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament.

However, the exact date and location of the new talks is yet to be confirmed by Kiev.

On Tuesday morning, Russian armed forces declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors when Ukraine started evacuating residents from the northeastern city of Sumy through the humanitarian corridor as agreed with Russia.

The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine will meet in Turkey's southern province of Antalya on Thursday, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday.

During a press conference, the diplomat noted that the meeting would be held in a tripartite format, as part of Turkey's "intense effort" to bring both sides together for "a turning point" of the ongoing crisis.

During a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that "we need to jointly support the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and encourage the two sides to keep the momentum of negotiations, overcome difficulties, keep the talks going and bring about peaceful outcomes."

In the summit, Macron and Scholz shared their assessment and positions on the current situation in Ukraine, saying that France and Germany support reaching a settlement through negotiation and giving peace a chance.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that his country will continue to mediate between Moscow and Kiev, "even if the chance is not great -- as soon as there is even a small opening, and we have access to all sides and the capability."

Workers install protections for a historic building in Lviv, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Ren Ke)

LATEST DEVELOPMENT

On Tuesday, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testified before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Ukraine, admitting "Ukraine has biological research facilities."

"We are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach," she said.

On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it had received documentation from employees at Ukrainian biological laboratories, which confirmed the urgent destruction of dangerous pathogens such as plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases on Feb. 24, according to a statement made by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

She added that these laboratories were funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and were part of its biological weapons program.

Additionally, some observers see the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a chance to reflect on the role Washington and its allies have played in the regional geopolitical landscape.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is using the Ukraine crisis to pursue longer-term militaristic projects. "After the end of the United States' 20-year occupation of Afghanistan, and after two decades of the 'war on terror,' this is precisely the time to critically evaluate the impacts of U.S. militarism and push for demilitarization," said an article published on the website of Yes! Magazine on Monday.

"Instead, Washington is doing the opposite, with Biden reportedly considering a record 770-billion dollar military budget for 2023," said the article authored by Khury Petersen-Smith, the Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.

In the view of John J. Mearsheimer, a U.S. international relations scholar, the Western narrative about Russia in the Ukraine crisis "is a story that we invented to blame him (Putin)... The West, especially the United States, is principally responsible for this disaster," according to an article published in The New Yorker earlier this month.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Roanoke Rapids, NC (27870)

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Senate Bill 48 appropriations

Senate Bill 48, also known as the junior bill, included $50.4 million for an array of projects and programs across the state. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed the measure this week.

The bill included more than $19 million for projects with statewide impacts, according to information provided by state Sen. George Munoz. Bernalillo County projects saw the second-highest amount, at about $6.9 million. Tribes and pueblos would have received a total of $380,000 for projects.

There were $1.59 million worth of initiatives in the bill for Santa Fe County, $150,000 for Rio Arriba County and $50,000 for Los Alamos County.

The three counties would have shared an additional $360,000, likely allocated for the First Judicial District, which spans the three counties.

Santa Fe County also would have had a share in $200,000 for projects benefiting multiple counties, and might have had a share in $310,000 designated for projects in "Northern New Mexico."

Following is a breakdown of the total appropriations for each state agency, including both recurring and nonrecurring funds:

First Judicial District Attorneys Office: $360,000

First Judicial District Court: $80,000

2nd Judicial District Court: $120,000

3rd Judicial District Court: $150,000

5th Judicial District Attorneys Office: $250,000

5th Judicial District Court: $50,000

6th Judicial District Attorney: $100,000

8th Judicial District Court: $80,000

11th Judicial District Court: $330,000

11th Judicial District Attorneys Office: $125,000

Acequia Community Ditch Fund: $130,000

Administrative Office of the Courts: $610,000

Aging and LongTerm Services Department: $1.365 million

Attorney Generals Office: $150,000

Central New Mexico Community College: $555,000

Children, Youth and Families Department: $1.715 million

Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: $100,000

Court of Appeals: $200,000

Crime Victims Reparation Commission: $960,000

Cultural Affairs Department: $200,000

Department of Cultural Affairs: $650,000*

Department of Finance and Administration: $1.68 million

Local Government Division of DFA: $10.665 million

Department of Health: $3.21 million

Department of Public Safety: $360,000

Department of Transportation: $195,000

Department of Veteran Services: $225,000

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation: $90,000

Dona Ana Community College: $100,000

Eastern New Mexico University: $695,000

Economic Development Department: $915,000

Energy, Minerals, Natural Resources Department: $915,000

Environment Department: $840,000

Higher Education Department: $370,000

Human Services Department: $360,000

Indian Affairs Department: $1.19 million

Land Grant Council: $380,000

Legislative Finance Committee: $750,000

New Mexico Highlands University: $285,000

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology: $620,000

New Mexico Junior College: $250,000

New Mexico Livestock Board: $350,000

New Mexico School for the Deaf: $10,000

New Mexico State University: $4.625 million

NMSU Department of Agriculture: $691,000

NMSU Grants Campus: $100,000

Northern New Mexico College: $260,000

Office of African American Affairs: $100,000

Office of the State Engineer: $1.16 million

Office of the Superintendent of Insurance: $790,000

Public Education Department: 3.26 million

Regulation and Licensing Department: $260,000

San Juan College: $210,000

Santa Fe Community College: $565,000

Secretary of States Office: $300,000

State Personnel Office: $250,000

Supreme Court: $150,000

Tourism Department: $350,000

University of New Mexico: $3.705 million

Western New Mexico University: $200,000

Workforce Solutions Department: $270,000

Luna Community College: $220,000

Clovis Community College: $399,000

*The list includes separate allocations for the Cultural Affairs Department and the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Source: Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup
London, KY (40741)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 70F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
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The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco traditionally ends with a parade from Civic Center to Japantown, where emcee George Yamasaki Jr. would introduce each float and marching band in a booming voice.

The festival will return in April after a two-year absence due to COVID-19, but there will be no parade and there will be no George Yamasaki. He died Feb. 7 at his home in the Marina district. The cause of death was the lingering effects of a heart condition. Yamasakis death was confirmed by his son, Paul Yamasaki of San Jose. He was 86.

Not only was George the actual voice of the Cherry Blossom Festival, but he was a calm, intelligent voice at all of the planning committee meetings, said Allen Okamoto, the retired longtime chair of the festival.

Amazingly, he never spoke Japanese, but he was intelligent enough to figure out the precise pronunciation for all of the groups and performers in the parade. He was a natural.

He was also a natural at the piano, as part of the J Town Jazz Ensemble, a 17-piece big band that played the festival and other Japantown events. He also backed Forbidden City crooner Larry Ching on the wedding reception and party circuit.

But those were side gigs to his day job as an immigration lawyer, helping people with green card issues, and his service on the San Francisco Human Services Commission, which oversees city agencies that provide food and social programs to people in need.

His 45 years on the commission made him one of the longest-serving commissioners in the history of San Francisco commissions. That alone could have qualified him to be named grand marshal of the Cherry Blossom parade, riding and waving from an open car. But he was too valuable as the events emcee.

George was a guy who was short of stature, modest to a fault and delighted at meeting notable people, whether it was the mayor or Hank Greenwald, the Giants announcer. But he was deserving of that kind of pedestal himself, said writer Ben Fong-Torres, who sang for years in a pop trio with Yamasaki on piano.

He was a Renaissance man of San Francisco who was multifaceted, and underneath all of that was his love of music and his ability to play it.

George Yamasaki Jr. was born March 21, 1935, in Honolulu. His dad sold insurance and real estate and his mother taught kindergarten. He was a first- grader at the prestigious Punahou School when the bombs were dropped on Pearl Harbor on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. By the next morning, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had taken over the Punahou campus for the duration of the war. First grade was moved to a two-story house. After graduating from high school in 1953, Yamasaki left Hawaii for the first time, on a flight to San Francisco to attend Stanford University.

He brought along his saxophone and soon joined a 10-piece jazz band called the Stardusters, which played the high school prom circuit. But his main instrument was the piano, so he joined a second campus outfit, the Ron Wagner Quartet, which had a standing Sunday night gig at a country club in Los Altos Hills.

George had at least 1,000 tunes in a thick book he carried around with him, said Wagner, a retired Oakland attorney living in Walnut Creek. If anybody made a request, George could pull that tune out of his book and play it right off the sheet of music. He could sight-read like nobodys business.

Yamasaki majored in prelaw, which allowed him to finish his undergraduate degree in three years and advance directly to Stanford Law School.

George was very confident and comfortable in his own skin, he said, probably because he was so damned smart, Wagner said.

By the time Wagner returned from the Air Force in 1962, Yamasaki was married to Merle Woo, who sang in the band. The quartet reunited, without Woo, and played parties and wedding receptions for another 50 years.

It was swing music, all the old standards, said Wagner. I would characterize myself as the poor mans Benny Goodman, and George was a brilliant accompanist, providing the chord structure for every tune we played.

Though Yamasaki played jazz in groups, as opposed to solo, as a lawyer he was the opposite. He never joined a firm or had partners. For many years, he shared office space with criminal defense attorney Tony Serra, who had been at Stanford at the same time.

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In the 1960s, a Hawaiian developer won the bid to develop the Japan Culture and Trade Center and hired Yamasaki, an old family friend from the islands, to handle the legal end of it.

The shopping center opened in 1968 with shops, restaurants and a hotel surrounding Peace Plaza, marked by a 100-foot pagoda gifted by Osaka, Japan, sister city to San Francisco. What was then called the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival was created to celebrate the opening. It has been ongoing, and Yamasaki had served on the committee for decades, including stints as co-chairman.

Prior to the pandemic, the Cherry Blossom Festival has drawn crowds of more than 150,000 spectators for each of two weekends. The parade, on the second weekend, included 35 or 40 entrants, including a Cherry Blossom queen and her court, all welcomed by Yamasaki.

He has been honored with George Yamasaki Day in San Francisco, as decreed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 1995, and he has been named honorary community grand marshal for the Cherry Blossom Festival, celebrating its 55th year, April 9-17. There will be a special tribute to him onstage at the Peace Plaza.

All of Japantown will certainly miss him, said Okamoto. He was a fixture of the festival for so many years.

Yamasaki was divorced in 1977 and in 1985 married Anne Sakamaki, who had been a classmate at Punahou. They had reconnected at a class reunion. She predeceased him in 2010. Survivors include his son Paul Yamasaki of San Jose; daughter Emily Woo Yamasaki of New York City; and stepdaughter Susie Okimoto of Honolulu.

A public memorial will be held at 1 p.m. March 26 at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter St., San Francisco. Fong-Torres and others will perform a few numbers culled from a CD he produced featuring Yamasaki on piano, always swinging but with a light touch.

The songs will reflect the eclectic ears that George brought to his music, said Fong-Torres. He was always fun to be around and always signed his emails, warmest Aloha. That was perfect for George.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com. Twitter:@samwhitingsf
Lateefah Simon vacated her seat on the BART Board of Directors Wednesday after the agency determined she no longer resides in the district she represents  despite assurances she says she received from BART officials that her move kept her within district boundaries.

Simon presided over the BART Board of Directors during the height of the pandemic and represented BARTs District 7 that includes BARTs Richmond stations, Berkeleys Ashby station and a portion of North Oaklands MacArthur station. Simon told The Chronicle in a phone interview Thursday morning that she consulted with senior BART officials before moving last year from her Richmond home to an apartment complex adjacent to the MacArthur BART station.

At the time, Simon was receiving death threats and other harassing messages  some of them laced with racist and misogynistic slurs  including an incident in which she found urine on her doorstep in North Richmond.

A BART spokesperson said Thursday that the agency couldnt confirm whether an agency official had given Simon that reassurance, nor could the agency find any written evidence supporting Simons claim.

Simon planned to join Thursdays Board of Directors meeting remotely before receiving news from BART officials within the last week that her home lies a stones throw outside her district line. Her departure was briefly acknowledged at the beginning of Thursdays meeting.

Im devastated, Simon said in a phone call from Selma, Ala., where she is commemorating the 57th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday civil rights march.

In a later statement, Simon said, Before moving, I informed top BART officials and sought their input, and was assured that the building is within District 7. I would not have moved my family otherwise.

Before moving, Simon said she had numerous conversations with senior BART officials who helped her execute a conflict-of-interest memo, since her home is part of a transit-oriented development on the agencys land. Simon presented a document to The Chronicle to prove she had discussed the move with top BART staff.

Legally blind, Simon said she opted to move into an apartment complex across the street from MacArthur station because, as a visually impaired person, to be able to walk across the street and access transit  its the best thing in the world.

Simon shared representation of MacArthur station with board Director Robert Raburn, according to a map of BARTs district boundaries. Simons district included the station, itself, while Raburns district covers the portion east of northbound State Route 24 that includes the stations entrance plaza, parking garage and apartments built on BART property.

Alicia Trost, BARTs chief communications officer, said that the agency last week asked Simon to give her address after it came to our attention that there was a residency discrepancy. The address Simon gave, which is across the street from the State Route 24 boundary, made it clear she no longer resided in the district she represented, Trost said.

Trost said the agency cant confirm whether a conversation between BART officials and Simon about the move took place because the BART employee believed to have been involved is on leave.

The threats that prompted Simons move appeared to be linked to work she had done on police reform. She has been outspoken calling for a new investigation into the 2009 deadly shooting of Oscar Grant at Fruitvale Station by a transit officer. Simon also successfully pushed for BARTs ambassador program, in which the agency deploys uniformed civilian officers to help with security and handle some duties traditionally assigned to sworn police.

Simons election in 2016 was viewed by some as a changing of the guard that steered the agencys Board of Directors toward social issues and a more progressive bent. Her colleagues elected her board president in December 2019. Months later, the start of a pandemic spiraled the agency into a fight for survival after ridership plummeted by 94% in spring 2020.

Several board directors were stunned by the news of Simons departure. They credited her for helping steer BART during its most tumultuous period and lobbying for the financial assistance from the federal government that has largely sustained BART since the pandemic.

Its been through my leadership that hundreds of millions of dollars came to the district during COVID, Simon said.

As a widowed mom who rides BART daily, she brought the perspective of transit-dependent riders seldom represented on the BART board, several board directors said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

BART board President Rebecca Saltzman, who urged Simon to run in 2016, said, We are a better agency because of Lateefahs contribution.

She was president during probably the hardest year in BARTs history when the pandemic hit. The way she brought our board and staff together, and management and labor unions, to weather the crisis and bring in a huge amount of federal funding, it was really incredible, Saltzman said.

Board Director Janice Li described Simons departure as a huge loss for the BART board, noting that she is now the only person of color on the government body. During the pandemic, low-income people of color who dont own cars have accounted for a growing share of BARTs ridership, according to a 2020 customer satisfaction survey.

Lateefah always spoke up for low-income folks, people with disabilities, Black riders, Li said. To lose that voice is significant.

District 7 voters will decide Simons permanent replacement in a forthcoming election. The Board of Directors has 60 days to appoint a replacement to fill the vacated seat in the interim.

Bevan Dufty, a BART board director representing a San Francisco district, said Thursday that Simon sought the advice of a district official and was assured that her move kept her within District 7, which she so ably represents. This advice was wrong, and here we are today. He hoped Simon would consider moving back within the district and apply to be appointed to the seat she vacated this week.

People who have known and worked with Lateefah began to view BART differently because of her presence on this body, Dufty said.

Rachel Swan and Ricardo Cano are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Emails: rswan@sfchronicle.com, ricardo.cano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan, @ByRicardoCano
Jacom Stephens/Getty Image

One person was critically injured in a shooting involving people in separate vehicles in San Franciscos Bayview neighborhood on Wednesday, authorities said.

People in vehicles were shooting at each other on Newcomb Avenue, San Francisco police investigations Commander Raj Vaswani said on Twitter shortly after 4 p.m.
Prosecutors have agreed to dismiss the one remaining charge against San Francisco Police Officer Terrance Stangel, who on Monday was acquitted of three assault and battery charges tied to a 2019 baton beating, attorneys said Wednesday.

Jurors deadlocked on a fourth charge, assault under the color of authority, with nine voting not guilty and three voting guilty. Judge Teresa Caffese, who oversaw the case, declared a mistrial for this charge and left it to prosecutors to decide whether to refile.

We continue to feel gratitude towards the San Francisco jurors who gave us this result, said Stangels attorney, Nicole Pifari. Terry is looking forward to getting his life back to normal.

Rachel Marshall, a spokesperson for San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, said prosecutors consulted with the victim in the case, Dacari Spiers, and decided to dismiss the remaining charge in accordance with his wishes.

We respect the jury process and their evaluation of the evidence, and thank the jurors for spending four full days struggling to make a decision, Marshall said. We are committed to continuing our work to hold all those who harm accountable and promoting public safety for all communities.

Stangel was the first San Francisco officer to be tried in an on-duty excessive force case.

The prosecutors decision closes the final chapter on a case that began on Oct. 6, 2019, when Stangel and his partner responded to a 911 call reporting domestic violence and confronted Spiers.

The contact soon devolved into violence, with Stangel striking Spiers as many as eight times with his baton and breaking his wrist and leg.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Prosecutors said Stangels use of force was unnecessary and excessive, and that police had no grounds to arrest Spiers in the first place. Spiers was not touching his then-girlfriend, Breonna Richard, when police arrived, and prosecutors argued that the 911 callers were mistaken when they reported the alleged abuse.

The defense team argued that it was Spiers who was the aggressor, and that Stangel was acting in defense of his partner as Spiers was battering him. Pifari said her client used the proper amount of force to contain the situation, and that he stopped using his baton after Spiers stopped kicking his legs.

Spiers was awarded a $700,000 civil payout after filing a lawsuit against the city.

Megan Cassidy (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
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James Keys hasnt moved far from the spot on the street where, several months ago, he was living inside his 40-foot RV. In fact, that vehicle is still his home, and the south end of Bayview-Hunters Point is still his neighborhood.

But Keys circumstances have changed dramatically. He and dozens of other vehicle dwellers have now moved off Hunters Point Expressway and into a city-sanctioned parking lot at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, a stones throw from where the 49ers once played.

On the street last year, Keys had to bury his waste, with no access to a bathroom or shower. Now, at the city site, he can use a portable toilet, a shower trailer, two microwaves and a charging station for electronics. He gets two hot meals every day, and, as of last week, the city planned to send in more services, including case managers who can help place him into more permanent housing.

Its way better, Keys told The Chronicle as he walked through the sanctioned parking site last week. Im giving them an A-plus.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Officials say about 50 households are living at San Franciscos Bayview Vehicle Triage Center, the name for the sanctioned Candlestick Point parking site the city set up to address the growing ranks of people living inside RVs or cars. The site, operated by the nonprofit Urban Alchemy, is expected to grow to accommodate 130 households in the coming months.

Its anticipated to cost about $12.2 million over the next two years, according to the latest city estimate, which includes initial set-up costs and ongoing expenses for operations and support services. State funds are paying for the $5.6 million set-up costs.

San Francisco opened the Candlestick Point site in January and simultaneously shut down a nearby lot on Carroll Avenue where the city had let people living inside RVs set up temporarily. Officials had opened the Carroll lot as a short-term emergency location last year after a rainstorm led to flooding along Hunters Point Expressway, causing extensive damage to some of the vehicles parked there.

The citys closure of the Carroll lot was met with strong resistance by some of its residents. They were deeply skeptical of the new Candlestick Point site, pointing to its limited electricity and rules banning propane tanks and generators, among other issues.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Propane tanks and generators remain disallowed at the vehicle triage center. But Emily Cohen, a deputy director with the citys Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, said the city is working to get electric utility service connected to the RVs.

We want this to be better than being out on the street, Cohen said. This is hopefully a step on the pathway to peoples place somewhere more permanent.

The site serves only a small portion of San Franciscos vehicle dwellers. As of November, the city had tallied about 1,000 inhabited vehicles, with the largest concentration  about half of the total  residing in supervisorial District 10, which includes Bayview-Hunters Point.

And as the city tried to set up the sanctioned parking site at Candlestick Point, it encountered opposition from residents concerned that it was trying to warehouse homeless people in one area. A local neighborhood group filed a lawsuit challenging the parking site and is now in settlement talks with the city.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton, who represents District 10, said hes been talking to constituents to hear their feedback about the Candlestick Point site and the number of inhabited vehicles in the area.

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Everyone was happy about changes to the expressway, Walton said, referring to a lack of people parked on the street near the vehicle triage center. There are still some concerns about folks who live in vehicles, but its not the same (level of) concern we saw a few months ago.

Still, complaints from some neighbors persist. Timothy Alan Simon, who lives near the parking site, said its extremely bright nighttime lights have been a nuisance and inhabited RVs still populate many blocks in the area.

The focus, understandably, is on the unhoused, but there seems to be no consideration for residents, Simon said. Based on our observation, the vehicle triage center has done nothing to reduce the unhoused RV population in the neighborhood streets themselves.

The Candlestick Point site will be operational for at least two years, and San Francisco is looking into opening a second location for people who live in their vehicles.

Not everyone living at the current site is intent on staying. Marissa Magnusen, 50, told The Chronicle last week that she was considering leaving and finding somewhere else to park her RV while she tries to get into permanent housing.

I dont really like being told what to do all the time, Magnusen said. But its a nice program, I guess  for some people.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
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Sergii Perebeinis wants the world to bear witness to his grief.

His entire family  his wife, their two children and two dogs  was obliterated as they attempted to flee the conflict in Ukraine. They were taking advantage of Russias promised safe passage for civilians, but Russian troops fired a mortar as they dashed across a bridge to Kyiv from their suburban town of Irpin.

Photos of the inert bodies of Tatiana Perebeinis, 43, son Nikita, 18, and daughter Alise, 9, and their friend Anatoly Berezhnyi, 26, flashed around the world, igniting outrage. Tatiana was chief accountant of SE Ranking, a Palo Alto tech startup, where colleagues recalled her as a friendly, brave, courageous woman with a great sense of humor. Sergii, 43, is a computer programmer.

The stark images quickly became a symbol of the brutality in Ukraine, as indelible as other visceral moments from previous conflicts: the sobbing children fleeing napalm in Vietnam, the young woman keening over dead students at Kent State.

But to Sergii Perebeinis theyre more than a symbol. They were his whole world.

I want to achieve the maximum repost by the press of my grief, he wrote in an email to The Chronicle. I also plan to apply to world courts, file lawsuits against Russia. This is a war crime and someone needs to be held accountable.

The couple had been happy together for 23 years, he wrote.

We studied together at the same school, lived in different houses in the same district, but did not notice each other. We met much later, when we studied at the university.

Provided by Sergii Perebeinis

Initially they lived in the city of Donetsk in southeastern Ukraine, near Russia. In a precursor of the current conflict, Russia invaded the region and backed pro-Russian separatist groups that seized control there eight years ago.

In 2014, after the outbreak of hostilities in the Donbass (the region in which Donetsk is located), we left our hometown forever and moved to Kyiv to live in a rented apartment, he wrote. It was five difficult years, but we did not give up and did not give up and we managed to buy our own housing in the suburbs of Kyiv, in the small beautiful city of Irpin, surrounded on all sides by coniferous forests.

When Russia launched hostilities this year, Irpin became a strategic target as a gateway to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.

Perebeinis sent a photo of his towering green apartment building with a gaping hole blown into one exterior wall. After that Russian attack, the family sought refuge in the buildings basement, according to Ksenia Khirvonina, a spokesperson for SE Ranking, where Tatiana worked.

Provided by Sergii Perebeinis

Sergii had returned to Donetsk this month to help his mother, who had COVID-19, he said. Thats why he wasnt with the family.

On the evening of March 5, I managed to contact my wife for the last time, he wrote. In our city of Irpin, hostilities were already underway and there was no mobile communications, water, electricity and gas.

His wife planned to evacuate the next day, March 6, Sunday, he said.

Provided by Sergii Perebeinis

The family used Google geolocation to find each other.

On the morning of March 6, I discovered the geolocation of my wife on the highway between Irpin and Kiev, he wrote. The phone worked, but no one answered the calls. The childrens phones were also turned off.

Then his wifes phone moved. It was at a city hospital in Kyiv.

I called my friends in Kyiv and asked them to come to the hospital to look for the family, he wrote.

After 15 minutes, a text message appeared on Twitter about the shelling of civilians during the evacuation and that a family had died. After another 15 minutes, photos of those killed from the scene appeared on Twitter, and I identified my children by their clothes and personal belongings.

His wife died in the hospital a day later, he wrote.

The family had carried their Yorkshire terriers  Benz and Cake  in a small green carrier as they tried to flee.

Provided by Sergii Perebeinis

One dog died on the spot, Sergii wrote. The second one I managed to find through Facebook at the animal clinic. The dog was kept on therapy for a day and also died.

Now Sergii said he will dedicate himself to seeking justice for their deaths.

I will go to the end, he said. I lost everyone and lost the meaning of life.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
The tragic thing about roti is that despite how spectacular it can be, its rarely treated like the point of a meal. Flatbreads like roti, naan and lavash are so often the mules that exist to serve more glamorous culinary main characters like falafel and grilled meats, skulking in the margins of the table like Cinderella by the fireplace. Roti is something to wrestle with, noisily shedding flaky shards as its pulled every which way, firmly pinched between two fingers for picking up proteins or dipping into fully spiced stews and coconut milk-thickened curries.

I remember lamenting when I went to Nari, the sensational Thai restaurant in Japantown, and had a phenomenal roti with its golden curried Cornish game hen. As flaky as an Ariscault croissant, the handmade flatbreads were the highlight of an already incredible dish, but you couldnt order them separately. Knowing she had gold on her hands, owner and chef Pim Techamuanvivit couldnt justify overloading the kitchen staff with a labor-intensive side dish that surely everyone would want to buy.

Thats why I love Aman Cafe. Opened in Temescal in July, this is a restaurant where delicate, butter-laminated roti is the center of the universe. Here, every meal from the spare, seven-item menu comes on a paper-lined cafeteria tray, with a folded mound of roti occupying the forefront. Heaped like a drooping lily, the rotis stiff folds and contours have a lavish edge to them.

Andria Lo/Special to The Chronicle

Owner Tiyo Shibabaw, who also owns Teni East Kitchen next door, has been sitting on this idea for a while. She spent the early part of the pandemic sifting through five restaurant concepts, including Aman and a seafood-centric Burmese restaurant. She settled on this one because she wanted to bring more vegetarian options to that side of the block, which already has her other restaurant, Brendas Oakland, butcher shop Clove and Hoof and the bar Copper Spoon. Plus, eating with your hands is a lot of fun  and who can argue with that?

Shibabaws fresh flatbread is a simple dough of all-purpose flour, oil and butter, mixed by machine and pan-fried to order. (A vegan version without butter is also available.) She credits her technique to a Burmese friend she met while working at Burma Superstar. Whats really interesting is that while the roti is Malaysian, it seems to have a universal appeal. Shibabaw told me she likens it to Ethiopian kita, a similar unleavened bread cooked in a hot pan. Impressed Jamaican customers sometimes ask if the bread Aman serves is Jamaican roti. Sure, she says. It can be if you want it to be!

Andria Lo / Special to The Chronicle

Despite the beauty of the roti, nothing on the menu at Aman Cafe costs more than $11. Its meant to be a casual spot, with counter service and prices that aim for Oakland Tech students with a little extra lunch money. Even so, each meal feels complete  even tender in its presentation. The savory trays include small glass bowls with accouterments like curry coconut sauce for dipping, pristine slices of avocado and wedges of oranges, as if the meal were put together by the person who loves you most in the world. You can, of course, order just plain roti ($6) with the coconut sauce ($2) on the side as a fantastic brunchy snack, too.

Notably, with the exception of one dish, the entire menu is meat-free. A mixture of tender chopped root vegetables, flavored with warming spice mixes like berbere and mitmita, forms the backbone of the savory menu and makes a convincing argument for a culinary marriage between Ethiopia and Southeast Asia. When you dine at the cafe, youll get the vegetables on the side; for takeout, theyre nestled in the roti in compostable containers. The spices, heirloom varieties sourced from North Oaklands Brundo Spice Co., impart sweet heat and a bouquet of fenugreek, black cardamom and ginger into the dishes.

The tropical roti ($11) adds a cooling hit of coconut sauce to the vegetable mixture, turning it into a creamy, stew-ish thing that holds its form well when piled onto swatches of flatbread. As with the elaborate Ethiopian platters of braises and sauteed vegetables arranged on injera, the fun of eating Amans rotis lies in building perfect little arrangements of vegetables, avocado and sauce as you eat.

Andria Lo / Special to The Chronicle

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Aman Cafe is built on simple pleasures like this, and that mission extends to the sweet side of the menu. The zag roti ($7) and zabeba roti ($11) arrange the flatbreads with salads of seasonal fruits and berries, with sweetened condensed milk and a dusting of powdered sugar, adding up to dishes that seem part-crepe, part-funnel cake. As the sugar rests on the hot roti, it melts into a luscious glaze. Its the same bread served in the savory dishes, yet somehow it seems like an entirely new thing here, and you dont feel weird about ordering roti twice.

In concert with the simplicity of the concept, the space is quite spartan, with just a few wooden tables arranged along a tan banquette on the periphery of the dining room. It used to be a China Hut, and regulars of that restaurant will easily recognize the layout. A few plants in simple pots do their best to perk up the environment, though Shibabaw says shes hoping to find a muralist who can let loose on the bare white walls, as she did at Teni East Kitchen. But the ambience is pleasant enough, especially when Oaklands late afternoon sun slumps through the tall windows, giving the wooden accents a natural warmth.

I used to justify the scarcity of roti in my life with the rationale that everything good should come in moderation. There was a dreadful possibility, after all, that having too much of it would make me hate it, like a joke told too many times. Thanks to Aman Cafe, I have a chance to test that theory  Ill tell you how it goes after my 150th roti.

Soleil Ho is The San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic. Email: soleil@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hooleil
Perhaps no issue has been more fraught throughout the coronavirus pandemic than the safety of children and the steps taken to protect them, from school closures to masking to vaccination mandates. Now, with youngsters back in the classroom and starting to remove masks, news that the only COVID-19 vaccine available to them may not work as well as intended presents parents, educators and doctors an unexpected challenge.

New research indicates that protection from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may fade faster and more dramatically in children under 12 than in older groups, suggesting that vaccine developers may need to adjust dosing sizes or intervals to provoke a stronger immune response in young children.

Given that the omicron variant is still circulating, the findings of waning vaccine efficacy against infection in children 5 to 11  who already have the lowest vaccination rate out of any age group eligible for the shots  are worrisome and may warrant additional safety measures like masking, some experts said.

The good news is the vaccines still seems to be protective against hospitalizations, and in general its rare for kids to get severe COVID, said Nadia Roan, an immunologist at San Franciscos Gladstone Institutes. But if you have a lot of people catching it, when youre in a wave like omicron, its best to also implement other precautionary measures like masking.

Meanwhile, federal regulators have delayed their review of the Pfizer vaccine for children under the age of 5, in part because early data found that some of those kids did not mount an adequate immune response to the dose they were given, which is one-tenth the adult amount.

Two studies published since last week offer a new real-world glimpse into how effective the Pfizer vaccine was at preventing coronavirus infection and hospitalization in children and adolescents during the omicron surge. Pfizers vaccine is the only one authorized for children, though Moderna is also testing its vaccine in kids and is expected to release data on it this month.

Carolyn Fong/Special to The Chronicle

One study by the New York State Department of Health, which has not been peer reviewed, found that children ages 5 to 11  who get one-third the adult dose  saw a much more dramatic decline in vaccine effectiveness against infection during omicron than those 12 to 17, who got the full adult dose.

Another study, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that the vaccine appeared to elicit comparable levels of protection in children across age groups (5 to 11, 12 to 15, and 16 to 17). And it was likely the omicron variant, not the difference in ages, that contributed to lower levels of protection, which ranged from 34% to 46%, across these age groups. The study looked at vaccine effectiveness against COVID that results in emergency department or urgent care visits during omicron.

Scientists stress that these and other studies demonstrate the Pfizer vaccine remains very effective at preventing hospitalizations in those 12 and older. Whats less clear is how well it works at preventing hospitalizations among those 5 to 11, because those numbers are so small they may not be statistically relevant. But the vaccines ability to prevent infection entirely appears to be lower in younger kids than older groups, which troubles some infectious disease experts as masks quickly become optional in schools. And severe disease, though less common in young kids than in adults, is still possible even in healthy children.

Vaccine experts say these developments signal that Pfizer may adjust the dose amount, number of doses, or interval between shots for young children in the months ahead. And they underscore the difficulty of zeroing in on the best doses across various age groups when facing the extraordinary time pressures of developing a vaccine in the midst of a pandemic.

It typically takes years to complete vaccine clinical trials, and a big part of it is testing and retesting dosing to find the sweet spot that checks the boxes for safety  not causing side effects like high fever  and efficacy. Pfizers pediatric trials took just months and are still ongoing for kids younger than 5. The company initially tested the adult 30-microgram dose in a small number of kids, but that amount led to greater incidence of high fevers, which prompted Pfizer to land on the lower 10-microgram dose for children 5 to 11, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, who leads the Pfizer pediatric vaccine trial at the Stanford site.

The New York study shows that during the omicron wave in December and January, vaccine effectiveness against infection faded from 68% to just 12% among kids 5 to 11. By comparison, vaccine effectiveness fell less, from 66% to 51%, among those 12 to 17, who receive the full adult dose.

Its clear that dosage matters here, and we really have to evaluate further what the optimal dosage is for 5- to 11-year-olds, said Dr. John Swartzberg, professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

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The difference was especially stark when comparing vaccine effectiveness in 12-year-olds, the youngest children to get the adult dose, and 11-year-olds, the oldest children to get the lower dose, which suggested weight could be a factor. According to the New York analysis, 12-year-olds were at 67% vaccine efficacy against infection as of late January, while 11-year-olds had fallen to 11% efficacy at the same point in time.

The question was raised  whether or not this means that dose amount by weight may be important, Maldonado said. Certainly that may play a role. Clearly were studying whether more doses are helpful, but it is an intriguing possibility.

The Food and Drug Administration decision last month to postpone considering emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine in kids ages 6 months to 4 years also may have related partly to dosing. In clinical trials, the infants and toddlers got a 3-microgram dose  one-tenth the adult amount. That appears to have elicited a stronger antibody response in kids from 6 months to 2 years than in those 2 to 4  suggesting that the lower dose was enough for the younger ones but not enough for the older ones, Swartzberg said.

What this is telling us is that we know these vaccines will work, but we dont know yet what the optimal dosage is, and what the optimal number of doses is, he said. Thats what were struggling with at this point. But the message shouldnt be, Dont get kids vaccinated, because we know theyre safe and they do give protection. We just havent done the fine-tuning yet to optimize that.

Catherine Ho (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
When it comes to health, if the past two years of pandemic life have taught us anything, its that following politics over science is dangerous, if not downright deadly. Unfortunately, when it comes to transgender kids, many states are repeating the same mistake.

On Tuesday, the Idaho Legislature passed a bill banning youth transgender treatment. This follows last months developments in Texas, where Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion that said providing transgender youth with gender-affirming health care, treatment that brings an individuals physical characteristics in alignment with their affirmed gender identity, could be considered child abuse under the Texas Family Code  a notion that ignores scientific evidence and the consensus of every major medical and mental health association in the U.S. Based on that opinion, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott then ordered state agencies to investigate such care as child abuse. And last year, Arkansas passed a law banning gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth  a law now being challenged in the U.S. Court of Appeals.

About 20 other states, including Florida and South Dakota, have similar proposed laws, some of which criminalize physicians who provide gender-affirming medical care to youth. As noted in a 2020 policy perspective in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, such proposed and enacted legislation aims to alarm the general public by inaccurately describing gender-affirmative youth care as chemical castration and genital mutilation.

But decades of scientific research show that gender-affirming care is nothing short of lifesaving for the people who need it. For example, a 2020 U.S. survey of transgender adults age 18-36 years found significantly lower risks of lifetime suicidal ideation in those who were treated in their youth with puberty blockers  one of the potential treatments within gender-affirmative care  compared to those who wanted but never received blockers. Gender-affirmative care is also the recommended standard of care by both the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society, the worlds oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research.

For transgender youth, the story is similar. Close to 25 years of published data show that gender-affirming medical care, which includes both medical and mental health support, has clear mental health benefits. In fact, a study published just last month demonstrated 60% lower odds of depression and 73% lower odds of suicidality among youth who had initiated treatment with puberty blockers or gender-affirming sex hormones compared with youth who did not start such care.

Even with such compelling data, clinicians dont take lightly the decision to embark on gender-affirming medical care with youth. While young people can certainly have a strong grasp of their own gender, they are also in the throes of a swift stream of development, exploring identity in multiple facets of life.

Thats why mental health specialists play a critical role in treatment, learning from a youth about their gender and weaving that information together with other aspects of the youths life, such as their home and school environments. Combined, this information becomes the foundation for developing a gender health plan unique to that youth that follows clinical practice guidelines. Its an approach that has led to positive outcomes for thousands of transgender youth.

At the UCSF Child and Adolescent Gender Center, for example, we are an interdisciplinary team of medical providers  pediatric endocrinologists, adolescent medicine specialists, nurses, psychologists, social workers and school and legal specialists  who have worked together with over 2,000 patients and their families in the past 10 years. Among the approximately 1,200 of our patients who have embarked on gender-affirming medical care after careful consideration by the youth patient, their parents or caregivers, and medical and mental health providers, less than 1% have opted to discontinue care.

Fearmongering by lawmakers and others has no place in health care. Already, misinformation about gender-affirmative care for youth has had dire consequences. At the end of 2021, the Childrens Medical Center in Dallas was forced to close its program for gender-affirming medical care to new transgender patients. It was the only program of its kind in the state. And just this week, Texas Childrens Hospital announced it would stop providing hormone therapies for transgender children in the wake of Abbotts recent directive.

Gender identity  ones inner sense of self as male or female or somewhere on the gender spectrum  is, like sexual orientation, a fundamental dimension of the human experience. Major U.S. mental health associations, such as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recognize that being transgender or gender diverse is not a mental illness, but instead reflects an example of human diversity.

Care of transgender adolescents should be led by trained health care teams in partnership with the patient and family, based on best available scientific evidence, not by politicians or legislators with no experience in our field.

Stephen M. Rosenthal is professor of pediatrics and medical director at the UCSF Child and Adolescent Gender Center. He is a National Institutes of Health-funded principal investigator on the Impact of Medical Treatment of Transgender Youth study and past president of the Pediatric Endocrine Society. Diane Ehrensaft is associate professor of pediatrics and director of mental health at the UCSF Child and Adolescent Gender Center. She is the author of The Gender Creative Child and is a NIH-funded principal investigator on the care of transgender youth.
An early map of possible new boundaries for San Franciscos 11 supervisor districts has drawn criticism from several elected officials, particularly over how it could affect the LGBTQ community.

Several supervisors offered a scathing appraisal of the map, with one saying it looked like a joke and another saying whoever came up with it appeared to be on crack.

The preliminary map created by an outside consultant and released this week was drawn for the task force in charge of updating the parameters of supervisorial districts based on the most recent census. While intended only as a starting point, political leaders criticized the proposal, pointing out how certain neighborhoods would be impacted if the vision became reality.

Members of the task force can overhaul the initial map in the coming weeks.

But under the version released this week, District 8, which includes the Castro and has historically been represented by one of the areas LGBTQ residents, would no longer encompass the Duboce Triangle, part of Corona Heights and other spots north of Market Street that are currently inside the district. Community leaders fear that could make it harder to preserve LGBTQ representation on the board and ensure proper advocacy for the Castro area.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

This particular map basically slices the Castro and the queer community in half, said District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. I almost feel like this had to have been a joke or not a serious effort.

Redistricting is a once in-a-decade process that, in San Francisco, is handled by a nine-member task force appointed by the mayor, Board of Supervisors and the Elections Commission. The task force has to make politically sensitive decisions about how to reflect the citys population shifts while keeping key neighborhoods and communities with shared interests together as much as possible. Districts are also supposed to be nearly the same size, though more variation is allowed if needed to keep communities of interest intact.

For Mandelman, the consequences could be serious. Under the current map, the Mission District home he has owned for 10 years would no longer fall inside District 8. So he would have to move if he wanted to continue running for re-election this year  or lose his seat.

One of Mandelmans predecessors on the board was state Sen. Scott Wiener, who lives one block away from Castro and Market streets  the heart of the citys iconic LGBTQ district. Wiener would no longer live in District 8 either if the current map went through.

It decapitates District 8, Wiener said.

But he added that hes confident that there will be significant changes to the map, and we just need to make very clear to the task force that they need to keep the LGBTQ community in mind and not let us get screwed.

Other supervisorial districts could see big changes, too. The footprint of District 6, which includes the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods and has seen a lot of development over the past decade, would shrink under the preliminary map such that Mission Bay would fall into District 10, among other changes.

Meanwhile, District 3, which includes North Beach and Chinatown, would stretch west to include Japantown and the Cathedral Hill area of the Western Addition, which are now part of District 5. Those changes dont sit well with the districts current supervisors, who contend the proposed boundaries would improperly splinter key communities and make it more difficult for their voices to be represented politically.

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Whoever came up with that map looks like theyre on crack, said District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin. It looks like gerrymandering to me. It seems like theyre cutting up communities of interest. It struck me as laughable, and I doubt that anybody in either district is gonna support it.

District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston called the preliminary map very disappointing and said it did not reflect input from his constituents.

First, the map makes significant changes to the boundaries of District 5 despite the fact that it was the district with the least significant population changes, Preston said in a statement. It also inexplicably cuts through the Western Addition and moves Japantown to a different district, despite these communities shared history of struggle and solidarity and despite their clear feedback to the task force that they are communities of interest and want to remain together in District 5.

Preston said he hoped the task force would rectify these issues and many others in their next draft.

The task force has a series of upcoming meetings planned as it prepares to finalize new district maps by April 15. Its next gathering is Friday at 3 p.m. in Room 416 of City Hall.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
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More than two years, $50 million and one ocean crossing later, San Francisco has its newest fire station. And it floats.

The San Francisco Fire Departments two-story Fireboat Station 35 opened for operations Thursday on the Embarcadero at Pier 22 with a ribbon cutting by Mayor London Breed, more than a year after it was floated across the bay at low tide in the predawn dark from Treasure Island, where the superstructure was constructed.

The 173-by-96-foot float that allows the station to ride the tides was specially fabricated in China to withstand sea level rise and natural disasters. That could make all the difference during a fire or earthquake that could crumble buildings on land and potentially leave the station as a last bastion from which to dispatch rescuers and lifesaving equipment.

The battleship-like building is the first and only floating fire station in the Western Hemisphere, according to San Francisco Public Works spokesperson Rachel Gordon.

The boxy gray structure with its glass front and Bay Bridge backdrop will now take on many of the duties previously handled by the more-than-100-year-old firehouse on the Embarcadero. That is where the citys fireboats were once dispatched from, including to battle blazes caused by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Breed spoke before the opening to a crowd of firefighters decked out in dress uniforms, city and port officials, and a few dozen Mission High School students who hope to one day be firefighters and first responders.

As the mayor approached the podium the fireboat St. Francis blasted its water cannons dozens of feet in the air, forming great white arcs in the background.

Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle

The striking structure improves the citys firefighting muscle, but is also a strong recruiting tool.

Mission High School senior Marcus Coleman was part of the group that came for the opening. From the Bayview, he said he hopes to one day work as a firefighter in his community, as he marveled at the floating station. Coleman is part of a program at his high school that trains students in fire science and basic EMT preparation in partnership with San Francisco City College and the Fire Department.

The goal of the program is to to create a pool (of students) that reflects the diversity of the city, who can one day work for the department or in other first- responder jobs, said Elena Hillard, a former volunteer firefighter and teacher at Mission High School who is the program coordinator.

The new station is adjacent to the historical Fire Station 35 building, which will stay standing on the pier where it was originally built. The fire engine it houses will still operate out of its garage.

The difference between the two buildings is stark, as the only noticeable similarity is their proximity to one another and that they both sport a shiny fire pole for quick descents to the garage levels

You can fit the current station into about 30% of the new station, said SFFD spokesperson Jonathan Baxter, speaking ahead of the opening.

Built in 1915, the old station feels like a glorified garage, with a living room space off to the side on the main floor packed with easy chairs, with walls cluttered with firefighter plaques and memorabilia.

The new station sports a much larger garage space on the ground level, with multiple dormitories and living quarters on the second story accessible by a bright red staircase. The site is new enough that the beds still havent been assembled. Windows wrap around much of the building, affording views of the surrounding bay, dominated by the Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge, which towers above.

A large kitchen with plenty of stainless steel countertops and appliances abuts a briefing room, which looks out onto a balcony backdropped by the bridge and its connection to Yerba Buena Island. Despite being a sort of island itself, the structure didnt noticeably rock underfoot during a clear calm day on the bay.

The new structure is also designed to be resistant to, instead of at the mercy of, natures perils. Those include king tides and expected sea level rise, as well as earthquakes. The gently slapping waves that lick the Embarcadero seawall can morph into fierce tides during a seismic event like the Loma Prieta earthquake, which stirred a tsunami near the shore of Monterey Bay and caused building cave-ins and liquefaction of the ground in parts of San Francisco.

Instead of being built onto a dock, the 14,900-square-foot structure is designed to float, anchored to four vertical guide piles that measure 150 feet apiece and are driven into the floor of the bay. The structure is designed to roll with those seismic punches and to render aid, including from a small medical bay aboard a boat.

The station will help us to minimize damage during an earthquake, Baxter said, allowing firefighters to respond far better to a large-scale emergency, especially when compared to the previous drill of scuttling down the early-20th century spiral staircase in the old firehouse.

The new stations waterborne structure is also fitted with lifts to pull the citys three fireboats  the St. Francis, the Phoenix and the Guardian  out of the water for repairs, Baxter said.

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One of those boats is staffed 24/7 to cover the citys large waterfront and waterways. That round-the-clock capability has allowed the SFFD to respond to large incidents, like the fire that ravaged Pier 45 in 2020, torching fishing equipment and sending flames and smoke 100 feet into the sky.

Baxter said the boats can also respond to water emergencies, like capsized vessels or distressed swimmers from Ocean Beach to Hunters Point and beyond. They can blast fires with bay water that first responders on shore cant get to and act as fire hydrants for firefighters on land.

Having a fire station right on the water will also make it faster and easier for the citys Fire Department to dispatch its other rescue watercraft (the layperson might call them jet skis) directly from the station instead of from their longtime home at the St. Francis Yacht Club near the Marina Green.

The new building also includes a refitted operations center to coordinate communications during emergencies on the water and in the area, along with a ramp that allows ambulances to pick up patients transferred to one of the fireboats.

Baxter said that in the past, water rescues required transferring patients, often in critical condition, onto a gurney and then to a waiting ambulance on land. This allows us to drive down to where the boat is docked and transfer patients from boat to ambulance.

Baxter said the complement of 21 personnel assigned to the station, seven of whom are on shift at a given time including three who operate the engine, will stay the same.

The project cost $50.5 million, according to the citys Public Works, which managed the project for the Fire Department. The funding came from the second phase of the Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response bond approved by San Francisco voters in 2014.

Initial estimates put the cost of the project at $40.5 million, of which $31.8 million was slated for construction. The build was delayed by more than a year from the initial plans, partly due to slowdowns during the pandemic, including with hooking up power from PG&E, according to Gordon, the DPW spokesperson.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
Jesse Miller / Twitter @texosporium

A Caltrain caught fire after striking a vehicle in San Bruno on Thursday morning, according to the transit agency, sending the vehicle's driver to the hospital and injuring at least 13 people.

Southbound train No. 506, heading from San Francisco to San Jose, struck a vehicle that Caltrain spokesman Dan Lieberman described as "on-track equipment" at 10:38 a.m. in the area of Scott Street. The train was evacuated shortly after.
LATEST March 10, 5:14 p.m. After the publication of this article, Michael Tilson Thomas' publicist told SFGATE that while Thomas lost the opportunity to guest conduct Alexander Malofeev  who was scheduled to open the three shows in question  he was still able to conduct the rest of the symphony.

March 10, 2:55 p.m. Michael Tilson Thomas, the former music director of the San Francisco Symphony who now serves as music director laureate, was collateral damage when the Montreal Symphony Orchestra canceled performances by a popular Russian pianist whom Thomas was slated to perform with.

20-year-old Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev was supposed to perform three times this week, but the Montreal Symphony Orchestra canceled those performances due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine  an invasion Malofeev condemned after losing a separate gig in Vancouver.

"The truth is that every Russian will feel guilty for decades because of the terrible and bloody decision that none of us could influence and predict," Malofeev wrote on Facebook.

The Montreal Gazette reported that originally, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra resisted calls from the Ukrainian community in the area to cancel the performance citing Malofeev's criticism of the invasion. However, the orchestra later reversed itself and decided to cancel the pianist's shows. Thomas, who is 77 years old and was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, was supposed to guest conduct Malofeev's shows and issued a statement to the Montreal Gazette lamenting the fact that he lost his opportunity to work with the Russian.

I was very pleased to be working in Montreal for the first time with the extraordinary young pianist Alexander Malofeev," he said. "It is regrettable that political situations have made it impossible. I look forward to the possibility of collaborating with him in the near future."

The cancelation of Malofeev's shows has prompted intense criticism.

"The West is turning to xenophobia against individual Russians to respond to Putins invasion," reads the headline of an opinion piece from the Globe and Mail, a major Canadian newspaper.

"People. Grow a spine. Stop this nonsense," tweeted political scientist and Atlantic contributing editor Yascha Mounk.

Malofeev posted on Facebook that he fears for his family in Russia.

"I feel very uncomfortable about this and also think that it can affect my family in Russia." he said. "I still believe Russian culture and music specifically should not be tarnished by the ongoing tragedy, though it is impossible to stay aside now. Honestly, the only thing I can do now is to pray and cry. It would seem that there are obvious conclusions: no problem can be solved by war, people cannot be judged by their nationality.

"But why, in a few days, has the whole world rolled back into a state where every person has a choice between fear and hatred? I do understand that my problems are very insignificant compared to those of people in Ukraine, including my relatives who live there. The most important thing now is to stop the blood. All I know is that the spread of hatred will not help in any way, but only cause more suffering."
Mark Winema / Getty Images / Mark Wineman / Getty Images

The San Francisco Police Department said Wednesday that it responded to a report of a "possible kidnapping" near Fisherman's Wharf on the 200 block of Beach Street at about 1:54 a.m. on March 8.

"Officers responded to multiple locations and conducted a missing person investigation," police said in a statement. "Officers canvassed the area for the missing person, evidence, and witnesses to no avail."
Josh Jackson was out for an exploratory hike in the Bodie Hills as the orange August sun dipped below the horizon. Located just north of Mono Lake on the edge of the Eastern Sierras at about 9,000 feet, the area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and attracts few visitors. What Jackson saw that evening made him wish more people would visit places like this.

As he hiked with friends along the Dry Lakes Plateau, a high-elevation mesa spread before them, a transition zone between the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin dotted with lodgepole pine and juniper trees. Taking it all in, Jackson suddenly locked eyes with something unexpected: a pronghorn antelope, North Americas fastest land mammal.

Theres just this beautiful male antelope like 50 feet away, staring at us and not moving, he says.

Jackson was kicking himself for not bringing his zoom lens. But the next morning, on another hike to a nearby location where antelope are known to graze, Jackson stumbled on an entire herd. They were running in perfect unison, darting left and right all at once, almost like a school of fish.

That was definitely the most magical wildlife experience Ive had out there, he says.

Courtesy of Josh Jackson

A Los Angeles-based furniture maker by trade, Jackson has spent much of his free time over the past two years visiting the BLM lands of California. Hes traveled more than 10,000 miles, crisscrossing the state from the King Range National Conservation Area on the north coast all the way down to the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness in the southeast.

Jackson has hit every significant parcel of BLM land in between, documenting what he finds with photographs and notes and interviewing BLM employees whenever he can. Hes also created an Instagram account, forgottenlandscalifornia, where hes posting about his travels and has amassed more than 10,000 followers. Jackson plans to collect his photographs into a book, which will also feature his essays along with illustrations and maps created by artist friends.

Im trying to tell the story of what makes BLM land so special, he says.

The project grew naturally out of his enthusiasm for Californias outdoor spaces. When Jackson, his wife and their three children moved to Los Angeles in 2006, they immediately began exploring. We hit most of the state parks, national parks and national forest land, and we got to a point where we were trying to find new spots, he says. When a friend suggested a lesser-explored area on BLM land called Trona Pinnacles, near Death Valley National Park, Jackson started packing.

Within the California Desert Conservation Area and featuring more than 500 tufa spires shooting 140 feet up from Searles Dry Lake Basin, the Trona Pinnacles are shaped like towers and tombstones and ridges and cones, Jackson writes on Instagram.

Courtesy of Josh Jackson

The landscape really transports you to another planet, he says. When he visited with his kids in 2015, they were young and just becoming interested in the outdoors. They loved running on the salt flats, climbing the pinnacles and watching the sunset, and Jackson was equally amazed.

I had never really heard about BLM land before, he says. I'm an avid camper and I had no idea this land even existed.

For the uninitiated, BLM land is public land managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior for a wide variety of uses, including energy development, livestock grazing, timber harvesting and recreation, as well as preserving natural, cultural and historic resources. The BLM manages 245 million acres in the United States  more than any other U.S. government agency  and 15 million of those are in California. Thats 15% of the state.

In 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order reducing the size of Utahs Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments  which are both on BLM land  by about a million acres each. For Jackson, that was a wake-up call about how BLM land is at risk of being lost, he says.

There's no debate about whether our national parks will be taken away, he says. People from both sides of the aisle fight for these places because they've experienced them. He doesnt worry much about losing the national forests either, he says, because the widespread logging makes that land highly valuable to the federal government.

Courtesy of Josh Jackson

BLM land, however, tends to be at the bottom of the scenery scale, Jackson says. Its often thought of as land nobody has wanted. Theres a joke about how BLM stands for Bureau of Livestock and Mining, he says, because theres so much ranching and resource extraction happening.

Plus, its relatively easy for the government to sell it, he says. Bills come up in Congress every other month about transferring the public lands back to the state, which inevitably will be lost, he says.

In 2020, Jackson decided to visit all the BLM land in California for his book project, which he hopes will encourage people to explore and fall in love with these areas, ultimately resulting in their conservation. And while these places might not match some expectations for natural scenery, Jackson believes BLM land can reorient peoples ideas about what is beautiful.

Many of these lands managed by the BLM are in the arid regions of our state and sometimes the landscapes can be a little repetitive, which has forced me to slow down and linger, taking notice of the small miracles growing all around me, he writes on Instagram. For instance, in the Bodie Hills where he saw the pronghorn antelope, he also spent time studying the diverse flora on rocky ledges, within the rich soil and along the creeks.

Courtesy of Josh Jackson

Jackson also likes the way BLM land brings people with different backgrounds together. Hes liberal and has never shot a gun in his life, he says. But when Jacksons on BLM land, he has the chance to interact with hunters, off-roading enthusiasts and others who often see things differently from the way he does. And he likes that.

We meet in the middle when I'm out on these lands, because we're all caring and trying to protect these places that are so vulnerable, he says. I think that story is so profound in today's polarized politics.  You have to build a broad coalition to save these places.

Some visitors to Jacksons Instagram worry that exposing these lesser-visited spots would lead to crowding and destruction. But with BLM lands, he says, the opposite is actually true. From the interviews Jackson has done with BLM employees, hes learned that one of the main issues they face is being underfunded, and visitation can help.

If they have proof that more visitors are coming to certain places like the Mojave or Chimney Creek or the King Range, the funding follows, he says. And when the funding follows, they can put better signage in, hire more rangers and build new infrastructure.

For Jackson, it really comes down to informing people about what they have  before it is lost.

In the end, we will conserve only what we love, he writes, quoting Senegalese forestry engineer and environmentalist Baba Dioum, but then he puts his own spin on it. We will love only what we value and we will value only what we experience.

Courtesy of Josh Jackson

Jackons top recommendations:

The King Range National Conservation Area  which lies within the longest undeveloped coastline in the lower 48, and features rugged mountains, rampant wildlife and 80 spectacular miles of trails  is the jewel of Californias BLM lands, he says. For hard-core hikers, this is definitely the place.

For the less experienced, or families with young children, he recommends the Chimney Creek Campground in the Eastern Sierra. It offers an accessible, seasonal campground tucked into the woods, with numerous hiking trails, he says, and the Pacific Crest Trail cuts right through. It is a special, special place, Jackson says.

Southeast of Chimney Creek, the Mojave Trails National Monument is another one of Jacksons favorites. He recommends Afton Canyon, which some refer to as The Grand Canyon of the Mojave. Near its campsites, the mostly underground Mojave River surfaces within the canyon and offers a rare opportunity to experience a river within a desert, he says.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:20 a.m., March 11, to correct the location of Afton Canyon and the name of the Mojave Trails National Monument.
DHHL

Soaring housing prices and rents have affected nearly everyone across Hawaii. But one group is disproportionately affected by the housing crisis: Native Hawaiians.



The state has tried to address this by providing land leases for $1 a year to Native Hawaiians. But the list is 28,000 long, and the wait can last decades. More than 2,000 people have died while waiting on the list.



A new bill proposes $600 million in state funding for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), whose mission under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act is to manage the land trust, and provide homestead leases and financial assistance for its Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.



Co-sponsored by 46 House members, the bill is now in the Senate for voting. If it survives, this would be the largest infusion of cash the department has received at one time. The funds could take up to 4,000 individuals off its waiting list of more than 28,000 applicants, DHHL spokesperson Cedric Duarte said, but the $600 million is not expected to fund all of the departments needs.



As of June 30, 2021, there were 28,916 applicants on the DHHL waitlist for land and housing. A ProPublica report found that more than 2,000 Native Hawaiians are believed to have died on the waitlist, but recognized that people agree there were probably many more.



It is a travesty that Hawaiians have been forced to wait on a list for many years to receive Homestead promised by the Government, wrote Damen Makua in his testimony in support of the bill. My father has been on the wait list since 2014. He is now 75 years old and probably don't have the luxury of time on his side. Like many other Hawaiians who unfortunately died before being awarded Homestead is shameful and a disgrace on the part of the government to allow this to happen.



To address the entire waitlist, the department would need more than $6 billion for infrastructure alone, explained William Aila Jr., the chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, in his written testimony in support of the bill. And that wouldnt include maintenance for existing lessees.



We have existing homestead communities that need repair and maintenance but the only thing that this program is measured with for success is addressing the waiting list, DHHL's Duarte told SFGATE. The $600 million is a great infusion of funding, but its not a magic bullet to resolving the waitlist. Maybe we can make a significant dent in addressing the waiting list, but theres still a lot of work to be done.



Native Hawaiians were on the brink of extinction at the time when Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, a delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives, proposed the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act as a way to rehabilitate the Hawaiian race by returning them to the land.



The Native Hawaiian population, believed to be in the range of 300,000 to 800,000 at the time of European contact in 1778, plummeted to 24,000 by 1920 as a result of an influx of infectious diseases and illnesses by foreigners.



The act passed the U.S. Congress in 1921 and was created as a condition of statehood. Over 200,000 acres of the 1.8 million government and crown lands taken by the Republic of Hawaii following the overthrow and transferred to the United States were set aside for Hawaiians with at least 50% blood quantum. Yet, no general funding was received for decades following statehood, and the department has continued to be insufficiently funded.



Meanwhile, DHHLs waiting list of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries grew, and Native Hawaiians are still struggling to find affordable housing in Hawaii. According to a 2020 report by Partners in Care, more than half of Oahus homeless population identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders were overrepresented in the count by 210%, the report noted.



Of the $600 million, the majority will go towards creating new lots and about $100 million will be used for down payment and mortgage assistance.



More than 100 years since the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act was passed, Prince Kuhios vision has yet to be fully realized  but the passage of the bill would bring it one small step closer.
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Serhiy Perebyinis found out his family had been killed as much of the world did.

Photos flashing on his Twitter feed showed four people lying in front of a World War II memorial just outside Kyiv after they were fired on by the Russian military. One of them was his wife, and two were his children.

"I recognized the luggage and that is how I knew," Perebyinis told the New York Times, whose journalists witnessed the incident. Photographer Lynsey Addario captured a widely viewed photograph of the four victims.

It showed Perebyinis's wife, Tatiana, 43, and their two children, Mykyta, 18, and Alisa, 9. The fourth victim was Anatoly Berezhnyi, a 26-year-old church volunteer who had been crossing with the family, the Times reported. All four died.

Perebyinis confirmed that account in a brief interview with The Washington Post early Thursday, explaining that he recognized his family in the photos from their clothes and personal belongings. He was not with his wife and children because he was caring for his mother in Donetsk.

"This is a war crime, and someone needs to be held accountable," he told The Post. "I lost everyone and lost the meaning of life."

The incident took place Sunday. As residents of Irpin attempted to evacuate, Russian troops fired mortar shells upon the city, killing at least eight, The Post reported, including Perebyinis's wife and children. The attack came as Ukrainian officials accused Russia of violating agreements regarding humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians. Russian officials have denied the accusations, yet the images of the woman and her children lying on the ground have been considered lurid evidence of the war's violence on ordinary Ukrainians.

"My wife, two children and two dogs died," Perebyinis said. "I was left alone. We lived happily for 23 years."

Officials are warning of a rapidly rising civilian toll as the Russian military has continued its assault on Ukrainian cities. On Wednesday, a Russian airstrike on a maternity hospital killed at least three people, including a child, and injured some 17 more, The Post reported.

Serhiy and Tatiana Perebyinis knew each other in high school and ended up marrying in 2001, he told the Times. They lived in Donetsk, an eastern region in Ukraine, until 2014 when fighting broke out there between pro-Russian separatists and forces backed by Ukraine's government, Perebyinis told The Post. The family left and settled in Kyiv.

Tatiana Perebyinis worked for SE Ranking, a Silicon Valley software company, joining its offices in Kyiv in 2016 and rising to become the head of the company's accounting department, Ksenia Khirvonina, a spokeswoman for the company, told The Post. Perebyinis had been in the office with her daughter the day before Russian troops invaded the country on Feb. 24. After that, "no one came to the office, and everyone was hiding or fleeing and trying to leave the country," Khirvonina said.

In the ensuing days, Perebyinis stayed. Although the company had offered financial assistance for employees seeking to leave, she hunkered down with her children and parents in their home in Irpin, a suburb west of Kyiv. She did not want to leave her son, who was not allowed to exit the country because he was 18 and of fighting age, Khirvonina told The Post. Perebyinis was also concerned about how to move her mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, the Times reported.

But their apartment building was soon struck by shelling, forcing the family into a basement with no food or electricity, Khirvonina told The Post.

That is when they decided to evacuate. On Sunday, their plan was to join a church group, make their way to Kyiv and figure out a safer destination from there, Serhiy Perebyinis told the Times. They made their way toward Kyiv alongside a damaged bridge and were crossing in front of a World War II monument when they were struck by mortar shells that sprayed out shrapnel shards, the Times reported.

The children died instantly, Khirvonina said, and Serhiy Perebyinis said his wife died at the hospital the next day. Even before the photos hit social media, Perebyinis knew something was wrong because he had been tracking his wife's cellphone and saw her location jump from the highway to a hospital in Kyiv, he told The Post.

Tatiana Perebyinis's co-worker knew it was her in the photographs because she had been wearing the coat on a company retreat only weeks before. "My hands just couldn't stop shaking," Khirvonina told The Post.

Only weeks earlier, Khirvonina had been paragliding with Perebyinis in the nation of Georgia. It was Perebyinis who had encouraged Khirvonina to take part. She described Perebyinis as a brave woman, a kind mother and a generous co-worker.

"She was a great woman," Khirvonina said. "And I think it is so unjust that their lives were taken so brutally."

"There's no forgiveness, no understanding for those deeds," she added. "We will never forget that. I am truly scared that this hatred will be with us for . . . generations to come."
China provides humanitarian aid supplies for Ukraine

Xinhua) 09:45, March 10, 2022

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- At the request of the Ukrainian side, the Red Cross Society of China will provide humanitarian aid supplies to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily press briefing that the supplies worth 5 million yuan (about 791,000 U.S. dollars) include food and daily necessities.

"The first batch of supplies was shipped from Beijing on Wednesday," said Zhao, adding that the rest will be delivered to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society as soon as possible by appropriate means.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
BERKELEY, Calif.  Kiara Bragg has spent years imagining herself at the University of California, Berkeley  walking through Sproul Plaza, navigating crowds of students, becoming the first in her working-class family to graduate from her states iconic flagship school.

Phil Bokovoy imagines, too. In his minds eye, the city where he moved in 1983 as a graduate student is a college town where, if he had his way, the Craftsman homes would still be affordable for professors and campus life  the packed living quarters, the beer-soaked parties  would not disrupt surrounding neighborhoods.

A reasonably priced education at a world-class public university. A single-family house in a neighborhood that is clean and peaceful. For generations, these have been pillars of the California dream.

Now an epic clash between the two ideals is forcing state lawmakers to confront the limits of Californias promise, as growth collides with the states ability to sustainably house and educate its 40 million people.

Bristling at pressure to make room for escalating numbers of students, longtime Berkeley residents have leveraged state environmental law to accuse the oldest University of California campus of essentially polluting neighborhoods by admitting more students than the city can handle.

The case is ongoing but plaintiffs recently won a court order to freeze the universitys enrollment at 2020 levels, potentially forcing more than 2,500 incoming students to defer enrollment, take a semester remotely, lose their slot or consider another campus.

Now, with admissions envelopes due out in weeks, state lawmakers are mulling short-term remedies to the courts order and longer-term responses to the possibility that similar lawsuits could sharply restrict enrollment.

Some policymakers see no way out except through so much remote instruction that, over time, it could severely damage the brand of the University of California. Others fear an enrollment squeeze so tight that it will crowd out racial diversity or out-of-state students. Still others want to exempt campus housing from Californias environmental laws, which are famously complex and contentious.

The dispute in a famed liberal bastion has aroused passions, with some asserting that the university has finally been called to task for driving legions of students into neighborhoods not built to hold them. Others liken the lawsuit to generational theft by the older, whiter baby boomers who dominate the propertied classes in college communities throughout California.

Its like, I got my piece of the pie, too bad for you,  said Riya Master, a senior at Berkeley who is majoring in integrative biology and is a vice president of the campuss student governing body.

George Kieffer, a Los Angeles civic leader and former chair of the University of California Board of Regents, said the conflict was multifaceted.

The residents want their community to stay the same, he said. The parents want their students to get into the UC. The legislators want to respond to constituent needs. And then you have California law, which people have learned to use over the years to satisfy their interests.

All good motives. And theyre all competing. In an increasingly crowded place.

California guarantees a subsidized college education to the top 12.5% of high school graduates in the state. And its sprawling network of campuses  community colleges, California State University and the 10-campus University of California  enrolls more than 2.5 million students altogether.

But competition remains intense, particularly at marquee campuses such as Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Berkeley. Demand skyrocketed during the 2008 recession as in-state students flocked to the discounted tuition and the campuses sought to increase lucrative out-of-state enrollment.

Since then, legislators have exerted relentless political pressure on the university to add in-state students. Since 2011, overall system enrollment, which now stands at about 300,000, has grown by more than 63,000 students, enough to populate an 11th campus.

Everyone has a kid, a grandchild, a nephew, a niece, a neighbor who essentially has perfect grades and a great SAT score and they didnt get in to the campus where they want to get in, said Kevin McCarty, a state legislator in Sacramento who chairs the Assembly subcommittee overseeing education budgets. Before the court order, the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom called for yet another 7,000 or more California students to be added this fall.

Housing has not kept up, for the students or for other Californians. The states median home price, at $800,000, is more than twice the national figure, the result of a housing shortage that dates to the 1970s.

Over the past decade, the state has added a little more than three times as many people as housing units and is far below the national average in housing units per capita, according to an analysis from the Public Policy Institute of California. Planners and economists have for decades been warning the state that until supply meets demand, its housing problems will worsen. But until recently, California cities and neighborhood groups have steadfastly resisted this advice by using a mix of regulations and environmental lawsuits that kill and shrink new projects, or drag them out for years.

In response, the Legislature has passed a flurry of laws that increase how much housing cities have to plan for and make it harder for them to oppose new development. Legislators like McCarty have made more state money available for campus housing projects, and the University of California has started several housing initiatives.

But while lawmakers have sought a dizzying array of carve-outs, they have assiduously avoided calls to overhaul the landmark law most frequently weaponized to block new construction: the California Environmental Quality Act.

Also known as CEQA, the act was passed more than 50 years ago to prevent developers from ravaging the scenic states natural resources and wildlife. When the nonprofit Save Berkeleys Neighborhoods sued the university in 2018, it argued that the university had failed to meet CEQA requirements to sufficiently analyze the impact of the additional enrollment.

All we have ever wanted was a legally binding commitment that they add housing before they add more students, said Bokovoy, the president of the nonprofit and a former investment banker with a house near the campus that is worth an estimated $1.5 million. This is about preserving Berkeleys culture and diversity.

The University of California system has on-campus beds for about 106,000 students, leaving roughly 2 out of 3 to compete for off-campus housing in some of the nations most expensive housing markets. In Berkeley, the university houses about 22% of its undergraduates, fewer than any other campus in the system.

Even though students make up more than a quarter of Berkeleys population, the city, limited by its urban locale and attached to its low-rise aesthetic, has until recent years resisted development. Rent for a two-bedroom apartment runs about $4,000 monthly and thats for one that isnt even nice, said Master, the student government officer.

In 2005, the university projected that enrollment would be 33,450 by 2020, a number that became the basis for a long-range plan for developing the campus. But in 2017, Save Berkeleys Neighborhoods discovered that enrollment had already outstripped that estimate by 30%.

After the university announced a plan to convert an acre of parking into new academic space and faculty and graduate housing, Bokovoys group sued again, this time with the City of Berkeley. They argued that the universitys environmental impact report  which found that the additional students had no significant impacts  was inadequate.

Together, the lawsuits became the basis of a package of complex litigation over whether the university had adequately studied and mitigated the impact of its entire enrollment. Last summer, a Superior Court issued an unusual order that rolled back and capped the universitys enrollment at its 2020-21 level of 42,357 students until the school significantly expanded the environment study in its long-range growth plan.

The decision still could be reversed, but because of the order  which was left in place by the California Supreme Court last week  the university had to cut the number of students coming to campus in the fall.

The university said it would reduce in-person fall enrollment by 2,629 students, largely by enrolling more than 1,000 incoming freshmen remotely with the understanding that they would move onto campus in January when graduating students free up some housing slots. The transfer of hundreds of students will be delayed and some students, mostly in graduate programs, will simply not be offered admission.

The continuing fight is sowing angst. Bragg, 20, said she had been nervously checking her phone for email updates ever since she received the enrollment freeze notice.

A first-generation college student, she said she had yearned to study at the University of California, Berkeley, since her early teens and has worked a full-time job to pay for the community college credits necessary to apply there.

If offered a spot as an online student, she said, she would likely accept it. Still, so much of what she has dreamed about over the years has involved exposure to peers far from her home in the desert exurbs of Riverside County.

Not long ago, she said, she visited the Berkeley campus and soaked in the culture so familiar to Californians  the way alumni call the school Cal rather than UC Berkeley, the way students rushing across campus walkways avoid stepping on the Berkeley seal lest it hex their chance at a 4.0 grade-point average.

I felt like I was just a student there, she said. I pictured myself there, one of them.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
WASHINGTON - House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., declined Wednesday to echo Donald Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a rare break by the top House Republican with the former president.

"I do not think anything's savvy or genius about Putin," McCarthy told reporters at his weekly news conference when asked about Trump's comments. "I think Putin is evil. He's a dictator. And I think he's murdering people right now."

During an interview with a right-wing radio program last month, Trump praised Putin's handling of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine - of Ukraine - Putin declares it as independent," Trump said.

He later added: "Here's a guy that says, you know, 'I'm gonna declare a big portion of Ukraine independent' - he used the word 'independent' - 'and we're gonna go out and we're gonna go in and we're gonna help keep peace.' You gotta say that's pretty savvy."

Trump made the comments more than two weeks ago, but McCarthy did not publicly weigh in on them until Wednesday.

At his weekly news conference, McCarthy also gave a one-word answer when asked whether he agreed with former vice president Mike Pence's statement last week that there is no room in the Republican Party for "apologists for Putin."

"Yeah," McCarthy said.

In June 2016, before Trump won the Republican Party's presidential nomination, McCarthy had told other GOP leaders during a private conversation, "There's two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump."

Dana Rohrabacher is a California Republican who retired from the House in 2019. He was known for his repeated statements in praise of Putin and the Russian government.

- - -

The Washington Post's Philip Bump contributed to this report.
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its third week, military and civilian casualties are mounting - but no one, not even the United Nations or the Ukrainian government, can provide an accurate count of how many people have been injured or killed.

According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, which has been tracking civilian casualties, at least 549 civilians have been killed and another 957 wounded since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

It's a figure the office concedes is probably a significant undercount. For independent observers, the ongoing fighting across much of the country means the effort to count the dead and wounded has become a painstaking but necessary struggle.

In some regions, local officials have announced high civilian death tolls that were not possible to independently verify. In the seaside hub of Mariupol, the target of relentless Russian shelling in recent days, an adviser to the mayor said that 1,300 people have been killed in the city alone and that at least 3,000 more have been injured.

In Ukraine, as in many war zones, reporting systems have broken down and hospitals and morgues are overwhelmed. The government, fighting for its survival and also locked in an information war with Russia, has limited access to authoritative information and every incentive to minimize its own losses while emphasizing any victories.

"It's very difficult to gather good information in the middle of violence because there's chaos; it's dangerous to walk around and actually count how many casualties, how many injured, how many killed," said Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In the first few days of the war, for example, Ukraine claimed that its forces had already killed more than 3,000 Russian troops - a staggering number that seemed improbable but has formed the basis of Ukrainian claims about Russian casualties ever since.

This week, Ukrainian authorities said more than 12,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, a number that could not be independently verified. For its part, Russia has admitted to just 2,095 casualties, including 498 deaths and 1,597 wounded.

Moscow also says at least 2,870 Ukrainian troops have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded - figures Ukraine's government disputes.

"It's particularly difficult because we're in a war where both sides are attempting to win hearts and minds," Kupchan said. "Russians are very good at playing the information game . . . and as a consequence, the U.S. and Ukrainians are trying to push back."

What's clear is that Russia's losses on the battlefield took many by surprise. Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent more than 100,000 troops to the border with Ukraine for what he thought would be a swift victory allowing his forces to march straight to Kyiv, according to U.S. officials.

But poor logistics and planning, and Ukraine's surprisingly fierce resistance, buoyed in part by weapons shipments from the West, have helped hobble the Russian leader's agenda.

"I think they had a bad plan. And I think their logistics support is not what it needs to be," Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said of Russia's military in testimony to House lawmakers this week.

According to Berrier, the best estimate of Russian fatalities in Ukraine is between 2,000 and 4,000. But he said he had "low confidence" in the assessment because it relied on both intelligence sources and "open source" information.

At the same hearing, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said the war's human toll is already "considerable, and only increasing."

The brutal sustained bombardments by Russia have produced a near-endless stream of images depicting the growing human cost: an airstrike on a maternity ward; cluster bombs at a preschool; and a trench filled with bodies marking one of the first mass graves.

The United Nations says most of its recorded casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons "with a wide impact area," including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.

Tracking those who are killed and corroborating their deaths "is objectively difficult if you're trying to get it right," said Baruch Fischhoff, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Institute for Politics and Strategy.

"The people who are trying to do it are trying to keep themselves alive or trying to keep other people alive," he said. "Everyone deserves to have their death recorded and honored, and it's important to know what the scope of the suffering is."
In the early days of Russia's invasion, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians scrambled to assemble their defenses, seeking to make moving through the country as difficult as possible for Moscow's forces.

They blew up bridges, used buses as makeshift roadblocks and welded homemade "Czech hedgehogs" to repel Russian tanks. And, according to a new set of satellite images, they also may have used one of the world's oldest methods of fortification: water.

Photographs from Planet Labs PBC, an American firm, and other researchers appear to show a large expanse of flooded land north of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. In a pair of before and after images, taken on Feb. 22 and Feb. 28, the swath of territory becomes significantly more sodden.

The Washington Post was not able to confirm that the flooding was intentional, but Planet Labs said it consulted analysts who believe it was deliberate. If so, it would be the latest example of a centuries-old practice.

"When you're defending, you're trying to use what you have," said Marta Kepe, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corp. "Throughout history, we have multiple examples where countries or military actors have built fortification lines - walls, trenches, fortresses and bunkers. But often we forget that rivers, marshes and water-based defense lines can also be used."

If it is intentional, Kepe added, "that may be what Ukrainians are trying to do - use water to prevent Russian forces from getting close to Kyiv."

The inundated area is north of Kyiv on the bank of the Dnieper River, somewhat to the east of where a 40-mile convoy of Russian troops has been idling for days. U.S. officials have credited this stall-out in part to Ukrainian efforts to slow it down.

Deliberate flooding during combat - either to erect a barrier or destroy an area - is known as "hydraulic warfare," and it has often been used to supplement a defensive strategy, Kepe said.

"Ukraine is mounting a defensive operation in its own territory," she said. "Considering that, I would assume that they would be able to use their superior knowledge of the terrain to their advantage. Hydraulic operations would require such in-depth knowledge of the terrain."

Phil Holm/AP

The Netherlands has been perhaps the most prolific employer of strategic, weaponized flooding. A 2015 research paper found that, from the years 1500 to 2000, about one-third of floods in the country's southwest were deliberately caused during wartime. The tactic was often ineffective, the study found, and had far-reaching consequences for the land and local population.

Water was used elsewhere in Europe as a natural defense line during World War II, including in Finland and the Soviet Union. The most notorious example of strategic flooding occurred in 1938, when the Chinese military breached the dikes of the Yellow River to slow the advance of Japan's troops during the Second Sino Japanese War. The flood devastated the area and became known as "the largest act of environmental warfare in history."

The tactic can be "integrated into your national defense planning," Kepe said, "but it can also be used as a last resort when you're really trying to use any means possible for defense."
By Tran Nguyen

San Jose Spotlight

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Bay appears to be at a turning point as restrictions are peeling back. Still, county officials and local health experts are wary of returning fully to pre-pandemic lives.

"We anticipate that we will continue to see peaks and valleys (of infection) in the months and perhaps years ahead," a county health official told San Jose Spotlight. "It is too early to say whether we are entering an endemic phase."

Health experts said a pandemic happens when a disease spreads widely and rapidly across the globe, with exponentially rising cases over a large area. It then turns into an endemic when the virus becomes self-sustained in an area.

That means, technically, COVID-19 has been an endemic for quite some time in the U.S., said Dr. Jorge Salinas, an infectious disease expert at Stanford University.

"Endemic just means that the infection doesn't require reintroductions from abroad. So yes, it's been an endemic for a while," Salinas told San Jose Spotlight. "What's happened here is that we've made a societal determination--that we tried hard, but this thing is not going away and the risk will continue."

Vaccinations play an important role in reducing the risk of serious illness and hospitalization--especially among young and healthy populations, Salinas said. But COVID will continue to pose risks to--and kill--vulnerable populations, county officials said. COVID's official global toll surpassed 6 million deaths Monday.

"To some extent, endemic is a societal definition of when the excess deaths from a disease are an acceptable tradeoff for some other conditions that the society values," a county official added.

Infections drop, rules relax

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last month that California will begin treating COVID-19 as a manageable, "endemic" risk, claiming the state has moved beyond the crisis phase. The move marked a momentous shift where restrictions relaxed so residents could resume a level of normalcy pre-COVID. Several other states have since followed suit.

In March 2020, Santa Clara County officials announced one of the first shelter-in-place orders in the nation to combat a disease that would infect more than 305,000 residents in the county, claim 2,158 lives and upend the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people.

Now, two years later, restrictions such as indoor masks and booster mandates are eased back amid the decline in new infections.

Santa Clara County has maintained some of the most stringent rules in the Bay Area when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19. It was the only Bay Area county to keep its indoor mask mandate when California loosened its own order. The county lifted the mandate after hitting several metrics last week.

Community COVID transmission in Silicon Valley has declined significantly in recent weeks, as the seven-day rolling average of new COVID infections sharply dropped from 1,922 in early February to 247 as of Monday. Hospitalizations have also remained low and stable with 194 patients this week--a drop from more than 500 patients in mid-January.

The South Bay also has some of the highest vaccination rates in the nation, with roughly five of every six residents fully vaccinated and nearly 69% of the eligible population boosted.

COVID risk continues

But even with trends rapidly improving, county officials and local health experts said it's still too soon to do away with all COVID safety measures.

"My worry is that people think now it's at a safer level because it's endemic, and that's not true," Dr. Marcelle Dougan, assistant professor of public health at San Jose State University, told San Jose Spotlight. "Even in mild cases, there's an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease following coronavirus."

A recent study published in Nature magazine also suggests people without the traditional risk factors developed elevated risk of heart conditions after battling COVID, Dougan added. Those who are immunocompromised, children, elderly and frontline workers will continue to be at a higher risk of getting sick--and dying--from COVID.

"I don't think that people should feel that the war has been won and you can go on about your life as if it didn't exist," Salinas said. "The risk of getting COVID continues. If you're young, healthy and triple vaccinated, you're lucky because you're likely to do well. But if you are unvaccinated or are immunocompromised, if you're very young or very old, it's a different story."

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Civil wars are long, inefficient things. They last years, cost an inordinate amount of both blood and treasure and conclude either with one damaged country or many of them. So I suppose I ought to thank red states all across this nation for forgoing the war part of such a conflict and proceeding as if theyve already prevailed: seceding from the union strictly via legislative means that are peaceful in their passage and violent in their execution.

Take Florida, which just this week passed its instantly notorious Dont Say Gay bill. Governor and perfect gentleman Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the bill in time to have it go into effect over the summer. Once it does, discussion of sexual orientation will be banned from the curriculum for kids in third grade and below, with spontaneous discussion of the subject allowed but potentially grounds for vindictive litigation, which is everyones favorite kind of litigation. Educators past third grade will essentially be given carte blanche to forbid teaching inappropriate subject matter  the existence of gay people  to their classes. There is technical wiggle room within this law, but it will very much foster a permanent culture of intolerance and discrimination, and it will succeed.

Republican lawmakers in Florida have sold this bill with a brand of softer, gentler fascism. Glenn Youngkin fascism. Listen to state Sen. Dennis Baxley, who very much looks like a Dennis Baxley, explaining his support for the bill by starting off firmly in the hes so close to getting it genre of conservative oratory.

Thats what kids do, you know, he said. Maybe theyre in this club or theyre in that club or theyre onto this. And theyre trying on these different identities of life trying to see where they fit in.

Thats exactly right. Children and teenagers all have developing minds, and thus they try on different guises in order to figure out precisely who they are or, more accurately, who they will one day be. This is ideal. This is what education ought to look like. Baxley had that part of the equation correct, until 

Theres something wrong with how were emphasizing this, and all of a sudden overnight theyre a celebrity.

Other state legislators in places like Texas and elsewhere have gleefully proposed and/or enacted their own we hate you because we love you bills that consecrate their antagonism toward gay people, transgender people, women and Black people sanctified as hard policy. And here is where it gets REALLY evil. Because if youre like, Well if you dont like that law, then just leave Idaho! Idaho has a plan for that.

The dragnet only gets wider for there. Last month, the Washington Post reported that 13 states have laws or directives on hand that encourage residents to snitch on each other for the sin of teaching critical race theory, which has become a catch-all term to mean anything having to do with race, ethnicity or inequality. Many more states are already drafting laws, or have already passed them, rendering abortion all but illegal and worthy of cruel and unusual punishment. Missouri, like Idaho, would prefer you not be able to escape from such a law.

Many of these states' residents, whether because of personal ties or financial considerations, wont be able to leave. This is the new blueprint. While some of the proposed laws above are toothless and exist as a long-exploited form of political grandstanding, making it literally illegal to leave a state because it hates your freedom is a novel way for Republicans to make bigotry the official law of their respective lands but still keep enough bodies on hand to remain functional as states. Its about as evil as you can get outside of rounding up people and killing them outright.

It will also, in the long run, fail. Just ask North Carolina. People may not bolt these states en masse right away, but the coming backlash will have an extremely long tail, both in terms of corporate patronage and generational attachment to states that are now official backwaters. You cant stop Americans from seeking out greener pastures. Those pastures become much more clearly demarcated when Idaho and Missouri attempt to hold their most vulnerable citizens hostage. The transparency of these efforts should, and likely will, prove their undoing. Because what reasonable parent is gonna want to live in Ron DeSantis Florida much longer? Why the fk would anyone even bother with that sthole when they can take their lives  and their business!  elsewhere? In the short term, these states get to experience the rapture of seeing their own people repressed and terrorized.

In the long term, theyve essentially cut off their own oxygen supply. As a result, Ukraine may not be the only place that has refugees streaming out of it. Certain blue states, like Vermont, will even incentivize them to pull the trigger. None of this will necessarily be sudden, but radioactivity of this sort has an awfully long half-life. The only thing that will grow from these bills is a stubborn daydream of leaving them behind.

Youre better off, at this moment, thinking of America not as a country but as an amalgamation of disparate territories overseen by a federal government that, despite its size and expense, isnt terribly relevant. Theres no real need for Texas to formally secede when it can elect to be legally separated from the rest of us instead. This is the way Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has chosen to do business, and its catching on with his peers.

This development makes sense in the modern political realm. It was only natural that the intangible partisan lines that divide Americans would one day evolve into literal boundaries. That day is today, along with many coming days in the near future. Its colonization of a different sort: existing states so eager to protect the identities of their whitest and male-est citizens that they drive everyone else out. They havent considered that these laws will have massive, long-lasting side effects on the very stheads they aim to please, but they will. Terrible people may migrate TOWARD these states (Florida and Texas both have populations currently on the upswing), which wont necessarily render them prosperous but rather safely cut off from all the evil states that actually like the full spectrum of humanity. The divisions that exist now will become physical ones, and then well never need to see each other ever again except at the airport. Just as Greg Abbott wont give a st what happens to me, the feeling will be mutual. He can get fked and so can his trash can of a state.

I live in a blue state. I have many gay family members. I have gay friends. I have gay neighbors. I have Black neighbors. I have Korean neighbors. I have trans friends. I am friends with trans parents. My kids have gay and nonbinary friends. My school teaches kids that slavery was a bad thing. In many ways, but not all of them, I live in an ideal place for kids to grow up, and for parents to raise those kids. You couldnt fking pay me to live in Florida or Texas right now. The irony is that, thanks to their own rampant discrimination and the great splintering theyve set in motion, many of those backward-ass states will probably have to make that offer once they find themselves all alone. Dead to the outside world.
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More multinational companiesincluding McDonald's, Starbucks and Coca-Colahave announced they are suspending operations in Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine. We've gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other media outlets.



More Than 800 McDonald's Restaurants Closed

McDonald's, which has had a presence in Russia for three decades, said it would temporarily close its 850 restaurants in the country. Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski noted that the company employed 62,000 people in the country, worked with hundreds of local Russian suppliers and partners, and served millions of Russian customers each day. McDonald's said it would continue to pay salaries for its employees in Russia, as it has for its employees in Ukraine.

(The New York Times)

Starbucks' Activity in Russia Suspended

In a March 8 message to employees, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said that "today, we have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia." He added that "our licensed partner has agreed to immediately pause store operations and will provide support to the nearly 2,000 [employees] in Russia who depend on Starbucks for their livelihood." Johnson said the company is halting shipment of all Starbucks products to Russia.

(CNN)

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Suspend Business in Russia

Coca-Cola announced on March 8 that it is suspending business in Russia. "Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine," the company said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as circumstances evolve."

PepsiCo cited "the horrific events occurring in Ukraine" in announcing its decision to suspend sales of Pepsi-Cola and other brands in Russia. The company will continue to sell dairy products, including milk, as well as baby food and formula.

(CBS News)

Other Companies' Suspensions or Exits

Other companies reducing, suspending or exiting their operations in Russia include Adidas, Airbus, American Express, Apple, Boeing, Canada Goose, Cogent, Deloitte, DHL, EY, FedEx, H&M, IBM, Ikea, KPMG, Mastercard, Microsoft, Netflix, Nike, PwC, Sony, TJX, Unilever, UPS, Visa, Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Co. and Yum Brands. Yum Brands is closing 70 company-owned KFC restaurants and all 50 franchise-owned Pizza Hut restaurants.

(The New York Times)

Initial Suspensions and Closures of Business

Soon after the invasion, oil companies, technology corporations and manufacturers announced they were suspending or halting operations in Russia. Both BP and Shell exited Russia. Exxon Mobil also announced its departure. Others retreating from Russia included Dell Technologies, Ford and Ericsson. The world's biggest container ship operatorsA.P. Moller-Maersk A/S and Mediterranean Shipping Co.said they would temporarily suspend services to Russian ports, although they would continue moving food to and from Russia.

(SHRM Online)


The manual maintenance of land records gave rise to chances of fraud and misrepresentation. Hence, states like Gujarat and West Bengal have computerized their land records using dedicated online portals. These portals enable every interested person to verify land records online and engage in land deals without fear of fraud.

Let us learn how to check Gujarat Land Record and West Bengal Land Record on the respective online portals.

How to log in to check the West Bengal Land record online?

Here is how users can log into the Banglarbhumi online portal to check West Bengal Land Records.

Access the Banglarbhumi online portal and select the Citizen Services option

Select Citizens in the dialog box and enter your username and password.

Complete the captcha confirmation and login into the account.

If you are a departmental user, you select Departmental Users at the second step instead of Citizens.

We shall now proceed to apply for the RoR using the online portal.

Access the e-district website and register yourself under the Citizen Registration option.

Complete the details and click on Save to register your name.

Provide the OTP received on your registered mobile to get the confirmation email.

Complete the activation through the email link.

Use your credentials to access the portal

Upload the documents and submit the information.

Note down the acknowledgment number

On verification, you will receive the RoR certificate.

How to check the West Bengal land record online?

Access the official Banglarbhumi website and click on the Know your Property tab.

Complete the details, submit the captcha, and click on View.

You can search by Khatian or Plot, depending on your preference.

The website allows you to query records and search for plot information.

The login procedure is the same.

Click the Query Search option and enter the details asked for.

Complete the captcha and click Show to get the information required.

How to pay the fees at the Banglarbhumi portal?

Access the Banglarbhumi portal and click Online Application.

Select Fees Payment that will direct you to submit the GRIN number.

Enter the number and complete the captcha to submit the details.

Select the payment option and complete the payment.

How to check RS and LR on Banglarbhumi?

Access the Banglarbhumi online portal and go to Citizen Services.

On the next page, choose between RS and LR

Select your option from District Name, Block, or Mouza.

Select between RS and LR

Provide the plot number and search.

You get the RS and LR info on the screen.

How to check Land Classification on Banglarbhumi?

Visit Banglarbhumi and select Citizen Services

Proceed to Land Classification and enter district name, block, or mouza.

Hit the Search option to get the land classification information.

Finally, we shall see how to fill out the land conversion application online.

Visit Banglarbhumi and select Online Application.

Select Conversion Application.

Complete the details and submit

Note down the reference number.

Final Thoughts

The computerization of land records has made it convenient for every interested party to get land information quickly and accurately. We have discussed how to get Gujarat Land Record and West Bengal Land Record through their respective online portals. You can see that the procedure is easy and provides accurate and genuine information.

We have seen how to check West Bengal Land Record online. Let us now proceed with Gujarat Land Record.

How to check Gujarat Land Record online?

Gujarat has the AnyRoR Gujarat website to check land ownership records online. Using this website, one can Check Gujarat Land Record property mutation records, get crop information, and verify the land type.

Access the AnyRoR website and click on the View Land Record  Rural option.

It directs you to a separate page that links various documents like VF7, VF8A, VF6, 135D Notice, etc.

Depending on the document you need, you can click on the respective link. For example, click on VF7 to get details of 7/12 land records.

Enter details like district, taluka, village, and survey number to get your Gujarat Land Record .

. If you wish to verify 8A details, click on the VF8A link at Step 2.

Enter the details asked for and get your land record.

These records also provide information on the landowners name.

AnyRoR Gujarat Services

Users can avail of the following services on AnyRoR Gujarat.

Survey Number, Khata, and entry details (VF7, VF8A, and VF6)

Revenue case details

Old and scanned details of VF6 and VF7

Nondh (Entry) number details

Survey Number by owner name, and promulgated village

Khata by owner name

135D Mutation details

Integrated survey number

Month-wise and year-wise entry list

How to issue a Record of Rights?

The Record of Rights is a land record register extract held by the Gujarat State Revenue Department containing data regarding the property and its owners history.

The following steps help users to get the Gujarat RoR.
Tata Steels Raw Materials Division won 12 National Safety Awards under various categories for the year 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 for excellence in safety practices.

Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India graced the occasion as Chief Guest along with Rameshwar Teli, Union Minister of State Labour and Employment, Government of India (Guest of Honour). The award ceremony was orgniased at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

D B Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Raw Materials, Tata Steel, said: We are honoured to be recognised at a National level for our efforts towards best-in-class safety practices. Safety is top priority for us and we are committed to continuous improvement in safety in all our areas of operations. We are focusing on leveraging digital interventions and innovation to further improve safety standards in our mines and collieries. This recognition encourages us to reinforce and consolidate a culture of safety in and around our areas of influence.

In National Safety Awards (Mines) Contest Year 2017, Tata Steels Sijua Colliery was adjudged winner in Mines with Longest Accident Free Period (LAFP) category while Digwadih Colliery of Tata Steel was conferred with runners-up trophy in the same category. Both come under belowground coal mines with difficult mining conditions and Amalgamated Bhelatand Colliery of Tata Steel has been adjudged Runners-up in Lowest Injury Frequency Rate Per Lakh Manshift category.

In Metal Mines-Mechanised Opencast category, Joda East Iron Ore Mine of Tata Steel has been adjudged Winner, while Noamundi Iron Ore Mine of Tata Steel has been conferred with runner up for the contest year 2017.

In another category-Lowest Injury Frequency Rate (LIFR) Per Lakh Manshift, Bhimtanagar (Sukinda) Chromite mine of Tata Steel has been adjudged Winner in Metal Mines-Mechanised Opencast with manshift of less than 50,000 while Joda West Iron & Manganese Mine of Tata Steel got runners-up trophy in the same category.

In National Safety Awards (Mines) Contest Year 2018, Joda West Iron & Manganese Mine was declared runners-up in Longest Accident Free Period category. Joda West Iron & Manganese Mine was again declared runners up Metal Mines-Mechanised Opencast with man-shift of less than 50,000 category.

For National Safety Awards (Mines) Contest Year 2019, Joda East Iron Ore Mine was declared winners in Metal Mines- Mechanised Opencast category while Noamundi iron ore mine of Tata Steel has been conferred with runners up for the contest year 2019.

In National Safety Awards (Mines) Contest Year 2020, Joda West Iron & Manganese Mine of Tata Steel received Winners trophy in Longest Accident Free Period category.

Mayank Shekhar, Chief (Jamadoba Group), Jharia Division, Tata Steel, Shrishendu Mukherjee, Chief Operations, FAMD, Tata Steel and Shirish Shekhar, Chief (Noamundi Iron Mine), Ore Mine and Quarries Division, Tata Steel received the awards on behalf of Tata Steels Raw Materials Division.
Raj Mukherji, a member of the New Jersey Assembly, has announced his candidacy for the state senate in the newly-drawn 32nd District, which includes Hoboken and half of Jersey City

FREMONT CA:Raj Mukherji, an Indian American Democrat who represents Jersey City in the New Jersey state assembly, has announced that he will run for the 32nd seat in the state Senate next year. Gov. Phil Murphy, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, State Senator Brian Stack, and Hoboken's Indian American Mayor Ravi Bhalla have all endorsed Mukherji, the chairman of the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Mukherji requested the people of Jersey City and Hoboken to appoint him to the legislature, in the Senate for the future advancement, added the Marine Corps veteran and former Jersey City deputy mayor. Less than a day after a new legislative redistricting map produced a newly open seat in Hudson County, Murphy endorsed the five-term assemblyman. He addressed Mukherji as a tireless advocate for the people of Hudson County for the past eight years, representing some of the most diverse communities in the state. He has thrived and championed progressive principles and helped form a stronger and unprejudiced New Jersey, both as a job-creating CEO, Deputy Mayor of his hometown Jersey City, local prosecutor, and a prolific lawyer.

Mukherji's legislative efforts during his eight years in Trenton, where he served as Assembly Majority Whip until taking over the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee in 2020, were lauded by Murphy. Undoubtedly Mukherji continues to build on his strong record of progress in the Senate, from investing in mass transit to expanding Medicaid to cover essential healthcare needs to increasing funding for our public schools to protecting open spaces.

Parts of Jersey City and Hoboken are included in the newly-drawn 32nd district, which now has a vacant Senate seat after the new map placed two experienced Democratic senators, Nicholas Sacco and Brian Stack, in a primary in the next-door 33rd district, which is currently represented by Stack in the Senate.

Mukherji has been a crucial companion in the preservation of open space as well as the advancement of resiliency and transportation initiatives in Mile Square City. He has been a relentless champion for the city, from getting funds for Hoboken's open space and resiliency initiatives to helping to preserve the waterfront at Union Dry Dock and moving forward important transportation projects.
Ford Blue and Ford Model e will operate as distinct businesses but share relevant technology and best practices

FREMONT, CA: Indian-born Kumar Galhortra was chosen by Ford as the new head of its Global Internal Combustion Business Ford Blue. The company recently created two distinct divisions designed to compete against EV competitors and automakers. The division, Ford Blue, will build out its remarkable portfolio of ICE vehicles to drive its growth and profitability, reducing costs, simplifying operations, and improving the quality of services. The division will provide world-class hardware engineering and manufacturing capabilities for all of Ford. Galhotra joined Ford in 1988 after he earned his bachelors of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. Ford Blue and Ford Model e will operate as distinct businesses but share relevant technology and best practices. In the press release announcing the appointment, Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said, Ford Blues mission is to deliver a more profitable and vibrant ICE business, strengthen our successful and iconic vehicle families and earn greater loyalty by delivering incredible service and experiences.

Ford Blue will leverage the companys longstanding experience in automotive manufacturing, maximize cash flow, and optimize industrial footprint. Ford Model e and Ford Blue will also support the new Ford Pro business, dedicated to delivering a one-stop-shop for all government and commercial clients. According to Galhotra, Ford will invest in its F-Series franchise, unravel the full potential of its hits Bronco and Maverick, and launch new vehicles like global ranger pickups, Raptor R, and Ranger Raptor.

About Kumar Galhotra

Before his new role as the president of Ford Blue, Galhotra was President of Americas & International Markets Group at Ford Motor Company. He was also served as the President of the North American division, where he led the unit into new levels of operational efficiency and profitability. Galhotra has also served as the VP of Lincoln and Chief Marketing Officer for Ford. He has overseen several projects pertaining to the engineering of cars, trucks, SUVs, and crossover vehicles.
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I have been deprived of the opportunity to fund any meaningful engagement with federal proceedings commenced by a well-resourced financial institution, Mr Papas said through Ms Giless law firm.

Defamation lawyer Rebekah Giles contacted the publications on Sunday ahead of broadcast with a statement from Mr Papas in which he claimed to have not been given an opportunity to defend himself.

The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes published a joint media investigation on the entrepreneur on Sunday, interviewing key witnesses to the alleged fraud while revealing Mr Papas continues to live a luxurious lifestyle in Greece.

A Federal Court judge has criticised alleged fraudster Bill Papas claim he had been denied a fair hearing and ordered the extradition and arrest warrant process be hastened to ensure the Sydney soccer identity returns from Greece.

The Federal Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr Papas last year after he missed court deadlines, breached freezing orders and displayed no intention of returning to Australia. Justice Michael Lee said Mr Papas was no longer playing an active role in the case and that he hoped the extradition process had not been put in the too hard basket.

I noted with some degree of bemusement that it was suggested by a solicitor apparently acting on behalf of Mr Papas that he had been deprived of the opportunity to meaningfully engage with the Federal Court proceedings when in fact ... Mr Papas did not seek to challenge the evidence, he said.

Westpacs lawyer, Jeremy Giles SC, said he had engaged with law enforcement about the extradition and arrest warrant and agreed Mr Papas had been involved in the court process. Not only that, since then, Your Honour has made orders to ensure Mr Papas, the events that are happening in these proceedings are brought to his attention.

The joint media investigation also revealed girlfriend Louise Agostino remains in Greece with Mr Papas after she left Australia last July. Westpac added Ms Agostino to its case in December, alleging she was part of a conspiracy to defraud the bank while working at Mr Papas firm Forum Finance.

Ms Agostinos lawyer, Robert Ishak, told the court on Thursday she intends to defend herself against all charges and will travel to Australia for the October hearing, or be cross-examined remotely before then. I assume it would not be a problem if it were via video conference, Mr Ishak said.
The development of Australian coal interests in Canadas Rocky Mountains have taken a further blow as the Alberta government backtracked from a controversial policy to open up the province to new mines.

But the door has not been shut completely on billionaire Gina Rinehart, whose $800 million metallurgical coal project could still go ahead if an ongoing federal court challenge is successful.

Australian billionaires Gina Rinehart and Tim Roberts have been backers of efforts to start new metallurgical coal mines in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Credit:WAtoday

Two years ago, the Alberta government wound back a 1976 policy protecting the eastern slopes of the mountains  which act as a border between the province with the more coal-friendly British Columbia  and other areas from new developments, only to face a fierce public backlash.

The backlash prompted a temporary reinstatement of the policy until an independent committee, set up by the government, could finish a community consultation. Last week the committee recommended all exploration and new coal activity should stop not just in the mountains but in other parts of the province.
The co-working sector is bouncing back as landlords emulate hotels with lifestyle amenities to lure tenants and employees back into the office.

Embracing the new push to fill empty office floors, global real estate firm JLL has partnered with developer Goldfields in Melbourne to launch the first floor of luxurious The Loft in May.

Landlords are emulating hotels to attract tenants with lifestyle amenities and location.

The three-level, 3243-square-metre co-working space is in the $300 million Goldfields House commercial tower at 627 Chapel Street, South Yarra. It offers tenants the opportunity to flex up or down their leases as needs change, without the financial commitment of a long-term contract.

Members will have access to all amenities in the A-grade commercial tower, not just within the office area, including a rooftop bar under construction, a business lounge, private bathrooms and infrared saunas, and technology such as contactless entry facilities, smart touch-screen showers and app-based monitoring of car chargers.
Its an age-old feminist adage that a man is not a financial plan, but its a clarion call still too few Australian women are remembering to heed, experts warn.

Women aged 55 and over are the fastest growing group of homeless Australians, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

llustration: Monique Westermann. Credit:

Older women often experience homelessness for the first time in later life, after leading conventional lives working and raising families, a 2019 report found. It is likely this trend will continue given the ongoing shortage of affordable housing, the ageing population and the significant gap in wealth accumulation between men and women across their lifetimes.

Within relationships, a lack of financial independence can also leave women vulnerable to various forms of financial abuse, says Jess Hill, author of See What You Made Me Do.
The NSW government is looking to integrate Sydneys two light rail lines so trams from the CBD and eastern suburbs line can run permanently on the troubled inner west line to make the operations more flexible.

After cracked trams forced the closure of the inner west line for months, the states transport agency has revealed it is in discussions with the private consortium responsible for the inner west and the CBD and eastern suburbs lines about the option of a mixed fleet operation.

The inner west and CBD and eastern suburbs light rail lines have different types of trams. Credit:Steven Siewert

Transport for NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins said integrating the lines was worthy of consideration as it would bolster the flexibility of operations.

At the moment ... we cannot do [a mixed-fleet operation] because we have one tram line with a tram wheel profile and one with a heavy rail profile, he said.
Xi gets update on Sichuan cliff village

By Du Shangze (People's Daily App) 09:21, March 10, 2022

At the ongoing two sessions, President Xi Jinping asked about again the life of villagers in Atule'er, perched on an 800-meter-high cliff in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

President Xi Jinping visits political advisors at the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on March 6, 2022.

When Xi visited national agriculture, welfare and social security advisors at the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Sunday, CPPCC member Yeshe Dawa of the Sichuan Province Department of Civil Affairs showed him two photos of the village. Xi studied the photos.

CPPCC member Yeshe Dawa of the Sichuan Province Deaprtment of Civil Affairs shows President Xi two photos of the cliff village during the meeting.

Yeshe Dawa said he had updated news about the village, which is located on Daliang Mountain.

He explained that one photo was of the rattan ladders that once hung precariously from steep cliffs. The other was a steel ladder replacement.

Xi remembered the village.

"Have all the villagers come down?" Xi said. "The children going to school and the elderly who need to go to the doctor are living down the mountain?"

President Xi Jinping visits political advisors at the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on March 6, 2022. (Photos: Xinhua)

Some chose to move and some to stay, Yeshe Dawa answered. Tourism has developed in the village and life is getting better and better, he said.

When visiting the delegation of Sichuan lawmakers during the two sessions in 2017, Xi said he felt "pretty worried" when reading reports that the cliff villagers were coming and going via a rattan ladder.

"When it comes to the well-being of the public, there is no such thing as a trivial matter," Xi said at Sunday's joint group meeting. "We must give extra attention and care to the people in difficulty to help them solve problems," he said.

The comparison of two photos shows the change from a ratten ladder from the steep cliffs to a steel radder replacement in Zhaojue county, Sichuan's Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

Atule'er was widely reported on in 2016, because its only route to the outside world was a 2-hour trek via a zigzag rattan ladder.

In 2017, a handrail-equipped steel ladder was built with government funding, making the trek easier and safer.

In a resettlement program funded by the government in 2020, all 84 households in poverty from the village in Zhaojue county, Sichuan's Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, moved to new houses in the county town.

A couple takes photo outside their house on the cliff before moving to new home on May 23, 2020.

But the village was not abandoned. Instead, it has become a tourism spot and income source for the villagers as its agriculture and tourism have been developed with government support.

The couple takes a photo in their new house on May 13, 2020.

(Translated by Zhang Liyang, edited by Sun Tianren and Huang Jingjing)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
According to Lionel Latoszek of Long Jetty, nothing comes close to having to explain Column 8 in another language. My 18-year-old niece with rudimentary English was flicking through the pages of the Herald I had bought when leaving Sydney Airport for Poland in 2019, when she read in Column 8 about spotting a pair of budgie smuggler swimmers at the beach on the weekend. Can you imagine my already difficult task of explaining this with my limited Polish language skills? I tried to keep a straight face while her parents and her friends listened with mouths agape. In case your interest is piqued, the column in question was from January 29, 2019.

Hearing himself described by Kerrie Wehbe as one of the quirky nerds who need to get out more, only without the faces (C8), George Manojlovic of Mangerton offers the following correction. Kerrie, I take my face wherever I go, unattractive as it may be.

Rhoda Silber of Manly shares the description her brother Gus in Johannesburg uses to explain Column 8 (C8) to the uninitiated. The side-bar where all the cool, interesting and curious people hang out. Gus is clearly angling for inclusion as one of the quirky nerds.

Column 8 can now add gift guide to its growing list of attributes. Among the birthday gifts recently received by Don Bain of Port Macquarie was a king-size magnifying glass, requiring some strength to heft but more than capable of dealing with microscopic packet instructions. An appreciative shoutout to Richard Stewart, who was credited with the thought behind it, and who has spared me many a surly squint.

Reading of the renamed street in Latvia (C8) brought to mind images of Cold War spies for Randi Svensen of Wyong, and of a certain Nordic creativity. In Oslo, the street where many embassies are located is called Inkognito Street.
The head of English at Moriah College asked an unidentified person for their perfect number in terms of the age of young boys, stating that his ideal is 11, police have alleged in court.

Cody Michael Reynolds, 36, was charged on Wednesday with possessing and distributing child abuse material after the Australian Federal Police raided his Kensington home and allegedly found a large volume of images and videos on two mobile phones and a laptop.

Moriah College English teacher, Cody Reynolds leaving Surry Hills Police Station on Thursday. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The English teacher spent the night in Surry Hills remand cells before appearing via audio-visual link at Central Court on Thursday to apply for bail, which he was granted.

Prosecutors opposed his release, saying Mr Reynolds, who normally resides across the road from a public school, poses a threat to children and could interfere with ongoing investigations into his activity.
Experts are warning of a rise in serious mosquito-borne diseases, and spider and snake bites, as health authorities consider expanding a Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccination program in NSWs south and west.

Hundreds of pig-farm workers and their families will this week receive the shots, usually given only to travellers to parts of south-east Asia where outbreaks are common. But the states top doctor said it was possible others would become eligible to receive the vaccine for the potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease.

Mosquitoes in Buffalo Creek reserve in Ryde. Credit:Nick Moir

NSW on Thursday confirmed its fourth case of Japanese encephalitis, which had never been seen in the state before this February.

The case in a woman in her 60s from Griffith follows confirmed cases in a man and a child from the states south-west, and a now-deceased man, also from Griffith, whose infection was detected in an autopsy this week.
Police have dropped charges against Kristo Langker, a producer for YouTube political commentary channel Friendlyjordies, after he was arrested at his home in dramatic scenes and accused of stalking former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro.

Mr Langker, 22, was arrested in June last year and charged with four counts of stalking or intimidating Mr Barilaro with intent to cause fear of physical or mental harm. He pleaded not guilty and said he would defend the charges vigorously.

Kristo Langker arrives at court on Thursday, where charges against him were dropped. Credit:Nick Moir

Police alleged Mr Langker stalked and intimidated Mr Barilaro on two occasions  at Macquarie University in April, and in Sydneys CBD in June. Video recordings of both interactions were broadcast on the Friendlyjordies channel.

In the June interaction, Mr Langker could be seen approaching Mr Barilaro as the politician stood next to a car near State Parliament speaking on his phone. Mr Barilaro did not appear to acknowledge Mr Langker, who asked, Hey John, John, John. Oi John. Ive got something for you. John, Ive got a lawsuit. Youre suing my boss.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Id been covering the Catholic hospital in Lismore for the first couple of days of the floods. With many other doctors cut off, wed been treating patients offloaded from boats. When I heard that Ballina District Hospital was being evacuated on March 1 to higher ground, I threw my medical kit in the back of a four-wheel drive. I also dressed in my wetsuit and dive boots. I had my snorkel too. As I drove into Ballina, power failed as we were passing the Big Prawn. An aerial photo of the river near Coraki. Credit:Cam Hollows It was scary. I knew if we couldnt cross from West Ballina, we would be spending the night evacuating people in floodwater in the dark. But we got to the hospital. It was a long night, treating and moving Ballina patients in a relatively orderly way to a local school where the hospital was relocated.

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That night I was just another pair of hands helping out. It was also my 40th birthday. As the floods worsened the next day, a colleague and I offered to volunteer at one of the two major evacuation centres in Lismore only to find they were well-staffed. Many of the volunteer medics there had lost their homes or clinics but kept working. But there was no doctor left in Coraki, the local Bundjalongs peoples word for the place. Everybody in the Northern Rivers knows that Coraki which sits on the confluence of the Richmond and Wilson rivers in northern NSW  is where floods hit worse, as its where four of the northern rivers meet. More than 600 people and their pets had already spent a few days crammed into an evacuation centre. With no roads in or out, theyd been cut off from help or supplies for many days. I hitched a ride there in a JetRanger helicopter. Knowing I was of little use without medical supplies, I signed out as much as I could think of from a local base hospital. And, with help from a medical student, packed it on the chopper.

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Looking down from above, it was nothing but brown water and debris as far as the eye could see. It was like Vietnams Mekong Delta but with fewer boats. Where Coraki is located, everything was underwater. The water had severed the town in half. Some residents were trapped on islands. I remember thinking, We dont need the army. We need the navy. It smelled worse than many of the more unfortunate places I have been where there is no sewage (I used to live in Papua New Guinea). Septic tanks were overflowing. The irony is that Coraki is a town full of plumbers who could do little to help because theyd lost their tools in the floods.

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Arriving at the evacuation centre in the Uniting Church, I found local nursing, fire and SES staff and volunteers dead on their feet but still functioning. Who knows how? Again, many volunteers there had lost their homes but not their spirits. They were working in a room filled with human misery. As a medical student, I had spent three months in a trauma hospital in Vietnam. Needless to say, that was better equipped than Coraki last week. For the next two days and nights, I only napped on a bed requisitioned from a state of the art health facility disabled by lack of power and planning. Together, volunteers and I established a functioning resuscitation centre and a wound clinic. A kangaroo behind bars in Coraki. Credit:Dr Cam Hollows We treated locals whose feet looked like bags of mince. We patched up rescuers so they could get back on boats. Oldies had run out of medicine. There were loads of sore tummies, and sick and scared kids.

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Mental health was a challenge for all generations. I reviewed a patients arm that had been savaged by a kangaroo. Locals said they had treated a range of these injuries from roos that had panicked in rising waters. Before I arrived, local nurses - many stranded from jobs in nearby towns - had triaged patients for medical evacuations, which we started loading onto helicopters. The locals, including a NSW health nurse who had also been stranded from work, had been doing an outstanding job. But without additional help, it couldnt last. Until I was relieved after a couple of days, we didnt see an additional NSW or Defence Force doctor or nurse.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has turned up the pressure on Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to support a nuclear submarine base in her state, even as he conceded the Port of Brisbane might not stack up as a suitable location.

Earlier this week, Mr Morrison announced the $10 billion east coast base would be in Brisbane, Newcastle or Port Kembla, with a decision expected late in 2023.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Brisbane on Thursday, Credit:Jono Searle/Getty Images

Downflow from last weeks major south-east Queensland flooding stopped operations at the Port of Brisbane for four days, prompting concerns about its suitability as a host for a nuclear submarine base.

Speaking in Brisbane on Thursday, Mr Morrison conceded Brisbane had some logistical and technical issues that would need to be considered.
It was only last weekend that one of CBDs favourite gruesome twosomes, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, both former prime ministers (for different political parties, we have to remind ourselves) were spotted having dinner together. KRudd and MBull took the stage at the Adelaide Writers Week to do what they do best: rubbishing News Corp and being the loudest proponents of a royal commission into the Murdoch news empire.

But the antics of this political Thompson & Thomson duo are nothing compared to what proponents of the Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission (AFMRC) have planned for the election: a rolling media fact-checking and evidence collecting unit aimed squarely at Newss metropolitan tabloids including The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd holds up the Daily Telegraph during his address to the National Press Club of Australia in March 2021. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

No doubt KRudd is still smarting from the famous 2013 Telegraph front page Kick This Mob Out which ran on day one of the federal election campaign and was the brainchild of then editor Paul Whittaker, now chief executive of Sky News. That front page lost the paper readers in its western Sydney Labor heartland, but theres no denying the voting public did just that when it ushered into power Tony Abbott (who didnt ever blame News Corp when it was his turn for his party to knife him in the back).

This week the anti-Murdoch gang held two Zoom brains trust meetings to thresh out campaign proposals. National director Sally Rugg claims the movement is 40,000-strong and they stand ready for the election.
Victorias hospitals and schools will not have enough money to properly cater for a growing population if the state does not receive top-ups in GST funding, Treasurer Tim Pallas has warned.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has rejected a plea from the NSW and Victorian governments to pay more GST to the countrys two largest states to compensate for outsized spending on the pandemic. The states had the longest lockdowns and spent billions of dollars supporting individuals and businesses.

Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas says GST distribution needs to reflect pandemic-related spending. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Mr Pallas said Victoria could be $3 billion worse off over the next three years if the GST distribution to states was not re-calculated to adjust for pandemic-related spending.

What it will mean is we wont be able to necessarily employ to the growth profile that were seeing in health and education ... because we dont have the assurance that we will have the revenue base coming in, he said.
Health authorities have blocked Novak Djokovic from entering the United States, and the world No.2 has subsequently withdrawn from a pair of major American tournaments.

Djokovic was part of Wednesdays Indian Wells draw, but tournament organisers soon revealed his participation in the tournament was unclear, given the CDC had not yet approved his entry into the country.

With the tournament now underway and Djokovic due to play this weekend, the Serbian superstar took to Twitter to confirm his absence from the American hardcourt swing.

While I was automatically listed in the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and Miami Open draw, I knew it would be unlikely Id be able to travel, Djokovic said.
Seoul: Theres a political novice who wants to overhaul the establishment, a bitter, personal campaign and millions of frustrated young voters, who believe their lives are going to be worse than their parents.

The ingredients that helped make Donald Trump president of the United States just made Yoon Suk-yeol the next leader of South Korea. Now East Asia has its first populist president. The result will define Seouls relationship with Pyongyang, Beijing, Washington, Tokyo and Canberra.

Newly elected president Yoon Suk-yeol celebrates with supporters in Seoul. Credit:Getty

The swashbuckling, big-talking, turtleneck-wearing public prosecutor from Seouls upper crust wants to get the government out of South Korean lives, cut taxes and purge what he sees as a corrupt Democratic Party from politics.

Yoon also wants to make South Korea bigger than the North Korean problem that has defined the nation for the entirety of its existence.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Igor Frogel remembers 1941 all too well, and he fears history is being repeated. As an 11-year-old child, Frogel, now 92, escaped from the Nazis to the Ural Mountains in Russia. It was many years before he returned to his home town, Dnipro. Sitting in the synagogue in the central Ukraine city, he says he cannot bear to see so many people fleeing another war. There are scores of people  Jews and non-Jews  taking refuge in the synagogue. Most have just arrived from Kharkiv, 217 kilometres to the north, which has been shelled relentlessly since the invasion started. Holocaust survivor Igor Frogel, 92, is the manager of the Golden Rose synagogue in Dnipro, which is now sheltering people fleeing the Russians. Credit:Kate Geraghty Now, again, Jewish people, but not only Jewish people, have to escape from a war, Frogel tells us. I feel almost the same feeling as I felt in 1941. As war rages just a few hours drive away in the bombed-out wasteland of Kharkiv and the besieged port of Mariupol, the snow-covered city of Dnipro is eerily quiet.

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The city centre of Dnipro, Credit: Andrea Carrubba / Anadolu Agency (Photo by Andrea Carrubba / ANADOLU AGENCY via AFP) Residents in Ukraines fourth-largest city have opened their homes to displaced compatriots whove fled the countrys north and south, while also preparing for the worst. The Golden Rose Synagogue  a stark white city landmark that has endured historys paroxysms since 1868  has become a refuge. People huddle beneath the synagogues striped and vaulted ceilings, the result of a major reconstruction at the turn of the century. Josephine Kulesko, 77, fled Kharkiv with her children and two grandchildren on a bus organised by the Golden Rose. The Jewish family lived near the main police station. When it was bombed, they packed up and left. Josephine Kulesko (far left) fled Kharkiv, and now takes refuge at the Golden Rose Synagogue in Dnipro with her daughter Galina Kulesko and grandchildren Jan Kulesko, 12, and Melissa Kulesko, 16. Credit:Kate Geraghty Kuleskos family fled Poland during the World War II, and she says her grandmother was killed by the Nazis. Eighty years later, she plans to make it to Moldova or Romania with her family, before taking refuge in Israel.

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We dont know if our home will remain after all the bombings ... We are moving to Israel, she says. When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his invasion of Ukraine, he tried to justify it, in part, as the de-nazification of the country and its leadership. His speech, made as ambassadors to the United Nations begged for peace and as bombs rained down on Kharkiv and Kyiv, twisted the painful history of World War II to recast this new battle as if it were a struggle against the Nazis. This is an especially cruel irony for Jewish Ukrainians who have worked hard to regroup and revive their community after generations of Nazi and Soviet repression. Ukraine, like many European nations, has experienced a rise in neo-Nazi activity, however its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is a Jewish man, and the nation is home to one of the worlds largest Jewish communities. The European Jewish Congress estimates the population be between 360,000 and 400,000.

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In Zelenskys home region of Dnipropetrovsk, which takes in Dnipro, Jewish Ukrainians are taking up arms to fight Russia. A Jewish army reservist in Dnipro tells us he doesnt know when Russia will attack his city, but we need to fight them. More than 7000 people in Dnipro and the surrounding region have already been mobilised to fight with the armed forces since the invasion began. Chief of the Jewish Association of Ukraine Michael Tkach. Credit:Kate Geraghty Michael Tkach, chief executive of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine, described Putins claim as nonsense. The president of our country is of Jewish origin. How could Nazis vote for a Jewish president of Ukraine? he says. As in every culture, in Ukraine there are some marginal elements which hate everybody. Those people are not members of parliament or in the ministry. The Golden Rose Synagogue in Dnipro, Ukraine. Credit:Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Dnipro, known as Ekaterinoslav from the late 18th to early 20th century, was famed as one of the worlds most important centres of Jewish life and culture. Before World War II, one in three of its citizens was Jewish. Now there are about 60,000 left, making up 6 per cent of the population. Once there were 50 synagogues; now there are 10.

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The Golden Rose Synagogue was built in 1800, but the wooden structure burnt down in 1833 before being rebuilt in 1868. In 1927, under Stalin, the synagogue was converted into a warehouse and a workers club. The Star of David above its portico was replaced by a hammer and sickle. The building wasnt handed back to the Jewish community until 1996. Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky. Credit:Kate Geraghty In Dnipro, the Jewish community has no nostalgia for the Soviet era.

Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky, a member of the Chabad movement, which has attempted to revive Jewish faith across the former Soviet Union, says Jewish people in Dnipro are here to help the people fleeing Kharkiv and other cities. The Jewish people here have a long history of suffering, especially the older people ... communism, the Holocaust, evacuations  I really feel bad for them, and we really need to support and help them, Kaminetsky says. In a Facebook post, a senior Ukrainian government official this week warned that Russian troops were mounting resources to encircle Dnipro.

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The persecution began in the 1500s and lasted almost two centuries. Nearly 4000 people were accused of witchcraft, a vast majority of them women. They were arrested, brutally tortured and coerced into false confessions. Two-thirds of those accused were executed, according to historians.

Unlike the United States, whose own shameful history of witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, led to official exonerations and victim memorials, the Scottish government had never apologised for the atrocities committed against its citizens, according to activists who have campaigned for a formal apology.

Sorry: Scotlands first minister Nicola Sturgeon. Credit:AP

That changed Tuesday, when Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, addressed Parliament and apologised for the persecution.

It was injustice on a colossal scale, said Sturgeon, who made the statement on International Womens Day as part of a speech that also called on Scottish leaders and the public to combat modern-day misogyny.
Dnipro: Russian air strikes have destroyed a maternity hospital in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, local officials say, prompting widespread condemnation from world leaders towards Russias reckless actions.

As scenes of horror emerged from the ruins of the Mariupol hospital, where women and children were trapped under rubble, the US and British governments warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin might next deploy chemical weapons in his bid to capture Ukrainian cities.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki backed earlier briefings by British defence officials when she tweeted on Thursday morning AEDT that we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the direct strike on a hospital had caused colossal damage and left women and children trapped under rubble.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a public meeting on Thursday, March 10, 2022.

The Public meeting is scheduled for 14.00 - 15.00 hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. E.J. Doran will be present.

The agenda point is:

Question hour: Questions from MP S.A. Wescot-Williams directed to the Prime Minister in connection with the situation in Eastern Europe (IS/625/2021-2022 dated March 3, 2012)

The intention of a question hour is to create the possibility for Members of Parliament to exercise their supervisory activities by posing questions and interact with Ministers on current matters. During the question hour only questions and answers will be given on the topic at hand. The procedure of the question hour is regulated in article 69 and further of the Rules of Order.

On Thursday, March 10, 2022 the Prime Minister will be providing answers to questions on the Russia-Ukrainian conflict and its ramifications for Sint Maarten.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules and all health and safety protocols, including the wearing of a mask.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, SXM Bulletin (Cable TV 120), via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, and www.pearlfmradio.sx
Edith (Edi) Marie Smith, daughter of the late Glen Lester and Dorothy Jane Allison, was born in Youngstown, OH on Friday, October 11th, 1963, and she departed this life on Saturday, April 30th, 2022, having attained the age of 59 years. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death b
Geneva (Switzerland), 10, March 2022 (SPS)  South Africa renewed yesterday its call for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to urgently send a mission to investigate the human rights situation in the occupied areas of Western Sahara, as well as reporting on the serious violations committed by the Moroccan occupation forces against Saharawi civilians.

Through a statement issued during the discussion of the second working point of the session of the Human Rights Council, the Permanent Representative of South Africa in Geneva, Mr. Mxolisi Sizo Nkosi, "demanded Commissioner Michelle Bachelet to include information on the situation of human rights in occupied Western Sahara in its report to the 50th Ordinary Session of the Human Rights Council.

In his statement, Ambassador Nkosi stressed that "the government of his country will remain committed to ensuring that the Saharawi people can exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, in accordance with all relevant United Nations resolutions." SPS

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STAMFORD  A week after tenured teachers at the citys largest school issued a vote of no confidence against the superintendent and one associate superintendent, another school has followed suit.

Forty-two out of 51 tenured faculty members at the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering  the districts smallest high school and the only one that is a magnet school  supported a vote of no confidence against Superintendent Tamu Lucero and Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Amy Beldotti in a secret ballot vote that took place Monday and Tuesday at the schools media center.

AITE is the second school to take such action; two-thirds of tenured teachers at Westhill High School issued a statement of no confidence against Lucero and Beldotti last week.

After their vote, teachers at AITE put out a statement, which has been shared on social media, outlining why they dont support Lucero and Beldotti. They did not sent the statement to central office administrators nor publicize the list of names, although it was shown to The Stamford Advocate for verification purposes.

In their statement, they claim Lucero and Beldotti have ignored their desire to maintain their current block schedule and cited a lack of teacher involvement in decision making, similar to what Westhill teachers listed as their reasons for voting against the administrators.

It just seems like (Lucero) refuses to listen to our school community so we felt like had no other choice at this point than to throw up our hands and say, We dont think that shes leading the district appropriately, said Claude Morest, a social studies teacher at the school.

Students at AITE currently take classes in an A/B block, which means they take up to eight classes at a time, with four classes meeting one day, the other four the day after. The classes each last roughly 90 minutes and most run for the entirety of the school year.

Stamford school administrators want to switch AITE and the citys two other high schools to a hybrid four-by-four model next school year, in which students mostly take up to four classes in the fall, followed by a different four classes in the spring, with each class meeting daily for the duration of a semester.

After plenty of push back from teachers and students, including an online panel conducted by students at the school, and the Stamford Board of Education voting in favor of preserving the schools current block schedule, administrators changed course.

The new plan would allow AITE to largely maintain its current schedule, with only a few classes operating in a four-by-four pilot next semester.

But Lucero said in a recent board meeting that AITEs implementation of the hybrid model was only being slowed down.

We have given (AITE) the autonomy to take this a little slower so that theyre able to get there, Lucero said, later adding, We recognize that we needed to step back a little from AITE and thats exactly what we did.

In their statement, AITE teachers claimed that Lucero and Beldotti violated a Board of Education policy that states that staff should be involved in decision making.

The same policy was recently read aloud by Stamford Board of Education member Becky Hamman at a Feb. 23 board meeting. After she read it, board president Jackie Heftman said the policy was not entirely relevant to the topic of block schedules.

Everything youve just read talks about what the board expects when its voting on policy, Heftman said. We are not voting on policy when were talking about the schedules in the high schools.

Justin Martin, spokesperson for the schools, backed that up in a statement Wednesday afternoon. He wrote, It is categorically false that we have violated the spirit and letter of any board policy. This has been confirmed by legal counsel and by the board chair.

The statement from AITE teachers also claims that Lucero and Beldotti support policies that endanger the future status of AITE as a state of Connecticut interdistrict magnet school.

Morest, who said he did not lead the effort to conduct the secret ballot vote of no confidence, said teachers are concerned that by eliminating the current block schedule and putting AITE on the same schedule as Westhill and Stamford High School, AITE would become less desirable to prospective students.

Again, Martin contested the teachers claim.

It is factually incorrect that block scheduling in any way endangers the future status of AITE as a State of Connecticut interdistrict magnet school, he wrote.

Like Westhill, AITE teachers also chose to release their statement without any names attached. Teachers from both schools have stated they did that intentionally, out of fear that releasing names could lead to retribution. Thats the same reason AITE teachers did not send a copy of their statement to central office administrators, not wanting any teacher to have to deliver the message, Morest said.

Diane Phanos, president of the Stamford Education Association teachers union, said the union recommended that teachers not release their names to the administration out of fear of potential punishment.

I feel thats an honest fear given our situation, she said.

Phanos said the union supports the effort by the teachers.

AITE feels that A/B has worked for them for 20 years and they get great ratings, she said. Why are you rocking the boat?

In a written statement shared by Martin, Lucero said the district is working with teachers.

The associate superintendents continue to collaborate with teachers on block scheduling and hold meetings, professional development, and work on curriculum with them, she wrote. We have seen teachers flock to sign up to volunteer on curriculum development for the block schedules. We had 80 spots open for volunteers and the spots were filled within days.

In the statement, Lucero again defended the decision to move to a block schedule.

Sometimes leaders have to lead and it takes time for some of our teachers to see the benefit of the decision, she wrote, before stating that all school-based leadership staff support the move.

One of the selling points of the hybrid schedule is that students have a more manageable load of classes to deal with at any one time.

As Mrs. Beldotti and members of the central office and building level teams have shared, block scheduling will allow students to dig deeper into course work, explore and research ideas with their teachers in more detail and nuance, and greatly reduce the amount of school work each night, Lucero wrote.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
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Eva Bermudez Zimmerman on Thursday announced she will be running for the 30th District seat in the Connecticut State Senate.

The Democrat will face 107th District state Rep. Stephen Harding, who announced his candidacy for the seat following news last month that the Republican who held the seat would not seek reelection.

Zimmerman, who served a term on the Newtown Legislative Council, previously ran for lieutenant governor in 2018 and state legislature in 2016.

I look forward to building coalitions among our diverse residents for smart, bottom-up policies that address our needs, said Zimmerman in a prepared statement. And I really look forward to taking those ideas to Hartford and making our voices heard. I wont be shy.

Harding, a Republican, has served his district since winning a special election in February 2015. He is the ranking member of the Environment Committee and serves on the Judiciary and Government Administration and Elections committees.

I really want to make sure that the interests of the constituency in this district is properly represented in Hartford, Harding said of his decision to run.

I believe that Connecticut is really at a crossroads, we can really move this state forward in a positive direction with good fiscal responsibility, with smart economic decisions for our state, and I want to be a part of that, he added.

Zimmerman said she is a longtime champion for children and families, who advocates for better pay and benefits for workers as well.

I have been fighting for working families my whole life. Now, when our health care is threatened by corporate hospitals, the quality of our childrens education is pressured by unequal access to online learning tools, and our environment is in crisis, I will stand up for our communities and find solutions that benefit all of us, Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman was previously awarded Latina of the Year by the Connecticut State Legislature after she helped enroll more than 15,000 people in the states health care exchange during the first three years of the Affordable Care Act.

She said if elected, she wants to tackle issues of health care, education, the environment and economic development.

For Harding, affordability is a key focus in his bid for the senate seat, calling it, one of the most critical issues, if not the most critical issue we are going to be facing in this campaign.

How can it not be? Harding said. When you are seeing gas prices at nearly $5 a gallon, you are seeing grocery bills at a 10 or 15 percent bump from what it was a year ago  these are the types of issues that are impacting the men and women and the families of the district.

We need to address that head on as a state and ensure that we are not going to have any further tax increases that, frankly, the population cannot afford, he added.

The campaign announcements from the candidates come after Sen. Craig Miner, R-Litchfield, announced last month he would not seek reelection in November for his 30th District seat. Miner, the chief deputy Senate Republican leader, first took office in the 66th District in the state House of Representatives in 2001. He served eight terms before being elected to the 30th District.

Zimmerman attended a regional magnet school in Hartford growing up. She graduated high school early and went to Brazil through a humanitarian service project.

Before graduating from the University of Puerto Rico as a political science major, Zimmerman worked as a field organizer for Connecticut Public Interest Research Group to help reduce carbon emissions and create more environmentally sustainable policies.

She went on to work as an aide in the office of New York Congressman Charles Rangel, where she oversaw issues involving labor relations, lead abatement and Puerto Rican affairs.

More recently, Zimmerman has fought for a $15 minimum wage, a state Dreamers bill, environmental justice and womens rights.

I am proud to call Connecticut home and even prouder of what our district has to offer, she said. I am committed to advancing policies that benefit all the citizens here and that optimize those qualities that make the northwest corner so special.

A practicing attorney, Harding graduated from Albertus Magnus College and holds a law degree from New York Law School in Manhattan.

Before being elected to the state legislature, he served the town of Brookfield in various capacities. He has served on both the Zoning Board of Appeals and Brookfield Board of Education, where he chaired the Boards Policy Subcommittee.

He said his experience in Hartford has taught him to become more practical in navigating the legislative process from a bi-partisan perspective, adding that he is proud of his work in helping to pass caps on the state budget in 2017, legislation that led to the availability of a rainy day fund over $3 billion.

Amid times of heightened partisanship, Harding said he has worked hard to gain support from both parties during his time in office.

Some of the closest friends I have in Hartford and some of the closest friends I have in my life and in the district are Democrats, said Harding, who grew up in the 30th district and lives in Brookfield with his wife, Kelly, two children, Piper and Carter, and their golden retriever, Kennedy. I dont see a reason as to why we cant work together and why we cant have friends and maybe have a different opinion.

The state representative pointed to success working, across the aisle on many issues, and highlighted his role as a ranking member on the Environment Committee, where he helped implement a boat stamp program to increase funding for the agencies tasked with overseeing local lakes and protecting them against invasive species.

We are seeing issues with [species of] milfoil, we are seeing issues with zebra mussels, and the lake authorities that oversee these lakes and the many individuals that enjoy them recreationally all year round, really are focused on trying to preserve the health of these lakes, Harding said.

The 30th District consists of 18 towns: Brookfield, New Milford, Torrington, Winchester/Winsted, Sherman, New Fairfield, Canaan, North Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, Salisbury, Sharon, Warren, Washington and Bethlehem.
Committee haggling over the definition of illness in a 90-year-old section of the state Constitution, led to partisan votes Wednesday that will send two separate-but-similar voting-right bills to the House and Senate.

State Sen. Rob Sampson of Wolcott, a top Republican on the Government Administration & Elections Committee, failed in two attempts to amend a Senate bill, then subsequently let a somewhat identical House bill aimed at allowing mail-in voting for the upcoming statewide election, to go to a final committee vote without pursuing amendments.

The issue of expanded mail-in voting originated during the height of the COVID pandemic and its interference in the 2020 presidential election season, when Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, using federal COVID-relief funding, sent out applications for absentee ballots to every registered voter. It led to record turnout, while Republican-led efforts to claim fraud have been rejected by state election regulators.

The right for so-called no-excuse mail-in ballots was extended for last falls municipal elections as well.

If this bill passes in the form that is before us without being changed, it will effectively create no-excuse absentee voting without a constitutional amendment, Sampson said after three-hour, private committee caucuses finally ended around 2:30 p.m. I would offer to any person on this committee to challenge that notion and explain to me exactly how an intangible definition of illness does not apply to every voter in Connecticut. This creates a giant problem, in my opinion because that sets up the ability to send out a large number of unsolicited ballot applications.

Democrats spoke very little during the 90-minute meeting, which culminated with 13-6 Democrat-dominated final votes on the bills, which next head to the House and Senate for action. Sampsons main amendment would have changed general language on illness, or a perceived fear of becoming sick, to become more voter-specific.

Sampsons follow-up amendment would have limited the Secretary of the States future abilities to again provide ballot applications to all registered voters. Merrill has testified to the committee that she neither has the budget nor a plan to do that again.

The way th bills are written, voters would have to only be concerned about illness in the lingering pandemic to become eligible for an absentee ballot. You can imagine that to simply say that someone is eligible for an absentee ballot because of illness is a different thing altogether from, certainly, their own illness, but even from suggesting that they are affected by an illness that is their own, their neighbor, their family member or even their fear of sickness in society, Sampson said in attempting to muster any support from Democrats, who have a 13-6 majority.

Sampson had started the meeting with optimistic signals from Democrats that there will be further discussions on rewriting the bills before they reach floor votes, but during the committee meeting, voiced disappointment that Democratic members, who approved the two bills in straight party-line votes, did not engage him in debate.

I must say I am a little disheartened in the representation that there are going to be discussion, but were ramming this down your throat, said Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, who suggested that if the Democrats were willing to negotiate and compromise, they would not have held votes on the legislation Wednesday. The committees deadline for action is March 30.

Citing what he believes to be some degree of voter fraud in the state, Sampson, a conservative, has offered proposals from the national Republicans playbook, including mandatory photo IDs for voters and mandatory signature checks of absentee ballot documents. Merrill opposes both measures, stressing that voter fraud is rare in the state.

While generally similar, having related bills originating in House and Senate give the issue a better chance of passage, if one bill stalls in a chamber.

A 1932 amendment to the Constitution limits voters to several specific reasons for using mail-in ballots, including being out of the district for work or school, military service, religious reasons, sickness or working at the polls. State Rep. Dan Fox, D-Stamford, asked fellow Democrats to reject Sampson because supporters of the bill want the change in state law to correspond with the state Constitution, as interpreted by a 2021 state Supreme Court ruling that said that individual voters do not have to be sick to be eligible for absentee ballots.

In recent years, Democrats who firmly control the House and Senate failed to get enough GOP support to reach the 70 percent of the House and Senate needed to get a question before state voters this fall on a proposed constitutional amendment to allow no-excuse absentee. So, the next General Assembly needs to approve the measure with a simple majority to get the question on the 2024 statewide ballot.

Voters in November will, however, be able to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to allow early voting.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter; @KenDixonCT
State Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria is one of five Americans representing Greek communities at an annual international humanitarian event in her native Greece.

A member of three legislative committees  Regulation Review, Public Health and Finance  Klarides-Ditria, the sister of former house minority leader and current U.S. Senate hopeful Themis Klarides, left Wednesday to participate in the World Hellenic Parliament Inter-Parliamentary Association.

She said a seven-hour time difference will allow her to participate in the conference during the day and attend Connecticut General Assembly meetings virtually at night.

The event begins in Athens, then early next week moves to the port city of Thessaloniki on the Aegean Sea.

The group will join others in meeting with Greeces deputy minister of the interior, and get updated on regional affairs at the U.S. Embassy.

The group will then fly to Thessaloniki for meetings with the mayor, deputy ministers and the dean of the Aristotle University, one of the oldest colleges in the world. The issue of war and genocide in Macedonia will be included in the humanitarian talks. More than a century after the end of the Ottoman Empire and a bitter civil war, relations are still precarious in the region among Greece, North Macedonia and Turkey

Well be talking about ways to promote Greeks and ways we can avoid another genocide, Klarides-Ditria said in an interview. This will be her third visit to the country. Well be talking about the U.S. can help Greece with their Navy. Greece and Turkey have had friction for many years.

After spending her work days in Greece, Klarides-Ditria plans to attend remotely the various virtual hearings and committee meetings as the Connecticut legislature continues its short, budget-adjustment session.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
Advocates for expanded affordable housing opportunities on Thursday supported legislation that would assess state needs, create plans for every town and city, and provide performance data.

During a public hearing on a bill before the General Assemblys Housing Committee, favorable testimony was led by Cheryl Sharp, deputy director of the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, as well as Kevin Alvarez, director of legislative affairs for the city of New Haven.

But suburban and rural residents said that state-mandated housing goals would be too far to reach, while their local officials try to balance infrastructure limits, historic character and aging populations.

Sharp said that this years version of the so-called Fair Share bill would be a different way to tackle the obstacles of segregation established over generations. It would give towns and planning regions control over development, but would require some degree of development of affordable housing, Sharp said during an afternoon-long, virtual hearing.

The commission is well aware of the grave impact impact individual town-based zoning statutes and regulations have had on the segregation of the residents of the state of Connecticut, Sharp said, stressing that zoning restrictions affect educational outcomes, health care, food, jobs and other issues. This legislation looks to change the way Connecticut towns have historically addressed where housing is located and who has the opportunity to live in it.

Setting clear standards for every community for what their responsibility is in fixing the problem is also essential, said Alvarez. It cannot just fall to cities like New Haven to provide for the housing needs of the state. Connecticut cities overwhelmingly provide for the need of the entire state and this Fair Share proposal would fundamentally change that.

Over the last several decades, the fight over affordable housing hasnt been about actual dwelling units, but rather people, Alvarez said, stressing the issue of racial injustice.

As we have this debate, we need to change the way we talk about and more importantly think about the value of every resident of Connecticut, regardless of their economic circumstances, Alvarez said. Tens of thousands of residents are paying too much for housing and are kept economically disadvantaged as a result. Systemic racism has made this fall disproportionately on communities of color.

But Alexis Harrison, a member of a group that succeeded in defeating similar legislation in 2021, said the proposal would be very devastating to her town and others throughout the state. A member of the Town Plan and Zoning Commission who testified on a related legislative proposal last week, Harrison said it would force arbitrary housing-development goals.

Some towns would have to build thousands of more units, Harrison said. I dont know how that would happen in Fairfield.

Maria Weingarten, a Realtor who serves on the New Canaan Board of Finance, said that legislative proposals would assail decades of land use and zoning laws, as well as individual property rights. Only local planning-and-zoning members of the local community, through use of public hearings, can provide critical information necessary to properly evaluate building projects within their own municipality, she said. Why? Because all land is finite and unique.

Mike Criss, the Republican first selectman of Harwinton, with a population of about 5,500 in Litchfield County, said that his town is confronting the need to help elderly residents age in place in a region with transportation challenges, half-hour rides to grocery stores, and where growth is limited by water supply and septic and sewer considerations.

Criss, also speaking for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said he would also like to attract younger families to his town, but is worried that the legislation would create a less-desirable top-down effect, with orders from the state.

Earlier in the day, the committee approved legislation, now heading to the House of Representatives that would requires municipalities with at least 25,000 residents - about a third of the state - to form local Fair Rent Commissions.

State Sen. Rick Lopes, D-New Britain, co-chairman of the committee, noted that at a time of sharply rising rents in the lingering pandemic, tenants need more protections.

It is kind of a special circumstance, a special year, where were seeing, as you know, property values shooting up very high, and off course rental rates are shooting through the roof and there are people asking for 50-percent rent increases, Lopes said. I think long-term tenants, our seniors, a lot of people are just going to be put in a bad bind if their landlord comes in and says your lease is up, your rent is now $500 more a month. There needs to be at least some sort of buffer that says is this increase reasonable for the area.

I understand what this is trying to do and I think it is a good idea, said Sen. Paul Cicarella, R-North Haven, a top Republican on the panel, who voted against the legislation. The mandating of local municipalities to do things, the cost that comes with that, is a concern of mine. But I do understand what the good intentions of this bill is trying to do.

State Rep. Larry Butler, D-Waterbury, said hes been fielding many calls from constituents complaining about sharp rent hikes, but his city of 110,000 people - like Bridgeport, the states largest city - does not have a Fair Rent Commission for tenants to file appeals. Many of these people are elderly, and I think it would really, really help, Butler said. We need to get them a venue to go and help adjudicate this, because otherwise, theres really no help out there for them.
A Michigan Republican running for the House of Representatives said during a Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday that he tells his daughters "if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it."

Robert "RJ" Regan, who won the GOP special primary in the states 74th district last week, was advocating for decertifying the 2020 presidential election during a live stream for the conservative group Rescue Michigan Coalition when he commented.

Roughly 10 minutes into the broadcast, Regan advocated for overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election, telling another participant who said it is too late to do anything that her attitude is like what he tells his three daughters: "Well if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it."

"That was a shameful comment," attendee Amber Harris said in response.

Host Adam de Angeli then joked that the show might not stream "for much longer after what Robert said."

State Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser on Tuesday denounced Regan's remarks, though he congratulated Regan on the win last week, according to reporting by The Associated Press.

Weiser said in a statement that Regan's "history of foolish, egregious and offensive comments, including his most recent one, are simply beyond the pale. We are better than this as a party and I absolutely expect better than this of our candidates."

Similar condemnations were made by the Kent County GOP chairman, House Speaker Jason Wentworth and Sen. Mark Huizenga, whose elevation to the chamber last fall opened up the Republican-heavy seat that Regan is favored to fill in a May election. Democrats and the conservative Michigan Freedom Fund had begun rebuking Regan on Monday, according to reporting by The AP.

"As a Christian, a public servant and a father of two daughters, I find Robert Regans comments about sexual assault to be revolting and immoral, and I strongly denounce them," Huizenga said in a statement. "His statements about Russias unprovoked attack of a sovereign country are contrary to our own nations values, and his antisemitic posts claiming Jewish people control the banks and were behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks are shameful and disgusting."

Regan, who won his primary last week, lost the same race in 2020 after a viral tweet from his daughter, Stephanie Regan, warned against electing him.

In a follow-up tweet, Stephanie wrote that her father was Robert Regan and called on voters to research his campaign, stating: "I dont feel safe rn sharing further information regarding his beliefs, but please look him up and just read for yourself."

In response to the tweets, Regan said, unlike his daughter, he doesnt believe white privilege exists and said he thinks their differing opinions on the matter could have prompted her tweet, according to reporting by thehill.com.

Regan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

If elected, he will serve through 2022 and has indicated he will also run later this year for a full two-year term. according to reporting by The AP.

Democrats said Republicans should try to remove Regan from the special general election ballot.

"Anything short of that shows support for this kind of toxic rhetoric," Kent County Democratic Party Chair Bill Saxton said in a statement.

Regan will now face Carol Glanville, a Democrat, in the special election for the seat on May 3, according to reporting by huffpost.com.
In India, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refrained from denouncing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, describing it as a gripe between Moscow and NATO. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said his nation "will not take sides" in the conflict, even as he dismissed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as "a comedian." A senior South African official still calls Russia "a friend through and through."

From a perch in the West, it's easy to see a world standing against Russian President Vladimir Putin. As Russian forces lay brutal siege to Ukrainian cities, leaders in Washington and the capitals of Europe are slapping Moscow with sanction after sanction. In Western countries, Putin has come to be seen as a Bond villain caricature and antagonist to a heroic, beloved Zelensky. Even McDonald's suspended operations in Russia. Surely you're isolated if you can't buy a Big Mac.

There's no question Putin has dug himself, and his nation, into a dangerous hole. Russian propaganda and censorship have severed its people from reality. Slammed by sanctions and cut off from a massive part of the global financial system, the Russian economy is withering. This week, Western countries hit Moscow's vital energy sector. The ruble is turning to rubble.

Look deeper, though, and the suggestion that Putin is isolated may still be something of a Western bias - an assumption based on a definition of the "world" as places of privilege, largely the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan. Of the 193 members of the United Nations, 141 voted to condemn Moscow's unprovoked attack on its neighbor. But that majority vote doesn't tell the more nuanced story.

"There is a feeling [that] the level of support from a lot of non-Western countries for this resolution was quite thin," said Richard Gowan, U.N. director at the International Crisis Group.

Many countries in the developing world, including some of Russia's closest allies, are unsettled by Putin's breach of Ukrainian sovereignty. Yet the giants of the Global South - including India, Brazil and South Africa - are hedging their bets while China still publicly backs Putin. Even NATO-member Turkey is acting coy, moving to shut off the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to all warships, not just the Russians.

Just as Western onlookers often shrug at far-flung conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, some citizens in emerging economies are gazing at Ukraine and seeing themselves without a dog in this fight - and with compelling national interests for not alienating Russia. In a broad swath of the developing world, the Kremlin's talking points are filtering into mainstream news and social media. But even more measured assessments portray Ukraine as not the battle royal between good and evil being witnessed by the West, but a Machiavellian tug of war between Washington and Moscow.

We "should keep an equal distance from both imperial powers," wrote columnist Fuat Bol in Turkey's Hurriyet.

The dithering over Putin echoes the nonaligned movement during the Cold War, of countries that sought middle ground between dueling superpowers. But the gulf between the West and the Global South may also be worsening during the pandemic and the era of climate change, as developing nations grow increasingly resentful of the self-interested responses in the United States and Europe.

"There are a growing number of countries that are more willing to assert their independence in spite of the fact that they aspire to closer cooperation with the West and are even in need of Western support," said Chris Landsberg, a professor of international relations at the University of Johannesburg. "They are willing to send the message that they don't take kindly to the idea of being boxed in and forced to choose" sides.

Unwillingness to denounce Putin does not necessarily translate into determination to help him. Last week, the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank suspended all business with Russia. New Development Bank, a multilateral lender set up by the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - "in light of unfolding uncertainties and restrictions" put new transactions with Russia on hold.

Most importantly, the extent of China's backing for Putin, whom Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with in Beijing nearly three weeks before the invasion, remains a wild card. Amid fallout that China surely did not want - a more assertive Japan, a splintering global economy - Xi's support for a new world order alongside Moscow has turned into a complex balancing act.

But Beijing has at least sought to preserve a certain pro-Russian sentiment at home. On the Chinese social media site Weibo - where the phrase "Russian invasion" is banned - the Nation reported that uses of the hashtag "Putin" and "Emperor Putin" have surged alongside memes of Putin riding a bear.

India refused to back U.N. resolutions denouncing the invasion, nodding to a strategic relationship that dates back to the Cold War. New Delhi sees Moscow as a counterbalance to China, and more than 60% of India's weaponry comes from Russia. India struck a $5.43 billion deal with Moscow in 2018 for the S-400 missile system.

"Russia is one of the largest arms dealers in the world," said Dan Runde, a foreign policy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The U.S. sells the Cadillacs of weapons, while Russia sells the Chevys."

Under Modi, "India has responded to the invasion with the blunt realism of a rising, aspirational power that does not want to get caught between Russia and what Modi calls the 'NATO group,' " the International Crisis Group said in a new report.

South Africa was one 17 African countries to abstain from a U.N. resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, bowing to historical ties between the African National Congress, which led that nation's struggle against the White minority government, and the Soviet Union. Two of South Africa's post-apartheid presidents, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, underwent military training in the Soviet Union.

On Monday, Zuma - in a statement issued through his foundation - called Putin "a man of peace."

"Russia is our friend through and through," Lindiwe Zulu, South Africa's minister of social development who studied in Moscow during the apartheid years, told the New York Times. "We are not about to denounce that relationship that we have always had."

"We can neither give up on Ukraine nor on Russia," declared Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Meanwhile, the Turkish press and public have echoed the false Kremlin narrative of Ukraine as a den of neo-Nazis, and turned a cynical eye on Europe's warm welcome for Ukrainian refugees, as opposed to Syrians and Afghans, countless numbers of whom were stopped from entering the European Union and forced to seek refuge in Turkey.

"The rulers of Ukraine have broken with their own history and have become puppets of NATO," Ethem Sancak, a businessman and close ally of Erdogan, told the Russian press.

Wrote Asli Aydintasbas, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, in The Washington Post: "A sense of strategic ambiguity seems to be at the heart of Turkey's balancing act with Russia. . . . Turkey is unwilling to antagonize Putin - at least not without a firm offer from the West."
STAMFORD  The Board of Representatives wants the city to rule out parks as locations for future schools following backlash against a hypothetical proposal to build a new school in Cove Island Park.

The board approved a resolution stating as much during a meeting Monday night. The resolution also warns that the board will not authorize new appropriations for design development, engineering or construction of a new school on city parkland.

Last month, schools Superintendent Tamu Lucero said Cove Island Park was one site under consideration for a new K-8 school in south Stamford that would be built as part of a larger master plan for the citys schools.

Residents and bird advocacy groups railed against the idea, and it was scrapped just days later. The citys director of operations, Matthew Quinones, said Cummings Park and Czescik Park were also off the table as potential sites. Quinones said all three locations were deemed not to be viable.

Instead of using parkland, the Board of Representatives resolution suggests that officials consider the adaptive reuse or redevelopment of an existing school site or underutilized municipal, institutional or commercial property.

The resolution passed without any debate or objections.

Cove Island (and) other waterfront and inland parkland are valuable community park resources that provide critical open space to underserved areas and are well utilized and loved by Stamford residents, the resolution states.

Preserving inland parks is especially important since climate change and sea level rise can be expected to increase flooding events at the citys waterfront parks, according to the resolution.

Beyond environmental considerations, the resolution recommends that a future school be located on a street that is well served by sidewalks and public transportation, and has the roadway capacity to meet the anticipated peak hours of school generated traffic.

When the boards Parks and Recreation Committee discussed the resolution last month, Rep. Megan Cottrell, D-4, acknowledged that finding a place for a new school south of Interstate 95, where development has boomed, will be a challenge.

I don't know where exactly it would be found, but I think we need to be more creative and look beyond our parks, Cottrell said.

Rep. Susan Nabel, D-20, said she particularly liked the resolutions language on sidewalks and public transportation.

One of the reasons that we're focused, I think, on  the south part of the city, around or below 95, is that A: that's where the population is, and B: it's where much of the population that currently rides buses, especially the elementary school kids, to other parts of the city (is), Nabel said.

And in this particular instance, she continued, suggesting that we look at streets that are served by sidewalks, close to public transportation, to enable parental pickup and drop off if necessary  it's very important.

During the full board meeting Monday, South End resident Sue Halpern noted that several years ago, a study of her neighborhood recommended that a new K-8 school and civic campus be built on public land around the Lathon Wider Community Center.

Evaluating the recommendation in the South End study should be considered, Halpern said. Not only would Stamford have a new school, chances are not one tree would have to be cut down.

Includes prior reporting by staff writer Ignacio Laguarda.

brianna.gurciullo@hearstmediact.com
As the latest land war in Europe grinds on in Ukraine, the fighting extends well beyond the military combat on the ground. Both sides are also waging a propaganda war - an old tactic updated with an array of new weapons and techniques.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has emerged as a master communicator, using social media platforms to bypass Russian censorship and communicate to the Ukrainian people. In his Instagram and Twitter posts and videos, he has outwitted Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, and managed to capture the world's attention with his direct and honest messaging - a feat in an age of snark and fakery. In this way, Zelensky has succeeded in showing the world that Ukraine - far from being a lost colony welcomed back to Mother Russia - is the victim of a war of aggression that was unprovoked and has been, so far, unsuccessful. In doing so, he is building on a wartime playbook advanced by the United States and other countries during World War II: mobilizing new communications technology as a weapon of war.

U.S. wartime propaganda from World War II played an important role in training troops, enhancing civilian morale and raising money for the war effort. Consider, for example, the famous series "Why We Fight," created by Hollywood in the service of the U.S. War Department and directed by Frank Capra, the renowned creator of such beloved and sentimental American movie classics as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "It's a Wonderful Life."

Capra, an Italian immigrant and U.S. Army veteran who served during World War I, viewed Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as a unique global threat. Hitler's primary propagandist was Leni Riefenstahl, a filmmaker. Understanding the power of film to persuade and evoke emotions, Capra was particularly worried about the effectiveness of Riefenstahl's propaganda. Plus, he watched as wartime rationing sidelined most Hollywood production, sapping the American film industry of its own potential to persuade.

Capra and others in the film industry pushed the White House to mobilize Hollywood talent just as the government had mobilized other American industries, including car and textile production, in support of the war effort. American film, Capra said, could effectively counter Nazi messaging, and the impact could be as important as the building of fighter planes or production of military uniforms.

The idea, embraced enthusiastically by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his military chief of staff, George C. Marshall, was that such films could explain to recruits why they were being asked to go and fight in far-off lands. At first, the "Why We Fight" series was meant to be shown just in Army boot camps, but when Roosevelt screened an early entry in the series, he was so impressed that he ordered the government to pay for the rights to screen the films in free showings for all American moviegoers.

What was Capra's message?

In "The Battle of Russia," Capra drove home the theme that the Nazi assault on Russia was uniquely barbaric for two reasons: First, it was unprovoked. Second, it involved the dreadful tactic of laying siege to major cities and shelling civilian populations.

On an emotional level, the film made the case that the Russians were a stalwart people and that the United States could count on them as allies. Capra showed individual Russians in close-ups, including babushkas digging trenches and factory workers making munitions, and he showed civilians, including children, dying from indiscriminate shelling. He even showed a still image of a dead elephant at the Leningrad Zoo, killed by German bombs. In an eerie echo, the current Russian shelling of civilian areas in Ukraine led to reports about the trauma inflicted on the elephant in Kyiv's zoo. (The animal was still alive at press time.)

By contrast, Capra depicted the Germans as faceless aggressors, shown only from behind or in groups. Through Capra's lens, these German armies violated all standards of decency by reviving a medieval tactic of siege and engaging in bombing campaigns that killed innocent civilians. His most insistent indictment of the Nazi attackers was the shelling of noncombatants. Using actual footage supplied by the Soviet Red Army, Capra showed bombs falling night and day, followed by close-ups of dead men, women and children.

In Capra's eyes in the 1940s films of "Why We Fight," the Russians were to be admired for their determination to endure the brutal siege.

Today, the filmmaker would surely have cast the Ukrainian people in that heroic role, while the Russian army and its leader would be the brutal aggressors. In Ukraine, Zelensky - a figure straight out of a Capra movie, having been plucked from obscurity and thrust into a heroic role - is rallying his compatriots to stand firm. Meanwhile, Putin is playing the villainous role of the Hitler figure, launching a criminal assault on women and children. In one of the great ironies of European history, the Russians have effectively traded places with the Germans of World War II, by launching a ground war against a neighbor and using the brutal tactic of raining artillery down indiscriminately among civilians.

No one knows this better than the Russians, who endured the brutal German siege of Leningrad (now known as St. Petersburg) as well as Moscow, Stalingrad and other cities. Putin, as a native of Leningrad, probably heard horror stories about the siege that his family endured, so he should know even better than most about the suffering of civilians when they are attacked in war. He does not need Capra to remind him.

It is often said that when war comes, the first casualty is truth. But that does not mean all wartime communication is fake. Today, as the propaganda war rages, it may well turn out that the ultimate weapon in the information wars might just be the kind of truth Zelensky has been wielding in videos that show him alive in his office, not running away.

- - -

Christopher B. Daly, a professor of journalism at Boston University, is the author of "Covering America: A Narrative History of a Nation's Journalism."
Ben Shapiro , 38, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of The Ben Shapiro Show, and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers How To Destroy America In Three Easy Steps, The Right Side Of History, and Bullies. To find out more about Ben Shapiro and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
JENKINS TWP.  When the opportunity came up for Susquehanna Brewing Co. president Ed Maier to repurchase his great-great-grandfathers Stegmaier brand from the Lion Brewery, he jumped at the chance to restore his familys legacy.

Maier, 72, repurchased the Stegmaier brand 165 years after his great-great-grandfather Charles Stegmaier and his father-in-law George Baer founded the Baer and Stegmaier Brewing Co. of Wilkes-Barre in 1857.

He closed Stegmaier Brewing Co. in 1974 and sold the labels to Wilkes-Barres Lion Brewery and he said it was a difficult decision.

Although we were among the last 50 breweries to survive as the American brewing industry was collapsing, it was a shocking reality that this was the end of a proud and successful 117-year-old family business, he said.

After closing Stegmaier Brewing Co., Maier spent more than 30 years as a beer wholesaler.

Maier, who got his name because his grandmother Kathleen Stegmaier married Edward Maier, said he thought Charles Stegmaiers legacy was gone. He didnt imagine that the family name would come back to them. In late 2021, however, he said management at the Lion Brewery presented the opportunity to purchase back the brand.

My response was absolutely, as I knew immediately that this was meant to be, Maier said. The legacies of Charles Stegmaier and the Stegmaier Brewing Co. are back in the familys hands.

Maier formed the Susquehanna Brewing Co. in 2010 with partner Mark Nobile and his son Fred Maier. The Stegmaier label will now be part of Susquehanna Brewing Co., seeing family ownership of the Stegmaier brand come full circle, reaching into the sixth generation.

Now, Maier said his goal is to once again brew creations that would make Charles Stegmaier and the beer-loving citizens of Northeast Pennsylvania proud.

He said the first beer they plan to brew at Susquehanna Brewing Co. is Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale. The goal is for it to be ready in July, he said. He hopes to make Stegmaier beer available in cans and bottles.

We will follow some of their recipes and we will create our own, Maier said. It will be brewed and packaged here. Well have to redesign packaging. Theres a lot of work to do.

They will distribute the beer in eight counties in Northeast Pennsylvania and Maier said they will see where it goes after that.

Maier declined to say the purchase price for the Stegmaier brand. He said buying the Stegmaier brand will not affect the Lion Brewery which continues to produce its own beers and contract beverages for other companies including beers, soft drinks and energy drinks.

Stegmaier became small enough that it did not fit their business plan, he said. They dont want to start a production line for anything less than 5,000 cases. They kind of outgrew the ability to efficiently produce Stegmaier.

Fred Maier, 44, vice president of Susquehanna Brewing Co. and the sixth generation in his family in the beer business, said Susquehanna Brewing Co. will continue brewing its own Pumpkin Ale in addition to Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale.

They will be two distinctive beers, he said. We like to think we built a following with ours but people love Stegmaier too.

Beer has been in their familys blood for generations.

Charles Stegmaier, who was born in Germany, brewed the first lager in Northeast Pennsylvania in 1851.

The six-story building in Wilkes-Barre once was the largest brewery among numerous breweries in the Wyoming Valley and at one time, it was one of the largest independent breweries in the U.S. Today, the building is used as government offices and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It was a closed chapter and we never got to be part of it and listening to my family talk, it was something to be proud of. It was heritage, Fred Maier said. We never got to be part of the Stegmaier name so now, the sixth generation gets to continue on and put that badge on that we get to participate in the Stegmaier family.
As many as 3,572 Ukrainian citizens have requested asylum in Romania since the start of the conflict in Ukraine and until now, the Ministry of Internal Affairs informed on Thursday.

Currently, occupation rate of the accommodation centers within the General Inspectorate for Immigration is 70.5%, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 23,546 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania in the last 24 hours and 24,475 have left Romania.
The mayor of Brasov, Allen Coliban, invites the people of Brasov to participate on Saturday in the solidarity event with the Ukrainian people organized by the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, in which several European cities have announced their participation.

According to a Brasov City Hall release, the citizens are expected in front of the institution, from 17.00, with accessories or clothes in blue-yellow colors, Agerpres.ro informs.

From the beginning of the events in Ukraine, the town hall building is illuminated in blue-yellow.

In our country, the event organized by the mayor of Florence, who is also the president of the Eurocities association, is supported by the Association of Romanian Municipalities, the quoted source informed.
The European continent is facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic told a joint press conference with Romanian Interior Minister Lucian Bode.

"What brings me this time to Romania is the largest humanitarian crisis on our European continent since the second World War. And this crisis, which has been caused by completely illegal, unjustified and unprovoked Russian military aggression against Ukraine, is causing enormous human suffering that you can see on your tv screens every day. Like in every war, it is the civilians who pay the highest price, even the most vulnerable, children, women, pregnant women, as we saw yesterday in Mariupol," said the Commissioner, Agerpres.ro informs.

He spoke of the people running from war to neighbouring countries. "We have already seen more than two million refugees from Ukraine entering the European Union. One million per week," he added.

In this context, he underscored EU's support for people taking refuge and for the neighbouring countries hosting them. "The European Commission is active on multiple fronts, we have mobilised initial funding for humanitarian aids, under the auspices of the United Nations, and this initial appeal by the United Nations for three months is already fully funded," Lenarcic showed.

At the same time he added that the value of the aid granted amounts to over 100 million euro. The European Commissioner also brought to mind the creation of the logistical hubs in Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The official noted that Romania has been "one of the most active and constructive EU member states through its contribution to the EU civil protection mechanism."

Janez Lenarcic highlighted that "the reasons and explanations advanced by Moscow for unleashing this aggression are false and unacceptable." "I think [this crisis] should have never started and I think it should stop immediately. But, as long as it doesn't, we, of course, we'll need to provide our assistance, in Ukraine, the humanitarian aid, and to the civil protection assistance, and in all those countries where Ukrainians are coming to, and these are primarily the neighbouring countries, we should not forget about Moldova," the European Commissioner showed.
The National COVID Vaccination Coordination Committee (CNCAV) mission will end in the coming weeks, and the vaccination against COVID-19 will be conducted mainly at the family physicians' practices, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Health Andrei Baciu said on Thursday, after a meeting with the representatives of the family physicians about the integration of the COVID-19 vaccination activity in the Vaccination Program of the Ministry of Health.

"As president of CNCAV, I have told my fellow family physicians that I appreciate their extraordinary work on the COVID-19 vaccination, which began in their practices on May 4 last year and has so far led to the vaccination of over 1.1 million Romanians. I assured them of the support of the Ministry of Health so that the vaccination continues to be carried out properly," Andrei Baciu wrote on his Facebook page.

Starting with March 14, the data on the vaccination of people in Romania will be communicated weekly by the National Institute of Public Health. This measure is part of the campaign-type Plan for the transition of vaccination against COVID-19 to the National Vaccination Program of the Ministry of Health.
Defence Minister Vasile Dincu and Economy Minister Florin Spataru on Thursday discussed joint support solutions for Romania's national defence industry, looking into the prospects offered by the implementation of essential army acquisition programmes for the next decade.

The meeting took place at the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) and the agenda of talks between the delegations led by the two ministers was dedicated to exploring common solutions to support the national defence industry looking into the prospects offered by the implementation of essential army acquisition programmes for the next decade, Agerpres.ro informs.

Dincu spoke about the maximum involvement of state-owned and privately-owned defence businesses in providing competitive products and services.

"We have established several directions for a serious partnership in the future, on some essential principles, with which we agree: attempting to revitalise the defence industry of Romania, not only because we have an urgent need for acquisitions for the Romanian army, but also because we are interested in jobs. We are also interested in adjusting this industry to meet the demand of the Defence Ministry. I have established together with the minister of economy a form of continuous collaboration, a working group that will act so that our needs perfectly matches the possibilities of the Romanian defence industry, both in the state and the private sectors," Dincu is quoted as saying in a MApN press statement.

Spataru commended co-operation between the two ministries and expressed his hope that concrete support solutions can be found for the local defence industry.

"This is a first step that we are taking, at the level of the two ministries to join forces for the development of competitive production and research and development capacities. The common goal is to develop Romania's defence industry so that we can meet the strategic acquisition demand by our own production," said Spataru.
Ukrainian students taking refuge in Romania will benefit from scholarships under the same conditions as Romanian students, the Minister of Education, Sorin Cimpeanu, told a press conference on Thursday.

"We are preparing a draft government decision by which the Ukrainian refugees - of Ukrainian citizenship - can benefit from scholarships under the same conditions as Romanian students," said Cimpeanu.

At the same time, there is a programme that manages university exchanges, through which Romanian higher education institutions can receive refugee teachers from Ukraine, Agerpres.ro informs.

"The scholarships that the Ministry of Education grants in this situation are scholarships that I appreciate to be generous. It is about 590 euros per month for those who hold the title of professor, 390 euros per month for those who hold the title of associate professor obtained in a university in Ukraine, 360 euros for those who hold the title of lecturer and 330 euros per month those who hold the title of university assistant," specified Sorin Cimpeanu.

Cimpeanu also stated that a joint order of the Ministers of Education, Health and Family is also in progress, which will regulate the procedure applicable to minors from Ukraine who are not accompanied by their parents.
Romania's Energy Minister Virgil Popescu gave assurances on Thursday that Romania is facing no problems at all with oil or other fuel stockpiles.

"Romania is facing no problems whatsoever with its stockpiles of oil or other fuel, like gasoline and diesel. There is no reason for the price surge that happened yesterday, and it is unfortunate what happened yesterday," Popescu told a news conference at the Government House, Agerpres.ro informs.
The first convoy of Romanian Post cars left for Ukraine on Thursday, loaded with 50 tonnes of humanitarian aid, the national postal services operator announced in a press release sent to AGERPRES.

According to the quoted source, the humanitarian aid from Romania was handed over to the Ukrainian postmen at the Halmeu Border Crossing Point, in Satu Mare County.

Donations consisted of: non-perishable food (water, canned food, packaged food, etc.), hygiene products (diapers, wet wipes, toilet paper, absorbent paper, etc.), clothing and footwear (women / men / children, thermal insulating clothing, gloves, backpacks, footwear in good condition / new, etc.), support (pillows, tents, mattresses, cutlery, binoculars, folding beds, portable batteries with high capacity, walkie-talkie stations, radio broadcasting-reception stations, cameras with thermal imaging, etc.), heating and lighting products (tents, thermal blankets, sleeping bags, electric or other heating radiators, lanterns, candles, lamps, etc.) and medical equipment to support the injured (first aid kit, folding wheelchairs and walking aids for people with locomotor disabilities, canes, etc.).
Five Ukrainian children, all brothers, were registered as auditors at the Iuliu Maniu Greek Catholic High School in northwestern Oradea, after their parents brought them from Ukraine, refugees from the war.

According to the high school director, Antonia Nica, the five Ukrainian children were enrolled in school classes as auditors, having the right to participate in all lessons, even if they do not yet have equivalent studies.

"The children are extremely well educated. They are in fact six siblings, of different ages, but the little one is very young and is not of school age. The four boys and a girl are students in the preparatory classes, the third, the fifth, the girl in the 6th grade and another boy in the 8th grade. Each of them knows little Romanian, the eldest has a better command, the youngest, six years old, speaks only Ukrainian, but the six-year-olds understand each other anyway, they have no problem. And our teachers received them nicely, gave them presents and they are as good as integrated, even if it is not known how long they will remain," professor Antonia Nica told AGERPRES.

The five children were brought by their father to Oradea last week and have been in school for the last three days. According to Antonia Nica, their mother is from Bihor and she met her future husband, the children's father, years ago while studying in Austria. He is an Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest and they moved to his country together. In the context of the military conflict with Russia, the father brought his wife and children to Oradea, to his wife's grandmother, and then he returned to the conflict zone.

The children adapted quickly, especially since they also received sweatshirts with the insignia of the school, which are part of the school uniform, the parents' association provides them with the necessary supplies, and the Greek Catholic Episcopate provides them with meals.
The Government is going to cancel, in the next meeting, the provision regarding the completion of the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) at the entrance to Romania, the spokesperson for the Executive, Dan Carbunaru announced on Thursday.

Carbunaru said that the PLF will be canceled, most likely tomorrow, in the meantime asking the citizens, especially the Romanians who enter the country during this period, until the moment of repeal, to complete it further, Agerpres.ro informs.

From December 20, 2021, all persons entering the country have the obligation to fill in electronically, within 24 hours, the digital entry form.
The National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) checked more than 70 gas stations throughout Romania, imposing fines amounting to 370,000 lei, the government spokesman, Dan Carbunaru, informed on Thursday.

ANAF (the National Authority for Fiscal Administration), ANPC and the Competition Council started verifications at the gas stations at the decision of Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, after meeting with the Ministers of Energy and Economy, Virgil Popescu and, respectively, Florin Spataru, and with the representatives of the institutions in the field, Agerpres.ro informs.

Carbunaru mentioned that the highest fine, of 100,000 lei, was applied at the very headquarters of a fuel supplier in Romania, which has 215 stations in Romania.

He also added that, once with this fine, an order has been proposed and signed of the ANPC head saying that the respective fuel supplier must stop its unfair commercial practices.
The Romanian government says it will use all the leverage available to it to penalise any attempt to cause instability and spread misinformation in the public space.

"The Romanian government disapproves of any attempt to generate instability and spread misinformation in the public space and will use all the leverage available to it to penalise it. The whole world, Romania included, is going through a very sensitive time in which serious security problems and the effects of the Russian aggression in Ukraine risk being blown out of proportions by manipulations and misinformation. We are pursuing these issues as well and taking steps to counter the information warfare and attempts to create instability and spread unjustified panic among the population," reads a government Facebook post published on Thursday.

Romanians are urged to filter out "in good faith, with reason and responsibility" all the information they receive.

"Let us not be swayed by hasty reactions, under the impulse of unchecked news not from credible sources! We need, especially amidst the ongoing hybrid war, to filter out in good faith, with reason and responsibility the information that reaches us," the government points out.

The government thanked the Romanian Business Leaders for the steps taken to counter the information warfare, while also distributing a press release sent by the organisation. According to it, there are groups in Romania that propagate "false or half-true information to spread out panic for political gain, image gain or to help Putin's Russia." The Romanian Business Leaders show that they trust Romania and take a stand against the information warfare.

"Romania is in serious danger of misinformation. It is the only war we are already in - that of false information, of fake news. We will fight. And it will be a hard war. (...) We must fight. We all have to get mobilised quickly: the government, the business community, civil society and responsible media. We must arm ourselves with all the communication resources at our disposal to counter the false information that could destabilise Romania. Information warfare is difficult and it requires resources, professionalism, patience and discernment. It takes each of us to win."

The Romanian Business Leaders says that it has confidence in the Romanian economy, civil society, in the country's energy capacity, in the Romanian banking system, in the European Union, in NATO and in Romania's defence capacity.

"Of course there is an ongoing energy crisis, we all feel it in our wallets. But Romania will not run out of natural gas, energy or petrol. And prices will be kept in check. Romania will accelerate its investment in renewable energy and we will bridge the deficit (...) The banking system is a stable one. Each bank in Romania is guaranteed separately by sister banks in other countries. The money of the public and companies is guaranteed by the state. The National Bank of Romania has always managed financial crises exemplary."
Romania remains "strongly" committed to the joint effort to provide humanitarian assistance for as long as needed, Romanian Interior Minister Lucian Bode told a joint news conference on Thursday with visiting European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic.

"Romania is strengthening the response and resilience capacity of its civil protection system on a daily basis and remains strongly committed to the joint effort to provide humanitarian assistance for as long as needed," Bode said after a visit to the National Response Coordination and Management Centre at Ciolpani.

According to the minister, Commissioner Lenarcic's visit to Romania is further proof of the European Union's commitment to supporting Ukraine and the countries affected by the humanitarian crisis, Agerpres.ro informs.

"Working with the European Commission is excellent and I would like to thank the commissioner for his support to managing the response to the ongoing crisis. I have welcomed the decisions taken by the European Commission related to the crisis in Ukraine and I very much appreciate the Commission's coordination with the EU member states. After a two-year pandemic, Europe and the world are facing a major challenge. Armed aggression and the threat of war are long gone, and there is absolutely no justification for them," Bode said.

He underscored that Romania is with the Ukrainian people who are resisting "heroically the military aggression from the Russian Federation," and it provides humanitarian support to those fleeing the war. He added that Romania plays an important role in managing the humanitarian crisis in the region, being a key player in the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

"Romania is managing the longest border with Ukraine among the EU member states and it is at the forefront of humanitarian assistance with the commissioning of the humanitarian assistance hub for Ukraine at European level in Suceava. This is the expression of the solidarity that the whole of Europe has been showing these days towards all those who are experiencing a humanitarian tragedy caused by the military aggression against Ukraine. Romania is fully committed to this humanitarian endeavour," said Bode.

Lenarcic visited the Suceava hub on Wednesday, when it became operational.

"During the meeting, we asked the Commissioner for support so that we can ensure that part of the European funds made available will go for civil protection, because the frontline states have to bear huge costs amidst the ongoing humanitarian crisis. I have informed the commissioner that we have provided the legal framework for providing support to people in need coming from Ukraine," said Bode.

He also highlighted the involvement of Romanian and international non-governmental organisations in crisis management.

At the level of the Romanian government, the amounts that Romania has spent on supporting refugees are inventoried, the minister specified.

"The government has allocated 204 million lei for expenses related to the management of mobile camps, accommodation fees, expenses related to food. All these expenses will be reimbursed. We are in the process of approving a government decision establishing these very reimbursment mechanisms. We are talking about the first 40 million euros already allocated from the Reserve Fund to the budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that will be refunded from the European mechanisms in force," Bode explained.

Lenarcic visited a civil protection centre in Suceava and the Siret border crossing point on Wednesday. On Thursday in Bucharest, the Commissioner met Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and local administration officials, NGOs and volunteers working together to receive refugees.
Ludmila is a refugee from a Romanian village near Chernivtsi, who fled the war with two children, pregnant with Evelina, who is about to be born in Sibiu. Their chance was the family of the priest from the village of Vestem, Bogdan Constantin Taifas.

I met Ludmila with Veronica, the minister's wife from Vestem, while they were choosing a crib for Evelina, at the warehouse for Ukrainian refugees from central County of Sibiu, in Zacaria.

"I have been here in Vestem (Sibiu County) for a week. My husband and son are still at home, but they are locked in the house. I am about to give birth to a baby girl, who will be named Evelina," Ludmila told AGERPRES.

What does the aid received in the country from good hearted people mean? "A lot. A great deal, because the pastor and his wife, their family, helped me a lot and will continue to help me," she said.

There were no bombings in Ludmila's village, but there is fear.

The priest from the village of Vestem left a week ago, with a minibus full of aid, to the northeastern Siret Customs, to help the refugees. He took with him two of the children, the girl and one of the boys. Maria, the priest's daughter, told him on the way that she wanted to return home with a refugee family.

"We made a collection last week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, to raise aid. My husband, the priest from Vestem, Bogdan Constantin Taifas, filled the minibus with all the aid and went to customs in Siret, with my daughter and on the way, Maria, our daughter, told Bogdan, my husband: "Dad, do you think we can help a family? Could we go back with them?" said Veronica, the minister's wife from Vestem.

And fate put on their path Ludmila, who was 35 weeks pregnant and with two children.

"When they arrived at the refugee camp, they unloaded the aid and then my husband asked if we could help a family. And the lady who worked there at the refugee center told him that she had someone who had now entered the country, she is pregnant and has two children. Ludmila agreed to come to Vestem with the two children, a 15-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. She had to leave her husband and a five-year-old boy at home," says Veronica.

"Ludmila and the children got along very well. Her son is sleeping in bed with my boys. She wanted to go to Italy, where Ludmila's mother is, but I explained that she is pregnant and it is better to stay here. If necessary, we will go to the border and we will also bring the five-year-old boy, so that we help his family," said Veronica.

In every aid collection center for refugees there is not only food, clothes, shoes, all donated by Romanians, but also many, many tears of pain, but also hope. Now, the volunteers who yesterday were carrying cans and water for the refugees are all preparing to help Evelina - a Romanian child from Ukraine, who will see the light of day in the maternity hospital in the middle of Romania, in Sibiu.
The Ministry of National Defence (MApN) contributes, with personnel and technical means, to the development of the operations of the Logistical Storage and Distribution Centre through which humanitarian assistance will be provided to Ukraine (logistics HUB), which has started its activity in Suceava on Wednesday.

Thus, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, at the request of the Department for Emergency Situations, 25 soldiers from the 335th "Alexandru cel Bun" Artillery Battalion subordinated to the 15th "Podul Inalt" Mechanized Brigade and operators with specific technical means provided by the Joint Logistics Command support the activities of reception, storage, handling and redistribution of humanitarian aid from European Union member states, under the Civil Protection Mechanism (UPCM) activated on this occasion.

Also, the Romanian Army has prepared additional forces and means that can support, at the request of the authorities, the activity of the structures in the national defence system in charge with managing the flow of citizens from Ukraine, the same source states, Agerpres.ro informs.

The logistics HUB is set up under the auspices of UPCM, regulated by the decision of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013, the costs for renting warehouses, records, handling, packaging and transport following to be reimbursed 100pct from the European Commission's budget.

Since the beginning of this crisis, based on the cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities, Romania has facilitated the transfer of humanitarian aid, this logistics HUB putting into operation being an extension of the capacity to provide assistance to Ukraine by member states or UCPM participants.

Depending on the evolution of the situation and the volume of resources offered, the HUB will be developed by identifying additional spaces.
A number of 394 Ukrainians arrived at the mobile camp in Husi in the last 24 hours, most of them in transit for short periods of time, said the representatives of the Vaslui Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU).

At noon on Thursday, out of a total of 288 places available in the Husi mobile camp, 20 places were filled and 268 ones were vacant, Agerpres.ro informs.

According to the quoted source, depending on the requests, other spaces will be made available, depending on the number of refugees requesting accommodation in Vaslui County.
The Christian Orthodox Archbishopric of Cluj announced on Thursday that it is supporting the victims of the war in Ukraine with goods worth about two million lei.

"Following a humanitarian campaign launched in the Orthodox Archbishopric of Vadu, Feleac and Cluj, with the blessing of Metropolitan Archbishop Andrei, in support of the war-torn Ukrainians, more than 150 tonnes of non-perishable food and personal care products of an estimated value of 1.65 million lei, along with first aid medicines and medical supplies, worth approximately 350,000 lei, were collected," according to a press statement released by the archbishopric.

The humanitarian campaign was carried out at the parishes of the nine archpriestships making up the Archbishopric of Cluj.

"After numerous requests from believers who want to get involved in supporting war victims and Ukrainian refugees, the Archbishopric of Cluj has opened one bank account for lei donations - RO03BTRL01301205P1291803 - and one for euro donations - ROX, ROX3X Transylvania," according to the statement.
The General Inspectorate of the Border Police informed, on Thursday, that on March 9, in a 24-hour interval, at the national level, the border crossing points saw the entry to Romania of 69,662 persons, of which 23,546 Ukrainian citizens (18.4% decrease over the previous day).

Through the border with Ukraine, entering Romania were 8,860 Ukrainian citizens (16.4% decrease), while 12,978 entered through the border with the Republic of Moldova (2% decrease).

Exiting Romania were 82,737 persons, of which 24.475 Ukrainian citizens (4% decrease), shows a release sent on Thursday to AGERPRES.

Since the start of the war in the neighboring country and until March 9, 24:00 hrs, at the national level, 343,515 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania and 258,844 have left Romania.
Over 1,200 refugees from Ukraine have entered Romania in the last 12 hours through the border crossing points in northern Botosani County, the Institution of the Prefect announced.

"Last night, from 20.00, until this morning, at 08.00, 1,226 Ukrainian citizens and 211 vehicles entered Romania through the Radauti-Prut and Stanca Border Crossing Points," the Institution of the Prefect transmitted.

More than 3,280 Ukrainians have entered Romania in the last 24 hours through the border crossing points in Sculeni and Iasi-Feroviar, prefect Bogdan Cojocaru informed on Thursday.

According to the cited source, on March 9, between 00.00 and 23.59, at the Sculeni Border Crossing Point, 1,209 cars entered the country, 4,647 people, of whom 2,568 Ukrainian citizens, and a total of 944 people, of whom 721 Ukrainian citizens in 6 trains entered through the Iasi-Feroviar border crossing point.

On Thursday, at 10.00, out of the 2,489 places available for Ukrainian refugees in Iasi County, 1,120 were occupied and 1,369 were vacant.

In Iasi County there is an integrated center dedicated to supporting refugees from Ukraine that operates around the clock.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca announced on Thursday controls at all oil companies operating in Romania, as the National Tax Administration Agency (ANAF), the Consumer Protection Authority (ANPC) and the Competition Council have already taken the necessary steps and lawbreakers will be hit with "drastic" sanctions.

"The Romanian state has an obligation to protect its citizens, to protect the economy, especially in this complicated period caused by the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. I will not allow anyone to take advantage of this situation and attempt to destabilize the country's economy and the citizens' life, out of profiteering greed or for any other reason. The responsible institutions will be firm in the checks they'll conduct and will hand out drastic sanctions to those who break the law," the Prime Minister declared at the Victoria Palace of Government.

Prime Minister Ciuca met on Thursday morning with Energy Minister Virgil Popescu and Economy Minister Florin Spataru. Also present at the meeting at the Victoria Palace were ANPC president Horia Miron Constantinescu, Competition Council head Bogdan Chiritoiu, and ANAF president Mirela Calugareanu, the government's Press Office informs.

Drivers across the country took gas stations by storm on Wednesday, fearing fuel prices will jump past 10 RON per liter, as circulated in the public space.

Energy Minister Virgil Popescu called for calm on Wednesday evening and advised people not to queue at gas stations, assuring that fuel supplies are plentiful and there is no reason for a price explosion.
On Thursday at the Government House, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca welcomed visiting European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, highlighting the importance of European support to Romania and Moldova in order to manage the flows of refugees from Ukraine.

"Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca underlined the sustained efforts of Romania and the fact that the government of Romania counts on the European Commission, the member states and other partners to provide assistance in order for Romania to respond as effectively as possible to the needs of refugees. He also underscored the need to continue the active support of the European Commission, and also of the European partners, for Moldova, by allocating additional resources essential to the management of the intensive flow of refugees from Ukraine," according to a Government press release.

Ciuca also mentioned the "severe humanitarian impact of Russia' unjustified, illegal and unprovoked military aggression" on Ukraine, emphasising what he called "strategic need to maintain the solidarity and unity" of the EU and NATO amidst the ongoing crisis.

"He also highlighted the comprehensive actions taken since the beginning of the crisis by the Romanian government together with institutional, non-governmental partners and private actors, in promptly assisting Ukrainian refugees upon entering Romania, including those not asking for international protection," the Government informs.

Lenarcic came to Romania for the opening of a humanitarian assistance hub in the northern Romanian city of Suceava with support from the European Commission.

"The activation of this logistics hub for the storage and distribution of humanitarian assistance reflects the government's firm commitment to an operational and coherent management of the inflows of refugees entering and remaining in Romania," the Government release reads.
President Klaus Iohannis attends on Thursday, starting at 18:00, the informal meeting of the European Council that takes place in Versailles, France.

On Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis attended a coordination meeting in videoconference format with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the prime ministers of the governments of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, and the Republic of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, in preparation for the informal meeting of the European Council on Thursday and Friday.

The Presidential Administration informed, after the meeting, that the discussions focused on the current security developments in Ukraine, the efforts to manage and support refugee flows, the humanitarian assistance measures for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the sanctions applied to Russia and Belarus and proposals to strengthen them. It was also discussed the consolidation of the EU defense dimension, energy security, with emphasis on reducing dependencies, diversifying the supply and finding solutions at European level to the increase of energy prices. Recent proposals to increase the resilience of European economies and to promote a European economic growth model aimed at coping with multiple challenges have also been addressed.

In his speech, president Iohannis supported the role and impact that unity and coordination, not only within the European Union, but also together with the United States of America, NATO and other strategic partners, have in their reaction and rapid response to Russia's aggression on Ukraine and stressed the importance of firmly maintaining them.

The president presented the measures taken by Romania in support of Ukraine, including the decision of our country to find a logistics center for the coordination and collection of international humanitarian assistance for Ukraine and, respectively, the Republic of Moldova, under operation, the first humanitarian convoy to Ukraine to be carried out in the next days.

President Iohannis also stressed Romania's support for the accession applications of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia to the EU family and the importance of a message of support at European level for all three states.

Klaus Iohannis also referred to the situation of energy prices, which remains a priority subject, from the perspective of the impact on the population, but also on the economies as a whole, as there is a need to further identify solutions at European level that protect the consumer, as well as the economic competitiveness at EU level.

President Iohannis also supported the need to strengthen the defense sector at European level, welcoming the initiatives that are meant to increase investments in defense capabilities and innovative technologies. The state's first official also announced his decision to increase spending in the defence sector to 2.5 pct of GDP in 2023, from 2 pct in the present.
President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday said, before the informal meeting of the European Council in Versailles, that the main topics addressed would be the war in Ukraine and the energy situation.

"It is a very difficult time when we meet here, and it is clear that the central theme of these talks will be the war in Ukraine, the war that Russia has started against Ukraine, and this war already has consequences in our area and is affecting us economy-wise. We will talk about Ukraine, we will talk about energy, because we all know that energy prices have risen, especially as a result of this war. We will also discuss defence and investments that we need to make with celerity in Europe to allow us to cut off as much of the Russian gas as possible, as much of the energy we are importing now from Russia as possible," showed the President, in a press statement.

He also specified that, in regards with Ukraine's situation, he will explain how Romania is receiving refugees and how the humanitarian hub in Suceava, which is going to collect humanitarian aids from the entire Europe for Ukraine, works, Agerpres.ro informs.

In respect to the energy prices, Klaus Iohannis pointed out that the increase happened because of the preparations for war and the war in Ukraine.

"As long as the war goes on, the economic effects will be seen, but we are also discussing measures to control the prices in such a manner that the consumers will still be able to pay their energy bills, especially the vulnerable consumers. We are talking national level measures and you know that we have already taken them and we have already prepared them for after April 1. We are also going to discuss the European measures in order to maintain prices at an acceptable level. But, yes, we must be aware of the fact that this war also influences the prices and our economies. What we want to do is to keep these influences at a reasonable level and, in parallel, to develop a clearer independence of the European economy," he explained.

On Tuesday, the head of state attended a coordination meeting in videoconference system together with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the Prime Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, and the Republic of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, meant as a preparation for the Versailles meeting.
President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday stated that he will discuss with the US Vice President, Kamala Harris, on the NATO posture on the Eastern flank, the allied Battle Group to be hosted by Romania and the US soldiers who came to Romania.

Before participating in the informal meeting of the European Council, which takes place in Versailles, the head of state said: "All these will be found on the agenda tomorrow. The NATO posture on the Eastern flank, the US soldiers who came to Romania, the Battle Group and more topics will be found on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting. But I will tell you more about all these topics tomorrow, after the meeting," he said, Agerpres.ro informs.

President Klaus Iohannis is set to receive US Vice President Kamala Harris at the Cotroceni Palace on Friday. The two high officials will have a one-to-one meeting and also other official meetings and in the end they will make a joint press statements.
Romanian and American soldiers participated on Thursday in a combat exercise using live ammunition at the shooting range of the Romanian Infantry Secondary Combat Training Centre (CSIL) at Smardan, Galati County, as part of the "Justice Eagle 22.1" exercise.

As many as 900 Romanian and American soldiers with over 70 pieces of combat hardware jointly trained, March 2-10, at CSIL Smardan as part of the "Justice Eagle 22.1" exercise, an exercise that takes place annually in Romania. This was planned all way back in December 2021, according to officials of the 9th Marasesti Mechanised Brigade that participated in the exercise, Agerpres.ro informs.

According to commander of the 9th Marasesti Mechanised Brigade Adrian Costaru, out of the 900 soldiers mobilsed for the combat exercise, 150 are Romanians and 750 are Americans.

The purpose of the combat exercise was to demonstrate the ability to respond to the action of an opponent, based on a fictitious scenario.

The "Justice Eagle" multinational exercise takes place annually in Romania. It is designed to increase interoperability of NATO member armed forces, maintain the ability to deploy and train together by exercising logistical support and developing a regional environment conducive to military co-operation.
On Thursday, Romania's National Audio-Visual Council (CNA) approved a request from the TVR public broadcaster for the introduction in the time slots of TVR 3, TVR International, TVR Cluj and TVR Iasi channels of a special programme dedicated to refugees by taking over the broadcasts of TVR and other television channels from Ukraine.

Broadcast by satellite, they will generally be information programmes that do not affect the programmes of those channels, Agerpres.ro informs.

"It is very important that TVR makes a gesture to support migrants by airing information about what is happening at home in their language," said Cristina Pocora, a CNA member, and the decision of public television was welcomed by Monica Gubernat, meeting chair, Agerpres.ro informs.

CNA member Valentin Jucan recommended that cable programmes providers be asked to broadcast certain programmes as well.

"And here I mean especially those who can broadcast at the border area. We could ask them if they are willing to do such a thing. Or at least some programmes for children in Ukrainian, because there are a lot of children at the border, and that is an issue that has even been raised by the authorities who are organising these refugee camps," Jucan said.

Monica Gubernat said the recommendation was being considered.

"You know very well that we are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities, we are now forwarding the legal provisions to them, so as to facilitate this rebroadcasting thing. But the cable companies will work according to the law," she added.

She also announced that Radio Romania also took over by streaming the programmes of the public radio station of Ukraine for rebroadcasting AGERPRES.
The Romanian Red Cross sends the second humanitarian aid convoy to Chernivtsi, in support of those affected by the war in Ukraine, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

A number of six trucks with 130 tonnes of perishable staple foods, personal hygiene products, medical equipment, medicines, barracks equipment, bedding, and baby and child care products are leaving on Thursday afternoon, from a warehouse of the Romanian Red Cross on the A1 Motorway, provided by a logistics developer.

The convoy will stop, on Thursday evening, at Siret Customs and will resume its route to Chernivtsi on Friday. In Siret Customs, the humanitarian convoy will be joined by another truck with essential products from the Satu Mare Red Cross branch and a truck with family kits from the Chinese Red Cross.

Humanitarian aid to Ukraine on Thursday was made possible by the involvement of the Uipath Foundation, which donated 53,000 kilogrammes of staple food and 8,540 kilogrammes of medical supplies. Other clubs, foundations or companies have donated medical equipment, blankets and thermoses, medical equipment and medicines, food or financially supported the purchase of other essential materials for Ukrainian citizens.

In order to make the transport to Ukraine possible, a company provided a tractor, and the National Union of Romanian Transporters, through two other companies, provided the other five trucks.

Since the beginning of the attacks on Ukraine, the Romanian Red Cross has intervened in four directions: providing permanent information points and humanitarian assistance at the border crossing points (Siret Customs, Isaccea Customs, Petea Customs, Sighet Customs, Giurgiulesti Customs, Iasi International Airport, Sculeni Customs, Albita Customs, Radauti Prut Customs, Stefanesti Customs, Curtici Customs, Bucharest North Railway Station, Otopeni International Airport), providing support to accommodation centres for Ukrainian citizens in each locality in the country, carrying out humanitarian transport in Ukraine, which is strictly necessary according to the needs requested by the Ukrainian Red Cross, the collection of donations in goods in all 47 branches of the Romanian Red Cross and ensuring their distribution to Ukrainian citizens in Romania or Ukraine.
As many as 3,565 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in the last 24 hours in Romania, by 611 fewer than on the previous day, on almost 36,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Thursday.

Of the new cases, 407 are in re-infected patients who tested positive more than 180 days after the first infection.

Most new cases of infection compared to the previous report are in Bucharest - 975 and the counties of Cluj - 218 and Timis - 256.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 2.784.651 cases of infection with the novel coronavirus have been registered in Romania.

- Hospitalisations -

There are 4,068 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals across the country, by 272 fewer than the day before; 229 of this total are children.

630 patients are hospitalised in ICUs, by 3 fewer than the previous day, 4 of whom are children. Of the total number of ICU patients, 566 are unvaccinated.

- Deaths -

According to the Health Ministry, 70 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours in patients infected with the novel coronavirus - 37 men and 33 women (including ten cases previously unaccounted for). The age of the deceased ranges from 30-39 to over 80. All deaths were in patients with underlying conditions.

Out of the total of 70 fatalities, 58 were unvaccinated. The vaccinated patients were in the 35 and 90 age group.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 64,226 people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania.
Child care changes aim to promote third-child policy

By Wang Xiaoyu (China Daily) 11:05, March 10, 2022

[LI MIN/CHINA DAILY]

Expanding affordable and reliable nursery care services has emerged as the latest focal point in China's push to raise the birthrate, according to official documents and experts.

During this year's two sessionsthe country's largest annual political event, which started on Fridaythe question of how to ease the financial burden on parents and encourage them to have more children has become a hot topic among legislators and political advisers, as well as netizens.

On Saturday, seven of the 50 most popular hashtags on the microblogging platform Sina Weibo were related to proposals on marriage and childbearing, such as giving monthly subsidies to families with more than one child and providing free kindergarten care for the third child in every household.

The discussions came as no surprise. Since the third-child policywhich allows all couples to have up to three children rather than twowas announced in late May to address the nation's slowing population growth, all eyes have been on the rollout of supportive measures to raise the birthrate.

The 2022 Government Work Report, released on Saturday at the opening of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress, sent a clear signal that concerted efforts will be made this year to tackle the lack of affordable child care that troubles many families.

"We will improve the supporting measures for the third-child policy and develop public-interest child care services to ease the burden of raising a family," said Premier Li Keqiang, when he delivered the report.

Song Jian, deputy director of the Population Development Studies Center at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said last year's work report mainly set a tone that emphasized the need to adjust family planning policies and make them more inclusive, while the 2022 report laid out concrete measures.

"Based on international experience, supportive measures for a higher fertility rate are usually divided into three categories: financial support, time support and service support," she said in an interview with National Business Daily.

Since the third-child policy took effect, a number of provincial-level regions have extended maternity leave and added paternity and child care leavea form of time supportin revisions to regulations governing local population and family planning.

"The next step is to ensure implementation," Song said. "Developing nursery care services is an important approach to ramping up service support. It can help solve the dilemma of who looks after the kids after the mother's pregnancy leave ends and before the baby reaches the age to be enrolled in a kindergarten."

Striking a balance

Nursery care services are widely considered to be an effective way of helping to raise the fertility rate, experts said.

That's because such services can help womenwho usually shoulder the bulk of child care responsibilitiesto retain their jobs and strike a balance between career and family, according to Wang Gewei and Zhao Yaohui, researchers at Peking University in Beijing.

"Although high-income households can opt to hire nannies or ask grandparents to look after the kids so the parents can return to the workplace, low-income families may not be able to do so because they cannot afford nannies, and the grandparents cannot give up their work and solely devote themselves to caring for grandchildren," they wrote in an article published in the journal Fudan Finance Review in January.

The authors said providing high-quality, affordable nursery care services is the key to reducing or preventing the disadvantages that women face once they become motherssuch as being paid less because they work fewer hoursthereby increasing their willingness to have babies.

Mao Zhuoyan, a professor with the School of Labor Economics at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing, said that public-interest nursery care centers are not determined by whether they are funded publicly or privately.

"Such child care centers should be convenient and accessible, with acceptable fees and guaranteed quality," she said.

Those characteristics have also been highlighted in a draft report written by the National Development and Reform Commission that maps out a development plan for this year.

The document, released on Saturday, said China will develop centrally managed networks of community-based nursery care facilities to promote the sector's healthy development.

A nursery worker in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, who preferred to use her English name, Casey, said the child care institute she works for charges about 2,500 yuan ($395) per baby per month.

"Nearly all the parents seeking a slot with us consider the fees to be in a fair range," she said.

As a frontline worker, she said that for a center to be deemed a public interest facility, it is essential to be considerate and meet reasonable demands from parents.

"For instance, even though the official opening hour for the center is around 8:30 am, parents can drop their kids off earlier, at 7:50 am, so they can go straight to work afterwards," she said.

"In addition, we have adopted both traditional Chinese nursery care methods and Montessori education (a system developed by an Italian physician that aims to develop children's natural interests and activities, rather than relying on formal teaching methods), so parents can rest assured that their child will receive good-quality care, and they will see gradual improvements in their child's habits and cognitive skills."

However, a large number of families are finding it extremely difficult to secure slots at satisfactory day care centers.

Casey said her employer initially capped the number of children per class at about 25, but due to the high demand and the center's growing reputation, each class accepts as many as 30 babies, who are ages 18 months to 3 years old.

Competition for places at the center cooled last year, with classes targeting toddlers age 18 months and younger not even reaching maximum capacity, Casey said. "I think that was caused by the declining number of births in the city," she added.

Consecutive declines

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of newborns has declined for five consecutive years, falling to 10.62 million last year.

Despite the declining birthrate, though, there are still an estimated 42 million children age 3 and younger in China, officials said.

Yang Wenzhuang, head of the population surveillance and family development department at the National Health Commission, said that about one-third of babies younger than 3 urgently need child care services, but only 5.5 percent of them can eventually enroll.

"The gap between supply and demand remains large," he said at a news conference in July.

In some developed countries, the rate of nursery attendance is higher than 35 percent, according to authorities.

Liu Xinyi, a mother of two who moved to the United States a couple of years ago, said there are at least four day care centers close to her apartment complex in Houston, Texas. "As long as you are in need, it is very easy to find an available slot here," she said.

"Sending babiessome as young as six weeksto nursery care facilities is a very normal practice here in the US," she added.

"In China though, the older generation, or the grandparents, tend to argue against the idea, insisting that the mother or a direct relative should take care of babies so they can receive full, undivided attention."

In an interview with WorkersBJ.cn, a newspaper published by the capital's federation of trade unions, Chen Bali, a deputy to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, said complaints about the high cost of child care services are common.

He added that a survey released in November 2020 showed that a nursery care slot at privately funded day care centers in the capital cost about 7,040 yuan a month on average, while only 7.5 percent of such facilities charged less than 3,000.

Hu Peng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said a large number of nursery care facilities are located in shopping malls or office buildings.

"The high rents result in high operating costs. As a result, most working-class people can't afford the fees," he said.

Tackling the shortfall

Recently, the central authorities and local governments have all moved to address the shortage of nursery care services.

According to the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), a blueprint for the country's economic and social development blueprint during the period, the number of nursery slots per 1,000 children will rise to 4.5 from the recent figure of 1.8.

Mao Zhuoyan, the academic at the Capital University of Economics and Business, said the key to developing affordable nursery care services is to mobilize the participation of all sectors of society.

"Specific measures include ramping up construction of community-based care facilities, supporting employers in providing child care services for employees and encouraging kindergartens that have adequate resources to enroll toddlers ages 2 to 3," she said.

Xiong Bingqi, deputy head of the 21st Century Education Research Institute in Beijing, estimated that there would be an excess of kindergarten slots in the next few years.

"It is a great opportunity to take advantage of these empty slots and turn them into nursery care slots to meet the demand," he said.

Wang Lan, head of a kindergarten in Beijing's Xicheng district, said the distribution of related resources in the capital is uneven, so expanding enrollment to include younger babies should be based on local circumstances, and flexible arrangements can be made, such as asking kindergartens to provide such services only on weekends.

Preferential treatment

In Zhengzhou, Henan province, a number of community-based nursery care services have sprouted in recent years.

Since 2018, Gao Linguang, a community official in the city's Zhengdong New Area, has been cooperating with a nursery care company to establish community-based care centers.

He told local media that such a collaboration would allow local authorities to provide preferential policies for businesses, such as waiving rents on public venues, giving discounts on water and electricity bills and issuing subsidies.

In this way, local residents would have access to affordable, quality services, he added.

Casey, the nursery care worker from Jiangsu, said she was heartened to learn that more resources will be invested in the thriving sector in the future. In the meantime, she hoped that more attention would be paid to improving the training and treatment of nursery care workers.

"Taking care of toddlers is quite a demanding job," she said. "But honestly, salaries in this industry are not high at present, and it is not easy to retain experienced staff members."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Romanian companies exporting to the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as Romanian companies buying raw materials or products from these countries, can ask for assistance from the representatives abroad of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MAT).

"Romanian companies exporting to markets in the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as Romanian producers who supply themselves with raw materials or subassemblies from these countries can ask for assistance from the representatives abroad of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism," informs a press release of this institution sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

According to the same source, the Office for Economic Trade Promotion (BPCE) will be at the disposal of the economic operators whose activity is currently affected, in order to identify new export partners or suppliers of raw materials on alternative markets.

The affected companies can contact the Department of Foreign Trade (dere@dce.gov.ro) or directly to the foreign economic representatives, whose contact details are published on the website of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism.
The Gorj County Emergency Hospital in Targu Jiu has started treating refugees from Ukraine, the first patients being two pregnant women, announced, on Thursday, the spokesperson of the medical institution, Mihaela Ticleanu.

According to her, in the past days, two women from Ukraine reached the County Hospital Obstetrics-Gynecology department of the County Hospital, one of them being admitted.

"The first patient turned up at the Emergency Room on March 7 and was accompanied by the community nurse of the Sacelu Mayoralty and a translator. The woman, 36 years old, originally from Kyiv, is pregnant and had pains, and was thus brought to the hospital. She needed a gynecological examination and was seen by the doctor on duty, who recommended treatment. The woman did not need to be admitted. The second patient from Ukraine turned up to the Emergency Room on March 9 due to gynecological issues. The doctor on duty that consulted her decided she should be admitted. Presently, the woman, 24 years old, originally from Chernivtsi, is admitted in the Obstetrics-Gynecology Department," said Mihaela Ticleanu.

Hospitals in Romania are offering free medical assistance for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. The refugees benefit from the same medical services as Romanian taxpayers, without having to pay the social health contributions, the drugs, health materials, medical devices, and services included in national health programs.
The UN supports the initiative to accelerate the transfer of people fleeing from Ukraine to Romania through the Republic of Moldova, according to a release from the UN Refugee Agency sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

The Governments of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), have implemented the transfer of refugees from Ukraine, including third-country nationals, from southern Moldova to Romania, a journey of about 230 kilometers. The first convoy left the Palanca border checkpoint on Thursday morning, transporting 250 refugees to Husi, Romania.

As of Thursday, more than 300,000 people had fled Ukraine to Moldova, and 83,000 refugees remained in the country, and many more are likely to arrive if the situation in southwestern Ukraine deteriorates, the UN Refugee Agency points out.

According to the quoted source, the Romanian Government is taking a step forward generously, in solidarity with the Republic of Moldova, in order to support it in managing the reception of these refugees, who are fleeing in large numbers from Ukraine.

We are grateful to the Governments of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, as well as to all the countries neighboring Ukraine for their prompt response and generosity, said Lars Johan Lonnback, Head of the IOM Mission to Moldova, Agerpres.ro informs.

He added that the number one priority is to provide those fleeing the war with protection, shelter, basic necessities and support services, including psychosocial assistance.

Safe transport will prevent the formation of large groups waiting at border checkpoints, which would put additional pressure on existing infrastructure and help protect women and girls from the risks of human trafficking and other violence based on gender, added Lars Johan Lonnback.

UNHCR and IOM in Romania provide eight buses to transfer refugees between the border checkpoints Palanca in Moldova and Albita in Romania, where the Border Police of the Republic of Moldova and Romania will carry out the crossing formalities.

The last stop will be in the Romanian town of Husi, where the Romanian Department of Emergency Situations has organized a transit unit. From there, the refugees will be transferred to other localities in Romania, depending on their needs.

This is a commendable initiative and an excellent show of solidarity with the people and the Government of the Republic of Moldova, and it also reflects the excellent cooperation with the Romanian authorities to meet the pressing challenges, said Roland Schilling, UNHCR Central Europe Representative.

The ILO and UNHCR are also in talks with the Moldovan authorities on the opening of new crossings between Ukraine and this state and are purchasing mobile document readers to ensure that persons are registered upon arrival in the Republic of Moldova before going further, and to ensure that their needs are met.
The Bucharest Police recommends drivers to avoid traveling on National Road 1 (DN1) on Friday between 12:00 and 17:00 hrs, in the context of the implementation of a series of measures generated by the visit to Bucharest of the US Vice President, Kamala Harris.

"The authorities involved have in view for the instituted security measures to interfere as little as possible with the population's daily activities. Thus, for participants in traffic there will be measures to improve the flow of traffic and, in this context, the Bucharest Road Police Brigade requests drivers respect the signals and indications of policemen. Drivers are recommended that on Friday, in the interval between 12:00 and 17:00 hrs, they avoid traveling on National Road 1, in order to prevent the formation of traffic jams," mentions the Bucharest City Police General Directorate (DGPMB), in a release sent on Thursday to AGERPRES.

The Bucharest Police made an appeal for support from the population for this event.

The US Vice President is on Thursday in Poland, while on Friday she is to arrive in Bucharest for a scheduled meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
The Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, who will arrive in Bucharest on Friday for her first visit in Romania since taking on the mandate, will be welcomed by President Klaus Iohannis, at 14:00, at the ceremonial plateau of Cotroceni Palace.

The two officials have scheduled face to face and official talks, and at the end of the talks, at 15:30, they will make joint press statements.

According to the Presidential Administration, the presence in Bucharest of Vice President Kamala Harris reconfirms the solidity of the bilateral strategic partnership and the USA firm commitment to supporting Romania's security and NATO allies on the Eastern Flank, while also reflecting appreciation of the American Administration for the responsible and involved approach of our country in the context of the current security threats generated by the illegal aggression of the Russian Federation, as well as in managing the flow of refugees at the borders and granting humanitarian aid.

The meeting is subscribed within the allied and transatlantic tight coordination efforts in order to manage the security situation, especially in the Black Sea, with an impact on Euro-atlantic security and comes after the consultations at the highest level between the allied leaders on February 11, 18 and 28, attended also by President Iohannis and which took place at the initiative of President Joe Biden.

"In this context, President Klaus Iohannis and Vice President Kamala Harris will discuss about the allied measures of consolidating NATO's deterrence and defence posture on the Eastern Flank, including the perspective of increasing American and allied military presence in Romania, as an additional measure of ensuring our country's security and the entire region's. Furthermore, coordination will continue being discussed, of the transatlantic community in regards to adopting new sanctions against Russia," the Presidential Administration specified.

The visit of Vice President Kamala Harris also takes place in the context of 25 years since the bilateral strategic Partnership was launched. Furthermore, according to the Presidential Administration, the meeting between Kamala Harris and Klaus Iohannis will represent a good opportunity for reaffirming shared attachment for consolidating transatlantic relations and promoting values and democratic resilience.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  The war in Ukraine could mean trouble for one of the regions key assembly lines.

The Russian incursion is scrambling military priorities in Germany, the last foreign customer committed to buying Boeings F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. In a speech following the invasion, the German chancellor suggested his country could buy Lockheed Martins newer, stealthier F-35s and European planes instead.

And if that happens, it could leave Boeing, and thousands of workers here and across the country, in a bind.

Germany to buy F-35s, upgrade Eurofighters in blow to Boeing Boeing had been banking on Germany buying St. Louis-made Super Hornets and Growlers.

Boeings best customer, the U.S. Navy, is already looking to curtail new Super Hornet purchases, a move that could leave the line without orders after 2024. The company has been banking on German orders of Super Hornets and Growlers, their electronic warfare variants, to fill the void.

Its a difficult spot to be in, said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of Aerodynamic Advisory.

Boeing downplayed the threat.

We fully support the German governments decision to evaluate what they are procuring, the company said in a statement. We are confident that our offer of Super Hornet and Growler is unmatched in cost, capability and commitment to Germany.

Analysts said the Ukrainian invasion could also push Congress to approve a long-delayed lifeline for the program from Washington.

And even if theyre wrong, it wouldnt be the end of Boeings St. Louis operations. F-15 fighter jets, MQ-25 refueling drones, smart bombs, and the T-7 training jet are also built here.

But the Super Hornet would be a big loss. The plane remains one of the companys most profitable products and an essential part of its efforts to build an all-important next-generation fighter for the Pentagon.

Introduced in the 1990s, it is an all-purpose naval workhorse, built to live on a carrier deck and handle any mission thrown at it, from dogfights and airstrikes to refueling planes midair. Over the past two decades or so, Congress has put more than $50 billion toward nearly 700 planes.

But in recent years, its been a tougher sell.

Navy officials are increasingly insisting on putting more of their limited resources into developing their next-generation fighter, and theyve been looking for money in the Super Hornet program.

It hasnt been much sunnier overseas. The past quarter century has garnered just two foreign customers: Australia and Kuwait. And since the Texas-built F-35 became available, its been the clear favorite of American allies.

Germany bucked that trend two years ago, announcing plans to buy 30 Super Hornets and 15 Growler electronic attack jets to replace aging, European-made Panavia Tornados that can carry U.S. nuclear bombs.

But analysts say that was a political decision, not a knock on the F-35: Germany and France were working together on their own next-generation jet. France had made clear to Germany that buying the F-35 would torpedo the effort.

Since then, more and more Western allies have chosen the F-35, burnishing its claim to be the free worlds fighter. Germany installed a new leader, triggering a review of the Super Hornet buy.

And when new Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to parliament Feb. 27 about countering Russia in Europe, he talked about F-35s and electronic attack Eurofighters, not Super Hornets and Growlers.

Theres a feeling that the F/A-18 is on its way out, said Bryan Clark, an analyst at the Hudson Institute.

Nothings for certain until theres a contract, though. And even if Germany ditches the Super Hornets, the country may still buy the Growlers.

Electronic attack is something they could use, Clark said, and European counterparts cant match it.

Super Hornets also remain under consideration in India. And back home, the invasion is pushing Congress toward approving a long-delayed defense budget directing the Navy to buy more planes over admirals objections, said Todd Harrison, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

But there are headwinds, too.

Those Growlers dont have the same range as the F-35s they might be called upon to assist, Clark said.

Aboulafia, the AeroDynamic Advisory analyst, thinks French manufacturer Dassault may have the advantage in India because the country already flies some of the companys planes.

And while Boeing has defied the odds on Capitol Hill for years, lobbying here isnt getting any easier. Navy leaders have publicly opposed new Super Hornets, saying they dont see any practical use for them past the 2030s. And if theres no German order waiting in 2026, Boeing would have a harder time pitching a request as temporary help.

They could say its a bridge order, Aboulafia said. But not what itd be a bridge to.

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ST. LOUIS  The company that owns the Post-Dispatch declared a victory on Thursday in a board battle with a New York hedge fund.

Davenport, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises said in a statement that shareholders overwhelmingly voted to retain board members that Alden Global Capital attempted to oust in its efforts to buy the company.

The results represent a resounding rejection of Alden Global Capitals campaign against Lee, the company said. We look forward to continuing to grow the business and building value as we execute our digital growth strategy.

The decision leaves Alden, a cost-cutter looking to consolidate the newspaper industry, at a crossroads. It could continue its campaign against management in hopes of eventually winning over shareholders, or it could move on, as it did following its rejection by USA Today owner Gannett in 2019. It could also up its buyout offer, but that could get expensive.

A representative for Alden did not respond to a request for comment.

Alden began its takeover attempt in November, announcing a $141 million, or $24 per share, offer. Almost immediately, shares vaulted above that mark, and topped $30 per share by early December.

Lees board adopted a poison pill plan making it difficult for Alden to buy up shares without its approval and then rejected the bid as grossly inadequate.

Alden responded by nominating replacements for three Lee board members, but Lee rejected them, too, saying the nominations werent filed properly. Alden challenged in court and lost.

The hedge fund attempted to mount a proxy campaign anyway, urging shareholders to withhold their votes from Lees directors. Lee countered with missives telling shareholders Alden was trying to destabilize the company and buy it for cheap. It also cast the hedge fund as a vulture that would cut staff, raise prices for readers and plow money from the business into risky, unrelated ventures at shareholder expense.

Shareholders had their say Thursday, at the companys annual meeting in Davenport.

Lee said a preliminary tally indicated shareholders holding more than 75% of Lee stock voted, and each director got more than 70% of that vote.

Alden is now in a difficult spot, said Michael Kupinski, analyst at Noble Capital Markets.

The board is against the hostile takeover, backed now by a majority of shareholders. Alden cant buy more than 10% of Lee stock without triggering a flood of additional shares that would dilute the stock, and make the purchase more expensive. And a clause in Lees debt would require a buyer to cover the full note, plus 5%, in a purchase, Kupinski said.

Its an uphill battle if they want to continue, he said. Most companies would move on.

Lee said Thursday it will continue to work to grow its business, especially its online news offerings. It owns dozens of papers in addition to the Post-Dispatch, including the Omaha World-Herald, the Buffalo News and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. But revenues continue to plummet in its print products, which still account for three-quarters of its sales. And last month, it forecast core earnings and digital revenue would actually drop this year, knocking the stock from its recent peak near $39.

Lee shares fell $1.84 or almost 6% to close at $29.87 on Thursday.

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CLAYTON  Charles Heppe recently got stuck in traffic on his morning commute. He was thrilled.

His dry cleaning shop here has been missing commuters for two years. But a little congestion on the eve of spring offered a ray of hope.

Im really anxious to see what the next three months look like, he said.

Its been a long two years for business owners who depend on workers suiting up, grabbing coffee and taking lunch breaks. The restaurants, cafes and service shops  the ones that didnt close  laid off staff, applied for loans and winced as variants forced companies like Centene Corp. and Wells Fargo to delay returns again and again.

But now, with cases falling, mask mandates expiring, and employers announcing plans to get back to cubicles in the coming weeks, businesses are once again hoping the worst is behind them.

Im ready to not just be surviving, said Brittany Yates, owner of Mound City Deli, across Market Street from the Wells Fargo campus in Midtown.

Perhaps no industry is more ready for the return to the office than dry cleaners.

Heppe, who has seven locations in the region, began 2020 with optimism and two new contracts with local hotels. I thought it was going to be a really good year, he said. Instead, the coronavirus sent workers home to labor in sweatpants and cut his business by 80%.

Money from savings and the federal government allowed him to stay afloat and keep most of his staff, but he still lost about $200,000 for the year. And he had it pretty good.

In downtown St. Louis, mainstay Band Box Cleaners shuttered two of its three locations as the city center emptied, leaving just the one on Locust Street. Parkside Cleaners in the citys Central West End did the same thing with its sister location in St. Louis County as soon as the lease came up, said manager Mimi Hong. There was no business, she said. You cant make rent at $50 per day.

Used to be full

Hong said Parkside only survived because of Gods grace and customers loyalty.

We literally had people say, I wore this sweater for an hour on Zoom, you can take it, she said.

Patrons of Yes Cleaners, in Ellisville, went even bigger, raising $15,000 through GoFundMe and covering owner Jong Parks rent for a few months.

Customer Scott Thomas organized the fundraiser. I dont want to go anywhere else! he wrote to donors.

But Park still needs all of his customers to return. Even now, hes missing around a third of the revenue he had before the pandemic, he said.

Hes cut staff from the four or five he used to employ down to three, and taken on more himself, like bagging clothes and sorting them for each customer once theyre cleaned. I do so many things now, he said.

Hong said her Central West End cleaner could also use some help. Some customers have come back, like the bankers at Wells Fargo and some Purina employees. But many remain remote  Parksides still missing about 40% of its business, a predicament laid bare on the clothes racks behind the front desk. Those used to be full, Hong said.

At his office in Clayton, Heppe said his chain of seven stores was almost back to normal at the end of last year. His numbers rose throughout the fall. By December, his Ladue location, Frontenac Cleaners, hovered around 2019 levels. Then omicron hit and cut that in half for January and February.

But January and February are traditionally slow months, Heppe said. Dry cleaners make most of their money in the spring and fall, when people change out their seasonal wardrobes.

Jeans at work

The new normal may disappoint him. While companies like Edward Jones and Wells Fargo have announced plans to bring employees back this spring, theyve also mentioned hybrid approaches that could allow workers to remain remote at least some of the time  and continue to cut down on their dry cleaning bills.

And some work has fundamentally changed. Attorney A.J. Bruning used to be downtown every day for meetings and court. Now that he can do a lot of that over Zoom, his trips to the office and to Band Box Cleaners have dwindled.

My wifes a lawyer, too, and we used to get dry cleaning once a week, he said. Now its more like once every other month.

Michelle Sheeley, owner of century-old Orpheum Cleaners on South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis, has accepted the shift. With her dry cleaning revenue declining, shes focused on growing her alterations business to replace it  a task made easier because fewer and fewer people know how to sew. Shes also offering sewing lessons to anyone interested in bucking the trend. And those have been booming, she said.

There are also fewer dry cleaners than there used to be. Heppe estimated 30 have closed in the past year. And he figures that lower supply might match up with lower demand.

All of us that survived are waiting to see if we get their business, he said. Those people have to go somewhere.

As long as there are offices, he said, there will be a market for dry cleaning.

Ambitious employees are going to want face time with the boss, and theyre going to dress for it, too, he said. When he heard Centene would be allowing jeans in the office recently, he shrugged. If you want to be next VP, and theres a whole lot of people that want to be that there, youre not wearing jeans.

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HOUMA, La.  A Swiss companys plan to offer tourists cruises along the length of the Mississippi River drew a step closer to reality this week as its new 386-passenger ship was floated out of a south Louisiana shipyard.

Viking River Cruises of Basel, which in 2015 announced the plans for Mississippi River cruises, toasted the completion of the Viking Mississippi in a celebration Monday at a Houma shipyard.

Two U.S. companies already offer cruises up and down the river, which flows 2,350 miles from its source at Minnesotas Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. American Queen Voyages, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and American Cruise Lines, based in Guilford, Connecticut, expect to carry a total of 50,000 people on the Mississippi this year, spokespeople said.

The Viking Mississippi is billed by the Swiss competitor as the largest and most modern ship in the region. It is to make its first voyage in June between New Orleans and St. Paul, Minnesota  a trip that would take about 1,200 miles by car but is about 1,700 miles on the twisting river.

It is a proud moment that this new ship has met an American waterway for the first time, Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking, said in a news release. Our guests have long wanted to sail the Mississippi River with Viking, and we very much look forward to welcoming them on board this summer.

Company officials said the Viking Mississippi is expected to draw more than 7,500 passengers to the river this year and more than 17,600 during the first full sailing season in 2023.

The Viking Mississippi plans stops in seven states: Louisiana (Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans and St. Francisville); Mississippi (Natchez and Vicksburg); Tennessee (Memphis); Missouri (Hannibal, St. Louis); Iowa (Burlington, Dubuque and Davenport); Wisconsin (La Crosse); and Minnesota (Red Wing, St. Paul).

Meanwhile, American Queen has three paddlewheel cruise boats that operate on the Mississippi, the smallest able to carry 166 passengers and the largest 417, spokesperson Michael Hicks said. He added that American Queen expects about 20,000 passengers on the Mississippi River this year.

American Cruise Lines has two paddlewheelers and three modern riverboats on the river and plans to launch a fourth modern riverboat late this year, spokesperson Alexa Paolella said. Both also operate in other parts of the United States. She said the boats will carry 30,000 on Mississippi River routes this year.

American Cruise Lines 15 river and coastal cruise ships all were upgraded during the off-season, with the most extensive work on the lines four paddlewheelers, a company news release said Wednesday.

Vikings boat will also be lovely, but American Cruise Lines new modern series riverboats are equally if not more beautiful, Paolella wrote in an email.
Calvin Wilson Calvin Wilson is theater critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Calvin Wilson 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

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a musical based on a Roald Dahl novel and playing at the Fox Theatre, is so intriguingly bizarre that it would be worth seeing just for its nose-thumbing audacity. Stylishly directed by Matt Lenz, its quite entertaining once it hits its groove.

Charlie Bucket (William Goldsman), a British boy with a sweet tooth for chocolate bars, dreams of acquiring a golden ticket to a tour of the factory in which theyre made  and cant believe his luck when that happens. But Charlie has no idea what hes getting himself into, as a strong argument can be made that the tour guide is not only out of his mind but potentially dangerous.

That would be candy maker Willy Wonka (Cody Garcia). Wonka  who was portrayed by Gene Wilder in a 1971 film and by Johnny Depp in director Tim Burtons 2005 adaptation  is blessed with a charming line of patter but seems blithely unconcerned for the safety of the children in his midst.

Perhaps inevitably, stuff happens  stuff thats at once disturbing and darkly hilarious.

With a book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes across as Oliver! without the sentimentality. Indeed, the shows embrace of the macabre is all the more impressive for easing right up to the edge of bad taste. But its very much in keeping with Dahls artistic sensibility, which is more faithfully represented than it was in Matilda, another musical inspired by one of his books.

Oddly, nothing of much consequence happens in the first act, which focuses on Charlie, his mother (Claire Leyden) and Grandpa Joe (Steve McCoy) and sets the stage for the significantly more eventful second act.

Thats when Wonka emerges as the dominant character, and Garcia takes to the role with showbiz panache. His take on the character is closer to Wilders than it is to Depps, but he puts his own stamp on it. And on opening night, Goldsman (who alternates with Kai Edgar and Coleman Simmons as Charlie) matched Garcia for sheer exuberance.

Whatever its flaws, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory deserves credit for being a musical in the classic tradition. The characters are engaging, the story is imaginative, and the songs are catchy  bucking the trend toward musicals that offer state-of-the-art spectacle but little else of note. Shows based on movies, such as the touring productions of Pretty Woman and Mean Girls that stopped at the Fox in recent months, tend to be particularly forgettable.

But you cant go wrong with songs like The Candy Man and Pure Imagination. Should it matter that they were written not by Shaiman and Wittman but by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley? And not for this show but decades ago for the Wilder film? Not when they fit so perfectly.

'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' When 7:30 p.m. March 9; 1 and 7:30 p.m. March 10 Where  Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard How much  $22-$90; proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test required More info  314-534-1111; metrotix.com

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For the second of this seasons Live at the Pulitzer concerts, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra featured modern music by four living composers, all of whom were in attendance Tuesday evening.

Yotam Haber contributed two pieces for string quartet: break_break_break and From the Book. L.J. Whites Fly, Into the Light ... is a violin solo, Carolina Heredias Anoranzas is a cello solo, and Christopher Starks 2nd Nature, a world premiere, is a violin solo.

The performers, all from the SLSO, included a quartet of Asako Kuboki and Janet Carpenter (violin), Chris Tantillo (viola) and Yin Xiong (cello), plus Shawn Weil (violin) in 2nd Nature.

The concerts, curated by SLSO creative partner Tim Monro, were presented at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

The musicians had lights on their music stands, but otherwise dim lighting gave the concert an atmosphere of avant-garde artistry. Most pieces featured electronics  prerecorded string sounds combined with synthesized sounds, kept mostly in the background.

break_break_break featured music centered on the interval of the half step, with strings snapped on fingerboards, glissandos and mutes. Much of the music was propulsive and dynamic, but contrasts included two surprise sections in octaves.

Fly, Into the Light ... was much calmer and showcased the beautiful timbre Kuboki drew from her violin. The piece was revised by the composer, a former faculty member at Washington University, from a version for two violins, and the electronics seemed to echo the live performer.

The rhapsodic Anoranzas reflected its composers Argentine origins. The extensive applause reflected the audiences greater affection for this music.

From the Book reflected on the prayer Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father Our King) from the Jewish High Holy Days but contained neither the traditional melody associated with it nor the famous setting by Max Janowski but rather a tonal/modal music emphasizing the first five notes of a minor scale. Nostalgic and ethereal, it was the one piece in the concert that didnt include electronics.

2nd Nature, by Washington University professor Stark, included a complex video by Zlatko Cosic. The energetic Weil gave a vigorous performance throughout. The longest and most substantial piece in the concert, it culminated in the greatest applause and a standing ovation.

'Live at the Pulitzer' When  7:30 p.m. March 9 Where  Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Boulevard How much  $23; proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test required More info  314-534-1700; slso.org
Q  My kids are constantly using hand sanitizers. However, I have noticed that their fingers and hands get dry and sometimes peel during the winter. Are there ones that have cleaning additives but also contain some type of moisturizer that really work? And what about just washing their hands? Why don't the schools promote that anymore?

From a reader  Sani Hands is what my 7-year-old daughter's teacher keeps available in the classroom. It is not harmful on the hands and fingers like many others are when used too frequently. You should be able to find it in your local grocery store in the pharmacy or baby section or in a drugstore. If not, it can be ordered online at various sites.  Courtney Smith in Roseburg, Oregon

From Jodie Lynn  If you Google hand sanitizers for kids, safeHands Hand Sanitizer seems to be getting a lot of praise, especially for use by the whole family. It is foam as opposed to the normal liquid or gel and actually makes the hands feel quite sleek. Most adults and kids who use it say it is extra gentle even for those with highly sensitive skin, which is a huge plus during the winter. The silky smooth skin transformation is accomplished by it being alcohol-free and non-toxic while killing 99.99% of germs.

There are several places where it can be purchased, including Walgreens. See safehands.com for more information on how and why it was developed and created and where else it is sold. Some parents I talked with said they would simply love to have their kids just wash their hands at school at least a couple times a day while also using the hand sanitizers or wipes.

Others said just have them use soap and water all the time like they did when they went to school.

However, during the flu and cold season, unless there is a no-touch water faucet and no-touch hand dryer, wipes and sanitizers may be both safer and healthier.

Remember, the flu and cold season can last until May. See cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season.htm for more info.

CAN YOU HELP?

What is up with the Z Generation? My almost 22-year-old is only interested in the environment. He doesn't care if he works or not. I'm happy that he cares so much about his surroundings, but he's losing opportunities right and left by not responding to the offers. How can I motivate him to get off his rump and think about his future?

To share parenting tips or submit questions, write to: Parent to Parent, 2464 Taylor Road, Suite 131, Wildwood, MO 63040. Email: direct2contact@parenttoparent.com, or go to www.parenttoparent.com, which provides a secure and easy way to submit tips or questions. All tips must have city, state and first and last name or initials to be included in the column. Jodie Lynn is an award-winning parenting columnist, author of five books and mother to three children. She and her family live in Wildwood.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger 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 first time my name appeared in an obituary was when my grandfather died.

Erdman J. Harder was my mothers father. He passed away three days after my second birthday, so I never really knew him. Harder was born in the frozen tundra of farm country in south-central Minnesota, near Mountain Lake. His parents were John D. and Anna Harder. They were Mennonites.

Anna, my great-grandmother, was born in 1877, the daughter of Diedrick and Anna Seamons Heppner. Im not sure how to spell their names. Im using the spelling from old funeral notices that my mother kept in the back of her Bible. It wasnt until after she died that I looked at them and started to learn about that part of my familys heritage.

Various websites that track the Mennonites who immigrated to Minnesota spell Diedricks name with an H. There were lots of Diedrichs and Annas in the greater Mennonite clan from those branches of my family tree. The Heppners  Ive also seen it as Hoeppner  came to the United States on a ship, perhaps the S.S. Vaderland, in about 1873.

They came from that war-torn region known today as Ukraine.

A century and a half later, history repeats itself. The peace-loving people of Ukraine are being driven out of their country by a Russian warmonger.

The parallels are tragic but hold some lessons as the world deals with its latest refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of displaced Ukrainians fleeing their homeland and wondering where theyll end up next.

The Mennonites immigrated to Ukraine, then southern Russia, in the 18th century. They were Dutch but left first for Germany or Poland, and later for Russia, seeking religious freedom. Catherine the Great had invited the immigrants to Russia and promised them land to farm and exemption from military service. The Mennonites were, and are, pacifists.

They established various colonies in Ukraine, communes where they worked the land and worshipped together. Most of the Mennonites who ended up in Minnesota came from the Bergthal or Choritza colonies, the second of which was near the city of Zaporizhzhia. They left because of war.

Last week, amid a new war, Russian troops seized the nuclear plant in that city, spurring another exodus of Ukrainians, who are leaving by train or however they can, heading to Hungary and Poland, and then where?

When the Mennonites left Ukraine in the 19th century, there was competition to lure them to Canada, the United States and other countries. Thats the story of immigration. Countries seek immigrants to grow their economies, and in so many cases  think Bosnians in St. Louis  they thrive for generations.

Again, history repeats itself.

For more than a decade, St. Louis civic leaders have been pounding the immigration drum, citing the need to attract more people to the region, particularly the urban core, that is not keeping up with other cities. Part of the failure comes from the Missouri Legislatures tradition of being unfriendly to immigrant populations, particularly people of color; another failure is in the regions long-discussed inability to speak with one voice.

There is progress in that regard. Jason Hall, the CEO of civic group Greater St. Louis Inc., calls the regions lack of growth, particularly among immigrant populations, an existential threat. Civic leaders led by lawyer Jerry Schlichter have donated time and money to help the International Institute settle Afghan refugees who fled their own war-torn country, not just helping with housing but in building a culture that will help refugees feel comfortable in their new home.

Cities soon will be making similar decisions to welcome Ukrainians, many of whom will never have a home to go back to because of the vicious Russian bombing of their homeland.

This is the story of immigration. There is opportunity in tragedy, hope in the humanity of neighbors offering a fresh start.

In the last century, a Harder from a Ukrainian line of Mennonites married an Irish Catholic named McChesney. They had a daughter who would marry a Messenger, whose ancestors helped build the railroad through Colorado. Their story is told in folded up funeral notices in the back of a Bible passed down from one generation to the next.

Its the story of Ukraine; the story of America; the yearning of a free people seeking land, and love and God.

From City Hall to the Capitol, metro columnist Tony Messenger shines light on what public officials are doing, tells stories of the disaffected, and brings voice to the issues that matter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
ST. LOUIS  A federal grand jury has indicted a former St. Louis middle school principal and his friend on murder-for-hire charges for the shooting death of a teacher and her unborn child in 2016, prosecutors said Thursday.

Cornelius M. Green, the principal, and Phillip J. Cutler are already facing charges in state court for the death of Joceyln Peters.

Prosecutors in St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardners office said in 2017 that they were seeking the death penalty against both men if convicted.

The indictment, handed down Wednesday, said Green, who was married, was involved in multiple romantic relationships when Peters became pregnant with his child in 2015. Green hatched a plan to kill Peters and offered stolen cash to his longtime friend Cutler, it says.

Each man is facing a charge of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire.

No lawyer is listed for them in federal court and the public defenders office, which is representing them in state court, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

On March 7, 2016, Green sent a United Parcel Service package to Cutler in Oklahoma containing $2,500, some of which hed stolen from his school, the indictment says. Cutler came to St. Louis on March 21, 2016, and drove Green to the train station for a trip to Chicago to to establish an alibi, the indictment says.

On March 24, Cutler used Greens car to drive to Peters apartment in the 4200 block of West Pine Boulevard in the Central West End and Greens keys to get in, the indictment says. Cutler shot Peters in the head with a .380-caliber firearm while she was in bed, using a potato as a silencer, the indictment says.

Peters, 30, was a third grade teacher at Mann Elementary School and seven months pregnant when she died.

Green, of the 200 block of North 17th Street, was principal at Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School. Cutler is from Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Federal prosecutors said the case was being handled in cooperation with Gardners office.

Gardner had unsuccessfully sought special prosecutors in the case against Cutler and Green, citing a backlog of cases due to the pandemic. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the state charges: one count of burglary and two counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

No date has been set yet for their appearance in federal court.

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ST. LOUIS  A Ferguson man has been charged in another man's accidental fatal fentanyl overdose.

Darrius J. Hunter, 32, of the 300 block of Teston Drive, was charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance in the Aug. 8 fentanyl overdose death of Davis Clemons.

Clemons, 29, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, met Hunter at the Shell gas station at Tucker Boulevard and Convention Plaza after using the store's ATM about 2:30 a.m., according to charging documents. Surveillance video showed Clemons get into Hunter's parked vehicle where Hunter provides Clemons "a substance."

Hours after Hunter drove Clemons from the gas station, Clemons' body was found near Hadley and Howard streets, with Hunter's Missouri ID card found "just feet from Clemons' body."

The St. Louis Medical Examiner's Office ruled Clemons' death an "inadvertent fentanyl overdose," charges said. His cause of death was acute fentanyl and ethanol intoxication.

Court documents say that Hunter, who has multiple convictions for tampering, resisting arrest, receiving stolen property, burglary, forgery and drug trafficking, was ordered held without bail. He did not yet have a lawyer in the manslaughter case.

A recent analysis of overdose deaths in the St. Louis region showed a leveling off in the first three quarters of 2021 but that the region still accounts for half of overdose deaths statewide.

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Updated <arch 14 with more details from court records.

ST. LOUIS  A missing 7-year-old St. Charles County girl and her mother were found by police in Utah on Wednesday, more than 1,400 miles from home.

Police late Tuesday afternoon issued an endangered persons alert for the child, Piper Johnson, after authorities say her biological mother, Valerie Jean Baker took her during a court-authorized visit at a public library a day earlier.

Baker, 35, of Lake St. Louis, pushed a case worker at the Boones Trail Branch library about 3:30 p.m. that day before driving off with her daughter, according to police.

She also attempted to grab her son, but the child pulled away, court documents allege.

As she drove away from the library, she yelled for the case worker to "burn in hell," according to court documents.

The girl was found safe, and her mother was taken into custody without incident in St. George, Utah, on Wednesday, St. Charles police said in a statement.

St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar charged Baker on Tuesday with felony interference with custody and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault.

The St. George News in Utah reported that Baker tried to push away an officer as she was being arrested. Baker also screamed at the officers stating they were going to die, the arrest report states, adding that she then turned to one of the officers and spit in his face multiple times while screaming at him.

The paper reported that multiple officers were needed to restrain Baker.

The Toyota Corolla that Baker was in when she fled with her daughter was captured on traffic cameras Tuesday near the Colorado-Utah border. Authorities believe Baker has relatives in California.

That Corolla was still showing front-end damage from Nov. 27 when, police allege, the mother used the car to ram a garage in an attempt to kidnap her daughter and her 9-year-old son from their grandmother.

After ramming the garage in November, Baker got into the home and assaulted her mother, police said. Officers arrested her at the home. She was released from jail in January.

St. Charles County prosecutors charged Baker in the November attempt with fourth-degree domestic assault and first-degree property damage. Her bail was set at $50,000 cash.

Baker was scheduled for a court hearing last Thursday, but it was continued until April 21.

The Missouri Department of Social Services was given court-ordered legal custody of Bakers children, Lohmar told the Post-Dispatch this week.

Lohmar said in a statement Wednesday that the girl would be returned to her grandparents as soon as possible. Baker remained in custody in Utah Wednesday and will need to be extradited to Missouri, a spokesperson for Lohmars office said.

Baker's bond was set at $25,000, cash only in the latest case.

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ST. LOUIS  The Ferguson woman whose husband is charged with murdering her in downtown St. Louis last weekend recently went into business with her husband making out-of-town deliveries for Amazon.

Lisa Cannaday was an affable woman who made friends easily and was extremely comical, her older brother, Patrick Reel, told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday. She was a beautiful person.

The husband, Jerome Cannaday, 43, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in his wifes death. He is being held without bail.

Lisa Cannaday, 48, was found lying on the edge of the road about 10:45 p.m. Saturday in the 400 block of North Fourth Street, near Washington Avenue. She had been shot more than once and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at St. Louis University hospital.

The couple lived together with their teenage daughter in the 600 block of Charmont Drive in Ferguson.

Surveillance video showed the couple in a car approaching the southeast corner of Fourth and Washington, police said in court papers. When the car stopped, Lisa Cannaday is seen opening the front passenger car door and stepping onto the street.

The surveillance footage showed a "muzzle flash" as the driver shot her, police said. The car drove off. Several minutes later, Jerome Cannaday stopped a few blocks away, stayed in his car and called 911, court documents said.

Reel said he doesnt know what led to his sisters slaying. He said his sister and her husband quarreled from time to time, but he never imagined it would turn deadly.

It just caught everyone off guard, said Reel, who is a pastor at a church in Normandy. I know theyve had arguments, but its my understanding that maybe he could become a little disconnected if he was drinking.

Lisa Cannaday had two children, a 30-year-old son, Michael, and an 18-year-old daughter, Jordan  both names a nod to the former NBA superstar and Lisa Cannadays favorite athlete.

Reel said his sister was an entrepreneur. She owned rental property and four months ago bought a box truck with her husband so they could deliver for Amazon to Chicago and other Midwestern cities.

Reel described his sister as very intelligent and a straight A student throughout school. She was raised in a religious household, Reel said, and carried herself with a strong religious and biblical belief.

She was also extremely comical, Reel said, and loved to laugh and make others laugh.

She made friends easy her whole life, he added. She could meet somebody in a restaurant and before you knew it they were taking pictures together. Youd think they knew each other their whole lives.

Reel talked about his sister last Sunday in church hours after her death and said he has no animus toward his brother-in-law.

Reel said his message to Jerome Cannaday is simply: I hate this happened to the two of you. I miss you both.

Police arrested Jerome Cannaday six blocks from the crime scene after he called 911.

In court documents, police said Jerome Cannaday acknowledged driving the car his wife was riding in. He also acknowledged being at the scene of the homicide armed with a semi-automatic pistol. He has convictions in felony drug and weapons charges, making it a crime for him to have a gun.

After his wifes death, Jerome Cannaday was jailed only on a charge of illegally possessing a weapon. The circuit attorneys office added the murder charge on Wednesday.

No attorney is listed for him in online court documents.

Joel Currier of the Post-Dispatch staff contributed to this report.

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ST. LOUIS  Police on Wednesday identified the 72-year-old man found dead this week in his truck after a shooting in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood.

Michael Kelly, of St. Ann, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds around 11 a.m. Tuesday in the 3900 block of North 25th Street, police said.

Kelly is listed as the owner of Prime Mortgage Services Inc., which has its office at 3910 N. 25th Street, according to business records.

His death is still under investigation, police said.
ST. LOUIS  A St. Louis man is facing multiple charges in St. Louis and St. Louis County of sexually assaulting underage girls and a woman.

Adrian R. Neal, 18, of the 4500 block of Nebraska Avenue, was charged March 4 in St. Louis Circuit Court with sexually assaulting two girls he met on Snapchat in August. They were 12-years-old at the time.

In each of the incidents, the girls reported meeting Neal on SnapChat before he picked them up and took them to his St. Louis home or another location where he had sexual contact with them, charges said.

In one of the encounters, Neal took the girl's cellphone so she couldn't call for help, raped her and would only drive her home if she gave him oral sex as he drove, according to the charging documents.

In those two incidents, Neal is charged with statutory rape or attempted statutory rape, three counts of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy, kidnapping and child molestation.

Neal also faces charges of kidnapping and first-degree sodomy in St. Louis County Circuit Court. He was charged in September with holding a woman in his car in Kirkwood against her will and touching her inappropriately.

He is being held at the St. Louis County jail in lieu of a $200,000 cash-only bail. His lawyer could not be reached for comment.

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JEFFERSON CITY  Members of the Missouri House headed home Thursday for a weeklong spring break after sending a package of election-related legislation to the Senate.

On a 96-35 vote, the Republican-led House approved a bill requiring photo identification to vote.

Lawmakers also signed off on a separate plan to raise the threshold to put constitutional amendments on the ballot on a 96-34 vote.

Both proposals are among a slew of proposals pending in the House and Senate that Democrats say will disenfranchise voters. They come after a 2020 election season that saw former President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans falsely claim that fraud played a role in the outcome of the presidential race.

The photo ID proposal has been a mainstay in the GOP playbook for years, but it has been previously dumped by the courts.

In 2016, voters amended the Constitution to allow lawmakers to require photo identification to vote. But the Missouri Supreme Court in 2020 blocked a central provision of the law that required voters who lacked a photo ID to make a sworn statement in order to cast a regular, nonprovisional ballot.

Since then, Republicans have been trying to approve a new version that is similar to the 2016 law but doesnt include the sworn statement language.

The proposal heading to the Senate allows voters to cast a provisional ballot if they dont provide valid photo identification.

Republican supporters said photo identification makes voting more secure and would instill trust in elections.

Democrats said House Bill 1878 would make it harder for people to vote.

We dont have a voter fraud issue in Missouri, said Rep. David Smith, D-Columbia. This is not good for Missouri. Its not necessary.

Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, said Republicans were trying to fix a problem that doesnt exist.

This is something that would disproportionately affect Black folks, said Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis.

The House also sent the Senate a plan that would diminish voters ability to change the states constitution through initiative petitions.

The proposal sponsored by Rep. J. Eggleston, R-Maysville, would raise the bar for passage of constitutional amendments from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority.

In addition, signatures needed to place a question on the ballot would have to come from all eight Missouri congressional districts, as opposed to the six currently required.

The amendment also institutes a process for the General Assembly to vet proposed amendments by conducting hearings and potentially recommending changes.

If approved by the Legislature, the proposal would need voter approval by a simple majority to take effect. Democratic opponents repeated the argument that Republicans were hiding attacks on the petition process under the guise of more commonsense measures or complex language as a ploy to confuse voters.

The legislation is House Joint Resolution 91.

Originally posted at 9:55 a.m. Thursday, March 10.

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JEFFERSON CITY  Residents could be given a path to get items placed on a school board meeting agenda under a proposed new law designed to allow more public input in district matters.

The legislation would allow registered voters to file a petition to submit agenda items for monthly school board meetings. The petition would need to be signed by at least 5% of registered voters in the school district who voted in the last board election.

The measure, which was given preliminary approval in the House Wednesday, is sponsored by Rep. Chuck Basye, a Rocheport Republican who wants to limit the power of school boards.

The legislation is among dozens of bills filed this year taking aim at school boards, which have been grappling with issues related to the pandemic, such as school closures and masking, as well as a Republican push to ban the teaching of critical race theory and equity-based curriculum in schools.

Critical race theory, which applies a legal framework to demonstrate the effects of racism on American society, is not part of the states K-12 curriculum. Yet some parents and lawmakers have spent the past year insisting the concept is taught in schools.

The legislation would require school board members to address agenda items submitted via the new petition process. The proposal also requires the board to vote on the item during one of the next three school board meetings, potentially forcing school board members into a showdown over politically motivated issues.

House Bill 1750 is opposed by the state school board association, teachers unions and school administrators.

The legislation was among a handful of school-related proposals that are moving in the House.

On Wednesday, the House also narrowly approved a plan that would let Missouri parents choose which school districts their children attend.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, advanced to the Senate on a 85-66 vote, showing that not all Republicans were seeking the kinds of changes sought in the proposal.

The bill would cap the number of students allowed to transfer at 5% of enrollment for the first two years. The cap would be lifted in the third year.

The plan includes provisions designed to stop students from hopping from school to school to play sports.

Republican supporters said the change could force school districts to improve how they operate.

If youre scared of competition, youve got a problem, said Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove.

Other Republicans were less enthusiastic.

Rep. Ann Kelley, R-Lamar, said she is concerned the change could drive students out of small districts, resulting in the eventual closure of the district.

Some Democrats panned the proposal, which failed to win approval in the Senate last year.

It creates a bureaucratic nightmare for our schools, said Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City.

The legislation is House Bill 1814.

Originally posted at 5:22 p.m. Wednesday, March 9.

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ST. LOUIS  Gyo Obata, the internationally renowned architect who co-founded a small St. Louis architecture office and turned it into a global architectural force, died Tuesday in St. Louis. He was 99.

Obata-designed buildings stand around the country and the world, from One Metropolitan Square in downtown St. Louis to King Saud University in Saudi Arabia and the Sendai International Airport terminal building in Japan.

Locally, many of the regions most recognizable buildings, and much of downtowns skyline, have Obatas fingerprints on them. His James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the St. Louis Science Center is one of the citys most iconic buildings, easily recognizable by its unique hyperboloid shape. Generations of children have explored the St. Louis Zoos Living World, another Obata design. Downtown, Obata designed the Nestle-Purina headquarters, the AT&T skyscraper and the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse, among others.

He first achieved international acclaim for his innovative design of the Priory Chapel at Saint Louis Abbey, which features an iconic circular facade with three tiers of whitewashed, thin-shell, concrete parabolic arches. A 1962 issue of Time magazine called it the newest and perhaps most striking round church in the U.S. Architectural Digest named the structure one of Americas greatest hidden treasures.

It is an outstanding demonstration of the ingenuity of man in honoring almighty God, said Joseph Cardinal Ritter, archbishop of St. Louis, when the building opened.

The National Air and Space Museum, which he designed for the Smithsonian Institution, regularly tops the list of the most-visited museums in the United States.

A building has to be a clear expression of whats happening on the inside, he told the Post-Dispatch in 1964, about his designs for the Air and Space Museum.

That museum holds dozens of planes in a building 96 feet high. Platforms support the planes staggered at 21 different levels. Smaller items such as documents and mementos are shown at eye level, with the planes above appearing to soar through open space.

Early life

Obata was born in San Francisco in 1923. His father, Chiura Obata, was an artist who came to America from Japan around the turn of the century, and his mother, Haruko, was a floral designer. The younger Obata was in his first year as an architecture student at the University of California in 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

As with other people of Japanese descent on the West Coast, his family was sent to internment camps for the duration of World War II. But Obata transferred to Washington University, one of the few colleges in the country that would take Japanese-American students during the war. He boarded the train for St. Louis the night before the rest of his family left for the camps.

It was like night and day coming here from Berkeley, where there was a lot of jitteryness. When I came here, people treated me very fairly. There was no prejudice. Actually, at the time I thought I would just be here two or three months and then Id be back at Cal again. As it turned out, it changed my life completely, he told the Post-Dispatch in 1964.

After he graduated from Washington University in 1945, Obata received a scholarship to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he studied with Eliel Saarinen, the father of Gateway Arch designer Eero Saarinen. The thesis he wrote for his masters degree at Cranbrook was a development plan for metropolitan St. Louis.

After a stint in the Army, Obata joined the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. In 1951, he returned to St. Louis to work at Hellmuth, Yamasaki and Leinweber. In 1955, that firm reorganized as Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, with Obata as the partner in charge of design.

HOK, as the company is now called, boasts more than 1,600 employees in 24 offices across the globe.

He originated the design culture of HOK, Bill Hellmuth, the firms president and CEO, previously told the newspaper. But more importantly, he gave us a humility and a humanity to everything we do. We were founded in the Midwest, we have Midwestern values. That humanity and humility are pieces of our culture that still exist today.

Megafirm pioneers

With his partners, Obata revolutionized the concept of architectural firms, Hellmuth said. They invented the international megafirm, with offices around the world, creating designs for all different types of buildings.

As an organizational principle, they did something that nobody else was doing at the time. They really were the pioneers, Hellmuth said.

But he started as an architect dabbling in what were, at the time, new midcentury modern forms. Downtowns Employment Security Building, at Broadway and Washington, is one of Obatas earliest works and the only downtown example of New Formalism  an emerging design form in the late 50s whose champion was one of Obatas mentors, Minoru Yamasaki.

Obata worked closely with Yamasaki on the design and construction of Terminal One at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, long a celebrated airport terminal structure.

Hellmuth said airports present many problems for architects, and that Obatas work on Lambert, a very simple structure made of thin concrete, makes it immediately recognizable.

Its simple, timeless and elegant, he said.

Obatas designs often looked to make the most use of open space, sunlight and outside views. With these elements at the fore, he worked to incorporate, as he said, what the client really wants in his spaces.

It was this combination of open space and clients needs that informed one of his most revolutionary designs, the Community of Christ Temple in Independence, Missouri. Its spiral ceiling, inspired by the shell of a nautilus, rises to a point 195 feet high.

The building created a sacred space, said Linda Booth, former president of the Council of Twelve Apostles.

It is a spiral that reaches up to heaven; it is a modern-day cathedral that reaches up to God.

Nationally and internationally, Obatas designs include the Galleria shopping centers in Houston and Dallas, the Kellogg Co. headquarters in Michigan, the Florida Aquarium, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, and King Khaled International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

He received a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1992.

Obata is survived by his wife, the artist Mary Judge, and four children by previous marriages, Kiku, Nori, Gen and Max Obata.

Jacob Barker of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY  The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has reverberated throughout the Jewish community here, an alarming reminder of the Holocaust and Soviet oppression during the Cold War.

The older members of our community who lived through that, or remember that, this brings up certain memories and maybe emotions, said Brian Herstig, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

As of Thursday morning, he said, the federation had raised $525,000 to support Jews staying put in Ukraine and those on the move. Temporary housing, satellite phones and medical care are among the list of needs, as well as securing institutions.

Before the war, there were about 200,000 Jews in Ukraine, including its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

As a community, we believe that Jews take care of Jews, Herstig said. We need to take care of one another wherever they may be around the world.

According to the federation, a nonprofit founded in 1901, there are an estimated 60,000 Jewish people in the St. Louis region. Herstig said 450 of them pitched in for the emergency fund so far with donations ranging from $10 to $50,000.

Its an incredibly generous community, and they have really stepped up, he said. Gifts are still coming in daily.

In a mass email first sent out Feb. 25, the federation said its concerns for Jewish people in Ukraine were quickly accelerating.

Additionally, our global partners are tracking potential vulnerabilities within the Russian Jewish community which might emerge in response to the strong Israeli position supporting Ukraine, the email said.

The federation says all of the donations will support the Joint Distribution Committee, or JDC, a global Jewish humanitarian organization, and the Jewish Agency for Israel, or JAFI, which helps Jews immigrate to Israel.

The Jewish Federations of North America says its trying to raise $20 million to help those organizations on the ground.

Our community is responsible for some portion of that, said Herstig.

Irina Becker is keeping a close eye on the situation overseas. She and her parents came to St. Louis in 1990 as Jewish refugees from what is now Ukraine.

Every person has a right to live their life in peace in their home, and every country has a right for their borders to be sovereign, said Becker, 44, an attorney. When those two rights are compromised, everybody can agree that those things need to be protected.

Becker said her aunt and uncle recently packed up and fled southern Ukraine with their daughter, 5-year-old grandson and a cat. She said they drove into Moldova, another former Soviet republic, for safety. Becker has been in touch with them. They are staying in a hotel. She said JDC volunteers helped them at the border.

I think they still hope they can go back, Becker said. They want to stay in Europe for the time being to see if it will be possible to return home and salvage any of their home, their money thats left in the bank.

Posted at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 10.

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by Austin Bay March 10, 2022

Politicians react and often too late -- that's the unfortunate historical record. Politicians in democracies tend to be risk-averse, fettered by political and media perception (often expressed by the term "maintaining political viability"). The pols don't want to get ahead of mainstream media opinion.

Driven by insight and often sheer genius, entrepreneurs and inventors create and act, sometimes years before markets demand their services and inventions.

Beltway political perception blinded the Biden administration's Afghanistan debacle. On Aug. 31, Reuters quoted a July 23 phone call between President Joe Biden and Afghan then-President Ashraf Ghani.

BIDEN: "...I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things aren't going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban. (SET ITAL) And there's a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture (END ITAL)." '

A political perception Biden desired took precedence over addressing the mess he created.

The Polish transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine differs from the Afghanistan situation, but once again we see Biden reactive and risk-averse. As I write this column the deal appears to be dead. My opinion: why weren't the planes transferred a week ago?

Unfortunately, large corporations also tend to avoid risk. Pentagon acquisition officers will whisper about it. Major defense contractors are reluctant to consider "outsider" ideas that threaten their income streams.

The mega-manufacturers today are fettered by MBAs beholden to annual reports and stockholder dividends. Don't buy the PR. Inventive engineering and product performance take a back seat. Money is thrown at mediocre systems. Why do we keep trying to fix the Navy's littoral combat ship (LCS) and give them missions? Sailors call them Little Crappy Ships.

In World War II, America benefited from creativity by inventors and designers who ran their businesses. Howard Hughes is probably the premier example. He funded his own projects. The Douglas Aircraft Company was run by its founder, Donald Douglas Sr. Boeing was once run by William Boeing, who designed aircraft. He was a slick businessman, but he also knew how to build great planes. It was an American company. Now Boeing is a multinational that has absorbed Douglas and McDonnell.

Unfettered entrepreneurs and industrialists are responding to the Ukraine invasion -- and I hear a positive echo of WWII.

NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Richard Childress intends to donate one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine. Last week Childress told Fox News he heard Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plea for ammo, so he is working with Ammo, Inc., to send Ukraine a million of its 7.62 mm AK-type rounds. Two politicians deserve props here. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., and Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., have introduced a bill to waive export rules so the ammo can reach Ukraine quickly.

SpaceX and Tesla magnate Elon Musk is providing the Ukrainian people with internet and communication service via SpaceX's Starlink satellites. He is sending Starlink terminals to Ukraine. What individual agility.

Ill add another independent actor who funds his own industrial design shop a Texan friend of mine named George Hamilton. He called me, expressed admiration for Childress, and said if his Hamilton 300 sniper rifle were in production hed donate them to Ukraine. They have a range of 1700 meters.

Hamilton also designs aircraft and fast attack warships. Full disclosure: I'm impressed with his Hamilton 96 Escort Boat's potential to meet a genuine security need, but so is Forbes magazine. In December 2020 Forbes columnist David Blackmon wrote: "Hamilton envisions his vessel as a private force multiplier similar to other force multipliers the U.S. has commissioned in every conflict since Teddy Roosevelt led the Rough Riders in the Spanish American War." However, permitting that requires legislation and "Congress almost always waits until a crisis or disaster has taken place before taking any real action. It is an almost wholly responsive entity."

Reread this column's intro. Blackmon and I are on the same page.
By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates is committed to the OPEC+ agreement and its existing monthly production adjustment mechanism, its energy minister said on Wednesday, hours after the Arab country's ambassador to Washington said it favors an output increase.

"The UAE believes in the value OPEC+ brings to the oil market," UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Twitter.

Earlier, the UAE's ambassador to Washington, Yousuf Al Otaiba, said in a statement tweeted by the embassy that his country favors an oil production increase and will be encouraging OPEC to consider higher output.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said on Wednesday that the UAE was giving support for increased oil production.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, has been restoring 5.8 million barrels per day in production cuts over the last several months, with another 400,000 bpd due in April, to restore supply cuts dating to the 2020 pandemic outbreak.

However, the group has resisted calls from the United States and allies to ramp up output as oil prices have surged to more than $120 per barrel.

The ambassador's comments come a day after U.S. President Joe Biden imposed an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The ban will drive up U.S. energy prices but Biden said it was necessary to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion. Moscow describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation".

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Tuesday that Washington called upon all producers across the globe to increase supply as the United States will not pressure its allies to follow suit and ban Russian oil and energy imports.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Writing by Moaz Abd-Alaziz; Editing by Tim Ahmann, Chizu Nomiyama and Sandra Maler)
CINCINNATI, March 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orange Grove Bio, a preclinical drug investment and development firm, and Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center today announced the establishment of a collaboration designed to advance the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics by supporting the translation of scientific discoveries made by researchers at Cincinnati Childrens. The collaboration aims to increase entrepreneurship and education as well as boost promising technologies emerging from Cincinnati Childrens. These efforts will be focused in the areas of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, oncology, and cell and gene therapies.

Cincinnati Childrens has a rich history of developing new innovations, including the Sabin oral polio vaccine, another vaccine to combat rotavirus, the first practical heart-lung machine, the identification of surfactant proteins as a routine treatment for respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants, and the first human esophagus organoid grown from pluripotent stem cells.

We have identified Greater Cincinnati as one of the most promising up-and-coming hubs of cutting-edge biopharmaceutical research within the U.S., and the talented scientists at Cincinnati Childrens are one of the primary drivers of this innovation, said Marc Appel, Orange Grove Bios chief executive officer. By working collaboratively with Cincinnati Childrens and other leading institutions across Ohio, we can help accelerate the translation of the breakthrough discoveries that are happening everyday within laboratories throughout the state.

With its corporate headquarters located in the Cincinnati Innovation District (CID) and a partnership already in place with the University of Cincinnati, Orange Grove is working aggressively to cultivate the biotechnology landscape within not just the greater Cincinnati area but the entire the state of Ohio. To this end, the company will continue to increase its on-the-ground presence by onboarding new team members from the Cincinnati area, who will perform critical scientific and business functions.

Abram Gordon, vice president of Cincinnati Childrens Innovation Ventures, shared: Our researchers are advancing novel science that has the potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients dealing with a broad range of human disease. By collaborating with Orange Grove Bio, we are building a bridge that will enable more rapid translation of our researchers discoveries, accelerating their advancement into clinical development and toward the commercial market. We are excited that Orange Grove Bio is planting roots in Cincinnati, which we believe will allow our collaboration to operate even more efficiently while helping to elevate the stature of our region.

Under terms of the collaboration, Orange Grove Bio will provide commercialization guidance and support to Cincinnati Childrens Innovation Ventures. Orange Grove Bios chief business operations officer, Ryan Fox, will advise on the potential of emerging technologies from the Cincinnati Childrens Innovation Ventures pipeline. In addition, Orange Grove Bio leaders will be available to speak with interested post-doctoral students about internship opportunities and offer seminars for investigators and researchers.

We are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with Cincinnati Childrens Innovation Ventures as well as their faculty and young scientific talent. Importantly, the location of Orange Groves headquarters right near the main campus of Cincinnati Childrens will offer key accessibility advantages, allowing our team to directly interact with researchers, said Mr. Fox.

Orange Grove Bios mission is to develop new therapeutic options for patients by harnessing the significant research potential found in universities and academic medical centers across the United States. Orange Grove Bio fosters strong relationships with technology transfer offices outside of the traditional medical technology hubs of Boston and San Francisco. Collectively, Orange Grove Bios team possesses decades of drug development and company creation experience, allowing it to build and finance innovative programs from the research and development stage to clinical trials.

About Cincinnati Childrens Cincinnati Children's ranks among the top five in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's 2021-22 listing of Best Children's Hospitals. A nonprofit, academic medical center established in 1883, Cincinnati Childrens is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education, and innovation. Additional information about technologies developed at Cincinnati Childrens may be found at Innovation.CincinnatiChildrens.org About Orange Grove Bio Orange Grove Bio (OGB) is an emerging, preclinical, capital allocation and asset development biotech company. OGB partners with universities, academic medical centers, and entrepreneurs to develop innovative treatments for important diseases, particularly cancer and immune disorders.

Contacts: Orange Grove Bio Marc Appel, Chief Executive Officer [email protected] (845) 558-5286 Ryan Fox, Chief Business Operations Officer [email protected] (610) 220-6394 Vida Strategic Partners (on behalf of Orange Grove Bio) Tim Brons [email protected] (415) 674-7402 Cincinnati Childrens Barrett J. Brunsman [email protected]

Source: Orange Grove Bio
ANAHEIM, Calif., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Numi Organic Tea, an award-winning social enterprise, founding B Corporation member, and a leading purchaser of organic, Fair Trade Certified teas, announced today a new Carbon Footprint Label, which will be included on all of its tea boxes beginning in the first half of 2022. The new label is the first of its kind among U.S. tea producers and breaks down each products emissions into four categories  ingredients, packaging, transport and preparation  so that consumers can easily understand the carbon impact of their tea purchases.

"Numis new Carbon Footprint Label is our commitment to the planet and we believe its vital to share our carbon number with consumers," said Reem Hassani, Chief Brand Officer & Co-Founder of Numi. We hope this big step for sustainability encourages other brands to follow our lead and commit to sharing their carbon footprint. The more of us that join this movement, the more context consumers will have when considering the environmental impact of their daily habits. Consumers are looking for a way to take action against climate change and we want to empower them with the information they need to do that.

Numi worked with Planet FWD, the leading carbon management platform for consumer brands, to estimate an average product carbon footprint for all its teas and botanical products. In doing the study, Numi discovered that nearly half of a tea bags carbon footprint (46%) comes from boiling water. Consumers can reduce emissions by using an electric tea kettle, boiling only the amount of water they need, and opting for clean energy sources where available. Numi also found that its tea is preferable to coffee when it comes to carbon impact. The carbon footprint of a cup of Numi tea is 86% lower than a cup of conventional espresso and 37% lower than a cup of sustainably produced espresso.1

Numi is a Climate Neutral Certified company, which means it measures, reduces and offsets 100% of annual Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. To identify the best opportunities for reduction, Numi uses its greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory to prioritize action based on the greatest emissions sources throughout the supply chain. Numis tea is carbon negative at the farm level because of regenerative practices like no-till farming, cover cropping, perennial planting, and agroforestry. From working with producers to explore renewable energy options to reducing corrugate in shipping to using plant-based packaging, Numi continuously works to reduce operational emissions across the lifecycle of a Numi teabag. And now consumers can have a view into the impact that work is having on the companys GHG emissions and the carbon cost for a cup of tea.

For the last 10 years, Numi has worked with CarbonFund to offset 10,191 metric tonnes of CO2e from business operations. Since 2018, it has purchased credits from the Envira Amazonia project in Brazil, which supports a transition in land ownership to local communities and establishes alternatives to cattle ranching. Funding from the carbon offsets supports education, livelihood diversification and a health clinic. The project has protected nearly 500,000 acres of tropical rainforest to date.

Numi has an ongoing commitment to fighting climate change and reducing plastic waste. Numi uses tea bags made from biodegradable, unbleached Manila hemp fiber  not plastic  and is the only tea company to offer a compostable wrapper for its tea bags, which keeps tea fresh while displacing the consumption of 14.3 metric tonnes of virgin plastic annually. Additionally, Numi provides fair wages and opportunities for tea farmers around the world, with over 14,000 people positively impacted by its Fair Trade and Fair Labor programs. Numis efforts (and sales) support Together for H2OPE, a program that provides tea farming communities around the world with access to clean, safe drinking water.

Numi announced its new Carbon Footprint Label at Natural Products Expo West 2022. Be one of the first to see the new carbon footprint label by visiting Numi at booth N1645. Join Numi Vice President, Strategic Sourcing & Sustainability Jane Franch on Thursday, March 10 at 3 pm where she will be discussing Packaging Policies for the Future.

Numi is available for purchase on their website www.numitea.com, Amazon, Whole Foods and more. To learn more about Numis Carbon Footprint Label, visit numitea.com/climate.

1Nab, C, Maslin, M. Life cycle assessment synthesis of the carbon footprint of Arabica coffee. Geo: Geography and Environment. 2020; 7:e96. https://doi.org/10.1002/geo2.96

ABOUT NUMI ORGANIC TEA

Founded in 1999 by brother and sister Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani, Numi Organic Tea is an award-winning social enterprise, founding B Corp, and leading purchaser of organic, Fair Trade Certified teas distributed in more than 50 countries. Still family-owned and headquartered in Oakland, California, Numi supports community development projects both locally and internationally. To date, Numi has contributed more than $1 million in Fair Trade Premiums for tea farmers. Numis Fair Trade and Fair Labor commitments have helped sponsor schools, hospitals, community centers, road construction and other improvements for living standards in its tea-growing communities. Through plant-based, compostable and sustainable packaging, Carbon Neutral certification, and regenerative organic agriculture, Numi strives to create lasting positive impact for the planet and each other. To learn more, visit NumiTea.com.

Contact:Molly AntosNumi Public Relations[email protected]

Photos accompanying this announcement are available athttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/51734dcf-b325-4f7a-94e3-bc8b394889e2https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/938cd14d-e46c-4aaa-a301-031a6f81aed4

Numi is a Climate Neutral Certified company According to its new Carbon Footprint Label, almost half of a Numi tea bags carbon footprint (46%) comes from boiling water. Numi's Carbon Footprint Label Numi's new Carbon Footprint Label is the first of its kind among U.S. tea producers and breaks down each products emissions into four categories: ingredients, packaging, transport and preparation.

Source: Numi
FILE PHOTO: A tractor piles wheat grains on a drying complex at the Solgonskoye farming company near the village of Talniki, southwest from Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, August 27, 2015. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

(Reuters) - Russia will suspend exports of wheat, meslin, rye, barley and corn to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) until Aug 31 in a move to secure its home market with enough food, the economy ministry said on Thursday.

Russia will also ban sugar exports to third countries until Aug 31 but some exceptions would be possible for the EEU countries, membership of which comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia itself, the ministry added.

(Reporting by Reuters)
AMSTERDAM, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Scenic Biotech BV ("Scenic"), a pioneer in the discovery of genetic modifiers to enable the development of disease modifying therapeutics for rare genetic disorders and other devastating illnesses, is pleased to announce it has closed a Series A financing of ~$31 million (28 million).

The funds will be used to accelerate Scenic's transition into a development stage company, advancing its in-house pipeline and supporting the creation of new programs based on its Cell-Seq genetic modifier target discovery platform including new industry collaborations.

The investment round was co-led by seasoned European investors, Eir Ventures, a Nordic Life Science venture fund, Switzerland-based BioMedPartners and Luxemburg-based Vesalius Biocapital. Existing Dutch and UK investors Inkef Capital, BioGeneration Ventures and Oxford Science Enterprises participated, together with Scenic's founders and management.

Scenic will now advance its lead QPCTL small molecule immuno-oncology program into the clinic. In addition, by leveraging its Cel-Seq discovery platform, Scenic has generated a pipeline of disease modifying therapeutics to treat devastating inherited rare diseases. Three of these programs, which are based on druggable genetic modifiers, are being progressed towards IND enabling studies. The first program is centered on a small molecule to treat Niemann Pick Type C (NP-C), a rare lipid storage disorder that affects lipid metabolism, or the way fats, lipids, and cholesterol are transported in human cells. The second program is for Barth syndrome, an inherited mitochondrial disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding Tafazzin. Barth syndrome is characterized by defects in cardiolipin, a critical component of the inner mitochondrial membrane. And the third program is to treat a severe heritable metabolic syndrome.

Alongside its in-house pipeline, Scenic has a multi-year, multi-indication strategic collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to discover, develop and commercialize novel therapeutics that target genetic modifiers. The collaboration has been expanded twice and now includes six scientific areas.

Following the Series A investment, Stephan Christgau PhD, General Partner Eir Ventures, Michael Wacker PhD, General Partner BioMedPartners and Stephane Verdood MSc, MBA, Managing Partner Vesalius Biocapital will join Scenic's board of directors.

Commenting on behalf of the investors, Stephan Christgau said, "Scenic Biotech has the potential to become one of Europe's most exciting biotech companies. It is a pioneer in the ground-breaking and promising new field of genetic modifiers. We are impressed by the power of its Cell-Seq platform and how it's fueling a portfolio of in-house and partnered programs across multiple therapeutic areas. This financing will enable Scenic to continue to develop its platform and move its lead program into human clinical trials while bringing its rare disease programs to key value infection points."

Scenic Biotech's CEO Oscar Izeboud said, "I am delighted to welcome our new investors to the company and to thank our existing investors for their continued support. We have made very significant progress since our seed investment, proving the value of our platform, extending its utility, and expanding our team. We look forward to continuing our growth and delivering on our promise to develop novel treatments to improve patients' lives."

Scenic anticipates more than doubling its team in the coming 18 months including building its clinical capabilities. To accommodate the expansion Scenic will be expanding its facilities within the flourishing life sciences cluster at the Science Park in the East of Amsterdam.

About Scenic Biotech

Scenic Biotech is focused on identifying genetic modifiers, a completely new class of disease targets, for drug intervention. Also known as disease suppressors, genetic modifiers are genes that act to suppress or completely block the effect of a disease-causing mutated gene.

As a pioneer in the field, Scenic Biotech is leveraging its Cell-Seq discovery platform to identify genetic modifiers across multiple therapeutic areas. It is building a pipeline of disease modifying therapeutics to treat devastating diseases including inherited rare diseases and cancer. Its lead programs include an immuno-oncology program targeting QPCTL, and three rare diseases programs based on druggable genetic modifiers. The rare disease programs consist of; Niemann Pick disease, type C (NP-C1), a rare lipid storage disorder that affects lipid metabolism, or the way fats, lipids, and cholesterol are transported in human cells, Barth syndrome, an X-linked, lipid metabolism disorder that affects the heart, and a program to treat a severe heritable metabolic syndrome.

Scenic Biotech has a multi-year strategic collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to discover, develop and commercialize novel therapeutics that target genetic modifiers.

Headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Scenic Biotech was founded in 2017 as a spin-out of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and Oxford University. It is backed by a pan-European syndicate of Venture Capital investors that include Eir Ventures, BioMedPartners, Vesalius Biocapital, BioGeneration Ventures, Inkef Capital and Oxford Science Enterprises.

'Scenic Biotech' refers to all companies within the Scenic group, comprising Scenic Holding BV and its two fully owned subsidiary companies: Scenic Immunology BV and Scenic Biotech BV.

For further information, please visit: www.scenicbiotech.com

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About Eir Ventures

Eir Ventures is a life science focused venture fund, with a strong foundation in the Nordic Biotech ecosystem, that will invest in companies at early stage, as well as more mature opportunities. The fund started its investment activities in 2020 and seeks investment opportunities addressing significant unmet medical needs for new therapies, medical technology, and digital health. Eir Ventures AB is led by a team of experienced life science investors, and backed by a strong investor syndicate including Saminvest, the European Investment Fund (EIF), Vkstfonden, Novo Holdings, private investors as well as Nordic universities. Eir Ventures is a registered alternative investment fund, under the Swedish Alternative Investment Funds Managers Act.

For further information please visit: www.eirventures.eu

About BioMedPartners:

Based in Basel, Switzerland, BioMedPartners is an independent European venture capital firm that acts as lead- or co-lead investor providing private equity to early- to mid-stage life sciences companies. Since 2002, BioMedPartners has invested in several highly innovative companies of which twenty-two have already either successfully been acquired by leading biopharma companies or have completed an IPO. With more than CHF 350 million in capital under management and a strong team of experienced industry experts as well as an extensive scientific and pharma network, BioMedPartners has established itself as one of the leading early-stage human healthcare investors in Europe. In February 2018 the company announced the closing of BioMedInvest III, their third equity venture capital fund of CHF 100 million. In this third fund BioMedPartners is focusing on the build-up of companies with highly innovative early-stage assets and technology platforms. One of the first investments of BioMedInvest III was in the Swiss immuno-oncology company Amal SA (Geneva) which has been acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in June 2019.

For further information please visit: www.biomedvc.com

About Vesalius Biocapital

Vesalius Biocapital is a European life science venture capital investor. The active fund Vesalius Biocapital III had a final closing in May 2019 with 120 million euro in commitments.

We are investing in appealing, later-stage companies in drug development, medical devices & diagnostics and eHealth / mHealth, predominantly in Europe. Our portfolio companies address unmet medical & market needs and operate on the basis of strong intellectual property protection.

For further information please visit: www.vesaliusbiocapital.com

For further information, please contact:

For Scenic Biotech At the Company [email protected] Media Enquiries Sue Charles, Charles Consultants, [email protected] +44 (0)7986 726585 For Eir Ventures Stephan Christgau [email protected] +45 30674790 Magnus Persson [email protected] +46 73 731 41 46 For BioMedPartners Michael Wacker mailto:[email protected] +41 76 417 4765 For Vesalius Biocapital [email protected] +352 26 84 56 82

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LANDSTUHL, Germany  Landstuhl Regional Medical Center teamed up with German doctors and medics for a mass-casualty response drill Thursday that stemmed from a mutually expressed need to work well together.

Last summers impromptu evacuation effort in Afghanistan entailed the use of both German hospitals and U.S. military facilities to care for refugees who had fled in the wake of the Taliban takeover. Many stayed for weeks in Germany before flying to the United States to start new lives.

Having Afghan evacuees come through this hospital was a watershed moment for us to be able to understand our true need to integrate better with our host nation, said Aaron Harris, chief of community and global health engagements at LRMC.

Staffers from three German hospitals and members of the German military joined American medical workers for the drill, during which participants evaluated and evacuated patients from a mock accident site, transported them to the hospital and treated them.

The exercise historically has been held twice a year at LRMC, with less German participation, although it was canceled the past two years because of COVID-19.

This exercise today is very important to see how the procedures are here compared to those that we are used to, said Dr. (Col.) Erwin Kollig, a director at the German Military Hospital in Koblenz.

The exercise was designed and planned by Army Lt. Col. Ekerette Akpan, chief of readiness integration at LRMC.

He said that in the past, cooperation between the American and German medical communities rested too much on individual relationships.

Akpan and his colleagues are working to make collaboration more systemic.

If you build processes to maintain that connection, that communication, then long after I leave, long after our current commander leaves, that relationship is still there, Akpan said.

LRMC is the evacuation treatment center for all injured American service members and civilians serving across Europe, Africa and the Middle East in support of four combat commands. The hospital also treats service members from 56 partner and allied nations.

As the only medical center outside of the continental United States supporting all the combatant commands in this region, we have to be ready at any given time, Akpan said. And were not alone. Thats really the bottom line.
OKINAWA CITY, Okinawa  A Japanese court on Thursday awarded $11.6 million to people living with military aircraft noise from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the latest in a series of lawsuits seeking compensation for U.S. air operations over Okinawa.

A three-judge panel from the Okinawa city branch of Naha District Court found the 3,139 plaintiffs  divided into two tiers of exposure  suffered impermissible levels of noise.

One group will receive about $5,816.25 per resident, or $77.55 per month, starting three years before the filing date, July 2, 2018, to the end of oral arguments on Sept. 30. The second group will receive $38.78 per month for 75 months, or $2,908.50 per resident.

The Japanese government is responsible for paying damages from noise cases involving U.S. military aircraft.

The plaintiffs had sought $9,693 and $5,816 per resident, respectively.

We are unsatisfied, the plaintiffs leader, Kenei Yamashiro, 83, said after the verdict. The noise itself is increasing, however, the compensation amount is lower than what we expected.

Yamashiro said the group will consider appealing the decision. The Okinawa Defense Bureau, which represents Japans Ministry of Defense on the island, could not be reached for comment after court Thursday to see if the Japanese government will appeal.

The lawsuit was one of two legal challenges to noise from MCAS Futenma aircraft, which includes MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors. The other suit seeks compensation but for flights to cease from the air station.

Yamashiro said his group wanted to stop the flights, as well, but left that claim out because it could drag out proceedings. Many of the plaintiffs are elderly, he said.

Chief Judge Kenta Adachi admonished the Japanese government for the noise at the conclusion of the trial, calling it illegal due to its impact on residents daily lives. He said the noise was a source of anxiety, irritation and emotional damage. Night flights also disturb residents ability to sleep.

Between 1982 and December 2018, residents living around U.S. bases on the island filed five separate lawsuits over military aircraft noise, according to an Okinawa prefecture publication, US Military Bases in Okinawa. Three of those cases were filed over the noise at Kadena Air Base and two related to MCAS Futenma.

The largest settlement came in 2017, when a three-judge panel awarded 22,054 residents living around Kadena $265 million. At least three other noise-related lawsuits were filed since December 2018.

Residents are not precluded from joining multiple lawsuits, Makoto Kamiya, attorney for an ongoing Kadena lawsuit filed in January, told Stars and Stripes that month.
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii  A massive $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill debated Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives includes $150 million for emptying and permanently closing the Navys Red Hill fuel storage facility in Hawaii that was the source of widespread well-water contamination.

The money comes in addition to $100 million included in a stopgap funding bill signed by President Joe Biden last month. That bill keeps the government funded until Friday, theoretically giving Congress time to pass the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Bill now in the House.

The Pentagon on Monday announced that the World War II-era underground storage tanks at Red Hill would be closed, laying out a roughly 14-month timetable to do so.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, inserted the $250 million funding into the two bills.

We still have more work to do to make sure Red Hill is closed safely, but we now have significant resources to drain the tanks and get this right, Schatz said in a news release Wednesday.

The full cost of decommissioning the facility will likely become clearer as the Navy and Defense Logistics Agency complete an action plan by May 31 for closing it down.

Jet fuel from the tanks contaminated one of three wells used for the Navys water distribution system, which supplies military housing communities on and near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Residents began complaining of tainted water in late November, with some suffering from nausea, vomiting, headaches and rashes. Thousands of residents relocated to Waikiki Beach hotels as the Navy has worked at cleaning and flushing the system and individual homes and buildings.

The Hawaii Department of Health earlier this year ordered the fuel storage facility to be emptied, but the Department of Justice appealed that order in federal and state courts on Feb. 2. The facility contains about 150 million gallons of fuel.

The contamination led to widespread local opposition to the continued use of the facility.

News of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austins decision to close Red Hill was lauded by many, including Hawaiis congressional delegation, but the move has its skeptics.

The closure is extremely short-sighted, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said Wednesday during a hearing on national security challenges in the Indo-Pacific by the House Armed Services Committee.

Red Hill has serious problems, said Rogers, the committees ranking member. But the secretary closed Red Hill without laying out the resources needed to replace that capability.

Austin in his announcement said a massive and centrally located fuel depot such as Red Hill belonged to a bygone era.

The distributed and dynamic nature of our force posture in the Indo-Pacific, the sophisticated threats we face, and the technology available to us demand an equally advanced and resilient fueling capability, Austin said in a news release Monday.

To a large degree, we already avail ourselves of dispersed fueling at sea and ashore, permanent and rotational, he said. We will now expand and accelerate that strategic distribution.
(Tribune News Service)  The Air Force plan to move U.S. Space Command headquarters to Huntsvilles Redstone Arsenal drew another congressional challenge in Washington this week, this time from U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D- New Hampshire), and another defense from an Alabama senator.

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Shaheen questioned the potential environmental impact of moving the headquarters to Alabama and the time a move could take away from the commands mission of securing American satellites. The commands temporary headquarters is in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Alabamas Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a member of the committee, pushed back against Shaheens comment about Redstones environment and introduced the Air Force review that rated Redstone the best headquarters choice. That assessment also determined that the (move to Alabama) would not have a significant impact on the quality of the human or natural environment with the incorporation of applicable mitigation measures, according to a copy obtained earlier by AL.com.

But Shaheen said she was puzzled, given the urgency of the commands mission, why were going to spend several years now trying to move SpaceCom to a new location thats going to take us, as I understand it, another year-and-a-half before we even know if Redstone is potentially an appropriate location because of environmental concerns.

Are we reassessing that decision? Shaheen asked Space Command leader Gen. James Dickinson.

Dickinson repeated his familiar response that he mainly needs a decision on the move. Based on that decision, Ill do whatever I need to do to make sure I can achieve my mission, Dickinson said. But Dickinson also said the command is still busy building the (operational) infrastructure I need to do the mission and were a couple or three years away from full operational capability.

Wherever youre located? Shaheen asked.

Wherever Im located, Dickinson replied.

Dickinson said personnel and training are his primary challenges now, not the headquarters issue.

In brief remarks introducing the study, Tuberville cited the potential impact of moving the headquarters to Vandenburg Air Base in California, another candidate for the permanent location. Air Force analysts said moving to California would have had a significant impact on the socioeconomic environment there, especially the local housing market.

Vandenburg was an early candidate for the headquarters, and Tubervilles staff said later he misspoke citing it at the hearing. Tubervilles focus was pushing back against Shaheen and getting the Air Force review into the meetings official record, staff said.

Shaheens office did not respond Wednesday when asked her source for saying it will be another year-and-a-half before we know the full environmental picture about Redstone.

The Senate hearing was the second on Capitol Hill this week about the new command and the second attempt by opponents to challenge the headquarters move. The Air Forces official report of its review, issued in 2021, said the review ranked Redstone the preferred location of the six finalists for the permanent headquarters.

2022 Advance Local Media LLC.

Visit al.com .
German cuisine is famous for its schnitzels, sausages and meaty roasts smothered in savory sauces.

Although restaurant offerings in Germany tend to be wide-ranging and varied, for vegetarians and foodies with allergies, like my wife, finding a great place to eat remains a bit of a challenge.

We therefore did not hesitate to make the hourlong trip from Kaiserslautern to the Hotel Nicolay 1881 in Zeltingen-Rachtig for an afternoon out at vegan standout Die Weinstube and its sidekick, the Sonnenuhr Cafe. The small riverfront town is nestled among hills along the meandering Moselle Wine Route, a popular tourist area in the summer.

We were seated in a cozy booth by a sunlit stained-glass window. The decor tastefully combines the buildings German roots with modern charm.

Subtle hints of the owners leanings include a small sign with the ironic question Can you eat this, or is this vegan? and small winged piglets with angelic smiles on each table.

The hotel was created as a postal route stop by the Nicolay family in 1881 and is now led by fifth-generation proprietor Johannes Nicolay, who is also the chef for the hotel.

Trained in renowned restaurants in the region and beyond, Nicolay decided to become a vegan in 2012. That same year, his reopened eatery became Germanys first vegan restaurant in a hotel. Since then, he has been concocting seeming magic from unusual ingredients.

There are no restrictions imposed by veganism in the kitchen, Nicolay wrote on the restaurants website. Its more like telling a painter after 20 years that there are another 10 colors he has never used.

Ordering is definitely not complicated. You choose between the mushroom plate for two, or a chefs choice menu with up to five courses.

That may not sound special, but theres a bonus. Visitors can see the mushroom cultivation cellar through a small glass tile in the dining room floor.

We felt comfortable letting Nicolay surprise us and chose the three-course chefs choice menu. We were not disappointed.

Without delay, kitchen staff got us started with a vegan pesto spread and gluten-free bread followed by a sizable appetizer of scrumptious Nicolachs, smoked carrot slices loosely inspired by the flavors of smoked salmon, served with crispy potato pancakes and a nondairy spiced mustard creme and side salad.

The entree was a delicately spiced golden flaxseed-and-lentil fritter with polenta, homegrown shiitake and herb mushrooms atop a savory vegetable jus reduction.

The flavors of the mushrooms and broth-based jus were so satisfying that we had no doubt even meat lovers would enjoy it.

As the name implies, Die Weinstube also serves an assortment of carefully selected regional wines. Viticulture-savvy vegans know that many wineries use production methods that include animal-derived processing aids to bind and remove unwanted substances from the grapes. No need to worry about that here, though.

For those who like a bit more control over their menu choices, the more casual Sonnenuhr (Sundial) Cafe is next door.

The cafe offers seasonal salads customizable with the home-grown mushrooms, falafel and potato wedges. Entrees include animal-friendly twists on German classics such as a schnitzel made from lupin and seitan, spelt-based steaks and vegan burgers.

Finally, the hotel bakery offers vegan cakes, gluten-free goodies and ice cream. We closed our meal with a vegan chocolate mousse with tonka beans and a cherry-vanilla sauce.

We paired our dessert with delicious cow-free cappuccinos topped with firmly whipped milk foam, available in soy or oat options, that beat any whole milk rival.

While we stopped for a late lunch, Die Weinstube is great for a night out. And the Sonnenuhrs sunlit dining room and outside terrace seating offer a great daytime stop on a bike tour, hike or drive along the river.

The entire hotel follows an animal-friendly concept. All rooms are down-free, cleaning materials are not tested on animals and rooms can be booked to include a breakfast featuring vegan sausage, cheese, honey, muesli and fresh fruit and vegetables.

So strict are the Nicolays standards that last year the hotel placed first on a list of vegan-friendly hotels in Germany and Europe compiled by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The commitment to veganism does not mean that guests miss out, however. The accommodations include a wellness spa, an indoor pool and three saunas, among other creature comforts.

For my wife and me, the visit was worry-free delight, and well most certainly be back for another gourmet treat.

Die Weinstube and Restaurant Sonnenuhr at Hotel Nicolay 1881

Address: Uferallee 7, Zeltingen 54492

Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 6:15p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, noon-2:30 p.m. and 6:15-9:30 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Prices: In the wine bar section, entrees menu items range from the 28-euro mushroom plate for two, to 54 euros for the five-course surprise menu. Menu items at Sonnenuhr vary from no-meat burgers at 9.50 euros to the no-meat steak entree at 16.50 euros. The restaurant features a full drink menu and changing wine list.

English menu: Available on request.

Information: Online: hotel-nicolay.de and facebook.com/Weinstubevegan; email: info@hotel-nicolay.de; phone: 06532-93910.
A shrine in Japan's Tokushima Prefecture has about 10,000 beckoning cats on its grounds, drawing in not only cat lovers, but many students hoping to pass their exams.

What blessings does the shrine offer? And why are there so many cat statues at the shrine in the first place?

The legend of a ghost cat lays at the heart of the shrine's origin.

Omatsu Daigongen Shrine is in Anan, Tokushima Prefecture, an about 50-minute drive from Tokushima City along a mountain road.

A 6-foot-tall beckoning cat greeted me at the side of the main gate.

I followed cat footprints carved into the stone pathway and was suddenly struck by the feeling I had heard a cat meowing somewhere. Maybe it was just my imagination.

Beckoning cats are not the only cat statues on the grounds. There is a cat statue near the main hall said to heal any illness if you stroke the same part of the cat's body as where the illness lies in your own body.

Stone statues of unique cats line the paths in the shrine. The seven deities of good fortune also have a cat motif, each donning adorable smiles. A Buddha statue is modeled after the cat, with a face of indifference. There is also the Fudo Myoo -- one of the Buddhist deities -- cat statue with a graceful air to it.

It was as if the shrine could not decide between Buddhism and Shinto, but such a mixture of beliefs has been common since ancient times in Japan.

A woman named Omatsu from the Tokugawa Shogunate era in the 17th century was enshrined here following a mysterious story from that time.

There was a village near the shrine suffering from a poor harvest. The leader of the village was named Sobee, the husband of Omatsu. In an attempt to save everyone in the village, Sobee borrowed money from local millionaire Nogami Sanzaemon, using his own rice fields as collateral. Sobee returned the money, but could not get testimony from Sanzaemon that he had, and then Sobee died of illness.

Sanzaemon insisted the money had not been returned, and Sobee's rice fields were confiscated.

Omatsu appealed to the local magistrate's office, but the magistrate did not listen to her after having received a bribe from Sanzaemon.

Omatsu then appealed directly to the lord of the Tokushima domain. However, at that time, such a direct complaint was illegal and punishable by death, no matter the reason. Omatsu was thus executed along with her calico cat.

After that, a ghost cat appeared around Sanzaemon and the magistrate, followed by the mysterious deaths of their family members. Both houses eventually disappeared.

Local people said it was a curse brought on by Omatsu and her cat, and they built a shrine to worship a cat statue as the incarnation of Omatsu.

The legend became widely known, and Omatsu became the god of victory since she had ultimately triumphed over the villains. The shrine became crowded with people who wished to win, too, and pass examinations.

The shrine has a custom wherein visitors who make a wish take home one of the beckoning cat statues found there. When their wish is fulfilled, the person must then return the statue and buy another one to dedicate to the shrine and leave it there. This tradition has led to more and more beckoning cat statues at the shrine.

"The line of beckoning cats is spectacular. I hope many people will visit us when they want to win against themselves and others," said Hiroshi Asegawa, the 11th head of the shrine. "I hope visitors will feel the presence of Omatsu, who so strongly believed in justice."

Visitors can buy several types of beckoning cats for 700 yen-10,000 yen at the shrine's office, as well as amulets for 350 yen-1000 yen featuring cats and Omatsu. There are also ema, a wooden tablet on which you write your wish, for 800 yen-1200 yen.

If you are lucky, you may also be able to meet Asegawa's beloved cats, Tora and Fuku.
Last month, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom celebrated her 70th year on the throne. She is the first monarch of the nation to serve this long.

For the rest of the year, there will be ceremonies marking this important anniversary in Britain, the Commonwealth and elsewhere around the world.

Britain played a pivotal role in World War II, when the Anglo-American Special Relationship was truly forged. The alliance between President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill was the centerpiece.

At home in Britain, Churchill and King George VI developed a close partnership, vital to national unity in a desperate struggle. Then-Princess Elizabeth worked driving a truck during the war.

Ceremonies are important, and here the British excel. Their monarch has residual ruling powers, including the formality of actually appointing the government following a general election or other, sometimes unanticipated political shakeup.

In the 1960s, Elizabeths husband Prince Philip spoke at UCLA, greeted by an Army ROTC student honor guard that included me. He arrived in a closed Rolls-Royce so enormous that he stood before exiting. Philip shook hands and talked with us young men, a classy, kind gesture.

The public role of the queen or king may be primarily symbolic. Nonetheless, that can become important in a time of national crisis or tragedy, especially war.

Britains government, after the 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union, embarked on a complicated, painful effort to do so. In contrast to the heroic, historic stand against Nazi Germany, this bizarre ordeal became more like Alice in Wonderland.

Today, the Russian invasion of Ukraine returns attention to the importance of NATO, and especially our military collaboration with Britain. The British have demonstrated expertise in warfare, in particular limited and unconventional warfare. Examples of success in the last century include the Falkland Islands, Kenya, Malaya, Northern Ireland, among others.

Over four centuries ago, namesake Queen Elizabeth I was forcefully in charge of the British Isles. Those were brutal times, when losing a power struggle could cost your life. That Elizabeth modernized Britain, managing Parliament with prudent skill. She stabilized politics following the tumultuous reign of her father Henry VIII. She confirmed influence in Europe, effectively balancing the nations of that continent.

Today, the Crown and Parliament have subtly complementary roles. Walter Bagehot, longtime editor of the influential weekly magazine The Economist, described the situation brilliantly, with enduring insight.

The world has changed greatly since Bagehots analysis appeared in 1867. However, his fundamental insight remains very valid today. Parliament handles the practical efficient functions of governing while the monarchy handles the largely ceremonial dignified functions. Americans can envy the lack of an imperial presidency there.

Fundamentally important is that the British, unlike the Americans, have no written constitution. Parliament is effectively supreme, though the nation in October 2009 did formally establish an American-style Supreme Court.

The important ceremonial functions address the collective emotions of the people at large regarding government. In the 1930s, King Edward VIII generated great controversy when he wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, an expatriate American. In that different, earlier time, the fact that she was not British generated extensive public attention and debate. She also had been divorced twice. In general, notoriety followed her.

Vastly more important, Edward was sympathetic to Nazi Germany, as well as being personally extremely eccentric and unstable. Adolf Hitler and others at the top of the Nazi regime in Germany considered him a strategic asset, eventually to help control Britain in a conquered Europe. Finally, Edward abdicated to marry his American.

History underscores the importance of Britains Royal Family. Russias invasion of Ukraine reinforces the Special Relationship. Nothing fake about these realities.

Learn more: Walter Bagehot, The English Constitution, and the film The Darkest Hour.

Arthur I. Cyr is author of After the Cold War.
U.S. forces were inadequately defended and military officials failed to recognize potential threats before a 2020 al-Shabab raid on their base in Kenya left three Americans dead, top Pentagon officials said Thursday in detailing two damning probes into the incident.

The U.S. militarys security force charged with protecting the tiny Cooperative Security Location Manda Bay on Kenyas coast were insufficiently prepared for their mission, troops were not aware of intelligence they could be targeted, and problems with mission command contributed to failed security at the post, an Army command investigation and a subsequent independent probe of the incident ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin found. Though several service members were ultimately punished for negligence in connection with that attack, investigating officials found the deaths were primarily the result of the complex attack launched by well-trained enemy forces.

The proximate cause of the death of three U.S. citizens, injuries to three other U.S. citizens, and the loss of U.S. aircraft and property was the attack by a massed force of determined, disciplined and well-resourced al-Shabab fighters, said Army Gen. Paul Funk, the commander of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command whom Austin hand-picked last April to lead the independent review. No single point of failure directly caused the loss of life and damage to the property at Manda Bay.

Austin ordered the independent review of the incident after the Army investigation was completed to take a closer look at the security for U.S. troops in Manda Bay and other locations in Africa. The final report is dated Nov. 29, 2021, but the Pentagon only released its findings Thursday.

Funk said those findings  the result of nearly a year of work by 11 senior officers and noncommissioned officers  largely mirrored those found in the Army probe. However, Funk ordered administrative punishment for several service members  ranging from junior enlisted to senior officers  whom he found negligent in their actions or inactions leading up to or during the incident.

The Jan. 5, 2020, attack by some 30 to 40 al-Shabab fighters  al-Qaidas Somalia-based affiliate  on Manda Bay and nearby Camp Simba marked the second deadliest attack on the American military in Africa in decades. In 2017, four U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush by militants in Niger that the Pentagon found was also at least partially the result of training and command failures.

At Manda Bay, Army Spc. Henry Mayfield Jr., 23, and two Defense Department pilot contractors, Dustin Harrison and Bruce Triplett, were killed early in the attack, Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, who leads U.S. Africa Command, said Thursday. Two additional U.S. troops, another American contractor and a Kenyan soldier were all injured in the fighting. Seven aircraft were also destroyed in the assault.

Townsend, who ordered the Army probe and admitted there were security shortcomings in Africa to lawmakers mere days after the attack, said his command had already worked to implement extensive steps meant to bolster troops security at Manda Bay and across the continent.

Among them, Townsend and other senior military officers detailed Thursday, are new mission-specific training requirements for security forces deploying to Africa, hardening physical defenses at bases, an increased rate of security inspections, enhanced intelligence gathering and sharing, and an increase in the size of security forces at bases in Africa. At Manda Bay, troops have worked to clear vegetation and other obstructions to provide security forces a 360-degree view of the bases surroundings and installed a single commander in charge of all operations at the post, officials said.

The attack

The force of al-Shabab fighters snuck up unnoticed on CSL-Manda Bay and nearby Camp Simba, a smaller encampment housing Marines, before dawn Jan. 5, 2020, as Mayfield and another soldier drove a small truck down Manda Bays runway to clear it of animals, the investigations found.

Al-Shabab fighters launched 10 mortar rounds into Camp Simba almost at the exact time that Mayfield and the other soldier noticed something hiding in bushes just off the road. The mortar attack, which neither injured anyone nor caused any damage, was determined to be an effort to distract from the impending attack on Manda Bay, according to investigators.

Mayfield and the other soldier moved toward the bushes, assuming they would need to chase off a hyena or another animal. By the time they realized they were being ambushed, it was too late, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Basham, the deputy command for U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa and one of the investigating officers.

The enemy fighters quickly launched two rocket-propelled grenades into Mayfields truck. The first struck but did not explode. The second penetrated the drivers side door, exploding and killing Mayfield instantly, Basham said.

The fighters then turned their RPGs toward the King Air B350 U.S. contractor plane that Harrison and Triplett were taxiing down the runway within moments of takeoff, Basham said. The plane was struck with RPG and rifle fire. It caught fire, killing the two pilots, while a third U.S. contractor escaped.

The aircraft came to rest on the side of the runway, and it was assessed that the pilots purposely steered the aircraft off the runway to keep it free for future operations, Basham said.

Townsend labeled all three men killed that day heroes, vowing their deaths would not be in vain because the military had improved its security on bases in Africa since the attack.

No other Americans died after the opening clash of the battle, and after hours of fighting, American and Kenyan forces repelled the al-Shabab fighters, the probe found. At least six enemy fighters were killed in the battle.

Punishments

Top Pentagon officials declined Thursday to detail the punishments handed out as the result of Funks investigation. The general said he found no one was guilty of criminal conduct in connection with the incident, and all the punishments were administrative in nature  meaning they could range from a letter of reprimand to cuts in pay or rank reduction.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the services top spokesman, said he would not provide further information about those punished due to privacy considerations. The Associated Press reported eight individuals were punished, but defense officials declined Thursday to confirm that information. None of the punished were general officers, according to the AP.

Adverse actions have been taken, and decisions regarding performance evaluations, decorations, unfavorable information files, and control rosters were made, Ryder said in a statement. These actions can affect the individuals career in terms of promotion eligibility, reenlistment, and assignments.

While Austin deemed the punishments appropriate, military officials cautioned repeatedly Thursday that the culprits should not be solely blamed for the deaths of Mayfield, Harrison and Triplett.

In the end, though, while some individuals could and should have done better, the negligence of the individuals identified in the review was not the cause of the losses suffered in the attack, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Tom Wilcox, one of the lead investigators for the Army probe. Although [their actions] may well have made the airfield more vulnerable.
The U.S is willing to relax economic pressure on Venezuela depending on the outcome of upcoming talks between President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition, according to a senior Biden administration official.

The comments indicate President Joe Biden wants to see progress toward restoring democratic governance before allowing Venezuela to increase oil exports to the U.S. amid a global supply crunch triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

A U.S. delegation informed Venezuelan officials of its position during a rare meeting Saturday, the senior administration official told reporters on a conference call. American officials discussed the release of two American political prisoners and urged Maduro to return to the negotiations with opposition leaders.

Discussions about the oil trade are happening on a broader level and U.S. officials did not commit to any relaxation of sanctions, nor did they agree to a quid pro quo involving sanctions relief for the prisoners release, the official said.

Days after the meeting, Maduro released former Citgo executive Gustavo Cardenas, a U.S. citizen, and Jorge Fernandez, a Cuban-American. The Venezuelan leader on Monday said that the format talks with the opposition, which began last year in Mexico and have have been suspended for months, should be reconsidered.

Venezuela has been under economic and oil sanctions since 2019, when the U.S. and other nations recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the countrys legitimate president following allegations of election rigging. The White Houses re-engagement with the Maduro government comes as its seeking to woo Russias allies in the Western Hemisphere following Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

Any move to resume imports of Venezuelan oil would rile Biden critics, who have accused him of seeking oil from U.S. adversaries instead of strengthening domestic production. The U.S., in theory at least, still regards Guaido as Venezuelas rightful leader and has accused the Maduro government of human rights violations and provoking a humanitarian crisis.

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, plans to introduce a bill this week that would ban U.S. imports of oil from Venezuela and Iran.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and a Biden ally, urged the president not to resume oil shipments from Venezuela.

Nicolas Maduro is a cancer to our hemisphere and we should not breathe new life into his reign of torture and murder, Menendez Monday said in a statement.

U.S. policy regarding Venezuela is likely to come up during a meeting at the White House on Thursday between Biden and President Ivan Duque of Colombia. His government has expressed concern over the U.S. overture to Caracas. Duque on Wednesday labeled Maduro a war criminal.
WASHINGTON  As the U.S. works to deepen relationships in the Indo-Pacific region, some House lawmakers on Wednesday questioned Indias readiness to partner with the U.S. against China due to its longstanding ties with Russia.

Indias decision to abstain from last weeks vote at the U.N. on a resolution condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine worried some lawmakers who said the U.S. will need to foster strong cooperation with India and other countries in the region to counter a rapidly modernizing Chinese military.

Its shocking that such a great country has abstained on the issue of the mass murder in Ukraine, said Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C. It just seems so unnatural. The relationship with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be with the United States, not in any way associated with the megalomaniac [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.

Britains foreign minister Liz Truss linked Indias abstention in the U.N. to its economic and security dependence on Russia, which has long supplied India with the majority of its weapons, according to a Reuters report.

A Pentagon official testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday assured lawmakers that India is diversifying its arms purchases away from Russia and is moving in the right direction.

From the U.S. perspective, India is absolutely an essential partner, said Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs.

India's "complicated history and relationship" with Russia poses challenges, he said, but "they are manageable.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., urged U.S. commanders and the Defense Department to make clear to India that the U.S. would be a better ally than Russia against Chinese aggression. When skirmishes broke out in 2020 at the Line of Actual Control, a demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory, the U.S. provided intelligence and other support to India, according to Ratner.

As an Indian-American, Im perplexed why India is unwilling to condemn Putins unprovoked aggression into Ukraine, Khanna said. We really need to press India not to be as dependent on Russian defense and to be willing to condemn Putin's aggression in Ukraine, just like we would condemn Chinese aggression beyond the Line of Control.

As the worlds largest democracy, India is one of the most important strategic relationships for the U.S. in its quest to meet Chinas rising power and counter North Koreas missile development, Ratner said. The U.S. began fostering maritime ties with India after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and later formed an informal Indo-Pacific security group with India, Australia and Japan called the Quad.

Two U.S. commanders, Army Gen. Paul LaCamera and Adm. John Aquilino, testified Wednesday about the value of the group along with other partnerships that are bolstering U.S. security interests in the region.

The historical military alliance between the U.S. and South Korea remains a lynchpin of regional stability but there is concern that South Koreas significant economic association with China could eventually drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington, LaCamera, commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea, told lawmakers during the hearing.

To strengthen ties with India and South Korea, the U.S. is providing space, cybersecurity and intelligence assistance to India and helping South Koreas military with additional training, LaCamera said. The U.S. is also looking to enhance its relationships with the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, said Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Much of the evolving U.S. partnerships are concentrated on improving cybersecurity and establishing secure lines of communication, Ratner said. Chinas penetration of networks in the region is quite severe, he said.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., cautioned Pentagon officials on Wednesday that Chinese investments in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, drones and other technology could soon outmatch the capabilities of the U.S. military.

This is the fight of the future, he said.

The commanders on Wednesday acknowledged the Pentagon absolutely needs to move faster on innovation and advanced technology. Aquilino said he wants to see better integrated radar imaging systems for ballistic missile defense and asked lawmakers to support a defense system on Guam for hypersonic weapons and other threats.

Guams strategic importance is difficult to overstate, Aquilino said. The area in the Indo-Pacific is expansive, half the globe and lot of it water. To be able to posture forces in places that matter, we have focused on Guam as a strategic hub.

The Defense Department is also focusing on providing defense capabilities to Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own, Ratner said.

Lawmakers drew comparisons between Chinas ambitions to retake Taiwan and Russias invasion of Ukraine, a fellow former Soviet republic.

We can easily see the China-Taiwan situation in the same way we now see the Russia-Ukraine situation, said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., chairman of the committee. We need to constantly remind China that that is not the way global powers are supposed to behave  Having a robust U.S. presence in the region lets China know that that is not an acceptable or doable option.
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  The U.S. military has agreed to help fight raging wildfires in the mountains of South Koreas eastern coast after a formal request from Seoul.

The Armys 2nd Infantry Division will send UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, according to a statement from the command Wednesday evening. Around five U.S. helicopters are expected to be deployed, South Koreas Ministry of Defense said in a separate statement.

South Korea has been battling several wildfires since March 4. The blaze the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade will assist in controlling began in Uljin County and had burned nearly 57,400 acres of woodland as of Thursday afternoon, according to a Ministry of the Interior and Safety official speaking on condition of anonymity, which is customary in South Korea.

The helicopters are capable of scooping up hundreds of gallons of water and spreading it over the blaze using a large container known as a Bambi Bucket. More than 50 members of the aviation brigade are expected to assist.

The command agreed to support South Koreas firefighting efforts without hesitation, 2nd ID spokesman Lt. Col. Ryan Donald said in an email Thursday.

The safety of the Korean people is [2nd IDs] primary concern as this fire continues, he said. Our small contribution to the firefighting efforts continues to show we are not just here as part of the warfighting alliance; it reaffirms our commitment to our [South Korean] partners.

The 2nd ID has been tapped to assist with wildfires in the past. In 2019, at least four helicopters were sent to fight blazes in the mountains of Gangwon Province, near the border with North Korea.

Over 1,600 South Korean service members and 48 helicopters have been mobilized to combat the fires as of Thursday morning, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.

About 80% of the wildfires had been extinguished as of Thursday afternoon, according to the Interior and Safety official. Hundreds of homes and other buildings have been destroyed, displacing thousands of residents.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited the sites on Sunday and promised financial aid to those who were affected, according to a statement from the presidential Blue House.
The Iceman had his hand on the ejection handle and was ready to punch out after an engine fire broke out on his F-4 Phantom flying with afterburners shortly after takeoff.

But this was no scene from the 1986 blockbuster film Top Gun.

Former Navy flight surgeon Deniz Tek, 69, of Hawaii, was the Iceman before actor Val Kilmer made a character with the same call sign legendary.

The flying doctor grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he listened to rock bands like The Stooges and The Rolling Stones, he told Stars and Stripes by phone in February. In 1972, he moved to Sydney, Australia, to study medicine at the University of New South Wales and started playing in local bands.

From 1974 to 1978, he played high-energy rock guitar in Radio Birdman, which amassed a cult following and was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2007.

After returning to the United States, Tek joined the Navy in 1981 as a flight surgeon, flying in the back seat of F-4 Phantom jets with Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 212 and 232 out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

His link to Top Gun, whose sequel, Top Gun Maverick, opens in theaters in May, goes back to research the filmmakers did with the Marine Corps, Tek said.

They sent a team to our squadron and stayed with us for two weeks and took notes and photographs and spoke to us, he said. I interacted with them.

A year later, Top Gun was released featuring Kilmer in the role of Lt. Tom Iceman Kazansky, a rival of Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise.

Photographs of Tek from his time in service show him with flight helmets bearing his Iceman call sign.

Its been an urban myth that the character is based on Tek, he said.

One of his old pals, Phil Dust Peterson, a retired Marine AH-1 Cobra helicopter pilot, was certain that Iceman was based on Tek.

The characters seem so similar, Peterson, 72, of Falconer, N.Y., told Stars and Stripes by phone March 3. He was even more intense than the movie Iceman.

However, one of the films screenwriters, Jack Epps Jr., told Stars and Stripes that the character isnt based on a real person.

No, the character was not based on any individual, he said in a March 4 email.

Epps said he researched Top Gun from 1982 to 1983 at what was then called Naval Air Station Miramar, Calif. He said he flew in the backseat of an F-5 Tiger fighter and interviewed many pilots but cant recall meeting anyone with the Iceman call sign.

My partner (Top Gun co-writer Jim Cash) and I decided not to use any existing call signs and created original call signs, Epps wrote. We did not want to base characters on individuals since there could be legal rights issues.

An exception was a tribute to the films technical adviser, a Navy fighter pilot Pete Pettigrew whose call sign was Viper.

Pettigrew, a former Navy rear admiral and Vietnam veteran, flew 325 combat missions in Southeast Asia, according to a Dec. 11, 2014, San Diego Union Tribute story.

Out of respect for Pete, we named the [commanding officer] of Top Gun Viper, Epps said. The role was played by Tom Skerritt.

The Maverick call sign was invented to describe the characters attributes, Epps recalled.

Iceman was created as an opposite to the rules breaking Maverick, he said. Iceman was calm, unemotional and deadly under fire. The names helped define the characters and also showed how they were so different.

Navy and Marine aviators are given call signs on their first operational deployment, Tek said.

They have a meeting of the call sign committee, and they give the new guys their call signs, he said. You cant change it. It becomes your call sign for your career.

Iceman refers to Teks failure to laugh at jokes that were repeated over and over by his comrades, he said.

I got a reputation for not having a great sense of humor, which is wrong, because I do, he said.

Most of his flying was routine, Tek said, but on one mission flying from Kaneohe Bay in late 1984, his F-4 Phantom was on full afterburner when an explosion rocked the jet.

We had an engine fire, and I had my hand on the ejection handle and ready to get us both out of there, he said. But we went through our emergency checklist and pulled all the relative circuit breakers, and the fire went out and we were still flying.

The Phantom had a large black hole billowing smoke in front of the engine but it limped back to base and landed safely after burning up most of its fuel, Tek said.

After leaving the Navy in 1989, the former lieutenant commander worked in emergency medicine and continued his music career. These days hes living on Hawaii, where he grows coffee on a small farm.

Up until COVID hit I had been doing 50 to 60 shows a year, he said. Im still recording. I have a new solo album called Long Before Day coming out that was recorded in Montana.

Top Gun Maverick is a film Tek plans to see.

Any time you get to see airplanes in a movie is good, he said.
(Tribune News Service)  The war in Ukraine is having spillover effects that threaten harmony in the Pacific region, defense officials told members of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

Lawmakers said they were worried that Russias invasion of Ukraine could embolden China to do the same in Taiwan.

Adm. John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call.

China, he said, has launched the largest military buildup that weve seen since World War II and aspires to regional dominance, adding: We need to be more robust.

Still, Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said the unified response of the United States and European allies to the Russian invasion has sent a powerful message.

Ratner called it an important signal to potential aggressors in the Pacific, adding that some of the economic measures that the United States and others have been willing to take to raise costs on Russia in this instance is also an important lesson.

At the same time, Ratner said the conflict in Ukraine underscores the importance of Taiwan developing its own defensive capabilities.

Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., noted that the Ukraine conflict could destabilize the Pacific region in other ways. For example, Ukraine exports 50 million metric tons of corn and wheat a year, and more than a quarter of that ends up in the Pacific region.

We need to be doing some type of analysis of what the political and economic disruptions look like when that food is no longer hitting the global supply, he said.

Meanwhile, Russia, even as it invaded Ukraine, has increased its force posture in the Pacific, introducing another destabilizing factor in the region, Aquilino said.

They pushed out 20 ships and submarines as we can count. They placed them in defensive positions, he said. They postured other forces to defend their eastern flank.

Pacific deterrence initiative

Washington Democrat Adam Smith, the panels chairman, noted that Congress created a Pacific Deterrence Initiative in the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act aimed at keeping the peace in the region.

Its modeled after the European Deterrence Initiative, which has provided more than $26 billion in military aid to eastern European allies and partners, including Ukraine. But the Pentagon did not prioritize the Pacific Deterrence Initiative in its budget proposal, much to the annoyance of many committee members.

I think its fair to say that the departments budget request for fiscal year 2022 did not meet congressional intent with respect to PDI. I believe that weve made the necessary corrections, and I expect that the fiscal year 2023 budget request for PDI will align more closely with congressional intent, Smith said.

The fiscal 2022 omnibus appropriations bill now pending in Congress does aim significant funding at the region. The bill provides nearly $1.4 billion, including $550 million to accelerate an Indo-Pacific Command missile tracking satellite demonstration. In the military construction section of the funding bill, theres $474 million specifically set aside for Pacific Deterrence Initiative.

___

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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
North Koreas test launch of two missiles in recent weeks were part of its effort to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile system and likely means more tests to come, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Both of the missiles North Korea fired on Feb. 26 and March 4 flew less than 200 miles before landing in the ocean. The tests were part of a series of nine launches by the communist regime, so far, this year.

The purpose of these tests, which did not demonstrate ICBM range, was likely to evaluate this new system before conducting a test at full range in the future, potentially disguised as a space launch, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement.

The Pentagons conclusion was based on analysis by the U.S. government, Kirby said, but offered no further details about how or by whom the analysis was conducted.

North Korean state media reported a day after the February launch that it was an important test of great significance in developing a reconnaissance satellite.

But the nation, long an international pariah, has offered little more on the nature of the launches.

While [North Korea] chose not to publicize information on the systems involved in these launches, the United States is revealing this information publicly and sharing it with other allies and partners because we believe that the international community must speak in a united voice to oppose the further development and proliferation of such weapons by the DPRK, Kirby said.

The launches violate numerous resolutions by the U.N. Security Council.

The tests needlessly raise tensions and risk destabilizing the security situation in the region, Kirby said.

The U.N. has sanctioned North Korea multiple times over the past two decades in response to its nuclear and missile testing.

The ICBM missile system now being tested was first unveiled in October 2020 during a Workers Party of Korea parade, Kirby said.

The pair of recent launches signals that Pyongyang intends to conduct a satellite launch via a space launch vehicle, according to an analysis by Vann H. Van Diepen published Wednesday on the 38 North blog.

The range and altitude demonstrated in the launches indicate that, if fired on a traditional ballistic missile trajectory, the boosters could have delivered a payload to a range of about [808 miles] making them [medium-range ballistic missiles], wrote Van Diepen, who served as U.S. national intelligence officer for weapons of mass destruction and proliferation from 2006 to 2009.

38 North is a North Korea-monitoring website run by the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C.

A new satellite launch would be North Koreas first since 2016, Van Diepen wrote, and such a test could make technical contributions to North Koreas ICBM capability, although the extent would depend on the characteristics of the booster and the details of the launch.

Kirby said the U.S. will continue to coordinate with allies and partners in addressing threats posed by North Korea and to advance our shared objective of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
A new pro-Russian symbol is emerging as the nation continues its assault on Ukraine. The insignia is bold, recognizable, and, importantly, according to some analysts, can be painted with one stroke: the letter Z.

It first caught the worlds attention when it was spotted on military vehicles clustered along the Russian border with Ukraine, in the days ahead of the invasion that began on Feb. 24.

But its since been appearing across Russia: Spray-painted on buildings, printed on T-shirts, plastered on billboards and brushed on tanks. Even children are forming Z-shaped lines at schools. Experts say it has quickly become a distinctive symbol of support of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Although the symbol has been officially promoted by the military, and some experts say it appears to be a state-directed, they also say there is no way yet to know its origins for sure.

Who is using the Z symbol, and how?

Experts and social media users have speculated on the meaning of the Z, as well as other letters, including O, X, A and V, that have appeared on Russian tanks, sometimes framed by squares, triangles and other painted shapes. Some have suggested it is an official way to delineate infantries or identify enemies from allies.

But the letter Z of the Latin alphabet  which does not exist in the Cyrillic Russian alphabet  has been deployed beyond the military, pointing at what some experts say is a state-led effort to ramp up support for the war.

Several videos shared on social media last week showed what appeared to be flash mobs of young protesters dancing amid a pool of Russian flags and wearing black T-shirts with the Z.

The letter has also been painted on large apartment blocks and posted on advertising signs in major cities. In St. Petersburg, one billboard featured a large Z in black and orange stripes, accompanied by the words, We dont give up our own.

The slogan referred to Russian President Vladimir Putins official line that the invasions aim is to liberate and de-Nazify Ukraine, an independent nation led by a democratically elected Jewish president.

An image widely shared online showed children at a hospice in Kazan, the capital of the republic of Tatarstan, in western Russia, lined up in the shape of a Z in the snowy courtyard and raising their right hands in a fist. Several schools have also posted images of children standing in a Z formation.

Photos published by the Associated Press from a pro-military rally in Volgograd, show cars parked to form the shape of a Z. Others show stickers on car windows featuring an orange and black Z with the message For Ours in support of Russian forces.

Various public figures and government officials have also appropriated the symbol.

The governor of the Siberian region of Kuzbass, Sergei Tsivilyov, announced that he was changing the spelling of its name to add a capital Z in the middle.

Twenty-year-old gymnast Ivan Kuliak taped a white Z shape on his chest on the podium while receiving his bronze medal this week at an international competition in Qatar. And Maria Butina, a member of the Russian parliament who was convicted in the United States for being an unregistered foreign agent for Russia, posted a video of herself drawing a white Z on the lapel of her jacket.

While the symbol has been gaining traction over the past week, so too have antiwar protests in Russia and other places denouncing the war, even in the face of a clampdown on critics. About 58% of Russians approve of the invasion of Ukraine, while 23% oppose it, according to a survey conducted across Russia by independent polling groups last week.

What does the Z mean?

It was initially suggested the Latin letter Z was a Russian military symbol. But in recent days it has spread, and other theories about its meaning have emerged.

The Russian Defense Ministry over the past week has posted a string of graphics with the Z on Instagram  the first such case, alongside the phrase beginning with a Z: Za pobedu, or For victory. And later, For peace and For truth.

Many of the images coming out of Russia show an orange-and-black Z, the same colors found in a ribbon tied to the Order of Saint George, the highest battlefield award in Imperial Russia. It was established in 1769.

The color combination was also the informal symbol of the Soviet Unions victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, The Washington Post reported, and was later widely used in 2014 by separatists as a way to show allegiance to Moscow during Russias annexation of Crimea.

The St. George ribbons are ubiquitous in Russia, particularly in the weeks ahead of the Victory Day celebration on May 9. They have served as a powerful and effective unifying symbol under Putin, tying together support for the state and the countrys historic contribution to the defeat of fascism.

Maria Snegovaya, a scholar of Russias domestic and foreign policy, argued the orange-and-black Z creates a link between the ongoing invasion and celebrations of the victory of World War II, which she said is understood as the historic Russian fight against the West, while bolstering the idea of Russia being historically the winner.

Its important for Putin to create this connection and build this quasi-ideology, which is not really well developed but it is definitely shaping  and whether it is successful remains to be seen, she told The Post.

The larger meaning of Z

As the symbol appears to be everywhere in Russia, experts say it has now become potent, intended to show a united Russia in times of war.

In this sense, the Z became a symbol of a new Russian ideology and national identity, said Kamil Galeev, a former Wilson Center fellow who researched Russian identity politics from Moscow, in a long Twitter thread.

But experts like Galeev and others, argue its sudden use among many Russians follows a state-organized propaganda campaign to rally support, or at least create the impression to the outside world that Russian people stand behind the invasion.

It is clearly propagated by and organized by the state with the purpose of creating a sense of broad public support for the invasion, said Henry Hale, a professor of political science and International Affairs at George Washington University.

Hale added these symbols can be powerful tools for authoritarian regimes, like Russia which in this case is promoting something simple, visible, adaptable, versatile and that way, it can take on a life of its own, while creating the impression of broad support for the regime.

But such efforts can also be used to influence and coerce others into embracing the regimes policies  or at least pretend to, said Hale, who specializes in Russian and Ukrainian politics.

If many people see many others displaying symbols, it puts pressure on other people to show the same kind of support, to stay in the good graces of the regime, not run into trouble with neighbors and to adopt the socially desirable position.

Alexei Yurchak, an anthropologist at University of California, Berkeley studying post-Soviet Russia and Eastern Europe, argued the fact that this is a new symbol never used before endows it with even more power.

Everyone can easily draw it. They can endow it with all sorts of different meanings . . . And no one quite knows whether its true or not, he said, adding that there is no real meaning of the symbol.

Some people have connected it to the fictional character of Zorro, the avenging vigilante fighting to protect the common people. Or For Victory. Or Zapad, the Russian word for West. Or the St. Georges ribbon symbolizing heroism and resistance.

The real meaning is all of those meanings, Yurchak said. It becomes that the multivalence of these meanings is the strength of the symbol.

____

The Washington Posts Jonathan Edwards contributed to this report.
RAMSTEIN, Germany  Private donations collected at Ramstein Air Base have reached desperate but determined Ukrainians fighting for their survival against invading Russian forces.

Viktoria Shevchuk, 38, was among a group of volunteers sorting through boxes Wednesday at a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Dubno, a city about 250 miles west of the capital, Kyiv.

Shevchuk and Evgeniya Cole, who helped organize the donation drive last week at Ramstein, are former classmates who grew up in Dubno. Through Cole, Shevchuk requested supplies for the thousands of civilians in the town who have stayed behind to help the war effort.

A team of volunteers on base raised nearly $6,800, which was used to purchase basic items for civilians and volunteer fighters in Ukraine, Shevchuk said.

Cole, who works at the base housing office and is married to a U.S. serviceman, said the Ramstein community had shown tremendous support, from sorting and loading boxes to collecting donations at drop-off points.

A tractor-trailer nearly filled with boxes left Ramstein on Saturday, Cole said.

Shevchuk drove all day Tuesday to pick up the donations, returning to Dubno about midnight, she said. The plan now is to get the items to those who need them by whatever means possible, even if the journey is perilous.

Among the items from Ramstein that will go to volunteers in areas under attack are sleeping bags, floor mats, painkillers, portable kitchenware and first-aid kits, Shevchuk said.

They need things to help them survive in the cold, things they can immediately use in the field, Shevchuk said.

But she added that they still need more tactical supplies, such as protective vests and helmets, camouflage clothing, boots, night-vision goggles and tourniquets. After two weeks of war, local businesses and organizations who have supplied volunteers are running low on resources, Shevchuk said.

A lot of people are staying put  trying to find a way to contribute to the cause, she said.

Those who signed up for service after the war began are protecting Europe with their lives, she said, adding that no one can say whether Russia will advance beyond Ukraine.

Strollers, diapers, nonperishable snacks and clothing for women and children were also among the donations from Ramstein. A volunteer charity group was distributing some of the items Thursday in Rivne, a city of about 245,000 in western Ukraine.

Shevchuk said the recipients are very grateful for all the assistance as they try to keep up their spirits and do whatever it is they can to help Ukrainians win.

Cole said one more van with donations will likely go out soon. Shes waiting on five boxes of diapers being shipped from Spangdahlem Air Base, and shes also received more donated medications.

The priest at the Dubno church where the Ramstein donations were taken, Father Vasiliy, said that in addition to being the distribution hub in Ukraine for various collections of donated items, the church is also taking in refugees.

He said the whole of Russia is to blame for the plight of Ukrainians and the tide of more than 2 million people who have fled to Europe so far.

All of what Russia is doing goes beyond the bounds of humanity, he said. And that applies not just to the Russian government and the Russian military, but to the entire Russian citizenry as well.

Stars and Stripes reporter David Edwards contributed to this report.
WARSAW, Poland  Justina Dziwicka was not yet born when Poland shed the shackles of the Soviet Union and joined NATO, the U.S.-led alliance that would protect the Eastern European country. But the child-care worker is getting a swift lesson on what a Russian-generated conflict looks like.

I feel that the war came to my country, she said. And I feel terrible.

Dziwicka stood on a street corner here in central Warsaw, the Polish capital, waiting to cross a busy boulevard. On one side of the street was the main train station, where on her commute, Dziwicka sees increasingly large numbers of refugees filling the corridors and spilling outside.

On the other side of the street was the hotel where Vice President Kamala Harris is staying for her visit this week.

Harris is holding meetings in Poland on Thursday and Romania on Friday with the countries leaders in an effort to reassure the deeply nervous former East Bloc nations that with their membership in NATO  and backing from Washington  they remain safe.

The two countries also want assistance in sheltering many of the more than 2.1 million refugees who have fled the ferocious Russian onslaught in Ukraine. It is the fastest-growing exodus in Europe since World War II.

Im here, standing here on the eastern flank of NATO to reaffirm our commitment, the United States commitment to Poland and our NATO allies, Harris told Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Thursday in her first appearance here. They sat with empty tea cups in Morawieckis official office. Both said they wish they were meeting under different circumstances.

Harris thanked the Polish people and said she would discuss ongoing promises to provide defensive weapons to Poland and help with processing refugees.

At 22, Dziwicka has never known a time when her country was aligned with Russia. Poland on Saturday will celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the day it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Still, theres a sense of vulnerability and fear that is more pronounced in Poland and Romania  as well as the three Baltic states northeast of Poland  than in older NATO member countries, given both their history of Soviet domination and their location. Poland sees itself once again in the crosshairs of a superpower struggle with potentially catastrophic outcomes.

We have one crazy man  and he sits in the bunkers, said Max Mrozowski, a 39-year-old entrepreneur on a smoking break, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hes killing people, slaughtering children in Ukraine.

So it may also come here, he said. You never know. He might find any kind of reason to start it.

Mrozowski sounds stoic but is keeping close tabs. He knows Polands NATO anniversary is near. He thinks about Hitler and World War II and draws worrisome comparisons. Asked about the idea of his country sending fighter jets to Ukraine, he cites Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys calls for more help from the West but then points out the potential for giving Putin pretext for more aggression.

Its a matter of us helping the Ukrainians because now we are just fighting for our understanding of freedom and our understanding of human rights and current civilization, he said. So this is the whole thing.

The Harris mission became complicated at the last minute when Polish officials  surprising their U.S. counterparts  announced that rather than send Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine, as Ukraine has sought, they were sending the aircraft to the U.S. Air Force base at Ramstein, Germany.

This was Polands way of extricating itself from a transaction that risked inviting Putins wrath. But it turned what had been careful U.S. negotiations on their head and left American officials struggling to make sense of it.

While rejecting the offer and calling the Polish preference to have the U.S. deliver the planes to Ukraine untenable, Biden administration officials have sought to downplay the obvious wrinkle in much-vaunted NATO unity.

The Pentagon then announced it had positioned two Patriot antimissile batteries in Poland as what an official called a purely proactive measure to protect NATOs eastern flank from Russian air attack  another sign of deep worries about Moscows aggression.

The Poles are nervous, of course theyre nervous, Daniel Fried, a veteran diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Poland now at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, said in an interview. They have the Russian army destroying their neighbor ... and making nuclear threats. [Putin] hates the Poles, not quite as much as he hates the Ukrainians.

This presents Harris with a formidable challenge, Fried said. She must listen to the Poles, he said, to their concrete concerns and fears. And she must explain the longer-term U.S. posture toward Russia and elaborate not what the U.S. cannot do for Ukraine  like send fighter jets  but what it can do.

She knows this is messy, Fried said. Shes going to have a helluva time.

Polands tumultuous history  just in the last century  took it from a Nazi occupation in the 1930s and 40s that bore witness to some of the deadliest slaughters of Jews, to the ranks of one of the largest economic powers within the Soviet sphere. It then took the lead of the anti-communist movement under the auspices of labor leader Lech Walesa, garnering crucial support from then-Pope John Paul II, a Pole. More recently, a once-flourishing democracy has taken a regressive turn against judicial and press freedoms under President Andrzej Duda, an admirer of former President Trump, a fellow right-wing populist.

Warsaws modern glass skyscrapers share a skyline with the Stalinist Palace of Culture and Science over low-rise Soviet-era apartment buildings, a mix of architecture reflecting decades of change. Younger people with brightly dyed hair and fashionable shoes eat from chic cafes that serve traditional pierogis along with coffee and cakes.

But another chapter unfolds now at the train station.

Refugees from Ukraine who spilled into the tents outside the station carried suitcases or pulled pet dogs on leashes, having left behind apartments and relatives, not knowing where they would wind up. Volunteers handed out water and sandwiches and processing paperwork; a truck provided free internet access.

Mamoud Krgbo, who was born in Sierra Leone and met his wife in Ukraine, stood with her and their 4-year-old daughter, trying to hail a cab to the airport. They had plane tickets to Ireland  a country they chose in a hurry  but did not know whether they would be allowed in.

He had little hope that Harris or any other politician would be able to give Ukraine the help it needs.

Its a disappointment, he said. They are just talking.

Wilkinson reported from Washington.

2022 Los Angeles Times.

Visit at latimes.com .

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine has the shipping industry bracing for new shocks to its labor force, which relies on experienced crew from both countries.

Ukrainian and Russian seafarers make up nearly 15% of the industrys 1.9 million seafarers and a high proportion of its officers and ranked crew. Now Ukraine has conscripted men under 60 and forbidden them to leave the country, while some of those who are on board already have asked to go home to fight or reunite with their families. Flight bans have made it hard for Russian seafarers to get to their ships or to return home, and are interfering with crew rotations.

Fears over the safety of crews and soaring insurance premiums are discouraging ship owners from sending vessels to Ukraine or Russia, according to the International Chamber of Shipping. Trade flows of goods from wheat to crude oil are expected to face disruption, it said in an e-mailed statement.

Meanwhile, global sanctions against Russia and limited access to hard currency have made it difficult for seafarers to collect the wages theyre owed or to send money home to family.

The combined effect of Covid and the war is a disaster for shipping, said Columbia Shipmanagement chief executive officer Mark ONeil. The restrictions on Russian and Ukrainian seafarers caused by the war, combined with Covid disruption, will wreak havoc on supply chains as well as driving seafarer wages ever higher.

Nearly all of the worlds economies have seen a drop in international trade as a result of disruptions triggered by the war, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. The impact on shipping, one of the worlds oldest industries, was almost immediate after the invasion started.

At least five commercial vessels have been damaged by explosions off Ukraines coast. At least one seafarer died, and the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship Helt sank last week outside the port of Odesa after an explosion. More than 140 ships with more than 1,000 seafarers on board have been trapped in Ukraine waters since the Russian invasion began. The nearby ports are closed, and ships arent leaving out of fear theyll be hit by missiles or underwater mines in the Black Sea.

Some ship managers are advising Ukrainian crew to remain on board, saying its dangerous to return, and some workers have asked to extend their contracts rather than return to the conflict zone. Many seafarers live in Kherson or Mariupol, southern cities that are now under heavy Russian attack, said Kuba Szymanski, secretary general of InterManager which represents ship managers. Those who wish to return home are often taken to nearby European countries such as Poland and Romania to reunite with families or wait it out, he said.

Most of the crew on board ships for BBC Chartering, a shipper based in Germany, are Russian or Ukrainian. Now the company is concerned a high number of its Ukrainian crew want to get home to families, and any potential replacements in Russia cant fly out of the country.

We carry heavy-lift cargo, so theres a question of who is going to replace these crew members, said Denis Bandura, a managing director for the firms Mideast unit. The knowledge of lifting and storage of the cargoes comes from Russian and Ukrainian crews.

The crewing challenges are manageable for now, with some shipping companies sending Russians seafarers to the Middle East where Russian flights can still land. A.P. Moller-Maersk, said its stopped crew changes in Ukraine due to security concerns and has set up Ukrainian mariners who were returning home temporary in Poland.

Theres also the problem, for workers, of getting paid. Most Ukrainians banks have imposed limits on daily withdrawals of cash to protect from a run on banks, and many of the Russian financial institutions that process seafarers pay have been sanctioned. In the meanwhile, seafarers are getting paid in cash or having their salaries transferred to debit cards or credit cards, which will likely be hit with sanctions soon too.

And on board vessels, tensions are rising. Columbias ONeil said it has told crew not discuss the war on board. Hes also sent regular videos to seafarers to encourage solidarity, empathy and respect.

Russian seafarers also feel villainized by many, said ONeil, who estimates there are about 600 Russians and 800 Ukrainians aboard its managed vessels at any one time. Tensions on board vessels with mixed Russian and Ukrainian crews inevitably run high.

- - -

Bloombergs Jack Wittels and Clara Hernanz Lizarraga contributed to this report.
As the Russian invasion enters its third week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he was grateful for those who have fought to defend the people of Ukraine  and he remained defiant in noting that they will never be slaves to Russia or its president, Vladimir Putin.

In a video posted to his Telegram account, Zelenskyy, still reeling from a Russian attack Wednesday on a maternity hospital in Mariupol, thanked the people of Ukraine who persevered and fought back against the invading forces that have bombarded the country. After he announced a law allowing Ukraine to seize any property owned by Russia or Russian residents, Zelenskyy sent another message to Putin, without saying his name.

Thanks to our military, the National Guard, the border guards, the police, the Territorial Defense Forces and everyone who joined the defense of the state, we did not become slaves. And we never will, he said. Because this is our spirit, this is our destiny.

He spoke as the first high-level talks Thursday between Ukraine and Russia since the invasion failed to produce an agreement. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba echoed Zelenskyy in emphasizing that Ukraine remains strong and caused Russias initial invasion plans to fail.

We are ready to seek balanced diplomatic solutions to put an end to this war, but we will not surrender, Kuleba said at a news conference in Turkey. Kuleba tweeted that he is pushing for Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to agree to allow humanitarian help for Mariupol and a 24-hour cease-fire.

The meeting between Kuleba and Lavrov followed Wednesdays events in Mariupol, in which at least three people, including a child, were killed and 17 more were injured in a Russian airstrike on a maternity hospital. The airstrike, which buried patients under rubble despite a cease-fire, was denounced by Zelenskyy as an atrocity.

But Lavrov, who argued without evidence that the Mariupol building was occupied by Ukrainian radicals, falsely claimed Thursday that Russia had not attacked Ukraine.

We are not planning to attack other countries, Lavrov said in Turkey. We didnt attack Ukraine in the first place.

The Biden administration and its allies have indicated they see no clear end to the military phase of this conflict  and that Putins endgame, whatever it may be, is largely uncontrollable. The reality of the situation is coupled with a humanitarian crisis that has prompted more than 2.3 million people to flee Ukraine since the start of the invasion, according to the United Nations.

Zelenskyy said Thursday that more than 60,000 Ukrainians were evacuated from besieged cities Wednesday. The figure cited by Zelenskyy on Telegram was higher than an earlier estimate that about 35,000 people were evacuated Wednesday.

The Ukrainian president said humanitarian corridors would continue to operate Thursday. Buses and supplies of food, water and medicine are expected to head toward the cities of Mariupol, Volnovakha, Izyum and Sumy, as well as towns outside Kyiv, he said.

Russian troops have already created a humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine, but that is [just] a part of their plan, Zelenskyy said in the video Thursday. They want to humiliate our people so that they take bread and water from the occupants hands.

As part of the wide-ranging, extensive sanctions and actions taken against Russia by countries worldwide, the Ukrainian government announced Thursday that Zelenskyy signed into law a measure called On Basic Principles of Compulsory Seizure of Property in the Russian Federation and Its Residents. The law allows Ukraine to forcibly strip property rights from Russia and its residents, given the full-scale aggressive war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

We will find all the property of propagandists and people associated with them, and do everything so that it is confiscated, wherever it might be, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy has described the Russian invasion as a means to enslave the Ukrainian people. During a speech broadcast to cities across Europe last week, Zelenskyy said a Ukrainian victory against Russia would be a victory of light over darkness, of freedom over slavery.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian president said he recently spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about additional actions against Russia, based on reality, not on declarations or abstract speculation. Zelenskyy noted that the European Union is still weighing Ukraines request to join the body.

We are waiting for a concrete signal, he said in the video.

After highlighting how the Ukrainian military is repelling attacks in key areas throughout the country, Zelenskyy looked ahead amid an invasion with no end in sight. He vowed to rebuild battered cities through special state programs that will be created to address the damage. And Zelenskyy clarified that this would be done after Ukraine defeats Russia.

After the war, after our victory, we will rebuild all that was ruined, very quickly, and in very high quality, he said.
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon on Wednesday rejected a plan offered by Poland to donate its fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine to help beat back the Russian invasion because the risks of such a venture outweigh the benefits.

The intelligence community has assessed the transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine may be mistaken as escalatory and could result in significant Russian reaction that might increase the prospects of a military escalation with NATO, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

The assessment follows Polands offer Tuesday to donate all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and place them at the disposal of the government of the United States and urged other NATO allies  owners of MiG-29 jets  to act in the same vein.

The Polish Defense Ministry on Tuesday released the public announcement of its offer without coordinating first with the Defense Department, a senior defense official said Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday called Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Baszczak in part to explain why the U.S. rejected his ministrys offer.

Secretary Austin thanked the minister for Poland's willingness to continue to look for ways to assist Ukraine but expressed that we do not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force at this time, and therefore have no desire to see them in our custody, either, Kirby said.

Aside from the high-risk nature of the jet transfer, the U.S. believes fighter jets are not among the systems that [Ukrainian forces] need most to defeat Russian aggression, Kirby said, noting the Ukrainian Air Force still has several squadrons of fully mission-capable aircraft.

We assess that adding aircraft to the Ukrainian inventory is not likely to significantly change the effectiveness of Ukrainian Air Force relative to Russian capabilities, he said. Therefore, we believe that the gain from transferring those MiG-29s is low.

Instead, the U.S., whose European Command is at the center of coordinating international weapons donations to Ukraine and assessing whats needed to help them fight Russian forces, believes the most-needed weapons involves anti-armor and air-defense capabilities, Kirby said.

We, along with other nations, continue to send them these weapons and we know that they're being used with great effect [to] slow Russian advance in the north, he said.

Kirby said the fact that Russia still does not control the Ukrainian airspace despite having surface-to-air missiles throughout the country is evidence alone of that.

Their effectiveness has been limited due to Ukrainian strategic operational and tactical ground-based air defense systems, surface-to-air missiles and [portable air-defense systems], he said.

Its important that the U.S. be careful about every decision in responding to the war in Ukraine, so we aren't making the potential for escalation worse, Kirby said. That's not only not good for the United States and our national security should this conflict escalate even further, but it's certainly not going to be good for the Ukrainian people to have what is already a destructive and terrible war.

Still, a senior defense official on Wednesday said the U.S. would not stop Poland or any other country from donating fighter jets to Ukraine.

It's not the United States' position to take a position on what another sovereign nation might be talking to Ukraine about what to provide, the official said. If Poland or any other nation wants to have that discussion with Ukraine, we respect that process."

In the past year, the U.S. has sent $1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, anti-tank rocket systems, grenade launchers and more than 2,000 tons of ammunition.

The U.S. on Wednesday also dispatched two Patriot missile batteries to Poland in a purely defensive deployment being conducted proactively to counter any potential threat to U.S. and allied forces in NATO territory as Russia has launched more than 720 missiles since the start of the war on Feb. 24, the official said.

It is 100% in keeping with the seriousness with which we take our [NATO common defense] commitments, the official said.

Some of those Russian munitions have not been precision-guided, which of course just raises the likelihood and the chances of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, Kirby said.

However, he also said all those Russian missiles have been targeted at sites in eastern Ukraine, far from Polands border.

The Patriot missile batteries arrived in Poland on Wednesday morning from the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Germany, the official said.

The U.S. Special Operations Command Europe also Wednesday announced it opened its first headquarters in Albania. While the project was first announced in January, the move marks the first time that the U.S. has made a permanent position change in Europe since the war started.

The headquarters launch came at the proper moment, at the culmination of the insecurity due to the gloomy situation on the Continent after Russian aggression, Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
(Tribune News Service)  The Maine National Guard proposed several steps to improve its handling of sexual assault and harassment, but didnt address how it would prevent them from happening in the first place, or protect soldiers from retaliation.

The plan was outlined in a new report filed with the Legislature in which guard leadership pledged to improve its handling of sexual assault and harassment amid a push in the federal government to implement reforms.

It follows last Novembers three-part Bangor Daily News investigation that revealed a recent spike in substantiated sexual assault investigations inside the Maine Army National Guard and a a culture that is permissive of sexual harassment, improperly handles sexual assault cases and retaliates against women who come forward.

Lawmakers last spring ordered the guard to submit a report outlining how well it follows federal best practices for investigating and preventing sexual abuse. Guard leadership submitted the 22-page report last week and will discuss it with the Legislatures veterans and legal affairs committee Friday.

The guard, which also includes the Maine Air National Guard, is asking lawmakers to give it a seat on Maines Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse Council. It also plans to create a partnership with the Maine Coaliton Against Sexual Assault, and says it will work with the governors office to create an advisory council to review its sexual assault and harassment policies to ensure theyre working.

The guard has already created two full-time positions to serve as better liaisons with victims and civilian law enforcement, which the guard relies on as the primary way to investigate reports of assault, according to the report. The adjutant general, the guards chief military official, will also start updating the governor and lawmakers regularly with information and statistics about the problem.

The organization also suggested legislation to strengthen its power to impose restraining orders on soldiers accused of assault while they are off base and make funds available to pay for women to travel to court proceedings related to their assaults.

Maine has not gone as far as other states whose National Guard units have faced sexual assault scandals. States such Vermont and Wisconsin called for independent investigations to identify the scale of the problem and flaws in the guards response to it.

Unlike independent evaluations from other states, the guards report provides no information or statistics about sexual assault and harassment in its ranks. Though the guard said it collects that information and surveyed soldiers last year about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault within the organization, it did not disclose the results of that survey.

Some women who spoke to the BDN last fall about their experiences reporting harassment and assault said the proposed measures seemed more like an attempt to save face than address the systemic cultural problems within the organization. One former staff sergeant who reported a sexual assault in 2019 also criticized lawmakers for relying on the guard to evaluate itself.

Gov. Janet Mills has asked the guard to promptly move forward with the changes, according to a spokesperson, and will soon issue an executive order to form the advisory panel and require it to make recommendations by Dec 1.

The governor considers this report and the forthcoming advisory council as a first step in the effort to support members of the guard who have suffered sexual harassment or assault, and she is committed to working with them and the Legislature to that end, said Lindsay Crete, a spokesperson for the democratic governor.

Following the BDNs reporting last fall, the co-chairs of veterans and legal affairs committee, one of whom has since left office, said they would wait for the organizations leadership to submit the report assessing its performance before commenting on the BDNs findings.

Committee co-chairs Rep. Chris Caiazzo, D- Scarborough and Sen. Craig Hickman, D- Winthrop, as well as Rep. Morgan Reilly, D- Westbrook, the sponsor of the legislation that required the guard to submit the report, declined to comment on the report Wednesday.

(c)2022 the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine)

Visit at www.bangordailynews.com
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration warned Wednesday that Russia could use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, as it rejected Russias claims that U.S. biological weapons labs are operating in the war-torn country.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday called Russias claims preposterous and warned of disinformation campaigns.

We took note of Russias false claims about alleged U.S. biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine, she tweeted. Weve also seen Chinese officials echo these conspiracy theories.

During a Thursday White House press briefing, Psaki doubled down on her comments, saying Russia has a history of inventing outright lies as she continued to push against Russias allegations that the U.S. is developing biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Psaki also warned Thursday that Russia has the capacity to use weapons like these against Ukraine.

When asked what evidence the U.S. has to back the claim that Russia has these types of weapons, Psaki said she wouldnt get into specific intelligence but repeated that Russia has a a large biological and chemical weapons program.

The main issue that prompted my Twitter thread yesterday was that Russia has a history also of inventing outright lies like this, which is the suggestion that the United States has a chemical and biological weapons program or Ukraine does, Psaki said.

Russia is the country that has a chemical and biological weapons program. So the objective was to make clear the inaccuracy of the information, the misinformation theyre trying to put out.

Psaki also said her goal was to make clear to the world that they not only have the capacity, they have a history of using chemical and biological weapons, and that in this moment we should have our eyes open for that possibility.

Psaki, however, wouldnt say what the U.S. reaction would be if Russia conducted a chemical weapons attack in Ukraine.

Im not going to get into hypotheticals, she said, adding that President Bidens intention not to send U.S. forces to Ukraine has not changed.

Psaki on Wednesday said the United States was in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention, which bar countries from developing or possessing such weapons.

She said Russia has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law and cited its military intervention in Syria in support of the Bashar al-Assad regime and its suspected poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny in 2020 with a Novichok-like nerve agent.

Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false-flag operation using them. Its a clear pattern, she added.

Psaki made the comments after Russian officials accused the United States of developing such weapons in Ukraine.

Igor Konashenkov, the chief spokesman for Russias Defense Ministry, said it was obvious that in the wake of the special military operation, the Pentagon started having serious concerns about secret biological experiments uncovered on the Ukrainian territory.

Dmitry Chumakov, a Russian deputy United Nations ambassador, urged Western media on Wednesday to cover the news about secret biological laboratories in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.

Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also told reporters Wednesday that Russia had concluded that in Ukrainian laboratories close to our borders, components of biological weapons were being developed.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who recently voted against a House resolution supporting Ukraine, amplified Russias claims Wednesday on Twitter, saying he had not taken the concern over Ukrainian biological labs seriously . . . until now.

On Thursday, Britains foreign secretary, Liz Truss, told the press the United Kingdom was very concerned about the potential use of chemical weapons, and said such a move would be a grave mistake on the part of Russia.

Britains armed forces minister, James Heappey, told the BBC earlier on Thursday that if Russian President Vladimir Putin did seek to use chemical weapons, he should expect an international response. Heappey did not say whether he meant from NATO or individual countries.

The British minister said he had read very high-level intelligence last week about the possibility of Russia using chemical weapons and praised the United States for making public its intelligence on the issue as a deterrent to Moscow.

President Putin needs to be clear that the use of chemical weapons is just the most despicable thing that anybody can imagine, Heappey said.

I dont think its helpful to get into any firm commitment right now about where that red line sits. But I think President Putin needs to be very clear that when other countries have used chemical weapons, it has caused an international response, he added.

The Washington Posts Grace Moon contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  A congresswoman for Washington state is requesting the Department of Veteran Affairs delay the rollout of its multibillion-dollar electronic health record system after it recently crashed at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, limiting veterans' services and affecting the records of more than 200 patients.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., called for the delay as another Washington-based VA medical center in Walla Walla is scheduled to launch the new record system later this month. McMorris Rodgers said the Mann-Grandstaff shutdown was another in a series of challenges created for VA hospital staff and veterans.

I stand by the request I made on Feb. 3rd for the go-live in Walla Walla to be delayed until the VA can ensure the facility can maintain the highest levels of service for our veterans, she said in a prepared statement.

McMorris Rodgers wrote a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough on Feb. 3, calling for a delay on the system rollout at Walla Walla. She referenced the ongoing issues at Mann-Grandstaff as a reason for the delay.

If the new electronic health record delivers anything short of the gold-standard, timely care our veterans deserve, then it is not ready to serve the Walla Walla community  not until any and all outstanding issues are resolved, McMorris Rodgers wrote in her letter.

The VA started to overhaul its electronic health record system in 2017. In May 2018, the agency awarded a contract to Cerner Corp., a health care technology company based in Kansas City, Mo., to make a system compatible with the electronic health records at the Defense Department.

The system breakdown March 3 at Mann-Grandstaff happened amid a routine software upgrade, which caused a jumbling of patient data, according to Paula Paige, director of communications of the VAs Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office. When a VA employee received a patient's record, the system occasionally provided the information from a different patient.

When that happened, Robert Fischer, the director at Mann-Grandstaff, instructed employees to stop using the new electronic health record system, which they utilize to coordinate health care services for patients, according to an email obtained by The Spokesman-Review, which was first to report the incident.

Assume all electronic patient data is corrupted/inaccurate, Fischer told employees in the email.

Services continued for patients already admitted to the hospital, but new patients were not admitted. Meanwhile, the hospitals chief of surgery made assessments in regard to the safety of continuing surgeries.

Mann-Grandstaff leadership rightly took the system offline until the scope of the problem was understood, so no patients were harmed, McMorris Rodgers said in her statement.

Its absolutely unacceptable that a technical failure by Cerner has led to patients being turned away at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a released statement.

The surgical schedule at the hospital was not terminated because of the computer crash, the VA said.

At the time, Fischer also told Mann-Grandstaff employees to utilize downtime procedures, which involved employees writing down patients information on paper and entering it into the computer system once the system was working again.

Furthermore, employees were instructed to make every effort to limit ordering medications, lab tests and X-rays. Mailings, which include prescriptions, were also suspended.

The system was restored the following morning. However, employees were still unable to access some patient records, The Spokesman-Review reported.

The new electronic health record system is designed to connect the VAs medical centers and clinics with the Defense Department and the Coast Guard. The connection allows providers more information on a veterans medical history and provides a smoother transition from active duty to veteran status.

When the system overhaul began, some lawmakers expressed concerns about the project because of previous failed attempts by the VA and the Defense Department to merge their systems. A previous plan involved upgrading VistA, the VAs former electronic health record system. However, the plan was abandoned in 2013 due to cost concerns after the VA and DOD spent about $1 billion.

The VA completed a review last year of its new $16 billion project to overhaul the system after hearing concerns from staff in Spokane, where the electronic record system was first implemented.

Staff at the Mann-Grandstaff complained about technical issues with the system that affected patient care and employee morale. When McDonough took office in February 2021, he announced a 12-week pause of the rollout to review the issues. The review revealed patient safety problems, escalating costs, a lack of productivity and ineffective training on the new health care provider system, among other issues.

Last July, the VA promised a new approach for the project to overhaul its health record system, following concerns from federal watchdogs and employees who used the program.

McDonough testified in July before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee about the challenges and the departments plan moving forward. He vowed there would be a surge of activity in the coming weeks and months to correct the problems.

Murray was one of the senators pressing McDonough that day, inquiring about patient safety, staff support, and how the VA will prevent issues at Mann-Grandstaff and other VA medical centers. Murray organized the oversight of the systems rollout at the Mann-Grandstaff facility for more than a year. She wrote a letter to previous VA leaders expressing her concern regarding reports of staffing and facility issues and how it could impact the system rollout.

The VA was set to launch its electronic health record system on March 5 at the VA Central Ohio Health Care System in Columbus, but VA leaders pushed back the rollout to April 30. The agency said a significant number of the workforce, approximately 209 people, were unable to work due to positive cases of the coronavirus. That number doubled during the week of Jan. 10, the VA said. Columbus was expected to be the second VA site to transition to the new system.

Despite the delayed rollout in Ohio, the VA still plans for the system to deploy at a third site in Walla Walla on March 26. However, the agency is reviewing coronavirus cases there before moving forward.

The outage will not delay the system rollout at the other facilities, the VA said.

Murray said she met with Walla Walla hospital director Christopher Bjornberg last week for an update on the facilitys readiness for the rollout.

If their ability to deliver the high-quality care our veterans deserve becomes uncertain at any point  including up until the day before launch  the rollout should be delayed, Murray said. I will continue to hold Cerner and VA accountable to the commitments they have made to me both privately and publicly to get this right.

The VA said it provided Murray and McMorris Rodgers information on the Mann-Grandstaff incident and the steps it took with Cerner to set up corrective measures to resolve the technical issues.

VA is confident the technical issues resulting in this outage have been resolved and is moving forward with implementing the [electronic health record system] at other facilities, Paige said. Recognizing that system outages, though rare, can occur at facilities across the country, VA has established standard procedures for staff to follow that limit the impact on patient care.

The VA will next launch the system at Roseburg and White City in Oregon on June 11, followed by Boise, Idaho on June 25, and Anchorage, Alaska, on July 16. Other VA facilities in the Puget Sound region are expected to launch the system on Aug. 27.
GLOUCESTER, Mass. (Tribune News Service)  For a man who didnt think he would live past the age of 19, Gloucesters Michael Linquata lived another 77 years.

The World War II veteran and former prisoner of war died Sunday at the age of 96 at his home, surrounded by his four children. His children also had surrounded the bedside of their mother, Lillian, who died at home just two weeks earlier at the age of 90.

My father used to say that old soldiers never die, they just fade away, said Michaels son, Lenny Linquata. When he died, he weighed as much as he did when he got out of the war  about 80 pounds. He always used to tell me he should have been dead at 19 when he was serving in the war. He looked at every day as a gift.

Linquata, who served during the Battle of the Bulge, was dispatched to northern France and Belgium as part of the Armys 134th Infantry. A combat medic, he later survived nearly three months in a POW camp in Germany until he was freed.

The family will plan a celebration of life at the World War II Memorial in Gloucester sometime in the spring. The creation of that memorial became a priority for Linquata, who served as its chairman nearly until the day he died.

During his lifetime, Linquata received four Bronze Stars, the French Legion of Honor and a Presidential Unit Citation for his service.

The late patriarch, a Gloucester native, is remembered as a visionary on so many levels.

He was born and educated in Gloucester, having graduated high school after 3 years so he could go into the service. When he returned to civilian life and Gloucester, he attended Suffolk University where he became president of his class and later a longtime trustee.

He and my grandfather established the Gloucester House restaurant in 1957, and he had multiple businesses, said Lenny Linquata. Once the restaurant was operating, he wanted to bring tourism back into Gloucester.

He recalled his fathers many business ideas , from a downtown hotel/marina complex to an offshore fish farm. But the legacy of the Gloucester House continues today with a 21st century iteration of the waterfront establishment.

Facing the past

Lenny Linquata never recalled his father talking about his war experience when the family was young. Lenny is one of four children, the others being Larry, Michael and Anne.

He never spoke about the war but my father had nightmares until I was 16 years old, he recalled. You never get over that kind of experience. After the Battle of the Bulge, a lot of those guys were suffering from PTSD, but the fact they all plowed through it was remarkable.

In the early 1980s, he said that his father had met some people online who fought in France and Belgium during the war. They corresponded back and forth, and became friends. At one point, they invited the senior Linquata to a dedication in Bastogne, Belgium. Linquata accepted, and he and he wife traveled to this area, a key location in what became an American victory of the Allied invasion.

During the dedication in Bastogne, Linquata was asked if he would speak and they had held a parade that day.

When the Allies liberated France and Belgium, and marched through their streets, they threw chocolates out to the little kids. and during this dedication with these seven old veterans  the guests of honor for the parade  the little kids were throwing chocolate to them in remembrance of their service, related Lenny Linquata.

When Linquata came back from Bastogne, he became motived to get moving on a World War II memorial for Gloucester.

He got that up and operating, and that was his pride and joy, said his son.

When he took that trip, we all held our breath, recalled Linquata. He hadnt talked about any experience of the war and my mom was reluctant to go. We thought it could be a real horror show. But after five days, we talked to our mom who said this was the greatest trip they had ever taken. They were treated like royalty. Every single grandchild in that town knew exactly what the Allies had done in freeing them. In the end, that trip was very therapeutic.

Leaving a mark

Michael Linquata leaves a legacy of inspiration.

Mike is one of the most influential people for me in terms of coping with some of the things that have happened, said Adam Curcuru, district director of Cape Ann Veterans Services. (The Battle of the Bulge) really was the pinnacle toward victory in Europe. Yet hes so humble and took the lessons he learned there and turned that hardship into something positive with a desire to help others. He set a tone for our community and hopefully we all can live up to that.

Curcuru saw Linquata as a man fortunate enough to have the time to be able to discover what was truly important to him.

So many things that happened in his life allowed him to appreciate what was important, and he was definitely influenced by his time in World War II, he continued. He was a medic and his job was to save people, and he was in a camp because he was left with injured individuals. He had a personal choice whether to leave them behind or become a prisoner. That says a lot about who Mike was from an early age. As a teen-ager in a war, he put others before himself.

He recalled another important lesson he learned from Linquata a few years ago when the federal government talked about cutting support for SeniorCares Meals on Wheels program.

I was with Mike and he simply said I guess we are just going to have to dig a little deeper. He wasnt mad at the government. He just said were going to have dig deeper into our own pockets. He wanted to do more for the betterment of his community. There was never a point when he wasnt wiling to help somebody else, said Curcuru.

For 46 years, the Linquata family opened the doors at the Gloucester House on Valentines Day and welcomed diners for a special breakfast buffet in the name of Meals on Wheels. One hundred percent of the proceeds from these breakfasts was used to support Meals on Wheels. Because of COVID-19, the buffets were not held in 2019 or 2022.

(Michael Linquata) had the attitude why get angry or worry about things you cannot change? and Ive tried to model myself after that, Curcuru said. He had such an incredible life, a big family, and a community he loved  and a community that loved him back.

gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com .

(c)2022 the Gloucester Daily Times (Gloucester, Mass.)

Visit at www.gloucestertimes.com
Port Richey, FL (34668)

Today

Sunshine and some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view.
Angie Warren-Clark

Labour MP

History was made last week, with a hybrid setting for house operations. Some members remained in the chamber while the majority joined virtually.

Speaking in the house, from my house, was a first. The new Virtual House enabled us to continue our work towards a better New Zealand for all, remotely.

One of my biggest priorities this year is the Resource Management Act reform  its exciting work which fundamentally supports our countrys safety and development while balancing the needs of the environment. To succeed, this work needs to be supported by aligning transport networks.

Last month Transport Minister Michael Wood visited the Takitimu North Link site, which at Stage One has already received $655,000,000 funding through the New Zealand Upgrade Programme. What struck me most during this visit was the complex and comprehensive planning. The level of technical skill was impressive and I can only imagine the time spent working through the details.

New homes

On the housing front, we have 230 new homes planned for the Bay of Plenty, following five strategic land purchases in Tauranga, Rotorua and Katikati. Two Tauranga sites on Cameron Rd are planned for 120-150 multi-storey apartments for public housing, plus a further six homes. Katikati looks to host up to 20 mixed public and affordable homes. All homes will be built to six Homestar energy efficient, warmth and sustainability standards. Development planning and high-level design work is underway, and engagement with mana whenua and local communities will take place.

As well as increasing housing supply in our region, investment is set to boost regional employment and stimulate local economies. This announcement is really exciting for me as Im truly passionate about warm, safe housing for all.

Supermarkets

The findings from the second of three commissioned market studies revealed New Zealand supermarkets are making more than twice what the Commission considers to be a normal rate of return on capital. Thanks to this confirmation of the need for a much more competitive grocery sector, the Government is immediately progressing this work, starting with a ban on restrictive land covenants.

I feel so lucky that even with the impacts of Covid-19 we are steadily working towards those key goals I am so passionate about: warm, dry housing; lifting children out of poverty; a thriving economy; a healthy environment.

Its reassuring to see we are at 93 per cent double-dosed in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, and 69 per cent boosted. By now I hope your isolation kit is as full as mine and your Omicron crew is on standby should you need to isolate. RATs are available to all who need them and can be requested via the Unite Against Covid-19 website (covid19.govt.nz), along with all information we need to face Omicron together. Weve got this!

Finally, a heartfelt thank you from me to our emergency and Covid services. Words cannot express my gratitude towards our Police, Fire Service, ambulance and healthcare workers for protecting our safety and wellbeing throughout this pandemic and beyond. Thank you for all that you do for our communities!
Nigel Tutt

Chief Executive of Priority One

Labour shortages are dominating businesses thinking across the region, and country, at the moment. There are a few factors affecting this; businesses will create jobs as the economy grows and will therefore need more people to keep up, and New Zealands attitude to immigration has changed. Locally we have an aging demographic taking numbers out of the workforce, plus high seasonal demands for employees to contend with. The current Omicron surge will reduce staff availability by around 10-25 per cent, which can significantly impact businesses.

At Priority One we view talent and workforce as the single largest area we need to focus on for future economic success. We need to ensure businesses have adequate staff, we provide opportunities for all, and that incomes increase over the course of time so our standard of living improves. A couple of weeks ago we hosted Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson for a talk on the future of work, an initiative he champions for government and a topic we were due to host a conference on that was unfortunately scuppered by Covid. Grant highlighted the roles of technology, skills and partnerships in the future of work. Regionally we see the need to have clear actions from government as well as business, especially in times of abrupt change like this.

From our perspective, we see businesses worried about getting enough staff for the future and making changes to the way they operate to cope with this. Some of this will mean automating tasks are repetitive and predictable, but most of the effort is going into how they improve themselves as employers to attract and retain staff.

One sector that is seeing acute labour shortages at the moment is the kiwifruit industry. This is a very important industry to the Bay of Plenty, creating a lot of wealth and showing great growth during the past few years. Unfortunately, the border opening for NZ has come a bit too late for kiwifruit, and the industry is really feeling the lack of backpackers in particular  with the industry now several thousand people short and harvest already underway. The consequences of this are quite serious, with the real risk to many growers that fruit will be left on the vine or unable to be processed. This in turn, affects global supply and the position of kiwifruit versus other alternatives.

The industry is scrambling and has done a good job of making changes to production to cope with the labour shortage, but it wont be enough. The positive side of this is that the industry has many opportunities and is welcoming of locals interested in seasonal work. For students, there is an opportunity at weekends or during holidays to gain valuable experience alongside some spare cash. The industry also values seniors who may be interested in more flexible work options. I encourage anyone interested in work in the kiwifruit industry this season to check out the New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc website at: nzkgi.org.nz or their Facebook page: KiwifruitJobsNZ
Daniel Hutchinson

From The Hutch

New Zealand is the second most democratic country in the world. We are so democratic that its hard to keep up with.

There are elections for central government, local government, community boards, health boards, incorporated clubs and societies and the list goes on.

Listed companies, clubs and charities are required to divulge most of their financial and strategic information each year.

Democracy even spills over into homes with informal votes held on everything from what town to live in, to whether to have fish and chips or KFC for dinner.

Down the drain

Weve literally got democracy up the wazoo, because what we flush is disposed of efficiently and environmentally or we vote in someone that we hope will manage it better.

We are part of a dwindling number of countries that are improving their democracies. Our second placing in the Economic Intelligence Units 2021 Democracy Index was an improvement on fourth in the 2020 version.

So when the central government stripped Tauranga City Council of its elected members in 2020, democratic eyebrows furrowed deeply.

The non-elected commissioners are now advocating for a delay to local government elections in the city this year because it is afraid publicly elected members will overturn all its good work.

This is pretty much based on a fear that all that good work might be hugely unpopular but, that is the flaw with democracy, isnt it?

The common problem

The city and surrounds are hugely popular thanks to a burgeoning economy and a lifestyle that is hard to beat.

Its a hard sell to ask those already living here  many on fixed incomes or paying the high price to move here  to pay for further growth.

Throwing local democracy out the window is the easy answer. The work needs to be done and we cant have local people and their pesky opinions holding up the works.

You could say the same thing about the Governments plan to divest local councils of their water assets  we will no longer have democracy up the wazoo  or its decision to abolish district health boards.

People have been remarkably accepting of these big changes to our democracy, although the strong Treaty of Waitangi influences, present in both of these plans, has always been a hard sell. You simply cant honour obligations to an indigenous minority without tampering with democracy in its simplest form.

Clearly, we have a bit of wiggle room before we reach the level of Russia, which is 126th on the list as an authoritarian state.

Democracy is not the norm

But there are only 21 full democracies on the Democracy Index. Interestingly, the United States isnt one of them. It comes in at 26th on the list  one of 53 flawed democracies.

Only about half the worlds population lives in either a full or flawed democracy. The rest fall under a hybrid or authoritarian structure.

It would be interesting to let everyone in the world vote on their preferred method of governance.

Strong, autocratic leadership has often been the preferred, or only option for countries used to violence and poverty.

Better to have a roof over your head, food in the stomach and order on the streets than a meaningful say in how the affairs of state are conducted.

We are not in that situation fortunately. The masses are highly educated, socially benevolent and very critical of the quality of news and information that we are presented with.

Many of us still value strong leadership over the combined credentials of a team of elected members and we are still susceptible to an erosion of democracy.

However, even authoritarian regimes like Putins Russia require a lot of groundwork and coercion of public opinion. Major economic and social upheaval is a threat to those regimes.

Dictatorship 101

Lots of scholars have studied what it takes to be a successful dictator, but my favourite is Dr Mark van Vugt and his Seven Steps to Becoming a Dictator analysis in Psychology Today.

In addition to killing off or jailing your enemies, those steps include nepotism and bribery to start with, followed by the need to gain a monopoly over the use of force to curb protest.

Controlling the free flow of information is important so having a massive, state-run media is a good start and theres nothing like a good battle against a common enemy to galvanise the public.

Running an orderly country with plenty of the basics and a few treats thrown in now and again to appease the masses is always a good one to prevent a revolution.

So, not too much difference to a democracy really.

daniel@thesun.co.nz
People wanting to make their food last a bit longer are being advised to stick to some simple food safety tips.

If youre isolating at home, want to reduce your trips to the supermarket, or simply make your food dollars stretch further, there are some simple food safety tips that can help, says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle.

New Zealanders throw out an estimated 220 tonnes of food each year. Avoiding waste can help you get more use from your food and its one of the little things we can do to reduce our potential exposure to the Covid virus and keep ourselves and communities safe.

Use By and Best Before labels

The key thing to remember is that the Use By label is about safety, whereas the Best Before label is about quality.

That means if something is past its Use By date, it should definitely be thrown out. These products dont always take on a bad smell or look bad, so the label is the only means to determine if they shouldnt be eaten.

What some people dont know is that foods that are past their Best Before date are still safe to eat, but are no longer at their peak quality. Deciding whether the product is up to scratch is a personal preference, but many people will find these foods are perfectly acceptable.

Our advice is that if you find a jar of something down the back of the cupboard which is past its Best Before date, you might have more options than you think.

While Best before remains a good guideline for the quality of food, the sniff test is still a reliable thing you can do at home to double-check if food is suitable to eat. If it doesnt smell or look right it should be thrown out no matter what the label says. If in doubt, throw it out.

NZFS has more information on food labels and how to interpret them on our website, here.

Handling leftovers

By keeping your fridge at the right temperature and ensuring your food is stored correctly you can get the most out of your leftovers.

Fridges should be kept at a steady temperature between 2 and 5 degree Celsius. Avoid overfilling fridges because that can stop cool air from circulating around the food. Also dont use your fridge to cool hot food as that can raise the temperature of other foods inside the fridge.

As a rule of thumb, let hot food cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before storing it in the fridge. Leftovers should be in the fridge within two hours of cooking or preparation if salads.

Freezing food can further extend its useability. However, freezing wont kill most pathogens so only fresh or freshly cooked food should be frozen.

Try to take the time to thaw out frozen food in the fridge rather than the bench because that will ensure it always remains at a safe temperature.

Food should only be reheated once, and it should be piping hot to ensure potentially harmful bacteria is killed."
Opotiki Mayor Lyn Riesterer has withdrawn her complaint against councillor Barry Howe.

This comes after an independent investigation found councillor he had breached the Opotiki District Councils code of conduct.

At the beginning of Tuesday mornings council meeting, at which councillors were to decide what action to take over the breach, Riesterer announced that she was withdrawing the complaint and withdrawing the item from the agenda.

The withdrawn agenda item included a report from independent investigator Philip Jones, stating that he had found Howe in breach of the councils code of conduct.

I pondered very hard overnight about where we go from this, Riesterer said. Im not happy that our fellow councillors need to determine sanctions.

However, she said that the report still stands.

Howe responded that, as the mayor still stood by her accusations, he was entitled to right of reply.

I would still like that right of reply, he said.

Councillor David Moore said that because the action had been withdrawn, there was no need for a defence and asked Howe to accept the withdrawal.

This is a matter that we should discuss amongst ourselves and not in public. Its very unfortunate and its just breaking the trust further and further. Its something we need to get sorted for the communities. Weve got too many things happening.

Riesterer agreed with Moore that the matter should be discussed further in private.

The breach of the code of conduct happened on December 7, when Howe posted information on social media that had been presented to him at a council workshop the previous day.

The information was about a proposal to develop council-owned lots 9 and 10 in Church Street into new council offices instead of the planned commercial retail and office premises.

Howe stated on Facebook that he was against the idea and sought the opinions of ratepayers and business owners. He also gave information about the cost of the proposal.

Three days later, Riesterer wrote to council chief executive Aileen Lawrie requesting a code of conduct investigation be undertaken into Mr Howes behaviour.

The complaint was referred to Mr Jones of PJ & Associates, a consultant who specialises in local government matters, for investigation.

Jones found Howe was materially in breach of the code for disclosing information provided to him as an elected member. In addition, he found Howes Facebook comments to be factually incorrect.

In his post, Howe said the proposal was put forward by council staff at the December 6 meeting.

The proposal has previously been discussed by council in a workshop in November 2021 and [it was] agreed that this proposal was worthy of further consideration. It is therefore incorrect to state that the proposal was put forward by council staff at the December workshop, Jones report said.

He also said Mr Howe had misrepresented the cost of the project to ratepayers.

This post was clearly undermining the reputation of the local authority.

Lawries recommendation to the council was that Mr Howe be invited to speak in his defence at yesterdays meeting and that the council made decisions on penalties or actions.

Howe told the Opotiki News that he would have liked the chance to respond to the accusations, but at the end of the day, common sense prevailed.

I had planned to defend myself by raising Section 14 of the Local Government Act.

The act states that a local authority should conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner. Mr Howe said he felt that council had not done that well around its plans for Lots 9 and 10.

But I dont want to go on about it anymore. Its been dealt with, in a common sense way, I felt. Weve got so many great things that are happening in this town. We need to just tick that one off and move on.

The proposal to move the council offices to Lots 9 and 10 was voted down at a meeting on December 21, with councillors divided two against five.

Councillor Debi Hocart said at the time that the vote might have ended differently if the process had not been so out of whack.

This was not the first time Howe had faced complaints that he was in breach of the councils code of conduct.

In 2010, during his first term, he faced a hearing over comments he made about a cleaning company that was awarded a public toilet cleaning and litter control contract.

He said they were not a local company and criticised the standard of work, both of which turned out to be inaccurate. He publicly apologised for any offence given.

He was also accused by the deputy mayor of the time, Selby Fisher, of leaking information from a confidential meeting about matters raised with the chief executive about a possible breach of a liquor licence. However, Howe denied that he had done so

-Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

.
As a new law to enable the New Zealand Government to impose sanctions over the war in Ukraine is put in place, a peace flotilla is sailing north to make sure the Government puts those laws into action.

Evoking memories of New Zealands tradition of peace flotillas of the 90s, a schooner set sail from Whitianga on Saturday morning in support of Ukraine and to send a message to a powerful Russian oligarch.

On board the 62-foot Windborne, skipper Avon Hansford and partner Mihaela Vlainic are planning to meet up with other boats near Kawau Island in the Hauraki Gulf, before sailing on together to Helena Bay. Read more here.

In a statement on Wednesday, Greenpeace announced its protest yacht SV Vega was going to set sail from Aucklands Waitemata Harbour at 9am today.

Talking to SunLive this morning, Avon says unfortunately Vega couldnt make it.

Shes having engine issues. But she will join us ASAP.

We picked up the Greenpeace crew and left Auckland about half an hour ago.

The flotilla is heading for Russian billionaire oligarch Alexander Abramovs luxury Northland lodge in Helena Bay.

The aim is to arrive in Helena Bay on Sunday morning to deliver a message of peace and a call on the Government to immediately "freeze oligarchs assets" to apply pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war on Ukraine.

Greenpeace Aotearoa programme director Niamh OFlynn if the Government is serious about using sanctions to pressure Putin, then they must go for the big fish quickly.

That means freezing Alexander Abramovs assets, as New Zealands richest Russian investor.

On Saturday, Greenpeace called on the Government to immediately freeze the New Zealand assets of Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin, until the Russian President ends his war against Ukraine.

More than 8000 people have now signed the petition to support that call.

Greenpeace has condemned the Russian governments war in Ukraine, and has called on President Putin to immediately pull back his forces and cease military operations.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the Government would pass a law that could freeze Russian assets and ban Russian super yachts, ships and aircraft in New Zealand waters and airspace.

Vega at berth in Auckland with No War banner on the side.

Ardern described the Russian invasion as the blatant act of a bully  brutal, intolerable, and an act of aggression.

Ardern has also promised these won't be the only steps we will take, but these are measures that we can undertake quickly.

The prime minister said Russian investment in New Zealand stood at about $40 million, and Russian oligarchs could be targeted under the new law.

Niamh OFlynn holding banner on board Windborne as they leave Auckland to meet other boats.

The peace flotilla is aiming to arrive at the home of the Russian oligarch on Sunday.

-Additional reporting by Sophie Harris and Emma Clark-Dow/Stuff.
Email Jennifer Nichols at news@ant-news.com

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China blames US for spreading 'despicable and malicious' disinformation about China on Ukraine issue

(People's Daily App) 11:16, March 10, 2022

China blamed the US for spreading despicable and malicious disinformation about China on Wednesday and said it was the US-led NATO which had pushed Russia-Ukraine tension to the breaking point.

The US has been disseminating disinformation about China on the Ukraine issue and attempting to shift blame, stoke confrontation and profit from the issue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. The practice is despicable and malicious.

Zhao said: The ins and outs of how the Ukraine issue has evolved to what it is today are very clear: The moves by the US-led NATO have pushed Russia-Ukraine tension to the breaking point.

Zhao said: While looking away from its own responsibility, the US has criticized Chinas position on Ukraine to seek space for the plot of simultaneously suppressing China and Russia, with a view to maintaining its hegemony.

The more it racks its brains to discredit China with lies and hype things up, the more it exposes its credibility deficit to the international community.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Congressman Kevin McCarthy sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday urging him to take immediate steps to undo his anti-
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brohanv Newbie

Join Date: May 2021 Location: Kolkata Posts: 14 Thanked: 125 Times

Retirement car for a middle-class man



Understanding the buyer Middle-Class, Middle-aged Man who is not an enthusiast. Does enjoy powerful cars, but isn't happy dealing with their temperamental maintenance tendencies

Has worked his entire life as a provider and finally wants to reward himself with something at the end of his career

Has outrightly stated that his next automobile will be something European with the brand value of an Audi, Beamer and Mercedes. But the budget will permit only the very entry-level offerings.

Does appreciate the depth of design and engineering over gimmicks, one of the only cars that have ever grabbed his attention is the Skoda Superb.

Wanted to own an SUV his entire life, but no offerings this side of 25 lakhs were refined and liveable enough for his liking. (wasn't a fan of the XUV's looks)

THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO A POWERFUL MOTOR.

The car has to be fairly comfortable, the man has a very rough it out kind of mentality, so an opulent interior while nice to have is something compromise could be made on.

Annual running wouldn't be too high but it will be his primary car in cities, expressways and dual-carriageways.

Must be an Automatic

Flexible on fuel.

Budget would be between 30-45 lakhs.

He has experience driving the old Sumos, Qualis, Bolero Campers in the course of his service, which he enjoyed thoroughly, however, he says that he doesn't want something too large for the City. His usage will primarily be in Delhi-NCR with mostly wide roads and there will be a second smaller car in the household. While he may not state it outrightly, size is something that will tug on his heartstrings. The same old middle-class restraint as opposed to excess at play here.

Not open to pre-owned options.

Cars that somewhat fit the bill



Jeep Compass



[+]Has liked the looks of the car since launch.

[+]Powerful Motor and all-rounder capability.

[-]But has no vfm quality and is a size too small.

[-] the consensus on the A/T is that it's not necessarily the best

[-] doesn't fit the bill as an outright SUV or something as opulent as the germans, feels like a compromise on both ends.





Toyota Fortuner



[+] Has been my recommendation for its combination of power, adequately capable AT, mile-munching capabilities and big-car aspiration value with small car maintenance.

[-] Has no vfm quality, is overpriced and has choppy ride quality. Also feels like a compromise on the opulence front.

[-] 40 big ones for a Toyota?



Skoda Kodiaq & VW Tiguan



[+] German build quality and finesse with an agreeable price tag.

[-] The Tiguan lacks a sense of occasion with its stiff ride quality despite no fun to drive credentials and Skoda ASS is not really the last word in peace of mind.



BMW 330i Standard Wheel-Base



[+] Despite overshooting the budget, it almost feels vfm due to its thoroughbred nature, brand pull, RWD, power and generally better ASS than competitors.

[-] Price.



The Citroen looks a touch too quirky, that kind of dough will positively not be put down against a Hyundai, so the Tucson is also out. Skoda Superb is a little long in the tooth and unless there are great discounts available, putting down that kind of cash for an fwd A4 also doesn't seem like a fair transaction.



This would clearly be a much shorter conversation if the Endeavour 3.2 was still on sale in our market. Looking forward to hearing your recommendations. I am posting this on behalf of a friend, I felt that could possibly be a predicament that many people experience when purchasing something indulgent towards the end of their years of service, so went ahead with posting this.[+]Has liked the looks of the car since launch.[+]Powerful Motor and all-rounder capability.[-]But has no vfm quality and is a size too small.[-] the consensus on the A/T is that it's not necessarily the best[-] doesn't fit the bill as an outright SUV or something as opulent as the germans, feels like a compromise on both ends.[+] Has been my recommendation for its combination of power, adequately capable AT, mile-munching capabilities and big-car aspiration value with small car maintenance.[-] Has no vfm quality, is overpriced and has choppy ride quality. Also feels like a compromise on the opulence front.[-] 40 big ones for a Toyota?[+] German build quality and finesse with an agreeable price tag.[-] The Tiguan lacks a sense of occasion with its stiff ride quality despite no fun to drive credentials and Skoda ASS is not really the last word in peace of mind.[+] Despite overshooting the budget, it almost feels vfm due to its thoroughbred nature, brand pull, RWD, power and generally better ASS than competitors.[-] Price.The Citroen looks a touch too quirky, that kind of dough will positively not be put down against a Hyundai, so the Tucson is also out. Skoda Superb is a little long in the tooth and unless there are great discounts available, putting down that kind of cash for an fwd A4 also doesn't seem like a fair transaction.This would clearly be a much shorter conversation if the Endeavour 3.2 was still on sale in our market. Looking forward to hearing your recommendations.
Something to look forward to: Windows fans for years have asked Microsoft to improve the File Explorer interface, prompting several to create concepts that show what a modernized version could look like. A recent Windows 11 preview build suggests the company is once again exploring adding tabs to File Explorer, which is one of the most highly-requested features.

On Wednesday, Microsoft released a new Windows 11 preview build to Insiders on the Dev Channel, which includes several fixes under the hood, some cosmetic changes, and a new video editing tool that will supposedly fill the hole left by the discontinuation of Movie Maker.

However, the new Insider build also has some additional functionality that isn't immediately visible. According to Rafael Rivera --- one of the developers behind the EarTrumpet volume control app --- Microsoft may be taking another shot at enabling tabs in File Explorer. His findings have been confirmed by several others who regularly uncover hidden gems in Windows preview builds.

As others have already found out. Running "vivetool addconfig 34370472 2" and launch an Explorer window, you get tabs! pic.twitter.com/xFrzAnTLcl --- Xeno (@XenoPanther) March 9, 2022

This new feature is believed to be one of several the company has been A/B testing since February. As some of you may recall, this isn't the first time Microsoft has explored this concept. Back in 2017, the Redmond giant started testing the idea of adding tabs to all Windows 10 apps --- including File Explorer --- with a feature called "Sets."

Microsoft eventually canceled the project to focus more closely on migrating its Edge browser to the Chromium engine. With Windows 11, the company started modernizing File Explorer again by simplifying the ribbon interface at the top, and now it looks like it might add tabs in the next major update of Windows 11.

It's worth noting that a developer has already gone the extra mile and created an alternative to File Explorer. The app is simply called Files, and it offers support for tabs, themes, dual-pane, tags, and more.

If Microsoft is indeed looking to bring tab support to File Explorer in Windows 11, it probably won't be long before it gets an official announcement.
In a nutshell: It appears that the South American group behind the Nvidia and Samsung hacks could have been responsible for another attack, and the victim didn't even know about it. Vodafone is investigating claims by Lapsus$ that it stole source code from the telecoms giant, and it could be about to dump 200GB of the pilfered data.

Lapsus$ posted a poll on its Telegram channel earlier this week asking, "What should we leak next?" There are three options: Vodafone, Impresa, and MercadoLibre/MercadoPago.

CNBC reports that 56% of the vote had been to dump 200GB of Vodafone source code. The poll ends on March 13, so it looks as if the UK firm will be chosen.

A spokesperson told CNBC: "We are investigating the claim together with law enforcement, and at this point we cannot comment on the credibility of the claim. However, what we can say is that generally the types of repositories referenced in the claim contain proprietary source code and do not contain customer data."

Argentinian eCommerce company MercadoLibre/MercadoPago and Portuguese media conglomerate Impresa, which suffered a data breach late last year, didn't respond to requests for comment.

Lapsus$ has been on the rampage over the last few weeks. It recently leaked 1TB of stolen data from Nvidia that exposed over 70,000 employee account login credentials. The group also claims to have used the stolen info to create a tool that can bypass Nvidia's Lite Hash Rate limiter without flashing or updating the firmware on a graphics card. It had been offering the tool to potential buyers for $1 million.

LAPSUS$ extortion group have successfully breached both NVIDIA & Samsung.



-March 1st: They demand NVIDIA open-source its drivers, or else they will

-March 4th: LAPSUS$ released Samsung proprietary source code.



See attached images for more details directly from LAPSUS$ pic.twitter.com/U3VD7R2KRl --- vx-underground (@vxunderground) March 4, 2022

The hackers then claimed an attack that leaked 190GB of confidential information from Samsung, including encryption data and source code for the company's most recent devices. The leak also purportedly contained algorithms for biometric unlock operations and source code for Samsung Accounts, a login service associated with Samsung's mobile devices.

Image credit: B_A
Finding the best antivirus for Mac this 2022 can be hard, but it doesn't have to be. All you need to know are the basics: what kind of protection you're getting, whether you'll pay for it or not, and whether it will be worth getting for the long haul. And perhaps even a few recommendations to start with.

In this article, you'll learn of several great options for the best Mac antivirus software. You don't have to choose either of them, but they'll be enough to teach you to set expectations for other products you might come across.

Intego Mac Internet Security X9

According to Macworld, this product's two-way firewall, good performance, and Mac-specific nature (no Android or Windows protection bloat to worry about) makes it a good choice if you just want something that works.

Its two-way firewall is courtesy of VirusBarrier and NetBarrier, which are both designed to filter out and/or kill malware threats. They can also spot any kind of hacking attempt from outsiders, as well as any malicious outgoing process which could be the result of fake software that's unknowingly installed on your computer.

It only costs $24.99 a year to subscribe to, but can only cater to one device at a time. So if you need to maintain and use multiple Macs at once, this might not be a good choice in terms of cost effectiveness.

BitDefender Antivirus For Mac

Tom's Guide considers BitDefender the absolute best antivirus for Mac in 2022, and a look at its features might help you see why. According to their review, the software possesses excellent malware detection capabilities, great ransomware protection, and doesn't put too much strain on your hardware so your computer won't slow down at the worst time possible.

Read Also: These are the Different Types of Trojan Malware You Should Know About

Aside from the basic malware and ransomware protection, BitDefender can also shield you from online trackers looking to invade your privacy online. It's also quite affordable at just $19.99 per year on one device, and $29.99 on three devices at once. If you want a two-year plan, expect to pay $48.99 for one device, and $62.99 for three devices.

The only downsides with BitDefender is that its Mac version lacks Password Manager: a feature only present in its Windows version. Its built-in VPN is also limited to only 200MB per day at least. If you need a good built-in VPN, you need to look someplace else.

Kaspersky Internet Security For Mac

This antivirus for Mac might not be the cheapest around, but you know what they say: you get what you pay for. TechRadar praises this antivirus software for its massive feature set, which includes excellent malware protection, blocking of malicious URLs, and even protection against webcam hijacking-no need to tape up your laptop's camera if you're afraid of being spied on.

Aside from those features, Kaspersky is also bundling an encrypted online banking browser. With that, you can connect to almost any public network you can find without fear of hackers waiting in the wings to steal your financial information.

Related Article: SysJoker Malware Reportedly Attacks Intel, M1 Macs | Experts Recommend These Security Tools to Detect it

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The unusual increase in the number of mobile malware cyberattacks continues to escalate in the first few months of 2022.

According to the researchers, a 500% surge in incidents might ramp up as we move along. Of course, this is alarming to everyone since they could put their information at risk of being stolen if safety precautions are not applied to mitigate these attacks.

Smartphone Malware Cases Continue to Increase

According to a report from Proofpoint researchers, the malware attacks on mobile users displayed "significant" peaks during the start and the ending of February 2022.

Usually, the cybercriminals behind these attacks have a common goal to achieve: stealing confidential information from the users. These include bank account details, email addresses, passwords, and usernames.

Furthermore, they could also access the device through remote code execution. It's quite disturbing to think that our smartphones could be an outlet of privacy invasion from unknown hackers.

They could easily track our location and even remove the important files on our devices without our knowing. Since cybersecurity researchers improved their preventive steps, the hackers also revamped their techniques in return.

Related Article: 'Banking' Trojan Malware Hits Over 300,000 Android Users | List of Apps to Avoid on Google Play App Store

Android Smartphones Are the Common Victims

In an article written by ZDNET on Wednesday, March 9, the most common target of cybercriminals is the Android marketplace.

The Google PlayStore serves as a channel to conduct the attacks since its OS is subject to severe vulnerability because of the third-party apps.

Usually, Android users could encounter phishing attacks on the platform wherein they will receive a malicious link that contains malware.

Once the users click a link, they will be directed to a fake website where they will enter their credentials. This is crucial information that everyone should take note of since doing so could make you lose your personal data.

Since many individuals transitioned to a work-from-home setup, the attackers took the opportunity to spend more time online and launch their schemes. One notable malware dubbed "FluBot" is a great nuisance for smartphone owners.

This malware attacks the device by sending texts to a recipient. Once you click it, it will be spread to other users, and the cycle goes on repeat until it spreads further.

Proofpoint also mentioned the SMS-based malware Moghau which can deceive the victims into downloading a dangerous security threat. The banking trojan will act as a "fake" landing page based on the user's location.

In another report, Google banned a bogus antivirus app on the Play Store. Apparently, it's a walking danger for users since it contains Sharkbot malware, which could take away sensitive details from them.

How to Stay Protected From Mobile Malware Attacks

Proofpoint researchers shared that consumers should not click any strange messages from untrusted sources. Sometimes, this could point you out as a "future scammer," according to VP of Cloudmark operations Jacinta Tobin.

Instead of clicking any SMS, the experts urged the users to forward them to a spam-reporting service through 7726. This will now remove the suspicious text on your device.

Read Also: How To Tell If You're Getting Scammed Online? Signs To Check and Security Tips To Follow

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Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Metain.io)

IDG Capital Vietnam - the leading Ventures capital with strong focus on high-quality technology startups confirms their investment in METAIN - the first co-investment platform based on blockchain and NFT technology in Vietnam. This partnership is expected to foster the development of NFT real estate and attract more global investors to invest in Vietnam proptech empowered by blockchain technology.

Real estate investment promises a very high ROI with the least risk among other investment types (e.g stocks, crypto, saving, open-ended funds, etc.); however, its characteristic creates high entry barriers for individual investors, including big investment capital and an inconvenient, time intensive multiple-transaction process.

METAIN is the blockchain-empowered co-investment platform focusing in real estate, whose vision is to provide high-yield, transparent and secured investment opportunities to middle-income customers. The platform aims to grow the Vietnam real estate investment market and improve its accessibility using blockchain technology to complement, not replace, existing reliable approaches.

To guarantee its commitment of protecting individual investors, METAIN is following REIT regulation, partnering with high reputation firms for bank trustee service, tax and financial auditing and legal consulting. Those globally recognized partners would be announced shortly within the next month.

IDG Capital also shows their ambition to lead the NFT Real estate trend and reveal their plan to proactively engage with global investors to attract investment into the Vietnam real estate market. About the potential of METAIN, Mr. Duc Tran - General Partner at IDG Capital Vietnam said: "METAIN is the first blockchain startup that IDG Capital Vietnam invests in. Unlike other similar projects, METAIN team has a very smart approach in their choice of investment targets. Income-producing property is real estate you invest in to make money from current rental payments, appreciation in market price, or adding value with additional revenue streams. Last but not least, their aims are only around Central Business District properties whose evaluations are the most stable with an all-time uptrend, comparing to other options."

"With the high security, instantaneous settlement, transparent seamless transaction process blockchain, smart contract and NFT (Non-fungible token) technology is transforming the real estate industry and will become the key trend in the next decades. The next challenges would be how protech investors' pennies with a reliable setup and how to grow these pennies via choosing right investment assets to acquire. And we believe that we are on the right track of that." said Mr. Nhan Tran, CEO of METAIN.

About IDG Capital Vietnam

IDG Capital is a leading investment firm, focused on developing extraordinary companies through our expertise in private equity and venture capital, as well as real estate. Founded in 1992, IDG Capital were the first firm to bring foreign venture capital into China. Today we work with private equity and venture capital fund managers, investment advisors and business entities from around the world. Our limited partners include many internationally reputable investors, including governments/sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, institutional investors, major charities, university endowments, family offices and business luminaries.

IDG Capital brings a powerful combination of global perspective and local experience to investment management. As long-term value investors, IDG Capital team is highly skilled at mobilizing global resources to address local needs, especially for Inbound and outbound opportunities in Asia.

To help portfolio companies achieve sustainable growth, IDG Capital accesses a wide range of resources, including services in branding, marketing, channel development, overseas expansion, human resources, finance and management. IDG Capital global reach is sustained through our worldwide offices in New York, London, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

IDG Capital is the first technology venture capital fund in Vietnam which currently manages $100 million. They play an important role in growing innovative and market-leading companies such as: VNG, VC Corp, Circle...

About METAIN

METAIN provides a co-investment platform which makes investing in income-producing assets affordable, convenient, safe, transparent, and trustworthy for investors, especially small investors.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/ Christian Wiediger) Facial recognition

On Feb. 9, Italy's privacy watchdog announced that it had sanctioned Clearview AI, a controversial facial recognition firm that saves selfies of people off the internet. The firm has more than 10 billion faces saved in its database that it sells to law enforcement.

Italy Fines Clearview AI

The Italian watchdog also issued a 20 million or $22 million penalty for breaches of EU law and ordered Clearview AI to delete any data on Italians.

The watchdog also banned it from further processing the facial biometrics of its citizens, according to Real Hacker.

Its investigation began after several complaints and reports from citizens. The firm noted that there were breaches of privacy law after it was revealed that the firm had been tracking Italian citizens and those located in Italy.

The watchdog, Garante, said that its findings show that the personal data held by Clearview AI, including geolocation data and biometrics, are processed illegally, without an adequate legal basis, which can't be the legitimate interest of the facial recognition company.

Also Read: Clearview AI Wants to Collect 100 Billion Photos For Human Facial Recognition Database

Other General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR breaches it identified included transparency obligations, violations of purpose limitation, having used user data for purposes other than those for which they were published online, and breaches of data retention rules with no storage limit.

The Italian Authority said that Clearview AI's activity violated the freedoms of the data subjects, including their protection of confidentiality and the right not to be discriminated against.

Clearview AI's Statement

According to TechCrunch, Clearview AI's CEO Hoan Ton-That said that the company does not have a place of business in Italy or the EU, it does not have any customers in Italy or the EU, and it does not undertake any activities that would otherwise mean it is subject to the GDPR.

Ton-That added that Clearview AI only collects public data from the internet and complies with all privacy and law standards.

He said that Clearview AI and its operation are misinterpreted in Italy, where they do no business. He said that his intentions and those of his company have always been to help communities and their people to live better lives.

The sanction and the order to delete data is the strongest enforcement Clearview AI got from a European privacy watchdog, with the United Kingdom's ICO warning the company back in November 2021 of a possible fine when it also ordered Clearview AI to stop processing data on UK citizens, according to Bleeping Computer.

In December 2021, France's CNIL also ordered Clearview AI to cease processing citizens' data and gave it two months to delete any data it held but did not mention a financial sanction.

Whether Italy will be able to collect the $22 million penalties from the company, which is a US-based entity, is an entirely different question.

A spokesman for the DPA told TechCrunch that the company notified the decision on Feb. 9. Clearview AI will have to inform the Authority about the steps it needs to comply with, including the applicability of the GDPR and other relevant measures.

Related Article: Clearview AI to Get a Patent in the US for its Facial Recognition Technology Despite Controversy

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U.S. President Joe Biden finally signs the new crypto regulating executive order. This new law appeared after the officials became concerned that Russians would use digital coins to evade sanctions against them.

Now, the American leader finally approved the suggested crypto regulating law that specifically requires all crypto transactions to be examined by government officials.

They will do this so that the risks and benefits offered by the rising digital coins will be thoroughly checked.

Biden Signs Crypto Regulating Executive Order

According to CNBC's latest report, Biden signed the new executive order on Wednesday, Mar. 9. At first, some rumors claimed that the new directive will be delayed because of a divide between Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and the White House officials.

Also Read: Blockchain Gaming Firm Animoca Cuts Service to Russian Customers Amid Ukraine Crisis

However, that didn't happen since Biden approved the new law right away. Thanks to this, federal agencies are now required to regulate cryptocurrency transactions in the U.S.

They need to do this in a unified approach so that they can ensure that the goals of the new executive order will be achieved.

The White House's official press release provided all the goals of the new crypto regulating executive order:

Protect the U.S. and Global Financial Stability and Mitigate Systemic Risk

Protect U.S. Consumers, Investors, and Businesses

Support Technological Advances and Ensure Responsible Development and Use of Digital Assets

Mitigate the Illicit Finance and National Security Risks Posed by the Illicit Use of Digital Assets

Promote Equitable Access to Safe and Affordable Financial Services

Promote U.S. Leadership in Technology and Economic Competitiveness to Reinforce U.S. Leadership in the Global Financial System

U.S. Dollar's Digital Version Now Considered

Aside from the mentioned goals, the new crypto regulating directive also aims to explore the digital version of the U.S. dollar.

Now, the Biden administration wants to make the research and development for the United States Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) a priority.

"The Order directs the U.S. Government to assess the technological infrastructure and capacity needs for a potential U.S. CBDC in a manner that protects Americans' interests," said the White House officials.

In other news, a new law requiring Russian crypto investors to take exams was recently proposed. Meanwhile, the new crypto Web3 movement is now attracting more tech employees to leave their tech firms.

For more news updates about cryptocurrencies and other related topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Biden Administration To Regulate Crypto Transaction in the U.S.? Here's Why a New Executive Order Might Be Approved

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Yet another PlayStation State of Play is underway for Wednesday, Mar. 9, kicking off as usual at 5:00 P.M. EST and 2:00 P.M. PST. The broadcast will take place on PlayStation's official YouTube and Twitch channels across all languages and should last approximately 20 minutes in length.



While rumors and speculation run rampant on what exactly fans can expect of the forthcoming livestream, Sony played down the hype by simply stating its Mar. 9 State of Play will "focus on highlighting great games coming from some of our beloved Japanese publishers" via its PlayStation blog. It will be most prominently aimed at both PS4 and PS5 console games, specifically "first looks and updates."

Said Japanese publishers could include coverage of Square Enix and its forthcoming Final Fantasy 16, a PlayStation console exclusive last seen in a Sony broadcast of the same ilk from last year. There's also Square's Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin that could potentially make an appearance as it will be debuting Mar. 15.

Related Article: 'Returnal' Dev Housemarque Is Not Making A Sequel To Their PS5 Exclusive

And, as always, hopeful fans of Silent Hill, Castlevania, and Metal Gear Solid pray in abundance for a revival of some kind from those IPs through the reluctant hands of Konami, though any validation on a remake or new title from those game series remains hearsay. Despite the release and high praise of Elden Ring, Souls fans, too, are breathlessly anticipating some kind of a remaster or remake of Bloodborne, which still, even on the PS5 runs at a capped 30 fps.

Any PlayStation VR2 fans hoping to catch a glimpse of gameplay or additional information on hardware will have to wait as Sony has said Mar. 9, State of Play will have no details "on PlayStation VR2 titles or hardware."

However the 20-minute broadcast will, however, take a slight peek at other developers beyond Japan-based, which could be a nod to the upcoming Returnal DLC or GTA 5's Extended and Enhanced edition, which drops Mar. 15. God of War: Ragnorak, the sequel to the highly beloved 2018 hit, will not be a part of the show, unfortunately, but it is still on track for release later this year.

Although highly unlikely, fans may also get a snippet of information on what PlayStation's Game Pass competitor, Project Spartacus, looks and feels like. Speculation has run rampant on the Netflix-style gaming service under Sony, but given recent Tweets via VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb, who claims testing will begin shortly, it's a safe bet that Sony's own Game Pass iteration will debut sometime in late 2022.

Despite one major data analyst predicting PlayStation's non-existence within the next decade, it's clear the company is pushing bounds and maintaining a somewhat pro-consumer attitude for its releases and business practices. Maybe hardcore fans of Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid will get the tease of an experience they have long waited for, or Bloodborne 2 gets announced. With Sony, it's anyone's best guess.

Tune on Wednesday, Mar. 9, at 5:00 P.M. EST to discover what wonders PlayStation has in store for the future.

Read Also: PlayStation's Xbox Game Pass-Like Service, Spartacus, Pricing Details Have Been Revealed

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Stadia is hinting that it will soon feature Windows PC games, and it would bring the popular titles to the cloud streaming platform for users on other devices. It may be a conflict of interest as Microsoft already has the Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming platform for the titles, but the speculations and reports around it say so for the Google service.

Google Stadia to Soon Feature Windows PC Games on Cloud

Google is looking for ways to include Windows PC games on the Stadia's cloud gaming platform in the service, but now, it may have unlocked the key to do this. According to Redditors, Google is building a new way to do this via emulation, and it will create it on the Linux platform for the Stadia cloud to bring it to gamers.

The Redditors say that the company is to reveal this hint on their gaming developer's summit that it would soon host, focusing on the many features it will bring for the users. The cloud platform has not yet got any Windows PC games and concentrated mostly on console games to bring to a different platform, making this a first for them.

Read Also: PlayStation State of Play March 2022: Teases, Rumors, and Where to Watch

Windows PC Games on Cloud: Already on Xbox Cloud

Windows PC Games on the cloud are available on the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform, and they have the rights to distribute it because it is from the Microsoft company, which is also distributing it. However, Google can ask for licenses from its developers and publishers, hence the availability of the Windows games on the Stadia.

Google Stadia and Cloud Gaming Platforms

Google allows gamers of the Stadia cloud gaming platform to stream different titles for the various devices that can connect to the internet, and it brought a breeze for most gamers. Instead of having it installed on one's device, users can directly stream the titles using the internet, even to consoles like the Nintendo Switch.

Despite having initial mixed reviews for the Stadia, it is still a growing platform that brings different features for gamers and allows them to experience other titles and focus on its experience. Several parts of the Stadia focuses on friend requests for anyone that has their Google account, and it will help promote game streaming.

The internet company's cloud gaming platform is a massive venture for them, especially as Google is mainly built on web services and has been building up its presence in the cloud industry. Its capabilities to feature Windows PC games bring gamers an opportunity to explore more titles available to the public without the need for a ludicrous gaming setup that will cost them thousands.

Related Article: Best Google Stadia Games You Can Purchase Now: 'Cyberpunk 2077,' 'Resident Evil VIII,' 'Hitman 3' and MORE

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NASA has requested $24 billion in funding from the US government for the fiscal year 2022. As per The Register, the request is now being considered by lawmakers this month. According to the report, the massive budget is still over $760.2 million, shy of their initial request but a bit more than their budget of $23.3 billion last year.

This is an insane amount of money by any means. But what do they even intend to spend this much money on? Why is the budget this big in the first place?

Money, Money, Money

The iconic Abba song doesn't even do the amount justice, but that's the reality of NASA's purpose as a space agency. Spaceflight and all other related expenditures to it are not cheap.

If they manage to get that $24 billion bag, here's what they plan to spend a good chunk of that ($7.6 billion) on:

Earth monitoring science projects: $2 billion

Studying the Sun: $778 million

Studying the Solar System $3.1 billion

Studying what's beyond the Solar System: $1.4 billion

Biological sciences: $83 million

Aside from these projects, the rest of the money will be used to maintain ongoing missions. This includes figuring out how the Perseverance Rover's Mars samples can be brought home to Earth, as well as building new spacecraft for future missions (i.e. the Dragonfly mission, which is planned to explore Saturn's moon Titan).

NASA intends to spend $6.8 billion more for exploration efforts, which is where the agency includes their most ambitious projects like sending humans back to the moon, as well as making them land on Mars for the first time.

Not to mention, they'll have to pay their experienced, highly trained staff their salaries too.

Read Also: NASA Artemis I Mission To Send Your Name To the Moon! How To Include Yours in the Space Agency's Flash Drive?

How NASA's Funding Is Determined

As a government agency, NASA is a non-profit organization that gets almost all its funding from the US government. The current administration proposes a budget, which will then have to be approved by Congress, as explained by Planetary.org.

If and after the budget proposal gets approved, it will then have to be signed by the President before the fiscal year starts (October 1st). Should the proposal not get approved in time, NASA's funding is put on hold. All of the money that the agency gets is taken from the United States' annual federal budget, which is also passed by Congress.

It is not immediately apparent whether the agency gets some of its money somewhere else (i.e. commercial contracts, investments in other industries, or even rich private benefactors), but one thing is for certain: NASA can spend billions upon billions on their projects.

Why Do Space Missions Cost So Much?

There's no one right answer to this, as it all depends on a lot of factors. But let's take one of the more recent Mars missions: Curiosity, and see how it ended up costing $2.5 billion.

According to Investopedia, the cost breakdown was rather simple. NASA had to pay hundreds upon hundreds of extremely skilled and experienced people: engineers, scientists, programmers, and even independent contractors to plan the entire mission and develop the technology for it-sometimes from scratch. All in all, the team behind Curiosity consisted of people from 12 countries working almost round the clock.

Here's another thing: $2.5 billion on one mission might sound like too much, but take note that the Curiosity mission was spread out over an eight-year period, from 2012-2020. That's around $312 million per year.

In comparison, Americans spent an insane $56.9 billion on video games in 2020 ALONE (via NGPF). Take that perspective into account, and you'll realize just how little money was spent on the mission in the first place.

Final Thoughts

NASA's budget is insanely big. That's true. But people should know by now that spending on space exploration is not just to further humanity's curiosity about the unknown. All of that spending also goes back to the ordinary people, mostly in the form of everyday pieces of tech that you use but tend to take for granted.

USAToday shared a few of those everyday tech that was originally created for space travel. Your iPhone's scratch-resistant screen? That came from NASA engineers wanting to protect astronauts from the vacuum of space. Your grandma's insulin pump? Also first designed for space. This even includes water filtration, solar power cells, camera phones, and your beloved wireless headset.

Yes, your precious AirPods (at least the tech in them) were originally made for astronauts.

So, understand this: space exploration is expensive. But not a lot of people understand how much of the science and technology developed for it benefits them back home, here on Earth. You're no longer one of them anymore.

Related Article: NASA to Pay $1 Million for People Who Can Find 'Innovative' Ways to Feed Astronauts in Space

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PS5 retailers are preparing once again for another wave of console drops this month. We expect the selected stores to release updates regarding PlayStation 5 stocks in specific countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.

If you reside in either of these two nations, you've come to the right place. For those who missed the previous drops, here's an early update regarding the latest PS5 restocks that might soon happen.

PS5 Restock in the UK Featuring Argos and GAME

According to PlayStation Lifestyle, UK-based customers should watch out for the potential drops that could occur this Thursday, March 10. The source revealed that Argos is gearing up for the upcoming console drop, which could likely fall today or tomorrow (Friday, March 11).

 Exclusive News on Upcoming Argos PS5 Restockhttps://t.co/gn8clNHnMj pic.twitter.com/e6rEU9lSjB  PS5 Stock UK (@PS5StockAlertUK) March 2, 2022

Apart from that, another speculation is shaking around the corner. Fans are quite skeptical about GAME, but there's a huge chance this UK retailer has another surprise on its sleeve PSLS reported that GAME could be hinting at a huge release for PS5 units between March 15 and 18 at around 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. GMT.

However, if things make a quick turnaround this time, we could expect an earlier PS5 selling in this store.

Aside from Argos and GAME, brace yourselves for another series of PlayStation 5 drops in the UK since Very, AO, John Lewis, and Smyths Toys are also expected to host restock events in the next few days.

Related Article: PS5 UK Restock Rumors: Amazon, GAME Hint on Potential Drops in the Next Few Weeks of February 2022

What About PS5 Restock in the UK?

For the US buyers, be on high alert for the potential drop from Best Buy on March 10 or 11. That's according to trusted console insider Jake Randall who tweeted out a post about this.

BEST BUY PS5 UPDATE



Many stores have received units to sell IN STORE either tomorrow (most likely) or Friday. They wont make an announcement & you wont be able to buy or see inventory on the website, you have to go to a store & ask customer service if they have any (1/2)  Jake Randall (@Jake_Randall_YT) (@Jake_Randall_YT) March 9, 2022

Although it's not announced across the country, you can confirm the store about the restocks by inquiring to its customer service representative.

Most importantly, you can also visit GameStop for a sure-fire supply of PS5 consoles, per Tech Times.

If you are looking for a package saver, you might want to opt for a PlayStation bundle where you can get a DualSense controller, a free game card, a gaming headset, and even the "Gran Turismo 7."

Other retailers such as Target and Amazon are also expected to announce soon updates regarding the PS5 restocks. In our previous report, we wrote that the latter will be launching a PS5 restock through March 31. The event will be exclusive to Amazon Prime members only.

In other news, check The Verge's underrated PS5 buying tips for more information. Here, you will learn the PS5 trackers that you need to follow to avoid being left behind during restock. You will also know the important websites, forums, and apps that will help you snag a next-gen console this time.

Read Also: PS5 Stock Availability February 2022: What to Expect and Where to Buy

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Union of the left: "We cannot go to the ultra left when the country is going to the right", says Cambadelis
President Joe Biden announces a ban on Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, Tuesday in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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Some of the authors of the first draft of new social studies standards disavowed the final version approved by Louisiana's top school board Wednesday and said they were unfairly criticized for trying to inject a distorted version of the state's racial history.

The criticism was included in an email sent to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley on the eve of the vote to endorse the new benchmarks after a 14-month review that sparked controversy.

It was signed by nine of the 27 members of a steering committee of educators and others named by state officials to recommend new guidelines, including the two parent representatives on the panel.

Aaron Jura, one of the nine and a school curriculum writer, said Wednesday the new benchmarks are less progressive than those in Mississippi.

Steering Committee and Standards letter, March 9, 2022 Letter by some members of Steering Committee disavowed the final version of social studies curricula

Jura, who lives in New Orleans, said the department "listened to a very well organized minority of people who were misinformed."

The committee endorsed its recommendations last September, which were then revised by Brumley and the state Department of Education amid a flurry of public comments.

BESE tentatively approved the revised standards Tuesday and gave final approval Wednesday with little discussion both times.

In an email dated Monday, the nine asked that the steering committee get another chance to review the final version and, if not, it would be clear BESE's original goals of the update would not be met and the committee did not approve of the final product.

It said the benchmarks do not include information needed for students to gain a more coherent version of history, better prepare elementary students for secondary and postsecondary work and to ensure historical perspectives from a wide range of backgrounds.

New social studies standards clear key state panel; final vote possible in December A state panel voted 19-1 to implement new social studies standards for public schools after a two-month delay sparked by complaints over how t

"We understand that revising social studies standards during this highly divisive political moment in our history is complicated," according to the email sent to Brumley and all 11 members of BESE.

"However, it is during such times that following a pre-determined procedure designed by the Louisiana Department of Education becomes all the more important," it says.

Both Brumley and BESE President Jim Garvey disputed the criticism.

"I am proud of our process," Brumley said, noting the changes won approval from BESE without a "no" vote.

The nine dissenters were especially incensed over charges that the steering committee was pushing critical race theory  the view that the legacy of White supremacy remains pervasive in the nation's laws and institutions.

Some members of the public made that criticism during a fiery five-hour meeting last June, including charges that White students would be made to feel guilty and that the initial draft standards produced an overly bleak view of Louisiana and the nation's history.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

New social studies benchmarks clear final hurdle, 'A lot of pressure' Ending a 14-month process that stirred up controversy, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday approved new social st

A few weeks later Brumley said public hearings on the issue would be delayed two months, and he tried to defuse one of the key controversies.

"I don't believe critical race theory should be taught in K-12 education," Brumley said at the time, and he repeated that view later.

Some state lawmakers and others who were initially critical of the process praised revisions made by the department and later endorsed the standards.

Jura said critical race theory  what it means sparks arguments  was never part of the focus of the work groups.

"I read through some of the public comments that inaccurately assessed that CRT was included," he said.

"But the comments themselves are directly attributable to special interest groups outside of the state," Jura added. "They are literally copy and paste jobs from websites. They are not based in fact."

+3 Louisiana delays update on social studies standards; 'This is politically combustible' A seemingly routine update of Louisiana's social studies standards has been delayed for two months amid criticism from former House Education 

Jura said one of the casualties of the department's revisions was an account of how people of color in Louisiana played significant roles in the American Revolution and the Battle of New Orleans.

"And the new standards do not even take into account their place in Louisiana's and the nation's history," he said. "That is egregious."

Asked about the criticism, Brumley said Tuesday the steering committee's recommendations set a foundation for department officials to work from and one that generated about 1,500 public comments.

Garvey noted that the standards underwent multiple revisions.

Critical race theory won't be included in Louisiana's social studies standards, official says Setting up a key vote, state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley on Tuesday put his imprint on proposed new social studies standards for 

"I think they did their job," he said of steering committee members. "I think they were utilized properly."

Justin Winder, one of three students on the committee and one of the dissenters, said the panel worked for four months to craft better standards.

"And then a year later we heard that they wanted to do it their way and not as diverse as we planned it to be," said Winder, a junior at Ponchatoula High School.
Tracey Moore, left, Suzy Lamore, center, and Donna Pisani, right, all colleagues and friends of Kelleye Rhein, the woman who was recently dragged by her car when a person attempted to carjack it while she was getting gas at Costco on S. Carrollton Avenue, distribute the nearly 50 protest signs they made to express their frustration over the recent uptick in crime around the city. Dozens of people joined them on Tuesday, February 15, 2022 in New Orleans City Park. City Council members Eugene J. Green, Dist. D, and Joseph Giarrusso III, Dist. A, joined them for the event. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
While there are signs Beijing is at least considering its exit strategy from COVID Zero, border curbs and other restrictions are unlikely to be eased meaningfully before 2023, given the need for stability in a politically important year for President Xi Jinping. McKinsey said in a report in August that outbound travel from China may remain muted for as long as 18 months, while Goldman Sachs predicts border restrictions could remain in place for the whole of this year and may even extend until the spring of 2023 considering transmissions are typically higher in winter months. Hong Kong, Macau Nowhere is the impact as visible as in Hong Kong, itself hewing to the mainlands isolationist approach even at the risk of losing its status as a global business hub. Some 51 million tourists, or more than three-quarters of total visitors to the city, came from China in 2018, data from UNWTO and the Hong Kong Tourism Board show. Globally, Hong Kong was the No. 1 destination for Chinese tourists in 2018, playing host to 33 per cent of the almost 145 million Chinese who travelled overseas that year. They poured about $US27 billion into the economy, according to the citys statistics department.

Macau, known for its casinos, wasnt far behind, receiving 25.3 million, or more than 17 per cent of all Chinas outbound tourists. Thailand was the third-most popular destination in 2018, the year prior to the pandemic with the most complete data available. Some 16.9 million Chinese travelled to the Southeast Asian nation, spending around $US16.1 billion. Prior to COVID, South Korea, home to K-pop and a cutting-edge cosmetics scene, was attracting Chinese at a breakneck pace. In 2018, almost 4.8 million people visited, a 15 per cent jump on 2017, outlaying about $US8.9 billion, according to Bloomberg News calculations based on government data on spending. Things are very different now. Revenue is zero Before the pandemic, nearly 70 per cent of all Chinese tourists came to Korea through group travel packages. Now, revenue is zero, said Cho Il-sang, a representative for Hana Tour Service, Koreas largest travel agency. I saw someone quit and start working as a delivery man.

In Cambodia, Christian de Boer, managing director of the Jaya House hotel in Siem Reap, doesnt think Chinese visitors will return until 2023. He estimates they used to account for 40 per cent of all travellers to Cambodia. Jaya House has closed two of its sister hotels and is keeping one open at reduced capacity. The reverberations are being felt on the other side of the world, too. In Venice, a city where flocks of tourists pre-COVID were causing water pollution and congestion, Caffe Florian is missing a key group of patrons. Chinese tourists have also disappeared from Venice. Credit:Bloomberg Chinese visitors were a constant and significant inflow before the virus, said Renato Costantini, a director of the Italian coffee house that dates back to 1720. Most came in big groups and were high spenders, he said.

Filippo Frank, owner of the Hotel Villa delle Rose in Rome, a family-run business thats been in operation since 1979, said Chinese tourists pre-pandemic spanned solo travellers, the middle class and the young. After 2020, they disappeared But after 2020, they disappeared, Frank said. We reopened in September 2020 after the lockdown, and since then no more Chinese citizens are coming from China. Chinese tourists werent as many as Europeans or American of course, but it was a pretty good and growing community. China has become notoriously efficient at turning off the flow of outbound travellers, according to Doug Lansky, an independent tourism consultant and author of 10 books, including two for Lonely Planet and three for Rough Guides. And the Chinese population respects official travel warnings more than many others. It was a trend even before COVID, Lansky said, citing the 2018 arrest of Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada. The move prompted China to issue a travel advisory against the nation, quickly drying up tourism.

Because of this, any country catering to Chinese visitors doesnt just need to be China Ready, Lansky said. They need to be China Un-Ready, that is, they need to have a strong plan in place in case Chinese visitors suddenly disappear. COVID was really a nail in the coffin for many businesses. I want to go back to running the guest houses, but we cant expect Chinese travellers to come back anymore. Chiang Mai guesthouse owner Amnart Daungsing Some spots are doing just that. The Maldives, for example, has doubled down on its marketing efforts to consumers in places like Australia and India. The latter has emerged as the archipelagos top source of visitors for two years running. When you look at a place like the Maldives, China was the biggest supplier of tourists, said Bill Heinecke, the founder and chairman of Minor International, one of Asias largest hospitality, restaurant and lifestyle companies. Today its setting new pre-COVID highs, and theyre doing that without the Chinese. Dubai is also seeing higher hotel rates. But for every success story there are many more tales of woe. Pockets of Thailands tourism sector, which used to account for about a fifth of the countrys gross domestic product and 20 per cent of employment, have cratered.

The chairman of Thai Airways Internationals restructuring plan, Piyasvasti Amranand, said that most of the international traffic to Thailand currently was from Europe. Were not counting on China this year in our plan, he said in an interview during the Singapore Airshow in February. In Phuket, only around 30 per cent of hotels are open -- the majority that relied on Chinese visitors are still closed. The island was heavily reliant on Chinese arrivals, especially in the years leading up to the pandemic, said Angkana Tanetvisetkul, president of the Kata Karon Business Association, which represents more than 40 locally-owned hotels on Phuket. Loading After the release of the 2012 Chinese comedy Lost in Thailand, the popularity of Chiang Mai surged and the northern city famous for white-water rafting and jungle treks also made it onto the bucket list of many Chinese travellers, said Amnart Daungsing, who owns two guest houses and helps run the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association. Chinese tourists were 80 per cent of his business and he even hired a tutor to help teach him and his staff Chinese, so they could communicate better. The influx also spurred a mushrooming of small businesses around the area. Now more than half have closed. Amnart has also been forced to shut his guest houses and pick up odd jobs, like selling durians online.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Preparations for the 23rd Biennale of Sydney were well underway before somebody noticed this years theme  rivus - was an anagram of virus. For director Jose Roca who has worked to assemble a vast international show in a locked-down world, it would have been impossible to ignore the pandemic. Roca is from Colombia but for the past two years hes been bunkered down in Sydney, working with local curators, sourcing artworks remotely. Where previous Biennale directors have spent their preparation time travelling from country to country, visiting exhibitions and artists studios, Roca has endured the loneliness of the long-distance creative director. On the plus side, he can claim this Biennale has a smaller carbon footprint than most of its predecessors  which is no joke, considering the exhibitions environmental theme. Rivus is a Latin word meaning brook or stream, and Rocas Biennale is all about water, more specifically  rivers, wetlands, and other salt and freshwater ecosystems. Its a final irony that the show is being launched at a time when Sydney is waterlogged from a fortnight of record downpours. Roca has been inspired by the 2016 decision that allocated legal rights to the Atrato River in Colombia, and by a case one year later that saw the Whanganui River in New Zealand granted legal personhood. Since then, rivers around the world have been represented in courts as a way of preventing reckless exploitation of scarce water resources that should belong to everyone. Subsequently, seven rivers are listed as participants in this Biennale: the Atrato, the Baaka, the Birrarung/Yarra, the Boral, the Burramatta, the Napo and the Vilcabamba. The North Sea is represented by an Embassy. Rivus is also the Latin root of the word rival, reflecting competition between parties for the use of a watercourse, often a boundary between states and territories. This allows the Biennale to engage with topics such as global politics, war, colonialism, corporate exploitation and Indigenous land claims. The emphasis on Indigenous knowledge continues the themes of the previous Biennale and reflects a growing preoccupation among the worlds art institutions. Bluff your way through the Biennale The 23rd Biennale of Sydney runs from March 12 to June 13.

You can see the artworks at six locations: the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Barangaroo including The Cutaway and Stargazer lawn, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Art School, Pier 2/3 and Parramattas Arts and Cultural Exchange,

Rivers, wetlands and other salt and freshwater ecosystems feature in line with the festivals theme, rivus.

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There are six venues this year: Pier 2/3, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW), the National Art School Gallery (NAS), and Arts and Cultural Exchange (ACE), Parramatta. The exciting new addition is the Cutaway at Barangaroo, a cavernous space. Cockatoo Island is off the list, as is Artspace, which is undergoing renovations and has helped organise the NAS display. Each venue has a different watery theme, which provides a loose structure for the exhibition. Its possible to see everything in a day, but not advisable. One might walk from the Cutaway to Pier 2/3, and then to the MCA. If youre feeling ambitious the AGNSW is 20 minutes walk from the MCA, and the NAS another 20 from the AGNSW. ACE in Parramatta is very much a postscript as it is hosting only four works. In this brief preview, Ill start at Barangaroo and follow the itinerary above, listing the highlights as I go. The Cutaway, Barangaroo Its the space itself that makes the most vivid impression: a gigantic chamber apparently carved from solid rock, partially open to the sky. Rain is falling on the right-hand side, meaning that only the hardiest works can occupy that edge. The dominant work is Flows  a huge mass of bamboo that swirls across the ceiling. This is the brainchild of Cave Urban, a Sydney collective of artists, architects, and designers. Many pieces in the Cutaway are process-based, including Diana Scherers organic weavings made by the natural roots systems of grass, and Gal Weinsteins floor-based landscape made from coffee grounds. A more obvious crowd-pleaser is Alexandra Daisy Ginsbergs The Substitute, a video of a rhinoceros created by artificial intelligence that shows the program learning the configuration of cells, moulding a blur of moving blocks into a living animal. Its a visual equivalent of the long, slow work being done by scientists who are striving to restore extinct creatures through manipulating DNA. Clockwise from top left: Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists The Great Animal Orchestra, Cave Urbans Flows and Alexandra Daisy Ginsbergs The Substitute. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone Above the Cutaway, on the Stargazer Lawn at Barangaroo, there are two Biennale highlights: The Great Animal Orchestra by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists, and Irish artist, John Gerrards Leaf Work (Derrigimlagh). The former is housed in a special pavilion and viewers will need to pre-book. It consists of animal sounds recorded all over the world, presented in a display that turns the frequencies into a layered wraparound of coloured lines on a dark backdrop. Its an eerily hypnotic piece. Gerrard has created a large, mirror-glass cube that sits in the park as though a visitor from another planet. On one side we see a moving image of a figure covered in leaves, wandering around a flat, grassy landscape. Its not a video but another artificial work, in which the leafy monster  a relative of the Green Man of British mythology  roams apparently at random.

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Pier 2/3 Pier 2/3 is devoted to briny environments, where saltwater meets freshwater. This opens the door to political works including the installation of protest material by the Torres Strait 8, who have taken the Australian government to the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations over its inaction on climate change; and the delicate works of Thai artist Imhathai Suwatthanasilp who makes sculptural pieces from materials such as human hair and termite wings. Clockwise from left: Duke Riley with his work The View From The Mouth Of The Newtown Creek During Final Days of Battle, The Torres Strait 8s poster wall of creations and Yoan Capotes work Requiem. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone, Getty For me, the two undoubted must-sees were the work of American artist Duke Riley, whose environmental activism has found expression in large graphic works, scrimshaw engravings on waste plastic, and a vitrine full of small fishing lures made from repurposed rubbish drawn from a polluted waterway in Brooklyn. The second piece is a vast seascape by Cuban artist Yoan Capote featuring black, choppy waves made from fish hooks. Set against a golden sky, its a vision full of grandeur and menace. Museum of Contemporary Art At the MCA we are invited to reflect on deep time, primal waters and ancient histories. This is an odd choice, given the museums contemporary agenda. One of the exhibits is a fish fossil from Canowindra, dating from the Devonian period (roughly 400,000,000 years ago), in which marine life began to advance onto the land. Its easily the oldest item ever included in a Sydney Biennale or the MCA.

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Clockwise from left: Artist Matias Duville, Qavavau Manumies Untitled (detail) and Alex Cervenys Aquifera (detail). Credit:Flavio Brancaleone In another out-of-character move, the MCA is showing many small, quirky pieces, such as the paintings of Brazilian artist Alex Cerveny; and the bizarre but wonderful drawings of Inuit artist Qavavau Manumie, which combine folklore with homegrown surrealism. There are also large, museum-scale drawings by Argentinas Matias Duville, and an impressive room of tapestries by American artist Kiki Smith who may be the best-known participant in a Biennale focused on individual works, not reputations. Duville gives us scenes of primal devastation, drawn in a rough, tactile manner. Smiths tapestries combine motifs from the natural world  animals, birds, insects and plants  with cosmic views of the landscape and the human body. Ive seen a lot of art by Smith over the years, and these pieces are probably as good as anything shes ever made. Art Gallery of NSW A major attraction at the AGNSW is the large-scale installation, One Beat One Tree, by Belgian artist Naziha Mestaoui, who died from a rare illness in 2020 at the age of only 44. This interactive work allows one to create an individual tree and add it to a virtual landscape. Every virtual tree will be echoed by the planting of a real tree, which should make this a popular enticement for climate-conscious kids. Its also a homage to one of the presiding spirits of this Biennale, German artist Joseph Beuys (1921-86), whose 7,000 Oaks at the 1982 Kassel Documenta, was a landmark for environmental art. In general, the works at the AGNSW deal with ideas around rewilding and caring for Country, which translates into mainly Indigenous displays. There are canoes by Tasmanian artists Rex Greeno and his son Dean Greeno; another by John Kelly of Kempsey, with a contribution by ceramicist Rena Shein. These pieces are simple, handmade artefacts that could actually be used to cross a river. Artist Badger Bates (left) and Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey (right) with one of their monumental prints-on-grass at the Art Gallery of NSW. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone

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Badger Bates from Wilcannia, well known as a printmaker, has been repackaged as a maker of wall-sized installations and sculptures. I was, however, more taken with the drawings of Venezuelan artist Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, whose minimal, linear works connect with a wealth of local lore and legend. National Art School Gallery (in partnership with Artspace) Ideas around still and stagnant waters, as well as submerged and re-emerging histories are explored at the NAS Gallery. This translates into is a lot of stuff happening underwater including Joey Holders atmospheric video of a subterranean cave, in which fishy and reptilian shapes flit dimly back and forth before our eyes; or Erin Coates drawings of dolphin bones; or Latent Communitys film of a sunken village in Greece, drowned to create a dam. The top floor is dominated by a huge photo work by Colombian-born artist Carolina Caycedo with an accompanying installation. Her theme is dams and the unnecessary destruction wrought by these projects, once seen as triumphs of human ingenuity. Nowadays, we think immediately of ecological disasters and corporate greed. Joey Holders Abyssal Seeker at the National Art School. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone Among other notable pieces at the NAS are the powerful large-scale prints of Torres Strait artist Teho Ropeyarn; and a possum skin cloak, made in commemoration of the Myall Creek Massacre of 1838, by descendants of the victims and the perpetrators. Arts and Cultural Exchange, Parramatta

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Movie director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after a bank teller mistook him for a robber when he passed her a note while trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from his account, police said.

The Black Panther director, who is black, walked into a Bank of America branch on January 7 and passed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note written on the back asking her to be discreet when handing him the cash, according to a police report.

Director Ryan Coogler at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Credit:Getty

He was trying to withdraw more than $US10,000 ($13,500), and the teller received an alert notification on her computer and quickly alerted her manager that Coogler was trying to rob the bank, the report says. The bank employee is a black woman, the report says.

Police responding to the bank branch in the upscale Buckhead neighbourhood saw a black Lexus SUV parked out front with the engine running. An officer talked to the male driver who said he was waiting for Coogler, who was inside the bank. A female passenger gave police the same information.
Their bags are packed, new passports issued and international immunisation certificates are at the ready  after three years of isolation, 17 dancers from the Sydney Dance Company are preparing to fly out on their first international tour since 2019.

Its another step towards normality, says the companys executive director Lou Oppenheim. We have been producing and reproducing tours for a long time. Both venue and performance company schedules are out of sync, all our planning cycles too, so its back to reestablishing ourselves on the world stage.

Sydney Dance Companys executive director Lou Oppenheim with rehearsals director Richard Cilli and dancers Davide di Giovanni, Jesse Scales and Rhys Kosakowski. Credit:Steven Siewert

The 25-member entourage from Australias largest contemporary dance company will depart Sydney on Sunday to perform Rafael Bonachelas ab [intra] in Paris at the Theatre National de Chaillot, then to Maison de la Danse in Lyon and Le Theatre Olympia dArcachon and Theatre de Gascogne at Mont de Marsan.

Ab [intra] toured Spain, Poland, Finland, Austria in June 2019, and the duet was performed at Paris Opera Ballets 350th birthday gala concert in September 2019.
The phone call starts: Have you still got that ute? This is asked because they havent seen me since they last moved, so they are unsure whether Ive had some sort of terrible mid-life crisis and traded down to a Lamborghini.

The Queen might even need a ute muster to pack up this castle. Credit:Getty Images

Based on my experience, it will surely involve a mate with a ute. I have a ute and I find it makes me very popular with friends who are moving house. Its like having a swimming pool in the middle of a Sydney summer. Or being the owner of a bilge pump right now.

I wonder if the Queen has a mate with a ute? Her Majesty, were told, is moving house  relocating permanently from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle. There was no information as to how the move will be achieved.

I say traded down because a ute is such a wonderful vehicle. It never suffers mechanical problems, you can throw anything in the back, and over the years it becomes dented and scratched in a way that serves as a warning to others. When I put on my blinkers to change lanes, you can see people thinking: Lets get out of the way, that guy clearly cant drive.

The only downside arrives every second weekend when a friend is moving house. They have a few small items, they always say. And they are moving to a modest two-bedroom flat.

A wise person would ask: What are the small items and would one of them happen to be a piano?, and What floor is the flat on, and have they fixed the lift?

But the person with the ute is a giver, not a taker. A lover, not a fighter. Certainly, a lifter and not a leaner.

And, so, I find myself, usually at 8am on a Saturday morning, stationed halfway down the narrow staircase of a Paddington terrace, my face pinned between the wall and a large wooden wardrobe, the full weight of which is resting on my left cheekbone.
A woman has died after she entered her ex-partners home south of Brisbane and began to throw petrol around before setting the house on fire.

Three children, including a two-year-old, the womans former partner and his new girlfriend were rushed to hospital.

Police were probing domestic violence links between the woman and her ex-partner, with recent court proceedings around the custody of three children a key factor.

Emergency services responded to the house fire about 3am on Bidyan Boulevard in New Beith, Logan, and paramedics found the house engulfed with flames.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has downplayed his government funding only three out of 20 flood mitigation projects in Queensland and claimed billions and billions were offered for dams.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday said the Commonwealths Emergency Response Fund, which began in December last year, should be used to limit the impact of floods.

You cant have a fund and not use it, so I honestly believe that if youve got the money there, lets get it out the door, she said.

Unfortunately, Queensland submitted 20 projects seeking $127 million so when you think about $127 million out of $5 billion isnt that much and only three Queensland projects were approved.
A Ukrainian dance group will perform in Mondays Moomba parade as an expression of pride in their culture and identity, while desperately concerned for loved ones overseas.

The dancers claps, leaps, turns and steps of the traditional hopak folk dance were energetic and expressive as they rehearsed on Wednesday, wearing intricately embroidered costumes.

Lehenda Ukrainian Dance Company members in rehearsal. Credit:Joe Armao

Despite the smiles, Lehenda Ukrainian Dance Company artistic director Melanie Moravski Dechnicz said the fortnight following Russias invasion of Ukraine had been horrific for the community.

She said most of the dancers have close family and friends in Ukraine.
The states legal regulator has found there was insufficient evidence to make adverse findings against Victoria Polices legal chief over his involvement in the use of criminal barrister Nicola Gobbo as a police source in the so-called Lawyer X scandal.

Findlay McRae, who has been in charge of forces legal department for almost 15 years, was cleared of accusations he persistently failed his professional duties to the administration of justice and did not disclose the extent of Ms Gobbos history with Victoria Police. The allegations were made during the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants.

Victoria Police's head of legal services, Findlay McRae, gives evidence at the royal commission

In a letter sent to lawyers acting for Mr McRae dated March 2, Victorian Legal Services Commissioner Fiona McLeay said that the boards investigations did not find sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations.

The result of our investigation is that we have not been able to identify any evidence which contradicts your submissions about your knowledge of Ms Gobbos role in providing information to Victoria Police, what matters fell within the remit of your role at Victoria Police and what information you provided to third parties such as the OPI [Office of Public Integrity] and the OPP/DPP [Office of Public Prosecutions/Director of Public Prosecutions], she said.
NPC deputy from Qinghai submits suggestions to improve peoples wellbeing, access to higher-quality education

People's Daily Online) 14:18, March 10, 2022

A Shengqing, a deputy to the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) and a member of the Tu ethnic group from northwest Chinas Qinghai Province, has continued to maintain her focus on the improvement of peoples wellbeing.

Photo shows A Shengqing, a deputy to the 13th National Peoples Congress. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

The deputy, who is also chair of the Federation of Industry and Commerce of the Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Qinghai, introduced the tremendous changes to Banyan village and poverty alleviation achievements in the county in front of President Xi Jinping, who took part in a group deliberation with deputies from Qinghai at the fourth session of the 13th NPC, the countrys top legislature, on March 7, 2021. Xi, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspected poverty relief efforts in the village in 2016.

The woman recalled that during the deliberation President Xi asked her questions about whether local people use latrines or flush toilets, what their electrically-heated brick beds look like, and the population, origins and customs of the Tu ethnic people. President Xi also learned about embroiderys contribution to poverty alleviation, the development of the local liquor industry, and the planting of Chinese medicinal herbs, among other issues concerning peoples wellbeing. I deeply felt General Secretary Xi Jinpings care for the people, she said.

As a woman born and raised in a village, I felt excited to report on our countys achievements in poverty alleviation to General Secretary Xi Jinping. Besides, my participation in the deliberation and administration of state affairs with fellow deputies demonstrates whole-process peoples democracy in our country, the deputy said.

The strength of Chinas political system has boosted the confidence of the deputy and people who are no longer living in poverty in Huzhu county. After being lifted out of poverty, people have taken the initiative to pursue a better life, she said.

The deputy introduced that residents in Banyan village now enjoy a happy and prosperous life thanks to the use of electrically-heated brick beds, the building of flush toilets with sound sanitary conditions, as well as the development of pig breeding, rural tourism, the embroidery and liquor industries, agritainment, homestay businesses, and e-commerce.

Noting that the high-quality development of enterprises carries great significance for boosting rural vitalization, the deputy suggested guiding enterprises to launch more projects in rural areas to facilitate their own development while helping create jobs.

This year, the deputy plans to submit suggestions on the topic of education, after she carried out multiple surveys in Qinghai. She noted that the unbalanced and inadequate development of preschool education remains a problem in the province, especially in agricultural and rural areas, where the development of public preschool education has been relatively slow. The deputy has prepared multiple suggestions for addressing these problems.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Pivot our defence forces to support the community The timing of the announcement of a boost to the defence forces (The Age, 10/3) is interesting given the comments by Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton that defence personnel cannot be called up at whim. If we will have 50,000 to 80,000 personnel in training and preparation for a war, why cant they also be trained to support the community during natural disasters? Surely in times of conflict, they will have to deal with fires and floods, reconstruction and building communication  all of these skills are needed with these situations at home. Why cant the defence forces have a section that is ready to be called in as needed? As we face the impacts of climate change, we will require such services more often so we must pivot our defence forces to support the community.

Marg DArcy, Rye The very different leaders of Ukraine and Australia In one country, we have a leader who is courageously standing up to the forces of an invasion, even refusing to abandon his people when offered the chance. In another country, we have a leader who, when visiting flood victims, gutlessly sneaked into an event via a back entrance so as to avoid dealing with the locals, and who did not tell the media (The Age, 10/2) in case there were any awkward handshake refusals.

Greg Smith, Caulfield South

Warnings about weather events have been ignored Some people say we should not expect government to help in every natural disaster. After years of climate-change denial, people are naturally angry they are suffering because of the failure to act on the warnings, and they will not be distracted by political talk about costs. Unless we plan for the future that science tells us is very probable, the anger will only increase. Scott Morrison is, understandably, the focus of resentment because of his stunt with a piece of coal, trivialising a dire issue.

David Lamb, Kew East THE FORUM Anti-democratic approach Your editorial  Albanese needs bold ideas to make his case (The Age, 10/3)  repeats Scott Morrisons claims about Anthony Albaneses inexperience: On both the economy and national security, his lack of experience gnaws at his credibility. This seems a little odd, coming as it does after your praise for Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, both of whom had far less experience of government than does Albanese, or indeed many of his frontbench colleagues.

But the more serious problem is that this argument would mean we should never change governments: the longer one party remains in power, the less experience its opponents are likely to have. In practice this is a dangerous and anti-democratic argument. It might be a good line for the Prime Minister, it is not one worthy of a serious newspaper.

Dennis Altman, Clifton Hill Integrity and experience Your editorial casts doubt on the abilities of Anthony Albanese. He has been an MP for more than 20 years, and was Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House under Labor governments. Above all he demonstrates integrity, competency and fairness, qualities lacking in the current government.

Penny Ryan, Mordialloc Enriching childrens lives How wonderful that child care is a hot political issue, with both the major parties making increased funding part of their election platforms. But how unfortunate that the justification for it is mainly couched into terms of how it will free women to enter the work force and thus boost the economy  eg, your editorial (The Age, 7/3).

It is well established that those early years of childrens lives are vitally important for their development and that quality early childhood education makes a substantial difference in helping them reach their full potential. Surely that should be a very high priority and early childhood education should be seen as the first and perhaps most fundamental building block in our education system. In emphasising that this service is primarily part of the education system, we will also give proper recognition to the expertise of the people, mostly women, who work in this field.

Barbara Wertheim, Brunswick Re-educate the experts Joanna Barbousas  We must educate a new class of teachers (Opinion, 10/3)  is spot on. The current system of education is stuck in the 19th century and desperately requires fixing. However, just changing the curriculum for student teachers will not change the system. In my experience, much of the pressure to retain the old ways comes from the top down  the Education Department and school leadership. In order to fix the problem, we need to re-educate the experts first.

Judith Crotty, Dandenong North

Importance of history Miles Pattenden (Opinion, 7/3) is right that Australia is suffering from a lack of historians working before the 20th century. Historians of the premodern world help us interpret the past and respond to its presence now. Frankly, though, the number of historians working in any area in Australia is vanishingly small. This leaves us with a diminished capacity to analyse situations where history is at play at home and across the world. Vladimir Putins false history of the Kyivan Rus is one example. Another is Chinas accounts of its emergence and development. Only the very short-sighted could argue that we dont need experts trained in premodern Chinese history to help us understand its actions, yet there is hardly anyone in the country who researches in this area. We need to employ historians and teach students across chronologies and geographies. That way we have the best chance to respond with sophistication to the world now. There is a solution: proper funding for focused teaching and research across historical studies in all their depth.

Dr Matthew Champion, senior lecturer in history, University of Melbourne

Well, what a coincidence Hoteliers and alcohol manufacturers make a $390,000 donation to the Coalition, and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg discusses halving the tax on draught beer in the budget (The Age, 8/3). A top-shelf shout for all who are lucky to be at the table.

Brent Hodgson, Hawthorn East Win or lose, its loss Do we need to feel sorry for Russian soldiers in Ukraine? Lose the war, and with events like the despicable bombing of a maternity hospital, they could well be convicted as war criminals. Win, and they cant go home. Russia is being lied to and told their forces have not invaded Ukraine. Disputing government propaganda has been made a criminal offence. The military know where they have been, so will be permanently silenced or imprisoned. Its a lose-lose for Russias military on the ground unless Vladimir Putin is replaced.

Brett McGowan, Lynbrook

Showing our humanity Of course we have to let the 100 Australasian gannet chicks that hatched over summer stay on a platform in Port Phillip Bay until they can fly from their nest (The Age, 10/3). These are the little things that make us the best of human beings.

Peter Johns, Sorrento A lack of forethought Why spend the money on engaging experts to provide advice, detailed methodology and services to relocate the gannet chicks when a bit of forethought could have revealed the likelihood of this problem occurring and therefore delayed the project for the comparatively short time needed to ensure that all the chicks fledge safely? Once again bureaucracy triumphs over common sense and conservancy.

Lee Palmer, Albert Park Come on, its only a month

Given that the Department of Defence seems unperturbed that we will have to wait 20 years or more for our first nuclear submarine, surely it can wait a month for a bunch of gannet chicks to fledge before demolishing their platform in Port Phillip Bay?

Brandon Mack, Deepdene Truly vital services What a logical piece from Danny Hill  Long triple-zero delays preventable (Opinion, 7/3). Years ago, I attended a few pre-training and selection sessions with the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority. Although I did not make the cut, the experience opened my eyes to the complex nature and pressured environment for call-takers. Given those work circumstances, it does not surprise there should be a constant drive for new recruits. The ESTA is fundamental to the community. Surely non-urgent calls should be identified quickly, then re-directed to a nurse-on-call team (or similar). And surely much increased funding should be allocated for purchase of ambulances equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. Rather than government funding of non-essential projects, the community is in dire need of skilled paramedics who are properly remunerated and supported. I cannot conceive any voter disagreeing with such funding or, indeed, renovation of the present system, so why the political pussy footing?

Lois Davey, Leopold

Good food, good health I am undertaking a degree in food studies and wonder why institutional food is still so void of taste. A relative was recently a COVID-19 patient in hospital. She lamented that they cant even get the bread and butter right, as she became increasingly dispirited about her recovery in an already sterile and lonely environment. The broth that I managed to run up to her ward helped her realise her taste, in fact, had not been tainted by her illness. She merely needed food with some substance. This is incredibly disappointing in a country with access to culturally diverse, ethically responsible and tasty food. I am not critical of staff who have been under enormous pressure during the pandemic. However, it is laughable that there is not a higher budget for better food in our healthcare system.

Carl Watson, Pascoe Vale Stop talking the talk

After hearing all the excuses and platitudes from politicians in the north, I have come to the conclusion we should pass a bill that they all be forbidden from speaking, and only allowed to act.

Suzanne Palmer-Holton, Seaford The million dollar question For me, the biggest question around the potential takeover or split of AGL (Business, 8/3) is the make-up of a new entity, Accel Energy, with all the coal-fired power stations in it. Will it also have the financial backing to carry out the clean-up and restoration of its power stations once they are closed, or will the Australian people be expected to pay for the environmental mess they leave behind?

John Pinniger, Fairfield Convenient for the PM? I might be somewhat cynical but maybe the Victorian Liberals took their vital redemptive step (Letter, 9/3) by adopting a net zero target by 2050 at the behest of the beleaguered federal Coalition. Surely the Prime Minister is not hoping to bask in the reflected glory of his Liberal counterparts in Victoria rather than taking a redemptive step himself?

Jennifer Quigley, Balwyn

Accepting responsibility I am grateful for Ross Gittins clear-eyed view of the federal/state relationship (Opinion, 9/3). The unhappy political consequences usually mean that when the feds are responsible, they are able to pass the buck, set up a royal commission and move on to the next fiasco. Gittins says of the feds, If you cant hold a hose, just bring your chequebook. Yes, but bringing the chequebook means nothing without action and an acceptance of purpose and policy responsibility. The chequebook/buck stops at the ballot box.

Jenifer Nicholls, Armadale AND ANOTHER THING Credit:Illustration: Matt Golding

Floods Im waiting for the publicity photo of the PM helping to clean up the sludge  holding a hose, of course.

Kevan Porter, Alphington Too little, too late once again Mr Morrison.

Karen Morris, Newport Hes too busy holding the coal.

John Uren, Blackburn Last seen, Scott Morrison was swimming for his life.

Margaret Skeen, Point Lonsdale

Remember the bushfires and last yearss floods? Doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the definition of madness.

Sean Geary, Southbank The PMs famous ad, Where the bloody hell are you? would be appropriate for the ADFs response to the floods.

Andrew Dods, Apollo Bay Morrison says no amount of support will be enough in Lismore. Does that mean residents expectations were too high?

Vivienne Kane, Hawthorn The PMs response to victims is, basically, youre on your own. Is it any wonder he didnt want the film crews there?

Ian Anderson, Ascot Vale Politics

The Liberals back flip on climate change is a charade. Let the party room brawling begin.

Andrew McFarland, Templestowe Few, if any, will mourn the demise of the DLP (Defacto Liberal Party).

Tom Stafford, Wheelers Hill An extra $38 billion to be spent on defence? No one wastes money quicker than the Defence Department.

Philip West, Jan Juc ScoMos latest slogan is PPNK: Political Promises Never Kept.

Robert Freeman, Portarlington Ukraine
In Victoria, which is estimated to be about two weeks behind NSW, cases are already climbing. The state reported 7779 new infections on Thursday, an increase of 700 cases from the same time last week. There were eight more deaths and 188 cases in hospital, with 32 of those in intensive care. Australia reported 33,367 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, the highest number since the beginning of February. Chair of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia, Professor Adrian Esterman, said transmission had shifted remarkably with infections now concentrated in Victorias younger population following the return to school. He attributed this rise to the winding back of public health measures and said BA.2 being 1.4 times more infectious, putting it close to the measles, which is the most contagious disease we know about.

Those aged 10 to 19 now make up the highest number of active cases statewide with more than 11,160 active infections in that population group. There are also more than 5130 active cases in children aged nine and under and more than 5600 in those aged 20 to 29. Data indicates 5500 active infections among people in 30s and almost 5900 among those in their 40s. This compares with 866 active infections among people in their 70s and 332 cases among those in their 80s. Weve now got thousands of schoolchildren being infected, along with university students, he said. The cases will keep going up and up. At the moment, hospitalisations are either stabilising or going down slightly and thats because its a much younger cohort getting infected, and therefore theyre less likely to get seriously ill. In Victoria, the latest snapshot of cases by the states Health Department shows 1,063,411 people (or almost 16 per cent of the states population of more than 6.6 million) have recovered from the virus, while the death toll sits at 2619.

Thousands more are suspected to have been infected but not counted in official numbers during the recent Omicron wave, due to the shortage of tests at the height of the outbreak. Professor Esterman said the latest data he had seen indicated more than 24 per cent of sequenced coronavirus infections were BA.2, up from 10 per cent two weeks ago. I imagine it will only take another two or three weeks before it becomes dominant in Australia, he said, noting BA.2 was now the dominant strain in several European countries with infections burgeoning in Britain. Professor Esterman said it was too soon to say when the new wave of COVID-19 infections would peak in Victoria but, like NSW, he expected daily cases would surpass the low tens of thousands before slowing falling. He was concerned the spike in cases would come at the same time as immunity was waning for thousands of Victorians infected at the beginning of the year.

He added that a fourth booster shot would be critical to protecting older people and those with underlying health conditions and easing pressure on hospitals. Loading Professor McCaw said he was hopeful a second Omicron wave would not trigger the same level of extreme clinical burden, which pushed the states hospitals to breaking point and prompted an emergency code brown. He warned people infected in the first Omicron wave were still at risk of being infected again. There will be lower clinical impact from reinfection, but there will still be infection and those people will still be contagious to others, he said.

We know that protection against transmission is pretty short-lived, and it wanes more quickly than the protection against severe outcomes. Vaccines are amazing... but they are not going to stop this virus in its tracks. But Professor McCaw warned it was inevitable a new variant would emerge that could change the situation rapidly. Theres still a huge amount of infection globally and therefore a new variant is guaranteed to arise, he said. We dont know what its properties will be, but it will happen. When this will occur remains the great unknown. With Mary Ward and Lucy Carroll
Australian defence spending needs an immediate check to consider national security over the decade ahead, Labor leader Anthony Albanese has declared in a clash with the government over defence capability after it aired plans for a big increase in troops and other personnel by 2040.

With war in Ukraine hanging over the federal election, Mr Albanese vowed to increase defence spending if he led the next government and cited Labors rapid support for the AUKUS alliance with Britain and the United States last year as proof of a maturity in his party on security.

The sparring over defence policy marked a shift in the informal election campaign after Scott Morrison, left, and Anthony Albanese took a bipartisan stance on Russias invasion of Ukraine. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison accused Labor of depriving the Australian Defence Force of billions of dollars when it was last in power and allowing spending on the portfolio to fall to 1.57 per cent of economic output rather than the 2 per cent level the Coalition had achieved.

The sparring over defence policy marked a shift in the informal election campaign after both leaders took a bipartisan stance on Russias invasion of Ukraine, with divisions now emerging over each partys commitment to defence and competence in delivery.
The future of the Reserve Bank has been upended with the man considered most likely to lead the interest rate setting institution through the rest of the decade quitting to join private sector efforts to secure Australias green hydrogen future.

Dr Guy Debelle, deputy to governor Philip Lowe since 2016 and perceived by many as one of the RBAs brightest minds, stunned monetary policy circles on Thursday by revealing plans to become Fortescue Future Industries chief financial officer.

Deputy RBA governor Guy Debelle and current governor Philip Lowe. Dr Debelles resignation has surprised monetary policy circles. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The company is chaired by billionaire Andrew Forrest who is attempting to develop large-scale renewable energy and green hydrogen projects across the globe.

Dr Debelle, who chairs the Council of Financial Regulators climate change working group, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that he had a chance to make real change around environmental issues rather than setting the regulations governing the future.
This was the climax to a ceremony which was full of tradition, color, authority and tribute.

A CROWD of 2500 watched in silence as the Premier (Mr. Bolte) unveiled a plaque at the new Monash University on Saturday to mark its official opening.

First published in The Age, March 13, 1961.

The historic proceedings began with a solemn academic procession to the official dais.

Those in the procession included administrative staff, professors and other members of the academic staff, the Interim Council, leaders from other universities, the vice-chancellor, the Premier and the Administrator (Sir Charles Lowe), who has been appointed official visitor.

Most were dressed in colorful robes, caps and hats signifying their various degrees and orders.

The opening address was given by the chairman of the Interim Council, Mr. R. R. Blackwood.

Sir Charles Lowe paid high tribute to the late Sir John Monash, for whom the university was named.
Stockholm: The man who became the face of Swedens no-lockdown pandemic policy, Anders Tegnell, is stepping down as chief epidemiologist to take up a role at the World Health Organisation.

Tegnell, whose almost daily news conferences had Swedes glued to their screens for much of the pandemic, will become a senior expert at a WHO group tasked with coordinating the COVID activities of WHO, UNICEF and the public-private vaccine organisation Gavi, the Swedish Public Health Agency said.

Swedish State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell refused to budge from his no-lockdown stance. Credit:TT/AP

Tegnell proved a polarising figure at the agency. He was forced to have police protection after he and his family received death threats but his face has also featured on T-shirts with the slogan In Tegnell we trust. Some people even got Tegnell tatoos.

For 30 years, I have worked with vaccines and at the same time have always been passionate about international issues, Tegnell said in a statement. It is still very important that the vaccines reach the countries that have not had the financial conditions to buy their own vaccines.
The Biden administrations decision on Thursday to tell the public that Vladimir Putin was likely to use chemical weapons in Ukraine shows the extent to which the US strategy to battle Russias disinformation has evolved.

Once upon a time, such intelligence would have only been shared with the top echelons of allied countries. But in the evolving East-West confrontation, declassifying secrets is proving good for democracy.

In the new warning, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the US had noticed an uptick in false claims from Russia about US biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine, and those false claims could foreshadow Russias real use of the banned weapons against the country.

Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them, Psaki tweeted. Its a clear pattern.

After years of being outwitted by Russia on the world stage of public opinion, the US has found a surprisingly effective new counter-tactic: strategically declassifying and sharing intelligence.
Washington: US Vice-President Kamala Harris landed in Eastern Europe overnight to strengthen ties with Western allies, and to try to tamp down on a row over fighter planes between Poland and America.

After a difficult year as Joe Bidens second-in-charge, Harris mission was meant to be simple. Rally NATO against Russian President Vladimir Putins aggression. Meet with some of the Ukrainian refugees who had escaped to Poland. Attend bilateral talks with Polish leaders and then fly to Romania to do the same.

Vice-President Kamala Harris arrives to board Air Force Two for a trip to Poland and Romania Credit:AP

But before she even stepped on the tarmac in Warsaw, the visit was overshadowed by a delicate dance around the transfer of fighter jets that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky desperately needs to counter Russias bloody invasion.

Tensions began to simmer on Wednesday AEDT, when the Polish government announced it would help boost Zelenskys air forces by deploying 28 Russian-made MiG-29 jets to Ukraine via an American air base in Germany.
Alex Edelman's Just for Us has one of those premises that is too insane to be untrue. In this new stand-up solo show, Edelman, who grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family in Massachusetts and is still observant, recounts his experience attending a gathering of White Nationalists in New York City after receiving a barrage of anti-Semitic abuse on social media. It does not sound like the stuff of comedy, especially now, but it's absolutely hilarious.

A word of mouth hit that was almost a casualty of Omicron, Just for Us has defied the odds since it returned to the Cherry Lane Theatre in mid-January after a Covid-related hiatus. Selling out its initial run, demand has been so high that it's transferring to the Soho Playhouse (where Edelman, a proud theater geek, has fond memories of seeing John Douglas Thompson in The Emperor Jones and one of his early supporters, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, in Fleabag) for a new engagement, March 14-April 23.

What impressed me about the show was how unabashedly Jewish it is (Edelman, after all, was the head writer of the pandemic hit Saturday Night Seder), while also having that same universal feeling as Fiddler on the Roof  it's about Jews, but, for the most part, the stories are universal. Minus the White Nationalist gathering part. Right?

Alex Edelman on stage at the Cherry Lane Theatre

( Monique Carboni)

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

As a Jewish kid, I grew up listening to all the classic comedians whose routines amounted to "Take My Wife" jokes. What I appreciated about your show is that it's Jewish humor that doesn't rely on those tropes.

I've never been a fan of "Take my wife" or "Jews are cheap" or whatever. My show is extremely resistant to binaries and generalizations, because that's not fair, and that's how you lose people. Every line in the show can be, and sometimes is, caveated with an "in my personal experience." You'll never hear me do a joke that's like "Jews love X," because there are so many things that are traditionally Jewish, and I don't like when people go "I'm basically Jewish because I love babka!" That's not how it works. I'll do interviews and people will ask me about my favorite Jewish thing, and they'll expect me to say something like "brisket!" but I'm like "discourse." And people are like, "Which course of the meal is discourse?" And I'm like "No, I love an argument and intricate conversation and a Talmudic background."

What was it about your experience going to a White Nationalist gathering that made you say, "This is a show"?

Honestly, I didn't say that right away. I was writing on a sitcom and having a wonderful experience, and then it got canceled. I limped home from LA to New York and spent a whole bunch of months floating around and going down internet wormholes. The thing that the show is based on happened, and I talked about it with some friends of mine, and they were like "this is stand-up."

I started writing it as a joke and it slowly became a handy vehicle. It's a big part of the plot of the show, but the show is not really about that  it's about empathy and assimilation, and code-switching, and things that people from any background can understand regardless of where they come from.

How much of an influence has Mike Birbiglia, your presenter, had on your process of putting this show together?

It's incalculable. Birbiglia is a great self-editor and he's been a great editor for me. He saw the show in January 2020 and he was like, "That's right, that's right, that's funny but it doesn't belong in the show." And I'm like, "But it gets the most laughs." And he's like, "Yeah, but it doesn't belong in the show." And I'm like, "But I contextualize it." And he's like, "You contextualize it correctly, but something about it doesn't belong in the show."

The issue is, when a great comic starts to give you a note, you know they're right as soon as they start talking, but you think, "Please don't say that thing that I've always known but thought I could get away with." Birbiglia's notes are that plus more. The success of the show, if I can say the show has been a success, is because of great input from people like Mike Birbiglia and my director, Adam Brace, who is the in-house director of the Soho Theater in London. The restraint that they implicitly know and have urged me to practice has made the show much better.

My friends are also an important part of this process. My peers have given great notes and tags and lines. My girlfriend [comedian Hannah Einbinder] is one of the sharpest comedy minds I know and we bounce things off each other. I fell in love with her partially because of the sharpness of her brain. If I was a carpenter, and I had one of the carpenters I most admire living under the same roof, and I was building a table, it would be really dumb of me to not be like, "Hey, honey, what do you think of this table?"

So, it's a solo show, but it really has a million uncles. It takes a village to raise a solo show.

Are you excited to get back to it at the Soho Playhouse?

I couldn't be more excited. It seems to be selling well. We thought were going to close because of Omicron. No one was sick, but it just felt like a bad idea. Everyone had a March 2020 feeling in the pit of their stomachs, and I didn't want to hurt anybody. We couldn't be asking people to go to a theater at that moment. The Cherry Lane asked if we wanted to take the month off and come back, and I was devastated. But coming back was the greatest thing. We got a couple of good reviews and influential people came and liked it and told other people. The show has been driven almost entirely by word of mouth and the generosity of people who've seen it. The unexpected gift is that it's been built and pushed by the comedy community and the theater community and the Jewish community, and the community of non-Jews who are interested in a show that is specific in a universal way. It's been a real communal experience after two years of not having those, and it's been really gratifying to be part of it.
"Humor is pain dressed in a clown suit." So says Sister Pat (Glynis Bell) in the Keen Company production of Peter Gil-Sheridan's new play This Space Between Us, now running at Theatre Row under the direction of Jonathan Silverstein. It could well be the tagline for this entertaining if overambitious comedy about modern-day cultural mores ramming up against each other and creating chasms of misunderstanding between people. Everyone in the excellent six-member cast, led by Ryan Garbayo as Jamie, gets to put on a red rubber nose as they portray characters who mask a deep hurt or resentment. But the play loses its comedic way as it becomes more earnest about the issues it tackles, and the clowns slowly begin to look more like undertakers.

That's too bad for a play that leads with such comedic promise. It begins at a racetrack (set design by Steven Kemp) where thirtysomething corporate lawyer Jamie is meeting his parents, the ebullient Frank (an eminently likable Anthony Ruiz) and the boisterous Debbie (Joyce Cohen sporting a strong Jersey-by-way-of-Brooklyn accent). With them is Debbie's sister, Sister Pat, a nun who always tries to see the sunny side of things. Jaime arrives with his angsty boyfriend, Ted (Tommy Heleringer nailing his role as a PC-enforcing scold) and fun-loving friend Gillian (Alex Chester in a hilarious performance).

Right off the bat, Gil-Sheridan gets us laughing with his funny takes on the ways we should talk about race and gender, and the conflicts between boomers and millennials, vegans and carnivores, believers and atheists, and so on. There are moments when the dialogue sparkles, and things could have easily gone awry in the first scene when one of the horses in a race is injured and must be put down. "See what happens?" you can see animal-rights activist Ted thinking as he wags a mental finger at the others. But Gil-Sheridan adroitly keeps us in a comedic mood even as Ted, who is HIV-positive, becomes ill (though not seriously) and has to be taken to the hospital, where he is doped up and has several hilarious hallucinations. Here, Heleringer delivers some of the funniest moments in the show.

Tommy Heleringer plays Ted in the Keen Company's world premiere of Peter Gil-Sheridan's new comedy This Space Between Us.

( Carol Rosegg)

But the scenes that make This Space Between Us resonate with the humor of familiarity  Ted correcting Cuban-American Frank for his older-generation micro-aggressions, Pat and Debbie's sibling rivalry, Gillian's obsession with planning the perfect birthday party  get lost as the plot veers into heavier subjects, like the exploitation of Eritrean men, whom Jamie feels called upon to defend as he decides to leave his lucrative New York job for a supposedly more fulfilling role with an NGO. Sister Pat, who once did missionary work in Benin, admires his choice, but Gillian wants to know what the deal is with Jamie's "white savior bullshit."

Jaime's decision to pull up stakes, leaving his family, friends, and boyfriend behind, doesn't come as a complete surprise. Throughout the play we see moments in which he questions not just the sanity of the people around him, but of his life. In these moments the lights dim and a spotlight shines down on him accompanied by an intense sound (lighting by Daisy Long and sound by Luqman Brown). The effect, which director Silverstein perhaps intended to add humor to the scenes, feels awkward and unnecessary. As the action moves from New Jersey to New York to Kenya (where Jaime is ultimately assigned), the mood becomes more sullen, and we forget all about the play's clown suit. Now it's just naked pain.

Still, This Space Between Us has much to recommend it. Gil-Sheridan has a talent for taut, realistic dialogue and satirical commentary, and he's adept at playing his characters' viewpoints off each other without taking sides. You may not leave the theater laughing, but you may end up questioning yourself a bit and having a little more patience with a different opinion. And these days, that's something.
Morgan Truck Body and Masterack Unveil Full-Height Walkthrough Compact Parcel Van Body at Work Truck Week 2022

MORGANTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Morgan Truck Body, in collaboration with its JB Poindexter & Co (JBPCO) business unit partner Masterack, announces the latest evolution in Parcel Van Walkthrough bodies, providing an accessible full-height walkthrough in a compact body.

The Parcel Van Walkthrough body was unveiled during Work Truck Week, March 8-11, 2022 in Indianapolis (Booth #4949).

Mounted on a cutaway van chassis, the 16-foot parcel van body is Morgan Truck Bodys most compact parcel delivery vehicle, featuring a number of new features including:

Wider, taller and more ergonomic walkthrough bulkhead

Modular fold-away shelving system designed by Masterack

28 modular Maximizer Sliding Door with custom-built shelving on the interior door pocket

Narrow rear-frame door opening, protecting your shelving and packages during ingress and egress

Encapsulated hardwood floor with anti-slip surface

Lightweight, thermally efficient, high-density foam core wall panels.

Morgan is proud to collaborate with our JBPCO business unit partner Masterack to bring new and innovative solutions to commercial truck body interiors, says Tom Diez, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Morgan Truck Body. Our customer-driven shelving solution and new bulkhead partition in the full-height parcel van walkthrough is the perfect way to showcase JB Poindexter & Cos ability to offer the best in commercial truck body solutions.

Masterack is happy to work with Morgan in our latest collaboration in the parcel van segment. Meeting the needs of the final-mile delivery segment is critical to both companies, says Brian Barber, Vice President of Sales and Client Relations at Masterack. Incorporating the voice of the customer to deliver intelligently designed walkthrough bulkhead and shelving solutions is at the core of Masteracks expertise and we are happy to work with our sister business unit to bring this to market.

About Morgan Truck Body, LLC

Those who depend on trucks to move their business choose Morgan Truck Body. As the company celebrates its 70th Anniversary, Morgan remains committed to its mission to design, build, sell, and support the most reliable truck bodies in the world, as the preferred global partner providing innovative middle-mile solutions connecting the worlds supply chain. Founded in 1952 and headquartered in Morgantown, PA, Morgan Truck Body is the largest manufacturer of light- and medium-duty truck bodies in North America. Morgan employs over 2,300 team members in 14 manufacturing locations and 8 service centers across the United States and Canada. Morgan Truck Body, LLC is a subsidiary of JB Poindexter & Co, an owner-operated business enterprise providing best-in-class automotive and manufacturing goods and services. www.MorganCorp.com

About Masterack

For over 50 years, Masterack has been the industry leader in the design and manufacturing of high-quality, commercial-grade van and pickup cargo management solutions for the nations largest fleets and automakers. Masterack provides the broadest line of professional-grade commercial vehicle equipment for trucks and vans, including commercial-grade shelving, bins, racks, storage systems and more, to meet the needs of any profession. www.masterack.com
TORRANCE, Calif, March 10, 2022 -- The 2023 Integra returns one of the brand's most iconic nameplates to the Acura lineup, delivering a premium, exhilarating driving experience and a sleek liftback design to a new generation of enthusiast drivers. A premium sport compact inspired by the fun-to-drive spirit of previous Integras, the all-new model will arrive at dealers this Spring with a starting price of about $30,000, to become the new performance gateway of the Acura brand. The 2023 Integra is available for reservation at participating dealers starting today, and the first 500 customers to reserve their next gen Integra will have the opportunity to claim a limited edition NFT.

"The 2023 Acura Integra is serving the same role in the lineup as the original model that helped launch the brand three decades ago by bringing in the next generation of driving enthusiast," said Emile Korkor, Assistant Vice President, Acura National Sales. "With its engaging driving character, flexible five-door liftback body style and advanced technology and features, the Integra will welcome a host of new buyers to the Acura brand."

Completing Acura's return to Precision Crafted Performance, the new Integra is powered by a high-output turbocharged engine delivering 200 horsepower and paired with either a segment-exclusive 6-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). An ultra-rigid body structure and sport tuned chassis are tuned for an exhilarating driving experience. As the only 5-door liftback in the premium sport compact segment, Integra offers sleek style while benefitting from the extended cargo flexibility enabled by the liftback bodystyle. Designed to engage the driver in all aspects, Integra also features generous rear seat legroom that's rarely encountered in its class.

Sporty and personal, Integra's distinctive driver-focused interior design creates the perfect environment for spirited driving. A high level of standard features includes a 10.2-inch Acura Precision Cockpit digital gauge display, smart phone integration, 8-speaker premium audio system and USB-C charging. High-tech available features include a head-up display (HUD), wireless smart phone charging, Amazon Alexa Built-in and 16-speaker ELS STUDIO 3D audio system.

The 2023 Integra sets a new benchmark for both active and passive safety technology in the premium compact class with Acura's rigid Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, cutting-edge airbag designs and an updated AcuraWatch suite of active safety and driver-assistive technologies. Groundbreaking new first-in-segment front airbags for the driver and front passenger are designed to reduce the risk of traumatic brain and neck injuries. Rear seat side airbags are standard.

Fun, Engaging Performance

Integra's class-leading driving dynamics and engaging performance is built upon an exceptionally rigid body and sport-tuned chassis combined with Integra's fully independent suspension to deliver precise, sporty handling and a comfortable ride. Integra also benefits from powerful brakes and precise variable-ratio steering.

A standard Integrated Dynamics System (IDS) enables the Integra driver to choose between three distinct driving modes (Comfort, Normal and Sport) for the throttle response, automatic transmission mapping, steering feel and gauge coloration. A-Spec with Technology Package adds adjustments for in-cabin sound, plus an "Individual" mode that allows the driver to customize the IDS setting combinations to their liking.

An available Adaptive Damper System (ADS) gives drivers even more precise control of Integra's ride and handling performance with distinct damping characteristics for Comfort, Normal and Sport driving modes. Drivers also can customize their driving experience with an Individual mode that allows independent selection of steering, engine response, and suspension firmness for a tailored driving experience at the touch of a button.

Under Integra's aluminum hood is a VTEC-enhanced DOHC 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine producing 200 horsepower (SAE net @ 6,000 rpm) and 192 lb.-ft. of torque (SAE net @ 1,800 - 5,000 rpm). A new coil type exhaust system adds an emotional exhaust sound that further enhances Integra's engaging driving experience.

Tuned specifically for the high-output turbocharged engine, Integra's standard CVT automatic transmission responds quickly to throttle inputs and Step Shift programming simulates gear changes when accelerating. For added driver control, steering wheel-mounted shifter paddles are standard.

An available segment-exclusive 6-speed manual transmission dials up the engagement even further. The short-throw, close-ratio 6-speed features automatic rev matching for the ultimate in precision driving. To maximize available traction when accelerating out of corners, power is routed through a helical limited-slip differential (LSD) in manual transmission-equipped vehicles.

Sleek Exterior Design

The 2023 Integra features sporty and compact proportions inspired by previous Integras, specifically the original 5-door model that helped launch the Acura brand in 1986. The new Integra combines a coupe-like profile with surprising flexibility thanks to its liftback design. Thin A-pillars and a low cowl create an expansive greenhouse for excellent outward visibility which is also beneficial during spirited driving.

Integra continues Acura's alluring contrast design language, first seen on the 2019 RDX. A sophisticated front fascia features a frameless version of Acura's Diamond Pentagon grille, framed by four JewelEye LED headlight elements and "Chicane" LED daytime running lights. LED fog lights integrated into the lower fascia are available.

An aggressive rear fascia with dual exhaust finishers emphasizes the Integra's wide track and sporty stance. An upswept decklid and wide, single piece LED taillights harken back to previous generation models, and the embossed Integra logos in the front and rear fascia recall the 3rd generation car. Distinctive 17-inch alloy wheels are standard while 18-inch wheels are optional, and accessory 19-inch wheels are available.

An available A-Spec sport-appearance package pumps up the visual style with a gloss-black window surrounds and front and rear fascia trim. A sporty lip spoiler and A-Spec badges adorn the front fenders and tailgate. Shark Gray 18-inch alloy wheels are wrapped in larger 235/40R18 all-season performance tires.

Sporty and Personal Interior Experience

Inside, Integra has a sporty and personal cabin featuring high-quality materials and switchgear, with all touch points imparting a premium feel. The climate control vents reflect the diamond mesh pattern of the grille, highlighted by piano-black trim.

Integra's low cowl, thin pillars and door-mounted exterior mirrors help create exceptional visibility. Rear seat passengers enjoy generous legroom and to support active lifestyles, Integra's 60/40 split rear seatbacks can be folded flat to flexibly expand the cargo area.

Standard on the 2023 Integra are new body-stabilizing and heated front seats wrapped in synthetic leather, with 8-way power adjustment for the driver, available in either Ebony, Red or Orchid. The optional Technology Package adds a 12-way power seat (includes lumbar support) for the driver (4-way for the front passenger) as well as microsuede inserts for the front seats.

When equipped with the A-Spec sport appearance package, Integra communicates its performance edge with stainless steel pedals, red gauge needles, and contrast stitching on the steering wheel, seats, shifter and shift boot.

Intelligent Technology

Integra's segment-leading technology includes a standard 10.2-inch Acura Precision Cockpit digital gauge cluster with multiple display modes and a 7-inch digital touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.

The available Technology Package increases the touchscreen size to 9-inches and adds wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, Alexa Built-in, Qi-compatible wireless charging and a 5.3-inch Head-Up Display (HUD). Additionally charging is supported by a USB-C port up front, along with two more USB-C charging ports at the back of the center console for rear-seat passengers.

Standard premium audio is provided via 8-speakers while the available 16-speaker ELS STUDIO 3D premium audio system adds a new dimension with two Highline speakers mounted in the headliner, above the front seat passengers.

Cutting-Edge Safety Features and Performance

As with every Acura model, Integra benefits from Acura's Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, which is designed for improved crash compatibility between vehicles of varying sizes, such as an SUV and a small car, and occupant protection in angled frontal collisions. A new upper A-pillar structure, side frame and lower firewall structure are all engineered to route crash energy around the cabin, rather than through it.

Integra also features a segment-first new generation of driver and passenger front airbags, specifically designed to cradle the head and reduce the risk of brain injuries, especially in offset collisions. Integra's aluminum hood features an embossed inner structure that will distribute the force of an impact with a pedestrian's head in the event of a collision to reduce the likelihood of injury.

Integra's standard AcuraWatch suite of driver assistive and safety technologies features an all-new, single-camera system with a wide field of view and long range. Using the new single-camera system, Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) can distinguish between vehicles, pedestrians, and even bicycles. It also includes functionality such as Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) and Traffic Jam Assist (TJA, CVT only), and more natural feeling responses for functions such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and the Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS).

Also standard on every Integra is a blind spot information system (BSI) with Rear Cross-Traffic Monitoring. Integra A-Spec with Technology Package includes front and rear parking sensors and Low-Speed Braking Control (LSBC).

Manufactured in the U.S.

Production of the 2023 Integra will mark the first time Integra is built in America, to begin soon in Marysville, Ohio, on the same production line as the Acura TLX*. Integra's engine is made exclusively at the Anna Engine Plant in Ohio, which also produces the Type S Turbo V6 that powers TLX Type S, MDX Type S, and the 600-horsepower twin-turbo V6 of the NSX Type S supercar.

* using domestic and globally-sourced parts

2023 Integra Key Specs & Features



Integra A-Spec

Package A-Spec with

Technology Package A-Spec Sport Appearance Package -   Power Moonroof with Tilt    Jewel Eye LED Headlights    Chicane LED Daytime Running Lights    LED Fog Lights -   Chicane LED Taillights    LED Exterior Puddle Lamps - -  AcuraWatch Advanced Safety and Driver Assistive Technology    Blind Spot Information System with Rear Cross Traffic Monitoring    Front and Rear Proximity Sensors - -  Smart Entry (Front Doors)    3-mode Integrated Dynamic System (IDS) Comfort / Normal / Sport    Individual Mode - -  Adaptive Damper System (ADS) - -  Acura Precision Cockpit 10.2-inch Digital Instrument Display    7-inch Touchscreen Display   - 9-inch Touchscreen Display - -  Interior LED Ambient Lighting - -  8-Speaker Premium Audio System   - 16-Speaker ELS STUDIO 3D Premium Audio System - -  Apple CarPlay & Android Auto Integration Wired Wired Wireless Alexa Built-in - -  Head Up Display (HUD) - -  Wireless Charging Pad - -  USB Ports (Type A) 1 1 1 USB Ports (Type C) - - 3 Heated Front Seats    8-Way Power Driver's Seat   - 12-Way Power Driver's Seat with 2 Position Memory - -  4-Way Power Front Passenger's Seat - -  Synthetic Leather Trimmed Seats   - Synthetic Leather Trimmed Seats with Microsuede Inserts - -  Keyless Remote Engine Start - - CVT Only AcuraLink - - 

2023 Integra Key Specs and Dimensions



Integra Integra A-Spec Bodystyle 5-Door Liftback Available Packages - Technology Package Engine 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 with VTEC Standard Transmission Sport-tuned Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with Paddle Shifters Available Transmission

Close-ratio 6-speed manual (6MT) with Rev-Matching and Limited Slip Differential Peak Horsepower (SAE Net) 200 @ 6,000 RPM Peak Torque (SAE Net) 192 @ 1,800  5,000 RPM MacPherson Strut Front Suspension  Multi-Link Rear Suspension  Electric power-assisted variable-ratio steering  Alloy Wheels (in.) 17 x 7 18 x 8 Tires 215/50R - 17 235/40R - 18 Ventilated Front Disc / Solid Rear Disc Brakes (in) 12.3 / 11.1 Wheelbase (in.) 107.7 Length (in.) 185.8 Width (in.) 72.0 Height (in.) 55.5 Track (in., Fr/Rr) 60.5 / 61.6

About Acura

Acura is a leading automotive nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance  a commitment to expressive styling, high-performance and innovative engineering, all built on a foundation of quality and reliability. The Acura lineup currently features five distinctive models  the all-new Integra sport compact, TLX sport sedan, the RDX and MDX sport-utility vehicles, and the electrified NSX supercar, along with high-performance Type S variants. All Acura vehicles sold in America are made in the U.S., using domestic and globally sourced parts.

SOURCE Acura
Associate Editor

Brent Addleman is an Associate Editor and a veteran journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He has served as editor of newspapers in Pennsylvania and Texas, and has also worked at newspapers in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Kentucky.
The Keystone Steele City pumping station, into which the planned Keystone XL pipeline was to connect to, is seen in Steele City, Neb.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right, shakes a National Guard members hand after speaking during a news conference along the Rio Grande, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas.
Dairy farmers want new state water officer to help, not hurt
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UNION SPRINGS - Leonard L. Beers, 90, formerly of Norwich and Otego, passed away Jan. 18, 2022. A memorial graveside service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, May 6, in Evergreen Cemetery in Otego. Arrangements are with Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home, Oneonta.
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People wait in line to drop off mail-in ballots in a file photo (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

More Than 1,900 Mail Ballots Rejected in Another Texas County: Officials

Officials in Bexar County, Texas, confirmed this week that more than 1,900 mail ballots were rejected during the March 1 primary, coming after the state legislature approved a bill last year to strengthen statewide elections.

County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen said that about 4,180 mail ballots had been counted, and she noted that 1,929 were rejected for not meeting the requirements under the new voting law.

Weve never seen it in those numbers, Callanen told KSAT.

The law, SB 1, now requires voters to write the ID number associated with their registration on the envelope of a mail balloteither a state identification number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Were going to just do public service announcements, everything we possibly can to not have this happen again, Callanen said, saying she believes some people were confused by the new provision to provide an ID or Social Security number.

Earlier this week, officials in the states Harris County, which includes Houston, said that about 10,000 ballots were left uncounted due to a number of errors. The countys election commissioner, Isabel Longoria, announced her resignation in light of the balloting problems.

Today I am submitting my resignation, effective July 1, Longoria said in an announcement. I think this date ensures that there is a presiding officer during the May and June elections and allows the election commission the time they need to find a replacement. I remain committed to the office and its mission and hope to aid in defeating harmful rhetoric to ensure successful elections in the future.

The Harris County Republican Party recently filed a lawsuit against the commissioner after the 10,000 uncounted ballots were discovered. But local reports said there were other issues with the primary election, including staffing problems, equipment issues, and longer-than-usual lines.

The buck stops with me to address issues for voters and I did not meet my own standard or the standard set by commissioners, Longoria said.

On March 7, the Harris County Republican Party filed a lawsuit against Longoria and the elections office for committing the worst elections fiasco in Texas history after the ballots were found uncounted.

Meanwhile, an analysis from The Associated Press found that some 27,000 ballots were flagged across the state.

Along the border, El Paso County reported that 725 mail ballots were officially rejected and not counted after a final canvass on March 7about 16 percent of all such ballots cast. In Williamson County, officials reported 521 rejected mail ballots, nearly evenly split evenly between Republican and Democratic primary voters.

Roughly 8,300 mail ballots in Texas were rejected in the 2020 election, according to the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
70 Percent of Americans Favor Increase in Domestic Oil, Gas Production: Rasmussen

A vast majority of Americans want the country to be energy independent, according to a recent poll by Rasmussen Reports, indicating increasing frustration with rising fuel costs and the impact it has on everyday expenses.

Poll results show 70 percent of likely U.S. voters support a policy of boosting domestic oil and gas production to reduce the countrys dependence on foreign energy supplies. Only 18 percent opposed such a policy, while 12 percent said they were not sure.

The survey, conducted March 3 and 6, comes at a time when Russias invasion of Ukraine, and Moscows dominance in global oil and gas supplies, have revived the issue of energy independence in the West.

The national average price for regular unleaded gas was $4.31 per gallon Thursday, according to AAA, an increase of more than 15 percent in one week. The average cost on March 3 was $3.72 per gallon.

Now that President Joe Biden has banned Russian oil imports as part of U.S. economic sanctions against Moscow, gas prices are expected to climb higher and remain elevated until supply chain issues are resolved.

Russia exports oil at a rate of 5 million barrels per day, and although the U.S. imports only a small portion of that number, international trading firms have also begun to shy away from Russian energy, according to a Politico report.

Biden is said to be reaching out to countries such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia to boost oil output to compensate for the shortfall. But industry leaders have cast doubt on whether the United States can secure enough oil from these alternative sources quickly enough to address rising consumer costs, Politico reported.

Theres a mirage that spare capacity can be brought out, said Tengku Muhammad Taufik, CEO of the Malaysian state-run oil company Petronas, at an industry conference Monday, Politico reported.

According to the same report, although oil production in the United States fell sharply at the start of the pandemic in 2020, daily output had increased to 11.6 million barrels per day of oil by late February this year, and oil output is expected to rise by another million barrels per day by the end of 2022.

Some oil industry leaders blame the Biden administrations energy policies for the crisis the country is now facing.

In his March 8 testimony (pdf) before the House Energy and Commerce Committees subcommittee on energy, Tom Pyle, Chairman of the Institute for Energy Research, criticized Biden and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan for asking the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to pump out more oil.

This is despite the administrations numerous actions designed to reduce the enthusiasm of energy companies to find, produce, and transport domestic oil and natural gas, Pyle said.

Pyle cited the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline, the de facto suspension of domestic oil and gas leases, and the administrations failure to contest court rulings related to offshore oil and gas operations.
Chiu Kuo-cheng, the Defence Minister, at a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 2, 2019. (SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

War With China Over Taiwan Would End in Miserable Victory: Taiwan Defense Minister

A war between China and Taiwan would result in a miserable victory regardless of the outcome, Taiwans Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters on March 10.

If theres a war, to be frank, everyone will be miserable, even the victors, Chiu said, noting that it would be best for both sides to avoid overt conflict.

He made the comments as Taiwans parliament was set to discuss the implications of Russias invasion of Ukraine on the island nations national security. Experts believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is studying Russias invasion of Ukraine to inform its own plans for a possible invasion of Taiwan.

Beijing claims that Taiwan and its surrounding territory is a breakaway province, even as the democratic island has been self-governed since the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to unite the island and the mainland, and hasnt ruled out the use of force in doing so. The situation has led to widespread fears of a war in the Indo-Pacific, and U.S. military leaders have said that such an invasion could take place by 2027.

The CCP has waged an intimidation campaign against Taiwan, sending military aircraft into Taiwans air defense identification zone on an almost daily basis. Hours after Russia invaded Ukraine, the CCP sent eight fighter jets and one reconnaissance aircraft through the area.

Despite such efforts, Taiwan hasnt reported any unusual troop movements on the mainland. Chiu said Taiwan remains prepared to defend itself and its continued democratic self-governance.

We watch the changes calmly and we are prepared accordingly, Chiu said.

One really needs to think this through. Everyone should avoid wars.

Taiwans military also has been learning from the invasion of Ukraine, and has reportedly already begun to incorporate new methods of asymmetric warfare into its military planning.

The move toward asymmetric warfare, when relative military power or strategy or tactics of combatants differ significantly, is an essential building block of national defense, and would help the island to inflict significant losses upon an invading force, regardless of its size.

The lessons of Ukraine could be essential to Taiwan, because it must be prepared to defend its territory and people militarily in a situation in which foreign assistance may not be readily available.

We must defend our own country, Chiu told lawmakers on March 10.
Australia could play a key role in hydrogen planes of the future. (Kevin Wong/Unsplash)

Airbus, Fortescue to Pioneer Hydrogen Planes

Aerospace giant Airbus and Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) have allied with the goal of creating a hydrogen-based aircraft by 2035.

FFI, the green energy brainchild of mining billionaire Andew Forrest, has followed its founders ambitions in advancing carbon-free hydrogen as a fuel of the future.

Both of the companies have ramped up efforts to research and develop green alternatives within their respective industries amid mounting pressure on companies to reduce their emissions.

Under the new partnership, Airbus and FFI will work to address challenges spanning from hydrogen production to delivery at airports and on-board aircraft, including finding solutions in hydrogen regulations, supply, and infrastructure.

Andrew Forrest travelled to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France to sign the Memorandum of Understanding and said that aviation was next in the global transition.

The time is now for a green revolution in the aviation industry, Forrest said. This exciting collaboration brings together leaders in the aviation industry with leaders in green energy for a pollution-free future.

Andrew Forrest, Australian billionaire and Chief Executive Officer of Fortescue Metals Group, in London, on Oct. 25, 2021. (Ben Makori/Reuters)

We are all citizens of a global world. People want to travel, reunite with family and friends and explore new places without being forced to pollute the planet.

The problem isnt travel, the problem is how we fuel our planes and shipsall of that must turn emissions free. No greenwash, no mirage, just 100 percent green.

FFI has been at the forefront of Australias green hydrogen industry, a fuel touted to be the solution to long distance transport and coal-free steel and aluminium.

Green hydrogen itself is made through electrolysiswhere an electrical current is passed through water to separate out the hydrogen gasalthough this process is currently not commercially viable.

To overcome this, FFI has spearheaded a number of projects to reduce costs, including what is set to become the southern hemispheres biggest renewable energy hub.

FFI has also begun construction of the worlds largest electrolyser plantto produce the equipment required for electrolysisalong with making plans for Australias first solar manufacturing facility amid a China-dominated market.

Read More 90 Percent of Australias Imported Solar Panels Are Made in China

Airbus believes Forrests progress in the hydrogen industry will play a key role in allowing the fuel to eventually become feasible for use in aircraft.

Partnerships and cross-sectoral approaches are a necessity to make zero emission aviation a reality, said Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus VP Zero Emission Aircraft.

Airbus is preparing itself to put a zero emission aircraft in service by 2035. But this will only be possible if we can ensure enough green hydrogen is produced worldwide and Im thrilled to see FFI enthusiasm with regards to our ambition.

Airbus headquarters in Saint-Martin du Touch on the outskirts of Toulouse, France on Jul. 2, 2020. (Photo by GEORGES GOBET/AFP via Getty Images)

However, lead author for transport on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University, Peter Newman, cautioned that the technology was still in its infancy.

This is because, in its raw form, hydrogen as a gas cannot be used aboard aircraft due to the high pressures involved, and converting hydrogen into liquid form poses its own challenges.

Hydrogen is too hard to compress and freeze[and requires temperatures of] minus 253 degrees celsius, Newman told The Epoch Times.

Newman outlined that producing hydrogen was rapidly becoming more affordable due to cheaper solar panels and electrolysersin part thanks to the efforts of FFIbut that the step from hydrogen to a usable fuel remained unproven commercially.

Hydrogen wont work in planes unless it is converted into synthetic jet fuel, Newman said.

Hydrogen is not hard to make, its just very expensive. Solar is cheap, hydrolysers are getting cheaper, but the steps from hydrogen to synthetic jet fuel are expensive major breakthroughs are needed.
Alec Baldwin Suggests Lawsuits Against Him Are Motivated by Money

Actor Alec Baldwin responded to several lawsuits that were filed against him and other Rust producers, suggesting that he believes the legal challenges are motivated by money.

We have dealt with a situation where specific people are not as interested in finding out what really happened, Baldwin told a moderated conversation at the Boulder International Film Festival, adding that they are instead going after deep pockets litigants.

What you have is a certain group of litigants on whatever side, who their attitude is, well, the people who likely seem negligent have enough money, the 63-year-old actor added. And the people who have money are not negligent, but were not gonna let that stop us from doing what we need to do in terms of litigation. Why sue people if youre not going to get money? Thats what youre doing.

Again, Baldwin told the panel that he did not check the firearm before shooting the scene last October on the set of Rust in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Several lawsuits claim that Baldwin fired a gun during shooting, wounding cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

Baldwin has not been charged with a crime. However, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza has said on multiple occasions that an investigation is ongoing, and he has cautioned against describing the shooting as an accident.

Im very hopeful when the facts come out. We will not be held criminally responsible but it has changed my life, and I dont mean this in the ordinary sense that I was involved in something or somebody passed. I mean, I was involved in a situation with somebody was killed. Its changed my life just in terms of the function of weapons in films and television, Baldwin said this week.

The actor also appeared to pin the blame on other individuals who worked on the Rust set.

When someone whose job it is to ensure the safety of the weapon hands someone else whose job was to be the secondary layer of protection for safety and they hand it over to and you declare that that weapon is safethats how Ive lived my whole life, Baldwin also remarked during the discussion. Ive relied on the safety experts there to declare the gun is safe and hand me the gun. Never had a problem.

In February, Hutchins family, including her husband and son, filed a lawsuit against Baldwin and other Rust producers for alleged reckless behavior on the set that led to the womans death.

There are many people culpable, but Mr. Baldwin was the person holding the weapon  that but for him shooting, she would not have died, their lawyer said at a press conference last month.
Amid Opposition From the Left, More States Push for Curriculum Transparency

Echoing the frustration and distrust felt by parents across the nation about public school education, lawmakers in at least 20 states have introduced measures to ensure parents access to what their children are being taught in the classroom.

Those Republican-backed measures, commonly referred to as curriculum transparency bills, require public schools to make available online all their teaching materials. Some of them are single-subject bills, while others exist as part of boarder parents bills of rights, which rest on the idea that parents should have the right to obtain critical information about what is being provided in the classroom and to take action when they feel that the quality or content of the education does not align with their values.

For example, Kansas House Bill 2662 seeks to affirm the right for parents to be informed of and have the ability to inspect any curriculum, syllabuses, surveys, tests, books, and any other materials or activities. To protect such rights, each school district in the state must open an academic transparency portal on its website to provide this information in each school.

As of March 9, there are ongoing legislative efforts to push for curriculum transparency in 18 states, namely Arizona, California, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming.

Proponents of the curriculum transparency bills see these measures as a common-sense approach. Carrie Lukas, a Virginia-based mother and leader of conservative advocacy group Independent Womens Forum, said it is critically important to keep parents informed in their childrens learning process.

I think that parents absolutely should have the right to see what their kids are being taught, Lukas told The Epoch Times. Obviously it doesnt mean that the parents get to police every lesson, and obviously there are going to be times when parents disagree or dont like one book or whatever, but parents should have this right.

If they are teaching about a subject that I think is off or that the view offered by the school is not my view, at least I get to explain my side of the story, she added. I dont see what possible reason the schools could give that this isnt right for parents to know what theyre teaching their children in a K12 public school. These are still kids. Parents are still supposed to have a big role in deciding what these kids are learning, what they are exposed to. I think its indefensible to think that we shouldnt have access to students curriculum.

Progressive Pushback

In some states, however, curriculum transparency bills met almost immediate pushback from Democrats and progressive activist organizations, especially teachers unions that have generated anger among parents because of their push for school mask and vaccine mandates and race-centered concepts like critical race theory (CRT).

This bill is insulting, burdensome, and will not succeed in increasing transparency, but will certainly succeed in driving people from our profession, said Utah Education Association President Heidi Matthews, referring to the now-pulled House Bill 234. The bill would have required public school teachers in Utah to make available online all curriculums, class syllabuses, and associated materials they plan to use for instruction.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed House Bill 1332, arguing that his state already allows parents to file requests to view public school curriculum and additional materials, and therefore requiring all public schools to post the information on their websites is not only duplicate, but overly burdensome.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has also vetoed a pro-transparency anti-CRT bill passed by the Republican-majority state Legislature. While Evers didnt take issue with the idea of parents having access to teaching materials, he argued that the bill as a whole would prevent students from learning about honest, complete history.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which actively seeks to block anti-CRT laws that ban schools from promoting race-based differential treatment in K12 classrooms, has also opposed curriculum transparency measures.

Some of these so-called curriculum transparency bills are thinly veiled attempts at chilling teachers and students from learning and talking about race and gender in schools, said Emerson Sykes, an ACLU staff attorney who specializes in First Amendment issues. He didnt specify why making teaching materials publicly accessible would discourage classroom discussions about race and gender.

Christopher Rufo, an author and filmmaker best known for exposing how CRT infiltrates American schools and businesses, helped develop a model curriculum transparency bill that lawmakers can use as a template in their own legislatures. He said that the heated debate over a non-threatening, politically-neutral concept like transparency will give parents a better idea about what agenda the opposing side is trying to push.

The Left will expect that, after passing so-called CRT bans last year, we will overplay our hand, Rufo wrote on Twitter. By moving to curriculum transparency, we will deflate that argument and bait the Left into opposing transparency, which will raise the question: what are they trying to hide?
Simon Tracey, Woolworths National Community Manager meets with Wayne Pinniger during a produce contribution to OzHarvest in Sydney, Australia, on April 22, 2020. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Australian Food Relief Charities Hit By Supply Chain Issues

Australian charities providing food relief are facing the adverse effects of a combination of unfavourable factors, including supply chain disruptions, rising living costs due to COVID-19, natural disasters and overseas conflict.

Ronni Kahn, the founder and CEO of OzHarvesta non-profit organisation that collects extra food and delivers it to people in needsaid that her organisation has had to buy food for the first time instead of relying on donations since COVID-19 broke out.

She said that was due to a shortage of surplus food on supermarket shelves caused by disruptions in supply chains and an additional million people having problems with food security.

Were already feeling the impact between the cost of living, COVID, and now another natural disaster means there will be more and more people needing food, she told the National Press Club on March 9.

There is absolutely a place for a (government) food security committee so that during disasters like this, we can get food out  there is room for better preparation on every level.

However, Kahn mentioned that Australian households were throwing away $3,000 (US$2,195) worth of unconsumed food every year.

She also emphasised that six million people in Australia, a country with abundant food production, experienced food insecurity at some point in the year.

If we are fighting to stop waste, on the one hand, we need to elevate and educate and minimise the number of people that need food too, Kahn said.

Driver Wayne Pinniger delivers food and fresh produce to Market Manager Zuzana Droppa and volunteers at the OzHarvest Market in Kensington in Sydney, Australia, on April 22, 2020. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

She said Australian households could avoid wasting food by only purchasing what they need and not buying things on impulse.

Weve stopped valuing food, were a convenience society, we want quick food, and we have stopped really understanding where food comes from, she said.

If we use (the food we buy) up, number one it will cost us less and number two, we will save an enormous amount of food from going to waste.

A report (pdf) from Food Innovation Australia Limited, which was commissioned by the federal government to develop a roadmap for reducing the countrys food waste, revealed that Australians wasted 7.6 million tonnes (8.37 million tons), or 312 kilograms (688 pounds) per person, of food every year.

However, 70 percent of the above food was still edible, and Australian households wasted nearly 18 percent of the food they bought on average.

There were six categories of food accounting for most of the food waste: milk, root vegetables, non-root vegetables, fruit, complex products and wine and beer.

When putting the figures together, food waste from households and industry activities cost the Australian economy a staggering amount of $36.6 billion.
Scott Morrison touring the University of Queensland Vaccine Lab to look over their research as they try to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus on Oct. 12, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Darren England/Getty Images)

Australian University to Collaborate with Moderna for mRNA Vaccine Research

The University of Queensland announced its collaboration with Moderna to use mRNA research for vaccine development of diseases that pose risks of causing future pandemics.

The university previously collaborated with CSLa major biotechnology firm now responsible for the manufacturing of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australiaon producing a COVID-19 vaccine.

The deal was called off, however, by the Australian government in December 2020 after trials found participants testing false positive to HIV.

UQs new partnership with Moderna will focus on diseases that have the potential to emerge as a future pandemic and diseases that are already a problem in low and middle-income countries, like dengue fever, malaria, tuberculosis and the zika virus, Prof. Paul Young from UQ said.

Other diseases in consideration include Group A Streptococcus and Whitmores disease, which is present in the subtropical areas of Northern Australia.

This partnership is a coup for UQ with advances in vaccine delivery potentially saving thousands of lives in developing countries, he said.

In a statement released on Mar. 10, UQ said that the partnership arranged by molecular bioscience researchers Prof. Mark Walker and Prof. Paul Young would allow UQs team to access Modernas mRNA platform to develop vaccines for emerging and neglected diseases.

Moderna will set up a portal where researchers in this collaborative agreement will have access to their mRNA technology to target these identified pathogens, Young said.

Walker said that UQ would be getting the full package with the university providing the mRNA sequences of the microbial, and Moderna would provide back to us a formulated vaccine that we would put into pre-clinical studies, Walker said.

UQ brings disease-specific expertise to be able to design and test vaccines and demonstrate efficacythose are the things that UQ does very well, he said.

Walker said that with this partnership, there is no doubt that the production of vaccines to target these diseases will be delivered more quickly.

Rapid turnaround technology and the identification of a new vaccine to clinical use stage could happen in as little as 100 days, he said.

Meanwhile, Young mentioned that the partnership could also result in commercial opportunities.

For example, if the mRNA technology can be successfully applied to generate an effective dengue vaccine, something that has been a goal for many decades, then not only will we be addressing a long-term global disease threat but also helping to support our local biotechnology industry.

The Zika virus, Group A streptococcus and Whitmores disease all have no vaccine approved for use, despite decades of research.

Malaria, tuberculosis, and the dengue virus all have vaccines approved for use, though the vaccines have low efficacy due to complexity in the biomechanism of the diseases.

Young told the Epoch Times in an email that whilethis collaborative venture is very much in the discovery research space and there are no guaranteed outcomes given the success of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA vaccine technology offers a new, validated approach to the delivery of other candidate vaccines.

Commercial Interests Colliding with Public Health

However, since the COVID-19 vaccine response, there have been growing concerns of commercial interests colliding with public health, as mentioned by Nikolai Petrovsky, renowned Australian researcher behind the Australian protein vaccine Spikogen and endocrinologist.

Petrovsky told The Epoch Times that COVID-19 had been used as a springboard for drug firms to secure their dominance in the pharmaceutical industry using mRNA vaccines as the payoff.

Before the pandemic, mRNA vaccines had yet to be approved for broader use in humans. The relatively new technology delivers single-stranded RNA molecules that instruct the body to make a specific protein. The new protein made in the body now trains the bodys cells to create an immune response.

Whilst there has been much excitement around the rollout of the technology during the pandemic, researchers conceded that the platform is in its infancy compared to tried-and-tested platforms like protein-based vaccines.

Petrovsky said that many firms, however, were engaged in the massive hype around mRNA vaccines, and once the first movers broke ground on a viable vaccine model, what ensued was a follow the leader type mentalitytypical in corporate competition.

There wasnt a lot of time for people to sit down and think things through (during the pandemic). Most companies just grabbed whatever was on the shelf, or in the case of Pfizer, grabbed another small company, BioNTech, and ran with it, he said.

Once Pfizer and AstraZeneca had successfully settled on their approach to the vaccine, other firms followed suit with Sputnik and Johnson and Johnson copying the adenovirus viral vector model of AstraZeneca and Moderna on mRNA.

Protein sort of got lost in all that, Petrovsky said. I guess it was almost euphoria of this completely new technology. Its exciting, and it sounds sexy.

But there is growing concern that the new technology could have unintended side effects, with recent findings by a Swedish study on Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines highlighting the consequence between the competition of commercialism and public health.

The study found that when exposed to Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, human liver cells in the lab converted the viral mRNA into DNA as fast as 6 hours after exposure despite CDC claiming that the vaccine would not interact at all with DNA.

For UQ, a university renowned for its research in molecular biology, a commercial partnership poses concerns of competitions of interests between academic research and commercial success.

UQ, however, maintained that the primary objective of this initiative is to stimulate and support research that addresses the currently unmet needs of vaccine development for neglected diseases of global importance.

Commercial opportunities are very much down the line and only where that ultimately supports the dissemination of successful vaccines to the populations that need them.
Biden Calls for New Protections for Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits

President Joe Biden travelled to Texas on Tuesday to call for new measures to protect veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Burn pits were widely used on the bases and battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan as a means of disposing refuseanything from daily trash, to tires, batteries, and plastics. The giant garbage dumps were lit with either diesel or jet fuel and servicemembers couldnt help but breathe in the fumes.

Biden is calling for the passage of two bipartisan bills in Congress that would take a number of steps to increase access to Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care for veterans exposed to burn pits.

These are bills that unite the American people. These are the bills that will deliver necessary care for our veterans and their families, Biden said during a speech at the Resource Connection of Tarrant County in Fort Worth, Texas. Lets get those bills to my desk so I can sign them immediatelyimmediately.

The new laws would extend the eligibility period for VA care for burn pit-related health impacts from 5 years after leaving the military to a minimum of 10 yearsopening enrollment to all veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The measures would also mandate research, reform the process for determining presumptions, and adding more conditions to the list of presumptive care.

One bill has already passed in the Senate, and the other in the House.

This is an incredible generation, the 9/11 generation that fought, Biden said in his speech. They served in a way  I think that maybe, theyre right up there with the greatest generation because they not only got deployed once, but sometimes twice, three, four times into harms way.

The issue of burn pits is personal to Biden, as he believes the chemical exposure from the pits may have contributed to the brain cancer that killed his son, Beau Biden, a veteran of the Iraq war.

In his speech, he also noted directing the VA to review more cancers to determine if they are service-connected, and the building of a more comprehensive Departments of Defense (DOD) database to track cases of exposure.

A month ago, Biden announced his commitment to reducing the nations cancer death rate by half in the next 25 years as part of an effort to reignite former President Barack Obamas Cancer Moonshot initiative.

Earlier on Tuesday, Biden toured the Fort Worth VA Clinic with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough and Texas Reps. Colin Allred (D), Marc Veasey (D), and Jake Ellzey (R).

Read More Democrat Sen. Menendez Tells Biden Not to Ease Sanctions on Venezuelan Oil

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released a statement blasting Bidens energy and border policy during his visit to Texas, saying he would rather buy oil from terrorist regimes and let millions of illegal immigrants flow into the country than meet with American energy producers during his visit.
A man looks at a destroyed Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier near the city of Kharkiv, located some 50 km from Ukrainian-Russian border, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

Last Remaining Canadian Troops in Ukraine Pulled on Morning of Invasion, General Says

Some Canadian soldiers were still in Ukraine on the day Russia began its invasion, a Canadian general told the House National Defence Committee on March 9.

With the cueing that we had, with the intelligence we had, with what we understood Putins plans to beincluding some intelligence that air attacks were imminentit was prudent to return our troops initially in western Ukraine to stay in country as long as we could, and the last few elements of our troops left the morning of the attack, said Major-General Paul Prevost, director of staff of the Strategic Joint Staff.

So, great intelligence, and it was a calculated decision.

Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, with Russian President Vladimir Putin citing the need to strive for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.

Defence Minister Anita Anand announced on Feb. 13 that Canadian troops in Ukraine would be temporarily moved elsewhere in Europe.

The security of our Canadian Forces is our top priority, she wrote on Twitter.

CBC had reported on Feb. 13 that a contingent of roughly 260 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel had arrived in Poland, which would approximate the size of the CAF training mission Op UNIFIER. The missions website says the operation involves around 200 members.

Prevost also provided the committee his assessment on the state of the conflict and said that what is portrayed in the media is what is being captured on the intelligence side.

He said Russia is running into logistics problem, theyre running into military issues, they were expecting to probably have a bit more of control of the airspace.

Obviously that campaign is not going as anticipated.

Prevost said he wasnt surprised about the state of the conflict, crediting some of the Ukrainian resistance prowess on training provided by CAF and on military aid provided by Western countries. He also said it has demonstrated known limited Russian capabilities.

Theres always been a recognition that they might have a large force that is not really modern, and maybe a modern force that is not very large.

Prevost also told the committee that trying to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine is off the table.

A no-fly zone is something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and others have requested. NATO rejected the idea as it would entail entering into a military confrontation with Russia.

Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant asked the committee witnesses if there was any indication that Russia was targeting humanitarian convoys on purpose.

What we have seen is that humanitarian corridors have been targeted, whether [its] intentional or not, its where we have a gap in intelligence, said Kevin Hamilton, director general of international security policy at Global Affairs Canada.

With Russias invasion reportedly facing setbacks, Liberal MP Jennifer OConnell asked if there was a chance Putin will lash out.

Hamilton answered its one of the speculative scenarios being considered.

One of the scenarios that is out there and relates to the question is the fact that because the campaign is not going as well as Putin had expected, there is a risk that, for egregious as this war has been to date, he could resort to options that are even more lethal. And so thats something were alive to, and were looking at.
Capitol Report (March 9): Major US Companies Pulling Out of Russia; Amazon Probed for Lying to Congress

Congress has reached a deal on a government funding bill thats worth $1.5 trillion. Theyre also approving a White House request to spend billions in emergency money to support Ukraine.

Dozens of the worlds biggest companies are cutting ties with Russia, affecting every corner of the economy.

When it comes to producing energy in the United States, can it be done without disturbing the environment? We have two members of Congress that will weigh in.

President Joe Biden aimed to counter Chinas tech threat Wednesday in a meeting with Americas top tech firms. Where is he getting stuck, and what needs to be done?

Biden signed an executive order Wednesday on what hes calling the responsible development of digital assets. The move signals a U.S. government acknowledgment of crypto as a form of legitimate currency.

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US Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Vice Admiral John Aquilino speaks about the results of an investigation into a January incident where Iranian forces detained 10 US Navy personnel, during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, June 30, 2016. - The US Navy is to discipline eight officers and enlisted personnel after Iran briefly captured two small patrol boats in a humiliating incident in January, an official said Thursday. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

CCP Seeks New Global Order at Expense of All Others: US Admiral

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engaged in a whole-of-society effort to undermine the rules-based international order and to promote its own brand of authoritarianism, according to U.S. military and political leaders.

The Peoples Republic of China is the most consequential strategic competitor that the United States has faced, said Admiral John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

They are executing a dedicated campaign that utilizes all forms of national power in an attempt to uproot the rules-based international order to the benefit of themselves and at the expense of all others.

Aquilino delivered the testimony to the House Armed Services Committee during a March 9 hearing on national security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

Committee Chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.) affirmed Aquilinos sentiments and said that the CCP was the greatest threat to the United States continued global leadership.

He said that American leadership was working to secure global peace, but that CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping appeared determined to seek conflict.

China is without question the country most capable of competing with the U.S. in terms of their economic strength, in terms of their growing military strength, [and] in terms of their global reach, Smith said.

We all want a world where China and the U.S. peacefully coexist and that is what we are working towards, Smith said. But over the course of the last decade at least, it has become clear that President Xi and China intend something more combative than that.

Smith said that the United States would need to do a better job of convincing the nations of the world that following CCP authoritarianism would not end in their favor. To this end, he said that the United States would work to balance peace in east Asia through cooperation with regional partners.

The hearing follows the release of the annual Threat Assessment released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which found China to be the number one threat to the United States in 2022.

Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told the committee that the United States would remain focused on the Indo-Pacific region as its strategic priority, settling uncertainty over whether Russias invasion of Ukraine would draw the U.S. focus to Europe.

The Indo-Pacific is the Departments priority theater, Ratner said.

We are committed to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, where all nations, large and small, are secure in their sovereignty, and can pursue economic opportunity, resolve disputes without coercion, and exercise the freedoms of navigation and overflight consistent with an open and stable international order.

Ratner condemned the CCPs support for Russian aggression, and said that the United States competition with China throughout the century would define international politics and shape the global order.

Strategic competition with the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] will be a defining feature of the 21st century and our collective efforts over the next decade will determine whether Beijing succeeds in undermining the rules and norms that have benefited the Indo-Pacific region and the world for decades, Ratner said.

To curb the malign influence of the CCP throughout the Indo-Pacific, Ratner said that it was necessary to strengthen regional networks.

He called the United States network of alliances and partnership one of its greatest strengths, and said that its defense strategy would continue to focus on developing relationship will allies and partners throughout Asia to increase prosperity and defend against authoritarianism.

Our approach aims to build a broader security architecture in the Indo-Pacific region that can sustain a free and open order and deter aggression, Ratner said.

We are focused on strengthening our military position over the long-term through deepening cooperation with our allies and partners in terms of planning, operations, and greater collaboration on capability development.

To that end, Ratner said that the United States was strengthening its capabilities and improving interoperability with regional allies and partners including Japan, Australia, India, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Timor-Leste.

The United States ability to pursue common security and economic goals with like-minded nations is a cornerstone of our success, Ratner said.

Ratner highlighted several examples of CCP aggression throughout the Indo-Pacific, including the use of Chinese maritime militia to encroach upon the sea borders of its neighbors, the use of its army to push the effective northern border of India inward, and the ongoing campaign of intimidation by its air forces against Taiwan.

To that end, Ratner said that a broad and bipartisan consensus had been reached that the United States ought to commit its focus to the Indo-Pacific and the continued competition with the CCP.

[A] powerful bipartisan consensus has emerged around the China challenge and the need for the United States to refocus its time, energy, and resources on the Indo-Pacific region, Ratner said.

The reservoir of support for this approach is broad and deep, and we should continue working together to preserve this bipartisanship that is central to our ability to compete effectively in the region.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 10: Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on worldwide threats. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

China-Russia Cooperation Will Increase in Coming Years: US Intelligence Director

The partnership between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Vladimir Putins regime in Russia is set to deepen in the coming years, according to National Intelligence Director Avril Haines.

We are seeing them cooperate more and we anticipate that it will strengthen over the coming years, Haines said during a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on March 10.

Haines added that the partnership between China and Russia extended across economic, political, and military spheres. She clarified, however, that the alliance did not achieve the same sort of cooperation upheld by the United States and its allies, which maintain interoperable forces capable of effectively combining resources in wartime.

The testimony comes a month after Putin and CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping made a declaration announcing a partnership with no limits, and two weeks into Russias war on Ukraine. Since the invasion, the Chinese regime has consistently refused to denounce Putins actions and has reaffirmed its rock solid ties with Moscow.

One intelligence report also claimed that CCP leadership knew about Putins plans to invade Ukraine in advance and requested Russian leadership postpone the war until the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics.

Observers, meanwhile, have said that Russias continuation of the war requires the tacit support of the Chinese communist regime, which has refused to join in the international and multilateral sanctions being leveraged on Russia.

The testimony also follows a similar assessment that Haines delivered to the House Intelligence Committee earlier in the week, wherein she said that China was the leading threat to the United States in 2022.

U.S. lawmakers have warned that China and Russia share a common goal in their desire to undermine the United States prominence on the global stage, though intelligence leaders believe that CCP leadership has been unsettled by continued Russian failures on the battlefield in Ukraine and the unified Western condemnation of Russian hostilities.

I think whats unfolded in Ukraine, the ugliness of it [and] the flawed assumptions that underpinned it from the point of view of President Putin, have unsettled the Chinese leadership a little bit, said CIA Director William Burns on Thursday during the same hearing. Theyre unsettled by the reputational damage that could come from that for them.

Burns testified that there was a concern among CCP leadership about the potential economic fallout China could face if the United States were to direct international sanctions against it.

Further, he said, the CCP was worried about the extent to which the war in Ukraine was driving the United States and European nations closer together. Such a situation could present difficulties to the CCPs efforts to exploit one-on-one relationships with other nations and to drive wedges between the United States and its partners.

When asked how much more sensitive the CCP was than Russia to the risk of damaging their reputation, Burns expressed that he was doubtful any leader would be less caring about their reputation than Putin.

President Putins a low bar in terms of concern about reputational damage, Burns said.

Regardless of the consequences, the CCP and Russia appear ready to trudge forward in their shared goal to diminish the United States influence abroad.

Senator Angus King (I-Maine) remarked that the relationship between the CCP and Putin was likely to be one of the leadingif not the leadingthreats to the international order in the coming years.

It seems to me in the last couple of years, really in the last year, weve seen a closer cooperation and communication between those two countries, King said.

It seems to me, if youre talking worldwide threats, thats one of them.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pose for a photograph during their meeting in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2022. (Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

China Wont Dare to Rupture Relations with US, Europe Over Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Economist Say

Beijing has long benefited from global integration; rupturing relations with West would cost regime dearly

News Analysis

Although China and Russia have announced a no limits partnership, with no forbidden areas of cooperation, Beijing is unlikely to do anything to jeopardize its economic relationship with Europe and the United States, economists say, citing that China has long benefited from global integration and seeks to maintain the world economic order from which it currently benefits.

On March 2, China abstained from voting at the United Nations General Assembly for the unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. And Chinas Foreign Ministry claimed that it firmly opposes any illegal unilateral sanctions.

While the United States, the European Union, and other countries imposed various sanctions and export curbs on Russia, China on Feb. 24 approved imports of wheat from all regions of Russia.

In response to Chinas ambiguous attitude toward the invasion, the United States tries to force China to pick a side through potential punitive economic measures or export controls on certain technologies similar to that imposed on Russia, according to a State Department official.

If China or any other country wants to engage in activity that would be subject to our sanctions, theyll be subject to our sanctions, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a State Department official.

Chinese Exports

A report published on Feb. 28 by Neil Shearing, the chief economist at London-based research consultancy Capital Economics, said that although China is politically leaning toward Russia, it is unlikely to do anything to rupture its relations with the West.

Read More US Capital Is the Lifeline of the Chinese Communist Party: Roger Robinson Interview

That wouldnt be in Chinas economic interestsaccess to global financial markets is more valuable than anything Russia can offer  Xi has much stronger reasons than Putin to avoid a complete rupture in relations with the West, Shearing wrote.

China has reaped massive benefits transforming itself into a global manufacturing hub. Its GDP per capita has increased from less than 5 percent of U.S. levels in 1990 to nearly 30 percent today. Hundreds of millions of Chinese people have pulled themselves out of poverty in the process. In contrast, GDP per capita in Russia has fallen from over 50 percent of U.S. levels in 1990 to just over 40 percent today, according to Shearings analysis.

Cargo containers are stacked at Yantian port in Shenzhen in Chinas southern Guangdong Province on June 21, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Thus, China and Russia have different interests concerning the global status quo. Beijing seeks to [establish] its authority on the global economic order rather than dismantle it, and its current access to global financial markets is more valuable than anything Moscow can offer, Shearing wrote.

Although Moscow has strengthened trade ties with Beijing over the past decade as an important energy supplier, Russias economic weight pales when compared to Western countries, Bloomberg reported. Western nations are much bigger export customers for China, major sources of technology and investment, and control Chinas access to the international dollar system.

Russia only received 2 percent of Chinese exports in 2021, far below the 17 percent to the United States, according to the Bloomberg report.

Technologies

In the fields of technology, China is reliant on ASML, a Dutch chipmaking equipment supplier, for its domestic chip manufacturing. However, in 2020, the Trump administration blocked ASML from selling its EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography systemsdevices essential to making advanced microchipsto China on national security grounds. The efforts were carried over by the Biden administration, continuing the stance of the Trump White House.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs trade sanctions against China in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2018. The White House has said that Trump will impose tariffs on about $50 billion in Chinese goods imports to retaliate against the alleged theft of American intellectual property. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

In the automotive sector, where China is now the worlds largest auto market in both production and sales, around 80 percent of the chips needed for car engines and gearboxes rely on imports, according to Nikkei Asia. In aviation, China relies entirely on foreign-made chips for its regional airliner ARJ21 and the larger C919 aircraft, both of which use imported engines. In computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine toolshighly critical to advanced manufacturingChina relies on imports for 90 percent of its tech needs.

On Feb. 25, the U.S. Commerce Department responded to Russias invasion of Ukraine by implementing a sweeping series of export controls restricting Russias access to technologies and other items sustaining its aggressive military capabilities. These controls primarily target Russias defense, aerospace, and maritime sectors, including semiconductors, computers, telecommunications, information security equipment, lasers, and sensors.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told The New York Times that Chinese companies that defy U.S. restrictions against exporting to Russia might be cut off from American equipment and software they need to make their productsanother stern warning to Chinese companies.

China-based telecom company Huawei has experienced similar U.S. sanctions firsthand. The Trump administration in 2020 cut Huawei off from global supplies of chips and other electronics made with U.S. technology, crippling its prosperous and expanding mobile and broadband businesses worldwide.

SWIFT

Chinas economy and trade also rely heavily on the U.S. financial clearing system. Almost all financial institutions worldwide, including state-owned commercial banks in China, conduct transactions via SWIFT, a Belgium-based international fund transfer system. Although it is regulated by the European Union, the United States has significant leverage over it due to the dominance of the U.S. dollar. If China were to be subjected to U.S. financial sanctions, SWIFT might exclude Chinese banks, making it impossible for Beijing to settle foreign transactions.

Supporters of the Fridays for Future movement hold a sign with the logo of bank messaging system SWIFT and the Russian flag during a demonstration against the war in Ukraine on March 3, 2022, in Berlin. (John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images)

A SWIFT ban was announced on Feb. 26 by the United States, the European Union, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom in response to Russias military attack on Ukraine. On Feb. 28, the Russian ruble plunged nearly 30 percent against the U.S. dollar.

On Feb. 28, the exchange rate of the Russian ruble against the U.S. dollar plummeted by nearly 30 percent, while people in Moscow stood in long queues to withdraw cash from bank machines.

According to a 2020 report from Chinese securities firm Guotai Junan, if China is excluded from SWIFT, it could lose $300 billion in trade per year, more than $90 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), and $80 billion in outward FDI annually.

Walking a Tightrope

On Feb. 28, the fourth day of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Chinas State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a video address at a meeting to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Shanghai Communique. Wang said, Since the door of China-U.S. relations has been opened, it should not be closed again, signaling the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) reluctance to rupture relations with the United States.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is seen on large screens as he holds a press conference at the Media Center in Beijing on March 07, 2022. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying used the term complex historical background when addressing Russias invasion of Ukraine, while Wang said that China respects the sovereignty of all countries.

Beijing has continued to walk a cautious line on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, seeking to maintain its relationship with Moscow but unwilling to openly back either side, hoping to avoid tearing apart relations with the United States and Europe.

On March 2, Chinas banking regulator said it would not participate in Western sanctions against Russia.

Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, claimed that the Western sanctions on Russia dont have much legal basis.

However, on March 3, the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) decided to put all activities relating to Russia and Belarus on hold due to the war in Ukraine. The CCP is the largest shareholder of AIIB, with a stake of over 30 percent, according to the official website.

Given that it holds 26.5 percent of voting rights, China has veto power over major decisions by the multilateral lender, which requires a 75 percent majority.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks from the podium at the opening session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 5, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Chinas 2021 Accomplishments: What Chinese Premier Li Didnt Mention in His Economic Report

Beneath the claims lie many uncomfortable facts

News Analysis

Watching the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) democracy with Chinese characteristics in action is illuminating, mind-boggling, and laughable. These also apply to formal presentations by Party officials to their rubber-stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress (NPC).

Illuminating in the absurdity of the CCPs ongoing efforts to insist that its version of democracy compares in any way to commonly understood definitions.

in the absurdity of the CCPs ongoing efforts to insist that its version of democracy compares in any way to commonly understood definitions. Mind-boggling in considering the manpower expended in relentlessly attempting to create the notion that there is anything democratic whatsoever in the Chinese regime or in the NPC.

in considering the manpower expended in relentlessly attempting to create the notion that there is anything democratic whatsoever in the Chinese regime or in the NPC. Laughable in seeing the sloganeering, cliches, and downright gobbledygook used, which parrot Western concepts in a blatant attempt to convince Chinese citizens (and others) that communist China really, really is a bona fide democracy.

Before we get into the laughable as it applies to Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs recent economic report to the 13th Peoples Congress, let us dispense with the CCPs notion that China is anything remotely resembling a democracy.

In a democracy, people are allowed to hold any theories and beliefs they choose, with the only constraints being on societal limits for the expression of designated extreme beliefs associated with inciting violence and sedition. Freedom of speech and freedom of conscience are at the heart of real democracies. Not so in communist China where deviation from approved CCP political speech results in prison time or worse.

Furthermore, democracies freely elect their assemblies, legislatures, and leaders. While Chinese voters can directly elect deputies to the peoples congresses of townships, towns, districts, and counties under Beijings rules, the only slates of candidates during elections are approved by the CCP. The end result is that bodies such as the NPC vote in lock-step for CCP-generated plans and policies, without real debate or actual dissent, or even input from average Chinese citizens. That is what democracy with Chinese characteristics means.

Let us now examine some of those CCP slogans, other blarney, and economics with Chinese characteristics that Party officials try to pass off as the result of faux democratic action in Beijings Work Report that Li delivered to the 5th Session of the 13th Congress on March 5.

The report lists the following supposed economic accomplishments in 2021:

We kept macro policy consistent and targeted, and kept the major economic indicators within the appropriate range.

Right off the bat, Li started the gobbledygook! Communist economics being an oxymoron, one wonders what a consistent and targeted macro policy means by the CCPs definition.

Does that policy include the restricted default of real estate giant Evergrande declared in December by Fitch Reports, per this CNN report?

How is the cascading default affecting Chinese homeowners who hold 70% of their wealth in real estate, according to Business Insider?

In fact, the real estate crisis is not mentioned anywhere in Lis rosy reportalthough the real estate sector is nearly 30 percent of Chinas GDP! The closest the report gets is the claim that 2.8 trillion yuan of central government funding (about $443 billion) was sent to prefecture- and county-level governments. Local governments are highly leveraged in real estate, which means that Beijing very likely bailed out those local governments to keep them afloat.

A crane stands at the construction site of Evergrande Cultural Tourism City, a China Evergrande Group project whose construction has halted, in Suzhous Taicang, Jiangsu Province, China, on Oct. 22, 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

We refined and implemented policies for easing the difficulties of businesses and consolidated the foundation of economic recovery.

More Marxist economics, as the report claims is that tax payments were postponed for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in manufacturing as well as coal-fired power plants and heating-supply enterprises as a temporary measure.

Aside from the red flag about coal-fired power plants in lieu of Chinese leader Xi Jinpings grand claim that China will be carbon neutral by 2060, postponing taxes does not abolish the tax obligation; all that does is kick the can down the road and prop up failing businesses (the communists dont believe in the creative destruction of a market economy; they pick the winners and losers).

We deepened reform, expanded opening up, and continued to improve the business environment.

Here is an interesting nugget buried in the explanation for this claim: The reform to delink industry associations and chambers of commerce from government was basically completed.

Thats pretty laughable, as the leaders of those groups are all communists who follow the CCPs lead in all things. Cutting any formal ties is window-dressing and meaningless.

We promoted innovation-driven development and stabilized industrial and supply chains.

How about this claim in the explanation? Intellectual property right protection was strengthened.

Does that include IP stolen from joint ventures with foreign companies?

Because that is the standard operating procedure in China: start up a joint venture with a foreign company, steal promising IP, transfer the IP to a separate Chinese enterprise, and then regulate the joint venture out of existence. And then there is the ongoing straight theft of IP from the United States, as summarized here by the American Enterprise Institute.

We promoted coordinated development between urban and rural areas and between regions, and improved the structure of the economy.

From the explanation: We advanced rural revitalization and designated 160 key counties to receive assistance in pursuing rural revitalization.

What does rural revitalization actually mean? It sounds good.

And does designate mean something will actually be done in the future?

Maybe the CCP is referring to the bailout of local governments due to their hidden debt, as real estate and infrastructure over-leveraging is delicately referred to by Caixin Global here and The BL here. That debt amounts to half of Chinese annual GDP. The bailoutsunremarked in Lis claims of economic success in 2021must go on!

We strengthened environmental protection and promoted sustainable development.

This explanation was shockingly absurd: An action plan for peaking carbon emissions by 2030 was unveiled. Never mind that China is planning to build 43 new coal-fired power plants and 18 new blast furnaces, as reported here by TIME.

More on the CCPs egregious green lies is detailed in this Epoch Times article.

A Chinese farmer works his field next to a state-owned, coal-fired power plant in Huainan, Anhui Province, China, on June 15, 2017. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

We worked to ensure and improve the peoples well-being and accelerated development of social programs.

The report was silent on the CCPs social programs focused on Uyghur reeducation or the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities.

We made progress in building a rule of law government and developing new ways of governance and maintained social harmony and stability.

The report forgot to add the word arbitrary before rule of law because whatever the CCP states at a particular point in time is the law, and that could be changed due to Lysenkoism with Chinese characteristics. Like Chinas zero-COVID policy or the (now) three-child policy. The social harmony and stability that the CCP craves is administered at the point of a gun, for all practical purposes.

Unnumbered (#9). We promoted the building of a human community with a shared future, fostered global partnerships, and played an active part in the reform and development of the global governance system.

Highfalutin words! Weve seen the Chinese legacy media echo these oft-repeated cliches and slogans from Xi for years now. The CCPs goal is to replace the international system with one with distinct Chinese characteristicsone in which any moral element is entirely missing. Because that is what Godless communists do.

Conclusion

Lis report to the 13th Peoples Congress is not worth the paper on which it was printed, but it does make for useful propaganda for the CCP. It conveys a veneer of democratic processes that mask the CCPs authoritarianism in running a command economy. Do not be fooled!

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Chinese Politician Blasted Over Proposal to Allow Single Women to Have 1 Child

A member of the Chinese regimes top political advisory body on March 4 put forward a proposal to allow single women over the age of 30 to have one child due to Chinas declining population. But it was met with public criticism.

On Friday, when Chinas annual political meetings, called the Two Sessions, kicked off, Hua Yawei, a delegate of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), called for allowing unmarried women over the age of 30 to have one child.

He also said that healthy women over the age of 30 should be allowed to undergo voluntary egg retrieval and freezing, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, and other fertility procedures, according to a March 5 report by Minsheng Weekly, a state-run journal designated by Beijing to cover the Two Sessions.

Every year, the CPPCC convenes in March for one or two days, followed by meetings of Chinas rubber-stamp legislature (the National Peoples Congress, or NPC for short). At the Two Sessions, CCP officials lay out various policies for the coming year, including economic growth targets.

According to public information, Hua is currently the vice president of Henan Anti-Cancer Hospital and a member of the central committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party.

His proposal has caused a backlash among Chinese citizens.

Ms. Wu (pseudonym), a former employee of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, was furious after hearing about the proposal.

Where does the sperm come from for a single woman to have a baby? Is it legal? On top of that, these childrens future will be a big problem, and it is a humanistic, moral, and legal issue, she said in a recent interview with the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times.

Mr. Gu (pseudonym), a retired university teacher in Shanghai, told the publication that Huas proposal is a reasonable and legal excuse for CCP officials to allow their mistresses to have their children, thus creating a loophole for Chinas marriage law.

The government officials are looking for legal legitimacy for their mistresses to have children out of wedlock. This is a serious violation of the CCPs marriage law, and it will cause chaos in the social order. The destruction of the marriage law is not desirable, he said.

Gu added that the CPPCC members and NPC deputies are not elected by the people and do not reflect public opinion at all.

They represent the CCP and speak for it. Their holding such a meeting has nothing to do with us ordinary people.

Beijing Targets Teens Amid Declining Population

Huas proposal is in line with the CCPs current demographic policy.

Amid the plummeting population growth rate, Beijing has introduced a number of policies to encourage couples to have more children. But an increasing number of women dont want to have children.

Nurses hold babies at the Xiyuege Center, or Lucky Month Home, in Beijing, on Dec. 13, 2016. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

At the end of January, the Family Planning Association of China, which is under the supervision of the Chinese State Council, released a report, titled Highlights of the Work of the China Family Planning Association in 2022.

It mentions that the association will focus on solving the outstanding problems of reproductive health of teenagers, women of childbearing age, and other specific groups of women, and launch a special campaign to intervene in abortions among unmarried people, and reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions among teenagers.

The hashtag intervening in abortion among unmarried people has been a popular search topic online.

According to the CCPs top health body, the National Health Commission (the NHC), the total number of abortions per year in China has been over 9.6 million for the five years between 2014 and 2019. The number of abortions among unmarried women under the age of 24 accounts for 40 percent of all abortions in the country, according to a February report on the CPPCCs official website.

The actual numbers could be much higher. State-run media China Daily reported 13 million abortions in 2009; while the NHC reported over 7 million abortions annually from 2003 to 2009, with 2008 as an exception, which had 9.1 million abortions.

Last August, Wang Peian, Party secretary of the CCPs Family Planning Association, said that the growing problem of adolescent reproductive health has posed a major threat to the nations population security.

Political commentator Zheng Jie told The Epoch Times that the Family Planning Association of China report uses the excuse of reducing unwanted teenage pregnancies and abortions, and improving the reproductive health of the public, as a pretext for the ineffectiveness of the three-child policy.

Zheng said the intervention in abortions among young women shows that the CCP wants to change the status quo through coercive means, in a bid to boost population growth numbers and to slow down the aging trend of the Chinese population.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the countrys population growth in 2021 was 480,000, which was at a record low since 1962, as tens of millions of people died in a massive famine during the Great Leap Forward from 1958 to 1962.

Chinas population began to increase again after the famine, and since the late 1970s, the CCP has strictly enforced a one-child policy, with sterilization, forced abortion, financial punishment, and forced unemployment being the common measures implemented by the regimes local governments.

Since the CCPs one-child policy, Chinas population saw a declining trend. According to the NBS, the third census in 1982 showed an annual average growth of 17.4 million people from 1964 to 1982, with an annual growth rate of 2.1 percent. From 2000 to 2010, there was an average annual increase of 7.3 million people, with the annual growth rate dropping to 0.57 percent.

Sophia Lam contributed to the article.
This photo taken on January 2, 2017 shows Chinese J-15 fighter jets being launched from the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier during military drills in the South China Sea. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Using South China Sea Drills as Cover to Search for Crashed Chinese Warplane: Taiwan

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now using purported military drills in the South China Sea to cover up its search for the wreckage for a Chinese military plane that crashed in early March, Taiwans intelligence agency said on March 10.

The aircraft is reported to have been a Shaanxi Y-8, which is a medium transport aircraft, but commonly outfitted by the Chinese military to serve as a reconnaissance or electronic warfare element. The plane that crashed may have been outfitted for anti-submarine duty.

The crash itself was first reported by Vietnam-based journalist Duan Dang and later confirmed by Chen Ming-tong, director-general of Taiwans National Security Bureau (NSB), in remarks to the islands parliament on March 10.

The CCP hasnt acknowledged the crash. Taiwan-based media outlets have correlated the days surrounding the crash with a sudden drop in Y-8 incursions into Taiwans air defense identification zone.

Last week, the CCP suddenly announced a week of military drills in waters that it disputes with Vietnam, near where the crash occurred.

The NSB issued a report to parliament, stating that the drills were serving as a cover for CCP efforts to find and recover the aircraft, and Vietnams foreign ministry has filed a complaint with China about the drills.

The report also speculated that the drills would be used to test the limits of the U.S. and other South China Sea claimants.

Chen told the islands parliament that he couldnt provide further details of the incident, given that the case involved sensitive intelligence.

News of the crash closely follows the crash of a U.S. fighter jet in January, which fell into the sea following a landing mishap on an aircraft carrier. While there was concern that the CCP would attempt to salvage the aircraft in order to reverse engineer its technologies, the wreckage was ultimately recovered by the United States in early March.

The drama is just the latest in an ongoing series of standoffs, diplomatic dustups, and military intimidation over many years, through which the CCP has attempted to expand its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. The regimes claims to the sea have been ruled illegal by an international tribunal.

Perhaps the most notable of the CCPs tactics to exert control over the region has been its creation of numerous artificial islands throughout the area, where it has subsequently stationed military assets. Likewise, the CCP is currently undergoing a massive military buildup, including the expansion of its navy, which is already the worlds largest.

CCP leadership has debated the possibility of invading Taiwan, which it claims is part of its territory, although the island has been self-governed since 1949.
A sign displaying the national colors of Ukraine and a call for peace was placed on the door outside St. Mary's Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 6. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Christians Killing Christians: Arizona Orthodox Churches Voice Opposition to War in Ukraine

PHOENIX, Ariz.The morning sun is heavenly bright as the faithful begin arriving at Holy Archangels Orthodox Church in Phoenix, just minutes before the 9 a.m. start of the Sunday liturgy service.

The men have all come dressed in their best church attire. As their tradition requires, the women are all wearing skirts in muted colors, with their heads wrapped in veils.

The children are all obedient and respectful.

Upon entering the church, the parishioners make the sign of the cross and bow at the waist before they take their standing positions, waiting for the liturgy to begin in Russian.

All is quietexcept for the muffled voices of Deacon Sebastian and Priest John conversing behind gilded doors to the church rectory.

Within the hallowed church walls on March 6 is a vast array of religious images and icons, and softly glowing candles. For here, there is no political strife. No ethnic conflict. No poverty of the spirit.

Laura Hargett of Phoenix, Ariz., lights a candle before the March 6 Sunday liturgy service at Holy Archangels Orthodox Church in Phoenix. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

The parishioners include Russians who fled Soviet communism, American converts, as well as Ukrainiansall bound by a common desire for peace and a single orthodox faith, which holds that war is a last resort.

In orthodoxy, war is different than it is in the West. It is an absolute last resort. Were not pacifists, but we border on it, Deacon Sebastian said.

Therein lies the spiritual crux of the current conflict in the Ukraine, he said.

The Ukraine, with its long tradition of friendship with Russia, has been invaded by Russian forces. You have Orthodox Christians killing Orthodox Christians, Deacon Sebastian said.

From my perspective, thats where the real problem is here. You can have a grievance [against NATO expansion], but that grievance doesnt entitle you to certain types of actions, he said.

A parishioner in prayer before the Sunday liturgy service at Holy Archangels Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 6. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Deacon Sebastian said that while he does not speak for the church establishment he does have an opinion of his own about the warand that is that Russian President Vladimir Putin deciding to use military action to demilitarize the Ukraine is unjustifiable.

From a moral perspective and a spiritual perspective its not justifiable, he told The Epoch Times. In other words, could he solve the problem in another way? I dont know. But should he have done what he did? Based on the information I have, I dont see anything that justifies that.

Politically, could he have done something different? I dont know. What I can say is I dont believe politically hes going to get what he wants anyway.

What his actions are going to do is what seems to be whats been happening so far. Its uniting the West against him. I think hes made the situation much worse.

I dont think weve seen anywhere yet where the brunt of this is going to be. This obviously just happened. I dont think anybody thought Putin would really do it, Deacon Sebastian said.

Deacon Sebastian of the Holy Archangels Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Ariz., begins the Sunday morning liturgy service on March 6. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

From an orthodox religious perspective, however, the war in Ukraine makes even less sense given that there are 225 million Orthodox Christians worldwide and more than 6 million in the United States alone. As the oldest Russian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, the Holy Archangels Orthodox Church is part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

On Feb. 24, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Patriach Kirill of Moscow and All Russia issued an address. In it he called on all parties to the conflict to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.

As the Patriarch of All Russia and the primate of a Church whose flock is located in Russia, Ukraine, and other countries, I deeply empathize with everyone affected by this tragedy, Kirill said in the statement.

He cited a centuries-old history between the people of Ukraine and Russia dating back to the Baptism of Rus by Prince St. Vladimir the Equal-to-the-Apostles.

I call on the entire fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church to offer a special, fervent prayer for the speedy restoration of peace, he said.

Priest John at Holy Archangels Orthodox Church said that while he too does not speak for the church authority, it is his belief that the Russian response in Ukraine cannot be justified by the use of military force.

A young boy with his arm around a young girl during the Sunday morning liturgy service at Holy Archangels Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 6. Below, the boys mother helps him light a candle. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

It is above all an incredible tragedynot only for the people but for the church, he told The Epoch Times.

Were in the situation now where Orthodox Christians are killing Orthodox Christians, and others. We dont take sides.

We have people with Russian roots here. People with Ukrainian roots. And theyre worried for their families and the place that they left may be lost.

For the most part, were concerned with the spiritual levelthe suffering[so] that peace may be restored.

Theres a very long history of things which contributed to [the crisis] both in the secular realm and the church realm, he said.

Still, Priest John believes nothing in this world is unbridgeable.

God can make a way where we cant see it. It takes the courage of the individual to say no, he said.

I have no Russian in me at all that I know of. And there are good people on both sides. We are Christians first. And thats what should be what guides our actions.

At St. Marys Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, parishioners sat in prayer during the Sunday morning liturgy service on March 6.

Parishioners gather in prayer during the Sunday morning liturgy service at Holy Archangels Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 6. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Outside, a table had been set up to collect medical supplies and equipment that are in short supply at hospitals in Ukraine to help wounded civilians.

Hospitals across Ukraine are in desperate need of medical supplies. In the coming weeks, there will be more casualties, more and more suffering, a church announcement said.

The need for medical equipment and supplies will continue to increase. Ukraine will need medical supplies for the sick and wounded as they deal with the type of traumas associated with war.

Victor Szwez, the church boards president, said he places the blame on the war and its collateral damage squarely with Vladimir Putin.

The Ukrainians arent doing it. The Ukrainians arent provoking this, he told The Epoch Times. Ukrainians arent committing war crimes.

I dont think Putin believes in God. The Russian people are God-loving people They arent the people who are causing this. He [Putin] is the only one who can stop it, Szwez said.

A parishioner bows his head in prayer during a Sunday morning liturgy service at St. Marys Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 6. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Szwez said the church raised $20,000 in donations for humanitarian aid to Ukraine and has identified an additional $10,000 in other financial accounts.

Church assistant Anatol Prehar said of course he believes in a spiritual solution to the crisis.

All the time. Thats one thing [Putin] cant destroy, he said.

Kristin LaRue-Sandler and her mother, Patti Burt, said they were both visiting in Phoenix when they decided to attend the Sunday morning service at St. Marys to show support for the people of Ukraine.

Kristin LaRue-Sandler (L) and her mother Patti Burt of Butte, Montana, attended the Sunday morning liturgy at St. Marys Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Ariz., to show their support for the people of war-torn Ukraine. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

We just wanted to do something, LaRue-Sandler told The Epoch Times.

Burt, who lives in Butte, Montana, said she absolutely believes that a spiritual solution to the war in Ukraine is the only solution.

Its the counterbalance to evil, she said.
Florida's 2022 Senate race will see Incumbent Republican Senator Marco Rubio vs Democratic challenger, Florida State Rep. Val Demings. (Rubio & Demings campaign websites)

Florida US Senate 2022 Race Matchup: Republican Marco Rubio vs Democrat Val Demings

In what is anticipated to be one of the most contentious, closely watched, and most expensive Senate midterm election matchups, incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will face Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) in Floridas 2022 general election. Floridas primary is scheduled for Aug. 23 and the general election on Nov. 8, 2022.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 23, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Marco Rubio (Incumbent)

Marco Rubio is currently serving as a United States Senator for the State of Florida.

Rubio was born in Miami, Florida, one of the four children of Cuban immigrants who came to America in 1956. He began his political career as a city commissioner for West Miami before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives (2000 to 2008) where he served as speaker in November 2006. Rubio was first elected to the United States Senate in 2010, filling the seat left by retiring Republican incumbent Mel Martinez. In the general election, Rubio defeated Democrat Kendrick Meek and Gov. Charlie Crist (a Republican turned independent).

In April 2015, Rubio announced his bid for president of the United States, saying he would not seek reelection to his Senate seat in 2016. However, as candidate Donald Trump took a decisive lead in the polls, Rubio dropped out of the presidential election in March 2016. In June 2016, he announced he would seek reelection to his Senate seat, which he won with 52 percent of the vote.

Senate Appropriations Committee

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Small Business and Entrepreneurship (former chair)

Special Committee on Aging

Senate Climate Solutions Caucus

On the Issues

Education:

Strongly favors vouchers for school choice.

Wants to end the Department of Education.

In July 2021, Rubio, Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced the Protecting Students From Racial Hostility Act (pdf), which would direct the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to investigate parent and/or student complaints against the use of curriculum such as critical race theory.

Abortion:

Favors a ban on abortion after 20 weeks.

Favors overturning Roe v. Wade.

Strongly opposes abortion as a womans unrestricted right.

Opposes federal funding for abortions.

Economy:

Supports balanced budget amendment.

Opposes increasing the debt limit.

Opposes government-funded stimulus.

Supports a balance of both a market-driven economy while also creating national priorities for industries and support for them.

Climate Change:

Believes climate change is a reality but not man-made.

Guns:

Favors the absolute right to gun ownership.

Opposes restrictions on the right to bear arms and believes the Second Amendment is a cornerstone of American democracy.

Favors bans on ban bump stocks and additional background checks. He said limiting magazine size would have saved lives in the Parkland shooting, but voted NO on banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets.

Immigration:

Opposes amnesty for illegal aliens in any form.

Opposes citizenship for children of illegal aliens.

Pathway to Citizenship:

Position unclear; as a Florida House Representative running for Senate 2010, Rubio said an earned path to citizenship for illegal aliens was nothing more than a code for amnesty. However, when asked if he supported a pathway to citizenship in 2015, then-Senator Rubio said, I do. Then, as a presidential candidate in 2015, Rubio said he would implement policies and then wait to have a debate on their effectiveness in 1012 years. When asked again if he supported a pathway to citizenship in 2016, Rubio said The question about Whether you give citizenship to people is not a yes or no answer.

Jobs:

Opposes raising the minimum wage.

Voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act (equal pay for women).

Opposes laws requiring businesses to hire women and minorities.

Same-Sex Marriage:

Strongly opposes same-sex marriage.

Opposes gay adoption.

Taxes:

Strongly opposes increasing taxes on the wealthy.

Energy:

Supports safe drilling.

Supports Keystone Pipeline.

Opposes prioritizing green energy.

Controversies:

During a June 9, 2021 interview conducted at his desk in the Russell Senate Office Building, Rubio attacked Demingss voting record and labeled her as a do nothing Democrat. The Senate Ethics Committee Manual (pdf) explicitly states, Senate space may not be used for any political campaign.

In a screenshot taken from a Senate Television webcast, House manager Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) speaks during impeachment proceedings against then-President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 3, 2020. (Senate Television via Getty Images)

Val Demings

Val Demings is currently a member of the U.S. House, representing Floridas 10th Congressional District. She assumed office on Jan. 3, 2017, and her current term ends on Jan. 3, 2023.

Demings announced June 9, 2021, she is challenging incumbent Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

Demings was born in 1957 in Jacksonville, Florida. She received a bachelors in criminology from Florida State University and a masters in public administration from Webster University. After graduating from college, Demings became a social worker. In the early 1980s, Demings graduated from a police academy and joined the Orlando Police Department where she served for nearly three decades. From 2007 to 2012, she served as Orlandos first female chief of police.

Demings was first elected to the U.S. House, representing Floridas 10th Congressional District, in 2016. During her time in Congress, Demings has served on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In 2020, Demings was named one of seven impeachment managers in the U.S. Senate trial against President Donald Trump.

U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Subcommittee on Intelligence Modernization and Readiness

Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support

U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary

Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security (Vice Chair)

Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law

U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security

Congressional Black Caucus

New Democrat Coalition

Congressional Caucus for Womens Issues

Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls

Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus

House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force (Vice Chair)

Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus

Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus

Law Enforcement Caucus

Congressional Florida Ports Caucus

On the Issues

Education:

Opposes vouchers for school choice.

Supports teaching of Critical Race Theory in K-12 schools.

Abortion:

Strongly favors abortion as a womans unrestricted right.

Strongly supports Roe v. Wade.

Strongly supports public funding for abortion services.

Voted against an amendment that would prohibit federal funds from being used for abortions.

Economy:

Supports federal stimulus spending to promote economic growth rather than market-led recovery.

Voted against a bill that would require Congress to pass a balanced budget.

Voted for the $900 billion COVID relief package.

Climate Change:

Believes climate change is real, its dangerous, and we need to do something about it. Also believes extreme weather is caused by climate change.

Guns:

Supports restrictions on the right to bear arms.

Demings was one of eight Florida House Democrats who introduced an omnibus gun control bill in May 2021 aimed at ghost guns, concealable assault rifles, bump stocks, and background checks.

Strongly supports a ban on assault weapons.

In 2009, then Orlando Police Chief Val Demings received a written censure as punishment for not properly securing her gun in her car after someone broke into her Chevy Tahoe on the night of Feb. 27 and stole a duffel bag she had placed on the floor of the vehicle. The bag contained her agency-issued 9mm Sig Sauer gun and ammunition.

Immigration:

Opposes requiring illegals to return to their country of origin.

Supports citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, free health care for illegal immigrants, government funding for sanctuary cities, and opposes a border wall.

Pathway to Citizenship:

In 2021, Demings was among a group of Democrats who proposed adding an immigration reform measure to the $1.9 trillion social spending bill passed by the House that would include a pathway to citizenship for Temporary Protected Status immigrants.

Jobs:

Supports government-mandated diversity hiring practices for media and police departments.

Supports government mandated $15/hour minimum wage.

Same-Sex Marriage:

Strongly comfortable with same-sex marriage.

Supports adoption for gay couples.

Taxes:

Strongly favors higher taxes on the wealthy, supports increasing income tax rates, and supports tax increases to balance the budget.

Energy:

Voted to block the Keystone XL pipeline.

Supports federally developing renewable energy and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.

Strongly supports making green energy a priority.

Controversies:

In February, the bipartisan House Communications Standard Commission opened an investigation following a complaint that Demings allegedly misused campaign funds when she sent a 12-page, campaign-style mailer to Floridians outside her district. However, Democratic leadership in the House has now shut down the investigation.

Polling Data

Real Clear Politics shows Rubio has a comfortable lead of +9 in a polling average as of March 10.
Forcing Doctors to Assist Suicide A Political Agenda: Doctor

A group of Christian doctors has sued the state of California over being forced to participate in physician-assisted suicide. One of the doctors said a newly amended law is a political agenda that goes strongly against his faith and will lead to all sorts of problems for patients.

I believe this is a political agenda, and it shouldnt be crossing over and becoming an issue thats interfering with doctor-patient relationships, Dr. Leslee Cochrane told NTDs The Nation Speaks in a March 5 interview. And not to mention the frail, the sick, and the elderly, and how vulnerable that group of patients are. I think this is a tremendous disservice.

On Feb. 22, Cochrane and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations filed a lawsuit (pdf) in a federal court against the California Attorney General, Public Health Officer, and the Medical Board of California, seeking to prevent SB 380 from coming into force and claiming it infringes on physicians First and Fourteenth Amendments rights.

SB 380 is a bill amending the End of Life Option Act, a 2015 law that legalized assisted suicide. On Oct. 5, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 380 into law and it became effective on Jan. 1, 2022.

The American Medical Association rightly identified that doctors participating in assisted suicide is fundamentally in direct opposition to their role as healers and it would be difficult to regulate and control. And I just see this as going to lead to all sorts of problems for patients, said Cochrane.

Who is going to watch over those doctors and whos going to know that those doctors arent being influenced? The system is very weak, said Cochrane. As far as the safeguards, the patients used to have to sign up a piece of paper called an affidavit, saying that they were taking the medication under their own free will. And even that very meager protection has been removed in this latest update.

Under the original End of Life Option Act, terminally ill patients who want to end their life must make two oral requests of lethal medications at least 15 days apart. They also must make requests in writing, and must confirm their intention to die by signing a form 48 hours before self-ingesting the medications to die.

The new law reduces the 15 days to 2 days and eliminates the written request and the final attestation, among others.

Not to mention the fact  in two days someone could be in severe pain, and they could make a request that they would regret had they had a chance to have their pain and symptoms under control, said Cochrane.

Having dealt with thousands of terminally ill patients as a hospice physician, Cochrane said theres no legitimate medical reason to help patients commit suicide to relieve their pain, as their conditions can change in a short period of time.

Frequently, when Im talking to patients, theyre in uncontrolled pain, which it only takes a matter of a few days, or sometimes a week to completely turn that around. So patients should never be making life-ending decisions in a state of distress like they would be if their pain is not well controlled, said Cochrane.

And I, as a physician, am very worried about whos going to safeguard those people to be sure theyre not being ushered through this process and rushed through this process that could happen in 48 hours by other family members that may, in their opinion, [think] this may be the right thing to do. But it may not be what that patient wanted.

Cochrane said he and other doctors take the Hippocratic Oath to uphold and protect life. But the new law requires him to document patients requests to end their life, and to forward that documentation to another doctor if hes unwilling to prescribe such medications.

So Im being forced and coopted into recommending or participating in something that I strongly oppose, said Cochrane.

He may lose his doctors license if he refuses to do so under the newly amended law.

They face all sorts of consequences up to a loss of their license, Attorney Christy Hirsch told NTD.They really are having to decide between their livelihood and abiding by the law. And they should never be put to that choice.

Hirsch is a legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization representing the plaintiffs in the case.

The California Department of Public Health and the Medical Board of California both told The Epoch Times that they dont comment on pending litigation. The Attorney Generals office hasnt responded to a request for comment.

Hirsch also expressed concerns about assisted suicide.

I think assisted suicide really creates a culture in which life is seen as dispensable if it costs too much to treat, Hirsch said. Sometimes people feel pressured, or may in fact be pressured to end their life prematurely because they dont want to be a burden on their family.

Assisted suicide has been highly controversial because it raises questions surrounding ethics and religious beliefs. Supporters claim its a compassionate choice and they reject the term assisted suicide. Instead, they use medical aid in dying or death with dignity. Such language is found in the laws of nine states and the District of Columbia which allow the practice.

The nine states are California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

In Montana, where theres no such law and assisted suicide is specifically illegal, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in Baxter v. Montana that medical aid in dying does not violate established state law or the principles of public policy.

Cochrane said he knew some doctors who would quit if forced to participate in assisted suicide. He pointed out that not only the Christian Medical and Dental Association, other organizations such as the American Medical Association, the California Medical Association, the California Hospital Association, are either strongly opposing assisted suicide or opposing being forced to participate in the process.

I Am So Happy to Be Alive

Lawrence Carter-Long, director of communications of Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, told NTD a notable case that a lady who had supported assisted suicide later became firmly against the approach.

Jeanette Hall of Oregon was diagnosed with cancer in 2000. And she was told she had six months to a year to live, Carter-Long said. She knew about the assisted suicide law and even asked her doctor about it. But he encouraged her not to give up. Eleven years later, she wrote, I am so happy to be alive. If my doctor had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead. Thankfully, Jeanette is alive and well, happy today over 20 years later.

I think we have to ask how many other Jeanettes are out there that we dont know about because they were pressured or depressed, and acted hastily as a result. Sadly, we cant know.

Carter-Long said disabled communities are against assisted suicide laws and disabled are at a greater risk of being forced to die.

The result, as we said before, can never be undone, said Carter-Long.
Garland: Jan. 6 Probe Wont End Until Everyone Who Committed Crimes Held Accountable

The probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol wont be wrapped up until we hold everyone accountable who committed criminal acts, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a new interview.

This is the most urgent investigation in the history of the Justice Department. Its the most resource-intensive, Garland told National Public Radio, adding that some 140 federal prosecutors are working on prosecuting alleged wrongdoers in addition to FBI agents from every bureau office in the country.

Asked if prosecutors were halfway through the investigation, Garland said he wasnt sure, but that federal workers were taking on the investigation 24 hours, seven days a week.

We begin with the cases that are right in front of us, with overt actions, and then we build from there. That is a process that we will continue to build until we hold everyone accountable who committed criminal acts on Jan. 6, he added.

Prosecutors have charged more than 775 people from nearly all 50 states in relation to the breach. Just this week, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was indicted, even though Tarrio wasnt in Washington when the breach happened.

Charging documents say Tarrio obstructed an official proceeding and engaged in civil disorder by messaging members of his group, some of whom have been charged with crimes, and celebrating the breach on social media.

Also this week, a jury convicted the first Jan. 6 defendant to go on trial, agreeing he obstructed justice and committed other crimes, while a judge in another case tossed an obstruction charge, a ruling interpreted as a very big deal by one of the lawyers representing defendants.

Speaking to top Department of Justice officials in Washington on Thursday, Garland said the department under his leadership has worked to protect the institutions of our democracy, including the enormous investigation we are doing with respect to the January 6th attack on the fundamental basis of our democracy, the peaceful transfer from one administration to another.

On the first day, when I spoke to all 115,000 employees, I said that we had three priorities: the first being to ensure rule of law; the second being to do everything we can to protect the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic; and the third to protect civil rights. Those are our priorities; those will continue to be the priorities of this department during my term of office, he said.
Vaccination information is shown on the government of British Columbias website on a computer in North Vancouver, B.C., on April 5, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward)

Harms From Vaccine Mandates May Outweigh Benefits, Say Vancouver Coastal Health Officials

VCH officials urged the University of British Columbia in mid-February to end its mandatory vaccine rules

A group of regional health officials in B.C. advised the University of British Columbia in mid-February that vaccine mandates, passports, and segregated lockdowns may do more harm than goodadvice that appears to be at odds with provincial health officer Bonnie Henrys stance.

In a letter to University of British Columbia (UBC) President Dr. Santo Ono on Feb. 16, health officials from Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) urged the university to drop its plan to de-register students who did not declare their COVID-19 vaccination status or comply with mandatory testing.

Co-signed by VCHs chief medical health officer Dr. Patricia Daly and three other medical officers, the letter argued that the Omicron variant has rendered two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines ineffective at preventing infection or transmission of the virus, though they remain effective at preventing severe illness.

Therefore there is now no material difference in likelihood that a UBC student or staff member who is vaccinated or unvaccinated may be infected and potentially infectious to others, the letter said.

The health officials also took aim at mandatory rapid testing for unvaccinated students and staff and any related academic or employment sanctions, saying those measures are not useful in preventing the spread of the virus on campus.

Not only is Rapid Antigen Testing of asymptomatic people unreliable in identifying infection with the Omicron variant, but we have no evidence that those who have not complied with UBC policies have posed any public health risk to their fellow students, faculty or staff, even during circulation of other variants, they wrote.

B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry speaks during a COVID-19 update news conference, in Vancouver, on Feb. 1, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

The doctors position stands in contrast to Henry, who said at a press conference on March 1 that it was still necessary to continue with the provinces COVID-19 restrictions though there were encouraging trends that the virus transmission was declining.

There are still many, many areas that have significant transmission and we are still seeing widespread transmission of this virus across the province, which is why those protections we have in place right now remain a necessary part of our strategy, for now, she said.

Henry is expected to announce later today whether mask mandates and vaccine passports are still required provincewide.

Unintended Consequences of Mandates Outweigh Benefits: Study

The doctors letter referred to a study posted on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) website on Feb. 1 that argues the harms created by mandatory COVID-19 policies may outweigh the benefits.

SSRN is an online repository for preprint research papers, meaning the papers submitted have not been formally peer-reviewed.

The study, titled The Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 Vaccine Policy: Why Mandates, Passports and Segregated Lockdowns May Cause More Harm Than Good, concludes that vaccine mandates may discourage people from following public health measures in the future.

Restricting peoples access to work, education, public transport, and social life based on COVID-19 vaccination status impinges on human rights, promotes stigma and social polarization, and adversely affects health and wellbeing, said the study, written by public health and infectious disease experts from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Leveraging empowering strategies based on trust and public consultation represent a more sustainable approach for protecting those at highest risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and the health and wellbeing of the public.

The VCH health officials said since universities remain a low-risk setting for COVID-19 and that there is now evidence of the endemic nature of the virus, the institutions should have minimum restrictions on unvaccinated students, staff, and faculty at this stage of the pandemic.

Such measures may result in profound negative harms on their future health and wellbeing, by impacting future educational and career opportunities, and their mental health, said the letter.

On Feb. 28, twelve days after receiving VCHs letter, UBC announced that it would end its rapid testing program on March 1.

The evolution of the virus and the presence of the Omicron variant now indicates that a different public health and safety approach should be taken, states the bulletin issued by Ono and Lesley Cormack, deputy vice-chancellor and principal at UBC Okanagan.

Besides taking advice from VCH, Ono and Cormack referred to the recommendation made by the universitys COVID modelling team, who wrote to Ono on Feb. 20, that it is time that UBC shift its focus away from documenting vaccination status based on a two-dose regimen.

There is no longer a strong scientific reason to differentially treat those who were fully vaccinated months ago and those who are unvaccinated, in terms of the risks that they pose for transmitting COVID to others, the letter said.
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a joint press conference with Poland's President Andrzej Duda on the occasion of their meeting at Belwelder Palace, in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Harris Pledges Support to Poland Amid Flood of Ukrainian Refugees

Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged U.S. support to Poland as the European country is being flooded with refugees fleeing Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

Harris met on March 10 with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw to discuss defense and humanitarian aid meant to support Poland and address the nearly 1.5 million people who have entered the country from Ukraine in the past 10 days.

Duda spoke of the need for international assistance to help Poland accommodate the Ukrainian refugees amid a pending refugee disaster, and Harris thanked Poland for its extraordinary act of generosity.

The United States is absolutely prepared to do what we can and what we must to support Poland in terms of the burden they have taken on, Harris said.

Harris announced nearly $53 million in U.S. support to the U.N. World Food Program to provide emergency food assistance to those affected by the conflict, including those displaced from their homes and who are crossing the border out of Ukraine.

This comes less than two weeks after the United States pledged nearly $54 million in direct assistance to Ukraine, and a day after the U.S. House of Representatives approved $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine as part of its $1.5 trillion spending plan to keep U.S. government programs operating through Sept. 30.

The United States has also delivered a patriot missile system to Poland and sent 4,700 troops there in addition to its normal rotational military presence inside the NATO ally country.

Both Harris and Duda made calls on March 10 for war crimes investigations into Russias military activity in Ukraine. Harris expressed outrage over reports the day before of the Russian bombing of a maternity hospital.

Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching, Harris said. I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.

Duda went a step further, saying, It is obvious to us that in Ukraine, Russians are committing war crimes. He added that in his view, the invasion was bearing the features of a genocideit aims at eliminating and destroying a nation.

The bilateral meeting came days after the Pentagon turned down a plan proposed by the Polish governmentciting logistical challenges as well as concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin would see the move as escalatoryto transfer Polish fighter planes to a U.S. military base in Germany to then send to Ukraine to help fend off Russian forces. The plan called for the United States to then compensate Poland with U.S.-made jets.

I want to be very clear, the United States and Poland are united in what we have done and are prepared to do to help Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, full stop, Harris said in response to a question about the planes.

The vice president is also scheduled to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while in Warsaw. The Canadian leader has been in Europe in recent days meeting with allies about Ukraine.

Harris will travel on March 11 to Bucharest, where shes set to meet Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
House Passes Bill Banning Russian Oil in Bipartisan Vote

The House of Representatives on March 9 overwhelmingly approved a proposal that would ban Russian oil imports.

The vote on H.R. 6968, the Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act, was 41417, with many members from both parties voting yes.

While President Joe Biden on March 8 banned Russian oil imports, the legislation would go further.

In addition to prohibiting such imports for 45 days, it would instruct the U.S. trade representative to encourage World Trade Organization members to suspend trading with Russia and express support for sanctioning Russian officials for human rights abuses.

In the face of death and destruction  the Ukrainians are showing the world the true meaning of courage. We can respond tonight by taking another step to isolate Russia from the world economy, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), the bills sponsor, said on the House floor before the vote.

Lawmakers said the bill banning imports from Russia as a way to signal displeasure with the countrys invasion of Ukraine is crucial even if it means gas prices, already at record highs, would rise further.

It may cost more to fill your tank, but we must work to stop Putins tanks from crushing families and freedom, Doggett added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Republicans largely said they support the legislation, but want the Biden administration to address its block on new oil and gas permits for federal lands and other actions the lawmakers believe should be reversed.

The ban on Russian oil alone is worth our support. Ukraine is waiting. But after this bill, I urge Congress to do more to revoke Russias special trade status and unleash Americas own ability to be energy independent, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said.

Domestic producers say Biden should take action to back them, including speeding permit approvals and restarting canceled pipeline projects.

Even as the administration swears off Russian products, officials are in touch with Iranian and Venezuelan counterparts about getting oil, a point of contention with the opposing party.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), one of the 17 votes against the bill, said in a video statement that he supports banning Russian oil and the sanctions piece, but he wanted the moves to happen in conjunction with American energy independence.

The timing for the Senate to take up the bill is unclear.

A dozen senators on March 3 introduced a measure that would ban Russian products such as crude oil.

That bill supports Ukraine by blunting one of Putins advantages: Russian energy production, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), one of the sponsors, said in a statement at the time.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Sen. Mark Kellys political affiliation. Kelly is a Democrat. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Protesters against the Coastal GasLink pipeline block an entrance to the B.C. legislature in Victoria before the throne speech on Feb. 11, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito)

How the Governments Response to Freedom Convoy Differed From Its Approach With Other Protests in Canada

News Analysis

Just before COVID-19 became the major crisis of the past two years, Canada was in the midst of grappling with railroad blockades by opponents of a pipeline development project in B.C. in early 2020. The weeks-long blockades crippled freight and passenger rail traffic in most of Eastern Canada.

Early in 2022, Canada saw another series of protests, this time in opposition to COVID-19 mandates, with participants setting up camp in downtown Ottawa and others blocking Canada-U.S. border crossings.

But there was a vast difference between how the government dealt with the anti-mandate protest and how it responded to the anti-pipeline protest as well as other protests in recent years.

Heres a look at some of the issues that arose around the various protests and the often conflicting response from authorities.

Dialogue With Protesters

In early 2020, besides the railroad blockades that caused significant harm to the Canadian economy, pipeline protesters blocked road traffic in different cities across Canada on several occasions as well.

The protests began after the RCMP moved in to dismantle blockades and arrest demonstrators who were blocking access to a Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline worksite that crossed Wetsuweten territory in northern B.C.

The project has the support of all 20 elected First Nation chiefs and band councils along its route, but its opposed by some Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs and environmental activists. The B.C. Supreme Court in April 2021 rejected a legal challenge by the opponents of the project to halt the pipeline.

Police leave after speaking with protesters camped on GO Transit railroad tracks in Hamilton, Ont., as they demonstrate against the construction of a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C., on Feb. 25, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn)

At the height of the protests in February 2020, demonstrators physically blocked Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland from entering Halifax City Hall.

In B.C., protesters blocked entrances to the provincial legislature in Victoria and set up a ceremonial fire on the legislature grounds. The RCMP reported that several of their vehicles were damaged by metal spikes near Smithers in northern B.C.

Global News reported in February 2020 that behind many of the activities and blockades was a small group of activists, and that one of the key organizers was not from Canada. The organizers said they had been involved in many social justice and anti-capitalism activities.

A significant number of us have been involved in organizing around anti-capitalism, migrant justice, indigenous sovereignty, low-income housing, homelessness, and the Downtown Eastside, an organizer told the Vancouver Sun in February 2020. A second layer is youth who have been activated through climate justice stuff in the past year.

In November 2021, protesters who had set up a blockade at the pipeline site near Houston, B.C., were arrested. The RCMP said significant efforts to facilitate meaningful dialogue had failed, and enforced a court order to clear the protests. Police said that as a result of being hemmed in by protesters, pipeline workers and some Wetsuweten band members provisions were at critical levels. The arrested protesters were released within days with conditions.

The issue significantly escalated in February 2022 after several individuals, some wielding axes, stormed a pipeline site in northern B.C., attacking security guards, smashing vehicles, and damaging buildings.

Throughout the protests against the Coastal GasLink pipeline in early 2020, the federal and provincial governments pushed for dialogue, but said the other side wasnt receptive.

Every attempt at dialogue has been made but discussions have not been productive. We cannot have dialogue when only one party is coming to the table, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in February 2020.

But when it came to the Freedom Convoy protests, Trudeau refused to meet with the protesters or send a representative to hear their grievancesdespite the protest organizers requesting dialogue multiple times.

Trudeau and some of his cabinet ministers famously took a knee during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest on Parliament Hill on June 5, 2020. This was at the same time that hundreds of ongoing BLM protests in U.S. cities involved riots, violence, and arson causing millions of dollars in damage. Acts of violence also occurred in Canada, including in Montreal where protesters destroyed property and threw projectiles at police in May 2020.

A protester puts a flare through a window in Montreal during a demonstration of the death of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, on May 31, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

When asked why he wouldnt meet with the convoy protesters but had met with other protest groups on Parliament Hill such as BLM, Trudeau said it was because he agreed with the goals of Black Lives Matter, without condemning any of the violence or communist symbolism displayed during the protests.

Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 by self-described Marxist activists who were angered by the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida.

Trudeau gave his reason for not meeting with the convoy protesters as his choice to not go anywhere near protests that have expressed hateful rhetoric, violence towards fellow citizens, and a disrespect, not just of science, but of the front-line health workers.

His stance was later called out by dissenting Liberal MP Joel Lightbound, who said on Feb. 8 that legitimate concerns about pandemic policies shouldnt be dismissed, and that governments shouldnt demonize those who voiced them. Liberal MP Yves Robillard said a day later that Lightbound had said exactly what a lot of us think.

Emergencies Act

The Freedom Convoy movement arose in January when the federal government removed an exemption for truck drivers crossing the Canada-U.S. border from being vaccinated against COVID-19. The move came despite warnings by trucking associations that 26,000 of the 160,000 drivers making the cross-border trip would be sidelined as a result of the mandate. It also came at a time when it was already known that those who are vaccinated can still contract and transmit the virus, and less than two months before many provinces dropped their vaccine mandates.

As the truckers organized convoys to drive to Ottawa to protest the vaccine mandate, many others from across Canada joined the movement to call for an end in general to the COVID mandates and restrictions that they said infringed on their personal liberties and health choices. Included in the protests were many who lost their jobs because they chose not to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

The convoy protesters parked their rigs and vehicles on downtown Ottawa streets, with many saying they would stay put until COVID-19 mandates were lifted. Initially the drivers honked their horns continuously throughout the day, but that stopped after some local residents got a court injunction.

Similar movements were inspired across the country, with convoys of trucks and vehicles blocking some border crossings, including the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor to Detroit, which accounts for hundreds of millions of dollars in trade a day.

During the initial days of the protest in Ottawa, staff at a homeless shelter said they had been harassed by protesters demanding food.

Freedom Convoy organizers said they were peaceful and wouldnt resort to any violence.

Trucks are parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and supporters protest against COVID-19 mandates in Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters)

Throughout the protest, Epoch Times reporters saw no acts of violence or vandalism and generally observed protesters being friendly to passerby and well-behaved, though some were hostile toward media, saying they dont get fair and accurate coverage. As well, those working in the Parliament Buildings and other nearby buildings werent blocked from accessing their workplaces.

In one case witnessed by The Epoch Times on Feb. 13, a large crowd of residents opposed to the protest surrounded and blocked vehicles driven by convoy supporters on a street while shouting profanities and insults. The convoy protesters remained calm and stayed inside their vehicles, avoiding a confrontation with the counter-protesters.

Meanwhile, throughout the weeks of the protest, the prime minister continually linked the Freedom Convoy with racism and Nazism, while denying the organizers requests for dialogue.

The federal government proceeded to use the heaviest tool in its legal toolbox, invoking the Emergencies Act for the first time since its creation in 1988. The use of the act gave the government and police sweeping powers, including the ability to freeze protesters financial assets without a court order.

The protesters, many of whom remained in Ottawa for some three weeksroughly the same length of time that railroads were blocked during the pipeline protestswere met with police wielding batons and pepper spray. At one stage, mounted police charged into the crowd and knocked people down, including a woman who was injured as a result and ended up in hospital.

Close to 200 protesters were arrested in Ottawa. Some were denied bail, including lead organizer Tamara Lich. Lich spent 19 days behind bars before an Ontario Superior Court judge overturned a previous ruling by a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice who had denied her bail. The Superior Court judge said the lower-court judge had made errors in law, as the charges against Lich are at a lower scale than those of other offenders who were granted bail.

Disinformation Allegations

Disinformation and misinformation are terms frequently cited by the Liberal government as important problems facing society in the digital age.

Trudeau repeated these terms most recently when justifying the use of the Emergencies Act to deal with the convoy protest. He also alleged that foreign funding for the protest was a major source of concern.

During a press conference on Feb. 23, while talking about the inquiry that would be launched into the use of the Emergencies Act, Trudeau said the inquiry could also examine the funding influence and disinformation that supported the illegal blockades and occupations, both foreign and domestic.

He made similar comments on other occasions.

The concerns expressed by a few people gathered in Ottawa right now are not new, not surprising, are heard, but are a continuation of what weve unfortunately seen in disinformation and misinformation online, and God knows what else that go with the tinfoil hats, he said at a press conference on Jan. 31.

These illegal blockades are being heavily supported by individuals in the United States and from elsewhere around the world. We see that roughly half of the funding that is flowing to the barricaders here is coming from the United States, he said in the House of Commons on Feb. 17.

His cabinet ministers have also made scathing and incriminating remarks about the convoy protesters.

(L-R) Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti, and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair attend a press conference in Ottawa on Feb. 14, 2022. (Hailey Sani/Public Domain)

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said on Feb. 16 that we have seen strong evidence that it was the intention of those who blockaded our ports of entry in a largely foreign-funded, targeted, and coordinated attack.

While defending the use of the Emergencies Act, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino on Feb. 16 claimed that there are links between those arrested on serious criminal charges, including plotting murder, in Coutts, Alta., and the leaders of the protest in Ottawa.

Several of the individuals at Coutts have strong ties to a far-right extreme organization with leaders who are in Ottawa, Mendicino said.

Public Safety Canada, which Mendicino is in charge of, oversees national law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). However, when asked about the source of his conclusions, Mendocino didnt cite information from these agencies but rather information from social media, which is notorious for disinformation.

Its certainly, I think, the conclusion of many individuals and Canadians who are taking a look at social media, and its extremely concerning, he said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, whose party joined forces with the Liberals in the House of Commons to approve the use of the Emergencies Act, also disparaged the convoy protest, saying that it was foreign-funded and its aim was to topple the government. On Feb. 17, he said in the House that the protest is a movement funded by foreign influence and that it feeds on disinformation.

Its goal is to disrupt our democracy, he said.

Expert testimony in parliamentary committees, however, contradicted the claims by the Liberal government and NDP leader. In addition, despite allegations of serious criminal activity such as overthrow of the government, by the time the Emergencies Act was revoked on Feb. 23, no charges more serious than mischief had been laid against any protester in Ottawa.

Barry MacKillop, deputy director of intelligence at the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), told the House Finance Committee on Feb. 24 that the donations to the Freedom Convoy were from ordinary people who supported the cause.

GoFundMe, which hosted a fundraiser for the Freedom Convoy amounting to over $10 million before it was removed under pressure by Canadian officials, said at a Public Safety Committee hearing on March 3 that 88 percent of the funds originated in Canada and that 86 percent of the donors were from Canada.

The Oxford dictionary defines disinformation as a form of propaganda involving the dissemination of false information with the deliberate intent to deceive or mislead.

Its not clear what definition government officials use for this term. While they continued to cite disinformation as a major source of concern, the allegations against the convoy protesters, including the prevalence of foreign funding and the intent to overthrow the government, were themselves information that was often contradicted or not backed up but was still cited as part of the justification for the use of legal tools.

There have been other examples of claims by federal officials and those from different levels of government about the protests or those opposing pandemic policies that werent backed up or were later contradicted by what transpired.

Protesters demonstrate against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions in Ottawa on Feb. 9, 2022. (Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times)

In an interview with a French-language TV program last September, Trudeau used derogatory language to describe people who dont want to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

They are extremists who dont believe in science. Theyre often misogynists, also often racists. Its a small group that muscles in, and we have to make a choice in terms of leaders, in terms of the country. Do we tolerate these people? Trudeau told La semaine des 4 Julie on Sept. 16, 2021.

However, just a month before that interview, in August 2021, Abacus Data president Bruce Anderson had said that based on his companys latest survey, the typical vaccine hesitant person is a 42-year-old Ontario woman who votes Liberal. Its hard to believe a woman can be a misogynist, and its doubtful Trudeau would consider those who vote for his party to be racists.

Imposing vaccine mandates was one of the policies that the Liberals campaigned on in the September 2021 election.

During a Feb. 7 press conference, Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi, who represents Ottawa Centre, cited an alleged attempted arson incident in an Ottawa building and linked it to the convoy protest. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson also cited the alleged incident on the same day and called for the protesters to leave the city. Several Liberal and NDP MPs, including NDP Leader Singh, also repeated the allegations in the House of Commons when talking about the convoy protests.

They made the claims despite the fact there was no evidence that protesters were involved in the alleged incident.

The alleged arson, which was reported by an account on Twitter, involved many peculiarities, including that police were not notified until the day after the incident, according to the original poster.

On March 21, Ottawa police charged a man with the incident, and said there is no information to link the accused in any way with the Convoy protest.

Foreign Funding

An Alberta government-commissioned inquiry into campaigns against the provinces energy industry found that between 2003 and 2019, Canadian-based environmental initiatives received $1.28 billion in foreign funding, while noting that the estimate is likely understated. Of that amount, $54.1 million was used specifically for anti-Alberta resource development activity.

The inquiry met with obstacles along its path, including court challenges by some groups aiming to halt it. But it eventually completed its probe and made its findings public in October 2021.

One of the inquirys findings was that a U.S.-based organization working to end oilsands development, which receives funding from two major U.S.-based foundations, claimed that it played a role in helping to unseat the Conservative Party in Alberta and nationally.

The federal government didnt voice concerns about these findings, yet it levelled unsubstantiated allegations of foreign money going to the convoy protests. In addition, multiple House of Commons committees have been held to probe issues related to Freedom Convoy, including sources of funding.

Statue Desecration and Arson

In the early days of the convoy protest, some protesters put a flag and a protest sign on the Terry Fox memorial statue in downtown Ottawa, which were removed quickly. The Ottawa Police Service launched investigations into various incidents including desecration of the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that lies in front of the memorial. And some protesters reportedly urinated on the memorial. In the following days, some protesters, including veterans, guarded the memorial to ensure no such incident recurred.

Veterans clear snow and ice off the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as protests against COVID-19 restrictions happen on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 12, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn)

Social media images showed Nazi or other hateful symbols being carried in the early days of the protest in a couple of instances. Videos on social media showed protesters telling those carrying hateful flags or signs to leave.

But Trudeau continually characterized the Freedom Convoy as a racist movement, saying the protesters carried Nazi symbolism and racist imagery and desecrated statues.

We wont give in to those who fly racist flags. We wont cave to those who engage in vandalism or dishonour the memory of our veterans, he said on Jan. 31. He made the remarks while addressing the overall convoy protest, reiterating that he wouldnt be meeting with the protesters.

This reaction was in sharp contrast to Trudeaus response to the many acts of arson of churches across Canada following the discovery of unmarked graves at the sites of some Indian residential schools in 2021.

In his response to the incidents, Trudeau condemned the specific acts of violence but acknowledged how the arsonists must feel.

It is unacceptable and wrong that acts of vandalism and arson are being seen across the country, including against Catholic churches, he said on July 2, 2021.

I understand the anger thats out there against the federal government, against institutions like the Catholic Church. It is real and its fully understandable, given the shameful history that we are all becoming more and more aware of and engaging ourselves to do better as Canadians.

In recent years many incidents of vandalism or destruction of statues have occurred as well, including the toppling of the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Montreal in 2020 and in Hamilton in 2021, but these acts didnt prompt government condemnation of the broader movement.

The statue of Sir John A. MacDonald lies headless on the grass after it was torn down following a demonstration in Montreal on Aug. 29, 2020. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Media

In the summer of 2020, when Rebel News went to Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto to interview protesters with the Afro-Indigenous Rising Collective who had set up camp with tents on the square for a couple of weeks, some of the protesters physically hit the reporters or tried to slap their recording equipment out of their hands.

Law enforcements response was to expel the Rebel News reporters from the public property.

This isnt probably the best time to be coming here and doing this, an onsite police officer told a Rebel News reporter in a video shot by the outlet. I understand what youre trying to do. Its not the best time. So, like I said, so for today, City Hall security, and their staff, theyre trespassing you, so were going to have to escort you off the property.

In contrast, in April 2021, a Peel Regional Police officer was suspended for telling a Global News reporter to leave a group of protesters alone who had gathered outside a gym closed due to COVID-19 policies and who wanted the gym to reopen.

After a video of the incident was posted online, police issued a statement saying the officer had been suspended, and the reporter said he received a written apology from a senior official with the police service.

During the convoy protest in Ottawa, many protesters said they didnt want to talk to reporters because they believed the media wouldnt portray them fairly. However, unlike Rebel Newss experience in Toronto, where protesters didnt want to talk to its reporters and where police said its reporters were trespassing, officials often voiced support for reporters in Ottawa. Mendicino said during a Public Safety Committee meeting on Feb. 25 that he personally reached out to some journalists and urged them to be very careful.

Noe Chartier, Zachary Stieber, Richard Moore, and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.

Editors note: This article was updated on March 22 to add details about an alleged arson incident at an Ottawa apartment building.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestras (RPO) recent 14-concert tour began in Santa Barbara, California, on Jan. 11 and ended at New Yorks Carnegie Hall on Jan. 31, under the baton of its new music director, Vasily Petrenko.

I once had the very good fortune to film the RPO on a previous U.S. tour as part of a documentary I made to celebrate its 50th anniversary and then added to it to mark its 60th anniversary. Titled Batons, Bows and Bruises, it enjoyed a six-year run on the Sky Arts Channel in the UK.

The orchestras grand title gives the impression that it is a pillar of the British music establishment, but it exists today more in spite of than because of those institutions. Back in 1963, its fate depended entirely on the efforts of one extraordinary American, the superagent, Ronald Wilford (19272015 ).

Superagent

Wilford ran Columbia Artist Management Inc. (CAMI) for over 50 years and was known as the ultimate powerbroker in classical music.

In his illustrious career, he managed some of the worlds most renowned conductors and performers, including Herbert von Karajan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Neville Mariner, Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Bernstein, Claudio Abbado, Kurt Masur, Daniele Gatti, Sir Colin Davis, Riccardo Muti, Yehudi Menuhin, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Kathleen Battle, Grace Bumbry, Marilyn Horne, Frederica von Stade, and Samuel Ramey.

He was also famous for not giving press interviews, so I was extremely fortunate to get an invitation to film him at the CAMI offices, then across from Carnegie Hall on 57th Street.

Ronald Wilford, CEO of CAMI. (Courtesy of Andrew Davies from Batons, Bows and Bruises)

He gave me his time out of respect for the RPO, and I was eager to know more about how he had prevented its crucial 1963 U.S. tour from being canceled. If that had happened, it could have been the end of the orchestra itself.

Impresario Founder

The RPO had been founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1946. It was the fourth and final orchestra that Britains leading musical impresario created, one of which was the London Philharmonic Orchestra. But he conducted many others, including the Seattle Symphony, where he was its music director, and the Metropolitan Opera during the wartime years.

To be able to use the Royal title in its name, he needed permission from the Royal Philharmonic Society. The conditions it stipulated were that the orchestra could use the title only so long as Beecham was in charge, and that the society would receive royalties from RPO recordings.

For the players who had just survived a war, it was enough to be back playing again, and especially for the biggest name in classical music at the time. None of them thought about what would happen after his death.

First violinist and orchestral leader from 1959 to 1965, Raymond Cohen, with an image of Sir Thomas Beecham conducting, behind him. (Courtesy of Andrew Davies from Batons, Bows and Bruises)

The first violinist and orchestral leader from 1959 to 1965, Raymond Cohen, explained what ensued when that sad day came in March 1961: He left us with a doubtful titleThe Royal Philharmonic Orchestraand without subsidy from the Arts Council, which all the other orchestras had. So, we were really left to fend for ourselves and the whole future of the orchestra was in jeopardy.

The RPOs vice-chairman and a member of the viola section, Harry Legge, added: He [Beecham] had an orchestra that he [Beecham] used, but he never thought about what would happen to it when he left, not really.

Sir Thomas and Lady Beecham. (Courtesy of Andrew Davies from Batons, Bows & Bruises)

The Arts Council is a UK governmental body that was set up after World War II to fund groups and individuals across all fields of the arts. Beecham, having inherited a fortune from his father whose company later merged to become GlaxoSmithKline, plus having access to independent funding, felt no need for such charity.

After his death, at age 81, the ownership of the RPO went to his third wife and former secretary, 28-year-old Shirley Hudson. But the players soon began to doubt the artistic and business directions that she and her management team were taking, including its decision to cancel a forthcoming U.S. tour, which was being arranged by Ronald Wilford at CAMI.

After Beechams death, the RPOs musical reputation remained in safe hands with world-class conductors such as Rudolph Kempe and Sir Malcolm Sargent. But they too were struggling with the orchestras new owners.

Wilford recollected, I received a call from Sir Malcom Sargent (RPO conductor for the U.S. concerts) saying this tour is going to fall apart. He added: So, I was not only going to be working with an orchestra on a tour that might be canceled, but which had a name that might be removed.

Wilford flew to the UK and was able to persuade the RPO management that the U.S. tour could financially sustain the orchestra. He was also able to convince the Royal Society to allow the orchestra to keep its Royal titleat least for the tour.

But there would be one more twist to this story when Lady Beecham decided to give up control of the troubled orchestra. With no experience to draw on, 50 of the players decided to form a self-governing company, Rophora, to run the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

US Tour

Original share certificate for Rophora Ltd. (Courtesy of Andrew Davies from Batons, Bows and Bruises)

Without any of the Beecham funds to depend on, the survival of the orchestra really did now depend on the tours being a success. Sargent said later, We were fighting for our lives. But after six long weeks and 57 concerts, the players reached Alaska, knowing that it had been a triumph.

Conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent (front R) with RPO members landing in Alaska. (Courtesy of Andrew Davies from Batons, Bows and Bruises)

Wilford reminisced: I remember the posters. I remember Sir Malcom with his carnation in his lapel, and that most of the impresarios who presented them around the country had great success in their sales, and that the audiences were ecstatic, just ecstatic.

This wouldnt be the end of the RPOs financial difficulties as it would take another two years before it received Arts Council funding, and another year after that before the Labour government of Harold Wilson granted it use of the name Royal in perpetuity. Wilfords tour did, however, get the orchestra through its initial difficulties and, very importantly, galvanized the players will to continue.

Arm Twisting

Throughout his career, Wilford had a business reputation as a hard-nosed negotiator. One orchestral president told Spectator Magazine: If you were a young artistic administrator, you did not say No to Ronald Wilford. If you did, it was curtains for you.

I can attest that, as a person, he was charming, polite, and very easy to talk to, although I did experience something of the control he had over his artists.

Andre Previn. (Courtesy of Andrew Davies from Batons, Bows and Bruises)

The virtuoso pianist and conductor Andre Previn was the RPOs music director from 1985 to 1988 and then its principal conductor from 1988 to 1992.

I really wanted to have him say something about those times in my film, but I was told by his secretary that he had rehearsals and performances booked in Baltimore on the days I would be in New York. So, that appeared to be that.

I mentioned my disappointment in an email to Wilfords secretary, who must have informed her boss, as a few days later she replied: No problem. Mr. Wilford has told Andre to be at the CAMI offices ready to be interviewed by you straight after him. I remember thinking, now that is one powerful man.

Cover of Batons, Bows and Bruises DVD. (Courtesy of Andrew Davies)

The DVD version of Andrew Daviess 60-minute film is available at https://ept.ms/BatonsBowsBruises
Illinois Illegally Denied Elections Group Access to Voter Records, Federal Court Rules

A federal court ruled that Illinois violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) when it refused to provide an election integrity group with access to the states voter roll.

Election officials must allow citizens to see what they are doing, said J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), the successful plaintiff in the case.

Indianapolis-based PILF describes itself as the nations only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The nonprofit organization exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections.

PILF regularly uses the Public Disclosure Provision of the NVRA, along with state and federal open records laws that require government records be made available to the public, the group stated in the legal complaint (pdf) filed July 27, 2020, in the Springfield office of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.

Using records and data compiled through these open records laws, PILF analyzes the programs and activities of state and local election officials in order to determine whether lawful efforts are being made to keep voter rolls current and accurate, the complaint states.

The NVRA provides that Each State shall maintain for at least 2 years and shall make available for public inspection and, where available, photocopying at a reasonable cost, all records concerning the implementation of programs and activities conducted for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of official lists of eligible voters.

The complaint cites Project Vote v. Long, a 2012 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, in stating that the Public Disclosure Provision of the NVRA embodies Congresss conviction that Americans who are eligible under law to vote have every right to exercise their franchise, a right that must not be sacrificed to administrative chicanery, oversights, or inefficiencies.

The ruling (pdf) in the case, Public Interest Legal Foundation v. Matthews, court file 20-cv-3190, came on March 8. The defendants are Bernadette Matthews, who was sued in her official capacity as executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections, the board itself, and two other board officials.

District Judge Sue Myerscough, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, found that the defendants acted in violation of the Public Disclosure Provision of the NVRA when Defendants refused to make available for viewing and photocopying the full statewide voter registration list.

Myerscough ordered the elections board to implement policies and procedures which make available to the public the statewide voter registration list, allowing for redaction of telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, street numbers of home addresses, birthdates, identifiable portions of email addresses, and other highly sensitive personal information.

The judge also ordered the defendants to pay PILF its attorneys fees, costs, and expenses.

Adams, a former civil rights attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, said in a statement that he was pleased with the ruling.

Federal law allows everyone to see what is going on in election offices. PILF has found dead and duplicate registrants and voters registered in multiple states, he said.

Voter rolls are public, and the court said so. This is the second ruling this week that the Foundation has won to gain access to voter rolls. Accurate voter rolls are essential to free and fair elections.

The second ruling to which Adams was referring is a March 4 decision (pdf) by Judge George Z. Singal of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine. The case is PILF v. Bellows, court file 20-cv-61.

Singal, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, refused a request by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, to dismiss PILFs lawsuit seeking access to state voter information.

After several demands for the data, Bellows informed PILF in February 2020 that she lacked legal authority to release voter files to the group. PILF sued, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under the NVRA. In the course of the litigation, Maine enacted a new law limiting the use and dissemination of voter data.

But Singal found that PILF plausibly allege[s] a violation of the NVRA by Maine, and threw out the states motion to dismiss.

Adams expressed optimism about the eventual outcome of the Maine case.

This case is about transparency and the publics right to know about vulnerabilities in our elections, Adams said. The court adopted our interpretation of the National Voter Registration Act and strengthened our rights to ensure that voter rolls are accurately maintained. This ruling is a victory for election integrity.

Bellows didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment on the Maine case. In the Illinois ruling, state Attorney General Kwame Raoul, a Democrat, whose attorneys represent the state, didnt respond by press time to a request for comment.
A picture shows damages after the shelling by Russian forces of Constitution Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, on March 2, 2022. (SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)

IMF Approves $1.4 Billion Emergency Loan for Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday approved a $1.4 billion emergency loan for Ukraine to help mitigate the economic impact of Russia President Vladimir Putins invasion.

The Russian military invasion of Ukraine has been responsible for a massive humanitarian and economic crisis, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement after a meeting the funds executive board.

Georgieva predicted a deep recession in Ukraine this year amid the tragic loss of life, huge refugee flows, and immense destruction of infrastructure and productive capacity.

Financing needs are large, urgent, and could rise significantly as the war continues, she said. Once the war is over, Ukraine is likely to need additional large support, she said.

In a statement, the IMF said the funds come from its Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI), and will help fund urgent spending needs in the short term, while helping to catalyze financing from other partners.

The RFI provides rapid funding to IMF member countries without the need for a full-fledged program. Members can tap the RFI repeatedly within any three-year period if the balance of payments need is caused by an exogenous shock, according to the IMF website.

The war in Ukraine is resulting in tragic loss of life and human suffering. While the outlook is subject to extraordinary uncertainty, the economic consequences are already very serious, the IMF said.

Georgieva and the fund said the IMF and its executive board will remain closely engaged with Ukraines authorities, and expressed sympathy and strong support for the Ukrainian people.

The global lender said Ukrainian authorities had canceled an existing stand-by lending arrangement with the IMF, but would work with the fund to design an appropriate economic program focused on rehabilitation and growth when conditions permit.

Russian Executive Director Aleksei Mozhin, who is the boards most senior member and serves as its honorary dean, spoke only briefly, telling board members: I pray for peace, Reuters reported.

The global lender said Russias invasion had already led to very serious consequences, noting that over 2 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of the country on Feb. 24.

Putin describes the invasion as a special military operation to disarm Ukraine and detain leaders it claims are neo-Nazis. Ukraine and the West argue this is a false pretext used in an attempt to justify the invasion.

The IMF in December disbursed $700 million to Ukraine, and in August, Ukraine received $2.7 billion in IMF Special Drawing Rights, or emergency reserves.

On Monday, the World Bank announced a package of more than $700 million in emergency funding for Ukraine.

Reuters contributed to this report.
"In God We Trust" hangs in the meeting area of the Orange County Board of Education in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Judge Favors OC Board of Education in Appointment Lawsuit

COSTA MESA, Calif.After battling various lawsuits challenging his seat on the Orange County Board of Education, Tim Shaw kept his trustee position, after a judge denied a request for his removal on March 10.

The decision from Orange County Superior Court Judge Martha Gooding on late on the afternoon of March 8 denied local resident Michael Sean Wrights request to prohibit Shaw from serving on the board in any capacity, according to the ruling.

Shortly after the release of the final decision on Wednesday, Shaw told The Epoch Times that he was relieved and believes the efforts to get him removed was a political stunt to lessen his chances of winning his District 4 seat that is up for grabs in June 2022.

The contentious debate comes after Shaw received a legal challenge in January 2021 that questioned his ability to serve simultaneously on the La Habra City Council and Orange County Board of Education. Shaw was forced to step down from his seat on the board in November 2021 before being reappointed by his peers in December 2021.

Wright argued in the failed challenge that Shaw was illegally reappointed to the board of education due to a state law that says, the local board may not re-appoint to the office the person whose resignation caused the vacancy in the first place, according to the lawsuit.

However, the board argued that this law didnt apply to them and only considered a governing body, such as a city, county, or districtall of which the board doesnt fall underaccording to Shaw.

The effort to remove Shaw off the board months before the upcoming election may still proceed.

Shaw was served on March 2 with a quo warrantoa legal challenge questioning the ability for someone to hold a public officeby Wrights lawyer, Lee Fink, at the beginning of the board of education meeting.

The challenge was filed to Attorney General Rob Bontas office, but Shaw said it wont go far as the June election is quickly approaching.

Its a stretch, Shaw said. They just want to beat me.

Meanwhile, Fink disagrees with the court ruling and believes that Shaws appointment continues to violate the law.

We are considering all options to ensure that the publics rights are vindicated, Fink told The Epoch Times.
LA Sheriff Urges End to Department Hiring Freeze Amid Deputy Shortage

LOS ANGELESLos Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva slammed county supervisors during a press conference on March 9 for continuing a hiring freeze on the department amid a deputy shortage.

This is not sustainable at any level, Villanueva said at the Hall of Justice on March 9. People literally are going to die on the streets for lack of us being able to intervene to stop crime or to solve crime.

The county placed a hiring freeze on several departments during the height of the pandemic in March 2020 to cut back on expenditures. Last October, the supervisors lifted the freeze on every department except for the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department (LASD) and staffing positions related to youthful offenders in the Probation Department.

As officials grapple with reimagining public safety and shifting resources to community leaders instead of law enforcement, Villanueva warned that this shift in Los Angeles led to a 94 percent increase in homicides over the last two years. And he said instead of emergency response times being a five-minute threshold in the basin, that could increase to 10 or 15 minutes.

Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva in an interview with EpochTVs California Insider program on Feb. 8, 2022. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

The LASD has been impacted by the freeze and budget setbacks in a handful of its units, Villanueva said. The department has a total of 783 sworn vacancies. Across the entire department, there are roughly 18,000 employees.

Villanueva said effective on April 1, the department will be down over 927 positions, both sworn and professional staff.

In fiscal year 20202021, the Board of Supervisors removed 1,281 budgeted positions, Villanueva said, adding that based on the departments academy classes approved by the supervisors, the department is shrinking.

What this means is over 2,208 sworn and professional staff are missing during a crime wave, he said.

During the October 2020 curtailments, the Sheriffs Department had 22 positions removed from the lab, including forensic identification specialists, crime lab assistant director, and forensic document examiner.

As a result, Villanueva said deputies are overworked, detectives are overloaded with cases, and relatives of crime victims arent getting timely updates on the progress of their cases.

Youre burning the candle on both ends, Villanueva said.

The departments threshold to work overtime anywhere in the department used to be 96 hours a month, or 12 extra shifts a month split into eight-hour shifts.

We had to raise that ceiling to 120 hours. Now were up to 15 shifts a month that you can work. You used to be able to only work 12 days in a row. Now that number is increasing to 30 days in a row because we just do not have the personnel, and that is going to be harmful, he said.
Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching Dies Suddenly

Labor senator Kimberley Kitching has died suddenly at the age of 52 from a suspected heart attack.

Colleagues and friends have begun sharing tributes on social media, with Labor leader Anthony Albanese saying the party was in shock at the tragic news.

My sincere condolences to her family. Kimberley will be missed by us all, he said on Twitter.

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten said Senator Kitching suffered from a heart problem on Thursday evening in Melbourne and died soon after.

Shorten said her passing was an immense loss to Labor and the nation.

To know Kimberley was to be touched not just by her serene intellect but her incredible warmth and vivacity, he said in a statement.

As a Labor senator, she was relentlessly energetic and conscientious recently resulting in international recognition for her human rights work.

Our hearts go out to her husband Andrew, her family and loved ones.

Labor MP Madeleine King wrote about how much she would miss the senator.

She was a steadfast and supportive colleague. Smart, hardworking, dedicated, funny and fun to be around, she wrote on Twitter.

I wish I had told her that. Ill miss coffees shared at Aussies & around the building. Ill miss Kimberley.

Senator Kitching joined the Senate in 2016 and was a member of the Labor party for almost three decades.

She was born in Brisbane in 1970 and became a Melbourne councillor between 2001 and 2004.

Senator Kitching also worked as a general manager at the Health Workers Union and as a special counsel at legal firm Cornwall Stodart.

She chaired parliaments Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee and was the deputy chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the senator was a serious parliamentarian who had a deep interest in Australias national security.

She had a passion about Australias national interest and argued for it, he said.

She demonstrated that her passion for her country was always greater than any partisan view. She clearly loved her country and it genuinely showed.

Morrison said Senator Kitching followed her conscience and was fearless.

She was respected by those on both sides of the Parliamentshe was a parliamentarian in the truest sense. Senator Kitching was deeply respected by the Coalition, he said.

To Senator Kitchings family, I extend the sympathies of the government.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the senator was a beautiful woman and her death was a tragic loss.

I am deeply, genuinely and so terribly upset to hear the tragic news about a dear person and dear friend, Senator Kimberley Kitching, he said.

I know she is with our Lord, and I offer my sincerest and deepest condolences to her family.

Liberal senator James Paterson said she was a true patriot.

She was a warrior for her cause, a friend of freedom and a true patriot who had an enormous impact in her short time in the Senate, he said.

A huge loss to the parliament, the ALP and her family.
The results of a General Assembly vote on a resolution is shown on a screen during a special session of the General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on March 2, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Latin American Countries Divided Over Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Once the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, many countries within Latin America felt compelled to show support for the European nation under attack. However, Russian allies in the region have also spoken out against Western sanctions on Moscow or have passively shown a lack of support for Ukraine as the conflict enters its third week.

In a speech delivered on March 7, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro directly blamed Western nations for Russias attack on Ukraine.

Those who provoked this conflict with decades of non-compliance with agreements, with decades of threats against Russia, with decades of preparing plans for the extension of NATO are the first ones who are responsible for de-escalating this conflict.

Maduros comments came only two days after a high-level U.S. delegation met with the socialist presidents regime to discuss a possible easing of sanctions and alternative oil resources for the United States.

Nicaraguas President Daniel Ortega was quick to side with Russia at the beginning of the invasion but adopted a more cautious approach in the days that followed. This included Nicaragua abstaining from the United Nations vote on March 2 to condemn President Vladimir Putins attack on Ukraine.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, raise their fists during the commemoration of the 51st anniversary of the Pancasan guerrilla campaign in Managua, on Aug. 29, 2018. (Inti Ocon/AFP/Getty Images)

In fact, all of Putins allies in the region, with the exception of Venezuela, chose to abstain from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote to reprimand the actions of Russia in Ukraine. This includes historically firm supporters like Cuba, El Salvador, and Bolivia.

Although when it came to the United Nations General Assembly sponsored decision on resolution in UkraineNicaragua, Cuba, El Salvador, and Bolivia, all voted against it.

Venezuelas vote wasnt registered due to the countrys suspension for unpaid membership dues.

Dr. Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, an analyst and coordinator for a pro-democracy coalition called the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, told The Epoch Times that Russias allies in the region act as apologists.

He noted some countries are taking a less overt approach to supporting Putin amid fears of losing Western funding.

Cuba especially depends on financing from Western Europe, so they have to be careful, Boronat said.

He also pointed out that Latin Americas lack of unity behind the United States leaves the door open for further undermining of American interests.

When asked if countries in the region may adopt a more direct role in Putins war on Ukraine, Boronat replied, I doubt it, but Cuba sent 5,000 troops to Afghanistan when the Soviets occupied it, so anything is possible.

The Cuban communist regime has also placed the blame for Russias actions in Ukraine squarely on the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Honor guards hold Russian and Cuban flags during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Jose Marti monument in Havana, Cuba, Oct. 3, 2019. (Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini)

On the other end of the support spectrum, foreign ministers from Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay sent a joint letter sent to Ukraines Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, on Feb. 27 expressing solidarity with the embattled European country.

Our governments are permanently following recent events with great concern, and we trust that very soon, dialogue and diplomatic negotiation will allow us to reach a lasting solution for the reestablishment of normality in your nation, as well as for regional and world stability, the correspondence read.

Additionally, the ministers requested Ukraine officials allow foreign nationals from their respective countries to be allowed to leave.

Boronat maintained the United States needs to remain vigilant on Moscows relationship with Latin American countries, especially in the wake of the Ukraine conflict.

Historically, Russia has made bold maneuvers in the region during other Eurasian conflicts like the war with Georgia in 2008 and the Ukraine crisis in 2014. Russias military participated in exercises with the Venezuelan Navy in 2008 and dispatched Tu-160 bomber jets to the South American nation.

Putin also opened an anti-narcotics police training facility in Nicaragua in 2017 and announced the reopening of a communications facility in Cuba in 2019.
Russian Yars RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile systems move through Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2021. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)

Lavrov Says He Doesnt Want to Believe in Nuclear War Over Ukraine

Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday he does not want to believe the conflict in Ukraine will spiral into a nuclear war, while claiming that the West had an unhealthy fixation with the issue.

Lavrov made the remarks at a press conference following RussiaUkraine peace talks on the sidelines of a diplomatic summit in Antalya, Turkey.

The foreign policy chief was asked by a reporter whether he thought the conflict would become nuclear.

I dont want to believe it, and I do not believe it, he replied.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov holds a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart following their meeting in Moscow on Oct. 6, 2021. (Kirill KudryavtsevI/POOL via Getty Images)

Lavrov then said the nuclear escalation theme was being pushed by the West, which he accused of being obsessed with the prospect of a nuclear war.

Of course it gives us cause for concern when the West, like Freud, keeps on returning and returning to this topic, he said.

The nuclear issue surged to the forefront when Russian President Vladimir Putin put his countrys nuclear forces on high alert several days after ordering his troops to move against Ukraine.

Putin said the nuclear escalation was driven by hostile comments by leading members of NATO and by punishing Western sanctions, which he said were like a declaration of war.

These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that, Putin said, speaking to a group of flight attendants at an Aeroflot training centre near Moscow on March 5.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with flight personnel, students, and employees of the Aeroflot Aviation School on the suburbs of Moscow, Russia, on March 5, 2022. (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via Reuters)

The Russian president also issued an ominous warning that any attempts by other countries to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would have catastrophic consequences for Europe and the world, a comment many analysts and officials interpreted as a threat to take the conflict nuclear.

The nuclear question also grabbed headlines when Russian troops seized the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe after an attack that set an adjacent administrative building on fire, sparking fears of a nuclear disaster that would draft the one that took place in Chernobyl in 1986.

More recently, fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces led to power cuts to the critical cooling system at the shuttered Chernobyl nuclear power plant, driving concerns that spent nuclear fuel might overheat.

In both cases, officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency later said there were no critical impacts on safety and no radiation leaks.

A Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber and an Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refueling tanker fly over the Kremlin and Red Square during a military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2021. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, was asked by a reporter from the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita in a recent interview whether he believed Putin might resort to a tactical nuclear strike if the war doesnt go his way.

Brzezinski said all possibilities were being taken into account by U.S. and NATO strategic planners, including that Putin might expand the war to other European countries and launch a tactical nuclear strike, while calling Putins atomic threat monstrously irresponsible.

Separately, U.S. intelligence officials said on March 8 that they were taking Putins nuclear threats seriously.

It was very unusual. And we obviously take it very seriously when hes signaling in this way, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the House Intelligence Committee in Washington.
Satellite image of convoy with trucks and equipment in Stoyanka, Ukraine on March 10, 2022. (Maxar Technologies via Reuters)

Russia-Ukraine (March 10): Russian Convoy Redeployed: Maxar

The latest on the RussiaUkraine crisis, March 10. Click here for updates from March 9.

Russian Convoy Redeployed: Maxar

Satellite photos show that a massive Russian convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital since last week appeared to have dispersed.

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed the 40-mile (64-kilometer) line of vehicles, tanks, and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, with armored units seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city. Some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported.

The convoy had massed outside the city early last week, but its advance appeared to have stalled amid reports of food and fuel shortages. U.S. officials said Ukrainian troops also targeted the convoy with anti-tank missiles.

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WHO Says It Advised Ukraine to Destroy Pathogens in Health Labs to Prevent Disease Spread

The World Health Organization advised Ukraine to destroy high-threat pathogens housed in the countrys public health laboratories to prevent any potential spills that would spread disease among the population, the agency told Reuters on Thursday.

Biosecurity experts say Russias movement of troops into Ukraine and bombardment of its cities have raised the risk of an escape of disease-causing pathogens, should any of those facilities be damaged.

Ukraine has public health laboratories researching how to mitigate the threats of dangerous diseases affecting both animals and humans including, most recently, COVID-19. Its labs have received support from the United States, the European Union, and the WHO.

In response to questions from Reuters about its work with Ukraine ahead of and during Russias invasion, the WHO said in an email that it has collaborated with Ukrainian public health labs for several years to promote security practices that help prevent accidental or deliberate release of pathogens.

As part of this work, WHO has strongly recommended to the Ministry of Health in Ukraine and other responsible bodies to destroy high-threat pathogens to prevent any potential spills, the WHO, a United Nations agency, said.

The WHO would not say when it had made the recommendation nor did it provide specifics about the kinds of pathogens or toxins housed in Ukraines laboratories. The agency also did not answer questions about whether its recommendations were followed.

Ukrainian officials in Kyiv and at their embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

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Zelensky Says 100,000 Evacuated Amid Blockade

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 100,000 people have been evacuated during the past two days from seven cities under Russian blockade in the north and center of the country, including the Kyiv suburbs.

But he said the Russian refusal to allow evacuations from Mariupol, a port city in the south, was outright terror.

They have a clear order to hold Mariupol hostage, to mock it, to constantly bomb and shell it, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. He said the Russians began a tank attack right where there was supposed to be a humanitarian corridor.

The city of 430,000 has been without food supplies, running water, and electricity for 10 days. Ukrainian officials say about 1,300 people have died, including three in the bombing of a maternity and childrens hospital on Wednesday.

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Russia Asks UN Security Council to Convene Over Biological Activities in Ukraine

Russia has called for a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss military biological activities in Ukraine.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations said in a Twitter post on March 10: Russian Mission asked for a meeting of #SecurityCouncil for 11 March to discuss the military biological activities of the US on the territory of #Ukraine.

Reuters reported that diplomats have indicated the U.N. Security Council will convene on Friday over the matter.

Late on March 9, the United States denied Russian accusations that Washington is running labs in Ukraine geared toward developing bioweapons.

Russia on March 8 repeated its longstanding accusations the United States is working with Ukrainian laboratories to develop biological weapons.

The United States and Ukraine maintain that the laboratories seek to prevent bioweapons and pathogens, not develop them. Ukraine has public health laboratories researching how to minimize the threats of dangerous diseases affecting humans and animals.

Fact sheets featured on the U.S. Embassy of Ukraine website, found via Internet Archive, link to several documents detailing what appears to be U.S. government investments for select laboratories in Ukraine.

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland on March 8 said Ukraine has biological research facilities and the United States is working to prevent Russians from taking control of them.

In a statement released on March 9, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine.

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Canada Will Match Donations for Ukraine up to $30 Million, Trudeau Says

Canada will match individual donations made to the Canadian Red Cross in support of Ukraine up to $30 million, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday while visiting Poland.

Trudeau said this was being done because Canadians have been so incredibly generous in being concerned about the people of Ukraine.

Canadas original commitment was to match donations up to $10 million.

Read the full article here

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Putin: US Shouldnt Blame Russia for Rise in Gas Prices

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that the United States and Western countries shouldnt blame Russia and its conflict with Ukraine for high gas prices domestically.

Supplies of Russian oil, say, to the American market do not exceed 3 percent. This is a negligible amount. And their prices are growing. We have absolutely nothing to do with it, Putin said on Thursday, according to state-run media.

Putin further said that the White House is trying to pass off its own economic failures on Russia, adding that they just hide behind these decisions in order to deceive once again their own population.

Read the full article here

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Trudeau: Canada Will Take as Many Ukraine Refugees as It Can

Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday during a visit to Poland that his country will take as many refugees fleeing war in Ukraine as we can.

Canada will help, Canada is there to help, Trudeau said in Poland, a fellow NATO member which neighbors Ukraine and has opened its border to the refugees.

In talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Trudeau expressed support for Polands openness to the refugees and discussed ways of supporting Ukraine and continuing tough sanctions on Russia.

We will allow them to study, work, when they come here, Trudeau said at a joint news conference with Duda.

Many of them will hope to be able to return to Ukraine after this conflict, many will also choose to continue their lives in Canada and we look forward to welcoming as many as we can, Trudeau said.

Duda thanked him for having been the first world leader to call and offer help to Poland in the days of building tension before Russias invasion.

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Russia Says It Will Open Evacuation Corridors From 5 Ukrainian Cities: Agencies

The Russian defense ministry will declare a ceasefire on Friday and open humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of Ukrainians from five cities, the RIA and Interfax news agencies reported on Thursday.

The agencies quoted Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, as saying people could either travel to Russia or other cities in Ukraine.

From 10:00 am Moscow time (0700 GMT) on March 11, 2022, the Russian Federation will declares [sic] a regime of silence and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors, Interfax said, citing a statement from Mizintsev.

The five cities are Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mariupol, and Chernihiv.

Talks between Ukraine and Russias foreign ministers on Thursday failed to bring any respite in the two-week-old conflict as hundreds of thousands of civilians remained trapped in Ukrainian cities sheltering from Russian air raids and shelling.

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Biden Blames Inflation on Putins Price Hike

President Joe Biden released a statement on Thursday, blaming Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine for catalyzing price inflation, which the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) report indicates is at its highest annual level in over forty years.

Todays inflation report is a reminder that Americans budgets are being stretched by price increases and families are starting to feel the impacts of Putins price hike, said Biden in the statement. A large contributor to inflation this month was an increase in gas and energy prices as markets reacted to Putins aggressive actions. As I have said from the start, there will be costs at home as we impose crippling sanctions in response to Putins unprovoked war, but Americans can know this: the costs we are imposing on Putin and his cronies are far more devastating than the costs we are facing.

The statement is a response to Thursdays findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which reported 7.9 percent price inflation since February 2021 in the all items index of its monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) report (pdf)the highest annual rate of inflation since the period ending January 1982.

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Putin Says Russia Will Emerge Stronger, Sanctions Will Rebound on West

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that sanctions imposed against Russia would rebound against the West, including in the form of higher food and energy prices, and Moscow would solve its problems and emerge stronger.

Putin said there had been no alternative to what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine and that Russia was not a country that could accept compromising its sovereignty for some sort of short-term economic gain.

These sanctions would have been imposed in any case, Putin told a meeting of the Russian government. There are some questions, problems, and difficulties but in the past we have overcome them and we will overcome them now.

In the end, this will all lead to an increase in our independence, self-sufficiency, and our sovereignty, he told a televised government meeting two weeks after Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine.

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US State Department Denies Russian Allegations of Biological Weapons in Ukraine

The U.S. State Department denied allegations pushed by Russian officials this week that the U.S. military is involved in creating chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.

On Wednesday evening, the U.S. State Department said that Kremlin allegations that the United States and Ukraine have conducted chemical and biological weapons activities are false, noting that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials have echoed Moscows claims.

This Russian disinformation is total nonsense and not the first time Russia has invented such false claims against another country, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

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Uncomfortable Truth, European Union Cannot Cut Off Russian Energy Supplies: Dutch Prime Minister

Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, has dismissed the possibility of the European Union (EU) banning energy supplies from Russia in the wake of Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

We have to discuss our vulnerabilities in terms of our dependency on Russian oil and Russian gas. I would not plead for cutting off our supply of oil and gas from Russia today, its not possible because we need the supply and that is the uncomfortable truth, Rutte said during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. He added that the EU must do more for the green agenda and decarbonize the economies of member states.

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UK Eases Visa Route for Ukrainian Refugees Stuck in Calais

Ukrainians arriving in Frances English Channel port city of Calais with hopes of joining family in Britain can request visas at the local prefecture from Friday. The structure was quickly set up by British authorities following complaints over treatment of stranded refugees.

A British consular post was being set up at the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais region in nearby Arras, the prefecture said in a statement Thursday.

Ukrainians who fled the war with Russia in their homeland, arriving in Calais after long journeys, had previously been told to make their visa requests in Paris or Brussels, a policy French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said last Sunday was a bit inhumane. He urged Britain to stop the technocratic nit-picking.

Several hundred Ukrainians have been turned back at British entry points in Calais in a situation the prefecture had described this week as unrealistic.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to defend his approach, saying that the UK could not accept people entering without any checks or any controls at all.

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Ukraine Government May Move Sensitive Data Abroad

The Ukrainian government is considering potentially transferring its sensitive data and servers outside the country if Russias military further advances in the country, an official said Wednesday.

Speaking with the Reuters news agency, Victor Zhora, the deputy chief of Ukraines State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, said Ukraine has a contingency plan to move its critical information out of Ukraine if Russias army moves any closer. He did not elaborate on what sorts of critical information would be moved, or when.

Zhora, without giving names, said that some countries have offered to host Ukraines government data. For reasons of proximity, a European location will be preferred, he told the outlet.

We are preparing the ground, Zhora said of the plan, adding that their first course of action is to protect the IT infrastructure within Ukraine.

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Lavrov Says He Doesnt Want to Believe in Nuclear War Over Ukraine

Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday he does not want to believe the conflict in Ukraine will spiral into a nuclear war, while claiming that the West had an unhealthy fixation with the issue.

Lavrov made the remarks at a press conference following RussiaUkraine peace talks on the sidelines of a diplomatic summit in Antalya, Turkey.

The foreign policy chief was asked by a reporter whether he thought the conflict would become nuclear.

I dont want to believe it, and I do not believe it, he replied.

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Putin Spokesman Says Russian Economy in Shock

Russian government officials on Thursday said its economy is in shock after heavy sanctions and after a number of Western corporations pulled out of the country in recent days after the Ukraine conflict.

Our economy is experiencing a shock impact now and there are negative consequences; they will be minimized, top Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

Peskov, who himself is facing sanctions from the European Union and the United States, again said that while the situation is turbulent, Moscow can take measures to stabilize the countrys economy. He didnt elaborate.

This is absolutely unprecedented. The economic war that has started against our country has never taken place before. So it is very hard to forecast anything, he remarked.

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Russia Says Belarus Restores Power Supply to Chernobyl Nuclear Plant

Russias energy ministry said on Thursday that Belarusian specialists had restored electricity supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Chernobyl lost power amid fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces after Russia invaded Ukraine.

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Goldman Sachs Shuts Down Its Russia Business

Goldman Sachs says it is closing its operations in Russia entirely, making it the first major Wall Street bank to do so since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Goldmans announcement comes after Citigroup said it would start winding down its Russia operations. But that process will likely take longer because Citi operates a consumer banking and business banking division in the country.

Like other Wall Street banks, Goldman operated a small investment banking business in the country for the past few years. The bank said in a statement Thursday it has roughly $650 million in exposure to Russian debt.

Banking is the latest industry to come under pressure to cut its Russian ties due to the war. But unlike companies who make goods that ship to Russia, banks have loans, deposits, and existing customer relationships that take time to wind down or sell off.

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No Breakthrough in Ukraine-Russia Talks

Ukraines foreign minister says talks between the top diplomats of Moscow and Kyiv produced no breakthrough on ending the war in Ukraine following Russias invasion.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he attended the meeting Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Turkey to discuss humanitarian corridors and a cease-fire.

Kuleba said there are other decision-makers in Russia who need to be consulted, adding that he agreed with Lavrov to continue to seek a solution to humanitarian issues caused by the war.

He said Moscow is not ready to offer a cease-fire. He said: They seek Ukraines surrender. This is not going to happen.

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Macron and Scholz Call for Immediate Cease-Fire in Ukraine in Phone Call with Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A statement from the French presidency Thursday said that any solution to the crisis must be negotiated between Russia and Ukraine.

The three leaders agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days, the statement said.

Russias invasion of Ukraine is the main issue at a summit of European Union heads of states and government at the Versailles Palace, in France on Thursday and Friday.

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Russia, Ukraine Foreign Ministers Meet in Turkey

Talks between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine are underway on the sidelines of a diplomatic summit in Turkey.

An official photograph showed Russias Sergey Lavrov flanked by two advisers sitting across from his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and his officials on Thursday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sat at the head of a U-shaped table in a wood-paneled hotel conference room near the Mediterranean city of Antalya.

The talks are the first high-level talks between the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago. Cavusoglu has said the aim of the meeting is to pave the way for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents that would be facilitated by Turkeys president.

NATO member Turkey, which has cultivated close ties with both Russia and Ukraine, is trying to balance relations with both nations. It has positioned itself as a neutral party, seeking to facilitate negotiations between the warring sides.

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Sending MiG-29 Planes Would Be High-Risk and Low-Gain Venture: Top US Military Commander

The top U.S. military commander in Europe is thanking Poland for its offer of fighter jets for Ukraine but says that sending the MiG-29 planes would be a high-risk and low-gain venture.

Poland had said it was prepared to supply MiG-29 planeswhich Ukraines pilots are trained to flyto NATO if all 30 allies agreed to send them on to the war-ravaged country.

Gen. Tod D. Wolters, the commander of U.S. European Command, said, The most effective way to support the Ukrainian military in their fight against Russia is to provide increased amounts of anti-tank weapons and air defense systems.

Wolters is also NATOs top military commander and responsible for beefing up the organizations defenses to deter Russia from attacking any member country. NATO is wary of getting embroiled in Moscows war on Ukraine.

Wolters said Ukraine already has enough warplanes and that sending MiG-29s will not appreciably increase the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Wolters said intelligence estimates suggest that sending the planes may be mistaken as escalatory and could result in Russian escalation with NATO  producing a high-risk scenario.

He told Poland that U.S. European Command will evaluate ways to best support and assist our Ukraine friends.

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IAEA Head Attends Talks in Turkey to Ensure Safety of Ukraines Nuclear Facilities

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said hes en route to Turkey for talks on ensuring the safety of Ukraines nuclear facilities.

Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was invited to Antalya, Turkey by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Also in Antalya on Thursday, the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are scheduled to hold talks on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum.

Grossi didnt give details of his own planned meetings in a Twitter post that showed him sitting on a plane.

The IAEA chief has been pressing for an agreement with Ukraine and Russia on the safety of Ukraines nuclear power plants.

A growing list of concerns includes a power cut at the decommissioned Chernobyl plant as well as limited communications between Ukraines nuclear regulator and both Chernobyl and the Zaporizhzhia power plant, which Russian forces seized last week.

In addition, the IAEA says it has lost direct transmission of data from systems installed to monitor nuclear material at both Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia. It says the reasons for the disruption arent immediately clear.

Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors, eight of which were operating as of Wednesday.

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Britain Imposes Travel Ban and Asset Freezes on 7 More Wealthy Russians Including Abramovich

Britain has imposed a travel ban and asset freezes on seven more wealthy Russians, including Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Premier League soccer club Chelsea.

The government said Thursday that Abramovichs assets are frozen, he is banned from visiting the UK, and he is barred from transactions with UK individuals and businesses.

Abramovich said last week he was trying to sell Chelsea as the threat of sanctions loomed.

The sanctions are being imposed in response to Russias invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

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Russia Says Claim That It Bombed Childrens Hospital Is Fake News

Russia said on Thursday a Ukrainian claim that it bombed a childrens hospital in Mariupol was fake news because the building was a former maternity hospital that had long been taken over by troops.

Thats how fake news is born, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russias first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Twitter.

Polyanskiy said Russia had warned on March 7 that the hospital had been turned into a military object from which Ukrainians were firing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of carrying out genocide after Ukrainian officials said Russian aircraft bombed the childrens hospital on Wednesday.

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Top Russian, Ukrainian Diplomats Meet for 1st Time Since Invasion

Foreign ministers from Russia and Ukraine will meet in Turkey on Thursday in the first high-level talks between the two countries since Moscow invaded its neighbor, with Ankara hoping they could mark a turning point in the raging conflict.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has tempered expectations for a ceasefire agreement or other results from the meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Turkeys southern province of Antalya.

Russias invasion has uprooted more than 2 million people in what the United Nations calls the fastest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II.

NATO member Turkey had repeatedly offered to mediate between the sides and will host their top two diplomats after weeks of mediation attempts by world powers.

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WHO: Maternity Hospital Among 18 Ukraine Medical Centers Hit

An airstrike on a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol wounded women waiting to give birth and buried children in the rubble as Russian forces intensified their siege of Ukrainian cities. Bombs also fell on two hospitals in another city west of Kyiv.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the Russian invasion began two weeks ago.

Ukrainian officials said the attack at a medical complex in Mariupol wounded at least 17 people.

The ground shook more than a mile away when the series of blasts hit. Explosions blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building. Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying a bleeding woman with a swollen belly on a stretcher past burning and mangled cars.

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US House Approves Russia Oil Import Ban Bill

The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved legislation that would ban Russian oil imports to the United States, an effort to put into law the restrictions announced by President Joe Biden in response to the escalating war in Ukraine.

Going further than Bidens import ban on Russian oil, the bill making its way through Congress would also encourage a review of Russias status in the World Trade Organization and signal U.S. support for sanctions on Russian officials over human rights violations, as the U.S. works to economically isolate the regime.

Lawmakers in both parties have been eager to act, willing to risk higher gas prices at home in order to support Ukraine with a show of U.S. bipartisanship. The legislation was approved Wednesday 41417, and now goes to the Senate.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who helped draft the bill, acknowledged it may cost more to fill up tanks at home to stop Russian President Vladimir Putins tanks abroad.

It is one way to demonstrate our solidarity, Doggett said during the debate.

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House Passes $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill With $13.6 Billion for Ukraine

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to pass a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill that includes $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine and European allies, and would fund the federal government through to Sept. 30.

Hours earlier, Democratic lawmakers scrapped the bills initial $15.6 billion COVID-19 aid provision, marking a major setback for the Biden administration which had pushed for weeks to have the additional funds approved.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the decision to abandon the provision heartbreaking. Republicans had demanded cuts to state aid to fund the new initiative.

Weve got a war going on in Ukraine, Pelosi told reporters, explaining the urgency Democrats felt in making concessions in bargaining with Republicans. We have important work that were doing here. She said with her party in the 5050 Senate needing at least 10 GOP votes to pass legislation, Democrats are going to have to know there has to be compromise.

Tom Ozimek, Jack Phillips, Isabel van Brugen, Naveen Athrappully, Nicholas Dolinger, Noe Chartier, Mimi Nguyen Ly, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A sign for the London Metal Exchange (LME) on a wall by the new Ring, the open trading floor of the LME following its relocation in central London on Feb. 18, 2016. (Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images)

LME Halts Trading After Nickel Prices See Record Run

Demand for metals and prices have increased as Western nations attempt to shift to electric cars

The London Metals Exchange (LME) said it was forced to cancel all nickel trades on March 8, after the contract spiked as much as 111 percent to more than $100,000 per tonne, before trading was halted.

The LME said the halt was due to the conflict Ukraine as well as the low-stock environment and high pricing volatility, and that the current events are unprecedented, adding that it was working to ensure the orderly functioning of the market.

The suspension of the nickel market has created a number of issues for market participants which need to be addressed, it said.

Trading on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was also halted on March 9, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Industrial buyers have been scrambling for the metal crucial for their products, causing the market to panic.

The Western sanctions on Russia, which is threatening the global metals supply, had lead to the biggest crisis to hit the 145-year-old exchange in decades.

Nickel is a key ingredient in making stainless steel and electric vehicle batteries, of which Russias Norilsk Nickel is the single largest producer.

Russia supplies about 10 percent of the worlds nickel and 15 to 20 percent of the supply of battery-grade nickel.

The nation also produces 4 to 6 percent of the global supply of aluminum and copper.

Three-month nickel on the LME more than doubled to $101,365 a tonne before the LME halted trade.

Nickel had pared gains to $80,000 a tonne when trading was halted, up 66 percent on the day since start of trade and a staggering 177 percent since March 7.

The rise in nickel prices is putting pressure on a global manufacturing system that is already struggling to recover from the pandemic.

The uncertainty caused by the Ukraine crisis has added to an already bullish nickel market due to low inventories, which is now at 50 percent from what was in stock at the LME in October 2021.

The LME will actively plan for the reopening of the nickel market, and will announce the mechanics of this to the market as soon as possible. The LME will give consideration to a possible multi-day closure, given the geopolitical situation which underlies recent price moves, said LME CEO, Matthew Chamberlain.

It is suspected that the sudden price surge is due to short-covering by one of the worlds top producers.

Meanwhile, many position holders have been struggling to pay margin calls.

Some small industrial users have been caught in the fight between larger companies trying to acquire the metals, having taken positions to get physical delivery, but being hit with margins calls costing millions of dollars.

It is reported that two major players have been sparring to corner the global metals market, causing prices to quadruple over the past week, leading to the explosive gains.

One entity has control of between 50 and 80 percent of LME inventories, according to the exchanges data.

Sources familiar with the matter, said Tsingshan Holding Group, in China, one of the worlds top nickel and stainless steel producers, had been building a short position in nickel since last year, betting prices would fall.

Prices rocketed as Tsingshan allegedly purchased large amounts of nickel shares to reduce those short bets and its exposure to costly margin calls.

The LME put an end to it by raising margin requirements for nickel contracts by 12.5 percent to $2,250 a tonne and suspending trading of nickel on all venues until potentially March 11, the earliest date LME said it expects to resume trading.

The cancellation applied to all trades made after midnight GMT until 8:15 a.m. on March 8, when trading stopped and it may be suspended for several days.

The LME also deferred physical delivery of maturing contracts.

The last time this occurred was when a rogue Sumitomo trader attempted to corner the tin and copper market, causing trading to stop in the 1980s.

The International Monetary Fund has said there have been large deficits between supply and demand based on current production rates of various key metals.

Current graphite, copper, cobalt, vanadium, and nickel production are currently inadequate to meet increasing demand, especially in the West.

Western countries are attempting to shift away from gasoline and diesel vehicles towards electric vehicles over the next decade, causing a massive increase in metals consumption and raising of prices.

According to UBS, the world is ill positioned to deal with any disruptions in the metals market, such as the Russian sanctions, which may now threaten green energy goals.

Reuters contributed to this report.
A "For Rent" sign is placed in front of a home in Arlington, Va., on June 8, 2021. (Will Dunham/File Photo/Reuters)

Los Angeles Moves to Prohibit Landlords From Inquiring Tenants Eviction, Criminal Histories

LOS ANGELESLos Angeles introduced on March 9 several motions to prohibit landlords from inquiring about a prospective tenants credit, eviction, or criminal histories, and require them to disclose in writing how they select tenants.

The legislative packagecontaining three motionswas introduced by Councilmen Mike Bonin and Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who said it would help combat renter discrimination and help people impacted by the pandemic financially or experiencing homelessness secure housing faster.

The motions will next be reviewed by the City Councils Housing Committee before being considered by the full City Council.

The first motion would have the council instruct the city attorney to prepare an ordinance within 45 days that would prohibit landlords or their agents from inquiring about a prospective tenants failure to pay rent or bills during the COVID-19 emergency period, prior or current participation in a rental assistance program, eviction history, or credit history in the evaluation of their rental application.

People with property should focus on whether prospective renters can pay the rent by asking about a prospective tenants income or their history of on-time payments, not invasive, unrelated personal questions. When you buy groceries, the teller doesnt do a credit check. They just need to know whether you can pay and the same should be true for landlords, said Cynthia Strathmann, executive director of Strategic Actions for A Just Economya nonprofit focusing on tenant rightsat the meeting.

Raman noted that people can be penalized by credit checks for prioritizing their rental payments above all else, causing problems when they look for housing in the future despite not missing rent payments.

When people have a home, they work so hard to stay in it. They will pay for rent before they pay for food. They will pay for rent certainly before they make those credit card payments. And instead of rewarding them for that, our current system  actually penalizes them for that, she said.

The second motion seeks an ordinance presented to the City Council within 60 days to require landlords to disclose in writing to prospective applicants the screening criteria they use to evaluate and select tenants. Landlords would also be required to tell rejected tenants why they were not successful in renting the unit.

Bonin spoke about unhoused people who receive emergency housing vouchers from the federal government, but cannot find a landlord to accept the voucher.

They may have the voucher, but they get dinged for something else. They continue to live on our streets, they may die on our streets. Our homelessness crisis gets work. This is a recipe for a crisis, a crisis of homelessness and a crisis for housing instability, Bonin said.

The third motion seeks a prospective ordinance within 45 days to prohibit landlords from inquiring directly or indirectly about a rental applicants criminal history, or if the information is received, from using it in their evaluation about the application. That ordinance would be modeled after similar Fair Chance Housing Ordinances in Oakland and Berkeley.

Owner-occupied properties and shared living arrangements would be exempt from the ordinance, according to the motion.

These motions today take away a lot of the proxies that people use in order to not call out race, Harris-Dawson said. Another one of the things we face in a part of our district is certain landlords say, Well only rent to a person who is a student or Well only rent to a person who works in this kind of industry. These motions today help us target what is a frankly very open, very mean, and very capricious practice in the city that happens every single day.

Dan Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeleswho had not seen the motions at the time he spoke to City News Servicesaid his organization has opposed similar efforts to prevent landlords from considering potential renters criminal records.

Nobody will ever rent out their apartments if they cant check on something like whether somebody has been a criminal. What if someone is a child molester and you have young children in the building? he said.

Joyce Kuo contributed to this report.
Customers at the Edeka grocery store buy pasta, as the spread of COVID-19 continues in Duesseldorf, Germany, on April 29, 2020. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)

Makers of Basic Necessities Face Tradeoff Supplying Russia With Cookies, Soap

NEW YORK/LONDONMakers of everyday staples from Pampers diapers to Dove soap are walking a fine line by continuing to sell their products in Russia, as pressure grows on multinational companies to take a stand against Russias recent invasion of Ukraine.

McDonalds Corp. said on Tuesday it was closing its restaurants in Russia, including its iconic Pushkin Square location in Moscow. PepsiCo Inc., Coca-Cola Co., and Starbucks Corp. also stopped sales of their best-known products in Russia.

These multinational companies have lagged some financial services firms, oil and gas companies, and retailers that withdrew entirely from Russia. The consumer products companies argue that everyday people in Russia rely on their products.

Procter & Gamble Co. and Unilever Plc. said this week they are continuing to sell essential products in Russia, but are ending any new capital investments and are no longer advertising in the country. Unilever has suspended all imports and exports of products into and out of the country.

On Wednesday, Nestle, the worlds largest food group, followed suit, suspending investment in the country after its earlier decision to stop advertising there.

Dairy company Danone SA is taking a similar approach.

Cadbury chocolate maker Mondelez International Inc. and Kimberly-Clark Corp., which produces Huggies diapers, have yet to announce plans to curtail production in Russia.

Its not about pure profits, said Katie Denis, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Brands Association, a trade group representing companies including P&G and Mondelez. Its about, are you going to continue producing things people need? Its different than what companies who came out earlier are dealing with.

Worth the Risk?

Companies also do not want to be seen as harming regular Russian citizens by putting them out of work.

At least six major fast-food companiesincluding Yum Brands Inc.s KFC and Restaurant Brands Internationals Burger Kingrun more than 2,500 restaurants in Russia, mostly through franchisees, and employ tens of thousands more people, according to a Reuters tally that does not include McDonalds.

Yum on Tuesday said it was suspending operations of its 70 KFC company-owned restaurants in the country and finalizing an agreement to suspend all Pizza Hut restaurant operations, in partnership with its master franchisee.

But other companies have so far remained silent.

Investors such as the New York State pension fund want companies to consider whether continuing to do business in Russia is worth the risks.

Asset manager Federated Hermes is pressing companies in phone calls and letters to be open and transparent about what they do in Russia and share what decision-making process theyve gone through to come up with a conclusion on working in the country, said Hannah Shoesmith, director of engagement at the firm. Federated Hermes is targeting consumer products companies in its outreach, Shoesmith said.

We wouldnt ask companies to just leave Russia without asking them to assess the impact on human rights, Shoesmith said. Theres a tradeoff companies have to make. Its not so black and white.

Companies also should start to think carefully about their position on taxes paid to the Russian government, Shoesmith said.

There are attempts to come up with good solutions around paying tax, she said. If they pay tax in Russia, what are the solutions they can come up with to make up the balance on that?

Shoesmith said that in prior military coups and refugee crises, companies made payments equivalent to their tax bills to nongovernmental organizations aimed at helping people.

Corporate Suicide

Theres a big move in our industry to focus on companies with strong corporate governance and ethical standardsand that means societal issues as well, said Jack Martin, investment manager at Oberon Investments, which holds shares in Unilever, Diageo Plc., Burberry Group Plc., and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. Its corporate suicide, really, at the moment, to not pull back from the region.

Joe Sinha, chief marketing officer for Parnassus Investments in San Francisco, said his firm has no direct exposure to Russian companies, but that it is reaching out to the U.S. portfolio companies it owns with more than 2 percent or so of revenue exposure to Russia to ask for details about their thinking on whether to stay or leave the country.

Were not being prescriptive, were trying to understand their roles and choices, Sinha said. While Parnassus is supportive of steps like sanctions that cut off Russian banks and technology firms close to the military, he said, the analysis could be different for food companies that serve consumers.

By Jessica DiNapoli and Richa Naidu
The aftermath of Mariupol Hospital after an attack, in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 9, 2022, in this image taken from video provided by the Mariupol City Council. (Mariupol City Council via AP)

Mariupol Mayor Calls for No-fly Zone After Maternity Hospital Airstrike

The mayor of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday called for a no-fly zone to be implemented over Ukraine after a reported Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital.

In a video message posted to Telegram, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko asked for the global community to close the sky over Ukraine.

Today I am asking the global community for help. Close the sky over Ukraine. Our will has not been broken, we will fight to the end, Boichenko said. We have motivated soldiers and officers who defend our homeland. But today we need support.

The head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavel Kirilenko, said 17 people were injured in the strike. Nobody was killed, he said.

Currently, 17 wounded and women have been confirmed. As for children  zero confirmed [injuries]. As for the victims, the number remains at zero, Kirilenko said Wednesday, Ukraines Interfax news agency reported.

Kirilenko noted that the Russian air strike was was carried out during the temporary ceasefire in Mariupol.

The ground shook more than a mile away when the Mariupol maternity was hit by a series of blasts that blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building.

Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying out a heavily pregnant and bleeding woman on a stretcher. Another woman wailed as she clutched her child.

In the courtyard, a blast crater extended at least two stories deep.

Today Russia committed a huge crime, said Volodymir Nikulin, a top regional police official, standing in the ruins. It is a war crime without any justification.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said children were trapped under rubble in the aftermath of the strike.

A childrens hospital. A maternity hospital. How did they threaten the Russian Federation? He said in a televised address. What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?

Mayor Boichenko said he is certain all these occupiers will face justice at The Hague.

This war crime will be punished, and the perpetrators will burn in hell, he added.

Russian officials claim Ukraine was establishing combat positions at the hospital.

Hours before the strike, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that in Mariupol, the Ukrainian national battalions, having expelled the staff and patients from the maternity hospital, equipped combat positions in it.

The Epoch Times has been unable to independently verify the claims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on March 5 that he would view any country that declares a no-fly zone over Ukraine as a participant in the armed conflict.

That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are, he said.

Zelensky has repeatedly called on NATO to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine. NATO has rejected the request, saying that doing so could risk instigating further conflict with Russia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mask Mandates Not Linked to Lower COVID-19 Case Rate or Transmission: Study

Mask mandates for children in Spain werent linked to a lower rate of COVID-19 cases or transmission, researchers found.

Children 6 and older in Catalonia, a region in Spain, were required to wear masks once school reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers compared the incidence of COVID-19 in older children to younger children to try to determine whether the mandates had been effective in the aim of reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in schools. The virus is also known as the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The retrospective study identified a much lower case rate in preschool, where there were no mandates when compared to older groups who were required to wear masks.

Five-year-olds, for instance, had an incidence of 3.1 percent, while 6-year-olds had an incidence of 3.5 percent.

Mask mandates in schools were not associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 incidence or transmission, suggesting that this intervention was not effective, researchers wrote in the paper, which was published as a preprint.

The study shows that there was not a significant decrease in transmission on the courses that were masked (6 to 11 y.o.) when comparing to those that were not (3 to 5), Clara Prats, one of the authors, told The Epoch Times in an email.

The data analyzed came from Sept. 13, 2021, to Dec. 22, 2021.

Researchers believe that age-dependency was the most important factor for the risk of virus transmission in schools. In other words, the older a child gets, the more likely they are to have an adult-like immune response. Adults are more likely than children to contract symptomatic cases of COVID-19, according to previous research. The Spanish researchers also said that because young children are likely to get infected with other coronaviruses, they would have more cross-reactive T cells, a type of cell that protects against COVID-19.

Age-gradient in SARS-CoV-2 transmission is the key to understanding these results, and this is mainly related to the strong/robust innate immune response at mucosa resp[iratory] cells that younger children have when compared to older kids or adults, Antoni Soriano-Arandes, another of the authors, told The Epoch Times in an email.

The study adds to a body of research that shows mixed results for masks and mask mandates.

Limitations of the research, which was funded by the Spanish government and other institutions, include not being able to count all asymptomatic cases, which are more likely among younger children.

Dr. Quique Bassat, one of the authors, asserted that the age-gradient means the results showed masks worked well, but Dr. Jonathan Darrow, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who analyzed mask studies in 2021, disagreed.

This is one more study that fails to provide good evidence that masks substantially reduce transmission, and that suggests that if they do reduce transmission, they dont reduce it by very much, Darrow told The Epoch Times in an email. Of course, it is always possible that in some other context masks might work better (e.g., better masks, better compliance, less facial touching, more frequent replacement of masks, etc).
Miami Ranks Least Affordable US City, Edging Out the Big Apple

Miami has always been a world-renowned tourist destination with its pristine white-sand beaches, palm trees, warm tropical climate, and exciting nightlife. But now the second-largest populated city in Florida is also famous for being ranked the least affordable housing market in the United Stateseven surpassing New York City.

RealtyHops Affordability Index Report analyzed the median home prices and median household incomes in 100 of the most populous U.S. cities to determine where homeownership is affordable for the average American family. Headquartered in New York City, RealtyHop is a real estate listing site focusing on investments and undervalued properties.

RealtyHops data research reveals the median Miami home price currently stands at $599,000, while the median household income is just $43,401. Based on those figures, the report indicates that the average household in Miami would need to contribute 80.05 percent of its income toward homeownership costs.

Miami has always ranked in the top five least affordable U.S. cities, but now it has outpaced New York City due to the increased migration to the area, Shane Lee, RealtyHop Data Scientist, told The Epoch Times. While Miami has always been a destination, we saw more people from New York moving into the area during COVID, driving up home prices by both newcomers and investors.

The report includes a mix of all residential types of housingsingle family, condos, and co-ops, but no land.

New York City was listed as the second least affordable U.S. city, where the median home sales price is $971,000, paired with the median household income of $68,259. Based on that data, an average household would have to spend 78.07 percent of its income to cover mortgage payments and taxes.

Manhattan skyline in New York City on June 13, 2019. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Los Angeles ranked third, with a median household income of $68,733 and a median home sales price of $935,000. In this scenario, homeowners would spend 75 percent of their income on housing costs. Los Angeles has continuously ranked as one of Americas least affordable cities, but over the past year it dropped to third place since home price growth there has not been as significant as compared to New York and Miami, Lee acknowledged.

Surprisingly Newark and Jersey City, both in New Jersey, ranked numbers four and five on the list of unaffordable cities, which Lee attributes to people commuting to New York City.

Ines Hegedus-Garcia, executive vice president of Avanti Way Realty in Miami and the 2022 chairman of the board-elect for the Miami Association of Realtors, was quite surprised by the report.

The truth is that theres an affordable housing issue across the nation and we can come up with all kinds of formulas to arrive at whos worse, she told The Epoch Times. There are plenty of areas in and around Miami for young singles, families, and first-time home buyers. We do have an inventory crisis across the nation, but this doesnt mean that we dont have affordable areas.

According to Hegedus-Garcia, properties in Miami can range from $65,000 for a one-bedroom, one-bath condominium in a 55-plus community, to $150 million for a luxurious Key Biscayne estate. Of the 2,640 properties currently listed in Miami, she noted, 62 percent are priced under a half-million dollars.

Following the pandemic, Avanti Way Realty saw a large influx of New Yorkers and Californians pouring into Miami for retirement and vacation homes, while the foreign market began to stagger. While it has picked up a bit since people started to travel again, most of the areas home seekers are from the United States.

Our market is very diverse and so are our buyers, added Hegedus-Garcia. We see both younger and older people, as well as investors.

While the beaches are always a strong attraction to the area, the Miami market offers other amenities such as world-class shopping and restaurants, culture, great schools, sports, and low taxes. Its also become a financial and tech hub, said Hegedus-Garcia. The influx of people moving from high-tax, high-density states in the past two years has helped raise our median household income as well.

Bidding wars continue for single-family homes from Miamis Upper East Side to the Palmetteo Estates, but most of the citys affordable housing is in its condo developments.

About 43 percent of the active condo inventory is priced under $500,000, as compared to about 27 percent of the single-family inventory, she noted.

A two-bedroom condo in Miami. (Courtesy of Avanti Way Realty, Miami, Florida)

While New York City is playing runner-up to Miami, Lee explained the report includes the citys five boroughs, resulting in a slightly lower ratio of median incomes to median home sales prices. Manhattan is typically the highest priced borough, but factoring in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island brings the overall numbers down, she said.

Deborah Hughes, an agent with R New York in midtown Manhattan, was also surprised that New York City didnt nab the top spot in the report. With prices ranging from $1.5 to $2.4 million for a one-bedroom luxury condo in a doorman building, many average New Yorkers are hard-pressed to find anything they can afford.

Its definitely getting more difficult to find something under $1 million, Hughes told The Epoch Times. Sometimes there are deals in the Financial District or studios under 500 square feet on lower floors without views. But people are still buying them and they go fast.

Although many fled New York City during the pandemic, the tide has since turned, bringing the masses back in, creating housing shortages, and driving the prices back up.

Weve seen a lot of younger people in the finance and tech industries, as well as some empty nesters whove sold a large home in the suburbs and are looking to downsize, said Hughes. Its a real sellers market here.

Manhattans Greenwich Village, Soho, Central Park, and Midtown areas are commanding the highest prices now. Hughes said there are properties in Manhattan for as low as $600,000 if buyers are willing to invest in a co-op, as opposed to a condo. Co-ops usually go for less money, but sometimes buyers have to contribute a larger down payment, she explained. Potential owners must also be approved by a co-op board and there are often a lot of rules and restrictions.

Looking at the opposite side, the report named Wichita, Kansas, as the most affordable housing market in the country, with a median home price of $147,500 and median household income of $59,432. Using these numbers, a family would have to spend just 15.3 percent of its annual income on mortgage and tax costs.

Completing the top five list of affordable U.S. home buying locations are Fort Wayne, Indiana in second place, followed by Detroit, Michigan, in third place, Cleveland, Ohio, fourth and Lubbock, Texas last.

These locations are not as competitive, plus the supply and demand for housing there is not misaligned like it is in other more popular areas of the country, added Lee. Families in these areas will definitely find a better opportunity for homeownership.
Female educator devotes herself to child education

Xinhua) 16:03, March 10, 2022

URUMQI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- After six years of preparations, Zubadan Aniwar achieved her dream of opening her own child education center in Kuqa City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

"Our center is mainly for children aged three and below," said the 34-year-old educator.

"Some parents need to work and have no time to take care of their children during the daytime. And many parents hope that their kids can receive education in professional institutions during the critical period of their intellectual development," she added.

With significant improvements to the living standards of the locals, education for children has become a priority. The locals have begun to invest more money and energy in their children's education.

Inspired by her father, who is also a teacher, Aniwar developed a love for learning from an early age. Local advancements in child education further encouraged her to pursue a career in the teaching field.

In 2014, Aniwar joined a child education agency in Beijing after visiting a number of similar agencies across the country. "The Beijing-based agency not only has excellent curricula but also updates them every year, which I found quite intriguing," she said.

She has also obtained the qualification certificate of a senior baby nurse through professional training in Shanghai.

Aniwar started her education center in 2020, and it currently has about 50 children. The center's curricula include physical training, arithmetic, and music appreciation.

She has employed local women in the center who are all qualified baby nurses with certificates from professional organizations.

In addition to running the center, Aniwar also offers a childcare course at a technical training school in Kuqa, to help more people obtain baby nursing certificates.

"I hope that women don't confine themselves to their family, and more women can enrich their lives while creating their own values," she said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Miracles Happen: Ivermectin and Hydroxy (Almost) Legal in Tennessee

Commentary

Dont tell Dr. Anthony Fauciwho seems to have vanished from the sceneor Dr. Deborah Birx, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and other assorted government know-it-alls, but the Tennessee Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted on March 9 to approve SB 2630.

That legislation reads in significant part:

SECTION 1. This act is known and may be cited as the Tennessee Pharmacy Act.

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 14, Chapter 4, is amended by adding the following as a new section:

(a) A pharmacy shall dispense ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine to an individual with a valid prescription from a healthcare provider with prescribing authority for ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine in accordance with title 63, chapter 10.

(b) A health-related board shall not suspend, deny, revoke, or otherwise take disciplinary action against:

(1) A healthcare provider with prescribing authority for the prescribing of ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine; or

(2) A pharmacist licensed under title 63, chapter 10 for dispensing or failing or refusing to dispense ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine.

The audience that was crowded into Senate Hearing Room 1 burst into spontaneous applause at its passage.

Better late than never, as weve been hearing since we were about 3 years old. Nevertheless, huzzah!

Yes, its only advanced out of the committee. However, the 81 voteone senator prevented unanimity with the odd explanation that, although he suspects the drugs actually work, such legislation would start a dangerous trend (too many people surviving illness?)augurs well for approval by the General Assembly.

As it happens, sitting in the front row of the audience was the man who, arguably more than anyone, has talked sense about ivermectin, the questionable mRNA vaccines, and the COVID-19 pandemic in general to the American public: Dr. Robert Malone.

Malonewho largely invented mRNA technologyactually didnt testify on the ivermectin legislation, leaving the chore to doctors who had accompanied him. One such doctor, Dr. Ryan Cole, citing supporting studies from Israel and Qatar, claimed 100 percent success in his treatments, largely with ivermectinno deaths, period. For his efforts, he suffered incredible opprobrium from his own Idaho pathology board for alleging that the vaccines were harmful and masks ineffective.

Those comments may seem relatively banal now, but freedom of medical speech has been severely limitedyou could say canceledin our country for the past two years. Only recently is it beginning to appear, thanks to Malone and others.

Malone did testify earlier in the afternoon to the Tennessee House Medical and Welfare Committee on another measure, this one concerning whether natural immunity for those who had contracted COVID-19 should be accepted as protection in lieu of vaccination.

Malone corrected the record for the politicians by explaining whats really involved is acquired immunity from actually having had COVID-19. We all have natural immunity built into our systems.

He also explained, as he has elsewhere, that the Omicron coronavirus variant is a form of vaccination in itself, because its so easily communicated while having far less threatening outcomes, if any. Thus, many of us have received our own acquired immunity without the dangers of vaccination and whatever side effects that might bring, some of which are ominous.

The legislation passed.

All of this was happening against a specter of a radically changing world, it seemed to me. COVID-19 fear was no longer working as the distraction it had for so long. People were seeing through it.

The leftliberals, globalists, and the restwas therefore turning its back on the cause of the disease, known here since the outset, with prescience, as the CCP virus.

The left has been looking elsewhere for an excuse to obfuscate and dominate, with the war in Ukraine being an opportunity to deflect the attention from the disaster that amounted to two years of misguided and essentially useless COVID-19 lockdowns, not to mention the abusive masking of children, which still occurs in New York.

Now they have Russia, with Putin, the big meanie, on the march to distract us from their failure.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A woman is seen working on a computer in her apartment in downtown Vancouver on Dec. 3, 2020. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

More Than Half of Canadian Office Workers Want to Keep Working Remotely: Survey

With the gradual relaxation of COVID-19 measures, a majority of Canadian office workers say they want to keep their remote work pattern, a new survey shows.

More than half of 1,595 Canadian officer workers say that working mostly or entirely remote is their ideal work scenario, compared to one in eight (12 percent) who prefer working entirely in the office, according to the Amazon Business Canadas Return to Office Report.

Remote work is so desirable that two in five (43 percent) office workers say they would look for another job if their current employer asked them to return to work full-time in the office, while more than half (55 percent) say they would be less likely to accept a job if a prospective employer also mandated full-time in-office work.

Out of the 57 percent of those who want to spend some time in the office, 27 percent say they would prefer to split their time equally between in-office and remote, while 30 percent say they would like to spend three or more days during the week working remotely.

Its clear that the role that the physical office plays in the day-to-day work and satisfaction of employees has changed dramatically during the pandemic. Were not going back to how things were before, and businesses need to adjust to the many operational realities that come with that, Nick Georgijev, the country manager for Amazon Business Canada, said in a news release on March 10.

Canadian employers will need to consider not just how and when to bring their employees back to the office, but if they should  and how to set that talent up for success from anywhere if they dont return entirely.

Georgijev noted that to meet these changing demands, employers need to adjust many things, including their real estate footprint, procurement, and technology and supplies.

Those that adapt best and quickest will have a strong advantage, particularly if they provide their teams the means to thrive while working remotely, he said.

The survey said only 50 percent of office workers who moved to remote work due to the pandemic had returned to the office before the Omicron wave. Among these workers, 48 percent returned before the end 0f 2020, and 36 percent returned in the second half of 2021.

Provincially, office workers in British Columbia were the most likely to have returned to the office before the Omicron wave (60 percent), while workers in Ontario were the least likely to have done so (43 percent).

To bring workers back to in-office work, the survey said more flexible work hours, salary increases, more vacations, and better benefits are four key incentives.

Flexible work hours and the ability to work remotely are among the top five most sought-after factors for Canadian office workers who are looking for a new jobmore important than workplace culture, opportunities for growth, advancement or training and development, and in-office perks.

Georgijev said an upside to this change is that he can hire employees from distant regions now that remote and hybrid work are getting more popular.

Its definitely opened up our talent pool, and I think many other companies would probably be seeing this as well, he told the Toronto Star, adding however that he still prefers in-person meetings or events in the office.

But on the day-to-day kind of work that each individual is doing, we believe that can be done either from the office or from home, he said. So everybody should have the flexibility to decide that for their own circumstances.

The Amazon Business Return to Office Report was conducted in two wavesin December 2021 and February 2022. An online poll was completed Dec. 1216, 2021, surveying 1,595 employed Canadians who transitioned to remote work at some point during the pandemic.

The survey had a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The second poll was conducted Feb. 1114, 2022, surveying 423 such Canadians to examine the impact of the Omicron wave on return-to-office plans, carrying a margin of error of +/- 4.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Both surveys were offered in English or French.
An honour guard holds a Russian flag during preparations for a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on June 8, 2018. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

Moscow Retaliates Against Western Sanctions With Export Bans

Russia sought on Thursday to retaliate against Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine by banning exports of certain goods and agricultural commodities.

Exporting telecom, medical, auto, agricultural, electrical, and tech equipment, as well as some forestry products, will be banned until the end of 2022.

These measures are a logical response to those imposed against Russia and are aimed at ensuring uninterrupted functioning of key sectors of the economy, the economy ministry said.

Further measures could include restricting foreign ships from entering Russian ports and allowing Russian airlines to register jets leased from Western firms as their own property, the government said.

The measures come after Western sanctions in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine that threaten to cripple Russias energy-dependent economy.

Western companies have pulled out of Russia en masse as the United States, European Union and Britain imposed sanctions aimed at curbing Moscows access to funding.

In response, a government commission on Wednesday approved the first step towards nationalizing assets of foreign firms that leave the country.

The proposal to restrict foreign ships entry into Russian ports comes after Britain last week banned from its ports all Russian-operated ships. The European Union has yet to provide clarity on the prospect of a similar ban by the bloc.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks at the 2022 Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 19, 2022. (Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)

New Chinese Envoy Meets Australian Foreign Minister For Frank Discussions

Australias foreign minister has met with the new Chinese ambassador in Sydney amid an ongoing Beijing-instigated diplomatic freeze and has called on the regime to help end the invasion of Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) said Minister Marise Payne had frank discussions with Xiao Qian on March 9.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs set out frankly Australias positions on a range of issues, including the importance of appropriate ministerial and other high-level dialogue and engagement, stability in the Indo-Pacific, free and open trade, human rights and the welfare of Australians detained in China, according to a readout of the meeting.

She also articulated Australias expectation that China use its influence to encourage and advise Russia to end the illegal invasion of Ukraine, it continued.

Australia remains committed to a constructive relationship with China in which we can pursue areas of cooperation while remaining consistent with our own national sovereign interests and focussed on stability.

Paynes stance echoes ongoing calls from Prime Minister Scott Morrison who has pushed Beijing to be firm on Moscow.

At a time when the world was seeking to put additional sanctions on Russia, they [Beijing] have eased restrictions on trade of Russia wheat into China, Morrison told reporters on Feb. 25, citing a report in the South China Morning Post.

And that is simply unacceptable. China seeks to play a positive role in world affairs. They say they seek peace. And I welcome those sentiments and I welcome their comments which talk about trying to get to a position where these violent acts can cease.

But that said, you dont go and throw a lifeline to Russia in the middle of a period when its invading other countries, he said.

Meanwhile, Xiaos arrival on Australia Day came packaged with a more conciliatory tone from Beijing and a pledge to eliminate misunderstanding and suspicion.

His arrival comes after former ambassador, Cheng Jingye, vacated his post in October 2021.

Cheng was the face of Beijings wolf-warrior diplomacy, which saw the official adopt more confrontational rhetoric against Australia while the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) instigated an ongoing economic coercion campaign in response to Foreign Minister Paynes calls for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

Coercion measures against Australian exports included arbitrary border testing and inspections, the imposition of tariffs, unwarranted delays in listing export establishments, and the issuing of import licenses.

While Xiao has hinted at a softer touch, he has not shied from exercising stern rhetoric in the past.

In September 2021, he wrote in the Jakarta Post that Washington D.C.s renewed push for an investigation into COVID-19 was a political farce.

The so-called origin tracing investigation of the U.S. government by its intelligence community is clearly politicising the issue of origin tracing, he wrote in an op-ed. Such a practice disturbs and sabotages international cooperation on origin tracing and on the global fight against the pandemic.

Former Australian diplomat and current Liberal MP Dave Sharma had doubts about Beijings change of attitude.

China might be changing its tactics but its ultimate goals and objectives I think have not shifted here, Sharma told Sky News.

I think theyre desirous of improving relations with Australia. Were certainly keen to improve relations with them but without sacrificing any of our core national interests, he said.
A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 8, 2022. (Andrew Marienko/AP Photo)

No Progress on Ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine Talks in Turkey

No progress has been made on a 24-hour ceasefire in Ukraine, much less on an end to the war, according to the countrys foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who discussed the matter with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Turkey on Thursday.

We also raised the issue of a 24-hour ceasefire to resolve the most pressing humanitarian issues. We did not make progress on this, since it seems that there are other decision-makers for this matter in Russia, Kuleba told reporters at a press conference in the Mediterranean city of Antalya.

Discussions between the two foreign ministers were held on the sidelines of a diplomatic summit. Theyre the first high-level talks since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, which he calls a special military operation to disarm the countrys military and dislodge leaders whom he calls neo-Nazis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his address to the nation at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Feb. 21, 2022. (Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Kuleba said hes ready to continue talks, including in a trilateral format with the participation of Turkeys foreign minister. He insisted, however, that Ukraine would not surrender.

We are ready for diplomacy, we are looking for diplomatic solutions, but as long as there are none, we will selflessly, sacrificing ourselves, defend our land, our people from Russian aggression, Kuleba said.

Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks with journalists as he arrives for a round table meeting of the Eastern Partnership at the European Council building in Brussels, on Nov. 15, 2021. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo)

Moscows conditions for ending hostilities include the demand for Ukrainian forces to lay down their arms and for the country to pledge never to join NATO.

Turkey, a NATO member, has cultivated close ties with both Russia and Ukraine. It has positioned itself as a neutral party thats trying to facilitate talks between the warring sides.

Kuleba told reporters after the meeting that the most critical situation was in the southern port of Mariupol but that Lavrov did not commit to a humanitarian corridor there.

Unfortunately, Minister Lavrov was not in a position to commit himself to it, but he will correspond with respective authorities on this issue, Kuleba said.

Lavrov, speaking at a separate press conference after the meeting, claimed Russia hadnt invaded Ukraine but was carrying out a special military operation meant, at least in part, to protect people with Russian roots living there.

We want a Ukraine thats friendly and demilitarized, a Ukraine in which there isnt a risk of the creation of another Nazi state, a Ukraine where there wont be a ban on the Russian language, on Russian culture, Lavrov said.

Asked by reporters whether Russia was planning to attack other countries, Lavrov replied, We are not planning to attack other countries, and we did not attack Ukraine either, we were just dealing with the issues there.

The war in Ukraine has driven over 2.3 million people from their homes, according to the latest U.N. tally, a situation that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently described as Europes fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War.
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud and Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak are seen at the beginning of an OPEC and Non-OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria on Dec. 6, 2019. (Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

Oil Markets Weighing OPECs Ability to Compensate Russian Supply, Washington Might Remove Restrictions on Venezuelan Oil

The price of oil has dropped significantly in the two days since hitting its highest price level in over a decade on March 7, and is currently trading in an unpredictable manner as markets weigh in on the ability of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to fill the supply gap created by the loss of Russian energy.

Brent crude prices hit $139.13 per barrel on March 7, the highest since July 2008, only to fall on March 9 by more than $15 per barrel. Brent oil May futures were trading at $111 per barrel as of 15:17 UTC on March 10.

Prices were skyrocketing due to sanctions imposed by the West following Moscows invasion of Ukraine, which has made it difficult for traders to secure Russian oil and gas. Washington recently announced a ban on Russian energy imports while the United Kingdom declared that it will phase out Russian oil supplies by the end of 2022, adding to the upward pressure on oil prices.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al Otaiba, raised the possibility of OPEC boosting supplies, affecting market movements.

We favor production increases and will be encouraging OPEC to consider higher production levels, Al Otaiba said in a statement on March 9. The UAE has been a reliable and responsible supplier of energy to global markets for more than 50 years and believes that stability in energy markets is critical to the global economy.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said in a tweet the following day that his country is committed to the OPEC+ agreement and its existing monthly production adjustment. Iraqi oil minister Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail said on March 9 that he saw no oil shortage and that OPEC+ will aim to make the market more balanced.

OPEC+ has been raising its monthly output by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) since August last year. In a meeting held on March 2, days after the Russian invasion, the organization only agreed to maintain the modest uptick in production quotas for next month.

Washington is also looking to secure oil supplies from Venezuela by removing sanctions on the country. The United States had until recently imported over 605,000 bpd of oil from Russia in the past two years.

America imported 784,000 bpd of crude oil and petroleum products from Venezuela between 2010 and 2018.

U.S. sanctions against Venezuela began under former President Barack Obama. Under the Trump administration, economic sanctions were tightened, specifically on the oil sector, while domestic oil production was significantly increased. The sanctions were aimed at forcing socialist Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to give up power as the 2018 election, which placed him as the president of the country, was seen as fraudulent by Washington and over 50 nations.

Republicans and some Democrats have criticized the reluctance of the Biden administration to increase domestic oil production, which would reduce energy dependence on countries with poor human rights records.

Oil markets were also looking toward the meeting between Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey on Thursday, hoping that a resolution to the conflict might emerge. However, the talks have failed.
(L-R) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) talk with each other as they walk down the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 13, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Omnibus Legislation Funds Border Security for 8 Foreign Nations

The measure includes no new funding for US border security

Democrats $1.5 trillion omnibus legislation would provide funding for border security in eight foreign nationsmany of whom are U.S. adversarieswhile providing no new money for security along the U.S. border.

The omnibus measure allocates $370 million to enhanced border security measures in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Oman, of which $150 million alone is set to go toward border funding in Jordan. In addition, the legislation provides funding for border security measures in Libya, Nepal, and Pakistan, a longtime U.S. adversary.

As a compromise, Republican lawmakers retained about $2 billion in previously allocated border wall construction funds, but the omnibus measure contains no new funds for border security along the U.S. southern border.

Preston Huennekens, government relations manager at the nonpartisan Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), blasted the measure in a statement to The Epoch Times.

It is insulting to the American people that Democrats would rather secure the borders of countries such as Oman, Pakistan, and Libya while our own states on the border are overwhelmed with illegal immigration, Huennekens said. The omnibus package offered exactly zero dollars for the hiring of any additional border or immigration agents and also took steps to dismantle enforcement tools such as the 287(g) program.

The program referenced by Huennekens allows state and local law enforcement officials to aid the Department of Homeland Security to find and deport illegal aliens.

This shows that Democrats are simply out of touch with the American electorate, who overwhelmingly disapprove of President [Joe] Bidens handling of immigration, he said. Democrats ignore our raging border crisis at their own peril.

Since Biden took office, he has taken a far more laissez-faire approach to border security than former President Donald Trump.

Biden halted construction on Trumps border wall almost immediately after taking office, leaving construction materials that had already been paid for by the federal government sitting unused along the border. At the same time, he reduced the number of border security agents, leaving those agents who remain unable to stop the unprecedented inflow of illegal immigrants into the country.

He also overturned Trumps Stay in Mexico policy, which required that those seeking asylum in the United States remain in Mexico until their asylum applications were approved.

The United States already is facing unprecedented levels of illegal immigration along its southern border, which critics have blamed on the Biden administrations laissez-faire attitude toward enforcement of immigration law. Viral images and videos have circulated on the internet showing massive numbers of immigrants crossing into the country, often without a border patrol agent in sight.

Alarming reports have arisen from Americans living in border towns, which are facing the constant threat of criminal sex and drug traffickers crossing the border. Several interviewees living along the U.S.Mexico border say that theyre now unable to leave their homes without a firearm, and they dont let their children out of their sight while outside.

Border patrol agents say that theyre swamped, and theyve been unable to apprehend a large portion of illegal entrants to the country, leaving many border residents to fend for themselves.

Estimates of how many illegal aliens have entered the country since Biden took office vary, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection data show that about 2 million people illegally crossed the border in 2021, a nearly fourfold increase from illegal crossings a year earlier.

Worsening the situation, many illegal aliens who are apprehended by border security agents have since been released into the United States.

According to an October 2021 letter by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), in the JanuaryAugust period in 2021, roughly 500,000 illegal aliens were released into the United States after being detained by border security.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several other Republicans have placed the blame for the massive increase in illegal immigration on the policies of the Biden administration.

The cause of all of this is simple, Cruz said in an October 2021 press conference. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris refuse to enforce the law.

During that conference, Cruz and several Senate Republican colleagues called on Biden to return to the immigration policies of Trump by restarting construction on the border wall, ending the policy of catch and release, and reinstituting the Remain in Mexico policy.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department; Yorba Linda, begin the use of body cameras on Oct. 4, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Designates Safe Zones to Pick Up Online Purchases

SANTA ANA, Calif.Orange County residents will soon have safe zones where they can meet in person to complete online sales in a surveilled area.

The safe zones program, introduced by Supervisor Don Wagner, was approved by the County Board of Supervisors on March 8.

The program will dedicate portions of the parking lots at Orange County Sheriffs Department substations to the zones where people can meet from online websites, such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, to safely exchange goods.

Sites will be well-lit and under 24-hour surveillance cameras to help reduce the chance of robbery or other dangers during the exchange.

Nearby police presence is also thought to deter bad actors, though zones will not actually have any physical deputies overseeing the transactions.

We are seeing an increase in e-commerce sales and an increase in violence or theft when the parties meet up to complete the transaction. We want to bring more peace of mind for any potentially troubling in-person interactions, Wagner said during a March 8 board meeting.

Supervisors also touted using the zones for potentially contentious child custody exchanges, where separated parents can safely hand off their children to minimize the concern of domestic violence.

It was unclear how many locations will be set up and how much it will cost. But Wagner said the cost would be diminutive, or small.

Other police departments have launched similar exchange zones, including Irvine and Buena Park.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States is above $4 as of March 9 as seen in states such as Ohio. (pixabay.com)

Pain at the Pump in Ohio as Gas Prices Keep Climbing

The price of gas keeps going up. How high it will go, nobody knows. But one thing is for sureit had been going up in price for the last several months, and now, the United States wont be purchasing barrels of oil for it from Russia.

On March 8, hours before President Joe Biden placed a ban on Russian oil imports because of its continued unprovoked attack on Ukraine, people were pulling up to the pumps in southwest Ohio to put in all they could in the tank before it goes up again and again. For most of them, it was the first time they had paid $4 a gallon for gas.

As gas prices started trending to more than $4 a gallon throughout Ohio on the evening of March 7for the first time since 2008motorists were becoming increasingly unhappy and preparing for cutbacks in their budgets.

Many are calling for Biden to open up the Keystone Pipeline and issue more permits on leases for oil to be found on public land so the United States could return to energy independence, but for the most part, they are disgusted.

Some also see the rising costs of gas as the current administrations push of the American worker to purchase electric vehicles.

Gas at a Speedway station in Brookville, Ohio near Dayton, was $4.09 a gallon for regular unleaded and $5.09 for premium on March 7, 2022. (Michael Sakal/The Epoch Times)

The average price for a gallon of gas in the United States is now $4.17, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), but experts are predicting that it could reach $7-plus a gallon in the near future. Gas in California ranges from $6.95 a gallon for regular unleaded and as much as $7.55 for premium grade. Premium-grade gas in Ohio is at $5.09 a gallon in most places.

On March 1, a gallon of gas at a Speedway station in the west Cleveland suburb of Lakewood was $3.59. The next day, it was $3.69 a gallon, and the day after that it was $3.79.

On March 3, gas cost $3.81 a gallon at a Speedway in the northwest Ohio college town of Bowling Green and a little later that evening, it was $3.84 there.

Gas prices in Southwest Ohio near Cincinnati started experiencing more than $4 a gallon the week of March 1.

With the rising cost of gas, Kelly Lundvist says she will need to cut back on everything else. (Photo courtesy Kelly Lundqvist)

When Kelly Lundqvist pulled up to a Speedway station in Vandalia, Ohio, north of Dayton on March 7 and saw the $4.09 a gallon price for regular unleaded, she said her heart sank.

I was quite surprised, and frankly, quite sad, Lundqvist told The Epoch Times.

Lundqvist owns a home cleaning and downsizing business in Dayton and it requires her to drive a fair amount. She said she is starting to spend about $50 a week on gas.

Actually, seeing the price of gas keep going up made me sick to my stomach and nauseous, Lundqvist added. Ive had to cut back on everything.

We need to continue working on the Keystone Pipeline that our president took us off and put a stop on, Lundqvist added. We could drill for oil in the gulf just off of Texas or in Oklahoma where there is American soil and American oil.

For Craig Shephard, who lives in the Dayton area, he was putting 10 gallons of gas in his 2014 Honda Civic at a British Petroleum station in Brookville north of Dayton.

Shephard, who was not happy about paying $4.09 for a gallon of gas, told The Epoch Times that his Civic gets about 40 miles per gallon.

An AutoCAD technician, Shephard said he last paid $3.71 a gallon but is preparing to tighten his budget.

I think we can lay all of it at Bidens feet and what he did on his first day in office, Shephard said of the state of affairs in the United States. They [the left] were all giddy about their war on American energy. Less than three years ago, the United States was energy independent.

I wish the administration would issue more permits for leases, Shephard said referring to public land that could be investigated for oil.

They say there are 9,000 leases in the United States. This administration likes to limit permits when it comes to drilling for oil. Theyre very disingenuous when they say they are doing everything they can to get the price of oil down. I havent had to tighten my belt or cut anything from my budget, but I see that coming.

Teri Turner at a Speedway station in Brookville, Ohio on March 8, 2022. (Michael Sakal/The Epoch Times)

Less than a mile down the road, Teri Taylor who lives in Union, was putting $10 of gas in her Ford Taurus at one of two Speedway stations in town. She said it was the first time she paid more than $4 a gallon for gas.

Taylor said was just getting off work from her job in logistics at ODW, a distribution warehouse for childrens shoes.

We have to have it, Taylor, 62, said after she put gas in her car. Ive been looking at alternatives, but I dont know what Ill do, yet. 

She told The Epoch Times she just lives about 15 minutes from her place of work but is considering moving closer because of gas prices.

When I started driving [in the late 1970s], gas was 75 cents a gallon, Taylor said. When it went up to a $1 a gallon, I threw a fit. Now, I cant go anywhere. The world is a mess. I think Biden is dealing with what hes been given. I never did like Donald Trump.

Right now, Im making my own vanilla at home to make food with, Taylor added. Ive been making my own clothes, including the hat on my head. Ill be growing my own food and vegetables, too. Thatll be a good way to make sure chemicals arent in them. Ive cut back on food and clothes.

Jose Sanchez, a truck driver for Old Dominion Freight Line, is pictured on March 8 after filling up to go to Chicago. (Michael Sakal/The Epoch Times)

Jose Sanchez, a truck driver for Old Dominion Freight Line, fills up two gas tanks (155 gallons total) every day at the companys expense, but he drives a 130-mile round trip in his 2012 Honda Civic to pick up his truck five days a week before he drives a load to Chicago.

I used to fill up my car for $32and that wasnt that long ago but now it costs $51 to fill up, Sanchez told The Epoch Times.

Im not happy about it, but I hope gas becomes more affordable again. Sometimes, you have no choice but to deal with what you have, but there are other people out there struggling worse, he said.

I havent had to make any cutbacks, yet, Sanchez added, but I see that coming.

At the other Speedway in Brookville across from the BP station, Chad McCarty was about to leave in his Chevy Silverado pick-up truck.

He drives 28 miles to work each day and wasnt as much worried about driving a large vehicle, but hes an avid fisherman.

Im really worried about the fishing season, McCarty said of the rising gas cost. I have a boat that has a 30-gallon tank.

McCarty said he fishes every weekend in the summer but may have to cut back on that.

This isnt going to be good, he said.
A group of pastors pray with Ohio Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel at a "Faith and Freedom" rally in Mansfield, Ohio, in early March. (Courtesy of Josh Mandel)

Pastors Over Politicians Candidate Gains Support of 114 Ohio Clergy Members

At a town hall gathering in northeast Ohio, GOP U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel is surrounded by a group of pastors. Their hands rest on his shoulders and all heads are bowed in prayer.

The moment is a microcosm of the former Ohio State Treasurer and Ohio State Representatives unconventional campaign strategy to win the GOP primary, capture the general election, and replace retiring U.S. Sen. Rob Portman.

Since announcing his intention to run for Portmans seat last year, Mandel has centered his campaign on churches by hosting Faith & Freedom rallies across Ohio.

The mantra of our campaign is pastors over politicians, Mandel told The Epoch Times. Im more interested in earning the support and endorsements of pastors, Christian activists, and citizens who are Christians than getting approval from politicians.

Ohio GOP U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel is centering his campaign on events at churches across Ohio. (Courtesy of Josh Mandel)

The right to life, freedom, and traditional Biblical values are under assault from the secular left and the mainstream media. They have no respect for the sanctity of life or the Judeo-Christian bedrock on which America was founded, Mandel added.

We are motivating and inspiring pastors to get active in politics from the pulpit and engage in political discussion in their communities.

Last fall, Mandel gained an endorsement from Ohio Value Voters, a faith-based conservative organization.

In early March, a group of Ohio pastors released an open letter giving their support to the 44-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Based on a Biblical worldview, our strong conviction as 114 clergy throughout the State of Ohio, Josh Mandel will best serve as U.S. Senator representing Ohio for the upcoming May 3rd, 2022, primary election to advance the cause of faith, family, and freedom, the joint statement said.

The pastors are backing Mandel partly because of his support for the sanctity of life and the defunding of abortion providers, advocacy of biological gender and traditional marriage, advocacy of religious freedom, support of self-defense and local law enforcement, support for parental rights and resistance to divisive social justice, and support for election integrity, according to the letter.

Whether it is the culture war or the Constitutional crisis, we need men like Josh Mandel in the U.S. Senate who have an uncommon valor and who do not have a wishbone for a spine, said J.C. Church, the founder and lead pastor of Bucyrus, Ohio-based Victory in Truth Ministries.

Mandel is engaged in a close battle with Cleveland investment banker Mike Gibbons in the GOP Senate primary.

A Fox News poll conducted by Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research from March 2 to March 6, showed Gibbons with 22 percent support followed by Mandel (20 percent), venture capitalist and Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance (11 percent), former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken (9 percent), and State Sen. Matt Dolan (7 percent).

In late February, a poll conducted by The Hill/NBC4i/Emerson College placed Gibbons first with 22.4 percent followed by Mandel (14.9 percent), Vance (7.7 percent), Dolan (6.2 percent), and Timken (5.7 percent).

Mandel said that a focus on constitutional-conservative ideals and Judeo-Christian principles and values will propel him to a victory in the primary and general elections.

Evangelicals compose 29 percent of Ohios adult population, according to the Pew Research Center. Evangelicals also represent 39 percent of the Ohio GOP, which is almost double the percentage of Catholics and mainline Protestants (20 percent and 21 percent, respectively).

I believe the only way were going to save the country is by electing fighters and the only places in which were going to save the country are houses of worship, Mandel said.

This is Mandels third run for U.S. Senate. He lost to Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2012 and withdrew from the race in 2018 to care for his then-wife Illana Shafran. The couple divorced in 2020.

Mandel is the grandson of Holocaust survivors, which is the motivation behind his belief that the United States needs a Judeo-Christian revolution, he explained. His grandfather survived multiple concentration camps, and his grandmother was sheltered by Christian families.

From a very young age, it was instilled in me that I owe a debt of gratitude to men and women of faith, and specifically to courageous Christians, Mandel said.

Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel and pastor J.C . Church appear at a Faith and Freedom rally at Ascent Church in Westlake, Ohio, on March 9. (Courtesy of Josh Mandel)

During World War II, my Jewish grandmother Fernanda lived in Torino, Italy. During the Nazi invasion, her life was at risk. However, in Torino, there was a network of courageous Christians who bound together to hide and care for many Jewish children as they were being pursued by the Nazis.

These Christian families showed tremendous faith and courage, Mandel added. They knew if the Jewish children were found in their Christian homes, not only would the children be killed, but their Christian families would be killed as well.

Born in Cleveland, Mandel earned a bachelors degree from The Ohio State University in 2000 and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. The father of three served on the Lyndhurst City Council before serving two terms as a state representative and then state treasurer from 2011 to 2019.

Mandel served eight years in the Marine Reserves as an intelligence specialist and completed two tours in Iraq. During both tours, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for superior performance of his duties.

The war being waged on faith by the secular left is what inspired Mandel to seek Portmans seat.

At town halls and in media interviews, Mandel frequently says that, if elected, he will legislate with The Bible in one hand and the Constitution in the other.

Liberals, Mandel said, think that America is one nation under government while conservatives believe the country is one nation under God. Those principles are appealing to the endorsing pastors.

Joshs position in defending The Bible and the Constitution is admirable, said Daniel Wolvin, who is pastor of North Columbus Baptist Church.

His track record of fighting for religious freedom especially stands out. Our religious beliefs are different, and he has been consistent on fighting for beliefs to be different and be honored.

Wolvin is state director of Awake America Ohio, an organization designed to get pastors and churches involved to establish better relationships with legislators. He said he appreciates Mandels non-traditional campaign strategy of holding events in churches and courting Christians.

Freedom of Religion

Even before the American Revolution, preachers addressed political issues from the pulpits, Wolvin said. Much of the thirst for independence was created in the hearts and minds of people through freedom in scripture.

To illustrate Mandels commitment to speaking out about religious freedom, Wolvin referenced as an example of when Mandel was a freshman state legislator.

Mandel publicly opposed then Ohio Speaker of the House and current Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted after Husted instituted a rule banning chaplains from praying in the name of Jesus before sessions.

In America, we exercise freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Pastors should be free to give any prayer they choose, Mandel said, recalling the moment.

It was never the intent of our founders to prevent public displays of faith, nor to tell people of faith that their views and freedom are not welcome in the public square.

The 114 pastors also wrote that their endorsement of Mandel is based on his record as a state treasurer and state representative. Mandel is the only candidate who has won a statewide race, the clergy members pointed out. He prevailed in both state treasurer races by double-digit margins.

Mandel is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and the American First platform.

At the Faith and Freedom events, Mandel is outspoken against abortion, Critical Race Theory, and planned parenthood.

Mandel has said that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is a tyrant and his handling of COVID-19 was horrendous.

Also, he was a complete failure, and he trampled on our liberty and conservative values.

You Guys are the Enemy

Last summer, he tweeted a video of himself burning a face mask with the caption Freedom. He wont disclose if hes been vaccinated against COVID-19, insisting that is his right.

About vaccine passports, he tweeted, Weve seen this before. Nazi Germany also registered citizens. Our liberty is under attack.

He appeared at a West Geauga Local School Board meeting and told the audience that masks are a form of child abuse.

During an on-air interview late last year, Mandel told a Spectrum News reporter that mainstream media like yourself are the enemy. You guys have been pushing this fake news on COVID, fake news on impeachment, fake news on Jan. 6, and I really believe in my heart of hearts that you guys are the enemy. And you guys have created so many of the problems in this country.

He added that by and large, the mainstream media are not real journalists. They are left-wing activists masquerading as journalists.

Mandel is the only candidate in this race willing to say that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald J. Trump, he exclaims.

Other Republicans say it is time to move on. I feel we cannot move on until we fully investigate prosecute and convict all Democrats who cheated in the 2020 election and make sure it never happens again, Mandel said.

The cheating trampled on the rights of God-fearing, America-loving citizens.

Mandel believes the GOP is in a fight for the soul of the Republican Party and conservative movement.

Im going to Washington not to be civil, not to be bipartisan, but Im going there to fight for the Constitution, for traditional family values, and for the Trump, America-First agenda, Mandel said.

Whether that means fighting radical liberals like Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, or it means fighting squishy, establishment Republicans like Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney, Im going there to fight.
Pfizer Begins Study of COVID-19 Pill in High-Risk Children

Pfizer has started a study of its COVID-19 pill in children who have COVID-19 and are designated as being at high risk for experiencing severe symptoms.

The phase 2/phase 3 study has about 140 participants between the ages of 6 and 17.

One cohort will receive Pfizers pill, known as Paxlovid or nirmatrelvir, twice a day for five days. The other group will follow the same schedule, but receive a dosage equal to half as much.

Both cohorts will also take ritonavir, an antiviral drug.

Pfizer says the pill is needed because although children are less likely to require hospital care after contracting COVID-19, a number of kids have been hospitalized with COVID-19 during the pandemic.

There is a significant unmet need for outpatient treatments that can be taken by children and adolescents to help prevent progression to severe illness, including hospitalization or death, Mikael Dolsten, Pfizers chief scientific officer, said in a statement. We are proud to expand studies of our novel COVID-19 treatment to include pediatric participants to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of this treatment in this important population.

Paxlovid is authorized or approved for use in many countries, including the United States.

U.S. regulators cleared the pill in late 2021 for use by Americans 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds), who tested positive for COVID-19, and who are deemed at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19.

This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and promises to make antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the Food and Drug Administrations Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement at the time.

The authorization was based largely on a Pfizer-run study that showed the pill reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 percent if taken shortly after symptoms initially appear.

But regulators used modeling to try to determine if children should get the pill, because the study only included adults.

The safety and effectiveness of Paxlovid have not yet been directly established in pediatric patients, Pfizer said in a statement about the new study to test the pill in children.

Depending on what the study shows, the recommended dosage for children could be changed.

The United States has purchased approximately 10 million courses of Paxlovid, agreeing to pay more than $5 billion. The government also bought about 3 million courses of a similar pill from Merck for about $2.2 billion.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Ghislaine Maxwell sits as the jurors are sworn in at the start of her trial on charges of sex trafficking, in a courtroom sketch in New York on Nov. 29, 2021. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

Questioning Potential Jurors Undermines the Very Basis of the Jury System

Commentary

The attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell are pressing for a retrial on the grounds that one of the jurors failed to reveal before jury selection that he had been sexually abused as a child by his step-brother and a friend.

Of course, he should have answered the question truthfully; the problem is that he should never have been asked it in the first place, for to ask such questions is to undermine the very basis of the jury system.

That system supposes that the average citizen, chosen at random, is capable of judging the guilt or innocence of an accused solely on the basis of the evidence presented in court. To do so is the purest example of attempted cognitive rationality. Indeed, the judge tells the jury that theyre to consider only what they see and hear in court; that theyre to put all other information, rumor, or prejudice from their minds. If it werent possible for them to do so, then the whole system would fall to the ground.

My experience as a witness in murder trials in England suggests to me that most people are capablewhen its demanded of themof judging solely on the evidence put before them. As with any system that involves human beings, there must be exceptions and failures: Perfection isnt to be expected. But in none of the trials in which I was involved did the jury come to a perverse verdict that flew in the face of the evidence put before them. Relevant evidence may sometimes have been missing or withheld from them, affecting their verdict, but that wasnt the fault of the jury.

In some ways, the fact that the jury usually got it right or wasnt perverseeven where I disagreed with their verdictsurprised me. In the old days, before my time as a witness, juries were mainly composed of respectable and educated citizens who, aware of the solemnity of the occasion, dressed smartly and seriously. By the time I worked as a witness, juries were composed of those who couldnt claim an excuse to not perform jury duty, that is to say, the more highly educated members of the community, and used to turn up as if just popping out for some milk on a Sunday morning after a Saturday-night debauch: the men unshaven, the women in flannel tracksuits, and so forth.

Some of them looked frankly dim-witted. How could they possibly follow the arcane points that were being argued before them, I thought. (In fact, the judges were always highly skilled at reducing complex questions to their essentials, it requiring greatly more intellect to make the obscure clear than the clear obscure.) Some of the jurors looked bored, even annoyed at having been called. And yet, in the end, the jurys verdict was always reasonable.

To inquire deeply into the background of potential jurors is implicitly an insult to the capacity of the general population, for it suggests that its not mentally or emotionally capable of attending to evidence more than to its prejudices. Moreover, the intention is to procure a jury thats more likely to be favorable to one side or the other, the defense or the prosecution. This is quite wrong.

Lets suppose that my house has been recently burgled. It may be presumed that Im not very favorably disposed to burglars as a class. But when Im on a jury thats called upon to give a verdict on the case of an alleged burglar, Im asked to judge not the class of burglars in general, but this man in particular. It would be a grave insult to me to suggest that I neither could nor would make the distinction.

In like fashion, is a man who was abused in childhood really supposed to be incapable of judging many years later whether Ghislaine Maxwell was guilty of what she was accused of? This is to assume a psychological fragility and cognitive incompetence that, if they become widely accepted as the norm, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in the culture at large. If you assume everyone is made of eggshells, everyone will soon behave as if they were made of eggshells. Psychological resilience or toughness derives not only from individual temperament, but also from cultural expectations.

How many characteristics must a juror share or not share with an accused person before he can render a true judgment according to the evidence before him?

Against this, it might be argued that, in practice, if juries in the United States werent carefully sifted, they would simply find verdicts in accordance with their various prejudices. But this is self-contradictory, for juries are sifted according to the prejudices either the prosecution or the defense assumes them to have. By the very act of questioning them closely, apart from whether they have any personal connection to the accused, its assumed that theyre incapable of acting as a citizen, but only as a citizen simpliciter.

If it were really true that citizens were incapable of disregarding their prejudices and attending only to the evidence put before them and that this was an ineluctable social and psychological law, it would be an argument for abandoning the jury system altogether, for the idea of 12 good jurors would be an impossible dream.

This is a very pessimistic view of human potential, above all in the United States. Are its people really so ideologized in their minds that they cant be relied upon to be dispassionate for the duration of a trial? And if so, what does it tell us about the future of the country? Among other things, it implies that people have no faith either in the laws that have been made and as they stand or in the way that theyve been made and that, in effect, their own opinions are law for them.

Im still optimistic enough to believe that people are capable of putting aside their prejudices and preconceptions if its asked or required of them. However, it doesnt come naturally for them to do so, and if its not asked or required of them, they wont do it. Since habit becomes character, soon they wont be able to do it.

The juror in the Maxwell trial was wrong to answer untruthfully (or carelessly, as he claims). But in my childhood, I was always told that if I asked a silly question, I would get a silly answer. Likewise, if you ask a bad question, you must expect bad replies.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ukrainian refugees walk into Poland through the Medyka border crossing on March 10, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Refugees From Hard-Hit Areas in Eastern Ukraine Arrive in Poland, Describe Anguish of Fleeing

MEDYKA, PolandAnna Gorpenich and her two children left the war-struck city of Sumy in Eastern Ukraine when the first safe-evacuation corridor arranged with Russia was opened.

Forty hours later, on the afternoon of March 10, the family arrived alongside thousands of Ukrainians streaming into Poland at the border crossing in Medyka.

Sumy is one of several cities on the frontier of the Russian invasion in Eastern Ukraine. Russian tanks rolled through the streets of Sumy on Feb. 24, the first day of the war in Ukraine. The surrounding areas have seen ongoing fighting since.

Gorpenich said the situation in Trostyanets and Okhtyrka, two smaller cities south of Sumy, is particularly dire. The residents dont have heat, water, or electricity.

They have nothing. Today, they were supposed to open a safety corridor, and the people, including our friends with two children, they were supposed to be able to evacuate, but Russia didnt let the people go, Gorpenich told The Epoch Times.

Its horrible. There is nothing left there. Nothing, she said, before breaking into tears and hugging her 10-year-old daughter. Somebody has got to put a stop to it. They dont bomb infrastructure, they drop huge bombs on peoples houses.

Gorpenich plans to live with her mother in Poland until she decides what to do.

Im 32 years old, and I fit all my 32 years in three backpacks, she said. I dont even have words to describe what is happening.

The area beyond the Polish passport control building was crowded with volunteers on March 10, some from as far as the United States and England. They offered the arriving refugees hot food, clothing, personal care items, SIM cards, and directions for transportation further west into Poland.

Polish soldiers helped to carry heavy bags for women and children as they made their way to shuttle buses. Volunteers waded through the crowd with trays of hot chocolate and crates of apples.

I feel more calm now. We crossed the border, and there are no more bombs, said Lyubov Romanova, who fled Kharkiv, another city on the front line of the invasion, told The Epoch Times.

Were coming from Kharkiv. Were fleeing from bombs. Bombs hit three floors of our 16-floor building. We have no lights, no water, no life.

Lena Yegorova and her 13-year-old daughter Polina also left Kharkiv. After five days of traveling by car, Polina said it felt great to finally cross into Poland. Her mother was in a more somber mood.

I feel heavy. I want to be home. Were on foreign land, after all, Yegorova told The Epoch Times.

Two million Ukrainians have left their country to flee the war as of March 8, according to U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

Some stay in the countries in which they arrive. Others travel further. Yegorova intends to join her eldest daughter in Spain. A family from Kharkiv who traveled with her are destined for Italy.

Others just want to return home.

Well wait for the war to be over so we can go back home, said Olena Sayenko, who traveled with her daughter, Kristina, from Cherkasy in central Ukraine.

We feel safe now, there is not as much fear in general.

They gave us food and drink here, and now were ready to go.

Two of the men in her family have joined the military. One is on active duty.
FBI Whistleblower Raises Questions About Pipe Bombs Set Near DNC, RNC Headquarters: Lawmaker

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) says that he has requested a briefing with the FBI after a whistleblower allegedly disclosed information regarding the bureaus investigation into pipe bombs planted near the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington on the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Jordan, the ranking Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on March 9 after a senior FBI special agent came forward with information regarding an unusual request from the FBIs Washington Field Office.

According to the special agent, on February 7, 2022over a year after the placement of the bombsthe FBIs Washington Field Office asked FBI field offices to canvass all confidential human sources nationwide for information about the individual and the crime, Jordan wrote in the letter. In part, the message asked that the canvass include sources reporting on all [types of] threats because the suspects motive and ideology remain unknown.'

Jordan said the special agent had described the request as unusual because it was transmitted more than a year after the FBI had begun the investigation, and it raises questions about the progress and extent of the FBIs investigation.

The FBI began investigating the incident after an unknown individual dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and a mask placed two pipe bombs in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington on Jan. 5, 2021.

An unknown individual placed two pipe bombs in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington on Jan. 5, 2021. (FBI)

Both the FBI and other law enforcement entities say one bomb was placed in an alley behind the Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters, located at 310 First Street Southeast. The other was left near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), located at 430 South Capitol Street Southeast #3.

Some of the components in the bombs included one- by eight-inch threaded galvanized pipes, a kitchen timer, and homemade black powder, according to officials. While both of the bomb threats were neutralized by authorities, the devices triggered the evacuation of the U.S. Capitol and nearby buildings when they were found on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, officials said.

In his letter to Wray, Jordan said that in addition to the disclosure from the whistleblower, the House Judiciary Committee had learned that the FBI had failed to sufficiently answer questions posed by Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) in September 2021.

Those questions regarded the status of the FBIs investigation. Posey also requested a briefing on the matter, and he cited concerns for his offices safety, as well as the safety of the residences of many Members of Congress and for the public at large.

The FBI, however, has not fully responded to Rep. Poseys request, explaining that it was exclusively providing information to the partisan Democrat-led Select Committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021, the letter reads.

Jordan said the FBIs decision to provide information on a partisan basis further erodes public confidence in the FBIs senior leadership. He requested that the FBI briefing take place as soon as possible, but no later than March 23.

The FBI declined to comment when contacted by The Epoch Times.

The FBI has offered members of the public a reward of $100,000 if information they provide leads to the identification of the person responsible for planting the bombs.

Identifying the perpetrator of this attempted attack remains a priority for the FBIs Washington Field Office and our partners at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Capitol Police; and D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the bureau said in a September 2021 statement.
A person is carried out after the destruction of Mariupol children's hospital as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022 in this still image from a handout video obtained by Reuters. (Ukraine Military/Handout via Reuters)

Russia Disputes Reports of Bombing at Maternity Hospital in Mariupol, Calling It Fake News

Accuses 'Ukrainian radicals' of having set up combat positions in the hospital

Russia asserted Thursday that the claim from Ukraine that Moscow forces were responsible for the bombing of a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol was fake news.

Thats how fake news is born, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russias first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Twitter.

He said that Russia had said in a statement on March 7 that the hospital in Mariupol has been turned into a military object from which Ukrainian radicals were firing.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia shared Polyanskiys statement on its Twitter page.

The March 7 statement was delivered by Russian Representative Vassily Nebenzia at the U.N. Security Council.

Ukrainian radicals show their true face more distinctly by the day, Nebenzia said. Locals reports [sic] that Ukraines Armed Forces kicked out personnel of natal hospital #1 of the city of Mariupol and set up a firing site within the facility.

Russia has also previously denied targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure as part of its campaign in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials claimed that Russian aircraft bombed the childrens hospital on Wednesday, after which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of carrying out genocide.

Cars and a building of a hospital destroyed by an aviation strike amid Russias invasion of Ukraine, in Mariupol, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on March 9, 2022. (Press service of the National Police of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)

Mariupol. Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage, Zelensky wrote on Twitter. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror?

After the strike, the Mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boichenko, called for a no-fly zone to be imposed over Ukraine.

Today I am asking the global community for help. Close the sky over Ukraine. Our will has not been broken, we will fight to the end, Boichenko said in a video message posted to Telegram. We have motivated soldiers and officers who defend our homeland. But today we need support.

Ukrainian authorities said at least 17 people were injured in the attack. Police in Ukraine later released footage showing the damage at the site.

Hours before the hospital was hit, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that in Mariupol, the Ukrainian national battalions, having expelled the staff and patients from the maternity hospital, equipped combat positions in it.

The claim that Russia attacked the hospital could not be independently verified by The Epoch Times. Russias claims that Ukrainian forces took over the hospital also cannot be independently verified.

The U.S. Department of State announced Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, discussed on a call about coordinated efforts to provide additional security assistance and humanitarian support to Ukraine in the face of Russias unprovoked and premeditated invasion and, in particular, its unconscionable attacks harming population centers.

Blinken reiterated the United States steadfast support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to the statement.

Jack Phillips and Isabel van Brugen contributed to this report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, on March 3, 2022. (Sputnik/Andrey Gorshkov/Kremlin via Reuters)

Russia Removes Protections for Patent Holders From Unfriendly Countries: Reports

Russia has issued a decree effectively removing protections for patent holders who are registered in countries that are hostile to Moscow.

The decree, issued this week, also states that Russia can remove such protections for patent holders who do business or hold the nationality of those countries it deems as unfriendly according to The Washington Post.

Such countries include all the 27 EU member countries plus Monaco, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and San Marino, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, and more, and the decree was adopted by Russia on Saturday, EURACTIV reported.

The decree is titled, On Amendments to Clause 2 of the Methodology for Determining the Amount of Compensation Paid to a Patent Owner When Deciding to Use an Invention, Utility Model or Industrial Design without His Consent, and the Procedure for Its Payment and was published on March 6.

It effectively means that Russian entities could not be sued for damages if they were to use certain patents, even without permission to do so.

A patent grants exclusive rights for an invention, meaning that it cannot be commercially produced, used, distributed, imported, or sold by anyone else without consent to do so from the patent owner.

Josh Gerben, an intellectual property lawyer in Washington, told The Washington Post that the decree could have an impact on Western investment in Russia, while a similar decree on trademarks could allow Russian companies to exploit American brand names that have pulled the plug on their business operations in the country in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin has thus far not issued any such decree lifting protections on trademarks, but Russias Ministry of Economic Development said last week that authorities are considering removing restrictions on the use of intellectual property contained in certain goods whose supply to Russia is restricted, Tass reported.

This will smooth out the impact on the market of breaks in supply chains, as well as the shortage of goods and services that arose due to new sanctions by Western countries, the ministry said.

The measure will allow, on the one hand, to organize the production and use of technologies that were presented in products that were deprived of Western companies our citizens, on the other hand, the measure legalizes the import of such products from third countries, the ministry said, according to Tass.

A document (pdf) issued by the ministry earlier this month outlines a proposed law that would introduce a compulsory licensing mechanism for computer programs and databases.

Distribute article 1360 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation on the granting by the Government of the Russian Federation of permission to use the rights to an invention, utility model, industrial design in relation to computer programs, databases, topologies of integrated circuits, it reads.

The Epoch Times has contacted Russias Ministry of Economic Development for comment.

Its just another example of how [Putin] has forever changed the relationship that Russia will have with the world, Gerben said.

The decree comes as dozens of countries across the United States and the rest of the world move to cut ties with Russia and suspend business operations in the country, while Western officials have levied heavy sanctions on Russias imports and exports as well as its finances.

On Wednesday Coca-Cola and PepsiCo became the latest big-name brands to pull the plug on business operations in the country.
Soldiers from the French army search for the presence of Improvised Explosive Devices during the Burkhane Operation in northern Burkina Faso on Nov. 12, 2019. (Michelle Cattani/ AFP/Getty Image)

Russia Steps in to Replace French Military Muscle in Mali

As Russias war machine massed on Ukraines borders in December, for months it had been expanding its military footprint in the Saharan nation of Mali.

Moscow has quietly positioned itself to replace France as the provider of security technology and weapons, amid Frances move to pull out of a nine-year military campaign in the Sahel.

In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, a top security expert in the West African state said Russia has already answered the call to come to Malis aid.

The heads of the country are men who have a close relationship with Russia, Dr. Mady Ibrahim Kante, lecturer-researcher at the War School of Bamako in Mali, said in a late-January email.

Dr. Mady Ibrahim Kante, lecturer-researcher at the War School of Bamako in Mali. (Courtesy of Dr. Mady Ibrahim Kante)

With the final phase of the withdrawal of French troops the transitional authorities have decided to commit to replacing the French military bases with Malian troops with Russian support.

Russia could take advantage of the French position, of the political and security situation to advance its pawns in Bamako, as it did in the Central African Republic with success.

We can see on the ground in Mali, a geostrategic competition between Russia and Francethe Russian military who want to replace the French troops of [Operation] Barkhane; Russian trainers instead of those of the West.

The space left by closing the Barkhane operation will be filled by Russian mercenaries and military advisors, according to David Otto, director of counterterrorism for the Geneva Centre of African Security and Strategic Studies.

Russia is focused on regaining some of its sphere of influence lost after the collapse of the Soviet Unionas the West is going after Russian former colonies like UkraineRussia is doing the same in Africa and the Sahel, Otto told The Epoch Times in late-January.

Russia is securing a balance of power in Africa to pay back in the same coin as the Ukraine saga.

David Otto, director of counterterrorism for the Geneva Centre of African Security and Strategic Studies. (Courtesy of David Otto)

The end of a counter-insurgency operation like Barkhane will be celebrated by insurgency groups in the region, including the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Otto said.

In this case, it will be challenging for any other actor like Russia to fill the vacuum left by France, more so in a situation where France is accused by the host Mali of supporting jihadists. Its a win for ISWAP and AQIM. It shows a contrary position of lack of global collaboration against global terrorism.

An Islamist insurgency erupted in 2013 in northern Mali and quickly spread to other parts of the Sahel, a vast and dry stretch of land between the Sahara Desert and the savannah further south.

At the request of the Malian authority of the time (Dioncounda Traore) Frances military intervened through its Operation Serval, later replaced by Operation Barkhane. The latter involved 5,100 French troops working with local forces from the members of the Group of Five for the Sahel: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad.

But on Feb. 17, France and allied nations announced that they were withdrawing troops from Mali due to a breakdown in relations with the ruling junta. The withdrawal applies to both 2,400 French troops in Mali and a smaller European force of several hundred that was set up in 2020 to lessen the burden on French forces.

Victory against terror is not possible if its not supported by the state itself, Frances President Emmanuel Macron told a press conference alongside European Union and African Union officials.

Since the Aug. 18, 2020, coup in Mali, the military junta no longer speaks the same language as French leaders, who had accompanied the Malian State since the 2013 transition, Mady told The Epoch Times.

On May 24, 2021, Colonel Assimi Goita decided to overthrow the transitional president Bah NDaou and his prime minister Moctar Ouane, who were considered the guardians of French interests in Mali.

From that point on, there was heated rhetoric between French and transitional leaders about Frances decision to withdraw its troops from Mali and reconfigure its intervention in the Sahel, effectively pushing Malis transitional authorities to request Russian support and assistance militarily as well as economic development, he said.

The conflict in the northern and central regions of Mali has forced 370,000 people from their homes and compounded existing problems of food insecurity, rural poverty, and deadly community tensions.

French forces have killed thousands of fighters and some terrorist leaders, sowing disorder among their ranks and restricting and even pushing back the Islamist presence.

But terrorists counterattacked, too.

Jihadist attacks in the region increased during Operation Barkhanerising from 456 in 2014 to 6,276 in 2020, according to data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).

Since 2013, At least 50 French soldiers have died in the Sahel, raising concerns at home about the conflicts costs.

Since the beginning of the Malian crisis in 2012, Paris, Washington, and many other partners helped Malis terror fight, said Mady.

Despite these efforts, the countrys security situation is going from bad to worse, with insecurity prevailing throughout much of the country, he says.

The United States with its Africom at Malis side has decided to align itself behind France, for the withdrawal of troops from certain sensitive areas of Mali, freeing the local populations from the terrorists, thus saying to the Malian military you can handle yourselves, dont count on us anymore.

But France will stay engaged in the Sahel region, even if it pulls out of Mali, Mady said.

France has imposed the idea of G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) to regain its place in its former colonies, said Mady.

We have noticed the strong existence of France in almost all the actions of the G5 Sahel, by its strength and financial support.

With its installation in the Sahel, by finding trusted allies to guarantee its permanent presence, France could decisively withdraw from Mali, [while still] staying with Malis neighbors, Mady added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with flight personnel, students, and employees of the Aeroflot Aviation School on the suburbs of Moscow, Russia, on March 5, 2022. (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via Reuters)

Russia Threatens to Nationalize Foreign-Owned Factories Shut Down During Ukraine Crisis

A legislative commission led by the ruling party in Russia approved measures on March 8 that would pave the way for the nationalization of property of Western companies now exiting the country in protest of the military attacks on Ukraine.

United Russia, the dominant political party in the Russian parliaments lower house, the State Duma, said that the measures seek to prevent bankruptcies and preserve jobs at organizations that are more than 25 percent foreign owned by entities of unfriendly governments.

The commissions role includes the review of laws that the government intends to propose to the State Duma.

The motion was proposed after a senior member of United Russia, Andrei Turchak, secretary of the partys general council, proposed the nationalization of foreign-owned businesses and factories in retaliation to Western sanctions.

United Russia proposes nationalizing production plants of the companies that announce their exit and the closure of production in Russia during the special operation in Ukraine, wrote Turchak in a statement published on the partys website.

We will take tough retaliatory measures, acting in accordance with the laws of war, said Turchak, who views the sanctions as a form of economic terrorism against the citizens of Russia.

This is an extreme measure, but we will not tolerate being stabbed in the back, and we will protect our people.

This is a real war, not against Russia as a whole, but against our citizens, he said.

United Russia, which is headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been pushing for the Russian government to take control of the operations of the dozens of Western companies that have suspended their services in the country.

The new measures include a provision that will enable members of the board of directors at those targeted organizations, or alternatively, the Russian federal tax service, to appoint external managers to keep operations running.

Foreign owners will still be able to object to the appointment of external management within five days if they agree to resume operations, or sell their interests in the designated companies.

If the owners fail to meet those requirements, a Russian court will appoint external management and shares of the organization will be put up for sale.

The new domestic buyers will have to retain at least two-thirds of the workforce.

Nestle, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Philip Morris, and Imperial Brands on March 8, joined the list of multinationals fleeing Russia, as pressure mounts from consumer activists in the West to take a stand against the invasion of Ukraine.

Procter & Gamble and Unilever had already paused their investments in Russia, while McDonalds just halted its operations at its 847 restaurants in Russia after threats of boycotts from local governments in the United States and social media attacks.

Ford, Adidas, and Nike have also announced temporary shutdowns of stores and factories in Russia in solidarity with Ukraine and supply chains face disruption due to the conflict.

The Western-imposed sanctions have targeted Russian-owned banks and oligarchs, and have discouraged foreign investment in the nation.

The European Commission is said to be preparing new sanctions against additional Russian oligarchs and politicians and three Belarusian banks.

On March 8, the White House announced that the United States will begin banning Russian oil imports in addition to its other sanctions.

Analysts have said that the economic conflict and the Ukraine invasion will likely lead to soaring energy, food, and commodity prices, as well as shortages of critical strategic materials at a time when the world economy is recovering from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

In addition to fossil fuels, Russia is also one of the biggest suppliers for ingredients used to make agricultural fertilizer, such as potash.

Meanwhile, Norway-based Yara, one of the worlds top fertilizer makers, said on March 9 that it would slash its ammonia and urea output in Italy and France due to surging gas prices, impacting fertilizer supplies for Europe.

Russia is also a large supplier of metals like mercury, which are used in computer chips.

But although the war in Ukraine has inflated the value of commodities which Russia normally exports, the sanctions have so far largely barred Moscow from taking advantage of the high prices.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Russian Invasion of Ukraine Erodes Taiwans Chip Shield

News Analysis

One theory on why the Chinese regime has not invaded Taiwan is that an invasion would interrupt the flow of microchips that are necessary for nearly all forms of technology, including weapons.

Now, the war in Ukraine may disrupt the supply of necessary inputs of microchips, eroding Taiwans chip shield.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the worlds largest maker of microchips, the brains that enable much of our modern technology. Microchips are a $1 trillion dollar per year industry, but when the value of products made with microchips is considered, the number increases exponentially.

On the one hand, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may want to invade Taiwan in order to gain control of the valuable chips. On the other hand, the CCP may be dissuaded from invading over fears that an invasion could disrupt future supply.

The loss of Taiwanese chips would cost electronics firms and auto manufacturers hundreds of billions of dollars and would set back, by many years, Chinas ambitions of modernizing its military to compete with the United States. Yet another possibility is that the chips will act as an enticement for the world to defend Taiwan, if China invades.

An issue for the United States is that the U.S. military is also dependent on Taiwanese chips. If the chip factories are taken over by the CCP, then the United States would lose access to them. This would hamper the U.S. ability to go to war, increasing Chinas chances of winning.

A recent simulation prepared by a U.S. think tank determined that controlling chipmakers would be so crucial to success in combat, that a dispute over access to chips could be a catalyst for war. The Biden administration has been advised that the best insurance for maintaining national defense capabilities is to geographically diversify Taiwanese chipmakers. Consequently, several bills have been introduced in Congress to approve funding for an increase in U.S.-based chip manufacture.

As the chips are crucial to both sides, Beijing and Washington have been supporting Taiwanese investment in factories in each country. TSMC is increasing its investment in an Arizona location, while U.S. chipmaker Entegris has doubled its Taiwan investment. In total, over the next four years, domestic and international investors are planning $108 billion of investments in Taiwans chip industry.

A chip by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is seen at the 2020 World Semiconductor Conference in Nanjing, in Chinas eastern Jiangsu Province, on Aug. 26, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

At the same time, TSMC is expanding its investment in China. Its factory in Nanjing will only make chips for the auto industry. Taiwan will not be risking its best technology in China, however, as the factory will be building chips that are already several generations old.

So far, universal dependence on chips may have been one of the factors preventing a war for Taiwan. Now, however, the war in Ukraine may be nullifying Taiwans safety net. Some critical inputs for chips, palladium, neon, and C4F6 may be threatened by the war. Palladium is necessary for the manufacture of sensors and emerging memory technology. C4F6 is required for advanced node logic device etching, as well as advanced lithography processes that are used in chip production. Neon, a major export of Ukraine, is required for lasers and for lithography. When Russia invaded in 2014, the price of neon increased by 600 percent.

In retaliation for Western sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he is planning to prohibit commodity exports. The details of the ban have yet to be released, but they could further disrupt foreign chip manufacture.

Russia is the worlds largest source of palladium, producing over 45 percent of the global total. Russia is also a key exporter of the rare-earth metal scandium. Several gases necessary for the manufacture of chips are byproducts of Russian steel production, which are then exported to and refined in Ukraine. Regardless of which elements are covered in Putins new export ban, this cooperation will most likely cease.

Experts in Taiwan say that TSMC may continue to obtain raw materials, in spite of the conflict, but smaller companies will not be able to. The Taiwanese cabinet released a statement that was more optimistic than the prognosis put forth by many political analysts.

According to a cabinet spokesman, Taiwanese chipmakers use only small amounts of palladium, and the palladium they use is not sourced from Russia or Ukraine. He went on to say that Taiwanese manufacturers have the ability to refine and remanufacture palladium.

Domestic chipmakers also maintain local supplies of C4F6, which can mitigate the impact of a supply chain disruption. Additionally, the cabinet spokesperson explained that Taiwan reserves 145 days worth of energy supplies, so the factories should be able to maintain operations, regardless of what happens.

It seems that even the most optimistic take on the war claims that Taiwan has workarounds and temporary measures at its disposal to keep the chips coming. It remains to be seen how this plays out in the next few months.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yesterday, Florida followed Norway by not recommending the Covid vaccine for children. The CDC recommends them.

What does the data say? As public health scientists, we must be honest both with what we know and what we do not know.

The emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine for children was based on two randomized clinical trials for ages 5-11 and 12-15, respectively, with a total of 4,528 subjects. In both trials, there was a reduction in mild Covid infections during the two months following the second dose, with the vaccine efficacy in the 68% and 98% range for the younger children and somewhere between 75% and 100% for the 12-15-year-olds (95% confidence intervals).

What these numbers mean is that if the true value is, e.g., 90%, and if 100 children would have been infected without vaccination, then 90 of them will avoid the infection if vaccinated, while 10 children will still get infected despite being vaccinated.

A vaccine that only prevents mild disease is of little use, so what about serious disease, hospitalizations and deaths? There were zero such events among those who received the vaccine. There were also zero such events among those who received a placebo.

Hence, from the randomized trials we do not know if the Covid vaccines prevent hospitalizations and death among children. Neither do they tell us whether the protection against mild infection lasts longer than two months, or whether the vaccine reduces transmission.

With limited information from the randomized trials, we must turn to observational studies and we now have one. In New York State, 23% of children ages 5-11 and 62% of children ages 12-17 had been fully vaccinated by the end of January 2022. These 1.2 million vaccinated children were studied from November 29 to January 30, comparing them to the unvaccinated children in the State. Here is what we learned from that study, with all risk estimates based on 95% confidence intervals.

The New York study confirms the results from the randomized trials. The vaccine reduces short-term infection risk. During the first two weeks after the second dose vaccine efficacy against infection is in the 62%-68% range for 511-year-olds and in the 71%-81% range for 1217-year-old children. The protection against infection wanes rapidly. In the fifth week after vaccination, the vaccine efficacy against infection is in the 8%-16% range for 5-11-year-old children and in the 48%-63% range for the older ones. In the seventh week after vaccination, vaccine efficacy dropped further, to the 18%-65% range for the 12-17-year-olds. This is consistent with the rapid waning in protection that we have seen among adults, although the decline seems more rapid for children. For the 5-11-year-olds, vaccine efficacy is negative during the seventh week after the second dose, with the unvaccinated having a lower risk of infection in the 29% -56% range. How can this be? A likely explanation is that the unvaccinated children got infected earlier than the vaccinated ones, and once the protection has worn off, the vaccinated children are at higher risk than the unvaccinated ones who have now acquired natural immunity. That is, the vaccine simply postponed infections by a few weeks or months. How about deaths from Covid? That is what really matters. Unfortunately, the New York study does not present mortality data. Why? Over the two years of the pandemic, the survival rate for New Yorkers ages 0-19 is 99.999%. Despite over 3 million children, there may not have been enough Covid deaths during the two-month study period to determine vaccine efficacy against mortality. It would still have been useful to tally the numbers, but the study authors did not do so. For hospitalization, the study reports that vaccine efficacy is higher than for infection, and while that protection also wanes over time, the decline is slower than for infections. The numbers reported mean that by vaccinating 365,502 children ages 5-11, an estimated 90 hospitalizations were prevented. This would mean that in order to prevent one hospitalization, one must vaccinate 4,047 children. The corresponding number is 1,235 for children ages 12-17.These numbers are difficult to properly interpret for four reasons. (i) They are based on a two-month period, and the vaccines have additional benefits outside that time window. (ii) They compare vaccinated children with unvaccinated children with or without natural immunity from prior Covid infection. This will underestimate the vaccine benefits for children without a prior infection while overestimating the benefits for those with natural immunity. (iii) They include both hospitalizations that are due to Covid and hospitalizations for other causes with a concurrent unrelated mild Covid infection. Even if the vaccine had zero efficacy at preventing hospitalization due to Covid, the efficacy against mild Covid infection would ensure that the study reported good efficacy against hospitalization. That the reported vaccine efficacy is higher for hospitalization than for infections indicates that there is at least some efficacy for the former, but it is impossible to properly estimate the level of efficacy without data that distinguishes hospitalizations due to and with Covid. (iv) The study was conducted during a large wave of infections, which has since declined. The benefits are less during the lower transmission period that we have now entered.

When deciding whether to vaccinate a child, we must also consider known and potential adverse reactions. From the CDCs Vaccine Safety Datalink we know that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can cause myocarditis among adolescents and young adults. Current risk estimates are in the range of one myocarditis for every 3,000 or 8,000 vaccinated adolescents and young men. Women have lower risk. There may also be additional still unknown adverse reactions.

The Covid vaccine has been widely used for children without solid information about its efficacy on hospitalizations and deaths, and without the ability to conduct a proper benefit-risk evaluation. The recent observational study from New York State adds a few important pieces to the puzzle, but we still do not know whether the benefits outweigh the risks.

For older people who have not yet had Covid it makes sense to get vaccinated. While there may be unknown low-risk adverse reactions, the large reduction in mortality risk far outweighs any such risks. For children, the mortality risk is very small and the known and any still unknown risks from adverse reactions may outweigh the benefits at reducing hospitalizations and death from Covid, which are unfortunately still unknown.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during the Indo-Pacific forum on religious freedom in Taipei on March 11, 2019. (Chris Stowers/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan Looks to Be Full Member of US Indo-Pacific Economic Framework

A senior Taiwanese minister said the self-ruled island is looking to be a full member of a U.S.-led economic framework in the Indo-Pacific region, given that Taipei is a safe and reliable partner and a key part of the global supply chain.

Taiwan is very willing to support the U.S. Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, Chief Trade Negotiator John Deng said on March 9, as he addressed a virtual webinar on Taiwans role in global supply chains, hosted by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think-tank.

On Feb. 11, the White House released the 18-page Indo-Pacific Strategy white paper (pdf) as the United States aims to push back against what it sees as Chinas bid to create a regional sphere of influence and become the worlds most influential power. The report said regional governments should have the freedom to make their own sovereign choices, free of coercion.

The paper also mentioned the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that the Biden administration plans to launch early this year. The multilateral partnership will serve as the basis for increased U.S. trade, investment, and diplomatic relations with the Indo-Pacific, which the Trump Administration recognized as the worlds center of gravity, according to the report.

We believe our participation will further strengthen this framework, Deng said while delivering his keynote remarks on March 9. Taiwan is a reliable and stable partner politically and economically.

The Taiwanese minister without portfolio said the island has actively maintained supply chain security and never economically coerced other countries. The message refers to the unfair trade practices of its biggest neighbor across the Taiwan StraitChina.

Over the past two years, Beijing has limited imports from Australia, including beef, coal, and grapes, in retaliation for its calling for an investigation into the origin of COVID-19. China also imposed tariffs on the countrys wine and barley.

Meanwhile, viewing Taiwan as its own territory, China has been trying to strategically marginalize Taiwan on a global stage, while wearing down its air force with repeated incursions. The island saw the record number of 961 Chinese military incursions into their sea and air spaces over 239 days in 2021, according to Taiwanese media.

Chinas political and military ambition, also let the world understand that they pose a threat to the world order, Deng said at the online event. I would like to urge the U.S. government, and I hope all the audience participating in the seminar today can help us convey this message to the U.S. government, that Taiwan would like to be a full member of this framework.

A demonstrator leads a group of Taiwanese Americans holding Taiwan flags in protest against Chinese aggression towards Taiwan during a rally in New York on March 13, 1996. (Robert Miller/AFP via Getty Images)

Supply chain cooperation between Taiwan, a major semiconductor producer, and the United States was vital for both countries, he added. Washington has yet to spell out what exactly Bidens envisaged economic framework will entail.

China has condemned the U.S. Indo-Pacific push, saying Washington is creating exclusive clubs.

Asked about Dengs remarks, a U.S. administration official told Reuters the United States was engaging with Indo-Pacific partners as it was developing the framework but didnt currently have membership details to announce.

That being said, the U.S. is committed to deepening our trade and investment relationship with Taiwan, the official said.

A senior U.S. diplomat said last month his country had no intention of engaging with China in its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Elon Musk attends TIME Person of the Year in New York City on Dec. 13, 2021. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIME)

Teslas Musk Seeks to End SEC Muzzle on Tweets, Could Face Uphill Battle

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk on Tuesday asked a federal judge to terminate his 2018 agreement with the top U.S. securities regulator requiring some of his tweets to be vetted by a lawyer.

Musk also asked the judge to block a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) subpoena requesting records of pre-approval of a Twitter poll he conducted in November on potentially selling some of his stock.

The SECs pursuit of Mr. Musk has crossed the line into harassment, which is quintessential bad faith, Musks lawyers wrote to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan.

Musks lawyers said the 2018 consent decree resolving SEC securities fraud charges should not allow roving and unbounded investigations into the outspoken government critic, while impeding his constitutional right to free speech.

Legal analysts said Musks push to end the consent decree may fail.

The SEC clearly has authority to enforce a consent decree issued by a federal court without having to conduct a new investigation, said Urska Velikonja, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

Apart from concerns that the consent decree is overbroad and difficult to enforce, which seem plausible, Musks other legal arguments are an exercise in legal silliness, she added.

Uphill Fight

In early November, Musk posted on Twitter that he would offload 10 percent of his Tesla stake if users approved.

A majority did, and the poll sent Tesla shares into a slump. Musk has since sold $16.4 billion of stock.

The tweet renewed questions about whether Musk complied with his SEC agreement to obtain approval from a Tesla lawyer before issuing written communications about information material to his company or its shareholders.

Tesla said on Tuesday that Musks tweet on stock sales is behavior the SEC should encourage: a CEOs transparency with the public and shareholders about a proposed stock sale.

Musk faces a real uphill fight, according to Stephen Crimmins, a partner at Murphy & McGonigle in New York City.

Courts generally give the SEC a lot of leeway to enforce subpoenas, said Crimmins, who is not connected to the Musk case.

Judges generally take the approach that if you agree to a consent decree, youre stuck with it. Saying you dont like the deal is not going to get you out of it.

The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Micro-Managing Musk

The regulator sued Musk after he tweeted in August 2018 that he had funding secured to potentially take his electric-car company private at $420 per share.

In reality, a buyout was not close.

Tesla and Musk settled by agreeing to each pay $20 million in civil fines and let lawyers vet some of Musks communications in advance, including Twitter posts that could affect Teslas stock price. Musk also gave up Teslas chairmanship.

I never lied to shareholders, Musk told Nathan in a separate court filing. I entered into the consent decree for the survival of Tesla, for the sake of its shareholders.

In his filing, Musk said he was forced to sign the decree, citing the SECs unrelenting regulatory pressure and as the SECs action stood to jeopardize the companys financing.

He said Teslas investor relations teams said at that time that several large shareholders could cede their ownership in Tesla  substantially impacting Teslas financing  if the case was not settled expediently.

The company on Tuesday accused the SEC of exploiting the consent decree to micro-manage Mr. Musks Twitter activity and retaliate against him for criticizing the agency.

Musk has also mocked the agency in his tweets since the 2018 probe: SEC, three letter acronym, middle word is Elons.

He also tweeted in 2020 that Tesla would make short pants in radiant red satin with gold trim and send them to the SEC, which he called the shortseller enrichment commission.

By Hyunjoo Jin, David Shepardson, and Jonathan Stempel
Cultivating compassion is an ancient practice that may be easier than you think

Neuroscientists are affirming what people have known for centuries: We can train our brain for compassion. Ancient practices include cultivating compassion; in modern parlance, we say we can retrain the brain. These changes can increase our capabilities for love, happiness, and success. Once you learn how easy it is to rewire your brain for compassion, with repetition and practice, you can cultivate more of it in under 30 seconds.

Why Compassion Matters

We have deep needs for love and belonging, but we often go about seeking them in the wrong way. We turn to external sources for validation, like social media, or markers of success, like buying a car we cant really afford. We wonder why theres chaos and unruliness in our lives, when, in fact, it is our mental space that needs sweeping and cultivating.

For millennia, poets, mystics, philosophers, monks, and compassion cultivators have disseminated wisdom about what they have known to be true about the body and existence. Now, researchers have begun to dig into this mind-body-brain relationship, looking for ways to study and quantify what humans have learned through millennia of direct experience.

Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter, says Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.

Compassion abates our pain and suffering, even as it shows us that we are not the only ones going through pain and suffering. Our inescapable interdependence makes compassion a natural and essential quality for human beings. Compassion, then, isnt just a feel-good strength and virtue to cultivate; it is important to our survival.

Balancing Traditions With Science

Cultivating compassion isnt new, but the discussion is recently gaining traction. Buddhist monks and others have long meditated to cultivate this altruistic behavior. Now, neuroscientists are starting to understand why.

You may wonder if you can ever attain this level of awakening and enlightenment. After all, in our modern world, most of us are bombarded by distractions and demands on our time, and sitting for long hours of meditation isnt always feasible.

Fortunately, there are many ways to cultivate compassion, and some require little more than the intent to do so and the mindfulness to be aware of how we are thinking and feeling.

Awakening compassion isnt the kind of change that can be packaged in a pill, nor dissected with molecular precision. While science attempts to give us better insights into our dynamic universe, it cannot answer who we are at our core, nor replace our spiritual nature.

We are not like machine-made objects, the Dalai Lama says. It is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone.

In other words, cultivating compassion requires something grander than the breadth of science; it requires our human capacity for transcendence.

Benefits of Compassion

As the ancients knew, having a mindfulness practice, which includes cultivating compassion, leads to increased well-being, decreased stress, and, in some cases, even reduced inflammation.

A 2009 study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology looked at how compassion meditation affected the innate immune and neuroendocrine systems and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress. Its findings suggest that increasing compassion in our lives may reduce stress-induced immune and behavioral responses, wrote the authors. A 2017 review published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences looked at several similar studies and also found that meditation was linked to improvements in immune function.

The Role Science Plays in Compassion

Today, psychology and neurology researchers seek to understand the profound relationship between mind and body in the terms of modern science. The emerging field of neuroscience can help quantify how our brains change through compassion, suggests a study from the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center of the University of WisconsinMadison. After engaging in compassion meditation, an ancient Buddhist technique, the study participants showed a measurable increase in compassion.

Previous findings have shown that how we use our minds, including having repetitive thoughts and behaviors, will change the very structure of our brains. This implies that we dont always need to meditate for hours to cultivate compassion, though there may be unique benefits to that approach. Some neuroscientists have confirmed through testing that people can focus on, recognize, and change their thoughts and feelings.

A Neuroscientists Perspective

According to Dr. Rick Hanson, author and founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, the key to rewiring our brain is learning to shift out of our negative states.

The main way to develop inner strengths is to have experiences of them, he wrote in his 2013 positive neuroplasticity study. Positive neural traits are built from positive mental states.

He calls this experience-dependent neuroplasticity. To change negative states, we need to have more repeated feelings of changing our negative state. One way to do this is to feel positive experiences more fully and look for the good in your life. This creates positive grooves in the brain, and the next time you are in a rut, its easier to get out; the brain knows what to do.

Although we know it takes months, if not decades, of practice to get to the level of advanced compassion cultivators, neuroscientists have learned to observe and measure the ways human beings can change their character towards a more positive state.

Dr. Hansons four-step process is designed to take in the good and derive deeper learning from positive experiences. He calls it H.E.A.L., and it is meant to directly counter our propensity for dwelling on negative thoughts and experiences:

Have a positive experience. Enrich it. Absorb it. Link positive and negative material.

One reason that it is hard for the brain to change is our inherent negative bias. Our brain keeps us safe from danger by being on high alert, constantly looking for threats. That can be beneficial, but the result is that we can become oriented towards the negative. And in the modern world, where entire industries like media and insurance have been built on our fear of bad things, and myriad movies and television programs give us grim visions of the future, we can be constantly triggered towards negative thinking. This can contribute to chronic stress, due to staying in fight-or-flight mode for far too long.

This negativity bias blocks good experiences from becoming inner strengths built into neural structure, Dr. Hanson writes. Through his H.E.A.L. process, he has found that it is possible to teach people how to make good stronger than bad.

Another modern technique comes from the work of Eric Langshur and Dr. Nate Klemp, and is called Notice-Shift-Rewire:

Notice your negative bias. Shift to a moment of gratitude. Rewire your brain.

Whenever we experience something unpleasant, the brain automatically goes into a negativity bias mode. If you have dwelt on the negative, thats what that is. The brain searches for more negativity biases to confirm its own biases. To get out, some call this shift from negative to positive a pattern interrupt. Once you notice a negativity bias event, the next step is to shift to a feeling of gratitude. When you sit with this new feeling, that savoring rewires your brain.

Both the H.E.A.L. and Notice-Shift-Rewire processes take under 30 seconds to practice. Although the techniques are different, the idea behind them is the same: They both help you produce a mind shift.

These techniques are essentially secular methods of ancient practices that require cultivators to look inward and see how they respond to the world around them. When they have dark thoughts, such practices have guided them towards compassion and forgiveness, and letting go of thoughts generating negative feelings, in the search for tranquility.

The Brain and Compassion in Action

A growing body of research affirms the long-held belief that we can rewire our brains for compassion, and we now see declarations that compassion wires the brain, as Dr. David Hamilton, author and kindness scientist, wrote in his blog.

These processes change the resistant brain, and help the brain record new experiences. As a result, the brain forms new structures and pathways.

When you feel a calming effect, you know that these pathways are taking hold and whatever youre doing is working. Your nervous system has moved from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and recovery).

Since we continually look for negative information, overreact to it, and then quickly store these reactions in brain structure, Dr. Hanson writes, repeated patterns of brain activity change neural structure and function.

Like anything you want to get good at, you need to practice, and repetition is key. Shifting the brain from complaint to compassion isnt idealistic; its an exercise in self transformation that gets easier the more you do it.

In the words of leading neuroscientist Dr. Dan Siegel, who does pioneering work in interpersonal neurobiology, We can actively inspire each other to rewire.

Sarah Bun is a functional medicine certified health coach, author, and holistic and lifestyle writer.

This article was first published in Radiant Life magazine.
c, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)

Top US Official Shoots Down Plans for No-fly Zone in Ukraine

Despite calls for weeks to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, another top U.S. official on Thursday rejected that proposition by saying that it wouldnt work.

Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier told a Senate hearing that a NATO or U.S. no-fly zone wouldnt protect against many of the weapons that Russian forces are using.

The Russian military is using a combination of mostly missiles, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and there are some precision-guided munitions that are being dropped from aircraft, but that number is small, Berrier told Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

A no-fly zone wouldnt work against inhibit missiles, rockets, and artillery, Berrier added.

Since the start of the Feb. 24 conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has often called for a NATO no-fly zone and has gone so far as to criticize NATO nations and the United States for not doing so. White House officials and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have rejected the idea.

On Wednesday, Zelensky again requested a no-fly again after blaming Russia for bombing a maternity hospital in Mariupol. Through state-run media, Russian officials denied bombing civilians in the incident.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told state-run media on Thursday that claims of the airstrike on Mariupol are a provocation, saying the air force performed absolutely no tasks in the city.

The alleged airstrike that took place is a completely orchestrated provocation to maintain anti-Russian hype among the Western audience, Konashenkov said.

The Epoch Times could not independently verify claims made by either Russia or Ukraine regarding the hospital strike.

Stoltenberg and others have said that in order to enforce a no-fly zone, it would entail American or NATO planes to engage Russian jets, which would likely escalate the conflict.

The move, he said this week, would be even more dangerous, destructive and deadly for Ukraine and for all of us.

The United States on Tuesday rejected a surprise offer by Poland to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. base in Germany and put them at the disposal of the United States as a way to replenish Ukraines air force.

Polands prime minister said on Wednesday that any supply of fighter jets to Ukraine must be done jointly by NATO countries.

U.S. military officials announced that two Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries would be deployed in Poland this week amid fears that a stray Russian missile might be fired outside Ukraine.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leves his car as he arrives for a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, March 9, 2022. (AP/Michael Sohn)

Trudeau Travels to Poland to See Ukrainian Refugees, Meet With Officials

Polands prime minister told Justin Trudeau that they were meeting at a turning point in history as the Canadian prime minister was about to come face to face with Europes refugee crisis.

Trudeau arrived in Poland, where most of the estimated two million Ukrainians that have fled the Russian war on their country have sought sanctuary.

We meet at a turning point, which will probably determine and define the future for years or maybe decades, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Trudeau shortly after his arrival in Warsaw.

The war and refugee crisis which it created, but in particular, in whats going on in Ukraine, its something unimaginable in the third decade of 21st century.

Morawiecki said he planned to talk to Trudeau about how to get rid of Russian oil and gas, how to make the sanctions work really effectively.

Trudeau praised Poland for its extraordinary welcome of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives, and he told his host how impressed he was with the Polish soldiers he met earlier this week at the NATO base in Latvia, where Canada is commanding a multinational battlegroup.

Trudeau said they need to condemn very, very strongly the violation of international law and United Nations charters.

The sanctions are hard and heavy and will last a very long time, said Trudeau.

Later Thursday, Trudeau was to visit a temporary shelter for refugees as part of his day in Warsaw. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children are among those who have escaped to neighbouring Poland in the face of an escalating Russian bombardment that has targeted civilians.

The United Nations says more than 500 civilians have been killed so far. On Wednesday, it was the images of women and children who survived the bombing of a maternity hospital in Ukraine that filled European airwaves and put a human face on that suffering for a continent reeling from the worst fighting since the Second World War.

The airstrike on the maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol injured pregnant women and left children buried in the rubble.

The World Health Organization says it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago.

Before leaving Berlin, Trudeau gave a major foreign policy speech at a leading German think tank and answered questions from an international audience where he said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin would be held accountable one day for war crimes before the International Criminal Court.

Trudeau affirmed that while Canadas doors are wide open to Ukrainian asylum seekers, their first stop will be somewhere in Europe.

Canada is a country that was built by people fleeing war, persecution or just looking to build a better life, he said.

Danny Glenwright, the president of Save the Children Canada, said there is grave concern for the more than one million children who have fled Ukraine so far.

We are particularly worried about the risk of displacement and subsequent soaring humanitarian needs, based on reports that hundreds of thousands of people, mainly children and women, will continue to arrive in Poland, Romania, and other neighbouring countries.

He said his organization has teams in Poland and nearby countries to help refugees, and is advocating with European Union officials and others to help children reach safety and be protected.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday that the government planning for a Canadian response to a European refugee crisis started late last year, as Putin began deploying more than 100,000 Russian soldiers and military equipment to Ukraines borders.

We called it the God forbid scenario, Freeland told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly at Berlins famed peace monument, the Brandenburg Gate.

Joly said Canada is working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees throughout eastern Europe to find ways to get refugees to Canada after negotiating safe passage agreements. She said International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan was in Moldova talking to the UN refugee agency to co-ordinate Canadas response.

These conversations are happening, Joly said. But at the same time, we need to do things well.

Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent, said when she sees the images of the carnage coming out of Ukraine, I have to stop looking at them. She called the maternity hospital bombing an atrocity, using the same word as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

After speaking to two members of Zelenskyys cabinet on Wednesday, Freeland again praised the courage and resilience of Ukrainians as they fight off the Russian onslaught. Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for NATO a no-fly zone to protect his country, but Canada and its allies have ruled that out because they say it would lead to wider war between the West and Russia.

But she also addressed the one hard truth underlying the fact that decision.

The reality is, when it comes to the actual fighting, the Ukrainians are fighting alone. Theyre fighting for all of us, Freeland said.

In Warsaw, Trudeau is to meet with Polands prime minister and president and is expected to meet with U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

It will be Trudeaus final stop on his four-country tour of Europe this week to speak with allies about how to ramp up the pressure on Putins regime.

He met Wednesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and their talks focused on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and a desire to end the war without further escalation.

Trudeau also announced Wednesday that Canada would send another $50 million in specialized equipment, including Canadian-made cameras for surveillance drones, to help Ukraine defend itself.

By Mike Blanchfield
The lizards detected in the seizure. (Australian Government Department of Home Affairs)

Two Men Attempt to Mail Live Lizards From Australia to US

Two men have been sentenced for transporting live native lizards from Australia in the post to the United States.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) seized a package in a post office in Broome, Western Australia, which contained 15 lizards in multiple plastic tubs with punctured holes for airflow.

The men aged 31 and 39 concealed the lizards in gift-wrapped containers and inserted them into a larger shipping box containing souvenirs, authorities said on March 9.

Despite knowing it is illegal to export native Australian animals, they admitted traveling from the U.S. to Broome in 2018 to capture spiny-tailed lizards to resell them in the U.S.

Two packages of lizards had been sent back to Miami, Florida and Medford, Oregon.

The package detected by Australian Border Force Officers contained the lizards. (Australian Government Department of Home Affairs)

The 39-year-old was sentenced to three years of supervised release where he will spend the last part of his sentence outside in the community, 300 days of home detention, and also ordered to pay a fine of $40,000 ($US 29,000).

The 31-year-old was sentenced to three years of supervised release, six months of home detention, and 250 hours of community service.

ABF Acting Commander Operations West, Shaun Senior, said that they have an international network to identify those involved in the cruel trade of wildlife smuggling.

Wildlife smuggling is a global problem and one of the largest transnational organised criminal activities. Posting animals in packages is illegal, cruel and inhumane; many animals smuggled in this way do not survive, Senior said.

I congratulate those involved in uncovering this operation which demonstrates the successful strategic and tactical coordination between the ABF and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Office of Law Enforcement.

The ABF is able to detect unique products hidden within innocuous packages in many ways, the most successful being officer intuition and technology such as x-rays.

ABF urged anyone with information about the import and export of wildlife to contact Border Watch at abf.gov.au/borderwatch and said that information could be provided anonymously to ABF when reporting suspicious activities.

Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man was recently arrested while attempting to pass U.S. border agents in California with 52 live lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing.

The man was pulled out for additional inspection when he arrived in a truck on the border with Mexico.

Agents found 52 live reptiles tied up in small bags which were concealed in the mans jacket, pants pockets, and groin area.

Authorities seized nine snakes, and 43 horned lizards were seized, some of which are considered endangered.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel speaking to the media outside the Ukrainian embassy in London, on March 6, 2022. (Yui Mok/PA)

UK Simplifies Visa Applications for Ukrainian Refugees

The UK government has simplified its visa procedures to enable Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia to file their applications entirely online, Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced.

Addressing the House of Commons on Thursday, Patel said: From Tuesday, I can announce that Ukrainians with passports will no longer need to go to a visa application centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.

Instead, once their application has been considered and appropriate checks completed, they will receive direct notification that they are eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK.

Under the new rules, Ukrainians with passports will be able to apply for visas fully online and will not need to submit their biometric information until they have arrived in Britain.

Women and children who have fled war-torn Ukraine emerge from the main railway station near the Ukrainian border in Przemysl, Poland, on March 9, 2022. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

This will mean that visa application centres across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports, said Patel.

The UK government has come under pressure from both Conservative and opposition lawmakers to do more to take in Ukrainian refugees.

More than 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putins forces invaded the country on Feb. 24.

While the European Union allows visa-free travel for Ukrainian refugees, Patel insisted that visas are necessary to guarantee security.

Citing the 2018 Novichok attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, which UK police said was carried out by Russian military intelligence service GRU, the home secretary said: What happened in Salisbury showed what Putin is willing to do on our soil. It also demonstrated that a small number of people with evil intentions can wreak havoc on our streets.

Patel said she was able to relax the visa rules following fresh advice from the security agencies.

Armed forces minister James Heappey said British troops could assist in processing visa applications.

Ukrainian ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko called for an end to the bureaucratic red tape restricting refugees from seeking sanctuary in Britain.

He told BBCs Question Time: I just wanted to tell you that most of our men are staying behind and fighting, so  most of the people you will see are just women with children, which I totally hope theyre not posing any threat, especially a terrorist threat to the UK.

So thats why I hope and I beg that the procedures will be dropped and every bureaucratic red tape should be cancelled.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said plans were under way in his department to take 100,000 children into British schools.

PA Media contributed to this report.
A picture shows damages after the shelling by Russian forces of Constitution Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, on March 2, 2022. (SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine Government May Move Sensitive Data Abroad If Russia Advances Further

The Ukrainian government is considering potentially transferring its sensitive data and servers outside the country if Russias military further advances in the country, an official said Wednesday.

Speaking with the Reuters news agency, Victor Zhora, the deputy chief of Ukraines State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, said Ukraine has a contingency plan to move its critical information out of Ukraine if Russias army moves any closer. He did not elaborate on what sorts of critical information would be moved, or when.

Zhora, without giving names, said that some countries have offered to host Ukraines government data. For reasons of proximity, a European location will be preferred, he told the outlet.

We are preparing the ground, Zhora said of the plan, adding that their first course of action is to protect the IT infrastructure within Ukraine.

Taking that infrastructure and data to another country would only be a Plan B or C, Zhora remarked, adding that the decision would be handed down by Ukrainian lawmakers.

There are a lot [of] options, he continued, without providing details about how much maneuvers would be carried out. All the proposals are highly welcome and worth considering.

Last month, Zhora told Politico that the government had plans to move critical data out of the capital, Kyiv, if it is threatened by the advancing army.

What to do in wartime with piles of data gathered by governments became a topic of international concern following the Talibans lightning offensive in Afghanistan last August that took city after city as U.S. and other foreign forces withdrew.

The Taliban conquest of Kabul meant that their forces were in a position to inherit sensitive datasuch as payroll information for Afghan government employees and soldierswhich they could potentially mine for leads on how to arrest or eliminate domestic opponents.

In recent days, U.S. officials have said that the Russian armys advance into Ukraine appears to be progressing slowly, although they havent been stopped.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday estimated that Russia retains about 90 percent of the combat power that it sent to Ukraine, noting that some vehicles and weapons were destroyed or were rendered inoperable.

Lt. Gen. Scott D. Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told House lawmakers in a televised event that officials believe that between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers have died since the start of the Feb. 24 conflict. Berrier cited some intelligence sources, but also open source information, likely referring to assessments made by outside groups that are monitoring the invasion.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk toward a hall in the Kremlin to hold talks, in Moscow on June 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)

Ukraine War Inflames Factional Struggles Within CCP Ahead of Important Party Meeting: Analysts

NEW DELHIRussian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine has intensified factional conflicts within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as maneuvering for influence gathers pace ahead of an important Party meeting later this year, according to sinologists.

The Chinese communist leadership recently gathered in Beijing for its annual Two Sessions meetings of the regimes rubber-stamp legislature and top political advisory body. The meetings brought together more than 5,000 of the countrys political, business, and social elite, tasked with approving the Partys policy priorities for the coming year, although the event was overshadowed by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The annual meetings are also the last gathering before the CCP convenes its twice-a-decade National Party Congress this fall, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to bid for an unprecedented third term in power.

The CCPs seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, the highest-level decision-making body of the Party, generally makes decisions on foreign policy issues by consensus, Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor of Chinese studies in New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University, told The Epoch Times. But on matters concerning Russia, Politburo meetings are characterized by vehement differences of opinion.

The CCP congresses do generally attract high-intensity factional struggles, but in the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chinas nationalists, globalists, militarists, conservatives, liberals, and others are all fanning out to mobilize influence in favor of their own factions, Kondapalli said.

While China is a one-party state and the CCP monopolizes power, Party leadership isnt a unitary group, and members differ by ideology, political associations, socio-economic background, and policy preferences.

Factional Wars

Factional wars have been going on inside the CCP for decades, and their complexity surpasses what most experts can express, according to Frank Lehberger, a Germany-based sinologist. The tumultuous Cultural Revolution during the 1970s to 80s, for instance, saw particularly heavy infighting, resulting in the purging of many high-ranked CCP members.

Two warring factions have long existed within the CCP: The Shanghai Gang and the Chinese Communist Youth League. A third group, which began within the Shanghai Gang and eventually took over most of the key leadership posts in the Party and the central administration as well as the provincial level, is led by Xi Jinping, according to a 2021 research paper published in Observer Research Foundation.

The Shanghai Gang, led by former CCP leader Jiang Zemin, has experienced heavy losses from Xis ongoing anti-corruption campaign, Kondapalli said.

Scores of current and former officials have been purged over the years, as Xi has sought to eliminate the influence of factions that have undermined his authority since he took office in 2012, analysts say.

In recent years, several former senior members of the public security apparatus tied to Jiangs faction have been the focus of the campaign.

Kondapalli pointed to two recent articles published in a Chinese publication aligned with the Jiang faction. Both reports appeared on Duowei News, a Beijing-based online news site that has strong links to Jiang and his close ally, Zeng Qinghong, a former top CCP official, he said.

One report dated Feb. 4 about Indias last-minute diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics was critical of Xi. Another report from Jan. 19, titled An objective evaluation of Xi Jinping, was also highly critical of Xis tenure, according to Kondapalli.

Given the extremely tight censorship environment in China, content that strays from official narratives or is critical of the regime or certain officials may only be allowed if there is backing from powerful figures within the Party. Thus, analysts have noted that such coverage has been used by Party factions to undermine political rivals.

The two reports, coupled with the spate of high-profile purges of former high-level officials, have exposed fissures in the CCP, Kondapalli said.

Xis support for Putins actions has further complicated CCP struggles, he said.

Lehberger says that Xi wants to stick with Putin, while Jiangs faction doesnt want China to be closely tied to the Russian leader. Media reports criticizing Xis policy decisions, however, are just one minor component among many complex parts in the CCP factional warfare, he said.

More serious ones are assassination attempts of Xi, and silencing, imprisoning, or death sentencing (on bogus charges) of prominent members or minor stooges of the other factions, he said.

Beyond the Ukraine crisis, Xi already is under immense pressure because of various domestic and international concerns, Kondapalli said. They include the pandemics continuing effect on Chinas economy, trade and technology restrictions imposed by the United States, and growing international scrutiny over the CCPs human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.

Xis emphasis on food security during the recent meeting of the regimes rubber-stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress (NPC), hinted at brewing domestic issues, Lehberger said.

Xi has been stressing during the NPC Congress food safety for the third time in two to three months  [this] usually this means that famine is not far away, he said.

Meanwhile, developments in Ukraine have presented the regime with challenges as well as opportunities, he said.

On the first day of Russias invasion, China lifted all wheat import restrictions on Russia, as Western nations swiftly imposed economic sanctions on Moscow. Lehberger characterized that as an opportunistic move by the regime to acquire Russian commodities on the cheap while tackling food shortage issues domestically.

Yet the Wests vigorous response to Putins aggression has also served as a warning for Beijing.

The CCP has actually been surprised by the ferocity with which Western sanctions are ruining Russia, Kondapalli said. As a result, while Beijing has condemned the West for the sanctions, it has offered no substantial help to Putin.

It must have given pause to any temptation to invade Taiwan, Kondapalli said. As a highly globalized economy, China cannot afford to attract similar sanctions, which could stall Beijings further rise.

So far, Chinese institutions appear to be adhering to Western sanctions. Two China-backed infrastructure banks, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank, have halted lending to Russia.

A bicyclist rides past destroyed buildings in Irpin, Ukraine, on March 3, 2022. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Ties That Last

Factional wars within the CCP over how it deals with Russia are as old as Soviet Unions relationship with the Party itself, which dates back a century. The Soviets helped create the CCP in 1921 and supported the Party for decades.

According to Kondapalli, any matters concerning Russia have tended to spark acute disagreements within the CCP.

Much of it had to do with the love-hate relationship between the Soviet and Chinese Communist parties, their ideological agreements and differences, he said, adding that in the early days, the Soviets had wanted to keep the CCP under their thumb.

The CCP took the Soviets help but resented their bid to control it.

After the CCP seized power, it adopted the Soviet model of development and used Moscows help in its campaign to modernize Chinese industries during the 1950s.

But the cooperation with the USSR didnt last, as the communist powers famously had a falling-out not long after. In the decades that followed, many CCP officials would be targeted for removal on the basis of real or imagined ties to Moscow.

The CCP also threw out Defense Minister Peng Dehuai in 1959 for being close to Moscow. Senior Politburo member Liu Shaoqi was accused of being a Chinese Khrushchev and paraded on the streets [in the late 1960s]. In 1989, Zhao Ziyang, the Partys general secretary, was accused of being the Chinese Gorbachev for siding with students in the Tiananmen Square protests, Kondapalli said.

However, after becoming the Partys paramount leader in 2012, Xi made his first foreign visit to Moscow, during which the Kremlin allowed him to peek into its most secretive military command and control center, he said.

Chinas ties with Russia today are semi-alliance in nature, according to Kondapalli, as a result of various agreements signed over the past few decades, including the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship. Most recently, Xi and Putin met in Beijing on the opening day of the Winter Olympics, during which the two announced a no-limits partnership.

But as Putins invasion triggers a widening global backlash, the CCP and its political factions find themselves wrestling with how to manage the fallout.

Russia is now crippled by the international financial and trade sanctions, and Chinas economy will be deeply affected if Xi aligns too closely with Putin, Lehberger said.

Jiang and a few others do not want China to be tied too closely to Putin, because Putin could now sink China together with him.
Cars and a building of a hospital destroyed by an aviation strike amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Mariupol, Ukraine, in this handout picture released March 9, 2022. (Press service of the National Police of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)

Russia Confirmed Use of Vacuum Bombs in Ukraine: UK

The UKs Ministry of Defence on March 9 claimed that Russia has admitted to using a thermobaric weapon system or vacuum bombs during its invasion of Ukraine.

In a Twitter post, the ministry said that the Russian [Ministry of Defence] has confirmed the use of the TOS-1A weapon system in Ukraine. The TOS-1A uses thermobaric rockets, creating incendiary and blast effects.

The post was accompanied by a video providing information about the weapon and what the ministry described as its devastating impact.

Despite their effects, the Soviet-era weapons are not prohibited under international law, however they cannot be used if they will harm civilians. Most recently, they were used by coalition forces in Afghanistan to destroy mountain caves where al-Qaeda terrorists were hiding.

They consist of a fuel container with two separate explosive charges which can be launched as a rocket or dropped from an aircraft as a bomb. When they make impact, they effectively suck in oxygen from the surrounding air, resulting in a giant high-temperature explosion which can penetrate buildings and any unsealed areas.

The result is far more damaging than conventional blasts.

The impact of the [TOS-1A] is devastating, the UK Ministry of Defense said in the video. It can destroy infrastructure and cause significant damage to internal organs and flash burns, resulting in death to those exposed.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defence for comment.

Ukraines ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, said after meeting with members of Congress in the U.S. Capitol last week that thermobaric bombs were being used by Russian forces in addition to missiles.

They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by Geneva Conventions. So, you know, the devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large. But we Ukrainians will resist. We are defending our home. We do not have any other option. We will not get tired. We will not stop. We will not surrender, she said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters on Wednesday that she had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding Russias alleged use of vacuum bombs.

We talked about weapons that Putin is using, weapons prohibited in the Geneva Conventions, including cluster bombs and vacuum bombs, which caused severe suffering, Pelosi said, according to Politico.

A number of other officials, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have also claimed that Russia is using such weaponry in its invasion of Ukraine.

Rubio wrote on Twitter last month that Russia has now deployed TOS-1 launchers to the outskirts of heavily populated areas. The GOP senator said the weapons being used on civilian targets would have zero military purpose, adding that it would be a war crime aimed at terrorizing & slaughtering people into submission.

However, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon that he has seen no indications and no evidence that Russia has used such weapons in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide committed in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials on Wednesday claimed that Russian aircraft bombed a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol, however Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russias first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Twitter that it was fake news.
The tanker Sun Arrows loads its cargo of liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin-2 project in the port of Prigorodnoye, Russia, on Oct. 29, 2021. (AP Photo)

Uncomfortable Truth, European Union Cant Cut Off Russian Energy Supplies: Dutch Prime Minister

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte has dismissed the possibility of the European Union banning the import of energy supplies from Russia in the wake of Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

We have to discuss our vulnerabilities in terms of our dependency on Russian oil and Russian gas. I would not plead for cutting off our supply of oil and gas from Russia today. Its not possible because we need the supply and that is the uncomfortable truth, Rutte said during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Rutte noted that the EU must do more for the green agenda and decarbonize the economies of member states.

His statements come after the European Commission announced plans to make Europe independent from fossil fuels before 2030. Roughly 45 percent of the EUs gas imports are from Russia, along with 45 percent of the EUs coal imports and 25 percent of its oil imports.

According to the REPowerEU plan, the resilience of the EU-wide energy system will be strengthened by several factorsboosting liquified natural gas and pipeline imports from non-Russian suppliers, increasing the production and import of biomethane and renewable hydrogen, cutting down on fossil fuels, ensuring higher energy efficiency, and so forth.

The Commission estimates that the implementation of its proposals will cut down annual fossil fuel consumption by 30 percent by 2030.

Gradually, the plan could remove 155 billion cubic meters of fossil gas use, which is equivalent to the volume of gas the EU imported from Russia in 2021. Two-thirds of the reduction can be achieved within a year, thus helping the region quickly shrug off its energy dependence on a single supplier.

We simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us. We need to act now to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices, diversify our gas supply for next winter and accelerate the clean energy transition, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. The quicker we switch to renewables and hydrogen, combined with more energy efficiency, the quicker we will be truly independent and master our energy system.

Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, pointed out that the Russian invasion has driven energy prices to unprecedented levels and aggravated the security of energy supplies.

Although Europe has enough gas to meet its demand for the remaining weeks of winter, it needs to replenish reserves urgently for the next year. As part of this, the Commission plans on asking EU member states to fill gas storage by up to 90 percent by Oct. 1.

In the United States, President Joe Biden has announced a ban on Russian oil, gas, and energy, insisting that it will deal a powerful blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The UK declared that it would phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2022.
Uniqlo Reversing Position, Announces Russia Exit

Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo has announced its exit from Russia after earlier saying it would continue operations, which drew widespread criticism amid global enterprises quitting en masse as a retaliatory action against the war in Ukraine.

While continuing our UNIQLO business in Russia, it has become clear to us that we can no longer proceed due to a number of difficulties. Therefore, we have decided today to temporarily suspend our operations, Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo, said in a statement on March 10.

Fast Retailing is strongly against any acts of hostility. We condemn all forms of aggression that violate human rights and threaten the peaceful existence of individuals.

The decision comes after Tadashi Yanai, the president of Fast Retailing, said that clothing is a necessity of life in an interview with a Japanese newspaper and that the people of Russia have the same right to live as we do.

The company also announced the donation of 200,000 items of clothing for Ukrainian refugees in countries like Poland and $10 million for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Yanais comments had drawn backlash, with the hashtag #BoycottUNIQLO being pushed by critics. Sergiy Korsunsky, Ukraines ambassador to Japan, criticized the company in a March 7 tweet. UNIQLO has decided that basic need of #Russian to have pants and T-shirts are more important than basic needs of  (Ukraine) to live. What a shame!

Russia has the largest number of Uniqlo stores outside Asia, with 50 outlets operating throughout the country. Moscows war against Ukraine has come at a time when Fast Retailing is looking to expand business in Europe, reducing its dependence on the aging Japanese market. During the last quarter, Fast Retailings business was boosted by its performance in Europe and North America.

Fast Retailing has previously been in similar controversy. In April 2021, Yanai chose to avoid the issue of his company sourcing cotton from Chinas Xinjiang region where the Chinese Communist Party has put over a million people from the Uyghur community in reeducation camps. Uniqlo later faced an investigation in France over accusations that the company profited from human rights crimes against Uyghurs.

In addition to Uniqlo, several other fashion brands have announced exiting Russia. Prada has suspended retail operations while Hermes has temporarily closed its stores since March 4. Richemont suspended commercial activities in Russia on March 3.

Vogue Ukraine had called for an embargo on the export of fashion and luxury goods to Russia in a March 1 Instagram post. Vogue UA appeals to the global fashion industry to not keep silence during these dark times as it has the strongest voice, the brand had said.
United Airlines to Let Workers Who Didnt Get COVID-19 Vaccine Return to Work

United Airlines plans to let workers who declined to get a COVID-19 vaccine return to work, according to a missive obtained by The Epoch Times.

Unvaccinated employees can return to their positions on March 28, according to the memorandum, which was sent to workers on Thursday morning.

Kirk Limacher, vice president of human resources at United, said the change was due to the plunge in COVID-19 cases and COVID-19-related hospitalizations across the country in recent weeks. Many states and cities are lifting COVID-19 restrictions, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dramatically eased its masking guidance, he noted.

These changes suggest that the pandemic is beginning to meaningfully recede. As a result, were confident we can safely begin the process of returning our RAP employees to their jobs, Limacher wrote.

United imposed a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all of its 67,000 U.S. employees in the fall of 2021. It was the first U.S. airline to impose a company-wide mandate.

Workers could apply for a religious or medical exemption, but if such an exemption request was deemed reasonableknown as RAP in company parlancethe worker was placed on unpaid leave indefinitely instead of being allowed to continue in their job. The company later let some of these workers switch jobs instead of going on unpaid leave.

United CEO Scott Kirby also told workers to be very careful about requesting accommodations and said workers were putting their jobs on the line if they did.

The policy triggered a lawsuit, which is ongoing. In a ruling in February, a federal court said Uniteds mandate was actively coercing employees to abandon their convictions.

United ended up firing more than 200 workers for not getting a vaccine.

United declined to say whether the workers who were fired will be offered their jobs back.

John Sullivan, an attorney representing the plaintiffs in the case, told The Epoch Times in an email: We are gratified to see United returning employees to work since they should have never been put on unpaid leave for their faith or health. Hopefully people are beginning to see that individual rights should not be swept aside even during a pandemic.

Limacher said workers with an approved exemption request would get an email on Thursday with instructions on how to return to active status or how they would be transitioned from their role if they were allowed to work in a position that does not deal with customers.

Of course, if another variant emerges or the COVID trends suddenly reverse course, we will reevaluate the appropriate safety protocols at that time, he said.

The United official also alleged the vaccination policy was successful at preventing COVID-19 infections and severe cases of the disease.

Our vaccinated employees have been significantly less likely to lose their lives to COVID, he said, adding that vaccines continue to provide high protection.

Limacher did not mention how all three of the vaccines that received regulatory clearance in the United States have performed much worse against virus infection and worse against severe COVID-19 since the Omicron variant of the virus became dominant in the country in late 2021.
Unleash One-Two Punch of American Energy Power on Putin, Gas Prices

Commentary

The entire civilized world is united against Russian President Vladimir Putins escalating aggression. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and support their brave defense of their democracy. I am also concerned for my constituents, who are grappling with record high gas prices. The national average price of gas has reached an all-time high, with analysts indicating that these increases will cost American families approximately $1,300 more per year, at a time when they can least afford it. One of the best ways for the United States to apply pressure on Russia while promoting peace and easing pain at the pump is to unleash American energy production.

The good news is that we have a roadmap for success. In 2019, the United States became a net energy exporter for the first time since 1952, signaling an end to reliance on our adversaries for energy needs. Today, American energy production has ground to a halt due to policies of the Biden administration. As a result of these policies, Russian crude oil and petroleum product imports to the United States reached an 11-year high in 2021, totaling $17.5 billion. On average, we have been importing approximately 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil, and 500,000 barrels per day of other petroleum products from Russia. We can no longer justify sending more money to Putins war coffers, which is why there is widespread bipartisan support for President Bidens recent announcement that the United States will now boycott Russian oil.

However, I am deeply alarmed by recent reports that the Biden administration is now turning to other foreign adversaries, including dictators and Russia-aligned regimes, to replace Russian oil. Administration officials traveled to Venezuela to discuss resuming Venezuelan crude oil exports. There are also reports that administration officials have planned to travel to Saudi Arabia to beg them to produce more oil. Even more disturbing is Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegs response, when asked if the administration would consider asking Iran for oil. He said that all options are on the table. This simply makes no sense! Why would we trade doing business with one hostile regime for another, when we have a proven, viable alternative. During his State of the Union Address, President Biden said that we canand mustbe willing to buy products that are made in America. Why would this mindset not also extend to our energy production? Doing so will help American consumers get relief at the pump, while sending the strongest possible message to Putin and our other adversaries that the United States is serious about defending Ukraine and holding Russia accountable for its hostile intransigence.

It is also important that we not lose sight of the fact that our current energy crisis did not happen by chance, and that it has only been exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our high energy costs are a direct result of policy decisions that have been made by the Biden administration. Since gaining control of the White House and Congress, Democrats have waged war on U.S. energy production, citing radical and unattainable environmental goals that only serve to hurt American consumers and our energy independence, as well as endanger our national security. Specific policy decisions have made us more reliant on foreign adversaries while having miniscule global environmental benefit. For example, President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline, paused new domestic oil and gas leases, and withdrew American support for the Eastern Mediterranean Pipeline, a vital project that would help our European allies end their dependence on Russias oil supply. In its reversal of support, the administration cited environmental concerns. This is particularly hypocritical given the fact that it withdrew any U.S. objection to the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline just a few months earlier. Instead of flipping the switch and saying yes to American energy, the President has doubled down on failed strategies. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed even more stringent regulations for methane emissions on existing oil and gas wells. Also under Bidens tenure, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has failed to approve new natural gas pipeline applications, leading to a backlog of pending applications that discourages economic growth and new energy development.

The presidents recently announced plan of tapping into the strategic oil reserve is a short-term fix that will deplete our emergency supply amid the Ukrainian crisis. Similarly, we do not need to complicate our entanglements with other adversaries to meet our energy needs. We should readjust our entire thinking with the understanding that energy security is national security. My colleagues and I on the House Energy and Commerce Committee filed the American Energy Independence from Russia Act. Sadly, my Democrat colleagues have all repeatedly voted against bringing this measure up for a vote. Our critical legislation would require the president to unleash Americas oil and natural gas production to offset Russian imports. Specifically, the bill would:

End President Bidens federal freeze on new oil and gas projects

Fast-track pending liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits

Expedite approval of all pipeline and energy development

Stop the regulatory assault on American energy development and financing

It is important to note that we all want to be good stewards of our environment. However, implementing policies that ignore the worlds worst polluters at the peril of American consumers is not the way to achieve this goalespecially not at a time when doing so helps prop up some of the worlds most unstable and anti-American regimes. New and emerging technologies will allow the United States to better harness the existing swath of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources that are available to achieve environmental goals without hurting consumers or disadvantaging American companies on the global stage.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
This general view shows the skyline over the central business district at sunset in Beijing, China on Feb. 16, 2022. (Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images)

US Companies Are Pessimistic About Investing in China Although Profitable: Survey

The latest survey showed that U.S. enterprises in China could make a profit, but are less optimistic about investing there because of intense U.S.-China relations, Chinas inconsistent regulations, inferior market access for foreign companies, increasing labor costs, and the extreme COVID-zero policy.

Fifty-nine percent of the survey respondents had increased profits in China in 2021, higher than the 35 percent reported in 2020. Yet, only one quarter of the enterprises planned to increase investment in the worlds second-largest economy by more than 10 percent. Over one-third of them said they would reduce investment due to Chinas uncertain policy environment.

Although the companies are more pessimistic about Chinas market, 83 percent said they werent considering relocating their production lines out of China, the survey showed.

The survey was done by the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham) by sending a questionnaire to all members from Oct. 22, to Nov. 19, 2021. Forty-nine percent (353 of the members) responded.

A boat travels on the Huangpu River as the skyline of the city is seen, including the Shanghai Tower, in Shanghai, China on August 28, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Identifying Difficulties

The survey asked questions to identify the difficulties the U.S. enterprises were facing in China.

Alan Beebe, the AmCham president, briefed the results of the survey to the media on March 8. He said that U.S.-China relations play a key role in American enterprises operations in China.

There was a level of perhaps hope and optimism once Biden entered office that the relationship would improve, Beebe said. But I think what weve seen over the course of the last year is that theres a new reality that has set in, where, largely speaking, many of the policies and sentiment of the Trump administration remain in place with the Biden administration.

According to the survey, only 27 percent of the respondents had an optimistic expectation about U.S.-China relations, which is at the same level as when Donald Trump was the U.S. president and China and the U.S. had a trade war. The optimism rate was 45 percent in last years survey when it was announced that Joe Biden was to be the next president.

A sign shows COVID-19 epidemic control measures at the entrance of Universal Studios Beijing in Beijing, China on Sept. 23, 2021. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Beebe said in the media brief that more than three fourths of the respondents said that their qualified job candidates couldnt move to China due to its COVID-19 zero policy, which made it hard for human resources to find enough employees to support their business development in China.

In last years survey, only 37 percent of qualified candidates refused to move to China.

Chinas COVID policy strictly controls peoples movements. The regime locks down the cities where there are new COVID-19 cases, and quarantines people for at least 14 days who arrived from another country or were identified as having close contact with a COVID-19 patient.

Besides the difficulties of hiring people, more than half of the respondents said that Chinas COVID-19 policy also led to higher costs of products and services.

A general view shows the harbor-front West Kowloon train station (L) in Hong Kong of the High Speed Rail Link to Guangzhou in Chinas Guangdong Province, and the skyline of Hong Kong Island (back) on Sept. 21, 2018. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

Furthermore, more than 40 percent of the respondents mentioned that there was pressure to make or not make politically sensitive statements.

The Chinese regime doesnt allow any enterprise or individual to act or comment on its rule. In 2021, Chinese e-commerce platforms and stores boycotted the products from H&M, Nike, Uniqlo, Adidas, GAP, FILA, New Balance, ZARA, and Under Armour when these brands refused to purchase cotton from Xinjiang.

In western Chinas Xinjiang, forced labor, mainly Uyghur people who were detained by the regime, harvests the cotton. To avoid giving the regime a chance to persecute the forced laborers, the international brands refused to buy cotton from Xinjiang.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet delivers a speech at the opening of a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Afghanistan in Geneva on Aug. 24, 2021. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

US, Advocacy Groups Express Concern Over UN Rights Chiefs Plan to Visit Xinjiang

The United Nations human rights chief is planning to visit to China in May, including the Xinjiang region, where more than 1 million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are held in mass detention, leading to concern by the United States and almost 200 rights groups worldwide that a Beijing-surveilled trip would undermine the credibility of any investigation and whitewash the regimes human rights violations.

Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a video message that she was pleased to announce the visit, which is foreseen to take place in May.

The government has also accepted the visit of an advanced OHCHR [Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights] team to prepare my stay in China, including onsite visits to Xinjiang and other places, she said, while delivering a global update to the Human Rights Council on March 8.

Chinas U.N. Ambassador Chen Xu welcomed the visitthe first by a U.N. human rights chief since 2005in a statement issued the same day. He also said that freedom of expression cannot be an excuse for anyone to stand above the law.

Bachelets latest update on China made no mention of the wide-scale repression of Uyghurs in the northwestern region, including forced labor and forced sterilization, which Washington has categorized as genocide and crimes against humanity.

The High Commissioner cannot allow this visit to amount to a PR victory for the Chinese government, Omer Kanat, the executive director at Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), said in a March 8 statement.

The Washington-based advocacy group urged Bachelet to proceed with caution on her visit to the Uyghur region.

[Investigators] must remember that the Chinese government has done everything in its power to promote a story about their treatment of Uyghurs that does not align with basic facts.

More than 1 million ethnic Muslim minorities are estimated to be detained across a network of internment camps, where theyre subjected to forced labor, torture, and political indoctrination. Beijing, however, calls such detention centers vocational training centers that help with finances and counteract what it deems extremist violence in Xinjiang.

UHRP is far from the only group concerned about the effectiveness of the May visit, as others demanded plan details and a noninterference study.

Sheba Crocker, the U.S. representative of the European Office of the United Nations, said that Bachelet must be able to hold private meetings with a range of Uyghurs and groups in Xinjiang and have access to places where atrocities and abuses have been reported.

Any access limitations imposed on the High Commissioner or her Office, or interference with their activities or reporting, would severely undermine the credibility of her visit and support the propaganda that denies the abuses occurring in Xinjiang, she said.

A member of the Uyghur community holds a placard in London on April 22, 2021. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Although the visit is crucial, it can only be useful if the Office receives unfettered access, World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa said on March 8 in a Twitter post.

Joanne Mariner, a crisis response director at human rights group Amnesty International, also called for an independent visit, given that diplomats and journalists visits to Xinjiang have been carefully stage-managed by the Chinese authorities in the past.

Chinese government officials have also long made concerted efforts to disseminate inaccurate and deliberately misleading information about the human rights situation in Xinjiang.

Mariner called on the U.N. office to release further details of its agreement with Beijing, such as the parameters and scope of the visit.

It must also seek meaningful assurances from the government that people in Xinjiang will not face adverse consequences for cooperating with the U.N. mission, she said.

Overdue Report

Bachelet has spoken about wanting to visit Xinjiang since she took office in 2018. The OHCHR has been gathering evidence of alleged human rights abuses in the region for more than three years and compiling a long-awaited report.

The rights chief confirmed last September that the OHCHR was finalizing its assessment of the available information. A spokesperson said in December that the report would be released in a matter of weeks.

The world is still awaiting that report, a total of 195 human rights groups said in an open letter dated March 8, asking Bachelet to publicize the findings without further delay.

OPEN LETTER  WUC joins @hrw, @ISHRglobal and nearly 200 NGOs in an open letter urging @mbachelet to swiftly publish her report on the situation in #EastTurkistan. This comes as @mbachelet announces an upcoming visit to the region, in May.https://t.co/Twsb8BVWOB  World Uyghur Congress (@UyghurCongress) March 8, 2022

Victims and survivors should not have to wait any longer, the letter reads, as advocators call on the chief to fulfill her mandate and give the brief to the Human Rights Council as a matter of urgency.

Bachelets March 8 video message to the Geneva forum made no reference to the overdue report.

Last week, during his remarks to the assembled U.N. Human Rights Council, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also urged the high commissioner to release her report on Xinjiang.
State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks at the State Department in Washington, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters)

US State Department Denies Russian Allegations of Biological Weapons in Ukraine

The U.S. State Department denied allegations pushed by Russian officials this week that the U.S. military is involved in creating chemical weapons or biological weapons in Ukraine.

On Wednesday evening, the U.S. State Department said that Kremlin allegations that the United States and Ukraine have conducted chemical and biological weapons activities are false, noting that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials have echoed Moscows claims.

This Russian disinformation is total nonsense and not the first time Russia has invented such false claims against another country, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

The United States, he added, does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine, it is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention, and it does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere, saying that Russia instead operates  active chemical and biological weapons programs that violate conventions on biological and chemical weapons.

The statement came about a day after Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told a Senate hearing there were biological laboratories located within Ukraine.

When questioned by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Nuland confirmed Tuesday the United States is protecting biological research facilities in the country from Russias army.

Ukraine has biological research facilities, which in fact we are now quite concerned that Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces, should they approach, Nuland said.

Via state-run media, Russian officials on Thursday alleged that the United States provided funding to the laboratories to create biological weapons.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the United States provided money to biological research facilities in Ukraine and further alleged, without evidence, that they might have been used to create biological weapons or conduct bat coronavirus-related experiments.

Chinese communist officials over the past two years have also pushed unfounded allegations the United States was the source of the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming the virus was introduced to Wuhan by American soldiers who participated in the Military World Games in October 2019. They have also claimed the virus originated from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at the Fort Detrick army base in Maryland, despite the initial COVID-19 outbreak having occurred in Wuhan, which hosts a high-security medical researcher laboratory.

This week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, while making reference to those previous COVID-19-related claims, pushed the theory that biological labs in Ukraine are being used by the United States to conduct bio-military plans.

But under the Trump administration, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine in April 2020 said that Chinese and Russian officials at the time were promoting COVID-19 disinformation.

The U.S. Department of Defenses Biological Threat Reduction Program works with the Ukrainian Government to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concern in Ukrainian government facilities while allowing for peaceful research and vaccine development, the embassy said at the time.

We also work with our Ukrainian partners to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats. Our joint efforts help to ensure that dangerous pathogens do not fall into the wrong hands, it added.
Keith Krach, former undersecretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment, speaks onstage during the 2021 Concordia Annual Summit in New York City on Sept. 22, 2021. (Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

USTaiwan Free Trade Agreement Would Bolster Islands Defense Against China: Former Trump Official

Keith Krach, who was undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment during the Trump administration, said Washington could better boost Taiwans self-defense if the two sides ink a free trade deal.

The thing with a free trade agreement does is, it kind of creates a halo effect, so that you get United States private sector investment and drives it, Krach said. And when the U.S. comes in, so do the allies. So we want to invest a lot in Taiwan.

In other words, a Chinese invasion would essentially mean undermining U.S. assets in Taiwan, Krach said, during a recent interview with EpochTVs China Insider program.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has fueled speculation that Chinese leader Xi Jinping might follow a similar roadmap to fulfill his own territorial ambitions for Taiwan, considering just months ago he vowed that reunification of Taiwan with China would definitely be realized.

Fueling the speculation is that Xi might be more emboldened now to attack Taiwan, believing that Russian President Vladimir Putin would reciprocate, given how much tacit support Beijing has shown toward Moscow in the ongoing Ukraine crisis. So far, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has refused to condemn Russia for its military aggression, but has also placed the blame of the war on the United States and its allies.

On Feb. 4, the day that Moscow and Beijing revealed their no-limits partnership, Russia also said it endorses Chinas position on Taiwan as an inalienable part of China and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan.

Taipei told Washington it had an interest in signing a free trade deal in June last year, when the two sides held the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council meeting. Signed in 1994, TIFA has been a platform for advancing bilateral trade issues.

There have been congressional pushes for such a deal. In March last year, 23 House Republicans, led by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), sent a joint letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to begin formal negotiations on a free trade agreement with Taiwan.

A free trade agreement with Taiwan would allow the United States to begin countering CCPs economic influence in the IndoPacific region, the letter says.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR), in its annual report (pdf) released on March 1, said the Washington and Taipei were committed to intensity engagement in terms of trade. However, the report didnt mention if signing a free trade deal was the goal or a possible timetable for talks in moving toward such a deal.

Taiwan is the United States ninth largest goods trading partner. According to USTR data, two-way goods trade topped $90.6 billion during 2020, while goods and services trade reached $105.9 billion.

Aside from a trade deal, Krach said Washington could also recognize Taiwan as an independent country, a call former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested during his recent visit to the island.

We need to take advantage of this momentum, that this insane dictator Putin has created in terms of this movement of democracies, and we need to get an alliance of democracies, more than NATO, and companies, and civil society, all together to recognize the country of Taiwan, Krach said.

Taiwan, a de facto independent entity, currently has 14 diplomatic allies in the world. The United States is not one of them, since Washington changed its diplomatic recognition in favor of Beijing in 1979.

Chinas strategy has always been divide and conquer, and pick on the weak gazelle that runs off from the herd, Krach said.

He questioned what China would do if enough countries recognize Taiwan diplomatically.

Are they just gonna go after every single country? They cant go after every single country and company all at once, he said.

Frank Fang journalist Follow Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers news in China and Taiwan. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
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Workers install solar panels at a photovoltaic power station in Hami in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Aug. 22, 2011. (Chinatopix via AP)

Uyghur Forced Labor Widespread in Solar Supply Chain: Hudson Institute

A March 9 Hudson Institute conversation has drawn renewed attention to the role of Uyghur forced labor in the Chinese-dominated supply chain for solar panels and related technologies.

Nury Turkel, a Hudson senior fellow, spoke with Laura Murphy, who co-authored a 2021 report, In Broad Daylight, that shed light on the solar energy industrys great vulnerability to forced labor.

Murphy, a professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at the UKs Sheffield Hallam University, wrote in the report that Chinas Xinjiang region is the source of 45 percent of the worlds polysilicon, material thats used in 19 out of 20 solar modules.

According to the report, Chinas polysilicon industry shifted to Xinjiang roughly five years ago, lured in part by cheap coal energy but also because of financial and tax incentives, including subsidies for the use of coerced surplus laborers of Uyghur ethnicity.

All polysilicon manufacturers in the Uyghur Region have reported their participation in [labor] transfer [programs] and/or are supplied by raw materials companies that have, a summary of the report states.

We must examine what corporations implicated in Chinas forced labor practices can do to extract themselves from the complicity in this human rights crisis, Turkel said in his introduction to the conversation, which came two days after a watchdog report alleged that multiple Amazon suppliers rely on Uyghur forced labor.

He hailed the newly enacted U.S. legislation called the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which outlaws goods sourced or manufactured in the Xinjiang region.

This is an unprecedented system of forced labor that I dont think weve ever seen before in the world, and that were just learning how to address, Murphy said. The only way to do a responsible thing as a corporation today is to pull out entirely from that region.

Theres been a slow rolling out of oppressive policies, including this conscription of laborbut also other coercive strategies that the government has used, including taking away everyones passport, refusing people the right to pray or to fast, [and] restricting peoples movement, Murphy said.

All these things have been slowly unfolding with the world not paying attention.

Turkel, who was one of four U.S. religious freedom officials sanctioned last year by Beijing, asked Murphy why corporations that quickly pulled out of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine have been so slow to act in pulling out of Xinjiang.

White, powerful CEOs identify with white peopleand thats a problem. But the other problem is that the Chinese government has essentially captured the market on so many of the goods we consume around the world, she replied. Theyve been really cowardsabsolute cowards.

In a previous Hudson event, experts discussed how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) exerts influence on the U.S. economy as well as national security through Chinas dominance of the supply chain for defense-critical batteries.

Has the issue of batteries and supply chain tripped over that wire to where were now moved from normal economic competition to economic coercion and into economic warfare? said Anthony Vinci, an adjunct fellow with the Center for a New American Security who served as chief technology officer for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency under President Donald Trump.

I would propose that were not quite there yet, but were in a state that I would call preparation of the battlefield.
Ukrainian student Ilya Kosse outside a humanitarian tent adjacent to the Warsaw West Bus Station in Warsaw, Poland, on March 9 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Warmth Amid Anguish as Volunteers Meet Ukrainian Refugees in Warsaw

WARSAW, PolandBlue and yellow flags flutter everywhere in Warsaw as refugees from Ukraine flood into the Polish city, exhausted, haunted, and lost.

Every day, thousands of mostly women and children roll into the Warsaw West Bus Station from the Ukraine border. Many more come by train.

Ilya Kosse, 17, has been alone in Warsaw and has heard nothing from his family for five days. Theyre trapped in Mariupol without electricity and the ability to communicate.

Mariupol, a city in eastern Ukraine, is surrounded by Russian forces.

Still, Kosse writes his parents long messages every night, hoping they might read them soon.

I have a group in Telegram with my Mum and Dad, and every evening I write to them about what I think, about my situation, what I do, Kosse said.

And inside me, I understand and believe that they hear me.

Kosse had been in Kyiv studying engineering when the Russian invasion began; he said the university did what it could to look after the students. For 10 days, sirens blared and the students hunkered down in the basement.

Eventually, Kosse got out. Hes been in Warsaw for five days.

I should stay normal because I know my parents want the best for me, he said when asked how hes feeling about not being able to reach them.

He tried to join the Ukraine Territorial Defense civilian forces, but was told they were so overwhelmed with volunteers that they didnt have a gun for him. He went to the army reserves and they said they had too many people already. So he came to the humanitarian tent in Warsaw to help, and even there, he was extra.

We Were Shaking

The main bus terminal was dim and somber, filled with lines of people at the money exchange. Others sat with their children, waiting.

A woman with her daughter and grandson from Kharkiv crossed the Ukraine border two days ago.

When we came here, we were shaking, the mother, who declined to share her name, said, Now, two days later, we can begin to talk about it.

The gory things you see in the media, we lived through that.

The grandmother said she has children still trapped in embattled areas, living in a cellar with no food or extra clothing.

The psychological stresshow it changes youwe dont want anyone to go through that, she said.

The trio may now travel further into Europe, but their new lives are still so raw that nothing is certain.

Helping Ukrainians

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Zoreslav Dmytryszyn, a Ukrainian living in Poland, saw a humanitarian crisis about to unfold and jumped into action.

He and his wife started a collection point near his home and asked neighbors if they wanted to donate any supplies. It quickly ballooned into whats now called Frontline Help to Ukraine, a group of 130 volunteers working around the clock to provide comfort to those fleeing their homeland.

A large tent adjacent to the Warsaw West bus station was bustling with hungry, cold, and tired travelers looking for respite. Hot soup was the most popular item, but diapers were snapped up quickly too.

We got together here a week and a half ago, when the war started, to help people, because everyone is hungry. People would arrivethey were cold as well. First, we started to give out food and warm clothes, Dmytryszyn said.

From Kharkiv, we got a signal that people there are simply starving. People who sit there in the basements call us, they cant get out under fire [shelling], they have nothing to eat. We sent them yeast, because they only have flour left and they need yeast to mix it with flour and water and they make bread.

They dont have mats, sleeping bags, warm jackets, they dont have boots, first aid kits or even simply band-aids, basic things.

Dmytryszyns organization collects all the needed items and transports two to three trailer truckloads of supplies into Ukraine every day, he said.

He isnt expecting a letup anytime soon.
White House Warns Russia May Use Chemical Or Biological Weapons in Ukraine

Russia may be preparing to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, after Moscow falsely claimed the United States is developing illegal chemical weapons in the country, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Psaki made the remarks in a series of tweets on Wednesday after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova this week accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Zakharova provided no evidence to back up her claims.

The claim is preposterous, said Psaki, and the kind of disinformation operation weve seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries, which have been debunked.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that it had received documents that showed the Ukrainian Ministry of Health sent an instruction to all biological laboratories on Feb. 24 to urgently destroy the stored stocks of dangerous pathogens, including plague, anthrax, tularemia, and cholera.

In a separate statement on March 7, the Russian ministry claimed that Ukraine has united a chain of more than 30 biological laboratories ordered by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense.

Such allegations from Russia were being aired on state-run media weeks prior to its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

It is an example of the types of false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent, Psaki said.

This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine, Psaki wrote. Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them.

The U.S. State Department separately issued a statement on Wednesday calling Russias claims disinformation and total nonsense.

Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very crimes that Russia itself is perpetrating, spokesperson Ned Price said. These tactics are an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attacks on Ukraine. We fully expect Russia to continue to double down on these sorts of claims with further unfounded allegations.

The allegations have also been echoed by Chinese officials, Psaki noted.

The United States is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention and does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere, she added.

Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.
Woman out of Prison in School Bus Crash That Killed 3 Kids

ROCHESTER, Ind.A woman convicted in a 2018 crash that killed three siblings who were crossing a rural northern Indiana highway to board a school bus was released from prison Wednesday, after serving just over two years.

Alyssa Shepherd, 27, was released from the Rockville Correctional Facility, Fulton County Prosecutor Michael Marrs told WNDU-TV. She now faces about three years of home detention with a GPS-monitoring ankle bracelet, followed by three years of probation, he said.

Shepherd was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2019 after being convicted on three counts of reckless homicide in connection with the pickup truck crash that killed 9-year-old Alivia Stahl and the girls 6-year-old twin half brothers, Xzavier and Mason Ingle.

A fourth child, Maverik Lowe, was seriously injured and had to undergo more than 20 surgeries.

Based on Indianas time served credit rules, Shepherd was slated to be incarcerated until September 2022, but another six months of her sentence were shaved off when she completed a prison Bible study course.

Shepherd was eligible to be released into a community transition program in December, but a judge ruled against that move in November after prosecutors and members of the victims families opposed it.

We obviously wanted more time, executed at the time of sentencing. The judge sentenced her to what he did, which was a 10-year sentence with four years executed, and then she got the time cut, Marrs said Wednesday.

Michael Schwab, the grandfather of the three siblings who were killed, said Shepherds release is a painful reminder that no amount of punishment or time will bring back his grandchildren.

The story never ends for the family, Schwab told the South Bend Tribune. This is a life sentence for our family. Though she was granted early release and allowed to return to her family, there is no early release for our family and the children wont be returning to us.

Shepherds attorney, Stacy Uliana, declined to comment Wednesday.

Shepherd was driving her pickup truck when she plowed into the four children as they crossed two-lane State Road 25 in Rochester in October 2018. She told authorities she didnt realize that she was approaching a stopped school bus, despite the activated stop arm and flashing lights.

The Indiana Legislature increased penalties for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses following the crash.
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When I started school in the 1950s in Brooklyn, N.Y., I went to PS 251, three blocks from my home. My parents had no choice about what school I would attend. Wealthier people had a choice  private day schools, prep schools and boarding schools  but not ordinary folks.

Now Norwalk parents can choose their neighborhood school or any of the five magnet elementary programs and four high school options, and more schools are embracing themes and special programs. But becoming a magnet school is not easy  it takes vision, skill and passion.

Wolfpit Elementary School has been transforming itself for the past three years. It has a new name  Wolfpit Integrated Arts School  and will open its doors as a magnet school in September.

The arts are everywhere in Wolfpit. Third-graders create skits using their vocabulary words. Music students sing songs about denominators. Art students build Norwalk buildings from cookie boxes. Every student has dance class weekly. Theres even a room full of ukuleles.

In a typical day, students are up on their feet acting out science vocabulary or plays about Colonial America. The arts are a creative way to make lessons come alive, said Alyson Cahill, arts integration specialist at Wolfpit school

The idea to turn Wolfpit school into an arts magnet began about six years ago after a teaching artist worked with the fifth-grade classes to write and perform a play at the Westport Playhouse. This collaboration sparked an idea. Faced with shrinking enrollment at Wolfpit, former Principal Jenna Masone believed transforming to an arts magnet would enhance the program and attract more students.

Teams of teachers visited other arts magnet schools in the area. Then in 2019, Cahill was hired to infuse theater and other arts throughout the curriculum, in every classroom, in every subject.

Before COVID-19 restrictions, Cahill used collaborative planning time to model lessons for teams of teachers. For example, shed teach a lesson using a five-minute share out. To share their learning, kids might write a quick song or act out a scene or draw a poster, Cahill explained. Each teacher would then teach a similar lesson with their colleagues observing.

Last week, third-graders were working on share outs from their vocabulary lesson. One group pantomimed buying and drinking lemonade to show that business was booming. Another group was writing a skit for their word: transportation. A third group was writing a rap about resources.

In a fifth grade class, kids were creating a tableau  a frozen moment  to show the main idea of their personal narratives. One student wrote about the time his dog was bitten by a coyote. He directed his group to create the scene: One boy cowered on the ground as the dog, another student bared his teeth over the frightened dog, and the third was the narrator, who was looking on in horror.

In the dance studio, first-graders were stretching, shimmying, marching and giving themselves big hugs on rubber mats. Next door, art students were building the Lockwood-Matthews Mansion and City Hall from cardboard and cookie boxes. They consulted pictures of the buildings to ensure that their creations accurately reflected the architecture. When completed, the buildings will be placed in their correct locations on a giant map of Norwalk.

On Friday mornings, the Wolfpit Weekly newscast is streamed to all classrooms. Recorded in the library in front of a green screen, a student meteorologist gave the forecast while reading from a teleprompter, another student interviewed a second-grade teacher, and videos of the dance class and photos of gym class were broadcast.

Some teachers were nervous about adding the arts to reading and math.

I dont blame people for being apprehensive to start doing things a different way. But were very much like a family here. Teachers saw that they have permission to take chances, to play, even to fail, Cahill said. Were all in this together.

This emphasis on the arts has not hurt academics. Wolfpits test scores are among the highest in the district. A second-grader explained why they were acting out a summary of a book they had read: It helps us understand the story better.

Jacquelyn Aarons is in her second year as principal of Wolfpit, after being a high school English teacher and then administrator. She jumped at the chance to become principal of Wolfpit school. I love the arts, she said. This job allows me to combine my profession with my passion.

Becoming a magnet school requires a common teaching philosophy and practice. In integrated arts units, teachers work collaboratively on subject matter. When studying Colonial America, students played hoops and Blind Mans Bluff, games of that era, in gym class. When learning about community helpers, students wrote songs to welcome the fire chief when he visited. When studying the geography of regions of the world, they created landscapes in art.

Our kids study one thing through different lenses, Aarons said. We want to keep their learning real and connected.

Aarons has big ideas for the future. She hopes to start violin and keyboard instruments in kindergarten. She wants to expand the after-school program to include ballet, tap or acting classes. Shes building community partners with outside organizations. Theres passion here around the arts and around kids, she said.

When you have an opportunity for kids to get on their feet, their eyes are shining and they are excited to come to school, said Cahill. The best thing you can want is to have kids who are happy.

Roz McCarthy is a former school board member and employee of the Norwalk Public Schools. She can be reached at rozmcc2@gmail.com
State Rep. Kurt Vail was once again stymied this year in his mission to end the shift to and from daylight saving time.

For years, the state representative from Stafford has proposed a bill that would move Connecticut into the Atlantic standard time zone.

If it actually happened, Connecticut and other New England states, including New York, would be on daylight saving time 12 months a year.

The bill would not actually change anything for most of the year. When Connecticut moves the clocks forward on Sunday, the state would remain there and not turn them back ever again, according to Vails proposal.

This is the sixth straight year Vail has submitted his proposal. It has both bipartisan support and opposition. Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, has signed on, as has Sen. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford.

But this year is a so-called short session in the legislature, during which committees  not individual legislators  submit bills for consideration. So, Vail asked the legislatures Government Administration and Elections Committee to raise the bill.

They declined.

I asked leadership in that committee to bring it up and they chose not to do that, he said. Its dead in Connecticut for this year. Im pretty disappointed in that.

Even if Connecticut lawmakers passed the bill and Gov. Ned Lamont signed it, the legislation would not take effect until after other New England states signed on.

Each of those other states have had similar proposals raised in their respective legislatures.

I was hoping Connecticut would be the first, Vail said.

Vail believes there good reasons to end the shift to and from daylight saving time. When Massachusetts debated a similar bill in 2017, the state commissioned a study that found an increase in heart attacks and car accidents in the week following the time shift.

Theres a lot of health issues with it, Vail said last year. Obviously, the world doesnt rotate differently, but our bodies are programmed to this time frame.

Daylight saving time started during World War I in the United States and other countries, as a way to save energy by extending the time of day when the sun set. During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered year-round daylight saving time, in effect putting the East in Atlantic time.

In Connecticut, much of the opposition has come from broadcasters.

Such a change would be extremely disruptive to viewers and listeners, who currently enjoy access to a mix of local and national programming, which is available in the Eastern Time Zone, according to testimony submitted to the legislature in 2019 by Michael Ryan, president of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association.

But Vail is not giving up. He plans to submit the bill again next year.

Im going full force on it next year. We haven't given up, he said. Theres just zero reason for it anymore.
Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

NORWALK  Due to expected rain and high winds on Saturday, the citys St. Patricks Day Parade has been rescheduled for later this month.

The parade was set to kick off this Saturday, but will instead be postponed a week to March 19. It will still begin at 11 a.m. at Veterans Park.
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EDWARDSVILLE  A 16-year-old has been charged as an adult in a May 4 shooting in Granite City.

Kevin E. Carmona, 16, of Granite City, was charged March 7 with aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony; aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony; and aggravated unlawful use of weapons, a Class 4 felony.

The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department.

According to court documents, on March 4 Carmona allegedly shot a person in the upper chest with a Smith & Wesson 9 mm M&P handgun after firing at a vehicle occupied by two people. Carmona also allegedly was carrying the gun without a Firearm Owners Identification Card or concealed carry permit.

Also charged in the incident was Abbigale A. Dooley, 21, of Granite City. She was charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony; and aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony.

Dooley was charged for being legally accountable for Carmona and discharging a firearm in the direction of the vehicle.

No further information was available.

Bail was set at $500,000 for each of the suspects.

Four others were charged March 7 in unrelated felonies.

Heather R. Davis, 34, of Granite City, was charged with aggravated domestic battery and failure to report an accident involving personal injury, both Class 2 felonies, as well as aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Illinois State Police. According to court documents, on March 5 Davis allegedly struck a household or family member with a 2014 GMC Acadia near the intersection of Cedar and Main streets in Venice, causing multiple lacerations to the victims face, head and feet. Davis also is charged with failing to report the accident promptly. Bail was set at $60,000.

Caleb J. Brousseau, 25, listed as homeless out of Granite City, was charged with aggravated battery, a Class 2 felony, and theft under $500 (second subsequent offense) and retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense). The charges were presented in two separate cases by the Granite City Police Department. Brousseau allegedly took a backpack valued at less than $500 from a person on Oct. 9 and, on Feb. 24, pushed a senior citizen, forcing her to fall and strike her head. Brousseau also allegedly took merchandise valued at less than $300 from the Granite City Walmart on March 4. Bail was set at $35,000.

Shawn M. Schrock, 44, of Granite City, was charged with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. On March 6 Schrock allegedly was driving a 2002 Saturn SL1 when he fled from a Granite City police officer, disobeying two or more traffic control devices. Bail was set at $15,000.

Monty C. Basden, 50, of Cottage Hills, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapons, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Bethalto Police Department. On March 6 Basden allegedly had a Keltek 9 mm handgun without a valid Firearm Owners Identification Card. Bail was set at $15,000.
EDWARDSVILLE  The sale of about 14 acres known as the Plum Street Property in Edwardsville was unanimously voted in favor of Tuesday by the Madison County Boards Buildings & Facilities Management Committee Tuesday.

The issue now goes to the Finance Committee set to meet at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 10, before moving to the full Madison County Board for final approval on March 16. The Plum Creek Greenspace group, which does not want the site developed, is encouraging members to attend and speak at both meetings.

In February a single bidder  The Staenberg Group, a multi-state development company with offices in St. Louis and Denver  offered $3.86 million for the county-owned property at the intersection of Illinois 159 and Governors' Parkway. The company is also developing the nearby Orchard Town Center in Glen Carbon.

The bid was the minimum county officials had determined acceptable; it also was the propertys appraised value.

At Tuesdays meeting three people spoke against the sale of the property. Two wanted the sale delayed until the developer detailed the development's plan.

The county has been trying to sell and develop the land for about five years; it originally worked with the city officials in Edwardsville to develop the site as mixed residential/commercial, but that effort was halted some time ago. The city would still have considerable input because of zoning and other issues.

Supporters of preserving the land as greenspace presented petitions with about 1,200 signatures requesting responsible development of the property.

During Tuesday's meeting Madison County Administrator Dave Tanzyus said the county wanted to sell the site so it does not have to maintain it, and to eliminate the countys liability. He said he understood the desire to retain it as greenspace.

It is an area that is sought after for development, he said. The problem is we dont do parks.

He noted the county also has given nearby land to the Madison County Transit District to aid trails.

Were trying to balance all these different interests, he said.

Committee Member Bruce Malone, D-Alton, said he was very sympathetic to sale opponents, but the county needs to sell the site.

"It's Edwardsvilles decision on how to deal with the property, he said.
Sevierville, TN (37876)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy late. High 79F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.
The former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, PhD, GCFR has charged Nigerian youths to emulate the sterling qualities in General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi Ironsi, the Nigerian Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from January 15 to July 29, 1966 and Rt. Hon. Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, the Premier of the Eastern Region from 1960 to 1966. Obasanjo made the remarks when he paid condolence visits to the homes of the departed icons.

Obasanjo who was in company of the members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide started with the home of General Ironsi whose wife, Chief Mrs Victoria Aguiyi Ironsi died and was buried on November 6, 2021. The son of General Ironsi, Ambassador Thomas Ironsi and his family members were on ground at the Ironsi country home, Ibeku Umuahia to receive the Obasanjo entourage. Obasanjo in his condolence message regretted his unavoidable absence during the burial of Mrs Ironsi. Obasanjo. He recalled his relationship with General Ironsi and his early years in the armed forces. He went through a memory lane and revealed how some Igbo army officers, especially Ironsi, Col. Njoku and a few others influenced his military reflexes most positively. He narrated with nostalgia the glorious years when the image of Nigeria towered so high among the comity of Nations, stating that for a Nigerian to command the peace keeping force in Congo was a function of the confidence the global community reposed in Nigeria of yore.

Chief Obasanjo recounted that the rise of General Ironsi in the army was entirely by dint of hard work, discipline and character. He added that the promotions in the army were purely on merit and for General Ironsi to have been found worthy to command the armed forces from various United Nations countries speaks volumes of the enviable qualities in the departed colleague. He therefore urged the Ironsi offspring and indeed all the Nigerian youths to emulate the virtues in Ironsi. Ambassador Ironsi, who was appointed an Ambassador and later the Minister of Defence under Obasanjo, expressed profound gratitude to Obasanjo and his entourage. Obasanjo later laid a wreath at the graveside of Mrs. Ironsi.

Chief Obasanjo and the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo moved to the home of Dr.Okpara in Ohuhu-Umuahia where they were received by Uzodimma Okpara, the son of Dr. Okpara and eminent sons of the community. The leader of the Ohanaeze delegation, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR, in introducing Obasanjo regretted the unavoidable absence of the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Professor George Obiozor and delivered the compliments of Obiozor. Emuchay pointed out that the stories of Eastern Nigeria cannot be complete without the mention of Okpara family. Emuchay highlighted the love Obasanjo has for the Igbo and that he has spent two days, shortly after his 85th birthday, in the South East of Nigeria to promote peace and love. Obasanjo had attended the maiden edition of the Chief Emeka Anyaoku Institute for International Studies and Diplomacy at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; paid a visit to the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma before arriving Abia State. Emuchay qualified Obasanjo as a detribalized Nigerian, a passionate bridge builder, motivator, harmonizer of diverse interests and a focused leader whose roles in nation building can never be forgotten by generations yet unborn. In his condolence speech, Obasanjo commended Chief Uzodimma Okpara for taking care of Mama till her 99 years on earth. He regretted his inability to participate in the burial because he believes in honour to whom honour is due. Obasanjo cited the impact the Okpara family made not only in the Eastern Region but the entire country and that Dr. M I Okpara remains an exemplary nationalist among his contemporaries. Obasanjo stated that the history of our past is crucial for the future to have meaning. Obasanjo reflected on the life of Okpara and added that he does not envy Uzodimma because of the gargantuan size of the shoes left behind by Dr. Okpara; and that, as hard as Uzodimma may try, expectations will be difficult to fulfil. Obasanjo reminded the elite audience that the tribute we owe Okpara is to emulate his virtues.

Uzodimma in his response recounted the exceptional vision, courage, integrity, inclusiveness and extra-ordinary energy which characterized the Obasanjo administration. Uzodimma pointed out that the administration was competence based and that accounted for the several Igbo sons and daughters that donned his government. He used the occasion to recapitulate his fathers enviable attributes and how the Eastern Nigeria became the fastest growing economy in the world under M I Okpara. He recalled how Okpara rolled out several factories, colleges, schools and farm settlements across the length and breadth of the East within a few years of his administration. According to Uzodimma, Okpara devoted his life to the service of humanity. Uzodimma eulogized the virtues of his mother, Chief Mrs Adamma Okpara as a charitable community and Church leader who lived her life in promoting christian values. Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, a former Chairman, Niger Delta Development Corporation (NNDC) under Obasanjo, also from Ohuhu commended Chief Obasanjo for naming the University at Umuahia after Dr. M. I. Okpara. Other members of the delegation included Prince Gary Igariwey, the former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo; Chief Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, former Governor of Imo State; Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, National Publicity Secretary; Chief Mrs Rita Daniels Chukwujindu, National Women Leader, Ohanaeze Ndigbo; Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, Chief Greg Mbadiwe and Mazi Ambrose Obioha, the Administrative Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

The indefatigable Obasanjo moved straight to a prize winning ceremony of a school debate that centred on merits and demerits of education versus security. Obasanjo in addressing the audience commended the Government of Abia State, Rt. Rev Dr. Sunday Onuoha, the Methodist Bishop of Umuahia Diocese and the President, Vision Africa, and the school authorities for organising debates for students. He stressed the importance of debates in developing the art of communication and that one can only succeed relative to his or her communication skills. Obasanjo explained to the students that the broad scope of security includes food security, economic security, cyber security, social security, etc. Obasanjo urged the students to always work hard for a better future. The elder statesman lamented that Nigeria is not yet a nation but a country with diverse groups, calling on leaders to strive towards improved nation building through manifest equity, justice and fairness because of the immense benefits we all stand to derive from Nigerian unity. Obasanjo received incredible applause at all the events he attended.

Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia is the National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide
In what has been termed a major push for breaking the gender bias in Nigeria, leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, in partnership with media entrepreneur-Linda Ikeji- celebrated the 2022 International Women's Day (IWD) with an impressive networking event specifically for women to inspire one another, discuss pertinent challenges they face as well as proffer solutions on breaking the gender biases prevalent in the country.

The high-profile event, held at the Civic Centre, Lagos on Tuesday, 8 March 2022, featured several notable personalities including former World Bank Vice President and keynote speaker at the event, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist, Apostle Folorunso Alakija; MD/CEO, Practoil Ltd, Hajia Bola Shagaya; award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Iya Oge of Lagos, Opral Benson; Country Director, Empretec Nigeria Foundation, Onari Duke; Executive Vice Chairman, H. Pierson, Eileen Shaiyen; oil magnate and lawyer, Mrs. Uju Ifejika; seasoned actress and journalist, Dame Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett; Former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa; Fashion and Style Connoisseur, Nkiru Anumudu; amongst a host of eminent ladies from across the country.

L  R: CEO, Linda Ikeji Media, Ms Linda Ikeji; Vice Chairman, Famfa Oil, Apostle Folorunsho Alakija; Linda Ikejis mother, Mrs Ikeji; MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc and the Chief Host, Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe; and MD, Practoil Ltd, Hajia Bola Shagaya at the Fidelity Bank 2022 International Womens Day Celebration/launch of the HerFidelity Proposition held at the Civic Center, Lagos on Tuesday, 8 March 2022.

Aside from celebrating Nigerian women's achievements in various industries and drawing attention to the issue of gender inequality, the event also served as a platform for the Bank to officially launch HerFidelity, its niche proposition for female customers. The proposition boasts of exciting features such as capacity development initiatives, access to finance, recognition and networking events, health and wellness programmes, etc, all designed to speak to the yearnings of women.

Welcoming guests to the event, the chief host and Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe said, Despite the challenges women face, we continue to play a significant role in driving the economic, social and cultural development of our communities. Indeed, a recent PwC Nigeria report indicated that 41 percent of micro-businesses in Nigeria are run by women, with over 23 million female entrepreneurs operating in this segment. This exemplifies not only our drive as women but the immense value we bring to the table. Just imagine what we could achieve if the girl child is given the opportunity she deserves, encouraged to go to school and is judged by her competence and not by her complements! The possibilities are endless.

During the very engaging evening, Mrs. Onyeali-Ikpe made several Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) donations to women-led businesses on behalf of the bank, further demonstrating the bank's unwavering commitment towards improving the well-being of women across the country. Speaking on the donations, she said, One of the pillars of HerFidelity is Capacity Building. Therefore we are sponsoring five female-led enterprises today with a total sum of 5 million naira for training female apprentices.

In addition, we are supporting Dream Catchers Academy for Girlsa free educational and performing arts academy for orphaned and underserved girls with the sum of 10 million naira for an IT centre at the academy as well as one year of coding training for the girls. We believe this will go a long way to assist the young ladies who need a helping hand while enhancing their knowledge in the areas of technology.

In her keynote speech, Dr. Ezekwesili, highlighted the importance of joining forces to fight gender discrimination and inequality ravaging the country, emphasising that, The power of collaboration and cooperation is key as implicit bias is not something you can fight alone. It requires a coalition effort. You must build your own coalition. At every point in life, a woman must understand that she will face a major challenge because of the conditioning that society has given to itself. Therefore, build coalitions. We have the numbers and we must let the numbers work for us.

She also encouraged forward-thinking organisations to be deliberate about gathering relevant baseline data and eliminating barriers to the career growth of women.

Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank operating in Nigeria with about six million customers who are serviced across its 250 business offices and digital banking channels. In 2021, the bank was recognised as the Fastest Growing Bank and MSME & Entrepreneurship Financing Bank of the Year at the 2021 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.
A letter written by embattled APC caretaker committee national Chairman, Mai Mala Buni has indicated that he was not sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari from the position but rather handed over properly.

A letter by Governor Mai Mala Buni, faulted Governor Nasir el-Rufai s narratives on his purported removal as the chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

The letter dismissed El-Rufais claims that Buni was sacked as the partys chairman.

The situation has deepened the crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bunis camp claimed that the embattled APC caretaker Chairman legally handed over the affairs of the party to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello before travelling out.

In the letter, dated February 28th, Buni directed Governor Bello to act in his absence as the chairman of CECPC because he will be away for a medical trip to Dubai.

The letter was copied the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and all members of CECPC.

The letter, which was exclusively obtained by THE NATION, reads: This is to please inform you that I will be embarking on a medical trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from today, 28th February, 2022.

In my absence, I hereby transmit the functions of my office as the National Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) to you.

This is to enable the committee conclude all arrangements leading to the National Convention slated for March 26th, 2022 and other duties that may be required of the office.

I invite all members to cooperate with Governor Abubakar Sani Bello by extending to him all the support that I have enjoyed from you.

Please do accept the assurances of my best regards.

In an interview with Channels Television, el-Rufai said he had the authority of the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Governor Atiku Bagudu, to explain the action that led to the appointment of the Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello as acting chairman of APC.

An aide to Buni, who spoke in confidence, said: Buni couldnt have been removed by anybody or a group of Governors because his letter was explicit. He followed due process and nominated Bello to act for him.

Governor el-Rufai should tell Nigerians what actually transpired between President Muhammadu Buhari and some governors last Sunday. His narratives are faulty.

Nigerians should ask Bello and CECPC members if such a letter came to them from Buni.
COVID-19 to be endemic from July

BANGKOK: COVID-19 will be labelled an endemic disease in Thailand starting in July, allowing people to return to a normal life, the Ministry of Public Health said yesterday (Mar 9).

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthVaccine

By Bangkok Post

Thursday 10 March 2022, 09:12AM

A health professional vaccinates an elderly woman against COVID-19 in Nonthaburi province early this month. Health authorities hope to speed up inoculations of elderly people, an important factor in redefining COVID-19 as an endemic disease by July 1 as the National Communicable Disease Committee plans. Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill

Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit, the ministrys permanent secretary, said the national communicable disease committee has agreed with the ministrys plan that the pandemic designation in the country will end in June.

Under the change, there will be no need for ATK testing for tourists and people will no longer be required to wear facemasks in public, except for those who are sick, reports the Bangkok Post.

Social distancing and mask-wearing should only be done in areas of risk or at large gatherings, Dr Kiattiphum said.

The ministry recommends people keep practising basic universal preventive measures to help curb the further spread of the disease.

The ministry has been weighing up whether to declare COVID-19 as endemic, after observing that the diseases mortality rate had fallen to 0.18% of total cases nationwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested the number of deaths should not be over 0.1% for endemic diseases.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the ministry is still implementing measures to manage the disease to ensure that people can return to normal life after the pandemic ends.

He suggested that senior citizens should ensure they are fully vaccinated as fast as possible to reduce the mortality rate, as most of the deaths are among the elderly.

Meanwhile, as announced by the government previously, a health official said that from March 16, COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms will no longer be eligible for free COVID-19 treatment under the Ucep Plus programme and will have to use medical services based on their health insurance scheme instead.
Outcry at air strike on Ukraine childrens hospital

UKRAINE: An apparent Russian air strike destroyed a childrens hospital in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol on yesterday (Mar 9), triggering renewed global outrage two weeks into Moscows invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour.

deathmilitaryRussianUkraine

By AFP

Thursday 10 March 2022, 09:48AM

A woman and child wait on a train platform to evacuate the Ukrainian city of Odessa yesterday (Mar 9). Photo: Bulent Kilic / AFP

The strike came as Mariupols mayor said more than 1,200 civilians had died in the nine-day Russian siege of the southern port, with people left cowering without power or water under a barrage of shelling.

Condemning the hospital attack as an war crime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared video footage showing massive destruction at the complex, saying a direct strike by Russian troops had left children under the wreckage.

A local official said the strike on the recently refurbished maternity hospital, which included a paediatric unit, wounded at least 17 staff, though no deaths were reported.

On the Russian side, the foreign ministry - while it did not deny the attack - accused Ukrainian nationalist battalions of using the hospital to set up firing positions after moving out staff and patients.

But international condemnation was swift, with the White House slamming the barbaric use of force against civilians, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the attack depraved.

A UN spokesman said no health facility should ever be a target.

The attack came as women were in labour inside, the regional military administration in Donetsk told AFP.

Videos posted by the regional chief and city authorities showed a woman being evacuated on a stretcher, a huge crater in the hospital yard, branches snapped from trees, burning cars and cladding ripped from the buildings facade.

Escape routes

The strike in Mariupol took place 14 days after Russian forces entered Ukraine in defiance of the international community - and on the eve of the highest-level talks to date between the two nations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov landed in Turkey for the face-to-face talks set for today with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba - who warned in a Facebook video his expectations were limited.

So far, the parties have been engaged in lower level talks in Belarus, involving Ukrainian officials but no Russian ministers and largely devoted to humanitarian issues.

On that front, the past days have brought some relief to terrified civilians with the opening of evacuation corridors out of bombarded cities, and Russia and Ukraine agreeing yesterday to open several more.

For the first time the safe routes included Irpin, Bucha and Gostomel, a cluster of towns on the northwestern outskirts of Kyiv that have been largely occupied by Russian forces.

A corridor was also agreed for besieged Mariupol, where several previous evacuations have failed.

Closing in on Kyiv

While Moscow vowed to respect a 12-hour truce to allow civilians to flee via those corridors, its forces have made rapid advances towards the capital, approaching Brovary, a large eastern suburb, AFP journalists saw.

Fighting has intensified in the area, with Ukrainian forces trying to repel the Russian tanks, residents and volunteers of the Ukrainian forces told AFP.

They shoot to scare people and force them to stay at home, steal what they can to get supplies and settle among the inhabitants, so that the Ukrainian forces do not bomb them, said Volodymyr, a 41-year-old resident of Velyka Dymerka, 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Brovary.

Russias war has sent around 2.2 million refugees across Ukraines borders in what the United Nations has called Europes fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II, and sparked fears of wider conflict pulling in the NATO alliance.

Fears of a potential nuclear accident also spiked yesterday for the second time in a week - after Russia attacked and seized a giant power station at Zaporizhzhia - as Ukraine said power had been cut to the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

But the UNs atomic watchdog said it saw no critical impact on safety at Chernobyl, site of the worlds worst nuclear disaster in 1986.

Washington also warned yesterday that Russia could be preparing to use chemical or biological weapons in the war.

Missile defense, but no jets

Reflecting fear that a Russian missile could - deliberately or not - cross the border from Ukraine into Poland, the United States said yesterday it was sending two new surface-to-air missile batteries to the NATO member state.

But it also definitively rejected a Polish offer to transfer fighter jets to Ukraine via a US air base in Germany, saying the high risk move could have been interpreted as an escalation.

Zelensky has appealed repeatedly - and did so again yesterday - for Western powers to find a way to provide it with Polands Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, which Ukrainian pilots already know how to fly.

But while the United States and European allies have supplied an arsenal of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv, both have drawn the line at jets, for fear of being considered co-belligerents.

We do not support the transfer of additional fighter aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force at this time, and therefore have no desire to see them in our custody, either, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters, firmly shutting down Polands proposed scheme.

Western governments have also baulked at Zelenskys increasingly desperate appeal for a no-fly zone to be declared over Ukraine, fearing it would trigger a conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.

Nevertheless, underscoring Western support, Britain said it was preparing to send more portable missile systems to help Ukraine, in addition to more than 3,000 anti-tank weapons sent so far.

And Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised an additional $50 million worth of military equipment.

The International Monetary Fund approved a $1.4 billion emergency package for Kyiv to provide critical financial support.

Call for G7 oil ban

In tandem with military assistance to Kiev, Western allies have sought to choke the Russian war effort with unprecedented sanctions - including a US ban announced Tuesday on the oil imports that help bankroll the conflict.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss Wednesday urged the entire G7 to ban Russian oil imports, saying the worlds top economies should go further and faster in punishing Moscow for invading Ukraine.

But political leaders are also keenly aware of the lasting impact of the energy standoff over Ukraine, with French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warning the current spike in energy prices will produce effects comparable to the 1973 oil shock.

The European Union agreed in the meantime to add more Russian oligarchs to a sanctions blacklist.

The global corporate boycott targeting Moscow also continued to snowball, with Dutch brewery Heineken and Universal Music joining the likes of McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Starbucks in suspending business in Russia.
Skal International Phuket Dinner at Hyatt Regency Kamala

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Join Skal International Phuket at Hyatt Regency Kamala for dinner in April 2022, Experience luxury at a refreshed and revitalized family resort in Phuket. Brand new family friendly dining choices cater for every taste, while a spectacular new seafront glass marquee venue and flexible indoor event space make for memorable destination weddings and special occasions. Become a member and connect with the biggest Travel & Tourism professional network. Being part of Skal International offers you a wide range of benefits.
Taxi driver finds wallet, returns B10k cash

PHUKET: A taxi driver operating at Rassada Pier has returned a wallet containing B10,000 cash to its rightful owner.

tourismtransport

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Thursday 10 March 2022, 01:31PM

Mr Ari and Mr Chari pose for a photo at Rassada Pier. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The taxi driver, Aree Leeouanpim found the wallet in front of the Pak Nam Seafood and reported it to Sittipong Pilvas, who operates the taxi rank at Rassada Pier, where Mr Aree works.

Mr Sittipong posted announcements on local social media channels and reported the found wallet Pol Lt Col Rattanawut Nukaew of Phuket Town Police at around 10m today (Mar 10).

Lt Col Rattanawut had patrol officers follow up on the address of the Thai government ID card found in the wallet, identifying its owner as Chari Lukkae.

Not long after, Mr Chari contacted police to reclaim his wallet, Lt Col Rattanawut explained.

Mr Chari and Mr Aree met at Phuket Town Police Station, where the wallet and the B10,000 it contained were handed over.

Mr Chari thanked Mr Aree, the police and the other taxi drivers at Rassada Pier for their efforts in returning his money and his wallet.

Its nice to know that theyre honest, he said.
Clearfield, PA (16830)

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Rain showers early with overcast skies later in the day. High 66F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

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Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 46F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
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RIDGEFIELD  Support for the country and people of Ukraine has mounted in recent weeks as communities worldwide continue to denounce ongoing attacks from Russian forces.

Ridgefield is no exception. A Ukrainian flag was hung at a former gas station, while Women for Ridgefield will hold a candlelight vigil in support of Ukraine at 7 p.m. Sunday at the gazebo in Ballard Park. Candles will be provided.

Young children are showing solidarity, too.

Last Sunday, Branchville Elementary School siblings Matheo and Daphne Albis held a rummage sale to benefit Ukraine. They scoured their rooms for toys and books they no longer needed and organized the items on a table outside their home on Silver Spring Road.

Were fortunate to live on a street with a lot of foot traffic, and neighbors passing through would donate without even buying an item, said their father, James Albis. They recognize the plight of these children that are getting blown up and killed everyday. They know that theyve been blessed and want to pay it forward.

The siblings raised more than $200 for Hope For Ukraine, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that was incorporated after the Russian invasion of Donetsk in 2014-2015. It mainly facilitates medical and family support projects for Ukrainians but pivoted to assist refugees after the war began.

Since this whole conflict broke out weve been working 24/7, Hope For Ukraine President Yuriy Boyechko said. It still feels like a nightmare.

James Albis is the director of revenue for Rubenstein Public Relations, which will soon launch initiatives to promote Hope For Ukraine on a national scale. He is also the co-founder of Redleaf, a mobile app that employs half a dozen developers in Ukraine.

He shared with Hearst Connecticut Media an email from Redleafs head of product, Iryna Vasilenko, who was in Chernihiv, Ukraine on Feb. 24.

It is like a horror, she wrote. We hear a lot of terrible explosions and the sky at 1 a.m. (is) not black (but) in flashes.

She continued, I  dont want to leave my country.

Hope For Ukraine is hosting more than 80 refugees at its base in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine. It is also working with partners in Warsaw, Poland to provide food, housing and medical support to the 1 million refugees who have arrived there since the war started.

Boyechko described the efforts of Russian troops to cut off resources in Ukraine. A train ride from Kyiv to Lviv normally takes eight hours, but it took one family 48 hours to get to safety, he said. In one city on the Ukraine-Crimea border, now occupied by Russia, troops disconnected all Ukrainian television, radio and cellular signals.

There are people staying at the center who (dont know) if their relatives are still alive in that city, Boyechko said. Its a lot of stress that these people have to go through.

Josephine Berisha, of South Salem, N.Y., has experienced this stress before, when her relatives fled Kosovo during the Balkan War in 1999.

When you see whats happening you cant believe its 2022, she said of the current invasion. Its going to take a long time for (Ukrainians) to rebuild again, but Im praying it does end soon.

Berishas children hosted a bake sale in front of Books on the Common on Saturday to benefit relief efforts in Ukraine. Her daughter, Viktoria, takes dance classes in Ridgefield and her son, Jozef, fences in town.

Along with their friends, Ian and Oliver Potter, also of South Salem, the Meadow Pond Elementary School students raised more than $600 from selling sweet treats. Additional donations from community members brought the total donation to $1,000.

A young man came in after the bake sale was over  and took $10 out of his wallet (to give) to one of our staff who knows the moms, which I thought was extraordinary, said Ellen Burns, the owner of Books on the Common. We are all devastated by whats happening there, (but) all of us  are trying to do what we can to help and inform people.

If you or someone you know is doing something to benefit Ukraine during the Russian invasion, please email alyssa.seidman@hearstmediact.com .
Housing  and housing segregation  has never been so expensive.

Connecticut is one of the costliest places to live in the country. We have the 10th-highest housing costs, so one might expect it to be bursting with high-quality jobs and workers flocking to our state to take part in a thriving economy. Instead, the states work force has dropped by 92,000 people since this time last year. Even worse, Connecticut is close to last in economic and population growth in the country. Its not a coincidence that Connecticut is also one of the most segregated states in the country. Our broken housing policies lead to segregation and economic stagnation  and we pay for it through the nose.

When families spend too much on housing, it means less income to spend on everything else. Transportation, education, food, health care, retirement, necessities at the small business down the street. Almost 500,000 families cashed strapped by sky-high housing costs adds up to billions of dollars that are not spent in Connecticuts local economies. This is a huge, hidden blow to our local businesses, with ripple effects throughout the state. Small businesses need a better housing policy.

Our economy cannot grow  our larger businesses cannot thrive  if workers dont have a place to live. In the Connecticut Business & Industry Associations 2021 Survey of Connecticut Businesses, 79 percent of employers responded that it is difficult to find workers. It makes sense, then, that more employers said they would make a greater investment in employee retention than anything else. The states business leaders see what is at stake here  their very ability to do business. Big businesses need a better housing policy.

We have one: Fair Share Planning and Zoning. H.B. 5204, a bill that will have its public hearing Thursday in the Connecticut Legislature, would implement a new statewide housing policy based on an effective process in New Jersey. Fair Share puts municipalities in the drivers seat by empowering them to plan for their fair share of the regional need for affordable housing over a 10-year period, allowing families earning up to 80 percent of median income (or $80,000 a year for a family of four) to access housing at reasonable cost. The policy also ensures that towns include room for housing that is missing from the market  housing at a range of costs all the way down to 30 percent (around $30,000), have two or more bedrooms, supportive services or are accessible to individuals with mobility challenges.

Weve learned a lot from New Jerseys experience with its law, which has been honed through trial and error over the past 50 years, to emerge as a system on the path to generate 300,000 units of affordable and market-rate housing. The same kind of production in Connecticut would likely yield tens of billions of dollars in income for Connecticut residents and tens of billions in state and local tax revenues. More than that, it would set Connecticut up to be a great place to live for generations to come by providing housing options, attracting employers and reversing decades of outmigration. It would also contribute to a denser development model that is better for the environment.

When we think about segregation, we think first about all the children who do not have a shot at a high-quality education simply because of where they live. And I dont mean just low-income and Black and brown children attending underperforming schools that have been asked to take on the superhuman task of educating amazing kids without the full set of resources needed.

We think about the communities that become insular and intolerant because kids never grew up knowing people who look different than them. We think about the young children who never learn to cherish our diversity and shared humanity. We think about the cities that contribute so much to our state and yet sustain themselves on razor-thin budgets. Compared to these injustices, it may seem a bit crass to talk business. But the business leaders of the state know that we will never be the best Connecticut we can be without growing into a future that creates opportunity for all our children.

It turns out that, done right, growth can address economic stagnation and segregation. Now is the time to Grow Together and become a racially just Connecticut where everyone can thrive.

Erin Boggs is executive director of Open Communities Alliance (OCA), a member of the Steering Committee for Growing Together Connecticut. Sam Giffin is OCAs policy and data analyst.
THE SHORTHORN is accepting applications

for summer & fall 2022 for:



 Writing and editing

 Photo and design

 Ad sales and marketing

 Web development

 Support staff



Apply online & view job descriptions at:

www.theshorthorn.com/jobs



Current UTA students enrolled in at least six credit hours during the semester of employment and in good academic standing are eligible to apply for these paid positions. Some qualify for internship credit.


From an office in the Press Corps of the Indiana Statehouse, the journalism majors of Franklin College's Pulliam School of Journalism work alongside the best reporters in the state, digging into the behind-the-scenes stories of Indiana politics. We're a student newsroom, but our work doesn't sit on a professor's desk. We create daily content for this website and 35 professional media partners around the state.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

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A steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High 15C. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

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Vincent Tolliver is a regular contributor to The Sun Chronicle whose work converges at the intersections of race, social justice, politics, education, pop culture, history, capitalism, matriarchy and humanism. When visiting Attleboro, he can usually be found at Morins Diner where, he says, they serve up the best seafood chowder in New England.
File photo

SPRINGFIELD  A segment of Illinois 111 may soon be named in honor of former South Roxana Fire Chief Todd Werner.

On Thursday, the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution by state Rep. Amy Elik, R-Fosterburg, to name Illinois 111 between New Poag Road and Madison Avenue as The Chief Todd Werner Memorial Highway. The measure now goes to the state Senate.
A potential influx of teachers seeking better teaching environments from states passing laws that allow parents to sue educators could help Illinois solve its teacher shortage, though officials point to developing local talent as a key to filling positions.

A recent string of bills passed in numerous states in the southern United States allow parents to target educators who teach about issues relating to race and LGBTQ equality. Bills also call for teachers to post teaching plans, usually formulated over the course of the year, in advance and allow for parents to object to taught lessons.

The Illinois School Board of Education offers licensure reciprocity for teachers licensed by other states, Jaclyn Matthews, executive director of communications with ISBE, wrote in an email.

"Teachers licensed out of state can get their Illinois Professional Educator license by submitting a copy of their valid, comparable out-of-state license and their bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education," Matthews wrote. "We have removed multiple barriers (such as tests and additional coursework over the past several years to make it less burdensome for educators prepared and licensed in other states to come to Illinois to teach."

Illinois schools are currently facing an educator shortage, as an October report from the ISBE found 3,600 vacancies in education in the state, with the largest amounts of vacancies in special education, elementary education and bilingual education. Bills have recently been passed in the Illinois General Assembly seeking to address this shortage.

States were already facing massive teacher departures, according to a poll from the National Education Association, as NPR reports more than half of teachers are looking to exit. That's before the additional strain of these new laws targeting educators were passed in some states.

However, while ISBE does offer ways for teachers to move into the state from outside of it, 60% of teachers work in a school within 20 miles of the high school from which they graduated, Matthews wrote.

"Research supports focusing on developing local talent as a key strategy to building a strong teacher pipeline," Matthews wrote. "Therefore, ISBE's efforts to recruit and retain teachers are directed locally."

Those efforts include:
CARLINVILLE  Macoupin County posted the second most harvested bobcats for the recently completed 2021-22 season.

In 1977 bobcats were on the state's threatened species list, but their numbers increased in Illinois to where, in 2016, a state season for to harvest the animals was reinstated. Only 1,000 permits are issued annually.

A total of 290 bobcats were harvested during the 2021-22 season, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Another 23 were reported as salvage from roadkill.

Macoupin County had the second highest bobcat harvest of any county in Illinois with 15 total and 10 by firearm. The county also had four trapped and one shot by archery.

Madison County recorded only one bobcat during this past season, and that was by roadkill.

Greene County reported nine: six by firearm, two by trap and one by archery. Jersey County reported eight: three each by firearm and trap and two by roadkill. Calhoun County reported five: one by firearm and four by trap.

Jefferson County posted the largest harvest in the state at 17 with 11 shot and two each recorded by archery, trap or roadkill. Morgan County had the third highest harvest at 14 with nine by firearm, two each by trap and archery, and one by roadkill.

Statewide totals included 150 by firearm, 116 by trap, 24 by archery and 23 by roadkill.
ALTON  One person was injured in a single-vehicle accident Wednesday afternoon in Alton.

At about 12:25 p.m. Wednesday, Alton firefighters and police responded to the report of an overturned pickup in the 1200 block of Washington Avenue.

Authorities said the driver, whose name has not been released, lost control of his Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck after coming around a curve near East Elementary School, flipping the truck onto its top. Alton firefighters treated the man in one of their ambulances at the scene, but it was unclear if he was transported to a hospital.

Because of the curve in the road, Alton Police had Washington Avenue closed completely in both directions for a time, but the roadway was opened in time for school dismissal.
London, KY (40741)

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Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 71F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Job Title: GBV Case Worker (10 No Experience Job Opportunities)

Organisation: ALIGHT

Duty Station: Uganda

Job Ref No: GBV/CW/2022

Reports to: GBV Assistant

About US:

ALIGHT, formerly the American Refugee Committee (ARC), is an international non-profit, non-sectarian organization that has provided humanitarian assistance and training to millions of beneficiaries over the last 40 years. In 2011, Alight helped nearly 2.5 million people get essential services to regain their health and take back control of their lives. Alight works with its partners and constituencies to provide opportunities and expertise to communities of refugees and internally displaced persons in seven countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, including Iraq, Kosovo, and in the Darfur region of Sudan and is currently providing for emergency relief and recovery in Haiti. Alight provides shelter, clean water and sanitation, health care, skills training, microcredit education, protection to help survivors of war and natural disasters to rebuild their lives with dignity, health care, security and self-sufficiency.

Job Summary: The GBV Case Worker will provide case management services to GBV survivors. The incumbent will also support the protection sector in quality implementation of the GBV thematic area in synergy with the larger protection and community services components. He or she will be a focal point to ensure survivors receive confidential, safe, and timely services that meet their needs in a timely manner.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The incumbent will conduct all steps of the case management process: Intake, assessment and engagement, case planning, supported referrals, developing practical skills, case review, building client capacity.

Provide direct support and care for adult survivors of GBV and age-appropriate specialized support and care for adolescent, male and girl child survivors of GBV, including counseling and case management.

Follow GBV guiding principles of respect, confidentiality, and safety/security and non- discrimination while providing services

Work closely with other stake holders for the integration of the survivors back into community and enhance access to livelihood opportunities for GBV survivors to support their healing and reintegration process.

Working with at risk young people, their families, community, to strengthen community based interventions.

Carry out routine visits to the protection/safe houses and asses the needs of the survivors under safe keeping and the general state of safe houses.

Ensure up-to-date filing and documentation of GBV cases in line with UNHCR and Alight standard tools.

Attend to protection concerns of persons of concern, provide GBV survivors with information and resources to access services and make appropriate referrals to other service providers if required.

Offer basic psychosocial support services to survivors. Determine the need for therapeutic psychosocial or psychiatric support for further referral to specialized service providers.

Ensure that all the GBV interventions adhere to protection standards and principles as well as ALIGHT guidelines and accountability standards.

Contribute to the daily quality implementation, monitoring and evaluation of SGBV- related projects and interventions in the area of jurisdiction.

Working in close collaboration with the protection team, she/he will proactively contribute to quality and timely writing of weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports.

Uphold Alights code of conduct and principles of accountability.

On request perform any other additional duties assigned by the supervisors in order to allow the organization to function optimally.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The ideal candidate must hold a Diploma in Psychology, guidance and counselling, social work and social administration, social sciences, development studies, or relevant fields.

Professional training in gender mainstreaming is desirable.

One year of experience working with GBV survivors and especially in a humanitarian setting and/or advocacy programs is added advantage.

Prior exposure and experience in protection interventions in line with Refugee operations with wide Knowledge in SASA methodology and case management processes.

Good understanding of GBV referral pathways

Knowledge of Swahili and any other languages commonly spoken in the operation area is desirable.

Good communication skills and ability to conduct training and awareness campaigns

Good computer skills.

Familiarity with the context of operation and UNHCR funded projects desired.

Excellent command of English and ability to work with minimum supervision.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates should apply online at the link below

Click Here

Deadline: 16th March 2022 at 5:00pm

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Heineken joined the exodus of western brands from Russia as the countrys invasion of Ukraine entered its 14th day.

The Dutch brewer said the war was unprovoked and completely unjustified and it would stop advertising and selling Heineken beer in Russia.

It will also stop taking any profits from its Russian business, which makes local brands such as Okhota and Zhigulevskoe, though these will still be sold.

Beer ban: Heineken said it would stop advertising and selling Heineken beer in Russia and stop taking any profits from its Russian business which makes local brands

Heineken, which also makes Red Stripe and Birra Moretti, hinted it could offload its Russian business, saying it is assessing the strategic options for it.

Its Russian business makes up under 2 per cent of Heinekens sales globally and employs 1,800 people.

Tobacco giant Imperial Brands and baby goods business Mothercare also said yesterday they would suspend operations in the country in response to Vladimir Putins invasion.

Catering giant Compass has said it is pulling out of Russia and dropping all Russian suppliers in light of its invasion of Ukraine.

Chief executive Dominic Blakemore said: We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Russian states acts of aggression against Ukraine and its people.

And the magic circle law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer said yesterday it will close its Moscow office  cutting ties with Russia after 30 years in the country.

Imperial, which owns Lambert & Butler and Rizla, said it was forced to close its Ukrainian business for employees safety. And it said it would close its factory in Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, and stop all sales and marketing of its products.

Russia and Ukraine make up around 2 per cent of sales for Imperial and around 0.5 per cent of profit.

Mothercare operates in Russia through a franchisee, Alshaya, and said it has suspended trading in 120 shops and online.

Mothercare has operated as a franchise business since its UK business emerged from administration in 2020.

It held onto the Mothercare brand and sells the rights to partners to sell products around the world.

Russia is one of its biggest markets and accounts for as much as 25 per cent of annual sales and was expected to bring in 6million profit over the next year.

Other western businesses shutting outlets in Russia include KFC and Pizza Hut owner Yum! Brands.

The fast food giant has 1,000 KFC restaurants and 50 Pizza Huts run by franchisees in Russia and said it is suspending all KFC restaurant operations in the country.

Coca-Cola, Starbucks and McDonalds have also suspended operations in Russia. Ikea has halted operations in Russia and Marks & Spencer said it would end shipments to its franchise operator in the country. Burberry, Fortnums and Harrods will also shut in the country.

Cadbury owner Mondelez has come under pressure for refusing to stop trading there. In a statement last night it said it would scale back its operations in Russia and focus on basic offerings.

But Camel and Newport cigarettes maker British American Tobacco went against the grain by refusing to pull out.
City regulators were last night blasted for refusing to expel Russian companies from the stock exchange  even after one was accused of providing the steel that built Vladimir Putins tanks.

Politicians and other critics said the very presence of dozens of Russian firms on the London market threatened to undermine the Governments response to the war on Ukraine.

It came as shares in steel giant Evraz were suspended after the UK sanctioned oligarch Roman Abramovich, the groups biggest investor.

Controlling force: Shares in steel giant Evraz were suspended after the UK sanctioned oligarch Roman Abramovich, the groups biggest investor

However, this does not amount to a full expulsion from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and is effectively a temporary disruption to business-as-usual.

In a set of highly damaging claims, the Foreign Office said Abramovich has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and is the controlling force of FTSE 100-listed Evraz.

And Evraz itself, officials said, potentially supplies steel to the Russian military, which may have been used in the production of the tanks lurking on the outskirts of Kyiv.

But the LSE and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have still refused to take measures to boot out Evraz and the 36 other companies that have had their shares suspended over the Ukraine crisis.

And a string of businesses such as Polymetal and Petropavlovsk  which claim they are not Russian  are still trading as normal.

Sam Armstrong, of foreign affairs think-tank the Henry Jackson Society, said: The FCA have dragged their feet on this issue for too long.

'It is neither morally right not prudentially responsible to allow the trading of shares of firms so closely tied to the Russian state.

'Evraz is inextricably linked to a sanctioned oligarch and a failure to act would demonstrate that regulators simply lack the powers or wherewithal to defend the UKs national interests.

UK chiefs refuse to quit Three British directors have refused to stand down from the board of Evraz  including a former aide to Prince Charles. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, there were four Britons at the steel and mining company. Last Friday, James Rutherford became the only one so far to take a moral stand against Putins regime. Of those remaining, Sir Michael Peat, Prince Charles ex-aide and the Queens former treasurer, is the best known. He has been with the company since 2011. Peat has earned 1.9million from Evraz in a decade. He is standing down at the end of this month once part of Evrazs business has been split into a separate firm  a process that started long before the war with Ukraine  but has refused calls to leave early. Ex-Ford Motor Company executive Stephen Odell  who made 105,000 from Evraz last year  and former Deloitte director Deborah Gudgeon have also stayed.

The LSEs powers are limited to being able to suspend shares  and it is the FCA that determines which companies are listed. They are included on what is called the regulators Official List.

The Mail understands the FCA does not even have plans to take any measures against Russian firms that go beyond those imposed by the Foreign Office  which so far has not made any direct mention of the LSE.

Sources said it was too early to speculate what would happen next but that it was not a decision for the FCA to make.

But critics slammed the watchdogs inaction.

Financier and campaigner Bill Browder said: I believe that all Russian companies should be delisted from the London Stock Exchange immediately.

'As we all work to economically isolate Putin, we cant leave any gaps.

It makes no sense if all major Western companies are pulling out of Russia but the LSE continues to list Russian companies. Its no longer a business issue but a security issue.

The lack of action on LSE-listed firms comes in the wake of an international boycott of Russia by Western firms.

Roger Barker, director of policy and corporate governance at the Institute of Directors (IoD), said: Although Russian issuers would normally be welcome participants in UK capital markets, their continued involvement could be construed as undermining public policy aimed at persuading the Russian government to pull back from its current actions in Ukraine.
With Hindu extremism growing unchecked, India is on the edge of a precipice: media

17:03, March 10, 2022 By Qing Ming ( People's Daily Online

Protesters demonstrate against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Guwahati, India, Dec. 11, 2019. Photo: Xinhua

Hindu extremists are increasingly taking their "militant message" into the mainstream while fermenting "communal hate" in a push to convert India into a Hindu state, wrote the New York Times earlier last month in an in-depth article headlined As Officials Look Away, Hate Speech in India Nears Dangerous Levels.

The article pinpointed the rampant hate speech adopted by Hindu extremists against the Muslim community, including promoting a genocidal campaign to slaughter "2 million Muslims" and even pushing rhetoric in support of ethnic cleansing targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Such hate speech "is stoking communal tensions in a country where small triggers have incited mass-death tragedies," the article wrote.

The prevalence of Islamophobic sentiments and rising incidences of violent attacks targeting Muslims have not garnered enough attention from the Indian government at both the central and local levels. On the contrary, Hindu extremists' heinous agenda is being "enabled" and even "normalized" by political leaders and law enforcement officials in the world's second-most populous nation, the article highlighted.

In consequence, Muslims and even other religious minorities in the country have had to contend with the mounting perils of hate speech and violent attacks.

Emboldened by the re-election of Yogi Adityanath (a monk who in the past formed a youth group accused of inciting violence), who serves as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state, Hindu mobs in 2020 staged a series of riots in New Delhi that resulted in the grisly deaths of 53 people (many of whom were burned to death), and over two-thirds of which were Muslims.

In 2021, several video clips of violent attacks by Hindus went viral in India on social media: one showed a 45-year-old rickshaw driver being paraded through the streets of Kanpur, a city in Uttar Pradesh, as his teary daughter begged the mob to stop beating him, as reported by the BBC. In January this year, an Indian pastor and his wife were assaulted and wounded by a mob of Hindu extremists, and when they attempted to file a police report they were rejected by the local police.

India's political figures have not only turned a blind eye to Hindu extremists, but they instead have fostered a symbiotic relationship with them, since the group remains the staunchest supporter of India's right-wing politicians. On March 1, Bloomberg published an analysis entitled Anti-Muslim Hatred Is Shaping India's Elections, which pointed out that Indian political leaders have been exploiting "existing divisions in society" and "deep-rooted religious hatred" to cement their positions. "While India is sensitive to international criticism of its treatment of Muslims, it does little to address the problem," the analysis noted.

In January, Gregory Stanton, director of Genocide Watch, who previously predicted the massacre of the Tutsi in Rwanda before events broke out in 1994, said at a briefing that there were early "signs and processes" of genocide in India, according to Al Jazeera. Stanton was convinced that the Hindu extremists and their genocidal agenda must be stopped. "Because once the mobs take over it could turn deadly," he said.

(Web editor: Meng Bin, Liang Jun)
SPARKS [mdash] Mrs. Mattie L. Clements Martin, 93, of Sparks, Georgia, passed away at her granddaughter's home on April 25, 2022. Mrs. Martin was born on January 17, 1929 in Colquitt County to the late Ivey Lane Hart and Ola Gay Hart. She lived most of her life in Cook County and was of the 
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Conversations, a new book from the 85-year-old minimalist composer Steve Reich, is one of several recent titles that provide a fascinating and expansive look behind the scenes of classical music, and the arts scene more generally. Reichs book is a collection of one-on-one discussions with colleagues  including conductors, instrumentalists and other composers  as well as a sculptor, a choreographer and a record producer.

Over the years, the contemporary music realm has seen lots of books made up of collections of transcripts of composer interviews. Its a format that can get tedious and that I also find kind of lazy. Thankfully Conversations is not that, though it does consist of transcripts with light editing. What keeps it interesting is how neither Reich nor his interlocutors are allowed to fall back on the long-recited histories in their heads. Through conversation they share memories that collide about as often as they align.

The talks are sequenced so that the topics discussed roughly follow the flow of Reichs long career, which has encompassed works for percussion, electronics, unusual chamber ensembles and modified orchestras.

The book really gets going with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. He recalls his 1973 performance with the Boston Symphony at Carnegie Hall of Reichs Four Organs, basically a solid 20 minutes of one held chord with a continuous pulse played on maracas. The audience went nuts, booing and jeering. Some even rushed the stage demanding that the incessant chatter cease. It was an event for the history books, comparable to how Stravinskys Rite of Spring caused a riot in the Parisian audience in 1913.

Tilson Thomas seems to recall the circumstances better than Reich does. You were white as a sheet, the conductor tells him. Just as interesting, if not quite so incendiary, is Tilson Thomas lengthy rehearsal process leading to the debut and recording of Desert Music, a massive undertaking for chorus, orchestra and a large complement of percussionists. The weeks of sessions in Brooklyn got nicknamed Camp Desert Music

Ive known and interviewed lots of composers and rarely do they speak of a colleagues work at length or with anything more than polite disdain. That makes these rich discussions feel like composers behind closed doors. Theres a refreshing shared respect among equals in the chapters devoted to talks with Stephen Sondheim, Brian Eno and Johnny Greenwood among others, though each of them acknowledges Reich as the grand old man in the field.

Lessons with Jeremy Denk

Pianist Jeremy Denk long ago proved that hes also a deep thinker and skilled writer. Every Good Boy Does Fine, his first book, is a memoir of his years as a piano student, from childhood through his advanced studies at Oberlin, Indiana University and Juilliard. The through-line is his shifting attitude toward private lessons and the succession of quirky, but sometimes brilliant, teachers.

The most influential teacher was probably Gyorgy Sebok, a Hungarian American who taught at Indiana. After a brief encounter with him, Denk abruptly changed where he was headed for graduate work. Denk writes, Sebok listened and molded the sound, with gentle but firm hands, like someone forming clay at a wheel. Once their lessons had begun, Denk says, He kept alternating between spirit guide and physics teacher.

Throughout the book come breakthrough moments when Denks youthful mind has sudden flashes of insight and awareness on the magical nature of music. He expresses them so beautifully you want to circle the sentence or write it down somewhere. Sometimes in passing though he tries too hard. One section begins: May blossomed (just like the first song of Dichterliebe).

Denk is candid about family troubles during his childhood and he gives a fair picture of the obsessive, self-centered and perpetually unsatisfied mindset of a teenager. As he becomes more likable in the course of the book, the reader starts to root for his success. But Denk doesnt need a cheering squad, since he seems to have angels watching over.

When he began at Juilliard, he found a room in a Greenwich Village high rise owned by New York University and designed by I. M. Pei with spectacular views for only $500 a month. I was a lucky man, and as usual didnt appreciate it, he writes. One month later he won the Juilliard concerto competition, which led to a performance with conductor Kurt Masur in Avery Fisher Hall.

Besides talking about music lessons, Denk offers some instruction in the form of reoccurring chapters, nine in all, on harmony, melody and rhythm. These rather abstract essays interrupt the narrative and feel disconnected from the rest of the book. In that regard, they bring to mind critic Philip Kennicotts Counterpoint, a somewhat recent memoir about his efforts to master the Goldberg Variations. His book alternates between a personal story and dry accounts of Bachs life and work. At least when Denk goes into teacher mode, his personality still comes through. Denk also supplements the book with annotated playlists.

Management basics from Snider

Decades ago when I studied arts administration at the graduate level, our professor assigned us jobs at imaginary arts organizations in the fictional town of Elm Mott. We put together operational budgets, wrote grant applications, and created marketing campaigns for our respective institutions. The first semester culminated with a board meeting, where all of the eccentric characters of Elm Mott came to life. It was a clever and effective teaching method to compensate for the lack of any textbook for aspiring arts administrators.

Now and then an amusing and perhaps instructive memoir by a prominent arts exec gets published. Making the Mummies Dance recounted Thomas Hovings years as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Coming out this month is Karen Brooks Hopkins BAM... and Then It Hit Me, about her long tenure running the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Apparently the field has continued to lack a standard text  until now. Managing Arts Organizations is an impressive and thorough guidebook by David Snider, who is director of Hubbard Hall, in the little town of Cambridge, Washington County, and also a teacher of arts management at Skidmore College. I've been leading arts organizations and teaching arts management for 25 years now and I've always wanted a great guidebook for managing arts organizations, but could never find one  so I wrote it, says Snider in a statement.

His readable and engaging text should prove invaluable to students and professionals alike, but also for artists looking to better understand the field and board members faced with the countless challenges of guiding a nonprofit. Enlivening all of the instruction are examples of organizations that got it right and those that stumbled. There are also eight case studies of institutions large and small, including the Walker Arts Center in Minnesota and Hubbard Hall.

Since the books release in January, Snider has been facilitating a series of free online discussions with other top administrators from across the country on various aspects of the field.

Two more are coming up: Adaptations and Evolutions at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23; and Arts Ecologies and Economies at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 6. To register or view past sessions go to hubbardhall.org/now-playing.
Im not going to scold you. Well, not much.

If Im being honest, I have no high horse to climb on. How do you think I discovered these five business-killing mistakes? By making them.

My career as an entrepreneur started with a little moxie and a lot of beginners luck. I was 14 living in rural Pennsylvania. The smartphone era was just kicking off, and the best smartphones were made in Europe. Somehow I got a European wholesaler to give me an agreement as a reseller. I imported sophisticated phones for $300 or so a pop and sold them with a 20-30% markup on eBay. Watch out Bill Gates, or so I thought.

It was going so great that I dropped out of high school to focus on the business  and then my merchant bank discovered my age and closed my account. No more cell phone enterprise.

For the next 12 years or so I pounded my head against the wall, trying to get the slightest bit of success, freezing my butt off in my basement office with a paint bucket for a chair (the 5-gallon luxury Lowe's version), banging on my keyboard and pulling out my hair in search of a way to make a living.

When did this long, frustrating intermission end? When I eliminated these five bad business habits. I didnt turn on a dime. I eliminated them one by one through painstaking effort. Some of them were hard to break. It felt like letting go of a part of my soul.

But with each habit I shed, my prospects got brighter. When I shed all five, my agency was on track to becoming the seven-figure business it is today.

You dont have to change overnight. If you see yourself in more than one of these habits, pick one of them to break and then move on to the next one. But however long it takes, these are my picks for the five bad business habits you need to stop immediately. Don't worry about the order of things, just start with one today.

1. Stop setting price traps for yourself

How do you get someone to buy from you instead of a competitor? Charge less, right? Maybe a free trial or half off?

This might work if your business is selling paper towels, but I usually guide my students in the opposite direction  charge a higher price. When you go low on price, you set a trap for your business to fall into, impaled on spikes at the bottom of a proverbial pit.

Charging a high price takes confidence, a belief in the value of your solution vs. a competitors solution. Aspiring entrepreneurs who lack that confidence often assuage their insecurity by charging a lower price. They hope the low price will peel off some market share because in their heart of hearts they dont believe they deserve that market share.

The price might even be low enough that it doesnt justify their time. I often point out that when all is said and done, I see folks making under $10 an hour at the lowball rates they charge. Why even go into business at that margin?

Their answer is always the same  and its a trap. Well, Ill charge a low price for the first few clients, do a great job, get some glowing testimonials, and then I will raise my prices.

I get it. It sounds good. But in practice, it rarely happens. Much of your early business will come from referrals, and the new guy will always ask the last guy how much you charged him. And they wont pay $3,000 if the last guy paid $500.

Thats the price trap  people get stuck at the low price they set for years. They burn up, flame out, and give up before they can really build the momentum they need to raise those prices to a level that justifies their effort.

Dont set the trap, and dont be afraid to charge in accordance with the value you provide. Especially in the business-to-business arena, most buyers arent looking for the lowest possible price  they are looking for the best possible solution. If you can provide that solution, charge accordingly.

Related: Don't Be the Cheapest, Be the Best

2. Stop creating websites and business cards before you make a sale

You could set a clock with the predictability of this conversation I have with my students:

So youre going into business. Have you made a sale?

Well, I need to make a website and business cards first. Get a phone system setup. YouTube Channel, Instagram and the works. Oh and a really nice logo!

Nope. Nope, nope, nope. That doesnt fly with me. My response is Stop designing your business card and make a sale. You dont even know if you have a market fit yet. If you dont have fit, that business card is just a waste of time, money and trees.

It used to be me. I cringe to think of the number of websites I designed, business cards I ordered, fliers I printed, explainer videos I made, blogs I wrote  time, money and effort, all down the drain because I had skipped the step of confirming that the market actually wanted what I was trying to sell.

The website and the business card often become an excuse. By working on them, people can feel like they are in business and being productive, but they are really stalling for time, procrastinating the hard and sometimes scary work of standing in front of customers, extolling your value proposition, and asking for their credit card.

But the sooner you face that fire, the better. A business is not defined by a website or a business card. A business is defined by its sales.

How much did it impact me when I finally dropped this habit? My agency became a seven-figure company before I ever launched a website for it.

Related: How to Find the Holy Grail of Product-Market Fit

3. Stop building the product or service before you make a sale

This goes hand-in-hand with the above. To avoid going out and trying to make a sale, they say Well, the product isnt ready yet. I want to get it just right.

My answer: Why are you building a product you havent sold yet? If no one has bought it, how do you know if anyone will even want it?

Sell a product before you build it? Many people cant wrap their heads around that. It sounds dishonest, like selling someone the Brooklyn Bridge (i.e. something that is not yours to sell).

But its not. Companies pre-sell products all the time. iPhones, video games, VR glasses, Tesla's Model 3  people line up for these products based on concept drawings alone.

My example is more down-to-earth. I sold about 20 people my first educational program before I had designed a single module or shot a minute of video content.

I didnt just ask them if they thought they would maybe one day want to buy it. I ran their credit cards and everything.

I was honest with them. The course isnt launched yet, but I plan to launch it in 60 days, and you will be among the first to have access to it. If something happens and the course doesnt come to be, I will refund you.

You had better believe I hustled during those 60 days and got it done on time. I didnt want to refund their money, but even more than that I didnt want to look stupid by failing to deliver.

4. Stop building your business on the cheap

Remember what I said earlier  most buyers dont look for the lowest price. They look for the best solution. For your business to thrive, you will need to start thinking this way as well.

Aspiring entrepreneurs often come from a position of scarcity. They pinch pennies. Its like they dont have the confidence that they will ever make a sale, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If your brand is clearly put together on the cheap  cheap products, slipshod marketing, etc.  why should anyone buy from you, even if you offer the lowest price? Its a race to the bottom, and you want no part of it.

This doesnt just apply to physical things you can touch or see. I make a point of paying my remote employees more than the market rate for their labor. I want a very loyal team that does excellent work. This enables me to charge premium prices and attract loyal clients, which is worth far more to my business than the excess wages I pay them. Oh, and its simply the right thing to do.

5. Stop building the business around you

This is one of the hardest habits to break, especially for solopreneurs. Early in your business, you will wear many hats and perform many tasks yourself. Its easy to slip into the mindset that nobody can wear those hats as you do.

Dont make this mistake. Design every aspect of your business with the expectation that eventually, someone else will take over that role. Even if they only do the job 80% as well as you do, youre in the money. You can still be on hand to act as quality control for that last 20%. But eventually, you can hire someone else to perform quality control.

If you build your business around you  if you dont design your business to the point where you are replaceable  then it will own you. It will fall apart if you decide to take a vacation or face a family emergency. You really arent a business owner  you are self-employed, a different kind of rat race.

Begin with the end in mind. If you want to sell your business, travel the world, spend time with your family, retire early, or build a four-day workweek, build from the beginning with the idea that business will continue, even if you leave.

Related: Micromanagement Is Murder: So Stop Killing Your Employees

We all make mistakes. When the goal is to build the lifestyle of your dreams, those mistakes can set you back years. All the above lessons, I learned the hard way. If I can help you shave years off your lifestyle curve, my 12 years in the wilderness were not in vain.

If you are making any of these mistakes, now you know! Taper off if you need to, and stop them immediately if you can. The sooner you do, the sooner you prosper.

Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Every business starts somewherea backyard, a garage, a tiny studio. For Paper Route Bakery, it all started in a small kitchen in a small apartment in Austin, Texas, with owner Aaron Seriff-Cullick making cookies and cakes for friends and neighbors. That led to delivery, and orders, and eventually, a Kickstarter campaign for a brick-and-mortar storefront.

Thats where it got tricky. Envisioning a dream is one thing, but executing that vision is another thing altogether.

Opening a brick and mortar is the hardest thing I've ever done in my whole life. I can't even describe what that period of my life was like, said Aaron. The money was running out fasteen before there was product to selland build outs and health inspections took longer than anticipated.

By the time I finally passed my health inspection in September, which was like the biggest relief, I was in the weeds and needed to start making money immediately, Aaron described. Even from the first second I got going, it's been high stakes. We could call it an adventure, but crisis is more appropriate.

Just about every small business owner has been on that adventure, and very few report it as a pleasant experience. The truth is, owning a business is hard, but not many business owners like to talk about that part. No one wants to admit when things arent going to plan.

And sometimes, those plans need to be set aside, and you have to pivot your business model, like Aaron did with Paper Route Bakery. When he realized it was all work and no pay (for himself at least), he had to take a good look at his business model.

I realized in the middle of the summer that the bakery was losing money, and I was going to have to either close essentially the bakery was going to have to close. Even though we were selling baked goods regularly and frequently selling out, not only were we not making a profit, we weren't breaking even. We were losing money.

Aaron didnt open a business to lose moneythats not part of any business owners plans. He managed to open up after the initial pandemic wave thanks to some Federal Small Business Association loans. When those ran out, it was time to pivot and make some serious changes to his menu.

Almost everyone has known the disappointment that comes from a favorite menu item being discontinued. It can be a crushing disappointment, especially if youve driven for miles in anticipation of that one special something you just have to have.

Yelp reviewer Amber W. missed out on one of Paper Routes specialty cookies: the milkshake cookie. They had sold out before she could make it to the store, but she still wrote a positive review of Paper Route because Aaron handled the situation perfectly.

In her review, Amber said They were out of the milkshake cookie I wanted to try because we got there so late in the afternoon. It's a hot item, but we got lucky that fresh scones were coming out. The owner is super cool, and he even brought me a huge chocolate chip cookie to make up for being out of the milkshake cookie. I will definitely be back here early enough to get one.

That personal connection made Amber a fan of Paper Route, and she immediately started following the bakerys Instagram page. Social media can be a boon to a business like Paper Route because the product looks as good as it tastes.

All his [social media] stories are great and show how much he cares about the importance of being unique from all the other bakeries in Austin where you can go get a cookie. You have to convince people somehow. And the way he does it is a great way to do it. Showing how he makes it, how it's homemade, said Amber.

That visual stimulation applies to reviews and a businesss Yelp Page as well. Amber always uses photos with her reviews because as she says, words sometimes fail.

There's no way you can describe their scones to someone. When I traditionally think of a scone, you think of a small little triangle or something? No, not there. That scone was big enough I could've shared it probably with three people. And then the cookie that I will miss so much, that cookie tasted even better because it was free, right? It was just so thick. I can't describe it, but the picture can, right? I can't do it justice. You have to look at the picture and then you have to be like, I'm going to go eat that.

Reviews are crucial to any business, and Aaron especially appreciates them. Because his products are taken away from the bakery and enjoyed elsewhere, he rarely gets immediate feedback on his baked goods.

They mean so much to me, Aaron said. I'm just a kid baking in my apartment and trying to share what I make with the people around me. So it blows my mind that people love the baked goods so much. Those reviews are my professional fulfillment in a nutshell.

That said, there are sometimes bad reviews, and those really hurt. The thing is, when you're taking reviews that seriously, a bad review really stings. But I've also been able to learn and grow from each of those. And so for me, the review process is essential.

As his business has expanded, Aaron finds himself separated from the front-of-house role he enjoyed. Thats sometimes a consequence of growing a business. In the beginning, like Aaron, the owner is also the baker and running the register and handling all the paperwork.

Even though delegating with growth is a necessary step to preserve energy and balance, it can be a rough transition for some small business owners who have poured their heart and soul into the business.

How can I instill my identity and personality so much into the bakery that theyre still conveyed, even when I'm not there? said Aaron. I think it all comes back to that keep Austin weird vibe, which I've tried so hard to instill throughout the business.

Some of the lessons Aaron has learned over the last few years can be applied to any small business:

Find comfort in sharing your struggles. Running a small business is hard. Talk about the difficulties instead of burying them.

Running a small business is hard. Talk about the difficulties instead of burying them. Pivoting is essential, but it can be tough on your customers. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions and changes to your business structure, even though you know it will disappoint customers. Remember that if your decision is ultimately necessary for the business, be sure to communicate it to your customers, and they will understand.

Sometimes you have to make hard decisions and changes to your business structure, even though you know it will disappoint customers. Remember that if your decision is ultimately necessary for the business, be sure to communicate it to your customers, and they will understand. Help your customers pivot with your business. When you do pivot your business, take your customers with you to make the changes easier. Stick to a quality product, and theyll follow you.

When you do pivot your business, take your customers with you to make the changes easier. Stick to a quality product, and theyll follow you. A picture is really worth a thousand words (or more). Reviews with photos can help describe a product when words fail. Use photo-forward social media to help promote products.

Reviews with photos can help describe a product when words fail. Use photo-forward social media to help promote products. Keep your personality in your business as you expand. Small business owners dont have to give up their personal lives forever, but its important to set boundaries as your business expands. Have a plan for infusing your vision and personality into your business, staff, and overall operationseven when youre not there.

Listen to the episode below to hear directly from Aaron and Amber, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday.

Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
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ALBANY  Regular readers will know I've been highly critical of Elise Stefanik.

I found her conversion to full-on Trumpism cynical. I thought some of her rhetoric after the 2020 presidential election was unpatriotic. I've mocked her mock outrage.

But I also believe in giving credit when due, and Stefanik, the Republican congresswoman representing the North County, deserves significant credit for something she did on Tuesday. She stood up for the people affected by the Schoharie limousine crash.

It happened at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats to national security, during testimony by FBI Director Christopher Wray. To the surprise of perhaps everybody in the room, Stefanik brought up Shahed Hussain, the controversial FBI informant.

Hussain's troubling history includes a long list of dubious business dealings and other eyebrow-raising interactions. But somehow, Hussain and his family repeatedly escaped consequences.

The family limousine business, to name just one example, for years blatantly avoided state rules, falsified reports and ignored whatever punishment regulators tried to impose. Then, in 2018, its unsafe stretch limo careened out of control and crashed in Schoharie, killing 20 people.

As I've written before, you don't have to be swimming in conspiracy theories to suspect that the FBI shielded Shahed Hussain and perhaps kept his family beyond the reach of punishment. At the very least, questions need to be answered.

But who would ask them? Stefanik, it turns out.

"This FBI informant had multiple run-ins with the law and various state and federal agencies that miraculously were brushed away again and again and again," she said to Wray. "I believe that this deadly limo tragedy, the biggest transportation tragedy in this country, could have been avoided had we addressed the illegal acts of this FBI informant. And the FBI owes families answers."

Bravo, Ms. Stefanik. Bravo.

From there, the Republican peppered Wray with questions, including whether the FBI allows undercover informants to commit crimes unrelated to an FBI sting or investigation. Yes or no?

Wray hemmed and hawed, dodged and weaved, saying the answer involved "somewhat detailed and lengthy policies and guidelines" and he had to "tread carefully." He also said he wasn't aware of all the details and would need to have his staff follow up on the questions.

"I would expect you to follow up with me directly," Stefanik said, unimpressed with Wray's equivocation. "We're talking about 20 innocent lives."

Then, she detailed some of the tragic results of the Schoharie crash  a distraught father who suffered a series of strokes, a grandmother who suddenly became the guardian of young children, the first responders dealing with disabling mental health issues  then posed another question about Hussain.

"Was the FBI aware that his company, Prestige Limo, repeatedly violated New York state transportation laws while he was an informant?" she asked, before demanding that the FBI turn over documents and files involving Hussain, his family and their business operations.

"While I'm requesting you to work with us, I will not hesitate to compel this," she added, promising that subpoenas would follow if necessary. "These families deserve answers, they've been yearning for answers, and it's been brushed under the rug."

Some might think the forum wasn't appropriate for Stefanik's questions, given all that's happening in the world. Some may say she was grandstanding.

But I doubt anyone impacted by the Schoharie crash cares. The important thing is that Stefanik, the third-ranked Republican in the House, lent her powerful voice to an important cause, providing new attention to the FBI's possible culpability for the crash. For all her faults, Stefanik isn't afraid to break eggs.

She isn't the only member of Congress who has sought answers. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, the Democrat from Amsterdam, in January wrote Wray a polite letter asking for information tied to the FBI interactions with Hussain and the state Department of Transportation.

That request, however, was unceremoniously rebuffed, with the FBI saying it does not "comment on, confirm, or deny" the existence of confidential sources. In other words, BUTT OUT.

It isn't clear whether Stefanik was aware of that response when she grilled Wray  as is typical, neither her office or campaign responded to requests for comment  but she did remind the FBI director that elected officials are supposed to be in charge.

"It is our job in Congress to conduct proper oversight of the FBI's activities, including the proper and improper use and handling of informants," she said, pressing for answers and accountability.

Again, bravo. What else can I say?

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
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If Americans who've never visited a Hindu temple are aware of one Hindu holiday, it would be Holi or the Festival of Colors. This year, it falls on March 16. Anyone lucky enough to see a Holi celebration in person can't ignore the celebrants laughing and tossing jewel-toned powders at each other. By the end of a party, everyone's clothing, skin and hair will be splashed with magenta, sapphire, emerald and gold.

The ancient holy day welcomes spring and new beginnings. Holi offers celebrants a chance to forgive each others' trespasses, rebuild bridges of friendship and meet new people who may become friends. The festival was born in India. The Indian diaspora brought the spring festival to continents all over the world. The pandemic has canceled many in-person celebrations. But gulal, the colored powders usually made from cornstarch and dye, can still be bought at local stores specializing in ingredients for Indian cuisine. And there's a Columbia County Zoom celebration everyone is welcome to join to enjoy Holi while learning about another globally popular phenomenon from India: Bollywood dancing.
The Downstate Correctional Facility in Dutchess County will close its doors for good on Thursday after more than 50 years.

The maximum-security prison, located in the Town of Fishkill, joins five prisons across the state that also are closing on March 10. Downstate Correctional Facility is the largest of the six to shutter with a staff of 644 and 688 inmates; it had the capacity to hold up to 1,221 inmates.

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) in November announced the decision to close the facilities and has prepared for the transition since December by staggering the relocation of employees and inmates in multiple waves.

The first cohort of 55 officers were transferred from the Fishkill-based facility on Dec. 16, followed by 317 prison employees on Feb. 16. The remaining staff will work their final shift at Downstate on Thursday and report to their new assigned facilities the next day. Prison staff were transferred to jobs at other nearby facilities, including Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon and others in Ulster County.

One Downstate employee, Tom Sherilla, was transferred to Green Haven, a maximum-security prison, in February, along with 49 others. He discussed with the Times Union the need to adjust to a new work environment after working in Fishkill for a decade.

Its a family, said Sherilla of his coworkers, many of whom he will no longer see. When people say you have to have each others back, thats very true. You have to trust these people. You work with them day in and day out. Now, we have to start a new family somewhere else.

Inmates at the Downstate Correctional Facility were transferred to one of 50 remaining state prisons or county jails, depending on their security classification and programming needs. Any remaining inmates not already transferred were sent to other facilities within the last two weeks of February. Elmira Correctional Facility south of the Finger Lakes in Chemung County will expand its reception footprint to absorb the incoming inmates from Fishkill.

The decision to close the six facilities came as the prison population in New York continues to decline and will result in a savings of approximately $142 million for state taxpayers, according to DOCCS. In choosing which facilities to close, DOCCS reviewed the operations at its 50 facilities and their physical infrastructure, program offerings, facility security level, medical and mental health services, proximity to other facilities, and potential re-use options.

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Local officials were critical of the closure of the Downstate Correction Facility, which opened in 1979, and expressed concern about the economic impact on the surrounding area and employed prison staff. There has been no coordination between the governors office and Dutchess County on the closure of this large facility, nor a coordinated plan for the future use of the parcel and the hundreds of workers who will be affected, said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro at the time of the closure announcement.

The other five facilities that close on Thursday included Ogdensburg Correctional Facility, Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in the Adirondack Mountains, The Willard Drug Treatment Campus in the Finger Lakes, Southport Correctional Facility near the Pennsylvania border, and Rochester Correctional Facility. Some were operating at less than half capacity, and all had prison populations below 1,000 people.

Over the past 10 years, over 20 other prison facilities have closed across the state.
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BALLSTON SPA  There are so few school bus drivers at Ballston Spa Central School District that the superintendent is meeting with the bus coordinator every morning at 5 a.m. to determine whether all the students can get picked up.

But the cause of the daily uncertainty isn't COVID-19. Ordinary illnesses, injuries and family emergencies lead, nearly every day, to someone calling out. And there aren't enough substitutes in the Saratoga County school district to cover for those instances.

Many days  twice last week, three times so far this week  a bus run must be canceled. That affects roughly 70 students at a time.

Its become part of the school district's routine. By 6 a.m., community relations coordinator Stuart Williams sends out emails to the affected families. Principals manage phone calls from the parents who have no way to get their children to school.

What they try to do is tap them into a Google meet with their teacher, Williams said.

To minimize the impact, the canceled route is rotated. That way, even if one bus driver is out for several days, the children on that bus might only miss one day.

Its never the same one two days in a row, Williams said.

Few students miss school because of the lack of transportation, he added.

Probably two to three (each day) at each school, and those students connect with teachers to receive the daily lessons, he said.

That can add up: one canceled bus run Wednesday was supposed to deliver students to five different schools.

Many parents in the district have cars, Williams said, and can drop their children off. But picking them up  at 2 p.m. for middle schoolers and 3:30 p.m. for elementary school children  is much harder for working parents.

Making matters more complicated, some bus routes are canceled midday. That leads to a nightmare of a traffic jam at pickup, said parent Kristofer Gregorek.

Every time they cancel a bunch of buses, thats more kids who have to be picked up, he said while waiting in line at the Malta Avenue Elementary School. And you dont get a full days notice. Itll happen at the end of the day, youll get something at noon saying we cant run six buses this afternoon. Now people are trying to figure out what theyre going to do while theyre at work.

At pickup at the Malta Avenue Elementary School, the parents all line up in cars, stretching down the road, and children are released one by one as they pull up. It usually takes half an hour. But on bus cancellation days, its much worse.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Instead of it being 30 minutes, now were waiting an hour or more. One day it was more than an hour and a half. Now that was a particularly bad day, they canceled eight buses, Gregorek said.

Parents who normally pick up their children have a laminated windshield sign with their childs name and grade level. Anyone who doesnt have a sign  such as a parent whose children normally ride the bus  must show their ID to a school official when they pull up. That slows the line down even more.

COVID-19 used to be the reason for bus cancellations throughout the region. Ballston Spa had a full-school virtual day on Oct. 15 because 10 bus drivers were out that day. Other districts also had to cancel routes at times in the fall.

But infections and quarantines are no longer a problem. The main issue now is a lack of staff, Williams said.

Some districts have offered raises, full-time work, or flexible schedules, such as working only the morning or afternoon run. Others rewarded staff to encourage them to stay.

Scotia-Glenville Central School District, which had to cancel a bus route in the fall, offered its bus drivers $250 in January and promised another $750 at the end of the school year. Substitute bus drivers who stay through the end of the school year will get $375.

Some school districts changed their operations completely to make busing work. Bethlehem High Schools start time was moved from 8 a.m. to 7:35 a.m. to give bus drivers time to do an extra run every day. Bethlehem district officials are also considering reducing the number of bus stops, which would speed up the system. That would require some students currently in a busing zone to now walk or be driven to school.

Shenendehowa Central School District has managed to avoid any bus route cancellations. When bus drivers call out and the district doesnt have enough substitutes, bus office staff and mechanics drive the buses.

The Shenendehowa Central School District Transportation Department personnel are doing everything humanly possible to provide transportation instead of canceling transportation, as has happened in other school districts, said Al Karam, director of transportation. Our team of three dispatchers are miracle workers for triaging the shortage.
ALBANY  New York's cannabis regulators on Thursday authorized rules that would give business owners with documented marijuana offenses first dibs on opening retail dispensaries through conditional licenses that would be valid for four years.

In order to be eligible for a conditional license, applicants have to prove that they are successful business owners  which is determined by demonstrating the business had a net profit for at least two years. The rules, which are subject to a public comment period, also require showing that an applicant is "justice-involved," which means they or a family member has been convicted of a marijuana offense in New York.

The state could have a significant number of eligible entrepreneurs: According to the Drug Policy Alliance's executive director, Kassandra Frederique, for many years New York was considered the "marijuana arrest capital of the country" with a high number of people arrested for decades on low-level marijuana offenses.

"The marijuana arrest crusade in New York enforcement was targeted disproportionately at Black and (Latino) people, who comprised nearly 90 percent of marijuana arrests despite using at rates similar to white people," Frederique said, adding that she was encouraged to see the state "attempting to innovate" with its policy decisions.

Coupled with the recently passed state law affording hemp farmers the opportunity to apply for conditional licenses to grow marijuana, the retail applications could lay the groundwork for a local supply chain to be up and running well before applicants receive licenses through the process that will kick off after industry regulations are locked in.

Since the conditional license category for hemp farmers was passed directly by lawmakers, it will not have to go through a public comment period: Cannabis Control Board Chair Tremaine Wright announced that hemp farmers can apply online between March 15 and June 30. Guidelines for the proposed dispensary licenses need to go through a public comment period before the Office of Cannabis Management can propose an applicant to the board.

The office, which handles day-to-day regulation of the industry, has suggested that conditional licenses will help keep New York's industry local and maintain its focus on the equity applicants specified in the state's cannabis law. The law says implementation of an equity plan should "actively promote applicants from communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition." It also says equity applicants will include "distressed farmers," among other categories.

"The dispensaries and retailers would be selling the product that would have (been grown by) New York farmers," said Axel Bernabe, the office's senior policy director. "We would be looking for individuals that come from communities that have been impacted ... by over-criminalization."

These comments come two days after a rally at the Capitol organized by the Cannabis Social Equity Coalition. Its members worry that the decision to give conditional licenses to grow marijuana exclusively to hemp cultivators left out Black farmers among those "most harmed" by unequal marijuana enforcement, including some with both land and farming experience.

Mika'il DeVeaux, the group's chairman, asked that officials go beyond retail opportunities and give "the most harmed segment of the social equity population" access to the same conditional licenses that were given to hemp farmers.

In Thursday's board meeting, several members noted the need to continue finding opportunities for those farmers as well, while insisting that the conditional license categories they have established are only part of the puzzle.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

"We're enabling hemp farmers opportunities to grow," said board member Jen Metzger, who noted the regulatory process had been aligned with the natural growing season in the Northeast. "But I would really like us to explore how we can enable equity growers in the mentorship program to grow adult-use cannabis on their own land, if that's possible."

"I want to just remind us all that this is the first step of many," added Reuben McDaniel III, another board member.

Allan Gandelman, president of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association, which represents a number of the state's hemp farmers, said the organization supports Thursday's announcement about prioritizing "justice-involved" applicants for conditional dispensary licenses. He added the association "looks forward to partnering with the first wave of dispensary owners to get their businesses off the ground and launch recreational sales in New York."

Industry advocates have long pointed to the need to integrate "legacy operators," people who were selling marijuana pre-legalization, into New York's regulated market. Detractors of that concept worry about an industry built on sellers accustomed to working illegally.

But given the bounds of the proposed regulations, which will prioritize applicants with evidence that they operate profitable businesses in addition to their proof of previous marijuana-related offenses, it is unclear how many of New York's underground operators will be eligible to apply. Chris Alexander, the executive director of the office, said criminal activity beyond marijuana-related charges could also render some applicants ineligible.

"We're anticipating July or so for the application tied to these conditional retail licenses," Alexander said. "I want to emphasize again, this is a small segment of the potential dispensary licenses ... but we found it prudent to get this market off the ground as soon as possible."
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TROY  A grand jury has "taken action" in the case against the Petersburgh man authorities accused of killing a Washington County woman before hiding her body at a state park in eastern Rensselaer County, prosecutors said.

The panel's action against 22-year-old Ian J. Hasselwander eliminated the need Thursday for preliminary hearing in Stephentown Town Court, District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly's office announced.
GLENVILLE  The lawyer who represents a Schenectady police detective accused of harassing two women insists that the violation charges against his client are groundless and he plans to file a motion with the local court to have them dismissed.

We deny all the accusations and charges and do not believe that the charges are even legally facially sufficient ... they dont even meet the standard for a harassment charge, said Andrew Safranko Wednesday about the case against his client, Brandon Kietlinski. We deny making any inappropriate or any text messages of threatening, harassing contact at all.

Kietlinski has been charged with two counts of second-degree harassment for allegedly sending a text professing his desire to be with a woman he had been in a romantic relationship with and sending a threatening text to a second woman, both of whom he had been told not to have any contact with, court records allege.

The two women, who filed separate complaints with Glenville police against Kietlinksi, live together.

Kietlinski, 36, remains on paid leave as the departments Office of Professional Standards conducts an internal probe into the matter. Safranko said that probe will clear his client too.

We welcome the internal affairs investigation and are fully confident that Officer Kietlinkski is going to be all right, he added.

Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford said the investigation is ongoing and that they were awaiting test results on potentially key pieces of evidence.

On Wednesday, Safranko said the court date in Glenville Town Court earlier this week was adjourned because he had contacted the Schenectady County District Attorneys Office to see if they planned on appointing a special prosecutor.

At that point, he said the DAs Office informed him they had not made a decision.

But Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney told the Times Union Wednesday afternoon it would be asking another prosecutor's office to handle the case because Kietlinski is the lead detective in a homicide case from late last year. "So we have a relationship with him by reason of that so I think it would make it impossible for us to resolve this case," he said.

He said that the Saratoga County District Attorney's Office agreed to handle the case.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

A criminal complaint shows that on the morning of Feb. 26, Kietlinski sent a text to one of the women, saying that even though he knew he wasn't supposed to be texting her that he missed her and wanted them to run away together.

I just need to talk to you one more time to remind you what we had was amazing, the court document states.

The filing also shows that around the same time, Kietlinski sent a text to the other woman, using foul language, telling her he knew she had called his job before finishing the correspondence with youre done.

In that text, Kietlinski also wrote: I dont care about my job. They wont do anything.

Clifford previously issued a statement saying in part that it is my expectation that all members of the Schenectady Police Department will conduct themselves as consummate professionals while on duty and off duty.

He said the department will cooperate fully with the Glenville Police Department and prosecutors on behalf of the complainants and their desire to seek protection and justice.

Glenville Police Chief Stephen Janik, who previously described the accusations as a domestic-related dispute involving the "non-contact harassment of two female victims," has expressed confidence Schenectady police would handle the matter appropriately.
Environmentalist Bill McKibben states that the best way to defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin and other autocrats who depend on fossil fuel revenues like the Russians and Saudis is to get off fossil fuels and respond with renewables. To stand with the brave people of Ukraine, we need to find a way to stand against this industry.

Russia's exports of oil and gas overwhelmingly fund its gigantic military machine. Ironically, the cost of solar and wind power is the cheapest in the world, but they need to be developed further to combat dictators, climate change and particulate pollution that kills multitudes.
Following the tireless efforts of formerly and currently incarcerated advocates, access to Pell grants for people in prison was restored in December 2020, but New York still lags behind the majority of other states. Needs-based financial assistance allows our most vulnerable and low-income individuals to access higher education. New York is in the minority of states that bans incarcerated people from receiving its version  the Tuition Assistance Program.

I had the opportunity to take my first college class in 1990 while serving a life sentence, prior to the 1994 Crime Bill, which eliminated access to Pell Grants for incarcerated students. In taking that class, I was really interested in trying to understand how I became incarcerated and what systems work together to keep people behind bars. I was in this classroom with approximately 30 women, most of us serving life sentences, but all brilliant, incredible human beings that were seeking some form of transformation through higher education.

As someone who recently moved from California to New York, I was shocked to learn that this Draconian, tough-on-crime policy persists today in a state that otherwise stands as an example of opportunity and progress.

Its indisputable that access to education is transformative. Its a portal to the wider universe. And when youre incarcerated, oftentimes, higher education inspires not just hope, but also the ability to think critically about your situation. Many incarcerated people have a hunger to learn and to improve their understanding of the criminal legal system and of the world. This is especially true when youre looking around a prison yard and youre seeing that the majority of the people look like you.

Black Americans make up 40 percent of the incarcerated population while theyre only 13 percent of the total U.S. population. With this huge overrepresentation, theres no denying that the ban on TAP for people in a prison is directly oppressing Black communities, further depleting their ability to gain access to new opportunities and break cycles of incarceration.

Once funding was eliminated for incarcerated students, it left a void in our lives. With access to college, we became lifelong learners. We had started to transform our lives, because we finally found hope and were able to dream. In the absence of college, we lost more than just classes. We lost camaraderie and an identity we all shared that followed us outside of the classroom and into the prison yard. It wasnt just about us getting a degree, it was so much more than that. It was socialization, community and learning how to engage with the world.

Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world. And when you see that transformative power of education taking place in others, you say, wow, thats incredible. But when you see it taking place in yourself, its remarkable.

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Education reduces all types of harms, because it transforms the individual. I am lucky enough to have had access to education, albeit for a brief time, inside prison. It should not be a matter of privilege or chance whether one has access. It should be seen as an opportunity to deploy our collective resources as a society into the minds of people who are hungry for change and understanding.

Because of that first college course and the seed it planted in me, I now think of my incarceration as an experience, and not as something that will hold me hostage for the rest of my life. I can navigate barriers more fluidly so that I can move up the economic ladder. I can win parole. I can work in a university. I can be an executive director.

When you give people the chance to learn, you give everyone the opportunity to do better.

That is why Im asking you to repeal the decadeslong ban on TAP, as worded in the executive budget proposal. The bill to repeal this was introduced in 1999 and has never made it out of committee. It is past due that it is prioritized in both the Senate and Assembly budgets one-house budgets. A strong message needs to be sent that New York is truly committed to educational equity for all.
I support it; it gives students an advantage for scholarships.

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The Tanaiste is "honoured" to be in Chile on the day marriage equality becomes enshrined in law.

Leo Varadkar commented on social media this afternoon (Thursday March 10), stating, "And then there were 31. Honoured to be here in Chile on the day marriage equality becomes law. One of the final acts of the outgoing Govt and Congress. Only 150 to go."

Outgoing president, Sebastian Pinera, last year signed the marriage equality law after being passed by congress.

Tanaiste Varadkar made the trip to the South American country to attend the inauguration of new president, Gabriel Boric, on behalf of Ireland and the European Union.

In a statement published yesterday (Wednesday March 9), he said, "This trip is about deepening the relationship between our two countries, which is something weve committed to as Government. There are huge opportunities for both sides in strengthening links between Ireland and Chile, and indeed with the wider Latin American region."

Varadkar will officially open Ireland's new embassy in Santiago during his time there.

Honoured to meet President-elect @gabrielboric. Am here for inauguration as representative of Ireland and the EU. Discussed EU-Chile association agreement, ties with Ireland and the situation in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/2AFT7qarLW  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) March 10, 2022

Same-sex marriage is legal in just thirty one countries, including Ireland, which voted in favour of equality in 2015.

The measure was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins.

According to the Human Dignity Trust, Iran, Northern Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen all implement the death penalty for being gay, and the sentence is a legal possibility in Afghanistan, Brunei, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qater and the UAE.

Over seventy jurisdictions criminalise private and consensual same-sex sexual activity.

Main image: Leo Varadkar/Twitter
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Pictured from left to right are Venango County Commissioners Mike Dulaney, Same Breene and Albert Abramovic with the proclamations they approved. The commissioners approved proclamations for Acceptance 364, 811 Safe Digging and Bleeding Disorders Awareness.
The mayor is attempting to loot the Kansas City police budget once again. . . This time around we notice a bit less shock and more support from local MSM.

Meanwhile . . .

Missouri Republicans in Jeff City are prepping a full court press to block Mayor Q's latest budget gambit that was shut down last time around by a local judge.



Here's a more sympathetic report . . .



"The proposed budget increase would increase Kansas City Police Department's yearly funding to $269 million. City Council members and residents, though, have concerns."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
As the world confronts nuclear annihilation . . . COVID doesn't seem so scary anymore.



Accordingly . . .

Given that "the science" has changed . . . Check local schools attempting play catch-up.



Here are the basics . . .

Families in the district were told about the decision Wednesday night. "We encourage our families to make the decision on masking that is right for them," a spokesperson said. "We know some of our students and employees will feel more comfortable continuing to mask, and we support them.



"Although the district is making this change, Head Start pre-kindergarten students and employees will still remain under a federal mask mandate.



For other KCPS pre-kindergarten classrooms, masks will be optional. "With this change in our mask policy, it's more important than ever that students and employees stay home and get tested if they are sick," the spokesperson said.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
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Well the full results are in for the Trinity Masters Open Waters Swim Meet and there's a new
The Russian military have launched an air strike on the village of Piskivka, Kyiv Region, killing one person and leaving two more people wounded.

The relevant statement was made by the National Police of Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

At 09:30 p.m., March 8, 2022, the Russian military launched an air strike on the village of Piskivka, Bucha District. [] A 20-year-old girl was killed. Two more people were wounded. Nine residential houses were destroyed, the report states.

A reminder that, on February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting a war. Russian invaders are destroying the key infrastructure facilities, shelling residential houses and killing civilians.

mk
The pause without the West's decision to close the sky over Ukraine or provide us with warplanes has become deadly.

We are doing everything to finally secure our sky. I am grateful to the vast majority of Ukrainians who support this position. Those who collect signatures, who convince their acquaintances in the West, write on social networks, organize rallies. Together we must return courage to some Western leaders. So that they finally do what they had to do on the first day of the invasion. Either close the Ukrainian sky from Russian missiles and bombs, or give us fighter jets so that we can do everything ourselves. A pause without a decision has become simply deadly, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address.

As reported, on March 8, the Polish authorities announced their readiness to hand over all their MiG-29 fighters in United States disposal. At the same time, Warsaw expects Washington to hand over aircraft with similar operational capabilities and is ready to start negotiations on their purchase immediately.

Reacting to this statement by Polands Foreign Ministry, the Pentagon said it was still negotiating with the Polish side but Warsaw's proposal was so far "unacceptable" at this stage.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West not to delay the issue of Poland's transfer of combat aircraft and not to shift responsibility to each other.

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Russian troops have lost their combat efficiency in some areas and put reserves into operation.

"Ukraine's defense forces repel and hold back the offensive operation of the Russian armed forces in all areas. In some of them, the occupying forces have lost their combat efficiency and involve reserves. In order to increase its combat capabilities, the enemy is moving divisions and military units to the borders of Ukraine from other strategic areas," the press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on Facebook.

It is noted that the Republic of Belarus provides support to the aggressor in ensuring the supply of fuel and lubricants, the use of railway infrastructure and airfield network. Sabotage of military and civilian infrastructure facilities remains likely. The press service emphasizes that the Russian Federation does not abandon plans to encircle Kyiv, continuing the offensive operation in Polissya and Siversky areas. In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy advances on the populated localities of Izium, Petrivske, Hrushuvakha, as well as the cities of Sumy and Okhtyrka.

The enemy offensive also continues in Donetsk and Tavriysky areas. The enemy builds up grouping of troops in Mykolayiv direction.

In the Black Sea and Sea of Azov operational zones, the occupiers continue to isolate the area of hostilities. Naval groups of the Russian Navy are located in the areas of Cape Tarkhankut and Lake Donuzlav. The Armed Forces of Ukraine, in coordinated cooperation with other components of the security and defense sector of the state and the forces of national resistance, restrain the massive offensive of the occupying forces.

On February 24, president Putin announced the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure, massively hitting residential areas of Ukrainian towns and villages using artillery, multiple-launch rocket system, and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

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Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Yulia Laputina has called on world leaders to close the skies over Ukraine.

She said this in her video address posted on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

"Since 2014, I have seen with my own eyes the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine, how it aggressively attacked our country. In 2014, the Russian occupiers created a prison, isolation, in Donetsk so that to torture our Ukrainian citizens. It is taking place in the 21st century, and all world leaders, the whole world community has been deeply concerned and continued to be deeply concerned during the eight years of Russia's insidious war. For two weeks, our people have been heroically resisting and repelling the Russian aggressor. Russian troops are committing atrocities in Ukraine. For two weeks now, our civilians have been shelled by heavy weapons and ballistic missiles. Today a bomb hit a maternity hospital in Mariupol. And you continue to be deeply concerned. I call on all world leaders: be human, close the skies over Ukraine," Laputina said.

She called on world leaders to stop thinking about their own interests and businesses and to close the skies over Ukraine.

As reported, on February 24, Russia declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure. Missiles hit residential buildings.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lost remote data transmission from its safeguards systems installed to monitor nuclear material at the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants.

Ukrinform reports this with reference to the IAEA website.

IAEA in recent days had lost remote data transmission from its safeguards systems installed to monitor nuclear material at the Chornobyl NPP and another Ukrainian nuclear power plant now controlled by Russian forces, the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the agency said.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he was concerned about the sudden interruption of such data flows to the IAEAs Vienna headquarters from the two sites, where large amounts of nuclear material are present in the form of spent or fresh nuclear fuel and other types of nuclear material.

It is noted that the reason for the disruption in the transmission of safeguards data was not immediately clear. The IAEA continues to receive such data from other nuclear facilities in Ukraine, including the three other nuclear power plants.

The remote transmission of data from IAEA safeguards equipment located at nuclear sites around the world is an important component of our safeguards implementation, in Ukraine and globally. Such systems are installed in several facilities in Ukraine, including all nuclear power plants, and enable us to monitor nuclear material and activities at these sites when our inspectors are not present, the director general said.

He stressed that even though technical features were in place to ensure that the data was stored locally, the storage capacity as well as the operational status of the monitoring systems remained uncertain.

In addition, through safeguards technical measures the IAEA verifies that countries are honouring their international legal obligations to use nuclear material and technology only for peaceful purposes.

Regarding the status of Ukraines operational nuclear power plants, the regulator said eight of the countrys 15 reactors remained operating, including two at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Radiation levels at the sites were normal, it said.

It is noted that Director General Grossi said he will travel to Antalya on March 10 at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. In meetings there, I hope to make progress on the urgent issue of ensuring the safety and security of Ukraines nuclear facilities. We need to act now, he said.

As reported, Zaporizhzhia NPP has been under the control of the Russian army since March 4. The enemy captured the Chornobyl zone on February 24.
Thousands of civilians have remained in Bucha, a town near Kyiv that has for the past week been a site of atrocious attacks by Russian enemy forces after the invaders thwarted the latest evacuation attempt.

Among those waiting to be taken out from the town is a 2-year-old boy who has been sheltering in a basement for several days after undergoing transplantation surgery, according to a Ukrainian legislator, Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk, who addressed the issue on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

"Its very sad that the evacuation from Borodianka, Bucha, and Hostomel failed. Hostomel has been mined. Thousands of people remained in Bucha, including a 2-year-old boy, after a transplant surgery, who has been sheltering in a basement for several days already. In Borodianka, on Tsentralna Street, 25 people remain under the rubble. In Hostomel, a nursing home is under blockade," reads the statement.

According to the lawmaker, yesterday, a group of civilians from Myhalky, Zahaltsi, and Maidanivka were partially evacuated to Piskivka. There are several hundred people constantly coming from the surrounding villages, hiding from the invaders atrocities and shelling. But Piskivka was shelled, too, and a girl, 20, was killed there as a result.

There are constant reports that the invaders are taking hostages out to Belarus - especially male civilians who have no tattoos on their bodies.

The Chornobyl NPP has been in blackout, along with a satellite town of Slavutych, meaning water supplies have been disrupted. The occupiers keep holding the NPP and its staff hostage.

At the same time, hope for evacuation remains, Vasylevska-Smahliuk believes.

According to the Ukrainian MP, negotiations are underway to open humanitarian routes from Dymer and surrounding villages, Nemishayevo and surrounding villages, as well as the Borodianka, Ivankiv and Polissia districts.

She also stressed that on March 9, twelve lawmakers co-authored an appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross, in UNDERSTANDABLE French, demanding that a humanitarian corridor be ensured, and called on the ICRC mission to return to the area where the occupying forces are committing brutal crimes.
Thousands of Russian military servicemen are now in Ukrainian captivity.

Thats according to Vadym Denysenko, an advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs, who spoke with Rada TV, Ukrinform reports.

"I can say that the total number of prisoners of war amounts to thousands. I have no authority to elaborate," the official added.

According to Denisenko, Russian prisoners of war will be held in a single location.

"After that, it is possible that, in accordance with all international conventions, they will be sentenced to contribute to rebuilding Ukraines infrastructure. They will rebuild what the Russian army has destroyed," said the advisor.

On February 24, on the instructions of President Vladimir Putin, Russia launched a war with Ukraine. For the sixth day in a row, Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure, with their missiles aiming including at apartment blocks.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and a general mobilization was announced.
The Ukrainian army counter-attacked Russian troops near Kyiv and hit five tanks in the early hours of March 10.

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, said this live on the Rada TV channel.

"The Ukrainian army launched a counter-attack near Kyiv. We hit five tanks," he said.

According to Denysenko, artillery fighting continued on the western outskirts of the Ukrainian capital early on Thursday.

"We understand that fighting is taking place there now, but there is no more detailed information," he added.

As reported, on February 24, Russian President Putin launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been killing civilians, shelling and destroying key infrastructure, with missiles hitting Ukrainians' homes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization.
The actions of Russian invaders at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant pose a threat to both Europe and Russia itself. The world must put much more pressure on Russia.

Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, said this in a comment to the media, Ukrinform reports.

"The situation in Chornobyl in general is very dangerous. Due to the actions of the invaders, stable power supply to facilities there was suspended, and they simply should not be left without energy supply. This is a threat to the whole of Europe and, of course, to Russia itself," he said.

At the same time, Podoliak said he was convinced that if the Russians started a war for the conquest of their neighbors in the spirit of the wars of the Middle Ages, then in such an ideological framework there is absolutely no place for modern science, modern infrastructure.

Therefore, according to him, it is not surprising that the invaders are shooting at nuclear power units, fighting on the sites of nuclear facilities, disrupting energy supplies.

"All these objects [] can be used as objects of blackmail," Podoliak said.

He also recalled that the IAEA had stopped receiving mandatory data from the security monitoring system. That is, the world community earlier always had a picture of what is happening at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, but now no one understands what is happening there.

"If this is so, then the world must put much more pressure on Russia to literally oust the occupiers from Ukraine. The longer Russian troops stay in our country, the more these people from the Middle Ages create problems for everyone in Europe and for themselves," Podoliak said.

As reported, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been under the control of Russian invaders since March 4. The invaders seized the Chornobyl nuclear power plant on February 24, and since then there has been no opportunity to change personnel at the plant.

The Chornobyl NPP was completely blacked out as a result of the actions of the Russian occupiers. The fighting continues, and it is still impossible to carry out repair work and restore power supply.

The IAEA stopped receiving data from systems monitoring nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at the Chornobyl and Zaporizhia nuclear power plants.

As reported, on February 24, Russian President Putin announced the beginning of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure, residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages using artillery, MLRS and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was declared.
Since the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, 71 children have been killed and more than 100 have been wounded.

"As of 11:00, March 10, 2022, since the beginning of the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine, 71 children have been killed and more than 100 children have been injured," Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova posted on Telegram.

In particular, according to her, 7 private one-story houses were destroyed, 5 people were killed, including three children (a five-year-old girl and two children born in 2021), as a result of an air strike on the town of Malyn, Zhytomyr region.

A 16-year-old boy was also killed in shelling of a market in the village of Zhukovskoho, Kharkiv region.

As a result of another artillery shelling of the village of Slobozhanske, Izium district, Kharkiv region, an enemy shell hit a private house at night. Four people died under the rubble: 2 women and 2 children, a 5-year-old girl managed to survive.

In addition, in the town of Irpin, Kyiv region, a 10-year-old girl was severely wounded and is currently in hospital in serious condition.

"Over the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the atrocities of Russian militants, the violation of all Geneva conventions, Ukraine pays an exorbitant price  the lives of its children, the future of our people. I insist, NATO countries, help stop Russian terrorism  close the sky over Ukraine," the human rights commissioner urged.

On February 24, president Putin announced the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure, massively hitting residential areas of Ukrainian towns and villages using artillery, multiple-launch rocket system, and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

Photo credit: Stas Yurchenko, Graty

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Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was not authorized to make any decisions, in particular regarding humanitarian corridors, at the meeting in Antalya as he just came to the talks to "listen" to the Ukrainian side.

"At the meeting, I suggested a simple thing: We have smartphones with us. I can call right now the President, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the Commander-in-Chief, and I am 100% sure that they will provide all the guarantees that the humanitarian corridors will work and are ready to do so right now, in your presence. And you will do the same. I'm sure you have all contacts you need. He did not answer," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said at a press conference after the meeting, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that the Russian foreign minister did not have the authority to make any independent decisions and pointed out that he had come to Antalya to "listen" to the Ukrainian side. During the meeting, Lavrov was guided by well-known cliches instead of a serious substantive conversation, Kuleba noted.

Ukraines top diplomat stressed that he was ready to repeat this format of meeting with the Russian minister at the level of foreign ministers if it was of a substantive nature.

As reported, a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia took place in Antalya on March 10.

On February 24, president Putin announced the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure, massively hitting residential areas of Ukrainian towns and villages using artillery, multiple-launch rocket system, and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

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At a meeting with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba insisted on Russia's immediate withdrawal of troops from the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants to avert a nuclear disaster in Europe.

Met with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Antalya to discuss ways of ensuring safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid Russias invasion. I insist: Russia must immediately withdraw forces from Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia NPPs to avert a disaster in Europe, Kuleba posted on Twitter.

As reported, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi arrived in Antalya, Turkey, where the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia met to discuss the safety of Ukraine's nuclear facilities.

Chornobyl NPP was captured by Russian troops on February 24. Zaporizhzhia NPP has been under the control of the Russian army since March 4.

As a result of the actions of the Russian occupiers, Chornobyl NPP is completely de-energized. The fighting continues, so it is still impossible to carry out repair work and restore power supply.

National Power Company Ukrenergo is waiting for a safe corridor to restore power supply at the Chornobyl NPP.

IAEA lost track of data from the safeguards systems in place to monitor nuclear material at the occupied Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants.

A trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia took place in Antalya on March 10.

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba told a press conference following a meeting with Turkish and Russian foreign ministers that Ukraine would reject any attempt to impose a model of recognizing some form of Russian interim rule over Ukrainian nuclear facilities.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky informed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson and President of France Emmanuel Macron about new crimes of Russia against Ukrainians.

Continued dialogue with the leaders of the UK and France. Informed about new crimes of Russia against Ukrainian people. Further support for Ukraine was discussed with British PM Boris Johnson. We also focused on peace talks with President of France Emmanuel Macron. We must stop the war, Zelensky posted on Twitter.

On February 24, president Putin announced the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure, massively hitting residential areas of Ukrainian towns and villages using artillery, multiple-launch rocket system, and ballistic missiles.

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In Luhansk region, one person was killed and three more were wounded in Russian shelling.

As Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Serhiy Haidai posted on Facebook, three wounded people were found and evacuated from Rubizhne town and one person killed was found in Severodonetsk as a result of Russian shelling.

On the morning of March 10, one person was killed, two more were injured in a damaged house due to shelling of Lysychanska Street in Severodonetsk. Two people were injured, and four more were wounded in Donetsk, Lisova, and Haharina Streets.

Haidai also informed of numerous fires in Severodonetsk and Rubizhne. A gas pipeline was broken in Severodonetsk.

On February 24, president Putin announced the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure, massively hitting residential areas of Ukrainian towns and villages using artillery, multiple-launch rocket system, and ballistic missiles.

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Ukraine makes every effort to restore the power supply to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant as soon as possible.

"Ukraine makes every effort to restore power supply as soon as possible. The power supply is needed, in particular, to cool the spent nuclear fuel stored there," Energy Minister of Ukraine German Galushchenko said, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Ministry of Energy.

He noted that in general, the power supply to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant is provided by several power lines. The last 750 kV power transmission line, which supplied power to the nuclear power plant, was cut off last night due to shelling by invaders. Currently, reserve capacities  diesel generators  function at the Chornobyl NPP.

Galushchenko said that Ukraine had requested the invaders to provide a corridor for repair crews to carry out relevant works. He also reiterated his call on the international community to respond to the situation at the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants.

"This is important for the security of not only Ukraine or Europe, but the whole world. The military must leave nuclear facilities. And we suggest that the relevant OSCE and IAEA missions be located at the stations to ensure the safety of those facilities. But the key is to close the sky over Ukraine," the official stressed.

As reported, National Power Company Ukrenergo says that instead of assistance from Belarus in restoring power supply to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, the company needs a ceasefire.

Chornobyl NPP was captured by Russian troops on February 24. Zaporizhzhia NPP has been under the control of the Russian army since March 4.

As a result of the actions of the Russian occupiers, Chornobyl NPP is completely de-energized. The fighting continues, so it is still impossible to carry out repair work and restore the power supply.

National Power Company Ukrenergo is waiting for a safe corridor to restore the power supply at the Chornobyl NPP.

IAEA lost track of data from the safeguards systems in place to monitor nuclear material at the occupied Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants.

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The Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Territorial Defense have stopped the Russian invaders offensive operation in all directions.

This was reported on Facebook by the press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of 18:00 on March 10, according to Ukrinform.

"Ukraine's defense forces are repelling and holding back the offensive operation of the Russian armed forces in all directions. Throughout the day, Ukraines defenders in Polissia and Volyn directions forced the enemy to retreat to the areas unfavorable to them. The settlement of Baklanova Muraviyka was liberated in the northern direction. Kyiv defenders are firmly holding their ground, protecting the citys critical infrastructure. Russian occupiers have been stopped in all directions, while the enemy has suffered significant losses in terms of manpower, weapons, and hardware," the statement said.

Read also: Ukrainian forces down enemy Su25 fighter jet

The invaders reportedly focused their efforts on spreading misinformation and propaganda through all available channels. With the help of cyber units and Russias federal media, the enemy is actively spreading disinfo about Ukraines military and political leadership, creating and spreading fakes about the alleged acceptance of Russias ultimatums , as well as calls for the Ukrainian forces to cease fire and lay down their weapons.

"We urge you to trust verified sources only and keep your calm," the General Staff said.

The press service also noted that, despite the fact that the Russian soldiers deployed in Ukraine are isolated from objective information, some reports about Russias disgraceful situation still reaches out to them. There are rumors among the military about the inability of the Russian defense ministry to pay off their allowances due to sanctions, which in turn demoralizes the occupying forces. In the area of the village of Shestovytsia, Chernihiv region, the occupiers are seeking for ways to surrender.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, 71 children died over the 15 days of Russia's war against Ukraine. Another 100 children were injured.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has failed in all his plans and calculations drawn before the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine, and now he must immediately stop this senseless and unprovoked war.

This was stated today in Versailles before the informal meeting of EU leaders by EU High Representative Josep Borrell, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The statement was released on the EU multimedia portal.

"Dont try to drive a wedge. We are more united than ever. I have never seen member states being so united and together with our transatlantic partners. Putin believed he was going to conquer Ukraine, he failed. He believed he was going to divide us, he failed, he thought he would weaken the transatlantic relationship, he failed. Now he has to stop the war," said Joseph Borrell.

He reminded that Russia had launched a war of aggression against Ukraine without any reason. Nowadays, everyone can see what is happening from the TV screens. Russians are massively and indiscriminately bombing Ukrainian cities, killing hundreds of civilians and displacing two million refugees.

"Is it our fault? Two million refugees No. "Russia is waging war the way they did in Syria, the way they did in Chechnya, bombing and destroying the country," the EU High Representative said.

Read also: EU imposes restrictive measures on 160 more Russians

He noted that today the leaders of the European Union will work in two main directions. The first concerns continuing pressure on Russia to stop this crazy war and the killing of civilians  through diplomatic means and sanctions. The second direction of discussion is to identify ways to increase the resilience of the European Union, in particular by reducing its energy dependency and developing its defense capabilities. In this context, the heads of state and government will discuss efforts to build a strong economic framework to meet the challenges Russia is posing today.

Josep Borrell answered journalists' questions about whether the EU would feel safer without Russian gas.

"We will be much safer. We need to use less gas, use less gas - this is what the climate demands of us. In this case, geopolitics and climate go hand in hand, "the EU High Representative added.

A two-day informal meeting of EU heads of state and government is set to begin today in Versailles, France.

One of the issues of the meeting may be consideration of Ukraine's application for membership in the European Union.

On February 24, Russian President Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure, hitting households.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

Ukraine has officially filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federation with the UN International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The European Union has imposed a powerful package of sanctions against Russia as an aggressor state, whose international isolation is growing by the day. The International Criminal Court has begun documenting and investigating Russia's war crimes in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian authorities were preparing for war against Russia, but they did not expect attacks from Belarus.

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, said this on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

He said that Ukraine's military and political leadership began to prepare for war in November 2021. "I always wore civilian clothes, and in November I put on a black uniform - it was a sign that we are preparing [for war]," Danilov said.

He said Ukrainians could not be informed about preparations for the war and its probable beginning in the near future, as this could have contributed to panic and economic decline, which was one of Russia's tactics.

"We clearly understood that this would happen. The only thing I can say is that we did not expect this to happen directly from Belarus. We did not expect such a blow to our back. We did not expect them to go on all fronts. It was a surprise for us," he said.

Danilov clarified that escalation was expected in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk and Luhansk areas, as well as from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. "But the fact that they went all over our border, including from Belarus, was an unpleasant thing for us. I confirm this," Danilov said.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.

On March 9, Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the President's Office, said that more than ten attempts had been made to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during this time.
On March 9, the IMF Executive Board greenlighted $1.4 billion in additional financing for Ukraine under an emergency support program known as the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI).

The funds disbursed under the RFI program will help finance priority expenditures of the state budget and shore up Ukraines balance of payments, the NBU press service informs.

We are immensely grateful to the IMF for its prompt response to our request. We look forward to completing all required procedures as soon as possible. We highly appreciate this emergency funding from our international partners. It is vital for Ukraine now that it has been going through such a horrible time, said NBU Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko.

The RFI opens up quick access to financial assistance to countries that urgently need to eliminate mismatches in their balance of payments, in particular those arising due to war.

The RFI is designed for cases where it is impossible to launch a full-fledged program of economic reforms. At the same time, an IMF member country requesting such assistance should cooperate with the Fund to resolve its balance of payments problems and draw up a general list of economic and financial policy measures it plans to take to achieve that.

As a reminder, Ukraine launched an international initiative to suspend Russia's and Belarus' membership in IMF and all World Bank Group organizations.

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Economic sanctions against Russia are still insufficient to stop the invasion of Ukraine. If this issue is not resolved now, the West will have to save other countries from the aggressor.

"If there were enough sanctions, the invasion would have stopped. Russian oil and petroleum products are still being bought. Western corporations still remain in the Russian market under the guise of various excuses. Yes, there are moral companies that have left, and we are grateful to them for that. But there are business giants who are still choosing bloody money. Everyone must be moral and strengthen sanctions against Russia for this unprovoked and brutal invasion, which is reminiscent of the worst times of World War II," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky told German newspaper Die Zeit in an interview, the text of which is available to Ukrinform.

The Head of State stressed that sanctions related to oil, gas and disconnection from SWIFT were the most sensitive. If we do not take these steps now, the West will have to save Moldova, the Baltic states, and Poland, Zelensky believes.

"If we talk about sanctions, they primarily relate to oil, petroleum products, and gas. World ports must be closed to Russian ships. Cargo companies must stop sending and receiving goods from and to Russia. There should be no exceptions for Russian banks disconnected from SWIFT. These are specific things that can be done. If you don't do them now, then you will have to do even more to save the Baltic states, Poland, Moldova, Georgia and all other countries  Russia's neighbors  from the Russian invasion," the President said.

It is also very important, he stressed, that Western countries finally decide on how to create a humanitarian no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Asked whether Putin could surrender under economic sanctions, Zelensky said the West had not yet created sufficient economic pressure to talk about it.

On February 24, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced the start of the invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure, missiles are hitting houses.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

The European Union and a number of other countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, have imposed sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. Dozens of companies have announced the termination of work in Russia and withdrawal from projects with Russian partners.

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Ukraine's leadership keeps working from their offices, while Russian invaders should consider surrendering to the Ukrainian forces.

Thats according to Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, who suggested this via Facebook, as reported by Ukrinform.

"The country's leadership, led by President and members of government  they all keep working, all in their place, no matter how sad this is for Russia! I urge every Russian soldier to either do the same as the Russian warship was told or surrender to Ukraine before it is too late. Also, as for capitulation: Ukraine will accept Russia's capitulation with understanding. Lets keep holding our line! said Reznikov.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on March 9, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov called on Ukrainians to destroy Russia's electronic warfare and electronic intelligence systems deployed in Ukraine, which would help disorient and blind the invading forces.
All plans of Russian leader Vladimir Putin failed, and now he must immediately stop this crazy war.

Do not look for division. Do not try to drive a wedge. We are more united than ever. I have never seen the Member States being so united, and together with our transatlantic partners. Putin believed that he was going to conquer Ukraine, he failed. He believed that he was going to divide us, he failed. He believed that he was going to weaken the transatlantic relationship, and he failed. Now, he has to stop the war, Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said ahead of the informal meeting of EUs Heads of State or Government at Versailles, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that Russia was conducting an aggressive war against Ukraine without any kind of reason. Everybody can see on their TV screens what is happening. Russians are bombing indiscriminately Ukrainian cities, hundreds of casualties, civilians. Two million refugees. Is it our fault, two million refugees? No. Russia is doing the war the way they do, like they did it in Syria, like they did in Chechnya, bombing and destroying a country, the official said.

According to him, the leaders of the European Union will work today in two directions. First, how to continue putting pressure on Russia to stop this crazy war, and to stop the killing of civilians through diplomatic actions, but also through sanctions. And, second direction is how to increase the resilience of the European Union  energy dependence and military capabilities. In this context, the Heads of State and Government will discuss a stronger economic basis in order to face the challenge that Russia is putting ahead of us today.

Borrell also answered journalists' questions about whether the EU would feel safer without Russian gas.

We will be much safer. We have to spend less gas, to use less gas  the climate requires that. For once, geopolitics and climate go together, the EU High Representative stressed.

As reported, today, March 10, two-day informal meeting of EU Heads of State and Government begins at Versailles, France. Its main issue will be the discussion of the situation after the start of Russia's war against Ukraine and the consequences of Kremlins criminal actions for the entire system of European security and stability.

Consideration of Ukraine's application for membership in the European Union may be touched upon.

On February 24, 2022, Russian president Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure, launching massive attacks on residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns using artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced. The Armed Forces of Ukraine and territorial defense units repel the enemy's attack and inflict heavy losses on the aggressor. Russian troops face fierce opposition from all of Ukrainian society.

The European Union imposed a powerful package of sanctions on Russia as an aggressor state, whose international isolation is growing by the day. The International Criminal Court has begun documenting and investigating Russia's war crimes in Ukraine.

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Ukraine is able to join the European Union quickly enough as our country is already closely integrated into it.

"It can be done quickly. Ukraine is already very closely integrated into the European Union. Our people absolutely value freedom and democracy. We have proved it even in a full-scale war. What else do you need? Having Ukraine as its member, the European Union will have a nation that is currently a key fighter on the continent for freedom, democracy, equality and, consequently, Europe. For Ukraine, this is the end of a very long way to the European community of which we are historically a part," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky told German newspaper Die Zeit in an interview, the text of which is available to Ukrinform.

As reported, on February 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union.

On March 7, European Council President Charles Michel said that Ukraine's application for EU membership would be discussed in the coming days.

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Published March 10, 2022

University of Louisiana Monroe English students experienced the world of freelance writing in a class project where they researched and contributed articles for an international publication.

In the fall 2021 Writing in the Sciences course taught by Patrick Morgan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English in the College of Arts, Education and Sciences, the students wrote for Outsmart Insight, a London-based intelligence company which tracks emerging technologies.

ULM students participating in the project included Joey Bounds, Canen Braxton, Alivia Busch, Eli Fitzgerald, Ashley Grant, Kaylee Sadler, Gabe Wright, Dawson Jacobs, Jacob Lewis, Cade Robinson, Paurava Thakore, Bryonna LeBaron, and Melissa Jackson.

Each student was given a freelance assignment to read recent scientific articles about new technologies developing in labs worldwide. The students then translated the science into 250-word articles for the companys magazine.

The students did a remarkable job, said Morgan. They acted like professionals throughout the entire process, coming together to help each other improve as writers, revising multiple times, and submitting quality writing.

My favorite part about this assignment was that it didnt feel like an assignment, said Grant. By that, I mean there was no rubric or concrete guidelines. This was challenging at first, but it led to this feeling more like an experience, and not just schoolwork. I felt like a writer, not just a student trying to get a grade.

The company reached out to Morgan to freelance for them; instead, he suggested the students draft the articles. The company agreed, even providing editorial feedback alongside the edited, finalized versions based on the students original submissions.

The students in the course are now published writers and can list their publications on their resumes, said Morgan. But the truly valuable thing is that they see themselves differently. They appreciate the heft of language, the impact of a well-turned phrase, and they view their own education with new eyes. Over the course of the project, they transformed into writers.

For further information, contact Morgan at pmorgan@ulm.edu.
| By Laura Lee

When Mike Kondilas drove past a sign for free tax advice at the North Point Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, he made a U-turn.

Priyanka Shah 2L provides tax advice to a client at a walk-in clinic in Baltimore County.

For weeks hed been getting the runaround from a previous employer who informed him his tax records were destroyed in a fire. The clock was ticking for him to file his 2022 tax return, and he didnt know where to turn for help.

My question is what to do when your company fails, said Kondilas as he sat down with University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law tax clinic student Priyanka Shah 2L. Shah got to work gathering information and within 15 minutes Kondilas was smiling and had an IRS phone number to call to help sort out his W-2 problem.

This worked out way better than I expected, he said, beaming. They knocked out my questions, and it wasnt too complicated.

Just in time for tax season, student attorneys at the Maryland Carey Law Low Income Tax Clinic (LITC) joined forces with the Baltimore County Public Library system to offer free legal advice to anyone experiencing a tax issue with the IRS or Maryland comptroller.

On Saturday, March 5, Shah, along with fellow students Alex Kim 3L and Peter Scheffel 2L, working under the supervision of LITC staff attorney Jessica Hutchinson, JD, answered questions about individual tax issues and guided clients to helpful free tax resources.

Hutchinson said most of the clients she and her students see in the clinic are frustrated by a maze of confusing tax laws. Theyre getting notices they dont understand and when they receive them, they pretend like they dont exist, explained Hutchinson. When they find theres somebody actually out there to help they feel relieved.

Third-year law student Alex Kim agreed. He joined the LITC in December and although the clinic wasnt a requirement for him as a transfer student, he likes using his legal education to help clients out of difficult tax situations. We offer clarity and reassurance, said Kim. At the end of the day, people come to us because they dont know. Tax law can be confusing and offering that reassurance is gratifying.

Its not just clients that benefit from the clinic. Students gain valuable experience that they can take with them into the real world. It's important for the students to learn how to interact with clients, Hutchinson said. Having hands-on experience makes them better lawyers because being a good lawyer is based on your interaction with your clients. You have to communicate and build trust. Theyre getting that working with clients here today.

Hands-on experience is what Scheffel was looking for when he joined the Low Income Tax Clinic. The Colorado native is new to Maryland and wanted to get a feel for the community. The clinic seemed like a good way to interact with people in Baltimore and collaborate with clients, he said.

Scheffels dive into tax law has connected him to his surrounding community and given him a better understanding of how the complexities of tax law intertwine with everyday life. The more I learn about taxes and the law the more I realize how connected it is to peoples lives, he noted.

Theresa Byers of Middle River is all too familiar with how taxes can complicate everyday life. She came to the pop-up clinic to get forms and information for her elderly mother who struggles with conducting business online. Shah was able to find the forms on the IRS website and arranged for them to be mailed to Byers home address. Coming to the clinic really saved my mom and me a lot of stress. I even got resources for free tax prep. I feel so relieved, Byers said.

The LITC is offering more free clinics during tax season in collaboration with the Baltimore County Public Library system. Assistance is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lansdowne Branch: Saturday, March 19, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
The UNHCR Representation for Central Europe in Slovakia is rapidly scaling up to respond to the emergency situation in Ukraine. We are looking for qualified candidates interested in joining a Local Roster for potential temporary appointments in the following functional areas in Slovakia:

 IT (Information Technology)

 Public Information

 CBI

 Field

 Protection

 Information Management

 Driver

For further information about this local roster, please visit the UNHCR Careers website:

Local Roster for Temporary Appointments at the Representation for Central Europe in Slovakia

Should you be interested in international opportunities, please visit the below website:

UNHCR International Talent Pool

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The UNHCR Representation for Central Europe in the Czech Republic is rapidly scaling up to respond to the emergency situation in Ukraine. We are looking for qualified candidates interested in joining a Local Roster for potential temporary appointments in the following functional areas in the Czech Republic:

 External Relations

 Information Management

 Reporting

 Driver

For further information about this local roster, please visit the UNHCR Careers website:

Local Roster for Temporary Appointments at the Representation for Central Europe in the Czech Republic

Should you be interested in international opportunities, please visit the below website:

UNHCR International Talent Pool

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UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited Oslo, Norway on 8 March 2022.

During the High Commissioners visit, he met with the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Stre, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Emilie Enger Mehl, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anniken Huitfeldt. He also had an exchange with the Foreign Affairs Committee of Norways Parliament Stortinget.

The High Commissioner also participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Peace Research Institute Oslo on the theme of How do we best respond to refugee crises.Here, he spoke alongside Secretary-General Jan Egeland from the Norwegian Refugee Council, Gunn Jorid Roset from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maja Janmyr from the University of Oslo and a young resettled refugee Olivier Makuta from Congo, who is the co-founder of a startup called VipiCash.

With the visit taking place at a time when the number of people fleeing Ukraine passed 2 million, the situation in Ukraine and neighboring countries was a key focus  and coming straight from the border areas of the neighboring countries to Ukraine, the High Commissioner was able to share first-hand insights on what he had seen on the ground.

Norway is amongst the top donors to UNHCR  and the high level of flexible and unearmarked Norwegian funding enables UNHCR to respond to both acute emergencies as well as protracted and underfunded crises across the world.

During the mission, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced an additional contribution to UNHCR for the displacement situation in neighboring countries to Ukraine.

The High Commissioner's meeting with the Prime minister of Norway. UNHCR/Frank Schipper The High Comissioner's press conference with the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Emilie Enger Mehl, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anniken Huitfeldt. UNHCR/Frank Schipper

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As Lidia Ajuwa, 30, walks down the hill into Kibarizo, a remote village in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congos North Kivu province, she is greeted with smiles as she passes rows of small, grass-thatched houses. Hers is a familiar and friendly face in a region that for years has grappled with insecurity.

She has walked for hours along muddy roads impassable to vehicles to reach the home of Agizo*, a 38-year-old woman previously displaced by violence who was raped when armed men attacked the village a few nights previously.

I dont know where they came from. They killed my husband then five of them raped me. I stayed there screaming in pain, without anyone's help, she whispers.

Lidia listens intently, writing notes in her handbook. Once Agizo finishes recounting the harrowing details, Lidia refers her to a health center some 20 kilometres away for medical and psychological care and gives her money for transport.

"Every story has a human behind it..."

For Lidia, this is a typical day working as a protection monitor for INTERSOS  a partner of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Since she began in 2019, she has often been among the team of first responders to sexual violence and other human rights violations against people already displaced from their homes by this regions long history of conflict.

A state of siege enforced by Congolese authorities across North Kivu and Ituri provinces since May 2021 aimed to curb lawlessness and violence perpetrated by countless militia groups. However, the measure has provided only limited respite for local citizens amid continuing outbreaks of violence.

See also: UNHCR alarmed by rising violence against displaced civilians in eastern DR Congo

I hear stories like Agizos every day, Lidia says. Every story has a human behind it, who goes through suffering that many of us could not imagine existed. Being a woman myself, I also feel scared because I know that this can happen to me too.

She and 77 other protection monitors working across this vast region navigate tough terrain and frequent dangers to reach people in need, linking them to vital assistance provided by UNHCR and its partners including health care, legal justice, and psychosocial support

Our work is complex, and our response is based on what is possible, Lidia explains. If there is a solution on the spot, we provide help right away, but we often work in remote areas, where we have to refer the victim to a place where they can get assistance such as medical care.

With many of the areas where they work inaccessible even by motorbike, Lidia and her colleagues often walk for long distances, exposing them to the threat of violence or kidnap in areas controlled by various armed rebel groups.

Lidia walks to meet survivors of a recent attack in Kibarizo in her role as a protection monitor for UNHCR partner INTERSOS.  UNHCR/Justin Kasereka

Sometimes, the violence stops us from reaching our destination, she explains. I have to watch my step, or I too can become a victim.

Every week, hundreds of incidents against civilians are recorded in eastern DRC by people like Lidia. During 2021, UNHCR, through INTERSOS, recorded more than 65,000 separate human rights abuses in the east of the country alone. More than 5.6 million Congolese were internally displaced at the end of 2021, the majority in the four eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika.

Obed*, 25, will never forget the day in 2020 when he was caught in the crossfire between two armed groups.

We couldn't escape the fighting, we were just lying on the floor as the bullets flew over us, he recalls. At some point, I noticed my foot had swollen and realized I had been shot.

Lidia heard of the attack and made her way to Obeds home once the fighting had stopped. Together with a colleague, they took Obed to a dispensary in the village but there was no medication, so they paid for a motorcycle to take him to the next town for treatment.

Lidia and her colleague really helped me, says Obed. I can only thank them, because without their help I would have died.

Obed*, 25, who was shot during an attack in 2020, sits with his family outside their home in Kibarizo.  UNHCR/Justin Kasereka

UNHCR leads the protection response for internally displaced people in DRC, coordinating joint efforts with other UN agencies partner organizations such as INTERSOS to assist those in need.

Alexis Baruti, UNHCR's Protection Associate based in Goma highlights the crucial role that Lidia and other protection monitors in the region play.

By responding to protection alerts, people like Lidia can link survivors to lifesaving services and improve the overall protection of human rights of the communities in the region, he says.

Collecting information about human rights violations and other protection incidents in a systematic manner allows for the analysis of trends by region and sector, revealing some of the driving factors such as inter-ethnic tensions, impunity for perpetrators and abuse of power.

UNHCR also collects alerts from other partners in order to have comprehensive data on human rights violations in areas hosting IDPs.

This way, we can advocate for appropriate action and responses among the humanitarian community, Baruti adds.

In a region still beset by violence and insecurity, Lidias work is never truly done. But as she moves on to the next location, she is driven by the knowledge that for every person she helps she is making a difference.

What I love about this work is that I can contribute to the struggle of my people and help make the law a reality for them.

* Names changed for protection reasons.

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India's Forgotten Assyrian Bishop

In St. Mary's Orthodox Church or 'Cheriyapally' in Kerala's Kottayam town, the recent deciphering of a nearly 300-year-old inscription on a wooden plank, has shed light on the long forgotten connection between Kerala and a Persian Bishop from the early 1700s known as Mar Gabriel. During his time in Kerala, Mar Gabriel became an important spiritual and political entity, with nearly 22 parishes associated with him and he developed considerable influence with the Dutch colonial powers.

History of the Nasranis

Christianity established itself in Kerala within the first century A.D, and the local Christian community known as the Nasranis made connections with various ancient Christian communities in Persia, Syria, Asia Minor. The Nasranis used an ancient language known Syriac in their liturgy, which led to them being referred to as Syrian Christians. The Syrian Christians of Kerala had links with the Church of the East or the Persian Church, which was based in Mesopotamia, and later established itself as the main church in the Sasanian Empire. The Persian Church used Eastern Syriac Rite, which was also used among the Syrian Christians in Kerala as their liturgy.

Nestorius, the Archbishop of Constantinople in the 3rd century, began ruffling the feathers of the rest of the Christian clergy by arguing that Jesus Christ had both a divine nature as well as a human nature, and that Mary should not be viewed as 'Theotokos' (the Mother of God), rather as the bearer of Jesus, the human. In 431, Roman Emperor Theodosius II conveyed the meeting of council of Christian Bishops in Ephesus (in modern day Turkey) to discuss the theological views of Nestorius. The Council of Ephesus condemned the teachings of Nestorius, also known as Nestorianism, as heresy. This was reiterated by the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

However, the Persian Church refused to consider Nestorianism as heresy, and viewed Nestorius as a saint. The tensions between the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire also influenced the straining relations between the Vatican and the Persian Church. In 424, the Persian Church declared itself independent from the Roman Catholic Church. The Persian Church spread across parts of modern day Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Central Asia, and even parts of China. Nevertheless, the Church slowly went into decline, which was only hastened by the military conquests of the Timurid Empire.

Syrian Christians in India were forcibly brought under the Catholic Church by the Portuguese who took control of parts of Kerala in the 16th century. However, a section of the Syrian Christians resisted and fought for their independence. In order to get recognition from other churches, the leader of the dissident Syrian Christians, Mar Thoma I sought to build a relationship with the Church of Antioch. In 1665, the Patriarch of Antioch (the head of the Church of Antioch) recognised Mar Thoma as the Bishop of the Malabar region. In this period, the hold of the Portuguese had considerably weakened due to the conquest of the Dutch East India Company in Kerala. The Dutch assisted the local Syrian Christians in establishing ties with Antioch. The Syrian Christians under Mar Thoma adopted The West Syriac Rite, as followed by the Church of Antioch, which was distinct from the East Syriac Rite of the Persian Church.

Mar Gabriel's Mission

The Patriarch of the Persian Church, Eliya X, decided to send Bishops to Kerala to revive the East Syriac liturgy. Therefore, in 1705, Mar Gabriel, a Nestorian Persian Bishop from Baghdad, was sent to Kerala. Interestingly, in a letter written by Mar Gabriel, he mentions that the Persian Patriarch in 1700 had sent Bishop Mar Symons to Malabar. However, before Symons arrived, he sent a letter declaring his intent to visit the region. This letter was intercepted by some Roman Catholics, who captured the Bishop and imprisoned him in Pondicherry. Following this tragedy, the Patriarch sent Mar Gabriel for the mission to Kerala. It is also possible that Mar Gabriel was senior to most Bishops in Persia, as the British Resident G.T Mackenzie in the Travancore Manual mentions that Mar Gabriel was the Archbishop of Oburbigan, a See under the Church of the East.

Mar Gabriel went to Thekkumkoor Kingdom in present day Kottayam and joined the St. Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral in Changanassery. He tried to seek recognition from the local Roman Catholic officials but they never fully trusted him. Eventually, he was made to leave the church in in Changanassery after it was revealed that Mar Gabriel was in fact a Nestorian, which was viewed as heresy. He then proceeded to join Cheriyapally in Kottayam in 1708. Cheriyapally, built in 1579, is the second oldest church in Kottayam and is held in high regard by the local the Syrian Christian community.

Inscription about Mar Gabriel in St. Mary's Orthodox Church or 'Cheriyapally' in Kerala's Kottayam town.

Relations with the Dutch

Mar Thoma's successor, Mar Thoma IV, found his position challenged by the presence of Mar Gabriel who he viewed as a rival and a heretic. He therefore wrote to the Patriarch in Antioch complaining about the "Ninevite" Gabriel's presence and how his clergy was not well equipped to counter Gabriel's theological knowledge and skills. The letter was sent via the Dutch, who did not transmit it to Antioch, perhaps owing to their comfortable position with Mar Gabriel, who they viewed more as an ally than as a threat.

Mar Gabriel's ability to build political relations with the Dutch made him a power centre in Kottayam. He once wrote to Jacob Canters Visscher, a Dutch Chaplain, an account of the history of the Syrian Christians. In his letter, he claims that there were several Christian priests from Baghdad, Ninevah and Jerusalem who came to the Malabar region to provide leadership to the native Christian community. He writes about how in the 1500s the Portuguese tried to bring the Syrian Christians under the authority of the Catholic Church, and when this was resisted, they persecuted the Syrian Christians. According to the letter, a Portuguese Bishop named Alexio went to Cochin to make Syrian Christians accept his authority, and when he failed, the Portuguese persecuted the Syrian Christians and bribed the King of Cochin to stop him from helping the Syrian Christians. The arrival of the "justice-loving" and "peaceable" Dutch, who defeated and drove out the Portuguese, is described as a godsend by Gabriel. The person being referred to as "Alexio" is probably Aleixo de Menezes, the then Roman Catholic Archbishop of Goa.

Visscher in one of his letters provides us the only surviving description of Mar Gabriel. In his letter he wrote:

"Mar Gabriel, a white man, and sent hither from Bagdad, is aged and venerable in appearance, and dresses nearly in the same fashion as the Jewish priests of old, wearing a cap fashioned like a turban, and a long white beard. He is courteous and God-fearing and not at all addicted to extravagant pomp. Round his neck he wears a golden crucifix. He lives with the utmost sobriety, abstaining from all animal food. His house, rather a large one for the habits of the Malabar people, is situated on a hill in the kingdom of Tekkenkoer. He holds the Nestorian doctrine respecting the union of the two natures in our Saviour's person."

Mar Gabriel also used his political connections with the Dutch to make several interventions. Dr Jincy Othottil in her research has highlighted how in 1708, when there were problems between Syrian Christians in Kandanad and the Raja of Cochin, Mar Gabriel wrote to the Dutch Commander to help resolve the issue. In 1709, he once again wrote to the Dutch Commander to help defuse tensions between the Syrian Christians and Roman Catholics. In 1727, the Dutch sent a missive to the rulers in Malabar to ensure that the Syrian Christians are not harassed. This could have been the result of Mar Gabriel's repeated letters to the Dutch.

Syrian Christians discontent with Mar Thoma IV began to follow Mar Gabriel. Nearly 22 churches came under his influence. He also tried introducing traditions of the Persian Church. It is said that during his stay in Cheriyapalli, the three day-feast, a ritual of the Persian Church, was observed. He used the donations of the devotees to purchase paddy fields, and the rice that was harvested from the fields were used for the feast. He also advocated allowing priests to get married and to discard the Catholic custom introduced by the Portuguese which prescribed celibacy for priests.

In 1729, Mar Thoma IV's successor, Mar Thoma V, wrote to the Dutch Commander in Cochin complaining against Mar Gabriel. The Dutch requested one of their distinguished chaplains, Rev. Valerious Nicolai to sort out the problems between the two bishops. Nicolai wrote to Mar Gabriel and to Mar Thoma, pointing out that both of them were following heresy and offered to show them the 'true way.' Mar Gabriel responded negatively to this unsolicited advice, whereas Mar Thoma said that he could not deal with doctrinal issues without the permission of his Patriarch in Antioch.

A legacy forgotten

On 8th February, 1731, Mar Gabriel passed away and was buried in Cheriyapally. As he had not appointed a successor, the mission to re-establish the Eastern Syriac Rite as the dominant liturgy also ended with his death. A feast was observed every year in memory of Mar Gabriel, until this practice was later abolished by Patriarch of Antioch. Unfortunately, those who viewed Mar Gabriel as a heretic due to his Nestorian beliefs, destroyed his tomb in Cheriyapally. The debris from the tomb was later used for building the staircase of the office building of Cheriyapally. A wooden plank which supports the staircase, with the old inscription about the burial of Mar Gabriel in Cheriyapally is now the only remaining historical artefact connecting the history of Kerala with the forgotten Persian Bishop.
African Union calls for "lasting ceasefire" in Ukraine in call with Putin

Xinhua) 17:05, March 10, 2022

DAKAR, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese President and current Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Macky Sall on Wednesday held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on securing a "lasting ceasefire" in Ukraine.

Sall later said in a tweet that as president of the AU, he is delighted about his talk with Putin "to press for a lasting ceasefire."

He also welcomed the "listening" and "willingness" of his Russian counterpart "to maintain dialogue for a negotiated solution to the conflict."

The Senegalese president had expressed last week in the Council of Ministers his grave concern about the situation in Ukraine while reaffirming Senegal's adherence to the principles of non-alignment and peaceful settlement of disputes.

In a statement issued on Feb. 24, Sall and AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat urged Russia and Ukraine to establish an immediate ceasefire and open political negotiations under the aegis of the United Nations.

For his part, Putin briefed Sall on Russia's military operation in Ukraine at the latter's request, emphasizing the humanitarian situation, the Kremlin said in a statement.

According to the statement, Putin stressed that "Russian military personnel take every possible measure to safely evacuate foreign citizens."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
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A total of 5,136,399 people had received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Laos, equal to 70 percent of the country's population, according to a report by Center of Information and Education for Health under Lao Ministry of

VIENTIANE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Mar, 2022 ) :A total of 5,136,399 people had received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Laos, equal to 70 percent of the country's population, according to a report by Center of Information and education for Health under Lao Ministry of Health on Thursday.A total of 4,367,592 people had been given a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, equal to 59.52 percent of the population.

In addition, 953,825 people have had a booster dose, accounting for 13 percent of the population.

In the 6-11 age group, 181,607 children, about 19 percent of this group, have received a first jab since the children's COVID-19 immunization program began just one week ago.

In the 12-17 age group, 580,871 children have taken a first dose, equal to 67.1 percent of this group, and 429,552 have had a second jab, equal to 49.6 percent of this group.

The focus of the vaccination rollout is now on children because they are at high risk of infection.

The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control is also focusing on vaccinating older people, those with an existing illness, pregnant women, and staff and service providers in offices.

The Lao government plans to vaccinate 80 percent of the population by the end of 2022.
Tens of thousands of BTS fans were gathering in Seoul on Thursday for the K-pop superstars' first live concert in South Korea since the pandemic began -- although Covid rules will prevent them from dancing or singing along

Seoul, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Mar, 2022 ) :Tens of thousands of BTS fans were gathering in Seoul on Thursday for the K-pop superstars' first live concert in South Korea since the pandemic began -- although Covid rules will prevent them from dancing or singing along.

The chart-topping septet's series of three concerts -- dubbed "Permission to Dance on Stage - Seoul" -- kicks off at the capital's Olympic Stadium Thursday evening.

Since BTS' last performance for domestic fans in 2019, the band have gone from strength to strength, with three Billboard-topping singles and two Grammy nominations.

Hours before the show, concert-goers -- many clad in purple sweatshirts, the official colour of BTS fandom -- crowded the venue, and filled the streets outside with banners of the band.

"It feels like a dream and I still can't believe that this is my seat whenever I look at my ticket," said Heo Min-hee, a 25-year-old office worker from Seoul.

Han Aeng-hee, a 53-year-old fan from Gyeonggi province, added: "I prayed every morning to secure a ticket and miraculously, I got tickets to the first and last concerts." "I'm very grateful and I can't wait," she said.

Tickets for the concerts -- 45,000 seats in all -- sold out within minutes, despite stringent social-distancing requirements for the BTS fans, known as ARMY.

Chanting, singing, screaming or even standing up are all banned, as South Korea battles an Omicron spike, with more than 300,000 cases reported Thursday.

"Instead, we ask for warm applause to show support for the artists," Big Hit Music, the group's agency, said on its Weverse social media platform.

- 'Necessary change' - Ahead of the concert, BTS members expressed concern over the rules but asked for fans' understanding.

"There is a certain energy that can be felt from a person's voice, and I wonder if clapping can be enough," said J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok.

His bandmate Kim Tae-hyung, whose stage name is V, added: "We also want to really hear the voices of our ARMY fans, but we are grateful and thankful for the fact that we can meet and see your faces." Fans were disappointed about the rules but acknowledged the changes were inevitable.

"Even though it's hard, I think it's a necessary change under the current circumstances," said Lee Chae-rim, a 28-year-old student.

"At least we can see them," added Darina, a 24-year-old student from Russia who lives in South Korea. "We can sing in our hearts." A handful of social media posts showed some fans were trying to sell their hard-won tickets after testing positive for the virus.

Many concert-goers said they had taken extra precautions, some even placing themselves in self-quarantine after securing a ticket so as not to test positive and risk missing the big event.

"I didn't go outside so I wouldn't catch Covid," said Choi Jung-yoon, 16, who stayed home for around a week.

Her friend Jung Da-yeon added: "I wore double masks when I had to go to crowded places." - Livestreams - The floppy-haired musicians, all in their 20s and often sporting earrings and lipstick, appeal to a generation comfortable with gender fluidity.

They are credited with generating billions for the South Korean economy, and their label enjoyed a surge in profits despite holding fewer concerts during the pandemic.

In 2020, BTS were forced to call off what was supposed to be their largest international tour, with almost 40 gigs, though they held some concerts online.

The group's first in-person show since the pandemic began was at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in November, with the four-night run grossing $33.3 million, according to Billboard.

The first and last shows of "Permission to Dance" will be streamed live online, while Saturday's concert can be watched in real-time at movie theatres around the world.
Russia is ready to continue talks with Ukraine within the framework of the existing format in Belarus, but it is too early to organise a summit meeting between the two countries' leaders, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday

Antalya, Turkey, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Mar, 2022 ) :Russia is ready to continue talks with Ukraine within the framework of the existing format in Belarus, but it is too early to organise a summit meeting between the two countries' leaders, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

Russia's top diplomat spoke in the Turkish resort town of Antalya after he and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held their first face-to-face talks after two weeks of war, amid international outrage over Moscow's bombing of a children's hospital.

"Today's meeting has confirmed that the Russian-Ukrainian format in Belarus has no alternative," Lavrov told a press conference after speaking to Kuleba.

Lavrov stressed that Russia wanted to see concrete results from talks.

"In recent years, after the anti-constitutional coup d'etat, the Ukrainian leadership has preferred meetings for the sake of meetings, preferred to imitate, simulate concrete decisions," Russia's top diplomat said.

He said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was not against meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but added that first the two countries' negotiators should lay the groundwork by conducting talks in Belarus.

"The Ukrainian side has taken our very concrete proposals, and promised us that there would be very concrete answers," Lavrov said.

"We are waiting," he added.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of talks in Belarus, but the team sent by Russia to those talks is relatively low-ranking, without a minister. The main Russian negotiator is Vladimir Medinsky, a Kremlin aide and former culture minister.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Caught on the back foot by the Taliban's lightning takeover of Kabul last August, US intelligence services have earned a measure of redemption with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which they predicted and detailed with impressive precision

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Mar, 2022 ) :Caught on the back foot by the Taliban's lightning takeover of Kabul last August, US intelligence services have earned a measure of redemption with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which they predicted and detailed with impressive precision.

According to several US officials consulted by AFP, the US military understood as early as October 2021 that Russian troop movements on the border with Ukraine were not normal -- Moscow said they were conducting regular drills, but the formations on the ground did not match up.

The Pentagon voiced its concerns to the White House, and US intelligence services quickly got to work to try to learn more. Some of Joe Biden's aides doubted Russia could be planning a major assault, but the US leader took the situation seriously.

On November 2, Biden sent CIA Director Bill Burns -- a former ambassador to Russia -- to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

Burns, who speaks Russian, let Putin know that Washington had "serious" concerns about his troop movements, CNN reported at the time.

Half a dozen colonels from the US Joint Chiefs of Staff intelligence directorate pored over information received from CIA analysts and the National Security Agency's listening services to try to determine the Russian plan of attack.

From the basements of the Pentagon, "these unsung heroes have driven the entire intelligence community," said one of those officials, on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters.

He added that the NSA had done "unbelievable work." - Paths of attack - In January, that assiduous intelligence work allowed the colonels to draw up a map that predicted with astonishing precision how Russia's military would attempt to invade Ukraine -- from the north towards Kyiv, from the east via Kharkiv and from the south through Mariupol.

Wanting above all else to prevent armed conflict, the Biden administration quickly made the decision to publicly reveal an unusual amount of classified information about Russia's preparations for war.

In early February, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Moscow was set to "produce a very graphic propaganda video, which would include corpses and actors that would be depicting mourners," pretending the scene was the result of a Ukrainian attack -- a pretext for invasion.

Soon after, journalists were invited to meet with senior intelligence officials who hardly ever speak to the press.

Those officials said Russia was stepping up its preparations for a major military assault on Kyiv.

Reporters were shown a map with the predicted Russian troop movements. They were even given an expected date of attack: mid-February, after the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The scenario offered that day to the world's media was met with skepticism in Europe.

- The date - The exact date of the attack was eventually pushed back a few days, but the Biden administration was so sure that its intelligence was correct that on the evening of February 23, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believed an invasion would begin before the night was over stateside.

On the morning of February 24, Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

The US intelligence community had been right all along, except for a few details.

US analysts did not predict how fiercely Ukrainians would defend their country, nor did they count on the dogged determination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose bravery has galvanized his compatriots.

According to intelligence predictions, many in the US feared Kyiv would fall within 48 hours, and that Zelensky would be quickly ousted in favor of a pro-Russian leader.

As the invasion enters its third week, the Ukrainian capital remains out of Russian hands and Zelensky earned a standing ovation from British lawmakers after he addressed them via video link.

US intelligence also worried the Ukrainian military would be quickly paralyzed by a Russian cyberattack, which did not materialize.

That's because, while Kyiv has modernized its armed forces, its Soviet-era planes have not been upgraded, and use the same communications systems as the Russian army -- meaning Moscow cannot cripple the Ukrainians without hurting their own effort.

US intelligence has estimated that war in Ukraine could have a horrific human toll, with 25,000 to 50,000 civilians killed, as many as 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers slain and up to 10,000 Russian military personnel killed.

Officials raised the possibility of between one and five million refugees, many of whom would be headed towards Poland.

Indeed, as of Wednesday, the Pentagon put the number of Russian fatalities at 2,000-4,000, and the United Nations said more than two million refugees have already left the eastern European country.
Alicia Morgans is joined by Shahneen Sandhu to discuss her presentation at GU ASCO 2022 on targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), specifically lutetium, and the next wave of novel radiopharmaceuticals. Dr. Sandhu's presentation focused on where we go with PSMA treatments in the future.Shahneen Sandhu, MD, Ph.D., MBBS, FRACP, Associate Professor, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Researcher, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH , Genitourinary Medical Oncologist, Medical Director of Survivorship Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Alicia Morgans: Hi, my name is Alicia Morgans and I'm a GU Medical Oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston in the US. I am so excited to have here with me today, a friend and colleague, dr. Shahneen Sandhu, who is an Associate Professor and a GU and Melanoma Medical Oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia. Thank you so much for being here with me today.

Shahneen Sandhu: Thank you for having me.

Alicia Morgans: Wonderful. Shahneen, you did a fabulous talk at GU ASCO 2022, where you really helped us as a field of clinicians, investigators, and patients too, think through PSMA imaging and treatment, really this transformative technology, and we appreciate your expertise in this area. I'd love to talk to you about that and really just pick apart some of the main themes that we heard about from you. One of the most important from a clinically relevant perspective, as well as where we go with PSMA treatments in the future, is that one size of treatment, one dose of treatment, one schedule of treatment may not be right for all patients. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Shahneen Sandhu: Thanks for asking this question. I suppose this is something that nuclear medicine physicians have thought about a lot more than medical oncologists, but I think we need to think about it as well. One of the challenges, as you rightly point out, is we are using these treatments largely, currently in the context of metastatic castration resistant disease, and mostly when patients have exhausted most therapies. So the bulk of the disease is often very high, and yet we use the same dose or the same activity for somebody who's got four spots of disease compared to somebody who's got 60% of the bone marrow replaced with tumor.

It's clear that this agent relies on the internalization of the radionuclide to deliver the radiation. One could assume that if you've got a bigger volume of tumor, delivering a bigger dose at first time point may be valuable and certainly wouldn't cause additional toxicities because of that huge volume of disease. So I think we just need to do an extra body of work to try to think about how we define dosimetry on the first PSMA pet scan and maybe personalize the dose a bit based on the volume of disease. And that may also be relevant for schedule as well.

Alicia Morgans: And that makes a lot of sense. Can you tell us how does that work? This is a beta emitter. Tell us a little bit about that, and tell us how the volume of tumor maybe affected differently with a beta emitter, at least LUTs, a beta emitter, I should say then maybe PSMA targeted alpha emitters that may it come in the future.

Shahneen Sandhu: I suppose the alpha emitters have got a very short wavelength. The beta emitters have got a slightly longer wavelength, but the energy levels of an alpha emitter are far more potent than a beta emitter, so it causes more definitive tumor killing with an alpha emitter than with a beta emitter. The benefits of the beta emitter is in addition to hitting that the tumor itself, there is a spillover effect on some surrounding tissue, whereas an alpha emitter can be more specific. So if you've got really small volume disease, I think alpha emitters can be very useful. These larger burdens of disease, beta emitters can be useful, but the issue, however, is that beta emitters largely cause some double strand breaks, but they cause a lot of single strain breaks as well, which are not necessarily going to be lethal for the cancer. And so being able to think about the concept of desensitization, particularly in someone who's got high volume disease is also valuable.

Alicia Morgans: Thank you for talking that through. I'd love to hear next about your thoughts on the dynamic nature of PSMA expression, because as we're trying to get the right dose for patients, we're also trying to time our treatment to be a time when the patients prostate cancer cells are actually expressing the largest amount of PSMA possible because that's how we're getting the treatment to the disease. Can you talk us through the different disease states in prostate cancer and how PSMA expression may be different in those states and different as it compares to, or as, as the cells respond to different treatments?

Shahneen Sandhu: I think we know that this is a target that is almost ubiquitous in prostate cancer. We know it's there in the context of primary disease. We also know that it, that it becomes more over expressed in the context of castration resistant and more advanced and more aggressive disease, but what's emerging in the field is an understanding that clearly the receptors are dynamic and can be modulated by targeting a range of different things, including targeting androgen receptor signaling. In the context of hormone-sensitive disease, we found that when we've done imaging in patients who've just started their androgen deportation therapy or an androgen deportation therapy in conjunction with an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor, such as abiraterone or enzalutamide, there's actually quite rapid down regulation of the receptors. So one could imagine that by day nine or day 14, once you've started the ADT, the AR responsive of tumors are going to respond incredibly well and there's this massive down regulation, and that has a bearing on if you want to come in and use Lutetium PSMA in the contacts of hormone sensitive disease.

I think it would be prudent to know that there's a target there. Otherwise, all you're doing is blindly delivering treatment that is not going to be taken out up by the tumor because that expression has been lost. It's a different story in the context of castration resistant disease, where using some of these antigen receptor pathway inhibitors in the setting of CRPC actually up regulates those receptors. So there, it becomes easier to use those agents, up regulate the receptors, and possibly even deliver better doses of radiation to the tumor, because you've got better receptors. They're taking up more of the radionucleotide and delivering a big, the dose of radiation to the tumors. One of the things I tried to highlight in the presentation is you see this pan out in the vision study, and this was in the supplementary material where actually the hazard ratio of the subset of patients that had treatment in conjunction with an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor was better than and the subset of patients that did not. So something to consider as we start to use this in clinical practice, given there is enough safety data for the combination.

Alicia Morgans: I think that's such a relevant point as we look forward to the approval of Letitia. Will we in clinic combine it with a second line AR targeted agent and patients who have already had progression on one? Because as you said, that's how the study was done, and we certainly have the safety tolerability data. So it seems like a reasonable approach and definitely food for thought for us in a clinic. So, the final point that I wanted to really explore with you is where we go in terms of patient selection. Is patient selection from now ever forward going to be based on PSMA pet, should it be based on something else? Do we need an FDG pet? When where do we go in the future? Is imaging going to be enough?

Shahneen Sandhu: Yeah, the way I would consider this is when you've got a tool that allows you to be more precise, then use the tool. That's the way I would think about it in a very simplistic way. It's really just the same. Herceptin would've failed if we actually didn't pre-select patients essentially on the basis of her two expressions. So it's the same sort of broad concept. I would say PSMA pet scans should be here to stay. We should try to figure out, does the patient have adequate target? That definition of what is an adequate target, no doubt, will evolve as our understanding evolves. I think in the context of monotherapy, it is important to know that there is a target, because otherwise, a subset of patients will get treatment that doesn't benefit them for very long, at all. The value of a FDG pet scan, one of the things we're learning as we're doing more of these FDG pet scans, is we're finding that actually there's a considerable subset of patients that actually have mixed disease.

Not surprising, really, that it's heterogeneous and there are a subset of patients that will have large volumes of disease that is PSMA negative, and some proportion will be PSMA positive. In our experience, those patients also don't benefit for very long, but again, it's going to take a little bit of understanding about how we use these, these novel pet imaging. The point I'd like to make is despite really some of these tools, including the PSMA pet scans, and certainly we've used this consistently in the trials that we've done in Australia, but despite that, the point I'd like to make is actually a proportion of patients, about approximately in excess of 20% to 30% of patients, despite having high PSME uptake that is concordant with FDD disease will still not respond.

They've got primary refractory disease, and trying to understand what's driving that subset of patients is important, and in time I hope it will be a combination of pet scans and molecular data that will define the subset of patients that should get this treatment and also understanding the outliers. The subset of patients that actually have these marvelous responses that are durable for a year don't need another lot of treatment. Understanding actually what drives that would also allow a more personalized approach with these sorts of new therapies.

Alicia Morgans: I could not agree more. I think that patients and clinicians alike would love to know better what to predict when they're going into a setting where they're trying a new therapy. Is it going to work? If not, why? If it is going to work, will it work for a long time or a little time? These are all really important questions. I appreciate that you and your team continue to do the work, both in terms of Lutetium studies and clinical trials, but also from a molecular perspective and relatives, because this is where we really need to go as a field. So, I just want to congratulate you again on a fantastic talk at GU ASCO 2022, and thank you so much for taking the time to talk it through with us today.

Shahneen Sandhu: Thank you. It's pleasure to do so. Thank you so much for asking me.
The University of South Florida community is celebrating a historically successful legislative session by thanking the state legislators who have proposed hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding for USF across all three campuses and USF Health.

We owe deep gratitude to our legislative leaders, especially USF alum and Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls, Senate President Wilton Simpson and the entire Tampa Bay Legislative Delegation for their recognition of USFs immense value to our community, to our state and to the world. The investments proposed for USF will help us continue our tremendous momentum and have a lasting impact on the Tampa Bay region for generations to come, USF President Rhea Law said. I am also deeply grateful to our students, faculty, staff, alumni and other supporters for all that they do to positively impact our community and our state, making USF such a compelling investment for the future.

As of March 10, the state budget for 2022-23 includes historic funding for higher education institutions and for USF. On March 14, the Legislature will vote on these and other funding initiatives in the state budget. At some point in the days and weeks to follow, the Legislature will transmit the budget to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his review and approval or line-item veto on any individual spending item in the budget.

A brief summary of the states proposed investments, agreed upon by the Legislature in its budget negotiations over the past week:

USFs Operating Budget Priorities

A $55 million recurring increase to USF's operational budget, including new funds for all three campuses and USF Health. This investment will help USF continue a trajectory toward its strategic goals, including investing in student and faculty success, building the research profile, making a greater impact on the community and ultimately its quest toward becoming a Top-25 public university. This is the largest single-year investment in operational support that USF has received in its history.

In addition to that incredible new recurring funding for USFs base operating funds, the following important initiatives were also funded by the Legislature: $20.5 million for cybersecurity workforce development, research and simulation activities at USF. $37 million to Cyber Florida at USF to conduct a cybersecurity vulnerability assessment for the state, develop recommendations for improvement, and oversee training of state and local government employees against cyber intrusions. $7 million to expand nursing programs at USF to address statewide nursing shortages. $5 million to operate the Florida Center for Nursing at USFs College of Nursing, a center dedicated to growing the states nursing workforce. $5.5 million to fund the operations of the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation at the USF College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg. $500,000 to study the effectiveness of hyperbaric chamber therapy in veterans suffering with PTSD. $306,176 to fully fund the operations of the St. Petersburg campus Citizen Scholars Partnership program.



USFs Facilities Construction and Maintenance Priorities

$75 million to fully fund the state share of the construction cost of the new Environmental & Oceanographic Sciences Research and Teaching facility at the USF St. Petersburg campus. This investment will position St. Petersburg as a world-class center of marine and environmental science, education and community engagement and elevate USF's stature as a Preeminent State Research University.

$33 million to remodel critical USF Health facilities to add capacity for more nursing students and add state-of-the-art new simulation equipment.

$3 million to plan for construction of the new Nursing/STEM Building at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, the campus first new state-funded facility in over 15 years.

$6.3 million to invest in campus life facility projects across USFs three campuses, funded by the Capital Improvement Trust Fund (CITF).

$72.8 million to invest in the maintenance and repair of existing USF facilities across the three campuses.

"This is a historic moment for USF and for Tampa Bay. Under the leadership of House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson, the Legislature is making record investments in our community and in higher education statewide. As a former member of the Legislature myself, I know how difficult it can be to make decisions about precious state dollars with many competing and compelling priorities. With these new investments, our state leaders have chosen to build for the future  helping us create a talent and innovation pipeline that will serve generations of Floridians to come, USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford said. I especially want to thank Speaker Sprowls, a University of South Florida alum, for his vision in recognizing the immeasurable value USF brings to our community. Tampa Bay is in a better place because of his leadership.

The $75 million to support the new Environmental & Oceanographic Sciences Research and Teaching facility at the St. Petersburg campus advances USFs plan for an interdisciplinary center of excellence. It will build on the world-class reputation of the College of Marine Science to harness the collective power of colleges and departments from throughout the university to address the existential challenges created by climate change, including sea level rise, high tide flooding events and other coastal hazards. The project has received significant community support from organizations throughout St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.

"Think about the opportunities this will create for students pursuing careers in this evolving field, as well as for businesses looking to build a talent pipeline," USF St. Petersburg campus Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock said. "Think about the benefit to the community, as we enhance our ability to analyze sea level rise and high-tide flood events, and to make that information accessible to policymakers, planners, elected officials and the general public. This historic investment will be paying dividends for years to come."

The funds to support a new nursing/STEM building on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus will help alleviate a nursing shortage in the region; provide critical space for teaching and research labs; serve as a much-needed additional facility for students in high-demand fields such as biology, chemistry and pre-health; and allow new majors to be added in engineering and other emerging technologies.

The USF Sarasota-Manatee campus is particularly grateful to the Legislature for recognizing the desperate need for well-trained nurses and investing in the future STEM workforce. We are committed to developing and growing programs that directly impact the continued success and attractiveness of the region  for students, families, companies and the Florida economy, said Karen A. Holbrook, USF Sarasota-Manatee campus regional chancellor.

The funds for USF Health will help advance key aspects of its mission.

This momentous investment in the University of South Florida could not have come at a better time, as USF continues to gain momentum as one of the states and nations premier research institutions. We are grateful to our transformational university leaders, and for the state legislatures strong support, said Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. USF Health will use their portion of these funds to greatly expand USFs nursing program to address the states acute nursing workforce shortage, and to support our world-class USF Health research, educational and clinical programs, which enhance the economic well-being of our region and the personal health of all Floridians.

Other business and community leaders from throughout the Tampa Bay region also shared their thoughts on the states investments in USF:

Jeff Vinik, Owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning: "USF and its leaders are exceeding expectations, building a growing pipeline of top talent that is helping organizations locally and nationally fill open positions with very well-prepared young people. New investments made in USF will help an institution already on an incredible trajectory support our states economic growth even further. Thank you to our state leaders for your recommendation to elevate this preeminent institution."

Brian Murphy, CEO of ReliaQuest: "We have a saying at ReliaQuest  security is a team sport. That means it takes all of us, from business and industry to higher education and government, to find solutions to the ever-evolving cybersecurity challenges. We are grateful to our state leaders and our partners at USF for recognizing the opportunities and investing in Floridas cybersecurity talent pipeline."

Andy Zolper, Chief Information Security Officer and Senior Vice President, Raymond James: Producing more graduates at USF who are prepared on day 1 to join the cybersecurity workforce will have a tremendous impact on the Tampa Bay region and state of Florida. We are grateful to our state leaders for investing in our states cybersecurity through USF and Cyber Florida.

Jason Mathis, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership: This will be a game changer, not just for USF and our Innovation District, but for the way we think about managing rising oceans and flooding and severe weather in coastal communities. Research from this facility will help shape the insurance industry, environmental engineering, zoning and real estate development decisions. It will make our cities more resilient and connect the many different marine science elements that are already part of this campus.

Ed Montanari, St. Petersburg City Council Member: The legislative investment in the Center of Excellence will strengthen USF St. Petersburg campus ability to reach its full potential and catapult the regions expertise nationally and globally in the environmental and oceanographic sciences.

Gina Driscoll, St. Petersburg City Council Chair: "The St. Petersburg community stands ready to do our part to make USF the Center of Excellence in Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences supported by the Florida Legislature a reality."

Trevor Burgess, CEO of Neptune Flood: "This smart investment would pay enormous dividends for Tampa Bay and all of Florida, and we appreciate House Speaker Chris Sprowls support of this forward-looking project. Its a remarkable opportunity to launch new interdisciplinary programs and create a national destination for researchers to focus on issues such as coastal resiliency and sustainability. It will prepare students for high-paying jobs in all sorts of occupations, and it will help preserve and enhance the state economy."

Alison Barlow, executive director of the St. Petersburg Innovation District: This new center of excellence would have a significant impact throughout Tampa Bay. Its work certainly would benefit Port Tampa Bay and MacDill Air Force Base. The regions growing reputation as a destination for business start-ups would be enhanced. The researchers, students and high-paying jobs it attracts also would improve our standing in the Tampa Bay Partnerships annual Regional Competitiveness Report, which ranks us in various categories against our peers such as Orlando, Charlotte and Nashville.
Memphis, TN  U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller announces the capture of Jacoris Drummer. He is wanted out of Bolivar County, Mississippi, for Murder, Aggravated Assault and Armed Robbery. He also has a federal arrest warrant for Felon in Possession of a Firearm out of the Northern District of Mississippi.

On March 3, 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) filed a criminal complaint in the Northern District of Mississippi for Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The ATF then delegated the case to the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) out of Memphis to locate and arrest Drummer.

This afternoon deputies with the TRVFTF went to 7039 South Beringer Drive in Cordova to apprehend Drummer. The entry team of deputies knocked and announced their presence at the door. Drummer surrendered to the deputies, and he was taken into custody without incident.

U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller stated, Deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service are committed to finding and apprehending violent fugitives to make our communities safe.

The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The Western Tennessee Division of the TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby County Sheriffs Deputies, Memphis Police Officers, Fayette County Sheriffs Deputies, Jackson Police Officers, and the Tennessee Department of Corrections Special Agents. The primary mission of the Task Force is to arrest violent offenders and sexual predators.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

####



Americas First Federal Law Enforcement Agency


What's up Vol Nation?! Check out @Sami_whamiii on this weeks episode of the Weekly Wrap-Up for news involving @tpusautk and their guest speaker @tomilahren, the largest increase to the HOPE Scholarship since its founding, @josiah.j.james declaring for the draft. As always, a wrap up of our 
Submitted PhotoPat Collins, City of Valdosta engineer, and Larry Odgen, City of Valdosta traffic manager, discuss the latest updates regarding the city's Georgia Smart project, 'Traffic Monitoring and Communication System to Improve Safety, Connectivity and Efficiency' with Engineering Night attendees. They said the project was recently named a winner of the 2022 Top 50 Award from Smart Cities Connect.
Lincoln, RI (02865)

Today

Periods of rain. High 58F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy early with partial clearing expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 48F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Coordinator of the synodal consultation in Gabons Archdiocese of Libreville, Father Jean Davy Ndangha Mbome, has said that initially, the faithful of the diocese were not sure if their voices would really count in the process.

Donatien Nyembo SJ - Vatican City

For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission is the theme of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops convened by Pope Francis for October 2023. However, before the 2023 meeting, Pope Francis commissioned a worldwide synodal consultation process currently happening in all dioceses of the world.

Initial indifference and scepticism

In an interview with Vatican News, Father Jean Davy Ndangha Mbome said the synodal consultations in the Archdiocese of Libreville were progressing well, notwithstanding initial hurdles.

The Coordinator notes that at the beginning of the consultations, the lay faithful were doubtful and rather indifferent towards the suggested diocesan process. They were not sure if their voice and opinions would really count. It is a scepticism that is justified, said Fr Mbome, by the lack of information on what it was all going to be about.

It took several weeks of explanations and communication efforts to overcome the indifference and scepticism among parishioners of the Archdiocese of Libreville.

Appreciating the synodal dynamic

The diocesan commission tasked with conducting the consultations persisted in creating awareness and mobilising in various parishes. The faithful now appreciate, understand and have embraced the synodal dynamic. The enthusiasm is growing around this synodal process as desired by the Pope, explained the Gabonese priest.

Not having given in to discouragement, the Catholics of Libreville now have high hopes from the Synod itself.

The Church is everyones business

Overall, said Father Ndangha, the Catholic lay faithful in the Archdiocese of Libreville, hope to break away from a certain clericalist vision of the Church viewed narrowly as a Church of the Pope, bishops and priests.

Father Ndangha adds, Only after presenting the Church as the people of God can one evoke the hierarchy. In other words, the hierarchy of the Church is at the service of the whole people of God -a hierarchy of service and not of domination."

He continued, The people really want the face of the Church to change. They want the Church to give them their rightful place so that they can become truly involved in it, aware that the Church is everyones business, said Fr Ndangha. Besides and more importantly, he said, the faithful also need to be made aware of their own responsibility in shoring-up clericalism in the Church.
Members and volunteers of the Order of Malta in Hungary, and across the border in western Ukraine, join forces to support refugees fleeing war. Barbara Piazza-Georgi speaks of the reality at one of the main crossings where families say goodbye to husbands and fathers turning back to fight against the Russian invasion.

By Linda Bordoni

As civilians flee the war in Ukraine, queues at border crossings into central Europe stretch for kilometers.

With men of conscription age prevented from leaving Ukraine, mostly women and children are arriving at the borders of eastern Poland, Slovakia, northeastern Romania and Hungary.

Close to the Hungarian border beyond the Carpathian mountains is the Ukrainian town of Berehove where the Hungarian Association of the Order of Malta is collaborating with the Ukrainian Charity Service of the Order with staff members and volunteers providing food, shelter and information to traumatized civilians in search of safety.

As Barbara Piazza-Georgi tells Linda Bordoni, the Hungarian crossing near Berehove is the scene of many heartbreaking farewells.

The border is the scene of many heart-wrenching stories of families saying goodbye, and then the woman, who sometimes cant even drive too well, gets the car and the kids through the border into Hungary.

Piazza-Georgi, a communications officer with the Order of Malta in Hungary, explains that the region in which Berehove is located is separated from the rest of Ukraine by the Carpathian mountains. She describes it as a bit of a special region, Ukraines gateway to Hungary and Slovakia.

Listen to Barbara Piazza-Georgi

Its peaceful right now, Piazza-Georgi says, and filling up with refugees from the rest of Ukraine, either those who are trying to get into the west via Slovakia or Hungary  it's the second biggest refugee route after the Polish one  or with people who simply hope to stay in that region of Ukraine without actually leaving the country, and sit-out the war there.

So, she explains, there is a transit refugee problem, as well as the problem of internally displaced persons within the region of Transcarpathia.

These are the two problems that the Berehovo Order of Malta is helping to deal with, and these are its principle activities now, she explains, noting that all other humanitarian activities the Order normally carries out in the region have been put on hold.

Families arriving in cars

Piazza-Georgi describes the situation in the area where, she says, there are several main crossing areas into Hungary and Slovakia from Transcarpathia. The one where the Berehovo Order of Malta is working sees mostly families arriving in cars.

She speaks of the heart-wrenching farewell scenes at that border as families are divided. All Ukrainian men, aged between 18 and 60, are in fact not allowed to leave the country as they are called to support the Ukrainian military fighting the Russian invasion. The crossing is where they say goodbye to wives and children who get back into their cars and drive on to safety.

Volunteers, Piazza-Georgi says, are on hand to help those arriving with food and hot beverages because they are exhausted from a long difficult drive and they are stressed, but the more interesting and more important thing the Order is doing there is to provide concrete and practical help so they are able to continue in their journeys in the best possible way.

Order of Malta assisting refugees from Ukraine

Helping solve the language problem

Weve developed a simple form, in Hungarian, that is filled out with the help of our volunteers who speak Ukrainian and Hungarian, she explains, to help these people who would have big communication problems once they get to Hungary.

The form provides important details regarding health issues, the number of people in the family, where they want to go, what they need in terms of accommodation and so on, so all they have to do when they get to Hungary is to show this to relief services, solving the communication problem to some extent."

In Berehovo, she adds, the refugees also receive important information regarding rules in Hungary, what to expect, their status as refugees, and so on.

Refugees from across the nation

Piazza-Georgi says those arriving in Hungary come from across the whole of Ukraine, some from as far away as the eastern region of Donetsk but also from Kyiv, and other cities that are being bombed throughout the nation.

Asked whether the refugees arrive hoping to go home soon, Barbara Piazza-Georgi says I dont think we dare to talk about that right now, but the organization, she says, is preparing for a long-term problem.

In fact, she continues, the second thing that the Berehove Office is doing is to stockpile relief goods for the next few months: all that is needed for the foreseeable future.

Order of Malta on the ground for Ukrainian refugees

Wave of solidarity

We are receiving goods and donations from everywhere, Piazza-Georgi says, expressing gratitude for the solidarity of so many.

The Hungarian nation has mobilized itself wonderfully and there are piles and piles of donations, which are distributed between those who arrive to stay and those who remain in Ukraine.

She reveals that major donations have been received from Germany, but also from other nations as well as from ordinary citizens who continue to donate whatever they can. Then, everything is shared out where needed most.

We are particularly grateful for this as it is a lovely form of international cooperation.

An example of service to Our Lord and to those in need

The Order of Malta, Piazza-Georgi explains, is very active and is cooperating with all the other aid agencies involved. First of all, of course, with the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta which is a very large organization, and that is currently dealing with the refugees who have arrived in Hungary.

She also highlights how all the aid organizations that are part of the Sovereign Order of Maltas global and regional network, as well as Malteser International, are cooperating to ensure the best possible outreach for those in need.

It has been wonderful to see the solidarity across countries and across nationalities. One often thinks of nationalities being 'up in arms' against each other. But here we have seen everybody working together to ease suffering," she concludes.

It has really been an exemplary show of The Order of Maltas ideal: defense of the faith, defense of the values of the faith, and service to our Our Lord and to the poor and needy.
The Holy See Mission in Geneva on Wednesday participated in two United meetings in Geneva addressing the rights of children and of refugees.

By Robin Gomes

The Holy See has expressed deep concern over the escalation of the war in Ukraine, saying it is posing an immediate and ever-growing threat to the lives and well-being of at least 7.5 million children. Many of them have left their homes and even their homeland.

The Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva expressed its concern at the 49th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday. Later that day, Ukrainian officials said a Russian air attack severely damaged a children's hospital and maternity ward in the besieged port city of Mariupol. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin condemned the reported bombing as unacceptable, saying, "There are no reasons, there are no motivations, to do this," he said.

Assisting families and children

Speaking at the annual discussion on the rights of the child, the Holy See Mission in Geneva said that the international community has the moral responsibility to provide assistance to families and children forced to flee, both in the short-term  with shelters, food and clean water  and in the long-term  with specific initiatives to welcome, protect, promote and integrate them.

It is absolutely crucial that we support refugees fleeing from conflict zones, including by simplifying the procedures for family reunification, so that all those who have family members in other countries can easily and safely join them in a timely manner, while protecting those unaccompanied minors from being preys of abusers or traffickers.

Popes gestures

In a separate meeting of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Holy See Mission pointed out that Pope Francis desires to be among the suffering people of Ukraine and meet those fleeing the conflict. Hence, he has sent medical supplies through Cardinal Krajewski, the Almoner of the Office of Papal Charities, and Cardinal Czerny, interim Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, both of whom are now in the besieged country.

Gratitude to those offering assistance

The Holy See drew attention to the tragic suffering of mothers fleeing with children, of families being separated, of unaccompanied children, and the elderly uprooted from their homes. The Holy See echoed the Popes gratitude to Ukraines neighbouring countries, and in particular Poland, for the generosity that they are showing in welcoming people in need as a true family of nations. The Holy See also welcomes the decision of the European Union to offer temporary protection to refugees fleeing Ukraine, as well as assistance to third-country nationals in Ukraine, who are stranded amidst the conflict.

Humanitarian corridors

It underscored the urgent need to establish and sustain humanitarian corridors and safe passages as well as to make use of community-based sponsorships of individuals and families. This, it said, is of utmost importance in order to save lives and also to defend and prevent against exploitation by criminal organizations that may take advantage of the vulnerable situation of many, creating even more victims of human trafficking in such a rapidly evolving situation.

While highlighting the priority of Ukraine at the moment, the Holy See delegation said it should not detract attention from numerous other situations around the globe which equally require urgent humanitarian assistance.
KAYLEE SUGIMOTO is a News and Features Reporter for The Vidette. Contract Sugimoto at ksugim1@ilstu.edu. Follow Sugimoto on Twitter at @kayleesugimoto1

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EMMA SYNDER is a News and Featuers Reporter for The Vidette. Snyder can be contacted at ejsnyde@ilstu.edu. Follow Snyder on Twitter at @ejsnyder21

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Vietnams education sector remains attractive for foreign investors as the government attempts to ease regulations.

We discuss Decree 86 and Decree 99  recent laws that have allowed for more foreign investment in the sector.

In addition, we also highlight four drivers for Vietnams education sector and list relevant steps to set up various educational institutions in Vietnam.

Vietnam has become a growing destination for foreign investment in Southeast Asia. The demand for high-quality education is reaching new heights, proving favorable opportunities for foreign investors looking to enter the market. Decree No. 86/2018/ND-CP (Decree 86), which was introduced in August 2018, to regulate foreign investment in the education sector in Vietnam, is expected to ease regulations allowing foreign-funded schools to enroll more students.

Nevertheless, investment in education remains challenging. Investors should therefore carefully study the countrys regulatory environment when considering options for market entry.

Vietnams young population and the governments commitment to improving education offer opportunities for investments. Since 2000, the government has committed approximately 15 percent to 20 percent of public expenditure on education  one of the highest in ASEAN.

Vietnams local rising middle class prefers the private education sector over the public school method due to the better quality of services. This has translated into a strong market for private institutions and vocational schools and services.

Drivers for Vietnams education sector

Vietnamese consumer: Underlying the demand for education in Vietnam is a rapidly emerging middle class. Reporting from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 2013 showed that Vietnam had the fastest-growing middle class in Southeast Asia. The report projected the middle and affluent classes (MAC) in Vietnam to double in size between 2014 and 2020, from 12 million to 33 million. Accompanying MAC growth is a clear uptick in confidence from those within Vietnams current middle class. Survey data provided as part of the BCG report indicated that 90 percent of MAC respondents believe their living conditions are higher than that of their parents. On top of this, respondents in the report confidence that conditions will continue to improve for their children.

Demographic tailwinds: On top of growing incomes and confidence in the future, Vietnams demographics also stand to have a positive impact on the education market. Nearly 60 percent of Vietnams population of nearly 90 million is under 35 years of age. With more disposable income than in years prior, young Vietnamese, with the support of their parents, are eager to obtain the skills and knowledge which meet the ever-increasing demands of the labor market.

Talent shortages: As investment in childrens education is given increased priority, the demand for sending children to an international learning environment for a higher quality of education is on the rise, making the market more attractive to step into. Vietnam is facing major skill gaps, and local qualifications in many fields are not well acknowledged. International qualifications are therefore seen as a valuable advantage, and in some fields, they are almost essential.

Government support initiatives: In addition to the rising demand for international education providers, investors can also find new opportunities offered by the government, especially after the countrys participation in WTO. Education remains a national priority for the government as it believes it will determine the economic success of the country. The government is also working on improving access to schools and improving the quality of education in Vietnam

How do I set up an education institution

Vietnams education institutions are either public or non-public. Non-public institutions are further distinguished in three types such as semi-public, institutions founded by individuals and private.

Regardless, all educational institutions must use the same curriculum and operate as per Vietnamese laws.

As per Vietnams commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO), investors can have a 100 percent foreign-owned education institution in Vietnam.

As per the recent Decree 86, pre-schools and elementary, junior and high schools, which are compulsory, can have up to 49.9 percent of Vietnamese students per foreign program as compared to the 10 percent previously.

In addition, the government allows a foreign-owned company to form foreign education institutions such as short-term training institutions, pre-schools, compulsory education institutions, higher educational institutions and branch campuses of foreign-invested higher education institutions.

In the below infographic we list minimum capital requirements for educational institutions in Vietnam.

Investors are also required to apply for an investment registration certificate (IRC) and an establishment registration certificate (ERC). Investors will then be required to get approval as a decision to establish the foreign-invested education facility, followed by the license for educational activities.

We list out the relevant steps and approvals required for setting up various educational institutions in Vietnam.

DPI  Department of Planning and Investment

DOC  Department of Construction

MET  Ministry of Education and Training

DET  Department of Education and Training

MPI  Ministry of Planning and Investment

Decree 99 on higher education

The government issued Decree 99/2019/ND-CP (Decree 99) effective February 15 providing guidance on higher education in Vietnam. The decree sets out conditions for establishing campuses in Vietnam of foreign higher-education institutions, regulations on boards as well the autonomy and accountability of such institutions.

As per the new regulations, such higher education institutions must have a minimum capital investment of US$21.5 million (VND 500 billion). The educational programs must be accredited or approved by a competent state agency. In addition, the higher educational institution must establish a governing board by August 15, 2020, six months from when the regulation goes into effect.

Higher education institutions have also been granted greater autonomy under the new regulation. They can now decide their academic activities, staff, training, and education structure as long as they are not in conflict with locals laws and regulations.

Note: This article was first published in September 2017, and has been updated to include the latest developments.
Ukraine and Russia failed to reach an agreement to cease hostilities during talks in Turkey. Plus the situation in Mariupol after Russian munitions hit a maternity hospital, and we follow one family as they try to find safety in a time of war.
As health care facilities are increasingly being targeted in Russias war on Ukraine, the U.N. Population Fund said Thursday that about 80,000 women are due to give birth in the coming three months and must be protected.

All these women who are giving birth in makeshift shelters, in subway stations, in the basements of buildings  oftentimes without skilled attendants  all of these women are also casualties of war, said Jaime Nadal, the U.N. Population Funds representative in Ukraine.

Nadal told reporters in a briefing call that since Russias invasion began in the early hours of February 24 through March 7, 4,311 women are known to have given birth. He spoke from inside the country, where UNFPA is continuing to assist women and girls through its network of community-based facilities.

On Wednesday, horrific pictures and video showed the destruction of a maternity hospital in the southern port city of Mariupol. Ukrainian officials blamed a Russian airstrike for the carnage, which they said killed three people, including a child, and wounded several others, among them pregnant women.

Other sites struck

UNFPAs Nadal said the maternity hospital at Mariupol is not the only one that has been hit during two weeks of hostilities.

In Zhytomir the maternity was completely destroyed, he said of a facility about 200 kilometers west of the capital, Kyiv. In one of the areas of Kharkiv, that has the largest maternity, the area was completely shelled and the maternity was also destroyed.

Kharkiv is located in the countrys northeast.

Nadal praised Ukraines health care workers as extremely committed for staying to take care of their patients despite constant danger. He said the country has 69 maternity and perinatal centers and 300 hospitals.

The World Health Organization said Thursday that it has verified 26 attacks on health care in Ukraine, including 21 attacks that have impacted health care facilities and eight attacks on medical workers. The WHO says 12 people have died as a result.

Russias deputy U.N. ambassador denied in a Twitter post Wednesday that the facility in Mariupol was an active maternity hospital and accused Ukrainian radicals of having taken it over, claiming this is how #Fakenews is born.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday that a team of U.N. human rights monitors on the ground in Ukraine has verified and documented what they described as an indiscriminate airstrike on the hospital, and that the hospital was serving women and children at the time.

Nadal said UNFPA is also working to protect women and girls in Ukraine, millions of whom are on the move seeking safety from exploitation, trafficking and sexual violence.

The agency, which has worked in Ukraine for years, has a network of 65 facilities including shelters and crisis rooms, but only 29 are currently functioning. UNFPA has lost contact with 16 facilities since the war started, and another 13 are not operating, possibly because of damage.

Despite operating challenges, UNFPA is scaling up and has supplies in Poland ready to come into Ukraine once reliable humanitarian corridors are running. Nadal said supplies include birthing kits, post-rape treatment kits, contraception and feminine hygiene kits.

Humanitarian crisis

The humanitarian situation in Ukraine is growing more serious by the day. The United Nations says 12 million people  nearly 30% of the population  require urgent humanitarian assistance.

The World Food Program is scaling up to assist up to 3.1 million people in cities inside Ukraine with bulk food, bread and food rations.

The U.N. human rights office has verified the killing of at least 549 civilians since the invasion began and 957 injuries. It says the true number is likely much higher.
Senegalese President and chair of the African Union Macky Sall has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a lasting cease-fire in Ukraine. Salls talk with Putin comes just a week after Senegal abstained from a U.N. vote to condemn the Russian invasion. African nations have interests in seeing an end to the war but also in not upsetting Putin.

Salls request as chairman of the African Union Wednesday was a contrast to his actions as Senegalese president a week prior, when Senegal joined 16 other African countries in abstaining from a U.N. vote to condemn the Russian invasion.

Senegal is considered a beacon of democracy in West Africa, so the move came as a surprise to many.

[Non-alignment] has been the default posture for many African countries over the years where they prefer not to get involved or not to get in between great power rivalries, said Joseph Siegle, the director of research for the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. And so, it isnt a vote of support for Russia, but a vote for trying to maintain neutrality.

Russia has a plethora of business dealings throughout the African continent. Senegal, for example, signed a $300 million deal with Russian oil company Lukoil just last year. The company also has operations in Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria. Russian mining companies are also active throughout Africa, from extracting diamonds in Angola to aluminum in Guinea and uranium in Namibia.

Most notably, Moscow is Africas leading supplier of weapons. Since 2015, its signed military agreements with more than 20 African countries.

Furthermore, private Russia military companies with close ties to the Kremlin have gained an increasingly strong foothold in African countries such as Mali and the Central African Republic.

So, while it may be in the best interest of many African countries to avoid tension with the Kremlin, leaders are beginning to feel the ripple effects of the war.

Russia is a country that exports a lot of products, notably gas and raw materials like wheat, said Abdou Rahmane Thiam, head of the political science department at Dakars University of Cheikh Anta Diop. That can have an economic impact especially with regards to trade.

Luckily, the African Union does have some sway, Thiam said.

International relations are not only decided by major world powers  the African Union is still a regional institution. It can be considered an influential voice, Thiam said. Russia also needs Africa. Its in their best interest to listen to the spokesperson of the African Union.

In a statement about the call, the Kremlin referred to the invasion as a special military operation to protect Donbass and did not mention Salls request for a cease-fire. Instead, it stated that Russia was asked to safely evacuate foreign citizens and said both leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to further develop Russian-African relations.
Experts expect the alliance between the United States and South Korea to become tighter under President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who made campaign promises to align with Washington to create a united front against North Korean threats and Chinese aggression.

"The alliance relationship will tighten up" under a conservative Yoon government compared with how it was under the progressive Moon Jae-in government, said Ken Gause, director of the Adversary Analytics Program at CNA, a nonprofit research firm dedicated to the safety of the U.S.

Evans Revere, a former State Department official with extensive experience negotiating with North Korea, said, "Under President-elect Yoon's [administration], the United States and South Korea are likely to find themselves on the same page more often than in the recent past on a range of issues including the best strategy for dealing with North Korea."

Yoon, the candidate of the conservative People Power Party, won the election early Thursday morning in a tight race, gaining 48.6% of the vote against his opponent, Lee Jae-myung of the progressive Democratic Party, who had 47.8%. Yoon will serve a five-year term in Asia's fourth-largest economy as the China-U.S. rivalry continues to grow regionally and globally.

The U.S. looks forward to working with South Korea under Yoon's leadership and strengthening its "ironclad" alliance with the country, the White House told VOA's Korean Service Wednesday.

"We congratulate President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol," said a White House spokesperson. "The alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, our economies and our people, is ironclad. President (Joe) Biden looks forward to working with the new administration to further expand our close cooperation."

The 61-year-old Yoon will take over as the U.S. is trying to deal with major global challenges from North Korea, China, Russia and others that pose threats to liberal democratic order.

Alignment on North Korea policy

Under Yoon, Seoul's policies on North Korea will align with Washington's, making cooperation between the allies easier, experts said.

"The election of President Yoon will likely more closely align the ROK and the U.S., as there will be fewer tactical differences, particularly on North Korea," said Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. South Korea's official name is the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Gause said Washington and Seoul will demonstrate unity when dealing with Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats, applying pressure rather than seeking the engagement that the Moon government sought with Pyongyang.

"They're going to show a very united front against North Korea," said Gause. "We will see some fairly tough rhetoric coming out of the Blue House [under Yoon] about how [Seoul is] prepared" and "capable of deterring the North." The Blue House in Seoul functions as the executive office and official residence of South Korea's president, much as the White House does in the U.S.

Harry Kazianis, senior director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest, a Washington-based public policy think tank, said he expects Yoon to "build out a strategy trying to take on Pyongyang from a position of strength  spending more on nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, and ballistic and cruise missiles  to negate advances Pyongyang has made in the last few years."

While campaigning in February, Yoon called for a second "multilevel missile defense system that includes Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)." China opposed the first deployment of THAAD from the U.S. to South Korea in 2017 for the purpose of defending against potential North Korean missile attacks. Beijing said it posed a threat to China, and it responded with economic retaliation.

Yoon also called for a U.S. security commitment to deter North Korea and said he wanted to launch preemptive strikes on North Korea if Pyongyang displayed signs of attacking.

Washington is likely to support Yoon's efforts to advance Seoul's military capabilities as President Joe Biden deals with Russian aggression in Ukraine, Kazianis said.

In an article published by Foreign Affairs in February, Yoon wrote, "A deeper alliance with Washington should be the central axis of Seoul's foreign policy."

In his article, Yoon criticized the Moon government's policy toward North Korea. "A foreign policy tailored mostly to improve relations with North Korea has allowed Seoul's role in the global community to shrink," he wrote.

He continued: "Most importantly, the U.S.-South Korean alliance has drifted owing to differences between the two countries on North Korea policy."

Yoon emphasized that Seoul under Moon had prioritized inter-Korean cooperation, while Washington had sought to deal with Pyongyang's nuclear threats and human rights violations.

VOA's Korean Service contacted the North Korean mission at the United Nations for a response to Yoon's victory but did not receive a reply.

Expanding role

Experts also see Yoon's government playing an expanded role in U.S.-led security alliances by cooperating with Washington's efforts to improve Seoul's frayed bilateral ties with Japan and the Biden administration's multilateral efforts to counter an aggressive China in the Indo-Pacific.

Scott Snyder, director of the program on U.S.-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, said, "The Biden administration will welcome Yoon's foreign policy emphasis and will look forward to strengthening South Korean contributions in the multilateral context of the Indo-Pacific and in the trilateral context of U.S.-Japan-South Korea relations."

Yoon has been supportive of Seoul's participation in the so-called QUAD security dialogue of the U.S., India, Japan and Australia. And during his campaign, he pledged to normalize ties with Tokyo.

Although South Korea under Yoon will try to foster constructive relations with China, the conservative's presidential victory poses challenges to Beijing, Snyder said.

"Yoon's election poses a challenge for China, in particular in terms of how Beijing positions itself in the face of stronger South Korean alignment with the United States and what tools it might use in response," Snyder added.

When asked for Beijing's response to Yoon's election, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told VOA's Korean Service that South Korea's "election is an internal affair of the ROK and I have no comment on it."

He continued: "China and the ROK are inseparable neighbors and partners for win-win cooperation. China is ready to work with the ROK to maintain high-level exchanges" and deepen cooperation, including in the areas of economy, trade and culture and "for greater development of bilateral relations."

Journalist Eunjung Cho contributed to this report, which originated with VOA's Korean Service.
Aid groups say the number of people displaced by conflict in Burkina Faso in January spiked to 160,000, bringing the total displaced in the country to 1.7 million. The aid groups worry the crisis stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine will draw much-needed humanitarian funding away from Africa's Sahel region.

The spike in displacements comes amid a six-year conflict with armed groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida and a military coup on the 23rd of January, which saw a military junta come to power in the West African country.

Since January 2019, nonprofits say, the displaced population in Burkina Faso has grown by 2,000%, with over 1.7 million people now uprooted.

Tom Peyre-Costa is spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in West & Central Africa.

There are increasing numbers of attacks, the destruction of crops, the theft of livestock, which are preventing families from accessing their fields and their food stocks. Faced with an inability to feed their families, people have had to flee and move toward towns, he said.

Peyre-Costa added that some donors have said they might reduce aid funding for Burkina Faso as money is diverted to the crisis in Ukraine.

Some donors have already indicated that they would proceed to a 70% cut of our funding to support operations in Ukraine and we are very concerned this will become a trend, he said.

Burkina Fasos military junta, led by President Paul Henri Damiba, has said it hopes to restore security to the country and allow people displaced by the conflict to return home.

Asked if security has improved for Burkina Faso since the start of 2022, Paul Melly, an analyst with London based think tank, Chatham House, sounded cautiously optimistic.

The security situation in Burkina Faso has begun to improve in some respects. Weve seen some significant successes for the armed forces But its still too early to say whether the militarys commitment to improved, sustained success in tackling jihadist violence, whether were seeing results in that respect, he said.

He points out that many of the recent successes for the military resulted from closer cooperation with French forces, which was instigated by ousted president Roch Kabore.

Alexandra Lamarche, a senior advocate for West and Central Africa at Refugees International, a Washington-based nonprofit, says the crisis in Ukraine will have devastating effects on crises across sub-Saharan Africa, not just in Burkina Faso.

Russia is one of the leading grain exporters in the world. As the international community cuts economic ties with Russia, we can expect a global shortage In Sub-Saharan Africa this will leave additional people in need of emergency food assistance, many of which would not have otherwise required aid, she said.

She added that if donor attention is singularly focused on Ukraine in the coming weeks, it may be too late to mitigate the consequences of widespread food insecurity.
Rich Russians are trying to shift some of their wealth from Europe to Dubai to shield assets from a tightening wave of Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, financial and legal sources said.

Dubai, the Gulfs freewheeling financial and business hub, has long been a magnet for the globes ultra-rich and the United Arab Emirates refusal to take sides between Western allies and Moscow has signaled to Russians that their money is safe there.

The UAE, which over the years has deepened its ties with Russia, has not matched sanctions imposed by Western nations and its central bank has so far not issued guidance regarding Western sanctions.

In many cases, wealthy Russians are seeking to shift funds to Dubai that are now in Switzerland or London  which have both sanctioned Russian individuals and organizations, a senior banker at a large Swiss private bank and a lawyer familiar with the matter said.

The lawyer, who is based in Dubai, said his firm had received inquiries from Russian entities on how quickly they could move very significant funds worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Gulf Arab state.

The UAE is a nice medium  a few hours away by flight and doesnt have a regulator completely in cahoots with Western regulators, an investment management professional said.

The Dubai Media Office, UAE foreign ministry and central bank did not immediately respond to a query about the scale of Russian funds flowing into Dubai.

The senior private banker said in some cases, Russian clients with accounts at private banks were opening accounts with that same banks UAE branch. Others were opening accounts with local banks, the banker added.

Russians, facing a crumbling economy at home, are also looking to put their money in investments including real estate and buying into funds which do not disclose ownership information, another financial source said.

Dubai, a global tourism destination, has long been popular with Russians, who were among the top visitors to the emirate and purchasers of real estate even before the war and ensuing sanctions threw its economy into turmoil and its currency tumbled to record lows.

The UAE in 2018 introduced a golden visa program  which grants 10-year residency  to investors and other professionals.

Banks cautious

The UAEs decision to abstain in a United Nations Security Council vote condemning the invasion, coupled with Gulf sovereign wealth funds maintaining their exposure to Russia, was taken as reassurance to wealthy Russians, the sources said.

There is no indication that the Russian wealth flowing to Dubai is subject to Western sanctions. However, bankers said there was a risk of reputational harm to institutions receiving Russian funds as multinationals around the world cut ties with Moscow.

Some major UAE banks are taking a cautious approach. Banks operating in the Gulf state have in the past been penalized for non-compliance with sanctions on countries including Iran and Sudan.

And global financial crime watchdog The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) last week put the UAE on a grey list of jurisdictions subject to increased monitoring.

Being on the grey list, they (UAE) probably have to be more careful than normal. Now, the last thing they want is for Europe to use this as a further reason to keep them on this list, the lawyer said.

The Dubai Media Office, UAE foreign ministry and central bank did not immediately respond to questions regarding guidance to banks and businesses on how to comply with sanctions on Russia, or on what protocols are in place should other countries request the seizure of any sanctioned assets, should they be in the UAE.

Two sources familiar with the matter said businesses in the UAE would spend more time looking into the origins of their funds through a so-called Know-Your-Customer process.

Wealth management

A source at a Dubai bank said that funds from Russians are not being accepted for wealth management, though they could set up deposit accounts.

In principle, they can do it, but the bank has high compliance hurdles to clear internally to accept Russian money, including evidence of where it came from, the source said.

The UAEs nascent private wealth industry has not yet reached the scale or sophistication to fully absorb wealth stored in Switzerland and other traditional money shelters, sources said.

They might take some, but I find it hard to imagine that they would take it all, the investment management professional said. Its not just the servicing element, but the investment management which most of these banks lack.
After making a dramatic escape from Kabul last August, Zarifa Ghafari, once Afghanistan's youngest female mayor, vowed to return to her native country.

Leaving [Afghanistan] doesnt mean Ive left forever," she told VOA after evacuating to Germany. "Im optimistic that Ill return to my country very soon."

Last week, she made good on her word. But no sooner had she announced her arrival in Kabul on Twitter and Facebook  "I've come to my people!"  than her return set off a social media quarrel among Taliban critics and boosters.

While many praised her courage to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to deliver badly needed humanitarian aid, others accused her of coddling the militant group.

"The Taliban will leave you alone because you're a Talib," one Twitter user wrote.

Added another commentator, "So what was the reason for your departure [in August]? Aren't [today's] Taliban the same as yesterday's Taliban?"

In an interview with VOA, Ghafari responded to her critics.

"Unfortunately, critics who have moved from Afghanistan to the West have an unstable view," she said. "I'm sure most of their families are living in extreme poverty, and if helping the desperate nation amounts to solidarity with the Taliban, this is a good thing."

Ghafari is one of only a handful of public figures known to have returned to Afghanistan in recent months following the U.S.-led evacuation of more than 124,000 people in August.

In November, popular TV comedian Ibrahim Abed went back. In February, the Taliban welcomed Abdul Salam Rahimi, a peace minister in former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government.

Their "homecoming" has added to a raging debate over just how much the Taliban have changed since their last repressive rule in the 1990s. While Taliban officials claim they've moderated their ways, critics remain skeptical, citing, among other things, the group's crackdown on rights activists and others.

Ghafari, 30, finds herself in the eye of the controversy in part because she was once among the Taliban's fiercest critics. In 2018, she became Afghanistan's youngest mayor when she was put in charge of Maidan Shahr, a small town 46 kilometers southeast of Kabul.

Opposition to her appointment in the conservative province was swift and severe. But despite death threats and assassination attempts, she remained on the job for three years, winning international recognition for her defiance of the Taliban.

In late 2020, Ghafaris father, an army special forces commander, was gunned down in Kabul, and she later blamed the Taliban for his death. With Taliban forces closing in on her city, Ghani appointed her as a senior Defense Ministry official in early 2021.

After the Taliban seized power, Ghafari and her family evacuated to Germany. She later told VOA she feared for her family's safety and vowed to "raise the unspoken voice of Afghan women throughout the world."

As she made the rounds in recent months criticizing the Taliban, Afghanistan descended into the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

"As an Afghan, I couldnt just sit and watch it from abroad and not do anything about it," she told VOA's Afghan Service.

Former co-workers, she said, warned her about the risks of returning.

"Their advice was that the risk is extremely high but sacrificing for public service is a victory for history," she said. "As in the past, I've chosen the path of sacrifice."

But Ghafari said whatever apprehension she had disappeared as she flew into Kabul on a flight full of women in late February.

"What gave me reassurance was these women. When I landed, I was apprehensive. But no one said anything to me. Nothing happened [to me]," she said.

Despite imposing many restrictions, the Taliban allowed women to work in media and attend university. But Ghafari said she has no interest in working for them. She has forsworn politics and instead wants to carry out humanitarian work through her NGO, Assistance and Promotion for Afghan Women.

"I just want to work for the people without any political, personal  or foreign goals," she said.

Ghafari is circumspect about her plans to stay in Afghanistan. "Contrary to expectations, I have a long-term plan to travel both at home and abroad to draw the world's attention to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan," she told VOA.

On Monday, she traveled to Abu Dhabi where she and a former Afghan member of parliament received Forbes magazine's Changemaker Award.

At the award ceremony, she said the Taliban are "capable of changing."

"The Taliban do not stone women in public  as they did in the past. They do not torture women without a male companion, but instead are opening the doors of schools and universities to them," she said. "If someone tries to reform himself, the world has a responsibility to help him."

On social media, the comments prompted charges that she's normalizing the Taliban.

Youve sold out," one commenter wrote in response to her speech. "Youre a big part of the Taliban normalization project.

But others came to her defense.

"Thank you for presenting the real picture of Afghans to the world," a Facebook user named Saifullah Samim wrote. "Also invite other activists to serve their country."

This story originated in VOA's Afghanistan Service.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is on a three-day trip to Poland and Romania to rally NATO allies against Russian aggression. But first she needs to patch up a misunderstanding over Warsaw's offer to make its fleet of MiG-29 jet fighters available to Ukraine.

The Biden administration was caught off guard by Poland's public offer on Tuesday to donate the Soviet-era aircraft to the U.S. so they could be transferred to Ukraine. The Pentagon immediately opposed the move, describing it as "high risk" and "untenable." On Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki admitted to a "temporary breakdown in communication" with Warsaw.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been asking for the jets, which his pilots know how to fly. He has also been urging NATO to declare a no-fly zone over his country to protect it from Russian airstrikes.

"Obviously, the vice president is on her way there, not  not related to this particular issue, which will be worked through military channels," Psaki said Wednesday.

Psaki's statement stood in contrast to what a senior administration official said to reporters Tuesday when asked about the jet transfer: that the U.S. has been in dialogue with the Poles for some time about how best to provide a variety of security assistance to Ukraine and that the dialogue "absolutely will continue up to and as part of the vice president's trip."

The official declined to speculate further as to why the government of Polish President Andrzej Duda went public with the plan without coordination with Washington.

The MiG situation is an unnecessary misunderstanding amid a crisis, said Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Fund's Warsaw office.

"VP Harris in Warsaw will have a chance to address and smooth over this misunderstanding by clarifying that the U.S. doesn't expect Poland to take an undue risk in organizing the MiG transfer alone," Baranowski told VOA. "VP can reassure the Poles by making clear that NATO as a whole will take on this issue."

Meanwhile, the Polish government has indicated that whether to transfer the planes needs to be a joint decision by NATO. The bigger challenge for Harris and NATO leaders may be to agree on further steps to strengthen NATO's eastern flank and effectively help Ukraine without being drawn into a wider war in Europe.

Imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, even a limited one to provide protection for humanitarian corridors, may mean potentially shooting down Russian jet fighters. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that any attempt to create a no-fly zone would be the equivalent of "participating in the armed conflict."

"That proposal is much harder to implement than transferring MiGs to Ukraine," Baranowski said.

Analysts say the trip could be a litmus test for Harris. A satisfactory resolution on the MiG issue in the context of a broader NATO initiative, in addition to a strong show of unity in the alliance, would be seen as an achievement for the administration that will bolster the vice president's foreign policy credentials.

In Warsaw, she will also face questions about how to respond to the war's latest atrocity: a Russian airstrike Wednesday on a children's hospital in the city of Mariupol.

Can she deliver?

Harris, who served in the Senate from 2017 to 2022 and as California attorney general from 2011 to 2017, does not have the same foreign policy credentials that then-Vice President Joe Biden had in the Obama administration as a longtime member and chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

"Harris does not enjoy the perception of experience in foreign policy that President Biden has," Thomas Schwartz, presidential historian at Vanderbilt University, told VOA. Schwartz pointed out that Harris' favorability rating, based on a RealClearPolitics poll, is only 37.8, and "she is seen by many as a lightweight."

Biden has carved out a higher international profile for his vice president. Last month, Harris represented the administration at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where she met with more than a dozen heads of the state and addressed the world's top national security officials as concerns grew about Russian troops at Ukraine's border.

A lack of diplomatic experience may not matter in this case, said Andrew Cohen, author and professor of journalism at Carleton University. What matters is that to NATO leaders, Harris has "the direct ear" of the president.

Cohen pointed out to VOA that many vice presidents lacked foreign policy experience, including Mike Pence, who was the governor of Indiana before serving in the Trump administration.

Cohen added that in the age of conducting foreign policy over teleconference, sending the administration's second-ranking official to Poland sends a strong message.

"She is not expected to resolve the crisis. She is there as a show of confidence," Cohen said. "She isn't going to make policy, but she'll reflect it at the highest levels."

There's another reason why Biden is sending Harris  to help her be seen as his logical successor in the 2024 election should the 79-year-old president choose not to run again.

"She needs to make both Democrats and independents see her as effectively an assistant president," Schwartz said. "Foreign policy could be a way to do this."

According to a preview of her schedule provided by the White House, Harris will hold a bilateral meeting with Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Thursday, followed by a separate meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is also in Warsaw.

While in Poland, the vice president will visit some of the thousands of Ukrainian refugees. On Friday, she will be in Bucharest to meet with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
In India, the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to retain power in the countrys most politically influential state, Uttar Pradesh, putting the Hindu nationalist party in a strong position ahead of 2024 general elections and cementing Prime Minister Narendra Modis position as Indias most powerful leader in decades.

The BJPs impressive performance in regional elections came despite concerns that a sputtering economy, high unemployment, a farmers protest and widespread complaints of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic would hurt its chances in the voting that was held in five states. The nearly month-long process ended March 7.

The party was also ahead of its rivals in three other areas -- the northern state of Uttarakhand, the northeastern state of Manipur and the western state of Goa.

This gives the BJP a big advantage in terms of controlling the political agenda and narrative going ahead, said Rahul Verma at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. The BJP was having trouble winning state elections since 2014 when it came to power. Now, winning four states will consolidate Modis popularity.

Separately, an already weakened opposition Congress Party was further decimated, losing the only state where it was in power in this round of voting.

But it is the BJPs performance in Uttar Pradesh, the biggest political prize in India, that is drawing attention  it will mark the first time in more than three decades that an incumbent party is on course to return to power in the state. The BJP had swept the state five years ago, and although it is losing some seats, it is on course to a convincing victory.

Indias most populous state, which sends the most lawmakers to parliament, is governed by a Hindu monk-turned-politician, Yogi Adityanath, whose term has been marked by what critics say are anti-Muslim policies and rhetoric. Adityanath, who always appears in public clad in saffron robes -- the hallmark of a Hindu priest -- has passed strict laws banning slaughter of cows, which Hindus consider holy, and passed a law that makes interfaith marriage harder.

Adityanaths victory over the regional Samajwadi Party, which put up a spirited fight, will consolidate his position as one of the BJPs front-line leaders and be seen as an endorsement of his Hindu first policies.

It is very much possible that the BJP now doubles down on their Hindu first agenda but that cannot alone bring them to power. So, to win elections, the focus is also strongly on welfare benefits for disadvantaged sections, plus of course the leadership of Modi, says Verma.

Along with Adityanath, Modi had campaigned extensively in the state, wooing voters with policies such as free rations for the poor during the pandemic, a crackdown on crime and its development policies.

Political analysts say opposition parties were not able to capitalize on disenchantment with the BJP because of the party's ability to mobilize the strong base it has built in the state in recent years and its core appeal to many Hindus. They are voters like Bablu Tyagi, a young farmer from Didoli village.

We have made sweets to distribute to everyone, said an ecstatic Tyagi, as the results poured in. I am really happy. My religion is very important to me but of course I also want development.

For Indias main opposition Congress Party, the results brought more evidence of its decline as a national force as it was ousted from the northern Punjab state by a regional party.

The political fortunes of the once-powerful party that ruled India for nearly six decades have plummeted since 2014 and many questions have been raised over the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, who has been unable to emerge as a credible alternative to Modi.

Besides the BJP, one other party had reason to celebrate  the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is winning Punjab with a massive majority. The regional party, which is a relative newcomer to Indian politics, has been in power in Delhi for two consecutive terms, but it has national ambitions and is trying to widen its footprint in other states. Its victory in Punjab is seen as the first step in that direction.

Upbeat party leaders said they were now ready to take on Modi nationally.

I see AAP becoming a national force. AAP is going to be the national and natural replacement of the Congress, party spokesman Raghav Chadha told the NDTV television channel.

Some regional parties, which have a strong presence in several states, are exploring the possibility of coming together to fight the BJP at a national level in 2024. But the Hindu nationalist partys strong performance in this round of regional voting shows that the task will be a challenge, especially as the Congress Party has been further weakened.

The national opposition is getting further marginalized so in the short run there is going to be a big gap between the BJP and any other party that is going to compete for the second slot, points out Verma.
More than a month after the former leader of Islamic State blew himself up during a raid by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria, the terror group says a new leader is in place.

A more than 12-minute-long audio recording posted to social media Thursday introduced the new IS emir by the nom-de-guerre Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi and claimed he has been leading the group since shortly after the death of his predecessor.

"The Islamic State's Shura Council did not delay, as after the killing of Shaikh Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi  the mujahideen pledged allegiance to the great mujahid, with the refined sword, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi," according to a translation of the recording by the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks terrorist content online.

The statement, delivered by the terror group's newly appointed spokesman, Abu Umar al-Muhajir, also confirmed the death of the previous spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, which had not been previously reported.

Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, who according to the audio statement was selected for the role by his predecessor, becomes the third emir to lead the terror group since it began calling itself Islamic State.

The group's first leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, killed himself during a U.S. raid, also in northwestern Syria, in 2019. The equally reclusive Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, also known by multiple other names including Hajji Abdallah and Amir Muhammad Sa'id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, was named as his replacement five days later.

Following Abu Ibrahim's death, some analysts had speculated IS would delay the meeting of senior leaders needed to name a successor due to concerns U.S. forces might have acquired intelligence on the group's security practices during the early February raid.

According to the new IS spokesman, that appears not to have been the case.

"(I'm) not sure we can know exactly when it was made," Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who specializes in jihadism, told VOA regarding Abu al-Hassan's promotion to IS emir.

"There were rumors about Abu al-Hassan since a few days after Abu Ibrahim's death, so it's plausible it was a relatively quick decision," Zelin said, adding that concerns about security may have delayed the public announcement.

U.S. officials contacted by VOA declined to comment on the IS announcement or on the identity of the new leader, though the choice of his name follows a familiar pattern.

Like his predecessor, Abu al-Hassan selected a name designed to indicate he is a descendant of the Hashemite clan of the Qurashi tribe, which by bloodline would link him to Prophet Muhammed  an IS requirement for any would-be caliph.

As for determining the new leader's real identity, it could take some time.

Western counterterrorism officials needed more than a year to confirm Abu Ibrahim was the terrorist known as Hajji Abdallah or al-Mawla, the religious scholar responsible for the genocide of the Yezidi minority in Syria who had also spent time imprisoned with al-Baghdadi in 2004 at Camp Bucca, a U.S.-run facility in Basra, Iraq.

Still, there are some who think they may know already the true identity of the new IS caliph.

New Lines Magazine last month identified Bashar Khattab Ghazal al-Sumaidai as next in line.

"Known by numerous noms de guerre, including Ustath Zaid (Teacher or Professor Zaid), Abu Khattab al-Iraqi, Abu al-Moez al-Iraqi and Abu Ishaq, he returned to Syria from Turkey about a year ago," New Lines said, adding that al-Sumaidai had become increasingly popular in jihadist circles.

According to New Lines, al-Sumaidai joined IS in 2013 and was appointed as chief judge a year later. He also reportedly had a close working relationship with Abu Ibrahim, despite having been based in southern Turkey since 2017.

Regardless of Abu al-Hassan's actual identity, analysts and intelligence officials expect the terror group to mount a campaign to make sure key branches and affiliates pledge allegiance  give bay'ah  to the new leader.

SITE Intelligence Group reported Thursday that some IS followers have already begun to pledge their loyalty on social media.
Kyrgyzstan has suspended a TV station, detained its director and questioned its journalists on accusations of incitement.

The State Committee for National Security (SCNS) says it has opened a criminal case into NEXT TV over posts on Telegram and Facebook in which an interviewee claimed Kyrgyzstan had agreed to provide military assistance to Russia in Ukraine.

The Kyrgyz Defense Ministry denied the claim. Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry also rejected the claim and said local media should base reporting on official government statements only.

Authorities arrested NEXT TV director Taalai Duishembiev on March 3 and later ordered that he be held in pretrial detention.

Duishembiev was accused of "inciting interregional hostility," according to his attorney, Akmat Alagushev.

"The channel's operations have been suspended, its director, Taalai Duishembiev, has been detained for two months, and staff interrogated by the officials," Alagushev told reporters.

The attorney said the media outlet had cited on its social media platforms the comments of a Kazakhstan official. The attorney also said he didn't think the station should have been stopped from broadcasting.

NEXT TV journalist Perizat Saitburkhan, whom authorities questioned, told reporters she had been asked about the media outlet's activities, funding and owner, Ravshan Jeenbekov.

Jeenbekov is an opposition politician who was twice jailed, including for alleged involvement in a deadly clash with security and supporters of a former president in 2019. Jeenbekov has denied the allegations in that case, which is ongoing.

In a comment posted to social media, Jeenbekov described the action against NEXT TV as a crackdown on press freedom.

"The SCNS wants to imprison not only Taalai, but all journalists, freedom of speech and the opposition," Jeenbekov wrote on Facebook.

He added that he had been under pressure for months to shutter NEXT TV.

Critics speak out

Kyrgyzstan's ombudsman and members of civil society criticized the action against the privately owned station.

Ombudsman Atyr Abdrakhmatova called on the SCNS to respect the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the media and on the judiciary to assess the measures taken against NEXT TV.

In a joint statement, Kyrgyzstan's media and civil society members also called for authorities to respect press freedom.

"We consider the action against NEXT TV as a continuation of the movement to suppress freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan," the statement said, adding that journalists from other outlets had previously come under pressure.

Media expert Daniyar Sadiyev criticized the decision to suspend the station while an investigation was in progress and said the harsh response suggested it might be political.

"It does not make sense to imprison or shut down a TV station without a court ruling in this case," Sadiyev told VOA.

Pointing out that the case was about a social media post, Sadiyev said that measures "should not have been so harsh."

"Therefore, it seems more of a political decision. The channel's staff also say they have been under a lot of pressure lately. This, of course, can be seen as a pressure on freedom of the press," Sadiyev said.

Presidential spokesperson Erbol Sultanbayev told the state-run Kabar News Agency that Kyrgyzstan "has and will continue to have freedom of speech."

"No one has restricted freedom of speech. At the same time, it should not be forgotten that the dissemination of false information under the guise of freedom of speech on private television and other media is not allowed," Sultanbayev said.

Local journalists have reported being more vulnerable to threats, harassment and attacks for their work in recent years, including by government officials and law enforcement.

This story originated in VOA's Uzbek Service.
Pakistan's military said Thursday that an Indian "unarmed supersonic missile" had struck its territory, damaging civilian property but causing no casualties.



"Pakistan strongly protests this flagrant violation and cautions against recurrence of any such incident in the future," army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar told reporters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.



"Whatever caused this incident to happen, it is for the Indians to explain," he demanded, saying the "provocative" Indian act took place Wednesday evening.



There was no immediate response from India.

Iftikhar said Pakistan's air defense system picked up the surface-to-surface rocket as soon as it took off from the Indian city of Sirsa, about 104 kilometers from the border between the two countries, and "continuously monitored" its complete flight path.



"From its initial course, the object suddenly maneuvered towards Pakistani territory and violated Pakistan's airspace, ultimately falling near Mian Channu," he said.



The general explained that the missile was flying at an altitude of 12 kilometers and stayed in Pakistani airspace for roughly 204 seconds before ending up 124 kilometers inside Pakistan in the eastern border province of Punjab.



"And when it fell, it also damaged some civilian property. Thankfully, no loss or injury to human life was caused," he said, noting that there were no sensitive military installations in the area of impact.



But Iftikhar said the incident could have resulted in a major aviation disaster and civilian casualties on the ground.



"It is important to highlight that the flight path of this object endangered many international and domestic passenger flights both in Indian and Pakistani airspace, as well as human life and property on the ground," he said.



Vice Marshal Tariq Zia, a senior Pakistani air force officer, told reporters that aviation experts were still examining remnants of the high-speed rocket.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry later summoned the Indian charge d'affaires in Islamabad to lodge a formal protest over the "unprovoked" violation of Pakistan airspace.

"Such irresponsible incidents were also reflective of India's disregard for air safety and callousness towards regional peace and stability," the ministry said in a statement.



It called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.

Pakistan and India have fought each other in three wars since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.

The long-running territorial dispute over the divided Kashmir region remains the primary source of tension between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety.



The two countries came close to another war in February 2019 when Pakistan's air force shot down an Indian fighter plane and captured its pilot after a dogfight over the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir.



The aerial combat came just hours after Indian warplanes conduced a strike in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan, against an alleged militant training camp. Islamabad rejected the charges as baseless.
Just three hours after being declared the winner of South Koreas presidential election, conservative former prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol was reminded of one of the peskiest foreign policy challenges he will face after taking office in May.

In a state media post early Thursday, North Korea offered the latest hint that it will soon launch a military spy satellite, a move that risks significantly raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the satellite will provide real-time information on the movements of the aggression troops of the U.S. imperialism and its vassal forces in the region, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The United States and its allies view North Korean satellite launches as thinly disguised tests of long-range missile technology banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

On Wednesday, the U.S. military announced it is stepping up intelligence and surveillance efforts near North Korea, and increasing readiness among its ballistic missile defense forces in the region.

We have made clear what our concerns are, and we're acting on those concerns, said Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby at a regular briefing.

U.S. intelligence officials believe North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile or conduct a nuclear test later this year, according to an assessment released earlier this week.

Either move could mean a return to tensions not seen since 2017, before Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump engaged in a series of talks. Those discussions broke down in 2019, and North Korea has since increased missile testing.

Storm clouds ahead

In his first news conference Thursday as president-elect, Yoon promised to sternly address North Korean provocations, but insisted he is open to dialogue with Pyongyang.

It is looking increasingly like that dialogue will not happen anytime soon. So far this year, North Korea has launched 13 missiles during nine rounds of launches. The tests are seen as part of an effort to systematically work through a wish list of strategic weapons laid out by Kim last year.

North Koreas strategy for the time being, regardless of the outcome of the South Korean presidential election, is to focus on economic survival and making as much progress in its five-year defense development plan as possible until it is ready to return to talks with South Korea and the U.S., said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a Seoul-based Korea specialist at the Stimson Center.

Now seems an especially opportune time for North Korea to focus on that weapons development plan, said Lee. Not only is South Korea undergoing a leadership transition, U.S. diplomatic attention is focused on Russias war in Ukraine. Washingtons deteriorating ties with Beijing and Moscow could also factor in, she added.

These dynamics make it extremely difficult for the international community to come up with a coordinated response to North Korea, which Kim Jong Un almost certainly understands and will use to his advantage, Lee said.

Closer alignment with US

Yoon will succeed South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a left-leaning former human rights lawyer who relentlessly pursued diplomacy with North Korea, even amid rejections and insults from the North.

Yoon has called Moons outreach a complete failure. Instead, he has signaled he will prioritize the complete and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea  a position that will likely align him closer with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Yoons election will likely allow the Biden White House to articulate its North Korea policy more clearly without fearing friction with Seoul, said Go Myong-hyon, a research fellow at Seouls Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

Under Moon, the United States and South Korea sometimes struggled to align their positions toward the North. That was especially the case when it came to Moons call for an end-of-war declaration with North Korea, which many in the United States felt was premature.

U.S. officials have also sometimes offered more muted criticisms following North Korean missile launches, compared to their responses in the earlier period of Kim Jongs rule.

The Biden administration will be able to be more frank in its public comments (about North Korea) if deemed necessary because Yoons administration will want to call out North Korean violations and provocations as they are and respond in kind, said Duyeon Kim, a Korea specialist at the Center for a New American Security.

Many analysts predict Yoon is likely to support the restoration of large-scale joint military exercises involving the South Korean and U.S. militaries. The drills had been scaled back in order to support diplomacy with Pyongyang and because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Yoon has also said he supports the deployment of a second U.S. missile defense battery, known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, which is meant to defend against North Korean missiles.

All in all, this is a good result from Washingtons perspective, said Ben Engel, Research Professor at the Institute of International Affairs at Seoul National University.

Yoon has consistently taken positions which are in line with U.S. foreign policy, whether its taking a tough line on China or floating the idea of additional THAAD deployments. It seems probable that [South Korean] participation in multilateral venues like the Quad is more likely. And Yoon has promised to try and improve relations with Japan, which is in U.S. interests, said Engel.

Looking beyond North Korea

Yoon is likely to continue Moons efforts to expand South Koreas role in global affairs. As president, Moon significantly increased Seouls military budget and its major weapons development programs.

But those initiatives, Yoon insists, should have more than just North Korea in mind. In an editorial last month in Foreign Affairs magazine, Yoon called for South Korea to become a global pivotal state.

Dealing with North Korea is an important task for any South Korean government. But it should not represent the whole of Seouls diplomacy, Yoon wrote.

As Yoon prepares to take office, one of the big uncertainties is whether North Korea will allow him to focus his attention elsewhere.
North Korea's last two missile launches were tests of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, U.S. officials said Thursday, as they announced fresh sanctions on Pyongyang and warned of a "serious escalation" in tensions.

The launches on Feb. 26 and March 4 did not demonstrate ICBM range but were likely meant to evaluate the new system before conducting a future test at full range, potentially disguised as a space launch, according to a statement from Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby.

North Korea had not given many details about the tests other than to say they were in preparation for the launch of a military spy satellite.

On Friday, state media reported North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the country's Sohae Satellite Launching Ground. Pictures showed Kim, wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses, speaking with top defense officials as they stood in front of a launch tower.

Kim announced plans to "build a number of new elements in the launching ground so as to launch the military reconnaissance satellite and other multipurpose satellites by diverse carrier rockets in the future," said a report by the Korean Central News Agency.

A day earlier, Kim said the spy satellite would provide "real-time information" on the movements of "the aggression troops of the U.S. imperialism and its vassal forces" in the region. None of the reports said when such a launch would occur.

North Korea had not conducted an ICBM launch since 2017, during the height of tensions between Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump. A year earlier, North Korea had attempted to launch a satellite. The United States and its allies view North Korean satellite launches as thinly disguised tests of long-range missile technology banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

A satellite launch would dramatically raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula. On Thursday, conservative former prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol was declared the winner of South Korea's presidential election. Yoon has promised a much more forceful approach to North Korea.

In his first press conference Thursday as president-elect, Yoon promised to "sternly" address North Korean provocations but insisted he is open to dialogue with Pyongyang.

'Monster missile'

That dialogue will not happen anytime soon, it appears. So far this year, North Korea has launched 13 missiles during nine rounds of launches. The tests are seen as part of an effort to systematically work through a wish list of strategic weapons laid out by Kim last year.

On Kim's wish list is an ICBM large enough to carry multiple warheads  a capacity that would make it much harder for U.S. missile defenses to intercept. North Korea unveiled such an ICBM, the Hwasong-17, during a parade in October 2020. Experts dubbed it the "monster missile."

According to U.S. officials, North Korea's last two launches involved the Hwasong-17, although only in some limited capacity. The tests likely only involved the first stage of the two-stage rocket, said Joshua Pollack, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

The South Korean and Japanese militaries had reported the missiles only flew for about 300 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of 550-600 kilometers. The Hwasong-17 is estimated to have a maximum range of about 13,000 kilometers.

At the time, North Korea said one of the launches was meant to test "attitude control devices" on the rocket, suggesting it was experimenting with a system that could control a camera on a spy satellite. But "the attitude control system used to point the camera is likely the same system one would use to aim multiple warheads," tweeted Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in nuclear nonproliferation with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

"Drop a warhead, turn around, drop another, and so on," Lewis said.

Missile defense complications

Such a system, known as a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle, or MIRV, would be much harder for U.S. missile defenses to intercept, according to Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

If the North Koreans were to launch 10 ICBMs with a single warhead each, the U.S. technically, although our interceptors dont work very well, has the number of interceptors necessary to deal with that scenario, Panda said. If the North Koreans placed two, three, four, or more warheads on a single missile, the arithmetic for U.S. ballistic missile defense begins to look incredibly unfavorable.

Another reason North Korea is developing MIRVs is their shortage of mobile launch systems, known as transporter erector launchers, or TELs.

The North Koreans have had a difficult time building very large trucks that are reliable and capable of carrying and launching these missiles, Panda said.

Putting multiple warheads on a single missile reduces the need for mobile launchers.

Not only are MIRVs more cost effective, they're actually a necessity If the North Koreans want to enhance their ability to deal damage to the United States with their nuclear weapons, which is what they need for nuclear deterrence to actually work, Panda added.

In its previous two tests, North Korea apparently used a mobile launch system placed at an airport near Pyongyang. But Kims visit to the Sohae satellite launch facility suggests the upcoming satellite launch will use the facilities there.

'Serious escalation'

Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official described the tests as a "serious escalation" in North Korea's missile program. The U.S. Treasury on Friday will announce new sanctions meant to prevent North Korea from "accessing foreign items and technology that enable it to advance its weapons programs," the official added.

Early Friday, South Korea's military also released an assessment saying it believed North Korea had tested an ICBM.

"Our government strongly condemns North Korea's launch of such ballistic missiles, which are in violation of many United Nations Security Council resolutions, and urges North Korea to immediately stop acts that create security anxiety on the Korean Peninsula and in the region and heighten tensions," it said.
A plane carrying former U.S. President Donald Trump made an emergency landing in New Orleans on Saturday evening after experiencing engine failure over the Gulf of Mexico, a source familiar with the matter confirmed on Wednesday.

The plane, a Dassault Falcon 900, had gone about 75 miles from a New Orleans airport before turning back to the city, the person said. Other passengers included Secret Service agents, support staff and some of Trump's advisers.

A Trump representative did not immediately return a request for comment on the incident.

The plane was returning Trump to his home in Palm Beach, Florida, from a New Orleans hotel where he was speaking to Republican Party donors at a private event, the person said.

The plane belonged to a donor who loaned it to the former president for the evening, the source said, and Trump advisers secured another donor's plane to take him back to Florida.

The incident was first reported on Wednesday by Politico and the Washington Post.
South Korea's military on Wednesday returned a North Korean boat and its seven crew members across the countries' disputed western sea boundary a day after they drifted into waters near a South Korean border island.

South Korea's navy fired warning shots on Tuesday to chase away a North Korean patrol vessel that temporarily crossed the so-called Northern Limit Line while pursuing the boat near Baekryeong island.

The seven crew members told South Korean military officials they drifted south of the boundary because of navigation mistakes and mechanical problems and expressed a desire to return to North Korea, South Korea's Defense Ministry said.

South Korea's navy has often fired warning shots to repel North Korean vessels crossing the countries' poorly marked sea border, but there also have been some deadly clashes over the years. South Korea blamed North Korea for an attack on a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors in 2010, but the North has denied responsibility.

South Korea has patrolled waters around the Northern Limit Line for decades after it was drawn up by the U.N. command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea does not recognize the line and insists upon a boundary that encroaches deeply into waters currently controlled by the South.
Sudans military rulers this week announced an emergency committee to address the countrys collapsing economy and pointed to its gold mining as a possible boost. Sudans ambassador to Russia has denied reports that Moscow has been smuggling gold from Sudan in preparation for sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. But Sudanese analysts say gold smuggling is rampant, including to Russia.

State media on Thursday said the ruling Sovereign Councils second in command, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, met with gold miners who vowed to supply the central bank with gold.

The report came after Hemeti gave a rare press statement this week on efforts to prevent the countrys economic collapse.

Sudans exports dropped 85% in January and prices for everything are quickly rising  one of the main sparks for the 2019 uprising that led the military to oust former president Omar al-Bashir.

In remarks to media Monday, Hemeti announced an economic emergency committee to address the issues. Among other measures, he pointed to Sudans gold mining, which amounts to at least 50 tons per year, as a potential solution.

Hemeti says one of the most important resources that can help boost Sudans economy is the gold. He says security forces have arrested a lot of people smuggling gold, 40 buyers in all. He says the buyers are not the problem and asks, from whom are they buying this gold? Thats the question, he says, adding, "We will find out."

Hemeti gave no details on the nationalities of those arrested, the timing, or who was suspected of buying how much smuggled gold.

His comments came just days after a report in the British Telegraph newspaper said Russia prepared for sanctions over its Ukraine invasion by buying smuggled Sudanese gold.

Hemeti didnt comment on the allegation in his remarks.

Late last month, Hemeti began a week-long visit to Moscow as much of the world was criticizing Russia for preparing to invade its neighbor.

The Kremlins invasion began as Hemeti met with Russian officials to discuss expanding and strengthening cooperation with Sudan.

After the generals trip to Moscow, he reaffirmed a Bashir-era deal for Russia to open a navy base in Port Sudan, which for Russia to open a navy base in Port Sudan, which  if carried out  would be Russias first in Africa.

Sudans Foreign Ministry spokesman refused to comment on the allegations of Russian gold smuggling.

But in a written response to VOA through a messaging application, Sudans acting ambassador to Russia Onor Ahmed Onor dismissed the claims.

I have nothing to say other than it is fake news and a story created from the imagination of the Telegraph reporter, read the text.

Hemeti commands the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which grew out of the Janjaweed militias that human rights groups say committed crimes against humanity in Sudans Darfur region.

Analysts say the RSF is itself involved in gold smuggling.

Salah AlDoma is dean of political science at Khartoums Omdurman Islamic University.

"Russia surely obtained gold from several sources, not only Sudan," he said. "But, yes, Sudan is one of the countries that the Russian companies managed to benefit from with secret agreements with the RSF and other entities like the former ruling National Congress Party. Russia, like many countries, benefited from smuggling Sudanese gold."

The RSF office refused to take a call from VOA seeking comment on the allegations.

A spokesman at Sudans Ministry of Minerals confirmed to VOA that two Russian gold mining companies are operating in the country  Elianze and Meroe Gold, a subsidiary of M-Invest.

But the ministrys spokesman would not comment on allegations of gold smuggling.

A 2019 report by CNN says M-Invest, a Russian company linked to the Kremlin and Russian mercenaries, was heavily involved in smuggling gold out of Sudan.

CNN reported in 2019 that M-Invest, a mining company the U.S. says is owned by Russian President Vladimir Putins ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin, also advised Sudanese authorities how to quash public protests.

Authorities say Prigozhin is behind the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries that U.N. experts have accused of human rights abuses from Syria to Libya to the Central African Republic.

While its not clear to what extent the Russian companies are still involved in Sudans gold mining, analysts say most of it has been off the books.

Sanhori Eissa, the former head of economics at Sudans largest newspaper Al-Rayaam, says exporting Sudans gold to Russia remains a smuggling operation, as is the case with nine other neighboring countries of Sudan.

"The export is probably done through the United Arab Emirates [UAE], through Khartoum international airport. The only outlet is the UAE, where Sudans [smuggled] gold gets refined and stamped as an emirate product then [re-]exported," he said.

It was not possible to independently verify Eissas claims.

Sudan was headed for international relief from lenders but was cut off from foreign assistance after an October military coup overthrew the transitional government formed after Bashirs ouster.

Since the coup, ongoing street protests against military rule have left at least 85 people dead.

Some information in this report came from Reuters.
Citing Russias invasion of Ukraine, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Thursday the countrys military spending needs to be increased substantially and seeks to raise it to 2 percent of the nations gross domestic product (GDP) as soon as possible.

Speaking to reporters about the plan in Stockholm, Andersson said her government is presenting a clear message to the Swedish people and the world that the nations defense capability must be greatly strengthened.

She said the security situation in Swedens vicinity has deteriorated over time and the Russian attack on Ukraine further exacerbates that.

At the same news conference, Swedish Finance Minister Mikael Damberg said Swedens current military budget is at about $7.18 billion  about 1.3 percent of the nations GDP. Andersson set no specific timeline to reach the 2 percent level but indicated she would like to do so within the decade.

Andersson said increased defense spending also means young people should be prepared to do military service.

The 2 percent goal is the same figure that NATO requires for its members, although reports say many member nations fall short of its target.

Although not a member, Sweden has close cooperation with the alliance and neighboring Denmark is a founding member.

During the Cold War, Sweden dedicated up to 4 percent of its gross domestic product to the defense budget but slashed its spending during the 1990s and early 2000s, to around one percent. That began to change in 2014 following Russias annexation of Crimea.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has prompted several European nations, including Germany and Denmark, to increase their defense spending.

Some information for this report was provided by the Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
From his office in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has appointed ministers to Afghanistans de facto government, governors for the 34 provinces, and even a supreme court chief justice through decrees which do not need approval from a legislative body. There is one national institution, though, whose fate Akhundzada has yet to decide  the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).

Nearly seven months after the return of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Talibans emir, the commander of the faithful as he is officially called, has neither appointed new commissioners to the national rights watchdog nor instructed its nearly 400 employees to return to work.

Unlike Afghanistans elections commission, which the Taliban decided to abolish saying there will be no more presidential or parliamentary elections in the country, the future of the human rights commission remains uncertain.

Sohail Shaheen, a Taliban official, told VOA the AIHRC has not been abolished, but he could not explain why the rights monitoring body remains leaderless and dysfunctional.

The AIHRC has gone silent at a time when there are mounting concerns about a worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan.

Human rights groups have accused Taliban authorities of adopting misogynistic policies, restricting free media, and perpetuating other forms of egregious human rights violations  charges the Taliban deny.

It's crucial for any country to have independent human rights bodies for Afghanistan its even more important, Juliette Rousselot, an expert with the International Federation for Human Rights, told VOA.

Activists gone

Last August, when the former Afghan government collapsed, all nine AIHRC commissioners, including its chairwoman, fled the country, fearing retribution from the Taliban. For almost two decades, the AIHRC had reported on serious human rights violations by the Taliban, including allegations of war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by some Taliban commanders.

The flight of human rights activists from Afghanistan has been seen beyond the AIHRC commissioners.

The Dublin-based Frontline Defenders, a non-government organization advocating the safety of human rights activists, says it helped evacuate more than 1,000 Afghan human rights defenders and their immediate family members last year.

There are more than 2,000 additional individuals in the same category, who are waiting to be taken out of Afghanistan, Adam Shapiro, head of communications at Frontline Defenders, told VOA.

Thousands of other civil society activists, including journalists and artists, have left Afghanistan, and hundreds of media outlets there have stopped operations.

In the first two weeks after the fall of the previous Afghan government, the U.S. military evacuated more than 124,000 Afghans, according to official figures from the U.S. government.

Despite the exodus of many rights activists, some Afghans, particularly womens rights activists, have continued to call for rights, freedom and justice in Kabul and some other cities across the country. Taliban authorities have at times detained womens rights activists and beaten journalists, according to independent watchdogs.

Advocacy from abroad

I have spent the past few months reflecting on the human rights journey of Afghanistan & the implications of the current situation on the future of human rights in the country, Shaharzad Akbar, the last chairwoman of the AIHRC, told VOA.

Akbar and several other Afghan women have continued to advocate for the rights of Afghan women and minorities from Europe, Canada and the U.S.

Last month, the European Parliament organized a two-day event in support of Afghan women at its headquarters in Brussels. In the U.S., a group of Afghan and international women rights activists have created an organization called the Womens Forum on Afghanistan, with former Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom as its chair.

Several Afghan women have received international prizes for their courage and resilience in the face of growing Taliban restrictions inside Afghanistan.

This widespread international support has given hope for the self-appointed acting chairman of the AIHRC, Naim Nazari, to explore the possibilities of reconstituting the watchdog in exile.

The Taliban has no legitimacy, Nazari told VOA from his home in Denmark, adding that the AIHRC would have no independence under a Taliban government.

Nazari said he has approached some donors to seek their support for a reconstitution of the AIHRC in exile. This will depend on support from the international community, he said.

From its founding in 2002 to its abrupt disintegration in 2021, the AIHRC, whose role was also enshrined in article 58 of Afghanistans 2004 constitution, was sponsored by Western donors. In 2020, for instance, 75% of the AIHRCs $5.2 million budget was funded by Australia, Canada and several European countries.

There are others who consider the work of the AIHRC from abroad unfeasible and ineffective.

The human rights commission cannot operate only from a Twitter handle, said a former AIHRC official, who asked for anonymity. You need to be on the ground to monitor, verify and substantiate the events and be able to talk to all sides.

Caught between the Talibans disinterest in human rights reporting and the inability of the human rights activists to work under the Taliban, Afghanistans only human rights body remains inactive at a time its most needed.
The trial of four men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 is under way in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys Thursday presented statements as the trial, which opened earlier in the week, continued.

The U.S. Justice Department charged Michigan residents Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Jr., Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta with conspiring to kidnap the Democratic governor in October of 2020.

Fox, Croft and Harris face additional charges of conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction including explosive devices, according to court documents. Croft and Harris also are accused of possessing destructive devices -- counts added in a second indictment in April of 2021. All four have entered not guilty pleas.

Prosecutors maintain the men, upset about COVID-19 lockdowns and other restrictions, recruited right-wing militia members for the plot which included driving to the governors vacation home in northern Michigan to abduct her, tie her up, and blow up a bridge to elude police.

Star witnesses for the prosecution are Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, who were also charged and pleaded guilty to the conspiracy. They will testify for the government.

The defense maintains the men never had a plan to kidnap the governor but were entrapped by undercover FBI agents and informants who coerced the men into taking part while they were under the influence of marijuana.

During 2020  the first year of the pandemic  Governor Whitmer carried on a high-profile feud with then-President Donald Trump, through public comments and social media  regarding his administrations response to COVID-19. She became the target of protests by right-wing groups at the Michigan Capitol, who sometimes entered the statehouse legally bearing weapons.

Fox, Croft, and Harris each face up to life in prison if convicted of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. A total of 14 men were originally charged in the kidnapping plot.

Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press and Reuters
Cameroon has deployed troops to a village in the west of the country after violence involving two ethnic groups, the Esu and the Mbororo. Authorities say members of the Esu burned scores of homes and buildings after suspected armed Mbororo killed the Esu's traditional ruler Wednesday for failing to stop Esu youth from joining anglophone separatists.

The Cameroon government says armed men on Wednesday night attacked and killed Kum Achou Albert, the traditional ruler of the Esu. Esu is a village in Menchum, in the English-speaking North West region on the border with Nigeria.

The government said Achou was returning from Wum, capital of the Menchum division, where he had been since March 5.

The government said while in Wum, Achou asked civilians to reconcile for peace and return to the western regions, where separatists have waged a battle against the government since 2017.

Abdullahi Aliou, the highest government official in Menchum, said armed men shot indiscriminately in the air, forcing the traditional ruler's car to stop, then opened fire on the car's occupants.

Ndzo Augustine Kum, the president of the Esu Cultural and Development Association, said the traditional ruler, known as the fon, was killed alongside his wife.

"As his royal highness the Fon of Esu was returning to his fondom he was waylaid and some yet to be identified gunmen bullet his car, thereby killing our fon and the wife. Others inside the car were wounded," said Kum. "Honestly, Esu is in sorrow."

Kum said Achous second wife sustained life threatening injuries from gunshots and was rushed to a hospital in Wum.

Cameroons military on Thursday said the armed men are suspected Mbororo youths who accuse the Esu traditional ruler of doing too little to stop his people from joining separatists and attacking the Mbororo.

Penn Elvis, a local humanitarian worker, said after the murders, Esu youths torched dozens of homes, farms and property belonging to Mbororos.

"At night the villagers stormed at the houses of the Mbororo and even the mosque was set ablaze because of the anger that came as a result of the death of their fon," said Penn. "The security forces, that is the military, had to visit the place very early this morning to carry out investigations to maintain peace and serenity."

Six people were injured in the attacks. The military said it deployed troops to Esu and surrounding villages but did not say how many troops were deployed.

Civilians say many Mbororo and non-Mbororo youths have been arrested.

The Mbororo ethnic group has always complained that it is the biggest casualty of Cameroons separatist crisis. Group members say separatist fighters have stolen and either slaughtered or sold thousands of cattle belonging to Mbororos. They say hundreds of Mbororos fled their ranches and are living in deplorable conditions in Cameroon's French-speaking areas.

Mbororos say they are victims of fighter attacks because they have never supported separatists struggling to carve out an independent English-speaking state from French-majority Cameroon.

Jaji Manu Guidado, honorary president of a Mbororo cultural and development association, said Mbororos are disgruntled but added investigations should be carried out to ascertain if the traditional ruler of Esu and his wife were killed by Mbororo youths.
As Turkey and Israel take their biggest step in years toward reviving strained relations, some analysts say the two regional powers prefer going it alone in another diplomatic effort -- trying to mediate a peaceful resolution of Russias war on Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Ankara on Wednesday, calling it a historic visit that will be a turning point in relations that have been strained for more than a decade. Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, is the most senior Israeli official to visit Turkey since the last visit by an Israeli prime minister in 2008.

Speaking alongside Herzog, Erdogan told reporters he and the Israeli president exchanged views about events in Ukraine and expressed hope that their meeting will create new opportunities for bilateral and regional cooperation. He did not elaborate.

Herzog expressed appreciation to Erdogan for inviting the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers to meet jointly with Turkeys top diplomat in Antalya on Thursday. The planned meeting will be the highest-level dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.

The war in Ukraine is a humanitarian disaster, which is shocking the whole world, Herzog said. We cannot remain indifferent to such human suffering, and I welcome any endeavor that will lead to the end of the bloodshed."

Herzog said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the government also are doing their utmost on this matter. Regarding Turkeys mediation effort, he said I pray for positive results.

Bennett flew to Moscow on March 5 for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the only foreign leader known to have made the journey after Russia began its invasion, which has isolated Putin from the West.

The Israeli prime ministers mediation effort also has involved regular contact with Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz through phone calls and WhatsApp messages, U.S. news site Axios reported on Wednesday.

There are no indications that Bennett and Erdogan have coordinated those diplomatic efforts, according to several international security analysts contacted by VOA. They also said Turkey and Israel have a variety of motivations to pursue their mediation bids separately.

Erdogan has been offering to support dialogue to resolve Russia-Ukraine tensions since at least April 2021, when he hosted Zelenskyy for talks in Istanbul as Kyiv raised alarm over Russias troop buildup near Ukraines border. The Turkish president later traveled to the Russian city of Sochi in September for talks with Putin.

Oxford University international relations scholar Samuel Ramani said Turkey began its mediation efforts last year as more of a messenger between Putin and Zelenksyy, but has now transitioned to more of a formal mediation role.

Israel seems confined at this stage to being a messenger. So, Turkey is much further ahead in this regard, and that's probably why Erdogan is not cooperating with Israel, Ramani said.

Hanna Notte, a Berlin-based analyst for the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, said Erdogan also sees an opportunity as a Russia-Ukraine mediator to repair recent damage to Turkey's relations with its Arab and Western partners and allies.

She said Turkey developed a reputation in some Arab states as a meddler in their affairs in recent years, while also incurring U.S. anger and sanctions for buying a Russian air defense system that Washington sees as undermining the NATO alliance of which Ankara is a member.

If the Turks play a constructive role as a mediator and improve their international standing, I don't see how that would be augmented by coordinating with the Israelis directly, Notte said. If anything, the Turks want to have the limelight for themselves rather than sharing it with another regional player, she added.

Israels motivations for pursuing a solo mediation bid are different from Turkey's, said Yaakov Amidror, an Israel-based analyst for the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

One of the motives is idealistic, he said. In Israel, we see this war as a big tragedy that should be stopped.

Unlike Turkey, Israel also has relatively few conflicting security interests with Russia and sees that as an advantage in being trusted as a messenger between Russia and Ukraine, Amidror added.

Another factor inhibiting coordination of Israeli and Turkish mediation efforts is that the political leaders of the two sides have only just started rebuilding trust after years of tensions, said analyst Gallia Lindenstrauss of Israels Institute for National Security Studies. The two nations withdrew ambassadors from their respective embassies in 2018 and have not said when they will return.

Notte said she believes Israel and Turkey would only see a benefit to cooperation as mediators if they calculate that it would heighten the chance of a positive outcome.

But I'm not very hopeful for any kind of international mediation because I dont believe Russia has made a strategic decision to back away from its maximalist demands, Notte said. It's not so much to do with the abilities of Turkey and Israel as mediators, as it is with the calculus right now in the Russian government.
Ukraine is dominating a two-day European Union summit outside Paris, where leaders are discussing ways to cut their energy ties with Russia, shore up their defense, and consider Kyivs membership application.

The European Union is not following the United States in immediately banning imports of Russian oil and gas. But EU leaders, meeting at Versailles outside Paris, are looking to phase out the blocs energy reliance on Moscow as quickly as possible as part of a broader autonomy drive, including in European defense.

Ahead of the summit, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte discussed the challenges.

I would not plead to cut off our supplies of oil and gas today from Russia. It's not possible, because we need the supply and that's the uncomfortable truth. But we can do more to get the green agenda going, to decarbonize our economies, also making use of all the reforms in the European green package as we have agreed earlier," Rutte said.

The European Commission, the EUs executive arm, has outlined a mix of measures in this direction that include cutting gas imports from Russia by two-thirds this year.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the move in necessary as Moscow is using energy as a way to further its own goals.

"As youve seen Russia has instrumentalized energy over the past month, if not to say years, to put pressure  not only on Ukraine but also on the European Union. And we are now really determined to get out of the dependency of Russian gas, von der Leyen said.

Sebastien Maillard of the Jacques Delors Institute, a Paris-based research group, says its also about European principles.

We are every day purchasing Russian gas and Russian coal and purchasing (funding) the war against Ukraine, he said.

The EUs autonomy push could be a boon for renewable energy. But some fear the opposite, at least in the short term  that Europe could delay meeting ambitious climate goals by relying more on polluting energies like coal. That could be the case of Germany or Poland, for example, which are highly dependent on Russian oil and gas.

Cushioning the fallout of sanctions against Russia will also be key. European consumers and businesses will be paying higher heating and other energy costs  something French President Emmanuel Macron warned his nation about last week.

Analyst Martin Quencez of the German Marshall Fund says Europe must take robust measures to reduce the fallout.

If the EU response is not strong enough, this will affect our ability to vote [on] new sanctions in the coming weeks and months.

EU leaders will also examine applications by Ukraine as well as Georgia and Moldova to join the 27-member bloc  a process that, even if fast-tracked, could take years.
Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers met at a Turkish Mediterranean Sea resort Thursday but failed to end the fighting in Ukraine, with mutual recriminations. Both ministers indicated the diplomatic door remained open.

Speaking at a news conference after the meeting in Antalya, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized what he called Russia's lack of sincerity.

Kuleba said, We cannot stop the war if the country that started the aggression has no desire to do so. We are ready for diplomacy but ready to defend ourselves.

At his news conference, his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, accused Ukraine of not being serious in seeking a diplomatic solution.

In a possible gesture to Kyiv, however, Lavrov said Russian President Vladimir Putin could be ready to hold a summit with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Since the start of Russian-Ukrainian tensions, Zelenskyy has called for direct talks with Putin.

Lavrov also warned the West it was playing a dangerous game by arming Ukraine with sophisticated weapons, including surface-to-air missiles.

He said, Therefore the threat is set to last for years. There will be risks for civil aviation, and not only in the Ukrainian sky. They [the risks] can spread across Europe."

The Ukrainian foreign minister said he received no response to proposals to help mitigate the humanitarian crisis, including a 24-hour cease-fire and the opening of a corridor to allow hundreds of thousands of civilians to escape the besieged city of Mariupol.

In addition, Lavrov rejected Kvivs accusations that Russian forces attacked a maternity hospital in Mariupol, claiming Ukrainian forces had taken it over and that there were no patients using the building.

Lavrov said, "About the maternity hospital, this is not the first time we have seen pathetic cries about the so-called atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces."

Moscow is facing international condemnation over the hospital attack.

Given the apparent lack of progress, it remained unclear whether the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers agreed to meet again. The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, who hosted Thursday's talks, would not comment on future gatherings, other than to say Thursday's meeting was held in a civil fashion.

Ankara, which has good ties with Kyiv and Moscow, has sought a mediating role since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last month. Columnist Sezin Oney of the Turkish news portal PolitikYol said Ankara saw the conflict as an opportunity.

Ukraine is an important ground for Turkey now; Turkey is using its own strategic junctures to expand its power," Oney said. "So, this is Turkey's new power play as it aspires to become a bigger player on the world stage.

But given the lack of progress Thursday, it remained unclear whether Ankara has a further diplomatic role to play.
Washington condemned reports that a Russian airstrike had destroyed a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday, as U.S. officials struck down a Polish proposal to transfer Russian-made jets to a U.S. air base and then on to Ukraine.

"Sovereign nations can decide for themselves what they want to do," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. "But this idea, the proposal of transferring these jets to our custody for then transferring to Ukraine, that is something that we are not going to explore right now."

A U.S. intelligence assessment said such a transfer would be considered "high risk," Kirby said, and could be seen as an escalation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion of neighboring Ukraine two weeks ago.

Russia criticized Poland's offer to send the jets to a U.S. air base in Germany, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday calling it a "potentially dangerous scenario."

At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday: "I think it's pretty clear, doesn't require a military expert, to understand why having planes fly from a U.S. air base into a contested part of the country where there is a war is not in our interest and not in NATO interests."

The hospital attack led Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to again call on NATO to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine, declaring, "You have power but you seem to be losing humanity."

The U.S. has resisted that call, noting that a no-fly zone requires enforcement, which would effectively draw the U.S. into a direct confrontation with Russia.

Ukraine warns Russia

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy tweeted what appeared to be footage of a birthing center, its walls painted in cheerful shades of green and yellow, now reduced to shattered windows, splintered doors and hastily abandoned machinery.

The number of civilians killed in the attack on the hospital was not known. Russia has not commented on the bombing allegations. It has denied targeting civilians in its invasion of Ukraine.

The attack on Mariupol has changed the two-week-old conflict into an even greater challenge for Russian forces, Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovich warned.

"Now, it's going be a completely different war," he said in Russian on Twitter.

The White House and Pentagon on Wednesday said they could not confirm reports of the hospital attack.

"If it's true  and we have no reason to doubt that it's true, we just can't independently verify  I mean, it's just another indicator of the supreme sacrifices that the Ukrainian people are making that they shouldn't have to make," Kirby said.

Psaki said that "as a mother  I know a number of you are mothers yourself  it is horrifying to see the type of  the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country."

Earlier Wednesday, Russia announced plans for new cease-fires to allow civilians to leave several parts of Ukraine besieged by Russian forces, even as Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of shelling another evacuation route in the southern part of the country.

When asked by VOA whether the Pentagon considered attacks on humanitarian corridors a war crime, Kirby said: "The Pentagon is not making judgments on war crimes. We'll leave that to the experts. What I would tell you is that short of stopping the invasion  which is really what needs to happen here  short of that, we want to see that innocent civilians are given safe passage and not being harmed."

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russia had confirmed evacuation routes would lead out of Sumy, Mariupol, Enerhodar, Volnovakha, Izyum and several towns near the capital, Kyiv. Vereshchuk said 5,000 people were able to evacuate Sumy on Tuesday.

'Apocalyptic'

But in Mariupol, where a Russian siege has left the southeastern port city with dwindling supplies of electricity, heat, food and water, efforts to get people out Tuesday failed, and Vereshchuk said Russian forces had fired on a humanitarian cargo convoy.

"The situation in Mariupol is apocalyptic," Red Cross spokesperson Ewan Watson said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said Wednesday that Russia's proposals to create humanitarian corridors from Ukraine to Russia were "absurd."

"It's offensive to suggest the Ukrainian people should seek refuge from the very government that has demonstrated such disregard for their lives," Blinken said.

More defense to Ukraine

A senior U.S. defense official told reporters Wednesday that the United States was in talks with Ukraine and other "allies and partners" to provide Kyiv with defensive weapons that do not involve more air defense capabilities.

The U.S., however, has deployed two Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland, according to Marine Captain Adam Miller, U.S. European Command spokesperson. Miller said in a statement Wednesday that the missile batteries, normally stationed in Germany, were repositioned at Poland's invitation.

"This defensive deployment is being conducted proactively to counter any potential threat to U.S. and allied forces and NATO territory," Miller said.

In other developments Wednesday, the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the world's worst nuclear disaster nearly 36 years ago, lost power after its power grid source was damaged, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Kuleba tweeted that the plant was relying on reserve diesel generators with the capacity to power it for 48 hours, after which the cooling of spent nuclear fuel would halt, raising the possibility of radiation leaks.

"Putin's barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately," tweeted Kuleba, who also called on the global community to demand that Russia impose a cease-fire to allow for repairs.

Kremlin spokesman Peskov told reporters Wednesday that the United States was waging an "economic war on Russia." His comments came a day after U.S. President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and other energy imports.

The U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday that more than 2.2 million people had fled Ukraine. More than half have gone to Poland.

Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were scheduled to meet Thursday in Turkey to discuss the situation. Kuleba said he would propose a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb and National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
A Ukrainian man charged last year with conducting one of the most severe ransomware attacks against U.S. targets has been extradited to the United States and made a court appearance Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department said.

According to an August 2021 indictment, Yaroslav Vasinskyi accessed the internal computer networks of several victim companies and deployed Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware to encrypt the data on their computers, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Vasinskyi was allegedly responsible for the July 2021 ransomware attack against Florida software provider Kaseya, the department said.

Reuters could not reach a representative of Vasinskyi. Kaseya did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The Ukrainian national was accused in the indictment of breaking into Kaseya over the July 4 weekend last year and simultaneously distributing with accomplices REvil ransomware to as many as 1,500 Kaseya customers, encrypting their data and forcing some to shut down for days, the Justice Department said.

While most of the 1,500 businesses paralyzed as a result around the globe faced limited concerns, the disruption was felt keenly in places such as Sweden, where hundreds of supermarkets had to close because their cash registers were inoperative, and New Zealand, where schools and kindergartens were knocked offline.

Vasinskyi was charged in the indictment with breaking into the victim companies and installing encryption software developed by the core REvil ransomware hacking group. REvil directly handled the ransom negotiations and split the profits with Vasinskyi and other affiliates. This model allowed the notorious ransomware gang to extort numerous companies for cryptocurrency.

Vasinskyi was arrested in Poland in October. The Justice Department charged him and a Russian late last year.

U.S. law enforcement authorities transported Vasinskyi to Dallas, Texas, where he arrived March 3, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

REvil was involved in an attack last year against top global meat processor JBS S.A.
The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia held talks in Turkey Thursday marking the first high-level discussions between the two countries since Russia launched an all-out invasion of its neighbor. But after a 90-minute dialogue, both sides said there had been no breakthrough.

Ukraines foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he had discussed a 24-hour cease-fire with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, but no progress was made. We also talked on the cease-fire, but no progress was accomplished on that, Kuleba told reporters after the meeting concluded. He described the in-person meeting as difficult and accused Lavrov of bringing traditional narratives to the negotiating table.

I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender, said Kuleba.

Meanwhile, Lavrov said Russia is ready to continue negotiations and he said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not refuse a meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss specific issues. He blamed Western powers for the conflict, saying Russia was forced to act because the West had rejected our proposal on security guarantees. And he echoed Putins claims that Russias military campaign was going according to plan.

Hopes for any breakthrough had been low heading into the negotiations in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya. Ukraines Kuleba cautioned he had low expectations.

And Zelenskyy also appeared to lower expectations of any major breakthrough, telling a German broadcaster Thursday only after direct talks between the two presidents can we end this war.

The dialogue brokered by Turkey was mediated by Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and photographs released at the start showed the Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian delegations sitting around a U-shaped table, with each minister accompanied by two other officials.

Turkeys Cavusoglu said when announcing the talks earlier this week he hoped it would mark a turning point and... an important step towards peace and stability. And on Wednesday, after holding more phone conversations with Kuleba and Lavrov, he said the talks could crack the door open to a permanent cease-fire.

International outrage

But passions are running especially high in Ukraine following the bombing Wednesday of a children's hospital in the besieged Ukrainian town of Mariupol which, according to Kyiv, killed at least three people, including a young girl. Ukraine has dubbed the attack on the hospital a war crime. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the attack as horrific and the U.S. accused Russia of a barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians.

Amid international outrage over the bombing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov adopted a defensive tone saying Moscow will seek information from the Russian military. We will certainly ask our military about this, since we dont have clear information about what happened there. And the military are very likely to provide some information, Peskov told reporters at a news briefing.

Ukraine's foreign ministry is demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities. Meanwhile, Russia remains determined that Ukraine must abandon its ambitions to join NATO. Moscow also says Kyiv must accept Moscow's jurisdiction over Crimea  the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014  and recognize the independence of two pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy told German broadcasters that hes willing to consider some compromise, but Ukraine has ruled out ceding any territory or accepting Crimeas annexation and Kyiv is pressing to be admitted as a member of the European Union. Ukraine also wants firm security guarantees from the U.S. and Western powers; that is likely to be unacceptable to Russia, which is demanding Ukraine accepts a status of neutrality. Midweek, Peskov said the status of neutrality must be enshrined in an amended constitution for Ukraine.

A top foreign policy aide to Zelenskyy, Ihor Zhovkva, said in an interview with Bloomberg Wednesday that while we are ready for a diplomatic solution, our first and foremost pre-condition for having such kind of negotiations is immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Russian troops.

On Tuesday Zelenskyy signaled he is ready to drop Ukrainian ambitions to join NATO. Regarding NATO, I have cooled down regarding this question a long time ago, after we understood that NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine, he said in an interview with the U.S. network ABC News.

But there are few signs Putin is ready to compromise as much as he would seemingly have to in order to strike a deal with Ukraine, recently telling French President Emmanuel Macron his military will press on and that everything is going to plan. That is in spite of stiffer-than-expected resistance stalling his efforts to seize Kyiv and Ukraines second largest city, Kharkiv.

Some Western diplomats had noted ahead of Thursdays talks an apparent shift in Putins recent statements in which he has appeared to back away from talk of a new government being needed in Kyiv. But Western diplomats say that if talks resume, they remain uncertain what Putin is ready to settle for.

He has a clear plan right now to brutalize Ukraine. But to what end? U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. But he queried, What is his endgame? He said he hoped Putin will decide to try to finally cut the losses that hes inflicted on himself and inflicted on the Russian people.

Until Thursday, only two rounds of low-level talks have taken place between the Ukrainians and the Russians, and they focused on establishing humanitarian corridor for civilians fleeing intensifying Russian bombing and shelling.
The United States congratulated South Korea's President-elect Yoon Seok-youl and said Washington looked forward to expanding its "ironclad" alliance with Seoul.

On Wednesday, South Korea elected main opposition People Power Party candidate and ex-prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl as the country's next leader after a bitterly contested and divisive presidential election.

Yoon, a conservative, is expected to take a hardline approach toward North Korea and China.

"The alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, our economies and our people, is ironclad," a State Department spokesperson told VOA, adding that President Joe Biden "looks forward to working with the new administration to further expand our close cooperation."

Yoon is expected to form a transition team before taking office in May, replacing outgoing President Moon Jae-in, who is constitutionally barred from running for a second five-year term.

While U.S. officials declined to forecast future Washington-Seoul ties, a large degree of continuity can be expected.

On foreign policy, Yoon is seen as an advocate for a policy of "peace through strength" with North Korea and is more vocally critical of Beijing.

Experts say he will have to manage both North Korea's expanding military capabilities and the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry.

During a recent webinar, Kathy Moon, the SK-Korea Foundation chair of Korea Studies at the Brookings Institution, said that Yoon appeared to desire "to side more with the United States and take a harder line toward China. That includes military cooperation with the United States that would really ruffle China's feathers."

Moon said the U.S. should use caution in its engagement with Yoon "at least for the next year or so" because he is known to be an "absolute novice" in the foreign policy arena.

Scott Snyder, a senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the importance of the U.S.-South Korea alliance is not up for debate, given its high level of support among the South Korean public and the current U.S. foreign policy.

"At present, one would not think that (the U.S.-South Korea alliance) is necessarily a big issue, especially with the Biden administration focusing on reinforcing alliance cooperation," said Snyder.

State Department officials have said that the U.S. shares a goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and that its ironclad commitment to the defense of South Korea remains unchanged. The U.S. will continue its coordination with allies, including South Korea and Japan, to stay constantly ready to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy with North Korea.

VOA's Bill Gallo contributed to this report.


President Joe Biden said Thursday that he intends to name Colombia a "major non-NATO ally"  a particularly timely announcement for a South American nation seen as a bulwark against Venezuela, which is a Russian ally and foe of the United States.

"Today I'm proud to announce that I intend to designate Colombia a major non-NATO ally  that's exactly what you are," Biden said. "This is a recognition of the unique and close relationship between our countries."

Colombia shares a long border with oil-producing Venezuela, which has garnered renewed attention from Washington as Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the U.S. to ban Russian energy imports, further jolting global oil markets.

Colombia is home to 1.8 million refugees from Venezuela. President Ivan Duque Marquez is an outspoken critic of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who is under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses and political repression, and who recently expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the war in Ukraine.

"We appreciate a lot that you have made the decision to designate Colombia a primary, non-NATO ally because that is the recognition of the values and the principles that we have shared," Duque said.

Biden administration officials visited Caracas last weekend to discuss with the Maduro regime a possible loosening of U.S. sanctions to allow oil imports. This week, Venezuela released two Americans who had been imprisoned in the country.

Eddy Acevedo, of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said Colombia also has much to offer the U.S. during this sensitive time.

"Colombia has many things to give," said Acevedo, who serves as chief of staff and senior adviser to the president of the think tank. "It is dumbfounding as to how there's been this approach, extending this olive branch to Maduro, when there are allies within this hemisphere that could potentially help us."

Acevedo added, "Our largest number one importer of petroleum is actually Canada. Our number two importer is actually Mexico. And rounding up some other allies in the top 10 is Colombia and Ecuador. So we can use other means and other allies within our hemisphere to increase production not only domestically, but imported from friendly allies instead of rogue regimes."

For their part, Biden administration officials said they do not seek a return to a Cold War system where the world is divided into spheres of influence.

"The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean aren't chess pieces on a board where the United States and Russia are competing for power," a senior administration official told reporters ahead of the visit. "They're countries that get to choose where their national security interests lie. And I  but I think the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been a defining moment where the majority of the region has rejected military intervention. But I think it's really going to be up to the countries of the region to decide what's ultimately in their national security interests."

Biden and Duque said they would privately discuss counterterrorism cooperation, regional immigration, climate change and energy transition ahead of a Summit of the Americas, to be hosted by the U.S. in June.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed calls Thursday from world leaders for an international war crimes investigation into Russias invasion of Ukraine and its bombing of civilians, including children and pregnant women at a maternity hospital.

Harris reiterated a need for the probe before meeting in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda in a show of U.S. support for NATOs allies in eastern Europe.

Her appeal came one day after a Russian airstrike on a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol killed at least three people, including a child, according to Ukrainian officials.

Absolutely there should be an investigation, and we should all be watching, Harris said as she stood alongside President Duda, who said, It is obvious to us that in Ukraine, Russians are committing war crimes.

Harris also announced in a statement $53 million in new U.S. humanitarian aid to support innocent civilians affected by Russias unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Nearly two weeks ago, the U.S. donated about $54 million in aid for medical supplies, food, thermal blankets and other essential humanitarian aid.

On Wednesday, Amnesty International said an investigation it conducted into the March 3 Russian airstrike that reportedly killed 47 civilians in the city of Chernihiv concluded events may constitute a war crime.

The global human rights group said interviews and video analysis indicate unguided aerial bombs known as dumb bombs were used to mostly target civilians standing in line for food.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, made no progress during talks in Turkey Thursday to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, the first such high-level meeting since Moscow launched an invasion against its neighbor two weeks ago.

Speaking at a news conference at the conclusion of the talks, Kuleba said he and Lavrov made no progress in brokering a 24-hour cease-fire, adding it appeared Russia will continue its offensive until Ukraine surrenders, something he said Kyiv will not do.

I want to repeat that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender, and will not surrender, Kuleba said.

Speaking separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russias military operation was going according to plan and accused the West of behaving dangerously over Ukraine.

Lavrov said Russia is ready to resume talks and added Russian President Vladimir Putin would not refuse a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss specific issues. He blamed Western powers for the war, maintaining Russia was forced to invade Ukraine because the West had rejected our proposal on security guarantees.

The Turkish initiative is among several diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the escalating conflict. Both Israel and France are hoping to find a solution through direct talks with Putin.

The talks in the southern Turkish resort of Antalya were joined by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey has for weeks sought a role in mediating the two sides. But there were few expectations at the outset Thursdays high-level diplomatic push would result in any meaningful progress.

U.S. President Joe Biden, after a telephone call Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, applauded Turkeys efforts to support a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, according to a White House statement.

The statement said the two leaders also reaffirmed their strong support for Ukraine, underscored the need for an immediate cessation of Russian aggression and welcomed the coordinated international response to the crisis.

The flurry of diplomacy comes amid international condemnation of Wednesdays deadly airstrike on the maternity hospital in Mariupol.

Russia has denied targeting civilians in its invasion of Ukraine, calling allegations it bombed a maternity hospital fake news. It said the building was a former maternity hospital that had long been taken over by troops.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called the hospital attack genocide and again called on NATO to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine, declaring, you have power but you seem to be losing humanity.

The U.S. has resisted that call, noting that a no-fly zone, as well as a proposal by Poland to transfer Russian-made fighter jets to a U.S. air base and then on to Ukraine, would effectively draw the U.S. into a direct confrontation with Russia.

More defense to Ukraine

A senior U.S. defense official told reporters Wednesday the United States is in talks with Ukraine and other allies and partners to provide Kyiv with defensive weapons that do not involve more air defense capabilities.

The U.S., however, has deployed two Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland, according to Marine Captain Adam Miller, U.S. European Command spokesperson. Miller said in a statement Wednesday that the missile batteries, normally stationed in Germany, were repositioned at Poland's invitation.

This defensive deployment is being conducted proactively to counter any potential threat to U.S. and allied forces and NATO territory, Miller said.

VOAs Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb and national security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. Some information also came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Olympic committee accused of double standard in contrasting attitude toward Russia, China

Critics accused the International Olympic Committee of "gross hypocrisy" over its silence on Uyghur human rights in China after the organization responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine by urging the exclusion of Russian athletes from international sporting events.

Almost 800 Uyghurs held in internment camps for praying

According to an official in Manas, a county in northern Xinjiang with a Uyghur population of fewer than 7,000, nearly 800 Uyghurs were detained in an internment camp for what were termed "serious crimes" that reportedly included praying. Beijing has said in the past the facilities holding Uyghurs are vocational training centers.

China welcomes UN human rights chief to visit Xinjiang in May

Ahead of U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet's planned visit to Xinjiang, China's ambassador to the U.N., Chen Xu, said Beijing will work with the U.N. human rights office "to make good preparation for this visit." He added, however, that freedom of expression cannot put "anyone above the law."

Activists demand UN rights chief for Xinjiang report

200 rights groups asked the U.N. human rights chief to release her office's findings on the human rights situation in Xinjiang before her planned visit to the Uyghur region of China.

US asks China to give UN rights chief 'unhindered' access to Xinjiang region

The U.S. called on Beijing to give the U.N. rights office "unhindered and unsupervised access" to China's Uyghur region.

Uyghur university lecturer in jail for 10 years for translations

Radio Free Asia reports confirmation that a university teacher is serving a 10-year prison sentence for "marginalizing national culture" and "attempting to split the country." His articles and translation of Western books were the basis for the charges.

Amazon accused of selling company products linked to Uyghur forced labor

Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit group, accused Amazon of working with suppliers in China allegedly linked to Uyghur forced labor. Amazon told Business Insider "whenever we find or receive proof of forced labor, we take action."

China shifted Uyghurs from internment camps to prisons

The Chinese government's official court statistics in Xinjiang show that Uyghurs are being transferred from "re-education" camps to prisons, which analysts say is a sign Beijing is shifting its strategy on Uyghurs.

China warns Norway over decision to divest

After Norway's sovereign wealth fund decided to sell its stake in a company implicated in the use of Uyghur forced labor, the Chinese foreign ministry called the rationale a "huge lie."

News in brief

Two refugees, Ibrahim Abliz, a Uyghur, and Ersin Erkinuly, a Kazakh, escaped China in search of a safe country, just to find themselves in the middle of the war in Ukraine. They shared their experiences with VOA in a story about their journey from China to Ukraine and beyond in their continued search for a safe haven.

Quote of note

"I'm in so much pain now. This world is so big, but there's no place we can stay in peace," Ersin Erkinuly told VOA from a cell in Estonia. "I just want to live a normal life. I implore you to help me."


U.S. President Joe Biden says two U.S. citizens who were "wrongfully detained" by the Venezuelan government have been released, days after a delegation of senior U.S. officials visited the South American nation in an apparent effort to smooth relations between the two countries.



In a statement posted to the White House website, Biden welcomed Gustavo Cardenas and Jorge Fernandez back home Tuesday following their release.



The president said Cardenas, an executive with the U.S. branch of Venezuela's state-run oil company, was arrested in 2017. Fernandez was arrested last year "on spurious charges." Biden expressed his gratitude to Roger Carstens, U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs, and to "our entire diplomatic team for their tireless efforts to secure their release and reunite these families."



The release comes after Carstens joined National Security Council Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere Juan Gonzalez, and U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela James Story for talks Saturday with members of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government. The meetings reportedly were designed to explore the possibility of easing U.S. sanctions against the major oil producer.



The talks were the highest-level meetings between U.S. officials and the Maduro government since 2019 when former President Donald Trump's administration broke off diplomatic relations with Venezuela, accusing Maduro of rigging the presidential reelection. The Trump administration also blocked all U.S. revenue to Venezuela's national oil company.



Sources with knowledge of the diplomatic talks Saturday said they had been in the works for months, as the Biden administration weighs easing sanctions as a bargaining chip for the release of U.S. citizens being held in Venezuela. But they say the talks took on new urgency with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.



At a news briefing earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the trip was meant "to discuss a range of issues  including, certainly, energy security, but also to discuss the health and welfare of detained U.S. citizens."



Several other U.S. citizens remain detained in Venezuela.


In an unusual hearing Thursday, a U.S. bankruptcy court in White Plains, New York allowed victims of the U.S. opioid crisis to virtually confront members of the Sackler family  owners of Purdue Pharma, maker of the Oxycontin painkiller that fueled that crisis.

The emotional two-hour court hearing stemmed from a $6 billion settlement reached last week among the Sacklers and state attorneys general that could resolve claims over the family's role in the crisis without taking them to trial.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain established the emotional virtual hearing after giving initial approval to the settlement Wednesday.

Opening the hearing Thursday, Drain called the proceedings unique and important. He said the ongoing effects of OxyContin on individuals has always been of critical importance in this case.

The 26 speakers came from 19 states and were chosen by the official committee that represents creditors in Purdue's bankruptcy, including the thousands of people who filed personal injury claims against Purdue Pharma. Drain said the Sacklers and others would not be given a chance to respond to the victims statements.

Richard Sackler, former Purdue Pharma president and board chair, listened over the phone. David Sackler, Richard Sacklers son, and Theresa Sackler, wife of a Sackler brother, appeared on video.

The victims came from all walks of life, and their stories of loss included struggles with personal addiction and the deaths of family members through overdose and suicide. One victim, Ryan Hampton, told Richard Sackler, You got rich off our dead bodies and told us it was our own fault for dying.

Purdue Pharma allegedly downplayed the addiction risks of its OxyContin painkiller, helping to fuel a health care crisis that has claimed 500,000 overdose deaths over two decades.

Members of the Sackler family have denied wrongdoing. They said last week in a statement that they "sincerely regret" that OxyContin "unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis.

Under the terms of the settlement, along with the monetary payments, family members are to give up ownership of the company so it could become a new entity with its profits dedicated to stemming the epidemic. In exchange, Sackler family members would get protection from civil lawsuits over opioids.

Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press, and Reuters.
China's effort to help Russia economically cannot offset Western-led sanctions aimed at resisting its invasion of Ukraine, analysts assert.



The latest sanction  U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a U.S. ban on Russian oil and gas imports as an expression of opposition to the war.

"Sanctions are never the fundamental and effective way to solve problems," Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, wrote to VOA in an email. Since 2011, Liu said, the United States has imposed more than 100 sanctions on Russia without solving any problems.



"China decides its own position and policy based on the merits of the matter itself," he said. As for Russia and Ukraine, Liu said, "we will continue to play a constructive role in seeking and achieving peace."



While Beijing's opposition to the sanctions and China's plans to buy more Russian goods will help its northern neighbor, Moscow's current economy still depends more on Western countries than on China, according to experts.



Oil, food and finance



China's chief banking regulator Guo Shuqing said March 2 that his country would shun financial sanctions imposed by the West against Russia. Guo indicated that China, which has cast itself as neutral in the nearly two-week-old Russia-Ukraine war, would avoid changing its trade and financial relations with Russia or with Ukraine.



"China has the economic interests and strategic interests not to completely cut ties with Russia, and then I think also importantly that China seems to argue that what is important now is to deescalate, is to seek sort of more peaceful negotiations instead of further isolate and provoke Russia," said Liang Yan, professor and chair of economics at Willamette University in the U.S. state of Oregon.



Russia and China said February 4 that they intend to expand Russian oil shipments into China, which relies on the fuel for its giant export manufacturing sector. That day, exploration firms China National Petroleum Corp. and Rosneft Oil Co. of Russia signed an agreement to supply China with 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil through Kazakhstan for 10 years.

China counted Russia as its second-largest crude oil supplier last year, totaling 15.5% of its supply from abroad.



Chinese importers already buy grains from Russia's vast farmlands. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says Moscow is tapping China's multibillion-dollar, pan-Eurasian Belt and Road infrastructure initiative aimed at attracting investment and boosting the country's "transit potential" westward into Europe.



Officials in Beijing also have kept open their Cross-Border Interbank Payment System, or CIPS, to help Russian banks facing a ban on using the international SWIFT interbank messaging system. China's central bank launched CIPS in 2015 to increase the use of yuan for global transactions.



The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said on February 24 that it had joined allies in stopping Russia's biggest financial institutions and companies from raising capital. The actions could hit about 80% of all banking assets in Russia and will "have a deep and long-lasting effect on the Russian economy and financial system," the Treasury said in a statement.



Limited Chinese support



There are limits, though, to what Beijing can do for Russia, analysts say. Distance from Russia's gas fields will make construction of any new pipeline between the two countries expensive, said Paul D'Anieri, a political science professor with the University of California-Riverside.

"It's hard to say whether China will buy a bit more oil  the possibility is there  but it can't offset the amount that it used to sell into Western Europe and the rest of the world," said Liang Kuo-yuan, president of the Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute economics think tank in Taipei.

China received 16.5 billion cubic meters of gas last year from its northern neighbor.



China's interbank setup hardly compares to SWIFT, he added. He estimates that SWIFT, with some 11,000 institutions, processes $5 trillion to $6 trillion every day, while CIPS saw less than $12 trillion all of last year.



Economic support for Russia will reach a limit as China hopes to keep peace with Western countries that are sanctioning Russia in support of Ukraine, said Dexter Roberts, U.S.-based author of The Myth of Chinese Capitalism. Too much help would send the wrong message, he said.



Analysts say the two economies have natural boundaries, as well. Chinese consumers, like those in most of the world, seldom buy goods made in Russia, D'Anieri said. "What does anyone that we know buy from Russia except for maybe vodka  but not much  as opposed to China?" political science professor D'Anieri asked. "We buy tons of stuff that's made in China."



China relies on exports, he added, while Russia is "more self-sufficient" given its ample domestic supplies of oil and farm products.



But China is still Russia's top trading partner, Roberts said. "I do think longer term we're likely to see a continued growing trade relationship and investment relationship between China and Russia," he said. "For Russia it really matters."



Two-way trade between the two countries grew about 36% last year to $147 billion. But China took just 13.8% of all Russian exports, compared with the 45% shipped to Russia's top 12 Western-allied trading partners.
The spokesperson for U.N. peacekeepers in the contested Abyei region says the mission will face huge security challenges if the U.N. withdraws Ethiopian troops from the force as planned.

Ethiopia contributes all 2,000 soldiers in the U.N. Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA), which monitors the oil-producing Abyei territory on the border between Sudan and South Sudan.

In April 2021, Sudan asked the United Nations to remove Ethiopian troops from UNISFA after negotiations broke down between Sudan and Ethiopia over Ethiopias Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile.

Speaking to VOAs South Sudan in Focus on Thursday, UNIFSA spokesperson Daniel Adekera said withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops would hamper the missions ability to deter attacks because UNIFSA is still waiting for a deployment of troops from China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The U.N. Department of Peacekeeping said the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops is ongoing, and that some repatriations have taken place.

With the withdrawal again, given high reduction of the troops, its certain there is going to be security gaps and no matter how we try to deploy in critical areas, criminals will also study your deployment and they will evade and go to flashpoints, Adekera said.

Briefing journalists Wednesday in New York, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said long-standing grievances and disputes between communities in Abyei and neighboring areas have resulted in weeks of violence.

The mission is talking with local leaders and is urging the parties to exercise restraint," he said. "They have also stepped up patrols of the areas most affected by the recent violence and have also provided shelter and protection to people fleeing the fighting.

Adekera said recent attacks by armed men from South Sudans Warrap state and from Sudan appeared to be well-coordinated.

I would think it is politically motivated [conflict], and it has to do with disagreement over land, he said.

Abyeis inhabitants, who are mainly the Dinka Ngok, voted to join South Sudan in an October 2013 referendum, but Sudans government rejected the results.

A U.N. Security Council resolution established UNISFA in June 2011 and gave it the mandate to use force to deter threats in area.

Adekera said confronting various armed groups in Abyei can be challenging.

It is not a conflict that is conventional, he said. In most cases there are hit-and-run people, more of what you can call guerrilla attacks.

Last year, the Security Council extended the mandate of the Abyei peacekeeping mission to May 2022 and urged Sudan and South Sudan to demilitarize the area.
Washington condemned reports that a Russian airstrike had destroyed a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday, as U.S. officials struck down a Polish proposal to transfer Russian-made jets to a U.S. air base and then on to Ukraine.

"Sovereign nations can decide for themselves what they want to do," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. "But this idea, the proposal of transferring these jets to our custody for then transferring to Ukraine, that is something that we are not going to explore right now."

A U.S. intelligence assessment said such a transfer would be considered "high risk," Kirby said, and could be seen as an escalation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion of neighboring Ukraine two weeks ago.

Russia criticized Poland's offer to send the jets to a U.S. air base in Germany, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday calling it a "potentially dangerous scenario."

At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday: "I think it's pretty clear, doesn't require a military expert, to understand why having planes fly from a U.S. air base into a contested part of the country where there is a war is not in our interest and not in NATO interests."

The hospital attack led Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to again call on NATO to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine, declaring, "You have power but you seem to be losing humanity."

The U.S. has resisted that call, noting that a no-fly zone requires enforcement, which would effectively draw the U.S. into a direct confrontation with Russia.

Ukraine warns Russia

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy tweeted what appeared to be footage of a birthing center, its walls painted in cheerful shades of green and yellow, now reduced to shattered windows, splintered doors and hastily abandoned machinery.

The number of civilians killed in the attack on the hospital was not known. Russia has not commented on the bombing allegations. It has denied targeting civilians in its invasion of Ukraine.

The attack on Mariupol has changed the two-week-old conflict into an even greater challenge for Russian forces, Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovich warned.

The White House and Pentagon on Wednesday said they could not confirm reports of the hospital attack.

"If it's true  and we have no reason to doubt that it's true, we just can't independently verify  I mean, it's just another indicator of the supreme sacrifices that the Ukrainian people are making that they shouldn't have to make," Kirby said.

Psaki said that "as a mother  I know a number of you are mothers yourself  it is horrifying to see the type of  the barbaric use of military force to go after innocent civilians in a sovereign country."

Earlier Wednesday, Russia announced plans for new cease-fires to allow civilians to leave several parts of Ukraine besieged by Russian forces, even as Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of shelling another evacuation route in the southern part of the country.

When asked by VOA whether the Pentagon considered attacks on humanitarian corridors a war crime, Kirby said: "The Pentagon is not making judgments on war crimes. We'll leave that to the experts. What I would tell you is that short of stopping the invasion  which is really what needs to happen here  short of that, we want to see that innocent civilians are given safe passage and not being harmed."

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russia had confirmed evacuation routes would lead out of Sumy, Mariupol, Enerhodar, Volnovakha, Izyum and several towns near the capital, Kyiv. Vereshchuk said 5,000 people were able to evacuate Sumy on Tuesday.

'Apocalyptic'

But in Mariupol, where a Russian siege has left the southeastern port city with dwindling supplies of electricity, heat, food and water, efforts to get people out Tuesday failed, and Vereshchuk said Russian forces had fired on a humanitarian cargo convoy.

"The situation in Mariupol is apocalyptic," Red Cross spokesperson Ewan Watson said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said Wednesday that Russia's proposals to create humanitarian corridors from Ukraine to Russia were "absurd."

"It's offensive to suggest the Ukrainian people should seek refuge from the very government that has demonstrated such disregard for their lives," Blinken said.

More defense to Ukraine

A senior U.S. defense official told reporters Wednesday that the United States was in talks with Ukraine and other "allies and partners" to provide Kyiv with defensive weapons that do not involve more air defense capabilities.

The U.S., however, has deployed two Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries in Poland, according to Marine Captain Adam Miller, U.S. European Command spokesperson. Miller said in a statement Wednesday that the missile batteries, normally stationed in Germany, were repositioned at Poland's invitation.

"This defensive deployment is being conducted proactively to counter any potential threat to U.S. and allied forces and NATO territory," Miller said.

In other developments Wednesday, the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of the world's worst nuclear disaster nearly 36 years ago, lost power after its power grid source was damaged, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Kuleba tweeted that the plant was relying on reserve diesel generators with the capacity to power it for 48 hours, after which the cooling of spent nuclear fuel would halt, raising the possibility of radiation leaks.

"Putin's barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately," tweeted Kuleba, who also called on the global community to demand that Russia impose a cease-fire to allow for repairs.

Kremlin spokesman Peskov told reporters Wednesday that the United States was waging an "economic war on Russia." His comments came a day after U.S. President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and other energy imports.

The U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday that more than 2.2 million people had fled Ukraine. More than half have gone to Poland.

Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were scheduled to meet Thursday in Turkey to discuss the situation. Kuleba said he would propose a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb and National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

"Now, it's going be a completely different war," he said in Russian on Twitter.
Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, called Wednesday for international sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe to be lifted.

Kenyatta was speaking outside the State House in Nairobi, in the presence of his Zimbabwean counterpart, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was on an official visit.

"We will continue with our support of Zimbabwe against the illegal sanction, that have been imposed on that country and continue to cause undue problems, issues, and trouble for the people of Zimbabwe. And this we consider to be unfair for these hardships are artificially created and we continue to call on the international communities to remove these illegal sanctions.

Speaking at the same occasion, Mnangagwa said, I thank Kenya for this support and solidarity for Zimbabwe in the call for the unconditional removal of unilateral sanctions that were imposed on Zimbabwe by some western countries."

Sanctions were imposed in 2003 by the United States, United Kingdom and other Western nations in response to human rights abuses and alleged election rigging during the rule of Robert Mugabe. (AP)
HEFEI -- Anhui Ankai Automobile Co Ltd delivered 800 passenger buses powered by natural gas to Mexico on Tuesday, marking China's largest passenger bus export order to Mexico to date.

The eco-friendly buses will run on natural gas and be put into use in Mexico's third-largest city of Monterrey. The vehicles are tailored to meet the local market demands in Monterrey, including its climate and traffic conditions.

They are equipped with Wi-Fi coverage and other intelligent systems, according to the company.

The growing global trend of low-carbon development has made buses powered by clean energy more and more popular in Mexico. Ankai has been exporting eco-friendly vehicles to Mexico since 2017.

Based in East China's Anhui province, the company is a subsidiary of Chinese carmaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp Ltd (JAC Motors). It has exported products to nearly 100 countries and regions following its market strategy of going global.




Robert Lee Stier, age 86 of Alexandria, died on Sunday, May 1st. A visitation will take place on Wednesday, May 4th from 5 to 8 PM at the Anderson Funeral Home and then continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. A Funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 5th at 1 
Due to the fluid nature of school enrollment and funding, teachers can face unexpected layoffs.

Teachers can be recalled to available positions based on seniority, and the order in which they were placed on leave. Some contend this rehiring criteria creates a last-in-first-out culture that negatively impacts inexperienced  albeit talented  teachers.

Passed 71-59 by the House Thursday, HF1478, sponsored by Rep. Jenifer Loon (R-Eden Prairie), would require a school board to negotiate an unrequested leave of absence plan with teacher representatives. It would apply to all public school districts, effective July 1, 2018.

The bill now heads to the Senate where Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Marys Point) is the sponsor.

Virtually no districts are having locally negotiated plans other than seniority, Loon said. Theres no incentive to work out a plan thats in the best interest of our students.  This preserves, respects and protects the bargaining process. It respects the roles of both the teachers and administrators in the process.

Unrequested leaves of absence occur when a school district eliminates a position, merges classes, or faces financial or student enrollment limitations. It leaves teachers without pay or benefits.

[Seniority is] an important factor, but it shouldnt be the only factor, Loon said. Theres many factors that I think are worthy to consider.

The bill would prohibit schools boards from using seniority as a criteria for recalling teachers from an unrequested leave of absence.

The one-sentence provision caused much contention among lawmakers.

A wealth of opponents, including many former teachers, said the provision would essentially eliminate teacher tenure as a priority, hindering loyalty to districts.

They say the tenure law is intended to protect teachers from discriminatory or retaliatory layoffs stemming from age or political affiliation.

Theres reasons why teachers have unionized; to get these protections in the past, Rep. John Lesch (DFL-St. Paul) said.

We have a teacher shortage. We should be focusing on making sure our schools have the resources they need, said House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park). This is just another Republican attack on protections in the workplace.

But supporters say the provision would rectify a standard based solely on teacher seniority, not quality.

We are not taking away seniority, we are simply removing the state default and bringing the decision to local control where it should be, Rep. Peggy Bennett (R-Albert Lea) said.

Lets encourage and allow the collective bargaining process to work and develop a system that represents both what the teachers are seeking, and also what the administration would like, Loon said.

Its time to change our attitude. Were in a new time, said Rep. Sondra Erickson (R-Princeton), who chairs the House Education Innovation Policy Committee. There will be no repercussions to this.
On 9 March 2022, the Russian Defense Ministry released the secret documents seized from the Ukrainian National Guard, revealing the blueprint for an attack on the Donbass separatists planned for 8 March 2022.

Since 24 February, Russian officials have persistently alluded to a Ukrainian attack on the Peoples Republics of Donestk and Lugansk anticipated for 8 March. The imminence of this attack is what would have prompted Russia to urgently recognize the independence of these two states. During the signing of the treaties in the Kremlin, we had observed that, contrary to the Protocol, the flags of the two Republics were missing - a sign that the ceremony was hurriedly put together.

The eight pages of published documents attest to the authenticity of this threat. To implement it, the Ukrainian National Guard had incorporated the bulk of the neo-Nazi forces.

During the Kosovo war, German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping had in like manner accused Serbia of having planned a so-called horseshoe operation to exterminate the populations of Kosovo. However, during the trial against Slobodan Milosevic, the charge was proven false. It all boiled down to war propaganda. To dispel any doubts as to a possible manipulation on its part, the Russian Defense Ministry decided to release the six pages of documents below.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog was received by his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Ankara on 9 March 2022.

Relations between the two countries had been clouded by suspicion since the assassination attempt on the Turkish president and the ensuing coup detat on 15 July 2016.

Several days ago, the Turkish authorities reportedly informed the Muslim Brotherhood that they are still welcome on their territory, on condition that they refrain from public demonstrations. The office of Hamas (Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood) deplored the visits of Israeli leaders to Arab countries and, now, to Turkey.
During his 10 March 2022 briefing, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov specified that documents from US military biological laboratories in Ukraine reveal that the Pentagon was "working on pathogens of birds, bats and reptiles in Ukraine in 2022, with a further transition to studying the possibility of transmitting African swine fever and anthrax."

According to him: The documents show that experiments with bat coronaviruses have been conducted in biolaboratories funded by the United States in Ukraine.

 In 2018, General Igor Kirillov - Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces attached to the Russian Defense Ministry - puzzled over the similarity between the agent Russian swine fever agent and those found at the Richard Lugar Center, labeled Georgia-2007.

 In 2021, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for an investigation into the role played by the US military laboratory at Fort Detrick in the Covid-19 pandemic.

 On 14 January 2022, Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaitandzhieva published documents derived from the Pentagon and the Richard Lugar Center substantiating that the Fort Detrick laboratory was conducting dangerous experiments in Georgia and Ukraine on soldiers from these two countries.

 On 7 March 2022, the Russian Defense Ministry disclosed the existence US military laboratories in Ukraine.

 On 8 March, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the Pentagon to provide an explanation for the 330 biological laboratories it operates under various designations in 30 countries.

 On 9 March, the State Department responded through a press release: "The United States does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine, it is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention, and it does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere."
On 9 March 2022, Tucker Carlson on Fox News featured an excerpt from a hearing, held on 8 March, by Straussian Victoria Nuland before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. She acknowledges that the United States runs biological weapons research programs in Ukraine.

Mrs. Nuland is Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs. However, according to a statement issued the following day by her boss, the Secretary of State: "The United States does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine, it is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention, and it does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere."
On 9 March 2022, the Kremlin announced that it would release the documents seized from US biological laboratories in Ukraine.

It would seem that the United States has not only violated the United Nations Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons abroad, it has also carried out very dangerous experiments putting at risk the lives of its human guinea pigs.

The day before, 8 March, China had publicly asked the Pentagon to explain the 330 biological laboratories it operates under various names in 30 different countries.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian forces have been waging war in Donbass. Throughout these almost eight years, the Ukrainian authorities and representatives of Ukrainian paramilitary units have effectively been eliminating the civilian population of the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk Peoples Republics.

Relentless shelling with large-calibre artillery, mortars, grenade launchers and small arms has cut short the lives of thousands of people. Older persons and children are among the dead, while the lives of others have been permanently marred by serious injuries. An example of this is the plight of Vanya Voronov, who miraculously survived a shell explosion. These people, especially the children, are not participating in the armed conflict, which is obvious even to the Ukrainian soldiers who are aiming their fire at residential homes, schools, hospitals, community centres, vital public facilities and public transport. Nevertheless, the official Ukrainian authorities are paying no attention to these ruthless executions and are providing no security guarantees for civilians. On the contrary, they are essentially ignoring the problem and encouraging the illegal actions of their soldiers, notwithstanding the international agreements that have been made.

Since 2014, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has been investigating, on a firm legal basis, hundreds of crimes of a terrorist or extremist nature against the peace and security of humankind committed during the armed conflict. On the basis of documented incidents, 467 criminal cases related to events on the territory of Ukraine and Donbass have been initiated. The accused include representatives of the military and political leadership of Ukraine, members of the radical nationalist associations Pravyi Sektor and Ukrainian Volunteer Corps, members of the Azov Battalion, and all those involved in these crimes.

The Committee established that, since April 2014, Ukrainian forces have been firing on residential areas of the two self-proclaimed Republics, using Tochka-U tactical missile systems, Grad and Uragan multiple rocket launchers, unguided aerial rockets, other types of heavy offensive weapons of indiscriminate and mass destruction, and light firearms. As a result, thousands of civilians have been wounded and killed, and more than 2,200 civilian infrastructure facilities have been completely or partially destroyed.

The main cause of civilian casualties has been the shelling by the Ukrainian government forces with explosives, small arms and light weapons.

During the investigation, more than 146,000 people were interviewed, and more than 22,000 people, including about 2,500 minors, were recognized as victims. To date, 103 people have been prosecuted in absentia for committing crimes against the peace and security of humankind during an armed conflict, including former Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, former governor of the Dnepropetrovsk province of Ukraine Ihor Kolomoisky, brigade commanders and officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who fired on civilians.

The crimes committed by the Ukrainian security forces and representatives of the authorities include not only the use of prohibited means and methods of warfare, but also the murder of Russian journalists, the human rights activist Andrei Mironov and Italian citizen Andrea Rocchelli, kidnappings, the obstruction of the lawful activities of journalists, torture, incitement to hatred or hostility, public calls to unleash a war of aggression and other crimes.

Kidnappings of Russian citizens in Ukraine by members of criminal networks with the involvement of the Ukrainian Security Service have been documented. The kidnappers seek to exchange the prisoners for Ukrainian soldiers, to maim the prisoners and to mistreat, torture and torment civilians in south-eastern Ukraine.

Nadiya Savchenko served a sentence after a court found her guilty of murdering Russian journalists and illegally crossing the State border of the Russian Federation. Another convicted offender is Sergei Litvinov, who was found guilty of robbing and assaulting a Russian citizen in Ukraine. A number of others have been convicted in absentia. There have been 21 attacks against Russian diplomatic institutions in Kiev, Kharkov and Lvov, and Russian citizens have been prevented from exercising their voting rights in Ukraine. A total of 25 people have been implicated in these crimes. Among them are former deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andrei Lozovoi and Volodymyr Parasyuk. Work is under way to identify the other attackers.

Evidence obtained during investigations is also used to support the States position at various international courts. The claim filed by Russia against Ukraine with the European Court of Human Rights is based on copies provided by the Investigative Committee of files from criminal cases concerning the genocide against the Russian-speaking population of Donbass, attacks on Russian institutions, the shelling of Rostov province, and murders of and other violent acts against journalists.

With the assistance of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Russian lawyers have processed more than 39,000 case files, resulting in about 7,500 complaints of victims regarding the actions of Ukrainian authorities being prepared and submitted to the European Court of Human Rights. Under those complaints, the damages to be recovered amount to more than 350 million euros.

Such unlawful actions will not go unpunished, and sooner or later all perpetrators of crimes will have to answer to the law. If the authorities and law enforcement agencies of Ukraine think that criminalizing the minds of citizens is acceptable, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation will not stand idly by in the face of such lawlessness. The investigators will continue to keep a record of evidence of the guilt of all those involved in crimes against the peace and security of humankind and against Russian citizens.

The Committee is taking all possible measures to ensure that those responsible for crimes in Donetsk and Lugansk do not escape punishment.

As a guarantor of the application of criminal law against perpetrators, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation will continue to respond to all unlawful acts in proportion to the threat that they pose to society.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (not to be confused with the European Union) decided on 25 February 2022 to temporarily suspend the Russian Federation (photo) from its rights of representation. In a press release, it clarified that this was not tantamount to an exclusion and that Russia still remained a member and, therefore, subject to the European Court of Human Rights.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio hailed the decision as an indispensable measure after the invasion of Ukraine.

In a report, Senator Andrey Klishas (United Russia) from Krasnoyarsk Krai, in his capacity as President of the Constitutional Council, indicated that his countrys withdrawal from the Council of Europe would have no legal consequences insofar as Russian standards are more rigorous than those of the Council of Europe.

We are heading relentlessly towards Russias outright withdrawal.
British and American diplomats are probing allied states on the possible exclusion of Russia from the Security Council (article 23).

Legally, it would first require an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly convened by nine members of the Security Council (Article 109). This extraordinary assembly could then amend the Charter of the United Nations (article 6) and then exclude Russia from the Security Council.

Ultimately, the United States could still force it through, by violating Article 109.
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The Georgia-Pacific Wauna Mill located near Westport, Ore., has contributed $1,500 to the Wahkiakum Sheriff's office to be used towards the purchase of safety supplies and the Sheriff's citizen support program.

"We don't have the funds readily available to purchase safety supplies and items that support our citizens, so we appreciate this donation from the Georgia-Pacific Wauna Mill," said Sheriff Mark Howie. In addition to this contribution, the Wauna Mill has also provided funds to the Wahkiakum Sheriff's office in the past for the purchase of COVID-19 safety supplies, Kevlar vests and river rescue equipment to make it safer for deputies to perform their duties. Courtesy photo.
Cardinals arrive in Ukraine on mission to "serve the people, to help".

Pope Francis has sent two high-ranking Vatican officials  Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny  as papal envoys to war-ravaged Ukraine.

Cardinal Krajewski, whose role at the Vatican is papal almoner, distributing charity in Rome on behalf of the pope, arrived in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Tuesday after stopping on the way to meet refugees and aid workers in Poland.

Known for his hands-on approach, Krajewski has helped by fuelling trucks, at the pope's expense, to ensure humanitarian aid reaches its destinations in Ukraine, reports Vatican News.

Cardinal Czerny, who heads the Vatican dicastery for Integral Human Development, arrived into Berehove, western Ukraine, on Tuesday after stopping first in Hungary where he met the country's deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjen and visited refugee centres at Barabas on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border.

Czerny has described the cardinals' joint mission as a "a double response, one of immediate charity and one of long-term integral human development", reiterating the pope's willingness "to do everything possible" for peace.

During the Sunday Angelus on 6 March, when Pope Francis announced the cardinals' mission, he decried the "rivers of blood and tears flowing" in Ukraine, saying: "War is madness, please stop."

After the bombing of a children's hospital in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Wednesday, the Vatican's secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Reuters: "I say bombing a hospital is unacceptable. There are no reasons, there are no motivations, to do this."
Masterpieces from Russian art collections are on loan in Rome and Milan. Russia wants them back.

Russia is seeking the immediate return of highly valuable art works currently on loan to Italy, as the repercussions from the invasion of Ukraine and international sanctions impact the world of culture.

The Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg has demanded the return of the works loaned for exhibitions at the Palazzo Reale and the Gallerie d'Italia in Milan.

The exhibition Grand Tour: Dream of Italy from Venice to Pompeii, running at the Gallerie d'Italia until 27 March, was organised in collaboration with the Hermitage and contains several pieces from the Russian museum including Canova's Winged Cupid.

Palazzo Reale is currently hosting an exhibition dedicated to the Venetian master which includes Young Woman with Feather Hat that the Hermitage now wants back.

The show opened in late February and is scheduled to end in June. The Hermitage is also seeking the return of a Picasso from the Fondazione Alda Fendi in Rome, reports Italian newspaper La Stampa.

Picasso's Young Woman, which was painted in 1909 and had never before been on show in Italy, was due to stay on display in Rome until 15 May.

"According to the decision of the Russian ministry of culture, all outstanding loans must be returned from abroad to Russia" and "the Hermitage is a state museum that depends on the ministry of culture."

This was stated by the Hermitage director Mikhail Piotrovsy in a letter sent on Monday night to Palazzo Reale director Domenico Piraina and to the president of Skira editore (the publisher that organised the Titian show), Massimo Vitta Zelman.

"The request is to prepare the packaging and shipping. Our transport agent will take care of all the necessary arrangements" - wrote Piotrovsky - "I fully understand that this decision will cause you great displeasure and inconvenience and I hope for your understanding."

Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschini, in reply to questions from reporters on Tuesday, said his ministry "has no competence in the matter, they are two exhibitions organised by the municipality of Milan and the Gallerie d'Italia. However it seems clear to me that when an owner asks for the return of their works, they must be returned".

Italian online art newspaper Artribune raises the question: "What will happen now to Italian institutions that have Russian loans on display, such as Palazzo Rovella in Rovigo, which opened the major exhibition on Kandinsky on 26 February with several loans from the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg?"

There are also major exhibitions of Russian art on loan elsewhere in Europe, with imperial Faberge eggs on display at the V&A in London and Impressionist masterpieces from Russian collections at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Russia's move to retrieve art works from Italy comes after Milan's opera house La Scala ended its collaboration with the famed Russian conductor Valery Gergiev after he refused to publicly condemn the invasion of Ukraine by his friend Vladimir Putin.

In recent days Italy has also moved to seize assets, including super yachts, belonging to oligarchs with close ties to the Russian president.

Photo La Repubblica
Vatican Radio broadcasts 'Ode to Joy' against war in Ukraine.

Radio stations around the world, including Vatican Radio, will participate in a musical show of support for the people of Ukraine on Thursday 10 March.

Dozens of classical music channels will play Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as part of the 'Public Radio Together. Ode to Peace - Stop the War in Ukraine' campaign, an initiative of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Two weeks after Russia began its invasion and military assault on Ukraine, state broadcaster UA: PBC remains on air, broadcasting essential news and information to Ukrainian citizens and the world.

EBU members have assisted the Kyiv-based station with technical support and by re-playing its broadcasts outside Ukraine.

The EBU, of which Vatican Radio is a founding member, urges its members to show their solidarity with the Ukrainian people by broadcasting Ode to Joy on their national networks on Thursday, in protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

At this moment in which the horror of war wounds millions of people, threatening the world balance, Radio Vaticana manager Massimiliano Menichetti said - we join broadcasters in Europe and the Ukrainian national radio and television, which continues its service not without difficulty.

The idea came from Radio Romania and will involve various interpretations of Beethoven's 9th being played in 32 countries, in different time zones, over the course of Thursday.

Completed by Beethoven in 1824, Ode to Joy was adapted in 1972 to serve as the "Anthem of Europe" for the European Union.

In 1989, under the baton of Leonard Bernstein, the symphony was famously performed by musicians from East and West Germany, France, Britain, Russia and the US in a Christmas Day concert at the Brandeburg Gate to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall.

On Wednesday, as Russian forces advanced on the Ukrainian capital, the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra assembled in Independence Square to play the national anthem as well as an excerpt from Ode to Joy, in a defiant call for peace.
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Like so much else in these difficult days, the fate of Brittney Griner rests in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Womens National Basketball Association superstar was arrested at a Moscow airport sometime in February on drug charges. News reports suggest quiet negotiations seeking her release. But given that Russias criminal justice system is ordered according to Putins whim, we should consider the possibility that he will use her as a bargaining chip, and, by doing so, reenact one of the cruelest episodes of the Cold War.

The fact that an American was arrested in Moscow isnt unusual. Over 20,000 foreigners are convicted of felonies in Russia every year. About 10% are women. Nevertheless, given the strange secrecy that shrouded Griners detention  Russian authorities have yet to say how long shes been in custody  one cannot help hearing the echoes of history.

Toward the end of 1944, as World War II was winding down, the Red Army pressed into Polish and Romanian territory that had been held by the Nazis. The Soviet Union suddenly had responsibility for millions of people who had previously been outside its borders. Among them were several thousand American servicemen taken prisoner by German forces.

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The U.S. expected swift repatriation. But as historians have long noted, the Soviets decided instead to use the POWs as bargaining chips. At first, Russia denied that it had inherited any American prisoners at all. Even after admitting that the POWs indeed existed, Soviet officials refused to send them home. At one point, a pair of U.S. officers were allowed to visit a prison camp in Poland where many were being held  and then were themselves refused permission to leave the country. Not until the end of the war did the Soviets agree to return the POWs to the United States.

In effect, the U.S. soldiers were hostages. A principal Soviet motive was ensuring the return of all their POWs formerly held by the Germans and now in Allied hands. The trouble was that thousands of captured Russian soldiers didnt want to go home, not least because Stalin had decided to treat being taken prisoner as an offense. Determined to get its own people back, the U.S. undertook a policy of forced repatriation, sending Soviet prisoners of war back to the U.S.S.R. Rather than return, many  some say hundreds  took their own lives.

A similar issue arose over the status of American-born citizens, men and women alike, who happened to be living in territory occupied by Soviet forces during the war. The Soviets announced that they were all now citizens of the U.S.S.R., and U.S. demands for repatriation were met with contempt. Soviet citizens could not lose their citizenship, wrote the assistant commissar for foreign affairs, merely by force of the fact of their birth on American territory. Those who continued to insist that they werent Soviets were harassed and often arrested for parasitism and other crimes. Several hundred were sent to labor camps in the gulag.

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Some observers connect the Soviet reluctance to send Americans home to the start of the Cold War. Maybe theyre right; it certainly sparked public outrage. Whats striking as we look back is the ability of the Soviet leadership to shrug off the worlds response. Stalin was determined to use detained U.S. citizens as bargaining chips, and, to a large extent, he succeeded.

As a result of Russias brutal aggression in Ukraine, relations with the U.S. are at their lowest point since those Cold War days. Putin gives every sign of sharing the view of his Communist predecessors that human beings exist to be sacrificed to his goals. For Griner and other Americans caught up in Russias justice system, the risk of being treated like those the Soviets refused to repatriate after World War II is frighteningly real. One can scarcely imagine the fear and devastation Griners friends and loved ones are enduring.

Even in more normal times, the odds against Griner would be daunting. We do not have enough facts to say whether she did as Russia claims, but we can predict with confidence that if she goes to trial, Griner will be found guilty ... even if shes innocent. The felony conviction rate in Russian courts is over 99%. Its true that many cases are dismissed before trial, but these heavily reflect settlements between perpetrator and victim  an option not applicable in drug cases. And even though since 2001 Russian law has permitted plea agreements, sentences based on those deals can still be harsh. Suspended sentences are largely reserved for those who have been charged but not detained.

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Again, thats in normal times  which these arent.

Unless higher authority intervenes, its tough to imagine a Russian judge or prosecutor giving a U.S. citizen, even one as prominent as Griner, anything but the harshest treatment. On the other hand, the court would likely do exactly what Putin instructs. So even in this era of the new Cold War, the behind-the-scenes negotiations, if theyre real, provide some faint reason for hope. Lets pray they succeed.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Stephen L. Carter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a professor of law at Yale University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. His novels include The Emperor of Ocean Park, and his latest nonfiction book is Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down Americas Most Powerful Mobster.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

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In the less than two weeks since Vladimir Putin started his war of invasion against Ukraine, hes managed to inflict massive damage both on the neighboring country and on his own. The Russian media industry is one of the lesser victims of this criminal undertaking, which has already killed thousands and sent millions of refugees fleeing to safety. Yet its demise deserves attention for two reasons: The way it distorts the information picture of the war for Russians and outside observers  and its not inconsiderable share of Russians collective guilt.

Some disclosure is in order. I was involved in the creation of Russias non-state media from the mid-1990s through the early 2010s as the founding editor, editorial director or publisher of a number of major publications, including the daily Vedomosti, then a joint venture of The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, and the Russian editions of Newsweek, Forbes and SmartMoney. I also took part in setting up two media outlets that were forced to shut down or blocked in Russia in recent days  TV Rain, where, as its first editor-in-chief, I hired the original news team in 2010, and Republic.ru (formerly Slon.ru), where I was the founding editor and one of the shareholders. So the co-optation of some private media in Russia and the destruction of others has meant the ruin of my lifes work. I am therefore not an objective observer of Russias backsliding to Soviet-era censorship.

Censorship drove the last nail into non-state medias coffin. Last week, Putin signed into effect a law under which fake news about the Russian military operation in Ukraine  never to be called war or invasion  is punishable with up to 15 years imprisonment. Since the law is retroactive, many publications reacted by pulling stories about the invasion from their archives; some, like The Bell or the Russian edition of Forbes, told readers they were no longer able to report on the military operation and would focus on other issues. Others, like Novaya Gazeta, headed by recent Nobel Peace Prize-winner Dmitry Muratov, or Kommersant, are attempting to follow the letter of the law, strenuously avoiding the word war, though their discomfort with this and with the war itself shines through between the lines. Others yet decided to close, like TV Rain, whose owner, Natalia Sindeeva, bade the audience a tearful goodbye, or Znak.com, whose website now only carries a brief note saying the editors found it impossible to keep working in view of the existing restrictions.

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Sites like Republic.ru, Meduza.io and Zona.media have been blocked in Russia by the government censor, Roskomnadzor, and while some of these continue updating and can be viewed using a virtual private network or an app, their Russian audiences are likely to shrink to the tens of thousands of people willing to resort to such tricks. Since many of their journalists have fled Russia to wherever their visa situation allowed, they mostly rely on sources equally available to their readers via the social networks.

Ekho Moskvy radio, born before the Soviet Union fell apart, was unceremoniously liquidated by its state-controlled majority owner, Gazprom Media; its FM frequency has been handed over to the state propaganda outlet Sputnik.

Since the censorship law also affects foreign publications, they must take care what they report from Russia, so Bloomberg and the BBC, among others, have suspended coverage, and the Washington Post announced it would pull bylines and datelines from its war-related stories to protect its news gatherers.

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The immediate outcome of this devastation of the Russian media landscape is a skewed picture of the war, even in this day and age when everyone with a social media account is a reporter. The independent outlets were plugged into the infrastructure of Russian protest, such as it has been in recent years, and attempted to gauge the mood of ordinary Russians. In their absence, it will be harder to piece together information on how popular Putin and his invasion are in Russia and how willing Russians are to put up with the economic payback for it.Non-state Russian media and the foreign news bureaus also had establishment sources  perhaps not in Putins inner circle, and hardly the most truthful ones, but ones able to shed light on government figures thinking about the war or its catastrophic economic consequences. In the absence of the quality control exercised by editors, the social networks  and Ukrainian media  carry highly questionable inside information, like a long screed, purportedly by a Russian counterintelligence analyst, that draws extremely pessimistic conclusions about the invasion from the Kremlins point of view.

Finally, non-state Russian media had sources within the Russian military and could track down service members families and get them to talk. In previous wars, this helped to monitor the forces morale and draw a realistic picture of the losses. Now, with ordinary Russians more scared of reprisals than at any time since the mid-1980s, the information trickling onto social media is barely useful, so media reports would have been indispensable.

Foreign media in Russia and Russian non-state outlets have always formed a kind of ecosystem, feeding on each others competences and informing both the world and the Russians as best they could with honest reporting. Now the ecosystem has been rendered dysfunctional, and, with the fog of war hanging over Ukraine, its loss increases the confusion.

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The information picture of the war is already bizarre. The Russian invasion forces operational security has been inexplicably lax; its easy to photograph Russian soldiers and equipment or capture them on video, while Ukrainian forces have largely succeeded in preventing it. In that, theyve been assisted by much of the open-source intelligence community, which is careful to protect information on Ukrainian troop movements but readily shares available data on Russian units actions. As a result, outsiders  even those who ignore the gung-ho propaganda that necessarily emanates from both sides in any armed conflict  often see the war the way the Ukrainian military would like them to see it, and that creates too much optimism about the extremely uncertain military outcome. With reporting from Russia all but silenced, the wildest guesses are being made about Russians awareness of the costs of war and their willingness to bear them, as well as about Putins standing within the elite. Speaking for myself, even if I were inclined to cast aside my feelings and try to be analytical about this disaster, Id be hard put to draw any meaningful conclusions without my colleagues reporting from Russia.

And yet theres a part of me that is not sorry for all the now-defunct or co-opted media outlets, even the ones I had a hand in building. Their path since the Crimea annexation of 2014 has been one of compromise. First they were banned from questioning Crimeas status as part of Russia. Next, a law obliged them, when reporting on organizations banned or declared undesirable in Russia, always to mention this state-decreed status. More recently, entire media outlets and individual journalists have been designated as foreign agents and forced to print an entire paragraph of caps-locked text at the top of every story and social media post to advise readers of the humiliating designation. Amazingly, some outlets that have been blocked since the invasion began still do so  even though the previous punishment has been superseded by a harsher one!

Every time the unreasonable rules got harsher, Russian editors and reporters accepted it in order to keep working and reaching an audience. But as they did so, they no longer carried only those messages that they wanted to deliver  they were also doing the Putins regime work for it. One could argue that the audience would always see through the mandatory language. Yet as a demonstration of the regimes naked power over supposedly independent media, the messages still worked. As someone with two decades of experience in Russian media, I had to ask myself what else these outlets would do if the Kremlin demanded it.

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Acquiescence to the quick erosion of freedom since Crimea was part of the Russian social contract. The countrys newly recovered great power ambitions had a price. You had to pay it to retain the comfortable lifestyle to which many in Russias bigger cities, including journalists, grew accustomed. Compromises became mandatory, bigger ones for some than for others. Alexey Venediktov, the Ekho Moskvy editor, had to become the face of a larcenous electronic voting scheme in Moscow, which helped the pro-Kremlin party steal the most recent parliamentary election. Muratov refrained from directly criticizing Putin in his Nobel speech and got an official letter of congratulations from the dictator. And even the toughest investigative reporters put up with the foreign agent mantra at the top of their stories.

The Ukraine invasion effectively canceled the contract by taking it to the extreme. By giving the screws one final twist, the regime gave up all pretense of needing a token independent media and made it impossible for journalists and editors to keep doing their job. Those who are complying with the rules even now are fully complicit with the invasion, no matter their personal views. Those who complied earlier but couldnt bear taking the last step are not blameless, either: The weakness of their resistance helped bring about the Ukraine catastrophe.

A kind of Russian media industry in exile existed during the Soviet era, with outlets in the U.S., France, the U.K., Germany. Russian-language media made by recent fugitives from the Putin regime will spring up again  few of my old colleagues are still in Moscow, and many of those who left only know how to do one thing: report the news. Opposition leader Alexei Navalnys exiled comrades-in-arms have recently advertised jobs for journalists and editors, clearly with a view to using some of the newly freed-up and potentially indigent journalistic talent; the response has been overwhelming.

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An emigre press, however, is not up to the job of covering a country like Russia. Eventually  likely when Putins rule is over  the country will need honest media again. But whether they are set up by returnees or entirely by a new generation off journalists, they  or we  will need to try much harder. Weve seen how easily an entire media landscape can turn into a desert if we dont fight repression, censorship and self-censorship as if our life depended on it. This should never happen again.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:



Putin, His Rat and Six Ways the War in Ukraine Could End: Andreas Kluth



Putins War Shows West Must Clean Up Dirty Money: Paul J. Davies



Londons Other Russians Seethe Over Putins BlitzCringe: Therese Raphael

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Leonid Bershidsky is a member of the Bloomberg News Automation team based in Berlin. He was previously Bloomberg Opinions Europe columnist. He recently authored a Russian translation of George Orwells 1984.

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Such is the gravity of Russian President Vladimir Putins aggression against Ukraine that an international prosecutor should be appointed and a tribunal established to bring him and his collaborators to trial for their crimes. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his foreign minister pleaded with the world this week for action based on the principles that guided the Allied countries in 1942 when they gathered in London to promulgate a decree entitled, Punishment for War Crimes. Just as the World War II Allies vowed 80 years ago to indict Nazi war criminals, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is asking that Putin be brought to justice for the same kind of crimes against peace.

With his armies surrounding Ukraines major cities and firing indiscriminately on inhabitants, the catalogue of Putins atrocities grows: the killing of civilians, including children; repeated breaches of ceasefires and humanitarian corridors; nuclear brinkmanship; and threatening the public execution of civilians who do not bend to his diktats.

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Yet a gap in international law prevents the International Criminal Court (ICC) from investigating and prosecuting Russia for the most basic war crime of all: aggression, even though aggression is recognized as a crime in many countries own national laws (including those of Russia and Ukraine).

The ICC has powers to investigate crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide; but Russia never signed on to an amendment establishing aggression as a crime and therefore isnt bound by it. And that stymies the international communitys fastest and simplest path to holding Putin accountable for waging an illegal war.

So while the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to recognize that the Ukraine invasion lacks any legal justification and that it constitutes the international offense of aggression in violation of the UN Charter, there is no obvious legal route to charge Putin for that overarching offense. The European Court of Human Rights can investigate violations of civil liberties, and the UNs International Court of Justice can examine Ukraines complaint against Russia, but the aggressor cant be arraigned as was done when setting up the international military tribunals that eventually led to the Nuremberg trials.

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In the spirit of the 1942 agreement, I and more than 100 former and current European leaders and international lawyers are urging the U.S. to join us in supporting a special tribunal to try Putin for his crimes of aggression. There is an American precedent that might encourage President Joe Biden to seize the moment. In 1993 and 1994, President Bill Clinton pushed for and succeeded in establishing special tribunals for dealing with war crimes in Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

Pressing for such a tribunal is, as the Ukrainians have told us, important to boosting the morale of a beleaguered but resilient people. Though lives are being destroyed, Ukrainian unity seems indestructible. Hearts may be broken every hour of the day but their resolve has proved unbreakable. Buildings are being razed to the ground but the spirit of the people is lifting up the world. We, in turn, must lift them up, not just in word but in deed.

A tribunal would also send a message to Putin and his inner circle that their brutal criminality will not escape trial and punishment. It would sow fear among Putins inner circle, if not Putin himself. Just as those complicit with Nazi crimes started to peel away from their leader and seek private deals, so, too, may Putins collaborators begin to cooperate with the forces of justice.

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The way forward is for a group of governments to support Ukraine in setting up such a tribunal. As a first step, we must record the crimes of continued aggression as they happen. An office should be staffed in the Hague (home to the ICC) to collect evidence and investigate how best to proceed with organizing this route to justice. A small staff should work closely with the ICC and, given that the crime of aggression is already well understood, move with speed. By summer a tribunal could be in place and Putin indicted.

Grand strategy looks beyond the war to the subsequent peace, wrote the historian Basil Liddell Hart. So even as Ukraine is ravaged by bombs and bullets, it is right to think now of what comes after and how best to achieve reconciliation, peace and justice for Ukrainians.

Not since 1942 have the words issued in the decree of the Allies been more apposite. Our aim must be, they said, to secure the punishment, through the channel of organized justice, of those guilty or responsible and to satisfy the sense of justice of the civilized world.

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The people of Ukraine deserve nothing less.

More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:

 Hitting Putin With Energy Sanctions Wont Be Easy: Editorial

 Ukraines Fate Is in the Balance. So Is Putins: Niall Ferguson

 TikTok Is Just the Platform Russian Dissidents Need: Parmy Olson

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Gordon Brown was prime minister of the U.K. from 2007-2010 and is currently the United Nations Special Envoy on Global Education.

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Its been a rough few months for national populists. Theyre the faction of the American right that is challenging the tenets of the conservatism we have known since the 1950s. That conservative consensus included a strong preference for free markets, support for an assertive foreign policy willing to use military force abroad based on an expansive conception of U.S. interests, and moral traditionalism. The populists instead favor a much more restrained foreign policy and government activism to protect working-class families. It wants to retain the social conservatism, which it believes will be better served by a politics that is less attuned to corporate sensibilities than conservatives have historically been.

The influence of national populists has been rising in recent years, helped along by  well, seemingly by everything: by a delayed reaction to the debacle of the Iraq war, by the financial crisis and the slow recovery from it, by the continued shift of working-class voters into the Republican Party, by business leaders turn toward an aggressive social liberalism. And, above all, by former President Donald Trump.

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Trump has not always been a reliable ally of the nat-pops. On many areas of policy, such as health care and taxes, he deferred to the libertarian impulses of other Republicans rather than trying to build a strong-state conservatism. In the White House, he came out for record levels of immigration, which is anathema to most nat-pop intellectuals. He endorsed candidates based on their fealty to him rather than to any policy agenda.

Still and all, he is the closest thing to a champion this group has had. The movement has incorporated some of his personality traits, including a zest for online combat. Trump did enough to elevate it that it began to sound a note of triumphalism: National populism was going to remake the Republican Party, and the world.

Now its hitting the bumps in the road. Russias invasion of Ukraine has tended to split and marginalize the nat-pops. Their second-most-important spokesman, Tucker Carlson of Fox News, initially took a pro-Putin, or at least anti-anti-Putin, line. Very few Republican voters or officeholders followed it, and Carlson then had to change direction.

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Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who has gone so far toward national populism as to advocate leaving the World Trade Organization, has taken the same basic view of the war as old-line Republicans and, for that matter, most Democrats: The U.S. should aid the Ukrainians while not directly entering the conflict. The most prominent Republican politician advocating a purely isolationist position on Ukraine is Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance.

In Vance, national populism found a nearly ideal standard-bearer. More than familiar with its ideas, he has the zeal of a convert for them. His campaign has serious financial backing from the Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel  whose taxes Vance says he wants to raise. Like much of the nat-pop movement, he has placed great emphasis on Twitter provocations and retaliations. None of this, so far, has gotten him securely into the top tier of the primary race, let alone put him in the lead. The other nat-pop hopeful, the technology investor and Thiel colleague Blake Masters, is faring even worse in the Arizona Senate primary.

Trump may also be declining in value as a nat-pop asset. He has kept his distance from Vance and Masters because he does not want losses to detract from his reputation as a Republican kingmaker. He is using his endorsements, true to form, to gain revenge against Republicans who voted to impeach him, or refused to indulge his lies about having won the 2020 election, rather than to shape party ideology.

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Finally, national populism is making only small inroads in Republican economic policy. Its true that Republicans are not calling for new free-trade deals at the moment. But the main Republican argument on todays economy is remarkably familiar. It is that federal spending is too high, money is too loose, idleness too subsidized and energy production too regulated. The nat-pops often mock what they call market fundamentalism or zombie Reaganism. But what most Republicans are saying now is not all that different from what they were saying in the early 1980s.

None of this means that national populism is doomed to decline, or that it should be. Vance and Masters still have a shot. Events in Europe could yet make Americans regret their support of Ukraine, however qualified it has been, and isolationist voices can play a useful role in countering the tendency of other Republicans to hawkish hubris. The 1980s-era economic agenda that Republicans largely stuck with right until Trump came along wont be enough to meet the challenges of the present.

But the idea that national populism is sweeping all before it, with other types of conservatism either leaving the field or deferring to it  entertained by critics as well as supporters  is not panning out. Perhaps that should not be surprising: A recurring weakness of populist movements is that they imagine political victory to be easier than it is.

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More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:

 What a Pro-Worker Republican Party Really Looks Like: Michael R. Strain

 Democrats Will Profit From Trumps Populism: Karl W. Smith

 Populism May Be Losing Its Influence Over Markets: Aaron Brown

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Ramesh Ponnuru is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the editor of National Review, a contributor to CNN and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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Whats happening in Ukraine is a special military operation, not a war. Its aim is to liberate the country from a neo-Nazi-dominated government whose defenders use children as human shields. Vladimir Putin is a hero, standing up to Western powers obsessed with Russias destruction. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight This is the story that most Russians have been getting from the state TV channels that dominate the countrys airwaves. For everyones sake, Russians need better information  which is why the international community must support the dwindling number of journalists who, at great personal risk, are trying to provide it, either in Russia or while reporting on Russia from abroad.

Even before the war, committing journalism in Putins regime had become a hazardous task. There was almost nowhere to work: One after another, independent venues had shut down or otherwise succumbed to Kremlin pressure  and the few that remained operated on a knifes edge, sometimes from bases set up outside the country, reaching a tiny fraction of the audience that state television commanded. Officially classified as foreign agents, many reporters and editors had to include lengthy disclaimers with everything they wrote or even posted on social media. Perceived transgressions were punished with fines, beatings, prison and worse.

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Now, though, Putins regime is going further, turning the practice of journalism itself into a crime. A new law threatens 15 years in prison for disseminating false information, which appears to mean anything that deviates from the official Kremlin narrative  including calling whats happening a war. Together with other forms of pressure, this has forced the remaining non-state outlets in Russia  including TV Rain and Ekho Moskvy radio  to shut down or curtail coverage. Local bureaus of foreign news organizations (including Bloomberg News) have suspended operations, too. To silence voices from abroad, Russia has blocked services such as Twitter, Facebook and the Russian-language website of the BBC  which had seen viewership more than triple since the war started, and which responded by restarting its Russian-language shortwave radio service, a relic of Cold War days.

Still, Russian journalists arent giving up. Meduza, a Russian-language news service based in Latvia, has shifted to reaching its audience via a smartphone app and old-fashioned email, which is much harder to block. Various outfits  including Meduza, Mediazona and Agentstvo (which focuses on investigations)  maintain channels on the communications app Telegram, which has been operating relatively well. The Bell, originally a twice-daily business news digest, has gone into wire-service mode to cover developments surrounding what it carefully calls the military operation in Ukraine.

These efforts are extremely precarious. Already unable to attract advertisers, offshore outlets such as Meduza  thanks to sanctions  now also cant receive payments from Russian subscribers. All are scrambling to find refuge for scattered correspondents.

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So what can the international community do? Funneling state aid to Russian media organizations, as some have called for, would be a mistake: It would undermine the independence these outlets have fought to preserve and play into Putins assertion that the West is bankrolling his enemies. Far better for governments to look for ways to ensure independent news keeps reaching Russians  and to directly assist Russian journalists by quickly granting them asylum and work documents.

Individuals, philanthropies, universities and nongovernmental organizations can also do their part. They can make donations. They can maintain and expand fellowship programs, instead of expelling Russian students as some have foolishly proposed. They can provide help in obtaining housing and extending visas. They can seek ways to deliver free virtual-private-network access in Russia, to help people bypass information blockades. They can and should do everything possible to support Russian civil society in what may prove to be a long exile  in the hopes that its proponents can do some good from abroad, and someday return to a very different home.

The Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.

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The world is awash in dirty money -- and criminals who are constantly finding new ways to hide their loot in real estate, art, securities, cryptocurrencies and old fashioned bank accounts. Policing the latest tricks in digital transfers and offshore shell companies falls to financial regulators in each country, but theres also an obscure international group thats exerting more influence: For more than three decades, the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force has been confronting the challenge of illicit finance. Though the body is sometimes criticized for focusing too much on formal regulation, the mere risk of ending up on the FATFs watchlist has been enough to spur some governments into action.

1. What is the FATF?

Its an inter-governmental organization that sets standards to try to curb money laundering. Created by the Group of Seven nations at a summit in 1989, the goal was to protect their financial systems from criminal activity such as drug trafficking. The FATF is perhaps best known for pioneering the know-your-customer rules that require institutions to ascertain the true identities of account holders. Those requirements are now commonplace in banks, investment houses and payment processing firms. The FATF has also set guidelines for national laws and how to manage account data. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the FATF developed standards for combating terrorist financing. Its made up of 39 members, including the G7, China and Russia and emerging economies in South America and Africa.

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2. Why does it matter?

The FATFs recommendations are taken seriously because no nation wants to be flagged for deficiencies that might cast doubt on the integrity of its banking system, or worse, be branded an underperformer. The FATF lists North Korea and Iran in its worst category, and designates nations including Panama, Malta and the Philippines as monitored jurisdictions working with the organization to improve their controls. Moreover, many countries fear the scrutiny of prosecutors and regulators in the U.S., an influential force in the FATF, which has slapped foreign institutions with billions of dollars in penalties and the threat of criminal prosecution for failing to prevent malfeasance. Government officials facing an imminent FATF audit often scramble to get up to snuff. Following an FATF report on the United Arab Emirates in April 2020, local authorities set up courts focused on financial crimes, adopted new disclosure requirements around company ownership and imposed new rules on hawalas, the charities often alleged to enable terrorism-related money flows. That wasnt enough to stop the FATF adding the UAE to its so-called gray list in March.

3. What does being on the gray list mean?

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That a country requires closer monitoring as its not been doing enough to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The designation can make foreign investors more wary of doing business there. A report by the International Monetary Fund in 2021 found that being gray-listed results in an average decline in capital flows coming into a country equal to 7.6% of gross domestic product. The FATFs decision to gray-list the UAE is among the most significant steps in the groups history, given the countrys position as the main financial hub of the Middle East.

4. Is the FATF making a dent in money laundering?

While experts welcome the groups efforts, many contend that its findings, which tend to focus on technical compliance, can be out of sync with the reality on the ground. The U.K. won high marks in its 2018 assessment but anti-corruption groups such as Global Witness point out that corrupt despots and oligarchs remain prolific users of Britains financial system. In 2019, Transparency International U.K. traced $418 billion in suspicious wealth through scores of banks, law firms, properties and prestigious private schools such as Harrow School. Even as British prosecutors freeze the assets of some suspected money launderers, they have a poor record when it comes to convictions in high-profile cases, according to anti-corruption experts. While its challenging to calculate, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that the amount of money laundered globally in one year is 2% to 5% of global gross domestic product, or somewhere between $800 billion and $2 trillion. David Lewis, who left as head of the FATF in January, called efforts to combat money laundering inadequate.

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5. Does the FATF have real teeth?

Yes, to a degree. A bad report card from the FATF can be a call to action. The Netherlands, for instance, was criticized by the FATF in 2015 for not doing enough to require banks to verify the identity of their accountholders. The Dutch government and the central bank have since made a flurry of changes, including the approval of penalties for lenders that can amount to a fifth of their annual revenue, double the level mandated by the EUs anti-money laundering law. However, the job of adopting and enforcing anti money-laundering measures still falls to a patchwork of national regulators and local law enforcement authorities that apply laws and standards differently. After a wave of scandals struck Nordic banks over their handling of dirty money in the Baltic nations, the European Commission has proposed creating a centralized body with the power to clamp down on illicit finance in the blocs member nations.

 QuickTake explainers on how money launderers operate and the UAEs new corporate tax.

 The Financial Action Task Forces portal for reports on money laundering practices in member countries.

 The organizations standards and recommendations countries should follow to curb dirty money.

 Transparency International UKs statistical analysis on the breadth of money laundering in the British property market.

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We are now in Covid limbo. Cases are down and still falling, yet scientists arent willing to declare the pandemic over  or, conversely, to predict when the next wave might come. But perhaps its a good thing that public health officials are displaying a little less confidence. Researchers still dont really know why pandemic waves rise or fall, so it would be disingenuous to pretend otherwise. And less posturing by public health officials would be a welcome change.

Two years ago, scientists knew almost nothing about the new virus. Nonetheless, many conveyed an exaggerated level of certainty about virus mitigation efforts. That has motivated some people to follow their advice, but the cost in public trust has been high.

In early 2020, public health officials said that masks werent necessary. Later, they told the public to mask up, creating a debate that still rages. In 2021, they promised that vaccines would end the pandemic through herd immunity. When the pandemic didnt end, many skeptics who resisted vaccination felt justified. And now, in 2022, they are assuring us that high-risk people can rely on one-way masking with an N95 mask, while the rest of us can go without  leaving some, especially kids, baffled about how best to avoid a deadly disease thats still very much around. The result has been confusion and polarization.

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The desire to give people certainty is understandable. A message delivered with conviction is compelling. When public health officials started to endorse universal masking, saying it would save hundreds of thousands of lives, a lot of people listened. It might have been less compelling to tell us the truth: that it wasnt clear what would come of requiring cloth masks, but it might help a little. Nonetheless, that might have been better for building trust in the long run.

What will happen when the next wave comes, whenever that may be? As political scientist Michael Bang Petersen of Aarhus University told me in an earlier interview, people dont mind restrictions when theyre meaningful. But if there is another wave, people may not take the meaningfulness on faith. At this point they want pragmatism, sustainability and transparency.

Pandemic waves have often been attributed to policies or human behavior. The media has played into this, saying that when cases were down, the pandemic was under control or that we were making progress.

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When cases fell, it wasnt because anyone was in control.

I have never been able to figure out why we see these surges and these waves like we do, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. We have no clue why they go up or why they come down.

Osterholm is one of the few scientists whos resisted the urge to posture. Hes awed by the mystery of the pandemic waves. If, he said, scientists get rewarded in heaven with answers to the mysteries of the universe, they would be the subject of his most pressing question. I dont care about black holes. I dont need to understand gravity. I just want to understand what the hell is going on here.

Delta rose and fell steeply in India and in the Southern United States. It had a different pattern in the U.K.: a rise, partial fall and plateau. It had a delayed rise and plateau in much of the Northern U.S. last fall until omicron changed everything again.

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Osterholm does not think the differences have much to do with masking policies. In his view, the CDC never had any idea whether asking everyone to wear a cloth or surgical mask would make an appreciable difference. He attributes the sudden turnaround at the agency from dismissing to requiring masks in spring 2020 to an activist group called Masks4All. They released a model in April of that year which started with an assumption that cloth masks were extremely efficient in preventing asymptomatic infected people from spreading the disease to others, then concluding that universal masking would save hundreds of thousands of lives.

That was a powerful argument  but it was built on an assumption that hadnt been tested. Other studies on masking followed, Osterholm said, but the results are conflicting and many were poorly done. The amount of bias and confounding and all these issues that would make them almost uninterpretable.

Osterholm said that the airborne nature of the disease means that a room can get filled with infectious air easily when everyone is wearing a loose-fitting cloth or surgical mask.

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To say that a cloth face covering or a cloth mask would protect you is just not based on any science, he says. Its also not clear cloth masks protect others, despite the plethora of signs saying, My mask protects you, your mask protects me.

Which is not to say masks dont work at all  a fallacy thats been picked up by anti-mask activists. He said N95 respirators or their equivalent can have a strong protective effect. Emphasizing that earlier  its been known for years  might have led more high-risk people to adopt them instead of unproven cloth masks.

Public health officials were also overly optimistic when they promised that vaccines would end the pandemic. The problem wasnt anti-vaxxers  it was that the virus was evolving into new variants. Osterholm suggested last summer, soon after vaccines became available but before the Delta surge, that the darkest days might be ahead. That doesnt mean the vaccines dont work the unvaccinated have been disproportionately killed by the Delta and Omicron waves  but it does mean that vaccines didnt work well enough to end the pandemic, even in places where more than 80% of adults were vaccinated.

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The result of public health leaders posturing has been division. People blamed each other, believing that Covid would be behind us if not for those anti-vaxxers and people who cheated on mask rules; or, on the other side, that the pandemic was wildly exaggerated, a sort of hoax. Osterholm compares the divisions erupting in families to the rifts that tore up those with members on both sides of the Civil War.

Theres a lot more that the U.S. should do to fight the pandemic, including improving vaccines, improving treatments and improving rapid tests so that infected people can get antiviral drugs early. (Osterholm is skeptical that todays rapid tests are accurate enough to use for this purpose  there are too many false negatives.) But we also need one more thing: more journalists, scientists and public health officials to admit how much they still dont know.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Faye Flam is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and host of the podcast Follow the Science. She has written for the Economist, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Psychology Today, Science and other publications.

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Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Lawrence 'Larry' Slagle, USDA official Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Lawrence Larry Slagle, 87, who spent 34 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture before retiring in 1994 as personnel director, died Jan. 10 at a hospital in Washington. The cause was pulmonary congestion, said a family friend, Garrett Peck. Mr. Slagle, a District resident, was born in Templeton, Pa. He was associate administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service before his appointment as personnel director in 1990. In retirement, he was a consultant to the National Mediation Board. He was a chair of boards and committees at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington.

Tufail Ahmad, food exporter

Tufail Ahmad, 83, the president of a food exporting company that specialized in food aide for developing countries, died Jan. 12 at a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, where he was visiting relatives. The cause was cardiopulmonary arrest following a severe case of pneumonia, said a son, Zubaid Ahmad.

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Mr. Ahmad, a resident of Potomac, Md., was born in Allahabad, India. He settled in the Washington area in 1973 and was president of Euro-America Shipping & Trade from 1977 to 2000. From 2006 to 2022, he was chairman of the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation.

Thomas Jabine, statistician

Thomas Jabine, 97, a statistician for federal agencies and later a statistical consultant, died Jan. 30 at an assisted-living facility in Silver Spring, Md. The cause was cerebrovascular disease, said a daughter, Anne Jabine.

Mr. Jabine was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He worked for the Census Bureau from 1950 to 1973, leaving as chief of the statistical research division. He later was chief mathematical statistician at the Social Security Administrations office of research and statistics. From 1980 to 1999, he was an independent statistical consultant to the United Nations and other global organizations.

 From staff reports

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Prospective buyers at an open house in Star, Idaho, in June 2021. (Kyle Green for The Post)

As the Fed raises interest rates, experts say there are some signs the market is responding. But theres a long way to go.
Springs Valley Bank and Trust supported the expansion of the Daviess County Museum with a $5,000 donation. Representing Springs Valley Bank and Trust are John Clauss, Dianna Land, Craig Buse and Jeff Owens. Representing the museum are Joe Wellman, Anne Halbert, Sarah Fry, Becky Kremp, Joe Kremp, Jeannie Eaton and Monty Critchlow.
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Rio Tinto, one of Australias largest mining companies, has launched an urgent review of its partnership agreement with Russian aluminium giant Rusal in Queensland as it seeks to sever all business ties to Russia because of the war in Ukraine.

In the latest high-profile corporate withdrawal from Russia, Rio Tinto on Thursday said it was in the process of terminating all commercial relationships it has with any Russian business.

Rio Tinto is the latest major business to sever commercial ties with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Credit:Louie Douvis

The announcement raises questions about the future of Rio Tintos majority-owned Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) in Gladstone, one of Australias largest alumina refineries, which is 20 per cent owned by Russias Rusal.

The joint-venture agreement between Rio Tinto and Rusal has been placed under immediate review, sources said on Thursday. However, Rio Tinto was expected to face difficulties in unwinding the deal without official sanctions against Rusal or the minority partners consent, they added. Rio Tinto may be required to buy out Rusals stake in the venture.
The pastoral milieu, slightly odd syntax, and attention to detail are typically Murravian. Also characteristic is the use of startling imagery, as seen elsewhere in the collection: Splintered washboards of cold // are nailed across our sky; The cat reaches under its chin / and switches on its brisk engine.

Perhaps appropriately, given its title, Continuous Creation gives no sense that Murrays linguistic powers were failing in his last years. Murrays love of the sonic nature of poetry is, as ever, central to his style. The Invention of Pigs, for instance, begins: Come our one great bushfire / pigs, sty-released, declined to quit / their pavements of gravel and shit. / Other beasts ran headlong, whipping // off with genitals pinched high.

Lauded at home and internationally as Australias greatest poet, Les Murray was also a controversialist and long-term irritant to the left. Almost three years after Murrays death, Continuous Creation, a slim collection of more than 50 last poems, has been published by Murrays long-time publisher, Black Inc. Jamie Grant, Murrays friend and fellow-poet, is not named as the editor of Continuous Creation, but Grants prefatory Note on the Text makes it clear he acted in an editorial capacity through his choice and collation of the 17 unfinished poems included, and his choice of the books title.

Continuous Creation is notable, then, for its continuity with Murrays other collections. There is no late style here. Indeed, for a final collection by an ageing poet, the collection is notably no more elegiac, or concerned with last things, than any of Murrays other collections. There is, though, a formal elegy  a lament for Murrays old friend Bob Ellis called A Friendship. Not being the fan of Ellis that Murray was, I demur at the description of Ellis filmic work as masterpieces, but the poems ending  a moving and surprisingly comic description of a funeral  illustrates how poetry can make such antipathies momentarily redundant: Low slung and wooden, you pass on your way / as I prefer all our years to one dressy day.

That Murrays last poems offer no great surprises is reason enough for reading this collection (or avoiding it, if thats your position on Murray).

Continuous Creation continues Murrays long interest in history (familial, national and global), the interplay between the northern and southern hemispheres, and the everyday. As in his other collections, however, Murrays interests dont prevent slack or inconsequential writing. A number of poems in this collection strike me as sub-par, and there are the requisite WTF? moments. School Bus Home includes the lines Poddy Foster goes to Gloucester / for his education. / Hes learned to write and learned to fight / in the smell of menstruation. Does the obvious satirical tone here (underscored by the use of parody and doggerel) explain such egregiousness? Probably not.

Murray meets the Queen in 1999 after winning her gold medal for poetry Credit:Fiona Hanson

The collections final poem, The Mystery, is about the death of Murrays mother when Murray was 12 years old, an event that led to a family rift and the loss of the family farm. Like School Bus Home, this poem contains a potentially unsettling moment, in this instance the evocation of a local Indigenous man (old Mr / Lobban, who is described as the last initiated man / of the Kattang) in a poem that claims white dispossession of the land.
Its an important distinction: John Cameron Mitchell wasnt at all interested in watching Tiger King, Netflixs 2020 true crime sensation that was peak American madness and perfect Lockdown One binge fodder. Like seeing a car wreck, the celebrated independent filmmaker, theatre director and actor notes. It just didnt have a lot of empathy. But when the chance came to play the shows flamboyant polyamorous zookeeper and hitman hirer, Joe Exotic, in a scripted series, Mitchell leapt at the opportunity.

It was my first audition in 25 years, because most roles are offers, but this one was worth doing a tape for because it was unusual and exciting. I was in London at the time and got a mullet and the make-up and had a friend shoot it in an interesting way, Mitchell says. I even had these jeans that unzipped in the back, so I might have given an ass shot to the camera. It could have been risky, but Im from the 90s  my ass was out all over the 90s.

It was my first audition in 25 years, says John Cameron Mitchell of playing flamboyant zookeeper Joe Exotic. Credit:Mark Taylor/Peacock

The audition tape was submitted on a Monday in the middle of last year, by the Thursday Mitchell had the role, and within weeks he was quarantining in Sydney before heading  under armed guard, he jokes, displaying a keen understanding of Australias pandemic politics  to Queenslands Gold Coast for the four-month shoot of Joe vs Carole, a limited series where Mitchells Joe Exotic and Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnons Carole Baskin are contradictory forces of nature  and big cat devotees  whose feud explodes.

Streaming on Stan, the comic drama threads a needle between the often ludicrous circumstances and farcical situations that made Tiger King a just-cant-look-away smash, alongside a more intimate depiction of the lives led by the now incarcerated Joe Exotic (aka Joseph Maldonado-Passage), who is currently serving 22 years in a US federal jail after being convicted of murder for hire, and Baskin, who would in turn be accused of murdering one of her husbands and feeding him to the tigers in her Florida animal sanctuary.
Northern Territorys Police Commissioner has called for the state to unite following police officer Zachary Rolfes acquittal over the death of Kumanjayi Walker, but said a police submission to a coronial inquest would quash mistruths and the rhetoric about the case.

Speaking to reporters following the court verdict on Friday afternoon, Commissioner Jamie Chalker said there are never any winners in circumstances such as this.

Constable Rolfe was charged with murder, manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death after he fatally shot Mr Walker during an attempt at arrest in 2019 in the remote desert community of Yuendumu.

The jury acquitted him on all charges on Friday.

Lets start coming together as a community, start the healing, and make sure that were never in such a place again, Commissioner Chalker said.

There is pain in sections of our community, and we as part of the community know that we need to be there to help you and weve worked tirelessly to make that happen.

Everybody who is mourning is allowed to mourn respectfully, and our officers will provide the utmost empathy to those who are struggling.

Commissioner Chalker said the Northern Territory Police Force would not be proffering opinion on the case due to the upcoming coronial inquest into Mr Walkers death.

We respect the integrity of court processes, inclusive of criminal, inclusive of coronial and inclusive of civil, he said.

I look forward to our institutional response as part of the coronial inquest where the facts will come to the fore. That will diminish a significant amount of the mistruths and the rhetoric that is out there that has had no basis of foundation.

Commissioner Chalker did not answer any questions from journalists on Friday afternoon.
University leaders have warned of a chilling effect on research caused by the federal education ministers ability to veto funding grants, saying their institutions were at risk of losing world-class academics to overseas competitors.

In a decision that has been widely criticised by academics, acting Education Minister Stuart Robert vetoed Australian Research Council (ARC) funding to six humanities projects for 2022 on Christmas Eve  the third time in four years the power has been used by the Coalition.

ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt has backed a proposal to remove the ability of the federal education minister to veto research grants. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Appearing at a Senate inquiry on Wednesday, university chiefs and academic leaders were in lockstep in raising concerns about the lack of transparency over the ministerial intervention and the singling out of individual grants for rejection without detailed explanation. But they were divided over a Greens proposal to abolish the veto, with the Senates education committee examining the merits of a bill by senator Mehreen Faruqi that would amend ARC legislation to achieve this.

Supporting the bill, ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt said the ministers veto power was a serious problem that was compromising universities ability to attract and retain world-class academics, saying the issue had been raised with him by top researchers from overseas competitor institutions.
Senator Kitching led a push in Parliament to pass laws to seize the assets of individuals who had committed human rights abuses around the world. Loading The new powers, known as Magnitsky laws after Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, have been part of the armory used by the federal government to impose sanctions on prominent Russian oligarchs in response to the war in Ukraine. Colleagues on both sides of politics had praised Senator Kitching for leading the push to pass the laws. Former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd extended his sympathies to her family and friends on Thursday night, while former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott also praised her.

So sad to lose Kimberley Kitching. She was a true patriot and had so much to give, Mr Abbott said. Born in Brisbane in 1970, Senator Kitching studied arts and law at the University of Queensland and worked in business and the union movement before rising to become a senior official in the Victorian division of the Health Services Union. She was a Melbourne City councillor and an adviser to state Labor governments in Victoria before entering the Senate in 2016, later joining the frontbench as shadow assistant minister for government accountability and then becoming shadow assistant minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme from January last year. She was married to Andrew Landeryou, a well-known figure in Labor circles and the son of Victorian Labor state government minister Bill Landeryou.

One of her closest allies in the caucus, former leader Bill Shorten, quoted Shakespeare in praising his friend. To know Kimberley was to be touched not just by her serene intellect but her incredible warmth and vivacity, he wrote. Her passing is an immense loss to Labor and the nation. In the words of Shakespeare, Your cause of sorrow must not be measured by (her) worth, for then it hath no end. Senator Kitching was the key Labor figure in launching a campaign to legislate the Magnitsky law to give Australia similar powers to those put in place in other countries after global outrage at the death of Mr Magnitsky, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Starting with a private members bill, she persuaded others in the Labor caucus to back the idea and saw the work result in the passage of a federal law with bipartisan support last November. That work was recognised in November when Kitching received the Magnitsky Award for Oustanding Contribution to the Global Magnitsky Movement in London. In a sign of the friendships she made around the world, the head of the global campaign, Bill Browder, author of the book Red Notice on the Putin regime, praised her work on the Magnitsky laws. Bill Browder with Labor Senator Kimberly Kitching at the Sergei Magnitsky Human Rights Award ceremony in London, 2021. Credit:Sean Pollock Kimberley was a brave justice warrior who never stood down or was intimidated by the evil regimes she advocated against, he said.

She deeply believed in justice and truth and was ready to take risks to help the dispossessed. We had all sorts of plans to do more for victims of human rights abuse. We will carry on in her memory and I hope others will too. One of the key Liberal supporters of that push, Victorian Liberal Senator James Paterson, said he was deeply shocked by the death of his friend. Labor senator Kimberley Kitching at a Senate estimates hearing last year. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen She was a warrior for her cause, a friend of freedom and a true patriot who had an enormous impact in her short time in the Senate. A huge loss to the parliament, the ALP and her family, Senator Paterson said.

Fellow Victorian Liberal Senator Jane Hume called her a truly fine senator as well as a proud Victorian and friend. While we came from different corners to the political ring we shared values of liberty, human dignity and a belief in the ability of public policy to create public good, she said. In heartfelt remarks that showed the high regard for Senator Kitching on both sides of politics, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said he was deeply upset at the tragic news. She was a beautiful woman and this is a tragic loss. I know she is with our Lord, and I offer my sincerest and deepest condolences to her family, he said.
In the cutthroat world of politics, unfortunately, life is more complicated than such Facebook-friendly platitudes suggest.

Another oft-cited aphorism, attributed to author Margaret Lee Runbeck: Apology is a lovely perfume; it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift.

An apology is the superglue of life! It can repair just about anything!! a school teacher advises a troubled student in Canadian cartoonist Lynn Johnsons long-running comic strip For Better or Worse.

In the soft and fuzzy world of inspirational quotations, the word sorry is often imbued with mystical healing powers.

Just ask Scott Morrison. Like political leaders before him, the Prime Minister has struggled with whether to say sorry when things go wrong, and if so, how and when to apologise.

During a visit to Lismore this week, Morrison offered devastated flood victims not just tax relief and emergency payments, but an apology as well.

Every federal government would always be apologetic, and would always apologise that youre never going to be able to provide enough support in these situations, Morrison told reporters on Wednesday. Thats why I do apologise.

It was an eye-catching statement because Morrison does not throw around political apologies willy-nilly. He doesnt rush into saying sorry and when his apologies do arrive, they can contain qualifications that dilute their impact or digressions that create new problems to solve.

In a February speech to Parliament in which Morrison repeatedly apologised for the Stolen Generations, he added that sorry is not the hardest word to say, the hardest is I forgive you. Many Indigenous leaders responded furiously, saying he should not tell traumatised people how to behave.
Washington: Former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory, who is seeking the Republican nomination in a US Senate race, has launched a campaign ad accusing one of his primary rivals, Representative Ted Budd, a Republican, of being too complimentary of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As Ukrainians bled and died, McCrory says in the video, Congressman Budd excused their killer.

The ad then quotes Budd praising Putin as a very intelligent actor who had strategic reasons for invading Ukraine, including a desire to protect his southern flank.

Budd said in a February interview with CBS17 TV in Raleigh that he thinks Putin is evil but that it doesnt mean hes not smart.
Salisbury, MD (21801)

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FILE - Dolly Parton arrives at the 61st annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Grammy-winning legend's 1980's hit "9 to 5" has been flipped by Squarespace, the company that helps users build and host their own websites, for a Super Bowl commercial debuting Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. Oscar winner Damien Chazelle of "La La Land" fame directed the spot. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Forum Forums

Posted:

Disney CEO Bob Chapek has today commented on the future of the Mary Poppins attraction that was planned to be coming to EPCOT's United Kingdom Pavilion.

In response to a question at the 2022 Shareholder Meeting, Chapek said that the project is in a holding pattern currently, but looks forward to refunding the Mary Poppins ride in the future.

Disney officially announced that the United Kingdom Pavilion expansion was paused in July 2020 as the park's reopened from the COVID-19 shutdown. In addition to pausing Mary Poppins, Disney also put a halt to the Spaceship Earth update.

Announced at the 2019 D23 EXPO, the expansion to the United Kingdom pavilion was to add an entirely new neighborhood at the pavilion, complete with a ride. In the plans, guests would step in time down Cherry Tree Lane past Admiral Booms house, then enter Number 17, home of the Banks family, where their adventure would begin.
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Weatherford, TX (76086)

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Cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 82F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

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Thunderstorms likely in the evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms later on. A few storms may be severe. Low 66F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Deputies attend the opening meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

China is mulling an amendment to a law on local legislatures and governments as part of the country's drive to modernize its governance system and capacity. The draft amendment to the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments was submitted for its third reading to the ongoing fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature. Adopted in 1979, the law is going through its sixth amendment, in which a people-centered philosophy of development and whole-process people's democracy are highlighted. "As a basic law stipulating the organization and operation of local legislatures and governments, it serves as an important institutional guarantee for local state organs of power and administrative organs to exercise their powers and perform their duties," said Wang Chen, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, in an explanatory speech delivered at the session. When elaborating on the necessity of amending the law, Wang said that it is crucial to ensure law-based and effective governance under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. ENHANCING SUPERVISION The draft amendment further specifies the composition of local legislatures, stipulating that committees dedicated to financial and economic affairs, legal affairs and others can be set up by local people's congresses. "The establishment of such special committees will double the effectiveness of oversight by local legislatures over areas that require professional expertise," said Gao Jianjun, a national lawmaker from central China's Henan Province. Another highlight of the draft is the empowerment of people's congresses at the county and township levels to supervise the budgets and final accounts of governments at their respective levels. It also adds new provisions defining the functions and powers of urban neighborhood offices, as the sub-district agencies are assuming an increasing range of responsibilities for public administration. The current law does not prescribe what duties the offices should fulfill. Stressing the significance of primary-level organs and organizations in China's system of governance, political advisor Lyu Hongbing said that these revisions are essential to develop whole-process people's democracy and will ensure that it is the people who run the country. IMPROVING GRASSROOTS GOVERNANCE As stipulated by the current law, local legislatures and governments should perform their duties and functions in accordance with the law. The draft amendment fleshes out such provisions with details. According to the draft amendment, local people's congresses, the standing committees of local people's congresses at and above the county level and local governments should see to it that the central authorities' decisions are implemented in a timely and faithful manner, and that the Constitution, laws and administrative regulations are enforced within their own administrative regions. "Part of building a law-based government is ensuring the implementation of the Constitution, laws and administrative regulations," said Lyu. The draft amendment also responds to new changes in governance at local levels. It says that the governments of different administrative regions at and above the county level can set up special joint working groups based on local realities to implement state-level strategies for regional integrated development. Local governments at and above the county level can also form cross-department response teams in times of major emergency, it says. "These revisions will facilitate innovation in grassroots governance, enhance the capacity of local governments in delivering services to the people, and inject new vitality into the drive for modernizing the system and capacity for governance," said Cai Hua, an NPC deputy.


Feast and Field celebrates the female movers and shakers who are currently making waves in agriculture and culinary industries through their first-hand accounts and tasty recipes  plus we look into the future of farming and females.
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The Dodge Power Brokers dealer network is officially open for business as the exclusive source for the Dodge brands new Direct Connection factory-backed performance parts lineup. The Dodge Power Brokers programs initial launch encompasses nearly 100 dealerships located in 34 states across the U.S., with the network set to expand in the coming months.
Cinderella and Cats composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed ambitions stretching beyond the stage as he hires new faces to join his team.

The news comes as a reshuffle takes place at Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group. Charles Farmer will join the company as CEO, a freshly created role for the organisation. Farmer, who was formerly executive vice-president of MGM International Television Productions, will work alongside RUG's President, Jessica Koravos.

David Chance, who has worked extensively in Pay TV as well as at BSkyB, O2 and ITV, will become the non-executive chairman and take over from Mark Wordsworth, who will focus on his executive chair role at LW Theatres.

Lloyd Webber said: "The Covid-19 pandemic forced us all to look for new ways to develop, produce and share our work. While I am thrilled to see live theatre firmly back on its feet, we also have major ambitions in the worlds of TV, film, the metaverse and beyond. I am delighted to have Charlie and David on board to help us achieve new and exciting things. As he steps down as our Chairman, I also want to acknowledge the immeasurable contribution of Mark Wordsworth, the Chair of our board for 15 years."

Farmer added: "I am delighted to be joining Andrew, David and Jessica and the wider RUG team, a diverse group of very talented individuals, at such an interesting time in the business' growth. Working closely with Andrew and his truly unique body of work, I share his excitement for the major ambitions we have for RUG to expand into more projects for broadcast, streaming and film and TV platforms as well as other areas of growth."

The move sees the company intending to "build on a strong core in theatrical work and increase the reach and impact of Lloyd Webber's body of work through TV, film and other platforms". Details are to be confirmed  stay tuned for more!
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Economic and Environmental Affairs Adviser (S)

Organization: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Country: Austria

City: Vienna

Office: OSCE Vienna

Closing date: Monday, 21 March 2022

Background:

This position is open for secondment only and participating States are kindly reminded that all costs in relation to an assignment at the Secretariat must be borne by their authorities.

Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered. Seconded staff members in the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions are not entitled to a Board and Lodging Allowance payable by the Organization.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, combating human trafficking, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna assists the Chairmanship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions.

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) deals with economic and environmental issues, operating under the premise that promoting economic prosperity and co-operation on environmental problems can contribute to international security and stability. The OSCEs role is twofold: a) to monitor economic and environmental developments among participating States, and alert them to any threat of instability, and b) to facilitate the formulation of economic and environmental policies and initiatives among participating States, to promote security. The Office currently comprises 22 staff members.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Senior Economic and Environmental Officer, as Economic and Environmental Affairs Adviser, you will support and co-ordinate OSCE activities in relation to the economic and environmental aspects of security, particularly with regard to the preparation and follow-up of the Economic and Environmental Forum (EEF) and the Economic and Environmental Dimension Implementation Meeting (EEDIM).

More specifically, you will carry out the following:

Establishing regular liaison with international organizations, sub-regional initiatives and NGOs, and providing information on recent developments;

Drafting proposals for conferences including agendas and potential speakers;

Preparing briefing papers, reports, draft speeches as well as input to meetings on EEF topics for Senior Management, Secretary General and the Chairmanship;

Performing sectoral or regional analysis and input for preparatory conferences and the annual EEF;

Compiling consolidated summaries of meetings and assessing recommendations of conferences/Forum;

Maintaining contacts with partner organizations as well as interactive exchange;

Initiating and providing guidance and support to local and regional activities;

Supporting the work of the OSCE field presences and serving as a focal point for the co-ordination of projects and activities;

Providing information on recent developments and activities on issues related to the Forum topics;

Performing other duties as required.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Secretariat and the OCEEA, please see https://www.osce.org/secretariat and https://www.osce.org/oceea

Necessary Qualifications:

First-level university degree in economics, political science, and/or international relations; focus on development and/or transition economics, as well as on environmental security issues would be an asset;

Minimum of six years of professional experience, including two to three years work at the international level;

Analytical skills and experience in performing research;

Work in diplomatic service and/or an international organization would be an important asset; c9fVWt7 Dh7qKS

Experience in the OSCE is highly desirable;

Professional fluency in English including excellent written and oral skills; knowledge of another OSCE language, in particular Russian, would be an important asset;

Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;

Proven interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective and constructive working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;

Computer literate with practical experience in Microsoft applications.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCEs online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see https://www.osce.org/participating-states.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages the nomination of qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds.

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

Please apply to your relevant authorities well in advance of the deadline expiration to ensure timely processing of your application. Delayed nominations will not be considered. The OSCE can only process Secondment applications that have been nominated by participating States. For queries relating to your application, please refer to the respective delegation as listed here: https://www.osce.org/contacts/delegations.

Additional Information

Issued by: OSCE Secretariat

Requisition ID: CO-00000E

Contract Type: International Secondment

Grade: S

Job Type: Seconded

Number of posts: 1

Location: OSCE Secretariat, Vienna

Posting Date: Mar 7, 2022

Closing Date: Mar 21, 2022

Employee Status: Fixed Term

Schedule: Full-time

Education Level: Bachelors Degree (First-level university degree or equivalent)

Link to the organizations job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1646753857825
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ATLANTA (AP)  Movie director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after he was mistaken for a robber when he passed a teller a note while trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from his account, police said.

A police officer detains "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler at a Bank of America branch in Atlanta, in this January 2022 image made from Atlanta Police video. Coogler was mistaken for a bank robber at the bank. (Atlanta Police Department via AP)

ATLANTA (AP)  Movie director Ryan Coogler was briefly handcuffed by Atlanta police after he was mistaken for a robber when he passed a teller a note while trying to withdraw a large amount of cash from his account, police said.

The Black Panther director, who is Black, walked into a Bank of America branch Jan. 7 and passed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note written on the back asking her to be discreet when handing him the cash, according to a police report.

He was trying to withdraw more than $10,000, and the teller received an alert notification on her computer and quickly alerted her manager that Coogler was trying to rob the bank, the report says. The bank employee is a Black woman, the report says.

Police responding to the bank branch in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood saw a black Lexus SUV parked out front with the engine running. An officer talked to the male driver who said he was waiting for Coogler, who was inside the bank. A female passenger gave police the same information.

A description of Coogler given by the driver matched the description of the man reported to have been trying to rob the bank, the report says. The officer detained both the driver and passenger in the back of a police vehicle but they were not placed in handcuffs.

Two other officers had gone inside the bank and led Coogler out in handcuffs.

Body camera video released by police shows officers approaching Coogler from behind as he stands at the counter wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt, a black cap, sunglass and a white mask. As an officer pulls his gun and another tells him to put his hands behind his back, Coogler says, Whoa, whoa, whats going on?

As he's led from the bank, Coogler tells them hes just trying to pull money out of his own account.

Police determined the whole thing was a mistake by the teller and Coogler was never in the wrong, the report says The handcuffs were immediately removed and the other two people were released from the back of the patrol vehicle.

Police can be seen on body camera video explaining to Coogler that they were responding to a call of a bank robbery and had to take appropriate precautions. Still sitting in the back of the police SUV, Coogler is seen on video looking down and shaking his head as the officer explains.

Coogler explained to the officers that a medical assistant who works for him prefers to be paid in cash. When he withdraws a large sum to pay her, he said, he passes the teller a note because he doesn't want the cash run through a money counter right there because it attracts attention and makes him feel unsafe.

I dont know who made what call, who did what, but I just had guns drawn on me for taking money out of my own account, Coogler told police.

The teller never indicated there was a problem and when she went to talk to her manager, other bank employees kept asking if he was being taken care of, he told officers. The next thing he knew, he heard guns being pulled from their holsters.

Another body camera video shows the teller explaining that Coogler gave her the withdrawal slip and after he inserted his debit card and asked to make a withdrawal, he pointed at the note instead of answering her questions. When she asked for his ID and he gave her a California ID, she said the transaction seemed odd and her stomach started turning.

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When her computer notified her that it was a high-risk transaction, she went to speak to her manager. When she explained Coogler wanted $12,000 and the transaction made her feel uncomfortable, her manager suggested going to talk to him, she told officers. But she refused because she was pregnant and did not know if he had a gun, she said. She called 911.

This situation should never have happened, Coogler said in a statement to The New York Times, but he added that Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.

A representative for Coogler did not respond to messages from The Associated Press.

We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It should never have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler, a statement from Bank of America says.

Released in 2018, the Marvel superhero film Black Panther became the years biggest film release, earning more than a billion dollars worldwide and inspiring Wakanda Forever salutes everywhere. The film was nominated for best picture; Coogler shared in the honor as one of the films producers. Work on the sequel has been happening in Georgia. The film is scheduled for release in November 2022.

While the director is best known for Black Panther, he also co-wrote the Rocky spinoff Creed. His breakout movie was writing and directing Fruitvale Station, about the last day of Oscar Grant, who was fatally shot by police in the Bay Area in 2009.
NEW YORK (AP)  Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it.

FILE - Pill Mann" made by Frank Huntley of Worcester, Mass., from his opioid prescription pill bottles, is displayed during a protest by advocates for opioid victims outside the Department of Justice, on Dec. 3, 2021, in Washington. Many families left heartbroken by opioid overdoses and addictions have been waiting for years to be able to tell another family  the Sacklers  about the damage their company, Purdue Pharma, did. Their chance arrives Thursday, March 10, 2022, in a federal court hearing to be conducted by video, during what could be the end of a long legal odyssey that will allow Purdue and the Sacklers to settle thousands of lawsuits. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

NEW YORK (AP)  Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it.

They were unsparing as they unleashed decades of frustration and sorrow on members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over the course of a three-hour virtual hearing.

One woman played a recording from when she called 911 to get help for her overdosing son, then called one of the Sacklers the scum of the earth." Several displayed pictures of loved ones who died too soon because of their addictions. Many spoke about forgiveness, with some trying to find it  and others definitely not.

I hope that every single victims face haunts your every waking moment and your sleeping ones, too," said Ryan Hampton, of Las Vegas, who has been in recovery for seven years after an addiction that began with an OxyContin prescription to treat knee pain led to overdoses and periods of homelessness.

You poisoned our lives and had the audacity to blame us for dying," he said. I hope you hear our names in your dreams. I hope you hear the screams of the families who find their loved ones dead on the bathroom floor. I hope you hear the sirens. I hope you hear the heart monitor as it beats along with a failing pulse."

FILE - Purdue Pharma's headquarters stands in Stamford, Conn., on Oct. 21, 2020. Purdue Pharma is expected to ask a federal judge Wednesday, March 9, 2022, to approve a nationwide settlement that will transform the company into a public trust and contribute up to $6 billion from members of the Sackler family, with most of the money going toward efforts to abate the nation's ongoing overdose and addiction crisis. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

The unusual hearing was conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court at the suggestion of a mediator who helped broker a deal that could settle thousands of lawsuits against Purdue over the toll of opioids, generating billions for the fight against the addiction and overdose crisis and giving Sackler family members protection from lawsuits.

Appearing via audio was Richard Sackler, the former Purdue president and board chair who has said the company and family bear no responsibility for the opioid crisis; he is a son of Raymond Sackler, one of the three brothers who in the 1950s bought the company that became Purdue Pharma. Attending on video were Theresa Sackler, a British dame and wife of the late Mortimer D. Sackler, another of the brothers; and David Sackler, Richard Sacklers son.

Theresa's and David's expressions remained largely neutral as people spoke on video about the pain of losing children after years of trying to get them adequate treatment, about their own journeys through addiction, and about caring for babies born into withdrawal and screaming in pain.

FILE - Fake pill bottles with messages about OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma are displayed during a protest outside the courthouse where the bankruptcy of the company is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 9, 2021. Purdue Pharma is expected to ask a federal judge Wednesday, March 9, 2022, to approve a nationwide settlement that will transform the company into a public trust and contribute up to $6 billion from members of the Sackler family, with most of the money going toward efforts to abate the nation's ongoing overdose and addiction crisis. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Under court rules, the Sacklers were not allowed to respond to the victims, who were selected by lawyers for creditors in the case. Some victims spoke from a law office in New York; others were at their homes or offices around the country.

Jannette Adams told of her late husband, Dr. Thomas Adams, who was a physician and church deacon in Mississippi and a missionary in Africa and Haiti. He became addicted to opioids after pharmaceutical representatives pitched them, she said. After a terrible decline, he died in 2015.

Im angry, Im pissed, but I move on," Adams said. "Because our society lost a person who could have made so many more contributions. ... You took so much from us, but we plan to, through our faith in God, move forward.

FILE  Kathleen Scarpone, left, of Kingston, N.H., and Cheryl Juaire, second from left, of Marlborough, Mass., protest in front of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, at Harvard University, April 12, 2019, in Cambridge, Mass. Scarpone, who lost her son to OxyContin addiction, addressed three Sackler family members during a virtual U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds, File)

Kristy Nelson played for the Sacklers a tense recording of a 911 call in which she summoned police to her home the day her son Bryan died of an opioid overdose. The dispatcher asked whether his skin had gone blue; she said it was white. She said she replays the call in her mind daily.

Thursday was Richard Sackler's 77th birthday, according to public records. Later this month, Nelson said, she and her husband will visit the cemetery on what would have been Bryan's 34th birthday.

I understand todays your birthday, Richard, how will you be celebrating?" she said. I guarantee it wont be in the cemetery. ... You have truly benefitted from the death of children. You are scum of the earth.

FILE  Photographer and activist Nan Goldin speaks during a protest in front of the courthouse where the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy is taking place, in White Plains, N.Y., Aug. 9, 2021. Goldin described her OxyContin addiction as she addressed three Sackler family members during a virtual U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Her words echoed a 2001 email from Richard Sackler, made public during lawsuits over OxyContin, in which he referred to people with addiction as scum of the earth.

Jenny Scully, a nurse in New York, gave birth in 2014 while on OxyContin and other opioids prescribed years earlier when she was dealing with both breast cancer and injuries from an accident. She was told her baby would be healthy, Scully said, but the little girl has had a lifetime of physical, developmental and emotional difficulties.

You have destroyed so many lives," she said, pulling her daughter into view. "Take a good look at this beautiful little girl you robbed of the person she could have been."

Ryan Hampton speaks to reporters after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The forum was unconventional for the White Plains, New York, courtroom of Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain, who on Wednesday gave tentative approval to key elements of a plan to settle thousands of lawsuits against the company.

Other drugmakers and wholesalers and even a consulting company have also been settling lawsuits over the opioid crisis, which has been linked two more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past two decades. But Purdue's case stands out because it was an early player with OxyContin and is privately owned.

The settlement is estimated to be worth at least $10 billion over time. It calls for the Sacklers to contribute $5.5 billion to $6 billion over 17 years to fight the opioid crisis. Thats an increase of more than $1 billion over a previous version rejected by another judge on appeal. Most of the money would be used for efforts to combat the crisis, but $750 million would go directly to victims or their survivors.

Ryan Hampton speaks to reporters after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The overall settlement, which still requires actions by multiple courts to take effect, provides more than $150 million for Native American tribes and over $100 million for medical monitoring and payments for children born in opioid withdrawal.

The plan also calls for family members to give up ownership of the company so it can become a new entity, Knoa Pharma, with its profits dedicated to stemming the epidemic. In exchange, Sackler family members would get protection from lawsuits over opioids.

The family also agreed not to oppose any efforts to remove the Sackler name from cultural and educational institutions they have supported and to make public a larger cache of company documents.

FILE  In this image from House Television, David Sackler, a member of the family that owns Purdue Pharma, testifies via video to a House Oversight Committee hearing, Dec. 17, 2020. Sackler, the former Purdue president and board chair, appearing via audio, attended a virtual U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (House Television via AP, File)

Purdue Pharma starting selling OxyContin, a pioneering extended-release prescription painkiller, in 1996. At the same time, Purdue and other drug companies funded efforts to get doctors and other prescribers to think differently about opioids  suggesting they be used for some pain conditions for which the potent drugs were previously considered off limits.

Over the decades, there were waves of fatal overdoses, first associated with prescription drugs and then, as prescriptions became harder to obtain and some drugs became harder to manipulate for a quick high, from heroin. More recently, fentanyl and similar drugs have become the biggest killer.

Purdue has twice pleaded guilty to criminal charges, but no Sacklers have been charged with crimes. There are no indications any such charges are forthcoming, although seven U.S. senators last month asked the Department of Justice to consider charges.

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Ryan Hampton speaks to reporters after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The Sacklers have never unequivocally apologized. Last week, they released a statement saying in part, While the families have acted lawfully in all respects, they sincerely regret that OxyContin, a prescription medicine that continues to help people suffering from chronic pain, unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis that has brought grief and loss to far too many families and communities.

Following the hearing, a spokesperson for Mortimer Sackler's descendants said the family would not make a statement; a representative of Raymond Sackler's side of the family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The family of the other brother, Arthur, sold its share of Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue before OxyContin was developed.

Several speakers noted the lack of an apology, and some called for prosecutors to pursue criminal investigations.

When you created OxyContin, you created so much loss for so many people," said Kay Scarpone, who lost her son Joseph, a former Marine, to addiction a month before his 26th birthday. Im outraged that you havent owned up to the crisis that youve created.

___

Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
BEIJING (AP)  China is tackling a COVID-19 spike with selective lockdowns and other measures that appear to slightly ease its draconian zero tolerance strategy.

People wearing face masks get haircut at a salon after temporarily closing in Hong Kong, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

BEIJING (AP)  China is tackling a COVID-19 spike with selective lockdowns and other measures that appear to slightly ease its draconian zero tolerance strategy.

In Hong Kong, where experts say the citys worst outbreak to date may have peaked, barber shops and hair salons reopened Thursday. Still, many are seeing that as an example of mixed messages from the government of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory that has been ordered to follow the zero tolerance" approach used on the mainland.

Hong Kong authorities reported 31,392 local infections on Thursday, down from over 50,000 infections the previous day.

On the mainland, the 402 cases of local transmission reported Thursday were quadruple the number of cases a week ago. Of those, 165 were in the northeastern province of Jilin, mainly in the cities of Changchun and Jilin, where city authorities locked down 160 residential communities where multiple cases have been detected.

People wearing face masks wait to get haircut at a salon after temporarily closing in Hong Kong, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Three rounds of mass testing in Jilin city have also been completed, inter-city transport links suspended and all residents advised to stay home until numbers drop. Non-essential businesses and snow recreation areas were closed.

Drivers and passengers of private cars, buses and taxies entering or exiting Changchun must present negative tests for the coronavirus taken within the past 48 hours.

Authorities attributed the Jilin provincial outbreak to the highly contagious omicron variant, with more than 1,200 cases recorded nationwide since Friday, some of the highest numbers since the pandemic began spreading from the central city of Wuhan in 2020.

Still, control measures were less strict than in the past, in a possible sign that China is beginning to relax its zero tolerance"" approach to the pandemic. As recently as January, China was locking down entire cities, affecting millions of people.

In his annual report on the work of government delivered Saturday, Premier Li Keqiang said China needs to constantly refine epidemic containment but gave no direct indication Beijing was abandoning zero tolerance.

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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Wednesday that reducing deaths is the citys priority. Hong Kong is dedicating several hospitals to COVID-19 treatment and building an emergency hospital that will be staffed by medical workers from the mainland.

Lam also said there was no updated schedule for a mass-testing plan in Hong Kong that was initially expected to occur this month but was put on hold.

Hong Kong has seen more than 600,000 infections since the latest wave began at the end of December.

Hair salons in the city reopened Thursday after being ordered to close for a month as part of tough social-distancing restrictions.

Its good that we are allowed to open and have business although theres still more than 20,000 to 30,000 daily cases, said Andy Cheung, the owner of an express salon.

"But still, its good that we can serve the community, he said.
NEW YORK (AP)  Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it.

FILE - Pill Mann" made by Frank Huntley of Worcester, Mass., from his opioid prescription pill bottles, is displayed during a protest by advocates for opioid victims outside the Department of Justice, on Dec. 3, 2021, in Washington. Many families left heartbroken by opioid overdoses and addictions have been waiting for years to be able to tell another family  the Sacklers  about the damage their company, Purdue Pharma, did. Their chance arrives Thursday, March 10, 2022, in a federal court hearing to be conducted by video, during what could be the end of a long legal odyssey that will allow Purdue and the Sacklers to settle thousands of lawsuits. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

NEW YORK (AP)  Angry, defiant and sometimes tearful, more than two dozen Americans whose lives were upended by the opioid crisis finally had their long-awaited chance Thursday to confront in court some members of the family they blame for fueling it.

They were unsparing as they unleashed decades of frustration and sorrow on members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over the course of a three-hour virtual hearing.

One woman played a recording from when she called 911 to get help for her overdosing son, then called one of the Sacklers the scum of the earth." Several displayed pictures of loved ones who died too soon because of their addictions. Many spoke about forgiveness, with some trying to find it  and others definitely not.

I hope that every single victims face haunts your every waking moment and your sleeping ones, too," said Ryan Hampton, of Las Vegas, who has been in recovery for seven years after an addiction that began with an OxyContin prescription to treat knee pain led to overdoses and periods of homelessness.

You poisoned our lives and had the audacity to blame us for dying," he said. I hope you hear our names in your dreams. I hope you hear the screams of the families who find their loved ones dead on the bathroom floor. I hope you hear the sirens. I hope you hear the heart monitor as it beats along with a failing pulse."

FILE - Purdue Pharma's headquarters stands in Stamford, Conn., on Oct. 21, 2020. Purdue Pharma is expected to ask a federal judge Wednesday, March 9, 2022, to approve a nationwide settlement that will transform the company into a public trust and contribute up to $6 billion from members of the Sackler family, with most of the money going toward efforts to abate the nation's ongoing overdose and addiction crisis. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

The unusual hearing was conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court at the suggestion of a mediator who helped broker a deal that could settle thousands of lawsuits against Purdue over the toll of opioids, generating billions for the fight against the addiction and overdose crisis and giving Sackler family members protection from lawsuits.

Appearing via audio was Richard Sackler, the former Purdue president and board chair who has said the company and family bear no responsibility for the opioid crisis; he is a son of Raymond Sackler, one of the three brothers who in the 1950s bought the company that became Purdue Pharma. Attending on video were Theresa Sackler, a British dame and wife of the late Mortimer D. Sackler, another of the brothers; and David Sackler, Richard Sacklers son.

Theresa's and David's expressions remained largely neutral as people spoke on video about the pain of losing children after years of trying to get them adequate treatment, about their own journeys through addiction, and about caring for babies born into withdrawal and screaming in pain.

FILE - Fake pill bottles with messages about OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma are displayed during a protest outside the courthouse where the bankruptcy of the company is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 9, 2021. Purdue Pharma is expected to ask a federal judge Wednesday, March 9, 2022, to approve a nationwide settlement that will transform the company into a public trust and contribute up to $6 billion from members of the Sackler family, with most of the money going toward efforts to abate the nation's ongoing overdose and addiction crisis. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Under court rules, the Sacklers were not allowed to respond to the victims, who were selected by lawyers for creditors in the case. Some victims spoke from a law office in New York; others were at their homes or offices around the country.

Jannette Adams told of her late husband, Dr. Thomas Adams, who was a physician and church deacon in Mississippi and a missionary in Africa and Haiti. He became addicted to opioids after pharmaceutical representatives pitched them, she said. After a terrible decline, he died in 2015.

Im angry, Im pissed, but I move on," Adams said. "Because our society lost a person who could have made so many more contributions. ... You took so much from us, but we plan to, through our faith in God, move forward.

FILE  Kathleen Scarpone, left, of Kingston, N.H., and Cheryl Juaire, second from left, of Marlborough, Mass., protest in front of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, at Harvard University, April 12, 2019, in Cambridge, Mass. Scarpone, who lost her son to OxyContin addiction, addressed three Sackler family members during a virtual U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds, File)

Kristy Nelson played for the Sacklers a tense recording of a 911 call in which she summoned police to her home the day her son Bryan died of an opioid overdose. The dispatcher asked whether his skin had gone blue; she said it was white. She said she replays the call in her mind daily.

Thursday was Richard Sackler's 77th birthday, according to public records. Later this month, Nelson said, she and her husband will visit the cemetery on what would have been Bryan's 34th birthday.

I understand todays your birthday, Richard, how will you be celebrating?" she said. I guarantee it wont be in the cemetery. ... You have truly benefitted from the death of children. You are scum of the earth.

FILE  Photographer and activist Nan Goldin speaks during a protest in front of the courthouse where the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy is taking place, in White Plains, N.Y., Aug. 9, 2021. Goldin described her OxyContin addiction as she addressed three Sackler family members during a virtual U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Her words echoed a 2001 email from Richard Sackler, made public during lawsuits over OxyContin, in which he referred to people with addiction as scum of the earth.

Jenny Scully, a nurse in New York, gave birth in 2014 while on OxyContin and other opioids prescribed years earlier when she was dealing with both breast cancer and injuries from an accident. She was told her baby would be healthy, Scully said, but the little girl has had a lifetime of physical, developmental and emotional difficulties.

You have destroyed so many lives," she said, pulling her daughter into view. "Take a good look at this beautiful little girl you robbed of the person she could have been."

Ryan Hampton speaks to reporters after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The forum was unconventional for the White Plains, New York, courtroom of Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain, who on Wednesday gave tentative approval to key elements of a plan to settle thousands of lawsuits against the company.

Other drugmakers and wholesalers and even a consulting company have also been settling lawsuits over the opioid crisis, which has been linked two more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past two decades. But Purdue's case stands out because it was an early player with OxyContin and is privately owned.

The settlement is estimated to be worth at least $10 billion over time. It calls for the Sacklers to contribute $5.5 billion to $6 billion over 17 years to fight the opioid crisis. Thats an increase of more than $1 billion over a previous version rejected by another judge on appeal. Most of the money would be used for efforts to combat the crisis, but $750 million would go directly to victims or their survivors.

Ryan Hampton speaks to reporters after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The overall settlement, which still requires actions by multiple courts to take effect, provides more than $150 million for Native American tribes and over $100 million for medical monitoring and payments for children born in opioid withdrawal.

The plan also calls for family members to give up ownership of the company so it can become a new entity, Knoa Pharma, with its profits dedicated to stemming the epidemic. In exchange, Sackler family members would get protection from lawsuits over opioids.

The family also agreed not to oppose any efforts to remove the Sackler name from cultural and educational institutions they have supported and to make public a larger cache of company documents.

FILE  In this image from House Television, David Sackler, a member of the family that owns Purdue Pharma, testifies via video to a House Oversight Committee hearing, Dec. 17, 2020. Sackler, the former Purdue president and board chair, appearing via audio, attended a virtual U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (House Television via AP, File)

Purdue Pharma starting selling OxyContin, a pioneering extended-release prescription painkiller, in 1996. At the same time, Purdue and other drug companies funded efforts to get doctors and other prescribers to think differently about opioids  suggesting they be used for some pain conditions for which the potent drugs were previously considered off limits.

Over the decades, there were waves of fatal overdoses, first associated with prescription drugs and then, as prescriptions became harder to obtain and some drugs became harder to manipulate for a quick high, from heroin. More recently, fentanyl and similar drugs have become the biggest killer.

Purdue has twice pleaded guilty to criminal charges, but no Sacklers have been charged with crimes. There are no indications any such charges are forthcoming, although seven U.S. senators last month asked the Department of Justice to consider charges.

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Ryan Hampton speaks to reporters after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The Sacklers have never unequivocally apologized. Last week, they released a statement saying in part, While the families have acted lawfully in all respects, they sincerely regret that OxyContin, a prescription medicine that continues to help people suffering from chronic pain, unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis that has brought grief and loss to far too many families and communities.

Following the hearing, a spokesperson for Mortimer Sackler's descendants said the family would not make a statement; a representative of Raymond Sackler's side of the family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The family of the other brother, Arthur, sold its share of Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue before OxyContin was developed.

Several speakers noted the lack of an apology, and some called for prosecutors to pursue criminal investigations.

When you created OxyContin, you created so much loss for so many people," said Kay Scarpone, who lost her son Joseph, a former Marine, to addiction a month before his 26th birthday. Im outraged that you havent owned up to the crisis that youve created.

___

Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says oil from his province could help countries transition away from Russian fossil fuels, but experts warn it's not that simple.

The Hebron Platform, anchored in Trinity Bay, N.L., is shown on April 18, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says oil from his province could help countries transition away from Russian fossil fuels, but experts warn it's not that simple.

Though there may be immediate demand, there's no way to quickly boost oil production at Newfoundland's offshore oilfields to meet it, they say. And ultimately, any new oil project must still reckon with climate change and its effects on the global markets.

"There are environmental costs, which can be quite high," Doug May, an economics professor at Memorial University, said Tuesday in an interview. "So how do you balance one against the other, and whose well-being are we really concerned with?"

On Tuesday, United States President Joe Biden announced his country will ban all Russian oil imports in retaliation for President Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine. The U.S. is one of the top five importers of Russian refined petroleum products, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity, and government figures show the country imported almost 700,000 barrels per day of Russian crude oil and petroleum products in 2021.

Canada has also banned all imports of Russian crude oil, though they were already negligible.Furey told reporters last week that Newfoundland and Labrador's oil could fill supply gaps as countries turn away from Russian oil.

"I think that's an important position for Canada to maintain moving forward as the world recognizes that it can't be relying on a tyrant who controls the energy markets," Furey said, referring to Putin. He repeated those sentiments a couple of days later, after Ottawa announced it was delaying by 40 days a decision by the environment minister about whether Norwegian oil giant Equinor could develop a new offshore project, called Bay du Nord, located about 500 kilometres off the coast of St. John's.

"We have the product the world needs now more than ever before," Furey said in a tweet.

It's a compelling argument, May said, and it may sway some in Ottawa, but he said it doesn't erase concerns about climate change.

Newfoundland and Labrador is home to four offshore fields, which together produced roughly 235,500 barrels per day in January. Production peaked in the summer of 2007 at about 430,000 barrels a day, according to regulator reports.

Equinor says there is an estimated 300 million barrels of recoverable oil in the Bay du Nord area, though industry experts say it's closer to 800 million. The company's 2018 project description says the field could pump up to 188,000 barrels a day. Production won't begin until at least 2025, the company's website says.

Meanwhile, Cenovus  formerly Husky Energy  is still deciding if it will continue work halted in 2020 to extend another offshore field, called White Rose. The project located 350 kilometres off the east coast of Newfoundland could produce up to 75,000 barrels of oil per day.

A Cenovus spokeswoman said Tuesday a decision is expected later this year. Colleen McConnell wouldn't say, however, if the sanctions on Russian petroleum are influencing deliberations.

Reserves in the Hibernia and White Rose fields are depleting, while operations at the Suncor-owned Terra Nova oilfield have been suspended while its production vessel is refitted in Spain. A Suncor spokeswoman said on Wednesday production should resume before the end of the year.

"There's a mismatch there between the timelines of those projects and the supply gap that we're seeing in the market," said Sara Hastings-Simon, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Calgary, who sits on the board of the Pembina Institute, a Canadian energy think tank.

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In the meantime, the transition from Russian oil could also accelerate a shift away from all fossil fuels, Hastings-Simon said. Spiking oil and gas prices, for example, could drive consumers to buy electric vehicles or change the way they heat their homes, she said.

There's also a growing sense that people have an individual responsibility to help ease demand on Russian oil by reducing their own consumption, she added. For example, the International Energy Agency is encouraging European Union residents to use less natural gas, as about 40 per cent of their supply comes from Russia. The agency is expected to release a guide next week on using less oil, she said.

The EU also released a plan Monday to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels, which includes sweeping commitments to develop renewable alternatives.

May said offshore oil projects are increasingly risky as the world tries to wean itself off oil  no matter where it's from  in response to climate change. They're expensive, they're long-term and they require a few years of development before they even start producing, he said.

Even if Ottawa approves Bay du Nord, the company will still have to decide if all the risks are worth it, May added. Equinor's decision announced Feb. 28 to halt all new investments in Russia and start exiting its existing ventures in the country will likely add to the complications, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2022.
A virtual hearing Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court gave survivors of opioid addiction and people who lost loved ones to the crisis what they have long desired  the chance to confront members of the family behind OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma. They blamed the Sackler family members for helping fuel the epidemic through marketing of Purdue's signature painkiller OxyContin and for failing to take responsibility for their role.

Ryan Hampton speaks to reporters after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A virtual hearing Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court gave survivors of opioid addiction and people who lost loved ones to the crisis what they have long desired  the chance to confront members of the family behind OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma. They blamed the Sackler family members for helping fuel the epidemic through marketing of Purdue's signature painkiller OxyContin and for failing to take responsibility for their role.

Three Sackler family members attended the hearing: Richard, Theresa and David Sackler. Under court rules, they could not respond and had to sit silently while roughly two dozen people gave emotional statements.

Richard Sackler appeared only via audio; he is the former Purdue president and board chair who has said the company and family bear no responsibility for the opioid crisis. He also is a son of Raymond Sackler, one of the three brothers who in the 1950s bought the company that became Purdue Pharma. Theresa Sackler is a British dame and wife of the late Mortimer D. Sackler, another of the brothers, while David Sackler is Richard Sacklers son. Both appeared on video.

What some of the victims, selected by lawyers for creditors in the case, said when they finally got the chance to speak directly to the Sacklers:

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SCUM OF THE EARTH

Kristy Nelson played a tape of her 911 call reporting that her son was unresponsive. Later this month, she and her husband will go to the cemetery to mark what would have been Bryan's 34th birthday and pointed out that Richard Sackler turned 77 on Thursday: I understand todays your birthday, Richard. How will you be celebrating? I guarantee it wont be in the cemetery. ... You have truly benefitted from the death of children. You are scum of the earth.

Her husband, Bill, a judge in Indianapolis, added: I seriously doubt that anything any of us say today to these people will have any effect whatsoever. When we are done, David and Theresa will do whatever billionaires and dames do. Richard will hang up his phone and go do whatever greedy billionaire cowards do on their birthdays.

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A BROKEN MAN

Vitaly Pinkusov lost his wife to an overdose when she was 32 and held up a photo of her: Please understand that I stand here before you as a broken man. ... Im broken, so please look at me. You can look me in the eyes, or you can avoid looking at me. ... Im the face of the opioid epidemic. ... How do I feel about you? ... The closest feeling is the feeling of pure contempt. I do not forgive you. ... You are not condemned to death. You are condemned to eternal infamy without the possibility of release.

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YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID

Ryan Hampton, who became addicted after being prescribed OxyContin for a knee injury, addressed Richard Sackler: You know what you did. I hope that every single victims face haunts your every waking moment and your sleeping ones, too. I hope you hear our names in your dreams.  I hope you hear the sirens. I hope you hear the heart monitor as it beats along with failing pulse. ... You poisoned our lives and had the audacity to blame us for dying. ... Richard Sackler, you are the abuser, you are the criminal, and you are the culprit."

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Cheryl Juaire speaks to reporters after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

KEEPING GRANDPA SAFE

Wendy Olsen told how her father, a retired pediatrician and Army officer, became addicted after a hospital stay in his 80s, decades after turning back a Purdue sales representative who suggested he should prescribe OxyContin. The colonel barked out his orders demanding OxyContin, she said of when he returned home. When we refused, he went into shaky, pukey withdrawal. Since then, its been a struggle to keep him safe. Olsens son, Danny, said he now sleeps on the sofa with one eye open to intercept Grandpa before he harms himself. No amount of money can shield your conscience from the pain youve caused  not relieved, but caused, he said.

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AN EMPTY MOTHER'S DAY

Kim Blake, a Vermont doctor who lost her son to an overdose after he was released from prison, where he could not get medication to treat his addiction: I couldnt face another Mothers Day without him. I have never taken your drug, but it has nearly cost me my life.

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THE COST OF ADDICTION

Kathy Strain, a Pennsylvania mother caring for children with addiction, said medication to treat it was expensive. She said she worked 16-hour overnight shifts as often as possible so she could keep days free to ferry her children to treatment: Costs were so high that sometimes we had to purchase medication daily, and some days I had to choose which of my children I could help, based on my best guess of which one was most likely to make it through that day. Can you, Richard, imagine how to make that decision? You will never have the slightest clue of what that meant to me.

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ARTIST'S LIVELIHOOD LOST

Nan Goldin described how she rapidly became addicted to OxyContin after a prescription following wrist surgery. Her career as an artist fell apart, she didnt leave her room for three years, and she overdosed in 2017 and spent months in a clinic. Its nice to finally see the Sacklers face to face, she said. She called for federal criminal charges against the Sacklers and said their recent statement of responsibility, in which they expressed regret for the toll of OxyContin but did not explicitly apologize, was insulting to all of us whove been damaged by them.

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TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE?

Cheryl Juaire, a Massachusetts woman who lost two sons to opioid overdoses: How much money is enough? Really, truly, how much is enough? If your family had any remorse at all, you could have changed the trajectory by taking your money back in 2007 and used it to abate this crisis.

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EMPATHY OVER MONEY

Stephanie Lubinski, whose addicted husband took his own life in their home in 2020: Richard, David and Theresa, you have made an insane amount of money off of our family, more than you could ever spend, she said, noting that she is grappling with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Cant you all feel one bit of empathy for the victims, the devastation that your drug has caused?

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MERCY ON YOUR SOULS

I am no longer the woman I once was. You have cheated my children from the mother I once was, you have cheated my husband from the wife I once was, said Jill Cichowicz, whose twin brother, Scott, died of a fentanyl overdose in 2017. However, I can still look in the mirror and know that I am a good person. ... May God have mercy on all your souls, because no one in this room will.

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ANGRY BUT MOVING FORWARD

Jannette Adams' husband, Dr. Thomas Adams, died in 2015 after becoming addicted to opioids following pitches by pharmaceutical company representatives: Im angry, Im pissed, but I move on. Because our society lost a person who could have made so many more contributions. ... You took so much from us, but we plan to, through our faith in God, move forward."

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ADDICTED AND PREGNANT

Kara Trainor, who is in recovery, gave birth to her son while on methadone to treat her addiction: If youve ever heard a newborn in withdrawal, the screaming will haunt you for the rest of your life."

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DESPICABLE

Shelly Whitaker is the mother of three children born dependent on opioids that were prescribed to her for medical conditions: You are despicable. Your greed has affected my children for the rest of their lives, she said I do take full responsibility for what I did. She said she wished the Sacklers would do likewise.

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PAY A LITTLE MONEY

Randi Pollock's brother became addicted to OxyContin that was prescribed for nerve pain: If you could at least take responsibility and apologize and pay a little money to people who have dead people in their family, because they dont have the opportunity to go to rehab, I just think that would make a big difference and it doesnt take too much effort on your part.

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'I'M OUTRAGED'

When you created OxyContin, you created so much loss for so many people," said Kay Scarpone, who lost her son Joseph. "Im outraged that you havent owned up to the crisis that youve created.
As Kate Kliuchnyk and her mother, Yuliia, pondered the next chapter of their lives in the crisp sunshine outside Warsaw's Central Station on Thursday morning, a brief smile flashed across their faces.

As Kate Kliuchnyk and her mother, Yuliia, pondered the next chapter of their lives in the crisp sunshine outside Warsaw's Central Station on Thursday morning, a brief smile flashed across their faces.

"We really hope that everything will be good, that we will come home," said Kate, 19, who fled her home in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, with two younger sisters, her mother and Marley, their grey and white husky.

Speaking in lightly accented English, she said it was like being on a "mini trip. Maybe it's a good opportunity to see Europe, to see other countries."

Her mother said it was a good idea to stay positive. "In other way, we'll be very sad. And that won't change nothing."

As the women embarked on a new path in a new land  without Kate's father, who stayed behind  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Poland's leaders and also managed to cross paths with U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Polish President Andrzej Duda told Trudeau that 100,000 people are fleeing Ukraine into Poland every day, swelling his population by 1.5 million refugees. Many are being housed by local Polish residents, while 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled to other nations in Europe as well.

Duda and Trudeau lambasted Russian President Vladimir Putin for an invasion that has unleashed the worst carnage on Europe since the Second World War, killing at least 500 civilians if not more, according to United Nations estimates.

On Wednesday, an airstrike on a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol injured pregnant women and left children buried in the rubble.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the end of a joint news conference in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, March 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Duda said Poland will help collect evidence of war crimes so Putin and other Russians can face a legal reckoning before the International Criminal Court.

"This is genocide," he said in Polish.

"If someone bombs maternity hospitals full of pregnant women, if someone shells residential areas where there are no military facilities, these are war crimes and this is genocide."

Trudeau condemned the invasion and was firm in his belief that Putin made a grave mistake when he invaded Ukraine.

"He's going to lose this war because the ferocity and strength and resolve of the Ukrainian people defending their territory is inspiring us all."

It would appear that Yuliia Kliuchnyk's husband may be one of them.

"Men are not allowed to leave the country at the moment," she said.

Kate said she talks by phone with her father every day.

Duda said Canada was the only country that offered help to Poland to manage a refugee crisis before Russia launched its "barbaric, unprovoked" invasion of Ukraine.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leves his car as he arrives for a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

He described speaking on the phone with Trudeau on Feb. 13, when he said the prime minister told him if Russia did invade, Canada would support Poland if needed.

As dusk fell on the Polish capital, Trudeau came face to face with the crisis when he spent about half an hour with more than a dozen refugees in a crammed room in a hostel in downtown Warsaw. It was filled with about 15 refugees from five families  all women with the exception of one grey-haired man.

He reached out to clutch a blond toddler after he wandered in front of Trudeau and his entourage of ministers. The officials sat against one wall facing the masked group of refugees, a toy orange cement mixer at their feet.

"I just want to tell you that we are watching what's happening in Ukraine every single day from around the world," Trudeau said.

"And we are all standing with you and we all want this to be over as (soon) as possible. And to get your country back and to support your brave husbands and brothers and friends who are staying back to make sure that Vladimir Putin doesn't win. But you need to know that the West will be there for you as well."

With Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland serving as his translator, Trudeau listened as some of the refugees relayed their experiences. After listening to one of the women speak, Trudeau was close to tears.

Canadians may soon get to hear directly from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has agreed to address Parliament next Tuesday at 11:15 a.m. eastern time.

"The people of Ukraine have shown tremendous courage in defending their country against the unjustifiable military invasion by Russia's Vladimir Putin," government House leader Mark Holland wrote to House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota on Thursday as he sought his approval to allow the address to go ahead while the House and Senate are on a two-week break.

"This would be an opportunity for Canadians to hear directly from President Zelenskyy about the urgent and dire situation facing the people of Ukraine."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the palace in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, March 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Trudeau, Rota, Senate Speaker George Furey, interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and a member of the Green Party would also speak.

In Berlin on Wednesday, Freeland said Canada began planning its response to a European refugee crisis late last year, as Putin began deploying more than 100,000 Russian soldiers and military equipment to Ukraine's borders.

"We called it the 'God forbid' scenario," Freeland said.

Trudeau also met for an hour on Thursday evening with the American vice-president, who was also in Warsaw, for a discussion about how the two North American neighbours could help their European allies deal with their security and humanitarian needs.

"We stand in solidarity in terms of our outrage," Harris told Trudeau before the meeting. Trudeau in turn praised her and the Biden administration for leading "like-minded countries to prepare for this possibility of the unthinkable, of Russia invading Ukraine."

The United States also raised fears this week that Putin will unleash chemical weapons in the war, which Trudeau and Duda said would be met with the harshest of consequences.

"Putin needs to know that the consequences for his actions already will be severe, and further escalations by him, further targeting of civilians, further use of problematic ways to kill civilians, is going to be met with the severest of responses both globally and individually on him," Trudeau said.

Trudeau said Canada is going to triple the matching fund for Ukrainian relief donations made to the Canadian Red Cross, from $10 million to $30 million.

Canada is expediting refugee applications filed before the war began and prioritizing Ukrainians applying to come to Canada through other streams.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tears up as he listens to a Ukrainian refugee speak during a visit to a refugee centre at a hostel in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, March 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

It is also developing an emergency travel stream for Ukrainians that eliminates many of the normal visa requirements and, if they pass a security check, allows people to work or attend school in Canada for at least two years.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser's office said Thursday the government is on track to launch the new stream March 17. There is no firm date for when a new reunification program for Ukrainians with family in Canada who wish to come and remain here permanently will get off the ground.

Trudeau announced $117 million Thursday to help with those efforts.

Trudeau would not say whether Canada would consider getting rid of the visa altogether during a news conference with Duda on Thursday.

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"We will continue to step up and do more on bringing in refugees to Canada as quickly as possible. Our hearts break for the terrible scenes that we've seen, people fleeing for their lives, leaving behind them all their worldly possessions, looking to be safe."

Kate Kliuchnyk said the Ukrainian people need the support of the world.

"I really hope that the war will end and that our country will be supported by other countries. It really matters now," she said.

"We heard about Canada, but it's far away from our home. So we came to Poland, 'cause it's near our country."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2022.

 With files from Laura Osman in Ottawa.
Only five patients will get spinal surgery out of province in the next few weeks as part of a highly touted plan by the government to deliver tens of thousands of delayed surgeries to sick Manitobans.

Only five patients will get spinal surgery out of province in the next few weeks as part of a highly touted plan by the government to deliver tens of thousands of delayed surgeries to sick Manitobans.

Sanford Health Fargo vice-president of operations Brittany Sachdeva said a "select number" of Manitobans who need specialized spinal care will be treated at the facility, which is nearly 400 kilometres south of Winnipeg.

The Manitoba government finalized an agreement with Sanford Health to treat patients with degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis at its centre in Fargo through a pilot program last month.

SANFORD HEALTH Sanford Medical Center in Fargo (SMCF)

The provinces surgical and diagnostic recovery task force had said a few hundred patients could be eligible to receive their operation at Sanford.

"We expect to care for approximately five patients over the next several weeks," Sachdeva said in an emailed statement to the Free Press. Sachdeva was not made available for an interview.

The deal with Sanford was one of four pillars of the provinces plan to cut the backlog. It was announced by the task force in its first update to Manitobans in mid-January. Since then, few details about the pilot program have been made public.

Recently, the Tory government has refused to answer journalists questions about its agreement with Sanford, citing restrictions on government communications because theres a byelection in progress, in Fort Whyte.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba health minister Audrey Gordon.

Late last week, the provinces diagnostic and surgical recovery task force quietly posted an update on its progress toward reducing the pandemic backlog, which Doctors Manitoba estimates to include more than 52,000 delayed surgeries and 109,000 delayed diagnostic tests.

The update said spinal surgery had already begun at Sanford Health with the intention to expand the pilot program. No details were provided.

A spokesman for Health Minister Audrey Gordons office would not reveal how many patients had travelled out of province, the total number of patients Sanford had agreed to accept, or the duration or cost of the pilot program when asked by the Free Press this week.

Id love to update you more on Sanford North Dakota but due to the blackout period were in as a result of the Fort Whyte election I cannot provide a fulsome update."  Health Minister Audrey Gordon

"As explained previously, the agreement provides for a pilot phase where a small number of patients will receive care," the spokesman said in a statement. "This process will enable both organizations to get the patient referrals and transitions in place so that this can be a safe and effective care experience."

The task force would provide updates on patient volumes and cost in future briefings, the spokesman said.

Asked Wednesday if she was satisfied by the pace and scale of the pilot program given the significant demand for spinal surgery, Gordon said she could not comment due to the byelection.

"Id love to update you more on Sanford North Dakota but due to the blackout period were in as a result of the Fort Whyte election I cannot provide a fulsome update," Gordon said.

"I commit to you when the blackout is completed, we will be out with more information on that."

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES NDP Leader Wab Kinew.

Critics expressed concern over the relatively small number of patients currently able to get surgery through the pilot program, calling it a "baby step" toward reducing the massive number of delayed procedures.

"For all the fanfare that the government has devoted to this topic  and weve got tens of thousands of Manitobans waiting in pain  to hear that theres a pilot program for a number of individuals in the single digits, thats a very slow start," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said.

However, Kinew said Manitobans want to receive their surgery in the province, arguing it is more cost effective and patients can count on their support system to be close by.

For all the fanfare that the government has devoted to this topic  and weve got tens of thousands of Manitobans waiting in pain  to hear that theres a pilot program for a number of individuals in the single digits, thats a very slow start.  NDP Leader Wab Kinew

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the province must immediately address staffing shortages in the health-care system to deliver surgeries and diagnostic tests.

"Five seems like a real drop in the bucket, but the major stumbling block in all these things is usually (lack of) nurses," Lamont said.

Manitobans who have been languishing on surgical wait lists should be able to travel out of jurisdiction for their operation with the support of the provincial government, Lamont said.

At the same time, limits on the number of surgeries and procedures physicians can perform in a year need to be lifted.

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"We have to be doing what we can to cut those lists," Lamont said. "Theyre only making baby steps."

The province said offering spinal surgery at Sanford Health Fargo is an interim measure while the government builds capacity to perform more operations in Manitoba.

Complex, outpatient and life-threatening cases are not eligible and potential candidates must consent to undergo surgery south of the border.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
Sarah Foers isnt Ukrainian, but shes one at heart.

Growing up in the Interlake, she spent more time at her Ukrainian friends homes than she did her own.

As she has watched the news about Russias invasion of Ukraine, she couldnt figure out how she could help Ukraine and give back to a culture and community that had deeply enriched her life.

After hearing that the local chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress was looking for Manitobans to host Ukrainian refugees, the mother of two didnt hesitate.

"I didnt know what I could do as an individual, but I have a five-bedroom house and theres only three of us living in it, and we definitely have the space," she told the Free Press Wednesday. "I felt like this is something I could do to help."

She is one of 700 Manitobans to offer a place for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine since the congress put out the call for help last week.

Dmytro Malyk, a board member of the congress hadnt expected such a huge response.

"People are ready to help. What we see in those responses, people are willing to share their basements. Some people probably dont have enough space for themselves, but they are ready to accept a family, they are ready to share their house with somebody else," he said Wednesday. "Thats just amazing, and Im so moved."

They decided to pause registration on Sunday to give the group a chance to vet those who have signed up and reach out to selected hosts. They still dont know how many Ukrainians will arrive in Manitoba. Last week, federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced Canada planned to accept an "unlimited" number of Ukrainians who want to leave. Malyk said while its likely many Ukrainians will end up in other provinces, Manitoba is a perfect fit to host many of them.

"There is a good chance that there (are) Ukrainians who dont speak English, and for some of them, this might be kind of that first foreign country that theyve ever been to," he said. "Having Ukrainians in Manitoba, you know, lets start over here."

Although she missed the three-day window to get her name in, Julia Fleming is eager to host Ukrainians.

She was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Canada in 1994, and much of her family still lives there, including a cousin who is in the military reserve and is waiting to fight.

CP Ukrainian refugees walk along the road between Lviv and Shehyni, in Volytsya, Ukraine on Saturday. Is it estimated more than two million people have been forced to flee the country so far. (Marc Sanye / The Associated Press files)

"To me, its incredibly important to do something for my homeland," she said.

Fleming speaks Russian and hopes she can help by bridging the possible language gap between refugees and Manitobans who are trying to help. She said shell keep donating and volunteering while working through the "shared grief" of trying to get by while Ukraine suffers.

"Im just waiting to do what I can, a continent away," she said.

In addition, Malyk said several rural municipalities had approached the organization to offer places to stay.

Gimli council voted unanimously in favour of offering a vacant 100-room dorm in that citys industrial park for use by the congress.

Mayor Lynn Greenberg said it was a no-brainer.

"It would be good, its going to take a big effort," Greenberg said.

The building had been used as a cadet training centre, and while the municipality has plans to market the building soon, Greenberg said, hosting refugees would be a priority.

The city raised a Ukrainian flag behind its library in solidarity.

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"I think a lot of people are quite upset at the needless war thats going on. People are getting chased out of their homes and everything, its just not right," he said. "We have we have a pretty large Ukrainian population here in the Gimli area."

For now, Foers is preparing her home, and her two teenage sons, for the possibility of sudden guests.

She was initially surprised by the outpouring of support for refugees, but she realized helping out is second nature to many Manitobans.

"Theres this all in this together sort of mentality, I dont know if thats our winters or what," she joked.

"We help each other out, its the right thing to do. And looking back and reflecting, maybe its not that surprising. Its a good surprise."

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
It was shaping up to be a big news day.

It was shaping up to be a big news day.

A morning release March 8 announced, with some fanfare, the Progressive Conservative government was introducing a bill to amend the Financial Administration Act  a piece of foundational law that sets out rules and procedures for the management of fiscal matters.

The Manitoba government was even offering a technical briefing with officials from the finance department. (Such briefings typically signal big, complex legislative changes that translate into big, complex news stories.)

Facing a record budget deficit, and burdened with ongoing fiscal challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and a looming potential spring flood, the imagination of reporters was running wild.

Alas, instead of bold legislative strategy, Manitobans got a woeful piece of political theatre absent of any real relevance or impact for government or its citizens.

In short, the bill would cap the total amounts of borrowing either the government proper or Crown corporation Manitoba Hydro can undertake.

According to Finance Minister Cameron Friesen, by posting a cap, all Manitobans can see government is committed to staying within its means and focused on important things like balancing the books.

"The idea of setting a limit, we believe, is important," Friesen said.

Except, thats not really what this bill does.

CP By posting a cap on what the government and Manitoba Hydro can borrow, people can see the government is committed to staying within its means, says Finance Minister Cameron Friesen. (David Lipnowski / The Canadian Press files)

There are caps: $44.4 billion for government, and $29.3 billion for Hydro. There are also tons of loopholes to allow future governments to change those numbers  and absolutely no penalties for exceeding them without following the processes outlined in the bill.

The government of the day can, for example, change the caps annually, when it tables budget implementation legislation.

So, its really only a suggested target, completely vulnerable to the whims of the governing party. Pretty much the situation we have now.

There is also no added accountability, as Friesen boldly claimed.

Government and Hydro debt numbers are published and updated frequently throughout the year. Debt rating agencies publish quarterly updates and issue credit ratings that tell us whether the debt is a concern for lenders. Government ministers are frequently called upon to answer questions from opposition critics and journalists about the debt and deficit.

The new bill is pointless, ineffectual and unnecessary.

So, why would Premier Heather Stefanson devote any amount of her legislative bandwidth to this bit of nonsense?

As it stares down a date with voters in 2023, the Tory government is desperate to remind voters of any and all fiscal crimes it believes were committed by the former NDP government.

The NDP did leave the treasury in a mess when it relinquished power in 2016. The budget was in deficit and despite elevated levels of spending, outcomes in health care and education were disappointing. And then there was Hydro.

Former PC premier Brian Pallister labelled the NDP decision to build the Bipole III transmission line and Keeyask generating station as the political "scandal of the century." The two projects combined were billions of dollars over initial budgets, adding considerably to the debt at the Crown corporation.

Manitoba Hydro will have a borrowing cap of $29.3 billion. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Pallister fussed and fumed about how the NDP had mortgaged the future of the province. He even spent $2.5 million to have former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall author a report that concluded Hydro mismanaged the two projects.

However, given it was already well-known Hydro had spent $3.7 billion more than originally budgeted for the transmission line and dam; Walls report failed to earn much in the way of political capital for the PCs.

Still, when youre free falling in opinion polls, you have to cling to whatever political narrative you can. It appears the Stefanson government is clinging to a desperate bid to convince voters her party is more fiscally prudent than the NDP.

Its an odd strategy for a number of reasons.

First, the Tories have not been all that prudent.

Although Pallister famously slowed or froze spending in most core services, and refused to negotiate new wage agreements with civil servants, he also squandered hundreds of millions of dollars on tax cuts Manitoba clearly could not afford.

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From a one-point reduction in the provincial sales tax, to a 25 per cent cut in education property taxes, the Tories demonstrated there is more than one way to spend your way into a record deficit.

Second, at this stage in the pre-election period, re-establishing Stefansons bona fides as leader of the party of prudence is hardly what the premier needs.

The Tories are sagging in the polls because Pallister gutted core services like health care and education, and because his COVID-19 pandemic management strategy was a complete and utter hot mess. In that context, Stefanson is unlikely to find any salvation by emphasizing her governments unwillingness to spend money.

If Stefanson wanted to use the bill to amend the Financial Administration Act as a dog whistle to core supporters, a simple news release would have been sufficient.

A news conference and technical briefing was overkill  a gratuitous strategy that confirmed this is one desperate party.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
OTTAWA  Its been difficult to stomach attacks on journalists in the last few months, particularly during contentious events such as the protests outside Parliament in Ottawa, where members of the media were assaulted while covering demonstrations against vaccine mandates.

Opinion

OTTAWA  Its been difficult to stomach attacks on journalists in the last few months, particularly during contentious events such as the protests outside Parliament in Ottawa, where members of the media were assaulted while covering demonstrations against vaccine mandates.

The Canadian Association of Journalists has condemned the harassment and violence aimed at journalists during the occupation in Ottawa, pointing out that the jobs of journalists are to "responsibly tell stories and cover issues that matter to the public and hold officials and those in power accountable."

Concerns about violence against journalists coincides with data on harassment against scientists who have also spoken publicly on the issue of the pandemic. According to a survey published in Nature, 15 per cent of scientists who spoke about COVID-19 in the United States received death threats. Sixty per cent had their credibility attacked. Another 22 per cent received threats of physical or sexual violence.

These attacks are meant to shut down debate and have the effect of silencing democracy. But when the "expert" is a woman, the effects are compounded. It means that womens voices in the public square are muzzled and their important contributions to policy are jeopardized.

In Canada, public-health officials who have been the messengers of COVID-19 information for the last two years have had their lives upended by online harassment. Canadas chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has been the target of hateful messages. B.C.s Bonnie Henry acknowledged she was getting death threats and had to increase security at her home.

In the Northwest Territories, chief public health officer Kami Kandola had threatening messages sent to her. Their male counterparts also were subjected to violent threats, including Saskatchewans chief medical health officer, Saqib Shahab, whose Regina home was swarmed by protesters.

When you consider how few women are used as experts in mainstream media (according to one study published in 2015, women are used as sources in news stories less than 30 per cent of the time), the impact of being "trolled" by abusive comments after making a public appearance may have a silencing affect.

Perhaps more importantly, those online messages are being read by other women, including younger women considering future careers. It sends a chilling message to other women.

A Pew Research Centre report published in 2021 suggests one in four Americans had experienced online harassment, and half of those suggested the abuse came as a result of their political views. There is some evidence that women, and in particular racialized women, may be singled out as targets on some media platforms.

While men and women may both experience harassment, there is also evidence that women experience harassment differently than men. The Pew report found that while men may experience harassment online, "women are more likely to be upset about it and think it is a major problem." Womens harassment online is also more likely to involve sexual harassment and stalking.

In an interview in Tufts Now, Sarah Sobieraj, author of Credible Threat: Attacks Against Women Online and the Future of Democracy, suggests online harassment means that some women "stop speaking out. But many also self-censor in sometimes subtle ways, worrying about where theyre going to post something, what theyre going to write about, how theyre going to write about it."

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Sobieraj also suggests the shutting down of women means "We lose their contributions to public discourse. And because the reluctance to weigh in is especially pronounced when the issues women wish to address are volatile, or their views are in the minority, or the conversation is male-dominated, we are losing the very perspectives that stand to most broaden our conversations."

Both men and women who have been targeted are frustrated that online media platforms are slow to respond to complaints about online harassment. The Pew study reports that only 18 per cent feel online companies are doing an adequate job ensuring that online bullying is resolved adequately. Most surveyed believe lifetime bans and forcing the use of real names would be a potential fix for some of the ongoing issues.

Teddy Roosevelt gave a great speech in 1910 in which he suggested its easy to belittle and criticize the man and woman "in the arena" who are the "doer of deeds." We need to do more as a society to protect those who are in our public square, our arena, and push media platforms to shut down abusive practices.

These thoughts are part of the 2022 Winter Eakin Lecture: "The Tall Poppy: What happens when women are experts in the media and how we can support them," which I will deliver via Zoom this Friday at noon CT. This event is free, but registration is required. Please go to: https://www.mcgill.ca/misc/channels/event/tall-poppy-2022-winter-eakin-lecture-337780.

Shannon Sampert holds the Eakin Visiting Fellowship in Canadian Studies at McGill University and is the former politics and perspectives editor of the Winnipeg Free Press.

shannon@mediadiva.ca
A growing public disdain for Russian oligarchs should be seen by Ottawa as impetus to fast-track plans to shed Canadas reputation as a good place for the global elite to hide their wealth.

A growing public disdain for Russian oligarchs should be seen by Ottawa as impetus to fast-track plans to shed Canadas reputation as a good place for the global elite to hide their wealth.

The unpardonable invasion of Ukraine has heightened contempt for the sycophantic multi-billionaires who bolster Russian President Vladmir Putin. Undoubtedly, its also bolstered public will for the federal government to increase its effort to close the back doors through which Canada currently admits shady financial dealings.

Easier said than done, many argue. The first step in rooting out secretive deals by nefarious investors such as oligarchs is to untangle the layers of financial flim-flam.

Canada was already working to make it easier to track clandestine investments to the real owners when, on Feb. 24, Russian tanks rolled across the Ukraine border and the world moved to freeze the holdings of some Russians. On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada is imposing new sanctions on 10 Russians complicit in the "unjustified" invasion of Ukraine.

ALBERTO PEZZALI /The ASSOCIATED PRESS Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced Canada is imposing new sanctions on 10 Russians complicit in the unjustified invasion of Ukraine.

Plans to create a beneficial ownership registry had been announced in 2021 by Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, who said the aim was "to catch those who attempt to launder money, evade taxes, or commit other complex financial crimes."

Unfortunately for the immediate purpose of sanctioning Russians and others who hide their money in Canada, Ottawas improvements to the ownership registry are not expected until 2025. The four-year time plan was disappointing, although not surprising given the complexities that abound in attempting to illuminate the dark world of corporate beneficial ownership.

Civil servants trying to expose a corporations true roots are typically out-staffed and out-salaried by legions of legal facilitators who specialize in avoiding taxes and erecting layers of ownership misdirection, often bouncing a single asset through several unnamed shell corporations in off-shore jurisdictions where scrutiny is difficult.

The need for Ottawa to improve corporate-ownership transparency was exposed by an investigation in 2017 by the Toronto Star, CBC and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. It found Canada has a reputation as a tax haven.

The need for Ottawa to improve corporateownership transparency was exposed by an investigation in 2017 by the Toronto Star, CBC and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. It found Canada has a reputation as a tax haven.

The investigation showed shell companies can be easily set up in Canada with less scrutiny than is required for getting a library card. Under current rules, Canada has signed tax agreements with 115 countries, more than any other country in the world, smoothing the way for tax cheats to move money in and out of this country.

What if company owners, such as the aforementioned oligarchs, dont want to be identified in corporate registries? In Canada, its not a problem. Owners dont have to appear, and can pay lawyers to stand in on all public filings.

Canadas appeal as a good place to hide wealth and make transactions appear legitimate even has an unflattering nickname  "snow washing."

Canadas appeal as a good place to hide wealth and make transactions appear legitimate even has an unflattering nickname  snow washing.

It was a relief in 2021 that Canada announced it finally plans to toughen corporate-ownership regulations but, in light of the public revulsion in the past two weeks regarding Russian oligarchs, Ottawa should hasten its efforts. Canada needs a transparent registry that requires the verifiable ownership of property owners and corporations, and there should be penalties for non-compliance.

If it takes more money than the $304.1 million over five years Ottawa has already allotted to beef up the Canada Revenue Agencys ability to sniff out corporate shape-shifting, so be it. The extra expense will likely pay for itself with extra tax revenue.

Its to Canadas shame that this country is considered an easy target for billionaires to hide their wealth. To stand with Ukraine is to confront the oligarchs and their dirty money.
Retired nurses who staffed provincial vaccination clinics and were paid less than their registered-nurse counterparts want retroactive pay.

Retired nurses who staffed provincial vaccination clinics and were paid less than their registered-nurse counterparts want retroactive pay.

They also want a process that allows retired nurses to more easily fill staffing gaps in health care.

SUPPLIED Retired nurse Shirley Herlick has been advocating for fair compensation for all of the retired nurses who stepped up to work as COVID-19 immunizers.

Shared Health confirmed Wednesday it is reviewing salary scales for nurses who came back from retirement to help with the COVID-19 response.

One of the retired nurses, Shirley Herlick, gathered a group of 20 others and has been advocating for change since last April.

For nearly 45 years, she worked in various nursing jobs in Winnipeg, including intensive care, emergency, and surgery, until she retired in 2019. She has logged more than 600 hours administering COVID-19 vaccines at the downtown site and as part of focused immunization teams since January 2021.

But because she was retired and didnt have the required number of annual practice hours to renew her registration with the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, Herlick was hired as an immunizer at a health-care aide salary. She earned $21 per hour, about half of what a registered nurses was paid to work at the clinics, Herlick said.

She said she and other retired nurses have been doing the same work as registered nurses at the immunization clinics, and have even helped inexperienced immunizers. A provincial public health order made it possible for unregulated staff, including retired nurses, to administer COVID-19 vaccinations.

"We have all those other professionals that have never handled a needle before, so weve been mentoring a lot of these people also as weve been working. So, not only are we doing the role, were assisting significantly to be able to hold that system together," Herlick said.

After writing repeatedly to politicians and health officials for nearly a year, Herlick met with officials from the provincial government and Shared Health.

One day later, on March 1, Health Minister Audrey Gordon sent a letter to Herlick indicating the vaccine task force and Shared Health would review salary scales and the possibility of retroactive pay. Gordons letter stated Shared Health would look at having retired nurses mentor recent graduates.

Shared Health confirmed that Wednesday. A spokesperson stated Shared Health is "in the process of reviewing the salary scales for those retired nurses who were not able to register with the regulatory body to address compensation concerns previously identified. This may include retroactive pay."

"We are extremely appreciative towards all retired nurses who rejoined the workforce to assist Manitobas health-care system during the pandemic throughout the province," the statement reads.

Herlick said she wants Manitoba to establish a job-classification process that would allow retired nurses to fill staffing shortages. She said there could be an "untapped population" of nurses whove been unable to renew their licences because of the active practice hours requirement. The College of Registered Nurses requires 450 practice hours every two years or 1,125 hours in five years to maintain a registered nursing licence.

"Theyre so desperately looking for nurses, well, why not look at this population of nurses?" Herlick said.

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The Manitoba Nurses Union doesnt represent retired nurses, but president Darlene Jackson said she became aware of the retired nurses concerns about three weeks ago and wants to advocate for them to boost staffing levels after the pandemic.

"Im thrilled that Shared Health is looking at compensating them fairly. Im very happy with that, but I really would like to look at long-term solutions," Jackson said.

Early in the pandemic, then-premier Brian Pallister called on retired health-care workers to return to the workforce, and the provincial government fast-tracked a temporary licencing process with waived registration fees for retired nurses to get licenced again. But Herlick and the MNU have said the number of required practice hours was still a barrier.

Linda Hughes, another retired nurse, also stepped up to help during the pandemic. In an email Wednesday, she expressed support for retired nurses to find a way to comply with standards while still alleviating the nursing shortage.

"If a new job classification for retired nurses was created, there would need to be standards and safeguards in place to ensure that retired nursing practice was safe for the public. I think that this is possible," she wrote.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com
MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP)  Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the port city of Mariupol on Thursday, while satellite photos showed that a massive convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions.

A Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces member holds an NLAW anti-tank weapon, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Authorities announced a new ceasefire on Wednesday to allow civilians to escape from towns around the capital, Kyiv, as well as the southern cities of Mariupol, Enerhodar and Volnovakha, Izyum in the east and Sumy in the northeast. Previous attempts to establish safe evacuation corridors have largely failed due to attacks by Russian forces. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP)  Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the port city of Mariupol on Thursday, while satellite photos showed that a massive convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions.

International condemnation escalated over an airstrike in Mariupol a day earlier that killed three people at a maternity hospital. Western and Ukrainian officials called the attack a war crime. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian refusal to permit evacuations from the port city amounted to outright terror.

As the West seeks new ways to punish Moscow, U.S. President Joe Biden planned to announce Friday that the United States, the European Union and the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations would move to revoke Russia's most favored nation trade status, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement. The loss of the trade status would allow tariffs to be imposed on Russian imports and increase the isolation of the Russian economy.

Meanwhile, the highest-level talks held since the invasion began two weeks ago yielded no progress, the number of refugees fleeing the country topped 2.3 million, and Kyiv braced for an onslaught, its mayor boasting that the capital had become practically a fortress protected by armed civilians.

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed that 40-mile (64-kilometer) convoy of vehicles, tanks and artillery has broken up and been redeployed, the company said. Armored units were seen in towns near the Antonov Airport north of the city. Some of the vehicles have moved into forests, Maxar reported, with towed howitzers nearby in position to open fire.

A man rides a bicycle in front of a damaged by shelling apartment building in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. A Russian attack has severely damaged a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials say. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The convoy had massed outside the city early last week, but its advance appeared to have stalled amid reports of food and fuel shortages. U.S. officials said Ukrainian troops also targeted the convoy with anti-tank missiles.

A U.S. defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said some vehicles were seen moving off the road into the tree line in recent days, but the official could not confirm whether the convoy had dispersed.

In Mariupol, a southern seaport of 430,000, the situation was increasingly dire as civilians trapped inside the city scrounged for food and fuel. More than 1,300 people have died in the 10-day siege of the frigid city, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

A Ukrainian serviceman takes a shooting position as he looks at approaching vehicles in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow's invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Residents have no heat or phone service, and many have no electricity. Nighttime temperatures are regularly below freezing, and daytime ones normally hover just above it. Bodies are being buried in mass graves. The streets are littered with burned-out cars, broken glass and splintered trees.

They have a clear order to hold Mariupol hostage, to mock it, to constantly bomb and shell it, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. He said the Russians began a tank attack right where there was supposed to be a humanitarian corridor.

On Thursday, firefighters tried to free a boy trapped in the rubble. One grasped the boy's hand. His eyes blinked, but he was otherwise still. It was not clear if he survived. Nearby, at a mangled truck, a woman wrapped in a blue blanket shuddered at the sound of an explosion.

A child looks out a steamy bus window with drawings on it as civilians are evacuated from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow's invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Grocery stores and pharmacies were emptied days ago by people breaking in to get supplies, according to a local official with the Red Cross, Sacha Volkov. A black market is operating for vegetables, meat is unavailable, and people are stealing gasoline from cars, Volkov said.

Places protected from bombings are hard to find, with basements reserved for women and children, he said. Residents, Volkov said, are turning on one another: People started to attack each other for food.

An exhausted-looking Aleksander Ivanov pulled a cart loaded with bags down an empty street flanked by damaged buildings.

A military priest tries to comfort a crying woman who was evacuated from Irpin, at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

I dont have a home anymore. Thats why Im moving, he said. It doesnt exist anymore. It was hit, by a mortar.

Repeated attempts to send in food and medicine and evacuate civilians have been thwarted by Russian shelling, Ukrainian authorities said.

They want to destroy the people of Mariupol. They want to make them starve, Vereshchuk said. Its a war crime.

A woman walks outside a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

All told, some 100,000 people have been evacuated during the past two days from seven cities under Russian blockade in the north and center of the country, including the Kyiv suburbs, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy told Russian leaders that the invasion will backfire on them as their economy is strangled. Western sanctions have already dealt a severe blow, causing the ruble to plunge, foreign businesses to flee and prices to rise sharply.

You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes, Zelenskyy said in a video address. "And then, it will definitely happen, you will be hated by Russian citizens  everyone whom you have been deceiving constantly, daily, for many years in a row, when they feel the consequences of your lies in their wallets, in their shrinking possibilities, in the stolen future of Russian children.

A woman walks outside a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed such talk, saying the country has endured sanctions before.

We will overcome them," he said at a televised meeting of government officials. He did, however, acknowledge the sanctions create certain challenges.

In addition to those who have fled the country, millions have been driven from their homes inside Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 2 million people, half the population of the metropolitan area, have left the capital.

People who were evacuated from areas around the Ukrainian capital, wait on a bus after arriving at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow's invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Every street, every house  is being fortified," he said. "Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands.

On Thursday, a 14-year-old girl named Katya was recovering at the Brovary Central District Hospital on the outskirts of Kyiv after her family was ambushed as they tried to flee the area. She was shot in the hand when their car was raked with gunfire from a roadside forest, said her mother, who identified herself only as Nina.

The girls father, who drove frantically from the ambush on blown-out tires, underwent surgery. His wife said he had been shot in the head and had two fingers blown off.

Ukrainian emergency employees work at a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Western officials said Russian forces have made little progress on the ground in recent days and are seeing heavier losses and stiffer Ukrainian resistance than Moscow apparently anticipated. But Putins forces have used air power and artillery to pummel Ukraine's cities.

Early in the day, the Mariupol city council posted a video showing a convoy it said was bringing in food and medicine. But as night fell, it was unclear if those buses had reached the city.

A child was among those killed in the hospital airstrike Wednesday. Seventeen people were also wounded, including women waiting to give birth, doctors, and children buried in the rubble. Images of the attack, with pregnant women covered in dust and blood, dominated news reports in many countries.

Dead bodies are placed into a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022, as people cannot bury their dead because of the heavy shelling by Russian forces. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack a shameful and immoral act of war. Britains Armed Forces minister, James Heappey, said that whether the hospital was hit by indiscriminate fire or deliberately targeted, it is a war crime.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, on a visit to Ukraine's neighbor Poland, backed calls for an international war-crimes investigation into the invasion, saying, The eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed concerns about civilian casualties as pathetic shrieks from Russias enemies, and denied Ukraine had even been invaded.

Smoke rises after shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, held talks in a Turkish resort in their first meeting since the invasion.

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The two sides discussed a 24-hour cease-fire but made no progress, Kuleba said. He said Russia still wanted Ukraine to surrender but insisted that will not happen.

Lavrov said Russia is ready for more negotiations, but he showed no sign of softening Moscows demands.

Cars drive past a destroyed Russian tank as a convoy of vehicles evacuating civilians leaves Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. A Russian airstrike devastated a maternity hospital Wednesday in the besieged port city of Mariupol amid growing warnings from the West that Moscow's invasion is about to take a more brutal and indiscriminate turn.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

___

Associated Press journalists Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Ukraine, and Felipe Dana and Andrew Drake in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed along with other reporters around the world.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the Ukraine crisis at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Seventy-three new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Winona County by the Minnesota Department of Health from March 2 to March 8.

With no new deaths during the week, the countys totals were at 12,465 cases and 71 deaths as of March 8 at 4 a.m.

As for COVID-19 vaccines, 63.8% of Winona County residents have received at least one dose, while 61% have received a full series, as of Monday.

Additionally, 42.7% of Winona County residents are fully up to date with their recommended COVID-19 vaccines.

In Winona County, 98% of residents at least 65 years old, 77% of residents between 50 and 64 years old, 55% of residents between 18 and 49 years old, 69% of residents between 16 and 17 years old, 70% of residents between 12 and 15 years old, and 42% of residents between 5 and 11 years old have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Winona County continues to trail Minnesota as a whole, as 69.8% of state residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, 66% have received a full series, and 45.7% are up to date on their doses.

For more information about COVID-19 in Winona County and Minnesota as a whole, visit health.state.mn.us.

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The Wisconsin State Senate has passed new legislation to help protect health care workers, making threats of violence against them punishable by law.

Under Assembly Bill 960, the threat of physical harm will be a Class H Felony. The Assembly passed legislation last month, and the bill was approved by the Senate on Tuesday. It will now be sent to Gov. Tony Evers to sign into law.

Under current law, a threat alone is not a felony, but the act of violence is.

Once signed, the Wisconsin Hospital Association will work with the Department of Justice to create signs and documents outlining the legislation for hospitals to use to educate staff, patients and visitors so they are aware of the penalties of threatening or physically harming a health care worker or their family.

Republicans and Democrats agreed on a very important message today  threatening a health care worker in Wisconsin is unacceptable, WHA President and CEO Eric Borgerding said in a release Tuesday. Our states hospitals and their thousands of staff thank the legislative leaders for championing this proposal and appreciate support from lawmakers of both parties in the Assembly and Senate.

Added Borgerding, We know that threats of violence lead to both physical violence and emotional trauma for health care providers and their families. When health care providers choose to leave the profession for the safety of themselves or their families, we all lose. Our state, like all others across the nation, needs to reverse the troubling trend of increased violence and threats towards health care workers.

The pandemic has caused increased stress and in turn heightened emotions and hostility, but even prior to the coronavirus incidents of harassment and violence against physicians, nurses, receptionists and other health care employees were on the rise. Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those working in the health care and social services industries are five times more likely to experience intentional injury caused by workplace violence than those employed in other fields, with a 2018 rate of 10.4 per 10,000 for related injury and illness requiring days away from work. Seven years prior, the rate was 6.4 per 100,000.

Both Gundersen Health System and Mayo Clinic Health System have shared that their staff have been subjected to verbal and physical harm by patients or their family members, and Clark Draxler, clinical manager at Gundersen, testified at a Senate hearing in February in support of the proposed bill.

This isnt about just about the wellness of health care workers  this is also about everyones ability to access high-quality care when they need it, without enduring abusive and violent behavior from others, Draxler said in his testimony.

Gundersen is the only area hospital with a Level II trauma center, and also the only with a behavioral health facility. As such, staff encounter more patients and may face extreme or intense circumstances. And while a business can make a person leave if they are belligerent or violent, it would be illegal, unethical and immoral to refuse a person necessary medical attention, Draxler says.

We never turn a patient away, says Draxler, who notes violence against health care workers goes under-reported. At Gundersen, staff have been hit, kicked, sworn at and lambasted on social media. Draxler during his Senate testimony recalled a patient who, for the entirety of their two-month stay, verbally assaulted and threatened staff every time they entered the room, wrote about staff  using their names  online and threatened to start shooting in the hospital. Recently, a patient said they would punch Draxler and mimicked hitting him. Under current law, Draxler notes, there is no recourse for such an action.

In the first situation, Draxler says an extended interdisciplinary team, including a physician ethicist, would meet with the patient daily to outline expectations to try to keep things under control.

We dont want to set anyone up for failure  the staff or the patient, Draxler says. In addition to the physical and emotional trauma faced by health care workers, patient enacted violence affects others seeking care, Draxler notes, taking away resources and time from others while the situation is being dealt with, and upsetting patients and visitors who hear or witness the incident.

Staff he has talked to, Draxler says, see AB 960 as a positive, feeling, the state government is really paying attention to the needs of health care workers.

Under the new legislation, if a threat is made, the city or county will respond to the hospital to take the complaint, and the DA would follow up. Draxler says legal action is designed for those who are intentionally causing harm.

The bill is not meant to get people in trouble  the person has to have decision-making capacity. We dont want to target someone who has (a condition which makes their actions uncontrollable), Draxler says.

Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.

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Bonnie Crandall is joining the centenarian club.

Crandall, a Hustler native born in 1922 who has lived in Juneau County for most of her 99.9 years, is celebrating her 100th birthday March 11.

She currently resides at Cottage Care in Mauston, and well-wishers who would like to help her celebrate can participate in a drive-through parade at 1 p.m. Saturday. The parade is forming at Bethany Lutheran Church, 701 Grove St., and will drive past Cottage Care, 320 Attewell St., with a police escort to celebrate Crandalls milestone.

I was born in Hustler, there were 200 or less people there when I was born, Crandall said. There was no cafe and my father had a hardware store  it served the farmers like a general store.

At 2 years old her father was elected Juneau County Sheriff and Crandall, her mother, father, two sisters and brother moved into a house directly in front of the jail, which was located where Mauston City Hall currently sits.

This was during prohibition, so the farmers would come in  my mother was Norwegian  and say they were drunk and stay the night in jail  there were no hotels at that time  and get a meal, Crandall said. The prisoners bragged about the food.

The position of sheriff was term-limited at the time, so after two years Crandalls dad convinced her mother to run for sheriff.

Crandall lived in Mauston until she went to college at St. Olafs in Minnesota, where she studied education.

I was in college during World War II it wasnt a good time to be in college, Crandall said. All the boys were at war except one who was 4F (unqualified for service)

After college she began teaching and got her start in Hillsboro teaching sixth grade.

My class was all the troublemakers until then, Crandall said. After that they were the prize pupils.

Crandall, whose maiden name is Olson, met her husband James Crandall in high school and they married after he returned from serving in the military. He opened the Crandall Funeral Home in Mauston, and upon her retirement in 1958 she helped him run the business.

Together they had one son who eventually took over the funeral home. He moved into Cottage Care later in life and Crandall moved into the facility to spend time with him before he died last year.

I dont know why we celebrate 100 years, Crandall said. Some people will say I made a big splash because I did something good for them all it is is living.

Reach Christopher Jardine on Twitter @ChrisJJardine or contact him at 608-432-6591.

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JUNEAU  COVID-19 brought virtual meeting attendance to the Dodge County Board of Supervisors, but a rule change might bring it back.

Supervisor Donna Maly proposed the change at Mondays Executive Committee meeting held in the Administration Building.

Virtual attendance dates back to March of 2020, when fear of COVID spread prompted some board members to stay at home and to attend by phone or online. Members who did so could not claim mileage reimbursement.

A year later, as a means of encouraging in-person attendance, virtual attendees were not to be paid their normal per diem of $60 per meeting. Those not appearing in person were also not allowed to vote. That resulted directly or indirectly in lower attendance. As a consequence, votes requiring three-fourths majority for approval were defeated with three or four nays. Such a vote defeated the countys recent plans to borrow $9 million and later $4.5 million to complete extensive highway repairs.

Maly proposed that members should be able to attend virtually regardless of COVID, and to be paid a per diem. Reasons for not attending could be illness, a death in the family or some other circumstance.

Currently we do not allow virtual meetings and I would like to see that change, Maly said. People arent always available to come to a meeting. Its not going to be an open door that you cannot attend. Im looking at least a 48-hour notice to the county board chair asking permission to attend that meeting virtually. I would limit it to maybe three times per year. And it would apply only to the county board. It would not apply to committee meetings. If there are glitches with technology thats too bad. If the virtual attendee is disruptive to the county board or its chair they will be muted. There are a number of counties that have moved forward in allowing this to move forward.

She added that attendance in person is preferable, but that available technology should not be ignored.

I feel that the presence of people at the meeting is not only to have their presence there but also for people to get to know each other much better -- to know the people youre working with," she said. "You read people by their voice, their movements, their body language. Thats all part of it. When theyre virtual you dont have any of that information.

Supervisor Dave Guckenberger raised Malys own concerns.

You cant ignore your own argument that its important for us to see the other person, he said. Being virtual doesnt accomplish that. I think the current Rule 3 (Attendance) covers everything we need, short of supervisors being compensated.

He also pointed out the the meetings are held in Juneau, the geographic center of the county.

Virtual is the way everybody is going, Maly said. All of the committees Im involved with are all over the State of Wisconsin and all of them, except for Dodge County, are Team or Zoom or by telephone. Sometimes its needed.

A resolution changing the rule will be presented at the next county board meeting.

Dodge County Administrator Jim Mielke reported that proposals for American Rescue Plan Act funding are being reviewed and a request for information is being made for a third party to administer those funds.

Regarding ARPA fund allocation, the full board had earlier decided to review all submissions for its $17 million share. The county eventually received $72 million in requests. Faced with that challenge Supervisor Andrew Johnson proposed forming an ad hoc committee to review requests and to rank them based on a point system. The full board will review all screened applications and will award funds based on their value to the whole county.

Approximately $9 million will be awarded in 2022 with the remaining $8 million to be awarded in 2023. March 18 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for proposal revisions as requested by the ad hoc committee.

Review is ongoing. Mielke indicated that some requests will be presented to the board for consideration on May 17.

Well keep the process rolling, said Dodge County Board Chair Russ Kottke.

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TOWN OF WAUPUN  A 40-year-old Waupun woman was pronounced dead at the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Highway 151, which occurred near Oak Center Road, on Tuesday night.

According to a press release from the Fond du Lac County Sheriffs Office, they responded along with the Life Star Ambulance and Waupun Fire Department to the crash around 7:21 p.m.

The initial investigation shows that a south bound vehicle driven by Sarah Lemmenes rear ended another southbound vehicle. The initial striking vehicle then entered the median and rolled several times, ejecting the woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The other southbound vehicle, driven by an 18-year-old Beaver Dam Edgar Ruiz, lost control after being struck and slid into the west ditch. The driver and his two passengers Oscar Ruiz, 20, and Yarelle Banderas, 18, were transported to Waupun Memorial Hospital and treated and released for non-life threatening injuries.

Alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in the crash.

Assisting at the scene were the Wisconsin State Patrol, Waupun Police Department, the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiners Office, the Fond du Lac County Drone Team and the Fond du Lac County Crash Reconstruction Team.

Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760.
JUNEAU  Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Kristine Snow issued a bench warrant on Wednesday for a 52-year-old Beaver Dam woman accused in the hit and run death of a Beaver Dam man crossing the street on the morning of Dec. 21.

Maria Hernandez is charged with hit and run involving death and knowingly operating a motor vehicle without a license causing death. Hernandez had an arraignment scheduled on Tuesday, but did not appear in court. Dodge County Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Thompson asked for the $500 cash bond to be forfeited and a warrant to be issued. Snow ordered the forfeiture and warrant.

According to the criminal complaint, Beaver Dam police responded at 5:56 a.m. on Dec. 21 to a hit-and-run traffic crash on East Burnett Street at Wayland Street where a 42-year-old man had been struck by a vehicle before the vehicle left the scene. While at the scene, a woman approached the officers and asked how the man was doing. She told police the driver may have been her mother. Her mother was on the way to work and did not speak English so called her daughter to tell her what had happened.

The officers went to the place where Hernandez worked and found a Nissan Sentra in the parking lot that had damage that appeared to have been from the crash including a missing side mirror.

Hernandez said it was very dark, and she did not see the man and did not know exactly what she had hit. She said she did not stop because she could not speak English and called her daughter for assistance.

The man who was struck was unconscious when police arrived and was taken to Marshfield Medical Center  Beaver Dam before being sent via a medical helicopter to UW Hospital in Madison. Police spoke to a doctor at UW Hospital who said the man had a brain and spine injury, was not able to communicate and was not awake.

It is unclear when the man died and authorities have never identified the person who was struck by the car citing Marsys Law, a Wisconsin Constitutional Amendment that passed last year establishing victims rights. Some, but not all, police agencies have interpreted that law as prohibiting them from releasing the names of people who die as the result of accidents and/or criminal activity.

Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760.

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Over the next three years Columbia County will be part of a UW-Madison program to collaborate with Portage on a wide range of issues.

In 2024 there should be a solid plan to address these issues.

UniverCity Year is a three-year program that connects local governments with UW-Madison faculty, students and research working toward locally identified goals. This includes housing projects, economic development projects and EMS services.

Communities that partner with UCY receive expertise in clarifying community needs, scoping and developing projects, matching projects with UW-Madison faculty and instructors across many disciplines, and dedicated students who apply their learning to real-world projects, Abby Becker said in an email. During the final year of the partnership, UCY also provides support to implement projects.

Becker is a communications and outreach associate with UniverCity Alliance and UW-Madison. Becker said UCY is the hallmark program of UCA, which is a networks of leaders across Madisons campus working to ensure cities are healthy, equitable and sustainable.

Columbia County Economic Development Corporation applied to the UCY program for the 2021-2024 cohort in collaborative partnership with the city of Portage, village of Rio Fire Department and other community partners, Becker said. Columbia County is interested in addressing a range of issues related to economic development and EMS services. The county would like to work on projects that include redesigning the CCEDC website and greening the village of Rios Fire Department. More projects are being developed in partnership with CCEDC and the city of Portage.

Columbia County and the town of Germantown in Juneau County are two of the six communities working with the UCA. These communities join 14 other municipalities across the state working with UCY and now there are 20 communities that have been helped by the program.

The town of Germantown, located in Juneau County, submitted its own application to participate in the UCY program for the 2021-2024 cohort. The town has experienced a 12 percent growth in population and wants to strategically plan for emergency services, highway development and other public services, Becker said.

Becker said UCY works directly with community organizations like CCEDC after they apply for the program.

After communities apply to the UCY program, staff help leaders define projects. Then, those projects are paired with a UW-Madison faculty member or instructors class, which can be at the undergraduate or graduate level, Becker said. Students in that class work on those projects for generally a semester and produce a final report to the community.

Becker reiterate UCY is a community-driven program with the aim of helping communities accomplish their goals.

Portages Director of Business Development and Planning Steve Sobiek said the city approached UCA about grant funds to help development the Northside Business Park and Northside residential development.

Theyve been working day and night on other projects, but were hoping to have a response on the residential development in the next month,

Funds could be as much as $25,000 towards the development of the 60-acre subdivision that would be the largest Portage subdivision in decades.

UCA Managing Director Gavin Luter said the UCA is excited to work with Columbia County on a variety of projects.

Given that Columbia County is close to UW-Madison, we are looking forward to more possibilities for in-person interactions as COVID restrictions ease. We continue to see communities across Wisconsin eager to work with UW-Madison on addressing their most pressing challenges Luter said. This is a clear sign of the public value of UW-Madison to the entire state. I also see it as a clear win for our students because they will be learning from residents, practitioners and community leaders about lessons that arent always written down in textbooks.

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in the case of an environmental regulator who refuses to step down nearly a year after his term ended.

In a case that tests the balance of power between the governor and Legislature and could influence environmental policy for years to come, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul asked the courts to remove Fred Prehn from the Natural Resources Board.

Prehn, a Wausau dentist and cranberry grower, was appointed to the policy board in 2015 by former Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican. His six-year term expired May 1, and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed Sandra Naas to replace him.

Prehn maintains he does not have to leave until Naas is confirmed by the Senate, but Republicans who control the chamber adjourned the two-year session this week without holding a hearing, cementing the boards conservative majority.

At the heart of the case is a power struggle between the Legislative and executive branches. Under state law, the governor appoints members of the board, which oversees the Department of Natural Resources, while its up to the Senate to confirm.

The state argues Prehn and the Legislature fail to fully embrace the century-old common law rule, which says an appointee whose term has ended may hold over, but once the term expires there is a vacancy that the governor is entitled to fill.

He has no authority to be in office now, said Assistant Attorney General Gabe Johnson-Karp. We hear much about the common law, but the common law only gets him partway.

The courts conservative justices pointed out there is no language in state statutes defining when offices are vacant and questioned the governors authority to appoint people to offices.

The governor cant really make an appointment into a position thats not vacant, said Justice Patience Roggensack. Even if you kick him out you cant get the governors appointee in unless theres a vacancy.

The courts three liberal justices questioned whether appointees can simply serve indefinitely.

Whos to say hes not going to serve on that board for the rest of his life? asked Justice Rebecca Dallet.

Prehns attorney Mark Maciolek said in theory Prehn could do just that.

That supposes that the governor and Senate will continue to give each other the cold shoulder, Maciolek said. It just doesnt seem like that will continue in perpetuity.

Justice Brian Hagedorn, a conservative who has at times sided with the three liberal justices, noted the state Constitution gave the governor very little authority when it came to appointments, noting the first UW Board of Regents was appointed by the Legislature.

The governors powers were very, very limited, Hagedorn said.

Kaul sued in August asking the courts to force Prehn to step down, arguing his seat became vacant when his term ended, and the law allows the governor to temporarily fill vacancies even without Senate approval.

Citing a 1964 Supreme Court ruling, Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn dismissed the case but faulted lawmakers for refusing to hold a confirmation hearing.

Both Kaul and Prehn asked the Supreme Court to hear the case, bypassing the court of appeals.

Though no longer chair, Prehn has remained on the board, where he voted last month to reject regulations of PFAS compounds and dozens of other toxic substances in groundwater and to weaken the agencys proposed drinking water standards for the so-called forever chemicals.

If allowed to remain, Prehn could also cast a deciding vote this spring on the DNRs new wolf management plan, which could set population goals and help determine hunting quotas if the gray wolf is again removed from the federal endangered species list.

Republican lawmakers have sided with Prehn, saying Kaul, egged on by disgruntled special-interest groups, is misrepresenting the law.

The Humane Society, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wisconsin chapter of the American Federation of Teachers both filed friend of the court briefs arguing Prehn is violating state law and subverting democracy.

Midwest Environmental Advocates has filed a separate court case in an effort to obtain Prehns text messages about his decision to remain on the board, which other records have shown he discussed with lawmakers.

Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell this week declined to dismiss the case, ruling that Prehn is a public official and his texts are subject to open records laws.
How the data revolution influences digital Monitoring and Evaluation in Africa

In 2021, CLEAR-AA and MERL Tech worked with a group of African data privacy and M&E experts to develop a uniquely African viewpoint on responsible data governance in M&E. In a series of blog posts, well be drawing out key points from the two reports that we co-produced as a part of this effort, Part 1: Overview of Data Governance and Part 2: Guidance on Responsible Data Governance in Africa.

In our first post of the series, we look at how the Data Revolution has influenced digital Monitoring and Evaluation in Africa.

In 2013, the United Nations High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda recommended two transformational shifts in international development.

The first was a data revolution for sustainable development backed by the commitment to improve the quality of statistics and information available to citizens.

The second was a push for a more rigorous monitoring systems for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that leverages technology to document progress and shortcomings and enables sharing of information with decision makers and the public. The panel called for a major transformation of data ecosystems at country and regional levels in response to the need for quality, relevant, accessible, and timely data to strengthen accountability and improve service delivery.

The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation reiterated these calls for improving the production and use of data for evidence-based policymaking in Africa.

Their working paper released in 2021 provides recommendations for national statistical offices and governments to bridge the data policy gap in Africa. Various authors note that whereas emerging technologies and expanded access to and use of digital and mobile communications present new opportunities for Africa to harness new data sources for sustainable development, the increase in digitisation presents new challenges. These include trust in data, privacy protection and effective data governance.

Commitment to the data revolution has been incorporated in long-term development plans and reforms aimed at achieving the transformation of data ecosystems. In terms of the responsibilities for data protection and ethics, the following specific challenges were cited at the 2020 gLOCAL Evaluation week event:

1) Poor practice of informed consent.

2) Data collection gatekeeping by government and other non-state actors leading to biased results.

3) Technology advances that allow disaggregated data to be de-anonymised.

4) Research bias  especially on data from African contexts.

5) Poor data quality and problems with research validity and reliability.

6) Inadequate automation for digitisation of records.

7) Fatigue of communities on data collection.

Technological advancements, access to information laws, the spread of open data initiatives, and the increasing involvement of non-state actors in the data ecosystem are some of the requisite core elements necessary to realise the continents development data needs. A comprehensive approach which includes both the creation of an enabling environment for leveraging data and the establishment of partnerships to generate data for the continents various development priorities, has been recommended.

There has been considerable innovation and experimentation in African countries, within multiple data communities and ecosystems. However, these efforts have been small-scale pilots, siloed or ad hoc initiatives. For the data revolution in Africa to be truly catalytic, systematic, large-scale, and integrated, sustainable efforts are necessary.

The investment is necessary for the production, processing, protection, ownership, quality, openness, timeliness, relevance, accessibility, harmonisation, interoperability, and use of diverse types of data, regardless of who produces or owns data.

It remains to be seen how the data revolution will play out, yet M&E practitioners should be cognisant of the role they play in ensuring quality data that doesnt infringe on the data protection rights of their data subjects, be it digital data or personal/community data. More on this in the next post on the Data Ecosystem. Stay tuned!
Former Minister Bathabile Dlamini found guilty of perjury

CALS and the Black Sash Trust react to the finding that former Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini is guilty of perjury

The Black Sash Trust and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies welcome the finding of the Johannesburg Magistrates Court that former Minister Bathabile Dlamini is guilty of perjury. The perjury relates to Ms Dlaminis testimony before an inquiry established by the Constitutional Court into her role in the social grants crisis several years ago. The decision demonstrates that public officials have a duty to act ethically and must be held to account when they do not.

On 9 March 2022, the Johannesburg Magistrates Court found former Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini guilty of perjury following her testimony under oath before a section 38 inquiry established by the Constitutional Court. The purpose of the inquiry was to determine the then-Ministers role in the social grants crisis in 2017 when millions of beneficiaries were put at risk with no plan in place to continue paying grants when an invalid contract with Cash Paymaster Services came to an end.

The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) represented the Black Sash Trust at the inquiry and presented evidence that the Minister had failed in her duties and had purposefully misled the Court to avoid being held to account for these failures. The inquiry was chaired by Judge Bernard Ngoepe, whose report describes Ms Dlamini as an evasive witness who failed to disclose information to the Court for fear of being held liable in her personal capacity.

The Constitutional Court later handed down judgment finding the Ministers conduct had been reckless and grossly negligent and ordering her to pay a portion of the costs of litigation brought by the Black Sash Trust in order to protect the social grants system. The Court further ordered Judge Ngoepes report be forwarded to the National Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether Ms Dlamini lied under oath and should be prosecuted for perjury.

In August 2021, CALS and the Black Sash Trust were informed that the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Gauteng Local Division in Johannesburg had decided to prosecute Ms Dlamini for perjury and that her first court appearance would take place in the Johannesburg Regional Court within one month. We have today learned that Ms Dlamini has been found guilty by Magistrate Betty Khumalo. Ms Khumalo found that the former Minister had knowingly and intentionally disposed of false evidence and dismissed arguments by Ms Dlaminis legal team that the section 38 inquiry did not constitute formal judicial proceedings.

This decision highlights the duty placed on our public officials to act ethically and in the public interest at all times, says Ariella Scher, attorney at CALS. Even those occupying our highest offices must be held to account for their actions. Perjury is not a victimless crime, especially for sitting cabinet ministers. In this case, Ms Dlaminis dishonesty contributed to an ongoing crisis in the social grants system that threatened the millions of beneficiaries who rely on it every month.

Its high time that the South African Judiciary starts to deliver on the promise that no one is above the law, says Rachel Bukasa, executive director of the Black Sash Trust. Cases such as this will go a long way in ensuring that people start to believe that we are all equal before the law.

CALS and the Black Sash Trust continue to advocate for basic income support for those aged 18 to 59. Find out more about the campaign and sign the petition here.

For inquiries, please contact:

From the Centre for Applied Legal Studies

Ariella Scher at Ariella.Scher@wits.ac.za

Anesu Dera at Anesu.Dera@wits.ac.za

From the Black Sash Trust
Free iHealth COVID-19 antigen rapid tests from the federal government sit on a U.S. Postal Service envelope after being delivered on February 04, 2022 in San Anselmo, California.
FILE - This undated file photo provide by the Indiana State Police shows Alyssa Shepherd who was convicted in a 2018 crash that killed three siblings who were crossing a rural northern Indiana highway to board a school bus. Shepard was released from prison on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, after serving just over two years. (Indiana State Police via AP, File)
Aerial photo taken on Oct. 29, 2021 shows rice fields in Luanzhou, north China's Hebei Province. [Xinhua/Zhu Xudong]

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua)  Until not long ago, people of Atulieer Village, located at an elevation of 1,700 meters in southwest China's Sichuan Province, had to make a perilous journey climbing a rattan and wooden stick ladder to procure simple daily necessities of life, such as a pack of salt.

The ladder was the only way out for the locals. In 2016, photographs of a dozen students in line climbing down the ladder to school went viral, garnering widespread attention.

Atulieer was back in the spotlight this year  not for its arduous past, but for its prosperous present  when Yeshe Dawa, a Sichuan political advisor, showed Chinese President Xi Jinping two photographs of a renovated steel ladder and the previous shabby one, respectively, at the ongoing "two sessions."

In late 2016, the local governments earmarked 1 million yuan (about 158,300 U.S. dollars) to renovate the ladder. Months later, a 2.8-kilometer ladder made up of over 6,000 steel bars was erected. Now drones are being utilized to deliver mail, and the village has achieved 5G network coverage.

"It has become a popular tourist destination," the political advisor told Xi, noting that each time he went there, locals would convey their heartfelt gratitude to the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Atulieer is not the only region in China that has vanquished isolation and poverty. Thanks to China's resolute poverty alleviation campaign, 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages had been removed from the poverty list by the end of 2020, raising more than 770 million people from poverty since its reform and opening up in the late 1970s.

The CPC sees the ultimate achievement of common prosperity as part of the essence of socialism and it is deemed an important feature of the Chinese path to modernization.

If rural prosperity serves as a paradigm of good governance, China is certainly a perfect example. The government, however, believes in adhering to a balanced approach as prosperity must be attained in both urban and rural areas.

This year's government work report placed an emphasis on adhering to the ideology of people-centered development and relying on the efforts of everyone for common prosperity.

Securing Food Bowl

Ensuring food security is critical to overall rural revitalization, as eating is the most fundamental human need, and food is the basic necessity of the people.

Stressing that the hard-won results should be consolidated and expanded, Xi urged against slacking off on the food security issue.

He has called on the country to be well-prepared, to remain vigilant on food security, and adhere to the principle of self-sufficiency based on domestic grain production, guaranteed production capacity, moderate food imports and technological support.

Additionally, China passed an anti-food waste law last year, with the goal of establishing a long-term framework for preventing food waste, which is vital for ensuring national food security.

When participating in a joint group meeting of national political advisors from the sectors of agriculture, welfare and social security at the 2022 "two sessions," Xi emphasized the importance of ensuring the supply of major agricultural products, particularly grain, as well as upgrading the comprehensive capacity for agricultural production.

This year China will also formulate a food security law, and ensuring food security will remain a priority in the country's rural development.

Students attend a class in the High School Affiliated to China Agricultural University in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 21, 2022. [Xinhua/Ren Chao]

Nurturing Tomorrow's Hopes

Children are the edifices upon which a nation's future is built, and their quality and personality will determine a country's future trajectory.

Xi has on many occasions stressed improving the health and well-being of children.

At the aforementioned group meeting of national political advisors, Xi noted that the elderly and children in rural areas should be given extra attention and care.

The "double reduction" rules rolled out last year to help ease the burden of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for young students is another step toward fostering well-rounded development of children and promoting quality education.

According to this year's government work report, China plans to improve the supportive measures for the third-child policy. Care expenses for children under three will be included in the special additional deductions for individual income tax while public-interest childcare services will be developed to ease the burden of raising a family, the report added.

From sowing the seeds of development in the country's farthest corner, nourishing the agricultural basket to nurturing the building blocks of tomorrow, China's endeavor toward building a great modern socialist country takes together every area of society.

In Xi's words: "On the march towards common prosperity, no one will be left behind."

(Source: Xinhua)
Statement on the IAEA Framework for the Safety and Security of Ukraines Nuclear Power Plants

Issued 10 March 2022

World Nuclear Association supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Framework for the Safety and Security of Ukraines Nuclear Power Plants, and the initiative of IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to help negotiate an agreement between Ukraine and Russia to assure the implementation of this Framework.

The seven pillars of the Framework are:

The physical integrity of the facilities  whether it is the reactors, fuel ponds, or radioactive waste stores  must be maintained; All safety and security systems and equipment must be fully functional at all times; The operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure; There must be secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites; There must be uninterrupted logistical supply chains and transportation to and from the sites; There must be effective on-site and off-site radiation monitoring systems and emergency preparedness and response measures; and There must be reliable communications with the regulator and others.

Further information is available from the IAEA

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Forever commemorated as the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, Hodgenville is a unique American town that traces its early roots to the post-Revolutionary United States. The seat of LaRue County, Kentucky, Hodgenville, is situated on the North Fork of Nolin River and is considered a part of the Elizabethtown metropolitan area.

Geography And Climate Of Hodgenville

Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Hodgenville.

Situated in central LaRue County, Hodgenville is 19 km (12 miles) southeast of Elizabethtown in the valley of North Fork, a tributary of the Green River; Hodgenville is also 39 km (24 miles) northeast of the Bourbon Capital of Kentucky, Bardstown.

With a total area of 2.1 square miles, the town has a population of just under 3,300, according to 2019 estimates. 86 % of the town identified as White, 11% African American, and the remaining 3% comprises Hispanic, Asian, and other races. The median age in the town is 41 years old.

With hot and humid summers, and mildly cool winters, Hodgenville is classified as having a humid subtropical climate; average daily summer highs are 26 C (78 F), with highs of 6 C (42 F) in the winter. July is typically the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest, occasionally reaching temperatures as low as -5 C (23 F).The wet season is approximately five months, from mid-March to August; in this period, there is a greater than 33% chance of rainfall on any given day. May is considered Hodgenvilles wettest month, with an average of 13 days with at least one millimeter of precipitation.

History Of Hodgenville

Statue of President Abraham Lincoln sitting in chair in downtown Hodgenville. Editorial credit: Twin Oaks / Shutterstock.com

Just six years after the American Revolutionary War (1776-1783), Pennsylvania-born settler Robert Hodgen purchased 10,000 acres of land in Central Kentucky and built a mill on the site of todays Hodgenville. Within three years, Kentucky would officially enter the Union, and more and more settlers began to migrate west.

The small mill community that would become Hodgenville grew modestly in the first years of the 19th century, and by the time of Hodgens death in 1810, the settlement had a few hundred inhabitants. Upon petition of Hodgens widow and children, the site was officially named Hodgenville and formally incorporated by the Kentucky State Assembly in 1836.It was in this small but growing settlement that a poor family welcomed a son born into a humble log cabin. The date was February 12, 1809, and as Thomas and Nancy Lincoln held their new baby boy, Abraham, they were unaware of the great importance the infant would have in the history of the United States.Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Hodgenville maintained its small, close-knit community feel and today remains a picturesque example of small-town America.

Attractions In Hodgenville

The legacy of Abraham Lincoln is Hodgenvilles main tourist theme, and there are indeed numerous sites and buildings dedicated to the 16th President throughout town.

Amongst the most prominent is the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, first established in 1916; the 344-acre park houses the Memorial Building, a neo-classical temple built in 1909 to commemorate Lincolns centennial. The 56 steps leading up to the building represent Lincolns age, while a replica of the log cabin he was born in is on display inside.

From there, visitors can take a short trek to Knob Creek Farm, where the young Lincoln spent several of his childhood years before embarking on his legal and political career in Illinois.

Log cabin inside the first Lincoln Memorial building at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park. Editorial credit: Nagel Photography / Shutterstock.com

In the heart of Downtown Hodgenville Historic District, the Presidents memory is further commemorated at the Lincoln Museum. Founded in 1989, the museum is a 5 km (3 miles) ride from the Historical Park. It features period artifacts, life-sized dioramas, and a unique wax figure collection that bring elements of Abraham Lincolns life to striking realism. In the museum gallery, visitors can further enjoy an impressive collection of civil war memorabilia and a replica of Lincolns funeral train.In the towns main square, be sure to stop by the two statues of Lincoln, one as a child and the other as an adult, and pose with the man who gave his life to save the Union.

Although most of Hodgenvilles tourist sites are orientated towards the figure of Abraham Lincoln, the man and President, visitors can still find a variety of locally-owned restaurants and small markets that bring all the charm of Kentucky. They can enjoy some fine bourbon from the town of Bardstown, just a 30-minute drive away, or take in a traditional Kentucky Bluegrass music concert at any of the quaint music venues in town.

Hodgenville, Kentucky, can indeed give the appearance of the stereotypical Anytown, USA, but its unique location in the state and its indelible ties to Abraham Lincoln make it a definite point of attraction. For those who love American history or just want to get a feel of small-town Kentucky, then Hodgenville is the perfect spot to get it all.
Company seeks extra time for plans to build convenience store next to Wrexham pub

A company behind plans to build a convenience store next to a Wrexham pub has asked for more time to move forward with the development.

Proposals to build a 232 square metre shop on the car park of the Five Crosses Inn in Minera were initially granted permission in March 2016.

A bid to increase the size of the store to 325 square metres was later refused by Wrexham Council because of concerns about a lack of parking.

However, the decision was overturned by a planning inspector, who said the 20 spaces proposed off Ruthin Road would be sufficient.

In his decision notice, Declan Beggan said there were also spaces available on nearby streets, with public transport links serving the area.

With the five-year date for work to start due to expire, Stockport-based firm Oxford Park Ltd. has asked the local authority for more time to progress with the scheme.

No reason has been given for the delays, but the company has requested for permission to be extended by a further five years.

The pub itself is currently closed and was previously listed for sale alongside the car park land.

Its expected the council will make a decision on the application at a later date.





By Liam Randall  BBC Local Democracy Reporter
North Wales health board to offer first doses to children aged 5-11 and spring boosters for the most vulnerable

Parents of healthy five to 11 year olds will be contacted from this week with invitations to book a covid-19 vaccination appointment for their child.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that those in the age group should be offered the vaccine to increase protection against potential future waves of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 vaccine has already been offered to all children aged 5 to 11 who are in a clinical risk group, or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed.

Those who have yet to take up this offer are invited to call the COVID-19 Vaccination Contact Centre on 03000 840 004.

From this week Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board will begin writing to the parents of healthy children aged 5-11 with details of the vaccination.

Gill Harris, Executive Director of Nursing & Midwifery, said: Were encouraging parents and children to make an informed decision about whether to go ahead with vaccination, based on up-to-date information from trusted sources.

This week Public Health Wales have published information on their website to support this.

We understand that some young children may be anxious about coming to an unfamiliar setting to receive their vaccine.

Our childrens clinics will be significantly quieter than the booster clinics held during the latter part of 2021, and our experienced staff can take the time to support children and put them at ease, before they receive their vaccine.

Appointments can be booked by calling the COVID-19 Vaccination Contact Centre on 0300 840004. Telephone lines are open 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The JCVI has also advised that an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to:

Adults aged 75 years and over, residents in a care home for older adults, and

Individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in the Green Book.

The JCVI has not recommended that frontline health and social care staff receive a second booster dose at this stage.

Ms Harris said: We will soon begin offering this second booster dose to residents in care homes for older adults and those aged over 75 who are housebound.

Invitation letters will then be sent to remaining adults aged 75+, and those aged 12+ who are immunosuppressed.

There is no need for people eligible for a second booster dose to contact their GP or the health board. We will contact you directly when it is your turn.

She added: The door is always open for those who have yet to come forward for their first, second or booster dose.

Those eligible can attend any of our drop in clinics, where they will receive a warm welcome from our friendly staff, who can also take the time to discuss any concerns they may have.
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In the past week, 203,275 COVID-19 infections were recorded in Australia, an increase of around 20 percent over the previous week, and the highest seven-day figure in a month.

The dangerous BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron has begun to take hold in Australia. According to covariants.org, BA.2 accounts for 24 percent of cases nationally. Across the country, the prevalence of BA.2 is growing at a rate of around 8.9 percent per day.

BA.2 accounts for 30 percent of recent samples sequenced in New South Wales (NSW) and 20 percent in Victoria. The small percentage of samples that are sequenced are mostly from seriously ill patients, meaning if there is an over representation of BA.2 in this data, it is because the sub-variant is causing more severe symptoms.

A drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, January 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Across the country, only a tiny handful of positive test specimens are subjected to genomic sequencing. Each week, fewer than 2,500 sequences are reported to GISAID, the largest repository of COVID-19 samples in the world.

This is part of the criminal attempt by Australian governments to hide crucial information about the pandemic from the population and conceal the devastating and continuing consequences of the let it rip policy.

The media is entirely on board with the cover-up. While Australians continue to die from COVID-19 at a rate of more than 36 per day, the pandemic has virtually disappeared from the headlines.

Nevertheless, it is clear that BA.2 is spreading rapidly and is likely to become the dominant strain in Australia within weeks.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard today revealed in parliament that modelling from the University of NSW (UNSW) predicted daily cases could double by mid-April as the sub-variant takes hold.

While he said the preliminary evidence was concerning, Hazzard did not propose a return of indoor mask mandates, density limits, or other public health measures, but merely said people need to go out and get the booster fast.

Labor Shadow Minister for Health Ryan Park agreed, posting on Twitter: Cases could double in as little as one month. COVID hasnt been washed away with the floods. Please get boosted.

Fewer than 60 percent of adults have received a booster in NSW, compared with double-dose rates well in excess of 90 percent. The low booster take up is clearly bound up with the official propaganda barrage claiming that the pandemic is a thing of the past.

While Park raised the need to prepare hospitals for a surge in cases, he said nothing about reintroducing measures to actually reduce transmission.

James Wood, from the UNSW School of Public Health, said he expected 90 percent of COVID-19 infections in the state will be BA.2 by the end of this month.

Wood said the emergence of BA.2 is the main factor driving the rise in cases.

The increasing spread of BA.2 in Australia mirrors what is taking place globally. The sub-variant is dominant in at least 34 countries, including 4 of the 10 highest-ranking countries in terms of daily infections.

In Hong Kong, where per capita death and infection rates in the current COVID-19 surge are smashing all previous records around the world, BA.2 accounts for all sequenced samples.

A recent University of Tokyo study found BA.2 is more transmissible, more vaccine evading and more resistant to previous infection than the original Omicron strain, BA.1.

In addition, the study found that BA.2 caused more severe illness than BA.1, because it reproduced deeper in the lungs of the animals studied.

Scientist Yaneer Bar-Yam told the World Socialist Web Site in a recent interview: Now, obviously this is something that we still need to see in people, but if you realize that this is whats happening in hamsters, you should stop assuming that its okay and you should go back and look at whats going on now.

Bar-Yam and the Tokyo studys lead scientist, Kei Sato, agreed the designation of BA.2 as a sub-variant was incorrect, as it is different enough from BA.1 to warrant its own Greek letter.

With mounting evidence that BA.2 may be the most dangerous variant yet, the World Health Organisations refusal to classify it as a variant of concern in its own right is based on politics, not science.

Such a designation would conflict with the narrative relentlessly pushed by governments and the corporate media that Omicron is mild, COVID-19 will become endemic, and the pandemic is over.

These utterly false and unscientific claims are designed to force children and teachers back into schools, and workers back into factories and offices, in order to satisfy the demands of big business that nothing, even the deaths of millions of people, be allowed to stand in the way of ever-increasing profits.

In fact, the only thing that is over is any semblance of a public health response to COVID-19, anywhere in the world except China.

Australian governments, Labor and Liberal-National alike, have in recent weeks slashed virtually all of the few remaining COVID-19 safety measures.

Daily case numbers are increasing in NSW, Western Australia (WA), South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory.

In addition to the rise of the more-transmissible BA.2, the surge is being driven by growing infections in schools after students and teachers were forced back into face-to-face learning last month despite massive levels of community transmission.

Details of COVID-19 outbreaks in schools are tightly suppressed, but the Committee for Public Education has collected reports of almost 1,000 schools affected by the virus in Term 1, a fraction of the total.

It has been reported on social media that 600700 students (more than a quarter of the school population) at Castle Hill High School are absent due to a major outbreak of COVID-19.

The Hills Shire Local Government Area, where the school is located, currently has the second-highest number of active cases in NSW, with an average of more than 500 new infections reported each day.

The bipartisan character of the murderous let it rip policies is starkly revealed in WA.

The state was the last in Australia to maintain at least a partial suppression policy, and maintained a hard border until last week. This was in no small part due to massive public support for elimination of COVID-19 demonstrated in the landslide re-election of Labor Premier Mark McGowan in March last year.

Today WA reported 4,535 new infections, more than the total recorded in the state from the beginning of the pandemic until February 23.

Since the beginning of the year, 17,000 students and 1,400 staff have either tested positive for COVID-19 or needed to isolate due to exposure.

An outbreak among bus drivers in the state forced the cancellation of around 30 bus routes on Tuesday.

Following the blueprint established throughout the country, the WA Labor governments response to the massive surge in cases was not to tighten public health measures in an attempt to stem transmission, but to slash close contact and isolation rules for school children, teachers and critical workersessentially everyone who cannot work from home.

The emergence of BA.2 is an entirely predictable result of the decision by capitalist governments around the world to promote the rampant spread of COVID-19. The world has been turned into a massive petri dish for the development of an unlimited number of new and more dangerous strains of the virus.

But COVID-19 can and must be eliminated. The urgent task of the working class, in Australia and around the world, is to mobilise against the murderous let it rip policies of the ruling elite and fight to banish the deadly virus from the planet.

This requires a socialist perspective. Only under a workers government can the subjugation of health and lives to the profit demands of the financial elite be ended, and the necessary public health measures to vanquish COVID, including vaccination, mask mandates and, when needed, the shutdown of all non-essential industry, be implemented.
There is a greater cognitive decline  a decline in mental ability, in being able to perform complex tasks. Professor Gwenaelle Douaud, lead author of the UK Biobank study reviewing the impact of COVID on the brain.

Every day new evidence emerges from studies conducted across the globe highlighting the serious dangers posed by infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. The recent publication in the journal Nature by the UK Biobank on the impact of COVID and loss of the brains grey matter is quite alarming.

Led by scientists from the University of Oxford, the UK Biobank study is a 30-year-long project launched in 2006 intending to follow 500,000 volunteers ages 40 to 69 to investigate the impact genetics and environment may have on disease development. The imaging arm of the large trial was opened in 2015 aimed at supplementing the overall findings with high-quality scans of the brain and other organs to gain better insight into disease processes and the impact of treatments.

With the plan of scanning 100,000 images, the study had already conducted more than 40,000 brain scans when the pandemic hit. As more and more reports of severely ill patients suffering from neurological consequences of their infections surfaced, the researchers turned their attention to studying the impact COVID had on the brains of the infected.

Their initial findings were released in preprint form in June 2021, and revealed a significant, deleterious impact of COVID-19 on the olfactory cortex [the region of the brain responsible for smell perception] and gustatory cortex [taste and flavor], with a more pronounced reduction in grey matter thickness and volume in the left para-hippocampal gyrus, the left superior insula and the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex in COVID patients. In the current study, the authors attempted to discern if even milder cases of COVID led to brain pathology after the acute phase of the infection had subsided.

Dr. Gwenaelle Douaud, lead author of the UK Biobank study and professor in the department of clinical neurosciences at the University of Oxford, said, What is really different in this study is that we had mild participants who were not hospitalized, so they were well enough to stay at home, and some were asymptomatic. Additionally, a control group was used for comparison who also had two brain scans conducted and were confirmed never to have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Figure 1 Areas of the brain impacted by COVID infection. See linked study for details of the figures and graphs. Source UK Biobank study.

Participants who had been diagnosed with a COVID infection were scanned, on average, four to five months after their infection. The results of the second brain scan were contrasted with their previous scans obtained before their COVID infection (in most instances, completed before the pandemic) offering a direct comparison. The authors wrote, The availability of pre-infection imaging data reduces the likelihood of pre-existing risk factors being misinterpreted as disease effects.

This facet of the study is highly critical in confirming their findings, as the infected participants previous scan becomes a baseline comparison. Control participants without previous infection assist in eliminating bias from changes that occur during aging.

The study measured hundreds of distinct brain imaging-derived phenotypes (IDP) where each IDP reflected one specific aspect of the brains structure or function. Comparing a participants brain scan at two different time points, they were able to identify effects associated with tissue damage and atrophy [shrinkage] caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Douaud added, We are not seeing the kind of gross pathology that you would see in all of these other brain imaging studies that have focused on hospitalized patients. We are looking at much more subtle kind of differences here.

In all, there were 785 UK Biobank participants between the ages of 51 to 81. There were 401 cases who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection between their brain scans and 384 controls that were matched for age, sex, ethnicity, comorbidities, economic status, and time elapsed between the two scans.

The scientists remarked on three primary findings from their analysis:

1) There was greater reduction in grey matter thickness and tissue-contrast in the orbitofrontal cortex and para-hippocampal gyrus, areas of the brain involved with decision making and memory encoding and retrieval. 2) Greater changes in markers of tissue damage in regions functionally connected to the primary olfactory cortex responsible for the sense of smell. 3) Greater reduction in global brain size equivalent to a decades worth of aging.

They wrote:  we identified significant effects associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily relating to greater atrophy [shrinkage] and increased tissue damage in cortical areas directly connected to primary olfactory cortex, as well as changes in global measures of brain and cerebrospinal fluid volume. Additionally, corroborating these visual changes, infected participants also demonstrated a larger cognitive decline between the two scans, shown in cognitive testing administered during the trial.

When they compared hospitalized patients to non-hospitalized cases (mild cases), though less pronounced, similar patterns in the loss of grey matter was seen. The affected regions included areas that control cognitive processes in decision-making and attention allocation that include ethics and morality, impulse control, and emotions. It is no wonder that some people suffering from Long COVID have complained of brain fog and feeling of a loss of identity.

Figure 2 Trail Making Test Part A and Part B.

Attempting to place their findings into context, the authors first note that the strongest structural changes observed between those infected and control groups corresponded to a loss of around two percent of mean baseline IDP value.

They wrote, This additional loss in the infected participants of 0.7 percent on average across the olfactory-related brain regionsand specifically ranging from 1.3 to 1.8 percent for the FreeSurfer volume of the para-hippocampal/perirhinal and entorinal cortex [these regions are involved in the formation and processing of memories]can be helpfully compared with for instance, the longitudinal loss per year of around 0.2 percent (middle-age) and 0.3 percent (older age) of hippocampal volume [regions related to memory] in community-dwelling individuals.

The implications of these findings will require longer follow-up times but infection with SARS-CoV-2, as some are hypothesizing, may predispose some to the development of Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Though no memory impairment was established among those with mild disease, when they were administered the Trail Making Test (parts A and B), they took a significantly longer time to complete the tasks compared to non-infected controls. The test is a commonly used neuropsychological test of visual attention and task switching, as well as executive function, that is sensitive to detecting cognitive impairments associated with dementia.

Participants previously infected with COVID had a significantly greater time completing part B of the test, also known as the alphanumeric trail B, which is associated with longitudinal changes in the cognitive part of the cerebellum. As the authors note, this part of the brain is associated with cognitive impairments in patients with stroke. These participants and, in general, those infected with COVID will need to be followed closely for years to see if these findings correlate with the development of memory problems or dementia.

One concerning finding was that the differences between the infected and uninfected grew with age. Though the performances were similar between the two groups for those in their 50s and 60s, the performance gap widened considerably for the eldest. Douaud admitted, I dont know if thats because younger people recover faster or they were not as affected to start with, [it] could be either or it could be both. It should be added, it is unknown when the damage incurred is of sufficient magnitude that it surfaces as a clinical finding. Younger people may manifest more cognitive flexibility, but whether they will suffer the consequences of this harm sooner in their future lives remains an important question.

Serious as these findings are and the insight they offer into the complex processes of cognition, one fundamental question must be asked: Was it necessary for the population to have undergone this social trauma caused by policies that have allowed the virus to spread throughout communities unimpeded?

Clearly, the results of the study should evoke a deep sense of unease, if not horror, at what is happening to the billions of people on the planet who have become infected. The findings are more than just the exposure of the devastating impact COVID has on the human body, but irrefutable proof of the dangerous policies being imposed by the ruling elites forcing the population to live with the virus. If the precautionary principles of medicine hold no sway, the results are chilling, and they reinforce the demand a radical shift in policy to eliminate COVID once and for all.
The Biden administration and congressional leaders in both the Democratic and Republican parties reached agreement early Wednesday on the passage of an overall budget bill funding federal spending for the rest of the current fiscal year, which runs until September 30.

The House of Representatives passed the legislation Wednesday night, divided into two sections. The military spending portion, providing a record $782 billion to the build-up of the US military machine, passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote. The social spending portion, smaller at $730 billion, passed on a near party-line vote, 260-171, supported by all but one Democrat and only 39 Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., center, Assistant Majority Leader Patty Murray, D-Wash., left, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., right, speaks after the Democratic strategy meeting at the Capitol Hill, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

The bill is massive, both in terms of the funds allocated, some $1.5 trillion, and in its physical size, more than 2,700 pages. Dozens of extraneous provisions were inserted in the must-pass legislation, while other measures were stripped out to appease Senate Republicans, whose support was required to overcome any filibuster.

The record military spending is supplemented by another $14 billion, labeled aid to Ukraine, although the bulk of it is spending to support US military operations in Eastern Europe, including the deployment of thousands of additional troops, tanks and warplanes.

The total comes to nearly $800 billion, more than any US administration has ever spent on military operations for a single year. The Biden administration initially requested $715 billion for the Pentagon. Congress raised this figure by $25 billion in the National Defense Authorization Act passed late last year. The appropriations bill adds another $42 billion, plus the Ukraine money.

To this should be added most of the appropriation for the Department of Energy, which manages the production of US nuclear warheads before they are loaded into bombs and missiles, and much of the spending for the Department of Homeland Security, which reached a record $106 billion, an increase of 11 percent, as well as spending on the intelligence agencies.

Total spending by all departments of the federal government for the military-intelligence apparatus certainly exceeds $1 trillion, more than the next eight countries in the world combined. By comparison, the Russian military budget is estimated at $62 billion, about one-sixteenth of the US total.

Other provisions include support for counterterrorism efforts in Africa, an additional $1 billion for Israels Iron Dome rocket defense system, and money for the State Department to promote pro-Israeli, anti-Palestinian measures such as the Abraham Accords, reached under the Trump administration, between the arch-reactionary oil sheikdoms and the Zionist state.

In order to obtain Senate Republican support for the omnibus bill before the next federal shutdown deadline of Friday midnight, the White House, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to virtually every demand by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Appropriations Committee.

McConnell issued a statement declaring, This agreement provides significantly more money than the Biden Administration requested for defense and significantly less money than the Administration requested for non-defense. At my insistence, it also provides much more money for Ukraine than Democrats had proposed, particularly for authorities and funding to deliver crucial military equipment to Ukraine quickly.

The Omnibus rejects liberal policies and effectively addresses Republican priorities, Shelby gloated. The House and Senate should act quickly and send it to the President. Among the Democratic concessions, he cited the dropping of an effort to rescind the Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of Medicaid or other federal money to pay for abortions.

Liberal Democrats sought to use the Ukraine crisis as a justification for their support for the record military spending. I do support military aid to Ukraine, said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat, New York). I think thats the thing. We never support the defense budget. Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer said, Its situational. And theres a lot riding on it. We need to support Ukraine.

The White House also cited the Ukraine aid, as well as a $46 billion increase in domestic social spending, as reasons for supporting the bipartisan deal. But the total spending deviates from Democratic Party claims of parity between military and non-military spending, providing $782 billion for the military and $730 billion for all other discretionary spending by the federal government.

Speaking on behalf of the White House, budget director Shalanda Young said in a statement: The bipartisan funding bill is proof that both parties can come together to deliver for the American people and advance critical national priorities... It will mean historic levels of assistance for the Ukrainian people, a bold new initiative to drive unprecedented progress in curing cancer and other diseases, and more support to keep our communities safe.

The latter was a reference to additional funding for state and local police agencies, mainly through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Justice Department.

The division of the omnibus spending bill into two parts is for the purposes of political posturing. All the Democrats and a handful of Republicans approved the domestic social spending, while most Republicans and all but seven Democrats approved the military spending. Each measure contains a provision to combine the two into a single bill when it goes to the Senate later in the week.

In a significant exposure of the reactionary maneuvering to obtain passage of the bill, Speaker Pelosi removed a $15.6 billion provision for supplementary COVID-19 spending from the omnibus bill, which delayed the planned vote from the afternoon until late at night. She did so after many progressive Democrats objected to the method used to finance the COVID-19 supplement, which was to raid funds already previously appropriated under last years American Relief Act but not yet sent to state and local governments for distribution.

In other words, the COVID-19 spending was not new money at all, in contrast to the Ukraine military supplement, which is added to the money being allocated to the Pentagon. There was widespread opposition from Democratic representatives spread across some 30 states that would lose money. In a letter to the Democratic caucus, Pelosi admitted that states would lose about 9 percent of the federal funds they were expecting to receive. This admission only generated more opposition, so Pelosi simply pulled the bill from the floor so that it could be hurriedly revised and resubmitted.

The episode demonstrates both the cynical and reactionary character of the congressional Democratic leadership, and the timidity of the opposition by progressives, if it even merits the name. All factions of the Democratic Party will be united in passage of the overall legislation, in both the House and Senate, providing the biggest bonanza in history for the US war machine.
On the sidelines of Chinas annual National Peoples Congress, Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a lengthy press conference on Monday urging a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine while reaffirming the iron clad friendship between China and Russia. His comments come amid mounting pressure from the US and its allies demanding that Beijing condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Wang suggested that China could mediate peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, saying: China is prepared to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate dialogue for peace and work alongside the international community when needed to carry out necessary mediation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a remote video press conference held on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil)

The foreign minister also outlined a six-point plan to address the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine as fighting continues and intensifies. No doubt reacting to the deluge of Western media propaganda seizing on the plight of Ukrainian civilians, he said that the provision of aid should abide by the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and avoid politicising humanitarian issues. He called for the United Nations to be in charge of coordinating relief efforts.

Wang said the Red Cross Society of China would provide Ukraine with a tranche of emergency humanitarian supplies as soon as possible. The Chinese foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that China would supply a batch of nearly $800,000 worth of aid, including food and daily necessities. The first shipments had already been sent.

Ahead of an EUChina summit in April, Wang also made a thinly veiled appeal for European powers to distance themselves from Washington and to strengthen ties with Beijing that are not directed at, dependent on, or subject to third parties. He declared that there were some forces that did not want stable ChinaEU relations, so they fabricate the China threat, hype up competition with China, advocate systemic rivalry and even provoke sanctions and confrontation.

China is engaged in a precarious balancing act in the Ukraine crisis. It has refused to line up with the USNATO war drive by condemning or imposing sanctions on Russia but neither has it fully endorsed Moscows actions. Beijing has not supported Russian President Vladimir Putins decree last month recognising the independence of two regions in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists. It fears that Putins move sets a dangerous precedent for US intervention to break up China.

At the same time, Beijing has blamed the conflict on the encroachment of the US and NATO into eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics, and their refusal to acknowledge Russian national security concerns or guarantee that Ukraine will not become part of NATO. It has called for the international recognition of the national security concerns of all partiesboth Russia and Ukraine.

Wangs appeal for closer EU ties with China is directed at marshalling support in Europe for negotiations to end the Ukrainian conflict, in opposition to Washingtons determination to escalate the war as a means of weakening and breaking up Russia. While NATO has lined up with the US war drive, there are undoubtedly fears in European capitals, as well as the broader population, about the dangers of a far wider war enveloping Europe.

In an interview on Saturday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said China had to be the one to mediate, but acknowledged that the EU had yet to ask Beijing to do so. There is no alternative it must be China, I am sure of that, he said.

On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in which he declared he was pained to see the flames of war reignited in Europe and called for maximum restraint in the Ukraine crisis.

While a statement released after the meeting declared that all three leaders supported negotiations aimed at a diplomatic solution to the conflict, it announced no concrete proposal for talks or any agreement for a solution. Germany and France have both delivered weapons to Ukraine and supported EU sanctions on Russia. France has also increased the number of its nuclear-armed submarines on active patrol.

President Xi told the National Peoples Congress (NPC) on Sunday: The world has entered a new era of turbulence and change which makes domestic reform and development a challenging task. Xi is well aware that China is also facing the mounting threat of war as the US seeks to prevent any challenge to its global dominance as well as a worsening economic crisis as the world economy is plunged into turmoil.

In his report Premier Li Keqiang forecast an economic growth rate of just 5.5 percent for China in the coming yearthe lowest in decades and well below the governments benchmark of 8 percent to ensure high employment and prevent social turmoil. Even this figure is optimistic given the uncertainties posed by the conflict in Ukraine.

The US is already ratcheting up pressure on China. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday accused Beijing of hypocrisy, claiming that it was failing to speak up against Russia. China speaks often about the sanctity of this principle of sovereignty [Yet] you have one of its permanent members [Russia] violating that very principle.

The US, of course, has routinely flouted the national sovereignty of countries through coups and invasions. Its unilateral sanctions against Russia in the Ukraine crisis not only ban American corporations from doing business with Russia, but apply to companies around the world including in China.

On Tuesday, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned that the US would take devastating action against Chinese companies that defied Russian sanctions. In an interview with the New York Times, she declared that the Biden administration could essentially shut Chinese enterprises that sold goods to Russia that were subject to US bans, by cutting them off from American equipment and software needed to manufacture their products.

Even more ominously, the US and its allies have been deliberately intensifying tensions with China over Taiwan. In a manner similar to the stream of propaganda accusing Russia of preparing to invade Ukraine, there has been a steady drum beat of warnings and allegations in the Western media that China could invade Taiwan. At the same time, Washington has strengthened its ties with Taipei even while acknowledging the One China policy, under which Taiwan is part of China.

In his media conference. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang lashed out at the US for sowing instability in the region by supporting Taiwan. The real goal of the US Indo-Pacific strategy is to establish an Indo-Pacific NATO, he said, referring to Washingtons strengthening of military ties with regional allies and strategic partners. The US is going to great lengths to engage in zero-sum competition with China and keeps provoking China on issues concerning our core interests.

Wang also drew a distinction between Ukraine and Taiwan. Some people, while being vocal about the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, have kept undermining Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question, he said. This is a blatant double standard.

The continuing US threats and provocations against China, despite its current focus on Russia, underscore the very real danger that the rapidly escalating conflict in Europe will quickly spill over into Asia and potentially engulf the world in a war between nuclear-armed powers.
The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]



The fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, held its closing meeting on Thursday.

Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the closing meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, delivered a speech at the meeting.

A resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, a resolution on a report on how the proposals from political advisors have been handled since the previous annual session, a report on the examination of new proposals, and a political resolution on the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee were approved at the meeting.




Proud Boys attend a rally at Freedom Plaza, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

A Washington D.C. federal jury issued a guilty verdict Tuesday in the first trial of a participant in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The jury found Guy Reffitt, a member of the fascistic militia group Texas Three Percenters, guilty on all five charges against him: seeking to obstruct the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election, transporting guns into Washington D.C., carrying a pistol on Capitol grounds, interfering with Capitol Police protecting Congress, and obstructing justice by threatening to execute his son and daughter if they turned him into the authorities.

The Three Percenters, along with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, were among the far-right paramilitary groups summoned by then-President Donald Trump to the Capitol on January 6 in an attempt to block the congressional certification of Joe Bidens victory in the Electoral College, following the 2020 presidential vote.

Reffitt refused to take a plea deal, as all previous Capitol assailants have done, instead seeking a jury trial. After less than four hours of deliberation on Tuesday, the jury found him guilty on all five counts. Reffitt is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8. The maximum sentence for the most serious charges, obstruction of Congress and obstruction of justice, is 20 years in prison.

Demonstrating that Trumps coup plotting was well known to US intelligence agencies prior to the attack on the Capitol, Jackson Reffitt, Guys 19-year-old son and a key witness for the prosecution, testified that he contacted the FBI on Christmas eve 2020 to report his fathers plans to storm the Capitol. Jackson Reffitt continued to remain in contact with the FBI, recording audio conversations and forwarding incriminating texts sent by his father to the domestic intelligence agency.

The young man explained during the trial that he used to be close with his father, but prior to the 2016 election, his dad became a supporter of Trump and snowballed into a far-right extremist. Jackson testified that he felt compelled to contact the FBI after his father adopted Trumps big lie that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and that political violence was necessary to overturn Trumps electoral defeat.

The entire house of legislation has committed unthinkable acts on our people, Guy Reffitt texted his son following the election. We have had enough.

Seeing these messages and reading them, my paranoia really blew over, so I decided to alleviate some of the anxiety on my shoulders and submit a tip to the FBI, Jackson testified.

During the trial, prosecutors played a video of the older Reffitt repeatedly expressing his desire to storm the Capitol and commit violence against Trumps political enemies.

Ripping them out by their hair. Every f**cking one of them. Dragging them out kicking and f**king screaming. I just want to see Pelosis head hitting every f**king stair on the way out, and Mitch McConnell too, Reffitt said while in Washington D.C. on January 6.

Prosecutors painted Reffitt as a leader and instigator in the attack, telling the jury, A mob needs a leader, and Reffitt lit the match that started the fire.

Supporting their claims, prosecutors played multiple clips that Reffitt himself filmed during the attack and in the following days. Im prepared to the take the Capitol, Reffitt told pro-Trump supporters the morning of January 6. In another clip, filmed by Reffitt after the attack, he admits he encouraged the crowd to storm the building, I just kept going, Go forward! Go forward! recalled Reffitt.

Following the failed coup, Jackson Reffitt testified that the family saw their father in a brief news clip on television goading pro-Trump elements into the Capitol. After the clip aired, Guy warned Jackson and his younger sister that if they turned their father in to the police, they would be traitors, and traitors get shot.

Another key witness for the prosecution was Rocky Hardie, a former member of the Texas Three Percenters, who was given immunity by prosecutors after turning states witness. Hardie testified that he and Reffitt met prior to the election and that they traveled to Washington D.C. together to participate in the storming of the Capitol.

Refuting claims by Republican apologists for Trump that January 6 was nonviolent and not an armed insurrection, Hardie testified that both he and Reffitt brought automatic rifles with them to Washington D.C. and carried concealed handguns on their persons during the attack on the Capitol.

Confirming the analysis presented on the World Socialist Web Site that the right-wing extremists who stormed the Capitol sought out Trumps enemies for kidnapping and possible execution, Hardie said he and Reffitt brought two-way radios and flex cuffs in case we need to detain anybody.

Proud Boys indicted on conspiracy charges

In another significant court development demonstrating that the January 6 attack was not a spontaneous riot but a pre-planned assault, on Tuesday, a D.C. federal grand jury indicted Proud Boy leader Henry Enrique Tarrio, 38, and four other members of the group on conspiracy charges for their actions prior to and during January 6.

Proud Boy leader Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio (left) meets with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes (back right) in Washington DC underground parking garage January 5, 2021 (Screenshot from Channel 4 News/YouTube) 

In addition to charging admitted FBI informant Tarrio, the grand jury issued conspiracy charges against Proud Boys leaders Ethan Nordean, 31; Joseph Biggs, 38 (also an admitted FBI informant ); Charles Donohue, 34; and Zachary Rehl, 36, all of whom were previously charged for actions on January 6. Former U.S. Marine and New York Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola, 44, who was videotaped using a police riot shield to smash a window and climb into the Capitol on January 6, was also named as a participant in the conspiracy.

Fellow New York Proud Boy Matthew Greene was the first member of the group to plead guilty to conspiring with other fascists to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote. Greene has been cooperating with authorities since his December 2021 plea.

In a September 2020 presidential debate with Biden, Trump infamously refused to denounce the fascistic paramilitary group, instead instructing them to Stand back and stand by.

The indictment lays out how Tarrio and other Proud Boys leaders coordinated their efforts in the months following Trumps electoral defeat to overthrow the election of Biden. Even though Tarrio was not in D.C. during the attack, the government alleges he continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of January 6, 2021, and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack.

Tarrio was indicted on one count each of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding. He was also charged with two counts each of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers and destruction of government property.

On November 6, 2020, Tarrio, then the chairman of the Proud Boys, posted a public online message that read: The media constantly accuses us of wanting to start a civil war. Careful what the f*ck you ask for we dont want to start one... but we will sure as f*ck finish one.

Ten days later Tarrio publicly posted, If Biden steals this election, [the Proud Boys] will be political prisoners. We wont go quietly... I promise.

The indictment alleges that Proud Boy leaders Nordean, Biggs and Rehls posted similar statements in November 2020 calling for civil war and taking down the Biden government.

The indictment notes the extensive Proud Boys participation in the December 12, 2020 Million MAGA rally in Washington D.C., which also served as a nexus for the Stop the Steal movement, bringing together the various fascist elements and Republican operatives and lawmakers who were working together in furtherance of Trumps coup.

The indictment notes that on December 30, 2020, an unnamed person sent Tarrio a document that laid out a strategy for occupying a few crucial buildings in D.C. on January 6, including the House and Senate office buildings near the Capitol. The nine-page document was titled 1776 Returns and called for having as many people as possible participate in the occupation of the Capitol.

The indictment details the creation of a select Proud Boys chapter dubbed the Ministry of Self Defense, or MOSD, by Tarrio in December, 2020. Tarrio is alleged to have said the MOSD would be a national rally planning chapter that would only include hand-selected members, such as Tarrio, Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Donohoe. Throughout December, prosecutors allege, members of MOSD planned for the attack, using the encrypted chat to coordinate efforts to raise funds for electronic communication devices such as BaoFeng radios, travel expenses and other equipment used in the attack.

Prosecutors claim the MOSD chat log details Tarrios instructions to Proud Boys to show up to the Capitol on January 6 incognito and in all-black. The government claims to also have in its possession evidence showing the accused engaging in meetings and encrypted communication in Washington D.C. in the days leading up to January 6, and on the morning of January 6, to plan for the... attack. This is not surprising, given multiple reports that the FBI, Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police were listening to Proud Boys communications prior to the attack.

The indictment notes that on January 4, 2021, Tarrio was arrested by D.C. police for burning a Black Lives Matter banner during the previous December 12 fascist rally. As part of his bond conditions, he was ordered to leave Washington D.C. immediately. However, the indictment notes that Tarrio did not comply with this order, instead meeting with Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, himself charged in January with seditious conspiracy, for approximately 30 minutes in an underground parking garage in Washington D.C.

The indictment reads: During this encounter, a participant referenced the Capitol.

A recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) titled The Year in Hate & Extremism 2021 notes that despite the fact that at least 40 members of the Proud Boys have been charged in relation to their role in the January 6 coup, the number of active Proud Boy chapters in the US has risen from 43 in 2020 to 72 in 2021.

VICE reporter Tess Owens has claimed that Proud Boys members have attended at least 114 public events in 2021. They have been emboldened by the support they have received from the ruling class, including from Republican politicians and police departments around the country.

The SPLC notes that the Proud Boys, mobilized in opposition to any public health measures aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19 and in furtherance of the Republicans far-right America First agenda, have been largely targeting local government and community institutions such as public schools.
The trade unions are leading a war stampede by Britain, the United States and NATO against Russia. Unite and Unison, Britains two largest unions, have organised boycotts this past week by dockyard workers against the unloading of Russian oil and gas from foreign-flagged ships.

British tabloids promote anti-Russia boycotts (Screenshot)

On Saturday, dockers who are members of Unite refused to unload Russian oil from a German-flagged oil tanker moored at Birkenhead Docks near Stanlow Oil Refinery in Cheshire. Their action was trumpeted by the British press, Angry dock workers in the UK are refusing to unload Russian oil due to Ukraine invasion (The Sun), Brit dockers refuse to unload Russian oil tanker in show of solidarity with Ukraine (The Mirror) and You can stick your oil, Vlad (Sunday People).

Unison, Britains largest union, had already announced its members would refuse to unload Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) from two oil tankers due to dock at Kent. The Boris Vilkitskiy and the Fedor Litke were reportedly operating under the flag of Cyprus and carried enough LNG to last Britain 12 days.

The Boris Vilkitskiy (Credit: Creative Commons)

The boycott of the Saltcod was portrayed as grassroots action, with the Mirror claiming workers had taken matters into their own hands. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Unite and Unison are manipulating dockworkers genuine revulsion at Russias invasion of Ukraine to further the economic, military and strategic aims of British imperialism. It is necessary for workers to maintain their critical faculties. Unite and Unison feign outrage over the plight of Ukrainian civilians, demanding an economic blockade against Russia, but have never once demanded similar measures to oppose far greater crimes by British and US imperialism against Serbia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Yemen which have claimed millions of lives. The cargo boycott is a top-down operation led by trade union officials beholden to corporate Britain and the state.

It was Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham who told Indian shipping operator Essar that her members would, under no circumstances unload any Russian oil regardless of the nationality of the vessel which delivers it. She tweeted, Essar may believe that it is justifiable to transport Russian oil under a flag of convenience but Unite does not. Unite urges the transport secretary @grantshapps to close this loophole immediately.

Just two days earlier, the Johnson government had announced a second barrage of economic sanctions against Russia, including a ban on the entry of Russian flagged, registered, owned or chartered vessels to British ports. But this did not go far enough for Unite. Graham now denounced the government for dragging its feet on sanctions, insisting that all foreign-flagged ships be banned from docking with Russian goods.

Unite, which routinely uses the threat of anti-strike laws to sabotage and suppress industrial action by workers, moved in this instance with lightning speed. The boycottamounting to a work banwas imposed unilaterally without even a single consultative ballot! Ballot-free industrial action is only legal if it helps boost NATO war aims.

Matt Lay, Unisons head of energy, told the Manchester Evening News regarding the Boris Vilkitskiy and the Fedor Litke, These tankers appear to have gone away for now, but the cargo could be back on other ships within days. Even ships with a clear Russian connection are causing confusion and could slip through the net to reach a UK port The Government should act right away if these sanctions are to be fit for purpose.'

He told Murdochs Sun, The workers at the National Grid terminal dont want to touch the cargo given the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, adding, These staff are determined to show their support for the Ukrainian people and uphold the sanctions imposed against Russia.

The unions Russian cargo boycotts are not motivated in the slightest by concern for the Ukrainian people. Graham, Lay and their fellow executives are acting in concert with the Labour Party, the Johnson government and NATO against Russia. This was made clear in a letter from Labour MP Louise Haigh to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on March 6. Haighs Dear Grant letter, retweeted by Unite, called for protection for trade unionists standing up to Vladimir Putins regime and was framed as a friendly appeal to the Tories that they should not use anti-strike laws against principled British workers who are standing up for British values.

Letter from Labour MP Louise Haigh to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (Credit: @LouHaigh Twitter )

Any pretence of an independent policy was obliterated by Haigh, who declared, We stand united with the government and our NATO and European allies in condemnation of his heinous violation of international law.

Shapps is a rabid Thatcherite who is currently presiding over 400 million worth of cuts against London transport workers. He denounced striking tube workers last week as ungrateful amid a vicious witch-hunt of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union as Putins stooges and denunciations of striking tube workers as the enemy underground. It is not known whether Ms Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, sought similar assurances from Shapps regarding tube workers right to strike.

International campaign

Britains trade unions are not alone in their support for the war aims of their own imperialist nation. In the Netherlands, Niek Stam, of dockworkers union FNV Havens, declared his union was preparing similar Russian cargo bans, There is blood on this oil, blood on this coal and blood on the gas. The spilling of Iraqi, Afghan and Libyan blood elicited no similar demands for sanctions, work bans or boycotts against the US or Britain.

The trade unions in all NATO allied countries are spearheading demands for action against Russia. A statement by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) on March 3, cited Unite Assistant General Secretary Steve Turner boasting, Unite proactively sought UK-wide action from government to ban Russian vessels from docking in our ports. The ITF stated that UK-style bans are now being taken up by affiliated unions across Europe, Canada and Australia.

In Canada, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) President Rob Ashton wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on February 28, calling on the federal government to step up and cease all maritime trade with Russia and its allies.

Ashtons letter gave full voice to the war fever gripping the wealthy executives who staff todays trade unions, and the corporatist alliance they have forged with their ruling class. Ashton began his letter by congratulating Trudeaus government for all that it has done for the Ukrainian people so far, before demanding a complete ban on Russian owned, flagged or chartered vessels from entering Canadian ports except in the case of a marine safety incident, [but] even with this we urge caution  [emphasis added]. With this last clause, the ILWU tramples on the Law of the Sea that mandates all masters of a ship to help anyone in danger at sea irrespective of their nationality.

Ashton concludes by demanding of Trudeau that he halt all Canadian commodity exports to Russia. All of this the ILWU offers in a spirit of solidarity with workers of every nation!

In Australia, Paddy Crumlin, national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and long-time president of the ITF, wrote to Liberal Party Prime Minister Scott Morrison March 3 demanding pressure upon Russias economic, social, and strategic interests across the Asia Pacific region. Crumlin explained to Morrison, wars are fought using the sacrifice of working women and men and their families on both sides of any dispute. We know that Ukrainian workers and Russian workers alike will be bear the brunt of the violence and unrest that will follow this invasion for many years to come. But this is the very outcome sought by US and NATO war planners. Three days later, Morrison delivered his own contribution to World War III, a speech portraying an arc of autocracy stretching from Russia to China, announcing construction of a 10 billion nuclear submarine base in Port Kembla, Newcastle or Brisbane.

Paddy Crumlin (Credit: ITF)

In the United States, the ILWUs Coast Longshore Division announced March 3 that its members would not load or unload any Russian cargo coming into or going out of all 29 U.S. West Coast ports.

ILWU International President Willie Adams declared, With this action in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, we send a strong message that we unequivocally condemn the Russian invasion. The ILWUs boycotts augment a battery of sanctions imposed by the Biden Administration aimed at collapsing the Russian economy as a prelude to regime change and US satrapy. There is no record of the ILWU having boycotted Halliburton, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin or any of the other US companies that raked in billions from the pulverisation of Iraq.

Clausewitz and Lenin

There are major questions confronting dockworkers internationally: What are the implications of the bans on Russian shipping? Why are the unions lining up with the Johnson government, the Biden administration and other capitalist governments to demand even tougher sanctions? Whose interests does this serve? What exactly is the working class being lined up for?

On Saturday, Russias foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, warned, The sanctions hysteria in which London plays one of the leading, if not the main, roles, leaves us no choice but to take proportionately tough retaliatory measures. London has made a final choice of open confrontation with Russia. President Vladimir Putin said the sanctions imposed on Russia were akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that.

NATO powers are ramping-up military and economic measures against Russia, hour-by-hour, that have no precedent outside of World War. On March 1, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire declared the European Union was preparing to unleash all-out economic and financial war against Russia. Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of Russias Security Council, replied on Twitter, Watch your tongue, gentlemen! And dont forget that in human history, economic wars quite often turned into real ones.

Putin and Medvedev are representatives of the capitalist oligarchy which emerged from the Stalinist bureaucracys dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. They are bitter opponents of Marxism. Putins February 21 speech recognising the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk attacked Lenin for protecting the rights of national minorities within the framework of a voluntary Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) created in 1922.

Putin, a former Stalinist KGB official, denounced the Bolsheviks for chopping the country into pieces, saying that Russia was robbed and warning We are ready to show you what real de-communisation means for Ukraine. Putins invasion, based on the reactionary Tsarist and Stalinist traditions of Great Russian nationalism, is a disaster for the Ukrainian and Russian working class that plays directly into the hands of NATO war planners.

Lenin at his desk, 1918

But Medvedevs remark, Economic war leads to shooting war, is true. It is an allusion to military theorist Carl von Clausewitzs famous dictum that war is a continuation of politics by other means. Lenin made a careful review of Clausewitzs military writings in 1915, while in exile in Berne as part of his fight against the wave of social patriotism that destroyed the socialist movement at the outbreak of World War I. Lenin rejected all subjective explanations for war, which were inevitably couched in moralistic terms. Kautsky, Plekhanov and other renegades from Marxism supported the war, employing chauvinist phrases such as Defence of the Fatherland to obscure the imperialist aims of the contending powers. Lenin wrote:

With reference to wars, the main thesis of dialectics, which has been so shamelessly distorted by Plekhanov to please the bourgeoisie, is that war is simply the continuation of politics by other [i.e., violent] means. Such is the formula of Clausewitz, one of the greatest writers on the history of war, whose thinking was stimulated by Hegel. And it was always the standpoint of Marx and Engels, who regarded any war as the continuation of the politics of the powers concernedand the various classes within these countriesin a definite period.

More than a century later, this advice from Lenin, Marx, Engels (and Clausewitz) should be taken to heart by every class-conscious worker. The nature of any war is determined by the class character of the regime waging it and of the objective position of the ruling classes in all belligerent countries (Lenin) in their relation to world economy and world politics. From this standpoint, the invasion of Ukraine by capitalist oligarchs in Moscow must be opposed. But this must be conducted within the framework of the struggle by the international working class against imperialist war.

The US, Britain and other NATO powers are implementing war plans prepared over decades. They are extending their wars for oil in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya into the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia. The same inter-imperialist struggle for territory, markets and resources that produced two world wars last century is threatening humanity with a third.

The international working class has immense power in this situationhalf a million dockworkers can bring world trade to its knees. It must make decisions about how and in whose class interests to use that power.
On Monday, Floridas top medical official Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a public health protocol that formally recommends against healthy children taking the COVID-19 vaccine, an unprecedented policy that follows the forced reopening of schools and the blocking of critical mitigation measures like mask mandates to stem the tide of pediatric infections.

Just 24 hours later, Floridas Department of Health issued a document, Guidance for Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccines, which made a minor alteration to the original claim. The guidance declares healthy children aged 5 to 17, may not benefit from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo gestures as speaks to supporters and members of the media before a bill signing by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Nov. 18, 2021, in Brandon, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

The new measure is a provocative and unfounded approach that goes far beyond the refusal of state and federal officials to prevent the spread of the virus. DeSantis is taking a further step in introducing the most blatantly unscientific policies. This follows the Biden administrations total abandonment of any federal response to slow down transmission of the virus and the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) recent guidelines that remove recommendations for face coverings and quarantines.

Ladapo made the announcement at a roundtable that assembled some of the most notorious and reactionary opponents of vaccinations, lockdowns, masks and all other measures aimed at containing the spread of the disease which has already killed close to 1 million Americans.

Three of the speakers at the event, Jay Bhattacharya, Sunetra Gupta and Martin Kulldorff are all co-authors of The Great Barrington Declaration, a manifesto that has served as a guiding strategy for rejecting scientifically verifiable and evidence-based policies that could end the pandemic and eliminate COVID-19.

The Declaration was written in October of 2020 and argued for the implementation of herd immunity as a response to the pandemic, which meant COVID-19 should be allowed to spread naturally without restraints so that masses of people would develop immunity to the virus. Despite receiving loud condemnations from world-renowned epidemiologists for its homicidal consequences, the herd immunity doctrine was inaugurated in practice by the Trump White House shortly after and has since been embraced by Biden and the entire capitalist class as the only effective means to confront the pandemic.

Kulldorff and Bhattacharya worked closely with DeSantis last year in developing the states COVID-19 response plan and joining him in several roundtable discussions on the pandemic. Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine and economics at Stanford University, emerged as a go-to expert for the far-right governor, providing a pseudoscientific rubber stamp for legislation prohibiting mask requirements in public spaces and schools.

In August of last year, Bhattacharya stood as a witness for the DeSantis administration in a lawsuit brought by parents challenging the governors reactionary ban on mask mandates at schools. The tapping of Bhattacharya as an expert witness in the states argument against masks was even more ludicrous given the fact that he is not an immunologist or epidemiologist. Bhattacharya has claimed that he studied COVID closely since the pandemic emerged in early 2020.

Bhattacharya testified that the Delta variant, which was raging throughout Florida and led to soaring numbers of child infections and hospitalizations, was less deadly but perhaps more transmissible than the previous variant. Theres no evidence that the masksstop the disease [from] spreading, he declared. He also cited school districts with mask mandates that supposedly fared no better than unmasked districts. Nothing was said of the refusal of the state government to shut down schools in the face of the Delta surge, a measure that would have provided the greatest guarantee against children getting infected.

The participants of Mondays panel condemned coronavirus lockdowns and state-mandated policies as failures and repeated entirely dubious claims surrounding the supposed risks of the vaccine for healthy children compared to the low risk that COVID-19 illness poses to them. Mondays roundtable was supplemented with additional documents released by the Florida Department of Health Tuesday.

It is essential for health care practitioners to analyze existing data on the COVID-19 vaccine alongside parents when deciding to vaccinate children, said the surgeon general. Based on currently available data, the risks of administering COVID-19 vaccination among healthy children may outweigh the benefits. That is why these decisions should be made on an individual basis, and never mandated.

Emergency response physician Joseph Fraiman said during the roundtable: If you have a healthy child, the chances of that child dying are incredibly low, essentially close to zero, if not actually zero. Epidemiologist Tracy Hoeg declared: The argument for vaccinating children for the societal benefit is not what it used to beEspecially for healthy children, we dont know if theyve benefited from being vaccinated on top of already having infection.

Ladapo asserted in his Department of Health (DOH) guidance Tuesday that the decision to vaccinate healthy children should be made on an individual basis and children under 16 with no significant underlying health conditions are at little to no risk of severe illness complications from COVID-19. The surgeon general also proclaimed via tweet: when overall risk is low, & there is a higher than anticipated rate of serious adverse events in clinical trials, it is unclear if benefits outweigh the risks, a repetition of one of the central arguments made in the DOH notice.

The DOH document, however, does not even point to evidence from any clinical trials demonstrating higher than anticipated serious adverse events from the vaccine. In fact, the only information presented for this claim is a link to a webpage from the US Food and Drug Administration describing what a serious adverse effect is.

Another reason given by Ladapo for the abandonment of recommending vaccines is the supposed health risks posed for young people. This is pointed out in cases where the mRNA vaccines have been linked to myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle found particularly among young men and teenage boys. However, an adverse reaction to the vaccination, including the possible risk of myocarditis, has been proven to be very rare, according to studies produced from the CDC as well as clinical trials conducted for children aged 511 from pharmaceutical maker Pfizer.

The health guidance also lists a high prevalence of existing immunity among children which is placed above a subnote that suggests the absence of data on the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination among children with existing immunity should dispel the need for vaccines. Again, not a shred of evidence is provided to support the claim that widespread immunity among children from previous infection has been reached or that vaccinations do not contribute to immunity.

The document also draws attention to a recent MedRxiv study on the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine among children 511 and 1217 years, which Ladapo presents as proof showing the reduced efficacy of the vaccines for that age group. While it is true that vaccine effectiveness has waned considerably for children in recent weeks due to the dramatic upsurge caused by the Omicron variant, principal responsibility for this development lies with the actions of the Democrats and Republicans who have opposed any shutdown of schools and businesses, allowing the more infectious variant to spread widely.

Both pro-corporate parties have consciously repudiated all public health measures that would affect economic production so that workers can go back to workplaces pumping out profits for the corporations and Wall Street. Accordingly, children must remain in classrooms during the pandemic so their parents can go work. This inhumane policy has had the consequence of dramatically reducing vaccine effectiveness in school-aged children, because the policy of letting the virus rip through the population has led to the evolution of new variants with more immune-evading capabilities like Omicron.

As to the claim that COVID-19 poses a limited risk to infected children, this is readily disproven by a review of the most basic statistics which confirm the devastation that the virus has wrought on young people.

According to the most recent data from the CDCs Demographics Tracker, total pediatric deaths now stand at 1,576, with a staggering 536 lives lost so far this year in a little over two months. Last week, 110 deaths were added, the highest weekly total of the year. Throughout the month of February, children were dying at a rate of 7.5 per day, with 70 percent of these occurring in last 13 days of the month.

Nearing the peak of the Omicron surge in late December, an average of 334 children 17 and under were admitted per day to hospitals with the coronavirus, a number that grew substantially as more children were being sent into classrooms after winter break concluded, as more than 3,000 people in in the US were dying each day from Omicron. By the end of 2021, only about 14 percent of children aged 5 to 11 were fully vaccinated, while the rate for 12 to 17 year olds was about 53 percent, according to CDC data. Those under the age of 5 remain ineligible to be vaccinated.

Scores of public health officials reacted on social media with protests against the propagation of openly fraudulent science from Floridas top medical authority. Dr. Oni Blackstock, a primary care and HIV physician and former classmate of Ladapo, called the surgeon generals tweet on Tuesday misinformation and challenged the claim that there was a higher rate of serious adverse events in clinical trials for children taking the vaccines.

Citing the Pfizer clinical trial, she noted that while local reactions such as swelling or redness had been most common, these were also relatively rare. 2.7% in [the] vaccine arm vs 1.1% in [the] placebo arm with local reactions (redness, swelling, pain at injection site). Blackstock went on to express immense exasperation at the unscientific notions being pushed by Ladapo. She declared: That this is a former friend and classmate who is spreading this dangerous disinformation is especially heartbreaking.

Political and health authorities like Ladapo, DeSantis, and other open proponents of the herd immunity doctrine are making efforts to delegitimize vaccinations for children in their attempts to trivialize the deadliness of SARS-CoV-2, which many of them describe as no more harmful than the typical flu. Statistics on pediatric deaths from the flu show that death rates pale in comparison to the hundreds of children that have died from COVID-19 the past two years.

The CDCs statistics on influenza-associated pediatric deaths show that from 2018 to 2020, there were approximately 339 deaths from the flu during144 for the 20182019 flu season and 195 for 20192020. This amounts to less than one-quarter of the children that have died from the coronavirus since March 2020, which also includes elevated numbers of deaths during Delta and Omicron waves.
Washington and its imperialist allies have succeeded in inciting Russias invasion of Ukraine and are working to further escalate the crisis into a direct conflict between Moscow and NATO. The imperialist powers have imposed sanctions tantamount to economic warfare against Russia, organized an unprecedented build-up of troops and military equipment throughout Eastern Europe, and are supplying high-powered weaponry to Ukraine with the aim of prolonging the conflict and making it bloodier.

Pseudo-left organisations around the world are stepping forward to supply propaganda justifying the actions of the American war machine. One such group is the International Marxist Tendency, which turns reality on its head by claiming that US imperialism is weak and will be forced to make concessions to Vladimir Putin, a representative of Russian imperialism the IMT says is chiefly responsible for the current conflict.

US Army Soldiers from 5-4 Air Defense Artillery Battalion prepare for a convoy from Germany to Romania, Feb. 7, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rene Rosas)

The IMTs role amid the current war drive is to repackage with Marxist phraseology the propaganda of the US State Department and other NATO countries that they have no intention of militarily intervening against Russia. They seek to lull leftward-moving workers and young people to sleep by promoting illusions in the continued viability of the capitalist system.

The IMT released the latest in a series of statements on the war in Europe on March 1, as dozens of NATO countries funnelled weapons to Ukraine to sustain the military alliances proxy war with Moscow and just two days after Putin placed Russias nuclear weapons systems on high alert.

In a statement titled The Ukrainian war: an internationalist class position, the IMT declared, There is absolutely no question of a new world war between the United States and Russia, nor between the US and China, in part, precisely because of the threat of nuclear war, but also because of the resolute opposition to such a war on the part of the masses a nuclear war would signify the mutual destruction of both sides. They have even coined a phrase to describe this: MAD (mutually assured destruction). That such a war would not be in the interests of the bankers and capitalists is self-evident.

These complacent statements, drawing on Cold War anti-communisms justification for nuclear deterrence, expose the fraud of the IMTs Marxism. It was an elementary truth for all the great Marxist leaders, from Lenin and Trotsky back to Engels and Marx himself, that wars arise out of the objective contradictions of world capitalism, not the inclinations of bourgeois politicians and businessmen. These contradictions, between the outlived nation state system and the globalized character of the productive forces, and between private ownership and socialised production, drive the major powers into a never-ending struggle for the redivision of the globe.

The IMTs profession of confidence that the imperialist powers and Putins reactionary Russian nationalist regime will come to their senses and take a rational way out of the current crisis recalls nothing so much as the anti-Marxist revisionism of Eduard Bernstein, who proclaimed on the eve of the mass slaughter of World War I, Fortunately, we are increasingly becoming accustomed to settle political differences in ways other than by the use of firearms.

The IMTs March 1 statement is one in a series of declarations seeking to downplay the threat of war and play up the stability of the capitalist system. In a piece published just over a month ago, Will Russia invade Ukraine?, the IMT was still speculating about a reduction of forces in Eastern Europe by the United States. The most likely course of events, therefore, is ongoing talks between the US and Russia, eventually ending up with the US being forced into some sort of concessions, the IMTs sages predicted.

The US will try to keep the concessions they make behind the scenes and paint whatever comes out of it as a victory. However, what all of this shows is that the US is most certainly not back, and Putin, fully aware of this fact, is taking full advantage of the situation.

Turning to the US in a section titled The weakness of the US, the IMT wrote, The relative weakening of US imperialism, in this case exposed by its unwillingness to commit ground troops [to Ukraine], leads it towards retreat, which again compounds its weaknessFrom the point of view of US imperialism, divisions with its European allies should not be expressed out in the open. However, due to the weakness of the United States, they are not able to force a united line from NATO with which to confront Russia.

Bearing in mind the experiences of recent weeks, commenting on these lines further would diminish their unintended comic effect.

Putin is declared to be a representative of Russian imperialism by the IMT. They go so far in their March 1 statement as to suggest that Russian imperialism possesses the power to enforce some sort of post-war equilibrium based on its ability to resist Western sanctions and Washingtons refusal to engage militarily.

[N]o sensible person can deny that Russia is a regional imperialist power with ambitions in Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans, wrote the IMT, echoing numerous right-wing bourgeois politicians asserting Putins alleged plans to conquer all of Europe. China has clearly reached a deal with Russia to offset the effects of sanctions (another reason why they will fail). The Ukrainian affair will undoubtedly lead to a closer bloc between the Russian and Chinese imperialists in the coming period  a development that Washington must fear as the Devil fears holy water.

The IMT take their readers for fools, failing to even attempt an account for the fact that Russia is being subjected to unprecedented economic warfare by the imperialist powers. If Moscow possesses such wide-ranging imperialist interests as the IMT would have us believe, how can it be that its banks are being excluded from global trade, its foreign assets, including those of its central bank, seized, and its currency crashed with the aim of starving the Russian population?

The IMTs off-hand reference to Chinese imperialism is also absurd. Despite the countrys rapid economic growth in recent years, it remains dependent on foreign investment and is the target of a diplomatic, economic, and military offensive led by US imperialism.

As for Europe, the IMT confidently asserts, The moment the present conflict ends (as, one way or another, it must), these sanctions, and many others, will be quietly dropped, since the harmful effect on the European economy  in the first place on Germany  would be too painful to bear.

Having declared that capitalists are not interested in world war, that a military conflagration between the US-NATO and Russia is totally excluded, and that Putin and Xi Jinpings imperialism has the strength to fend off a weak US and create a new capitalist equilibrium, the IMTs statement arrives at the conclusion: Ultimately, capitalism, in its epoch of senile decline, means war and economic crisis. The only way to put an end to its horrors is through the working class taking power, in one country after another, and sweeping away this rotten system. For that, a revolutionary leadership is needed  one which is firmly based on the principles of socialist internationalism.

The anti-Trotskyist origins of the IMT

The concealing of right-wing, pro-imperialist politics behind such formal pledges to fight for Marxism and the socialist revolution has been the hallmark of the IMT since its founding in the early 1990s.

Ted Grant, who co-founded the IMT with Alan Woods, broke from Trotskyism in the late 1940s based on the explicit rejection of the working class as a revolutionary force. Grant, anticipating the revisionist arguments that would later be developed by Michel Pablo, claimed that a revolutionary faction of the Stalinist bureaucracy would emerge in the Soviet Union to lead the transition to socialismdefining the Stalinist regime as a form of Soviet Bonapartism. He saw the social democratic parties and trade unions in the major imperialist countries, and the bourgeois nationalists in the colonial countries, as the natural leaders of mass movements, which could create workers states without the active participation of the working class.

Grant and Pablos perspective obviated the need to build a revolutionary party in the working class, since they no longer saw it as having any progressive role to play. Although Grants followers would split with Pablo in 1964, his political perspective did not differ fundamentally from the United Secretariat. As the World Socialist Web Site observed in an obituary of Grant in 2006, Grants politics could be characterised as Pabloism sans Pablo.

Grant pursued this policy in Britain as leader of the entryist Militant Tendency by maintaining unswerving loyalty to the Labour Party. Unlike the Trotskyists of the Socialist Labour League, who intervened into the Labour Party rank-and-file during the 1950s and 1960s with the aim of breaking workers from their illusions in social democracy and winning them to a revolutionary socialist perspective, Grants Militant Tendency used Trotskyist rhetoric to keep leftward-moving workers and young people confined within the labour and trade union bureaucracies based on the claim that they could be pushed to implement socialism.

Objective changes in the structure of world capitalism, above all the globalisation of production, proved the political bankruptcy of the politics pursued by Grant and the Pabloites. Britains Labour Party and other national-based social democratic parties throughout the world lurched sharply to the right during the 1980s and 1990s, becoming open tools of big business and the ruling elite.

In the Soviet Union, the Stalinist bureaucracy, as Trotsky had warned in the 1930s, consciously worked to dissolve all the gains of the October Revolution, above all nationalised property relations, to establish itself as a new capitalist ruling class.

Grant and his followers responded to these changes by intensifying their efforts to cover for the Labour and trade union bureaucracies. The IMT emerged following a split with a faction led by Peter Taafe, who would go on to form Militant Labour and then the Socialist Party, over the tactical question of whether to persist with work inside the Labour Party as the predominant form of political activity or set up a more independent organisation wedded firmly to the trade union bureaucracy.

Grants tendency, known in Britain by the name of its paper Socialist Appeal, insisted that work inside the Labour Party had to be maintained at all costs.

Apologetics for Stalinism and the sudden appearance of Russian imperialism

Grant and Woods were so wedded to their decades-long orientation to Stalinism and social democracy that they could not bring themselves to admit that capitalism had been restored in the Soviet Union through a conscious policy pursued by the bureaucracy. To this day, whenever the IMT writes about the liquidation of the USSR, it argues that the Soviet Union collapsed, a turn of phrase that gives the impression that there was something unforeseen or accidental about the entire process.

Even more than four years after the Stalinist dissolution of the USSR, when the horrendous consequences of economic shock therapy were clear, with workers living standards plunging across the former USSR as a clique of oligarchs enriched themselves through the destruction of nationalised property relations and the theft of state property, Grant and Woods admonished anyone who would try to impose a final solution on unfinished processes when discussing the class nature of the Russian state.

Placing their hopes on factions of the military and the newly established capitalist class under Yeltsin, Grant and Woods wrote in a lengthy 1996 piece, The collapse of Stalinism and the class nature of the Russian state: The process is not complete. On the basis of the frightful economic and social collapse, not only the working class, but a section of the bureaucracy is beginning to swing the other way. It is possible that this process could lead eventually to civil war. This perspective partly depends on which way the officer caste will jump. It is quite likely that the decisive section of the officers will move in the direction of proletarian Bonapartism which, after all, guaranteed their privileges much better than the present regime.

The IMTs analysis underwent a dramatic shift with the rise to power of Putin and a relative stabilisation of the Russian economy thanks to high energy prices. Virtually overnight, Russia went for the IMT from being a transitional society where capitalism had not yet been restored to an imperialist power with global ambitions.

As a recent article by the IMT marking 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union said of the period surrounding Putins rise to power in 1999, The Western powers assumed, quite wrongly, that Russia would return to capitalism as a colony of the West the new Russian oligarchy had its own interests, and was starting to find its confidence. Russia re-emerged on the scene of world politics, not as a poor, impoverished nation but as an imperialist power, hungry to reclaim its spheres of influence that had been lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The IMTs sudden shift is all the more remarkable due to the lack of any public discussion at the time about what had so drastically changed to justify labelling Russia an imperialist power. Their website, In Defence of Marxism, was founded in 1998 but published no articles or statements referring to Russian imperialism for many years.

In fact, the main document on the IMTs website on Russian imperialism, titled Imperialism today in the character of Russia and China, dates from 2016. The document, which includes no shortage of sterile abstractions from Lenins great work Imperialism to give the IMTs new discovery an air of Marxist authority, openly admits that two major factors in the groups decision to deem Russia imperialist was Putins annexation of Crimea in 2014 and military intervention to back Syrias Assad regime in 2015.

There could hardly be a clearer case of a pseudo-left group of Marxist imposters adjusting their line to suit the political needs of American and European imperialism. Grant and Woods saw no need to alter their description of Russia as a transitional society between capitalism and socialism following the juridical liquidation of the Soviet Union, which ended the nationalised property relations established by the October Revolution, plunged tens of millions of people into unemployment and destitution, and transferred the vast resources of the third-largest economy in the world into the hands of a cabal of ex-Stalinist oligarchs.

But the moment Putin engaged in a foreign policy agenda based on reactionary Great Russian nationalism that cut across the interests of US and European imperialism in Syria and Ukraine, the IMT rushed to proclaim that the former KGB agent had overnight and single-handedly turned Russia from a society where capitalism was not yet restored into an imperialist power!

For Grant and the IMT, the working class never had an independent political role to play as a revolutionary force. Its national sections, like Fightback in Canada, Socialist Appeal in Britain, and Der Funke in Germany, have remained buried in pro-imperialist, pro-austerity parties during the past three decades. Fightback continues to describe Canadas New Democratic Party as a party of the working class, despite its fulsome support for every US-led war of aggression since the NATO bombardment of Serbia in 1999. Der Funke continues to operate in Germanys ex-Stalinist Left Party, which has declared its strong endorsement of German imperialisms mad programme of military rearmament.

The IMTs spouting of pro-imperialist propaganda about Washingtons intention to avoid military conflict with Russia and its hopes for some sort of new peace arrangement based on the strengthening of a Russia-China bloc are fully in keeping with its record. It speaks for privileged sections of the middle class who are fully on board with these pro-war policies. Their purpose is to disarm the working class under conditions of the gravest capitalist crisis in decades and provide a left cover for the imperialist powers war drive, which threatens to plunge the entire world into a catastrophic global conflagration.

In opposition to the reckless drive to war, working people around the world must take on the task of building an international anti-war movement. The only basis upon which such a movement can be constructed is the conscious political struggle for socialism. A key element of this fight is the relentless exposure of pseudo-left groups like the IMT.
Paramedics at the scene of the shooting at Des Moines East High School (Des Moines Police Department)

On Monday March 7, fifteen-year-old Jose Lopez was shot and killed in a coordinated drive-by shooting outside of East High School in Des Moines, Iowa. Two female students, a sixteen-year-old and an eighteen-year-old, were seriously wounded and remain in critical condition. Their identities are being kept private until their condition has stabilized. Less than twenty-four hours after the shooting, six teenagers, all under the age of eighteen, have been arrested and charged with first degree murder along with two counts of attempted murder. The motive for the shooting remains unknown.

Police have disclosed that over 20 shell casings were recovered at the scene and the shooting involved three separate vehicles. The school was put on total lockdown Monday afternoon after gunshots were heard outside. The high school announced classes would be canceled for the week soon after all students were safely evacuated. Meanwhile, agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have been dispatched to the area along with the Iowa State Patrol, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies.

Lopezs murder marks the fourth homicide in Des Moines, the state capital and largest city in Iowa, since the start of the new year. According to Gun Violence Archive, this tragedy marks the thirteenth mass shooting at an American K-12 school and the eightieth mass shooting overall since the start of the year. The total fatalities in these shootings have climbed to 80 while the number of injured is estimated to be at 320.

According to Education Week, school shootings have resulted in four deaths and 20 injuries this year alone. While in 2018 and 2019 there were 24 school shootings, 2020 saw this number dip to ten, most likely because of remote learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, this number jumped up to 34 shootings; the highest number ever recorded by the news outlet.

The number of mass shootings and deaths skyrocketed in 2020 as COVID-19 was allowed to run rampant through the population and mass social unrest erupted in opposition to police violence. From 2014 to 2018, the average number of mass shootings per year was about 349. In 2020, there were a reported 611 mass shootings, the highest in a single year since the statistic has been calculated. This record was broken quickly in 2021 with a reported 693 mass shootings.

Speaking about Mondays shooting, Sgt. Paul Parizek from the Des Moines Police Department told the Des Moines Register, while this incident occurred outside of a school, it could have happened in any one of our neighborhoods. The school is where the suspects found their target. While Parizeks words may have been intended to reassure traumatized students and parents wary about going back to school next week, they are no comfort. A high school is now just as common a place for mass murder in the United States as any neighborhood or workplace. This acceptance of school shootings is part of broader normalization of mass death by the American ruling class.

This can be seen most starkly in the herd immunity strategy pursued by the American government under Republicans and Democrats in response to the pandemic. The United States has an official death toll of over 960,000 due to COVID-19 with almost 80 million having been infected. The real figures accounting for excess deaths and non-reported infections are much higher.

Furthermore, the constant state of war engaged in by American imperialism over the last three decades has resulted in mass destruction, death, and more. Young people have never known a day in their lives when the US was not engaged in wars in the Middle East and Africa or preparing for much larger wars with Russia and China. Currently, the Biden administration and its NATO allies have openly provoked Russia into an invasion of Ukraine and celebrating by building up military deployments in Eastern Europe and providing Kiev with billions of dollars, weapons and training over the last eight years.

The perpetual state of war abroad, using senseless bombings and killings in order to plunder resources for the sole enrichment of its ruling class, finds its reflection at home. Through endless war and economic sanctions, the US has used every violent tool of its disposal to ensure its authority abroad while providing crushing austerity to its working class citizens and youth at home.

On top of this bloodthirsty foreign policy, first the Trump and now the Biden administrations have advocated for forcing students and teachers back into schools in order to keep parents on the job, producing record profits. What this process entailed in reality was the mass infections and deaths of teachers, students, friends, and relatives with most already underfunded public schools having only the most meager ventilation systems to deal with the uncontrolled spread of the virus. As students and teachers are given contradictory messages regarding masking, social distancing, and haphazardly enforced mitigation measures, confusion and hostility can take hold.

These homicidal policies have been met by the resistance by students, teachers, and youth. In January of this year, hundreds of high school students in Chicago walked out to protest the unsafe conditions in schools as result of in-person teaching during the pandemic. By the end of January, students in Denver, Colorado, Detroit, Michigan, and Washington D.C. all staged walkouts to protest the unsafe conditions in schools. More than 1,200 Oakland students pledged to stay home for the Spring semester unless their schools drastically improved safety measures. In February, teachers in Lincolnwood, Illinois publicly voiced their disapproval of removing mask mandates in school despite the potential consequence of losing their jobs.

The radicalization of students, teachers, workers, and youth during the pandemic is a tremendous step forward in the fight for genuine social equality. However, none of these problems exist in a vacuum: all are the result of a capitalist social order which has shamelessly enriched a microscopic minority at the expense of the millions of citizens who make up not just America, but the world.

It is the fight for genuine international socialism under a Marxist program led by the working class, students, and youth which will lead the path forward.
Alexander Malofeev in 2017 (Photo creditLiumir)

The cancellations of concerts by Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev in Vancouver and Montreal in Canada are inexcusable and reactionary. They only encourage and deepen the anti-Russian frenzy gripping certain social layers.

Malofeev, born in Moscow, is an acclaimed performer at the age of 20, the latest, as critics have observed, in the long line of Russian piano virtuosos dating back to the 19th century.

Only 20, but looks much younger, as the critics also invariably comment.

The Vancouver Recital Society, under pressure from various right-wing elements, announced the cancellation of Malofeevs concert last week. Leila Getz, founder and artistic director of the Society, told the media that she felt horrible about the decision.

Getz, who said she had been trying to book Malofeev for years, told the Vancouver Sun: Im not a monster. Im not a bigot. I care deeply about Alexander Malofeev. She added, But I feel more comfortable doing this than I do bringing him to Vancouver. I feel like Im damned if I do, damned if I dont.

It is revealing how these things work out in such circles. Getz feels horrible, she is apparently very conflicted, yet individuals like this at present almost always capitulate to the worst social elements and the basest moods.

On Tuesday, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) announced the cancellation of three performances by Malofeev with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas scheduled for this week, on the grounds of the serious impact on the civilian population of Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion. It would be inappropriate to receive Mr. Malofeev this week, according to the OSM. What does one part of this statement have to do with the other? How is Malofeev responsible for the situation in Ukraine? Why in the world would his performing be inappropriate?

More generally, what does it say about the democratic content of the mind-numbing US, Canadian and European propaganda campaign that it relies on the whipping up of chauvinism and ethnic hatred?

Hypocritically, Montreal orchestra officials went on, We continue, however, to believe in the importance of maintaining relationships with artists of all nationalities who embrace messages of peace and hope. In other words, we believe in such relationships except when we come under any pressure and when standing up for principle might have some actual consequence. We look forward to welcoming this exceptional artist when the context allows it, i.e., when we can do so without sticking our necks out by so much as six inches.

The Montreal Gazette reports that the decision followed a request by members of the Ukrainian community that the orchestra cancel Malofeevs performances. Initially, the OSM declined, noting that the young pianist had distanced himself from the Russian regime, but then proceeded to give in to this right-wing, nationalist lobby, which has the endorsement of the Canadian government.

The Gazette was honest enough to note that the current boycott of Russian musicians contrasts sharply with the role the music world played in building bridges at the height of the Cold War. In 1958, Texan pianist Van Cliburn sparked a rare moment of detente when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, coming home to a ticker-tape parade in New York. The newspaper further cited the comments of Yakov Rabkin, a professor emeritus of history at the Universite de Montreal, who said he opposed the boycott of Russian musicians. I dont think it helps anyone. It just creates hatred against Russians, Rabkin said.

Alexander Malofeev performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 in 2017

The Vancouver Recital Society claimed it was canceling Malofeevs concert because he had not yet spoken up about the war. In response to that cancellation, Malofeev explained his position. On March 2, on Facebook, he observed that every Russian will feel guilty for decades because of the terrible and bloody decision that none of us could influence and predict. Then the Montreal symphony went ahead and canceled their performances anyway! Brave, principled souls!

On March 7, Malofeev commented further on Facebook that it was very painful to see what was happening. I have never seen so much hatred going in all directions, he said, in Russia and around the world. Most of the people with whom I have personally communicated these days are guided by only one feelingfear. The pianist explained that he had felt uncomfortable about making a public statement on the war, concerned as well that it can affect my family in Russia.

He continued, I still believe Russian culture and music specifically should not be tarnished by the ongoing tragedy, though it is impossible to stay aside now. Honestly, the only thing I can do now is to pray and cry.

Malofeev observed that there were obvious conclusions to be drawn, no problem can be solved by war, people cannot be judged by their nationality. But why, in the course of a few days, he wondered, has the whole world rolled back into a state where every person has a choice between fear and hatred? After acknowledging that his problems were insignificant compared to those of people in Ukraine, including his relatives there, the young musician wrote, The most important thing now is to stop the blood. All I know is that the spread of hatred will not help in any way, but only cause more suffering.

Sadly, he later added on Facebook, I have already arrived in Montreal. But unfortunately, it is impossible to hold them [the concerts] due to political reasons. I sincerely apologize to the audience.

Alexander Malofeev performing Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No 3

On Facebook, numerous commentators responded sympathetically. Obviously, many of these people were already admirers of Malofeev and predisposed to react positively. Still, it is encouraging to see that not everyone falls for the current warmongering vitriol.

One comment read, You are young and vulnerable. Your real thoughts come through loud and clear. As a sensitive and educated person, no doubt you feel great sadness at whats going on but, unfortunately, its going to be hard to stop it.

A second observed, As a world, we have managed to get ourselves into a shameful mess. Please know that your music has lifted our hearts out of this tragedy. We admire you and we love you.

A third: Russian Culture has nothing to do with war and it is very sad that the most beautiful expression of beauty and peace, Art and Music, should be related to violence and war.

Other comments:

Damn stupid war! That war is not your responsibility  so stay strong and stay safe!!!

I hope that people who are rightly upset by the operation in Ukraine will try to contribute to peace and goodness by treating a Russian person with fairness and respect.

Wise words from a 20-year-old and peaceloving musician. He should be an example for many older people.

Like you Im filled with sadness at the situation you, your family and friends are in. Im always asking myself, why do we so often end up with useless, self-serving, corrupt and cruel leaders?

Reason needs time to be heard. You are right and I think it is only a kind of desperation that causes this situation.

Please know that most Americans understand that the Russian people are not our enemies. Unfortunately, all nations are subject to their leadership.

Malofeev came to international prominence after winning the first prize and Gold Medal at the 2014 International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians held in Moscow.

As a soloist, Malofeev has already appeared with many leading orchestras in Russia. He has also toured Asia with the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala under conductor Riccardo Chailly and performed with the Mariinsky Orchestra in St. Petersburg commemorating the 175th anniversary of Rimsky-Korsakovs birth, with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and with the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome.

Riccardo Chailly (Photo creditriccardochailly.com)

Chailly told the Corriere della Sera in 2019, I first heard Malofeev when [conductor] Valery Gergiev performed with him at the Teatro alla Scala [in Milan] three years ago. He was only 14, and he amazed me with his talent. Because that is not just a child prodigy: he is very young, but already possesses depth and technical abilities, and also musical and mnemonic, which makes him an excellent interpreter of Rachmaninoffs Piano Concerto No. 3, which is a problem for many pianists in the world.

More recently, the Boston Classical Review commented that it was all too common for many young virtuosos to offer more flair than substance. But Alexander Malofeev is no ordinary prodigy. Although only 20, the publication wrote, the Russian pianist plays with the probing interpretative depths of renowned artists twice his age. His maturity and sense of phrasing, balance, and direction were even evident as a child.

In a 2020 interview with the Russian magazine, Musical Life, in answer to a question as to how his concerts were changing as he matured, Malofeev explained that new colors appeared with every new performance. Something elusive and unrepeatable happens on stage, something, that cannot be played the same way ever again. Of course, a performance of Prokofievs Piano Concerto No. 3 requires serious technical skills, which have clearly evolved since I was 13. But this concert is like a spark, like a meteor, and only after playing it more than 20 times, it feels like it shrinks to a single tiny pixel, flying overhead, like a comet, and disappearing. Thats the way I feel it.

Alexander Malofeev performing George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F

Many of Malofeevs performances are available online, including his renditions of Rachmaninoffs Piano Concerto No. 3, Prokofievs Piano Concerto No. 3, Tchaikovskys Piano Concerto No.1, Gershwins Piano Concerto in F and others.

Meanwhile, the reactionary attacks continue.

On March 5, according to Hyperallergic, a group of 15 artists and activists from Ukraine and elsewhere released 350 paper planes from the top of the rotunda at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The paper planes called for a No Fly Zone Over Ukraine. The planes further asserted that Vladimir Putin was planning to blow up the largest nuclear plant in Europe, in order to wipe out the Ukrainian population. The artists in question were demanding in effect that the US and NATO take significant steps toward launching a Third World War. On Twitter, the reactions to this reckless and deranged leaflet were overwhelmingly negative. One commentator wrote: What happened to artists being anti-war and anti-nukes? Or do they just not understand that a no fly zone means shooting down Russian jets? That would start WW3, with nukes 1000X more powerful than the 2 dropped in WW2.

The Cardiff (Wales) Philharmonic Orchestra has canceled an all-Tchaikovsky concert scheduled for March 18. In light of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, the announcement read, the orchestra feel the previously advertised programme including the 1812 Overture to be inappropriate at this time. Tchaikovsky was unceremoniously ousted in favor of John Williams, Dvorak and Elgar. The orchestra hope you will continue to support them and enjoy the revised programme.

Netflix has halted production on all upcoming Russian-language series, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and is pausing future acquisitions from Russia. Netflix had four Russian series planned or already shot:  Zato, a Neo-noir detective drama; Anna K, a contemporary retelling of Tolstoys Anna Karenina that would be Netflixs first Russian original series; Nothing Special, a drama about a young actor working at a charity for people with disabilities; and a fourth untitled series.

Tugan Sokhiev, music director and principal conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre, has resigned under pressure due to calls to take a position on the war in Ukraine. Sokhiev, considered a protege of Valery Gergiev, resigned with immediate effect from the Moscow theater, reports Al Jazeera, as well as from his equivalent position at Frances Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. The conductor indicated he decided to resign after being forced to face the impossible option of choosing between my beloved Russian and beloved French musicians. According to Al Jazeera, Sokhiev said that I have never supported and I will always be against any conflicts in any shape and form. He added that musicians were becoming victims of so-called cancel culture and suggested Russian music could come under threat. I will be soon asked to choose between Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, he commented ominously.
In his first public appearance since leaving COVID isolation, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday visited Lismore, a working-class town in northern New South Wales (NSW) devastated by flooding a fortnight ago.

The visit was extraordinary in both form and content. It summed up the governments contempt for ordinary people and its intense fear of mounting popular anger. Amid a deepening crisis of the Liberal-National Coalition government, intense inner-factional conflict and a federal election due in May, Morrison cast the figure of a political leader whose days are numbered.

Morrison at the press conference in Lismore (Screenshot ABC News)

While publicly announced, the visit had the character of a secret mission. The operation, overseen by the prime ministers staffers and police agencies, was aimed at ensuring that the tens of thousands of people who have been left homeless and destitute by the floods and the criminally-negligent government response did not get anywhere near Morrison.

The spectre of the southeastern NSW town of Cobargo loomed large. Morrison visited there in January 2020, amid mass anger over his governments response to that summers bushfire crisis. The government had done nothing while large sections of the country burnt, and Morrison secretly went on a family holiday to Hawaii. He was greeted in Cobargo by dozens of angry locals, who denounced him in front of media cameras and refused to shake his hand.

Lest the same occur, Morrison hardly met with anyone in Lismore. It is confirmed that he spoke with a farmer, who lost hundreds of cattle in the flood. He was also scheduled to speak with Special Emergency Service (SES) personnel, but no details have been provided. In other words, it appears likely that the number of Lismore residents Morrison interacted with could be counted on one or possibly two hands and were hand-picked and vetted.

The media was not given the details of Morrisons meetings beforehand. But they did receive an explicit instruction from Morrisons staff that all journalists were banned from attending.

When Morrison arrived in the center of Lismore in the afternoon, up to 150 police officers were there to shield him from protesters. The demonstrators denounced the governments lengthy record of climate change denial and its refusal to address the environmental crisis. Some carried fire hoses and wore Hawaiian shirts in reference to Morrisons response to the 201920 bushfire crisis.

Despite the governments best efforts to suppress the popular sentiments, they found limited expression in a string of critical questions from reporters during a press conference.

One journalist sharply outlined what had unfolded when the floods hit. As homes were being inundated, virtually nobody could get through to the emergency services by calling triple-zero. The SES, primarily staffed by volunteers, was overwhelmed within minutes. It was unable to answer calls promptly, was hamstrung by a lack of personnel and the fact that it had only two boats to cover a city of 44,000 people.

If residents had not rescued one another, in their own boats and even kayaks, the reporter noted that there would have been a mass casualty event, with hundreds or even thousands of people dead. Who should people blame, the reporter asked.

Not the government, Morrison insisted. He contemptuously declared that it was necessary to be realistic. In any natural disaster, we dont have those resources that are just waiting around the corner, he said.

Morrison more or less explicitly stated that people are on their own in floods and other disasters, with governments washing their hands of any responsibility. In any natural disaster, everyone has a role to play, he said. And the suggestion that it is only the governments that are involved in an emergency response, I dont think the community agrees with that by the way. It was and would be necessary for there to be a community response during such events.

It did not matter, Morrison said, whether a flood occurred in the most advanced economy in the world or a developing country, the impact would be the same. The clear message was that the government would do nothing to prevent further calamities.

Morrison touted various existing federal initiatives, including the Emergency Response Fund established in 2019. Established through a $4 billion cut in research funding, it has provided just $150 million to flood mitigation efforts in three years while amassing over $800 million in interest. An application to improve mitigation in Lismore was rejected last year, as were projects for warning systems in the northeastern state of Queensland, which has also been battered by the storms.

It was necessary, Morrison insisted, to get flood mitigation sorted. But the federal government would do nothing and instead the state administrations and local councils had to bear the burden. All of the states have major budget deficits, while many councils in affected areas are on the verge of bankruptcy. Urgent flood mitigation works in Lismore, including the upgrade of a flood levy that has now failed twice since 2017, have been stymied by the demand of the NSW Liberal-National government that councils foot a third of the bill for any flood projects.

Morrison declared that residents would be provided with two additional payments of $1,000 for adults and $400 for children over the next fortnight. Under conditions in which tens of thousands are homeless and they must pay $1,000 to an engineering assessor to even enter their properties, the money will do nothing to resolve their problems. The payments only cover the Lismore, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley councils areas, meaning three other affected areas have been arbitrarily excluded.

Amid food and water shortages, the government pledges just $25 million for emergency relief. Other promises were even more pitiful. Just $4.7 million was provided to primary health providers in the area and $800,000 to extend a small business support package.

While in Lismore, Morrison declared a national emergency. The measure, under 2020 legislation, is touted as a means of freeing up resources by getting around red tape. The pitiful funding announcements made clear this is not the real purpose. Instead, the declaration provides for the expanded deployment of the military.

The number of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel in the flood-hit regions stands at close to 5,000. Locals have stated that the soldiers, who are not trained for such emergencies, have provided little help and in some cases have hindered recovery efforts. The deployment is aimed at justifying the lack of any civilian disaster response force and at normalising the presence of the military in everyday life, amid mounting social and political anger.

While he outlined a pittance for flood victims, Morrison today unveiled the largest increase to the defence force since the Vietnam War. Speaking in Brisbane, the Queensland capital, also hit by the floods, Morrison said the number of ADF personnel would be boosted from around 60,000 to 80,000 over the next 20 years.

The expansion will cost $38 billion, in addition to further defence procurements and on top of already record funding for the military. The aim is to prepare the country to play a frontline role in the US-led confrontations with Russia and especially China, aimed at ensuring the global hegemony of American imperialism and shoring-up the strategic and economic interests of Australian capitalism.

In other words, there are almost limitless funds for war, but nothing for working people, including those facing destitution in a flood emergency. The indifference towards ordinary people highlights the fraudulent character of the humanitarian claims used to justify military intervention, including the provision of $70 million in military aid to the right-wing US-backed government in Ukraine.

There is not a shred of difference between the Liberal-Nationals and the opposition Labor Party, on war or any other issue. Today Labor leader Anthony Albanese outlined his own planned increases to military spending if he is elected in May. He pledged that defence spending would be over 2 percent of annual GDP under a Labor government and outlined plans for the acquisition of further offensive weaponry.

Previous Labor governments have overseen a similarly negligent response to natural disasters, including the 2009 bushfires and the 2011 floods in Brisbane and nearby regions, including the Lockyer Valley. Similarly, in the COVID crisis, Labor and the Coalition insist that ordinary people must live with the virus, amid unprecedented infections and deaths, to ensure that full corporate profit-making activities can proceed.
State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria J. Nuland speaks during a briefing at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

On Tuesday, Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland stated before a Senate hearing that biological research facilities have been operating in Ukraine, in response to a question from Senator Marco Rubio (Republican of Florida) about the presence of chemical or biological weapons in the country.

While she said nothing about US involvement in the labs, Nuland rapidly shifted her testimony during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing to efforts by the State Department to prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces. She went on, in a carefully orchestrated exchange with Rubio, to say that if there were a biological or chemical weapons attack inside Ukraine, it would no doubt be carried out by Russia.

The following is the transcript of the exchange between Rubio and Nuland:

Sen. Marco Rubio: Does Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons? Victoria Nuland: Ukraine has biological research facilities which, in fact, were now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how we can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach. Sen. Marco Rubio: Im sure youre aware that the Russian propaganda groups are already putting out there all kinds of information about how they have uncovered a plot by the Ukrainians to unleash biological weapons in the country, and with NATOs coordination. If there is a biological or chemical weapon incident or attack inside Ukraine, is there any doubt in your mind that 100% it would be the Russians behind it? Victoria Nuland: There is no doubt in my mind, senator. And in fact, it is a classic Russian technique to blame the other guy for what they are planning to do themselves.

The extraordinary admission by Nuland about Ukrainian bioweapons labs confirms reports from Moscow that a military biological program was being operated inside the country by the US. The State Department admission also proves that statements by the Pentagon calling the Russian reports absurd, and from the office of Ukrainian President Zelensky denying that such programs existed, were entirely false.

A report by Reuters on Wednesday morning said, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said evidence of the alleged programme had been uncovered by Russia during what it calls its military operation in Ukraine, which its forces invaded on Feb. 24.

Reuters reported that Zakharova also said that Russia had documents showing that the Ukrainian health ministry had ordered the destruction of samples of plague, cholera, anthrax and other pathogens after Feb. 24. Zakharova said, We can already conclude that in Ukrainian biological laboratories in direct proximity to the territory of our country, development of components of biological weapons was being carried out.

Responding to the exposures, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday demanded that the US give a full account of biological weapons research that the Russians say was being carried out in Ukraine with US funding.

Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, said, In particular, the US, as the party that knows these laboratories the best, should publish relevant specific details as soon as possible, including the types of pathogens stored and the research conducted, in order to ensure the health and safety of people in Ukraine, the surrounding areas and even around the world.

Details about the biological weapons facilities in Ukraine were reported by the Russian Defense Ministry on March 6 when Major General Igor Konashenkov alleged that pathogens for deadly diseases for biological warfare were being created in Ukrainian labs that were funded by the Pentagon.

Konashenkov told the Russian news agency TASS, Obviously, with the start of a special military operation, the Pentagon had serious concerns about disclosing the conduct of secret biological experiments on the territory of Ukraine.

A damage-control Twitter thread posted by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki late Wednesday afternoon did not reference Nulands congressional testimony but called the Russian and Chinese reports preposterous and a disinformation operation. Psaki went on to state that the US is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention and does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere.

The White House press secretary then accused Russia of a long and well-documented record of using chemical weapons, including in attempted assassinations and poisoning of Putins political enemies like Alexey Navalny. She also wrote that Russia continues to support the Assad regime in Syria, which has repeatedly used chemical weapons.

However, the alleged poisoning of Navalny the leader of the imperialist-backed anti-Putin opposition in Russiawith Novichok in December 2020 was never proven and quickly turned out to be part of an international propaganda campaign aimed at stoking US war preparations against Russia in advance of the inauguration of Biden as president. Meanwhile, documents published by WikiLeaks have exposed the accusations of a Syrian chemical weapons attack in Duoma in 2018 as an elaborate scheme to justify an assault by the US, Britain and France against the government in Damascus.

Psaki finished her tweet by saying Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating, a claim that is thoroughly exposed as false by the Nuland testimony on Tuesday.

Nulands devastating revelation, which exposes before the entire world the preparations of US imperialism for war in Ukraine long before Russia invaded the country, has caught the corporate media by surprise. Apparently waiting for their line from the White House, no major American news outlet has reported it yet. Meanwhile, news reports are continuing to call the now verified Russian allegations of biological weapons labs in Ukraine a false narrative and debunked conspiracy theory.

A Newsweek report published at noon on Wednesday says, for example, In fact, the U.S. Defense Department has never had a biological laboratory in Ukraine. Newsweek also reported that the partnership between the Pentagon and Ukraine Ministry of Health is part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which began in 1991 with the aim of reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction following the fall of the Soviet Union.

The exposure of Pentagon-backed biological weapons development in Ukraine is a warning to the international working class as to what US imperialism is preparing militarily against Russia. Given its decades-long wars of aggression, which have resulted in the deaths of millions in the Middle East and North Africa, there can be no illusions as to the degree of lying, provocation and military violence that the US is prepared to carry out in pursuit of its geostrategic aims.
Social Democratic Party, SPD, chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, second right, stands with the Green party leaders Annalena Baerbock, left, and Robert Habeck, second left, and the Free Democratic Party chairman Christian Lindner, right, as they arrive for a joint news conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

If the history of the return of German militarism after two criminal world wars is ever written, the Greens will play a leading role.

When the party was founded in 1980, it focused on pacifism, environmental protection and the rejection of nuclear power. The mass protests against the deployment of nuclear-armed medium-range missiles in Europe contributed to their initial success.

Yet within 20 years they had thrown pacifism overboard. When they first joined the federal government in 1998, the Greens organized the first German foreign military intervention since the Second World Warthe bombing of Yugoslavia, which Hitlers Wehrmacht had already devastated six decades earlier.

With their participation in the government for a second time, the Greens have finally emerged as the face of German militarism. While Petra Kelly, the partys first spokeswoman, had herself photographed with flowers in her hair, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock now appears in front of the cameras wearing a steel helmet.

Baerbocks furious attacks on Russia and President Putin have earned her the admiration of militaristic circles on both sides of the Atlantic. On 1 March, she flew specifically to New York City to announce to the UN General Assembly: We have decided to support Ukraine militarily.

Russias war signifies a new era, Baerbock explained. We have reached a pivotal moment. Yesterdays certainties no longer apply. Today we are confronted with a new reality that none of us has chosen. It is a reality that President Putin has forced upon us.

In reality, the Greens have been fuelling the Ukraine conflict for years. Already in 2004, the party-aligned Heinrich Boll Foundation supported the so-called Orange Revolution. Since then, it has promoted and funded NATO supporters in Ukraine. It played an important part in the right-wing coup that overthrew elected President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, brought a pro-Western regime to power, and laid the foundations for todays war.

Marieluise Beck, a Green deputy in Germanys federal parliament, personally participated in the protests in Kiev and wrote a diary about it. Her husband, the head of the Heinrich Boll Foundation, Ralf Fucks, attacked the federal government, which also supported the coup, from the right. He accused the government of making helpless appeals to the Russian leadership instead of aggressively opposing it. The decisive role played by fascist forces such as Swoboda and Right Sector in the coup was deliberately played down by the Greens.

Today, Baerbock is doing everything possible to sabotage a diplomatic settlement of the conflictand not only since the Russian attack on Ukraine. Since taking over the leadership of the Foreign Ministry on December 8, she has categorically rejected all Russias efforts to obtain security guarantees and threatened to take harsh measures.

In an interview with the Suddeutsche Zeitung at the end of 2020, Baerbock spoke out in favour of a massive rearmament programme for the German army and a greater military role for Europe in global politics. If the West did not want to leave the field to countries such as China, Russia or Turkey, Europe would have to take its peace role in the world more seriously again, Baerbock said at the time.

She advocated higher military spending and war operations. In some areas, you have to invest more to make guns shoot and night vision devices work, she said. In the event of Green participation in the government, she pledged to talk to France about robust European military operations. This will be no simple task: But we cant evade it.

Robert Habeck, who led the party together with Baerbock before he joined the government as Vice-Chancellor and Minister of the Economy, has also long been campaigning for German arms supplies to Ukraine and the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The war over Ukraine then served as a welcome pretext for the German government to implement these plans. Within a week, it announced the largest rearmament offensive since Hitler. Defence spending will triple this year to make Germany Europes leading military power once again.

The plans for this new foreign policy epoch had long been in place. They were prepared by experts from the Ministry of Defence for the coalition negotiations. However, they had not been published due to the fear of the public protest they would trigger.

That the war in Ukraine serves to justify long-prepared rearmament plans has also been confirmed by the EUs Foreign Affairs Representative, Josep Borrell. In the week since Russias invasion, we have also witnessed the belated birth of a geopolitical Europe, he wrote in an article published in several languages. For years, we Europeans have been debating how to make the EU more robust and more security conscious, with a common goal and the ability to pursue our political goals on the world stage. In the past week, we have probably made more progress on this path than in the last decade.

Even environmental protection, which is at the heart of the Greens electoral programme, is now being called into question by Habeck. In order to make Germany independent of Russian energy supplies, he has talked about allowing coal and nuclear power plants to operate longer. With reference to the war in Ukraine, their leaders have simply relativized the importance of environmental protection, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung approvingly noted.

The traffic light coalition government, made up of the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Free Democrats, broke its own coalition agreement in the shortest possible time, the FAZ enthused. Its not even three months old. Outdated, outdated, changed, questionable, irrelevant, these are the keywords that fit almost every chapter, the newspaper noted. A new security policy, a revised foreign policy, a corrected energy policy, and in general: clear leadershipall that Merkels right-wing critics in the CDU urgently wanted in the policy of the new government.

Habeck was also celebrated in the US when he became the first German government minister to visit the country after the beginning of the war. The end of the pipeline, the u-turn on military aid and the announced increase in defence spending have made Germany a favourite partner of the US government overnight, reports the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. The changes mean that trust and expectations are met to an extent that is extraordinary, Habeck stated.

The transformation of the Greens from pacifism to militarism cannot be explained by subjective motives or cliched phrases such as power corrupts. It is deeply rooted in the Partys social and political DNA.

In 1980, the Greens gathered together the participants in the 1968 student protests, who had in the meantime made their peace with the existing social order. They were joined by opponents of nuclear power, environmentalists and various citizens initiatives. The common denominator of these different currents was their rejection of the class struggle, we wrote on the thirtieth anniversary of the partys founding. From the 68 movement they brought the prejudice that the working class was an apathetic mass, susceptible to backward ideas and fully integrated into the system by consumerism.

Socially, the Greens rely on educated layers of the urban middle class, which experienced unprecedented enrichment in the stock market and real estate boom after the collapse of the Soviet Union, while the living standards of the working class stagnated and declined. The Greens have the highest proportion of members who are university or college graduates (72 percent) and the lowest proportion of members who only have a high school qualification (4 percent). In the SPD, this ratio is 41 percent to 23 percent and in the Christian Democrats (CDU) 43 percent to 20 percent.

During the SPD/Green coalition government led by Gerhard Schroder and Joschka Fischer, the Greens not only supported the first foreign military operation by the German army since World War II, but alsowith the Hartz laws and the Agenda 2010the most extensive social cuts since the establishment of the Federal Republic. They have since governed in several federal states in alliance with the CDU.

The war hysteria of this social milieu is an international phenomenon. As the WSWS noted, a critical examination of the historical and political issues raised by the war between Ukraine and Russia is not permitted in these complacent sections of the middle class. They categorically reject a principled, left-wing opposition to Putins reactionary invasion of Ukraine that does not conform to the predatory interests of the imperialist powers and relies on the unification of the Ukrainian, Russian and international working class in the fight for socialism.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has raised the specter of nuclear war and is acquiring an ever more violent and bloody character. Even if one discounts the dubious and manufactured allegations of the media organs of US/NATO propaganda - such as the report that Russian forces targeted a maternity hospital in the southern port city of Mariupol - the violence unleashed by war inevitably leads not only to tragic incidents but also threatens to develop into a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe.

Scores of civilians, including children, are dying. Millions have been forced to flee, and casualties among Russian soldiers are estimated in the thousands. It is a war waged by a regime that rules in the interests of a corrupt capitalist oligarchy, whose wealth is based on the theft of state assets following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. The fact that Putin has justified his invasion by denouncing the democratic principles upon which Lenin and the Bolshevik government established the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922 testifies to the historically retrograde and reactionary character of his regime and the war itself.

President Joe Biden announces a ban on Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The assault on Ukraine, with its devastating impact on the civilian population, must be condemned. The Putin regimes claims to be acting in defense of Russia are incompatible with socialist principleswhich place international class solidarity above reactionary assertions of national defenseand are refuted by facts. Russia is now more isolated than ever, and the economic consequences of the war threaten the Russian working people with impoverishment.

But this socialist condemnation has nothing in common with the deceitful and hypocritical denunciations emanating from the vast propaganda apparatus of the imperialist countries that cover over the central role played by the United States and its NATO allies in deliberately instigating the war. The narrative in the media, which presents the invasion as an unprovoked action, is a fabrication that conceals the aggressive actions by the NATO powers, in particular the United States, and its puppets in the Ukrainian government.

The reckless provocations of US imperialism and the Ukraine-Russia war can only be understood against the background of the Soviet bureaucracys dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Far from opening up a period of peace and prosperity under capitalism, the collapse of Stalinism marked a new stage in the crisis of world imperialism. It was followed by the volcanic eruption of US imperialism that Leon Trotsky had predicted in 1934.

In Europe and Asia, the US pursued a strategy aimed at encircling and subjugating Russia. Directly violating its earlier promises that the Soviet bureaucracy and Russian oligarchy were delusional enough to believe, NATO has expanded to include almost all major countries in Eastern Europe, apart from Ukraine and Belarus.

In 2014, the US orchestrated a far-right coup in Kiev that overthrew a pro-Russian government that had opposed Ukrainian membership in NATO. In 2018, the US officially adopted a strategy of preparing for great power conflict with Russia and China. In 2019, it unilaterally withdrew from the INF Treaty, which banned the deployment of intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Preparations for war with Russia and the arming of Ukraine were at the center of the Democrats first attempt to impeach Donald Trump in 2019.

Over the past year, in the wake of the January 6, 2021 fascist coup attempt, the Biden administration recklessly escalated provocations against Russia.

The key to understanding this is the US-Ukrainian Charter on Strategic Partnership, signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on November 10, 2021.

Dispensing with the usual cautious language of diplomacy, the Charters language was that of an offensive military alliance. It pledged to hold Russia accountable for aggression and violations of international law and its continuing malign behavior.

The Charter endorsed Kievs military strategy from March 2021, which explicitly proclaimed the military goal of retaking Crimea and the separatist-controlled Donbass, and thereby dismissed the Minsk Agreements of 2015, which were the official framework for settling the conflict in East Ukraine.

The US stated that it would never recognize Russias attempted annexation of Crimea, and that it intends to support Ukraines effort to counter armed aggression, including with sanctions and other relevant measures until restoration of the full territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Washington also explicitly endorsed Ukraines efforts to maximize its status as a NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner to promote interoperability, that is, its integration into NATOs military command structures.

Ukraines non-membership in NATO is and was, for all intents and purposes, a fiction. At the same time, the NATO powers exploited the fact that Ukraine is not officially a member as an opportunity to stoke a conflict with Russia that would not immediately develop into a world war.

The US was fully aware that fascist forces in Ukraine would play the principal role of shock troops against both the Russian military and opposition within the population.

A passage in the document reads: The United States and Ukraine intend to continue to cooperate closely to promote remembrance, including increased public awareness of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, and other brutalities committed within and against Ukraine in the past.

Yet no mention is made of the Holocaust, which claimed the lives of 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews, and the crimes of Ukrainian fascists, who collaborated with the Nazi occupiers during World War II. The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN-B) and Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) massacred tens of thousands of Jews and Poles, as well as Ukrainian opponents of fascism, during the war and in its immediate aftermath.

Their descendants, from the fascist Svoboda Party to the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, are now deeply integrated into the Ukrainian state and military and are being heavily armed with NATO weapons.

It will fall to historians to uncover what promises the Ukrainian oligarchy received from Washington in exchange for its pledge to turn the country into a killing field and launching pad for war with Russia. But one thing is clear: The Kremlin and Russian general staff could not but read this document as the announcement of an impending war.

Throughout 2021 and in the weeks immediately preceding the invasion, Russia's President Vladimir Putin repeatedly warned that Ukraines integration into NATO and its arming by the Western powers constituted a red line for Russia, and demanded security guarantees from the US and NATO.

However, the US contemptuously dismissed all these statements, and NATO staged one major military exercise on Russias borders after anotherincluding the massive Defender 2021 exercises in May and the Operation Sea Breeze in the Black Sea in June and July. Finally, in the weeks leading up to the war, while constantly warning of an impending Russian invasion, the Biden administration made no diplomatic effort to avoid it and instead did everything it could to provoke it.

Backed into a corner, the Putin regime calculated that, with the invasion of Ukraine, it could somehow reverse Russias encirclement since 1991 and reach a deal with imperialism. It is the response to imperialism of a historically bankrupt class that is the heir to everything that is reactionary in Russian historyfrom Tsarism to the Stalinist reaction against the socialist revolution of October 1917.

The sinister provocations of US/NATO, resulting in the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, have created a politically nightmarish situation that can escalate to full-scale nuclear war. And even if some sort of ceasefire is cobbled together, it will prove to be nothing more than an interlude between yet another violent eruption.

Only one force can stop the drive toward disaster: the united struggle of the international working class against imperialist militarism, the historically obsolete nation-state system that divides the world into hostile camps, and the capitalist system which, in its relentless drive for profits, drives humanity toward destruction.

This Perspectives first paragraph was amended to incorporate new information that casts substantial doubt on claims by the Ukrainian government that the building destroyed in Mariupol was, in fact, a maternity hospital.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Sri Lanka are holding an online public meeting, entitled Oppose USNATO war drive and the Russian invasion of Ukraine! at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 20, via Zoom. It will be live-streamed on the partys Facebook page.

The US and its NATO allies have intensified their war drive against Russia, exploiting the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the pretext and deploying thousands more troops to the Eastern European countries near the Russian border. They have also armed Ukraine to the teeth to fight the Russian military. These preparations are for full-scale military conflict against Russia, which could lead to World War III and the use of nuclear weapons, putting the lives of millions in danger.

After provoking the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US and European powers have created increasingly explosive conditions for its expansion with the imposition of severe sanctions that have thrown Russias financial system into turmoil.

The February 24 statement of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) opposes the Russian military intervention in Ukraine as it divides the working class, but insists that the central responsibility for the war rests with Washington and its allies. US imperialism is seeking to reassert its global dominance against potential rivals by military means.

This is the driving force behind the numerous and unending series of wars launched by the US over the past 25 years including military interventions in Iraq, Somalia, Serbia, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. The current war drive against Russia has been brought forward by the immense and deepening economic, political and social crisis in the US intensified by COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden administration is attempting to channel internal tensions at home outward, through the medium of war.

The escalating conflict in Ukraine has exacerbated geopolitical tensions globally, including in South Asia. The Narendra Modi government in India is attempting to balance between New Delhis strategic partnership with Washington and its historic defence ties with Moscow. This balancing act is becoming increasingly impossible amid Washingtons rising pressure on India to line up with the USNATO war drive.

Although the Sri Lankan government has declared it takes no sides in the Ukraine war, it is also under heavy pressure to line with the US and, in particular, to break its relations with Beijing. None of these manoeuvres with prevent India, Sri Lanka and other countries from being dragged into the maelstrom of a nuclear war.

The only way to prevent the eruption of such a war is to build an international anti-war movement of the working class based on socialist internationalism. Only the ICFI and its sections have placed the fight for this global perspective at the centre of their political work.

The SEP/IYSSE public meeting on March 20 is in order to advance this struggle in Sri Lanka and in the South Indian region. We urge workers, students, youth, intellectuals and WSWS readers to participate in this crucial political event.

Register here for the meeting.
Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers and locations in Indiana... White River at Edwardsport and Elliston. Wabash River at Montezuma. .Multiple rounds of rain over the last few days, including today, will lead to minor flooding along lower portions of the White River and upper portions on the Wabash River. Additional rainfall later this week should keep portions of the White and Wabash above flood stage through Saturday. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/ind. This statement will be updated within the next 12 to 24 hours. && ...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT TO SUNDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Wabash River at Montezuma. * WHEN...From late tonight to Sunday evening. * IMPACTS...At 18.0 feet, Montezuma agricultural levee is overtopped. Fourteen hundred acres of low bottomlands flood. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 10:45 AM EDT Tuesday the stage was 9.1 feet. - Forecast...The river will oscillate around flood stage with a maximum value of 16.4 feet early Saturday morning. - Flood stage is 14.0 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood &&
Just when Al Pacino thought he was out, The Godfather has pulled him back in.

Fifty years after Francis Ford Coppolas Mafia family drama was released, star Pacino is just coming to terms with the level of fame he acquired from the hit film.

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Its hard to explain in todays world  to explain who I was at that time and the bolt of lightning that it was, Pacino told The New York Times. I felt like, all of a sudden, some veil was lifted and all eyes were on me. Of course, they were on others in the film. But The Godfather gave me a new identity that was hard for me to cope with.

Pacino added, Its a piece of work that I was so fortunate to be in. But its taken me a lifetime to accept it and move on. Its not like I played Superman.

Pacino earned an Oscar nomination for his turn as reluctant budding boss Michael Corleone, going on to appear in all three Godfather films, inspired by the Mario Puzo novel.

When I actually read the Godfather book, I kept imagining [Pacino], director Coppola said in a separate NYT interview. And I didnt have a second choice. It was, for me, always Al Pacino. Thats the reason why I was so tenacious about getting him to play Michael. That was my problem.

Pacino called landing the role like winning the lottery, but also shared that at the time, he didnt have a choice to turn it down.

Francis wanted me. I had made the one film. And I wasnt as interested in film to the extent that I became interested. My head was in another space, Pacino said. I felt out of place in the early films that I made. I remember saying to my friend [acting teacher] Charlie [Laughton]: Wow, they talk about it being real, but meanwhile its not. Because there are wires all over you. And also, youve got to do it again! You do it and they say, Well, go again, do it again. Its real and not real at the same time, which takes some getting used to.

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The Scent of a Woman Oscar winner admitted that he assumed Coppola was going through a min-breakdown or something once he learned the director was attached to the big-budget film.

How did they give him The Godfather? Pacino said. It just seemed so outrageous. Here I am, talking to somebody who I think is flipped out. I said, What train am I on? OK. Humor the guy. And he wanted me to do Michael. I thought, OK, Ill go along with this. I said, Yes, Francis, good. You know how they talk to you when youre slipping? They say, Yes! Of course! Yes! But he wasnt. It was the truth. And then I was given the part.

Paramount Pictures famously rejected the entire cast, including Hollywood legend Marlon Brando, as well as James Caan and Robert Duvall. There was conflict, Pacino admitted. (That conflict is now at the center of Paramount+s upcoming series The Offer, about the making of The Godfather.)

And, as Pacino explained, he only knew he was in a good film after shooting the funeral scene for Brandos character, Don Corleone.

There, sitting on a tombstone, is Francis Ford Coppola, weeping like a baby, profusely crying. And I went up to him and I said, Francis, whats wrong? What happened? He says, They wont give me another shot, meaning, they wouldnt allow him to film another setup, Pacino said. And I thought, OK. I guess Im in a good film here. Because he had this kind of passion and there it is.

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CANTON  In 2020, Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio had plans to send a team of volunteers to Poland, but the mission was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A contingency plan was made for 2023, but war has also made that highly unlikely.

Undaunted, the ministry recently sent $100,000 to its affiliate in Poland. The money will be used to help Habitat homeowners there with enhancements to make room for Ukrainian refugees, and to help them cover increased utility costs.

Since Russia began its attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than 2 million Ukrainians have fled the country, including 1 million children. A significant number of those refugees went to neighboring Poland.

Beth Lechner, CEO of Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio, said the ministry is seeking more donations, noting that 100% of the money will be sent directly to its Habitat affiliate in Poland.

"I feel like God is calling us to help these people," she said.

Lechner said all Habitat affiliates tithe or donate 10% of their undesignated donations to overseas partners. Habitat East Central Ohio also has affiliate partners in Bangladesh and Lesotho, South Africa.

In 2006, it became only the seventh affiliate to donate $1 million in tithes. In 2016, the ministry was named the state's top tithing affiliate.

Beth Lechner, CEO of Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio, discusses the ministry's recent $100,000 donation to its affiliate in Poland to help them house Ukrainian refugees.

More: Habitat for Humanity, city of Canton launch summer initiative

"Our affiliate has always maintained that the tithe is paramount to our success," Lechner said. "We've had times when we struggled, but we have never talked about not tithing; it's never in the conversation."

'This is perhaps our greatest calling.'

Kevin Miller, communications director, said Poland was selected as a partner in 2015 because of its approach to the overall mission to provide decent and affordable housing.

Because there's less land available, the Polish affiliate focuses mostly on building apartments and rehabbing existing homes.

"They're doing a lot of work with at-risk people, the elderly, the disabled and people aging out of foster care," he said.

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Miller noted that Poland has an inordinate amount of children in foster care.

"The problem is everywhere, of course, but we found that intriguing," he said. "They're being progressive and trying to meet their needs. We felt like they were doing some really good work."

Lechner said this is the first time since Hurricane Katrina that the ministry has sought donations for a non-local mission.

"It compelled us to reach out to the public," she said, "because there's so much need and because we have a direct relationship with Poland Habitat. It's a solid organization."

Miller said assisting their partner in Poland is in keeping with their own mission.

"This is perhaps our greatest calling, as people of faith, as a ministry of faith," he said. "That's what we do."

600 new homes for East Central Ohio region

Lechner said she knows that assisting Habitat homeowners in Poland is a temporary measure because the flow of refugees is likely to continue and outstrip the capacity, "but it's a great answer for right now."

Lechner and Miller said they are confident Americans will step up to help the people of Ukraine even as they deal with increased prices for gas, groceries and utilities. An attack on one democracy, Lechner said, threatens all.

"War brings about disruption for all of us," she said. "As far as the willpower to help others, if we don't have freedom, we don't have anything. How do you not reach out to help? Mothers and children literally are running for their lives."

Lechner acknowledged that local needs persist. This year, Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio will build its 600th home.

"While there's a great need here, and we'll continue to work toward that, it may be we have to work harder," she said. "They need help right now."

To donate, visit www.habitateco.org or call the office at 330-915-5888, or mail a check to Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio, 1400 Raff Road SW, Canton, Ohio, 44710. Mark "Poland" in the memo.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Habitat helping its Poland affiliate make room for Ukrainian refugees
LUS Fiber, the city of Lafayette's municipally-owned telecommunications company, is making it free to call Ukraine and surrounding countries this month as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine, and we stand with them," LUS Fiber Director Ryan Meche said in a release Thursday.

"We are doing what we can to ensure their loved ones here in the U.S. have the ability to reach out as they are able during this challenging time."

LUS FIber Director Ryan Meche, P.E.

Long-distance calls to Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria and Moldova will be free and unlimited for new and existing customers until the end of March.

The calls will automatically be removed from customer's LUS Fiber bills, according to the telecom's announcement.

The latest news on Ukraine: Read USA Today's coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in late February with an early morning attack on several cities in the Eastern European country of around 44 million people. The invasion has led to widespread sanctions against Russia in recent weeks.

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Nicki Minaj is reclaiming the narrative. After opening up a dialogue with fans in last nights Instagram Live, the rapper sat down with Joe Budden for an exhaustive interview. While the 39-year-old steered clear of the hot-button issues that have plagued her of late, she addressed a long list of topics including plastic surgery, upcoming projects, chart manipulation, motherhood, and the state of female rap.

The Do We Have A Problem? hitmaker was particularly transparent about the latter subject, explaining how she feels about being the blueprint and avoiding trends that many of her contemporaries jump on. Minaj was particularly vocal about the way that female rappers have been treated by the fashion industry despite the huge influence of their genre. As a result, shes embracing her entrepreneurial side in a bid to become a makeup and hair mogul.

More from Variety

Here are 15 of the biggest takeaways from Minajs interview:

1. A social media guinea pig

Minaj points out that she emerged at the same time as social media, and was subjected to the brunt of its worst qualities. I was one of the first people to be shitted on on the internet, she says. Every day I would go on, and it was some new story, some made up story or bad picture.

2. Ass shots and Lil Wayne

The New York artist reveals that she got ass shots in Atlanta after seeing the bevvy of curvy women that Lil Wayne would bring into the studio. Wayne would have a new chick in the studio every session, so it was always a new big booty, Minaj says. They were his muses. I wanna make sure I dont downplay [the women] because they have a big part in the journey of a rappers career.

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However, being exposed to that atmosphere and hearing jokes about her own body made the superstar self conscious. I was around them all the time, she continues, all I would hear them talking about is big butts. I didnt feel complete or good enough. Minaj emphasizes that it wasnt intention, but adds: When you say certain things around women you cant take them back.

3. Queen Radio is returning

Minaj revealed that Queen Radio, her explosive Beats 1 show, would return  albeit on another platform. I took Queen Radio to another company, she says. In last nights Instagram Live, the rapper revealed that the show would be hosted on Amazons Amp app.

4. Rappers are still vilified

Rap is the only genre of music, rap is the only culture that, from the beginning of time, has been vilified, Minaj says. Were held to a different level of judgment. Ultimately, she believes that racism is the reason. I think its about our culture, Minaj says, I just dont think that any culture thats predominantly white would get that. Budden then brought up New York mayor Eric Adams comments linking drill music with crime rates. The reason why hes probably doing that is to point the finger, she responds. Shame on him.

5. She is the blueprint

Minaj is well aware that her contemporaries look at her as the blueprint. I think its the girls, what their perception of a female rapper is, she begins. And they think, This is what I have to look like. The Chun-Li artist points to her iconic pink wig. I would never see any female rapper wearing pink hair, pink hair became a part of that starter kit, Minaj continues. Every female rapper will put on a pink wig at some point.

6. Pregnancy writers block

The prolific artist admits she had severe writers block while pregnant. Instead of spitting bars, Minaj was more interested in reading mommy blogs. I was just online googling and youtubing pregnant women all day, she laughs. Regular women documenting their journey, answering questions. I was consumed with that.

7. Her predecessors deserved better

The rapper took a stand for the artists that came before her. Did they have the opportunities? she ponders. Some of the biggest rappers, some of the most influential rappers, theyve never made a million dollars for a show. Theyve never made what they absolutely deserved based on the doors that they opened for others, based on their level of talent, their level of influence. As such, she can understand how they might react to the deals being offered to todays stars.

Theyve never been rewarded for doing any of those things and now they get to sit back and watch other artists who they know [are not] as talented as them [succeed]. I know that cant be easy for them to watch.

8. A documentary and film role are in the works

Minaj revealed that shes working on a documentary, but was coy about the details, saying: when its ready Ill let you know. The multi-hyphenate also disclosed that shes in the running for an upcoming film role. I am working with a director working on a movie, she says. Its a bigger role than Ive ever taken on.

9. Minaj is founding record and management companies

I am creating my own management company, the budding mogul says. Im also doing my record company. Excitingly, she has already signed artists. I have a couple of artists that I will start the record company with, Minaj says. Ill speak on that closer to album time.

10. Queen wasnt quite ready

Minaj has some regrets about her last studio album, 2018s Queen. I dont think it was presented correctly, she says, before admitting that it was pushed forward to be ready for the MTV VMAs. Furthermore, the rapper wasnt prepared for the toll of promotion. I dont think mentally I was in the right place, she says. I dont think I even presented myself correctly. Ultimately, she wishes it had been postponed: I dont even think the album should have been put out at that time.

11. Wake up, American Vogue!

The hitmaker is outspoken about the way the fashion industry marginalizes female rappers and black women. You would think that right now hip-hop is the biggest, most influential genre in the world, you would think that the biggest female rapper of all time, who has set so many trends, would have been on the cover of American Vogue, but she hasnt, Minaj says. She then points out that white women are treated differently.

When Billie Eilish comes out and sets a trend with her green hair, shes immediately put on American Vogue, Minaj says. The artist does have some kind words for Anna Wintour, who she says has always treated her very graciously. Instead, she calls on the creatives around Wintour to plead her case and help uplift black women and female rappers.

12. An olive branch to Lil Kim

While Minajs relationship with Lil Kim has been rocky, she extended the rap pioneer an olive branch, hinting that she would be willing to do a versus with her. Moreover, she also thinks Kim should have had her own American Vogue cover. The same way I feel like I should have been on the cover of American Vogue, Minaj says, so should have Lil Kim.

However, Foxy Brown is still her favorite female rapper. I gravitated towards Foxy Brown because she used to spit like a dude, Minaj says. Even to this day, her precision, the way she pronounces things is unmatched.

13. Chart manipulation

Minaj has made it clear that she is dissatisfied with the way that charts are tabulated. In her interview with Budden, the rap star takes umbrage with the algorithm. Billboard just changed the rules about whats going to count and not going to count, she says. Once they realize that fans or artists have the power, they do the old switcheroo. Minaj takes umbrage at radio propelling songs up the charts, particularly when those songs dont have large streaming numbers. Ultimately, she is open about the issue for the sake of her fans. My fans do so much, Minaj says. I dont want my fans feeling bad about themselves.

14. Hands-on mom

Minaj reveals that she is a very hands-on mom. I also wanted to bond with my child, she says. He still has never had a nanny. The rapper says her son takes after her and is very determined and strong-willed despite being born in Beverly Hills.

15. Chasing trends is for suckers

While music is inherently cyclical, Minaj avoids chasing trends. I wasnt going to come out with an explicit song cause I feel like thats what everyones doing, she explains. Once anyone has success with anything, everyone jumps on the sound. Theres a price to pay for doing that. If you jump on every trend, you become faceless, she says. I dont need to be in the rat race.

Watch the full interview below:

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Nigerian medical student Jessica Orakpo

Jessica Orakpo

It took her by foot and by car, doubling back when discrimination initially blocked her way from a bus  even sometimes literally "limping" as she walked hour after hour after hour away from war  but Jessica Orakpo is now safely out of Ukraine.

And she's sharing her story.

A Nigerian medical student who recently fled the Russian invasion, Orakpo says she and other Africans on their way to the Polish border were turned back at a bus station by workers who only permitted white Ukrainians to board shuttles to complete the final leg of their harrowing journey.

Orakpo, 23, has lived in Ukraine since 2016, when she began her studies at the Ternopil National Medical University. She was set to graduate in June with a general medicine degree and then hoped to do a residency in the U.S. and specialize in rheumatology.

Because of Russia's still unfolding attack, all of that is now uncertain.

More than 2 million people have crossed Ukraine's borders since Russia invaded two weeks ago in one of the largest and fastest-growing flights of refugees this century.

"I don't know where I stand on that plan, because I have been displaced," she told PEOPLE earlier this week via Zoom from Debrecen, Hungary, hundreds of miles away from where she first tried to go after bombs began to fall in Ukraine.

With only a small piece of luggage, a backpack and a few supplies like water, juice, sweets and a blanket, Orakpo left Ternopil on Feb. 26 with a friend, Nataizya Nanyangwe of Zambia, heading west in a taxi toward the border crossing at Medyka, Poland.

"We didn't know what to expect," she says.

When they hit traffic  still far from their destination  their driver said he could go no further so they got out and began to walk.

* For more on the emerging refugee crisis in Ukraine and how President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's life and acting career shaped his unexpected moment as a wartime leader, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday.

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Refugees from Ukraine

Courtesy of Jessica Orakpo

RELATED: 'They've Gone Through Hell': Stories of Humanity and Discrimination at Ukraine's Border

A child wrapped in a blanket sits on luggage while waiting to be relocated from the temporary shelter for refugees in a former shopping center between the Ukrainian border and the Polish city of Przemysl, in Poland

LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP via Getty Images Ukrainian refugees

More than 10 hours later, "I was super tired and I just needed somewhere to sleep because I was even considering sleeping by the roadside," Orakpo says. "We were literally limping."

A traffic warden offered the pair a ride to a shelter, where they stayed the night, Orakpo says, adding that she was "very grateful" because "he was so helpful."

"And we asked him, 'Please, how would we get to the border the next day?' " she recalls. "He said there would be buses available to take us straight to Poland. We're like, 'We're so excited.' "

Orakpo says she and Nanyangwe got an early start the next morning, arriving at a bus station in Mostyska, Ukraine, near the western border, to catch a bus shuttling evacuees to Medyka  but the pair were not allowed to board because, Orakpo says, station workers prioritized white Ukrainians.

RELATED: More Than 1,200 Civilian Casualties Recorded in Ukraine amid Russian Invasion, U.N. Says

"He wouldn't even look at you if you were Black," Orakpo says, echoing the accounts of other non-Ukrainians and non-white people who have fled. "They were judging based on skin color."

Orakpo says a group of more than 20 Africans were left stranded at the station, despite her pleading in Ukrainian to be allowed to board.

At one point, another worker at the station wrote a number in pen on Orakpo's hand, indicating she would have a spot on a bus, she says. But when it was time to go the worker instead told her, "Just Ukrainians, no international person."

Refugees from Ukraine

Courtesy of Jessica Orakpo

Orakpo says she showed station employees the number on her hand but was ignored by one and told by another it was irrelevant and "just Ukrainians, no international person" could get on the bus.

"It was so dehumanizing. It was like we lost hope," she says. "People broke down crying. Some other Africans were shouting 'Why, why just white people? Why not us as well?' "

RELATED: 1 Million Kids Have Fled Ukraine Since Russian Invasion Began, Says U.N.: 'Dark Historical First'

Despite the multiple accounts of discrimination, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Border Guard Service, denied that officials had a policy against people of color trying to leave the country.

"They are all treated the same. Everyone who gets to the border joins a queue and they are let through the border strictly according to that queue, first come, first served, and for no other reason at all," Andriy Demchenko recently told PEOPLE.

"It's absolutely not true that priority is given to Ukrainians," he insisted. "The only priority we have is for women and children.  That is the only exception."

But Chris Boian, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said his agency is aware that non-Ukrainian refugees have faced prejudice on their journeys to safety.

"We have received assurances from governments in neighboring countries that these incidents do not reflect official positions," Boian told PEOPLE. "There is no place for discrimination at borders against people fleeing Ukraine. All people fleeing are human beings and that's what the criteria should be."

RELATED: Secretary of State Antony Blinken Visits Refugees Who Fled Ukraine: 'Very, Very Moving'

Marek Stus, an official with the Czech aid group People in Need, acknowledged "systemic racism across all Easter European countries, and I would say this is not going away quickly despite the crisis situation." He told PEOPLE: "It can't be excluded that it has been seen in some border guards."

Still, Stus said that in his experience, "I've been visiting all the border crossings in Slovakia and Hungary. There are an increasing number of crossings from people from the Middle East, North Africa, Indians, other African countries  and from what I've seen they've been crossing normally."

Nigerian medical student Jessica Orakpos friend and travel companion, Nataizya Nanyangwe of Zambia, rests by the side of the road

Courtesy of Jessica Orakpo

Perhaps sensitive to news reports about the difficulties non-white people have said they experienced, Dmytro Kuleba, the minister of foreign affairs for Ukraine, last week shared the number of a hotline set up to assist foreign students in Ukraine who want to leave.

"We are working intensively to ensure their safety & speed up their passage," he wrote in a tweet. "Russia must stop its aggression which affects us all."

Orakpo did manage to escape, eventually: She says she returned to Ternopil before making a second voyage out of Ukraine, this time to Hungary.

A friend had booked a "private bus" for about 10 of them. "We [were] not trying to walk again or use any other means of transportation that was not perfect for us," Orakpo says.

RELATED: 11-Year-Old Ukrainian Boy Becomes 'Hero of the Night' After Making His Way to Slovakia Alone

Asked if she's experienced racism in Ukraine before, Orakpo says, "It's there," adding that while some people "see you as beneath them" it's less of an issue in Ternopil because of its large international population.

She also says her university is "really helpful" and has a "very strong" African student union and that people on campus look out for each other.

With her June graduation uncertain, Orakpo now hopes to find a school that will allow her to finish her studies and earn a degree so she can move to the U.S. to continue a career in medicine.

She's also willing to go back to Ukraine "if the war should stop," she says. "I really feel for Ukraine. Really do. It's been my home. I really want to go back."
When Russian forces bombed a maternity clinic in the war-torn Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday, they first insisted the facility was a Ukrainian military outpost and, as such, a fair target in the two-week-old, senseless war.

But on Thursday, the Russian Embassy in the U.K. sought to take things one step further, tweeting out a photo of woman who has become the poster person of the atrocitya young, blonde, heavily pregnant woman in maternity pajamas, wrapped in a dirty blanket with blood dripping down her face.

The embassy tried to insinuate that the womanwho has been identified as blogger Marianna Podgurskaya, according to one of the many photographers who took her photo crawling out of the rubble, and whose open Instagram account @gixie_beauty has chronicled her pregnancywas a crisis actor.

She actually played roles of both pregnant women on the photos, the Russian embassy tweeted, going on to say the first photo was taken by Evgeniy Maloletka, a freelance photographer and filmmaker who has been risking his life to chronicle the Russian invasion of Ukraine since the beginningand whom Russia considers a provocateur.

The embassy neglected to mention how many other photographers, including Associated Press photographer Mstyslav Chernov, also photographed the traumatized blogger, whose life was threatened in the attack that killed three people. The Daily Beast has reached out to Podgurskaya for comment and it is unclear how her late-term pregnancy is progressing after the attack.

Immediately, the darkest fringes of the internets conspiracy web latched onto the suggestion that a pregnant woman from Mariupol, who has an online presence and is a known blogger, would not be in a maternity hospital in the 39th week of her pregnancy. 4Chan and other deep-web cesspits have also embraced the fact that shes famous and recognizable as a reason she couldnt have been in a maternity ward in her hometown.

Yes, she is pregnant, but she wasnt there of course, shes a local beauty-blogger, one 4Chan poster wrote.

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The clearly fake information is bad enough, but naming her like this is more than enough to boot the embassy's account off of the platform. As if her and her unborn child nearly dying isn't bad enough, she'll likely be harassed for years now because of this accusation.  Aric Toler (@AricToler) March 10, 2022

Hours later, Twitter removed the Russian Embassys tweets on Podgurskaya, telling the BBC it was in violation of the Twitter Rules, specifically our Hateful Conduct and Abusive Behavior policies related to the denial of violent events.

Unable to control the narrative of the increasingly hostile war, Russian diplomats are going to other extreme lengths, including to fight with journalists as well. The Russian Defense ministry also ridiculously claimed the so-called airstrike was a fully staged provocation to support anti-Russian fervor among Western audience.

And on the sidelines of the meeting in Turkey between Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russias foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, CNN correspondent Jomana Karadsheh got into a lively debate with Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova over what was reported to be doctored footage of the bombing at the maternity clinic.

Karadsheh asked the spokeswoman if she had a comment about the bombing and the documented evidence of injured pregnant women and children. Zakharova called it a fake provocation and tried to shove her own phone with apparently doctored video into the journalists view.

A heated exchange ahead of news conference between Russian MFA spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and CNN journalist. Key disagreements are on what's happening on the ground in Ukraine and on why Western media ignored previous 8 years of the conflict in Donbass. pic.twitter.com/izGmoesAad  JonesP85 (@P85Jones) March 10, 2022

Karadsheh, who covered Russian aggression on the ground from Syria for more than a decade, did not back down, refusing to look at the doctored footage and insisting that CNN journalists on the ground were a better source. Kakharova then went off on a tangent, accusing Western journalists of being blind to alleged Ukraine aggression over the last eight years.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said the United States would participate in investigations by the United Nations to determine if Russia has committed war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine.

Harris, speaking at a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda, accused Russia of committing atrocities amid the two-week conflict, citing what the international community has already been able to see in images and videos of Ukraines devastated urban centers.

When it comes to crimes and violations of international norms and rules, we are also very clear that any intentional attack on innocent civilians is a violation. The U.N. has set up a process by which there will be a review and investigations, and we will of course participate as appropriate and necessary, Harris said.

But we all watched the television coverage of just yesterday, she continued. Thats on top of everything else that we know and dont know yet, based on what weve just been able to see. And because weve seen it or not doesnt mean it hasnt happened.

Harris remarks came after reports on Wednesday that a Russian airstrike had hit a maternity and childrens hospital in Mariupol, a city under siege by Russian forces in southeastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted footage of the wreckage, describing the assault as an Atrocity!

Just limit it to what we have seen, Harris said on Thursday, discussing potential Russian war crimes. Pregnant women going for health care? Being injured by, I dont know, a missile? A bomb? In an unprovoked, unjustified war?

Absolutely, there should be an investigation, she added. And we should all be watching. And I have no question the eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities. Have no doubt.

Duda, the Polish president, went further than Harris, saying it is obvious to us that Russian forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine. Poland has accepted more than 1 million refugees from Ukraine  its eastern neighbor  over the past 10 days, he said, and those fleeing have provided ample evidence of crimes against humanity.



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Right now, as we speak, there are people crossing our border who witnessed their houses destroyed, who saw their neighbors being killed, who saw hospitals being bombed, who saw civilians being shot at, children being shot at, Duda said.

These are proofs. These are the reports of witnesses. And they also have those proofs on their smartphones, he added. If you look at those footages, it just makes your blood curl. Such scenes are happening today, and they have been happening over the last days in Ukraine. And their perpetrators are Russians.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced last month that he would open an investigation into possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine. And last Friday, the U.N. Human Rights Council approved a resolution  brought by Ukraine  condemning alleged human rights violations by Russia and agreeing to establish a commission to investigate the charges, which include possible war crimes.

Although British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other world leaders have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine, President Joe Biden and U.S. officials have stopped short of leveling that allegation. However, Biden did say last Wednesday it is clear that Russia is targeting civilians in its invasion.

CIA Director William Burns, speaking Tuesday before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence during the panels annual hearing on worldwide threats, warned lawmakers that Putin is angry and frustrated by his militarys lack of progress in Ukraine, and that hes likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.
Gas prices are displayed at a Brooklyn gas station on March 08, 2022 in New York City. Gas prices are at record highs around the country as the Russian invasion of Ukraine causes global oil markets to surge. American President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports into America.

Good afternoon, OnPolitics readers!

Vice President Kamala Harris today condemned Russias air strikes on a maternity hospital in Ukraine as atrocities of unimaginable proportions and urged an investigation into the attacks.

Harris also underscored the United States commitment to defend every inch of NATO territory. The vice president visited Poland as part of an effort to show unity among NATO allies in response to Russia's war on Ukraine, where the death toll has been rising.

Harris visit with a staunch NATO ally became partly a clean-up mission after a controversy erupted over a proposal to provide fighter jets to Ukraine.

The rift opened up after the United States declined Poland's surprise proposal to provide Soviet-built MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. to give to Ukraine. When Harris met with Polish leaders in Warsaw, part of her job was to smooth over the flare-up.

We have been witnessing for weeks, and certainly just in the last 24 hours, atrocities of unimaginable proportions, Harris said. A maternity hospital, a children's hospital, where we have witnessed pregnant women who were there for care for one reason being taken out because they required care because of an act of violence, unprovoked, unjustified.

Russian airstrikes hit a maternity hospital in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday. Three people were killed, including a child, and 17 people wounded.

More live updates on the situation in Ukraine can be found here.

It's Amy and Chelsey with today's top stories.

How Congress is looking to punish Moscow

Lawmakers successfully pressured President Joe Biden into announcing a ban Tuesday on the U.S. import of all Russian energy, including oil, as further punishment against President Vladimir Putin for Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

But Biden's ban isn't enough for many lawmakers. The prohibition on Russian energy checks one box off the congressional wish list, but Capitol Hill continues to explore other avenues in supporting Ukraine and penalizing the Kremlin.

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The economically punitive measures include:

a permanent ban on Russian energy imports

imposing sanctions on anyone selling gold physically or electronically in Russia

closing loopholes in the U.S. tax system, aimed at preventing Russian oligarchs from hiding assets

increasing efforts to crack down on money laundering schemes benefitting Kremlin allies.

Lawmakers took the first step Wednesday, overwhelmingly passing legislation that not only includes the ban on Russian oil and energy products but provisions to end normal trade relations with Russia and neighboring Belarus (a close ally to Moscow) and require the U.S. Trade Representative to work towards booting Russia from the World Trade Organization.

"The more economic pain we inflict on Putin, the more pressure he (Putin) will feel to finally end his brutal campaign of terror on the Ukrainian people," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said on the floor before the vote.

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Real quick: stories you'll want to read

Congressman could face jail time: Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., could face 20 days in jail after being charged for the second time in the past five years for driving on a revoked license.

AG Garland on Jan. 6 investigations: Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department will "not shy away" from politically sensitive or controversial investigations into Jan. 6.

MTV wants young people to vote: The television network that attracts a younger demographic has launched a campaign to reach young voters ahead of the midterm elections.

Fed up with threats: A new poll found 20% of election officials are unlikely to stay in their jobs for the 2024 presidential election due to persistent threats and conspiracy theories.

US lags behind in global crypto regulation

President Joe Biden issued an executive order Wednesday to direct the Treasury Department to establish regulations around cryptocurrency and ordered the Federal Reserve to investigate whether the U.S. should create its own digital dollar.

But the U.S. is tardy to the party compared to other countries, experts say.

The US is actually I think a little bit late to the game, Daniel Ahn, a global fellow at the Wilson Center and former chief economist for the U.S. State Department, said. Many other countries have already been more active in trying to set up rules and regulations in place for the (decentralized finance) world as a whole.

The executive order comes as concerns rise about the susceptibility of cryptocurrency to price manipulation, including schemes that make a trade look more valuable than it really is.

The number of cryptocurrencies continue to increase. Tracking site CoinGecko reports that as of Wednesday, it is tracking the prices of thousands of cryptocurrencies that collectively have a market cap of $1.92 trillion. Of them, 41% of the market is held by Bitcoin.

The great American pastime is back. Which team are you cheering for this baseball season?  Amy and Chelsey

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Congress targets Russian economy with sanctions, import bans
People walks toward the White House in Washington, Friday, March 4, 2022, to protest in support of Ukraine and asking that the United States to do more to help Ukraine defend itself from the Russian invasion. AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Almost 20,000 Ukrainian and Russian adults arrived in the US in 2021.

The asylum-seekers have increased due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Most on-foot asylum-seekers are turned back at the border, vehicles are stopped less frequently.

An increasing number of Russians and Ukrainians fleeing political repression and war are traveling to Mexico, buying "throwaway cars" and driving to the US border to seek asylum, Reuters reports.

Customs and Border Protection data only show figures up to January before Russia invaded Ukraine, but they were already growing rapidly. The war could well encourage greater numbers to make the journey.

US border officials encountered about 6,400 Russians in the four months between October 2021 and January this year, CBP data show, said Reuters. It compares with approximately 4,100 apprehended during the entire 2021 fiscal year, which ended September 30. There was also a significant increase for Ukrainians, with just over 1,000 apprehended between October 2021 and January, compared to about 680 for the last fiscal year.

Related video: Nearly 6,000 Ukrainian refugees are in this Polish train station

But this has further increased since Russia invade of Ukraine, with Ukrainians being the third-most-common nationality among arrivals within the last week, according to Reuters.

Russians are also fleeing in growing numbers due to President Putin's authoritarian crackdown on dissent, political protests, and the independent media.

"Repression is intensifying and the people coming out to protest the war are treated very harshly," Dmitriy Zubarev told Reuters. "There will be more people trying to use refugee routes to escape the bad situation in the country," Zubarev, a civil rights lawyer, who left in June 2021, said.

Driving to the border improves the chance of 'jumping the line'

At a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Representative Lou Correa, a Democrat from California, said he was taken aback by the number of Russian and Ukrainian migrants arriving by car when he visited the San Ysidro port of entry between San Diego and Tijuana about a month ago.

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He said a border agent showed him 20 cars that had been pulled over, explaining they were full of Ukrainian and Russian migrants.

"This problem is not going away," Correa said.

Many migrants from Russia and Ukraine opt to go via Mexico as it is easier to obtain a visa for Mexico. They then seek asylum into the USA rather than get a tourist visa for the USA, Jessica Bolter, an immigration expert at the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, explained to Reuters.

Many at the US borders are arriving by car in an attempt to circumnavigate a pandemic-era policy known as Title 42.

Under the policy, most on-foot refugees are turned back at the border. Vehicles are stopped less frequently.

Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott told Reuters that this means some are buying cheap cars in Mexico to raise their chances of getting through to the US, describing it as a way to "jump the line."

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday that his country will continue to accept Ukrainian refugees.

The Biden administration has announced temporary protection from deportation to Ukrainians in the US. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement on March 3 that it had created an 18-month Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Ukrainians living in the US since March 1.

Earlier this week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, announced that over 1 million people have fled Ukraine in the last week, to escape the Russia's all-out invasion dubbed a "special operation" by President Putin. Most have headed to neighboring European countries.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Seoul  South Korea has elected a new president, and the man taking the reins may significantly change the key U.S. ally's stance in the standoff with North Korea. Incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol is a conservative who's said he wants to teach "rude boy" North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un some manners.

"If you give me a chance, I will teach him some manners," Yoon said on the campaign trail, promising to make Kim "snap out of it" if he was elected.

Across the demilitarized zone, in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, state media on Wednesday showed Kim paying a visit to his country's national satellite control center, an integral part of his military's missile program.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration after recent satellite system tests, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in a photo released on March 10, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). / Credit: KCNA via REUTERS

Yoon's election is certain to change the dynamic with North Korea after years of efforts by outgoing President Moon Jae-in to forge diplomacy.

"We are aware of the growing North Korean nuclear threat, and amid the tensions of the U.S.-China strategic competition, we are also faced with the task of strengthening our global diplomatic capabilities," Yoon said in a speech on Thursday, adding that "to protect people's safety, property, territory and sovereignty," South Korea would also "build a strong national defense force."

South Korea's president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is seen in a photo provided by his conservative People Power Party after he won the national election, March 10, 2022. / Credit: Handout/People Power Party

Citing the "illegal and unreasonable behavior of North Korea" Yoon vowed to act decisively, but said "the door to inter-Korean dialogue will remain opened."

President Joe Biden was the first foreign leader to call Yoon to congratulate him on his election victory.

The White House said Mr. Biden had "emphasized the United States' commitment to the defense of" South Korea and told Yoon that that he looked forward to jointly tackling global challenges from climate change to supply chain issues.

"The two also committed to maintain close coordination on addressing the threats posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's [North Korea] nuclear and missile programs," the White House said in its readout of the call.

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I spoke today with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the Republic of Korea to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to working with him to continue to strengthen the U.S.-ROK Alliance and take on shared global challenges. pic.twitter.com/mJScMNK3Np

 President Biden (@POTUS) March 10, 2022

Yoon is relatively new to politics.

A former national prosecutor general, his support came largely from South Koreans who disagree with the outgoing government's moderate stance, particularly on national security matters. But Yoon didn't shift South Korea's presidency back to the right with a resounding mandate, winning the election with just 48.56% of the vote, or about 250,000 more ballots than his rival  a margin of less than 1%.

Yoon has advocated for a more assertive stance on North Korea. He's suggested the deployment of an additional American "THAAD" anti-missile system in his country to bolster defenses against a potential North Korean attack.

The current THAAD system, deployed in South Korea by the U.S. in 2017, is a major point of contention with North Korea's ally and major U.S. adversary China, which argues the high-tech system enables the U.S. military to monitor Chinese territory.

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South Korea's newly-elected president Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to take a tough stance on neighboring North Korea and build on U.S. relations, The Associated Press reported.

"I'll rebuild the South Korea-U.S. alliance. I'll (make) it a strategic comprehensive alliance while sharing key values like liberal democracy, a market economy and human rights," Yoon said in a televised news conference on Thursday.

"I'll establish a strong military capacity to completely deter any provocation," Yoon added. "I'll firmly deal with illicit, unreasonable behavior by North Korea in a principled manner, though I'll always leave open the door for South-North talks."

During his campaign, Yon has accused outgoing President Moon Jae-in of moving too far toward North Korea and China and away from the U.S, also stressing the need to repair relations with Japan despite their fraught history, according to the AP.

In a statement on Thursday, Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida expressed his desire to communicate with Yoon, saying: "The focus in South Korea-Japan relations should be finding future paths that would benefit the people of both countries," Yoon added.

This comes as Yoon, a conservative candidate who ran on the People Power Party ticket, defeated liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung in a hard-fought election.

Moon Jae-in cast himself as a unifier of the Korean peninsula, however after helping broker a meeting between Kim and former President Trump, diplomacy in the region has largely stalled under the Biden administration as North Korea has recently ramped up provocative missile testing.

North Korean state media said the country has tested more nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in the past weeks, with experts calling the moves an attempt pressure the U.S. to ease sanctions amid stalled nuclear diplomacy between the two countries.

The White House said in a statement that President Biden called Yoon after his election victory, with both leaders agreeing to maintain close coordination in addressing threats posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
(Adds analyst report)

By Josh Smith

SEOUL, March 10 (Reuters) - North Korea will launch a number of reconnaissance satellites in coming years to provide real-time information on military actions by the United States and its allies, state media on Thursday reported leader Kim Jong Un as saying.

While inspecting North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration, Kim said "a lot" of military reconnaissance satellites would be put into sun-synchronous polar orbit in the period of a five-year plan announced last year, state news agency KCNA reported.

"He noted that the purpose of developing and operating the military reconnaissance satellite is to provide the armed forces of the DPRK with real-time information on military actions against it by the aggression troops of the U.S. imperialism and its vassal forces in south Korea, Japan and the Pacific," the news agency said.

North Korea appears to be preparing to launch a reconnaissance satellite, which could prove as controversial as the nuclear-armed country's weapons tests because they use the same banned ballistic missile technology, experts say.

North Korea says it conducted two tests of satellite systems on Feb. 27 and March 5. Authorities in South Korea, Japan, and the United States says the tests involved launches of ballistic missiles.

The launches drew international condemnation and the U.S. military said on Thursday it had increased surveillance and reconnaissance collection in the Yellow Sea.

The United States also said it had heightened its ballistic missile defence readiness after a "significant increase" in North Korean missile tests.

Kim defended the satellite work as not only about gathering information but protecting North Korea's sovereignty and national interests, exercising its legitimate rights to self-defence, and elevating national prestige, KCNA reported.

"He stressed that this urgent project for perfecting the country's war preparedness capacity by improving our state's war deterrent is the supreme revolutionary task, a political and military priority task to which our Party and government attach the most importance," KCNA said.

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The United States and its allies have condemned previous North Korean space launches as violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions that have imposed sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes.

'MILITARY SIGNIFICANCE'

North Korea has not tested a nuclear weapon or its long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) since 2017, but has suggested in could resume such tests because talks with the United States are stalled.

Its latest flurry of missile launches could be groundwork for a return to ICBM and nuclear bomb tests this year, the U.S. Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI) said in its annual Worldwide Threat Assessment released this week.

A satellite launched into orbit would be the first since 2016.

Recent sub-orbital launches, which likely used road-mobile medium-range ballistic missiles, appeared designed to "pop the key components of an imagery reconnaissance satellite up to operational altitudes for a few minutes of testing", 38 North, a U.S.-based monitoring group, said in a report.

Such components, including satellite stabilisation, the imaging payload, and data transmission may have failed in previous tests and therefore required additional testing, the group said.

"It remains to be seen how capable any North Korean imagery satellite would be, the frequency of launches, or how many such satellites might be maintained in orbit at any one timeall key indicators of the actual military significance of such satellites," 38 North said.

Regardless, North Korea clearly sees this capability as having propaganda value and showcasing its technological prowess and effective leadership, it added.

A launch could make technical contributions to North Koreas ICBM capability, depending on what type of rocket booster is used, 38 North said.

"It may also be the precursor to other more provocative developments mentioned by Kim, such as the testing of multiple-warhead missiles, solid-propellant ICBMs, and ICBM-range solid-propellant submarine-launched ballistic missiles," it said. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Grant McCool, Robert Birsel)
Mar. 10EAU CLAIRE  When veterans advocate and former state Sen. Dave Zien saw news coverage last week about the Wisconsin Department of Administration planning to sell more than 80 acres of state-owned land in Chippewa Falls, he saw it as an opportunity to jumpstart a project he's been pushing for a long time.

In a news conference Wednesday, Zien called for the proceeds from the land sale to be allocated toward building a second 72-bed long-term care facility for veterans next to the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Chippewa Falls. He was joined at the event by several area veterans and a pair of Republican legislative candidates who also supported the idea.

The land along Seymour Cray Boulevard on the southeast corner of Chippewa Falls is part of the Northern Wisconsin Center site and is managed by the state Department of Health Services. The DOA is assisting DHS in selling the property and has valued three-quarters of the land at $35,000 per acre.

Selling the land could generate between $2 million and $3 million that could go toward building a second veterans home adjacent to the existing facility, doubling its capacity, Zien said.

While the facility likely would cost significantly more than that, the land sale proceeds would represent a significant down payment toward a much-needed project, he said.

The state Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday that the existing 72-bed Wisconsin Veterans Home in Chippewa Falls, 2175 E. Park Ave., has a waiting list of about 150 veterans who could be ready to admit in the next year or two.

"If we do get that nearly $3 million, we're hoping we can really make this happen and have a new veterans home in the Chippewa Valley," Zien said.

The current facility, which opened in February 2013, cost $20 million at the time it was built.

It is 78,000 feet in size with private, single-bed rooms for its 72 residents, with each room having a private bathroom and shower. The skilled-nursing home was constructed using a "neighborhood model," creating four separate identical wings with 18 rooms in each wing. Federal dollars paid for 65% of the project. Con

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Developer and veteran Jerry Green of Eau Claire indicated he has joined Zien in pursuing the idea of building a second veterans home in Chippewa Falls for several years, but the proposal hasn't advanced under the past three governors. Green has offered to develop the project privately with the understanding that the state would lease it with the option to buy.

"If we can get the right team together ... we could make this happen rapidly and fill the need that is out there today," Green said. "These veterans deserve to be taken care of."

When informed about Wednesday's news conference, state Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Colleen Flaherty shared the following statement: "We appreciate the former senator and his commitment to the Veterans Home in Chippewa Falls. His dedication is the reason the home is there today. We are not familiar with the details of the specific proposal, but we'll be happy to hear any ideas to make our facilities better."

Republican Karen Hurd, a U.S. Army veteran who is running for the 68th Assembly District seat, said she supports the expansion in response to a personal experience a couple years ago. At that time she inquired about seeking care for her disabled husband at the Chippewa Falls home but was disappointed to hear it would be at least a two-year wait for a bed.

"There definitely is a need for veteran care, especially Vietnam veterans," said Mike Korger, commander of a Vietnam Veterans of America chapter in Eau Claire, who called Zien's proposal a win-win for the region.

Zien pointed to a 2003 law he authored when he was in the Legislature stating that the net proceeds from any property sold at the Northern Center were to be allocated to the state departments of Corrections, Social Services or Veterans Affairs.

Serving veterans who served their country is the right thing to do regardless of party affiliation, said Brian Westrate, a Fall Creek resident who is running as a Republican in the 23rd Senate District.

"The state has no immediate need for this money or this land," Westrate said. "It's an absolute no-brainer that this money should go to this project. The money for this land should stay in the Chippewa Valley and serve these veterans."

Zien encouraged area residents to write their legislators and talk to local candidates about supporting the proposal.
Dayana Yastremska said that explosions woke her from her sleep in the early morning hours of Feb. 24, as Russian troops invaded her hometown of Odessa, Ukraine.

The 21-year-old professional tennis player said last week in Lyon, France, that, though in shock, she and her teenage sister, and their parents, fled their home and took shelter in an underground parking garage while bombs continued to explode around them.

On Wednesday, not yet two weeks since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Yastremska walked out onto Stadium Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. It was her sixth match since leaving Ukraine, counting the five she played when she reached the final last week in Lyon.

In the first evening match at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open, Yastremska walked out onto the court draped in the Ukraine flag, and she eventually took the court wearing the blue and yellow colors of her country.

But despite having the crowd behind her, Yastremska went down a break early in the first set and couldnt overcome the deficit in a tight, 6-4, 7-6(8), 7-5 first round loss to Caroline Garcia of France.

It was a pretty emotional and hard match, Yastremska said. But I felt like I completely was empty tonight. I think I gave it everything last week in Lyon.

Yastremska will play doubles with her sister Friday against Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu.

In Wednesday's singles match, Yastremska saved a pair of match points in the second set to eventually win the set. She then went up a break in the third set but a series of unforced errors prevented her from finishing off Garcia.

Dayana Yastremska drapes the Ukranian flag over her shoulders after losing her match against Caroline Garcia during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., March 9, 2022.

Calling the match on Tennis Channel, former players Pam Shriver, Lindsay Davenport and Carolina Wozniacki were in awe that Yastremska was even able to play after the emotional trauma she had recently experienced.

I dont know how shes doing it, said Wozniacki, who retired in 2020.

Added Shriver, This is unreal.

Yastremska said last week in Lyon that playing tennis while her country is a war zone hasnt been easy. She said she didnt sleep for three nights while fleeing Ukraine. Yastremska and her 15-year-old sister, Ivanna, and their mother took a boat across the Black Sea and eventually made it to Romania. Their father stayed behind in Odessa.

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It took them four hours to reach Danube, on the Romanian border. Before they crossed into Romania, the sisters said goodbye to their mother, who decided to stay behind.

It was by happenstance that Yastremska was in Ukraine during the invasion. She played three events in Australia before reaching the quarterfinals in Dubai. She had a one-week break between Dubai and Lyon and went home.

Dayana Yastremska hits a backhand during her match against Caroline Garcia during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., March 9, 2022.

"It's tough," Yastremska said, "because what is going on now in Ukraine is really embarrassing. My parents are at home and my closest people are there. It was very, very hard to leave and even play in Lyon. You still have a lot of doubts about it. You still think a lot about it."

After fleeing Ukraine, Yastremska played doubles with her sister in Lyon, where she received a wild card entry. Ranked 103 in the world in singles, she received another wild card at Indian Wells and brought her sister along.

Yastremska said that shes had to play the role of mother to her sister, while also playing and dealing with the mental stress that has come from what is going on back home.

She reached the final in Lyon, before falling to Shuai Zhang of China in three sets. Garcia also had a nice run at the tournament before losing in the semifinals to Zhang.

Theyve really had a similar last 10 days, Shriver said of Yastremska and Garcia, except for one big difference.

Caroline Garcia celebrates a point win during her match against Dayana Yastremska during the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., March 9, 2022.

Yastremska said last week that she cannot full concentrate on tennis with what is going on back home, but she looked poised and focused Wednesday. Still, she said she had a difficult time getting comfortable on the outside courts after a week indoors in Lyon, and never quite settled in.

"I couldn't really adapt to playing outside to the courts," she said. "I kind of felt from the morning a lot of pain in my legs and my back."

She fell behind a break early and lost the first set, but responded by saving two match points before winning the second set tiebreak. Yastremska shouted and first-pumped after every big point, and punch air when she secured the set.

In the third set, Yastremska squandered several beak point opportunities before finally securing a break in the fifth game, to go up 3-2 on a Garcia double fault. The momentum seemed to momentarily shift but Yastremska didnt capitalize on it. Garcia didnt crumble under the pressure, and broke back Yastremska to tie the score at 4-4.

She then broke Yastremska again and held serve to calmly finish out the match.

"It was really nice to play here," Yastremska said. "I really love this tournament. Plus, I got a wild card opportunity and I really wanted to win. But I felt like I wasn't really prepared."

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska falls at Indian Wells
American author Mark Twain famously wrote: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts."

This lesson can be applied as much for globe-trotting as it can be for traveling within our own state.

At a time of rising political polarity in America, a solution to lowering the temperature is to connect with citizens from communities that might seem different from our own experience.

In my latest column, I wrote about my trips to McMinnville, Tennessee, including my recent visit in February, after a four-year gap, to speak to local Rotarians about our Civility Tennessee campaign.

Downtown McMinnville, Tennessee on Feb. 24, 2022

On the surface, Nashville, where I live, is very different from McMinnville, a small rural city about 80 miles east of the state capital  in population, politics and personality.

But both cities share a commitment to civic leadership for the purpose of upholding society and sometimes challenging it, as well.

I shared a moment of vulnerability in my column about some hesitation I had when I made my first visit to McMinnville. Some readers have lauded that admission while others saw it as proof of bias.

We all have biases accrued from life experiences, but that does not preclude us from working to see eye-to-eye with others and empathizing with people who do not share our politics or our perspectives.

Downtown McMinnville, Tennessee on Feb. 24, 2022

If we all care about American democratic values and tradition, there is room for variety.

Scroll to read the column.

Pro tip: Think about planning a trip to an unfamiliar place and getting to know the sights and people.

Special: This morning, the USA TODAY Network Tennessee publishes a series of a dozen essays by educators, advocates and parents about Gov. Bill Lee's proposed overhaul of school funding. Some see Lee's approach as visionary, while others have deep reservations. As part of our mission to welcome diverse viewpoints, we hope these essays will illuminate the issue and provide food for thought to help citizens understand, absorb and share their views on the debate on education policy in Tennessee.

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Here are a couple of other selections in this week's newsletter:

Columnist Cameron Smith of Nolensville writes that Russia's invasion of Ukraine requires bold and decisive action.

Meanwhile, columnist George Korda of Knoxville writes about U.S. foreign policy in the context of his grandparents' emigrating from Ukraine to America.

Columnist LeBron Hill of Nashville presents his first in a series of columns about how country music leaders are contending with the racial reckoning in America.

Guest essayist Tameka Greer of Memphis argues that gun violence is an epidemic that requires in-depth research and solutions.

Do you agree or disagree with this week's viewpoints? Let me know, and I invite you to write your own letter to the editor.

Thank you for reading!

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. Email him at dplazas@tennessean.com, call him at (615) 259-8063 or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Civility Tennessee: Ending polarity means connecting with others
By Jan Strupczewski

VERSAILLES, France, March 10 (Reuters) - European Union leaders will phase out buying Russian oil, gas and coal as Moscow's war on Ukraine makes them realise they have to be less dependent on Russia, a draft declaration showed, but they are unlikely to offer Ukraine the fast EU membership it seeks.

Leaders of the 27-nation EU are to meet in Versailles on Thursday and Friday, as Russia's war against Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation", enters its third week despite massive western sanctions.

"Russia's war of aggression constitutes a tectonic shift in European history," a draft declaration of the 27 EU leaders prepared for the summit said.

"Confronted with growing instability, strategic competition and security threats, we decided to take more responsibility for our security and take further decisive steps towards building our European sovereignty, reducing our dependencies and designing a new growth and investment model for 2030," it said.

This is a turning point for the EU, because Russia is its biggest energy supplier, providing more than 40% of its gas, more than a quarter of oil imports and almost half of its coal.

The leaders will not set an overall deadline for weaning off Russian energy because dependency differs from country to country, with Germany, Italy, Hungary, Austria among the most deeply reliant on supplies from Moscow.

But the European Commission believes the EU as a whole could reduce its gas imports from Russia by two thirds this year if it diversifies suppliers, invests in renewable energy and improves the energy efficiency of buildings.

After decades of relying on the United States as Europe's ultimate security backstop, the EU also now wants to sharply increase spending on defence and make Europe more independent when it comes to making microprocessors, pharmaceuticals or food, the draft said.

Officials said EU leaders will offer words of strong support to Ukraine to make clear its future lies with the European Union after Kyiv, which now has an association agreement with the EU, applied for full EU membership shortly after the Russian attack.

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But they also said that despite pressure from the Baltic countries and Poland, granting Ukraine any fast-track access to the bloc was unlikely, not least because it would create immediate problems with other applicants like Georgia or Moldova and those already in the pipeline like Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania or Serbia.

"The leaders are unlikely to offer Ukraine candidate status, it is more likely that there will be more cooperation within the association agreement," one EU official said.

"Offering more would be impossible now because this is a country that is now engulfed by war, partially under Russian occupation, and maybe at some point even completely under occupation," the official said.

Others noted however, that offering the status of an EU candidate country to Ukraine would offer a clear "European perspective" to Ukraine, giving the country the hope it now needs to fight off the Russian aggression while not making any firm commitments to accept Ukraine in the future.

"I don't understand why there is a problem with giving them a candidate status. Turkey has had it since 1999 and is nowhere near membership. You can give the candidate status to Ukraine now to show we are with them and then full membership negotiations, like with Turkey, can take forever if there is no political will to enlarge the EU," a second EU official said. (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Michael Perry)
An evaluation and supervision plan for China's "forest chiefs" was launched recently to encourage local officials to better shoulder their responsibility to protect forests and grassland. The plan, released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, has been implemented since late last month. It mentioned the use of several major metrics to evaluate forest chiefs, including their administrative region's vegetation area, natural resources management, construction of natural reserves, wildlife protection and disaster prevention and control. The forest chief system, initiated by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, sees top Party or government officials at the provincial, city, county and township levels assume the role of forest chief in their areas of administration. Forest chiefs are in charge of the protection and development of forest and grassland resources and must come up with targets in areas such as forest coverage, forest stock volume and the treatment of desertification. Under the plan, the administration will give annual scores to all forest chiefs based on their performance according to multiple methods of monitoring, including satellite surveillance, big data and regular inspection. "A comprehensive score will be given to every province, municipality and autonomous region that has forest chiefs," the administration said in a notice. "Problems found in the supervision will be urged to be solved through reforms." Every five years, another evaluation will be conducted by the administration, which will include the evaluation of forest coverage, comprehensive vegetation coverage, wetland protection rate, forest stock volume and sandy land control. This five-year evaluation is expected to show whether the aims of regional five-year plans have been achieved. Results from the annual and long-term evaluation will be reported to the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council. The results will be an important indicator of local officials' governance ability. In January last year, the State Council released a guideline on comprehensively implementing a forest chief system across the country. Since then, 25 provincial-level regions have initiated pilot forest chief systems. Since 2017, East China's Anhui and Jiangxi provinces have taken the lead in trying out the forest chief system, providing the foundation for nationwide implementation. Between 2017 and 2020, Anhui added 388,000 hectares of forest while reducing the incidence of forest fires by 80 percent, the provincial forestry department said. In Central China's Hunan province, where the forest chief system was launched early last year, 779,333 hectares of forest were planted in the past year and more than 70 percent of the province's wetlands were under protection. Hu Changqing, director of the Hunan Provincial Forestry Department, told a conference recently that Hunan aims to plant another 260,000 hectares of forest and restore at least 6,666 hectares of grassland this year.


Lafayette Police Chief Thomas Glover was fired after the mayor-president and chief administrative officer lost confidence in him.

Glover said he wasnt given cause when he was fired on Oct. 7 by Chief Administrative Officer Cydra Wingerter after 10 months on the job. He argued before the Fire and Police Civil Service Board on Wednesday that he was terminated before he was given a chance to prove himself as police chief.

But Wingerter testified during the more than 8-hour meeting that Glover had ample opportunity to prove himself and was fired after she and Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory lost confidence" in his ability to carry out his duties as police chief.

The civil service board unanimously voted 4-0 on Wednesday not to give Glover back his job, deciding he did have the opportunity to prove himself as chief. Board Member Christina Olivier was not at the meeting.

Glover's attorney, J. Arthur Smith IV, said he disagreed with the board's decision and was going to advise Glover to appeal the decision.

"I certainly recommend we be very aggressive about seeking review (of) this decision," he told reporters after the meeting.

Turnover and turmoil at LPD: 5 chiefs in 5 years raises questions as investigations loom

Terminated Lafayette Police Chief Thomas Glover, center, during his appeal hearing before the Lafayette Fire and Police Civil Service Board.

Why couldn't Glover argue the merits of his firing?

Smith reasoned at the beginning of the meeting that Glover should be able to argue the merits of his termination because Glover thought he was a permanent employee.

Glover, who was the department's first permanent Black chief, testified that after six months without discipline or dissatisfaction from Guillory or Wingerter, he thought the probationary period had ended. He said he thought that the probationary period would only extend beyond six months if there had been a problem with his performance as chief.

Hebert pointed to a general order put in place by former police chief Jim Craft that set the probationary working period as one year. Glover argued that state civil service law trumped local general orders.

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LCG Human Resources Manager Rick Zeno said he discussed the probationary period with Glover and he said he thought Glover understood that period to be one year. Glover denied that conversations happened.

Hebert argued Glover was a probationary employee because he had only been employed for 10 months at the time of his firing. Because he was still in a probationary period, Glover was an at-will employee.

Hebert also said that while Glover could have been fired without cause as an at-will employee, it did not mean Lafayette Consolidated Government did not have cause to fire him. Smith argued and Glover testified that Glover thought he was a permanent employee.

The board voted 4-0 that Glover was a probationary employee at the time of his termination, which limited his arguments to be strictly about whether he was given ample time to prove himself as chief.

What caused Lafayette Consolidated Government to lose confidence in Glover?

During those arguments, Wingerter, who was Glover's direct supervisor, testified about nearly a dozen meetings she had with Glover and about the police department under his leadership. She said she talked with Glover about campaigns the former chief wanted to enact, addressing panhandling and a violent crimes task force.

On Sept. 13, Glover had a performance review with Wingerter and human resources' Zeno. Wingerter said she told him the administration wanted better communication from him, wanted him to build up a group of people he could trust inside the department and addressed the perception that "attention was only going to the northside," which is a majority-minority area.

Other top brass news: Wayne Griffin, fired by Lafayette Police after sexual harassment probe, wants his job back

Glover said Wingerter's performance review was riddled with inaccuracies, such as claiming Glover shut down a program that had ceased six years prior.

Wingerter said firing Glover wasn't considered at that time. But she was told by an Internal Affairs investigator that the investigator thought Glover misrepresented a disciplinary issue before the Fire and Police Civil Service Board.

Glover told the board he looked into a complaint against a police captain that claimed he used his power as a police officer to "intimidate" a landlord. Glover said he reviewed the body-camera footage and found the complaint had no merit, which was something he could do within his discretion as chief.

At the time there was disagreement between the board and Glover over whether an actual investigation had been completed.

Previous coverage: Police chief says no evidence of misconduct between captain, landlord

The IA investigator told Wingerter that no investigation had been completed and she never saw the body-camera footage.

In a second incident, Wingerter said an employee had posted on the video-app TikTok while in uniform that were "suggestive in nature." Wingerter did not describe the videos. HR had suggested a discipline for the employee - a counseling form - but Glover verbally reprimanded the employee and then sent an email about it.

Those incidents made Wingerter and Guillory lose confidence that Glover could perform his duties.

On Oct. 7, Wingerter told Glover he could resign or be terminated. He was fired.

What were the arguments about Glover being able to prove himself?

Hebert argued that before Glover was fired, he had ample time to prove himself as chief. The meetings with Wingerter proved that Glover knew the expectations set out before him.

He also said Glover's arguments about what a good job he thought he was doing showed that he had time to prove himself.

Smith argued that because there was no official evaluation  which Smith said was required by Louisiana law but Hebert disagreed with  Glover didn't know that he wasn't performing as Guillory and Wingerter wanted.

Smith pointed to more than 70 texts from Guillory praising Glover for a job well done. Glover testified that Guillory told him 36 hours before he was fired that he was doing well.

Hebert said that there were just as many frustrated and negative texts from Guillory to Glover.

Smith argued Glover wasn't given enough time to make corrections after the Sept. 13 meeting about his performance, which meant he wasn't given enough time to prove he could perform his duties.

In other decisions

In a largely procedural move, the board unanimously voted to hear an appeal from terminated Interim Chief Wayne Griffin.

Griffin claimed his termination was "without just cause and in bad faith" and violated his rights as a police officer while he was under investigation, his attorney, Allyson Prejean wrote in his notice of appeal. He is asking for his job back

A date for his hearing has not yet been set.

Griffin was fired Jan. 20, but a cause has not been given. Lafayette Consolidated Government spokesperson Jamie Angelle said at the time he could not comment.

Contact Ashley White at adwhite@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Fired Lafayette Police Chief Thomas Glover won't get job back
Rugbys pre-eminent tighthead prop and a respected challenger to his throne will face off at Twickenham on Saturday when Kyle Sinckler and Tadhg Furlong collide in a Guinness Six Nations clash between England and Ireland.

The two sides are Frances closest challengers in the race for the title and this weekends meeting will have a significant bearing on both teams campaigns.

Here, the PA news agency examines a contest that will help shape the outcome of the clash.

(PA graphic)

Kyle Sinckler  Bristol and England



Position: Tighthead prop

Age: 28

Caps: 50

Lions caps: 6 (6 as a replacement)

Debut: v South Africa, 2016

Height: 60

Weight: 18st 9lbs

Points: 10 (Tries 2)

Sinckler reached a half century of caps against Wales in round three and, if he continues to develop his game, he could emerge as Englands greatest tighthead prop. Sincklers scrummaging remains a work in progress but has grown significantly since making his debut in 2016, while maturity has brought with it a more measured temperament compared to the rookie front row with a short fuse. His points of difference, however, are his athleticism and handling. A powerful carrier at close quarters, Sinckler can also pick sharp lines, with his pace sweeping him past defenders. England also use his soft hands to good effect and Sinckler is every inch the modern prop.

Tadhg Furlong  Leinster and Ireland

Tadhg Furlong is among the first names on Irelands team-sheet (Niall Carson/PA)

Position: Tighthead prop

Age: 29

Caps: 55

Lions caps: 6 (6 starts)

Debut: v Wales, 2015

Height: 60

Weight: 19st 8lbs

Points: 25 (Tries 5)

If Sinckler typifies the modern prop, then Furlong is its archetype. It is remarked in Ireland that Furlong is a fly-half trapped in a props body and there are few forwards  never mind front rows  with his skill set. He operates as a distributor for Ireland, with his timing and precision giving his game an extra dimension that has become increasingly influential. But for all his ball-playing instincts, the British and Irish Lions first-choice tighthead for the last two tours is no show pony. His work rate is high and he is a go-to carrier at close quarters, as well as in slightly wider channels. Sealing his status as the best number three in the world are his rock solid scrummaging and presence around the ruck.
Recognized at Loudonville High School on Wednesday, March 9, were four seniors who have already enlisted in the U.S. military, from left Meranda Forbes, Sophie Withrow, Camden Stanton and Quinton Getz.

Five Loudonville High School seniors were recognized along with students across the country for enlisting in the Armed Services.

More: New fire chief, two police officers sworn in at Loudonville Council meeting

Seniors Quinton Getz and Camden Stanton have joined the U.S. Marine Corps and will leave for Marine boot camp shortly after graduating in May, and Meranda Forbes and Olivia Withrow have enlisted in the Army National Guard.

Also enlisting, but not available for an interview and photo, is Dalynn Burkepile, who is joining the Air National Guard.

The five were recognized, along with student recruits nationwide, in an Our Community Salutes event Wednesday, March 9.

The five students enlisting this early are the most in a senior class here that I can remember, Guidance Counselor David Lance said, which is ironic because this is one of the smallest  with 59 members  senior classes here.

Getz and Stanton have joined the Marine Corps

Getz, son of John and Jody Getz of Loudonville, is following in his dads footsteps by becoming a Marine. He will leave for recruit training June 20 at Parris Island, South Carolina, and will follow that with infantry training at Camp Geiger, North Carolina, a part of the Marine Complex at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina.

Stanton, son of Bud and Sandie Stanton of Loudonville, will leave for basic, again at Parris Island, on July 11. He said being in the Armed Services has always been a dream for me.

Following basic, he will move to Pensacola, Florida, for air navigation training.

Both Getz and Stanton formalized their enlistments in 2021.

Forbes and Withrow enlist in the Army National Guard

Forbes, daughter of Gary and Patty Forbes of rural Perrysville, is the youngest of four children and said she was joining the military to follow in the footsteps of my older brother, Thomas, a Marine, and both of my grandfathers, who were in the Army. Ultimately, she will train to become a military police officer.

Story continues

Withrow, daughter of Heather and Scott Koch of Loudonville, attributes joining the Air Guard at the urging of my friend Meranda.

Both will leave for Army basic training at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri, on July 5, followed by the MP training. In preparation for their future MP work, both are now enrolled in the criminal justice program at the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center.

Lance noted some other seniors are also considering the military, but havent yet finalized their decision. We are very proud of these students.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Loudonville High School enlistees recognized
cat claws

Getty

The Maryland House voted on Thursday to ban the declawing of cats unless it is medically necessary, making it the second state in the U.S. to halt the procedure after New York passed similar legislation in 2019, according to the Associated Press.

An identical bill passed the state's Senate last month and could soon be headed to the governor to be signed into law, The Washington Post reports.

"When people wrap their head around it, the idea that we would mutilate to protect a furniture item is abhorrent to people," Maryland State Del. Lorig Chakoudin, the House sponsor, told the outlet.

RELATED: New York Is Officially the First State to Ban Pet Owners from Declawing Their Cats

Democratic Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan, the Senate bill sponsor, detailed the procedure.

She said that declawing "takes not just the nail, but the nail bed and part of the bone and cuts it off. What happens is that leaves a cavity there, and that makes it very painful for them to walk, to use their litter box or to just be happy little, little campers."

The Maryland bill prevents veterinarians from declawing cats for cosmetic or aesthetic reasons, or for the convenience of their owners. The procedure would be allowed if needed for medical reasons.

RELATED: Teen Tries to Rescue Cat in Tree But Gets Stuck, Prompting Rescue: 'Cat Seemed to Enjoy the Commotion'

Kagan also spoke about how the bill will protect cats in the future.

"You can't ignore the fact that animal lovers are outspoken activists, and this is an election year," said she said.

She continued, "There are a lot of interest groups that are highly paid and influential corporate interest, but these are, you know, average Marylanders who want to protect the cats. And they have no special interest other than doing the right thing by their pets. It's pretty inspiring and it's hard to ignore."

RELATED: Vanessa Bryant Introduces New German Shepherd Loki: 'My Girls Are Happy'

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Veterinarians will be fined up to $5,000 for a first offense and up to $10,000 for a second offense, in addition to suspension or revocation of a license if they perform the procedure without reason, according to the AP.

Several veterinarians on both sides of the issue testified in front of the Maryland Senate.

Moira Cyphers, a lobbyist for the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association, said the procedure is used as "a last resort" and its popularity has decreased in the last decade, according to The Washington Post.

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The banning of declawing is supported by PETA and The American Veterinary Medical Association.

"Declawing is a violent, invasive, painful, and unnecessary mutilation that involves 10 separate amputations  not just of cats' nails but of their joints as well," PETA writes on its website. "Declawing is both painful and traumatic, and it was been outlawed in Germany and other parts of Europe as a form of cruelty."

On its website, The American Veterinary Medical Association states, "AVMA discourages declawing as an elective procedure and supports non-surgical alternatives. Declawing is a major surgery involving amputation and is not medically necessary for the cat in most cases."
WASHINGTON  Tougher trade rules. Higher tariffs on Russian-made goods. Siccing the IRS on Kremlin-linked oligarchs. Digging for gold.

Lawmakers successfully pressured President Joe Biden into announcing a ban Tuesday on the U.S. import of all Russian energy, including oil, as further punishment against President Vladimir Putin for Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

But Biden's ban isn't enough for many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The prohibition on Russian energy checks one box off the Congressional wish list, but Capitol Hill continues to explore other avenues in supporting Ukraine and penalizing the Kremlin.

The economically punitive measures include a permanent ban on Russian energy imports, imposing sanctions on anyone selling gold physically or electronically in Russia, closing loopholes in the U.S. tax system aimed at preventing Russian oligarchs from hiding assets and increasing efforts to crack down on money laundering schemes benefitting Kremlin allies.

Gas prices are displayed at a Brooklyn gas station on March 08, 2022 in New York City. Gas prices are at record highs around the country as the Russian invasion of Ukraine causes global oil markets to surge. American President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports into America.

More: House votes to ban imports of Russian oil and energy products in retaliation for Ukraine invasion

Many of the proposed measures would hit Moscow on trade, seeking to revoke Russia's Permanent Normal Trade Relations status and provide the president authority to raise tariffs on a host of Russian products.

The goal is to squeeze Russia's pocketbook by raising the cost of goods and services exported to the United States, ultimately convincing American consumers to buy from other countries.

Bipartisan vote as Congress targets Russia

Lawmakers took the first step Wednesday, overwhelmingly passing legislation that not only includes the ban on Russian oil and energy products but provisions to end normal trade relations with Russia and neighboring Belarus (a close ally to Moscow) and require the U.S. Trade Representative to work towards booting Russia from the World Trade Organization. The bill also would strengthen the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to impose further U.S. sanctions on Russia.

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"The more economic pain we inflict on Putin, the more pressure he (Putin) will feel to finally end his brutal campaign of terror on the Ukrainian people," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said on the floor before the vote.

Nelson Dong, a Seattle-based lawyer and trade expert with Dorsey & Whitney LLP, cautions the moves on trade probably won't result in significant short-term pain for Moscow considering Russia ranks 26th in terms of U.S. trading partners.

More: Could sanctions against Russia boomerang back on Americans?

The amount of goods traded between the two nations in 2019 was $28 billion, with most of that  $22.3 billion  coming from Russia, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The top categories of goods imported from Russia that year were: mineral fuels ($13 billion), precious metal and stone, such as platinum ($2.2 billion), iron and steel ($1.4 billion), fertilizers ($963 million), and inorganic chemicals ($763 million).

Dong said the energy ban that passed the House late Wednesday is a natural reaction from Congress "because it's the only soft power tool, really in the toolbox" short of military action.

"I think those are all very symbolic and very long term kinds of plays," he told USA TODAY. "If you're not buying that much from Russia in the first place... is that going to move anybody's needle?"

FILE - Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington.

The bill now heads to the Senate. But Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters Tuesday that he doesn't think further action on the legislation is needed by Congress now that Biden announced the energy ban.

"My interest is in giving the president the maneuvering room he needs to stay as tight with our allies as possible," Murphy said. "So if the president's already banning Russian oil, I'm not sure why we need to dictate the terms of it."

Aid to Ukraine

The House Wednesday also approved $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine as part of a $1.5 trillion spending bill to fund the federal government through Sept. 30.

The package is split among humanitarian aid, defense and economic assistance, and sanctions enforcement.

It would support refugees fleeing Ukraine and aim to back Ukraine and other allies' defense capabilities against Russia. The legislation also would fund the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury to develop and enforce sanctions and respond to cyber threats coming from Moscow.

More: Stocks closed higher and oil closed lower even after Biden banned Russian oil

The package is another tool to back Ukraine, but far from the end. Murphy predicted a larger aid package down the line.

"This is going to have to be one of the most significant international rebuilding efforts that we've ever undertaken, given the images we're seeing," he said. "I think this is likely to be a pretty meager down payment in the long term."

Going for the gold

Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is leading the charge on pursuing the Russian oligarchs close to Russia's persident, saying decisive action in Washington would "send a clear message to Putin that the invasion of Ukraine will have devastating consequences for his regime.

Wyden wants to close loopholes he says exempt private equity and hedge funds from implementing basic anti-money laundering requirements. He wants to increase disclosure regarding the foreign owners of private investment funds and require financial institutions to end certain agreements with Russian banks that have permitted oligarchs to evade sanctions.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing.

And he wants his committee to examine tax loopholes that let the wealthiest Russians stash assets, often untaxed, in the United States.

Other lawmakers are taking creative approaches to counter Russian aggression.

A bipartisan group of senators, for example, introduced a bill to punish anyone who transports gold from Russia's central bank holdings or sells gold in Russia.

"This bipartisan bill closes a critical loophole that allows Russia to sell off its gold reserves to prop up its economy," said Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.

More: Who are Russia's oligarchs and how do they play into the war in Ukraine?

"Congress must make it harder for Putin to liquidate Russias gold and use those proceeds to fund its invasion of Ukraine, said Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Similar efforts to pin down Putin and his allies have emerged in the House.

Republican Rep. Young Kim of California and Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin introduced the Direct Investigations on China, Take Action to Oppose Russia (DICTATOR) Act. The bill would require Secretary of State Antony Blinken to update Congress on whether the Chinese government is assisting Putin and helping the Russian president to evade sanctions.

More: Biden hits Russia's yacht-riding rich with sanctions. Will that blunt Putin's Ukraine invasion?

Dong said lawmakers should act carefully to prevent sanctions from boomeranging back.

He pointed to the Carter administration's decision in 1979 to impose a grain embargo that prevented U.S. farmers from selling wheat to the Soviet Union as punishment for their invasion of Afghanistan.

"So what happened was Russia quickly pivoted to buy grain from Canada, from Australia, from Argentina or Brazil, or wherever they needed to go to buy it. They went out and found it and pretty much replaced the Americans who had worked very, very hard to earn that market share in Russia," Dong said.

"And so I think most economists, and most analysts would say that was very symbolic and very important, but ultimately, it probably hurt us more than it hurt them."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russia: Congress weighing how to punish Moscow for Ukraine invasion
therapy dog

Getty

A new study has found that dogs can help ease the suffering of patients experiencing pain in the emergency room.

Researchers have determined that as little as 10 minutes with a dog can have a positive effect on people by reducing their pain, anxiety and depression, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday.

The study collected data from more than 200 emergency room patients at The Royal University Hospital Emergency Department in Saskatchewan, Canada, which was chosen for its "longstanding visiting therapy dog program," according to the study.

Golden Retriever puppy

Getty

RELATED: Louisiana Boy Writes Sweet Letters About Foster Dog to Pass on to Pup's Adopters: 'The Best Dog'

Researchers asked patients  who were waiting to be seen by a doctor, were in treatment or were waiting for a bed  to rank their pain from 1 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest). The patients were divided into two groups: the control group which was not greeted by therapy dogs, and the treatment group which spent time with the dogs.

The treatment group reported less pain after visiting with the dogs.

"Participants in the therapy dog team group rated pain significantly lower than those in the control group at the post-intervention measurement," the study noted.

RELATED: Puppy Love: New Study Indicates Dogs Mourn the Death of Their Canine Companions

Jessica Chubak, senior investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, told CNN in an email that "the results of the study are promising."

Clark, who did not conduct the study, explained, "Our current understanding of the effects of therapy dog visits in emergency department settings is fairly limited. So, it is particularly important to have more research in this area."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Colleen Dell, the lead study author and the research chair in One Health and Wellness and professor at the University of Saskatchewan, told CNN, "There is research showing that pets are an important part of our health in different ways. They motivate us, they get us up, (give us) routines, the human-animal bond."

Dell added that she hopes the results of the study push people to stop questioning if therapy dogs are helpful, and instead start asking how to incorporate them better into our healthcare systems.
Crossroads Center is pictured Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, in St. Cloud.

ST. CLOUD  A new boutique is coming to Crossroads Center.

According to the Crossroads Center website, Glik's Boutique will open its suite in the mall on March 23. The new store will be right across from Apricot Lane.

The St. Cloud location will be Glik's 70th location in the U.S.

CEO Jeff Glik said when he spoke with the manager at the Wilmar Glik's, they mentioned that St. Cloud is where people from Willmar go for a night on the town.

And with Glik's doing well in the Willmar area, "To spread our wings and come into St. Cloud I was confident was a good fit," Glik said.

More: A new St. Joseph business will soon have a new way to satisfy your sweet tooth

The St. Cloud location will carry women's clothes and shoes.

"We really pride ourselves on each store being a unique and special store, and that's what's really made us successful," Glik said.

Glik's has nine locations in Minnesota, in addition to others in 10 more Midwest states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota and Indiana). Glik's is headquartered in Illinois. The company is a fifth-generation family business celebrating its 125th year of business in 2022.

Sarah Kocher is the business reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-255-8799 or skocher@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahAKocher.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to sctimes.com today.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Glik's 70th location will open in St. Cloud this month
The Washington state Senate approved a bill which would simplify payroll accounting for farmers and limit the number of paycheck cashing fees 
Yakima County has distributed about $6.5 million in rental assistance through a lottery system, but frustrations continue as evictions to soon become a reality again.
On a hot summer evening, children cool off at a splash pad during the Kick Off Celebration of National Night Out Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, at Miller Park in Yakima, Wash.
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The signing into law of two bills that revise a package of 2021 police-reform laws is an encouraging example of how political negotiations should work.

Gov. Jay Inslee signed the new bills Friday after legislators revisited  and agreed to revise  regulations that had set tighter standards for how and when police can use force, engage in vehicular chases and employ certain types of equipment.

Passed last year, the rules resulted from nationwide soul-searching about law enforcement after several cases of lethal police brutality shocked and outraged much of the country. The most notorious, of course, was the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

After watching Floyd writhe on the ground and plead for his life as then-Officer Derek Chauvin kept him down with a knee to the neck for nine minutes, lawmakers from coast to coast jumped into action. Understandably, they rushed to introduce bills that would prevent similar tragedies in their own states.

Well-intentioned as most of them were, some went too far.

In Washingtons case, everybody from the State Patrol to county sheriffs created confusion for officers answering emergency calls.

Was it OK to chase a domestic abuser fleeing in his car? Should a cop stand back and keep his hands to himself if a social worker is in a dicey situation with a mentally disturbed individual?

So lawmakers, including several from our area, went back to the drawing board and introduced their ideas for fixing the 2021 legislation.

Thats where the news gets better.

The fixes, as it turns out, seem to be satisfactory to legislators and to people in law enforcement.

All of these things, Yakima police Chief Matt Murray told YH-R reporter Donald W. Meyers, are going to be very much a relief to the community. We will be able to go back and take a community care role.

Yakima County Sheriff Bob Udell agreed. Were always going to err on the side of caution, he added.

Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale, an opponent of the original legislation, had a bill of her own locked and loaded in case her colleagues hadnt been able to agree on the revisions.

She, too, seems satisfied with the deal lawmakers reached, though.

I feel like we found a balance between accountability for law enforcement as well as giving them the tools to keep the community safe, she said.

And thats the word that we find so encouraging here: balance.

The benefits of having a range of political viewpoints in public offices is that proposals and problems are evaluated from many angles.

An angry reaction to some criminal behavior by some bad cops shouldnt be the main driver in a discussion about police reform. Nor should anyone unquestioningly accept that law enforcements traditional methods of defusing dangerous situations are the only effective strategies.

Diversity is our strength. Diversity of thought, background and expertise. Thats what bipartisanship is all about  true democratic give and take.

Its good that we seem to have more reasonable policing protocols in place. Its also good to see bipartisan cooperation make that happen.
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What started out in the late 1990s as a trio of friends wanting to celebrate their Irish heritage has turned into a 24-year tradition in downtown Conroe.

The Pat Green and David Anderson Memorial St. Patricks Day Parade is set for 5 p.m. Thursday. The walking parade will start and end at The Corner Pub at 302 N. Main in downtown Conroe.

For the first time, the Michael McDougal family will partner with The 5 OClock Phlock Parrot Head Club to host the parade. Prior to the parade, McDougal will gather parade goers together and Michael McBride will read an Irish proclamation at The Corner Pub.

On YourConroeNews.com: 2021 St. Patrick's Day Parade a heartfelt reunion

Then the walking parade will begin at the entrance to The Corner Pub making a right along Main Street, a left on Davis Street, a left on North Thompson Street and finally following Simonton Street back to The Corner Pub with green beer and Irish whiskey and corned beef and cabbage from the Pool family, owners of the pub.

The 5 OClock Phlocks Throw Down Jamm Band will play Irish tunes at The Corner Pub following the parade. Kris Nordstrom McBride president of the 5 OClock Phlock suggests participants arrive in downtown Conroe between 4 and 4:30 p.m. to allow time to find parking in downtown.

In 1996 or 1997, McDougal was the District Attorney for Montgomery County. He was also friends with fellow attorney Pat Green and retired pilot and bagpiper David Anderson.

The three friends wanted to celebrate their Irish heritage in a fun way on St. Patricks Day and the walking parade was launched.

Since then, organizers could only recount two times that the parade did not take place, when St. Patricks Day fell on a Sunday in 2019 and in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.

McBride said McDougal is adamant the parade remains on St. Patricks Day.

Sadly, only McDougal remains of the trio as Anderson died in 2017 and Green died in 2016.

McDougal thought it was only fitting to name the parade in their memory in 2018.

The three of us started this parade together and now Im the only one left. It only seems right to honor them this way, said Michael McDougal.

On YourConroeNews.com: Conroe St. Patrick's Day Parade honors memory of two organizers

In 2021, David Andersons brother, Robert, and his wife drove in from Fort Worth to participate.

For the first time since Andersons passing, the event will have a bagpiper from St. Thomas Episcopal High School in Houston.

The 2021 event was the first time for the 5 OClock Phlock to join the celebration. The club had a reboot in January 2021 and made Margaritaville the clubs official home base.

It makes such perfect sense for The 5 OClock Phlock to partner with the McDougal family for the parade because its all about music and community and thats exactly what the Parrot Heads are about, McBride said.

Musicians within the 5 OClock Phlock have come together to form the Throw Down Jamm Band.

Last year also marked The Corner Pub signing on as the official location for the parade.

It went so well last year and everyone had such a good time, McBride said. Having spent some time in Ireland, McBride said vibe of The Corner Pub is exactly what it feels like in Ireland.

Theyve spent the last year gathering handheld musical instruments and encourage participants to bring whistles, drums, bells, tambourines, kazoos and more to make a joyful noise along the route.

And dont worry if you cant join the parade, spectators are welcome too. All are encouraged to wear green and families and kids are welcome too.

The best ones were when our children and grandchildren could join in. These were such great memories, said Frances McDougal. It was also fun to see all the friends that showed up each year.

For more information on the walking parade and surrounding events, email KrisCommService@aol.com or text 713-825-0141.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
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Hungarys parliament elected Katalin Novak as president of the republic.

Novak, the former minister without portfolio responsible for youth and family affairs, received 137 votes of 188 valid votes.



Economist Peter Rona, the oppositions candidate, received 51 votes.



Altogether 195 deputies cast votes.



Novak took the presidential oath of office and will become the sixth Hungarian president on May 10. She will be the first female president of Hungary.



Novak holds degrees in economics and law and served as an official of the foreign ministry between 2001 and 2003 before becoming an advisor to then-foreign minister Janos Martonyi in 2010.



In 2012 she was appointed cabinet chief of then human resources minister Zoltan Balog before going on to serve as state secretary for family and youth affairs from 2014 to 2020.



She was appointed minister without portfolio for family affairs in 2020. Novak has lived and worked in the United States, France and Germany and speaks English, French, German and Spanish.



Thursdays vote marked parliaments eighth presidential election since the change of regime in 1990.



According to Hungarys constitution, the president of the republic embodies the unity of the nation, monitors the democratic operation of the state and serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Hungary.



The president is elected by parliament for a five-year term and can serve a maximum of two terms.



Novak has pledged to promote peace and hold the constitution as the foundation of her work.



Earlier, she said the upcoming parliamentary election on April 3 would be a crucial moment and expressed hope that voters would not lose sight of national interests and the future of the countrys children.



Novak said she was ready for the task to represent all Hungarians. She said the countrys free will was the basis of sovereignty and family represented its cradle.



I will never be willing to give up sovereignty in terms of the nation. Novak said she was determined to become a good president not despite of but as a result of being a woman.



She added that being a mother and a wife, she would promote peace, understanding and security. She said she would not allow anyone to play Russian roulette with Hungarys hard-won independence.



We belong to Europe and Europe belongs to us, she said. We cannot change this and do not want to change it, she added.



Novak said the war started by Russia was indefensible and inexplicable. Hungarians want peace and women want to win peace not war, she said.



She expressed thanks to those who offered help to people in trouble.



She said she had visited Transcarpathia last week and added that ethnic Hungarians who decide to stay there were just as important as those that left and other refugees from Ukraine.



She thanked outgoing President Janos Ader and First Lady Anita Herczegh for sharing their experiences from the past ten years and added that her first journey would be home to her family, and she planned to visit Warsaw as soon as possible.





MTI Photo: Zoltan Mathe
Prime Minister Viktor Orban made clear in London that Hungary will not send troops or weapons to Ukraine, nor will it allow transports of weapons to cross its territory directly to the state attacked by Russia, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said late on Tuesday after attending talks alongside Orban with Visegrad leaders and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

On returning to Budapest, he said the talks, including a bilateral meeting between Orban and Johnson, had focused exclusively on issues around the Ukraine war and security challenges resulting from the conflict, and he dismissed fake news reports regarding the talks.



Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland are all interested in creating peace and providing assistance to Ukraine but each is doing so in its own way, Szijjarto said.



The other three Visegrad countries have decided to allow the transit of lethal aid, while the Hungarian government is helping Ukraine by way of the largest humanitarian operation in its history, the minister said, adding that this assistance was exclusively humanitarian.



Hungary should not get mixed up in the conflict, he said, adding that the governments first duty was to protect the Hungarian people. Also, the Hungarian government cannot support sanctions that could jeopardise the countrys energy supplies, Szijjarto said.



Without gas from Russia, there will be no heating and industry would face serious difficulties, he said.



Further, if the Paks nuclear upgrade project were halted, public utility bills would increase fourfold, he said.



Representatives of the government are scheduled to hold talks in Serbia on Wednesday, he said.





MTI / PM's Press Office Photo: Zoltan Fischer
The Hungarian authorities are handling the migration crisis in the wake of the war in Ukraine flawlessly, Michael Spindelegger, head of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, said in Beregsurany, near the Hungary-Ukraine border, on Wednesday.

Spindelegger told MTI that his delegation was studying the process of receiving and accommodating refugees, so as to gauge the kind of assistance ICMPD could provide.



He said both civil organisations and individuals were working tirelessly to help refugees fleeing from war.



He called Hungarian aid a beautiful act of solidarity. ICMPD, based in Vienna, is active in ninety countries, and carries out research on migration and makes recommendations to governments and agencies.



Meanwhile, Stephanie Woldenberg, head of the central European representative office of the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, on Tuesday said the organisation welcomed the fact that Hungary keeps its borders open to refugees from Ukraine.



After visiting an aid centre in Beregsurany, in north-eastern Hungary, in the company of state secretary Miklos Soltesz, Woldenberg said it was fantastic that the community of the border village comprising a thousand people was able to look after three to four thousand refugees daily.



Some two million have already left Ukraine and it is impossible to forecast the further escalation of the situation, she said.



If the crisis lasts longer, the UNHCR is ready to support by all available means the countries neighbouring Ukraine to handle the refugee crisis, she added.



The UNHCR has prepared a regional plan for managing the crisis which includes not only helping neighbouring countries but also has a special focus on the internal refugee crisis in Ukraine, she said.



Soltesz, who heads the national humanitarian coordination council, said the government would prepare by Wednesday a first-level proposal for the UNHCR High Commissioners Office on ways that the organisation could assist aid organisations and affected local governments.



Some 200,000 refugees have already arrived in Hungary from Ukraine and the government provided 3 billion forints (EUR 8m) to six charities involved in looking after the refugees, he added.





MTI Photo: Janos Nemes
Exploitation of the most vulnerable is a well-known phenomenon in peacetime  thanks in part to its profitability  but it is even more acute now for those who arrive traumatised from war, without help, money or long-term plans.

Pimps and thugs have already appeared at the border crossings, only pretending to be helpful. It is therefore worth learning the number of at least one major aid organisation and getting the paperwork in order as soon as possible so that those in danger do not become invisible to the authorities and NGOs.



I urge everyone going to the border to tell refugees to join organisations! Dont just go with anyone! Girls should not take jobs offered by nice, rich-looking men, nor should they accept accommodation! The pimps have appeared at the border and the danger is high!



Exploitation is endangering vulnerable groups in all work areas!  this is what human trafficking expert De Coll Agnes (Baptist Relief Service) wrote on her Facebook page on the 13th day of the war.



As the news has been circulated by several independent groups and other individuals, we asked the authorities if they had received any information or if the border police had experienced (complaints, reports, etc.) that young women fleeing Ukraine were being hit at the border for prostitution. If so, whether and in how many cases, and how they can prevent such cases.



Local police says they have not yet been informed of any facts or circumstances that would justify the phenomenon.



The police have not received any denunciation/report in this matter, no proceedings are pending. The police are maintaining an increased police presence and are using all means at their disposal to protect the safety of those fleeing to Hungary to escape the horrors of war, they wrote in response to our questions.



Nevertheless, the problem is very real, as the exploitation of the most vulnerable is a well-known phenomenon even in peacetime  thanks, among other things, to its profitability. Penzcentrum.hu wrote late last year that 326.5 million euros were spent on prostitution in Hungary.



According to recent Eurostat statistics, this represents half a percent of total household expenditure (housing, utilities, food, fuel, health, education, etc.).



The war in Ukraine is causing a huge, uncontrollable mass of people to cross the border, many in a traumatised state, without help, money or long-term plans. There are also many volunteers, but it is difficult to distinguish between those who are genuinely helping and those who are doing harm".



"Therefore, first and foremost, we advise everyone to know the number and contact details of at least one large organisation and to turn to them for help, says Agnes De Coll.



According to an expert interviewed by Atlatszo, the poorer, ethnic Hungarian girls are most at risk, but anyone can be offered a job or accommodation for a pittance.



Therefore, it would be useful to inform refugees about the average wage in Hungary, what their opportunities and rights are, and what they should not accept, no matter how much they need money.



It is also important to register them, to sort out their papers, so that they are registered and remain visible to the authorities, NGOs and helpers, so that they cannot disappear into the world of farms, segregated areas or even the crowded capital.



It would be important to spread this information by word of mouth among refugees, as many will not be browsing information papers  although they are needed. Many are fleeing not only war but poverty, feeling that they may now be getting the help they didnt before. But this leaves them vulnerable, without shelter and money they can easily become victims of human trafficking, and they can be trafficked and exploited  Agnes De Coll told Atlatszo.



According to szatmar.ro the problem has already been noticed in Romania. The police officers, who also worked with Ukrainian interpreters, provided information to more than 300 people, mostly young girls, as part of an action.



Women fleeing the war can be at great risk from those who offer them accommodation or travel with bad intentions, but they can also be lured by false job offers.



Police say it is also possible that they may be asked for immoral services in return for promises to help them find loved ones who have been swept away by war  unsurprisingly, this is also a scam.



Last but not least, the police have also highlighted the so-called loverboy method, where criminals lure unsuspecting girls and women with false love in order to exploit them later  for example through forced labour or prostitution the paper says.



They add that police are asking anyone who feels they are in danger to call 112 without hesitation.





MTI photo: Zsolt Czegledi
The VeNegy Festival (Visegrad Four) and Theatre Meeting will offer over fifty music programmes on four stages in Nagymaros, in northern Hungary, on June 23-26, the organisers announced.

The programme includes a mix of rock, pop, electronic, folk and acoustic productions and DJ sets in the town at the largest festival of the Danube Bend region, they said in a statement.



On the opening day the line-up includes Mork, Hiperkarma, Beton Hofi, Ohnody and Bonilevine. In a highlight event, Morcheeba will take the stage on June 25 after Carson Coma, Saya Noe and the Utazok.



The festivals closing day will feature Vad Fruttik, Russkaja, Irie Maffia, Platon Karataev, Konyha and the Elefant. Poland will be represented by Cheap Tobacco.



For detailed programme visit venegyfesztival.hu
Altogether 4,283 refugees from war-stricken Ukraine, including 1,308 children, arrived in Budapest by train on Tuesday, local police said on their website.

Most of the refugees sought accommodation with family or friends, while the authorities and charity organisations offered shelter to 181 people, including 99 children, police.hu said.



Police officers are on duty at Budapests Keleti and Nyugati railway stations to help people fleeing from Ukraine.



They are working in cooperation with the disaster management authority, the immigration office, the national railway MAV, Budapests public transport company, and charity organisations, police.hu said.





MTI Photo: Zsolt Czegledi
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His Excellency was born in Qatar on 18/07/1955, he received a Bachelor's degree in Political Science in 1980 before going on to achieve an impressive diplomatic career in many countries. He is married and has 3 children, two sons and a daughter. He speaks Arabic and English.

1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?

I came to Budapest in middle of November 2021. I arrived on a Friday, met the PMs Chief of Protocol on the Monday and on Wednesday I presented my credentials to the President, which from my experience is a very fast process.

After being in Morocco for 6.5 years I wanted to retire so I went back to Qatar and enjoyed 2 years with my family and friends. Then I was in Spain, and received a call from my Foreign Minister asking me to come to Hungary as an Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Hungary, which I happily accepted since I wanted to continue serving my country. So I went straight to Istanbul to have some new suits made and within a month I was already here in Hungary.

2. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?

For example I lived in Belgium, Morocco, Pakistan, Vienna, Geneva, Luxemburg.



3. What surprised you most about Hungary?

Budapest is beautiful, and I really like Hungarians, they are very sociable and so kind. I think they should promote themselves more in the Middle East since it was really surprizing for me that there are not many people or tourists here from the Gulf, as they mainly go to Czech Republic.

As said, I came in November, and my family arrived in December. We have experienced the longest nights ever here, with dark falling at 4 pm, it was unbelievable for us as usually the sun sets much later at home.

Also, it was interesting to see that not all buildings along Andrassy Avenue, which is the Champs-Elysees of Budapest are renovated and cleaned up.



4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?

To see the Budapest museums, and the restaurants - all the different ones. I would take them to a Turkish Restaurant here, and to Salom Bombay, and the Iranian Restaurant as well. If time allows go to Balaton, not in the winter though since from my experience most things are closed.



5. What is your favourite Hungarian food?

Goulash. In the Gulf we have rice with nearly every meal, and if you put rice in your goulash it becomes almost the same as a favourite dish we have at home. My wife enjoys it like this too!



6. What is never missing from your refrigerator?

Milk, since we drink a lot of Chai latte.



7. What is your favourite Hungarian word?

Igen, I love the sound of it.



8. What do you miss most from home?

Quite a lot since I spent almost 43 years living away from my country. In the past years back in Qatar I enjoyed being with my family and friends again, and I loved being with our grand kids. In the past, we spent every Friday at my mothers house, 16  17 people together, it was like being in a stadium of fun. Nowadays on Fridays they still gather at my step mothers house, and this is what I miss the most.



9. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?

Interior designer. I love doing this, for example after I arrived here and looked around the new Embassy building, I realised there is so much more that could be done with it, so I went to Istanbul with the little budget I got and bought lights and other furnishings to decorate it.



10. What's a job you would definitely never want?

Something where I had to hurt someone. I learnt from my father that at all times you have to show respect to the others, regardless of what they are doing, since this is good for your heart. I have the need to love everyone.



11. Where did you spend your last vacation?

In my favourite city of London. I fell in love with it when I first passed through on travels. Even if it is a big city, for me it is small, with three roads and two buildings I visit most, in Mayfair. I enjoy shopping in Selfridges and Harrods. In the morning we always used to go to Harrods, and sometimes could meet friends from home who we have not seen in say the last fifteen years.



12. Where do you hope to spend your next holiday?

London.



13. Apart of temptation what can't you resist?

Turkish sweet Kunefe with ice-cream. In the Four Seasons here I cant resist French Toast with ice-cream.



14. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?

My hobby was to go out hunting for birds using a trap. Unfortunately when I was a teenager there was no electricity where we lived in the countryside, so there were no movies available. We listened to the music on a battery powered tape recorder some times. I studied by gas light in the village where I grew up.



15. Tea or coffee?

Tea these days, Iranian and Turkish teas are the nicest, I like to drink them from a paper cup and put lots of sugar in it.



16. Book or movie?

A good old three hour long Indian movie can be nice during a long flight.



17. Morning person or night person?

Both.



18. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about?

I feel very close to refugees. Migrants who became migrants / refugees because they were pushed out of their homes. My country did a lot for migrants, it is a basis commitment, nothing to do with politics or religion.



19. Buda or Pest side?

I am lucky, my work place is in the best place in Pest and I live in the Buda hills.



20. What would you say is your personal motto?

It is not a motto, but it is something I believe in: never get upset about anything. If God wants to give you something, he will give it to you. Of course we have to do our own work, but if he doesnt give you something, it means, you do not need it. Look down all the time and not up, you will get tired by looking at things you do not have, this way you will appreciate the ones you have.
UTICA  Centennial Public School is the recipient of a $25,000 bus rebate from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This week, it was announced that school bus rebate opportunities would be offered through the 2021 American Rescue Plan and the 2021 Diesel Emisions Reduction Act.

$7 million in ARP funding is being directed toward school districts in underserved communities to replace old diesel buses with new, zero-emission electric models and $10 million in DERA rebates will assist 444 school bus replacements across the country, according to the EPA in a news release.

This funding is a vivid demonstration of how local school bus infrastructure can be upgraded, while also improving air quality in our communities, said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister. We encourage all Region 7 school transportation fleet supervisors to learn more about this program.

Centennial, along with four other Nebraska school districts and a bus company will be receiving a total of $250,000 in school bus rebate opportunities to replace 11 older buses through the 2021 DERA School Bus Rebates.

The other recipients are Doc Holiday Express Company in Grand Island, $125,000; Dundy County Stratton Schools in Benkelman, $20,000; Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools, Murdock, $20,000; Harvard Public School, Harvard, $40,000; and Sutherland Public School, Sutherland, $20,000.

The rebate awards are EPAs latest round of funding for longstanding DERA School Bus Rebates. This years program awards approximately $10 million to fund the replacement of old diesel school buses with new electric, diesel, gasoline, propane, or compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses meeting current emission standards.

The two rebate awards total approximately $17 million in combined funding for schools and bus fleet owners to replace older, highly polluting diesel school buses. Replacing these buses will improve air quality in and around schools and communities, reduce greenhouse gas pollution, and better protect childrens health overall. Since 2012, EPAs school bus rebates have awarded, or are in the process of awarding, over $73 million to replace more than 3,000 old diesel school buses.
A loud boom prefaced a streaking fireball spotted in three Southern states. NASA confirmed Thursday that more than 30 people in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi reported seeing the exceptionally bright meteor in the sky around 8 a.m. Wednesday after hearing loud booms in Claiborne County, Mississippi, and surrounding areas. Officials say it was first spotted 54 miles above the Mississippi River, near Alcorn, Mississippi. At its peak, the fireball was more than 10 times brighter than a full moon. NASA says the fireball generated enough energy to create shockwaves that produced booms and vibrations felt by people in the area.
Like millions of people around the world, Oleh Khalimonchuk has watched Russias invasion of Ukraine unfold with horror and disbelief.

Its just unfathomable, he said. Its  really hard to comprehend and process. Its just difficult."

For Khalimonchuk, Russias invasion hits close to home. Now a biochemistry professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and director of the Nebraska Redox Biology Center, Khalimonchuk spent the first 20 years of his life in western Ukraine, having grown up in the city of Lviv.

Now, after putting down roots in the United States, Khalimonchuk, 42, is looking to do what he can to help Ukrainians seek refuge from the invasion. On Feb. 27, he went on Twitter to offer fellowships at his lab in the UNL center to Ukrainian refugees trained in biochemistry.

As a (Ukrainian American), I cant just stand aside while this atrocious act of Russian aggression on (Ukraine) unfolds. Happy to offer several short-/long-term lab fellowships for students/postdocs/senior scientists from Ukraine, Khalimonchuk tweeted.

He expects to offer about three or four fellowships to people that could include graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and senior scientists.

Although Khalimonchuk said Tuesday he wrote his tweet as more of an impulsive move, it has gained traction, with more than 160 retweets and hundreds of likes.

My entire life is here, basically, so Im not looking to go back, he said. But I feel like Im in a position where I can help those people.

Refugees from the conflict reached 2 million Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, marking the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II.

Its still premature to measure the impact and interest of Khalimonchuks offer, he said. But Lincoln offers a home away from home for Ukrainians. Lincolns population includes Ukrainians, along with their descendants, who fled from the country when it was part of the Soviet Union.

Accepted candidates also would work in a lab that includes Ukrainian native and senior research associate Iryna Bohovych and is managed by Khalimonchuks wife, Nataliya Zahayko, who also is from Lviv.

Khalimonchuk indicated the fellowships could be funded by operational cost savings from the COVID-19 pandemic. He estimated fellowship salaries will range between $27,000 to $48,000.

If we can help people by offering them an opportunity to work here, its a win-win for everybody, he said.

Khalimonchuk said fellows could work on multiple projects related to mitochondria research and diseases linked to mitochondrial dysfunctions.

As Khalimonchuk and his colleagues offer refuge, they also keep in touch with family members directly affected by the conflict.

A UNL press release noted that Khalimonchuks mother was forced to seek cover in a basement when an air raid siren began blaring. The release added that some members of Bohovychs family were living in an area that has been bombarded by Russian airstrikes. They managed to escape to relative safety in the past week.

Despite the imminent dangers their families are facing, Khalimonchuk said he and his Ukrainian colleagues cannot convince their family members who remain in the country to move away.

Our families have spent most of their lives in an area," he said. "They dont want to move.
MUMBAI: Viacom18 Studios on Thursday (March 10) announced that their upcoming movie 'Fighter', starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, will arrive in theatres on September 28, 2023. The production banner shared the new release date of the film on their official Twitter account.

"Get ready to witness India's first aerial action franchise, 'FIGHTER' in theatres on September 28, 2023. @iHrithik @deepikapadukone @AnilKapoor #SiddharthAnand @MarflixP @AndhareAjit @itsMamtaA @ramonchibb," the tweet read.

The Siddharth Anand-directed movie is touted as the first aerial action franchise of the country and a homage to the "valour, sacrifice and patriotism of Indian armed forces".

With the announcement of the film's new release date, the makers have averted a clash with Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathaan'.

'Fighter' was earlier scheduled to arrive in cinemas on January 26, 2023, a day before the theatrical debut of Khan's 'Pathaan'.

Incidentally, 'Pathaan' is also being directed by Anand and feature Padukone and John Abraham opposite Khan. Also featuring Anil Kapoor, 'Fighter' marks the third collaboration between Anand and Roshan after two action blockbuster hits like 'Bang Bang' (2014) and 'War' (2019).

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New Delhi: TikTok is nearing a deal for Oracle Corp to store its U.S. users` information without its Chinese parent ByteDance having access to it, hoping to address concerns of a U.S. national security panel over data integrity on the popular short video app, people familiar with the matter said.

The agreement would come a year and a half after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) ordered ByteDance to divest TikTok because of fears that U.S. user data could be passed on to China`s communist government.

That order was not enforced after Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump as U.S.

President last year, but CFIUS has continued to harbor concerns over data security at TikTok that ByteDance is now hoping to address, the sources said.

It is not clear whether CFIUS will find that TikTok`s partnership with Oracle will resolve the national security issues it has identified, the sources said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which chairs CFIUS, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Oracle had discussed acquiring a minority stake in TikTok in 2020, when ByteDance was under U.S. pressure to sell the app. The cloud computing giant will store all of TikTok`s U.S. user data on Oracle data servers under the new proposed partnership, the sources said. Some of TikTok`s data is currently stored on Alphabet Inc`s Google Cloud.

A dedicated U.S. data management team acting as a gatekeeper for U.S. user information and ringfencing it from ByteDance will be set up under the agreement, the sources said. The companies are discussing a structure under which that team would not be under TikTok`s control or supervision, the sources added.

TikTok is also exploring partnerships with other technology companies over firewalls and cyber security measures, the sources added.

ByteDance and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

TikTok is one of the world`s most popular social media apps, with more than 1 billion active users globally. The information of U.S. users is currently stored in TikTok data centers in Virginia, with a back-up in Singapore.

The United States has been increasingly scrutinizing app developers over the personal data they handle, especially if some of it involves U.S. military or intelligence personnel.

Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd was forced to sell its popular gay dating app Grindr in 2020 after CFIUS approached it with national security concerns. Also Read: Bank credit grows by 7.9%; deposits by 8.6%: RBI Data

ByteDance is one of China`s fastest growing startups. It owns the country`s leading news aggregator, Jinri Toutiao, as well as TikTok`s Chinese counterpart Douyin. Also Read: Piyush Goyal meets French Minister for Foreign Trade; discusses boosting trade, investment

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New Delhi: Indian-American CEO Vishal Garg-run digital mortgage company Better.com laid off nearly 3,000 of employees in the US and India including pregnant women, expecting parents.

The layoffs were meant to be announced by the company on Wednesday, but one employee told TechCrunch that "they accidentally rolled out the severance payslips too early." Better.com reportedly planned the layoffs for March 8 but moved the date to March 9 when news of the initial date was leaked in the media.

The company apparently forgot to change the date on its accompanying Workday app and employees reportedly saw severance cheques appearing in the app at 12 a.m. on March 8 (US time).

According to the employees, the severance cheques arrived without any additional communication from the company. The severance package is reportedly 60 to 80 days' pay.

Several employees took to LinkedIn to share their experiences of the lay-off process with a worker saying that her computer just shut down in the middle of her responding to one of her clients.

Eric Blattberg, Senior Product Designer at Better.com pointed out to a Slack post where an employee urged on Garg and Better.com CFO Kevin Ryan on business communication to provide extended medical benefits to all the pregnant women getting laid off on Womens Day.

Blattberg later updated a post on his Linkedin post, stating a comment by Vishal Garg. "We will pay for current health insurance through term and for 36 month after till the kid is enrolled in 3-k. Will pay for it personally if better can't, thank you," Blattberg citing Garg said.

In December 2021, Garg laid off nearly 900 employees even after his company, which is a digital mortgage lender, had announced it received a cash infusion of about $750 million from Aurora Acquisition Corp and SoftBank.

At the time of the early December layoffs, Better.com had about 9,100 employees, and several left afterwards.

Ironically, Garg remains at the helm of the company after taking a month-long "break".

With IANS Inputs

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The electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy joined hands with Bharat FIH on March 9 a Foxconn Technology Group company, to develop and enhance the manufacturing of key components for Ather e-scooters.

The partnership aims to enhance the manufacturing ecosystem to meet the strong demand for Ather Energy's flagship products -- Ather 450X and 450 Plus.

As part of this partnership, Bharat FIH will be offering a host of manufacturing services that include printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies for battery management systems, dashboard assembly, peripheral controlling units, and drive control modules.

Also read: Volkswagen ID.Buzz all-electric minivan unveiled, based on famous Microbus

These products will be manufactured on a turn-key model, including managing the supply chain logistics and raw material procurement for the electric vehicle (EV) company.

"The EV industry continues to witness growth at an unprecedented rate with strong demand across segments. Ather Energy also finds itself in the midst of phenomenal growth as we continue to expand our retail footprint across the country," Ather Energy Co-founder & CEO Tarun Mehta said in a statement.

Ather Energy said that it is working towards strengthening its supply chain to cater to the rising demand for its scooters. "Towards this, we are delighted to partner with Bharat FIH to provide us with the capacity, supply chain capability, and process expertise to achieve our volumes and projections," Mehta added.

Also read: New BMW X4 launched in India priced at Rs 70.50 lakh; available in Black Shadow edition

Bharat FIH has demonstrated incredible capability over the last few months by ramping up very quickly, to meet the company's (Ather Energy) requirements, the company said.

Ather Energy continues to see the strong response for its electric scooters -- the 450X and 450 Plus. The company, which is backed by Hero MotoCorp, has grown phenomenally in the past 12 months, with a 20 percent increase in month-on-month sales, and this trend is expected to continue in the coming months, the company further said.

"With electronics being a significant integral part of an intelligent electric vehicle, we look forward to extending our electronics manufacturing services and technical expertise for the entire range of Ather's electric scooter offering," Bharat FIH Managing Director Josh Foulger stated.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Tesla Model X Plaid worth $131,190 (Rs 1.0 crore) should be a very rewarding experience, especially if you get to drive it but Ethan Joseph's experience wasn't so enjoyable.

Due to several quality control issues and most importantly safety concerns, including a set of mismatched tyres, Ethan had to reject the delivery of his Model X in March 2022, after waiting for months since his initial order back in August 2021.

The mismatched tyres and panel gaps in his new Tesla Model X Plaid that Ethan shared on social media have gone viral. In the front, Ethan's new car was fitted with Michelin Latitude Sport 3 summer tyres measuring 255/45R20 and at the rear, it was fitted with Continental CrossContact LX Sport touring all-season tyres measuring 275/45R20.

Also read: Electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy ties up with Foxconn group to boost manufacturing

As a result of the different tread patterns, make, compound, and grip levels of front and rear, this tri-motor, electric SUV with 1,034 PS of power would have easily spun out of control. The SUV had other issues as well, including misaligned body panels and dirty interiors and exteriors.

Is it normal for the Plaid X to have two different brands of tires at delivery? Front set are Michelins. Back set are Continentals. @elonmusk @tesla pic.twitter.com/XBSkrEwPiQ  Ethan Joseph (@EZebroni) March 3, 2022

Following the owner's rejection of the delivery, a new estimated delivery date for July 2022 was given, which is 11 months following the owner's order. Ethan managed to talk on the phone with Tesla to sort things out.

Tesla has been criticized for its poor quality control procedures before, but mismatched tyres raise the stakes dramatically.

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Volkswagen on March 9, unveiled a production version of its long-awaited ID. Buzz van. It is an electric reincarnation of its Microbus or Kombi, due to go on sale in several European countries in the third quarter of 2022.

The van will also launch in the United States in late 2023, the German automaker said in a statement, adding it is the first in a series of prototypes released in the past decade to successfully make it to production stage.

The latest version of ID. software brings state-of-the-art assist systems such as Travel Assist with swarm data and automated parking to the range. Bidirectional charging enables the integration of the ID. Buzz into the home energy system. The car can feed unneeded energy from the battery into the customer's home network, read the tweet of Volkswagen.

Also read: Western rental car giants embark on electric vehicles post pandemic

Made in Hanover with modules supplied mostly by Volkswagen Group Components in Germany, the vehicle runs on an 82 kWh lithium-ion battery and can reach a maximum speed of 90 miles an hour, Volkswagen said.

The Plug & Charge technology enables the ID. Buzz to be charged while out and about with up to 170 kW. The vehicle provides space for five persons and 1,121 liters of luggage. Other versions with batteries offering different power outputs will follow next year, the company said.

The Europe pre-sale for ID. Buzz starts in autumn 2022. Advance orders can already be placed in some countries in May.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took a big lead in Punjab and is ahead in 84 seats out of 117, according to early trends, with several heavyweights, including Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, trailing behind its nominees in many seats.

The current CM of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing in both Chamakur Sahib and Bhadaur seats as of 10 am.

The initial trends hint that the state is heading towards change in government. Even the Exit Polls predicted a clear majority for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the border state. Currently, the ruling Congress seems to be far behind the AAP with a lead in 13 seats.

Here are reasons for AAP's rise in Punjab:

Free electricity and water:

Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has emerged as a major contender in the border state and the promise of free electricity to people of Punjab played an important role in the rise of the party. Various exit polls have predicted that the AAP will form the next government in Punjab and the initial trends are proving them right. AAPs promise to give free water supply to people of the border state also acted as one of the crucial factors in its soon-to-be landmark victory.

Reform in school education:

The wind behind AAPs popularity is believed to be the 'Delhi Model of governance. Punjabs audience has started considering the AAP as an alternative to the traditional rivals - the Congress and the SAD. AAP, through his work in the national capital, has proved that it upholds their promises. Earlier, while campaigning in the state, Kejriwal expressed disappointment about the situation of government schools and teachers in Punjab and made eight guarantees about the same. These eight guarantees include creating a Delhi-like environment in the education sector in Punjab, regularising outsourcing and contract teachers, implementing a transparent transfer policy, banning non-teaching work from teachers, permanent recruitment on vacant posts, sending teachers abroad for training, bringing in a transparent policy for new promotions and providing cashless medical facilities for teachers and their family members.

Anti-incumbency:

The Congress government, like the previous governments in Punjab, failed to resolve the problem of unemployment, and hence the anti-incumbency factor in the state played an important role in AAP's rise in the border state. It is believed that even the infighting in Punjab Congress has benefitted AAP in this assembly elections. The slugfest between the top leaders in Congress in the state has had a negative impact on its vote share.

Corruption:

Aam Aadmi Partys 10-point poll agenda for the border state focused on the promise of creating a corruption-free government, which is one of the most pressing issues in the state. AAP also promised strict punishment in sacrilege cases. You have a chance in these elections to elect a party with clean intentions. AAP is the only honest alternative to the corrupt governments given by Congress and BJP alternately over the past 21 years, the AAP supremo Kejriwal had said while campaigning in the state.

Farmers' protest:

AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwals regular visits to the protest sites, especially in the national capital, in solidarity with the protesting farmers, has proved to have benefitted the party in the assembly elections. The farmers' protest against the three farm laws passed by the BJP government at the centre was a major deciding factor.

The voting for assembly elections in Punjab took place on February 20 in a single phase. The election results will be declared on March 10.

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New Delhi: As Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) continues to lead in Punjab as per early trends, celebrations have begun in the partys chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Manns residence.

Video released by news agency ANI shows AAP workers celebrating and dancing outside Manns residence in Sangrur. Mann contested from Dhuri seat of Punjab.

#WATCH | Celebrations at AAP's CM candidate Bhagwant Mann's residence in Sangrur as the party crosses the majority mark in Punjab. Mann leading from his seat Dhuri. #PunjabElections2022 pic.twitter.com/nzoJ9QyoJ1  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Mann, who has been endorsed by AAP as a common mans leader in Punjab, seemed confident since the beginning of the day of counting.

Visuals from the ground show that sweets and jalebis were being prepared at Mann even before the counting in the state began.

Meanwhile, AAPs co-in-charge for Punjab Raghav Chadha has reacted to the affirming trends and said the Punjab Poll results have shown the power of an aam aadmi.

We're 'aam aadmi but when 'Aam Aadmi' rises mightiest of thrones shake. Today's an imp day in India's history, not only because AAP is winning one more state but because it has become a national force. AAP will become Congress' replacement, said Chadha.

So far, AAP is leading in 86 seats out 0f 117 in Punjab and is likely to form a majority government.

Meanwhile, Navjot Singh Sidhu trailing at second place, SAD's Bikram Majithia at third place, in the second round of counting, as per the Election Commission.

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New Delhi: Rejecting the allegations levelled by Samajwadi Party of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tempering, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra on Thursday said that there is no question of EVM tampering as the poll panel has always maintained utmost transparency.

CEC said that there is no question of EVM tampering. EVM are continuously used since 2004, by 2019 we have started maintaining voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) at every polling booth. After looking at them, EVMs are sealed in the presence of agents of political parties and their signatures are taken. Dealer EVMs are kept in a strong room under three-tier security.

There is no question of EVM tampering. EVMs are continuously used since 2004, in 2019 we have started using VVPAT at every polling booth. EVMs are sealed in the presence of political party agents: Sushil Chandra, Chief Election Commissioner pic.twitter.com/CrXCeYJCrj  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

There are CCTV cameras installed in our side strong room for 24x7 surveillance. Agents of political parties also keep their eyes on the strong room, so there is no question of any type of tampering with EVMs and neither any EVM can be taken out of the strong room, the CEC added.

The CEC made these remarks as counting of votes for the Assembly elections 2022 in five crucial states - Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand - began amid unprecedented security arrangements put in place by the Election Commission.

The CEC said that the questions were raised about the EVM in Varanasi, which was meant for training purposes. The Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh has suspended ADM Varanasi because he has not followed the procedures to inform political parties about the movement of EVM for training purposes, CEC Chandra told reporters this morning.

The mistake of the ADM was that he didn`t inform political parties about the movement of EVM for training purposes which was the standard operating procedure. Every EVM has some number. When people of a political party raised questions then we showed them the number of EVM, which was not matched with the EVM number meant for the poll. They found that the EVM number for the question that was raised did not match with the EVM numbers which were sealed and kept in the strong room for counting. After that they were satisfied.

He further added that there are EVMs for training, demo purpose, some are kept reserved at sector magistrates in case there is any fault during voting to replace faulty EVMs. But we ensure that no EVM on which votes are cast can be taken out from the staff room.

Justifying the suspension of Varanasi ADM NK Singh, Chief Election Commissioner said, There is a standard operating procedure of EVM movement once polling is done. The procedure is to inform political parties prior to the movement of EVM, which was not done by the ADM, which created a rumour, so we were bound to take action on suspension against the ADM.

Talking about the preparation done for counting day, Chandra said, "Counting is always done in a very transparent manner. It has a standard operating procedure under which we conduct the counting. Those who are only the agents of the authorized political party are allowed to come inside the counting centre. If anyone has any doubt or problem, he can approach our observer. It is our whole process which is completely transparent.

After each round, the agent of political parties is given a list of calculations as to how much has been counted, the numbers of EVMs that are brought for counting is matched with agents of political parties, we have signatures of the agents and the strong room is under surveillance 24*7, added Chandra.

The CEC further elaborated that EVMs are covered in 3-tier security. The agents of the political party outside the strong room are also monitoring there, video cameras are installed. Then the entire EVM is safe and at the end, there are 5 VVPATs in each assembly that we also count, so there is no discrepancy and it is totally transparent, he said.

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NEW DELHI: As the counting of votes began on Thursday for the Assembly elections 2022 in five crucial states - Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand  top political leaders from across all parties visited temples and other religious places to seek divine blessings and remain confident of their victory in the high-stakes elections.

BJPs Rajeshwar Singh offered prayers at Chandrika Devi Temple ahead of the counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow | BJP leader Rajeshwar Singh offers prayers at Chandrika Devi Temple ahead of counting of votes pic.twitter.com/fNSbEMeg1P  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2022

Singh said, "The people have immense trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The BJP will form the government with a majority in the state. We will win more seats than the 2017 polls. The BJP will win the Sarojini Nagar seat by over one lakh votes."

Rajeshwar Singh is contesting the UP polls from the Sarojini Nagar constituency in Lucknow district.

AAP leader and partys CM candidate Bhagwant Mann also offered prayers at gurdwara Gursagar Mastuana Sahib, Sangrur.

AAP leader Bhagwant Mann offers prayers at gurdwara Gursagar Mastuana Sahib, Sangrur Counting of votes for 117 Assembly constituencies in Punjab will begin at 8am pic.twitter.com/a8WAwrDiDL  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

He too exuded confidence about his partys landslide victory in polls.

Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi offered prayers in Chamkaur Sahib Gurudwara along with his family as results start pouring in for assembly elections.

#PunjabElections2022 | Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi offers prayers in Chamkaur Sahib Gurudwara along with his family pic.twitter.com/J5q7clhEnT  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Manipur CM N Biren Singh offered prayers at Shree Govindajee Temple in Imphal just as the counting began for the Assembly elections in his state.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh offers prayers at Shree Govindajee Temple in Imphal, on verdict day for Assembly elections pic.twitter.com/zy4GyzwqzG  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

On the other hand, Goa CM Pramod Sawant also went to offers prayers at Sri Datta Temple as the countdown began for the Goa Assembly polls.

#GoaElections2022 | Goa CM Pramod Sawant offers prayers at Sri Datta Temple as the countdown begins for the results of the Goa Assembly polls pic.twitter.com/IW47rDjMbf  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Meanwhile, former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat said, I am confident about the victory of the Congress party in Uttarakhand. Everything will be clear in the next 2-3 hours. I have faith in the people of the state. I believe Congress will get close to 48 seats.

The counting of votes for the Assembly elections 2022 in five crucial states - Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand - is currently underway amid unprecedented security arrangements put in place by the Election Commission.

More than 50,000 officials have been deployed for the counting of votes at nearly 1,200 halls in the five states and COVID-9 guidelines will be followed during the exercise that began at 8 AM amid tight security.

Uttar Pradesh, which has a maximum of 403 assembly constituencies, is having more than 750 counting halls, followed by Punjab over 200. Over 650 counting observers have been deployed in the five states to monitor the process. Video and static cameras have been installed at all the counting centres in UP, an official said in Lucknow.

A total of 250 companies of CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) have been provided to all the districts and commissionerates of Uttar Pradesh on March 10, the police said. According to officials, a CAPF company usually has around 70-80 personnel.

UP

It is a high-stakes election in Uttar Pradesh for the BJP and the Narendra Modi government as the state sends the highest number of 80 MPs to Lok Sabha and the party's performance is expected to have a bearing on the next general election slated for 2024.

Several exit polls have forecast a clear majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and for the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, while predicting a hung assembly in Goa and a tight race between the BJP and the Congress in Uttarakhand. Except for Punjab, all other states were under the BJP.

If the BJP gets a majority in the 403-member Assembly, it would be the first party to get a consecutive second term in over three decades.

As the post-poll scenario could throw up surprises due to multi-cornered contests, the parties have dispatched senior leaders to the states and were also wooing other parties to ensure that they get the better of their rival claimant in case outside support is needed to form a government.

Goa

With exit polls predicting a hung assembly in Goa, the Congress has sent Karnataka Congress chief D K Sivakumar as special observer to Goa and party general secretary Mukul Wasnik and Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo besides Vincent Pala to Manipur.

The party had lost the race for government formation in the two states in 2017 despite emerging as the single largest party. Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar said that AAP leaders were already in talks with Congress leaders" and claimed that the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) too will support his party.

The Congress has shifted all the candidates in the coastal state to a luxury resort in Bambolim village near Panaji ahead of the counting of votes. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was in the national capital on Tuesday to discuss the evolving situation in his state with BJP leadership.

Uttarakhand

While many exit polls have given either the BJP or Congress a majority in the 70-member Assembly, several of them have predicted a close fight between the two major players or a hung assembly - a scenario in which the role of independents and regional outfits like the AAP, SP, BSP and UKD will become significant in government formation.

The BJP and Congress are locked in straight contests on 40 to 45 seats, while the regional outfits make the fight triangular on 25-30 seats. The major parties are also keeping an eye on rebels who entered the fray as independents against their official nominees. Thirteen rebels from the BJP and six from Congress contested this time.

Punjab

Arvind Kejriwal's AAP is hoping to script history by coming to power in Punjab also after ruling in Delhi for seven years. A total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women and two transgenders, are in the fray in the 117 seats.

Though various exit polls predicted that the Congress would not be able to form the government for the second time in a row, Punjab Congress leaders have insisted that their party would secure victory.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Badal had claimed that his party, which fought elections in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party, would win over 80 seats.

The BJP has said that it will make impressive gains while former chief minister Amarinder Singh has said that this party, the Punjab Lok Congress, and the BJP have done well in the elections.

Manipur

With exit polls predicting a BJP win in Manipur, the mood is upbeat in the party's state office in the heart of Imphal with workers busy cleaning premises and erecting fresh party flags on the boundary wall. The party has contested in all 60 seats.

However, former chief minister and Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh has also exuded confidence that his party would come back to power. To prevent a repeat of 2017, when the Congress was the single-largest party with 28 seats but could not form the government, Singh said the party MLAs would this time take "precautionary measures like staying together at a place".

The Congress has already announced a pre-poll alliance with CPI, CPM, Forward Bloc, RSP and JD(S).

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New Delhi: As the current result show Congress is likely to lose all five states, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (March 10) said that he humbly accepts peoples mandate, adding that the party will learn from this.

Counting of votes is underway in 5 states that went to poll Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. AAP is all set to register a landslide victory in Punjab, while BJP is comfortably making a comeback in Uttar Pradesh.

Taking to Twitter, the Congress MP wrote, Humbly accept the peoples verdict. Best wishes to those who have won the mandate. My gratitude to all Congress workers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication.

We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India, he added.

Humbly accept the peoples verdict. Best wishes to those who have won the mandate. My gratitude to all Congress workers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication. We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 10, 2022

Congress which is in power in Punjab is not repeating the 2017 election result. As per the latest update, AAP has won 45 seats in Punjab and is leading in 47, while Congress has bagged 4 seats and is ahead in 14. Congress has faced major embarrassment in Punjab with its bigwigs unable to win from their seats. Congress CM candidate Charanjit Singh Channi has lost both Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur seats to AAP. While Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has lost from Amritsar East

In Uttar Pradesh, BJP has won 7 seats and is leading in 247, followed by SP which is ahead in 111 seats.

BJP is leading in 45 seats in Uttarakhand and has won 3, while Congress has also won 3 and has taken the lead in 15 seats.

In Manipur, BJP has won 12 constituencies and is leading in another 12. Congress has won 3 seats and is ahead in 2.

In 40-member House Goa, BJP has secured a lead by winning 16 seats and is leading in 6 seats. Congress has won 6 constituencies and is ahead in 5.

(With agency inputs)

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Bara election results 2022: The Assembly election results for the Bara Vidhan Sabha seat in the Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh are currently awaited. The key fight for the Bara Assembly seat was between BJP's alliance partner Apna Dal's Vachaspati, SP's Ajay Munna and Congress's Manju Sant. BJPs Dr Ajai Kumar is the current MLA from the Bara constituency, but this time Apna Dal (S) is contesting from this constituency.

Bara Vidhan Sabha chunav result (Bara Assembly Election LATEST UPDATES and TRENDS)

Apna Dal's Vachaspati defeated SP's Ajay Munna from the Bara Assembly constituency.

Bara Assembly Election 2022 - A look at the top candidates

BJP, which won this seat in the 2017 Assembly elections, is not contesting from this seat this time. SP's Ajay Munna and Congress's Suresh Kumar are the other top candidates awaiting the results of the Bara Vidhan Sabha elections.

NDA candidate for Bara Assembly Elections

BJP's ally Apna Dal (S) candidate Vachaspati is the NDA candidate. Vachaspati is a graduate, and has four criminal cases pending against him, as per his election affidavit. His net assets are worth more than Rs 18 crore. His profession is agriculture.

SP candidate for Bara Assembly Elections

Ajay Munna is the Samajwadi Partys candidate for the Bara Assembly seat. Ajay is a graduate, and has no criminal case pending against him, as per his election affidavit. His net assets are worth more than Rs 1 crore. His profession is agriculture.



Stay here to get the fastest election result of Bara Vidhan Sabha chunav 2022.

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Former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, who was unceremoniously removed from the post of the states Chief Minister, has lost from the Patiala Assembly constituency. Amarinder Singh came a distant second garnering just 22868 votes (28.21%). Ajit Pal Singh Kohli of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged victorious from this seat with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Harpal Juneja being the runner-up. He got 39852 (45.16%) votes.

Captain Amarinder Singh had floated the Punjab Lok Congress Party after he was forced to quit the chief ministerial post. Apart from Captain Amarinder, many other political heavyweights of the state, including Amarinder Singh, Navjot Singh Sidhu, current Chief Minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi, SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal, all are trailing in their respective constituencies.

AAP has comfortably crossed the majority mark, and is currently leading at 90 out of total 117 Assembly seats in the state. The magic figure in Punjab is 59.

We're 'aam aadmi' but when 'Aam Aadmi' rises mightiest of thrones shake. Today's an imp day in India's history,not only because AAP is winning one more state but because it has become a national force. AAP will become Congress' replacement, AAPs Punjab co-in charge Raghav Chadha tweeted.

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NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi-powered BJP looks set for a landslide victory in states like UP, Manipur, Goa while Arvind Kejriwals AAP was headed for a big win in Punjab after the initial round of counting of votes for the assembly elections 2022 on Thursday.

Delhi CM and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal along with Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain offers prayers at Hanuman Temple in Delhi, as AAP sweeps Punjab elections.

atch assembly election result 2022 live on www.zeenews.com

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Uttar Pradesh

The ruling BJP is heading for a big win as the party was leading in 270 seats against 103 of its nearest rival Samajwadi Party out of the total 403 seats in the initial rounds of counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh. Importantly, all the exit polls have predicted a BJP win in the state.

Among those leading included Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal, Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar, and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu.

Among those who were leading included Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal, Shivpal Yadav from Jaswant Nagar, and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was leading from Karhal constituency of Uttar Pradesh, according to initial poll trends. While Yadav has secured 7,298 votes so far while his nearest rival Union Minister SP Singh Baghel has got 504 votes, CM Yogi Adityanath was racing ahead in Gorakhpur.

Counting of votes for the 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh began on Thursday morning with three-layer security in place and cameras installed at all counting centres. In the initial rounds, postal ballots were counted. With 80 parliamentary seats, Uttar Pradesh holds the key to power at the centre. A majority for the BJP in the 403-member Assembly would make it the first party to get a consecutive second term in more than three decades.

Uttarakhand

Early leads show the BJP has crossed the halfway mark in Uttarakhand, while the Congress is trailing in the hill state. As per trends available at 10.50 am, early leads gave BJP 45 seats and Congress 21. The Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, and Bahujan Samaj Party got one each in the state where the assembly has 70 seats.

Goa

The BJP is leading in Goa with 20 seats, early trends show. As of 11:00 am, the BJP won 20 seats, while the Congress came behind with 12 in the 40-member house. The Trinamool Congress got 4 and the Aam Aadmi Party only 1 seat, the trends show.

Punjab

In early trends, the AAP crossed the majority mark with 89 seats at 10.50 AM in the 117 Punjab Assembly for which the majority mark is 59, as per Election commission reports. State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was trailing at second place from the Amritsar East assembly constituency. Punjab Lok Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh is also trailing at second place after the second round of counting. The BJP here is leading in 5 seats as of now.

Charanjit Singh Channi was trailing from Chamkaur Sahib. As per ECI, Congress had 14 followed by SAD (7). Exit polls on Monday predicted a clear victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab with the scale of the party`s victory varying across various surveys.

Manipur

Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in 25 assembly seats followed by Congress with 12 seats and Janata Dal (United) with three seats according to early trends by the Election Commission. Parties namely Kuki People`s Alliance, Naga Peoples Front, National People`s Party, Republican Party of India (Athawale) are leading on one seat each at 10:50 am today.

Further, BJP is leading in terms of vote share thereby standing at 45.05 per cent followed by Congress with a 20.66 per cent vote share. The polls were held in two phases and the state witnessed a record 89.3 per cent voter turnout.
New Delhi: As the Aam Aadmi Party is all set to sweep 117-seat Punjab Assembly polls, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday (March 10) accepted the peoples mandate and congratulated the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

AAPs Jagdeep Kamboj has left Badal behind by securing 57439 votes in the Jalalabad Assembly constituency. The SAD chief has won 38769 votes, as per the current trends.

Taking to Twitter, Badal wrote, We whole-heartedly & with total humility accept the mandate given by Punjabis. I am grateful to lakhs of Punjabis who placed their trust in us & to to SAD-BSP workers for their selfless toil. We will continue to serve them with humility in the role they have assigned to us.

Further, congratulating AAP and its CM candidate Bhagwant Mann, Badal tweeted, As president of @Akali_Dal_, I congratulate @AamAadmiParty, @AAPPunjab & their leader @BhagwantMann on their victory in Punjab poll. I offer them my sincerest good wishes for success and I am sure they will live up to the peoples expectations.

As president of @Akali_Dal_, I congratulate @AamAadmiParty, @AAPPunjab & their leader @BhagwantMann on their victory in Punjab poll. I offer them my sincerest good wishes for success and I am sure they will live up to the peoples expectations. 2/2  Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) March 10, 2022

Greeting party workers in Punjabs Sangrur, AAP CM candidate Mann said, Bade Badal Sahib has lost, Sukhbir (Badal) has lost from Jalalabad, Capt has lost from Patiala, Sidhu & Majithia are also losing, Channi has lost on both the seats.

Meanwhile, AAP has won 14 seats and is leading in 78, followed by Congress which has bagged 2 seats and is leading in 16 others. SAD is leading in 3 seats, as per the Election Commission of India.

(With agency inputs)

ALSO READ: Punjab election result 2022 LIVE updates here

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New Delhi: Even as the Aam Aadmi Party is showing dismal performance in the early trends in two of the three states where it has contested the Assembly elections, the party leaders in the national capital are rejoicing over the trends in Punjab where it is heading for a comfortable victory.

"Punjab has accepted Kejriwal's model of governance. It has gained recognition at the national level. People in the entire country will seek this model of governance,'' Delhi Deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia said.

#WATCH Punjab has accepted Kejriwal's model of governance. It has gained recognition at the national level. People in the entire country will seek this model of governance, says AAP leader Manish Sisodia pic.twitter.com/iVtBjv271Q  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

"These are not the trends of the victory of any party, these are trends of the acceptance of the governance model of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi," AAP MLA Dilip Pandey said.

He said that the consecutive governments in Punjab, during the past 50-60 years, have plunged the state into a quagmire. Delhi Minister Gopal Rai also expressed similar sentiments. "It is the result of Delhi`s good governance," said Rai thanking the people of Punjab for voting for change.

The early leads on Thursday indicated that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is heading to a landslide maiden victory in Punjab, while the traditional parties - Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) - are trailing.

Congress rebel Capt Amarinder Singh, whose fledgling Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP and SAD (Sanyukt), is trailing from his royal bastion Patiala (Urban).

AAP`s chief ministerial face and sitting MP Bhagwant Mann is leading from Dhuri, the seat from where he`s trying luck for the first time. Apart from Punjab, AAP is contesting the elections in Uttarakhand and Goa, where early trends indicated that the party has failed to woo the voters.

Celebrations kicked off at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party`s Chief Ministeral`s candidate Bhagwant Mann with early trends from the Assembly polls counting showing AAP crossing halfway mark in Punjab, according to the Election Commission website.

AAP workers were seen dancing at the Dhuri residence of Mann with brooms in their hands. The broom is the election symbol of the AAP. As per the Election Commission of India, AAP is leading on 89 seats at 10:45 AM in the 117 seat Punjab assembly.

Followed by Congress (13), Shiromani Akali Dal (7) and BJP (5). AAP workers in Delhi too started celebrations at the party headquarters. A supporter had brought along his child in costume dress that was a mix of party`s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and the party`s CM face in Punjab Bhagwant Mann.

AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that the results were an indication that the people of the state had accepted the duo of Kejriwal-Bhagwant Mann. "In future, Arvind Kejriwal will be the principal challenger of BJP and AAP will be Congress` national and natural replacement."

"We`re 'aam aadmi' but when `Aam Aadmi` rises the mightiest of thrones shake. Today`s an important day in India`s history, not only because AAP is winning one more state but because it has become a national force," he added.

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai extended greetings to the "people of Punjab for expressing confidence in AAP." "We can witness positive trends in Punjab, and we hope the results will also be positive. I thank the people of Punjab for voting for change," said Rai.

As AAP wins Punjab, it will be the party`s maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress. Congress went into the polls having battled factionalism and anti-incumbency.

The party changed its chief minister in September last year even as new Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own chief ministerial ambitions. The Congress finally declared Charanjit Singh Channi, the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, as its chief ministerial candidate days before the polling on February 20.

The Shiromani Akali Dal, which had broken off its alliance with BJP over three farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the assembly elections.

It is the first time that BJP fought over 65 seats in Punjab. It tied up with former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh`s Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa. BJP leaders have talked of putting up a strong performance in the polls. Punjab recorded an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on February 20 compared to over 77 per cent in 2017.

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New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was racing ahead of its rivals in Punjab in the initial rounds of counting of votes on Thursday (March 10, 2022).

According to data available on the Election Commission website for 115 seats, Arvind Kejriwal's party was leading in 84. Ferozepur Rural, Kharar, Lehra, Dharamkot and Attari were among the seats where the AAP was leading.

The Congress was ahead in 18 seats, while the SAD was leading in 8. The SAD was leading in Bholath and Tarn Taran, among others.

The BJP was leading in three seats and the BSP was ahead in one.

An Independent candidate was leading in one seat.

Counting of votes for 117 assembly seats in Punjab began on Thursday morning at 8 AM.

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New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Partys Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his mother Harpal Kaur on Thursday shared an emotional moment as they hugged each other while addressing party workers for the first time after election trends.

Visuals released by news agency ANI shows Mann, who is endorsed as the common mans leader by Arvind Kejriwal camp, hugging his mother Harpal Kaur with teary eyes.

#PunjabElections2022 | AAP CM candidate Bhagwant Mann and his mother Harpal Kaur share an emotional moment as they greet the party workers and supporters in Sangrur. pic.twitter.com/mqmDnB6g72  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Manns mother, who remained confident of her sons victory, also got emotional.

While addressing the supporters, Mann said that he will work for the people of Punjab like a public servant and not as a king.

The soon-to-be CM also assured voters that he will work with complete determination for those as well who did not vote for him.

Addressing the recent Ukraine issue, Mann said that his government will focus on building the best educational infrastructure for students in Punjab only so that they dont have to go outside to for studies.

#WATCH | AAP CM candidate Bhagwant Mann greets party workers and supporters at his residence in Sangrur as the party sweeps #PunjabElections2022. Mann is leading from Dhuri by over 55,000 votes as per official EC trends. pic.twitter.com/UMsbUgoyiH  ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2022

Meanwhile, on the election result front, The early trends show a clear victory for AAP in Punjab as it is leading in over 80 seats, followed by Congress and SAD.

Meanwhile, AAP leader Raghav Chadha addressed party workers after the latest trends and said that Bhagwant Manns government will transform Uthta Punjab into Udta Punjab.

Punjab will not be known as 'Udta Punjab' from now onwards, but 'Uthta Punjab'... all the credit goes to AAP workers, said Chadha while addressing party workers after the early projections.
Mumbai: The results of Assembly elections in Punjab are a "shock" for Congress, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) benefited because of the performance of its government in Delhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here on Thursday.

He also made a pitch for initiating a "process" to give an alternative to the BJP at the national level by bringing opposition parties together.

Talking to reporters here, he said the parties opposed to the BJP need not feel discouraged with the Assembly poll results, but should assess where they lacked and take corrective steps accordingly.

Pawar also said that "some people" have complaints about EVMs, but he himself does not see the machines as being the reason behind the defeat of the non-BJP parties (in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur).

"Punjab is a state where the Congress was in power, the change in Punjab is not favourable to the BJP (either). The result gives a shock to the Congress," Pawar told reporters here.

AAP's governance in Delhi helped it in Punjab as common people living in the national capital have accepted the Kejriwal-led party, the NCP chief noted.

"I think the people of Punjab have not accepted the Congress's internal (party) decision taken in the past six-eight months. There was a government under Amarinder Singh's leadership. He was removed. New leadership was brought in there. It seems people did not like that decision," Pawar said.

Amarinder Singh had formed his own party after the Congress removed him from the post of Punjab chief minister.

The NCP president said that there was an impression in Punjab that Singh tried to establish a rapport with the BJP after his removal from the chief minister's post.

"The people of Punjab did not like that," Pawar said, contending the farmers of Punjab were already angry with the BJP over the issue of three agrarian laws.

Replying to a query, Pawar said the parties opposing the BJP need not feel discouraged with the outcome of the polls in the five states.

He recalled the Congress faced defeat in the 1977 general polls, but bounced back in the 1980 Parliamentary elections.

"Hence, there is no need to feel discouraged. But there is a need to think seriously about where we are lacking, whether there is a possibility and need for us to come together," he added.

To a question whether the Congress needs leadership change in view of the results, Pawar said it was not right for him to speak about it.

"It is their own responsibility. I am sure the Congress will think about what needs to be done to strengthen the party," he added.

He also spoke about the need to initiate a process to give an "effective alternative" to the BJP by opposition parties on the basis of a common minimum programme.

"I am not saying this will happen tomorrow itself (immediately). Parliament's session will resume on March 14. We will all be there for a month (for the session). So, we will sit together, discuss and decide the future course of action," Pawar said.

"It will be our duty to help people strengthen democracy by taking steps together, he added.

Pawar further said he does not see EVMs being the reason behind the defeat of the non-BJP parties.

The NCP president said parties don't blame EVMs when they win elections, but raise doubts when they don't get favourable results.

"Some people have issues (with EVMs), they cited reasons for it, they had also given us presentations on the same. But I don't accept that is the reason today (behind the defeat)," Pawar said.

Pawar praised Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav for putting up a fight single-handedly in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP looks all set to form a majority government again.

The former Union minister dismissed the possibility of the poll outcome in five states having a bearing on the future of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra.

To another question about the BJP talking about change of guard in Maharashtra, Pawar said, the J P Nadda-led party will have to wait for another two-and-a-half years (after which the Assembly polls will be held in the state).

"But I am certain that after considering today's results, all the people in the Maha Vikas Aghadi will work hard with more responsibility and improve the condition of the state," he said.

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Punjab Elections Result 2022: Counting is on in 117 Assembly constituencies in Punjab and Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is trailing from Amritsar East seat from which he was contesting the assembly elections. Navjot Singh Sidhu is at the third spot behind AAP's Jeevan Jyot Kaur.

On the other hand, Punjab Congress' CM candidate and current Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is also trailing from both his seats in Punjab. He earlier visited Shri Katalgarh Chamkaur Sahib Gurudwara in Ropar to offer prayers and seek blessings. Hopeful of forming government in Punjab, as predicted by various exit polls, Aam Aadmi Party Chief Ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann also visited Gursagar Mastuana Sahib Gurdwara in Sangrur.

Mann's residence in Dhuri was seen decorated with flowers and Jalebis are being prepared at his residence in Sangrur.While Bhagwant Mann is contesting from the Dhuri, Channi is contesting from two seats - Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur. If AAP wins Punjab, it will be the party's maiden victory in the state and a vast improvement from its performance in the 2017 elections when it had finished second behind Congress. Congress went into the polls having battled factionalism and anti-incumbency.

The party changed its chief minister in September last year even as new Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu hinted about his own chief ministerial ambitions. The Congress finally declared Charanjit Singh Channi, the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, as its chief ministerial candidate days before the polling on February 20. The Shiromani Akali Dal, which had broken off its alliance with BJP over three farm laws that were eventually repealed, tied up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the assembly elections.

It is the first time that BJP fought over 65 seats in Punjab. It tied up with former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) led by SS Dhindsa. BJP leaders have talked of putting up a strong performance in the polls.Punjab recorded an average voter turnout of 65.50 per cent on February 20 compared to over 77 per cent in 2017. In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, the majority mark is 59. Most exit polls on Monday predicted a victory for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab with the scale of the party`s victory varying across various surveys.

Check: Punjab election result 2022 LIVE updates

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New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal, whose party is likely to get an overwhelming majority in Punjab thanked the voters for bringing about a revolution in the state.

While interacting with the supporters after the election result projections, Kejriwal said, 'Punjab waalo tussi kamaal kar ditta', we all love you, Punjab. The results are a massive 'inquilaab', big seats have shaken up.

Talking about all the big shot leaders, who have lost in what appears to be an anti-incumbency wave, Kejriwal said, Sukhbir Singh Badal lost, Capt Sahab lost, Channi Sahab lost, Parkash Singh Badal lost, Navjot Singh Sidhu lost, Bikram Singh Majithia lost. Punjab has done amazing,

The AAP leader also talked about the ongoing Ukraine situation and said,  we will make an India where no student has to go to Ukraine to study medicine...With these results people showed that Kejriwal is not a terrorist but a real 'Desh Bhakt.

Kejriwal, who says that his party works on the ideals of BR Ambedkar and freedom fighter Bhagat Singh said that Bhagat Singh once said if we don't change the system after the British leave, nothing will happen. Sadly in the last 75 yrs, these parties and leaders had the same British system, they were looting the country, no schools/hospitals were made.

The Delhi CM was accompanied by his deputy Manish Sisodia.

Meanwhile, as per the voting trends so far, Punjab seems to be winning Punjab with a comfortable majority of over 80 seats.

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NEW DELHI: Led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from the front and powered by the 'Modi wave', the ruling BJP has recreated history as it is all set to return to power for a second term in Uttar Pradesh as the saffron party is heading towards a landslide victory. The BJP has also shored up 44.6 per cent of the vote - a significant 5 per cent improvement over the 2017 elections.

While CM Yogi was confident of BJP winning 300 plus seats from the beginning of the high-stakes election, the oppositions desperate attempt to latch onto the farmers' protest - highlighting the anger among the Jats and farmers in the western belt failed miserably too.

Even as the counting of votes continues in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is on its course to retain power in the politically crucial state with Yogi Adityanath set to become chief minister for a second straight term  breaking a 37-year-old record in the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has himself won from the Gorakhpur seat by over one lakh votes.

Trends coming from Uttar Pradesh indicate that the BJP is leading on 263 seats while the SP-RLD alliance was a distant second, leading on 135 seats. On the other hand, the BSP and the Congress struggled to touch the double-digit mark. These keenly contested assembly elections were seen as a big litmus test for the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government which, people believed was battling the anti-incumbency factor along with a reinvigorated Samajwadi Party after it stitched a formidable alliance with smaller parties, including the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

Exit poll predictions come true for BJP

The exit polls have predicted a clear victory for the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh though many said that the saffron party will not be able to repeat its 2017 performance when it won a whopping over 300 seats in the 403-member Assembly.

While these polls are seen as a direct contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party, they will also decide the fate of the Congress and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party, which are on the verge of facing an existential crisis in the state.

What's the significance of the BJP's victory in UP?

Uttar Pradesh is home to about a fifth of India`s 1.35 billion people and sends the most legislators to Parliament of any state. The victory in the northern state has come despite the state and Narendra government`s much-criticised handling of Covid-19, high unemployment, and anger over farm reforms that PM Modi cancelled last year after protests.

The BJP has long predicted it would retain the state because of policies such as free staples for the poor during the pandemic, a crackdown on crime, and its popularity among the Hindu majority reinforced by the construction of the Ram temple after the landmark SC verdict. It has long been assumed in Indian politics that without winning Uttar Pradesh and the neighbouring state of Bihar, no party or coalition has much hope of securing a majority in Parliament. The BJP has been in power in both.

For decades, Uttar Pradesh was a stronghold of the main opposition Congress party, but it has been unable to stem a slide in its popularity over recent years. A win in Uttar Pradesh would be a seal of approval for monk-politician Yogi Adityanath, who was surprisingly chosen as chief minister for the state five years ago and is seen as a future prime ministerial candidate for the BJP.

If BJP registers a big victory finally, it will be the first time since 1985 that a party would come to power in two consecutive elections in Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath, in all probability, will return as chief minister, making him UP's first Chief Minister in 37 years to do so. If this happens, Yogi Adityanath will also become the only chief minister of Indias largest state to get a renewed mandate after serving a full five-year term in office.

If Yogi becomes the Chief Minister, after 2007, he will be the first leader who contested the assembly elections as a CM candidate. A thumping win in UP will also have an impact on the political fortunes of the BJP in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Issues that worked in BJPs favour:

Ram Mandir construction

BJPs renewed focus on the construction of a grand Ram Mandir in the holy city of Ayodhya - the birthplace of Lord Ram - and the inauguration of Kashi Vishvanath Corridor that was projected as a rejuvenation of the ancient Kashi together seems to have touched the hearts of a majority of Hindus in the state. Clearly, the victory will further embolden the BJPs Hindutva politics.

Firm control over law and order situation

The ruling BJP has repeatedly attacked Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party - its principal challenger - over the poor law and order situation during Akhilesh Yadavs tenure as CM. In their election rallies, from PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah to CM Yogi Adityanath, all repeatedly attacked both Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party of Mayawati of ''lawlessness'' during their tenures

'Bulldozer Baba' jibe

It seems that the ''bulldozer baba'' remark made by the Samajwadi Party has backfired. The BJP, however, decided to wear it as a badge of honour and the bulldozer was seen as an affirmation of its governments tough stand on criminals and high on development image. It may be recalled that the Yogi Adityanath administration has widely used bulldozers to demolish illegal buildings constructed by criminals, which made Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav call the CM bulldozer baba".

BJPs tough stand on Hijab row

Amid the hijab ban row in Karnataka, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that he has no objection to anybody wearing whatever dress one wishes on a personal level, but, he stressed that one cannot force the beliefs of one religion or community on the entire nation.

The 'Double Engine' pitch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to have coined the term 'double engine ki sarkaar,' but it was CM Yogi who used it more than him. PM Modi came up with the expression as he drew an analogy between a train powered by two locomotives and the BJP government ruling in the centre as well as in the state. Both the Opposition and the ruling BJP used the 'Double Engine' slogan to attack each other during the hectic poll campaigning.

Free ration scheme

During the election campaign, CM Yogi had made a blistering attack on previous state governments, accusing them of secretly colluding with the khadyan (ration) mafia to usurp the grains supplied by the Cente for the welfare of poor and the downtrodden. The CM made a sharp attack on his political rivals during the launch of a campaign for free distribution of food grains to 15 crore poor.

Operation Ganga & evacuation of Indians

In a majority of rallies in Uttar Pradesh, top BJP leaders took the opportunity to mention how due to Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership and international stature, India managed to safely evacuate its citizens stranded in war-hit Ukraine under Operation Ganga.

Backlash over SPs withdrawal of cases against terrorist

BJP and PM Modi spared no efforts to launch a full-frontal attack on the Samajwadi Party over the death sentences handed down to 38 convicts in the Ahmedabad bombings case. "Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh had sought to withdraw cases against several terrorists," PM Modi reportedly said during his election rally in UPs Hardoi. This seems to have whipped up the nationalist sentiments among the majority of traditional BJP voters.

Opposition politics over Covid vaccination

Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, the BJP top leadership said, "BJP ki vaccine and Modi Vaccine is now saving lives of crores of people across the country". This was in reference to the controversial claim made by the Samajwadi Party leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav, that it was a BJP vaccine and even allegedly spread disinformation about it triggering side-effects like impotency.

Kairana exodus & Muzaffarnagar riots

The exodus of Hindus from Kairana became a big issue in these elections and the BJP said that no one will forgive the SP for it. Kairana remains a sensitive town since 2017 when BJP leaders, including then MP Hukum Singh, had alleged the exodus of Hindu families following alleged threats and harassment fro the dominant Muslims of the area. Meanwhile, UP CM Yogi Adityanath also accused the Samajwadi Party of instigating the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and helping culprits get away with the crime under its watch.

Incentives for farmers

Notwithstanding the peoples anger over now-repealed central farm laws, various central initiatives like increasing MSP, expansion of Kisan Credit Card, improvement in the insurance scheme, provision of Rs 3,000 pension were widely welcomed by the small and marginal farmers of UP.

Welfare schemes

The implementation of several central government schemes and distribution of free ration, laptops for students, uniform allowance for children possibly tipped the scales in favour of the BJP.

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New Delhi: With exit polls predicting a close race in Uttarakhand, leaders of both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have exuded confidence about emerging victorious during the counting of votes on Thursday.

If BJP is able to win the election, it will be the first time that a government will be repeated since the formation of Uttarakhand. Congress is hoping to gain from "anti-incumbency" against the government.

The BJP had won 57 out of 70 seats in the last assembly polls, a rise of 26 seats from its 2012 tally. The BJP had secured 46.51 per cent vote share in the 2017 polls. The Congress could win only 11 seats though the party had 33.49 per cent vote share.

The BJP changed three chief ministers in about a year in the hill state. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is in the fray from the Khatima constituency in Udham Singh Nagar district. Dhami has said the party`s numbers will be more than that predicted by exit polls.

"Most exit polls have shown the BJP government again forming in Uttarakhand. Our actual numbers will be more than what has been projected by the exit polls, and the party will form a majority government... People have given the certificate of the work done by the BJP in the state," he said.

Congress poll effort is led by former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who is in the fray from Lalkuwa seat. He had initially decided to contest from Ramnagar seat in Nainital district. While Rawat is leading the party`s campaign, he has not been declared the party`s chief ministerial candidate.

He is up against BJP candidate Mohan Singh Bisht and Aam Aadmi Party`s Chandrashekhar Pandey.Harish Rawat on Wednesday exuded confidence of Congress emerging a full majority in Uttarakhand Assembly elections.

"We are sure that we are going to get a full majority. We do not have a C-plan. But there are many senior leaders who have not been able to get tickets, we will take their cooperation," he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party is also keen to emerge as a big player in the state and projected Col Ajay Kothiyal (retd) as the chief ministerial candidate. He is contesting from the Gangotri seat and will lock horns with BJP`s Suresh Chauhan and Congress` Vijaypal Singh Sajwan.

In the Tehri seat, Congress` Dhan Singh Negi, who won the seat as BJP candidate in 2017, is up against expelled Congress leader Kishore Upadhyay who later joined the BJP.

State BJP president Madan Kaushik is contesting from Haridwar.Anukriti Gusain, daughter-in-law of former Uttarakhand Minister Harak Singh Rawat, has been fielded by the Congress from Lansdowne.

Harish Rawat`s daughter Anupama is in the fray from Haridwar (Rural). Harish Rawat had lost the seat in 2017. She is against BJP`s Swami Yatishwaranand.

The exit polls have predicted a tight race in Uttarakhand with many of them giving an edge to the BJP in forming the government. Some exit polls also predicted that Congress would finish ahead and could cross the halfway mark in the 70-member assembly.

The polling in the state took place on February 14 in a single-phase election.

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New Delhi: Congress Punjab President Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday, in his first statement after election result trends, said that "The voice of the people is the voice of God. The remark comes as Congress trails in Punjab that the party won in 2017.

The voice of the people is the voice of God . Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab . Congratulations to Aap !!!

The voice of the people is the voice of God . Humbly accept the mandate of the people of Punjab . Congratulations to Aap !!!  Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) March 10, 2022

On the election result front, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is trailing from his constituency Amritsar East seat, according to initial poll trends.

Similarly, his SAD rival Bikram Singh Majithia is also getting dominated from Amritsar East seat by AAP.

Aam Aadmi Party candidate Jeevanjyot Kaur was leading over her nearest rival Majithia by a margin of 590 votes.

The Amritsar East constituency in Amritsar is the most keenly watched electoral contest.

Counting of votes for 117 assembly seats in Punjab is underway

The early trends show that the AAP in Punjab has crossed the halfway mark Punjab. It is leading on 79 seats, followed by Congress (14) and SAD (7).

Meanwhile, AAP leader Raghav Chadha addressed party workers after the latest trends and said that Bhagwant Manns government will transform Uthta Punjab into Udta Punjab.

Punjab will not be known as 'Udta Punjab' from now onwards, but 'Uthta Punjab'... all the credit goes to AAP workers, said Chadha while addressing party workers after the early projections.

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New Delhi: So far, the Modi-Yogi duo was called a hyped up and rather manufactured wave that will not transform into real numbers, but todays mandate suggests that the people of Uttar Pradesh are apparently willing to give them another chance.

While a significant fall in the number of seats was expected given the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the Hathras rape case and several other communal controversies, the Bharatiya Janata Party has still managed to win a comfortable majority.

As the celebration begins across the state, here is what people of Uttar Pradesh think of Assembly Result 2022:

Tanmay Sadh, who is an advocate at Allahabad High Court, supports the people's mandate and believes that the same party in the state and Centre is a favourable model of governance.

It is always better to have the same party in Central and State so that there is no conflict and sufficient help can be provided by the Centre as an when the need arises. Having different parties at Centre and State may give rise to conflicts which ultimately will be against the interest of the citizens, said Sadh.

On being asked if he is satisfied with the election result, Sadh added, BJP is already in power. I personally have no grudges against BJP but just the fact their policies and outlook are a little unsecular and they have been doing almost nothing to curb the growing unemployment.

However I do not expect the solution to the said problems if any other party also comes into power. Further, the implementation of law and order is better in BJP tenure in UP. Had there been any other party there could have been a rise in crime and the so-called gundaraaj, he further added.

A voter from East UP's Obra constituency, on the other hand, is disenchanted with the peoples mandate and believed that having Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi government in UP might have been a better idea.

I think this win was somewhat expected. BJP was going to win anyway. The crazy thing is that they were able to sweep despite farmers' protests, Lakhimpur Kheri murders, Hathras and even Covid mishandling. Along with Hindutva, I think BJP's socialist policies towards the economically marginalised is giving it the dividends, Shah said.

I am afraid that such a clear majority Such a clear majority will give them more avenues to go around and do whatever they feel fit, Shah added.

Meanwhile, Mathuras Rashika Singh, a student, is quite contented with this victory as she believed the Yogi government will make the state safer for women.

Similarly, Akarsh Agarwal a chartered accountant in UPs Kanpur says There is no better substitute to BJP, I support this mandate one hundred per cent.

The BJP govt has worked tremendously worked towards law and order and heavily transformed the image of UP. Earlier, companies were afraid to come here and set up business due to the fear of mafias, now investment is coming up, said Agarwal.

Things will surely take time to improve, but I will trust no other party than BJP to make that happen, Akarsh added.

Similarly, Alok Agarwal, a businessman from Raebareili is happy with BJPs apparent victory in Uttar Pradesh.

100% satisfied with BJP's win. Under BJP govt law and order are proper, 112 and other helplines are working properly..police is helpful now ...they help in registering FIR and entertain us in police stations, said Agarwal.

Under the previous govt, these goons used to threaten the PPl when they got assured that their party is coming into power but that doesnt happen anymore. Theres no corruption in government offices as well, he added.

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New Delhi: A long time MLA from Goas Sanquelim constituency, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Sawant, won the seat in 2022 with a marginal limit.

He is the 13th chief minister of Goa and most likely BJPs CM candidate for Goa Assembly Elections 2022.

Sawant succeeded the CM seat in 2019 after the death of veteran leader late Manohar Parrikar

The BJP leader also served as the spokesperson of the Goa unit of the saffron party. Later in 2017, he was re-elected to the Goa Legislative Assembly from the same constituency and on 22 March 2017, he was elected as the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

Sawant, who enjoys massive popularity and is regarded as an unassuming MLA by his constituents, won two terms without any former electoral career.

Sawant represents a vital Sanquelim seat and is eyeing to win the seat he has held since 2012 while challenging him is Congress Saglani, Aam Aadmi Partys Manojkumar Ghadi and MGPs Mahadev Khandekar.

The seat holds great significance as all key champions including Home Minister Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi both campaigned in the constituency.

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New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a law that exempts individuals from value added tax (VAT) on the purchase of gold.

The measure is meant to provide support to Russian citizens, looking to invest their rubles, which have been depreciating in value amid Western sanctions, RT reported.

Moscow has imposed restrictions on the purchase of some foreign currencies, including the US dollar and the euro, the common way for Russians to protect their savings in the past.

The document was published on the state portal for legal information. Corresponding amendments have also been made to the Russian Tax Code.

The new legislation is retroactive and applies to purchases made since March 1.

Previously, when buying physical gold, Russians had to pay 20 per cent from the purchase in VAT. When selling the precious metal back to the bank, the VAT paid was not returned.

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New Delhi: Actress Sunny Leone who is currently busy promoting her latest web series Anamika, opened up about her life and career journey. Sunny came to India from Canada ten years ago, when she participated in the Salman Khan hosted Bigg Boss. Since then there has been no looking back. She relocated to India from the West and entered Bollywood with Pooja Bhatts Jism 2. However, her transition from adult film industry to Bollywood has grabbed a lot of eyeballs.

Opening up on the same, Sunny told India.com, The steps that I have taken with standing up is just being truthful and owning what I have done in my life. I know that my choices in life are not what other people would make and I wouldnt want them to make those choices but being true to myself was the best thing I could do to my life as standing up for myself. The rest just fell in place. I wasnt lying to myself and I wasnt lying to others about who I am.

Sunny is currently content with her life and says she wouldnt trade it for anything. Talking about it she said, I definitely say this to myself multiple times a day and so does Daniel that we love our lives. We love every single part of it, we love our family and we love the time we get to spend with them. We love that we have amazing things going on with us  work, production, my makeup line, clothing line so many different things are happening. It is a happy time.

Sunny Leones crime-thriller show Anamika will start streaming on MX Player from today (March 10). Sunny plays an assassin named Agent M in the show which is directed by Vikram Bhatt.
Mumbai: A sessions court here on Wednesday rejected Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut's application seeking transfer of the defamation case filed against her by lyricist Javed Akhtar from the magistrate's court in suburban Andheri. The court also refused to transfer her counter- complaint against Akhtar, filed before the Andheri court, elsewhere. The detailed order passed by second additional principal and sessions judge (Dindoshi) S S Oza was not available immediately.

Ranaut had claimed in her application that the 10th Metropolitan Magistrate's Court (Andheri) showed bias and prejudice towards her by not granting her permanent exemption from appearance, and threatened to issue an arrest warrant against her for a bailable and non-cognizable offence. In October 2021, the chief metropolitan magistrate (CMM) had rejected a similar plea, following which she moved the sessions court.

Akhtar (76) filed the complaint before the Andheri magistrate in November 2020, alleging that Ranaut made defamatory statements against him in a television interview which damaged his reputation.

Ranaut dragged his name for no reason while talking about the existence of a "coterie" in Bollywood against the backdrop of the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020, Akhtar said in the criminal defamation complaint. Ranaut, on her part, filed a counter-complaint in the Andheri court against Akhtar, alleging "extortion and criminal intimidation." Following her public spat with a co-star, Akhtar called her and her sister Rangoli Chandel to his house and "criminally intimidated and threatened" her, Ranaut alleged. Akhtar has denied the accusation.
New Delhi: 7th pay commission latest update --The Modi government is expected to give a good Holi gift to the central government employees by making an announcement regarding dearness allowance hike. As per media reports, tthe cabinet meeting regarding increase in DA for the central government employees could take place on March 16.

The DA of the Central government employees is expected to increase by an additional 3% from the current 31 percent to 34%. According to previous media reports, the government was to make an official statement any time before Holi. However a fresh report in Zeebiz is stating that a big decision on the same could infact come on March 16 i.e before Holi itself.

Based on the AICPI Index year 2001, in the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers, there has been a decrease of one point in the index for December 2021. With this, the index has gone up to 361 points. The 12-month index average for dearness allowance stands at 351.33. So, based on this average index, the Dearness allowance stands at 34.04%. But since dearness allowance is calculated in round figure only, a total of 34% dearness allowance is what the central government might be getting for payment starting January 2022.

Few other media reports say that Central employees will be paid full payment of new DA along with the March salary after Holi. The employees will get the arrears for the last two months. So, assuming your basic salary is between Rs 18000 to Rs 56900 and you calculate DA at the rate of 34 percent, then your DA will turn out to be Rs 19,346 per month. At the same time, employees could also be getting Rs 17,639 as DA arrears.

The central employees are also waiting for the Modi government to announce a hike in the fitment factor which will in turn push the minimum wages of central employees higher. The central government employees unions have long been demanding for hiking minimum pay of Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000 and fitment factor be raised from 2.57 times to 3.68 times. According to media reports, the fitment factor of central employees can be decided soon. This means that there will be a big increase in the basic salary of the government employees.

If the government makes announcement regarding the hike in fitment factor of central employees, then their salary will consequently increase. In fact, with the increase in fitment factor, the minimum wage will also increase. Employees are currently getting salary under fitment factor on the basis of 2.57 percent, which if increased to 3.68 percent, there will be an increase of Rs 8,000 in the minimum salary of the employees. This means the minimum pay of the central government employees will be hiked from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000.

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New Delhi: State Bank of India (SBI), on Thursday (March 10), announced its plans to revamp its mobile baning application - YONO. The countrys largest state-owned lender said that the app will be revamped under the new rubric ONLY YONO.

SBI YONO is one of the most popular banking apps in India, with more than 54 million monthly active users (MAUs). The platform has witnessed more than 35 per cent growth in MAUs in 2021.

The public lender had launched the "You Only Need One (YONO)" app in 2017. With YONO, SBI served to digital banking and lifestyle needs of its crores of customers across the country.

The bank plans to hire a consultant that will help the lender in laying out the plans while stressing on business goals in the coming five years. The move, according to SBI, is aimed at enhancing customer experience and ease of use.

SBI is currently expecting to implement the revamp of its mobile banking platform in the next 12-18 months. This includes the migrating of crores of existing Yono customers to the Only Yono platform.

Only Yono is envisaged as the next generation of Yono which will make SBI ready to launch a completely digital bank with a leaner and modular architecture, more streamlined journeys, sleek and personalized customer-centric design and capturing value from ecosystems," an SBI notice seeking consultants for the initiative reads. Also Read: 7th pay commission: DA hike announcement before Holi? Here's how much salary will increase and arrears given

Previously, SBI was looking to spin off Yono into a completely separate subsidiary. Former SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar had said that the app alone could fetch over $40 billion in valuation. Also Read: Realme 9 5G, Realme 9 5G SE with 30W charging launched in India: Price, specs, introductory offer

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With an increase in passenger inflow due to the festival of colours, Holi, just around the corner, the Indian Railways has announced the commencement of some special trains with special fares for Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Mumbai. These special trains are dedicated to Holi 2022.

As per officials, the Indian Railways has decided to run Holi superfast trains from Mumbai Central and Bandra Terminus. The bookings for these special trains started on March 2 at Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and IRCTC website, an official said.

To meet the travel demand during Holi festival, WR has decided to run Holi special Superfast trains on Special fare from Mumbai Central & Bandra Terminus. Booking of Train No. 09039, 09035, 09005 & 09006 will open from 2nd March, 2022 at PRS counters & IRCTC website. @drmbct pic.twitter.com/RXdAZlthJV  Western Railway (@WesternRly) March 1, 2022

Holi 2022 special trains:

Train No.09035: Bandra Terminus to Kothi

Departure: 11 am on March 16, 2022

Arrival: 04 am on March 17, 2022

Train No. 09036: Bhagat Ki Kothi to Bandra Terminus

Departure: 11.40 am on March 17, 2022

Arrival: 4.15 am on March 18, 2022

Train No. 09005: Bandra Terminus to Bhavnagar Terminus

Departure: 9.45 pm on March 14, 2022

Arrival: 10.30 am on March 15, 2022.

Also read: Indian Railway links to soon connect India with Nepal and Bangladesh

Check full list HERE

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New Delhi: Talented actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu's personal life often hogs the attention. Her fans adore her and every little detail about her professional and personal developments make it to the headlines.

Recently, several reports suggested that Samantha, who announced separation from her husband Naga Chaitanya last year in October, has returned her wedding saree. However, no confirmed statement has been made on this development by the actors in question.

According to an ETimes report, her wedding saree belonged to Naga Chaitanya's grandmother. It quoted an India Today report stating that Sam's designer friend Kresha Bajaj made some final touches to the saree before wearing it on her D-Day.

Samantha and Naga Chaitanya met on the set of Gautham Menon's Ye Maaya Chesave in 2010 and dated for a while. The couple tied the knot in Goa on October 6, 2017, followed by a Christian wedding on October 7, 2017, respectively.

On the work front, Naga Chaitanya is set for his Bollywood debut in Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer 'Laal Singh Chaddha'.

Samantha made her acting debut in 2010 with Gautham Vasudev Menon's Telugu film 'Ye Maaya Chesave', in which she starred opposite Naga Chaitanya Akkineni. Her OTT debut with Manoj Bajpayee in 'The Family Man' series, got her massive critical acclaim.

Her last appearance in Allu Arjun's blockbuster 'Pushpa: The Rise', in a special song 'Oo Antava' got her name and fame.
New Delhi: Actress and Bigg Boss fame Shamita Shetty has rubbished breakup rumours with her beau Raqesh Bapat in her latest Instagram post. The stunning actress shared a screenshot of a news article stating that she and Raqesh had called it quits due to differences between them.

However, that doesn't seem to be the case as Shamita Shetty confirmed that her relationship with actor and painter Raqesh Bapat is going strong and steady. In her latest post, she wrote, "We request youll to not believe in any sort of rumours pertaining to our relationship. Theres no truth in this. Love and light to everyone."

Check out her Instagram post:

Shamita Shetty met Raqesh Bapat during their stint in Karan Johar-hosted Bigg Boss OTT. The two fell in love during the show and since then have been going strong. Raqesh was also present at the finale of Bigg Boss 15 to cheer for Shamita Shetty.

The duo also performed dances on romantic songs together during the finale.
New Delhi: In the latest episode of Kangana Ranaut's reality show Lock Upp, jailors were taken to a new place - Atyachari Arena for a special task hosted by Karan Kundrra. At the beginning of the episode, the jailors were having a discussion about abusive language and if they should use it in a show that their parents are also watching.

Babita Phogat made a sharp comment which hurt Sara Khan who later walked off and started crying. Nisha Rawal then went up to her to comfort her and calm her down.

Later, the jailors got the news of the day which was that Payal Rohtagi, Poonam Pandey, Sara Khan were trolled for not knowing the name of the President of India. The trio laughed it off but sincerely apologised to the President.

Then, Nisha Rawal and Poonam Pandey got into a heated argument about kitchen duties and washing utensils. Poonam said that the water jug had soap foam in it but all the members of the orange team denied washing it and didn't take responsibility for it.

In a surprise move, Karan Kundrra made an appearance and took the jailors to the Atyachari Arena for a challenging task. The jailors were completely masked and then taken to a different location in a van.

The task required mental and physical strength both and the orange team ended up winning the gruelling task. Saisha, from the blue team, felt her team members were disappointed in her after she lost.

At the end of the episode, Anjali revealed a secret about Karanvir Bohra to Munawar Faruqui. The social media influencer said that Karanvir had suggested she fake one-sided love with him for the sake of audience love.

Anjali said she wasn't interested in such an arrangement. Munawar poked fun at her by saying that she was blushing while telling him about this incident.
No matter who wins in any future war between Taiwan and China, it will be a "miserable victory", Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday, adding it was best if everyone avoided conflict. Speaking to reporters before a parliament session on the security implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Chiu said both sides would pay a heavy price in the event of conflict between China and Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to reclaim, by force if necessary.

"If there's a war, to be frank, everyone will be miserable, even for the victors," he said. "One really needs to think this through," Chiu added. "Everyone should avoid wars." While Taiwan has stepped up its alert level since the war in Ukraine, it has reported no unusual Chinese military activities, though China`s air force has continued to mount occasional missions into Taiwan's air defence identification zone.

Also read: Russia may use chemical and biological weapons against Ukraine

"We watch the changes calmly and we are prepared accordingly," Chiu said of China. Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said on Wednesday in a report to the parliamentary session that China was too busy with ensuring stability for a key Communist Party congress at the end of the year to suddenly escalate tensions with Taiwan.

Taiwan's military strategists have been studying Russia`s invasion of Ukraine, and the country's resistance, for the island's own battle strategy in the event of war with its giant neighbour China.

"Ukraine, under unfavourable conditions of the enemy being larger than them, has effectively delayed the Russian military's combat activities," the defence ministry said in a separate report to the session on Thursday.

Taiwan's military has been "referencing" the experience of Ukraine in being able to leverage fighting on home soil and has already been incorporating "asymmetric warfare" into its own planning, the ministry added. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has championed the idea of "asymmetric warfare", to make its forces more mobile and hard to attack, with for example vehicle-mounted missiles.

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New Delhi: In a major setback to Russia, technology giant Cogent communication and Lumen Technologies Inc. have pulled the plug of internet services in the county following the launch of the invasion of Ukraine. As per the media reports, Lumen on Tuesday pulled the plug citing the "increased security risk inside Russia." The tech giant says it provides "extremely small and very limited" business services in Russia.

According to media reports, Lumen technologies' move comes following the "ongoing integrity of the global Internet." Cogent Communications who is called the backbone of the internet services also announced a stop on internet services in Russia. Lumen and Cogent are both parts of the network that allows data to flow through the guts of the internet.

They join a long list of companies that have stopped doing business with Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Google has already suspended all advertising in Russia after the country's communication centre accused YouTube, the video streaming platform of spreading misinformation and fueling protests.

Other than the major tech giants, automotive companies like Aston Martin, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Toyota multinational food chains, and cafe companies like McDonald's and Starbucks have also suspended their services.

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The Joe Biden led United States administration, on Wednesday, warned that Russia might use chemical or biological weapons against Ukraine. US has hit back against Russia after the erstwhile Soviet territory claimed that illegal chemical weapons are being developed in the country it has invaded. The White House rejected the Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova this week, without evidence, accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs in its territory, supported by the US White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Russia's claim "preposterous" and said it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for itself using such weapons of mass destruction against Ukraine.

Also read: Russia bombed childrens hospital in besieged Mariupol

"This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine," Psaki tweeted Wednesday. "Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them."

The US for months has warned about Russian "false flag" operations to create a pretext for the invasion. Wednesday's warning suggested Russia might seek to create a pretense for escalating the two-week old conflict that has seen the Russian offensive slowed by stronger-than-expected Ukrainian defenders, but not stopped.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Wednesday called the Russian claim "a bunch of malarkey." The international community for years has assessed that Russia has used chemical weapons before in carrying out assassination attempts against Putin enemies like Alexey Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal. Russia also supports the Assad government in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decade-long civil war.

Asked by a Russian journalist about the claims, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "At this point have no information to confirm these reports or these allegations about these kinds of labs."

"Our colleagues at the World Health Organization, who have been working with the Ukrainian Governments, said they are unaware of any activity on the part of the Ukrainian Government which is inconsistent with its international treaty obligations, including on chemical weapons or biological weapons," Dujarric added.

With inputs from AP

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A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in several parts of Ukraine as its war with Russia entered its 15th day. "The world doesnt believe in Russias future, doesnt talk about it. They talk about us, they are helping us, they are ready to support our recovery after the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quoted by The Kyiv Independent. Here's a lowdown on what's happening in Ukraine at the moment-

HOSPITAL HIT

* Local authorities say the hospital was hit several times, causing "colossal" destruction, and that 17 people were wounded.

* A Kremlin spokesman said: "Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets" and blamed Ukraine for the failure of a planned evacuation from Mariupol.

REFUGEES

* Around 35,000 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors from three cities on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Local officials said civilians had left Sumy in the east and Enerhodar in the south.

* Another six escape routes are planned for Thursday, according to Zelenskiy.

* Over 2 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began two weeks ago, the U.N. said.

Also read: Russia may use chemical and biological weapons against Ukraine

DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Turkey for talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, but Kuleba said his expectations were "low."* Leaders of the 27-nation EU are to meet in Versailles on Thursday and Friday, as Russia`s war against Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation", enters its third week.

NUCLEAR POWER CONCERNS

* Ukraine's nuclear power plant operator said it was concerned for safety at Chernobyl, mothballed site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, after a power cut caused by the fighting. It warned of a potential radiation leak if the outage continued, although the U.N. nuclear watchdog saw no critical impact on safety.

* The watchdog said it had lost touch with remote monitoring systems at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where there were clashes and a fire last week. Both plants are being held by Russian forces.

SANCTIONS

* The Kremlin accused the United States of declaring an economic war on Russia that was sowing mayhem through energy markets, and said it was considering its response to a U.S. ban on imports of Russian energy.

* The European Union announced more sanctions against oligarchs and lenders in Russia and Belarus.

FOOD CRISIS

* With the conflict threatening grain production, a global food crisis deepened. Indonesia tightened curbs on palm oil exports, adding to a growing list of producers seeking to keep vital food supplies within their borders.

DEATH TOLL

* The United Nations said it had verified 516 civilian deaths and 908 injuries since the conflict began, but the true toll was likely to be "considerably higher."

* Ukraine says its forces have killed more than 11,000 Russian troops. Russia has confirmed about 500 losses. Neither side has disclosed Ukrainian casualties.

AID

* The U.S. Congress agreed to allocate $13.6 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine, alongside a separate package for pandemic relief.

* The International Monetary Fund approved $1.4 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT

* Nestle, Philip Morris, Sony and mining giant Rio Tinto joined the list of multinationals stepping back from Russia.

* European Union leaders will phase out buying Russian oil, gas and coal as Moscow`s war on Ukraine makes them realise they have to be less dependent on Russia, a draft declaration showed, but they are unlikely to offer Ukraine fast EU membership.

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The Anhui delegation to the fifth session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) held a group meeting on Wednesday to deliberate the annual work reports of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) and some draft documents.

Zheng Shanjie, Party chief of Anhui province and head of the delegation, attended the meeting, together with deputy heads - Wang Qingxian, Liu Hui, Xie Guangxiang and Wang Cuifeng.

The deputies held that under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the work reports summed up achievements based on facts, analyzed problems objectively and realistically, and gave prominence to key work arrangements.

The SPC and the SPP fulfilled their duties and provided powerful judicial services in the past year to ensure a good start to the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the deputies said.

The delegation also deliberated a draft amendment to the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments, a draft decision on the quota and election of deputies to the 14th NPC, as well as draft methods for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the Macao SAR to elect their deputies to the 14th NPC.




By ZHANG GAOWEI, ALEX REPORTERFY, YUAN XUANQI

Chongqing COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed the history of humanity. It ripples across the globe and is still affecting all of our lives. History has been made, and all of us have to adapt to the new circumstances of the world.

COVID-19: The Human Costas an intimate documentary captures the daily life of many YouTubers during the COVID-19 outbreak. These YouTubers, spread throughout six continents, with a total fan base into millions of subscribers, all came together to produce the most extensive documentary collaboration ever seen on YouTube, sharing their true personal stories and the moments of the person they are familiar with.

The idea of this documentary came from a YouTuber who has collaborated with iChongqing. Alex, who runs a channel on YouTube called Reporterfy Media, felt his return to Chongqing was full of challenges. "I thought I was arriving back into society for the first time in years." Alex said and added, "Coming from a country in lockdown for almost two years. I'm amazed at how well the Chinese government has shielded its citizens from the virus." He was grateful for his chance to live a balanced life again.

He felt many other content creators shared a similar experience. He decided to make a documentary called "COVID-19 The Human Cost" with the help of iChongqing's video editing experts.

With overwhelming success, the video was released on Sunday, March 6th, 2022. Many international vloggers tweeted in support of the video's message. They hope that all nations will soon recover from this pandemic and return to normal daily lives.

Let's all stand together, support each other and remember.
BEIJING, Mar.10 -- As agreed by both sides, the Chinese and Indian militaries will hold the 15th round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting on March 11, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a daily press briefing on March 9.

Zhao mentioned that on January 12, the 14th round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting was held, during which the two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on resolving relevant issues in the west section of the China-India boundary and issued a joint press release.

Zhao said the Chinese side hopes this new round of meeting can continue to move forward on the basis of previous talks, further enlarge consensus, narrow differences and strive to reach the mutually acceptable solution.
By Wang Shuo

While the Russia-Ukraine conflict is still on, the US, the country that has been stoking this crisis from day one, seems to have retreated from the scene, and its toning-down has agitated Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky so much as to complain in public that neither the US nor the EU has given his country any vital assistance such as imposing a no-fly zone. After all, it is the US that has been egging Ukraine to be tough on Russia. In the beginning of this year, US Secretary of Defense Austin publicly expressed his determination to help Ukraine defend its territory, but few of those previous commitments have been honored so far except the announcement of economic sanctions. As a matter of fact, the US already got what it wanted as long as the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine.

On the one hand, it wants to shore up NATO and form a strategic containment of Russia with minimal cost. The US has never given up on curbing Russia, as a major Eurasian power thats out of its control will never fall out of its enemy list, and NATO is regarded as an effective means of curbing. However, the end of the Cold War actually has ended NATOs mission as a military bloc to counter the Warsaw Treaty Organization, European countries are naturally unwilling to invest more resources in it, and many of their military expenses are not up to 2% of GDP as required by NATO. At the moment, the US is eager to shift its focus to Asia Pacific, but doesnt wish to see Russia grow big, so it attempts to revitalize NATO by creating the so-called security threats, so as to free itself to focus on competition with China.

On the other hand, it wants to nip Europes idea of strategic independence in the bud and tie it onto the American chariot of global hegemony. Washington has a clear European strategy  the continent must be able to serve American interests while cannot impose any challenge to US , which is why it allows Europe to seek integration to some extent but continues to try to divide and rule it. This strategy has manifested itself in the financial crisis that fleeced the EURO and in its support for Brexit later. Europe, on the other hand, doesnt want to be a pawn, but wishes to make choices based on its own interests, which is the origin of the quest for strategic independence. That alarmed the US, and now the Russia-Ukraine conflict forces Europe to be tied up with the US-led NATO again.

Washington is obviously having it both ways through the recent conflict  to contain Russia and to keep Europe under control at the same time, but its calculations go beyond geopolitics. Given the rising urgency of actions in response to climate change, Russias oil and gas remain essential for Europe, which is lacking in energy sources especially at a critical juncture of energy transition. Now that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has pulled the plug on Nord Stream 2 and prompted Europe to join the sanctions against Moscow, Europe will have to turn to the US for the more expensive LPG, giving Uncle Sam even more sway over the continent. Its clear that Americas strategic selfishness has brought the world more disasters.

First, it has damaged the trust between countries. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is extremely complicated, but one of the most important reasons why they have come to the point today is that the US has kept imposing maximum pressure on Russia, completely abandoned its commitment to not expanding NATO eastward after the end of the Cold War, till at last it put a gun to Russias head. Its so difficult to arrange for a ceasefire or negotiation between the two conflicting parties now mostly because their mutual trust in each other has been undermined.

Second, it has exacerbated the neorealist security predicament. During the conflict, the US has been urging its allies to continuously provide weapons to Ukraine to make up for blood that Ukraine lost on the battleground. This move that seemingly aims at greater security will only result in more insecurity at the cost of European interests.

Third, it has created barriers for win-win cooperation between China and Europe. With its space for strategic independence squeezed, Europe has no choice but to follow Americas pace on many issues, and is forced to give up some of its interests if necessary in return for protection from the US-led NATO at times of crisis. Therefore, when Washington is trying to drive a wedge between China and Europe and asking the latter to stand by its side against the so-called China threat, Europe will find it hard to act on its own and may have to pick sides on sensitive issues. The harsh sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia this time look like a collective action on the western part, but not without some arm-twisting, and its a Pyrrhic victory at best, and even a losing battle at worst. Therefore, there is a good chance that the China-EU relation will be shadowed by American interference, which will exert negative impacts on their mutually beneficial cooperation.

At last, it has further divided the world. The conflict will chill down, and flames of war will go out, but the process will be painful and tortuous. Whats worse, even if the crisis is over, people will have changed, like a broken mirror would never be patched up to be as perfect as before. Whats worrying is that the crisis stirred up by the US hasnt just ruined Europes serenity, but also divided the world. Think about Switzerland. It is a country that has abided by neutrality for several centuries, a country that didnt even stop working with Germany during WWII, but now it has joined the sanctions against Russia. One would shudder at where the world is going down this road. Is it going to be split into two blocs  the West and the Non-West, with a tall barbwire in between?

One party is benefiting from everyone elses losses  thats what America is doing by creating this crisis. Mearsheimer, a renowned American political scholar, put it bluntly that the US should bear the main responsibility for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Those who set fire on others will eventually get themselves burned. The crisis may seem beneficial for maintaining Americas hegemony in the short term, but when its really turning the whole world upside down, how can it expect to stay unscathed itself? In the age of globalization, building a community with a shared future for mankind is the unstoppable trend. If it continues to roil the world for short-term and selfish interests, the US will eventually be condemned by the whole international community.

(The author is a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy, Beijing Foreign Studies University)

Editor's note: This article is originally published on huanqiu.com, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.


Sailors hold a welcome ceremony for the 39th Chinese naval escort taskforce. On March 9, the 39th Chinese naval escort taskforce safely returned to a naval port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, successfully completing its escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Xiao Meng)

JINAN, Mar. 10 -- On March 9, the 39th Chinese naval escort taskforce returned to a naval port in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, completing its escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. The mission lasted 165 days, with a voyage of more than 90,000 nautical miles, during which the escort tasks for 28 batches of 48 Chinese and foreign ships were efficiently carried out.

The 39th Chinese naval escort task force, comprised of the guided-missile destroyer Urumqi (Hull 118), the guided-missile frigate Yantai (Hull 538), and the comprehensive supply ship Taihu (Hull 889), set sail from a military port in Qingdao on September 26, 2021.

During the escort mission, the task force has adopted various methods to ensure the safety of the escorted ships, and devoted to safeguarding the security of international maritime trade routes and regional peace and stability.

On March 9, the 39th Chinese naval escort taskforce returns to a naval port in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, successfully completing its escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Xiao Meng)
The Lost Assyrian Colony in Africa

Kanta National Museum, Argungu, Kebbi State. ( Kanta National Museum) Assyrians have played a role in modern human development and civilization. Some of the first forms of writing (cuneiform), first complete libraries, astrology, irrigation, and warfare tactics came from their society. Assyrians were able to hold influence across large swaths of territory outside of Mesopotamia, also known as the 'Cradle of Civilization.'

This included Asia Minor, areas in Persia, the Levant, and Egypt through the Neo Assyrian Empire. As the empire expanded rapidly, it also faced internal turmoil. Civil wars, usurpations, and rebellions within fragmented the empire. The capital of the empire, Nineveh, would ultimately fall to a coalition led by the Babylonians in 612 BC.

After the Fall of Harran in 609 BC, surviving Assyrian refugees who were not already enslaved and subjugated fled to the western regions of Africa. One such group of Assyrians settled in Kebbi around 600 BC, which is now the modern-day Kebbi State of Nigeria.

During the fall of the Neo Assyrian Empire, refugees began a long journey that could've taken years and left a trail. From Upper Mesopotamia, they marched through the Levant, down to Egypt, the inner Africa all the way to modern Nigeria. It is not clear whether or not Kebbi was the ancient Assyrian name of the city, but it has been used as the name for the current state for thousands of years.

Archaeological records and documents in the Hausa state of Kebbi have indicated that the history of the city started by conquest from the Assyrian refugees of Mesopotamia. The archaeological tablets show reference that the cities of Kabawa and Madayana that were frequently discussed by various tribes were in fact the historical Assyrian cities of Assur and Nineveh.

The documents also state the names of 33 kings of the Near East. It omits any African king, further showing the origins of Assyrian migration into West Africa. In chronological order, the names display kings from the Akkadian Period all the way to the late Neo-Assyrian Period.

One major detail in the documents reveals a key point that confirms the Assyrian migration; the last Assyrian king, Ashur-uballit II and the founder of the Neo Babylonian Empire, Nabopolassar were mentioned. Though Assyrian history in Africa was featured heavily in Egyptian and Sudanese records, the history of Kebbi shows their vast influence and that their civilization continued to flourish in Africa.
BEIJING, March 10 -- Chinese Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian, also spokesperson for the delegation of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and the Peoples Armed Police (PAP) Force at the fifth session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), received an interview on March 9 in which he introduced and summarized the Chinese militarys participation in international anti-pandemic cooperation since COVID-19 broke out.

Wu pointed out that in early 2020, when China was at the height of fighting the pandemic, the defense departments and militaries of many foreign countries lent a helping hand to China. The defense and military leaders of more than 20 countries, including Pakistan, Belarus and Cambodia, sent letters of support, and the defense and military authorities of countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Mongolia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia donated anti-pandemic emergency supplies and funds. Besides, the military attaches of foreign embassies in Beijing as well as foreign students in China all expressed their support and best wishes through videos and letters.

Wu said, to implement Chinese President Xi Jinpings important declaration on making Chinas COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, the Chinese military has so far provided vaccine aid to the militaries of more than 30 countries, including Pakistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Lebanon, Hungary, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Bolivia. It has also carried out anti-pandemic cooperation with the militaries of over 50 countries, in the form of providing anti-pandemic supplies, sending military medical expert teams, and holding experience-sharing video meetings. By fulfilling its international obligations and providing public security products during the pandemic, the Chinese militarys pragmatic measures have been highly recognized and widely welcomed by the international community.

The virus recognizes no borders and the pandemic hits all without differentiation. Solidarity and cooperation is the most powerful weapon to defeat them. The Chinese military will continue to strengthen the friendly cooperation with foreign defense departments and troops, and make positive contributions to building a community of common health for mankind, said Wu Qian.
?? En vivo | El jefe de Estado, @PedroCastilloTe, junto con el titular de la @CancilleriaPeru, sostiene una reunion con el presidente electo de Chile, @gabrielboric en la Municipalidad de Santiago. https://t.co/KOZsd0wPtf
Following a warm greeting and the delivery of a present by President Castillo, the private meeting between the two dignitaries began.

At the event, they were expected to discuss the Presidential Meeting and the Binational Cabinet of Ministers, suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is up to Chile to organize the 4th Binational Cabinet.

It must be noted that Peru-Chile relations are at the highest level. Similarly, Chile is Peru's second-largest trading partner in Latin America. In fact, bilateral trade amounted to US$3.005 billion in 2021. Besides, it is the major source of foreign tourists to Peru.

Approximately 225,000 Peruvians reside permanently in Chile, while some 10,000 Chileans live in Peru.

Como parte de sus actividades en Santiago, el jefe de Estado, @PedroCastilloTe, se reunio con el presidente electo @gabrielboric para reforzar los lazos de cooperacion bilateral entre el Peru y Chile.

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El jefe de Estado, @PedroCastilloTe, llego a la Republica de Chile para participar en la ceremonia de transmision del mando presidencial y sostener encuentros bilaterales con sus homologos de la region.

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BEIJING, March 10 -- It must be made crystal clear that the PLA has zero tolerance for Taiwan independence secessionist activities and external interference and will crush them whenever they pop up, said Chinese Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian, also spokesperson for the delegation of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and the Peoples Armed Police (PAP) Force at the fifth session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), during an interview on March 9.

It is reported that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan have been hyping up the circling of Taiwan island by the PLA warplanes. In the meantime, the US is selling weapons to the island again. Its senators and former politicians are visiting the island upon each others heels. And the US and Japan have repeatedly made wanton remarks about Taiwan-related topics. In response, Wu stressed that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. More importantly, the Chinese people living on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are brothers and sisters of blood ties and a family sharing the same destiny.

We consistently uphold the guideline of peaceful reunification and one country, two systems, and are willing to make utmost efforts, with the greatest sincerity, to strive for the peaceful reunification across the Taiwan Strait, but we will never tolerate secession from the nation by the Taiwan independence forces, said Snr. Col. Wu. The exercises and training by the PLA are targeted at Taiwan independence secessionist activities and the interference by external forces. They are not targeted at Taiwan compatriots, he added

According to Snr. Col. Wu, since the DPP came in power, it has refused to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus, quickened steps towards Taiwan independence, and colluded with external forces to carry out pro-independence provocations. The DPPs actions have seriously harmed the welfare of Taiwan compatriots, grossly undermined the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, and are the root cause for the current tension and turmoil across the strait. History has taught us that those who have done injustice to others will eventually bring destruction to themselves. Any attempt at Taiwan independence would be a dead end and call for self-destruction.

The Taiwan question is purely Chinas internal affair that brooks no external interference, emphasized Snr. Col. Wu, adding that Washington and Tokyos political ploy to contain China by playing the Taiwan card will be nothing but a pipe dream. The more aggressive they are on the Taiwan question, the firmer and tougher we will be in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It is learnt that the Government Work Report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the fifth session of the 13th NPC set out that China resolutely opposes any secessionist activity for Taiwan independence and any external interference.
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The March 9 ceasefire violations by Azerbaijani forces continued overnight March 10, the Artsakh Defense Army said.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces used various caliber firearms, as well as mortars in the ceasefire breach during March 9 and then during the entire night.

The Defense Army of Artsakh said in a statement that around 14:00-14:30 on March 9, two 60mm mortar shells were fired in the direction of the area adjacent to the Khnushinak village of Martuni region in Artsakh, and then from 15:50 until 05:40 of March 10 the Azerbaijani forces again used 60mm mortars for 15 times in the eastern direction, firing a total of 23 shells at the area adjacent to Khramort village.

The Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh was notified on the gross ceasefire violations committed by Azerbaijan.

The Artsakh Ministry of Interior reported that a farmer was wounded from the mortar fire.

Update shows information from Ministry of Interior
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to the United States Lilit Makunts met on March 9 with Dereck J. Hogan, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, the Embassy reported.

The recent incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border were discussed during the meeting.
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Kristinne Grigoryan calls the latest intensive shootings in the direction of Khramort village of Askeran region and Karmir Shuka and Khnushinak villages of Martuni region an ongoing criminal policy by the Azerbaijani military-political leadership.

She released a statement on social media which says:

I am in constant contact with the Human Rights Ombudsman and the Prosecutor General of Artsakh. Yesterday, there were intensive shootings in the direction of Khramort village of Askeran region and Karmir Shuka and Khnushinak villages of Martuni region. During the day, the shootings in the direction of Khramort were accompanied by the criminal acts of exerting psychological pressure against the civilian population, by giving warnings in Armenian over a loudspeaker for the population to leave the village.

This criminal act against the civilian population intensified overnight in the direction of the of Khramort village, where the Azerbaijani armed forces implemented the use of mortar. One civilian is wounded. The opponent also demonstratively accumulated heavy equipment (tanks) in the direction of the village. For the purpose of the security of the civilian population, women and children were evacuated overnight to a more secure location, however, according to the information provided by my colleagues, they have returned to the village in the morning.

This is the ongoing criminal policy by the Azerbaijani military-political leadership, which is aimed at violating the life and security of people living in their homeland, terrorizing them, and causing them constant crisis. It is clearly evident that the ultimate goal of such acts is to remove the Armenian communities in Artsakh from their native Armenian population, which is a manifestation of the ongoing policy of Armenophobia and ethnic hatred.

On the other hand, the irresponsible behavior of the Azerbaijani state is aimed at damaging the reputation of the Russian peacekeeping mission and undermining the enormous efforts made to ensure the peaceful life of the civilian population.

Today, I will send the information about these incidents to the relevant international organizations and embassies.
WARNING: This article contains graphic images

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. A civilian in Artsakh was wounded in the latest Azerbaijani ceasefire breach, the Ministry of Interior of Artsakh said in a statement.

The victim is 51-year-old Suren Baghryan, a resident of the Khramort village. He suffered shrapnel wounds to his back while carrying out agricultural works in his homes yard when the Azerbaijani forces fired mortar shells. The Azeri mortar shell exploded in the homes yard, the Artsakh Ministry of Interior Police Department said.

Photo released by Artsakh Ministry of Interior shows shrapnel wound from mortar shell blast on back of 51-year-old farmer

The farmer was rushed to a hospital and he is in a non-life threatening condition. Doctor said the victim's condition is satisfactory.

The Artsakh police have launched proceedings.
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the March 10 Cabinet meeting that the situation around Artsakh has become tense in the recent period, which is underscored also by the disruption of the pipeline supplying natural gas to Artsakh.

PM Pashinyan said he will refrain from making any assessments at this moment because they are now working with the authorities of Artsakh and international partners in the direction of stabilizing and resolving the situation.

Lets not give assessments now, lets just note that such situation exists and lets try to focus on solving the problems, Pashinyan said.
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The National Assembly of Artsakh will convene an emergency session regarding the border situation.

The parliaments press service said Speaker Artur Tovmasyan signed the decision on convening the emergency session upon the initiative of Members of Parliament. The session will be convened at 19:00 on March 10.

The March 9 ceasefire violations by Azerbaijani forces continued overnight March 10.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces used various caliber firearms, as well as mortars in the ceasefire breach during March 9 and then during the entire night in Artsakh.

The Defense Army of Artsakh said in a statement that around 14:00-14:30 on March 9, two 60mm mortar shells were fired in the direction of the area adjacent to the Khnushinak village of Martuni region in Artsakh, and then from 15:50 until 05:40 of March 10 the Azerbaijani forces again used 60mm mortars for 15 times in the eastern direction, firing a total of 23 shells at the area adjacent to Khramort village.

The Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh was notified on the gross ceasefire violations committed by Azerbaijan.

The Artsakh Ministry of Interior reported that a farmer was wounded from the mortar fire.
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. Tonight, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an Omnibus Appropriations Bill wrapping up Fiscal Year 2022 spending that calls for "not less than" $45 million for Armenia and $2 million for humanitarian demining in Artsakh, ARMENPRESS reports the Armenian Assembly of America informs.

The measure also requires "that prior to any initial obligation of funds appropriated under title IV of the Act for assistance for Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Secretary of State shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations on the proposed uses of such funds."

The inclusion of aid comes on the heels of a letter spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus Vice-Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) along with Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), as well as another letter by Caucus Members Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Jim Costa (D-CA), who urged the leadership of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs to include an additional $50 million in humanitarian aid to Artsakh.

The bill itself includes language on Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, and also requires a report on the likelihood of military action against Artsakh "not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act."

There has been widespread reporting of the Aliyev regime's continued violations of the November 2020 ceasefire terms, including the killing of Armenians in cross-border shootings. This week alone, Azeri forces blocked repair of damaged main gas supply to Nagorno Karabakh amid reports that they cut the pipeline themselves, under cover of war in Ukraine. Just yesterday, an Armenian soldier was killed, and another wounded, in a ceasefire violation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan exclave. In addition, Artsakh officials have reported today that Azerbaijan's army is "actively" using high-caliber mortars and automatic weapons to target Artsakh's rural communities forcing farmers to suspend "all types of agricultural work." Moreover, for the last two days and counting, the people of Artsakh have been deprived of a vital gas supply pipeline while the Azeri military refuses access to determine the cause or fix the damage. Meanwhile, Artsakh recently sent over 14 tons of humanitarian aid to help aid the Ukrainian people.

Last week, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a report regarding Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) which found that, according to Chairman Menendez, "the State Department failed to comply with reporting requirements for reviewing U.S. assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan."

Further, according to Chairman Menendez, the GAO report "found that over several years, the Department of State and Department of Defense failed to meet statutory reporting requirements to Congress on the impact of U.S. assistance on the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

Other key findings from the report included that the State's reporting to Congress from FY2014-FY2021 did not address required elements, including the impact on proposed assistance on the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan; States Memorandums of Justification contained limited or no details regarding quantity of assistance, status of the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the impact of U.S. assistance on the military balance, or the impact of the assistance on peace negotiations; States 2021 guidance did not provide detailed instructions to agencies about reporting requirements to Congress; and that State and DoD did not document their consideration of waiver requirements from FY2014-FY2020, including how they determined assistance would not be used for offensive purposes against Armenia.

"As the world bears witness to the ongoing devastation in Ukraine, we urge continued vigilance to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its ongoing attacks against the Armenian people," said Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan.
YEREVAN, 10 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, ARMENPRESS reports the resolution was adopted with 635 votes in favor, 2 against and 42 abstentions.

Armenian MP Arman Yeghoyan wrote on his Facebook page that the resolution strongly condemns Azerbaijan's ongoing policy of erasing, denying the Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh and around it, violating international law, and the recent decision of the International Court of Justice.

It states that over the past thirty years, Azerbaijan has committed irreversible destruction of religious and cultural heritage, especially in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, where 89 Armenian churches, 20,000 graves and more than 5,000 tombstones have been destroyed.

The resolution emphasizes that the elimination of traces of the Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno Karabakh is carried out not only for damaging or destroying it, but also for falsifying history by presenting it as the so-called Caucasian-Albanian, stating that on February 3, 2022 Minister Anar Karimov announced the establishment of a working group responsible for eliminating "traces invented by Armenians on Albanian religious temples."

The resolution admits that the elimination of the Armenian cultural heritage is part of a wider systemic, state-level policy of anti-Armenianism, hatred of Armenians, encouraged by the Azerbaijani authorities, including glorification of violence, anti-humanism, and territorial claims to the Republic of Armenia, threatening peace and security in the South Caucasus.

The resolution calls on Azerbaijan to renounce its maximalist goals, belligerent approaches, territorial claims to Armenia and to engage in good faith in the negotiations on the final status of Nagorno Karabakh under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.

The resolution calls on Azerbaijan to fully comply with the interim order of the International Court of Justice, namely to "refrain from suppressing the Armenian language, destroying the Armenian cultural heritage or eliminating the historical Armenian cultural presence by other means, or restricting the entry of Armenians to those sites, stressing that any new case of destruction or alteration of cultural heritage must be immediately addressed by the international community.

It calls on the European Commission to use all available levers to prevent the destruction and alteration of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the prevention of vandalism.
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. The National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic unanimously adopted a draft statement on applying to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the UN and relevant bodies, calling on the international community to adequately assess Azerbaijan's recent actions and make efforts to curb such criminal encroachments, ARMENPRESS reports MP Gegham Stepanyan presented the draft statement at the National Assembly.

"In recent days, tensions in the border areas of Artsakh have gained new momentum, in particular, Azerbaijan fired intensively, using also mortars in the villages of Khramort, Nakhichanik in the Askeran region, Khnushinak and Karmir Shuka in the Martuni region. Such provocative actions of the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan are aimed at intimidating the people of Artsakh, keeping them in constant alarm, as well as undermining the reputation of the Russian peacekeeping mission," he said.

In the statement, the National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic strongly condemns the aggressive and terroristic acts of Azerbaijan against Artsakh, the targeting of the settlements of the Artsakh Republic, the psychological and information pressure on the civilian population, the obstruction of the repair works of the only gas pipeline supplying Artsakh with natural gas. Thus, official Baku continues its anti-Armenian policy, undermining the fragile peace and stability in the region, which once again proves that Azerbaijan is not ready to establish lasting peace in the region.

The parliament of Artsakh urges the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the UN and its respective structures to make an adequate assessment of Azerbaijan's behavior, to make efforts to curb such criminal encroachments. "The current situation once again shows that the recognition of the right of the people of Artsakh to live safely and to have an independent statehood is the only right, civilized decision with no alternative," Stepanyan said.

The draft statement was adopted unanimously by 32 votes in favor.
The United States of America is de facto waging an economic war against Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, commenting on the statement by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland that from the point of view of the US "this Ukraine gambit is a strategic failure for Putin."

March 10, 2022, 09:27 US de facto wages economic war against Russia, Kremlin says

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 10, ARTSAKHPRESS: "The US, undoubtedly, declared an economic war against Russia and they are waging this war. Yes, de facto this is exactly what it is," the Kremlin official said.

In response to a question as to what are Moscows chances not to lose this war considering that the US is attempting to get the entire world involved in sanctions against Russia, Putins press secretary said that it is necessary to do "what in the best way corresponds to our interests." He declined to divulge any details on the possible retaliatory sanctions.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories. Following this, the US, the EU, the UK and a number of other countries announced the introduction of sanctions against Russian legal entities and private individuals.
By Liu Jianwei and Zhu Boyan

BEIJING, March 10 -- President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech when attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force to the Fifth Session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) on March 7. President Xi stressed running the military in accordance with the law and enhancing the rule of law in national defense and military building.

NPC deputies from the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force studied President Xis important speech and made discussions and exchanged views focusing on the topic of expediting fundamental transformations in the way of running the military. They said that the Chinese system for law-based administration of military affairs has seen gradual improvement, the level of the rule of law in national defense and military development has been continuously enhanced, and the concept of the rule of law have been rooted in minds of the troops.

A modernized country must be a country ruled by law, and a modernized army must be an army ruled by law. Talking about implementing the strategy of governing the army in accordance with the law, Xu Xinglin, a deputy from the Central Military Commission (CMC), said that governing the armed forces with strict discipline and in accordance with the law is the foundation of building a strong military.

In October 2014, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) made decisions concerning several major issues in comprehensively advancing law-based governance, and made essential arrangements for running the army in accordance with the law.

The CMC issued in February 2015 a document on further advancing the running of the military with strict discipline and in accordance with the law under new situations. In December 2020, the newly revised Law of the Peoples Republic of China on National Defense included to ensure the political loyalty of the armed forces, strengthen them through reform, science and technology, training of competent personnel, and run them in accordance with law for the first time. This means that as a strategy of running the military, running the military in accordance with the law has been written into basic laws of China.

In November 2021, the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee proposed: Implement the strategy of running the armed forces in accordance with the law, build a Chinese system for law-based administration of military affairs, and expedite fundamental transformations in the way our military is run.

The important speech delivered by President Xi at the plenary meeting of the delegation of the Peoples Liberation Army and the Peoples Armed Police Force emphasized the implementation of the strategy of running the military in accordance with the law and improvement of the rule of law in national defense and military development, so as to provide a strong legal guarantee for advancing the cause of strengthening the military, which is of great significance, said deputy Kang Xiaohui.

President Xi stressed that the whole military must pay close attention to and take down-to-earth actions in combat preparedness. Deputy Xiu Changzhi said that the regularization of the military power and the protection of rights and interests of soldiers are fundamentally aimed at forging intrepid troops that are capable of winning and boosting combat effectiveness.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the strong leadership of President Xi and the CMC, the military legislative system and mechanism have been constantly reformed and improved, batches of military laws and regulations which were in urgent need in the military reform and combat preparedness have been successively formulated, promulgated, revised and put into force. The Chinese system for law-based administration of military affairs has been increasingly perfected and well-developed.
The EU will not impose a ban on Russian oil and gas due to heavy dependence, Josep Borrell, head of EU diplomacy, told CNBC-TV18, news.am informs.

March 10, 2022, 14:02 Josep Borrell says EU will not impose a ban on Russian oil and gas

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 10, ARTSAKHPRESS: He explained that Russian oil imports are a small part for the US and the country hardly needs it, but this is not the case for the EU as Russia is a major energy supplier.

According to him, the EU expresses its dissatisfaction with Russia by imposing sanctions on its financial sector, freezing its assets and reserves, but not yet considering a ban on Russian energy.

Borrell said Russia could retaliate by cutting off oil supplies, but they would have to take the chance. According to him, that the EU is working to drastically reduce imports of Russian gas and by the end of the year.

He reiterated that NATO would not intervene unless a member country was attacked.

NATO has already stated that it will protect every inch of NATO territory, but will not interfere directly, send troops into Ukraine, because Ukraine is not a member of NATO, Borrell explained.
Russia has bombed a childrens and maternity hospital in a condemned attack, burying patients under rubble and injuring women in labour, Ukraine said.

The air strike targeted the Ukranian port city of Mariupol on Wednesday despite Russia agreeing to a ceasefire to enable thousands of civilians trapped in the city and other besieged areas to escape through a humanitarian corridor.

The city council said the hospital had been hit several times by an air strike, causing "colossal" destruction and injuring 17 people, including women in labour.

Medical worker walks through the ruins of Mariupol's maternity hospital after the Russian attack. Source: AAP

The United Nations human rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine was verifying the number of casualties, a UN spokesperson in Geneva said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the attack an "atrocity".

"Mariupol. Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital," he Tweeted alongside footage of the destruction.

A terrifying photo from #Mariupol, #Ukraine. A pregnant woman is being evacuated after the Russian airstrike at the maternity hospital. pic.twitter.com/pQ2uQGfMHp  Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) March 9, 2022

"People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror?

"Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity."

Video of the hospital, initially posted by the Ukrainian foreign ministry, shows gaping holes in walls and smashed windows, and huge piles of rubble inside and outside the three-storey building, some of it smouldering.

Mariupol has been under seige for more than a week. Dead bodies are placed in a mass grave on the city's outskirts. Source: AAP

Beds for children and other necessities can be seen covered in glass.

Photos and footage on social media show heavily pregnant women fleeing the hospital as debris floats in the air.

Story continues

"Seeing the pregnant woman walking out of the destroyed building of the maternity ward in Mariupol makes my blood run cold, a Ukrainian woman wrote, urging for a safe passage for civilians.

"Hard to imagine how many children have been killed as a result of Russian air strike on the childrens hospital today."

Seeing the pregnant woman walking out of the destroyed building of the maternity ward in #Mariupol makes my blood run cold.

Hard to imagine how many children have been killed as a result of Russian air strike on the childrens hospital today.@ICRC @UN #SafePassageForCivilians pic.twitter.com/WKNwzE3vwW  Olena Ivantsiv (@OlenaIvantsiv) March 9, 2022

Additional video clips posted by residents captured mass destruction at a university in Mariupol, which has been under siege for more than a week.

Smoke can be seen flowing from the tops of several buildings.

"Mariupol, the local technical university building. The city of my years as a student. This is Europe, the year is 2022," one man posted alongside footage of the facility missing a huge chunk of its roof and all windows.

Mariupol destroyed: 'Apocalyptic'

On Tuesday, the Red Cross called conditions inside the city "apocalyptic", with residents sheltering underground from relentless bombardment, with no access to food, water, power or heat.

Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia had broken the ceasefire around the southern port, which lies between Russian-backed separatist areas of eastern Ukraine and Crimea, annexed by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014.

Mariupol. Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity. pic.twitter.com/FoaNdbKH5k    (@ZelenskyyUa) March 9, 2022

"Russia continues holding hostage over 400,000 people in Mariupol, blocks humanitarian aid and evacuation. Indiscriminate shelling continues," he wrote on Twitter.

"Almost 3,000 newborn babies lack medicine and food."

Ukraine said 67 children across the country had been killed since the invasion and at least 1,170 civilians had died in Mariupol.

Russia's defence ministry blamed Ukraine for the failure of the evacuation.

Local officials said some civilians had left several Ukranian cities through safe corridors, including out of Sumy in the east and Enerhodar in the south, but that Russian forces were preventing buses from evacuating civilians from Bucha, a town outside the capital Kyiv.

With Reuters

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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COVID-19 is still present in Cayuga County, but the metrics pale in comparison to where they were two months ago.

The county's average seven-day COVID positivity rate is 4.45%, down 1.52% since last week. At the peak of the winter surge, the positivity rate was well over 20%.

The seven-day case rate is 100.55 per 100,000 people, a 20.62% decrease in one week. When cases spiked over the winter, the rate topped 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously used the case rate to determine the level of transmission on a county-by-county basis. A county was considered a high transmission area if it had 100 or more cases per 100,000 people or if the positivity rate was above 10%.

Federal health officials recently changed course and how uses a more comprehensive metric, community level, to determine how prevalent COVID is in an area. Instead of relying solely on case numbers, community level includes how many hospital beds are used in an area and COVID-related admissions.

The Cayuga County Health Department no longer releases new daily case totals, but the CDC reports that there were 77 cases in the last seven days.

As COVID cases decline, the vaccination rate hasn't changed much from week to week. According to the CDC, 58.8% of Cayuga County's total population is fully vaccinated. Among those eligible for the shots (individuals ages 5 and older), the rate is 61.9%.

Despite the apparent lack of interest among those who aren't vaccinated, the Cayuga County Health Department continues to hold vaccination clinics. The next clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Port Byron Central School District.

First, second and booster doses of the Moderna vaccine will be available. The department will also offer Pfizer shots, including pediatric doses for children ages 5-11.

Appointments can be made online at cayugacounty.us/health.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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A central New York convenience store clerk is accused of stealing more than 2,300 New York Lottery scratch-off tickets over a seven-month period.

The New York State Police, with assistance from the state Gaming Commission, launched an investigation into the stolen lottery tickets. The tickets were stolen between June 2021 and January 2022 from Byrne Dairy in Phoenix, Oswego County, according to police.

The investigation led to the arrest of Carrie J. Lisi, 45, of Fulton. Lisi is a former Byrne Dairy employee who allegedly stole 2,319 tickets valued at $64,818.

Lisi has been charged with second-degree grand larceny, a class C felony. She was arraigned in Oswego City Court and released on her own recognizance.

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The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed two bills to provide $1.5 trillion in domestic and defense spending  including nearly $9 million to fund 10 projects in four central New York counties.

U.S. Rep. John Katko secured the funding through the new earmark process for members of Congress. Two entities  Oswego County and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Syracuse  will each receive $3 million. Catholic Charities will use the funding to build an 80-bed homeless shelter, while Oswego County will invest in upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility in the village of Phoenix.

Onondaga County will get $1 million for an emergency operations center. The city of Syracuse will receive $140,000 to buy body-worn cameras for 14 police sergeants.

Cayuga County will benefit from three of the projects. Katko, R-Camillus, said there is $500,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a Great Lakes resiliency study. The study would include the lake's shoreline along the northern tip of the county.

The village of Aurora will receive $160,000 to replace intake pipes and pumps at the Wells College water plant, and Cayuga County was awarded $75,000 for an emergency operations center.

The other entities receiving a share of Katko's earmarks include $260,000 for Loretto Health and Rehabilitation Center to implement an electronic medical record system, $250,000 for Oswego County to establish a pilot program for children and families affected by the opioid epidemic, and $180,000 for Newark-Wayne Hospital to buy defibrillators.

"This funding bill represents a monumental step forward for our region," Katko said in a statement. "I am proud to have secured nearly $9 million in funding for transformational projects that will help improve the quality of life throughout central New York."

Katko also noted that the bill includes "substantive measures" to help Ukraine  there is $13.6 billion in aid for the country to respond to Russia's invasion  and increase domestic cybersecurity. The legislation reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act, which Katko has advocated for over the years.

The House voted on two bills to authorize the spending. The domestic portion of the bill passed by a 260-171 vote, while the defense appropriations were approved by a 361-69 vote. Katko voted for both bills.

The Senate must vote on the measures before they head to President Joe Biden's desk.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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A low-cost carrier founded by David Neeleman, who also founded JetBlue and three other airlines, is coming to Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

Beginning June 10, Breeze Airways will offer year-round, twice-weekly nonstop service between Syracuse and two cities  Charleston, South Carolina, and Las Vegas. The airline will use AirBus A220 planes with between 120 and 140 seats.

"I know both Las Vegas and Charleston will be huge hits with travelers from the Syracuse area," Neeleman said. "Come fly with us and we'll keep adding more flights and more cities."

Prior to the announcement on Tuesday, Neeleman met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who represents New York. Schumer urged Neeleman to bring Breeze Airways service to Syracuse.

Neeleman and Schumer aren't strangers to each other. When Neeleman led JetBlue, he visited Syracuse with Schumer to announce the carrier was coming to the airport.

"This tremendous new air service will help Syracuse's economy reach new heights and as prospects of central New York's cutting-edge tech industry soar this additional service will help accelerate the region's pandemic recovery," Schumer said.

Breeze Airways is the latest low-cost carrier to offer service at Syracuse airport. After a years-long effort to attract Southwest Airlines to the airport, the airline announced last year that it would provide service between Syracuse and Baltimore-Washington International Airport and weekly flights to Orlando. Southwest has since added seasonal nonstop service to Tampa.

With the addition of Breeze Airways, the Syracuse airport now offers 29 nonstop destinations to travelers.

"Nonstop service from Syracuse to Charleston connects our travelers to one of the top vacation destinations in the country, while nonstop service from Syracuse to Las Vegas expands our destination map the farthest west it has gone in decades," said Jason Terreri, executive director of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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WASHINGTON  Todd J. Aldinger, the Buffalo lawyer who rocketed to prominence with a series of lawsuits against COVID-19 mandates, withdrew on Tuesday from a potential primary challenge to Rep. Chris Jacobs in New York's newly redrawn 24th congressional district.

"I needed much more support than I have received to stay and fight in New York," Aldinger said on Twitter. "I will not be running for Congress."

Aldinger then endorsed Andrew McCarthy, a conservative candidate and Air Force veteran who lives in Niagara Falls, in the race against Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican.

The move came only five weeks after Aldinger told The Buffalo News that he would run for Congress, saying: "My plan is to run and win."

But by Tuesday, Aldinger had a much different plan.

Anti-mandate attorney says he will challenge Jacobs in primary Todd J. Aldinger, most recently associated with litigation against Erie County mask mandates considered but never filed by the Village of Williamsville, said he looks to face Rep. Chris Jacobs in the Republican primary.

"I will no longer be around to take your legal cases," he said in his tweet. "I will be looking to move out of state ASAP. Thanks to everyone who supported me. But now is not the right time for me."

Aldinger did not return a phone message from The Buffalo News earlier in the day, in which The News intended to ask him to confirm that he was leaving the race and endorsing McCarthy.

The move leaves three potential challengers to Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican first elected to Congress in 2020: McCarthy; Mario Fratto, a 37-year-old lawyer and small business owner from Geneva; and John Murtari, 65, a Wayne County Air Force veteran.

Aldinger said on Twitter that he was endorsing McCarthy "fully, completely, and without any reservations."

McCarthy was happy to have Aldinger's support. Calling Aldinger "a great man and competitor," McCarthy said on Twitter: "We will unify the America First voice of our people and region. Localism, not globalism, will prevail."

Aldinger never officially filed as a congressional candidate with the Federal Election Commission  an omission that left some political pros wondering if he was ever a serious candidate.

His withdrawal came nine days after The Buffalo News reported that nearly two years before winning fame in a series of lawsuits against local vaccine and mask mandates, Aldinger tweeted grave concerns about the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic. Aldinger deleted those tweets, which The Buffalo News found on the Wayback Machine internet archive.

Republican congressional candidate  and anti-mandate attorney  was once in favor of Covid shutdowns "We need leaders to be able to take positions and then not get locked into them," Todd Aldinger said in explaining why he changed his tune.

Asked to explain his change of heart on Covid-19, Aldinger said in that story: "We need leaders to be able to take positions and then not get locked into them. And you need to be able to be flexible, and I think that that is what I've demonstrated during this pandemic."

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Tesla has been offering help to Ukraine in many ways since the beginning of the current crisis.

EV major Tesla has expanded its free supercharging service in Poland and Slovakia amidst the ongoing Ukraine crisis, which prompted a mass exodus in the conflict region. This is how Tesla is trying to help Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion of the country. Teslarati reports that the electric automaker has sent out a message to its customers in the area, stating that supercharging will be free across all stations in Poland and Slovakia.

(Also Read: Tesla hikes prices for Model 3 and Model Y electric cars in US, China)

A screenshot of a message sent by Tesla has been shared on Reddit. The message says that free supercharging will be available in areas impacted by the recent situation in Ukraine. Tesla currently operates nine supercharging stations in Poland, with three more opening soon. The EV company currently has four supercharging stations in Slovakia, and another is planned to be set up in the near future.

The automaker has been integral in helping Ukraine since Russia invaded the Eastern European country by offering free supercharging in areas surrounding Ukraine. The service is not only available for Tesla owners, but for all other electric vehicles as well, in order to help Ukrainians to flee the war-torn region more easily. Tesla's charity is helping the electric vehicle owners in the region to aid people in need.

This is not the first time Tesla has offered free supercharging to EV owners in a time of disaster. In the US, the electric vehicle major made free service available in certain supercharging stations when hurricanes were forecasted to hit. In addition, Tesla also temporarily unlocked additional electric range in some of its vehicles to help the owners get as far away from the situation as possible without having to stop to recharge.

With petrol and diesel becoming more pricier and scarce in the conflict region, electric vehicle owners are benefitting from not depending on fossil fuel. Tesla's offering of free supercharging comes as an additional help to them.

First Published Date:
Tesla currently doesn't have superchargers in Ukraine, but it's making sure EV owners could use the supercharging stations in neighbouring countries.

Tesla has started sending Powerwalls to Ukraine in an attempt to help the electric vehicle manufacturers in the country. This comes as part of the carmaker's strategy to assist the war-torn country. Apart from sending Powerwalls to Ukraine, Tesla has also announced the expansion of its free supercharging service in neighbouring countries. Also, the company has announced to give up to three months of pay to the Ukrainian employees going back to fight. Tesla plans to reevaluate the situation after three months.

(Also Read: Tesla Model Y deliveries from Giga Berlin to start on March 22)

This is not the first time, Tesla tried to help EV owners during a crisis. Previously as well, Tesla offered free supercharging to owners on several occasions during hurricanes in the south of the US.

Last month, Tesla made some of its supercharger stations free to avail in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary free for all the electric vehicle owners in order to assist them in escaping the conflict. This week, Tesla has decided to expand the free charging program to all supercharger stations in Poland and Slovakia. The carmaker is also planning to open new supercharger stations in these countries, which would be helpful for the electric vehicle owners in the region.

Tesla currently doesn't have superchargers in Ukraine, but many electric car owners and Tesla owners as well could use the supercharging stations in neighbouring countries to take refuge in other European countries. The automaker doesnt officially operate and sell cars in Ukraine currently. However, it is believed that there are more than 5,000 Tesla vehicles in Ukraine who imported their cars themselves.

First Published Date:
BEIJING, March 10 -- Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) slammed Australian Defense Ministrys negative remarks over China on Thursday when answering reporter's questions.

Reporter: It is reported that recently Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton claimed that Australia will do "whatever we can" to deter China from "acts of aggression", when asked about the prospect of arming Taiwan in a interview. Previously, as for the so-called incident of "laser irradiation" by Chinese warships, Mr Dutton said that Australia must expose China's bullying behavior. The Australian Defense Ministry has also issued several statements excusing for Australian military aircrafts close-in reconnaissance on Chinese naval vessels. What's your comment?

Tan Kefei: We've noticed the relevant reports. Australian defense chief's remarks grossly interfered in China's internal affairs and wantonly distorted China's actions to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, which fully exposed his Cold War mentality and ideological bias and seriously damaged relations between the two countries and their militaries. China is strong discontent with and firmly opposed to it.

The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China which brooks no outside interference, and Australia has no business making irresponsible remarks. No one and no force can stop the historical trend that China will solve the Taiwan question and realize a complete national reunification. Anyone who makes troubles on the Taiwan question will suffer the worst consequences in the end. The Chinese people's Liberation Army is always in full readiness to thwart resolutely any interference from external forces and any "Taiwan independence" plot by separatist forces.

China has previously made detailed and conclusive clarification with regard to the encounter between Chinese naval vessels and Australian military aircraft. Here, I would like to reiterate that in the whole process of meeting with Australian military aircraft, the Chinese naval ships maintained safe, standardized and professional operation in line with relevant international law and international practice. It is evident in the video taken by the Chinese naval ship that the Australian military aircraft was conducting close-in reconnaissance on Chinese naval vessels. The Australian military aircrafts conduct was malicious in intention and unprofessional in operation, and posed threats to the safety of ships, aircraft and personnel of both sides. Instead of reflecting on itself, the Australian side repeatedly spread disinformation, made false accusations against China and advocated confrontation constantly, which is actually the "troublemaker" to the regional peace and stability.

Video taken by the Chinese naval ship shows Australia's P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft conducts monitoring and nuisance on this PLA naval vessel on February 17, 2022.

These days have seen some senior Australian military and political officials making negative remarks on China out of their political self-interests, preaching the so-called 'Chinese military expansion', hyping up confrontation with China in the South China Sea, and barnstorming alliance against China. We have noticed that there are many insightful people in Australia who criticized these erroneous remarks. We urge certain senior Australian military and political officials to stop exaggerating and hyping the 'China threat', instead, deal with Taiwan-related issues carefully, do more to enhance mutual trust between the two sides, and never be impenitently doing wrong things.
NEW YORKCockyBoys today releases episode three of its big-budget four-part limited series Game On exclusively at CockyBoys.com.

Starring Avery Jones and Dallas Preston, the new episode finds "trouble in paradise as more machinations put the fate of the late video game mogul Marcus Muskburg's (Matthew Cooper) company in doubt," according to a company synopsis. "One of his partners bows out while a secret entity seems to be plotting a takeover and Marcus' widower Houston Moore (Dallas Preston) has plans too as he carries on a clandestine affair with Avery Jones. Dallas and Avery escape from all the intrigue back at the hotel room for a romantic rendezvous."

Commented director and CockyBoys owner Jake Jaxson, "Dallas and Avery gave exceptional performances with both their acting and their sexual encounter. Their chemistry together makes the scene incredible, they deliver a perfect penultimate episode of Game On."



Stay tuned for the finale of Game On later this month on CockyBoys.com.
Northern Arizona University President Jose Luis Cruz Rivera testified at the House Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee last week, speaking on the benefits of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) and providing policy recommendations.

Recent studies have shown that addressing educational inequities head on can bring significant value to both individuals and society at large, he said at the event. ...Additional support for HSIs can pave the way for less inequality, more economic mobility and broader economic prosperity in America.

HSIs are institutions that have at least a 25% full-time enrollment of Hispanic undergraduate students. There are 569 nationwide (14 in Arizona), with another 352 listed as emerging HSIs." NAU was designated an HSI in 2021, though its Yuma campus has been a HSI since 2007.

According to Cruz Riveras testimony, HSIs represent 15% of U.S. institutions and enroll 65% of Hispanic students in higher education.

He recommended a handful of policy changes in his testimony: to align financial aid with student needs; increase investments in Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs); incentivize evidence-based practices; and improve infrastructure at HSIs as well as to invest in P-12 teachers and data transparency.

The policy changes are urgently needed, Cruz Rivera said, as 28 of every 100 white kindergartners in Arizona are expected to obtain a bachelors degree within six years of graduating high school -- a total that is lower for Black (15) and Hispanic (12) kindergartners. He also cited that students from high-income families are five times as likely to have a bachelors degree by age 24 than those from low-income families.

It is because of the profound effect post-secondary educational attainment has on the ability of working families to succeed, the competitiveness of our economy, and the future prosperity and security of our country that the delivery of equitable post-secondary value is among the most important challenges that higher education institutions -- and our nation -- currently face, he said.

The written version of Cruz Riveras testimony gives more details on how recommended changes could be achieved.

The first recommendation was to double the maximum Pell Grant amount and ensure that DACA students are also eligible for other kinds of financial aid.

More generally, he called for increased investments in MSIs, with the hope of achieving funding equity for students at these institutions. Investments in evidence-based programs focused on student success, workforce development and industry partnership programs would help under-resourced institutions to serve their students better, he said.

Cruz Rivera recommended infrastructure investments in three categories: physical, virtual and research. MSIs tend to have fewer investments -- he cited an analysis by The Education Trust that found that $2.6 billion was spent on infrastructure at HSIs, compared to $28 billion at non-MSIs. Investments proposed in the Build Back Better Act ($3 billion for infrastructure and research capacity and $975 million for National Science Foundation awards) could dramatically alter the quality and safety of MSIs, according to the written testimony.

The College Transparency Act, which would provide more complete, comprehensive data on all students, pathways and outcomes; illuminate performance and impact of HSIs, was a large part of the final recommendation. It also included investments in P-12 teachers, such as the Teacher Diversity and Retention Act and the EDUCATORS for America Act, which various fund teacher-training grant programs at MSIs.

NAU is well-positioned to contribute educational attainment efforts in Arizona through its investments in programs designed to address a variety of issues, Cruz Rivera said. The list includes increased completion rates, a greater diversity and number of students in higher education and improved post-college outcomes for graduates.

"Together we can make equitable post-secondary value an accessible and achievable outcome and propel more low-income, first-generation students and students of color to the middle class and beyond," he said.

A recording of the hearing and links to written testimonies, including Cruz Riveras, is available through the Education and Labor Committee's website.

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(CGTN) The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Washington must explain to the international community the purpose of U.S.-funded military biological laboratories in Ukraine.





"We remember for how many years and with what bloody results the U.S. searched for various types of chemical, biological, bacteriological weapons and so on all over the world, actually occupying lands and killing people," the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a briefing.

She said that Kyiv has recently begun erasing traces of these biological programs. "We received documentation from Ukrainian employees at the biological laboratories on the urgent destruction of especially dangerous pathogens, plague, anthrax, cholera and other deadly diseases on February 24," Zakharova said.

On the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that this issue is of great importance and the whole world would like to know the purpose of these labs.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov announced on Sunday that evidence of a U.S.-financed military biological program developed in Ukraine has been revealed during Russia's special operation in Ukraine.

U.S. calls Ukraine bio-lab info 'false, absurd'

The Pentagon described the information presented by the Russian Defense Ministry regarding the presence of military bio-lab programs in Ukraine as "false and absurd."

During a briefing in Washington on Wednesday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby claimed that "this absurd Russian misinformation is patently false."

U.S. overseas bio-labs concerns

The U.S. Department of Defense has operated 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries across the world. According to the public data released by the U.S., it has 26 biological laboratories in Ukraine so far, over which the Pentagon has absolute control.

Some of the places where the labs are based have seen large-scale outbreaks of measles and other dangerous infectious diseases, triggering international concerns about the safety of U.S. overseas laboratories.
Global TimesIt can be anticipated that the US and some of its Western allies would not stop fabricating rumors and smears toward northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as China welcomes United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.





Bachelet said on Tuesday that she will visit China, including a trip to Xinjiang, after reaching an agreement with Beijing.

China's policy on Xinjiang has constantly been open and aboveboard. And China has always welcomed the international community to visit Xinjiang without any prejudice. Since the end of 2018, more than 1,200 people from over 100 countries and regions, including officials from international organizations, diplomats, journalists and religious leaders, have visited Xinjiang. Bachelet is not the first, and will definitely not be the last senior politician from overseas to visit this region.

China's permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva Chen Xu said on Tuesday that China expects Bachelet and her office to "respect the sovereignty of all countries as well as the rights and development path independently chosen by countries in light of their national conditions." On Xinjiang-related issues, China clearly takes the moral high ground. It is also looking forward to dialogue, cooperation, and other constructive measures.

But Western politicians have continued to pile pressure on China over the Xinjiang issue. For example, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said when addressing at the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council on March 1, "In China, the government continues to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang against predominantly Muslim Uygurs and other minority groups." It is a typical lie for the US to groundlessly distort China's efforts to secure public order for the region and improve livelihood for ethnic minorities as a kind of human rights abuse.

Xinjiang-related issues are China's internal affairs. Some Western countries are accustomed to exploiting human rights as a political instrument to crack down on China. In the past five years, Xinjiang has been free from violent terrorist incidents. And the greatest extent of basic human rights of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have also been guaranteed. The practice of smearing China over the Xinjiang issue by the US and some Western countries is doomed to fail. This can only deceive those who have never been to China.

"Washington's smear over Xinjiang is political warfare. As the US has labeled China as its main rival, it intends to play the Xinjiang issue as a card to contain and suppress China. This has been Washington's old and consistent trick." Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Even if there are no Xinjiang-related issues, the US and some Western countries will fabricate other rumors to constantly smear China. In essence, these countries use human rights as a pretext to interfere in other countries' internal affairs out of geopolitical purposes. They are seeking hegemony in the name of human rights.

"China needs to firmly adhere to its Xinjiang policy. Whatever the US and some Western countries say cannot prevent China from developing. Furthermore, China should wage a counteroffensive to sharply condemn and refute their groundless criticism, and insist on remaining open toward upright people from the international community, in a bid to gain understanding from the majority of countries and people," Xu Liang, associate professor at the School of International Relations, Beijing International Studies University, told the Global Times.
Another packed week of events in and around Billings is underway. Here are some highlights.

'The Batman' at Babcock Theatre

Robert Pattinson stars in Matt Reeves' gritty take on the Caped Crusader. Showtimes throughout the weekend, check arthousebillings.com for more information and exact times.

Chris Warren at Carbon County Museum

Local author Chris Warren will discuss his book "Earnest Hemingway in the Yellowstone High Country" at the Carbon County Museum at 224 N. Broadway Ave. in Red Lodge at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 11. He'll talk about the book, his process, and Red Lodge's role in Hemingway's work. Free and open to the public.

'The Crucible' at Moss Mansion

The Moss Mansion will be turned into colonial-era Massachusetts for this staging of Arthur Miller's classic play about the Salem Witch Trials. Performances on Friday, March 11 and Saturday March 12, both from 7-9:30 p.m. Presented by Backyard Theatre. Tickets are $20 and available at ticketsource.us/Backyardtheatre.

All Student Art Show at Ryniker-Morrison Gallery

Rocky Mountain College's on-site art gallery will introduce its annual All Student Art Show on Friday, March 11 from 5-7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Exhibition is on display until April 14. The gallery is the in the Technology Building on Rocky Mountain College's campus.

'La Fee Verte' performance at NOVA

This play revolves around a struggling poet and his brother, a priest with a secret,. Performances at the NOVA Center for the Performing Arts are March 11-13. Friday and Saturday viewings start at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit novabillings.org.

Adam Rutt and the Electric Outlaws at the Garage

Catch some rock and roll from the excellently named Adam Rutt and the Electric Outlaws at Thirsty Street at the Garage on Saturday, March 12. Support from Becky Clark. Taproom opens at 5 p.m., with doors at 7 p.m. and show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 day of show, and are available at thirstystreet.com/tix.

May the Score Be With You: The Music of John Williams Alberta Bair Theater

The Billings Symphony presents this show celebrating the legendary composer John Williams, whose 50-year career includes "Jaws," "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones" and the "Harry Potter" series. Performances are Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $18-$63, plus fees, and are available at albertabairtheater.org.

'Cyrano' at Art House Cinema and Pub

Joe Wright ("Atonement," "Darkest Hour") directed this latest adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 19th century play "Cyrano de Bergerac." Starring Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr., and nominated for Best Costume Design at the Oscars. Showtimes throughout the week, check arthousebillings.com for more information and exact times.

Amateur radio license class at United Way

Achieve an Amateur Radio License with help from this class. With a license, one can operate a ham radio and communicate with people all over the world. The class will be at the United Way of Yellowstone County at 2173 Overland Ave., from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 12. Class is free, FCC Exam fee is $15.

News literary workshop for teens at Billings Public Library

Library Director Gavin Woltijer will lead a discussion about media's effect on our daily lives and how to spot trustworthy information. Open to all 6th-12th graders, free of charge, with free pizza. Program will be in the Library Tech Lab on Tuesday, March 15, from 4-5 p.m. Registration encouraged, but walk-ins welcome, visit billingslibrary.org for more.

National Geographic Live: Untamed with Filipe DeAndrade at Alberta Bair Theater

The star of Nat Geo's digital series "Untamed" will talk about finding your passion in life and living with intent. And he'll bring plenty of animals along to help tell the story. Show is Friday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17 for students and $37 for everyone else, plus fees, and available at albertabairtheater.org.

Owl Prowl at Montana Audubon Center

This family event will start with an overview of the owls that live in the area, and features a hike to look and listen for them. Bring a mask and boots. Meet at the Audubon Center at 7026 South Billings Blvd. on Friday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $5 for members, $10 for non-members and free for children under 12. Pre-register at eventbrite.com.

And more live music

Billings musician Tim Nordstrom plays Craft Local on Friday, March 11. Music starts at 7 p.m. No cover, all ages welcome.

The 7th Avenue Band is returning to the Elks Lodge on Saturday, March 12 from 7-11 p.m.

Billings country band Cimarron will play live dance music for the Fireman's Ball at the Roundup Community Center at 700 Third St. W. in Roundup on Saturday, March 12 from 9 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Counting Coup bring their soulful twang to Craft Local on Saturday, March 12 from 9-11 p.m. No cover, all ages welcome.

Irish swagger band McShane Anthem bring the St. Paddy's spirit to Craft Local on Thursday, March 17. No cover for this all ages show.

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The two companies seeking to take over private management at MetraPark spent Wednesday morning touring the facilities and seeing the grounds.

At one point, they even stopped and curiously looked over the new Motor Vehicles Department satellite office that Yellowstone County opened last month.

"That's interesting," said Rick Hontz, a representative with Oak View Group, a venue management and event programming company based in Los Angeles.

OVG, along with ASM Global, have both expressed interest in taking over operations at Metra. ASM, an international events and venue management company also based in L.A., came to Billings earlier this week to meet with community members and get a feel for the town.

Katherine Krohn, vice president of business development at ASM, is comfortable with multipurpose event venues like MetraPark that include fairs, trade shows, concerts and agricultural events. She explained that 99% of ASM's contracts are with public facilities like MetraPark.

"This is our sweet spot," she said.

Metra is familiar to OVG. The company visited Billings in January and met with a handful of Metra users. Last year, OVG signed a five-year contract with the county to book shows for MetraPark.

Both the contract and OVG's familiarity with Metra and Yellowstone County has been a source of friction among the county's three commissioners. Commissioner John Ostlund has said he believes the county ended up with a raw deal after the contract was negotiated with OVG  something for which he's partly to blame, he added.

In public meetings with commissioners, some community members have expressed concern with the county's exploration of privatizing management, believing OVG's involvement has given the proceedings an air of favoritism.

To help, the three commissioners voted last month to use Venue Solutions Group as an independent third party to evaluate the qualification and information packets ASM Group and OVG will submit to the county later this month.

Commissioners also agreed to have Venue Solutions Group help negotiate a contract should the county decide to privatize management at Metra.

The debate over the process of exploring privatization  and on the question of privatization itself  has been contentious and fraught with strong emotion.

Frustrations over the process of seeking information on switching management at MetraPark to a private company have chafed the three commissioners since the summer and erupted into the public conversation in November.

Commissioner Don Jones placed the issue on the agenda of an early November commissioners meeting, catching many in the community by surprise. Jones was seeking to go out to bid with management companies as a way to explore whether it would be a good fit for MetraPark.

Eventually, that was rolled back into a formal request for qualifications and information, which is what ASM and OVG are currently putting together.

Ostlund has argued since November that the county should seek out a third party first, one with no financial stake in how Metra is managed, to evaluate the pros and cons of both public and private management of the facility before moving forward.

Jones and Commissioner Denis Pitman have repeatedly shot down the idea, arguing that all that information can be learned through the request for qualifications and information process. Their compromise was to allow Venue Solutions Group to evaluate the proposals from OVG and ASM.

Adding to the discussion are the findings of an organizational review of MetraPark, performed by Tennessee-based Venue Solutions Group and released last month, which found several areas in which MetraPark could make improvements.

Among other things, the report dinged Metra for lack of preventive maintenance and having no clearly defined and written policies and procedures.

During their tour Wednesday morning, Krohn and Hontz spent an hour in the First Interstate Arena, touring everything from the sky boxes above arena to the kitchen, green room and utility closets on the ground floor.

From there they walked through the Expo Center and the Montana Pavilion. Questions ranged from what system provided the Metra's point-of-sales software and equipment to liquor sales agreements, concessions and regular events.

At one point, Hontz asked about the advertising within Metra, wanting to know how much companies paid to have their logos displayed, the length of the agreements and if there was a dedicated staff member in charge of it.

"The guy that just resigned," replied assistant general manager Cody Reitz, referring to Ray Massie, Metra's previous marketing and sales director.

Massie announced his resignation last week to take a state fair job this summer in the Midwest. Part of Massie's explanation for leaving was the county's decision to explore privatizing management.

As the tour wrapped up, both Krohn and Hontz thanked the Metra staff made their way out of the arena. Their request for information and qualifications packages are due to the county by the end of the business day March 21.

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LGBTQ people often have to rely on word-of-mouth to find safe and affirming care, said Mallory Pollock, chair of Casper Pride. You might ask a friend of a friend who their doctor or therapist is, for example.

But a lot of LGBTQ people in Wyoming dont have that kind of social circle to lean on, Pollock said. Thats why Casper Pride put together the Casper Pride Guide, a growing list of LGBTQ-friendly health care providers and local resources that launched in January.

Its kind of a coming out story for the underground network that the queer community has, Pollock said.

The guide, available on casperprideguide.com, was made possible by a federal grant through the Casper-Natrona County Health Department.

LGBTQ individuals tend to receive less frequent and lower quality medical care compared to the rest of the population. In Casper Prides 2019 survey of LGBTQ people in Natrona County, only about 20% of respondents reported getting the health care they need.

Discrimination and stigma often discourage them from seeking care in the first place. Even if they do, the service might not be good quality. Even well-meaning providers usually arent trained to help LGBTQ people, and struggle to stay in tune with their needs.

For that reason, part of the guide is dedicated to identifying trusted practitioners in Wyoming. The site also has support groups, fact sheets and tool kits, and a calendar of upcoming social events.

Theres also pages for more targeted health services, like substance abuse and suicide support. Casper Pride looked to its 2019 survey for help putting those together, Pollock said.

The survey polled LGBTQ community members about what kinds of resources they needed most. Suicide prevention was at the top of the list, according to Pollock. Calls for better mental health care, more resources for LGBTQ youth and help for victims of bullying also stood out.

Theres plenty of room for the Casper Pride Guide to grow, Pollock said. She envisions additional pages for legal and youth services, and LGBTQ-friendly nonprofits and businesses.

The guides become a resource for health care providers, too  since the site launched, Casper Prides talked to several practitioners about how they can provide more informed, sensitive care to LGBTQ patients.

Organizations or businesses interested in being part of the guide can apply on the Casper Pride Guide website. Theres also a page to apply to the Trans Project, a grant program through Casper Pride that funds initiatives that support Natrona Countys transgender community.

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Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park will host its largest volunteer event of the year on April 9 as part of an early celebration of Earth Day later in the month.

The event includes repairing the parks damaged and winter-worn trails, as well as removing invasive weeds, to keep the parks trail system healthy and easy to use. The project will begin at the group use pavilion on April 9 at 9 a.m. and is expected to last until 12:30 p.m.

Volunteers should bring work gloves, sturdy shoes, drinking water and clothes for outdoor work. All trail work will be on foot. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring tools for moving dirt or removing weeds. Otherwise, tools will be provided. No trail maintenance experience is required.

After the event, park staff will host a smores social in the pavilion to thank volunteers. Volunteers will also receive two vouchers to redeem later for a free tour of the caverns. Visitors are welcome to bring mountain bikes or hiking poles to try out the newly revitalized trails.

Volunteers are encouraged but not required to RSVP for this event by contacting Molly Broughan at molly.broughan@mt.gov.

Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles southeast of Whitehall, along Montana Highway 2. For more information about the park, visit stateparks.mt.gov/lewis-and-clark-caverns or call 406-287-3541.
Puzzlelike pieces of evidence will come together to form a clear picture of the case against two men accused of murder in a shooting a year ago in Bismarck, prosecutors say, but defense attorneys maintain that picture isn't as sharp when other puzzle pieces are viewed.

Attorneys made opening statements Wednesday in the murder trial of Kevin Hartson, 30, and Devante Evans, 27. The Burleigh Morton Detention Center lists Hartson's city of residence as Bismarck and Evans' as Detroit. They are accused of killing Reonardo Alexis, 26, of Bismarck, and injuring another man at a Mapleton Avenue apartment the night of March 28, 2021.

A potential motive isn't clear, though police at the time said the alleged incident may have arisen over a drug transaction.

Both defendants are charged with murder, which carries a possible life sentence upon conviction. Evans also faces felony aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and firearms charges, plus a misdemeanor count of wearing a mask during the commission of a crime.

Hartson and Evans were arrested during a traffic stop in Douglas, Arizona, a few days after the shooting. Its unclear if they were planning to cross into Mexico.

Prosecutors say physical evidence, photographs and DNA will connect the defendants to Alexiss death. Police responding to 911 calls found a Timberland tag, cellphone, shell casing and Playboy bunny hat outside the Bismarck apartment. At the Mandan apartment the men left, police later found Timberland boots and a Playboy bunny tag, the type you get when you buy an item in a store and remove it before you wear it, Assistant Burleigh County State's Attorney Joshua Amundson said. DNA from the cap was a match for Hartson, the prosecutor said.

GPS technology will show the car the men borrowed in Mandan was driven to the Bismarck apartment, stayed there for a short time, and left about the time 911 calls were made, the prosecutor said.

Police also found drugs, drug paraphernalia and cash in the apartment, according to Amundson. The men who were killed and injured arent saints, but Reonardo Alexis did not deserve to get shot, and Valentin Hidalgo Rojas did not deserve to have his hand injured, Amundson said.

He did not offer a potential motive.

The truth of the case, Evans attorney Dean Gregory said, is about unexplained evidence, evidence tampering and police tunnel vision. Police when they found the owner of the hat and the cellphone determined Weve got our shooters. Case closed, Gregory said. No other possible scenario was investigated. None.

Neither Hartsons nor Evans DNA was found on the two shell casings inside the apartment, but Rojas' was, Gregory said. Alexis bought a weapon in the days before the shooting, and another person took evidence from the apartment after the incident, Gregory said, adding that those were puzzle pieces the state didnt tell you about.

Our position is what the state says happened is not what happened, Gregory said.

The question that matters most in the case is why, Hartsons attorney Jackson Lofgren said, adding, Thats the one theyre going to be least able to show to you."

The state knows Hartson didnt have a gun, didnt shoot a gun and didnt kill anyone, Lofgren said. The only way to rope Mr. Hartson into this crime of murder, he said, was to charge him with an offense that links him to a homicide that occurred during the commission of a robbery or felonious restraint.

Thats the foundation of this whole house of cards, Lofgren said.

Nine women and four men are on the jury. One of them will be an alternate. The trial started with jury selection Tuesday and is scheduled for nine days.

Reach Travis Svihovec at 701-250-8260 or Travis.Svihovec@bismarcktribune.com

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State officials have decided against wading into debate over whether the state of North Dakota owns the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge, a contention made by a local group that's seeking to save the structure from demolition.

The Friends of the Rail Bridge nonprofit believes state ownership of the bridge spanning the Missouri River would bolster its efforts to stop BNSF Railway from razing the aging structure to make way for a modern bridge. The preservation group in a statement this week said it is "shocked" that state officials don't want a say in the matter of ownership.

"If an agency head cannot turn to the attorney general for advice on legal issues regarding ownership of the bridge, then who?" said the statement provided by group President Mark Zimmerman.

State Historic Preservation Officer Bill Peterson told the Tribune earlier this month that there would be an attorney general's opinion on the ownership matter. He said this week that plan was shelved based on guidance from the attorney general's office.

Assistant Attorney General Carl Karpinski in a Tuesday email told Peterson and State Historical Society official Kim Jondahl that an opinion was not warranted "due to the fact that no state agency or other state entity is involved in the ownership dispute."

"The State Historical Society and Attorney Generals Office are aware of the situation and monitoring it as it develops," Karpinski wrote. "Once the ownership question is resolved, the State Historical Society will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the discussion between BNSF, FORB and the United States Coast Guard."

It was not a quick decision -- email correspondence obtained by the Tribune through a records request shows that Karpinski and Peterson discussed the matter over the course of a month. Karpinski in mid-Feburary told a fellow assistant attorney general that "At some point there is going to be a meeting where the state will have to weigh in on the ownership," though he also stated that BNSF "has the burden of proving ownership."

Friends of the Rail Bridge believes state ownership of the bridge means the structure could not be destroyed without approval from the State Historical Board. The board oversees the State Historical Society, which believes removal of the 139-year-old bridge would have "an adverse effect on a property that has considerable historic value," Peterson told the Tribune. The bridge was built in 1883, with the spans replaced in 1905.

FORB's claim of state ownership is based on legal principles including that the government owns and protects certain natural resources for public use, according to a memo it sent to the Coast Guard, which decides on projects proposed along that part of the Missouri River. The preservation group maintains North Dakota has held ownership of the bridge since statehood.

"If the North Dakota attorney general is not going to defend North Dakota's ownership of the riverbed of the Missouri River up to its ordinary high-water mark, then who?" the nonprofit said in its statement. "We will do the best we can with our limited budget and resources."

BNSF has questioned the timing of FORB's claim. The permitting process for a new bridge has been ongoing for years, and the Coast Guard is set to release a final environmental impact statement in April.

"Weve been in meetings with FORB and other groups for five years, and in those meetings weve discussed some very technical aspects and challenges with this project, and only now, theyre bringing up this ownership issue," railroad spokeswoman Amy McBeth said in a statement to the Tribune this week. "So it seems like one more last-ditch effort for them to delay through the process the construction of a railroad bridge that everybody agrees is needed.

"FORBs assertion has no factual merit," she continued. "What well provide to the Coast Guard based on our research will show conclusively that BNSF owns our bridge over the Missouri River at Bismarck and Mandan."

Zimmerman has said the group had no knowledge of the ownership question until it had an attorney willing to do the research.

The preservation group also has notified the Coast Guard that it wants to terminate an agreement it signed in January 2021 outlining the responsibilities of the Coast Guard, the railroad and the nonprofit. Part of FORB's duties included finding a public partner to assist with preservation efforts. It failed to do so by its deadline but was given permission by the Coast Guard to move ahead with its efforts without a partner.

A 2019 feasibility study conducted by North Dakota State University estimated the cost to turn the rail bridge into a foot bridge at just under $7 million. The preservation group has not said how much money it has raised.

"Early in the process, since late 2017, FORB reached out to private and public organizations about possible financial assistance for repurposing the bridge. The response most often heard was for FORB to obtain possession/ownership of the bridge and then come back to the potential financial partners for support," Zimmerman told the Tribune this week.

"I have personally been involved with many fundraising efforts over the years, and it is difficult to raise funds for a project that does not have definite ownership or a concrete plan," he said.

Reach Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or blake.nicholson@bismarcktribune.com.

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The amount of money from North Dakota's various educational trusts that is tied to Russia has fallen significantly over the past few weeks as state officials work to cut financial ties to that country.

Money the state collects through grazing and oil development on state-owned land is invested in numerous funds to benefit K-12 schools, colleges and other public institutions across North Dakota. Collections currently total $6 billion, $29 million of which was invested in Russian securities before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Since then, the state's investment in Russian securities has fallen to $4 million as investors across the world have rushed to pull their money from the country.

The Department of Trust Lands' director of investments, Michael Shackelford, has been speaking with managers of funds in which the state has invested money to encourage them to divest from "Russian exposure" and comply with government sanctions. He said "everyone is moving in the right direction" at varying paces.

"We have no ability to legally direct them to do anything, but we have made clear our view of what should happen," he told members of the Board of University and School Lands on Wednesday. "Quite frankly, the comments I got back were, 'You and everybody else.' So we are not alone."

The state is one of many investors in those funds.

Trading in Russian securities has seized up across the world, and it will be more difficult to continue to divest because nobody wants to buy, Shackelford said.

Several factors account for the drop in money the state trusts have tied to Russia, Shackelford said. Much of the decline can be attributed to money managers choosing to divest from the country before the invasion began, he said. Continued investments in Russia also are losing value.

Gov. Doug Burgum noted that the trusts are performing well in other areas. Overall, their value is down just $9 million in recent weeks despite the $25 million drop tied to Russian securities.

Burgum chairs the five-member land board, which oversees the Department of Trust Lands. They are not the only North Dakota entities with investments tied to Russia.

The 12-member State Investment Board last week voted to divest public money with Russian ties. At the time, the board had $10 million with "Russian entity exposure," a drop from nearly $16 million just days earlier due to money managers' divestments, investments' devalued worth and halted transaction activity. The state Retirement and Investment Office is expected to update the board later this month about its divestment from Russia.

(Reporter Jack Dura contributed to this story.)

Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com.

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The story begins on Halloween, almost exactly 20 years after the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. A new killeran internet sensation, as it turns outis on the loose, violently ridding Gotham City of its excesses. The Batman, now two years into his mission, must not only solve the mysteries behind the killings but end the killings themselves. He has a great ally in a youngish James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department and soon also forms an alliance with a jaded bartender and cat burglar, Selina Kyle, as he uncovers the relationship of the Penguin with crime lord Carmine Falcone. Throughout the story, the Batman serves as the ultimate detective, trying to hew some kind of moral and ethical line, especially difficult as his methods and attitude creepily resemble those of the Riddler. The entire story takes place between October 31 and November 6, giving it a Stranger Things feel.

So much for a broad overview. Now things get personal. As a Batman geek working on a book entitled Americas Darkest Knight, I wanted so badly to be enthralled by this movie. I wanted Gotham to sweep me up and immerse me in its wallowing corruption. I wanted every nook and cranny of the city to ooze with anxious anticipation. I wanted villains that cried out with unadulterated anguish, and my Batman dark, gritty, mythic, and obsessed with justice. But I also wanted a fully realized Batcave and Batmobile, a few Batarangs, a fatherly Alfred, and a virtuous Wayne family legacy.

That is, I wanted desperately to fall in love with Matt Reeves The Batman. Was I asking too much?

After two viewings, I must admit, Im only bemused by the spectacle of it all, wondering if those six hours (three per showing) will count against my already steep debt in purgatory.

There were things to love about the movie, Ill admit. The actingespecially by Robert Pattinson as the Batman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, and Colin Farrell as the Penguinwas superb. That by John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle, and Andy Serkis as Alfred, less so, sadly. Often, these latter three seemed stiff and merely going through the motions.

I also deeply appreciated that Reeves and the other creators took the comics very seriously, relying upon The Long Halloween, Year One, When in Rome, Hush, Gotham by Gaslight (the suit!), and No Mans Land as obvious inspirations.

Gotham, to be sure, feels like Gotham. Its not New York or Newark or Chicago. Its a metropolis all its own, complete with all the nuances of Gotham. For example, the film references specific areas of Gotham detailed in the comics and also ties together the Waynes and the Arkhams as old and leading families of the city.

But there were as many, if not more, head scratchers as there were accomplishments in the movie. Ill offer just seven.

First, at the films start, Bruce Wayne offers a voiceover that suits the film noir mood beautifully. Two years in, and Im a nocturnal animal  the Bat-Signal is not just a call, but a warning  Fear is a tool  I am the shadows  Im vengeance  The city is eating itself. Maybe beyond saving, but I have to try to push myself. It was chilling and excellent. The voiceover ends, however, minutes into the movie and doesnt return until the conclusion, and then only to state something about the Batman being about hope rather than about vengeance.

Second, about two-thirds into the film, Alfred simply disappears, his last scene capturing a quick reconciliation with Bruce over a bizarre matter, the camera lingering on the two holding hands.

Third, the theme music for the Riddler is Franz Schuberts Ave Maria. Seriously. Every time the psychopathic Riddler does something mischievous (and, truth be told, downright evil), the Ave Maria plays. Frankly, its diabolic. For some reason, the Batmans theme (at least at the beginning and end of the movie) is inexplicably Nirvanas Something in the Way.

Fourth, even though Gothams political, social, and economic structures are totally corrupt, the mayor elected in the movieBella Real (Jayme Lawson)suddenly demonstrates moxie, dedication, and downright bravado. It wouldve been far more appropriate to the themes of the story to have made her the mastermind manipulating all things behind the scenes, the devils devil, or, at the very least, to have her as a party to the overall corruption. As it is, she seems too good to be true, especially given the tone of the movie.

Fifth, Batmans relationship with the police and first responders is schizophrenic, to say the least. In some scenes, hes allowed access to a criminal investigations, working alongside the GCPD, but in others hes a wanted fugitive, fighting his way through hordes of cops. As a movie, The Batman never makes clear what the true relationship is between the Caped Crusader and the Gotham authorities, weakening the overall atmosphere and plot. Indeed, the Batmans relationship with the police changes so swiftly in the movie that youre tempted to throw your hands up in sheer frustration. Is today the day he works with the police? Or is today the day in which the police attack him as an interfering vigilante? James Gordon, thankfully, remains a firm ally throughout the movie at least.

Sixth, this Batman (unlike, say, that of Zach Snyder) disdains the use of guns and seems to have a no kill rule, which has been the norm for Batman since the early 1940s. However, given the stunning brutality of the Penguin/Batmobile chase, its clear that Reeves Batman is totally fine with innumerable highway deaths.

Seven, and this one is surely personal, I despised the fact that Thomas Wayne was made out to be less than utterly virtuous. Its been the fashion of the comics (and the novels) over the past decade to question Thomas motivations, but it has always struck me as essential to the character of Bruce Wayne that he live up to his fathers fine, aristocratic, and untarnished example.

There is some unfortunate dialogue regarding Waynes family as well. While not knowing that Bruce Wayne is the Batman, Selina Kyle, in a confessional moment in the movie, dismisses those murdered thus far (including Thomas Wayne from 20 years earlier) as white privileged aholes. Further, when the Batman makes a totally appropriate response about ethics, choice, and morality, Selina replies, Choices? Whoever you are, you had to grow up rich, implying the poor have no choice but to bend or break the law.

Again, there are things to love and appreciate about this version of The Batman, but they are far and few between, riddled with the strange things just listed. This version of Batman is, at best, a shadow of Christopher Nolans The Dark Knight. If you really need to fall in love with Batman, Nolans version is the best. But I would also recommend Bruce Timms Mask of the Phantasm or any of his animated Batman series, as well as the most recent DC Animated films, such as Under the Red Hood or The Long Halloween. There you will find captured the true spirit of the Caped Crusader.
For a billionaire, Donald Trump sure is cheap. First, he got a donor to loan him a private plane on Saturday to fly him from New Orleans to Mar-a-Lago in Florida. And when the plane lost an engine mid-flight shortly after takeoff and was forced to return him to Louisiana, he finagled another private freebie flight from a different donor, according to The Washington Post.

After that inconvenient experience, which delayed his return home  not to his own private mansion, but to his freebie rooms at Mar-a-Lago  he's got his eye on a shiny new "Trump Force One." But, of course, not one to part with his stagnant  if not dwindling  monies  he's now fundraising in hopes that his blind supporters will foot the bill.

And so, as he's done in the past, he holds out his red cap, waiting for his MAGA tribe to fill it with their fivers and ten-spots for a reward they will never see, enjoy, or benefit from.

From Huff Post:

Former President Donald Trump appears to be fundraising for a new plane after his private jet made an emergency landing over the weekend. Trump's Save America PAC sent an email on Wednesday titled "Update: Trump Force One" that discussed the construction of a new plane, several news outlets reported.  "I have a very important update on my plane, but I need to trust that you won't share it with anyone," wrote Trump in the email, according to Newsweek. "My team is building a BRAND NEW Trump Force One." "The construction of this plane has been under wraps  not even the fake news media knows about it  and I can't wait to unveil it for everyone to see," it continued. The email reportedly allowed recipients to "see" the new plane if they clicked an embedded link. The link actually directed to a donation page with the option to give between $5 and $2,000 to the Save America JFC PAC.

And the punchline is, Trump's fans never do get to see a photo of his coveted "Trump Force One" as teased, according to Newsweek  the donation plea is as exciting as it gets.
Mattel designed Barbie to physically represent the masculine ideal of feminine beauty to young girlsa physical frame inviting body dysmorphia in those for whom it is unattainable and pejorative labeling ("Barbie dolls") in those who resemble its dimensions. Finally accepting the criticism, Mattel reconfigured Barbie's anatomy to make her figure more "slight" and "realistic".

Then there's the subject of Barbie's laundry list of remarkable careers. By giving the doll an array of "gender-defying" occupations, Mattel waved the flag of representation, seeing the potential to make more money (if not to make an impact). But Mattel has only slowly produced Barbie dolls from a full spectrum of ethnicities. The most recent addition to its expanding roster of racially-diverse dolls is the South Asian CEO Barbie, created in honor of Women's history month. Whatever corporate motives lie behind the doll's creation, I'm sure this Barbie will help South Asian girls by providing a tangible example of their potential.
Russia is attacking Ukraine with bombs and tanks. Texas is criminalizing trans children and their parents. Among the many small ways to help out is to donate money to those resisting these efforts, and at itch.io you can get a big stack of games in return: TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Texas and the Bundle for Ukraine.

Over 700 creators have joined in support to donate their work. All proceeds from this bundle will be split between the following charities:

International Medical Corps provides medical assistance in the region. They have very low fundraising overhead (1% of income), with 89% of donations going to medical aid and 10% to administration.

Voices of Children, a Ukrainian organization that helps children cope with the horrors of war, PTSD, readjusting to school, and getting back to being kids. They have also been doing a lot of grassroots impromptu work during the war, such as helping set up shelters. Our hope is that this war will be over soon, and they can begin the work of healing these kids' hearts.
BY MATT GLYNN

MARCH 9, 2022

M&T Bank elevates status, reach through People's deal

M&T Bank is about to make a bigger splash throughout the Northeast, as the bank prepares to close its deal for Connecticut-based People's United Financial at the beginning of April.

Beyond adding markets and branches, it will mean a lot for the Buffalo-based bank as a whole.

The deal will elevate M&T's stature, as it turns into the 11th largest U.S-based bank.

It's the largest deal in M&T's history, valued at $7.6 billion at the time the acquisition was announced in February 2021. The final value is likely to go higher, based on how M&T's stock price has been trending.

And M&T is about to launch a $43 billion community growth plan, which will touch all of the bank's markets, including Buffalo.

Here's a look at what's coming up for M&T with the People's deal approaching the finish line:

Closing time

The deal finally cleared its last regulatory hurdle when the Federal Reserve gave its blessing March 4.

M&T and People's plan to close the deal April 1. In the third quarter, People's systems and branches will be converted to M&T.

It's been a long time coming. M&T and People's announced the deal more than a year ago, and M&T had targeted completing it late last year. But as banks know, they're on the regulators' timetable for approval, not their own.

The deal wasn't cheap. M&T recorded $44 million in merger-related expenses in 2021. And each week since the acquisition was announced, over 50 senior leaders at the bank have met to continue the integration work, Rene F. Jones, M&T's chairman and CEO, said in his letter to shareholders.

A bigger reach

M&T is already a big bank, with over 18,000 employees and more than 700 branches in eight states and the District of Columbia.

There will be some overlap with People's territory, but the deal will introduce M&T branches in four additional states: Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

M&T will turn the People's headquarters in Bridgeport, Conn., into a regional headquarters, similar to what M&T did in Baltimore, Md., following its deal for Allfirst.

Jobs for Buffalo?

M&T hasn't yet said if the People's deal will create more jobs back in Buffalo. But the bank has continued to grow here, with plans to hire more tech personnel as it ramps up its use of the tech hub inside Seneca One tower.

M&T was known for growing through acquisition under then-chairman and CEO Robert G. Wilmers. This is the first such acquisition by M&T since Jones took the helm in 2017, and it shows the bank is still determined to make big deals and expand its footprint under his leadership.

Community benefits

The deal will hit home in other ways, too.

M&T last fall outlined a $43 billion, five-year community growth plan that will take effect shortly after the People's deal closes.

Some of that money will flow to Buffalo Niagara.

The plan is a package of loans, investments and other financial support, aiming at boosting economic opportunity for low- to moderate-income families and neighborhoods, as well for communities of color. M&T developed the plan in conjunction with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

The plan will cover markets M&T currently serves, as well as the markets it adds through the People's deal. It's not yet known how much of the $43 billion will be channeled to the Buffalo Niagara region.

Want to know more? Two stories to catch you up:

ICYMI

Five reads from Buffalo Next:

1. No deal: $47 million sale of Weinberg Campus to Elderwood operators has been terminated: With the agreement off, Weinberg Campus said it plans to retain control over its assets and operations, with no plans to seek another buyer.

2. Walden Galleria owner in danger of defaulting on mortgage: The Cheektowaga mall's owner, Pyramid Management Group, isn't throwing in the towel. It is asking its lenders for five more years to overcome its financial hurdles.

3. Homebuilders are busy, but land shortages hold them back: There's a lot of demand for new-build homes in the area, but builders are stymied by a lack of available shovel-ready land, a shortage of labor, supply-chain disruptions and soaring prices.

4. Former piano-key factory targeted for loft apartment conversion: The Wopperer family, which has owned the 13-acre former Wood & Brooks Co. industrial plant in Tonawanda for over 50 years, wants to convert the historic six-story daylight factory warehouse  which once turned out 125,000 piano keys every year  into 55 apartments, plus co-working space for construction contractors. A vocational training facility would occupy an adjacent small, one-story structure.

5. Buffalo Niagara Marriot is going up for auction: The sale could mean the end of several years of financial limbo for the struggling hotel near University at Buffalo's North Campus, provided a new hotel owner has the wherewithal to revive it.

The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Deputy Business Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.

Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com.

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While the poet Dylan Thomas famously recommends that we Rage, rage against the dying of the light, playwright Lucy Kirkwood chooses to explore more nuanced responses to death and disaster in her compact, provocative drama The Children."

The complexity of the play, along with its themes of isolation and resistance, resonate in these pandemic times. No wonder it appealed to the folks at Red Thread Theatre and New Phoenix Theatre on the Park, who co-produced the one-act show that is on stage at the New Phoenix.

Like so many invisible perils, be it global warming, a virus, or something else, the danger surrounding the characters in The Children is not immediately obvious. Kirkwood was inspired to write the play after a tsunami destroyed a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011. Here, she transfers the action to the coast of England, inventing a similar disaster that forces a pair of retired nuclear engineers, Hazel and Robin, to flee their home for an isolated cottage outside the exclusion zone. What happens next is the story.

As the action opens, there is a surprise visit from Rose (Eileen Dugan), a former nuclear co-worker who moved to America more than 30 years earlier. She arrives at the door with an equally unexpected bloody nose.

A stunned Hazel (Josephine Hogan) helps to mop up the blood while apologizing, Wed heard you died... (then, remembering her manners)  Lovely to see you, though!

Clearly there is something off between these women, and it isnt just a nuclear meltdown. Though cordial, they are facing off like a matador and bull.

But do not mistake their deliberate stiffness for bad acting. Hogan and Dugan have these characters down to the smallest gesture, glare and parry as they make polite small talk that isnt as pointless as it appears.

Though living on the radiation rim, Hazel reveals an obsession with staving off aging and death. As for Rose, well, it isnt quite clear yet what is going on with her, but women dont just leave America to return to a nuclear hellscape for no reason.

Thankfully, before hospitality totally disintegrates, Robin (Peter Palmisano) bursts into the cottage and, unlike Hazel, he embraces Rose with boisterous affection. Robin is the link between the trios past and the semiapocalyptic present, heading outside every day for  for whatever it is he is really doing. Palmisanos energy, though infectious, mostly serves to heighten the tension and, yes, fear that is creeping in.

What develops is a fable of choices, the type that people make in a crisis. Some pick denial, others react in the here and now, and a few will take responsibility for both the past and the future.

It is a credit to Kirkwood, director Robert Waterhouse and this accomplished cast that those choices never come across as simple, right or easy. Nevertheless, sooner or later, choices have to be made. Thankfully, they are up to the challenge.

Theater review

The Children

3.5 stars (out of 4)

Co-production by Red Thread Theatre and New Phoenix Theatre on the Park. Presented at New Phoenix Theatre (95 Johnson Park) through March 26. Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are $30 general, $20 for students and seniors. Thursdays are pay what you can. For tickets, call the box office at 853-1334 or visit newphoenixtheatre.org.

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The shouting began when Kimberley Minkel, director of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, got up to leave the Erie County Legislature Chambers after two hours of discussion, debate and blame regarding cuts to bus routes. As she and a board member made their way out, a few residents who had been waiting for their chance to talk stood up and started yelling in frustration.

The first two hours of the three-hour informational meeting had largely be taken up by invited speakers, community, union and elected leaders. Minkel spoke in defense of the authority, but almost everyone else was on the attack.

The Rev. Kinzer Pointer, who chairs the county's Poverty Committee, said the NFTA was taking public money specifically earmarked for the preservation of bus routes and cutting routes anyway.

"The cutting of routes is really almost criminal," he said, adding that the agency would get recruitment assistance from the faith community, if only it asked for the help.

On Feb. 13, the NFTA suspended express bus service on eight routes and decreased the frequency of buses running on the evenings and weekends due to labor shortages. Minkel said the driver shortage is part of a nationwide problem, with the agency battling both the lack of drivers on the payroll and the high absenteeism rates of hired drivers due to Covid-19 and other illnesses.

Metro Bus to cut service in face of labor shortage Authority officials said Thursday they will begin reducing some service on Feb. 13, temporarily eliminating eight express routes and increasing intervals between buses after 7 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.

She said many efforts are ongoing to recruit and train new drivers and to lower the bar for becoming a driver. She also stressed that the suspension of routes is only temporary.

But on Wednesday, city and county leaders, as well as community groups and union heads appearing before the Erie County Legislature, expressed skepticism about the "temporary" nature of the cuts, saying they've heard that used to describe other permanent service cuts.

Many rebuked the authority for not only cutting the routes but for doing a poor job of communicating that information, a poor job of providing transparency to riders and local leaders and a poor job of proactively reaching out to other community groups for help and support with driver recruitment during difficult times.

"It's not a question of the challenges you face, but the culture you foster," said Legislator Howard Johnson, D-Buffalo, who chairs the Economic Development Committee and said he wants the NFTA hold a public hearing and report back with a progress update in 60 to 90 days.

Buffalo Fillmore District Common Council Member Mitch Nowakowski and other legislators and community speakers expressed concern about the disproportionate impact the cuts have on those most vulnerable in the community and the "opaque" nature of the NFTA's decision making. Several talked about high school and college students who've missed classes and programs, jeopardizing their good standing, or those who've walked hours in the dark to get home when their buses never showed up.

Metro bus cutbacks hit riders dependent on express lines "I think it's terrible ... and such an inconvenience," said Jacqueline Bald, a frequent user of Metro's No. 66 Express. "Buffalo is trying to rebuild, and they want people to come into the city. This is not the way to do it."

Ron Giza, an officer with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1342, recounted how his union was contacted by the Lancaster Police because of a woman who uses a motorized wheelchair and relies on bus service to get to her part-time job at an Amazon fulfillment center. The young woman had endured numerous harrowing journeys to work because of poor bus service and was once left stranded outside in the rain overnight because the nighttime bus she needed to get home never arrived.

The police eventually covered her in a blanket and stayed with her until a local Tim Hortons opened and she could take shelter there until the early morning bus arrived.

"This poor girl just wants to work," he said.

Jeffrey Richardson, the union president, also accused the NFTA of providing misleading information about starting pay and top annual pay, noting that bus drivers get paid a starting wage of $16.33 an hour, but the brochure handed out by the authority states beginning drivers earn thousands more each year, even though overtime and higher paying shift work is not guaranteed. He also said other cities like Rochester get paid more.

Legislator John Bargnesi, D-Town of Tonawanda, said solving the NFTA's challenges will require assistance from all levels of government.

"We all have a shared interest in this that has to move forward," he said.

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Andrew Schnorr never graduated from law school, nor did he ever pass the state bar exam, but that didn't stop him taking on clients and posing as a lawyer at several legal proceedings, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Schnorr, 39, of Buffalo, was arrested Wednesday by State Police and arraigned after being accused of practicing law without a license and defrauding his local clients out of more than $22,000 in legal fees. If convicted, Schnorr  who was charged with unauthorized practice of law and third-degree grand larceny  faces up to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison, James said.

Practicing law without a license undermines the integrity of our judicial system and jeopardizes the fate of New Yorkers who need legal services, James said in a statement Wednesday.

This individual tricked vulnerable people by posing as an attorney who could help them, but instead cheated them out of tens of thousands of dollars while risking their future. New Yorkers must be able to trust that the professionals representing them are qualified and serving in their best interest, she added.

State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen said Schnorr lied about his credentials and, as a result, stole thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims who were counting on him for legal advice based on education and training that he didnt have.

The charges against Schnorr are the result of an investigation by the Office of the Attorney Generals Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau and State Police that began in the summer of 2019 after a complaint from another lawyer that alleged Schnorrs lack of competence during a legal proceeding.

The investigation revealed that Schnorr was not a licensed attorney and that he had lied about graduating from New York University School of Law and passing the bar exams in New York and California.

According to James, Schnorr landed his job as an associate attorney at a Buffalo law firm by submitting a resume with phony credentials. At the law firm, he was assigned to civil matters that involved depositions and settlement conferences. Schnorr had represented at least nine clients at the firm since 2019.

James said anyone who believes that they have been a victim of this type of crime or who may have additional information about this case should contact the Office of the Attorney General at 716-853-8400.

One must be licensed by the New York State Unified Court Systems Office of Court Administration in order to practice law in the state. Those seeking to retain an attorney are encouraged by the Office of the Attorney General to confirm an attorney's license on Office of Court Administration's website.

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As soon as the end of this year or early 2023, you'll be able to walk into legal cannabis dispensaries in many Western New York communities to buy marijuana produced in the state.

And those dispensaries will be owned by someone with a prior conviction related to cannabis or someone with a family member with such a record.

Now that marijuana is legal in New York State, here's what you need to know Effective Thursday, it is legal for a person to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana. It is, for now, still illegal to sell marijuana in New York State.

The Cannabis Management Control Board, the state agency that is laying out the groundwork for the regulation for the use and sale of marijuana, announced the plan Thursday that aims to jump start the legal retail business. At the same time, it gives those who found themselves part of the criminal justice system because of marijuana a chance to build a legal business.

"Today, we've made a huge advancement in our efforts to prioritize New York small and distressed farmers, equity entrepreneurs and ultimately our goal to generate the resources that will drive the investments into communities that have been most impacted by overcriminalization," said Chris Alexander, executive director of the state's Office of Cannabis Management at a meeting of the office's control board.

"Instead of opening our market with the same existing operators who are dominating the national space, we've instead decided to put those who have been most impacted at the center of what we are building here," he said later during a video news conference.

Who wants some pot? About half of WNY municipalities will allow marijuana dispensaries to open While cities, towns and villages had to make a decision by the end of 2021, it could be sometime in 2023 before you can walk into a store and legally buy marijuana products.

Many communities in Western New York intend to allow dispensaries and other cannabis businesses, but some have opted out, including Clarence, West Seneca, Elma, Marilla, the village of Orchard Park, Porter and Royalton.

The state plans to offer the first 100 to 200 licenses for dispensaries  shops that can legally sell cannabis products  to "justice involved" people, New York residents with a prior arrest or conviction in the state for a cannabis-related offense, according to the New York Times. It wasn't immediately clear how many licenses would be approved for the Buffalo area.

These "justice involved" dispensary owners will get financial help from the state. Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed providing a $200 million "social equity fund" in her budget proposal to help the businesses find and fix storefronts, the Times reported.

The plan comes just short of a year after New York State lawmakers voted to legalize and regulate the adult use of cannabis.

The Control Board have laid out some details regarding who will be eligible for those first licenses:

Marijuana legalization bill lays out rules for consumption, delivery, legal trade A new world of cannabis will open when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signs the recreational marijuana law this week as he said he would.

 Applicants must live in New York.

 The applicant must have an arrest or conviction for a marijuana-related offense prior to March 31, 2021, or a family member with such a record.

 They must already run some kind of business successfully.

 Priority will be given to the people with the records first, then those with family members with records, as well as those who were arrested in communities considered disproportionately affected by the the criminalization of cannabis.

 Certain nonprofits who work with "justice involved" people and communities can also apply for dispensary licenses.

Erie County DA lets pot sticker shops be, even as other authorities crack down Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn said that, as much as he believes marijuana gifting is a "sham," he doesn't consider it a crime and he won't expend his office's resources pursuing these cases.

There are exceptions. People convicted of a felony in the prior five years for fraud and money laundering or for providing a minor with cannabis will be prohibited. So, too, will those who owe taxes, had a license related to cannabis previously revoked or "is not a person of good moral character." Also, police officers are not allowed to have a license.

The $200 million fund is a critical part of the plan. Others states have attempted different methods to achieve social equity in the cannabis market, but in many cases, such candidates have struggled to get their business off the ground.

"We've seen access to capital and real estate have been significant barriers to getting equity entrepreneurs into the space," Alexander said. "And so we're doing the work now to remove those barriers and provide real meaningful support."

He noted that many more licenses will be approved in the future.

Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, who championed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, supported the plans announced.

State cannabis board  in its first meeting  relaxes medical marijuana rules The board announced it is greatly expanding the list of who can prescribe medical marijuana  to include everyone from dentists to midwives.

"New York State is doing what no other state has done by focusing on the people most criminalized by cannabis prohibition, and promoting New York farmers. The cannabis industry is going to grow our economy and create new wealth, and it is imperative that we make sure that opportunities begin with the most deserving New Yorkers," she in a statement Thursday.

Some lawmakers criticized the plan to give licenses to people with marijuana convictions, among them State Sen. George Borrello, R-Jamestown, who said it sets up a double standard for liquor store owners, like himself, and cannabis dispensary owners.

As a business owner who holds a liquor license, I know firsthand that there is a very high standard for applicants that includes an extensive background check of all owners, including investors. Felony convictions are an automatic bar to entry and are done to ensure that organized crime is not involved in the business," Borrello said.

Yet, for marijuana licenses, those with drug convictions are not only going to the front of the line, they are going to receive start-up money, courtesy of state taxpayers," he said in a statement. " ... The idea that we can turn career criminals into upstanding businesspeople by giving them taxpayer-funded dispensaries in an all-cash industry is utter madness."

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A former University of Virginia lacrosse player who fatally beat his girlfriend in 2010 has been ordered by a jury to pay $15 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. George Huguely V is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in the killing of Yeardley Love after being convicted of second-degree murder in 2012. Huguely and Love both played lacrosse at UVA and had an on-again, off-again relationship before Huguely drunkenly killed her. The lawsuit sought $29.5 million in compensatory damages, plus $1 million in punitive damages. The jury ruled that $7.5 million in compensatory damages should be given to both Love's sister and her mother. Punitive damages weren't awarded.
Several area libraries, including the Schuyler Public Library, will be utilizing recently-received grants for youth-centered projects.

The Nebraska Library Commission recently awarded $115,466 in Youth Grants for Excellence funding to 78 libraries throughout the state. The purpose of the grants are to encourage creativity in young people, according to a Nebraska Library Commission press release.

The Schuyler facility has been awarded $800 for a new program called Hey! Im an Author.

Schuyler Library Assistant Director Mike Rea said the funds will be used to purchase comic book kits that will allow patrons to create their own comic books. The kits would allow young aspiring authors to create characters, develop a plot and choose the storys setting.

Each kit includes an illustrated quick start guide, blank book pages, washable markers, a post-paid envelope and an order form, Rea said, and children can use the pages to write and illustrate their own story, then scan and upload it to the provided website or mail their pages with the order form. The kits include the cost of processing and printing one book.

The library will host a comic book workshop on June 30 with artist Dylan Jacobson, who will provide instruction and assistance to the programs participants. Rea said the facility will determine who gets the kits by having the aspiring authors submit a small sample of their work.

There would be an understanding between Schuyler Public Library and the participants that the completed comic books would be unveiled during a reception at the library and then displayed at our facility, Rea said in the grant application. Imagine the pride of our young patrons to see their creations on display at their local library! It would be equally gratifying for Schuyler Public Library to help encourage the creativity of our younger patrons.

Elsewhere in Colfax County, the Leigh Public Library has received $333, which will be used to form and implement a LEGO club for children aged 8 to 15.

In nearby Butler County, the Hruska Memorial Public Library in David City has received $1,800 for new furniture for the facilitys young adult area.

The furniture that we have is furniture that's been in other areas of the library, Hruska Library Director Kay Schmid said. Were getting brand new items back there and they're all very easy to keep clean that you can wipe things off and easy to move and recreate the area. So we'll get a lot of use out of it.

Schmid said that the new furniture was in the process of being selected and ordered.

Hopefully by spring we will have it in place, she added. For sure by early summer I would think, just depending on how easy it is to get those items we ordered.

The Rising City Community Library, located in Butler County, has received $1,141 for three enrichment and exposure times, according to the press release.

At the Genoa Public Library in Nance County, the $365 in grant funding will be used for the facilitys summer reading program.

Our theme this year is camping, and we are using them for outdoor games for the kids have during the summer program, Genoa Library Director Tammy Johnson said. They will later then be available for patrons to check out.

Funding for Youth Grants for Excellence was provided by American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The Nebraska Library Commission received a total of $2,422,166, with a portion of the money being allocated for the youth grants.

Hannah Schrodt is the news editor of the Schuyler Sun. Reach her via email at hannah.schrodt@lee.net.

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A project that will see several miles of trail in Columbus has recently begun its first steps, though it will be a few years before it takes shape.

The Columbus City Council approved a resolution for a master trail plan during its Monday meeting. The trail plan will also connect existing and proposed paths throughout the community.

The plan also includes a proposed route through town recommended by the Great American Rails to Trails, a national organization. According to its website, the overall route will connect over 145 current trails, greenways and other multi-use paths which would span over 3,700 miles over 12 states.

The trail would travel through Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington.

Were trying to incorporate their (Great American Rails to Trails) vision into what we are doing, Mayor Jim Bulkley told The Telegram Wednesday. What we laid out at the council meeting was that master plan on how it will all connect together. When were done with it, youll be able to get from Point A to Point B.

The maps that go into detail about the master plan can be found on the citys website.

According to City Engineer Rick Bogus, the trail will mostly follow U.S. Highway 81 in this part of Nebraska. The plan will also include a path over the southbound Loup River Bridge. The trail will have to be included in the Nebraska Department of Transportations reconstruction project of the bridge, Bogus noted.

The NDOT project consists of improving the dependability of the transportation system and continuing the mobility of the bridge. The planned construction would include removing and replacing the existing southbound truss bridge over the Loup River.

The construction of the bridge, however, wont start until a few years from now.

Bulkley didn't give a timetable of when the master trail system would be completed but did say it will be at least several years before it comes to fruition.

Meanwhile, the master trail plan will provide locations along the path that need right-of-way widths or easements in future developments and improvement projects, according to Bogus.

The project falls in line with another trail system being created in Northern Columbus.

Back in December, the council members Okd the first phase of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Recreational Trails Program Powerhouse Park Trail. The project is located on the south top bank of the Lost Creek Flood Control Ditch from 33rd Avenue to Wilderness Park Road. It is planned to link trails around Columbus Community Hospital and Columbus High School to the trail system north of town. About one mile of trails is going to be constructed.

Bulkley said this trail system will one day connect to the one near Highway 81.

The mayor said trails are important for folks who are looking at moving to a given area. Having these new paths in town will be a draw for potential residents, Bulkley added.

It gives the opportunity to get out and enjoy Mother Nature and get some exercise, he said.

Andrew Kiser is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at andrew.kiser@lee.net.

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A Silver Creek man is facing burglary-related charges following a Monday afternoon incident in Platte County.

According to a Wednesday press release from the Platte County Sheriffs Office, deputies were dispatched to a residence in rural Columbus for a possible burglary in progress on Monday at approximately 12:43 p.m.

Deputies entered the property and, while approaching the residence, a man exited with his hands up. The individual, identified as 50-year-old Bradley Kielian from Silver Creek, was detained. Deputies were assisted by the Columbus Police Departments K-9 unit, which conducted a search of the residence and property. No other assailants were located.

Evidence obtained during the investigation showed that Kielian was actively in the process of burglarizing the residence at the time of the deputies arrival, according to the press release.

Kielian was placed under arrest and transported to the Platte County Detention Facility. He is facing charges of burglary, criminal mischief and first degree criminal trespass. Hes being held on a $50,000 cash bond, with 10% to apply.

This incident remains under investigation by the Platte County Sheriffs Office. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the sheriffs office at 402-564-3229 or Platte County Area Crime Stoppers at 402-563-4000.

Reach The Columbus Telegram newsroom at news@columbustelegram.com.

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People living in a mobile home park behind Super Saver will reportedly need to find new homes in the coming months.

According to an October 2013 Columbus Telegram article, B&R Stores Inc.  which owns Super Saver  purchased the mobile home park as part of an expansion plan. Located north of Super Saver, the mobile home park, 3317 25th St., was purchased for $2.3 million in April 2013, according to the Telegram article. At that time, the long-term plan had been the construction of a new store and possible addition of a fuel center.

During a Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Housing Committee meeting held Tuesday, committee co-chair Bonnie McPhillips noted that B&R contacted her last week that the people living in the mobile home park will be given notice they need to leave. McPhillips is also the executive director of the Columbus Housing Authority.

They (B&R) are giving them some assistance to relocate, there's 28 (households) affected, McPhillips said. It sounds like they're (mobile home residents) going to have about six months to vacate.

McPhillips said it may be a challenge for the individuals living there. She indicated the company would be providing some financial assistance for the people living there. McPhillips said she was unsure of how many families that will impact. It seems as though most of the residents living there are single individuals or senior citizens, she added.

Some of those residents have already reached out to the Columbus Housing Authority for assistance, she said.

B&R is giving them lists of all the trailer parks, all the income base housing, landlord lists  whatever they can do to help them in the process, McPhillips said, adding that the company indicated they are considering putting some income-based housing on that land.

I commend them for what they're trying to do and (its) exciting about their  new store. It'll be great for the community.

In other housing news, McPhillips noted that progress may be made on a new homeless shelter in Columbus.

There's a group of us that have been working on a homeless shelter for families for many years in Columbus. We have applied for some ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to the county, so we'll see where that goes. We have a potential building that we think could work, McPhillips said.

It was noted that $750,000 had been requested from the Platte County Board of Supervisors. Ideally the shelter would have space for three to four families, McPhillips said.

We definitely have homeless families and people don't realize that in the last couple years between the emergency providers in Columbus, we've spent $75,000, putting people up in hotels, McPhillips said. What do you do with a family with children and needs to be in a safe place? Our homeless shelter is not conducive to families and never has been.

Even providing an overnight stay at a hotel is just putting a Band-Aid on it, she said.

You put somebody in a hotel, well they need three, four months or maybe six months to get on their feet and get a job and get day care and so forth, she added.

The other homeless shelter McPhillips had been referring to was the Columbus Rescue Mission. The rescue mission is in the process of raising funds for its new building, which formerly housed Morys Haven. Morys Haven was an old nursing home facility that closed in November 2019.

McPhillips added that she has reached out to the Columbus Rescue Mission about forming a possible partnership but has yet to get a response.

Additionally, committee members noted that a new housing division is being constructed at 41st Avenue and 13th Street. A 37-acre lot located south of Columbus Community Hospital is also currently under contract.

I can't say anything about it at the moment, but it's going to be pretty nice development and will definitely help the housing problem, kwElite realtor Don Dreesen said.

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Four suspects who were arrested last week after firing on Omaha police amid a pursuit in the Douglas County city have now been charged in federal court for their alleged role in a string of eastern Nebraska robberies.

Quincy Louis, 25, Djuan Beverly, 23, Faye-Lynn Hardesty, 19, and Adrionna Leeper, 22, have all been charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and firearms conspiracy along with 13 other federal charges in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, according to new filings.

The group was taken into custody shortly after 3 a.m. March 1 after a masked, armed man robbed the QuikTrip at 5005 S. 108th St. in Omaha before fleeing, according to police.

That's when, police say, the suspects fired shots at officers.

The pursuit extended into Sarpy County, where all four suspects were arrested. After the arrests, Omaha Police announced they had tied the group to eight robberies in that city.

Now, federal investigators have tied the four suspects to 15 robberies, including 12 in the Omaha area and three in Lincoln.

The string of alleged robberies began in Omaha Feb. 24, when four individuals entered a Midwest Smoke Shop at 7010 Dodge St., where an employee told investigators that one of the four demanded money and a cellphone, according to federal court filings.

In their first alleged robbery, the group left only with money from the tip jar and never flashed a gun, Omaha Investigator Jon Martin wrote in the affidavit for their arrest.

But a day later, the group is accused of robbing three gas stations and two Family Dollar stores, Martin wrote in the affidavit. In four of the instances, store employees told police that the masked man who robbed the store had wielded a handgun.

Louis, Beverly, Hardesty and Leeper are accused of carrying out another five robberies over the span of three days, striking gas stations and smoke shops in the Omaha area and a Romantix in Council Bluffs between Feb. 26 and Feb. 28, Martin wrote.

Then, according to the affidavit, the group appeared in Lincoln, robbing three gas stations in the early-morning hours of March 1 before heading back to Omaha, where they encountered police after robbing the QuikTrip just before 3 a.m., police say.

In each of the robberies  save for the first attempt at the smoke shop on Dodge Street, when all four suspects entered the store  a single, masked man had carried out the robberies, according to the affidavit.

It's not clear what role each suspect is alleged to have played in the robberies.

Police believe Louis is the man who carried out the robberies, and who shot at police as the group fled the morning they were arrested, Martin wrote. Investigators found a Glock handgun near where he was taken into custody.

And Beverly is thought to have driven the getaway car, Martin wrote, a Nissan Versa with Florida plates.

But police believe all four suspects helped plan the robberies and were on-hand for the pursuit that ended in Sarpy County March 1. And all four suspects are now facing the same federal charges.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley

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In 2021 alone, the federal government allocated a historic level of funding to states, including Texas, through two pieces of legislation signed by President Biden. Here you can find pertinent information about how the American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act affect Texas now and in the future.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is a $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus rescue package signed into law on March 11, 2021. The Act allocated nearly $40 billion to Texas.

Download accessible American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (PDF).

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is a $1.2 trillion federal investment in the nations infrastructure signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021. So far, the Act has allocated an estimated $36.1 billion for existing and new programs in fiscals 2022-26.

Download the accessible Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (PDF)
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Thursday encouraged residents to follow a few steps to avoid scammers when donating money or goods to assist the people of Ukraine.

As Pennsylvanians rally to support the victims of war in Ukraine, you can follow three simple steps to make sure your generosity goes to people in need, not to the scammers, he said in a news release. Too often during humanitarian emergencies, scammers try to tug at the heartstrings of people who want to help, only to line their own pockets. My office wants to ensure that your hard earned dollars and donations go to the right places that can do the most for those in need.

Shapiro said the steps are simply to ask questions, double check information and be careful with payment methods.

Among the questions Shapiro recommends is where the donation will specifically go. He said charities should always be able to provide specific information on what the donation will fund.

Other questions include asking for the employee identification number for US-based charities and seeking who exactly is soliciting the donationShapiro said scammers will try to get donations without answering the name of the group they are calling on behalf of.

Information worth double checking are registries with the IRS and Pennsylvania Department of State to see if the organization is registered and if donations are tax-deductible. In Pennsylvania, all non-religious nonprofit organizations must register with the Department of State.

Shapiro noted that not all registered organizations are effective, so checking nonprofit sites like Give.org, CharityWatch.org and CharityNavigator.org or similar trusted sites will provide research on charities. New charities may not be legitimate, so Shapiro warned residents to be wary of those that were created during a crisis.

Shapiro also warned residents to never donate in cash or on a debit card. Credit cards are the best way to donate. He noted that cryptocurrency should be avoided.

Generally, he said residents should not give money on an impulse. Scammers may try to create urgency and pressure when soliciting money.

Those who believe they may have been a victim of a scam can contact their local police department and file a complaint with the Attorney Generals Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555.

Email Naomi Creason at ncreason@cumberlink.com or follow her on Twitter @SentinelCreason

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State Police at Harrisburg responded to Sheetz at 9916 Allentown Blvd., in Dauphin County Thursday morning just after 5 a.m. for an armed robbery.

A man wearing black clothing and gloves, black shoes with bright blue soles and a black covering on his face and head brandished a black semiautomatic handgun at a female Sheetz attendant and ordered her to open the cash registers, police said.

Police said the man took $5, $10 and $20 bills from the registers and left in a Red Nissan Altima with Pennsylvania registration of 00486EF, travelling west on Route 22. The registration was reported stolen later the same day to the Lower Paxton Township Police Department.

"This is all the information I have at this time," said Trooper Megan Ammerman, Pennsylvania State Police's Public Information Officer. "We are asking the public to contact us if they can help us identify the suspect by calling PSP Harrisburg at 717-671-7500."
HARRISBURG  All seven Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices issued opinions Wednesday regarding their 4-3 vote last month to pick a new map of the states congressional districts, disclosing the majority relied partially on how fair the various proposals would be to the two major parties.

We conclude that consideration of partisan fairness, when selecting a plan among several that meet traditional core criteria, is necessary to ensure that a congressional plan is reflective of and responsive to the partisan preferences of the commonwealths voters, wrote Chief Justice Max Baer, joined by three fellow Democrats.

He said tools that evaluate partisan fairness can help avoid vote dilution based on political affiliation.

The majority also rejected the argument that the 17 districts, each with nearly 765,000 voters, could not vary by as much as two voters apiece, as does the map they picked.

After Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican majority state House and Senate deadlocked on drawing new lines for 17 congressional districts, reflecting the loss of a seat in the 2020 census, the job was left to the courts.

The states population increases over the past decade have been concentrated in the southeast, a stronghold for Democrats, while losses have occurred in the more rural and Republican areas of Pennsylvanias northern tier and western counties.

A Republican Commonwealth Court judge, Patricia McCullough, recommended the justices go with the GOP-favored map that Wolf had vetoed. The Supreme Court instead went with an approach proposed by a group of Democratic Party-aligned voters who sued last year in an effort to get the court involved.

In a dissent, Republican Justice Sallie Mundy said that what distinguished the 13 proposed maps was how compact the shape of the districts were and how much they divided political boundaries. She concluded the best was a map submitted by group that includes southwestern Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler.

The other Republican on the court, Justice Kevin Brobson, warned that the majority decision, by considering numerical partisan metrics and ultimately adopting a reapportionment plan because it provides for proportionality, avoids anti-majoritarian results, and attempts to offset a structural tilt in the political geography of Pennsylvania that favors Republican candidates, will result in greater involvement by the court in future partisan political disputes.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene.

Candidates are currently circulating petitions to get on the May 17 primary ballot.

The new, 17-district map creates two Pittsburgh-area seats where incumbents are not running and puts two Republican incumbents  Fred Keller and Dan Meuser  into a single district. Keller has said he will not seek another term in Congress this year.

Pennsylvanias congressional delegation now consists of nine Republicans and nine Democrats.

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Researchers say a large spider native to East Asia that proliferated in Georgia last year could spread to much of the East Coast.

The Joro spiders golden web took over yards all over north Georgia in 2021, unnerving some residents. The spider was also spotted in South Carolina, and entomologists expected it to spread throughout the Southeast.

A new study suggests it could spread even farther than that. The Joro appears better suited to colder temperatures than a related species, researchers at the University of Georgia said in a paper published last month.

People should try to learn to live with them, Andy Davis, a research scientist in the Odum School of Ecology and one of the authors behind the recent study, told UGA Today, a publication by the University of Georgia.

Despite their startling appearance  and their namesake  Davis noted joros dont appear to be harmful or have much of an effect on local agriculture or ecosystems. In fact, he said, they may be beneficial to native predators like birds as an additional food source. And, while they kill their prey using venom, scientists say they are harmless to people and pets because their fangs are usually too small to break human skin.

It has about double the metabolism, a 77% higher heart rate and can survive a brief freeze that kills off its relatives, the study found.

The researchers also noted that Joros are found in much of Japan, which has a similar climate to the U.S.

Just by looking at that, it looks like the Joros could probably survive throughout most of the Eastern seaboard here, which is pretty sobering, study co-author Andy Davis said in a statement.

The Joro  Trichonephila clavata  is part of a group of spiders known as orb weavers for their highly organized, wheel-shaped webs. Joro females have colorful yellow, blue and red markings on their bodies and can measure three inches across when their legs are fully extended.

Its not clear exactly how and when the first Joro spider arrived in the U.S. or why they were so abundant in Georgia last year.

Their impact on native species and the environment is also not clear, though some researchers believe they are benign.

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Its the story of a young woman meeting an elderly man in a nursing home who claims to be immortal. He tells the woman stories of how he was cursed to live a life of aging and sickness yet never experiences death.

Parkland residents who enjoy horror films wont want to miss The Man in Room 6. Its screening locally at Starlite Drive-in Friday-Sunday at 7 p.m. each evening. The drive-in theater is located at 15605 North State Highway 21 in Cadet.

Trevor Juenger, independent film producer from St. Louis, will attend the screening on Sunday with some of the actors.

Juenger started making backyard movies when he discovered his parents camcorder. His productions have become progressively larger and more detailed over the years. He made a film in high school which was screened in a movie theater in 2005.

I think thats what tattooed it to my brain, he said. Before that, it was more of a hobby I guess.

Juenger was inspired by filmmaker Sam Raimi who created the Spider-Man trilogy. He also directed several horror films.

Sam produced a horror film with his college buddies that became a pretty big success, he said. Its still one of my favorite films.

When he was a kid, Juenger wrote a letter to Raimi who responded with a very encouraging letter.

Even if it was his secretary, it meant a lot to me, he said.

Filmmaker David Lynch was another inspiration for Juenger for his cult films and surrealism.

At one point, I fell out of love with films because they felt too formulaic, he said. Everything felt like the same movie repackaged with different actors.

Juenger attended Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville when the school did not yet have a film program. So he studied film before dropping out of college. But he later returned to school at Webster University where he earned a degree in film production and obtained his masters degree.

Although film school was great for showing him how to make more projects, Juenger learned more from making backyard films than anything else. He said film schools often insist that productions are completed in a specific way, but he feels anyone who has produced a film on a tight budget knows they should do whatever they have to in order to complete the project.

Our productions dont look like what the studios do, he said.

Juenger said he calls himself a DIY filmmaker for a reason.

I have a story that I want to tell, and I generally have to have a hand in all of those things to prevent stalling, he said.

When he was growing up and learning about films, he wanted to become a director because people talked about them as being the main creative force behind a film.

When I first started working with actors  what directing actually means  I was really intimidated and outside of my comfort zone, said Juenger. Now, its my favorite thing to do on set because that collaboration is a ton of fun.

He said he used to force his friends to act in his films. Now, many of his friends first started their careers as actors in his films.

Being a producer is a momentous task. In fact, many people quit before even finishing a film. Juenger described the job as being similar to managing a business that does not make any money.

You need a firm knowledge of a lot of production aspects, he said. Even if you arent heading them, you need to know the people you put in charge know what theyre doing, and you need to be able to communicate effectively with them.

Juenger said if someone cant be found to fill one of those roles, that becomes the producers responsibility.

Through his film work, Juenger has created a wide variety of films, including shorts, experimental projects and feature films. Although he has completed some horror films and loves that particular genre, he does more than that.

He created his pilot film DOPE in 2017, which was shot in Farmington. He completed Hermetica in 2007, Johnny Be Gone in 2011, and Coyote in 2014.

Juenger brings real-life stories to the screen for The Man in Room 6. In fact, Carrie Juenger, his creative partner, was delivering medical supplies to nursing homes and had some spooky and interesting experiences that are included in the film.

The more fantastic elements were originally intended for a novel, he said. I wanted to give something that I didnt think I could produce into a film.

But he said he didnt really know how to write a novel, so he wrote the story in screenplay format. After a while, he couldnt imagine the story as anything other than a film.

Juenger said he had more help with this film, but he wrote, directed and completed much of the post-production work.

Carrie is what we could call an auteur producer, he said. She had a huge hand in the look and feel of the film.

The two-and-a-half-hour film has been a five-year journey, from writing the script to production. The film was supported financially from the Regional Arts Commission and Missouri Arts Council. Middle West Movies, a non-profit, also assisted with financing and connecting them with production resources.

Ive always said my films are like my children, he said. Its the intense efforts of a few very dedicated people all merged together into a cohesive piece.

Juenger hopes people find The Man in Room 6 enjoyable on some level.

As for the screening, hes happy to meet with anyone who would like to chat before, after or during the event. He loves talking to people about the film and their interpretations of some of the sequences and themes because everyone has a slightly different experience.

Juenger said its hard to predict where things will go from here, so hes currently focused on this film.

If we can build interest and find some kind of success, that will help us produce the next one, he said. Id like to have the means to produce a film every year.

When Juenger isnt writing, directing and producing films, he teaches film production and theory courses at Southwestern Illinois College and Webster University.

If any aspiring filmmakers read this and plan on attending one of those schools, look me up, he said.

Directions to the drive-in, plus a short teaser of the film, can be found at http://www.starlitedrivein.com. Call the theater at 573-438-4974 for event details.

Pam Clifton is a contributing writer for the Daily Journal

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Area firefighters battled a fire at a vacant house in Park Hills early Wednesday morning.

Park Hills Fire Chief Brad Weiss said the dispatch came in at 1:45 a.m. Wednesday for a house fire in the 300 block of National Street.

The chief said the house was vacant with no utilities running to the structure. He noted that multiple calls were received about the fire.

Weiss explained that the house was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Several outbuildings on the property also reportedly became engulfed by the fire.

An upgrade to a second alarm was requested for additional tankers due to the limited water supply, the chief noted. He said crews were on the scene for approximately three hours. There were no injuries reported.

Weiss said the structure would be a total loss, and the Missouri Fire Marshals Office is investigating the fire.

Assisting the Park Hills Fire Department with Wednesday mornings containment efforts were firefighters from Bonne Terre/Big River, Bismarck, Desloge, Farmington, and Leadington. Potosi and Terre Du Lac fire departments covered other emergency calls from the Park Hills Fire Department during the fire.

Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com

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Charlottesville may return to in-person government and public meetings, but how and how quickly are unclear.

City Council renewed its COVID-19 continuity of governance ordinance earlier this week but this time included a provision for in-person and hybrid meetings upon submission and approval of a safety plan.

If City Council would like to physically assemble together for a specific meeting, this ordinance would delegate to the mayor the responsibility to work out with the city manager how that meeting would be managed in terms of COVID precautions, said city attorney Lisa Robertson.

Those precautions could include the number of people allowed in the room and possible mask requirements.

Robertson said the mayor and City Council would have to develop a safety plan to submit to city staff. As of the councils Monday meeting, no such plan had been developed, Robertson said.

Interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers said he and staff are looking into options for a hybrid approach, including city-owned CitySpace as a potential venue that would allow for greater social distancing.

Rogers said he expects he and staff will have more information in about two weeks.

We believe that we have the equipment and the staff, for the most part, to do a hybrid meeting either in City Council chambers or possibly also in CitySpace, Robertson said. But if we were to look at a different space altogether, such as using an auditorium in someone elses building like the school, we dont know whether or not wed have the equipment that we need.

Charlottesville is one of the last Virginia holdouts on going back to in-person meetings. The city School Board has held hybrid meetings since May 2021.

On March 2, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voiced support for returning to in-person meetings next month for the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission and School Board with an option for members of the public to still watch and speak virtually.

The board will formally vote whether to end the countys local emergency related to COVID-19 at a meeting March 16.

The city spent almost $120,000 in CARES Act funding in 2021 to make audiovisual and other improvements to city meeting rooms, including improvements that would support hybrid meetings.

Councilor Michael Payne has been vocal in his support for a return to in-person meetings, arguing that its unclear why the city couldnt meet in hybrid meetings in a socially distanced way when much of the world has loosened precautions.

UVa has completely returned to in-person [classes] and loosened their mask mandate. I can walk into any restaurant or bar without a mask. From the purpose of preventing community spread, Im not sure what were accomplishing by not moving to hybrid, Payne said.

I think [meeting virtually only] does have a meaningful impact on reducing some members of the publics ability to participate, as well as our ability to be able to deliberate, he said. I know that there are challenges, but I do feel like theyre solvable.

Payne also said the city had made a significant investment in the equipment purchased with CARES Act funding.

Mayor Lloyd Snook has consistently voiced caution in his approach to returning to in-person meetings.

My overall attitude is that I would like to see us open as much as we reasonably can, with all reasonable safeguards available to folks who have different medical needs, Snook said. I dont want to be so gung ho on getting back to everything happening in-person that we trample on the legitimate concerns of folks who have different medical concerns.

During the meeting, Dr. Denise Bonds, director of the Blue Ridge Health District, shared her thoughts on how in-person meetings could be held safely. Her suggestions included requiring masks, socially distanced seating and a virtual option for people who are immunocompromised.

Bonds also said she strongly encourages Charlottesville and Albemarle County residents, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask indoors due to the CDCs current high COVID-19 community level designation in the area.

During Mondays virtual meeting, Rogers, Deputy City Manager Sam Sanders, Deputy City Manager Ashley Marshall and Senior Budget Analyst Krisy Hammill all sat in the same room in City Hall. While the officials appeared to be seated with at least one chairs worth of distance between each of them, only Marshall was wearing a mask.

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The University of Virginia School of Medicine has appointed Dr. Allan Tsung, as chairman of the Department of Surgery.

Tsung, who will take over the role on June 27, will leave his current post as chief of the surgical oncology at Ohio State University to join UVa. He will replace Dr. Reid Adams who will now take the role of chief medical officer for the UVa Medical Center. Adams has served as interim chief medical officer since August 2021.

I am excited to join a talented team of surgeons and staff at UVa and to have the opportunity to collaborate across the university at the UVa Cancer Center, which was recently designated by the National Cancer Institute as a comprehensive cancer center, Tsung said in a statement. I look forward to working together with my new colleagues to build on their strengths and accomplishments to serve our patients throughout Virginia.

Tsung earned his medical degree from the SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, completed his surgical residency and a fellowship in hepatobiliary and pancreas surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

He specializes in treating liver, bile duct and pancreas cancers and is an expert in laparoscopic and robotic surgery.

Before joining Ohio State, Tsung served as vice chairman of research for the surgery department at the University of Pittsburgh.

His research focuses on utilizing laboratory research as treatment options. He has co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and served as principal investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health grants.

He also studies the socioeconomic factors that lead to disparities in health outcomes for patients receiving cancer treatment.

Wendy Horton, UVa Medical Centers Chief Executive Officer, said that Tsungs blend of skills in research and patient care will serve him well in his new role.

His work in translating scientific discoveries to serve patients is remarkable and will help bolster the high-quality surgical care we provide here at UVa, she said.
The Lebanon Police Department has arrested a Sweet Home man on suspicion of attempted murder, robbery and other charges.

Jason Andrew Scott, 34, was booked into Linn County Jail Tuesday, March 8. According to court documents, the alleged incident occurred on or about Jan. 25, 2022.

Scott was arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court Wednesday, March 9 on charges of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, menacing, felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. During the arraignment, Judge Keith Stein appointed Kyla Mazhary-Clark as Scott's defense attorney.

Mazhary-Clark argued for the required minimum security of $50,000, but Stein opted for the State's recommendation of $500,000.

Court documents allege Scott committed or attempted to commit theft while armed with a deadly weapon, discharged a firearm within the city limits of Lebanon and tried to cause the death of the victim.

According to Lebanon police logs, at the time of his arrest, Scott had two active Linn County Circuit Court warrants for failure to appear as well as an Oregon State Parole Board warrant for a parole violation.

He has two other open cases in Linn County Circuit Court from 2021, according to Oregons online court database. These alleged crimes include fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving, criminal mischief, theft and more.

Scott's next court appearance is scheduled for March 21.

Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

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Panama has seen a steady increase in revenue from the telecom sector in recent years. Mobile services and broadband remain the key growth sectors, with mobile connections accounting for 90% of all connections, and over half of telecom sector revenue.

The mobile sector has flourished since the arrival of Digicel Panama in 2008 and of America Movil in 2009, which ended the duopoly long enjoyed by Cable & Wireless Panama and Telefonicas Movistar. Millicom International Cellular (trading as Tigo) acquired Telefonicas telecom assets in Panama in 2019. The mobile market has effective competition among these players.

Internet penetration has grown in recent years as consumers responded to government fixed-line projects, improved mobile broadband connectivity and a plethora of mobile applications.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. Since 2020 the telecoms sector, to various degrees, has experienced a downturn in mobile device production. It was also difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G has been postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home working, has offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect will continue to be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the pandemic, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

This report update includes the regulator's market data to September 2021, operator data to September 2021, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, and other recent market developments.

Key developments

Liberty Latin America reaches agreement with America Movil to acquire Claro Panama for $200 million.

Movistar and Cable Onda are rebranded as Tigo.

Panamas Digital Transformation and Inclusion Strategy Aid Program secures a $350 million loan.

Regulator extends temporary spectrum allocations in the AWS band.

Aurora cable system expected to be ready for service at the end of 2022.

Caribbean Express submarine cable system is launched.

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Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeComm, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeComm report:

Report title: Panama - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: December 2021

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Number of pages: 153

Companies mentioned in this report: America Movil, Cable and Wireless Panama, Claro, Cable Onda, FP Telecommunications, Google, Optynex Telecom, Digicel, Ericsson, Huawei, Liberty Latin America (LLA), Millicom International Cellular (MIC), Movistar, Ocean Networks, Tigo Panama

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$890

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Panama-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
A series of reforms within Ugandas telecom sector have provided the country with one of the most competitive markets in the region.

The entry of MTN Uganda as the second national operator to compete with Uganda Telecom in all telecom sectors fundamentally improved the availability and quality of services offered to end-users. Regulatory reforms in recent years have meant that Lycamobile Uganda and Airtel Uganda also now hold National Telecommunications Operator licences.

A simplified and converged licensing regime has significantly reduced barriers to market entry and increased competition, but this has also led to price wars which have dented operator revenue. Fixed-line infrastructure remains poor, with low penetration, and as a result fixed-line broadband penetration is also particularly low. In consequence, consumers have largely depended on mobile infrastructure to provide voice and broadband services. There is sufficient capacity with LTE infrastructure to match data demand during the next few years. Nevertheless, MTN Uganda has anticipated the migration to 5G, having held trials in early 2020 though the roll out of 5G is not expected until later in 2022.

Key developments:

MTN Group completes IPO of its Uganda unit;

Lycamobile Uganda is awarded the countrys fourth National Telecommunications Operator (NTO) licence;

MTN Uganda trials standalone 5G, receives additional spectrum in the 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands;

Liquid Intelligence Technologies expands reach of FttP services;

Alphabet drops Project Loon;

Africell exits from Uganda market;

Report update includes the regulator's market data to June 2021, operator data to Q3 2021, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of pandemic on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.

Get a Full Copy of this Report

Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeComm, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeComm report:

Report title: Uganda - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: January 2022

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Number of pages: 153

Companies mentioned in this report: Uganda Telecom (UTL, LAP Green), MTN Uganda, UMEME, SEACOM, Infocom (Altech, Liquid Telecom), Internet Solutions, MTN Uganda (Telia), Bharti Airtel (Zain, Celtel), Uganda Telecom (UTL, LAP Green, Telecel, Orascom, Deutsche Telekom), Warid Telecom (Essar), Orange Uganda (HiTS Telecom), i-Tel, Simba Telecoms, Standard Chartered Bank, Monitise, American Tower Corporation (ATC), Eaton Towers, Smile Telecom, Smart Telecom, Sure Telecom, K2 Telecom, Africell (Lintel), UTL Online (Uganda Telecom), Infocom (Altech), Africa Online, Spacenet, MTN, Wateen Telecoms (Warid), Smile Telecom, Foris Telecom, Talk Telecom, Mo Telecom, Goal Technology Solutions (GTS), UMEME, WBS Television, NTV Uganda, MultiChoice

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$1390

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Uganda-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
Heavyweight equipment vendors, operators and select regulators highlighted the 6GHz frequency band as the last opportunity to usher in a golden age of 5G connectivity and the true benefits of the network standard.

Joining hands in Barcelona on 1st March for Mobile World Congress were European operators including Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, Orange, and Telia. Alongside the carriers were equipment manufacturing giants Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia and GSMAi, the data consultancy arm of the trade association.

Deutsche Telekom VP of spectrum policy and projects Jan-Hendrik Jochum said: In the last 10 years [the EU industry] lost a lot of ground due to regulation which is much more investment-friendly in the US, and on the other hand we face the situation of mass fragmentation all over Europe as not all operators are following the same rules. This is resulting in a problem for delivering the European targets that are set by the Commission and this situation has resulted in a 5G investment gap of 150bn.

By 2030, the EU aims to have all EU households connected to gigabit connectivity and all populated areas covered by 5G. Jochum added regulators had previously failed to supply operators with the required the framework and airwaves, and warned any further hurdles to attain key 6GHz waves could stifle the industry further.

Not everything that was needed by the mobile industry was given [by regulators] in the past, and now we are facing a situation where 6GHz is in fact the only possible resource that can sort the situation for us and keep us competitive in terms of network quality products, he explained.

Telefonica head of spectrum strategy Roberto Rodriguez agreed, stating the demand on 5G capacity is doubling every two years, and service quality could saturate if regulators do not assign the bands to operators.

GSMAi warned that governments need to carefully consider what is the most efficient use of 6GHz spectrum when holding auction, as the 6GHz block is the largest remaining piece of mid-band spectrum that can be licensed exclusively to operators - rather than being provided unlicensed, in which case it can be used for boosting fixed line broadband.

Kalvin Bahia, GSMAi principal economist who co-authored the trade bodys latest report The Socioeconomic Value of the 6GHz Band, said complete licensed use of the 6GHz band will deliver the largest benefits across all countries.

If less spectrum [from the 6GHz band] is assigned to 5G this will likely lead to higher costs [for operators] and lower speeds. Annual operations expenditures can rise by 70%, and if just the upper part of the band is licensed then cost will go up by 20%, said Bahia.

GSMAis research also found unlicensed assignment of 6GHz airwaves was discovered to be the least beneficial for global connectivity quality and coverage.

The GSMA advocates for all operators to eventually provide 5G which yields speeds of 100Mbit/s download and 50Mbit/s upload minimum for user experience at any time while on the move.

Without a varied use of a mixture of spectrum from different bands to provide widespread coverage and high speeds, services will become more expensive as more base stations are needed to plug gaps as data heavy new technologies such as connected cars and VR/AR become more prevalent.

The trade association also found tapping into this mid-band 5G can add more than US$610 billion to global GDP by 2030, but insufficient spectrum availability for operators can lead to a $360 billion of GDP growth lost.

Regulator backing

Regulators from France, the UAE and Tunisia expressed their support of licensed use of the 6GHz spectrum for mobile.

Tariq Al Awadhi, executive director of spectrum affairs at Telecom Regulatory Authority for the UAE, noted there are 234 million global 5G connections accounting for 5% of mobile connections and it is forecast to be the dominant mobile standard by 2027.

He urged the industry to rally behind the need for licensed spectrum use to sway delegates at World Radio Communication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) to make balanced decisions when planning spectrum roadmaps.

Olfa Jammeli, general director of Tunisian regulator Frequency National Agency (ANF), agreed and pledged the upper 6GHz band for mobile, as previous allocations to WiFi have not hit requirement targets.

The ANF has registered no interest in allocating the upper 6GHz band for unlicensed WiFi 6 as the need of Tunisia is to reinforce the mobile network and the transport network. I highlight that the Tunisian administration allocated the 5GHz for WiFi since 2017 and the exploitation of this band has not exceeded 20% of what was promised.

The GSMA with backing from Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia and ZTE put out a statement in May last year, calling on governments to make at least 6,425-7,125 MHz available for licensed 5G. The trade body also stated 2GHz of mid-band should be guaranteed between 2025-2030 and highlighted how 6GHz is the only mid-band wave with GHz-level bandwidth.
International payments platform Paysend has expanded its money transfer services with Pix, the Central Bank of Brazils instant payment platform.

Through an existing partnership with Banco Rendimento, Paysends users will be able to transfer funds faster, more securely and affordably to Brazil via Pixs payments infrastructure.

According to central bank data, Pixs payments volume is already equivalent to 80% of debit and credit card transactions in Brazil and some 30,000 Pix transactions are carried out every minute. Through its partnership with Banco Rendimento and working with Pix, Paysend is enabling users to make transfers through Pixs national payment system to bank accounts in Brazil. The service is available to all Paysend sending countries.

With features like low fixed fees on money transfers, competitive exchange rates and international payments, Paysend is changing how people manage money globally. Paysends continued investment in technology, innovation and expanding its global payments network is driving increased financial inclusion at scale. Now serving more than 6 million customers globally, Paysend is providing a faster and more affordable method of transferring money internationally to Brazil aligned with Banco Rendimentos expertise and tradition.

Alex Bessonov, Group Head of Network Development and Strategic Partnerships at Paysend, said: The partnership between Banco Rendimento and Paysend will help enable customers all over the world to better connect and move funds to their friends and family in Brazil who need their support most. They will experience more affordable rates for transferring money as well as far quicker processing times for funds to reach the recipient. By utilising Paysends easy-to-use app, simple phone number and text ID verification will automatically link users to Paysend's interface and allow them to transfer funds instantly.

Jacques Zylbergeld, FX Superintendent at Banco Rendimento, said: It is a pleasure for Banco Rendimento to provide Paysend's millions of customers with the advantages and ease of payment via Pix. As a foreign exchange specialist and pioneer in the Brazilian market, Banco Rendimento constantly invests in technology, aiming to provide the best experience to its partners and users, in line with the best compliance practices.
M-Pesa, which is Kenyas, and the African continents, best-known mobile payment system, has passed the 30 million user mark in Kenya.

The East African reports that chief executive Peter Ndegwa announced on Thursday that Kenya now accounts for more than 30 million of the platforms 51 million customers across the region.

But the days when M-Pesa was only a simple mobile-based payment service are long gone. Customer usage has also been driven by the launch of various innovations over the years including M-Shwari, a savings and loan service, KCB M-Pesa, a mobile-based banking service, and Fuliza, a service that allows customers to complete their M-Pesa transactions when they have insufficient funds in their M-Pesa account.

In addition, the number of traders accepting payments through Lipa na M-Pesa, a cashless payment service that allows customers to make payments for goods and services securely and conveniently, has apparently doubled from 173,000 in April 2020 to more than 387,000.

Safaricom has also developed partnerships with the likes of PayPal, AliExpress and Western Union enabling customers to send and receive money, and to make payments across the world.

Theres also the Safaricom M-Pesa Super app. This enables users to request payments, send money, pay bills and carry out transactions seamlessly across the borders.

M-Pesa is operated by Safaricom in Kenya along with South Africas Vodacom, which runs the services through its subsidiaries in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Lesotho, Ghana and Egypt.

Safaricom and Vodacom acquired the M-Pesa brand and platform from their UK parent firm Vodafone Plc to form the joint venture M-Pesa Africa in April 2020.

But the dominance of M-Pesa in Kenya may eventually be threatened. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) plans to launch a national payment system that will force Safaricom to accept cash from rival firms such as Airtel on its Lipa na M-Pesa platform, enabling a seamless transfer of money through merchants.

However, the new system will not be introduced until 2024. For now at least, M-Pesa is likely to remain the dominant force in Kenyas mobile finance market.
Li Huidi, EVP of China Mobile Communications Corporation, took the stand to share China Mobiles experience of 5G development and discuss the road to 5G business growth at Huaweis Day0 Forum at MWC22 Barcelona.

Li believes that at present, we are at a new juncture of the technical and industrial revolutions, with digital transformation picking up speed both in society and the economy. He noted three terms that are now mentioned frequently when discussing Chinas economy:

New infrastructure: 5G, new data centres, and the industrial internet powering the development of social and economic activities.

New elements: technology and data, which have already become new components of advancing society and the economy into a new round of sustainable high-speed growth by augmenting the effects of various traditional components.

New drivers: highlighting the leading role of information technology in transforming industries and moving the digital economy forward, automatically spurring on the high-quality growth of society and the economy.

Chinas digital economy has huge market potential and promising prospects. Its expected to reach 65 trillion Chinese yuan by 2025, more than 20 trillion of which will be attributed to information services.

Li explained that China Mobiles new strategy is to build a powerhouse to fit the new digital economy while solidifying its position as a leading global information services provider and innovator. The operator is working to build a new information infrastructure empowered by 5G, computing force networks, and ability as a service , with the overall goal to enhance the digital economy as a whole.

The operator is making full use of 5G to provide high-speed, secure and ubiquitous mobile connectivity, and it is building advanced high-quality 5G networks nationwide in order to realise this. There are more than 380 million 5G package subscribers and about 300 million 5G terminal users on China Mobiles network, and the operator has invested heavily to promote computing force as an on-demand, indispensible social service with one-click access.

The ability as a service provides digital intelligence capabilities that can be encapsulated in a unified fashion and invoked flexibly. The platform provides 107 AI capabilities in the form of ability as a service across the entire network, with daily calls exceeding 6 billion  benefiting end users, enterprises, and society at large.

Both the digital economy and 5G networks are developing rapidly, pushing China Mobile to develop 5G networks of best-in-class quality. Its network has over 700,000 5G base stations in operation  around 30% of the global total. Its network covers over 1 billion people, covering all major cities, towns and rural areas, making it the worlds largest 5G service provider. By the end of this year, the operator plans to build more than 1 million 5G base stations.

With the extensive use of massive MIMO, uplink enhancement and carrier aggregation, China Mobile is able to deliver a peak download rate of around 3Gbps, and is accelerating its pilots of high-precision positioning, lightweight new radio, and other 3GPP release 17 features.

China Mobile is preparing to offer VoNR (Voice over NR), which will help to improve call reliability and video calling. The operator is also increasing network energy efficiency by enabling smart power savings in all cells. Additionally, 70% of its sites use C-RAN architecture, greatly reducing operational costs.

The operator has also achieved full 5G coverage along the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway line; to do so, it combined three physical sites 300 metres apart into a super cell, meaning that users do not have to be handed over as trains pass between the three sites.

China Mobile always pushes for centralised and cloud-based deployment, and has already built the worlds largest cloud core networks. Currently its SA core networks have over 100,000 servers and can serve 350 million users. The goal is to achieve 100% virtualisation of core network functions and capacity by 2025. With its 4G/5G convergent design, 4G functions are converged into 5G design, enabling smooth network evolution. This scale of centralised deployment creates security risks, so China Mobile has set up a disaster recovery system to cover all fault scenarios spanning from virtual machines to data centres.

China Mobile has the largest user base and networks in the world, and is improving its network structure by building autonomous networks featuring in-depth cloud network integration and a high level of automation and intelligence. China Mobile has provided new DICT services featuring zero-wait, zero-trouble, and zero-touch to both consumers and enterprises. and also has developed smart network configurations featuring self-configuring, self-healing and self-optimising, that means the operator is well positioned to improve its customers competitiveness, create greater value and empower production.
Bill J. Crouch, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), reiterated his commitment to making salary increases a reality for direct services employees of DHHRs Bureau for Social Services.

Every day, Child and Adult Protective Services workers are on the front line protecting West Virginias most vulnerable residents, said Crouch. These workers showcase some of the most important responsibilities DHHR has, and are also two of the most challenging and difficult jobs in state government.

The past salary increases that DHHR put in place for CPS workers, as well as the addition of 184 child welfare positions added to the CPS workforce, are part of important improvements to retain this critical workforce.

Often, raises for direct services workers focus on children, and rightfully so, said Crouch. However, House Bill 4344 also acknowledges the critical importance of our Adult Protective Services workers. West Virginia needs a strong workforce to protect and address the needs of vulnerable West Virginians at every age.

According to Crouch, DHHR is working with Senator Eric Tarr, Chairman of the Senate Finance committee, and members of the committee regarding several alternatives for funding that would not increase the existing state budget. They are exploring possible plans to use existing vacancies to fund these salary increases for existing direct services employees. We want to make sure we have enough staff to assure manageable caseloads, Crouch said, but if we can make this work, we will monitor the recruitment and retention of these positions going forward, and add additional positions later as needed.

Crouch believes the additional salary increases included in this bill are another step in recruiting and retaining these crucial workers in West Virginia. Salary increases are not the only issue that needs to be addressed, Crouch added. We need a better support system for these workers to assist them in doing their jobs to keep our vulnerable residents safe and protected.
The final step has been taken in removing U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks from a federal lawsuit alleging he played a role in the siege of the U.S. Capitol 14 months ago by pro-Trump supporters.

The judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Mehta Amit, entered his order Wednesday dismissing all claims against Brooks. The dismissal comes almost three weeks after the judge said he would drop Brooks from the lawsuit pending Brooks filing of a motion to dismiss.

The ruling also comes less than 24 hours after the suits plaintiff, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., filed a memo objecting to Brooks being dropped from the case.

Brooks had been a co-defendant with former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. All defendants except the former president have been dismissed from the case.

In bringing his lawsuit, Swalwell said Brooks speech at the pro-Trump rally on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, contributed to the storming of the U.S. Capitol hours later as Congress was formally accepting the results of the presidential election.

Brooks responded that he the speech was given within the scope of his office as a congressman and, as such, he should not be a defendant in the case.
Stoli Group announces vodka rebrand after Russias invasion of Ukraine

Stoli Group has announced that it will discontinue the use of the Stolichnaya name for its vodka, in direct response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Latvian-produced vodka will now be exclusively sold and marketed as Stoli on account of the founder's vehement position on the Putin regime, and the brands aim to represent Stolis roots in Latvia.

Stoli has been produced in Latvia since the early 2000s. A separate Stolichnaya brand is produced and sold in Russia by the government-owned Soyuzplodoimport company.

In addition to the name change, Stoli Group will begin sourcing grain from Slovakia rather than Russia. British CEO Damian McKinney said the rebrand is an actionable, meaningful thing we can do to make it clear that we support Ukraine, adding: We have employees, partners and distributors in the region directly impacted. They are asking that we take a bold stand.

The move comes as some UK retailers started boycotting Russian vodkas.

McKinney said he is keen to correct misconceptions about vodka that is not actually produced in Russia.

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A Bamboo Airways flight carrying nearly 300 Vietnamese nationals who had fled Ukraine for Poland landed in Hanoi early on Thursday.

They included seniors, children, pregnant women, people with illnesses and students, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Nguyen Hai Yen, 36, was on the flight with nine family members.

Holding her two-year-old daughter, Yen burst out in tears upon arriving at Noi Bai Airport.

Their family had left everything behind in Kharkiv, Ukraine, taking a 24-hour train ride to Warsaw to fly to Vietnam.

"We're going to stay in our hometown in Hanoi's Nam Tu Liem District. We will consider going back depending on the situation in Ukraine," Yen said.

Nguyen Hai Yen and her daughter at Hanois Noi Bai Airport after a rescue flight from Poland carrying people fleeing Ukraine arrived on March 10, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Thursday flight was the second operated by the government to evacuate Vietnamese citizens from the danger zone in Ukraine.

The first with 287 people had arrived in Hanoi on March 8.

Vietnam's missions in Ukraine's neighboring countries continue to register citizens wishing to return home, including 600 in Romania and 400 in Poland.

As of March 9 nearly 4,000 Vietnamese had evacuated from Ukraine, with more than 2,400 people going to Poland, 830 to Romania, 560 to Hungary, and 100 to Slovakia.
Trinh Tan, a Vietnamese Czech citizen, has been honored for making significant contributions to the country during pandemic stricken times in 2020 and 2021.

Tan was among 67 citizens honored at a ceremony hosted by Czech President Milos Zeman at the Prague Castle on Monday, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Zeman presented state decorations awarded in 2020 and 2021 to the most outstanding Czechs in many different fields.

The ceremony is usually held on October 28 every year, on the occasion of the "Independent Czechoslovak State Day."

However, it was not held for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic being at its peak, the Prague Morning newspaper said.

Trinh Tan (L) donates masks in Ostrava to aid the Covid-19 fight in 2020. Photo by Vietnam News Agency

Tan won the Order of Merit for his service to the Czech Republic.

He was recognized for his active contributions to strengthening the relationship between the people of Czechia and Vietnam in North Morava Province as well as the relationship between the two countries.

Tan is president of the Vietnamese Association of North Morava and Ostrava, and a member of the Council of Ethnic Minorities of North Morava and Ostrava city (Moravskoslezsky kraj) in the northeast of Czechia.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tan played an important role among Vietnamese community in organizing the production of tens of thousands of protective masks and gloves to donate to hospitals, nursing homes and social service facilities in Czechia, apart from financial support.

Tan is native of Quynh Phu District in Vietnam's northern Thai Binh Province. He graduated as an mining engineer from the Technical University of Ostrava in Czechia.

Tan said he wished to see Vietnamese representatives in the Council of Ethnic Minorities in every province and city across the Czech Republic, and to have second and third generations of Vietnamese people increasingly integrated into the local community.

Another wish is that quality Vietnamese language education develops well across the country, he said.

There are more than 7,000 Vietnamese people in North Morava Province, the third largest ethnic group after the Poles and Slovakians.
ELKO  A man accused of threatening a Walmart clerk over two pairs of Apple Airpods has been given a suspended sentence. Andrew M. Smith, 32, of Columbus, Ohio, also was sentenced to time served in jail in a stolen car case.

In the first case, Smith was originally charged with robbery and burglary. According to a criminal complaint, he entered Elkos Walmart after it closed on Oct. 2 and convinced a clerk to open the locked case where the electronics were kept. After being shown the AirPods he refused to return them and instead threatened the clerk.

Smith told the clerk he would find out where he lived, and pulled on his nametag, the complaint says. When a second employee approached, Smith fled the store.

Police were called to an Elko motel the following day on a report of a vehicle stolen from Nebraska, and Smith was arrested as he removed items from the car while it was being prepared for towing. According to court documents, multiple receipts from Walmart and Home Depot were found inside along with prepaid phone cards.

Smith was originally charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and grand larceny of a motor vehicle.

On March 1, he pleaded guilty to larceny from a person and was sentenced by District Judge Al Kacin to 15-38 months in prison, suspended. He also pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny of a motor vehicle and was sentenced to 149 days in jail, with credit for 149 days served.

Smith was also ordered to pay $2,332.95 restitution, and placed on probation for two years.

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ELKO  Elko County School District has taken over from the state for the management of COVID-19, and the mask mandate has been lifted from the five schools that were still under the requirement due to outbreaks at their facilities.

Interim Superintendent of Schools Clayton Anderson said the district is under local control after receiving Nevada Department of Health and Social Services approval of its COVID-19 mitigation plan, which allows the district to determine outbreaks and take action.

It is now under the oversight of the Elko County School District and not a state entity hundreds of miles away, he told the school board on March 8.

Board President Teresa Dastrup said it was good to hear that the district is now under local control. Its been a long road.

The new policy changes how an outbreak is determined and eliminates contact tracing unless there is an outbreak.

Now, if 8% of a campus has positive cases all at the same time, that would be considered an outbreak, said Anderson.

I think its a very reasonable number, he said, explaining that previously an outbreak would be called if a core group or pod of students tested positive. Now, for example, with roughly 1,200 students at Elko High School, 100 COVID-positive students would become an outbreak.

The new policy also reverts to allowing school nurses to determine when a child should be sent home, rather than sending them home automatically if they had any symptoms considered to be potentially COVID-19, Anderson said.

A symptom doesnt necessarily lead to being sent home, he said.

Isolation would still be required for students testing positive, but parents would be given control over how they handle the situation, such as testing family members and notifying friends and family in contact with the student.

Gov. Steve Sisolaks Directive 52 announced in February not only lifted masks requirements in schools, unless they had an outbreak, but allowed school districts to adopt their own mitigation plans. However, they had to develop a policy on when face coverings would be required and provide a regular COVID-19 testing program for students, staff and volunteers.

Districts were required to develop a method for determining school-wide outbreaks, as well. The 8% requirement is the districts plan.

The plan details how we will locally control any future possible happenings when it comes to COVID, Anderson said.

According to the summary of the districts new policy now available on its website, certain mitigation efforts will now only be activated upon designation of outbreak status of the school, or if an outbreak of COVID-19 is identified by a local health authority.

ESCD will also continue to work with its local health authority and monitor transmission rates in the county and increase mitigation efforts if transmission level reaches high, the summary states, reporting that contact tracing and face covering protocols are only required as individual schools meet outbreak status.

Isolation and quarantine protocols continue to be required when a school becomes aware of a positive case, the summary says. Isolation is only required if a student or staff tests positive.

The new plan states that the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services will be notified of any outbreak declarations and closures by ECSD, and the district will monitor case counts of the rolling 14-day window to sure that the positive case count falls before 8% for at least 14 days and will then end an outbreak.

The schools that were under the mask mandate after Sisolaks decision to lift the mandate unless an outbreak were Elko High School, Spring Creek High School, Adobe Middle School, West Wendover High School and Wells Combined School.

The Nevada Department of Health and Social Services determined when the mask mandate could end at those schools.

Anderson said there were misconceptions that an outbreak would be declared over at the end of 28 days, but an outbreak ends when a cluster or spike of cases has ended, which can be more than 28 days. Elko High Schools outbreak lasted about 40 days, he said.

Anderson also told the school board that Optimum Medicine will be making the rounds of the schools offering COVID-19 testing, but no one is required to take the test.

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A Carson City judge has ordered two teacher union-backed tax initiatives be taken off the 2022 ballot, reversing Secretary of State Barbara Cegavskes plan to keep them there.

Wednesdays ruling by Carson City District Court Judge James Wilson is likely to have major implications for the states 2022 election by preventing the pair of Clark County Education Association (CCEA) tax initiatives  aimed at hiking the gaming and sales tax  from reaching the ballot even though they garnered hundreds of thousands of supportive signatures from voters. Each petition garnered nearly 200,000 signatures, far eclipsing the needed 97,598 signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The saga surrounding the tax initiatives dates back to the end of the 2021 legislative session, when lawmakers struck a last-minute deal pumping more mining tax revenue toward education. That compromise was largely pushed by CCEA, which filed the initiative petitions more than two years ago to use as leverage to boost K-12 education funding in the state.

As part of that mining tax deal, lawmakers included language allowing for submitted voter initiative petitions to be withdrawn by initiative backers no later than 90 days before the election.

But in September, Cegavske wrote a letter to Attorney General Aaron Ford disagreeing with his opinion that the tax initiatives  put forward and qualified by the Clark County Education Association  could be withdrawn.

At the time, she pointed to the Constitutions use of the word shall in a passage about petitions while arguing the questions should proceed to the ballot.

Members of the teachers union filed the lawsuit in late December, asking the court to block Cegavskes proposed actions and asserting that she had no discretion under law to refuse to permit Petitioners to withdraw their respective initiative petitions.

Wilsons order largely agreed with the union members sentiment, noting he was not convinced about Cegavskes interpretation of that wordings intent.

Reading the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions in harmony, the Secretary of States ministerial duty in this instance becomes clear: take no further action on these initiative petitions, the order states.

Further, the order disagreed with Cegavskes argument that the word shall in the Constitution required the initiative petitions automatically move to the ballot, as that interpretation would mean other restrictions on voter-driven initiatives were unenforceable because they were not explicitly laid out in the state constitution.

Cegavskes office declined to immediately comment on the ruling.

The tax initiatives could have funneled a significant amount of new revenue toward the states K-12 education system. When CCEA announced the initiative effort in January 2020  before the pandemic and related economic consequences  the union estimated the proposed taxes could generate an extra $1 billion per year.

The initiatives, however, had received strong pushback from the gaming industry. One petition would have raised the states gaming tax rate from 6.75 percent (the nations lowest) to 9.75 percent, while the other would have increased the Local School Support Tax rate from 2.6 percent to 4.1 percent and bring the states baseline sales tax rate to 8.35 percent, one of the highest in the country.

A Nevada Independent/OH Predictive Insights poll earlier this year found voters generally favored the proposed gaming tax hike (59 percent in favor, 25 percent opposed), but the proposed sales tax hike was broadly unpopular (32 percent in favor, 52 percent opposed).

The quest for a large influx of new education funding has been a frequent theme in recent legislative sessions. The state has overhauled its school funding formula  creating a system of weights that, in theory, deploy more money to student groups with extra needs  but critics say without a significant infusion of revenue, the state is merely rearranging money. A 2021 Commission on School Funding report found that boosting the states per-pupil spending to the national average would cost more than $2 billion in tax revenue over the next decade.

Nevada, like other states, received hundreds of millions of federal aid designed to help schools weather the effects of the pandemic. But that money comes with an expiration date.

As the calendar marches toward the 2023 legislative session, the Nevada State Education Association has already started a Time for 20 campaign, applying pressure on elected officials to increase educator pay and reduce average class sizes to 20 students in core academic subjects. Middle and high school English and math classes averaged 27 students during the 2019-2020 school year, according to an analysis released by the Nevada Department of Education last year.

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A bird that is inextricably linked to the pinon and juniper forests that span the Western United States has seen its numbers decline over the last half century. Environmentalists announced Tuesday that they're petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the pinyon jay under the Endangered Species Act as a way to save the species and the trees. A very social bird, the jay is known for stashing away pinon seeds, a habit that helps propagate the next generation of trees. Pinon and juniper forests across the West already have been effected by climate change, hotter and drier conditions and more severe wildfires.
Like many European nations, Ukraine is a linguistically diverse country with many other languages and dialects spoken. This reflects its long history and cultural heritage that comes from numerous migrations of different peoples over centuries.

Of the nations roughly 44 million inhabitants the vast majority, just under 68 percent, consider their native language to be Ukrainian, the official national language. About 30 percent of Ukrainians consider their first language Russian, the second largest group. Russian and Ukrainian, along with Belarusian come from the East Slavic family of languages.

The Rus family of languages

The Dnieper River, which cuts through Ukraine from north to south, has been an important route for trade and migration from the Baltic to where it ends in the Black Sea throughout history. Additionally, migrating peoples settled on its fertile lands with one group in particular giving birth to the East Slavic language group.

Centered around Kyiv, Ukraine became the home to the Rus, a group of Scandinavians that settled in the area. They went on to form a loose federation called the Kievan Rus which expanded to cover broad swaths of territory encompassing modern-day Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia. From which the latter two nations derive their names.

Invasions and Empires shape Ukraine's linguistic landscape

With the invasion of the Mongol Golden Horde, the Tartars settled along the north coast of the Black Sea and formed a Khanate based in Crimea. Their descendants were forcefully relocated after World War II by Stalin and werent allowed to return until after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Speakers of Crimean Tartar make up the third largest linguistic group in Ukraine, representing less than half a percent of the population.

Ukraines modern-day borders were established while it was part of the Soviet Union. The Crimea peninsula was granted to Ukraine by Nikita Khrushchev in 1954. The area has seen multiple incursions by Cossacks, Ottomans and Vikings, among other over the centuries.

Portions of the territory within the internationally recognized borders have over time fallen under the control of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire. All of what today is considered Ukrainian territory was finally consolidated after World War II within the Soviet Union.

Around 40 languages are spoken in Ukraine

The nations long, storied history has left Ukraine with over three dozen languages and dialects. Although attempts were made by Russian leaders for over two hundred years to suppress the Ukrainian language and identity, both have lived on. Now, Ukrainian is enshrined in the constitution as the official language, but guarantees are in place for Russian and other minority languages.
The pandemic placed immense stress global supply chains that are extreamly susceptible to bottlenecks and other supply and demand shocks.

One of the goods that ensures the free movement of goods through supply chains is of course, oil. However, with global politics beginning to impact global supply and cost, prices are hitting an all time high in the US.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index for gasoline ballooned 6.6 percent in February. This is after a slight decrease of -0.8 percent was tracked in January. For a short time it seemed that the country may finally begin to see prices even out across the economy, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent markets spinning and energy prices trending upward, once again.

Which states have seen the highest percent increase in gas price? Ranking State Percent Increase 1 Alabama 37.39% 2 Georgia 37.34% 3 Virginia 37.31% 4 Tennessee 36.15% 5 Louisiana 36.04% 6 Texas 35.95% 7 Mississippi 35.43% 8 Indiana 35.18% 9 Kentucky 35.14% 10 North Carolina 35.04% State Percent Decrease 41 California 24.60% 42 Wyoming 24.54% 43 Montana 23.93% 44 North Dakota 23.81% 45 Oregon 23.75% 46 Washington 23.21% 47 Iowa 22.81% 48 South Dakota 21.25% 49 Nebraska 20.38% 50 Hawaii 12.81%

Which states have seen largest increases in price?

Since March 2021, AAA has reported that gas prices have increased more than fifty-one percent and just in the last month consumers are on average paying 15.25 percent more for regular unleaded gasoline. In dollar amounts this means that customers are paying around $1.56 more than they were last year and a staggering $0.79 since last week.

As a percent Alabama, Georgia, and Virginia have all seen an increase of thirty-seven percent in the last week. Hawaii is the only state that has seen seen a percent increase under twenty. In nominal terms Californians are paying the most over the last week with an average of a $1.02 being added to their gas receipts.

What is being down to lower the price of gas?

Earlier this week President Biden announced that the United States would place a ban on the import of Russian oil, gas, and other energy resources, placing greater economic pressure on the Kremlin.

"Today Im announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russias economy. Were banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports, and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putins war machine," said President Biden when making the announcement.

The President described the bipartisan support of the measure, while also outlining the actions that would be taken in an attempt to reduce a run on gas or a surge in price at the pump. Biden also announced that together with partners more than sixty million barrels of oil will be released from "joint oil reserves," half of which will come from the US.

There was also clear message to companies operating in the US that purchase Russian energy resources: "its no time for profiteering or price gouging." However, since the announcement, very little change in the market has been seen. American oil field service company, Halliburton, has seen an eleven percent in crease in the value of their stock in the last month. This comes after Ukrainian officials called on the company to cease its operations in Russia to cut off a major revenue stream to Putin. So far those calls have gone unanswered, according to Bloomberg.

What else could be done?

There are various options on the table that could help to bring down the price of gas for consumers.

Michigan's House of Representatives voted to repeal the state's gas tax this week and the state Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week. Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has rejected the bill, but endorsed a proposal, in coordination with other governors, calling on the US Congress to repeal the federal gas tax through the end of the year. This sort of maneuver would protect state revenue streams which the governor believes are critical to making good on her campaign promise of 'fixing the damn roads!'

Other states are considering similar proposals, but none have been passed into law.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp has said that he is working with the state's legislator to to provide relief to hardworking Georgians - both in the form of a tax refund and lower gas taxes. The current state gas tax in Georgia stands at around $0.18.

Additionally, the White House is looking to negotiate with members of the Organization for Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) to see if they would increase their supply to global markets to help bring down prices.

These talks have yet to get off the ground as the White House is having a difficult time getting leaders on the phone. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has distanced himself from Washington after President Biden accused him of the ordering the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

OPEC will increase production slightly in April, but not at the levels needed to counter the drop off the US will see after the implementation on the Russian ban.
An Assyrian Genocide, a Russian Revolution, an Indian Grandfather

Bottom left to right: Susember's daughter Norah and Susember Rasho on their way to visit Susember's sister, Rapka, in Donetsk, Ukraine. ( Shabnam Samuels) I was born and raised in the early 1960s in the sleepy delta town of Cuttack in Odisha (formerly Orissa) between a confluence of three rivers. Not many had heard of our town, let alone the rivers Mahanadi, Kuakhai or Kathojori. I remember returning from boarding school on the train and being asked, "Where is Orissa?"

The world might not have known who we were, but we knew the world! The world and its wars were an integral part of our Indian household because of my grandmother, who was European and had lost her family to genocide.

The Sayfo or Seyfo, also known as the Assyrian Genocide, began in 1914. It was the mass slaughter and deportation of Syriac Christians in Persia's Azerbaijan province, committed by the Ottomans and the Kurds. Born in Urmia, in the West Azerbaijan Province of what is now Iran, my grandmother was nine or ten years old when the genocide started.

Fleeing to safety, they found themselves in Tbilisi, Russia. A family already fragmented, they suffered yet more losses when their mother died giving birth to their brother. The baby also died. The family, persisted, now with just the father, two daughters, and a son. My grandmother, Susember "Susan" Rasho, was the middle child.

Tbilisi is where they might have stayed on if not for the 1917 Russian Revolution. With no further protection from the Soviet Soldiers, who were now embroiled in their own revolution, my grandmother and her family were once again targets of persecution. World War I had also begun in 1914, and the world was raging with turmoil in every direction. Once again, with no homeland and no place to call their own, my grandmother, and what was left of her family, began their trek out of Russia.

The British were at the front and center of the war. Red Cross Camps had been set up in and around Baghdad. The British were gathering up people who were left without homes and persecuted because of their religion, and helping them make their way to the camps and to safety. The Rashos, along with thousands of other Assyrians, started preparing for their journey.

I still remember my grandmother's stories, her lips quivering as she spoke of the snow, heat, horses, hunger, thirst and deaths along this mountainous route. A hundred-and-five years ago, there were no roads -- no easy way to travel. She never knew how long it took them to reach the camps outside Baghdad. "It could have been months," she used to say.

Left to right: Rapka and Susember reunite in Donetsk, Ukraine, 1980. ( Shabnam Samuel) While they still lived in Tbilisi, her older sister, Rapka, who was fourteen and of marriageable age, was sent to Donetsk in Ukraine. Friends there were tasked with finding a groom for her.

The decision to leave Tbilisi for safer grounds was sudden, and the family had no time to wait for Rapka to come back from Donetsk. That was the last time the two sisters saw each other until 1980.

Father, daughter, and son began their arduous trek out of Russia to Baghdad. Tragedy struck once again when their father was shot from behind and killed. My teenaged grandmother was now the sole guardian of her eleven-year-old brother Nicholas.

On the other side of the world, a young Indian soldier of the British army, Edward Benjamin Samuel (my grandfather), was also heading to Baghdad to fight for the British.

My grandmother and her brother found refuge in a camp which housed Assyrian and Armenian refugees. A year into their stay at the camp, Nicolas disappeared.

As part of the YMCA, my grandfather was assigned to to conduct prayer meeting at the camps. There, he met my grandmother. At the time she spoke only Aramaic and perhaps some broken English. My grandfather spoke Oriya, Bengali, Hindi and English. The two fell in love over sign language and married at the Red Cross Camp in 1922. She headed to India with her new husband a few months later, not knowing once again where she was going, not knowing the language, just going, because she had no options. As a romantic, I hope it was because she loved my grandfather!

Susember Rasho and Edward Benjamin Samuel on their wedding day, March 10, 1922, in Baghdad, Iraq. ( Shabnam Samuel)

Eventually, my grandmother would learn to speak Oriya, Bengali, Hindi and English. Sadly, though, as she gained skill in these languages, she started to forget Aramaic. We think that this could be in response to her multiple traumas; in order to survive, she had learned to disassociate from everything Assyrian.

In 1978-'79, an aunt who lived in Germany (my grandparents had seven kids together), with the help of the Red Cross, tracked down both of my grandmother's surviving siblings.

Rapka was still living in Donetsk, Ukraine, and now had thirteen kids, and Nicholas was married and settled in Baghdad, Iraq.

I was raised by my grandparents, and I will never forget my grandmother's emotion when she found out that her siblings were alive, and that she was headed to Donetsk to meet Rapka. In 1980, my grandmother, along with one of her daughters, flew to Moscow, and then on to Donetsk to meet Rapka. It had been sixty-three years!

Susember and Edward with their granddaughter Shabnam Samuel at the Cuttack Railway Station, 1981. ( Shabnam Samuel)

Her first time on a plane, in her late seventies, my grandmother was headed to a region she had called home for the first decade or so of her life. She was going home to people who looked like her, dressed like her and talked like her. I will never forget her face when she boarded that flight. Sadly, Aramaic was lost to my grandmother, and she was forced, once again, to communicate with a loved one via sign language.

Earlier, in 1977, Nicholas and his wife Azadoui flew to India and had an emotional reunion with my grandmother. Azo knew a smattering of English, and she was able to help the siblings communicate.

I have always wondered why this European woman chose to stay and make a life in a tiny river town in India. My answer came to me when I was writing and researching for this article. Assyria, her homeland, was once an ancient empire, commonly referred to as the Mesopotamian Empire--from the Greek word "Mesopotamos," meaning in the midst of rivers. The three rivers, The Tigris, The Euphrates and the Great Zab! The three rivers in Cuttack must have soothed her, embraced her and I am sure reminded her of the home she was forced to leave behind.

A hundred years have passed since my grandmother and her family were fleeing from war, from destruction, trying to find peace, trying to survive. A hundred years later, it seems like nothing has changed.

Shabnam Samuel, the award-winning author of the memoir, A Fractured Life, heads the Washington, DC based Social Lite House, LLC, which works with the underprivileged. She is also the founder of the Panchgani Writers' Retreat, an international writing retreat based out of Panchgani, India. Shabnam teaches writing via Creative Corporate Workshops. She also hosts a local TV show called Dew Drops and Words that broadcasts to 6.1 million viewers on the WJAL LATV network in the Washington, DC area. To find out more about Shabnam, click here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin caused global alarm last month by putting the countrys nuclear forces on special alert, a decision he said was motivated by aggressive statements from the West, amid widespread condemnation of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

It was a move described by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as a chilling development, and was one that brought back terrifying memories from six decades ago, when, over a period of two weeks in October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis threatened to spark an all-out nuclear conflict between Cold War foes the United States and the Soviet Union.

How the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis came about

A Caribbean island located just 90 miles off the southern tip of the US, Cuba had, much to American chagrin, become a communist state in 1959, when a revolution led by leftist lawyer Fidel Castro overthrew the US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Castro quickly aligned himself with the USSR, the Soviets providing Cuba with military and economic aid.

In April 1961, just three months into the presidency of John F. Kennedy, a US-trained group of Cuban exiles attempted to remove Castro from power, invading the island at the Bay of Pigs - but the attack was a humiliating failure. Seven months on, in November 1961, President Kennedy then authorised Operation Mongoose, a CIA espionage and sabotage campaign designed to bring down the communist regime in the country.

With Cuba under threat from the US, Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev began shipping nuclear weapons to the island in late 1962, as a means of deterring American aggression against it.

Khruschev also saw the move as a way of extending the range of the Soviet Unions nuclear arsenal and putting it on an even footing with the US, which had positioned weapons in European countries such as Turkey. According to the historian Serhii Plokhy, the author of the book Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs fiasco had led Khruschev to view Kennedy as a weak president who would not stand in his way.

Khruschev thought he was dealing with a really very inexperienced, indecisive leader who he could push around, and who could swallow the Soviet missiles being delivered to Cuba, Plokhy told an interview with the History Extra Podcast.

First week of the Cuban Missile Crisis: before the world knew

On 14 October 1962, a U-2 US spy plane flew over Cuba, capturing images that confirmed the presence of ballistic missiles on a launching site on the island. Two days later, on 16 October, National Security Adviser George Bundy broke the news to the president.

The events that followed can be split into two parts: the week the world didnt know about the crisis, and the week the world did know.

To avoid giving Khruschev the opportunity to react before the US had had time to consider its response, Kennedy and his advisers initially opted to keep the discovery secret. He set up a committee chiefly comprising national security officials, known as the ExComm, to decide what to do.

In daily ExComm meetings, early support for an air strike on Cuba gave way to a decision to initiate a naval blockade of the island - which Kennedy referred to as a quarantine - designed to prevent any further weapons from being shipped to the country.

Second week of the Cuban Missile Crisis: when the world knew

In a televised addresses on the evening of 22 October, Kennedy informed the nation, and the world, of the crisis in Cuba. Vowing to halt and eliminate this clandestine, reckless, and provocative threat to world peace, the president detailed his blockade plan, and declared that he was prepared to use military force if needed.

The Russians sudden clandestine decision to station strategic weapons for the first time outside of Soviet soil is a deliberately provocative and unjustified change in the status quo, which cannot be accepted by this country, Kennedy said.

He added: All ships of any kind bound for Cuba, from whatever nation or port, will if found to contain cargoes of offensive weapons, be turned back.

Kennedy also outlined the threat posed by the build-up of Soviet nuclear weapons on Cuba. "Several of [the launch sites] include medium-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead for a distance of more than 1,000 nautical miles," he said. "Each of these missiles, in short, is capable of striking Washington DC, the Panama Canal, Cape Canaveral, Mexico City, or any other city in the southeastern part of the United States, in Central America, or in the Caribbean area," he said.

"Additional sites not yet completed appear to be designed for intermediate range ballistic missiles, capable of travelling more than twice as far, and thus capable of striking most of the major cities in the western hemisphere, ranging as far north as Hudsons Bay, Canada, and as far south as Lima, Peru."

Two days after Kennedys address, the Cuban Missile Crisis reached its tensest point, when it emerged that two Soviet ships and a submarine were approaching the blockade line. Would they attempt to force their way through, leading to a military confrontation and, potentially, a nuclear war? Thankfully, they did not. At the last minute, they relented, turning around and returning to the Soviet Union.

Reacting to the Soviets vessels 11th-hour about-turn, US Secretary of State Dean Rusk memorably said to Bundy: Were eyeball to eyeball and I think the other fellow just blinked.

A deal is reached to end the crisis

Four days on from that close shave, Kennedy and Khruschev struck a deal to bring the crisis to a close, and the world breathed a sigh of relief. It was an agreement that came about in confusing circumstances, though.

On 26 October, Khruschev sent a letter to Kennedy offering to remove the missiles from Cuba on the condition that the US president promised not to invade the island. On 27 October, however, the Soviet leader sent a second communication, in which he changed the terms of the deal. He told Kennedy he would dismantle the weapons in Cuba if the US not only pledged not to invade Cuba, but also agreed to take its nuclear missiles out of Turkey.

It remains unclear why Khruschev made one offer, then another. After deliberating on how to respond to the double communication, Kennedy finally decided to reply only to the first letter, accepting the Soviet demand for a promise not to invade Cuba.

However, he also sent his brother, Attorney General Bobby Kennedy, to tell Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin that the US would remove missiles from Turkey - but that this part of the deal had to be kept secret from the public.

"The most perilous moment in world history"

On 28 October, Khruschev sent a letter agreeing to Kennedys response. The Cuban Missile Crisis was over. It had been a standoff that was arguably the most perilous moment in world history, the historian Mark J. White concludes in his book Missiles in Cuba: Kennedy, Khruschev, and the 1962 Crisis.

Never before or since, agrees fellow historian Sheldon Stern in his account The Week the World Stood Still: Inside the Secret Cuban Missile Crisis, has the survival of human civilization been at stake in a few short weeks of dangerous deliberations.




An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA)

The PM, who is Chairman of the committee, underscored that the Party and State have defined administrative reform as one of the breakthrough tasks to revamp the law-governed socialist State for national development.

A report at the meeting showed that in 2021, great efforts were made to build and complete laws and institutions. Two national conference on institution building and decentralisation were held, and the Government convened three thematic meeting on law building. The Government submitted to the National Assembly two bills for approval and six others for consideration, while issuing 200 resolutions and 139 decrees. The PM issued 41 decisions on legal regulations, along with 36 directives. At the same time, ministries and sectors also released nearly 800 circulars.

In the year, 1,101 business regulations were cut or simplified, while plans to cut down and simplify 924 regulations and adjust 166 legal documents of seven ministries were approved. Vietnam leaped six positions in the indicator of legal regulation quality improvement as part of the innovation index for 2021.

The number of public servants reduced by 10.01 percent. Meanwhile, the digital transformation and the building of e-government saw great progress, with the launch of the national database system on the population an encouraging example.

While recognising the achievements in administrative reform in the year, PM Pham Minh Chinh noted that the results have yet to satisfy people and businesses. He stressed that one of the main causes for this is the insufficient attention and leadership for the task on the part of top officials.

The Government leader underlined that this year, it is crucial to make a breakthrough in the work, especially the reform of administrative procedures related to people and businesses, so as to mobilise all resources for the national development and enhancing the efficiency of governance activities.

According to the PM, administrative reform should focus on building institutions for administrative reform, reviewing administrative procedures, and increasing investment in financial and human resources for the work.

He asked ministries, sectors and localities to speeding up decentralisation and the delegation of power with specific responsibility defined for individuals, while working harder to settle bottlenecks in administrative procedures, and making stronger investment in information technology serving digital transformation process and the building of e-government.

Along with the building and completing the indicators for administrative reform evaluation, it is necessary to mobilise the engagement of the people and businesses in implementing administrative reform, and increase international cooperation in the field, stated the Government leader./.
On March 9, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son received Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Deborah Paul to say goodbye on the occasion of the end of her working term.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son receives Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Deborah Paul. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

At the meeting, Minister Bui Thanh Son congratulated Ambassador Deborah Paul on successfully ending her term in Vietnam, recognizing and appreciating the active contribution of the ambassador and the staff of the Canadian Embassy in the efforts to promote the Vietnam - Canada comprehensive partnership with positive progress in many fields despite the rapidly changing world situation and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The minister affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to its relationship with Canada, and appreciates the practical support of the Government and people of Canada to Vietnam in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. He also expressed his hope that the Government of Canada will continue to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese students to return to study in Canada after the pandemic.

According to Minister Bui Thanh Son, compared to the potential and strengths of each country, Vietnam and Canada still have many cooperation opportunities. The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is willing to cooperate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada to jointly promote the comprehensive cooperation relationship to be stronger, more effective and substantive, while continuing to promote mutual high-level visits , making better use of economic cooperation opportunities through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), promoting cooperation on climate change, digital transformation, green and sustainable growth sustainable development, human resource training and continued close cooperation on regional and international issues, aiming to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 5th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership.

For his part, Ambassador Deborah Paul would like to thank the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its close cooperation and support, creating conditions for the ambassador to fulfill his duties well during his term.

The Ambassador shared her great honor and pride to represent Canada in Vietnam and directly contribute to the strong development of the Vietnam - Canada comprehensive partnership over the past time.

Ambassador Deborah Paul emphasized that she would always keep in her heart good feelings for the country and people of Vietnam, expressing her belief in the positive development momentum of the two countries' relations in the future, and affirmed that in any position, she will always be a friend of Vietnam, always supporting and cultivating the friendship between the two countries./.
RoK President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol at a press conference at the National Assembly headquarters in Seoul on March 10, 2022. (Photo: YONHAP/VNA)



In his message, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed Vietnam is willing to cooperate closely with the RoK Government in effectively, comprehensively and practically fostering the two nations relations in both bilateral and multilateral issues, thus contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and in the world.



Vietnam and the RoK established bilateral diplomatic relations on December 22, 1992. They are working to raise their two-way trade to 100 billion USD by 2023 and 150 billion USD by 2030./.
Photo for illustration (Source: baodautu.vn)

Accordingly, the Japanese government has officially announced the easing of entry restrictions, permitting foreign labourers, international students and family visa holders to enter the country.



Japan allows a maximum of 5,000 people to enter per day from March instead of just 3,500 like before.

Japans authorities have also allowed online applications for entry permits through the Entrants, Returnees Follow-up System (ERFS), starting from 10am on February 25, 2022.

The Department of Overseas Labour Management said although foreign markets have begun to resume the reception of Vietnamese workers, requirements for COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control are more stringent.

The quarantine period for both Japanese people and foreigners after entering Japan can be reduced from seven days to three days.

Those who have been vaccinated three doses of COVID-19 vaccines and from a country considered not to be at high risk of the pandemic, will be exempted from quarantine./.
Yoon Suk-yeol (Front) of the People Power Party waves after winning the South Korean presidential election in Seoul, South Korea, on March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won the South Korean presidential election held on Wednesday, according to the Yonhap news agency Thursday. (Joint Press Corps/NEWSIS via Xinhua)

SEOUL, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won the South Korean presidential election held on Wednesday, according to the Yonhap news agency Thursday.

Yonhap said Yoon was elected South Korean president after his major rival in the neck-to-neck race Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party conceded defeat.

Yoon secured 48.58 percent of support, defeating Lee by a narrow margin with 98.3 percent of the total votes counted as of 4:15 a.m. local time (1915 GMT Wednesday), showed data by the National Election Commission.

Lee won 47.80 percent of the votes. Sim Sang-jung of the progressive Justice Party fell far behind with a support of 2.37 percent. Sim also conceded defeat to Yoon when the votes counting was almost completed.

Lee said in a televised address that it was neither the failure of people nor that of the Democratic Party, blaming the election result on himself.

Lee offered his congratulations to Yoon, expressing hope that Yoon would open a new era of unity and harmony in the country.

Sim said in a televised speech that she humbly accepted her poor score in the election as it was the assessment of herself and her party, and expressed gratitude to her supporters despite the tight race between the two biggest political parties.

The final turnout was 77.1 percent, or 34,071,400 voters among the electorate of 44,197,692 people. It was slightly lower than the previous election's 77.2 percent in 2017.

Yoon Suk-yeol (Front) of the People Power Party waves after winning the South Korean presidential election in Seoul, South Korea, on March 10, 2022. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won the South Korean presidential election held on Wednesday, according to the Yonhap news agency Thursday. (Joint Press Corps/NEWSIS via Xinhua)

File photo taken on March 2, 2022 shows South Korean presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party attending a televised debate in Seoul, South Korea. Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative opposition People Power Party won the South Korean presidential election held on March 9, according to the Yonhap news agency on March 10. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

Staff members send ballot boxes for the presidential election to a ballot counting station in Seoul, South Korea, March 9, 2022. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

Staff members prepare to count ballots for the presidential election at a ballot counting station in Seoul, South Korea, March 9, 2022. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

Staff members count ballots for the presidential election at a ballot counting station in Seoul, South Korea, March 9, 2022. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

Staff members count ballots for the presidential election at a ballot counting station in Seoul, South Korea, March 9, 2022. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

Staff members count ballots for the presidential election at a ballot counting station in Seoul, South Korea, March 9, 2022. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

Editor: GSY
Photo shows giant panda mother and cub captured on March 5, 2022 by an infrared camera in Baoxing County, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Baoxing administration and protection station of the Giant Panda National Park/Handout via Xinhua)

CHENGDU, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Local forestry authorities in Baoxing County in Ya'an City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, have spotted a pair of wild giant pandas in the local giant panda national park.

Video footage recorded by an infrared camera captured the panda cub following its mother to a tree hole to rest on March 5. The little panda is believed to be around half a year old, said the staff of the local protection station.

Images of the two were previously captured in the wild at night on Jan. 12. This time, the pair was in the core protected area administered by Baoxing County under the Giant Panda National Park at an altitude between 2,500 to 3,800 meters.

The area boasts luxuriant arrow bamboo and abundant water, suitable for endangered wildlife. Since October 2021, the Baoxing area has five times captured wild panda mother and cub images and recorded 21 other wild species, including red pandas and white-eared pheasants.

The giant panda was first discovered in Baoxing County about a century ago when a French Catholic priest, who was also a zoologist and a botanist, came across a black and white fur, later found to belong to a species new to science.

Editor: GSY
Children dressed in traditional costumes celebrate the Tibetan New Year in Shannan, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Chogo)

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Gesang Zhoigar is former Party chief of Tama Village in Lhasa, capital city of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and also a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.

"It is an honor, as well as a responsibility for me. All my proposals over the years have got responses and the problems I raised have been solved," she said.

Born into a family of serfs who had struggled for subsistence, Gesang Zhoigar said she felt lucky that she and her siblings had the opportunity to receive education at school, and some of them later became teachers.

"I've witnessed what Tibet has achieved over the decades. Today the region is more open and inclusive, and is brimming with confidence than ever before. People of all ethnic groups here are very optimistic about the future."

"As a grassroots deputy, I feel delighted and excited as I can take note of people's ideas and bring my proposals to the 'two sessions'," she said. "I will continue to speak for the public, and contribute towards their happiness."

THRIVING BORDER TOWNS

Tashi Gyaltsen is the only NPC deputy of the Lhoba ethnic group from Tibet's Doyu Lhoba ethnic autonomous township. There are nearly 4,300 Lhoba people in the country, making the ethnic group one of the smallest among China's 56 ethnic groups in terms of population.

"It was not until I was in the third grade that I began to learn Mandarin," said Tashi Gyaltsen, adding that he later was enrolled in a junior high school outside his hometown.

He recalled that on his first day to the high school, the tall buildings on the way impressed him. "It was the first time that I saw such buildings. I was determined to study hard so that I could return to my hometown to build highrises."

Doyu Township has seen two-story dwellings spring up in recent years, with tap water, electricity and toilets available. The township has access to the internet, too.

"Villagers are living in decent homes. They own cars and drive to the cities to go on holidays," said Tashi Gyaltsen, noting that there were only a few cars in the town a decade ago.

By the end of 2021, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in Doyu reached 26,583 yuan (about 4,200 U.S. dollars), up 16.6 percent year on year. Industrial projects such as fungus planting base have been established, which are expected to increase the incomes of the locals.

"The government work report this year highlighted the development of central and western regions, as well as the ethnic minority areas. I believe that the border areas will become better and better," said the lawmaker.

ETHNIC CULTURE CONSERVATION

Norbu Sidar, a national political advisor, is a Thangka master, and he has been making efforts to promote the protection and inheritance of the traditional art.

Thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist scroll painting on cotton or silk with mineral and organic pigments derived from coral, agate, sapphire, pearl, gold, and other elements. The paintings date back to the 10th century and typically depict Buddhist deities.

"Tibet has rolled out many local rules and regulations to protect our traditional culture in recent years," said Norbu Sidar, head of the Tibetan Thangka Academy in Lhasa.

The academy has invested more than 10 million yuan to train over 300 professional thangka painters free of charge, and has helped thousands of people find jobs in recent years. The protection, inheritance and development of thangka art in Tibet have injected new vitality into the development of cultural industries and rural revitalization in Tibet.

Last year, he made a suggestion to the political advisory body, calling for more flexible and long-term policies to support ethnic traditional handicrafts.

"I will do my best to inherit and carry forward the ancient painting," he said. 

Editor: GSY
Wang Yang, 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 (CPPCC), presides over the 21st session of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisory body, the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), on Wednesday held a standing committee meeting.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the meeting.

The meeting approved a series of draft documents, including a draft resolution of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee on the work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and a draft political resolution on the fifth session of 13th CPPCC National Committee, and decided to submit them to the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee for review on Thursday.

Before the standing committee meeting, Wang also chaired a meeting of the Chairperson's Council of the CPPCC National Committee.

Editor: GSY
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, held its closing meeting on Thursday.

Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the closing meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, delivered a speech at the meeting.

A resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, a resolution on a report on how the proposals from political advisors have been handled since the previous annual session, a report on the examination of new proposals, and a political resolution on the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee were approved at the meeting. 

Editor: JYZ
Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) attend an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Jin Penghui, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Lin Fanru, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Wu Gang, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Yang Zhongqi, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Yang Jie, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Zhan Chunxin, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Ma Xiaolin, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Ou Yanling, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

A journalist asks a question during an interview attended by members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Journalists work during an interview attended by members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Journalists work during an interview attended by members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) attend an interview via video link ahead of the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Editor: WPY
A local resident wearing traditional costumes attends the "Great Fire" ceremony in Bouge of Namur, Belgium, March 6, 2022. On the first Sunday of Lent, people in Bouge celebrated spring's coming with a ceremony of lighting a colossal bonfire, during which the "Winter Man" is burnt. This tradition has been perpetuated for over 1,000 years. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Local residents wearing traditional costumes attend the "Great Fire" ceremony in Bouge of Namur, Belgium, March 6, 2022. On the first Sunday of Lent, people in Bouge celebrated spring's coming with a ceremony of lighting a colossal bonfire, during which the "Winter Man" is burnt. This tradition has been perpetuated for over 1,000 years. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

A local resident wearing traditional costumes attends the "Great Fire" ceremony in Bouge of Namur, Belgium, March 6, 2022. On the first Sunday of Lent, people in Bouge celebrated spring's coming with a ceremony of lighting a colossal bonfire, during which the "Winter Man" is burnt. This tradition has been perpetuated for over 1,000 years. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Local residents wearing traditional costumes attend the "Great Fire" ceremony in Bouge of Namur, Belgium, March 6, 2022. On the first Sunday of Lent, people in Bouge celebrated spring's coming with a ceremony of lighting a colossal bonfire, during which the "Winter Man" is burnt. This tradition has been perpetuated for over 1,000 years. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Local residents wearing traditional costumes carry the "Winter Man" during the "Great Fire" ceremony in Bouge of Namur, Belgium, March 6, 2022. On the first Sunday of Lent, people in Bouge celebrated spring's coming with a ceremony of lighting a colossal bonfire, during which the "Winter Man" is burnt. This tradition has been perpetuated for over 1,000 years. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Editor: WXL
By Zhang Zhou

The Supreme People's Court (SPC) submitted the work report to the ongoing session of the national legislature for deliberation on Mar. 8, 2022.

Here are highlights of the work report:

China enhances judicial openness

Chinese livestreaming court trials have registered 45.6 billion views in 2021, according to the Supreme People's Court (SPC) report submitted to the ongoing session of the national legislature for review.According to the report, a total of 130 million written judgments were made available to the public online in 2021.

China ups fight against financial crimes

China handled some 13,000 cases involving market manipulation, insider trading, illegal fund-raising and money laundering in 2021, said the report, which was submitted to the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress for review. Courts nationwide concluded about 1.55 million financial disputes last year, according to the report.

China imposes strict punishment on corruption-related crimes

Chinese courts concluded 23,000 cases related to corruption, bribery and dereliction of duty in 2021, involving 27,000 people, according to the report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) submitted to the ongoing session of the national legislature for deliberation.

Efforts were made to bring back illicit money and goods related to duty crimes and over 59 billion yuan (about 9.3 billion U.S. dollars) were recovered, read the SPC report.

739 Chinese courts provide 24-hour litigation services

A total of 739 courts in China provide 24-hour litigation services, according to a work report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) made public on Tuesday.

"Night-time courts" in cities like Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai have helped solve problems of office workers who can not find time to go to the court during the daytime, read the report submitted to the ongoing session of the national legislature for deliberation.

China is one of world's safest countries: SPC report

China is one of the safest countries in the world, according to a work report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) made public on Tuesday. The number of eight types of major criminal cases, such as homicide, rape and kidnap, has stayed at a low level, and the proportion of such cases in all criminal cases has steadily decreased, read the report submitted to the ongoing session of the national legislature for deliberation.

In 2021, people's courts at various levels concluded over 1.25 million criminal cases of first instance and convicted about 1.72 million criminals, according to the report.

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: JYZ
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has appealed to the leadership of the central banks of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan with a request to stop any operations with payment cards of the MIR payment system on the territory of these countries.

"Funding of armed aggression against Ukraine must be stopped. That is why we very much count on the support of our initiatives by international partners," the NBU said in a statement, citing words of its governor Kyrylo Shevchenko.

In particular, we are talking about the termination of servicing MIR cards in the network of ATMs and POS-terminals, as well as the impossibility of using them in the field of e-commerce and during P2P transfers.

As reported, after the decision of Visa and MasterCard to stop servicing Russian cards, the Central Bank recommended that customers of Russian banks use MIR cards in those countries where they are accepted.

In addition, after the statements of Visa and MasterCard, large Russian banks announced that they are considering the possibility of issuing a Mir card with Chinese UnionPay.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says that Ukraine expects the first EUR 300 million tranche of macro-financial assistance from the European Union next week, and the second one a week later.

"Next week we expect the first tranche of EUR 300 million of macro-financial assistance from the European Union, which has provided us with EUR 1.2 billion urgently. A week later, the second tranche will be allocated," Shmyhal said in his address on Wednesday evening.
More than 10,000 people were evacuated in Kyiv region on Wednesday, head of Kyiv regional military administration Oleksiy Kuleba said on Ukrainian TV channels.

At the same time, he said that more precise figures will be announced later. Evacuation was planned from Vorzel, Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel. "Unfortunately, we did not succeed in everything. We could not get to Bucha and Hostomel," Kuleba said.

"We very much hope that the evacuation will continue today, that today we will get to our people who are in Bucha and Hostomel," he said.

Speaking about the situation in the region, Kuleba noted: "Actually, we have no changes. The enemy tries to encircle us from the side of the Brovarsky highway, the Chornobyl direction and from the direction of the Zhytomyr highway."

According to him, intense fighting was expected on Wednesday at Brovarsky highway. "But the Russian occupiers received a good rebuff, and therefore the tension eased a little. But we expect every day that activity in this direction may increase," the head of the region said.
In Mariupol, as a result of the bombing of a children's hospital by Russian planes on Wednesday, three people were killed and 17 wounded, Mariupol City Council said.

"To date, it is known that after the terrorist bombing of the children's hospital in Mariupol by Russian aircraft, some 17 people (children, women, doctors) were wounded, three died, among them one child is a girl," Mariupol City Council said in a Telegram on Thursday.
The UK is considering additional support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and intends to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin account for his crimes, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

"There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless. The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes," he said on his Twitter on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has discussed increased sanctions pressure on Russia and further support for Ukraine.

"I had another conversation with the Prime Minister of the UK. We discussed the strengthening of sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation, further support for Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor, including defense assistance," the head of state wrote on his Twitter on Wednesday evening.

He said that he appreciates the leadership of the UK "in counteracting the crime that Russia is committing on Ukrainian land."
Russia must completely cease fire against Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said.

"I spoke with Dmytro Kuleba to reiterate our full support and solidarity. Russia must accept the imposition of a complete ceasefire," Le Drian tweeted on Thursday.

In addition, the minister confirmed France's support for the IAEA's initiatives on the safety of civilian nuclear installations in Ukraine.
Some 37 children killed, 50 injured in less than two weeks of Russian invasion  UNICEF

In less than two weeks of the Russian Federation's invasion, at least 37 children have been killed and 50 injured, and more than a million children have been forced to leave Ukraine for neighboring countries, said Catherine M. Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

However, in her statement, she stressed that she was stunned by the information about an attack on the maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 9.

"An attack which reportedly left young children and women in labor buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. We do not yet know the number of casualties but fear the worst. This attack, if confirmed, underscores the horrific toll this war is exacting on Ukraine's children and families," Catherine M. Russell said.

"Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure  including hospitals, water and sanitation systems and schools  are unconscionable and must stop immediately," UNICEF said.

"UNICEF renews its call for an immediate cease-fire and urges all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect children from harm, and to ensure that humanitarian actors can safely and quickly reach children in need," the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund said in the statement.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi intends on Thursday to discuss the issue of safety of nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities of Ukraine in Turkey, where on the sidelines of the Anatolian Diplomatic Forum, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with the participation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

"I am on my way to Antalya, Turkey, to discuss the urgent issue of ensuring the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities," Grossi said in Twitter from the plane Thursday morning.

Head of the State Nuclear Regulation Inspectorate of Ukraine Oleh Korikov said on March 8 that Ukraine's nuclear facilities are still under the highest threat due to the actions of the military of the Russian Federation against them, and it is impossible to say about any results of the diplomatic efforts of the IAEA and other international organizations regarding the improvement situation.

According to Korikov, along with the seizure of the territory of the Exclusion Zone and the industrial site of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, as well as the industrial site of Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, where seven nuclear units are located, artillery shelling of Kharkiv destroyed the regional oncologic dispensary, on the territory of which there are highly active radiation sources and damaged to the Neutron Source nuclear facility loaded with 37 nuclear fuel elements.

On March 9, Ukraine informed the IAEA about the blackout at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, seized by Russian invaders. Kuleba said that standby diesel generators will provide power to the station and its facilities for 48 hours, after which "the cooling system of the spent nuclear fuel storage facility will turn off, which will threaten radiation leakage."

The IAEA, in turn, said that it was concerned about this fact, but so far does not see a critical threat. The IAEA considers the heat load of the spent fuel pool and the amount of cooling water at the Chornobyl NPP to be sufficient to efficiently remove heat without the need for electricity.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian sanctions against Russia, which should be strengthened until Moscow stops aggression, and the issue of Ukraine's membership in the EU.

"Spoke with Jean-Yves Le Drian ahead of EU leaders meeting in Versailles. Underscored the historic importance of granting EU membership to Ukraine which now fights for itself and entire Europe. Discussed sanctions on Russia which must increase until Moscow ends aggression and war crimes," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
The Parliament (Drzavni zbor) of Slovenia on March 9, at an extraordinary session, adopted a Declaration on the current situation in Ukraine condemning Russia's actions and supporting Ukraine's accession to the EU until 2030.

"Parliament of Slovenia passed a resolution today, condemning Russian invasion, strongly supporting EU membership for Ukraine," Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said on Twitter.

According to the Slovenian publication Demokracija, 67 out of 74 MPs present backed the declaration, no one voted against.

In the statement, the parliament condemns Russia's aggression against Ukraine as a "gross violation of international law" and Russia's recognition of the so-called "L/DPR."

Slovenian parliamentarians also supported Ukraine's European perspective and its bid for EU membership, as well as the adoption of a clear plan to guarantee membership until 2030, subject to conditions being met.

The Parliament called on the Slovenian government to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and to support the activities of the international community in conducting negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian sides.

At the beginning of the extraordinary meeting, which was also attended by Ambassador of Ukraine Mykhailo Brodovych, MPs honored the memory of the victims of Russian aggression against Ukraine with a minute of silence.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the issues of defense support for Ukraine, sanctions pressure on Russia, peace talks and the European perspective of Ukraine.

"Discussed the course of peace talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Stressed the importance of increasing defense support for Ukraine and sanctions pressure on Russia. Raised the issue of Ukraine's membership in the EU on the eve of the informal summit of European leaders," Zelensky said on Twitter on Thursday.
The system of security guarantees for Ukraine will be formed on the basis of the best world experience, Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak said in an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda on Thursday.

"The best of the existing models will be chosen, which will give us a full guarantee of safety. Believe that today, despite the difficult situation, the best specialists are working both at the President's Office and outside the Office. We will take the best world experience, no one will do something in a hurry," Yermak said.

According to him, this will be a "fundamental document" that we are writing together with partners. "We understand that if it appears, it will not be for decades. It must protect Ukraine for centuries," he said.

Answering a question about the rapid entry of Ukraine into the EU, Yermak said: "We are doing everything for this. And I believe in it."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on large transnational companies to reconsider their decision to continue their activities in the Russian Federation, and governments and consumers around the world to boycott their products.

According to the list of 50 such companies published on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, companies in the financial, hotel, automotive, tire, tobacco, retail, pharmaceutical and a number of other sectors continue their work in the Russian Federation.

"Every product that a company supplies, manufactures or sells on the Russian market contributes to the military budget, which has always been a priority for the Russian government over any basic needs of its own citizens," the report says.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that regardless of the size of investments or Russia's share in the global portfolio, companies that comply with the standards and values of environmental, social and corporate governance do not have the moral right to continue operating in a country that commits massive war crimes on the territory of another country.

"During the two weeks of unprovoked military aggression by Russia, more than 50 children have already died as a result of air strikes and shootings," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reminded.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced his readiness to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov again in the format of the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.

"I will be ready to meet again in this format if there are prospects for a substantial discussion and for seeking solutions. I believe that when two foreign ministers meet, they have by definition the mandate to negotiate issues of peace, security... And I am ready to continue this engagement with purpose of ending the war in Ukraine, spotting the suffering of the Ukrainian civilians and liberating our territories from the Russian occupying force," Kuleba said at a press conference following talks with Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu in Antalya on Thursday.
During the past 24 hours, at least seven powerful blows were inflicted on the enemy by Ukrainian troops, two regiment commanders were destroyed, Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to the head of the President's Office, said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.

"At least seven powerful blows were inflicted near Brovary, Izium, Mykolaiv. Near Nikopol and Kryvy Rih, the enemy put forward tactical battalion groups, which were destroyed on the march. Our troops near Kharkiv took Derhachi, interrupting communications between the Northern Group of Russian Forces and those who are staying near Izium," he said.

Speaking about the humanitarian situation, Arestovych said that "the military-political leadership knows what is happening." At the same time, he urged "talking about problems, but not blaming the authorities," adding that the improvement of the humanitarian situation is directly related to the success of the Ukrainian army.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the issue of the 24-hour ceasefire, but made no progress on this issue.

"We also raised the issue of a 24-hour ceasefire to resolve the most pressing humanitarian issues. We did not make progress on this, since it seems that there are other decision-makers for this matter in Russia," Kuleba said at a press conference following the talks with Foreign Ministers of Russia and Turkey Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu in Antalya on Thursday.

The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also said that in this regard, he wants to reaffirm that Ukraine has not surrendered, does not surrender and will not surrender.

"We are ready for diplomacy, we are looking for diplomatic solutions, but as long as there are none, we will selflessly, sacrificing ourselves, defend our land, our people from Russian aggression," Kuleba said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol with the relevant authorities, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"I came here with a humanitarian purpose, to walked out from the meeting with the decision to arrange a humanitarian corridor in and from Mariupol... Unfortunately, Minister Lavrov was not in a position to commit himself to it, but he will correspond with respective authorities on this issue," Kuleba said at a press conference following talks with Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu in Antalya on Thursday.

Kuleba said he sincerely hopes that Minister Lavrov will communicate with those in Russia who make such decisions, and the humanitarian corridor will still work.

"I remain hopeful that Russia is purely out of human considerations, out of human sympathy for those who suffer from their bullets, their bombs in Mariupol, including babies, thousands of whom are now on the verge of death due to lack of necessary medicines, at least for these reasons, they will allow the functioning of the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol, as well as the humanitarian corridors that operate, for example, from the direction of Sumy to Poltava," the minister said.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio condemned an air raid of Russian troops on a maternity and children's hospital in Mariupol, called on the Russian Federation to stop the war and comply with the agreements on humanitarian corridors.

"Only rubble remains of the Mariupol hospital: Russian missiles destroyed a maternity ward and a pediatric one a few hours ago. Ukrainian authorities talk about the victims, mostly children and women. The place of hope, where life is born, has become a place of death. It is ruthless. Once again not a military target. Putin's war must stop," the minister wrote on his Facebook page.

He also stressed that the citizens of Ukraine continue to suffer from the bombing and are forced to watch their loved ones die because of a war that they did not want and that the entire international community strongly condemns.

"I repeat: a humanitarian truce requires a negotiating table that guarantees the opening of humanitarian corridors that must be respected. A 48/72-hour truce is necessary for the citizens of Ukraine to leave the country," the Foreign Minister said.
Over the past day, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has identified and detained Russian infiltrators and spies of the invaders in Uzhgorod, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk regions and Kyiv.

"In Zakarpattia region, the SBU exposed a resident of the so-called "DPR," who was spying for the occupier and publicly declared support for the aggression of the Russian Federation. From the beginning of the invasion, he recorded a video for one of the Russian TV channels. After that, he began to "leak" information to the enemy about the location of the Ukrainian military in Kharkiv. It was them that were shelled later," the SBU said in its Telegram channel.

According to the Ukrainian intelligence service, the Russian infiltrator laid in Uzhgorod and waited for further instructions from the enemy, but was captured by the SBU.

In Kharkiv region, as stated in the report of the SBU, a citizen of the Russian Federation was detained, who, in order to avoid criminal liability in his homeland, agreed to cooperate with the FSB of the Russian Federation.

"By the time of the large-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine, the agent was visiting his mother in Kyiv. The FSB immediately got in touch with him and instructed to collect data on the coordinates of checkpoints on the key highways of Ukraine, the number of personnel and weapons," the Ukrainian intelligence service said.

Also, according to the SBU, a 23-year-old local resident was detained in Donetsk region, who collected and transmitted important information to the aggressor about the forces and means of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the movement of military equipment, the intelligence received was used by the occupation forces of the Russian Federation when planning offensive and terrorist operations.

In addition, a resident of Kyiv, recruited by an employee of the so-called Ministry of State Security of the "LPR," is suspected of treason. "Intelligence service officers have established that he was passing data on former and current SBU employees to the curator and was trying to recruit Ukrainians in the interests of the Russian Federation," the SBU said.

The SBU also reported that a resident of Dnipro, for the $75 promised by the invaders, photographed checkpoints in the region and put them on Google maps. "Special operation forces of the SBU detained the spy while trying to withdraw some money from a bank card at an ATM," the Ukrainian intelligence service said in the report.
Oleksandr Korniyenko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, asks European parliamentarians to expedite Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

"We are definitely part of the European Union. We have proven this de facto, and we ask you, dear colleagues, to speed up bringing this de jure," Korniyenko said in a video message to the heads of European parliaments and parliamentarians, released on Thursday.

According to him, Ukraine has always looked towards Europe and checked its watches towards the European course.

"We paid a very high price for this and continue to pay every day: millions of refugees, hundreds of thousands of homeless citizens, thousands of deaths, billions of dollars of damage to civilian infrastructure. What else is missing in order to understand that we are paying such a price, after which it cannot be said that Ukraine may have some additional conditions, additional chances, that we need to think about whether to accept our country [in the EU]?" the MP said.

He stressed that Ukraine has proved that "it has done everything possible and impossible to join the European Union as soon as possible" and "now the ball is in your field."

Korniyenko recalled that the admission of countries to the EU under the accelerated procedure is a bold step, but not unprecedented.

"In the history of the European Union, there was definitely a case with East Germany, over which bombers did not fly and people did not die, but the admission under a shortened procedure happened," the First Deputy Chairman said.

He also noted that Ukraine still has a lot of work ahead  the continuation of the synchronization of legislation with the European Union one, the implementation of those reforms that Ukraine did not have time to make in peacetime, but which have long been worked out and designed at the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada.

"The fact that Ukraine can quickly catch up with any gaps, you can see in the example of our glorious army, which in a short time has become one of the most powerful armies in the world," he said.
Scholz says along with Macron, in talk with Putin, he calls for resolving situation in Ukraine through negotiations  media

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that, together with French President Emmanuel Macron, during a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he called for resolving the situation in Ukraine through negotiations, Bloomberg said.

In turn, the NTV German television channel said that Macron and Scholz, in a conversation with the Russian president, also expressed the need to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. The sides also agreed to remain in contact in the coming days.
On Thursday, humanitarian convoys left to the cities of Energodar in Zaporizhia region and Mariupol in Donetsk region, occupied by the Russian occupation troops, head of Zaporizhia regional military administration Oleksandr Starukh said.

"Today we have organized two humanitarian convoys. One again to Energodar in order to deliver food and medicine there again. The second convoy to Mariupol, which should also deliver water, medicine, food and bring buses, which will then take people out," Starukh said in a video message posted on his Telegram channel on Thursday.

According to him, a partial evacuation is organized inside Zaporizhia region, from the cities of Orikhiv, Hulyaipole, Komyshuvate and Stepnohirsk to Zaporizhia begins," so that in the event of hostilities, the local population, our countrymen, the civilian population remain unharmed."

"Work on Orikhiv, Hulyaipole has already been underway for several days, but now it will become more systemic, more organized," the head of the regional administration said.

Starukh urged residents of the regional center to join the help in accommodating the evacuees, not to refuse them. "We must overcome all hardships together," he said.
The period of quarantine and restrictive anti-epidemic measures in Ukraine to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has been extended from March 31 to May 31 of this year.

The government of Ukraine adopted relevant resolution No. 229 the day before the start of the Russian invasion, on February 23, and published it on its website on Thursday.

According to it, the deadline for developing the procedure for maintaining the register of COVID certificates in the central database of the electronic health system has been extended from February 28 to April 1.

In addition, Ukraine lifted the ban on entry into the country from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi, introduced since December 3 last year.
Russian propagandists to respond in same way as those who drop bombs on innocent people  Zelensky

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian propagandists will be held accountable for their deeds in the same way as those who drop bombs on cities.

"War crimes are impossible without propagandists covering them up. I want to tell them one thing: you will respond in the same way as those who order bombs to be dropped on civilians," he said in a video statement distributed on Thursday afternoon.

"We will find all the property of propagandists and persons associated with them. We will do everything to have it seized, wherever it is. You love the rich life. Love prosperous countries. You won't have it anymore. And this is just the beginning," he said, adding that "you will be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes."

And then, Zelensky added, "the citizens of Russia will hate you. Everyone you are fooling right now. When they feel the consequences of your lies. They will feel it in their wallets. On opportunities that are getting smaller and smaller. On the stolen future of Russian children."
Kuleba discusses with IAEA chief ways to ensure safety, protection of nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid Russian invasion

During a visit to Antalya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba discussed ways to ensure the safety and protection of nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid Russia's invasion with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

"Met with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Antalya to discuss ways of ensuring safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid Russia's invasion. I insist: Russia must immediately withdraw forces from Chornobyl and Zaporizhia NPPs to avert a disaster in Europe," Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Some 71 children die, over 100 injured since start of Russian invasion in Ukraine  Denisova

Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova says that 71 children have died and more than 100 children have been injured in Ukraine since the start of the Russian Federation's invasion.

"As of 11:00 on March 10, 2022, since the start of the Russian Federation's invasion in Ukraine, 71 children have died and more than 100 children have been injured," she wrote on the Telegram channel.

In particular, in Malyn, Zhytomyr region, as a result of an air strike, seven private one-story residential buildings were destroyed, five people died, including three children (a five-year-old girl and two children born in 2021).

Also, a 16-year-old boy died during shelling at a market in the village of Zhukovskoho in Kharkiv region.

In addition, at night, as a result of another shelling in the village of Slobozhanske, Izyum district, Kharkiv region, an enemy shell hit a private residential building. Four people died under the rubble: two women and two children, a five-year-old girl managed to survive.

Among other things, in Irpin, Kyiv region, a ten-year-old girl received a through shrapnel wound and is in a hospital in serious condition.

"For the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the lawlessness of Russian militants, the violation of all the Geneva Conventions, Ukraine pays an exorbitant price  the life of its children, the future of our people. I insist, NATO countries, help stop Russian terrorism  close the sky over Ukraine," Denisova said.
Ukraine's State Customs Service has transferred 650 confiscated vehicles worth a total of UAH 115 million to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Service has said.

"Over 14 days, the customs of the State Customs Service transferred confiscated goods and vehicles worth UAH 115 million for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the agency said on its Telegram channel on Thursday.

Among the goods transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine are almost 1 million packs of cigarettes worth UAH 5 million, 5,500, medications  UAH 2 million, foodstuffs - UAH 1.2 million, some 71 units of computer equipment and phones  UAH 0.6 million and 1,500 units of military gear (body armor, helmets, cartridges) - UAH 0.5 million, it says.

The customs reminded that the property confiscated or transferred on other grounds to the property of the department is transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by order of the Cabinet of Ministers dated February 26, 2022 No. 186-r.
Shmyhal counts on consolidated support from US Senate in agreeing on draft budget providing for military, humanitarian support to Ukraine

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal is counting on consolidated support from the U.S. Senate in agreeing on the draft budget, which includes military and humanitarian support to Ukraine.

"Grateful to the U.S. House of Representatives for almost $14 billion, provided for Ukraine. Powerful support to help us struggle for our freedom. Expect the same consolidated support from the Senate," Shmyhal said on Twitter.
Grossi on possibility of Ukraine-IAEA-Russia meeting: no decision on this yet

No decision has yet been made on the possibility of holding a Ukraine-IAEA-Russia meeting, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told reporters.

"We are discussing various modalities. So far there is no decision on how this can be held," he said.
Since the beginning of the war, the aggressor has shelled 63 Ukrainian hospitals, killing five doctors and wounding 10, Health Minister Viktor Liashko said.

"Russian terrorists fired on 63 hospitals. Unfortunately, we have lost five medical workers, more than 10 doctors are seriously injured and cannot work," he said on the air of a telethon on the ICTV channel on Thursday.

At the same time, Liashko stressed that outside the combat zone, medical assistance is provided in full no matter where those who need it live, ambulance teams respond to calls.
For Russian servicemen who did not shoot at peaceful Ukrainians and do not want to do this, but cannot return because of the likelihood facing a barrage fire from their colleagues, a special "hot line" will be opened, Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration head Vitaliy Kim has said.

"We will give Russian soldiers a chance. We know that they are on the border of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, talking with our people. What is the problem with the Russians? They do not want to attack. They believe that they were deceived, they said they thought they were sent to military exercises But they can't go back, because they said those Russian soldiers in Kherson region would shoot them when they retreated," Kim said in a video message on Thursday.

He noted that the units of the Russian army "are stationed in villages and scattered locations.

"I will go upstairs now. We will agree on such a thing as a 'green corridor' for the Russians, for those who have not yet shot and committed crimes against the civilian population. Those who wish to live. I will organize a 'hot line' with instructions where call how to come in order to stay alive, and not go to jail. I agree on this," Kim said.

He clarified that tomorrow he will publish the phone number of the "hot line" for Russian soldiers who did not shoot at civilians.

At the same time, he added that Russian artillerymen and military personnel of the missile forces will not be able to use the services of this "hot line."

"After Mariupol, you guys have no options. You either run or be buried in the ground," he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law on the forced seizure in Ukraine of objects of property rights of the Russian Federation and its residents.

As reported on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament adopted relevant law No. 2116-IX on March 3, on March 4 it was returned with the signature of the head of state, on March 6 it was published in the official parliamentary publication Holos Ukrayiny (Voice of Ukraine), and on March 7 it entered into force.

"Forcible seizure in Ukraine of objects of property rights of the Russian Federation and its residents is carried out without any compensation (reimbursement) of their value, given the full-scale aggressive war that Russia unleashed and is waging against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Decision on the forced seizure in Ukraine of objects of property rights of the Russian Federation and its residents is adopted by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and put into effect by a decree of the President of Ukraine," the message reads.

The law defines the principles for the forced seizure in Ukraine of objects of property rights of the Russian Federation and its residents, the grounds and procedure for the forced seizure of objects of property rights, as well as the legal regime of objects forcibly seized in Ukraine.
Ukraine is ready to discuss obtaining security guarantees from the permanent members of the UN Security Council and neighbors, similar to those provided for by the North Atlantic Treaty, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"My Constitution says something, and I cannot speak against my Constitution. But if we could reach an agreement where the same system of guarantees provided for by the North Atlantic Treaty was provided to Ukraine by the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, Turkey (a great friend and neighboring country), all our neighbors  this is what we are ready to discuss," Kuleba said at a press conference following talks with Russian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu in Antalya on Thursday.

He stressed that the war is going on now, Ukraine exists in a security vacuum, so it must think creatively about how to solve this problem and ensure its security.

Kuleba pointed out that the Constitution of Ukraine provides for the country's accession to NATO and the receipt of security guarantees provided by the North Atlantic Treaty.

"However, we understand that this will not happen in an instant, not even in the foreseeable future. We also see from the response of NATO as an alliance to Russian aggression against Ukraine that NATO is not ready to act collectively to stop the war and protect civilians in Ukraine from Russian air raids. It has delegated authority to assist member states on a bilateral basis. This raises the question of how to ensure the security of Ukraine between now and eventual NATO membership," he said.
The invasion of Russian invaders at the compressor stations of Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU) in Luhansk and Kharkiv regions portends stoppages, which will have negative consequences primarily for the transit of Russian gas to Europe, GTSOU head Serhiy Makogon has said.

"Due to the stoppage of the stations, transit will suffer more. In particular, the Sokhranivka entry point passes through Novopskov, which is about one third of the transit," he said during the airing of the UArazom nationwide telethon on Thursday.

"We demand that the Russian occupation troops vacate our facilities, and then we can carry out the work of transporting gas for Ukrainian and European consumers. Now there are risks that we will react accordingly, because we cannot manage the system when it is interfered with strangers," Makogon said.

According to him, Ukraine has already informed its European partners about the seizure of stations and the risks it carries.

Makogon also added that so far there is no information about the intentions of the invaders to destroy the stations, but the presence of armed people on them, who also have no understanding at all about how our system works technologically, creates significant risks for the manageability of the gas transit system (GTS).

"While they say they want to take these objects under protection, they also try to attend our meetings, ask questions about the objects. We have no information that they want to destroy them. But we must understand that our people are under very great pressure, including psychological pressure," he said.

At the same time, he clarified that he does not yet feel any attempts by the Russian military to penetrate other stations located on the border with the Russian Federation.

We have two more compressor stations located near the Russian border. These are Lubny and Romny, the entry point for gas from the Russian Federation's Sudzha. These stations are located in Russia-occupied areas," he added.

As reported, on the afternoon of March 10, GTSOU said Russian military and armed groups of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic on the territory of the compressor stations in Novopskov (Luhansk region) and Kupiansk (Kharkiv region), and threatened to intervene in the operation of the GTS facilities.
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on social networks he is stopping his second hunger strike in the Rustavi prison.

He said he has made this decision because of a letter "from Georgian fighters fighting in Ukraine," who asked him to stop his hunger strike.

"The same request is coming to me from representatives of the Supreme Military Command of Ukraine, with whom I am in constant contact," Saakashvili said.

What is needed now is "common sense, health, and full mobilization," he said.

Saakashvili secretly arrived in Georgia on September 29. He was detained in Tbilisi on October 1 and put in jail in the city of Rustavi soon afterwards, where he went on a hunger strike. On November 8, he was transferred to the prison hospital in Tbilisi's Gldani district without the consent of his lawyers or family. On November 20, Saakashvili was transferred to a military hospital in Gori, where he stopped his hunger strike. Saakashvili declared a second hunger strike in the Rustavi prison on February 21, demanding qualified treatment.

Saakashvili is implicated in several criminal cases in Georgia. He says his detention is illegal and that he has been framed.
On Thursday, law enforcement officers managed to evacuate the inhabitants of Irpin from the occupation, more than a thousand people were rescued from under the Romanivsky bridge, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reports.

"More than 1,000 people, of which 100 children, were helped to rescue from under the Romanivsky bridge by police of Kyiv region. On March 10, law enforcement officers managed to take the civilians of Irpin out of the occupation," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on the Telegram channel.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, women, children, people with disabilities, who are among the evacuated residents, all were subsequently taken to a safe place.
Lithuania's Seimas has adopted a resolution in which it invited all member states of the European Union to support Ukraine's aspirations to become a full member of the EU as soon as possible and to agree on granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate.

"The Lithuanian Seimas unanimously adopted a resolution, which invites all member states of the European Union to support Ukraine's aspiration to become a full member of the European Union as soon as possible, and to agree on granting the EU candidate status to Ukraine," the Lithuanian Seimas tweeted on Thursday.

"The Seimas resolution also states that Ukraine should be subject to an accelerated procedure for accession to the European Union without reservation," LRT.LT reports.

"Granting Ukraine the candidate status at this time would be an important sign of moral support for its people, who are defending their homeland and their right to decide their countrys future, without sparing their lives," the resolution reads.

"The Seimas also maintains that admitting a country whose people have shown incredible will and determination in their fight for European values to the European Union will inspire and strengthen the Union itself"," it reads.

The resolution notes that Ukraine has been seeking EU membership for more than a decade and that Ukraine and the EU have been bound by the Association Agreement for the past five years. Thus, according to the resolution, Ukraine's application to join the EU is the result of its strong commitment to European integration.

Also in the resolution, the Lithuanian Seimas confirms its readiness to provide Ukraine with all possible assistance in its quest for EU membership.
Humanitarian aid of the Red Cross has arrived in Enerhodar, Zaporizhia region, there will be no evacuation on the way back on Thursday, it is postponed to Friday, Enerhodar mayor Dmytro Orlov said.

"Humanitarian aid from the Red Cross has arrived in Enerhodar. On the way back, those who wish to evacuate by private transport can join the convoy of Red Cross trucks. It is not possible to organize buses now," Orlov wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday.

He clarified that everyone who wants to leave in their own cars should gather on Kurchatov Street from 17:00 to 17:30, the cars should be marked in the form of a red cross.

However, a little later, the mayor of Enerhodar wrote that the situation had changed and the evacuation was postponed to Friday.
In Lublin (Poland) a second volunteer warehouse center for humanitarian and medical assistance to Ukraine has been deployed.

"A new large warehouse in Lublin, 20 trucks a day arrive at Helm, there are queues. We are expanding and will do this all the time," Andriy Stavnitser, the co-owner of the TIS group of companies, wrote on his Facebook page.

The new address of the new warehouse is Megiewska 29, hala B / Rama T3, 20-234 Lublin, Polska.

"Helm is still working, everything you sent there will reach its destination. But redirect new cargoes to Lublin - there is much more space, more people, which means we will be able to receive and send much more help. From it we will finally be able to make targeted delivery to cities," the businessman explained.

At the same time, Stavnitser emphasized that the top needs for now are medicines, dry rations, canned food, energy bars, warm clothes, thermal underwear, and hygiene products.

As reported, the CEO of TIS organizes a single warehouse center for humanitarian and medical assistance for Ukraine, the co-owner Rozetka is providing a warehouse in Poland.
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereschuk says that Ukraine will appeal to the international community so that sanctions against Russia are also tied to the topic of disrupting the evacuation along humanitarian corridors.

"Today, the evacuation of residents of some cities and regions covered by hostilities, announced in the morning, continues, in particular, in Kyiv region. At the same time, the inhabitants of the million-strong city of Mariupol, who are under siege under constant shelling, have not been able to leave the deadly territory for almost a week. Mariupol remains completely blocked for both evacuation and humanitarian cargo. The humanitarian cargo at the Orekhovo-Polohy section again returned back to Zaporizhia. The fourth day has begun when we cannot deliver medicines and food to Mariupol," Vereschuk said.

According to her, Russia systematically violates the commitments taken the day before to evacuate the civilian population and provide humanitarian corridors.

"They search people who come out along these corridors, they shoot over their heads, they use violence. According to international law, these are war crimes against the civilian population," Vereschuk stressed.

She also said that, as it became known that Russia at the same time provides information to the UN, that it allegedly adheres to its obligations and presents itself as a "peacekeeper."

"This is outrageous! We will appeal to the international community - to influence the aggressor. So that the sanctions applied to him are "tied" to the topic of disrupting evacuation along humanitarian corridors. After all, this is a violation of international rules and norms of warfare, the Geneva Convention. There should be immediate responsibility for this," Vereschuk said.
UAH 120 million have been collected through the application Diia for the needs of the Ukrainian army, said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov.

"We raised UAH 120 million through Diia for the army This is incredible support for our fighters. All donations go to the Come Back Alive fund," Fedorov wrote on the Telegram on Thursday.

He also said that only on March 9, one of the regional offices of Come Back Alive handed over to the Ukrainian military 92 helmets, 107 tablets for artillerymen and UAV operators, more than 50 walkie-talkies, a dozen units of night optics, more than 20 quadrocopters, 12 computers and laptops, four sapper bags and 29 sets of thermal underwear.

"Each helmet, armor or night optics can save the lives of our fighters. Therefore, we need to continue to support our army," Fedorov said.
The European Union condemned "in the strongest terms" the shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, as well as other heinous crimes committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, expressing confidence that those responsible will be held accountable.

Statement by EU High Representative Josep Borrell and European Commissioner Janez Lenarcic posted in Brussels on Thursday reads.

"The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the shelling of the maternity hospital in Mariupol by the Russian Armed Forces. We are horrified to see Russian armed forces committing growing atrocities and targeting the most defenceless and vulnerable. Such behaviour by invading forces is shameful, reprehensive and totally unacceptable. Those responsible for it in the Russian Federation will be held accountable for this heinous crime," they stated.

In addition, the EU representatives condemned in the strongest possible terms the ongoing siege of the city of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities, which are being heavily bombed by the Russian Armed Forces, "causing horrors to civilian populations and creating humanitarian disasters."

"These serious violations of international humanitarian law must be stopped immediately. We repeat our urgent call on Russia to live up to its obligations and commitments under international law and international humanitarian law as well as to cease its military operations immediately. Russia bears full responsibility for this act of military aggression and all the destruction and loss of life it causes. The EU welcomes the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry within the UN Human Rights Council as well as the opening of an investigation by the International Criminal Court's Prosecutor. Russia will be held accountable for these serious violations and war crimes," they stated. In this regard, High Representative Borrell and Commissioner Lenarcic, on behalf of the EU, welcomed the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry within the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the launch of an investigation by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

"Russia will be held accountable for these serious violations and war crimes. We urgently call on Russia to respect humanitarian corridors and allow for the evacuation of the civilian population to other parts of Ukraine. We call on Russia to urgently allow full and unhindered humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its military actions, unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders," they called on Russia.
Japan Tobacco International subsidiary JTI will suspend all new investments and marketing activities in Russia, as well as the launch of new products, the tobacco giant said in a press release.

"The challenges of operating in Russia at this time are unprecedented and JTI needs some time to assess the long-term implications of the situation which all large international investors in Russia are currently facing. Unless the operating environment and geopolitical situation improve significantly, JTI cannot exclude the possibility of a suspension of its manufacturing operations in the country," it said.

Russia is one of JTI's largest markets. JTI employs close to 4,000 people in the country.

"JTI remains committed to its workforce and all employees will be retained for the foreseeable future," the company said.

JTI has almost a 40% share of the Russian tobacco market. Its Russia portfolio is Winston, LD, Mevius, Camel, Sobranie and Russian brands Donskoy Tabak, Kiss, Play, Peter I, Troika and others. It also sells Logic Compact e-cigarettes and Ploom heated tobacco products.

JTI sites in Russia are Petro in St. Petersburg, Donskoy Tabak in Rostov-on-Don, TI Yelets in the Lipetsk region, Cres Neva in the Leningrad region and Pereslavl Tabak in Yaroslavl region.

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is suspending planned investments in Russia, including new product launches, investments in innovation, as well as commercial and manufacturing activities, the tobacco concern said in a statement.

British American Tobacco has also said it is halting investments.

Imperial Brands has suspended business in Russia.
The Ukrainian military shot down another Russian Su-25 aircraft, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports.

"Another downed Russian Su-25 aircraft adorns the fertile Ukrainian land. Glory to Ukraine!" the ministry said on Telegram on Thursday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau have discussed security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, as well as joint diplomatic efforts to stop Russia's aggression.

"I spoke with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on providing further security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and our joint diplomatic efforts to stop Putin's war of choice," Blinken said on Twitter.
EU welcomes setting up commission of inquiry within UN Human Rights Council due to Russia's crimes in Ukraine - EU Ambassador

Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Matti Maasikas stressed that Russia will be held accountable for serious violations and war crimes in Ukraine.

"The EU welcomes the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry within the UN Human Rights Council and the opening of an investigation by the International Criminal Court's Prosecutor. Russia will be held accountable for these serious violations and war crimes," he said on Twitter.

Earlier, the European Union condemned in the strongest terms the shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, as well as other heinous crimes committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, expressing confidence that those responsible will be held accountable.

This is discussed in a statement by EU High Representative Josep Borrell and European Commissioner Janez Lenarcic, released in Brussels on Thursday.
Ukrzaliznytsia ships over 60 wagons of humanitarian aid through Zakarpattia Regional Logistics Hub

Zakarpattia regional logistics hub JSC Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) has shipped more than 60 wagons of humanitarian aid, Oleksandr Kamyshyn, head of the board of the railway carrier, wrote on his Telegram channel.

"This is about 3,600 tonnes of food, hygiene items, warm clothes, blankets, mattresses, sleeping pads, medical supplies," he said.

According to Kamyshyn, this humanitarian aid arrived in Zakarpattia from Europe.
President of European Commission meets with Ukrainian refugees, assures EU will always be on their side

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met young Ukrainians on her way to the summit of EU leaders in Versailles and said that the EU would always be on their side.

"On the way to the Versailles Summit, I met young Ukrainians who fled to safety in the EU.

I was so moved by their story and bravery. Putins war has made them leave everything behind. Life as they knew it, and their dreams. I told them the EU would always stand by their side," von der Leyen said on Twitter Thursday.
Macron doesn't expect diplomatic settlement of situation in Ukraine 'in next few hours or few days'

French President Emmanuel Macron said he does not expect a diplomatic settlement of the situation in Ukraine related to the Russian invasion and the buildup of military aggression in the very near future.

"I have to be honest and say that I don't see the possibility of a diplomatic settlement in the next few hours or in the very next few days," he told reporters ahead of the summit of EU leaders in Versailles.

At the same time, he assured that he would continue to try to help in finding a solution to the problem.

"We will talk with President Putin in the coming days. We will see if there is progress on both sides," the French president added.

The French president indicated that in the course of his contacts with the Russian Federation he would try to "influence Russia, push it to compromises."
Ukraine's losses from destruction due to a full-scale war against Russia amount to at least $100 billion, the war has led to a complete shutdown of half of Ukrainian enterprises, Oleh Ustenko, adviser to the President of Ukraine, said.

"Currently, about 50% of our business is not working. The rest of the enterprises are operating at the limit of their capabilities," Ustenko said during an online discussion hosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics on Thursday.

According to preliminary estimates, the cost of destruction, including infrastructure, hospitals, residential buildings, has reached $100 billion, but this is a rough estimate, he said. According to Ustenko, Russian assets frozen in various countries, including the reserves of the Russian central bank, should be used to finance the restoration of these destructions in Ukraine.

The adviser to the President of Ukraine also noted that the possibility of using the arrested assets of Russian oligarchs for these purposes is being calculated.

Earlier, deputy head of the NBU Serhiy Nikolaychuk, in an interview with Bloomberg, also estimated the fall in the country's GDP in the days after the war started by Russia on February 24 at 50%.

According to head of the NBU Kyrylo Shevchenko, in an interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnia on Thursday, the territories of more than 10 regions, as well as the city of Kyiv, which accounted for more than half of the country's GDP, are currently covered by hostilities and massive shelling.

"An accurate forecast of GDP can only be made after the end of hostilities," he said.

Shevchenko pointed out that the impact of the war across sectors is uneven: the service sector suffered the most, while some sectors reoriented production under martial law to the production of products for the needs of the country's defense (food and textile industries, engineering, production of building materials). In his opinion, this can to a certain extent reduce the impact of the war on the economy.

As reported, Ukraine's GDP in 2021 for the first time amounted to about $200 billion.
Due to non-observance of the regime by the Russian aggressor, it was again impossible to deliver humanitarian cargo to Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereschuk says and appeals to the world community to save the city from a humanitarian catastrophe.

"Our greatest pain, which I cannot remain silent about. I will speak every minute, every hour, I will appeal to the whole world: Help Mariupol. There is a real humanitarian catastrophe. Today, we were not able to transport even humanitarian cargo there once again. Not water, neither medicines nor food got to people who have been under total shelling for several days in a row," Vereschuk said in a video message.

She also said that in other areas of work of humanitarian corridors, more than 60,000 people were taken from Sumy, Trostianets, Krasnopillia in the direction of Poltava in two days.

About 3,000 people managed to leave Izium for Lozova, and about 20,000 people were evacuated from Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Vorzel in Kyiv region.

More than 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid were delivered to Energodar.
Near Svitlodarsk, Russian troops damaged a high-pressure gas pipeline, and the enemy also launched an air strike on the village of Rubtsi in Lymansky community, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration.

"The Russians have just broken a high-pressure gas pipeline near Svitlodarsk. How the damaged gas pipeline is burning can be seen from afar. Gas workers will soon find out how quickly they can restore it," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, Metinvest Group and DTEK have teamed up to help Ukrainians affected by Russia's attack on Ukraine - from the first days the foundation decided to undertake the mission of delivering humanitarian aid, the group said in a press release on Thursday.

According to the report, a hub was set up in Poland, in which aid from all over the world is collected and delivered to Ukraine. The first 80 tonnes of essential goods are already being sent to Ukraine.

The cargo that will now be moving to Zaporizhia includes water, cereals, pasta, tea and coffee, instant soups. Aid comes from different countries, sorted by affiliation and will be sent in batches to those regions where it is most expected, the report says.

"As soon as we realized that a negative humanitarian situation could occur, we opened an unprecedented humanitarian front. First of all, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, together with Metinvest, DTEK - SCM businesses, is engaged in this. On the basis of Metinvest Poland, we opened a transshipment hub, where we accumulate humanitarian aid coming from different European countries. From there, aid goes to Ukraine and is sorted in a humanitarian center established in Zaporizhia," Metinvest Group CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov said.

Aid is delivered from the Netherlands, Romania, Germany, the Baltic countries, Poland and Italy. At the same time, the company is open to partnership and invites everyone who wants and can help Ukraine, according to the press release.

The project does not provide for individual one-time donations, but it is a large-scale humanitarian aid.

A humanitarian coordinating center has been set up on the basis of Zaporizhstal, where cargo is delivered from Europe. It is here that volunteers - employees of Metinvest Group - receive goods, pack them, deliver them to locations, help refugees, the report says.
The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine proposed to the energy ministers of the G7 countries to freeze the gas money of the Russian Federation, the press service of the agency reported.

"We propose to store funds for gas on special escrow accounts that will not be available to the aggressor," Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said at an online meeting with the energy ministers of the G7 states on Thursday.

According to the release, the minister called on international partners to tighten sanctions against Russia to reduce its oil and gas revenues, in particular, to introduce an embargo on crude oil, petroleum products, liquefied gas, and to freeze energy assets of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, he asked to find a way to force Russia to withdraw its troops from peaceful nuclear facilities and create at least a 30-kilometer demilitarized zone around Ukraine's nuclear power plant, and also expressed an opinion on the need to postpone Europe's phased withdrawal from nuclear energy, which would reduce natural gas consumption.

"We also ask for your firm position to support the energy independence of Ukraine, in particular, the speedy synchronization of the Ukrainian energy system with ENTSO-E," he said.

For his part, European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, insisting on a cessation of hostilities around nuclear facilities, noted that the G7 countries should hold Russia accountable for the possible risks that it creates on their territory, the report says.

According to her, EU energy ministers reacted positively to Ukraine's application for emergency synchronization with the European continental network ENTSO-E, which is currently being worked on.

"All the energy ministers of the G7 states expressed support for Ukraine and assured of full solidarity with the Ukrainian people and readiness to continue looking for the most effective mechanisms to put pressure on the aggressor in the energy sector," the Energy Ministry assures.
On March 10, 2022, JSC Ukrposhta delivered the first batch of humanitarian aid to Ukraine on a plane of Windrose airline (Ukraine) at its own expense.

According to the company, 24 tonnes of medicines and baby food arrived in Poland on a New York-Warsaw charter flight on March 9. Then Ukrposhta at its own expense organized the delivery of humanitarian aid by land transport to the territory of Ukraine, to its humanitarian center in Lviv.

"This batch of humanitarian aid will be delivered to the most affected eastern regions, where help is most needed today. Targeted aid sent by plane will be delivered to the address indicated by the volunteers," the report says.

The second flight is scheduled for March 15, respectively, the next batch of humanitarian aid from the United States will arrive on March 16, 2022.

In the United States, Dnipro LLC acts as a consolidator and cargo agent for the acceptance of all cargoes to its warehouse and preparation of cargo for transportation. Humanitarian shipments - medical items are accepted at the address in United States: 645 West 1st Avenue, Roselle, NJ 07203. All boxes should indicate "UkrPoshta Dnipro LLC/Humanitarian Aid," the carrier reminds.

Delivery of humanitarian cargo from the United States through Poland to Ukraine and to the destination will be carried out by Ukrposhta at its own expense. Globe Air Cargo, as a general agent of Windrose Airlines (GSSA) in the United States, undertakes all the necessary work to organize booking and coordinate cargo handling at the airport of departure.
In the town of Korosten (Zhytomyr region), Russian planes taking off from the Belarusian airfield killed three people, two of whom are Belarusians, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports.

"In the town of Korosten, Zhytomyr region, Russian invaders fired at civilians and infrastructure from aircraft. As the mayor of Korosten, Volodymyr Moskalenko, said through the media, one civilian, our compatriot, was killed as a result of an airstrike. Another two people were Belarusians who received burns incompatible with life," the service said on Facebook.
Woburn, MA (01801)

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Cloudy with periods of rain. High 53F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

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Showers in the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 47F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Biden, Erdogan discuss importance of further intl efforts to hold Russia accountable for unprovoked attack on Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed the importance of further international efforts to hold Russia accountable for its aggression against Ukraine.

"I spoke today with Erdogan to coordinate our responses to Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine. We discussed the importance of continued international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for its aggression and to support the Ukrainian people as they confront this crisis," Biden said on Twitter.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal expects Swiss companies to stop working in Russia.

"During the conversation with the President Ignazio Cassis thanked Switzerland for unprecedented support of Ukraine in the war. At the same time, some Swiss companies continue to work in Russia, financing the criminal actions of the occupier. Look forward to your full support of harsh sanctions!" Shmyhal said on Twitter.
Press Release

March 10, 2022 De Lima on Recto Bank exploration deal with China: How can PH honor it without knowing if it's constitutional? Re-electionist Senator Leila M. de Lima chided President Duterte for acting as China's spokesperson anew by asking the Filipinos to honor the supposed Recto Bank (Reed Bank) exploration agreement deal with China to avoid conflict. De Lima maintained that the only way for the Philippines to move forward with any exploration deal with China is "if they acknowledge our sovereign rights over our continental shelf and EEZ under UNCLOS," stressing that "anything short of that is unacceptable." "Now that Duterte has lifted the moratorium on oil and natural gas exploration in Recto Bank, he returns as a spokesperson to China to communicate their threat if we do not push through with a joint exploration with them," she said. "Have we forgotten the fact that the moratorium came about when Chinese patrol boats harassed a Philippine DOE-commissioned survey ship that was exploring the area on March 2011?" she added. In a public address last March 7, Duterte urged the Philippines to move forward on joint development of resources in Recto Bank with China, warning that the country is not prepared to get into "trouble" with its neighbor. Notably, the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal's ruling states that the Reed Bank is part of the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), where the country has exclusive sovereign rights. But China continues to dispute it. Last November 2018, Duterte and Xi Jinping of China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on joint maritime oil and gas exploration. However, Duterte refused to release the official details of this MOU in spite of outcry from the public and the Senate. De Lima maintained that the Philippines cannot honor an agreement without knowing if it is constitutional, much less if it serves the interests of the Filipinos. "What areas do this agreement cover? Trust necessitates transparency," she said. "How many incidents have we had in the Recto Bank with Chinese vessels harassing our fishermen during the term of Duterte alone? Is threatening us with trouble supposed to force us to undertake this joint exploration? "China has been bullying us in the West Philippine Sea. What guarantee do we have that they will treat our country with respect during a joint exploration?" she added. The Recto Bank exploration was put on hold following an order from the late former President Benigno Aquino III in 2012 freezing all exploration activities in disputed areas. Duterte, however, in 2020 lifted the suspension of oil exploration in the WPS, paving the way for the resumption of drilling activities in the disputed waters, including the Recto Bank.
Al-Azhar condemned Friday terrorist attack on a mosque in Afghanistans capital Kabul that left dozens of worshippers dead and injured.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi attended on Monday a celebration of Eid El-Fitr with the families of Egyptian Armed Forces and police personnel killed or injured in the countrys battle against terrorism.
Egyptian authorities succeeded in releasing 20 Egyptian sailors who were held in Yemen over the past several days reportedly over charges of trespassing into Yemeni territorial waters without a permit.
Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea and a delegation from Mercedes-Benz Egypt discussed in Cairo on Tuesday boosting the companys projects in the country, with an eye on localising electric vehicle manufacturing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Tuesday the West must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine and accused Kyiv of not taking talks to end the conflict seriously, the Kremlin said.
A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in this encircled city of 430,000, and Tuesday brought no relief: An attempt to evacuate civilians and deliver badly needed food, water and medicine through a designated safe corridor failed, with Ukrainian officials saying Russian forces had fired on the convoy before it reached the city.

Nearly two weeks into the invasion, the Russians have advanced deep along Ukraine's coastline in what could establish a land bridge to Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014. Mariupol, which sits on the Azov Sea, has been surrounded by Russian soldiers for days.

Mariupol, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, is in a "catastrophic situation.''

In other developments in the Russian invasion:

_ Poland said it will give all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S., apparently agreeing to an arrangement that would allow them to be used by Ukraine's military. That could further inflame tensions between Washington and Moscow.

_ U.N. officials said that 2 million people have now fled Ukraine.

_ Russia's economic isolation deepened as U.S. President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports and Shell said it will no longer buy oil and natural gas from the country. Also, Adidas and McDonald's said they are suspending their operations in Russia.

For days, as Moscow's forces have laid siege to Ukrainian cities, attempts to create corridors to safely evacuate civilians have stumbled amid continuing fighting and objections to the proposed routes. Ukraine has rejected Moscow's offers of corridors that lead civilians to Russia or its ally Belarus.

The Russian military has denied firing on convoys and charged that the Ukrainian side is blocking evacuation efforts.

One evacuation did appear successful Tuesday, with Vereshchuk saying that 5,000 civilians, including 1,700 foreign students, had been brought out via a safe corridor from Sumy, an embattled northeastern city of a quarter-million people where overnight strikes killed 21, including two children.

In Mariupol, authorities planned to start digging mass graves for all the dead, though the number is unclear. The shelling has shattered buildings, and the city has no water, heat, working sewage systems or phone service.

Theft has become widespread for food, clothes, even furniture, with locals referring to the practice as "getting a discount.'' Some residents are reduced to scooping water from streams.

With the electricity out, many people are relying on their car radios for information, picking up news from stations broadcast from areas controlled by Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists.

Ludmila Amelkina, who was walking along an alley strewn with rubble and walls pocked by gunfire, said the destruction had been devastating.

"We don't have electricity, we don't have anything to eat, we don't have medicine. We've got nothing,'' she said, looking skyward.

Across the country, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, in nearly two weeks of fighting. Russian forces have seen their advances stopped in certain areas _ including around Kyiv, the capital, where a vast armored column has been stalled for days _ by fiercer resistance than expected from the Ukrainians.

Late Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video showing him standing near the presidential offices in Kyiv. Behind him were piles of sandbags, a snow-dusted fir tree and a few cars.

It was the second video in 24 hours showing him near the country's seat of power, apparently made to dispel any doubts about whether he had fled the city.

"Snow fell. It's that kind of springtime," he said in a soft voice. "You see, it's that kind of wartime, that kind of springtime. Harsh. But we will win.''
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) supports Egypts efforts accelerating green transformation and investment ahead of it hosting the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27) in November, said EBRDs Vice President for Policy and Partnerships Mark Bowman.

Speaking to Ahram Online during his seven-day visit to Egypt that concluded on Monday, his first official visit to the country, Bowman stressed that Egypt has enormous potential when it comes to renewable energy and green growth.

The visit aims to follow up Egypts efforts to prepare for COP27, to launch the country strategy for Egypt (2022-2027), and to chart a roadmap regarding cooperation for the governments transition to a low-carbon economy.

During his visit, he met with number of Egyptian officials and decision makers.

COP27 is a real opportunity for Egypt to set out its ambition for the future and its plans to decarbonise its economy as well as designing a time table towards a net-zero economy. The climate crisis is a serious challenge globally and Egypt has made good efforts in this area, according to Bowmen.

He also added that Egypt would achieve its goal to become a regional hub for renewable energy, given the country enjoys an abundance of natural resources including sun, winds and lands, Bowman said.

Regarding EBRDs country strategy for Egypt through 2027, officially launched on Saturday, Bowman told Ahram Online that it is focused on three key priorities, including building a more inclusive economy for women and young people in local businesses, increasing the countrys competitiveness, particularly ensuring a level playing field within the private sector, and accelerating Egypts green transformation.

The strategy comes in line with the framework of Egypts commitment to transitioning towards a green economy, to increasing investment in human capital and to developing infrastructure for a green and sustainable transport sector.

Over the past four years, EBRD named Egypt as the site of its largest operations in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region.

Touching upon the private sector and the role it plays in supporting the governments efforts, Bowmen told Ahram Online that the private sector is a significant priority for the EBRD in the Egyptian market, adding that the bank is working with the government to increase the role of the private sector in the countrys economy.

It is very clear that the private sector role is necessary to generate high-quality jobs, especially amid the ongoing challenges that hit all the markets including Egypt, which would be needed in the future. I am struck by the progress that the authorities have made over recent years in terms of the macroeconomic reforms through working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and how well the Egyptian economy has coped with the COVID-19 crisis. Yet, there is more to be done in regards with enabling the private sector to generate the growth that is necessary for Egypts economy, Bowmen explained.

He also hailed Egypts second wave of reforms, which is centred on structural reforms, emphasising that these should involves deep structural reforms that create a level playing field for the private sector.

Moreover, the public-private partnerships (PPPs) play a role in this respect, according to Bowmen.

He added that the best way to increase the private sectors role in the economy is through providing a proper regulatory and a business environment and that will encourage the private sector investment in the domestic market.

In this respect, Bowmen expounded that the EBRD invests over 1 billion in Egypt annually, 75 percent of which is dedicated to support private sector companies. The bank is also working with the government to improve the business environment. They also works with businesses, giving them advice on how to succeed.

Responding to a question from Ahram Online, Bowman indicated the bank would cooperate with the Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE) to identify projects the bank can support.

I think one area that is particularly promising in this context is water desalination programme, powered by the TSFE. We are in close discussions with the fund regarding some of the early-stage ideas of the privatisation programme as well.

We would ultimately partner in the projects that will come out of this process and the TSFE plans for equity injections. We are willing to avail finances to the winning bidders of such projects in the future as well as in the ultimate financing package, Bowmen illustrated.

During his visit to Egypt, Bowmen visited the Suez Canal Economic Zone to explore its investment opportunities. In addition, he toured Benban solar energy park located in the Western Desert, one of the worlds largest solar power plants.

We cooperate with the Suez Canal Authority in terms off policy engagement. This includes improving the investors experience, so that investors have an access to the investment opportunities the zone enjoys through a one-stop-shop system that provides a single point of contact which make the process easier for them to operate. This could led the EBRD to invest in the zone in the future, yet we have not decided that yet, Bowmen spelled out.

He also added that the authority has promising investment opportunities and impressive plans for green hydrogen production.

During the EBRDs country strategy launch event, Egypts Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources inked a memorandum-of-understanding (MoU) that aims to provide the required technical support for a local low-carbon hydrogen supply, as well as studying the technical, economic and regulatory feasibility of developing hydrogen supply chains.

In this respect, Bowmen told Ahram Online that green hydrogen and renewable energy like solar and wind has enormous potential to replace fossil fuel use in Egypt and it is in line with recent action to create a zero-carbon economy globally.

Through this MoU, we will work with the Egyptian authorities to develop a strategy for green hydrogen. Egypt has made great progress regarding the green transformation and has a very good story to tell in this regard, he further added.

Egypt is a founding member of the EBRD.

The bank has invested approximately 7.2 billion across 127 project since the start of its operations in the country in 2012.

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Russian airstrikes hit three hospitals in Ukraine on Wednesday, including two west of the capital and a maternity hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol, where 17 people were wounded in what Ukrainian officials labelled a "war crime'' and an "atrocity.''

The attacks came amid hopes for mass evacuations of civilians from several besieged Ukrainian cities, including Mariupol, which has been without food, water and power for days and which started burying bodies in a mass grave because its morgues are full.

Russia, without evidence, accused Ukraine of having chemical weapons labs. White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Russia's claim "preposterous'' and said it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for using such weapons of mass destruction itself against Ukraine.

Here's a look at key things to know about the war:

ARE CIVILIANS BEING SAFELY EVACUATED?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said efforts were made Wednesday to evacuate some 18,000 people from embattled towns in the Kyiv region to the capital itself. Speaking in Russian, he appealed to Russian soldiers to save themselves and "just go home.''

Zelenskyy said late Wednesday that about 35,000 civilians have used humanitarian corridors to flee the fighting.

"We are praying that it will be possible to take people out of Mariupol,'' he said.

WHAT HAS THE AP DIRECTLY WITNESSED OR CONFIRMED?

In the AP video of the airstrike on the maternity hospital, thunderous bangs were followed by the sounds of glass breaking and car alarms going off as smoke rose from beyond a nearby building. Outside of Mariupol Hospital No. 3, a woman holding a small child cried uncontrollably while a Ukrainian soldier bandaged another woman's head.

Rescue workers evacuated the injured down a staircase, including a pregnant woman. Her face was pale and she grabbed her belly before she was loaded into an ambulance. There was a massive crater on the hospital grounds and debris everywhere.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held "to account for his terrible crimes

"There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless,'' Johnson tweeted.

There are few things more depraved than targeting the vulnerable and defenceless.



The UK is exploring more support for Ukraine to defend against airstrikes and we will hold Putin to account for his terrible crimes. #PutinMustFail https://t.co/JBuvB78HVC  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 9, 2022

Pavlo Kirilenko, a regional government official, said 17 people were wounded.

Zelenskyy said the strike trapped children and others under the rubble.

Workers in Mariupol on Wednesday continued hastily and unceremoniously burying scores of dead civilians and soldiers in a mass grave dug in a cemetery in the heart of the city.

With morgues overflowing and corpses uncollected in homes, city officials decided they couldn't wait to hold individual burials. Forty bodies were placed in the grave Tuesday and at least 30 more were put there Wednesday, though the number was rising so quickly that the total became unclear.

Some were brought wrapped in carpets or plastic bags. Workers quickly made the sign of the cross after pushing the bodies into the common grave. No family members or other mourners were there to say goodbye.

Civilians from towns northwest of the capital made their way toward Kyiv on Wednesday through a humanitarian corridor, with firefighters and police helping people carry their animals and belongings across a damaged bridge.

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND?

Russian aircraft bombed Zhytomyr, a city of 260,000 west of Kyiv, hitting two hospitals, including a children's hospital, Mayor Serhii Sukhomlyn said on Facebook. He said the number of casualties was still being determined.

"A children's hospital. A maternity hospital. How did they threaten the Russian Federation?'' Zelenskyy asked in his nightly video address.

Artillery fire continued pounding the suburbs of Kyiv and Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, on Wednesday. A police headquarters was destroyed in Kharkiv, killing at least four people and wounding 15 others, prosecutors office representative Serhii Bolvinov said on Facebook. He said 282 city residents, including six children, have been killed since the invasion began.

After darkness fell, Russian artillery again began shelling Kyiv suburbs.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday it has confirmed 18 attacks on health facilities and ambulances in Ukraine in which 10 people were killed.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR PLANTS?

All Chernobyl nuclear plant facilities are without power and the diesel generators have fuel for 48 hours, Ukraine's main grid operator said. The state communications agency said the power outage could put systems for cooling nuclear material at risk. The site has been under the control of Russian troops since last week.

Ukraine's nuclear regulator said remote data transmission from monitoring systems at Chernobyl has been lost.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said it saw no critical impact on safety at Chernobyl because there could be "effective heat removal without the need for electrical supply'' from spent nuclear fuel at the site. The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, tweeted that he would attend a meeting Thursday in Turkey between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine in the hopes of making progress on the "urgent issue of ensuring the safety and security'' of Ukraine's nuclear facilities.

Ukraine's energy minister said Ukrainian staff at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, are physically and emotionally exhausted. He said about 500 Russian soldiers and 50 pieces of heavy equipment are inside the station, which the Russians seized last week.

WHAT ARE WESTERN COUNTRIES DOING TO HELP UKRAINE?

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday night that would rush $13.6 billion in American aid to Ukraine and its European allies. Senate approval was assured, probably within a few days.

The aid includes $6.5 billion for the U.S. costs of sending troops and weapons to Eastern Europe and equipping allied forces there in response to Putin's invasion and threats, and $6.8 billion to care for refugees and provide economic aid to allies.

The Pentagon on Wednesday slammed the door on a plan to provide MiG fighter jets to Ukraine, even though a second country, calling it a "high-risk'' venture that would not significantly change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force. Poland had said it was prepared to hand over MiG-29 planes to NATO that could then be delivered to Ukraine, but Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said U.S. intelligence concluded that it could trigger a ``significant'' Russian reaction.

Cyprus said it sent its first 165-ton batch of humanitarian aid to Poland for distribution in Ukraine, including food, sleeping bags, tents, shoes and other items. And donations poured into a collection centre in Paris for the people of Ukraine, including baby food and other aid.

``They're fighting for us, they are fighting for our freedom. We just have to stop Putin and we have to help them,'' said donor Claude De Mol, 60, a German-Belgian woman who came to deliver medicine and gloves.

WHAT'S THE VIEW FROM INSIDE RUSSIA?

Russia has cracked down on independent reporting and blocked access to Russian-language news from multiple foreign news outlets. Scattered protests against the war continue in the country, but people in Russia are losing sources of information about what is happening.

While U.S. and British bans on Russian oil have increased the pressure on Europe to follow suit, the continent's dependence on Russia for energy makes an immediate embargo much more difficult.

Heineken, Universal Music and Discovery joined other large companies such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and General Electric in suspending business in Russia.

Amazon said it is suspending shipments of goods sold on its website to customers in Russia and Belarus and barring new third-party sellers from those countries. It also said its cloud computing network, Amazon Web Services, would stop allowing new sign-ups from Russia and Belarus.

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-- Those were the words of Djevdet Bey, the governor of Van Province in Ottoman Turkey, who on April 24, 1915 lead 20,000 Turkish soldiers and 10,000 Kurdish irregulars in the opening act of the genocide of Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks.

Between 1915 and 1918 750,000 Assyrians (75%), 1,000,000 Greeks and 1,500,000 Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks and Kurds in a genocide that aimed at and nearly succeeded in destroying the Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire.

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Your browser does not support the video tag. The Genocide of the Assyrian -- Assyria TV

Your browser does not support the video tag. The Untold Holocaust: the Story of the Assyrian Genocide

Your browser does not support the video tag. The Cry Unheard: the Assyrian Genocide

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March 10, 2022 'EDSA Hero' Echoes Lacson Warning vs 'Coalition Government'

More at: https://pinglacson.net/article/edsa-hero-echoes-lacson-warning-vs-coalition-government A retired Air Force officer who played a key role in the 1986 EDSA Revolution has echoed the concerns of Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson against a "coalition government" with the Communist Party of the Philippines. Retired Air Force Col. Hector Tarrazona made the warning in a letter to 1Sambayan convenor Antonio Carpio, after seeing "known communists, whose ultimate goal is to overthrow the government" in the coalition. "While I was very hopeful to see the coalition of different political groups, I was greatly disappointed to see known communists, whose ultimate goal is to overthrow the government, in the coalition," Tarrazona said in his letter to Carpio, after joining a recent Zoom webinar of 1Sambayan. Tarrazona, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1968 who in 1986 persuaded the 15th Strike Wing to support the EDSA Revolution, said there is no place for communists in the coalition. His letter belied the claim of ex-Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that he saw no communist in the campaign team of Robredo. Trillanes is part of Robredo's senatorial slate. In his letter, Tarrazona lamented the insurgency, which has gone on for at least 51 years, has killed up to 60,000 soldiers, insurgents and civilians. "You may have pleased a few thousand communists but you will be losing the support of millions among the AFP and PNP personnel and their families, businessmen, farmers, and other Filipinos who have been victims of their terrorism, atrocities, and revolutionary taxation," he told Carpio in his letter. "I hope you would correct this big political blunder," he added. Lacson earlier voiced concern that operatives of the CPP, New People's Army and National Democratic Front may have infiltrated Mrs. Robredo's campaign, citing information from ex-NPA cadre Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz that jibed with information from his intelligence sources.
The United Arab Emirates on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to OPEC+ alliance agreements, a day after an envoy said it would urge the oil cartel to boost output.

"The UAE is committed to the OPEC+ agreement and its existing monthly production adjustment mechanism," Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei wrote on Twitter.

The UAE believes in the value OPEC+ brings to the oil market.

The UAE is committed to the OPEC+ agreement and its existing monthly production adjustment mechanism.    (@HESuhail) March 9, 2022

"The UAE believes in the value OPEC+ brings to the oil market," he added.

At last week's OPEC+ meeting, the 13 members of the Saudi-led OPEC group and their 10 allies, including Russia, agreed to hold firm on plans to stick to existing output targets through April.

A surge in prices and supply fears following Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to calls for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to increase output.

The OPEC+ group plans to boost production by just 400,000 barrels a day in April, the same pace as in recent months.

The UAE ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, had said on Wednesday that his country favoured "production increases and will be encouraging OPEC to consider higher production levels".

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Tuesday issued an "urgent appeal" to OPEC oil producers to ramp up output "to create relief on the market".

Oil-producing countries have an interest in acting in coordination -- both within Saudi-led OPEC and the Russia-led extended alliance -- to avoid a price war and keep control over the market.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq have an estimated combined reserve capacity of 2.5 million to three million barrels per day.

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The Egyptian food industry exports to both Russia and Ukraine combined in 2021 amounted to $67 million, representing 1.68 percent of the total Egyptian food exports that reached $4.1 billion in same year, according to the Food Export Council.

Egypts processed food exports to Russia reached $64 million in 2021, up from $40 million in 2020 and $17 million in 2014, recording a 61 percent and 287 percent increase, respectively, the Egyptian Food Export Council said in a statement on Thursday.

Russia ranked 21st in the list of countries importing Egyptian processed foods in 2021, making up 1.6 percent of the total Egyptian processed food exports that reached $4.1 billion in 2021.

Egyptian food exports to Russia in 2021 represented 13 percent of the total Egyptian non-oil exports to Russia in the same year, amounting to $484 million, read the statement.

From 2014 to 2021, Egypt exported $267 million-worth of processed food to Russia.

Frozen strawberries came on top of the list of Egyptian processed food commodities exported to Russia in 2021, at $24 million, representing 38 percent of the total exports.

Other exported food commodities include frozen vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, white cheese, pickled vegetables, sweet biscuits, and crisp bread.

Egypts imports from Russia in 2020 amounted to $2.5 billion. Wheat came in first with a value of $1.6 billion, or 64 percent of Egypts total imports from Russia.

Egypts exports to Ukraine

Egypts processed food exports to Ukraine in 2021 recorded $3.3 million, rising by three percent on 2020 figures, the Food Export Council added.

Ukraine came in 81st in the markets importing Egyptian processed foods in 2021.

Egyptian food exports to Ukraine in 2021 represented three percent of the total Egyptian non-oil exports to Ukraine in the same year, with a value of $99 million.

Between 2014 and 2021, Egyptian exported processed food to Ukraine totalled $21 million.

Medicinal and aromatic plants were the most exported processed food commodities to Ukraine in 2021 with a value of $1.3 million, or 41 percent of the total exports.

Other commodities included pickled olives, frozen strawberries, canned and frozen vegetables, dried fruits, yeast, and pickled vegetables.

Egypts total imports from Ukraine in 2020 recorded $1.6 billion. Grains (wheat and corn) topped the list with $1.2 billion, or 75 percent of Egypt's total imports from Ukraine.

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Egypt's Ministry of Trade and Industry has banned the export of wheat, fava beans, lentils, pasta, and all kinds of flour for the next three months, according to Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

The decision will come into effect starting Friday 11 March as per a decision published in the official gazette on Wednesday.

Egypt, along with the rest of the world, is witnessing an increase in the prices of oil and non-oil commodities on the heels of the Russia-Ukraine war. Egypt receives 80 percent of its wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine.

However, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Wednesday that Egypt is witnessing a smaller increase in prices compared to other countries, noting that the price of wheat in Egypt has increased by only 17 percent, compared to 48 percent in the international market.

Madbouly offered assurance that Egypt has enough wheat reserves to last till the end of 2022.

Egypt's current strategic wheat reserves are sufficient to cover the coming four months, and it is expected  via its local wheat supply season that starts in mid-April  to augment its total stock to cover five more months, according to officials.

In the meantime, the country is setting its eyes on 14 alternative markets  including non-European countries like the US, Argentina, Canada and Paraguay  to meet its grain needs.

Egypt, under its subsidy ration system, provides million citizens with key food staples at lower-than-market prices, including rice, pasta, cooking oil and bread.

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The United Nations warned Wednesday that it faces a crippling lack of funds to tackle Somalia's devastating drought, which has been "overshadowed" by other humanitarian crises including the war in Ukraine.

The troubled Horn of Africa nation is being ravaged by drought, which has affected 4.5 million people -- nearly 30 percent of its population -- as of February, following three consecutive seasons of poor rains.

But so far the UN has only secured three percent of the $1.46 billion (1.23 billion euros) required to meet the needs of Somalis, Adam Abdelmoula, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, told a press conference in Kenya's capital Nairobi.

"The situation is grave and is deteriorating rapidly," he said.

"The outlook was already grim prior to the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. We have been overshadowed by the crisis in Tigray, Yemen, Afghanistan and now Ukraine seems to suck all the oxygen that is in the room," he added.

"I am extremely concerned."

Around 671,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in search of water, food or pasture for their livestock, more than double the 245,000 who were displaced in December.

In recent years, natural disasters -- not conflict -- have been the main drivers of displacement in Somalia, a war-torn nation that ranks among the world's most vulnerable to climate change.

But the crisis has struggled to gain traction among the international community, Abdelmoula said.

"I visited various capitals last year, five European capitals and Washington DC in an effort to put Somalia back on the map," he said.

"As we say in the humanitarian community, we have lost the CNN effect so to speak."

Already hit by an invasion of locusts between 2019 and 2021 as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are all struggling with a months-long drought.

"Projections indicate that the next rainy season expected in April may also be below average. If we don't act early, we can find ourselves in an extreme situation by June," Abdelmoula warned.

"The cost of inaction or late action is simply too high."

In 2017, early humanitarian action averted a famine in Somalia, a sharp contrast to 2011 when 260,000 people -- half of them children under the age of six -- died of hunger or hunger-related disorders.

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Egypt is preparing to launch the national strategy for developing the automotive industry, which includes incentives to locally manufacture electric vehicles, the Cabinet has announced.

The Cabinet did not specify a date for the launch of the strategy, which was initially set to be launched by the end of 2021.

A Cabinet meeting on Thursday, chaired by Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, reviewed the final formulation of the strategy, through which Egypt will establish itself as a main gateway for emerging vehicle markets in Africa, Cabinet spokesman Nader Saad said in a statement.

Egypt will also seek, through the strategy, to build strong commercial and investment relations with the main regional trade partners to ensure sustainable development growth for the two sides.

This will be achieved by formulating a comprehensive and integrated industrial policy to attract new investments in the vehicle industry, Saad said.

The initial scope of the Egyptian Automotive Industry Development Program (AIDP), which is part of the strategy, includes providing the required framework to develop existing car assembly and manufacturing capabilities and encourage new investment in this sector, Saad said.

Vehicles that will be assembled under the umbrella of this program will include passenger cars as well as SUVs, vans, and microbuses, Saad explained.

The program also provides incentives for the localisation of electric vehicle manufacturing, including incentives for manufacturers and consumers of electric vehicles manufactured locally.

Benefits provided to locally-produced electric car owners mainly include a cash incentive worth a maximum of EGP 50,000 and an already-applied exemption from the vehicle license tax and the state resource development fee.

The program also requires real estate developers to secure specific numbers of electric car charging points in residential and commercial projects, Saad added.

The strategy, which is line with the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), seeks to attract further investments in the vehicle industry in Egypt, create job opportunities, secure hard currency, and develop a competitive vehicle market, Saad said.

Participation in the program is optional and is open to manufacturers willing to benefit from the benefits it provides and to abide by its rules, Saad said.

The government makes sure to provide the appropriate environment for the development of the automotive industry in the long term, Saad said, affirming that the private sector constitutes an effective partner in economic development.

In December, Egypt asked the representatives of US multinational automotive giant General Motors (GM) and Al-Mansour Automotive Company to submit a comprehensive study on their plans to manufacture electric vehicles locally, as they plan to launch eco-friendly electric vehicles in the country in 2022.

Earlier in the same month, GM and Al-Mansour signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to study joint manufacturing of electric vehicles in Egypt.

Egypt has worked on plans sponsored by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to localise environment-friendly cars, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and keep pace with global progress in the automobile industry.

Egypt will manufacture its first electric vehicle in 2023 as part of the states efforts to transition towards a green economy, El-Sisi announced in January during a World Youth Forum panel discussion.

Egypt also plans to start mass production of Egyptian-Emirati bi-fuel pickup vehicles, running on gasoline and natural gas, by the end of the first half of 2022, Egypts Minister of Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi said in December.

In July, Egypt inaugurated the first integrated fuel station in Cairos Abbasiya district to serve vehicles running on natural gas, gasoline, and electric charging, with plans to set up a network of 3,000 electrical-charging stations in the near future.

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EU leaders doused Ukraine's hopes Thursday of quickly gaining European Union membership, as they met to urgently address the fallout of Russia's invasion of its pro-Brussels neighbour.

The meeting at the palace of Versailles was set to be the high point of France's six-month EU presidency. But President Emmanuel Macron is instead leading a crisis summit following Russian leader Vladimir Putin's invasion which has upended decades of stability in Europe.

The Ukraine war and the EU's energy supply were to dominate the two-day meeting, with leaders sitting down for dinner in the same Hall of Mirrors where Western allies carved out a new map of Europe in 1919 after World War I.

"Europe changed with the pandemic and it will change even faster and stronger with the war," Macron said as he greeted his counterparts at the former residence of France's Sun King, Louis XIV.

The 27 heads of state and government met as fighting raged for a 15th day in Ukraine, with an outcry over the bombing of a maternity hospital in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Macron dubbed it a "disgraceful act of war", with leaders from across the bloc condemning the atrocity and pointing the finger at Moscow, which has denied responsibility.

The conflict has seen a swell of support in the EU for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but leaders used the talks to reiterate that a speedy path to membership was impossible.

"There is no such thing as a fast track," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said as he arrived for the talks.

"I want to focus on what can we do for Volodymyr Zelensky tonight, tomorrow, and EU accession of Ukraine is something for the long-term -- if at all," he added.

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel warned against giving Kyiv the impression that "everything can happen overnight".

'Biggest issue'

Even before the war, Macron's ambition for the summit was to lay down a path to strengthen Europe's stature on the world stage.

The issue took greater significance with Russia's war on the bloc's eastern edge, and leaders were to explore ways to shore-up Europe's self-reliance in an unstable world, especially on energy.

The conflict has seen energy prices skyrocket, threatened the economy and sparked a pressing discussion on where Europeans can turn for gas and oil. The problem became more acute with the wave of Western sanctions against Russia that also put pressure on energy markets.

"We must respond to support the purchasing power of families with the same speed with which we responded to the action of Russia," said Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

The EU imports about 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia with Germany, Europe's biggest economy, especially dependent on the energy flow, along with Italy and several central European countries.

About a quarter of the EU's oil imports also come from Russia.

Europe's dependency on Russian energy even caused the first crack in the West's unified response to Putin's aggression, with the EU this week shying away from a ban on Russian oil imports implemented by the United States and Britain.

According to a draft of the meeting's final declaration, the 27 leaders will cautiously agree to "phase out" the bloc's dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal.

'Resolutely invest'

The EU leaders will also try to advance on ways Europe can gain independence in highly sensitive sectors, including semiconductors, food production and, most notably, defence.

Collective security in the European Union is primarily handled by the US-led NATO alliance, but France, the EU's biggest military power, seeks an enhanced role for the bloc.

Since Russia's invasion of its pro-EU neighbour, bloc members have approved a total of half a billion euros in defence aid to Ukraine.

Berlin dramatically broke with long-standing doctrine when it announced it will plough 100 billion euros ($110 billion) into national defence.

In view of the challenges, "we must resolutely invest more and better in defence capabilities and innovative technologies", the leaders were expected to say.

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Egypt calls for unified Arab efforts to avoid as much as possible the direct and indirect impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on the Arab nations, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Wednesday.

In a speech delivered at the 157th ordinary session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level in Cairo, Shoukry highlighted the need for a wise management of the crisis and further cooperation and coordination among Arab nations.

"This global crisis will take its toll on our region and countries, particularly in the political, security and economic fields," Shoukry said.

Palestinian cause

Shoukry stressed that the Palestinian issue will remain a core Arab issue, reiterating Egyptian support for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital within 1967 borders.

Egypt maintains contacts with other Arab countries to unify their positions towards the challenges besetting the Palestinian issue as well as international efforts to break the current stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he added.

He reiterated Egypt's continued efforts to reconstruct the Gaza Strip and offer all needed humanitarian facilities in the wake of the 2021 Israeli military escalation.

Libyan crisis

As for Libya, he stressed that preserving the territorial integrity and social order of Libya are indispensable to restore its hoped-for stability, calling for unity between different Libyan parties.

Shoukry underlined the importance of fully implementing resolutions issued by the UN Security Council as well as the outcome of Berlin conference and Paris summit to eject all foreign forces from Libya without any exception and according to a set timetable.

He underlined the importance that all Libyan parties should refrain from violence to preserve the country's security and stability.

Arab security, Houthi attacks

Shoukry stressed that the security of Gulf Arab countries is integral to Egypt's national security, adding that any threat to them is considered a threat to Egypt.

He lauded the Arab League's strong condemnation of Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, reiterating Egypt's support of all measures taken by the two countries to preserve their security.

He underlined Egypt's support of all efforts aiming at reaching a peaceful settlement to the Yemeni crisis.

Shoukry also hoped that the conflict in Syria would be resolved and vowed to take steps towards reaching a comprehensive settlement.

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reiterated on Wednesday Egypts rejection of Ethiopias unilateral step to start the operation of the dam, accusing Ethiopia of unilaterally exploiting international rivers.

Shoukry made the remarks in a speech at the 157th ordinary session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level in Cairo.

These violations of Ethiopias obligations under international law come in light of a firmly-established Ethiopian policy that is based on the unilateral exploitation of international rivers, Shoukry said.

The Egyptian FM added that this policy has caused severe damage to Ethiopias neighbors, including Somalia.

The Shabelle river, which originates in Ethiopia and flows into Somalia, had some sections grow dry over the past decade, with some reports blaming the reduction in water flow on dams built by Ethiopia.

In 2016, the Somali regional state of Ethiopia announced it was stopping the water flow into the Shabelle river, on which scores of Somalis depend for irrigation, for the irrigation of Ethiopian farmland.

In February, head of the Somali parliamentary delegation Saeed Mohamed Mahmoud affirmed Somalias support for Egypts stance on the GERD as he partook in the 32nd Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union in Cairo.

During Cairo Water Week in October last year, Somalia called for Egypts support for Somali efforts to build rainwater harvesting dams and to develop Somali irrigation systems.

During his speech on Wednesday, Shoukry called for Arab nations and international partners to continue their efforts to urge Ethiopia to fulfill its commitments and show a spirit of cooperation.

This should lead to reaching, without delay, a legal, binding and fair agreement on the rules for filling and operating the GERD in line with the presidential statement issued by the Security Council in September 2021, Shoukry said.

Climate change, COP27

Speaking about climate change, Shoukry said this phenomenon is as dangerous as any traditional threat and will have direct repercussions politically and economically, especially in Arab countries.

Egypt's plans to host the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27) in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November, 2022 will be a "turning point" in international climate action, he added.

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Egypt reported on Wednesday 884 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases since the outbreak began in February 2020 to 493,658, according to the daily update of the country's Ministry of Health and Population.

The ministry also recorded 13 coronavirus-related fatalities over the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally of deaths to 24,257.

The daily report added that the total number of recoveries increased to 423,457 after xxx patients were discharged from hospitals nationwide in the past 24 hours.

Following a remarkable rise in the two preceding months driven by the fifth wave of the pandemic, Egypt's daily coronavirus infection toll has been on the downward curve since last week of February.

On Monday, daily coronavirus cases recorded in Egypt fell below 1,000 for the first time since 13 January, with the country reporting 923 new cases.

Presidential Advisor for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din said on Monday that Egypt has passed the difficult phase of the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt plans to vaccinate 70 percent of citizens in two months, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the acting health minister, told media on Monday.

Egypt has fully vaccinated more than 50 percent of the target groups of citizens aged above 18 years of age and has administered first vaccine shots to 65 percent of them, Abdel-Ghaffar added.

More than 30.7 million citizens have been fully vaccinated to date, and over 41.1 million citizens have received their first dose, according to the ministry figures.

Moreover, over 1.3 million citizens have received their booster shots.

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Egyptian and French naval forces carried out joint drills at Egypts Berenice Naval Base in the Red Sea governorate, Egyptian military spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez said in a statement on Thursday.

The drills, which were held in the southern fleet zone, witnessed the participation of the Egyptian frigate Alexandria, the French helicopter carrier Mistral and stealth frigate Courbet.

The drills included a set of different naval combat activities, including signalling communication, organising command and control in dealing with simultaneous threats, aerial photography, launching artillery attacks, and carrying out joint air defence exercises.

The drills underscore the strategic partnership and the extended relations between the Egyptian Armed Forces and their French counterparts, which contribute effectively to maintaining security and maritime stability in the region, the spokesman said.

In February, Egyptian and French naval and air forces launched joint military exercises in Egypt dubbed Ramses 2022.

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A team from the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) arrived in Romania for a week-long mission to take part in relief efforts at the Siret crossing point on the Ukrainian-Romanian border, the Egyptian embassy in Bucharest announced on Thursday.

The team, which will be operating in coordination with the Romanian government and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), will also extend medical and psychological support to the refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, the embassy said in a Facebook post.

The mission of the ERC aid workers will include the delivery of relief supplies provided by civil society and non-governmental organisations to refugees on the Ukrainian-Romanian border.

The ERC team also paid a visit to the premises of the Romanian Red Cross in Bucharest and held a virtual meeting with the IFRC to discuss preparations for heading to northern Romania to contribute to the humanitarian relief efforts at the Siret crossing point.

The Egyptian embassy will coordinate with the Romanian authorities to ease the movement of the Egyptian Red Crescent team to the border area and facilitate its mission, added the statement.

Egypts Ambassador to Romania Moayad Eldalie received Director of Health Affairs at the ERC Mahmoud Tharwat and the ERCs Operations Chamber Supervisor Mostafa Refaat upon their arrival in Bucharest. Egypts consul in Romania Nader Shebl also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the ERC team got briefed on the latest developments as regards the influx of refugees on the Romanian-Ukrainian border and the humanitarian relief presented to them, the embassy noted.

Since the Russian invasion on 24 February, more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Egypt has repatriated hundreds of nationals who fled Ukraine to the neighbouring European countries of Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Romania.

The majority of Egyptians who were in Ukraine prior to the invasion have been evacuated to these four countries, according to head of the Egyptian Expat Community in Ukraine Ali Farouk earlier this week.

Prior to the Russian invasion, around 6,000 Egyptians lived in Ukraine, including 3,000 students studying at the country's universities.

In a phone call on Wednesday, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi extended appreciation to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the measures taken by the Russian side to facilitate the exit of Egyptian citizens from Ukraine.

Egypt is closely following the on-the-ground developments in Ukraine, and places high priority on the safety and security of Egyptian citizens in the country, El-Sisi said during the phone call.

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President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon at El-Ittihadiya presidential palace on Thursday to discuss boosting cooperation in security and fighting terrorism.

The meeting saw the signing of a number of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in various fields, including agriculture, sports, and education.

The Tajik presidents visit coincides with the 30th anniversary of Egypt's recognition of the independent Republic of Tajikistan.

Egypt was the first Arab country to open an embassy for Tajikistan and has been boosting cooperation in several fields ever since.

During a joint press conference, El-Sisi said he tackled with his Tajik counterpart future cooperation in the irrigation, mining, agriculture, tourism, health, pharmaceutical manufacturing, hydroelectric energy domains, as well as making the best use of available water resources.

We also agreed to strengthen security coordination and to exchange information and experience in the fields of combating terrorism and organised crime, El-Sisi said.

Five MoUs were signed on Thursday between the two countries by the ministers of agriculture, youth and sports, and higher education and scientific research, and two with the foreign ministry.

El-Sisi noted that the two countries foreign ministries conferred on following up on the outcomes of the second session of the joint economic, scientific and technical cooperation committee that was held in Cairo in November 2019.

The two leaders also discussed Egypt's preparations for UN Climate Change Conference COP27, which Egypt will host in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh in November, reported the state-owned news agency MENA.

We have stressed that fruitful bilateral constructive cooperation will serve the long-term interests of both countries, said the Tajik president.

We have expressed our confidence that the agreements reached today will essentially boost relations in the commercial, economic, scientific, technical, humanitarian, and cultural spheres, he concluded.

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Iran offered mixed signals Thursday as a deadline loomed in talks over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers, with its president defending the negotiations while a top security official blamed America for the deadlock.

The months-long, indirect talks in Vienna have sought to both get the U.S. to return to the accord it unilaterally withdrew from in 2018, and have Iran restore limits on its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

In recent days, Western diplomats have signalled the talks had reached their conclusion, laying the final decision with Iran. Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the country's powerful Supreme National Security Council, wrote on Twitter early Thursday trying to instead blame America for the deadlock.

The "US approach to Iran's principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that the US isn't interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties,'' Shamkhani wrote in multiple languages. "Absent US political decision, the talks get knottier by the hour.''

US approach to Iran's principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that US isn't interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties. Absent US political decision, the talks get knottier by the hour.    (@alishamkhani_ir) March 10, 2022

Shamkhani and other Iranian officials have repeatedly projected Western complaints about the Islamic Republic's behaviour throughout the negotiations back to the West.

A short time later, hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi's Twitter account appeared to offer Iran's theocracy cover for potentially supporting a possible deal in Vienna.

"The government is doing negotiations in the way of the supreme leader's framework and has not and will not retreat from any red lines which were announced,'' he wrote.

Iran's civilian government operates on a narrow bandwidth under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state. However, divisions exist within even the hard-line camp of Iran's theocracy, particularly on the nuclear deal and any interactions with the West.

Khamenei himself also offered rare yet vague remarks about the talks Thursday, vowing that restrictions on Iran's ballistic missiles program, nuclear scientific progress and regional military policies remain non-negotiable.

In a speech to Iran's Assembly of Experts, Khamenei said there is no one "more naive and clumsy than those who suggest the reduction of the defensive power'' of Iran.

"None of these arms of national power should be cut off,'' Khamenei added. He warned that without its military capabilities and nuclear progress, Iran would face "great dangers'' and "a blow to its national power.''

However, he said nothing directly about the looming deadline to restore the nuclear deal.

Russia's ambassador in the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, told journalists in Vienna on Wednesday that "maybe it will be finalized tomorrow, maybe, but it's not for sure.'' Iran's top negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani rejoined the talks Wednesday after a quick trip back to Tehran for consultations.

The top negotiator for the European Union earlier this week seemed to suggest whether the talks succeeded or failed now rested with the Islamic Republic.

"There are no longer `expert-level talks.' Nor `formal meetings,''' Enrique Mora wrote on Twitter, responding to comments by an Iranian analyst. "It is time, in the next few days, for political decisions to end the (hashtag)ViennaTalks. The rest is noise.''

Just to clarify. There are no longer "expert level talks". Nor "formal meetings". It is time, in the next few days, for political decisions to end the #ViennaTalks . The rest is noise. https://t.co/InuxzlBrCn  Enrique Mora (@enriquemora_) March 7, 2022

Mora's comments mirror those of British and French negotiators. The latest wrinkle, however, is a demand Saturday from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Blinken offers written guarantees over Moscow's ability to continue trade with Iran as it faces sanctions over its war on Ukraine.

Meanwhile, amid the talks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard announced Tuesday it had launched a second reconnaissance satellite into space. While not directly acknowledging the launch, a space object catalogue maintained by the U.S. military now lists the Noor-2 satellite as having been launched Tuesday by Iran. Its telemetry shows it in a stable orbit some 500 kilometres (310 miles) above the Earth's surface.

"No sanctions or restrictions can stop the great nation of Iran from developing," tweeted Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.

By God's grace & endeavor of Iranian scientists & our proud IRGC, #Noor2 satellite successfully placed into orbit by indigenous #QasedSLV.



No sanction can stop the great nation of Iran.



With this unwavering attitude, we can prosper in all areas of knowledge, economy & industry.  H.Amirabdollahian  (@Amirabdolahian) March 10, 2022

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A UN-backed tribunal on Thursday found two Hezbollah members guilty on appeal for the 2005 death of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri, saying both were involved in the bombing that killed him.

Appeals judges at the Netherlands-based court said trial judges "erred" in 2020 by acquitting the two men, in finding that there was a lack of evidence.

Set up in 2009 to try those responsible for the huge explosion in downtown Beirut that killed Hariri and 21 others, the court convicted Salim Ayyash, a member of the Lebanese Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah.

But they acquitted Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra, saying there was not enough evidence to prove their involvement.

Appeals judges however granted an appeal by prosecutors, who asked that the acquittals be overturned for Merhi and Oneissi.

"The appeals chamber has unanimously decided to reverse the acquittals of misters Merhi and Oneissi. We unanimously find Mr Merhi and Oneissi guilty," presiding judge Ivana Hrdlickova said.

"The appeals chamber will issue arrest warrants for them later this afternoon," she added.

All four men were tried in absentia over the February 2005 attack, when a suicide bomber detonated a van full of explosives as Hariri's armoured convoy passed on the Beirut waterfront.

'Beyond reasonable doubt'

The case against all four men relied almost exclusively on circumstantial evidence in the form of mobile phone records that prosecutors said showed a Hezbollah cell plotting the attack.

The appeals judges agreed with prosecutors that evidence showed that mobile phones used by Merhi and Oneissi, together with a third mobile, was proof of their involvement in the attack on Hariri.

"The evidence shows a significant number of exchanges between the (third) mobile phone and both Misters Merhi and Oneissi in the hours following the assassination of Mr Hariri," Judge Hrdlickova said.

"Telecommunication evidence shows that Misters Merhi and Oneissi... simultaneously discarded their phones after the attack," she added.

It had been established "beyond reasonable doubt" that Merhi "knowingly and willingly entered into an agreement to participate in the commission of a terrorist act, namely the assassination of Mr Hariri by means of an explosive device," the judge said.

Moreover, Merhi could have foreseen that in attacking Hariri in such a public place "other people could have died".

Similarly, Oneissi too "knowingly and willingly" agreed to participate "in the commission of a terrorist act", said Hrdlickova.

Hariri's assassination sparked a groundswell of protest at the time, seeing Syrian troops quit Lebanon in April 2005 after a 29-year deployment which peaked at 40,000 troops.

Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Hezbollah movement, has refused to hand over any of the suspects or to recognise the UN-backed court, which has issued an international warrant for the arrest of Ayyash.

The court said in April last year that Ayyash cannot appeal against the verdict until he turns himself in.

The appeals judges are now to hand down sentences for Merhi and Oneissi, with Ayyash already given five concurrent jail sentences.

The Lebanon tribunal is expected to close after the appeals phase because of a cash shortage, with a further case against Ayyash over attacks on several politicians likely to go unheard.

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The Islamic State jihadist group confirmed the death of its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi in a statement Thursday and named Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as his replacement.

The announcement came more than a month after the IS chief died during a US raid that saw troops flown by helicopter into northwest Syria, in an area controlled by rival jihadists.

IS personnel have "pledged allegiance" to "Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as an emir over believers and the caliph of Muslims," the group's spokesperson said in an audio recording released on its social media channels.

The recording confirmed the death of the former IS chief along with the group's ex-spokesman.

"Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi and the official Islamic State group spokesman... Abu Hamza al-Qurashi... were killed in recent days," said the new spokesperson, identified as Abu-Omar al-Muhajjir.

Little is known about the new leader, who will serve as the group's third chief since it's inception.

According to the White House and US defence officials, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi died when he detonated a bomb to avoid capture.

His demise, on February 3 in the town of Atme, was the biggest setback to IS since his own predecessor, the better-known Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in a US commando raid in the same Syrian region of Idlib in 2019.

According to the IS audio statement, Abu Hasan al-Qurashi was endorsed by Abu Ibrahim before his death and had his appointment has been confirmed by the group's senior leaders.

The recording did not offer further details.

Abu Hasan al-Qurashi rises to the helm at a time when the group has been weakened by US-backed operations in Iraq and Syria aiming to thwart a jihadist resurgence.

IS' self-declared caliphate, established from 2014, once stretched across vast parts of Syria and Iraq and administered millions of inhabitants.

A long and deadly military fightback led by Kurdish-Syrian and Iraqi forces with backing from the United States and other powers eventually defeated the jihadist proto-state in March 2019.

The remnants of IS in Syria mostly went to desert hideouts from which they continue to harass Kurdish-led forces and Syrian government troops.

The jihadists also continue to mount attacks in Iraq from hideouts there.

A UN report last year estimated that around 10,000 IS fighters remained active across the two countries.

Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi's death in February came two weeks after IS launched an attack on a northeast Syria prison housing fellow jihadists.

The jail break attempt from the sprawling Ghwayran complex in the northeastern city of Hasakeh triggered a week of clashes inside and around the facility, leaving hundreds dead.

But hundreds of IS prisoners, including senior leaders, are thought to have escaped, with some crossing to neighbouring Turkey or Turkish-held territory in Syria's north, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

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A beauty contest for dogs is more than a catwalk and is an opportunity to improve the physical and psychological health of future breeds, writes Khaled El-Ghamri

Jina was my first furry friend. She was a German Shepherd I had bought for a meagre LE50 back in 1987 for protection purposes. I didnt know Jina was capable of giving so much love. She was a loyal and true friend.

Jina became family, and throughout the years she taught me about commitment, caring for others, and patience. I became dedicated to her feeding time, cleanliness, psychological and physical health, and daily walks. She would wait impatiently for my return from college every day to receive me with a wagging tail and endless enthusiasm and joy.

From then on, I grew to learn that dogs are family and not security guards.

Two weeks ago, I was happy to receive an invitation from Khaled Ramadan, head of the Egyptian Organisation for Dog Pedigree Preservation, to attend one of its shows. I was surprised by the large turnout, with the attendees including dog breeders who are now close friends and honest competitors. They cooperated in a professional manner to show off the best qualities of their dogs. Before I knew it, eight hours had passed in watching the magnificent pooches.

Ramadan said the pageant was attended by 200 contestants, ranging from breeders of dogs of all kinds, breeds and ages, to about 500 people who love these beautiful beasts. The organisation aims to improve dog breeding in Egypt through proper arbitration and the clarification of the proper specifications for each breed, thus preparing contestants for international competitions, he added.

Contests of the sort I attended double as exhibitions for dog breeders where they can showcase their work on improving pedigrees, Ramadan said. The more dog pageants are held, the more breeders form a community and increase cooperation. The contests enrich knowledge about the qualities of each breed and help new buyers to understand that dogs are not a commodity for sale. They can pick the dog breed that best suits their lifestyle, he noted.

The organisation is also working on trying to register breeds of Egyptian origin, such as the Armant herding dog which has its roots in the city of Armant in Upper Egypt, as well as the Pharaonic dog. Its endeavours have not always been plain sailing, however, as Egypt is new to the field while many European countries have long experience in this arena, Ramadan said.

Russia and Germany export pure breeds in large numbers, for example, while some Egyptian dog breeders export to some of the Arab countries, albeit on a small scale. This is because it was only recently that dedicated associations were established on a professional and scientific basis in Egypt, Ramadan said.

Moataz Ibrahim, a veteran German Shepherd breeder and member of the organisation, said he referees in competitions and that the selection of the winning dogs is not based on their features, size, or weight, but rather on the character, health, and specifications of each breed.

Each breed has different specifications regarding the shape, physical composition, and hair colour and length of the dogs in question. There are physical defects that may appear in each breed. The fewer such defects and the more a dog exhibits self-confidence, courage, and non-aggression towards other dogs and people, the more likely it is to land one of the top three spots in competitions, Ibrahim added.

Refereeing in such pageants requires extensive knowledge of each breeds defects and the specifications of pure breeds, he noted. Although Ibrahim specialises in German Shepherds, he is also knowledgeable about other breeds, including their physical competition and character traits. There are about 360 internationally registered dog breeds.

Al-Ahram employee Sameh Kamel is a regular participant at such contests, and in the show I attended his American Akita snatched second place. Kamel said that despite his dogs physical superiority, it had been violent with the judges and other dogs, dropping it from first to second rank.

Kamel said he takes part regularly in the organisations pageants because they allow him to see new breeds, compare them with his own, and benefit from the judges comments. The contests also help Kamel to promote his farm among pageant attendees, get to know other farm owners, and introduce his dog to pedigree females to have better new-generation pups.

He noted that the dog trade has flourished in Egypt in recent years and that the majority of international breeds are now either imported or bred in the country. This multi-million-dollar trade has paved the way for other businesses to boom, such as those involved in contests, exhibitions, accessories, and dog food, in addition to veterinary equipment and pet medicines, whether locally produced or imported.

The new awareness about healthy pedigrees has made people appreciate the high price of certain breeds more, and these can sell for up to LE40,000, especially smaller breeds such as the Pomeranian, mini Poodle, and Beagle, that do not require strenuous care or large spaces, Kamel said.

One of the things that can be learned at such contests is that improving breeds is not meant as a way of boasting about a dogs specifications. Instead, it is about raising a physically and psychologically healthy friend with strong immunity in a problem-free environment.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Ukrainian authorities said a child was among the dead in Wednesday's airstrike in the vital southern port of Mariupol. In addition to the dead, 17 people were wounded, including women waiting to give birth, doctors, and children buried in the rubble.

Images of pregnant women covered in dust and blood dominated news reports in many countries and brought a new wave of horror over the 2-week-old war sparked by Russia's invasion, which has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians, shaken the foundations of European security and driven more than 2 million people from Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Russian leaders that the invasion will backfire on them as their economy is strangled. Western sanctions have already dealt a severe blow to the economy, causing the ruble to plunge, foreign businesses to flee and prices to rise sharply.

"You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes,'' he said in a video address. "And then, it will definitely happen, you will be hated by Russian citizens _ everyone whom you have been deceiving constantly, daily, for many years in a row, when they feel the consequences of your lies in their wallets, in their shrinking possibilities, in the stolen future of Russian children.''

Millions more have been displaced inside the country. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Thursday that about 2 million people _ half the population of the capital's metropolitan area _ have left the city, which has become virtually a fortress.

"Every street, every house . is being fortified," he said. "Even people who in their lives never intended to change their clothes, now they are in uniform with machine guns in their hands.''

Bombs fell on two hospitals in a city west of Kyiv on Wednesday, its mayor said. The World Health Organization said it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the invasion began.

Western officials said Russian forces have made little progress on the ground in recent days. But they have intensified the bombardment of Mariupol and other cities, trapping hundreds of thousands of people, with food and water running short.

Temporary cease-fires to allow evacuations and humanitarian aid have repeatedly faltered, with Ukraine accusing Russia of continuing its bombardments. But Zelenskyy said 35,000 people managed to get out on Wednesday from several besieged towns, and more efforts were underway on Thursday in eastern and southern Ukraine _ including Mariupol _ as well as in the Kyiv suburbs.

The Mariupol city council posted a video showing buses driving down a highway. It said a convoy bringing food and medicine was on the way despite several days of thwarted efforts to reach the city.

"Everyone is working to get help to the people of Mariupol. And it will come,'' said Mayor Vadym Boychenko.

Images from the city, where hundreds have died and workers hurried to bury bodies in a mass grave, have drawn condemnation from around the world. Residents have resorted to breaking into stores for food and melting snow for water. The city has been without heat for days as nighttime temperatures fall below freezing and daytime ones hover just above it.

"The only thing (I want) is for this to be finished,'' Volodymyr Bykovskyi said as he stood by a freshly dug trench where bodies were being buried. "I don't know who's guilty, who's right, who started this. Damn them all, those people who started this!''

When the series of blasts hit the children's and maternity hospital in Mariupol, the ground shook more than a mile away. Explosions blew out windows and ripped away much of the front of one building. Police and soldiers rushed to the scene to evacuate victims, carrying a bleeding woman with a swollen belly on a stretcher past burning and mangled cars. Another woman wailed as she clutched her child.

Regional Ukrainian police official Volodymir Nikulin, standing in the ruins, called the attack "a war crime without any justification.'' Britain's Armed Forces minister, James Heappey, said that whether the hospital was hit by indiscriminate fire or deliberately targeted, "it is a war crime.''

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, on a visit to Ukraine's neighbor Poland, backed calls for an international war-crimes investigation into the invasion, saying, "The eyes of the world are on this war and what Russia has done in terms of this aggression and these atrocities.''

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed concerns about civilian casualties as "pathetic shrieks'' from Russia's enemies. He claimed without providing evidence that the Mariupol hospital had been seized by far-right radical fighters who were using it as a base _ despite the fact that photographs from the aftermath showed pregnant women and children at the site.

Several rounds of talks have not stopped the fighting, and a meeting in a Turkish Mediterranean resort between Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, failed to find much common ground.

In their highest-level talks since the war began, the two sides discussed a 24-hour cease-fire but did not make progress, Kuleba said. He said Russia was still seeking "surrender from Ukraine.''

"This is not what they are going to get,'' he said, adding that he was willing to continue the dialogue.

Lavrov said Russia was ready for more negotiations but showed no sign of softening Moscow's demands.

Russia has alleged that Western-looking, U.S.-backed Ukraine poses a threat to its security. Western officials suspect Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to install a government friendly to Moscow in Kyiv as part of an effort to draw the former Soviet state back into its orbit.

Russia's military is struggling, facing heavier losses and stronger Ukrainian resistance than it apparently anticipated. But Putin's forces have used airpower to pummel key cities, often shelling populated areas.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, 91-year-old Alevtina Shernina sat wrapped in a blanket, an electric heater at her feet, as cold air blew in through a damaged window. She survived the brutal World War II siege of Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, and is now under siege again, her health too fragile for her to be moved.

Her daughter-in-law Natalia said she was angry that Shernina "began her life in Leningrad under the siege as a girl who was starving, who lived in cold and hunger, and she's ending her life'' in similar circumstances.

"There were fascists there and there are fascists here who came and bombed our buildings and windows," she said.
While the situation regarding Ukraine's nuclear facilities is 'complex and difficult', the head of the UN nuclear agency said Thursday that he is in contact with all sides to ascertain how to help ensure the safety of the country's nuclear facilities.

Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters Thursday evening in Vienna that the nuclear watchdog has ''scheduled physical inspections'' of nuclear facilities in Ukraine. He would not give any details on when or how those inspections would take place citing the sensitivity of the situation.

Grossi added that the IAEA also has ``a number of remote monitoring devices'' in operation.

When it comes to nuclear facilities based in conflict zones, the director-general said ``we are trying to make sure that we will not have again added suffering because of any radioactive release or anything having to do with nuclear facilities.''

Grossi said he does not expect any side to intentionally target nuclear reactors, but there was the risk of unintentional shelling. He also stressed that at facilities taken by the Russian military, but operated by Ukrainian staff, it was paramount that employees get enough rest to be focused while working.

Grossi told reporters that there was not immediate danger of power cuts at the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, which Russian forces seized last week, and that even in the case of power cuts there would be ``ample time'' to restore it before anything dangerous could happen.

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Russia is ready to continue talks with Ukraine within the framework of the existing format in Belarus, but it is too early to organise a summit meeting between the two countries' leaders, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

Russia's top diplomat spoke in the Turkish resort town of Antalya after he and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held their first face-to-face talks after two weeks of the war, amid international outrage over Moscow's bombing of a children's hospital.

"Today's meeting has confirmed that the Russian-Ukrainian format in Belarus has no alternative," Lavrov told a press conference after speaking to Kuleba.

Lavrov stressed that Russia wanted to see concrete results from talks.

"In recent years, after the anti-constitutional coup d'etat, the Ukrainian leadership has preferred meetings for the sake of meetings, preferred to imitate, simulate concrete decisions," Russia's top diplomat said.

He said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was not against meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but added that first the two countries' negotiators should lay the groundwork by conducting talks in Belarus.

"The Ukrainian side has taken our very concrete proposals, and promised us that there would be very concrete answers," Lavrov said.

"We are waiting," he added.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of talks in Belarus, but the team sent by Russia to those talks is relatively low-ranking, without a minister. The main Russian negotiator is Vladimir Medinsky, a controversial Kremlin aide and former culture minister.

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Russia announced Thursday an export ban on more than 200 types of foreign-made products and equipment until the end of the year, part of Moscow's response to sanctions imposed over the Ukraine conflict.

The measure concerns goods and equipment that were previously imported into Russia from abroad.

"The list includes technological, communication and medical equipment, vehicles, agricultural machinery and electrical equipment -- more than 200 types of goods in total," said an order signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

"This measure is necessary to provide stability on the Russian market," the order said.

The measure will affect all foreign countries, but exceptions can be made for members of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union and Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Separately, the government also banned the export of "some types of timber" to countries that "committed unfriendly actions" towards Russia.

The list includes 48 countries, including EU states and the United States.

Russia is home to one-fifth of the world's forest and further exploiting this resource could help the country cut down its economic reliance on oil and gas.

President Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" in Ukraine that began on February 24 has triggered unprecedented Western sanctions and sparked an exodus of international corporations from Russia.

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The World Health Organization expressed concern Wednesday that many countries are drastically reducing COVID-19 testing, inhibiting the ability of public health professionals to monitor where the coronavirus is, how it's spreading and how it's evolving.

During a briefing at agency headquarters in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that while cases and deaths were declining globally and many countries had lifted restrictions, the pandemic was far from over, "and it will not be over anywhere until it's over everywhere." Tedros said the WHO on Wednesday published new guidelines on self-testing for COVID-19 and recommended that self-tests be offered in addition to professionally administered testing services. He said evidence showed that users can reliably and accurately self-test, and that self-testing may reduce inequalities in testing access.

The WHO chief said he hoped the new guidance would also help increase access to testing, which is too expensive for many low-income countries, where those tools could play an important role in expanding testing.

Tedros also said the agency and its partners in the ACT Accelerator grouping -- part of the WHO's COVAX initiative, which has focused on equitable access to vaccines globally -- were seeking to raise funds "to ensure that all countries that need self-tests will be able to receive them as quickly as possible."
Protests erupted Wednesday in Iraq's impoverished south over a rise in food prices that officials attributed to the conflict in Ukraine. For about a week, the price of cooking oils and flour have skyrocketed in local markets as government officials have sought to address growing anger with various statements and measures.

More than 500 protesters gathered in a central square in the southern city of Nasiriyah -- a flashpoint of anti-corruption protests that gripped the country in 2019. "The rise in prices is strangling us, whether it is bread or other food products," retired teacher Hassan Kazem said. "We can barely make ends meet."

On Tuesday, the Iraqi government announced measures to confront the increase in international prices. These included a monthly allowance of about $70 for pensioners whose income does not exceed one million dinars (almost $700), as well as civil servants earning less than 500,000 dinars.

The authorities also announced the suspension of customs duties on food products, basic consumer goods and construction materials for two months.

Trade Ministry spokesman Mohamed Hanoun attributed the rise in cooking oil prices to the conflict in Ukraine. "There's a major global crisis because Ukraine has a large share of [the world market in cooking] oils," he said.
The total was just 0.1 percentage point less than in the dramatic 2017 presidential election after the ouster of Park Geun-hye amid massive candlelight protests. Early voting drew a record 36.93 percent turnout.

The NEC tallied vote counts at 14,464 polling stations across the country after voting ended at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and estimated that 34.1 million out of 44.2 million eligible voters had cast their ballots, including 16.2 million who cast their ballots early or overseas.

Voter turnout in Wednesday's presidential election was 77.1 percent, according the National Election Commission.

Pundits said voter turnout this time was higher than expected given the pandemic and what has been called the "election of the unfavorables."

Supporters of main opposition People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-youl and ruling Minjoo Party contender Lee Jae-myung, who were neck and neck until the final moment, held their noses and rallied behind their candidates at the last minute.

Turnout surpassed 80 percent in Gwangju (81.5 percent), South Jeolla Province (81.1 percent), North Jeolla Province (80.6 percent) and Sejong administrative city (80.3 percent). It was also above average in Daegu (78.7 percent), Ulsan (78.1 percent) and North Gyeongsang Province (78.1 percent).

But it was low in Jeju (72.6 percent), South Chungcheong Province (73.8 percent), North Chungcheong Province (74.8 percent) and Incheon (74.8 percent), which were expected to hold the swing vote. Turnout in Seoul was 77.9 percent and in Gyeonggi Province 76.7 percent.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 10, 2022 - 04:32 | World, All

Yoon Suk Yeol, who is projected to be South Korea's next president, was until a year ago the nation's chief prosecutor, a position he quit after clashing with the government of current President Moon Jae In over its prosecutorial reform drive.

His fierce resistance to reforming the nation's powerful system of prosecution earned the career prosecutor support among conservatives as a "symbol" of opposition to Moon's liberal administration.

As a newcomer to politics, Yoon has been criticized for lacking a clear political vision other than opposing Moon's policies. But calling for a change of government, he successfully appealed to South Koreans unhappy with the government's failure to rein in skyrocketing housing prices.

Yoon was born in 1960 in Seoul to parents who were both university professors. After studying law at Seoul National University, he passed the bar exam in 1991 on his 10th attempt and became a prosecutor in 1994.

In 2013, Yoon became known to the public as a prosecutor unwilling to grovel before the powerful after being suspended from work for arresting an intelligence official without authorization from his superiors over an election interference scandal.

In 2016, Yoon was appointed to head a team of special prosecutors who investigated then President Park Geun Hye over corruption and abuse-of-power allegations. The conservative president was later removed from office.

After becoming prosecutor general in 2019 under the subsequent Moon government, Yoon clashed with Justice Minister Cho Kuk, a close aide to Moon, who had led the drive to reduce prosecutors' power.

Yoon aggressively investigated his family members over a slew of scandals involving them, deepening his rift with the Moon administration.

As the perception grew among the public that members of the Moon government were gaining unfair advantages while it preached fairness, conservatives began to express hopes for a potential presidential run by Yoon.

Yoon resigned as prosecutor general in March last year, announced his presidential bid in June and joined the main opposition People Power Party the following month. He won the party primary and became its presidential candidate in November.

Yoon and his wife Kim Kun Hee live with their four dogs and three cats.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 11, 2022 - 17:21 | All, Japan, 3/11 Fukushima

Japan on Friday marked the 11th anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated its northeastern region in 2011, with evacuation orders in more parts of areas contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear crisis expected to be lifted later this year.

The worst natural calamity in the country's postwar history left more than 15,000 dead after the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami caused widespread damage and triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.

Infrastructure in the hard-hit areas has largely been rebuilt, but some 38,000 people remain displaced due mainly to the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Residents in the severely affected prefectures of Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., when the massive quake struck the region more than a decade ago and prayed for those who lost their lives.

As the central government no longer hosts a memorial service, municipalities in the affected northeastern areas of the Tohoku region held theirs on a smaller scale, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attending a ceremony held in the city of Fukushima.

"We will make utmost efforts for the reconstruction of Tohoku," Kishida said in the service attended by around 200 people. "We will promote building of a disaster-resilient nation by constantly reviewing measures to prevent and mitigate disaster damage and protect people's lives."

According to the latest data from the National Police Agency, the death toll stands at 15,900 and 2,523 people remain unaccounted for, mostly in the three severely devastated prefectures. Related deaths, such as those caused by illness or stress-induced suicides linked to the disaster, totaled 3,784 as of September last year, according to the Reconstruction Agency.

"We have renewed our resolve to stay committed to a bottom-up approach," Reconstruction Minister Kosaburo Nishime told reporters in Tokyo. "We will work together with the determination that there will be no revival of Japan without the reconstruction of Tohoku."

There is still a no-go zone near the Fukushima plant where decommissioning work is scheduled to continue until sometime between 2041 and 2051.

Fukushima Prefecture continues to struggle with the aftermath of nuclear contamination as radioactive water from cooling crippled reactors containing melted nuclear fuel builds up. The government's release of treated water into the sea is slated to begin in the spring of 2023, causing concerns in neighboring countries as well as among local residents.

Evacuation orders in Fukushima are scheduled to be lifted this spring in parts of areas currently designated as off-limits due to radiation, but whether residents will return remains uncertain.

In Futaba where all residents were ordered to evacuate, some have started staying overnight at their homes before the evacuation order is lifted around June.

"I feel disappointed as people are not returning here," said 77-year-old Yasushi Hosozawa, who was staying at his home in the town. "So much for the recovery, even after 11 years."

In Rikuzentakata in Iwate which was devastated by a tsunami, bereaved families paid a visit to a stone monument which was unveiled to the public with the names of 1,709 victims.

At the site where the town office of Otsuchi in Iwate was built, bereaved families and town officials offered flowers to pray for 40 victims, who included the mayor at the time and many officials.

"My mission is to pass the lesson of losing precious lives on to the next generation," said Mayor Kozo Hirano.

Meanwhile, police in the disaster-hit region conducted searches of coastal areas in Fukushima and Iwate prefectures for any sign of the remains of those swept away by the tsunami.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 10, 2022 - 14:32 | All, World, Japan

Japan expressed regret Thursday after Russia signed into law a bill establishing a tariff-free zone on four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.

The Russian move came as Tokyo and Moscow have been discussing a plan to hold joint economic activities on the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, without harming the legal stance of either country.

"It is not in line with Japan's position on the four islands or the aim of the joint economic activities the two sides have been discussing. It is deplorable," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno at a regular news conference, adding Japan conveyed its position on the matter to Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested in September that Russia was seeking to attract foreign investment to the islands by exempting companies from key taxes, including corporate and property taxes.

The spat over the group of islets off Hokkaido has prevented the two nations from signing a postwar peace treaty. Japan maintains the former Soviet Union illegally seized the four islands while Russia claims they were obtained legally as a result of World War II.
By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Mar 10, 2022 - 16:47 | World, All

The victory of conservative main opposition candidate Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea's presidential race Wednesday is expected to further undermine the possibility of North Korea giving up its nuclear arsenal, jeopardizing regional security and stability.

With Seoul having failed to act as an intermediary to facilitate denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and the United States under President Moon Jae In of the liberal ruling Democratic Party, Pyongyang is unlikely to cozy up to the South under the new president for the time being.

Instead, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to continue testing the country's strategic weapons, including longer-range ballistic missiles, in a bid to pressure the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to ease economic sanctions on Pyongyang.

Kim believes Seoul has no influence to "move" Washington, a diplomatic source in Beijing said, adding there would be "no impetus" for him to sit at the negotiating table with Yoon.

Moreover, Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine has forced the United States to turn away from the situation in East Asia, giving North Korea a "window of opportunity" to carry out military provocations, the source said.

Criticizing Moon, Yoon, a former top prosecutor, has committed to taking a tougher stance toward the North, while vowing to place emphasis on South Korea's alliance with the United States.

For around two years through 2020, Pyongyang promoted talks with Seoul, hoping that South Korea's left-wing government under Moon, who took office in May 2017, would be able to persuade the United States to shift away from what the North calls a "hostile" policy.

In November 2017, North Korea launched what it said was its "most powerful" intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to anywhere in the continental United States, following its sixth nuclear test in September that year.

The U.N. Security Council, including China and Russia that are friendly to Pyongyang, strengthened sanctions on North Korea, dealing a crushing blow to its economy.

In his New Year's address in 2018, Kim suddenly extended an olive branch to South Korea, saying he would prepare for the North's participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics hosted by the South in February that year.

North Korea formally declared in April 2018, about a week ahead of an inter-Korean summit, that it would discontinue nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

At the summit meeting later that month, Kim and Moon signed the Panmunjeom Declaration, in which they pledged to establish a joint liaison office in the North's border city of Kaesong and cease all hostile acts. Afterward, the two leaders held talks twice in 2018.

Kim also met with Biden's predecessor Donald Trump in June 2018 at the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit, with the two agreeing that Washington would provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in exchange for "complete" denuclearization of the North.

However, Kim began to insist later that the United States had not implemented the agreement, despite North Korea taking concrete steps to discard its nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang's negotiations with Washington have been stalled for more than two years.

North Korea has recently hinted it could restart nuclear and ICBM tests, saying it may resume all "activities" it had temporarily suspended to build trust with Trump, while launching a number of ballistic missiles in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Construction is also occurring at North Korea's only known nuclear test site for the first time since the announcement of its closure in 2018, a U.S. nuclear expert said Monday based on commercial satellite photos.

The United States and North Korea remain technically in a state of war as the 1950-1953 Korean War, in which U.S.-led U.N. forces fought alongside South Korea against the North supported by China and the Soviet Union, ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

With tensions between North Korea and the United States escalating, inter-Korean relations have deteriorated.

Kim was irritated by Seoul as Moon hesitated to move forward on economic cooperation projects with Pyongyang, including reviving operations at the Kaesong industrial park, in the face of opposition from Washington, observers said.

In June 2020, Pyongyang blew up the liaison office in Kaesong, a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, in retaliation for defectors launching balloons carrying leaflets critical of the North.

"At that moment, Kim cut off ties with South Korea," another diplomatic source said.

Although Moon has sought a declaration to formally bring an end to the state of war on the divided peninsula since 2021, it is "no longer possible for an agreement to be reached," given that Kim distrusts South Korea, the source added.

The North showed an interest last year in formally ending the war, but Troy Stangarone, a senior director at the Korea Economic Institute in Washington, said Pyongyang only wanted to use the process to "extract sanctions relief without making progress on denuclearization or other issues."

Meanwhile, China, North Korea's closest and most influential ally, is expected to avoid worsening relations with the two Koreas in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party's twice-a-decade congress in the fall, foreign affairs experts said.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping has been keen to bolster his clout to secure a controversial third term as the nation's leader at the party gathering, he is certain to pursue balanced diplomacy with Seoul and Pyongyang, they said.

In South Korea, anti-China sentiment has been spreading since a performer clad in a traditional Korean "hanbok" dress appeared in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics through Feb. 20 representing ethnic Koreans in China.

Some South Korean people regarded it as cultural appropriation by China.

In an obvious bid to prevent the deterioration of ties with South Korea, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on Monday, "A good neighbor is worth 1,000 pieces of gold."

As for North Korea, Wang said China calls on the United States to take "concrete measures to address the legitimate security concerns" of Pyongyang and "build basic mutual trust."

Related coverage:

South Korean President-elect Yoon vows to build future-oriented ties with Japan

North Korea's spy satellites aimed at collecting info on U.S. military

FOCUS: Yoon likely to warm up Tokyo-Seoul ties but wartime issues to weigh
KYODO NEWS - Mar 10, 2022 - 09:40 | All, Japan, 3/11 Fukushima

The number of people who committed suicide associated with the 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan totaled 246 in the 11 years to January 2022, government data showed.

Mutsuko Iitsuka, the wife of 60-year-old Masahiro, took her own life about three years ago at the age of 57 in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture.

On the night of April 11, 2019, the couple had boiled fish for dinner and went to bed after watching television. They laughed as they fought over the futon as usual.

The next morning, Masahiro woke up alone. He was later notified by police that his wife had died. She did not leave a suicide note, he said.

The Iitsukas had survived the magnitude-9.0 quake and ensuing tsunami that hit eastern and northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, and left 15,900 people dead and more than 2,500 missing.

But their house in Iwanuma in Miyagi Prefecture was destroyed by the quake and aftershocks. In August 2011, they moved to temporary housing in Sendai, where 233 prefabricated houses were built.

As head of a neighborhood association, Iitsuka worked hard to prevent people from dying alone. But his wife, who had developed depression before the quake, grew weaker and at times she could barely get out of bed.

In spring of 2015, they moved to a nearby condominium that had been set up as public housing for disaster victims.

As Mutsuko had started to go out with her friends, Masahiro felt their lives had started to stabilize. "We cannot be disaster victims forever" he thought and he looked at ways of returning to some form of normalcy.

But after his wife's death, Iitsuka asked himself, why she had died without saying anything to him, and if he had overlooked anything unusual.

Though he never came up with an answer, he was unable to stop thinking, "If the disaster had never happened."

Attracted by her calm personality, the Iitsukas started dating when they were high school students and later got married.

Several months after her death, he almost followed her. But after being hospitalized, he started to live with his daughter.

Iitsuka now lives quietly with support from his family, but continues to go to hospital after being diagnosed as suffering from depression. "It will be a very long time before I can draw the line that the disaster is over," he said.

Suicides are officially associated with the disaster if they meet one of five requirements such as the place where the body is found and statements from bereaved family members.

The number of such suicides was highest in 2011 with 55. Though the figure is on a decreasing trend, it increased in 2017 and 2019.

Eiko Moriyama, the head of a nonprofit group in Miyagi working to prevent suicides associated with the disaster, said some survivors had to wait until recent years to unveil their feelings for the first time.

"It is impossible to measure what they are thinking in their heart with years. Long-term support is needed," Moriyama said.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 10, 2022 - 08:42 | All, World

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Wednesday it has increased the readiness of its ballistic missile defense forces in the region following a barrage of ballistic missile launches by North Korea.

"The United States condemns the recent series of ballistic missile launches" by North Korea, including the most recent launch on Saturday, the command said in a press release, emphasizing its concerns over "the significant increase" in Pyongyang's missile testing activity.

Pyongyang has conducted nine series of missile tests so far this year. It also hinted in January it could resume nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, both of which it last conducted in 2017.

In light of the recent provocations, an order was issued Monday for "intensified" intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance collection activities in the Yellow Sea, as well as "enhanced readiness" by its ballistic missile defense forces, the command said.

"Our commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad," it said, referring to South Korea by its official name.

The United States remains committed to "serious and sustained" diplomacy aimed at the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it said.

Related coverage:

North Korea says it conducted test for reconnaissance satellite on March 5

North Korea says it conducted test for reconnaissance satellite on Feb. 27
By Sayo Sasaki, KYODO NEWS - Mar 10, 2022 - 09:07 | World, All, Feature, Japan

With main opposition candidate Yoon Suk Yeol elected South Korea's next president, the country's relations with Japan are likely to improve once their long-stalled communications finally get rolling but wartime history issues are likely to continue weighing on them, according to foreign policy experts.

Given Yoon's call for improved ties with Japan and the United States and the security dynamics sparked by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, he has been a more favorable pick for Tokyo than ruling party hopeful Lee Jae Myung, who was seen as inheriting President Moon Jae In's policy emphasis on North Korea.

Yoon of the conservative People Power Party has said he would visit Japan second after the United States once he becomes president and resume so-called shuttle diplomacy with Tokyo with leaders making reciprocal visits -- a practice stalled since 2011.

"When it comes to foreign and security issues, it is obvious that Japan holds more visions in common with Mr. Yoon than Mr. Lee" of the ruling liberal Democratic Party, said Yuki Asaba, a professor of Korean studies at Doshisha University.

Tokyo and Seoul may reaffirm that they are "important neighbors sharing fundamental values and strategic interests" as they had in the past, Asaba said.

However, he added that Yoon's willingness to work with Japan does not mean he will compromise on disputes over wartime history and a pair of South Korean-controlled islets in the Sea of Japan -- issues that have sunk bilateral ties to the worst level in decades.

With those contentious issues in mind, analysts believe Yoon will not overlook the fact that a Russian military plane violated the airspace over the disputed islets, and Chinese and Russian navy vessels traveled around the Japanese archipelago, apparently taking advantage of diplomatic rifts between the two neighbors.

"Russia and China have been creating a fait accompli by taking advantage of deterioration in trilateral security cooperation involving Japan, the United States and South Korea," said Kohtaro Ito, a senior research fellow at the Canon Institute for Global Studies, a Tokyo think tank.

"I would assume Mr. Yoon thinks such a situation is not favorable for South Korea and East Asia," said Ito, an expert in South Korean diplomacy.

Ito cited simmering tensions over the Taiwan Strait as yet another factor in making Yoon think South Korea can no longer leave its relationship with Japan as it is.

Tokyo-Seoul ties have deteriorated under Moon after he effectively nullified a 2015 agreement his predecessor Park Geun Hye's administration struck with then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government to "finally and irreversibly" resolve the issue of "comfort women."

The term refers to those who suffered under Japan's military brothel system before and during World War II.

Bilateral ties further worsened after South Korea's top court in 2018 ordered two Japanese companies to pay compensation to requisitioned Korean workers.

Japan has dismissed the ruling as a violation of international law, but liquidation of assets the companies hold in South Korea is nearing, with one for the first batch possibly starting this year.

Likening the liquidation as a "time bomb" set to explode in a series, Asaba suggested that Yoon -- who will be sworn in in May -- and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida should sign at an early date agreements on areas where they can cooperate so they can minimize damage even if liquidation of the first batch of Japanese-held assets was to be enforced.

"The two should affirm at an early stage that they will work together in future-oriented areas without going back to the past even if the bomb were to explode," he said.

Among options for agreements are how to denuclearize North Korea, Japan's push for South Korea joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Quad framework involving Japan, the United States, Australia and India, as well as restoring visa-free exchanges once the novel coronavirus pandemic calms down, according to Asaba.

The scholar also said Japan has an option of lifting export controls on semiconductor-related materials to South Korea as a "goodwill gesture."

The export restriction was imposed in 2019, seen as retaliation for the Moon administration's handling of the issue involving wartime Korean workers.

Still, there is a technical problem on South Korea's side, with the Democratic Party dominating the parliament, meaning any effort by Yoon to improve ties -- including the possibility of coming up with special legislation to resolve the liquidation issue -- is certain to be rejected.

Ito said the party would oppose every move Yoon makes, particularly after a fierce presidential race.

Japan too faces a hurdle. Kishida, who played a major role as foreign minister in striking the comfort women agreement, has maintained it is Seoul's side to act, and any move against such a stance will be seen as Kishida backing down against South Korea, particularly as Japanese people's sentiment toward South Korea has remained negative across the board.

With the Japanese House of Councillors election slated for July, Kishida is unlikely to take such a risk until his ruling Liberal Democratic Party secures a win, allowing him to solidify his leadership for the next three years.

Still, Asaba said better ties between the two U.S. allies is something President Joe Biden's administration hopes for as it faces an increasingly assertive China in the western Pacific at a time when Russia has unilaterally been attempting to alter the status quo over Ukraine by force.

Ito agreed on the importance of improving Tokyo-Seoul ties, saying, "This is not just about a relationship between the two countries. It is a key relationship in the region, and it is about what they will do to safeguard liberal democracy in the world, as the Ukraine crisis pulled the trigger."

"Japan cannot just continue to be in discord with South Korea," he said.

Related coverage:

Opposition's Yoon wins South Korea's close presidential election

South Korean president-elect Yoon clashed with Moon as chief prosecutor




LVIV, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine started evacuating residents from the northeastern city of Sumy on Tuesday through a humanitarian corridor as agreed with Russia.

Evacuation trains from Ukraine's larger cities pour into Lviv, the country's sixth-largest city some 60 km from the Polish border, bringing vast numbers of evacuees from the fighting.

The city itself has also become a transit point, with some of its public facilities turned into reception centers and shelters.

Following two rounds of inconclusive peace talks, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators failed to achieve a significant breakthrough during their third round of peace talks in Belarus on Monday, although some consensus on humanitarian corridors has been reached.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, started its closing meeting on Thursday morning.

Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the closing meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. 

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

The military band of the Chinese People's Liberation Army performs during the closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

The closing meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
by Xu Chi

GENEVA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine "has the champagne corks quietly popping in the Pentagon, on K Street, in the defense industry, and throughout the halls of Congress," wrote Franklin C. Spinney, a former military analyst for the Pentagon, in a recent commentary.

"Taxpayers are going to be paying for their party for a long time," Spinney wrote in the article entitled "How the Narcotic of Defense Spending Undermines a Sensible Grand Strategy" published on Wednesday in his blog post.

"It is no accident that the United States is on the cusp of the Second Cold War," he added.

Time Magazine called Spinney a "Pentagon Maverick" on a cover in 1983. Spinney served as an analyst in the Pentagon's Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation, and in this capacity, he exposed and decried the overinflated military spending and appeared as a witness in many congressional hearings.

"Future historians may well view the last 30 years as a case study in the institutional survival of the American Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex, together with its supporting blob now saturating the media, think tanks, academia, and the intelligence community," Spinney wrote.

"Perhaps, these future historians will come also to view the Global War on Terror as the bridging operation that greased the transition to Cold War II by keeping defense budgets at Cold War levels after Cold War I ended," he wrote.

"No one wants war, but rising tension and the politics of fear ... and their bedfellow: demonization ... had to be magnified to justify the huge bow wave of defense spending looming in the budgetary offing," he added.

Spinney pointed out: "As it gradually sank in that the First Cold War had indeed ended when the Soviet threat evaporated in 1991, the titans in the defense industry understood their comfortable market for new hi-tech, high-cost weapons could dry up."

"So, they went on a Pentagon subsidized consolidation binge to gobble up access to what threatened to be a stagnating market," Spinney said.

He further said that a lobbying operation named the Committee to Expand NATO emerged in the early 1990 and was headed by a vice president of Lockheed Martin, an American arms corporation.

These forces shaped "the hopes and dreams underpinning the powerful American impulse to expand NATO -- despite promises to the contrary made by leaders in the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom," Spinney said.

Spinney also argued that "the Pentagon's strategy of maximizing its budget has created a growing dependency on defense spending in the American political economy."

He quoted George Kennan, who fathered the dominant U.S. policy of "Containment" for the Cold War, as saying: "Were the Soviet Union to sink tomorrow under the waters of the ocean, the American military-industrial complex would have to remain, substantially unchanged, until some other adversary could be invented. Anything else would be an unacceptable shock to the American economy."

Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell, told Xinhua via email that Spinney has produced a concise description of what is driving U.S. defense budget policy and how it relates to the recent military operation of Russia.

"Having observed the formation of defense spending up close and personal for four decades, I can only say Chuck's (Franklin C. Spinney's) arguments describe reality as well as I have seen in a very long time, but in only a few words," Wilkerson said.

"Five presidents and their national security apparatchiks have played a key role by pushing NATO expansion," which has led to the tragic outbreak of the current armed conflict, he added.

Wilkerson said that facing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the voices of the Western media exhibit "a uniformity of insanity -- but an insanity that makes some people a great deal of money." 
TEHRAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian security official on Thursday slammed U.S. approach to the ongoing talks in Vienna on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal, saying Washington is not willing to reach a "strong deal" that would satisfy both sides.

"U.S. approach to Iran's principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that the United States isn't interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties," Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted.

He stressed that in the absence of a political decision by the United States, the negotiations in the Austrian capital get more complicated every hour.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran.

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA, namely Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, with the United States indirectly involved in the talks, in a bid to revive the landmark deal. 
Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2021 shows COVID-19 vaccines on the production line of a factory of the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) in Giza, Egypt. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Major findings from three seperate researches showed that lineage A and lineage B of SARS-CoV-2, which caused the early outbreaks, are genetically too different from one another, thus the coronavirus must have evolved in non-human animals and the two lineages spread to humans separately.



BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Three reports newly published by different research teams from different countries have revealed more evidence that some zoonotic origins were behind the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which caused the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

The studies were conducted by groups of scientists from the United States, Britain, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and also China. Though all reports are preprints and have not completed peer review at a journal, the conclusions have gained spotlight, given the researchers' background as renowned immunologists and virologists.

Their major findings include that lineage A and lineage B of SARS-CoV-2, which caused the early outbreaks, are genetically too different from one another, thus the coronavirus must have evolved in non-human animals and the two lineages spread to humans separately.

One report was released on Feb. 25 by researchers in China working with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutes after an analysis of over 1,000 samples collected from the environment and the animals within Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, in early 2020, while the other two were published on Feb. 26 by the U.S.-led international teams.

The international teams studied the data and information collected by the World Health Organization and other authority channels, as well as the early features shown in the spreading of the virus.

Michael Worobey, a virologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson and a co-author on the papers released by the international teams, told the Nature magazine that his thinking on the origins of COVID-19 has shifted. He once kept an open mind about whether the pandemic stemmed from a laboratory.

As more evidence has come to light supporting a zoonotic origin story, it's extremely improbable that two distinct lineages of SARS-CoV-2 could have been derived from a laboratory, Worobey said.

Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and an author of the two reports by the international teams, also confirmed that the two preprints provide the strongest evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic began from "live animals" instead of laboratories.

After posting on Twitter one report entitled "SARS-CoV-2 emergence very likely resulted from at least two zoonotic events," Andersen tweeted that the scientists need "more and better data" to approach the origin as there are still questions such as "What animals? Farmed or wild? Connectedness?" and "Future risk?" needed to be answered.

In spite of some clamor hyping up lab-leak hypothesis, more and more studies have proved that the COVID-19 origin tracing is a serious issue needed to be dealt with through the collaboration of global scientists on basis of scientific attitude and principles. 
An official of Ghana-China Friendship Association (L), presents a citation of honor to a member of the Chinese medical team to Ghana, in Accra, the capital of Ghana, Aug. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Seth)

The 10th batch of the Chinese medical team wrapped up its one-year mission in Ghana Wednesday with more than 3,000 local patients treated.

ACCRA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The 10th batch of the Chinese medical team wrapped up its one-year mission in Ghana Wednesday with more than 3,000 local patients treated.

Zhuang Shaohui, the chief of the team, told Xinhua that the team has performed a total of 1,410 surgeries during their services at Ghana's LEKMA hospital, and some of the therapies they adopted were unprecedented in the hospital.

A doctor of the Chinese medical team to Ghana (1st L) introduces the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy to the staff of Ghana's China Traditional Herbal Hospital in Accra, Ghana, July 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Seth)

Over the past year, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the West African country, the team consisting of 11 top-notch doctors from south China's Guangdong Province also joined their Ghanaian counterparts in the fight against the virus.

According to Zhuang, the team helped the hospital facilitate the procedure of medical supply donations and shared China's experiences of battling the pandemic with local medical staff, which has boosted the hospital's capacity of receiving and treating infected patients.

"All of us feel honored to use what we have learned in China to serve Ghanaian patients, and we are more than excited to see their recoveries," Zhuang added.

Since 2009, China has dispatched 10 medical teams to Ghana, playing an important role in improving the country's medical and health services. 
The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Overseas experts have said that institutional strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics have been clearly manifested in the country's practices of tackling challenges and stimulating development, and enabled China to bring more benefits to the world.



BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has joined discussions with national lawmakers and political advisors on the country's economic and social development for the year during the ongoing "two sessions."

The "two sessions," the annual gatherings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), offer observers worldwide a window into how China formulates major policies and measures involving political, economic and diplomatic affairs.

Overseas experts have said that institutional strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics have been clearly manifested in the country's practices of tackling challenges and stimulating development, and enabled China to bring more benefits to the world.

Tourists view the scenery of cole flower fields in Panzhou, southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHS

When visiting national political advisors attending the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC on Sunday, Xi said that through practices such as responding to COVID-19 and winning the battle against poverty, the strengths of China's political and governance systems have become more evident. Order in China stands in stark contrast with disorder in the West.

In the eyes of Yuri Tavrovsky, a professor with the People's Friendship University of Russia, socialism with Chinese characteristics has significant advantages.

With these advantages, the professor said, China has made notable achievements in such fields as pandemic prevention and control, and poverty eradication, which have improved people's well-being and advanced social development.

Azza Radwan Sedky, a columnist for the Egyptian newspaper Ahram, said China's political system and governance system are clearly accepted and enjoyed by its people, which can be seen in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and in the process of eliminating absolute poverty.

China has quickly brought the epidemic under control, while some Western countries are still plagued by it, said Sedky, who is also a professor of communication, noting that "the living standards of the Chinese people are constantly improving."

Students line up for COVID-19 tests at the campus of Inner Mongolia Medical University in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan)

WHOLE-PROCESS PEOPLE'S DEMOCRACY

When it comes to the well-being of the public, there is no such thing as a trivial matter, said Xi during his meeting with political advisors, pledging to give extra attention and care to the people in difficulty, and to help them resolve problems.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Center for China Studies in Nigeria, said China's whole-process people's democracy is inclusive and participatory, noting that it addresses substantive issues of livelihood, and offers people opportunities to develop and to contribute to society. "This is the essence of democracy."

Natee Taweesrifuengfung, president of the Thailand-based Siam Think Tank, said whether a model of democracy works should be judged by the people.

Addressing poverty and ensuring that the people live a productive life concern a country's biggest national and public interests, he said, stressing that China's democracy is a true people's democracy.

Aerial photo taken on Nov. 3, 2021 shows a wind power field in Luduo Township of Baoying County of Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

"Putting into practice our new development philosophy is the path we must take to develop our country into a strong nation in the new era," Xi said on Saturday when participating in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region delegation's deliberation at the fifth session of the 13th NPC.

Xi also expressed hope that people in Inner Mongolia would coordinate efforts in epidemic control and economic and social development, and unswervingly follow the path of high-quality development that prioritizes ecological conservation and pursues green development.

Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Ankara-based Turkish Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, said the Chinese government has been committed to green development, and set its goals for addressing climate change.

China will accelerate the transformation of its development model, promote high-quality economic development and strengthen environmental protection, he noted.

Greek scholar Pelagia Karpathiotaki said "China's role in the global economic recovery is extremely important as has been seen in the past," adding that China's economic stability and its initiatives to promote international economic cooperation would make major contributions in these difficult times.

Preserving nature, tackling climate change and establishing new forms of sustainable economic activity are "a human task of global dimension," said Michael Schumann, chairman of Germany's Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, adding that Germany and China can jointly make significant contributions to the cause. 
A flag-raising ceremony is held in front of the parliament building to celebrate Hungarian national holiday in Budapest, Hungary, on March 15, 2020. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

BUDAPEST, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian parliament on Thursday elected Katalin Novak as the country's first female president for a five-year term, winning over economist Peter Rona in a vote split along party lines.

Novak, a former member of the government as minister without portfolio for family affairs, is taking over from incumbent president Janos Ader, who is ending his second term as president.

Hungary's president is not a member of any political party and represents the unity of the Hungarian state. The Hungarian president's duties are largely ceremonial. 
A woman wearing a mask walks on a street in Paris, France, Jan. 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

The French government has announced that as of March 14, it will no longer be mandatory to wear a mask in indoor areas, except on public transport and in health establishments.

PARIS, March 10 (Xinhua) -- France's national health agency reported 74,818 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours on Thursday, a sharp increase compared to previous days.

However, the number of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) in the past 24 hours has decreased compared to last Thursday, while the total number of patients in ICU has fallen from 2,231 to 1,928 during that time. The number of patients currently hospitalized has also dropped from 23,175 to 21,287 since last Thursday.

Also on Thursday, The Pasteur Institute published an analysis of the COVID-19 situation in metropolitan France. It said the percentage of contamination after the lifting of health restrictions on March 14 will increase by 50 to 130 percent compared to the previous months of this year.

A vaccine pass is seen in Paris, France, March 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

Daily reported COVID-19 cases could exceed 100,000 in the month of March, the Institute added.

Infectologist Benjamin Davido at Raymond-Poincare de Garches Hospital in the department of Hauts-de-Seine told French news channel BFMTV that the government's lifting of health restrictions will contribute "to the rebound of contaminations."

The French government has announced that as of March 14, it will no longer be mandatory to wear a mask in indoor areas, except on public transport and in health establishments. The vaccine pass will also no longer be required at most public indoor venues, except hospitals, retirement homes and care homes.

People wearing face masks walk near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, Dec. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
In this file photo taken on Feb. 25, 2019, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) meets with visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Tehran, Iran. (Xinhua/Iran's Supreme Leader office)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stressed that acquiescing to the excessive demands of the United States in the hope of lifting sanctions is a big mistake and a blow to the country's political power.

TEHRAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday the Islamic republic will not give up on its regional presence and peaceful nuclear program, the two factors that contribute to national power.

Addressing a meeting with the members of Iran's Assembly of Experts, Khamenei said regional presence increases the country's strategic depth and national power while scientific nuclear progress is tied to the country's ability to meet its needs in the near future, according to the leader's office.

Photo taken on Dec. 3, 2021 shows a meeting of the Joint Commission on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna, Austria. (EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout via Xinhua)

Thus, to be able to maintain the country's independence in the future, none of those two must be forgone, said the top leader.

He stressed that acquiescing to the excessive demands of the United States or any other country in the hope of not being sanctioned is a big mistake and a blow to the country's political power.

He said there is nothing more naive and amateurish than the proposal to reduce the country's defense capabilities.

He noted that the enemies have placed on their agenda targeting Iran's elites and intellectuals in order to deceive the people through them, adding that the world's arrogant powers have waged the biggest soft war against the nation. 




* Ethnic unity and food security are among the policy priorities stressed at this year's "two sessions."

* The "two sessions" have showcased China's "whole-process people's democracy."

* Economic stability must be a top priority in the government's work in 2022, and progress must be pursued while ensuring stability, noted this year's government work report.

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A crucial political event gathering Chinese national lawmakers and political advisors has showcased the country's "genuine and effective" democratic model, and stressed a slew of policy priorities including ethnic unity, food security and economic stability.

The annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), dubbed the "two sessions," are convened this year against the backdrop of a protracted COVID-19 pandemic and international uncertainties.

The fifth session of the 13th NPC has seen lawmakers consider a law amendment honing the people's congress system. It is also reviewing a government work report promising measures to stabilize the economy.

President Xi Jinping joined lawmakers and political advisors in deliberations and discussions, delivering important speeches that mapped out plans for strengthening ethnic unity, promoting the country's rural revitalization, and enhancing the rule of law in national defense and military building.

Women of the Miao ethnic group show their costumes during an event celebrating the harvest season in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Oct. 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

ETHNIC UNITY, FOOD SECURITY

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, joined a deliberation with fellow lawmakers from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Saturday.

He hailed ethnic unity as the "lifeline" of Chinese people of all ethnic groups and stressed efforts to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

Any work that can help forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation should be done in a thorough, meticulous and solid manner, he said.

Joining national political advisors in a joint group meeting on Sunday, Xi said that in promoting rural revitalization, the supply of major agricultural products, grain in particular, must be secured as the top priority.

"Despite China's industrialization, food supply should never be considered an insignificant issue, and we cannot rely solely on the international market to solve it," Xi said, warning against slacking off on the food security issue.

China should be well-prepared, remain vigilant on food security, and adhere to the principle of self-sufficiency based on domestic grain production, guaranteed production capacity, moderate food imports and technological support, he said.

A farmer harvests wheat in Pingyi County of Linyi City, east China's Shandong Province, June 8, 2021. (Photo by Wu Jiquan/Xinhua)

GENUINE, EFFECTIVE DEMOCRACY

China practices a "whole-process people's democracy," which is "the broadest, most genuine, and most effective" democracy.

The notion, first raised by Xi during an inspection tour in Shanghai in 2019, has become a buzzword during this year's "two sessions."

Lawmakers are deliberating a draft amendment to the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments, which will make "upholding whole-process people's democracy" a guiding principle.

Lawmakers are also mulling giving more seats in the next-term national legislature to people from the grassroots level and women, with a draft decision on the quota and election of deputies to the 14th NPC submitted for deliberation.

Staff members of the secretariat of the fifth session of the 13th NPC sort out suggestions from lawmakers in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

According to a work report of the NPC Standing Committee, all 473 proposals deputies put forward during the fourth session of the 13th NPC were reviewed by NPC special committees, and all 8,993 suggestions submitted by deputies during that session were forwarded to 194 organizations for examination and handling, which has now been completed. The proposals and suggestions covered various areas including measures to improve people's wellbeing, ecological protection and green development.

Responding to a question about whether China and the United States are vying for a greater say in democracy, Guo Weimin, spokesperson for the CPPCC session, said the United States convenes the so-called "Summit for Democracy" to suppress others and divide the world while maintaining its hegemony.

Guo said the United States uses democracy as a pretext to serve its own interests. "Democracy is diverse in its forms, and is not a patent held by a few countries," he said. "The democratic systems of countries should be chosen independently by their own people based on national conditions."

Students look for jobs during a campus job fair in Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, March 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Long)

STABLE GROWTH TOP PRIORITY

Economic stability must be a top priority in the government's work in 2022, and progress must be pursued while ensuring stability, noted this year's government work report.

"In the face of new downward pressure, the task of ensuring stable growth needs to occupy an even more prominent position," the report said.

China has set its economic growth target for this year at around 5.5 percent, representing a medium-high rate of growth given the country's massive economic aggregate.

Along with the GDP target, China aims to create over 11 million new urban jobs, keep a surveyed urban unemployment rate of no more than 5.5 percent, keep grain output at over 650 million tonnes and lower the ratio of its deficit to GDP to stand at around 2.8 percent in 2022.

China will ramp up efforts to pursue prudent and effective macro policies, continuously energize market entities, and expand reform and opening-up, said the report. 
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday said the United States should conduct a credible, independent and impartial investigation into civilian casualties caused by U.S. air strikes, and hold those concerned accountable.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing, saying that this is a clear call from the international community that the U.S. should respond to in earnest.

"Every human life, regardless of nationality, race, religion or values, is equal and precious," Zhao said.

According to media reports, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic reiterated the call for the United States and all relevant parties to conduct credible, independent and impartial investigations into air strikes that resulted in civilian casualties and to ensure those responsible are held accountable.

Zhao said that five years ago, U.S. forces, using fake intelligence gleaned from a video staged by "White Helmets" as evidence, conducted the "most precise air strikes in history" in Syria, killing more than 1,600 innocent civilians.

"In recent years, the international community has been calling for investigations into the deaths of civilians in U.S. overseas military operations," Zhao said.

Concerning Syria alone, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic noted several times in its reports in September 2019 and February 2021 that the U.S. failed to distinguish military targets from civilians in its air strikes in Syria, which gravely violates international humanitarian law and potentially constitutes war crimes.

"However, the U.S. government has been turning a deaf ear to all of this," Zhao said.

It has been reported that over almost two decades, the United States has conducted over 90,000 air strikes in countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, which have killed up to 48,000 civilians. But the U.S. military has time and again covered up the facts and refused to apologize, admit its crimes or hold the perpetrators accountable. "It has done everything possible to evade its responsibilities," Zhao said.

Concerning a drone strike on civilians in Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesperson said openly in December 2021 that no U.S. soldiers would face disciplinary action.

"The U.S. media also disclosed at the end of last year that from 2014 to 2019, the U.S. military turned its guns on farmers in the middle of their harvest, on children playing in the streets, on families fleeing the fighting, and on villagers taking shelter in buildings," Zhao said, noting that these devastating crimes were deliberately concealed and whitewashed.

The spokesperson also quoted Larry Lewis, a director at the U.S. Center for Naval Analyses, as saying that at least one incident of civilian harm has occurred every week on average since the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"There has been an overall pattern of negligence from the U.S. government on the issue of civilian harm," Zhao said. The United States has also obstructed the International Criminal Court's investigations into its war crimes in Afghanistan. 
YAOUNDE, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon launched a year-long anti-malaria campaign dubbed "Stop Malaria" on Thursday amidst rising numbers of infections.

The campaign will take place nationwide targeting all communities and especially business leaders, local elected officials, traditional rulers, religious rulers and associations, Manaouda Malachie, the country's Minister of Public Health said while launching the campaign in the capital, Yaounde.

"This is one of our biggest anti-malaria campaigns which aims to step up official efforts to reduce the infection and death rate from malaria and to alleviate its heavy social and economic burden on the population," Malachie told reporters.

"We have seen an increase in infection rate but the Cameroonian government will spare no efforts in reversing the trend and stopping malaria," he added.

Figures from the country's Ministry of Public Health indicate that 3,150,784 malaria cases and 3,863 deaths were reported in 2021 representing respectively 30 percent of the reasons for consultation, against 29 percent in 2019 and 14.3 percent of deaths in health facilities in 2019 compared to 17.2 percent in 2020.

According to the World Malaria Report 2021, Cameroon is the 11th country most affected by the disease. 
This image grabbed from a screen shows delegates attending the opening of the 49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), held at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 28, 2022. (Xinhua)

Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, said that as the world entered the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international community stood at a crossroads and needed to "choose the right path."

GENEVA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) held a panel discussion on Thursday on ensuring equitable, affordable, timely and universal access for all countries to vaccines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, said at the event that as the world entered the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international community stood at a crossroads and needed to "choose the right path."

"The world has been profoundly fortunate to have had effective COVID-19 vaccines developed at an unprecedented pace. Science has saved millions of lives and livelihoods. But we have failed to administer the vaccines in a fair and equitable manner," she said.

Emphasizing that the "pandemic's finish line is still out of sight," Bachelet said that "a false narrative that it may be over is arising in some countries with high vaccination rates, and where the effects of the Omicron variant have been relatively mild."

A health worker prepares a dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Cornella, Spain, April 7, 2021. (Photo by Joan Gosa/Xinhua)

"Yet, low vaccination rates in many countries continue to create ideal conditions for new variants to emerge," she noted. "So they pose a threat to everyone."

Bachelet stressed that "delayed vaccination may mean a lost decade for development...Countries will become less resilient to fresh crises and shocks. And discontent at the human rights consequences of pandemic-related measures has the potential to escalate societal tensions and violence, which are growing around the world."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said during the panel discussion that while more than six million people had lost their lives to COVID-19, these figures seriously underrepresented the reality of this crisis.

"While almost ten billion vaccine doses had been administered around the globe, their distribution told a story of inequality: almost 70 percent of vaccinations were in high income countries, while less than 14 percent of people in low-income countries had received a single dose," he said.

Countries with high vaccination rates are reopening, while others with low vaccination rates and low testing rates have been left behind, and the result is more than 60,000 deaths per week along with an increased risk of the emergence of new virus variants, he warned.

A man receives the AstraZeneca vaccine at a hospital in Coria, Spain, on March 24, 2021. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)








JERUSALEM, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Israel's current account surplus reached 22.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, said an annual balance of payments report released by the state's Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.

This is an increase of 200 million dollars compared to the surplus registered in 2020, according to the report.

The current account balance includes the transactions of Israeli residents with abroad in trade of goods and services, as well as income from financial investments, compensation of employees and current transfers.

The slight increase in last year's surplus includes a 10.3-billion-dollar rise in the services trade surplus and a slight increase in current transfers.

However, it was offset by an increase of 7.8 billion dollars in the goods trade deficit and 3 billion dollars in the wages and investments deficit.

The surplus in the goods and services trade account amounted to 21.4 billion dollars in 2021, following a surplus of 19 billion dollars in the previous year, and a surplus of 8.7 billion dollars in 2019. 
ADEN, Yemen, March 10 (Xinhua) -- At least six children were killed in shelling carried out by Yemen's Houthi militia in different areas of the war-ravaged country during the past 24 hours, a security official told Xinhua.

"In two separate incidents, the Houthis launched shelling and killed six children in southwestern province of Taiz and in Sanaa's countryside within the past 24 hours," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.

On Wednesday, a committee of Yemeni government, the National Committee for Investigating Alleged Violation of Human Rights, declared that a total of 56 women were killed as a result of shelling carried out by the Houthi militia during the past several months.

Due to shelling and bombing of their own residential houses, about 280 families were forcibly displaced, the committee said.

The UN Security Council adopted at the end of February a resolution that imposes an arms embargo on the Houthi militia in Yemen as an entity.

The move was welcomed by the internationally-recognized Yemeni government and several other Arab countries.

The Houthi militia currently controls the capital Sanaa and most key northern provinces.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of Hadi after Houthis forced him into exile. 
CAIRO, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his visiting Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon agreed on Thursday to promote cooperation in the field of security.

"We agreed on enhancing security cooperation, exchanging information and experiences in the field of combating terrorism and organized crime," Sisi said in a televised joint press conference.

The two leaders also discussed the possibility of making more concerted efforts to maximize the utilization of water resources, and of cooperating on hydropower, mining, agriculture, tourism, health and medicine production.

They witnessed the signing of two memorandums of understanding (MoU) in the field of agriculture, sport and education.

Rahmon praised the signed MoUs as "a pillar for alleviating the mutual ties." 
NAIROBI, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecom firm, Huawei said Thursday it will focus on delivering modern storage solutions in order to boost financial institutions in Kenya.

Andy Luo, solutions director of Eastern Africa Enterprise at Huawei told a technology forum in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the firm has launched its new proprietary Ocean Protect data storage system designed and fitted with algorithms and adaptable for variable data center sizes.

"With financial services increasing rapidly, transaction volumes are soaring, requiring high data concurrency. The banking industry particularly has always needed high reliability infrastructure to prevent huge economic losses caused by data loss and service disruption," Luo said during the Huawei Africa Tour.

The Chinese technology firm observed that its intelligent data infrastructure has been developed in anticipation of a future that will be characterized by more data, faster retrieval and sharing of information and a greater focus on data security.

"Data is the new gold in the digital age, and now, primary storage is going to be done on flash-based technologies," Luo noted.

He said that as the industry develops, it is important to consider how data can be safely stored on platforms, like the public or private cloud of an organization. 
WELLINGTON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- After nearly two year's border closure, the year of 2022 is the reopening of Tourism industry in New Zealand as the government signalled, "but it will still be bumpy road ahead," Head of Tourism New Zealand Rene de Monchy told Xinhua on Thursday.

New Zealand government removed COVID-19 isolation requirements, one of the biggest obstacles for tourism recovery, for full-vaccinated Kiwis from early March and the policy is expected to cover eligible international travellers later this year.

According to the government's current five-step phased plan, eligible work visa and student visa holders will be allowed to enter the country with no quarantine requirement by April, and international visitors from all over the world are free to come to New Zealand no later by October.

Tourism was one of the pillar industries for New Zealand economy, but it was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years with tourism operators even describing the state of their industry as decimated.

Lisa Li, managing director of China Travel Service NZ, whose business mainly depends on tourists from China, said her company is fortunate to maintain one third of its workforce after two years of struggling. However, most of the travel agencies now are short of experienced staff.

De Monchy acknowledged the hit the industry had taken, but said "I think the industry will be very focused on reopening, coming out of being dormant, reopening their doors, rehiring and hiring new staff," he said.

For Tourism New Zealand, part of their plans was a ramp up in travel trade with the organization training up to 80,000 travel agents to ensure the promotion of New Zealand in post-COVID era, he said.

However, the question remains when and how many of the international travellers will come back.

EYES ON CHINA

Before 2020 when the pandemic hit the country, New Zealand is a popular destination for global tourists with Australia, China and the United States being the top three international markets for the country's tourism sector, according to De Monchy.

The tourists from the three countries generate around 60 percent of the value at the international market of New Zealand before the pandemic, with China ranked No. 2 international value market for New Zealand's tourism industry.

The Chinese market is crucial to New Zealand tourism industry. "That will remain our key focus areas," and they have always put emphasis on the Chinese market, said De Monchy.

"Even during the last two years when the border has been closed, we've been continuing to contact with Chinese market, using social medias to make Chinese tourists dream of New Zealand, including the consumers as well as the travel trade," he said.

De Monchy anticipated Chinese travellers may come back to New Zealand by the end of this year as "the travelling period for Chinese tourists historically has been December and January, during New Zealand summer time as well as the Chinese New Year."

New Zealand reported 21,015 new community cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The surge number of Omicron across the country has already made New Zealand one of the highest infection rate countries in the year of 2022 as recently the U.S. government listed New Zealand as "very high risk destinations".

Lisa said the potential travellers abroad are still uncertain about the pandemic situation in New Zealand as Omicron is still widespread in the country, but traders have prepared themselves for international visitors. 
YANGON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar exported more than 710, 000 tons of beans and pulses worth 556 million U.S. dollars between October 2021 and February 2022, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce on Thursday.

From Oct. 1 last year to Feb. 25 this year, Myanmar shipped 662,169 tons of beans and pulses via sea routes and transported 48,446 tons of beans and pulses through land borders, the ministry said.

The country's current six-month interim budget period started on Oct. 1 last year and will end on March 31, 2022.

The Southeast Asian country announced changing its fiscal year (FY) from the original October-September to April-March beginning 2022-2023, producing the six-month interim budget period.

"Pulses, beans and sesame seeds export of Myanmar is the second highest among the global counterparts and the highest among the South East Asian countries," the Myanmar Pulses, Beans and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association said.

The country exported over 2 million tons of beans and pulses worth more than 1.5 billion dollars in 2020-2021 fiscal year, the ministry's data showed.

China is one of the largest buyers of Myanmar's beans and pulses. Other countries including India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Japan also imported beans and pulses from Myanmar.

Beans and pulses are Myanmar's second most cultivated crops after rice and account for 33 percent of the country's total agricultural production. 
Jaipur:

A batch of 277 people evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran arrived at the Jodhpur airport in Rajasthan on Wednesday early morning, a defence spokesperson said. He said preliminary screening of the evacuees, mostly pilgrims, was conducted at the airport upon arrival and thereafter, they were taken to the Army Wellness Facility set up at the Jodhpur Military Station.

They were flown in from Iran, which has been severely affected by COVID-19. The Army, in coordination with Rajasthan medical authorities and the civil administration, has made adequate medical and administrative arrangements to ensure a comfortable stay for the evacuees and provide prophylactic medical support, he said.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said 273 of the evacuees are pilgrims. He said among the people were 149 women and girls. The defence spokesperson said the facility has a dedicated team of Army doctors, who will be constantly monitoring the health parameters of the evacuees during their stay.

The Army at present is operating medical facilities for evacuees at Manesar, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur with evacuees from Iran, Italy and Malaysia occupying these. Evacuees from China's Wuhan and Japan have already been discharged after full protocol was observed, spokesperson Col Aman Anand said in a statement Of the over 1,200 evacuees, medical staff and air crew kept at these facilities till now, only one case of COVID-19 positive has been reported so for. This does not include another case reported from an IAF facility in Hindon.

In addition, Army medical facilities at Jhansi, Binnaguri and Gaya are being kept on standby with an additional collective capacity of 1,600 beds. More facilities are being kept at short notice. This does not include the additional capacity created and kept ready by the Air Force and the Navy, he said. In another statement, the Defence Ministry said the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has designated 285 beds for isolation wards in handling coronavirus cases.

"Forty beds have been earmarked in hospitals at the Vehicle Factory in Jabalpur, thirty beds each at the Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore, the Gun and Shell Factory in Cossipore, the Ammunition Factory in Khadki, the Ordnance Factory in Kanpur, Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, Ordnance Factory in Ambajhari, 25 beds at Ordnance Factory in Ambernath and 20 beds each at the Heavy Vehicle Factory in Avadi and the Ordnance Factory, Medak," the statement said.

At the headquarters level, the Army called off the day for officers to review the situation and minimise exposure except for those involved in essential duties, Anand said.

Also Read: COVID-19: PM Modi, Putin Discuss Anti-Coronavirus Measures Over Phone

"The global lock-down has affected and significantly reduced the office work be it international cooperation, training events, postings, courses, duty moves etc. Emergency staff including duty officials, medical fraternity, drivers, cooks and other support staff continued to work as hither to fore," he added.

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CCTV: We noted that certain countries, including the US, recently said that China has neither taken concrete measures to resolve conflicts nor followed the sanctioning of Russia by the West. A US think tank also called Chinas balancing strategy nonconstructive. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: Never forget that there are three fingers pointing back to you when you point fingers at others. Those who accused China of standing on the sidelines on the Ukraine issue should ask themselves these questions: What roles have they played in this crisis? Who pushed for NATOs expansion eastward for five times? Who have fueled the situation in Ukraine and hyped up and escalated the tension for months and allowed it to spiral out of control?

On the Ukraine issue, China has been independently making decisions in the spirit of objectivity and fairness and based on the merits of the matter itself. China has been playing a constructive part in facilitating dialogue for peace. On the second day of the conflict, President Xi Jinping spoke to President Vladimir Putin on the phone upon invitation and expressed Chinas desire to see Russia and Ukraine hold peace talks as early as possible. The day before yesterday, President Xi had a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and reiterated that we need to jointly support the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and encourage the two sides to keep the momentum of negotiations, overcome difficulties, keep the talks going and bring about peaceful outcomes. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had phone calls with various parties in recent days including the EU, the US, Russia and Ukraine, and put forward a six-point initiative for the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, building consensus on and promoting efforts for deescalation of the situation and peace talks. We hope all relevant parities can remain cool-headed and exercise restraint, encourage and support all diplomatic efforts that are conducive to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis and jointly cool down the situation.

I want to stress that wielding the big stick of sanctions cannot solve the Ukraine issue. It has long been proven that rather than addressing the problem, sanctions will create new problems. Apart from economic loss on multiple sides, sanctions will disrupt the process of political settlement and are truly nonconstructive. When dealing with its relations with Russia, the US should not impose so-called sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction on Chinese companies and individuals or undermine the legitimate rights and interests of China, otherwise China will make strong and resolute response.

CCTV: It is reported that the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic reiterated the call on the United States and all parties to conduct credible, independent and impartial investigations into air strikes entailing civilian casualties in Syria and to ensure those responsible are held accountable. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: Five years ago, the US forces, using the fake intelligence of a staged video by White Helmets as evidence, conducted the so-called most precise air campaign in history in Syria, killing more than 1,600 innocent civilians.

The international community has been calling for investigations into the killing of civilians in the US overseas military operations. On Syria alone, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic pointed out several times in its reports in September 2019 and February 2021 that the US failed to distinguish military targets from civilians in its air strikes in Syria. This is a gravely violation of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes. However, the US government has been turning a deaf ear to all this.

According to reports, over the past nearly two decades, the US conducted over 90,000 air strikes in countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, which may have killed up to 48,000 civilians. But the US military time and again covered up the facts and refused to apologize, admit its crimes or hold the perpetrators accountable. It did everything possible to evade its responsibilities. On the drone attack of civilians in Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesperson said openly in December 2021 that no US soldiers will face disciplinary action over it. The US media also disclosed at the end of last year that from 2014 to 2019, the US military turned its guns on farmers in the middle of harvest, children playing in the streets, families fleeing the fighting and villagers taking shelter in buildings. These disastrous crimes were deliberately concealed and whitewashed.

US media revealed last year that according to the US militarys own confidential assessments of more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties, civilian casualties in US air strikes have been significantly undercounted. Larry Lewis, a director at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) of the US, said that on average at least one incident of civilian harm has happened every week since 9/11. There has been an overall pattern of negligence with regard to the US government on the issue of civilian harm. The US has also obstructed the International Criminal Courts investigations into its war crimes in Afghanistan.

Every human life, regardless of nationality, race, religion or values, is equal and precious. The US should earnestly respond to the strong call of the international community, conduct a credible, independent and impartial investigation into civilian casualties caused by US air strikes, and hold those responsible accountable.

Yonhap News Agency: The candidate of the People Power Party Yoon Suk-yeol won the presidential election in the Republic of Korea. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: China congratulates Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol on his election as the new president of the ROK.

China and the ROK are and will remain close neighbors. We are important cooperative partners that cannot do without the other. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the ROK. Over the past 30 years, China-ROK relations have witnessed rapid development, bringing tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples and making positive contributions to regional peace and development. We stand ready to make joint efforts with the ROK to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties to promote the sound and steady development of bilateral relations and bring more benefits to the two countries and peoples.

AFP: China has supported Russias claims that the US conducted biological military activities in Ukraine. The White House calls these claims a disinformation operation and the allegations do appear to lack a strong evidence. So what are Chinas sources for supporting these allegations? How do you know that youre not simply repeating Russian propaganda?

Zhao Lijian: The international community has had grave concerns about US bio-military activities for long. The world has no knowledge about what the US has been doing at Fort Detrick on its territory and the 336 biological labs overseas, or whether the activities conform to the stipulations of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). This is not something you can muddle through in a few words. It is even irresponsible to dismiss the concerns of the international community as disinformation. Why has the US been standing alone in opposing setting up multilateral verification mechanisms for 20 years if it has indeed complied with the BWC? Isnt it confounding?

Since the US mentioned the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) also, why doesnt it tell the world handily that the US is the sole possessor state party of chemical weapons? The international community has been repeatedly asking the US to complete the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpiles as soon as possible. However, it is regrettable and concerning that the US has twice missed the deadline for destruction.

China firmly opposes any countrys research and development, possession or use of biological weapons and chemical weapons under any circumstances. Under the current circumstances, we call on all relevant parities to keep in mind peoples health and safety in Ukraine, the neighboring areas and the whole world, and ensure the security of the relevant labs. We once again urge the US to earnestly fulfill its international obligations, give a clear account of its bio-military activities both at home and abroad and accept multilateral verification, and complete the destruction of its chemical weapons arsenal as soon as possible.

You asked about the source of the figures I mentioned. When I mentioned these figures the day before yesterday, I made it clear that they were released by the US side.

TRT: The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine are meeting today first time since the war began. They are meeting in Turkey and Turkish foreign minister said he will be present at the meeting. So what is your comment and expectations for the ministers meeting today in Turkey?

Zhao Lijian: Yesterday, I made clear my position on relevant issues. China welcomes all diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve the Ukraine crisis, including the trilateral foreign ministers meeting of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine. We note that this is the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the conflict broke out between Russia and Ukraine. We hope relevant parties can meet each other halfway in the principle of mutual respect, sit down for serious negotiations and make positive efforts for a peaceful settlement of the crisis.

Beijing Youth Daily: The 157th session of the League of Arab States Council at the level of foreign ministers adopted a resolution on March 9, which expressed appreciation for Chinas diplomatic efforts in supporting the Arab cause and peaceful settlement of regional crises and welcome for Saudi Arabias hosting of the first Arab-China summit in 2022, and stressed readiness to strengthen cooperation with China in various sectors under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We highly appreciate the resolutions adopted by the League of Arab States Council at the level of foreign ministers on strengthening relations with China for many consecutive years. This years session once again expressed high appreciation for Chinas diplomatic efforts in supporting peaceful resolution of regional crises. It clearly embodies the high level of China-Arab strategic partnership and reflects the broad consensus of China and the Arab states on addressing regional issues.

Just as State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the press conference during the two sessions, China never intends to make geopolitical gains in the Middle East, still less to fill a so-called power vacuum. The Middle East belongs to the people of this land. The power to protect security and development in the Middle East must be returned fully to the people in this region. China follows an approach of double support: to firmly support Middle Eastern countries in solving regional security issues through unity and coordination, and to firmly support people in the region in independently exploring their own development paths.

Amid COVID-19, China-Arab relations have continued to flourish with vitality against all odds. Last year, China remained Arab states largest trading partner with two-way trade standing around $330 billion, a year-on-year increase of about 37 percent. Key BRI projects between the two sides have made steady progress. Cooperation in new and high tech sectors such as 5G, AI, space and aviation is burgeoning. Practical cooperation has reached a new height. Going forward, China will continue to work together with the Arab side to prepare for the first China-Arab summit, enrich the China-Arab strategic partnership with new dimensions, and jointly forge a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era.

Yomiuri Shimbun: Russia has published a list of unfriendly countries and regions. Do you have any comment? If Russia takes concrete actions in the future, how will China respond?

Zhao Lijian: Russia as a sovereign state has the right to make its own decisions.

Phoenix TV: We noticed that the foreign minister of Cambodia, which currently holds the rotating chair position of ASEAN, said the ASEAN-US summit scheduled to be held on March 28 has been postponed to a later date because some ASEAN leaders cannot attend the meeting on the proposed date. Some people commented that the White Houses unilateral announcement of the dates has displeased some ASEAN countries. The dates proposed by ASEAN leaders before had been modified by the US for multiple times. If the meeting is held on the dates decided by the US, then half of the ASEAN leaders cannot make it. What is Chinas comment?

Zhao Lijian: We noted relevant reports. China hopes that when participating in regional cooperation in East Asia, the US can follow the spirit of mutual respect, support ASEAN centrality with real actions and do more things that promote regional peace, stability and prosperity.

MBC: Is there any contact between the Chinese government and the ROK president-elect?

Zhao Lijian: Of course we have contact. If we have further information, we will release it in a timely manner.

AFP: China has agreed to send Ukraine about $800,000 in humanitarian aid. Does it have plans to send more in the future?

Zhao Lijian: Yesterday, I released relevant information on Chinas humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. China will provide further humanitarian assistance according to Ukraines needs.

Reuters: China has said that the bio-labs in Ukraine are controlled by the US but sources weve spoken to say that, in fact, these are just labs that have received funding from the US and are in control of Ukrainian authorities. So I want to ask, what proof does China have that the US is in control of these bio-labs? Both the Pentagon spokesperson and the White House spokesperson yesterday refuted the claims made by both Russia and China regarding these bio-labs. I think the Pentagon spokesman said that the claims were laughable whilst the White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that they were simply false. So I was wondering if we could get a Chinese foreign ministry comment on this.

Zhao Lijian: I just shared many details with you. In fact, I also elaborated on this question the day before yesterday.

What has the US been doing at Fort Detrick and its 336 biological laboratories abroad? Do the activities conform to the stipulations of the BWC? Little is known to the international community. The revelation of the secrets of relevant US laboratories in Ukraine cannot be brushed off with just one or two words. And calling Chinas statement and Russias finding propaganda and laughable cannot help the US get away. The US should face squarely the concerns of the international community, and give a full account of all the information about its overseas bio-military sites.

We also ask the US to accept multilateral verification, fulfill its due obligations and complete the destruction of its chemical weapons arsenal as soon as possible.

Reuters: We were wondering whether the charter flights organized by the Chinese government to evacuate Chinese nationals in Ukraine were free or whether each Chinese national had to pay a fee in order to get on these flights? If they were not free, then could we ask how much each ticket costs?

Zhao Lijian: I can tell you that with the concerted efforts of all parties, the vast majority of Chinese citizens in Ukraine have been safely evacuated to neighboring countries and taken care of with the thoughtful arrangements of the Chinese embassies there. Taking into account the strong desire of most of our compatriots to return home as soon as possible after experiencing the fighting, various departments and localities in China coordinated closely and promptly sent a number of charter flights to bring back from Europe Chinese citizens who have evacuated from Ukraine. So far, nine charter flights carrying Chinese nationals evacuated from Ukraine have safely arrived in China.

In recent years, the Chinese government has sent temporary flights many times to bring back from risk-prone or even war-torn areas Chinese citizens who want to return home but have difficulties in doing so. A set of institutionalized arrangements has been formed, including coordination by government departments and lowest possible pricing by relevant airlines. In the future, we will continue to improve relevant practices in accordance with the development of the situation.

***************

After the conclusion of the fifth session of the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), Premier Li Keqiang will hold a press briefing and take questions from the press at the Great Hall of the People on the morning of March 11 (Friday). The regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be adjourned on that day and resumed on March 14 (Monday).
Bengaluru:

Ten new positive cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Karnataka on Wednesday, taking the total number of the affected persons by the deadly virus in the state to 51, the health department said. "Till date 51 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes one death and 3 discharged," the department said in a bulletin.

It said 47 positive patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable. Of the 51 cases detected and confirmed in the state so far, six are transit passengers of Kerala who have landed in airports and being treated in Karnataka, the department said.

Among the newly confirmed positive cases are a 63-year-old man and his 59-year-old wife, who are residents of the city, and had a history of travel to South America -Brazil and Argentina. The cases also include two 26-year-old men, who are residents of the city, and had a history of travel to Spain and arrived to Bengaluru via Dubai.

Others are a 63-year-old woman and her 69-year-old husband, who are residents of Bengaluru, with a history of travel to Athens and London, and nine and seven years' old daughters of a patient who earlier tested positive and is under treatment, as per the bulletin.

A 34-year-old man, a resident of Udupi, who returned from Dubai, and a 37-year old woman, a resident of Chitradurga, with a history of travel to Guyana and arrived to Bengaluru via Delhi (currently under treatment in Davangere) are the other cases, it said.

The health department said contact tracing has been initiated for all the cases. Among the 51 positive cases in the state, 32 were reported from Bengaluru, five from Dakshina Kannada, three each from Kalaburgai and Chikkaballapura, two each from Mysuru and Uttara Kannada, and one each from Kodagu, Dharwad, Davangere and Udupi.

Also Read: Coronavirus: Indian Railways Cancels All Passenger Trains Till April 14 Amid Nationwide COVID-19 Lockdown

All the three discharged patients are from Bengaluru. One death was reported in Kalaburgari earlier this month, which was the country's first COVID-19 related death.

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An executive of the Indian mobile phone company said that small companies in the sector are facing losses of Rs 5-6 crore per day and it is higher for bigger companies. (Photo Credit: Pixabay)

New Delhi:

India's mobile phone sector is likely to face a loss to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore due to an impact on sales in the wake of coronavirus lockdown in the country, according to industry players. The companies are also facing problems in shipping ready products in the overseas market due to the present crisis. "The industry is likely to face a loss of around Rs 15,000 crore due to lockdown. This is based on the present situation. We are speaking to our members and approaching the government to mitigate the impact," India Cellular and Electronics Association chairman Pankaj Mohindroo told PTI. (Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE)

He said the government has supported the industry to the best it can, but the country has a lockdown as the best available option to curb the spread of coronavirus and all companies are cooperating. Xiaomi, which leads India's smartphone market, announced work from home for all 30,000 people engaged in its project even before the lockdown was announced. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown starting March 24 in the country to contain the virus spread.

An executive of the Indian mobile phone company said that small companies in the sector are facing losses of Rs 5-6 crore per day and it is higher for bigger companies. "The Indian mobile sector has been hit by the impact of coronavirus since December. Earlier, the business suffered due to supply of components from China... and now we are facing issues in shipments of ready products. There has been no revenue collection since March 23 for companies that sell through retail stores. There are fixed costs that all the companies have to bear without any revenue in flow. Small firms are facing loss of Rs 5-6 crore per day," the executive said.

There are around 268 companies in India that operate in the mobile manufacturing segment. The production of mobile phones in the country stood at around Rs 1.7 lakh crore in 2018-19 and the domestic demand is almost completely being met out of domestic production.

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New Delhi:

UPSC IES/ISS Exam 2020 Notification has been postponed due to the outbreak of Coronavirus that has affected everyone in some way or the other. All eligible and interested candidates need to visit the official website of Union Public Service Commission, i.e. upsc.gov.in to check the detailed notification. Also, candidates need to visit the official website on regular basis for latest updates. Earlier, the UPSC IES/ISS Exam 2020 notification was scheduled to release on March 25, 2020. However, in view of COVID-19 Outbreak, the commission has decided to postpone the date and will release the UPSC IES Exam 2020 Notification in due course of time.

UPSC IES Exam 2020 Notification Details

The UPSC IES Exam 2020 Application was scheduled to start from today, and the last date to send the UPSC IES Exam Application was likely to be April 13, 2020. The UPSC IES Exam 2020 was expected to commence in the Month of June. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the IES Exam 2020 notification is postponed.

Also Read: HPSSC Exam 2020 Postponed For Various Posts, Check Revised Timetable Here

Earlier, UPSC postponed the Civil Services Examination Personality Test that was scheduled to be in the month of March amid COVID-19 Outbreak. Apart from this, CBSE and ICSE Boards also postponed the Board Exams of Class 10 and 12 due to the outbreak of Coronavirus that is now declared as a pandemic.

Meanwhile, government competitive exams such as SSC CHSL Tier 1 Exam and UPPSC BEO Exam have also postponed along-with the other exams due to the wide-spread Coronavirus attack. At this point, everyone is advised to stay at home and maintain personal hygiene.
New Delhi:

The candidates who have appeared for MP Class 9 and Class 11 examination, we have some important news for you. The Madhya Pradesh School Education Board has announced class 9 and class 11 results. The candidates can now check the results on the official website of the board i.e. vimarsh.mp.gov.in. The declaration of the results has sealed the fate of lakhs of students who have appeared for the examination. We have given the direct link below through which the candidates can check the results.

For the convenience of the students, we have mentioned the steps through which the candidates can check the results:

Step 1: Visit official exam portal i.e. vimarsh.mp.gov.in

Step 2: Find and click on link for MP Board 9th and 11th Class Result 2020

Step 3: You will be redirected to a new page

Step 4: Select your district from first drop-down menu

Step 5: Select your block from the second menu

Step 6: Select your school from the drop-down menu

Step 7: Select your class

Step 8: Click on Show Button

Step 9: Your MP Board 9th / 11th Result will be displayed on the screen

Step 10: Downlaod the scorecard for future reference

According to the sources, the decision to release the MP Board Class 9 and 11 results 2020 online has been taken keeping in view the current lockdown announced across the state due to COVID-19 or Coronavirus infection.

Recently, the School Education Department, Madhya Pradesh issued directive to schools to upload the result for 9th and 11th Class Exam 2020 on the Vimarsh Portal to help students access their results easily, without any problems.
New Delhi:

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi drawing his attention towards the plight of migrant workers amidst the lockdown. It is to be noted that PM Modi had on Tuesday announced a complete lockdown in the country amidst rising cases of coronavirus (COVID-19). Therefore, Railway services and domestic and international flights services are suspended till April 14, 2020.

In a letter to PM Modi, Sonia Gandhi said, "Lakhs of migrant workers are being forced to walk hundreds of miles as there is no public transport available. Several others are stuck on guest houses or hotels and have run out of money to pay their costs. This lockdown is beginning to have a detrimental effect on such fellow citizens. Its my earnest appeal that a national advisory be issued to assist those who are trapped in transit. I am taking the liberty to suggest two such measures."

Suggesting two measures, Sonia Gandhi said, "One time State transport services be made available to those who are walking to their home towns or villages. District Collectors to extend all possible assistance to those who can no longer afford to stay in lodges or guest houses."

"The citizens of our country are making tremendous sacrifices for a better tomorrow. Therefore we must make all efforts to ensure that the purpose of the lockdown is not defeated by making the most vulnerable beat its cost," the Congress president concluded.

Congress President & CPP Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Modi drawing his attention towards the plight of migrant workers amidst the lockdown. pic.twitter.com/vaEmdAlao1  Congress (@INCIndia) March 27, 2020

Early today, Sonia Gandhi offered her MPLADs fund for the welfare of the people of Rae Bareli in fighting the coronavirus outbreak. In a letter to the Rae Bareli district magistrate, Gandhi asked him to use the funds as per the requirement of the constituency.

In the meantime, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also posted a video on Twitter seeking help from government for the migrant labourers.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an advisory asking all states and Union territories (UTs) to prevent a mass exodus of migrant agriculture labourers, industrial workers and unorganised sector employees from their workplaces to hometowns. The MHA also urged all state governments and UTs to make arrangements for uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to hotels, working women hostels so that they continue to live in existing facilities.

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak Live Updates: Singapore Calls Off Shangri-La Dialogue For First Time LIVE

The death count in India has reached 18 due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus in the country. According to the latest update, 724 cases of coronavirus has been reported in India.

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New Delhi:

Coronavirus Live Updates: The lockdown imposed by the Narendra Modi government has come into force. The 21-day 'tough' curfew has made the 1.3 billion Indians practice social distancing. As the number of cases continues to rise, the government is looking to curb the viral spread with the help of the lockdown. For the first time in the history of independent India, services such as railways, airlines and road transport have come to a screeching halt. Except for essential services, no commercial activity is allowed across India. Visuals from various cities showed grocery stores implementing social distancing with the help of boxes made on the ground with chalk powder. Authorities have told the local law enforcers to make sure that no citizen ventures out without a valid reason. Despite the directions by the home ministry, several e-commerce websites have either curtailed or suspended their services. The government has repeatedly assured the people that there is no shortage of essential items and no one should indulge in panic buying. As the nation stays home to fight coronavirus, here are latest and verified updates related to COVID-19 disease and other developments:

23:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP meeting chaired by its chief J P Nadda decides that one crore party workers will provide meals to five poor persons each during lockdown.

23:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In British national given HIV antiretroviral drugs to treat his coronavirus infection now tests negative: docs at Ernakulam hospital

23:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 3 new positive cases of COVID19 in Tamil Nadu; an 18-yr-old male(a contact of 2nd patient at Rajiv Gandhi Govt Hospital), a 63-yr-old male with travel history to Dubai at Walajah Hospital & a 66-yr-old male (a contact of Thai nationals at IRTT, Perundurai): State Health Minister

23:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In view of COVID19, it has been ordered to temporarily suspend the collection of toll at all toll plaza across India. This will not only reduce inconvenience to the supply of emergency services but also save critical time: Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways

22:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Second death in Gujarat due to coronavirus. 85-year-old woman died in Ahmedabad. She had travelled abroad and after developing symptoms of COVID, she was admitted at Civil hospital on 22/03/20. She was suffering from many complications

22:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Spains Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo has tested positive for coronavirus, the Spanish government said on Wednesday: Reuters

22:35 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Jammu & Kashmir: Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu today directed Labour and Employment Dept to release Rs 1000 to each of 3.50 lakh workers registered with Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board for purchase of ration during the 21 days lockdown period.

22:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Maharashtra: Repeat samples of three people, admitted at Pune's Naidu Hospital, have tested negative for COVID-19. They will be discharged from the hospital following due process.

20:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The entry of journalists in media gallery of Chhattisgarh state Assembly has been prohibited to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The information of the proceedings of the House will be given to them through a press release.

20:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We are getting about 500 calls per day from French nationals stuck here. Around 11,500 French nationals are currently in India. Mission staff is working in full force through work from home, while the core team is operating out of the Embassy: French diplomatic sources

20:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We are planning to send about 2,000 French tourists back to France who are currently stuck in India. We are also in talks with the Indian government to have special flights operated by Air France. We are working out the necessary approvals for the same: French diplomatic sources

20:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In First 2 COVID-19 cases in the state discharged from hospital after their full recovery from the disease, as confirmed by 2 successive negative samples during follow-up period. 2 people from Mumbai-Aurangabad were also discharged upon their recovery: Public Health Dept, Maharashtra

19:54 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In As per the Indian Council of Medical Research, more than 22 thousand six hundred samples from 21 thousand 804 individuals have been tested for COVID-19.

19:01 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Total number of active #COVID19 cases so far in the country is 553. 43 cured/discharged/migrated cases & 10 deaths: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

18:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi High Court has decided to suspend the functioning of Delhi's all district courts till April 15, 2020 in wake of the government's decision whereby a nationwide lockdown has been declared for a period of 21 days.

18:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 126 people left from Dabolim, Goa today for Moscow (Russia) onboard a charter flight arranged by a large Russian tour operator to bring back its clients, due to the lockdown situation in India.

18:47 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In There have been 9 new COVID19 positive cases in Kerala today; 4 of them returned from Dubai, 1 from UK and 1 from France. The total number of COVID-19 cases rises to 118 in the state: Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala.

18:46 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In People who buy from their local grocery shops - located in their neighborhood or colonies, don't need Curfew Passes. People don't need any Pass for walking up to their local grocery shops. You can buy vegetables, medicines, milk&other things from your local grocery shops: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

18:45 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In the last 24 hours, there have been 5 new COVID19 cases in Delhi. One of them has foreign travel history. Now, the total number of cases rises to 35 in Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

18:45 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 51 FIRs registered and 335 persons have been arrested today, over charges of violation of the countrywide lockdown: Media Cell of Uttarakhand Police

18:22 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Several families and parents have shared such videos of their children on social media, and I have watched some of them. I will try and share some of them with all of you, in a day or two: PM Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In this battle against COVID19, I noticed that our army of children are playing a major role. They are making their parents understand what to do and what not to do, how to wash hands and how not to follow wrong practices: PM Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Scientists in India and across the world are working on it, work is going on rapidly. If someone recommends you a medicine then kindly talk to your doctor first. Take a medicine only after consulting a doctor: PM Narendra Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In You might have seen in news that how lives have been threatened in some countries of the world after people took medicines on their own. We should steer clear of all kinds of superstitions and rumours: PM Narendra Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In You should not attempt to treat Coronavirus infection on your own. Stay at your home, do things only after consulting a doctor. Call them up, ask them, tell them your ailments. We will have to note that no vaccine has been developed for it so far, anywhere in the world: PM Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Healthcare professionals working in white uniforms in hospitals are like God for us today, they are saving us from the disease. They are saving us by risking their own lives: PM Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Whoever has the capability, take the pledge to take care of 9 families for 21 days, it will be a true 'Navratri'. Due to the lockdown, animals are also facing trouble. I appeal to people to take care of the animals around them: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In These days, people in hospitals are working for around 18 hours per day; people in healthcare sector are not getting more than 2-3 hours of sleep. Civil society ppl are working day in, day out to help poor. We should salute such people who are serving society in this critical hour: PM Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In This country's common man believes in taking the right step at the right time. On 22 March, it was clearly seen how all the citizens supported Janata Curfew and then at 5 PM, expressed gratitude for the professionals fulfilling their duties in essential services: PM Modi

18:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I have told Home Ministry & DGPs to take strict action against those who are not supporting or not co-operating with doctors, nurses and other professionals who are serving us in this critical time: PM Modi

18:20 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I appeal to all the citizens, if you notice any incident where professionals, such as doctors and nurses, are ill-treated then you should take an initiative to make such people (those who are ill-treating healthcare professionals) understand that they are wrong: PM Narendra Modi

17:35 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Mahabharat war was won in 18 days, this war the whole country is fighting against corona will take 21 days. Our aim is to win this war in 21 days: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

17:35 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In If you write 'Namaste' on this WhatsApp number, either in English or in Hindi, then you will get an immediate response: PM Narendra Modi

17:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Govt has formed a help desk, in collaboration with WhatsApp, to seek correct information about Coronavirus. If you have access to WhatsApp you can use the number 9013151515 for the purpose: PM Narendra Modi.

17:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PM Modi: At times, people don't pay attention to things which are important. The same is happening in India. I request people to understand facts believe in rumours. COVID-19 doesn't discriminate between rich and poor. It will not spare anyone just because they perform yoga or exercise daily.

17:33 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PM Modi: Today is the first day of Navratri, you all must be busy in performing rituals & offering prayers, but still you took out time for this interaction, I'm grateful to all of you. I pray to Goddess Shailputri to give us the strength to fight country's battle against Coronavirus

17:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In As the MP of Varanasi, I should have been among you in times like these. But you know the things which are going on in Delhi. Despite being busy here, I've been taking regular updates about Varanasi from my colleagues: PM Modi





17:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I am saddened by the terror attack at the Gurudwara in Kabul. I express my condolences to the families of all the deceased: PM Narendra Modi in interaction with citizens of Varanasi.

16:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Madhya Pradesh: The journalist's daughter who had returned from London on March 17, has also tested positive for the virus. Journalist's wife, son and domestic helpers have tested negative for the virus.

16:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Madhya Pradesh: A journalist has been tested positive for Coronavirus in Bhopal, he was present during the recent floor test at state assembly & the press conference by former CM Kamal Nath, during which Nath announced his resignation.

16:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik sanctions 4 month advance salary payment to health care personnel.

16:54 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Production, distribution and sale of pan masala banned in the entire state until further orders: Government of Uttar Pradesh

16:13 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In view of COVID19 outbreak, the first phase of Census 2021 and the updation of National Population Register (NPR) postponed until further orders: Ministry of Home Affairs

16:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Next in line to the throne, Prince Charles has tested positive for COVID19: UK media

15:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 5 news cases of COVID-19 positive cases in Tamil Nadu.

15:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union Minister Prakash Javadekar briefs media on cabinet decisions.

14:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In A pastor with a travel history to Amsterdam in Netherlands has been tested positive for COVID19. He has been shifted to Zoram Medical College. This is the first case in Mizoram: R Lalthangliana, state Health Minister

14:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi govt orders strict action against landlords forcing healthcare professionals to vacate.

14:31 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In All government offices except those providing essential services closed till April 14: Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary (Planning), Jammu & Kashmir

14:31 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Current count of COVID19 patients in Maharashtra is 116. In Sangli 5 people from one family are identified as positive due to contacts & 4 people from Mumbai are identified as positive due to travel history or contacts: Rajesh Tope, Maharashtra Heath Minister.

14:31 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Indian Army Sources: Army Headquarters are closed today in view of the lockdown announcement by the Government. From tomorrow onwards, only 5-10 percent of essential staff to work for meeting the operational requirements.

14:31 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Health officials, Police personnel, mediapersons, doctors, and medical staff (of Govt hospitals) to be given insurance, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat announces in assembly.

14:31 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Armed forces to work beyond mandate to support nation in battling COVID-19: Gen Bipin Rawat

13:29 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Indian Army Headquarters are closed today in view of the lockdown announcement by the Government. From tomorrow onwards, only 5-10 percent of essential staff to work for meeting the operational requirements, reports ANI

13:19 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and the 21-day nationwide lockdown, thousands of migrant workers from Rajasthan working in different parts of Gujarat have started walking back to their native places in the absence of any transport facility. Gujarat Police have been trying to convince them to abide by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to avoid travelling.

13:13 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Global death count reaches 18,923, the situation in Italy worsens, says Johns Hopkins tracker.

12:47 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Armed forces to work beyond mandate to support nation, says Gen Bipin Rawat.

12:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In All those who are providing essential services and do not have IDs will be given e-passes. Helpline number to be issued by the evening, says Kejriwal

12:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Police Commissioner has introduced a helpline number at his office, if you face any difficulty you can call at this number. The number is: 23469536, announces Kejriwal

12:17 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We will ensure strict implementation of lockdown in Delhi, says LG Anil Baijal

12:16 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In All efforts being made to ensure that nobody sleeps hungry during Delhi lockdown. There will be difficulties, but we will fight it together, says Kejriwal.

12:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 'There is no need to panic. After PM Modi's speech yesterday people started lining up at shops for essential services. I again appeal to people to not do panic buying, I assure everyone that there will be no shortage of essential services, says Kejriwal

12:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and LG Anil Baijal hold digital press conference over corona lockdown.

11:46 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The Centre has asked all states and Union Territories (UTs) not to obstruct or close food processing units, and maintain uninterrupted supply amid lockdown in the country due to coronavirus outbreak.

11:44 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The world governing body of chess, FIDE, has postponed the Olympiad, scheduled for August 5-17 in Moscow, to 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

11:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In His much-awaited Olympic debut has been delayed by a year but star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is unfazed as he feels humanity needs to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic more than anything else right now.

11:24 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In US Senate, White House agree on a $2 trillion coronavirus rescue plan, reports AFP news agency

11:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Citing the 21-day national lockdown announced by India and tough measures by other countries, a top American daily has called for similar steps in the US to combat the coronavirus pandemic as authorities expressed alarm over the sharply-growing number of confirmed cases that has crossed the 50,000-mark.

11:20 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In With various political parties, community clubs and NGOs having to stop organising blood donation camps due to the lockdown imposed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, blood banks in West Bengal are facing an acute shortage of supply, officials said on Wednesday.

11:19 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The latest samples of two coronavirus patients, taken after 14 days in isolation at a hospital Noida, were negative for COVID-19 and they could be discharged if the same result is seen in the final test to be done in two days, officials said on Wednesday. Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh has so far recorded 11 positive cases of coronavirus, of which one person has already been discharged after treatment, district health officials said.

11:16 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The curfew clamped in Punjab to check the spread of coronavirus was relaxed on Wednesday to let people buy essential commodities, officials said. In many parts of the state, the curfew was relaxed from 6 am to 9 am for buying milk, vegetables and fruits and then from 8 am to 11 am for purchasing groceries and medicines, they said.

11:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Stock brokers and other personnel related to capital markets continued to face difficulties in commuting to their workplaces on Wednesday amid a 21-day nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus outbreak. This comes despite Sebi's last evening notification that stock brokers and other capitals, debt market related entities will be exempted from such closures.

11:14 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 277 evacuees from Iran arrived at Jodhpur Airport (from Delhi) today. A preliminary screening was conducted at the airport upon arrival and thereafter the evacuees were shifted to the Army Wellness Facility established in Jodhpur Military Station.

11:14 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Three persons arrested for opening their shops near Cochin International Airport, reports ANI.

11:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Three new coronavirus positive cases have been reported in Gujarat. 38 positive cases reported till date.

11:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi government has directed district administrations and police to take strict action against such landlords/house owners who are forcing doctors/paramedical staff/ health care personnel to vacate their rented residences.

11:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Total number of positive cases in Maharashtra rise to 112.

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According to the government, there are around 8,500 undertrials and 2,500 convicts in the jails of the state. (Photo Credit: Representative Image)

Lucknow:

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to free 11,000 prisoners lodged in 71 jails in the state amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, an official statement stated on Saturday. The decision comes after the Supreme Court earlier this week directed all states and union territories to constitute high-level committees to consider releasing on parole or interim bail prisoners and undertrials for offences entailing up to 7-year jail term to decongest prisons in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

The top court had said overcrowding of prisons was a matter of serious concern, particularly in the present context (of coronavirus). "In compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court, a committee was formed by the state government, which held its sitting on March 27 under the chairmanship of Justice Pankaj Kumar Jaiswal, the statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government said.

The committee directed that undertrials lodged in 71 jails of the state in crimes, whose maximum punishment is of 7 years, be given 8-week interim bail on a personal bond, and immediately freed from the jail, it said. "Convicts who have been punished for 7 years or less, should be released on 8-week parole on a personal bond, and immediately freed from the jails," the statement added.

According to the government, there are around 8,500 undertrials and 2,500 convicts in the jails of the state. "Work has started to free around 11,000 prisoners lodged in the jails of the state," the statement added. Till Thursday, Uttar Pradesh has reported 41 COVID-19 cases, according to the Union health ministry.
Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE: COVID-19 Cases In India Climb To 834; Italy Sees Almost 1000 Deaths In One Day (Photo Credit: Image for representation/IANS)

New Delhi:

The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 873 in India on Saturday with the death toll rising to 20. One person died in a Kochi hospital in first death from Kerala state on Saturday. According to the Union Health Ministry, the number of active novel coronavirus cases in the country stood at 775, while 78 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic claimed 969 lives, a new single-day record high in fatalities, in Italy on Friday. The total number of coronavirus cases in Italy reached 86,498 on Friday, exceeding the total figure registered in China. The United States now has more than 100,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed Friday. There have been 100,717 cases including 1,544 deaths so far. (With Agency Inputs)

18:13 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 85-year-old doctor who died in Mumbai on Friday confirmed as coronavirus patient; death toll in Maharashtra now six

18:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 6 more COVID19 positive cases in Kerala- 2 from Thiruvananthapuram and 1 each from Kollam, Malappuram, Kasaragod and Palakkad: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

18:03 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In All 16 samples tested today in Kangra are negative, including 13 of close contacts of COVID19 positive patients: Deputy Commissioner Kangra Rakesh Prajapati, Himachal Pradesh

18:03 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In This is that time when all that matters is the lives of our people & we need to do anything and everything it takes. I pledge to contribute Rs 25 crores from my savings to PM Modi jis PM-CARES Fund. Lets save lives, Jaan hai toh jahaan hai: Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar.

16:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In All MPs of BJP will release Rs. 1 crore from their MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) fund to the Central Relief Fund in support to fight against COVID19: Jagat Prakash Nadda, BJP national president .

16:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In



All MPs & MLAs of Bhartiya Janta Party will donate their one month remuneration /salary to the Central Relief Fund to support the fight against COVID19 : JP Nadda, BJP national president























16:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 8 new Coronavirus positive cases found in the state today - 7 in Mumbai and 1 in Nagpur. The total number of positive cases in the state rises to 167: Maharashtra Health Ministry

16:03 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In University Grants Commission to contribute one day's salary to Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to combat COVID19. UGC also appeals to VCs of Universities & principals of colleges to urge their teaching & non-teaching colleagues to also contribute.

16:01 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Helpline numbers started by govt in different states/UTs, in case anyone needs any help.



Helpline numbers started by govt in different states/UTs, in case anyone needs any help, in the wake of #Coronovirus outbreak. pic.twitter.com/oXtxyaDgPe

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



16:00 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 5 new coronavirus positive cases found in Noida today: Noida District Magistrate BN Singh

14:58 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Ten new COVID-19 cases have been reported between 5 pm yesterday and 8 pm today, taking total number to 74 in Karnataka which includes three deaths and five cured/discharged persons: State Health Department

14:58 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In One more person tests positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand. The 21-year-old man returned from Dubai on March 18 & reported to hospital on March 26: State govt

14:58 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In 7 more positive cases in Srinagar today. 4 cases-history of contact with already positive cases of religious congregation; other three-travel history outside J&K contacts being traced: Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary-Planning, Jammu & Kashmir

14:57 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I have advised Chairman NHAI and Highway Concessioners/Toll Operators to consider providing food, water or any kind of support to migrant workers/citizens who are trying to reach to their respective native places: Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways



I have advised Chairman NHAI&Highway Concessioners/Toll Operators to consider providing food, water or any kind of support to migrant workers/citizens who are trying to reach to their respective native places: Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways (File pic) pic.twitter.com/ZMPjDOl3Kl

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



14:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Existing norms under "Relief Measures - Provision for temporary accommodation,food,clothing medical care" would be applicable to homeless people including migrant labourers, stranded due to lockdown, and sheltered I relief camps and other places for providing them food etc: Govt of India



Existing norms under "Relief Measures - Provision for temporary accommodation,food,clothing medical care" would be applicable to homeless people including migrant labourers, stranded due to lockdown,&sheltered i relief camps&other places for providing them food etc: Govt of India pic.twitter.com/VIon0BwIXa

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



14:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Police in Chennai has been creating awareness among the people about the importance of them staying at home amid coronavirus lockdown by making a police personnel wear a helmet designed to look like Coronavirus. The helmet has been designed by a local artist Gowtham.



Tamil Nadu: Police in Chennai has been creating awareness among the people about the importance of them staying at home amid #CoronavirusLockdown by making a police personnel wear a helmet designed to look like Coronavirus. The helmet has been designed by a local artist Gowtham. pic.twitter.com/LlxrUYfihX

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020





Inspector Rajesh Babu says, "We had been talking to public. But awareness among them is very less. So we thought of doing something different. We designed a helmet that looks like coronavirus. We thought of doing something which will scare the people and make them stay at home." https://t.co/dG3NCWpUPz pic.twitter.com/wwbkhRrinT

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



14:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Home Minister Amit Shah has approved Rs 5,751.27 crore of additional central assistance under National Disaster Response Fund to eight states which were affected by floods/ landslides/cyclone/drought during 2019: Home Minister's Office



Home Minister Amit Shah has approved Rs 5,751.27 crore of additional central assistance under National Disaster Response Fund to eight states which were affected by floods/ landslides/cyclone/drought during 2019: Home Minister's Office (File photo) pic.twitter.com/7yWanLeIoq

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



13:34 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Tamil Nadu has two new positive cases - a 42-year-old man who had returned from West Indies and a 49-year-old man who had returned from UK.



Tamil Nadu has 2 new positive cases. 42-year-old man Kumbakonam - who had returned from West Indies and 49-year-old man from Katpadi - who had returned from UK at #Vellore Pvt Hosp. Both had travelled via Middle East. They're in isolation & stable: Tamil Nadu Health Min (file) pic.twitter.com/CxO5FmQbMr

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



12:44 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In A 69-year-old man died due to coronavirus at Kochi Medical College today, ANI reported quoting Ernakulam DMO Dr NK Kuttappan. This is the first death in Kerala, due to coronavirus.

11:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Arrangement of 1000 buses have been done to take the migrant workers to their respective hometowns amid coronavirus lockdownin Uttar Pradesh.



Arrangement of 1000 buses have been done to take the migrant workers to their respective hometowns amid #CoronavirusLockdown. Transportation Officers, bus drivers and conductors were called by the CM last night to make all the arrangements: Government of Uttar Pradesh pic.twitter.com/Vr2Dnkw6ID

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 28, 2020



11:03 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi: Passes and identity cards of people being checked at Delhi-Noida border as they commute to their work or to provide/avail essential services.



Delhi: Passes and identity cards of people being checked at Delhi-Noida border as they commute to their work or to provide/avail essential services, amid #CoronavirusLockdown. pic.twitter.com/PY42NHfwXT

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



11:03 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Huge gathering in Delhi's Ghazipur area near Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border as police stopped people from heading to their native places in different districts of UP.



Huge gathering in Delhi's Ghazipur area near Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border as police stopped people from heading to their native places in different districts of UP. #CoronavirusLockdown pic.twitter.com/fNcQ4hcMbH

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 28, 2020



11:02 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In People queue up outside shops to purchase essential items as govt relaxes curfew between 10 am & 6 pm in Chandigarh.



People queue up outside shops to purchase essential items as govt relaxes curfew between 10 am & 6 pm in Chandigarh. #CoronavirusLockdown pic.twitter.com/sk0Swn982M

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



11:01 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi: Passes and identity cards of people being checked at Delhi-Noida border as they commute to their work or to provide/avail essential services.



Delhi: Passes and identity cards of people being checked at Delhi-Noida border as they commute to their work or to provide/avail essential services, amid #CoronavirusLockdown. pic.twitter.com/PY42NHfwXT

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



11:00 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Two coronavirus positive cases found in the Rajasthan today- a 23-year-old man in Ajmer, who travelled to Punjab and a 21-year-old woman in Bhilwara. Total number of positive cases in the state now rises to 52.



2 #Coronavirus positive cases found in the state today - a 23-year-old man in Ajmer, who travelled to Punjab and a 21-year-old woman in Bhilwara. Total number of positive cases in the state now rises to 52: Rajasthan Health Department

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



10:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In its updated figures at 9.30 am, the ministry mentioned two fresh deaths - one each in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Thus, deaths due to COVID-19 have so far been reported from Maharashtra (5), Gujarat (3), Karnataka (2), Madhya Pradesh (2) and one each from Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

10:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Six new coronavirus positive cases in Gujarat; tally rises to 53: Officials

10:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 873 in India on Saturday with the death toll rising to 19, according to the Union Health Ministry. According to the data, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 775, while 78 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated.

09:45 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Medicines may be issued/indented for 3 months at a time (in chronic diseases) through an authorised representative in the following special circumstances without requirement of the beneficiary himself/herself visiting wellness centre: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare



Medicines may be issued/indented for 3 months at a time (in chronic diseases) through an authorised representative in the following special circumstances without requirement of the beneficiary himself/herself visiting wellness centre: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/pu0GDzb65n

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



09:19 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In China has reported 54 new imported coronavirus cases, taking their tally in the last few days to 649, while the death toll in the country has risen to 3,295 with three more fatalities confirmed on Friday, China's National Health Commission said on Saturday.

09:03 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In According to Maharashtra Health Ministry, six news positive cases of coronavirus has been found in the state today- 5 in Mumbai and 1 in Nagpur. The total number of positive cases in the state rises to 159.



6 new #Coronavirus positive cases found in the state today - 5 in Mumbai and 1 in Nagpur. The total number of positive cases in the state rises to 159: Maharashtra Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/OoQuIb1GOq

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



08:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Many migrant workers reached Lal Kua in Ghaziabad, after walking on foot from Delhi, Gurugram and other places, to take buses to their respective hometowns.



Ghaziabad: Large number of migrant workers reach Lal Kua, after walking on foot from Delhi, Gurugram and other places, and take buses to their respective hometowns amid #CoronavirusLockdown pic.twitter.com/dYB0bimeg6

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 28, 2020



08:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Dehradun: Restaurants can keep their kitchens open for take away/food deliveries from today.



Restaurants in Dehradun can keep their kitchens open for take away/food deliveries from today, amid #CoronavirusLockdown. Also, vehicles of people rendering/availing essential services will not be stopped: Dehradun District Magistrate Ashish Kumar Srivastava #Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/Y8IUFA9sIB

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



08:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi Police have issued an advisory regarding cyber-crimes in the wake of COVID-19



Delhi Police have issued an advisory regarding cyber-crimes in the wake of #Coronavirus, warning people against fraud and scam schemes. pic.twitter.com/wMuFlb8K4F

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



08:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi Police are conducting checks on the non-essential movement of people, at the borders of the state.



Delhi: Police are conducting checks on the non-essential movement of people, at the borders of the state amid #CoronavirusLockdown. Visuals from Delhi-Noida border. pic.twitter.com/PgfwQKuMIA

 ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020



07:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The United States on Friday announced USD 174 million financial assistance to 64 countries including USD 2.9 million to India to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic. This is in addition to the USD 100 million aid announced by the US in February.

07:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Iran announced 144 new deaths from COVID-19 and 2,926 new cases of infection. Meanwhile, Turkey's number of COVID-19 infections kept rising fastly as the second hardest-hit country in the Middle East.

07:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in France has risen by 13 per cent within a day to reach a total of 32,964 as of Friday. A total of 1,995 people had died so far.

07:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The United States now has more than 100,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed Friday. There have been 100,717 cases including 1,544 death.

US has around 15,000 more confirmed cases than the second country on the list, Italy, and 20,000 more than China, where the disease was first identified but has since peaked.

07:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 834 in India on Saturday with the death toll rising to 19, according to the Union Health Ministry. In its updated figures, the ministry stated two fresh deaths since Friday evening. According to the data, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 748, while 66 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated.

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Washington:

The United States on Friday announced USD 174 million financial assistance to 64 countries, including USD 2.9 million to India to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic. This is in addition to the USD 100 million aid announced by the US in February.

The newly announced assistance is part of a larger American global response package across multiple departments and agencies, including the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The funding is for 64 of the most at-risk countries facing the threat of the global pandemic.

The US State Department said it is providing USD 2.9 million to help the Indian government prepare laboratory systems, activate case finding and event-based surveillance, and support technical experts for response and preparedness, and more.

Also Read: After UK PM Johnson, British Health Minister Matt Hancock Tests Positive For Coronavirus

"This builds upon the foundation of more than USD 1.4 billion in health assistance out of the more than USD 2.8 billion in US assistance for India over the last 20 years," the State Department said.

According to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator BonnieGlick, the new assistance builds on the US' record of global health leadership.

"For decades, the United States has been the world's largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health. The US has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions, and promoted the stability of communities and nations," he told reporters.

In South Asia, the State Department is providing USD 1 million in health funding to help it strengthen monitoring and better prepare communities to identify potential outbreaks.

To bolster its national COVID-19 action plan, the United States has also redirected more than USD 1 million in existing funding for training of healthcare providers and other urgent needs.

It is providing USD 1.3 million to Sri Lanka, USD 1.8 million to Nepal, USD 3.4 million to Bangladesh and USD 5 million to Afghanistan to help them fight the pandemic.

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New Delhi:

With an aim to prevent the further spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in India, PM Modi-led central government on Thursday announced that all international commercial passenger services will remain close till April 14, 2020. However, the cargo services have been exempted from the restrictions.

It has been decided that scheduled international commercial passenger services shall remain closed till 18:30 hrs (GMT) of April 14, 2020, said Directorate General of Civil Aviation in its notification. This will not apply to approved international all-cargo operations and flights, it added.

Take a look:

It has been decided that scheduled international commercial passenger services shall remain closed till 18:30 hrs (GMT) of April 14, 2020. This will not apply to approved international all-cargo operations & flights: Directorate General of Civil Aviation pic.twitter.com/NKQAw89rMd  ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2020

The development comes a day after the Indian Railways announced the suspension of passenger trains till April 14, 2020. This means passenger trains, suburban trains, and Kolkata Metro rail will not run till 2400 hours of April 14, 2020. The goods trains will continue to run as per the schedule.

All domestic commercial flights have already been suspended indefinitely from the midnight of March 24, 2020.

It is to be noted that on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete lockdown in the country amidst rising cases of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the death count in India has reached 15 due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus in the country. According to the latest update, a total of 649 cases of coronavirus has been reported in India so far. Union health ministry asserted that the rate of increase in the positive cases was "relatively stable" in India.

Also Read: Coronavirus Pandemic | 42 Fresh Cases, 4 Deaths Reported In 24 Hours: Health Ministry

It is worth mentioning here that the novel coronavirus, which originated in China, has claimed thousands of lives across the world. With no known cure so far for the coronavirus, the deadly disease has become a major issue for the entire world.

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by Nathaniel R

Thank you to the always informative Cartoon Brew for sharing this letter from Pixar employees. The original source was the subscription newsletter Popular Information. The letter addresses Disney's disgusting support of anti-gay legislators in Florida (which we discussed a couple of days ago) and the company's lame attempts at pretending they haven't given that support without actually removing it. The letter was written by 'LGBTQ+ employees and their allies' at Pixar. It's forceful and necessary. Of notable interest is the admission that Pixar films have tried for greater diversity in their storytelling years before the current wave of movies but has always been shut down by their parent company. We're sharing it in full because it's 100% worth reading...

We are writing because we are disappointed, hurt, afraid, and angry. In regards to Disneys financial involvement with legislators behind the Dont Say Gay bill, we hoped that our company would show up for us. But it didnt.

Mondays email, Our Unwavering Commitment to the LGBTQ+ Community, rang hollow. It began with the claim that Disney has a long history of supporting the LGBT community, but Disney Parks did not officially host Pride until 2019, in Paris alone. Disney has a history of shutting down fan-created Pride events in the parks, even removing same-sex couples for dancing together in the 1980s. Additionally, Disney began capitalizing on Pride in 2018 with The Rainbow Mickey Collection, (while de-emphasizing the terms like LGBTQ+ and not even featuring explicitly LGBTQIA+ pieces such as Pride flag pins until 2021). To this end, it feels terrible to be a part of a company that makes money from Pride merch when it chooses to step back in times of our greatest need, when our rights are at risk.

The second claim stated that corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds. However, the very email making this claim opened with a corporate statement regarding the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Eight days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Disney paused the release of theatrical films in Russia and announced We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. Following the siege on the capital in 2021, Disney stopped all political donations to members of Congress who had objected to the presidential election results. In 2016, Disney told the state of Georgia: We will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law in response to the controversial Religious Liberty bill. By taking a stand, Disney directly affected the legislative outcome in Georgia. It has been proven that Disneys corporate statements can and do make a difference.

Finally, we come to the push for Content as the answer. We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were. Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disneys behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it. Beyond the inspiring content that we arent even allowed to create, we require action.

We are calling on Disney leadership to immediately withdraw all financial support from the legislators behind the Dont Say Gay bill, to fully denounce this legislation publicly, and to make amends for their financial involvement. While signing on to donate to the HRC is a step in the correct direction, the shareholder meeting on Wednesday made it clear that this is not enough. Throughout the shareholder meeting, Disney did not take a hard stance in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, they instead attempted to placate both sides  and did not condemn hateful messages shared during the question and answer portion of the meeting. This is not what it means to unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities.

Disney taking a stand by honoring their company values has changed the course of legislation in the past. If Disney is true in its values, it will take a decisive public stand against the discriminatory legislation occurring in Florida and offer tangible support for the LGBTQIA+ communities affected by bigoted legislation sweeping the country. Stand against this bill in Florida and against the similar bills in South Carolina, Arizona, Virginia, and Tennessee. Stand against the transphobic legislation in Texas, Iowa, Utah, Kansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, and Alabama. Many hateful groups are attempting to eradicate us through legislation  we need you to stand with us entirely, not in empty words.

This matter is not something that can wait until Reimagine Tomorrow in April, or Pride Month in June. This matter needs to be addressed now. This is urgent. 42% of LGBTQIA+ youth seriously considered suicide in 2021, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth, with a large factor being the lack of support that these discriminatory legislations enable. Disney claims to care for the welfare of children, but supporting politicians like this directly hurts one of their most vulnerable audiences. There are lives at stake and Disneys support could save those lives. We still have more work to do, your email said. This is that work.

Signed with Pride,

The LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi set an example of social distancing during the Union Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Amid the coronavirus lockdown, the top ministers were seen sitting at a distance from each other during the meeting. As soon as the photo surfaced online, people were hailing the prime minister for walking the talk. Social distancing is the only way to stay away from harm's way. Unlike usual days, when the Cabinet members sit around an oval table during meeting, on Wednesday, all ministers sat at a distance minus the table. The Cabinet meeting was held at the prime minister's official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi.

It was this logic that the PM had stressed on while announcing the 21-day lockdown that came into force from March 25 at 12 am. Elsewhere across the nation, squares and circles were drawn on the ground, roads and outside shops to implement social distancing among the thin crowd that had ventured out to buy essential items. During the national broadcast, the PM said that the lockdown was for citizens' safety and their lives. "No matter what happens, we must stay at home. From Prime Minister to someone living in the village, entire country must adhere to corona lockdown," PM Modi said. "Practice patience and discipline - jaan hai to jahaan hai," PM Modi said as he appealed to the citizens on this country. He asked people to think about those doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, pathologists who are risking their lives. (Coronavirus Outbreak Live Updates)

On Tuesday, the Narendra Modi government invoked the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 to impose 21-day lockdown across the in the mega battle to fight coronavirus pandemic. The Act calls for the establishment of National Disaster Management Authority with the Prime Minister of India as chairperson. The NDMA is responsible for "laying down the policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management" and to ensure "timely and effective response to the disaster".

Principal secretary Nipendra Mishra and Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba reportedly spoke to state chief secretaries and DGPs to chalk out the functional aspect of the lockdown. "The Ministries/ Departments of Government of India and State Governments/Union Territory Administrations, have been directed to ensure strict implementation of these Orders," a Union Home Ministry statement said adding it will also monitor the implementation of these measures.

"Experts, keeping in view the global experiences of countries which have been successful in containing the spread of COVID-19 unlike some others where thousands of people died, have recommended that effective measures for social distancing should be taken to contain the spread of this pandemic," the home ministry said to state the need of such a lockdown in the country. Under the lockdown, following services that have been deemed essential will no be affected.

They are hospitals, labs, ambulances, ration shops, fruit and vegetable selling points, banks, ATMs, print and electronic media, internet and cable services, e-commerce, petrol pumps, LPG outlets, warehousing services among others. Any person violating these measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, the home ministry statement said.

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The ministry under the SOPs said additional training must be given at the facility where a resident doctor is posted. (Photo Credit: IANS)

New Delhi:

No resident doctor should be posted at any COVID-19 facility without undergoing the essential training module being conducted by hospital infection control teams, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

The ministry on Friday issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for reallocation of resident doctors, postgraduates and nursing students as part of the hospital management for COVID-19 guidelines.

The guidelines state that a hospital can be divided into three broad zonesnon-COVID area, COVID area looking after patients with mild to moderate illness, and Critical area like the intensive care unit.

In addition, a triage area needs to be developed at the emergency area of a hospital where patients with acute severe respiratory illnesses will be coming, it said.

Residents/ DNB/ CPS students will be categorised based on their parent departments, primarily keeping in mind their current engagement in managing critically ill patients, the SOPs stated.

Training about COVID-19, and other aspects of clinical evaluation of patients should also be made available for residents, especially those drawn from departments where there is either no regular patient-care activity or if they so desire, even those with a limited engagement with sick patients, the procedures stated.

The ministry under the SOPs said additional training must be given at the facility where a resident doctor is posted.

If there are two locations where screening takes place, the content of the facility level training must be the same, even if it is being delivered by different team leaders at the different physical locations, it said.

This will ensure that all key aspects of training are covered, irrespective of site of delivery and trainer, the SOPs stated.

The faculty-incharge of these facilities will coordinate to ensure that this uniform level of training is devised and delivered, the procedures stated.

We may consider, including psychologists to be part of the training, to enhance motivation of participating residents, the ministry said.

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New Delhi:

A BSF officer and a CISF jawan tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, first cases of the highly contagious infection in the paramilitary forces, officials said. The 57-year-old Border Security Force (BSF) officer is posted at the forces'' officers training academy in Takenpur area of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Officials said he is suspected to have been infected from a family member who recently returned from the United Kingdom.

The second-in-command rank officer has been admitted to a local hospital, an official said, adding that over two dozen BSF personnel who came in contact with him have been sent to quarantine. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) head constable who has tested positive for coronavirus is posted at the Mumbai international airport.

Also Read | Coronavirus | Narendra Modi Urges Nation To Contribute To PM-CARES Fund, Says It Will Strengthen Disaster Management Capacities

The jawan has been admitted to a local hospital. He might have got infected during his duty at the busy airport in the western metropolis, they said. The about 10 lakh personnel strong paramilitary forces, also called the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), are deployed for rendering a variety of internal security duties under the command of the Union Home Ministry.

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In Belgium, the discovery was made by researchers at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Liege. (Photo Credit: IANS)

Brussels:

A pet cat has been infected with the novel coronavirus in Belgium after being contaminated by its owner, Belgian health authorities said Friday. Cases of contamination of pets are rare and authorities ruled out any risk of contamination to humans from home animals.

The reports follows similar cases in Hong Kong where two dogs tested positive for COVID-19 during a screening campaign carried out on 17 dogs and eight cats living in contact with people carrying the virus.

In Belgium, the discovery was made by researchers at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Liege.

This is an isolated case which can occur after close contact between animals and infected humans, said Doctor Emmanuel Andre, a government agency spokesman on the pandemic.

The virus can be transmitted from humans to animals but there is no reason to think that animals can be vectors of the epidemic in our society, he said.

In Hong Kong, the dogs showed no symptoms, while in Belgium the cat was suffering from transitory respiratory and digestive problems, said the Belgian food safety agency AFSCA in a statement.

So far, there is no evidence that a domestic animal can transmit the virus to humans or other pets, the public authority said.

As a precautionary measure, it is strongly recommended to apply standard rules of hygiene when dealing with pets: avoid close contact with pets... wash your hands after handling any animal, do not let the animal lick your face.

The aim is to prevent the transmission of the virus to the animal and to prevent the animal itself from becoming a carrier of the virus.

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New Delhi:

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has relaxed certain norms for Other Service Providers (OSPs) till April 30 to facilitate work from home (WFH) amid the coronavirus outbreak. These include exemptions in requirement of security deposit and agreement for WFH facility for OSPs (IT and IT-enabled services companies), as well as the need for prior permission for offering the facility. Industry body Nasscom and leaders of the IT industry had requested the government to relax the norms to facilitate business continuity that is posing to be a major challenge for the sector. (Coronavirus Live Updates)

Nasscom, in a tweet on Friday, thanked Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and his team for "the much-needed relaxation". "The industry is extremely grateful for this," it said while sharing the government order.

According to the order, DoT has decided to grant certain relaxations for a period of up to April 30, 2020 for OSPs in respect of WFH. One of the exemptions include the requirement of authorised Service Providers Provisioned secured VPN (PPVPN). VPN refers to virtual private network.

"During this period, the OSPs are permitted to use secured VPN configured using 'static IP' address by themselves for interconnection between Home agent position and OSP Centre with pre-defined locations," it said.

The document added that in this regard, the agents at home shall be treated as Extended Agent Position of the OSP. The document said in case of violation of terms of WFH facility by any agent/employee or by the OSP during this period, the OSP shall be subjected to a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh per WFH location which is in violation.

In addition, the OSP registration is also liable to be cancelled.

"Other terms and conditions of OSP registration including maintaining of all logs of the activities carried out by the Extended Agents shall remain unchanged," it said. On Thursday, state-owned Software Technology Parks of India had issued an advisory to enable around 18-20 lakh employees of IT units registered with it to work from home.

Over 80 people (including 17 foreign nationals) have tested positive for coronavirus. A 76-year-old man from Karnataka became the country's first coronavirus fatality on Thursday. The pandemic -- whose epicentre is at Wuhan in China -- has infected over 1.31 lakh people in 116 countries and territories and claimed more than 4,900 lives.

While the outbreak has disrupted businesses, corporates across sectors are asking their staff to work from home and adopting technologies like telepresence and video conferencing to ensure business continuity.

However, many organisations are struggling in operationalising WFH for their employees, owing to the onerous compliance and technical requirements under the prevailing OSP regime. These requirements included establishing PPVPN connectivity, sharing pre-defined locations of extended agents (employees), and providing high monetary security deposits, among others.

Keshav Murugesh, Chairman of Nasscom and WNS Group CEO, said the industry body will encourage its members to adhere to the amended clauses and prioritise their implementation."Companies should encourage employees to leverage telepresence and video conferencing to enable seamless engagement. While ensuring that there is minimal disruption to business, we also recognise that the health and safety of employees is of paramount concern," he added.

Murugesh said the two-fold objective is to ensure employee well-being while hedging negative impact on the industry's overall productivity.

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New Delhi:

Taking a step ahead in the view of PM Modi-led central governments order for the complete lockdown in the country due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Thursday announced the complete shutdown of the Gujarat-based Suzuki Motor Gujarat Pvt Ltd (SMG) till April 14, 2020.

In a regulatory filing, Maruti Suzuki India said that the Gujarat-based Suzuki Motor Gujarat Pvt Ltd (SMG) will extend its plant shutdown till April 14 pursuant to the lockdown announced in the country. "Following the latest government directive on the COVID-19 situation, SMG will be extending plant shutdown till April 14, 2020," the automaker added.

Earlier, the company had announced to temporarily suspend production till March 31, 2020. It is worth mentioning here that SMG manufactures cars on a contract basis for MSI.

Giving an update, Union health ministry today stated that the count in India has reached 16 due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus. According to the latest update, a total of 649 cases of coronavirus has been reported in India so far. However, the health ministry asserted that the rate of increase in the positive cases was "relatively stable" in India.

It is worth mentioning here that the novel coronavirus, which originated in China, has claimed thousands of lives across the world. With no known cure so far for the coronavirus, the deadly disease has become a major issue for the entire world.

Also Read: Coronavirus: Nissan Suspends Production At Chennai Plant Amid COVID-19 Scare

On Tuesday, Japanese automaker Nissan announced that it has suspended production in India due to the coronavirus pandemic. In response to the continuing COVID-19 outbreak, Nissan has announced a temporary suspension of production in Africa, Middle East, and India region, the company had said in its statement.

(With PTI Inputs)
Srinagar:

Seven people tested positive for coronavirus in Kashmir on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 27, officials said. Contacts of the fresh positive cases are being traced, they said.

"Seven more positive cases in Srinagar today. Four cases had a history of contact with already positive cases of religious congregation while the other three had travel history outside J&K," government spokesman Rohit Kansal said.

"Tough to be harbinger of unpleasant news. But being informed is being prepared," he posted on Twitter.

Of the total 27 cases, 21 have been reported in the Kashmir Valley, while six in Jammu region.

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The lockdown has triggered a mass exodus of migrant workers from cities in several states to their villages. (Photo Credit: ANI)

Lucknow:

The Uttar Pradesh government has arranged for 1,000 buses to ferry migrant labourers who are stranded on the border districts owing to a countrywide lockdown, an official spokesman said on Saturday.

Officials of the Transport Department, bus drivers and conductors were contacted on Friday night to help the people who were stranded in Noida, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar and Aligarh, among other places, he said.

aTill late in the night, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was busy issuing instructions for arranging buses for the purpose,a the spokesman said, adding that the CM also directed officials to arrange for food and water for such people and their families.

On Saturday morning, senior police officers reached the Charbagh bus station in Lucknow to ensure that those arriving there were provided with food and water.

The buses later left for Kanpur, Ballia, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Faizabad, Basti, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Amethi, Rae Bareli, Gonda, Etawah, Bahraich and Shravasti.

Stateas DGP Hitesh Chandra Awasthi and Lucknow Police Commissioner Sujit Kumar Pande were personally present at the bus station to monitor the arrangements, the spokesman added.

The 21-day lockdown imposed from Tuesday midnight in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus has triggered a mass exodus of migrant workers from cities in several states to their villages.
The Islamic State terror group, which has targeted Sikhs before in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack (Photo Credit: Image for representation)

New York:

The UN Security Council has condemned the "heinous and cowardly" terrorist attack on a gurdwara in Kabul that killed 25 people, underlining the need to hold the perpetrators and sponsors of these "reprehensible" acts to justice.

Over two dozen worshippers were killed and eight others injured when a heavily armed suicide bomber stormed a prominent gurdwara on Wednesday in the heart of Afghanistan's capital of Kabul, in one of the deadliest attacks on the minority Sikh community in the strife-torn country.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the 15-nation Council said it "condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack" that took place in Shor Bazar area.

The Islamic State (IS) terror group, which has targeted Sikhs before in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Expressing their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government of Afghanistan, the Council members reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.

"The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of Afghanistan and all other relevant authorities," the statement said.

The members of the Security Council reiterate that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed, it said.

The Council reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has also condemned the attack, reiterating that attacks against civilians are unacceptable and those who carry out such crimes must be held accountable.

There were about 150 worshippers inside the building when the attack took place.

In a tweet, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said it was "outrage" by the attack.

"There can be no justification for the killing of civilians at a religious house. Our condolences to the victims and their families."

Meanwhile, Guterres's spokesperson said on Thursday that asylum and refugee rights must be respected the world over, in a reference to the terrorist attack on gurdwara in Kabul.

"I think it is important that the asylum regime, the refugee regime, be respected the world over," Stephane Dujarric said.

He was responding to a question on whether the Secretary General supports giving Sikh and Hindu minorities in Afghanistan asylum in India.

Sikhs have been target of attacks by Islamist militants before in Afghanistan.

In July 2018, ISIS terrorists bombed a gathering of Sikhs and Hindus in the eastern city of Jalalabad, killing 19 people and injuring 20.

Awtar Singh Khalsa, one of the country's best-known Sikh politicians then, was among those killed in the attack.

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New Delhi:

Aviation, transportation, hospitality and restaurant businesses have been badly hit by the global outbreak of novel coronavirus. While hospitality is projected to report over Rs 30,000 crore of loss of revenue during 2020, the Aviation sector will report losses in excess of Rs 8,200 crore in the coming quarter as international and domestic flights stay grounded.

Aviation consultancy CAPA projected initial losses of USD 3.3-3.6 billion for the Indian aviation industry in the first quarter of FY2021 in the eventuality of all air services including domestic remain shut until June due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation industry due to the stringent border controls by a host of countries and imposition of the travel ban on the people of other nationalities to contain the virus infection.

Also Read | Coronavirus Pandemic | USD 5 Trillion To Be Injected Into Global Economy By G20 Countries

The Indian government has also suspended all air services among the several measures to prevent if from getting a large part of the population infected.

" India''s aviation sector could incur losses of USD 3.3-3.6 billion in 1QFY2021. Assuming that all domestic and international operations remain grounded until Jun 30," the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) India said in its preliminary report.

"Even with some partial resumption of services in May and June, the financial outcomes may not change significantly," the CAPA said. The CAPA also sought "urgent" government intervention and coordinated industry response to address all the requirement of the aviation industry. According to the CAPA, the airline sector losses are expected to be around USD 1.75 billion while that of the airports and concessionaires at around USD 1.50-1.75 billion and another USD 80-90 million losses of the ground handling companies.

Noting that the domestic airline sector was already vulnerable even prior to the advent of COVID-19, the CAPA said most Indian airlines have not structured their business models to be able to withstand even regular shocks, such as elevated fuel prices or economic downturns, let alone once-in-a-century events.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Urges G20 Leaders For Concrete Action Plan To Fight Coronavirus Pandemic

According to the CAPA, India''s airline system is certainly "not prepared" for such a severe systemic shock, and this will have an impact on the entire aviation value chain, including the airport operators; duty free, retail, F&B, MRO,among others.

"The entire sector is now in a state of crisis which will certainly impact FY2021 and quite possibly well beyond," it said.

The National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) has warned that even 10-20 per cent job losses among its 7.3 million employees in restaurants across the country would mean up to 15 lakh unemployed. Something that would have severe social consequences.

With travel and visa restrictions in place, Indian aviation sector saw fares crash by as much as 40 per cent on certain air routes. Several air carriers, including Vistara, GoAir, SpiceJet, have suspended international flights amid dwindling demand and fares.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day complete lockdown from Wednesday, stating that it was the only way of breaking COVID-19 infection cycle.

(With agency inputs)

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By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov and British Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan Baroness Emma Nicholson have discussed the possible contribution and expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the role of partnership with BP in the development of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UK. They emphasized the importance of the company's participation in renewable energy projects along with oil and gas.

The parties also discussed the creation of a green energy zone on the liberated territories, the implementation of wind and solar energy projects with foreign companies, as well as the use of offshore wind energy potential of the Caspian Sea.

Moreover, the sides discussed the current situation in the energy markets and issues of energy cooperation between the two countries. The importance of diversification of supplies and attention to the hydrocarbon sector as sustainable solutions for stability in energy markets was noted.

They also exchanged views on the issues arising from the next meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UK, which is to be held in London.

Azerbaijan and the UK are cooperating in different spheres of the economy. There are already 30 years of successful cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sector, which entered a new stage of development in line with the challenges of the global energy sector. The energy sector accounts for $ 28.8 billion out of $ 30.6 billion of the UK investments in Azerbaijan's economy. The UK is also the biggest investor in Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $667.8 in 2021. Of the total turnover, Azerbaijani exports to the UK amounted to $396.6 million while import was $271.1 million. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the UK resulted in $145.9 million in January 2022.
Lucknow: It is clear from the trends of the results of the country's largest state UP assembly elections so far that this time also the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is going to form the government with a huge majority. On the victory of Chief Minister 'Yogi Adityanath', once again he is going to occupy the power of Uttar Pradesh for 5 years. Not only is there a stir in the country about the results of the UP elections, the eyes of the citizens of Pakistan are also fixed on this election.

In the trends of the election results, there is a fierce reaction from Pakistan on the return of Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh. Pakistan's political analyst Moshahraf Zaidi has said on Yogi Adityanath's return to Uttar Pradesh that Yogi's victory confirms that the direction of India is not going to change now. He wrote in a tweet made from his official Twitter account, 'Yogi Adityanath's victory in Uttar Pradesh is another confirmation that India is not going to change its course (from Hindutva politics) anymore. The situation will get worse in the coming days. Many people were also warning about this in advance. Pakistan should be prepared to deal with a more audacious India than the post-2019 India.

Many citizens of Pakistan have objected to this, meanwhile a person named Waqas Ahmed wrote, 'There is another problem. If extremism increases, it will spread to the rest of South Asia. We have recently seen how Hindus were prosecuted in Bangladesh. It will spread everywhere and minorities will have to face a very difficult situation. Another person from Pakistan wrote - 'The life of fascism is not long.' A person named Chavaiz Khan wrote, 'It has become very clear that Quaid-e-Azam (Mohammed Ali Jinnah) was a visionary leader. He could see all this. Thank Allah that we have Pakistan and we do not have to live under the rule of such people.

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Home  Just In  How three sisters changed the face of the sexist trekking industry in Nepals tourism capital

When three sistersLucky, Dicky and Nicky Chhetri ran a lodge in Pokhara, Nepals tourism capital, in the early 90s, they started to get similar complaints from female trekkers visiting the Annapurna Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit. These complaints would mostly be about how male guides misbehaved with them during the trek. It was something female tourists faced in most parts of South Asia and that gave the three sisters an idea.

We felt that we could do something about it and with it create change which could benefit Nepals society and the tourism sector, says Lucky.

That is when they started 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking, an all-woman trekking company that would cater to the needs of female trekkers. Through the company, the three sisters have been able to create a sustainable business along with helping women, mostly from rural Nepal, make a living by smashing stereotypes and doing something that was done predominantly by men.

There were a lot of sceptics when we started and I think weve proved everyone wrong, she says.

Of women, by women, for women

In this March 1, 2014 photo, from left, Lucky, Dicky, and Nicky Chhetri pose for photographs at the 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking Company office in Pokhara, Nepal. (Photo: Niranjan Shrestha)

The company began in 1994 when the three sisters themselves embarked on a trekking trip to Annapurna Base Camp. Having seen the demand, they wanted to see if women could guide in the mountains; after coming back from the ABC, they realised this could be done. The three sisters, for a few years, conducted these trips themselves, but soon, they knew they needed people.

By the late 90s, the three sisters were famous among foreigners who wanted their service. Seeing the demand, they started recruiting and training women. Wanting to create a positive change, and having seen how people from rural Nepal were treated, Lucky felt hiring them would be the best way to move forward.

These women needed empowering and that is what we were able to do. It was hard during the start as we needed to teach and train them, but as years went by, things started to go smooth.

These women were mostly from so-called lower castes in Nepal. She says there were also women who were banished from their homes after divorce.

It feels good to have helped these people.

Breaking the barriers

But, the three sisters did face their fair share of criticism from people who questioned why women were being hired to do a mans job and going around Nepal with complete strangers. That, for them, was a major challenge when they started off. But, gradually as years passed, things started to get better.

We created a revolution of a sort and many felt that we would and could not continue this.

The doubters were proved wrong. It took time to build trust among everyone, but with time, they were able to do so and started to get appreciated even by men. This was possible only through hard work and the love from their clients who loved how the way women were being empowered by the three sisters.

But, convincing the community that women could do this was a tough task in the beginning.

Even women were against this and didnt believe that we were Nepali guides. That is when our clients stepped in, started to help us by bringing us women who were interested to do this.

3 Sisters Adventure Trekking provides job to around 200 women who trek around Nepal with their clients.

But, they needed to train them. For that, they were lucky as the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) was conducting a course in Pokhara. They say that the training was great for the educated people. But, the women they had in contact had dropped out of school or never gone to school. The training was hard for them. So, using what the three sisters learned, they redesigned the training to help these women become better at guiding.

It took us two years to develop a curriculum that would be favourable for women from rural Nepal. It was fun and full of learning and everyone enjoyed it and we still continue this training.

With the success of the training, even women from urban areas started to get interested. And, that brought another challenge for the sisters. Compared to rural women, most urban women could not walk. On the other hand, the rural ones could not speak as much as their urban counterparts, so it was a constant challenge to balance things out between the two.

Overcoming this now, Lucky says that during a season, the three sisters employ nearly 200 women who travel all across Nepal. These women are provided with insurance and equipment if needed as well.

The challenging stereotype was hard but they overcame that, other challenges like diseases like Covid-19, SARS and the Maoist insurgency was also a major threat to their business.

But, now we have a new challenge  global warming. We have trained people, but weve realised that unnatural things are happening in the mountains and that poses a big risk because you never know what to expect from the mountains.

Extending benevolence

The three sisters are also involved in rescuing children working at tea houses. Working in tandem with the International Labour Organisation, Lucky and her sister say they rescued many girls who they keep at a safe house in Pokhara. They educate these girls and if interested offer jobs as well.

That is the least we could do.

Lucky feels that having been in the business for nearly three decades, they have been able to do a lot: from creating new employment opportunities for women to showing people what women are capable of if given a chance.

We were able to do something unimaginable in Nepal. But, this hasnt been done alone. Weve had people supporting us through small donations and training grants and we want to thank everyone who joined us in our journey.

It is because of everyone that we were able to economically empower women and create a career in a profession dominated by men.
" " Cayobo /Flickr (CC By 2.0) Robert the Doll, with his leathery, pockmarked face and little sailor hat, is a truly terrifying little fellow.

Just before the turn of the 20th century, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Otto moved into a beautiful colonial Queen Anne style home in Key West, Florida, bringing their three sons, including young Robert Eugene Otto and his unusual best friend  a 3-foot-tall (0.91-meter-tall), straw-filled doll, also named Robert.

The doll had been a gift from Gene's grandfather, who bought the life-size toy during a trip to Germany. It was manufactured by the Steiff Company, makers of the famous teddy bear, though it was never sold as part of a line of toys for the company. It's thought the doll was initially one of a collection of clown and jester-dressed dolls designed for a store window display.

This all seems perfectly normal and all within the realm of the reasonable, doesn't it? What makes Robert truly unlike any other doll are the paranormal events that have surrounded his existence for 117 years. We spoke to Jessica Schreckengost, general manager at The Artist House in Key West, Florida, which now operates as a bed and breakfast and was once home to Robert the Doll.

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The Story of Gene and Robert

Robert Eugene Otto went by the name Gene. By all accounts, he was a perfectly normal boy except for his strange relationship with Robert, his doll.

People who knew Gene knew Robert. They were inseparable. Gene treated Robert less like a doll and more like a living playmate, a confidant. In fact, the little sailor suit that Robert wears to this day was a hand-me-down that Gene actually wore and passed down to his doll.

Anecdotes from Gene's childhood tell of a doll that was both a friend and an alter ego. Typical for young kids of Gene's age, all his mischievous behaviors were blamed on Robert. "I think Robert was a scapegoat for Eugene. 'I didn't eat that candy, Robert did!'" says Schreckengost. "I think he gained a reputation of being mischievous, and as the story got told and retold, it transformed. I do think that he has something special to him. He likes to be respected. Bad luck befalls those who are less than respectful."

" " Gene Otto wearing the sailor's suit still worn to this day by Robert the Doll. Otto Family Collection/ Florida Keys Public Libraries /Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Stories claim that servants of the Otto household heard Gene talking in two distinct voices in his room, alone. Some nights, Gene would wake up screaming. On one night in particular, his parents rushed in, expecting to assuage a nightmare, and found the room trashed, the furniture overturned and Gene curled up in a frightened ball. Their son blamed the doll sitting atop his bed, staring and motionless by the time the parents arrived.

Most kids grow out of imaginary friendships with dolls. Gene didn't. The stories of Robert's odd behaviors continued into his adulthood. "Everyone had a doll or toy that at some point growing up they imagined or wished was alive," says Schreckengost. "Robert's story lures people in because it's a relatable story that just went a little wrong."

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The Artist House

Time passed and Gene became a well-known artist in the area. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago and the Art Students League in New York. Eventually, he traveled to Europe to refine his craft. In Paris, he met his future wife, Anne Parker; the two married in 1930. No, Robert wasn't the ring bearer, but he was still ever-present in Gene's life, to Anne's dismay.

Gene inherited his parents' home on Eaton Street after their death. He continued his artistic career from the house, which he named The Artist House, living with Robert all the while. Some say his wife, Anne, a concert and jazz pianist, asked for the doll to be locked in the attic; he made her uneasy. But Robert didn't take lightly to being sequestered in a dusty loft.

According to Schreckengost, there were reports that people strolling by the house clearly saw the sun-faded doll sitting in Gene's former bedroom window, though Gene had definitely locked him up in the attic. Gene would check the bedroom and, indeed, would find Robert sitting in a rocking chair beside the window. Gene moved him back to the attic several times only to find that, each time, he had returned to his preferred position by the window.

In 1974, Myrtle Reuter bought The Artist House after Gene's death. She kept Robert around for a time, too. Guests who visited the house claimed to hear footsteps and giggling through the floors above them. Some even say his expression would change. After six years, she moved out of the house but kept Robert; they lived like this for 20 years until she donated him to the Fort East Martello Museum in 1994, claiming he moved around her house on his own and was haunted.

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Life Continues for Robert at Fort East Martello Museum

Robert has resided at the museum since 1994, retired from children's play, but not from his mischievous antics. The East Martello Museum asks that visitors seek Roberts permission before taking photographs; those unwilling to do so are supposedly met with horrible misfortune. Despite working for The Artist House for several years, it took Schreckengost a while to finally visit the doll. When she did, it was a moment she'll never forget. "I couldn't bring myself to ask a doll for its permission to take a photo. So, I didn't. I was using a digital camera and as soon as I left, I tried to look at my photos. Only the last few pictures I took were on it, and it wouldn't save any more pictures ever again," she says.

Most people are just curious about the century-old doll. "I think he has a charming side to him," says Schreckengost. "I believe that a lot of people have an attachment to him. He's not outright evil, he is more playful than anything."

" " Robert now lives in a display case at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-2.0)

At The Artist House, Robert isn't just a story. Guests, including ghosthunters, film crews and Robert groupies, come to stay a night in the infamous house. "People love the story. It's fascinating and they love being able to stay in Robert's room," says Schreckengost. "I believe that even if we didn't share the story, it would still be well known. We're part of the various ghost tours that feature the property nightly."

Abnormal activity continues in the house, even for Schreckengost. "We had a brand-new computer that worked great for three months. One day as I'm typing, the words all were typing backward," she explains. "I couldn't fix it with a new keyboard, mouse, computer reset, etc. The technician that came out was baffled and had no explanation."

Guests aren't spared from the paranormal either; they write about their experiences in the B&B's guest book. "We have guests that report strange incidences, nothing scary, that can't be reasonably explained. I have a logbook in which I ask guests who experience anything to share their stories," says Schreckengost.

Is Robert playing games from afar, just like old times? Or is he lurking in the shadows trying to find a comfy chair in a window? Others have speculated about Robert's intentions, and he was even the subject of a 2015 horror movie, appropriately titled "Robert." There have since been four sequels, "The Curse of Robert the Doll," in 2016, "The Toymaker," in 2017, "The Revenge of Robert the Doll," in 2018, and "Robert Reborn," in 2019.

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For the Love of Robert

To this day, people from all over the country write letters to Robert. The museum says he's gotten more than a thousand personal letters. Some are apologizing for disrespecting him in the past, hoping he'll stop wreaking havoc on their lives. Others want to visit the well-loved doll and say hello. "I think he's gotten better with age. The wear and tear become endearing," says Schreckengost. "I think Robert picks people that he wants to be close with, and there's a bond."

Now That's Interesting The fear of dolls is called pediophobia. Pediophobia is a type of phobia known as a 'specific phobia,' an irrational fear of something that poses no actual threat.
Extension educators host emergency livestock training for Army reservists

Media Contact: Gail Ellis | Communications Specialist, Copywriter | 918-744-9152 | gail.ellis@okstate.edu

The Oklahoma State University Extension Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) hosted a special large animal training session for Oklahoma Army Reserve soldiers in February.

OSU Extension livestock specialists from Rogers County and the northeast area supported DART officials at the Rogers County Expo Center with hands-on demonstrations to prepare soldiers for situations they could encounter locally or in a foreign country.

From a cattle truck rollover on one of Oklahomas busy interstates to a fast-moving wildfire or a widespread emergency in a remote village overseas, working with nervous, scared or injured livestock is a complicated task that requires patience and a steady hand.

You cant forget the basics when youre in a disaster situation and theyre not your animals, said Donna Patterson, agriculture and 4-H Extension educator for Rogers County. Their behavior is going to be much different in a crisis. We want to ensure all animals and humans are safe.

OSU Extension Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) Livestock Training Rogers County Expo Center

Army reservists from the 486th Civil Affairs Battalion, based in Sand Springs, learned how to identify brands, colors and sex characteristics of horses and cattle. The interactive training included guidance on how to safely move a group of animals and halter a horse.

In a disaster, whether a tornado or fire, animals may be injured, and if overseas, there may be diseases present, Patterson said. Its important for first responders to identify a sick or hurt animal, understand basic first-aid and take biosecurity precautions when they return to the U.S.

We discussed the different flight zones cattle have, how to move among them calmly and slowly and what to remember when penning horses or cattle off a road, said Earl Ward, OSU Extensions northeast area livestock specialist.

The Army Reserves requested livestock training from OSU Extension. Civil Affairs Soldiers act as a liaison between the Army and civilian populations.

Any training we can provide our soldiers to sharpen their skills is extremely beneficial to us, said Lt. Col. Casey Campbell. A lot of our soldiers dont have an agricultural background, and when we work overseas, we might be around sheep or goats. Weve been in a virtual setting for meetings the past year and a half, and its good to see our soldiers interacting with the animals while listening and learning from OSU experts.

Scotty Stokes, director of Rogers County Emergency Management, who works closely with Rogers County Extension, said hes witnessed the need for livestock training.

We experienced it in 2019 when we lost hundreds of cattle to flooding, he said. If wed been able to have the National Guard help us, we might have prevented some of that. Sadly, we lost a lot of cattle.

OSU Extension specialists hope the Army Reserves DART training is the first of many similar events for groups such as firefighters, police officers and other first responders.

Were taking what we love as ag educators within OSU Extension and extending it to others, Ward said. Its our role to provide this education, and with our presence in all 77 counties, were the boots on the ground that can respond fast and help people become more comfortable around animals.
Top, from left: Adam Fox and Barry Croft Bottom, from left: Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta

The suspects charged with plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were stoners who got so high that they talked about attaching Whitmer to a kite and flying her over a lake, about barking in the woods to get her to come out of her house, or playing loud music at night to get her attention, a defense lawyer argued Wednesday.

"The FBI knew this was stoned crazy talk," defense attorney Joshua Blanchard told the jury, arguing the FBI set up the suspects with an undercover informant who also got high with them.

The FBI had many opportunities to shut down this investigation, and should have done so, Blanchard told jurors. But the government was hell bent on building a case that it knew didn't exist, he argued, alleging there were many pot-induced conversations that should have prompted the FBI to call off the investigation.

One such conversation, Blanchard said, occurred as the undercover informant taped the men talking about how they could get the governor to come out of her house.

"Maybe we should go hide in the woods and go bark and the governor  shell know the animals were against her," Blanchard said, arguing such comments were absurd, and that the government knew it.

Blanchard is representing Barry Croft, a Delaware truck driver who the government says helped start the kidnapping plan in April 2020 in a conversation with Adam Fox - the accused Michigan ringleader.

All its going to take is one state to burn out and hang its governor and then those dominos will start to fall, Croft allegedly said.

Fox was in, Roth said.

They began plotting to kidnap the governor of Michigan, Roth said. (Fox) said the whole point is were sending a message to them that if we can get her, we can get you.

According to Blanchard, Croft initially came under investigation by the FBI in 2017, when the FBI noticed that Croft was criticizing the FBI on Facebook. Croft believed the FBI had one of his friends killed, his lawyer said, and was investigated as a result, but nothing came of it.

Then came the 2020 FBI investigation of the Wolverine Watchmen, the militia group at the center of this case. Prosecutors say Croft joined this group and planned to kidnap the governor, though his lawyer says there was no such plan.

This militia was a group of pot smokers who talked a big game, Blanchard said, and the government knew it, arguing the FBI is supposed to protect people, "not catch people who say stupid stuff when they are high."

Blanchard alleges the government targeted his client specifically for criticizing Whitmer on Facebook.

"The FBI is supposed to protect us. They're expected to have thick skin. They don't punish people for saying things mean things about them," Blanchard argued to the jury, repeatedly stressing: "There was no plan. There was no agreement. And there was no kidnapping."

More: Feds: Whitmer kidnap suspects plotted to hog-tie governor, spark war

The defense argues this case is all about entrapment, and explained to the jury how it plans to prove that the FBI ran the whole show, used rogue undercover informants and agents to egg on the defendants and entice them to say and do things they wouldn't have otherwise.

As one defense lawyer said: "The FBI directed it all."

The government's case has been fraught with allegations about misbehaving FBI agents and undercover informants, including two who got booted from the case over their alleged misdeeds.

Blanchard argued that one undercover informant in particular should have been kicked off the case early on for disobeying the FBI's directives, for smoking pot with the group, for "selecting things that he thought sounded bad," like the crazy pot talk. That informant was eventually removed from the case.

More: Bad acts of 3 FBI agents will not be mentioned in Whitmer kidnap trial

More: Wife beater, liar, schemer: 3 FBI agents crucial in Whitmer kidnap case, defense lawyers say

But the government rebuked the defense's entrapment claims, arguing no one was trapped into doing or saying anything.

"They chose this plan. They chose this crime  because they wanted it," countered Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Roth, who argued several Wolverine Watchmen left the group because they were upset with the group.

In contesting the entrapment claims, Roth told jurors that giving someone a ride to an event is not entrapment, nor is it if a defendant is willing to commit the crime. He also noted that Croft has a tattoo that shows his commitment to a "second civil war," and argued that no one forced him to do anything.

In this case, Roth said, defendants were "willing and eager  if not already preparing" to commit crimes.

Roth also urged the jury to listen closely to the words of two key witnesses: co-defendants Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, who took deals early on, admitted their guilt and plan to testify against the others.

They chose to join the plan, Roth said, and admitted no one forced them to do anything

According to the government, the Whitmer kidnap plot was conceived in April 2020, just as COVID-19 was taking over the country and world, and the militia members were stewing. The suspects plotted over the next six months in secret chat rooms, meetings and military training sessions, which included building a house that looked like Whitmers and practicing shooting human silhouettes around it, prosecutors said.

Roth said the suspects were followers of the so-called Boogaloo movement who wanted to target politicians because the felt the country is broken  and in their own words, create a war zone in Michigan.

In pushing the Boogaloo narrative, prosecutors showed the jury a photo of Fox carrying a rifle on the lawn of the state Capitol in 2020 , wearing a floral Hawaiin shirt, which is common Boogaloo attire.

The photo drew a sharp rebuke from Foxs lawyer.

This is all parlor tricks, defense attorney Chris Gibbons said, arguing his client was never involved in any kidnap plot, but was a broke, "misfit" big talker who was upset about the pandemic, and easily influenced by the informants.

There was a lot of anti-government talk. Who wasnt upset about COVID and COVID restrictions? Gibbons said, stressing repeatedly: There was no conspiracy.

Gibbons said Fox was never the leader of any militia group, but rather was given that title by an FBI informant who gave him that designation. And after the group formed, he said, only one person joined: an FBI informant.

The government painted a different picture of Fox, describing him as a violent and angry militia member who feared losing his gun rights, and hated the governor so much over the pandemic restrictions that he wanted to hurt her and kill anyone who got in his way.

In arguing these claims, the prosecution showed jurors a Facebook video in which Fox talks about the state taking away firearms, and asks, "who else is ready for the boogaloo?" which the FBI says meant second civil war. Fox talks about firing the first shot, says he's "fed up"and that its the only way "we take back our country right here, by brute f----- force, physical violence." He adds he's prepared for it and it's going to "pop off" in 2020.

The first witness to testify in the trial was an FBI agent who sought to clarify the rules for undercover agents and confidential informants, how they operate, and why the FBI became interested in investigating the defendants.

In this case, the agent said, the FBI needed sources to capture encrypted messages that could only be accessed by a person taking screen shots.

The agent told the jury that the FBI required a reason -- evidence of force, violence, or ideology  to investigate the group, not just a feeling. Undercover sources must be truthful with the FBI, and can't commit crimes while they are working, the agent said, noting that undercover informants are often paid for their work and might have a checkered past.

Testimony resumes Thursday morning. The trial is expected to last four-six weeks.

On trial are Adam Fox, 38, of Potterville, Daniel Harris, 24, of Lake Orion; Brandon Caserta, 33, of Canton Township, and Barry Croft, 46, of Delaware. All are charged with kidnapping conspiracy; three are charged with weapons of mass destruction.

If convicted, they each face up to life in prison.

Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Defense: FBI knew Whitmer kidnap suspects were 'stoned' crazy talkers
* Artillery, PGMs said to strike Ukrainian hospitals, apartments

* Chinese and U.S. intelligence surprised by stout resistance

* Fears of "escalation" if U.S. tranfers Polish MiGs (Adds comment from Berrier on weapons, Burns on China)

By Patricia Zengerle and Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - Russian forces are operating with "reckless disregard" for civilians as they face stronger-than-expected resistance in Ukraine, and American intelligence agencies are tracking their actions to hold them to account, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Thursday.

"The Russian military has begun to loosen its rules of engagement to achieve their military objectives," Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee's annual hearing on worldwide threats to U.S. security.

Haines, a Cabinet-level official who heads the U.S. intelligence agencies, said intelligence officers were documenting Russia's actions in order to hold to account both the government in Moscow and individuals responsible for assaults on civilians.

"Russian forces are, at the very least, operating with reckless disregard for the safety of civilians as Russian units launch artillery and airstrikes into urban areas - as they have done in cities across Ukraine," said Haines, the main intelligence adviser to President Joe Biden.

U.S. officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris, have offered support to calls for an international war crimes investigation into Russia's invasion.

They cite examples including the bombing of a maternity hospital in the southern city of Mariupol. Russia shifted its stance over the hospital bombing, with a mix of statements on Thursday that veered between aggressive denials and a call by the Kremlin to establish clear facts.

Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the U.S. military's Defense Intelligence Agency, said Russia was using missiles, artillery, multiple rocket launchers and some precision-guided weapons in strikes on Ukrainian hospitals and apartment blocks.

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Russia has denied targeting civilians. It calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbor's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists. Ukraine and its allies say that is a baseless pretext to invade a country of 44 million people.

UKRAINIAN RESISTANCE

Three weeks into the conflict, Haines and the other intelligence leaders said Russia was surprised by the strength of Ukrainian resistance. Haines said the resistance deprived Russia of a quick victory it thought would have prevented the United States and NATO from providing meaningful military aid.

Republican senators asked repeated questions about the rejection by Democrat Biden's administration of accept Poland's offer of its Russian-made MiG fighter jets for eventual transfer to Ukraine.

Berrier said providing combat aircraft would move the United States further up "the escalation ladder" than sending equipment like anti-tank and air defense systems.

The intelligence chiefs also said they thought China, which has refused to condemn Russia or call the attack an invasion, was "unsettled" by events in Ukraine.

"I do believe that the Chinese leadership, President Xi (Jinping) in particular, is unsettled," Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said. "By what he's seen, partly because his own intelligence doesn't appear to have told him what was going to happen."

The hearing featured unusually blunt admissions that initial U.S. assessments about Ukraines ability were off.

While U.S. spy agencies assessed before the invasion that Russian President Vladimir Putin was under-estimating the Ukrainians likely resistance, they did not do as well predicting the military challenges that Russia would face, Haines said.

Berrier said he initially believed the Ukrainians "were not as ready as I thought they should be. Therefore, I questioned their will to fight. That was a bad assessment on my part because they have fought bravely and honorably." (Reporting by Jonathan Landay, Doina Chiacu and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Will Dunham and Alistair Bell)
Accelerating access to psychotherapeutic medicines for patients with urgent and unmet mental health needs.

VANCOUVER, BC, March 10, 2022 /CNW/ - Albert Labs International Corp. (the "Company"), a research and drug development company producing natural pharmaceutical-quality psilocybin medicine to treat cancer-related distress, is pleased to announce that its shares will commence trading today on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the ticker symbol "ABRT".

Albert Labs (CSE:ABRT) Logo (CNW Group/Albert Labs International Corp.)

Transaction Summary

The Company has closed its previously announced reverse take-over transaction with ME. Resource Corp. ("MEC") and has acquired all of the outstanding securities of MEC in exchange for the issuance of securities of the Company (the "Transaction"). Albert Labs will now pursue its business activities as described in the Company's filing statement dated March 7, 2022 available at www.thecse.com on the trading date.

In accordance with the amended and restated arrangement, upon completion of the Transaction, the Company changed its name from "ME. Resource Corp" to "Albert Labs International Corp." and consolidated its issued and outstanding common shares on the basis of 10:1 (the "Consolidation"). The Company closed a debt settlement and private placement offering of 18,947,500 Albert Labs' Shares at a price per share of $0.25 for gross proceeds of $4,736,875. Included in this financing round was significant investment from the Albert Labs' senior management team to the sum of $2,046,660, and the balance of $2,690,215 was coordinated with support from Chrystal Capital Partners based in the UK. Albert Labs and its 67,280,035 common shares will resume trading on March 10, 2022 and will trade under its new symbol "ABRT".

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the public offering, together with its existing cash and cash equivalents, (i) to manufacture and deliver natural psilocybin, in the form of a prescription drug known as KRN-101 to trial centres, and (ii) for the effective conduct of Real World Evidence (RWE) trials, including all necessary partnerships, to lead to a regulatory approved medication for treating anxiety and depression, initially in cancer patients.

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About Albert Labs

Through an approved, fast track clinical pathway, focusing on Real World Evidence (RWE), Albert Labs will improve patient access to psychedelic-assisted therapies, starting in Europe with the goal of receiving a marketing authorisation and creating highly successful, licensed medicines. After the successful conclusion of the first development program, Albert Labs will expand to other indications and commercialise other novel therapeutics to address the rapidly growing mental health crisis.

Fast track development of authorised psychedelic medicine using RWE  Albert Labs is the first company using RWE studies to demonstrate psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Working with the largest oncology centre in Europe, Albert Labs will treat patients in 2022 while at the same time working towards a full marketing authorisation granted by health regulators.





Access to an immediate and large addressable market - Albert Labs' first drug target, KRN-101, is a potential solution for cancer-related anxiety, a market of 1.2 million in the UK alone, with 50,000-100,000 new sufferers annually. Expanding this to Europe and the US, the total addressable market is over 15 million people with 700,000-1 million new sufferers annually. From this initial focus Albert Labs will then address broader mental health concerns, reported to affect over a billion people worldwide.





A low cost and risk mitigated strategy to develop pharmaceuticals - Through an RWE strategy and utilising a natural compound with a history of safety and efficacy, Albert Labs requires significantly less capital expenditure than companies developing novel molecules and/or setting up clinic operations. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) can cost upwards of $1/2 billion and take 7-12 years. RWE offers a faster but no less rigorous process to achieve licensed medicine. This comes at lower costs yet receives the same approvals, whilst also receiving reimbursement to drive early and sustained revenues.





IP protected and cost-effective production of psilocybin-based KRN-101 - Albert Labs focuses on natural psilocybin and uses advanced culture and natural extraction technology to produce their Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API). This proprietary technology will provide consistent and repeatable EU GMP psilocybin, which importantly will have other synergistic bio-actives naturally found in the mycelium.

"As Albert Labs announces the start of trading on the CSE, I am proud to be leading such a world-class team, who are pioneering a rigorous yet accelerated development of a novel mental health treatment. If the trial of our first drug candidate this summer/fall is successful, and we have every reason to believe it will be, that event is likely to be the biggest game-changer in mental health for more than 20 years. We expect expedited regulatory approvals in the UK, followed by rapid expansion to other geographies and other mental health concerns. We're working rapidly to treat what is becoming a massively debilitating and costly global health challenge.", Said Dr Michael Raymont, Chief Executive Officer of Albert Labs. Click here to hear more from Dr Raymont.

"The use of classical Random Controlled Trials in medicinal development can be long, costly, and may delay a patient's access to a product. Recently published guidance by my former colleagues at the MHRA outlines the use of Real World Evidence (RWE) in support of licensing indications, which goes to validate Albert Labs' use of an RWE based regulatory approach." Added Dr Malcolm Barratt-Johnson, Chief Medical Officer of Albert Labs. If you wish to hear more from Dr Barratt-Johnson regarding RWE and the MHRA's guidance click here.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Albert Labs Inc.

Dr. Michael Raymont

Chief Executive Officer & Chairman

Cautionary Statement

This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including without limitation any statements concerning the Company's intentions, plans, estimates, beliefs, or expectations regarding the future. Although the Company believes that any such intentions, plans, estimates, beliefs, and expectations in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such intentions, plans, beliefs, and expectations will prove to be accurate.

The Company cautions readers that all forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Readers are advised to rely on their evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligations to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise unless required by the applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Albert Labs International Corp.

Cision

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Festivities kicked off with official commendation, city of Phoenix Proclamation and 100,000-meal donation to St. Mary's Food Bank

PHOENIX, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Known best by locals for the Shamrock Farms milk once delivered to doorsteps by milkmen, to today featuring a multitude of farm-fresh dairy products in grocery aisles and beyond, Shamrock Foods Company is celebrating 100 years as an Arizona business mainstay. The 100th celebration kicked off with an official State of Arizona Commendation, city of Phoenix proclamation and a 100,000-meal donation to St. Mary's Food Bank.

Shamrock Farms

Beginning in 1922 in Tucson as a family dairy with 20 cows, a truck and a dream, the McClelland's entrepreneurial spirit grew Shamrock Foods Company into a recognized dairy innovator and leader in restaurant and foodservice distribution industry, while staying true to its roots as a family-held company.

"We've grown a lot since my Irish immigrant grandparents, W.T. and Winnifred McClelland, established Shamrock dairy, and the principles they set forth have stood the test of time," said Kent McClelland, president and CEO of Shamrock Foods Company and third generation of McClelland family leadership. "It's been an incredible first 100 years in business growing, innovating and supporting our communities, and I'm excited for what's ahead."

Innovation is how Shamrock has grown into a full family of companies, including Shamrock Farms  one of the largest family-owned and -operated dairies nationwide and Shamrock Foods  the largest independent foodservice distributor in the West.

From farm to shelf in just two days, Shamrock Farms offers a full portfolio of delicious on-the-go beverages as well as creams, cottage cheese, sour cream and seasonal favorites like its award-winning Eggnog  all of which start with Shamrock's pure, fresh milk and have been perfected through a hands-on approach over three generations. With a herd of more than 20,000 cows, Shamrock continues to be the original, household name in Arizona.

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"Arizona is ingrained in who we are and what we do. The community has been with us every step of the way, and we're excited to celebrate this milestone together," said McClelland.

In the last century, Shamrock Farms evolved milk beyond the traditional gallon, even creating entirely new categories like Rockin' Protein, the first ready-to-drink milk-based protein beverage. Rockin' Protein is a leading protein beverage in retail supermarkets and Shamrock Farms is the number one milk brand in quick serve restaurants nationwide and the number one dairy brand in its home state of Arizona. Its impressive portfolio of products can be found in nearly 100,000 locations nationwide, which include grocery and 56,000 quick serve restaurants.

Shamrock Foods offers a comprehensive portfolio of products including national and exclusive brands, with an extensive product line featuring fresh custom-cut meat, seafood, produce and dairy, as well as dry and frozen groceries, beverages, equipment and supplies. Shamrock Foods goes beyond delivery for customers by offering comprehensive business solutions and unique collaboration opportunities to help drive their growth.

"Entrepreneurialism is in our genes. We've gotten here by being nimble, focused, transparent and willing to take appropriate risks that lead to innovation and strategic growth," said McClelland.

In honor of the McClelland family's contributions to Arizona, Shamrock Foods Company received an official State of Arizona 100 Years of Shamrock Commendation on March 10. In addition, Shamrock Foods Company received an official City of Phoenix Proclamation declaring March 10 "100th Anniversary Shamrock Foods Day." The Shamrock Foods Foundation will also make 100,000-meal donation to St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix, which Norman McClelland helped establish. This effort aligns with the company's longstanding community pillars of faith, family, friends and freedom, and commitment to nourishing the community

The celebration continues with Shamrock Foods Company paying homage to its dairy roots by launching a limited-edition birthday cake flavored milk to be distributed to Arizona schools this spring. A variety of associate recognition activities are also planned to thank the company's more than 5,000 employees for their dedication to the business in addition to engaging customer and partner promotions and events throughout 2022.

"Our goal for this year and beyond is to show our appreciation and gratitude to our family of associates, communities, customers, suppliers and partners for making Shamrock what it is today," said McClelland.

Strategic growth continues to be a big driver for the company. Shamrock Foods is outpacing the foodservice industry in market share and Shamrock Farms is paving the way with fresh ideas and premium products that drive people to the dairy case.

"Our story may already be 100 years in the making, but we're just getting started," said McClelland.

For more information, please visit www.shamrockfoods.com .

About Shamrock Foods Company

Shamrock Foods Company specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of quality food and food-related products through a family of companies including Shamrock Foods  one of the top 10 food service distributors, and Shamrock Farms  one of the largest milk companies in the country. Founded 100 years ago with 20 cows, a truck and a dream, Shamrock has grown into a national leader serving customers coast to coast. Three generations later, Shamrock Foods Company is still family-owned and remains committed to The Shamrock Way: treating associates like family and customers and suppliers like friends. For more information, visit www.shamrockfoods.com .

Media Contact: Carly Pearline, (312) 404-3417, cpearline@currentglobal.com

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SOURCE Shamrock Foods Company
By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Baku International Sea Trade Port and Barcelona Port.

The document was signed by the head of the Baku Port training center, Orkhan Adigozalov, and representatives from the Barcelona Port delegation during an event on "green ports, new port management tools" held in Baku on March 10.

The memorandum aims to transform Baku Port's training center into a regional training and logistics hub.

Furthermore, the document states that the training centers at the ports of Baku and Barcelona will make significant contributions to the development of human capital in accordance with the requirements of new realities.

"Green" port

Baku International Sea Trade Port Director-General Taleh Ziyadov stated that the work to turn the port into a "green" port in the next 10 years is underway.

He noted that the completion of the implementation of the joint project with the EU will be an incentive for the implementation of other digital projects.

"Our port, together with the EU, is working to establish sustainable activities. Azerbaijan has done a lot of work in the field of digitalization, in particular, in the entrepreneurship and business sectors. We have had a lot of practice in testing and using digital tools over the past two years," he said.

Noting that it is proposed to transfer the port's terminals to private sector management within the next 10 years, he added that this will improve work efficiency and expand international cooperation.

Ziyadov emphasized that the Zangazur corridor will open the shortest routes in all directions, increasing goods transshipment through Azerbaijan.

"The geographical location of our country and the port will make Azerbaijan a logistics hub and we are already trying in this direction," he said.

Cooperation with EU

The cooperation department head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Victor Bozhkov, stressed that the EU is a strong partner of Azerbaijan in all economic projects.

He stated that the EU will continue to support Azerbaijan's economy through grant funding and other means.

"We have many projects in Azerbaijan, and our goal is to make business in the country sustainable. The Port of Baku is one of the priority organizations where we focus on project implementation and support. I am confident that joint projects with the port in the area of digitalization and transition to green technology will expand," he said.

The official added that Baku Port is part of the EU investment program.

Azerbaijan's role in global supply chain

Moreover, Taleh Ziyadov told reporters that Azerbaijan's role in the global supply chain between Europe and Central Asia is expected to increase.

He mentioned that recent events reveal the growth of capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Ziyadov added that the potential of the route in the short and medium term will only grow.

"This route is of interest not only for the countries of the region but also for landlocked states. It is important in terms of establishing logistics between China and Europe as well," he said.

The official added that Azerbaijan is on the verge of becoming a logistics hub, adding that containers from the Black Sea ports are already being delivered to the Baku port, so Azerbaijan is going to play the role of a distribution center.

"And, thirdly, the new realities in the implementation of the Zangazur corridor will cover not only the cargo transportation along the North-South route, from Central Asia and China but also from the Mediterranean region," he said.

Ziyadov also noted that Azerbaijan's transport infrastructure would allow the implementation of a sustainable supply chain between the countries of Europe and Central Asia.
ST. LOUIS, March 10, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Colibri Group ("Colibri"), a professional education company with leading brands that provide learning solutions to licensed professionals, announces today that the company has acquired Becker Professional Education and OnCourse Learning. With this agreement, Colibri Group adds leading capabilities in accounting, mortgage, and governance, risk and compliance (GRC) to its portfolio of professional education services.

"This expansion of our capabilities continues to serve our mission of leading others to achieve more and thrive in their careers and enables us to work with entirely new categories of accounting and GRC while deepening our mortgage solutions for financial services firms and professionals," said Jeff James, Chief Executive Officer of Colibri Group. "We are thrilled that Becker and OnCourse Learning, with their industry leadership and high-quality education, will be joining our group of companies."

Becker is a global leader in Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam prep and offers market-leading products in accounting continuing professional education and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) test prep. Becker has been helping candidates achieve their CPA licensure and further advance their careers for more than 60 years. Becker has served partners in nearly 40 countries including the top 100 accounting firms in the United States.

OnCourse Learning is a leading provider of regulatory and compliance education solutions for the mortgage and financial sectors. OnCourse Learning empowers financial institutions to prepare their frontlines, compliance teams, executive leadership and board of directors with comprehensive enterprise compliance, risk management and professional development education.

"These businesses support our focus around becoming the most admired professional learning company in the world, and the world-class talent at both businesses will contribute significantly to achieving this vision," continued James.

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Colibri Group is the gold standard in professional education and serves millions of individual and business customers through its flexible, online and in-person solutions. Colibri Group is backed by Gridiron Capital, LLC ("Gridiron Capital"), a leading investment firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams.

About Colibri Group

Colibri Group is building the future of professional education. Today, millions of licensed professionals start and advance their careers through the companys online and in-person learning solutions for licensing, continuing education, test preparation and professional development. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Colibri Group provides a holistic learning experience for students and professionals to achieve more and thrive throughout their careers in real estate, financial services, teacher education, healthcare, valuation and property services, among other professions. Visit colibrigroup.com for more information.

About Becker

Becker is the leader in the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam review industry offering a full accounting career life cycle solution from training to licensing to continuing education. Founded in 1957, Beckers global presence includes more than 2,900 partnersincluding accounting firms, societies, corporations, government agencies and universities.

About OnCourse Learning

OnCourse Learning is the leading educational technology provider for governance, risk and compliance ("GRC") licensing and webinar solutions for the banking, credit union, state banking associations ("SBA") and mortgage industries. Founded in 2007, OnCourse Learning has delivered pre-licensing, continuing education, professional development and compliance training to financial institutions and 190,000+ mortgage professionals.

About Gridiron Capital

Gridiron Capital is an investment firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams, and creating value by building middle-market companies into industry-leaders in branded consumer, B2B and B2C services, and niche industrial segments in the United States and Canada. We help transform growing companies by winning together through hard work, partnerships grounded in shared values and a unique culture that comes from hands-on experience building and running businesses. As a team led by former operators and entrepreneurs, we know what it takes to run successful businesses on a day-to-day basis. Additional information is available on the firms website: www.gridironcapital.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005837/en/

Contacts

Colibri Group

Kim Wells, Chief Marketing Officer

media@colibrigroup.com
MAUMEE, Ohio, March 10, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In January of this year, more than 50 Ohio families who are experiencing homelessness applied to have their children become students in various grades at the Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA), three times more than any single month in over a decade of educating unhoused students.

"Weve never seen anything like this," said Heidi Ragar, OHVAs At-Risk Administrator. "People are really hurting out there, and all these families want is to get an education for their kids."

Many schools in Ohio have a long history of helping families in-need, but Ohios largest online education provider has seen unprecedented demand since the pandemic took hold. OHVA is currently assisting more than 400 students across all 88 Ohio counties, or just under 4% of Ohios entire homeless population (per Jan 2020 data).

The reason for the uptick? COVID, but not in the way you may think.

During the height of the pandemic, emergency eviction-prevention laws protected families, provided extra unemployment funding, and even provided much-needed social services such as meals and health care. Now that Ohio, like many states, is moving into a post-COVID transition, more families are finding themselves on the street without vital resources, including consistent education for their children.

It is at this moment that Heidi and her OHVA team kick into high gear, expediting the enrollment process, and immediately connecting families to services in their county or neighborhood that can help them survive for another day.

OHVA provides laptops, printers, and wi-fi hotspots when necessary and distributes essential school supplies like backpacks, crayons, and pens to students statewide from its offices in Maumee.

School officials also work with non-profit entities across the state, like the Department of Human Services in each county, and have also established partnerships with outside resources such as Cornerstone and Syntero who work with students to provide mental health services. In addition, OHVA works directly with local brick-and-mortar school districts so students can get free lunches and gain access to more resources at the local level.

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OHVA is actively trying to change the laws in Ohio to get some of these students on the National Nutrition Registry so families can get direct access to funds for food and other necessities.

"Being in school and having a constant source of food will ease the minds of so many of our struggling families in Ohio," said Kristin Stewart, OHVAs Head of School. "We really need to make this happen sooner than later."

For now, OHVA continues to do what it can to help. Heidi has a staff of 6 dedicated to helping these, and other, students statewide, an impressive number considering many school districts are cutting similar positions. But everyone at OHVA knows they need to help.

"There are over 750 staff at OHVA across the state to help wrap our services around these students like a hug," said Ragar. "They know what to do, and they know we are all here to help."

For more information, visit ohva.k12.com.

About Ohio Virtual Academy

Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA) is an accredited, full-time online public charter school authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools (OCCS) that serves students in grades K through 12. As part of the Ohio public school system, OHVA is tuition-free and provides families the choice to access the curriculum and tools provided by K12, a Stride Company (NYSE: LRN). Stride offers learners of all ages a more effective way to learn and build skills for their future. For more information about OHVA, visit ohva.k12.com and follow on Facebook.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005684/en/

Contacts

Ken Schwartz

Senior Manager, Communications

kschwartz@k12.com
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A SpaceX launch director took a jab at Russia's space chief during the company's satellite launch.

Referencing an insult from Dmitry Rogozin, he said: "Time to let the American broomstick fly."

Last week, Russia halted rocket sales to the US. Rogozin said the US could fly on "broomsticks."

SpaceX taunted Russia during the company's Starlink satellite launch on Wednesday.

"Time to let the American broomstick fly and hear the sounds of freedom," the company's launch director said on SpaceX's livestream just before the Falcon 9 rocket sent 48 satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The unnamed launch director's statement was a jab at the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin. Last week, Rogozin said that Russia would no longer supply rocket engines to the US following President Joe Biden's sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

"In a situation like this, we can't supply the United States with our world's best rocket engines," Rogozin said on state-run TV. "Let them fly on something else, their broomsticks. I don't know what."

The satellite launch was the company's 10th weekly launch in a row. To date, SpaceX has over 2,000 satellites in orbit. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk plans to create a constellation of over 42,000 Starlink satellites in his effort to provide low-cost internet to remote locations.

Following the launch on Wednesday, the rocket's first stage returned to Earth and touched down at sea on a SpaceX drone ship.

It's not the first time that SpaceX has poked fun at Rogozin's comments. Last week, Musk responded to a video on Twitter of his company launching 47 satellites into orbit with a screenshot of Rogozin's comments highlighted along with the words "American Broomstick" and four US flags.

Musk and Rogozin have also sparred on Twitter over the billionaire's decision to offer Starlink internet service in Ukraine.

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Russia's space chief has become increasingly aggressive on Twitter since his country launched an attack on Ukraine. Most recently, Rogozin and the former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly engaged in a spat on Twitter in which Kelly suggested Rogozin find a job at McDonald's, and Rogozin invited Kelly to get a brain exam.

Rogozin's aggression online is a sign that space relations and collaboration between the US and Russia might be nearing an end. The space chief has even made comments warning that the tenuous relationship between Russia and Western nations may destroy Russia's partnership with NASA and lead to the demise of the International Space Station, as NASA relies on Russian propulsion to periodically boost the station on its orbit around Earth.

At the time, Musk responded to Rogozin's thread on Twitter with a SpaceX logo, suggesting that his company could step in to save the space station. There has been some discussion that the company could help fill the gap by using the SpaceX Dragon, though the spacecraft is not meant to serve as a long-term solution.

In the meantime, Roscosmos and NASA have said they are continuing to work together despite Rogozin's comments online.

Read the original article on Business Insider
PlayFronts Presenters Include Activision Blizzard, Meta, Niantic, Riot Games, SuperAwesome, Twitch, Unity, Zynga, and more

NEW YORK, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaming is larger than the movie and music industries combined, yet ad spending in gaming is a fraction of time spent with the platform. By the end of 2022, more than half of the US population will identify as a digital gamer, yet gaming is an underutilized and misunderstood medium that buyers can no longer ignore. To address the ever-growing advertising opportunities in gaming, IAB PlayFronts is the first annual marketplace dedicated to showcasing the advertising and partnership opportunities in gaming.

(PRNewsfoto/Interactive Advertising Bureau )

On April 5th, at Convene in New York City (117 West 46th Street), game developers, streaming platforms, ad tech enablers, and creator agencies will present fresh consumer insights, and innovative ways that brands can drive incremental revenue, find new audiences, and create unique ad experiences in this evolving space.

"Gaming is an untapped 'attention oasis' that embodies many of the characteristics of the next wave of the internet," said Zoe Soon, VP, Experience Center, IAB. "As an industry, we can't afford to keep neglecting the massive source of consumer attention that gaming provides. IAB PlayFronts will break down the biggest barriers and elevate the effectiveness of gaming as a marketing channel."

With more than a dozen presentations and activations, IAB PlayFronts will offer first-look access to the diverse and varied advertising opportunities that exist, and educate buyers and sellers on how to effectively integrate brands into gaming content. Attendees will be treated to immersive gaming experiences including Thece's IAB PlayFronts Cup, where teams will compete during live gameplay, as well as Meta Quest 2 activations. IAB PlayFronts will also redefine the gaming archetypes and demonstrate their buying power to help advertisers reach consumers in new ways.

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IAB PlayFronts Presenter Schedule

Time Presenter 9:20am-9:40am Meta 9:40am-10:00am Activision Blizzard 10:00am-10:20am Frameplay 11:05am-11:25am Niantic 11:25am-11:45am Admix 11:50am-12:00pm Unity 1:00pm-1:20pm Zynga 1:20pm-1:40pm Bidstack 1:45pm-2:05pm Riot Games 2:10pm-2:35pm Anzu 3:15pm-3:35pm Twitch 3:35pm -3:45pm IGN 3:50pm-4:10pm SuperAwesome, an Epic Games company 4:10pm-4:30pm PlayerWON

All times are in ET; Speakers and timing are subject to change. For up-to-the-minute agenda, refer to the website.

The event is complimentary for qualifying brand marketers and agency professionals.

For more information on IAB PlayFronts or to request a pass, please visit: https://www.iab.com/events/iab-playfronts-2022/

About IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.

Cision

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SOURCE Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has wreaked havoc on world energy markets, driving gas prices to record highs, including in the Burlington area, where prices are as high as $4.29 per gallon.

The national average for a regular gallon of gas broke the all-time record in the United States on Tuesday, reaching $4.17, an increase of more than 50 cents from last week, USA TODAY reported.

President Joe Biden announced a ban on Tuesday on the U.S. import of Russian energy as part of the effort to ratchet up sanctions against Russia even more.

GasBuddy.com's chief analyst Patrick DeHaan said in a Facebook Live broadcast on Monday that he expected the average price of gas in the United States to reach $4.25 per gallon, but most likely not reach "apocalyptic" levels of $5 or $6 per gallon, at least east of the Rockies.

Why are gas prices rising so quickly?: And how high are they expected to get?

Here are the lowest prices available in the Burlington area

Lowest Gas Prices in Burlington

The price at the Costco gas station at 218 Lower Mountain View Dr. in Colchester, not mentioned by GasBuddy.com, was $3.99 per gallon on Tuesday.

Is there fraud: Are oil and gas companies price gouging consumers at the pump?

Here are the lowest prices available in Vermont

Lowest Gas Prices in Vermont

Contact Dan DAmbrosio at 802-660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Lowest gas prices: Where can you find cheap gas near Burlington, VT
Gowest Gold Ltd.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

TORONTO, March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gowest Gold Ltd. (Gowest or the Corporation) (TSX VENTURE: GWA) announced today that it has completed the issuance and sale to Greenwater Investment Hong Kong Limited (Greenwater) of promissory notes in an aggregate principal amount of $7,500,000 (the Promissory Notes), for an aggregate purchase price of $7,500,000.

The issuance and sale of the Promissory Notes form part of a larger financing initiative of the Corporation pursuant to which the Corporation may raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to $19,000,000 (the Offering), subject to the terms and conditions of the subscription agreement between the Corporation and Greenwater related to the Offering. For further details concerning the Promissory Notes and the Offering, please see Gowest news release dated January 24, 2022.

Dan Gagnon, President and CEO of Gowest stated, The financing continues to demonstrate the support we have from our existing shareholders as we proceed with the development of the Bradshaw mine and surrounding properties.

Subject to the receipt of requisite shareholder approval, the Promissory Notes will automatically convert into units of the Corporation (Units) at a conversion price of $0.13 per Unit. Assuming conversion of the Promissory Notes, an aggregate of 57,692,307 Units will be issued by the Corporation. Each Unit will comprise one common share of the Corporation and one common share purchase warrant (a Warrant), with each Warrant being exercisable to purchase one additional common share of the Corporation for a period of two years following the receipt of shareholder approval, at a price of $0.16 per Unit during the first 12-month period following the receipt of shareholder approval and at a price of $0.17 per Unit during the second 12-month period following the receipt of shareholder approval.

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The proceeds of the Offering will be principally used by the Corporation for the continued development of Bradshaw.

The securities offered have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for the sale of securities in the United States.

All of the securities issuable in connection with the Offering will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day after the date of issuance. The Offering remains subject to the receipt of final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange.

Update on Shareholder Meeting

The Corporation has called a special meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation (the Meeting), scheduled to be held on March 31, 2022, for the purpose of obtaining shareholder approval of certain aspects of the Offering, including the conversion of the Promissory Notes into Units in accordance with their terms.

Further information regarding the Offering can be found in the Management Information Circular of the Corporation dated February 18, 2022 and prepared in connection with the Meeting. The management information circular is available for review under the Corporations SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and on the Corporations website at www.gowestgold.com. All shareholders are urged to read the Management Information Circular and vote at the Meeting.

About Gowest

Gowest is a Canadian gold exploration and development company focused on the delineation and development of its 100% owned Bradshaw Gold Deposit (Bradshaw) on the Frankfield Property, part of the Corporations North Timmins Gold Project (NTGP). Gowest is exploring additional gold targets on its +100squarekilometre NTGP land package and continues to evaluate the area, which is part of the prolific Timmins, Ontario gold camp. Currently, Bradshaw contains a National Instrument 43101 Indicated Resource estimated at 2.1 million tonnes (t) grading 6.19 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) containing 422 thousand ounces (oz) Au and an Inferred Resource of 3.6 million t grading 6.47 g/t Au containing 755 thousand oz Au. Further, based on the PreFeasibility Study produced by Stantec Mining and announced on June 9, 2015, Bradshaw contains Mineral Reserves (Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves) in the probable category, using a 3 g/t Au cutoff and utilizing a gold price of US$1,200 / oz, totaling 1.8 million t grading 4.82 g/t Au for 277 thousand oz Au.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, statements relating to: the Offering; the proposed use of proceeds of the Offering; and the special meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation. Words such as may, would, could, should, will, anticipate, believe, plan, expect, intend, potential and similar expressions may be used to identify these forward-looking statements although not all forward-looking statements contain such words.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including risks associated with the Offering and financing transactions generally, such as the failure to satisfy the closing conditions contained in the subscription agreement, the absence of material adverse changes or other events which may give Greenwater the basis on which to terminate the subscription agreement, and the ability of the Corporation to complete and mail the information circular in respect of the Meeting and hold the Meeting within the time frames indicated. Additional risk factors are also set forth in the Corporations managements discussion and analysis and other filings available via the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) under the Corporations profile at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements may vary materially from those expressed or implied by this press release. These factors should be considered carefully and reader should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and, other than as required by law, the Corporation does not intend to or assume any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

For further information please contact:

Dan Gagnon Greg Taylor President & CEO Investor Relations Tel: (416) 363-1210 Tel: (416) 605-5120 Email: info@gowestgold.com Email: gregt@gowestgold.com




By Ralph Tedy Erol and Gessika Thomas

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Haitian police on Wednesday opened fire on demonstrators protesting for higher wages in the capital Port-au-Prince, leaving one reporter dead and at least two others wounded, according to witnesses and a hospital official.

The demonstrators had been seeking a higher minimum wage than the one approved this week by the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, when a passing police vehicle fired at them, according to a Reuters witness and a union leader present.

Lazzare Maxihen, who worked for Haitian media group Roi des Infos, was initially wounded and then died in the hospital, according to a hospital official who asked not to be identified.

Two other reporters were wounded in the shooting, according to Robest Dimanche of Haiti's union of online journalists, or CMEL, who was present at the demonstration.

Dominique St Eloi, a factory workers' union leader who was also present, said the demonstration had been calm when police began shooting from the vehicle.

It was not immediately evident why they fired. A spokesman for Haiti's National Police did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Haiti on Monday hiked the minimum wage by as much as 54% following weeks of demonstrations by garment workers who say their wages are not enough to keep up with the rising cost of living.

Employees in the clothing manufacturing sector, which export finished products to U.S. retailers, received a 37% increase. That took their wages to just under $7.50 per day - half what union leaders had demanded.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. (Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Sandra Maler)
PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / March 9, 2022 /The India Fund, Inc. (NYSE: IFN) (the "Fund"), a closed-end equity fund, announced today that it will pay a distribution of US$0.58 per share on March 31, 2022 to all stockholders of record as of March 24, 2022 (ex-dividend date March 23, 2022).

Press Release

The Fund's distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy") is to pay quarterly distributions at an annual rate, set once a year, that is a percentage of the average daily NAV for the previous three months as of the month-end prior to declaration. In February 2022, the Board determined the rolling distribution rate to continue to be 10% for the 12-month period commencing with the distribution payable in March 2022. The Distribution Policy is subject to regular review by the Board. The Distribution Policy seeks to provide investors with a stable quarterly distribution out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital.

The Board of Directors also approved an amendment to the Distribution Policy effective with the quarterly distribution payable in June 2022. Under the amended policy, distributions will be paid in newly issued shares of common stock of the Fund to all shareholders who have not otherwise elected to receive cash.

Shareholders may request to be paid their quarterly distributions in cash instead of shares of common stock by providing advance notice to the bank, brokerage or nominee who holds their shares if the shares are in "street name" or by filling out in advance an election card received from Computershare Investor Services if the shares are in registered form. To receive the quarterly distribution payable in June 2022 in cash instead of shares of common stock, the bank, brokerage or nominee who holds the shares must advise the Depository Trust Company as to their full and fractional share requirements by June 17, 2022 and written notification for the election of cash by registered shareholders must be received by Computershare Investor Services prior to June 17, 2022.

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Under the amended policies, shares of common stock will be issued at the lower of the net asset value ("NAV") per share or the market price per share with a floor for the NAV of not less than 95% of the market price.

The quarterly distribution announced today and payable in March 2022 will be paid in cash to all shareholders not enrolled in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan.

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about a Fund's investment performance from the terms of the Fund's distribution policy.

Distribution Payment Details

Under applicable U.S. tax rules, the amount and character of distributable income for each Fund's fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related rules, the Funds may be required to indicate to shareholders the estimated source of certain distributions to shareholders.

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distribution for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the Rules adopted thereunder. The table has been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The table includes estimated amounts and percentages for the distribution to be paid on March 31, 2022 as well as the estimated cumulative distributions declared fiscal year to date (01/01/2022 - 02/28/2022), from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated composition of the distributions may vary from quarter to quarter because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies.

Estimated Amounts of Current Distribution per Share Fund Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains** Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital IFN $0.5800 - - - - $0.5800 100% - -

Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year to Date Cumulative Distributions per Share Fund Fiscal Year* to Date Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains** Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital IFN $0.5800 - - - - $0.5800 100% - -

**includes currency gains

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy").

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions for the current year will only be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. After the end of each calendar year, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders for the prior calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The following table provides the Fund's total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Funds' annualized and cumulative distribution rates.

Fund Performance and Distribution Rate Information Fund Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 02/28/2022 Current Fiscal Period's Annualized Distribution Rate on NAV Cumulative Total Return on NAV Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV IFN 9.85% N/A* -8.01% N/A*

1 Return data is net of all fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan.

2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of February 28, 2022.

*The Fund's fiscal period to date is 1/1/2022 to 2/28/2022 and there were no distributions in this period.

While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market.

Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Funds may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Funds during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Funds, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received.

The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. Each Fund's Board has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances.

In the United States, abrdn is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., abrdn Australia Limited, abrdn Asia Ltd., Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC and Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. A Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

If you If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

For More Information Contact:

abrdn Inc.

Investor Relations

1-800-522-5465

Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

SOURCE: The India Fund, Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/692400/The-India-Fund-Inc-Announces-Distribution-Payment-and-Approval-of-Elective-Stock-Distribution-Policy




(Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Romania and Poland in the coming days as part of the United States response to Russias assault on Ukraine, and part of Ms Harriss increasingly visible foreign policy role in the Biden administration after months of negative criticism.

Ms Harris has emerged as the presidents main foreign policy emissary, both before and ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putins assault on Ukraine. Last month, Mr Putins unprovoked invasion, she spoke at the Munich Security Conference and met with multiple heads of state.

When she heads to Warsaw and Bucharest, she will serve as President Joe Bidens voice, including when she meets with Polands President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, as well as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On Friday, she will meet with Romanias President Klaus Iohannis before returning to Washington.

My impression is that the administration is actually being thoughtful about her role, Aaron Mannes, a lecturer at the University of Maryland who focuses on the vice presidency, told The Independent. Mr Mannes said the fact that Mr Biden served as Barack Obamas vice president and that the 79-year-old president very much sees Ms Harris as his successor.

The meetings, and Ms Harriss role, has also allowed the vice president to project an image of chief diplomat for the administration amid a flurry of stories about her staff leaving or her being isolated within the administration. Similarly, during the Biden administrations exit from Afghanistan, which led to the American-allied government falling rapidly to the Taliban and 13 US service-members dying in an explosion, Ms Harris was in Vietnam and Singapore.

I think the Afghanistan situation unfolded in ways the administration wasnt prepared for, Mr Mannes said, compared to the way the Biden administration was prepared for the war in Ukraine.

Joel K Goldstein, a professor emeritus at Saint Louis University School of Law who is an expert on the vice presidency, told The Independent that Ms Harris presence is also important given her historic nature as the first woman of colour to hold the office.

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Because Vice President Harris is a historic figure, shes the first woman elected to national office in the US, theres interest in her both domestically but in some ways I think even more globally, than would have been attached to any of her predecessors, he said.

A senior administration official said Ms Harris will coordinate with these close Allies about how we continue to do that  to effectively implement these sanctions.

The visit allows Ms Harris to burnish her foreign policy credentials. Prior to joining Mr Bidens presidential ticket as his running-mate, Ms Harris had little foreign policy experience, having mostly worked in domestic politics as a prosecutor and district attorney before winning two terms as Californias attorney general before she won her election to the Senate in 2016.

During her time in the Senate, she mainly focused on domestic issues and didnt sit on the committees in which many presidential aspirants serve, such as the Armed Services or Foreign Relations Committees. At the same time, she joined the Senate Intelligence Committee shortly after it was revealed that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election.

This is part of the administration really making an effort, Mr Mannes said. Theyre absolutely building up her credentials.

Halie Soifer, who served as a national security adviser in Ms Harris Senate office for the first part of her term, said that experienced helped specifically in terms of understanding Vladimir Putins belligerence and intransigence as it relates to attacking democracy.

That experience is certainly applicable to the work she is doing now in helping to announce our response to Putins war, she said.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris disembarks from Air Force Two upon arrival at Warsaw Chopin Airport in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, March 9, 2022, as she travels on a 3-day trip to Poland and Romania for meetings about the war in Ukraine. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP) (AP)

Ms Soifer also said that while Ms Harris earned plaudits when she questioned former FBI director James Comey and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions about his contacts with Russian officials, that was only part of the job.

But the majority of her work took place behind the scenes, she said. That was going through intelligence and as we now know that committee was focused for years on investigating Russias role in interfering our presidential election.

Similarly, Rebecca Bill Chavez, who was a foreign policy adviser to Ms Harris presidential campaign, also said how Ms Harris is familiar with the troubles that Ukraine faces, as she was a senator when the House impeached Donald Trump for trying to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in exchange for military aid.

Of course the particular role she played in the Senate ... really explains why shes focusing so much on this, she said. Similarly, Ms Bill Chavez said Ms Harris was intensely focused on Nato and working together with allies in her presidential campaign.

Just the overall kind of malign global influence of Russia is something shes talked about a long time, she said.

Ms Harris pronounced role also allows her to move past some previous criticisms. When Ms Harris visited Latin America in response to child migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border, she was criticised for laughing when NBC Newss Lester Holt asked why she hadnt visited the border.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a meeting with Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Latvian President Egils Levits, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022

Mr Biden also charged her with passing a new version of the Voting Rights Act, which the Supreme Court had significantly weakened in 2013. But the Senate failed to pass a new version in January after Democratic Sens Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia joined Republicans to oppose a change in the filibuster.

Part of Ms Harris challenges came from the fact Mr Biden served in Washington in the Senate for 36 years and eight years as vice president, giving him significant experience negotiating in Congress and on the global stage.

Mr Mannes said in the past, Americans have elected outsiders whose vice presidents are insiders, as was the case with Mr Obama, who served the same length of time in the Senate as Ms Harris before his presidential election, with Mr Biden as his No 2.

We now have the opposite, he said. Biden is a deeply seasoned insider and VP Harris is the outsider. I think its interesting that despite that, shes playing this critical high-level role.

Similarly, stories have abounded in multiple publications of staff leaving her office, or the workplace mired by chaos. All of these elements led to her average approval rating going down to 39 per cent, according to FiveThirtyEight.

But she has also taken a more prominent role in recent weeks, having travelled to sell the bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress passed and Mr Biden signed.

Similarly, she was involved in the presidents nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, having interviewed the judge before Mr Biden did, according to a questionnaire Ms Jackson sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mr Biden specifically cited Ms Harris experience on the committee, which he also led when he was a senator.

That doesnt mean that Ms Harris wont face significant challenges. She will be heading to Poland just after the United States rebuffed its offer of allowing MiG-29 fighter jets to be placed at a US military base in Germany. A senior administration official said that they have been in dialogue with the Poles for some time about how best to provide a variety of security assistance to Ukraine. And that's a dialogue that absolutely will continue up to and as part of the vice president's trip.

And so we expect that we will continue talking about how to achieve this really important objective, they said on the condition of anonymity. A number of people have had a variety of ideas, and we think all of them are worth discussing. And that's what we're going to continue doing.

Similarly, ahead of Russias invasion, Mr Zelensky expressed frustration and questioned Natos commitment to Ukraine joining the alliance during his address to the Munich Security Conference.

It doesn't happen overnight, she said in response in February. No one country can say I want to be, and therefore I will be. And no one country can say You can't be. And isn't that at the heart of the very issue were presented with in terms of Russia's aggression, or stated aggression, toward Ukraine?

At the same time, Mr Mannes said that Ms Harris as vice president has the ability to make a significant impact in her trip to Europe, specifically because Mr Biden has to be in Washington during the international crisis.

It would be unwise for him to be leaving, she said.

Ms Soifer said it was clear her role in the administration did not start with Munich and wont end with Munich.

She provided critical assurance to our allies stood with them in the face of Russian aggression, she said. Now shell return to Eastern Europe amid this war to provide similar assurances.
HICKORY, N.C., March 10, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Metronet today announced that construction has begun on its 100 percent fiber optic infrastructure in Hickory, North Carolina. Metronet is fully funding the multimillion-dollar project that will provide Hickory residents and businesses with access to ultra-high-speed internet. Upon completion, Hickory will become a Gigabit City with Metronets future-proof fiber optic network.

Construction activity has begun in the Kenworth area and will expand rapidly with the first customers being activated in the fall of 2022. As construction continues throughout the community, customers may sign up for presale, which will indicate their interest and will prioritize their installation when available in their area. Those interested in Metronet services may visit www.MetronetInc.com/signup to be notified when their address is available for installation and to sign up for presale.

"With access to Metronets symmetrical fiber optic network, Hickory will have the privilege of being named a Gigabit City. We appreciate Metronets commitment to great service and for providing a fiber optic infrastructure that will set our community apart from others," said Mayor Hank Guess. "The City of Hickory will have access to unparalleled speeds that will support residents and businesses across our city."

"Metronet is excited to join the Hickory community and to have the opportunity to provide more North Carolinians with access to our future-proof network that has the potential to improve working, learning, and playing from home," said John Cinelli, Metronet CEO. "Metronet provides quality service to each of our customers through our fast and reliable fiber optic internet, while supporting the continued growth and economic development of the communities we serve."

Metronet brings fiber directly to homes and businesses in underserved communities in America with affordable, symmetrical speeds up to 10 Gigabits with no long-term contracts. The company expects its network to be available to more than one million residential households and business locations in the near term, providing more service options to hundreds of communities.

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Metronet is one of the fastest-growing providers of fiber optic high-speed broadband services in the country and is known for outstanding customer service provided by a strong local presence. Residents and businesses interested in Metronet services may visit construction.MetronetInc.com to receive updates on construction in their area.

Residents in construction areas will receive communication by mail about construction activity in their neighborhood 30 days prior to beginning, and the company provides additional messaging, such as yard signs, to let residents know when the temporary construction process is beginning in their neighborhood. Metronet crews are marked by ID tags and branded vehicles.

About Metronet:

Metronet is the nations largest independently owned, 100 percent fiber optic company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. The customer-focused company provides cutting-edge fiber optic communication services, including high-speed Fiber Internet, full-featured Fiber Phone, and Fiber IPTV with a wide variety of programming. Metronet started in 2005 with one fiber optic network in Greencastle, Indiana, and has since grown to serving and constructing networks in more than 120 communities across Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, and Missouri. Metronet is committed to bringing state-of-the-art telecommunication services to communities  services that are comparable or superior to those offered in large metropolitan areas. Metronet has been recognized by PC Mag as one of the Top 10 Fastest ISPs in North Central United States in 2020 and Top 10 ISPs with Best Gaming Quality Index in 2021. Broadband Now has recognized Metronet as the Top 3 Fastest Internet Providers and Fastest Fiber Providers in the Nation in 2020, and #1 Fastest Mid-Sized Internet Provider in two states in 2020. In 2020, Metronet was awarded the Vectren Energy Safe Digging Partner Award from Vectren. For more information, visit www.Metronetinc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220310005068/en/

Contacts

Katie Custer

Katie@RunSwitchPR.com

502.821.6784
By Trend

Both the political circles and Armenian society ambiguously perceive the visit of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to France, Deputy General Director of Trend news agency, Azerbaijani political expert Sahil Karimli said, Trend reports.

Karimli said that this visit testifies again to Pashinyan's political hypocrisy.

Pashinyan wants to gain points by leading a double game again, the expert added. Pashinyans step can be regarded as the new betrayal towards Russia.

While Russia is conducting the military operations in Ukraine, Armenia is pursuing its own interests, Karimli said. Presently, Russia faces a difficult situation. The outcome of military operations in Ukraine is unknown.

The expert said that on the other hand, Russia is under severe sanctions from all over the world, it is facing the threat of an economic crisis.

Taking advantage of this situation, the Armenian prime minister turns to Europe, in particular, to France, to receive political dividends, Karimli said. These actions are an undisguised betrayal towards Russia.

The expert said that Pashinyans hypocritical steps are not new.

Throughout his political activity, during and after the Second Karabakh War, Pashinyan took a traitorous position towards Russia, Karimli said. When the right moment appeared, Pashinyan turned to the West and stabbed Russia in the back. This is nothing but political hypocrisy.

The expert said that everybody knows about Pashinyans political manners.

The whole world, including Russia, already knows about this, Karimli said. The inevitable reality is that it is impossible to achieve any success through such treacherous and hypocritical policy.
Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc.

 OT-101 is Oncotelics RNA Therapeutic Against TGF-  OT-101 has completed over six clinical trials against solid tumors with good efficacy  OT-101 is currently undergoing a phase 1b trial in combination with IL-2  Multiple trials combining OT-101 with pembrolizumab are in development  OT-101 has also completed a phase 2 trial against COVID with good efficacy

AGOURA HILLS, Calif., March 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. (Oncotelic or the Company) (OTCQB:OTLC), a leading developer of TGF- therapeutics for oncology and virology, today announced that it will present new studies on its TGF-  program at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2022, taking place April 8-13 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The presentation will demonstrate a close relationship between TGF- expression and immune evasion by cancer and SARS-CoV-2. Details of the presentation are as follows:

Presentation Title: Mutational analysis of ORF-8 of SARS-CoV-2 - a window to immunotherapy. Session Title: Cancer Genomics. Session Category: Molecular and Cellular Biology/Genetics. Abstract Number: 2937

The AACR Annual Meeting is the focal point of the cancer research community, where scientists, clinicians, other health care professionals, survivors, patients, and advocates gather to share the latest advances in cancer science and medicine. From population science and prevention; to cancer biology, translational, and clinical studies; to survivorship and advocacy; the AACR Annual Meeting highlights the work of the best minds in cancer research from institutions all over the world.

In August 2021, the Company and GMP entered into a term sheet, including certain binding terms, to form a JV to develop Oncotelics drug portfolio and build out a manufacturing facility. Also, the Company had announced, and subsequently reported in our Quarterly Report on form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 17, 2021, the intent to take the JV into an initial public offering ("IPO) at a future date. On February 14th, the Company and GMP agreed to extend the standstill terms of the term sheet until March 31, 2022 to permit the completion of the transaction.

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"Oncotelics goal is to create novel immune based therapies for oncology and virology. Development of drugs is an expensive endeavor, and the JV is intended to ensure sufficient financial resources to get the Companys portfolio to marketing approval and beyond." said Dr. Vuong Trieu, CEO and Chairman of Oncotelic.

About Oncotelic Therapeutics

Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. (f/k/a Mateon Therapeutics, Inc.) ("Oncotelic"), was formed in the State of New York in 1988 as OXiGENE, Inc., was reincorporated in the State of Delaware in 1992, and changed its name to Mateon Therapeutics, Inc. in 2016, and Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. in November 2020.

Oncotelic is an artificial intelligence driven immuno-oncology company with a robust pipeline of first in class TGF- immunotherapies for late stage cancers such as gliomas, pancreatic cancer and melanoma. OT-101, the lead immuno-oncology drug candidate of Oncotelic, is a first-in-class anti-TGF- RNA therapeutic that exhibited single agent activity in relapsed/refractory cancer patients. OT-101 also has shown activity against SARS-CoV-2 and has completed a phase 2 trial against COVID-19 with data cleaning and datalock ongoing. Oncotelic is seeking to leverage its deep expertise in oncology drug development to improve treatment outcomes and survival of cancer patients with a special emphasis on rare pediatric cancers. Oncotelic also has rare pediatric designation for DIPG (OT-101), melanoma (CA4P), and AML (OXi 4503). The Company also acquired PointR Data Inc. ("PointR") in November 2019.

Additionally, Oncotelic recently acquired AL-101for the intranasal delivery of Apomorphine for the treatment of Parkinson Disease (PD). Over 60,000 new patients being diagnosed with PD in the United States and currently there are over 1 million patients in the US and expected to increase to over 1.2 million by 2030. In addition, approximately 10 million suffer from this disease globally. https://www.parkinson.org/Understanding-Parkinsons/Statistics. AL-101 is also being developed for Erectile Dysfunction (ED). ED is the most prevalent male sexual disorder globally. The percentages of men affected by ED are as follows: 14.3-70% of men aged 60 years, 6.7-48% of men aged 70 years, and 38% of men aged 80 years (Geerkens MJM et al. (2019). Eur Urol Focus. pii: S2405-4569(19)30079-3). However, with the increasing administration of PDE5 inhibitors in clinical practice, it was found that approximately 30-35% of ED patients are treatment failures (McMahon CN et al. (2006). BMJ, 332: 589-92). AL-101 is designed to target treatment failure ED patients who do not respond to PDE5 inhibitors. Through similar mechanism of action, AL-101 is being developed for Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). Female sexual dysfunction is a prevalent problem, afflicting approximately 40% of women and there are few treatment options. FSD is more typical as women age and is a progressive and widespread condition. (Allahdadi, KJ et al. (2009) Cardiovascular & hematological agents in medicinal chemistry, 7(4), 260269). There is no available drug for the treatment of FSD. In June 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Vyleesi (bremelanotide) to treat acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. This is the only available drug treatment. Vyleesi has essentially replaced the only other drug for HSDD  however, it has a long list of drug-drug interactions, including commonly used antidepressants, such as fluoxetine and sertraline. In addition, it has a black box warning regarding its use with alcohol, a combination that has been associated with hypotension and syncopal episodes. Therefore there is an urgent need for effective therapy against FSD and HSDD.

For more information, please visit www.oncotelic.com

Oncotelic's Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this communication regarding strategy, future operations, future financial position, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Words such as "may", "expect", "anticipate" "hope", "vision", "optimism", "design", "exciting", "promising", "will", "conviction", "estimate," "intend," "believe", "quest for a cure of cancer", "innovation-driven", "paradigm-shift", "high scientific merit", "impact potential" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements about future plans related to the formation of the JV, the progress, timing of clinical development, scope and success of future clinical trials, the reporting of clinical data for the company's product candidates and the potential use of the company's product candidates to treat various cancer indications as well as obtaining required regulatory approval to conduct clinical trials and upon granting of approval by the regulatory agencies, the successful marketing of the products. Each of these forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Many factors may cause differences between current expectations and actual results, including unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during preclinical or clinical studies, clinical trial site activation or enrollment rates that are lower than expected, changes in expected or existing competition, changes in the regulatory environment, failure of collaborators to support or advance collaborations or product candidates and unexpected litigation or other disputes. These risks are not exhaustive, the company faces known and unknown risks, including the risk factors described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2021 and in the company's other periodic filings. Forward-looking statements are based on expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in expectations, whether as a result of new information future events, or otherwise.

Contact Information:

For Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc.:

Amit Shah

ashah@oncotelic.com




By Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer

(Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had made a choice to "specifically target civilians" and any further targeting of civilians in Ukraine is going to be met with the "severest of responses."

"Putin's callous disregard for human life is absolutely unacceptable. It is very clear that he has made the choice to specifically target civilians now," Trudeau told reporters in Warsaw.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of carrying out genocide after Ukrainian officials said Russian aircraft bombed a children's hospital on Wednesday, killing three people including a child.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" and has said its forces do not fire on civilian targets. On Thursday, it shifted its stance over the bombing of the hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, with a mix of statements that veered between aggressive denials and a call by the Kremlin to establish clear facts.

"Putin needs to know that the consequences for his actions already will be severe, and further escalations by him, further targeting of civilians, further use of problematic ways to kill civilians is going to be met with the severest of responses both globally and individually on him," Trudeau said.

Trudeau added that his government will match up to C$30 million ($23.5 million) in donations made by Canadians for Ukraine, raising the amount from an earlier commitment of C$10 million.

Canada, like many other Western nations, has imposed broad sanctions on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. It has also closed its airspace and ports to Russian vessels, sent lethal military aid to Ukraine and asked the International Criminal Court to probe alleged war crimes by Russian forces.

($1 = 1.2784 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa and Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Realkredit Danmark A/S

To



NASDAQ Copenhagen Executive Board

Lers Parkalle 100

DK-2100 Kbenhavn 

www.rd.dk







Telephone +45 7012 5300

Telefax +45 4514 9622













10 March 2022

Company Announcement No 27/2022



Summary of the annual general meeting of Realkredit Danmark A/S held today





Today, at 09.00am, Realkredit Danmark A/S held its annual general meeting at Lers Parkalle 100, DK-2100 Kbenhavn .





With the following agenda





Item 1 Submission of the annual report for adoption



Annual Report 2021 was adopted.

Item 2 Proposal for discharge of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board of their liabilities

A resolution to discharge the Board of Directors and the Executive Board from their obligations was adopted.

Item 3 Proposal for allocation of profits or for the cover of losses according to the adopted annual report

The general meeting approved the proposal to pay a dividend for the year of DKK 3.600 million to the shareholder.

Item 4 Proposal for the Realkredit Danmark Remuneration Policy 2022 and Report 2021

The proposal was adopted on condition that they are approved on the annual general meeting in Danske Bank A/S on the 17 March 2022.

Item 5 Election of members to the Board of Directors

The general meeting re-elected:

Glenn Soderholm, Member of the Executive Board of Danske Bank

Mark Majgaard Wraa-Hansen, Head of Personal Customers Denmark

Line Munkholm Haukrogh, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer

Jesper Koefoed, Managing Director

The board also has two elected members by the employees:

Majken Hammer Slk, Chief Consultant, cand. polyt.

Christian Hilligse Heinig, Chief Economist

Proposal for the election of:

Magnus Thor Agustsson, Member of the Executive Board of Danske Bank

The proposal was adopted.

Item 6 Appointment of state-authorised public accountants

The audit firm Deloitte Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab was appointed for a one-year term as the auditor of Realkredit Danmark.

Item 7 Any other proposals or issues brought forward by the Board of Directors or shareholders

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None.





---ooo0ooo---

Meeting of the Board of Directors of Realkredit Danmark A/S

At the meeting of the Board of Directors of Realkredit Danmark A/S held immediately after the general meeting Glenn Soderholm was appointed Chairman and Mark Wraa-Hansen was appointed Vicechairman. The Audit Committee has Jesper Koefoed as Chairman and Line Munkholm Haukrogh as member.

---ooo0ooo---





The Executive Board







Please contact Jacob Elverum, General Counsel, on +45 45 13 20 11 if you have any questions.

Attachment




PHOENIX, March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Technical Institute (UTI) a leading provider of transportation and skilled trade education and training is pleased to welcome Shannon Okinaka, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Hawaiian Airlines, to the UTI Board of Directors effective March 9, 2022. Ms. Okinaka will also serve as a member of the Audit Committee.

(PRNewsfoto/Universal Technical Institute,)

Ms. Okinaka brings to UTI more than two decades of financial and accounting leadership experience. Ms. Okinaka was appointed Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (HA) Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in 2015 having previously served as Vice President  Controller of Hawaiian Airlines. Ms. Okinaka joined Hawaiian Airlines as Senior Director in charge of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and special projects. Prior to joining Hawaiian Airlines, Okinaka worked for Hawaiian Electric Company and Coopers & Lybrand/PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Okinaka is a certified public accountant. Okinaka also serves on the Board of Directors of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Island Insurance Company.

"We are pleased that Shannon has agreed to join the board of directors," said Jerome Grant, UTI's Chief Executive Officer. "Her experience in the airline industry and extensive knowledge of skilled trades and workforce development will be a terrific addition as we expand our program offerings and campus locations in the coming months and years."

"The airline industry, like many other major industries in the United States, needs a skilled workforce. UTI is well-positioned to help deliver that workforce through its acquisition of MIAT College of Technology," said Okinaka. "It's an honor to join UTI's board of directors, and to be part of an organization with a strong focus on student outcomes and alignment to the needs of industry."

"We are excited to welcome Shannon to our board, and look forward to applying her aviation industry knowledge to the strategic decisions that we will be making as we expand our portfolio of educational opportunities," said Robert DeVincenzi, UTI's non-executive Chairman of the Board.

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The company is also announcing that Kim McWaters plans to retire from the UTI board of directors effective March 9, 2022. Ms. McWaters has been affiliated with the company for more than 37 years, has been a member of the board of directors for 17 years and served as the company's CEO for 19 years until her retirement from her operating role in 2019. In early 2021 Ms. McWaters joined Fresh Start Women's Foundation as President and Chief Executive Officer. Celebrating 30 years of community service, Fresh Start has been providing education, resources, and support for women to positively transform their lives and strengthen our community.

"Those of us that know Kim personally admire her not only for her professional achievements but also for her commitment to helping people in our community," Grant said. "I want to thank Kim for her dedication to Universal Technical Institute, its students, and employees. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Kim in her new capacity by providing UTI educational opportunities to Fresh Start clients."

About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.

Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Phoenix, Universal Technical Institute's (NYSE: UTI) mission is to serve our students, partners, and communities by providing quality education and support services for in-demand careers. Approximately 250,000 students have graduated from one of UTI's 14 campuses located across Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Texas. UTI's campuses are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), and its employer-aligned technical training programs are offered under four brands: Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute / Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology. For more information and a complete list of all programs offered, please visit www.uti.edu or follow on LinkedIn @UniversalTechnicalInstitute and on Twitter @news_UTI.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/universal-technical-institute-welcomes-shannon-okinaka-to-its-board-of-directors-and-announces-the-retirement-of-kim-mcwaters-from-her-director-role-301500450.html

SOURCE Universal Technical Institute, Inc.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif.  Five-time champion and world No. 2 Novak Djokovic has officially withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open.

The Serbian tennis star has remained resolute in his stance against receiving the COVID-19 vaccination and has said that hes willing to miss tournaments over the issue, if necessary.

Due to current travel restrictions for unvaccinated foreigners flying into the United States, the 20-time Grand Slam singles champion was unable to gain entry into the country to play in Indian Wells, California.

The BNP Paribas Open began Monday with qualifying. The men's main draw starts Thursday and continues through March 20. Djokovic remained in the BNP Paribas Open draw until Wednesday, when the tournament announced his withdrawal due to his inability to travel into the country.

Novak Djokovic looks towards his team before serving to Bjorn Fratangelo at the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., March 9, 2019.

Djokovic, 34, then tweeted his own announcement, stating that he also will not play in Miami later this month.

"While I was automatically in the @BNPParibasOpen and @MiamiOpen draw, I knew it would be unlikely I'd be able to travel," Djokovic tweeted. "The CDC has confirmed that regulations won't be changing, so I won't be able to play in the US. Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments."

Djokovic's withdrawal, though late, was not surprising. He was not expected to play at Indian Wells prior to the official withdrawal, and the tournament hinted as much with a life-sized cutout of Djokovic hung on a wall at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, along with other stars who have withdrawn. Next to the cutouts were the words, "We miss you."

While I was automatically listed in the @BNPPARIBASOPEN and @MiamiOpen draw I knew it would be unlikely Id be able to travel. The CDC has confirmed that regulations wont be changing so I won't be able to play in the US. Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments   Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 9, 2022

As the next player in line to be seeded, Grigor Dimitrov will move into Djokovic's spot in the draw, and a Lucky Loser from qualifying will move into Dimitrovs space in the draw once qualifying is complete.

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The absence of Djokovic at this years BNP Paribas Open will surely be disappointing for a tournament that also will not have Roger Federer. The two tennis icons have each won the tournament a record five times. Djokovic holds the record for most consecutive matches won (19) at Indian Wells, which he accomplished from 2014-17, and his 85% (50-9) win percentage is the highest in tournament history.

Indian Wells and Miami are two of the largest tournaments in the world. A crowd of 475,372 attended the BNP Paribas Open over two weeks in 2019, before the pandemic canceled the 2020 event and played a role in a reduced attendance in 2021. The Miami Open drew 388,734 in 2019.

RAFAEL NADAL: Grand Slam king off to best start to a season in his career

GAME, SET, SHAD: Who will win the BNP Paribas Open men's singles title?

MEN'S STORYLINES: Unbeatable Nadal and possible Canadian breakthrough

Its fair to wonder how vaccine travel restrictions may affect the upcoming tournament schedule of the second-ranked player in the world, who until Feb. 28 had held the top ranking in mens tennis, consecutively, for more than two years. He lost that distinction to Daniil Medvedev.

Though the Tour does not require players to be vaccinated for COVID-19, the U.S. does not currently allow unvaccinated foreigners to fly into the country. The country has no such mandate for U.S. citizens, permanent residents or those traveling on an immigration visa.

In late February, Djokovic was asked by a reporter in Dubai if he had plans to play at Indian Wells, and Djokovic replied that he was waiting to see if the U.S. may change those travel restrictions, which would allow him to fly into the country.

As of today,  I cant go  cant enter United States, Djokovic said. As of today, Im not able to play. But lets see what happens. I mean, maybe things change in the next few weeks.

Novak Djokovic returns to Bjorn Fratangelo at the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., March 9, 2019.

Things did not change. Djokovic's absence from the tournament that hes won five times will now be extended at least another year. Djokovic has not played at Indian Wells since 2019, when he was upset by Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Round of 32.

The tournament was then canceled amid the pandemic in 2020 and rescheduled in 2021 for October. Djokovic, who had won three of the four Grand Slam singles titles before falling short of a Calendar Slam at the U.S. Open in September, did not travel to Indian Wells.

Djokovic traveled to Melbourne in January to defend his Australian Open title. But after a public clash with the countrys health officials, he was eventually expelled from the country and flew home to Serbia.

Djokovic played in Dubai last month, where he defeated Lorenzo Musetti and Karen Khachanov before falling to qualifier Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals.

Andrew John covers sports for The Desert Sun and the USA Today Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com and find him on Twitter at @Andrew_L_John.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Novak Djokovic withdraws from BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells
Vibe's newest dispensary, located in Ukiah, California, opens its doors to the public

Sacramento, California--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2022) - Vibe Growth Corporation (CSE: VIBE) (OTCQX: VIBEF) (FSE: A061) (the "Company" or "Vibe"), a vertically integrated California cannabis enterprise, is pleased to announce it has received all the necessary local and state regulatory approvals for the opening of its newest dispensary location in Ukiah, California.

The new Vibe By California branded Ukiah dispensary located at 441 State Street N, conveniently situated in the heart of Ukiah's vibrant downtown core, will open its doors to the public for adult-use sales on Friday, March 11, 2022.

The Ukiah store hours are from 9 am to 9 pm and will provide residents and visitors to the Mendocino Valley with a wide selection of leading cannabis brands and products. Vibe's Ukiah dispensary will offer a curated product assortment featuring top-tier California brands and the Company's Hype Cannabis Co. marijuana product lineup. Online ordering with same-day express pickup is available at www.vibebycalifornia.com.

Mark Waldron, CEO of Vibe stated, "We are thrilled to be opening our doors to the Ukiah community, and we look forward to providing our customers with the largest selection of premium cannabis products and a wonderful retail experience."

Ukiah is Vibe's seventh retail dispensary as the Company continues to expand its retail footprint. Vibe's California retail stores span locations in Sacramento, Stockton, Redding, Palm Springs, Salinas, and Ukiah, in addition to its Portland, Oregon dispensary.

About Vibe Growth Corporation

Vibe Growth Corporation and its cannabis retail brand, Vibe By California, is a trusted, vertically integrated California cannabis enterprise with retail dispensaries; cannabis greenhouse cultivation; premium indoor cultivation; commercial cannabis distribution; brand sales and marketing; e-commerce platform; home delivery; and Hype Cannabis Co. marijuana and Vibe CBD products. In California, Vibe is focused on maximizing shareholder value through accelerating organic growth, opportunistic acquisitions, distressed workouts, and new license applications. The Company operates retail and e-commerce under its iconic Vibe By California brand.

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To learn more about Vibe, please visit: www.vibebycalifornia.com

Company Contact

Bill Mitoulas

Phone: +1 416.479.9547

Email: ir@vibebycalifornia.com

Website: www.vibebycalifornia.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Product & Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the parties' current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events, and may be impacted as a result of general economic conditions or the ongoing COVID-19 endemic. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the Company's expectations of revenue, EBITDA profitability and adjusted funds flow, higher sales volumes, and the Company's retail operations. Actual future results may differ materially.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the parties are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties, and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Risk factors related to the Company are described in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any State securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. securities laws.

Unlike in Canada which has Federal legislation uniformly governing the cultivation, distribution, sale, and possession of medical cannabis under the Cannabis Act (Federal), readers are cautioned that in the U.S., cannabis is largely regulated at the State level. To the knowledge of Vibe Growth Corporation, there are to date a total of 33 states, plus the District of Columbia, that have legalized cannabis in some form. Notwithstanding the permissive regulatory environment of medical cannabis at the State level, cannabis continues to be categorized as a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act in the U.S. and as such, cannabis related practices or activities, including without limitation, the manufacture, importation, possession, use or distribution of cannabis are illegal under U.S. federal law. Strict compliance with state laws concerning cannabis will neither absolve Vibe of liability under the U.S. Federal law nor will it provide a defense to any Federal proceeding, which may be brought against Vibe Growth Corporation. Any such proceedings brought against Vibe may adversely affect its operations and financial performance.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116342
Three Rivers Health District, which includes Westmoreland County and other localities in the Northern Neck, has received a grant to help medical volunteers support their communities during COVID-19 and other crises.

The health district received $10,000 from the National Association of County and City Health Officials as part of the 2022 Medical Reserve Corps Operational Readiness Awards. The Three Rivers group is one of 129 MRC units nationwide to earn $5,000 or $10,000 grants to build or strengthen response efforts.

Three Rivers was beyond excited to receive the notice of award, said Brenden Rivenbark, the districts chief operating officer. It will use the money to expand CPR training of volunteers and to improve mobile equipment used for COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics as well as public health promotions.

Rivenbark praised those who planned local efforts, including Matt Carpentier, emergency preparedness coordinator, and Eric Thomas, MRC coordinator, as well as those who put those actions into place.

Three Rivers Health District recognizes the extraordinary work of our volunteers and extends our sincere gratitude for the countless hours spent supporting the residents of the district prior to, and during, our COVID-19 response, Rivenbark said.

Members of the Medical Reserve Corps have long been a part of local health districts, but their activity level increased during the pandemic. Throughout the state, including the Rappahannock Area Health District, which includes Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford, MRC volunteers have helped with behind-the-scenes logistical tasks for large-scale events.

Locally, theyve assisted with registration, traffic and screening at COVID-19 testing clinics throughout the region since the pandemic began. In April 2020, MRC volunteers set up stations in the parking lot outside the Virginia Department of Health offices in Fredericksburg to show workers from long-term care facilities how to be properly fitted with N95 respirator masks. Some of the nurses and aides in assisted living facilities and nursing homes wore only surgical masks and had never been fitted for the N95s, which provide a tighter fit designed to keep out any aerosolized droplets.

The medical volunteers also served as infection prevention ambassadors who made sure voters kept their distance from one another during primaries and elections. Those with medical backgrounds also helped area health departments keep clinic operations running while staff members focused on virus issues or manned phones in the districts call center, said Allison BalmesJohn, RAHD spokesperson.

MRC volunteers also gathered twice weekly at the Colonial Beach Community Center to help put on a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in association with the Guadalupe Free Clinic of Colonial Beach. The clinic provides free medical care for Westmoreland residents who dont have insurance, and when vaccines became available, Director Lance Carrington jumped at the chance to offer them locally.

But it was more than the volunteers at the Guadalupe clinic could handle, so Colonial Beach officials, along with MRC members and anyone else who wanted to be involved, provided manpower, supplies, food for the workers and even gravel for the driveway that leads off the property.

Everything about this is volunteer, Mike Cabrey, the towns vice mayor, said in May 2021. Theyve all decided they want to part of the solution.

The Rappahannock Area Health District established the first Medical Reserve Corps in the state 20 years ago. In the days after 9/11, there was a threat of anthrax being sent through the mail and the local health district had to shift its focus from clinics and public-safety campaigns to responding to health-related emergencies.

Two key officials at the timeDr. Donald Stern, director, and Joe Saitta, bioterrorism coordinatorled the effort in 2002 and came out of retirement to lead the health districts pandemic response.

MRC volunteers began helping with seasonal flu-shot clinics, which used to be their busiest event in the days before COVID. Flu clinics provided the conceptual basis for drive-thru COVID-19 tests and large-scale vaccination sites that later were put in place.

The Three Rivers Health District, which covers 10 counties from the Northern Neck into the Middle Peninsula, has 322 MRC volunteers, Rivenbark said. In addition to their efforts during the pandemic, the volunteers also help with health education, provide clinical services to at-risk populations when there are staff shortages, support outbreak response and enhance the districts emergency planning.

They are among 22 MRC groups in Virginia and part of a national network of about 200,000 volunteers in 800 communities, according to the National Association of County and Health Officials. In 2020, the volunteers gave about 840,000 hours of service which resulted in a workforce savings of almost $24 million, the national group reported.

During the two years of the pandemic, the volunteers have given almost 3 million hours in response efforts and the numbers continue to grow, according to a press release.

More information about the volunteer group is available at vdh.virginia.gov/mrc.

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Kiel Eltiste read President Lyndon Johnsons messages before he ever got them.

Back in the 1960s, Eltiste was a cryptographic technician, who decoded decrypted messages and relayed them to the Department of Defense or National Security Agency.

Or even to the President of the United States.

I read President Johnsons mail before he did, said Eltiste, who served in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

On Tuesday afternoon, Eltiste wasnt reading classified messages. Instead, he was one of two local veterans honored for their military service during a Quilt of Valor presentation. Friends and family gathered for the event, which took place at Nebraska Quilt Shop in downtown Fremont.

Eltiste and Randall C. Redding, a U.S. Air Force veteran, received the quilts from the Quilts of Valor Fremont, Nebraska, chapter.

We are here to honor and comfort our veterans with these Quilts of Valor, said QOV group leader LindaKay Hermesch of Omaha. Its a civilian lifetime achievement award.

Hermesch believes its important to honor veterans, saying that when they were drafted or decided to enlist, they signed on a dotted line, giving their lives away.

We feel its important to let them know that we appreciate our freedom, because they have no clue what job theyre going to get when they sign that line, she said.

Eltiste was 21 when he enlisted in the Naval Reserves in April 1965 and went to school in Pensacola, Florida, to become a cryptographic technician.

We had to learn a lot about electricity and Morse code, he said.

Eltiste served for two years in Guam. As a cryptographic/communications technician, Eltiste would receive a message, which his computer decoded. He sent messages, then coded again, where they were meant to go.

Anything he read came from the battlefront in Vietnam.

That was a huge job and it saved a lot of veterans, Hermesch said during the presentation.

Before the ceremony, Eltiste told the Tribune that hed never heard of the Quilt of Valor until a neighbor, Anita (Smokie) Groh, told him about it.

Im very honored and humbled to get it, because Im sure there are people who have done a lot more than me, but I figure my job  what I did  was saving lives through the communications that I received and sent on to the president and the Department of Defense.

Hermesch told event attendees that Eltiste was responsible for helping end a war, which the veteran described as not very popular.

Veterans of the Vietnam era often werent well received when they returned to the United States, but Eltiste got a warm round of applause on Tuesday and attendees learned he was dressed in the same uniform hed worn years ago.

Eltiste served his country for almost 21 years, going to Naval Reserve trainings in places such as Florida, Rhode Island, San Diego and, lastly, in Tokyo.

Redding, who is commander of the American Legion Post 158, Cedar Bluffs, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1981-1993.

He joined the service right out of Bancroft High School, enlisting while he was still a senior.

I always wanted to serve my country, Redding said.

Redding became an air transportation specialist, moving military personnel and cargo to different areas of the world.

He served as ground support for Air Force One (aircraft that carried U.S. Presidents), while Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush were in office.

Reddings sons, Brett and Brandon, were little when hed bring them to Andrews Air Force Base (now called Joint Base Andrews) in Maryland.

He recalls when Reagans wife, Nancy, was in a limousine that approached a gate on the base.

The first lady would have the car stop and shed roll down the window. Her dog would poke its head out the window so Reddings children could pet it.

Redding remembers when President Reagan left office, he made a personal appearance to all ground crew workers at the base. Years later, Redding found a videotape his dad made of TV news coverage of Reagan saying goodbye to the workers.

During his service, Redding also flew on cargo planes out of Andrews and Guam.

Hes pleased to receive a quilt.

Its really an honor, Redding said.

At the presentation, quilters wrapped a red-white-and-blue quilt around each veteran amid audience applause.

Thank you for making this, Redding said as he was ceremonially wrapped in his new quilt. Its going to keep me warm.

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An Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber who killed 64 people at a Shi'ite mosque in northwest Pakistan last week was an Afghan exile who returned home to train for the attack, police said on March 9.

There have been warnings Afghanistan could become a recruiting ground and staging post for militants since the Taliban returned to power last year following the hasty withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

The Taliban has pledged it will not allow Afghan soil to be used to plot attacks on other nations, but last month the UN Security Council said "terrorist groups enjoy greater freedom there than at any time in recent history."

Two senior Pakistani police officials told AFP that the suicide bomber responsible for the March 4 blast in Peshawar had prepared the attack in Afghanistan.

It was claimed by IS, whose Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) affiliate has been active for years in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, where it is in violent competition with the Taliban.

The officials said the attacker was an Afghan national in his 30s who moved to Pakistan with his family decades ago.

"The bomber went (back) to Afghanistan, trained there, and returned without informing his family," one of the senior police officials told AFP.

"Islamic State-Khorasan is becoming a strong threat for us. They are operating from Afghanistan but they have sleeper cells here," he added.

Taliban officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

International Apprehension

Muhammad Amir Rana, director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), said there was "a lot of apprehension" in the international community over the prospect of Afghanistan becoming a haven for militancy.

While the Taliban can rein in sister groups like Al-Qaeda -- which carried out the 9/11 attacks -- "they cannot guarantee they will do the same about the groups which are not under their control, like IS-K," he said.

"There are a lot of questions on the Taliban's ability to govern Afghanistan," said Rana.

Police said they had killed three "facilitators" of the Peshawar attack in an overnight operation and arrested 20 others suspected of involvement.

IS also claimed responsibility for what it said was a suicide blast on March 8 that killed seven paramilitary troops near a site in southwestern Pakistan where the president had visited less than half an hour earlier.

Since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, Islamabad has acted as a key broker between the hard-liners and the international community.

Pakistan was one of just three nations to officially recognize their first regime from 1996 to 2001.

Its own version of the Taliban, the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, has also staged attacks from hideouts in Afghanistan, testing the diplomatic relationship.

Rana suggested IS-K may be intensifying attacks in Pakistan in order to "increase pressure on the Taliban in Afghanistan" from Islamabad.